5 years and 10 years refer to the number of years a migrant needs to spend in the UK, in the given category, to qualify for permanent residency. So, in the 5-year route one needs 5 years and in the 10-year route twice more, ie 10 years. It means if you get a visa in this route, you'd need 5 or 10 years respectively from the date of the first visa. It does not relate to the number of years preceding to the first application in this route. When does each of them apply? 5-year route is for a migrant who is applying as a Spouse/Partner, or as a Parent, of a UK citizen under the Appendix FM and who is able to meet all the requirements. This is also known as application within the Rules. It means one can meet all the requirements, be it applying at the right place (ie switching from another category when it is allowed), meeting the Financial or English language requirements or otherwise. 10-year route applies to the applications under FLR(FP) category, as a Spouse/Partner News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. Mumbai: The moment a short excerpt from a 20-minute long interview with a well-known journalist found its way on the internet, it spread like a wildfire, catching everyones major attention. The short excerpt showed Sunny Leone being targeted again and again by the journalist on her past and career choices. While the video made many cringe, it was just a small part of what was yet to come. The full interview shows Sunny being an object of the journalists misogynistic and backward views, which were thrown at her dressed as questions. Do you think Aamir Khan will work with you? How many people would aspire to be a porn star? In typical Bollywood terms, you're an 'item girl'. Does it worry you that your past as a Porn Queen will continue to haunt you? I wonder if I'm being morally corrupt by interviewing you. Statistically you have led to a rise in the consumption of porn in India. These were some of the questions and statements made by the journalist towards Sunny. While the interview showed the journalists clear views on the actress, it also showed everyone a different side of Sunny. While many would have walked out or landed a fine print of their palms on the journalists face, Sunny sat calmly on the hot seat and dodged every misleading and degrading question with smile on her face and a smart reply on the tip of her tongue. The actress not only won the interview but also the Internet, making everyone fall in love with her brave personality. Ever since the interview was broadcasted, social networking sites have been ringing with positive messages for the actress. Apart from the audiences, even Bollywood came forward and showered Sunny with the love and support that she truly deserves. It all started with one tweet. Yes, with Rishi Kapoor encouraging tweet, people started wondering what the whole fuss was about and thus the news reached every corner of B-town. @SunnyLeone respect. Few could have been as composed dignified and classy as you were. you sure showed men it's a woman's world. Boom! Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) January 20, 2016 One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.@SunnyLeone im a fan! Farah Khan (@TheFarahKhan) January 20, 2016 To be intelligent honest firm and hugely dignified-All at once... @SunnyLeone you knocked it out of the park... Loved your interview! :) Aditi Rao Hydari (@aditiraohydari) January 20, 2016 I have become a @SunnyLeone fan after watching her IBN interview... What a graceful & dignified lady. Arshad Warsi (@ArshadWarsi) January 20, 2016 Omg @SunnyLeone hats off to you!!! You answered those stupid questions with so much of grace Lots of love to you Sunshine!!! Elli Avram (@ElliAvram) January 20, 2016 @SunnyLeone Truly inspired by the grace and dignity you have stood upto to anyone publicly humiliating women in India! Thank you Mohit Suri (@mohit11481) January 19, 2016 Very unfair& rude interview with Sunny Leone on CNN IBN.She is taking it on her chin sportingly,obviously in the interest of her coming film rishi kapoor (@chintskap) January 17, 2016 @sunnyleone, Kudos to you for being so grateful, poised & courageous in the face of ignorance. I'm a fan :) pic.twitter.com/XuFidgQThN Jai Singh Rathore (@AnilKapoor) January 19, 2016 @zmilap @SunnyLeone hats off to this graceful lady Suresh Menon (@sureshnmenon) January 19, 2016 This downright distasteful interview shows d journalists intellect & lack of basic human respect & nothing else.kudos @SunnyLeone Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) January 19, 2016 Prejudice and misogyny, thy name is Chaubey. Well done @SunnyLeone. https://t.co/3VcMPhnbym Nikhil Chinapa (@nikhilchinapa) January 19, 2016 An all time low for journalism in our country.. Interview done in such bad taste.. Kudos @SunnyLeone for tackling a retard so well Saqib Saleem (@Saqibsaleem) January 19, 2016 Well done @SunnyLeone !! You are a very hardworking professional and u have respect for others and yourself! I'm proud to be ur friend.. Rannvijay singha (@RannvijaySingha) January 19, 2016 @bhupendrachaube 'a interview of @SunnyLeone was the most sexist,holier-than-thou one I have seen lately.He wanted you to crack,you DIDN'T! RichaChadha (@RichaChadha_) January 19, 2016 So disappointed to see such disrespect towards a woman.. Is this Journalism??.I don't know @SunnyLeone personally but what a dignified lady. Genelia Deshmukh (@geneliad) January 19, 2016 Sunny Leone displays far more dignity than these self appointed moral custodians of society. vidya balan (@vidya_balan) January 19, 2016 Appalled by the journalist and his lack of intellect, humanity and respect. Bravo @SunnyLeone in complete support. Radhika Apte (@radhika_apte) January 19, 2016 Don't think many would've held their own as @SunnyLeone did!Total respect!point proven where more men need2b taught respect in this country! Geeta Basra (@Geeta_Basra) January 19, 2016 That was literally NOT an interview.. Just hyper opinionated statements with a question mark at the end!!! No Grace? Chivalry? Ridiculous! Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) January 19, 2016 How beautifully u held your own in that stupid interview @SunnyLeone .Some1 should have taught him how to respect a woman when he was a kid. Sushant S Rajput (@itsSSR) January 19, 2016 Prejudice and misogyny, thy name is Chaubey. Well done @SunnyLeone. https://t.co/3VcMPhnbym Nikhil Chinapa (@nikhilchinapa) January 19, 2016 Here's hoping Mr Chaubey's next interview explores something other than his own prejudice. Vir Das (@thevirdas) January 19, 2016 He asks the same question for 20minutes. Because she doesn't satisfy him with the response he's looking for.#Respect https://t.co/RkG4B0C5d2 Dia Mirza (@deespeak) January 19, 2016 Full marks to Sunny Leone for the grace she showed. Most would've walked out of that cringe fest of an interview. Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) January 19, 2016 You aren't a lady unless you have grace.@SunnyLeone well done woman.your grace overtook the idiots crass. Esha Gupta (@eshagupta2811) January 19, 2016 Well done @SunnyLeone keeping it together in the face of opinionated misguided questions #mortifyingjournalism https://t.co/DwsdAFtVxT shruti haasan (@shrutihaasan) January 19, 2016 Yes and such stupid questions!He is so googly eyed & patronising while @SunnyLeone holds her own so beautifully https://t.co/KKPlaUB8sw Mini Mathur (@minimathur) January 19, 2016 A rockstar being interviewed by a misogynistic idiot. You owned this one @SunnyLeone with your grace & poise. Bravo! https://t.co/LeCVt9bxmw Shruti Seth (@SethShruti) January 18, 2016 Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for vigilance by officials in Tehran to ensure that world powers meet their commitments under a newly implemented nuclear deal. In his first public remarks since international sanctions were lifted against Iran during the weekend as part of a historic nuclear deal, Ayatollah Khamenei on January 19 also expressed "pessimism" about expressions by some U.S. politicians in recent days. He did not elaborate. His remarks, quoted by Iranian state media, were made in a letter to President Hassan Rohani. On January 17, a day after nuclear-related sanctions were lifted against Tehran, the United States announced fresh sanctions against Iranian companies and individuals linked to Irans ballistic-missile program. Those sanctions came in response to test launches of Iranian ballistic missiles in October and November that United Nations experts determined were capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Tehran denounced the new U.S. sanctions as illegitimate. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and Press TV U.S. government sources say three U.S. citizens who disappeared in Baghdad last week were abducted and are being held by an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, Reuters has reported. The information was based on reports from two Iraqi intelligence and two U.S. government sources. Iraqi officials said unknown gunmen seized the three men on January 15 from a private residence in Baghdad's Dora district. They are the first U.S. citizens to be kidnapped in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops in 2011. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said on January 19 that Washington is "working very closely with Iraqi authorities to try to get more information" about the three. "Without getting into details, I can tell you that the picture is becoming a little bit more clear in terms of what might have happened," Kirby said. U.S. sources told Reuters that Washington had no reason to believe Tehran was involved in the kidnapping and does not believe the three are being held in Iran. The men were reportedly employed by a company working under a contract with the U.S. Army. U.S.-Iranian relations have improved in recent months with the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran after an international deal that curbs Tehran's nuclear program as well as a prisoner swap between the two countries last weekend. But Iranian officials were angered when Washington subsequently announced new sanctions for a string of ballistic-missile tests by Iran. Based on reporting by Reuters and RFE/RL in Washington The Macedonian parliament has confirmed the resignation of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and voted to dissolve parliament on February 24. The resignation was announced on January 18 by the president of the Macedonian parliament, Trajko Velkanovaki, and is the result of a deal reached by Gruevski's ruling VMRO-DPMNE and other coalition parties and the opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) in June. The EU-mediated agreement says the resignation had to occur within 100 days of early parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for April 24. Emil Dimitriev, a senior member of the VMRO-DPMNE, was named caretaker prime minister until elections. But the SDSM said in a statement they will only participate in the elections if there is free media in Macedonia and an updated list of registered voters is created. The ruling coalition and the Social Democrats did not reach an agreement on these issues during a visit to Skopje by EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn on January 16. Macedonia spent months in a political crisis last year after the SDSM accused Gruevski's government of illegally eavesdropping on over 20,000 people in Macedonia. The charges came shortly after SDSM leader Zoran Zaev was charged by the government of planning a coup attempt. Authorities in Pakistan say a bomb targeting a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan killed as many as 11 people on January 19 and wounded 20. The bomb attack was in Jamrud in the Khyber tribal area on a road leading from the city of Peshawar to the Khyber Pass and neighboring Afghanistan. It also was near an area where Pakistani security forces are fighting the Taliban and other militant groups. Peshawar police official Iqbal Khan told reporters the dead include at least five police, as well as civilians and at least one child. He said the attack appears to have been carried out by a suicide bomber who struck as a local police chief arrived at the checkpoint. Other reports said the targeted police chief was among those killed. Munir Khan, a local government official, said the bomber was riding a motorcycle and rammed it into the roadside checkpoint. Pakistan's Taliban, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack in an e-mail sent to RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP Polish President Andrzej Duda has called on NATO to deploy "substantial" numbers of troops and equipment in Eastern Europe to safeguard Poland and the region from a more aggressive Russia. "The point is that NATO troops are deployed and are visible," Duda said during a visit to the alliance's headquarters in Brussels on January 18. Poland will host NATO's next summit in July and Duda was clear in his hope that alliance leaders will decide at that meeting on a long-term stationing of NATO troops in his country. He said he wants NATO to make its presence "as permanent as possible" in Poland. Duda would not cite numbers as to what size of force he wanted in Poland but said it should be big enough to "ensure the security of [NATO's] eastern flank." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg indicated that Poland would not be disappointed by the results of the summit. "NATO now has a persistent military presence in the region of which Poland is a part," Stoltenberg said. "And I trust that after the Warsaw summit we will see more NATO in Poland than ever before." Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Russian journalist Dmitry Shipilov from the Kemerovo region in Siberia has received political asylum in Ukraine. Shipilov placed a photo on January 19 of his refugee document issued by Ukraine's Migration Service with a caption saying "the 10-month process is over at last, thanks to all." Shipilov, who arrived in Ukraine in February 2014 and asked for political asylum, was sentenced to 11 months of community service in 2012 after he was convicted of insulting Kemerovo Governor Aman Tuleyev, who has governed the region since 1997. After refusing to perform community service, Shipilov was arrested in 2014 and spent three months in jail. In 2014, Shipilov was under pressure over an interview he did with Siberian activist Artyom Loskutov, an organizer of a march calling for the "federalization" of Siberia that would mock Russian demands that Ukraine be federalized. The march was banned by authorities and never took place. Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov has been engaged in an increasingly chilling confrontation with opponents and critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin -- people he now routinely refers to as enemies of the people and puppets of the West. Kadyrov's bald threats have amplified the key question of whether he is acting in concert with the Kremlin -- and, if not, why hasn't Putin reined him in? Kadyrov usually posts his rants and rhetoric on Instagram, but his latest was published on January 19 in Izvestia, a pro-Kremlin paper that is one of Russia's oldest -- a possible sign of approval at the highest levels. RFE/RL has translated Kadyrov's article in full: The Jackals Will Be Punished Under Russian Law My rhetoric about those who call for the overthrow of the state system and changes in Russia's borders has not changed. I called these haters of Russia traitors to the Motherland and enemies of the people in 2010, and in 2011, and in 2012. I am truly surprised that this is news to some people. My statement that those who call for revolution and mass violence must be punished with all the severity of the law has caused a panic attack in the nonsystemic opposition. I believed this then, I believe this now, and I will always believe it -- my position is immutable. The seething reaction of the nonsystemic opposition and its sympathizers can be considered mass psychosis. I can help them get over this clinical problem and I promise that we will not be stingy with injections. My firm statement concerned those who have left Russia and who, from abroad while receiving handouts from the governments of Western countries, sling mud at our country and slander it. This is also clear from the term that I used -- the nonsystemic opposition. Naturally, in this case, we are not talking about the opposition that, within the framework of Russian legislation, operating inside the state system, tries to find a way to resolve vital problems in various spheres -- healthcare, communal services, roads, and so on. We are talking about those who call themselves the nonsystemic opposition and under this name pursue their main aim -- to destroy our country and undermine its constitutional order. I have never considered these people who impose exclusively Western values upon us to be a part of our society. Taking advantage of the global crisis, the Western lackeys are attempting to throw everything created by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the first president of the Chechen Republic, Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov, into chaos. My republic was bloodied by war. The Chechen people know how many lives the peace that now reigns in the republic cost. The so-called nonsystemic opposition have become so insolent as to use national media to promote their ideas about destroying the Russian state. Ekho Moskvy, Dozhd, RBK and others happily broadcast their false, hypocritical statements, which are imbued with a profound hatred of Russia. And some representatives of the Russian authorities are flirting with this pack of jackals, interpreting any reproach or call for them to follow Russia's law as a threat. Let the Prosecutor-General's Office now examine their statements in support of those who are calling for violence. Who gave a bunch of vile liberals the right to call themselves the Russian intelligentsia? Those who are calling for dialogue with jackals that dream of destroying our state may not be able to wash off the stench of cowardly dog. As a patriot, a foot soldier of the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, I will never play around with murderers and traitors to my country. It's unlikely even one sensible and self-respecting person would engage in dialogue with those who consider it amoral to love their Motherland and faithfully serve her. We have [in Chechnya] a village called Braguny, where there is a very good psychiatric hospital. The seething reaction of the nonsystemic opposition and its sympathizers can be considered mass psychosis. I can help them get over this clinical problem and I promise that we will not be stingy with injections. When they are prescribed one injection, we can give two. Who gave a bunch of vile liberals the right to call themselves the Russian intelligentsia? They make a claim to the title of the nation's conscience, while gathering around themselves haters of everything Russian and paying attention to the West. The liberals think that their ideas are indisputable and that no other convictions can exist, and if they hear criticism, they attack with threats and insults. The shadow over the country is cast not by those who protect and preserve its identity, its history, and its sovereignty, but by those who protect the rights of a very small circle of people. Part of the Russian human rights community forgets that its function is to protect the rights of simple Russians, and not a bunch of traitors who have been elevated into a privileged class. The politics of these warriors for injustice is an antipeople one that represents their own personal interests. When they criticize all and sundry without grounds, using vile words and spraying spittle, they think that we will remain silent. And when they get a tough response with mass support, they run to their defenders howling and tucking in their jackal's tails. If these dogs have their protectors in our country, then the main protector of the Russian people is the president of our country, Vladimir Putin, and I am prepared to carry out his orders, no matter how difficult. These morally fallen people who have sold their souls to Western devils behave freely not only in the West, but also in the country that they scorn, where they feel themselves to be beyond punishment and untouchable.And, after any attempt to call them to answer to the law, they start to scream about repression. But in their beloved Western countries, calling for the violation of territorial integrity and for the destruction of the state is a punishable criminal offense. And in Europe there are mass human rights violations. But for the opposition, sympathy for these countries is unshakable. Your lack of love for Russia is mutual. Acting firmly, consistently, systematically, and within the strict framework of the law, we will not allow a mad rabble that sets itself in opposition to Russia to get in the way. The position of the authorities on this question must be consolidated, all the more so because it serves the interests of the country and its population. By not sparing the enemy, we will save Russia. ************** The article adds to a stream of threatening invective unleashed by Ramzan Kadyrov and his allies against liberal Russian opposition politicians, activists, and journalists in recent days. It is likely to spark new calls for Putin to intervene and to dismiss Kadyrov, who has been widely accused of human-rights abuses and is believed by critics to to have overseen assassinations both in Russia and abroad. Relatives and associates of Boris Nemtsov, an opposition leader shot dead in February 2015 near the Kremlin, want Kadyrov questioned over his killing. A local lawmaker in Siberia called Kadyrov a "disgrace" to Russia last week, and then apologized following what he said were oblique but clear warnings that he could suffer the same fate as Nemtsov. A Russian opposition activist who was the first person charged under a strict new protest law has been added to the country's wanted list. Vladimir Ionov's lawyer, Olga Dinze, said on January 19 that Moscow's Preobrazhensky district court ordered her client's case returned to the prosecutor's office and is now a wanted man. Ionov, 76, did not show up last month at his own trial on charges of attending more than two unauthorized public protests during a six-month period, which under legislation enacted in 2014 can result in a potential 1 million ruble fine ($12,600) or up to five years in prison. Rights activists call the new law a menacing tool to crack down on dissent. Another Russian opposition activist, Ildar Dadin, who was sentenced to three years in jail on December 7, became the first person to be convicted under the legislation. Russian media reported last month that Ionov fled to Ukraine. With reporting by Rapsinews and Interfax A leading Crimean Tatar activist has vowed that a months-long, civilian-led blockade of the annexed peninsula will continue until it is freed from Kremlin control, stressing that only concrete action can be effective. "We showed the Tatars in Crimea, Ukrainians, and all pro-Ukrainian people that there is a genuine movement under way to free Crimea," explained Lenur Islyamov to RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service in a video interview. Crimean Tatars have been at the forefront of an independent campaign to push for the peninsula's return to Ukrainian rule after it was seized by Russia in March 2014. The Crimean Tatars and other groups have blocked road links from mainland Ukraine to Crimea since September and are suspected of blowing up electricity pylons in November, disrupting power supplies from Ukraine to the peninsula for weeks. The incident heightened tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, with Russia retaliating by cutting off coal exports to Ukraine. The blockade has also meant hardship for much of the peninsula's 2.3 million people, about 250,000 of whom are Crimean Tatars whose presence on the peninsula dates back centuries. Amid shortages of basic items, including food, some are questioning whether the strategy could backfire and make enemies of potential allies. However, Islyamov, a former deputy prime minister of Crimea, while acknowledging the blockade "may be harsh in some ways," is insistent that it should continue. "Crimea is the land of the Crimean Tatars. It is our land," he said. "Therefore, when we organize an economic blockade, or an energy blockade, we are completely within our rights. We are Crimean Tatars. Crimea is our land." Far-Right Allies Besides questions over tactics, Islyamov has also been grilled about some of the allies in his camp. Members of the ultranationalist Right Sector group, for example, have helped Tatars maintain the road blockade. But Islyamov said sharing the same goals was more important than political leanings. "It doesn't matter if they are ultraright, or ultraleft, it doesn't matter. They are people that feel the same way as we do. That's it. For us, they are patriots of Ukraine." Instead of pulling back, Islyamov said in mid-December that the blockade would be extended to the sea early this year. "We have several stages," Newsweek quoted him as saying. "At the beginning it was a product blockade and we did it. Next came the energy blockade. We did that too." "We would like to make the occupation of our land as expensive and complicated as possible. We will squeeze out and burn out the occupiers from Crimea, because this is our land, our graves, and our history," Islyamov was quoted as saying. "They have nothing to do there, get out of there, this is our home." Speaking to RFE/RL, Islyamov said it made absolutely no sense to cooperate in any way with the "occupier," Russia. "If an occupier has taken over your territory, then let him supply his own housing, food, medicine and everything else," Islyamov said. "Why should we trade with a government that occupied our land, and is holding us, our relatives, kids, and other loved ones as hostages?" In The Kremlin's Crosshairs Russia does not have direct land access to Crimea, forcing the Kremlin to ferry supplies to the region. However, Moscow does have plans to build a bridge that is scheduled to be completed by 2018. Islyamov's defiance and actions have put him in the crosshairs of the Kremlin, with the de facto leaders in Crimea charging him with sabotage following the blowing up of the energy pylons. "Islyamov was one of the leaders [of the blackout]. Citizen Islyamov has now been charged with sabotage in absentia," Crimea's Prosecutor Natalya Poklonskaya said in an interview with Rossia 24 television on December 21. Islyamov, a successful businessman, has already paid dearly for his actions, with all his assets seized by the Crimean leaders in early December. Islyamov was the owner of ATV, the sole television channel broadcasting in the Crimean Tatar language in Crimea. Independent Crimean Tatar-language media have suffered under the new authorities, with all but one such independent outlet shuttered in 2015 under a Russian law requiring them to reregister, according to Amnesty International. Other assets stripped away were Islyamov's transport company, SimCityTrans; a bank, Just Bank; and shops selling high-tech gadgetry. Islyamov, however, has no regrets for what he has done, and says he and other Tatar Crimean leaders, such as Mustafa Dzhemilev and Refat Chubarov, were motivated by extraordinary circumstances. Dzhemilev, the 71-year-old veteran leader of the Crimean Tatars, now resides in Kyiv after being banned from his home in Crimea, a fate shared by fellow activist Chubarov. "We were all peaceful people, businessmen, or teachers, or doctors," Islyamov said. "Chubarov was an archivist, the most peaceful of professions. We were forced to be what they portray us to be, not because we chose it, but because life came to a halt." For most of his 42-minute appearance on a radio talk show, former Russia-backed separatist commander Igor Girkin sounded like nothing more than a fanatic discussing a dream now widely dismissed as fantasy. He spoke of hopes for the creation of a "Novorossia" -- a New Russia stretching across much of Ukraine, from Kharkiv to Odesa, and one day joining a Russian empire including all of Belarus and Ukraine. It wasn't until the last minute that the interview with Girkin went from surreal to chilling. Referring to his time commanding separatists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk in 2014, a host asks him how he stopped the rampant looting. "With executions," Girkin said matter-of-factly. According to Girkin, separatist "authorities" installed a military court and introduced 1941 military laws implemented by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. "Under this legislation we tried people and executed the convicted," Girkin said. "While I was in Slovyansk four people were executed. Two among the military for looting, one local for looting, and one for killing a serviceman," he said on the Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda, which is affiliated with a leading pro-Kremlin Russian tabloid. One of the people killed was an "ideological" supporter of the Ukrainian nationalist group Right Sector, he said. Key Separatist Commander Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, was a key commander in the Russia-backed separatist forces in the early stages of the war against Ukrainian government troops that has killed more than 9,000 civilians and combatants since April 2014. Ukraine's government has called Girkin a Russian agent and accused him of war crimes. He resigned as a rebel commander in August 2014 amid reports that he had been wounded in battle. Later that year, he told an interviewer that he was a colonel in the Russian FSB, or Federal Security Service -- a statement that was edited out of the interview published by state-run Rossia Segodnya. In October 2015, the Brussels-based International Partnership for Human Rights provided the International Criminal Court with more than 300 testimonies about alleged military crimes and crimes against humanity that it said had been committed by Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces in Eastern Ukraine. It said that "while crimes committed by both sides of the conflict have been documented, the collected evidence primarily concerns crimes committed by separatists because of security issues related to accessing separatists-controlled territories of Ukraine." In the radio appearance, Girkin said he was not concerned about the possibility of international prosecution. "I am not at all bothered by international law, because it's a tool in the hands of winners," he said. "If we are defeated, well then, the norms of these laws will be applied to me." Fighting has lessened since a February 2015 deal on a cease-fire and steps toward peace, but the Russia-backed separatists still hold large parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Girkin, a former military reenactor, appeared to have the support of both the hosts and those calling in. "God forbid," one host said, referring to the possibility of Girkin being sent to an international court for prosecution on war crimes charges. As for his feelings about Stalin, Girkin said he dislikes the dictator as he was in his younger days, but believes that he was a great statesman at the end of his life. "You can discuss for a long time how much blood and where Stalin spilled it, but at least you can confidently say that he did it not for himself but for the sake of an idea," he said. While writing a recent book on criminalised love and sex, I kept a short printout right by my laptop. A Tamil sex worker I had interviewed a decade earlier was recounting the consequences of being arrested in a police raid In the lock-up that night the policemen thrashed me with sticks. They had stripped me naked and hit me most on my genitals. They said the beating was for talking back to them. She had added angrily that several of these policemen came to her regularly for sex, always demanding it for free. I kept that chilling quote as a constant prod to push me to work without break on the book, to keep afresh the outrage I felt while hearing from this woman and countless others whom I have interviewed over the past quarter-century about how the police are their most brutal oppressors, emboldened by the knowledge that sex workers are criminalised by Indian law and that, hence, courts will scorn their appeals for justice. Strikingly, police abuse and bad laws live on despite decades of evidence of the harm being done to millions of Indian women. As far back as 1996, a path-breaking report on sex workers by the National Commission for Women noted, The one constant refrain from women was to do something about the police The women are arrested under charges of possession of condoms, or even on false charges of possession of narcotics ...(They) are rounded up at the end of the month when the target for petty/minor offences are not met... Some police officers are known by name to be self-avowed crusaders against prostitutes. Instead of protecting these women from the goondas and criminal elements, the police adds its own violence and abuse to that of other criminals. The commission was just as scathing about the law whether the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1986, or the myriad vagrancy and public indecency acts commonly used against them concluding they victimise the women, doubling their exploitation and extortion. In the decades since, a host of other organisations and experts have urged India and other countries to reform their sex-work laws. Everyone has emphasised that an essential first reform is to decriminalise consensual, adult sex work so as to free women from police abuse and harsh terms in jails or reformatories, as well as to empower them to fight for equal treatment with the life-destroying stigma of being criminals lifted. Thus, the International Guidelines on HIV/ AIDS and Human Rights, the keystone of the United Nations guidance, published in 1998 and reissued in 2006, notes, With regard to adult sex work that involves no victimisation, criminal law should be reviewed with the aim of decriminalising, then legally regulating occupational health and safety conditions to protect sex workers and their clients, including support for safe sex. This is a central recommendation too of the 2012 Global Commission on HIV and the Law, of leading human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and of key independent experts, including the UN special rapporteurs on violence against women and on the right to health. To understand the conundrum that all this unimpeachable, evidence-based advice has failed to lead to decriminalisation in India and elsewhere, look no further than former US President George W. Bush and his ruinous legacies. Desperate to win back some moral standing as his catastrophic Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and Weapons of Mass Destruction scandals were being exposed, Mr Bush launched a global crusade against sex work, calling the sex industry a special evil amounting to modern-day slavery. All the destructive aspects of domestic American policies which falsely conflate sex work with sex trafficking and punish sex workers with imprisonment was forced on countries the world over. Organisations lost access to Americas foreign-aid billions if they refused to sign a mandatory pledge explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking. Countries that the Bush administration unilaterally judged to be not doing enough to combat sex trafficking faced a range of sanctions. The brutal consequences were soon evident in the many places where America wields clout. Governments began to embrace harsher anti-prostitution laws. Once India was placed on the US watch list of nations failing on trafficking, the ministry of women and child development worriedly began to advocate amendments to ITPA that would both criminalise the clients of sex workers as well as intensify punishments of sex workers themselves (by virtually doubling the years a sex worker could be imprisoned and by empowering authorities to forcibly rescue women even if they were adults who insisted they were selling sex of their own will). And in India, as elsewhere in the world, the anti-prostitution sentiment led to oppression of a savagery that had never been known before, with authorities beating sex workers, razing red-light areas, and intensifying raids and imprisonment. The unconstitutional depth of foreign involvement was astonishing, with rescue raids often led by American men, typically from far-right Christian groups, but also by the New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, fired up by an imperialistic saviour claim that the brothels of India are the slave plantations of the 21st century. Tragically, the cause of justice for women who sell sex has not recovered from the Bush war. The irresponsible fiction that Indian sex workers are hapless dupes of traffickers who need to be rescued at any cost, by forced re-education if necessary, has gripped many quarters. Hundreds of women who have clearly not been trafficked are being locked up every year, the most blatant example of this injustice being the actress Shweta Basu Prasad. Several high courts as well as the ministry of women and child development are pushing for policies that would further worsen the already unconscionable treatment of sex workers. So it is all the more imperative that the few remaining clear-headed thinkers do whatever is needed to bring about decriminalisation and put an end to the mala fide policies that help neither sex workers nor the real victims of trafficking. The new chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Lalitha Kumaramangalam, has gone on record saying that sex work should be decriminalised. And the Supreme Court has had a panel advise it on how to balance sex workers rights with anti-trafficking measures. The wellbeing of some of the most unjustly treated women hangs in the balance. WASHINGTON -- An Uzbek delegation led by the authoritarian Central Asia nation's foreign minister met with senior U.S. officials in Washington on January 19 for consultations on a range of issues, including human rights and security. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal welcomed the Uzbek delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, for the sixth U.S.-Uzbekistan Annual Bilateral Consultations. The two sides were set to address "political developments, regional stability and security, human rights and labor, education and cultural exchanges, and economic development and trade, and other issues of mutual interest," a State Department official told RFE/RL. Autocratic Uzbek President Islam Karimov has been in power since the Soviet era and tolerates little dissent. International rights groups have long accused his government of rampant abuses, including imprisoning and torturing political opponents, and have urged Washington to step up pressure on Tashkent over its human rights record. The State Department official said the United States "looks forward to broadening and deepening its relationship with Uzbekistan on the basis of these candid and constructive conversations." Barring intervention by the courts or the governor, Ricky Javon Gray, who murdered the Harvey family on New Years Day 2006, will be executed on March 16. Gray, 38, was convicted of the murders of Bryan Harvey, 49; Kathryn, 39; and their daughters, Stella, 9, and Ruby, 4. He and Ray Dandridge killed the Harveys in a string of slayings that left seven people dead in Richmond. Gray was sentenced to death for the girls killings. Dandridge was sentenced to life. At a hearing Tuesday, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Beverly W. Snukals declined the request of one of Grays lawyers to hold off setting the date. Its been heartbreaking for so many people, but today will give us tears of joy that we now have a date, said Carol Myers, a former neighbor of the Harveys who now lives in Florida. We get back and forth to Richmond constantly, and we still have friends that live on 31st Street. Its been a long 10 years, and its been extremely difficult for everybody that knew the Harveys, she said. The jury that sentenced Gray to death learned he confessed to killing his wife and that less than a week after killing the Harveys, he and Dandridge murdered Ashley Baskerville, 21; her mother, Mary Tucker, 47; and stepfather, Percyell Tucker, 55, in their Richmond home. Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Corrections said Tuesday that the department lacks the first of three chemicals used to conduct an execution by injection. The first chemical which can be midazolam, pentobarbital or thiopental sodium renders the inmate unconscious, and the next two stop breathing and the heart. Because of a national shortage, last year Virginia authorities obtained pentobarbital from Texas to execute Alfredo Prieto, leading to last-minute legal challenges. Asked whether the department was attempting to obtain the required chemical, a spokeswoman said: The department works to maintain an adequate supply of lethal injection drugs so as to be able to carry out court orders; however, it has become extremely difficult to obtain lethal injection drugs. Condemned prisoners in Virginia have had the choice of execution by injection or the electric chair since 1995. If the inmate refuses to choose, lethal injection is the default means. Although it is unlikely it could be made law prior to March 16, a bill pending in the Virginia General Assembly would give the Department of Corrections the authority to opt for either form of execution, provided the other was not available. Last November, a split panel of the U.S. 4th Circuit upheld a lower court ruling rejecting Grays appeals, and last month the appeals court declined to rehear the case. Last week, the court agreed to hold off making its order final, leaving it unclear whether a Richmond Circuit Court judge could set an execution date. But on Tuesday, the appeals court denied Grays request to order an explicit stay of state court proceedings. At the hearing Tuesday, Robert Lee of the Virginia Capital Representation Center asked Snukals to delay making a decision. Appearing by phone, he said the 4th Circuit still had jurisdiction since it hadnt made the order final making this a federal case, not a state case. Snukals disagreed, saying that the 4th Circuit holding off until the Supreme Court ruled didnt affect the states standing when it came to setting an execution date. With a date agreed on, Lee tried to prevent the judge from making her ruling final, asking for time to petition the Supreme Court. Snukals denied the request, saying Lees ability to appeal the decision was not impeded. I need to do what I need to do, Snukals said. You need to do what you need to do. Both sides of the gun debate in Virginia claimed momentum Monday at opposing rallies in Capitol Square, with gun-rights supporters lambasting recent executive actions on firearms and anti-gun-violence activists cheering on Democratic leaders pushing for tighter gun control. At the forefront of both rallies were Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Mark R. Herring, who have made waves in recent months by using their executive authority to ban guns in most state office buildings and stop honoring concealed carry permits from 25 other states. Speaking to a supportive crowd of several hundred at the Bell Tower on Monday afternoon, McAuliffe said hes pursuing the same policies, such as universal background checks, that he has advocated for from Day One. We have not changed our tune one iota. And we are just warming up, McAuliffe said while encouraging the crowd to lobby their state legislators. It is our goal to make Virginia the safest state in the United States of America, and we are not going to let them stop us. At a similarly sized rally earlier in the day attended by several Republican candidates for office and surrogates, Virginia Citizens Defense League President Philip Van Cleave said Democrats, including McAuliffe and Herring, are setting themselves up for losses by emphasizing gun control with ISIS wanting to attack. The American people dont want to be disarmed, Van Cleave said. The rallies were held a few hours apart on Lobby Day, an annual event in which activists converge on the Capitol to interact with lawmakers. Pro-gun supporters, some of whom were clad in camouflage and openly carried firearms, were marked by blaze-orange stickers that said Guns Save Lives. Those rallying against gun violence, who opened their event by reading quotes from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., wore yellow stickers that said Background checks save lives. The events came in the opening days of what could be a contentious legislative session amid the clamor of a presidential election year. But given the states divided government, its unclear if either side will be able to translate their rhetoric into official action. Republicans have said theyll look to undo the executive actions they view as burdensome to law-abiding gun owners, but McAuliffe has promised to veto any gun-related bills that he feels threaten public safety. In addition to calling for background checks at gun shows, McAuliffe has stressed the need to require gun forfeiture in situations of domestic violence, a power that lies with judges and prosecutors. If you cant buy one, you shouldnt have one in the house either, McAuliffe said. And were going to come get it and get it out of your house. Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam, a pediatrician, described the difficulty of having to inform parents theyve lost a child. Weve had a problem with medications getting into the hands of children. We have lockable caps now so that we can prevent that, he said. Why cant we do that with guns? Herring also spoke at the rally, describing his recent trip to the White House for a gun-related announcement by President Barack Obama as incredibly powerful. There is so much more we can and must do. And together, were going to get it done, said Herring, who has said his move to restrict out-of-state concealed carry permits is a way of ensuring Virginia doesnt recognize permits issued under looser safety requirements. At the pro-gun rally, where some attendees held signs that read Impeach Herring, Sen. Bryce E. Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, told the crowd hes received bipartisan support for a bill seeking to restore the concealed-carry reciprocity agreements Herring plans to end. Sens. J. Chapman Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City; Lynwood W. Lewis Jr., D-Accomack; and John S. Edwards, D-Roanoke, have signed on as co-patrons of the bill, Reeves said. Let me tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, that takes a lot of courage, Reeves said. Because they get a lot of beating on their side for siding with us. Both rallies featured guest speakers who shared personal stories of traumatic experiences with gun violence and gun laws. Speaking at the pro-gun rally was Shaneen Allen, a single mother from Philadelphia who spent 40 days in jail after being pulled over in New Jersey in 2013 and charged with a felony for having a gun she was permitted to carry in her home state. Allen, an African-American who said she felt she was profiled and encouraged the crowd not to talk to police, said she became a gun-rights activist after receiving a pardon from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Allen said she had purchased the gun to protect her family after being robbed twice near her home. I did not know that was going to land me in jail and turn me into a criminal, Allen said. At the anti-gun-violence event, the speakers included Andy and Barbara Parker, the parents of slain Roanoke-area journalist Alison Parker, who was gunned down during a live television report last year along with cameraman Adam Ward. Not a day goes by that we dont feel the devastation and the void in our souls of her loss, Barbara Parker said. First we were numb. Then we grieved, and as we grieved we got angry. And weve met too many families since who have known the same kind of pain, whose lives will never be the same. Speaking with reporters after his speech, the governor said hes been clear about where he stands, and no one should have any illusions on how hell use his veto power when it comes to pro-gun legislation. I will veto any of these gun bills that I think are not in the best interests of the commonwealth and not keeping our communities safe, McAuliffe said. Asked specifically about the prospect of Reeves concealed carry bill passing with bipartisan support, McAuliffe said the legislature hasnt overridden one of his vetoes yet. (It takes a vote of two-thirds of each chamber to override a veto.) A state legislator called for added scrutiny of taxpayer-funded business deals and Gov. Terry McAuliffe defended Virginias economic development record Monday after unflattering details emerged about a botched project in Appomattox County. Del. T. Scott Garrett, R-Lynchburg, criticized the states handling of the project involving Lindenburg Industry LLC, a Chinese company that pitched officials on a plan to establish a new factory at a former furniture plant. Garrett read from an article in The Roanoke Times that detailed the states failures to properly vet the company, which has not opened the factory despite receiving $1.4 million in government funding. The details of how this project was developed, vetted and executed are very concerning to me Mr. Speaker, and they should be to each and every member who can hear my voice, Garrett said. There is clearly a lack of checks and balances in this process. Theres a lack of attention to detail. Garrett said House Republicans are preparing an inquiry into similar economic development projects. He added that he hopes there will be no other false hopes in other communities. When reporters asked about the project Monday afternoon, McAuliffe said hes asked for a review by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the state entity that handles business deals. Ive asked VEDP to go back and look at every project. I met with them today, McAuliffe said. They feel very confident about the deals that we have done. Out of 566, one has an issue. Thats a pretty good track record in the business community. McAuliffe said he wants to get the public funds back from the company, which has indicated it still hopes to complete the project. Tommy Norment, the Republican majority leader of the state Senate, had no reason except the venting of his spleen to kick reporters off the floor of the chamber and confine them to an upper balcony. Fortunately, Republican Sen. Thomas Garrett has introduced a resolution to reverse the decision. Garrett thinks putting senators on the record will encourage them to do the right thing. Wed like to think so, too although experience has offered abundant examples to the contrary. Hope springs eternal. Britain's largest steelmaker Tata Steel Ltd said that it would cut 1,050 UK jobs, in another blow for an industry reeling from cheap imports and tumbling world prices. Mumbai: Britain's largest steelmaker Tata Steel Ltd said that it would cut 1,050 UK jobs, in another blow for an industry reeling from cheap imports and tumbling world prices. The plan involves shedding 750 jobs at Tata's Port Talbot-based strip products business in Wales, 200 jobs in support functions and 100 jobs at steel mills around the country, the company said in a statement. The announcement comes as European Union steel prices hit their lowest since 2004. Some 4,000 British steel jobs were lost in October 2015 alone, equivalent to about a fifth of the sector's workforce. "We need the European Commission to accelerate its response to unfairly traded imports," said Karl Koehler, chief executive of Tata Steel's European operations. "Not doing so threatens the future of the entire European steel industry," he said. In November, the European Commission failed to agree on measures to protect the steel industry, such as cutting the time it takes to impose anti-dumping duties. The Commission is also considering granting China "market economy status", which will make it harder for Europe to impose the duties. China makes nearly half the world's 1.6 billion tonnes of steel, and exported over 100 million tonnes of the alloy last year, more than four times the 2014 shipments from the European Union's largest producer, Germany. But China has also fallen victim to global over-supply and slumping demand, with its major steel firms losing 53.1 billion yuan ($8.07 billion) from January to November last year. British union GMB called for a protest in Brussels on Feb 15 to get the Commission to deal with the Chinese steel 'dumping', while the Unite union said the Britain's failure to act had left the industry "on the verge of wipe out". A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "We have taken action to help the steel industry ... The challenge is that this is a broader, global crisis facing the steel industry." The UK government has tried to tackle high energy costs, green taxes and government procurement policy. It has also supported anti-dumping action in steel at the EU level, and pledged action on business rates. But a government report published last month said the future of Britain's steel sector is still not secure. Britain is at the centre of Europe's steel crisis as its mills pay some of the world's highest energy costs and green taxes, while business rates are up to 10 times higher than EU counterparts. The opposition Labour party's Stephen Kinnock, a member of parliament for Aberavon, told the BBC: "The crisis has been brewing for many years and unfortunately we have a government that's been sitting on its hands." The Port Talbot site employs some 4,000 people and is expected to report annual losses above 60 million ($86 million) by the end of March 2016, an industry source told Reuters. A separate source said Tata Steel had not yet approached restructuring advisors. 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. On Tuesday morning, Shirley Lewis, a descendant of slaves who once lived on Greenfield Plantation, filed a lawsuit against all five members of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors, the Economic Development Authority of Botetourt County, David Moorman, administrator of such, and Botetourt County, represented by County Attorney Michael Lockaby. The intent was to stop by injunction the removal and relocation of slave cabins and a kitchen to another site on the Greenfield property due to an alleged unmarked cemetery on the current site. A substitute judge, Everett Martin from Norfolk Circuit Court, heard Lewis case for an injunction of up to 90 days to stop the buildings' removal process. A shell building is to be constructed where the three buildings are now located. Attorney Erin Ashwell, along with her co-counsel James Jennings, both of Woods, Rogers PLC, argued that Botetourt County had not followed the letter of Virginia law where unmarked cemeteries are concerned. "No public notice has been given about the potential disturbing of a cemetery," said Ashwell. Ashwell pointed out that the nature of the shell building is speculative and that there is no tenant waiting for the building. Judge Martin took a recess and went to chambers to study the affidavits presented by the counsel for Lewis. As for the plaintiff, Lewis has been vocal about her opposition to the relocation of the cabins and kitchen to another site. "It is our history, history long ignored in this county," she said Jan. 8 at a presentation of the Slave Dwelling Project. When Judge Martin returned from chambers, he cited the lack of notice on the part of the plaintiff to the board of supervisors, Economic Development Authority and Botetourt County as the reason why he denied the injunction. While I can certainly understand Mrs. Lewis' concerns, I have been bitten previously on cases like this where no notice is given to both sides, he said. He also noted that the firm contracted to do the removal of the buildings was not included in the injunction. "Someone has to have a contract on the moving of the buildings, he said. Present at the hearing were members of the Friends of Greenfield Plantation, a newly formed nonprofit corporation dedicated to saving the buildings on-site. They were Danny Kyle, president; and Richard King, treasurer. Two preservationists, Peggy Crosson and Anna Lawson, were also in the courtroom. Kyle of FOGP said, Things are moving so fast. We want to make sure that the cemetery was not disturbed. Counsel discussed with the plaintiff Lewis and the Friends of Greenfield Plantation the next step in the process. Judge Martin gave counsel notice that they might want to amend the petition to include those with contracts for removal. Alexander Joy of Salem recently graduated from Marine boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, on Jan. 15. He was recruited by SYSGT Jeffery Worley. Joy is a 2015 graduate of Salem High School and the son of Deidre and Hank Blankenship of Salem and Sean Joy of Roanoke. He is the grandson of Michael and Susan McKnew, formerly of Salem, and Alice Blankenship of Salem. On Jan 7-9, he completed his Marine Corps Crucible to earn the right to be called a U.S. Marine. The crucible is the final drill every Marine must endure prior to graduation. It consists of 54 hours and 48 miles with a 45-pound gear pack. Recruits will pass through 36 different challenge stations with 29 different problem-solving exercises. During this time, they will have a total of six to eight hours of sleep and four meals. The Marine Crucible is considered the nations toughest military test of endurance, strength and skill. While in boot camp, Joy achieved an expert level on both table 1 and table 2 firing range and first class in physical fitness training and combat fitness training. Family and friends traveled to Parris Island recently for Family Day and the graduation ceremony. He will have a couple of days leave before reporting to duty for additional training. Submitted by Deidre Blankenship Hank Luton, of Salem Parks and Recreation, shares this list of upcoming trips and events in 2016. Feb.17 (Rescheduled from Jan. 13) Taubman Museum of Art & Lunch Downtown Location: Roanoke, Virginia Time: Departs from Salem Senior Center at 9:30am Cost: $15.00 Details: Join our group for a guided tour of the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke. Lunch is on your own after tour downtown at the Historic City Market. March 3 Cesar Milan Dog Whisperer Location: Salem Civic Center, Salem, Virginia Time: 7:00pm Cost: $40 Details: Join our group as we enjoy premium seating at a discounted price to see Cesar Milan the Dog Whisperer Star of National Geographic show "Cesar 911." Show includes live training, audience Q&A and much more. March 22 Mayberry Tour Location: Mt. Airy, North Carolina Time: Departs from Salem Senior Center at 8:00am Cost: $40.00 Details: Step back in time with our group in Mount Airy, North Carolina, for a guided tour of Mayberry, home of "The Andy Griffith Show." Our tour will feature Snappys Diner, Floyds City Barbershop, Wallys Service Station & much more that Mt. Airy has to offer. Lunch is included. April 13 Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre Peace in the Valley Location: Wytheville, Virginia Time: Departs from Salem Senior Center at 10:00am Cost: $65.00 Details: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Join us for this heavenly tribute to the worlds most beloved genre of music. Gospel music transcends the ages and perpetuates faith through song. Featuring songs you grew up singing and are still singing today, Peace in the Valley will have you swept away in the wonder of Christ the Lord. April 18-20 Pigeon Forge & Smoky Mountains Show Trip Location: Gatlinburg, Tennessee Time: Departs from Salem Civic Center TBA Cost: $275.00 Details: Trip includes two nights lodging, four meals, admission to Titanic: The Worlds Largest Museum Attraction, The Hatfield-Mccoy Dinner Show, Smoky Mountain Opry, The Magic Beyond Belief Show and shopping in Historic Downtown Gatlinburg. June 6-8 Pennsylvania Amish Lands & Show Trip Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Time: Departs from Salem Civic Center TBA Cost: $375.00 Details: 3 day, 2 night trip to the Amish lands of Pennsylvania. Trip includes two nights lodging, two breakfasts and two dinners. Group will be watching the performance of Samson at the Millennium Theatre, participating in a guided tour of the Amish countryside and shopping at Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market. Much more included with this trip. Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 Manhattan Trip Location: New York, New York Time: Departs from Salem Senior Center Cost: $575.00 Details: Trip includes three nights lodging and six meals in New York City, tours of lower and upper sides of Manhattan, Ferry ride and visits to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, admission to the 9/11 Memorial Museum and much more. Back in November, Brian Raub was at wits end. The Smith Mountain Lake entrepreneur had spent months trying to persuade Apple to stop selling apps containing content he alleged had been lifted from his travel website, Lakelubbers.com. The alleged plagiarists were a handful of app developers based in India, whom Raub said brazenly copied articles from his website and repackaged them into fishing apps for sale through Apples App Store at 99 cents a pop. Apple was sharing in revenues from those sales, Raub told me. By the time we talked, he was frustrated because for two months Apple had ignored his requests to delist the apps. Rather suddenly last week, all of that changed. Apple removed 31 apps from its App Store. Those included 20 apps Raub had complained about to me, plus 11 more Apple had removed in July but which reappeared. Raub said he believes Apple would not have taken that action were it not for the publicity from that Dec. 1 column and his promise to Apple of more to come. Probably Apple is doing only what they have to do, he said. Theyve responded to us because weve been the squeaky wheel. But he hasnt quite declared total victory, because hes been through this rigmarole before. If they dont appear [in the App Store] again, Im happy with the outcome, at least as it applies to [Lakelubbers.com], Raub told me. But having the first 11 [apps] come back, and then having us start all over again, Im concerned it could happen again. ... Im glad we won, but Im not sure how long weve won for. Lakelubbers is a travel website that has articles and information about 2,078 tourist-destination lakes in all 50 states and 80 other countries. Raub launched it eight years ago, after he sold an earlier Web venture that listed vacation rental homes. That outfit is now a part of travel behemoth Expedia.com. To build Lakelubbers, he hired freelancers to research and write the articles. He estimated hes invested about $200,000 in the venture. So Raub understandably felt burned when he learned his content may have been copied and repackaged by an Indian company that was selling state-by-state apps on the App Store with titles like Georgia Fishing Lakes. That happened in April, when he received a mysterious email tip from India. He believes it was from a disgruntled former developer with the Indian company who was mad at his ex-employer. After that email, Raub went to the App Store and bought all 11 apps the tipster had identified. Sure enough, he said those contained the articles from Lakelubbers.com. They duplicated all of it, Raub told me in November. They duplicated it exactly. ... Its as clear-cut a copyright violation as could be. But persuading Apple of that wasnt easy. He spent three months dogging the company, which initially told him he had to work it out with the Indian developers. Meanwhile, they sent Apple emails denying they had copied content from anywhere. Ultimately in July, Apple removed the 11 apps. Then in September, Raub found 20 more with content he said was purloined from Lakelubber. Apple ignored his requests for them to be removed, so he contacted The Roanoke Times. After the Dec. 1 column appeared, the original 11 apps that already had been removed reappeared in the App Store along with the other 20, Raub said. As of last Tuesday, they remained for sale. That day, Raub sent Apple another reminder that they had done nothing about his September complaints. It said he intended to go to the press again. On Wednesday, Apple informed him the apps had been removed. Raub showed me those emails. I reached out to Apple via email, but those bounced back with notifications that employees were off Monday because of the holiday. Raub said he intends to remain vigilant. Based on past experience, we have to be constantly looking for new violations, he said. But theres a drawback to that. Unlike the World Wide Web, on which its easy to search for stolen content, theres no way Raub is aware of to search content in apps. That means he has to individually purchase and download apps he suspects have infringing material. And that sends revenue to developers who may have stolen his material. I have no illusions, he told me. Right now, these guys from India are probably trying to figure out ways to get [the apps] up again. And he believes thats merely the tip of an iceberg with regards to stolen content from the Web thats been repackaged into apps that developers are profiting from. I would guess that a large proportion of other apps are stolen content, like ours were, he said. Thats something many copyright holders might want to be concerned about. LYNCHBURG GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump courted evangelical voters Monday at Liberty University, pledging to help protect Christianity but perhaps drawing the most support for blunt, politically impolite remarks tracking his campaigns populist themes. Two weeks ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Trump is in a war of words with his nearest rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who launched his campaign with a speech at Liberty in March. But Trump did not take on Cruz in his address Monday. Trump delivered a wide-ranging hourlong speech to what university officials said was a record-breaking crowd for a Liberty convocation. Trump cited a Bible passage from Corinthians that says: Now the Lord is the spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Were doing great with evangelicals, Trump said. Were going to protect Christianity. Im a Protestant, Presbyterian to be exact, and Im very proud of it, he added. Trump said the country has to band together around Christianity. He also said it takes too much time, to be politically correct. If Im going to be president, youre going to see Merry Christmas in the department store, he said. Were going to be saying Merry Christmas again. In introducing Trump, Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. spoke warmly of the mogul and suggested Trumps personal life Trump has been married three times should not disqualify him with evangelical voters. We are all sinners, every one of us, Falwell said. Jimmy Carter was a great Sunday school teacher but look what happened to our nation during his presidency, Falwell said. Falwell told the story of how his father, Liberty founder Jerry Falwell, decided to support Republican Ronald Reagan over Carter in the 1980 presidential campaign, although Reagan had been divorced. Following Falwells introduction, Trump appeared to be warmly received by the capacity crowd of students and several hundred guests from outside the Liberty community. Trumps appearance drew dozens of reporters. Outside of initial remarks addressing faith issues, the businessman-turned-TV celebrity-turned candidate stuck largely to the populist themes that have defined his campaign. He offered hard-line stances on illegal immigration and criticized fellow candidates as being part of a bought-and-paid political establishment. He faulted the Obama administration in foreign policy on issues ranging from the Iran nuclear deal and Syrian refugee crisis to protecting U.S. business interests. And the New York City born-and-raised Trump did it his way. His no-notes, free-flowing, loose-lipped, politically incorrect style entertained the crowd while giving even some supporters pause . I agree with everything he says, said Brianna Meeker, 18, a freshman at Liberty. But I am afraid of the fact that how he says some things could start bigger problems. Shelby Tortorello, 18, said Trumps boldness and leadership style is needed at this time. I like the fact that he wasnt afraid to speak his mind, she said, adding that her ideal candidate might be a combination of Trump and Ben Carson, the soft-spoken retired neurosurgeon who addressed Liberty students in November and has faded in recent polling. I like him but it makes me nervous the way he says things, fellow Liberty freshman Kayla Brooks, 18, said of Trump. Hes definitely different, and we need different. Trump told the Liberty crowd of students and supporters that he is leading a movement. We want to take our country back, he said. We cant have another four years of Barack Obama. Trump criticized U.S. negotiations on everything from Iran to China. Weve got to knock the hell out of ISIS, he said. Trump also criticized Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl as a dirty rotten traitor. Bergdahl, who has been charged with desertion, faces a general court martial related to leaving his base in Afghanistan in 2009. Trump said that he wants people to come to the country legally winning applause from the audience. Trump said accepting Syrian refugees may be the great Trojan horse of all time, warning of security concerns related to people entering the West from the war zone. Trump addressed his outsider, self-funded status, and took aim at a couple of well-known establishment candidates in both major parties. Lets say a stiff like Jeb Bush is president, he said of the former Florida governor, a Republican. As for Democrat Hillary Clinton, he said: I want to see a woman president soon but not her. Shes a disaster. The corruption, the scandal, we just dont want to go through it. Trump also pledged to strongly support the Second Amendment. He said the terrorist attacks in Paris in November would not have been so deadly had more people been armed. Had bullets been going the other way, you wouldnt have had 130 people killed, he said. Trump said it was an honor to be at Liberty and dedicated the breaking of the schools convocation attendance record to honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event began with a video tribute to the slain civil rights leader on the national holiday in his honor, followed by a video montage about Trump. In introducing Trump, Falwell said the school does not endorse candidates, but he offered a glowing tribute. As my friendship has grown so has my admiration for Mr. Trump, Falwell said. Mr. Trump is loyal to his friends, even loyal to new friends like us, Falwell said, describing a trip to New York with his wife that included a meeting with Trump. Falwell said he believes Trump lives a life of loving and helping others, as Jesus taught us. Falwell said Trump loves his country and desires more than anything to make America great again, and called him a breath of fresh air from the political establishment. Trump, who previously spoke at a Liberty convocation in 2012, has paid close attention to Virginia, a key swing state, which votes March 1 in the Super Tuesday primary. RICHMOND A proposal to decriminalize adultery in Virginia was killed Monday morning by a state Senate committee. Under current law, marital infidelity is classified as misdemeanor offense that carries a fine of up to $250. Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, introduced a bill to reclassify adultery as a civil issue that would still carry a penalty of up to $250. In the last 10 years, Surovell said, there have been just eight successful prosecutions under the adultery statute. Treating it as a criminal matter, Surovell said, allows suspected adulterers to escape accountability by invoking the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. In civil cases, Surovell said, taking the Fifth can be viewed adversely. Basically, were trying to sort of bring Virginia law up to speed with, I think, legal reality, and also to allow people to be held accountable, mainly in divorce cases, Surovell told the Senate Courts of Justice Committee on Monday morning. Virginia is one of about a dozen states that still treat adultery as a crime, Surovell said. The bill was supported by the Virginia Family Law Coalition and The Family Foundation, a conservative group that advocates against abortion and promotes a biblical worldview in public policy. Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover County, said that though there may not be many adultery convictions, the charge can be a useful tool in prosecutions of other offenses, such as contributing to the delinquency of a minor. There are some cases where we could not get convictions without this particular statute, McDougle said. The bill died on a voice vote, with Sens. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County, and Janet Howell, D-Fairfax County, voting against dismissal. Richmond Times-Dispatch Ballot could get Right to work amendment A referendum on a Right to work amendment to the Virginia Constitution may appear on the November ballot alongside congressional and presidential candidates. The amendment would enshrine a post-World War II-era statute that prevents union membership from being a requirement for employment. While an AFL-CIO representative said the law sponsored by Del. Dickie Bell, R-Staunton, is an overreach that will cost the taxpayers more than $130,000 to put on the ballot while effectively changing nothing, a business community spokeswoman said the law is a hallmark of Virginia law that should be protected for all time. I feel very strongly that thats something the voters should decide, Bell said in a recent interview. Making it part of the Constitution makes it more permanent. Virginia already is a Right to work state. Bell wants to put the law in the Constitution so it cannot be undone by national interests or administrative changes. An amendment to Virginias Constitution must pass the General Assembly twice before being submitted for a referendum by popular vote. A first run passed last year. The (Lynchburg) News & Advance Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington County, is again promoting a bill to prohibit licensed health care professionals from conducting conversion therapy for minors in Virginia. Conversion therapy is based on the false assumption that homosexuality is a mental disorder or a sin, Hope said in a statement. Well, it is not. There is no on/off switch to sexual orientation. Hope added: It is very clear that organized medicine maintains that sexual orientation is not changeable, that conversion therapies do irreparable harm, and that conversion therapies should not be practiced in the commonwealth of Virginia. Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, said the organization opposes legislation to prohibit what she called gender confusion counseling. Proponents of legislation prohibiting counseling for kids struggling with their sexual identity have to answer the question why they believe it is OK to allow a child to change their behavior or body to match their feelings but it is bigoted to consider helping someone change their behavior or feelings to match their body, said Cobb. Virginia law is clear that parents have a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the care of their children, a right this legislation clearly violates. The proposal also likely violates the First Amendment protection of speech and inserts the government into the counselor-patient relationship. Committee advances ban the box bill The Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology voted 9-6 on Monday to advance a bill sponsored by Sen. Rosalyn Dance, D-Richmond, that would ban the box in most state employment decisions. Senate Bill 335 would bar state agencies from including on any employment application a question inquiring whether the prospective employee has ever been arrested, charged with, or convicted of, any crime, subject to certain exceptions. Once theyve paid their dues, former offenders deserve to rejoin society but without a job, thats almost impossible, Dance said in a statement. This bill will ensure that our fellow Virginians are judged on their skills, knowledge, and abilities not their past mistakes. RICHMOND Hundreds of activists on both sides of the gun debate converged on Capitol Square on Monday vowing to keep up the fight for change. We are not deterred from what we must do, said Barbara Parker, mother of slain WDBJ (Channel 7) reporter Alison Parker. We know we can take action to prevent the next child from being killed. That is our mission. Barbara Parker and her husband, Andy, spoke alongside Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Attorney General Mark Herring and other Democratic leaders at a rally advocating for new gun regulations such as universal background checks. Earlier in the day, gun rights activists, joined by several GOP lawmakers, had assembled in the same spot to call for the reversal of McAuliffes steps to ban guns from most state agency buildings as well as Herrings announcement that Virginia will stop recognizing concealed handgun permits from 25 other states deemed to have looser laws. Im a) wound up and b) fed up, Philip Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League, said to a crowd where many sported blaze orange stickers bearing the slogan, Guns Save Lives. Mondays rallies took place on a cold winter day that may foreshadow the frosty reception that most gun bills are expected to find in the polarized capital where Republicans control the legislature but McAuliffe wields the veto pen. People know where I stand on the issues, McAuliffe said in an interview after the second rally. No one should have any illusions about what I will veto. Republicans would need substantial Democratic support to override a veto, a tall order to fill, though some noted at least one proposal so far is attracting support from across the aisle. Three Democrats, including Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, have signed on as co-sponsors of a bill that would require Virginia to recognize out-of-state concealed handgun permits. Edwards frequently backs pro-gun measures and was included on a legislative wall of shame displayed by some activists at Mondays gun control rally. But his support of Senate Bill 610 surprised some local activists. I couldnt believe he would do that, said Martin Jeffrey, who was among more than 50 people who took a bus from Roanoke to Richmond to attend the rally and meet with legislators. Why would we be so lenient and accept permits from any state when we dont know how liberal their laws are? In a statement, Edwards said hes heard from many constituents who are concerned that Virginia permits will increasingly be refused in other states and said hes been searching for a compromise that protects Virginians who travel to and through other states and also protects the safety of Virginians from out-of-state permit holders whose laws differ from Virginia. Under SB610, the attorney general would still have leeway in some cases to negotiate the requirements of a reciprocity agreement, he said. At the suggestion of some co-sponsors, amendments are being made to ensure that out-of-state permits held by people who were rejected for a Virginia permit wont be accepted. In his statement, Edwards wrote it should be noted that some 18 states recognize out of state carry permits with no stipulations as to out of state laws being similar. It should also be noted that carry permit holders are generally regarded as law abiding citizens, he added. SB610 has been referred to the Senate courts committee, which Edward serves on, but not yet scheduled for a hearing. RICHMOND Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham County, will move Tuesday to return the working media to the floor of the Virginia Senate. Garrett introduced a resolution Monday that would reverse a change in Senate rules last week that banned the news media from their customary place on the chamber floor. He said he would seek to discharge the Committee on Rules, requiring approval by two-thirds of the Senate, to bring the resolution to amend the rules to a vote. If folks have to go on the record, I cant fathom that we would have trouble getting two-thirds of the votes in favor of transparency and access for the media, he said Monday. Its not a partisan issue. Its about accountability to the voters. We work for them, not the other way around. Garrett said his proposed resolution would return the Senate to its operating rules from last year, before the Republican majority voted on Jan. 13 to move the news media from tables flanking the rostrum on the chamber floor to seats in the visitors gallery I think its the right thing to do, in conjunction with the transparency initiative, to let the Fourth Estate back on the floor, he said in an interview after a news conference launching the Virginia Transparency Initiative. Garrett will have the support of at least one colleague in the Senate Republican Caucus, freshman Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield County, a founding member of the transparency caucus. I would support it, she said. Chase, a conservative Republican, joined with freshman Del. Mark Levine, D-Alexandria, to form the caucus so the public can see how the legislature handles legislation, especially in committees and their subcommittees. Even though Amanda and I are ideological opposites we still strongly agree on open, transparent government, Levine said. [More politics: General Assembly panels postpone interviews with potential Roush replacement] The rules banning the media from the floor were adopted on the first day of the General Assembly session on a 21-19 party-line vote commandeered by Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment, R-James City County. Chase said she supported the new rules initially because during her experience in working for Republican members of Congress the media did not have access to the floor of the House of Representatives and she understood the media still would have seats in the chamber gallery. However, she said, My personal opinion is I dont have a problem with the press being on the floor again. There is a discussion going on now in caucus, Chase said. Garrett said he had been prepared to take up his proposed resolution on the Senate floor Monday but agreed to wait a day before proceeding. Chase said she and other new members of the Senate have been assertive with their questions in the Republican caucus, which is why senators were five minutes late in arriving on the floor Monday. No Republican senators were present when Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam gaveled the chamber into session promptly at noon as he promised last week. Norment told the Democratic lieutenant governor then that the majority would set its own schedule and keep him informed. Republican senators began filling into the Senate chamber five minutes after the session began, missing the opening prayer and the introduction of some guests in the gallery. The prayer was given by the Rev. Mark Morrow of CrossWalk Community Church in Williamsburg, represented by Norment, who later introduced him. Chase and Garrett said Monday that the delayed arrival was not aimed at Northam, but reflected heated discussions within the caucus. We went over today because we have questions, she said. Chase and Levine decided to form the transparency caucus because they want the public to know how the legislature votes on bills and why. They said they would hold to a gold standard by video-recording committee and subcommittee action on bills and resolutions they introduce. One of the things I ran on was transparency, said Chase, who defeated longtime Sen. Stephen Martin, R-Chesterfield County, in the Republican primary last June. FINCASTLE Slaves are buried near the two historic buildings soon to be moved in Botetourt County, one of their descendants is asserting in a legal bid to stop the controversial relocation. Shirley Johnson Lewis of Roanoke, who can trace her ancestors back to the enslaved men and women who once worked at the Greenfield Plantation, fears that moving the buildings will destroy the unmarked graves, according to court papers filed Tuesday in Botetourt County Circuit Court. With the support of local preservationists, Lewis is seeking a temporary injunction that would halt plans by the county to relocate the two buildings a kitchen house and slave quarters and level the hill they stand on to make way for industrial development. The graves of Ms. Lewiss ancestors are old and difficult to identify, her complaint stated. Thus, a person using machinery could easily destroy the grave without having ever realized that he or she has bulldozed a persons last resting place. The request for a judges order stopping the move comes amid growing opposition from those who say they were caught off guard in October by word that the county was planning to move the buildings. The plans have riled historic preservationists and others, who say moving the buildings and leveling the hill they sit on all that remains of the Greenfield Plantation would rob the site of its historic integrity. County officials say their long-standing plan, which would clear the site for construction of an empty building needed to lure a new industry to the Greenfield complex, was approved during a public process some 20 years ago. Although some limited archaeological studies of the Greenfield Plantation site have been conducted, there has been no confirmation of human remains in the vicinity of the slave quarters and kitchen, according to Mike Pulice, an architectural historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Erin Ashwell, a Roanoke attorney who represents Lewis, said the presence of slave burial grounds is supported by a body of evidence that includes oral histories from the descendants of Greenfield slaves, the family history of the plantations former owners and observations of sunken areas and other physical indications of the hard-to-spot grave sites. Ashwell outlined her arguments Tuesday in seeking an injunction from Circuit Judge Everett Martin, who normally presides in Norfolk but was in Fincastle to serve as a special judge in an unrelated case. Martin declined to issue an injunction, saying it would be improper to do so without first giving the county board of supervisors and other defendants an opportunity to respond to the complaint, which had just been filed. County attorney Michael Lockaby later declined to comment, saying he had not yet seen the court papers. Other defendants include the county and its economic development authority. Martins ruling allows Lewis to make a second request for an injunction. A hearing is expected to be scheduled in the coming weeks. Lewis has attended recent meetings in which opponents of the Greenfield relocation have discussed possible court action and the need to seek contributions for their legal fees. She also spoke out about the planned relocation of the slave buildings at the board of supervisors December meeting. We slaves survived as a people what was designed to rob us of our history and a future, and now the little physical remains of that history you want to erase like it never happened, Lewis told the board. In seeking an injunction, her lawyers say the disruption of a burial ground would violate state laws. They also say that the county never consulted with Lewis or the states Department of Historic Resources, as required by law. Until recently, county officials had been preparing to move the two slave buildings to a new location within the Greenfield park, where they would be more accessible to tourists and history buffs as part of a designated historical area. First a frontier fort and later a plantation, Greenfield was built in the 1700s by Col. William Preston, a Revolutionary War hero. The manor house burned in 1959, leaving the adjacent kitchen house and slave quarters as the only remnants. Plans to move the buildings were first made 20 years ago, not long after the county purchased the Greenfield property for use as an industrial, recreational and educational facility. But the concept gathered dust and the crumbling slave buildings fell further into disrepair until last year, when the site was selected for a $3 million industrial shell building to be financed by the nonprofit Greater Roanoke Valley Development Foundation. Just two industrial tenants sit on the rolling landscape today, and county officials seem determined to follow through on a vision that included more jobs and tax revenue than currently are produced by the park. But if that means moving the buildings, the complaint states, this will destroy and obscure the unmarked graves, destroying the remains of the buried slaves and Ms. Lewiss ancestors. There are many eye-popping numbers floating around for potential snowfall come Friday, but for now, I'm just going to settle on the word "several" to describe the number of inches that will probably fall in Southwest Virginia. Before I dive into the complexities of the late-week winter storm, it should be noted that we will start out Tuesday with our coldest weather of the winter so far, with many lows in the single digits in outlying areas and at least the 10-15 range even into the Roanoke Valley. Also of note: An Alberta clipper storm system approaching from the west might bring some snow into Southwest Virginia, especially west of Roanoke, Wednesday afternoon and early evening. I would not rule out some minor accumulations quickly covering roadways in some spots -- the surface is much colder than it was for Sunday's brush of light snow. Something we should be aware of and not lose sight of in the rush to the big storm. We are still about 72 hours from the start of the "big storm", so, yes, there are many things that can change. At this stage I think it is highly unlikely -- less than 5 percent chance -- that this storm somehow finds a way to simply miss us entirely in any direction. Also, it appears the cold high pressure systems to the north will be too strong for it take a northern track into Ohio and Pennsylvania, which seemed possible on some forecast models a few days ago. The northern track would have led to a few hours of mixed wintry precipitation changing to rain, perhaps the lowest impact setup other than a complete miss. There are various ways we could end up dry-slotted for part of the event, moisture could be overall weaker, the system could shift some north or south to take its heaviest bands elsewhere, or -- probably the easiest manner totals could be reduced -- the snow could become mixed with or change to sleet or freezing rain. So even the number ranges I throw out below could be skewed downward if any of these occur -- or, yes, upward if other factors increased the moisture or intensity or duration of the snow. While there are many minute permutations of how this could play out, there are now generally three basic storm tracks depicted on forecast models for the late-week storm. I'm avoiding the Miller A/Miller B jargon and also focusing more on the surface systems rather than all that's going on upstairs, just to get right to the point of what might happen. (1) Tennnessee Valley low and transfer off the Virginia coast. This would bring a low-pressure northeastward, almost directly at us, but then transferring to the coast when it reaches Knoxville or so. Such a track would lead to a large amount of Gulf moisture overrunning the cold air in Virginia dammed against the Appalachians, creating hours of moderate to heavy snow. The coastal low would re-develop almost due east of us, and then move up the coast toward the Delmarva Peninsula. This might be a little too late for it to have a whole lot of additional impact on our region, though it could send heavy bands of snow inland into central and northern Virginia. The northeastward advance of the original low into Tennessee would also introduce at least some chance of milder air aloft moving in and switching the snow to sleet for a time, especially west and south of Roanoke, before the coastal low would pull colder air back southward. In this scenario, we may be looking at 6-12 inches of snow, locally more, with amounts cut down if sleet becomes a bigger factor early in the storm. Some parts of Southwest Virginia west of I-77 might get only a couple of inches, as warmer air could even change the precipitation to rain in those areas. (2) Dixie low and transfer to the Carolina coast. This would be similar to the Tennessee Valley scenario except the low would stay much farther south, not getting north of Tennessee's border with Alabama and Georgia. By the time the low reached about Atlanta, it would transfer its energy to a new low of the South Carolina coast, which would then track northeastward along the coast. In this scenario we would probably stay all snow and get rounds of moderate to heavy snow both from overrunning moisture and from the wraparound coastal low interacting with a trailing upper-level low. This scenario could put much of Southwest Virginia in the 10-15-inch range or thereabouts. (3) Continuous low path through the Deep South and up the East Coast. In this scenario there is no transfer of the low-pressure center, as the low digs far to the south near the Gulf Coast and then intensifies and curves northeastward along the coast. This is the track and evolution of some of our most severe snowstorms (Dec. 18-19, 2009, and Feb. 12-13, 2014 being a couple of the most recent examples), and in this case, if it maximized, it might bring widespread 18-36 inches to a large part of Virginia, perhaps somewhat like the January 6-7, 1996 storm. This was what was on those European model maps that floated around the Internet on Monday afternoon. So which will it be? I think we'll probably know by Wednesday afternoon generally which one it will be as the models come together around one of the ideas. I've waffled to each of the three at different times in considering it, but I would probably lay my token on No. 2 if forced to choose. Nailing an inch count really isn't all that important right now. The important thing to know is that an overwhelming majority of the ways the late week system plays out in the atmosphere lead to amounts of snow that will restrict and potentially paralyze travel in our region this weekend. Be prepared. Get prepared if you aren't already. If it ends up on the low end of present expectations, or even a little lower, save that preparation. Winter isn't over. McConnell, who makes the decision about floor votes, has not said if the Senate will vote on the bill. Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, a co-sponsor, has said that would happen in 2016. Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, is also pressing for a vote soon. The momentum for a sentencing overhaul bill faces a challenge because of the tight schedule in an election year and the possibility that the Republicans wont retain their Senate majority. There is also opposition, including from a separate group of former federal prosecutors who sent a letter to leadership in December with concerns about the bill. The letter sent by Mukasey and others Tuesday seeks to counter those concerns. It says the bill makes modest, reasonable changes that would amend just a few sentencing policies that produced unintended consequences and created imbalance in the scales of justice. The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide a case that would determine whether President Barack Obama can implement his immigration executive actions before he leaves office. If the justices side with Obama, his administration could have a chance to roll out policy changes announced in November 2014 that would affect millions of undocumented immigrants. The actions would defer deportation for undocumented immigrant parents of U.S. citizens and legal residents, under a program known as DAPA. The actions would also expand a similar program, called DACA, for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. If there is a consistent refrain among former Democrats (and there are lots in the South), writes National Reviews David French, it echoes Ronald Reagan: They didnt leave the Democratic party; the Democratic party left them. That means many things, French continues, but it does not mean that theyre small government, constitutional conservatives. No truer words have been spoken. This isnt merely an anecdotal observation. There are reasons a populist liberal Republican such as Donald Trump has put together a coalition that is concentrated in the South, Appalachia and the industrial North but one that, as The New York Times observes, fades as one heads west. Nearly all of his weakest states 16 of his worst 19 lie west of the Mississippi. A PLANNED 48-hour strike by junior doctors has been suspended as talks with the government about changes to their contracts continue. The British Medical Association (BMA) held a 24-hour strike last Tuesday (January 12), which included all junior doctors, except those on call to provide emergency cover. Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said three clinics, involving 33 patients, were cancelled but added there were no operations cancelled. It was due to hold a 48-hour strike, which would also not have involved doctors on emergency cover, from 8am on Tuesday, January 26. But the BMA has announced it has postponed the walkout after making progress in talks with the government about the contract changes. A statement on the BMAs website said: Yesterday, and on the basis of early progress made in the current set of talks with the Government, the junior doctors committee made the decision to suspend the 48-hour industrial action planned for January 26 to 28. We are announcing this today in order to give trusts as much notice as possible so as to avoid disruption to patients. This decision is in line with our stated aim to ensure a safe, fair contract through negotiated agreement, if at all possible. The action which junior doctors across England took last week sent a clear message to the government and the negotiating team is now focusing on reaching a resolution to meet your concerns. Hyderabad: The suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula at University of Hyderabad has triggered a massive political storm in the country, with students across major cities protesting over the incident and demanding the ouster of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and vice-chancellor. In a fresh development, the ABVP leader who was allegedly attacked by ASA members in August 2015, including Rohith, has admitted to seeking Dattatreyas help after the incident, according to a report in The News Minute. Susheel Kumar, a HCU student and leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), alleged Rohith Vemula and four other ASA students had attacked him in August 2015. Rohith and other students allegedly went to his room and threatened him after Susheel called them goons for protesting against Yakub Memons hanging. While Susheel claimed that he suffered physical injuries, the ASA students had denied using violence and claimed that he concocted the entire story to get them into trouble. The University administration constituted an inquiry into the alleged incident, and the first report found the ASA students innocent as it could not be proved that Susheel was physically harmed. However, a second report found them guilty and they were suspended. After learning about Rohiths suicide, Susheel recalled his rivalry with the deceased scholar and indicated that it was only student politics and he had nothing personal against him. I have known him for almost five years. We were ideologically different, but he was brave. He would rip apart posters we placed in campus, he was at the forefront of their agitations. I never imagined this would happen. Never. This was just student politics. I have engaged in many conversations with Rohith, though we always disagreed. I stopped speaking to them after August 2015, he was quoted as saying in the report. On being probed further, on why did an instance of student politics need the intervention of an Union Minister; Susheel admitted that he had approached Bandaru Dattatreya for help in the heat of the moment. He revealed that it was ABVP leaders who had asked Dattatreya to write a letter to HRD ministry to look into the matter. The issue is not that simple. When the protests against Yakub Memons hanging were on, they shouted slogans like If you hang a Yakub, thousands of Yakubs will emerge. The university has a history of students turning radical and as a sitting MP of that constituency, he wrote a letter. We asked him to, he explained. Dattatreya in 2015 had urged Smriti Irani to look into the affairs of the university. Dattatreya is now facing political heat for writing the letter to Smriti Irani, where he specifically mentions the protests organised by the ASA students against Yakub's hanging. Rohith and his fellow students were suspended after Dattatreya intervened. Protesting students and opposition parties are now holding the Union Minister responsible for Rohith's suicide and are demanding that he resign from his post. A case has already been registered against him for abetment of suicide. On being asked whether he regrets his actions, Susheel said 'I dont know what to say. It was all done in the heat of the moment.' Indian shares held steady in early trade on Tuesday after data showed China's grew 6.9 percent in 2015, in line with market expectations. The benchmark BSE Sensex was rising 115 points or 0.47 percent to 24,303 after losing more than 1 percent to hit a 20-month low the previous day. The broader Nifty index was up 17 points or 0.23 percent at 7,368. The rupee opened marginally higher against Monday's close of 67.68 per dollar. Reliance Communications rallied 1.5 percent. The telecom major has signed a pact to share its airwaves in the 800 megahertz band with Reliance Jio Infocomm in 17 service areas. Tata Motors advanced 1.8 percent. The country's biggest commercial vehicle maker has appointed former top official of Airbus Guenter Butschek as its Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director. Reliance Industries rose 0.4 percent and Axis Bank added 1.6 percent ahead of their quarterly results due out today. National Aluminum Company soared 4.2 percent on reports the Finance Ministry has asked the company to buy back 25 percent of its shares from the government. Tata Steel was marginally higher after announcing layoffs in the U.K. Asian Paints lost 1.1 percent. The paints company reported a 25.8 percent increase in standalone net profit for the third quarter ended December. Maruti Suzuki India shed 0.7 percent after slashing the price of its premium crossover S-Cross in India. HCL Technologies declined 2 percent after reporting its second-quarter results. MindTree dropped 2.2 percent. The IT firm has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Magnet 360, a Salesforce Platinum consulting partner. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Aggression war jets target several areas in Sanaa SANAA, Jan. 19 (Saba) The Saudi-led coalition warplanes waged a series of violent raids on several areas in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday. The hostile war jets targeted Al-Thawra Sport City in Jeraf area with a number of missiles, which led to large damage to the sport halls, stadiums and facilities in the city and to the nearby installations, a security official explained to Saba. The aggression raids also targeted the TV hill in Al-Thawra district and the areas of Wadi Ahmed and Daress, causing damage to houses and public and private property in those areas, he added. The official demanded the international community and organizations, topped by the United Naitons and the Security Council to carry their legal and ethical responsibilities towards the continuation of the Saudi aggression crimes against the Yemeni people and its infrastructure since last March. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [19/January/2016] Saudi strikes kill 14 civilians, injure 5 in Saada SAADA, Jan. 19 (Saba) At least 14 citizens of the same family were killed and five others injured in the bombardment of the Saudi-led coalition war jets in Saada province on Tuesday. A security official said the aggression warplanes bombed the house of the citizen Hussein Sarmi in Marran area of Hidan district in Saada, killing 14 individuals of his family including women and children and wounding five other, as well as destroying the house in full. The official condemned this horrific crime committed by the barbaric Saudi aggression against a whole family and its deliberation to kill Yemeni citizens. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [19/January/2016] Saudi raid kills 12 students, teacher in Taiz TAIZ, Jan. 19 (Saba) At least 12 students and a female teacher were killed in a Saudi raid in the eastern city of Taiz, a local official said on Tuesday. Three others students and a woman were injured in the air raid, the official added, pointing out that the raid targeted al-Harir area while the students were getting out of the schools, the official added. The official condemned the brutal massacres committed by the Saudi aggression against civilians, calling on the international community to carry their legal and ethical responsibilities and to stop these massacres in Yemen. HA/BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [19/January/2016] Several Saudi soldiers, hirelings killed in Jizan JIZAN, Jan. 19 (Saba) A number of Saudi soldiers and mercenaries were killed and others injured in artillery bombing targeted them in west of al-Tewal outlet in Jizan, a military official said on Tuesday. A Saudi soldier was shot dead by sniper unit of the army and popular committee in east of al-Tewal outlet , the official added. He pointed out that the missile and artillery forces pounded al-Muntazah site and other locations in al-Tewal, killing and wounding a number of Saudi soldiers and mercenaries and causing them big material losses. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [19/January/2016] Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with NN Vohra, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Day, in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra on Tuesday suggested creating a separate Ministry out of the Home Ministry to handle security related issues along with a separate cadre of specialised officers to man it. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was present on the occassion, welcomed the suggestion of a separate cadre of officers but remained silent about the specialised Ministry. In his key note address on the seventh NIA Day, Vohra said to tackle situations like Pathankot attack, a dedicated pool of officers having expertise in various aspects of national security should be created and be named as National Security Administrative Service. He said he had proposed during the first NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee the creation of a separate ministry of National Security out of the Home Ministry to be led by leaders like Rajnath Singh and manned by specialists of National Security Administrative Service. Later in his address, Rajnath Singh said Vohra has given a welcome suggestion of raising a cadre of National Security Administrative Services to handle security related matter. "I will discuss the matter soon," he said. Terming terrorism as a global menace, Singh said India will stand by any alliance of countries which is ready to take on this challenge. "Terrorism is not only a challenge for this country but a global challenge. India stands with countries who are ready to accept this challenge. India is part of every treaty in this regard," he said. The Home Minister said the country has faced many challenges including from foreign invaders but has always maintained its sovereignity and unity. "However, difficult the challenges may be now, no one will be able to put a question mark over country's unity and soverignity. I can assure you that," he said. Lauding the role of NIA, Singh said the agency has performed its duties in a professional manner. "I have information (that) prosecution success rate is 95 per cent and 92 per cent conviction rate. Excellent. But I feel that NIA like organisation needs more manpower. Many offices are yet to set up. Once offices are complete, the NIA's efficiency will certainly increase," he said. Earlier speaking on the occasion, NIA Director Sharad Kumar said NIA is probing cases pertain to Jehadi terror, northeast insurgent groups, fake currency, terror financing and Left wing extremism. "The investigations into these cases require persistent efforts by dedicated team of investigators to piece together diverse threads of deep rooted conspiracies which many a times are spread across various states and several countries," he said, cautioning that threats to our security from local and trans-national terrorists still linger. "I can assure all of you that the NIA will continue to work in an efficient fashion in detecting and prosecuting terrorism related offences, but will also deter and prevent such crimes through efficient and professional investigations," he said. Vohra noted that while tackling terror attacks, like the one in Pathankot, standard operating procedures should be strictly followed and duties of police, paramilitary, specialised forces and army should be well defined. The Governor said the authority should be clear so that security forces do not waste time in getting on to action. He said whenever such attacks take place trained people handling various aspects of investigation should be brought together who can analyse every piece of information pouring in from different quarters. "No counter terror agency can deliver if the first line of defence i.e state police fails to respond," Vohra said. He said continuous political interference lowers the morale of state police. Vohra said state governments oppose NIA from taking over cases and at times the probe is given after "prolonged delays" when local police has already filed charge sheet. He advocated that agencies like NIA should be allowed to take suo moto take cognisance of terror cases and suggested that changes in the legal process should be made to avoid such hindrances. The Governor said that such situations can be prevented if leaders like the Home Minister calls the concerned Chief Ministers and convince them about shifting of the case. Vohra said that it was imperative to institute a Nationwide Security Framework policy since the internal and external security aspects were closely intertwined. He called for framing the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for tackling internal security threats in which the state police forces, being the first baseline response agency, have a vital role to play. "The MHA should make efforts to ensure that cases related to terrorism are handed over to NIA without delay," he said. 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 Government has already put Delhi on a high alert after the terrorist attack on Pathankot air base New Delhi: In view of heightened threat from Pakistan-based terror groups, the Centre has asked all states to beef up security of all VIPs. In an advisory, the Home Ministry has informed the states about intelligence inputs that terrorist groups like JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba may try to carry out attacks on VIPs ahead of the Republic Day, a Home Ministry official said. Government has already put Delhi on a high alert after the terrorist attack on Pathankot air base following reports that two Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists have sneaked into the capital. Days before the Pathankot attack, central security agencies had reported that a group of 8 to 10 terrorists had crossed border from Pakistan. A similar report from Punjab government had said at least 15 terrorists from Pakistan had breached the border. The sources said there may be a few terrorists waiting for an opportunity to strike. Home Minister Rajnath Singh had yesterday reviewed the security situation in the national capital with the Delhi Police chief and senior officials of intelligence and security agencies. Top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states, including Delhi, had earlier held a meeting with the Home Minister on Saturday and discussed steps to check the growing influence of terror group Islamic State among youngsters through social media and other sources. 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 New Delhi: While deciding to examine whether Sikhs are a minority in Punjab, the Supreme Court on Monday sought the assistance of the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to decide the important issue. A five-judge Constitution bench comprising the Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justices Ibrahim Kalifulla, S.A. Bode, A.K. Sikri and R. Banumathi issued notice returnable in four weeks. The apex court in 2009 had stayed a judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which held that Sikhs are not minorities in Punjab and that they cannot claim minority rights. The Punjab and Haryana HC on December 17, 2007, struck down a notification issued by the state government on April 13, 2001, permitting the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to give 50 per cent quota to Sikh students in colleges run by it on the ground that Sikhs were a minority. Appeals against this judgement were filed by the State of Punjab, the SGPC and two others. The appellants contended that the HC erred in law by striking down the minority status of the Sikhs. They said that going by the definition of Sikh as explained in the Sikh Gurdwaras (SG) Act, 1925, only about 53 lakh, roughly one-third of the electoral college of the SGPC, were Sikhs as against the 1.66 crore total voters in the State. Judge denies conspiracy-laden effort to stop Kansas ballot drop boxes A federal judge in Kansas Wednesday denied a conspiracy-laden effort to stop the use of ballot drop boxes and electronic voting machines. Ten years ago, it was a dream. Today, its an absolute necessity developing Bidadi as the next hub for knowledge-based industry. The state governments bid to revive the plan for a 10,000-acre Knowledge Park in this town on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, along with a plan to build six-lane ring roads connecting the city and satellite towns around it, will not only help de-congest a saturated Bengaluru, it will also be a boon for both the technology industry and job-seekers in the Mysuru belt. The upcoming Global Investors Meet could well be the right time to showcase the projects, but speedy implementation is key. When Bidadi Knowledge Park was awarded to DLF in 2007, the buzz was that Bengaluru would have its own Gurgaon in the backyard. Thanks to the delay in land acquisition and rolling out of government policies, the project derailed. At that time it was seen as ambitious and an alternative to the Whitefield, Bannerghatta Roads and Sarjapura Roads, where all the IT majors have nestled. Today, it is inevitable to create an iconic park which is based on a walk-to-work concept to keep the investors back at home. Recently, Bengaluru development minister K.J. George announced that the Bidadi Knowledge Park project will be taken up, rekindling the hope for a mega knowledge city in Bidadi. Sources in industry say that the real estate in the IT belts has reached the saturation level. Whitefield, EPIP, Electronics City, Sarjapura Road, Marathahalli, Bannerghatta Road saw an office space boom in early 2000. Today, these IT belts are crowded and running full. What adversely affected these IT segments was the traffic flow. Even while global companies like Accenture, Cognizant, Honeywell, among other players started operations, the state government utterly failed to foresee the infrastructure requirement. Wherever you see IT parks in Bengaluru these companies are synonymous with massive traffic issues. It is inevitable to create satellite towns or integrated parks away from the hustle-bustle with walk-to-work concepts, says Sreenivasa Murthy, a lead consultant with a major real estate firm. Bidadi draws emphasis to itself and the project has been thrown in at the right time as Karnataka is all set to host GIM 2016. It will definitely boost investor confidence, if the state clears land acquisition hurdles, which was the main impediment earlier. Turning the land losers into partners, giving job opportunities at mid-management level, tax sops and holidays for investors and reducing the long and tiring bureaucratic hurdles would make way for such projects. What works for Bidadi is the fact that it is right on the periphery of Bengaluru and is connected with what will soon be a national highway. It is also strategically located near a human resource catchment like Mysuru, which produces thousands of engineering graduates every year. Bidadi Knowledge Park The project, envisaged around Byramangala, a good 5 km from Bidadi, can be ideal as the real estate value here is not highly priced, unlike Devanahalli or Anekal. Added to this, the advantage of putting up a green field project will definitely be a boon to Ramanagaram district, said an official from the Industries Department. STRR good idea, but lets get second airport on track The Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) is the next big ticket project which will ease congestion in Bengaluru and throw up new investment options for corporate firms shying away from Bengaluru due to traffic congestion. The long-delayed STRR project will connect Bengalurus satellite towns Ramnagar, Magadi, Solur, Nelamangala, Hoskote and Anekal through six-lane roads. These roads, in turn, will be connected to Bengaluru through state or national highways, easing the citys congestion and further reducing the to-and-fro time taken to reach or get out of the city. While the project will be a boon for commuters, it will also help industries and housing sectors around Bengaluru grow, observed Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy. He said, With smaller scale projects like NICE Road, we have seen some magical transformations in the city. For instance, it takes around 30 minutes to go to Tumkuru Road from Electronics City. When a mega project like STRR is implemented, the traffic burden in peripheral areas like Jigani, Attibele, Kengeri and other parts will drastically reduce. Along with this, there will be more focus on expansion of industries. He highlighted that the STRR will also open more windows for the real estate sector, as the city is already saturated. Surveys have pointed out that peripheral areas are exponentially growing. Since Bengaluru South is now expanding beyond Kengeri and upward till Big Banyan Tree road, the proposal for STRR and Knowledge Park will make way for gated communities and townships. Both the projects are money spinners for the state government, he said. Urban planning expert Ashwin Mahesh suggested that while Knowledge Park and STRR is a good idea for the citys growth, the state government should also consider opening its second airport in Bidadi. With the STRRs implementation, most of the vehicles will by-pass city traffic, which is welcome. But building more roads will not decongest any city in any part of the world. The need-of-the hour is better public transport. The government needs to construct an integrated airport which will have air, bus and rail facilities on the same premises. There has to be regional bus connectivity, terminal and commuter rail service attached to the airport. As BMIC Township may soon become a reality, a second airport will be a boon for investors and commuters, he said. Emphasising Bidadis proximity to Mysuru and Hassan, Mahesh said that having a second airport in Bidadi will also help industrialists and investors in these regions. according to city cops, nearly 65 minors were tracked down in 159 criminal cases during the last five months of 2015 KOZHIKODE: The city police in association with the excise department is launching an awareness programme for school students to curb the increasing juvenile crimes. In the last one month alone, the city police had tracked over 15 juvenile robbers. The authorities are planning various programmes, including screening of short films, staging street plays, conducting seminars and giving moral messages to the students against such crimes. According to the city police, the cases involving juvenile offenders have gone up by 18 per cent, and nearly 65 minors were tracked down in 159 criminal cases during the last five months of 2015. On Friday, Mavoor police nabbed a 16-year- old boy while he was robbing a bike. In the past two days, over ten juveniles were held with stolen bikes and mobile phones. In 2014, the cases were much less, said city police official K. Harish. Juveniles rob bikes and sell them in the local market for less money and use it for leading a luxurious life, including buying new smart phones and going outside, he added. Student squads will be formed in each school, and they will help us in identifying those with criminal background. Boxes will be kept in schools where students can place their findings, he added. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, 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 By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News As of Monday the Santa Paula Post Office shortened its Lobby hours due to ongoing vandalism. Formally there was 24 hours a day, seven days a week access to post office boxes. A December 21 letter from Postmaster Caroline Rivera notified box holders that hours were being reduced. Wrote Rivera: Due to increased vandalism at the Santa Paula Post Office it has become necessary to limit access to the PO Box Lobby in the evening hours and early morning hours. Effective January 11 hours were cut back to 6:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Saturday and the Post Office closed Sunday. Retail hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed Sunday. We regret any inconvenience this change may cause you, wrote Rivera, however, we must take this step to protect the US Mail and Postal property. Rivera wrote that box holders with questions could call her at the Post Office (805) 921-0563. Requests for a comment from the Santa Paula Post Office were finally referred to the district office, which had not replied by press deadline. The Post Office, located in a historic South Mill Street building, has been the location of rising acts of vandalism and complaints by users that transients outside and inside the facility have aggressively approached them. Members of Telangana Jagruti Yuva Morcha protesting outside the residence of Bandaru Dattatreya. (Photo: ANI Twitter) Hyderabad: Fresh protests erupted on the campus of University of Hyderabad on Tuesday over the alleged suicide by a dalit scholar, Rohith Vemula. Also, members of Telangana Jagruti Yuva Morcha held a demonstration outside the residence of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been accused in the suicide case. The body of the dalit research scholar was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room, which sparked massive protests. Read: Police books Bandaru Dattatreya for Hyderabad scholar Rohiths suicide Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. Students gathered in the administrative block of the university and shouted slogans, seeking 'justice' for the dalit student. Police said the situation was peaceful. "Just a small group of students gathered and shouted slogans. Situation is peaceful here," Gachibowli police inspector J Ramesh Kumar said. Read: I have nothing to do with Dalit student's suicide: Bandaru Dattatreya Some activists belonging to Telangana Jagruthi, a social and cultural outfit led by TRS MP K Kavitha, tried to hold a protest outside the residence of Dattatreya here this morning, demanding his resignation. However, police prevented their bid and took them into custody, a police official said. Read: HCU suicide: Arvind Kejriwal attacks Modi, says not suicide, its murder Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, visited the university on Tuesday. Read: HCU suicide: Digvijay Singh asks student wings to unite According to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Gandhi will spend some time interacting with students over the issue. "He will come here in a special flight at around noon. He will directly go the university and interact with students on the issue of suicide," Bhatti said. Read: HCU suicide: Asaduddin Owaisi demands strong action against vice chancellor The university campus yesterday witnessed widespread protests after dalit student Rohith Vemula's body was found hanging in a hostel room on Sunday. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". Read: HCU suicide: Congress demands sacking of Smriti Irani, Bandaru Dattatreya The deceased student, Rohit Vemula, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Read: Ambedkar ideas inspired Rohith Vemula Speaking to reporters on the University campus, Congress MP V Hanumantha Rao alleged that university Vice Chancellor Appa Rao was responsible for the suicide of the student, and demanded his suspension. He further alleged that a "social boycott" was imposed on the students (who were suspended earlier), including the dalit research scholar who allegedly committed suicide. Congress leaders D Sridhar Babu, G Vinod and others visited the university campus today and spoke to the students. Meanwhile, a group of students were trying to install a memorial for the deceased student, Rohit, on the campus. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News The Optimist Club of Santa Paula started a new program and Santa Paula Police Sgt. Jimmy Fogata was the first recipient of a special award for peace officers. Fogata was honored at a recent meeting held at the Knights of Columbus Hall attended by District 14/Zone 3 Lt. District Governor Eliot Golomb of the Canyon Country Optimist Club. The Santa Paula club, founded in 1961, follows the mission of Optimist, By providing hope and positive vision, Optimists bring out the best of kids whose lives the members are devoted to bettering. Jimmy is the first police officer were honoring, said Optimist Club President Cathy Hicks. The club sponsors the annual Christmas and Halloween parades and Hes been with us for every paradeand we can always rely on his advice and help for all our events. Fogata, who was accompanied by his family, Police Chief Steve McLean, Reserve Sgt. Dave Curran and Cadet Martha Reynolds-Brown, received a plaque, gift cards and a book. Ive seen on Facebook that you like cooking, said Hicks, who presented Fogata with a cookbook, noting that because of his career the book was aptly named The Kitchen Detective. Fogata thanked his family and friends and noted Curran runs the Explorer program as a volunteer among other duties he performs. Costs to stage special events and parades have been an issue in recent years for the Optimist Club and Fogata said he has tried to mitigateI know those costs can hurt your fundraising, by redirecting revenue away from childrens activities and programs sponsored by the club. Santa Paula, he noted, is all about volunteers Fogata joined the SPPD 28 years ago in June and he has acted as a patrol officer, hostage negotiator and was a K9 Officer, That was my favorite, I loved working with the dogs As the father of school age children Fogata said he has also staged fundraising events and appreciates the challenges. Obituaries Leslie Anne Flanders Carson (1949-2016) The final theatrical production of Leslies passionate life occurred at sunset on Sunday, January 3rd, 2016. The house was filled with immediate family, friends, and of course, an abundance of reverence, humor and wit. The cast was made up of Robert Carson (in his first stage role, as the beloved but over-matched husband), Hilary Carson and Savanna Carson (both well-cast as devoted daughters), Joel Downer (who played the heart-felt son-in-law) and Lynn Carlisle (playing the intimate friend and who arguably gets the nod for best supporting actress) made up the fantastic supporting cast. Leslie was provided long-term support and technical assistance by her brothers, Jeff Flanders (wife Colleen), John (wife Cynthia) and compellingly dramatic appearances by her beautiful niece, Serena Flanders. John and Serena also composed and performed much of the musical score. Offstage masterful support and medical assistance was provided by Dr. Ann Kelley (and staff), Dr. Thomas Kong (and staff), Dr. Gary Wikholm, and finally Dr. William Rajala, Shari Gepner and their team at Assisted Hospice. Previous stops on this worldwide tour included an initial run in Canton, Ohio (Central Catholic HS), stops at Bowling Green University, Catholic University, Manhattan/NYC, (including several trans-Atlantic and Caribbean sailing junkets) Santa Barbara and ultimately Santa Paula. This artist also conducted extended professional educational engagements at St. Bonaventure HS (Drama, Religion and English), William S Hart HS and Saugus HS (Theater Arts) in Santa Clarita, where she was greatly loved and influenced many a talented young performer . She retired from this rigorous touring schedule in 2012. However, numerous theatrical and humanitarian projects were initiated and conducted to rave critical review. These included; Cornerstone Theater, Poetic Justice Project, Kelly Avenue Catholic Worker and St Francis Church conducting Fools for Christ Clown Camp(s), CLUE (inmate visitation), Corona Womens Prison (initiating Dramatic Writing and Comedy Improv programs), EP Foster Elementary, Theater Games and Improvisational Comedy and many others. Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- Synopsis 'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in Bulgaria, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2019' report provides detailed analysis of the market trends, drivers, challenges in the Bulgarian personal accident and health insurance segment. It provides key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20102014) and forecast period (20142019). The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the Bulgarian economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country. The report brings together Timetric's research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure. Browse Full Report with TOC: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/personal-accident-and-health-insurance-in-bulgaria-key-41638 Summary - The Bulgarian personal accident and health insurance segment's growth prospects by insurance category - Key trends, drivers and challenges for the personal accident and health insurance segment - A comprehensive overview of the Bulgarian economy and demographics - The various distribution channels in the Bulgarian personal accident and health insurance segment - Details of the competitive landscape in the personal accident and health insurance segment in Bulgaria - Details of regulatory policy applicable to the Bulgarian insurance industry Scope This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the personal accident and health insurance segment in Bulgaria: - It provides historical values for the Bulgarian personal accident and health insurance segment for the report's 20102014 review period, and projected figures for the 20142019 forecast period. - It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the Bulgarian personal accident and health insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2019. - It profiles the top personal accident and health insurance companies in Bulgaria, and outlines the key regulations affecting them. Reasons To Buy - Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Bulgarian personal accident and health insurance segment, and each category within it. - Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the Bulgarian personal accident and health insurance segment. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the personal accident and health insurance segment. - Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Bulgarian insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future. Download Sample Report @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/personal-accident-and-health-insurance-in-bulgaria-key-41638#RequestSample Key Highlights - The personal accident and health gross written premium grew at a review-period CAGR of 22.4%. - Bulgaria's public healthcare system is becoming less popular due to shortage of personnel, lack of equipment, and the practice of bribing doctors and nurses to ensure reliable treatment. - It is mandatory for every Bulgarian to contribute to the NHIF irrespective of whether they are employed or self-employed. - The health insurance category accounted for 51.1% of the segment's gross written premium in 2014. - The implementation of Solvency II in Bulgaria and other European countries in January 2016 will be a challenge for domestic insurers. Contact Us: Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: 386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- The report "High Voltage Capacitors Market - Global Industry Trends & Forecast to 2020", defines and segments the HV capacitor market with analysis and forecast of the global volume and revenue. HV capacitor market is expected to grow from USD 133.86 Million in 2014 to USD 218.84 Million by 2020, with a CAGR of 7.8% from 2015 to 2020. In this, HV capacitors for transmission application are expected to occupy the major share, as compared to other applications. Browse 97 market data Tables and 90 Figures spread through 440 Pages and in-depth TOC on "HV Capacitor Market - Global Industry Trends & Forecast to 2020" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/high-voltage-capacitors-market-5405368.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on report. In 2015, China is estimated to be the largest market for HV capacitors and would remain the top consumer till the year 2020. The extensive demand of electricity in countries such as China and India is making the national governments expand their electric network thus increasing the demand of HV capacitors in various applications. The growing transmission and distribution network across globe is one of the biggest drivers for HV capacitor market. Maximum T&D expansion projects are ongoing in Asia-Pacific and the market is expected to be the biggest and the fastest growing market for HV capacitors. High Voltage capacitor High voltage capacitors are very important part of the electricity network, they have varied application depending upon their type and voltage levels. Increase in distribution investment in China, India, Brazil, Mexico and other developing economies expanding their distribution infrastructure to improve electrification rate and growth in distribution investment in the U.S and some European countries for up gradation of their distribution network will lead to a higher demand for HV capacitors in coming times Speak to Analyst for more Info@ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=5405368 The report covers global HV capacitor market in terms of consumption (no. of capacitors) and revenue ($million) across major countries which are Canada, U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Norway, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, India and China. It captures quantitative base of HV capacitors applications such as Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Testing these applications are further segmented into sub-applications and type of capacitors. The report briefly records the HV capacitor market by geography and types. It also explains trends in its consumption from 2014 to 2020. However, the scope of the report is limited to analysis, estimations, and forecast about HV capacitors market based on their types, geography, and applications. The report presents the market size of each geography and application in USD and also the historic and forecasted data for number of capacitors. 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 1-888-600-6441 mailto:sales@marketsandmarkets.com Singapore -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/18/2016 -- In keeping with its raison d'etre of continually striving to provide value-added and innovative learning services to its ever-expanding student base, Mind Stretcher has launched its first digital learning solution, MS e-Study Buddy. The first digital learning platform to be employed on a mass scale by a tuition & enrichment chain, MS e-Study Buddy promises to revolutionize tutorial learning industry and further cement Mind Stretcher's market leadership position as one of the biggest, if not the biggest (by student enrolment numbers) in Singapore. Specially designed for Mind Stretcher students & teachers, MS e-Study Buddy is based on the revolutionary PageWerkz platform, an e-learning platform by Amdon (Mind Stretcher's strategic associate company), that transforms educational content into dynamic, digital lessons that come alive with animation, videos, simulation and power-packs it with instructive teaching / student notes. As explained by Ms Kristie Lim, Mind Stretcher Education Group's Principal Founder, "This multi-media learning platform portal, will complement our physical tutorial classes as well as make learning more enjoyable and instructive for our students. From this academic year, students enrolled in our Primary English, Mathematics & Science Programmes will be allocated MS e-Study Buddy accounts. Besides being used by teachers to deliver their lessons in Mind Stretcher classes, students / parents can also utilise MS e-Study Buddy to reinforce learning or revise key concepts, right in the comfort of their homes." Though substantial investments were made to develop MS e-Study Buddy, these costs have not been passed on to students. The fees for its large base of students have remained the same. Ms Lim added, "Mind Stretcher has always endeavoured to add great value to our students and the community, and the launch of MS e-Study Buddy at no additional cost to our students, is another testament to this fact." IE Singapore, the lead government agency responsible for driving Singapore's external economy, had also announced Mind Stretcher's collaboration with Amdon at the 2015 CXO Summit. In its media release for the said event, IE Singapore stated that "This platform will be offered, initially, to Mind Stretcher's students in Singapore (via MS e-Study Buddy), and later to their (Mind Stretcher and Amdon's) collective network in SEA, China and US." Exciting times lie ahead for Mind Stretcher indeed! Parents who are keen to play a more active role in his/ her child's learning progress, look no further than Mind Stretcher's newly-launched MS e-Study Buddy. Tutorial learning and home revision will indeed never be the same again for Mind Stretcher students. About Mind Stretcher Mind Stretcher is a very well known and popular tuition and enrichment chain in Singapore. With close to 17,000 students in Singapore, it is arguably the biggest name (in terms of student numbers) on the island state. It offers pre-primary, primary and secondary programmes through its three flagship brands Mind Stretcher, MS Junior Campus and Xuehuile. www.mindstretcher.com https://www.facebook.com/MindStretcherLearningCentre https://www.facebook.com/msjuniorcampus Media Contact - Full address & Zip Code: 151 Lor Chuan, Singapore 556741 - Company and Business Name: Mind Stretcher Education Group - Contact Number: +65 6289 0200 - Website: http://www.mindstretcher.com - Contact person and Title: Ms Kristie Lim (Principal Founder) - Email ID enquiries@mindstretcher.com Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- The report "Mold Inhibitors Market - Global Forecast to 2020", defines and segments the market on the basis of type, application, and region, along with analyses and projections of the market size of each of these segments in terms of value and volume. It also identifies the driving and restraining factors for the mold inhibitors market with an analysis of the trends and opportunities. Browse 95 market data tables and 92 figures spread through 159 pages and in-depth TOC on "Mold Inhibitors Market - Global Forecast to 2020" Ask for Brief Illustration of this Report Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. On the basis of type, the market has been segmented into propionates, benzoates, sorbates, natamycin, and others. On the basis of applications, the mold inhibitors market has been segmented into food, animal feed, paints, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics & personal care, and others. The regional analysis in the report includes North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and RoW. Request for Sample of this Report Mold inhibitors are additives that help in preventing the contamination and proliferation of mold in various products. They also help in reducing the ill-health effects of mycotoxins produced by mold. The use of mold inhibitors enhances the shelf-life of the product and provides flexibility in moisture retention and management of food and feed products. Mold inhibitors are used to prevent the growth of mold on products such as breads, dairy products, animal feed products, paint, wood, leather, and cosmetics. Animal feed and grain preservation are the largest application segment of mold inhibitors. Rising health-consciousness and more focused research & development in the pharmaceutical industry has increased the market share of this application too. Degradation of products and health issues related to mold are generating health concerns in the minds of consumers and rising demand from the processed and convenience food industry are some of the key factors driving the demand of mold inhibitors globally. The market for mold inhibitors is projected to reach USD 1.83 Billion by 2020 at a CAGR of 3.0% between 2015 and 2020. In 2014, North America led the global mold inhibitors market by accounting for a market share of 33.0% in 2014. Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.4% during the projection period owing to the growing size of the processed food industry in the region. Economic growth of its nations has led to increase in construction work, which has fueled the demand for mold inhibitors in the paints and wood industries. The North American mold inhibitors market was closely followed by Asia-Pacific; the U.S. being the major revenue contributor in the former. Latin America is projected to be the second fastest-growing market after Asia-Pacific for mold inhibitors during the forecast period. Cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and pet food are the most significantly growing industries in Latin America that are expected to enhance the demand for mold inhibitors in the region. The global mold inhibitors market is expected to grow in the near future owing to factors such as increasing size of the convenience food industry across the globe, increasing disposable income, and rising concerns among people regarding ill-effects of molds and mycotoxins produced by it. The report includes key strategies, along with the product portfolios of leading companies in the market. It includes the profiles of leading companies such as BASF SE (Germany), Associated British Foods Plc (U.K.), Koninklijke DSM N.V., (The Netherlands), Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.), E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (U.S.), Handary SA (Belgium), Hawkins Watts Limited (New Zealand), Kemin Industries Inc. (U.S.), Niacet Corporation (U.S.), Pacific Coast Chemicals (U.S.), and Eastman Chemical Company (U.S.). 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 1-888-600-6441 Email:sales@marketsandmarkets.com Blog: http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/agriculture-industry Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- More male patients than ever are requesting liposuction procedures and Boston-based plastic surgeon Sean Doherty, MD, has seen incredible foot traffic in his own downtown Boston and Concord, MA practice. "It's remarkable how many male patients are scheduling consultations for liposuction," says Dr. Doherty. "In fact, about 10% of my liposuction patients are made up of men. Most of these patients are requesting fat removal for the chest, abdomen, waist, and chin areas. "I expect these numbers to continue going up as more men become comfortable with the idea of undergoing plastic surgery," he adds. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, liposuction was the most popular surgical procedure requested by male patients in 2014, followed closely by nose surgery, eyelid surgery, male chest surgery, and facelifts. "It's important for male patients to know that liposuction isn't the answer to weight loss," Dr. Doherty points out. "The best candidates for this procedure are close to their ideal weight, but are having trouble losing stubborn fat around the waist, chest, or other areas." Dr. Doherty recommends undergoing local liposuction with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Patients should expect two to three days of downtime; they should also wear a compression garment 24/7 for three weeks, and then 12 hours per day for two months. Dr. Doherty has two plastic surgery practices, both of which are located in the greater metro Boston area. His original practice is located in Concord, MA, and his newest location can be found on Newbury Street in Boston. Clients can learn more about Dr. Doherty in the greater Boston, MA area or request more information on male liposuction at http://www.seandohertymd.com. About Sean Doherty Sean Doherty, MD, is located in downtown Boston and Concord, Massachusetts. Dr. Sean Doherty offers his patients the finest in plastic surgery techniques, whether they are seeking a subtle change in appearance or a complete transformation. His practice focuses on providing his patients with exceptional care with safe and superior plastic surgery outcomes. Dr. Doherty feels that the best way to achieve beautiful and natural looking results is to incorporate safe and technical skill with meticulous attention to aesthetic detail. By taking this approach to plastic surgery, Dr. Doherty has the privilege of helping numerous patients attain their plastic surgery goals. Sean Doherty, MD rendy@turbomedicalmarketing.com Boston, MA http://www.seandohertymd.com Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- Synopsis 'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in Norway, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2019' report provides detailed analysis of the market trends, drivers, challenges in the Norwegian personal accident and health insurance segment. It provides key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20102014) and forecast period (20142019). The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the Norwegian economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country. The report brings together Timetric's research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure. Browse Complete Report with TOC @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/personal-accident-and-health-insurance-in-norway-key-41634 Summary - The Norwegian personal accident and health insurance segment's growth prospects by insurance category - Key trends, drivers and challenges for the personal accident and health insurance segment - A comprehensive overview of the Norwegian economy and demographics - The various distribution channels in the Norwegian personal accident and health insurance segment - Details of the competitive landscape in the personal accident and health insurance segment in Norway - Details of regulatory policy applicable to the Norwegian insurance industry Scope This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the personal accident and health insurance segment in Norway: - It provides historical values for the Norwegian personal accident and health insurance segment for the report's 20102014 review period, and projected figures for the 20142019 forecast period. - It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the Norwegian personal accident and health insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2019. - It analyzes the various distribution channels for personal accident and health insurance products in Norway. - It profiles the top personal accident and health insurance companies in Norway, and outlines the key regulations affecting them. Reasons To Buy - Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Norwegian personal accident and health insurance segment, and each category within it. - Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the Norwegian personal accident and health insurance segment. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the personal accident and health insurance segment. - Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Norwegian insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future. Request for FREE SAMPLE Report @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/personal-accident-and-health-insurance-in-norway-key-41634#RequestSample Key Highlights - The Norwegian personal accident and health insurance segment grew at a review-period CAGR of 5.6%. - The Norwegian personal accident and health segment has experience changes such as an increase in strategic alliances in investment portfolios, and changing customer priorities in terms of distribution. - Direct marketing helps to educate potential clients about insurance products, and e-commerce enables insurers to reach younger, more technologically adept customers. - The healthcare system is robust and cost-effective, and is funded by taxes; its presence is a challenge for private health insurers. - Rises in healthcare expenses, the aging population and life expectancy are expected to support the growth of private health insurance over the forecast period. Contact Us Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Hyderabad/New Delhi: The suicide by Hyderabad University scholar Rohith Vemula snowballed into a major issue on Tuesday with BJP's rivals wading into it and demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, accusing them of being responsible for the death. As Congress mounted the demand for the sacking of the HRD and Labour Ministers, Rahul Gandhi led the multi-party charge attacking them and the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao saying "The VC and the Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Read: Union Minister, HCU VC responsible for Rohith's suicide, says Rahul Gandhi Though he did not name Irani, who had just over the week attacked Rahul in his constituency Amethi of failing youths there, the reference was obvious to her against the backdrop of ministry's action which is blamed for the suicide by Rohith Vemula, a dalit research scholar, on Sunday night. Protests escalated in Hyderabad and cities across the country including in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Student organisations including the pro-Left AISA and AAP-backed CYSS and Congress' NSUI held protests in Jantar Mantar and the HRD ministry in the capital demanding the sacking of the ministers and strong action against the VC. Read: Fresh protests in Hyderabad over Dalit scholars suicide, Rahul visits HCU Various political parties and leaders have blamed Labour Minister Dattatreya's letter of August 17 last year to Irani seeking action against the "anti national activities" of a students union and the alleged assault of an ABVP leader and a series of five communications from the HRD Ministry between Sept 3 and Nov 19 demanding follow up action for the suicide. Read: I have nothing to do with Dalit student's suicide: Bandaru Dattatreya The HRD ministry, however, on Tuesday rejected allegations that it had put any pressure on the University relating to either suspension of Rohith or keeping him out of the hostel. The communications, it maintained, was not aimed at putting pressure but was in compliance with the standard protocol adopted in accordance with the Central Secretariat Manual of Procedure whenever a "VIP Reference" is received. Ministry officials said the two-member committee of HRD officials have met people concerned in Hyderabad today and their fact-finding report is expected to be ready after their return tomorrow. Read: Police books Bandaru Dattatreya for Hyderabad scholar Rohiths suicide After the high-profile visit of Rahul to the campus, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi also went there and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not saying sorry over the incident. "It does not need even 140 characters," he said in an apparent reference to the Prime Minister's penchant for tweeting on issues. He alleged that there has been social discrimination that had led to the suicide. Gandhi flew into Hyderabad from Delhi in the morning and drove straight from the airport to the University campus where he addressed the agitating students. He alleged that the institution instead of operating fairly has used its power to "crush" the freedom of students to express. "The Vice Chancellor and the Minister in Delhi have have not acted fairly. What is the result. The result is that the youth, who came here to improve the country, to learn and to express himself was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. "Certainly he has committed suicide but conditions for his suicide were created by the Vice Chancellor, the minister and the institution," he told the students, one of whom said before his speech that they did not want any politicising of the issue. He demanded "strictest punishment" for Vice-Chancellor and the minister holding them "responsible" for the death of the research scholar. Rahul Gandhi meets family members of research scholar Rohith Vemula who committed suicide at HCU Campus, in Hyderabad. (Photo: PTI)After meeting the students, Gandhi upped the ante against Irani and Dattatreya and the Vice Chancellor, by observing in a tweet: The VC and Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Union Labour Minister Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. Dattatreya had sought action against 'anti-national acts' happening on HCU campus. The Congress Vice President said there is "no question of the Vice Chancellor remaining" on merit and criticised him severely for not even meeting the mother of the deceased. "There are certain people responsible for it. Vice Chancellor is among them. The minister is among them," Gandhi said insisting that whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in strictest terms. In a series of other tweets, Gandhi said, "Any student can come to the University- whether he belongs to any caste or religion. He should feel that I can say what I want to say. The idea of a University is that young people can come and share their thoughts." "These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus. Met students of the Ambedkar Students Association, Hyderabad University," he said in the other tweets. Earlier, accompanied by senior Telangana Congress leaders, Gandhi paid tributes to Vemula by garlanding a memorial "stupa" put up in the university. He also spent some time with family members of Vemula and consoled them. More. On its part, the BJP accused Gandhi of politicising and insisted that it had nothing to do with the victim being from the depressed community. Party general secretary P Muralidhar Rao, who hails from Telangana, accused Gandhi of "unprincipled" behaviour, saying that the same Congress which had "harassed" dalit icon B R Ambedkar "all his life" was now trying to project itself as champion of Dalit cause. Read: Rahul 'merely politicising issue', says BJP as 2-member HRD team reaches Hyderabad He alleged that Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula's suicide has been made into political issue by "Congress, section of media and some groups with vested interests". In a series of tweets, he said, "Suicide of Rohith Vemula has nothing to do with dalit issues or rights just because he was a dalit. It is merely politicising of the issue." "Disciplinary action was taken against Rohith on the advice of the court and even a lenient stand was taken by University authorities by permitting him to enter the campus except the hostel," he said. "Rahul Gandhi's hurried visit to Hyderabad is an unprincipled behaviour and it is unfortunate that a national political party stoops to such levels. A two-member Trinamool Congress delegation led by party MP and national spokesperson Derek O'Brien will also visit Hyderabad to express solidarity with the agitating students. "We have spoken to the students and they said it will be a nice gesture if you come and express solidarity with us", O'Brien here said. "I have listened to their account regrading the incident. We will reach Hyderabad this evening", he said, adding another member of the delegation is party MP Pratima Mondol. Senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan of the Samajwadi Party held the Central government responsible for the suicide and sought President Pranab Mukherji's intervention in the matter. "The student's suicide note raises suspicion...the party heading the government at the Centre and its affiliated organisations are responsible for it...these parties are anti-Dalit and anti-minorities and do not want them (students) to study and come on par with others," Khan said in a statement here. Lending his voice to the criticism of the Centre, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded that Modi sack Irani and Dattatreya and apologise to the nation over the suicide. He questioned the ministers' "interference" in the internal affairs of the institution. Read: HCU suicide: Arvind Kejriwal attacks Modi, says not suicide, its murder Terming it as a "murder" of democracy, social justice and equality, Kejriwal said the incident, which sparked massive protests across the country, has shaken the "collective conscience" of the entire nation. Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- Synopsis 'Reinsurance in Norway, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2019' report provides detailed analysis of the market trends, drivers and challenges in the Norwegian reinsurance segment. It provides values for key performance indicators such as written premium, reinsurance ceded and reinsurance accepted during the review period (20102014) and forecast period (20142019). The report also analyses information pertaining to the competitive landscape in the country, gives a comprehensive overview of the Norwegian economy and demographics, and provides detailed analysis of natural hazards and their impact on the Norwegian insurance industry. The report brings together Timetric's research, modeling and analysis expertise to enable reinsurers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and access profiles of reinsurers operating in the country. Complete report is available @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/reinsurance-in-norway-key-trends-and-opportunities-to-41635 Summary Timetric's ' Reinsurance in Norway, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2019' report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the Norwegian reinsurance segment, including: - The Norwegian reinsurance segment's growth prospects by reinsurance ceded from direct insurance - A comprehensive overview of the Norwegian economy and demographics - Detailed analysis of natural hazards and their impact on the Norwegian insurance industry - The competitive landscape in the Norwegian reinsurance segment Scope This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the reinsurance segment in Norway: - It provides historical values for the Norwegian reinsurance segment for the report's 20102014 review period, and projected figures for the 20142019 forecast period. - It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the Norwegian reinsurance segment, and market forecasts to 2019. - It provides a detailed analysis of the reinsurance ceded from various direct insurance segments in Norway, and the reinsurance segment's growth prospects. Reasons To Buy - Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Norwegian reinsurance segment, and each category within it. - Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the Norwegian reinsurance segment. - Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Norwegian insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future. Request for Sample: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/reinsurance-in-norway-key-trends-and-opportunities-to-41635#RequestSample Key Highlights - The premium accepted by the Norwegian reinsurance segment grew at a review-period CAGR of 4.9%. - The growth of Norway's reinsurance segment was fueled by the threat of climate change, natural disasters and marine accidents. - Insurance claims related to weather affected insurers' profitability during the review period. - To mitigate the risk due to increasing marine causalities insurers are expected to seek the help from reinsurers over the forecast period. Contact Us Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Bicester, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- Oxford Vitality specialists began working with Gorman in 2015 to formulate a nutritional supplement that would be most effective for children, along with mothers throughout their pregnancy. Low caloric intake is frequently cited as the primary reason for the deaths of mothers and children, but the real culprit is inadequate nutrition, a situation that's being alleviated with Oxford Vitality's contribution. "As soon as we spoke with Angela at LFAM, we knew they were the charity we wanted to help," said Sanderson. "We felt their grassroots work in this area was unparalleled." With the assistance of LFAM, the first contribution of 280,000 tablets from Oxford Vitality was delivered to Liberia to benefit mothers and children in post-Ebola Liberia. Depleted resources, loss of medical personnel, and the inability of mothers to pay for the medications they needed was a perfect match for Oxford Vitality's humanitarian efforts. Before Oxford Vitality's intervention, one of Liberia's ongoing problems was substandard and counterfeit medications arriving from Asia. Children, pregnant women and nursing mothers in Africa are now the beneficiaries of Oxford Vitality's charitable efforts with the assistance of LFAM. The charitable organization's focus is to make birth safer in Sub Saharan Africa and address maternal mortality rates. The area has the highest death risk for infants during the first month of life, with 1 out of every 9 children dying before the age of 5. The overwhelming problems for pregnant women are eclampsia and post-partum hemorrhaging. The primary key for avoiding the conditions is nutrition that can be addressed through supplements that provide vital nutrients to maintain the health of pregnant women and their unborn children. LFAM also provides midwife training with the help of UK health professional volunteers. The organization's Baby Bundle Project provides critical blankets and clothing to keep babies warm during their first days of life, an especially important factor for the many babies born with malaria. About Oxford Vitality Oxford Vitality is helping women and children in Africa obtain the vital nutrition they need with a pledge of 2 million supplement tablets. The company's social conscience and commitment to making the world a better place is helping to save lives and provide a healthy start to those most at risk with its specially developed nutritional supplements. We at Oxford Vitality are delighted with the fact that we have found a cause worth supporting and a place where our support would make a real difference. We have pledged to donate 2 million loose tablets per year to Life For African Mothers to make our contribution to their effort of overcoming the obstacle of needless loss of young lives. Media Contact: Richard Sanderson +44 (0) 1869 388050 Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- Synopsis Timetric's 'Non-Life Insurance in Peru, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2019' report provides a detailed outlook by product category for the Peruvian non-life insurance segment, and a comparison of the Peruvian insurance industry with its regional counterparts. It provides values for key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20102014) and forecast period (20142019). The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the Peruvian economy and demographics, explains the various types of natural hazard and their impact on the Peruvian insurance industry, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country. The report brings together Timetric's research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure. Complete report is available @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/non-life-insurance-in-peru-key-trends-and-opportunities-41652 Summary - The Peruvian non-life insurance segment's detailed outlook by product category - A comprehensive overview of the Peruvian economy and demographics - A comparison of the Peruvian insurance industry with its regional counterparts - Detailed analysis of natural hazards and their impact on the Peruvian insurance industry - Details of the competitive landscape in the life insurance segment in Peru - Details of regulatory policy applicable to the Peruvian insurance industry Scope This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the non-life insurance segment in Peru: - It provides historical values for the Peruvian non-life insurance segment for the report's 20102014 review period, and projected figures for the 20142019 forecast period. - It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the Peruvian non-life insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2019. - It profiles the top non-life insurance companies in Peru, and outlines the key regulations affecting them. Reasons To Buy - Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Peruvian non-life insurance segment, and each category within it. - Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the Peruvian non-life insurance segment. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the non-life insurance segment. - Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Peruvian insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future. Download Sample Report @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/non-life-insurance-in-peru-key-trends-and-opportunities-41652#RequestSample Key Highlights - Peru's non-life insurance segment posted a review-period CAGR of 11.1%. - The segment's growth was primarily driven by the property and motor insurance categories. - In the motor category, vehicle crime rates and the compulsory nature of motor third-party liability supported premium growth. - The growth of construction activities under public private partnerships (PPPs) and a strong demand for agricultural insurance products fuelled growth in the property category. - As Peru prepares for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, the high risk potential of cyber attacks creates attractive business opportunities for insurers. Contact Us Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- The report "Subsea Systems Market - Global Trends & Forecast to 2020", defines and segments the market with regional forecast and segment revenue estimates till 2020. Top market players from the industry have been studied in order to track developments, technologies, and other key business strategies that define the market environment. Browse 92 market data Tables and 70 Figures spread through 167 Pages and in-depth TOC on Subsea Systems Market - Global Trends & Forecast to 2020. http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/subsea-production-processing-systems-market-938.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. The global subsea systems market will grow from an estimated value of USD 15.9 Billion in 2015 to USD 20.5 Billion by 2020 with a CAGR of 5.25% from 2015 to 2020. This market study includes, in depth analysis for subsea systems of various subsea production technologies, subsea processing technologies. In terms of subsea production technology, the subsea systems market is segmented into SURF (Subsea Umbilicals Risers Flowlines), subsea trees, subsea control systems and subsea manifolds. The subsea processing technology is classified into subsea boosting system, subsea separation system, subsea injection system, and subsea compression system. Make an Inquiry and ask for Customized report as per requirement@ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=938 In terms of region, the market is classified into North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The regions are further segmented on the basis of major countries and in-depth analysis for countries have been provided. Europe: The largest market for subsea systems Europe was the largest estimated market for subsea systems in 2014, largely driven by the developments in countries such as Norway, U.K. and Netherlands. These developments are due to policy changes by governments to increase the production. Moreover, the offshore oil reserves in U.K., and Norway provide attractive business opportunities for major oil operators to invest which will further drive the subsea systems market. SURF: Biggest market by subsea production technology SURF (Subsea Umbilicals Risers Flowlines) are the important equipment in subsea production systems. Umbilical system is a bundled arrangement of piping, tubing and electrical conductors which are bounded in armored sheath. The main application of umbilicals are to transmit the control fluids, and used to monitor pressures & inject fluids. A drilling riser is a channel that provides temporary extension of a subsea oil well to a surface drilling facility. Subsea flowlines are the pipelines that carry hydrocarbon fluids from the wellhead to the riser. The rising focus on deep water drilling is the major driver for SURF market and moreover the oil discoveries in emerging economies especially Africa provide further positive contributions to the subsea systems market. Major Players in the subsea systems market include Aker Solutions (Norway), General Electric (U.S.), FMC Technologies (U.S.), National Oilwell Varco Inc. (U.S.), and One Subsea (U.S.). Competitive analysis of the major players has been included in the report, along with market share for the top five players in the subsea systems. Recent developments and other key strategies adopted by major players have also been analyzed to identify the most followed growth strategy in the industry. Impact analysis of various developments is also provided along with the competitive landscape. 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 1-888-600-6441 mailto:sales@marketsandmarkets.com Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- Surface mining refers to the mining technique where the overlying layer of soil and rock is removed, followed by the recovery or excavation of the underlying minerals. This method of mining provides considerably better recovery, safety, flexibility, environmental conditions and grade control as compared to other mining methods such as underground mining. The technique of surface mining gained momentum in the 16th century and has been widely prevalent at a global level, especially in North America. Factors such as lower injury rates, better recovery, flexibility and grade control serve as drivers for the global surface mining industry. However, from an environmental perspective, surface mining tends to have an extensive and more prominent impact on the surrounding environment as compared to underground mining. This is a disadvantage for the global surface mining industry. Hence, to counter this environmental impact associated with the surface mining operations, a safety zone needs to be placed around the mining area. Another disadvantage associated with the global surface mining industry is the relatively higher transport cost involved during the mining operation. For instance, the transportation cost of rock in open pit mining method accounts for about 50% of the total operating cost. Supporting regulations for surface mining such as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, 1977 in the US, and proper economic planning alongwith the establishment of safety zone near the mine surface have been introduced in recent times. These developments, the vast horizontal and low lying reserves and the surging demand of iron-ore, diamond, chromium and coal, will act as opportunistic factors for the global surface mining market. Request Free Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-61 Market segmentation of surface mining can be done on the basis of mining methods, the type of mineral deposits and regions. On the basis of mining methods, the global surface mining can be categorised into 3 groups: strip mining, terrace mining and open-pit mining. Among these, strip mining is applied where both the surface of the ground and the ore body are relatively horizontal with a minimal depth under the surface. An example of strip mining is the coal mining operation at Mpumalanga. Terrace mining is opted for where the overlying layer is relatively thicker or the ore incline is too steep. Terrace mining is a multi-step method in which the entire mine moves over the ore reserve from one end to another. This type of mining is prevalent in Germany-based lignite mines, and in some of the coal mines in the UK and South Africa. Open-pit mining refers to the traditional cone-shaped excavation with a typical vein structure, and steeply dipping and stratified ores. This mining method is primarily used for the excavation of metals such as Sishen iron-ore and Palabora copper ore. However, at some places open-pit mining can also be used for the excavation of other types of deposits such as diamond ore at Finsch. On the basis of the type of mineral deposits, surface mining can be categorised as stratified and non-stratified. Stratified surface mining can be further sub-divided into horizontal and inclined. Non-stratified is divided into vertical vein, and massive stockwork or pipe. Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-61 On the basis of region, the global surface mining market includes North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Japan, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Middle East & Africa. Among these, surface mining is mostly prevalent in North America, followed by Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Surface mining accounts for about 85% of the overall mineral exploitation in the US. The major countries using surface mining include the US, Canada, Mexico, Peru, India, China, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, Ukraine, Angola and Australia. Some of the prominent players of the global surface mining market include: Goldcorp, Teck, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Vale S A, Freeport-McMoran, Barrick Gold and others. With the adoption of safety measures, economical techniques and support from governmental legislations, the mining companies are expected to witness further positive growth, thereby contributing to a sustainable positive future for the global surface mining market. Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- Synopsis Swedish fiscal regime outlines the governing bodies, governing laws, licenses, rights and obligations, and tax-related information on seven commodities: iron ore, copper, lead, nickel, zinc gold and silver. Summary Timetric's mining fiscal regime covers Sweden, which possesses substantial iron ore deposits and other diversified natural resources, including copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver and tungsten. Visit Full Report @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/swedens-mining-fiscal-regime-h2-2015-41685 Scope The report outlines the governing bodies, governing laws, licenses, rights and obligations, and key fiscal terms which includes corporate income tax, fees, capital gains tax, withholding tax, real estate tax, depreciation, loss carry forward and value added tax. Reasons To Buy To gain an overview of the Sweden's mining fiscal regime Request for Sample: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/swedens-mining-fiscal-regime-h2-2015-41685#RequestSample Key Highlights - The Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) is an agency that deals with issues related to soil bedrock and groundwater - The Mining Inspectorate of Sweden is responsible for the administration of mineral resources in the country - The Minerals Act (1991:45) is the governing act that deals with exploration and exploitation of deposits in Sweden Contact Us Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/19/2016 -- Synopsis 'The Insurance Industry in Tanzania, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2019' report provides detailed analysis of the Tanzanian insurance industry. It provides key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20102014) and forecast period (20142019). The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the industry, gives a comprehensive overview of the Tanzanian economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country. The report brings together Timetric's research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure. Complete report is available @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/the-insurance-industry-in-tanzania-key-trends-and-41644 Summary - The Tanzanian insurance industry's growth prospects by segment and category - A comprehensive overview of Tanzanian economy and demographics - The detailed competitive landscape in the Tanzanian insurance industry - Analysis of distribution channels in the Tanzanian insurance industry - Detailed regulatory policies of the Tanzanian insurance industry - Analysis of natural hazards in Tanzanian insurance industry Scope This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the insurance industry in Tanzania: - It provides historical values for the Tanzanian insurance industry for the report's 20102014 review period, and projected figures for the 20142019 forecast period. - It offers a detailed analysis of the key segments in the Tanzanian insurance industry, along with market forecasts until 2019. - It covers an exhaustive list of parameters, including written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, combined ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions. - It analyzes the various distribution channels in Tanzania. - It profiles the top insurance companies in Tanzania and outlines the key regulations affecting them. Reasons To Buy - Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Tanzanian insurance industry and each segment and category within it. - Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the Tanzanian insurance industry. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the Tanzanian insurance industry. - Identify the growth opportunities and market dynamics in key segments. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Tanzanian insurance industry and their impact on companies and the industry's future. Request for FREE SAMPLE Report @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/the-insurance-industry-in-tanzania-key-trends-and-41644#RequestSample Key Highlights - As of 2013, there were five life insurers, 25 general insurers and one reinsurer operational. - Tanzanian insurance penetration stood at 0.65% in 2014, which is low compared to other African countries such as Kenya (3.2%), Uganda (0.85%) and Rwanda (1.0%). - The personal accident and health segment registered a review-period CAGR of 18.5%, while the non-life segment recorded a CAGR of 15.0%. - The adoption of multi distribution strategy will enhance the growth of the insurance industry over the forecast period. - Factors such as economic growth, government investments in infrastructure, and a rising population will drive the industry over the forecast period. Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Approximately 2.6 million babies were stillborn in 2015, or around 7200 every day globally. Falls in stillbirth rates since the year 2000 are failing to keep pace with falls in childhood and maternal mortality rates, say the authors of The Lancet's new Ending preventable stillbirths Series. Of the 2.6 million stillbirths (which happen during the final trimester of pregnancy, or after 28 weeks gestation), half occur intrapartum (during the birthing process). While 98% of stillbirths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, they also remain a problem for high-income countries. Series co-lead Professor Joy Lawn from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK, and colleagues found that from 2000 to 2015 [paper 2], the global average stillbirth rate fell from 247 per 1000 total births to 184 -- equivalent to an annual rate of reduction (ARR) of 20% for stillbirths. They say: "Thus, although some progress has been made, this reduction has been slower than for maternal (ARR 30%), neonatal (31%), and postneonatal mortality of children younger than 5 years (45%) over the same period." The authors also highlight that, for every country to reach the Every Newborn Action Plan stillbirth target of 12 or fewer stillbirths per 1000 total births by 2030, this global ARR will need to more than double to 4.2%. A total of 94 mainly high-income countries and upper middle-income countries have already met this target, yet most of these still have wide equity gaps between the poorest and richest families which need to be addressed. Notably 56 countries, mainly in Africa, will need to at least double their progress to meet the target. The Series also provides new findings on the preventability of stillbirths. Data from 18 countries suggests that congenital abnormalities account for a median of only 74% of stillbirths, dispelling the myth that all stillbirths are inevitable and are due to congenital conditions. Many disorders associated with stillbirths are modifiable and often coexist, such as maternal infections (malaria and syphilis account for 8.0% and 77% of stillbirths respectively), non-communicable diseases, nutrition and lifestyle factors (each about 10%), and maternal age older than 35 years (67%). Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia together contribute to 47% of stillbirths, while prolonged pregnancies contribute to 140% of stillbirths. The authors highlight a number of countries that have made impressive progress. Among high income countries (HIC), the Netherlands had the highest annual rate of reduction from 2000 to 2015 (68%), attributed to improvements in antenatal care and care at birth, a wide-scale perinatal audit, coupled with a focus on women's health before and during pregnancy. advertisement Among low and middle-income countries (LMIC), Cambodia (ARR 36%), Bangladesh (34%) and Rwanda (29%) have made faster progress in stillbirth prevention than their neighbours. Rwanda for example has doubled the number of births in health facilities and improved the quality of this care as well as that of antenatal care. Professor Joy Lawn and colleagues say: "Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest stillbirth rates and the slowest rates of progress worldwide, especially in countries with conflicts and emergencies. Thus at the present rates of progress, over 160 years will pass before the average pregnant woman in sub-Saharan Africa has the same chance of her baby being born alive as does a woman nowadays in a high-income country." Stillbirths remain a problem in high income countries (HIC) where variations in stillbirth rates across countries and large equity gaps persist. Estimates [paper 4] show an average stillbirth rate (after 28 weeks gestation) in 49 HICs of 35 per 1000 total births. Country-specific rates varied widely from 13 (Iceland) to 88 (Ukraine). The annual rate of reduction (ARR) from 2000 to 2015 varied with eight countries showing ARRs of less than 1%, and five countries with ARRs of more than 4%. Dr Vicki Flenady, Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, Australia and colleagues conclude that if all high income countries (HICs) achieved stillbirth rates equal to the best performing countries (stillbirth rate 20 or less per 1000 births), an estimated 19400 late gestation (28 weeks or more) stillbirths could have been avoided in 2015. National mortality audit data suggest substandard care contributes to 20-30% of all stillbirths in HIC. In high-income countries, a woman living under adverse socioeconomic circumstances has around twice the risk of having a stillborn child when compared to her more advantaged counterparts. Stillbirth rates for women of south Asian and African origin giving birth in Europe or Australia are two to three times higher than white women. Stillbirth in disadvantaged women can be addressed through education and alleviation of poverty, as well as improved access to health care, especially timely, culturally appropriate antenatal care. advertisement Flenady and colleagues also call for national perinatal mortality audit programmes to be implemented in all high-income countries, including a systematic approach to classifying the causes of stillbirth and research focusing on stillbirth prediction, understanding placental pathways to stillbirth and causal pathways to unexplained stillbirth. They add that interventions to increase the number of women beginning pregnancy with a normal bodyweight are crucially important to improve pregnancy outcomes and longer-term health. They also show that stigma and fatalism persists in high income countries. The International Stillbirth Alliance Survey conducted for the Series showed that around half of parents felt their community believed that "parents should not talk about their stillborn baby because it makes people feel uncomfortable." One parent said "many women told me that my son's death was likely 'nature taking care of my mistakes'." Flenady and colleagues conclude that "Stillbirths are a major public health issue in HICs and reductions in rates have not matched those for neonatal mortality. Variation and socioeconomic disparities in stillbirth rates, suboptimum uptake of interventions, low proportions of stillbirths attributed to congenital abnormality and high proportions classified as unexplained, and the contribution of substandard care factors suggest stillbirths are not inevitable, and that further reduction in HICs is possible." Dr Frederik Fren, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway, and colleagues review progress made since the previous Lancet Stillbirths Series published in 2011. They say that worldwide attention to babies who die in stillbirth is rapidly increasing, from integration within the new UN Secretary General's Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescent's Health, to country policies inspired by the Every Newborn Action Plan. Many countries specifically requested inclusion of a stillbirth target that, if achieved, would prevent over half of stillbirths worldwide. However of 67 LMIC countries with accessible plans only 15 even mention stillbirths. Authors note that "Still, in most countries, implementation of the recommended community actions and health interventions for antenatal and intrarpartum care is generally low. Hardly any development funding for implementation has been disbursed." Fren and colleagues discuss how both the plans above have helped increase the recognition and prioritisation of stillbirths. However they note that some points have still not been made strongly enough, such as the recognition that stillbirths are not just abstract numbers but are babies that die; and that prenatal health is the biological foundation of life-long health for every newborn to enable him or her to attain the maximum level of health and potential during their lifetime, and reduce the later risk of non-communicable diseases. Dr Alexander Heazell, Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester and colleagues highlight the often underappreciated implications of stillbirths on parents, families, health-care providers and societies worldwide [paper 3]. They estimate that 60-70% of grieving mothers in high income countries (HIC) reported grief-related depressive symptoms that they regarded as clinically significant 1 year after their baby's death. In about half of cases, these symptoms endured for at least 4 years after the loss. If these figures are extrapolated to the 26 million women who had a stillbirth globally each year, an estimated 42 million women are living with depressive symptoms after stillbirth. Stigma was also particularly evident in low and middle income countries (LMIC), in cultures where talking about death is taboo, and where the dead baby was not yet deemed to be a person. In these contexts, mothers' accounts suggested that they suppressed grief in public, instead choosing to deal with the emotions privately and alone. Differences in post-stillbirth care were revealed by the International Stillbirth Alliance survey (LMIC n=117, HIC n=2020), which reported that parents in LMICs were less likely than those in HICs to be offered contact with their baby (35% in LMICs vs 94% in HICs), the opportunity to see and hold their baby (42% in LMICs vs 95% HICs), make memories (35% in LMICs vs 87% in HICs), and name their baby (39% in LMICs vs 83% in HICs) after a stillbirth. The authors conclude: "On the basis of these data, the key element of what works to reduce the impact of stillbirth on bereaved parents and families can be summarised as seeing through the eyes of those affected. This includes staff who understand what different parents and families need and when they need it; communities that acknowledge grief and loss and do not stigmatise those who have had stillbirths; employers who provide effective leave arrangements; and governments that provide tangible support, such as funeral costs, and paid leave from work commitments. Stillbirth is associated with substantial direct, indirect, psychological, and social costs to women, and to their families, society, and government." In the final paper, Dr Luc de Bernis, UN Population Fund, Geneva, Switzerland, and colleagues [paper 5] say that the estimated 7200 stillbirths that occur every day are hidden in global public health and women's rights initiative despite the evidence shown in 2011. Nearly half are intrapartum stillbirths and are highly preventable with high-quality care at birth and early identification of at-risk pregnancies. Even though the promotion of women's and children's health inherently includes the prevention of stillbirths, intentional efforts are necessary to address stillbirth since progress has lagged behind. Thus the authors propose three ways to effectively and appropriately incorporate stillbirths in post-2015 initiatives for women's and children's health in order to meet the full potential of efforts. These criteria include: acknowledge the burden of stillbirths; address actions needed to prevent stillbirths with antenatal and intrapartum care; and monitor stillbirths with a target and/or outcome indicator. The paper highlights the already agreed goals, targets and indicators including the Every Newborn Action Plan, calling on every country to achieve a rate of 12 stillbirths or fewer per 1000 total births by 2030. In addition, the authors highlight a number of important milestones related to family planning, antenatal care, care during labour and birth, post-mortem respectful and supportive care and reducing stigma as well as improved monitoring and research in this area. The authors say: "As the use of the Millennium Development Goals came to an end in 2015, 2016 must be a turning point for ending preventable deaths -- stillbirths, and maternal, newborn, and child deathsOne of the most important contributions to ending preventable stillbirths will be the intentional incorporation of stillbirths into global, regional, and national policy frameworks for women's and children's health." They conclude: "Every Woman Every Child has called for prioritization of stillbirths post-2015 but stillbirth prevention and response will need to be done differently to reach the full potential of 2030 with 126 million more mothers and children alive, including 21 million stillbirths prevented." In a linked Comment, The Lancet Editor-in-chief Richard Horton, and Senior Editor Udani Samarasekera, write: "The number of stillbirths remains alarmingly high: 26 million stillbirths annually, with little reduction this past decade. But the truly horrific figure is 13 million intrapartum stillbirths. The idea of a child being alive at the beginning of labour and dying for entirely preventable reasons during the next few hours should be a health scandal of international proportions. Yet it is not. Our Series aims to make it so." Find more information at: https://thebestscienceforbetterlives.com/stillbirth/ Using molecular genetic tools, scientists have demonstrated the existence of a grandchildren's generation of capercaillies in the south of Brandenburg in East Germany. A pilot conservation project reintroduced these endangered birds to the German nature reserves "Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft" and "Niederlausitzer Landrucken" as recently as 2012. The founder population was wild caught in Sweden and then transferred to Brandenburg. "I am really happy about this success which exceeds the highest expectations even of the project initiators. This success is based on a longstanding collaboration between the Forest Administration of our state, the two nature reserves, the Federal Forest Management Lausitz, the Leibniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and local private forest owners. The aim of this collaboration over the long-term is to significantly improve the habitat in the large forests of the Western Niederlausitz," says Jorg Vogelsanger, Brandenburg's Minister of Rural Development, Environment and Agriculture. Experts discovered the unexpected existence of a grandchildren's generation when examining feathers collected from sand baths of the capercaillies. Geneticists from the IZW in Berlin not only documented the 60 Swedish capercaillies introduced into Brandenburg during the original release in 2012 and 2013. They could also show that the population already contained descendants of the first and second generations. Therefore these young animals are the very first real "Brandenburg" carpercaillies. The original, native Brandenburg population had died out in 1990. Increased sightings of carpercaillies beyond the boundaries of the pilot conservation project area confirm that these impressive birds are established well and start spreading within Brandenburg. The carpercaillie pilot project ran from 2012 to 2014. It evaluated the chances of success for reintroducing carpercaillies in its former habitat in the Niederlausitz and was scientifically monitored. The high survival rates of the Swedish wild caught birds is substantially above those from other comparable projects which used animals bred and kept in aviaries or cages. Despite this first evidence of successful reproduction of carpercaillies in Germany, the question is whether the current number of animals is sufficient to establish a viable population in the long run. The current population of 30 to 40 animals and their descendants does send out an optimistic message to all involved experts and the local communities which assisted in the reintroduction. This founder population represents a first big step towards a successful reintroduction of a highly endangered bird species in Germany. For the experts, the establishment of a self-sustaining population of at least 100 animals is the medium-term goal. For that reason, the Swedish Ministry of Environment will provide more carpercaillies to Germanys' state of Brandenburg in the next few years. One may think that the extreme north of Europe is low in insect life, except for the notorious blood-sucking flies. However, while it is a generally accepted truth that both plant and animal species' count is higher the closer one gets to the Equator, some insects display anomalous diversity gradient. Such is the case for European fungus gnats, for example, a highly diverse group of true flies. No less than about 1000 species are known to occur in the Scandinavian Peninsula, representing about 83% of the continent's total. Furthermore, undescribed fly species are continuously being discovered from North Europe. In a recent paper published in Biodiversity Data Journal, four new species are described. These species have been collected from mires and old-growth forests of Finnish Lapland between 2012 and 2014. One of the species has a wider range, known from Sweden, Norway and Canada. 'I must admit that it was a pleasure to give names to these species' says Dr. Jukka Salmela, conservation biologist at Parks & Wildlife Finland (Metsahallitus). 'These four species are really interesting, because they are rather distant to other known members of the genus Boletina. I am also confident that these species are very rare and may be dependent on old-growth forests or small water bodies such as springs and wetlands.' The names of the new species all reflect northern nature in one way or another. Boletina valteri is named after Professor Valter Keltikangas, a forest researcher who made very demanding and physically tough field excursions to Finnish Lapland in the 1920's and the '30's. Boletina kullervoi derives from Kalevala, a Finnish national epic. It tells the story of an orphan, called Kullervo, who eventually kills his foster father and commits suicide. The violent story of Kullervo has also inspired composer Jean Sibelius for his first symphony, "Kullervo." Boletina hyperborea is self-explanatory, meaning far north. The species occurs in Yukon and in northern Scandinavia. Similarly, Boletina nuortti is named after the River Nuortti. In north Sami language nuorti means east. The gorgeous and wild River Nuortti flows from Finland to Russia. No less than 100 Fennoscandian (Scandinavian) fungus gnat species await their formal description. 'The boreal and Arctic nature still holds many secrets. Entomologists with simple gear such as sweep nets, Malaise traps and microscopes can still make notable discoveries even in rather well-studied regions such as Finland and Sweden. Samples collected from northern mires and boreal forests are never boring if one studies neglected groups such as small flies,' says Jukka Salmela. "These four newly described taxa just represent a small fraction of the numerous undescribed northern fly species, so they are like a tip of an iceberg." Students have been protesting in major cities across India over the suicide of Hyderabad research scholar Rohith Vemula (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Expressing "solidarity" with students protesting over alleged suicide by a dalit scholar in Hyderabad, the students of FTII today sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institute's gate here. "We are in solidarity with students protesting the death of Rohith Vemula, and as many as eight students from the Film & Television Institute of India have sat on hunger strike for a day," FTII Students' Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu said. The hunger strike started with eight students and slowly other students too are joining the protest, he said. Another students' body representative Yashaswi Mishra said, "We feel that the unfortunate incidents like death of Rohith Vemula is an institutional murder. The very ideology that led to this devastating tragedy has to be fought across. We stand together with the students' community fighting for quality of education, beyond caste, class and biases." "We condemn the government's attempts to suppress and crush voices of disagreement, and at this hour of crisis stand together with the larger student fraternity," he added. Notably, the FTII students had last year held a 139-day-long strike to protest the appointment of TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as the institute's chairman. The Hyderabad University campus yesterday witnessed widespread protests after dalit student Rohith Vemula's body was found hanging in a hostel room on Sunday. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". Rohith Vemula was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. It took Jackie Goordial over 1000 Petri dishes before she was ready to accept what she was seeing. Or not seeing. Goordial, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University has spent the past four years looking for signs of active microbial life in permafrost soil taken from one of the coldest, oldest and driest places on Earth: in University Valley, located in the high elevation McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, where extremely cold and dry conditions have persisted for over 150,000 years. The reason that scientists are looking for life in this area is that it is thought to be the place on Earth that most closely resembles the permafrost found in the northern polar region of Mars at the Phoenix landing site. "I've been trying to cheer her up by telling her that not finding life is important too," says Lyle Whyte, Goordial's supervisor. "Going into the study, we were sure that we would detect a functioning and viable microbial ecosystem in the permafrost soils of University Valley as we and others have done in Arctic and Antarctic permafrost, including in other sites at lower elevations in Antarctica. It is hard for both of us to believe that we may have reached a cold and arid threshold where even microbial life cannot actively exist." Drilling for microbes in Antarctica What brought the researchers to University Valley was a NASA ASTEP (astrobiology science and technology for exploring planets) project to test the IceBite auger, a permafrost drill designed to drill into Martian permafrost. The average daily air temperature in the Antarctic summer of 2013, when Goordial collected the permafrost samples which she tested both on the spot and later in the lab, was ? 14 C and it never rose above 0 C, making the permafrost difficult to drill. The McGill team analyzed samples from two permafrost boreholes which reached a depth of just 42 cm and 55 cms below the surface. This may not sound like a lot, but drilling into permafrost to get soil samples for testing is very difficult. "Anytime you drill into frozen ground and it has some ice in it the drilling process creates friction which melts the ice. The hole will refreeze within seconds if the drilling is interrupted, freezing the drill bit into the hole" says Whyte." I remember drilling in the Arctic and losing a drill bit in one of the holes we had made, just because it froze into the ice before we could get it out." "Previous studies in the lower dry valleys of Antarctica and in subglacial lakes were giving us the impression that microbial life was rich in the cold regions. But this is finally Mars!" says Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research Centre. "University Valley has the coldest driest soil we can find on Earth. And life is really having a hard time of it there. This is certainly the training ground for the search for evidence of life on Mars and an extremely important result for NASA's astrobiology effort." advertisement All the tests came out negative The research team carried out a variety of tests, both in the field (where they failed to find evidence of carbon dioxide or methane -- a gas used by all living things -- in the soil) and then back in the lab at McGill in Montreal. They sent soil samples for DNA testing, looking for matches with particular genes known to be found in microbes and fungi; they tried to stimulate microbial growth on a wide variety of substances and then count the cells produced; and they used highly sensitive radiorespiration activity assays, which involve feeding the soil microorganisms a food source which has been labelled with radioactive carbon, which can then be used to detect if the microorganisms are active. The tests failed to show any signs of active life. "We couldn't detect any microbial activity within these samples," says Whyte. "Any, very limited traces we were able to find of microbial life in these samples are most likely the remnants of microbes that are dormant or are slowly dying off. Given the continuous dryness and subfreezing temperatures, and the lack of available water, even in summer, it is unlikely that any microbial communities can grow in these soils." Goordial adds, "We don't know if there is activity beyond our limits of detection. All we can say for sure is that after using all the current methods of testing available to us, the samples are unlike any other permafrost we have encountered to date on Earth" Implications for the search for life on Mars "If conditions are too cold and dry to support active microbial life on an analogous climate on Earth, then the colder dryer conditions in the near surface permafrost on Mars are unlikely to contain life." Says Whyte. "Additionally, if we cannot detect activity on Earth, in an environment which is teeming with microorganisms, it will be extremely unlikely and difficult to detect such activity on Mars." On a positive note however, the researchers add that this suggests that any microorganisms that may be transported to Mars from Earth by mistake are unlikely to be able to survive on the Martian surface, something that is of current concern for planetary protection. WhatsApp chat messaging service will be cancelling its subscription fee and will explore other ways to regain its lost revenue instead, according to its Chief Executive Jan Koum on Monday. The waiving of fees will take effect over the next few weeks. WhatsApp usually charge its users an annual fee of $1 after their first year. But during the Digital Life Design conference in Munich, Germany, its co-founder announced that the company decided to remove the fee because it is impractical. Moreover, instead of flooding the app with annoying promotions, spam chats and third-party ads, the company promises it will seek other ways to connect with customers through the app. In a statement posted on WhatsApp blog, it stated that it found that the system is not convenient for everyone, noting that a number of its users do not have debit or credit cards to pay for the fee. It will also keep subscribers from worrying that they might get disconnected with their friends and family after the first year. Furthermore, the company stated that beginning this year, they will start testing tools to allow WhatsApp to communicate with organizations and businesses. For instance, contacting a user's respective bank for some possible fraudulent transactions or getting in touch with the airline for flight status. So far, WhatsApp is reportedly coming to terms with 10 to 30 companies, and possible establishments that will join the app include Bank of America and American Airlines. The company believes that putting together these commercial services or the so-called commercial-participation model will make WhatsApp the one-stop communication spot for its 900 million users. Meanwhile, Koum claimed that these new platforms still needs to undergo testing before being fully implemented. After it has been acquired by Facebook, the company said that they are now focused on improving and enhancing the product rather than making sure it profits. Instead of worrying about revenues, its aim is now focused on ensuring that the app remains useful to people. The militant group Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS) has reportedly devised an encrypted Android messaging app dubbed as Alrawi. The app allegedly allows communication among its members without being caught or interrupted by security agencies and the government. Unlike conventional apps that can directly be downloaded in Google Play Store or Apple's AppStore, the app Alwari entails an ISIS supporter to download the apk code and sideload it on a device. The alleged ISIS application was first uncovered by a counterterrorism group known as Ghost Security Group, which also detected the Amaq Agency app used by the militant group to spread its news and recruit members. In a blog posted by Defense One, a representative from Ghost Security revealed that Alwari's main intention is for propaganda distribution. Utilizing the app gives members up-to-date news and videos. ISIS is also reportedly circulating booklets that contain every member's things to do and not to do as well as a cheat sheet of tools that allows them to safely communicate with fellow members. Although its security measures are not as advanced like What's App and Telegram, Alwari can still allegedly protect texts from being interrupted. And because it is not backed by a company, government policy and sanctions cannot be applied. ISIS' presence to a wide variety of media gives FBI and other government agencies a hard time to track them. Last year, social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter had to take down thousands of accounts associated with ISIS. Meanwhile, a hacktivist group called Anonymous has declared war against the militant group, promising it will hunt the jihadists online. After the recent attacks in Jakarta, ISIS claimed responsibility over the tragedy through Telegram, an encrypted messaging app. This caused the networking site to put down over 150 ISIS-related accounts in the aftermath of the Paris attacks last year. However, this also brings encrypted messaging app services into the limelight, debating which weighs more privacy or security. It's been previously thought that food preservatives in general can harm one's body over time. But in a recent study, researchers discovered that one natural occurring food preservative might be used to fight cancer. You can read a list of common natural preservatives here. A team of researchers from the University of Michigan has conducted a study, now published in a journal called Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, by using lab rats as study subjects. With the use of Nisin, a naturally occurring food preservative common among dairy products, the researchers studied the content to prove that it treats the cancer cells present in the rodent's bodies. By feeding the rats highly purified nisin with a dosage of 800 mg/kg a day for 9 weeks straight, the scientists were able to observe that 70 to 80 percent of the head and neck tumors in their bodies were gone. Nisin was also able to extend their survival. This dosage is extraordinary considering that the usual amount found in foods that has Nisin in it has only around .25 to 37.5 mg/kg. Nisin, which is a bacteriocin, acts like a terminator of other bacteria that can harm once the person eats a food. This particular bacterium is also responsible for turning milk into cheese, yogurt and other dairy products. Due to its effective preservative for dairy products, meat manufacturers have added it to their goods as a healthier option than using artificial ones. The team of researchers also discovered that Nisin might be used to fight off other deadly bacteria that are immune to antibiotic. One of these bacteria that were of no use compared to the power of nisin is ethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. Nisin is very dangerous for these sorts of bacteria as it quickly attacks the static area, making a room for it to act as quickly as possible before the virus produces a self defense mechanism. A new app named QUiPP may help doctors better guess which women are at risk of giving birth prematurely. Researchers at King's College London tested the app in two studies on high-risk women who were monitored at ante-natal clinics. In both studies, the app worked well as a predictive tool and was far better than other components--including previous pregnancy, cervical length or fetal fibronectin. The app developed by the researchers uses an algorithm that combines the gestation of previous pregnancies and the length of the cervix with levels of fetal fibronectin to classify a woman's risk. "Despite advances in prenatal care the rate of preterm birth has never been higher in recent years, including in the US and UK, so doctors need reliable ways of predicting whether a woman is at risk of giving birth early. It can be difficult to accurately assess a woman's risk, given that many women who show symptoms of preterm labour do not go on to deliver early," said Professor Andrew Shennan, lead author who is Professor of Obstetrics at King's College London and consultant obstetrician at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, in a news release. "The more accurately we can predict her risk, the better we can manage a woman's pregnancy to ensure the safest possible birth for her and her baby, only intervening when necessary to admit these 'higher risk' women to hospital, prescribe steroids or offer other treatments to try to prevent an early birth." In the first study, researchers collected data from 1,249 women at high risk for pre-term birth attending pre-term surveillance clinics. The model was developed on the first 624 consecutive women and validated on the subsequent 625. The estimated probability of delivery before 30, 34 or 37 weeks' gestation and within two or four weeks of testing for fetal fibronectin was calculated for each patient and analyzed as a predictive test for the actual occurrence of each event. In the second study, data from 382 high-risk women was collected and the model was developed for the first 190 women and validated on the remaining 192. Probabilities of delivery early were indicated as previously mentioned. Future studies will be necessary in order to clinically evaluate the model in practice and determine if interventions improve pregnancy outcomes for women identified as high risk by the app. Both studies are published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Related Articles Pregnancy: Abdominal Fat In First Trimester Predicts Gestational Diabetes Risk For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). FLORENCE, S.C. Florence County Sheriffs deputies arrested and charged a Florence man for first degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor on Monday, Jan. 18. According to an affidavit from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Norman Bob Singletary Jr., 46, of 1507 Pensacola Court in Florence committed sexual battery on a juvenile victim. According the affidavit, the incident occurred in 2011. The minor was between 8 and 9 years old at the time the incident occurred. Maj. Michael Nunn from the Florence County Sheriffs Office said SLED obtained the arrest warrant and is prosecuting the case. Singletarys bond was set for $30,000. Bengaluru: Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Monday the NDA government would act on the Ram temple issue on the basis of the Supreme Court verdict and not on pro-Ram Mandir rhetoric of saffron leaders. The Lok Janshakti Party leader said there was no question of relations between his party and BJP souring over the issue as the government would act on basis of the apex court verdict. Also, Prime Ministers politics revolves around development, not around controversial issues such as Ram Mandir and Babri Masjid, Paswan said here. His only aim is that there should be development in the country ...how to solve the unrest among the youth, and strengthen the image of India, internationally, which no other Prime Minister could do as better as Modi, he said. Paswan also said that Congress was misusing the strength of numbers in the Rajya Sabha to stall the GST Bill. Guwahati: Kicking off the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) campaign in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that if the second Green Revolution happens in India, it will begin from this state only. Addressing a youth rally in Guwahati, Prime Minister Modi said that Centre's 'Act East policy is for the development of the entire northeast region. "We have to double the income of farmers from what it is now. The Second Green Revolution should start from the east and if that happens, it will begin from Assam," he said. The Prime Minister added that the state needs to scale new heights of development, adding that speedy development was the need of the hour. "Foreign investment that is coming into country will be used for infrastructure development and jobs here. Today the World Bank, Indian Monetary Fund or any other or any rating agency in one voice they say that India is among the top leading economies of the world," he said. He also said that if the northeast had developed the way the other parts of the nation have, then the youth from this region would not have to leave their families. Modi also stressed that his government at the Centre emphasized on the agenda of development. "Youth of our nation want employment and that is why my government emphasizes on development," he added. The Prime Minister is presently in Assam on a two-day visit to the northeast region. The elections in Assam, presently ruled by the Congress, will take place in May. Hyderabad: Alleging that the conditions for dalit scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide was created by Vice Chancellor, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the institution, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the university has used its power to crush the Dalit students. Vice Chancellor has not had the decency to meet Rohith's mother...it's an insult to the institution and country and every student , Gandhi said, and added that the Minister in Delhi has not acted fairly. Read: Police books Bandaru Dattatreya for Hyderabad scholar Rohiths suicide Rohith came here to improve this country, to learn and express himself. He was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself, Gandhi added. Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday interacted with the protesting students of the University of Hyderabad, where a Dalit scholar committed suicide. The body of the dalit research scholar was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room, which sparked massive protests. In a letter to HRD minister Smriti Irani, Dattatreya had sought action against the anti-national acts happening on the University of Hyderabad campus. The students alleged that Dattatreya had influenced the HRD ministry and pressurised professor Appa Rao Podile to take action against Dalit students. Assuring that the he was with the students of the university, Gandhi added, My door is always open for Rohith's family and all other students protesting here, I shall help you in every way possible. I do not come here as a politician but as a young person. I want to make sure that everyone can proudly speak his mind. Protests escalated on Tuesday over Rohith's death with activists of a local outfit demonstrating outside the residence of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been accused in the case, demanding his immediate resignation. Read: Fresh protests in Hyderabad over Dalit scholars suicide, Rahul visits HCU Rahul Gandhi visited the University of Hyderabad and interacted with students over the issue even as several students in campuses outside the state came out of classes in solidarity with their counterparts here. The activists of TJYF (Telengana Jagruti Youth Front), a cultural outfit headed by TRS MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha, raised slogans outside the house of Dattatreya at Ram Nagar here and blamed him for the death of Rohith Vemula, who was found hanging in his hostel room on Sunday, triggering angry reactions. Read: I have nothing to do with Dalit student's suicide: Bandaru Dattatreya Holding placards, the protestors demanded that the minister should resign immediately. "Thirty seven of the protesters were taken into preventive custody when they held a dharna near the Union Minister's house," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) V B Kamalasan Reddy said. Read: HCU suicide: Arvind Kejriwal attacks Modi, says not suicide, its murder They were later let off. On the university campus, scores of students, who intensified their protests, demanded that Dattatreya, BJP MLC Ramchander Rao, university's Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders, against whom cases were registered for abetting suicide of Rohith, be jailed. Raising slogans like "We want justice", they held Dattatreya and others responsible for Rohith's death and took out a rally on the campus. Dattatreya had sought action against 'anti-national acts' happening on HCU campus. Read: HCU suicide: Digvijay Singh asks student wings to unite Resignation of the Vice Chancellor, immediate revocation of suspension of the four students by the university, employment to a member of Rohith's family, an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh were among the other demands made by the agitators. Read: HCU suicide: Asaduddin Owaisi demands strong action against vice chancellor Rohith was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. A two-member Trinamool Congress delegation led by party MP and national spokesperson Derek O'Brien is going to Hyderabad this evening to express solidarity with the students protesting against the alleged suicide. Earlier, speaking to reporters on the University campus, Congress MP V Hanumantha Rao alleged that university Vice Chancellor Appa Rao was responsible for the suicide of the student, and demanded his suspension. He further alleged that a "social boycott" was imposed on the students (who were suspended earlier), including the dalit research scholar who allegedly committed suicide. Read: Ambedkar ideas inspired Rohith Vemula A group of students was also trying to install a memorial for the deceased student, Rohit, on the campus. "We are going to keep the university shut till all our demands are met," a girl student said and alleged the whole development betrayed the "casteist mentality" prevailing in the higher echelons of the society. Another student said, "No assault took place against any ABVP leader, including Sushil Kumar. There is a political agenda. Why he (Dattatreya) is interested in writing letters against our students to the HRD." Meanwhile, in Pune, the students of FTII sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institute's gate here, expressing "solidarity" with students protesting over the alleged suicide. Read: BJP lashes out at Rahul Gandhi over dalit student suicide issue The hunger strike started with eight students and slowly other students too are joining the protest, FTII Students' Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu said. Another students' body representative Yashaswi Mishra said, "We feel that the unfortunate incidents like death of Rohit Vemula is an institutional murder. The very ideology that led to this devastating tragedy has to be fought across. We stand together with the students' community fighting for quality of education, beyond caste, class and biases." "We condemn the government's attempts to suppress and crush voices of disagreement, and at this hour of crisis stand together with the larger student fraternity," he added. In Mumbai, several students held a protest outside the office of Mumbai University in Kalina area to condemn the dalit student's death. Students wing of NCP also held protests at various places in Maharashtra. RPI leader Ramdas Athawale would be visiting the student's family in Hyderabad tomorrow. Read: HCU suicide: Congress demands sacking of Smriti Irani, Bandaru Dattatreya Dattatreya, Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the government would continue to put in efforts to realise the dreams of TD founder and former chief minister late N.T. Rama Rao. Addressing a gathering at a programme held to mark NTRs death anniversary and launching a blood donation camp here on Monday, Mr Chandrababu hailed the former CM for striving to protect the interests of of the poor. He said the TD would continue his legacy and complete the first phase of Polavaram project by 2018. Nearly 10 lakh jobs would be provided in the near future, he said and added that various business houses have accepted to invest nearly Rs 6 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh. Besides, the government has plans to link all the rivers in the state, he said, adding that the farming community would benefit a lot from Krishna-Godavari linkage. NTR made a vision to provide water to Rayalaseema and Chennai city as well. The TD governments aim is to make the state as drought proof, he added. TD leaders paid floral tributes to NTR. Gurgaon: Two men, suspected to have links with terror group al-Qaeda have been arrested from Haryana's Mewat district in a joint operation by Delhi Police and Intelligence Bureau, Mewat Police on Tuesday said. The suspected terrorists have been identified as Mohamad Qasim and Abdul Sami, residents of Jamshedpur district in Jharkhand, the latter believed to be a key operative of the banned terror outfit, who allegedly received arms training in Pakistan. Qasim and Sami had reached Punhana sub-town in Muslim- dominated Mewat district two days ago and were residing in a mosque situated on Punhana Hodal Road, Punhan Police said. Following a tip-off yesterday night, a team of Delhi Police and Intelligence Bureau reached the place and some youth were rounded up for questioning, a local senior police official said. "During interrogation, the sleuths found Qasim and Sami hesitant while revealing their identities and their objective of visiting Punhana, after which the were arrested", DSP Punhana Ratandeep Bali said. A senior official of Delhi Police, however, clearly stated that "only one person has been arrested by them." "Besides Sami, no other person has been arrested or detained by the Delhi Police," Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep, said. "Sami was arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell from Nuh town in Mewat yesterday. He was brought here and produced before a court which remanded him in police custody till February 1," Deep said. Sami was allegedly mentored by Abdul Rahman, a madrassa cleric who was arrested from Jagatpur area of Cuttack in Odisha, in December by a Special Cell team, a senior Delhi Police official said. Rahman's arrest was the second in the ongoing operation. So far the police have identified three persons whom Rahman had inducted in al Qaeda's module in the Indian sub-continent (AQIS) and sent for training. While Sami has been arrested, the other two identified as Abu Sufian and Umar Hyderabadi -- are still believed to be in Pakistan, the official added. He further said, Sami left for Dubai in January 2014, he stayed there for a month before moving to Karachi. From there, he went to Mansehra, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, where he received training in handling AK 47 and light machine guns. Sami's movements were being coordinated by a handler, identified as Yusuf, from Pakistan. During interrogation, it had earlier emerged that Yusuf was also in touch with Mohammed Asif, who is believed to be one of the founding members and the head (amir) of AQIS's motivation, recruitment and training wing and Abdul Rahman, the official said. Asif's was the first arrest in the operation. He was nabbed from Seelampur in northeast Delhi, followed by the arrests of Rahman and alleged financier of the module, Zafar Masood, arrested from mohalla Deepa Sarai in UP's Sambhal district in December 2015. On January 6, the Delhi Police (Special Cell) had arrested Maulana Anzar Shah, a cleric from Bangalore, for alleged links with AQIS. He was allegedly asked provide logistical support whenever the need arose, police said. They were all booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It was in January 2015 that Sami, who was a trained electrician, returned to India via Sharjah and Kathmandu. He then went to his home at Jamshedpur, but soon left without any disclosure of his whereabouts. However, the police have not yet been able to trace any money trail with regard to Sami, said an official in Special Cell of Delhi Police, adding that two more youths from Jamshedpur are also under their scanner and they are believed to be close to Sami. "Sami is suspected to have arrived in India with some plans. It is also possible that he is involved in the planning of some high-profile attacks in the country. For details on all that, he is to be subjected to intensive interrogation," the official said. AQIS was floated by al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahari himself in September 2014 following a meeting somewhere in Afghanistan-Pakistan region which reportedly had in its quorum the entire Grand Council (Arabian Shura) of al-Qaeda, including al-Zawahiri's son-in-law. Despite several Indians being present at the training camp, Maulana Asim Umar alias Sanaul Haq and Mohammed Asif are believed to be the only Indians present in the council, Delhi Police said. After Umar was anointed the chief, it is believed that some unexpected visitors met him, including Indian Mujahideen chief Riyaz Bhatkal, who is still at large, and other senior IM commanders like Baba Sajid, who was recently reported to have been killed in Syria, police said. Asif was Umar's chosen candidate and, with the help of his deputy Qasim, Umar had contacted Asif through a social networking site, a year before he left for Tehran on a 'ziyarat' visa, exclusively meant for visiting a holy shrine in Tehran. Press Release January 19, 2016 Sen. Bam: SK Reform Act sparks hope for an anti-political dynasty law The country now has its first law with an anti-political dynasty provision with President Aquino's signing of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Act, according to Sen. Bam Aquino. "The passing of the SK Reform Act reflects our vote of confidence in the Filipino youth's ability to lead and participate in our country's development," said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Youth. Last Jan. 15, the Chief Executive has signed into law Republic Act No. 10742 or the SK Reform Act, which was co-authored and co-sponsored by Sen. Bam. "This has the potential to effect genuine change in our electoral system when it comes to youth representation. In fact, it is the first of our laws with an anti-political dynasty provision," added Sen. Bam. Under the new law, relatives of elected or appointed officials up to the 2nd civil degree of consanguinity or affinity are prohibited from seeking SK posts. Aside from its anti-dynasty provision, the new law adjusts age limit of SK officials from 15-17 to 18-24 years old, making them legally capable of entering into contracts and be held accountable and liable for their actions. Sangguniang Kabataan officials will now be required to undergo leadership training programs to expose them to the best practices in governance and guide their development as leaders. The new law also mandates the creation of the Local Youth Development Council (LYDC), a council that will support the SK and ensure the participation of more youth through youth organizations. The LYDC will be composed of representatives from the different youth organizations in the community - student councils, church and youth faith groups, youth-serving organizations, and community-based youth groups. "The LYDC aims to harmonize, broaden and strengthen all programs and initiatives of the local government and non-governmental organizations for the youth sector," said Sen. Bam, former chair of the National Youth Commission and youngest senator of the 16th Congress. With the enactment of the SK Reform Act into law, Sen. Bam expects a future with a larger, more diverse, and more capable set of public servants in the Sangguniang Kabataan. Press Release January 19, 2016 CHIZ SLAMS SSS FOR USING SCARE TACTIC TO STOP PENSION HIKE Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero slammed the Social Security System (SSS) for using the "threat of bankruptcy" to prevent the Congress-ratified P2,000 across-the-board increase in the monthly pension of its members from being enacted into law. Escudero said such position by the private sector pension fund, which became the basis for President Aquino to veto the SSS pension hike bill, was merely an excuse for the "inefficiencies" within the agency, as he insisted that the increase was "doable and financially viable." "Ang panakot o scare tactic ng SSS ay mababangkarote raw ang ahensya at mauubos daw ang pondo nila kapag tinaasan ang pensyon ng mga retirado. Sa tingin ko ay palusot lamang ito. Kung gusto may paraan, kung ayaw maraming dahilan," Escudero said. The veteran lawmaker said it would not be difficult for the SSS to fund a pension increase if major institutional reforms have been put in place to make the pension fund sustainable and viable over the long term. Escudero, the frontrunner in the vice-presidential race, noted that the failure of past and present SSS officials to establish an efficient collection system for contributions from employers who failed to remit employees' share. He said the SSS may also consider alternative ways of generating revenue like condoning penalties on overdue loan obligations by members, instead of focusing on giving fat bonuses to its executives. "All it takes is for the SSS to be more innovative and focused on fixing the inefficiencies that impede them from giving retirees in the private sector the much-needed increase in their monthly pension," Escudero pointed out. At the 2009 Senate proceedings for the approval of the SSS Condonation Law, it was discovered that SSS had failed to collect a total of P94 billion from employers. At the end of the condonation period, only 24,043 employers availed themselves of the program by remitting P3.545 billion. In an SSS report dated Jan. 12, 2013, there were 174,985 delinquent employers with total liabilities of P8.515 billion as of Dec. 31, 2010. The number did not include the 131,907 intermittently paying and delinquent employers with total liabilities of P8.005 billion. SSS failed to collect P13 billion from delinquent employers as of 2014 while its aging member loans amounted to P64.01 billion, of which P19.407 billion represents outstanding loans of more than five years. Despite this, the SSS is notorious for giving hefty bonuses to its top executives. In October 2013, the SSS came under fire after eight members of its board got a performance bonus of about P1 million each for the state-run firm's performance for 2012. SSS employees were also given bonuses worth P276 million in 2012. Reports about the bonus bonanza came out the same month the SSS announced an increase in the monthly members' contribution from 10.4 percent to 11 percent effective Jan. 1, 2014. According to the SSS, the P2,000 across-the-board increase for 1.9 million pensioners every month would shorten the life of the pension fund from its previous projection of 27 years or until 2042 to 13 years or until 2029. Escudero said the bankruptcy threat is baseless because the government, under Republic Act No. 8282 or the Social Security Act of 1997, has the obligation to allocate funds should the SSS suffer from insufficient funding brought about by pension increase. "The solvency of SSS is guaranteed by the government. This means it may infuse funds to the SSS to strengthen its fund life, as well as its capacity to provide services to its members," he pointed out. Escudero earlier rallied his colleagues in Congress to override the President's veto of the SSS pension hike bill that would have benefited close to two million pensioners. "There is no better time than now to have the SSS pension hike bill enacted into law, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate and members of the House of Representatives to do the right thing and vote to override the President's ill-advised veto of this bill," he added. Under Article VI, Section 27 of the 1987 Constitution, Congress can override a presidential veto by passing the bill with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Press Release January 19, 2016 Marcos welcomes passage of bill increasing tax exemption for OFW balikbayan boxes Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. today welcomed the passage in the Senate of a bill that, among others, increases the tax exemption for balikbayan boxes of Overseas Filipino Workers as he expressed hope that the bicameral conference committee will meet soon to speed up the process of the bill's signing into law. On Monday the Senate approved on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 2968 that would not only modernize the Bureau of Customs but also raise the tax-exempt value of balikbayan boxes from P10,000 to P150,000. "Finally we have given back our OFWs a concrete manifestation that we recognize them as modern day heroes for their sacrifices and significant contributions to our economy, instead of merely paying them lip-service," said Marcos. It could be recalled that Marcos opposed the random inspection policy implemented last year by the Bureau of Customs, which included opening of balikbayan boxes of OFW's suspected of containing smuggled goods. As a result of the Senate probe of the controversial BOC policy Marcos filed Senate Bill 3033, or the "Duty Free/Pasalubong Act of 2015", which sought exemption from custom duties the reasonable importation of OFWs as "pasalubong" or "padala" to their families. Marcos said that while the measure approved by the Senate did not actually incorporate his proposal it gave similar benefits for OFWs that his bill sought to achieve. With the counterpart measure approved by the House of Representatives earlier, Marcos finds no reason to hamper the bill's enactment into law. "If the bicameral conference committee can work fast to harmonize the House and the Senate version our OFWs will enjoy the benefits of this law very soon. I just hope the President won't veto the tax exemption for balikbayan boxes as he did with the increase in SSS (Social Security System) pension," said Marcos. Press Release January 19, 2016 Senate commends UN Special Representative The Senate today adopted a resolution commending Margareta Wahlstrom, special representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, for her role in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in international development frameworks and supporting the key disaster risk management programs in the country. Senate Resolution No. 1700 was introduced by Senator Loren Legarda. According to the resolution, Wahlstrom was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as his Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) in November 2008. In her capacity as head of the UNISDR, she served as the focal point in the UN system for the coordination of disaster risk reduction efforts and providing institutional support for a 10 year plan called the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, which aimed to build resilience of communities against natural hazards, and its successor, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which sets priorities for action and clear actionable targets for reducing disaster risk and losses. "During her period of leadership in the UNISDR, more than 170 Philippine provinces, cities and municipalities became engaged in the 'Making Cities Resilient Campaign', which paved the way for the municipality of San Francisco in Camotes Island, Cebu, to be recognized as a leader in disaster risk reduction through the 2011 UNISDR Sasakawa Award, and making known worldwide the exceptional work by local governments such as the promotion of 'zero casualty' in Albay province and the swift and resilient shift to recovery of Cebu province after Typhoon Haiyan," the resolution also said. The resolution also commended Wahlstrom for her advocacy on safe schools and hospitals, which engaged the Department of Education and local government units on school safety assessment, disaster risk reduction in education and preparedness in schools. "Her engagement with the private sector resulted in the launch in the Philippines of the Risk Sensitive Societies (ARISE), which now has more than 20 companies as members sharing best practices on improving business continuity planning and disaster risk education for the private sector," the resolution also said. "She has systematically engaged with communities at risk with particular focus given to a different group each year since 2008, starting with the youth, women, persons with disabilities, the elderly and indigenous people, resulting in a stronger voice for these groups from the Philippines in various global for a and policy making processes," the resolution added. Ken Light was late to the 60s and even late for Woodstock, arriving just in time for the mud. When Jimi Hendrix closed out the festival, the 19-year-old Light did not have a camera because he did not know until that moment that he was a photographer. But he went home to New York, bought a Pentax and did not put it down for five years. He had a thin credential from a college paper in Ohio, and he had his thumb out for rides, and his own gas mask. With these tools he covered America, from Appalachia to Oakland. The resulting black-and-white images form the monograph and exhibition Whats Going On?, and the answer is that there was probably more going on between 1969 and 1974 than there was before and afterward. For my generation, 1969 was when the whole era exploded and also split apart, says Light, 64, in an interview in his corner office in the old wooden building that fronts the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Light is the Reva and David Logan Professor of Photojournalism, and in the hallway outside his office is the Logan Gallery, where 30 of the most provocative images are on display in gelatin silver prints, in hopes of catching the attention of students and faculty, and taking them back 45 years, to when Light was not even their age. You had the Vietnam War moratorium, the My Lai massacre, womens liberation, the first Earth Day, Nixon-McGovern, and the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, Light says. The voting age dropped to 18, and it was just a moment in time when everything took off, including music and drugs. He has done eight previous photography books, but his earliest work could never find its market, probably because the bridge years, 1969-74, lacked the turbulent sex appeal of the 60s counterculture and the schlocky reaction of the 70s Me Decade. Light had a show of this work in Palo Alto as soon as he finished it, in 1974. But that was too soon, he says. People thought it was unimportant. So he put it away, and it would probably be put away still if he hadnt discovered the joys of crowdfunding. Discouraged by publishers, he Kickstartered his way to $42,000 from 434 people to self-publish, and he did not cut corners. The hardbound book costs $55, has 139 images and weighs 5 pounds. There have been books about the Black Panthers or the music or the Haight, but there hasnt been a book that looks at America as a whole in this era I call the Age of Nixon, he says. Not just the demonstrations, but how America was and what we looked like and who we were. What Light was, in addition to a member of the working press, was a rabble-rouser, as worried about the war and the draft as the next guy with a college deferment. The inside cover is decorated with letters of memorandum marking Light as someone to be watched by the FBI. This goes back to his work covering student unrest over the war in Vietnam, starting when Light was a freshman at Ohio University, in Athens. He joined the student paper, and in the fall of 69 he was watching dormitory panty raids. By spring of 1970, all that was over. Student deferments ended. The draft lottery started in early 1970 and so did the riots, exacerbated by the Cambodian invasion. Ohio was an unlikely hotbed of radical activity stoked by an active chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, and Light was there to cover it from Cleveland to Dayton. A typical transplanted New Yorker without a car, he would put his thumb out on Richland Avenue with his camera and gas mask. That combination got him to Columbus in two rides, just shortly after the National Guard arrived with their own gas masks and fixed bayonets to administer justice on protesters at Ohio State. Light got arrested himself, but not before shooting the volleyball game of tear gas canisters going back and forth from soldiers to students. It was four days before Kent State, and his photos for the Ohio U. Post student paper were picked up by wires feeding the underground press in the U.S., Cuba and Africa. This got him a promotion from the Post to the Liberation News Service, which did not include a raise in pay. Ken Light/handout I wasnt getting any money for it, he says, but I was still a freshman in college. He had the advantage of a high draft lottery number, and classes were not an encumbrance. I hitchhiked all around the U.S. he says. If you had long hair, people would pick you up. Light traveled light. Because he had to carry camera gear, he left behind his sleeping bag. And the most direct route was not the point. When school let out in 1972, he hitched from Ohio to Florida, where he was credentialed to cover the Republican National Convention, in Miami. Along the way he made a slight detour to San Francisco, then also hit Austin, Texas. His grandfather Louis Gottfried, who had retired to Miami, promised to send him airfare from Austin to Miami in exchange for getting his hair cut. This would have been a deterrent to future rides. So Light took the ticket but ran out of time before upholding his end of the deal. No, I didnt get a haircut, he says. I got the money, I bought the plane ticket, I showed up with my long hair. That must have inspired one loud Archie Bunker versus Meathead yelling match because Light not only looked a bit like Rob Reiner in 1972, he still has a Long Island accent, after 42 years living in California. Ken Light/handout He also photographed Nixons second inauguration in Washington, a McGovern rally in an open field and John Lennon playing a pro-marijuana rally in Ann Arbor, Mich. I dont remember how I got there, he says, looking at the image. He also does not remember how he got his degree on time. Somehow, he says. He guesses that 100 of the 139 images in the book were shot while he was still an undergrad. There are Dorothea Lange-style studies of the rural poor in St. Louis, Lewis Hine-style images of a mine disaster in West Virginia, and Robert Frank-style street shots in cities across the country. One image of a kid doing a flip, with his head just a few feet off the pavement, has several points of interest, including the taillights of a Ford Falcon parked on the corner. Its caption places it in West Oakland, but there is no date. None of the images in the book or the corresponding gallery show are dated. Whats Going On? is organized in a poetic flow, Light says, and it is not chronological until you reach the last two images. One is a TV screen grab of Nixon and the other is a woman in West Oakland holding the next days San Francisco Chronicle with the banner Historic Speech: Nixon Resigns. Thats the end of the book, Light says, because thats the end of the era. Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @samwhitingsf Video: Ken Light takes you back to his college years of 1969-74 at http://sfg.ly/1XTBtd4. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A killing on a BART train in West Oakland wasnt the result of a sudden encounter between the gunman and his victim. Investigators looking into the brazen Jan. 9 slaying have discovered not only that the suspect and victim both boarded at the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station 30 miles away, but that they rode the same Tri Delta Transit bus to the station, BART officials said Monday. The bus carried passengers to Pittsburg from Antioch and other East Contra Costa County cities, and the two men had some sort of interaction that apparently continued until the 7:40 p.m. shooting, BART said. Tri Delta Transit buses are outfitted with security cameras that captured images of the two men, but officials would not say what else the cameras captured that day. What remains unclear is the relationship between the men, if any, and the motive for the killing. Police continue to hunt for the suspect after releasing a series of surveillance photos of him both in train stations and on the bus and are speaking to the family of the victim, 19-year-old Carlos Misael Funez-Romero of Antioch. We know they were on the same bus. There was an interaction between the suspect and the victim that carried over into the BART system, said Alicia Trost, a transit agency spokeswoman. Investigators are pulling all video from the bus, and officers are talking to passengers, trying to find additional witnesses. When it released photos of the suspect on the bus last week, BART blurred out the backgrounds of the images. Trost said the agency did not at that time want to potentially tip off the suspect that investigators knew he had been on the bus. Police said the gunman fired multiple shots at Funez-Romero from close range on a crowded, San Francisco-bound BART car as it pulled into the West Oakland Station. The suspect, a black man who is tall and thin with close-cut hair, appeared to be wearing a dark green jacket with a hood, a backpack, jeans and beige work-style boots. Investigators do not have video footage of the killing and what may have immediately precipitated it even though BART had what appeared to be cameras just feet from the killer and the victim on the train. The vast majority of those devices are actually decoys, The Chronicle revealed last week. BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey defended the use of the dummy cameras, saying the pictures BART released of the suspect taken by more modern station cameras prove the security system functioned as intended. Officials said the cameras inside trains, which were installed starting in 1998, were originally intended to deter vandals and were extremely effective. They said every car in BARTs new fleet will be equipped with cutting-edge cameras producing footage that can be watched live from a central monitoring station. Those cars are expected to arrive between 2017 and 2021. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @evansernoffsky New Delhi: Noted writer Ashok Vajpeyi on Tuesday returned the D.Litt given to him by Hyderabad University in protest against the "anti-dalit" attitude of authorities which has allegedly driven a dalit student to commit suicide. "A dalit student, Rohith Vemula, who wanted to be a writer, was driven to commit suicide due to anti-dalit and intolerance of dissent shown. I have decided to return the award in protest against university authorities, (who were) presumably acting under political pressure," Vajpeyi said. The former Lalit Kala Akademi chairman, who was awarded D.Litt (Doctor of Letters, honoris causa) by the Central University of Hyderabad few years ago, said the institution has "acted against human dignity and knowledge." Vemula, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the University in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya, Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were on Monday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. Vajpeyi was among the first to return his Sahitya Akademi award to the government criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking up against various incidents of violence against writers and activists. A total of 39 writers had returned their awards protesting against the Akademi's alleged silence on the murder of fellow writer and Sahitya Akademi board member M M Kalburgi as well as against the growing "communal atmosphere" following the Dadri lynching incident. Vajpeyi had received the Sahitya award in 1994 for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate California Highway Patrol officers arrested 25 demonstrators after the group used the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday to chain themselves and their vehicles across all five westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge, bringing traffic to a standstill as they demanded racial equity. The activists froze traffic for about 30 minutes before they were arrested on suspicion of public nuisance, unlawful assembly and obstructing free passage, CHP Officer Vu Williams said. The protesters apparently drove onto the bridge in five cars shortly before 4 p.m., stopping near the new eastern span tower one in each of the five lanes. They stepped out on Interstate 80, just east of Yerba Buena Island, and strung chain through each of the cars and across the lanes, forcing traffic to back up well into the MacArthur Maze in the East Bay. CHP officers used bolt cutters to cut the chains, Williams said. Police began arresting the protesters, who were placed in zip-tie handcuffs and moved to the shoulder of the highway so that lanes could be reopened. There was no force used; everyone cooperated, Williams said. The fortunate thing was today was a public holiday, so traffic wasnt as bad as it could have been. The protest group, an offshoot of the Black Lives Matter movement, is a black queer liberation collective that calls itself Black.Seed, Mia Birdsong, a spokeswoman for the group, said. This action in particular was really about taking a strong, courageous stand in solidarity with MLK, Birdsong said. The activists align themselves with the Anti-Police Terror Project, and their display came with a set of demands, including the resignation of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and immediate terminations of San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr and Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent. They also demanded an end to city funding of police and called for city investment in affordable housing to keep black, brown and indigenous people in San Francisco and Oakland. Protesters had planned to stay chained to the structure for 96 minutes to represent the 96 hours of direct action protests that took place in Oakland over the weekend. After 30 minutes, three lanes were opened, but the traffic jam continued into the early evening. Drivers sat on top of their cars, took selfies and popped out their sunroofs as traffic reached a standstill. A number of people stopped at the toll plaza to use the restroom. Chris Day, driving to his home in Redwood City with two friends in the car, looked at a traffic app that said it would take two hours and 39 minutes to cross the bridge, a likely overestimation. I feel like whatever theyre protesting, I want to be against it right now, he said. People have the right to protest, but they dont have the right to block traffic. What if someone has a job interview or an important appointment? For Robert Holtz of Ripon (San Joaquin County), the delay was standing in the way of him getting to a memorial service. They could put their energies into a lot more useful venues than sitting on a bridge making everyone suffer, Holtz said. The action occurred just after the California Highway Patrol had shut down the eastbound Interstate 80 Powell Street off-ramp in Emeryville during a separate Monday demonstration that began in Oakland and moved into Emeryville. Chanting, Hey, hey, ho, ho, police brutalitys got to go, and Black lives matter, the diverse crowd of activists marched peacefully all day along the East Bay streets, expressing outrage over what they called the unfair treatment of blacks at the hands of law enforcement. Were just trying to make the change we can and take it a day at a time, said Nkei Oruche, marching with her husband and two children. In the year since the last Martin Luther King Jr. Day, much has happened. In April, riots broke out in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who suffered a fatal spine injury during an arrest. In June, the black community decried an act of domestic terrorism after a white man gunned down nine black parishioners in Charleston, S.C., inside of a church, an act police continue to investigate as a hate crime. In August, authorities called a state of emergency in Ferguson, Mo., as officers arrested enraged protesters fighting against what they called racial bias a year after the shooting death of Michael Brown. Im just here as a black person representing my family, Oruche, one of the Oakland marchers, said. Its important to start from an early age and let my kids know whats important. Victor Guendulain of San Jose held up a sign that read migrant workers for black resistance as he walked to draw attention to the issues that black folks are going through and make the connection to migrant workers who face similar police repression and intimidation. Rachel Swan, Michael Cabanatuan and Jenna Lyons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: rswan@sfchronicle.com, mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com and jlyons@sfchronicle.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A man who was struck and killed by a tour bus in the Western Addition neighborhood over the weekend was identified Monday as a longtime teacher with the San Francisco Unified School District. Pieter Roell, 82, retired after working for decades at city high schools where he taught English, social studies and journalism. But in the past year, he began suffering from dementia and was in the care of a social worker, his longtime friend and attorney David Clisham said Monday. He was real energetic and he loved teaching, especially his work in journalism, Clisham said. I was always impressed with his passion and dedication to teaching and dealing with youth. The busy intersection near UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion was a chaotic scene Saturday, when around 1 p.m., the double-decker Hop-On Hop-Off tour bus plowed into Roell as he crossed Post Street at Divisadero Street, police and the city medical examiner said. Several witnesses were yelling and honking horns, apparently trying to warn the driver before the collision. The bus kept moving for several feet after hitting the man. Investigators were interviewing witnesses and reviewing security video of the incident, but said they believed Roell may have been crossing against a red light. Former San Francisco police Officer Frank Zarich witnessed the episode and said he saw Roell waving his arms at the bus when he was struck. Roell was pronounced dead at the scene from apparent severe head trauma. Clisham believes his friends mental state may have contributed to the accident. He certainly needed some guidance last Saturday morning, he said. Roell was originally from the Netherlands and lived in Canada and Indonesia before moving to the United States. San Francisco, though, had been his home for decades, said Clisham, a former schoolteacher who met Roell back in the 1970s and noted the man was kind of an international guy with a strange name. Clisham later helped Roell deal with a relatives estate in Canada, and the two stayed in touch. He said Roell would occasionally stop by his law office at Second and Market Street to chat. We will miss him, Clisham said. Saturdays episode came as state lawmakers have been working to more heavily regulate tour buses. On Nov. 13, a runaway City Sightseeing double-decker bus injured 20 people when it plowed through a crowded street and cleaned out scaffolding near Union Square. The bus was not inspected by the California Highway Patrol and was not properly registered. The CHP hit the City Sightseeing fleet with 61 violations during a post-accident inspection. In 2014, a 68-year-old city employee was struck and killed by a slow-moving Classic Cable Car Charters bus while in a crosswalk in front of City Hall. The driver of the bus, Raymond Lucas, 65, was cited for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. The episode prompted city officials to pass an ordinance to require most tour bus operators to employ a second, non-driving guide when giving tours. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky The U.S. Department of Justice should not only take over the criminal investigation of the San Francisco police shooting of Mario Woods, but should also do a top-to-bottom review of the police force to determine whether the killing was part of a pattern of discrimination and possibly recommend reforms, an attorney for Woods family said Monday. Lawyer John Burris said he had sent a letter Jan. 6 to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Vanita Gupta, the assistant attorney general for the departments Civil Rights Division, requesting the review. Burris cited what he called the unconstitutional, decades-long pattern and practice of using deadly force against the citizens of San Francisco, and particularly the African American and Latino community. Last week, city Supervisors London Breed and Malia Cohen introduced a resolution calling for the same federal probes into the Dec. 2 killing of Woods. The Department of Justice has not responded to the requests. San Francisco police officials said Woods was a suspect in a stabbing in the Bayview neighborhood and was carrying a knife when officers surrounded him and shot him in self-defense. But video footage of the shooting showed Woods had his hands at his sides when he was fired upon by five officers: Winson Seto, Antonio Santos, Charles August, Nicholas Cuevas and Scott Phillips. This is a golden opportunity for everyone to take a look at the San Francisco Police Department and determine going forward if the department is practicing best practices, Burris said at a news conference. Gupta was head of the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division when it released a scathing report on the police force in Ferguson, Mo., in the wake of the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed when he was shot by a white officer in an encounter that led to nationwide protests. San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr and the city Police Commission have vowed to make serious changes to the departments policies and training. Mayor Ed Lee directed the chief and the commission to make a number of reforms and set a deadline for new policies to be presented. Suhr also asked the Department of Justices Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to review San Franciscos policies. Burris said he does not believe San Francisco police can objectively investigate the shooting of Woods, especially after Suhr made statements immediately following Woods death that suggested the officers were justified. Woods was allegedly still armed with the knife he was suspected of using in an earlier stabbing, and Suhr said the officers had no choice but to use lethal force after attempts to disarm Woods with beanbag rounds and pepper spray were unsuccessful. At a town hall meeting following the shooting, Suhr presented a blown-up frame from the video, which he said showed Woods with an arm up, proof that he was acting aggressively toward the officers. Another video that surfaced, though, showed Woods with his arms appearing to be down at his sides when the first gunshots were heard. Burris said Suhr intentionally misled the public, but Suhr said he was only presenting the evidence that was available to him at the time and had not concluded the shooting was justified. On Monday, Suhr said he would fully cooperate with any independent investigation or review. In the meantime, we have already, and will continue, to make changes to affect a re-engineering of the way we use force, he said. Emphasis is placed on communication, de-escalation and tactics in an effort to minimize the force, if any, that has to be used at all. Burris was joined Monday by African American community leaders, who said Suhr had lost credibility with his handling of previous controversial cases. In addition to the Woods killing, they pointed to the fatal shooting of Amilcar Perez-Lopez in the Mission District on Feb. 26, 2015. Suhr said after that shooting that Perez-Lopez was armed with a knife and suspected of trying to rob a man of his bicycle shortly before the shooting. While Suhr said he lunged at the two plainclothes officers who encountered him, a private autopsy determined Perez-Lopez had been shot in the back. The killing remains under investigation. According to Burris, San Francisco police have shot at least 103 people since 2000, killing 37, and have not faced criminal charges in any of the cases. Woods mother, Gwendolyn Woods, spoke briefly Monday, saying, This is what they leave in the wake of the execution of my child. All I ever wonder is how scared he was. All I ever wonder is, did he feel pain? All I ever wonder is where I was. I hope he didnt suffer. I hope he did not suffer. A Marin school district superintendent is on a paid leave of absence after he was arraigned Friday on a felony conflict-of-interest charge in San Diego County Superior Court. Steve Van Zant, superintendent of the Sausalito Marin City School District, was indicted for allegedly abusing his previous position as superintendent of the Mountain Empire Unified School District in San Diego County. Under Vant Zant, the school district in the San Diego suburb of Pine Valley authorized charter schools that went on to hire his consulting firm, EdHive, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. EdHive helps connect charter school officials with public school administrators and provides assistance cutting through the bureaucratic red tape of launching a charter school, according to its website. With our extensive list of contacts obtained through years of public school service, we can connect you with necessary school officials to help facilitate approval and funding processes, the website reads. The Sausalito Marin City School District board of trustees unanimously approved Van Zants request last week for an indefinite leave of absence, according to board president Caroline Van Alst. The Marin Independent Journal reported that Van Zants job in Marin paid him $172,000 in 2014. Trustees appointed Robert Ferguson, who previously served as superintendent of Tamalpais Union High School District, as interim superintendent on Thursday. While the alleged conduct occurred before his employment with SMCSD, the Board and District are concerned about the seriousness of the charges, Van Alst and Ferguson wrote in a statement released to the community on Sunday. The Board and the District will continue to closely monitor this situation and will take appropriate action as necessary. The Sausalito Marin City School District oversees two K-8 schools, Bayside Martin Luther King Jr. Academy and the Willow Creek Academy charter school. There are about 530 students in the district, 400 of whom attend the charter school, according to Van Alst. Officials have not launched an investigation into Van Zants conduct while in the Sausalito Marin City School District. But Van Alst said district officials are looking to take actions if necessary. Van Zant began working for the district in 2013. The Marin Independent Journal reported he was paid him $172,000 in 2014. We need to get a copy of the complaint, understand the nature of the charges and look at next steps, Van Alst said. More than 100 taxis blocked traffic in downtown Budapest on Monday, demanding a ban on Uber and other ride-hailing apps. The yellow vehicles from several taxi companies blocked most lanes of a key intersection near St. Stephens Basilica in the Hungarian capital, causing traffic delays. Taxi drivers also went to the nearby offices of Budapests mayor to present a petition with their demands, but their meeting with Mayor Istvan Tarlos did not result in any immediate solutions. Tarlos expressed his support for the taxpaying Hungarian taxi drivers, saying Uber did not comply with regulations. The capital city, however, has no official means ... to ban or switch off Uber or exclude the wild taxi drivers who do not respect the rules, Tarlos said in a statement. Driver Zsolt Gelencser said Uber and similar apps were avoiding regulations and licensing issues that taxis had to comply with. We demand that Uber, as an app or as an activity, cease to exist, Gelencser said, standing amid the taxis occupying most of the road. They are applying a double standard. Nothing applies to them, while everything applies to us. Laszlo Pusztai, another taxi driver at the protest, estimated that Uber was taking away 50-60 percent of the rides of traditional taxis. Unfortunately, it is working very well for them, Pusztai said. Uber says it has 1,200 drivers and 80,000 users in Budapest. Puerto Rico Leaders tweak deficit plan Puerto Rico is revising a fiscal and economic reform plan to reflect a jump in the islands projected deficit and steep drop in anticipated revenue, officials said Monday. The government said the deficit is now projected to grow from $14 billion to $16 billion over the next five years due to the U.S. territorys worsening economic crisis. Officials also told reporters during a conference call that they expect revenue to fall by $1.7 billion over the same period. The government also extended projections within the five-year plan by another five years at the request of creditors, noting that the deficit could grow to $24 billion by 2025. The announcement comes as Puerto Rico seeks access to a bankruptcy mechanism as it struggles with $72 billion in public debt that the governor has said is unpayable and needs restructuring. The U.S. territory already has defaulted on several payments and faces its first lawsuit over the government diverting funds to meet certain payments. The government also has implemented other measures to help maintain liquidity, including deferring payments to suppliers and withholding some $330 million in tax refunds. Streaming Netflix, NBC in squabble Tensions between Netflix and traditional television networks escalated this weekend after industry executives expressed mounting frustration over Netflixs refusal to disclose ratings. At a Television Critics Association event, NBCUniversal introduced viewership figures Wednesday provided by an outside firm that suggested several of Netflixs shows fall in line with broadcast and cable shows, implying that traditional television remains vibrant. On Saturday, John Landgraf, chief executive of the cable network FX, picked up the theme, saying it was ridiculous that Los Gatos Netflix did not release viewership numbers. Netflixs chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, shot back Sunday, saying the numbers provided by NBC were remarkably inaccurate and asking why NBC would spend time and energy to talk about our ratings. Maybe because its more fun than talking about NBC ratings, he said. The pitched back-and-forth occurred as ratings are falling for broadcast and cable networks while Netflixs offerings of original programs are growing. Sarandos said the streaming service would spend $6 billion on content this year, and original scripted programming would be part of that budget. Television executives have been frustrated because Sarandos has at times suggested Netflix shows would fare better than what is on cable and broadcast television. Last month, for instance, he said the Netflix show Narcos would be the most-viewed show on cable, not HBOs Game of Thrones. Netflix brought it on themselves when they make assertions like their show would be the highest-rated cable show, Gary Newman, co-chief executive of the Fox Television Group, said in an interview. Likewise, Landgraf said in an interview, If Ted doesnt give ratings, he shouldnt then be saying, This is the biggest hit in the history of blah blah blah. He shouldnt say something is successful in quantitative terms unless youre willing to provide data and a methodology behind those statements. You cant have it both ways. The battle over ratings began when Alan Wurtzel, NBCUniversals head of research, said Wednesday that he was confronting the 800-pound gorilla and gave the news media what he described as a Netflix reality check. Natural gas Chevrons China deal Chevron Corp. signed a second agreement in the past month to sell liquefied natural gas to China as the U.S. company prepares to begin shipments from its $54 billion Gorgon project off northwest Australia. The San Ramon company plans to supply a unit of ENN Energy Holdings Ltd. with as much as 500,000 metric tons of LNG a year from Gorgon. Under the preliminary accord, the contract would last 10 years with deliveries starting in 2018 or the first half of 2019. It follows Chevrons announcement in late December that it plans to sell as much as 1 million tons a year of LNG to China Huadian Green Energy Co. Chronicle News Services This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Canajoharie U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson toured the derelict former Beech-Nut plant in Canajoharie, where local officials were hopeful Tuesday that federal support might eventually help cover part of a multimillion-dollar bill to knock down and redevelop the property. Gibson saw a facility, which closed five years ago when Beech-Nut moved to a new plant, that since has sprouted numerous leaks in its roof, has large patches of mold on walls, and is icing up in spots. "It may have only been closed for five years, but to look at it, it looks longer than that," said Kenneth Rose, CEO and director of the Montgomery County Business Development Center. The county is taking preliminary steps to foreclose on the 27-acre property for more than $500,000 in unpaid property taxes by its Ohio-based owner. A preliminary study of asbestos and other pollution in the former plant has estimated it could cost $6 million to clean and then demolish the building, said County Executive Matthew Ossenfort, who led the tour. A more detailed study will be done this summer around the 851,000 square-foot main plant that will involve soil tests looking for pollution. Ossenfort said the county wants to understand the extent of potential liability before it moves to foreclose on the property. "We are leery of the potential bill," he said. "But this is not just an economic redevelopment issue. There is a moral obligation to clean this site. ... This issue is at the top of my agenda for the county to resolve this year." Ossenfort said reviving the Beech-Nut site will have to be a "team effort" by local, state and federal officials. "Montgomery County cannot do this on its own," said Gibson. "I will be working with the New York state delegation, including our U.S. senators, to bring federal resources to assist." He also said help will be needed from the state. "Canajoharie has so much going for it: a motivated, dedicated, trained workforce, a beautiful setting, and easy access to the Thruway, water, sewer and other infrastructure. With proper focus, this site will once again play a prominent role in the Mohawk Valley," Gibson said. "Now the congressman has seen this situation firsthand ... he was very sympathetic," said Canajoharie Mayor Francis Avery, who also was on the tour. The plant was purchased from Beech-Nut in 2010 by Cincinnati businessman Todd Clifford, who initially indicated plans to clean and redevelop it. But those plans never materialized and Clifford instead has focused on pulling valuable scrap metal out of the building. That stripping has left little of value behind, with village officials complaining that Clifford worked without necessary demolition or asbestos permits. The project was shut down by the village and restarted several times. The massive eyesore is yet another blow to the village, which saw the plant close in 2010, taking good-paying jobs and a big share of the village tax base with it. The state provided tens of millions of dollars in assistance for Beech-Nut to relocate to a new plant in the Montgomery County town of Florida, but no funds were earmarked to deal with the old plant. bnearing@timesunion-.com - 518-454-5094 - @Bnearing10 The rejection of a BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. medication by U.S. regulators left patients and investors questioning how drugmakers could improve their chances for approval of treatments for diseases that afflict tiny segments of the population. The urgency grew even greater last week after a Food and Drug Administration staff report cast doubt on the future of a second medication for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, saying there isnt enough evidence that Sarepta Therapeutics Inc.s eteplirsen offers patients any real benefit. When the FDA chose not to approve BioMarins Kyndrisa on Thursday, they had missed out on the first treatment for their deadly disease. Financial reward Pharmaceutical companies are willing to go to great lengths to create medicine for rare diseases because they can charge hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient. Kyndrisa would have been eligible to treat about 2,300 boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a muscle-destroying disease that kills most patients by age 25. Eteplirsen aims to treat a similar population. The FDAs actions show it will continue to set a high bar for new medicines designed to be taken for a lifetime, even for children destined to die of their ailments who have no other treatment options. In turning down BioMarins once-a-week injection of Kyndrisa, the FDA said there wasnt enough evidence of its benefit and asked for additional research. Those questions were echoed by the agency staff reviewing Sareptas eteplirsen, which is betting on results from just a dozen boys who took the medicine for up to four years to sway the agency. While Sarepta is taking a different approach to regulatory approval for its drug, the staff review made it look like a long shot. FDA advisers will meet Friday to discuss the drug. Its a different leap of faith you have to take with Sarepta, said Ira Loss, an analyst with Washington Analysis. They do have patients who are still walking around after three years. The risk is you dont have a lot of patients. Investors, already skeptical that Sarepta could get approval, fled the stock. Shares of PTC Therapeutics Inc., which is working on a rival Duchenne medicine, also plunged, as did BioMarin stock. A Sarepta spokesman declined to comment. Accelerated process Sarepta, based in Cambridge, Mass., is asking for accelerated approval, a program tailored to speed development of drugs that treat serious conditions that have few if any treatments. Rather than relying on conclusive evidence of a longer, healthier life, the agency approves the medicines based on trial results designed to produce a surrogate endpoint evidence that the drug is having an effect, such as a laboratory test or an intermediate signal like walking speed. After the drug is approved, additional studies, which Sarepta has under way, are required to confirm that patients improve with therapy. BioMarin applied for full approval, giving the FDA a black-and-white choice based on studies that found side effects and yielded mixed results. While Sareptas drug hasnt turned up serious side effects, the FDA staff questioned the companys surrogate endpoint findings. Walking speeds were within what would be expected, they said. They also questioned how much the drug boosted production of dystrophin, a protein critical for muscle fibers that is missing in boys with Duchenne. Accelerated approval doesnt mean that companies can turn in substandard evidence of effectiveness and shouldnt be used to compensate for weak or inconsistent findings, the FDA staff report said. Although the agency is willing to be flexible with a devastating illness with no treatment options, the report said, We cannot approve drugs for which substantial evidence of effectiveness has not been established. No other option Advocates working to get a treatment on the market for Duchenne, which affects about 1 in every 3,500 to 6,000 boys born each year in the U.S., will focus their efforts on getting the FDA to allow patients and families to decide for themselves if the medicine is worth any potential risks. They emphasized that these boys and their families have no other options. This is a relentlessly progressive disease, with no ebbs and flows, said Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne, a nonprofit advocacy group that has invested in several experimental therapies for the disease. We know what happens with no drug. The boys all die. European approval BioMarin said it needs to discuss details with the FDA before it decides how to proceed with Kyndrisa, which is awaiting a regulatory decision in Europe, said spokeswoman Debra Charlesworth. That could allow the drug to reach an even bigger market than in the U.S. before the end of the year. The FDA, which has come under intense pressure from families affected by the disease, said it is taking the concerns to heart. The agency is required to take the patients perspective into account, and it has worked with advocacy groups to provide guidance on drug development, said spokeswoman Sandy Walsh. We recognize the huge unmet medical need in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the devastating nature of the disease for patients and their families, and the great urgency to make new treatments available, she said. That doesnt mean the FDA staff and outside reviewers wont take a hard look at Sareptas eteplirsen, exposing any potential risks and detailing deficiencies in how the company developed the drug, Loss said. FDA is not going to write a review of Sareptas drug that says, Lets have a party and dance, Loss said. It might not be as negative as BioMarin, but ... there is a lot of negative stuff they can say. Advocates are also concerned about what might happen if the FDAs standards keep potentially helpful medicines out of the hands of doctors and patients. Heartbreaking stories Its good to have a lot of interest by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the Duchenne space, but there has to be flexibility in getting the drugs approved and to the kids, Miller said. If there isnt flexibility, companies will shy away from the space, and that would be a tragedy for Duchenne patients all over the world. When FDA advisers met in November to discuss Kyndrisa, they heard heart-wrenching stories from patients and families about improvements the drug made in their lives during clinical trials being able to shower themselves, climb stairs, ride bikes, and roughhouse with their brothers. Serious side effects But the panelists concluded that the data showed the drug wasnt ready. Two of the three clinical trials that BioMarin relied on to try to persuade the FDA to approve Kyndrisa failed to meet their main goal, which was to help patients taking the drug to walk farther in six minutes a standard assessment used in treatments for similar diseases. And side effects were serious, including platelet levels low enough that they could cause serious bleeding complications, kidney toxicity and injection site reactions including ulceration, irreversible scarring and atrophy. It makes you want to cry, the history of this drug, Miller said. Michelle Fay Cortez is a Bloomberg writer. E-mail: mcortez@bloomberg.net Tetra Images A woman was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries in Fremont on Tuesday morning after a man bust into an Inyo Court house, shot her and prompted lockdowns at nearby Brier Elementary School and the Glanker Learning Center, police said. The gunman bolted from the scene, setting off precautionary 40-minute lockdowns at the two nearby schools on Sundale Drive, less than a mile away from the gunfire. Hyderabad: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at University of Hyderabad vice-chancellor Prof. Appa Rao Podile and Union minister and BJP MP from Secunderabad Bandaru Dattatreya holding them responsible for creating conditions which led to the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula in the university on Sunday. He said they did not act in a fair manner. Mr Gandhi was speaking after meeting Radhika Vemula and Raja Vemula, mother and brother of Rohith. Continuing his attack on Prof. Podile, he said that the vice-chancellor did not have the basic decency or the dignity to meet the aggrieved mother of Rohith when she came to the university on Monday. He also demanded that the Mr Appa Rao should be sacked and that there is no question of him continuing in the university. Speaking on the role of universities as places which should play a role in nurturing freedom of expression of students, Mr Gandhi said that educational institutions instead of letting students speak are crushing them. Mr Gandhi said that Rohiths death has caused a great loss to the family and that compensation has to be provided to his family along with a job to one of the family members so that they have a future which Rohith would have built for them. He also said that all those people who are responsible for Rohiths death should be punished in the strictest manner possible. A new Internet-famous cat is gaining notoriety for his mug but not because he's particularly grumpy or angry. Rather, this cat, spotted at the Monmouth County SPCA in New Jersey, was photographed by a New York writer who suggested that the feline strongly resembled Adam Driver, an actor famous for portraying Kylo Ren in "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The type of store where Earl Stevens sells his products has changed a bit over the last quarter-century or so. The Vallejo native whose records led to empty shelves at Tower Records, Sam Goody and Virgin Megastore is now prompting re-orders at Safeway, Costco and BevMo. Stevens is a platinum-selling, trendsetting rap star who represents the Bay Area to the world under the stage name E-40, a nickname he earned while drinking 40-ounce beers on the 1300 block of Magazine Street in Vallejos Hillside neighborhood. This week, the hip-hop legend pays tribute to that block the place he calls his soil with the release of E40, a honey-kissed malt liquor available in 24-ounce cans and 40-ounce bottles. A year in the making, the beer is Stevens latest and highest-profile foray into a quickly growing independent beverage empire that has mirrored the grassroots success of his independent music career. In 2013, he released the Earl Stevens Selections wine line, which includes a red blend and two types of Moscato. Last year saw the debut of Sluricane, his potent premixed version of a Hurricane, the famous New Orleans cocktail. Stevens began his booze endeavor by selling wine online; the demand got so big that he partnered with Southern Wine & Spirits for distribution. They started off with a few cases, says Stevens. And then next thing you know, they were like, Hey Earl, one day were going to pick up a pallet, 56 cases, just you watch! That one day happened in the next two weeks. The success kept snowballing, recalls Stevens: And then after a pallet, they were like, Hey Earl, one day were going to pick up a whole truckload of the stuff, man! Two weeks later, they picked up a truckload, roughly 20 to 21 pallets. I push pallets, he says. When I put that on Instagram I push pallets thats really what I do. Thats really my job. Bringing new products to market in the wine, spirits and beer worlds may be an intimidating prospect, but Stevens cant recall an incident in the beverage world where he hasnt felt totally welcomed. Everyone says theyre a fan, he says. Im a little man on the totem pole in this world, he says of jumping into the booming Bay Area beer industry. But I wont be for long. That combination of drive and swagger should be familiar to E-40s legions of fans. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images Its approaching 30 years since Stevens started slinging addictive, unorthodox slang and selling infectious albums throughout the Bay Area on his Sick Wid It record label, first out of his car trunk and eventually through partnerships with larger indie labels like Jive Records. At 48, hes achieved true staying power and a rare relevance in todays rap world, a youth-driven culture that has been frequently accused of ageism. Alcohol has been a frequent theme throughout the huge E-40 discography, led by early-90s songs that have become part of the Bay Area hip-hop canon like Carlos Rossi, written about the Gallo-owned wine brand Carlo Rossi, and Hurricane, the chorus of which, decades later, inspired the Sluricane label. In 2009, he teamed up with Berkeley High grads and Saturday Night Live alums Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone (also known as the Lonely Island) to record a song about Carlos Santanas sparkling wine called Santana DVX. It was for the trios debut album, Incredibad, a record that also featured popular songs from SNL like Dick in a Box with Justin Timberlake and Im on a Boat with T-Pain. Some of the lyrics in the Santana song: From the heart of Napa Valley and the guitar king/Comes the sparkling wine to make a blind man sing. Stevens has actually been dabbling with selling drinks for the better part of a decade, first with the now-defunct 40 Water, a brightly hued take on Vitamin Water, and later as an endorser and shareholder of Landy Cognac. As a teenager, he worked briefly as a cook at Commandants Residence Restaurant in Benicia, which shuttered in 1979. But his current drink ventures mark a different level of absorption and commitment for Stevens. Hes been focusing much of his energy on them, forgoing opportunities to tour in lieu of performing spot concerts here and there. Stevens has applied his monster work ethic to his beverage ventures. When it comes to his prolific music career, one of his favorite sayings is that he tries to make like a pregnant lady and drop an album every nine months. He has stayed true to form, releasing at least two albums each year between 2010 and 2014 and has at least two planned for this year, the latest installments of his Sharp On All 4 Corners series. Hes got similarly large plans for expanding his liquid empire beyond the new beer label. Hell soon add a new tropical flavor of Sluricane to his catalog, called Sluricane Yellow Bird, which he calls a real party turn-up drink at 60 proof: Right as you drink it, youre like, Man, Im drunk! Also in the works are an IPA, a flavored malt liquor beverage, vodka and Tequila, a growing collection to one day compare to his library of sound recordings. After all, Stevens says, Rap and alcohol go hand in hand. E40 beer is in stores Wednesday. 24-oz. cans will be priced at $1.99-$2.59. 40-oz. bottles will be $3.99-$4.99. Tamara Palmer is a freelance writer in the Bay Area. Twitter: @eatstreetfood E-mail: food@sfchronicle.com Facing impending death from cancer and knowing firsthand the challenges and anthropogenic devastation awaiting future humans, acting director of NASA's Earth Sciences Division Piers Sellers, says he doubts warming can be limited to 2 degrees Celsius and that "it will be up to the engineers and industrialists of the world to save us." Sellers wrote in the NY Times on Sunday "They must come up with the new technologies and the means of implementing them. The technical and organizational challenges of solving the problems of clean energy generation, storage and distribution are enormous, and they must be solved within a few decades with minimum disruption to the global economy. This will likely entail a major switch to nuclear, solar and other renewable power, with an electrification of our transport system to the maximum extent possible." He gives policy makers their due, but holds the best hope for humanity lies with science. "These engineers and industrialists are fully up to the job, given the right incentives and investments. You have only to look at what they achieved during World War II: American technology and production catapulted over what would have taken decades to do under ordinary conditions and presented us with a world in 1945 that was completely different from the late 1930s." Putting our hopes on a technological fix is a hard pill to swallow. When overwhelming evidence arises that you had better stop boozing it up because it's destroying your liver, we all fully expect an individual to stop drinking. We don't blithely hope for a liver transplant or some new technology to save the person. (BTW, Sellers is dying of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, so this in not a metaphor about his health.) But that's exactly what we're doing in the face of climate change. We're simply not going to cut back on oil and coal consumption and are hoping for a technological bailout. So people like Bill Gates and dozens of the world's other super-rich are pooling resources to fund basic research in science and technology in order to find a silver-bullet that will wean us from fossil fuels and perhaps fix our carbon problem. But what about the rest of us who are not a scientists or engineers? What about the political process that led to a historic agreement in Paris in December? Sellers finds some hope in the fact that policy makers did pay attention to science in building up the Paris accord and wants to believe that will matter ... "Last year may also be seen in hindsight as the year of the Death of Denial. Globally speaking, most policy makers now trust the scientific evidence and predictions, even as they grapple with ways to respond to the problem," he wrote. But, in the end, humans will need a technological fix. What then do the rest of us do? Related: Check out his amazing story at the New York Times. Basically, he said, prepare for the worst flooded cities, acidic oceans, raging random storms and hard hard droughts. And, prepare to use alternative energy or do without as much of the energy we have now. These changes will either bring out the worst in us or we'll pull together and save as much of the human world as we can. Jake Ellison can be reached at 206-448-8334 or jakeellison@seattlepi.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/Jake_News. Mic Gillette, a trumpet and trombone player whose powerful, precise playing style propelled the seminal Oakland funk-soul group Tower of Power in its early years, died Saturday in Concord. He was 64. The cause was a heart attack, Emilio Castillo, a friend and bandmate, said. Mr. Gillette started playing with the bands co-founders Castillo and Stephen Kupka in 1965, as a teenager, while they were still performing R&B covers under the name the Gotham City Crimefighters. The group soon expanded its lineup and repertoire, changing its name to Tower of Power and signing to Bill Grahams San Francisco record label, for which it released its 1970 debut, East Bay Grease. Paralleling the rise of San Franciscos psychedelic rock acts Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, Tower of Power came to be known for carving its own show-stopping R&B niche across the bay. As first trumpet, combining the fidelity of the big bands with the blunt force of rock n roll, Mr. Gillette was a part of the workhorse horn section that played on era-defining hits such as Down to the Nightclub, Youre Still a Young Man and What Is Hip? Mic was without a doubt the greatest brass player Ive ever known, Mr. Castillo wrote on Facebook. Mr. Gillette quit Tower of Power in 1984 to spend time with his family. With a resume that also included stints with the bands Blood, Sweat and Tears and the Sons of Champlin, he continued to do session work with major artists such as Santana, the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Elton John and dozens of others. My philosophy is play every note the best you can, Mr. Gillette said in a 2014 interview with Blues at Greece. After parting from the band, Mr. Gillete continued to play live around Northern California with the Mic Gillette Band, which included his daughter, Megan McCarthy. The group released its first album, Moon Doggy, in December. My heart will never be as full, and the music will never be as lively, McCarthy wrote on Facebook. Mr. Gillette was born on May 7, 1951, in Oakland, and raised in Fremont. He picked up his first trumpet at the age of 4, learning how to play from his father, Ray Gillette, a trombonist who played with big bands in the 1940s and 50s. After a 25-year break, Mr. Gillette briefly rejoined Tower of Power in 2009. He played with the group until 2011, but his passion was in music education. He spent the last few years of his life mentoring middle- and high-school students in the East Bay, while raising funds for music programs in schools nationwide. I really enjoy helping young aspiring musicians find their voice and look for their path, Mr. Gillette said in the Blues at Greece interview. Ive had a wonderful professional life and have been very lucky to get so many great opportunities, but the way I would like most to be remembered, is by someone coming up to a great player maybe 20 or 30 years from now and asking them who were their influences. That is where I wish most to be mentioned and remembered. Mr. Gillette is survived by his wife, Julia; daughter, Megan; and a grandson. Funeral arrangements are pending. New Century Chamber Orchestra/Christian Steiner Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg will step down as music director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra at the end of the 2016-17 season, which also marks the groups 25th anniversary year. Since taking the helm in 2008, Salerno-Sonnenberg who also maintains an active career as a violin soloist has brought the string orchestra a new degree of artistic innovation and technical polish, as well as some much-needed star power. She initiated the Featured Composer program, which includes both a yearlong focus on a single living composer and a commissioned world premiere. She has reached out for collaborative projects with other Bay Area organizations, including the San Francisco Girls Chorus, the San Francisco Opera Center and Chanticleer. Van-Anh Vo, the Emmy Award-winning composer who performs under the name Vanessa Vo, was at rehearsals last week in a warehouse in Richmond, trying to remember the cues for her epic new stage production, The Odyssey From Vietnam to America. It wasnt easy. As the lead composer, musician and focal point of the show, it felt like she had to be everywhere at once and, well, sometimes that just didnt work out. Its funny because yesterday I ran to a spot I wasnt supposed to be and my instrument wasnt there, said Vo, whose main instrument is the dan tranh, a traditional Vietnamese 16-string zither, but who also plays the dan bau monochord, the dan tam thap luc 36-string hammered dulcimer and several other pieces. Four years in the making, Odyssey, which premieres at the Yerba Buena Center of the Arts on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 22-23, brings to stage the struggle of Vietnams boat people, the refugees who fled the country on small boats at the end of the war, making hazardous crossings across the ocean in the hopes of finding sanctuary on foreign shores. I want to portray the human spirit the resilience we can have to pass the most difficult time in life, she said. Vo came up with the concept a decade earlier, when she first moved to the United States in 2001 from her native Hanoi, in the north, and started meeting the men, women and children from the south who were forced out of the country as a result of the conflict. I learned what the people from the other side had to go through, said Vo. I also shared my own story about growing up after the war. They thought the north was much better, but its not true. We have to go through the same thing. War destroyed everything. We were poor. My family didnt have much to eat. Vo, who now lives in Fremont, started work on Odyssey shortly after her 2012 collaboration with the Kronos Quartet on a piece called All Clear. Marking the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, she composed the score for traditional 18th century Vietnamese instruments and her contemporary chamber ensemble, featuring cellist and conductor Alex Kelly, ethnomusicologist Philip Blackburn and video artist Ian Winters. Vo, who won an Emmy for the soundtrack of 2008 documentary Bolinao 52 and provided the score for the Sundance Film Festival best documentary and 2003 Academy Award nominee of Daughter of Danang, is known for pushing boundaries with her work, and this one is no exception. YBCA I interviewed more than 60 people, Vo said. I listened to their stories. My concentration is on the texture and sounds that the boat people remember what they hear that instantly puts them back to the time they were on the trip. What sound would tell them they have hope and what can help them to stay alive? All the textures the boat people remember like the boat engine, seagulls and the lullabies that they would hum from when they were a small child. During the 40-minute set, Vo and her collaborators attempt to musically and visually invoke these journeys. Music, especially instrumental music you can actually open up a bigger imagination to the audience in that it will have a sense of courage, resilience, hope, even despair, Vo said. Kelly admits he has heard a lot of music, but Ive never heard these sounds before. Thats what made me excited about it. Theres a full range of expression. Even though these are events from some time ago, it feels very current and applicable to whats happening now, with the refugees and tragedies, he continued, referring to the Syrian and Afghan refugees making headlines. Theres the sadness that Vietnamese instruments express so well. Following its premiere at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Vo is scheduled to perform Odyssey at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where she last appeared after the 2013 release of Three-Mountain Pass, a collection of her compositions and arrangements, and National Sawdust, the new music venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Vo is also scheduled to headline this years edition of Oakland Symphonys Notes From Vietnam at the Paramount Theatre on Feb. 12. Aidin Vaziri is The San Francisco Chronicles pop music critic. E-mail: avaziri@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MusicSF Van-Anh Vanessa Vo and the Vav The Odyssey From Vietnam to America: 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Jan. 22-23. $15-$30. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., S.F. www.ybca.org. Heres the reality of Latino political power today: Its not what it could be. Even though 27 million Latinos will be eligible to cast a ballot in November an increase of 17 percent since 2012 the Latino population is becoming more distant from the U.S. political process, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. Most Latinos who could vote in the last three national elections chose not to. Turnout was just under 50 percent in 2008, and fell to 48 percent in 2012. It dropped to 27 percent in the 2014 midterms, the lowest rate ever recorded for Latinos. Another low turnout may define 2016 as well. Were seeing the number of people who could vote growing at a faster pace than those who do vote, said Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic research at Pew Research Center. There were more nonvoters than voters in the last election, and those nonvoter numbers are rising. Among Latino leaders and social scientists, there is a growing recognition, and increasing concern, that Latinos are punching beneath their weight, and may be stuck in a cycle of disconnection. The question is: Why? Pew argues it is at least partly a matter of demographics. The Latino electorate skews young. Millennials make up a larger share of the Hispanic vote, at 44 percent, than the white (27 percent), black (35 percent) and Asian-American (30 percent) electorates. Young people are less likely to vote. Latinos are also concentrated in states that are not heavily contested in presidential elections, making it harder to spur political engagement. Three states California, New York and Texas account for 52 percent of eligible Latino voters. WASHINGTON Florida Rep. David Jolly promises not to ask for money. The Republican, who is running in one of the years most competitive and expensive Senate races, says that as of this month he personally has sworn off fundraising. Hes leaving that duty to his professional campaign fundraisers, vowing not to spend a single second of his own time wooing donors. The unusual proclamation is born out of frustration, he says. For two years, he has seen firsthand how the chore of buck-raking has overtaken the business of legislating. You come to Washington thinking you can change the system, and then all of a sudden you get hijacked by the system, said Jolly, who was elected to the House two years ago. In effect, Jolly is adopting the playbook of popular presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders hoping to tap voter anger about money in politics even if it means handicapping his own fundraising potential. Trump, a billionaire who can afford to finance his own Republican presidential bid, has called political fundraising a broken system. Sanders, meanwhile, has made getting big money out of politics a platform of his Democratic campaign. Both have won plaudits from voters who see them as speaking the truth. There are signs that tactic is trickling down the ballot, with talk in Congress of a campaign finance caucus that can devote time to the issue. The federal lawmakers speaking out against money in politics sound a bit self-loathing as they do so. Earlier this month, New York Rep. Steve Israel, a Democrat, wrote in a New York Times column that his upcoming retirement makes him feel liberated from a fundraising regime thats never been more dangerous to our democracy. By his calculation, hed spent more than 4,200 hours on it over a decade and a half. Reps. John Sarbanes, D-Md., and Walter Jones, R-N.C., share almost no policy objectives save for campaign finance reform. Theyd both like to see congressional races funded by taxpayer rather than donor money, and their legislative proposal to achieve that goal has gone precisely nowhere in its years of existence. Im trying to be part of the solution, but I tell people all of the time, Im part of the problem, Jones said. Jones said Trump and Sanders have correctly identified money in politics as an issue that resonates with voters. The frustration is deep, he said. Most people understand that money does drive Washington. Its getting worse. Jollys self-imposed personal fundraising ban comes as he faces a competitive Republican primary in August and, if he succeeds, a tough general election fight in November for the open Senate seat now held by Sen. Marco Rubio. Bengaluru: Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwar lauded the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (KSPH & IDCL) for its remarkable performance since 2000, when it was slated for closure. He pointed out that this company has grown from mere Rs 6-crore turnover in 2000-01 to Rs 415 crore during 2014-15. This agency will give a tough competition for Public Works Department and is also contemplating to take up works of other government departments, he added. Addressing the media after conducting an inspection of KSPH&IDCL on Tuesday, Parameshwar said it has until now built over 25,000 residential and non-residential buildings and would expand its area of operations. KSPH&IDCLs new corporate office would soon come up on M.G. Road, he added. This fiscal year the agency has made a turnover of Rs 275 crore, with a projected cost of Rs 450 crore and a net profit of Rs 22 crore so far this year. We are contemplating to take up construction work for the other government agencies in near future. For this some amendments are required, which will be done after holding discussions with the Chief Minister and the other officials concerned, the minister said. Out of 11,000 proposed residential houses, the government has already constructed over 5,000 in first phase, while the rest would be constructed soon. Those police quarters that are in bad shape will be demolished and new ones will be constructed on the land, he added. The agency is also planning to construct a guesthouse for police personnel visiting the city on official duty. A multi-specialty hospital with modern medical amenities in lines with the command hospital will be soon coming up in the city exclusively for the treatment of police personnel. The agency would soon take up the construction of the super-specialty hospital that will provide specialized treatment for the police personnel, who are susceptible to injuries in the line of duty. The officials concerned are on the lookout for the land for the project and the work would soon be commenced once the land is identified, the minister said. ALTOONA, Iowa Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz received an antiendorsement Tuesday from the governor of Iowa, host of the countrys leadoff presidential caucus, on account of his failure to support renewable fuels like ethanol. Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican who has not endorsed any of the GOP presidential candidates for president, said at a renewable fuels conference near Des Moines that Iowans should reject Cruz because he supports phasing out the fuel standard. His comments, which come within two weeks of the states critical Feb. 1 caucus, could resonate with state farmers who grow the corn used in ethanol, and the soybeans widely used in biodiesel. We should not be supporting somebody who is opposing those things that are of critical importance to the economic well-being of our state, Branstad said. Cruz, the junior senator from Texas, is a vocal supporter of his home states oil industry, which generally opposes the use of ethanol, and has supported in the past ending the renewable fuels standard, a federal regulation that sets a minimum for the amount of ethanol blended in the nations gasoline supply. Asked if he wants to see Cruz defeated in Iowa, Branstad responded: Yes. This would be a great way to send a strong message, the Iowa governor added. Cruz has called for phasing out the fuel standard requirement over five years as part of his plan to end all energy subsidies and mandates. He authored a Senate bill in 2014 to end it by 2020. Speaking to reporters in Center Barnstead, N.H., Tuesday, Cruz dismissed the governors comments, saying the Washington cartel is beginning to panic over his gains. Iowa corn farmers are wonderful Americans, but Iowa corn farmers are not career politicians, Cruz said. Iowa corn farmers are frustrated with career politicians. Theyre fed up with politicians who make deals every day to grow government, to expand the debt, to do things like fund Planned Parenthood, to do things like support Obamacare, to do things like give in to amnesty. Rep. Steve King, who is backing Cruz, called Branstads move an unendorsment, adding that Branstad is, by default, supporting Donald Trump who is at the top of Iowa preference polls with Cruz. King, who also attended the ethanol summit, argued that some critics are mischaracterizing Cruzs position. He said Cruz has supported phasing out the standard and not an immediate repeal as some have said. Branstad said Cruz was not invited to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, a trade show and gathering of farmers and the ethanol and biodiesel industry because he has not been supportive of biofuels. Trump, however, was invited, and offered strong support for renewable fuels. CHEYENNE, Wyo. Public enemy No. 1 for climate change and no longer the fossil fuel utilities prefer to burn to generate electricity, coal has few allies these days. But one state is still fighting to save the industry: Wyoming. From a proposal to burn the stuff underground to hosting a contest to find profitable uses for carbon dioxide from power plants, the top coal-producing state has spent tens of millions of dollars for a coal savior with little to show. Big-time state spending was easy in Wyoming not long ago. Good times for coal, oil and natural gas created huge budget surpluses. Now that all three industries are suffering from low prices, looming deficits in the Cowboy State are raising an old question: Is it time to diversify the economy beyond fossil fuels? Theyve chosen to support the coal industry whether it makes any sense or not. I mean, were basically a coal colony, said Bob LeResche, chairman of the Powder River Basin Resource Council landowners group. Some of the coal industrys top players have filed for bankruptcy as utilities switch to cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas and the cost of renewable energy keeps falling. The Obama administration on Friday suspended new leases for coal on federal lands, most of which occur in Wyoming and neighboring Montana. Wyoming regulators recently agreed to let an Australian company pollute groundwater to experiment with a use for coal that doesnt involve burning it in a power plant. Underground coal gasification involves partially burning coal still in the ground. The process yields a mix of gases called syngas, which can be burned more cleanly than coal directly. An Australian company, Linc Energy, has proposed a demonstration plant in the Powder River Basin. Regulators in Queensland, Australia, accuse Linc of causing serious environmental harm at underground coal gasification projects there. Six years ago, the University of Wyomings Carbon Management Institute began investigating whether a 25-square-mile area in southwest Wyoming could trap carbon dioxide emitted from power plants known as carbon sequestration. The institute spent $17 million of taxpayer money drilling a 12,000-foot-deep well in 2011. But it stopped because researchers realized it would cost as much as $750 million to acquire enough carbon dioxide to complete the experiment. Turning coal into diesel, gasoline and other liquid fuels isnt a new idea, and a company proposed it in Wyoming as oil prices began to creep toward record highs in 2007. The $2 billion DKRW Advanced Fuels plant outside Medicine Bow never got off the drawing board except for a couple of concrete pads and $1.9 million in state funding to rebuild roads for the project. Low global oil prices now threaten to shut down the project completely. Public transit commuters, when was the last time you went a week without complaining about BART, Muni, Caltrain or whatever taxpayer-subsidized people-mover gets you to work? Well apparently all that griping isn't making you or the guy manspreading next to you hop off the bus and battle traffic. Fivethirtyeight, a data journalism website known for picking political winners by compiling polls, combed through the National Transit Database to find the most heavily used public transit systems in the United States. As you might imagine, the numbers reveal that Bay Area riders have been busting out that Clipper Card a lot. New Delhi: India is lifting a five-decade-old ban on a type of lentil that has been linked to nerve damage and paralysis, in a desperate attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cut legume imports and make the nation self sufficient in the edible seeds. Hit by back-to-back droughts for the first time in over three decades, Indias lentil output has fallen and prices have nearly doubled. Now the government has cleared three varieties of the khesari lentil, that can grow in dry or wet conditions. But the Opposition Congress, which is trying to pressure Modi over continuing rural hardship, said the government was playing with the health of unsuspecting Indians by allowing the cultivation of khesari. The varieties developed by scientists, however, contain a lesser amount of a neurotoxin that can damage nerve tissues and weaken the legs of both humans and animals than previous varieties, said Narendra Pratap Singh, director of the state-run Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR). The government thou-ght if in a reasonable quantity it can be consumed then why not allow it, particularly when theres a crisis and were importing pulses, said Singh. Despite the ban placed on the lentil in 1961, khesari is still eaten in eastern India and neighbouring Bangladesh, mainly as a cheap source of protein for millions of poor people. This is how the Modi government is tackling price rise - by lifting (the) ban on a pulse thats medically proven to cause paralysis, Congress spokesman R.P.N. Singh said on Twitter. The three varieties now allowed have been ready for the last 10 years and various experiments on animals have shown there are no adverse long-term effects if consumption is in reasonable quantity, IIPRs Singh said. Every year Indians consume about 22 million tonnes of lentils used to make a thick stew called dal, commonly taken with rice or flat bread across South Asia. About a fifth of the volume is imported from countries like Canada, Australia and Myanmar, which grow the legumes mainly to sell to India. Modi wants India to be self sufficient in lentils and last month approved a scheme to encourage greater cultivation of the legumes. Higher incentives for water-intensive crops like wheat and rice have made India a big grains producer at the cost of other key crops like lentils and oilseeds. CRAIG LEE Water rescue crews are searching for two people who fell from a cliff into the ocean Monday evening at Bonny Doon outside Santa Cruz, according to firefighters. Cal Fire announced via Twitter at 5:42 p.m. that firefighters were at the scene of a water rescue at Bonny Doon, near Santa Cruz in unincorporated Santa Cruz County. Although the vast majority of students who attend community colleges say their intent is to earn a bachelors degree, in Connecticut only 10 percent reach that goal. Nationally, the average is 14 percent. Connecticut ranked 30th out of 43 states in a new study measuring states effectiveness at helping community college students attain four-year degrees. The study was released Tuesday by the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, This research tells Connecticut that far too many community c ollege students are failing to meet their higher education goals, said Davis Jenkins, a senior research associate at the center. More Information How Connecticut measures up Community college to four-year college transfer and bachelor's degree attainment. Indicator Ranking among states % of students transferring from community college to four-year schools 28th % of transfer students who earn an associate's dgree before transferring 15th % of transfer students who earn a bachelor's degree within six years 15th % of students from lower-income families who transfer and earn a bachelor's degree in six years 40th See More Collapse As the cost of higher education soars and the role of the less-expensive community colleges takes front stage in presidential debates, the success rate of community college graduates takes on a new urgency. Connecticut has a huge opportunity to keep improving, said K.C. Deane, a program manager at the Aspen Institute, a co-sponsor of the report. This not something that is going to go anywhere, Deane said. We have students and families hugely concerned about the cost of college and they will continue to start at the community college. On Monday, Estela Lopez, interim provost for the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education which oversees the states 12 community colleges, said better transfer and articulation agreements is something the system is constantly striving to improve. The system is also discussing some sort of financial incentive to help sstudents complete (their studies), Lopez said. We are aware that for lower income students financial incentives may be a critical component that aids completion. Not just about money Culling data from the National Student Clearinghouse, the new Teachers College report ranks 43 states seven did not have enough available data to be included and looked at the records of more than 720,000 degree-seeking students who entered higher education for the first time through a community college in 2007. The study compared outcomes six years later. The report found in most but not all states lower-income students were less likely than higher income peers to earn a four-year degree. But income wasnt the only factor. The income gap in the rate of degrees awarded was small to non-existent in Florida, Iowa, North Dakota, and New Hampshire. The report also found that students who transferred to public four-year colleges or highly selective private four year colleges performed better than those at non-selective private colleges. The best-performing states were Washington and Iowa. Nearly half 49 percent of their students who transferred into a four-year school got the bachelors degree they sought. Following close behind were Illinois, California, New Jersey and Florida. Deane said data also suggest that success takes more than a transfer agreement between community colleges and four-year institutions. They are part of the equation, Deane said. Colleges also need to help students understand what courses and competencies they need to learn to achieve the degree they are seeking. Institutions, she added, need to think of student outcomes beyond their walls. It has to be about more than just completion of their associates degree and a successful transfer, Deane, said. Guaranteed transfer credits Connecticut, in recent years, has tried to strengthen the agreements between its community colleges and four-year institutions with varied success. Last May, John Mullane, a student success counselor at Gateway Community College in New Haven, completed a study showing just how many Connecticut community college credits were rejected by the University of Connecticut.. Mullane said t he average loss is 12 credits, or a semesters worth of classes. Retaking the rejected courses delays graduation and costs millions of dollars in extra tuition. Added together, the lost credits from 479 community college students who transferred to UConn in 2013-14 translated to about $3 million in extra tuition and fees. Mullane has said he would like to see a state law mandating transfer agreements between the states 12 community colleges and all public four-year institutions in the state. There is a difference between having a law and enforcing it, Mullane said on Tuesday. The reason states like Florida do so well, he added, is that there is a guarantee that community college credits will transfer. In 2012, a law was passed in Connecticut requiring the development of a list of at least 30 general education course credits that could automatically be transferred among public higher education institutions. UConn was excluded and that list has still not been developed, Mullane said. Bengaluru: Home Minister G. Parameshwar is likely to keep the states promise of releasing around 400 convicts on this Republic Day. The convicts, who are being considered for premature release, have been vetted by the advisory committees constituted by the Prison Department and fulfill the criteria laid down by the Supreme Court. According to sources, the Prison Department has submitted to the government the file of around 400 convicts, who can be considered for premature release and have spent minimum prison sentence of 14 years with or without remission. The file is now with the Home Department, which will seek legal opinion and evaluate the recommendations made by the Prison Department before placing it before the cabinet for approval. If the cabinet approves, the file will be sent to the governor for his assent, said an official source in the Home Department. The Prison Department has thrice scrutinised every case file before submitting it to the government, the officer said. Dr Parameshwar, during his impromptu visit to the Bengaluru Central Prison at Parapanna Agrahara on January 1 to greet the staff and inmates on New Year, had assured the convicts that the government will release some more convicts prematurely on January 26 subject to conditions, which have been specified by the apex court and the approval of the governor. The state had released 252 convicts on September 17 last year after careful scrutiny. Of them 147 convicts were released from the Bengaluru Central Prison. In 2006, the then coalition government led by Chief Minister and Janata Dal (S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy had released 309 convicts from the state prisons on the occasion of Karnatakas 50th anniversary. This was the first time convicts were released en masse prematurely in the state. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Tuesday-morning rainstorm flooded streets and small streams around the Bay Area as drivers took to the regions roadways for the morning commute. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory and hazardous weather outlook from the North Bay south to Monterey, and east into the Central Valley. The flood warning was in effect until 9:45 a.m., when Tuesdays moderate-to-heavy rain will then turn to scattered showers before easing up in the afternoon. Just after 11 a.m., multiple live power lines came down on Panoramic Way in Berkeley, causing officials to shut down the road and advise residents in the area to shelter in place. The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. sent crews to the scene, but it was unclear when electricity in the area would be restored. Police lifted the shelter-in-place advisory just after 1 p.m., but the road remained closed. For the second day in a row, a rock slide closed both directions Niles Canyon Road in Fremont, police said. Caltrans workers cleared the roadway, and it was reopened at 11:50 a.m. The early-morning downpour was making for a dicey commute and water was pooling on many of the Bay Areas most busy freeways. Southbound lanes of Interstate 280 near the John Daly Boulevard off-ramp in Daly City was experiencing major flooding, according to the California Highway Patrol. The fast lane at the confluence of eastbound Interstate 80 and Highway 101 was also completely flooded. Several roads in the East Bay and North Bay were taking on water. There was a big flood at the Broadway off-ramp on northbound Interstate 880, while in Napa, many of the common flood spots on Highway 101 like the Highway 1 off-ramp were taking on water. The CHP reported dozens of crashes due to spin outs and other hazards as Bay Area drivers took to the highways. By the late afternoon and early evening, scattered showers will dry out through Thursday. But on Thursday night, more rain is expected to move through possibly becoming heavy at times of Friday. The rainstorm was delaying some arriving flights at San Francisco International Airport. Arriving flights were backed up an average of nearly two hours. Those delays will likely affect some departing flights. Up in the Sierra, heavy snow was falling at higher elevations while rain was coming down below 5,500 feet, forecasters said. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEWTOWN As the National Shooting Sports Foundation prepared Monday to kick off the nations largest gun show in Las Vegas, its Newtown headquarters became the stage for an anti-gun rally and a counterprotest by gun-rights supporters. The Newtown Action Alliance called the afternoon demonstration to rally against the trade groups irresponsible marketing and lobbying efforts and to support President Barack Obamas executive actions on gun control. We want Newtown to be remembered as a place where a tragedy was transformed into action to end gun violence, said Po Murray, the alliances chairwoman. The protest comes a day before the NSSF opens its annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, known as the SHOT Show, which is set to run from Tuesday to Friday in Las Vegas. The event is the countrys largest exposition of firearms, ammunition, outdoor apparel, cutlery and related products, and is expected to draw tens of thousands of industry professionals. In a statement, the NSSF said the show is open only to members of the shooting, hunting and outdoor trade. This is a business-to-business show, according to the statement. The public cannot buy a firearm there. Many programs and services exhibited at the show are related to the safety of the public and of our industrys customers. Also rallying outside the NSSF headquarters were members of the Connecticut Against Gun Violence, the Enough Campaign, the Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence and the Southwestern Connecticut chapter of the Brady Campaign. Before those groups arrived, dozens of gun-rights supporters had already gathered at the site with pro-gun signs. Were here defending the Second Amendment, said Sandy Hook resident Brian Solt. Solt said the anti-gun protests are emotionally charged and do not represent the opinion of all Newtown residents. These people dont speak for me, he said. Despite the strong opinions on both sides, the rallies were peaceful. The biggest problem was the cold weather, since temperatures were in the lower 20s. Murray, who gave a brief speech to her supporters at the end of the rally, said the NSSF interferes with efforts to expand gun-control legislation. They market guns to children, they market guns of mass destruction and they have doubled down on their lobbying efforts since the Sandy Hook tragedy, she said. The trade group spent more than $2.9 million on lobbying from January to November last year, about $135,000 more than the National Rifle Association did in the same period, according to the Center for Responsive Politics opensecrets.org website. NSSFs lobbying budget in 2012 the year of the Sandy Hook shootings was $810,000. In its statement, the foundation said the anti-gun groups gathered outside its office are engaged in a media relations campaign to falsely demonize Americas firearms industry. Ours is a responsible, regulated industry, and the fact is we are the gun-safety experts in the true meaning of that phrase and are proud of our many successful firearms safety initiatives, the statement read. The NSSF noted that its Project ChildSafe and the firearms industry have distributed more than 100 million free firearms-safety kits and gun locks to more than 15,000 communities nationwide, and that any community can request free gun locks through the projects website. Mary Ann Jacob, a library clerk at the Sandy Hook school and chairwoman of the Newtown Legislative Council, said the trade groups gun-safety efforts do not go far enough. They promote gun-safety locks, which is great, but how about technology that allows us to make sure that guns cant get in the hands of children? she said. Jacob, who was standing with the gun-control group, said the goal is not to take guns away, but to ensure firearms dont end up in the wrong hands. We all believe that most people can agree on some common-sense gun measures, and one of them is background checks for every single gun purchase, she said. The night before the rally, gun control became a central issue in the Democratic presidential campaign in South Carolina and broadcast by NBC, candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders engaged in a contentious exchange over who is tougher on gun laws. Clinton rapped the Vermont senator for voting repeatedly with the National Rifle Association while Sanders said Clintons assertions were very disingenuous and pointed to his lifetime rating of a D- from the NRA. Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a direct attack on the states ruling Congress, holding it responsible for the lack of development in the northeastern states. Mr Modi, who addressed two mammoth public rallies at Kokrajhar and Guwahati, said, Assam, which has given a Prime Minister to the nation for 10 years, should have been in the front line of development, but it is still drowned in problems. Pointing out that those who couldnt do anything in the last 15 years now expected him to do everything in just 15 months, Mr Modi said, None of the promises made to the people of Assam for 12-13 years have been fulfilled. It has become a fashion not to give an account of your own work, but (they) want me to give an account of development in merely 15 months of my government. He began his address in Kokrajhar by apologising for the delay in reaching there from Gangtok, Sikkims capital. Sorry to keep you waiting, but I havent been late enough for you to be deprived of development and your rights, he said. The Prime Minister said his visit to Kokrajhar, headquarters of Bodoland Territorial council (BTC), was inspired by the renewal of the BJPs friendship with Bodoland Peoples Front. ST status for Bodo-kachari in hills, Karbis in plains Guwahati: The BPF has been an ally of the NDA since the BTC was set up in 2003, but it befriended the Congress to rule Assam together from 2006 to 2014. BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary and other leaders came to my house a few days ago and they poured their hearts out seeking a development package. We will show we have a big heart in providing what you deserve, just as you have a big heart in taking us along, the PM said, but contrary to claims by BPF leaders, did not announce any package for Bodoland Territorial Council. Mr Modi also took a dig at Assam CM Tarun Gogoi for lampooning him with a series of posters. A person who should have been explaining his failures during 15 years of rule is asking for the account of our development in the past 15 months, he said. In a significant announcement, the PM said his government had decided to grant Cabinet approval to ST status for Bodo-Kachari in the hills and Karbis in the plains areas soon. Saying his government was committed to accelerating the pace of development across the whole of eastern India, including Assam, Mr Modi said the department of Northeast affairs (DONeR) had been asked to monitor the speedy implementation of all development schemes in the northeastern states. The entire secretariat of the Northeast ministry will move to the region and review the progress of work with the state government, Mr Modi said. He then reiterated: Our focus is on Act East, to integrate this region in the development journey. And to ensure development, we are building roads, railways and waterways. Hyderabad: Discrimination is prevalent against Dalit students, albeit in a covert way, on the HCU campus. So much so, several Dalit students say its difficult for them to get a PhD guide even as they work hard and manage to get the prestigious UGC JRF. Dalit students say they also face discrimination from their peer group. Many upper caste students look down upon the students belonging to backward castes and keep them off their social circles. Students say an undeclared social boycott on Dalit students is practised by several faculty members and even batch-mates. Here, unlike in villages, this discrimination has an urban dynamics. Nobody would openly ask, Which caste do you belong to? or say, You are a Dalit, so do not touch our belongings. But, as soon as we join the university, some teachers and students would try to find out our caste. They would ask us where we are from, whether we eat non-vegetarian, what is our surname etc, said Dasari Haribabu, a PhD scholar from the School of Social Science. Haribabu says untouchability is secretly practised even among the batch-mates. For example, if a Dalit student gets into a hostel room, its quite possible that his upper caste roommate becomes hesitant to share the room". "Many conservative students do not share food with Dalit students. I have faced this and my friends have faced this, he said. MK Premkumar, a PhD scholar in the School of Social Science had to wait for two years to get an apt guide for his research. I qualified for JRF in my first attempt, and as per the system, I should be able to get a PhD guide. However, when I joined, no professor took me in and I was compelled to go to a professor who does not specialise in my subject. After waiting for two years, now I got a proper guide. Many Dalit scholars face these kinds of hurdles, he said Another MPhil student who did not want to be named had to wait three years to submit his thesis as, he says, his guide did not accept his final draft. Normally, in one and a half years, MPhil students can submit their thesis. Since I belong to a lower caste, my guide was deliberately delaying my submission, he alleged. Most Dalit scholars say they cannot fight or file a complaint against their guides and fellow students. Most of the victims are poor and have no support from others to stand and fight against these discriminations, said a PhD student from Sociology. Berlin: A group of conservative lawmakers urged Angela Merkel to reverse her open-door refugee policy as a poll showed a slide in support for her bloc on Tuesday, raising the stakes for a German chancellor exposed by deep rifts in her right-left coalition. With three closely watched regional elections looming in March, Merkel is facing the toughest spell of her 10-year chancellorship over her handling of the refugee crisis. Conservative allies in Bavaria, the entry point for most migrants, are regularly breaking ranks and criticism is also mounting from her Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners. Some media have even started to speculate about Merkel's future. An INSA poll in Tuesday's top-selling Bild newspaper showed support for Merkel's conservative bloc down 2.5 percentage points at 32.5 percent, its lowest since the 2013 election. It also put the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which campaigns against refugees, up 1 point at 12.5 percent. The AfD has gained from worries about migrants, exacerbated by sexual attacks on women in Cologne and other cities at New Year, blamed largely on asylum seekers and is likely to make big gains in elections in three states in March. "There's a clear trend against conservatives in Germany. Time is short to turn this sentiment round before the regional votes in March," INSA chief Hermann Binkert told Bild. Merkel's insistence that Germany will cope with the influx of 1.1 million migrants last year and more this year, has angered local authorities struggling to house people, many fleeing war zones in Syria and other Middle East countries. Pressure is mounting on her to shut the borders five months after Germany opened its doors to asylum seekers from Syria, effectively suspending EU rules. In a letter to Merkel, 44 conservatives - many from her own Christian Democrats (CDU) as well as Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) - urged Merkel to change course. "We are facing excessive demands on our country. We believe a change is urgently needed in current migration practice ... by a return to the strict use of existing law," states the letter. One of the initiators of the letter told Reuters a total of about 100 conservative lawmakers backed it. It comes after Germany's transport minister urged Merkel on Monday to prepare to close Germany's borders to stem the influx, a highly unusual move for a cabinet member. The letter is just the latest headache for Merkel. The CSU wants a cap on migrants and some members are talking about taking the government to the Constitutional Court. Helpless The Social Democrats (SPD), at odds with conservatives on planned new rules on migrants, are also stepping up criticism. "It is not on if Mrs Merkel lets herself be cheered for inviting over one million refugees ... while her CDU bows out of responsibility for long-term integration," SPD Chairman Sigmar Gabriel said this week in an unusual dig at his boss. Conservatives fear Merkel's attempts to persuade other EU countries to take in quotas of refugees, push for reception centres to be built on Europe's external borders and pay Turkey to keep refugees from entering the bloc are not working. There are signs that Merkel, traditionally known for her pragmatic approach, is hearing at least some of the criticism but she has remained firm in resisting a cap. Chennai: Researchers are in the process of developing a bio-wearable device containing an app that monitors the functioning of enzymes, pulse rate, BP, blood sugar and a host of other functions, thereby avoiding a battery of tests to gauge the condition of the patients. Its promoter, an NRI, Harish Paligummi, founder and managing partner of Liminno, Pittsburgh, has come scouting for hospitals in Chennai that could test this innovative app. This will emerge as an ultimate tool in empowering doctors to decide when a medical intervention is required or the mode of treatment. For instance, if a sportsperson wears this, a doctor monitoring him remotely will be able to accurately determine if the person is about to collapse. This will help facilitate prompt treatment, Paligummi said. Speaking to this correspondent during his visit to the city, he said the device would help prevent possible damage to the system due to delayed diagnosis and prolong the life. We have developed software for this unique invention which we hope to market in a big way soon. Currently, we are exploring possibilities of a tie-up with hospitals in India to test this bio-wearable device on patients and gauge the results, he said. The app collects the required data from the person, who need not always be sick, and transmits it to the system of the physician. The prototype was made about six months ago and after the successful clinical trials it will be commercialised. My focus is to tackle and solve some of the leading issues that plague mankind, while developing a more sustainable world for the future generations through collaborative creativity and imagination. Perhaps, this invention could even help predict the onset of diseases in humans, Paligummi said. We have an app to track the blood glucose data of diabetics sparing them of frequent needle pricks. This will enable diabetologists to analyse the levels at various stages and find out when and why the blood sugar level shoots up, said Dr Vijayakumar, diabetologist. Jason Rezaian, his wife Yeganeh Salehi, his mother Mary Rezaian, and brother Ali Rezaian pose for a photo at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center near the Ramstein Air Base in Landstuhl, Germany. (Photo: AP) Tehran: Iranian authorities "continued to manipulate" Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian until the moment he was released with four other Americans in a prisoner swap over the weekend, his brother said on Monday. A deal had been negotiated between Washington and Tehran for the swap but at the last minute, Iranian authorities tried to stop the Iranian-American journalist's wife, Yeganeh Salehi, from leaving with him, Ali Rezaian told CNN. "The Iranians, as they have done all along, continued to manipulate them, continued to try and mess with them and prevented Yeggie for leaving for some period of time," Ali Rezaian told CNN in an interview from outside a US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. "The US stuck to its guns, they had said Yeggie had to come along with Jason and they got her out," Ali Rezaian said. US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that a delay in the departure of the plane taking some of the detainees from Iran was partly due to a "temporary misunderstanding" about whether Rezaian's mother, Mary, and his wife, who is also a journalist, were on the plane, as had been agreed. They were later confirmed as being on the plane. Rezaian and two other Iranian-Americans arrived on Sunday in Landstuhl where they were undergoing medical evaluations. The prisoner swap followed the lifting of most international sanctions against Iran under a deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program. Ali Rezaian said his brother had recounted to him some aspects of the 545 days he was held in Iranian custody after being accused of espionage. He said Iranian authorities grilled him about fellow journalists who cover the country. "We talked about a couple of things some folks here, Iranian folks people that cover Iran. The only thing he said was, 'I was interrogated about them,'" Ali Rezaian told CNN. Washington Post editors flew to Germany to meet with Rezaian, 39, who appeared in a photograph on the newspaper's website wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and jeans and said he was feeling fine. Lately, Mollywood does not seem to be shying away from spending lavishly on songs or climax scenes. The climax of Dileep-starrer 'King Liar', which will see the return of the director duo Siddique- Lal after over two decades, was shot at a budget of Rs 2 crore. Confirming this, a source says, It was shot in Kochi over eight days and had around 200 foreigners roped in from Bengaluru, Goa and Mumbai for a crowd scene. Miss India World Natasha Surie, who plays a model, will be debuting in Malayalam through this film, which also features many international models from Delhi. Premam-fame Madonna Sebastian plays the female lead in the Easter-Vishu release movie. The film has wrapped up its Kerala shoot and is heading to Dubai. A crew of 54 is leaving for the Dubai schedule. We have got permission to shoot in the Emirates vice-presidents office, which is a very rare honour, because nobody has been allowed to shoot there before. The entire cast is there and we will be shooting in other iconic places as well," the source says. Produced by Ousepachan Valakuzhy, the film also stars Lal, Joy Mathew, Asha Sharath, Harish and Balachandran Chullikkad. 'King Liar' will be Dileeps upcoming release after the successful 'Two Countries', which is raking in the moolah. The film is produced under the banner of Ousepachan Movie House and the locations are Alappuzha, Kochi and Dubai. The dialogues are written by Bipin Chandran, the screenwriter of Paavada. Jeb Bush must be watching the Democratic primary with unadulterated envy. The Democratic debates have been comparatively civil and conveniently scheduled to reduce viewership and impact. Bush has to contend with Donald Trump and Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida. The establishment Democrat, Hillary Clinton, has only one serious challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. She doesnt have to calculate which rival or rivals to attack. In a small field, the more seasoned candidate has the advantage. And even though Clinton showed a more realistic understanding of what is doable in Washington during Sundays NBC Democratic debate, the former first lady and former secretary of state is fighting to prevail in Iowa and New Hampshire. Sanders is not Trump, but he is as angry as The Donald. The Vermonters first scalp would be a corrupt campaign finance system. Sanders proposes a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United Supreme Court rulings, you see, are sacrosanct only when they uphold Obamacare. Sanders wants to get rid of private health insurance. During the debate, Clinton deftly reminded him that even when the Democrats were in charge of Congress, we couldnt get the votes for a public option. Moderator Andrea Mitchell reminded Sanders that his own state recently abandoned its plan for single-payer health care because it threatened to bust the state budget. Sanders blamed Vermonts Democratic governor for not getting it done. Like Trump, Sanders says he can do what mere politicians cannot. Sanders endorses a minimum wage of at least $15 an hour. (Clinton supports a $12 federal minimum wage.) Thats more than double the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Does the Democratic base worry about how such an increase might freeze job creation? Apparently not. On the issue of guns, Sanders had inhabited the center. In 2005, he supported legislation that limited legal liability for gun manufacturers. He explained to CNNs Jake Tapper, If somebody has a gun and it falls into the hands of a murderer and the murderer kills somebody with a gun, do you hold the gun manufacturer responsible? Not any more than you would hold a hammer company responsible if somebody beats somebody over the head with a hammer. After Clinton hammered Sanders on the issue, however, he announced his support for a measure to make it easier to sue gunmakers. Political pundits talk about how the GOP has moved to the far right. Sundays debate showed a Democratic party that has moved to the far left. Sanders wants to eliminate tuition at public universities. (Clinton countered with a pledge of debt-free tuition at public colleges.) All that free health care and higher education is going to cost a fortune. No worries. Sanders wants to deliver a political revolution. Sanders has tapped into the lefts anger at Wall Street. Clinton cannot separate herself from the big banks. Youve received over $600,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs in one year, Sanders scolded Clinton. Sanders angry rants would hurt him in an average election cycle. But in 2016, anger is in vogue. IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHWEST COLOMBIA The rebel leader known as Juan Pablo carries with him a new telescopic assault rifle and a heavy heart. As a commander of the 36th Front of the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, one of the most active units in a half-century of bloodshed, the paunch-bellied warrior has spent 25 years plotting ambushes and assembling land mines but has never been to the movies, driven a car or eaten in a restaurant. Now peace is within reach as talks between the guerrillas and the government near conclusion in Cuba, and for the first time the 41-year-old is thinking about a future outside this jungle hideout. His dream: to return to the poor village he left as a teenager and run for mayor. But transition to civilian life will come without his girlfriend and comrade-in-arms who was killed six months ago in an army raid, underscoring the toll still being exacted by Latin Americas last major guerrilla conflict even as it winds down. This war is going to end without victors or vanquished but lots of suffering on both sides, said Juan Pablo, the soft-smiling son of a street vendor. Its false to say we arrived defeated to the negotiating table. They dealt us some heavy blows, of course, but 51 years of war against an enemy backed by the most powerful army in the world (the U.S. army) has not made us cower, because the injustices that led us to take up arms are still occurring. That mixture of pride and trepidation about the future is common among the FARCs roughly 7,000 fighters, many of whom, like Juan Pablo, come from poor rural upbringings and struggle to imagine life outside the highly regimented ranks of the guerrillas. The Associated Press made a rare, three-day visit to a secret FARC camp in Antioquia state in early January to see how the regions oldest leftist insurgency is preparing for a peace that looks more tantalizingly close than ever. AP journalists were directed to a remote meeting point and then escorted on an hours-long trek to the jungle site. The FARC insisted that the camps location not be revealed to protect the lives of its fighters. Decades of fighting between guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and the armed forces has, according to government figures, left a toll of more than 220,000 dead, some 40,000 disappeared and over 5 million driven from their homes the largest displaced population of any country after Syria. But after President Juan Manuel Santos traveled to Cuba in September and shook the hand of the FARCs top commander, both sides feel confident enough to predict a final deal as early as March. This generation of FARC guerrillas would be the first to abandon its stated aim of overthrowing the government and instead fight for their ideals at the ballot box. Thanks to a unilateral FARC cease-fire, it has been months since gunshots rang out in this remote corner of the Andes where the rebels share the dense forest with venomous snakes, 20 kinds of exotic frogs and South Americas only bear species. Still, the rebels show no sign of letting down their guard after a decade-old government offensive that more than halved their troop strength. Their wariness highlights one of the thorniest issues that negotiators must still work out: How and under whose auspices the FARC will demobilize, when experience has taught the rebels that politics can be just as perilous as war. 1 Syria fighting: Islamic State militants killed dozens of people Saturday, most of them pro-government militiamen, in wide-scale attacks on government-held areas of the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, opposition activists said. The opposition activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 135 people were killed, at least 80 of them soldiers and pro-government militiamen and the rest civilians, in the attacks which saw the group make significant advances in the contested city. The Islamic State group controls most of the province and provincial capital with the same name. The Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which is close to the Syrian government, reported a massacre and said militants killed 280 people. Neither of the conflicting reports could be confirmed. 2 American slain: An Italian judge on Saturday upheld the arrest of a Senegalese man jailed in the slaying of an American woman, the suspects lawyer said. The judge questioned Cheik Tidiane Diaw, suspected of killing Ashley Olsen, at a closed-door hearing in Florence to determine if he should stay in jail. The lawyer, Antonio Voce, said Judge Matteo Zanobini ruled that Diaw should remain behind bars. While prosecutors have accused Diaw of aggravated homicide, no formal charges have been lodged. Olsen, 35, originally from Florida, was found dead in her Florence apartment on Jan. 9. According to the lawyer, Diaw denies killing Olsen. issouf Sanogo/AFP / Getty Images A family of Canadian volunteers dedicated to alleviating poverty in Africa. A group of intrepid German retirees on a tour of Turkey and the Middle East. An Iraqi who had gone to Baghdad seeking refuge from the jihadist violence of his hometown. A Canadian audiologist who had fallen in love with Indonesia. They were among the scores of people slaughtered by Islamic extremists in four countries last week in spasms of bloodshed that left loved ones stunned at the randomness of the killings. PPP insiders said Zardari reached New York two days ago, where he will soon be joined by his son Bilawal Bhutto. (Photo: AFP) Islamabad: Former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is in the United States to hold meetings with top US officials over the alleged discriminatory attitude of the government towards him and his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), sources said. According to sources, Zardari is in New York, after which he will go to Washington to hold meetings with senior US officials. PPP insiders said Zardari reached New York two days ago, where he will soon be joined by his son Bilawal Bhutto and senior PPP leader Sherry Rehman. The PPP leadership is preparing for its meetings with senior US officials in Washington in next 48 hours, said a party leader. He said Zardari had arrived in US with certain complaints against the Pakistani establishment and the way his party-led government in Sindh is being treated back home. Earlier, Bilawal Bhutto said the return of the internally displaced persons of tribal areas to their homes was critical to the development and mainstreaming of tribal areas and deplored the governments neglect of this issue as a crime against the people of tribal areas. It is scandalous that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) are still rotting in camps despite tall claims that more than 90 % of the tribal areas have been cleared of the militants and extremists, he said while addressing the office bearers and workers of PPP from the tribal areas here last night. Bilawal Bhutto also called upon the provincial and central chapters, the parliamentarians and senior leadership of the party to expose the governments apathy towards the plight of the tribal people and force it to resettle and rehabilitate the IDPs. Bilawal Bhutto deplored that the government had done nothing for reforms in the tribal areas even though their mainstreaming was also a central plank of the National action Plan (NAP). He said the Asif Ali Zardari had also addressed recently a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on this subject but the letter has not even been acknowledged. He said that according to the constitution tribal areas were part of Pakistan. However, its people were denied basic rights as guaranteed to the people of other parts of the country as the superior courts had no jurisdiction in the tribal areas. GENEVA Nearly 19,000 Iraqi civilians have died and more than 3 million have fled their homes over a 22-month period marked by a staggering level of violence, the United Nations said Tuesday, in a report that starkly demonstrated why huge numbers of Iraqis are seeking refuge in Europe. Fighting between the Islamic State, Iraqi security forces and pro-government militias from the start of 2014 to the end of October 2015 left at least 18,802 civilians dead, the U.N. mission in Iraq said in a report compiled jointly with the organizations human rights office in Geneva. Nearly double that number of civilians has been wounded in the fighting, the report said, adding that officials had emphasized that the casualty estimates were a minimum. Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq, the U.N.human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, said in a statement, which noted that countless others had died from the lack of access to food, water and medical care. The United Nations said systematic and widespread atrocities committed by the Islamic State could amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Among many grim public spectacles the United Nations documented was an episode in July in which Islamic State forces drove a bulldozer over people forced to lie in a street in the northern city of Mosul. The Islamic State has also posted a video showing men being killed in various ways: after being placed in a car that was then hit with a rocket-propelled grenade; drowned in a cage lowered into water; and decapitated with explosives. About 3,500 people, mainly women and children and mostly from Iraqs Yazidi minority, were still held as slaves by the Islamic State, with some of the women sold as sex slaves, according to the report. In Mosul, the group reportedly killed 19 women who had refused to have sex with its fighters, the United Nations said. Islamic State units have abducted hundreds of children around Mosul, forcing those older than 10 to undergo military training, the report said. In one area, the Islamic State used child soldiers to kill 15 of its fighters accused of losing battles, and it killed 18 youths under the age of 18 for deserting the front line. [Content note: erasure of trans and bi people.] Welp, looks like the Bernie Sanders Campaign has decided to join its stans in some epic obnoxious behavior. The Human Rights Campaign announced today that it was endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, and the geniuses running Sanders' campaign decided that attacking the HRC as corrupt and uninformed would be a wonderful way to win support: Its understandable and consistent with the establishment organizations voting for the establishment candidate, but its an endorsement that cannot possibly be based on the facts and the record, said Sanders campaign spokesperson Michael Briggs. ...So who knows what prompted the Human Rights Campaign to do what it does I have trouble myself figuring why they do some of the things they do over the years but I think the gay men and lesbians all over the country will know who has been their champion for a long, long time and will consider that as they make up their mind on support for his campaign, Briggs said. Asked whether he meant to include bisexual and transgender people in his description of gay men and lesbians, Briggs said that was correct and he meant LGBTQ people all over the country. Yes, there is definitely nothing like completely erasing people to make them confident you are an ardent supporter of their rights! I always feel confident that when people forget about my existence entirely, they are truly my "champion!" (Disclosure: I actually do not feel they are my champions, in any way.) Look, there's a lot to criticize about the Human Rights Campaign. It's too often been focused on the interests of well off, healthy, white gay men, and neglected the needs of many queer folk, such as those with HIV, minority and working class lesbians, and trans people in general. (And that's not a comprehensive list.) That said, they have also been a very visible advocacy group for marriage equality in particular. There's value to that. It's a mixed record. But, hey, you know who else has a mixed record on issues of importance to LGBTQUIA folks? Bernie Sanders. Yes, he authorized gay pride observations and parades as Mayor of Burlington. He also signed nondiscrimination legislation, but did not originate it, explaining that gay rights were not a priority for him. Yes, he voted against DOMA and DADT, and those were courageous stances for which he deserves much credit. He also very cautiously and conspicuously refused in 2000 to give an opinion about Vermont's civil unions legislation until after the matter was settled. (By contrast, the governor, Vermont's Senators, and both Democrats running against Vermont's Republican Senators all gave support one way or another--the two Democratic Senatorial candidates, Ed Flanagan and Jan Backus, came out explicitly in favor of marriage rather than civil union.) So, frankly, this is a fucking lie: Recalling Sanders support for civil unions in Vermont when it became the first state to enact them in 2000, Briggs said Sanders was a pioneer on this early version of gay marriage, and has by far the most exemplary record on gay rights of any candidate ever in American history. Tell it to somebody who hasn't been paying attention, Mr. Briggs. Here's Peter Freyne writing about Bernie for Seven Days in Vermont in January 2000: Obtaining Congressman Bernie Sanders position on the gay marriage issue was like pulling teeth...from a rhinoceros. Last month, shortly after the decision of the Amestoy Court was issued, Mr. Sanders publicly tried walking the tightrope applauding the courts decision and the cause of equal rights without supporting civil marriage for same-sex couples. This week we were no more successful getting a straight answer. All we did get was a carefully crafted non-statement statement via e-mail from Washington D.C. And Bernies statement wins him the Vermont congressional delegations Wishy-Washy Award hands down. Once more he applauds the court decision but wont go anywhere near choosing between same-sex marriage and domestic partnership. By all accounts the legislature is approaching this issue in a considered and appropriate manner and I support the current process. Supports the current process, does he? What a courageous radical! Thats as far as Ol Bernardo would go. Its an election year, yet despite the lack of a serious challenger, The Berns gut-level paranoia is acting up. Hes afraid to say something that might alienate his conservative, rebel-loving rural following out in the hills. Something that could be interpreted as Bernie Loves Queers! Whoops! And lest it be thought this was just Freyne being a jerk, here's Kevin J. Kelly on Bernie, also writing for Seven Days in Vermont, in March 2000: Sanders didnt win four terms as Burlington mayor and another five as a U.S. Congressman by alienating his core supporters...Sanders is no crusader for same-sex marriage rights, either, or other causes that some Progs take up even though a large section of the partys grassroots feels quite differently about them. In April, after the legislature had passed a civil union law, this was Sanders' statement to Freyne: "I think the legislature handled this issue with a lot of dignity," said Sanders. "I know there are a lot of very different points of view on this issue. People feel very strongly. But I think the legislators handled themselves with a great deal of dignity, and I agree with what came out of the legislature." Wow. Strong tea, if you define "tea" as "hot water with a teabag waved over it." Sorry, but that's not a "pioneer." Don't get me wrong. You know who else has a mixed record when it comes to queer issues? Hillary Clinton, who joined Sanders in publicly supporting civil unions, but not marriage, in 2000. In October of 2000, Clinton made clear in response to a question from a gay voter that she did back civil unions -- implemented in Vermont that fall. "I don't support gay marriages, but I do support extending benefits to couples, domestic partner benefits," she said, "and the kind of civil union that Vermont adopted seems to be the way to create that opportunity for people." Clinton's tea was as weak as Sanders' in 2000. He evolved on the issue faster than she did. He publicly supported marriage equality in 2009, beating Clinton by several years. (Not being a member of the Obama administration, of course, gave him a certain freedom to express views that Clinton could not even if she had shared them.) But Clinton, like Sanders, has good stuff to go alongside the bad. As a candidate in 2008, she made a commitment to gay rights at home, voicing concern for queer youth and ending inequities in tax code and immigration law that hurt same-sex couples. She also committed at that time to making global gay rights a priority in her foreign policy. As Secretary of State, she continued the fight for queer people's human rights around the world. In the state department, she enacted important changes that made a concrete different to queer people, including extending marriage benefits to diplomats in same-sex relationships, and making it possible for trans folk to have their true gender on their passports. So, to sum: the HRC, a flawed organization, took a look at two leading candidates who are both friendly towards queer rights, but who both also have flawed records in this regard. The directors of the organization decided they preferred Clinton, based on the specific criteria of answers to a questionnaire sent to all presidential candidates. In response, the Sanders campaign made some supremely bullying statements that can be summed up as: 'splaining, erasure, and outright lies, all of which is supposed to convince queer people that Sanders really really really has our backs. Welp! Speaking from this bisexual's perspective, the response actually proves something quite different: that the HRC was probably smart to give Sanders a pass. Moderator Lester Holt: Senator Sanders, just over a week ago the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus endorsed Secretary Clinton, not you. He said that choosing her over you was not a hard decision. In fact, our polling shows she's beating you more than two to one among minority voters. How can you be the nominee if you don't have that support? Senator Bernie Sanders: Well, let me talk about polling. [laughter] As Secretary Clinton well knows, when this campaign began she was 50 points ahead of me. We were all of three percentage points. Guess what? In Iowa, New Hampshire, the race is very, very close. Maybe we're ahead New Hampshire. [cheering] In terms of polling, guess what? We are running ahead of Secretary Clinton. In terms of taking on my taking on my good friend, Donald Trump, beating him by 19 points in New Hampshire, 13 points in the last national poll that we saw. To answer your question. When the African American community becomes familiar with my Congressional record and with our agenda, and with our views on the economy, and criminal justicejust as the general population has become more supportive, so will the African American community, so will the Latino community. We have the momentum, we're on a path to a victory. [Content Note: Racism.]The fourth Democratic debate was this weekend ( complete transcript ), and on an enthusiasm scale of one to ten, I was at a negative kerplillion for spending two hours listening to Bernie Sanders shouting at me, so I didn't watch it.I did, however, tune in long enough to see this mess (which Imani Gandy also discusses on TWiB episode 781):Wow. WOW.So, just to be clear, Bernie Sanders was asked by a black moderator how he will increase his appeal to voters of color, and he responded by saying that black people aren't familiar with his Congressional record and agenda, thus implying not only that black people are ignorant fools who don't know how to use Google, but that they're only supporting Clinton in larger numbers because they don't know what's best for themselves.Further, he set "the African American community" and "the Latino community" outside of the "general population," thus implicitly defining the general population as white people.Bernie Sanders has been in Congress since 1991. That's 24 years to build a record worth noticing by constituencies for whom he's been a champion. If people of color aren't familiar with Sanders' record already, well, maybe that's because Sanders hasn't distinguished himself as a reliable and vocal ally to people of color over those decades.Maybe that's why his supporters reach back to his marching with MLK in the '60s when his credentials on race are questioned.This patronizing shit isn't how a progressive coalition gets built. The dominant players in New Zealands online recruitment market say theyre not worried about losing market share following todays launch in this country of CareerOne, the number two Australian online job search company. CareerOne chief executive Ben Foote said he wants the company to become the leading trans-Tasman job search company, given job seekers and companies increasingly see Australia and New Zealand as one market. He said the companys point of difference to competitors will be firms being able to place job ads that will run on both its New Zealand and Australian websites simultaneously. The move comes as the latest Hudson report, which measures employer hiring intentions, shows intent to hire has reached a six-year high in New Zealand with 92.5 percent of employers surveyed planning to increase or maintain headcount in the first half of this year. Foote said current recruitment sites are out of step because candidates are looking for more than just a searchable jobs board, even though CareerOne still offers that as an option. CareerOne has had 40 percent growth since March, he said, after launching a monthly software-as-a-service(SaaS) model in May that allows employers to tell a story about their company and culture on a micro-site similar to a blog and to list an unlimited number of jobs. Subscriptions range from A$6,000 per month for larger corporates to A$500 for small to medium enterprises compared to A$200 for a listed job ad for 30 days. Seek, which is the dominant online recruitment site in both markets, said it was confident it would continue to lead the market in New Zealand, despite CareerOnes move across the Tasman. General manager Janet Faulding said there was nothing new in a SaaS model which both it and Trade Me already offer employers. Under its premium model, employers can also pay extra to search its databases in New Zealand and Australia for suitable candidates. Seek has also recently introduced Company Reviews, which allows employees to anonymously share and rate their views on employers, an offering that will be introduced in New Zealand within six months, Faulding said. Seek supplied Hitwise figures that show it has a 49 percent market share or 21.3 million monthly recruitment visits online in Australia compared to 3.3 million visits or 8 percent for CareerOne, which has been in that market for the past 14 years. In New Zealand, Seek claims a 36 percent market share or 2.7 million visits compared to Trade Mes 28 percent or 2.1 million. Faulding said the key metric Seek chased was placements rather than visits but she couldnt provide a figure on that for New Zealand, though the company makes 32 percent of all job placements in Australia. Trade Me head of commercial Jimmy McGee said like any good business, it was keeping an eye on competition in its sector. In saying that, were not going to lose sleep about a new player in our market, he said. Well be sticking to our goals making sure we continually improve Trade Me Jobs to provide our clients and our jobseekers the best experience we can. He said Trade Me Jobs had on average 57,000 unique users daily and 15,000 listings at any one time. CareerOne cites Neilsen metrics showing it has 1 million users monthly in Australia compared to Seek's 2.5 million while Omniture, based on different online sources, says the website has an average 1.6 million users monthly compared to Seek's 5 million. CareerOne is majority-owned by Australian private educator Acquire Learning which bought a 65 percent interest in the former loss-making site last year while existing shareholders Monster Inc and News Corp Australia retained minority stakes. It then relaunched the platform in May, shedding many of its former digital offerings and returning to its core business of job search. In Australia Acquire also uses the job search platform to sell education courses to users but Foote said there were no plans to do so on the New Zealand site given Acquire doesnt operate on this side of the Tasman. 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: Air New Zealand Limited Retail Bond Offer Books Close Spark welcomes C-band spectrum allocation AIA - 2022 Annual Meeting Chair & Chief Executive Addresses MOVE Completes Purchase of Vessel for Trans-Tasman Service Heartland to purchase Challenger Bank in Australia, and provides lending growth update October 20th Morning Report VTL - Director Resignation - Reg Barrett Infratil 2022 Sydney Investor Day Rua Bioscience Confirms First International Order AIA - Auckland Airport considers retail bond offer The NRL Auckland Nines event received a huge boost today with leading engineering and infrastructure group Downer taking over as the 2016 Nines naming rights sponsor. Duco Events said the new partnership would go a long way to ensuring next months event is a major success. Downer agreed to take over the top sponsorship role following the end of Ducos partnership with electronics retailer, Dick Smith. The multi-award winning tournament will now be known as the Downer NRL Auckland Nines and will be played on February 6th and 7th at Eden Park. Downer has a long history in both Australia and New Zealand, dating back more than a century, and is now a Top-100 company on the Australian Securities Exchange. Downer provides comprehensive services to customers in markets including transport, rail, mining, utilities, technology and communications, and engineering, construction and maintenance. Downer employs about 20,000 people and operates primarily in Australia and New Zealand but also in the Asia-Pacific region, South America and Southern Africa. Martin Snedden Duco Events Chief Executive, in announcing the sponsorship agreement, said: It is tremendous to be in a position today to announce Downer as the 2016 Nines naming rights sponsor. Being a highly respected and successful business throughout both Australia and New Zealand, they are a great fit with the Nines. Mr Snedden said a lot of hard work had occurred over the last few days to put Duco and Downer into a position to make todays announcement. The teams from both Duco and Downer have worked together quickly and co- operatively within a very tight deadline to reach agreement on how our relationship for an event which is now less than three weeks away can work, he said. The NRL, ATEED and our other Nines event partners have given Duco great support during this time. The Chief Executive of Downer, Grant Fenn, said he was thrilled with the partnership. Downer is delighted to be associated with this great event over the Waitangi weekend, he said. We have a proud history and extensive operations in both Australia and New Zealand. Its sure to be a great weekend of footy. NRL Chief Commercial Officer, Michael Brown said the Downer sponsorship was a boost for the Nines on the eve of the 2016 tournament. The Nines has already become a great way to kick off the Rugby League season so it is important to have a prestigious naming rights sponsor, he said. We are delighted that a company with a brand like Downer has come on board at short notice. It is a real vote of confidence in the Nines. Auckland Tourism Events Economic Development (ATEED) Chief Executive Brett ORiley had added his support today for the new sponsorship appointment. This is great news for the NRL Auckland Nines, and the speed with which Duco Events has secured Downer as a new naming rights sponsor for the 2016 tournament is a testament to the popularity and strength of the event, Mr ORiley said. It is also good to see another company with such a strong New Zealand history and presence, and close Trans-Tasman links, come into the Nines family of sponsors. In the space of just two years, the Nines has earned a reputation as an event where the stars turn up to play and has been a landmark event on the Auckland landscape. Benji Marshall, Kieran Foran, Josh Dugan and Daly Cherry-Evans all competed at the Nines last year, while expectation has further increased on the Warriors in 2016 following the recent signings of Issac Luke and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Kangaroos and Maroons star Billy Slater has signalled he will make his Nines debut at this years event, while Shaun Johnson is also targeting the 2016 tournament for his comeback from injury. Organisers are again predicting a bumper Eden Park crowd with tickets starting from NZ$69 still available. Downer NRL Auckland Nines Facts: 2 day tickets from $69 Children half price (most categories) All 16 NRL Clubs together in Auckland 288 + players Nearly NZ$2.6 million dollars prize money Club star players contractually guaranteed to play Family friendly At least 11 have been killed. (Photo: Google maps) Peshawar: At least 11 people were killed and 35 injured Tuesday in a bomb attack during morning rush hour on the outskirts of Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, officials said. The bomb exploded during a traffic jam in the Wazir Dhand district just outside city limits, on a road linking the Khyber tribal region and Peshawar. "We have received six dead bodies and 35 injured from the blast site in Wazir Dhand area," including a seven-year-old child, said Toheed Zulfiqar, a public relations officer at Peshawar's Hayatabad Medical Complex. Six of the injured are in serious condition, she said. A local official said the attack apparently targeted a tribal police official. "We have received reports that it was a suicide attack but we are yet to confirm this information," said Ismatullah, a Khyber tribal district administration official. He also put the death toll at six. Khyber is one of Pakistan's seven tribal districts situated next to Peshawar and bordering Afghanistan. The mountainous forest regions have for years been home to some of the world's most notorious militants linked to Al-Qaeda or the Taliban. Islamabad launched a military offensive in 2014 that has reportedly killed thousands of militants and pushed the rest over the border to Afghanistan, resulting in improved security inside Pakistan. However, militants associated with Pakistan's homegrown Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan occasionally carry out attacks from bases in Afghanistan. Colombo: Jailed former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed on Tuesday thanked the world leaders who helped secure his release for urgent surgery in Britain, after being granted temporary leave from his prison cell. Nasheed, whose conviction last March on terror-related charges has been widely criticised, left the Maldives late Monday for Sri Lanka, after a delay caused by a legal dispute with the honeymoon island nation's hardline government. The opposition leader spent his first day of freedom since his imprisonment in a top hotel in the capital Colombo and is due to fly to Britain on Wednesday. "He is making calls to world leaders to thank them for their support in getting him released," his aide, Ahmed Naseem, told AFP. "The Sri Lankan government has been extremely kind," Naseem said, referring to an internationally brokered deal to secure Nasheed's 30-day freedom. Aides said Nasheed had decided against speaking to reporters in Colombo on Tuesday, given the intense diplomacy involved in brokering the deal, and would only meet his doctors in Colombo before flying directly to London. He had been due to leave the Maldives on Sunday after the government said he could travel for urgent spinal cord surgery under the deal brokered by diplomats from India, Sri Lanka and Britain. But he refused a government request to leave a relative behind to act as a guarantor liable to prosecution if he failed to return to serve the rest of his 13-year sentence, leading to a tense back and forth over conditions. The United States, which has pressed for Nasheed's complete freedom, welcomed his temporary release and urged hardline President Abdulla Yameen to take more steps towards democracy. US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone to Nasheed on Monday night, his US lawyer said in a tweet, after his release from the high-security Maafushi prison located on a small islet near the capital Male. "Release of Nasheed is step in the right direction, urge more engagement from Government of Maldives on democracy, shared challenges," Kerry said on Twitter early Tuesday. International pressure Nasheed, 48, became the first democratically elected president of the Maldives in 2008 and served for four years before he was toppled in what he called a coup backed by the military and police. He was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism charges relating to the arrest of an allegedly corrupt judge in 2012, when he was still in power. The United Nations has said his trial was seriously flawed and he should be released and compensated for wrongful detention. But Yameen has refused to accept the UN ruling and has been resisting international pressure to release Nasheed. The government initially said Nasheed could have the procedure on the tiny archipelago, but then agreed to allow him to travel to Britain. Nasheed's opposition Maldivian Democratic Party agreed Monday to the government's amended demand for his brother to instead update authorities on Nasheed's whereabouts while abroad. The Maldivian government in a statement insisted that all legal formalities had been followed before Nasheed was allowed to leave. President Yameen is a half-brother of former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years until his defeat by Nasheed in the country's first multi-party elections in 2008. Earlier reports said that the US Congress has stalled sale of F-16 jets to Islamaba (Photo: fas.org) Islamabad: The US is committed to supply eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan despite India's efforts to block its delivery, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday. "The Barack Obama administration is committed to supply eight F-16 fighter jets despite efforts by India and former Pakistani ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani to block the delivery," Asif said. His statement comes days after reports said that the Republican-controlled US Congress has stalled sale of F-16 jets to Islamabad, amid growing anti-Pakistan sentiments on Capitol Hill over its reluctance in taking action against terrorist groups. Pakistani lawmakers in the National Assembly during a debate assailed US Congress for stalling the sale of the jet, prompting the minister to intervene. Asif did not clarify how India and Haqqani, who was Pakistan's ambassador during government of Asif Ali Zardari, were influencing the decision of US Congress. Haqqani was hated by military and was removed after memo-gate scandal, related to memo he wrote to US government against army. Pakistan has sought the F-16 jets which are backbone of its air force and are also being used for operations against the militants. The Obama administration in October said it is preparing to sell eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. Pakistan and the US have had a tenuous relationship but Islamabad has been successful to get US military hardware despite tensions and concerns about its commitment in fighting militancy. BENGALURU: Dabbawalas of Mumbai are all set to launch a formal business for delivering food, in pursuit of big brand. Other than food delivery, they are planning to supply organic milk, vegetables and other goods. They will also provide logistic support to large multinational companies (MNC), reports Ashish Chauhan of TOI. The association of dabbawalas was formed in 1890 under the initiative of Mahadeo Havaji Bacche. The aim was to employ the local youths from rural Mumbai. During a recent visit to IIM Ahmedabad, Subodh Sangle, the present coordinator of Mumbai Dabbawalas, confirmed that the initiative aims to encourage the management skills of the food suppliers. Sangle also confirmed that this program will yield extra financial support for the dabbawalas."Several MNCs need logistic support from us and most of them do outsourcing. Dabbawalas are well-versed with the geography and their services have met customers' expectations," Sangle said in an interview with TOI. Sangle confirms that a team of around 50 dabbawalas have already started delivering organic milk and exotic vegetables. The plan of tying up with MNCs for logistics support has also been affirmed by Sangle. READ ALSO: Indian Firms Most Optimistic about Economic Recovery in 2016: Grant Thornton Report E-Commerce to Grow Even Bigger In 2016 Last Saturday, the US lifted sanctions against Iran for its controversial nuclear activities after the International Atomic Energy Agency certified that Tehran had complied with the hard-negotiated agreement of July last year aimed at degrading its capacity to acquire a nuclear weapon. This opens up possibilities of new opportunities for normalisation of relations between the West and a major West Asia power after a lapse of three decades, although differences remain in their ideological outlook and their respective approaches to leading questions such as the crisis in Syria and the Israel-Palestinian issue. It also means all countries may now engage in normal trade and financial relations with Iran, and this includes India. In our era, the lifting of sanctions that began over the weekend is a signal international development. No other country possessing nuclear weapons or on its way to do so has abandoned its weapons strategy, after nerve-wracking negotiations, in order to shake off crippling sanctions and emerge from global isolation. Under the successful negotiations, Tehran will be unable to contemplate a weapons programme for the next 10 to 15 years. The European Union has also lifted its sanctions and the UN will formally most certainly do the same, following the announcement of the IAEA, which is a part of the UN system, and Americas lead. India is almost an immediate neighbour of Iran, and New Delhi and Tehran, which share cultural affinities and ancient memories, have looked to build strong and durable ties over many years. In the more recent period, their collaboration has extended to India building Irans Chabahar port, which gives the relationship an incipient strategic feel. In the regional context, this straightaway influences the Afghan theatre. The building of India-Iran relations was severely cramped on account of the US-led sanctions that had cut Iran off from international financial and trading activity. Iran will now doubtless be looking to fearlessly foraying into developing ties of economy and business with the major powers. The EU and China will be investing much in exploring possibilities. The Iranians will also be travelling. It is surprising that India has not so far made its own announcements for a re-invigorated partnership with Iran in anticipation of Implementation Day. BANGALORE: Over the years the country has seen protests against the increasing number of rapes and domestic violence. People have come out in public and raised their voice against any kind of violence against women but one among the most terrible crime is the Acid attacks. There have been many cases reported of acid attacks; the victims are left with the feeling of being ugly and unwanted. But as the women in the country are following the path of empowerment the, victims of acid attacks are also fighting back with becoming successful business owners, reports Indiatimes. A coffee shop, 'Sheroes Hangout' was established in Agra in order to bring out the positive vibes in the acid attack victims. A year old venture has gone viral in the city and attracts a huge amount of customers on daily basis. The reviews about the place and their dishes are highly rated. The success has provided them with much confidence, thus they are looking forward to their next initiative which will be a lounge-cum-spa. The project manager of NGO Chaav, Parth Sarthi stated that, "We are in process of setting up a spa-cum-lounge which would have a cafe-cum lounge in the front along with the luxuries of spa and salon for the visitors. Work is going on in parallel in four cities to start new branches of Sheroes Hangout. At the front, it will always be a cafe, but keeping the interest areas of the survivors we are planning to bring more branches with special facilities," Read More: Global Inequality Rises Even More: Report Now Reuse the Old Tyres, This 16 Year Old Has the Solution BANGALORE: The much awaited Startup India was finally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16 to enhance and promote entrepreneurship in the digital age. The policy of the Startup India was unveiled amidst palpable excitement to bring recognition to startups as the new channel for creating wealth as well as jobs in the economy. Modi unveiled many features and slew of incentives to boost the startup ventures in India. The exemption for the first 3 years on profits was one of the major announcements made that day. Here are 12 major announcements of Modis Startup India Action Plan, reports NDTV. A fund of 10,000 Cr for startup promotion 2,500 Cr fund will be set up by the government to promote entrepreneurship and growth of startups. A total sum of 10, 000 Cr over the period of 4 years will be solely dedicated to the startup sector. The private professionals from industry bodies, academia, and successful startups will take charge of the fund. The fund will focus on the areas like manufacturing, agriculture, health, and education. Mobile app for startup registration A mobile app will be rolled out on April 1 where startup can register their companies in just 1 day. This app will also act as a single point of contact for approvals and registrations, clearances and platform to apply for schemes under this Action Plan. Self-certification Compliance The Action Plan for Indian startups will include no inspection for 3 years of the ventures in regards to labor, environment law compliance post self-certification using the mobile application. Faster Patent Registration The patent costs will be reduced by 80 percent and will also have faster exits. In addition to this government will also take care of cost of trademarks and protection of its intellectual property and designs for a startup. Credit Guarantee Scheme National Credit Guarantee Trust Company will now offer help startups in raising debt funding to which the government has dedicated a sum of 500 Cr for the period of next 4 years. Read More: 5 Innovative Indian Startups To Look Forward To 7 Reasons Why India is the Next Biggest Startup Ecosystem Gambale Richard Gambale, 41, of Great Kills, was arrested Monday following an ongoing investigation by New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner for Public Information. (Facebook photo) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police have caught the man wanted in the fatal stabbing of a Staten Island iron worker in Rossville Thursday afternoon. Richard Gambale, 41, of the 400 block of Giffords Lane in Great Kills, was arrested Monday following an ongoing investigation by New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. Anthony Perretti, 43, of Bay Terrace, suffered multiple stab wounds to his back and torso at around 2:30 p.m. following a dispute over finances in an industrial yard at 73 Industrial Loop East near Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, according to a police written statement from Thursday. Perretti got a hold of a metal fence post and hit Gambale in the chest, and Gambale pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed Perrette, according to a report from the New York Daily News.. He then told one of his co-workers to call 911, and drove off in his Black Mercedes, the report says. Shortly before the fatal stabbing, Perretti had brought his car into 12 Volt Doctor auto repair shop, located on the corner of the same block where he was killed, to have his alternator light inspected, the shop's employees said the night of the stabbing. Perretti, a regular customer, left the shop with his 3-year-old son around 1:50 p.m., shop workers said, noting that their surveillance cameras caught his car leaving at that time. The NYPD spokesman couldn't confirm exactly what lead to the stabbing. The police located Gambale Monday afternoon in a car on 14th St. and Sixth Ave. in Manhattan, the Daily News reported. Gambale has been charged with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon, according to an NYPD statement. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Staten Island has a reputation as a bit of a sleepy backwater, particularly when compared to our more urban fellow boroughs. It's bucolic out here, almost rural in some areas. We're known for deer and parkland. It's not for nothing that they call us "Small Town U.S.A." or "Staten Island U.S.A." But looks can sometimes be deceiving, because Staten Island is surely not immune to the tribulations that hit towns of our size. Don't forget: There are around half a million people here on the Rock. That's the population of a small city. And we sometimes get hit hard by city mayhem, as we've seen here over the last couple of days. To say it's been bloody would be an understatement. Last Thursday, Anthony Perretti was stabbed to death in a business area on Industrial Loop in Rossville. Richard Gambale was arrested a few days later. Police said a dispute about money owed sparked the stabbing, according to published reports. Police said the suspect in the stabbing also has ties to organized crime, the Daily News said. Well, Staten Island has also been called organized crime's bedroom in the past, so who would be surprised if that's how this case turned out? I mean, the show is called "Mob Wives," after all. On Saturday, police said that Christina Quinones stabbed her boyfriend, Ruben Jimenez, to death in an apartment in the Todt Hill Houses complex. There have been accusations that Quinones, a mother of three, had suffered years of abuse at the hands of her beau. Police also said that a phone call from another woman received by Jimenez may have set off the stabbing. Then there has been the mayhem on our roads. Florence Bucholtz, 62, died after her car hit a hydrant in Oakwood early Friday morning. Rolando Ramos, 40, of New Jersey, died after flipping his van on the West Shore Expressway and being ejected from the vehicle. And motorcyclist Randy Raia died after losing control of his bike on a dangerous turn on Hylan Boulevard at Barclay Avenue. He was just 20. Meanwhile, a man was found engulfed in flames in West Brighton on Saturday (he lived), and another man was found hanging dead from a tree in the woods in Great Kills on Monday. That's a pretty heavy toll of violence for a five-day span. And we've already had two non-fatal shootings in the first three weeks of the month. And it's worth noting that January's mayhem follows on the heels of a year in which shootings were up on Staten Island. A year when murder was up on the North Shore even though murder was down overall on the Island. It was a year when the borough was rattled by the arrest of a Mariners Harbor man who had pledged loyalty to ISIS and had allegedly conspired with others to attack New York City landmarks. The cell held meetings on the Island. Staten Islanders may like to see themselves as living in a small town. Many fled here from other boroughs or cities where crime and urban problems were more endemic. But we can't forget that even amid its small-town vibe, Staten Island is still susceptible to big-city problems. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Prosecutors were expected to start calling their final witnesses Tuesday as Dante Viggiano's home invasion murder trial enters its second week of testimony. They will likely finish their case Wednesday in state Supreme Court, St. George. The defense case could begin Wednesday or Thursday. Viggiano is accused of fatally stabbing Peter Gialluisi, 66, and seriously wounding Vincenza Gialluisi, now, 67, on Aug. 31, 2014, in their Venus Place home in Huguenot. The couple had walked in on the 21-year-old Great Kills resident around 9:45 p.m. during a home break-in, allege prosecutors. Viggiano, who, prosecutors said, had broken into the empty house though a kitchen window, attacked Peter Gialluisi in the garage before bolting out the front door and into the woods across the street. Leaving behind a trail of blood, Viggiano made his way to the Huguenot station of the Staten Island Railway and took the train home, prosecutors allege. Viggiano's DNA was found in the home and on the murder weapon, said Assistant District Attorney Natalie Barros, who's prosecuting the case along with Assistant District Attorney Adam Silberlight on behalf of District Attorney Michael E. McMahon. Defense lawyer Eric Nelson is expected to present an insanity defense. About 25 witnesses, mainly police officers, have testified thus far for the prosecution. Several civilian witnesses have also taken the stand. Prosecutors have presented scores of exhibits, primarily photos of the crime scene, surrounding area and the autopsy. Jurors have also seen the alleged murder weapon, a large kitchen knife. A hundred days from now, Assam is expected to witness a watershed election. The polls to the 126-member state Assembly could well be a defining moment in Assams electoral history because for the first time in 30 years, the contest is primarily going to be between two national political parties the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party with the regional parties largely relegated to the background. Regional political parties playing second fiddle is significant because Assam has been in the forefront of regional politics in the country ever since the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) sprung up in 1985, at the end of the six-year-long Assam agitation (1979-1985) against illegal migrants from Bangladesh. It was a local agitation aimed at freeing Assam of illegal aliens but the scale of the stir can be gauged from the fact that it was Independent Indias biggest mass uprising. Leaders of the All-Assam Students Union (AASU) who led this agitation transformed themselves by forming a political party the AGP with the avowed aim of pushing Assams interests, like control over natural resources, constitutional safeguards for the people of Assam and rapid industrialisation. It was not surprising to see the AGP win the 1985 Assembly election, and another one in 1996. Today, regionalism may be still relevant in a distant state like Assam, but parties like the AGP are battling for survival. This is ironic because sub-national aspirations are still being pursued by forces of different hues, including extremists. Already, the dominant political party in Assams Bodo heartland, the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), has reached an electoral understanding with the BJP for the ensuing Assembly polls. The other major political force in the Bodo Council area, the Bodo Peoples Progressive Front (BPPF), has meanwhile merged with the BPF. This means that the most powerful regional entity in the Bodo heartland, the BPF, today is an ally of the BJP, having dumped the Congress with which it shared power for eight years, beginning 2006. Bodo voters have influence in 28 Assembly seats of which the BPF will contest 16 seats on its own, and leave the rest to the BJP. Having remained out of power for 15 years at a stretch, the AGP, which has been the flag-bearer of regionalism in the entire Northeast, knows this is going to be its last battle for survival. With several of its top leaders and two of its nine members of the Legislative Assembly having already joined the BJP, the AGP is facing severe erosion in its rank and file. No wonder, the party that emerged on a staunch anti-Congress plank thought it was okay to even hold exploratory talks with Congress point-persons for possible electoral alliance. The moment the news leaked, the AGP was bombarded with both opposition and criticism to the idea from within and outside the party. How could the AGP even think of siding with the Congress was the general refrain. Being convinced that it cannot make any significant impact if it were to fight the polls alone, the AGP cosied up to the BJP that was waiting to co-opt the regional party so as to stop the split in the anti-Congress votes. The AGP has demanded that the BJP leave 48 seats to it. This is a demand that the BJP is going to reject outright because as things stand now, the BJP has just about 90 of the 126 Assembly seats where it can put up its own candidates. This is because the BJP has to leave 16 seats to its ally, the BPF, and it is in no position to put up a real contest in at least 20 seats which are strongholds of Maulana Badruddin Ajmals pro-minority party, the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). Therefore, the BJP can actually leave 20 or less seats to the AGP from its quota of 90. AGP leaders may be in a dilemma, but the partys grassroot workers are very clear in their mind. What is significant is that apart from members of political parties, the BJP in Assam has inducted leaders from other major non-political regional forces like the AASU and the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP). This goes to indicate that the BJP is conscious of the relevance of regionalism in states like Assam and has, therefore, kept its doors open for people from such groups to come and join the party. After all, the BJP is desperately trying to open its account in the Northeast by winning the elections in Assam. Going by the demographics in the state, this is going to be a tough challenge for the BJP, something the party strategists are certainly aware of. The writer is executive director, Centre for Development and Peace Studies, Guwahati, and a former member of the National Security Advisory Board A Rough Guide to Rainfall, Run-off and Rivers Posted on 19 January 2016 by John Mason Introduction: a moment of realisation. July 2001, North Wales, UK Pulling onto the side of the forestry road the air was thick with a single smell that of mangled conifer wood. I locked the Land Rover and scrambled down to the river. It was a familiar route, an anglers' path that weaves its way cunningly for several tens of metres through steep, dense undergrowth. But something was different this time. The vegetation ended abruptly some way before it should have done. Where there had been soil, grass, rhododendron and bramble, naked rock now gleamed in the sunshine. Continuing down, I saw that the river, back down to its normal level, had an unusually clouded, milky look to it. Upstream was a prominent bluff of rock, several metres higher than its surroundings, on top of which a large Douglas Fir tree stood. It was still there, but the first few metres of its trunk were thickly and tightly wrapped with branches and tree trunks, their bark stripped away. Scrambling up the tight cone of flood-borne debris, I turned and looked down. It was at least ten metres from the top of the debris-wrap down to the water. above: aftermath of a huge flash flood in July 2001, Afon Mawddach, North Wales. The figure perched on the left-hand side of the debris-wrap is a good 2 metres tall. Photo: author. Two days before, a severe thunderstorm had affected the region. Had the area been well-populated, the resulting flash floods would have made the national headlines. Houses would not just have been flooded: some would have been swept away. It served, in the author's case, to raise an awe-struck awareness of just what can happen when the required meteorological ingredients come together. You cannot beat seeing things for yourself. Why a rainfall primer? So: what makes the difference between an ordinary wet day and an extreme rainfall? Judging by the often confused and contradictory comments from online discussions in the wake of the late 2015 floods, this seems as good a time as any for a primer - the three R's of flooding if you like. Rainfall, run-off and rivers. It is aimed primarily at UK readers and a lot of the illustrated examples are from Wales, because that's where I live and they are things that I have seen for myself, but the same principles apply in many parts of the world, outside of the Tropics. Rainfalls in extratropical parts of the world have a complex set of causative factors and effects. This post takes a more detailed look at both. It is by necessity long, because you cannot realistically deal with complex topics in a few soundbites, so it has been divided into sections, linked to by the seven bookmarks below. Contents: quick links to the main sections Basics: how clouds and rain form Types of rain: Dynamic Rainfalls Types of rain: Convective Rainfalls Types of rain: Hybrid Rainfalls Run-off: getting rid of the rain once it has fallen Improving upland resilience to run-off: the Pontbren Project What happens to the run-off - the third critical factor - rivers Basics: how clouds and rain form Air can carry a specific maximum amount of water vapour depending upon its temperature. The warmer the air the moister it can be, if a moisture source is available. The value is approximately 7% more moisture per degree Celsius of added warmth, but the equation works both ways thus: if warm, moist air is progressively cooled it can hold less and less moisture. That is a key factor in why rain happens in the first place. Here's how it works. When an airmass rises it expands, because the higher it goes above Earth's surface, the lower the atmospheric pressure there is to confine it. As the airmass expands, the gas molecules that make it up move outwards and in doing so they have to push other molecules out of their way. The process uses up energy. Temperature is simply an expression of the energy of the molecules in a system, so if energy is used up then the temperature drops. It's the same reason why highly-pressurised gases being squirted from a spray-can feel cold to the touch: they are rapidly expanding on release from the confining environment of the can, doing work against other molecules in the process and consuming energy. As the air continues to rise and cool it reaches its dew-point - the temperature at which the air can no longer carry all of the water vapor which is mixed with it. Beyond that point, some of the water vapor condenses out into liquid water. When the air temperature cools to the dew point then clouds (or fog or dew) begin to form, nucleating on tiny airborne particles such as dust or pollen. Further cooling of the air leads to even more water vapor condensing since the dew point continues to fall with the air temperature. The water droplets forming clouds are pulled downwards by gravity but they are so tiny (no more than a few microns in diameter) that their descent-speed is so slight as to be negligible. It is only when they start to merge together, coalescing to form larger droplets, that rain becomes possible. As the fledgling raindrops move around via gravity and turbulence, they collide together and get larger in the process, until a point comes where they are big enough to fall to the ground. At height, or at lower levels in cold conditions, the water droplets in a cloud will freeze, the resulting ice crystals growing at the expense of the water vapour. Once they are heavy enough to start to fall, countless collisions with other ice-crystals lead to the formation of snowflakes. Three things can then happen. The flakes will either fall all the way to the ground if conditions are cold enough, partially melt to form sleet or, as mostly happens, completely melt back into rain. A complication can occur if the atmosphere is stratified, so that a near-ground layer of freezing air is capped by a temperature-inversion, with warmer air above and freezing air again at height. Snowflakes then melt in the warm air as they fall through it: they have insufficient time to re-freeze as they plummet through the freezing air near the ground and fall onto the frozen surface, leaving everything coated in ice. Freezing rain, also referred to as an ice-storm, is an uncommon and particularly hazardous form of weather. Types of rain: Dynamic Rainfalls Mechanisms by which airmasses undergo lifting are varied, but the simplest division when it comes to rainfall is twofold: dynamic and convective. Dynamic rainfalls involve air being mechanically lifted and cooled. The lifting may occur at an airmass-boundary a weather front (frontal rainfall) or a barrier of higher topography (orographic rainfall). Frontal rainfall occurs when a cooler airmass is driven into a warmer airmass or vice-versa. At the boundary between them - the warm or cold front - the warm air rises up over the relatively dense cold air. As the warm air rises it cools and rain starts to fall. Dynamic rainfalls from fronts can become problematic if a frontal boundary stalls over a district, so that the rain is prolonged over a day or more. Orographic rainfall is particularly important along the western seaboard of the UK, with its mountainous hinterland facing into the prevailing wind blowing in off the warm Atlantic. When weather-patterns cause long-fetch south-westerly winds to blow, a constant flux of very moist, warm air is delivered to the coastline and is then lifted over the mountains where cooling and copious precipitation are the results. In some cases, bands of particularly intense moisture-flux, up to a few hundred kilometres in width but thousands of kilometres in length, come streaming in off the ocean. If these moisture-laden conveyor-belts remain in the same place for a day or two, the orographic rainfalls they produce can lead to severe flooding. The Lake District flooding of early December 2015 (with over 300 mm of rain falling in 24 hours in places) was a classic example of this phenomenon, known appropriately enough as an Atmospheric River. above: simplified sketch showing how rainfall is orographically enhanced when warm, moist air is forced up over a mountain range. Image: author. Atmospheric Rivers typically occur low in the Troposphere, between 1 and 2.5 kilometres above surface. But orographic lifting does not just affect air at low levels: it often involves the full depth of the Troposphere. Ice particles falling from high cloud can then dramatically enhance the rain production process: as they fall into lower, very moist air they literally seed that air with countless condensation nuclei. Known as the seeder-feeder mechanism, as far as the folk on the ground are concerned it only makes a bad situation worse. Types of rain: Convective Rainfalls Convective rainfalls occur when air rises due to its own buoyancy being greater than that of its surroundings. In such a situation, the atmosphere is said to be unstable. The buoyancy is obtained in a variety of ways. Simple heating of an airmass at low levels, so that it starts to rise, is one mechanism. At other times, a bit of a dynamic shove is required to start the process off, by physically lifting an airmass to a level at which it becomes buoyant and can start to rise under its own steam. Let's start with simple heating. Heat sources can be solar radiation, warming the ground surface, or warm sea surfaces due to high sea temperatures. When the ground warms up, any moisture that is present can evaporate. The hot ground also heats the air above it. As a result, a warmed airmass with added moisture will start to rise vertically, encountering as it ascends a progressively colder surrounding atmosphere, which only adds to the buoyancy. With sufficient moisture and warmth, a buoyant airmass can shoot right up to the Tropopause, the major temperature-inversion capping the Troposphere. As such an airmass rises it expands, cools, its moisture condenses out and what we end up with is the familiar anvil-topped thundercloud, or cumulonimbus. The top of the anvil marks the Tropopause. A similar mechanism occurs out at sea, but in that case the sea warms the air passing over it and supplies it with moisture through evaporation. Ideal conditions for sea-based convection are those times of year when the sea is at its warmest but cooler airmasses are flowing over it. In the UK, such thunderstorms tend to occur in cold northerly airflows in the autumn and winter and they often wane once they move over the land, their fuel-supply having been cut off. Thunderstorm updraughts can be extremely powerful, which is why they can produce hail. Hail forms when water droplets rise to heights that are below freezing level: the water becomes supercooled and it will freeze on contact with condensation nuclei. Hailstones may be repeatedly circulated within a thundercloud, adding a bit more ice each time, until they are heavy enough to overcome the updraught and fall to the ground. Most hail is only a few millimetres in size. However, stronger, more organised storms, with long-lived and very powerful updraughts kept separate from the downdraughts by favourable wind-shear, can generate much larger hailstones because of the amount of time they have had to grow. Physically lifting an airmass to a level at which it becomes buoyant involves a few different mechanisms. Surging cold fronts, lifting warm air as they drive in beneath it, are often capable of producing line-convection all that's needed is a good bit of lift and instability above. The point of the wedge the surface cold front is the focus of the lifting. Where instability is present, a long, narrow line of very heavy rain and high winds forms. Looking like a length of brightly-coloured rope on a rainfall radar plot, such cold-frontal squall-lines can be capable of causing flash-flooding but most of the problems associated with them are caused by high winds, which may include tornadoes and particularly microbursts, caused by strong downdraughts surging down to the surface and fanning out over the ground. above: sketch section through an active, surging cold front. The squall-line forms right at the surface front's leading edge (author). below: radar signature (from Netweather) showing a squall-line - the brightly coloured linear feature - crossing Wales. To its east dynamic rain is falling from the warm sector, to its west dynamic rain is falling from the cold front at height. Rainfall rates in mm/hour. Other foci for convective rainfalls include troughs, elongated zones of low atmospheric pressure featuring instability, lift and therefore air buoyancy. The 2001 storm that produced the flooding described at the start of this post developed along a slow-moving trough on a hot July day on which the atmosphere was very unstable. Slow-moving summer thunderstorms of this nature can be especially damaging because with relatively high temperatures there can be an awful lot of moisture present and long-duration intense rainfalls can result. Sea-breezes are a phenomenon of the warmer months in coastal counties. Warm air rises over the land due to solar heating and cooler air pours in from the sea to replace it. The cool air forms a frontal boundary with the warmer air it meets inland and along this line the warmer air is undercut and given additional lift. The process, with one airmass meeting another, is referred to as convergence. In the UK, intense convergence-line storms may occur in slack pressure setups, when the winds are light so that the storms remain in the same area. For example, if a sea-breeze from a west-facing coast converges with a gentle synoptic flow from a northerly or southerly direction: the ground beneath the convergence-line can experience repeated thunderstorms over several hours. The storms develop and move along the line like the trucks on a train going by, which is why such systems are known as train-echoes from their radar signature. They can prove dangerous: the 2004 Boscastle flood was caused by one which dumped up to 200 mm of rainfall in a single afternoon. above: Netweather radar composite time-series showing a train-echo thunderstorm line over the Welsh mountains, June 2009. below: the same storm system in person. Note the very sharp boundary to the torrential rainfall. Photographed from the east, looking south-west, by the author. Types of rain: Hybrid Rainfalls The prediction Rain spreading up from the south, locally heavy and thundery is something that is often heard in UK weather forecasts during the warmer months. It refers to plumes of warm, moist and potentially unstable air moving up from the south or south-west. Thundery rain can range in nature from the odd embedded thunderstorm in an area of largely dynamic rainfall up to what is known as a Mesoscale Convective System (commonly abbreviated to MCS), where large-scale destabilisation has occurred resulting in a giant thunderstorm cluster covering hundreds of square kilometres, often accompanied by prolific lightning. In the UK, the summer of 2007 was notorious for its heavy downpours and severe flooding. By the end of the year, insurance claims for flood-damaged properties and businesses were approaching 3 billion. The events of 19th -21st July stand out for their great extent and severity. They involved a mixture of convective and dynamic, orographically-enhanced rain. On the 19th, thunderstorms developed widely over England, Wales and Ireland, with locally severe flash flooding. By the 20th, heavy and locally thundery rain was affecting much of the southern half of England, tracking slowly north-west throughout the day. Parts of the Midlands saw unusually high day-totals well in excess of 100 mm of rain. Severe flash flooding occurred across the southern Midlands, the Home Counties and Central Southern England, with helicopter evacuations in places and hundreds of roads and railways closed by floodwaters. But that was only the start. Overnight into July 21st, the rain, no longer with any convective elements, moved into Wales. In the reverse of the more typical dynamic rainfall pattern, the moist air approached the Welsh mountains from the east. Orographic lifting of the air led to prolonged heavy rain over the Welsh uplands, about the last place it was needed. The mountains of Mid Wales are drained by the longest river in the UK the Severn. The river flows through the English Midlands before draining into the Bristol Channel, so that it was already in spate due to the deluges of the previous day. The Severn now received a second surge of run-off moving downstream from the mountains. Environment Agency river gauges recorded the peak flow as it made its way downstream. Near Worcester the peak was on 22nd July, whilst near Gloucester it occurred on the 23rd. The peak flow at Haw Bridge, between Worcester and Gloucester, was estimated to be nearly 1400 cubic metres per second, a phenomenal amount of water. The drainage-system of the Severn Basin, primed by convective flash-floods, was then completely over-run by dynamic, orographic rain. Thousands of homes were flooded and power and drinking water supplies were badly affected, for weeks in some cases. Run-off: getting rid of the rain once it has fallen Flooding does not entirely depend on the total amount of rainfall that is received by a river catchment during any one event. There are a number of other factors that can affect the outcome. First we'll look at rainfall intensity. Having observed and photographed convective storms for many years, the author has noted that there is an apparent threshold rainfall rate above which flash-flooding is likely to begin. That value is around 60 mm per hour. In the UK, such rainfall rates are only met with in convective storms, mostly occurring during the warmer months of the year. Often, such storms are short-lived, or they move through too quickly to do much damage. However, a more organised convective system can hammer the same bit of country for several hours. Examples like the train-echo storm that caused the Boscastle flood can turn a bit of inconvenient road-flooding into something far more serious. For dynamic rainfalls, rainfall rates of over 25 mm per hour tend to be uncommon. It is their long persistence and the vast areas that they affect that make them potential flood-generators. Mostly they just bring river levels up a bit, but when a frontal system becomes quasi-stationary, big trouble can ensue, especially when a long-fetch Atmospheric River is involved, as was the case in early December over the UK's western seaboard mountains. Even if the rainfall rate never exceeds 10 mm per hour, it's easy to see how 36 hours of such weather can spell trouble. A single example will suffice to point out the sheer amount of rainwater involved in such situations. In the Lake District, the catchment of the River Derwent is 1,235 square kilometres and in the 4th-5th December deluge, some of its hillier parts received 24-hour rainfalls of more than 300 mm. Just a hundred millimetres of rainfall over that catchment would deposit 123,500,000 cubic metres of rain-water. That's 123,500,000 tons of water to get rid of. The severity of the outcome of such an event depends, though, on the ground state beforehand because that will determine the rapidity of the rainwater run-off. That rapidity is a key factor in determining whether there will be flooding and how bad it may be: in a nutshell, the slower the run-off, the better. Ground saturation One problem in recent weeks has been ground saturation. Because the Atlantic has been throwing one low pressure system at the UK after another, there have been times when the ground simply cannot take in any more water, so that rainfall run-off has been close to a hundred percent. The mountains of the western UK are mostly made up of Lower Palaeozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks whose permeability tends to be on the low side. Not only that, but vast areas are mantled in till. Till consists of deposits of stony grey, often impermeable clay left behind by the last glaciation. Such bedrock and superficial deposits can pond the water in any areas of low topographical relief, so that peat bogs are locally extensive. The peat bogs act as great sponges, absorbing a lot of water before reaching saturation-point, but after such prolonged heavy rainfalls that point is nevertheless reached. Peats also form on slopes, but what tends to happen in such cases is that subterranean watercourses form beneath the peat, which is permeable, and on top of the till, which isn't. Such watercourses eventually emerge downhill as springs in normal conditions, but if they become overloaded with water, it starts to force the peat and overlying turf upwards: the ground bulges until it is over-pressured and a bog-burst landslide takes place. Such landslides are common in the western mountains wherever till deposits are present. A variant on the theme of saturation is frozen ground. One situation that sometimes occurs is that a cold spell, with the mountains frozen-up, is followed by a rapid switch to mild, moisture-laden sou-westerlies bringing heavy and prolonged dynamic rains. Until the frozen ground thaws out it cannot absorb the rainfall. Another scenario occurs when the mountains are snowbound and the switch to sou-westerlies takes place. The mild, moist air then facilitates a rapid thaw, adding melt-water to the equation, as happened in March 1947, after one of the coldest and snowiest winters of the 20th Century. above: snow and ice can enhance rainfall run-off. Here, compacted old snow is widely gullied by run-off channels. Dylife, Mid-Wales, March 2007. Photo: author. Improving upland resilience to run-off: the Pontbren Project Although the relative impermeability of the UK's western mountains is a disadvantage, there is evidence that there are ways in which we can mitigate the rapid run-off problem. It is becoming increasingly apparent that land-use can affect the containment of run-off, for better or for worse. Some interesting research has been ongoing for a number of years in the catchment of Nant Pontbren, a tributary of Afon Banwy (itself a tributary of the Severn) near Llanfair Caereinion in Mid-Wales. Here, in 1997, a group of neighbouring farmers became interested in building in resilience on their land. Working together, and expanding as a group after a few years to take in more farms, they planted extensive shelter-belts of trees, reduced grazing intensity and constructed numerous ponds. One unexpected consequence is best described in a report by Coed Cymru, which is well worth a read (PDF here). I'll quote from the report: The huge research programme at Pontbren began with a chance observation by Coed Cymrus director, who was walking across sheep grazed pasture during heavy rain on a visit to one of the farms in 2001. He noticed that water running downhill across the grazed fields disappeared as soon as it reached the edge of the new woodland, and the farmers confirmed that they too had noticed this. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) Bangor was invited to follow this up with a simple soil investigation, and they took measurements comparing the speed at which the soils under the pasture and those in the fenced off woodland could absorb water. The results were striking, showing that the infiltration rates inside the woodland were 60 times those on the pasture ten metres away, and that the beneficial effect extended beyond the edge of the woodland. The reasons were unclear, and previous research was little help, because much of it applied to the tropics, and the limited body of research in Europe tended to focus on woodland or farmland or, in the UK, on coniferous plantations on drained peat soils. Pontbren was quite different, because strips of native broadleaf woodland had been planted within sloping, improved grassland. The farmers readily agreed to more detailed research, with monitoring equipment installed and experiments set up on their land, although this would mean some disruption to their work and regular access by the scientific staff. Sloping improved grassland describes large parts of the Welsh uplands away from the higher spine of the country, so that the potential to do more projects like the one at Pontbren, managed entirely by the farmers, is in fact massive. It is clear from the work done in the Pontbren Project that shelter-belts slow down rainfall run-off to a significant extent. They also provide shelter for livestock and wildlife corridors, so the benefits are multiple. To what height above sea-level (ASL) such practices can work in Wales is yet to be determined. My observations, from many years spent wandering these hills, are that above about 550 m ASL one often encounters an Arctic-Alpine flora dominated by clubmosses and dwarf sedges. I would therefore contend that there is still a tree-line in the Welsh uplands at around 550 m ASL, higher still in places sheltered from the prevailing sou-westerly gales. However, in areas of clear-felled conifer-forest as high as 400-500 m ASL, one often finds areas of self-seeded scrubby willow, alder, birch and rowan. Left to their own devices, trees are colonising such areas. It's a rewilding experiment that has happened all on its own. Land above 550 m ASL is in any case a relatively small percentage of Wales' total surface area. above: Arctic-Alpine clubmoss-rich flora above the 550m ASL contour, Plynlimon, Mid-Wales, March 2014. below: self-seeded willow-dominated scrub regenerating in old clear-fell at around 450m ASL, in the hills above Tregaron, Mid-Wales. Photos: author. Elsewhere, changes are taking place in the UK's uplands with the restoration of blanket peat bogs, many of which were formerly drained for conifer forest plantations or for game-shooting. Many such boglands date back from Bronze-age times, when they first started to form over nutrient-poor upland soils. Prior to that, it is thought that many such upland areas were wooded (see photo below for evidence): whether nutrient depletion, climate change, grazing or deliberate clearance was to blame for the demise of the woodland (or a combination of the four) is still debated. Again, one effect of such projects will be to slow down the run-off from the uplands. It is, however, only happening locally and many upland areas are still being drained and burned, practices that have led, especially in recent weeks, to a lot of heated discussion. See here for example. Even in upland areas that are ploughed or ditched, adjustments to methodology can be made to delay run-off. In particular, ditching or ploughing along the contours is a far better practice compared to draining a hillside radially straight downhill. The upland area is still drained but the rapidity of the run-off is markedly reduced. above: old peat-diggings at around 450 m ASL in the Plynlimon massif. Ancient bogwood is common in places, indicative of the woodlands that once grew here. Associated rare finds of early Bronze-age arrowheads at the same level in the peat suggest that the wood here is some 4,000 years old. For an interesting account of how the upland flora of North Wales developed after the last ice-age, this 2003 paper is well worth a read. Photo: author. However, the Pontbren project shows that if the effort put into blaming one another for problems (ref: most politicians on a daily basis) was instead put into solutions, we can actually get something done - and also still have a living, working landscape. Climate change is highly likely to lead to an increase in both frequency and intensity of severe rainfall events, but there are steps we can take to mitigate the impacts of such episodes. It's not about stopping the run-off: it's all about slowing it down. The uplands of the UK are our ally here if we treat them with wisdom. What happens to the run-off - the third critical factor - rivers Once the rain has run off the ground surface, the water finds itself in the drainage system. Drainage refers to anything from tiny streams to large rivers: all are driven by gravity and all have the sole function of conveying the water to its lowest possible altitude. In almost all cases, that is the sea. Upland streams tend to have a steep gradient, bringing the water off high ground by as direct a course as possible, although both bedrock and superficial geology interfere. Thus, beds of especially hard rock, resistant to erosion, may affect the course of a stream: likewise a stream may flow around a large accumulation of glacial moraine. Sediment in upland streams is derived from the slow erosion of rocks and the more rapid erosion of glacial till and other superficial deposits. Upland streams can frequently seen to be cutting into till deposits, forming retreating low cliffs. above: from upland to lowland: a view down the valley of Afon Wen, North Wales. It flows straight down this steep-sided, v-shaped valley with a considerable gradient, descending some 140 metres in just 3.5 kilometres to reach the lowland flood-plain of Afon Mawddach, visible in the distance. Photo: author. Because of the steep gradient, upland streams are fast-flowing and energetic. In spate, they can transport sediment grains up to large boulder size. Lowland rivers are, in contrast, much slower-flowing, especially in their lower reaches as they approach their estuarine parts. Here, the sediment load is primarily mud through silt to fine sand-sized, the grainsize rarely exceeding 0.25 millimetres. But there's a lot of it. In most of the UK, the landscape of the lowlands emerged as the ice-sheets began to retreat 20,000 years ago. Take the lowland part of the Severn catchment, for example. Consisting of often soft Mesozoic sedimentary rocks draped by glacial and post-glacial sediments topped by rich soils, it has been repeatedly modified by end- and post-glacial processes and finally by Man. There's an awful lot of easily-eroded sediment to add to the river's load brought down from the uplands. Land use again has a strong influence in the lowlands, with agricultural techniques that inadvertently promote soil erosion being a massive problem. George Monbiot, writing in the Guardian in February 2014, noted of the uplands adjacent to the Somerset Levels: you can see field after field of harvested maize. In some places the crop lines run straight down the hill and into the water. When it rains, the water and soil flash off into the lake [JM the flooded Levels]. Seldom is cause and effect so visible. Such practices are bad for two reasons. Firstly, in more normal conditions the fine-grained fraction of the soil the mud ends up in river systems where it is transported and redeposited along slow-flowing sections, ultimately impeding the normal flow, meaning that dredging is required just to keep up with things. Secondly, soil is a precious natural resource that should not be wasted in this manner. Meandering lowland rivers and flood-plains In its unadulterated state, a lowland river will meander sluggishly across its flood-plain. Meanders form when a river's course starts to curve: sediment will be eroded on the outside edge of the curve and will be deposited on the inside edge. Thus any one meander will gradually advance seawards along the flood-plain, with sediment entering the water through erosion and being replaced by deposition. Meanders are important because they effectively lengthen a river: a meandering river can be twice the length of a straightened one. Thus they reduce the river's gradient. In normal flows, the water therefore takes longer to reach the sea: as it flows more sluggishly, the water has less energy and thus less erosive power. above: Afon Dyfi meandering along its lowland flood-plain near Machynlleth, Mid-Wales. I have calculated that although this section of the valley is just 3.5 kilometres in length, the river's course is some 5.2 kilometres long. Photo: author. The reason why reducing erosive power is important is because the greater that power the more sediment ends up in the system. It is no good straightening and dredging a river if it is only going to increase the sediment load. That sediment will end up being deposited somewhere downstream, slowing its flow. Likewise, an increased flow-rate simply carries off flood-water more quickly until, that is, it reaches the next constriction downstream. Such a constriction might be a bridge, the confluence with a large tributary or, indeed, a river's tidal reaches where, during the flood-tide, the river's flow will either be slowed or reversed. The latter process is known as tide-locking. In each case, the river's flow will be impeded and the water will start backing-up along its main channel, until it overtops its banks and starts to fill its flood-plain. Remember, you can in theory replace bridges, making them bigger, but you cannot prohibit tributaries nor ban tides. Flood-plains are important natural features that absorb and convey the waters in major floods, when the peak flow may be many times more than the main channel capacity, known as the bankfull discharge. Even a dredged main channel can only carry a fraction of the water conveyed by the entire flood-plain in a major event. Thus, although in some specific instances, dredging has its uses in flood mitigation, it is not the catch-all simple solution that some people consider it to be. When faced with the sheer amount of water produced by a major rainfall event, rivers will have to use their flood-plains regardless. It's what they are for. An excellent report by the Blueprint for Water goes into much greater detail than is possible here (PDF). above: a schematic cross-section through a lowland river and its flood-plain. When a big flood occurs (pale blue), the flood-plain carries vastly more water than the main channel (blue) could ever manage. Graphic: author. Likewise, it is often said that floods happen due to building on flood-plains. This is back-to-front: the accurate way to state the facts is that flood-plains are where floods occur, so if you build on them you can expect the properties to get flooded from time to time, as the vast majority of the water is coming from uplands, many miles upstream, where a dumping of 100-300 mm of rain occurred a day or two ago. One tends to notice that older settlements were mostly built away from the immediate vicinity of lowland rivers. My home-town, Machynlleth, is occasionally cut-off to its north and south by flooding because the main roads have to cross the flood-plain of the Dyfi. However the town itself is rarely affected because when the settlement was founded they chose to situate it off to one side, a good ten metres above the flood-plain itself. Finally, some (especially the UK's right-wing tabloid press) are using the recent floods for political purposes, specifically blaming the floods on the European Union "banning river dredging". What they are referring to is the European Water Framework Directive (2000). I have just been taking a look for myself. It's here. A supplementary Directive from 2008 (here) is the only place on that part of the site where I could find a single instance of the word "dredging": 17) In accordance with Article 13 of, and Annex VII(A)(5) to, Directive 2000/60/EC, any exemptions to the application of the EQS for priority substances applied to water bodies in accordance with Article 4(4), (5) and (6) of that Directive, taking into account Article 4(8) and (9) thereof, should be reported in the river basin management plans. Provided that the requirements of Article 4 of Directive 2000/60/EC including conditions for exemptions are met, activities, including dredging and shipping, leading to discharges, emissions and losses of priority substances can take place. Dredging has not, of course, been banned by the EU. In recent years quite a lot of dredging has taken place - at locations where it is deemed useful among the various flood protection measures available to the UK authorities. See here, for example. No, the problem is an increase in both the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events, so that what were considered to be rare events are now occurring every few years: Cumbria has now been hammered by severe flooding three times since 2005. Whether or not similar clusters of severe floods have happened in the distant past is irrelevant since it is the present that we are having to deal with. The bottom line is that if you dump a foot of rainwater in a day over hundreds of square kilometres of already saturated uplands, you will get major flooding in the catchments that drain them. As discussed above, a wide spectrum of site-specific measures is required to address the effects of such events. To reinforce the above points, here are some statistics with regard to December 2015, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (link). Whatever the pick 'n' mix attempts at counter-arguments, these figures, quite simply, speak for themselves: a) New 24-hour rainfall record for UK (341.4mm, Honister Pass) b) New 48-hour rainfall record for UK (405.0mm, Thirlmere) c) Wettest calendar month on record for UK (191% of December average) in a series from 1910 d) Largest ever flows recorded on English rivers (~1700 cubic metres per second) on the Eden, Lune and Tyne) e) Highest peak flows on record for many northern rivers f) New maximum daily outflow from the UK (in a series from 1980), a third larger than previous maximum g) Warmest December in a series from 1910 (4.1C above average) It is hoped that this primer has given readers an insight into the complex nature of flooding. Flooding has a variety of causes that involve weather and how that is being affected by climate change, land-use and ground conditions and how they affect rainfall run-off and the functionality of our rivers and their flood-plains. There is no single catch-all magic trick to prevent flooding, but there are ways of reducing its overall impact. However, in some cases they will involve tough long-term decision-making as we begin to adapt to a changing climate in the coming years and decades. 0 0 Printable Version | Link to this page Will the suggested penalty of chemical castration for child rapists bring down the incidents of child rapes in the country? Well, some judges, politicians and civil society groups, reacting in a knee-jerk manner to the spiralling child sexual abuse cases in the country, seem to think so. The demand for chemical castration is not entirely new. Periodically, politicians and judges make sensational statements, prescribing chemical castration as an effective remedy, betraying a shallow and superficial understanding of the problem at hand. During the National Democratic Alliance rule in the late Nineties, L.K. Advani, the then deputy Prime Minister, had raised this demand. Earlier, S.M. Agarwal, a sessions judge in Delhi, had made a similar comment. Justice V.D. Tulza-purkar, a Supreme Court judge during the early 1980s, responding to the anti-rape campaign, had suggested that rapists should be publicly flogged. People in influential positions have often subscribed to sensational solutions, resulting in manipulating public sentiments. Most recently, in October 2015, Justice N. Kirubakaran of the Madras high court commented that child sexual abusers must be castrated. Reacting to the recent spate of child rapes in Delhi, the judge commented that traditional law is not stringent enough. Though castration may appear barbaric, the judge stated, it is the only way the menace can be curbed. Following which the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association approached the Supreme Court with a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a direction to the Centre to consider imposing chemical castration on child sex abusers and child rapists. During their arguments before the Supreme Court last week, they cited the judgment of the Madras high court in support of their demand. They also argued that many developed countries like South Korea, Russia, Poland and some states in the US had introduced this punishment as a remedy. But what the lawyers did not clearly put forward is that in most cases this punishment can be opted for by the accused in lieu of a prison sentence. While the bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and N.V. Ramana conceded that the law must be more stringent, it stopped short of endorsing the suggestion of castration. The bench was of the firm view that changing the law is a legislative prerogative and courts cannot intrude into the domain of the legislature or even issue directions regarding the same to Parliament. It is heartening to note that the response from Maneka Gandhi, minister of women and child development, has been restrained. She outright rejected this suggestion and commented that such a barbaric measure will amount to sliding back to the medieval era or to Islamic jurisprudence which prescribes cutting off a hand as punishment for theft. Well, it would indeed be going back to the archaic Babylonian law and the code of Hammurabi which was based on vengeful justice or the retributive theory of justice that liberal democracies rejected a long time ago. But it does appear that today we are lapsing from the reformative theory of justice, which jurists such as Justice Krishna Iyer prescribed, and are keen to ad-opt the retributive theory of justice as recently demonstrated by the changes brought about to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which now permits minors between the age of 16-18 to be tried as adults. Ms Gandhi came out with another novel idea of tattooing child rapists, so that they carry the stigma on their body for the rest of their lives. This reminds one of the punishment prescribed for women guilty of having multiple sexual partners, of prominently displaying the scarlet letter A (for adulteress) on their clothing to mark them as fallen women in puritan Boston during the 17th century. Though in a milder form, tattooing subscribes to the same notion of retributive justice. The Supreme Court bench stated that there was no specific provision for child rape in the Indian Penal Code without making a reference to the provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act enacted three years ago, on November 14, 2012, and commented that rape of toddlers and young girls stood on a different footing than rape of minor girls and Parliament should consider making a provision to deal with these separately. According to Justice Kirubakaran of the Madras high court, even the stringent provisions of the POCSO Act have failed to act as a deterrent. He commented that while the incidents of child rape have increased 400 per cent, the conviction rates are dismal, a mere 2.4 per cent. So then how will castration help? Was the judge suggesting that as soon as an accused is arrested, he be castrated at the police station itself, because by the time the trial and appeals end, the accused may go scot-free. Chemical castration involves the administration of anti-androgen drugs which reduce sex drive, compulsive sexual fantasies and capacity for sexual arousal. Under the POCSO Act, penetrative sexual assault includes various other acts such as insertion of fingers, bottles or other objects into any body orifice such as the vagina or the anus or even oral sex. So how will castration help reduce child abuse? In an illuminative article in Al Jazeera in 2014, Hamid Dabashi, a scholar of Iranian Studies at the Columbia University in New York, in response to reports about the bodies of two teenage girls who had been gang-raped and were found hanging from a mango tree in a village in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, dubbed castration as a knee-jerk reaction and suggested that we need a resurgence of solidarity based on the protection of the most vulnerable. Relying on some expert studies, he states that though testosterone levels and consequently mens libidos can be lowered through surgically removing the accused persons testicles or treating him with drugs, the level is not brought down to zero and the libido is still active and hence there is no guarantee that the offender shall not lapse into the same behaviour. This type of punishment is viewed as cruel by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Amnesty International. When the state becomes involved in legalised castration, the spectre of forced sterilisation under the Nazis is immediately invoked, Dabashi warned. As per the National Crime Record Bureau, 85-95 per cent rapes are by known persons. So how can the solution lie in the domain of over-medicalised, over-legalised and over-politicised punishment? The solution must lie within the realm of providing protection to the most vulnerable children from the marginalised segments of our society through a multipronged support mechanism rooted in our reality. 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 Ralegaon Siddhi, Maharashtra: Social activist Anna Hazare is full of praise for his one-time protege Arvind Kejriwal, who he says has not taken "a wrong step" after becoming the Delhi Chief Minister. Hazare says Kejriwal is a man of "clean character and an idealist," who changed the "common man's approach" to politics. "Arvind Kejariwal is a man of clean character who is committed to moral values in politics. I have not seen him take a wrong step during the last one year of his tenure as the Chief Minster," Mr Hazare said. He said Mr Kejriwal, his one time partner in 'India Against Corruption' movement, faces the challenge to take along good people in politics. "He is an idealist. His performance as the Chief Minster so far is a positive achievement. To start a political party was earlier regarded as privilege of the rich. Arvind has changed the common man's approach to politics," the veteran activist said. "He is honest and transparent. Manish Sisodia (Deputy CM) is also a committed idealist. I want to see politics in the country getting freed from influence of money power," Mr Hazare told Press Trust of India in an interview. Mr Hazare and Mr Kejriwal had fallen out following the latter's decision to join active politics after floating a political party. However, subsequently there was a thaw and Mr Hazare even gave some suggestions to Mr Kejriwal which the latter included in the Jan Lokpal Bill brought by the Delhi government in December last year. Mr Hazare also rejected Mr Kejriwal's criticism by his detractors that the Delhi Chief Minister had little respect for the Constitution or the law. "I do not agree that Arvind has no respect for the Constitution or law of the country. He has come from the movement and asserts his rights. To undertake Satyagraha is not anti-Constitution. He has not advocated violence as by Naxals to change the system," he said. The odd-even road rationing experiment undertaken by the Kejriwal government also came in for praise by Mr Hazare. "The even-odd number vehicles scheme introduced by the Delhi government should be adopted in all big cities. It deserves praise as it will help reduce pollution and traffic congestion. People should change their notions of personal status and make use of public transport," he said. New Delhi: Expelled AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan are mulling to launch a political party and may field candidates for the 2017 Punjab assembly election, at a time when Arvind Kejriwal is pulling out all stops to ensure victory in the state. Swaraj Abhiyan, a group formed by the duo and their supporters after their expulsion from the AAP, said they are "seriously thinking" about contesting the assembly elections in Punjab. "We intend to launch a political party soon, but no date has been fixed. But yes, we are seriously thinking about contesting Punjab polls," a senior Swaraj Abhiyan leader said. Meanwhile, the party has said it will "back" musician Bhai Baldeep Singh from Khadoor Sahib assembly during by-poll in Punjab next month. "Swaraj Abhiyan is currently a non-political organisation and we don't hope to launch the party by next month. Bhai Baldeep Singh will contest as an independent and will be backed by Swaraj Abhiyan. We will be putting all our weight behind him," he said. Bhai Baldeep Singh, who is also a part of the national executive of the organisation, said, "Swaraj Abhiyan's support is crucial for the polls." Yadav and other Abhiyan leaders are also expected to campaign for Singh next month. The decision to support Singh was taken on Sunday. He had contested 2014 Lok Sabha polls on AAP ticket from Khadoor Sahib, but had lost. The seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned from the Assembly in protest against the sacrilege incidents in the state. "We have to start somewhere. We have a candidate for Khadoor Sahib, who knows the constituency well and is also a popular face," the leader added. Incidentally, the AAP is pulling out all stops to ensure victory in Punjab. Last week, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed a mega rally in the state. Swaraj Abhiyan draws a significant number of volunteers and leaders from the AAP, who were either expelled or they resigned after the removal of Bhushan, Yadav and some other National Executive members. AAP's Timarpur MLA Pankaj Pushkar, two of the four MPs of AAP from Punjab -- Dhramvira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa -- are linked to Swaraj Abhiyan. The two MPs have also been suspended from the party, but not expelled. So, they technically remain AAP members. After its formation, Swaraj Abhiyan has been building the organisation not only in Punjab, but other parts of the country. The organisation chose Punjab when it launched the 'Jai Kisan Andolan' that involved touring areas of states like Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka that witnessed drought-like condition and farmers suicide. Targeting Kejriwal, the organisation has also opposed the Delhi government over education policies and "dilution" of the Jan Lokpal Bill. 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 Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Television actor and comedian Kiku Sharda, who was finally reunited with his family after being arrested last Friday, opened up about the ordeal he faced over the past two days. In a chat, he spoke of the industry support coming his way, the finale of Comedy Nights With Kapil, life after the show and more. Excerpts: Q The whole industry is standing by you. The FWICE, CINTAA and other affiliates have joined hands to file a writ petition challenging the scope and ambit of section 295 A. What are your thoughts on the development? The concept belongs to the creator and executor, both. There is always an option of editing if you find something objectionable. If the channel telecast it so confident ly then how is it that only I was blamed and punished while those responsible for creating the act went scot-free? I felt very isolated at that time and sad too. I am grateful to social media, FWICE, CINTAA and other affiliates for standing by me. Its heartening to see the industry taking steps to ensure there is no repeat of what happened to me. A writ petition is indeed a great step to safeguard our interests. Q It must have been quite overwhelming to meet your family after the ordeal The whole thing was scary for me and my family. They had no clue what was happening as I wasnt even able to communicate with them. I am trying my best to keep a smiling face but I cant, as the case is not yet shut. My children are very small. My wife was under tremendous pressure to keep them away from stress. Yes, it was overwhelming when I met them after two long days. The expression on my kids faces was priceless. Q You were shooting for the finale of Comedy Nights With Kapil when you were arrested. What happened was quite an anti-climax. Would you agree? Yes, I agree. We all were very emotional that day. The arrest certainly spoilt the party. I have a lot of respect for Kapil. He contacted everyone he could to help me out. In fact, my Comedy Nights co-star Chandan was with me throughout, in Haryana. It was comforting to have him there. He was the one who kept everyone posted on all the developments and my well-being. Q If the show shifts to another channel, would you go wherever it goes? My loyalty will always remain with Kapil. Yes I will go wherever the show takes me. 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(0x5612eb99d6a0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee515e80)', '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(0x5612eb99d6a0)') 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(0x5612ee515e80)') 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(0x5612efe1f530)') 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(0x5612ee515e80)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee515e80)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee5143b8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612ee75e908)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612ee75e908)') 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(0x5612eb99d780)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee515e50)', '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(0x5612eb99d780)') 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(0x5612ee515e50)') 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(0x5612efe1fa60)') 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(0x5612ee515e50)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee515e50)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee515298)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612ee75e908)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612ee75e908)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Rio Tinto's slow start to iron ore shipping in 2015 will not prevent it from meeting its iron ore export target, analysts say. Rio will reveal its December-quarter results on Tuesday morning, and several analysts believe the company lifted exports by more than 4 per cent above the September quarter to meet the target. M&A in the mining services sector is under way. Credit:Louie Douvis Rio needed to ship about 95 million tonnes in the December quarter to meet its annual target of 340 million tonnes, and Citi analysts believe the company exported 94.953 million tonnes in the final three months of the year. Shaw and Partners analyst Peter O'Connor agrees, suggesting the company would rely on some stockpiled ore to achieve the target. Police have shot dead a man after he allegedly threatened officers with a knife at Quakers Hill police station in Sydney's north-west, Fairfax Media understands. Paramedics were called to Lalor Road following reports of the shooting in the police station foyer just after 10.30am on Tuesday. The man, aged in his 40s, is believed to have threatened officers with a knife, before he was shot once in the shoulder and critically injured. "We reject those pessimists. America is stronger than ever, its economy has rebounded from the Great Recession. Its military is the mightiest in the world. Its entrepreneurs and engineers have literally imagined the modern digital world." Mr Turnbull lays a wreath at the tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington War Cemetery in Virginia. Credit:Nathan Edwards He said the deep friendship between Australia and the US was not only built upon shared combat but shared values. But he said it was almost inevitable that China would return to its pre-19th century position as the dominant global economy. To avoid what he called the "Thucydides Trap" the inevitable conflict born from the unease at the rise of a new power, China's rise must be welcomed by the world, but China must also work to reassure its neighbours that its intentions are good. "You know as well as we do that justice is to be found only as between equals in power. As for the rest, the strong do as they will and the weak suffer as they must," said the Prime Minister, quoting from Book 1 of Thucydides' history, a passage he said that had often been referred to by China's President, Xi Jinping. He said regional peace and prosperity were intrinsically linked and dependent on co-operation between the US and China. At times during the speech Mr Turnbull closely echoed positions held by Barack Obama. As the President has, he urged observers not to exaggerate the power of the Islamic State, which he said was marked by "crazed delusions", but said the destruction of the self-styled caliphate was crucial to counter the terrorists group's "narrative of inevitable victory." Voicing a view also held by the White House he said boots on the ground were necessary to destroy IS, but they needed to be the "right boots on the right ground". "The recent retaking of Ramadi is a good example," he said. "Led by the Iraqis themselves, assisted by the coalition's respective air and special forces, it was not just a blow to ISIL, but an example of the right combination. "An enduring victory must be won and owned by the people of Iraq and Syria." He said unless Sunni populations in Iraq and Syria could be reconciled in an inclusive order a stable peace could not be achieved. "The enmities are so deep, the wrongs so shocking, that every option should be on the table - from an institutionalised power-sharing to some form of partition," said the Prime Minister. "This is a time for creative pragmatism and a recognition that difficult compromises will be required, particularly to avoid the sectarian aspect of this struggle spreading more widely across the region." With what appeared to be an eye turned to China Mr Turnbull said that online freedom was vital for democracy, human dignity and economic progress. "Australia, the US and others must work together internationally to promote norms of behaviour that are consistent with a free, open and secure internet," he said. "They include that states should not knowingly conduct or support cyber-enabled intellectual property theft for commercial advantage." Earlier in the day Mr Turnbull received a 19-gun salute and honor guard as he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery before meeting Defence chiefs at the Pentagon. Jerusalem: Israeli investigators have busted a ring of travel agency officials they say are suspected of price fixing for school trips to Nazi death camp sites in Poland, police said. Nine people were arrested, spokeswoman Luba Samri said on Tuesday, from various travel agencies suspected of colluding during a government tender to fix prices to prevent competition for Poland trips. Lawyers for the suspects, six of them agency executives, according to Israeli media, could not be reached for comment or did not respond to requests for comment. 'Work Sets You Free': the main entrance to the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz Birkenau, in Oswiecim, southern Poland. About 30,000 Israeli high-school students go on organised week-long trips to Poland every year. A group of travel agencies have been arrested for alleged price fixing for the school trips. Credit:AP About 30,000 Israeli high-school students go on organised week-long trips to Poland every year, according to the Israeli Education Ministry, where they visit old Nazi death camps, remnants of Jewish communities destroyed in the Holocaust, and other sites. The Education Ministry sees the trips as a way of preserving the memory of the Holocaust among young generations. They are often cited by those who attend as a powerful, emotional journey providing some idea of the horrors to which victims of Nazi Germany were subjected during World War Two. The Prime Minister refused to endorse a French-style blanket ban but made clear that individual organisations could choose to stop Muslim women wearing the veil. In 2013, The Telegraph disclosed that more than a dozen NHS hospitals had instructed staff not to wear the niqab a full veil which covers the face while in contact with patients. The same year, a London judge ordered a Muslim defendant to remove her veil, but asked politicians for clearer instructions on veils in court. A number of Conservative MPs want the government to consider a full ban on the veil. "I think in our country people should be free to wear what they like, within limits live how they like," Mr Cameron told BBC Radio 4. "What does matter is if, for instance, a school has a uniform policy, sensitively put in place and all the rest of it, and people want to flout that uniform policy, often for reasons that aren't connected to religion, you should always come down on the side of the school." The Prime Minister added: "When you are coming into contact with an institution or you're in court, or if you need to be able to see someone's face at the border, then I will always back the authority and institution that have put in place proper and sensible rules. "Going for the more sort of French approach of banning an item of clothing, I don't think that's the way we do things in this country and I don't think that would help." Philip Hollobone, a Conservative MP, said: "What the Prime Minister says is extremely welcome and a step in the right direction but given the stridency with which Muslim groups advance their cause sooner or later this will be put to the test. "It should apply to any public official, including schools, hospitals, councils, the police, border force, hospitals, GP surgeries. "Anywhere where members of the public come into contact and an official needs to have his or her face visible." He added: "I don't want to live in a country where a police officer is veiled, where a newsreader is veiled, where a nurse or doctor is veiled." The Telegraph also understands that ministers are drawing up guidance which will ban gender segregation in public meetings held in buildings owned by town halls. It follows concerns that Muslim men and women were separated in a series of public meetings before the election. Mrs Morgan will on Tuesday give a speech in Bethnal Green Academy, east London, which came to public attention in 2015 when four of its pupils fled to Syria to become "jihadi brides". The Education Secretary will announce a new website to help parents and teachers identify potential victims of radicalisation. The website warns parents and teachers about "excessive time spent online or on mobile phones" as well as being wary of children with a "susceptibility to conspiracy theories and a feeling of persecution". She will also announce plans to ensure that schools register with local authorities any pupils that stop attending lessons. Mrs Morgan will say: "We are determined to keep children safe in and out of school. "Today's announcement of resources and tougher powers to protect young, impressionable minds from radical views sends a clear message to extremists: our children are firmly out of your reach." Canberra is well placed to make history by becoming the first jurisdiction in the Asia-Pacific region to legalise self-driving cars, Canberra Business Chamber chairman Glenn Keys says. Mr Keys told an autonomous vehicles forum organised by the NRMA and the CBC on Tuesday he would like to see "live trials" on Canberra roads before the end of 2016. Canberra Business Chamber chairman Glenn Keys wants Canberra to be a pioneer in the use of autonomous cars. Credit:David Ellery A trial demonstration of Volvo's driverless cars in South Australia in November had raised public awareness of the emerging technology, creating an opportunity for Canberra to take it to the next level. "We've got suburbs that are already laid but with no houses," he said. "They've got intersections, lights and everything else. You just map them off and use them for a trial area. Camelot said: It's because the Mayor of Flint was powerless. Snyder took over the city of Flint by installing his own Emergency Manager. You cannot rule with an iron fist just to blame the people that your rule when you screw up big time. You clearly haven't followed this story. Ironically, your ignorance is testimony to your political bias. Click to expand... The City Council of Flint voted in March of 2013 by a vote of 7-1 to switch water supplies after Detroit cut them off. Darnell Early, whom Camelot is accusing of being the emergency manager and in control when the disastrous lead situation was created, was not appointed as emergency manager until September of 2013. That is a seven-month gap.The Mayor of Flint was not stripped of his power. That is coming from left-wing sources.The City of Flint and the Emergency Manager, Darnell Earley, worked together under the PUBLIC ACT 436 OF 2012, LOCAL FINANCIAL STABILITY AND CHOICE ACT, (PA 436).Darnell Early was appointed as the Emergency Manager of Flint in October of 2013. Mayor Dayne Walling and the City Council presented Early with their proposal to use the Karegnondi Water Authority and to use the Flint River temporarily; Early agreed. That is why Walling, the City Council, and the City of Flint are being sued individually and in their professional capacities.This is the difference between reading original source documents and left wing opinions. A Kaleen father will face charges for a horror crash that claimed the life of his seven-year-old daughter in Canberra's north last year. Christopher James Ward, 72, had been summonsed to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on charges of negligent driving causing death and not giving way at a give way sign. Acacia Ward busking at the National Folk Festival in Canberra in March 2013. Credit:Melissa Adams The matter was listed for its first appearance in the court on Tuesday morning. But Ward did not appear and his lawyer, Adrian McKenna, had the matter adjourned for three weeks. Westpac may not have followed responsible lending rules when it used automated processes to assess customer applications for credit card limit increases, the corporate watchdog says. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission on Wednesday revealed concerns that Westpac had failed to directly inquire about some credit card customers' income and job status when they were applying for a limit increase. Westpac failed to adequately inquire about the income and employment of customers seeking credit card limit increases. Credit:Louise Kennerley It said this failure to make reasonable enquiries about customers seeking credit was not consistent with responsible lending laws. In response to these concerns, the country's second-biggest bank has changed its processes and launched a review program that may pay refunds to consumers who are in financial difficulty after having credit limits increased. The union was also told the company was $70 million in debt, AWU secretary Ben Swan said on Tuesday. Clive Palmer will bow out of politics. Credit:Daniel Munoz "The administrators have confirmed that for the 237 workers made redundant last Friday, the company is not in a position to pay out their entitlements at this point," he said. "It was also confirmed the company hasn't made superannuation contributions on behalf of any employees since November - not just compulsory contributions but also voluntary ones workers themselves have made out of their own pay." Mr Swan said the company's true financial position would become clear in coming days and weeks, as the administrators got to work. "Because this is a private company, it has been impossible for us to demand, to inspect the financial statements and accounts. There was no mechanism to do that." AAP Global growth could be "derailed" over the next two years if key transitions in the world economy are not successfully navigated, the International Monetary Fund has warned. It has surprisingly downgraded its predictions for global growth for 2016 and 2017, cutting growth estimates by 0.2 percentage points across the board for advanced economies, for emerging markets, and for the world, over both years. The move will wipe away billions of dollars in potential global GDP, leaving the Turnbull government with an even tougher task when preparing its May budget. As the holiday period draws to an end, for many thousands of 2015 high school graduates it can be the time when reality strikes school is over and it's time to find a job. If not contemplating further study, some of our young people will already have secured their place within Australia's workforce. For many more, their employment prospects are looking bleak in a highly complex and competitive job market. Young people face a crowded jobs market. Credit:Tanya Lake I particularly worry about those young people who grew up in entrenched disadvantage. In reality, the odds are stacked against them. Living in financial hardship can severely affect a young person's educational outcomes and their longer-term employment and life outcomes. While they're living in our poorest communities, their families may also be dealing with long-term illness, disability, or struggling to cope with long-term unemployment. What they experience daily is mostly hidden from the rest of us, but all young people want to build the best life they can. Woolworths shareholders will be shaking their heads: how did it come to this? After more than six years of planning and execution, and more than $3 billion invested by the company and its US ally, the Masters experiment Project Oxygen in the companys optimistic management-speak has now been abandoned. Megastores around the country will be sold off and thousands of employees will lose their jobs. Decades of experience in retailing on two continents and almost bottomless pockets could not guarantee success. Thats capitalism for you. Older forms of competition, as represented by Woolworths attempt to beat an established rival, seem to carry far more risk. Credit:Glenn Hunt In 2009, the same year Woolworths was assembling its vast forces to take on Wesfarmers Bunnings, two entrepreneurs in San Francisco were preparing something quite new. Uber, the car-sharing and taxi service based on a smartphone app they devised that year, was an almost instant success in their home city, and then progressively throughout the United States and across the world. Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan, who was a hostage in Somalia in 2008-09, claimed that his kidnapping should have been resolvable in a matter of months. Instead it took 15 months because of AFP involvement in the negotiation process the AFP could offer nothing that the hostage-takers wanted, and was not reliably contactable anyway. On one occasion after a hiatus in negotiations, the hostage-takers called the AFP on a contact number they had been given in Canberra, but it was a long weekend and the AFP phone was not manned at the time. Brennan was eventually released after his family paid $1 million with financial assistance from businessman Dick Smith and Senator Bob Brown. In the case of Australian Warren Rodwell, who was wounded and kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines in December 2011, negotiations started at a million dollars but he was eventually released in March 2013 on payment of $A94,000. His declining health decided the kidnappers to take what they could get for him, as a dead hostage was not going to be worth much. In that case the AFP helped to ensure the family's ransom payment went to an honest broker. (In a 1994 hostage case involving Australian David Wilson, the family's ransom money was stolen and the hostages killed.) The Elliotts are committed Christian missionaries who have optimistically relied on God and local support to keep them safe. This, of course, means nothing to Islamist extremists from across the border in Mali who simply regard them as Christian infidels, potentially worth a small fortune. It is not clear at the moment which group is holding the Elliotts. The Islamist group Ansar Dine, which is the dominant extremist group in northern Mali, says they are being held by "Emirate of the Sahara". This is an al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) linked group led by Algerian Abu Yahya al Hammam that has a long history of taking hostages in the Sahara and Sahel. It has been holding Swede Johan Gustofsson and South African Stephen McGowan since November 2011. The two were kidnapped along with Dutch citizen Sjaak Rijke, who was freed in April 2015 by French Special Forces. AQIM is said to have raised $US50 million ($73 million) through kidnap-for-ransom over the past decade. Mokhtar Belmokhtar's al-Mourabitoun group based in southern Algeria is part of AQIM, but has its own regional agenda and in the past has executed hostages. In July 2012, one faction of the group traded two Spaniards and an Italian for $US18 million and a prisoner swap. In April 2015 al-Mourabitoun kidnapped a Romanian security officer from a mine in northern Burkina Faso; he is believed to be held in northern Mali. Al-Mourabitoun claims to be responsible for the attack on the Splendid Hotel in the Burkina Faso capital of Ouagadougou on January 15 resulting in 29 deaths. The first is unlikely, given the leadership's spectacular failure to get what it wants out of its own sharemarket, the world's biggest. The Shanghai composite index plummeted 15 per cent at the start of the year, despite frantic efforts to prop it up. What's happening to the share index isn't that important, except as an insight into a bigger game being played out on a larger canvas. "Countries are like people," says Patrick Chovanec, chief strategist at Silvercrest Asset Management in New York. "People do what works until it stops working, and then they keep doing it, because it used to work." China latched on to something that worked. Appallingly underdeveloped with embarrassingly low local purchasing power, it turned that weakness into a strength. Like Japan, South Korea and Singapore before it, used its low wages to tap into the rest of the world's purchasing power. As as it sold more and more cheap goods it invested the proceeds in more and more factories and housing. It was bringing hundreds of millions of workers in from the country to cities. As the number of its factories and housing units grew, its need for the rest of the world to buy even more of what it made grew; which it did, enabling China build even more factories and more accommodation, mostly with Australian iron ore. Until China grew to the point it dwarfed the economies it sold things to. On one measure it is now the world's biggest economy, on another the world's second-biggest. With the rest of the world unable to keep buying increasing amounts of what it produced it needed to try something different. It needed to let the growth rate slow and allow the spending of ordinary Chinese drive the economy. It paid lip-service to the idea, but mostly it kept doing what it used to do. If building more factories and accommodation had boosted growth before, surely it would do it again, its logic went. And it worked during the global financial crisis, sort-of. Its economy kept growing while the rest of the world's stumbled. But the rest of the world never really recovered, and China kept building increasingly useless factories and increasingly empty housing. "Intellectually, China's leaders know what they have to do," Chovanec says. They need to shift resources away from construction towards households. It's been Communist Party policy since 2013. "The problem is the moment they succeed they will knock the stuffing out of the investment boom. That's why they flinch. They pull back and try to shore up the existing model." Chovanec was until recently a professor of economics at Tsinghua University in Beijing. No longer living in China, he is free to describe what he saw. "Whether it's in the property market, in shadow banking, in the stockmarket, in bad debts or in uneconomic state-owned enterprises, they want a correction without having a correction," he says. "And the longer that goes on, the deeper the hole they dig, the more traumatic and the scary the correction becomes, and the more they flinch away from it." China's industrial production slowed last year. Yet borrowing jumped a further 5 per cent as banks pumped more and more money into less and less economic factories, housing schemes and loss-making businesses. Statism as a left or right wing philosophy is very intoxicating. I have a saying that there is nothing wrong with authoritarianism if it is MY authoritarianism represented. Many people dream of this today and have dreamed of it for thousands of years to the time of the caveman who wanted the women and goods of the neighbor cave and make their neighbor their slave or dinner. All of us humans have a desire for power. It isnt evident in some people and wholly evident in others. For our survival we feel the need to have power over someone else, and too much power in the hands of too few is tyranny. Let us remember that Adolf Hitler was elected to his position. Not a majority but a plurality and he and his political movement seized control of the nation in a short period of time, and almost destroyed their nation in the process. Stalin and his thugs killed at least twice as many people as Hitler. Same with Pol Pot and to a lesser degree bunches more of thugs and dictators making their authoritarianism known and feared. This is why we must resist the idea of a BIG government. This is what the United States has now, a huge, gargantuan government which is ran by corrupt politicians of two very similar political parties in collusion with each other. People do not vote, the power goes into the very few (who both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton represent) and the country slides into authoritarianism, until the people rise up. But rising up is not necessarily heroic either, since lots of people have risen up against repressive government, just to install, opps, another repressive government (China is a good example of this, so was 1960's-1970's Cambodia and Vietnam). This is happening now in the USA, a divergence of politics, with a rising left wing and right wing who are not beyond intimidation, threats and even violence to get what they want. Both sides expouse really lunatic ideas and solutions. Many times they know the problem but fail in the solutions. 2 plus 2 is 5. Although it is wrong, these people will fight to the death to make it right. With all this goofiness and again, lunacy supported by the media, government and the mega wealthy to do their agenda while everyone else really isnt looking (too busy arguing about guns, Stormy Daniels, Kim Kardashian and MS-13) to notice. Authoritarianism will always be around. Just a sickness of humanity. We humans are slow learners and we humans will keep continuing to murder each other for fun and profit. As the frontwoman of Portland, Oregon, outfit Blouse, Charlie Hilton admits it's taken the release of her debut solo album Palana (a Sanskrit name her parents gave her which means protection) to reveal a vulnerable side. Raised by hippy parents in LA in the 1980s, Hilton says her free-spirited upbringing had its pros and cons. Her dad was a musician who wrote a New Age Christmas album, which she listened to for two years straight as a young child. She remembers going to see him play shows and it feeling more like a chore than liking the music he was playing. But it was thanks to his guitars lying around the home that inspired Hilton to pick one up as a teenager and never look back. Charlie Hilton explores love and abandonment, friendships that change and relationships that leave indelible marks in her album, Palana. "Being able to use music as an outlet has always been an amazing form of expression for me," says Hilton, who takes this call from a cabin in the Mount Hood National Forest where she is rehearsing the new album an hour's drive from her hometown. "I can't imagine what my teenage years would have been like if I wasn't able to write songs," she says. "Don't flinch" is outgoing Chief Scientist Ian Chubb's parting advice for scientists facing a wide range of detractors, from climate change deniers to those against genetically modified foods. Professor Chubb, who this week ends his almost-five year term, acknowledged in a statement on Thursday that scientists' work "isn't easy." "We know there are those who want only to be told what they want to hear. When they aren't, they simply denigrate and disparage and dream up conspiracies," he said. "I can only say to scientists: don't flinch. Do your work; do it according to the trusted methods of ethical science and talk regularly to the public ... their support, and the weight and quality of evidence, must always trump make-believe." Professor Chubb told Fairfax Media that scientists have a responsibility to educate the public on what they found out about the world: "We can't afford for the scientific community to back off because they get yelled at or scoffed at. [That would be a] great loss to the planet." "Don't flinch": Advice from outgoing Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb. Credit:Andrew Meares During Professor Chubb's term, the Abbott government's deep funding cuts brought Australia's investment in research and development to a 30-year low, and Malcolm Turnbull took over the Liberal leadership, vowing to make science and innovation central to the Coalition's political agenda. Science had become more widely discussed since he was appointed chief scientist in 2011.The next federal election could be fought on the quality of science and innovation policies, which "would be the first time in my memory that it would have been a central part for both parties [vying] for our vote." Professor Chubb said the government's innovation statement and strategy for promoting science, technology, engineering and maths in schools were a step in the right direction. Government and business also needed to invest in science at a tertiary level to ensure disciplines such as chemistry, maths and physics were sustained even when unpopular at universities. This was so that funding was based on Australia's current and future needs, he said, citing agricultural science: "We've seen significant decline in the number of people studying agricultural science so how can we do the research necessary to increase our agricultural productivity to meet our aspirations to become the food bowl of Asia?" Catriona Jackson, chief executive officer of Science and Technology Australia, which represents more than 68,000 scientists and technologists, said that Professor Chubb had been a "titan" of an advocate, laying the policy foundations for the government's science agenda and restoring respect for science in the community. "There have been some difficult times for science and scientists in the past decade from virulent well-organised climate scepticism to a lack of interest in science," she said. "The fact that that has turned around in Australia is very significantly attributable to Ian Chubb and his relentless energy." ATAR university entry cut-offs are very often a meaningless piece of information, an Australian university vice-chancellor says, as thousands of students wait to find out if they have been accepted to their chosen university. The comment from the vice-chancellor of Victoria University, Peter Dawkins, comes as the university sector increasingly looks to alternative entry schemes beyond the four-digit ATAR rank to secure students. More than 46,000 high school students will find out on Wednesday if they have scored above the cut-off to secure a spot in competitive courses such as law and engineering. Citing research from the Victorian Institute of Strategic Economic Studies, Professor Dawkins said that students entering suitable degrees with lower ATARs are able to match or even exceed the performance of their more highly ranked peers. One in five people is consuming nearly three quarters of the alcohol sold in Australia, according to a report that claims the alcohol industry is dependent on risky drinkers. The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education has called for a boycott on public health researchers working with the alcohol industry due to what it believes is a vested commercial interest in ensuring that problem drinkers continue to drink at risky levels. Its report is based on a July analysis by the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, which broke down the distribution of alcohol consumption in Australia, according to national surveys. That analysis showed that alcohol consumption declined between 2001 and 2013 among all but the heaviest drinkers, who were consuming an ever greater proportion of beverages sold in Australia. A Sydney father who was shot dead during a confrontation with police at Quakers Hill police station has been remembered by a relative as a man who loved his family and "put everyone before himself". David Petersen, from Quakers Hill, walked into the police station on Lalor Road just after 10.30am on Tuesday and allegedly threatened officers with a large kitchen knife and started yelling incomprehensibly. A senior police officer shot Mr Petersen, a New Zealand-born father aged in his 40s, once in the shoulder, in front of other officers and a 12-year-old boy who was at the station. A witness said CPR was performed on the injured man, but he died at the scene. NSW Labor has announced a change to its frontbench team, with shadow minister Jodie Harrison stepping down. Ms Harrison announced she would resign her frontbench responsibilities at a press conference in Newcastle on Tuesday morning. Labor's Jodie Harrison is stepping down from the NSW shadow cabinet. Credit:Max Mason-Hubers She will be replaced by fellow Hunter MP Kate Washington. Ms Harrison, who has been serving concurrently as the mayor of Lake Macquarie and in shadow portfolios including the opposition's spokeswoman for women, the Hunter and the prevention of domestic violence, cited ill-health of a family member as the reason for her resignation. It is the money laundering story that has everything - a casino gambler, a pile of cash, a fake "uncle", and a quick trip to Newcastle to see a woman about a brothel. Singapore national San Wei Koh is in a NSW jail after police collected more than $600,000 from a safety deposit box at The Star casino in Sydney, and Koh told them the story about his aunt in Newcastle. Police found more than $600,000 in a casino safety deposit box. Credit:Ian Waldie A NSW judge who sentenced Koh to at least nine months jail wasn't quite sure what to believe, but had no doubt he shouldn't believe everything, the Newcastle Herald reports. "The facts are somewhat convoluted. They have a sense of being less than the full narrative," said Judge Graeme Henson, after Koh pleaded guilty to two counts of dealing with property suspected of being the proceeds of crime. Divisions within the ALP over Middle East policy are set to flare at next month's NSW conference over a push to ban Labor MPs, officials and Young Labor members from accepting subsidised trips to Israel. The proposal has been put forward by the group Labor Friends of Palestine. Recognition of Palestine "if there is no progress to a two-state solution": Bob Carr. Credit:Ryan Osland The motion states that while Benjamin Netanyahu's government "continues settlements, refuses a Palestinian state [and] brutally mistreats Arab residents of the West Bank", that no ALP officer, MP or Young Labor member "accept a paid trip from the Israel Lobby". "To do so in the circumstances is an insult to the Australian community who support our party," it says. The case against one of the two men charged over the one-punch death of Cole Miller is weak, his defence lawyer has argued, because the defendant did not deliver the alleged fatal blow to the teenager. Daniel Maxwell, 21, applied for bail in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday, just more than two weeks after he allegedly started the fight that claimed the young water polo player's life. The court heard in the early hours of January 3, Mr Maxwell challenged Mr Miller and his friend Nick Pace to a fight, after asking three men he was with, "Do you want to see something funny?" Doesnt matter. For starters there is no legal requirement to pay the penalty. So you can tell the IRS to **** off your not paying it. End of story. Also the ACA is on life support. Its going to die under its own weight. The people do not like being told what they must buy and not buy. They do not like being lied to in the manner they were. Supreme court does not matter. The ACA is a walking dead man An alleged former Bandido will front court in Brisbane on Wednesday, charged over an alleged million-dollar property fraud. Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission has alleged the 29-year-old Sunnybank Hills man borrowed $1 million from a bank to build townhouses, which the body will allege did not exist, and to refinance an existing loan. Operation Juliet Wave targeted organised crime among former members and associates of the Centro Chapter of the Bandidos. The CCC said the man falsified pre-sale contracts for the townhouses to secure the loan, as well as other financial documents. The man is scheduled to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday, charged with fraud. One of two men charged with causing the one-punch death of Brisbane teenager Cole Miller will stay behind bars until at least Friday. Daniel Jermaine Lee Maxwell, 21, was alleged to have started the fight that claimed the promising water polo player's life in the early hours of January 3. He allegedly asked friends if they wanted to "see something funny" before challenging Mr Miller and his friend Nick Pace to a fight, raining punches on both of them when they did not respond. Queensland man Shaun Barker's accused killers joked about torturing him and ignored his pleas for help from inside an Esky, a court has heard. A witness has described callous behaviour towards a man locked in an Esky by accused murderers Stephen John Armitage, Matthew Leslie Armitage and William Francis Dean at the trio's committal hearing. Shaun Barker's remains were found in Toolara Forest on the Sunshine Coast in April 2014. Mr Barker was allegedly locked in a commercial Esky, tied up in bushland, and had honey smeared on his genitals to attract ants before he was murdered north of Brisbane in December 2013 following a drug dispute. His remains were found in Toolara Forest on the Sunshine Coast in April 2014. Netflix's chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, shot back Sunday, saying the numbers provided by NBC were "remarkably inaccurate" and asking why NBC would spend time and energy to "talk about our ratings." Ratings information doesn't 'reflect any sense of reality of anything that we keep track of', says Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. Credit:Netflix At a Television Critics Association event, NBCUniversal introduced viewership figures provided by an outside firm that suggested several of Netflix's shows fall in line with broadcast and cable shows, implying that traditional television remains vibrant. John Landgraf, chief executive of the cable network FX, picked up the theme, saying it was "ridiculous" that Netflix did not release viewership numbers. Tensions between Netflix and US television networks escalated this weekend after industry executives expressed mounting frustration over Netflix's refusal to disclose ratings. "Maybe because it's more fun than talking about NBC ratings," he said. The pitched back-and-forth occurred as ratings are falling for broadcast and cable networks while Netflix's offerings of original programs are growing. Sarandos said the streaming service would spend $US6 ($8.76 billion) billion on content this year, and original scripted programming would be part of that budget. Television executives have been frustrated because Sarandos has at times suggested Netflix shows would fare better than what is on cable and broadcast television. Last month, for instance, he said the Netflix show "Narcos" would be the most-viewed show on cable, not HBO's "Game of Thrones." "Netflix brought it on themselves when they make assertions like their show would be the highest-rated cable show," Gary Newman, co-chief executive of the Fox Television Group, said in an interview. Likewise, Landgraf said in an interview, "If Ted doesn't give ratings, he shouldn't then be saying, 'This is the biggest hit in the history of blah blah blah.' He shouldn't say something is successful in quantitative terms unless you're willing to provide data and a methodology behind those statements. You can't have it both ways." Roberta Williams wants access to the prison computer of her slain ex-husband Carl, which contains letters he wrote to underworld figures and family members. Ms Williams has made a court bid to access the computer, which police are planning to oppose because of the sensitive nature of some of the documents it contains. Carl and Roberta Williams at the scene of a gangland murder in 2004. Credit:Angela Wylie It is understood a forensic audit of the computer conducted by police uncovered dozens of letters, including some sent to Roberta and his daughter Dhakota, and others meant only for the eyes of fellow gangsters. Ms Williams' application to access the computer will be decided in Melbourne Magistrates' Court later this month. The operators of a famous Malaysian restaurant in Melbourne are being taken to court for allegedly underpaying workers almost $90,000 and falsifying records to disguise dodgy payments while under investigation. The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched legal action against the owners of the popular Mamak restaurants, alleging employees were paid as little as $11 an hour - half the legal rate for adult hospitality workers. Mamak Malaysian restaurant in Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Credit:Penny Stephens Between February 2012 and April 2015, Mamak Pty Ltd allegedly short-changed six foreign workers a total of $87,349 at one of its two Sydney restaurants. Two of the workers were allegedly denied more than $20,000 each. According to Fair Work, its inspectors were also allegedly given false records that made it look like higher rates were paid to one worker when this was not the case. A nurse who died in a head-on crash while transporting a patient during an emergency made a driver error and fatigue was unlikely to have been a factor, a West Australian coroner has found. Gonda Alexandra Smith was a remote area nurse at a clinic in Nullagine, in the state's Pilbara region, in July 2012 when the accident happened. Ms Smith was a skilled, diligent and conscientious nurse, the coroner said. Coroner Sarah Linton said while fatigue could not be entirely eliminated as a contributing factor to the collision, the evidence generally suggested it was unlikely. She found the major contributing factor to the crash was Ms Smith's decision to drive centrally in the road over a crest. The number of children allegedly molested by Australian man Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis in Bali has ballooned to 15 following a police investigation. The 69-year-old man was arrested at his rental property in Tabanan, Bali, last week under suspicion of being part of an international paedophile network. Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis arrives at a Bali police station. Police spokesman Hery Wiyanto said 30 children had now been questioned after a list of 32 names of girls aged between seven and seventeen was found at Mr Ellis' home. "Of the 30 children we have questioned, we have determined 15 were victims," Mr Wiyanto said. Dubai: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday welcomed the lifting of international sanctions against Iran, but warned that Tehran should remain wary of its old enemy the United States. State television reported that Khamenei wrote to President Hassan Rouhani to congratulate him on implementing the nuclear deal, which resulted in US, European Union and United Nations sanctions being lifted over the weekend. In his first comments since the deal took effect, Iran's highest authority made clear that Washington should still be treated with suspicion. He made no mention of a surprise prisoner exchange that also took place this weekend. FOCUS ON DEFENSE CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND OCEANIA Hong Kong: One of Hong Kong's staunchest pro-Beijing lawmakers says a bookseller's tearful confession on state television to a hit-and-run accident more than a decade ago in China is unlikely to appease public concerns that he may have been abducted. The Sunday evening broadcast on China Central Television ended months of mystery over the fate of Gui Minhai, a naturalised Swedish citizen, after he was last seen in October outside his apartment in the Thai seaside town of Pattaya. Chinese-born book publisher Gui Minhai appeared on Chinese TV on Sunday saying he surrendered to police over a fatal drink driving incident. Credit: Supplied In the strongest statement yet by anyone in Hong Kong's pro-China camp, Legislative Council President Jasper Tsang said the taped confession by Mr Gui was not enough. Peshawar, Pakistan: A suicide bomber blew himself up close to a police checkpoint in north-western Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 20, officials said. The bomber rammed his motorcycle into a police vehicle next to the roadside checkpoint in the Jamrud area on the edge of Pakistan's volatile Federally Administered Tribal Areas, local government official Munir Khan said. "He was riding an explosives-laden motorcycle and hit the checkpoint and the vehicle of the line officer," Khan said. Among the dead were at least five police officers including the line officer whose vehicle was targeted by the bomber, as well as a child and a local journalist, officials said. TV footage showed the burnt-out remains of cars as rescue workers rushed to evacuate the wounded. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser PHILIPSBURG:----The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) on Friday January 15th, 2016, in the presence of a well-attended gathering launched: COCI ONLINE. This COCI service represents the culmination of all executed projects and services by COCI in 2015. COCI President Peggy Ann Brandon explained to the invited guests the journey undertaken by the COCI Board of Directors, Management and staff to attain this result. The COCI Board of Directors in their Caucus of 2014, formulated the objective for 2015 namely to achieve BETTER BUSINESS in Sint Maarten. In this context COCI took a look at itself and formulated projects to better its product and services, in support of BETTER BUSINESS. COCI felt that the business community, being dependent on a secure business environment for its further development, needed a better quality, greater access to COCI and a faster return on its requests. So COCI in 2015 executed an internal reorganization, hired three additional customer service representatives, migrated to a new data registry, conducted extensive training of its staff and started the digitization of 2300+ files to preserve records. In creating better access to COCI several service concepts were developed, implemented and launched. In September 2016 COCI 24, an e-mail service through which requests are handled within 24 hours was launched. October marked the launch of COCI 2 U a service through which COCI visits the customer on appointment. GET COCI was the product launched in November, bringing access to COCI services to SIMPSON BAY and the surrounding areas in collaboration with the Government Public Service Center at the fish market. In December COCI offered COCI CURBSIDE a service permitting a drive through drop off and pick up at COCI in Philipsburg. Brandon also explained that Better Business required the process undertaken by notaries, to incorporate and register businesses, or to have amendments processed to be a more convenient and efficient one. The COCI Board of Directors so gave Management a mandate to undertake the design, development and implementation of a COCI online registration module. COCI Management under the leadership of Mrs. R. Patrick, through an invitation to bid issued at the beginning of the second quarter of 2015, commenced a bidding process to acquire an interface module for COCI. At the end of the second quarter of 2015 the bids submitted were opened in the presence of Marshall Rabess, after which the bidding committee conducted its review and announced the result to the COCI Board of Directors. COCI Management notified the winner QUALOGY SURINAME (a daughter company of QUALOGY NETHERLANDS serving the Caribbean region) at the beginning of the third quarter of 2015. Qualogy worked with the COCI IT staff to deliver COCI ONLINE. Going beyond simply delivering contract deliverables, Qualogy fully partnered with COCI to design and develop the online solution desired. The launch of last Friday marks the first phase of the project, as a payment module and viewing module are expected to be launched within the next 6 -8 weeks. Brandon further explained that this method of launching was chosen with focus on safeguarding the integrity of the COCI system and to ensure that the process of establishing businesses on St. Maarten would be shortened in a secure environment. COCI (pronounced as cozy) also launched the rebranding of its business concept on Friday. Highlighting the COCI brand, supports the vision of the Board of Directors that Better Business is attained through better, more efficient and accessible services. The rebranding and launch of new services in 2015 was made possible with the assistance of Visual Lynx- Montage NV- Fernando Clark and team. The COCI president thanked all for their tireless input and dedication bringing all undertakings to a success. Brandon is quoted saying: If not for all layers working together and contributing as a team, success is not achievable. We are here today because of team work, and everyone going the extra mile. With a click of the button Brandon launched COCI ONLINE. After the presentation of the module, senior staff member E. Joseph and Treasurer to the Board Mr. A. Baker made the closing remarks. In an emotional and heartfelt tribute senior staff member Joseph thanked the COCI president for all that she had done for the staff and COCI. Joseph said: We have learned so much from Mrs. Brandon. We are thankful that she believes in us, cares and helps us to grow. Her integrity, and her lessons changed us as workers and as persons. Invited guest were treated to cocktails. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ministry of Education, Culture, and Youth Affairs held a Motivational Day for Group 8 students from the six public schools at the Dr. Alma Fleming-Rogers Care Center in Belvedere, Dutch Quarter. After a short introduction by the Head of Public Education Glenderline Davis-Holiday, the Honorable Minister, Silveria Jacobs spoke to about 150 students present about the importance of having an internal fire in regards to their future. Do you know who you are? Minister Jacobs asked the students in the crowded student hall. Every day is a new day. You can become whomever you want to be. You can decide who you want to be. Some of you may want to become a business person, a dancer, a musician, an artist, a doctor, a nurse or a teacher. You can become whatever you wish to become. Nobody can become that for you. You have to ask yourself: Where will you be in the future? Who do you want to be? these are important questions, the Minister asked. Minister Jacobs further gave a description on her personal journey, education, and the challenges she faced, noting that giving up is not an option, but keeping the fire burning, and continue to working hard to achieve your dream. Dig deep within yourself, know who you are, what you love, figure it out, and become that person we know you can become, Minister Jacobs said. Nothing happens without hard work in trying to achieve your dreams and goals in life. To help with achieving your goals, I encouraged you to write what your dreams are and keep it visible as a reminder to work hard to achieve such. Another advice that works is to surround yourselves with those who are positive, who provide encouragement, and propel you forward, especially when you feel like giving up. Though this advice may motivate you. Motivation is nothing without hard work. Minister Jacobs then spoke about the important responsibility of being a St. Maartener. You all are St. Maarteners, now and in the future, so when you finish your studies, we need you, we want you to come back home to St. Maarten to contribute to the growth of this country. After the motivational speech by Minister Jacobs, the students were divided in groups and engaged in various activities, such as a paper plane competition, paint your own bulletin board, create your own rap about your future aspirations, and sporting events that enforce participation and acceptance to build their self-esteem and interaction skills with other students. The days events were assisted by gym teachers, music teachers, art teachers and class teachers while student guidance counselors observed. GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that traffic will be disrupted at the pedestrian street crossings at the intersection Union Road/Round-a-bout Causeway Bridge in Cole Bay, where the aforementioned will be painted. The paint works will take place from Tuesday, January 19 at 8.00pm through 5.00am. Direction Marigot, one lane will be painted at a time. Direction Cole Bay, the pedestrian crossings will be painted the last. The roads will remain open to all traffic, and workmen will be controlling the traffic flow during the aforementioned time-frame. The L.B. Scott road will be closed on Thursday, January 21 from 8.00pm through 5.00am for pedestrian road crossing painting. The traffic in this particular area will be re-routed as follows: traffic coming from L.B. Scott road going to Grand Marche, all traffic will have to take a left on the Arbutus road, and a right on Oleander road; and a right again on Flamboyant road and back on the L.B. Scott road. Traffic heading in the direction of St. Peters, will have to take the first bridge making a right on Flamboyant road and then taking a left on Oleander road and then another left on Arbutus road and then back on the L.B. Scott road. Motorists must pay attention to the traffic signs that will be erected and to reduce speed and drive with caution. Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause. PHILIPSBURG:--- It is with great enthusiasm and pleasure that NIA announces the return visit of extremely talented, passionate and versatile artist/musician Mr. Ernesto Arrindell. Through a myriad of instruments, found objects, daily objects and materials Mr. Arrendell creates an artwork of sounds, which Ernesto calls Sound Stories Well known for his contagious passion and musical versatility, Mr. Arrendell is a renowned percussionist and highly sought after musician throughout Europe. In 2015 Ernesto accompanied by his wife Christel Klein performed at various locations including National Institute of Arts, St. Dominic High School, the Boardwalk Jazz Festival and Charlotte Brookson Academy's Kwanzaa Holiday celebration. Whilst on St.Maarten Ernesto toured several schools where he conducted several workshops introducing the students to his unique and versatile musical style. In addition to his performance magic, Mr. Arrendell has proven to be a great source of inspiration and motivation for the youth as he chronicles his evolution as artist since his childhood growing up in Aruba. Since his return to St.Maarten Mr. Arrendell has been hard at work once again conducting some 15 workshops at the Catholic Schools, Milton Peters College and Sundial. On Friday January 29 and Saturday January 30 NIA Productions, BLACK BOX Series is proud to present Mr. Ernesto in concert where will premiere his new masterpiece Magical Sound Stories created during his stay here. We invite you to travel around the world in sounds and texture. Experience the mystery and be transported. Tickets for Magical Sound Stories are on sale at the National Institute of Arts located at the John Larmonie Center. tickets are $ 20 in advance or $25 at the door. Showtime 8pm sharp. Doors will close once the performance starts. Audience members will only be allowed to enter, when there is a break in his performance. We request that you please be on time. Ernesto Arrendell in Concert. "Magical Sound Stories". Please save the date. You don't want to miss this Mystical Magical Sound Journey For more information and bookings please call NIA 1-721-543-0600 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. As the old St. Maarten saying goes, shortly NIA and Ernesto will "come for a stick of fire"! ST. PETERS:--- Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake says former civil servants and those who have worked for government-owned companies, need to be recognized continuously for their contribution to the development of the civil service corps and the companies that they worked for over the years. It has always been the case that we recognize the person when they have passed away. We need to move away from that and continue to recognize them while they are alive. There are many retired civil servants today as well as former employees who have made a considerable contribution to the organization that they worked for. Today, when an event is held, they are not invited. There should be a protocol in place where these persons are recognized and are invited to government events or events organized by the respective government-owned company. We have to look after our own. We have to put our people first. The senior citizens are the backbone of this country. They were the ones who built the foundations that we enjoy today. We have to know about our past in order to chart our future. While working as a civil servant myself, I learnt a lot from the older heads, and they have contributed to the man that I am today, and I am thankful for their contribution. I had the opportunity to sit down with Raphael Christian (89), who had worked at the Princess Juliana International Airport for more than 30-years until he retired years ago. An aircraft engineer by profession, Christian worked as Supervisory Director at the airport. He was also decorated with a medal for his service back in 2010. I fully agree with Raphael Christian; We like to trample on our own and that is killing our country. We have to help our own. I fully agree with him. Our forefathers did not have that mentality. Their principles of being straight forward and looking out for each other is what has to be promoted. The generation of leaders today have to do better and teach the younger generation these principles so it can be passed on from one generation to the next. We have to also continue to names places and things after those who have made a contribution to our society. For example, street names, buildings or plazas etc. We need to take better care of our seniors as well, especially in the health care area eg. Eye care/Eye glasses. Housing for seniors need to be expanded. The cost of living is very high and the pensions are not sufficient for our seniors. We need a structural approach where this is concerned. I will be calling on the Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure from Ministry VROMI, to take the lead in adding former civil servants who have served our nation, to be invited to events and ground-breakings etc to show our continued appreciation for what they have done, for the foundation that they have laid for us to continue building. I call on other Ministries to do the same and follow suit. E-Complish: Leading Online Payment Solutions Provider Announces Top-Tier Security Protection BALTIMORE, MD (Marketwired) 01/18/16 With the holiday season receding into the distance, this is the time of year where businesses of all sizes take stock of their inventories, review their customer interactions, and begin tallying the success or failure of their marketing and customer engagement efforts. Its also the time where the pressing challenge of credit card fraud makes headline news. In fact, according to research from the fraud rate for transactions that didnt require physically swiping a credit card increased in 2015 compared to 2014. In 2015, one out of every 86 transactions experienced attempted fraud versus one out of 114 in 2014, an increase of 30 percent. That means brands must be more vigilant than ever to ensure that their customers online financial information is secure. Recognizing that need, , a leading payment solutions provider, is pleased to announce that it is now offering top-tier Level-1 PCI compliance the payment card industrys credit card processing gold standard. PCI compliant companies must adhere to a variety of rigorous criteria established by major credit card processors Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and JCB. Tiered 1 through 4, the required PCI level of payment processing is dependent on the volume of transactions a business performs. Level-1 PCI compliance means that E-Complish is able to offer merchant credit card processing solutions to companies that handle over 6 million Visa and/or MasterCard transaction per year. Level-1 PCI compliance also means that as a premier credit card processor, E-Complish conducts an annual on-site review by an in-house auditor and undergoes a mandatory network scan by a qualified scanning vendor. Empowered by these capabilities, E-Complish is ready to take the next step in merchant processing. Whether its designing customer-facing e-commerce solutions, back-end check and credit card processing, voice response telephone payment tools, or a growing list of additional services, E-Complish is a merchants go-to source for a host of payment solutions, said Stephen Price, E-Complishs CEO. For instance, through VirtualPay, our all-in-one payment processes system, customers can integrate their payment solutions and accept payments with simplicity and ease. What better time than the post-holiday season for merchants to get their financial house in order and consider our help? PCI compliance is a term that was introduced by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. The organization was launched nearly 10 years ago (September 7, 2006) to manage payment card industry security standards at a time when a growing number of businesses were rapidly building their online presence. Rather than just being digital billboards directing customers back to brick-and-mortar stores, businesses sought ways they could accept electronic payments online. This need gave rise to online credit card processing. Thus, the PCISSC is committed to improving payment account security throughout the transaction process. With nearly 20 years in the business weve had a front row seat to the burgeoning Internet age and the growing need for businesses to engage their customers online and to ensure that payment transactions are secure, Price added. Achieving Level-1 PCI compliance is an important distinction and greatly expands the types of clients we partner with generally those who handle a greater number of online annual credit card transactions. Unquestionably the new year is off to an incredible start. Founded in 1998, E-Complishs mission is to deliver a wide selection of secure and dependable services, making it easy for its customers to process and report on all types of transactions. For more information about E-Complish and its suite of online business solutions visit or call 888-847-7744. Corvallis police are investigating a shooting death that occurred Friday evening at Shari's restaurant at 1117 N.W. Ninth St. and calling it a homicide. The emergency dispatch center received a call about the apparent shooting at 7:45 p.m. Northwest Ninth Street was shut down at Beca Avenue to the north and at Buchanan Avenue to the south of the restaurant, and there was a strong law enforcement presence at the scene. Observers on the scene reported that a body, apparently that of an adult male, was lying on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. Witnesses told the Gazette-Times they saw another man, who appeared to be conscious and alert, taken away in an ambulance. "An investigation at the scene is underway," Corvallis police said in a 9:27 p.m. release. "At this time there is one person who is deceased, and one other individual receiving treatment for unknown injuries." A Corvallis Police Department vehicle was parked in front of the body, which was covered by a sheet. The Corvallis Police Department, Benton County Sheriff's Office and Albany Police Department had incident command trucks parked at the scene. Sheriff's deputies and Oregon State Police troopers armed with rifles were also at the scene, as were paramedics. Corvallis police were urging residents to stay out of the area and allow officers to investigate. They said that there is no known threat to the community at this time. According to Corvallis police, the incident was not a law enforcement-involved shooting. Those with information regarding the incident are asked to call the Corvallis Police Department at 541-766-6919. No further information was available at press time. Paycor Wins SHARE Pillar Award for Outstanding Community Service CINCINNATI, OH (Marketwired) 01/19/16 , providing companies with intuitive, cloud-based onboarding, applicant tracking, HR, payroll and timekeeping software, today announced that the company has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious SHARE Medical Mutual Pillar Award for 2016. As part of the Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service, presented by Smart Business, the SHARE Award honors the company whose employees best exemplify the values of Medical Mutuals volunteer employee SHARE Committee to share, help, aid, reach and educate. At Paycor, we feel that we have a real responsibility to take care of the communities in which we live and work. As such, giving back is a part of our company DNA, said Karen Crone, chief human resources officer at Paycor. We appreciate that our efforts have been recognized by Medical Mutual, and the widespread impact that we have achieved in support of our communities has been its own reward. With the dedication of our Paycor associates, our potential to make a difference knows no bounds. Community Partners, Paycors community service organization, was founded by Paycor associates in 2010 as a way to demonstrate the companys guiding principles, which include Take care of each other and Do the right thing. In recognition of the outstanding commitment Paycor makes to improve the communities it serves, including the Greater Cincinnati area, the company also received a Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service in 2014, and Rick Chouteau, sales vice president for Paycor, was awarded the Pillar Award for Nonprofit Executive of the Year the same year. A grassroots initiative, Community Partners channels the talents and dedication of Paycor associates in order to focus on addressing social and economic challenges in surrounding communities. Since its inception, the Community Partners program has fulfilled more than 11,000 volunteer opportunities in support of nonprofit organizations such as Accounting for Kids, the Down Syndrome Association of Cincinnati and Steps for Success at Oyler School. The Steps for Success program provides Oyler high school students with career planning assistance and connects them with business community mentors, all with the goal of ensuring students progress to graduation. Being able to work with these amazing kids through Steps for Success is a wonderful experience. Growing that connection with them and knowing that youre probably one of the few adults that they trust is truly humbling. Over the past three years, weve stuck with the same class, and seeing one class grow from sophomores to seniors has been a remarkable transformation, said Steps for Success volunteer and Paycor learning and training coordinator, Maggie Ogborne. The Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service honors businesses of all types and sizes that make outstanding contributions to their community. Its purpose is to encourage a charitable environment, recognize creative efforts that make a difference and demonstrate the ties between the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. Award recipients were recognized during a reception on January 14, 2016, at the Duke Energy Convention Center and were featured in the January edition of Smart Business Cincinnati. More information about the 2016 Pillar Awards is available at: . People are at the core of Paycor. Serving more than 30,000 small and medium-sized organizations, Paycor is known for delivering amazing client experiences combined with modern and intuitive HR and payroll solutions. Paycors personalized support and intelligent technology ensure that key business processes, including timekeeping, reporting, onboarding, and recruiting, run smoothly across your business. Paycor is the trusted partner for brokers, bankers and CPAs. Learn how Paycor can advance your business by connecting with us at | | . I'm afraid it will be worse without alcohol. Dear Guys! I'm Mate from Hungary, having alcohol problem, I feel a strong urge to drink on every second day. Having a hangover is a pieceful state because I dont hear my mind finding ways to drink. 4 years ago I tried to stop drinking. I could do it for half year. It was not like having a weak moment grabbing the bottle again. It was like a feeling getting stronger month by month telling me my life was better when I was drinking. When I went out with my friends I was bored, waiting just to go home. When I met my brothers who I truly love, I was not in the mood to talk about myself nor ask them how they were doing. I was just bored, watching the clock when we can leave. I even received that from my family "hey Mate you seem you are not with us, you seem depressed, you seem ". And they were right. So I started to drink again, and my motivation came back to talk about myself, and inquire about the others, being active in the conversations and being the last one who wants to leave the meetings. Now 4 years later, I'm thinking about stop drinking to avoid mind and body destruction. But I'm afraid I will become a boring+bored person again with my friends and my family. Anyone had some experience about these things? Theory January 19, 2016 Ellen Meiksins Wood In Memoriam Ellen Meiksins Wood 1942-2016 The death of Ellen Meiksins Wood on January 14, 2016 represents an immense loss for socialists everywhere. As a frequent contributor to the Socialist Register since her first essay in 1980, special co-editor of the 1995 volume on Why Not Capitalism , and a member of the Registers editorial collective from 1996 to 2009, her depth of socialist commitment, theoretical originality and profound insight may best be gauged from this excerpt from her essay on The uses and abuses of civil society in the Socialist Register 1990: The Retreat of the Intellectuals . We live in curious times. Just when intellectuals of the Left in the West have a rare opportunity to do something useful, if not actually world-historic, they or large sections of them are in full retreat. Just when reformers in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe are looking to Western capitalism for paradigms of economic and political success, many of us appear to be abdicating the traditional role of the Western left as critic of capitalism. Just when more than ever we need a Karl Marx to reveal the inner workings of the capitalist system, or a Friedrich Engels to expose its ugly realities on the ground, what we are getting is an army of post-Marxists one of whose principal functions is apparently to conceptualize away the problem of capitalism Despite the diversity of current theoretical trends on the left and their various means of conceptually dissolving capitalism, they often share one especially serviceable concept: civil society However constructive its uses in defending human liberties against state oppression, or in marking out a terrain of social practices, institutions and relations neglected by the old Marxist left, civil society is now in danger of becoming an alibi for capitalism Gramscis conception of civil society was unambiguously intended as a weapon against capitalism, not an accommodation to it. Despite the appeal to his authority which has become a staple of the new revisionism, the concept in its current usage no longer has this unequivocally anti-capitalist intent. It has now acquired a whole new set of meanings and consequences, some very positive for the emancipatory projects of the left, others far less so. The two contrary impulses can be summed up in this way: the new concept of civil society signals that the left has learned the lessons of liberalism about the dangers of state oppression, but we seem to be forgetting the lessons we once learned from the socialist tradition about the oppressions of civil society. On the one hand, the advocates of civil society are strengthening our defence of non-state institutions and relations against the power of the state; on the other hand, they are tending to weaken our resistance to the coercions of capitalism.Civil society has given private property and its possessors a command over people and their daily lives, a power accountable to no one, which many an old tyrannical state would have envied. Those activities and experiences which fall outside the immediate command structure of the capitalist enterprise, or outside the political power of capital, are regulated by the dictates of the market, the necessities of competition and profitability. Even when the market is not, as it commonly is in advanced capitalist societies, merely an instrument of power for giant conglomerates and multinational corporations, it is still a coercive force, capable of subjecting all human values, activities and relationships to its imperatives. No ancient despot could have hoped to penetrate the personal lives of his subjects their choices, preferences, and relationships in the same comprehensive and minute detail, not only in the workplace but in every comer of their lives. Coercion, in other words, has been not just a disorder of civil society but one of its constitutive principles. This historical reality tends to undermine the neat distinctions required by current theories which ask us to treat civil society as, at least in principle, the sphere of freedom and voluntary action, the antithesis of the irreducibly coercive principle which intrinsically belongs to the state. These theories do, of course, acknowledge that civil society is not a realm of perfect freedom or democracy. It is, for example, marred by oppression in the family, in gender relations, in the workplace, by racist attitudes, homophobia, and so on. But these oppressions are treated as dysfunctions in civil society. In principle, coercion belongs to the state while civil society is where freedom is rooted, and human emancipation, according to these arguments, consists in the autonomy of civil society, its expansion and enrichment, its liberation from the state, and its protection by formal democracy. What tends to disappear from view, again, is the relations of exploitation and domination which irreducibly constitute civil society, not just as some alien and correctable disorder but as its very essence, the particular structure of domination and coercion that is specific to capitalism as a systemic totality What is alarming about these theoretical developments is not that they violate some doctrinaire Marxist prejudice concerning the privileged status of class. Of course, the whole object of the exercise is to side-line class, to dissolve it in all-embracing categories which deny it any privileged status, or even any political relevance at all. But that is not the real problem. The problem is that theories which do not differentiate and, yes, privilege, if that means ascribing causal or explanatory priorities among various social institutions and identities cannot deal critically with capitalism at all. The consequence of these procedures is to sweep the whole question under the rug. And whither capitalism, so goes the socialist idea. Socialism is the specific alternative to capitalism. Without capitalism, we have no need of socialism; we can make do with very diffuse and indeterminate concepts of democracy which are not specifically opposed to any identifiable system of social relations, in fact do not even recognize any such system. What we are left with then is a fragmented plurality of oppressions and a fragmented plurality of emancipatory struggles. Here is another irony: what claims to be a more universalistic project than traditional socialism is actually less so. Instead of the universalist project of socialism and the integrative politics of the struggle against class exploitation, we have a plurality of essentially disconnected particular struggles. For socialists, it is morally and politically unacceptable to advance a conceptual framework which makes this system invisible, or reduces it to one of many fragmented realities, just at a time when the system is more pervasive, more global than ever. This is a serious business. Capitalism is constituted by class exploitation, but capitalism is more than just a system of class oppression. It is a ruthless totalizing process which shapes our lives in every conceivable aspect, and everywhere, not just in the relative opulence of the capitalist North. Among other things, and even leaving aside the sheer power of capital, it subjects all social life to the abstract requirements of the market, through the commodification of life in all its aspects. This makes a mockery of all our aspirations to autonomy, freedom of choice, and democratic self-government. For socialists, it is morally and politically unacceptable to advance a conceptual framework which makes this system invisible, or reduces it to one of many fragmented realities, just at a time when the system is more pervasive, more global than ever. The replacement of socialism by an indeterminate concept of democracy, or the dilution of diverse and different social relations into catch-all categories like identity or difference, or loose conceptions of civil society, represent a surrender to capitalism and its ideological mystifications. By all means let us have diversity, difference, and pluralism; but not this kind of undifferentiated and unstructured pluralism. What we need is a pluralism which does indeed acknowledge diversity and difference and that means not just plurality or multiplicity. It means a pluralism which also recognizes historical realities, which does not deny the systemic unity of capitalism, which can tell the difference between the constitutive relations of capitalism and other inequalities and oppressions with different relations to capitalism, a different place in the systemic logic of capitalism, and therefore a different role in our struggles against it. The socialist project should be enriched by the resources and insights of the new social movements, not impoverished by resorting to them as an excuse for disintegrating the struggle against capitalism. We should not confuse respect for the plurality of human experience and social struggles with a complete dissolution of historical causality, where there is nothing but diversity, difference, and contingency, no unifying structures, no logic of process, no capitalism and therefore no negation of it, no universal project of human emancipation. 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 Corvallis police have arrested two Forest Grove residents in connection with Friday nights fatal shooting at the Sharis Restaurant in Corvallis. Michael A. Deyette II, 43, was arrested outside a house in Forest Grove at about 1:45 p.m. Monday on a Benton County warrant for murder, first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon in the killing of 29-year-old Jason Scott Williams of Corvallis, police announced Monday night. Deyette was taken into custody without incident with the help of the Washington County Tactical Negotiations Team and Forest Grove Police Department and was transported to the Benton County Jail, where he was being held on $1 million bail. At about 6:25 p.m., police arrested 35-year-old Brooklyn F. Shepard of Forest Grove, who was wounded in Fridays shooting. According to a statement issued by the Corvallis Police Department, Shepard was arrested on one count of murder on the theory that she may have aided and abetted in Williams killing. She also was being held in the Benton County Jail. Shepard and Deyette are neighbors and are romantically involved, the police statement said. Both are scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday in Benton County Circuit Court. Williams was shot to death about 7:45 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of Sharis Restaurant, 1117 N.W. Ninth St. Ninth Street was blocked off in front of the restaurant for most of the night as police interviewed witnesses and processed the crime scene while Williams body lay on the sidewalk, covered by a sheet. Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Corvallis Police Department, Benton County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police, responded to the incident. Officers and at least one police dog searched the area Friday night, but no suspect was arrested in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Lt. Cord Wood, a spokesman for the Corvallis Police Department, said at the time there was no reason to believe there was an immediate threat to the public. The second, female victim and Williams are acquaintances and had been at the restaurant together prior to the shooting, the department said in a statement issued Saturday. The multiagency Linn Benton Major Crime Team has been investigating the incident. The Williams killing is the 14th homicide in Corvallis since 1990. Before Fridays incident, the most recent homicide in the city was the killing of Kimberly Hakes. Hakes, 42, was found dead on Feb. 15 at a camp for homeless people in Alan Berg Park, across the Willamette River from downtown. No arrest has been made in that case. Here's what IndyStar investigation of worker safety amid pandemic found Factory workers that make up the backbone of Indiana's economy told a similar story: Managers pressured employees to show up even when they were sick. A local woman cleaning her attic brought a box of toys to the Goodwill drop-off location at the Lebanon Mega Foods on Friday and that included a homemade gag gift that appeared to be a dynamite stick. Stephanie Hodson of Lebanon said the device was an old smoke bomb from the Fourth of July. Years ago, she painted the smoke bomb red, wrote dynamite on it in permanent pen, and gave it to her teenage son as a present. Hodson was surprised by the drama her donation caused. Roads in the area were closed off and an Oregon State Police bomb squad was called in to investigate the device, which was reported to Lebanon Police Department at 2:43 p.m. on Friday. It was ridiculous, Hodson said. You could tell by looking at it that it wasnt dynamite. What a waste of money. Roads in the area were reopened at about 4:15 p.m. on Friday, after state police workers seized the device, which appeared to be factory made and had a fuse, according to police logs. Hodson learned of the turmoil her donation caused via a Democrat-Herald story notification on her cellular phone. I went, Oh, my God, and I called the cop shop. I said it wasnt dynamite, she said. Her call was made at 6:20 p.m., according to Lebanon police logs. Hodson said she altered two smoke bombs to create gag gifts for her son and then-boyfriend six or eight years ago. She couldnt recall the exact reason or occasion for which she made the gifts, which she described as about the same size as a toilet paper roll. When Hodson and her ex broke up, he took his stick of dynamite with him. Recent history may have led the Lebanon Police Department to treat the report of dynamite seriously. In October, Highway 20 northbound was closed for more than an hour at Vine Street after a stick of dynamite was found in a house by Home Depot subcontractors, who were preparing to install insulation in an attic. The worker who discovered the explosive brought it directly outside to Rose Street before police were called. In an interview at the time, Capt. Greg Burroughs said that Lebanon officers deal with discovered explosives such as old dynamite, grenades and blasting caps about once a year. A Lebanon Police Department supervisor was not available to talk about the case on Monday due to the holiday, said a staff member. Oregon State Police didnt have a report on the incident turned in on Monday, according to a spokesman. A message left with the man who called 9-1-1 to report the "dynamite" was not returned on Monday. Mega Foods declined comment on how the dynamite incident impacted business. 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 ALBANY POLICE Theft arrest 8:24 p.m. Sunday, Linn County Jail. Kenneth Lee McCoy, 32, of Albany, was cited, booked and released on a charge of first-degree theft. He was scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 3. Stolen car 7:36 a.m. Sunday, 4200 block Columbus Street. S.E. A white 1992 Honda Accord was reported as stolen sometime after midnight. Domestic assault arrest 10:50 a.m. Saturday, Linn County Jail. Anna Rochelle House, 31, of Lebanon, was arrested on Benton County warrants for felony fourth-degree assault, reckless endangering and second-degree disorderly conduct. A no-bail hold was placed on her at the jail. LINN COUNTY SHERIFF Stolen motorcycle, tools 7:16 p.m. Sunday, 34400 block East Lacomb Road. A caller reported an off-road motorbike was stolen off the property, and another caller from the same address reported tools were stolen from the residence. No loss value was available on Monday afternoon, but a agency spokeswoman believed that more than $1,000 worth of items was stolen. 2015 was a year of many impressions coming out of the so-called Islamic State. Images that are hard to forget. ISIS-terrorists beheaded people and burned them alive, they have drowned them and buried them alive, they have crushed heads with large rocks, and thrown gays from tall buildings. It was a year when ISIS tried to come up with the most gruesome way of executing people. And last year, or the last two years, the world has been forced to learn about Islamic slavery... ...Terrorism from ISIS and other Islamic groups in 2015 has created thousands of pictures of fear, despair and terror, but one picture perhaps stands out. According to a user on Liveleak, who has uploaded the picture, he claims this is the most terrifying photo of 2015... [and it's] hard to disagree... He writes: "This is the most Terrifying photo of 2015 apparently found on a cell phone of a dead ISIS fighter in Mosul, depicting the moment when Islamic State Terrorists entered a house and capture the entire family, including kids and young girls and their terrified mother. While one of them is holding a meat-cleaver, the other is advancing toward the mother as the Islamic State flag is already up on the wall. What they usually did to Christian and Yazidi women was to behead/kill the older unwanted women and enslaved young kids and girls, all that was done in front of the girls to keep them submissive in a permanent state of terror." Can you imagine if this was your family? BadBlue News Aside from a terrific economy, the next president of the United States will inherit a delightful global security landscape. Red China is building islands in the Pacific and threatening its neighbors. Russia annexed Crimea and portions of Ukraine after Hillary's infamous "Reset" stunningly failed to strike a chord with Vladimir Putin. Syria walked over President Obama's "red line" by using chemical weapons, stomped on it, and then kicked sand in his face.Iran struck a deal to continue its pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles while securing a tens of billions of dollars to expand its growing terror network and strengthen its military arsenal.Finally, the illegal Clinton-Obama war in Libya touched off the rise of the Islamic State in North Africa to accompany its fellow misunderstanders of Islam in the rest of the Middle East and beyond. Paris, San Bernardino, and dozens of other venues became bloody theaters of war as ISIS secreted itself among refugees fleeing a Middle East set ablaze.But of all the catastrophic results of the Hillary Clinton/Barack Obama cornucopia of global calamity, nothing matches the barbaric actions of the non-Islamic Islamic State Yes, there's a "war on women" going on, but it's not the one the idiots in the Democrat Party like to market to our utterly corrupt media. The words "God save the queen" were recently spoken in space for (possibly) the first time when British astronaut Tim Peake uttered the famous phrase in a video message sent to Earth on Dec. 31, 2015. Peake recorded the message from the International Space Station (ISS), and included a short greeting to Queen Elizabeth II, who is 89 years old and Britain's longest-reigning monarch. In the video, Peake responded to a personal message of salutation that Her Majesty had sent to him. "Welcome aboard the International Space Station," Peake said, with the flag of the United Kingdom displayed over his left shoulder. "I'm truly honored to have received Your Majesty's message, inspired by its wording and humbled to represent the U.K. and Europe aboard the ISS." [Amazing Space Photos by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake] Peake said he enjoyed looking at the British Isles from space, and that he hoped that his mission would bring the United Kingdom together, particularly given its history of scientific exploration. He then closed his message with "God save the queen," saying he wasn't sure it had ever been said in space before. Queen Elizabeth sent a memo to Peake on Dec. 15, right around the time he was launching toward the station for a half-year mission in space. A photo on the British Monarchy's website shows the photocopied memowith the Buckingham Palace letterhead at the top. The queen wrote that she and her husband, Prince Philip, send best wishes to Peake. "We hope that Major Peake's work on the space station will serve as an inspiration to a new generation of scientists and engineers," she added. "We join with his friends and family in wishing him a productive mission and a safe return to Earth." Peake is the first British European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut to visit the ISS. Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. An artist's impression of using a background galaxy to measure the size and composition of the clouds of dust and gas that seed other galaxies. Early galaxies are shining light on a decades-old mystery, helping to determine the size and composition of the gas clouds responsible for forming their neighbors. A new technique uses the light from some of the first galaxies to illuminate gas clouds from the early universe. "These gas clouds their size has been elusive for decades, even though they tell us an enormous amount about galaxy evolution," Jeff Cooke, an astrophysicist at Swinburne University in Australia, said at a news conference at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, held in Kissimmee, Florida, earlier this month. Cooke worked with John O'Meara, an astrophysicist at Saint Michael's College in Vermont, to pioneer a new technique to illuminate the clouds of gas that built galaxies like the Milky Way. [Watch 13.7 Billion Years of Galactic Evolution in Less Than a Minute (Video)] "Now, you have a comprehensive sample," Cooke said. "You can study all galaxies and learn how they formed from the beginning until now." A new era After the Big Bang, clouds of gas and dust permeated the universe. As these clouds coalesced, they formed clusters that created stars and, ultimately, galaxies. Because light takes time to travel through space, as astronomers stare over great distances, they are able to see objects as they appeared early in the life of the universe. That means they can observe early gas and dust clouds, known as damped Lyman alpha systems (DLAs), as they appeared 11 billion years ago, only a few billion years after the Big Bang (which occurred about 13.8 billion years ago). These clouds are thought to be precursors to early galaxies. Cooke and his team used the Keck Observatory in Hawaii and data from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile to measure the size and characteristics of 10 DLAs with a new technique that should help to characterize the clouds of early gas. They looked through the material to large galaxies behind it, which provide significant light, to understand both the sizes and the chemistry of the ancient clouds. Previously, scientists used light from quasars, some of the brightest objects in the universe, to understand the chemistry of the early galactic seeds. If light from a quasar streamed through a DLA before it reached Earth, the elements within the cloud would absorb some of it, providing insight into its composition. But quasars are small, and provide only a peek through a tiny portion of one of these enormous clouds, which can stretch over 33 to 330 square light-years, according to Cooke essentially the size of smaller galaxies from the early universe. If a galaxy were roughly the size of a college campus, using a quasar to investigate part of it would be like using a laser pointer to light up a region. Using a background galaxy's light provides as much as a 100-million-fold increase in the area probed, Cooke said. "That's immense," Cooke said. "It's a new era in studying these objects." The larger light source not only allows a more in-depth probe of the enormous clouds; it also can help astronomers understand just how large a cloud is. Furthermore, galaxies are far more common than quasars. If a DLA is larger than the light from the background galaxy, astronomers also can use other galaxies to probe the cloud. The astronomers successfully used small telescopes to study their sample, but Cooke called the newfound technique "timely" due to the rise in larger telescopes, which could make the method even more effective. Instruments such as the Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii, slated to go online within the next decade, could help to map the clouds of gas that evolve into galaxies like our own. "It's now the era of the new 30-meter [98 feet] telescopes that will be online in just a few years," Cooke said. "With these telescopes, you can do this routinely. You can look at hundreds of thousands of these things, and study these galaxies in great numbers." The prolific population of early galaxies should allow astronomers to make a three-dimensional map of how gas is distributed across the universe and how the galaxies evolved. "It's a very powerful technique, and one that we're quite excited about," Cooke said. The research was detailed in The Astrophysical Journal Letters in October. Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd or Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Boarding begins Jan. 23: The grand opening ceremony for the new Independence Plaza at Space Center Houston will have astronauts, skydivers and fireworks marking the occasion. HOUSTON The countdown is on to the grand opening of Houston's newest landmark a $12 million, eight-story tall attraction dedicated to the largest single artifact saved from NASA's 30-year space shuttle program. Independence Plaza, featuring the space agency's original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet topped by a full-scale model of a space shuttle orbiter, will open on Saturday (Jan. 23) at Space Center Houston, the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center. A full day of special activities will celebrate the attraction, which has been almost four years in the making. "Join us Saturday, when the colossal new Independence Plaza opens with fireworks, skydivers, astronauts, hands-on science activities and live presentations," Space Center Houston announced on its website. [Tour Space Center Houston in Pictures] The real highlights of the day though, are expected to be the aircraft and shuttle themselves. The grand opening will mark the first chance for the public to enter the historic jet, known by its tail number NASA 905, and the replica orbiter "Independence," to explore the exhibits inside both. Public tours of Independence Plaza will begin at 11 a.m. CST Saturday. Guests holding a timed ticket free with admission but reserved in advance on the center's website will be able to go inside both the flight- and mid-decks of the shuttle Independence mockup. Timed tickets are not required to enter the much larger NASA 905. Pre-boarding ceremony An opening ceremony featuring NASA's Administrator and other officials will begin at 8:25 a.m. CST in the parking lot in front of Independence Plaza. The festivities are set to begin with the U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard presenting the colors. Houston native Laura Husband, daughter of the late astronaut Col. Rick Husband, who was lost commanding the ill-fated flight of space shuttle Columbia in 2003, will sing the National Anthem while skydivers carrying American, Space Center Houston and NASA flags land nearby. Richard Allen, Space Center Houston president and CEO, will welcome visitors and recount the years in the making of Independence Plaza. Texas Congressman Brian Babin will present the center with a U.S. flag flown over the U.S. Capitol Building and John Elbon, the vice president and general manager of Boeing Space Exploration, will discuss the importance of the exhibit and how it pays tribute to the history of the space shuttle program. [NASA's Space Shuttles: Where Are They Now?] Boeing, which built NASA 905 and the space shuttles that Independence replicates, is the lead sponsor of the plaza. The ceremony will continue with Ellen Ochoa, the director of Johnson Space Center and a veteran shuttle astronaut, who was integral in acquiring both the aircraft and shuttle for the plaza. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will then discuss the exhibit's creation before leading a countdown to the attraction's launch and a daytime fireworks show. Finally, Fred Griffin, chairman of the Manned Space Flight Education Foundation board of directors, will welcome the public to enter the space center. The non-profit foundation owns and operates Space Center Houston. Astronauts, activities and more The Independence Plaza logo. (Image credit: Space Center Houston) A full day of special presentations, movie screenings and meet-and-greets are scheduled to accompany the tours of Independence Plaza. Inside Space Center Houston's main building, guests will have the chance to meet and hear from former and active astronauts, including Jerry Ross, Jan Davis, Brian Duffy, Anne McClain, Kenneth Cameron and Tony Antonelli. The astronauts will take part in panel discussions, two special lunches and autograph sessions. Also on hand will be veteran NASA pilot Frank Marlow, who flew NASA 905 as it ferried shuttle orbiters across the nation, George Nield, head of the FAA office of commercial space transportation and representatives from a number of aerospace companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK, SpaceX and Aerojet Rocketdyne. Other activities planned for Saturday include screenings of the animated space movie, "Capture The Flag" and "Pop-Up Science Labs" that will lead guests through a variety of hands-on projects, such as making their own moon rocks, building Boeing 747 paper airplanes and launching paper rockets. A full schedule for the opening of Independence Plaza is available on Space Center Houston's website. See full coverage of Space Center Houston's Independence Plaza at collectSPACE.com. Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2016 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. Cheryl D. Mills, long-time friend and confidant of Bill and Hillary Clinton, is promoting a 23 cents-an-hour wage in the West African nation of Ghana to lure textile and apparel industry companies to invest there even as the former secretary of state advocates a $15-an-hour livable wage here. Mills newly formed firm, the BlackIvy Group, LLC., makes the pitch with a powerpoint presentation that was obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Critics interviewed by TheDCNF charged that the presentation promotes slave labor and slave wages. The campaign by Mills firm to attract investors to Ghana on the basis of a wage that is only 1.5 percent of the value of the proposed Livable Wage could undermine the former secretary of states campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Democrat who is her chief opponent, also advocates the $15-an-hour minimum wage. Additionally, Clinton and Sanders decry the loss of American manufacturing jobs to overseas competitors who pay much lower wages. Mills established BlackIvy with her as its CEO in 2013 when she left the State Department where she had been Clintons chief of staff through most of the latters tenure as Americas chief diplomat. Mills was also a member of President Clintons impeachment defense team during his 1998 trial before the Senate. Origin Africa textile expo last August in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Warnholz said in the presentation that Ghanas minimum wage of 23 cents-per-hour compares favorably to other countries and he specifically cited China (U.S.$1.63/hr), Bangladesh (U.S$ .68/hr), and Vietnam (U.S.$.40/hr). He said Ghana was an ideal entry point to West Africa for the textile industry as Ghana is located in the second largest cotton-growing region in the world. Warnholz used the BlackIvy presentation in promoting an industrial park in Ghana called Westpark at the conference. BlackIvy Groups website describes it as a values-driven company that builds and grows commercial enterprises in Sub-Sharan Africa. Warnholz also worked at the Clinton State Department with Mills and he promoted the failed Caracol industrial park in Haiti, which emphasized low-wage textile workers and exports. At the time, Warnholz was a senior advisor to the [George] Soros Economic Development Fund. Warnholz was a senior advisor to Clinton at the State Department. Other BlackIvy consultants also came from the department. Mills contacts among African political and business leaders were likely enhanced when she accompanied Clinton on a whirlwind tour of eight African countries in 2012, including Ghana, according to documents obtained by Citizens United under the Freedom of Information Act. Her company, based in a Washington, D.C. suburb says it does investment work for Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya. Still, she continues to support the Clinton campaign. A quarterly filing by the Clinton campaign to the Federal Election Commission last September showed it paid Mills $28,500 for disbursements. No additional details about the expenditure were provided to the FEC. Mills was so enchanted with her new company and entering the private sector she focused on her new company logo 24 hours after the terrorist Benghazi attack and even sought feedback from Warnholz, according to State Department emails released to Judicial Watch under the FOIA. Mills Ghana advocacy could also complicate Clintons relations with organized labor. Unite Here, the nations largest textile worker union, has not yet endorsed a presidential candidate. That union was the first national union to endorse then-Sen. Barack Obama over Clinton in the 2008 presidential race. Unite Here did not respond to a request for comment from TheDCNF. Textile jobs in American plants have plummeted by nearly two thirds because of competition from low- wage workers overseas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With the elimination of import quotas, you saw imports of clothing rising and you saw the job losses accelerating. Stephen MacDonald, a senior economist at the Department of Agriculture, told TheDCNF. At least 900,000 jobs have been lost in the American textile industry, according to USDAs Economic Research Service. Many of those jobs have been lost in the South, which is home to the South Carolina presidential primary. Raynard Jackson, a black Republican political strategist who also has promoted business investment in Africa, told TheDCNF that he was stunned, by Mills low-wage promotion. Nobody I have done work with in Africa doing business there has ever used as a strategic advantage a 23 cent an hour minimum wage. Thats slave labor, he said. I guarantee you, no Republican businessmen would never go to Africa and do that, Jackson said. Even if they thought they could get away with it, they wouldnt do it because to us that would be morally objectionable. Jackson warned that if a Republican candidate were to get hold of this information, they would be crazy not to tie this to Hillary. Harry C. Alford, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, charged that Mills is acting like a poverty pimp in promoting the meager Ghanian wage to textile industry investors. Her mentality is, I dont care what happens to someone else or the economy. Im trying to make me some money,' Alford told TheDCNF. He called 23 cents-an-hour slave wages and hypocrisy. BlackIvy is promoting investment in the new Westpark industrial park in Ghana, which resembles Caracol, the failed Haitian industrial park, in several important respects. Clinton and the Clinton Foundation championed the Haitian project, which was promised to create 65,000 new jobs in Northern Haiti, but, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development, has only generated about 6,200. The BlackIvy Group did not respond to a request from TheDCNF for comment. The Clinton and Sanders campaigns, as well as the AFL-CIO, also did not reply to DCNF inquiries. 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. Among German conservatives, as well, the criticism has grown sharper. If at all possible, Merkel would like to stick with her policies. But within her CDU, many believe that there isn't enough time left for her plan to find success. The CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has recently turned the screws even tighter. "In the next 14 days, we will submit a written demand to the federal government to reestablish legally regulated conditions at the borders," said CSU head Horst Seehofer recently. "If it does not do so, the Bavarian government will have no choice but to submit a complaint to the Federal Constitutional Court." The clock has begun to tick. Either Merkel and Seehofer will be able to find a compromise prior to an important trio of state elections in March. Or the chancellor faces a lasting power struggle with her own political allies -- a tussle that could ultimately cost her the Chancellery. The fact that the refugee crisis has now intensified is not entirely due to the scandalous events on New Year's Eve in Cologne. The primary reason is that Merkel has made little progress with her plan to stop the inflow of refugees at the EU's external borders. Negotiations with Turkey have faltered and Germany's neighbors in the Continent's south and east are refusing to help. "Europe," a member of Merkel's cabinet recently complained, "is leaving us hanging." Just last fall, Merkel hammered out a promising plan together with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The idea was for refugees arriving in Europe by boat or ferry to be registered in special camps (known as hotspots ) in Greece and Italy before being distributed in fixed quotas among the other EU member states. At the same time, Brussels hoped to seal off Europe's Mediterranean beaches with the help of the EU border control agency Frontex, if necessary over the opposition of the countries in question. A Redistribution Farce Thus far, though, such plans are more theory than practice. The so-called initial reception facilities lack the means to even take the fingerprints of all those arriving. In order to fix the problem, the European Commission recently authorized emergency funds to acquire 90 fingerprint machines. At the same time, the plan to redistribute 160,000 refugees across the EU has become a farce. The plan was agreed to back in September, but by Jan. 7, a mere 272 people had been resettled. Even worse, the resistance isn't just coming from the most vocal critics of Merkel's refugee policy in Poland and Hungary. Her supposed allies in the heart of the EU are also protesting. "Almost none of the countries in the EU are implementing the decisions made in the European Council, neither in the east or the west," complained Council President Donald Tusk last Tuesday at a meeting with Social Democrats in the European Parliament. As such, Merkel can, for the time being, forget about her idea of bringing fixed contingents of refugees to Europe directly from Turkey. Even EU countries that count among her allies first want to see a reduction in the number of refugees coming to Europe. The horrors experienced by the women in Cologne on New Year's Eve have also done their part to reduce the willingness to accept refugees, particularly in Eastern Europe. "We don't want something like what happened in Germany taking place in Slovakia," the country's prime minister, Robert Fico, said in Bratislava earlier this month. In addition, Turkey is also letting Merkel squirm. There have been some positive signals, Frans Timmermans, deputy president of the European Commission, said after a visit to Turkey early last week. But EU officials have noted in recent months that it's not just Syrians and Afghans who are traveling through Turkey on their way to Europe, but also people from North Africa -- allegedly because the partly state-owned Turkish Airlines is profiting handsomely on flights from the region. The vast majority of those coming from North Africa are ineligible for asylum, but have proven difficult to deport due to a lack of cooperation from their home countries. Experts in Brussels are thus running out of hope that the number of refugees flowing into Europe can be quickly reduced. At the moment, some 3,000 people are arriving in Greece every day, and that's in January with storms raging in the Aegean Sea. Soon, though, temperatures will start to rise and the crossing will become easier once again. German conservatives are no longer willing to simply hope the refugee influx will slow on its own. Just how bad the mood has become became apparent last Monday in Berlin, when Bundestag members from Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg held a joint meeting. One parliamentarian after the other demanded stricter border controls and an upper limit to the number of refugees Germany can accept. Bavarian conservatives with the CSU have been demanding such measures for some time. But the CDU parliamentarians from Baden-Wurttemberg "are now even more radical than we are," said a CSU parliamentarian approvingly. The letter delivered to the Chancellery this Tuesday likewise demands the introduction of an upper limit. "Germany cannot handle more than 200,000 immigrants per year, whether they are civil war refugees or asylum-seekers," reads the letter, which SPIEGEL ONLINE has seen. The CSU has long been demanding that the upper limit for immigration be set at 200,000 annually. "We are extremely concerned," the letter continues, "that without the quick introduction of a limit, far more refugees could come to Germany in 2016 than arrived in 2015." According to official statistics, just short of 1.1 million refugees, migrants and asylum seekers crossed into Germany in 2015, though it is unclear how many of those may have been registered twice or continued on to other European countries. Finding a Different Path Even a member of Merkel's cabinet has recently begun publicly opposing Chancellor Merkel's course. Transportation Minister Alexander Dobrindt, a member of the CSU, warned that the crimes committed in Cologne have made Germans deeply concerned about their security. "The more people feel personally affected, the more they begin to question the core competence of the conservative parties," Dobrindt warned. Many conservatives share his view. At the meeting of parliamentary conservatives last Tuesday, representatives who had thus far supported Merkel's refugee policies voiced concern. Even leading CSU parliamentarian Gerda Hasselfeldt, who has often sought to mediate between Merkel and Seehofer, demanded vehemently -- for her -- that it has to be possible to turn refugees away at the border if they are not in possession of valid identification. Loyal conservatives like Hesse Governor Volker Bouffier have likewise gone public with their doubts about Merkel's plan: "I am still in favor of a European solution," he said. "But if progress is blocked in Europe, then one has to find a different path." The number of extremist hate mails and emails directed at the parliamentarians is not the only thing that has spiked. The number of queries from unsettled Germans who have nothing to do with xenophobic movements like Pegida or other right-wing groups has likewise increased significantly. That has led many parliamentarians who had thus far supported Merkel to change their approach. "Those in favor of a different strategy are now distinctly in the majority," says one representative. Of particular concern for Merkel is that a growing number of parliamentarians are less worried that their criticism might damage the chancellor. "Thus far, there was a consensus that we had to solve the refugee crisis with Merkel at the helm," says a senior CDU politician. "Now, some are saying, we have to solve the problem, without Merkel if necessary. That is still a minority, but it is a growing minority." Just as it has for the past several months, however, the greatest pressure is coming from the CSU. With his announcement that he might file a complaint against Merkel in the Federal Constitutional Court, Seehofer isn't just making a concession to party hardliners like Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Soder, who is demanding that Merkel's refugee policies be put up for a vote in federal parliament. Seehofer is also thinking about his state's financial interests. Bavaria, after all, is on the frontlines of the refugee crisis, with the vast majority of migrants entering Germany through Bavaria's border with Austria. Were the court to rule in Bavaria's favor, Seehofer has indicated, he would make new financial demands from Berlin. "Against that background, one must now more than ever think about whether the federal government must participate to a greater degree in the costs," says Seehofer. Danger Ahead Money has always been a good argument in politics, but votes are even more important. And here too there is bad news for Merkel. Many conservatives have long been hoping that losses in the upcoming state elections could be limited. Internally, the CDU wasn't particularly concerned about the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) gaining a bit of support so long as the CDU was able to emerge as the strongest party and secure the governor position. But recent surveys now show that the CDU result could be worse than feared. Those surveys show that the AfD may not just exceed the five-percent hurdle for parliamentary representation in March, but could also emerge with a two-digit result in Baden-Wurttemberg. Furthermore, sinking CDU poll numbers in both Baden-Wurttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate make it possible that Merkel's party could emerge from both state elections without the governorship, depending on the make-up of the ultimate governing coalition. That would be a disaster for Merkel. Defeats in important state elections have always been dangerous for sitting chancellors, most recently hastening the end of Gerhard Schroder's term in office. Merkel is fully aware that she is running out of time. If she isn't soon able to demonstrate that she is making headway, she could be in trouble. Even her own confidants say as much. "Then we would be facing a power struggle," says one. Chancellor Merkel, for her part, continues to insist that proposals made by her opponents won't work. Closing the border to Austria? She believes that doing so risks setting off a domino-effect that would ultimately destroy the Schengen border-free travel regime and destabilize the Balkans. Merkel is particularly concerned about the gradual erosion of her authority. Throughout her time in office, she has earned a reputation as someone who has mastered all of the crises facing Germany and Europe. Now, however, every promise Merkel makes is bursting like a soap bubble. German voters are watching Merkel fail at one of the most fundamental tasks facing a state: That of controlling who enters the country. The Chancellery, of course, has long since begun working on a potential Plan B. But it won't be the complete sealing of Germany's borders: The loss of face for Merkel would be too great. Instead, aids are looking at other possibilities, including that of turning away certain groups -- those from Afghanistan, for example -- at the border. That would at least demonstrate a desire to reassert control over the German border without necessarily putting an end to the idea of open borders in Europe. Help from the Balkans Among conservative leaders, another idea, one favored by the Austrians, is gaining support. The plan calls for German and Austrian police to assist their colleagues in Slovenia, and possibly Croatia as well, with securing the EU's external borders. Asylum-seekers trying to enter with forged documents or with no papers at all would be turned back. The hope is that such a plan would significantly reduce the number of refugees coming to Europe by way of the so-called Balkan Route. Last Wednesday, Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner spoke about the proposal with Emily Haber, state secretary in the German Interior Ministry. It is well-known that German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere is not opposed to preventing certain groups of refugees from entering Germany in the first place. Out of loyalty to Merkel, however, he has thus far not issued the relevant orders to Germany's federal police force. Shifting the onus for control onto the Slovenian and Croatian border would raise a number of practical and legal questions. Politically, though, it would be an elegant solution, allowing Merkel to make a partial retreat without loss of face and making it possible to reach a compromise with the CSU. Sources in the Interior Ministry say that they will soon begin looking intensively at the Austrian proposal: "Quickly and with the necessary care." By Melanie Amann, Peter Muller, Ralf Neukirch, Rene Pfister, Michael Sauga and Christoph Schult Previously: Jordan and death held hands, Lydia's mom was tricked into admitting Lydia into Eichen House, Valack drilled Lydia's head and exposited the steampunk scientists' new pet, and Hayden came back for more Liam time. Making her police rounds at night, my opinion of Deputy Red Shirt (DRS) plummets. First she drives Hayden to work, which means she knows Hayden works at the underage drinking club. Nice job upholding the law there. Not that Hayden wins any awards either because she says she's been with Liam to excuse being gone for 3 days. How exactly does that make things better? Hayden, I expect better lying from you. DRS agrees, "Which doesn't improve your argument. Maybe you think you can do your own thing now. I don't care. You still need me. We look after each other, remember? For all I know, you could have been dead." Wink-wink. See, what they did there. Sigh. Then DRS responds to a missing deputy call with her sister in the car, and does NOT wait for backup. Seriously, are all cops in Beacon Hills suicidal? Why would anyone ever check out anything without a small army and Kevlar everything? As if DRS poking around abandoned places at night by herself isn't bad enough suddenly Liam pops, scaring Hayden and annoying me with his mere presence. He's been trying to talk to Hayden. She's been ignoring him and weirdly blames him for her death. Look, I don't like Liam but that's nuts. Chill out, princess. Their conversation is thankfully cut short because La Bete, aka the Beast of Gevaudan, aka the cheesiest CGI on Teen Wolf so far, wants to play tag. DRS races out, warning Liam and Hayden to run but since even the deaf could hear it grunting, they already are. Being Teen Wolf, they run right towards a chasm. Facepalm. Hayden tells Liam to leap even though it is way too wide. Hayden clears it with no problem; Liam barely hangs on so hepulls her down too? Huh? Hayden, being rightly ticked, punches Liam into consciousness and provides vicarious fun for the audience. Liam however can't move because his back is broken. Hayden shrugs it off and leaves him, causing me to wonder and laugh. Liam: "Are you gonna just leave me here?" Hayden: "You pulled me off a cliff. I'm lucky I healed." Ha! Hayden says Theo saved her and then heads off to find her sister.For reasons unknown, the story switches from the biggest beast in Teen Wolf history to Tracey and Theo killing the driver who barely lived when she killed her dad. Perhaps the point was to show Tracey as a cold-blooded killer but we kind of already knew all that. So, filler. To fulfill the phone product placement quota, Parrish shows Scott a video of the scene we, confirming La Bete is indeed the last chimera and checking out the scene together. They find nothing useful so more filler. Parrish questions why la Bete killed a random dude instead of Liam (I might have just added that) and Scott surmises that its a mindless killer. Say it isn't so! Beasts with no brain/no plan are only entertaining for a short time before they bore me. I'll take Theo instead. Scott: "Parrish, how many bodies do you actually see when you dream about the nematon?" Parrish: "Everyone." To quote Parrish, "That's terrifying." But it does make for one cool graphic. Heading home, Scott channels his inner Stiles and creates his own Wall of Weird, using only red string. Unfortunately that string hooks on his jacket and when he pulls it, the entire thing falls down. Oh Scott, you and Stiles really need to make up. Like now. Why don't you head over to the hospital where Stiles is sleeping? He must be exhausted because that chair looks highly uncomfortable. I guess with all the building damage, Beacon Hills Memorial can't afford comfy furniture. None of that matters because Sheriff is missing. Again. Oh, no, no, no. I just got Sheriff back so he's off limits, Jeff Davis. Stiles is equally startled but somehow tracks Sheriff to the morgue. How? Who knows? Maybe those wonky werewolf senses have now transferred to Stiles. He finds his father standing over the body of yet another dead deputy. At the morgue comes one of the best scenes Teen Wolf has ever done, right up there with the "You're my brother" speech in Motel California, the MRI scene, and "Be your own anchor." It's an instant classic and the most beautiful scene of the night. It's so touching that I'm including all of it verbatim so you can sniffle too. Sheriff: "The story Theo told me about the library, that's how it happened except it didn't happen to him." Stiles hangs his head: "Yeah." Sheriff: "Stiles, I can't protect you if I don't know the truth. Did you really feel like you couldn't tell me?" Stiles: "I couldn't tell anyone." Sheriff: "Honestly, did you think that I wouldn't believe it was self-defense? Stiles: "But what if it wasn't? What if I told you I wanted him dead?" Sheriff: "I'd believe you. I also believe that wanting someone dead and murdering them are two VERY different things." Stiles: "Yeah well, what if the judge didn't think so?" Sheriff: "Then the hell with the judge. Stiles, it was self-defense and I would destroy every shred of evidence to protect you if I had to. I would burn the whole sheriff's station to the ground." Stiles: "And what about upholding the law? What about Kira?" Sheriff: "Kira was a mistake. I guess I'm learning how to bend." Stiles: "So what? It just goes away?" Sheriff: "Not for you. Problem now is how to bear this burden. This kind of thing is not at all uncommon in law enforcement - a fatal mistake, a partner who dies, one who gets paralyzed. Stiles, you carry that with you and sometimes it doesn't truly feel okay again until there'sthere's a kind of counterbalance." Stiles: "Like what?" Sheriff: "Like instead of taking a life, you manage to save one. Something like that can help, maybe only for a moment. Look the real conflict you're having now is between your head and your heart. Your headyour head knows that the only crime you committed was surviving but your heartyour heart still thinks it was murder. So I guess youuh, you've got to get your heart to catch up to your head." Stiles: "I feel like it's more than guilt though. You know I feel likeuh, I feel like I lost something. You know I feel like I can't get it back." Sheriff: "You won't. Not entirely, but you get a little bit by forgiving yourself and since that's not always the easiest thing in the world to do, then maybe you start by forgiving someone else, someone who probably really needs it." Stiles: "Someone like Scott."By the time father and son hug, I'm a mess. Oh, these two touch my heart. Team Parent rocks the world. Kudos to Linden Ashby for completely selling this scene. It's about time someone told Stiles the things he needs to hear. It's about time Stiles lets someone in to tell him. Happy, heartfelt sigh, especially since it leads to the restoration of the Scott-Stiles bromance. While at the morgue, Scott came by and overheard the middle of their conversation but backed away. Therefore it's up to Stiles to make the first move of reconciliation. Wisely the Teen Wolf producers understand we need time to process that Sheriff and Stiles scene so it's off for more filler. Theo tracks DoucheChimera to Sinema (burn it down already!), where he's been trying to get high/drunk to no effect. At least this part of canon is solid. Theo juices him with a car battery instead and viola, new addiction. It's completely pointless except that Liam oversees it. So yeah, filler. Argent also gets his pretty yellow flower out of the family safe, sparking me to wonder how any plant survives in a safe, even one with UV lighting. Then I realize even with Argent around I don't care, so moving along tothe Desert Wolf storyline. Woo hoo! Scott tries to get Malia back into the pack, putting aside past differences. Which were what exactly? Scott and Malia were solid in 5A until she pulled away. Malia flat out refuses to help. "I'm talking about something that's going to happen. Something I'm going to do and you're not gonna like me much after I do it." Scott: "Is that why I hear 2 other heartbeats in there, why yours is beating so fast?" Malia: "Scott, go home. I can't help." Realizing something big is happening, Scottgoes home? My head hits the desk, realizing this is exactly what got them all in trouble in 5A. Urgh! Malia goes inside where Braeden pins down an ex-Russian soldier. He vows that they cannot torture him into talking. So they give him $10,000. Ha! Brilliant! He tells them that the Desert Wolf is holding Deaton hostage. Who? Oh yeah, Deaton. Kind of forgot about him, just like everyone else it seems.Liam and Mason meanwhile freak about chimeras being back, although math and Hayden should make it less astonishing. They run into Screamer, who does his civic duty by helping to fix that poor library. The structural damage seems fixed and it explains why the books have no organization at all. In Beacon Hills, they just randomly put them on shelves. To get answers about Theo's undead pack, Mason stumbles through a conversation with Screamer until he asks Mason out on a date. Mason feels he's done his job but Liam wants more info. Mason: "Sorry but Theo leading an evil chimera pack wasn't exactly a natural progression to the conversation." Ha! While they argue, Screamer leaves and hides from Theo. No dice. Theo calls him out and tells Screamer that he no longer has to be a nice, normal guy. Oh, Theo. Screamer refuses to hurt anyone and Theo assures him that it's more about protection. Of course he uses the threat of Screamer dying again to make his point so yeah, not so reassuring. Looking for Screamer, Liam realizes he left with Theo and Mason insists they tell Scott. Since the last time they met Liam tried to kill Scott, he's naturally hesitant. Liam: "You think he'll even talk to me?" Mason: "You're his beta. Doesn't he have to?" Liam: "Where would I even start? Sorry for trying to kill you? Sorry for leaving you for dead so that Theo could kill you?" Mason: "If you start off with sorry, the rest probably won't even matter." Since it's Scott, Mason's right. Anyone else would punch Liam in the nose just like Hayden, who pouts at the police station while DRS logs paperwork declaring a monster's loose in Beacon Hills. A totally new deputy thinks she's nuts. Doesn't matter. He'll be dead before the week is out. Welcome to Beacon Hills, sir. As Hayden waits, she chats with Theo by the newly fixed jail cell. Got to hand it to the Beacon Hills construction crews. They've fixed a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Theo demands Hayden tell him about La Bete and says she can't hide from anything from him. Keeping the pack through intimidation, that's Theo's style.Meanwhile back at the hospital, Stiles sees yet another body come into the morgue so he borrows Sheriff's laptop while he's sleeping. Sheriff: "Is that my laptop?" Stiles: "Yep." Sheriff: "You got my password?" Stiles: "I have all your passwords." Ha! Sheriff seems surprised, but who's he kidding. This is Stiles. He snoops with the best of them. Sheriff wants Stiles to back off but again, it's Stiles. He realizes something's wrong about the same video footage Scott looked at earlier. Stiles: "I think there's some footage missing. There's something missing in the footage." Sheriff: "I think there's something missing in your head." Bwah! Sheriff grabs for the laptop but Stiles is faster. "You need your rest." Ha! How the tables have turned. Not so much for Lydia though, who's still catatonic in Eichen House. She envisions leaving the crummy room she's in and heads to the room where she saw her dead grandma. Something covered in blood (or black goo - it's hard to tell) crawls out of the bloody tub towards her. Trapped, she realizes that it'sMeredith. Wait, Meredith? Say what? Meredith: "Don't be afraid." Um Meredith honey, your bloody corpse is freaking terrifying. Of course she's going to be afraid. Meredith tells Lydia to wake up because if she doesn't everyone will die. No pressure there. Lydia doesn't feel up to the challenge but apparently Meredith came back to be Lydia's Creepy Yoda and teach her the ways of the banshee. Huh? So dead Meredith is going to teach Astral Plane Lydia how to use her banshee scream as a weapon and possibly how to kick butt like the 5A opener? Huh? Yeah, I don't get it. This falls under the "check your brain at the door and go with it" category. At least Lydia is going to be kick butt again, so there's a future wish list item to be checked off.So is saving the bromance. As Scott patches up his still not healing wound, Stiles walks in. Scott asks why he's there and Stiles shares the same CGI scene we've seen thrice now. Scott's just stunned Stiles came over. "You want my help?" Stiles: "Yeah well, you said you can find the clues that I can't." And with that the bromance is back. Yes! Woo hoo! About time! I love the brothers working together, solving Beacon Hills' most dire threats. Rewatching the video, Stiles points out that the chimera never enters the building. Smart! They check out the crime scene and notice blood pooling underneath a set of fallen lockers. Scott tries to pull it up but his werewolf strength fails so Stiles helps. Aw, again the brothers working together always warms my heart. They find a sewer entrance and follow the mercury trail to where the episode title is drawn on the ground. La Bete can read and write? Hmm. Scott wants to take a picture of it but Stiles is injected with kanima venom again by Tracey. He has to hate kanimas by now. Still he yells out a warning to Scott, who takes down Tracey and Douchey with hardly any effort using their chimera attributes against them. He forces Tracey to claw Douchey with her kanima claws while Douchey shocks Tracey unconscious. And just like that Scott wins a fight. Woo hoo! It's about time they remember Scott is an alpha and should be able to defeat all lesser problems handily, including a bunch of newbie chimeras and Liam. Speaking of, he seems to think Scott will be at Deacon's. Ha! When's the last time Scott has actually shown up for work? I swear Deaton pays him to be a werewolf these days. Since Scott isn't there, Hayden shows up to commence their love struck romance. Blech. She's now up on the whole Liam killing Scott thing but since the music's talking about screwing with people's heads, I can only hope she's playing with him under Theo's orders because that would make this drippy scene more interesting in retrospect. Hayden says Liam is the only thing that feels right and they kiss while my eyes roll. Scene please.Back to the action, Screamer wants nothing to do with the fight so Theo steps in to talk alliance. "Okay maybe they're not ready to take on an alpha, especially one that can smell fear." Screamer: "He's got fangs." Scott: "What did you do?" Theo: "Found some new friends. I don't take rejection well." Ha! This is why I love Theo. No villain speeches, just a snarky one-liner. Theo: "You're going to leave here thinking that you need to worry about me but you're wrong. We're actually back on the same side, because that thingthat's what we need to worry about - your pack and mine. We're gonna go back to school and pretend like we're normal teenagers but at night, we're gonna be fighting for our lives." Anyone NOT see this alliance coming? Didn't think so. As Theo leaves, Scott props up a still paralyzed Stiles, who exposits the title because he suddenly knows Latin? Okay. Damnatio Memoriae means that this chimera is actually the resurrected Beast of Gevaudan, which we already knew. No need to explain the titles anymore, Teen Wolf. Since I guess old is even more terrifying, Argent visits Gerard who should have died 3 seasons ago. Seriously if he's not beheaded by the end of 5B,head will explode. Argent feeds him the pretty flower (yellow wolfsbane to be exact) and doing so cures Grandpa Evil. I call so much foul on this that everyone's kicked off the field. If that's all he needed, no way he couldn't have just bought it himself a few season's ago. Urgh, urgh, triple urgh! Basically he exposits that yes it is the same La Bete the Argent family killed years ago. Good, then use the same strategy as back then and end this storyline now. What? Not gonna happen? Sigh. Die, Grandpa Evil.At least the situation makes Scott even more determined to get the pack back together. Scott: "We need help. If Theo's got his own pack now, then we need ours and we have to get the others back." Stiles: "The others? You mean Kira who's currently battling a homicidal fox spirit inside of her, Malia who isnt even speaking to either one of us, Lydia who's stuck in Eichen House, and Liam who almost killed you?" Scott: "Also known as our best friends." Bwah! How sad, how true. As a show of unity, Scott makes the first circle of the new pack sign while Stiles and I pretty much think it's cheesy. Stiles: "You're not seriously gonna make me do it." Scott: "You're part of the pack, right?" He is and so Stiles draws the outer circle as my heart leaps for joy that they are united once more. It even outweighs this goofy symbol. Scott helps Stiles up and as they leave the sewer, Stiles speaks for the audience. "I still hate that tattoo." Scott: "I know." They walk arm in arm, Stiles leaning on Scott for strength as the kanima venom wears off. Just as I am content to leave the episode on this happy note, the scene changes to an undetermined desert where Kira and Mama Fox stop. Woo hoo again! Nice to have you both back. Apparently they are searching for skinwalkers. Why? Who knows? Mama Fox exposits skinwalker lore as arms pop out of the sand. Now that's some terrifying entrance. The skinwalkers don't look particularly happy to see them, so Mama Fox tells Kira to take out her sword. Kira does with flourish, although for some reason Mama Fox doesn't bring out one herself. I'm guessing this is more about the sword than wielding it but we'll have to wait until next time. I'm very interested about the skinwalkers' role in curing Kira's inner Firefox or maybe even helping take down La Bete. Surely that beast will require all hands on deck. Just not Kate. Please.In all honesty if the only thing that happened in this episode was Sheriff Stilinski's speech and Scott and Stiles fixing the bromance, I would be happy. Sheriff said everything right, just what Stiles needed to hear. I'm glad he didn't say that everything would go back to normal but acknowledged that accidentally killing Psycho had changed Stiles for good. I hope they follow up on this with Stiles in a way they did NOT after VoidStiles. Not only does it make sense, but it will also allow Dylan O'Brien to get some meaty material again. Fixing the bromance is #1 on my wish list so having it happen so quickly is a dream come true. I'm good with slowly getting back the rest of the pack "one by one" as long as the foundation is steady. Scott and Stiles still need to talk about what happened to Psycho, as it will be cathartic for Stiles to explain and have Scott understand. I'll be sorely disappointed if we don't get to see that scene, especially since it will give Tyler Posey a chance to work his acting muscles too. Plus the more bromance the better. This episode didn't leave out the ladies either. The promise of Lydia becoming a kick butt warrior and Kira's plotline with the skinwalkers are pure bonus, while watching Malia and Braeden working together brought the comedy. As always I could have left Liam, Mason, and Hayden out of the mix altogether but even they aren't as bad as Grandpa Evil showing up on my screen again. That man has to die this season. No exceptions, no coming back from the dead. All in all this episode did a great job of setting up all the different plotlines, but I am worried that once again they are biting off too much at once. With the steampunk scientists, Theo, the chimeras, Grandpa Evil, La Bete, Lydia's Eichen House stay, Malia's decree against her mom, and Kira's skinwalkers, there's too much on the plate as it is. Time to cull the stories and bring everyone in to focus on one big goal, which at this point needs to be ending that terrible CGI they call La Bete.Best Reason to Watch - the bromance is backBest Scene - Sheriff and Stiles talk about what happened with Psycho, guilt, forgiveness, and a parent's loveBest Character - SheriffBest Moment - Scott and Stiles lift the locker togetherBest Awww Moment - Stilinski family hugBest Hashtag - #ScilesIsBackBest Return - Kira and Mama FoxBest Entrance - the skinwalkersMVP - background music, especially when Meredith rises from the bathtubWorst Motivation - Theo always threatening while telling his pack that he's protecting themWorst Supernatural Side Effect - banshee nightmaresWorst CGI - La BeteWorst Teen Wolf Trope - explaining the episode titleMost Creepy - bloody bathtub MeredithMost Pointless - Tracey kills the guard, Donavan DonatiMost Recapitation / Biggest Product Placement - the video of La BeteBiggest Huh? - So what exactly happened once Parrish went to Eichen House? Did they forget about it or was that another flash forward?Biggest Foreshadowing??? - Why does the orderly think Lydia is dangerous? She's been catatonic the whole time.Biggest Question - Who wrote the title on the sewer floor and why?Biggest Laugh - After the Soviet says they cannot torture him into talking, he totally spills for moneyBiggest Surprise - When did Stiles learn Latin?The "Well Duh" Award - of course Stiles knows all his dad's passwordsThe "I'm with Him" Award - While I admire DRS' desire to be honest, I have to go with Random Deputy here. Turn in an official police report talking about monsters and even in Beacon Hills, you're therapy bound.The "It's Not Working" Award - the more they talk about La Bete's history, the more it makes my eyes rollScreencaps by BuddyTV Iconosquare , and Forever Young Adult Of all the reboots and rehashes of old shows that the network executives of the world have decided that we need, I dont think any are quite as interesting as the initial thought for the return of The X-Files. Originally airing from 1993 to 2002, The X-Files was as well known for its continuing storyline about extraterrestrials as it was its Monster of the Week episodes. This X-Files miniseries is currently being billed as a six episode standalone feature that will be able to incorporate both the serial and episodic nature of the original series. Premiering this coming Sunday (1/24), this incarnation of The X-Files has an interesting start that both old fans and new should enjoy. Here are a few tidbits about the premiere to whet your appetite until Sunday. Mulder & Scully Part of what made the original X-Files work so well was the dynamic between Mulder & Scully. Mulder was the believer, Scully was the skeptic, and their partnership worked well both in the story and on the screen. As the series progressed and the two became closer, the fundamentals of the series changed and while Scully was mostly still skeptical, she had seen more than enough to (want to) believe. As this series picks up, Mulder & Scully are separated and basically back in their original starting positions. While the past is certainly a big part of what makes this iteration work, it is also the ability of the writers to basically start the relationship over and build it up again. While it may seem lazy to go back to this age old formula, it works, and when TV works, theres no reason to complain. The Mystery When I binge watched the series last summer, I kept wanting Mulder and Scully to find some unfalsifiable proof of aliens visits to Earth. With the Smoking Man always looming in the background, it was obvious that something bigger was going on, but they never seemed to have quite enough proof to verify their claims. 23 years after the series first started, Mulder still doesnt have all the answers that hes been looking for. The X-Files is basically a constant game of bait and switch. Mulder & Scully always seem to be continually getting ever closer to the truth, but still fall short for some reason. This first episode changes this formula in a huge way that I think a lot of people are going to like. Joel McHale When I first heard that Joel McHale was cast in The X-Files I was really quite interested in what kind of a role he would play since his comedic tendencies dont exactly scream The X-Files. McHale plays Tad OMalley an extreme right-wing radio host who can best be described as a mix of Rush Limbaugh and Erich von Daniken. OMalley reaches out to Mulder for help in the first episode that sets off a chain of events that gives us this miniseries. McHale is great in the role and an excellent character that I hope to see return after the first episode (if he makes it out alive that is) The Past While I dont want to give too much away, I think it is massively important for the audience to recognize that the past is really what is directing The X-Files in this episode. In addition to flashbacks to Roswell (my favorite part of this episode), veteran X-Files fans will be pleased to know that multiple characters that were extremely close to Mulder & Scully in the original series will be returning and while a quick look at IMDb may reveal a number of these, others are not quite obvious... or human. Tune in to the first episode of The X-Files 6 part miniseries on Sunday, January 24th. Episode 2 airs the next night in its regular timeslot. Be sure to come back here to SpoilerTV to let everyone else know what you thought of the episodes. About the Author - Brandon Rowe Brandon is a sophomore in college and enjoys watching a lot of TV. Brandon likes to write articles about his favorite shows which include Fear the Walking Dead, True Detective, The Americans, and more than can be written on this page. Brandon also managed the "In the Hot Seat" competition here on SpoilerTV in 2012 and would like to do it again in 2016 if possible. Feel free to use the Facebook, Twitter, or G+ links below to contact him. All Articles by Brandon Rowe) Recent Articles by Brandon Rowe Employees and HR professionals agree: Benefits communications arent working. In a survey of HR professionals published by SHRM in March 2015, just 22 percent of respondents strongly agreed that their organizations' employee benefits communication efforts were "very effective" in informing employees about their benefits. Related: The Top 4 Ways to Engage Your Employees in Their Own Healthcare In addition, only 20 percent of employees surveyed in Aflacs 2015 WorkForces Report said they had enough information to make informed decisions about their benefits. Clearly, information is lost in the lengthy documents and emails employees are receiving, leaving them confused about their options. And when employees dont understand their options, theyre bound to make rushed and misinformed decisions. As an employer, you should be helping your employees better understand their benefits options by improving your communications. Here are a few steps to do just that: 1. Get your SPDs and SBCs straight. Group health-plan administrators have long been required to provide participants with a summary plan description (SPD). In addition, employers and insurers must now provide employees with a summary of benefits and coverage (SBC). Although these two documents are similar, the rules about SPDs and SBCs are different. Getting these two requirements straight is the first step to more effective, compliant employee-benefits communications. While the plan administrator, typically the employer, is responsible for providing an SPD to all participants, both the insurer and plan administrator are responsible for providing SBCs. SPDs are required for stand-alone dental and vision plans, while SBCs are required only for individual medical policies and insured and self-insured group medical plans. In addition, SBCs and SPDs must be provided to participants at different times. The SPD must be delivered to all participants within 120 days after the effective date of a new plan, and to new participants within 90 days after the date the participant first becomes covered. SBCs, however, must be provided when individuals enroll in coverage for the first time and at the beginning of each new plan year. Understand the differences between SPDs and SBCs to ensure the right information is given to employee participants at the right time. 2. Provide continual communication. Employees need more than required explanations of benefits options. In fact, 56 percent of millennials surveyed by GuideSpark in April 2014 said they wanted their employers to communicate about employee benefits in a way that was easier to understand. Handing employees stacks of information before the enrollment period begins leaves them overwhelmed and confused. Instead, keep employee benefits communications going throughout the year. Deliver information gradually, in easy-to-digest pieces, and focus on reviewing one benefit at a time. Give employees access to open enrollment materials as soon as those materials become available. And guide them through these materials -- dont leave staffers to figure out the materials on their own. Related: 5 Ways to Help Employees Make the Best Use of Benefits 3. Go beyond email. Relying on emails and printed materials to educate employees about benefits is easy -- but not effective. Employees receive countless emails every day, and those containing critical information are easily lost or ignored. Yet 79 percent of those surveyed by GuideSpark said their employers used email to communicate about benefits, and a whopping 87 percent said their employers used printed materials. Still, some employers are striving to extend communications beyond emails and pamphlets. In the SHRM survey, 63 percent of respondents said changes had been made to their organizations' employee-benefits communication materials in the past year. And there was a notable increase in employers who met with employees to discuss benefits options face-to-face. Dont rely on written communications to get the job done. Talk to employees in person to better explain options, clear up confusion and questions and ensure they get all the important details. 4. Get social. Social media is a powerful tool to connect and communicate with employees -- especially using internal social media platforms. But this tool isn't widely used: Just 4 percent of those surveyed by SHRM said their organizations used social media as an employee-benefits communication tool. Employee-facing social media channels are great for reminding employees about enrollment deadlines, events like benefits fairs and Q&A sessions. These channels also point employees toward resources to help them make more informed decisions. Post more specific plan information and explanations on internal employee social media networks to boost awareness of available employee benefits options. These steps are important because benefits can cause employees stress; and a lack of communication from employers can make the whole issue even more of a hassle. But, with accessible, continual information from HR, employees can leave behind the mountains of pamphlets and tackle their benefits decisions with ease. What tools and tactics do you use in employee benefits communications? Share in the comments below! Related: How HR Can Communicate Important-But-Boring Stuff to New Hires Related: Lost in Translation: 4 Ways to Improve Employee-Benefits Communications What Leaders Can Learn From Black Churches About Keeping Team Members Engaged Executives: Edit Your CEO-Targeted Communications to Get Better Results Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD A morning water main break at Turn of River Middle School left the buildings 590 students without water Tuesday, but classes remained in session as students and staff relied on bottled water and ready-made food. The water main feeding the middle school ruptured before 7 a.m., said Al Barbarotta, CEO of AFB Construction Management, the firm contracted to manage the districts facilities. Last night we noticed that the driveway (over the main) was buckled, like a sinkhole, he said Tuesday. Contractors were called Monday night to attend to the situation the following day, he said. When water was found at the sinkhole Tuesday morning, the district immediately called the city health department, Barbarotta said. Everything is happening as on a typical day, except the bathrooms, said Mike Fernandes, the districts assistant superintendent for secondary schools. The city opened the nearby Harry Bennet branch of the Ferguson Library early so students and staff could use its bathrooms, Fernandes said. Additionally, toilets in the school building were being manually flushed with the use of bottled water, Barbarotta said. Portable hand sanitizers were also been provided. Despite the lack of water, Barbarotta said the schools heating system would continue to function for several days. Schools spokeswoman Sharon Beadle said fire supression sprinklers, which run off a separate main, were unaffected by the breach. Calls to the schools custodian office Tuesday afternoon were referred to Turn of River administration. Commotion could be heard in the background. Calls to the schools administration were referred to the districts central office. Contractors could be seen working on the broken main early Tuesday afternoon. Barbarotta said he expected the pipe to be fixed by Tuesday evening. Weve had lots of these situations over my years of experience, he said, expressing confidence that water would be restored by Wednesday. A parent of a sixth grader at the school, who spoke to The Advocate on the condition of anonymity, expressed frustration over the schools response. It was kind of a surprise, pulling up this morning, the woman said. She said a Stamford police officer had to direct cars around the sinkhole caused by the break. An e-mail should have been sent out first thing this morning, she said. I dont think those kids should have been in school today. 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. I n terms of what is important for the British economy, the most important announcement so far this year is nothing to do with global stock market turmoil, or even George Osbornes belated discovery that we are not in such rude health as he told us we were at the time of the Autumn Statement. Rather, it is the decision by Premier Oil to take a massive bet on the North Sea. The oil price has plunged to its lowest for years. The North Sea is in rapid decline as a producer, and is one of the worlds more expensive places to operate. Premiers shares have been out of favour and it now has a market capitalisation of just 100 million. The deal, announced last week, under which it will purchase the offshore oil and gas interests currently owned by E.On, will cost it 120 million. That takes a certain amount of courage. The rest of us should be grateful, though, because we need that oil and gas. In just two months time, the Longannet coal-fired power station one of the largest in Europe, on the Firth of Forth will close, turning its lights out years earlier than expected because of the impact of carbon taxes and transmission charges. It is part of an accelerating trend of coal-plant closure that will remove plant accounting for as much as 30% of UK generating capacity in very short order, with nothing much being built to take its place. New power plants have to be built quickly, and that means a dash for gas. Renewables cannot fill the gap in time and are too unreliable; nuclear takes forever to build and anyway the country cannot afford another hideously expensive deal like the one into which the Government has entered to persuade the French to build at Hinkley Point in Somerset. In the unlikely event that it is on time and on budget, that project will still cost more than Crossrail, the London 2012 Olympics and the rebuild of Heathrow Terminal 2 combined and will produce energy at the equivalent cost in terms of oil at around $180 a barrel. Nuclear is an argument for another day. The point is that if and when these gas-powered stations are built, they will need to get supplies from somewhere. The Government appears to have fallen in love with fracking as the source of supply for the future but no one else seems to share its enthusiasm. The process uses vast amounts of water and pumps all sorts of chemicals into the ground at very high pressure. Although lots of gas may be trapped in the rock formations, it is an open question how much might actually be released even if the environmental concerns are overcome and the process is allowed. Significantly, the major American players have been very slow to apply in the latest round of drilling licences although they surely would have done so had they thought it was going to be easy. "While the oil price has dropped almost out of sight, the hit on gas has been significantly less." The message of the Premier deal is that the Government would be better off seeking to manage the decline of the North Sea rather than putting its faith in shale. Many industry experts and geologists believe there is still a lot of gas out there some waiting to be discovered, even more waiting to be tapped with the use of the much more advanced production technology that has been developed in recent years. All told, it seems a much more exploitable and proven resource than any gas pockets waiting to be fracked under Blackpool. Note, too, that while the oil price has dropped almost out of sight, the hit on gas has been significantly less. The two are no longer yoked together as they once were. A significant amount of North Sea production is currently in the hands of various private equity firms, all of which were happy to buy mature assets a few years ago and take on licence obligations to drill because they thought the cost would be more than offset by the healthy cash flows from existing production. What cash flows, you might now ask. After the oil-price crash, most of these financial engineers are in dire straits and horrified at what they have got themselves into. They are desperate to sell rather than honour their drilling promises, so we are getting to the point where there are some interesting bargains around. According to one industry veteran who confesses to being tempted himself, it will soon be possible to buy proven reserves for almost nothing. But what we need are a few more people with Premiers courage to take advantage of the opportunity and a few more people in the City with similar vision and courage to look through the current price uncertainty to back them. There are also lessons the Government could learn from Norway in how to support the private sector in difficult times. If it is indeed in the national interest to squeeze the last bubbles of gas from the North Sea, government needs to encourage more exploration. That is currently hard to fund for obvious reasons. However, Norway reimburses more than three quarters of the cost of exploration wells with the result that, while $4 billion (2.8 billion) has been spent in recent times, it has led directly to the discovery of new reserves worth more than $40 billion. Talking up the North Sea at a time when the oil price is at rock bottom may appear not just counter-intuitive but also plain mad, but it should not be. All the big fortunes in markets are made by people who have the courage to buy when everyone else is selling. At some point, and probably sooner than we think, todays North Sea prices will look like a once-in-a-generation bargain. A pple, Samsung and Sony among other major technology companies have been accused by human rights organisations Amnesty International of failing to do basic checks to ensure their supply chain does not involve child labour. According to a report into the use of cobalt This is what we die for: Human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo power the global trade in cobalt by Amnesty and Afrewatch, children as young as seven work in dangerous conditions in cobalt mines. Cobalt is used to power many devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers and other portable electronic devices. But exposure to it can have potentially fatal side effects. Chronic exposure to dust containing cobalt can result in a potentially fatal lung disease, called hard metal lung disease. Despite this, adult and child miners work without the most basic protective equipment, the organisations claim. Chronic exposure to cobalt can cause lung disease (Picture: Amnesty International and Afrewatch) / Amnesty International and Afrewatch The glamourous shop displays and marketing of state of the art technologies are a stark contrast to the children carrying bags of rocks, and miners in narrow manmade tunnels risking permanent lung damage, said Mark Dummett, business and human rights researcher at Amnesty International. Dummet said big brands should take responsibilities for the material their products are made of. Amnesty International and Afrewatch researchers spoke to 87 current and former cobalt miners, 17 of them children, from five mine sites in southern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in April and May 2015. The DRC produces at least 50% of the world's cobalt. Paul, who started mining at the age of 12, told researchers: I would spend 24 hours down in the tunnels. I arrived in the morning and would leave the following morning. Other children said that they worked in the open, in high temperatures, or in the rain. UNICEF estimated in 2014 that approximately 40,000 boys and girls work in all the mines across southern DRC, many of them involved in cobalt mining "Without laws that require companies to check and publicly disclose information about where they source minerals, companies can continue to benefit from human rights abuses." The human rights group claims it has contacted 16 multinationals who were listed as customers of the battery manufacturers. According to Dummet many of the companies have a zero tolerance policy for child labour but they do not investigate their suppliers. Without laws that require companies to check and publicly disclose information about where they source minerals and their suppliers, companies can continue to benefit from human rights abuses. Governments must put an end to this lack of transparency, which allows companies to profit from misery, he said. Apple said it believes every worker in the supply chain has a right to safe ethical working conditions. We are currently evaluating dozens of different materials, including cobalt, in order to identify labour and environmental risks as well as opportunities for Apple to bring about effective, scalable and sustainable change, Apple said. The tech giant said it is committed to being a force for change by supporting government action and partnering with companies and other stakeholders such as Amnesty International. We have made significant progress, though we know our work is never done and will not stop until every person in our supply chain is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve, Apple added. Cobalt is used in smartphone batteries (Picture: AFP/Getty Images) / Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Sony established the Sony Supplier Code of Conduct in June 2015 with the expectation that every supplier would agree and adhere to applicable laws, work ethics and labour conditions and respect for human rights. As such Sony has a strong commitment to ethical business conduct and we have a stringent policy and management system to minimize the risk of child labor throughout our supply chain, it said. With respect to cobalt supply chain and human rights issues reported in the Amnesty report, we take this issue seriously and conducted due investigation. So far, we have not found obvious results that our products contain the cobalt originated from Katanga in the DRC, it added in a statement. Samsung told Amnesty that it is carrying out supply chain due diligence for the four so-called conflict minerals (tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold). The company does not know where the cobalt in its products comes from. In reality, it is very hard to trace the source of the mineral due to the suppliers nondisclosure of information and the complexity of the supply chains. Therefore it is impossible for us to determine whether the cobalt supplied to Samsung SDI comes from DRC Katangas mines, Samsung admitted. Only Apple and Microsoft said that they had taken any sort of proactive steps to address human rights issues in the artisanal mines in southern DRC, according to the Amnesty report. Microsoft said it was already supporting an organisation that was tackling human rights abuses, including child labour, in the area. Companies must not simply discontinue a trading relationship with a supplier or embargo DRC cobalt once human rights risks have been identified in the supply chain. They must take remedial action on the harm suffered by people whose human rights were abused, Amnesty's Dummett said. C ustomers flooding into British Lands shopping centres prompted the property giant to report a robust performance for the final quarter of 2015. The landlord of the Ealing Broadway shopping centre and Debenhams on Oxford Street said footfall was up 2% over the festive season and 290,000 square feet of retail lettings or renewals were agreed. Offices also performed strongly for the company behind the Cheesegrater. New lettings agreed were at rates 11.2% ahead of the September 2015 estimated rental value. Chief executive Chris Grigg said the group was confident but mindful that the economic and political outlook is clearly more uncertain since the half year. British Land last night won its fight to build the Blossom Street redevelopment in Spitalfields. The project will deliver 350,000 square feet in seven buildings comprising office space, 13 shops and 40 flats. Nigel Webb, head of developments at British Land, said: "We are acutely aware of the historical significance of the site, and have worked with award-winning architects to devise an outstanding development that can support 2,500 jobs, in keeping with the character of the area." W hen Spy saw the news that Asda was cutting back on staff in an attempt to save cash as shoppers flock elsewhere, we wondered whether the supermarket had any plans to slash its communications budget. The grocer uses the celebrity PR outfit of Matthew Freud as its spinners in what wags claim is the biggest comms contract in the retail sector by a very long way. And for anyone wondering why budget-priced Asda chooses premium-priced advisers Freuds, Spy is told: Andy [Clarke, Asdas boss] likes the fact it gives him a direct line to Matthew. Thats what hes paying for. Defiant Brikho ducks his trip to Davos So, farewell then former Amec Foster Wheeler boss Samir Brikho. The globe-trotting boss, who was hated and loved in equal measure by the City, wasnt going quietly after he parted ways with the oil group. He took to Twitter to repost a gushing post from a construction blogger: Lest we forget Samir Brikho led one of the most impressive turnaround/transformations for years in the broad sector on joining. Nothing like false modesty. Brikho had previously posted about his excitement at attending this weeks Davos conference but Spy hears he has now cancelled the trip. We presume this is to avoid the awkward what are you up to now? conversations with Christine Lagarde. Bookies slick move after gush of bets on oil price The bookies are running for cover from a tsunami of Iranian crude oil after the City waded in at very generous prices. Ladbrokes, which was last week dangling a tempting 25/1 on Brent falling below $20 this year and a whopping 100/1 on a sub-$10 price, has had something of a rethink. The prices are now a decidedly less-generous 3/1 for $20 and 10/1 for $10. The bookie reports busy trading at its Moorgate shop as a few City types ventured tenners and scores on the 100/1 shot. Spy risked a fiver on the 25/1 punt. When punk made Guy Hands day Perhaps Guy Hands adventures with EMI were a labour of love, not logic. Speaking to students at the LSE yesterday, he recounted his own days arriving in London in the 1970s when he was believe it or not, a massive fan of punk music. Punk past: Guy Hands I didnt have the looks or the body to dress like David Bowie, he admitted. Instead, I pogoed to the Clash, the Sex Pistols and the Stranglers. I wore tight black drainpipe jeans and an Afghan coat, and danced in London music venues like the Marquee Club. His favourite track was the Stranglers classic Peaches. It must all seem a long way from Guernsey, where he now lives, perhaps whiling away his summers walking on the beaches looking at the peaches. Goodbye to the booze budget Spys stockbroker drinking partner laments the demise of Daniel Stewart, which is set to delist from AIM after failing to find a new nominated adviser. Nice to see some solidarity in the City. Except thats not why hes down about it. Our friend will miss the lavish Christmas bashes the broker used to throw over-lavish, as it turned out which he fondly remembers as the best in the City. He reminisces about the 20,000 do in 2014 that was called A Champagne Odyssey, held at Browns where we are catching up. There was no champagne, however, for shareholders, who learned of the companys cash shortfall the day the party invite was sent out. Cheers! Is Sellar helping get the Shard on trend? Luxury retailer Matchesfashion is the latest business to sign for plush offices at the Shard, slightly more glam than the current tenant line-up of private-equity, gas and law firms. Fashion credentials: Irvine Sellar with Vivienne Westwood (Picture: Dave Benett) / Dave Benett Perhaps one of the skyscrapers co-owners, Irvine Sellar, played a helping hand in wooing the fashion business. Spy is reminded that before he became a property baron, the Londoner had a chain of shops, Mates by Irvine Sellar, selling mens and womens clothes. Irvines clearly still on trend. City says relax Markets are crashing, experts predict stock market Armageddon, and IPOs are hard work its a tough time in broking. One stockbroker, who has just started at a new firm, tells Spy hed been putting in extra hours at the weekend to make a good impression before a colleague advised him: This is not the year to be working hard. Thats the spirit. O ne of Britains best known female entrepreneurs, Martha Lane Fox, has called on the tech industry to train up women to help solve the digital skills crisis. Lane Fox, who began lastminute.com with her business partner Brent Hoberman in 1998, said that teaching unemployed women to code could help to fill the 600,000 vacancies in the tech sector, a figure which is forecast to rise to 1 million by 2020. Lane Fox, who advises the Government on rolling out broadband and digital services, said that Britains tech industry, where women hold just 17% of jobs, could also be stronger if it included more women, especially in leadership positions. She pointed to the fact that global tech giant Apple launched a health kit in 2014 that lacked any capacity to track a menstrual cycle or menopause, because no women were involved in developing it. Lane Fox also said that social media platform Twitter might not have as many problems with abusers if women had been involved in its creation. Think of the new product areas and untapped markets that the internet has yet to improve: maternity, end-of-life care, mental health. In all these areas women are the main consumers and potential drivers of the next global economy. Any company or, more boldy, country that dramatically improves its tech diversity will have enormous competitive advantage, she wrote in an article in the Financial Times. T he mayoral election moves up a gear with the launch of the manifesto of the Tory candidate, Zac Goldsmith. His most contentious proposal is for a ban on foreign sales of new homes built on public land. So all new homes built on GLA-owned land perhaps 50,000 would only be sold to Londoners who have lived or worked in the capital for three years and dont yet own their own home. He would lobby for control of all public land in London so the same would hold there. This should not be an anti-investor move; still less an anti-foreigner initiative. But it would help remove a distortion from the London property market: it is unacceptable that some developments are marketed abroad before we have a chance even to bid for them. The initiative, moreover, puts useful distance between Mr Goldsmith and Boris Johnson. Mr Goldsmith also wants a significant number of new homes to be for rent; a positive move. On transport, Mr Goldsmith favours Crossrail and the 24-hour weekend Tube. The chief difference with his Labour rival Sadiq Khan is that he does not propose a fares freeze, popular with voters. Yet the disruption last weekend on the Piccadilly line is a reminder that continued investment in Tube infrastructure is a priority. Mr Goldsmith is a longstanding environmentalist, hence his focus on clean air. Yet we shall need more detail on what precisely he intends to do to combat nitrogen dioxide from diesel emissions, whether it be to bring forward and expand the Mayors plans for a 2020 clean air zone or to tax vehicles on their emissions. As for his insistence on neighbourhood policing, no one will be against though as Simon Jenkins points out, this may mean single officers on the beat rather than policing in pairs. Yet cuts to police budgets have made that more difficult to achieve. Government priorities and mayoral ones may be at odds here. Unsurprisingly, the areas Mr Goldsmith identifies for urgent action are precisely those on which Mr Khan would agree. Thats a good thing. Importing skills The Home Offices Migration Advisory Committee is proposing new measures to curb the number of skilled workers that firms can bring to Britain. Its chair, Sir David Metcalfe, is worried that businesses can too easily import skills from overseas rather than training British workers. He is proposing a 1,000 levy on every skilled worker brought in and an increase on the minimum salary that non-EU skilled workers must be paid in order to enter. Plainly many firms will be uneasy about any measure which curbs their freedom to hire where they choose, and the impact on the NHS could be considerable, but the emphasis on training workers here rather than simply importing skills from abroad is fundamentally sound. Yet all this applies only to workers from outside the EU; any EU citizen has the automatic right to live and work here. The question of whether Britain should have the right to decide which workers it encourages to come here will be fundamental in the forthcoming in-out referendum. Tipping in the House MPs of every party were scandalised last year when the Standard exposed the failure of big restaurant chains to pass on tips to frontline workers. Now it turns out that waiting staff in parliaments own restaurants often suffer the same experience, with temporary workers unlikely ever to benefit from tips left on debit and credit cards. This is deplorable. MPs should indeed investigate the wider tipping issue but they must also set an example. T his September will mark 350 years since the Great Fire of London. Ignited by a spark from a bakers oven, the conflagration devastated the largely timber-built capital. Later this year the Museum of London will be among those marking the anniversary with a series of events but the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) is getting in early as part of its exhibition Creation from Catastrophe: How Architecture Rebuilds Communities, opening next week. Surviving plans of five alternative schemes for rebuilding after the fire some from Ribas drawings collection, on show for the first time are displayed alongside examples of architectural responses to disasters from across the centuries and around the world. The focus is on natural disasters such as inundations and earthquakes although, of course, natural events often become disasters because of human decisions. There are tales of contemporary woe from Nepal, Nigeria, Japan, Chile, Pakistan and the US showing how design innovation can emerge from disaster. Skyscrapers are a case in point: Chicago lays claim to be the birthplace of the building type because its rebuilding coincided with new elevator and steel- frame technologies. Likewise, the post-war Japanese architectural movement Metabolism grew from a generation who had experienced the firestorm that followed the bombing of Tokyo, and Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena (this years Pritzker Prize winner and director of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale) made his name helping the rebuild city of Constitucion in his homeland from the grassroots up in the wake of the 2010 quake and tsunami. Work in progress: the NLE "floating school" being built Indeed, the tension between top-down and bottom-up responses to disasters is a thread running through the exhibition. The show demonstrates how architects can come into their own in the immediate aftermath of disasters: Japanese architect Shigeru Ban developed lightweight paper and card architecture that can be erected quickly; Yasmeen Lari has worked with villagers to build their own bamboo homes without relying on expensive, outside building supplies after floods submerged a fifth of Pakistan in 2010 and NLE devised a floating school to defy the rising waters around the Nigerian city of Lagos. New Jersey is working with Dutch water specialist Henk Ovink and architecture practice OMA on rebuilding its Hoboken waterfront in a more sustainable way following Hurricane Sandy. Top-down regimentation characterised the official response to the panic and confusion that spread through London during the four days that the fire raged in 1666. Four-fifths of the city was destroyed including 84 churches, guild halls, thousands of homes and Old St Pauls, where melted lead from the roof became a river of hot metal. By royal command it was determined that this could not happen again, with plans for rebuilding proposing broad avenues and squares in the Baroque fashion of cities such as Rome instead of the pre-fire twists and turns of medieval London. Building acts were introduced that regulated inflammable materials on the facades of structures and determined the width of streets. Sir Christopher Wren won the job of planning the rebuild but his was not the only option. The diarist John Evelyn put forward a proposal with great similarities to Wrens carefully planned vistas, circuses and radiating avenues. The cartographer Richard Newcourt suggested an even more logical approach with his idea for a regular grid of urban squares, each with a parish church at its centre. Response: the floating schools are designed to cope with floods Such formality had, until this point, been pretty much absent from English architecture and planning, which was used to laissez-faire muddling through when it came to organising its cities and so it proved when it came to rebuilding London. As we know, these grand plans were never realised. Wrens Baroque cathedral was built (a project he had been working on before the fire) along with dozens of city churches and the canalisation of the River Fleet in the Dutch fashion. But complicated land ownerships and a pragmatic desire to get on with the rebuilding meant his grand vision centring on the fixed points of St Pauls and the Guildhall pretty much came to naught. Even so, Londons population following the Great Fire was still down by a quarter in 1672 and thousands of houses built by speculators remained empty. Wren was not best pleased and one of the highlights of the Riba show alongside drawings, photographs and models is his familys fat scrapbook, the Parentalia, which details the frustrations of the task. It was compiled by Wrens son and then published by his grandson a century later. Theres a view that such an outcome was inevitable given a British psyche that views planning with suspicion and that, following the Civil War, was too democratically minded to have grand masterplans imposed by diktat. True, we have rarely seen the single-minded tabula rasa schemes such as Baron Haussmanns ruthless rebuilding of Paris under Napoleon III but this argument forgets that many British cities have been planned at least in part. Not just the obvious examples such as Bath or Edinburgh but also entire districts of Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham during the Georgian and Victorian periods and entire new towns for London following the Blitz (such as Stevenage and Harlow). Plans: How John Evelyn envisaged London being rebuilt after the Great Fire But in the long run Wrens loss has been Londons gain because the interesting things in cities today tend to happen in the gaps between regulations and rationality. It is no accident that the most creative parts of Paris are those such as the Marais and the Left Bank, where the Barons writ was limited. In the late 20th century, New York was at its liveliest where the tyrannical grid breaks down such as where it meets the ancient Algonquin track of Broadway and the irregularity of Greenwich Village. Londons dreariest corners tend to be those roads driven through by the Victorians (Kingsway, New Oxford Street, Shaftesbury Avenue) or those razed to cater for the motor car under the post-war Abercrombie plan. Only now are there efforts to undo the effect of misguided architectural utopianism. This is not to argue that planning is a bad thing on the contrary, it is essential if we are going to avoid short-sighted decisions such as concreting over flood plains or to improve public transport but it has been incrementalism, rather than rigid blueprints, and grassroots campaigning, rather than top-down technocratic impositions, that made London the endlessly fascinating city of villages that it has become. Creation from Catastrophe: How Architecture Rebuilds Communities is at The Architecture Gallery, Riba, W1 (020 7580 5533, architecture.com) from Jan 27 to April 24 Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout S horeditchs reputation as Londons hottest food destination has been underlined after one of its most feted restaurants won a major award. The Michelin-starred Clove Club in Shoreditch Town Hall received the BMW Square Meal award for best restaurant in 2015 the first time the title has gone to an east London venue. The Clove Club beat shortlisted rivals including Sexy Fish in Mayfair and The Ledbury in Notting Hill. Its head chef is Isaac McHale, whose signature dishes include buttermilk chicken on pine needles and pigeon sausages with greengage ketchup. The restaurant co-founded by McHale, Daniel Willis and Johnny Smith offers modern British set menus at 65 and 95, and is known for its pared-down interiors. It emerged from a series of pop-ups, including a six-month residency at the Ten Bells pub in Spitalfields and a takeover of an office floor in Canary Wharf for two weeks in the run-up to the London Olympics in 2012. The accolade is the first of the restaurant award season and will confirm the view of many critics that Londons culinary centre of gravity is shifting east. According to restaurant guide Hardens, east London openings now outnumber those in W postcodes by two to one. Square Meal editor Ben McCormack said 2015 was a cracking year for new restaurants with newcomers opening our eyes to thrilling new ways of eating that dont have to break the bank. Established restaurants have upped their game in response, revealing new looks, new premises and proving that evolution is just as valuable as revolution on the restaurant scene. But for this years winner we turned to east London, the creative hub of the capital. The Clove Club is that rare place, somewhere that combined high-end food credentials with cool young diners. The award, which has been running since 1999, is based on more than 11,000 reviews on the Square Meal website, a survey of readers and the views of the editorial board. Mr McHale said: We just wanted to do a restaurant for our generation, one that was ambitious but also laid-back and not intimidating, and that showed you didnt need all the trappings of luxe to be really serious in the kitchen. @JonPrynn Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout Review at a glance C hris Urchs scorching play takes its name from a Kampala newspaper that, for a few months in 2010, exposed the identities of gay Ugandans and called for their execution. It probes what its like to live in a society where being outed can be fatal and portrays an explosive clash between religious dogma, personal loyalties and the frenzy of a media witch-hunt. The central figure is Dembe, a sparky 18-year-old. When we first see him hes stargazing with his lover Sam, a mixed-race doctor from Northern Ireland. Dembes playfulness and flashes of youthful uncertainty are charming, but soon we recognise the threat they pose to the security of his family as his brother Joe comes under intense scrutiny after taking over as pastor of their local church. Ellen McDougalls simple, lucid production boasts a memorably volatile performance from Fiston Barek as Dembe. Sule Rimi is excellent as Joe, especially when his preaching becomes fiery and militant, and Faith Omole has a striking gravity as their courageous sister Wummie. The key relationships are finely drawn by Urch, who writes with rare passion about the ugly politics of persecution and about how far people are prepared to go for those they love. Until February 20, Orange Tree, Richmond (020 8940 3633, orangetreetheatre.co.uk) Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout T he founder of a socialising platform that helps members across the capital form new friendships has told how she was inspired to create the app by seeing friends move to London and struggle to meet new people. Sanchita Saha, 39, is the CEO of Citysocializer, a service that helps young professionals and re-locators to London meet new friends and explore the city. Members can use it to organise drinks after work, gigs, Sunday lunches and trips to exhibitions, among other activities. Since 2009, more than 315,000 people have signed up across the country, with 200,000 based in London. Ms Saha said the main age group is 23 to 40-year-olds, 60 per cent of which are women and 40 per cent men. Ms Saha said: When my friends from university moved to London, they often struggled. Some felt very lonely or isolated in a big city. I thought there must be a way to help people find like-minded friends. Ms Saha said a majority of users 30 per cent are newcomers to London. She said a big proportion have just come out of a serious relationship and want to rebuild friendship groups, while others are looking for relationships but tired of dating apps, or are looking for new friends after their closest group have moved out of London. Sophia Cantos, 30, who works in banking, moved to Clapham for work. She said: I hadnt met anyone I could potentially be really good friends with. The first night I went to [via the app] I hit it off with two girls and a guy and we have become a tight group of friends. So the app literally did change my life. The best apps for Londoners 1 /16 The best apps for Londoners Zip car Join, reserve, unlock and drive it really is that simple. The capitals preferred car clubs app gives 24/7 access to cars and vans in your neighbourhood and lets you extend or cancel reservations on the go. Free Uncover Sick of being stuck on waiting lists? You need Uncover, which redistributes cancelled reservations at some of the capitals top restaurants, including The River Cafe and Nobu. Not for planning freaks, though tables typically become free at 40 minutes notice. Free Uber So popular its become a verb, this private driver service has revolutionised travel in the capital. Its speedy and affordable, making it a welcome alternative to the night bus. Free Santander Cycles Launched this summer, the official app for Boris fifth child can be used to search for nearby docking stations and check bike availability. Theres also a journey planner featuring easy, moderate and fast routes to satisfy all cycling tribes. Free Plume Air Report This new app has been downloaded by 3,000 Londoners. Sensors gathering air pollution data submit updates every hour, resulting in a scale that ranges from fresh to extremely polluted. Free Nightcapp Heres an app that will have booze hounds raising their glasses. NightCapp is a map that pinpoints more than 1,500 London watering holes that stay open past 11.30pm. It also shows users when a bar is about to close by highlighting it in orange. Better get moving. Free Money Dashboard An award-winning budget planner, this helps you keep track of personal spending across multiple accounts, pay off credit cards and even makes suggestions on how to manage your finances better. Free Her Promising to introduce women to a lesbian that hasnt slept with any of your friends, this revamped dating app includes queer-themed news and blogs, upcoming event notices and an improved algorithm-matching system. Free FoodMood This new startup, which reckons its Tinder for food, pledges to narrow down your choice of lunchbreak destinations. Hit yum or yuk on photos of dishes in your area. Juvenile, but strangely addictive. Free Daily Yoga This offers more than 50 yoga sessions, as well as a database of 500 yoga poses. Suitable for all levels, programmes include yoga aimed at specific areas of the body and weight loss. Namaste to that. Free Coffee Meets Bagel Billed as the anti-Tinder, this new kid on the block delivers just a single match to users once a day. Coffee Meets Bagel uses Facebook profile information to recommend suitors based on friends of friends. Neither coffee nor bagels are included. Free. Bristlr Do you have a beard? Perhaps youd like to stroke one on a regular basis? This can be arranged. Unlike other dating apps, Bristlr is unashamedly all about hooking up the hairy with the hairless. Theres even a beard-rating option for aficionados. Free A study by the Mental Health Foundation found 18 to 34-year-olds were more likely to feel lonely than the over-55s. Ms Saha said: Loneliness is seen as a thing for older people and there is still a big taboo about it. Research shows there is an epidemic of loneliness, and I think thats especially the case in London. But our members are mainly people just looking to have a fun time. Follow us on Twitter: @eslifeandstyle A n investment banker had part of his ear bitten off after a row in a busy cocktail bar on Boat Race day, a court heard. Charles Linard, 30, had spent the day with friends watching the annual Oxford and Cambridge race before ending the night at the Be At One bar in Putney High Street on April 11 last year. The Durham University graduate, a keen yachtsman who attended 25,000-a-year Bedford School, had a confrontation with a man who was wearing a distinctive trilby hat. He told Kingston crown court that Ali Nariman, 35, motioned to him and he leaned across to listen. He said: My ear was towards his mouth so I could hear what he was saying. The next thing I remember was the gentleman lunging forward. Defendant: Ali Nariman / Tony Palmer I felt a pain in my ear and as I instinctively pushed him away I felt a tugging of my ear and swung my right hand towards him in self-defence. There was blood and I felt pain. Mr Linard, who is 6ft 3in, pursued the man to the exit but he got away, the court heard. He said to jurors: I told one of the bouncers I would go to A&E tomorrow to which he said, I dont think you understand how much of your ear is missing. He added: I had to have some surgery to cut the cartilage back and have the wound cleaned. The alleged row happened after the boat race in west London / Getty Nicholas Maggs, defending Nariman, suggested Mr Linard had been aggressive after drinking for 11 hours. He said: You were extremely drunk and falling into people in the bar and invaded the personal space of the man in the hat. Do you remember telling him to f*** off and do you remember pushing him? asked the lawyer. Do you remember saying get out of the way brownie to him? He concluded: I suggest you were extremely rude, aggressive and violent to the man in the hat before your ear was bitten. Mr Linard denied assaulting, swearing at or insulting the defendant. He explained that CCTV footage showing him staggering out of the pub was due to shock more than anything else. Nariman, of Chertsey Road, Twickenham, has pleaded not guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on April 11 last year. The trial continues. F our men have been found guilty of attempted murder after a man was stabbed more than 15 times around his heart, lung and liver in a frenzied knife attack. The victim only survived after doctors and paramedics from Londons Air Ambulance performed emergency life-saving surgery in the street. The 29-year-old had visited Emerald supermarket in Staines Road, Feltham, at 1.30am on June 14 last year when the four defendants attacked him. He was punched to the ground before being stabbed more than 15 times, with some of the wounds penetrating his heart, lung and liver. The attackers then fled in a waiting car and police said the attack appears to have been motivated by a previous dispute. Guilty of GBH: Abdi Wahab Mohammed drove the attackers to and from the scene / Metropolitan Police Mohammed Mohammed, 21, of Copley Close, Hanwell, Zakariya Ibrahim, 19, of Chesham Terrace, Ealing, Saad Sharif, 19, and Hanad Mohammed, 19, both of no fixed abode, were today convicted of attempted murder. Abdi Wahab Mohammed, 26, of Down Way, Northolt, who drove the men to and from the scene, was found guilty of causing section 18 grievous bodily harm. The victim, who miraculously survived the attack, was operated on at the roadside before undergoing further life-saving surgery at St Marys Hospital. He was discharged from hospital 10 days later. All five men will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, January 22. P olice detectives have launched a new appeal for information 40 years on from the mysterious death of a 15 year-old boy central London. The death of the welsh teenager, who was found in the middle of Euston underpass in the early hours of the 19th of January 1976, still goes unexplained. The body of Peter Watts, the 15 year-old from Colwyn Bay, North Wales, was discovered around half a mile from Euston station at 1:30 in the morning. A passing cab driver called an ambulance but Peter died in hospital an hour later. Four decades on, the Met's Special Casework Investigation Team, are releasing details of Peter's death in an effort to trace anyone who is yet to speak to police about the incident. Detective Inspector Susan Stansfield, who is leading the investigation, said: "Despite numerous appeals, mystery still surrounds the death of Peter Watts. He came from a loving and close-knit family but tragically his parents both died without the answers they were seeking. We've never had any information to suggest that anyone else was involved in Peter's death but, for the sake of his brother, we would like to speak to anyone who may be able to assist." Peter Watts was last seen by his brother in his home in Wales / Metropolitan Police Following extensive police appeals in both England and Wales, officers were able to piece together some of Peter's last known movements. Peter left a note to his parents at his home on the day he was found dead saying he was planning to help a school friend with homework and would return soon. Peters brother Mark Watts, 57, told ITV News: I was the last person to speak to him. I put my head around the bedroom door and said goodbye before I left the house with Mum and Dad and he seemed perfectly normal at the time. No indication that anything was about to go wrong. Investigations found that Peter left his home to purchase a train ticket from Colwyn Bay station to Chester. He is thought to have travelled on the 17:15hrs, Holyhead to London train, but failed to leave the train at Chester. It is then thought he continued on to Euston, possibly arriving at 21:15hrs. Apart from the guard who sold Peter his train ticket at Colwyn Bay, there were no further confirmed sightings of the 15-year-old. A post mortem examination gave the cause of death as head injuries consistent with a fall. There were no marks on Peter's body to indicate he was pushed from the bridge or had been involved in an earlier struggle. There was also no evidence of any sexual assault. Officers established that Peter was missing his watch and glasses when he was found. These items have never been found. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Incident Room on 020 7230 7963 or Crimestoopers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A man has been charged after a seven-year-old girl was assaulted at a north London Tube station. Clarice Laptes, 55, of Weedington Road, Camden, will appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on Monday, February 15 charged with common assault and possession of cannabis. He was arrested following an appeal by British Transport Police for witnesses to an assault at Edgware station on Friday, November 6. Sergeant Ben Hurley said: I would like to thank the public and the media for their help with this appeal. A bogus police officer tried to abduct three young girls during the schoolrun in north London. The girls, all between the ages of 11 and 14 years old, were reportedly approached by the same man in a number of locations in the Hornsey area between 8am and 9am on Monday. He was not wearing a police uniform but allegedly told all of the girls he was a police officer. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said none of the girls were injured in any of the incidents and added the allegations are being treated as attempted abductions. The man involved is described as black, between 20 to 30 years old and of medium build. He had short dark hair and was wearing a jacket with the hood up. Officers are currently speaking to the girls, their schools and their parents to determine the circumstances surrounding each incident. Chief Inspector Jude Beehag-Fisher, from Haringey Borough, said: "It would be unusual for police officers in plain clothes not to identify themselves by showing a warrant card, and members of the public are entitle to ask to see one. "Any child approached by someone in the street, in similar circumstances to these incidents, that are not shown any identification that they the person is a police officer, should get away from them as quickly as possible, they should shout for help and make sure they tell a parent, teacher or other person in authority as soon as possible. "In an emergency always dial 999." Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 11. A university student accused of being one of the ringleaders of a drive-by shooting terror plot downloaded a spy-proof messaging program, the Old Bailey heard today. Suhaib Majeed, 21, was under surveillance by police as he walked around Lisson Grove, where he lived, and the Regents Park mosque. In September 2014, he was communicating via Skype with a contact who gave him instructions about downloading the program, the jury was told. He was ordered to use the special software on his laptop to enable him to engage in secret, encrypted communication, said Brian Altman QC, prosecuting. The court heard that Majeed downloaded the program, Mujahideen Secrets, for those fighting jihad, or holy war. This was a program specially designed to allow Islamic terrorists to exchange secret, encrypted spy-proof messages with each other for the sole purpose of terrorism, said Mr Altman. The court heard that the messages exchanged suggested that Majeeds contact was in a different time zone to London. Majeed, a physics student at Kings College London, was born in Iran but became a naturalised British citizen in 2002. He is one of four people on trial over an alleged terrorist plot to kill police, soldiers and members of the public in London. Majeed, Tarik Hassane, 22, Nyall Hamlett, 25, and Nathan Cuffy, 26, all from west London, have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder. Mr Altman has said Hassane had pledged allegiance to Islamic State. The targets they allegedly researched include Shepherds Bush police station and the Parachute Regiment Territorial Army barracks in White City. The case continues. Saudi Arabia's bombing campaigns inside Yemen have made the necessary difference for her anti-Houthi power block. Tens of thousands of innocent civilians have died as a result of such reckless bombing campaigns. Covering of war fronts is always a very dangerous task. Many journalists and photographers have died trying to cover such stories of human tragedy. The latest casualty is a Yemeni journalist Almigdad Mojalli who had documented countless scenes of trauma and destruction, even as the conflict was largely ignored by the outside world. His articles, on homes demolished by airstrikes or hospitals deprived of medicine, were published in American and British media. On Sunday, while on assignment for Voice of America, Mr. Mojalli traveled with colleagues outside the capital, Sana, to find witnesses to airstrikes that had killed at least 15 civilians last week. But when they arrived, warplanes with the Saudi-led military coalition began circling overhead, according to Abdulbari al-Sumaei, Mr. Mojallis driver. A bomb landed near Mr. Mojalli, spraying shrapnel into his stomach, neck and face, Mr. Sumaei said. After wrapping his wounds with a scarf, Mr. Mojallis colleagues tried to get him medical attention, passing poorly stocked clinics that were unable to treat him, until they finally reached a hospital back in Sana. By then, Mr. Mojalli was dead. He had been among the dwindling number of journalists reporting on a conflict in urgent need of witnesses. Nearly a year after the war began between Houthi rebels and forces allied with the government of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, more than 80 percent of the country needs some form of humanitarian assistance , according to the United Nations. A n east London bouncy castle salesman suspected of being behind an Islamic State execution video warned two years ago the black flag of Islam would fly over Downing Street. Father-of-four Abu Rumaysah is shown in footage shot in January 2014 clutching flags at his Walthamstow garage. In an interview for Channel 4 documentary The Jihadis Next Door, he told director Jamie Roberts: These are the black flags of Islam. This one's actually the flag of the Islamic State, so one day when the Sharia comes, you will see this black flag everywhere." He goes on to claim the flag flying over the Prime Ministers residence is now "a very real, real possibility the way Muslims are coming forward in this country". Mr Rumaysah, whose real name is Siddhartha Dhar, left Britain later that year with his family the day after being released on bail over alleged support for extremist group al-Muhajiroun, travelling to Paris and then Syria. He is suspected of being the masked militant in a video showing five men being executed over allegations of spying on IS. Mohammed Shamsuddin / Channel 4 The documentary also focuses on two Londoners who are alleged to have been involved in Rumaysahs old Islamist group, Mohammed Shamsuddin and Abu Haleema. One shocking scene shows the pair laughing as they watch an IS execution video with Mr Shamsuddin saying: The guy is foaming at his mouth, you know what I mean. Wow. Abu Rumaysah in the documentary / Channel 4 Mr Haleema responds: Thats a HD quality bruv, 4k. The programme shows Mr Haleema discussing how he wants to convert Britain to strict Islamic law, where women would be fully covered and homosexuals could be punished by being thrown from the top of buildings. He tells the interviewer there were suitable venues for extreme public punishments in the capital, saying: In Ealing, it could happen in Haven Green, they could make a little spot in the middle over there or something you know what I mean. Ealing Common, it could happen on. Anticipating big crowds, Mr Haleema adds: People like that kind of stuff innit. And he said of the attacks in Paris: The chickens have come home to roost isnt it, so its something they brought upon themselves. Sister of IS terror suspect This is what happens in war isnt it. Obviously we dont condone the killing of innocents, but this is what happens in war. The Jihadis Next Door airs at 9pm tonight on Channel 4. A n undercover police officer proposed to an activist during a two-year relationship despite already having a wife and child. The Met officer ended the relationship in 2004, telling the woman, known only as Andrea, that he had to visit his dying father in Italy. She is now suing Scotland Yard, saying she was the victim of psychological torture and that the officer had abused her life. The officer, who used the cover name Carlo Neri, was deployed to infiltrate the Socialist Party, a Left-wing group. Andrea, who was friends with members at the time, said she met Neri at an anti-war rally. She told Newsnight: As far as I was concerned, I was going to spend my life with this man, and his life was my life. In November, the Met apologised to seven women who were tricked into abusive, deceitful and manipulative relationships with undercover officers. It announced after a four-year legal battle that it had reached a settlement with the women over civil claims relating to the totally unacceptable behaviour of officers who were working for two now-defunct units. Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt said the force is providing its fullest possible support to a judge-led inquiry into undercover policing, which opened last year. He said: The Met has not shied away from such difficult issues. We will be honest about our past and accept criticism where it is due. S chools should be free to ban Muslim girls from wearing face veils during lessons, the head of the education watchdog has said. Ofsted inspectors have found the coverings are causing communication problems in the classroom on occasion, according to Sir Michael Wilshaw. It comes after David Cameron said he would back institutions that have "sensible rules" over Muslims wearing full-face veils. Asked if he would back banning veils in schools, Sir Michael told BBC 2's Newsnight: "Yes, I would. The Prime Minister's view that we have got to make sure that our liberal values, our liberal West values are protected, people need to listen to that. "The Muslim community needs to listen to it as well. We have come a long way in our society to ensure that we have equality for women and that they are treated fairly. We mustn't go backwards." Sir Michael said he backed individual schools choosing to stop Muslim girls wearing the veil, "particularly if it is stopping good communication in the classroom and in the lecture hall". He told the programme that the veil was "possibly" stopping teachers and pupils communicating well. "My inspectors say on occasions they go into classrooms where they see there are problems about communications," he said. Mr Cameron has ruled out the idea of imposing a French-style ban on full-face veils in public as part of a drive to build community integration and counter extremism. "In our country people should be free to wear what they like," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday. But the Prime Minister insisted he would support institutions that needed to "see someone's face". He said: "When you are coming into contact either with different institutions or, for instance, you are in court or you need to see someone's face at the border then I would always back the authorities or the institutions that have put in place proper and sensible rules. "Going for the French approach of banning an item of clothing, I do not think that's the way we do things in this country and I do not think that would help." S tudents today blocked Westminster Bridge during a protest over cuts to maintenance grants. Activists gathered in Parliament Square in opposition to the government's plan to scrap maintenance grants for the poorest students in England and replace them with loans. The static demonstration was organised by pressure group the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts. It comes as Labour MPs prepared to put forward a motion calling for the government to reverse its decision to remove non-repayable grants. Students currently staging a sit-down protest on Westminster bridge against grant cuts #ldn #freeeducation ... https://t.co/btTU0qrk51 James Cropper (@JamesCropper95) January 19, 2016 Heavy police presence on Westminster Bridge. One lane remains closed #GrantsNotDebt pic.twitter.com/KvuMagyHZP Megan (@whatmegandid) January 19, 2016 Hope Worsdale, from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, said: "This is not only a direct attack on working class students, but it also shows the government's flagrant disregard for the most basic democratic processes. "The Tories are clearly scared of having their policies scrutinised and exposed to public anger." The government has said the changes to the system will mean students will be given extra support. There was previously a means-tested approach to loans for student living costs, with poorer students given up to 3,387 in grants for living costs. But under a new system, all students will need to repay any financial help they are given once they are earning at least 21,000 per year. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "Police were aware of a protest due to be held in Parliament Square from 12:30hrs on Tuesday, 19 January. "At approximately 13:15hrs, the group headed towards Westminster Bridge where they entered the carriageway. The bridge remains closed southbound. "Officers are in attendance and are speaking with the protestors. "An appropriate policing plan is in place." N early 80 per cent of workers in London are unhappy in their jobs, a new survey has suggested. The poll, for The Best You magazine, revealed only 17.6 per cent of men and women in the capital were content in the workplace, with many blaming their unhappiness on bad management and bullying. The survey also revealed 29 per cent of women and 25 per cent of men admitted to suffering from depression, with most men declining to seek professional help. Bernardo Moya, CEO of The Best You magazine said: Its shocking that so many Londoners are unhappy in the place of work and need help. After all, its where most people spend the majority of their waking hours. Men and women of all ages need to know that it is possible to make a change.It's a common story that men don't express their feelings as much as women and I am concerned by the number of men who say they are doing nothing about their depression. Whilst depression can affect any of us, giving people men and women the tools to deal with life's knocks is part of what The Best You is about.he said. The findings will be discussed at The Best You Expo at the ExCel in London next month, which will include seminars and workshops, as well as inspirational talks by speakers including Sir Clive Woodward. For more information visit www.thebestyoumagazine.co P olice have issued an urgent appeal to trace a 15-year-old girl last seen since leaving her home in south London with her baby daughter. Georgia Maul, 15, was last seen at her home in South Croydon at around 10.30am on Monday when she left with her 11-day-old Lexi-Mae Her family and Croydon police say they are concerned for her safety and believe she may with an older man. She is described as white, 5ft 2in tall and of slim build. Georgia has dark brown shoulder length hair, often worn in a bun and has a birth mark on her chin. She was last seen wearing stone coloured leggings, black trainers with gold chain across the laces and a black hip length cotton style jacket. Police have urged Georgia to contact them or her family to let them know she is safe and well. Anyone who has seen Georgia or who knows where she is are also urged to contact police in Croydon via 101. A synagogue in London is to start holding services in French because of the number of Jews moving here after a rise in anti-Semitism and terrorist atrocities in France. The Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St Johns Wood has appointed a French rabbi for the Gallic part of its congregation, which has grown rapidly since Islamist gunmen attacked Charlie Hebdo magazine and a kosher supermarket in Paris in January last year. London is now the most popular destination after Israel for French Jews and French children make up more than half the intake in some Jewish primary schools in the capital. Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldsmith, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, has called France the main battleground between hope and fear for the future of Europe, especially for the Jewish community. The LJS will hold its first French-speaking service at the end of the month, led by new part-time French rabbi Rene Pfertzel, who also serves the Jewish community in Lyon. He said there was a real need for the services as thousands of people had come to London in the past two years because of anti-Semitism on the Continent. People are starting to feel insecure, he said, adding that about 100 French people had joined the synagogue recently. The number of anti-Semitic acts doubled in France in 2014, making up about half of all hate crimes in the country that year. In the first quarter of last year there was an 84 per cent increase in attacks, and this month a French Jewish teacher was stabbed in Marseille, where the citys Jewish leader urged Jews not to wear a skullcap until better days. Rabbi Alexandra Wright, senior minister at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, said she wanted it to be a home from home for French progressive Jews. She said: There are quite a number of French Jewish families and individuals who have made it to London in the last few years, and even more in the last year since the Charlie Hebdo massacre and kosher supermarket siege, and more recently the massacre in November [at the Bataclan theatre and other locations in Paris]. We wish to extend a warm welcome to all those of the French-speaking Jewish community, living in or visiting London... It is a way of helping the French arrivals feel comfortable in their native language. Z ac Goldsith today launched his mayoral campaign with a pledge to ban foreign investors from buying new homes built on public land. The Tory candidate put his plans to tackle Londons housing crisis at the centre of his battle against Labours Sadiq Khan. He defended himself from criticism that his campaign had been slow out of the traps insisting that he had spent the time building up activist support and played down concerns that he was trailing his main rival in the polls. The Richmond MP said he would guarantee that all new homes built on mayoral land thought to be in the region of 50,000 are only sold to those who have lived or worked in the capital for three years, and dont yet own their own home. Mr Goldsmith would also lobby the Government for control of all public land across the capital, including NHS and Ministry of Defence sites, so that his rules could apply there too. Rival: Sadiq Khan / Reuters The foreign investor sales ban would only be in force for the first year the houses were on sale, however, meaning they could then be sold on at a profit. He also recommitted to doubling house-building to 50,000 a year by the end of his first term and making sure a significant proportion were only for rent, not just sale. Mr Goldsmith, launching his mayoral campaign in East Croydon, said he could offer Londoners real action on more homes, better transport, cleaner air and safer streets. In a dig at Mr Khan, he said the next mayor would need to be willing and able to work with the Government to secure the funds and powers needed to deliver for the capital. How would the mayor of a city that depends on government deliver for people in that city if he wont even talk to government? he asked. The Tory mayoral candidate denied that he had joined the race so late that he would struggle to catch up the latest You Gov poll put Mr Khan 10 points ahead in a head-to-head contest. Its four months to the election, which is a long time. People are becoming interested in the issues now in a way that they werent a few weeks ago, and certainly a few months ago, he said. The key is I didnt start with momentum with a capital M a ready-made team I could push a button and deploy. I needed to build up that team... of people not normally associated with the Conservative party willing to get me over the line. In his speech to the party faithful, Mr Goldsmith also pledged to: Protect neighbourhood policing teams and keep them on the street and put more police on public transport at night. Protect the green belt from development and tackle air pollution with tougher rules on HGVs. Bring suburban rail services under the Mayors control, make sure the Night Tube goes ahead and start Crossrail 2. He said: London has prospered over the last decade, but too many Londoners are being priced out of their own city, so this election comes at a critical time. We can take Londons success and make it work for everyone who lives and works here, but that can only happen with a strong and independent-minded Mayor. In a deeply personal section of his speech, the MP defended his wealthy background, admitting he had been dealt a good hand in life. But that hand I was dealt I have always been determined to play it well, to campaign for the things that matter, to challenge things I felt were wrong. Thats what real politics is about and I have been involved in real politics far longer than I have been a politician. He turned his guns on Mr Khan, claiming his Labour rival would treat London as an experiment for leader Jeremy Corbyns radical policies. Sadiq Khan is a caricature machine politician. He is the sort of politician who justifies peoples mistrust in politics, he said. Hitting back at claims that he was a serial under-achiever, Mr Goldsmith said: My Labour rival thinks lack of promotion in politics is a sign of under achievement. That tells us a lot about his own priorities. Labour accused Mr Goldsmith of launching a lightweight list which failed to mention key policy areas such as business, affordable housing, the soaring cost of transport or low pay. Seema Malhotra, Labours shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: A vote for Zac Goldsmith is a vote for four more years of Tory failure in City Hall, and no action to tackle the Tory housing crisis, support Londons business community or protect Londoners from yet more fare hikes. T he number of skilled workers that companies can bring to Britain could be cut by up to a fifth in a major purge on migration proposed today by government advisers. The Home Offices Migration Advisory Committee said companies should be forced to pay a 1,000 levy, advocated by David Cameron, for every skilled worker hired outside Europe. Other key proposals in the overhaul of rules governing the recruitment of foreign staff include a ban on bringing in non-EU workers on salaries of below 30,000 up from 20,800 to stop potential undercutting of local staff. There will also be curbs on intra-company transfers, under which firms bring in workers employed abroad to work on contract in Britain. Non-EU citizens who come to Britain to work as nurses, software developers, IT and telecoms professionals, web designers, teachers, and architects will be among those most affected. The reforms appear certain to dismay business leaders, who argue that skilled staff from outside Europe play a key part in generating economic growth. But Professor Sir David Metcalf, the economist who chairs the committee, said significant changes were needed to encourage companies to invest more in British workers. He said doctors, nurses and secondary school teachers from abroad were among those being paid less than their native peers, but insisted he sought the right balance between the need to promote economic prosperity and ministers desire to limit migration. Professor Metcalf said: Skilled migrant workers make important contributions to boosting productivity and public finances, but this should be balanced against their potential impact on the welfare of existing UK residents. Raising the cost of employing skilled migrants via higher pay thresholds and the introduction of an Immigration Skills Charge, should lead to greater investment in UK employees and reduce the use of migrant labour. Todays proposals, which will be submitted to Home Secretary Theresa May for approval, are about the Tier 2 migration route, under which 151,000 non-EU workers and their dependants come to Britain each year. An estimated 27,600, 18 per cent, would no longer come to Britain under the plans. Among the skilled workers currently coming to Britain are those filling posts in shortage occupations and they must be paid a minimum of 20,800 to prove they are sufficiently skilled. That figure will rise to 30,000, except for graduate recruits for whom the new minimum salary will be 23,000. Other Tier 2 workers arrive under intra-company transfers. Professor Metcalf said existing rules tilted the playing field against British workers and there should be a 41,000 salary threshold for overseas staff brought in. He added that the 1,000 levy on non-EU staff would raise 250 million a year and should fund skills training for Britons. O ne of Britains top scientists fears catastrophic consequences for his wife after a judge refused to let her nurse stay in the country. Dr Peter Jost said 91-year-old Margaret, who has dementia, was dependent on her Filipina carer, Florentina Sison, who is threatened with deportation. Mrs Jost has multiple health problems and needs around-the-clock care because her husband is too incapacitated to look after her. Immigration judge Andrew Gibb, sitting at the Upper Tribunal, expressed sympathy for Dr Jost, but said he could not overturn a Home Office decision to refuse Ms Sison permission to stay. Dr Jost, 93, is regarded as the founding father of tribology, the science and engineering of interacting moving surfaces, and holds a CBE. He warned the judge of an impending tragedy if Ms Sison was deported. My wife has, over a period of time, become very comfortable with Florentinas care, he said. She trusts her totally and feels safe in her care. Her approach is highly professional, whilst at the same time very caring, assuring her dignity is maintained at all times. Above all, Florentina has come to understand my wife when she is in pain or wants something. Permanency is essential as my wife could not cope with a new carer. Having to do so could be nothing short of catastrophic. The tribunal heard that Ms Sison came to Britain in 2006 and worked at nursing homes in Dorset and London but her leave to work expired in 2013, when she took a job with the Josts, looking after them at their Mill Hill home. When the Home Office refused her permission to work, she launched an appeal backed by Dr Jost. She claimed the decision violated Mrs Josts right to respect for her private life and put her wellbeing and health in jeopardy. However, Judge Gibb said: The circumstances of Dr and Mrs Jost, especially Mrs Jost, are worthy of empathy and respect for how they cope with their lives. It is entirely understandable that they should want to retain Ms Sison, who has proved herself as a carer of Mrs Jost in particular. The tribunal, however, can only interfere with the decision if it is unlawful. I am unable to say that the decision was irrational or otherwise unlawful. T he sister of Islamic State terrorist Siddharta Dhar has told MPs of her sense of guilt after her fun loving and laid back brother was brainwashed by extremists. Konika Dhar was called before the Commons Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday for a hearing on counter-terrorism. Her brother Siddhartha Dhar, of Walthamstow, is suspected of appearing as a masked jihadi in a propaganda video in which it was purported five British spies were executed. The former bouncy castle salesman, also known as Abu Rumaysah, has been dubbed the new Jihadi John after he was named as the disguised man in the video. Committee chairman Keith Vaz began questioning Ms Dhar on what the most important factor was in his change to an Islamic extremist. Ms Dhar replied her brother had been a convert for many years so it was hard to pinpoint what changed and when and added her family was "left in the dark" about his decisions as to who he spoke to. Conservative MP Victoria Atkins asked Ms Dhar about the timeframe of her brothers conversion to Islam and subsequent radicalisation. Ms Dhar said her brother converted 10 years ago and reiterated he kept a private life. She said she did not a share a very strong relationship with him. Asked by Labour MP David Winnick whether she could ever forgive her brother for violence towards innocent people, she said she couldn't accept what he claimed he had done. She added she was still waiting for the claims to be verified. Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani asked Ms Dhar if she thought her brother is still a good man after she outlined crimes perpetrated by Islamic State such as enslavement, murder and raping of women. Ms Dhar said she did not want to believe her brothers involvement in those crimes. Labour MP Chuka Umunna asked Ms Dhar if she felt responsible for her brother, which led her to admit she felt guilt at what had happened. She said: I feel a sense of guilt definitely - I've lost my brother and why was I not able to stop it because he is part of me. Her brother fled to Syria in 2014 while on bail after being arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism. W aiting staff who serve MPs in Parliaments restaurants are being denied tips left for them because of unfair payment rules, it emerged today. The problem uncovered by a newly elected MP means temporary workers who spend hours waiting on politicians tables never see the tips left for them using a debit or credit card. A review of the rules is now underway, coming just as ministers are also planning to clamp down on tipping abuse in popular restaurant chains. In August Business Secretary Sajid Javid promised action following protests over tipping policies enforced by the likes of Pizza Express, Las Iguanas and Turtle Bay. But Labours Catherine West, who has exposed the situation in Parliaments dining rooms, said political leaders could not force change without first getting their house in order. The Hornsey and Wood Green MP said: Its only fair that people in front line jobs like waiting on tables in restaurants receive tips. I was surprised to learn that this is not always the case in the House of Commons restaurants. Staff at the Commons four serviced dining rooms say the vast majority of tips left by diners are paid on debit and credit cards. But all of these tips are directed to permanent front of house workers. Temporary waiting staff, who can make up the bulk of workers in a restaurant see none of it, only keeping the much smaller amount left in cash. A spokeswoman from the Commons authorities confirmed the situation, explaining that payroll administrative arrangements made it difficult to allocate card tips to non-permanent staff. She added: The House of Commons Catering Department will be looking at the existing system as part of their business plan for the year, to see if improvements can be made. A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: The Government is committed to delivering fairness for everyone including waiting staff who work hard for their tips. "Last year we ran a call for evidence on tipping practices, which received more than 200 responses. We are currently analysing the results of this and will respond in due course. Last year restaurant chain Pizza Express ended the practice of deducting an eight per cent fee from staff tips given on card following a backlash. Las Iguanas also announced changes to its policies following public pressure. Now the chain Turtle Bay is coming under pressure from unions and campaigners to follow suit. T he agonising ordeal of the families of three London schoolgirls who fled to Syria has deepened after they lost contact with them as air strikes intensified on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa. The parents of Shamima Begum, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase have not heard from them for weeks, a lawyer revealed today. Tasnime Akunjee, who represents Shamima and Kadizas families, described the Islamic State-held city in northern Syria as hellishly dangerous as it is targeted by US-led air strikes and Russian bombing. He said he could not find the language to describe what the families must now be going through, adding: Bombs are being dropped in the close proximity of their children. When you have that warzone strategy in front of you, what can parents halfway across the world do to communicate with their children? The teenage schoolgirls were in Raqqa, certainly up until a few weeks ago, with their parents last hearing from them in mid-December. Since then air attacks have been stepped up in an attempt to destroy IS command centres and communication infrastructure, including in Raqqa. Mr Akunjee added: Contact has been lost with them (the girls) for some weeks now. The families wanted their daughters, two of whom have got married in Syria, to know that they are hoping that they are safe and for them to try to contact home when they can, he said. The three, and another schoolgirl who is also believed to have gone to Syria, all attended the Bethnal Green Academy. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan visited the school this morning to launch a new national strategy aimed at protecting children from extremism after criticism of existing policies. She also backed schools that want to ban Muslim girls and teachers from wearing face veils. Her stance follows a warning from Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw that inspectors have found the coverings are causing communication problems in the classroom. Among the anti-radicalisation measures is a new website, Educate Against Hate, to give parents and teachers advice on protecting children. Ofsted will also launch investigations into dozens of suspected unregistered, illegal schools. Schools were recently told to set filters and monitor pupils internet access, amid warnings that people travelling to Syria and Iraq to join extremist groups are getting younger. Town hall chiefs have also warned that one possible sign of radicalisation is pupils becoming more studious, as well as less open-minded and reclusive. Mr Akunjee was sceptical about the potential impact Mrs Morgans plans, which include a new website to give parents and teachers advice on protecting children from extremism. He said the Governments existing counter-extremism Prevent strategy had collected criticism all along the route and pointed out that childrens behaviour would change anyway as a result of puberty and moving from primary to secondary school. I slamic State has confirmed that Jihadi John was killed in a drone strike in Syria last year. A media outlet associated with the extremist group released a eulogy this evening that said the militant died in Raqqa in November. On November 13, the US military said it was "reasonably certain" Jihadi John, whose real name is Mohammed Emwazi, was killed in a clean hit. But Islamic State did not confirm he had died. Islamic State's Dabiq magazine today confirmed he was killed "as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqqa, destroying the car and killing him instantly". Emwazi, who was a British citizen of Arab origin, was described in the online magazine by his nickname in the group of "Abu Muharib al-Muhajir". The magazine's eulogy also claimed Emwazi was able to trick MI5 officers as he travelled from the UK to Kuwait as he "pretended to be unintelligent". The magazine said: "Right under the nose of the much-overrated MI5 British intelligence agency, Abu Muharib together with his companion in hijrah carefully and secretly made their departure, utilising every means available to them." A smiling picture of the militant, who appears unmasked looking towards the ground, accompanies the text, which is written in tribute form to a man they describe as an "honourable brother". The eulogy also claims that Emwazi was known among the militant group for his "mercy, kindness and generosity" along with his "protective jealousy for Islam and its people". The extremist featured in multiple Islamic State videos showing beheadings of British and American hostages. He first came to the world's attention after appearing in the execution video of American journalist James Foley. His face was covered apart from his eyes and his British accent could be heard clearly. Emwazi later appeared in several other videos of beheadings, including those of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning. A t least 11 people were killed when a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle struck a crowded police checkpoint on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Peshawar today. Another 21 people were wounded in the blast on a road leading to neighbouring Afghanistan, which was claimed by the Taliban. Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistans volatile tribal regions, a stronghold of the Taliban and other Islamic militants. Police official Iqbal Khan said the dead include four police and seven civilians, including two children and a local journalist, Mahboob Shah Afridi, who was president of Tribal Union of Journalists in the neighbouring Khyber region. A Pakistani Taliban commander, Maqbool Dawar, claimed the attack, which took place as a local police chief arrived at the checkpoint. Mr Dawar said it was in response to the killing of his comrades by security forces. Nisar Khan, who was waiting to cross the road, said the checkpoint was choked with traffic at the time of the attack. He said the huge blast left vehicles in flames and that he saw wounded people in pools of blood crying out for help. Militant violence has declined since Pakistan launched a wide-ranging military offensive in North Waziristan, a tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, in the summer of 2014. But the Taliban have still managed to carry out major attacks, including an assault on an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 that killed over 150 people, mostly children. C omedian Amy Schumer has called out a young film critic over a sexist tweet. Jackson Murphy, 17 who runs Lights Camera Jackson uploaded a picture of himself with Schumer at the Critics Choice Awards. In an accompanying tweet, that has since been deleted, he wrote: Spent the night with @amyschumer. Certainly not the first guy to write that. Unhappy with the remark, the Trainwreck actress replied: "I get it. Cause I'm a whore? Glad I took a photo with you. Hi to your dad." Murphy was quick to apologise for posting the tweet, and admitted that it wasnt funny. Critics' Choice Awards 2016 1 /32 Critics' Choice Awards 2016 Having a laugh Amy Schumer jokes about her figure as she accepts the award for Most Valuable Person in Film and TV Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Best Actor Christian Bale accepts the award for Best Actor in a Comedy for The Big Short during the 21st Annual Critics' Choice Awards Reuters Double act Reggie Watts and James Corden team up to present the award for best comedy series Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Strike a pose Jennifer Aniston waves to photographers as she arrives at the annual bash Danny Moloshok/Reuters Adding to the collection Sylvester Stallone poses backstage with the award for Best Supporting Actor for Creed - just a week after winning the same award at the Golden Globes Reuters Kiss me, quick Constance Zimmer kisses her gong for Best Supporting Actress in a drama series Rex Congratulations Alicia Vikander accepts her Best Supporting Actress award from Trumbo star Bryan Cranston Rex It's mine Christian Slater poses backstage with his award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Mr. Robot Danny Moloshok/Reuters Award winner Kirsten Dunst poses backstage with the award for Best Actress in a Movie made for Television or a Limited Series for Fargo Danny Moloshok/Reuters Pretty in pink Hayden Panettiere looks stunning in a baby pink gown as she takes to the blue carpet Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Big kiss Adam McKay grabs Christian Bale for a kiss as he accepts the award for best comedy for The Big Short AP Shining star Sharon Stone presents the award for best picture to Spotlight Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Model looks Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looks stunning in a backless black gown Rex Nominee Saoirse Ronan arrives at the 21st annual Critics' Choice Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Downton glamour Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt goes glam in a blue gown for the ceremony Rex Giving a twirl Dame Helen Mirren shows off her monochrome dress on the blue carpet Reuters Silver star Kate Beckinsale arrives at the 21st Annual Critics' Choice Awards Danny Moloshok/Reuters Date night Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux arrive hand-in-hand Rex Matching poses Damien Lewis and Helen McCrory coordinate their pose on the blue carpet Danny Moloshok/Reuters Glamorous Emmy Rossum flashes her silver gown Rex Baby on board Liv Tyler flashes her baby bump in a thigh splitting dress Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Cinderella Amy Schumer hands her shoe to Tracee Ellis Ross while on stage to accept the award for Best Actress in a Comedy for Trainwreck Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Pretty in prints January Jones works a patterned dress Rex That's all folks Hosts T.J. Miller and William Shatner close the show Mario Anzuoni/Reuters He posted: I truly apologize. Thought you'd like the joke. I should leave the comedy to you! Thanks for the photo. Glad you won last night! I truly apologize for the tweet I posted earlier. I'm not a comedian and it wasn't funny. Schumer accepted the apology and replied: That's really okay honey. I just remember thinking you and your dad were sweet and it was a bummer to read that. Schumer picked up two gongs at the 21st annual awards ceremony on Sunday night. On taking to the stage to pick up the MVP award she joked that she has to write her own material because of her plus plus-size figure. "I am plus-plus-size actress Amy Schumer," she said as she took the stage at Barker Hangar in California. Holding the award over her midsection she continued: "Thank you for this trophy, covering the reason I have to write my own [stuff]. "If you're an actress and you have this area right here, you have to write your own stuff if you want to get it made." U S actress Janet Hubert has hit out at Jada Pinkett Smiths plans to boycott the Oscars, saying Will Smith did not deserve a nomination. Smith was expected to be nominated in the Best Actor category for his role as Dr. Bennet Omalu in Concussion. But after Smith and several other black actors failed to secure a nod from the Academy Awards, Pinkett Smith tweeted a video in which she told her followers she would not be attending the ceremony or watching it from home. Jada Pinkett-Smith Oscars boycott Hubert who played Aunt Viv alongside Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air responded with her own Twitter video in which she branded Pinkett Smiths comments ironic. "I find it ironic that somebody who has made their living and has made millions and millions of dollars from the very people that you're talking about boycotting just because you didn't get a nomination, just because you didn't win?" said Hubert. "That is not the way life works, baby." Oscar nominations 2016 1 /13 Oscar nominations 2016 The Martian Matt Damon in The Martian. He plays a stranded botanist who must fend for himself on the Red Planet 20th Century Fox The Revenant Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass in The Revenant Carol Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in Carol Bridge of Spies Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies, the Spielberg film based on Charmans script Brooklyn Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen Steve Jobs Kate Winslett and Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs Joy Jennifer Lawrence as a mum on a manufacturing mission Room Ma (Brie Larson) and her 5-year-old boy Jack Jacob (Tremblay) Mad Max: Fury Road Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron Warner Bros Spotlight This photo provided by Open Road Films shows, Michael Keaton, from left, as Walter "Robby" Robinson, Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron, Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes, Rachel McAdams, as Sacha Pfeiffer, John Slattery as Ben Bradlee Jr., and Brian d'Arcy James as Matt Carroll, in a scene from the film, "Spotlight." After praising Idris Elba for his role in Beasts of No Nation, she said Smiths performance in Concussion was not Oscar worthy. There are those out there who really deserved a nod, she said. Maybe you didnt deserve a nomination. I didnt think frankly you deserved a Golden Globe nomination with that accent. Hubert also recalled a time while filming Fresh Prince when she asked Smith to get on board her idea of asking the network for a cast-wide raise like the "white shows" do. Hubert said: "Your response to me was 'my deal is my deal. And your deal is your deal.'" The actress continued: "You ain't Barack and Michelle Obama. And y'all need to get over yourselves. You have a huge production company that you only produce your friends and family and yourself. So you are a part of Hollywood, you are part of the system that is unfair to other actors. So get real." She finished: "You know some of us have got mortgages to pay, we got bills to pay, we have bigger shit to worry about than the Oscars." Stan Lee has also announced his plans to boycott this years awards ceremony over the lack of diversity. Following comments from Lee, Pinkett Smith and the 'OscarsSoWhite' hashtag, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences president Cheryl Boone Isaacs issued a statement in which she called for big changes. The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the make-up of our membership, she said. In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond. J ohn Krasinski has sent fans into a frenzy after a topless picture of his six pack was posted online. The Office actor has swapped his white shirt and tie in favour of a bulked up look for his new film, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Krasinski, 36, underwent a gruelling training routine to bulk up for his latest role as a Navy SEAL in the Michael Bay directed film. Speaking to Mens Health about getting into shape he said that the workouts became addictive. New look: John Krasinski has showed off his ripped physique Paramount / Paramount Pictures I think theres a part of you where you become addicted to it, he said. I love feeling strong. You pick up your daughter with ease while everyone else makes a little grunt when they pick up their kids. I walk with better posture and a little more presence. I was more of a sit-in-the-corner guy. Now Im a lot less of that. Old look: Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly, Steve Carell as Michael Scott and John Krasinski as Jim Halpert NBC / NBC He continued: Ive got to be honest it was brutal at times. We did tons of metabolic work, dragging sleds and all this stuff Ive seen NFL players do. Fans were quick to voice their appreciation on Twitter. John Krasinski's body now. *drool* Sunset Paradox (@grabee_magee) January 18, 2016 Emily Blunt, how to you lie next to @johnkrasinski at night without your bed bursting into flames. War Damn Sam (@sailor__sam) January 18, 2016 John Krasinski with a beard has improved my life by 800% Kaddy (@TweetyKaddy) January 18, 2016 But despite an outpouring of adoration from fans, the actor said his wife Emily Blunt is not a fan of his new look. Speaking to Stephen Colbert on The Late Show he said: She hates it. She would way prefer to have the doughy guy back. But Blunt has also gone through a transformatin for her latest role in The Girl On The Train. Speaking about portraying alcoholic Rachel Watson, she said: "Im now playing the worst looking alcoholic in the world so its fun. "Trust me - I can show you a picture. I think I frighten my own child! Its that bad! 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is set for UK cinema release on January 29. S ir Michael Caine has revealed he would have been dead long ago if he had not met his wife Shakira. Caine, 83 who has been married to the former Miss Guyana for 43 years said he would drink a bottle of vodka and smoke several packets of cigarettes every day. "Without her I would have been dead long ago, he told the Radio Times. I would have probably drunk myself to death. "I was a bit of a p**s artist when I was younger, I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day and I was smoking too, several packs a day." Youth London Film Festival screening 1 /12 Youth London Film Festival screening Top trio Michael Caine with Harvey Keitel and Rachel Weisz at the screening of Youth during the BFI London Film Festival James Shaw/Rex Group photo Paul Dano, Harvey Keitel, Paloma Faith, Rachel Weisz, Sir Michael Caine, director Paolo Sorrentino and Madalina Diana Ghenea attended a screening of Youth during the BFI London Film Festival Dave Benett Suited up Actor Paul Dano who plays Jimmy Tree in the new film Dave Benett Making an appearance Harvey Keitel who plays Mick Boyle joined his co-stars on the red carpet Dave Benett Cameo role Paloma Faith added the glamour as she worked the cameras Dave Benett Ladies night Paloma Faith posed with her co-stars Rachel Weisz and Madalina Diana Ghenea Dave Benett All smiles Paul Dano and Paloma Faith worked their biggest smiles for the cameras Dave Benett Biggest stars The film's leading names, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Sir Michael Caine, posed on the red carpet Dave Benett Sir Michael Caine puts his arm around co-star Rachel Weisz as they attend the screening Dave Benett The Youth actor blamed it on the stress of not knowing whether he would make another film. "I wasn't unhappy but it was stress. You know, 'Am I going to get another picture? How am I going to do this part? How am I going to remember all those lines? I've got to get up at 6 in the morning and I hope the alarm works.' "There was always some stressful thing. Meeting Shakira calmed me down." Praising Shakira for her calming influence, he said: Shes not the little wife. She runs the whole business side of my life. Shes my right-hand man, my confidante. I was famous when I met her but I could not have got this far without her. She is the most important person in my life. The couple married in 1973 following Caines divorce form his first wife, Patricia Haines, in 1962. They have one daughter together, 43-year-old Natasha. Read the full interview in this week's Radio Times, on sale from Tuesday, January 19. Trip No. 40 for veteran Dover Downs' horseman and humanitarian Ken Wood is underway. Wood is again following up on his overseas schedule to fly to the West African nation of Ghana and now Tanzania. For the past six years, Wood has dug and installed more than 1,000 wells for drinking water for the many thousands of native residents. Prior to Woods personal challenge to get safe drinking water to the natives, they had to walk approximately five miles to reach often contaminated water. More recently, Wood has expanded his drilling to another African nation, Tanzania. His effort is a personal humanitarian effort, which he financially supports. Wood, a longtime resident of Easton, Maryland, is also a popular and successful horseman who has raced for more than three decades at Middle Atlantic region harness racetracks in the U.S. -- more recently at Dover Downs, Harrahs Philadelphia, Pocono Downs and The Meadowlands. With his son Ben, Wood operates a highly respected well-drilling company located on Marylands Eastern Shore, not far from Delaware. The deeply religious Wood became aware of an urgent need for good drinking water in the poor West African nation of Ghana and Tanzania. At his own expense, Wood sent his drilling equipment by boat and flew to West Africa to see in person the need for fresh water. Wood donated his digging equipment and personally purchased other necessities estimated at many thousands of dollars, to his ongoing project. He trains Ghana, and now Tanzania, locals to continue the ongoing work between his visits. Woods crusade has been aided by a number of Rotary clubs and has been recognized by AARP. (With files from Dover Downs) By Gabriela Baczynska STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - European Council President Donald Tusk issued a stark warning on Tuesday that the European Union had "no more than two months" to tackle the migration crisis engulfing the 28-nation bloc or else face the collapse of its passport-free Schengen zone. Tusk was speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg amid growing frustration in Brussels and Germany - the bloc's biggest economy and main destination for migrants arriving in Europe - that the EU seems unable to get its act together on its worst migration crisis since World War Two. "We have no more than two months to get things under control," Tusk, who chairs the summits of EU leaders, said. "The March European Council (summit) will be the last moment to see if our strategy works. If it doesn't, we will face grave consequences such as the collapse of Schengen." The European Council summit on March 17-18 will focus mainly on the migrant crisis. The Schengen system has already been suspended in some countries like Denmark, Germany and Sweden, which have introduced controls at their borders in order to stem the flow of migrant and refugee arrivals. Tusk said that EU governments have failed to deliver on commitments to curb the flow of refugees and migrants reaching Europe, with more than 1 million arrivals last year and figures showing little sign of decreasing over the winter months. A landmark deal with Turkey, which is meant to keep more people on its soil in exchange for funding for migrants and reviving its long-stalled EU membership talks, "was still to bear fruit", Tusk said. On creating the bloc's joint border guard - another measure to address the migration crisis - Tusk said he expected a political agreement between EU leaders when they meet for a summit in June. He said the EU would "fail as a political project" if it could not control its external borders properly. The crisis has exposed bitter disputes among EU countries, with some blaming Greece and Italy for letting too many people in. Athens and Rome say Germany's initial open-door policy encouraged more arrivals than anyone could cope with. DEAL WITH BRITAIN Tusk also said he would present his detailed proposal on talks with Britain ahead of a summit next month over its demands for changes to the bloc that London says are necessary for the country to stay in. The most contentious demand is to allow London to curb benefit payments to EU migrants for four years after they arrive in Britain. "There will be no compromise on fundamental values on non-discrimination and free movement," Tusk said. "At the same time, I will do everything in my power to find a satisfactory solution also for the British side." He said time he would try to obtain a deal in February. (Writing by Gabriela Baczynska and Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) It is thought that Joaquin Archivaldo Guzmans Sinaloa Cartel is the wealthiest and most powerful of drug cartels that has ever existed, dabbling in drug trafficking, money laundering and organized crime. By dabbling, I mean trafficking multi-tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States. Statistically, the DEA believes hes responsible for 80 percent of the illegal narcotics in Chicago. Hes a powerfully dangerous man; Guzman, or El Chapo, has been so successful in his business ventures that his net worth is somewhere around $1 billion. El Chapo has been arrested and has escaped prison twice, the latest escape being in July 2015. Mexican authorities finally found and arrested El Chapo again on Jan. 8 after nearly six months of failed searches, shootouts and seizures. Yet, in October 2015, Mexican film and television star Kate del Castillo and American actor Sean Penn shared tequila with El Chapo in an undisclosed location for a Rolling Stone article. Penns story details, like a novelization of a movie script, his trip to Mexico and the descent into the jungle to meet the notorious drug lord. They meet, the cartels location is compromised and the in-person interview is decidedly too dangerous. So instead, Penns questions are sent to El Chapo and El Chapos answers are put onto video and sent back to Penn. Penns story is an interesting one, no doubt. But when it came time for the actual interview, its clear the actor was there for personal interest and the subject was there to control the media. It worked. El Chapo was portrayed as an anti-hero. A champion against the brigade of control. Even as he and his cartel put on body armor and armed themselves with grenades and guns, during Hollywoods visit to the jungle, Penn relates it to a Clark Kent-to-Superman transformation. Penns hard-hitting question, which was translated because Penn doesnt speak Spanish, to El Chapo was: Is it true what they say, that drugs destroy humanity and bring harm? The follow up question was: Do you think it is true you are responsible for the high level of drug addiction in the world? After admitting that drugs destroy, El Chapo denies that his role is one that creates the destruction. One of the responsibilities of a journalist is to not only ask the standard questions, but also the questions that may not have a clear, concrete answer, a question that might push the subject back on his or her heels. Its not without some irony that if Penn had probed El Chapo with an uncomfortable question, this Superman might put a gun to his head like he has with many of his lieutenants who had failed him. But part of what the actor pens isnt inaccurate. The U.S. is, afterall, the leading consumer of cocaine. So who is to blame for the plight of recreational drugs in America? The supplier or those who demand it? If you were to take Penns puff piece at face value, the farmer and family-man with charisma and business savvy is only pandering to our countries hypocritical theology. Our country needs updated drug policy and reform. Too often addicts are imprisoned, which only furthers their uncertain future, without proper counseling and reform. Four states, Alaska, Oregon, Colorado and Washington have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Just think if all 50 states legalized marijuana. Those dangerous cartels would be out an estimated 20-30 percent profit and our own economy might see a boost. But the legalization of recreational drugs in the U.S. is a slope, slippery and lined with danger. Would we legalize the use and distribution of cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine now that the business plan of the Sinaloa Cartel has transitioned to meet the heightened use of meth in America? These questions were not as much posed by Penn during his vacation to Mexican but rather answered without any journalistic integrity by bringing a platform directly to a violent criminal. The El Chapos of the world, much like former drug trafficking heavyweight Pablo Escobar, need to be met with swift justice. However, by catering to their business, future generations of cocaine suppliers, like El Chapos sons, only see wealth and opportunity through hazy eyes. To the Editor: Publisher Greg Awtrys Sunday editorial was spot on about the federal government being too intrusive. What is worse is the mess being made of what the federal government is supposed to do: protect our freedoms, secure our borders. Are we listened to? Ha! Hardly. Even landslide wave elections in 2010 and 2014 were ignored, Leviathan grows. Face it, the feds dont know what life is like outside D.C. And. They. Dont. Care. But wait! It is worse: our state officials dont listen either. The framers enacted not one but two ways to amend the Constitution. The first is initiated by Congress. To reform Congress. Good luck with that! The second is initiated by 2/3 of the State legislatures. This is under Article 5 of the Constitution and is thus called an Article 5 Convention. Our State Senator John Stinner has been most disappointing in playing dumb about this need. I personally met with him nearly a year ago in Lincoln, and he has been lobbied extensively since by his constituents. The best I can make out of his vague and evasive response is that hell look into it. I fear our Governor, Pete Ricketts, has reacted about the same way. (Recently Texas Governor Abbott stood tall and made passing the required call for an Article 5 convention to limit the power of the federal government his top priority for that state legislature this year. Thats the kind of leadership Nebraska deserves!) Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Congress passes Comprehensive and Omnibus (sic) bills of thousands of pages which they havent even read. Laws are made to control more and more of our daily lives. The Feds believe our freedoms and liberty are their bequest. Wrong! We have unalienable rights endowed by our Creator. They are to be our servants, not vice versa. Freedom isnt free. We can only keep our liberty if we are willing to fight for it. Do not fall for scare tactics about a convention of states! Pure gorilla dust! Learn about it. Still pending in the Unicam. Once informed, I believe all citizens, left and right, male and female, of all races, creeds and colors, will support it. When you do, please join me. Petition Senator Stinner, Governor Ricketts, Unicam Leader Hadley et al to pass the resolution. This year! It is our best hope at this very late date. Dr. Vernon Kirk Gering While you may have heard about the research and development (R&D) tax incentive the Australian Governments tax incentive to encourage innovation you may be unsure how to apply for the incentive, or... | By Denham Sadler A 3D-printer for the aerospace industry, a world-first device helping to diagnose the human gut and technology helping to maximise gold recovery are among the latest round of startups to receive government funding to help with commercialisation. As part of the Entrepreneurs Programme, the federal government has offered a further $7.8 million in grants to 17 companies focusing on the mining, information technology, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing industry sectors. The recipients include Amaero Engineering, Bluedot Innovations, Change Studio and NewSouth Innovations. The grants, which range from $69,000 to $1 million, will help to take these Australian technologies global, assistant minister for innovation Wyatt Roy says. This support will help the recipients commercialise their ideas to take advantage of global market opportunities and protect their intellectual property, ensuring Australia sees the benefits, Roy says. This programme remains a key measure of the National Innovation and Science Agenda to set Australia on the path to a more innovative and entrepreneurial economy. The previous round of startups to receive a grant as part of the Entrepreneurs Programme in November included world-first eye-tracking technology, an autonomous robot for us in agriculture and an internet-enabled device for controlling livestock. The program has now provided 102 companies with more than $54 million in funding. The full list of grant recipients can be found here. Follow StartupSmart on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. | By Denham Sadler An Adelaide-based startup said to be valued at over $9 million has been slammed after many of the high-profile celebrities it had claimed to be offering video calls with said theyd never heard of it and politicians touted to attend its launch party said they had never agreed to appear. Sociabl, an online platform allowing fans to receive a personalised video calls from a celebrity, launched on the App Store this month and held a party in Sydney on Monday to mark the occasion, as reported by StartupSmart. The startup has been listed by many as one to watch this year, including by StartupSmart, but co-founder Brandon Reynolds appears to have been caught out about many of his claims in an interview conducted by The Today Show host David Campbell on Monday. Campbell was himself listed as one of the celebrities fans could buy a video call with on Sociabl, but told Reynolds he had never heard of it. According to Brandon you can pay $500 to talk to me through his app and $250 will go to a charity of my choice, Campbell said in the interview. Ive never heard of this app. Campbells father, Jimmy Barnes, also denied any involved with the startup. These people have completely lied about my involvement, Barnes says in a statement. I think theyre just using my name to try to fool people into buying a dodgy product. Its wrong and I have nothing to do with it. If the people behind this dont stop putting these stories out there then Ill have to make them stop. Reynolds has responded to the claims in a post on Medium, saying the startup had express permission to feature David Campbell and Jimmy Barnes. The program aired spread a lot of false claims about Sociabl and myself that were shallowly investigated, Reynolds says in the post. Reynolds publicist Max Markson tells StartupSmart this miscommunication was due to confirmation coming from the celebrities social media managers rather than their actual managers. My understanding is that Jimmy Barnes, David Campbell and Reece Mastin have the same social media manager Jake Challenor, Markson says. Jake and Sociabl have been in contact with each other since last November. Jake gave permission to Sociabl for them to feature Jimmy, David and Reece on the app. When it came to light last week that David Campbell knew nothing about it and Jake admitted he had not spoken to David and that Jimmy didnt know about it, Sociabl took them all off the app. Everyone else on the app has been contracted. As the interview continued, Reynolds was asked if will.i.am, another celebrity listed on the platform, was actually confirmed, to which he replied: 100%. But Campbell then revealed that will.i.ams manager had said it was not something he was involved with. In the post, Reynolds claims Sociabl has been working with people in contact with will.i.am. Sociabl is in fact working with will.i.am through Polo Molina and Justin J Garza in direct contradiction to claims made by the program, Reynolds says. Sociabl also listed comedians Frenchy and Alex Williamson as available for video calls, but their manager Andrew Williams says they had never agreed to be a part of it. Brandon from Sociabl contacted me during late October 2015, Williams says in a statement. I met him on 5th November 2015 in Sydney. At that meeting he outlined the project to me and I decided that it wouldnt work for my clients. We then noticed recently that he had cited Frenchy and Alex on his launch promotion as being involved. I told him then to remove them, for which I got no reply. Having checked again yesterday I saw hed left them on his website, so we have informed him that he must now remove them or face legal action. Reynolds didnt address these concerns in the Medium post. Sociabls website was taken down on Monday afternoon, replaced by a message saying coming soon that was soon updated with a link to Reynolds statement. In the interest of all of our clients weve removed all celebrities from the app until further notice, Reynolds says. Sociabl also claims that 50% of the profits from every video call go to charities including White Ribbon Australia, but the charity told Channel 9 they were not involved in any way. According to Reynolds, 10 of the current clients on Sociabl are raising funds for White Ribbon Australia. The startup had earlier said in a press release that minister for industry, innovation and science Christopher Pyne and opposition leader Bill Shorten would be attending Mondays launch party on the Sydney Harbour, but spokespeople for both politicians deny either of them were ever slated to attend. In his response, Reynolds maintains both politicians were at one stage planning to attend the launch. Both Christopher Pyne and Bill Shorten were both acutely aware and at stages scheduled to attend the Sociabl launch, he says. But a spokesperson for Shorten tells StartupSmart the Opposition Leader was invited but had declined. They invited Bill, he declined, the spokesperson says. We were a bit bewildered when we got a few calls last week asserting Bill was attending this event. It was never the case. A spokesperson for Pyne tells StartupSmart he also declined to attend the event. Follow StartupSmart on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This site is not endorsed byorand is intended for entertainment and information purposes only. The officialsite can be found at www.starwars.com , thelogo, all names and pictures ofcharacters, vehicles and any otherrelated items are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of, or their respective trademark and copyright holders. All original content of this site, both graphical and textual, is the intellectual property of- unless otherwise indicated. By Aidan Lewis TUNIS (Reuters) - Libya's Presidential Council announced a new government on Tuesday aimed at uniting the warring factions, though two of its nine members rejected it in a sign of continuing divisions over its U.N.-backed plan for a political transition. Western powers hope the new government will deliver stability to Libya, deeply fractured since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and tackle a growing threat from Islamic State militants. Though EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called the announcement by the Tunis-based council "an essential step", critics say the agreement was forced through too quickly without all groups and factions being evenly represented. Only a unity government, Mogherini said, would be able "to end political divisions, defeat terrorism, and address the numerous security, humanitarian and economic challenges the country faces". One council member pulled out of the process, saying eastern Libya was not properly represented while local media said there were disagreements over the size of the government. The council had delayed its announcement of the new government by 48 hours without giving a reason Since the summer of 2014 Libya has had two rival governments and parliaments, operating from the capital Tripoli and from the east. Both are supported by loose alliances of armed brigades of rebels who once fought Gaddafi. Late on Monday, one of the council members who did not sign the document naming the new government, Ali Faraj al-Qatrani, announced he was withdrawing from the process, saying eastern Libya was under-represented and there was not sufficient support for the armed forces allied to the eastern government. He claimed there had been "a lack of seriousness and clarity in dealing with our basic demands" during the Presidential Council's negotiations. Libyan media said some council members had wanted to limit the size of the government to just 10 ministers, but the number of appointments had swelled to 32. The internationally recognised parliament in eastern Libya now has 10 days to approve the new government. There has been no announcement on how and when the new government to be led by Fayez Seraj, an eastern parliament lawmaker who also heads the Presidential Council, would be able to establish itself in Libya. Tripoli is controlled by a faction called Libya Dawn, and the head of the self-declared government that it backs said last week that preparations by the Presidential Council to secure the capital violated military law. The eastern military forces are led by Gen Khalifa Haftar, a former Gaddafi ally who has become one of the most divisive figures among Libya's rival groups. In a statement on Tuesday, U.N. Libya envoy Martin Kobler urged the eastern parliament to "uphold the country's national interest above all other considerations and promptly convene to discuss and endorse the proposed cabinet". Kobler visited eastern Libya on Sunday to try to drum up support for the new government, but some in the parliament there, known as the House of Representatives, remain opposed. The 32 ministers who will serve under Seraj include Khalifa Abdessadeq as oil minister. Libya's current oil production is under 400,000 barrels per day, less than a quarter of a 2011 high of 1.6 million bpd. (Reporting by Aidan Lewis in Tunis, Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli and Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi; Editing by Richard Balmforth) Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe 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. With a critical vote on the future of the I-77 toll lanes project looming Wednesday, gubernatorial candidate Robert Brawley of Mooresville has ratcheted up his opposition to the project by vowing to cancel it if he is elected. If he wins the Republican nomination in March then wins the general election in November, Brawley said, the citizens of this state can be assured that North Carolina will be toll road free. Just as our current Governor possesses the power to cancel the existing contracts that push the planned toll roads ahead, I will also have the power to do so and give you my word that I will cancel any contract, regardless of where it is in the process. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization is scheduled to take a crucial vote Wednesday in support or opposition to the concept of tolls, or managed lanes, on I-77 between Mooresville and Charlotte. The vote will be in response to a December request by Gov. Pat McCrory in the face of opposition to the $647 million toll lanes plan. CRTPO is likely to endorse the project, if a vote by the Charlotte City Council last week is any indication. That body voted 7-4 in support of the managed lanes strategy in the Charlotte area, including those planned for I-77 between Mooresville and Charlotte and along I-485, and Charlotte holds nearly half the votes on the CRTPO. If the CRTPO votes no on Wednesday, the project would likely stop and the State of North Carolina could incur a $100 million penalty for canceling its contract with Spanish contractor Cintra, maintains McCrory. The validity of the contract, however, is being challenged in court by the anti-tolls organization WidenI-77. In a statement released Tuesday morning, Brawley said, The planned toll roads will have a dire impact on our communities, commerce, income and quality of life. The people of this great state deserve better than self-serving politicians who use the publics money as their own personal pay-to-play piggy bank. Toll roads are just another way for the government to shake down hard working North Carolinians to pay for roads which should be funded by other means, if politicians would simply honor their commitment to their constituents, instead of their campaign donors." Brawley twice served as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing Iredell County. Monday, 18 January 2016 01:48:53 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo Brazil 's department of mineral production (DNPM) has ordered local dam operators to present within the next 15 days an emergency plan for the dams they operate, the Brazilian authority said on Monday, following a deadly iron ore waste dam burst at pellets producer Samarco in November. According to DNPM, companies operating mining dams, including iron ore waste dams, must present in the next 15 days a copy of the delivery receipts of their dam emergency plans; original documents were sent to local municipalities and to the civil defense. If responsible companies fail to comply with the resolution, their dam licenses will be temporarily halted, the mineral production authority said. Monday, 18 January 2016 01:30:39 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo According to figures released on Monday by the nations steel institute, IABr, 2015 wasnt a good year for Brazil s steel industry. In December, the countrys steel segment continued experiencing reduced figures in most indicators. Domestic steel sales in the last month of the year diminished 26.1 percent, year-on-year, to 1.1 million mt, while apparent steel consumption reached 1.2 million mt, 28.2 percent down in the same basis of comparison. Brazilian steel imports in December totaled 115,000 mt, 46.1 percent down, year-on-year. As sales in the domestic market remained retracted in most of the year, Brazilian mills turned their eyes to the export market. Brazilian steel exports in December totaled 1.6 million mt in volume and $546 million in revenues, 52.1 percent up in terms of volumes, but 15.8 percent down in terms of value. Brazil s crude and finished steel output in December reached 2.5 and 1.5 million mt, 6.1 and 12.4 percent down, year-on-year, respectively. In the whole year, domestic sales reached 18.2 million mt, 16.1 percent down, year-on-year. Apparent steel consumption and imports in 2015 totaled 21.3 million and 3.2 million mt, 16.7 and 19.3 percent down, year-on-year, respectively. Crude steel output in 2015 was 33.2 million mt, 1.9 percent down, year-on-year, while finished steel output diminished 9.2 percent to 22.6 million mt. The Metals Service Center Institute reported Monday that steel service center shipments declined from 2014 levels in December in the U.S. and Canada at roughly the same rates as last month. Inventory levels continued to decline, slowly coming into line with current shipment levels. By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com During last Thursdays county commission meeting, the topic of tourism came up. First District Commissioner Karen Stuppy reported on the Tourism Advisory Council and Tourism Tax Commissions joint meeting earlier that week, at which a task force was formed. She said that the tourism department has an $89,548 budget, with $45,000-50,000 Next time you find yourself in a room with about 20 people, take a careful look at them. If they're a representative sample, you are probably in the presence of a millionaire. A new report from Phoenix Marketing International, which provides market research to the financial services industry, says greater St. Louis has 62,092 millionaire households, representing 5.5 percent of all households in the metro area. That's an increase of 2,159 millionaires, or 3.5 percent, in 2015 alone. Nationally, Phoenix counts 6.5 million millionaire households and says that number grew last year by 238,533, or 3.7 percent. The firm's numbers may even be on the low side. It counts only investable assets, not illiquid holdings like houses or cars. Nationwide, the proportion of millionaire households is 5.4 percent, almost the same as in St. Louis. Phoenix's report says the U.S. now has 1 million households with assets of $5 million or more. Those are the 1-percenters, and they control 24 percent of U.S. wealth. Mere millionaires, with assets between $1 million and $5 million, control an additional 34 percent of the pie. Seventy percent of Americans have assets of less than $100,000, and their holdings amount to just 10 percent of U.S. wealth. Among states, North Dakota minted millionaires last year at the fastest rate. Its count of rich folks rose by 10.7 percent. Illinois added millionaires at a 4.9 percent pace but Missouri's millionaire count grew just 0.9 percent. Ameren Missouri and its largest customer, Noranda Aluminum, arent known for getting along in Jefferson City. But the St. Louis utility, faced with the closure of a Southeast Missouri aluminum smelter that buys roughly 10 percent of its power, said Tuesday that it is working with state lawmakers to help the company that has stymied many of the Amerens legislative initiatives. In return, sources tell the Post-Dispatch, Ameren is seeking changes in Missouri utility law that would give it more certainty when it files for rate increases. While no bill has been filed yet, the sources say Ameren Missouri wants a regulatory regime similar to that of Illinois, where its sister utility is allowed near-automatic, annual rate increases in exchange for more investment in the electric grid. Such a change would give the Missouri Public Service Commission less discretion over the utilitys rate structure and require it to approve rate adjustments if utilities meet certain criteria. Ameren declined to comment on whether it was seeking legislation similar to the Illinois formula rate rules. But Ameren CEO Warner Baxter told the Post-Dispatch this summer that the utility would be relentless in advocating for regulatory changes with Missouri lawmakers. He said at the time there was no specific policy proposal on the table yet. Norandas struggles could weaken the coalition of Missouri consumer and industrial interests that fight electricity price hikes and utility-friendly legislation. During past legislative sessions, big business and consumer groups united to limit Ameren-backed regulatory changes that they argued would raise power costs. Noranda has been one of the coalitions more prominent contributors to legislative campaigns. Ameren disclosed it was working with its longtime adversary a week after Noranda announced an electric outage had idled two of three aluminum production lines at its smelter in the Missouri Bootheel. Rather than restart the production lines while low aluminum prices persist, Noranda said it would lay off nearly 500 of the 850 workers at the smelter by February. After that, Noranda will curtail the smelters remaining operations by March 12 unless it can secure a substantially more sustainable power rate for the smelter. Noranda, based in Franklin, Tenn., told the Post-Dispatch last week it was pushing for a legislative solution. In a disclosure to investors Tuesday, Ameren said it had been working with Noranda and legislators before the outage and layoffs. Ameren Missouri has been working, well in advance of recent events, with Noranda, legislators and other stakeholders on a potential legislative solution to support Norandas operations, the utility said in a regulatory filing. With much of Noranda already idled, Ameren will try to sell the excess power on the wholesale electricity market. Because the utility expects wholesale power prices to remain below Norandas rate through the rest of 2016, customers may have to make up the difference. Customers could see an impact from Norandas woes when the Missouri Public Service Commission next adjusts Amerens rates. Last week, Ameren filed notice with the PSC that would let it file for a rate increase by March. Missouri regulators cut Norandas electric rate during Amerens last rate case, effectively costing the average Ameren household about $1 a month. Ameren fought Norandas rate cut proposal then, arguing other customers shouldnt subsidize the smelter. The United States is concerned over the crackdown on human rights lawyers in China. Several attorneys from the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm, who have been held in secret detention for months, have been charged with subverting state power a charge that can carry a sentence of life imprisonment. The lawyers are among a group of dozens from the same law firm detained by authorities in July, part of an ongoing crack down on human rights defenders and civil society activists by the regime of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Those charged include well-known attorney Wang Yu, who has defended ethnic Uighur dissident Ilham Tohti and represented several other clients involved in human rights activism or religious freedom issues. The director of the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm Zhou Shifeng was also charged with subversion. Other members of the firm now facing unusually long sentences include civil rights attorney Li Heping and his assistant Zhao Wei. Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch said, The formal arrests of these rights lawyers on subversion charges means that the Chinese government now thinks that using the law to defend human rights is a subversive act against the state. She called the arrests a shocking attack on the legal professionaimed at frightening lawyers away from representing clients who are at odds with the Communist Party. U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus has also expressed concern over the arrests of human rights lawyers in China. In a statement last month, he noted that lawyers such as Wang Yu and Li Heping bravely fight for the legal rights of religious believers, journalists, victims of forced evictions, and women who simply want to protest sexual assault. Ambassador Baucus said they should be embraced as partners, not enemies, of the government. Speaking at a press briefing about the charges of subversion now levied against the lawyers from the Beijing Fengrui law firm, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said, The United States urges China to drop these charges and immediately release these lawyers and others like them detained for seeking to protect the rights of Chinese citizens. Updated at 4:15 p.m. with closing price Foresight Energy says its bondholders will give the St. Louis coal miner another three days to try and reach a new deal before they demand repayment. Foresight and owners of nearly $600 million of its debt have extended through Thursday an agreement that keeps its creditors from forcing Foresight to buy back the bonds. Foresight said last month the creditors had agreed not to redeem the bonds until Jan. 18 while Foresight negotiated a new settlement with them. In December, A Delaware court opinion found that Ohio coal miner Murray Energy's March deal to purchase a big stake in Foresight amounted to a change in control at the company, giving creditors the right to demand repayment on their bonds. Foresight stock finished Tuesday at $1.62, down 14 cents, or 8 percent. The Riverfront Times said it will soon leave its longtime office space in the Delmar Loop for the Central West End. The free weekly is in negotiations to lease a more than century old, 5,500-square-foot mansion at 4512 West Pine that formerly housed the offices of the Show-Me Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank co-founded by businessmen Rex Sinquefield and R. Crosby Kemper III. The building was renovated in 2007. The Riverfront Times currently leases about 7,500 square feet of space on Delmar Boulevard in University City, where it relocated from downtown in late 1996. The newspaper has between 18 and 22 employees working in University City, according to publisher Chris Keating. "Over time, our plan is to grow the staff and of course the potential space in the CWE leaves us room to accommodate that growth," Keating said in an email. Cleveland-based Euclid Media Group acquired the Riverfront Times from Voice Media last year and tapped Sarah Fenske, a former RFT managing editor, as editor. Fenske was director of digital content for Feast Magazine, which is owned by St. Louis Post-Dispatch's parent company, Lee Enterprises. Under the new ownership and management, the newspaper wants to make a fresh start in the city of St. Louis, Fenske wrote in a story Tuesday announcing the move. "A lot has changed about the RFT in recent months, from our paper size to its look to the kind of stories we're focused on, and we want a fresh start," she wrote. "And as much as the Loop is a huge part of what makes St. Louis what it is, there will be something apropos about being on the other side of the city/county divide. We want to be in the middle of St. Louis' ongoing renaissance." Updated at 4:30 p.m. Texas-based Waste Connections Inc is buying Canada's Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd for about $2.67 billion in a deal that will make the combination the third-biggest waste management services provider in North America. The all-stock deal, structured as a reverse merger, will allow Waste Connections to move its tax domicile to Canada with its shareholders owning about 70 pct of the combined company. The transaction is the latest in a string of deals where U.S. companies have acquired foreign companies through reverse mergers to avoid higher tax rates at home. The $24.55 per share offer represents a premium of 4.4 percent to the last closing price of Progressive Waste's U.S.-listed stock. Waste Connections's shares were up 7 pct at $54.48 in early trading on Tuesday, while Progressive Waste's U.S.-listed stock rose 8.3 percent to $25.52. With proforma revenue of about $4.1 billion, the combination will command a market share of about 7 percent, Barclays analyst Jon Windham wrote in a note to clients. The combined company and its larger rivals - Waste Management Inc and Republic Services Inc - will corner nearly half of the market share of the North American waste disposal market, the analyst said. Windham, however, said he did not expect "significant regulatory hurdles" to the deal. Waste Connections, which has operations only in the United States, has few overlapping markets with Canada's Progressive Waste. The Canadian company gets about 63 percent of its annual revenue from the United States and the rest from Canada. The combined company will be led by Waste Connections's current management team. The deal will result in more than $625 million of adjusted free-cash flow generation for the combined company in the first year from tax-effected synergies, capital expenditure discipline and other cash flow benefits. Progressive Waste, whose U.S. shares have fallen 20 percent in the past 12 months, had put itself up for sale earlier this month. Waste Connections also said it expects to report revenue of $531.9 million and adjusted profit of 48 cents per share for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31. Analysts on average had expected fourth-quarter earnings of 47 cents per share on revenue $521 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Morgan Stanley, Stifel Nicolaus, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Wells Fargo Securities LLC were financial advisers to Waste Connections. JPMorgan Securities and BMO Capital Markets advised Progressive Waste. The University of Missouri Board of Curators has decided to adopt the Melissa Click philosophy. When in doubt, shut the public out. Click, of course, is the University of Missouri-Columbia communications assistant professor who earned notoriety during the fall hunger strike by MU student Jonathan Butler and associated protests of black students affiliated with the group Concerned Student 1950. It was Nov. 9, the day university system President Timothy M. Wolfe resigned so that Butler would begin eating again, and dozens of protesters had gathered on the quad surrounding the Concerned Student 1950 tent city. Click stood in the way as freelance photographer Tim Tai, also a university student, sought to report on the protests. She asked for some muscle to keep journalists away from what some of the protesters wanted protected as a safe space. It was not a good moment for Click, and since then, there have been numerous calls for her resignation, mostly from the Missouri Legislature, but also from at least one curator, David Steelman. Now Steelman and the curators are tasked with finding a replacement for Wolfe, whose resignation was sudden and unexpected. But the rules of openness that they want so badly to enforce on the universitys campus dont seem to apply to them. As has been par for the course in most of the recent searches for president, including the one that chose Wolfe, the curators have decided to create a safe space so they can work in secret. This is not becoming of a state university, but its a growing trend across the nation. The argument, in Missouri and at most public universities that decide to close their presidential searches, is that the top candidates wont apply if they are subject to public disclosure. The best candidates probably have a job, Steelman told me in explaining his vote to close the process. If word gets out that they are looking for another one, they become a lame duck. That argument hasnt been a problem for Missouris second-largest public university. In both of its last two presidential searches, Missouri State University has held a public process, at least revealing the last two or three finalists, and hosting those finalists on campus for a series of public interviews. One of those former MSU presidents, Mike Nietzel, is now a top adviser to Gov. Jay Nixon, who appointed most of the current UM curators. Such a process is required by law in several states, including bordering Iowa and Tennessee. If Steelmans wife would have had her way, that would be the law in Missouri, also. In 2003, state Sen. Sarah Steelman, a Republican from Rolla, proposed changes to the states public records law, known as the Sunshine Law, that would have required public bodies to release the names of three finalists at least eight days before making a final decision. As it relates to the Board of Curators, that change would have applied to the hiring of a president, chief counsel and secretary to the board. David Steelman let out a hearty laugh when I reminded him of that legislation. I always supported my wifes efforts on the Sunshine Law, said the attorney. Shed probably be with you on this one. The proposed change to the Sunshine Law never made it through the full Senate, but there is an opportunity for Steelman and his fellow curators to honor its spirit. While they settled on a largely closed process, there is still a chance they could vote to release finalists names, Steelman said. He said his research was clear that the closed process led to the best possibility of having a broad applicant pool, but hed be open to releasing some names near the end of the process. Curators could make that decision in February, he said. They would do well to remember how the university got to its current dilemma. When black students targeted Wolfe for resignation, their larger, more important complaint had to do with making sure that they were included in the process of governance at a university that has a less than exemplary history in that department. In demanding that Wolfe step down, the Concerned Student 1950 list of demands also asked that future chancellors and presidents be chosen by a collective of students, staff, and faculty of diverse backgrounds. In closing the presidential search process, its almost as if the curators posted Click at the door as the new head of security. They might need to call in some more muscle. BENTON, ILL. A Chicago man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for making bomb threats in his war on SIU, the U.S. Attorney's office said Monday. Derrick Dawon Burns, 22, pleaded guilty in August to four counts of willfully making a bomb threat and admitted sending four letters threatening Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, students, staff, campus police and the FBI between Oct. 10, 2012 and Oct. 1, 2013. Three letters were titled The War on SIU, and charging documents say Burns threatened to blow up buildings and rape and decapitate female students, among other things. One letter prompted the university to evacuate three dorms and another demanded $50 million. ST. LOUIS A federal trial that could radically alter elections in the Ferguson-Florissant School District ended Tuesday, but any resolution of the case is still months away. The ACLU, on behalf of the NAACP and three residents, claims that the district is violating the Voting Rights Act with at-large elections. They say blacks are underrepresented on the school board in a district where nearly 80 percent of the students are black. They blame historical discrimination as well as present-day circumstances, Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU, said. Not all students, schools and parts of the district are represented equally, Rothert said. Cindy Ormsby, a lawyer for the district, said that board members represent the entire district border to border and favor at-large elections as the best way to achieve proportional representation for blacks. And she said that in 2013, blacks represented 51 percent of the voting age population, and she expected that number to be even higher now. Ormsby said, ... Its self-evident that they have an equal opportunity to elect the candidates of their choice. Ormsby accused the ACLU and the NAACP of attacking the district for simply complying with the state of Missouris election laws. The trial was held in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney Sippel, not a jury, which allowed for some freewheeling discussion during closing arguments Tuesday. At times, Sippel stopped lawyers to challenge their conclusions and ask his own questions. Whatever we do here is going to be real and based on whats really going on, he said at one point. He also worried whether, in a district where the black voting population was increasing, he might institutionalize a remedy that would have the eventual effect of preserving white majorities. He asked lawyers whether remedies in other cases had a sunset date. At the end of the hearing, Sippel gave litigants until April 8 to file post-hearing briefs and their proposals on how he should rule. They will then have until April 22 to respond to the filings. The case may have broader impacts, as at-large elections are enshrined in state law, and Sippel pointed out that there are a lot of school districts in north St. Louis County. Why is Ferguson-Florissant unique? he asked. UPDATED at 3 p.m. with additional information LAKE SAINT LOUIS Three St. Louis men were charged Tuesday in the holdup of a gas station-convenience store early Sunday morning on Lake Saint Louis Boulevard near Interstate 70, police said. Lake Saint Louis police said two of the men De'Von M. Herron, 19, and Kyle J. Berry, 17 entered the Shell-Circle K station about 3 a.m, while Anthony Crudup, 17, waited behind the wheel of their vehicle. Herron pointed a handgun at a female employee and told her to open the cash register. She complied, and they got away with $56 and several packages of cigarillos, authorities said. They were arrested within the hour by St. Peters police, police said. The three were each charged with robbery and armed criminal action. They were being held in the St. Charles County Jail with cash bail set at $70,000 for each. Court records said Herron lives in the 2900 block of North Taylor Avenue, Crudup in the 4600 block of Palm Street and Berry in the 4500 block of Elmbank Avenue. According to court records, they also are suspects in three other robberies between Friday and Sunday. Like most teenagers, Abbie Meyers preferred way to spend a snow day is not doing homework, but in recent years, a weather-related closing of her high school hasnt necessarily guaranteed a break. Instead, her school was one of the first in the St. Louis region to experiment with holding class virtually rather than calling school off completely when ice or snow makes getting there hazardous. And the plan for this winter is the same, with Meyer and other students at Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo possibly spending snow days logging on to laptops, pulling up assignments and participating online. So-called e-learning days began two years ago as a way to reduce interruptions and inconveniences when ice or snow forced administrators to close school. The first school year they tried it 2013-14 also happened to be one for the books when it came to snow days. Gibault students realized the benefits of the e-learning program when their school year ended several days earlier than most other area schools. At first, we were all a little hesitant, but it really paid off when we didnt have to stay in school an extra week at the end of the year like everyone else, said Meyer, a senior. As more schools move toward equipping every student with a computer or iPad, using the technology to conduct a virtual class becomes possible. Gibault is a private school not held to the same regulations as public districts. But public schools in Illinois may soon have the option to conduct e-learning days instead of snow days, as well. Legislators have approved a measure to test the feasibility of such a program for public schools in the state. Three schools in the Chicago suburbs will begin a pilot program in January for virtual learning days. In Missouri public schools, there is no law that allows for the combination of virtual and regular classroom instruction to be used for attendance purposes, according to a spokeswoman with the Missouri education department. The state requires students to attend 174 days and 1,044 hours, with some exceptions, and allows six make-up days. Illinois school districts must plan five emergency days into the required 176 days. Snow days that count Heres how an e-learning day at Gibault works: Students log on to the system remotely on school-provided laptops. Teachers take attendance by noting which students sign in. Each teacher repurposes the material they would have covered in class that day to an online format. For example, a class discussion on an assigned reading can be conducted through students writing on an online interactive board. Students can listen to recorded lectures. Teachers are available to answer student questions as they work on assignments. The goal for teachers is to create lessons that are meaningful and purposeful, and avoid busy work or activities that are unrelated to the current unit or lesson, said Erin Allen, who teaches honors English classes at Gibault. If students dont complete the assignment, they face the same repercussions as they would on a regular school day. When we get back to school, Im not going back and covering that same information, Allen said. It counts as a school day, and were moving on. One of the longest strings of consecutive snow days in recent years happened when students were due to return from holiday break two years ago. Blizzard-like conditions combined with bitter cold temperatures led to three days of cancellations at most schools in early January 2014. Many students and teachers had to make up the days in May, delaying the start of summer vacation. Like Gibault, Lutheran High School North in north St. Louis County thought an alternative supported by technology was a good idea. Tim Brackman, principal at Lutheran North, said he could tell students were a little worried they would never have a snow day again. Administrators and teachers modeled Norths virtual learning program for snow days after Gibaults. They began using it last year, but because it was a mild winter, the only day students used it was during the unrest in Ferguson when a grand jury announced its decision not to indict the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown. Schoolwork in pajamas Principals of both schools say e-learning does not mean that they will never invoke a traditional snow day. The e-learning days work best when teachers have time to prepare and adapt their lessons for virtual instruction. So, snow or ice closing school for a second day is better suited for e-learning than a surprise cancellation at 6 a.m. At Lutheran North, each of the 290 students has an iPad, thanks to a grant from the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis. Students pay an annual technology fee and are allowed to keep the device when they graduate. It allows them to wake up and do their homework in their pajamas if they want to. And the day is still shorter than a typical school day, Brackman said. In most cases, if students dont have Wi-Fi, they have somewhere they can go that does, so Internet access hasnt been a major issue, Brackman said. Meyer says if weather predictions cause the principal to alert students to an e-learning day the night before, she and other students often log on right away and begin work as teachers post assignments. That way, they can complete the work and still enjoy a day off. I try to get as much done as possible so I can go out and enjoy the snow, she said. Or stay inside under a blanket and watch a movie. JEFFERSON CITY Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., held a Senate field hearing on opioid abuse Tuesday in the only state without a prescription drug monitoring program: Missouri. Proponents in the state House have passed bills in recent years that would allow the state to track who is prescribed opioid painkillers, which, proponents say, would make it easier for doctors to notice red flags among patients. But the proposal in the past has languished in the Senate. Its chief opponent is Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, who cites privacy concerns as the reason for not wanting to establish a program. Opioids are narcotics such as Vicodin and OxyContin that are prescribed to treat pain but are also addictive. McCaskill said that many people who become addicted to prescription painkillers end up using heroin because it is cheaper. In Missouri, hospital treatment for commonly prescribed opioid painkillers increased 137 percent over the last decade, according to a study by the Missouri Hospital Association. McCaskill said at the hearing, Prescription drug abuse and heroin use is a major public health crisis that affects every community across this nation and has unfortunately claimed the lives of many Americans. Missouri ranks first in the amount of prescription opioids sold in the Midwest, she said. We need a prescription drug monitoring program to prevent doctor shopping, control of prescription drug abuse, and to outline drug use and abuse trends to aid public health initiatives, McCaskill said. McCaskill held the field hearing for the U.S. Special Committee on Aging. No other U.S. senators were present. McCaskill also spoke about drug addiction as it relates to older people. Maurice Redden, a St. Louis University geriatric psychiatrist, said that the negative effects of painkiller use can be magnified among the elderly. In addition, elderly patients often take multiple prescriptions. This increases the risk of drug interactions, which can complicate medical problems, he said. He said that social isolation and poor support systems can also increase the likelihood that older adults would abuse opioids. McCaskill said she would seek statistics on drug treatment programs for the elderly after doctors at the hearing couldnt identify any existing programs in Missouri. Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, who has sponsored bills to create a monitoring program, gave an emotional appeal to the room full of politicians, reporters, doctors and the public. She spoke of her daughter who was an honor roll student and was accepted to St. Louis University. She cut open her thumb at work opening a bag of okra and was sent to the ER to get it stitched up, Rehder said. There they gave her a prescription of opioids for the pain. When she ran out, she started buying them from coworkers. They were easy to get, and seemed safe because they were prescriptions. She loved the euphoric feeling, Rehder said. That was 13 years ago. Weve had 13 years of ups and downs rehabs, prison and my grandson being born with opioids in his system. Rehder said she will fight until Missouri establishes a prescription drug monitoring program. On privacy concerns, Rehder said that a monitoring program would be an extension of state electronic medical records. She said there has never been a breach of the system, and that there havent been breaches of similar drug monitoring programs around the country. To me, the privacy issue that continually gets brought up is just a red herring, she said. Schaaf this year introduced a bill that would establish a drug monitoring program. That measure would require voter approval. Rehders bill is House Bill 1892. Schaafs bill is Senate Bill 768. In Libya, the four year political power struggle following the fall of Moammar Gadhafis regime split and destabilized the country. On 17 December, after more than a year of UN-facilitated political negotiations, envoys from Libyas two rival governments and a number of independent political figures signed the Libyan Political Agreement that will form a unified Libyan government of National Accord. Subsequently, the UN Security Council, on December 23, unanimously passed on UN Security Council Resolution 2259 welcoming the formation of the new Government of National Accord and sending a clear message that this unified government will be the sole legitimate government of Libya. The Presidency Council that will lead the new Government is currently working actively towards the formation of the new government, with the support of the United Nations. To address Libya's threat from ISIL and other terrorist groups, Libya needs a united government. In the past weeks, ISIL - affiliated militants have conducted a number of violent attacks in Libya. In the first week of January, they attempted to capture the Sidra oil port and the nearby oil town of Ras Lanuf, and in the process set on fire a number of oil tanks. On January 7th, a suicide bomber drove a truck bomb into a training camp for Coast Guard cadets. At least 65 people were killed. The United States strongly condemns these attacks, and extends its condolences to the families of the victims. Violent extremists including ISIL-affiliated groups threaten all Libyans throughout the country. With their attacks on oil fields, they are threatening resources that belong to the Libyan people and that all Libyans must strive to protect for future generations, said State Department Spokesperson John Kirby. These incidents stress again the urgent need for Libyas new leaders to formalize the Government of National Accord, as outlined in the Libyan Political Agreement. This is a vital step to address the countrys critical humanitarian, economic, and security challenges. JEFFERSON CITY A panel of Missouri lawmakers voted Tuesday to block a change in state rules that would have given thousands of home care workers raises. In a move that could signal an end to the salary hikes agreed to more than a year ago, members of the House Government Oversight and Accountability Committee voted 7-1 in favor of stopping the changes sought by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon. State Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, said the rule change violated simple legal requirements and was not defended by one of Nixons own agencies during a hearing last spring. Rule-making is not a willy nilly, anything goes process, Barnes said. At issue is a dispute over how the governor attempted to implement the raises he and the Missouri Home Care Union agreed to in 2014. The raises would have bumped up the pay scale for people who take care of the elderly and disabled from an average of $7.75 per hour to between $8.50 and $10.15 per hour. Lawmakers say the rule change sought by the governor is flawed and must be rejected. State Rep. Gina Mitten, D-St. Louis, cast the lone no vote. These home health workers have the right to collectively bargain, but the law is stopping them at every avenue, Mitten said. I think what is going on is inappropriate. Nixon earlier said he supports the wage increase and believes implementing the increase through the rule-making process will ensure the provision has the full force and effect of the law behind it. The legislation is House Concurrent Resolution 59. JEFFERSON CITY Abortion opponent Sam Lee fears a scenario where a parent first learns of his or her daughters abortion through a phone call from the emergency room. What if the child had an adverse reaction to medication used during the abortion, Lee asked, or suffered from heavy bleeding because of a botched procedure? Thats why Lee, president of Campaign Life Missouri, told a House committee Tuesday hes in favor of both parents knowing if their minor child is seeking an abortion. Parents have the right and obligation to know whats going on with their children, particularly when theyre making a life-changing decision, Lee said. The House Committee on Children and Families heard testimony Tuesday on a measure, sponsored by Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Lake Ozark, that would require the parent of a daughter younger than 18 seeking an abortion to notify in writing the other custodial parent or guardian of the abortion. Under current law, a physician must get informed written consent from one parent or guardian. There would be some exceptions to this change, such as a parent or guardian who is a sex offender or has been found guilty of child abuse. Despite the exceptions, abortion rights proponents argue this change could put a young womans life in danger. MEvie Mead, Missouri director of organizing for Planned Parenthood, said not all teenagers come from homes where they can speak openly with both parents. They could be facing violent or abusive relationships, she said, and can trust only one parent with knowledge about an unplanned pregnancy. She also noted that, in the case of incest, this new law could force the teen to notify her rapist about the pregnancy and the subsequent abortion. I dont think this bill would do anything to further the health and safety of teens in state, Mead said. It could put them in danger. But Miller said he didnt introduce this measure to put young women in harms way. I just think it would be healthier for the minor child in a lot of cases if both parents were aware of whats going on and can talk about it, he said. Miller tried and failed last year to pass this measure, but it could have a better chance this year as the 2016 election approaches and Republican lawmakers continue to investigate allegations that Planned Parenthood sold fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood has vehemently denied these allegations and Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat running for governor this year, found no evidence of wrongdoing in Missouri. Republicans have filed a number of abortion-related measures this year. This is the first abortion measure to get airing in the House. The committee did not vote on the measure Tuesday. The bill is House Bill 1370. ST. LOUIS A state audit released on Tuesday delivered a stinging rebuke of Sharon Carpenter and her irresponsible handling of the citys Recorder of Deeds office. Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway confirmed previous media reports that Carpenters office used improper bidding practices and inappropriately used public money, including spending $2,378 on rugs for her private office. The audit found Carpenter misspent at least $10,000, failed to maintain a usage log for a city-assigned, take-home vehicle, drove the car 10,000 miles less than she reported, failed to track employee vacation time, and keeps an unaccounted and unexplained $38,000 in an escrow account. The audit says Carpenter, a fixture in city politics, has ignored pleas for change over several audits dating to 1987. Because of that, Galloway said that her office will perform another audit this year. Im frustrated Recorder Carpenter continues to defend past actions, despite repeated findings of mismanagement, Galloway said Tuesday. Its a disservice to the citizens of St. Louis when these opportunities for necessary change are dismissed. The audit rated the overall performance of the recorders office as poor, the lowest possible rating. In a statement on Tuesday, Carpenter said the audit was the most negative she has seen in 35 years, and said it appears that the findings were developed to meet preconceived determinations. The one thing to conclude from this audit is that all public funds are accounted for no funds found missing, Carpenter said. Carpenter, a Democrat, was first elected recorder in 1980. She remained in office until 2014, when she resigned over violating the states nepotism law for paying her great-nephew $12,255 for contract work. Still, Carpenter sought re-election and was returned to office a few months later by city voters. Upon her return, a benefits loophole allowed Carpenter to collect her full salary while also receiving pension benefits from the same office. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon requested the audit after it was revealed that Carpenters chief deputy was involved in bidding that gave companies linked to James Treis, the deputys son, contracts for $100,000 in office renovation work. Peggy Treis Meeker, the chief deputy, was fired during Carpenters brief hiatus from office. Meeker was involved in the 2013 bidding process that netted Superior Building Group, where James Treis is listed as president, more than $100,000 in work. A 2009 renovation paid more than $200,000 to another company where Treis worked as a senior project manager. Carpenter noted to the auditors office that she isnt related to Treis. The recorder knows the previous chief deputys son, but has had rare contact with him, the recorders office said in the audit. The recorder had an excellent working relationship with the former chief deputy professionally but that was the extent. A 2014 city counselor review noted: Meeker stated that Carpenter told her to get Jimmy to put in a bid and that Meeker then told Treis what kind of renovations they wanted completed. Meeker stated that the work was not advertised for bidding, that she did not inform anyone else about the project, and that she did not solicit bids from anyone. The state audit found that the deputy recorder had a conflict, along with a level of responsibility for the project, and didnt act in accord with good management practices. It also found that escrow accounts managed by the recorders office are not balanced against the citys records. This allows errors to go undetected, and has led to $38,000 identified with no record of where these funds belong, or who they belong to, the audit found. And then there is the car. The Post-Dispatch reported last year that Carpenter asked the city for a $700 monthly vehicle allowance. She later rescinded the request after reports surfaced that her husband had two accidents while driving her previous city vehicle without Carpenter in the car. The audit found that Carpenter didnt keep a detailed vehicle usage log on that car even though a previous state audit recommended she do so. Fueling documents showed that the vehicle was driven 5,460 miles during an 18-month period, although Carpenter reported usage of 10,000 miles beyond that. In the audit, the recorders office said Carpenter overestimated the mileage and paid more in state in federal taxes, then noted: The recorder is no longer provided a city vehicle. WASHINGTON They're getting ready to build a monument to World War I veterans, answering what some believe has been a long-neglected war in your nation's Capital. It will have a Missouri twist, because the monument will be in a small park near the White House, named after Missouri-born General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing. The 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into the war is this year, and the World War I Centennial Commission will announce next Monday the winner of a design competition for a memorial for the more than 4.7 million Americans who served. It will be the largest civic tribute to veterans in more than a decade. The World War II Memorial on the National Mall opened in 2004. World War I was often called the "war to end all wars," in part because the scale of its slaughter and its effect on civilian populations was thought to be so immense that civilization would turn away to a new era of peace and enlightenment. Hundreds of thousands of casualties could be wracked up in a single day in brutal trench warfare in France, Belgium and elsewhere in Europe. But out of that war and its resulting economic destruction arose Nazi Germany, and World War II erupted just 21 years later. The World War I Memorial will be several blocks north of the Mall, in Pershing Park. It's named for Black Jack Pershing, commander of U.S. troops in the war. The park is situated across the street from the famous Willard Hotel, itself a landmark warren of activity and intrigue in a previous war, the Civil War. Pershing was born in 1860 on a farm near Laclede, Mo., 220 miles northwest of St. Louis. He graduated from West Point in 1886, 30th in a class of 77. He is generally considered one of America's top military leaders, and he was promoted to General of the Armies and led the United States Expeditionary Force that tipped the balance to France and Britain and other allied nations in 1918. Five finalists for the memorial's design were chosen out of 360 entrants. The winning design will be announced at the National Press Club on Monday. (Chuck Raasch) BY THE NUMBERS: 4,734,991 Number of Americans who served in World War I, according to the official tally of the Veterans Administration. 116,516 Number of American soldiers who died in World War I. 53,401 Number who died in actual combat; more than half were non-combat related from disease, accidents and other causes. 405,399 Number of American service members who died in World War II; 291,557 were combat deaths. 58,220 Number of American service members who died in Vietnam; 47,434 were combat deaths. On the Web: HE SAID IT: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." General John J. Pershing. CROCKER, Mo. Life along Tavern Creek in Pulaski County is getting back to normal. Cattle break ranks from the meandering herd to slurp from the trickling stream. An eagle flaps overhead, near steep, rocky ravines jutting skyward from the edge of the grassy flood plain. The topography makes the area natures perfect rain catcher. Storms turn the serene landscape into a swirling, dangerous mess that shoots flash floods right over the Highway U bridge. Like so many other people who live here, Melvin Lee Dodge knows this. Thats why a little after 8 p.m. Dec. 26, he was concerned when he saw a car zip by in front of him on Highway U, heading toward the bridge. As the St. Louis region wrestled with the inconvenience of closed interstate highways and damaged homes and businesses, this rural county in south-central Missouri, which includes sprawling Fort Leonard Wood, shouldered about half of the states death toll from recent flooding. Seven fatalities happened just minutes and miles apart. The two incidents reinforced and challenged local perceptions of who is at grave risk during such events. Dodge, 27, a volunteer firefighter who works in a mess hall on post, knew the rain was bad that night. But he didnt know the area would get whopped by 6 inches in one day, followed by 3 inches the next. He didnt know the sedan he saw go by was full of elite military officers from the other side of the world, traveling blindly through the Ozarks to their doom. For all Dodge knew, they were locals who had learned the bridge was somehow back open. He was hoping so because it was the most direct way home. Dodge followed the car from a mile or so behind. When he came down the long, winding hill leading to the Highway U bridge over Tavern Creek, he was puzzled. He didnt see anybody. For a moment, he thought the car made it across, which was impossible. The water was running at least 2 feet over the bridge, and there was a logjam out in the middle of it. Looking left, Dodge said he reached for the phone quicker than he could tell his wife next to him what he saw the sedan hed been following was now a rudderless boat, getting forced way downstream by the floodwater. They had their brake lights engaged, Dodge said. It was like they were trying to stop. There was no stopping in that. Flooded wilderness Colleagues from the Crocker Fire Protection District were soon on the scene. The rain continued to pour. Their $110,000 annual budget didnt include money for dry suits. Still, the volunteers broke into teams and walked both sides of the bank. Lightning occasionally gave them a full view of the wild scene. Station Capt. Jason Ishmael reported to the search commander that water was raging down Tavern Creek in 3- to 4-foot waves, later describing them as like you see in the ocean. It was extreme for a creek that mainly dries up in the summer. The search teams knew they had a short window to rescue any survivors. But they werent having any luck finding anything or anybody. As a few hours wore on in the cold, flooded wilderness, the night after Christmas, some of the volunteers started to doubt whether Dodge really saw what hed reported. If wrong, hed be scrubbing the shop floor forever for this one. Then Ishmael had a hard time believing what he saw when he finally shined a flashlight on what turned out to be a gold Impala, submerged in the water, three-fourths of a mile downstream from the Highway U bridge. The vehicle was rising up and down in the water, he said. The way the water was roiling, it didnt seem odd that the front seats were vacant, with two dead men in the back. The following day, responders were surprised when a third and fourth body were discovered outside the vehicle. It wasnt until Dec. 29 that a helicopter spotted the fifth and final occupant, six miles downstream, Ishmael said. The strong current had sucked off much of the clothing from the body. The five victims were international military trainees from Egypt, Algeria, Malaysia and Jordan. You cant see the water Crockers assistant fire chief, Jeff Porter, said that it had been about 20 years since somebody died at the Tavern Creek bridge. He said flash flooding makes the water there rise and fall in a hurry. If a vehicle goes over, it usually gets hung up close, in the brush. Unlike another nearby bridge, there isnt a raised lip on the edge, nor guardrail. There are yellow warning signs, though, about impassable water. Gauges show how deep the water is when it runs over the bridge. None of that seemed to help the five military officers. The way the land lays in there, you cant see the water until you are in it, unless you are from here, Porter said. Pulaski County resident Tim Dent, who lives next to a temperamental river, saw it another way. These guys are used to fighting war with guns, he said. They arent thinking about water. But right about the same time the foreign officers went in the floodwater over Highway U, another emergency call was made from about 10 miles away, on Highway O. This time a Dodge Neon was swept off a low-water bridge over typically tiny Jones Creek. Missing was Ron Gray, 53, of Dixon, Mo., an Army veteran who loved to push his Mercury outboard engine to the limits on the nearby Gasconade River. He also loved and knew the land. His last meal was deer meat and frog legs, said his mother, Wanda Gray. It seems so out of character, it doesnt seem real, she said of the incident. He knew that creek can get up fast. In 2013, everybody heard about a young woman and child who died in Waynesville, the Pulaski County seat, during a torrential downpour. In recent weeks, Ron Gray had even tried to pull a man and his teenage daughter out of the exact same crossing near where he would later drown. Hed been in his big diesel truck then, not his girlfriends Neon. Gray, who worked on post as a civilian employee, had one teenage son. His girlfriend, Sandy Tilley, 50, of St. James, Mo., a mother of three, also died. They were supposed to move in together soon. An elite group The five military officers who perished were among about 450 international students from dozens of countries hosted by Fort Leonard Wood each year. They train months at a time in the fields of chemical, engineering and military policing. In a memorial service, post commander Army Maj. Gen. Kent Savre described the men as an elite group of officers who had to cross thousands of miles of ocean to train in Missouri. Yet we have so much in common, he said. They were sons and brothers. They were husbands and fathers. They were scholars, soldiers and leaders. They were comrades and brothers in arms. And just like many of us in this room, they were here to better themselves in order to protect and defend their nations. The victims were: Maj. Mohammad Hassan Ibrahim, 32, of Egypt, a chemical corps company commander, who was married with two daughters. His brother, also in the Egyptian military, was recently killed in service, a colleague said. Capt. Ahmed Abdelghani, 29, of Egypt, was described in memorial service literature as a distinguished chemical officer and the only officer in his family. Capt. Hasman Hussin, 33, of Malaysia, was considered one of the best engineers in the Malaysian military. Capt. Ahmed Moussouni, 32, of Algeria, was married with one son. Maj. Akram Abu Al-Rub, 38, of Jordan, an engineer, was married with three children. He had looked forwarded to the training yet hoped the time away would quickly pass, according to posts on social media. He arrived in Missouri in early December and posed for pictures outside the state Capitol building in Jefferson City. A colleague said the major was from a rural area in Jordan, earned about $600 a month and hoped to save money during training for an operation for his deaf son. At the time of the accident, the officers had been on holiday block leave, which shuts training down on post for two weeks during the Christmas season. They were coming home from Lake of the Ozarks. Sales receipts indicate they shopped at an outlet mall at Osage Beach hours before the accident. Adidas and Gymboree were two stops, according to the contents of the destroyed Impala, still parked last week at a tow yard here. The trunk and back seat area were piled with frozen shirts, mostly for children. There was a pair of pink boots and other small shoes. A new white dress with a bow on the back, toddler size, was stained with river water. In a bag, there was a necklace, perhaps a gift for a spouse, and lots of fragrant lotions scattered around. At the foot of the front passenger seat lay a religious CD about the meaning of life. 191 complaints 118 cases The MOI released 15 people following investigations There are 99 people currently detained people in different cases and in prisons There are 3 people from that list that are on the run There is one case "a lady" that escaped from her family in the list. Maha Makawy, the wife of Ashraf Shehata "Freedom of the Brave" Earlier Monday, Egypt's National Council For Human Rights "NCHR" published the report it got from the Ministry of interior "MOI" regarding the fate of Forcible disappearance cases in Egypt in details, after the initial MOI statement in early January E.The official NCHR stated it referreddocumented forcible disappearance cases in Egypt. The MOI replied and revealed information aboutas follows:The NHCR also revealed it reached to the fate of three other cases in the list with no involvement of the MOI but with the help of their familiesAccordingly, the fate of 121 people disappeared in strange circumstances in the past few months was determined. Yes, the majority of the 121 names is found in detention but at least, their families know where they are now. It is a new hope for them Again that official statement is the best answer for the claims that the majority of the forcibledisappearance cases are for young men who fled the country to join ISIS.Here is a complete list of names found by the NCHR Sadly for hours, people thought that Ashraf Shehata , a Constitution Party member who went missing for almost 2 years now was found in the list and he was located at Zagzig prison.Unfortunately, it turned to be another inmate with a similar name according to the MOI.The MOI claimed earlier that Shehata left the country giving no further details for his wife Maha Makawy, who has not lost hope in finding her husband.Mrs. Makawy spent 4 hours chasing false hope on Monday unfortunately. May God give her strength and patience.I cannot imagine what she has been through.Unfortunately, there is no news about the whereabouts of Mostafa Massouny either.I hope that they are still fine because this is scary. CHARLESTON, S.C. Hillary Clinton wrapped herself so tightly in President Obamas mantle at Sunday nights debate that it was a wonder she could walk off the stage. She lauded the Affordable Care Act to the heavens, rejecting the notion that it left too many Americans still without health insurance. She defended Obamas initiatives to rein in Wall Street, dismissing contentions that they did not go far enough. She highlighted his success in seizing Syrias chemical weapons. She praised the way he led us out of the Great Recession. And she attacked her chief rival for the Democratic nomination, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, for allegedly being insufficiently loyal to the president. Senator Sanders called him weak, disappointing, she said. He even, in 2011, publicly sought someone to run in a primary against President Obama. There was considerable irony in all of this. Eight years ago, the primary fight here between Clinton and Obama was bitter and tinged with racial overtones. This year, with the possibility that Sanders could win both Iowa and New Hampshire, Clinton is counting on South Carolinas large African-American population to serve as a firewall. If there is anything not to like about the Obama legacy, apparently she hasnt heard of it. Sanders made the case that he has been, and remains, a supporter of the president. And he turned the tables, putting Clinton very much on the defensive when the subject turned to Wall Street excesses. I dont mean to just point the finger at you, he said, pointing his finger at Clinton, youve received over $600,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs in one year. Clintons response that hedge-fund billionaires are running ads against her and that Im the one they dont want to be up against probably failed to convince many listeners that she is more antagonistic toward Wall Street than Sanders, who frequently rails about all the executives who need to be sent to prison. Former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, the third candidate on the Gaillard Center stage, delivered a performance that was smooth, knowledgeable and, as things now stand, irrelevant. Focus was on the contest between the two leaders in the polls, Clinton and Sanders, who offer Democrats a clear choice: evolution or revolution. The difference is evident in the two candidates positions on health care. Clinton proposes building on the foundation of Obamacare, the Childrens Health Insurance Program, Medicaid and Medicare to further expand coverage. Sanders advocates a new single-payer system, akin to those in other major industrialized countries, that would be truly universal and provide health care as a right. Clinton recalled that in the fight over passage of the Obamacare legislation, efforts to include even one public option government-run plan had to be abandoned. To start over again, pushing our country back into that kind of a contentious debate, I think is the wrong direction, she said. In other words, lets have evolutionary change. Sanders noted that there are still 29 million Americans without health insurance. He argued that a single-payer system, which he describes as Medicare for all, would not only provide coverage for everyone but also dramatically reduce medical costs. He said the issue is whether we have the guts to stand up to the private insurance companies and all of their money, and the pharmaceutical industry. Thats what this debate should be about. Translation: We need a political revolution. On issue after issue, Clinton proposes incremental solutions that take into account our political system as it is: sharply divided along ideological lines and warped by gerrymandering and virtually unfettered campaign contributions. Sanders proposes dramatic solutions that will only be possible when power is wrested from big money interests that refuse to do what the American people want them to. In that sense, Democrats are being asked to make a classic heads-vs.-hearts decision. With Republicans controlling both houses of Congress, Clinton would ordinarily have a huge advantage. Given whats happening in the GOP campaign, however, this doesnt much look like an ordinary election cycle. Sanders got a couple of the biggest cheers Sunday night, but for most of the evening the crowd seemed to be on Clintons side. In interviews afterward, several South Carolina political veterans predicted that Clinton would win the primary here, perhaps comfortably. But the loyal Democrats I spoke with also wished there was more passion in Clintons appeal to go along with the pragmatism. To convince people to eat their vegetables this year, you might have to add a little hot sauce. Eugene Robinson Copyright The Washington Post LONDON MARKET CLOSE: Stocks pull back as pressure on BoE to hike rates Wednesday, October 19, 2022 - 17:20 The optimism in equity markets in London faded on Wednesday, with stocks pulled back as consumer inflation in the UK was hotter than expected. The FTSE 100 index closed down 11.75 points, or 0.2%, at 6,924.99. The FTSE 250 ended down a heftier 281.76 points, or 1.6%, at 17,247.55. The AIM All-Share lost 9.51 points, or 1.2%, at 785.97. The Cboe UK 100 closed 0.2% lower at 692.60, the Cboe UK 250 fell 1.5% to 14,806.44, and the Cboe Small Companies closed 0.7% lower at 12,369.96. In European equities on Wednesday afternoon, the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.4%, and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt gave back 0.2%. The pound fell to $1.1242 Wednesday evening from $1.1291 late Tuesday. New data showed consumer inflation in the UK was shoved back into double digits in September, which turns the spotlight firmly onto the Bank of England. The consumer price index rose by 10.1% in September from a year before, according to the Office for National Statistics. The inflation rate picked up 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% expected, according to FXStreet. AJ Bell's Danni Hewson said stretching household budgets to cover the "basic necessities of life has become harder and harder". "Cutbacks have already been made. Big name brands ditched for value lines in the weekly food shop, thermostats have been dialled down, non-essential journeys put off or abandoned altogether," she continued. "The fact that food and energy costs were the main drivers for September In January 2016 Russia received the last of 16 MiG-29SMT jet fighters it ordered in early 2014. The Russian Air Force paid $30 million for each of these MiGs but really didnt want them. The government insisted in order to keep the MAC (MiG Aircraft Corporation) from going bankrupt. That became a possibility in 2013 when it was revealed that Russia would not order 37 of MACs new (and still in development) MiG-35D fighters. Because of development problems the MiG-35 has been delayed from 2016 to 2018 and maybe later. You can see where this is going. Cancellation of the billion dollar MiG-35 order put MAC in a financial bind and the best solution seemed to be the purchase of more of the existing MiG-29SMTs. The 22 ton MiG-29SMT is an upgrade of the original MiG-29 with improved avionics, a more powerful engine and the ability to use smart bombs and missiles against ground targets. Thus it can carry 4.5 tons of bombs and missiles. Meanwhile MAC is running out of time, cash and options. It has orders for some MiG-29Ks (for use on aircraft carriers) and upgrades to Indian MiG-29s. Serbia is close to placing an order. MAC cannot expect much more help from the government which is dealing with a major cash shortage as a result of record low oil prices and trade sanctions because of Russian aggression in Ukraine. This is not the first time Russia has purchased MiGs mainly for financial, not military reasons. In 2006 Russia agreed to buy 28 MiG-29 fighters to prevent the MAC from going bankrupt. That crises was triggered when Algeria told Russia that it was cancelling the 2007 purchase of 28 MiG-29 fighters (for $1.3 billion) and returning the ones already delivered. Algeria insisted that there were quality issues and that some of the aircraft were assembled from old parts. The accusation turned out to be true and Russian prosecutors tried and convicted several MAC executives for passing off defective, or used, aircraft parts as new. Many of these parts made their way into MiG-29 jet fighters that were sold to Algeria. The MiG-29 has been in service since the 1980s, but stocks of Cold War era spare parts are still around, and it was suspected in the Russian aviation community that some of these older parts were put to use to build the Algerian aircraft. These are supposed to be "new" aircraft but some of their components were definitely not. Some MiG employees were very unhappy with the corrupt practices involving aircraft parts. This sort of crime often extends to parts for airliners. The MiG employees felt personally responsible for any defective aircraft leaving their plant and didn't want to be flying in an airliner containing fraudulent parts either. Russian prosecutors, already involved in an anti-corruption program underway for several years, jumped on these allegations and quickly found senior executives presiding over widespread fraud in the aircraft components industry. MiG hoped that the new 29 ton MiG-35 would save the company. Described as the equivalent of the American F-35, the MiG-35D would be the low-end to the high end T-50 (the Russian F-22). The T-50 is no F-22 and the MiG-35D is no F-35. The MiG-35D is a considerably redesigned MiG-29. The MiG-35D is armed with one 30mm autocannon and can carry over (by how much is not yet clear) five tons of bombs. The big selling point for the MiG-35D is its offensive and defensive electronics, as well as sensors for finding targets on land or sea. This stuff looks very impressive on paper but the Russians have long had problems getting performance to match promises. This is particularly the case with the advanced electronics of the MiG-35D, which are running into problems because the competing F-35 electronics set a very high bar. The MiG-35D has little stealth capability and first flew in 2007. There are currently about ten prototypes being used for testing and development work. The MiG-35D is expected to enter service some time before the end of the decade. The MiG-35D will sell for less than half of what the F-35 goes for (currently over $120 million each). Russia hopes to be able to buy a hundred or so MiG-35s after 2016. The 27 ton American F-35 is armed with an internal 25mm cannon and four internal air-to-air missiles (or two missiles and two smart bombs), plus four external smart bombs and two missiles. All sensors are carried internally, and max weapon load is 6.8 tons. The aircraft is very stealthy when just carrying internal weapons. The MiG-29 entered Russian service in 1983. Some 1,600 MiG-29s have been produced so far, with about 900 of them exported. The original MiG-29 was a 22 ton aircraft roughly comparable to the F-16, but it depends a lot on which version of either aircraft you are talking about. Russia is making a lot of money upgrading MiG-29s. Not just adding new electronics but also making the airframe more robust. The MiG-29 was originally rated at 2,500 total flight hours. At that time (early 80s), Russia expected MiG-29s to fly about a hundred or so hours a year. Reality was different. India, for example, flew them at nearly twice that rate, as did Malaysia. So now Russia is offering to spiff up the airframe so that the aircraft can fly up to 4,000 hours, with more life extension upgrades promised. This won't be easy, as the MiG-29 has a history of unreliability and premature breakdowns (both mechanical and electronic). Germany is sending another 550 troops to Mali and Iraq. This is another response to the November 13 Islamic terror attacks in Paris and the realization that Europe has more to do in fighting Islamic terrorists worldwide in order to reduce their vulnerability at home. Most (500) of these troops are going to northern Mali to help the French forces that have been fighting Islamic terrorists there since early 2013. The German troops will be helping with the peacekeeping in northern Mali and will mainly work with the 11,000 (mostly African) peacekeepers already there. The German troops are better trained and equipped than most of the peacekeepers already there and will be able to provide emergency combat support that is currently provided by French troops are mainly involved with actively seeking out the remaining Islamic terrorists. The rest (50) of the additional German troops will go to northern Iraq to join the hundred Germans already there training Kurdish forces. The Kurds are the best local fighters in Iraq and the Germans have found that the Kurds make the most of whatever additional training they get. Germany has been a major (at least from the West) contributor to peacekeeping operations since the Cold War ended in 1991. This was done even though had to reorganize and reduce its armed forces from 400,000 troops equipped and trained to fight a conventional war to fewer than 200,000 mainly oriented towards peacekeeping. In 1991 there were another 250,000 troops in the communist East German armed forces and as the Cold War ended the two Germanys united and East German forces were disbanded and the West German military absorbed some of the East German troops. With the Soviet Union gone, and the former Soviet allies in East Europe clamoring to join NATO Germany no longer had any local enemies. The Cold War German army of Panzertruppen (mechanized troops) had lost its mission. Thus in two decades, German armed forces have been reduced to less than a third of their 1991 strength of 650,000. Today, a reunited Germany has an army of peacekeepers. Well, only 5-10,000 of them are involved in peacekeeping at any one time, out of 177,000 troops. Not only is the army smaller, but it has older equipment, and less of it. Not much purchasing of new stuff after 1991 and much of what was bought was to support peacekeeping missions. The peacekeepers, particularly in Afghanistan, go more modern gear, and the expense of this is another reason for shrinking the size of armed forces. While the German army is smaller and, until 2011, still depended on conscripts for about 25 percent of its troops. Germany always managed to find enough effective troops for peacekeeping, and special operations. Just not many of them. The generals had long asked for an all-volunteer force but for a long time the politicians, and public opinion, were opposed to this. Public opinion won and the all-volunteer force has had no shortage of volunteers for peacekeeping duty, even in dangerous areas. Heavy fighting continues in Deir Ezzor province, especially the provincial capital (Deir Ezzor city). ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) controls most of the province, including Palmyra, which is astride the main road from Deir Ezzor province to Damascus (the national capital and Assad stronghold). Supporting government forces in Deir Ezzor became more difficult with the loss of Palmyra in mid-2015. Since early October, largely because of Russian air support, government forces have advanced in the northwest around Homs, Palmyra and Aleppo as well as in the south near the Israeli border. As always, the government forces are willing to negotiate terms with rebels to gain control of a city or town in order to minimize damage to the place and avoid casualties. Government forces have also cleared most rebel forces out of Latakia province. This is where the Syrian ports are and a major objective of a rebel advance halted largely because of the Russian intervention. ISIL will not negotiate and has attempted to halt and reverse the government advance in Deir Ezzor province. The city of Deir Ezzor has been the scene of heavy combat since mid-December. ISIL is also counterattacking Assad forces around Aleppo. These ISIL attacks have not been very successful because the defenders have air support and artillery. ISIL fighters are not experienced enough to avoid this firepower while attacking and suffer heavy casualties. This is what happened when ISIL suffered a costly defeat in trying to take Kobane from the Kurds in 2014. Since then it has refrained from attacking anyone supported by air power and artillery. The Kobane disaster cost ISIL so many casualties that the desertion rate among it fighter sharply increased and potential recruits were discouraged from coming to Syria and joining. But now ISIL cannot avoid Kobane repeats because they must advance (or seem to) otherwise they lose their reputation for invincibility. That reputation is already tarnished because of Kobane and a growing number of setbacks and losses. The Iraqi city of Ramadi was lost in late December and Mosul is next. The Syrian city of Raqqa, the ISIL capital, is also a target for liberation. Syrian Kurds and their Arab allies are still operating within fifty kilometers of the city and defeating all ISIL attempts to force them out of the area. Many civilians in Raqqa also oppose ISIL and in response ISIL is killing a lot more uncooperative civilians in and around Raqqa. ISIL is using the same terror tactics elsewhere, like Deir Ezzor, where they recently publicized the gruesome deaths of several hundred civilians who opposed them. ISIL will also kidnap even more civilians and hold them to ensure good behavior (no anti-ISIL activities) by kin and friends of the hostages. ISIL is also increasing its use of suicide bomber attacks against civilians hostile to ISIL. Turkey has become an active participant in the fight against ISIL in Syria. What completed this gradual process was a January ISIL suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed ten German tourists. This attack angered Turkey on several levels, including the fact that the bomber had entered Turkey as a Syrian refugee and the attack killed foreign tourists. This is seen as an economic attack as tourism represents ten percent of Turk GDP and some eight percent of the jobs. In response Turkey ordered its military to use artillery and air strikes to attack ISIL forces operating along the border and plan for additional operations deeper into Syria. Attacks so far have killed several hundred ISIL men and forced ISIL to pull some forces away from the border. This has hurt ISIL efforts to regain lost territory around Aleppo. Inside Turkey popular anger against ISIL (by Turks and Syrian refugees) has led to more tips about actual or suspected ISIL activity. This has led to arrests and panic among ISIL operatives and supporters inside Turkey who are now more threatened than ever before. This taken some pressure off the Kurds. Turkey has been attacking Kurdish separatists (PKK) in Turkey, Syria and Iraq since July 2015 because of the growing PKK (Turkish Kurdish separatists) violence inside Turkey. These incidents were seen as a violation of the 2013 ceasefire with the PKK. The Turks also ordered air strikes against PKK bases in Kurdish controlled northern Iraq. The Kurdish government there agreed with the Turkish attacks on the PKK, accusing the PKK of being arrogant and troublesome. While the Iraqi Kurds continue condemning the PKK they have not tried to expel the PKK based in remote areas. The Turks cannot force the issue as it is pretty obvious that the Iraqi Kurds have all they can handle with ISIL. In response there has been more PKK violence in southeast Turkey and the Turkish security forces have responded with more raids and arrests. This comes after Turkey decided, on July 24th 2015 to join the air campaign against ISIL in Syria. This included allowing American fighters to launch strikes from a Turkish airbase. After the January 12 2016 ISIL attack Turkish air strikes in Syria became more numerous. The U.S. is now trying to persuade the Turks, a NATO member, to coordinate their Syrian operations with other NATO members (mainly the U.S.) operating there. All this increased Turkish involvement has been further complicated by the growing Turkish hostility with Russia, which has been made worse lately with revelations that Russia has been giving weapons to Kurds fighting ISIL in Syria and Iraq. Many Turks see all Kurds as enemies despite the fact that most are just interested in defending themselves from ISIL and other Islamic terrorists, Assad forces and even Iran. The Russians are willing to aid anyone who will help them in their fight against ISIL and that includes other Islamic terrorist groups as well as other rebel factions like the Kurds. The Turks appreciate that approach in practice but wont admit it. Meanwhile the Assads are not happy with Russian aid to the Kurds because the Syrian Kurds declared in late 2013 that their traditional territory in the northeast was now an autonomous Kurdish province, similar to what the Iraqi Kurds next door have had in northern Iraq since the early 1990s. Turkey accuses Syrian and Iraqi Kurds of planning to use these two adjacent autonomous areas as the basis for an independent Kurdish state (that would also claim southeast Turkey and parts of northwest Iran.) Russia is also supplying arms and other aid to Hezbollah forces fighting ISIL in Syria. Russia also provides air support for these Hezbollah fighters and that is making Russia more popular among the Lebanese Shia. Because of the mess in Syria Turkey is now an enemy of Iran and allied with Israel. This is not good for Iran but an excellent development for Israel and most Turks. The war in Syria, in particular the recent Russian intervention was very unpopular in Turkey. This was good for Israel because Turkey, long a foe of Russia was not happy with Russian troops fighting right on the Turkish border, Thus by the end of 2015 the Turks were discussing the resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel. Since 2002 the Islamic government of Turkey has been battling Turkish secularists and trying to improve relations with other Islamic countries (including ancient rival Iran). This 2002 policy meant adopting an anti-Israel attitude after decades of close relations with the Jewish state. Russias efforts to help its old allies the Assads of Syria and its more recent ally Iran have cost Russia many other long-time friends in the Middle East. Despite efforts to maintain good relations with Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni Arab Gulf oil states, Russia is seen as siding with Iran in the growing Sunni-Shia feud championed by Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran. Apparently Russia believes it can mend its ties to Sunni Arabs once ISIL is destroyed. After all when Russia sent warplanes, ground troops and lots more military aid in late 2015 to save the Syrian government Russia claimed this was an effort to destroy ISIL (al not just save the Syrian government. To make matters worse Russia and Iran have had disagreements over how to conduct the campaign in Syria. Iran was not happy with the Russia attitude, which implied that Russia should be in charge even through Iran had been fighting in Syria since 2013. By the end of December Iran had moved a lot of its personnel to Iraq, where Iran was assisting the Iraqi government in driving ISIL out of western Iraq (Anbar province and Mosul). Russia and Iran still need each other but over the two centuries they have been neighbors relations have usually been cordial but tense. Sort of like two predators who dont quite trust each other even when they have a common cause. The tensions between Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran have crippled UN efforts to get Syria peace talks going. The growing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran has made cooperation over brokering a Syria peace deal less likely. Russian efforts to mediate are also compromised because of tensions with Iran and the Saudis. January 16, 2016: Russian cargo aircraft have been seen dropping supplies (by parachute) to civilians and Assad forces cut off in parts of Deir Ezzor city. Resupply by road has become difficult because of the recent ISIL offensive to take the city. Russia later revealed that 22 tons of supplies had been drooped in so far and more is on the way. January 14, 2016: Russia released the text of the agreement it signed with Syria in August 2015 to authorize Russian intervention in Syria. One interesting aspect of this treaty was the fact that the Russians can stay as long as they wish. This is apparently irritating to Iran which is believed to want a post-civil war Syria that is under more direct Iranian control and a semi-permanent Russian military occupation would interfere with that. Short term the Assads want to survive but long term they and most other Syrians are not keen on becoming, unofficially, another province of Iran. If a permanent Russian military presence will prevent that then it is OK. January 4, 2016: On the Lebanese border, near the disputed Shebaa Farms (occupied by Israel but claimed by both Lebanon and Syria) Hezbollah used a roadside bomb to attack an Israeli convoy. Some vehicles were damaged but there were no casualties. Israeli artillery retaliated by hitting several Hezbollah facilities in the area. Hezbollah declared the attack more damaging than it actually was and said it was another act of revenge for Israel killing Hezbollah commander Samir Kuntar on December 19th. On December 20th Hezbollah fired four rockets into northern Israel from Lebanon but did no damage. Russia is demanding that Hezbollah cease the attacks on Israel. Iran is apparently saying the same thing, but not in public. Iran wants revenge as well because Kuntar was also working directly for them. Russia and Iran understand, where Hezbollah does not, that starting another war with Israel right now, while Hezbollah, Iran and Russia are fighting in Syria would be counterproductive. Hezbollah leaders told Russia and Iran that they had to respond because Hezbollah had suffered so many losses in Syria since 2013 that morale within Hezbollah was low. Attacks on Israel, even if they fail to do any damage (which is normal) are always popular inside Hezbollah. Even Hezbollah leaders agree that they dont want to trigger another war with Israel like the 2006 conflict. That one got going not because of bomb and rocket attacks but because Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others. January 2, 2016: Russia revealed that during the last three months of 2015 it had flown (using about 100 warplanes and attack helicopters) over 4,300 sorties against Islamic terrorist rebels in Syria. Russia believes its air strikes are much more effective than those flown by Western and Arab air forces because Russia has better intelligence. In addition to intel from over 200,000 Syrian soldiers and pro-government militiamen, Russia also obtained target information from 150 rebel groups (over 5,000 rebels) willing to cooperate against ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). Russian air strikes have killed over 2,500 people so far, about a third of the victims have been civilians. This is condemned as a war crime by many but is also a less publicized (especially by the Russians) reason why the Russian air strikes have been so much more effective than the larger number of American ones. Russia does not abort a strike because there is too much risk of civilian casualties. This makes ISIL more vulnerable to air attack than when just the Americans were handling it. The U.S. believes that only a few percent of the people its air strikes kill are civilians. The ROE (Rules of Engagement) Russia uses against ground targets ignores the use of human shields or the presence of a lot of civilians for whatever reason. January 1, 2016: The 2015 death toll in Syria was 55,000, which was down 38 percent from the 76,000 in 2014. Thats still over 69,000 dead (down 24 percent from 91,000 in 2014) for the Syria and Iraq, the two countries where ISIL is most active. The death toll has declined in both Iraq and Syria because ISIL has become less effective and in Syria there is a lot more war weariness. Thus the December death toll in Syria was less than four percent of the 2015 total. Most of the rebels and government forces in Syria are just playing defense and even ISIL has been less active in attacking compared to 2014. In neighboring Iraq the death toll for all of 2015 was about 13,400, compared to 15,600 in 2014, when ISIL made some spectacular gains. Thats still a big jump from 2013 when the death toll was 8,900 for all of Iraq and only ten percent of those were terrorists while the majority were Shia civilians killed by Sunni Islamic terrorists (many of them future ISIL members). While 2015 was 14 percent less deadly in Iraq than 2014 both years were much less than the worst year. That was 2007 when nearly 18,000 died and Syria was at peace. Then as now the main cause of the mayhem and murder in Iraq was Sunni fanatics who want to run the country as a Sunni dictatorship. Still Iraq was a lot less violent than neighboring Syria. There the Assad government, now aided by Russia, has done most of the killing, especially of civilians (who accounted for about a quarter of war deaths in 2015). The Assad forces have always concentrated on pro-rebel civilians, in order to demoralize the rebels and deny them support. These attacks also caused millions of pro-rebel civilians to flee the country, which is what the Assads want. Meanwhile the U.S. military revealed that it estimates coalition air attacks in Iraq and Syria killed at least 2,500 ISIL members in December. Since November the U.S. has relaxed its strict ROE (Rules of Engagement) to allow for air strikes even if there is some risk of civilian casualties. As a result many valuable ISIL targets can now be attacked, which has caused ISIL heavy personnel, leadership and financial losses. More ISIL members are deserting and providing valuable information on losses and other problems ISIL is having as a result of the increased bombing by Russia and the American led coalition. For example, ISIL men are not only being paid late but a growing number are having their pay cut. All this is the result of Russian aircraft entering Syria in October and using a less strict and much more effective ROE against ISIL targets, one that ignores the use of human shields. Since the middle of November Russian aircraft have been hitting over a hundred targets a day and concentrating on ISIL finances. That means hitting the oil production and smuggling (oil into Turkey) operation. The American led coalition had also been attacking these economic targets but under the much more restrictive ROE and despite a year of effort had not hurt the oil income substantially. That has changed with the new coalition ROE. December 30, 2015: Iraq declared Ramadi (the capital of Anbar) liberated as the flag was raised over government buildings recently cleared of ISIL fighters. There still hundreds of ISIL fighters in the city and even more on the outskirts but Iraqi leaders thought it best to declare victory in Ramadi now, before 2016 began. The U.S. added that it had confirmed that, since late November, targeted (going after a specific individual) air attacks had killed at least ten senior ISIL leaders in Iraq and Syria. This included some who were involved with planning the November 13 attacks in Paris. December 25, 2015: Outside Damascus a Russian air strike killed the leader of most of the rebel forces in the Damascus suburbs. The dead leader, Zahran Alloush, was meeting with subordinate leaders most of whom were killed or badly wounded. The Russians apparently used a smart bomb for this attack, which was made possible by information provided by government and rebel sources as Russian electronic monitoring efforts. The Russian air and intelligence support has enabled the government to push many rebels out of areas near Damascus. December 24, 2015: A senior Russian official (the one in charge of Syrian operations) quietly (and unofficially) visited Israel to meet with senior Israelis to further develop procedures to ensure that there are no accidental clashes between Russian and Israeli forces in Syria. The Russians appreciate the fact that the Israelis, unlike the Turks, could probably quickly locate and destroy all Russian anti-aircraft systems and warplanes in Syria if Israeli troops, ships or aircraft were accidentally attacked by Russian forces. December 21, 2015: Israeli intelligence believes that over 30 percent of Hezbollahs 20,000 trained fighters have been killed or wounded in Syria so far. Hezbollah is there at the request of Iran, which helped create Hezbollah (to protect the Shia minority in Lebanon) in the 1980s and continued sustaining the group with cash, weapons, technical assistance and intense hatred of Israel. The heavy losses in Syria were unpopular with Lebanese Shia and Hezbollah pulled most of its forces back to the Lebanon border and concentrated on keeping Islamic terrorists out of Lebanon. Iran took a huge popularity hit in Lebanon by forcing Hezbollah to enter the Syrian war in defense of the Assad government, which is hated by most Lebanese as well as most Syrians. By the end of 2015 Iraq declared Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province (which is most of western Iraq) back under government control. Reporters speaking to Iraqi commanders found two types of American support praised as critical for making the operation a success and keeping Iraqi casualties down. Reporters were not surprised to hear that Iraqi officers were glad to see the return of American air support, and in a big way. Many of these battalion and brigade commanders had started their careers after 2003 when American air support was common and greatly missed it after Iraqi politicians refused to let the American continue providing it after 2011. But to the surprise of foreign journalists Iraqi commanders are praised the return of American electronic warfare aircraft, especially those with the ability to selectively listen in on enemy wireless communications and, if needed, quickly jam it. With this capability Iraqi intel officers and commanders could listen to the enemy communications in real-time and at any point ask for it to be jammed. This made the enemy vulnerable because the army was listening in no matter what wireless communications was used and could quickly jam it if that seemed more advantageous for the army. What was remarkable about this support was that it could be supplied only a few American aircraft in the air at any one time. For smart bomb delivery one B-1 bomber and one or two fighter-bombers could handle all requests from ground troops around Ramadi. For the eavesdropping and jamming a single EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft got it done. Thats just as well because there are only 14 EC-130H aircraft in service. These aircraft, introduced in the early 1980s, were originally designed to jam Soviet anti-aircraft defenses but they proved to be crucial in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 2002 these 14 aircraft have flown nearly 7,000 sorties and spent over 40,000 hours in the air. What made the EC-130H so useful was its ability to eavesdrop on cell phone and other radio communications and then selectively jam them. The EC-130H has space on board for linguists, who can listen to the radio traffic below, and decide who to just record (and perhaps immediately report to U.S. troops below), and who to jam. This information can also be shared with people on the ground. Because Afghanistan has limited land-line phone systems, especially in the countryside, the Taliban, and everyone else, relies on cell phones, walkie-talkies and ham radio type gear to communicate. The EC-130H can detect all of these, and jam them selectively. ISIL has similar preferences in communications gear and in the midst of combat they have found, like the Taliban, there is no solution to the problems created by a EC-130H overhead. Another advantage is that while most Islamic terror organizations know of these aircraft they never know when there are operating nearby unless there is obviously selective jamming going on. This forces the enemy to either use their cell phones and radios sparingly, or use code words (which the U.S. can usually decipher, or just jam) or not use electronic communication at all. The latter choice makes it more difficult to control your forces in a rapidly changing battle. The U.S. began using EC-130Hs frequently over Afghanistan in 2006. There they flew 300-400 sorties a year, each 6-8 hours long and they were considered a valuable tool by ground commanders. But only the most crucial ground operations got EC-130H support. The use of these aircraft has increased greatly but gradually as tactics and techniques for their most efficient use were developed. The U.S. Army also has some two engine electronic eavesdropping aircraft. But these are not as well equipped as the air force EC-130Hs. Nevertheless the army sent as many as possible to Afghanistan and Iraq and bought more. In yet another dispute with the ground forces the air forces now proposes to retire half the EC-130H fleet in order to provide more money for F-35s and the new heavy bomber. 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. One of the side effects of the 2015 Russian attempts (some successful) to annex parts of neighboring Ukraine was to increase the degree of anti-Russian sentiment throughout East Europe. Ukrainians have hated Russians for centuries. After 70 years of communist rule ended in 1991 there was a lingering hatred of communism which imposed by Russians and killed millions of Ukrainians in the process. Many symbols of communism were destroyed after 1991 but there were so many, and so much other work to be done (like rebuilding the economy and trying to create a democracy and honest government) that many of the larger (and difficult to remove) communist monuments were left alone. That changed once Russia began grabbing Ukrainian territory in 2015 and one of the main targets of a new decommunization program was the destruction of the remaining 2,200 statues of Lenin (the founder of the Soviet Union) in Ukraine. In other east European countries, with more robust economies, this has already been done. But so great was the anger against Russia in 2015 that many Ukrainians volunteered to get rid of these statues and in less than a year nearly 40 percent of them have been pulled down and destroyed or hauled away and left somewhere until there is an opportunity to recycle. A few Lenin statues were considered to have artistic or historical value and were preserved, for now. Other communist era artifacts (posters, wall paintings and the like) are also being destroyed or painted over. In the rest of East Europe the decommunization effort has been so thorough that in some cases entrepreneurs have collected communist era artifacts and created bad old days theme parks where families can go to remind the children what their parents and grandparents had to put up with. But some elder folk went to feel a twinge of nostalgia, for the few good times they enjoyed in their younger days under communism. Even in Russia, which suffered greatly under communism, there was widespread destruction of communist era artifacts. Russia still has a lot of communists (about 20 percent of the voters) but these diehards are more nostalgic for the communist empire and the mighty Red Army era armed forces. Officially the post 1991 Russian communists propose a modern (less bloody and more enlightened economically) form of communism. Because of this l a lot of old communist symbols survive. But at times Russians are reminded that some communist era symbols are too hated by too many Russians to risk saving or reviving. For example, since 2000 former members of the KGB (Soviet era secret police), including president Vladimir Putin, have been working to impose a more authoritarian form of government in Russia. This has succeeded because most Russians want order more than anything else. Well, almost anything else. There are certain aspects of the good old (Soviet) days that most Russians want to forget. Thus in 2014 Putin and his KGB cronies got a reality check when they tried to restore the statue of the founder of the KGB, Polish count Felix Dzerzhinsky, to its place of honor in Moscows Lubyanskaya Square. There, from 1958 to 1991, the 15 ton bronze statue of Iron Felix stood directly in front of the former KGB headquarters. The 2014 effort was the sixth attempt to return Iron Felix. Although opinion surveys showed that 45 percent of Russians were OK with the statue returning, a quarter of the population was very much against it. Thus in 2014, as during the previous attempts, the Moscow city government told the national government that putting the stature back in Lubyanskaya Square would be a bad idea and would probably cause a lot of trouble from the locals. There could be violence and the statue would have to be heavily and regularly guarded to prevent vandalism. This has been a problem with many other communist monuments throughout Russia. Iron Felix is particularly hated because many Russians (usually as KGB prisoners) entered that building near the statue and were never heard from again. The KGB was greatly feared by most and loved by few and that was how the KGB preferred it. Although a Polish aristocrat, Dzerzhinsky became an enthusiastic, ruthless and efficient communist and was key in creating the KGB and turning it into one of the most feared and hated secret police organizations in history. In 1991, after a failed coup by communist hard liners to reverse the introduction of democracy into Russia, a large crowd descended on Lubyanskaya Square and pulled down Iron Felix. The statue was hauled off to a storage site outside the city where hundreds of other communist era statues and such (mostly honoring Lenin) were dumped. There the statue still lies and one place Russians dont want to see it returned to is Lubyanskaya Square or, preferably, any place where a Russian who remembers the old, communist era Russia, can see it. In China there was a similar situation in late 2015 when a 36 meter (108 foot) tall statue of Mao Zedong was erected in Chinas Henan province and paid for by local businessmen who felt the $650,000 cost was a good way to curry favor with local communist officials in a legal fashion. China is still a communist police state and all key officials are members of the Communist Party. All these government communists at least pay lip service to the idea that Mao (the founder of Communist China and ruthless military leader before and during World War II) was a great man. Many ordinary Chinese agree, although most know about the massive starvation and political killings Mao ordered in the 1950s and 1960s and how their government continues to try and hide what actually went on under Mao. Many Chinese still revere Mao even though his polices led to the death of over 20 million Chinese and the impoverishment of most of the population. When Mao died in 1976 his fellow communists (who had survived the many purges ordered by Mao) took a different path and made China what it is today. But the Henan businessmen miscalculated because Henan province suffered greatly (from starvation and purges) under Mao and many families harbor a bitter hatred of Mao. Some senior government officials realized this (or the secret police, which tracks public attitudes, briefed them) and once news of the huge statue went nation (and world) wide, it was ordered destroyed and it disappeared in a few days. Everyone involved was advised to forget about it, because that is the Chinese way. It is telling that there were no spontaneous public demonstrations of joy in Iran on the 17th as the sanctions were officially lifted. The religious fanatics running the government are not too optimistic either. They note that year by year more of the senior clergy appear less fanatic and more willing to allow social reforms. Since this includes moving away from a religious dictatorship the most conservative and ruthless Iranian Moslems fear for their future. The lifting of sanctions gives the government a chance to improve the lives of Iranians. Thus the government ordered an increase in oil production from the current million barrels a day to 1.5 million by the end of 2016 and to two million by late 2017. This is still less than the 2.3 million barrels a day produced before the 2012 sanctions were imposed but it will take a while to restore production. Foreign experts believe Iranian oil production targets are a bit too high and that it may take until the end of the decade to match 2012 production. Meanwhile Iran is selling off the more than 40 million barrels it has stored in tankers offshore or in land facilities. Unfortunately the price of oil is much lower ($29 a barrel) now than it was in 2012 ($108) and pumping a lot more does not mean as much. The Saudis and other Gulf oil states are keeping oil prices low in an effort to destroy the American shale oil industry (which most oil experts believe will not work) and hurt Iran (that is working). The lifting of sanctions also frees about $50 billion in cash frozen in foreign banks. This can be used to buy equipment needed to maintain and expand the oil industry, as well as other parts of the economy hurt by the sanctions. Iranian oil facilities are way overdue for refurbishment as much maintenance has been put for since the 1980s. Without massive investment the oil industry will become less productive and profitable. The government does not like to discuss this openly because the needed investments are huge and mean that other infrastructure needs will have to wait and that will hurt nearly all Iranians. Iran plans to achieve GDP growth of 8 percent a year via foreign investment of over $30 billion a year. That will encounter problems with the notoriously corrupt bureaucracy. The religious dictatorship tolerates a lot of this corruption in order to assure the continued loyalty of many key supporters. But the majority of Iranians, and foreign investors, suffer from the corruption. Even the Chinese and Russians are wary, but both of these nations are even more corrupt and know how to deal with corruption encountered overseas. The Chinese and Russians do this with threats and whatever else (legal or illegal) that will protect their investments. This works often enough to keep doing it although neither Russian nor China invest for the long haul overseas. Corrupt nations tend to be politically unstable in the long run and when the revolution comes the foreign investors are usually big losers. Moreover the current Iranian government is kept in power largely because of the many religious fanatics willing to die to protect this corrupt religious dictatorship. China and Russia are not officially denounced by the Iranian government (as the U.S., Israel and West are) but China and Russia are not seen, by most Moslems, as friends of Islam. In short, Iran is a dangerous and unpredictable business partner and shows no signs of trying to change that. A lot of Iranians agree, which is one reason Iran allows so many well educated Iranians to emigrate. That simply reduces the number of potential (and more able) rebels. There are still some sanctions on Iran and more may be added because Iran refuses to halt its ballistic missile development. Iran says this is mainly for use in destroying Israel but the new missiles have longer range that threatens more of Europe. Iran also recently boasted of its growing number of underground missile launch, storage, maintenance and production facilities. Israel has made it clear that Iran is still a threat and will be closely watched by Israel. It is well that Iran be watched closely because the Iranian Islamic conservatives are determined to support terrorism overseas and eventually build nuclear weapons at home, rather than concentrating on improving the economy and living standards. Expensive efforts to aid pro-Iran groups in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon have worked but at the cost of popular support inside Iran. The government sees these foreign adventures as a way to distract an unhappy population but too many Iranians see through that and it just increases the popular anger. The nukes remain important because Iran has been increasingly vocal about how Iran should be the leader of the Islamic world and the guardian of the major Islamic shrines (Mecca) in Saudi Arabia. Iranians believe that having nukes would motivate the Arabs to bow down. The Arabs have been kicked around by the Iranians for thousands of years and take this latest threat very seriously. Yet many Arabs just want peace with Iran. A recent poll of Arab opinion leaders (political, economic, media and academic) found that 81 percent backed better relations between Iran and the Arab world. But only 35 percent believed that Arab countries were serious about making peace with Iran compared to 58 percent who believed that Iran was. Arab leaders know they would benefit from trade with Iran. The only problem is that Iran is again asserting its claim to political domination of the region. The last time this was a threat was in the 1970s when the Iranian monarchy was talking about rebuilding the ancient Persian Empire. The nearby Arab states were rattled by this as it was aimed at them. Iran was not a threat to Turkey (a NATO member) or Russia (then, as now, a nuclear armed state). This time around the Iranian monarchy is gone and replaced with a religious dictatorship that invests heavily in ballistic missiles and nuclear research. The Iranian religious leaders have made the traditional Iranian empire building into a religious matter. That is a bad move. You can see that on the Internet where most of the Islamic terrorist related traffic in the Arab world (which is often in Arabic) is Sunni Moslems saying nasty things about Shia Moslems. This makes sense when you consider that 80 percent of Moslems are Sunni and only ten percent Shia. Unfortunately many of the messages criticizing Islamic terrorism in general gets denounced, at least among Sunni Moslems, as Shia propaganda. That shows the depth of the antipathy between Sunni and Shia because over 90 percent of Islamic terrorists are Sunni and most of their Internet support comes from the Arab Gulf states (in other words, the Arabian Peninsula). In the last few years the Islamic terrorist related messages by Moslems have increasingly been about the growing animosity between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia (and other Sunni Arab states). This has become something of a religious war with Sunni and Shia clerics encouraging their followers to vigorously defend their form of Islam on the Internet. This often involves posting increasingly strident sermons (in text, audio or video format) by clergy backing their form of Islam. This has swept away earlier efforts by Sunni and Shia to use the Internet to help build better relations between the many forms of Islam. The fighting in Syria, which is basically a Sunni majority rebelling against an Iran-backed Shia minority government, further inflamed the nasty rhetoric on the Internet. That got worse when a Saudi led Sunni coalition entered the civil war in Yemen. There a Shia minority was defeating the Sunni majority and most Sunnis were not happy with that. Iran has always been the economic (and military) superpower in the Persian Gulf and the much of the Middle East and now wants to go beyond that to be the leader of the Islamic world. The majority of Moslems oppose that as do most non-Moslem nations. Because of Iranian involvement in Syria Turkey is now an enemy of Iran and allied with Israel. This is not good for Iran but an excellent development for Israel and most Turks. The war in Syria, in particular the recent Russian intervention was very unpopular in Turkey. This was good for Israel because Turkey, long a foe of Russia was not happy with Russian troops fighting right on the Turkish border, Thus by the end of 2015 the Turks were discussing the resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel. Since 2002 the Islamic government of Turkey has been battling Turkish secularists and trying to improve relations with other Islamic countries (including ancient rival Iran). This 2002 policy meant adopting an anti-Israel attitude after decades of close relations with the Jewish state. The Iranian threat also led many Gulf Arab states to openly ally themselves with Israel. Thats not the only new problem Iran has because of Syria. Russia and Iran have had some nasty disagreements over how to conduct the campaign in Syria. Iran was not happy with the Russia attitude, which implies that Russia should be in charge even though Iran had been fighting in Syria since 2013. By the end of December Iran had moved a lot of its personnel to Iraq, where Iran was assisting the Iraqi government in driving ISIL out of western Iraq (Anbar province and Mosul) and relations between the two nations have cooled. Russia and Iran still need each other but over the two centuries they have been neighbors relations have usually been cordial but tense. These tensions have crippled UN efforts to get Syria peace talks going. The growing hostility between Saudi Arabia and Iran has made cooperation over brokering a Syria peace deal less likely. Russian efforts to mediate are also compromised because of tensions with Iran and the Saudis. Iran is also suffering setbacks Yemen and is trying to delay the defeat of the Shia rebels until something can be done to distract or disrupt the Saudi led Arab coalition that has deprived the Shia rebels of the victory they seemed on the brink of in early 2015. The UN hosted peace talks brought no peace so far but the UN is still trying. Both sides continue fighting and government forces are closing in on Sanaa, the national capital. As powerful as it is, the Arab coalition is dependent on popular support at home and that means keeping coalition casualties down. So the advance is deliberate and prudent. Nevertheless this conflict appears to be ending without addressing the corruption and bad government that have made Yemen a bloody mess in the first place. January 17, 2016: The United States and other Western nations lifted most of the heavy UN-approved economic sanctions Iran has been coping with since 2012. This comes as a result of the July 2015 treaty and UN inspectors declaring that Iran had met the treaty conditions regarding nuclear research. Many, especially the Israelis, believe this only delays (by up to 15 years) Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. At the same time the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Iran for continued violation of UN bans on ballistic missile development and testing. The Arab states in the region, especially the ones with lots of oil, do not believe Iran will be any less aggressive in its efforts to regain military and political dominance in the region. Many Arabs believe that lifting the sanctions was a plot by Western nations to help Iran again become the most powerful economy in the region. That would mean a lot of business for Western firms. But in Iran there is more of a desire to return things to normal. For example in 2000 Iran had a larger GDP than Saudi Arabia. Because of the sanctions the Saudis now have a GDP 60 percent larger than Iran. January 14, 2016: Russia released the text of the agreement it signed with Syria in August 2015 to authorize Russian intervention in Syria. One interesting aspect of this treaty was the fact that the Russians can stay as long as they wish. This is apparently irritating to Iran which is believed to want a post-civil war Syria that is under more direct Iranian control and a semi-permanent Russian military occupation would interfere with that. Short term the Assads want to survive but long term they and most other Syrians are not keen on becoming, unofficially, another province of Iran. If a permanent Russian military presence will prevent that then it is OK. January 13, 2016: The government announced that another IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) commander (a colonel) had been killed in Syria. Over a hundred Iranians that have died in Syria since October. Before the Russian intervention there the government played down Iranian deaths in Syria and denied there were many Iranians there at all. Now Iran admits that their troops have been actively involved in Syria since 2013 and over 300 have died so far. A thousand or more Iran recruited and supported foreign mercenaries in Syria have also died. January 12, 2016: Two U.S. Navy coastal patrol boats and ten sailors manning them were seized by armed Iranian patrol boats in the Persian Gulf. The Americans were accused of being in Iranian territorial waters. The American boats and sailors were released a day later but the U.S. Navy has not yet explained how this improbable event actually took place. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) boasted that the IRGC was responsible for training (and often recruiting, arming and paying) 200,000 fighters in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan. At least a quarter of these are in Syria, followed by Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Pakistan and Afghanistan were not happy with the IRGC publicly admitting that Iran has sponsored local (and often illegal) Shia militias. Iran had to do some diplomatic fence mending over that. Jafaris comments did not help efforts to defuse the Sunni-Shia feud that Saudi Arabia and Iran have revived as part of an Iranian effort to reassert the traditional Iranian domination of the region. Near the Pakistan border an Iranian F-4 jet fighter crashed during a training flight. The pilot and the weapons officer aboard both died. Iran is one of the few nations still operating the American built F-4, a 1950s design that was once widely used and exported. Iran received them in the 1970s. January 9, 2016: In the Kurdish northwest local opposition leaders complain that government persecution of Kurds has gotten worse in the 2015. Executions of Kurds are more common, running at the rate of 80 a month. Many of executions and fatal encounters with the security forces are attributed to Kurds involved in drug smuggling. But local Kurds deny this and accuse the government of becoming more violent about destroying Kurdish separatist and opposition groups. Sunni Baluchis in the southwest have the same complaint. January 8, 2016: In the Pakistani capital nearly two thousand local Shia demonstrated against Pakistan joining a Saudi led anti-terrorist organization. Shia believe this effort is directed against Iran and Shia Moslems in general. Most of the demonstrators specifically condemned Saudi Arabia for the recent (January 2nd) execution of a Saudi Shia cleric who was accused of encouraging Shia violence in Saudi Arabia. The Pakistani decision to not send troops to help Saudi Arabia fight Shia rebels in Yemen was, in part, to avoid problems with Pakistani Shia. Pakistan points out that over 20 percent of Pakistanis are Shia, Iran is a neighbor and trading partner and Pakistan is heavily involved with battling local Islamic terrorists. Off the record Pakistanis note most of this Islamic radicalism began in Arabia, financed by Islamic charities sponsored by Arab oil money (from governments and wealthy individuals). The oil rich Gulf Arabs are angry with what is perceived as ingratitude and betrayal after years of generous financial support. Pakistan made matters worse by announcing it would cooperate with Iran to try and solve the Yemen unrest (where Iran admits it backs the Shia rebels) peacefully. That was seen as insulting to Saudi Arabia, which had publicly asked Pakistan to join the Saudi led coalition (Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Egypt, Sudan, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt) fighting Shia rebels in Yemen. At the same time Pakistan assured Saudi Arabia that Pakistan would provide military assistance if the territory of Saudi Arabia were invaded. That would only happen if Iran attacked, although Pakistan refused to elaborate on that possibility. January 7, 2016: The government accused Saudi warplanes of bombing the Iranian embassy in the rebel held capital of Yemen. Saudi Arabia investigated the claim and found it to be false. January 3, 2016: Next door in Iraq (south of Baghdad) two Sunni mosques were bombed and at another a mosque employee was shot dead. This was believed to be revenge attacks for the January 2nd execution of an outspoken (against Sunni mistreatment) Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia. Iran loudly protested this execution as well and a crowd of Iranian protestors invaded and burned part of the Saudi embassy there. This led to Saudi Arabia breaking diplomatic relations with Iran and ordering Iranian diplomats out of Saudi Arabia within 48 hours. Kuwait followed suit despite Iranian apologies. This is a disturbing development for Iraq because nearly all Iraqi Shia are Arabs. Despite close religious ties to Iran even Shia Arabs believe that Iranians (who are Indo-European, not Arab) want to dominate the region and Arabs in general oppose that. Wellesbourne Airfield Woodland Lodges sleep up to five guests in two bedrooms (one double bed, one set of bunk beds, plus pull out bed) and are set on one floor. Knights Lodges sleep up to seven guests and are set across two storeys, including a mezzanine level with grand galleried master bedroom. However, the lodges are not without some controversy as local historical groups like the Warwick Society objected to the original application on the grounds of the historical significance of the castle among other things. For full story see this week's Herald. Wellesbourne Airfield Without the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licence held by Radarmoor, flying businesses on at the airfield will no longer be able to operate. The letter states: All use of the property as an airfield will cease on the date on which Radarmoor gives up possession. In effect, therefore, any activities carried out by you which require the use of an operational airfield will have to cease at that time. Businesses are set to meet tonight to discuss how to respond to the letter but the news will come as a blow to those fighting to save the airfield from closure. Mat Timms, who runs the cafe at Wellesbourne Airfield, said: It was a bit scary to get the letter to be honest and its a worry for us because this is a family business of two generations. It does make me worry about the future but this information is nothing new, me and my colleagues set up Wellesbourne Matters to keep the airfield up and running. The businesses are meeting on Thursday and we need to act as a collective. The future of Wellesbourne Airfield has been in doubt since 2014 after the Littler family applied to include the airfield in Stratford District Councils housing guide, used to steer developments in the district until 2031. Gladman Developments have also expressed an interest in building up to 1,500 homes on the site. John Hargis, chairman of the Walton and Wellesbourne Neighborhood Plan Team, said: I am extremely disappointed with the position that has been taken. Wellesbourne is an integral part of the national network of airfields and its a source of tourism in the area which benefits the village. Many of the residents we have interviewed as part of the neighbourhood plan have made it clear they are against developing the airfield site into housing. No application to build on Wellesbourne Airfield has been received by Stratford District Council, but a statement by Gladman Developments this week said: Gladman Developments has an interest in the land. Wellesbourne Airfield is a previously developed site and can deliver a significant number of much needed new homes in addition to new jobs and a broad range of community and education facilities in an established sustainable location. Gladman is currently promoting the proposal through the Stratford-on-Avon Local Plan. Wellesbourne Matters has campaigned vocally to prevent the airfield being developed into housing, while Wellesbourne Parish Council unsuccessfully applied to get the airfield registered as a community asset last year. Wellesbourne Airfield was praised last year after being named the Best Light Aviation Airfield in the UK by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. It is home to several flying clubs and flight training schools, a cafe and an aircraft maintenance business. The airfield was established in 1941 after the Government placed a compulsory purchase order on several farms including Three Bridges Farm, owned by the Littler family. During the Second World War it was home to No.22 Operational Training Unit which at its peak in 1944 turned out 113 aircrews a month. After the war the airfield continued to train RAF pilots until it was sold back to the Littler family in 1965 and was used for vehicle testing, and as a base for aircraft and microlights. In 1981 the airfield was granted its commercial operating license by the CAA and was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh. The airfields most famous resident, Avro Vulcan XM655, arrived in 1984 and is now maintained on the site by the Vulcan XM655 Maintenance and Preservation Society. A small museum is also located at Wellesbourne Airfield and the Wellesbourne Airfield Market, one of the biggest open-air markets in the country currently takes place every week. It is understood the market operator has not been told to leave the site. Wellesbourne Airfield Nationally, there were more than 160 deaths from accidental fires in the home last year. By simply testing smoke alarms, many more lives could be saved. Women at the Top: 3 Female CEOs on the Industry Gender Imbalance Theres a scene in the HBO series Silicon ValleyMichelle Munson can rattle off the exact episode: season two, episode fourthat cuts to the heart of the problem women in technology face. The guys running Pied Piper, the startup at the center of the series, know that hiring a woman would be good for their company, but they dont want to hire a woman simply because shes a woman. One of them accidentally insults a female job candidate by pointing out that her gender is an asset, and that theyd like to have a woman working there. Im not a woman engineer, she says, making air quotes. Im an engineer. For Munson (right), who's an engineer, as well as the CEO and co-founder of high-speed file transfer specialist Aspera (an IBM company), the scene felt familiar. Shes used to having people compliment her, perhaps at conferences after shes given a talk, praising her intelligence. It makes her wonder if they would have given the same compliment to a man. Startups and Starting Out In the past years, theres been a lot of discussion in the press about how few women are majoring in STEM fields and entering the workforce in related professions. Attend any online video-related conference and its clear that men greatly outnumber women. The management teams of most streaming companies are hardly gender-balanced either. How have the few women who have managed to navigate this environment to the top of the ladder done so? And what can be done to create a fairer workplace in the future? Streaming Media spoke to three female CEOs to learn their thoughts on the industry, and to ask what theyve had to face that their male counterparts havent. Rachel Payne (left) is the CEO of media technology company FEM Inc. A serial entrepreneur, shes currently on her fifth startup in which she was either on the founding team or got in early. She loves the startup community and remembers that in the beginning, it was highly meritocratic. If you were a woman who was interested in tech, your only barrier was to be skilled and have the experiencenot necessarily even work experience, because it was still relatively nascent when I began my career, she says. She held early jobs with IDG, eBay, and Hotwire, offices that all had a strong female presence. But the barriers have changed, she finds, and companies have become more homogenized. That has a big impact on startups. Over time, what you find is that a lot of the companies that continue to get funded and are founded tend to be very homogeneous in nature, Payne says. The lack of diversity at the most senior levels means that theres a self-perpetuating cycle that like invests in like. If you dont fit that pattern, its a lot harder to get investment capital, even if you have a track record, even if you have the expertise, the education. Its a significant set of barriers, actually. For Payne, the diversity problem that tech companies face can be traced back to that funding. Women in the United States start companies at 1.5 times the average rate (according to American Express Open), but fewer than 5 percent of equity capital-funded ventures have women on their executive teams (according to the Diana Project), notes an article in Fast Company. When men are the ones who get funded ... they tend to fund their friends. The majority of their friends happen to be male, [so] theyre investing in their image, Payne says. It just creates a very strong self-perpetuating cycle of capital flowing to a very elite group. Its hard to break that cycle when they dont institutionally diversify better. Muriel De Lathouwer (right), managing director and CEO of broadcast technology company EVS, isnt sure whats causing the gender imbalance in todays tech companies, but its something shes used to. Growing up with five brothers, shes accustomed to being in the minority. That continued when she studied nuclear engineering in Brussels and started her career at Anderson Consulting. Whether at home or in the office, she says she was held to the same high standards as her male counterparts and never felt unwelcome attention or discouragement. Nonetheless, shed like to see the gender imbalance disappear. Its a pity that we dont have female engineers because if I look at the experience of the female engineers I met during my studies, a lot of them were extremely bright and extremely successful, De Lathouwer says. You need to first have females going into more technical studies. If you have more starting the studies, youre going to have more graduates and therefore more opportunity to hire females. Ive always been attracted by technology, but its probably a mix of culture, education, and attractiveness of the subject for females. Michelle Munson credits a female electrical engineering professor in college with helping her find her future path. This was in 1996, and that professor was the only one in the department clued in to the emerging World Wide Web. She asked the class to write a report using the web, and the experience was eye-opening. I remember the day in the lab that I was sitting there with a Netscape browser thinking This could change the whole world. That moment is what caused me to decide I really need to get more into software, Munson says. That event prompted Munson to study computer science in graduate school. While the culture wasnt unfriendly, she found that she took a different approach to the subject than her male peers did. One of the trickiest things for me was getting over the realization my male colleagues liked to tinker, she says. I really wanted to make something, and they were fascinated figuring out, just tinkering on with the operating system. The culture was focused on self-discovery, on letting those tinkerers find things out for themselves. She says its frustrating to female students who want clear documentation on the purpose of a given item. Munsons first jobs were with application-level networking startups created by Berkeley alumni. Those companies didnt last, but Munson credits them with giving her decades worth of experience in the 5 years before she started her own company. Her experience pointed to a clear gap in content-based delivery, which led to the formation of Aspera. She and a partner started the company in 2004. I knew the field well and I had confidence in the other founder and myself, and it turned out to be right, Munson says. As far as the woman CEO question, I really didnt ever think about that in terms of becoming a CEO or starting a company. One thing I did very much think about and was very aware of was I never would have been given the opportunity I gave myself starting my company had I not gone out and done it on my own. Climbing the Ladder One thing all three CEOs agree on is that once theyre in the working world, men and women climb the corporate ladder differently. Its due partly to how they perceive their own skills, and partly to how others perceive them. Its something that De Lathouwer has thought about a lot. She never aspired to be a CEO and didnt consider herself qualified even when the opportunity arose. I never ever considered myself as being a potential candidate for the CEO position, De Lathouwer says. And why? I had not been CEO before. I had been part of the executive committee, but not CEO. At that point her experience was with telecoms, but not broadcast companies, so she didnt think she was qualified and wouldnt have applied. It was only when other people approached her and told her to consider the opening that she began to consider it. When she looked at the CVs of her mostly male competitors, she thought they were being overzealous, and noted that many of them had less experience than she did. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles Brookfield Asset Management Inc (NYSE: BAM) made a proposal to acquire the common shares of Rouse Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RSE) for $17.00 in cash per share. As part of the transaction, Brookfield Property Partners L.P. (NYSE: BPY) would retain the Rouse shares that it currently owns. The proposed price represents a premium of 26% to the closing price of Rouse shares on January 15, 2016, and a 19% premium to the 30-day volume-weighted average trading price of Rouse shares. "Our offer provides an attractive opportunity for Rouse shareholders to realize a significant premium to recent public market pricing," said Brian Kingston, CEO of Brookfield Property Group. Brookfield presented its proposal to the Board of Directors of Rouse on January 16th. Consummation of the transaction would be subject to Brookfield and Rouse executing mutually acceptable definitive agreements. There is no assurance that the Board will approve a transaction with Brookfield or that a transaction will be consummated. Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella announced a new three-part initiative to ensure that Microsoft's cloud computing resources serve the public good. As part of this initiative the recently formed Microsoft Philanthropies will donate $1 billion of Microsoft Cloud Services, measured at fair market value, to serve nonprofits and university researchers over the next three years. Microsoft's three-part commitment focuses on ensuring the cloud can serve the public good in the broadest sense by providing additional cloud resources to nonprofits, increasing access for university researchers and helping solve last-mile Internet access challenges. "Microsoft is empowering mission-driven organizations around the planet with a donation of cloud computing services the most transformative technologies of our generation," said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who on Wednesday will speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Now more than 70,000 organizations will have access to technology that will help them solve our greatest societal challenges and ultimately improve the human condition and drive new growth equally." Cloud computing has emerged as a vital resource for unlocking the secrets held by data in ways that create new insights and lead to breakthroughs not just for science and technology, but for the full range of economic and social challenges and the delivery of better human services. It can also improve communications and problem-solving and help organizations work in a more productive and more efficient manner. In September 2015, 193 heads of state and other world leaders unanimously adopted 17 sustainable development goals to achieve by 2030. This ambitious agenda which includes ending poverty, ending hunger, and ensuring affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all will only be achievable with the benefit of significant inventions and technology innovations. The scale and computational power enabled by cloud computing will be essential to unlocking solutions to this list of some of the world's seemingly unsolvable problems. "We're committed to helping nonprofit groups and universities use cloud computing to address fundamental human challenges," said Microsoft President Brad Smith. "One of our ambitions for Microsoft Philanthropies is to partner with these groups and ensure that cloud computing reaches more people and serves the broadest array of societal needs." Specific elements of the new initiative include these: Serving the broad needs of the nonprofit community. A new global donation program will make Microsoft Cloud Services, including Microsoft Azure, Power BI, CRM Online and the Enterprise Mobility Suite, more available to nonprofit organizations through Microsoft Philanthropies. The program builds upon an already successful program that provides similar access to Office 365 for nonprofits. The nonprofit program for Microsoft Cloud Services will begin rolling out this spring, and Microsoft Philanthropies aims to serve 70,000 nonprofits in the next three years with these Microsoft Cloud Services. A new global donation program will make Microsoft Cloud Services, including Microsoft Azure, Power BI, CRM Online and the Enterprise Mobility Suite, more available to nonprofit organizations through Microsoft Philanthropies. The program builds upon an already successful program that provides similar access to Office 365 for nonprofits. The nonprofit program for Microsoft Cloud Services will begin rolling out this spring, and Microsoft Philanthropies aims to serve 70,000 nonprofits in the next three years with these Microsoft Cloud Services. Expanding access to cloud resources for faculty research in universities. Microsoft Research and Microsoft Philanthropies will expand by 50 percent the Microsoft Azure for Research program that grants free Azure storage and computing resources to help faculty accelerate their research on cutting-edge challenges. Today this program provides free cloud computing resources for over 600 research projects on six continents. Microsoft Research and Microsoft Philanthropies will expand by 50 percent the Microsoft Azure for Research program that grants free Azure storage and computing resources to help faculty accelerate their research on cutting-edge challenges. Today this program provides free cloud computing resources for over 600 research projects on six continents. Reaching new communities with last-mile connectivity and cloud services. Microsoft Philanthropies and Microsoft Business Development will combine donated access to Microsoft Cloud services with investments in new, low-cost last-mile Internet access technologies and community training. By combining cloud services with connectivity and training, and focusing on new public-private partnerships, Microsoft Philanthropies intends to support 20 of these projects in at least 15 countries around the world by the middle of 2017. Providing nonprofits with better access to Microsoft Cloud Services, including the powerful Microsoft Azure platform, builds upon Microsoft's longtime commitment to making cutting-edge technology available at no or low cost to organizations working on solving some of society's toughest problems. In recent years, as organizations have increased their reliance on cloud computing, Microsoft has worked in partnership with a broad range of organizations focused on big challenges. The initiatives show the potential impact that increased access to the transformational power of cloud computing can have: Microsoft Research is working with the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) Biodiversity Research Program through the use of 700 wireless sensors, cloud technology and automated data-stream processing to understand how cloud forests work and study the impact of climate changes on the communities supported by those forests. Through a partnership with the University of Texas at Austin called Project Catapult, Microsoft makes advanced cloud computing technology available to researchers that have demonstrated the ability to deliver lower power and cost, higher-quality results, or a combination of both. In Botswana, Microsoft is partnering with the Botswana Innovation Hub, Vista Life Sciences, the United States Agency for International Development and Global Broadband Solutions to assist Botswana, the University of Pennsylvania and the Ministry of Health in leveraging cloud-based health records management and Internet access enabled by use of TV white spaces to remotely deliver specialized medicine, including cervical cancer screenings to women at rural healthcare clinics. "Access to technology is critical to the operations and services of NetHope and its 44 humanitarian nonprofit member organizations," said NetHope CEO Lauren Woodman. "The power of cloud computing will create exponential value for all we do to serve the millions of people in our communities around the world." Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (PotashCorp) announced today that it is taking the difficult but necessary step to indefinitely suspend its Picadilly, New Brunswick potash operations. The suspension is expected to result in a workforce reduction of approximately 420-430 people in New Brunswick. A core crew of approximately 35 employees will be retained at Picadilly to keep the operation in care-and-maintenance mode. "This is a very difficult day for our employees and our company," said PotashCorp President and Chief Executive Officer Jochen Tilk. "While these are important steps in running a sustainable business and positioning the company to best meet the needs of its many stakeholders over the long term, such decisions are never easy. We understand the significant impact to our people in New Brunswick and the surrounding communities, and are committed to helping those affected through this challenging time." With an aim of minimizing the impact to jobs, more than 100 open positions will be available for New Brunswick employees to join the company's Saskatchewan operations, along with relocation assistance. We are committed to making this transition the best it can be under the circumstances. Employees who do not remain at Picadilly or who choose not to relocate to Saskatchewan will be provided severance and assistance packages. To assist employees and local residents, PotashCorp will also be establishing a CDN$5 million community investment fund which will include funding streams to: Help employees with job transition assistance, including skills training and educational support; Provide financial support to local businesses; and Support local charitable organizations. We will work with local partners, including employees and local leaders, in the coming months on details of the fund. Rationale Amidst a challenging macroeconomic backdrop, the suspension of our New Brunswick operations helps position the company to: Optimize production to our lower-cost potash operations; Realize meaningful capital savings; Maintain long-term operational flexibility; and Preserve jobs across the company over the long term. By optimizing our production, we expect to increase our competitiveness and reduce cost of goods sold by $40-$50 million in 2016, although this will be partially offset by severance and transition costs. The suspension of potash operations at Picadilly will also eliminate significant capital expenditures, including capital of approximately $50 million in 2016 and $135 million in 2017/18. PotashCorp's international customers that were historically served by New Brunswick will now be served from Saskatchewan through Canpotex. PotashCorp's storage and loading facilities at the port of St. John including capacity of up to 2.5 million tonnes per year will be made available to Canpotex. East Coast transportation costs including rail costs and ocean freight are expected to approximate levels currently realized through West Coast delivery. The company's volume entitlement within Canpotex will increase by 750,000 tonnes, representing an approximate 51.5 percent allotment beginning in 2016. The Picadilly mine will be placed in care-and-maintenance mode at an estimated annual cost of $20 million in 2016 and $15 million in subsequent years. Should the company decide to resume operations at Picadilly, it would require a period of about one year. Timeline and other details Given that New Brunswick operations has been on inventory adjustment shut down since the end of November, the suspension of operations will be effective immediately. In addition to the core crew of people who will continue to be employed for care-and-maintenance, we anticipate up to 100 employees will remain in place through a transitional period of approximately 4 months. As originally planned, environmental remediation work and care-and-maintenance at Cassidy Lake will continue, as will decommissioning at Penobsquis. Severance and transition costs associated with the suspension of potash operations are expected to approximate $35 million and will be reflected in our first quarter 2016 earnings. We are currently reviewing the carrying value of our affected assets and will provide an update in our January 28, 2016 earnings release. Rouse Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RSE) today announced that on Saturday, January 16, 2016, the Companys board of directors received a written, unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (NYSE: BAM), on behalf of a real estate fund managed by Brookfield, to acquire all the outstanding shares of the Companys common stock, other than those shares currently held by Brookfield Property Partners and its affiliates, together the beneficial owners of approximately 33% of the Company's outstanding common stock, for a purchase price of $17.00 per share in cash, which stated that the proposal is not subject to any financing contingencies and is not subject to any due diligence on the Company. Later that day, the Board met and established a special committee, consisting of Christopher Haley, Michael Hegarty, David Kruth, Michael Mullen and Andrew Silberfein (who are all the directors of the Company, other than the representatives of Brookfield on the Board). The Board delegated to the Special Committee all the Boards power and authority with respect to the Brookfield proposal, including the power and authority to evaluate, accept, reject and/or negotiate the proposal, explore and solicit other proposals and/or explore, evaluate and effect alternatives to the Brookfield proposal, and to cause the Company to take any and all corporate and other actions, and/or enter into any agreements with Brookfield or third parties, and/or adopt any measures, in response to or in connection with the Brookfield proposal, all as may be determined by the Special Committee in its sole discretion. The special committee is committed to maximizing value for the Companys shareholders. On Monday, January 18, 2016, the Special Committee selected Sidley Austin LLP as its independent legal counsel and BofA Merrill Lynch as its independent financial advisor to assist the Special Committee in reviewing and evaluating the Brookfield proposal and any alternatives thereto. The Special Committee intends to conclude its review and evaluation of the Brookfield proposal promptly. At the request of the Special Committee, Brookfield entered into a standstill agreement with the Company on January 18, 2016, pursuant to which Brookfield agreed that neither it nor its affiliates (other than (i) any separately traded public companies in which Brookfield or any of its subsidiaries hold a minority interest (or any of their respective subsidiaries or controlled affiliates), (ii) Brookfield Financial Corp. and its controlled affiliates so long as such person remains on the other side of an effective, customary information barrier from Brookfield Property Partners, L.P. (BPY) and Brookfield; provided that any acquisition, disposition or voting of Company common stock or other securities by Brookfield Financial Corp. or its controlled affiliates is not directly or indirectly coordinated or in concert with BPY or Brookfield, and (iii) Brookfield Investment Management Inc. and its controlled affiliates (collectively, BIM) and any funds managed or controlled by BIM so long as such person remains on the other side of an effective, customary information barrier from BPY and Brookfield; provided that any acquisition, disposition or voting of any Company common stock or other securities by BIM is not directly or indirectly coordinated or in concert with BPY or Brookfield) will, other than pursuant to a written agreement with the Company, acquire beneficial ownership (broadly defined) of any additional shares of the Companys common stock prior to March 4, 2016 (the Expiration Date). Such restriction will terminate prior to the Expiration Date if (a) the Company enters into a definitive agreement with any third party providing for an alternative transaction pursuant to which a person or group would acquire 50% or more of the Companys voting securities or assets or (b) a third party commences a tender or exchange offer which, if consummated, would result in such an alternative transaction and the Special Committee either accepts such offer or fails to recommend that the Companys stockholders reject such offer within ten business days. The Company will file the standstill agreement with Brookfield on a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The foregoing description of the standstill agreement is only a summary and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the standstill agreement. Interested persons are urged to read the standstill agreement in its entirety as so filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By Lawrence Delevingne NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a disappointing year for hedge funds, a few big winners shared a perhaps surprising trait: actually hedging. Funds who placed a broad array of bets produced some of the strongest gains, beating star managers like Bill Ackman, David Einhorn and Larry Robbins who invested more narrowly and ended 2015 with steep losses. Those who took a more conservative approach - often using large teams to further diversify investments - posted some of the strongest gains. Funds to produce double-digit returns in 2015 include Citadel, Millennium Management, Visium Asset Management, Tourbillon Capital Partners and Blackstone Group's Senfina Advisors, according to private performance information seen by Reuters. Those increases came during a year when the average hedge fund, as represented by the Absolute Return Composite Index, fell 0.13 percent. The S&P 500 Index gained 1.4 percent, with dividends, but many investors were burned during a volatile year that included a rout in the junk bonds of energy companies, plummeting healthcare stocks, and market gyrations pushed by fears of a Chinese economic slowdown. Those that beat the odds and won in 2015 underscore the types of hedge funds large risk-adverse investors such as pensions and endowments are flocking to. The firms usually take a neutral approach to the market's ups and downs, spreading out their bets and avoiding large wagers on any one idea or theme. "Having the discipline to stay hedged," said Matt Litwin, director of research at investment adviser Greycourt & Co., "paid off in a big way." TEAMWORK WINS Hedge funds known for their big teams scored in 2015. A prime example is Millennium Management, the $34 billion firm led by Brooklyn-born Israel Izzy Englander. Its main Millennium International fund gained 12.65 percent for the year, according to performance information seen by Reuters. Millennium's hallmark is a sea of different investments, including thousands of bets on stocks alone. The New York-based firm employs more than 1,800 people and 180 trading teams, making its staff among the largest in the world for hedge fund. Millennium's volume of investments are managed for risk by a separate team of employees and the portfolio is market-neutral, meaning the value of the bets on securities appreciating in value, so called longs, are equally balanced with those on them declining, so-called shorts. Citadel, the $25 billion fund manager led by billionaire Ken Griffin, gained 14.3 percent over 2015 in its main multi-strategy hedge funds, according to a person familiar with the returns. Citadel's funds, backed by a 700-person investment team, invest in stocks, bonds, commodities, macroeconomic trends and more. Each category was profitable for the year, according to the person. The firm's equity-focused hedge funds also gained 17.2 percent, according to the person. Both types of funds run at or near market neutral, meaning they likely benefited substantially from bets against stocks and other securities. Other winning multi-manager, market neutral firms, according to figures seen by Reuters, include Blackstone's Senfina, the new, nearly $2 billion unit that gained 23 percent between January and November; Jacob Gottlieb's $8 billion Visium, whose Global Fund gained 10.3 percent in 2015; Ari Glass $190 million Boothbay Fund Management, whose main fund gained an estimated 10.15 percent for the year; and Dmitry Balyasnys $8.1 billion Balyasny Asset Management, whose Atlas Enhanced Fund gained about 5.9 percent in 2015. To be sure, such funds can lose money, even if they aggressively attempt to manage risk, because they often use leverage, or borrowed money, to increase the size of their bets. The Absolute Return Multi-Strategy Index fell nearly 10 percent in 2008. It was the only down year for the hedge fund strategy since tracking began in 1998; last year, the average gain was 2.25 percent. BETTING BOTH WAYS Other funds with more centralized investment management also did well by spreading their bets, especially shorting stocks. Eton Park Capital Management, led by Eric Mindich, formerly of Goldman Sachs, gained 7.5 percent for the year in its main fund. The $9 billion firm's bets on Japan, derivatives and stocks, both long and short, drove the returns, according to a person familiar with the situation. Tourbillon, led by SAC Capital Advisors and Carlson Capital veteran Jason Karp, gained about 11 percent over 2015, according to a person familiar with the situation. The approximately $4 billion firm rose on both long and short bets on stocks, according to the person. They included winning bets on travel business Expedia rising and a wager on biopharmaceutical company MannKind Corp. falling. And Anson Group, the $500 million firm based in Dallas and Toronto, scored a 16.2 percent gain last year in its main hedge fund, according to a person familiar with the situation. The performance was driven by many small stock picks, especially bets on their decline, the person said. The fund is managed by Bruce Winson, Moez Kassam and Adam Spears. All three firms run portfolios that are at or close to market neutral. Firms contacted for this story did not respond to requests for comment or would not speak on the record. (Reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by Alan Crosby) David Einhorn, founder and president of Greenlight Capital, speaks during the Sohn Investment Conference in New York May 4, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON (Reuters) - David Einhorn, whose Greenlight Capital hedge fund ranked among last year's worst performers, told investors on Tuesday that he has made new bets on stocks including battered retailer Macy's and is currently concentrating on delivering better returns. Einhorn's fund, which had only one other losing year since opening for business in 1996, tumbled 20.2 percent in 2015. Acknowledging that "we have never had a year where so little went right," Einhorn pledged that the firm would "concentrate on trying to make better returns." But whether the billionaire investor is succeeding some three weeks into 2016 was not clear, considering he has already lost money on the Macy's bet and three of his top five investments, Apple Consol Energy and General Motors are losing money this year. The fund manager also explained what contributed to 2015's loss, where he lost money every quarter and bet that Netflix and Amazon, two of the best performing stocks, would fall while losing stocks would gain. In a letter sent to investors and seen by Reuters, Einhorn said he paid $45.69 a share for its Macy's position, getting into an investment where activist hedge fund Starboard Value has been pressing the 158-year old retailer for months to sell off some real estate holdings. Macy's is trading at $39.01, up 11.7 percent this year, but down from where Greenlight got in. 2016 should be better, Einhorn said, after unseasonably warm weather and a strong dollar weighed on recent sales. He is also holding open the chance for a change in the company's structure, noting "it wouldn't surprise us if a private equity firm teamed up with a REIT to buy the company and unlock the value privately." Greenlight bought generic pharmaceutical company Mylan for $45.32, notching a nice gain with the stock currently changing hands at $50.34 a share. Greenlight expects the company to earn close to $7 a share in 2018, fueled by its robust pipeline of respiratory, injectable and biologic drugs. Last year was horrible for the fund, Einhorn acknowledged, noting that he expected Amazon and Netflix, which surged ahead, to fall while the stock he thought would gain actually fell. So it was time to sell and the most noteworthy liquidation was semiconductor company Micron Technology Inc, Greenlight's biggest winner in 2014 and its biggest loser in 2015. Greenlight ultimately made money on the bet, selling it at roughly $22.14 a share after having paid $19.93 a share for the investment. Also gone are its investments in Bank of New York, which generated a small gain, and a bet on Applied Materials, which the fund exited at $18.21, with a small loss. For now, Einhorn, who lets investors exit his funds only rarely, said he has only "modest redemptions" and that a few clients even wanted to add more money. But he is not accepting new cash now. Known for his sense of humor, Einhorn closed the letter with a quote from the late rock star David Bowie: "I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring." (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by David Gregorio; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Arizona tourism officials are in Chicago this week encouraging Chicagoans to Warm Up in AZ and plan their next vacation to the Grand Canyon State. "Chicago is one of our most important visitor relationships," said Debbie Johnson, Director of the Arizona Office of Tourism. "We continually look for ways to build a strong connection to locals so Arizona is top-of-mind as they plan their travel getaways." Arizona tourism officials have been actively marketing in Chicago for the last several months with digital billboards and mall advertising featuring vibrant images of Arizona's winter-time activities that can be enjoyed through the state. Additionally, Arizona will be featured at the upcoming Travel and Adventure Show in Chicago, January 23-24. Considered to be the largest consumer travel shows in the U.S., the event is an opportunity to connect with locals to tell them about Arizona's unique travel offerings. However, tourism officials want to do more than just tell residents about Arizona. They want consumers to experience and taste Arizona. Those attending the Travel and Adventure Show can do this by testing their agility on an obstacle course that resembles what could be found at Flagstaff Extreme, northern Arizona's popular outdoor obstacle course attraction. Watch two award-winning chefs, Chef Michael Cairns and Chef Janos Wilder, prepare a delectable taste of Arizona with ingredients grown on Arizona farms. Taste wine from a variety of Arizona wineries. Take a scenic ride of Arizona by using a Samsung Gear Virtual Reality Headset. Enjoy a photo opportunity while "fishing" from a kayak or in front of a green screen booth featuring images of Arizona's national parks. There will also be a chance to enter an Arizona vacation sweepstakes. Previous marketing efforts by Arizona tourism officials included outfitting Chicagos Fullerton Station in January 2015 with a Station Domination initiative. Oversized props of sunglasses, swim trunks and a bikini warmed the imagination of commuters, while Arizona-branded heating stations gave an actual taste of southwest weather. The entire station featured floor-to-ceiling images of beautiful and scenic landscapes so locals felt as if they were stepping into a warm-weather escape. The year before featured an award-winning campaign that included a wallscape with a 3D build out of two 16-foot, 400-pound flip-flops that captured the attention of commuters in downtown and encouraged them to kick off their own shoes and let themselves go in Arizona. Arizona's consumer travel advertising campaign in Chicago is part of a more concentrated approach that complements the agency's current national campaign already running in U.S. markets. Promotion efforts raise awareness of Arizona as an exciting, warm-weather winter destination. AOT collaborated with advertising firm Off Madison Ave on the concept, design and execution of the campaign, which will run through February 2016. As Arizonas only statewide marketing agency promoting the Grand Canyon State, AOT produces various year-round travel advertising campaigns promoting Arizona as a vibrant travel and tourism destination. In 2014, more than 40 million visitors generated $20.9 billion throughout the state, injecting nearly $57 million each day into Arizonas economy. The Arizona travel and tourism industry generates revenue in all 15 Arizona counties, and is responsible for producing $2.8 billion in local, state and federal tax revenues, representing a $1,150 tax break per Arizona household. Additionally, the Arizona tourism industry employs more than 171,500 Arizona residents. Combined with the secondary employment that is generated, nearly 300,000 Arizona residents are financially impacted by this dynamic, statewide industry. For more industry research data, visit AOT's business site, tourism.az.gov. For information about Arizona travel experiences, see VisitArizona.com. About Arizona Office of Tourism Created as an executive agency in 1975, the Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) is charged with enhancing the states economy and the quality of life for all Arizonans by expanding travel activity and increasing related revenues through tourism promotion. For information on AOTs program of work, research and media plans, visit tourism.az.gov. For information about Arizona travel experiences, see VisitArizona.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119006941/en/ Arizona Office of Tourism Kiva Couchon, 602-364-3724 [email protected] cell: 480-271-7859 Source: Arizona Office of Tourism LUSAKA, Zambia (PRWEB) January 19, 2016 The history of the Tumbuka people is finally laid bare in authors Yizenge Chondoka and Frackson F. Bota's newest historical nonfiction, "A History of the Tumbuka from 1400 to 1900" (published by Xlibris UK). A comprehensive retelling of the Tumbuka history beginning in the 15th century, it unveils centuries of cultural evolution starting from their place of origination and into the society that they have formed today. "A History of the Tumbuka from 1400 to 1900" is the first book on the history of the Tumbuka that reveals their origins from the Luba Kingdom in the present Democratic Republic of Congo to where they are settled in the present day. It details their leaders, the routes they used, the kingdom they formed as well as the many cultural practices they have followed and how from the 18th century, their kingdom was invaded and ruled by many non-Tumbuka ethnic groups that were eventually absorbed in their culture. "The study was overdue," says Professor Ackson Kanduza of the History Department of the University of Swaziland. "Fortunately, the delay has been rewarded because the duty of doing this important work fell in good hands . . . The book improves our understanding of the Tumbuka in the twentieth century and beyond . . . Probably the strongest strength of the book is that the general reader and the specialist will find it easy to read." Offering valuable information to interested readers and scholars in African studies, the book is a significant piece of the puzzle that sheds much light on the wonderful bounty of African diversity. "A History of the Tumbuka from 1400 to 1900" By Yizenge Chondoka Hardcover | 6x9in | 324 pages | ISBN 9781499096262 Softcover | 6x9in | 324 pages | ISBN 9781499096279 E-Book | 324 pages | ISBN 9781499096286 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Authors Professor Yizenge A. Chondoka holds a diploma in secondary teaching from Kwame Nkrumah Teachers College; BA (Ed) and MA in history from the University of Zambia (UNZA); and a PhD from the University of Toronto in Canada. He joined the University of Zambia in 1985 and retired in December 2007. Before retiring, he taught history at Pennsylvania State University in the USA in the fall of 2007. In March 2008, he joined the Zambian Open University (ZAOU) where he is currently the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. He is an author of many history books. He is married and has five children. Frackson F. Bota was born in Dowoko village, Chief Muyombe in Mafinga District, Muchinga Province of Zambia. He trained as a Zambia enrolled nurse at Mwami Adventist Hospital School of Nursing in Chipata, Zambia. Thereafter, Mr. Bota trained as an ophthalmic nurse in Tanzania. He is also trained in basic laboratory techniques and as a psychosocial counselor. He is also married and has four kids. Bota is an excellent Tumbuka traditional historian and contributed immensely to field research for this book. He is retired and lives on his farm in Chipata. Xlibris Publishing UK, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider dedicated to serving authors throughout the United Kingdom. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibrispublishing.co.uk or call 0800 056 3182 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisUK on Twitter for the latest news. Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/AHistoryoftheTumbukafrom/1400to1900/prweb13170831.htm Platform upgrade includes latest, most advanced version of Yardi Voyager Affordable Housing SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HomeSpring Residential Services LLC (HomeSpring) announced today an upgrade to Yardi Voyager 7S. Through this upgrade, HomeSpring gains Web-based property management and affordable housing solutions hosted by Yardi in a cloud-based, SaaS environment. Founded in 1982, HomeSpring manages more than 2,700 affordable housing units from its headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. HomeSpring Vice President Ginger Miller described how the company expects the upgrade to benefit the organization. Upgrading to 7S greatly enhances HomeSprings efforts to share real-time data to staff across all departments, including finance, property managers and our compliance reporting teams. I cant imagine operating as a property manager without Yardi Voyager, and this upgrade makes Voyager even more valuable to us as an organization, said Miller. Miller described how working with Yardi keeps HomeSpring up to date with evolving affordable property management technology. With Yardi I dont have to try to predict what technology is coming soon or what technology we might be missing out on. Yardi is on the cutting edge and consistently delivers products that take advantage of all of the latest developments for property managers, said Miller. One example of this is RENTCafe Affordable Housing, which HomeSpring uses to provide its residents the ability to make online payments and service requests. Residents expect these Web-based conveniences. Its great that Yardi offers a client-facing online solution built into our core Voyager platform. Miller also spoke of the potential for RENTCafe Affordable Housing to manage affordable housing applications processes. We process approximately 300 affordable housing applications per month. We are interested in seeing how RENTCafe Affordable Housing may help us eliminate paperwork from the application process and get our applicants to submit everything online, including digital attachments of supplemental documents, said Miller. Yardi Vice President of Affordable Housing Boone Atkins noted how much Yardi appreciates its long-term relationship with HomeSpring. HomeSpring is very much a success story for Yardi. We are thrilled to bring technology solutions to this great company for more than 20 years. HomeSpring creates valuable housing and community service resources in San Antonio, and we are proud theyve selected Yardi, said Atkins. About HomeSpring HomeSpring Residential Services is committed to providing outstanding services in a professional manner. Cumulatively, HomeSpring has over 75 years of experience in the real estate industry, with 35 years dedicated to multifamily management. HomeSpring attributes its success partially to a commitment to limit the number of units it manages at any given time. This scaled approach ensures HomeSpring can devote the time and staffing resources necessary to make every community a priority. HomeSpring has considerable experience working with both conventional and government insured mortgage programs. HomeSpring is an approved HUD management company, with a successful working relationship with the San Antonio HUD office. For more information, visit www.homespringresidential.com. About Yardi Now in its fourth decade, Yardi is committed to the design, development and support of software for real estate investment management and property management. With the Yardi Multifamily Suite, Yardi Commercial Suite, Yardi Investment Suite, and Yardi Orion Business Intelligence, the Yardi Voyager platform is a complete real estate management solution. It includes operations, accounting and ancillary processes and services with portfolio-wide business intelligence and platform-wide mobility. Yardi is based in Santa Barbara, Calif., and serves clients worldwide from offices in North America, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.yardi.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005163/en/ Yardi Systems Inc. Joel Nelson, 800-866-1144 x1255 [email protected] Source: Yardi Systems Inc. ATLANTA, Jan. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- America's one-million-plus real estate brokers and agents use separate technology systems for email, CRM, lead generation, calendar scheduling and task tracking, document storage, electronic signatures, transaction management, and drip marketing. Zenergyst is looking to disrupt real estate technology's silo approach with the industry's first cloud-based, wholly integrated and end-to-end mobile real estate management system. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160118/323231 "Zenergyst is like taking the right pieces from Gmail, Dropbox, MailChimp, dotloop, REESIO and Top Producer, putting them together and making it affordable for any brokerage," says Jack Berube, CEO of Zenergyst. Zenergyst is a simple-to-use, fully integrated, mobile real estate management system that offers a CRM, lead generation, transaction management, email, calendar and task tracking, workflow checklists, integrated electronic signatures and shareable document storage all in the cloud. "It's the first system that truly manages the real estate sales funnel from top-to-bottom," Berube says. "Everyone is paying for technology no one is really using. For the technology you actually use, most brokerages will subscribe to multiple products, log in and out of various systems, and re-enter the same damn data again and again. It's nuts," Berube adds. Zenergyst launches January 26th at Inman Real Estate Connect in New York City, and is featured as part of the conference's coveted Startup Alley. Real Estate Connect, the real estate industry's pre-eminent gathering of the leaders in real estate and technology industries, has launched some of the real estate technology industry's biggest brands. Rhonda Duffy (duffyrealtyofatlanta.com), who is ranked as the number one listing agent in the U.S. and the number one agent in Georgia, calls Zenergyst, "The Swiss-Army knife" of real estate technology. "Vendors keep pushing single apps or bloated software with features that agents will never use," Duffy said. "Zenergyst has created a 'right-sized' technology to include only the features a broker or team needs to manage their real estate pipeline." "Zenergyst has made the complex simple and affordable, which is exactly what agents must have," Duffy adds. "Agents don't have time to sit in a training class to learn every new product and most agents can't afford to pay $30 to $100 a month for a dozen different services. Zenergyst solves both of these problems." Zenergystintegrated product features: Email system: Full-featured email system leverages your email address (IMAP) throughout all these features and connects email to tasks, schedules, documents, and more. Full-featured email system leverages your email address (IMAP) throughout all these features and connects email to tasks, schedules, documents, and more. CRM tool: Agents can quickly add prospects and clients to a new marketing campaign; everything is synchronized, time stamped and trackable. Agents can quickly add prospects and clients to a new marketing campaign; everything is synchronized, time stamped and trackable. Transaction management: A fully collaborative system that allows agents to interact with their clients no exporting or importing, everything is all on the cloud in this single environment. A fully collaborative system that allows agents to interact with their clients no exporting or importing, everything is all on the cloud in this single environment. Lead aggregation: Leads generated from any source can be automatically imported into the platform. Leads generated from any source can be automatically imported into the platform. Drip marketing: Fast, easy to use templates to stay-in-touch with prospects and past clients. Fast, easy to use templates to stay-in-touch with prospects and past clients. Calendar and task tracking: Everything agents needs for scheduling their daily routine and track tasks throughout the transaction process to help agents keep on top of their pipeline. Everything agents needs for scheduling their daily routine and track tasks throughout the transaction process to help agents keep on top of their pipeline. Electronic signatures: Fully integrated into the platform and ultra secure, works just like the most popular eSignature systems but is completely integrated, storing everything in one place (for brokerages, Zenergyst is designed to work in concert with their current solution in most cases). Fully integrated into the platform and ultra secure, works just like the most popular eSignature systems but is completely integrated, storing everything in one place (for brokerages, Zenergyst is designed to work in concert with their current solution in most cases). Cloud storage and sharing: Features a secure and easy way to securely share documents, files, photos, video (you name it) so your customers don't need to open a third-party account to access their files. Features a secure and easy way to securely share documents, files, photos, video (you name it) so your customers don't need to open a third-party account to access their files. "White label" for MLS Systems, REALTOR Associations, Brokerages and Teams: The platform is designed to promote the private brand, not Zenergyst's brand, with a 24-hour "White label" offering to customize the platform to the look and feel of the brokerage's brand. "White label" customized branding includes color scheme, corporate logo, and customized task lists. Beginning on January 25th, 2016 - users can participate in a private BETA of the application and take advantage of a promotional pricing special - as a thanks for helping put the final touches on the product, users can join the Zenergyst platform for $99 and get an all-access pass to the product for 6 months. Then enjoy the Zenergyst system for 20% off for life. To sign up, please visit the promotional site for more details. About Zenergyst Zenergyst, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is the real estate industry's first fully-integrated mobile real estate and mortgage management system. This cloud-based platform features just the right tools active agents need to manage their business, including CRM, lead generation, transaction management, drip marketing, email, calendar and task tracking, workflow checklists, integrated electronic signatures and shareable document storage. Zenergyst offers subscribers one system to reduce operating risk, boost efficiency and improve the overall customer experience. Discover Zenergyst online at http://www.zenergyst.com. Contact Information Jack BerubeCEO[email protected](404) 804-4648 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zenergyst-to-launch-real-estate-cloud-platform-at-inman-connect-nyc-300205897.html SOURCE Zenergyst Fire rises from an oil tank in the port of Es Sider, in Ras Lanuf, Libya, January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer By Aidan Lewis TUNIS (Reuters) - The attacks against Libya's biggest oil terminals were lethal and sustained. The last two weeks have seen suicide bombings, huge fires at storage tanks, and a hole blown in a major pipeline. The oil ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf had been closed for more than a year, and the Islamic State militants advancing on them backed off after three days of shelling and clashes. But the escalation of violence in Libya's coastal "oil crescent" has underscored the threat to an energy industry that, despite the political chaos plaguing the country, still provides vital income to the state. Oil is central to Libya's livelihood and the power struggles following the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi often focused on the industry. The OPEC member's exports plunged from 2013 as armed groups began shutting down production to press political demands. Last year, as two rival governments competed for power from Tripoli and the east, Islamic State gained a foothold in the city of Sirte and launched its first attacks against oil infrastructure. The group has not taken control of oil fields, as it has in Syria. But it has pushed along the coast from Sirte, consolidating its presence in towns including Ben Jawad, just 30 km (19 miles) west of Es Sider. "I think the danger is very grave, especially in Es Sider," Mohamed al-Harari, a spokesman for the National Oil Corp (NOC) in Tripoli, told Reuters by telephone. "The area seems to be secure, but nobody can guarantee anything." The recent spate of attacks began on Jan. 4 with a double car bombing at a Petroleum Facilities Guards outpost near Es Sider. As the violence intensified, the NOC posted a "cry for help" on its website. And as a precaution against further attacks, the company said on Thursday that it had sent a tanker to remove oil from the terminals, though guards, citing security concerns, had not granted it access. The guards are a military sub-division created in 2005 and paid by the NOC. Their numbers swelled to at least 12,000 after the uprising, but analysts say their allegiances are uncertain and their fighting capacity limited. At least 18 guards were killed in the recent clashes, and spokesman Ali al-Hassi told Reuters the force expected another Islamic State attack "at the earliest opportunity". With militants threatening to puncture defenses at Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, "there is a very real risk" of an attack on the still-functioning Brega terminal another 115 km (70 miles) to the east, said Richard Mallinson, an analyst at research consultancy Energy Aspects. They could also potentially strike the oil fields of Sarir, Messla and Nafoura, which account for about 60 percent of Libya's current oil output of just under 400,000 barrels per day, he said. Libya produced 1.6 million barrels per day before the uprising. DESTROYING, NOT HOLDING So far, Islamic State has aimed to destroy infrastructure to damage state revenue streams and undermine a U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) scheduled to take power in the coming weeks, said Claudia Gazzini, senior Libya analyst at the International Crisis Group. Islamic State's Libyan forces, estimated to number in the low thousands, might not be able to seize control of oil facilities from the guards, she said. But control may not be a priority. Libya's oil industry is largely structured on exports of crude oil across the Mediterranean, so it is hard to make significant profits locally. "They're aiming to create a deficit of the public funds and create social and economic upheaval," said Gazzini. Es Sider and Ras Lanuf -- with an export capacity of 600,000 barrels per day -- were processing about 300,000 bpd before they were shut in December 2014 amid fighting that had already damaged some of the terminals' 32 storage tanks. Two more tanks were hit, and the fires spread to a further five during this month's clashes. NOC spokesman Harari said the company had not yet been able to assess the damage accurately, but he estimated that up to 850,000 barrels had been destroyed. Backers of the unity government hope the threat from Islamic State, which also claimed a suicide attack this month that killed at least 60 in the western town of Zliten, will push Libya's myriad factions to unite against a common enemy. "The fight against Daesh (Islamic State) and the fear of Daesh expansion, this is one of the consensus topics," said UN Libya envoy Martin Kobler. "I see a growing tendency to rally behind the political agreement." But the agreement for the GNA still faces fierce opposition from some factions, and it is unclear how and when the government will move to Tripoli. "It's a mountain to climb for the GNA to establish legitimacy, even before we start talking about organizing security against Islamic State," said Mallinson. (Additional reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi; editing by Patrick Markey and Katharine Houreld) Stratford residents Renae and James List recently discovered a box of around 200 letters written during World War II in their attic. A wartime love story told in letters lay undiscovered in a Taranaki attic for decades. A few months after they bought their Stratford home Renae and James List found a dusty box containing 240 letters to a New Zealand soldier from his English fiancee. "I went up there to have a look at the wiring and found them in a box sitting on top of the batts," James said. ROBERT CHARLES/FAIRFAX NZ Stratford residents Renae and James List recently discovered a box of 240 letters written during World War II in their attic. The letters from Patricia Gower, nee Evento, to Dan Gower, chronicle their relationship through long separations while Dan served in the MIddle East and Italy during World War II, a surprise engagement ring (delivered by a friend), their marriage, birth of a baby girl and their move to New Zealand. READ MORE: * Kiwi World War II flying hero Keith Thiele dies * Te Papa brings epic scale of World War I to life * Pippa's astonishing story recognised And they are full of Patricia's longing to see him again. One of the letters Patricia wrote to Dan during their time apart. "You are the nicest fellow in all the world and I love you very, very much. It will be marvellous Dan, when instead of having to write my thoughts, I will have you with me in person. "Did you hear Churchill's speech? He seems to think the war in the Middle East may probably end next year, I hope it is this year, but anyway it can't go on very much longer so will continue to wait patiently, or rather impatiently, consoling myself with the thought of our future." Dan, whose official name was Winston Gower, came from a farm called Ratanui, at Tututawa, inland from Stratford. Patricia wrote in her letters of the couple being able to return there after the war. The letters were all carefully dated, and occasionally censored during the war. The letters all were numbered, so they could keep track of them as the post was often erratic, and some had been censored before they were sent. There was a four month gap in the letters after the couple got married in 1944 and Dan returned to the war, before heading home to Stratford in 1945. In one letter, she stops writing part way through because her labour pains began. When she picked up her pen two days later, it was to tell him about the birth of their daughter on May 28, 1945. In one letter Patricia's labour pains forced her to stop writing. "May 30, 1945. Well love, I had to stop at that point because Joy Vivienne thought she would tell me she was on her way." Patricia had stayed behind to have the baby, then wait until baby Joy was about four months old and able to travel. Renae said she had put the letters into chronological order and read them all. James and Renae are keen to find out more about the couple and would like to hear from their descendents. "I feel like I've got to know her, I feel quite attached to her," said Renae. The story in Patricia's words ends after she and Dan were reunited, but the box tells of a sad ending to her story as it also contains her death notice eight years later, and a bundle of condolence cards from friends and family. "I'm guessing he stored them here and they just got forgotten." "They spent all this time in the war trying to get together, they get here and she dies a few years later, it's a tragedy like you'd see in a movie," said James List. The previous owner of their home had owned it for more than 40 years, and they did not know how long Dan remained in the house after Patricia's death. Both Patricia, who died in 1956 at the age of 36, and Dan, who died in 1977, are buried at Stratford's Koputama Cemetery. James and Renae are keen to find out more about the couple and would like to hear from their descendents, as they are hoping the couple will have grandchildren or other relative who would be interested in the story and could tell them more about the couple. "We are hoping to find some of their descendents, there must be some family connection,"said Renae. "I've had a bit of a look online at ancestry.com and that kind of thing. They had three children and two of them were girls. One of the daughter, Suzanne, I think she was a nurse in New Plymouth. The other children wee Joy and Peter." On Tuesday, a Taranaki man was jailed for 18 months after he drove drunk in a stolen ambulance. A drunken joy ride in a stolen ambulance has landed a Taranaki man behind bars. Stratford's Malcolm Tapsel was sentenced to 18 months jail when he appeared in the Hawera District Court on Tuesday. The 35-year-old was arrested on November 19 after he, along with his co-offender Sheyllee Maree Edwards, stole the emergency vehicle from the St John ambulance bay on Portia St in Stratford. The duo only managed to cover a short distance before being stopped by police. The ambulance, a Mercedes Benz Sprinter, which is valued at more than $200,000, was not damaged during the theft. READ MORE: Driving off in an ambulance after a drinking session lands pair in court When breath-tested by police, Tapsel blew 917 mcgs. The legal driving limit is 250 mcgs. Judge Allan Roberts said Tapsel had admitted to drinking 24 cans of pre-mixed bourbon and cola before he got behind the wheel. The defendant earlier pleaded guilty to drink driving and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle when he appeared in court in December. Co-offender Edwards, 33, also pleaded guilty and is due to appear in the Hawera District Court for sentencing on February 3. Tapsel's lawyer Neal Harding said his client was embarrassed and disappointed about his crimes. "If it hadn't been for the alcohol consumption, he doesn't think this offending would have happened," Harding said. Roberts said Tapsel had an extensive criminal history, including 18 convictions for burglary and 16 for theft. He also had three previous convictions for drink driving. Roberts said the ambulance theft was the "height of stupidity" and could have put lives at risk if the vehicle had been required during the time "drunken oaf" Tapsel had taken it for a "joyride." After taking into account the totality of the offending and Tapsel's previous convictions, Roberts gave the defendant credit for his early guilty pleas. On the charge of stealing the ambulance, Tapsel was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. A 12 month concurrent jail term was imposed for the drink driving charge. Tapsel was also disqualified from driving for one year and one day. 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. The meat workers union is calling for the government to get involved in the investigation of an accident at Affco Rangiuru. A young German worker on a holiday visa was knocked out and left with cuts to his head after an accident on Friday. SH29A Maungatapu underpass timelapse SH29A Maungatapu underpass - you can now view the latest timelapse video. The site around the Maungatapu roundabout has been a hive of activity. Posted by NZ Transport Agency Waikato BoP on Monday, January 18, 2016 A timelapse video of construction beginning on the SH29A Maungatapu underpass shows the progress made on the project so far. The video has been posted by the New Zealand Transport Agency on its Facebook page. The sound of squealing tyres was heard before a car crashed into a pole in overnight. Emergency services were called to the crash on Fraser Street, near Courtney Road, around 6.30pm. Clocking up more than 1400 parachute jumps, Bay of Plenty man John Harrison has trained New Zealand Defence Force and foreign military personnel around the world to do the same. Settling back in Rotorua with his young family, John now trades in his chute to return to his first love of firefighting. Kauf und Ubertragung einfach und sicher Uns vertrauen Kunden weltweit Syracuse, N.Y. A Syracuse apartment building where "The Great Gatsby" author F. Scott Fitzgerald briefly lived as a child is scheduled to be demolished. The building at 501 Catherine St. is one of two buildings on the block between East Willow and Hickory streets that will be demolished and replaced with 50 new apartments, either in one long building or in several buildings, said Paul Driscoll, commissioner of Syracuse's Department of Neighborhood and Business Development. Driscoll said the apartment building, built in 1898 at the corner of East Willow and Catherine streets, was vacant and already had numerous code violations when a fire that started next door at 505 Catherine St. damaged it Nov. 18. The city had the building at 505 Catherine St. demolished the day after the fire because it was heavily damaged and posed a public safety hazard, Driscoll said. Engineers later determined that 501 Catherine St. and 509 Catherine St., the other building on the block, were not worth savings and should be demolished as well, he said. Both buildings are vacant. According to the Onondaga Historical Association, Fitzgerald's family moved to Syracuse from Buffalo in 1901, when he was 5. At the time, his father worked for Procter & Gamble. They first lived at 603 W. Genesee St., a building that no longer exists. In 1902, the family moved to Kasson Place at 622 James St., an apartment building that not only still exists, it underwent extensive renovations three years ago. The following year, the Fitzgeralds moved a block away to 501 Catherine St. They moved back to Buffalo later in 1903, when the future author was 7. Dennis Connors, curator of history at the historical association, said it's unfortunate the building at 501 Catherine St. will be coming down, but that its historical value is limited. "It's not like he wrote 'The Great Gatsby' while he was living there," he said. Considered one of the 20th century's greatest American novelists, Fitzgerald published his third and most famous work, "The Great Gatsby," in 1925, a period of American history known as the Jazz Age. The book centered on characters in the fictional wealthy town of West Egg on Long Island. Fitzgerald died in Hollywood, Calif., at the age of 44. Driscoll said the city did not learn of Fitzgerald's connection to 501 Catherine St. until last week, when plans had already been made to tear it down. However, he said the interior of the building is in such bad condition that the building's connection to the author will not change plans to demolish it, he said. The demolition is expected to occur this spring, he said. Home Headquarters Inc., a builder of affordable housing in underserved neighborhoods, bought the building from Amariah Properties LLC in September for $5,150, according to Onondaga County property records. Home Headquarters also acquired 509 Catherine St. from different owners, Driscoll said. He said plans are for Home Headquarters to sell the properties to another nonprofit organization, CNY Services, which would build 50 apartments on the block half for people affected by substance abuse and half for people on low incomes. The map below shows the block on Catherine Street to be redeveloped. Click on the buildings for more information about each. Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 Kellogg Street Shooting 1.JPG Syracuse police officers investigate at the scene of a shooting that killed Juan Martinez and injured his brother. (Ken Sturtz | ksturtz@syracuse.com) Alex Rosario Bryan Matos Syracuse, NY -- County Court Judge Walter Hafner Jr. was concerned today that the family of a homicide victim didn't agree to a 10-year sentence for the killer. But after hearing a trial in a co-defendant's case, Hafner said he understood why the deal was made. The victim, Juan Martinez, 22, and his 15-year-old brother were riding bicycles up and down Kellogg Street on Aug. 1, 2014 looking for Bryan Matos and Alex Rosario, the judge said, based on trial evidence. Matos and Rosario were on the porch of 109 Kellogg St., minding their own business, Hafner said. Martinez went onto the porch and pistol-whipped a third person on the porch, the judge said. Martinez's gun went off. Matos and Rosario then pulled out guns and fired. Matos struck Martinez and Rosario hit the 15-year-old, the judge said. The 15-year-old, weakened from being shot, retrieved a gun from under the porch but was unable to fire it, Hafner noted. Martinez was killed and the 15-year-old was injured. "If they weren't there, they wouldn't have been shot," Hafner said of the victims. He called the episode "warfare," noting that four guns were used. The judge described the shooting today after the victims' mother repeatedly said that she did not accept the plea deal for the fatal shooter, Matos. Matos was indicted on a murder charge, but that was dismissed after the investigation showed the shooter's self-defense claim against the victim, said prosecutor Melinda McGunnigle. Instead, Matos pleaded guilty in December to illegal weapon possession and was promised 10 years in prison. Hafner, who joined the case this month after replacing the retired Joseph Fahey, eventually agreed to go along with the plea after noting the circumstances of the case. The judge noted he didn't usually agree to sending a killer to prison for only 10 years. The mother, who would not provide her full name to a reporter, eventually said in court that she understood the plea deal was the best the DA could get, but that she still didn't accept it. Matos said in court that his actions "were forced upon me," but added that he took responsibility for what happened. Rosario, the other shooter who injured the 15-year-old, decided to reject a plea deal and take his case to trial. The trial hinged on whether the 15-year-old victim would show up to testify. He did, but only after being arrested first. A jury found Rosario guilty Friday of assaulting the 15-year-old victim. Under law, Rosario's sentence could theoretically be much longer than the fatal shooter's. That's because after trial, the judge can sentence Rosario to up to 25 years in prison. Rosario will be sentenced for the non-fatal shooting on Feb. 29. ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) Krista Lamando sat on a couch on a recent Friday afternoon, covered in blankets and content doing something she excels at figuring out puzzles. In other areas of life, the 20-year-old Landisville resident struggles. She has trouble making friends, picking up on social cues and remembering things. Writing in her diary every day helps. Lamando has autism. And as a woman, she is in the minority in the autism community. Autismspeaks.org estimates that while 1 out of 42 boys in the U.S. are diagnosed with some form of autism, the condition affects only 1 in 189 girls. No one is sure why the disparity exists, but it has meant that, until recently, females with autism havent gotten the same attention as males. I think it is harder to diagnose for one, harder to detect for parents, said Isabelle Mosca, executive director of the Ventnor group Families for Autistic Children, or FACES. Seeing someone who is extremely shy, you might write it off as they are extremely shy, she told The Press of Atlantic City (http://bit.ly/1NgjsgJ ). I do think that the autism does look different in boys and girls. As more attention is paid to studying girls and women with autism, advocates hope it will lead to earlier diagnoses and to more programs that will benefit girls. Kristas mother, Judy, said her daughter wasnt diagnosed with autism until she was 13. Judy Lamando has learned from talking with other parents that her daughters difficulty in making friends is a common theme among girls with autism. It is less of a problem now, she said, since they learned of the FACES group and Krista became involved in pageants and other activities. Krista wants things to be perfect and can be tenacious about it, her mother said. She also doesnt like it when her routine is disrupted. When the mother wants her daughter to learn something, she shows her not just once, but repeatedly until it sticks, like a groove on a vinyl record. She cant pick it up the first time. Im trying to teach her how to cook and show her different things. She has to see it a couple of times, a few times, said Judy Lamando. Isabella DAlessandro, 17, of Egg Harbor Township, also got a late diagnosis of autism. Her mother, Bernadette, said doctors originally thought Isabella had something called pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified. The teenager was diagnosed by a doctor at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Bernadette DAlessandro said she thinks boys with autism are often more introverted in some ways than high-functioning girls with autism, such as her daughter. Isabella will sit at the table with her parents, hold her dog Luke and talk about how her autism has affected her life. She doesnt like to read and used to have very bad nightmares. The Egg Harbor Township High School junior says she used to have problems making eye contact with people when she was a child. She didnt like it when all the other girls were in relationships and she wasnt. (Now, she says, she is.) She still doesnt like it when there are disruptions in her routine. It throws me off my game. I get very frustrated, she said. When Im doing something and Im into it, I dont like anyone messing me up. Until recently, most of the research on autism was based on observing boys. Now girls are beginning to receive studies of their own. In an October article, The Atlantic magazine reported how pervasive misdiagnoses and late diagnoses are for women with autism. The article detailed the findings of Kevin Pelphrey, a professor at the Yale Child Study Center, whose study showed that women with autism are fundamentally different from men with autism, because their lived experience is so different. As teenage girls on the autism spectrum struggle to fit into complex adolescent social structures, they experience high rates of depression, and there may be a link among women between autism and eating disorders. Although were still learning how to best help women with autism, programs that combine companionship and emotional support seem to be effective. FACES is involved in organizing such programs. On March 11, for example, the group will host a pseudo sleepover for girls. Mosca explained that they will not be staying all night, but they will have all the fun that typically their peers do ... painting nails, doing hair, dancing. Women from Stockton University will help mentor the girls. Isabella DAlessandro will spend her fifth and final summer this year at the eight-week sleepaway Round Lake Camp in Milford, Pennsylvania, an inclusion program for boys and girls 7 to 18 with high-functioning autism and other disorders. Five years ago, when her daughter attended Round Lake Camp for the first time, it was the first time she was ever away from home, Bernadette DAlessandro said. That experience only lasted two weeks, but since then, her daughter has become so fond of the camp that Bernadette uses it as a reward for keeping up with her chores and getting good grades. She needs socialization, too, just like any other child, said Bernadette. Girls with special needs and their parents also come together and bond at South Jersey special needs pageants: Miss Amazing and Miss Precious Gem. The Miss Precious Gem pageant was created by Faith Miller, of South Seaville, the director of the Miss Eastern Shore Pageant of the Miss America Organization. Isabella DAlessandro and Krista Lamando have both participated in the Miss Precious Gem Pageant and have received trophies. Lamando competed and won the 2015 New Jersey Miss Amazing Teen pageant in December 2014. She competed in the nationals in Los Angeles for five days in July. She just gave up her N.J. Miss Amazing crown last month. Thats when we started meeting other girls that had autism, Judy Lamando said. It has helped her feel like she has a lot of friends. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A travel advisory has been issued for Onondaga County until noon Tuesday, according to Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney. This travel advisory does not restrict travel but it is a warning to motorists that hazardous driving conditions may exist, particularly in the northern half of Onondaga County. Syracuse police investigated 15 vehicle crashes during this morning's snowfall; more were reported outside the city. Police are also asking the public to try not to do any unnecessary travel tonight. Heavy lake effect snow is expected to continue through the evening, particularly in the northern part of the county. The heaviest lake effect snow will fall through the evening. The current snow band is in the far northern section of Onondaga County and is expected to begin to drop south over the city of Syracuse between 5 and 7 p.m.. Lake effect snow will continue throughout Tuesday, but the snowfall rates should decrease. Winds gusts could reach 35 mph throughout the storm causing decreased visibility and hazardous driving conditions. Syracuse Police said no serious injuries reported as of this afternoon. "We are also asking if you are driving the streets and highways to leave for your destination earlier than usual," police said in a news release. "Please drive slower and be cautious so that you arrive to your destination safely. Give yourself enough space between you and vehicles in front of you in case you need to stop quickly." Sarah Moses covers the northern suburbs of Onondaga County and Oswego County. Contact Sarah at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298. Follow @SarahMoses315 Posner_Headshot 2014.JPG Aaron Posner, author of "Stupid F***ing Bird," which opens at Syracuse Stage Jan. 20, 2016. Syracuse, N.Y. -- More than 100 years ago, "The Seagull" radically re-imagined the way theater should be onstage. It was the beginning of realism. Now, though, it is as old-fashioned as MTV's "The Real World." "What was once radical is as old-fashioned and staid as you can be," said writer/director Aaron Posner. Realism is the norm. In "Stupid F***ing Bird" he aimed to take Anton Chehkov's story and tell it again in a newly radical way. Reviewers have largely said he accomplished that goal in a way that pokes fun at Chekhov while still giving the audience the emotional drama they would expect from one of his plays. Posner said he'd always loved and hated "The Seagull," but he could never fully explain why he hated it until he reworked it. It was because the very thing that was new and groundbreaking about it was now tired and expected. "All movies, all theater, everything is going toward realism," Posner said. He moved the characters from Chekhov's world of 19th Century Russia to the modern day stage. The characters speak directly to the audience, at times. But the mainstays of Chekhov -- passion, love and loss -- are the bones Posner's "Stupid F***ing Bird" is built upon. "Those are the big issues, big questions of being a human being," Posner said. "I think that's a timeless attraction to people." The play, which was first performed in 2013, was the beginning of a series of irreverent adaptations of classics Posner has done. The Syracuse Stage cast is from the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, D.C. There, the play won two Helen Hayes awards and received eight nominations in 2014. This was the first cast to do Posner's production, which has been performed around the country over the past three years. Contact Marnie Eisenstadt anytime: email | twitter | 315-470-2246. DES MOINES Whos leading the Republican presidential race here in Iowa? Most recent polls say Ted Cruz, including last months edition of the influential Des Moines Register poll, which had Cruz ahead of second-place Donald Trump by 10 points. Yet there is a nagging sense at least nagging to rival campaigns that Trump may be closer to Cruz than the Register suggested, and that the race in Iowa could be virtually even at this point. I look at Trump, and his ceiling is so much higher than everyone elses, says Craig Robinson, a former political director of the Iowa GOP who now runs the Iowa Republican blog. His campaign has gone out and had people self-identify that theyre interested in him, and theyve captured that data. Robinsons assessment runs counter to one of the dearest-held assumptions of the political punditocracy. Many commentators believe Trump has a high floor but a low ceiling that is, his supporters really, really support him and are unlikely to go anywhere else, but he doesnt have much room to grow, because he already has the loyalty of Republicans who are inclined to like him. To Robinson, thats not the way it looks in Iowa. Start with the numbers. In 2000, George W. Bush won the caucuses with 35,231 votes. In 2008, Mike Huckabee won with 40,954. In 2012, Rick Santorum won with 29,839. Ted Cruz is swimming in a pond where the capacity is about 30,000 votes, says Robinson. I look at Trump and think that Trump is at that 30,000 mark now, and has the ability to blow past it if they do a good job of turning their people out. Trump has assembled an Iowa team that puts a lot of stock in gathering the basic data needed to turn potential voters into actual voters. But Cruz, finishing up a six-day race across Iowa, has run a smart campaign, too. He is the natural fit, says Robinson of Cruz, appealing to the activists who are going to turn out anyway. Of course, that might be the key to victory if it turns out Trump cant blow by, or even hit, the 30,000 mark. (On the other hand, Robinson believes Cruzs opposition to the ethanol mandate might do him more damage here than some Beltway Republicans believe.) In any event, even if Trump and Cruz do well, there will be room for someone else, too. In 2012, in addition to Santorums 29,839, Mitt Romney received 29,805 votes and Ron Paul won 26,036. Marco Rubio, Chris Christie someone can do pretty well here without winning. As campaigning intensifies across the state, theres another feeling among politicos here: that Iowa, critically important to the nominating process, has gotten the short end of the stick from the Republican Party. What sense does it make to have the Iowa caucuses lead off Republican presidential voting on Monday, Feb. 1, and not have a Republican debate here not even one until Jan. 28, the Thursday before the caucuses? It doesnt make much sense at all, but that is what the Republican National Committee has wrought. There have been GOP debates in Ohio, California, Colorado, Wisconsin and Nevada, and there will be another next week in South Carolina, while Iowa, for all its importance, will be left out until about 90 hours before the voting begins. The result is that an Iowa perspective on issues and events has been shut out of the debates, and its too late to change that now. And of course, there havent been that many debates in the first place there will be a total of seven before the caucuses. In 2012, there were 13 debates three in Iowa before Iowans voted. More debates in Iowa this time around would have meant the voters knew more before voting; candidates strengths and weaknesses would have been more systematically exposed. But thats not what the RNC wanted. With the caucuses less than three and a half weeks away, even candidates who havent made a big play for Iowa, like Chris Christie, are stepping up their involvement here. But at this point, Iowa still looks like a two-man Cruz-Trump race. And Trumps position could be stronger than some observers believe. There are historical moments that often slip by both pundits and partisans. President Obamas final State of the Union address is one of them. Blake Hounshell is Politicos digital editorial director, a veteran journalist who is given to wry tweets and light mocking of politicians. But, humorous, or serious, I quote his tweet because it mirrored the common partisan Republican reaction: Obama spends (his) entire speech attacking Republicans and then wonders why American politics is so divisive. Calling Obamas State of the Union an attack on Republicans some said it was anti-Trump is like saying that the Gettysburg Address was an attack on the Confederacy. Or that President Lincoln made an anti-Jefferson Davis speech. This is how I saw the speech and yes, I am a partisan too: Obamas final State of the Union address was more a declaration of Americas core values, of our commonly held principles that should transcend our political divisions. This final address embodied more of his core beliefs and the presidents clear, firm vision for Americas future. Like most presidents entering their final year, Obama was supposed to do a few victory laps, recall his accomplishments, offer a few platitudes, and slink away to lame duck status for the rest of the election year. Instead, he put the pedal to the metal, as NASCAR fans say. Obama also plunged into the 2016 presidential election like a man whose strong convictions have not wavered, and one who has every intention of leading until the next president is on the inaugural platform and says, So help me, God. Obama listed four questions the nation needs to answer. (I defy you to find the political commentator or official critic who mentioned them to their viewers or readers who missed the address.) Personally, I liked question four best: First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy? Second, how do we make technology work for us, and not against us ... Third, how do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman? And finally, how can we make our politics reflect whats best in us, and not whats worst? South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, with an advance copy of Obamas speech, also acknowledged Obamas call for better politics, and made a remarkable and courageous admission that we wont hear out of Washington, except from Obama and a handful of members of Congress: We need to be honest with each other, and with ourselves: While Democrats in Washington bear much responsibility for the problems facing America today, they do not bear it alone. There is more than enough blame to go around. We as Republicans need to own that truth. We need to recognize our contributions to the erosion of the public trust in Americas leadership. We need to accept that weve played a role in how and why our government is broken. Obama acknowledged his role: Its one of the few regrets of my presidency ... that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. Theres no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide. The future we want, Obama said, will only happen if we fix our politics. Obama wasnt merely referring to one candidates out-sized, crude, even cruel, rhetoric, mouthed daily, though thats important to correct. But in a season where political correctness seems under attack and big money is flowing through the political gridlock, its simply impossible to find common ground. Obama went further. He believes the way to fix government is to begin to reform our political system itself. He said we need to reform campaign financing and end the practice where a few families and hidden special interests control the ads on the airwaves. Most importantly, Weve got to make voting easier, not harder, and modernize it for the way we live now. Obama also implored citizens to act on how we vote: urging us to demand that Congressional districts be drawn so that the voters pick a candidate, rather than having a candidate who picks the voters he wants. I cant do these things on my own. Obama said, Changes in our political process ... depend on you. Thats whats meant by a government of, by and for the people. We the People. We the American people. This final address should challenge us all to work together and fix our politics, because we are very important stakeholders in our democracy. In just a few weeks, every eligible citizen will have an opportunity to vote. And the menu is full of candidates promising to fix this or change that. Were going to choose between two distinct worldviews either the one that contracts and retreats, or the one Obama laid out, and enter the future with hope, not fear. I still believe in hope hope in the powerful sense that we are indeed ready for a better future. SHARE Bruce Allen, Blackpool, United Kingdom Letter: United States should raise bar for what it expects of immigrants I totally agree with John Grychak (Dec. 30 letter). Why do people want to come to the United States or where I live most of the year, the United Kingdom, to get away from persecution and bring the same things with them? It puzzles me. Surely when one moves to another country it is with the intention of bettering yourself. If not why don't you stay where you are? There has to be some effort from these immigrants, and the first is to learn the language of the country. I don't think that is too much to ask. The previous prime minister of Australia hit the nail on the head when he said Australia is a Christian country based on Christian beliefs. The United States and my country we have Christian churches on every. If you find a small village consisting of three hay stacks there is invariably is a Christian church. As for being nonbelievers, pick up any U.S. currency. Its first mention is "Liberty"; its second is "In God we Trust." As a codicil to this: The first of 10,000 immigrants allotted to the U.K. landed on our shores a month ago; believe it or not, the powers-that-be lost all of them. Since then, the police picked up an undocumented immigrant in Oxford Street London. He appeared in court and was bailed till the next day for sentencing, not surprisingly he did not turn up. Bruce Allen is staying in Vero Beach. Amy Jo Smith (front, seated), sings with protesters to the death penalty on April 23, 2014, at the Florida State Prison near Starke, just hours before the execution of Robert Eugene Hendrix. (AP FILE PHOTO) By Isadora Rangel of TCPalm TALLAHASSEE Republican Sen. Thad Altman opposes the death penalty. While he knows repealing it is a lost cause in Florida, he has been trying for three years to make it more difficult to impose by requiring a unanimous jury recommendation instead of a simple majority. This week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Florida's death penalty system is unconstitutional gives Altman hope his bill could become law, even though the ruling doesn't address the unanimity issue. The court found Florida gives too much power to judges to make the final decision to sentence someone to death, with the jury serving only an advisory role. That's a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial. The Legislature must fix the law now, and Altman said this could be the right time to address the fact Florida is one of three states that don't require a unanimous jury decision, as is required for a conviction in capital murder cases. The other two are Alabama and Delaware. The Legislature might have to deal with the unanimity issue at some point as there are two Florida cases about it pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. ALTMAN'S BILL Altman's SB 330 requires the jury to agree unanimously not only to recommend the death penalty, but also that each aggravating circumstance used to support the recommendation is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Today there is no special verdict required to reflect the vote on the aggravating circumstances. The proposed law would apply only to cases after July 1. Altman said he likely will change his bill to conform to the Supreme Court ruling, and he thinks if Florida gives more power to the jury it should also raise the bar on how a death penalty decision is made. A former Baptist who converted to Catholicism, he said his opposition to capital punishment is rooted in his religious beliefs. He represents part of Indian River County. "We don't know what happens to somebody when you put them to death," said Altman of Rockledge. "I feel strongly we need to be very careful." Altman might have a tough time convincing some of his colleagues to take up his proposal. Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said he has "mixed emotions about it" and thinks the Legislature will focus more on addressing the Supreme Court ruling giving the jury more power rather than requiring an unanimous decision. OTHER REFORMS The Legislature passed a reform in 2013 that prevented convicted killers from spending decades on death row by expediting the legal appeals process, and critics said that could lead to innocent people being executed. A Democrat's attempt failed to raise the number of jurors required for a recommendation from seven to 10. Florida requires a simple 7-5 majority and a judge can override a jury's decision. The American Bar Association has urged Florida to change the law, saying studies show without unanimity jurors do not devote the same energy or emotional commitment to the decision, and pro-death jurors are able to overpower undecided or minority viewpoints. In the case that prompted the Supreme Court ruling, a jury recommended with a 7-5 vote the death penalty for Timothy Lee Hurst of Pensacola for stabbing his coworker to death at a Popeyes restaurant in 1998. Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Fort Walton Beach Republican who led the reform, said there were discussions to require a unanimous jury recommendation in 2013, but Attorney General Pam Bondi argued at the time that would have caused cases of people on death row to go into a long round of appeals. Gaetz expects appeals anyway because of the Supreme Court ruling, so this might be an opportunity to re-evaluate the unanimity proposal as well, he said. "The taking of a life is the most extreme exercise of government power," Gaetz said. "I am open-minded to look at the data and see whether or not a unanimous jury requirement would help us more accurately and effectively administer justice." Follow Isadora Rangel, Arek Sarkissian and Tampa news partner Jeff Schweers for updates on all the legislative action. Tweets about from:IsadoraRangel2 OR from:ArekSarkissian OR from:jeffschweersTBO

All Aboard Florida

By Lisa Broadt and Colleen Wixon of TCPalm INDIAN RIVER COUNTY When a federal agency earlier this month balked at approving permits for All Aboard Florida, it may have opened the door for opponents to launch a new challenge to the controversial railroad. The potential opening for All Aboard Florida foes stems from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reluctance to approve permits for the northern section of the Miami-to-Orlando passenger railroad before a federal environmental review is complete. The Corps of Engineers, in a Jan. 7 letter to All Aboard Florida, said it needs more information about potential damage to federal waters, including wetlands, before it allows All Aboard Florida to begin work in Indian River and Brevard counties. You are cautioned that commencement of the proposed work in waters of the United States subject to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers jurisdiction, prior to authorization, would constitute a violation of federal laws and subject you to possible enforcement action, the Corps said in the letter. The Corps will reconsider All Aboard Floridas application once the environmental review has been completed and approved by the Federal Railroad Administration and the Corps. Neither agency has said when it would finish its review. Indian River County which, along with Martin County, last year filed legal action against All Aboard Florida said it hopes other agencies will follow the Army Corps example. All Aboard Florida officials declined to comment on the Corps of Engineers action and its letter. The county last week urged the St. Johns River Water Management District to follow the Army Corps lead. County commissioners Tuesday voted to hire special legal help, possibly to fight the All Aboard Florida battle on a new front. Commissioners want outside counsel to review the St. Johns permits, which would allow bridge work along a 67-mile stretch between State Road 528 in eastern Brevard County and the Indian River/St. Lucie county line. I need to understand what our options are, County Attorney Dylan Reingold said. Reingold was unsure Tuesday how much an outside law firm might cost the county. Indian River County already approved spending up to $1.1 million this year in its all Aboard Florida fight. The board still is taking a strong stance on All Aboard Florida, he said. The county wants a firm experienced in the permitting process to review All Aboards application to see what can be challenged, whether there are areas to challenge, Reingold said. There may be litigation if applicable, he said. Or, on the other hand, the firm could advise against taking the issue to court, he said. The county previously solicited legal advice during the draft environmental impact process, Reingold said. Construction of the passenger railroad already has begun between Miami and West Palm Beach, and Brightline passenger service there is to begin in early 2017, with full service beginning in late 2017. Protesters chant anti-death penalty slogans. (AP File Photo/Stephen Morton) By Editorial Board The death penalty was a minor agenda item before the Florida Legislature convened last week. It became a major issue when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Jan. 12 that Florida's death penalty is unconstitutional. Suddenly, a seemingly insignificant bill sponsored by state Sen. Thad Altman, R-Rockledge a bill Altman has been championing for three years is garnering attention in Tallahassee. The attention is long overdue. Florida is one of only three states Alabama and Delaware are the others that doesn't require a unanimous jury decision to impose the death penalty in a capital murder case. Current law requires only a simple majority of the jury. Under Senate Bill 330, a jury would have to agree unanimously to recommend a death sentence. Jurors also would have to agree unanimously that each aggravating circumstance used to support the death-penalty recommendation is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Given the finality of the death penalty, the state should require a unanimous recommendation from the jury. Altman's bill, as currently written, doesn't address the issue raised by the Supreme Court. However, the Legislature should tackle the unanimity issue in tandem with reforms necessitated by the high court's decision. Ruling 8-1 in the case of Timothy Lee Hurst, who was convicted of the 1998 murder of his manager at a Popeye's restaurant in Pensacola, the Supreme Court found Florida gives too much power to judges to make the final decision to sentence someone to death. In the Sunshine State, the jury serves only in an advisory capacity. That's a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial, according to the Supreme Court. The ruling raises questions with respect to the state's implementation of the death penalty. Namely, could the decision trigger new sentencing appeals from the 390 inmates on Florida's death row? Or will the ruling apply only to those who have not yet exhausted their appeals? It will be left to the Florida Legislature and legal experts to resolve the issue. While they're at it, lawmakers should pass Altman's bill and require a unanimous recommendation from the jury to impose a death sentence. Jurors should be in agreement when condemning another human being to death. SHARE Photos by Fran Foster Founder and former Polish American Social Club board member Harry Klimas, 96, demonstrates his frustration with the current management while displaying his Polish pride. Supporters of the old guard of the Polish American Club demonstrate. Posting on the front door of the Polish American Club regarding the postponement of a scheduled meeting. Founding member Harry Klimas and expelled member Tom Clark picket outside the entrance of the Polish American club. By Fran Foster The Polish American Social Club of Vero Beach is in the midst of such a bitter feud that law enforcement was called in recently due to fears that the highly charged verbal exchanges might turn violent when opposing factions arrived for a membership meeting (which was called off). At the heart of the unrest is a disagreement about the role of the club. On one side, the founders and their supporters want to celebrate their Polish roots. On the other side, the current leadership and others want a place focusing on more than just European heritage and are providing activities they say will help the club operate in the black. The rift has led to threats and accusations of assaults being levied, the Sheriff's Department keeping the two sides apart during protests and members of both groups hiring lawyers. Board member Frank Kowalik says the current membership is not that interested in Polish activities or a menu featuring pierogis or kielbasa. The club currently offers bingo twice a week, a Friday night dance, Latin Nights and an upcoming Hip-Hop Night. "We try to have one polka dance night a month but there really isn't the interest," Kowalik said. "It doesn't make any money. And our members tell us they don't want polka or Polish food. They make that at home. So most of what we do is American with some Polish, Latin and Bingo. "We support what the community wants. Look at the marquee, it says American too." Paying dues The two sides have become so entrenched that 96-year-old Harry Klimas, a founding member of the organization who helped find the nearly nine-acre parcel of land and construct the building on U.S. 1 where the club sits, has been kicked out of his beloved organization. Klimas claims it was because he paid his dues eight days late. Kowalik denies that was the case and alleges former members, like Klimas, and others are making demands about how the club should be run and verbally abusing volunteers who work there. Klimas is so anxious to regain his membership that he and 45 supporters sat outside the club in near-100 degree heat for more than two hours on a recent Sunday. The protesters decided to assemble even though the membership meeting set for that day had been cancelled. "This is the third time I have not been permitted to enter the building. The last meeting they held, I banged on the door. They knew I was outside but would not permit me access," Klimas said. Founding principles The Polish American Social Club of Vero Beach, Florida was established in 1981 by Klimas and other citizens of Polish descent as a nonprofit organization run and operated by volunteers and one paid manager/cook. The mission of the club, as filed with the Indian River County service organization listing, is to promote Polish culture and customs by featuring folk dances, concerts, traditional foods, and activities. There are approximately 300 current members according to Kowalik. The split within the organization has been brewing for years, according to some, but has come to a head in the last few months. Long-time members say they are being purged because they want to continue to promote their Polish roots and are demanding to see the club's finances to make sure money is accounted for properly. Lynne Hampton, a West Palm Beach lawyer hired to represent the active members of the club, said the board held an emergency session ahead of the Sunday membership meeting where it was decided to postpone because "the current board members are fearful of (the non-members) being aggressive and are afraid they will be caused bodily harm or destruction to the building by allowing any of these people in or around the club." Old guard The pro-Polish faction say many in their group have been denied or had their membership revoked and accuse the current board members of discrimination, mismanagement and misuse of funds. Peter Szayer, who is of Polish descent and a Vero Beach resident, says he was thrilled there was a local venue where Polish Americans came together to celebrate their heritage. He filled out an application for membership in January. "When I inquired about the status of my application, I was told [by a board member] it was an American club and I am Polish," Szayer said. The check he submitted for the application fee and membership dues remains uncashed. Process The current board members running the club have a different perspective. Board member Kowalik said, "They can't come in here and make demands to be members or join meetings because (they) are Polish. There is a process, according to the bylaws, and there is no one in charge of membership right now, as we are all volunteers. So we have put membership applications on hold until all this gets figured out." Gloria Fleming is dissatisfied, as well. When she was a member of the board she says she tried to deliver membership applications but was repeatedly turned away. Fleming claims she requested the organization provide financial and membership information, also to no avail. She maintains her persistence in challenging her colleagues was the reason she has been removed from the board. She declined to resign and has retained a lawyer. Countercharges According to Kowalik, the disgruntled group supporting Klimas has interrupted board meetings and been verbally and physically abusive to volunteers. He says current management felt unsafe, "which is why they are not allowed on the premises and we had to postpone the meetings and application requests. They are not members." Many of those present at the demonstration allege their new membership applications or renewals, along with their $25 membership dues, remain unprocessed. Klimas continues to be a spokesman for the interests of the non-member Polish American group. "It's clear these board members are not interested in the traditions of the club and refuse to answer questions about membership approvals, activities or finances," he said. "What do they have to hide?" The latest release of the Linux distro now calledDepth OS deserves serious consideration. It is fast, reliable and innovative, with an impressive homegrown desktop design dubbed Deepin Desktop Environment, or DDE. Depth OS has a bit of an identity problem. Its not well known outside Asia and Europe, but thats not the major cause of confusion. The problem is that the open source community that developed the distro seems to have a difficult time deciding what to call it. It has had several names, including Hiweed GNU/Linux, Linux Deepin, Deepin and now Depth OS. It seems that many of the community support staff never got the memo. Most of the website and the OS itself still are labeled as Deepin. When the community released the latest version last month, it was called Deepin version 15. As of this writing, it still was. A half-hearted name-change process is ongoing. The website URL at this writing still was pointing to the Deepin name. Most of the branding on the pages continued to call the distro Deepin 15. Even the download page identified the latest version as Depth OS, as did the current ISO when installed. At one point early in the announcement process for the latest release, a blog notice said that Deepin 15 would be called Depth OS. The website sometimes shows the new name but mostly keeps the older name prominent. What Is It? Linux Picks and Pans last looked at Deepin in 2014. The distro, by whatever name we use, still is a Linux distribution that offers an elegant and user-friendly stable operating system. Deepin/Depth OS is both pretty and very workable. The latest release pays more attention to internationalization. That was something I said was needed in thefirst review of the distro. It now supports 30 languages. Another key change is a cooperative relationship with Intel and the Chinese open source community to use theCrosswalk Project to migrate existing Web applications to Depth OS. That enriches the diversity of applications and improves the user experience. Pathway Change The Deepin/Depth OS distro remains something totally new. It was an Ubuntu-based distribution built around its own desktop environment based on the Qt 5 toolkit. With the latest release, Qt powers the desktop to replace the previous HTML5 + WebKit implementation. Mutter is now used as the window manager. Another change is the Linux 4.2 kernel. Systemd has replaced Upstart, Bash is now the default shell rather than Zsh, and GCC 5.3.1 is the base compiler. Version 15 switches from its roots as an Ubuntu-based distro to the Debian Unstable Channel. For most users, that presents little or no consequence. Nothing visible in the desktop design or the software repository resembles any connection to the Ubuntu infrastructure. The distros developers built their own ecosystem of homegrown applications. Applications such as the Deepin Software Center, Deepin Music Player and Deepin Media Player contribute to an operating system tailored to the average user. Smart Stuff The Deepin desktop design is snazzy yet simple to use. The docking bar resembles that of Mac OS X, but that is as far as the Mac comparison goes. Much like a rolling update, the system software automatically updates as the repository gets new updates. The dock bar and slide open control Panel in the rebranded Depth OS are two of the many innovative elements in this relatively new Linux distro. The Control Panel slides onto the screen and is very intuitive. All settings are neatly categorized, and switching from one to another takes one click. A small display window shows an image of the screen with the current settings displayed. Make a change and see the results. Another nice touch is the right-click menu anywhere on the desktop. That provides quick access to creating a new folder, a new document type, a sort option, display options, corner navigation and the personalize panel. The Deepin Desktop Environment has an innovative and efficient menu system that lists installed software alphabetically or by category. More UI Goodies The docking bar at the bottom of the screen shows 14 launcher icons, but I could not find any settings to add or remove programs from the launcher. When you open a program, its icon joins the dock bar and is displayed with a light indicator under it. The first icon on the left is the main default launcher. The other icons launch a few default apps such as the Software Center, Deepin Music Player, Google Chrome Web browser and the Deepin File Manager. The dock also holds a few icons that launch system controls for sound, connectivity, power management, calendar, trash and shutdown options. The corner navigation button is sweet indeed. It lets you set the default action for pushing the mouse pointer into each corner of the screen. The choices for each corner are Launcher, Control Center, All Windows, Desktop or None. Workspace Wonder The DDE approach for handling workspace switching is one of the best offered in any desktop environment. It is fast, convenient and intuitive. It offers several methods to suit user preferences. For instance, you can use the graphical method or keyboard shortcuts. The Deepin Desktop has an efficient and convenient workplace switching systems that includes a graphical interface and desktop shortcuts. Next to the menu launcher on the dock is a launcher for multitasking. Click it to see the virtual workspaces. The display lets you click to add or remove workspaces. Click the mini-window to move to that workspace, or click the edge of the previous workspace on the left screen edge or the next workspace on the right screen edge. You can also right click on the top window border to move a window to another workspace. Click the multitasking button in the dock and drag a running program from one workspace to another. Software Services All of the Deepin-designed apps have a unified, simplistic user interface. This common design helps reinforce the ease-of-use philosophy built into the Deepin OS. The Software Center is seeded fairly well with many of the commonly used Linux packages. The Synaptic package manager is not preinstalled. You can add it from the Software Center to get a broader range of available applications. The only office suite included in the default packages is Kingsoft Office, a cross-platform product whose Linux version is an alpha 20 release. It is an impressive office suite that has been in various alpha stages for the last four or five years. Download Delay The ISO is an installable-only DVD image available for 32-bit and 64-bit architecture, so you will have to install it within a virtual machine to check it out before doing a normal hard drive installation. Hint: Dont download the ISO from the Deepin website. It took me more than 10 hours. The ISO file arrived corrupted several times. Instead, look for the tiny row of icons near the large download button. Click on the icon to download from SourceForge. The 1.8-GB ISO download took nearly three hours but was usable. Recommended system requirements include an Intel Pentium IV 2-GHz processor or better, at least 1 GB of RAM (2 GB recommended for best performance), and at least 10 GB of free disk space. Also recommended are a modern video graphics card from Intel, AMD or Nvidia; an AC97, Sound Blaster or HDA sound card; and a CD/DVD-ROM devices or USB port. Bottom Line Depth OS (aka Deepin Linux) is a very impressive distro. It brings useful innovations to the desktop interface. If you want a refreshing approach that is less like everything else in the array of Linux distros, dive into Depth OS. Want to Suggest a Review? Is there a Linux software application or distro youd like to suggest for review? Something you love or would like to get to know? Pleaseemail your ideas to me, and Ill consider them for a future Linux Picks and Pans column. And use the Talkback feature below to add your comments! Samsung on Wednesday unveiled the Family Hub Refrigerator at CES, ongoing in Las Vegas through Saturday. The new refrigerator sports a 21.5-inch full HD LCD screen on the upper right outside door, which doubles as a communications center. The screen lets users post, share and update calendars, as well as pin digital photos, share images and leave notes. The Family Hub Refrigerator supports WiFi, Samsung said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by company rep Kate Knox. Fridge Features The Family Hub Refrigerator has built-in speakers for music streaming, and it can connect to Bluetooth wireless speakers. Users can view TV programs on the screen, using screen mirroring with their Samsung smart TV. Three interior cameras capture images every time the fridge door closes to take stock of its contents and then send them to the users smartphone. Users can check the contents through the Samsung Smart Home app. The refrigerator also supports the Groceries by MasterCard app, codeveloped with Samsung, to aid online grocery shopping. The Samsung Family Hub refrigerator will be available in the United States in May, in counter-depth and full-depth versions. In both stainless steel and black stainless steel. It could cost around US$5,000, according to reports, but Samsung did not comment on pricing. Shopping for Groceries The Groceries by MasterCard app supports the latest versions of both Android and iOS, said MasterCard spokesperson Chaiti Sen. It lets consumers order groceries from FreshDirect and ShopRite. We have a strong relationship with both and they share our vision of connecting consumers to stores in a way that is most convenient to them, Sen told TechNewsWorld. More grocers will be added to the app as the rollout continues through this year, through MasterCards partnership with MyWebGrocer. Other Partnerships in the Works? Samsungs arrangement with MasterCard may not be exclusive. Our focus is launching the Family Hub and [we] have not made any other announcements as yet, Samsung said. Looking ahead, we continuously seek and evaluate new partnerships that enable us to innovate in order to create new benefits for our stakeholders, Sen remarked. MasterCard may explore other joint development opportunities with other partners. Leaping into bed with Samsung first might have been a good strategic move, because MasterCard wants to be first, suggested Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. They might get a few more transactions than if they didnt. The Security Issue With an increasing number of household devices connected to the Internet of Things, concerns about hacker attacks have been on the rise. However, the threat is not much worse than anybody stealing magnetic strip information from credit cards, so in terms of relative security against the credit card, its not that bad, Enderle told TechNewsWorld. Identity theft is another issue. All customer card and personal data will be stored in MasterCards secure wallet, and all card data is encrypted using the latest technologies, said MasterCards Sen. Further, we have plans to tokenize the purchases made through the grocery app. From CES to Main Street There will be 50 billion Internet-connected devices by 2020, Cisco has predicted. For MasterCard, this [Family Hub Refrigerator] launch is another important step towards our goal of bringing commerce to every device, Sen remarked. So, is it safe to assume that smart fridges soon will reach the mainstream? Two years ago, Samsung put a PC in a fridge, and that didnt do well, Enderle pointed out. Then they tried a tablet in the fridge, and that didnt do well either. The problem is that a refrigerators service life is eight to 10 years, while the high-tech hardware chips and boards have an 18-24-month life, Enderle noted. The hardware will become obsolete, and people wont want to pay extra for that. Apple on Thursday announced some personnel moves that suggest CEO Tim Cooks future vision for the company. He named Jeff Williams (pictured above) chief operating officer, elevated Johny Srouji to Apples executive team by making him a senior vice president, broadened the powers of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller to include supervision of Apples App Store across all its platforms, and added Tor Myhren as the new vice president of marketing communications. As we come to the end of the year, were recognizing the contributions already being made by two key executives, Cook said in a statement. Jeff [Williams] is hands-down the best operations executive Ive ever worked with, and Johny [Srouji]s team delivers world-class silicon designs which enable new innovations in our products year after year, he added. Loosening Reins Williams joined Apple in 1998 as head of worldwide procurement. In 2004 he was named vice president of operations. Since 2010, he has overseen Apples supply chain, service and support. Making Williams COO is a sign that Cook feels confident in loosening the reins to Apple a bit, noted Patrick Moorhead, founder and principal analyst atMoor Insights and Strategy. When you add a chief operating officer, it says that Tim Cook needs to spend more time on strategy and the future of the company and less time on day-to-day operations, he told the E-Commerce Times. Its a classic growth move you make when you feel comfortable about how operations are going, he said. IP in Apples Future Srouji has been vice president for hardware technologies at Apple for eight years. He oversees custom silicon and technologies, such as batteries, application processors, storage controllers, sensors silicon, display silicon and other chipsets. With Sroujis elevation to senior vice president, Apple may be recognizing the significance his role will be to the future of Apple. Hardware is a very important part of Apples business, said Tim Bajarin, president ofCreative Strategies. But its not just hardware, he told the E-Commerce Times. His role includes overseeing the silicon business, which to us is equally important to Apples future. Sroujis promotion was also a promotion of enabling technologies at Apple, Moorhead noted. Enabling technologies are going to be more important to Apple in developing more of its own intellectual property in the future, he said. This says we will see more homegrown enabling technologies from Apple, Moorhead added. Outside Hire Schiller now leads nearly all developer-related functions at Apple. His duties also include worldwide product marketing and international, education and business marketing. He will be charged with advancing Apples ecosystem, Cook said. In many ways, the whole app ecosystem is just an extension of Apples marketing, Bajarin said. It makes a lot of sense for Phil to oversee that. The only outside move Apple made was the hiring of Myhren, chief creative officer of Grey New York, who is replacing retiring 18-year Apple veteran Hiroki Asai. Under Myhrens leadership, Grey won Adweeks Global Agency of the Year award in 2013 and 2015. Bringing in someone from the outside to run advertising is an interesting move, Moorhead observed. Its interesting that there wasnt anyone inside Apple who could have taken that role, he said. More Changes Needed Apple usually brings in outsiders when it doesnt have the in-house talent for an initiative. It brought in people from the outside when it planned to enter the retail market, and it did so again when designing the fashion aspects of the Apple Watch. I wouldnt expect them to bring in an outside guy to run advertising and merchandising because Apple has good people internally to do that, Moorhead noted. Apple has problems that wont be addressed by appointing a new COO or advertising director, according to Trip Chowdhry, managing director for equity research atGlobal Equities Research. Apples stock has underperformed by every metric. Investors have zero confidence in Apples executive team, he told the E-Commerce Times. This reshuffling at the secondary level isnt going to make any difference, Chowdhry added, unless the CEO, CFO and the head of the retail channel is replaced. In July last year, it was reported that a group of Silicon Valley companies including Facebook, Google, Dell, HP, eBay and others were petitioning a federal appeals court to review its decision ordering Samsung to turn over profits from a handful of Apple patent infringements. Now, the tech giants have been joined by legal experts and nonprofit organizations in supporting Samsung and are urging the US Supreme Court to reconsider the lower-court's decision. In the original 2012 trial, Samsung was ultimately made to pay Apple $548 million over the infringement of an iPhone design - even though the patent in question (rectangular shape and rounded corners) is only a small part of the smartphone's appeal, Samsung and the others argue. Samsung's allies have warned the high court that the Korean company's loss "will lead to absurd results and have a devastating impact on companies." In all, six amicus or "friend of the court" briefs were filed. In addition to the tech giants, other groups supporting Samsung include law professors, nonprofit digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, advocacy groups such as the Computer & Communications Industry Association, the Hispanic Leadership Fund, and the National Black Chamber of Commerce. As the patent ruling forces a company to pay out all their profits for an infringing product, the technology industry is convinced that this will open the door for an increasing number of patent trolls - shell companies whose business model is to acquire patents and then launch lawsuits. If the ruling stands as it is, companies also claim that it will have a detrimental effect on their new products. They say the fear of facing a legal challenge will stifle innovation. The Supreme Court - which hasn't dealt with a patent suit since the 1800s - is likely to decide whether to take the case before its term ends in June. Facebook has begun a Europe-wide campaign to stop racist and extremist posts on its site. The social network launched the 'Initiative for Civil Courage Online' in Berlin, and has pledged to invest more than 1 million Euros ($1.09 million) to support non-government organizations that work to fight online hate speech. The initiative, announced by company COO Sheryl Sandberg on Monday night, is supported by the German Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, and is a partnership between Facebook, the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, and the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence. "We have repeatedly emphasized that Facebook is no place for the dissemination of xenophobia, hate speech or calls for violence," Sandberg said. "With this new initiative, we are convinced to better understand and respond to the challenges of extremist speech on the internet." The campaign will be mainly focused on the financial support of NGOs that already battle online extremism, building "best practices" for those groups, and academic research initiatives to understand the roots of extremism and hate speech. Back in November last year, Germany launched an investigation into Facebook's alleged failure to remove "hate speech" from the site. The prosecution in the case said that the failure to remove the comments could be attributed to Martin Ott, managing director for northern, central and eastern Europe of Facebook. In December, Facebook's German headquarters was vandalized, allegedly as a protest against the company's overpowering presence online. The day after the attack, Facebook, Google and Twitter all agreed to delete hate speech from each respective platform in Germany within 24 hours. A growing number of racist posts have appeared on the German Facebook platform recently, many of which are anti-foreigner comments directed at the high number of refugees entering the country.The recent events of New Year's Eve in Cologne, where hundreds of women were sexually assaulted, allegedly by men of North African or Middle Eastern appearance, has exacerbated the problem. While the initiative should be applauded, it has once again brought up the issue of freedom of speech online. The company faced similar accusations of censorship last month when CEO Mark Zuckerberg vowed to fight to protect Muslim rights on Facebook. Meanwhile, anyone who wants to show support for the initiative can share stories and ideas on the official OCCI Facebook page by using the hashtag #civilcourage. "The best cure for bad ideas are good ideas," Sandberg said. "The best remedy for hate is tolerance. Counter speech is incredibly strong --- and it takes time, energy and courage." Microsoft is rolling out the popular Word Flow keyboard found on Windows phones to the iPhone 5s or newer models. The built-in keyboard of Lumia smartphones is arguably one of the best there is. Compared with Word Flow, the slew of Android alternatives and the responsive default iOS keyboard are behind a bit. Of course, the biggest caveat is that a Windows phone is required, and it doesn't exactly have an extensive selection of the best and newest apps. Fortunately, a portion of iPhone owners will be some of the first to have the opportunity to enjoy everything that Word Flow has to offer without the need to switch to a Lumia. The news came about when Microsoft sent out emails to a few lucky participants of the Windows Insider program. The company is asking them whether or not they are interested in joining the Word Flow beta program, noting that it'll appreciate the feedback of testers. "Do you own an iPhone (5s or newer)? Do you think your native iOS keyboard could use improvement?" part of the email reads. In a bid to curry the recipients' favor, it continues to boast the achievement of Word Flow for winning the Guinness World Record for fastest texting at one point. "One of the winning features of Windows Phone 8.1 is Word Flow the world's fastest smartphone keyboard. How fast? Guinness Book of World Records-breaking fast," Microsoft said back in 2014. Soon after, another virtual keyboard-typing wiz topped the record with Fleksy, but that's a whole different story. Moving forward, the email continues to say that the company is "working on extending this keyboard to other platforms, starting with iOS." That's a sure sign of a future Android rollout if everything goes well, at least. The features of Word Flow include gestures, suggestions, autocorrect, support for other languages and a text swipe similar to the third-party keyboard Swype to write words. As for the release date, Microsoft has given out no official word yet. Seeing as the company is still inviting people to the beta, that should come as no surprise. Not everyone is happy about the news, though. There's more or less a pretty good chance that some Windows users are not amused at what the company has in mind. On top of that, Cortana also landed on the Android and iOS just recently. At any rate, the development shows how dedicated Microsoft is in creating a great experience for every user across multiple platforms. Don't forget to hit up the footage below to see how Word Flow can provide convenience to the fingertips. Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Alberto Rodriguez of Podemos says he would rather focus on serious issues affecting citizens. BERNARDO PEREZ Alberto Rodriguez is joking around with a young man who wants to have his picture taken with the new deputy for Podemos. Careful, I might pass you my lice! Rodriguez was the involuntary star of the constituent session of parliament last Thursday because of his dreadlocks, which figured prominently in media coverage of the event. I have nothing against suits and ties. We are well aware of internal regulations, and there is nothing there about dress codes Now back in Tenerife, he is still trying to come to terms with all the fuss that was made over a photograph in which an astonished-looking Mariano Rajoy, the acting prime minister of Spain, watches Rodriguez pass in front of him in Spains lower house. There was an even greater commotion when Celia Villalobos, the newly re-elected deputy congressional speaker, said that she didnt have a problem with dreadlocks: As long as they are clean so I dont get lice, its just fine, she said. In person, Rodriguezs towering stature (at 198 centimeters he is the same as Michael Jordan, he notes proudly) is just as striking as his hairstyle. Alberto Rodriguez passing in front of acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy on Thursday. J.J. Guillen (EFE) Question. What do you think about this whole fuss that was made over your dreadlocks? Answer. It is all part of the spectacle that seeks to conceal truly relevant political events of shameful dimensions, such as the taking up of his congressional seat by Popular Party (PP) deputy Pedro Gomez de la Serna [under scrutiny for allegedly charging fees for helping Spanish firms secure foreign contracts]. Nobody talks about that, but they do talk about Carolina Bescansas baby or about Alberto Rodriguezs hair. What they are also trying to do is to conceal initiatives such as our bill to ensure that nobody is left without a home or without medical treatment because they cant afford it. Q. But it is Podemos that has been accused of putting on a show in parliament. What do you say to that? A. Its unbelievable that people said that about us. All we did is take our oath in a different way, in order to reflect society and parliaments current plurality and diversity. We tried to do that in a democratic, normal manner and we were met with catcalls and insults. We were surprised by the lack of respect in various forms, particularly in a place like Congress. We couldnt understand why political differences cannot be respected. Q. How are you dealing with your newfound stardom since that day? A. I am currently dealing with all the fallout. I even made it into a Forges political cartoon! In any case, I was aware that running for Congress would come with a personal cost that I had to accept, because our goal is to improve this country and improve peoples lives. Q. What does your family have to say about all this? A. I havent even had time to talk to the people who are closest to me. Last Thursday I had breakfast at 9pm. Since then, Ive been flooded with media requests and barely been able to take calls on my cellphone because of the avalanche of messages. Ive been forced to put it on silent mode, and every time I look at it, I see a bunch of new calls from numbers I dont recognize. Q. Celia Villalobos said she hoped that people with dreadlocks would bring them clean to parliament so she wouldnt get lice. What do you say to that? A. I dont know what she was trying to achieve with that statement, but we will not be distracted by it or dragged into making our own assessment when people are already judging it on social media. Our goal is to implement our program and to put forward initiatives that will improve peoples and citizens lives. There are many people who cannot make ends meet, and they will be angry to see [politicians] arguing over superfluous matters rather than policies to improve their lives, which is why we were elected in the first place. Q. Next time you run into Villalobos at a session of parliament, will you say something to her? A. Im not planning on doing so. When we start working on political proposals and programs, then well talk. We were surprised by the lack of respect, particularly in a place like Congress. We couldnt understand why political differences cannot be respected Q. Dreadlocks are part of your personal image and personality. Will you keep them even if you hear more comments along the same lines? A. There are different hairdos and styles of dress in Congress now, reflecting the diversity in our country, a country of ordinary people; until now, it only reflected one part of society. Evidently I am not going to get rid of [the dreadlocks] just because of what people have to say about them. To me its just a hairstyle like any other, and I will only cut them off when I personally feel like it. Q. On the first day of the new Congress, there was also criticism about the way Podemos deputies dressed. Should the representatives from traditional parties start getting used to it? A. Of course. But above all, they need to get used to the fact that this country has changed, that we are in a new political era now, whether they like it or not. They will have to accept that, because citizens wanted it that way. Q. Will you ever wear a suit and tie to parliament? A. I have nothing against suits and ties. We are well aware of internal regulations, and there is nothing there about dress codes. We dress the same way ordinary people do down on the street, and we are not being disrespectful to anyone by doing so, not to the deputies and not to the institution. Q. Is it true you were once arrested for disturbing the peace? A. As a result of repressive policies by various governments, I participated in social movements and protests. I was arrested for disturbing the peace at the Indignados demonstrations in 2012, and I was acquitted. Now I am pending trial over another protest in 2006 in which the police assaulted my brother, who lost the sight in one eye. I was arrested when I was merely phoning my friends to let them know what was happening. I never insulted the police officers as they claimed. Q. How would you define Rajoys expression in the photograph where you show up walking in front of his congressional seat? A. It may have been a look of surprise illustrating the fact that perhaps he hasnt yet fully grasped the new political era in this country. If it helped to make him aware that Spain is no longer a private hunting ground for a few, and that they can no longer steamroll their way through Congress, then it was all for the best. English version by Susana Urra. Clinical trials are part of the development process of new medicines to ensure their safety and efficacy. While clinical trials are directed toward the common good and many have benefited from them, they also pose health hazards that may sometimes become fatal. On Sunday, Rennes University Hospital in France announced that a man who was left brain-dead after participating in a clinical trial for a painkiller drug called Bial has died. Five other participants were hospitalized but are now in stable condition. The Portuguese firm testing the drug said it is now working with health authorities, who have started their manslaughter case investigation. The news brought all eyes on the practice of testing experimental drugs on human volunteers. Clinical trials are designed to find better treatments and diagnostic modalities. Such tests do not only affect the communities, but the individual participants as well. "There are both benefits and risks associated with clinical trials," the National Institutes of Health states. Below are the benefits and risks of joining clinical trials. Benefits Being able to have access to new treatments and diagnostic procedures that are not yet available to the public. Having the opportunity to obtain expert medical advice and care from top health care professionals and institutions. Playing an active role in one's own health and being able to better understand diseases and medical conditions. Helping the society by contributing to medical research and enriching scientific knowledge for the common good. People with rare conditions, which do not have a precise cure yet, may also be given a chance to try possible treatments. Risks Being subjected to unfavorable, serious or even fatal side effects. Risking the possibility that the treatments may not be effective. Requiring participants to spend a lot of time for traveling to laboratories, engaging in experiments and being admitted to the hospital. Spending own money as some costs may not be shouldered by health insurance. As it is a "trial," it is critically vital for people to remember that participants may not receive direct benefits. Each clinical trial has specific benefits and risks, which should be described in detail in the participant information sheet and informed consent document provided by the company. Before officially participating in a clinical trial, the individual should receive explanations of the risks from the research team. The participant should also be given a chance to ask questions. Most importantly, all participants should read, understand and sign a consent form prior to the experiments. Photo: Luca Volpi | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. One of the world's growing problem is the increasing number of homeless people living in streets. A new movement is initiated by a non-profit group, "Fit for a King Tiny House" whose purpose is to help build tiny houses for the homeless. The volunteers are hoping that if this first tiny house prototype is successful, the initiative will be launched on a greater scale with the help of the federal government. In their movement in Facebook, they've created an event to invite more volunteers to construct, from scrap lumber and donated materials, a portable tiny house designed for one person. The construction started on Jan. 15 and will end on Jan. 18. Though the house was not built on a trailer, it can be moved using a flat bed two truck. It was designed to be a temporary abode of homeless people. It is no more than 8 x 12 feet. William Hamilton, who spearhead the coordination of the entire project, has brought together a team of residents in Charleston who are working with homeless people to build the tiny house. The original plan was to build the house on a parcel of land owned by the South Carolina Department of Transportation. The officials, however, rejected the proposal but a compromise was settled that the construction will be built on Jan. 18 with the team given an approval to use the city-owned land at 342 North Nassau Street. "On Saturday, Jan 16 and Sunday, Jan 17 afternoon there will be donated materials pickups from local building supply stores," Fit for a King Tiny House posted in its event page in Facebook. "You'll be able to purchase needed materials we're unable to scavenge or repurpose and we'll load them on a truck and take them directly to the construction site. There will be no need for you to transport them in your vehicle. You make the purchase. We do the rest. We'll also post needs on our Facebook event page," they added. After completing the tiny house, an exhibit will be held. The house will eventually be studied by city and federal officials as part of the Blue Ribbon Citizens Panel on Homelessness. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The World Economic Forum (WEF) envisions a bleak future, predicting that artificial intelligence automation and robotics will take over 5 million jobs over the next four years. It's not the first time we hear of such a turn, as the digital revolution is steadily gaining ground and is threatening to replace a large part of the human workforce. We've already heard of a robot lawyer and a robot weather reporter, and it's only the beginning. As great advances in technology are increasingly changing the industrial scene, the WEF expects humans to lose roughly 5 million jobs to robots by 2020. "Today, we are on the cusp of a Fourth Industrial Revolution. Developments in genetics, artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, 3D printing and biotechnology, to name just a few, are all building on and amplifying one another," the WEF notes in its report [pdf]. "This will lay the foundation for a revolution more comprehensive and all-encompassing than anything we have ever seen." The WEF further points out that this imminent revolution holds great patterns, but it will also overhaul the patterns of production, consumption, and employment. This will in turn pose a considerable challenge to governments, corporations, as well as individuals, as they will have to proactively adapt to this change. The rise of artificial intelligence and robots will play a heavy role in these disruptive changes on the labor market, and will lead to a net loss of 5.1 million jobs in 15 leading countries, according to the WEF Davos study. More specifically, the WEF predicts a total loss of a staggering 7.1 million jobs, which will be offset by the addition of 2 million new jobs. The 15 leading countries included in the survey make up roughly 65 percent of the world's total workforce. Australia, Germany, the U.S., China, France, Italy, India, Britain, and Japan will reportedly be among the countries most affected by this transition. The office and administrative sectors are expected to see two-thirds of these projected job losses, as AI and robots will take over some tasks. Virtually every industry will face displaced jobs, but not all will suffer the same impact. Healthcare will also see some of the biggest losses. Despite the digital revolution threatening to take over millions of jobs, however, some specifically skilled workers such as sales representatives or data analysts will likely be in increased demand. Lastly, the WEF predicts that women will face the most job losses, as female employees are often working in declining or slow-growth areas such as office and administrative roles or sales. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Man-made heat has raised ocean temperatures, twice of what was experienced 150 years ago, researchers have found. "Since the 1990s, the total amount of heat content change in the oceans is twice that of what we'd seen up until that point in the past 150 years," says Penn State meteorology professor Chris Forest. In the 18 years since 1997, the oceans have absorbed the same amount of energy about 150 zetajoules as they did between 1865 and 1997, researchers report in the journal Nature Climate Change. Scientists have long been aware that 90 percent of all man-made heat energy ends up in the globe's oceans. For the latest study, they used historical data going back to British research ships in the 1870s. They used high-tech monitors in seas around the world and sophisticated computer models to track the changes. While the majority of the additional heat going into the oceans is trapped in the top 2,300 feet, that's changing, researchers say. "Over the past few decades the ocean has continued to warm substantially, and with time the warming signals are reaching deeper into the ocean," says study lead author Peter Gleckler, a scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. What is most worrying is the rate at which the warming is increasing, which is accelerating the rate at which energy is trapped in planet's climate system as a whole, he says. The vast extent of the world's oceans means the absorbed heat is raising temperatures by just a few tenths of a degree, but what is important is the effect on the globe's energy balance, researchers say. Every bit of temperature rise decreases the amount of heat the oceans can absorb, meaning more and more heat stays in the atmosphere and on land, the researchers explain. The result is changes both at sea and on land, they say. "These findings have potentially serious consequences for life in the oceans as well as for patterns of ocean circulation, storm tracks and storm intensity," says Jane Lubchenco, who was former chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The bottom line, experts say, is that the study's findings are hard evidence that human activity is dramatically heating the planet. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After 50 years, the steamy publication Penthouse is finally folding its centerfolds in print, that is. The magazine, which ran its first issue in 1965, will cease all operations concerning its physical, newstand-ready editions and will continue to live as a digital-only format, according to an exclusive with the Wall Street Journal. "Reimagined for the preferred consumption of content today by consumers, the digital version of Penthouse magazine will combine and convert everything readers know and love about the print magazine experience to the power of a digital experience," FriendFinder Networks, Penthouse's social networking parent company, told the WSJ in an interview. The decision to shutter its print issues comes in the wake of similar decisions made by like-minded publications, like the UK's FHM and Zoo, as well as the Hugh Hefner-founded magazine Playboy's choice to abandon the print centerfolds that made it a (seedy) household name. As per WSJ, Penthouse decided to go the digital-only route after a drastic decrease in print subscriptions, which numbered around five million at the height of the magazine's popularity. The media company's troubles began more than a decade ago, when then-founder Bob Guccione filed for bankruptcy in 2004. Subsequently, Guccione lost control of the magazine. Almost 10 years later, FriendFinder did the same in 2013, then filed for bankruptcy protection the same year. In addition to ceasing printing monthly issues, Penthouse plans to shut down its New York offices, re-centering them solely in Los Angeles. "This move will keep Penthouse competitive in the future and will seamlessly combine our unmatched pictorial features and editorial content with our video and broadcast offerings," said Jonathan Buckheit, CEO of FriendFinder. Via: The Verge 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. SpaceX was on the verge of finally landing a rocket upright, but in the last moments of Falcon 9's latest barge landing, it fell over. The company blames ice buildup to be the most probable culprit. On Sunday, the rocket was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to deliver Jason-3 into orbit. SpaceX was hoping it would return the Earth upright on an ocean barge. Unfortunately, it did not. At first, Falcon 9 touched down softly and upright, but a few seconds later, it came crashing down. It turns out the lockout collar did not lock on one of the four legs sturdily. SpaceX founder Elon Musk posted a video on Instagram, where he also shared what may have gone wrong. "Root cause may have been ice buildup due to condensation from heavy fog at liftoff," he said. The Jason-3 satellite which Falcon 9 successfully delivered about 830 miles above the Earth is a climate-monitoring device that will track sea level rise around the world. The satellite will also provide more accurate data about the upcoming tropical cyclones that may cause significant damage to America's coasts. Although Sunday's event was the first bid to land a rocket in the Pacific Ocean, it is not the first imperfect landing for SpaceX. In January 2015, SpaceX was tasked to deliver CRS-5 into orbit. The rocket came back to Earth in an extremely swift motion that it landed too hard on the deck and eventually exploded. The reason for this was the rocket ran out of hydraulic fluid. The second attempt was in April 2015, where SpaceX delivered CRS-6 into orbit. The landing was much softer than the first, but it came in an extremely lateral angle causing it to tip off and explode as well. The main vision of SpaceX is to make space launch more affordable by reusing rockets instead of letting it crash to the ocean, but the failed rocket landings are direct setbacks for the company's goals. Despite the letdowns, SpaceX still has about 60 more launches scheduled, which is said to cost more than $8 billion. The company also wants to try landing rockets both on the ground and on ocean platforms to cater to a variety of space missions. Photo: SpaceX Photos | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. People are now given more reason to sleep in during the weekends. A new study found that making up for lack of sleep during the weekdays will not only restore energy, it will also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The results of a research from the University of Chicago shows that people with four nights of sleep deprivation exhibited blood changes suggestive of sugar level mishandling. However, when these people were asked to sleep longer for the next two nights, their blood tests returned to normal. Such intervention signifies that extra sleep was able counteract the effects of sleep deprivation. "The metabolic response to this extra sleep was very interesting and encouraging," says senior author Dr. Esra Tasali. Co-author Dr. Josiane Broussard, who is now at the University of Colorado Boulder, says the study implies the need to pay back sleep debt if it is impossible to extend sleep during weekdays. The study had two parts and involved 19 healthy men who participated in both of the experiments. For the first part, the subjects were asked to sleep for an average of 8.5 hours for four nights. In the second part, the men were deprived of sleep and were only allowed to rest for 4.5 hours for four nights. The researcher then allowed the men to sleep for extended periods during the next two nights, with an average of 9.7 hours. After the experiments, the researchers tested the participants' insulin sensitivity, which is the ability of the hormone to regulate sugar levels. They also identified the subjects' diabetes risk via a disposition index. Insulin sensitivity plummeted after four nights of sleep deprivation by 23 percent and diabetes risk increased by 16 percent. However, after two nights of prolonged sleep, the tests returned to normal levels. Amid the findings, Broussard warns that the study does not indicate that sleeping in during the weekend can counter the negative consequences of inadequate sleep every other night during the weekdays. Ultimately, the study does not prove that making up for lost sleep will prevent diabetes. Despite the uncertainties, Broussard says one thing is likely to be true: sleeping more is beneficial. The study will be published in the journal Diabetes Care. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Google and Apple made dedications for the renowned civil rights leader who fought for equality and civil rights through nonviolent means. Not only did the actions and words of King reach Americans, but they also extended far beyond many countries across the globe. That includes the tech industry as well. Google invited guest artist Richie Pope to design today's Google Doodle, where he depicted Dr. King giving a speech and using microphones to spread his word. "Today's doodle honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, community activist, philosopher and humanitarian. His leadership of the American Civil Rights movement, Nobel Peace Prize for non-violent civil disobedience in the face of racial injustice, and eventual martyrdom for the cause, cements his place as a hero for peace and justice worldwide," Google says. Finally able to share the news: I did today's Google Doodle for MLK Day! This means more than I can even describe. pic.twitter.com/aecaSAp8DC Pope Dameron (@richiepope) January 18, 2016 It was Dr. King who said, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase," which the Mountain View company highlighted on the Google Doodle page for the Baptist minister. Meanwhile, Apple posted a photo of Dr. King on the company's main page, which is also a picture where the civil rights leader is giving a speech. "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" the Apple website currently reads. It's also worth mentioning that the CEO of the Cupertino brand Tim Cook used these exact words in a speech when he announced his homosexuality, noting that it was one of the "greatest gifts" he had received from God. This proves how Dr. King's words still resound to this day and how they will do so for many years and generations to come. Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been a federal holiday in America since 1983, and it's celebrated every Jan. 18. Regardless of the geography, many people of different races chime in to honor the day. Google Doodles pay tribute to iconic figures and events in history, ranging from the 41st anniversary of Lucy the Australopithecus to the 254th birthday of the master composer Ludwig van Beethoven. As such, it was more or less expected for the company to publish a Doodle that commemorates Dr. King's achievements. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In spite of facing criticisms for handling the emissions scandal in his recent visit to the United States, the Porsche and Piech families still bet on the embattled Volkswagen's chief executive officer, says a report. Matthias Muller was slammed in his visit for allegedly playing down the seriousness of the scandal in a radio interview. Muller has been on a hot seat after blaming the scandal on a misunderstanding and considering it a technical problem instead of an ethical one. His statement left a few officials of the U.S. government upset. Citing its source which is said to be close to the Volkswagen supervisory board, Reuters has reported that despite Muller's "mistake," the Porsche and Piech families, who control a big chunk of Volkswagen's voting rights, still support the Volkswagen's boss. "Everybody can see that Mr. Muller's U.S. trip was not successful. But that does not mean that we move away from him," said Reuters' source. "The Porsche and Piech families stand firmly behind Mr. Muller." Another insider claims that the board was all set to forgive and forget the chief executive's unsatisfactory response on the issue during his visit in the country. The senior members of the board are slated to meet on Tuesday to talk about the internal investigation's progress regarding the scandal. Previously, a report from the Bild am Sonntag newspaper in Germany said the number of board members, specifically powerful trade union representatives, who have doubts over Muller's leadership is increasing. Volkswagen, however, discarded this report. Environmental officials said on Jan. 13 that talks would remain active with the company in an aim to repair almost 600,000 diesel cars involved in the emissions scandal. Earlier this month, Volkswagen Chairman Dr. Herbert Diess apologized to the U.S. for the company's emissions scandal. He made the apology during the first 3 minutes of his keynote speech at the 2016 CES on Jan. 5 in front of a bevy of journalists and photographers at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. "We disappointed our customers and the American people, for which I am truly sorry, and for which I apologize," said Diess. "We at Volkswagen are disappointed that this could happen within the company we love." He assured that the company is doing its best "to make things right" and that they are working to find effective remedies for their customers across the globe. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. As less and less teenagers in the United States smoke cigarettes in previous years, more are turning to use marijuana instead. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that the percentage of students in middle school and high school who exclusively smoked pot in 2013 increased to 10.2 percent as compared to the 4.2 percent in 1997. How can this affect the brain of teenagers? A study has shown that smoking marijuana has schizophrenia-like effects anxiety, social withdrawal, and abnormal levels of dopamine on adolescents. A key ingredient of marijuana called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is responsible for these effects, all of which may continue until adulthood. Dr. Steven Laviolette of Western University in Canada emphasized the fact that adolescence is a critical time for brain development, thus, smoking pot is harmful to teenagers. Aside from the effects on mental health, scientists have suggested that using marijuana during adolescence leads to a decline in intelligence. However, a new research involving twins has found that this concept may not be as clear-cut as previously believed. Can Smoking Pot Really Make You Stupid? By following more than 3,000 teenage twins, researchers examined whether the use of marijuana is causing reduced memory, decreased intelligence, lower verbal ability and poorer attention in teens, or if these are signs of deeper troubles. The team focused on twins as they have the same background. Twins also share half or all of their genes. The former is found in fraternal twins, while the latter is found in identical twins. "In one fell swoop, that allowed us to control for common familial variables and shared genes," said Joshua Isen of the University of Minnesota, a co-author of the study. Isen and his colleagues tested the twins' intelligence quotient twice at different points in their lives: between 9 to 12 years old the age before the twins would likely become involved in pot and again at 17 to 20 years old. When compared to non-marijuana users, the average change in IQ for marijuana users was about 3.4 to 4 points lower. However, twins who used marijuana did not show a change in their IQ that was any different than the change experienced by their twin who did not smoke at all, researchers said. "We found there was no difference between twins in terms of how much their IQ changed," said Isen. "The twin who didn't use marijuana showed as much IQ drop as the twin who did." Tracing The Cause Of IQ Issues To Personal Problems Dr. Joseph Lee, the medical director for the youth services of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, said teenagers are likely to experience a decline in IQ for several other reasons such as emotional turmoil, family problems, or some other factor. These teenagers appear more susceptible to marijuana use, alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking at an early age. In turn, they are at greater risk for developing problems later in life, Lee said. Both Lee and Isen said marijuana use should be a red flag to parents that their child needs help and is struggling. "This is a big red flag for their life's trajectory," added Lee. The findings of the study will be featured in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Photo: Chuck Grimmett | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mariano Rajoy during a meeting with Popular Party leaders in Madrid. Tarek (EFE) One month after inconclusive elections that yielded a hung parliament, and with Spanish politicians still unable to reach deals to form a government, acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is preparing his Popular Party (PP) for the fact that there will be no grand coalition with the Socialists (PSOE). Rajoy, who favors a three-way alliance of the two traditional rivals plus the emerging Ciudadanos party, said that he is not planning to meet with Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez any more because it is very difficult to negotiate with someone who refuses to talk. Close aides said Rajoy would not hold talks with Sanchez again until Congress calls the first investiture session The conservative leader is also accusing Sanchez, whose party came in second at the December 20 election with 90 seats, of trying to reach an alternative all-against-one deal with other parties with the sole purpose of avoiding a government led by the PP, which won the most seats at the election (123) but fell short of the congressional majority required to go it alone (176). Although Rajoy feels that there is enormous leeway for mutual agreement, Sanchez appears to favor an alliance of leftist forces similar to the one currently governing Portugal, a country he recently visited to gain insights into the political situation there. On Monday, Rajoy addressed his party to prepare it for the near-certain failure of his bid to secure support from Sanchez. Close aides said Rajoy would not meet with him one-on-one again, or even have a telephone conversation with him, until Congress calls the first investiture session, in which Rajoy will attempt to get reinstated. This session will likely be held in late January or early February. If no nominee is successful, a second round of voting will be called. And if that fails again, Spain will be forced to hold a fresh election in late May, even though the latest voter survey shows that the outcome would be another fractured parliament with few changes to its makeup. Meanwhile, King Felipe VI has been meeting with political leaders to discuss likely outcomes, as part of the pre-investiture protocol encoded in Spanish laws. Although these meetings have always been a mere formality in a system where either the PP or the PSOE always had enough votes to form a government, the fragmented scenario that emerged on December 20 has given the monarch a greater role as mediator. All the party leaders who have already met with Felipe VI said the king seemed fully aware of the possibility that no agreement would be reached. English version by Susana Urra. We all still have three months of wait before HBO's "Game of Thrones" finally graces our television screens once again and we are all anxious to find out if the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch who knows nothing is really dead, but Maisie Williams teased that we might get to see him again in season six. This reveal certainly confirms the news that actor Kit Harington has been seen hanging out on the set of season six but Williams, who plays Arya Stark, didn't give fans much hope for the kind of return they wish Jon Snow to have. "There's a great twist - but I can't say that he's going to be alive," Williams said in an interview during the London Critics' Circle Awards 2016. Check out the full interview in the video below. The reveal is intriguing since, in a Dec. 29 published article featuring Isaac Hempstead-Wright, the young actor who plays Bran Stark, "Game of Thrones" season six is heading in a direction that it has been trying to avoid in the past five seasons and that is to explore the past and future. If you remember from the end of season four, Bran Stark already found his way to the three-eyed raven and he has been missing in the entire fifth season. So what has Bran been up to while chaos was taking place in Westeros? He was training to be able to fully utilize his psychic powers and he will be returning in season six to display just how well he can use it now. This only means we'll be getting many shots of the past and future so, if there is really a twist concerning Jon Snow if he is really dead, then we can only assume that we'll see him in one of Bran's journeys to the past. After all, even Harington confirms Jon Snow's death. "I've been told I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm not coming back next season. So that's all I can tell you, really," he said. Then again, Jon Snow knows nothing. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The world is excitedly waiting for the first manned mission to Mars in 2030. With all the hype and NASA's go-getter attitude, the skies seem bright for the highly anticipated mission. A safety panel, however, says it is not yet time to set high expectations. In the annual report of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), the panel expressed reservations about NASA's capability to successfully carry out a manned mission to Mars. The main reason behind the doubts is the space agency's inability to provide sufficient details in terms of technology and budget plans. "Over the last few years, the ASAP has expressed its concern that NASA has not clearly formulated and communicated a long-term goal that would help to focus its efforts and inspire its workforce," the report reads. The agency did come up with a report in October 2015 titled "Journey to Mars: Pioneering the Next Steps in Space Exploration." In the NASA report, the agency presented a three-phase plan for sending astronauts to the red planet by the year 2030. However, the ASAP panel still thinks the report does not verify NASA's capability of achieving such a massive project given the limited time and funds that need to be consistent with the present economic situation. NASA was also criticized by United States lawmakers who said that the agency's plans are unrealistic unless a 5 percent yearly increase is made in its budget. Although the paper determined a number of specific technologies such as a Deep Space Habitat and Solar Electric Propulsion, ASAP also thinks it lacks topnotch architecture and design. The absence of such components makes it hard to reach and sequence relevant technology developments to guarantee that these will be available come crunch time. When the leaders of NASA were asked to comment, they said it would be too early to create such plans. They added that they are hesitant to design vehicles using present technologies as they expect technology improvements in the next two decades. They also pointed out that future administrations may criticize whatever they may come up with now. ASAP believes, however, that if the mission is well-designed and if its rewards will outweigh risks, then it will surely get support from future administrations and even from the public. If not, then it may be time for NASA to work on a different project or at least utilize a different strategy for the current mission, ASAP says. ASAP was founded in 1968 by the U.S. Congress. The panel's main function is to give safety advice and recommendations to NASA leaders. The panel conducts fact-finding efforts and public meetings quarterly. They also visit NASA sites, review safety guidelines and point out existing and potential hazards. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. About 32,000 women in the United Kingdom may unknowingly carry a faulty gene that ups their risk for ovarian cancer by threefold. This is a warning from the authors of a new study pertaining to an inherited fault in the BRIP1 gene in the affected women. Around 18 women out of 1,000 develop ovarian cancer, but the risk climbs to about 58 women out of every 1,000 given the BRIP1 gene fault. When there are faults in the gene, the cell cannot perform proper DNA repair, leading up to a buildup of genetic damage and eventually, cancer. The researchers led by Cancer Research UK scientists coming from University of Cambridge, UCL, and Imperial College London analyzed the genes of over 8,000 white European females, including 3,250 diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Their findings also showed that women carrying the BRIP1 gene mutation tended to be diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, at an older age and a later stage. Cancer epidemiology professor and study author Paul Pharoah said that their research is a crucial element behind studying ovarian cancer. [W]e hope that our work could eventually form the basis of a genetic test to identify women at greatest risk, he said in a press release, adding that this type of cancer is typically diagnosed at a late stage and therefore accompanied with lower survival chances. Every year in the UK alone, 7,100 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and an estimated 4,200 will die from the dreaded disease. Nell Barrie, senior science information manager of Cancer Research UK, highlighted the importance of probing inherited gene mutations in cancer research. We urgently need ways to detect ovarian cancer early, as the cancer is often diagnosed when its too late for effective treatment because the cancer has already spread, he warned. Previous studied have identified that BRCA gene mutations put women at risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie chose to undergo double mastectomy and hysterectomy procedures after finding out that she had the mutation. The study results are published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Photo: Bradley Gordon | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Working in the healthcare setting inevitably requires effective communication with patients and colleagues. Patient safety is of utmost concern and for this, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) now requires EU nurses and midwives to prove that they have the necessary English language skills before they can work in Britain. Starting Jan. 18, EU nurses and midwives must also follow the same protocol for overseas healthcare workers trained outside Europe. This means that EU professionals are now required to pass an English language assessment test if they cannot provide evidence of adequate English efficiency. NMC Chief Executive Jackie Smith says all nurses, including those trained within Europe, who wish to join the register must exhibit high standard of English. Effective communication between healthcare workers and patients is a basic aspect of patient safety and is a standard that lies at the core of the practice. "The Code is clear that you must be able to communicate effectively with patients and colleagues," says Smith. The English language tests will entail assessments of the healthcare professional's reading, speaking, listening and writing skills. "The new requirements will act to together to strengthen public protection and ensure that we are compliant with recent changes in EU legislation," the announcement states. Aside from new nurses and midwives, NMC also said that those already working in the UK but do not meet the skills criteria may also be investigated under the new rules. Similar protocols have been implemented for doctors in 2014 following the surge of controversies enveloping the gross negligence of Nigerian-born German citizen GP Daniel Ubani. Ubani was said to have killed his patient David Gray in 2008 after injecting a painkiller that is 10 times its recommended dose. UK has been suffering from significant shortage of nurses. Hiring agency staff proved to be expensive for the NHS trust. In October 2015, the government lifted the ban of hiring overseas nurses to help recruitment. From 2014 to 2015, statistical data shows that NHS and other private health institutions recruited about 8,183 nurses from different parts of the world - twice the figures from 2012 to 2013. Photo: Garry Knight | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have discovered that almost half of the total number of counties in the United States is now home to hordes of ticks that can carry the dreaded Lyme disease. In a study featured in the Journal of Medical Entomology, scientists from the federal agency found that varieties of blacklegged ticks infected with the Borrelia bacteria inhabit about 45 percent of counties in the country. This is a significant increase compared to the 30 percent of American counties that had these insects in 1998. "It's important for people to be aware that there may be ticks in areas where they haven't seen them previously so that they can take steps to help protect themselves and their families," Rebecca Eisen, a researcher from the CDC and the lead author of the study, said. Eisen and her colleagues stated in their report that the number of Lyme disease infections in the United States has more than tripled since the 1990s. Lyme Disease Lyme disease is a form of bacterial infection that is typically spread through the bites of blacklegged ticks, particularly the Ixodes scapularis (deer tick) and the Ixodes pacificus (western blacklegged tick). These insects can often be found living in grassy or wooded areas. The diseases itself is caused by a strain of bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi. Individuals infected with these microorganisms develop symptoms such as headache, fatigue and fever, which can often be confused for symptoms of influenza. Some patients also develop "bull's eye" rash on the area of their body where they have been bitten by ticks. Lyme disease can effectively be treated using antibiotic drugs. However, if the infection is not addressed immediately, it can cause patients to suffer long-term cognitive problems, muscle and joint pains and various mood disorders. Spread Of Disease-Carrying Ticks In The United States In order to determine changes in tick populations in the country, the researchers examined data collected from various counties. They discovered that deer ticks are now present in 1,420 out of the total 3,110 counties (46 percent) in the continental United States, while western blacklegged ticks now inhabit 111 of the counties (4 percent). This equates to a 45 percent increase from figures recorded in 1998 when the insects were reported to live in 1,058 U.S. counties. The researchers determined that deer ticks have established populations in 842 counties in 35 different states, which is a significant increase compared to the 396 counties across 32 states that the insects inhabited in 1998. The ticks' stomping grounds were used to be centered in northeastern states, but data suggests that the insects have moved south and west. Meanwhile, western blacklegged ticks have established themselves in 95 different counties across six states, which is an increase from the 90 counties they inhabited in 1998. The insects, however, remain centered in states along the Pacific coast. Despite the continued spread of tick populations across the U.S., Eisen explained that the likelihood of contracting Lyme disease differs depending on the number of ticks carrying the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, as well as the chances of these insects biting individuals. How To Avoid Tick Bites Dr. Keith Berndtson, a disease expert from the Center for Research on Biotoxin-Associated Illness (CRBAI) in Maryland, said that people can help protect themselves from tick bites by spraying their skin and clothing with repellants made with lemon permethrin or DEET. It is also advisable to wear long sleeves shirts and long pants, especially when going outdoors. Wearing clothes in light-colored fabrics can also help make ticks easier to spot. Berndtson, who was not involved in the CDC study, said that keeping ticks for disease testing can also help researchers determine whether the insects carried the Lyme bacteria. Photo: Lennart Tange | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In an interview at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mercedes-Benz R&D chief Thomas Weber said the car company is on track to release its first production of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle in 2017. Against claims that Mercedes had lost the lead that it once had on the development of a hydrogen car, Weber said the new vehicle will be a version of the GLC SUV that will be powered by the latest technology in hydrogen fuel cells. "We are in the middle of the car's roll-out phase right now," said Weber, adding that the hardware that is required to be able to produce the electric power using hydrogen has seen a significant size reduction, which will be seen in the upcoming hydrogen-powered GLC. Last year, Weber said it will take about 3 minutes to refuel the tanks of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle, and the new model will be offered to potential customers within selected markets though outright purchase or with a monthly lease. In addition to the hydrogen fuel cell-powered GLC, Weber confirmed that engineers of Daimler were well along in the development of another alternative energy car in the form of an all-electric vehicle. Weber, however, declined to state which model in the Mercedes-Benz lineup will serve as the basis for the electric car or when the vehicle is expected to be released into the market. Rumors, however, state that the electric vehicle is being groomed as a competitor to the Tesla Model S and may be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2017 before hitting showrooms in 2018. Weber confirmed that the car will feature a range of 250 miles to 300 miles and will be the first one to feature modular components which could be used by both electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles across the group. Hydrogen power is seemingly rising in popularity among carmakers, with Audi last week unveiling the Audi H-Tron Quattro concept. "H," of course, stands for hydrogen, and the H-Tron Quattro is named by Audi as the latest in the company's benchmark innovation. Audi claimed that it would only take 4 minutes to refill the tanks of the vehicle, making it efficient as it is sporty. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Pakistan declared that it has removed its three-year ban on Google-owned YouTube following the launch of the site's local version in the Muslim-dominated country. With this new version, the government will be able to remove and block any material it deems offensive. The YouTube ban took effect in September 2012 as a result of violent protests across major cities in Pakistan, when the film "Innocence of Muslims," which was believed to have anti-Islam sentiments, was uploaded to the video-sharing site. "On the recommendation of PTA, the Government of Pakistan has allowed access to the recently launched country version of YouTube for Internet users in Pakistan," said the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom. The ministry added that Google created a sort of an online Web process where it can receive requests for denial of access to any offensive material. These requests can be made directly by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to Google. Upon receiving a request, Google will block access to the offensive material to YouTube users in Pakistan. Pakistan regards blasphemy as a highly sensitive topic. People who are charged with blasphemy can be sentenced to death. So far, there are no records that showed a death sentence had been issued by the government. The film "Innocence of Muslims" showed the prophet Muhammad as a buffoon, which is considered a mockery and therefore blasphemous. While the White House had instructed YouTube to remove the clip on its site, the company defended its proliferation on the site while citing reasons that are based on the ideals of free speech. Within the last couple of years, Pakistan had been blocking thousands of Web pages that the government finds to be undesirable. Some activists claim that this practice of blocking sites is intended to suppress liberal or anti-government voices. YouTube, as well as parent company Google, also had a litany of protesting countries over the company's reluctance to pull down material that is deemed offensive or not in conformity with a country's set of rules and regulations. Apart from Pakistan, the video-sharing site had also been banned in Turkey, North Korea, China, and Iran, among others. Google said that the process of pulling down an offensive material will have to follow a vetting process after a review of the material has been conducted. It added that these requests by the government to remove an offensive content will have to be reported in public. Google also receives numerous takedown requests from copyright holders. "We have clear community guidelines, and when videos violate those rules, we remove them," Google said in a statement. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Uber China revealed its plans to launch in 15 new cities over the next few weeks, with the goal to expand to 100 Chinese cities by the end of 2016. The ride-hailing company will initially expand its services to be available in 15 cities in Sichuan, the southwestern Chinese providence that is the fourth most populated with over 80 million people, with plans to do so before the Chinese New Year on Feb. 8. Uber is already available in 22 cities in China, including in Sichuan's capital Chengdu, which is the company's top city for weekly completed trips worldwide, as well as in Hong Kong, Macau, and recently launched in the Sichuan city of Mianyang. It would make sense the company would set the goal to have the first wave of Uber cars launched in more cities before the Chinese New Year since it it is one of the busiest days of the year to travel. After the Chinese New Year, Uber will continue to roll out its services to new areas to reach its massive expansion goal of its services offered in 100 cities in China. "2015 was Uber China's 'Year of Localization' and 2016 will be our 'Year of Growth'," Zhen Liu, Uber China's head of strategy, said in a statement. "We have built a strong foundation across the country and have put in place an excellent local team that will drive our growth in the year ahead." While the expansion to reach 100 new cities by the end of the year sounds like an ambitious plan, Uber China had just reached $2 billion (in U.S. dollars) in funding from investors. Even after becoming widespread in China, Uber will still be behind its competitor Didi Kuaidi, China's biggest ride-sharing company (which is available in over 360 Chinese cities and towns). But Uber China has plans to set itself apart from its competition, specially in Chengdu, where it will open ride-stations where passengers can meet drivers at the city's popular landmarks marked by a panda-themed sign. Source: Tech Crunch Photo: Pedro Alonso | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Volkswagen isn't the only automaker with an emissions scandal on its hands. After being raided by anti-fraud authorities last week, French automaker Renault is set to recall upwards of 15,000 vehicles to make them comply with emissions regulations. Segolene Royal, France's minister of ecology, told RTL radio Tuesday morning that the brand's cars must be recalled before they go on sale. That recall will enable the company to test its affected cars' engines and filtration systems to ensure that they're in compliance with emissions regulations, as reported by The Verge. "We can say that the tests were insufficient," Royal told RTL, as reported by The Verge. He added: "After the Volkswagen fraud scandal, we decided to conduct incontestable tests. But what we want is to save the automotive industry while guaranteeing consumer rights." Shortly following last week's raid, Renault claimed that its vehicles didn't have any defeat device software loaded up in their cars, as Volkswagen did with its 11 million manipulated emissions vehicles worldwide. "To be fair to Renault ... there are other brands that exceed the norms," Royal said, comparing Renault to other automakers around the world and their respective emissions rates. He added that Renault will be meeting with a specialized French government committee to speak about its emissions issue. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A report recently released by Amnesty International alleges some devastating truths about companies like Samsung, Apple, and Sony ones that indicate these companies are either directly or indirectly responsibile for facilitating the use of child labor on the African continent by way of global trade agreements. Compiled in collaboration with African Resources Watch (Afrewatch), the report, titled "This is What We Die For: Human Rights Abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Power the Global Trade in Cobalt," accuses the multinational tech companies, along with 13 other corporations, of failing to properly check if cobalt mines in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo exploit child laborers, some of whom are as young as seven years old. Other big names listed in the report include Huawei, Lenovo and Microsoft. Cobalt is imperative to the chemical and mechanical makeup of many tablets and smartphones: the compound is used to manufacture lithium batteries for a litany of surface devices. "The glamourous shop displays and marketing of state of the art technologies are a stark contrast to the children carrying bags of rocks, and miners in narrow, manmade tunnels risking permanent lung damage," said Mark Dummett, the business and human rights researcher at Amnesty International, in an official statement released by the organization on Jan. 18. "Millions of people enjoy the benefits of new technologies but rarely ask how they are made. It is high time the big brands took some responsibility for the mining of the raw materials that make their lucrative products," he added. Amnesty International and Afrewatch named Congo Dongfang Mining, a supplier owned by a Chinese parent mining company called Huayou Cobalt, as the major perpetrator. Using a paper trail of investor documents, both organizations uncovered how the company and its subsidiary "process the cobalt before selling it to three battery-component manufacturers in China and South Korea," as well as peddling it to tech conglomerates and car companies like Volkswagen. The report was also quick to point out the enormous disparities, both economic and social, between those who mine for the compound to power the manufactured devices, and those who end up with them. "It is a major paradox of the digital era that some of the world's richest, most innovative companies are able to market incredibly sophisticated devices without being required to show where they source raw materials for their components," said Afrewatch executive director Emmanuel Umpula. The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces cobalt used by roughly half of the world, but at no small cost: 80 miners have died in the country's mines between September 2014 and December 2015, along with a devastatingly high number of injuries, some fatal, that simply go unrecorded. "The abuses in mines remain out of sight and out of mind because in today's global marketplace consumers have no idea about the conditions at the mine, factory, and assembly line. We found that traders are buying cobalt without asking questions about how and where it was mined," he concluded. While many of the companies have not commented at this time, Apple more or less denied any knowledge of child labor use in its supplier's mines, stating, "Underage labour is never tolerated in our supply chain and we are proud to have led the industry in pioneering new safeguards." Apple also cited its auditing process, and added it is "currently evaluating dozens of different materials, including cobalt, in order to identify labour and environmental risks as well as opportunities for Apple to bring about effective, scalable and sustainable change." Samsung also addressed the report, asserting its "zero tolerance policy" against child labor practices. Via: Engadget 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mexican actress Kate del Castillo attends a NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race in Fontana, California in 2013. Reed Saxon (AP) Soap opera actress Kate del Castillo has been summoned to appear before Mexicos Attorney Generals Office (PGR) to testify about her relationship and contacts with Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Loera. Authorities over the weekend began to investigate whether Del Castillo received money from the recently recaptured drug lord during the months that they were in secret contact while he was on the run, the PRG said. Prosecutors are specifically investigating whether the actress had any business ties to El Chapo in relation to the promotion of her own tequila label, Honor del Castillo, or if he had given her money for the film she was planning to produce about his life. Del Castillo last October took Hollywood actor Sean Penn to meet El Chapo in one of his hideouts in the mountains of Durango state. Their clandestine dinner was the subject of Penns firsthand account that was published in Rolling Stone magazine on January 9, the day after El Chapo was recaptured. On Monday, Mexico City daily El Universal published a series of text messages between Del Castillo who became famous for her portrayal of a female drug trafficker in soap opera La reina del sur and Andres Granados, one of El Chapos lawyers. The actress told Granados that it would be wonderful if El Chapo could invest in a tequila business she was planning. She sent publicity photos of the tequila brand so that they could be passed along to El Chapo. The exchange of text messages took place on April 15, 2015, but this was not the first time that the Mexican actress and the Sinaloa cartel chief had been in contact. Del Castillo is expected to give her statements at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles Eight months ago, Del Castillo and Guzman kept in touch through cellphone messages and letters. Authorities monitored these communications in order to see if they could find where El Chapo was hiding out. Guzman Loera, who is one of the worlds most powerful drug lords and is wanted in the United States, escaped from a maximum security prison on July 11 by fleeing through a 1.5-kilometer-long tunnel dug under his cell. He had been captured in Sinaloa in February 2014. Since the friendship between El Chapo and Del Castillo was made public after the release of recorded conversations and text messages, the Mexican actress has been thrust into the spotlight. In one conversation, El Chapo tells the actress: I will take care of you more than I do my own eyes. Authorities were reportedly able to recapture Guzman after they traced a series of phone calls and contacts that were made last September to prepare for the secret meeting between Penn and the notorious drug trafficker. Del Castillo, who lives in Los Angeles, has yet to give her own account about her relationship with El Chapo. She will not have to return to Mexico to testify but is expected to give her statements at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles. English version by Martin Delfin. Ford is pushing the envelope in figuring out how to integrate a drone with its vehicles, even holding an open-call contest, asking developers to devise a way for a drone to launch from the bed of an F-150 pickup truck. To that end, researchers from the German Aerospace Center have demonstrated the ability to safely land a drone traveling at speeds up to 47 miles per hour onto a moving car, as footage obtained by the BBC shows. Through the demonstration, these researchers told the BBC that they think unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could hover in the air for longer if they don't have wheels as part of their design. As the video, obtained by the BBC, shows, the drone utilized a marker on the car's roof in addition to other sensor data to line itself up with precision. The way the system is set up, it aborts the landing if the vehicles are incorrectly lined up. That, researchers explain, paves the way for drones to be manufactured without landing gear. "If you have long missions flying in the stratosphere, you don't need to carry your landing gear around," Tin Muskardin, from the German Aerospace Center, explains to the BBC in the clip. "So, the idea is removing that and saving that weight for additional scientific instruments." In order words, the driver of the car and pilot of the drone would be getting a more efficient flying and landing experience. Researchers add that in theory this could prove safer than trying to land a drone on a runway in bad weather. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apple Wins Patent Lawsuit As US Court Bans Older Samsung Devices From Being Sold In the most recent development in the ongoing patent war between Samsung and Apple, a new court ruling has slapped the South Korean company with a ban on several devices in the United States. US District Judge Lucy Koh has granted Apple a motion for a permanent injunction against several Samsung devices that infringed upon Apples patents. Apple claims that Samsungs devices are violating patents that cover technologies such as the slide to unlock, the automatic word correction, and the quick links, arguing that allowing these devices to remain on sale would irreparably harm its business. The case was reopened back in September by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the new court order now blocks Samsung from selling all the below mentioned devices in the United States. This includes the Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S3, and Stratosphere. The most recent device on the list, the Galaxy S3, which propelled Samsung to the top of the smartphone market, was introduced in 2012 but has since been replaced by a slew of newer Samsung flagship smartphones. The court ruling may not be such a huge win for Apple, as most of the devices on the courts list are no longer offered for sale in the US by Samsung. According to Koh in her filing, The court finds that Apple will suffer irreparable harm if Samsung continues to use its use of the infringing features, that monetary damages cannot adequately compensate Apple for this resulting irreparable harm, and that the balance of equities and public interest favor entry of a permanent injunction. Reacting on the court ruling, Samsung said, We are very disappointed. While this will not impact American consumers, it is another example of Apple abusing the judicial system to create bad legal precedent, which can harm consumer choice for generations to come. Jung Dong Joon, a patent lawyer with SU Intellectual Property in Seoul, said It seems the US court didnt take anyones side and managed to take care of both companies. The latest move will only have a minimal impact on Samsungs mobile business because most of the models to be banned are too old, while it gave Apple more negotiating power when it comes to patents. Enforcement of the order would begin in 30 days, the court said. Apple has not yet commented on the issue. Companies such as Facebook, Google, HTC, LG Electronics, and HP have all supported Samsung in this lawsuit dispute, claiming that should the judge rule in favor of Apple could allow patent owners to unfairly leverage their intellectual property for competitive gain. The ruling essentially marks a dangerous precedent in the patent wars. While the move certainly does not settle the dispute and critics claim it is not enough, it is seen as a move in the right direction for the rights of patent holders. Earlier Koh had ruled that Samsung should not be banned from selling smartphones, but should compensate Apple monetarily. Donald Trump promises he would force Apple to make its computers in United States The ever-angry and GOP candidate Donald Trump during a speech on Monday said he would force Apple to manufacture its computers and other goods in the U.S. instead of other countries. He said the government should penalize U.S. firms that go overseas to make their goods. Apple manufactures most of its products in China to maximize profits. It also requires the low-cost labor in China to make its products competitive. In addition, Chinas electronics supply chains are much larger than what the US has to offer. Speaking at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA., Trump intensified his speech-making on Apples overseas manufacturing, and claimed somehow the US would get back those jobs in the future. We have such amazing people in this country: smart, sharp, energetic, theyre amazing, Trump said. I was saying make America great again, and I actually think we can say now, and I really believe this, were gonna get things coming we are going to do whats good for the country. Were going to get Apple to build its damn computers in this country instead of other countries. Trump was short on data, and didnt speak anything more about Apple. He said the country has lost 10 million jobs and 50,000 manufacturing plants. Were getting killed, he said. He said he would charge companies like Ford a tax if they dont build in the U.S. I guarantee you they would say the will build our plant in the U.S., he said. Free trade is good. But we have to do it. Or we wont have a country left. Given Apples own reputation as being one of or partnering with the best manufacturers on Earth, such as Chinas Foxconn sounds like a dumb idea. Bringing Apples manufacturing jobs home isnt totally out of the question. Currently, Apple only manufactures its Mac Pro in the U.S. (specifically in Austin, Texas). On its jobs creation Web site, Apple maintains its responsible for creating and supporting 1.9 million U.S. jobs, as of the end of 2015. It also claims that thirty-one of the 50 states provide parts, materials, or equipment to make Apple products. However, it is much more than this. It is a well-established fact that Apple is hugely dependent on international supply chains and manufacturers. Hence, it will take a lot more than sharp words from Trump to convince Apple to abandon its profits. Even Steve Jobs was not budged on that by one of the most successful presidents in history. The Civil Guard with one of the suspects in the murder of the priest from Vilanova. Brais Lorenzo (EFE) If this is the world that I created, let the devil take me. Antonio Gomez, the new parish priest in the Galician hamlet of Vilanova dos Infantes (Celanova, Ourense), quotes the local poet Manuel Curros Enriquez, who wrote about a God looking out from behind the clouds and gazing down in deep disappointment at the humans below. Father Antonio was friends with Adolfo Enriquez, his predecessor, who was killed at the age of 77 in a brutal homicide that took place here last March. The body of the man who had run the local church for 45 years was covered with bruises, suggesting that he was tortured before his death in a bid to extract some information from him. Since late 2014, six Galician priests have been attacked inside their homes, with two assaults resulting in death After 10 months in which the investigation seemed at a dead end, last Friday the Civil Guard arrested two Croatian men at Vigo airport for their alleged involvement in the case. On Sunday, after refusing to answer a judges questions, E. Fehratovic, 37, and A. Fehratovic, 30, were released due to a lack of hard evidence, and told to show up at the courthouse every 15 days. A home search failed to produce the one object that went missing after the crime: a tiny Virgin Mary figurine called Our Lady of Glass. At under four centimeters, this revered statuette is the second-smallest virgin figure in the world, after the one in Letanias, Bolivia, which, without its robes and adornments, measures under 20 millimeters. The figurine depicting Our Lady of Glass has gone missing since the priest was killed. Nacho Gomez Legend has it that the Virxe do Cristal, as it is known in the Galician language, was found more than 400 years ago by a farmer in Vilanova as he tilled the earth. It was an unparalleled item a minuscule polychrome image inserted into a solid glass capsule that acted as a magnifying glass, allowing viewers to admire its details from both sides. In the 17th century, its fame reached the ears of King Felipe IV, who ordered the figure brought over and analyzed by the wisest men at his court. Their verdict, notes the new priest Antonio Gomez, was that it was not the work of humans because it was not possible to introduce the image into that glass cylinder without leaving a mark of any kind on its surface. When the Virxe do Cristal disappeared, following the murder of the priest, Church officials ordered a replica made. The first artist to try his luck, the Andalusian Manuel Granai, declared himself incapable of introducing the image inside the molten glass without burning off the colors. A jeweller from Ourense tried next, and even consulted with specialists at workshops in Toledo and Milan. But after a dozen failed attempts, he gave up too. The enamel gets black. Using 21st-century techniques, we are unable to achieve what was done in the 17th century, concludes Father Antonio. Im not talking about miracles, but I do say that this is inexplicable. Nobody ever knew where it came from, historians have found no school of art in Europe that ever made anything similar. After the arrests, the priest hopes that there will be justice for Don Adolfo, as numerous signs hanging from doors and windows in Celanova also demand. But he is not so sure that the virgin figure will ever return to the village again. That is why he has asked the Andalusian artist, Granai, to make a synthetic replica. The original had more sentimental than economic value: it was once appraised at 200. The priest believes the criminals may have made a mistake about its worth, and doubts they were acting on the orders of a collector. If this is the world that I created, let the devil take me, repeats the successor to Adolfo Enriquez, a man whom locals described as a saint because he lived in poverty, giving every last cent to all the people who came constantly to his door to ask for charity. Only two other people his successor and a nun knew that the virgin figure was kept inside a camera case in a wardrobe in the rectory. On the day of his death, Father Adolfo had been to the local funeral home to pay his last respects to a good friend, a musician who was the local bandleader. The criminals were waiting for him back home. His body was found the next day, lying on the ground inside a nearby shed. English version by Susana Urra. A group of young people smoke marijuana outside the Mexican Senate last year. SAUL RUIZ More information El 70% de los detenidos en el DF por narcomenudeo son consumidores The majority of suspects arrested for drug-dealing offenses in Mexico City are marijuana users. Since 2012, when officials in the Mexican capital began cracking down on small-time dealing, a total of 9,121 investigations have been opened. In seven out of 10 cases of those arrested for possession, the defendants were carrying more quantities of marijuana and cocaine for personal use than is permitted by law. Legislation prohibits possession of more than five grams of cannabis or more than 500 milligrams of cocaine. Since 2012, Mexico City and all Mexican states have been responsible for investigating the distribution, trafficking and possession of narcotics in quantities that exceed the personal use limit. Four years ago, a 2009 penal code reform was introduced, which obliges state and local officials to provide medical treatment for drug consumers. But drug dealing has increased in the capital. In October, Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera and 16 other government officials from the Federal District agreed on a common policy to attack the hot spots and reduce the number of drug-dealing crimes in the capital. It is estimated that at least a dozen people are arrested each day in Mexico City for dealing. The sectors with the worst problems are Gustavo A. Madero, Iztapalapa and Cuauhtemoc. It is estimated that at least a dozen people are arrested each day in Mexico City for dealing In 22% of the investigations where authorities discovered that the drugs were destined for street sales, the suspects were found to have been dealing in discos, restaurants, bars, schools, hotels, tourist sites and residential and public areas. The most common drugs found on dealers were marijuana and cocaine, according to the statistics provided by the Federal Districts prosecutors office. Marijuana use is growing in popularity. In a study conducted by the Mexico City Institute for the Attention and Prevention of Addictions, one-third of the residents in the capital said they have a family member or friend who smokes marijuana on a regular basis. Mexico City has been openly debating whether to legalize marijuana after the Supreme Court last year agreed to allow four Mexican members of a cannabis club to cultivate, transport and consume the plants for recreational purposes. Since Mexico City officials have been cracking down on dealing, the number of arrests has soared But since Mexico City officials have been cracking down on dealing, the number of arrests has soared, with some 13,000 people taken to court to face charges between August 2012 and mid-2015. While a small number actually go to prison, six out of 10 dealing suspects are usually charged with simple possession. The reforms to the penal code that were passed during the previous administration of President Felipe Calderon (2006-2012) seek in part to go after the small-time operations of the big criminal organizations while at the same time offering medical treatment to consumers. But the law hasnt been able to accomplish everything. Guillermo Zepeda Lecuona, an expert on citizen security and criminal justice, believes this policy has been a failure. They ended up prosecuting people who are consumers and not drug traffickers. And the medical treatment they offered is not being conducted as they promised, he said. At the same time, there has been no reduction in the number of organized criminal networks. English version by Martin Delfin. "I have not, and do not anticipate seeing this again, as it is unusual for giraffe to be buried so deep in a bush that only the head protrudes." Britains last eel catcher will bring a 3,000-year-old tradition to an end as he says he cant find a successor or live on empty pockets. Peter Carter, 50, has been trapping eels using the same methods that have been employed on the Fens in eastern England for a staggering 3,000 years. But now devastated Mr Carter is hanging up his nets amid plunging eel stocks. Peter's own family has traced its eel fishing connections back to at least 1475. But archaeologists have found clear evidence of the same cottage industry arcing back many more centuries than that to the Bronze Age. Mr Carter, of Outwell, west Norfolk wrote in an statement posted online: "It breaks my heart but I can't live on empty pockets. Montserrat Gonzalez (second from right) and her daughter Triana (left) on Tuesday. J. C. (EFE) On day one of the trial over the 2014 murder of a politician in Leon, one of the defendants, Montserrat Gonzalez, assumed full responsibility for the killing in a bid to see her own daughter acquitted. At the trial by jury, which began on Monday and is being held in the Provincial Court of Leon, Gonzalezs defense claimed that his client suffered from mental illness as a result of the alleged persecution that her daughter, Triana Martinez, was suffering at the hands of the victim. The dead woman, Isabel Carrasco, was a powerful figure in regional politics. The 59-year-old had been the leader of the Popular Party (PP) in Leon since 2004, and the head of the Provincial Council since 2007. While in the latter role, in 2011, she fired Gonzalezs daughter from her position at the local authority. Until that point, both families had been close, and Triana had become Carrascos apparent protege. The prosecutor is certain that the two women and a female police officer plotted to kill Carrasco in cold blood The prosecuting attorney holds that Triana and her mother schemed to kill the politician who was shot dead in broad daylight on a footbridge on May 12, 2014 and that part of the plan involved the mother quickly handing over the murder weapon, a Taurus revolver, to the daughter for safekeeping. Instead, the defense alleges that the mother threw the handbag containing the weapon into a garage, and that Triana picked it up without knowing what was inside before giving it to her friend Raquel Gago, a local policewoman who is also a defendant in the case. On this basis, the defense lawyer is asking for a seven-year prison sentence for Montserrat Gonzalez, with the extenuating circumstances of mental illness and the fact that she has already paid damages to the victims partner and daughter. Triana, says her attorney, should be fully acquitted. But Leon chief prosecutor Emilio Fernandez is certain that both women in connivance with the female police officer, who had the weapon in her power for 30 hours plotted to kill Carrasco in cold blood. A controversial woman L. G. / J. A. R. / J. J. G. Isabel Carrasco was a controversial figure who was routinely in the spotlight for her outspoken statements. In 2011 the conservative politician was accused by the Socialist Party in Leon of misappropriating public funds for personal use. An investigation conducted by EL PAIS found her to be holding 12 jobs simultaneously, many of them symbolic roles, which brought her income of around 160,000 in 2010. Triana Martinez, who was a member of the Leon Popular Party, was included on the PPs slate for the municipal elections in Astorga in 2007, but was not elected councilor. That same year she began working in the Provincial Council of Leon as a telecommunications engineer, providing advisory work on matters related to high-speed internet and digital terrestrial television. After her position was eliminated by Carrasco, she became involved in a legal dispute with her former employer, who claimed she owed 6,500 in wages that were erroneously paid to her. A court settled in the councils favor. He said that the victim was stalked for several days, and that she was shot in the back at a spot where there were no cameras, on the footbridge over the Bernesga River. If it hadnt been for the retired policeman who witnessed the crime and ran after Montserrat, it would have been nearly impossible to identify the perpetrators of the crime, he said. The accusation wants all three defendants to serve 23 years for murder, assaulting an authority figure and possession of firearms. The prosecutor also rejects claims about mental alienation. They just felt a profound hatred toward Isabel Carrasco, he said. Fernandez warned the jury that the defense would try to show them how nasty Isabel Carrasco was, but reminded them that no matter what she was like, nobody had the right to kill her. And even if it were proven that she was hurtful to Triana, that is no justification for killing her, much less in the cowardly way in which they did it. English version by Susana Urra. A lecturer friend was shocked when a student asked if she could miss class to accompany her mum to hospital. The daughter needed to translate for the mother who had lived in east London for more than 30 years. When my friend wondered how that was possible, the daughter replied: My dad didnt want mum to learn English so she never did. Sadly, her case is far from unique. Some 22 per cent of Muslim women in the UK around 190,000 speak little or no English. Thats not a huge figure in itself, but multiply it by the number of their children and suddenly you have an awful lot of five-year-olds turning up at school without a clue how to talk to their teachers or classmates. Without a clue about the culture of their country. SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Google Ad Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression Edward Nalbandian speaks about border situation in Brussels On January 18, the Armenian delegation headed by Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia participated in the 16th session of Armenia-European Union Cooperation Council held in Brussels. The EU delegation was headed by Bert Koenders, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, representing the presidency of the Council of the European Union and Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. Members of the Armenian delegation were Ambassador Tatoul Markarian, Head of the Armenian Mission to the European Union, Garegin Melkonyan, First Deputy Minister of Economy, and Vigen Kocharyan, Deputy Minister of Justice. In the framework of the 16th session of Armenia-European Union Cooperation Council, chaired by Edward Nalbandian, extensive discussions on the steps towards further development of the Armenia-EU cooperation were held, which included such issues as political dialogue, negotiations on future legal aspects of the relations launched at the end of the last year, mobility, human rights, economic reforms, and EU assistance to Armenia. Opening the session, Edward Nalbandian stated, 2015 was a special year for the Armenia-EU cooperation. We witnessed high-level visits, an intense and constructive dialogue with an impressive number of bilateral meetings, negotiations on Armenia-EU agreements in various areas. The launch of the negotiations on a new legal framework of Armenia-EU relations was a new threshold in our relations. We hope that the new agreement will reflect the depth and essence of our bilateral relations and set new guidelines for mutually beneficial cooperation. Minister Nalbandian expressed appreciation to the EU for its continued support and assistance provided to our country over the years that have been instrumental for the effective implementation and sustainability of the reform process and institutional capacity building in Armenia, and reaffirmed Armenias commitment to continue comprehensive cooperation with the EU in different areas and directions, based on the achievements reached during recent years, and taking into consideration Armenias commitments in other international integration frameworks. Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed that mobility and promotion of people to people contacts are among the priorities of the Armenia-EU partnership agenda. In this context, Minister Nalbandian outlined that the EU-Armenia Visa Facilitation and Readmission agreements, which entered into force in January 2014, pave the way towards the launch of the Dialogue on Visa liberalization that will provide an opportunity to eliminate visa regime for the citizens of Armenia in the future. Edward Nalbandian attached importance to the commencement of the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which enables Armenia to participate in a broad range of the EU programs and to cooperate with the EU Agencies. In their speeches, Armenias First Deputy Minister of Economy Garegin Melkonyan and Deputy Minister of Justice Vigen Kocharyan briefed about the economic policy of the Government, reforms being undertaken in the judicial system, the results of cooperation in the areas of economy and judiciary in 2015. Foreign Minister of Armenia presented to the Council the events on the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide held throughout the world and their message, expressed gratitude to the European Parliament, the EU countries for their principled position on this issue. Minister Nalbandian talked about Armenias active engagement in efforts of the international community aimed at prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity and thanked the EU countries for their support to the Armenian initiatives within the UN formats. Edward Nalbandian presented the latest developments in the negotiation process for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, the situation along the Line of Contact with Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and the border with Armenia unfolded as the result of destructive and provocative actions of Azerbaijan. Last year was symbolized by a significant increase in gross violations of the cease-fire regime by Azerbaijan, including the use of heavy weaponry, resulted in numerous human casualties. The OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs used targeted wording towards Azerbaijan in their statements urging the latter to show restraint, to respect the cease-fire agreement, its commitments to the peaceful settlement of the conflict and creation of the mechanism for investigation of border incidents, outlined Foreign Minister of Armenia. Edward Nalbandian assured that together with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs Armenia would continue joint efforts on exclusively peaceful settlement of the NK conflict. Regional and international issues and ways to resolve them were also on the agenda of the Councils session. The session was followed by the joint press conference of Edward Nalbandian, Bert Koenders and Johannes Hahn. MFA On Wednesday, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) raised Venezuela's growth projection to 12 percent by 2022 and 5 percent next year. | Read More Armenian taxi drivers import law quality and fake medicine from Georgia President of the Union of Medicine Producers and Importers of Armenia Samvel Zakaryan considers the approval of amendments in the law On medicine by the NA with the first reading to be great success. Today during the meeting with journalist he also noted that the legislative amendments will regulate the medicine market. Will the issue of monopolies be also solved? According to Mr. Zakaryan there is no monopoly in the sector, We have 43 importing companies. Each company, which has import licenses, has certain agreement with that foreign manufacturer. At present, for example, Tamiflu medicine has agreement with Natali Pharm, and it imports that medicine. What relates to monopoly, they arent monopolies but large importers: there may be another small company, which imports only one medicine, but it doesnt mean that the company has exclusive right of importing that medicine, simply it has the agreement, which, for example, Natali Pharm doesnt have. More, the given small company or an individual may sell the following medicine to Natali Pharm as a distributor. Samvel Zakaryan also spoke about Armenian, domestic medicine, which, according to him, has better quality, It can be even up to 10 times cheaper that the imported medicine. I am concerned about the fact that until now low quality and fake medicine imported from Georgia is sold in Armenia. I have recently come back from Tbilisi, where I visited the small pharmacy at the station, from where Armenian taxi drivers mainly import those medications. The amount of medicine imported from Georgia has reached frightening numbers. We have spoken about it for years, but nothing has been done about it. Medicine brought from Georgia can be a serious danger to the lives of the citizens: during their transfer to Armenia their dates of storage arent maintained. FIR against MLA for misbehaving with couple JDU MLA from Bihar Sarfaraz Alam has been accused of misbehaving with a female passenger and her husband in a Rajdhani train. As per reports the incident took place on Monday when a couple travelling in Delhi-Guwahati Rajdhani Express train faced the MLA who was allegedly in inebriated condition. Indrapal Singh Bedi, husband of the lady victim alleged that Alam, who boarded the train from Katihar, was in a drunken state and misbehaved with his wife. FIR registered with Patna railway police. The MLA was travelling from Katihar to the national Capital. The accused is the JD (U) MLA from Jokihat assembly constituency and he is the son of RJD MP from Araria Lok Sabha constituency Taslimuddin. Based on the complaint filed by the couple, Police have lodged a case against the MLA under IPC sections.The MLA has, however, denied the charges. News Posted: 19 January, 2016 Rahul blames Union Minister for Rohit's suicide Hyderabad, Jan 19 (INN): Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has blamed Union Minister Bandaru Dattatraya and University Chancellor for the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula of University of Hyderabad. Rahul Gandhi visited the UoH on Tuesday and met the family members of Rohit and other students who were staging protest against the incident. Addressing the gathering, Rahul Gandhi said although Rohit committed suicide, but the conditions were created by the VC and the Union Minister. He also condemned the University management for not having the courtesy to meet the family. He said that the management should have the basic courtesy to meet the student's family even if the death was due to accident or even sickness. Stating that he did not visit the University as a politician, Rahul Gandhi said he met the family members and other students on behalf of youth who are being denied freedom of expressing their ideologies. "The idea of a university is knowledge. When you try and impose only one certain kind of idea on all students, you harm the passion that various students possess," he said. Rahul Gandhi supported the demands of agitating students and said adequate compensation should be paid to Rohit's family. He also demanded stern action against those responsible for Rohit's suicide. "I want to make sure that everyone can proudly speak his mind. My door is always open for Rohith's family and all other students protesting here, I shall help you in every way possible," he said. Meanwhile, the students JACs of different universities intensified their protests demanding action against the Union Minister. A group of students also held protest outside the residence of Dattatraya demanding his resignation. Entire staff, including outsourcing workers of University of Hyderabad, has joined the protest by students. News Posted: 19 January, 2016 BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of politicising Rohit's suicide Hyderabad, Jan 19 (INN): Telangana BJP President G. Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said that neither Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatraya was responsible for suicide of UoH research scholar Rohit Vemula nor Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani was connected in any way with the incident. Addressing a press conference at the State BJP Heaquaters, Kishan Reddy accused Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi of politicising the suicide of Rohit Vemula. He said that the student himself has clearly stated in his suicide note that no one responsible for his act. He said trouble began when Rohit allegedly wrote some comments on Facebook when Yakub Memon was hanged. When ABVP students approached him to seek clarification, they were allegedly attacked. The incident took place on August 3. Kishan Reddy asked why Rahul Gandhi did not visit Warangal when three members of ex-Congress MP Sircilla Rajaiah committed suicide. He also condemned TRS and accused it of trying to gain political mileage by holding protest at Dattatraya's residence. Questioning TRS leaders' love for Dalits, he said their party chief K. Chandrashekar Rao did not fulfill the promise of making a Dalit the first Chief Minister of Telangana. News Posted: 19 January, 2016 BEZA officials visit Sri City on a study tour Sri City, Jan 19 (INN): An eight member team of senior officials of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), headed by S.M. Shawkat Ali, Member of the BEZA's Executive Board visited Sri City on Tuesday. The intent of the visit was to understand the conceptual design and study the existing infrastructure of Sri City. Satish Kamat, President (Operation), Sri City extended a warm welcome to the delegates, and gave a presentation on the infrastructure, unique features and the industrial progress of Sri City.They all evinced keen interest in knowing more on various aspects of Sri City. Following the interactive briefing session, the delegation went round some of the important areas and witnessed the blooming business environment. Commenting on the visit Ravindra Sannareddy said, "We feel honoured as our neighbouring country selected Sri City as a reference model and deputed a team of senior officials for studying conceptual design and facilities established. I am confident, their observations and inferences would help-assist in replicating the infrastructure in their SEZs." Thrilled at the vastness of the industrial park, Shawkat Ali said that the entire team was highly impressed with the world-class infrastructure and business friendly ambiance at Sri City. "This visit will help us in setting up SEZs in our country,' he added. In order to fostering industrialisation Bangladesh government has taken initiatives to set up new special economic zones and created investment friendly environment, linking Bangladesh with free market economy and liberalising trade so that private entrepreneurs can obtain opportunities for establishing and running industrial enterprises profitably. In June last year, Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with India for establishing 2 Economic Zones (EZs) in Mongla and Bheramara for the Indian investors. India will extend credit facility to develop the EZs. BEZA is the apex body that over sees the establishment of economic zones in all potential areas in Bangladesh. The present visit by BEZA officials was a part of their study tour in India for investment promotion in the SEZs of Bangladesh. News Posted: 19 January, 2016 AP CM meets Business Delegations in Zurich Hyderabad, Jan 19 (INN): Before leaving to Davos to attend the 46th World Economic Forum Annual Summit, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held a series of meetings with various business delegations in Zurich. A delegation from leading solar panel manufacturing company, Meyer Burger has met the Chief Minister. The delegation evinced interest in starting an export driven project. They said they are considering Vizag and Rajahmundry as suitable locations. They have evinced interest to export 50 per cent as domestic market. The Chief Minister offered the delegation real-time assistance to set up their plant. He explained the demographic advantages of each town in Andhra Pradesh. Later, the Chief Minister had a meeting with BhmPartners Group. Explaining their company's profile, the delegation explained that they serve as fund managers for investors. They are focussed on biotechnology, biomedical science, diagnostics and medical sciences. They are currently looking at China and Europe to expand their market. Flisom has also evinced interest in setting up a solar panel manufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh with a starting investment of $200 million. The company manufactures flexible solar modules. Later, delegations from Nuesch Development, Keller, Gherzi, and SEAS (Society de l'eau Aerienne Suisse) companies made presentations to the Chief Minister. N'esch Development, a company with 20 years experience in sustainable urbanisation are specialists in low energy buildings. The company already has a project in Pune. Jens Weise, Head of Customer Management, BKW Engineering met the Chief Minister. Specialised in hydro power generation, the company has evinced interest to partner with Andhra Pradesh in the conventional energy sector. The Chief Minister invited the delegation to visit Andhra Pradesh and perform a study on the state's hydro resources and come up with projects to work upon. Later, Franceso Gherzi, Chairman, Gherzi Textile Unit submitted a mega textile park proposal with an investment of Rs 2000 crore to the Chief Minister. Explaining the proposal they explained that the challenge in Andhra Pradesh's textile industry lies in adding value to the cotton production by weaving and not merely by ginning. The delegation informed that Gherzi Textile unit is present in India for the last three decades and operates some textile units in Andhra Pradesh as well. The Chief Minister invited the delegations to take up projects on pilot basis in Andhra Pradesh. He asked them to do prototype projects and scale up further. He suggested that the low investments that are currently flowing from Switzerland to Indian can be gradually increased. Later, a delegation from Verde International AG gave a presentation to the Chief Minister. In the presentation, they explained their novel technology that doesn't require dam storage capacity and is eco friendly. They evinced interest in doing a pilot in Andhra Pradesh so that cost effectiveness can be examined. The Chief Minister agreed to the proposal and directed them to begin the ground work. The unit can be completed in 3 to 4 months. Power storage devices manufacturer, Leclanch' has come forward to set up a manufacturing facility in India. The delegation is interested in choosing Andhra Pradesh as preferred location to set up the plant. Commodity trading company Indani Global has come forward to set up a gold refinery in Andhra Pradesh, if essential incentives are offered. The delegation pointed out that most of the refineries in India are located in Uttarakhand. Stating the Andhra Pradesh is leading in palm oil production, the Chief Minister asked the delegation to explore the possibility of starting an edible oil refinery. A delegation from Ethical Coffee Company made a presentation to Chief Minister. They informed that they aim to target the Asian market and attain a market value of 1 billion dollars in 7 years. The Chief Minister asked the delegation to explore organic Coffee plantations at Araku. He suggested them to locate at Vizag making it accessible to Araku production and port. After already having shown interest to partner with Andhra Pradesh, the Chief Minister invited eco company ArStaeco to participate in the ongoing tendering process for waste to energy facility in Vizag. News Posted: 19 January, 2016 Taking out ruble loans will have an effect of atomic bomb in our economy (video) Beer producing Kilikia company, which has always worked with profit and exports mainly to Russia, also registered exportation decrease in 2015- 16%. Lawmaker of the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), owner of Kilikia beer factory Hakob Hakobyan told A1+ that by communicating with his colleagues he came to a conclusion that it is a rather favorable index, It is, of course, connected with purchasing power of the Russian market. Besides, we have done investments in the Russian market for more than 10 years, and today we have no right to retreat from that business because of suffering losses. In that case we will have to spend even more money for again entering into the Russian market. At present we are established in the market, and we prefer covering todays losses at the expense of our profits, though, naturally, the profits are reducing. If we have a lot of losses, naturally, we will have to stop our exportation, as you must have at least 15% profit in order to continue the production. The exportation of beer from Armenian makes up about 19-20% of the volume of the whole goods. By the way, last week Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan held consultation with branch ministries and businessmen in order to boost exportation. According to the economic indicators of 2015, we have decrease in exportation of 6 products, which is connected with global economic shocks, the fall of Russian ruble. During this meeting the businessmen also presented projects, which will give a chance to boost the exportation. Hakob Hakobyan personally spoke to Hovik Abrahamyan and presented his version of solving the issue, Our vehicles always get stuck at Verin Lars checkpoint. This problem must be solved. Prime Minister told me that negotiations are underway connected with that issue. If that problem isnt solved, we will have problems with exportation. According to lawmaker Hakob Hakobyan, Armenian products will be more exported to the EEU in particular and there will be fewer losses, if 5 member states adopt single currency, It doesnt matter what the name will be. The single currency itself is important. In that case we wont be dependent on Russian ruble: we will sell using that currency and wont have losses. Giving ruble loans was also discussed. To what extent can it be profitable, when ruble is falling day after day? Hakob Hakobyan again highlights the creation of single currency, and he thinks that only in that case taking out ruble loans will be meaningful, If it doesnt happen, in current situation taking out ruble loans will have an effect of atomic bomb in our economy. It will be profitable only for exporters and importers from the RF. The Thai government has agreed to resume Thai-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks, which have been stalled since the military take-over in May 2014. Some hopes the trade pact would help to shore up Thailands economic growth. Rolf-Dieter Daniel, president of the European Association for Business and Commerce (EABC), said the EU private sector wanted Thai-EU FTA negotiations revived as soon as possible. He promised to help inform EU commissioners about Thailands economic development and the governments ongoing efforts to resolve obstacles to doing business here as well as other controversial issues. The EU and its Member States will not sign the PCA with until a democratically elected government is in place. Since January 2015, Thailand has lost the benefits of the European Unions generalized scheme of preferences (GSP) over 6,200 Thai products in 2015. The scheme provides developing country exporters with reduced or nil duties on exports to the EU until they are deemed competitive enough to no longer need such support. The increased tariffs apply to around two thirds of product categories, including automotive parts, meats, precious stones, rubber products, seafood, and textiles. EU investment also sank heavily from 86.7 billion baht in 2014 to just 2 billion baht last year. EU response to the military take-over : no business as usual Thailand and the EU have negotiated and initialed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) which provides a comprehensive and ambitious framework for EU-Thailand relations and will open up wide opportunities to develop cooperation. In response to the military take-over in Thailand in May 2014, the EU has called on the military leadership to restore, as a matter of urgency, the legitimate democratic process and the Constitution, through credible and inclusive elections. Dangerous offender: how to decide? (video) Must the offender, who committed dangerous crime, be imprisoned or is it possible to use other precautionary measure against him? The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe offers the judicial authorities of the member states to show differentiated approach to each criminal case. Member of Group of Experts on Dangerous Offenders Robert Buczma notes, The dangerousness of the crime must be clarified. Judicial authorities must show differentiated approach toward the persons who committed sexual crime, murders or terrorist acts. The Council of Europe organized international seminar in Yerevan in order to represent the European guidelines to the representatives of the sector. The recent precedential judgments of the European Court have been taken into account. There are such mechanisms in many countries that even in case of low dangerousness people are sentenced to inappropriate punishment or maximum term of imprisonment. We aim at offering mechanisms in order to show fair approach in such cases, says Robert Buczma. Member of the Group of Experts on Dangerous Offenders reminds that not everything is so clear. When drafting laws it must be taken into consideration to what extent it contains risks in practice. Carlos Maria Romeo Casabona notes, Person should not be imprisoned needlessly, it is a fundamental right of a person, but the society must not be endangered because of it. By leaving an offender in freedom the recidivism must be ruled out. Armenia is already bringing its legislation into compliance with the principles offered by the Council of Europe. The draft Criminal Code is still at the National Assembly and the relevant amendments have been made. In practice, for using detention or other precautionary measure according to the norms of the Criminal Procedure Code, we will use different alternative measures by making imprisonment an exclusive measure, says the RA Deputy Minister of Justice Arman Tatoyan. Delegates from 16 member states of the Council of Europe are taking part in the seminar on dangerous offenders ongoing in Yerevan. A young woman told of feeling like a "performing donkey" after her partner coerced her into having sex with a female prostitute, then posted images of the act on porn websites. The shocking incident, reported to a Senate inquiry, has fuelled calls for a crackdown on so-called "revenge porn" - laws for which the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, victims groups and others say are inadequate. Porn clicker trojans secretly visit porn websites to click on the ads and make money. Credit:Toby Hillier Revenge porn is a relatively recent phenomenon that intends to distress and humiliate the victim, usually a woman or girl. It commonly involves the sharing of naked or sexually explicit images most often by a current or former partner, and usually via social media or email, or by uploading to websites. Revenge porn can leave women with long-term social and psychological problems, including a fear of social situations, damage to their reputation, feeling violated and anxious and being bullied online by people who have seen the images. He appeared before Wangaratta Magistrates Court on Tuesday after an earlier out-of-sessions hearing. Michael Cardamone, 48, has been charged over his neighbour's death. A man charged with the murder of Whorouly mother Karen Chetcuti has appeared in court. Mr Cardamone sat silently and did not speak during the hearing, and often stared at the floor. Michael Cardamone is taken into Wangaratta Court on Tuesday. Credit:Mark Jesser Several people believed to be friends or family members of Ms Chetcuti sobbed during the hearing and glared at the defendant. One person who had cried and stared at Mr Cardamone said she "couldn't give a s--t about him". The murder is alleged to have occurred on or about January 12. Sitting with Mr Turnbull in the Oval Office, Mr Obama said few countries had as much in common as Australia and America. Marines bearing flags lined the driveway on the White House's north lawn in minus 5 degrees on Tuesday morning as Mr Turnbull arrived from nearby Blair House, the president's guest house. Washington: The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, was welcomed to the White House by a Marine Corp honour guard on a freezing Washington, DC, morning, before sitting down for a 90-minute meeting followed by lunch with the US President, Barack Obama. "I want to thank all the people of Australia for the extraordinary hospitality and graciousness that they've shown me every time that I've had a chance to visit your wonderful country," said Mr Obama in the White House. All smiles: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and US President Barack Obama. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "I'm glad to be able to reciprocate. I will note it is a little bit colder here than it was Down Under." Noting that Australia had made the second greatest contribution in the fight against the Islamic State of any nation, Mr Obama said that he was keen to hear Mr Turnbull's views on progress in war against IS and violent extremism more broadly. "We're going to talk about how we can strengthen our cooperation, both in Syria and Iraq, the state of affairs in Afghanistan, but also countering violent extremism globally," he said. "And Australia will be a very important partner in that process." Labor newcomer Meegan Fitzharris and former minister Chris Bourke are set to join the ministry in the wake of Joy Burch's decision to leave cabinet. Chief Minister Andrew Barr announced on Tuesday a new ministry would be created, with two additional ministers to be elected by the Labor caucus this week. This will bring the number of ministers in the ACT to seven. Expressions of interest: ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Credit:Jeffrey Chan An announcement of portfolio responsibilities is expected in coming days. Franklin the Maremma Sheepdog has been on the loose in Gungahlin for at least three years but is cared for by the community and even has his own Facebook page. He's become folklore in the burgeoning northern suburbs, with some even dubbing him the Ghost Dog due to his snowy-white coat, sudden appearances out of nowhere and elusiveness. Franklin the Gungahlin Maremma sheepdog in June 2015. Credit:Facebook The dog has been named Franklin because he is well-known around the suburb but is also regularly sighted in Bonner and elsewhere around Gungahlin. The latest photos on his Facebook page show him on Saturday happily joining a group of joggers in the area. The Maremma Sheepdog breed originates from Italy and was bred to guard livestock from wolves and foxes.The breed has gained infamy recently with the Australian movie Oddball about the true story of a Maremma Sheepdog who protects a colony of penguins from foxes in Victoria. ANZ Banking Group chief executive Shayne Elliott has pledged to tackle unacceptable behaviour "head on" and expressed confidence ANZ will win the court battle with its former traders who are alleging cultural deficiencies led to their sackings. In an email sent to staff just before midday on Tuesday, Mr Elliott acknowledged allegations brought by former traders Etienne Alexiou and Patrick O'Connor, have taken a personal toll on ANZ's staff. But he encouraged staff to tell the bank's customers that ANZ's culture should not be defined by the allegations of the two men and that ANZ expected to prevail in the legal proceedings. In the disaster of the detention of asylum seekers, the real cause of the problem is completely overlooked and can be traced to Australia's High Court. The extent to which the Australian Parliament can pass laws that abridge fundamental freedoms is related to the license extended to it by the High Court, which is the ultimate adjudicator of whether or not laws passed by the federal Parliament are beyond the power conferred upon it by the constitution. The Australian constitution enshrines the doctrine of the separation of powers of the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government. According to this doctrine, no branch of government can perform the functions of the other branches. This means that judicial functions can only be performed by the judiciary. Illustration: Matt Davidson Credit:Matt Davidson By virtue of laws of the Commonwealth Parliament, which have been upheld as valid by the High Court, all detainees in refugee detention centres are illegally in Australia and yet they have not seen the inside of any court. Until they reach Australian territorial waters, they are not in breach of any Australian law. When they do enter Australian territorial waters as genuine asylum seekers (as most people in detention are), they have a perfect entitlement according to international law to enter a country in which they seek asylum. The consequence of their "illegality" according to Australian law is indefinite detention, which is a euphemism for what we understand as "deprivation of liberty" or, in other words "imprisonment". Over the past year, there's been a war on trees and there's no sign that it will stop. I grew up in Sydney's eastern suburbs and knew the great native fig trees along Alison Road well. Many were more than 100 years old testimony to the foresight of our early civic fathers. They were vital wildlife habitat and filtered clean air for all of us. They were also great carbon stores, that when destroyed release their carbon, worsening climate change. Yet the NSW government and light rail builder, ALTRAC have set upon these trees over the Christmas/new year period. They are planning to remove more along the route 400 in all. Randwick Council and local residents have provided practical alternatives and route alignments, and despite recent losses are making a last stand as more trees come into the firing line. These magnificent living organisms are becoming a pile of woodchips. ALTRAC, which includes the local light rail operator Transdev, have offered eight young replacement trees for each mature tree as an offset. But what good is that? They cannot replicate what is lost in any useful time frame. During a speech in Washington this week, Malcolm Turnbull underscored the message that has been central to his prime ministership that there has never been a more exciting time to be alive and that the unprecedented pace of change driven by technology is creating huge opportunities. The Age hopes those political and business leaders, and other thinkers from the world over, who gather on Wednesday in the Swiss town of Davos for the annual three-day World Economic Forum seek those opportunities that will ameliorate one of humanity's greatest hindrances, the obscene gap between the rich and the poor. Mr Turnbull's upbeat words came only hours after the release of a report by anti-poverty charity Oxfam that detailed widening inequality throughout the world. It showed that a mere 62 people own as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population, 3.6 billion people, and that the richest 1 per cent own more than the combined wealth of the entire remaining 99 per cent. During the past five years, the wealth of those 62 people at the pinnacle has leapt by 44 per cent, while the wealth of the poorest 3.6 billion has plunged 41 per cent. More than eight in 10 people on the planet live on less than $US10 a day. More than eight in 10 people live in countries where wealth differentials are widening. The poorest 40 per cent of the world's population garners only 5 per cent of world income, while the richest 20 per cent has three-quarters of it. According to the United Nations Children's Fund, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. Petition to name one of Yerevan streets after Hrant Dink (video) Armenian-Turkish relations must be taken out from 1915 meters deep well. It was the dream of Hrant Dink, which didnt come true. Hrant Dink was killed on January 19, 2007, in Istanbul near the office of Agos. He used to repeat that he was Armenian, but was born in Turkey; he considered himself to be a part of the Turkish society and didnt want to run away from it. In spite of constant threats, he always raised the issue of the Armenian Genocide in the only Armenian Turkish-language newspaper in Istanbul. Dink changed Turkey especially with his death. The next day after his murder thousands of people took to the streets with the photos of Dink, flowers, candles by holding posters reading, We are all Armenians, we are all Dink. Every year on January 19 silent commemoration ceremonies are held in Yerevan, Istanbul and other cities of the world. Today people gathered outside Yerevan Municipality also organized petition by demanding to name one of Yerevan streets after Hrant Dink. The petition was handed over to the Municipality. Commemorating the ninth anniversary of the assassination of the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic reiterated her call for a swift and transparent judicial procedure to identify the masterminds behind the murder. To remind, in 2011, the perpetrator Ogun Samast was sentenced to 22 years and ten months in prison for the murder. His accomplice, Yasin Hayal, is serving a life sentence for supplying Samast with a weapon and money. Though, the family and advocates of Dink are sure until today that the court did everything in order to conceal the masterminds behind journalist Hrant Dinks murder. The NSW government has been warned against spending more money on inner-city cultural facilities at the expense of arts centres in western Sydney. The chairman of the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, Christopher Brown, said the imbalance in arts funding between the CBD and western Sydney had to be addressed. The chief executive of Penrith Performing & Visual Arts, Hania Radvan: "There is the chance that we will always be a poorly resourced second cousin." Credit:Wolter Peeters "Anyone who preaches business as usual is saying to western Sydney, effectively, 'Get stuffed'," he said. Tom Hooper is something of a rarity in contemporary filmmaking. He is an actor's director, someone who elicits great performances by meticulously rehearsing his cast as if preparing them for an opening night in a theatre. "I'm a great believer in rehearsals," says Hooper, whose new film, The Danish Girl, has drawn wide praise and Academy Award buzz for the performance of actor Eddie Redmayne in the story of the transgender artist Lili Elbe, one of the first people in the world to undergo sex reassignment surgery. Eddie Redmayne wanted to chart the transformation to Lili in The Danish Girl. "We had a full-time three-week rehearsal before we shot anything," Hooper says. "The sets were all marked out with tape, at full scale on our studio floor. We had props and furniture for all the scenes and, most importantly, we rehearsed chronologically, in a linear fashion, for all of it." Hooper used the same approach for his Oscar-winning The King's Speech and for Les Miserables. Their tour, dubbed The History of the Eagles, included concerts at Rod Laver Arena and Hanging Rock as well as arena shows in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and in the Hunter Valley, with the line-up of original members Frey, Don Henley and Bernie Leadon, long-time guitarist and keyboard player Joe Walsh and bassist Timothy B Schmit. Frey, who died on Monday of what the band said were complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia, last visited Australia with his band the Eagles in February last year. They added extra dates in Melbourne and Brisbane due to popular demand. The death of Glenn Frey at the age of 67 marks the end of a longstanding love affair with Australian audiences. The tour received mixed reviews, with Fairfax music critic Michael Dwyer describing the band's first Melbourne show as an "interminable ... night of monologue and song". Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey performed with the Melbourne Pops Orchestra in 2013. One of the biggest bands of all time, the Eagles sold more than 150 million records worldwide and had a string of hits among them Take It Easy, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Already Gone, Tequila Sunrise, Lyin' Eyes, New Kid in Town and How Long featuring Frey's voice and showcasing the Californian country-rock sound, which many credit him with inventing. Frey's death, after many years of intestinal illness, comes less than six months after he and the Eagles wrapped their farewell tour. He also came to Australia as a solo act, performing with the Melbourne Pops Orchestra at the Palais in 2013, and before that with the Eagles in 2010 and 2004. The group's Melbourne fans were particularly devoted, with three of the band's four 2010 concerts selling out in less than a day. Their 2005 DVD The Farewell 1 Tour, recorded during their 2004 Melbourne shows, went multi-platinum in the US and Australia within weeks of its release. Mushroom Records founder and Frontier Touring managing director Michael Gudinski, who managed each of the Eagles' Australian tours since 1995, has paid tribute to Frey as a music "legend". "It is with great sadness that I write this note," Gudinski said in a statement on Tuesday night. "Throughout the time I have known Glenn he was a true gentleman, a superb musician and songwriter, keen golfer, sometimes actor and ultimately, a legend." Lady Gaga's Oscar nomination for her song "Til It Happens to You" has been tarnished by claims the singer should not have been eligible for the award. In a series of tweets on Monday, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Linda Perry said Gaga didn't write the song and claimed she had a demo tape to prove it. Lady Gagahas reinvented herself a few times on her journey from shock value pop star to Tony Bennett collaborator to Golden Globe winning actress for her role in American Horror Story: Hotel. Credit:AP Gaga, who last week won a Golden Globe for her role on American Horror Story, co-wrote the song about sexual assault with Diane Warren for documentary film The Hunting Ground, which deals with campus rape in American colleges. The operators of Chinatown's highly-awarded and ever-popular Mamak restaurant are facing court after allegedly underpaying six employees to a tune of more than $87,000 and using false records to disguise the underpayments. The Malaysian restaurant on Goulburn Street, which is famous for its long queues and fast service, allegedly paid rates as low as $11 an hour to the casual staff over more than three years. Mamak attracts large crowds, but has not escaped the attention of the Fair Work Ombudsman. One employee is believed to have been underpaid by $26,793 while another was allegedly owed $21,538. In total, the workers - four of whom were international students and one a bridging visa holder - were allegedly underpaid $87,349 between February 2012 and April 2015. Police are appealing for public assistance to help find a missing Melbourne teenager. Levi Clarke went missing from St Albans on December 17 and was last seen in Portland on January 5. Missing teenager Levi Clarke. Police believe the 16-year-old might be in the Portland or Warrnambool areas. Levi is described as approximately 170cm tall, with a medium build, and blonde hair shaved around the back and sides with a bun. Police hold concerns for his welfare. Anyone with any information is urged to contact Portland police on 5522 1500. Hundreds of trees to be cut down on a major road in Melbourne's north may not be replaced when they go as part of a $30 million water pipe project. The plan has angered residents some of whom were part of a protracted battle to get the trees planted in the 1990s. The Protect St Georges Road Landscape group wants hundreds of trees replanted after Melbourne Water cuts them down in April. Credit:Joe Armao A pipe under the wide median of St Georges Road in Northcote and Thornbury has supplied drinking water to Melbourne's inner north for almost 100 years. Over this time it has had various trees planted above it including two major replantings in the 1990s by VicRoads and, later, Melbourne Water. The teenager charged with riding the mini motorbike that hit and killed a mother-of-two outside a shopping centre is in talks about pleading guilty to serious charges, his lawyer has told a court. Caleb Jakobsson, 18, faced a lengthy stint in jail if he pleaded guilty to charges over the death of Andrea Lehane, defence counsel Steve Parker told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Other teens who were on mini motorbikes with Caleb Jakobsson were also charged. Ms Lehane, 34, suffered major head injuries when thrown about seven metres after she was hit by a so-called "monkey" motorbike while walking over a zebra crossing outside a Carrum Downs hopping centre on September 23 last year. Her family had her life support turned off two days later. Victorian hospitals need more cash to upgrade outdated information technology systems vulnerable to cyber attack and virus infection, health professionals and IT experts say. On Monday The Age revealed that a virus had infected Royal Melbourne Hospital computers, forcing major trauma cases to be sent to other hospitals because the virus hit pathology and radiology. Fresh calls have been made to boost hospitals' IT defences. Credit:Joseph Feil The case has swung the spotlight on the degraded state of health system IT, prompting renewed calls for urgent technology upgrades across the system. The hospital uses a combination of operating systems including Windows XP, an outdated operating system for which Microsoft no longer provides support. A notorious celebrity cosmetic surgeon known as 'Dr Skin' is being prosecuted for claiming to be a medical professional the latest twist in a career littered with allegations of botched surgeries. Over Cynthia Weinstein's long career, she's been the subject of several complaints - including complaints from patients that her surgical work led to disfigurements, facial asymmetry, visible sutures under the skin, laser burns, permanent disabilities and infections. Cynthia Weinstein, High Street, Armadale. This picture was shot back in 2008 when Ms Weinstein stood accused of various acts of medical malpractice. Credit:Rebecca Hallas After a decade battling the authorities, in 2010 she voluntarily cancelled her medical registration. But late last year, Channel Nine aired allegations that Ms Weinstein was back in business, practising at a medical clinic in Armadale. On Tuesday the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency announced it was prosecuting Ms Weinstein and the clinic she runs. Ms Weinstein has been charged with 14 counts of claiming to be a registered medical practitioner. Passengers on V/Line services are expected to receive compensation following days of severe disruptions. Today is the worst day after a week of disruptions 67 services cancelled and replaced by buses. Acting Premier James Merlino told reporters commuters had "every right" to be frustrated and annoyed. Credit:Joe Armao The government has asked the regional rail operator to come up with compensation options for commuters affected by the disruptions such as free travel. Last week boom gates failed to go down in time for a V/Line train on the Dandenong rail corridor, triggering bans for some trains. Toyota Financial Services Honors Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy with 2nd Annual Donations to Historically Black Colleges and Universities $60,000 Contribution Will Help Further Boost College Retention and Graduation Rates, Seen as Key to Ensuring the Fulfillment of Dr. Kings Dream for America MORE INFO Toyota Research and Buyer's Guide Guide TORRANCE, CA -- January 15, 2016: In honor of the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is continuing its support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their communities, by providing $60,000 to five HBCUs as well as the Tom Joyner Foundation. "We're really excited to work with our new partner Toyota Financial Services," said Thomas Joyner, Jr., President and CEO of the Foundation. "The support of these scholarships is a really important step in helping these students complete their college education and, in the long run, help sustain these HBCUs." Bennett College in North Carolina, Tuskegee University in Alabama, and South Carolina State University will each receive a $10,000 contribution to support their scholarship funds. Additionally, TFS is donating two $10,000 scholarships to Wiley College in Texas and North Carolina Central, through the Tom Joyner Foundation. TFS is donating an extra $10,000 to support the Tom Joyner Foundation, as well. The foundation provides academic support, scholarships, and programming to over 80 HBCUs in the Southern and Eastern United States. The overall goal of these contributions is to support educational opportunities within many of the communities in which TFS operates. Education is truly the greatest equalizer and should be accessible to all. Toyota Financial Services donation to Historically Black Colleges and Universities is a much needed investment that will help support students attending our HBCUs, said Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus. As a former professor, administrator, and an alumnus of an HBCU, Im always happy to see the philanthropic endeavors of a socially responsible company that shares my interests in scholarship, education, and helping underserved communities. Toyota Financial Services is honored to echo the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr., by supporting these fine institutions and advocating higher education in these communities, said Al Smith, TFS Group Vice President, Service Operations and Corporate Planning. TFS has a deeply held commitment to diversity and inclusion, not only now, but year round as seen with our national Making Life Easier Scholarship Program and with our 10th anniversary of supporting the CBS Baltimore Black History Month Oratory Contest. According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, the college graduation rate for black students in the U.S stands at 42%, as opposed to 62% for their white counterpart. It is also noted that the financial support of universities is key in black student retention, thereby producing high graduation rates. "When speaking with each of the institution's officials, it's so inspirational to hear how this money impacts these HBCUs and the plans that they have for these scholarships," said John Ridgeway, TFS Corporate Manager of TFS Customer Service Center in Maryland. "HBCUs are challenged with lower student retention resulting from financial hardships. As a Toyota executive and an HBCU alumnus, I am proud that Toyota Financial Services is making a contribution to these HBCUs and the Tom Joyner Foundation to support their efforts. TFS has been named a DiversityInc Top 50 company for the past eight years in a row and has been consistently recognized by Black Enterprise, Hispanic Business, and the Human Rights Campaign as a Best Company for Diversity and one of the Best Places to Work. TFS executives actively support and sponsor the companys many diversity and inclusion initiatives. For more information about Toyota's commitment to diversity and inclusion, please visit Toyota Diversity. Cox Automotive Names Eric Jacobs Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Role Key to Companys Future Domestic and International Expansion ATLANTA, January 19, 2016 Cox Automotive, Inc., a leading provider of digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions across the automotive industry, announced the appointment of Eric Jacobs as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development. In this position, Jacobs will lead strategic business development across Cox Automotive, including mergers and acquisitions. He will also continue to create partnerships that will further the success of Cox Automotives client portfolio. Jacobs will report directly to Cox Automotive Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Neil Johnston. Erics leadership and commitment to bringing the best solutions to the table for our customers made him the ideal choice to lead our business development efforts, said Johnston. As we look into the future and expand our footprint both domestically and internationally, he will help us to continue to create partnerships that will further the success of our clients. Jacobs was most recently Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of Dealertrack Technologies, Inc., which was acquired by Cox Automotive on October 1, 2015. He brings more than 15 years of automotive experience to Cox Automotive, previously serving as Senior Vice President, General Counsel of Dealertrack Technologies and President of Dealertrack Canada. Prior to working at Dealertrack Technologies, Jacobs was an attorney focusing on corporate mergers & acquisitions and securities law at OMelveny & Meyers and an audit manager at KPMG. He received a J.D. from with honors Rutgers School of Law-Newark and a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Rider University and is a former Certified Public Accountant. About Cox Automotive Cox Automotive, Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Manheim, Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Dealertrack, vAuto, Xtime, NextGear Capital and a host of other brands. The global company has nearly 30,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues of more than $17 billion and approximately 55,000 employees. Cox Enterprises other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com. 2015 Renault: Best Performing Brand in EV Sales in Europe In 2015, Renault was the best performing brand in EV sales in Europe Renaults EV sales rose 49 per cent to 23,086 units in 2015, with a 23.6 per cent market share ZOE is the best-selling all-electric car in Europe Kangoo Z.E. is the best-selling all-electric LCV in Europe MORE INFO The Best Car Research and Buyer's Guide MAPLE CROSS, UK -- Janaury 19, 2016:Renault is the best performing brand in Europe in electric vehicles sales, with a market share of 23.6 per cent (or 25.2 per cent including Twizy) and 23,086 units registered in 2015 up 49 per cent on 2014. One out of five electric cars sold in Europe was a Renault Z.E. vehicle in 2015. The European all-electric vehicle market stands at 97,687 units, up 47.8 per cent compared to 2014. In Europe, the EV market represents a 0.61 per cent market share (up 0.16 per cent compared to 2014) of the overall car market. Renault ZOE is the top-selling all-electric passenger car with its market share increasing by 2.2 percentage points to 19.2 per cent and 18,453 new registrations in 2015. It performed particularly well in France, where it recorded a 48.1 per cent market share (versus 41.2 per cent in 2014) and 10,670 units sold, thanks to the superbonus incentive set up by the French government in April 2015. More than half of ZOE sales in France benefitted from the incentive. Renault Kangoo Z.E. is the best-selling electric LCV in Europe with 4,325 units sold in 2015, accounting for 42.6 per cent of the all-electric LCV market. Renault has sold the most EVs between 2010 the year the first EV was launched in Europe and 2015, with a record of 62,228 units sold. Since its launch, 16,331 units of Renault Twizy were sold. Renault Z.E. models sold in Europe in 2015: ZOE, a compact hatchback launched in 2013; Kangoo Z.E., the electric version of Renaults LCV launched in 2011; Twizy, an urban two-seater quadricycle, launched in 2012 In the UK, ZOE sales were up 102 per cent in 2015 to 2,053 vehicles, significantly outpacing the UK electric vehicle market, which was up 48 per cent (including Twizy) on 2014. ZOE is the second best-selling electric car in the UK representing one in five EVs sold. NB: All figures exclude Twizy registrations unless otherwise stated. A Leeds Revolucion part of bar groups development THE latest Leeds bar by Revolution has enjoyed a good start since it opened in autumn. The group invested 1.5m in the site on the corner of Lower Briggate and Call Lane under its second brand Revolucion de Cuba. It has three bars across three floors and it has about 100 staff. Revolucion de Cuba also opened in Milton Keynes and Nottingham in the second half of 2015, with the group saying trading at its new bars was ahead of pre-investment expectations. Mark McQuater, Revolutions Bars chief executive, said: Our new sites at Milton Keynes, Leeds and Nottingham have all started trading well. We expect to open a further two new sites in the second half, which will grow the estate from 57 to 62 sites over the course of the financial year. We continue to develop our pipeline. Human-rights leaders from around the global descended on Atlanta this morning. We squeezed, shoulder to shoulder, into the pews of Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. In the halls of that stands magnificent churcha house of enduring hope, a beacon in the darknesswe sang and shouted praises of the man renowned the world over as the greatest civil rights leader this country has ever known. Atlanta is truly the land of dreamers, but none great as that noble aspiration unfurled and embraced by Brother Martinequal protection under the law, freedom from the tyranny of masked marauders, men who would plant bombs in the basement of a church and kill four little girls in Birmingham, Alabama, or who would snatch a boy from a house in Money, Mississippi, torture, lynch, and mutilate his boy. He dreamed of protection from a government that would sanction persecution, prosecution, murder and maiming and then call that justice. Brother Martin not only fought for our right to the ballot, the right to walk on our own accord as free men and womenchildren, one and all, of an Almighty God. He gave his very life in an attempt to perfect this union. We go to Ebenezer each year not only to speak his name, not only to honor his living and his blood, but also to answer his call to servicehis call to the Beloved community to rise and clinch the proverbial baton in the name of social justice. We go to renew the fight. It is important to note that the second wave of the American human-rights movement took root here on the very ground where Dr. King once trod. He stood with people like former Ambassador Andrew Young, C.T. Vivian, and the Reverend James Orange. Together, they paved the way for a new generation of freedom fighters, including a little brown girl like meborn in the heat of 1968. It was Orange, an early mentor, who reminded me nearly 20 years ago of my own obligation to society. A King foot soldier, he was among a delegation to South Africa who helped oversee that countrys first free and fair elections. Aberjhani in his Splendid Treasury of Stories once said, Democracy is not simply a license to indulge individual whims and proclivities. It is also holding oneself accountable to some reasonable degree for the conditions of peace and chaos that impact the lives of those who inhabit ones beloved extended community. Civil disobedience can then be defined as an organized lovelove for community, love of country, and love for humanity. I became convinced, Dr. King once said, that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. Some will tell you with assurance that weve made substantial progress over the last 48 years, since the death of Dr. King. They will tell you that weve come a mighty long way since the passage of multiple civil rights actsand in large measure they are right about that. They will tell you with great confidence that the election of a black president, the appointment of two U.S. attorneys general of African descent and with people of color now walking the halls of Congress and various state legislatures that we have overcome. Some will even tell you that as a nation we have done enoughthat the rest of the story lay in the bootstraps of those who continue to exist on the marginslives tattered and splayed under the weight of mass incarceration, fueled by stop-and-frisk and policing for profit. The truth is the Constitution that we hold so dear wrote a check larger than the very souls of the men who drafted it. Certainly, the progress we have gained over the near half-century is significant. However, progress is measured not in the height of the mountains climbed. It is measured in the depth of the valleys where the forsaken reside. It is measured the final heartbeats of a 12-year-old boy, shot dead over a toy gun in a snowy park in Cleveland, Ohio. It is measured by the labored breaths of a man choked to death on a New York street for daring to protest his unlawful arrest. It is measured in a prosecutor and a grand jurys inability to see the immorality of such horrors. It is measured in the frustration of an 80-some-odd-year-old black woman who cannot produce a birth certificate to join the voting rolls. And in the eyes of a child of an undocumented immigrant sleeping on the bare floor of a detention center, waiting to be sent to a place theyve never seen before. It is measured in the souls of nine praying saints in the basement of a Charleston church, slaughtered by a white supremacist. It is measured in the paycheck of a woman who receives half the pay for twice the work. It is measured in credit default swaps, derivatives and predatory lending practices that strip hardworking people of their homes and leave them saddled in debt because theyunlike the banksarent too big to fail. It is measured in the water, spoiled with toxins and lead, pumping through Flint, Michigan. When Dr. King spoke so eloquently and with such great moral clarity, about the arc of justice, about poverty, about living out our collective higher conscience, I believe in my heart that this is what he meant. However, as we celebrate his birth, I do so not only with a heart of sadness for our current condition, but also in gladness that only hope can bring. I joy in a miracle that has yet to unfold. While there remains a single soul trapped in the prison of oppression, stuck in the valley, none of us can be free. And as long as this circumstance persists, we have an obligation to disruption and disobedience. This I know: The fight is not over. The state of the dream is unmet. LONDON Crazy, corrosive, daft, foolish, dangerous, and "a wazzock." British politicians lined up on Monday to throw shade at the Republican presidential frontrunner. During an unprecedented debate in the Houses of Parliament, it was claimed that Donald Trump was poisonous and should be banned from entering Britain. Members of Parliament gathered to debate whether Trump should be turned away at the border after more than half a million citizens signed an online petition demanding that Britain become a Trump-free zone. Most of the politicians speaking in the non-binding debate said there should be no outright ban. Instead they vied to offer the most eye-catching putdown. One MP said: We British are pretty good at roasting beef. Why dont we roast Trump instead? Alas, a room filled predominantly with stuffed gray suitscontained no one to rival the Queen of Mean, Lisa Lampanelli, and the Comedy Central roasters. What they lacked in wit, they made up for in vehemence. Trump was lampooned as stupid, a hate leader, a buffoon, a bigot, and the Orange Prince of American Self-Publicity. Victoria Atkins, a Conservative Member of Parliament, made history with a slur against Trump that has never previously been uttered in the Houses of Parliament. His comments regarding Muslims are wrong. His policy to close borders if hes elected as president is bonkers, she said. And if he met one or two of my constituents in one of the many excellent pubs in my constituency then they may well tell him that he is a wazzock. The Urban Dictionary suggests it may have originally meant bulls penis, but to most Brits wazzock just means idiot. Tulip Siddiq, a Labour MP, said he was far more dangerous than that. She claimed that there had been an increase in hate crimes since Trump threatened to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. His words are not comical. His words are not funny. His words are poisonous. They risk inflaming tension between vulnerable communities, she said. Hate crime is being inflamed and stoked by the words that Donald Trump is using. Fellow Muslim MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh criticized the majority of her colleagues who said they would prioritize freedom of speech. His words, she said, were directed at me, my family, and my children. She said she would be banned from travelling to the U.S. to make her case, and Britain should respond in kind. Labours Shadow Home Affairs minister, Jack Dromey, also made the case that Trump should become the 85th person to be banned from entering Britain. Donald Trump is a fool, he is free to be a fool. He is not free to do a dangerous fool on our shores, said Dromey. I dont think Donald Trump should be allowed within 1,000 miles of our shore because he would embolden the EDL [a right-wing protest group] on the one hand and fuel the flames of terrorism on the other hand. Most politicians agreed that Trump might be distasteful but he should not join the likes of Pamela Geller, Louis Farrakhan, and Mike Tyson on the list of Americans who have been banned from entering Britain. I have heard of a number of cases where people have been excluded for incitement, for hatred. I have never heard of one for stupidity and Im not sure we should be starting now, said Paul Scully. Others pointed out that Britain had previously welcomed all sort of unsavory characters into the country, including Chinese and Saudi leaders as well as the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, whose crimes are far, far worse than anything Mr Trump can dream up, said Sir Edward Leigh. While most MPs were concerned about the right to free speech, Andrew Murrison, a former Conservative minister, seemed most worried about what would happen if Trump won. We have to be alive to the possibility that this ridiculous individualthat is Mr Trumpmay be elected as president of the United States, he said. In that event, would such a ban be overturned? Since it would be one almighty snub to the American citizens to which you have been referring. Prime Minister David Cameron has already signaled that Trump will not be banned from the U.K, despite the fervent wishes of 560,000 petition signers. I think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong, and if he came to visit our country I think he would unite us all against him, he has previously said. Other arguments in favor of him being allowed to visit the U.K. veered from the practical, to the romanticgoodness is better than eviland finally to the ridiculous: Let Trump in, said Marcus Fysh. Up close we might get to see what is underneath that hair. LYNCHBURG, Virginia Evangelicals werent supposed to like Donald Trump. Hes boasted about never asking God for forgiveness, exhibited total biblical illiteracy, and had as many wives as an Old Testament patriarch. But none of that matters. When the billionaire mogul spoke at Liberty University this morning, he got a rapturous welcome that showed just how much evangelicals love himand why. The obsequiously warm reception he received may upend conventional wisdom about what conservative Christians want from their presidential candidates. And thats great news for Trump. Fox News morning programming warmed up the 11,000-strong crowd, and then the universitys hipster Christian worship band led students in song. We worship you today because youre the great celebrity in this place, prayed David Nasser, the schools senior vice president for spiritual development, addressing God. The boisterous crowdsome of whom woke up at 3:30 a.m. to get good seatsproceeded to worship Trump. Trumps performance certainly drew some sneers, especially when an attempt to pander fell flat after Trump mispronounced a biblical reference as Two Corinthians instead of Second Corinthians. But despite that, his overwhelmingly warm reception confirms that hes just as competitive as any other Republican among evangelical Christian voters. This was not always obvious. Many conservative Christian power-brokersincluding Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America and Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Conventionhave harshly criticized Trump. And his calls for barring Muslims from immigrating to the U.S. worried many conservative Christians who prioritize issues of religious freedom. But that doesnt matter. Jerry Falwell Jr., the university president and son of Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell, introduced Trump to the crowd and left no doubt about his feelings for the golden-haired mogul. In my opinion, Donald Trump lives a life of loving and helping others, as Jesus taught in the Great Commandment, he said. Then he compared Trump to Reagan. My father was criticized in the early 1980s for supporting Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter for president, I should say, because Ronald Reagan was a Hollywood actor who had been divorced and remarried, and Jimmy Carter was a Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher, Falwell said. My father proudly replied that Jesus pointed out that we are all sinners, every one of us. Jimmy Carter was a great Sunday School teacher, Falwell added, but look what happened to our nation with him in the presidency. The implication was clear as a bell: Evangelical Christians shouldnt stress about Trumps personal life. But Falwell didnt just compare Trump to Reagan; he also said Trump reminded him of his father, generous and pragmatic. And he compared Trumps presidential campaign to the university itself. Im proud that Liberty is now strong enough financially to refuse gifts if they come with objectionable conditions, he said. And it is clear to me that Donald Trump is the only candidate in this national election to make that same claim. He cannot be bought. He is not a puppet on a string like many other candidates The crowd erupted in cheers. He is not a puppet on a string like many other candidates who have wealthy donors as their puppet masters, he continued, essentially indicting the entire rest of the Republican field. The Trump/Liberty love is a mutual one. After sauntering on stage to sustained applause, Trump announced that the turnout at the event was a new record for a Liberty University convocationperhaps unaware that student attendance at these weekly meetings is mandatoryand said he would dedicate the impressive feat to Martin Luther King Jr. Seriously. A spokeswoman for the university said 11,000 people attended the event and did not confirm if Trump actually broke a record or what the previous record was. Trump said that being compared to Jerry Falwell the elder was really an honor for me. Then he reiterated his promise that department stores will say Merry Christmas if he becomes president (Christians love that, you know). I have friends that arent Christian, he noted. They like to say Merry Christmas, they love it, everybody loves it. He also noted that he is a big fan of the Bible, saying it is the only book to top The Art of the Deal. Everybody read The Art of the Deal, he said. Who has read The Art of the Deal in this room? Everybody. I always say, a deep deep second to the Bible. The Bible blows it away, he added. Theres nothing like the Bible. He spent the bulk of the speech talking about Iran, the so-called Islamic State widely known as ISIS, and the sad mendacity of the national media (Twenty-five percent are good. Two percent are great.). Said sad national media, he argued, has failed to report on just how much support Trump has won. Youre not getting a real picture of the silent majority, which Jerry Sr. had something to do, he said. And thats a phrase you should be really cognizant of. Because it is a silent majority, but I think Im gonna up it a little bit because its no longer so silent. Its really a noisy majority. Trump wasnt especially articulate there, but the appeal was clear: His success isnt a fluke. Rather, the implication was that Trumps supporters come from a long tradition of grassroots conservatives who seek to use the political process to change cultural norms (see Christmas, War On). And Trumps pitch was perfect. He spoke to the Liberty audience and culture almost as if he was a part of it, said Johnnie Moore, former senior vice president at the school, as if he had been a part of ita graduate or an alumnus or someone who had had kids go there. Moore said thats becausedespite his Two Corinthians flubhe came off as authentic. Not a single person in that crowd this morning thought, I wonder if hes lying to me, Moore said. He noted that evangelical Christians have two basic approaches to politics: Some want candidates to have as much in common with them as possiblethey embrace long-shot contenders like Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum because they share their identical convictions about Christianitys role in public life. The Falwells arent in that school of thought. Rather, they like winners, even if that means backing candidates who used to be pro-choice and have a few divorces under their belt. Thats why Jerry Falwell Sr. made good with John McCain after the Arizonan called him an agent of intolerance, and its why their family was so undyingly loyal to the Busheseven as George H. W. Bush struggled to win evangelical support. The Falwell family hasnt lost its single-minded interest in winning, and thats why Jerry Jr. had such kind words for Trump. It was clear that he would be extremely comfortable if Trump was the candidate, Moore said. This should surprise no one. In 2012, a few months before Obamas re-election, Trump spoke at the university for the first time. Jerry Jr. praised his most controversial stances in an affectionate introduction. In 2011, after failed attempts by Senator John McCain and Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump singlehandedly forced President Obama to release his birth certificate, Falwell said, dead serious. And the students roared. Trumps speech that year was a little bawdier; he encouraged students to get prenups (I wont say it here because you people dont get divorced, right? Nobody gets divorced! OK, so I will not say have a prenuptial agreement to anybody in this room!) and he stirred controversy by telling them to get even with people who wrong them. Luke 6:29 definitely isnt Trumps favorite Bible verse. Despite that, Jerry Falwell Jr. practically begged him to run. Its not too late to get back in the presidential race, is it? Falwell said after that 2012 speech. And now Trump is in, and Falwell seems to love it. This puts him a bit at odds with other evangelical leaders; a coterie of conservative Christian influencers secretly agreed last month to coalesce behind Ted Cruz, as National Review reported. But Falwell is hedging. Cruz, who announced his presidential campaign last year in the same room where Trump spoke, might be more faithful than Trump, and he might not have been married a bunch of times, and he might have that neat Harvard Law degree. But that doesnt necessarily make him a winner. Students at the school shared Falwells energy for the candidate. Five bros wore shirts that spelled out the word TRUMPone letter per T-shirtand spent the time before the event posing for photos and fielding media questions. Others woke up early to get front-row seats for the moguls speech. Christian Malave, a student at the university, said he likes Trumps attitude. He just thinks about everyone before himself, he said. And yet he has the most money in the world. Sophomore Emma Jerore and Freshman Mary-Madison Goforth said they were in line for the speech by 6 a.m. so they could get good seats. Hes a very wise businessman, Goforth said. Jerore said she is trying to pick between Rubio and Trump. Goforth said she faced the same dilemma. Today definitely motivated me a little more towards Trumps side, she said. We both got to shake his hand, so that was, I mean, enough in itself, she added. A number of students said they were trying to decide between Trump and Cruz. Brian Teague, a sophomore studying aviation who sported a Trump T-shirt, said Carson lost support when news broke in early December that he doesnt believe in hell. A lot of people were leaning towards him because he was so humble, you know, his morals, Teague said. But when he left the idea of hell, I think thats when he lost a lot of people. That said, Liberty isnt all Trumpkins. Caleb Fitzpatrick, a freshman from Tampa, Florida, said he thinks the billionaire is the worst Republican candidate. I think he has no idea whats going on in the world, he said. I think hes arrogant, I think hes a narcissist, I think hes perverted. Still, students gave Trump an adoring welcome. If Trump wants to build a new moral majority, hell know where to find footsoldiers. If we dont want to see more gangs of armed men take up arms against the United States every time they disagree with federal government policy, then every single person in the Oregon siege must be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Period. But shockingly there are signs that these men may go free. The local sheriff, David Ward, just a few days ago met with their leader, Ammon Bundy, and offered them safe passage out of the state. Bundy, who has called for a meeting on Friday between his men and local authorities to discuss this, noted that they will likely take the sheriffs offer and we will go out of this state and out of this county as free men. Free men?! Well, actually Im all for these men being free eventually. But first they deserve safe passage from the federal building they have illegally commandeered to the back of police car. From there they should be taken to police station where they will be fingerprinted, etc. and charged with a string of federal crimes. Then they should be arraigned before a judge, and if they can make bail, released until they have their day in court. If all goes as it seems it should, they will be convicted of at least one felony, be required under federal law to give up their weapons, and then serve time in prison. And, assuming they dont cause more problems while in federal prison, they will then be released and finally have earned the right to be free men. But only then should they be free men. These armed men must be called to answer for their crimes just like any other American. The most serious charge they likely face is sedition. Under federal law, seditious conspiracy is defined as using force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority. The Bundy gang illegally taking control of federal property because they want to coerce the federal government to change its policies is the very definition of sedition. This crime carries with it a prison term of up to 20 years. They also intentionally destroyed federal property a few days ago, namely a fence that was erected to prevent local farmers from allowing their cattle to graze on federal property. This fence was built by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service using a $100,000 grant. Destruction of federal property that exceeds $1,000 in value is punishable by a fine and imprisonment of up to 10 years. And the list of crimes goes on from there, from trespassing to unauthorized use of government property (they used a government computer to build a website and utilized government vehicles). They also may be charged for violating Oregon state law. In addition to jail time, these men should be ordered to reimburse the government for the costs associated with their crimes. An Oregon judge noted that the countys security costs in connection with this siege are $70,000 per day. Despite what some on the right argue, these armed anti-government protesters are not just like the Occupy Wall Street protesters. But if you do want to compare them, then keep in mind that nearly 8,000 Occupy protesters were arrested. And while the criminal charges were later dismissed against many, some had to endure a full trial and even jail time. In addition, Occupy protesters were forcibly dragged off sidewalks by the police, and infamously, one group of protesters had mace sprayed in their faces while doing nothing more than sitting on the sidewalk. What a contrast to what we are seeing now with the Bundy insurgents. These men are destroying federal property in full public view, and the police simply sit idly by. (And I hardly even need to note how much differently the authorities would treat the armed men if they were black or Muslim.) Justice demands that these men go to jail. After all Sister Kathleen Desautels was sentenced to six months in jail for trespassing on a U.S. military base for a matter of minutes in connection with a protest opposing U.S. military policy. Desautels and others simply went around the fence surrounding the military base and were then immediately arrested by police waiting on the other side. Should an unarmed nun who sneaked onto a military base and was quickly arrested without incident get more jail time than an armed group of men who have illegally taken control of a federal building for weeks, intentionally destroyed federal property, and vowed that they will kill people if they are attacked? Sheriff Ward should be commended for wanting to end this standoff peacefully. And his offer of safe passage does not necessarily mean no criminal charges will be filed, despite how Bundy views it. Although even safe passage alone is a generous offer given that not only has Ward been subject to death threats by Bundy supporters, his wife had to leave town for her own safety after her tires were slashed and she was followed by strangers. And even more disturbing, the sheriffs elderly parents have been harassed by Bundy supporters. As a nation, we cannot make the same mistake as last year when the armed standoff at the Bundy ranch in Nevada ended with no arrests. If that happens here, expect even more of these types of armed standoffs and possibly even innocent Americans being killed. Bundy and his men are not above the law simply because they claim they are on a mission from God. Just like ISIS militants are not above the law by making the identical claim. An alleged ISIS sympathizer from North Carolina may be the prime suspect in the murder of his neighbor. The body of John Bailey Clark was discovered in a shallow grave in Morganton, North Carolina, in 2014. Police had no leads about who shot Clark, 74, in the head three times until they announced a sudden break in the case in December: a suspect was already in custody on other charges. That's believed to be Justin Nojan Sullivan, who lives four doors down from Clark, and was arrested on charges of planning an ISIS-inspired attack. Before long, local papers identified Sullivan as the suspect after police referred questions about what would seem to be a routine murder to the FBI. But since then, authorities have been mum on the matterand on why it took a year to identify a suspect they may have had in custody all along. Sullivan was arrested six months after Clarks death on apparently unrelated charges. In April, his dad had called the authorities when the then-19-year-old went on an anti-religion rampage around the house. I dont know if it is ISIS or what, but he is destroying Buddhas, and figurines, and stuff, the frightened dad told a 911 operator. He said Sullivan had poured gasoline on religious items. I mean, we are scared to leave the house. An undercover officer made contact with Sullivan a little more than a month later. 1000 [victims]...Yes Im thinking about using biological weapons...Coat our bullets with cyanide...and then set off a gas bomb to finish off the rest, Sullivan allegedly wrote to the agent. But their conversations allegedly also included plans for trial runs before the big showdownpractice attacks for Sullivan and the cop to prove their chops. At one point, Sullivan allegedly told the undercover officer that they can do minor assassinations before the big attack for training. Just kill a few people so that I know u are truthful...just shoot them leave...wear a mask do it at night, the complaint says he told the cop. Can u kill? Auditions to join ISIS, like the kind Sullivan asks from the undercover officer, are uncommon. And the audition never came to fruition. Instead, the slightly skeptical Sullivan gave the undercover officer his home address so the latter could mail him a homemade noise suppressor. The FBI mailed Sullivan a functional silencer, but raided his home and arrested him that same day. In a somewhat unusual turn for ongoing terror cases, the last motion was ruled on months ago, in mid-October. No additional motions, or cases against him, have been filed in months. Sullivans dad told a local news station in December that authorities had seized weapons from his home for testing, including one rifle that had not yet been returned. Authorities have since been silent on the possible link, and all motions filed in Sullivans terrorism case have been sealed since July. We do not have anything further to share at this time, Sheriff Steve Whisenant told The Daily Beast. The U.S. Attorneys office and Sullivans public defender did not return requests for comment. Two decades after Erin Brockovich instigated the largest direct-action lawsuit in history, the gutsy mother of three is still fighting for clean water. Her most recent crusade in Flint, Michigan, reached the national stage last week, prompting President Obama to declare a state of emergency and the states governor to activate the National Guard. In a post on Michigan Live, Brockovich is credited with bringing the controversy to a fever pitch early last yearsomething few other outlets have highlighted. EXCUSES EXCUSES, read Brockovichs Jan. 20, 2015 Facebook post about the lead-filled water in Flint. Now is not the time for the blame game...Detroit has failed and Flint jumped ship. So much for local control... everyone is responsible from the top down. Shared more than 5,000 times, the post gave much-needed airtime to a fight that Flints residents had largely been fighting alone. In the posts comments, people across Michigan thank Brockovichwho later flew there to meet themfor spreading the word. Its a sentiment echoed repeatedly on her Facebook page, where she reports similar cases of water contamination every single day. For a woman crucified by the media for a drunken boating accident, and attacked by a doctor who claims the original water contamination she found in Hinkley, California, didnt cause cancer (a theory that the Center for Public Integrity struck down), her day-to-day resilience seems nothing short of triumphant. Her acute ability to connect with small-town America, a result of her own upbringing, makes her a unique and powerful voice thatas Flint provescan incite change. But perhaps larger than Brockovichs story of rising from an impoverished single mother to a world-renowned environmental activist is the larger issue thats gotten her there: contaminated water. The situation in Flint is not an isolated one. Looking at her Facebook, its clear that hundreds of thousands of Americans are living with contaminated drinking water, perhaps even millions. According to Brockovich, Flintwhile a serious situationis also merely one of the hundreds of cities, towns, and community water systems that are failing. When authorities confirmed toxic levels of lead in the fish-smelling, urine-colored Flint water, no one was less surprised than Brockovich. Once again... I beg, plead... cry for the US EPA to get into the Flint drinking water investigation and stop with the denial, she wrote on Saturday. Your continued silence has proven deadly. Its a story Brockovich has seen so many times that she created a map where users can pin locations in which theyve encountered problems. The map can be sorted by categories, like medical negligence and whistleblower," among others. Change, no matter what it is, starts with you, but sometimes finding the resources for you to enable change can be difficult, writes Brockovich. This is what this platform is for. Coast to coast, Americans use the map to express concerns that water is making them sickfrom lead to arsenic, limestone to chromium. A user in Sandy Valley, Nevada, reports a cluster of cancer outbreaks in her area, while another nearby says a large group of residents have come down with an autoimmune issue. One mapper in Shelby County, Alabama, says limestone quarries have residents worried. Our water supply is contaminated though the city denies such ideations, she says. I have to replace my coffee pot every six months as well as my icemaker There is lime residue in the sinks and the drain under the icemaker on my refrigerator. Many of the stories Brockovich shares come from emails she receivessome from people questioning whether their water is safe; others from those who are sure that it isnt. In response, Brockovich calls out big businesses and attacks city councils with a tenacity that leads her half-a-million followers to declare her a hero. Brockovichs latest cause, one that she says is on the fast track to becoming the next Flint is in Stockton, California. Congratulations, she writes to the local government in a post this week. Youre adding ammonia to your drinking water because youre too lazy and cheap to remove dirt (organics) from your water supplies... Its one of many cases that Brockovich is fighting forscenes that shes seen too many times. Jessica Yus documentary about Americas clean drinking water crisis, Last Call at the Oasis, opens on Brockovich calling water the single most necessary element for any of us to sustain and live and thrive. Or, as she puts more simply: Water is everything. With the help of the federal government, the situation in Flint will, hopefully, be resolved. But for many in Flint, a solution will come too late. Among the potential long-term effects of lead exposure in children are lowered IQ, decreased attention span, and other neurological problems that may be irreversible. Just three months after Baghdad publicly revealed its first Chinese-made CH-4 drones and one month after the drones launched their first missiles at enemy forces in Iraq, a CH-4 mistakenly fired on pro-government militia fighters, killing nine and wounding 14. The January friendly fire incident marks a tragic but arguably inevitable milestone for one of the worlds newest drone powers in a region thats becoming the center of an expanding robot air war. Iraq and Syria are a proving ground for the drone warriors of the chaotic near-future. No fewer than seven countries have deployed drones in Iraq and Syriathe United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Russia, Iran, Syria, and Iraq. And thats not counting the various rebel and militant groups, including the self-proclaimed Islamic State, that have acquired off-the-shelf quadcopters and other consumer robots, and sent them on recon missions over enemy lines or into the air over their own forces for propaganda photoshoots. The U.S., U.K., Israeli, and Iraqi drones are armed. Likewise, some armed groups have strapped explosives to their own small drones, transforming them into semi-autonomous flying bombs. The American and British drone-control crews work closely togetherand so, presumably, do the Iranian, Russian, and Syrian robot operators. But with so many different drones from so many different countries pursuing largely separate but occasionally overlapping missions, the war in Iraq and Syria is becoming something of a drone free-for-all. Iraqs propeller-driven CH-4, unveiled during a publicity tour of one of Baghdads air bases by Defense Minister Khaled al-Obaidi, is roughly the size of a Cessna private plane. Its Beijings cheaper, easier-to-acquire answer to Americas iconic Predator, the robot that launched the current drone war when, in its unarmed form, it deployed to the Bosnia conflict in 1995. Six years later, in October 2001, the first missile-armed Predator fired at suspected militants in Afghanistan, ushering in the current era of drones whose operators can both spy on you and kill you with the push of a button. Since then, Americas force of several hundred armed Predator and Reaper drones have killed thousands of suspected militants and terroristsand hundreds of innocent civiliansin Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Syria, and other conflict zones. Unarmed U.S. drones have hunted for Americas enemies in Central Africa, Latin America, the Philippines, and elsewhere. But federal regulations and policy make it difficult for all but the most trusted American allies to acquire U.S.-made drones, to say nothing of armed drones. Unable to purchase the world-standard Predator and Reaper, many countries have turned to Israel, Iran, and China for their robot fix. Tel Aviv, Tehran, and Beijing offer a wide range of drones at a cost much lower than the latest American models. The militia victims of Iraqs errant January drone strike were part of the Popular Mobilization Force, one of the Iran-backed Shiite groups that has bolstered the beleagured Iraqi army in Baghdads 17-month-old war with ISIS. Ahmad al-Assadi, a spokesman for the militia group, said the fighters were battling ISIS forces near the city of Tikrit when the drone arrived overhead and its operatorsmost likely sitting in a trailer at a nearby air base, remotely controlling the drone via radiomistook the Shiite fighters for militants. The drone struck with a first missile and then two more seven minutes later, Assadi said. Its safe to say the Popular Mobilization Force wont be the last innocent victims of Baghdads killer drones. The robot war in Iraq and Syria is only escalating, with more and more robots entering the fray. A year ago, the U.S. Air Force had hoped to give its drone force a break after 20 years of unrelenting work. Its at the breaking point, and has been for a long time, a senior Air Force official told The Daily Beast in early 2015. But virtually every U.S. and allied airstrike and ground offensive in Iraq and Syria requires robotic support. Were involved in pretty much every engagement, Col. James Cluff, commander of the 432nd Wing, Americas main drone unit, located at Creech Air Force Base just north of Las Vegas, told The Daily Beast in June. The Pentagon realized it had no choice but to double down on drone ops, adding more robots, more squadrons to maintain them, and more human controllersincluding, for the first time, non-officer enlisted operators and civilian contractors. The $3 billion expansion plan is an attempt to normalize operations and ensure long-term mission success, the Air Force explained in a December statement. Americas drone escalation is running headlong into similar plans by its allies and rivals. There are so many robots flying over Iraq and Syria that manned planes nearly collide with them with alarming frequency. In October a Russian Sukhoi bomber flew directly underneath what appeared to be a U.S. Predator during a mission over Syria. The Russian crew shot video of the drone, and shortly thereafter Igor Konashenkov, a Kremlin spokesman, complained of overcrowding in Syrian skies. Our American colleagues do not seem to grasp the seriousness of this issue, Konashenkov said. That same month, Washington and Moscow agreed to coordinate their flights over Syria to avoid a collisionor worse, a misunderstanding drawing U.S. and Russian forces into combat with each other. Most drone operators do not publicize how often their robots fly or where, but theres at least one way to verify a drones presence over the battlefieldwhen it crashes or gets shot down. The fact that robots fall to the ground almost monthly in Iraq and Syria is indicative of the sheer volume of robot flights in the two countries. In October, two U.S. Predators crashed in Iraq and Turkey while supporting the war on ISIS. The same month, Turkish forces shot down a dronepossibly Russianthat strayed over Syrias border with Turkey. An American robot crashed in Iraq in June, and another went down in Syria in March. Iran, meanwhile, has lost potentially dozens of drones in Iraq and Syria, including an Ababil 3akin to a Predatorthat ISIS claimed to have shot down near the Iraqi city of Samarra in January. The growing ranks of drone operators should get used to the chaos. As more and more pilotless flying machines deploy in Iraq and Syria, and more and more are packing weapons, the crashes, shoot-downs, near-misses, and accidental killings are only going to become bigger problems. In Joyce Carol Oates 2015 memoir, The Lost Landscape: A Writers Coming of Age, the 77-year-old author frequently stresses the unreliability of memory. After introducing her deceased husband, Raymond Smith, she abruptly interrupts the narrative: Im sorry, she writes, but I am not able to write about Ray here. Oates returns to the unreliable memory in her new novel, The Man Without a Shadow, about an amnesiac lab subject, Elihu Hoopes (E.H.), whose short-term memory loss is probed by a group of prestigious neuroscientists. A bout of encephalitis fever at age 37 damaged E.H.s brain so that he can retain only 70 seconds of information, though he remains witty, artistic, and a wizard at crossword puzzles. To Margot Sharpe, a 24-year-old Ph.D. neuroscientist at the institute, he is also a flirt: playful and coy, he shakes her hand in a way both courtly and caressing when they first meet in the lab in 1965 and leans close to Margot as if inhaling her. So begins their peculiar, secret love affair and, in tandem, the vertiginous ascent of Margots career over the decades-long Project E.H. The novel is in part a manifestation of Oates having to confront her own memory and grief while writing her first memoir, A Widows Story: A Memoir (2011)about the death of her first husband in 2008and, subsequently, The Lost Landscape. I find it so fascinating, quite apart from my novel, how selective our memories are, Oates told The Daily Beast, speaking by phone from Berkeley, California, where she is teaching an advanced fiction workshop at UC Berkeley this semester. I think we try to create plausible scenarios to try to remember what we said to someone five years ago, Oates continued. To be honest, I dont remember what I talked about with people throughout a lot of my life. It is no coincidence that the novel centers on a community of neuroscientists: Oates is now married to Charles Gross, a neuroscientist at Princeton University (the two spend most of their time at their home in a rural area outside the university town), whose expansive science library was a reliable resource for Oates when writing the novel. Gross himself was a resource as well: He read a first and final draft of the novel and saw that the science was correct, which was very important to me, Oates said. Oatess writing is particularly penetrating when fictionalizing the stories of real-life people, as she did with Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. Her latest novel was inspired by a well-known amnesiac in the neuroscience community: a man known as H.M., whom Gross worked with. He is also the subject of neuroscientist Suzanne Corkins Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesiac Patient, H.M. Oates said she was intrigued by the way that scientists view the world and their experiments as the consequence of causes and events, whereas writers and artists are more focused on the sensuousness of the world and the way things look. Margot is a conceptual person, so when she meets E.H., she views him as a kind of phenomenon, she said. Ive never really looked at someone like that until I wrote this novel. She went on: That [Margot] and her team are already thinking about slicing his brain up when he dies is chilling to me. And yet if youre a scientist, thats the way that you think. Even when Margot is holding E.H.s hand and is in love with him, her mind is working on some great new article shes going to write about the experiment. Years after the experiment began, with Margot now secretly married to E.H., she asks herself and the reader: Is [she] guilty of deception, and does it matter? Has she behaved unethically, as (some might claim) shed behaved unethically through her career? The story demands that we grapple with these questions: Was E.H. exploited as a scientific experiment? Did Margot exploit him by convincing him that they knew each other in grade school? Margot doesnt think so. She believes that most of life is a masquerade, especially the sexual life. And what is love but the most powerful of masquerades. The subject matter may be a departure for Oates, but such fortune-cookie observations are not uncommon in her writing. The questions that Margot poses in her amnesiac logbookHow do we know who we were, if we dont know who we are? How do we know who we are, if we dont know who we were?reflect Oatess chin-stroking outlook on life. She writes and thinks with such nuance that it occasionally seems like common sense is lost on her, particularly when she weighs in on politics and current events. (Unsurprisingly, she is prolific on Twitter and has 140,000 followers.) Oates was among the 200 members of PEN America who signed a letter stating that Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine whose staff members were murdered by Islamic extremists last year, wasnt worthy of a prize for journalistic courage. The letter criticized the magazine for mocking a section of the French population that is already marginalized, embattled, and victimized, and that Hebdos cartoons of the Prophet must be seen as being intended to cause further humiliation and suffering. When I asked if she thought Charlie Hebdo was a racist publication, Oates calmly replied: No, no, no. Basically I was supporting some friends, eight people or so, who had signed the letter. Otherwise I wouldnt have gotten personally involved at all. I didnt really have a whole lot of emotion or care aboutI wasnt really against [Charlie Hebdo]. One would think that she might have supported her friends in other wayswhy sign a letter that stated Hebdo was racist if one doesnt agree with that sentiment? Again, Oates does not think linearly about these things. It was sort of a meta issue, she told me. PEN is supposed to be for freedom of expression, but when these writers dared to have an expression that was a little different, they were attacked. Oates declined to comment on her Twitter activity, including a recent, notorious tweet about ISIS: All we hear of ISIS is puritanical & punitive; is there nothing celebratory & joyous? Or is query naive? Querying something is not naive, but it reveals Joyce Carol Oates to be a more circuitous and opaque thinker than one given to spouting simple or popular pieties. There is much to take away from this kind of thinking as it manifests in her new novel. Oates doesnt believe that scientific experiments on an amnesiac patient are exploitative. The issue is more complex than that. All of the medical technology we have came from animal experimentation, which is horrible, she said. But as my husband points out, without that we wouldnt have much science. Community leaders and Hollywood notables piled into the Riverside Church in Harlem on Monday to experience a new kind of Martin Luther King Day tribute. Put together by the Campaign For Black Achievement and Blackout for Human Rights, MLKNow served as an opportunity to engage in dialogue, celebrate the legacy of civil rights, and as a tribute to Dr. Kings vision and commitment. Director Ryan Coogler (Creed) served as the emcee of the day in a most humble and unpretentious fashion, keeping things moving in the program with humor, humility, and sincerity. Featuring musical performances from Bilal, Saul Williams, and India.Arie, celebrity speakers as well as panelists like Rahiel Tesfamariam, Linda Sarsour, Dante Barry, Gina Belafonte, and Leon Ford Jr., MLKNow was partly organized by Coogler, who explained why he felt compelled to deliver commentary in his art and why he wanted to make an event such as this a reality. We talked about using our collective power to find solutions and here we are today for our first MLKNow event, Coogler stated. My first feature [Fruitvale Station] was about a young man whose life was taken and I couldnt understand how it could happen where I was from [Oakland, California], supposedly the most liberal place in America. In my foolish young mind, I though this movie could make a difference. In the years following, I saw even more videotapes like Oscar [Grant]s murder. And I felt like this movie did nothing and I got really depressed. Then I realized that stories like Oscars have always been going on for several years. We just now have the technology to see what happened. As I did research, I started to look and find thinkers from different times and the language that they used, Coogler added, explaining why he wished to bring MLKNow to fruition. He also added that the assassinations of black leaders are an undercurrent throughout black history. Whats incredibly ironic about this is, out of the five men that we picked, four of them were murdered by gun violence, he shared. Throughout the day, actors would interpret famous speeches from icons of black struggle: Michael B. Jordan delivered an impassioned recital of Fred Hamptons Power Anywhere Theres People, and Jordans Creed co-star Tessa Thompson shared Angela Daviss Victory Speech. Broadway veterans Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anika Noni Rose also gave their respective takes on the historical words of Martin Luther King Jr., and Sojourner Truthwith Andre Hollands take on Malcolm X being received particularly well by the attendees, as was Shirley Chisolms 1972 presidential campaign announcement as read by actress Condola Rashad. Chris Rock cracked about having to follow the heartthrob Jordan before diving into James Baldwins famous 1963 letter to his teenage nephew, My Dungeon Shook. I know what the world has done to my brother and how narrowly he has survived it and I know, which is much worse, and this is the crime of which I accuse my country and my countrymen and for which neither I nor time nor history will ever forgive them, that they have destroyed and are destroying hundreds of thousands of lives and do not know it and do not want to know it, he read. Adepero Oduye (Pariah, 12 Years A Slave) became physically overwhelmed while reciting Ida B. Wellss famous This Awful Slaughter speech, which she delivered at the NAACPs first national conference in 1909 in protest of lynchings. As she excused herself from the stage, famed stage director Kenny Leon stepped in to finish the speech in fiery style. In a multitude of counsel there is wisdom. Upon the grave question presented by the slaughter of innocent men, women and children there should be an honest, courageous conference of patriotic, law-abiding citizens anxious to punish crime promptly, impartially and by due process of law, also to make life, liberty and property secure against mob rule. Ida B. Wells Oscar-winner Octavia Spencers heart-wrenching delivery of Kings famous Ive Been to the Mountaintop speechthe final one he would deliverwas one of the most emotional moments in a day that had no shortage of them. Rose also performed a poignant rendition of J. Coles 2014 Mike Brown tribute Be Free, before Cole himself emerged to join Coogler in a quick artists discussion. Despite some philosophical differences regarding race and community ills, the two men revealed how much they have leaned on each others art over the past few years and how being young and black means that they have to be OK with expressing pain. When I heard about your film and saw it, I just wanna let you know, broevery time I see it, I break down crying. I cant control it, Cole told Coogler, who then shared how painful his own rise to fame has been with a sad anecdote about filling out the guest list for the Creed premiere. We started writing down names, but all of the cats I grew up with were gone, Coogler said, his voice slightly cracking. We put a shield up to talk about it. We work in different mediums, but I just gotta say thank you, Coogler told Cole. When you put out and express what youre going through, you make me feel less like of an alien. The Cole-Coogler exchange included Cooglers awkwardly inadvertent announcement that Cole has gotten married. I told you I never interviewed anybody before, Coogler offered apologetically after Coles surprised laughter at being asked about his nuptials. But the unexpected gaffe only added to the casually conversational tone between the two. Riverside Church has a direct link to the legacy of Dr. King: it was at Riverside that the slain civil rights icon gave his Beyond Vietnam speech in 1967. Kings speech was his first public declaration of anti-war sentiment and was criticized by some as a distraction; but he stated explicitly why he felt that he couldnt be silent on how the war was affecting America, in general, but especially how it was hypocritical of him to preach non-violence without acknowledging the violence America has used both at home and abroad to further its own ends. As I have walked among the desperate, rejected, and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems, King stated in 1967. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they asked, and rightly so, What about Vietnam? They asked if our own nation wasnt using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government. Every January, Americans revel in sentimental and often superficial celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. The status quo that despised what King represented as an actual living, breathing revolutionary has taken great pains to turn King into a historical teddy bear; and contemporary bigots routinely cite King in an attempt to shine modern movements like Black Lives Matter. But King was never the saccharine peacenik that so much of America has turned him into. And this country would do better to fully understand the scope of his legacyhis commitment to economic growth, his thoughts on pan-Africanism and white moderates, his clashes with the American political establishment, and his forbears in the black church. If there was one clear, overriding theme of MLKNow, it was that Kings legacy is one of revolutionary activism and sacrifice. We cant allow that legacy to be watered down for mass consumption. In addition to reciting Patrice Lumumbas 1960 speech on Congo independence, Harry Belafonte shared his firsthand memories of his time with Dr. King. In all that we achieved with Dr. King and all that we have fought for in terms of voting rights, equal rights, and education, we still sit in a place that has denied us, Belafonte observed. In the last days when I spoke to Dr. King before his assassinationbefore his murderwe met in my home, as was a common practice, to discuss strategy. The next big campaign was to be The Poor Peoples Campaign. Dr. King came to us to give us our last instructions. He was on his way to Memphis. Recalling that King had spoken to young people in Newark who were ready to use force to fulfill their objectives, Belafonte shared Kings apprehensions. Ive come to believe were integrating into a burning house, is the oft-repeated phrase that Belafonte again shared. When he asked King what the right approach was for addressing such a situation, Belafonte smiled as he remembered the mans response: Weve got to become firemen. Its not a secret that Ted Cruz isnt my first choice for the Republican nomination for president. His smug Poindexter affect, his smarm, sanctimony, and general derpiness all grate on me. Theres no doubt hes smart, but while smart is necessary, its not necessarily sufficient. That said, Id rather Ted Cruz serve as leader of the free world for eight years than have Donald Trump in that role for eight minutes. Yet the inevitable, bloody conflict between Cruz and Trump that broke to the surface after the last Republican debate raises real questions about Cruzs political judgment that Republican voters need to examine. In August of last year, I described Cruzs behavior toward Trump as feeding the alligator in hopes that it eats him last. As painful as it is for his fans to admit it, theres only one person to blame for the situation in which Cruz now finds himself and thats Ted Cruz. For six months now, Cruz has played the role of eager understudy and Trump lickspittle, praising nearly everything that spews from Trumps mouth. Not only did Cruz set a land-speed record racing off to Trump Tower to pay obeisance to The Donald early in the process, he has taken almost every opportunity to lavish praise on even Trumps most ridiculous and politically deadly policies. He has embraced and amplified messages that are poisonous among women, Hispanics, and even limited-government conservatives. Cruz has occasionally stepped back from the brink, but always while shoveling on fulsome praise for the notorious game-show host and con artist leading the Republican field. Cruz made his bet, and his bed, early. He observed that Trumps supporters were precisely like Obamas 2008 fans: cultlike, fanatic, and instantly filled with white-hot rage at the slightest insult to The One. Cruz rarely said a harsh word about Trump, gambling that when the collapse came that he would inherit The Donalds voters. Until his oblique and weak-kneed Fonzie and New York values snipes at Trump, Cruz could have easily been mistaken for a Trump surrogate, displaying the same obsequious bowing-and-scraping as Trumps flying-monkey minions Dan Scavino, Michael Cohen, Roger Number Two Stone, and Grifter Barbie Katrina Pierson. This isnt the first time Cruz has displayed weak political judgment. It doesnt matter what you think of the political and ideological fights hes lost (and hes lost almost all of them), he misread Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Barack Obama, and his colleagues in the U.S. Senate in the same way he misread Trump. When your political opponents have a gun to your head and can pull the trigger at any moment they choose, count on them to do so. So while Donald Trumps attacks on Ted Cruz are patently absurd (particularly Trumps latest foray into birtherism), theyre not unexpected. As much as Cruz touches conservative hot buttons, his record of not reading the political landscape properly and his inability to correctly identify risks should make anyone pause when considering a contest against Hillary Clinton. Cruz needed to think of Trumps behavior as Highlander, not Fonzie. There can be only One. Trump wont relinquish his hold on the lead, it has to be taken from him. The irony of the hated moderate Jeb Bush being the only candidate putting real money behind ads hitting Trump (far too little, far too late, and featuring an idiotic detour attacking Marco Rubio), is rich. Cruz has the resources and the conservative pedigree to bring a case against Trump, but his political calculus has been so wrong for so long that he merely delayed The Donalds strike against him. When the strike came, the Trump Troll Party went into overdrive against Cruz. Ted Cruz, a man who checked every box on their agenda (and was perfectly acceptable as long as his lips were planted firmly on Trumps posterior) was suddenly anathema. Cruz made a political category error in assessing the Trump supporters he so coveted; he thought they were driven by the talk-radio and fever-swamp media complex and a hatred of the Establishment alone. He was wrong; theyre also driven by their desire to be part of Trumps personality cult. If theres one thing no one will ever mistake Ted Cruz for, its a charismatic cult leader. Cruz scans more as the accountant for the charismatic cult leader than the guy ladling out the Kool Aid. Cruz also believed that the weaponized purity-posse of Breitbart News and the rest of the birther-truther-ScamPAC rage-driven infrastructure that feeds off the credulous and the cretinous, would never turn on him. He should have been paying attention; many of these outlets have stopped being about advancing conservatism or serving as a counterweight to liberal media. Theyre about monetizing fury, even if it means marginalizing candidates and messages that could make it possible to achieve a governing conservative majority and retake the White House. Theyve advocated for the last six months that all candidates not named Donald Trump must be destroyed. Not for ideological or political reasons, but because no one else brings in those sweet clicks, that ad revenue, and that ROI on the ScamPAC email lists. At the point Trump entered this race, I assessed how the major actors in the GOP would respond to him. I was wrong. I believed the campaigns would individually and collectively recognize the danger Donald Trump posed to their candidacies. I believed that the donor class would cringe at the vast threat Donald Trump poses to the entire Republican Party, its brand, its prospects for expansion, and the nation. I believed conservatives would reject a man who demonstrably loathed almost every conservative value and principle until he decided to run for president. The candidates who understood the risks of Trump didnt have the resources, but those with the resources to fight back instead operated from a combination of political cowardice (as in the case of Cruz) or in utterly misplaced hostility toward Marco Rubio, in the case of Bush. All of them, however, have come to realize, in the words of Gov. Rick Perry, that Trump is a cancer on the conservative movement and the Republican Party. Unfortunately and regrettably, their responses have been late, slow, fearful, and inadequate. However, its unlikely voters will forget that only one man in the field embraced Trump from the beginning: Ted Cruz. Cruz, with his reputation for intellectual horsepower and a brilliant legal and strategic turn of mind, today looks like a fool as Trumps media enablers and political legions turn on the senator from Texas, tearing at his political carcass like hyenas. Cruz bet the political farm on winning Iowa and he may still prevail there; its up in the air whether Trumps celebrity game-show host mojo can offset what is widely reported to be a Potemkin field operation. If Trump continues his attacks with their current intensity and vitriol only two things might save him. First, Cruz may garner political credit for being the first candidate to engage in protracted political combat with Trump, even though its only because Trump has his back against the wall. Voters may reward him for dropping the pretense that Trump is just another Republican candidate or that The Donald has any kind of conservative bona fides. Second, if the vast all-in-for-Trump conservative talk-radio and new-right media infrastructure suddenly turns on The Donald in the coming days (and indeed they might ) Trump might lose some of the vital media adrenaline that sustains him. On Monday, talk radio was in a paroxysm of agony, trying to memory-hole months of Trump cheerleading and snapping into a defensive posture for Cruz. You could sense that they understood the monster they helped create is out of control, and now its a question of whether they can stop it. Ted Cruz may be brilliant, but the political gamble hes taken is one only a fool would make. Win or lose in Iowa, its hard to see how Cruzs lack of political judgment wont haunt him, either now, or in the general election. Almost every aspect of the Obama administrations policy toward Syria has been scrutinized, lambasted or praised in recent months, but one of the most significant facets, the CIAs covert aid program to Syrian rebels, has largely slipped below the radar. It is time that we start paying attention, since this initiative is benefiting the very jihadist groups the U.S. has been fighting for the past 15 years. Americas abrupt about-face is a mistake, but even those who would defend this new course as the least bad option should favor a more robust public debate. The CIAs program, launched in 2013, initially was conceived as a way of strengthening moderate rebels fighting Bashar al-Assads regime without significantly increasing the U.S. footprint in the conflict. The program got off to a slow start, with rebel commanders grumbling that the CIA was stingy due to its concern that weapons would fall into extremists hands. As a result, moderate rebels were forced at times to ration ammunition. At least one rebel group severed its ties with the CIA and joined an Islamist-led coalition, while other CIA-backed rebels stopped fighting. After these early hiccups, the program evolved. Anonymous U.S. officials now tell the media that CIA-backed rebels have begun to experience unprecedented successes, particularly in northwestern Syria. Yet these gains reveal a darker side to the CIA-backed groups victories, and even American officials framing of these advances provides reason for concern. As the Associated Press reported in October, officials have explained that the CIA-backed groups were capturing new territory by fighting alongside more extremist factions. Who are these extremist co-belligerents? Analysis of the geography of moderate rebels gains during this period and reports from the battlefield demonstrate that CIA-backed groups collaborated with Jaysh al-Fateh, an Islamist coalition in which Jabhat al-Nusraal Qaedas official Syrian affiliateis a leading player. Hassan Hassan, co-author (with The Daily Beasts Michael Weiss) of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, suggested that rebel gains in Idlib in April 2015 showcased the symmetries between CIA-backed forces and Nusra when he attributed the rebels successes to suicide bombers (frequently deployed by Nusra and other jihadists) and American anti-tank TOW missiles. In southern Syria, the CIA-backed Southern Front fought alongside Nusra in the campaign to take the city of Deraa in June 2015. CIA-backed groups in northwestern Syria publicly acknowledge their relationship with the al Qaeda affiliate. A commander of Fursan ul-Haq, a rebel group that received TOW missiles through CIA channels, explained that there is something misunderstood by world powers: We have to work with Nusra Front and other groups to fight both Assads regime and the Islamic State. Similarly, a spokesman for CIA-backed Suqour al-Ghab justified his groups collaboration with Nusra by noting that we work with all factions when there are attacks on the regime, either through direct cooperation or just coordinating the movements of troops so we dont fire at each other. The fact that CIA-backed groups collaborate with Nusra does not necessarily prove that they harbor jihadist sympathies, nor that they hoodwinked the American officials who vetted them. In many or perhaps most cases, these groups decision to cooperate with Nusra is born out of pragmatism. When fighting a regime as brutal as Assads, it is natural to look for allies wherever they may be found. Further, as one of the dominant players in northern Syria, Nusra can dictate terms to smaller rebel factions. The experiences of Harakat Hazm and the Syrian Revolutionary Front, two CIA-backed groups that Nusra literally obliterated in late 2014, are a stark warning. Jamaal Maarouf, the commander of the Syrian Revolutionary Front, explained after his group was ousted from Syria that no militia in the rebel umbrella organization known as the Free Syrian Army can operate in northern Syria without Nusras approval. Because of Nusras strength, CIA-backed factions have entered what has been called a marriage of necessity with the jihadist group, which is exploiting its position to gain access to American weapons. After rebels seized a Syrian military base in Idlib province in December 2014, CIA-backed groups admitted that they had been forced to use U.S.-provided TOW missiles to support the Nusra-led offensive. One rebel explained that Nusra had allowed CIA-backed groups to retain physical control of the missiles so as to maintain the veneer of autonomy, thus allowing them to sustain their relationship with the CIA. In short, Nusra has at times gamed the system. But such subterfuge notwithstanding, at this point it is impossible to argue that U.S. officials involved in the CIAs program cannot discern that Nusra and other extremists have benefited. And despite this, the CIA decided to drastically increase lethal support to vetted rebel factions following the Russian intervention into Syria in late September. Rebels who previously complained about the CIAs tight-fistedness suddenly found the floodgates open, particularly with respect to TOW missiles. One rebel explained: We can get as much as we need and whenever we need them. Just fill in the numbers. Reports suggest that the Obama administration and Sunni states backing the opposition have also discussed, though not committed to, providing shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapons to vetted groups. With the CIA doubling down on its support for Syrian rebels, it is now more important than ever to have a candid and vigorous public debate about the agencys program. Put simply, such an about-face in U.S. policybacking groups that help al Qaeda to make advances, after spending a decade and a half fighting the jihadist groupshould not occur without a public debate that helps Americans understand why such drastic changes in U.S. policy have occurred. Several prominent figures have defended this program. For instance, Robert Ford, the former U.S. ambassador to Syria, argued that by maintaining the supply of lethal support to moderate rebels, the CIA may ultimately be able to build up these factions as a viable alternative to Nusra, the Islamic State and Assad. But the programs costs outweigh its possible benefits. Though aiding al Qaedas advances is not the programs intention, it is the effect. Thus, after fighting al Qaeda and its affiliates for a decade and a half, the CIA is now helping them gain ground in Syria. At the moment, al Qaeda is trying to rebrand itself by contrasting its approach to that of the far more brutal Islamic Stateand, unfortunately, it has experienced some success due to its jihadist competitors excesses and the escalating conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Al Qaeda has portrayed itself to Sunni states and the Muslim public as a bulwark against both the Islamic States growth and Iranian encroachment. If U.S.-backed rebels are cooperating with al Qaeda, the United States will be hard-pressed to stop al Qaeda from gaining more room to operate in the region. It is unlikely that the United States, with no meaningful presence in Syria, understands the situation on the ground better than al Qaeda, and can strategically outmaneuver the jihadist group. The danger is too great that continuation of this policy will empower Nusra further, eventually forcing policymakers to confront a greatly emboldened al Qaeda force in Syria. This is why, at the very least, we should have a robust public discussion about whether to continue this course in Syriaa debate that the U.S. Congress is well positioned to kickstart through public hearings on the CIAs program. Allowing this program to continue without carefully thinking through the benefits, costs, and possible unintended consequences is incredibly risky, and could erode public trust and support. On Monday, Tehran condemned sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department over the weekend. The U.S. sanctions against Irans ballistic missile program, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari, have no legal or moral legitimacy. Earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued a threat: Any action will be met by a reaction. In fact, action and reactionsequencing, in diplomatic speakwas always part of the picture. The Obama administration undoubtedly knew of Iranian violations before signing the landmark nuclear arrangement with Tehran in July. Treasurys measures follow by more than three months Irans Oct. 10 launch of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile in violation of Security Council Resolution 1929. On Sunday, a prisoner swap was announced by Tehran, then confirmed by Washington, in which four Iranian-Americans including Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian were let out of Irans prisons. Hours later, Treasury imposed its measures on 11 designated entities and individuals involved in procurement on behalf of Irans ballistic missile program. The sanctions, delayed from the end of December to facilitate the prisoner swap, prohibit Americans and others from engaging in business dealings with the named entities and individuals, and orders U.S. banks to freeze their assets. The U.S. prohibitions target two Iranian procurement networks, one based in China and the United Arab Emirates and the other involving Pyongyangs notorious Korea Mining Development Trading Corp, better known as KOMID. The dealings between Iran and North Korea, as The Daily Beast has noted, have been extensive and spanned three decades. Some analysts believe that during this time there have been significant contributions of Iranian technology, but Bruce Bechtol, author of North Korea and Regional Security in the Kim Jong-un Era, disagrees. The North Koreans are providing the expertise, the components, and the on-site development, he told The Daily Beast over the weekend. The Iranians are providing the money. Treasurys explanatory comments tend to confirm the view that the transfer of technology has been one-way, noting that technicians from Irans Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group traveled to North Korea to work on an 80-ton rocket booster being developed by the North Korean government. As Bechtol predicts, The Iranians, of course, will insist that this is an Iranian developed system, but it is not. The booster, he notes, looks like it is for the Taepodong series, the Norths longest-range launchers, or more ominously, a new family of missiles. The Taepodong missile, repainted, is the Unha-3 rocket. Rick Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center told The Daily Beast that this launcher could allow Iran to achieve accurate global targeting of U.S. and Western military facilities in addition to large cities. Bechtol thinks it wont be long before the rocket boosteractually the first stage of an intercontinental missilewill be produced both in North Korea and Iran. That missile, in short, will pose a grave threat to the American homeland. Treasurys sanctions might slow North Korea-Iran missile cooperation, but as former Pentagon analyst Robert Collins, who is based in South Korea, suggests, Pyongyang has already figured out ways around obstacles like this. The North Koreans have become experts at planning alternative routes for moving monies, moving equipment, and moving contacts, he told The Daily Beast after the Treasury imposed the measures. They employ a dumping Peter to use Paul system designed to circumvent anticipated sanctions. Pyongyang has become very adept at counter-sanction planning. Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center believes Sundays measures will not be the last, as he noted in an email to The Daily Beast. What is surprising is that Treasury essentially admitted that it was aware of proscribed Iranian activities before both the signing, on July 14, of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iranian nuclear deal, and its Oct. 18 Adoption Day. The 80-ton booster, after all, is designed for a missile useful only for carrying a nuclear warhead. The newest sanctions from the Treasury Department provewithout a doubtthat the State Department and the Treasury Department knew, as the agreement with Iran was in negotiation, that the North Koreans and Iranians were cooperating on new, advanced ballistic missile technology, Bechtol writes. In fact, work on the 80-ton booster has been publicly known for more than two years. Treasurys statement declares that Iranian missile technicians had gone to North Korea within the past several years in connection with the big booster. The sanctions, therefore, look like an afterthought, and Washington appears unserious. If the U.S. really wants to end the missile threat, it will have to impose much more severe measures not just on Iran and North Korea but also on parties helping them. Who is helping the two rogue states? WikiLeaks released an American cable showing that Chinese officials, despite pleas from then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, refused to stop shipments of North Korean missile parts passing through the Beijing Capital International Airport on their way to Iran. That was 2007. Fisher, in his message to The Daily Beast on Monday, points out that Chinese entities are still involved in this deadly trade. And so, it appears, is the Chinese central government. In all probability, the Iranian technicians in the last two years reached Pyongyang using the same route Tehrans nuclear staff have routinely taken on their way to North Korea, through the airport in Beijing. The opening scene of War and Peace, the first two hours of which screened on A&E, Lifetime, and History Channel on Monday night, was specifically constructed with the purpose of allaying fears that the screen version would not be faithful to Leo Tolstoys 1800-page magnum opus. Last nights adaptation openedas does the bookwith a glittering, super-long tracking shot that takes us on a tour of a society party, an event laden with a sense of denial, all too apparent to the reader/viewer, that these really are the last days of a very long, very Imperial disco. The party is being held at the St. Petersburg home of Anna Pavlovna, played to snobbish perfection by Gillian Anderson. This being a British Broadcasting Company costume drama in the grandest of BBC traditions, the costumes naturally have a starring roleand never more so than in these opening minutes. Silly hats, lavish military uniforms completely unsuitable for warfare, taffeta, gold brocade, pearls, diamonds, and acres of heaving decolletage; its all present and correct in the long, loving shot that occupies these opening minutes. The rooms are equally well-dressed too, with squidgy velvet sofas, gigantic velvet curtains, and elegant little card tables around which groups gather to gossip and giggle. This is the BBCs way of telling you that after allowing the costume-drama crown to be snatched by their commercial rivals ITV in the form of Downton Abbey, theyre back. So grab a cup of tea, relax, and settle in for six-plus hours of pure, historical escapism. As in the book, the key themes of the story are quickly introduced. One of the great problems of reading War and Peace (a task I undertook at school, and recently revisited on audiobook in the car) is the Russian names, which are very confusing since everyone has several different names (or patronyms, corruptions, and diminutives of ones fathers name) by which they are referred to by others, depending on their rank and familiarity with the person they are speaking with. Wonderfully, this BBC adaptation does away with all that, making it relatively simple to figure out who is who. In essence, the key plot points to understand from last night are that scheming Prince Vassily Kuragin (a worldly Stephen Rea) wants his daughter Helene and son Anatole married off. Illegitimate Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano), a social klutz and heavy-drinking youth, unexpectedly becomes one of the richest men in Russia when his father, the dying Count Bezukhov, recognises him as legitimate on his deathbed, transforming Pierre from local laughingstock into Vassilys prime marriage target for his Helene. But Pierre is in love with Natasha (Lily James), the beautiful daughter of impoverished aristocrats (Davies wisely ignores the fact that she is, ahem, 12, in the opening of Tolstoys book and Pierre is clearly a womanizing twenty-something). Pierre is weak, however, and by the end of last nights first installment had been railroaded into marriage with Helene, who is very beautiful and very damaged. Tolstoy lets us know she is not a particularly good egg via a series of subtle hints and prompts, but screenwriter Andrew Davies has a better idea: He shows her brother stripping off and climbing into bed with her in the opening minutes. Just in case you miss it, he refers to her as sister while preparing to make love to her (the sex itself is mercifully not shown). Theres more sex later, when Helene embarks on another affair with one of her husbands pals on the dining room table. Theres crushed fruit everywhere. Its terribly BBC. The incest has been the cause of some controversy in the U.K., where we are a few episodes ahead of the U.S. Of course, a few sensational headlines about incest never hurt ratings (see: Game of Thrones), but this viewer at least found it unproblematic. Davis is quite right when he argues that the incestuous affairwhich is presented as rumor in the bookneeds to be shown explicitly in a modern screen adaptation of the novel. As Catriona Kelly, professor of Russian at the University of Oxford, told The Daily Beast, Andrew Davies isnt making it up. Tolstoy has Pierre doubting whether he should marry Helene Kuragin because of the rumors she is in love with her brother, and he with him. The trouble with War and Peace as a book is that although it is very good and a genuine page-turner in places, in others it is almost unreadable. Adding to the aforementioned issue that everyone is referred to by a different name every five minutes, there are pages and pages and yet more interminable pages devoted to the description of the most famous battles of the Napoleonic Wars. (We advanced on the left flank. The French drew to a halt on the small grassy hill above the town, etc, etc) Then, once the battle sequence is over, there will be a 20-page essay on the unreliability of conventional historians, a sort of fit of Tolstoyian pique in which the great author expounds at length on how they have all misunderstood the structure and progress of Russias war against Napoleon, followed by another diatribe on, for example, how the battle plans of military generals are never and can never be properly followed by an army in the heat of battle, and that the only wise generals are the ones who understand this. At the risk of stating the obvious, War and Peace, the novel, does go on a bit. So its a credit to this new adaptation if it all feels like its happening a bit too quickly. And next week, boy, things really get going. Print this page The fallacy of aid rather than trade in Dominica By Thomson Fontaine January 19, 2016 11:48 A.M In Dubai last December Skerrit tried to woo ivestors to invest i the Kempinsky Hotel. Roseau, Dominica (TDN) In todays Dominica it is fashionable for high ranking government and Dominica Labour Party (DLP) operatives to laud the virtues of aid over trade. To hear them relate it Aid is preferred to Trade. And so it goes where trade at least outward trade has ceased and with it the countrys fortunes. It is no accident that this fallacy been forced upon the people of Dominica is one that has seen a DLP bankrupt of ideas and forced to sell the notion to an increasingly skeptical public that they have made headway after more than 15 years in office. The truth is this policy has condemned to country to subpar growth, rising unemployment and rampaging poverty. Indeed after more than 15 years of DLP rule the country is buckling under the weight of an idiotic policy perpetuated by persons who are neither informed nor competent to handle the task of developing a country like Dominica. Any student doing an introductory course in economics would know that trade is what makes the world turn. One country utilizing its comparative advantage produces a good or service that it can then sell to the rest of the world. So Japan perfected motor vehicles and distributes it around the world. Similarly, the Chinese have mastered the art of producing cheap manufactured goods and so have benefited from its sale. The impact has been strong economic growth for Japan and China lifting millions out of poverty. For some strange reason Dominicas government is content to sit on its hands and count the flow of aid dollars into the country. For a brief while that worked. The Chinese eager to gain a foothold into the country pledged $300 million in 2004, Venezuela chipped in with generous contributions as Chavezs Venezuela benefited from oil windfalls with the price per barrel skyrocketing to over $100. And so for a time the good times seemingly rolled. Skerrit opened up a red clinic inviting all and sundry to simply stop by his office on a Wednesday morning and have their needs met. And so they came. In the meantime the once productive agriculture sector was neglected. Exports, which had reached a high of close to $200 million during the short rein of the United Workers Party in 1998 began falling steadily crashing to under USD $ 5 million by 2014. With aid as the answer rather than trade no effort was made to boost the services and tourism sectors. After all, the government surmised what did they have to offer. A noted local historian even went as far as saying that its really no use, Dominica can never produce anything cheaper than the rest of the world so why try? No doubt he adhered to the DLP notion of aid rather than trade and missed the point of production based on a comparative advantage. It does not necessarily mean that you produce something cheaper than everyone else just that you produce something that everyone desires. Dominicas agriculture was for more than a hundred years the envy of the world. From coffee to limes, vanilla and bananas the Dominica produced goods made their way across the globe. In 1924 Dominica shipped the equivalence of US $100 million in todays dollars to the U.K, almost 20 times what we export today. And so the country is being quickly reduced to the dustbin of economic irrelevance, a case study no doubt for economists. In the meantime faced with a failing economy, dwindling aid flows, which moved from a high of US $ 50 million ten years ago to a miserly sum of US $ 15 in 2014 the government feels compelled to act. The chief architect of the countrys demise and the man who without a shred of training in business or economics installed himself as finance minister in 2004 is scrambling like a headless chicken across the globe. Prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit strikes a pathetic figure those days reducing himself to be chief salesman for newly minted moneymen quickly gorging themselves on the sale of our passports. There is Dominica Holdings, My Dominica Trade House and others. At a conference in Malaysia in 2015, the countrys prime minister begged and pleaded with investors to put their monies into some hotel scheme in Dominica, which may get off the ground in the future. Indeed this mad rush into hotel building is in full swing. Correction, not in hotel building but in proposed hotel projects. Of the five publicly declared projects under the countrys Citizenship By Investment Program (CBIP), five are hotels. To the curious observer this is odd. Why would you build five additional hotels when the countrys 800 hotel rooms routinely see around 30 percent occupancy rates. Getting into Dominica appears more challenging than scaling Mount Everest. The problem of access has still not been addressed. Just months before the December 2014 general elections the same master of the fallacy, Roosevelt Skerrit announced to deliriously cheering crowds that he had solid interest from Chinese investors to build an international airport and once elected more good times would roll. And so the depressing saga of Dominica held on life support by the generous inflows of the hastily migrating population continues. Seventy percent of young people who left school in the past ten years do not know what it is like to work at a job. Those who can migrate, others simply will away their days playing dominoes or sitting at a rum shop. One would have hoped that the DLP government would realize the folly of their ways. What about approaching the international community for assistance in kick starting the agriculture sector. Build two or three processing plants to process fresh juices, make flour from the myriad number of starchy tubers, and ferment fine perfumes from our essential oils . What about diverting resources from the pie in the sky hotel investments to growing the services sector, develop renewable energy resources, and provide finance for small entrepreneurs. At the very least begin the task of juggling for trade. Our neighbors envy our water, rich soil, geothermal potential; everything necessary to set the country on a path to sustained growth if properly utilized. With aid gone and unlikely to return its time to begin to trade. With rapid investment in agriculture and the services sectors we can reverse the ugly trend in unemployment, stop the outward flow of our best minds and talent and begin to entice those who have gone, back to our shores. This is workable and can be accomplished but first what about getting rid of a government that has heaped so much pain and suffering on this country in their blind quest to prove that aid is preferred to trade. How will Rep. Flores deal with lawless executive actions? U.S. Rep. Bill Flores (Eagle, Jan. 18) lectured Mary Sue Ribardo on what government entity, according to the Constitution, can appropriate spending. That entity would be Congress. I must ask Flores why wasn't there a separate spending bill submitted to President Barack Obama along with the Omnibus that would fund military personnel paychecks? If Obama vetoed it, then he would take the heat if he shut the government down. Possible, Rep. Flores? What we see here at home is a weak and timid Congress full of Republicans who are afraid to use their constitutional "power of the purse" for fear that Obama will shut down the government and they will be blamed for it. That's because our Republicans in Congress have no message. The American people need to be informed, daily if necessary, about what the real problem in government is and that would be the Obama administration. What is the plan to improve Republican communications? What we see here at home is a Congress that submits a huge spending bill to a spendthrift president while turning a blind eye to nearly $20 trillion in debt. Almost 40 cents of every dollar spent in that bill will be borrowed. Should a mountain of debt be the legacy we give our grandchildren? Rep. Flores, what is the plan to reduce deficit spending and address the debt? What we see here at home is the last months of an administration that is hell-bent on destroying our country and there is nothing of substance between the president's "pen and phone" executive actions and we here at home who will have to live with them. What is your plan to deal with such a lame-duck and his lawless executive actions, Rep. Flores? Just thought I would ask. DON CONNEALY Bryan This area needs conservative representation in Washington I would like to give Mary Sue Ribardo (Eagle, Jan. 13) a strong, hardy "well said" in her need for a representative who will push conservative ideas. She is spot on of her criticism of Rep. Bill Flores. In his Washington Update of Jan. 14, Rep. Flores said he signed on to the federal government funding bill because he did not want a government shut down. He said "our military and their families would not get paid, veterans would lose their payments." I find that hard to believe as that did not happen on our last shut down. But say it did, then go fight it, show the lack of compassion of the opposition and fight for conservative ideas that will deal with the current problems. Articulate the differences between what is going on now and how conservative ideas would do so much better. Sen. Chuck Schumer from New York was pleasantly surprised at how much more the Democrats received in this budget than he expected. He also observed that with the threat of a government shutdown, the Democrats can get what they want from the Republicans. This has to stop. Please let us get conservative representation! BOB ELLIS Bryan Now that some stocks have been rebuilt and quotas are increasing, the same voices conclude that agreed fishing quotas "get the balance right". It is also worth noting that even now, when stocks are being rebuilt, the UK industry's gross profit margin has increased from a healthy 15% in 2008 to 35% in 2014 and now stands at 367 million, the highest in the EU. For the UK fishing industry, EU management seems to be delivering benefits despite protests coming from the UK itself. Flawed negotiations are still better than no negotiations As this industry lobbying is taking place, the Council of Ministers (formed by the fisheries Ministers from EU member states) enters closed-door negotiations each year with scientific advice on recommended fishing limits in hand but leave the negotiations with quotas often set above advice - by an average of 20% over the last 15 years. The UK is actually one on the parties walking away from negotiations with the most quota set above advice (ranking second out of fifteen member states). On the face of it, negotiations which continuously exceed scientific advice seem to provide strong evidence for the failure of EU fisheries management. However, even these flawed negotiations are better than no negotiations, which is sometimes exactly what happens when negotiations breakdown with non-EU countries like Iceland, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Russia. Under the threat of non-EU countries leaving the negotiation table, quotas set for fish stocks shared with non-EU countries are set higher than scientific advice by a greater amount than those stocks that only involve EU members (24% vs. 19%) from 2001 to 2015. Some of these negotiations have reached such levels of discord between the parties that they have been nicknamed the "mackerel war", the "herring war", and the "cod wars I and II". It shouldn't be surprising that this form of loose arrangement would lead to a non-cooperative outcome when dealing with a shared resource, as economic theory predicts. The danger is that as a result of the proximity of the UK to EU members, leaving the EU would imply negotiating every single UK quota with the EU. The UK citizen campaign to end discards has had an EU-wide impact One of the more widely publicised criticisms of EU fisheries management is the practice of discarding fish that are undersized, unwanted or over quota. Now the EU is putting a discard ban - 'the landing obligation' - in place. It is a complicated policy and is being phased in to ensure it is workable. Still, it is clear that the integrity of any quota system depends on measuring what is taken out of the water, as is the case in Norway, Iceland and elsewhere, rather than just what is landed. The push to ban discarding came largely through a UK public campaign but having an EU-wide impact will ultimately benefit the UK, as EU countries discarding fewer fish will aid fish stock recovery. There's a good reason for non-British boats in our waters You may have read that foreign countries are in our waters and catching all the British fish. While the whole concept of 'British fish' is nonsensical to begin with, it's worth exploring how quota is allocated between countries in the EU. The allocation of quota between EU member states is largely determined by historic catch shares - the 'relative stability' - of member states over a reference period (1973-78) just before the CFP was brought into force. Under this method, countries fishing in each other's waters during the reference period continue to have the right to do so. Using a reference period is at least as reasonable as any alternative method of determining national shares and is also applied when setting quotas with countries outside of the EU. In addition to this, the proposal to ban foreign vessels as some have advocated is likely to be incompatible with international law as many fishing rights stretch as far back as the Middle Ages. Calls for such a ban also don't acknowledge that British boats also operate in other nations' waters regularly to fish, sell at foreign ports and undergo vessel repairs. The UK fishing industry itself opposes such a ban. Which fishing vessels receive quota is a national decision Many ports around the UK only have a small fraction of the vessels they once had, but blaming the EU here doesn't make much sense. First, technological changes have led to a reduction in the number of fishing vessels in developed countries both inside and outside the EU. Second, vessel decommissioning schemes from the EU actually helped many fishers and coastal communities through a difficult transition as quotas lessened. Third, one of the most significant issues for small ports is how quota is allocated between different fishing fleets and this is a national decision. Consider the controversial Cornelis Vrolijk, a Dutch-owned 114-metre vessel that holds 23% of total English fishing quota. While the quota concentration is shocking, it is not a result of EU management; the vessel is deemed English under UK law and any quota assigned and requirement to land a certain share of fish in the UK is therefore set by the UK government itself. As small ports disappear and profits for the small-scale fleet decline despite large increases for the rest of the industry, all major parties in the last UK election promised to ensure more quota for low-impact and small-scale fishing. Here, the CFP may help to ensure that this promise is implemented. While not stipulating what specific criteria are used, Article 17 of the CFP stipulates that quota should be allocated according to "transparent and objective criteria". Greenpeace is currently taking the UK government to court for failing to implement this article which could bring tremendous economic and social benefits if implemented. Avoiding the mistakes of individual actors exploiting common resources Fisheries in the EU under the CFP are far from perfect and should continue to be critiqued and improved. With that said, the UK managing fisheries would likely be worse for stock recovery, worse for following scientific advice, worse for implementing UK initiatives, and worse for the many UK vessels that move anywhere near our neighbours. Just as the history of fisheries around the world illustrates that what happens when each fisher is looking after their own interests is that a shared resource suffers, so too is the case with individual countries looking after their own interests while sharing fish stocks. The evidence bears this out: EU cooperation through the Common Fisheries Policy is benefitting UK fisheries. Griffin Carpenter is an economic modeller at the New Economics Foundation. His research focuses on the environmental, social and economic impacts of transitioning to sustainable management of natural resources. Griffin has contributed to projects on the bio-economic modeling of EU fisheries, climate change and energy policy, generating indicators to evaluate policy success, and true cost accounting using environmentally-extended input-output modelling. Griffin received a PPE degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Masters degree in Environmental Policy from the London School of Economics. This article was originally published by openDemocracy under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. So the European fleets took three quarters of their catch without paying for it - either their vessels had no license to fish in a country's waters, or they bought a license for a much smaller number of vessel-days, she documented. For Chinese fleets, the figure was an eye-popping 92%. In Britain, someone blundered On reporting, Britain fared no better than the rest of the world: the study found that the real UK catch was 35% higher than the catch London reported to the FAO, as an average of the 60-year period. Historically, it rose from 355,000 tonnes in 1950 to 700,000 tonnes in 1972 - a level that fisheries scientist Rainer Froese estimated was sustainable. "If they had stopped there, today there would be more and larger fish in the water, fishermen would make more money, taxpayers would pay smaller subsidies, there would be more fish in the market and it would be cheaper", said Froese, a senior scientist at the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany. Instead, the British catch rose to 950,000 tonnes in 1995 and tumbled down to 430,000 tonnes in 2010 as 7,000 jobs were lost, according to the study's lead UK researcher, Darah Gibson. "There's just not as much fish left", she said. Most of the unreported catch, she found, was due to a network of secret wholesalers and processor the authorities uncovered in 2005. "For that to happen right under the nose of a well-regulated fishery is pretty amazing", she said. Solution: end subsidies to big fishing companies The most effective solution to the global problem, Pauly said, is to eliminate the so-called bad subsidies for fuel and for building new vessels or making existing ones ever more efficient - about $20 billion a year that serve to increase the fishing pressure on a fast-decreasing resource. These go overwhelmingly to large, well-connected companies and ships. Another $15 billion goes to fund scientific research that allows governments to better manage their fisheries and benefit all fishers. "The global fish catch is worth about $80 billion, so $20 billion is 25% of their income", explained Rashid Sumaila, a fisheries economist at UBC. "That means that any fishing company that doesn't make a 25% profit is going to go out of business" if these subsidies end. That would be a good thing, he said. Not only do industrial fleets deplete fish stocks, but many, such as the bottom trawlers, also destroy the sea bottom - a fishing method that's often compared to razing a forest to catch its deer. "In Somalia in the 80s, the mostly European fleets illegally decimated the fish stocks and they never recovered, so some fishermen turned to piracy", Sumaila said. "And it's starting to happen in the Gulf of Guinea." Eliminating the subsidies won't translate to higher prices at the supermarket. "Small-scale fisheries get hardly any subsidies and still produce competitive fish", Pauly added. "There is not much of a relationship between subsidies and the price of fish." A decade ago, Pauly and Sumaila participated in an effort to persuade the members of the World Trade Organization to ban fishing subsidies that increase the efficiency and number of large fishing vessels. Where there's less of those subsidies, there's less overfishing, said Pauly. That's particularly true in the United States, where it's now illegal to fish anything but stocks that are either healthy (usually at least 50% of their original size) or recovering fast. Australia and New Zealand have also been able to curb overfishing. At the WTO talks, those countries pushed for a global ban and were reaching a consensus until some countries demanded that in return, the US cut its $20 billion farm subsidies. Washington refused and "That was the end", Pauly said. The Doha Round ended in 2008 and there has been little movement since. Progress in the Pacific and in Europe The recently negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is the first international document that formally bans subsidies to subsidized European and Asian fleets that openly engage in overfishing, such as for the bluefin and bigeye tuna and the thresher shark, and to ships that have been listed as fishing illegally. It is the first agreement whose members pledge to refrain from extending such subsidies. The treaty also commits members to disclose existing and new subsidies to other members. If the same rule were applied to Europe, where Froese, the German fisheries scientist, describes his job as "like being a doctor at a waterboarding session", two-thirds of the fish stocks are being overfished - fisheries that would likely cease if their subsidies were cut, he said. Maria Damanaki, a reformist Greek politician who now runs The Nature Conservancy's oceans programs, tried and failed to make much of a dent in the subsidies in her tenure as the EU's maritime and fisheries commissioner from 2010 to 2014. However, according to Froese and others, she was able to shift the focus of regulation from preventing the collapse of fish stocks to allowing depleted stocks to grow back so they can deliver their maximum sustainable yield. But national fisheries officials have delayed the implementation of much of her reforms until 2020. "Since she left, the administrators of previous decades overfishing in Europe and abroad have regained control and continue business as usual, as if the reformed law did not exist", he wrote in an e-mail. But consumers don't need to wait for European officials to act, Pauly said. Non-profit organizations should create what he called an ethical seafood label: "We have ways of knowing whether a fish has been caught sustainably, and whether the people who grew the coffee we drink were paid a decent wage. Now we need to start a movement for ethical fish that considers the impact of fishing not just on the fishes and the ecosystem, but also on the people who depend on them for survival." FAO defends its methods Marc Taconet, who heads FAO's fishery statistics branch, defended its general appraisal that the global catch is stable and the accuracy of his agency's statistics, which are presented with no indication of their margin of error, unlike the Canadian study. He wrote in an e-mail to The Ecologist: "Comparing reconstructed catches with FAO statistics would be like comparing apples and oranges." Because of the study's "several sources of biases in the method and the wide uncertainty ranges, we express reservations that the paper's conclusions of declining catch trends can be strongly opposed to FAO's reports of stable capture production trends in recent years." But Dirk Zeller, the paper's co-author, noted that most countries use extensive approximation procedures, so "all countries could estimate uncertainties around their reported data if they chose, but no one does." Still, the FAO's Taconet added that "This type of research is crucial for stimulating international discussion on unreported catches...We concur with the paper's call upon countries' responsibilities for improving reporting and for mobilizing funding resources." The paper: 'Catch reconstructions reveal that global marine fisheries catches are higher than reported and declining' is by Daniel Pauly & Dirk Zeller and published in Nature Communications. Christopher Pala is a science journalist based in Washington, D.C. who has reported on ocean issues for Science, Nature, The New York Times, The Guardian and other publications. See his website. Books: Christopher is the author of 'The Oddest Place on Earth: Rediscovering the North Pole' and a contributor to 'Underwater Eden: Saving the Last Coral Wilderness on Earth', on Kiribati's Phoenix Islands. Also on The Ecologist today: 'EU is helping, not harming, UK fisheries' by Griffin Carpenter. The US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) has long maintained that genetically engineered (GE) crops can co-exist with traditional and organic agriculture. According to this 'co-existence' narrative, if neighboring GE and traditional farmers just sort things out among themselves and follow 'best management practices', transgenes will be confined to GE crops and the fields where they are planted. The latest evidence refuting USDA's co-existence fairytale comes from a recently published study by a team of USDA scientists. The study involved Monsanto's Roundup Ready alfalfa, which, like most GE crops in the US is engineered to survive direct spraying with Roundup, Monsanto's flagship herbicide. In 2011 and 2012, USDA scientist Stephanie Greene and her team scouted the roadsides of three important alfalfa-growing areas - in California, Idaho and Washington - for feral (wild) alfalfa stands. Because alfalfa is a hardy perennial plant, it readily forms self-sustaining feral populations that persist for years wherever the crop is grown. Greene and colleagues found 404 feral alfalfa populations on roadsides. Testing revealed that over one-quarter (27%) of them contained transgenic alfalfa - that is, plants that tested positive for the Roundup Ready gene. They believe that most of these feral populations likely grew from seeds spilled during alfalfa production or transport. Transgenes spread by bees could contaminate crops However, the researchers also found clear evidence that the Roundup Ready gene was being spread by bees, which are known to cross-pollinate alfalfa populations separated by up to several miles. Their results suggested that "transgenic plants could spread transgenes to neighboring feral plants, and potentially to neighboring non-GE fields." While they did not test this latter possibility, there is no doubt that non-GE alfalfa has in fact been transgenically contaminated - not just once, but on many occasions. In 2013, a Washington State farmer's alfalfa was rejected by a broker after testing revealed transgenic contamination. In 2014, China rejected numerous US alfalfa shipments that tested positive for the Roundup Ready gene. Alfalfa exports to China, a major market that has zero tolerance for GE alfalfa, fell dramatically. US hay prices fell, and at least three US alfalfa exporters suffered many millions of dollars in losses. Both the Washington State farmer and those who sold to the exporters intended to grow only traditional alfalfa. It is not clear how their produce became contaminated. Besides cross-pollination from GE feral or cultivated alfalfa, possible explanations include inadvertent mixing during harvest or storage, or (most insidiously) transgenic contamination of the conventional alfalfa seed they planted. It goes without saying that having highly motivated employees offers a company/business manager an enhanced chance of realizing business success. But what exactly constitutes Employee Motivation and how can a company/business manager take action to maximize this phenomenon? In this column I'll examine the extraordinarily complex and highly individualistic concept of Employee Motivation. To begin, one needs to define motivation. Motivation refers to forces coming from within a person that account for the willful direction, intensity, and persistence of the person's efforts toward achievement of a goal or objective. In the context of the workplace, Employee Motivation is the desire of an employee to undertake a job responsibility. Employee Motivation is one of three elements that make up the workplace performance of an individual. The other two elements are: (1) One's ability to do a given job, and (2) The possession of the resources to do a given job. If an employee lacks the ability or the resources to do a job, a company/business manager can rectify this problem somewhat easily by spending additional funds on training or additional resource procurement. If, however, an employee lacks motivation, the challenge for a company/business manager to solve this problem is far more daunting. The reason for this is that Employee Motivation is individual specific. What motivates one employee may or may not motivate another. Hence, a company/business manager must address motivation issues on an individual-by-individual basis. A good starting point to understanding how motivated behavior occurs is to examine the topic of Needs Deficiencies. In this regard, over the years there have been several academic scholars who have developed and tested theories regarding the effects of Needs Deficiencies on Employee Motivation. The most noteworthy of these scholars is Dr. Abraham Maslow. (Don't worry, I will not get deeply into the pure academics of Dr. Maslow's theory. However, it is very instructive to understand the basics of Dr. Maslow's proposition, and hence I will delve into it briefly.) Dr. Maslow suggested that there are five levels of needs that drive an employee's motivation. Such needs are arranged in a hierarchy of importance. Dr. Maslow further suggested that people pursue their lower level, i.e., foundation Needs Deficiencies until such are satisfied, before they pursue their higher level, i.e., pinnacle Needs Deficiencies. Hence, lower level needs, such as wages, job security, and a comfortable work environment, are sought before higher level needs, such as exciting/challenging work, recognition, and a feeling of accomplishment, are sought. The important point here from a business performance standpoint is that an employee's pursuit of higher level needs generates a higher level of company/business performance than does an employee's pursuit of lower level Needs. The conundrum, of course, is that a company/business manager must find a way to satiate employee lower level needs if they ever hope to achieve employee pursuit of higher level needs with concomitant enhanced business performance. The message to be carried away here is, "How can a company/business manager enhance business performance by placing an employee in a job that allows the employee's need(s) to be satisfied, thereby enhancing Employee Motivation?" With respect to higher level needs, two of the most important are the (1) Need for Achievement, and (2) Need for Affiliation. Let's look briefly at each of these so as to better understand their relationship with company/business performance. The Need for Achievement is the desire to accomplish a goal or task more effectively than in the past, or indeed, better than anyone else. People with a high need for achievement have a desire to assume responsibility and a tendency to set moderately difficult goals for themselves. In the context of Employee Motivation, people with a strong need for achievement tend to do well in challenging jobs but do less well in routine jobs. The need for affiliation is the desire for human companionship and acceptance. People with a strong need for affiliation are likely to prefer a job that entails a lot of social interaction. Without daily contact with other business associates and/or customers, people with a strong need for affiliation might underperform their capability. In sum, to accomplish maximum employee motivation, successful company/business managers are well advised to understand the needs deficiencies of their employees. But identification of "what" needs deficiencies motivate employees is only half of the story. The second part of this challenge deals with understanding "how" employees select behavioral actions to meet their needs deficiencies. In next month's column I'll discuss this topic. Dr. Paul P. Daulerio is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Fairfield University's Dolan School of Business, where he teaches undergraduate business management courses. After serving as a Naval officer, he had a 29-year career at Texaco. He also provides management consulting and mentoring services. He may be reached at daulepp@aol.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK -- The Rev. Dr. Calvin McKinney urged Norwalk residents on Monday evening to take inspiration from scripture in carrying on the work of the late civil-rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. McKinney saw in King's work a "dream deferred, a dream yet embraceable" and, citing the Bible, urged those in attendance to find it as the prophet Elisha found an axe head that had fallen into Jordan River. "Learn to look for your joy -- if you've lost it -- where you lost it," McKinney said. "And if you look for it where you lost it, God will cut a stick down and throw it in (the water) and your joy will rise to the surface." McKinney, pastor at Calvary Baptist Church of North Jersey at Garfield, N.J., and general secretary of The National Baptist Convention, USA, was guest speaker at the memorial observance. Several hundred people attended the observance, which was arranged by the International Ministers Fellowship MLK Scholarship and held at Norwalk Concert Hall on Monday evening. On Aug. 28, 1963, King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C., in which he expressed hope that someday his children would "live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." He was assassinated April 4, 1968, after becoming a key leader in the civil-rights movement. The Rev. Jeffrey A. Ingraham presided over Monday's memorial observance that began with the singing of the Negro National Anthem by the Martin Luther King Choir of Norwalk and included a welcoming and statement of purpose by Kristin Harris, a graduate student in education at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield and member of Calvary Baptist Church in Norwalk. "We celebrate him every year to keep his dream alive," Harris said. "He brought people together. He made them understand that hate is not the answer." Mayor Harry W. Rilling, who also was among the speakers, rejected characterizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday to recognize one day a year. "We have to think in terms of what we do for others that are in need, others that are less fortunate than us," Rilling said. "Dr. King didn't say 'A day on, not a day off.' He said, 'A lifetime on. A lifetime of giving to others.'" Darnell D. Crosland, president of the Norwalk chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, identified the Hollywood Oscars and law as two fields where King's dream of equality have not been achieved. "We have a long way to go," Crosland said. Artie Kassimis, Norwalk Board of Education vice chairman and pastor at World Alive Bible Church in Norwalk, recounted his family's recent trip to Haiti. He traced the lack of schools in the Caribbean nation to resources and political division. He contrasted that to the abundance of schools in Norwalk and elsewhere in the United States and urged listeners not to succumb to politics. "Let's not play politics, especially when it comes to our kids," Kassimis said. The annual event also included a fundraising portion to support the Martin Luther King Scholarship Fund, which helps send local students to college. Nearly a dozen such students were recognized as recipients of the 2015 MLK Awards. NORWALK -- Mayor Harry W. Rilling says he plans to listen and ask a lot of questions at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., this week. "It's good to have networking and go through some of the best practices from cities around the country," Rilling said. "You learn different programs and projects that are taking place in other parts of the country. It's always good to hear those ideas and bring back those that would fit in our community or something similar." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of Michael Conner's heroes during his childhood in New Haven. And it was two heroes from Conner's family that introduced him to the teachings of the famed civil rights leader. It ultimately fueled his decision to become an educator. "It was my mother and grandmother that taught me how to be a man of honor, respect and integrity. It was them that introduced me to Dr. King's ideologies and how to use education as a tool to not only impact my life but to influence others. Hence, the rationale and primary reason why I am in the field of education today," he said. Conner, the school district's Chief Academic Officer, was the keynote speaker for the 18th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at West Rocks Middle School Monday. The theme of Monday's event was "Renewing the Dream: Hope in Today's Times." "When I started to write this speech, I thought about how my dream was renewed when I became the Chief Academic Officer here in Norwalk," Conner said. "It presented an opportunity to provide servant leadership for our educational leaders, teachers, parents and students of this great community. It gave me a sense of hope to impact the 11,000 students in our schools today. It gave me a chance to provide a style of leadership that my hero exhibited daily during his life." Conner, who joined Norwalk Public Schools in August, is responsible for the development and implementation of the district's Pre-K - 12 curricula and educational programs and services. A former assistant superintendent in Windham, Conner holds a bachelor's degree from Lasell College in elementary education, a master's in elementary education from University of Bridgeport and an education doctorate from Cambridge College. He urged community members, educators and political leaders to work together to close the opportunity and achievement gaps in Norwalk. "If we can collectively continue to work together, discuss critical issues we face in our city as it pertains to education and our students that really need us, and continue to explore new ideas, then we are renewing the dream and providing hope in today's times," he said. The annual celebration is organized by the Martin Luther King Day Committee, which consists of Rosa M. Murray, Shirley Mosby, Bruce Morris and Dr. Lynne Moore. "The honor and recognition of Dr. King began years ago as sponsored by Norwalk's African-American Educators Association. Later, others stepped up to carry on the mission," said Moore, principal of West Rocks Middle School. Moore said the MLK holiday "is a day on and not a day off. It is a day to commit to service and continue the dream." Each year, the MLK committee recognizes high school seniors in Norwalk that demonstrate classroom success and community involvement. This year, Student Service Awards were presented to Norwalk Pathways Academy at Briggs students Nylene Blackumsee, Evelyn Buceta, and Heydi Torres; Brien McMahon students Hillary Andrade, Keily Calderon, Carly Danziger, Dre'Ana Grant, Helmuth Iraheta, Gloria Jean-Baptiste, Matthew Lerebours and Laura Viera; and Norwalk High School students LaKia Brayboy, Jakari Gainer, Param Patel, Ava Rosato, Priyanka Thakkar, Cedric Thigpen, Chantel Williams and Zhanya Wrentz. Mayor Harry Rilling commended Moore for her commitment in organizing the program each year and presented a proclamation in honor of the MLK holiday. Rev. Albert Dancy of Macedonia Church served as master of ceremonies. The event also included workshops for children and adults along with musical selections from the Silvermine Elementary School Choir and Norwalk High School Jazz Combo. Looking for the big games to watch in Week 9? We have them right here. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The Jakarta Health Agency, teaming up with representatives of physician associations, raided a room of a four-star hotel in Central Jakarta on Monday following a report of illegal medical services carried out by a foreign doctor. Jakarta Health Agency head Koesmedi Priharto said that during the unannounced visit, the agency found an Italian national who claimed to be a plastic surgeon. Accompanied by an Indonesian assistant, he was apparently examining a patient. 'He will use the examination results as a recommendation for further medical action set to be carried out abroad,' Koesmedi said without naming the doctor, assistant or patient. 'Although it was only a health examination, we consider it illegal.' Koesmedi claimed the practice was illegal because the doctor had no license from relevant parties, including the Health Ministry, to run a medical practice in the country. He went on to say that the agency would further investigate the case to determine which regulations the doctor and his assistant had violated. He advised the public to be careful in choosing medical treatment, urging people to check the background of medical staff and research their methods. Earlier in the day, Koesmedi told tempo.co that by Monday, the agency had closed 15 medical clinics and arrested seven medical staffers in the capital for having no licenses. He said the agency had to take such measures following the death of chiropractic patient Allya Siska Nadya. Allya died on Aug. 7 last year, a day after she had undergone two sessions of chiropractic therapy at the Chiropractic First clinic in Pondok Indah Mall, South Jakarta. The Jakarta Police discovered that neither the clinic nor its chiropractors possessed operational licenses. They recently named US chiropractor Randall Cafferty and Malaysian national Khan Wain Min ' owner of the Chiropractic First chain of clinics that employed Cafferty ' suspects in the alleged malpractice case that led to Allya's death. Koesmedi further said that some of the medical staffers in the raided practices on Monday were foreigners. Therefore, he added, the agency had teamed up with Immigration authorities to impose penalties. He said the agency would continue to verify licenses of medical clinics in the capital, as well as their staffers. He pointed out that the agency's measures were carried out following reports from several doctor associations, like the Indonesian Medical Council (KKI), the Indonesia Doctors Association (IDI) and the Plastic Surgery Specialist Association (Perapi). Perapi head Budiman said his association, along with other doctor associations, had expressed its concern about illegal medical practices to the Jakarta Health Agency. According to him, these associations had discovered many medical services involving foreign doctors who did not have official licenses. He added that in many cases middlemen were involved to look for patients and bring foreign doctors into the country. Later, they would arrange surgery abroad. 'Foreign doctors cannot examine patients in Indonesia without a license, as examining health conditions is considered a medical service,' Budiman said. He further explained that foreign doctors could carry out medical measures once they had licenses from the Health Ministry and KKI. Budiman then suggested people check the education and career background of doctors before seeking medical treatment. According to Budiman, people can gather that information easily from websites belonging to doctor associations. He also advised people not to trust advertisements for medical services. 'In the ethics codes, it is clearly stated that doctors should not advertise themselves,' Budi said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 A victim of Thursday's terrorist attack,43-year-old Sugito, who the police initially suspected was an attacker, has succumbed to injuries sustained in a bomb explosion, the police have confirmed. 'Sugito got hit when a bomb went off near a police post,' Jakarta Police spokesman Col. Muhammad Iqbal told thejakartapost.com on Monday, adding that based on CCTV recordings, after the explosion at Starbucks, civilians, including Sugito, ran to a police post on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta. However, an explosion took place at the post when Sugito reached it. Hours after the attack, police wrongly identified Sugito as one of suspected attackers, together with Muhammad Ali, Dian Joni, Afif alias Sunakin and Ahmad Muhazan. The police admitted on Sunday that they had wrongly identified Sugito and that he was a victim in the attack. 'We suspected that Sugito was a terrorist because there is a man named Sugito in the terrorist network.,' Iqbal said. According to the police, a witness had also seen Sugito walk alongside suspected terrorist Dian Joni before he was killed. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The government plans to offer a large tax discount to lure back nearly US$194 billion kept overseas by wealthy Indonesians, Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro has said. Bambang said that under the tax amnesty plan proposed by the government, wealthy tax evaders would be required to pay just between 1 and 3 percent on tax arrears if they agreed to report their undeclared assets and bring them back home. 'Those that choose to repatriate their wealth will be offered redemption rates of 1 percent, 2 percent and 3 percent only [on their tax arrears],' Bambang told The Jakarta Post in an interview recently. The minister said that those who agreed to declare their wealth but did not wish to send their money back home, would have to pay between 2 and 6 percent of the tax arrears. The rates will be determined according to the time when the tax pardon request is filed. Those who file for tax amnesty at an earlier date will get a lower rate. Indonesia imposes income tax of as much as 25 percent on companies and 30 percent on individuals. Many wealthy Indonesians keep their funds overseas, which Bambang estimates at $194 billion. 'As I said earlier, there is at least Rp 2.7 quadrillion [$193.81 billion]-worth of assets belonging to Indonesians overseas. In addition to that, there is at least Rp 1.4 quadrillion that has not been properly recorded by the domestic financial system,' he said. 'When individuals apply for the tax pardon, they will immediately be able to invest in Indonesia using those funds because the origin of that money will be made clear, something that is not happening now.' The investment can take the form of a government debt paper purchase, and investment is expected to increase domestic ownership within the bonds. Ownership is dominated by foreign investors at present. The draft of the tax amnesty law is listed in the 2015-2019 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) at the House of Representatives. The government has expressed its intention to complete deliberations on the draft this year. Once passed into law in 2016, the government has said that the implementation of the amnesty could help improve tax compliance. According to the Finance Ministry, there are only about 27 million registered taxpayers in the country. Indonesia has a population of about 255 million people. The government's plan to introduce a tax amnesty was made in response to the low tax realization last year. Sigit Priadi Pramudito, the director general of taxation, resigned in early December last year, just 10 months after his appointment, in response to his failure to meet the government's tax target. Bambang said that the reason behind Sigit's resignation was the tax office's inability to reach the tax revenue target of Rp 1.29 quadrillion as mandated by the 2015 state budget. Sources have said that Sigit resigned not only due to pressure from the Finance Ministry, but also from legislators. The Finance Ministry hopes that the tax pardon plan will help the government achieve this year's tax revenue target. The tax revenue target is set at Rp 1.36 quadrillion for this year, but is subject to change when the government submits its revision of the 2016 state budget, possibly in the second quarter. However, University of Indonesia tax expert Darussalam insisted that the whole idea of offering a pardon should be about improving tax compliance, not about jacking up revenues. 'Higher revenues is what we can get in the short term, but we should see this tax amnesty as a new chapter in our tax system. Our current tax compliance rate is poor, below 40 percent,' he said in a telephone interview on Monday. Darussalam said the government had make it clear to tax evaders that this would be the government's last pardon. 'They should then deal with tax evaders through law enforcement if the evaders fail to declare their assets,' he added. Separately, Yustinus Prastowo, executive director at the Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis, said that the redemption rates might not be as effective as expected in convincing tycoons to bring back their assets, citing the small spread between the rates. 'The spread should be made wider between the rates offered for those wanting to repatriate the assets and for those who wish to keep their assets overseas,' he said. Similar to Darussalam, Prastowo said that law enforcement would be key in ensuring future tax compliance. He added that the government must prepare proper systems to deal with the flood of data once the amnesty program was put in place. ___________________________________________ 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 Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 E-commerce platform Blibli.com has outlined that it plans to focus on harnessing the potential of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), whether local or foreign, to increase its growth target by five times. To keep up with the emerging e-commerce trend for 2016, Blibli CEO Kusumo Martanto said among other things that the online mall would focus on was the empowerment and ability of SMEs to sell their products through the platform. He said that it would not matter much if foreign SMEs entered the platform, saying that the online mall was an outlet where SMEs in general could flourish in their own ways. However, when considering such regional contexts such as the recently established ASEAN Economic Community, Kusumo said that Blibli would place an emphasis on Indonesian-made products to help local SMEs thrive and compete in the regional market. 'If we expand outside of Indonesia, we want to bring and promote Indonesian products as well. SMEs in our definition are not determined by their size, but by what they produce. In this case, we would definitely focus on promoting Indonesian products first on a regional scale,' he said on Monday. By focusing on SME development and attracting more in 2016, he sees the company having the potential to grow by five times by the end of the year. To achieve this, Blibli.com will step up its investment in technological services to help vendors with sales. Other measures the company will take to achieve this growth target include plans to open new product warehouses in cities outside of Jakarta. Kusumo described the warehouse openings as a way for the platform to interact closely with customers. 'We will also try and aim for more local brands to join our service. But that doesn't mean global brands would be ignored. We would focus slightly more on local producers,' he explained. Commenting on the recently drafted e-commerce road map for Indonesia, Kusumo said that while he had not looked at the details, he believed that any rule within the road map was made because the government wanted to support the industry in terms of human resources, creativity and regulation. 'But any regulation on e-commerce should in the end allow [local players] to move. Consumer protection is also an important aspect that requires attention if the government wants the industry to flourish,' he said. The government recently declared that a formal e-commerce road map would be implemented at the end of January. The 31 conditions in the road map include the government's emphasis on Indonesian players to develop their businesses and the encouragement of all workers in the sector to have an understandable grasp of knowledge and skills for the new industry. Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara previously noted that with a proper road map, Indonesia would able to earn up to US$130 billion from the industry by the year 2020 if implementation began in as soon as January. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Purwakarta, West Java Tue, January 19, 2016 More accommodation options will soon be available in eastern Indonesia as hotel operator Archipelago International has set its sights on the region and plans to launch up to 40 new hotels this year. The plans were in line with the government's vision to promote the eastern part of the country as a popular tourist destination, said Archipelago International regional marketing and communications manager, Nita Janita Ekaniana. The 40 new hotels, which include newly signed and upcoming properties ranging from budget to luxury segments, will be established in Makassar in South Sulawesi, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara and Jayapura in West Papua, among other locations. Up to 20 new hotels are being readied for launch this year, said Nita. In addition to eastern Indonesia, Archipelago also aims to expand its business in secondary cities such as Subang and Karawang, both in West Java, to provide better accommodation options for workers and business players. Nita said non-star hotels, known as melati (jasmine) hotels, still dominated the market in secondary cities although she considered they lacked quality and adequate service. Meanwhile, Archipelago International CEO John Flood said there was still room to maximize market growth as the prospects of the hotel industry in Indonesia would remain positive this year. As branded establishments only make up 1 percent of the country's hotel industry, demand for accommodation providing good facilities in regional Indonesia will continue to increase in accordance with the rising number of visitors to the country. Hence, in the next five years, Archipelago hoped to establish some 250 hotels in Indonesia as it expected more and more business expansion, said Flood. (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marcel Thee (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The term 'bro' has been co-opted by so many different sub-cultures that its every mention carries an undetermined meaning whether it means to or not. The five 'bros' behind the travel-log website brotrip.co know this, but they decided to tackle the challenge head on, reclaiming for the term its most basic meaning of 'brothers'. Rendy Alimudin, Maulana Nurhadi, Acionk Arifin, Japri Sinaga and Farhan Noor are, of course, not really brothers, but they are bound together by their love of travel and of writing about it. Having worked the same 'dull, corporate, digital marketing communication' job for a few years, the five friends found themselves spending their lunch hours discussing their dreams and experiences of traveling individually. 'Anything to get us out of talking about girls!' says Rendy, one of the bros who jokingly considers such activity 'too mainstream'. Going online a little less than two years ago, brotrip.co features tales of traveling to places, both remote and popular, not only by the five main bros but by their friends and other contributors. The free-for-all approach means that the website collects a rich array of different perspectives as well as a good variety of writing and photography styles. The website also collects profiles (anyone can register to be a member) and shows which members have traveled together. Brotrip came as a form of escape for its co-founders, all of whom felt that their jobs had ruined what going abroad meant. Having to travel for work to either market or 'achieve' certain corporate goals or products, Rendy says that the website is a form of rebellion in which trips are made without anything resembling a goal or business plan. Along the way, the website's rising popularity meant that offers came in, proposing partnerships and takeovers, but as Rendy proudly proclaims, he and his friends always managed to keep things pure and away from business. 'We just simultaneously agreed on not making it a business opportunity,' he says. 'The aim is to keep holidays and trips as without-goals as possible. We keep the website up as a diorama of our travels and of the memories made on those trips,' Rendy says. 'Like a photo album that can be viewed and enjoyed by our grandchildren one day, a nice story of our escapes from the daily grind, alongside best friends.' Along the way, Rendy and his buddies have been through mountains and oceans. 'Diving is a big thing for us right now,' he says. They have traversed through places like Siem Reap in Cambodia, Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng in Laos. 'One that stands out for me was our Live On Board four-night travel to the Komodo Islands,' says Rendy when asked to name one unforgettable trip. 'We went out with one of the first diving operators in the Labuan Bajo, where we spent most of our times just eating, diving, eating, trekking, watching the sunset, watching the stars ' it was amazing!' Rendy said that if they do have one big goal, it is to show people that holidays do not necessarily have to mean going to mountains, city centers, or the beach. 'It can mean just simply escaping with your mind and exploring whatever is ahead of you. At the same time, we are always open to different mindsets ' get in touch with us and we'll take a trip together!' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Brahima Ouedraogo and Baba Ahmed (The Jakarta Post) Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Tue, January 19, 2016 In the wake of a weekend attack that killed at least 29 people, security was beefed up across Burkina Faso's capital Monday as businesses and banks reopened. The West African nation also announced a joint effort with neighboring Mali in the fight against Islamic extremists in the West African region. "Please go ahead and search my bag. We want to be protected and there is no way to refuse this," said Fati Doussa, to security guards as he visited a bank to get some cash. Metal detectors have been placed at banks. "We know it is just going to be different from now on," said Ousmane Sawadogo, a cell-phone seller some 200 meters (218 yards) from the Splendid Hotel which was attacked Friday night. The attack was the first of its kind in Burkina Faso, a largely Muslim country that had managed to avoid the kinds of jihadi attacks that have hit neighboring Mali since 2012. At the site Monday, forensic experts and investigators from France and Burkina Faso, dressed in white, filled the brown dusty street, gathering evidence in secured areas near the hotel and the Cappuccino Cafe. Military forces ended the siege Saturday. Burkina Faso's security minister, Simon Compaore, said Sunday 32 people were dead, including three jihadis. French Ambassador Gilles Thibault said Monday that about 30 people were dead in addition to the three attackers who were killed by French forces. Thirty others were still hospitalized, and about 180 had been freed by French and Burkina Faso forces during and after the siege, he said. "We were awaiting an attack like this one," he said. "It's impossible to say if these types of operations will be limited to just this one." Officials Saturday said forces killed three attackers in the Splendid Hotel and another in a neighboring hotel. Military spokesman Capt. Guy Herve Ye on Monday said, however, that they have clearly identified three attackers and are investigating what they thought was a fourth. He said that many witnesses said that there were women among the attackers, though he says that is probably because the attackers had long dreadlocks. Two former Olympic officials, Jean-Noel Rey from Switzerland and Jean-Pascal Kinda fromBurkina Faso, were killed, Swiss and Burkina Faso authorities said. It was not clear if they had been together during the attack or if their presence was a coincidence. Kinda, 73, was a former Olympic Committee president who had gone to the Cappuccino Cafe to pick up a paper, said his friend and a local magistrate Mathias Tankoano. Rey was co-president of the Swiss bidding committee for the 2006 Olympics, Swiss media reports said. He was in Burkina Faso for a charity project to open the canteen of a school, the reports said. The toll also includes a Ukrainian woman who was co-owner of the Cappuccino Cafe, along with her 9-year-old son, according to Ukrainian and Italian officials, and six Canadians, according to Canada officials. The six were traveling together as part of a humanitarian mission, and four them were from the same family. The list of those killed include eight citizens of Burkina Faso, two Ukrainians, two Swiss, two French and one each from the U.S., the Netherlands, Portugal and Libya, and one French-Ukrainian, according to Burkina Faso officials who released a partial list. Other bodies were being identified. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb put out a formal statement Sunday naming three of the attackers as men, according to SITE Intelligence Group which monitors extremist sites. It said it was a "drop in the sea of global jihad." The group on Friday claimed responsibility for the attack saying al-Mourabitoun fighters carried out the siege. Al-Mourabitoun joined AQIM last year and they claimed their first joint attack was the Nov. 20 seizure of the Radisson Blu in Mali that killed 20 people. Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi visited Ouagadougou Monday to show support and the backing of the Economic Community of West African States. "What could have led to such hatred? It is unimaginable. I am so dejected. We must prepare ourselves for an adequate response," he said near the site of the attack. Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said regional forces must combine to fight extremism. "We need to combine our intelligence and military to better fight terrorism, notably at our borders. This does not only concern West Africa. We are in an asymmetric war. We need to train our armed forces for this type of combat," Kabore said Monday. "From now on we are going to take all measures to prevent such things from happening again." Burkina Faso and Mali's prime ministers met Sunday and agreed to share intelligence, strengthen transnational cooperation and have join patrols along shared borders, they said.(+) ___ Associated Press writer Ludivine Laniepce contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Tue, January 19, 2016 The city administration is set to develop parks in 14 locations with a budget of Rp 15.48 billion (US$1.1 million) this year in a bid increase the city's low open green space ratio. Jakarta Development Planning Board (Bappeda) head Tuty Kusumawati said that as of the end of 2015, 9.8 percent of the city's total area of 661 square kilometers comprised open green space, while the ideal proportion was 30 percent. 'Most land in Jakarta is already owned and used by individuals or private companies. It is hard to find land to develop an open green space,' Tuty told reporters at City Hall recently. She said that once the city administration secured land to develop into open green space, a gubernatorial decree would be issued for the development. In 2015, Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama issued 14 gubernatorial decrees to develop open green spaces in 14 different locations. The locations, among others, were on Jl. Aselih, Jl. Muara and Jl. Kebagusan in Jagakarsa, and Jl. Raya Kebayoran Lama in South Jakarta, Jl. Swadaya in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, and Jl. Swakarsa in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta. Separately, the Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Agency's parks division head, Putut Widya Martata, said that his side had allocated this year Rp 1 trillion to procure 50 plots of land, lower than the Rp 2.3 trillion allocated for land procurement in 2015. Putut said that the allocation was cut by more than half due to the low spending in 2015. 'In 2015, we allocated Rp 2.3 trillion to procure land for open green spaces. However, our spending only reached about 50 percent,' Putut told The Jakarta Post over the weekend. He said that the low spending was cause by difficulties faced in land procurement, which Putut said was the main obstacle to developing open green spaces. Putut said that his unit last year had targeted to procure at least 50 hectares of land in 61 separate locations, but less than half of the target was reached. Putut explained that land procurement was a rigorous process, as negotiations with land owners took time. In other cases where the city's legally owned land was occupied by residents, the parks and cemeteries agency must cooperate with the housing and government building agency to provide low-cost rental apartments (rusunawa) for the occupiers before emptying the land. Such a process was also difficult as residents would refuse relocation, Putut said. Therefore, he said, the agency aimed to procure this year at least 50 plots of land aside from the 15 that had been formalized through gubernatorial decrees. 'The location varies depending on where we can find procurable land, because procurement is the most difficult part of developing open green spaces,' Putut said. He went on to say that the parks division aimed to build this year parks in 14 locations, a combined total area 64,886 square meters, with a budget of Rp 15.48 billion. Among others, he said that the parks would be situated on Jl. Jangrik and Jl. Sadar, both in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, as well as Jl. Centex in Ciracas, South Jakarta. Putut said that open green spaces consisted of not only parks but also cemeteries and trees, grass and plants on median strips, the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways, as well as the greens on verge side barriers on each side of a road. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rendi A. Witular (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 Thursday's brazen 'Paris-style' terror attack in broad daylight in a part of Jakarta crammed with high-end malls, embassies, government headquarters and UN offices has added to the long list of humiliations and agonies that Indonesia has had to endure. Since 2000, seven major terror attacks have bloodied Jakarta, also known as ASEAN's capital. Landmark establishments such the Jakarta Stock Exchange, the JW Marriott Hotel, the Australian Embassy and the Ritz-Carlton have all suffered assaults. The attacks combined have killed more than 65 people and injured hundreds. The resort island of Bali was struck twice in 2002 and 2005, resulting in the slaughter of more than 220 people, mostly foreign tourists. With these frequent high-profile attacks, not to mention dozens of smaller ones, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation has become the region's haven for terrorism and a breeding ground for violent extremists. Given the frequency of tragedy, policymakers and the public in general seem to have become numb and indifferent, and their responses to atrocities have become routine. It is unlikely that Thursday's attack, in which four civilians and four attackers were killed, will sufficiently rock the consciences of the majority of policymakers to immediately generate more preventive measures. Instead, within the next month or so, a sense of complacency will likely set in and the nation will return to business as usual, despite the fact that over the past seven years, various stakeholders have repeatedly highlighted the holes in counterterrorism strategy that policymakers need to immediately patch up in order to prevent more attacks. Although policymakers acknowledge the problems, all suggestions leading to improvements in counterterrorism have been largely put on the back burner due to fears that they will generate anger from conservative Muslim communities and short-sighted human rights activists. The following issues present just a few examples of flaws in the counterterrorism measures. 1. Legislation. It took the 2002 Bali bombing to pass the country's first antiterrorism law and to establish the National Police's counterterrorism unit (Detachment 88). Furthermore, it was not until the suicide bombing of the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in South Jakarta in 2009 that the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) was born. The agency, however, is without much authority, as its main task is to conduct coordination with other agencies, gather intelligence and run a limited range of deradicalization programs. The antiterror law is considered weak compared with those in developed democracies. Under the law, the authorities cannot detain suspected terrorists or those planning an attack unless they are directly carrying firearms and explosives. More often, arrests take place just hours before terrorists are about to attack in order to build a strong case in the courts. Planning a terrorist attack or participating in training camps for terrorism cannot be prosecuted unless firearms or explosives are involved. Financing terrorism cannot be prosecuted unless the attacks have already occurred. Intelligence leads cannot be used to arrest suspects. Indonesian nationals who fight for Islamic State (IS) movement or other terror franchises overseas cannot be prosecuted or have their citizenship stripped. The law also cannot prosecute radical clerics who incite hatred our encourage violence in their preaching. 2. Finance. The fight against terrorism, including its preventive aspect, has largely rested on the National Police's anti-terror working group (Satgas Antiteror), Detachment 88 and the BNPT, with combined manpower of less than 3,000 personnel and a budget of less than Rp 500 billion (US$69 million). In comparison, the Religious Affairs Ministry has received Rp 58.4 trillion this year to ensure people behave appropriately in line with religious custom. The budget for the ministry, however, has no special allocation for deradicalization programs. The National Intelligence Agency (BIN) has a budget of Rp 1.6 trillion, but this is mostly spent on issues related to political parties and the safety of the President. The military has a budget for counterterrorism, but most of it is used only to equip and train special forces to rescue hostages. 3. The prison system. The Law and Human Rights Ministry has the sole authority to manage penitentiaries. Indonesia's prisons are notoriously weak on law enforcement and face serious problems, such as pervasive corruption and overcapacity. Convicted terrorists have often received remissions as prison officials sometimes consider them well-behaved merely because they never miss their prayers. Afif, also known as Sunakim, is the latest example on Indonesia's messy prison system. Afif was supposed to have remained in prison until 2017. However, prison officials shortened his sentence by two years. Calls have mounted for convicted terrorists to be confined in special cells because their ideology can have a contagious effect on others. It is an alarming fact that the perpetrators of terror attacks in the last eight years have mostly involved formerly convicted terrorists. The alleged mastermind of Thursday's attack, Bahrun Naim, is formerly convicted terrorist and his patron, Aman Abdurrahman, can still recruit followers to fight for IS from behind his cell in the supposedly maximum-security prison on the island of Nusakambangan in Cilacap, Central Java. Mobile phones and laptops have often been found inside the cells of convicted terrorists, allowing them to run their insidious organizations and maintain followers. 4. Inter-agency cooperation. Detachment 88 and the BNPT are on the frontline in the battle against terrorism. However, they have received little help from other institutions, and because they are tasked with covering all aspect of counterterrorism, from intelligence gathering to prosecution and managing deradicalization programs, they are dramatically overstretched. The Religious Affairs Ministry and the Culture and Education Ministry have not played a significant role in deradicalization programs designed to prevent the youth from falling into radical ideologies and to help convicted terrorists abandon their violent ideology. This has forced the BNPT to mostly pick up the slack. Penitentiary officials are also resistant to cooperation and change as they refuse to redefine the definition of 'good behavior' for convicted terrorists. A terrorist may harbor dreams of slaughter, but if he prays diligently, then prison officials will deem him a good man and someone worthy of a remission. It is has also become a contentious issue to determine which institution is now responsible for keeping track of the more than 600 formerly convicted terrorists presently living free across the archipelago. Furthermore, intelligence sharing among officers in the BNPT, the police, the BIN and military intelligence units is far from sufficient. Due to this lack of coordination, there have been several incidents in which police officers have assaulted undercover BIN agents, mistaking them for suspected terrorists. The problem is a large and daunting one, and Indonesia is not even at the end of the beginning. But the nation must begin its work, because this terrible hurricane of violence is amplifying across the world. The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post In this Jan. 6 photo, members of the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, trek to a new camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. Big guerrilla camps are a thing of the past, the rebels now move in smaller groups. The 36th Front is comprised of 22 rank and file fighters, 4 commanders and 2 dogs. (AP/Rodrigo Abd)" border="0" height="426" width="639"> The rebel leader known as Juan Pablo carries with him a new telescopic assault rifle and a heavy heart. As a commander of the 36th Front of the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, one of the most active units in a half-century of bloodshed, the paunch-bellied warrior has spent 25 years plotting ambushes and assembling land mines but has never been to the movies, driven a car or eaten in a restaurant. Now peace is within reach as talks between the guerrillas and the government near conclusion in Cuba, and for the first time the 41-year-old is thinking about a future outside this jungle hideout. His dream: to return to the poor village he left as a teenager and run for mayor. But transition to civilian life will come without his girlfriend and comrade-in-arms who was killed six months ago in an army raid, underscoring the toll still being exacted by Latin America's last major guerrilla conflict even as it winds down. "This war is going to end without victors or vanquished but lots of suffering on both sides," said Juan Pablo, the soft-smiling son of a street vendor. "It's false to say we arrived defeated to the negotiating table. They dealt us some heavy blows, of course, but 51 years of war against an enemy backed by the most powerful army in the world (the U.S. army) has not made us cower, because the injustices that led us to take up arms are still occurring." That mixture of pride and trepidation about the future is common among the FARC's roughly 7,000 fighters, many of whom, like Juan Pablo, come from poor rural upbringings and struggle to imagine life outside the highly regimented ranks of the guerrillas. The Associated Press made a rare, three-day visit to a secret FARC camp in Antioquia state in early January to see how the region's oldest leftist insurgency is preparing for a peace that looks more tantalizingly close than ever. AP journalists were directed to a remote meeting point and then escorted on an hours-long trek to the jungle site. The FARC insisted that the camp's location not be revealed to protect the lives of its fighters. Decades of fighting between guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and the armed forces has, according to government figures, left a toll of more than 220,000 dead, some 40,000 disappeared and over 5 million driven from their homes a the largest displaced population of any country after Syria. But after President Juan Manuel Santos traveled to Cuba in September and shook the hand of the FARC's top commander, both sides feel confident enough to predict a final deal as early as March. This generation of FARC guerrillas would be the first to abandon its stated aim of overthrowing the government and instead fight for their ideals at the ballot box. At the makeshift camp that was temporarily home to 22 rank-and-file fighters, four commanders and two dogs, the day starts at around 4:30 a.m. With the moon still hanging on the horizon, the jungle comes to life to the sound of metal pots clanging as breakfast is prepared, rain falling on giant fronds and rubber boots sloshing through the mud. Thanks to a unilateral FARC cease-fire, it has been months since gunshots rang out in this remote corner of the Andes where the rebels share the dense forest with venomous snakes, 20 kinds of exotic frogs and South America's only bear species. Still, the rebels show no sign of letting down their guard after a decade-old government offensive that more than halved their troop strength. They sleep with their weapons, restrict all conversation at night and use assumed names to protect their identities. Once-a-day radio contact with other units happens via code, and lengthier missives are saved to thumb drives and transported through a network of human couriers. Fresh in everyone's mind is the 2011 death of the FARC commander known as Alfonso Cano, hunted down and killed by the Colombian army thanks to a cellphone intercept. Their wariness highlights one of the thorniest issues that negotiators must still work out: How and under whose auspices the FARC will demobilize, when experience has taught the rebels that politics can be just as perilous as war. The guerrillas recall too well how during 1980s peace talks that ultimately failed, the FARC established a party known as the Patriotic Union as its political arm. In just a few years, more than 3,000 leftist activists, rebel sympathizers and two presidential candidates were gunned down by paramilitaries, often in cahoots with state security forces. It became a cautionary tale in a country plagued by political violence since its independence from Spain. "We learned a lot from that experience, but who says the only way to practice politics is in Congress?" said Leonidas, another commander. "One thing is clear: In this new phase the FARC is not going to demobilize, we are going to mobilize" politically. He said that activism would mostly involve work on behalf of the rural poor, a reflection of the FARC's 1960s origins as a self-defense force formed to protect farmer-run "independent republics" from the military. While peace may be in the air, the rhetoric of conflict is hard to shed. Rebels call superiors "comrades" and deserters "traitors," and harangues about "oligarchs" and the U.S. "empire" oppressing working-class Colombians are a daily trope. Forget cheap romance novels or literary classics; the only reading material at the camp includes volumes like the collected speeches of Fidel Castro, biographies of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara and journalistic accounts of paramilitary land grabs. Juan Pablo, for one, is capable of reciting verbatim from Castro's speeches. But if the FARC can appear stuck in an ideological time warp, the rebels say the group rescued them from poverty, taught them to read and provided a "family" and sense of belonging. In hours of conversation during the AP visit, none showed any outward sign of discontent or criticized the peace process. They also tried to downplay the FARC's deep involvement in drugs a a lucrative trade that could prove a powerful economic incentive to remain armed, especially for midlevel commanders. Families living in the remote valleys that the 36th Front lords over acknowledge paying a war tax to protect their coca plantings, but the rebels say they will help develop alternative crops if an accord is reached. As a confidence-building gesture, the FARC has renounced ransom kidnappings to fund its insurgency. And while abuses such as recruitment of minors and civilian massacres will be judged by special peace tribunals, the rebels note that human rights groups blame the paramilitaries for most of the killings during the conflict. Even as the camp maintains a wartime footing, the guerrillas have begun holding twice-a-day peace assemblies. On a recent day the first one, before breakfast, was led by Yira Castro, a commander whose nom de guerre honors a noted Colombian communist. Under the shade of a tree, she read from a 63-page sub-accord that was recently signed in Havana. Castro, a sort of mentor to other women rebels, has spent much of the last three years with the talks in Havana, and her relative worldliness shows in her Cuban-inflected Spanish and new orange laptop. Listening attentively was Juliana, who joined the discussion after butchering a pig that would feed the camp for several days. Like many others, her path to the FARC was born as much from personal tragedy as political ideology. At age 16, after she says she was raped by her stepfather, she fled her impoverished home and followed in the footsteps of an uncle. Juliana said that if she hadn't taken up arms she would have liked to have studied computers. But now she hopes to serve the FARC even during peacetime: "I want to prepare myself to get involved in politics and continue my association with the organization." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 A top government official has confirmed plans to take as many as four business areas off the Negative Investment List (DNI), thereby making them fully open for foreign investment, namely cold storage, crane rubber, sugar and e-commerce. 'E-commerce will be open 100 percent for foreign investment, with the partnership requirement. With regard to the marketplace, further discussions will follow, as there is a provision regarding products sold in the marketplace,' Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chairman Franky Sibarani said on Monday. Franky explained that start-ups with initial capital below Rp 10 billion (US$718,000) would remain protected, in line with Law No. 20/2008 on small and medium enterprises. In cold storage, crane rubber and sugar businesses, meanwhile, the government would allow foreign investors to own stakes of up to 100 percent. A provision on (offline) retail, including department stores, supermarkets and minimarkets, meanwhile, is still being discussed by concerned ministries. Franky said there was a possibility that the government would raise the foreign ownership cap on the three offline retail business activities. The Trade Ministry's director general for domestic trade, Srie Agustina, said small retail business would continue to be reserved for local players. Department store chains with fewer than 2,000 outlets, minimarkets with fewer than 400 outlets and supermarkets with fewer than 1,200 outlets are closed for foreign investment. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Tue, January 19, 2016 Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama barked, 'How come a neighborhood chief doesn't know that a local resident is making a bomb?!' Ahok said neighborhood chiefs should be more active and know their residents as well as what's going on in the locality. Often residents of big cities and suburbs are barely known to neighbors until raids and arrests shock a community, as in the operations following Thursday's explosions and shootings in Central Jakarta. The attack showed again the many weaknesses in our war on terror. This is why a proposal to strengthen the Terrorism Law has been met with mixed reaction. A major weak spot is prison security, as experts such as Sidney Jones have long warned. Among individuals suspected of radicalizing Thursday's suspects is Aman Abdurrahman, who is serving a sentence for sponsoring combat training in Aceh, along with firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, on the supposedly Nusakambangan maximum security prison island in Central Java. Both have long been suspected of being sufficiently supported in their campaigns behind bars. National Intelligence Agency (BIN) director Sutiyoso has said that current laws are weak. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has also encouraged the House of Representatives to revise the 2002 law, passed in the wake of the first Bali bombings that claimed at least 202 lives. In our transition from authoritarianism, many bristle at the prospect of further curbing liberties; sacrifices to ensure safety are largely limited to putting up with slow queues for security checks. Sutiyoso wishes his agency could act on the gathered information, but says his hands are tied. He said late last year that BIN knew of more than 420 released terrorist convicts and 100 returnees from Syria suspected to have joined the Islamic State (IS) movement and gone on to train militants. Investigations into acts of terror have revealed that aspects supporting terrorism, besides lax prison security, include the ease in forging identities, in blending into communities by posing as revered clerics or low-profile vendors and in marrying into communities. Lax neighborhood supervision and the commonplace renting out of houses, in which inhabitants can move in and out without drawing the attention of neighbors, has also facilitated furtive terrorist networks. The ease of acquiring weapons and explosive materials further exposes us to unpredictable danger. But a stronger Terrorism Law would face a lack of public trust in authorities despite the considerable success of Densus 88 counterterrorism squad. A single mistake or miscommunication on the part of the police or Densus 88 would invite outcry that they are targeting Muslims, an exaggerated sentiment brought on by the New Order's crushing of Islamists. Also, police and military brutality is not unheard of ' reports emerged just last week of the arbitrary detention and physical abuse of a boy suspected of being a thief when he wandered into a marine residential complex in South Jakarta. Few are willing to give the authorities a blank check with their too often stained records. Indonesians have survived a virtual, fearsome police state, one to which we have no wish to return. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 Oil and gas services company PT Elnusa is upbeat that business will be stable this year and it can book revenue at least at the same level as last year with the help of new and prospective contracts despite the slowdown in the upstream industry. Elnusa, a subsidiary of state-owned energy company Pertamina, estimated its revenue hit Rp 3.7 trillion (US$266 million) in 2015. The company expected to book the same amount this year while maintaining its bottom line thanks to improved efficiency and innovation, corporate secretary Fajriyah Usman said. Fajriyah said her company started off well this year, with around $407 million of on-hand contracts to date, including carry-overs. The contracts comprise $317 million of upstream contracts, which include contracts from its seismic and maintenance business lines, as well as contracts worth $90 million from its distribution and logistics business. The company, she added, also had around $200 million worth of prospective new upstream contracts and $23 million of distribution and logistic contracts. 'We are optimistic business will be steady this year. We have been doing quite well. Contrary to popular belief, our company is not directly impacted by unfavorable oil and gas prices,' she explained. Fajriyah, however, said the company saw a slight correction last year with revenue declining by around 12 percent from Rp 4.22 trillion in 2014, as oil and gas producers carried out less new investment to cut costs. This resulted in declining revenue from Elnusa's seismic services. 'However, our other business lines, such as maintenance services and logistic and distribution services, have been doing quite well. In fact, our upstream contracts also started to bounce back late last year, which we believe will lead to steady business this year,' she explained. The company saw its total contract value slip by around 3 percent from $470 million in 2014 to $454 million last year, according to data provided by Fajriyah. Meanwhile, according to the company's statement published by the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) late last year, Elnusa projected that it would record at least Rp 325 billion in net profit, a decline of about 21 percent from the Rp 412 billion booked in the previous year. Fajriyah emphasized that the decline in profit in 2015 was also impacted by gains from asset sales in 2014. The company's 2014 full-year profit, according to a previous report, was boosted by Rp 87.39 billion from the sale of 20,815 hectares of land worth Rp 93.4 billion in the second quarter of the year. 'Without the gains from assets sales [in 2014], our operating profit and margin are actually improving,' Fajriyah said. As for this year, she said the company would maintain its net profit with the help of business innovation, as the company was working on methods to trim costs. She added that her company would also look to explore new markets, particularly in Southeast Asian countries. Elnusa is owned by Pertamina (41.11 percent), public (41.08 percent) and Pertamina's pension funds (17.81 percent). Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Raras Cahyafitri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The Finance Ministry has turned down a request filed by the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) for tax exemption on the use of crude oil produced by domestic fields, a top official has said. Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said his office could not approve SKKMigas' request to scrap value added tax related to the purchase of locally sourced but technically imported crude oil, to assist state-owned oil firm Pertamina to buy more of the domestically-produced oil. 'I have told Pak Amien [SKKMigas chief Amien Sunaryadi] that tax exemptions can be applied to commodities or subjects but it cannot be related to specific transactions,' Bambang said in an interview with The Jakarta Post. 'It is not prudent in terms of governance because if we made an exemption for certain imported oil, it is most likely that we would then overlook the non-exempted imported oil,' Bambang said. Currently, SKKMigas is trying to get all crude oil produced in domestic fields delivered to Pertamina in order to reduce the country's rising imports of the commodity. Under current production-sharing contract systems, oil production is divided between the government, which is entitled to 85 percent, and contractors which get the remaining 15 percent of output. Contractors are free to deliver their oil anywhere, as most of them only run the production element in Indonesia, with the trade being managed by their overseas parent firms. This means Pertamina has to deal with Singapore-based traders if it wants to purchase the contractors' output. Therefore, even though the oil originates from Indonesian fields, it is deemed as having been imported and hence subject to 3 percent import tax. By eliminating this anomaly, Pertamina hopes to secure lower prices. Figures from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's oil and gas directorate general showed that around 200,000 bopd of contractors' output could be delivered directly to domestic refineries. If implemented, the plan would help to reduce imports and save approximately US$3.8 billion in foreign exchange transactions per year. 'I have suggested that SKKMigas tell Chevron's trading arm in Singapore to give a mandate to Chevron Indonesia so that production from Duri can be sold directly to the Plaju or Balikpapan [refineries]. We should not so easily provide exemptions,' Bambang said. He was referring to the Duri field, which is operated by Chevron Pacific Indonesia. Among the fields that Pertamina would like to see delivering output direct to local refineries, Duri has the greatest volume. SKKMigas deputy chief Zikrullah earlier said that of the 167,000 bopd of contractors' share that could be used by refineries operated by Pertamina, as much as 80,000 bopd could come from the Duri field. Other contributors would be 20,000 bopd of Senipah condensate, 12,000 bopd from the Cinta field and 10,000 bopd from other smaller fields. In response to the Finance Minister's statement, Pertamina president director Dwi Soetjipto said he still hoped the ministry would soften its stance. 'To my understanding, the [Finance] ministry continues to study the request. The crude oil is domestic oil and is not liable to tax when it is exported, so eliminating the tax [import tax] means that no income will be disrupted. We will use the oil for domestic refineries for domestic use,' Dwi said. Indonesia's total oil production is around 800,000 bopd while demand is equal to 1.6 million bopd, as a result of this shortfall the country has to import huge amounts of crude oil. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The government should immediately issue national standards on cave management in order to protect caves, many of which have recently become objects of ecotourism, according to leading speleologists. Once damaged, caves in karst areas are difficult to restore. 'The government has not yet issued a guideline on cave management, even though caves have become tourist sites,' Indonesia Speleological Society (ISS) president Cahyo Rahmadi told The Jakarta Post on Monday. Based on an ISS assessment, Indonesia is home to hundreds of caves. In the province of Yogyakarta, most of the caves are found in the karst areas around Mount Sewu in Gunungkidul regency, recently designated as a geopark area and recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 'Don't let the case of Gong Cave in Pacitan, East Java, be repeated. For example, Gong Cave was damaged due to a lack of separation between visitors and cave ornaments, so many of them were damaged and discolored,' said Cahyo, who is also a speleologist at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. Cahyo reminded those concerned that caves were also home to a variety of wildlife creatures that survive in the rivers and pools that course through the caves. Cahyo argued that there needed to be some kind of national map so that visitors could study where to walk and know how to avoid disrupting microbial life in the water. He said the extraordinary beauty of caves attracted the interest of people. Unfortunately, those involved in cave tourism did not pay enough attention to the preservation of caves. 'The government is currently drawing up a karst ecosystem management and protection bylaw that could serve as a guideline on cave management,' added Cahyo. In a discussion on sustainable karst ecotourism at SMU 1 senior high school in Wonosari, speleologist Pindi Setiawan reminded those in attendance of the need to preserve the beauty of caves. He said sustainable ecotourism could provide a sustainable economic profit for various sectors. He said the caves found in the karst areas in Gunungkidul were very beautiful, but cave operators must pay attention to capacity levels. 'If the caves are damaged due to overcapacity and are no longer beautiful, why should people go there again?' asked Pindi. During the discussion, Mursidi, a manager at the Ningrong Cave in Mulo village, Gunungkidul, said that those involved in cave management desperately needed advanced knowledge on speleology so they could scientifically elucidate the facts about caves to visitors. 'We also wish to provide lighting in caves,' he said. However, speleologists and experts in ecotourism who attended the discussion argued that the caves should not be lighted because lights could tarnish the natural beauty of the caves as well as influence the ecosystem inside the caves. 'Based on statistics, only 687,000 visitors came to Gunungkidul in 2010, compared to 3.6 million today,' Mursidi said. He added that the amount of visitors should be spread out to various tourist sites so as to prevent overcapacity at Pindul Cave. Hundreds of visitors enter the cave every weekend and so it is feared that they could damage the cave due to overcapacity. One of the most visited caves in Gunungkidul is Ningrong Cave because it is easy to access from the main highway. A 20x100 meter diameter doline at a depth of 70 meters is located on the western side of the cave. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Khoirul Amin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The government aims to increase non-oil and gas exports in the coming years through trade deals and deregulation policies in an effort to reverse the recent export decline. Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said on Monday that his ministry targeted to boost the non-oil and gas export value by 9 percent this year and to accelerate export growth to an annual rate of 11.5 percent within three to four years. 'Personally, I'll be happy if our trade balance is stable. If there's no contraction or only a little contraction this year, that would already amount to a turnaround,' he said in a press briefing. The country's non-oil and gas exports contracted by 9.77 percent to US$131.7 billion last year, while non-oil and gas imports slumped by 12.32 percent to $118.13 billion. Total exports dropped by 14.62 percent to $150.25 billion last year, but imports plunged at an even faster rate of 19.9 percent to $142.74 billion, helping the country book a 2015 trade surplus of $7.51 billion. It was the first trade surplus after deficits recorded in the previous three years, though it was weaker than the 2011 surplus. Thomas said last year's trade surplus was not satisfactory, as both exports and imports had weakened. He attributed the trade slump to the fall in commodity prices and weakness in major economies, such as China. 'Many of our non-oil and gas exports rose in terms of volume, but the prices slumped, driven by the global commodities slump and China's economic transformation,' he said. Central Statistics Agency (BPS) head Suryamin said recently that rising commodity prices in December last year helped the country's non-oil and gas exports rise by 6.98 percent in December from November. He added that key Indonesian commodities like crude palm oil (CPO) and rubber still had traction in foreign markets. Thomas said the Trade Ministry would try to enhance exports of textiles, garments, footwear and processed food in an attempt to reach the 9 percent target, besides maintaining global traction for the country's commodities. '[We want to particularly boost] sectors that remained prominent despite the global economic downturn,' he said. Thomas added his ministry also aimed for significant progress in opening more export markets through agreements with a number of trading partners. The government would soon resume negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with the European Union and a European Free Trade Area (EFTA) with non-EU members Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Iman Pambagyo, the Trade Minister's special staff member for international trade policy, said the ministry would prioritize negotiations on EFTA, EU-CEPA, the regional economic partnership agreement (RCEP) and a bilateral agreement with Australia. Iman added that EFTA talks had progressed to 80 percent and that Indonesia aimed to attract more investment from the four EFTA countries. 'However, they [EFTA countries] are also looking at the investment regime in Indonesia,' he said. The government was pushing for lower import tariffs on Indonesian processed agricultural goods exported to EFTA countries, while those countries expected lower import tariffs on their manufactured goods, he went on. According to Iman, EFTA countries currently impose price compensation measures, in which imported agriculture products, including those from Indonesia, were subject to total import duties of 40 percent. Thomas added that the government would continue to carry out deregulation measures to ease export and import activities, after deregulating a total of 32 regulations as stipulated in the government's first economic policy package launched in September last year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Hans Nicholas Jong and Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The Home Ministry says it is keeping a close eye on 10 unregistered mass organizations that may pose a threat to national security. The ministry's director general for political affairs and general administration, Soedarmo, said on Monday that the list included the outlawed Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar) but refused to reveal details of the other groups due to the sensitivity of the matter. 'We cannot expose [their names] unless they are proven to be engaged in dangerous radical activity,' Soedarmo said. Soedarmo explained that such groups were deemed a threat to security, because their values were opposed to the state's regulations and above all contradicted the state ideology of Pancasila. Gafatar, he said, had been under monitoring by the ministry since 2006 and had applied for a license several times, but the request had been rejected due to the group's radical values. 'Gafatar poses as a group for social activities but secretly spreads its ideology and recruits followers. In fact, they never blow their cover and show their hostility toward the government,' Soedarmo. To beef up surveillance of unlicensed and radical mass organizations, the Home Ministry has equipped its officials throughout the archipelago with intelligence skills in cooperation with the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) as well as intelligence divisions from the National Police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO). According to Soedarmo, the Home Ministry has so far engaged around 400 government officials from the middle to lower level, including district heads and civilian defense units (hansip), in the training. They have received know-how on how to identify potential conflict in their neighborhoods and monitor organizations that might cause conflict. 'They are all tasked to report directly to the relevant division of the Home Ministry,' Soedarmo emphasized. Besides closely monitoring radical groups, the Home Ministry aims to enforce a circular banning hate speech issued by the National Police with respect to radical groups on their radar. 'If we find them spreading hate speech, such as insults or provocation, we have the authority to take action against them,' Soedarmo said, referring to the National Police's circular issued in October last year. He admitted, however, that the ministry had no authority to disband them, because they did not even exist as proper organizations. It only has the authority to ban their activities, as stipulated in Article 156 point A of the Criminal Code. Human rights watchdog Setara Institute said the ministry's decision to keep a close watch on unregistered organizations was misguided. The institute's research director, Ismail Hasani, said that it was better for the government to focus on existing hard-line groups like the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), rather than the new and obscure groups listed by the Home Ministry. _________________________________________ 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 Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The government is expecting the House of Representatives to approve the currently deliberated tax amnesty bill in the beginning of 2016, a fiscal policy official has said. The Finance Ministry's Fiscal Police Office head Suahasil Nazara said the immediate approval of the tax amnesty bill was needed because with the bill the government could start discussions about the revision of the 2016 state budget, including its revised tax revenue targets. 'It is hoped that the tax amnesty bill can be discussed this month,' said Suahasil in Jakarta on Monday evening. The fiscal policy official further explained that the government was set to revise a number of its economic assumptions in the 2016 state budget because of the current global economic situation and a downward trend in oil prices. The government had to wait for the tax amnesty bill to be approved to recalculate the state budget's macro economic assumptions. 'Once the tax amnesty bill is approved, the state budget's new estimations will be clear,' said Suahasil. It was earlier reported that the government planned to revise the current 2016 tax collection target of Rp 1.32 quadrillion (US$95.17 billion). The new target is based on a 10 percent year-on-year (yoy) growth of last year's tax realization plus an estimated Rp 60 trillion that could be potentially generated through the government's tax amnesty policy. In 2015, the government collected Rp 1.06 quadrillion in tax revenues, only 82 percent of the target set in the 2015 state budget. "Usually, our tax revenues grow about 10 percent a year. Extra effort will add a 3 percent to 5 percent increase in the revenues. The tax amnesty will be a breakthrough. Once the bill is approved, we can calculate the estimation [of a new target]," Suahasil said. The tax amnesty bill stipulates that taxpayers who report their overseas wealth will be taxed between 1.5 to 6 percent if they disclose it in 2016. The government aims to widen its tax base through this bill. (ebf)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Parlina, Nurul Fitri Ramadhani and Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 In the wake of the terror attacks near the Sarinah shopping center in Central Jakarta, the government is strengthening antiterrorism measures, including through a planned revision of the 2003 Terrorism Law. Following the Sarinah attack that saw four assailants throw homemade bombs and fire gunshots at random civilians, a number of officials have pointed fingers at existing laws for apparently providing no space for police to arrest and conduct thorough investigations of alleged terrorists. Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly held a closed-door meeting with President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo on Monday, in which Yasonna proposed a number of measures to improve handling terrorism. 'I have reported to the President on [efforts to] tighten all penitentiaries, particularly those with terrorist prisoners. Second, [we spoke] about restrictions for visits [to the prisons], and third, [about plans regarding] the revision of the Terrorism Law,' Yasonna said. Yasonna's proposals also included giving the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) greater authority for making arrests and strengthening the powers of immigration officials to revoke the passports of people who have gone abroad to fight with the Islamic State (IS) movement. 'These [improvements] are not intended to limit people's rights, but they are for their benefit and for the sake of the security of the country.' Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung refused to reveal whether a proposed amendment of the law would be on the table soon, but said the government had learned from the recent attack that the existing law did not give authorities enough power to take what he called 'preventive measures' against potential culprits despite strong indications. 'We will, of course, continue to respect human rights, but security and comfort are important for our country,' Pramono said. 'Our intelligence services need to be strengthened, but that does not mean they will be granted law enforcing authority. Law enforcement would remain under the coordination of the police.' The attack on Thursday morning claimed the lives of the four perpetrators and four civilians. One civilian, Sugito, 43, who was among the eight killed on site, was earlier believed to be a perpetrator but later found to be a courier for a company in Central Jakarta who happened to pass by when the incident took place. Another civilian, Rais Karna, 35, was pronounced dead on Saturday night after being treated for two days for his injuries. The police have corrected the chronology of events released on Thursday. Initially, they believed there were two perpetrators riding on a motorcycle bombing the police post near Sarinah. But after further investigation, it was revealed that the bombing was perpetrated by one person on foot, identified as suspect Dian Jodi Kurniadi. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said the government was hoping to revise the Terrorism Law by the end of this year. Luhut acknowledged that granting greater powers to authorities to make arrests would not solve the problem, saying that 'at least it [the revision] would strengthen intelligence in obtaining data to narrow the space for terrorists' movement'. National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti reiterated his support for an amendment, saying that under the existing law, the police could only monitor those coming back from Syria but lacked the authority to arrest them for further investigation before they committed terrorist acts. Separately, the Jakarta Police have dismissed an audio recording of what appears to be a denial of responsibility for the Sarinah attack by suspect Bahrun Naim. Police said they have strong evidence to name Bahrun a suspect. 'I have heard that Bahrun has denied the police's allegations [that he was the organizer of the attack]. But a combined team of investigators gathered enough evidence to name him a suspect,' Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Mohammad Iqbal said. Iqbal said that the police had been targeting Bahrun since December last year after they arrested several individuals who had planned to launch assaults over Christmas and New Year's Eve. Iqbal said the individuals told investigators that it was Bahrun who had ordered them to disrupt the events. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers have continued their crackdown on becak (pedicab) drivers by confiscating 10 becak operating illegally in Pademangan, North Jakarta, on Monday. Pademangan district head Musa Safrudin said that 25 Satpol PP officers took part in the raid, adding that his district was one of the areas where the antiquated form of public transportation continued to operate despite being banned. 'According to city bylaws, becak are prohibited in Jakarta, however there are still a lot of them continuing to operate in nearby residential areas. We have to take action,' Musa said, as quoted by beritajakarta.com. He said the operation would continue until Pademangan was free from becak, adding that the confiscations would be a lesson for other becak drivers. In 2007 the city administration issued a bylaw prohibiting the operation of becak. Since then, Satpol PP officers have regularly cracked down on the use of the vehicles. Rasdullah, a becak driver, reported in December that Satpol PP had seized 84 becak, leaving drivers afraid to operate. However, residents in a number of areas still prefer becak for short-distance transportation. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The police have arrested a suspected bag snatcher, identified as Sugeng Tri Siswanto, 29, after his alleged victim Fithriyah, 19, thwarted his attempt to steal her bag. East Jakarta Police spokesman Comr. Husaimah said that Sugeng had allegedly attempted to snatch Fithriyah's bag while she was riding her motorcycle past a school in Kayu Putih, Pulogadung, East Jakarta. 'The suspect, who was also riding a motorcycle, approached the victim and grabbed the bag from her lap,' Husaimah said on Monday as quoted by wartakotalive.com. Husaimah said Fithriyah and Sugeng then engaged in a tug of war over the bag, which contained a tablet computer, Rp 452,000 (US$32.47) in cash, a calculator, and an ID card. According to Husaimah, the suspect succeeded in making off with the bag whereupon he was chased by Fithriyah on her motorcycle as she called out for help. 'Her shouts attracted people in the area. These people joined the victim in the pursuit of the suspect and caught him,' Husaimah explained. Husaimah said Sugeng was in police custody in Pulogadung, East Jakarta. He will be charged under Article 363 of the Criminal Code on theft. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 Members of the House of Representatives agreed to reduce the length of their recess periods and limit overseas work visits in a bid to improve their poor performance, the speaker said on Monday. Newly elected House Speaker Ade Komarudin said that all 10 factions at the House agreed to this in a meeting of the House leaders and all faction chiefs at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta on Monday. Ade claimed that he proposed the ideas as he aimed to increase the production of legislation by the House. "We have agreed on reducing recess time from one month to a maximum of two weeks," he said as quoted by kompas.com. The Golkar lawmaker added that in the meeting they also agreed to abolish trips carried out by House special committees. However, commission members, House internal councils and committees and also the House speaker and deputy speakers are still allowed to go on overseas trips. Ade was appointed last week as House speaker to fill in the post left vacant by his fellow Golkar politician Setya Novanto, who stepped down from the position last year. Since Setya took office in October 2014, the public has widely criticized the House's performance of having only passed three laws over about a year. The House was also under public scrutiny after Setya and House Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon attended an event held by US presidential hopeful Donald Trump in New York last year. The latest blow to the House happened when Setya sparked an ethical misconduct scandal when he met with with businessman Reza Chalid and the president director of PT Freeport Indonesia, Maroef Sjamsoeddin, to try to broker a deal to extend Freeport's mining contract. (liz/rin)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Tue, January 19, 2016 The Jan. 14 terrorist attacks in Jakarta, for which the Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility, echoed the pattern of the sieges that happened in Mumbai in 2008 and in Paris in November 2015: a coordinated assault by a team of suicide bombers and active shooters. It is already a globally known concept for inciting terror, but for Indonesia, which has been a target of terrorist bombings by al-Qaeda affiliates for more than a decade, this is a new form of attack introduced by IS on the country's soil. "Definitely, the Islamic State group's strategy is different from that of al-Qaeda, since their ideologies differ as well," terrorism expert Al-Chaidar told thejakartapost.com recently. Unlike al-Qaeda, whose previous attacks in Indonesia involved massive bombings, Indonesian IS affiliates had never specialized in bomb-making as they never had the chance to learn the skills, leading them to be only able to create small explosive devices, Al-Chaidar said. Some allies of al-Qaeda's regional leader who was killed in 2010, Noordin M. Top, who conducted military training in Aceh, North Sumatra, have refused to pass their bomb-making skills to IS affiliates in the region. According to Al-Chaidar, unlike al-Qaeda, which regards only Western civilization as their enemy, IS espouses the takfiri ideology that views non-adherents as infidels, even though they are fellow Muslims. "IS affiliates in Indonesia lack the knowledge of bomb-making as they are more trained to become guerilla combatants," he said. Citing the data from social media-based communications among pro-IS groups, IS has prepared for a series of attacks in Jakarta since June 2015, months before they warned the police in November and said "there will be a concert", meaning an attack, in Indonesia, Al-Chaidar added. Last December, several threats from pro-IS groups in Indonesia called for a strike on government buildings, including the Jakarta Police headquarters and the State Palace, leading the police's elite Densus 88 counterterrorism squad to arrest nine militants who had planned attacks for the Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations. On Thursday, however, the assault that left eight people dead targeted one of the busiest commercial districts of Jakarta, where office buildings, five-star hotels and shopping malls surrounded a Traffic Police post at an intersection and a Starbucks coffee outlet, where the blasts took place. A former specialized staff member of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs, Rakyan Adibrata, said the decision of the IS affiliate to target Jl. M.H. Thamrin, the capital's main thoroughfare, suggested a change in the character of the preparators, showing that the group was now aware of the importance of public coverage through social media to support their objectives. "Media spread the news, but not as massively as civilians who actively use social media," Rakyan said. According to Rakyan, as the IS affiliates attacked openly at 10:50 a.m. when people in the surrounding buildings and passersby at the intersection could easily see them, IS' main intention was to get their attacks captured by citizens and let them spread the terror through the internet to grab the world's attention. By both taking pictures and recording videos with the suicide bombers and the dead bodies as the focus, as well as disseminating them through social media applications such as Whatsapp, Facebook and others, people were actually helping the radical group to spread the terror, Rakyan said. "Terrorism is the way to create massive terror and fear, a tool for achieving their goals," Rakyan said. Hours after the attacks, the IS affiliate group claimed its responsibility by publishing its statement in Arabic through the IS-connected Aamaq News Agency, saying that IS soldiers carrying weapons targeted a "crusader alliance", meaning foreigners and security officials who fought the group in Jakarta. The claim further strengthened experts' opinion that the police and Indonesian Military (TNI) remained the main targets of IS in the country, as the IS members still bore hatred toward security officials who had hunted and killed their fellow jihadists. "The primary objective was to attack the police [bombing, shooting and throwing grenades], while killing foreigners was the secondary objective," Rakyan said. Similarly, University of Indonesia (UI) alumnus Adhe Wibisono, who specialized in terrorism studies, said the Indonesian IS affiliates were retaliating against the "ruthless" action of a joint operation that involved the police, the military and Densus 88 that aimed to eradicate the Santoso-led militant group known as the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) in Poso, Central Sulawesi. The group changed the time of attacks, which was initially planned for New Year's Eve, because of the heightened security, but then carried out the plan on Jan. 14 after they waited for the officials to relax their guard, Adhe said. "The scheme of attacks targeted government officials above strategic assets owned by foreign governments," he said. Since the recent series of attacks in Jakarta were not as massive as the Paris attacks that killed 130 people in November, Adhe said that IS did not care about the number of casualties, but mainly was attempting to create fear. IS aimed to divert public attention toward them, making their names dominate the news around the world to show off what they were capable of, Adhe said. "They want to create fear among the people, proving themselves for having been able to penetrate the security in the capital,' Adhe added. He warned that the pattern of terrorism that counterterrorism officials classified as a "Marauding Terrorist Firearms Attack" that had previously happened in several countries around the world might be repeated in the future, as the IS' military logistics got simpler, leading to a potential of higher intensity. Indonesia had rather poor security as government officials only heightened the safeguards at year's end from September to December, thinking that terrorist groups would schedule their strikes in line with 9/11, the Bali bombing of Oct. 12, 2002 and the long Christmas and New Year's Eve holiday, Rakyan added. "When the security officials lower their defenses and become careless, the terrorist group will rise and strike," Rakyan said. According to Al-Chaidar, IS might launch another attack in the months following the recent one, targeting big cities such as Surabaya in East Java and Medan in North Sumatra.(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The Jakarta administration, the Jakarta Police and the Jakarta Military Command are set to increase cooperative efforts among themselves in order to better secure Jakarta following the deadly terrorist attack on the city's main thoroughfare last Thursday. The carnage resulted in the death of four civilians. All four attackers died after setting off suicide bombs or being shot dead by the police. The horrific attack took place at a Starbucks coffee shop in Menara Cakrawala and on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta. Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said that the police were currently cracking down on groups linked to the attack. Tito said that the police would increase monitoring in neighborhoods across the city, especially in rented homes and boarding houses. 'We will increase and improve the role of Babinkamtibmas [police officers assigned to villages as advisors on security and public order] to keep an eye on residents. The police need to cooperate with the city administration to make regular checks on rental homes and boarding rooms,' Tito told reporters after a monthly ceremony at the National Monument (Monas), on Monday. Last Friday after the attack, the Jakarta Police raided two houses in the Meruya Utara subdistrict in West Jakarta, where two of the attackers had been living. Late last year, the police also raided a rented home and a boarding house in Bekasi, West Java, where they also arrested two suspected terrorists, one of whom was a foreigner. According to Indonesia Police Chief Regulation No. 3/2014 on community policing, Babinkamtibmas officers are tasked with guiding residents to positive activities and helping them maintain security in their areas. In order to do their job, the officers are obligated to visit all houses in their area of work in order to introduce themselves and meet with the residents. 'Monitoring needs to start at the local level. It is important that we make sure the Babinkamtibmas are effective in doing their job,' Tito said. Tito further explained that shopping centers and management at private buildings were expected to increase security in their areas and to make sure to check all visitors thoroughly. Furthermore, Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama said that he would mobilize all subdistrict and community and neighborhood (RT and RW) leaders to keep an eye on their residents. 'RT and RW leaders must know all their residents. They should not be ignorant, they should know everything that's going on in their neighborhood,' Ahok said during the same occasion. He said that he had instructed all mayors and district heads to report any subdistrict head or RT and RW head lacking in knowledge of their residents. He further urged all residents to report any suspicious activity in their neighborhood to RT and RW management or to the city administration through the Qlue smartphone application. 'Residents should report suspicious neighbors and we will make sure to check with police and military personnel,' Ahok said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is set to hold a limited Cabinet meeting to review land-use rights in Papua at his office on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Also to be discussed at the meeting is the acceleration of the development of the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE), a program that is part of the food sovereignty agenda formulated by Jokowi's administration. The MIFEE program in Papua is expected to cover a 1.2-million-hectare area, or a quarter of Merauke, which has proven to be a tough project to implement due to land issues. The large agricultural project threatens conservation areas, such as virgin forests and water catchment areas as well as the habitat of indigenous Papuans. The meeting will be followed by further discussions on the issuance of right to control the land (HPL) and land replacement allocations on Batam Island, Rampang, Setotok, Galang and Galang Baru. President Jokowi is slated to discuss the land issues after attending a consultation meeting with government institution heads in the morning. (liz/kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty and Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 As the Transportation Ministry began signing contracts President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo told its officials to disburse at least 90 percent of its allocated budget this year following slow spending last year. The ministry signed contracts worth Rp 2.07 trillion (US$148.6 million) for 12 strategic projects across the country on Monday, out of the total of 273 projects amounting to Rp 14.24 trillion to be signed in January. The President welcomed the move to break the old pattern of speeding up disbursement in the last months of the year, hence he expected a higher disbursement figure by the ministry, having only spent 76.5 percent of its budget throughout 2015, well below its 80 percent budget-disbursement target. '[It was better than] two years ago [2014] at 75 percent, but I hope it can be boosted to above 90 percent as we have now started [signing contracts] in January,' Jokowi said in his speech to ministry officials. He also reminded them to monitor every infrastructure project related to transportation to prevent misuse of funds amid recurrent corruption cases in various road projects across the country. Jokowi warned the officials not to simply watch the progress from behind their desks given that anomalies and irregularities, 'often occur in the field'. The ministry was also urged to integrate the work on various transportation infrastructure projects across the country with the work of other ministries, including the Tourism Ministry, which is currently focused on developing 10 selected emerging tourism destinations. Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan acknowledged that the ministry's budget disbursement for last year, amounting to Rp 65.12 trillion in total, was not enough although he claimed that the ministry had saved up to Rp 3.15 trillion because of reduced construction costs following the slump in oil prices. He aimed for better spending this year, with a total of Rp 10 trillion worth of contracts ready to be signed by Jan. 15, as the ministry had begun non-binding bidding since November last year. 'Our target is that by Mar. 31, we will have signed 70 percent of the total contracts or put out tenders for 85 percent of them,' he said, adding that the total spending amounting to Rp 41.7 trillion. The contracts signed on Monday included projects such as the runway, taxiway and apron work at Syukuran Aminuddin Amir Airport, Central Sulawesi, as well as the development of a railway in Dumai, North Sumatra, and subsidies for sea freight and pioneering ships operated by state shipping firm PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni). The ministry also signed a contract with state railway firm PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) allocating Rp 1.65 trillion for its infrastructure maintenance operation (IMO) for railways in Sumatra and Java. Jonan also stated that the ministry would focus on boosting transportation safety this year by allocating Rp 12.5 trillion from the Rp 48.46 trillion overall allocation for the ministry in the 2016 state budget. 'We are very serious about this, as the budget allocation has never been that big before,' Jonan said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 Leaders of the House of Representatives have criticized the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for bringing armed members of the National Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) along when raiding the offices of three lawmakers on Friday. The House said that it respected the KPK's right to conduct the raid but the use of Brimob members equipped with weapons to guard Friday's raid had besmirched the good image of the House as a safe place. Benny K. Harman of the Democratic Party, whose former party chairman Anas Urbaningrum was arrested by the KPK in 2014, said that it was unnecessary for the Brimob members to be armed when guarding the search. 'The legislature is part of the state's institutions, they don't need to use weapons on us,' Benny said, adding that the antigraft body should learn how to respect the House, which has seen dozens of its lawmakers arrested after allegedly being caught red-handed accepting bribes from businessmen by the KPK. After arresting Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Damayanti Wisnu Putranti on bribery allegations on Wednesday night, KPK investigators on Friday raided the offices of lawmakers Budi Supriyanto of the Golkar Party and Yudi Widiana of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), whose former chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq was also prosecuted for bribery by the KPK in 2013. Damayanti's office was also scrutinized during the operation. Benny said that as a law enforcement body, the KPK was authorized to conduct the raid, but the use of weapons was not acceptable as guns were the symbol of an authoritarian regime. After holding a meeting on Monday, House leaders decided to summons KPK commissioners and National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti to seek clarification over the use of armed Brimob officers during Friday's raid. Supratman Andi Agtas of the Gerindra Party also voiced similar disapproval, saying that the KPK should review its standard operation procedures for carrying out raids, but he did not know whether the use of weapons violated the law. 'All I know is there was something wrong with the way they carried out the raid,' said the chairman of the House's Legislation Body [Baleg] and member of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs. According to him, House Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah of PKS, who was involved in a quarrel with KPK investigators on Friday, was just fulfilling his duty to protect the House's image when he protested the use of weapons. Mahfudz Siddiq of PKS said that House leaders and Commission III might summons related parties ' Fahri, Brimob and the KPK ' to resolve the matter. 'What Fahri did was right, showing his responsibility as the House's deputy chairman. It would be ridiculous if he did not do that,' Mahfudz said. As far as he had seen, he said, previous raids on the House did not see such use of weapons by the KPK. Responding to the House's criticism, the KPK said that it had conducted the raid in line with existing regulations, and that KPK commissioners would meet with House leaders to provide clarification should it be deemed necessary. 'We are ready to visit the House,' KPK spokeswoman Yuyuk Andriati said on Monday. Yuyuk said that Brimob personnel accompanying KPK investigators on a raid were always equipped with weapons as mandated by Brimob's operating procedures, adding that the KPK did not want to give the impression of giving special treatment to the House by asking that the Brimob personnel go into the House unarmed. 'The raid was conducted just like any other raid,' Yuyuk added. ____________________________________ 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 Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 Politically wired executive and former president director of state port operator Pelindo II Richard Joost Lino has demanded that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) show proof of the alleged state losses incurred in the procurement of cranes by the company. Lino has filed a lawsuit against the antigraft body for naming him a suspect in a corruption case revolving around crane procurement worth US$20 million in 2012. In the first pretrial hearing on Monday at the South Jakarta District Court, Lino, represented by lawyer Maqdir Ismail, claimed that the KPK failed to collect enough evidence to prove that Lino's decision to make a direct appointment in the procurement project had resulted in state losses. Citing Constitutional Court ruling No. 3/2004, Maqdir said that law enforcement institutions, such as the KPK, did not have the authority to calculate the amount of state losses in a graft case without the help of experts and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) and Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP). 'The absence of state losses in the case means that the KPK has yet to acquire enough evidence to name my client a suspect. Therefore, we call on the panel of judges to declare the KPK's move to name my client a suspect illegitimate,' Maqdir read Lino's pretrial plea. The lawyer also claimed that the KPK's investigation into Lino was invalid because the case was being probed by investigators that had resigned from the National Police, adding that legitimate investigators were those who were still active members of the police force. Maqdir further said that the KPK had violated investigation procedures by naming his client a suspect before questioning him as a witness in the case. The lawyer made the claim despite the fact that the antigraft body had grilled Lino, who is said to have strong connections to high-profile figures in the government, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla, in April 2014, in connection to the case. KPK legal bureau head Setiadi refused to comment on Lino's pretrial arguments, saying that he and the KPK's legal team would counter Lino's claims with strong evidence in the second hearing on Tuesday. 'Let's see what we can do tomorrow. Just be patient and wait,' Setiadi said. The KPK said that it had collected enough evidence before naming Lino a suspect in the case and that it was still calculating the state losses that Lino's decision had caused in the case, adding that the KPK would reveal details of the state losses on Tuesday. Audit documents dated 2011 from the BPKP, indicated foul play in the purchase of three container cranes in 2010 for three ports ' in Palembang, South Sumatra, Pontianak, West Kalimantan and in Lampung. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Raras Cahyafitri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The president director of giant copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia, Maroef Sjamsoeddin, officially tendered his resignation on Monday, leaving the company with many issues unresolved, including its divestment and a soon-to-be-expired export permit. Maroef, a retired Air Vice Marshall in the Air Force and the deputy chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) from 2011 to 2014, cited the expiry of his contract with the company as the reason behind his resignation, according to an email circulated to employees. Freeport Indonesia spokesperson Riza Pratama confirmed the email. 'It is correct that he has resigned,' he said, declining to elaborate on the reasons behind Maroef's resignation. The resignation followed a round of hearings with the House of Representatives' ethics council late last year on allegations that former House speaker Setya Novanto had claimed to have approval from President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to accept shares from Freeport in exchange for the government extending the company's contract of work beyond its 2021 expiry date. A copy of a recording of the conversation was also submitted to the ethics council. Maroef, who took the helm at Freeport Indonesia in early January 2015, became the firm's president director under a one-year contract. In his year of leadership, Freeport Indonesia experienced various problems, such as an expired permit for concentrate exports, prolonged renegotiation over its mining contract of work and a failed attempt at getting an early extension of its mining operation. Also recently, Freeport-McMoRan Inc. executive chairman and co-founder James R. Moffett stepped down months after activist investor Carl Icahn took an 8.5 percent stake in the largest US mining company. Meanwhile, the government is assessing the development of Freeport's smelter facility, which must be built in order for the company to be allowed to export. Bambang Gatot Ariyono, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's director general for mineral and coal, confirmed that the mining company had submitted a request for the permit extension. 'We will only issue a recommendation if the company meets all requirements. We are currently evaluating the progress of its smelter development,' Bambang said on Monday. The permit for Freeport to export copper concentrate is tied to the development of a new smelter in Gresik, East Java, a consequence of the 2009 Mining Law requiring firms to process and refine minerals before selling them overseas. Last year, Freeport, a subsidiary of US-based Freeport McMoran, obtained a six-month extension for its export permit on July 28. The company will need to update the government on the smelter's progress so that the mineral and coal office can decide whether or not to issue a recommendation for an extension of the export permit. When the export permit was extended on July 28, the smelter's progress had reached 11 percent. The progress calculation was based on the amount of money disbursed for the development. An export tax is also applied to Freeport, depending on the progress of smelter development. Freeport's spokesperson Riza said on Monday that the company's smelter development was currently on schedule. 'The progress is in line with the schedule. It is currently being evaluated by the Ministry,' he added, declining to give any further details. Critics have pointed to the sluggish development of Freeport's smelter. Under the 2009 Mining Law, mineral processing and refining facilities should have been completed by 2014 ' five years after the law was passed. However, mining companies have been reluctant to comply with the new regulation, forcing the government to postpone the full implementation of the policy. Instead of banning raw mineral exports starting in 2014, the government issued limited permits to export semi-finished products, such as copper concentrate. The export of semi-finished products can only be applied until 2017 under the current regulation. Figures from the mineral and coal office showed that six facilities were completed in 2015. Another seven facilities ' comprising two ferronickel smelter developments, one nickel pig iron facility, one smelter grade alumina facility and three lead and zinc facilities, are scheduled to be completed in 2016. Apart from sluggish smelter development, Freeport is also in the spotlight over an obligation to release the remaining 20.64 percent of its stake to Indonesian nationals, set to be off-loaded in two stages. Last week, the firm officially submitted its divestment offer to the government, offering a US$1.7 billion valuation of 10.64 percent to be released in the first stage. ____________________________________ 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 Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said on Tuesday that it had adhered to prevailing rules when naming state-owned port operator PT Pelindo II's former president director, Richard Joost Lino, a graft suspect. KPK legal bureau chief Setiadi said the antigraft body had obtained two pieces of preliminary evidence, which was adequate to name Lino a suspect in a corruption case related to his decision to directly appoint a supplier in the procurement of three quay container cranes (QCC) for Pelindo II in 2010. 'In the last case expose, we concluded that we had adequate preliminary evidence in the case,' Setiadi said as quoted by kompas.com during a pretrial hearing Lino requested to challenge his suspect status at the South Jakarta District Court. 'We also elevated our pre-investigation process in the case to investigation level,' he further said. Setiadi further said that during the pre-investigation stage, KPK investigators had carried out a string of case exposes on the case in front of KPK leaders and officials in the commission's law enforcement division. In Tuesday's hearing, the KPK responded to accusations Lino conveyed during a hearing the previous day. Through his lawyer, Maqdir Ismail, Lino filed a pretrial motion with the South Jakarta District Court on Dec.28, 2015. The KPK named Lino a graft suspect on Dec.18, 2015, after he was implicated in a corruption case related to the QCC procurement. The three cranes are located at the Pontianak port, West Kalimantan, Panjang Port, Lampung and the Palembang port in South Sumatra. Lino has been accused of misusing his authority to enrich himself in the procurement of the three QCC from Chinese company Wuxi Huadong Heavy Machinery Co. Ltd. (HDHM) in 2010. State losses During the pretrial hearing on Monday, Maqdir claimed that naming Lino a suspect was illegitimate as the KPK had not calculated state losses in the case. Lino had also not been questioned before the anti-graft body named him a suspect. The anti-corruption body started to investigate the case based on a report dated March 2015, which stated that there was suspected corruption in the procurement of the cranes. "We collected 159 documents during the preliminary investigation phase, including memos from the Pelindo II former president director to the company's technical and operational director and to the procurement bureau chief, dated Jan.18, 2010," Setiadi said. On Wednesday, the South Jakarta District Court is set to resume Lino's pretrial hearings and will hear the suspect's comments on statements made by KPK prosecutors during Tuesday's hearing. The KPK charged Lino under Article 2 and/or Article 3 of Law No. 31/1999 on corruption and Article 55 of the Criminal Code. The KPK imposed a travel ban on Lino on Dec. 30, 2015, which is valid for six months. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The Constitutional Court has decided to proceed with five regional election disputes out of the 40 lawsuits it read on Monday. The court rejected the remaining 35, arguing that most had been registered after the deadline as stipulated in Article 157, point 5 of the 2015 Regional Elections Law. The article stipulates that candidates may file election dispute claims with the court within three days of the General Elections Commission (KPU) announcing the results of the regional elections. A lawsuit filed by losing regent candidates Husnul Khuluq-Ach Rubaie from Gresik in East Java, for example, was rejected by the court because the plaintiffs were seven minutes late in filing. 'We're very disappointed in the court. It did not consider facts in the field,' the plaintiff's lawyer, Mohammad Soleh, said after the hearing. The court also rejected a lawsuit filed by disqualified candidates Yusak Yaluwo-Yakob Waremba of Boven Digoel regency, Papua, as they were late to register. Boven Digoel General Elections Commission (KPUD) announced the poll results on Dec. 17 at 2:15 p.m. The deadline of the registration period, therefore, was the same time on Dec. 20, but they filed their dispute at 3:54 p.m., 39 minutes late. The court's decision did not mention those violating Article 158 of the law, which regulates differences in vote garnered. KPU commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay said after the hearing that most plaintiffs had misinterpreted the regulation on the vote result announcement. Most of them did not need to wait for the KPK to issue a decree. 'They waited for decrees on the vote results, which they did not need to do. They could have simply referred to our verbal announcement,' Hadar said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The House of Representatives has agreed to reduce the duration of its recess between sitting sessions from one month to two weeks to improve efficiency. House Speaker Ade Komarudin said that all party factions and internal bodies had agreed to the decision. 'House leaders and its factions have agreed to cut short the length of recess from a month to two weeks at most,' the Golkar politician said on Monday after meeting representatives of factions and internal bodies, as quoted by Antara news agency. Lawmakers failed to meet the 2015 legislation target. Of the 40 bills on last year's National Legislation Program (prolegnas) list, the House only passed three laws: the Regional Election Law, the Regional Administrations Law and the Credit Insurance Law. Since the current batch of House members was sworn in October 2014, the House has been struggling to set up committees and internal bodies amid prolonged battles between pro-government and opposition factions. Unlike the situation over the past decade, the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which won the 2014 legislative elections, was denied the House leadership due to a revision to the Legislative Institution (MD3) Law that was backed by the opposition. The rivalry between the two camps also engulfed the leadership appointment process at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), in which the pro-government coalition, led by the PDI-P, failed to secure the leadership. In Monday's meeting, the House leadership also decided not to conduct further overseas working visits. 'Regarding the visits, [the House] has coordinated with its secretary-general and it has been agreed not to conduct overseas working visits,' said Ade. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta, Central Java Tue, January 19, 2016 Home to hundreds of natural caves, Indonesia is a great destination for ecotourism lovers. Particularly in Yogyakarta province, many caves are situated in karst areas including on Mount Sewu in Gunungkidul regency, which has been recognized as a world geopark by UNESCO. Unfortunately, according to Indonesia Speleological Society chairman Cahyo Rahmadi, the government does not yet have cave utilization guidelines despite such locations operating as tourist sites. Goa Gong (Gong Cave) in East Java, he said, was vandalized due to a lack of barriers between visitors and parts of the cave. Situated in Bomo village, Punung district, around 37 kilometers from the southern part of Pacitan city in East Java, Gong Cave is said to have the most beautiful stalactites and stalagmites in Southeast Asia. They are also unique because, as the cave's name suggests, they make gong-like sounds when hit. "Many of the Goa Gong features were ruined and the colors have changed," Cahyo told thejakartapost.com on Monday, adding that karst caves, which had gone through millions of years of formation, were very difficult to repair. As caves are also a habitat for many species of animals that live in rivers or puddles within them, Cahyo said that area mapping was needed to ensure visitors would not disturb the balance of the aquatic biota. According to Cahyo, the government was currently drafting a bill on karst ecosystem management and protection, adding that guidelines for cave utilization could be derived from the regulation. During a recent discussion on karst ecotourism, the tourism manager of Goa Ngingrong (Ngingrong Cave) in Mulo village, Gunungkidul regency, Mursidi, said his team desperately needed knowledge on speleology to enable them to provide scientific explanations to visitors. "We also want to install lamps inside the cave," said Mursidi. Cave and ecotourism experts have disputed the plan as not only could it ruin the cave's natural beauty but it may also affect its ecosystem. Based on experience, said one of the experts, moss would grow in areas near the lamps due to the warmer temperatures, which could potentially harm other features of the cave. Ngingrong Cave is an increasingly popular spot for tourists because of the ease of access on the side of a road. The cave mouth is situated at the bottom of a valley around 70 meters deep and visitors can also explore three ponds inside. Those who feel reluctant to enter can opt to cross the valley on a flying fox. According to Kanopi Indonesia ecotourism expert Akbar Aryo Digdo, the number of tourists coming to Gunungkidul had increased from 687,000 in 2010 to 3.6 million last year. He said that tourist numbers needed to be shared across several sites to avoid crowding in one particular place such as that seen in Goa Pindul (Pindul Cave). (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 State-owned port operator PT Pelindo II's former president director Richard Joost Lino insisted on his innocence in a graft case during a pretrial hearing at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday against the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) decision to name him a suspect. "The body's naming him a suspect is illegal because there was no preliminary evidence," Lino's lawyer, Maqdir Ismail, said during the hearing. In the defense statement Lino read out he called into question the KPK's decision to name him a graft suspect since the body had not yet calculated the losses the state incurred from the case. Lino added that his being named a suspect was also illegitimate because the KPK had not questioned him beforehand. 'He [Lino] was named a suspect without any state loss calculation,' said Maqdir during the hearing, which was led by Udjiati. "The KPK spokesman even admitted during a press conference held after it named him a suspect that the body was still calculating the exact amount of the state losses,' the lawyer further said, adding that that was a primary element in Lino's case. The KPK is scheduled to read out its response to Lino's accusations on Tuesday. "We'll see how it goes tomorrow," KPK legal bureau chief Setiadi told reporters after the hearing on Monday. The KPK named Lino a graft suspect on Dec. 18, 2015, in an alleged corruption case related to the direct procurement of three quay container cranes (QCCs) in 2010. Lino is accused of misusing his authority to enrich himself by conducting the direct procurement of three QCC units from a Chinese company, Wuxi Huadong Heavy Machinery Co. Ltd. (HDHM). The KPK charged Lino under Article 2 and/or Article 3 of Law No. 31/1999 on corruption eradication and Article 55 of the Criminal Code. The antigraft body also imposed a travel ban on Lino starting Dec. 30, which is effective for six months. (ebf)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 A police officer died after jumping into the Ciliwung River to avoid being attacked by a group of people during a raid on a house in East Jakarta, the police said on Tuesday. The body of Chief. Brig. Taufik was found in the Cideng section of the river near the West Flood Canal in Central Jakarta, several kilometers from where he jumped into the river in Matraman, East Jakarta. His body was found by a man collecting junk from the river at 2 p.m. 'I became curious when I saw a leg in a boot. I thought it was a doll. Then I lifted the body,' Yudi, the scavenger, was quoted by kompas.com as saying. The incident started when five police officers raided a house on Jl. Slamet Riyadi in Matraman, East Jakarta, on Monday evening. During the raid, a drug suspect and her child shouted out to people who were not local residents, said Jakarta Police's General Crimes Department director Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti. The people, who were armed with sharp weapons stormed, the house and tried to attack the police officers. During the incident, another police officer, Senen Police narcotics division head First Insp. Haryadi Parbowo, suffered stab wounds to the abdomen and three others fled. Following the incident, dozens of police officers were seen guarding the Kampung Berland area, which is known as a drug hub. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 Two police officers have been shot during an operation to arrest a drug suspect in North Jakarta, while another group of police officers was attacked in a separate raid to arrest drug suspects in East Jakarta. In East Jakarta, four police officers were forced to jump into a river when a group armed with sharp weapons cornered them on the banks of the Ciliwung River, Jakarta Police's general crime division head Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti said on Tuesday. Three officers survived while one remains missing. He said another police officer, Senen Police narcotics division head First. Insp. Haryadi Parbowo, who did not manage to escape the attack, suffered serious stab wounds to his stomach. 'During the arrests, the drug suspect and her child shouted out to people who were not local residents. They were some kind of protectors,' Krishna said as reported by kompas.com. Central Jakarta Police head Sr. Comr. Hendro Pandowo said the incident started when five police officers raided a house on Jl. Slamet Riyadi in Matraman, East Jakarta, on Monday evening. 'Residents armed with sharp weapons stormed the house and tried to attack the police officers, who wanted to arrest the alleged drug traffickers,' Hendro said, adding that after the attack, the suspects fled. Following the incident, dozens of police officers were seen guarding the Kampung Berland area, which is known for drug trafficking. Meanwhile, West Jakarta Police officers First. Insp. Supriyatin and First Brig. Aris were shot as they tried to arrest drug suspects on Jl. Bugis in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, on Tuesday. They had aimed to arrest Ical, an alleged drug trafficker, but Ical shot at the officers from his house. Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Corm. Mohammad Iqbal said the two officers carried out the operation after obtaining information from an alleged drug dealer, who had been arrested, and had claimed to have obtained narcotics from Ical. Supriyatin was wounded on his hand, while Aris was shot in the chest. The two police officers are being treated in the hospital, while Ical has been arrested, said Krishna. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo is scheduled to hold a meeting on Tuesday morning with government institution heads on efforts to fight the spread of radicalism and terrorism at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. The meeting is being held following a terrorist attack in Central Jakarta on Thursday, which left eight people dead and more than 20 injured. Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said the government was looking to revise Law no. 15/2003 on terrorism, which was aimed at bolstering preventive measures and giving the authorities the right to take action against suspected terrorists. As reported by kompas.com on Monday, Pramono said the government wanted to consider all input, including from government institution heads. The terrorist attack in Jakarta is said to have been anticipated, but security forces had limited authority to prevent it due to lack of evidence and coordination with the National Police and the authority to take action. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said the government was considering suggestions on the detainment of suspected terrorists for several days for investigative purposes. He added that although detainment would not immediately solve the problem, it could at least enable the intelligence unit to obtain information and limit terrorists' movements. (liz/kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The Communications and Information Ministry has reopened access to several radical blogs for investigation purposes following the reactivation of a blog linked to the suspected orchestrator of the Jakarta attack, Bahrun Naim. Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said on Tuesday that the ministry had initially blocked and deleted blogs and websites containing radical or provocative messages. However, some of them have meanwhile been reopened by the ministry to support the police investigation. "The police will need it to track down [blog users] and their locations," he told journalists on Tuesday. Regarding the reactivated blog attributed to Bahrun, Rudiantara said social media tended to come and go. The blog's name was initially www.bahrunnaim.co and was blocked by the government after the terrorist attack on Thursday. The blog then changed its name into www.bahrunnaim.site, where Bahrun apparently wrote blog posts on Monday reviewing the attack and claiming they had been carried out in retaliation against the police. He supposedly posed another blog story on Tuesday, but as of 3 p.m on Tuesday, the blog could no longer be accessed. Rudiantara said the blog posts could have been written by somebody else affiliated to Bahrun and in charge of maintaining the blog. The ministry has given special permission to the National Police, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) to block websites or social media accounts containing radical or terrorism-related content. The ministry was searching for websites containing radical and terrorist ideology, Rudiantara said. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 PT Freeport Indonesia director and executive vice president Robert C. Schroeder has temporarily taken charge as president director of the mining giant, following the resignation of Maroef Sjamsoeddin from his position yesterday. "For a while, Robert Schroeder who currently serves as director and executive vice president will take over Maroef's responsibilities. All officials of the company who previously reported to the president director will report to Robert Schroeder," said Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. president Richard C Adkerson in an internal memo sent to Freeport Indonesia employees on Jan. 18. Freeport was in the process of appointing the new president director of its subsidiary company in Indonesia, he added. However, PT Freeport Indonesia spokesperson Riza Pratama declined to comment. "Just wait," he told thejakartapost.com. Adkerson also said that Maroef had submitted his resignation on Jan. 18 for personal reasons and the company had accepted the resignation. "Maroef had served as Freeport Indonesia president director for a year, and he was representative of Freeport Indonesia in its relations with the Indonesian government, the authorities, Papua people and our human resources," he stated. According to a memorandum sent to Freeport Indonesia employees on Jan 18, Maroef explained his resignation was because his employment contract as president director had expired. Although Freeport McMoran offered him an extension on his contract, Maroef declined to remain with the company and tendered his resignation. Maroef was appointed directly by the former chairman of the board of Freeport McMoran, James Robert Moffett on Jan. 7, 2015, replacing Rozik B. Soetjipto. Before serving as Freeport Indonesia boss, Maroef was State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy head from 2011 to 2014. Lately, Maroef was associated with the scandal involving former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto, who was alleged to have sought favors from Freeport Indonesia in return for an extension of its contract of work. Along with Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said, Maroef testified before the House's ethics council in hearings into the case, which ended with Novanto's resignation as House speaker. Maroef's resignation came as the issue of the continuation of Freeport's operations in Papua remains unresolved. Currently, Freeport has proposed an extension of its contract, which is due to end in 2021, until 2041. However, according to Law No. 4/ 2014 on minerals and coal mining, the submission of a new contract extension can only be made two years prior to the expiry of the contract, in Freeport's case in 2019. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 A suspected mastermind behind the Jan. 14 terrorist attacks in Jakarta, Bahrun Naim, has reactivated a defunct blog to post online that the deadly actions had been taken as retaliation against the police. Bahrun published two blog posts on Monday, four days after the fatal attacks struck Indonesia's capital city, claiming the lives of four civilians and injuring more than 20 people, including police officers. On his blog post entitled "Advice to viewers", Bahrun wrote that the troops of Daulah Islamiyyah (Islamic State, or IS) conducted the deadly and open attacks to target police officers, which he called Indonesian thagut (those who disobey God's law), and foreigners. "The attacks were qishas [retaliation] against attacks of salibis [Christians] against Muslims both in Islamic State and in Indonesia," the blog post stated. He wrote that at least 200 Muslims were murdered without trial by the National Police's counterterrorism squad Densus 88, which he referred to as 'Jesus Squad 88'. Four terrorists believed to have links to IS died during the attacks in one of Jakarta's busiest streets, Jl. MH Thamrin, located not far from the State Palace. IS had threatened the attacks through Abu Wardah ' also known as Santoso, Indonesia's most wanted terrorist ' who urged all Muslims to repent, Bahrun wrote. He said the attacks also served as a warning for people to loathe the government and its supporters as well as those who allied themselves with foreigners and capitalist Christians who eroded the wealth of Muslims. "The warnings urge the people to choose between being on the corrupt government's side that disobeys God's law and fights the Muslims or with the Mujahidin [fighters]!" Bahrun wrote. Meanwhile, in another blog post uploaded on the same day, entitled "Four Strategies of City Guerillas", Bahrun praised the attackers who had relocated the guerilla movement from the forests to the city center in 'a smart operation'. "The IS lion had shown its fangs in the country. Making Indonesian Muslims realize that the police thaguts are apostates willing to sell their faith for mere salaries," he said. The blog post also explains four strategies of urban guerilla warfare that include murder, arrest, siege and monitoring thaguts and their followers. Before posting online Bahrun has been forced to change his website's domain address as his first one had been blocked after the Jan. 14 attacks. Terrorism analyst Al-Chaidar said Bahrun wrote the blog posts to show his support for the attacks. 'He is happy with the attack, although he was not the mastermind of the attack,' Chaidar told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday. Although the police had announced that Bahrun was the person who orchestrated the attacks, Chaidar believed that it was Aman Abdurrahman who was the real mastermind. The convicted terrorist is serving time in a high security prison on Nusakambangan Island in Cilacap, Central Java after he was sentenced to nine years' incarceration by the West Jakarta District Court in 2010. National Police spokesman Anton Charliyan said on Sunday that Bahrun had been a prodigy in Aman's Koran recital group before leaving for Syria. The police have yet to release a statement in response to Bahrun's reactivated blog. (rin)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Tue, January 19, 2016 Your comments on a recent court verdict sentencing former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali to six years' imprisonment for embezzling haj funds at the Religious Affairs Ministry and the latter's move to appeal to a higher court: It was earlier reported that Suryadharma will have his rights as a public official revoked for five years after his prison term is finished. So after that he comfortably slips into a new role and will be even more corrupt to make up for his losses. Well done! Betawi Spring One might wonder where he got all the money from to pay all his lawyers. Devineasia He has caused Rp 27.28 billion (US$2 million) in state losses, and it is added to another 17.96 million riyal. Let's see, using today's rate, one riyal is Rp 3,693.34. Therefore, 17.96 million riyal is approximately Rp 62,786,729,824.50. Thus, in total, he caused losses of almost Rp 95 billion in state funds. Now let's look at the verdict ' he was sentenced to six years' imprisonment and fined only Rp 2.1 billion (Rp 300 million plus Rp 1.8 billion) or two more years behind bars. The Indonesian justice system is... (please help me in filling in the blank, I'm still trying to make up my mind about the worst possible word I could pick to describe it). Simba1991 Given this guy's perceived position in society and his supposed commitment to a higher being, he should feel lucky to get away with a life sentence. What kind of punishment does the Koran recommend for such hypocrites? BH An opportunity to increase this pious thief's sentence to what he deserves! Bohong-Bohong His arrogance is astounding. Charles Jarret Suryadharma, oh Suryadharma... remember Angelina Sondakh? She appealed and got the maximum 16 years! I hope you appeal then. Siang Malam It's sickening to read this. I'm out. Snap Never mind this earthly court. I'd love to see this slimeball, once his time is up, front the court of his God and claim 'but I did nothing wrong!' Fred Herring ______________________________ Topic of the day IS in Indonesia Alongside condemning the bomb attack at Sarinah in Central Jakarta on Thursday, authorities blamed the incident on the Islamic State (IS) movement. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has ordered the police to hunt down terrorists who escaped the raid and raid all terrorist networks in the country. What do you think? Send your thoughts by email, SMS, Twitter or Facebook. Include your name and city. Your comments on a recent court verdict sentencing former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali to six years' imprisonment for embezzling haj funds at the Religious Affairs Ministry and the latter's move to appeal to a higher court: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 Four terrorists attacked buildings and a police post near the Sarinah shopping center in Central Jakarta on Thursday, an area packed with embassies, government offices and the UN headquarters. The 21-minute carnage, which involved homemade bombs and gunfire, has claimed the lives of four innocent civilians and the four perpetrators. But the attack may have been worse if police officers had not saved the day. One of the officers, Adj. Sr. Comr. Untung Sangaji, who managed to prevent further casualties by thwarting two of the four terrorists, Muhammad Ali and Afif, also known as Sunakim. Just before the attack, he had completed his patrol around the State Palace, near Sarinah. '[After that, me and my patrol partners] were looking for a coffee shop.' Untung, who is an instructor at the Maritime Police Training Center, then decided to go to Walnut cafe so his friend could smoke inside. 'After 10 minutes inside we heard a loud explosion. I went outside, thinking that a tire had exploded,' he said. 'But even before I exited the cafe, I saw hundreds of people running on the sidewalk.' Untung, a former counterterrorism intelligence officer who once served in restive Poso in Central Sulawesi, and his patrol partners rushed to the scene, where a second explosion occurred at a traffic police post at the intersection of Jl. MH Thamrin. The second explosion led to the death of civilian Rico Hermawan, 20, who had been taken to the police post for an alleged traffic violation. The police have yet to determine whether the second explosion was a suicide bomb attack or simply a planted bomb that went awry. 'When I saw the victim already lying on the street, I immediately cocked my weapon. I searched around the premises to see whether there was a bomb or not,' Untung said. During that time, people had already gathered around the scene. 'I yelled 'call the ambulance' but instead of helping the police, they opted to take photos and selfies.' Soon after that, Untung said he heard gunshots coming from the Starbucks coffee shop at the Cakrawala Building, also located near the police post. It was then that the two terrorists, Afif and Ali, appeared from the crowd, walking in the direction of the Starbucks and firing and throwing bombs at police and civilians. The gunfire injured Rais Karna, 37, an office boy for Bangkok Bank. Rais passed away on Sunday from wounds sustained in the attack. 'One of the people who was taking selfies dropped to the ground,' he said. 'Then, I looked in the direction where the gunshots were coming from.' One of the gunmen then entered the parking lot of the Starbucks and started shooting. Canadian Amer Quali Tahar, 69, was killed during the gunfire. The police and gunmen started firing at each other and the showdown led to four officers getting shot. During the shoot-out, Afif and Ali attempted to throw bombs at the police and were eventually cornered into hiding behind a car. It was at this time that Untung started shooting at the gunmen. 'I shot at the car windows and apparently hit him [one of the gunmen]. It turned out that he was carrying a bomb, which dropped and exploded. Another bomb also released smoke and exploded afterward,' Untung said. Both gunmen were killed by the bomb, which exploded prematurely. 'Maybe [people wonder] why I was [so courageous] like that. I wasn't crazy. We didn't have any other option but to do our best. If I left the scene to look for other bodyguards, [then the bomb could have killed other civilians],' said Untung. Police officers then combed the area for the next four hours to search for other perpetrators. Although no one else was found, the Jakarta Police secured six active bombs that had yet to be detonated. _____________________________________________ 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 The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 National Police chief Gen.Badrodin Haiti has said two terrorist networks, identified only as Bekasi and Cirebon groups, are suspected of involvement in Thursday's terror attack near the Sarinah shopping center on Jl.MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta. 'The Bekasi and Cirebon groups have strong communication,' said Badrodin as quoted by kompas.com while visiting victims of the attack at Abdi Waluyo Hospital in Jakarta on Tuesday. Badrodin further said that the police had named 17 people suspects in the terror attack that left eight people dead, including four civilians, and injured more than 20 others. Twelve out of the 17 suspected terrorists have been arrested while five others are still serving sentences at the Tangerang prison. If the suspected terrorists serving time were found guilty of involvement in Thursday's attack, they would serve additional time, he went on to say. Badrodin said there was strong indication that the Bekasi and Cirebon terror groups collaborated in the attack despite being led by different leaders. He said the police were pursuing the organizer of the attack. Earlier, National Police spokesperson Insp.Gen. Anton Charliyan said eight out of 13 people arrested by the police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad in several locations were suspected of involvement in the terror attack. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 19, 2016 The government will provide compensation to victims of the Jan. 14 terror attack that took place near the Sarinah shopping center in Central Jakarta. The families of deceased victims will receive Rp 15 million (US$1,083), while surviving victims will receive Rp 5 million, a minister has said. Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said on Tuesday that the government had begun distributing the compensation. The terror attack left four attackers and four civilians dead, while explosions and gunfire wounded at least 20 others, many of whom were passersby. The compensation would be transferred to the bank accounts of surviving victims after they were released from the hospital. The documents needed for disbursement included a death certificate, official documents stating a beneficiary's address and bank account number, she said as reported by kompas.com on Tuesday. Families of deceased victims that did not pass away in a hospital will be required to present an explanation letter from a community head. "Why the head a community head? So that there is sufficient and reliable information on the concerned victim," he said. (liz/bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Yuji Vincent Gonzales (The Jakarta Post) Tue, January 19, 2016 JK Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter series, has revealed a major clue that she told late British actor Alan Rickman about the complex and ambiguous character of Hogwarts professor Severus Snape. Following Rickman's death, Rowling answered a fan on Twitter who asked what information she gave the late actor to 'get a handle' on how to play the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher in the Potter films. 'Will you tell us the piece of information that you told Alan Rickman about Severus Snape? Or will that forever be a secret?' @sarahrosefrank tweeted. 'I told Alan what lies behind the word 'always,'' Rowling replied. In previous interviews, Rickman was quoted as saying that he spoke with Rowling to seek help on how to play Snape. 'She certainly didn't tell me what the end of the story was going to be in any way at all, so I was having to buy the books along with everybody else,' Rickman reportedly said in an interview with Ireland's RTE. 'No, she gave me one little piece of information, which I always said I would never share with anybody and never have, and never will. It wasn't a plot point, or crucial in any tangible way, but it was crucial to me as a piece of information that made me travel down that road rather than that one or that one or that one,' he said. 'Always' was a famous line in the final installment of the Harry Potter series, which referred to Snape's enduring love to the main protagonist's mother, Lily. (kes) Channel 2 talks with the man who was slashed on East 6th Street, in an apparent unprovoked attack. Affordable housing watch: The mayor and governor express disappointment as a key tax break lapses, reports the Observer. CNN Money looks at the Iron Pipeline, which funnels illegal guns into New York City, in part, via low-cost Chinatown buses. EV Grieve surveys blocks in the East Village with multiple empty storefronts. Metropolis talks with Dan Barasch and James Ramsey, founders of The Lowline. Stars such as Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris Noth and Matt Dillon came out to celebrate the opening of Vandal, the new club/restaurant at 199 Bowery, reports the Wall Street Journal. 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 One of the UKs biggest businesses has scrapped a university education as an entry requirement. Penguin Random House, the worlds biggest publishing firm, will no longer ask for a degree when assessing applications from prospective employees. Penguin Random House, the worlds biggest publishing firm, will no longer ask for a degree when assessing applications from prospective employees. The change was announced yesterday (18th January) and comes about as the publisher attempts to attract a more varied candidate pool and future workforce. The news was revealed in a statement on the companys website, and is likely to give a greater opportunity for those who havent chosen the traditional university route to join the company. This is something that is essential in the publishing world, according to the statement, which points out that the industrys brightest talents came from a variety of different backgrounds, not just from the top universities. The company is instead focussing on giving every applicant the opportunity to demonstrate their potential, creativity, strengths and ideas, regardless of their background. Penguin Random House does not assess A-Level or GCSE grades, so academic background is no longer a factor that will be considered by the company. Instead the publisher launched an entry-level programme called Scheme last year, which asks candidates to answer seven strength-based questions via Tumblr rather than submitting an application form and CV. Human Resources Director Neil Morrison says that the change in criteria is critical to the companys future. Morrison adds that the publisher needs to have people from different backgrounds with different perspectives and a workforce that truly reflects today's society" in order to give the best service to the reading public. Penguin Random House isnt the first company to widen their employment criteria financial services firms Ernst and Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers have also changed their job selection process in recent months. The published statement makes it clear that While graduates remain welcome to apply for jobs, not having been through higher education will no longer preclude anyone from joining and progressing their career with Penguin Random House UK - if they have the skills and the potential. It adds: The move is also designed to send a clear message to job-seekers who have been through higher education that the university they attended will not impact their chance of success. Tentang Situs Slot Online Resmi MGS88 Nama Situs MGS88 Minimal Deposit Rp. 10.000,- (Sepuluh Ribu Rupiah) Proses Deposit 2 Menit Metode Deposit Bank Transfer, Pulsa, E-Wallet Judi Online Terbaik Slot Online, Judi Bola, Casino Online, Togel Online, Tembak Ikan Provider Slot Gacor Mudah Maxwin Pragmatic Play, PGSoft, MicroGaming, Habanero Slot Gacor Gampang Menang Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza, Wild West Gold, Starlight Princess Win Rate 98% RTP Live Slot Gacor Tertinggi Hari Ini Terbaru Terlengkap Selamat datang di halaman RTP live dan informasi soal slot gacor hari ini dari situs MGS88 yang setiap hari selalu update. Berdasarkan RTP Live MGS88, Anda bisa mendapatkan informasi tentang slot online yang saat ini yang sedang Gacor atau onfire dengan persentase yang terbukti akurat, ini bisa menjadi rekomendasi anda sebelum memilih permainan slot online di situs MGS88. Cek RTP Slot sekarang juga bosku Klik Provider Slot Untuk Mengetahui RTP Slot Secara Real Time Selamat datang bagi kalian yang sedang mencari situs RTP Live terlengkap dan terkini hari ini. Sangat sesuai jika Anda mengunjungi website MGS88 RTP live untuk informasi tentang permainan slot yang lagi gacor dengan slot RTP yang terupdate. Persentase kemenangan yang kami berikan tentunya diambil dengan data yang sangat valid dan hanya untuk permainan slot yang tersedia di situs MGS88. RTP yang tersedia juga akan selalu diperbarui setiap hari berdasarkan level kemenangan yang diberikan kepada member kami. Memang sih untuk bermain slot itu tergantung hoki dari setiap pemain, Namun RTP live atau bocoran slot dari yang kami sediakan ini adalah data autentik dari banyaknya pemain yang telah bermain dan mencapai kemenangan tinggi. Sederhananya, kalau banyak pemain yang menang di dalam 1 permainan slot, karena itu permainan slot tersebut akan mempunyai persentase RTP yang sangat tinggi. Namun kami tegaskan sekali lagi, ini bukan sebuah paksaan kami situs MGS88 untuk anda bermain di game slot yang mana. Ini bisa dijadikan sebagai referensi atau tolok ukur, boleh dicoba kalau anda mempunyai feel yang kuat dalam memainkan permainan game slot. Anda dapat mengakses kapan saja dan di mana saja selama anda siap bermain. Jangan ragu untuk bertanya ya seputar pola putaran terhadap kami, sebab kami juga menyediakannya loh. Apa itu RTP Live? RTP Live ialah informasi mengenai persentase tertinggi saat ini dari hasil RTP Live dengan bocoran kemenangan pemain saat ini. RTP Live merupakan singkatan dari Return To Play atau bisa juga diartikan sebagai Return to Player. Karena itu, para pemain slot sekarang jika ingin mengetahui seberapa besar kemenangannya, bisa dengan memainkan permainan yang akan dimainkannya dan bisa untung dengan mudah dan tentunya maksimal. Apa itu RTP Slot? RTP Slot juga dikenal sebagai return to player atau pengembalian ke Pemain. RTP slot ialah persentase dari nilai pengembalian semua uang yang dipertaruhkan pemain dari waktu ke waktu. Dengan kata lain, RTP juga dianggap sebagai salah satu fitur slot yang mengembalikan uang pemain saat pemain kalah. Persentase digunakan untuk menghitung RTP dalam permainan slot. Misalnya, jika slot memiliki RTP 97%, itu berarti untuk setiap 100.000 koin yang hilang di slot, slot dapat mengembalikan 97.000. Jika Anda mengetahui RTP sebuah permainan slot, Anda dapat memutuskan permainan slot mana yang akan dimainkan tanpa kerugian besar. Apakah Angka Persentase RTP Slot Itu Penting? Biasanya pemain slot itu tidak memperhatikan RTP dalam permainan yang akan dimainkan, biasanya setelah anda mengisi saldo utama anda akan langsung buru-buru memainkannya. Yang terakhir 90-96% mempengaruhi jumlah kemenangan. Semakin tinggi jumlah RTP yang digunakan, semakin luas peluang untuk mendapatkan keuntungan. Akan namun itu segala tak secara 100% menjamin kemenangan kau dalam bermain, RTP itu cuma sebagai kalkulasi pengeluaran anda saja selama bermain slot.Dengan adanya RTP, kau dapat mengerjakan pengaturan atas uang yang akan kau pertaruhkan nanti pada ketika bermain.Untuk itu pada ketika kau bermain slot dan telah mengalami banyak kekalahan di satu permainan, direkomendasikan kau pindah ke permainan slot lainnya yang RTP nya lebih tinggi dari permainan yang tadi kau mainkan. Keuntungan Menggunakan Bocoran RTP Slot Hari Ini Situs MGS88 Akan dengan senang hati akan beberapa keuntungan yang didapatkan jika anda bermain slot dengan menggunakan RTP Live yang telah disediakan. Berikut Keuntungannya : Peluang Kemenangan Meningkat Tentu saja, saat bermain slot online, menang adalah hal yang paling penting. Di sinilah RTP berperan sebagai metode atau metode baru yang akan membantu Anda memilih permainan slot persentase tinggi. Mendapat variasi dalam Memainkan Game Slot Pastinya banyak pemain slot online yang hanya memainkan 3-5 permainan slot saja. Namun dengan RTP Live slot akan memberikan banyak game slot lain yang bisa anda coba. Tentunya semua permainan slot memiliki potensi kemenangan yang besar, jadi jangan hanya mengandalkan beberapa permainan saja. Menambah Pengalaman Dalam Bermain Slot Keuntungan terakhir adalah Anda tentu saja menambah pengalaman dan keahlian dalam permainan slot online. Dengan berbagai macam permainan slot yang dimainkan, Anda pasti mengetahui karakteristik dari setiap permainan slot yang Anda mainkan. Akibatnya, Anda pasti bisa dianggap sebagai pemain slot yang andal, yang pasti akan meningkatkan peluang Anda untuk menang besar menggunakan RTP. Daftar 8 Situs Dengan RTP Slot Live Tertinggi Hari Ini Ada banyak penyedia mesin slot online di internet. Tetapi tidak semuanya memiliki peluang tinggi atau RTP Live Slot yang sangat tinggi. Tapi jangan khawatir, berikut ini adalah situs slot gacor yang akan memberikan bocoran slot dengan RTP Live Tertinggi: RTP Live Slot Pragmatic Play (RTP Slot 97.85%) RTP Live Slot PG Soft (RTP Live 96.15%) RTP Live Slot Habanero (RTP Slot 95.89%) RTP Live Slot CQ9 (RTP Live 98.83%) RTP Live Slot Spade Gaming (RTP Live 94.99%) RTP Live Slot Micro Gaming (RTP Slot 95.39%) RTP Slot Live Top Trend Gaming (RTP Live 96.14%) RTP Slot Live JOKER123 (RTP Live 97.45%) Itulah Daftar 8 Provider Slot Gacor dengan RTP Live teratas diatas tentunya kami analisa terlebih dahulu. Anda bisa membuktikannya langsung dengan mengklik banner atau meprovider game slot yang sudah tersedia di atas. Saran kami yaitu Anda harus memainkan semua penyedia slot di atas untuk mencapai peluang kemenangan terbaik. Daftar Slot RTP Live Tertinggi Sering Kasih Jackpot Selain mempertimbangkan RTP Slot Gacor yang ada, sebenarnya ada banyak faktor penting untuk menang dalam permainan judi online. Sebab ada banyak game yang memiliki fitur dan mekanisme unik dan bisa membantu anda meraih Jackpot yang sangat besar. Berikut ini akan kami ulas daftar 5 game slot paling populer karena sering memberikan jackpot: RTP Live Gates of Olympus Gates of Olympus adalah game slot teraneh dan terbaik di Indonesia. Karena permainan mesin slot ini paling populer karena kakek Zeus dapat mengizinkan pengganda x500. Selain itu, fitur dan mekanik Gates of Olympus juga sangat menguntungkan untuk memenangkan Grand Jackpot. Secara teoritis, RTP slot langsung Gates of Olympus bernilai 96,50%, yang berarti peluang Anda untuk memenangkan MaxWin cukup tinggi. RTP live Sweet Bonanza Sweet Bonanza adalah permainan slot terpopuler kedua. Game slot bertema buah dan permen yang lezat ini sepertinya akan menarik banyak perhatian karena tergolong slot gacor yang mudah menang. Secara teoritis, slot Sweet Bonanza RTP bernilai 96,48%, yang berarti peluang Anda cukup tinggi untuk memenangkan jackpot. RTP Live Wild West Gold Wild West Gold adalah permainan slot bertema koboi yang juga populer di kalangan penggemar konspirasi. Permainan slot Wild West Gold sendiri kerap menawarkan kejutan jackpot bagi para pemainnya. Selain itu, nilai RTP Live Slot menunjukkan indeks tertinggi hari ini, yang berarti sangat layak dan sangat direkomendasikan. RTP Live Starlight Princess Slot Starlight Princess ini memiliki gaya dan fitur yang mirip dengan Gates of Olympus. Perbedaannya hanya pada desain dan karakter gamenya saja, karena memiliki fitur dan mekanik yang sama tentunya RTP slot teoritis pada game slot ini sama yaitu 96,50%. RTP Live Cash Elevator Mungkin sebagian dari Anda baru mengenal slot Cash Elevator. Namun dari data benchmark yang diungkap, ternyata banyak sekali yang menikmati permainan slot ini. Dengan fitur dan mekanisme unik seperti Lift up and down asli, slot ini juga memiliki slot RTP Live dasar 96,64% yang juga memiliki mekanisme yang sangat menguntungkan untuk memperlancar tingkat kemenangan besar. Bocoran Jam Main Slot Gacor Hari Ini Dalam bermain permainan slot online itu tidak bisa dilakukan dengan sembarangan yah. Jadi, Jika anda bermain pada waktu tertentu seperti yang akan kita bahas sesaat lagi, ada kemungkinan anda untuk mendapatkan kemenangan lebih tinggi. Jam RTP Slot Gacor merupakan bocoran jam main slot yang akan memberikan anda kapan waktu yang pas dalam bermain game slot. Tentu saja seluruh provider slot online memiliki jam tertentu dalam memberikan peluang kepada para pemainnya untuk mendapatkan kemenangan. Disini kami akan memberikan anda Bocoran Jam Slot Gacor yang Paling Akurat Hari ini: Jam Slot Gacor Pragmatic Play 02:30 WIB - Jam 05:25 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Habanero 14:26 WIB - Jam 17:38 WIB Jam Slot Gacor CQ9 00:45 WIB - Jam 05:53 WIB Jam Slot Gacor PG SOFT 14:25 WIB - Jam 17:35 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Joker123 17:41 WIB - Jam 20:42 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Microgaming 22:30 WIB - Jam 00:35 WIB MGS88: Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Pay4D Resmi dan Terpercaya MGS88 adalah situs game slot online Gacor terbaru yang bermitra dengan Pay4D, Pay4D sendiri merupakan daftar situs game slot online terpercaya dengan berbagai macam permainan judi yang mudah dimenangkan seperti Game Bola, Casino Online, Slot Pay4D, Tembak Ikan dan Pay4D Online Permainan togel seperti Singapura, Hongkong, Sydney dan lain-lain. Tujuan utama kami adalah menjadi situs judi online Pay4D yang menyediakan layanan judi online terbaik di Indonesia. Kami juga salah satu situs resmi PAY4D di Indonesia yang pasti akan membayarkan semua kemenangan kepada semua member kami, karena kepercayaan dari semua member kami adalah prioritas utama kami sebagai mesin slot 4d Asia terbaik di Asia, khususnya di Indonesia. Dalam melakukan sistem transaksi sistem simpanan dapat dilakukan dengan mudah melalui mobile banking dan electronic banking berupa bank BCA, BSI, BRI, BNI, Cimb Niaga, Permata dan Mandiri. Selain itu, transaksi e-wallet juga tersedia melalui Dana, Gopay, LinkAja dan Ovo serta dapat digunakan untuk pulsa tanpa dipotong. Untuk mempermudah dan kenyamanan dalam melakukan registrasi atau melakukan setiap transaksi, MGS88 menyediakan layanan live chat dan Whatsapp terhubung langsung dengan customer service online 24 jam. Mengenal Istilah Dalam RTP SLOT Di slot RTP Live Anda akan melihat berbagai fitur yang mungkin tidak Anda pahami masing-masing. Namun jangan khawatir, disini sebagai situs slot gacor MGS88 kami akan memberikan penjelasan lengkap mengenai tentang istilah yang ada di RTP SLOT dibawah ini. 12 Thai men arrested during Phuket anti-drug and -crime raid PHUKET: Twelve men, including two Thalang riot suspects, were arrested on Sunday (Jan 17) when they were found to be in possession of drugs, guns and ammunition as police continue with during their anti-drug and -crime campaign. crimedrugspolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 19 January 2016, 10:25AM Gov Chamroen Tipayapongtada speaks at a press conference held to announce the arrest of the 12 men. Photo: Ekkapop Thongtub In an increased effort to get rid of drug in the Thalang area, Phuket Governor, Thalang district chief and Thalang police launched a massive anti-drug and -crime campaign in the early hours of yesterday morning with more than 120 police, navy and defense volunteers involved. Police arrested 10 men who were found in possession of drugs, guns and ammunition and two suspects believed to have been involved in the Thalang riots. The 12 were named as follow: Samai Baochai with a pistol and two magazines. Sommai Kongnam with one litre of kratom juice, one pistol and five bullets. Worachart Ratso in connection with the Thalang riots. Tanongsak Tanapetch in connection with the Thalang riots. Kitipong Kaewkong with two pistols and nine bullets. Rungroj Surin with an unregistered rifle and 53 bullets. Pornsak Wanthong with 33 bundles of kratom leaves and a Thai pradit gun. Pramoth Heepkaew with 117 methamphetamine (ya bah) pills, marijuana, a unregistered gun and seven bullets. Nattapong Rodthapak with one pistol, one Thai pradit gun and eleven bullets. Paiboon Rattanpak with drugs and previously wanted in connection with an assault charge. Wisut Rattanapak wanted on an assault charge. Somsak Wantong with 320 grams of kratom leaves and kratom juice. Altogether officials eight guns, 88 bullets,117 ya bah pills,18.40 grams of marijuana, 1.16 kilos of kratom leaves and 1.35 litres of kratom juice. All of the arrested were taken to Thalang Police Station except for Nattapong, Paiboon and Wisut who were taken to Tha Chatchai Police Staion and Kittipong to Cherng Talay to face their charges. Later yesterday, under the command of Phuket Governor, 270 officers again swooped the streets to check on further suspicious activity in the area but no arrests were made. Gov Chamroen Tipayapongtada said, The anti-drug and -crime campaign we carried out today is part of the central governments policy on drug use. The problem we are facing today is that those involved with drugs have not previously been arrested or were arrested but released on bail. This means they are still free to roam the streets and carry on as they did before. These people are not put in a system to help them stop using drugs and this just becomes an ongoing problem in society and we want it to stop, he said. Philip Morris tax evasion case reaches court BANGKOK: The Office of the Attorney-General filed a multi-billion-baht tax evasion lawsuit against Philip Morris Thailand (PMTL) in the Criminal Court yesterday (Jan 18), a charge the tobacco giants management insisted was without merit and unjust. crimehealth By Bangkok Post Tuesday 19 January 2016, 02:05PM Youth groups gathers at the Government House complaints centre in November to denounce Philip Morris (Thailand) for allegedly making false declarations about the value of its imported cigarettes. Photo: Thiti Wannamontha Attorney-generals spokesman Somnuek Siangkong confirmed today 9Jan 19) that the case reached the Criminal Court yesterday. The defendants included PMTL manager Troy Modlin and some Thai staff, Thai media reported. The court accepted the lawsuit and called the plaintiff and defendants to a meeting on April 25. Media reported that foreign executives of PMTL face arrest warrants because they had not surrendered after failing to attend earlier hearings. The Thai defendants had reported earlier and been released on bail. In a statement released yesterday, PMTLs Mr Modlin said the charges brought against the company were without merit, unjust and in violation of Thailands obligations to comply with the World Trade Organisations customs valuation agreement. PMTL has done nothing wrong. Not only are these charges wholly without merit and in violation of Thailands obligations to comply with the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement, they also call into question Thailands commitment to fairness, transparency and the rule of law, Mr Modlin stated. Prosecuting this case will also undermine Thailands stated desire to revitalise its reputation in the international community as a market-based open economy that is investor friendly. In 2013 the attorney-general indicted PMTL for allegedly under-reporting the value of cigarettes it imported from the Philippines between 2003 and 2007 to avoid paying the full amount of tax. The value of the imported products and avoided tax was estimated at B20 billion. The offence is liable to a fine worth four times the amount, or about B80 billion, and/or a jail term of up to 10 years. The company reportedly declared B5.88 as its CIF (cost, insurance and freight) rate for a packet of L&M cigarettes from the Philippines, while other cigarette importers declared it at B16.81 per packet. PMTL also declared the CIF rate on Marlboro cigarettes from the Philippines at B7.76 a packet, lower than the B27.46 reported by other importers. Read original story here. Phuket to celebrate February with new Lantern Festival PHUKET: Phuket is to welcome a new festival next month, the Phuket Lantern Festival, which will be held from February 2-22 and is aimed at welcoming tourists from all over the world to the island says Phuket Governor. tourismcultureChinese By The Phuket News Tuesday 19 January 2016, 05:28PM Every year, Thai-Chinese residents in Phuket Town decorate their houses with lanterns during the Chinese New Year. Photo Tanyaluk Sakoot Gov Chamreon Tipayapongthada held a meeting last Friday (Jan 15) where he announced the up coming event together with V/Gov Khajornkiet Rakpanichmanee, President of Phuket Shrine Club Prasert Phagthongphol and Uthit Limsakul from Thailand Tourism Phuket Office. Gov Chamroen explained, The Lanterns Festival will run from February 2-22 and is aimed at reintroducing Phukets culture and heritage to the world. Every government department is helping to make this event possible as we are all aware that the beginning of February is Chinese New Year. It is also the month of love as many will celebrate Valentine's Day, and on February 22, the nation will celebrate Makha Bucha Day. The whole month of February is considering a holy and happy month, he said. Every year, Thai-Chinese residents in Phuket Town decorate their houses with lanterns during the Chinese New Year, but this year we will have the biggest festival to light up the island. During the Lanterns Festival we will take the opportunity to cerebrate our accomplishments in the recent City of Gastronomy Award we received from Unesco where Phuket was named one of 18 cities around the world to have a creative culinary dish, he continued. We will reveal to residents and tourists what we received from Unesco besides the recognition, and we will introduce people to more than 300 Phuket cuisines in the Phuket Food Festival. We want to bring happiness to residents and tourists alike during the month of the festival, said Gov Chamroen. TAT official Mr Uthit added, February 2016 is packed with festivals including Chinese New Year. TAT Phuket and the city will help light up the island with the new Lanterns Festival. And this will be in addition to the annual Wat Chalong Fair and Phuket Food Festival. February 13-15 will be Chinese New Year and the Phuket Old Town Festival and February 22 is a Budhist holiday Makha Bucha, he said. It is a special month for many who come to Phuket to celebrate, receive blessings and enjoy the festivals. Chinese New Year in Phuket is unique, especially on the last day of the festival which is on February 15, where believers will hold a ceremony rite to pay respect to the gods. It is one of many spectacular and memorable scenes Phuket has to offer, he said. Pierre, Tea Area lives up to hype and more from HS football week nine Spontaneously bursting into song in public is, as a general rule, a conceit best left to characters in stage and screen musicals simply for the fact that in most everyday situations it will cause others to question your sanity. Now, no one is insinuating that Sophie Gregoire-Trudeaus in-the-moment decision to favour the crowd gathered for a Martin Luther King Day event at Ottawa City Hall with a self-penned, a cappella song on Monday was a sign that the prime ministers wife has suddenly gone mad. The impromptu rendition of a song Gregoire-Trudeau apparently wrote for her daughter called Smile Back at Me for a small audience expecting to see former prime minister Joe Clark receive something called the DreamKeepers lifetime-achievement award, and not Sophie Sings the Blues did, however, cast serious doubt upon her musical judgment, not to mention her ability to sing in key. In her defence, she did seem to get caught up in the moment without really thinking things through. In a video clip posted on various media sites, Gregoire-Trudeau said she was inspired by singers earlier in the program and wanted to offer something of her own. Its not planned, trust me, she said. I am going to sing you a song that I wrote for my daughter Ella-Grace at a moment when I was going through a difficult time and where I remind myself of all the hope that there is in ones life and all the hope that there is in life. Gregoire-Trudeaus performance is still not likely to do her future singing career any favours. She wobbled in and out of pitch the entire time, reached rather painfully for notes well outside her range a few times and failed to present any evidence that the song, such as it was, had any sort of formal structure or coherence. But dont listen to this writer. I asked an actual music teacher with whom I have some acquaintance and who didnt want his name associated with a critique of Justin Trudeaus better half to give Smile Back at Me a quick listen and shoot me some notes, and he had numerous concerns of his own. Although I see she claims she wrote it, it still comes off as improv, for better or worse, he said. Among his other professional criticisms were some worrisome wandering of pitch and beat, including complete loss of meter at one point unless its in a complex, changing meter; a precarious portamento (ie., sliding notes on one syllable) towards the end of the song; and the distracting little humming interpolations Gregoire-Trudeau makes during the first verse. The less deconstruction of the lyric the better, he concluded. But a creditable, if misguided attempt. At least Gregoire-Trudeau who could also be heard online warbling Jingle Bells with her husband in December cant say shes the first wife of a Canadian prime minister to raise eyebrows with an ill-placed bout of song. Justins mother, Margaret Trudeau, once made headlines for offering up an off-the-cuff sing-song salute to Venezuelas First Lady during a state dinner in Caracas. As the Washington Post recently recalled: Half the room teared up, while the other half cringed. The Conservatives cant really make much hay of this gaffe, either, since former prime minister Stephen Harper wasnt above ticklin the ivories and busting out a tone-deaf Neil Diamond or Beatles cover in public from time to time. The crowd in Ottawa was polite, at least, giving Gregoire-Trudeau a standing ovation for her heartfelt efforts. But sometimes, it should be said, the kindest thing to do in these situations is not to encourage them to happen again in the future. With files from The Canadian Press Read more about: SHARE: COLUMBIA, S.C.For the first time in 17 years, civil rights leaders gathered Monday at the South Carolina Statehouse to pay homage to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. without the Confederate flag casting a long shadow over them. The banner was taken down over the summer after police said a young white man who had posed for photos with a rebel flag shot nine black church members to death during a Bible study in Charleston. After the massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Republican Gov. Nikki Haley reversed course and made it a priority for lawmakers to pass legislation to remove the flag. Isnt this a great day? Its so nice to be standing here and not looking at that flag, said Ezell Pittman, who attended most of the King Day anti-flag rallies since they started in 2000. I always had faith it would come down. I hate it took what it did, but was real happy to see it go. Across the country, the 30th anniversary of the holiday to honour the civil rights leader assassinated in 1968 was remembered in different ways. In Michigan, people delivered bottled water to residents of Flint amid the citys drinking water crisis. In Atlanta, an overflow crowd listened as to the nations housing secretary talk about the 50th anniversary of Kings visit to Chicago to launch a campaign for fair housing. Rallies against police brutality in Minnesota and California briefly shut down traffic on two bridges. South Carolina NAACP President Lonnie Randolph said the flags removal was tangible evidence the state cares about civil rights when pushed hard enough. But he warned there would be other fights ahead. I promise you, the people that gather in this building your building will do something this year to cause us to return to ensure freedom, justice and equality is made possible for all people, Randolph said, motioning toward the capitol behind him. Randolph promised to keep coming to the Statehouse until Kings dream comes to its full meaning in a state with wide gaps in education achievement between school districts in rich, white communities and poorer, black ones, and where the governor and Republican-dominated Legislature have refused to take federal money to expand Medicaid. About 1,000 people gathered at the Statehouse on a clear, cold day, drawn in part by appearances by all three main Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin OMalley. Sanders reminded the crowd King was a dynamic leader who wanted to help the poor. OMalley said King would be ashamed his county has made it harder to vote and easier to buy a gun. Only Clinton dealt directly with the flag. She credited Haley and the Republicans with working with the NAACP after the church shooting and choosing Kings legacy over hatred. We couldnt celebrate him and the Confederacy. We had to choose, Clinton said. And South Carolina made the right choice. In the nations capital, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama followed the King Day theme of community service by planting vegetable seeds at a District of Columbia elementary school to honour the civil rights leader and celebrate Mrs. Obamas anti-childhood obesity initiative. They also stuffed bags with books for needy children along with young people who participate in a White House mentoring program and volunteers from the AmeriCorps national service program. Elsewhere, an overflow crowd showed up at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to celebrate its former pastors legacy at an annual commemorative service. It capped more than a week of events under the theme: Remember! Celebrate! Act! Kings Legacy of Freedom for Our World. While people have been distracted by TV reality shows and music that tears down instead of uplifts, many injustices have occurred and were about to create right here in this civilized society the wild, wild west with guns, said Kings daughter, the Rev. Bernice King. Yall, we cant keep being distracted, because if youre not careful, were about to allow a reality show host to bully himself into becoming president of the United States of America, she said. U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro told the church audience that King moved into a Chicago apartment on the citys west side 50 years ago and described seeing a daily battle against depression and hopelessness as babies were attacked by rats and children wore clothes too thin to protect against the Midwest winter. You see, Dr. King knew that housing was more than about just bricks and mortar, Castro said. In Minneapolis, activists braved frigid temperatures as they marched onto a Mississippi River bridge that connects Minneapolis and St. Paul to protest the deaths of two black men shot by police last year in the Twin Cities. A St. Paul officer was placed on leave while the Police Department investigates allegations that he made a post on Facebook urging drivers to run over protesters. In California, protesters from a Black Lives Matter offshoot group shut down one side of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge when they stopped vehicles in the westbound lanes and chained themselves and the cars together to form a line across the bridge. Honouring Martin Luther King Jr. Day South Carolina Civil rights leaders have planned a march to their state capitol, which will include appearances from by all three main Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin OMalley. Washington D.C. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama plan to take part in a community service program in Kings honour. Attorney General Loretta Lynch was to be the keynote speaker at a National Action Network King Day Awards program and FBI Director James Comey planned to lead a government wreath-laying service at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington. Atlanta The King Center in Atlanta is set to celebrate the holiday with a remembrance ceremony at Ebenezer Baptist Church. That commemoration caps more than a week of events meant to celebrate the slain civil rights icons legacy under the theme: Remember! Celebrate! Act! Kings Legacy of Freedom for Our World. New York A free program at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Monday will feature musical and theatrical tributes, including performances by Grammy-winning gospel singer Dorinda Clark-Cole and blues guitarist Guy Davis. Minneapolis Black Lives Matter activists plan to march onto a Mississippi River bridge that connects Minneapolis and St. Paul during a Martin Luther King Day rally. SHARE: When Donna Quan resigned as director of the Toronto District School Board to become an adjunct professor at York Universitys faculty of education, many viewed the new position as nothing more than a sinecure provided by Ontarios Ministry of Education in order to put an end to her tumultuous tenure as head of Canadas largest school board. After all, she will continue to collect an annual salary of $272,000, which is substantially larger than any education professor could ever hope to make. However, the project that Quan is tasked with, assessing the feasibility of requiring all of Ontarios school boards to collect detailed demographic data on its students, could signal a major shift in the way we approach education in this province. Debates about whether we should collect information on the socioeconomic status and race of students have raged inside the Ministry of Education for years. Some argue that the governments policies are good for all students, and amidst our high performance on international tests and ever increasing graduation rates, there isnt really a pressing need for such information. Meanwhile others note that large disparities still exist between children from different racial backgrounds, and that family income continues to be the largest predictor of student achievement. One thing we do know for sure is that students in our school systems are not all given the same opportunities. Data from the TDSB, one of the only boards to collect detailed demographic information, has shown that students from lower income neighbourhoods are much less likely to be identified as gifted, more likely to be identified as having a learning disability, and more than twice as likely to be placed in applied-level classes. Race also plays a major role in how schools treat children. That is why black students represent 13 per cent of the TDSB population, but only 3 per cent of its students identified as gifted. Meanwhile white students, who make up 32 per cent of the TDSB population, comprise more than half of its students identified as gifted. While some have disputed the role that racism plays in such inequitable treatment, we have empirical evidence that should put such notions to rest. A 2015 study by researchers at Stanford University gave teachers copies of student records with names that had been changed to be either stereotypically black or white sounding. When teachers saw records with black sounding names, they were much more likely to recommend that those students be suspended from school than when they saw identical records with white sounding names. Given this reality, having demographic information on our students at least gives us the opportunity to address these glaring inequities. But not everyone thinks this is even a real problem. A Toronto teacher who teaches in a low income neighbourhood once told me that the reason black students and those from low income households are disproportionately placed in lower academic streams is due to the conditions of their upbringing. It is this culture of resignation which can be the downside of school systems having an excessive focus on poverty and race. We see this attitude in some parts of the United States, which has collected detailed race and income statistics for years. Diane Ravitch, an education historian and one of the most prominent voices in American education, demonstrated this when she told a 2011 rally of teachers in Washington, D.C. that our problem is poverty, not schools. It was no coincidence then that when Time magazine journalist Amanda Ripley later interviewed D.C. teachers, many stressed all of the disadvantages that their students faced. One teacher relayed the common complaint to Ripley that parents on this side dont have the know-how to raise their children. The result of this type of attitude was that at the end of the school year, students in this teachers class fell further behind grade level in reading than when they started, and performed significantly worse than other low-income students in D.C. who had started the year at the exact same reading level. On balance, it is a good thing to have more detailed information on the students we serve. Burying our heads in the sand and pretending that problems dont exist is clearly not the solution. But as we better understand the racial backgrounds of our students and the issues of poverty they face, we should be careful to not let that lead to a culture of fatalism and low expectations in our schools. Sachin Maharaj is a PhD student in educational policy at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto and is a teacher in the Toronto District School Board. SHARE: Editors' pick: Originally published Jan. 19. Technology is nothing, Steve Jobs once said. What's important is having faith in people and their ability to use new tools to do great things. Increasingly, workers worldwide are sharing the Apple (AAPL) founder's optimism. Only 17% of business executives and 15% of average workers aware of innovation trends worry that the digital revolution will hurt employment, according to General Electric's (GE) fifth yearly Global Innovation Barometer, published on Tuesday. "There's a much lower degree of concern about the impact of innovation on jobs than we've seen in the past," Marco Annunziata, the company's chief economist, said in an interview. "There's more of a realization that new digital innovation can create better jobs." Some 61% of workers believe technological advances will ultimately bolster employment, the survey showed, despite historical evidence of the upheaval that usually accompanies such improvements. Even now, for example, banks are cutting traditional jobs like tellers as consumers shift to less costly online and mobile banking products. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) executives said last week the company had trimmed the staff in its consumer business by 43,000 people since 2012, including 12,000 cuts last year alone. And large law firms are hiring fewer entry-level associates, typically the most lucrative jobs for new attorneys, thanks to the advent of software that can handle document review more quickly and cheaply, according to law school deans. That contributed to a glut of lawyers that helped push U.S. enrollment of new law students in the fall of 2015 to the lowest since 1973. The shift in public attitudes toward such changes and the willingness to look past immediate challenges may be partly because of economic growth. In the U.S., for instance, unemployment dropped to 5% last year from a peak of 10% during the height of the financial crisis, according to Labor Department figures. Another factor, Annunziata said, may be familiarity. "The digital innovations that we're talking about are no longer in the future," he noted. "They're happening already. People out there can see that innovation is taking place, and it is not destroying jobs." For example, as Apple reinvented the market for personal computers with its sleek iMacs and later, revolutionized the cellular market with the iPhone, jobs at the company surged tenfold, to 110,000 as of September. Exclusive Look Inside: You see Jim Cramer on TV. Now, see where he invests his money and why Apple is a core holding of his multi-million dollar portfolio.Learn more now. About 53% of executives in GE's survey and 45% of workers said that skilled workers will be in high demand in more digitized workplaces. By country, attitudes were most optimistic in India and the U.S. and most skeptical in Poland, Sweden and Japan. Participants in the survey, conducted from Oct. 13 to Dec. 7, included 2,748 senior executives from 23 countries actively involved in their company's innovation strategy as well as 1,346 informed members of the public in 13 nations. With both groups, who ranged in age from 25 to 65, the survey attempted to gauge perceptions of innovation and its potential risks and rewards. "A majority of respondents are saying that innovation really changes the game and really brings value, not just through new products and services but by creating new markets and adopting new business models," Annunziata said. "At the same time you can see a level of concern." While executives realize their companies must innovate radically to keep up -- 90% think the most innovative companies create markets that didn't previously exist -- most also see a risk of "Digital Darwinism." Some 81%, in other words, are concerned about their businesses becoming obsolete as technology evolves more quickly than they can handle. Annunziata, who previously worked as an economist for Unicredit and Deutsche Bank as well as holding a position at the International Monetary Fund, draws a link between that fear and the paradox of executives verbally embracing disruptive innovation while focusing on protecting their core businesses and pushing for only incremental advances. "They're all saying that disruptive innovation is the name of the game," but they're reluctant to do it themselves, he noted. Only 24% of the executives said their business was performing particularly well at adapting to and adding new technology. The other side of that coin is reflected in assessments of how well global education systems are preparing workers to compete in a constantly changing labor market. Executives, generally, were far more confident than workers, particularly in developed Western economies, the survey found. For instance, 79% of business leaders in Canada, 74% in Germany and 72% in the U.S. said schools in those nations were prepared to meet private-sector skill demands. Among workers, only 47% in Canada, 55% in Germany and 41% in the U.S. felt the same. "Perhaps, in the countries where you see business executives being less concerned than the public, it's because, from the point of view of companies, there is almost a pragmatic attitude that says we'll have to do a lot of this in-house, anyway," Annunziata said. "But from the point of view of workers, especially with some concern about jobs still out there, perhaps there is a concern that the school is not going to be able to do enough to prepare you." Overall, however, such concerns failed to dampen survey participants' enthusiasm for an increasingly digital world: Some 68% of executives described themselves as optimistic, as did 64% of workers. Their confidence is reminiscent of Jobs, who made his statements about people using technological tools to do great things during an interview in 1994 -- about nine years after he was forced out of Apple and three years before his return. "I get pessimistic sometimes, but not for long," he told Rolling Stone then, adding that technology had clearly made the world a better place. "Individuals can now do things that only large groups of people with lots of money could do before," Jobs said. "What that means is, we have much more opportunity for people to get to the marketplace -- not just the marketplace of commerce but the marketplace of ideas, the marketplace of publications, the marketplace of public policy. You name it." Something unusual happened to Hawaiian Airlines (HA) shares on Friday. They went up. Like many stocks, Hawaiian shares declined on eight of the first 10 days in 2016. But on Friday, they rose 46 cents to close at $31.67. Of the nine major, publicly traded airlines, JetBlue (JBLU) was the only other gainer. It rose 0.05%. Year to date, Hawaiian shares are down 10%. Shares in every airline are down; the best performer is Spirit (SAVE) ,down 3%, while the worst are Virgin America (VA) , down 21%; United Continental (UAL) , down 20%; and Delta (DAL) , down 12%. The news for Hawaiian was all good last week. On Wednesday, CRT Capital Markets analyst Mike Derchin raised his 2016 earnings estimate to $4.19, way above the consensus Thomson Reuters estimate of $3.84. "There is a misconception, in our opinion, that the declining Chinese currency is a negative for Hawaiian," Derchin wrote in a note. "The reality is it's a positive, in our view." "Since the Chinese currency began to decline, the Japanese yen started appreciating because it acts as the safe-haven currency in Asia. Hawaiian stands out as a winner, in our view, because Japan accounts for 12% of passenger revenues, with 90% of those tickets sold in yen," said Derchin. Hawaiian will begin to fly Honolulu-Tokyo Narita service in July. The carrier also has three weekly flights to Beijing and also serves Australia and New Zealand, which are hurt by China's economic issues. But Derchin believes that "Japan strength more than offsets these problems." Derchin also thinks the yen will continue to strengthen. "The devaluation of the Chinese currency, along with Chinese economic weakness and its ramifications on commodity prices, is likely to lead to further strengthening of the Japanese yen," he wrote. He has a buy on Hawaiian and a $50 target price. Also last week, the International Association of Machinists said it reached tentative five-year agreements with Hawaiian on contracts covering 2,200 workers including mechanics and related, clerical, office, stores, fleet and passenger service workers. "These agreements provide our members the wages and benefits they deserve," said Mike Klemm and David Supplee, the presidents of IAM Districts 141 and 142, respectively, in a prepared statement. The IAM negotiating committees are unanimously recommending ratification. Also, Hawaiian was first in on-time performance in November, the Transportation Department reported last week. That broke a string of three straight months when Delta was No. 1 in on-time performance. In November, 93.9% of Hawaiian flights arrived on time, while 89.5% of Delta flights arrived on time. The average for the 13 biggest airlines was 83.7%. Besides change at the top, there was change at the bottom, as Spirit, which was 13th for the second and third quarters and for October, finished 12th with a 75.3% on-time rate. Thirteenth was Frontier at 74%. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. Bank of America (BAC) posted full-year profit of $15.9 billion, its highest in almost a decade, after a turbulent 12 months in which CEO Brian Moynihan's promotion to chairman sparked blowback from shareholders, and regulators ordered the bank to resubmit its annual stress test. Net income for 2015 more than tripled to $1.31 a share, the bank said in a statement, as net revenue dipped 2% to $82.5 billion. For the three months through December, earnings of 28 cents a share topped the 27-cent average of estimates from analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, as the Charlotte, N.C.-based company boosted mortgage lending 13% and issued 1.3 million new credit cards. That, combined with an increase of 6% in average consumer loan balances, leaves it poised to take advantage of the Federal Reserve'sDecember interest-rate hike, the first since the financial crisis. The bank's performance showcases "the work we've done to develop a straightforward operating model focused on responsible growth and doing more business with each customer and client," Moynihan said in the statement. The CEO has worked to rebuild the bank after his predecessor's costly acquisitions of troubled mortgage lender Countrywide Financial and investment bank Merrill Lynch during the financial crisis forced it take a $45 billion government bailout. The bank's earnings report "is just a very solid story," said TheStreet's Jim Cramer, portfolio manager of the Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust, which holds both Bank of America and Wells Fargo stock. "Loans are up gigantically, which would indicate no consumer slowdown." With 95% of its deposits in the U.S., Bank of America can play off the country's strong labor market and potential rate hikes without worrying about international market instability, Cramer said in a note before the earnings report. Want to be alerted before Jim Cramer buys or sells Bank of America? Learn more now. The bank got a boost last month when federal regulators approved its resubmitted stress tests, annual evaluations set up after the financial crisis in an attempt to prevent a recurrence. The Fed had required the company to revise its capital plan because of weaknesses in its loss- and revenue-modeling, as well as an internal controls. Bank of America wasn't the only financial institution to stumble during the 2015 tests, but it garnered more criticism than rivals after having to resubmit its 2014 plan because capital ratios were misstated. Further upheaval occurred when complaints from shareholders prompted the bank to hold a special meeting for investors to sign off on a decision to give Moynihan the additional title of chairman. While investors had split the two roles in a binding vote in 2009, when the titles were held by Kenneth Lewis, and some institutional holders opposed recombining them, the move ultimately won 63% support. Bank of America added 9 cents to $14.55 in New York trading on Tuesday. That's about 95% of tangible book value, and "given strong-than-expected net interest income/loan growth and continued expense progress," the shares are likely to climb, Nomura analyst Steven Chubak said in a note to clients. The shares previously dropped 8.8% in the past year, outpacing declines on the broader S&P 500. Companywide, net income in the fourth quarter grew 9.4% to $3.3 billion, while revenue increased 4.3% to $19.5 billion. Revenue in consumer banking, the largest business, climbed to $7.8 billion, boosted by increased lending. Net interest margin, which compares the interest a bank earns on loans with what it pays to depositors, tightened 5 basis points to 2.26% in the quarter even as interest income increased to $10.5 billion. The bank expects "some growth" in that amount this quarter, Donofrio said. In the global markets segment, revenue gained 31% to $3.1 billion amid growth in fixed-income trading that was partly due to improvements in rates and credit-related products, executives said on a conference call with analysts. Like rival JPMorgan Chase (JPM) last week, Bank of America highlighted potential risk from loans to energy companies, which have been hit hard by sliding crude oil prices. If oil remained at $30 a barrel for nine quarters, Bank of America would record $700 million in losses, Chief Financial Officer Paul Donofrio said on the call. Oil prices fell below $30 a barrel on Friday and hovered at $29 a barrel on Tuesday. The company's energy portfolio of $21 billion represents about 2% of its total loans, down from 11% last year, Donofrio said. Loans to higher-risk borrowers, such as oil-field services and exploration and production companies, make up 39% of energy lending. "Lumpiness" in the energy industry may drive provisions to cover losses on related loans to more than $900 million over the next couple of quarters, Bank of America said. "In energy and across our commercial sector, we continue to support clients while managing lending limits and actively engaging with stressed borrowers," Donofrio said. His comments echoed those of JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who told analysts last week that the New York bank wouldn't simply pull out of a market "every time something gets volatile and scary." Still, concern about energy loans has the potential to overshadow the bank's fundamentals, noted Dick Bove, a finance analyst with Rafferty Capital Markets. Only seven years have passed since the 2008 financial crisis, when the collapse of a housing-market bubble prompted cascading loan failures that sank some financial institutions and imperiled the global economy. "When people start to become concerned about the quality of the loan portfolios of the banking companies, nothing else matters," Bove said in a telephone interview. "Investors don't care what loans were, what margins were, what costs were, what anything was. What they care about is, 'Are we looking at another massive crisis as a result of bad loans?' Unfortunately, the answer to that question is unknown." NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Rouse Properties (RSE) stock is climbing by 31.28% to $17.71 on heavy trading volume on Thursday morning, after the company announced it received an acquisition proposal from BrookfieldAssetManagement (BAM). Brookfield, an asset manager based in Toronto, offered to buy the New York City-based real estate investment trust for $17 per share in cash, Rouse said in a statement on Tuesday morning. Rouse, which owns and operates regional malls across the U.S., has formed a committee to examine the Brookfield proposal, the company added. The offer is a 26% premium to the closing price of Rouse shares on January 15, 2016, Brookfield said. "Our offer provides an attractive opportunity for Rouse shareholders to realize a significant premium to recent public market pricing," Brian Kingston, CEO of Brookfield Property Group, said in a statement on Tuesday. Brookfield Asset Management stock is up 1.40% to $28.17 in mid-morning trading on Tuesday. So far today, 1.57 million shares of Rouse have traded, versus its 30-day average of about 299,000 shares. Separately, recently, TheStreet Ratings rated this stock as a "Hold" with a ratings score of C-. 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 and reasonable valuation levels. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including weak operating cash flow, poor profit margins and a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself. 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. You can view the full analysis from the report here: RSE RSE data by YCharts NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of JD.com (JD) are rising by 3.15% to $27.84 in mid-morning trading on Tuesday, as some U.S. traded China-based stocks get a boost today from the rally in the Asian nation's market. Stocks in China jumped the most in two month after weaker than expected economic data was released, igniting speculation that the government will increase stimulus, Bloomberg reports. Additionally, industrial stocks soared on the possibility of state-fund buying. JD.com is a Beijing-based online direct sales company. The retailer offers electronics and home appliance products as well as general merchandise and other products. China's Shanghai Composite Index closed higher by 3.2% to 3,007.74 on Tuesday, this was the index's biggest gain since November 4, Bloomberg added. "There's a possibility of a cut in banks' reserve-requirement ratios," Shen Zhengyang, a Shanghai-based analyst at Northeast Securities told Bloomberg. "Railway and infrastructure companies are the main fulcrum for China to stabilize economic growth." Separately, TheStreet Ratings has set a "hold" rating and score of C- on JD.com stock. The primary factors that have impacted the 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. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and notable return on equity. However, as a counter to these strengths, TheStreet Ratings also finds weaknesses including unimpressive growth in net income and poor profit margins. 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. You can view the full analysis from the report here: JD JD data by YCharts NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) stock is declining by 4.14% to $4.17 in afternoon trading on Tuesday, following the resignation of the head of its Indonesian operations. Maroef Sjamsoeddin turned down a contract extension offer after his one-year contract expired, citing personal reasons, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sjamsoeddin's resignation is effective immediately. Robert Schroeder, a director and vice president for the company, will assume Sjamsoeddin's responsibilities until the company hires a permanent replacement. Freeport Indonesia produces about 90% of the company's gold and a large amount of the company's copper, and generated about $3 billion of Freeport-McMoRan's $21.4 billion in global revenue in 2014, the Journal adds. Sjamsoeddin's resignation comes as plunging commodities prices and a tumbling stock price have prompted executive changes, the Journal notes. Shares are down nearly 80% this past year as oil and copper prices fall. In December, Freeport-McMoRan suspended its dividend and announced $1 billion in capital spending cuts during the next two years. Based in Phoenix, Freeport-McMoRan is a natural resource company with operations in oil, natural gas, copper and gold. Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates Freeport-McMoRan as a "sell" with a ratings score of D. The company's weaknesses include its deteriorating net income, generally high debt management risk, disappointing return on equity, weak operating cash flow and generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself. You can view the full analysis from the report here: FCX 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 article's author. FCX data by YCharts Editors' pick: Originally published Jan. 19. Trump fumbled a Bible reference during a speech at Liberty University over the weekend, mentioning "Two Corinthians" as opposed to "Second Corinthians," the book's more common name among the faithful. The mini-gaffe was just one in a long line of flubs and challenges that haven't hurt Trump's candidacy, despite media speculation to the contrary. When it comes to Trump, what doesn't kill him makes him stronger. It appears that virtually nothing Trump says or does can deter his followers, no matter how outlandish, untrue or offensive it is. That's certainly been the case so far. According to a RealClearPolitics national average of polls, the billionaire businessman leads the GOP primary field with 34.5% support. Exactly six months ago, during the supposed "Summer of Trump," he was barely trailing Jeb Bush, polling at 15% nationally compared to the former Florida governor's 15.5%. Yet, onlookers have been predicting the demise of Donald Trump since the day he announced his intentions to run for the White House from Trump Tower in New York last June. In August, New York Daily Newsdeclared that Trump's defense of his sons' hunting trip "may finally doom" his campaign. Citing photos uncovered in 2012 of Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump posing alongside dead exotic animals they killed during a safari trip to Africa in 2011, the publication suggested outrage over the killing of Cecil the lion by a Minnesota dentist over in 2015 could boil over to Trump. No such thing happened. In fact, that month, Trump's support surpassed 25% in a national average of polls. Later in the Summer of Trump, prominent figures like New Hampshire Governor John Sununu, conservative pundit and humorist P.J. O'Rourke, and FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver all predicted the GOP frontrunner's imminent collapse. His comments about Mexican immigrants cost him business deals with Macy's, NBCand Univision, and The Guardianwarned that his anti-immigrant rhetoric could lose his entire party the election in 2016. His poll numbers continued to rise. Trump's debate performances led pundits to predict his demise as well. Some mused whether his attack of Fox News' Megyn Kelly in the wake of the first debate would bring an end to his presidential bid. After the second debate, CNBC contributor and former George W. Bush aide Sara Fagen wrote that the event had been "the beginning of the end of Donald Trump's grip atop the GOP field." The National Reviewasked whether Carly Fiorina's rise would mean Trump's fall. But the first day of fall, September 23, the billionaire's support still hovered above 25%. Throughout the rest of 2015, the pundits continued to write Trump's campaign obituary as his rhetoric heightened and would-be gaffes continued. 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney told an audience at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in late September that Trump "will not be the nominee." The Washington Post's Dana Milbank days later declared, "Trump will lose, or I will eat this column." Conservative-leaning media outlet RedState announced Trump's "first real crisis" on the campaign trail when the former reality television star fell second to Ben Carson in Iowa. The Postdescribed an event in the Hawkeye state in which Trump appeared unusually disheveled, arriving nearly 40 minutes late and launching into a "95-minute long rant that at times sounded like the monologue of a man grappling with why he is running for president." U.S. News pondered, "Is this how it ends?" But it wasn't. Carson fell in the polls. Trump's barrage of attacks on Muslims, including the assertion that he would "certainly implement" a national database of U.S. Muslims and widely discredited claims that he saw thousands of Muslims celebrating the 9/11 attacks in New Jersey, were widely panned by both parties, his GOP rivals and the media. Yet his apparently public opinion dominance largely persisted. Trump's standing among Republicans did drop 12 points in less than a week in late November. His dip in the polls came soon after his Muslim claims as well as his mockery of a New York Times reporter's disability and retweet of racially-charged propaganda, suggesting he may have begun to alienate supporters. But in December, Trump's poll numbers began to rise again, even when he made perhaps his boldest claim yet: a call for a ban on all Muslim immigration to America. White House spokesman Josh Earnest asserted that the proposal "disqualifies" Trump to be president. Secretary of State John Kerry warned that it "endangers national security," and even the Pentagon weighed in, with spokesman Peter Cook cautioning that "anything that bolster's ISIL's narrative and pits the United States against the Muslim faith is certainly not only contrary to our values but contrary to our national security." And still, Trump's support held. He closed 2015 with 35.6% support, according to a RealClearPolitics national average of polls. In 2016, the end to the bombastic billionaire's presidential campaign still appears nowhere in sight, even though many continue to write -- and hope -- otherwise. Some argue that if Trump loses in Iowa (where he is basically tied with Ted Cruz in the polls) or anywhere, his campaign will simply implode. Others have suggested that as other competitors drop out, it will be especially hard for the real estate magnate to pick up their votes, or that his supporters won't actually turn out when it comes time to vote. Cruz appears to believe Trump's "New York values" will do him in. Perhaps Vox's Ezra Klein put the Trump downfall theory conundrum best: Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Snow may mix in. Low 41F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Snow may mix in. Low 41F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. 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. UNHCR representative in Baghdad Bruno Geddo addresses the media on the humanitarian situation in Iraq at the UN Regional Information Centre in Brussels on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. At least 18,802 civilians were killed and another 36,245 were wounded in Iraq between the start of 2014 and Oct. 31 of last year as Iraqi forces battled the Islamic State group, according to a U.N. report released Tuesday.(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) In a Monday, Jan. 18, 2016 photo provided by the Hekmati family, the family and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, Mich.,meet with former Iran prisoner Amir Hekmati, second from right, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. From the left: brother-in-law Dr. Ramy Kurdi, sister Sarah Hekmati, Kildee, Amir Hekmati and sister Leila Hekmati. Amir Hekmati was detained in August 2011 on espionage charges. (Courtesy of the Hekmati Family via AP) The Hyderabad police booked a case of abetment of suicide against Union Minister B. Dattatreya and vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad (UoH) P. Appa Rao following the suicide by a dalit research scholar V. Rohith on the campus on Sunday. Rohith (26) was one of the five dalit scholars expelled by the University of Hyderabad in December last year following a clash with a rival student group. He committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in the hostel room. The death sent shock waves across the state with Dalit organisations, especially student groups and political parties demanding stringent action against the university authorities, who they say are responsible for the tragedy. Rohit, a native of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, was a member of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) and was doing his PhD in science technology and society studies for the past two years. He was among the five Dalit students living in a tent pitched in the campus for the last few days as a mark of protest against the university authorities decision. The student organisations alleged that Dattatreyas letter to his cabinet colleague and HRD Minister Smrithi Irani, seeking disciplinary action against the Dalit students, had led to their expulsion. The Union Labour Minister had dubbed the members of ASA as "casteist, extremist and anti-national". Following a complaint by the students, a case under IPC section 306 (abetment to suicide) has been booked against the Union minister, vice-chancellor and two ABVP leaders Sushilo Kumar and Vishnu. Meanwhile, the HRD minister has sent a two-member team of officials to the university to probe the incident. There was tension when police tried to shift the body to the hospital for autopsy. The students put up stiff resistance, demanding justice for the Rohith's family. Trouble started on the campus following a tiff between members of ASA and ABVP, a student organisation of the BJP, over a documentary film on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. Later, a scuffle broke out over some students organising a protest against hanging of Yakoob Memon. As per the Ambedkars Students Unions press release, the social boycott of Dalit students had begun after Dattatryas intervention. However, the university authorities denied selective action and declared that the students were expelled based on the decision taken by a sub-committee of the Executive Council. The expelled students, all members of the Ambedkar Students Union, were allegedly denied access to campus facilities, except their classrooms and respective workshops, on recommendation by an executive committee of the university. Since then, they were protesting against what they called undemocratic social boycott and were sleeping in a makeshift tent on the campus. They also laid siege to the administrative building in protest. Meanwhile, Rohiths mother Radhika sat on a dharna on the campus along with several students and Dalit organisation leaders, demanding that the vice-chancellor explain the reasons behind suspending her son. Authorities announced early this morning, Tuesday, 9 Shevat, that agents of the ISA (Israel Security Agency Shin Bet) working with the IDFs Duvdevan unit apprehended the terrorist who murdered Mrs. Dafna Meir at the entrance to her Otniel home earlier in the week. The terrorist, 15.5, lives in a village near the Southern Hebron Hills Jewish community. According to reports, he had an argument at home and then decided to go murder a Jew. According to the head of the regional council, Yochai Damari, the young terrorist found a hole in the security system and used it to enter the community and carry out his murderous attack. Damari thanked security forces as he escorted senior officials to the Meir home to inform Natan, the bereaved husband, that the terrorist was apprehended. Damari expresses concerns, stating that this young terrorist had an argument and this led him to murder and innocent wife and mother and therefore, we must realize there are 200, or 2,000 or even 2 million potential terrorists like the one who took the life of Mrs. Meir HYD. The terrorist, who name is not released at this time, is in ISA custody. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) It is gratifying that Dr. Gershon Pincus has now been granted security clearance and will be able to serve his country without the dual loyalty canard hanging over his head. We are grateful that the hierarchy of the Navy paid heed to the concerns Agudath Israel and other Jewish groups expressed over the outrageous earlier denial of security clearance to this patriotic citizen, and finally reversed course. Unfortunately, as was brought to light in this case, Dr. Pincus is by no means the only Jewish American who has been denied the opportunity to serve his country because his alleged ties to the State of Israel make him an unacceptable security risk. Respectfully, we renew our call to the Department of Defense to conduct a full review of its policies and procedures regarding security clearances for Jewish Americans, and to once and for all renounce the canard of dual loyalty. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) On Tuesday, January 12, Agudath Israel of Illinois hosted a meeting for all Chicago-area Rabbonim in an effort to launch a local division of Chayim Aruchim, Agudath Israels Center for Culturally Sensitive Health Advocacy and Counseling. The meeting, which was organized by Rabbi Yaakov Robinson, Executive Director of the Midwest Agudas Yisroel Council of Synagogue Rabbanim, and Rabbi Yitzchok Bider, Executive Director of Agudath Israel of Illinois, had more than 30 Rabbanim attend from across the community spectrum in a wonderful display of achdus. Over the years a dramatic shift has taken place in the ethos and practice of medicine and health care. These changes in values and policies have presented new challenges to Torah observant patients and their families, requiring intervention and guidance in the Halachic, medical, and legal realms. Addressing these issues properly can often mean the difference between life and death. Chayim Aruchim, a project of Agudath Israel of America, was created to identify and address these problems. While their efforts have produced remarkable results, the overwhelming majority of their work has been focused on the East Coast. Rabbi Yaakov Robinson, who chaired the event, delivered opening remarks before introducing the keynote speaker, Rabbi Eliezer Gewirtzman, senior member and posek for Chayim Aruchim, who flew in for the occasion. Rabbi Gewirtzman gave a comprehensive and detailed overview of the evolving challenges and common situations that are mishandled or neglected. He shared approaches and potential solutions that have already been successfully employed. He pointed out various instances where a Rov should carefully observe and discern if a patient isnt receiving proper care, how to dissect a shaila, and the most common problems that arise with elderly, demented, and terminal patients. When the physicians or hospitals are resistant to accommodate, one has to know how to challenge the establishment, and when to facilitate a transfer to a different kind of facility instead of insisting on accommodation. He used personal and moving anecdotes to illustrate how lives have been prolonged and even saved through utilizing certain approaches, resources, and services. Following Rabbi Gewirtzman, Rabbi Shmuel Fuerst, Dayan of Agudath Israel of Illinois, shared from his vast experience in dealing with these issues in the Chicago area, describing the distinct difficulties and how they are most effectively dealt with. Being in direct contact and developing a relationship with the primary attending physician is often a critical component. Asserting that the patients religious wishes are to be respected is often effective in achieving cooperation. Rabbi Fuerst decried the normative practices in hospice and palliative care for terminal patients and lamented the lack of available halachicaly compliant hospice care. Next to address the assembled was Rabbi Yona Reiss, Av Beis Din of the Chicago Rabbinical Council, who began with saying that, as its alluded to in Birchas HaChodesh, we can only have chayim shel shalom, chayim shel bracha, etc. if we are first zocheh to chayim aruchim. He expressed how every moment of life is of infinite value and also related from personal experience how far apart the current medical establishments values and policies are from the Torahs approach and how that has had an impact on us. Both Rabbonim strongly emphasized the critical importance of this initiative. The crowd was visibly moved by a powerful video, appropriately titled I Want to Live, produced by Chayim Aruchim. Before the final question and answer segment, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, Director of Government Affairs for Agudath Israel of Illiniois, shared recent legislative developments regarding treatment of the terminally ill, emphasized the importance of being familiar with federal and state law regarding patient rights. He strongly encouraged taking advantage of Agudath Israels Halachic Medical Directive for Illinios, clarified which resources are currently available and which are still in the developmental stages. In addition to the legal services of Agudath Israel, a taskforce of attorneys licensed to practice in Illinois is being formed. These attorneys, who specialize in elder law, medical malpractice, and estate planning, will be a valuable resource in aiding the community. An unanticipated remarkable development occurred immediately following the conclusion of the meeting: one of the attendees, heeding the call of Rabbi Fuerst, contacted a local community member in the health care and hospice industry, requesting if accommodations could be made for a Halachic hospice. The response was in the affirmative and discussions are already underway for having such a facility in the community. Other local chesed organizations that deal with aiding the ill, including Chicago Hatzalah, the Refoenu division of the Chicago Center for Torah & Chesed, and the Chicago Mitzvah Campaign have been active collaborating partners in this initiative and participated in the meeting. The launch of the Illinois division of Chayim Aruchim was the result of collaboration between the many local organizations, said Rabbi Soroka. This collaboration will hopefully continue as we work together on this and other projects that will benefit the greater Chicago Jewish community. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Far Rockaway, Queens In response to recently-announced Saturday e-file tax workshops scheduled in Far Rockaway by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D Far Rockaway) is calling on the agency to revise its schedule to accommodate Shabbos observers. I applaud the state for offering taxpayers free help to file their taxes online, however this service should be available to all our families, said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. Holding the events on Saturdays prevents so many in the community from getting the assistance they need. I urge the agency to revisit their schedule and consider adding days that dont interfere with Shabbos. In a letter to Taxation and Finance Commissioner Jerry Boone, Assemblyman Goldfeder wrote that his office recently received the agencys schedule for e-file tax workshops in Far Rockaway over the next four months. According to the letter, Goldfeder noticed that all eleven events scheduled at the Queens Library Far Rockaway branch were on a Saturday. This conflict with Shabbos prevent many in the community from utilizing the valuable resource during tax season. The Assemblyman called on Boone to consider revising the workshop schedule to make the events more available to the frum community. The e-file tax workshops bring state volunteers to the community to provide free help filing taxes online. In all, 160 such events will be held at sites throughout Queens and Nassau counties during the months of January-February. According to the agencys website, individuals earning less than $62,000 in 2015 are eligible to prepare and e-file both federal and state returns free of charge. More than 90% of taxpayers are eligible to file at least their state taxes online, the website states. Taxpayers can utilize the states free filling software by going to www.tax.ny.gov Assemblyman Goldfeders request comes amid numerous recent efforts to help local residents during tax time. Last week, Goldfeder called on the NYC Department of Finance to schedule additional city property tax informational sessions in the community. On Friday, Goldfeder will take his concerns with the citys property tax regime to a public hearing convened by the Assembly Committee on Real Property Taxation. For Goldfeder, making information more readily available can translate into real savings for middle class families in the community. With our current tax codes as complicated as they are, its often hard for families to understand the benefits and tax breaks available to them, concluded Goldfeder. Being well-informed can often make the difference on tax returns. (YWN Desk NYC) In a move that is receiving a bit of media notoriety in Israel, the Efrat Religious Council has given a hashgacha to the Metropole Hotel located in Hanoi. It appears the Chief Rabbinate of Israel is probing the move, for as a rule, a local religious council does not give a hashgacha outside of its domain, not to mention out of the country. In this case, the hechsher was given to accommodate a three-day trip organized by Naomi Tours, a tour that is geared for Shomer Shabbos individuals. Mashgiach Rabbi Menachem Fogel is in Vietnam, in the hotel, and he confirmed the move was a unique one to accommodate the group for a total of three days. Mr. Bob Lang, who heads the Efrat Religious Council, told Kippa News the food was not taken from Israel but cooked in Vietnam. He added the religious council would not give a hechsher to another area in Israel because each municipality has a religious council but this is not so in Vietnam, hence the decision to accommodate the tour agency. Lang added there is no legal reason to prohibit the Efrat Religious Council from doing it. He adds Rabbi Fogel is a community resident who was briefed in advance by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and Rabbi Shimon Golan, with the latter running the hashgacha in Efrat. Rabbi Fogel was paid by the travel agency, unlike the mashgichim in Efrat, who are paid by the religious council or the business receiving the hashgacha. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Syrian peace talks due next week are looking increasingly moot as a string of recent battlefield victories by government troops have bolstered President Bashar Assads hand and plunged the rebels into disarray. The governments advances add to the obstacles that have scuttled chances of halting at least anytime soon the five-year civil war that has killed a quarter of a million people, displaced half the country and enabled the radical Islamic State group to seize a third of Syrias territory. A proxy war on the ground between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, disorganization among the rebels after a top commander and several other local leaders were killed, rigid and disparate U.S. and Russian positions regarding Assads future, and a spat over which groups will be invited to the negotiating table have all added to the conflagration. I dont think we should expect any major results, said Fawaz Gerges, professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics. Assad really believes that time is on his side, that he is winning, that the opposition is in tatters. The Jan. 25 talks in Geneva are meant to start a political process to end the conflict that started in 2011 as a largely peaceful uprising against Assads rule but escalated into an all-out war after a harsh state crackdown. The plan calls for cease-fires in parallel to the talks, a new constitution and elections in a year and a half. On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged countries supporting opposing sides in the Syrian conflict to redouble efforts to reach agreement on a list of opposition groups that are to be invited to the talks. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the United Nations is focusing on starting the talks on Jan. 25, but he said it cant send out invitations until the key countries agree on a list of opposition invitees. He hinted the talks could be delayed, telling reporters they would be notified as soon as we can if there is any slippage in the date. The fighting in Syria intensified since Russia intervened militarily with airstrikes last September, ostensibly to target Islamic State militants and other extremists. But the airstrikes helped Assad push back rebels on several fronts and capture dozens of villages in the north and west. In November, government troops broke a three-year siege of the Kweiras air base in the northern province of Aleppo, and in December they captured another air base, Marj al-Sultan, in an opposition stronghold near the capital, Damascus. Allied fighters from the Lebanons Shiite Hezbollah group, as well as Iranian military advisers and pro-government militias, have helped the army take several areas in and around Latakia province, the heartland of Assads minority Alawite sect, which dominates the military and government. The latest victory came last week with the capture of the town of Salma, one of the most significant government advances since the Russian air campaign began. Overlooking the coast, it is only 12 kilometers (seven miles) from the border with Turkey, a key supporter of rebels in the area. The Syrian army has shifted from a defensive mode to offense, said Gerges. Before the Russian intervention the army was bleeding, it was desperately trying to maintain its position, but now it has achieved major tactical gains on many fronts. This does not bode well for the Geneva talks, as neither side will be interested in making compromises while the front lines are in a state of flux, Gerges added. Damascus officials have indicated lately that Syrias future will be decided on the battlefield, and have repeatedly said the rebels whom they refer to as terrorists should not expect to gain anything from the talks that they could not achieve on the ground. Meanwhile, relations have been deteriorating between the two main players backing opposite sides Saudi Arabia and Iran. The kingdoms execution earlier this month of a Shiite cleric who had criticized the ruling family brought a wave of recriminations from Tehran. Protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, prompting Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties. That escalation has undermined hopes that arose at the United Nations in December, when a resolution established a new road map set to begin with the Geneva talks. The Saudis and the Iranians are already facing off in Yemen, where the kingdom is fighting Shiite rebels who are supported by Tehran. Riyadh is highly skeptical of the nuclear deal with Iran and wary of the billions of dollars that will fill Tehrans coffers now that international sanctions have been lifted. The Saudis are in a very confrontational mood, and thats not just with regard to Syria but also in Yemen, said Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at the Brookings Institutions Center for Middle East Policy. While Syrian opposition factions outside the country say they hope to see some confidence-building measures by Assad before the Geneva talks, dozens of insurgent groups within Syria said last week they wouldnt attend at all unless humanitarian access was granted to areas under siege and prisoners were released. The regime is trying to achieve as much as possible on the ground before the peace talks, which will be hollow, said Zakaria Ahmad, a spokesman for a moderate rebel faction operating near the Turkish border. It remains unclear which rebel groups will be invited to join the talks. Russia and Syria want to bar many moderate Islamic groups which are backed by the Saudis, who will insist on giving them a place at the table. Meanwhile, top international players the United States and Russia disagree on the basic issue of whether Assad should be allowed to stay on and run in presidential elections or if he should step down as part of the transition. The Saudis and much of the West are adamant that he should leave, while Iran and Russia say his fate should be decided in elections. As long as the basic question of Assads future is not resolved there will be no elections its the central issue, said Rami Khouri of the American University of Beiruts Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs. (AP) Amid a visibly growing anti-Israel sentiment in Europe and elsewhere, US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro on Monday 8 Shevat delivered yet another blow against Jerusalem. Shapiro leveled unprecedented criticism against the government and the yishuvim throughout Yehuda and Shomron. He accuses the government of failing to provide an acceptable response to settler violence, referring to attacks against Arabs. Ambassador Shapiro was addressing the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference in Tel Aviv, stating there is too much vigilantism in the West Bank that goes unchecked. He continued his scathing rebuke adding there is a lack of thorough investigations and as far as to accuse Israel of maintaining a double standard of law throughout the West Bank, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians. The ambassador added the US administration remains perplexed due to the current administrations settlement policy and warned there must be an implementation of the two-state solution to prevent a binational state. The Prime Ministers Office rejected the ambassadors accusations, adding the ambassadors statements, on the day when a mother of six who was murdered is buried, and on a day when a pregnant woman is stabbed are unacceptable and wrong. Israel enforces the law on Israelis and Palestinians. The onus for the stalemate in the diplomatic process is the Palestinian Authority, which continues to incite and refuses negotiations, it concluded. The ambassadors statements have significant fueled the battle of those seeking Israels demise, giving more than an air of legitimacy to many bogus allegations leveled against Israel by the PA (Palestinian Authority). (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Former President Shimon Peres was released from Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, 9 Shevat. Mr. Peres was rushed to the hospital last week after his private physician determined he may be suffering a heart attack. The president did indeed suffer a minor cardiac incident and was immediately taken for a cardiac catheterization after it was determined one of his cardiac arteries was blocked. Following the procedure doctors announced the 92-year-old Nobel Prize laureate was in excellent physical condition but was required to remain in the hospital for a number of days for observation. Doctors have instructed Mr. Peres not to attend the World Economic Conference in Davos, Switzerland this week as planned, but to remain home and rest. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) [COMMUNICATED CONTENT] Planning a family trip to Israel? Whether its a bar or bat mitzvah, a group tour, or a small family vacation, youve got enough logistics on your mind. Wouldnt it be great if you could also feel completely at ease in light of the current security situation? Now thanks to Israel Guard the ability to have a highly trained personal security guard is as easy as a quick phone call or email. Israel Guard is based in America, and specializes in the escort of Americans visiting Israel. IG offers professionally trained courteous security guards who are military trained to deal with a potential crisis. Dont worry, though, they wont get in the way of your family fun Israel Guards security guards are trained to be non-chalant and relaxed,with a very fine professional manner. In lieu of the current security situation, having a guard in Israel isnt just a matter of added peace of mind Its the responsible choice. Safe, responsible travel means taking all the precautions necessary to ensure that your family is protected. Whether its for a large group or just close family, a day trip or a 2-week getaway, Israel Guards security guards are available for all your security needs. Just need someone for trips to high tension locations, such as Maaras Hamachpela and the kotel? A guard can escort you to all the best davening spots in one great day, leaving you with the ability to just relax and enjoy your time in Eretz Yisroel. Safe travels just got easier and safer thanks to Israel Guard. Visit IsraelGuard.com or call Fresh woes: VW now faces legal action from UK investment firms following the emissions scadal Some of Britains biggest investment firms are taking legal action against Volkswagen over its engine emissions scandal. They are part of an international group of shareholders who are seeking compensation over lost profits. The legal action is linked to a plunge in shares at the German car giant in the wake of revelations it cheated test results over the level of pollution being emitted from engines in its cars and trucks. Klaus Nieding at Frankfurt-based law firm Nieding + Barth told the Mail that UK funds were among 66 institutional investors that would file a collective law suit in the next few days. He said the funds had requested he did not reveal their names. Volkswagen admitted 11million of its cars were fitted with so-called defeat device software designed to trick official tests into believing a car is emitting fewer pollutants than it really is. Tata Steels boss has launched a scathing attack on the Government while announcing a further 1,050 job cuts at plants across the country. Karl Koehler, chief executive of the firms European operation, accused ministers of failing to act quickly enough to save Britains steel industry and branded business rates and energy taxes unfair. The industry has been devastated by a flood of cheap imported steel which has mainly come from China. Lower growth in China has left it with an excess of steel and it has been exporting this to Europe. Row: Tata ceo Karl Koehler accused ministers of failing to act quickly enough to save Britains steel industry and branded business rates and energy taxes as being unfair Steel prices are at a ten-year low due to the record amount of Chinese exports and the crisis has been compounded by UK firms paying some of the highest energy costs and green taxes in the world. Koehler said: While we welcome progress on UK energy costs, the Government must take urgent action to increase the competitiveness of the UK for its vital steel sector. This includes lowering business rates and supporting energy efficiency so we can compete fairly. It is also thought Tata Steel is at a disadvantage because the Government only recommends UK steel be used for its major building projects rather than requiring it. Some foreign rivals benefit from being the preferred supplier in their home countries. Harish Patel, national officer at the Unite union, said: Guidance from the Government on the procurement of British steel for infrastructure projects is all well and good, but it needs to be urgently turned into orders and cast iron guarantees that if its built for Britain it uses British steel. Business rates are also a problem being up to ten times higher than what steel makers in Germany and other European countries have to pay. There is also a regulatory issue. If it can be proven that China has dumped steel in the UK a form of predatory pricing in where they would have sold low-cost steel in this country just to get rid of it then legal moves could be taken to stop this as it would drive out competition from the UK. If this case was established then the EU can take steps to block the practice. However, such a case could take up to a year to conclude. In America, by contrast, authorities can take just over a month to process similar cases. Koehler said: We need the European Commission to accelerate its response to unfairly traded imports and increase the robustness of its actions. Not doing so threatens the future of the entire European steel industry. Yesterday, Indian-owned Tata confirmed 750 jobs would go at its Port Talbot plant in South Wales along with 200 in support functions. A further 100 jobs are at risk at steel mills in Trostre in West Wales, as well as Corby and Hartlepool in England. The setback comes just months after Tata announced plans to cut 1,200 jobs, with 900 lost at Scunthorpe and 270 in Scotland. The rest were being laid off at other UK sites. Redcar, Scunthorpe and now it is Port Talbot. The shadows over Britains steel industry grow longer with each passing day and no one appears willing to take responsibility for a disaster for UK manufacturing, jobs and our economic security. The sale of the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus to Tata in 2006 for 6.2billion, at the peak of the Blair-Brown boom, barely raised an eyebrow and no one questioned Tatas ownership credentials. Indeed, at a meeting of Browns Business Council at the Treasury (which I attended) the boss of the Indian company Ratan Tata was the star turn extolling the virtues of Britains open economy. The shine is now well and truly off the ball. In the midst of the financial crisis, when Labour was still grappling with the banks, Tata saw an opportunity to shakedown a weary government and sought an 800million bailout for Jaguar Land Rover. Industry in crisis: Security guards take down a protest banner that has been displayed outside the main gates of the Tata steelworks in Port Talbot, Wales after plans to cut 1,050 jobs were announced Trade secretary Peter Mandelson negotiated such a tough deal that Tata declined the UK government loans and raised the money from the EU and a consortium of banks instead. In the present crisis Tata is blaming everyone but itself for the imbroglio which will see 1,050 jobs axed across the country, from South Wales to Hartlepool. Clearly conditions in the European steel industry are extraordinarily difficult. The slowdown in Chinas economy and the move from manufacturing to more diversified model has left the Peoples Republic with surplus capacity and it is dumping cheap steel on overseas markets. Britain is vulnerable because of its relatively strong exchange rate vis-a-vis the euro, the high cost of energy in Britain relative to competitors and the nations strict adherence to carbon reduction targets. Green taxes hurt steel twice, both through the carbon levy and the climate change surcharges that pump up our energy costs. It is not much use the Government sitting on the side lines, wringing its hands and saying it will provide assistance to displaced workers. If you live in Redcar or Port Talbot, where the numbers of steel jobs have already come down from 20,000 in the 1960s to around 4,000 now, the choices for skilled steel workers are not exactly abundant. So what should the Tories do? The Government should not be afraid to challenge China, our new best trading friend (because of its investment in Hinckley and potentially HS2). It could, for instance, speed up anti-dumping actions through the EU. Contrast Europes sclerotic approach with that in the US where anti-dumping orders can be put in place in 45 days. As Trade Commissioner in 2006, Mandelson was robust and lost no time in imposing anti-dumping tariffs on China and Vietnam over imports of cheap shoe uppers than were killing European footwear manufacturers. In addition the Government could offer the steel owners a reprieve on business rates and temporarily provide relief from carbon taxes. It could direct the British Business Bank, which generally helps smaller businesses, to take a direct stake in the steel industry or offer loan guarantees. In terms of the future of British manufacturing and our economic security the case for preserving our steel capacity is overwhelming. New nuclear, HS2, the Northern Powerhouse, the trans-Pennine link, Crossrail 2, the Thames Tideway (or super-sewer) and the new tower blocks going up in the City of London all demand high quality steel of the kind in which Britain specialises. Our European partners insist on using native steel content. We should do the same. A spokesman for Tata said, 'Tata did not seek an 800 million bailout loan from the British government after the 2008 financial crisis impacted Jaguar Land Rover. Tata asked for loan guarantees to access loans available from the European Investment Bank and to support the thousands of jobs at risk, while itself investing more than 1 billion at that time. As a result, Jaguar Land Rover survived to create more than 20,000 jobs under Tata.' Going sour As Shell limbers up for this months shareholder vote on its 36billion deal with BG Group, it is showing grim determination to shed high cost projects. In its latest move Shell revealed that it is to pull out of a $10billion project with Abu Dhabi National Oil to develop the Bab sour gas field. Sour gas is complex to extract and process because of the high concentration of hydrogen sulphide. The project had been seen by Shell as a stepping stone to being the lead developer on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) largest onshore oilfield. Killing expensive projects is sensible in the current climate with Iran returning to the global market. But it may do nothing to persuade Shell investors of the wisdom of the BG offer in current highly volatile conditions. Fast track Is there any end to Jeff Bezoss ambition? Last year Amazons founder made five major purchases, ranging from an Israeli cloud computing firm to a footwear site. A year earlier he bought the Washington Post. His latest ambition is a fresh food service. A short cut could be online grocery and logistics pioneer Ocado which has seen its the market value plunge to 1.46billion. Chief executive Tim Steiner has so far failed to deliver the big international client he has been promising to add to his Morrisons and Waitrose contracts. Shamed: BT boss John Petter receives the Money Mail Wooden Spoon award BT has vowed to take on 1,000 staff in Britain to help it sort out a customer service headache that resulted in it winning Money Mails 2015 Wooden Spoon Award. The telecoms firm confirmed plans to employ the staff to help it meet a target of answering more than 80 per cent of calls to its consumer arm from within the UK by the end of this year. BT will beef up its numbers between now and April 2017, including 100 more customer service advisers at its Swansea site and the rest spread across the UK at the groups other call centres. It is the second time in three years that BT has won the Wooden Spoon Award and took this years trophy with almost one in three of all votes cast. Complaints ranged from call-centre staff being unable to answer basic requests or call back when asked, to customers not being able to book engineers. In addition to the 1,000 extra advisers, BT (down 3.9p to 459.4p) has pledged to provide more staff training, invest 80million more in customer service and take on 1,000 more engineers. Customers soon will be able to book two-hour appointment slots for engineer visits instead of just requesting a morning or afternoon booking. MBABANE A public transport conductor, who was arrested for allegedly inciting a Quantum driver to drive at high speed, is demanding E1.2 million from the Royal Swaziland Police. Due to the alleged over speeding, the Quantum was involved in an accident along the Manzini Nazarene traffic lights and some passengers were injured. After the accident, the conductor, Mazwi Vukani Dlamini of Sigombeni, was arrested together with the driver. He spent a year and five months in custody after they were arrested and subsequently charged with attempted murder. The charges against him were later withdrawn. In his particulars of claim, Dlamini stated that on or about July 2013, he was arrested by one Sergeant Dumisani Dvuba. He alleged that Dvuba was unknown to him save for the fact that he was employed as a police officer and on the day in question he was acting within the scope of his employment as a traffic officer when he arrested him. I was arrested after the vehicle in which I was a passenger got involved in an accident along the Manzini Nazarene traffic lights. I was on board a public service motor vehicle, Toyota Quantum registered XSD 578 AM, submitted Dlamini. He submitted that as a result of the accident, all of the passengers on board were injured, including him. Dlamini further submitted that the vehicle was driven by one Sandile Delisa Dlamini an adult Swazi male of Logoba in Manzini. He stated that he was thereafter rushed to Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital where he was treated and discharged. These are allegations contained in an affidavit whose veracity is still to be tested in court and the national commissioner of police is yet to file his papers. Other respondents in the matter are the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Attorney General. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry There is renewed hope for supporters of the Dream Act in New York state. The legislation authorizing undocumented students who graduate from high schools in New York to apply for college financial aid is on track to be a priority during the 2016 legislative session. When he opened the session Jan. 6, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who has the power to decide which bills are considered, set an agenda that included more funding for education and additional resources for struggling schools as well as adequate funding for universal pre-kindergarten. Heastie also declared that the Assembly would once again pass the Dream Act. The high-profile measure sponsored by Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) has passed the Assembly for several years in a row, only to be stymied by the Republican-dominated Senate. Year after year we have fought for our bright young students, Moya said. And year after year, the Assembly has acted with vision, while the Senate has chosen to act with fear. I am confident that with Speaker Heasties help, 2016 will be the year of the Dream. I believe now more than ever that a young persons status should not be a barrier to his or her success. It is estimated that of the 4,500 undocumented students who graduate from New York high schools every year, only 5 to 10 percent pursue a college degreemainly due to the financial hurdles such students must face. Heastie said the measure would enable more students to successfully complete their education and build sound, lasting careers and make a meaningful contribution to our communities. The new method of price-formation for natural gas transit through Ukraine, introduced by the Ukrainian national gas regulator since 2016 will increase the tariff on the Russian gas by approximately 50% or even more; talks with Gazprom, however, will be difficult, said Volodymyr Demchyshyn, Ukraine's Minister of Energy and Coal Industry. "It [the tariff] will be as per the new calculations of the regulator. That is approximately, if I remember, $4.5 per 100 cubic meters. That is around 50% more than previously," he told a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday. At the same time he recalled that until recently the tariff had been regulated by bilateral agreements between Naftogaz and Gazprom. New Transylvania: Pittsburgh ranked #6 for vampires With little sunshine and lots of blood banks, study shows Pittsburgh ranked No. 6 best city for vampires Ukrainian president's envoy for peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas, humanitarian subgroup member of the Trilateral Contact Group Iryna Heraschenko has advised her Russian counterpart in the Contact Group to familiarize himself with the Minsk agreements and not "to repeat mantras." She made these comments following Gryzlov's interview. "I carefully read in fact the first interview of the new representative of the aggressor state Russia to the Trilateral Contact Group Gryzlov with Kremlin's Kommersant newspaper. Generally, he publicly recited all the public mantras of the Russian president [Vladimir] Putin regarding 'the two parties, Kyiv and Donetsk' (their favorite topic of 'civil war and a direct dialogue'), he recognized the violation of the ceasefire regime (however, for unknown reasons in the context of 'Ukraine's Armed Forces and volunteer battalions, though the OSCE daily records violations by militants and reflects them in their latest reports, including in Minsk," Heraschenko wrote on her Facebook account on Monday. She also noted that Gryzlov once again spouted a mantra that Kyiv "failed to coordinate" constitutional changes with militants. "Well, first of all, the Minsk agreements contain no provisions that oblige Kyiv to coordinate anything with anyone; the agreements actually say that the election dates have to be negotiated with Donbas (at the same time, for some reason Gryzlov 'forgot' that their puppets 'held' unrecognized elections" as early as in November, 2014, which were not endorsed even by Moscow, and which broke the Minsk agreements," she wrote. In this respect Ukraine's envoy recalled that militants had not yet cancelled those pseudo-elections, "that is why they called themselves 'speakers', 'premiers', and 'the friends of emperor'." "It would be good if Gryzlov at least read the text of the Minsk agreements and didn't repeat non-existent notions after Putin," Heraschenko summed up. Besides, she stressed that constitutional changes were solely the prerogative of the parliament of the independent country and Constitution clearly defined the subject of submission of amendments to the Main Law. "We will unconditionally follow Ukraine's Constitution, and not the vision of the aggressor state. As regards the two sides, indeed, there are two parties, namely: Ukraine that is sustaining aggression, and Russia which has despicably chopped a part of our territory. That is why we firmly request the compliance with Minsk agreements by Russia, specifically on the following provisions: withdrawal of the military and equipment, all of those lost officers of Russia's security services and of those Yakut and Pskov college students, closure of the border, and then we will resolve the situation at our home, without 'brothers' A monkey cannot own a copyright. Or sue anyone. Duh. This seems to be a logical statement, and Mr. Spock likely would agree. So a court battle to decide this seems idiotic. Yet, a U.S. judge had to hear a case. In an actual court. With intellectual pondering involved. Much intellectual pondering had to be invested in determining whether an animal can own a copyright, thus own a selfie, thus make money on the selfie. The case involves 6-year-old macaque monkey Naruto, who took some rather dashing selfies in Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 2011. They were toothy. They were adorable. They went viral. Some insisted the photos are in the public domain, and anyone can use them without asking permission to do so, since the monkey took the photo. British photographer David Slater disagrees. He says he owns the copyright because he paid the money for the trip, it was his camera Naruto used to take the photo and he was the one who adjusted the settings. Thus, since he owns the photos, he would be the one to benefit financially from these adorable monkey pics. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals stepped in with a lawsuit against Slater's San Francisco-based wildlife photography company in 2014, seeking a court order to represent the monkey and be in charge of administering proceeds to benefit the monkey and other crested macaques. U.S. District Judge William Orrick handed down a ruling recently in a federal court in San Francisco. He said, "While Congress and the president can extend the protection of law to animals as well as humans, there is no indication that they did so in the Copyright Act." What a sticky wicket. Yet, it's a sticky wicket that shouldn't even have made it to court in what is obviously a whole lot of wasted time and money. The case should have been thrown out before it made it to the courts. It makes me think about all the abstract-painting elephants around the world who have aspirations of being the next Rothko or Jackson Pollock and are dreaming of breaking down animal-human barriers and being the next big name in the art world. I would say they're devastated by this ruling. But they're probably not. And I'm guessing Naruto probably isn't disappointed, either. I doubt the monkey gives a hoot about what a copyright is, and unlike a Kardashian, Naruto probably isn't very concerned about selfies, cameras, or more human distractions, such as money, fame or creature comforts. Jeff Kerr, chief counsel for PETA and the monkey, said to The Associated Press, "Despite this setback, legal history was made today because we argued to a federal court why Naruto should be the owner of the copyright rather than been seen as a piece of property himself. This case is also exposing the hypocrisy for those who exploit animals for their own gain." Seriously? Naruto looked pretty happy in those photos. I'm sure having to press a camera button was serious exploitation. My guess is Naruto probably just wants to get on with jungle life, sans selfie concerns, and get away from all this human nonsense. I'm with the monkey. By John Ingle of the Times Record News Candidates running for three Wichita County seats gathered at Luby's on Monday to introduce themselves to the Wichita County Republican Women organization, with two of the three bringing somewhat spirited discussions. Incumbent Wichita County Tax Assessor-Collector Tommy Smyth will try to fend off challenger and former tax office chief deputy Mike Pollard, and Precinct 1 County Commissioner Ray Gonzalez is challenged by city of Wichita Falls traffic superintendent Mark Beauchamp. David Blackerby and Alton Yeakley are running for the Constable, Precinct 3 position being vacated by Randy Alsup. Smyth said his goal when elected in 2012 was to change the tax collection practices by the office under his predecessor Lou Murdock. He said there was a history of not being aggressive enough or being too lenient when it came to holding taxpayers accountable and collecting money owed to the taxing jurisdictions, using the example of one taxpayer who owed about $25,000 and had the money in the bank to cover it. "There are people in Wichita County who can't pay their taxes, and there are people in Wichita County who won't pay their taxes," Smyth told the audience. "Now, here's the kicker to what I just told you. Under this last administration, which you had for 15 years ... you want to know how long that Mickey Mouse situation had been going on for that one specific (person)? Well, I'm fixing to tell you 1994." Smyth said $2.6 million in delinquent taxes has been collected since he was elected in 2012. Pollard served under Murdock for 15 years and touted his work ethic and opportunity to bring technology into the office, such as creating a personal computer network, something of which the county took notice, he said. He said he is also credited for leading the way in the ability for customers to use credit cards for a payment method in 2003, and online registration in 2009. The assessor-collector position isn't a political one, he said; rather it's an accounting position, which he is experienced to do. It was during a question-and-answer period with the audience when things got a bit contentious. Pollard accused Smyth of wasteful spending, adding the assessor-collector was trying to create a "Taj Mahal" in the tax office. Smyth said a project to replace carpet was necessary because it had been in the office for more than 20 years. Pollard also accused Smyth of only wanting to collect a paycheck and having others do his work for him. Moderators ended the comments to move on to the next question. Beauchamp said he is tired of the status quo in county government, and a change is needed to stop the cycle. The challenger cited the looming decision regarding the county jail, which has been under scrutiny in recent months. He said the Sprague Unit was supposed to be a stopgap until the jail situation was addressed, but it has been a jail annex for more than 20 years. Proposals to address the jail have been made, he said, ranging from $12 million to $16 million or more. "As commissioner, I will explore all options and bring the best possible plan for our citizens," he said. "It must be fiscally responsible and not place a burden on our taxpayers. In order for it to be successful, it must first have the support of all of our county residents; must address health and safety concerns for our staff as well as inmates; it has to meet county needs well into the future; and most importantly, it must be implemented immediately." Gonzalez, the incumbent Precinct 1 commissioner, didn't address the jail situation until a guest asked the commissioner candidates about it. "You've got to realize, this is a jail. It ain't supposed to be no country club," Gonzalez said. He said that he has reduced his budget by 32 percent during his tenure and even returned $200,000 from his precinct to the country budget from savings through using new products and sharing equipment with other precincts instead of purchasing more and duplicating. He said a commissioner's job is more than roads. It's about working for the families of Wichita County. He used the example of addressing a dangerous intersection in his precinct that drew concerns from residents. That intersection, he said, is now safer. Blackerby retired from the Texas Department of Public Safety in 2014 after 31 years of service. He said he wants to be elected to the Precinct 3 constable position to continue serving people. "I feel I can do the job," he said. "I have been working with the constable in Iowa Park for about the last month serving papers with him and finding out details of the job." Yeakley, also a DPS retiree, served as constable for Precinct 3 from 1992, when he was appointed to finish A.L. Bohannon's term, until he lost his re-election bid to Randy Alsup in 2012. He said a constable in Texas has just as much authority as other law enforcement officials even enough to arrest a county sheriff but their primary job is to serve court papers, something that is an additional revenue source for the county at $75-$100 per paper. "Those papers, if they don't get served, if you don't do your job, of course the county loses that," he said. "Pretty soon, lawyers realize you're not doing your job with serving those papers; they start getting private processors instead of the county doing it. The county loses money." Wichita County voters will decide during the March 1 primaries who will go on to the general election in November. SHARE By The Washington Post A car carrying an Israeli family was struck by gunfire as it traveled toward a West Bank settlement Oct. 1. When the driver was hit and the vehicle stopped, the gunmen approached and coldly murdered Eitam and Naama Henkin as their four children watched from the back seat. Soon after, Israeli security forces arrested what they said was a five-member Hamas cell from the town of Nablus that allegedly had carried out the assault. Now the Palestinian Authority, the secular government that controls Nablus and other major West Bank towns, has made its own arrest of a respected journalist. Salim Sweidan, a board member of the Maan News Network, was picked up by security forces from Nablus on Jan. 7. A prosecutor soon charged him with "slandering public authorities, making up and publishing false news, violating Palestinian press laws ... publishing material inciting hatred and violence, and publishing material that can harm national unity." Sweidan, who was released on bail this week, is not a Hamas member or supporter; on the contrary, he is close to the secular Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. His offense was to publish an article on a website reporting that Palestinian security services provided Israel with information leading to the arrest of the Hamas cell. That this has been cause for his prosecution is worrying evidence of two trends gathering momentum in the West Bank: the breakdown of the rule of law under the Palestinian Authority and the growing reluctance of its security forces and their leaders to maintain a relationship with Israel that has been vital to preserving a relative calm in the territory. Abbas has declared that no Palestinian journalist should be arrested for what he writes. As fellow Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab pointed out, Sweidan's detention clearly violated the Palestinian Authority's law. So did a subsequent demand by Nablus authorities that a website that reproduced his article publish an apology. Yet Nablus security forces carried out the operation without regard for the constitution or the 80-year-old Abbas who himself remains in office seven years after his term expired. Of equal concern is the security forces' zeal not to be linked to Israel's arrest of militants who carried out a brutal murder of civilians. For months, Palestinians have been carrying out uncoordinated but frequent attacks on Israelis. Abbas and other Palestinian leaders say they oppose the violence but at times have appeared to encourage it with inciting statements, and with visits to the families of Palestinian assailants killed by Israeli security forces. Some Palestinian leaders are pushing for a decision to end security cooperation between Palestinian security forces and Israel. That step would almost certainly lead to the suspension of U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority and its collapse. In short, the arrest of the Palestinian journalist is not just an example of the disregard for press freedom by Palestinian leaders. It is also another sign of an approaching crisis that Israel and the United States should be trying to head off. ROTTERDAM A 27-year-old Latham man has been charged with calling in a bogus threat to a Rotterdam high school on Jan. 6 and five minutes later robbing a bank in town. Zachary Dennis is charged with first-degree robbery and third-degree grand larceny, both felonies, as well as misdemeanor falsely reporting an incident. He was arrested Monday following a two-week probe. Albany State employees are taking a close look at a proposal tucked into Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $145 billion budget plan which could amount to an incentive to retire by next October, or face higher health insurance costs. While some are calling it a forced retirement incentive, the governor's office says the plan would bring more fairness to state employees, since it would be more generous for those who worked the longest. Currently, state retirees with 10 or more years of service pay 16 percent of their health care premiums with the state paying the rest (for family coverage they pay more). Under the proposal, those with fewer than 30 years would pay proportionately more, with some paying as much as half. But that change wouldn't take effect until Oct. 1 meaning people could retire prior to then and keep the lower rates. The state expects to save $12.4 million by 2018, according to budget documents. The proposal applies to civilian state employees uniformed workers such as police typically get more generous retirement health benefits. Groups representing state employees greeted the concept with dismay. "It looks like a disincentive (to stay on the job),'' said Barbara Zaron, president of the Office of Management Confidential Employees, which represents non-union state workers. The governor's budget briefing literature, though, states that the change would create "more equitable funding for retiree health insurance coverage.'' "This proposal aligns us with most other employers and how the State's pension fund provides retiree benefits. It makes no sense for an employee with 10 years of service to receive the same benefits as one with 30 years," Division of Budget spokesman Morris Peters said. It remains to be seen if the proposal makes it into the final state budget after members of the Legislature add their input during the next several months. The governor's plan also includes an idea which has been previously proposed but rejected by lawmakers. Currently, New York is one of three states, with Hawaii and California, that reimburses the full $104.90 Medicare Part B premium for retirees. Medicare also imposes a surcharge on those with relatively high incomes, starting at around $85,000. These retirees are reimbursed by the state between $584 to $3,216 annually, with the higher amount representing those with adjusted gross incomes above $214,000. The budget proposes to halt those reimbursements. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Troy Trudy Hall will retire as Emma Willard School's head of school in June after 17 years, the historic independent college preparatory boarding and day school for girls announced Tuesday. Hall took a leave of absence in September and Susan Groesbeck has been serving as acting head of school since then. "The timing is right for Emma and for me," Hall said in a statement. "I leave at a wonderful time in the school's history." Hall touted her tenure's growth in admissions, bolstering the faculty and staff and diversifying the student body. Hall will remain on leave, as planned, through her retirement. But she will represent the school at several conferences this year, including the 2016 Global Forum on Girls and will remain involved in strategic projects during her leave. The search for the school's 17th head of school will begin immediately, officials said. "Trudy is among the most respected and accomplished educational leaders in girls' education, and we wish her well in the next phase of her career," said Elisabeth Allen LeFort, chair of the Emma Willard board. She said Hall's leadership resulted in "significant growth of its reputation worldwide and new levels of success by virtually every measure." Hall oversaw a $33 million renovation of historic buildings on the campus and completed an $80 million fundraising campaign, the largest in the school's history. She led the school during its yearlong bicentennial celebration in 2014 and launched its 2020 Vision campaign. Hall was given credit for the school's highest enrollment in 30 years and a record number of applications. Emma Willard School was established in 1814 in the Middlebury, Vt., home of the pioneering women's educator. In 1819, she moved to New York and opened a school in Waterford. She founded the Troy Female Seminary in Troy in 1821. The school was named in her honor in 1895. Willard spent the last 30 years of her life traveling and writing from her Troy base and died in 1870. Insiders call the school simply Emma. Notable alumnae include Jane Fonda, Academy Award-winning actress, and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York. Two feature films were shot on location on the 137-acre campus above Troy in an area known as Mount Ida: "The Emperor's Club" and "Scent of a Woman." In both movies, Emma Willard was used to depict a boys' prep school. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Baghdad The abduction of three Americans from a Baghdad apartment over the weekend is the latest in a series of brazen high-profile kidnappings undermining confidence in the Iraqi government's ability to control state-sanctioned Shiite militias that have grown in strength as Iraqi security forces battle the Islamic State group. Witnesses said men in uniform carried out the kidnapping in broad daylight Saturday, 100 yards from a police station. "Gunmen in military uniforms came in five or six SUVs, they entered the building and then left almost immediately," said Mohammad Jabar, 35, who runs a shop near the three-story apartment building where the Americans had been invited by their Iraqi interpreter. "A few hours later we heard that three foreigners had been kidnapped by these gunmen," Jabar said. The three were abducted in Dora, a mixed neighborhood that is home to both Shiites and Sunnis. However, they were then taken to Sadr City, a vast and densely populated Shiite district to the east, and there "all communication ceased," an Iraqi intelligence official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. A similar scene unfolded in September, when masked men in military uniforms abducted 18 Turkish workers from a construction site in a Shiite neighborhood. A hostage video later showed the men standing before a banner that read "Death Squads" and "Oh, Hussein," a Shiite religious slogan. The workers were released later that month. In December, gunmen driving SUVs raided a remote camp for falconry hunting in Iraq's overwhelmingly Shiite south, kidnapping 26 Qataris, who are still being held. Iraq's Interior Ministry said at the time that the abduction was "to achieve political and media goals," without providing further details. Baghdad authorities said in a statement that the three Americans were kidnapped from a "suspicious apartment" without elaborating, and have provided no other details. The U.S. Embassy confirmed Sunday "several" Americans went missing in Iraq, after local media reported three Americans had been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital. U.S. officials have declined to provide further details, and have neither identified the Americans nor said what they were doing in Iraq. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Besides Shiite militias, the perpetrators of kidnappings in Iraq have included the Islamic State group, as well as criminal gangs demanding ransom payments or disgruntled employees seeking to resolve workplace disputes. The kidnapping of the Americans comes at a time of deteriorating security in and around the Iraqi capital after months of relative calm. Last week two Iraqi journalists were killed within sight of a police checkpoint in Diyala province north of Baghdad. The scale and sophistication of the recent kidnappings of foreigners suggest those responsible are operating with some degree of impunity, said Nathaniel Rabkin, managing editor of Inside Iraqi Politics, a political risk assessment newsletter. "You kidnap 26 Qataris out in the desert, that's not like four or five yahoos out in the south. ... That's a pretty well-run operation. It must be some relatively established group that did it," he said. The only groups operating in Iraq with those capabilities, Rabkin said, are the country's powerful Shiite militias. Shiite militias have played a key role in battling the Islamic State group, filling a vacuum left by the collapse of the Iraqi security forces in the summer of 2014 and proving to be some of the most effective anti-IS forces on the ground in Iraq. The government-allied militias are now officially sanctioned and known as the Popular Mobilization Committees. But many trace their roots to the armed groups that battled U.S. troops after the 2003 invasion and kidnapped and killed Sunnis at the height of Iraq's sectarian bloodletting in 2006 and 2007. Rights groups have accused them of kidnapping and in some cases killing Sunni civilians since they rearmed in 2014, charges denied by militia leaders. Although the militias are fighting on the same side as the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, many remain anti-American. When the Pentagon announced an increase in the number of U.S. special forces in Iraq last month, the spokesman for one militia vowed to attack them. "Any such American force will become a primary target for our group. We fought them before and we are ready to resume fighting," said Jafar Hussaini, spokesman for the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, one of the most powerful Shiite militias. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has struggled to balance the power and popularity of Shiite militia groups with the government's dependence on the U.S.-led coalition's contributions to the fight against Islamic State. Unchecked, continued brazen shows of Shiite militia power in the Iraqi capital could further undermine the already weak leader. "I think there's a growing sense that al-Abadi's not in charge, that nobody in Iraq is really in charge anymore or in a position to rein in these militias," Rabkin said. A UN mission tasked to assess stabilization in Donbas will begin on January 23, says a report published on the website of the Ukrainian Permanent Mission to the UN on Tuesday. "In the context of the enhancing UN role in the Donbas stabilization, a UN assessment mission will start working in Ukraine on January 23, 2016, at the request of the Ukrainian side," the report said. The mission will be comprised of representatives from the UN Development Program, the UNICEF and the UN Mine Action Service. The mission is planned to meet with officials from Ukrainian central authorities, and to visit Donbas in order to study local needs, including the need for humanitarian demining. Ukrainian Permanent Representative to the UN, Volodymyr Yelchenko, said earlier that they planned to organize a trip of permanent representatives from the member countries of the UN Security Council to Donbas in order to convince them of the need to deploy a peacekeeping operation. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Columbia, S.C. Facing fresh campaign anxieties, Hillary Clinton is attaching herself to President Barack Obama, hoping to overcome liberal enthusiasm for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with a full-throated embrace of her onetime rival and boss. Central to that strategy: shoring up her standing with African-American voters who helped make Obama the first black president and who could determine her fate if she falters in the first-to-vote contests of Iowa and New Hampshire. Clinton, Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the steps of the South Carolina statehouse which, for the first time, was celebrated with no Confederate flag flying overhead. The event was replete with Obama's influence: as Clinton's two main challengers marched to the capitol, hundreds of faithful chanted the president's campaign mantra, "Fired Up. Ready to Go!" "(King) was counting on all of us to keep going after he was gone, to be a part of what President Obama calls the 'Joshua Generation,' carrying forward the holy work the heroes of the civil rights movement began," Clinton said. Clinton's alignment with Obama, who remains popular with Democrats, was on full display at Sunday night's final debate before the Iowa caucuses. Presenting herself as his heir-apparent, Clinton warned that Sanders' universal health care plan threatened to reopen a contentious debate with Republicans that could undermine the so-called "Obamacare" law. "To start over again with a whole new debate is something that I think would set us back. The Republicans just voted last week to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and thank goodness, President Obama vetoed it and saved Obamacare for the American people," Clinton said. Sanders countered that his "Medicare for all" proposal was the natural evolution to the health care law, reminding Clinton that he played a role in its passage. "I'm on the committee that wrote the Affordable Care Act," he said. When Sanders noted bluntly that he hadn't taken campaign contributions from Wall Street banks or lucrative speaking fees from Goldman Sachs unlike Clinton she tried to turn it into an attack on Obama. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Oklahoma City In Oklahoma, now the country's earthquake capital, people are talking nervously about the big one as man-made quakes get stronger, more frequent and closer to major population centers. Next door in Kansas, they're feeling on firmer ground though no one is ready yet to declare victory. A year ago, the states had a common problem earthquakes caused by the disposal of wastewater from oil and gas exploration. They chose different solutions. Kansas, following early scientific studies, decided to restrict how much and how fast the wastewater could be pumped back underground. Oklahoma instead initially concentrated on the depth of the wastewater injections. Developments since then haven't been reassuring in Oklahoma, where a quake knocked out power in parts of an Oklahoma City suburb several weeks ago and where fears are growing that the worst is yet to come. On Friday, about 200 unhappy residents packed a forum at the state capitol convened by critics of the state's response. A governor's task force is studying the problem but officials have so far avoided taking tougher measures. The quakes, which have been mostly small- to medium-sized, have caused limited damage, and no one foresees anything like the massive damage and deaths in the famous quakes in California, seismologists say. Still, "It's a trend that's unsettling," said Cornell University geophysicist Katie Keranen, referring to the increasing number of quakes. Frequent small quakes can be a harbinger of bigger ones. "You have the ingredients you need to have a larger earthquake." In Oklahoma, earthquakes of magnitude 2.7 and stronger increased by about 10 percent between the last half of 2014 and the last half of 2015, according to a data analysis by The Associated Press. Experts say 2.7 is a threshold at which monitors are reliable. In Kansas, earthquakes of that magnitude went down by 60 percent in the same period. According to earthquake experts, the pattern fits recent peer-reviewed studies that suggest injecting high volumes of wastewater could aggravate natural faults. In Oklahoma's six most earthquake-prone counties, the volume of wastewater disposal increased more than threefold from 2012 to 2014. The past few weeks have been especially nerve-wracking. Eighty-eight quakes of 2.7 or stronger occurred this January as of Monday at noon central time, more than in all of 2012. The recent quakes have generally been more powerful, too, with eight of magnitude 4 or higher. "What concerns me is what is happening to our homes through all these earthquakes," said Mary Beth McFadden of Fairview, a town about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City that has had six quakes of magnitude 4 since the start of the year. "It's your home being put in that position that you have no control over." Last week, the state told companies to reduce wastewater injections at 27 nearby disposal wells. For decades, drilling companies have disposed of oilfield wastewater the subterranean saltwater that comes to the surface with oil and gas, and liquid drilling chemicals by pumping it back underground. But in recent years, improved technology has allowed for injecting more wastewater faster so more oil and gas can be produced. Around here, above the Arbuckle geologic formation of limestone, water under pressure can set off a fault if there's enough tension, according to interviews with 10 earthquake experts. "It's a combination of putting fluid in fast enough and deep enough," said Stanford University geophysicist William Ellsworth. "The higher rate wells are the ones where there are more hazards associated." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs residents James LaVigne and Mary Gavin were behind the recent $2.1 million purchase of financier David Silipigno's 8,000-square-foot, four-bedroom condominium at 87 Railroad Place in downtown Saratoga Springs. When news of the sale broke last week, the buyer wasn't immediately known because the brokers involved would not disclose their clients' identities. The sale is believed to be one of the highest prices paid for a city condo in recent memory. A deed has been filed at the county clerk's office, revealing the identity of the buyers. James LaVigne and Mary Gavin have spent their careers arranging billions of dollars in Federal Housing Administration-backed loans for hospitals across the state for expansions and to refinance debt. Their clients included Albany Medical Center, New York Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortlandt, and many hospitals in New York City. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. LaVigne and Gavin, who could not immediately be reached for comment, were represented by Kate Naughton of Roohan Realty in the deal. Silipigno was represented by Scott Varley of RealtyUSA. The top-floor condo has five full bathrooms, a five-car garage and a theater. lrulison@timesunion.com 518-454-5504 @larryrulison This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It started with an idea for a poem. Larry Fader wanted to write a long narrative poem tracing the roots and detailing the history of Jewish refugees who escaped persecution in Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century, settling as farmers in rustic towns across the United States. Then he reconsidered. Fader decided to locate generations of local Jewish farmers in an ambitious attempt to reunite a rich vein of the Capital Region's history, collecting oral histories of a once-thriving, but now dwindling, population. More Information Farmers reunion The Nassau Synagogue and Jewish Community Center, located off of Route 20 in Nassau, will host the reunion of local Jewish farmers and their offspring this fall, from Oct. 28-30. For further information, or to suggest names of individuals who were part of this Jewish community, please contact the Nassau Synagogue at www.nassausynagogue.org or Dr. Larry Fader at larryfader@comcast.net. See More Collapse "The last of the them are dying out," Fader said. "Although those early years were difficult ... everyone I have talked to remembers this piece of history with great fondness. So identifying and inviting potential attendees should be a lot of fun." Planned for autumn, at the last remaining synagogue founded by the early settlers the Nassau Synagogue, located off Route 20 it's unlike most high school or college reunions, he said, because of the nature of the population being brought together. Fader said he wants to renew friendships and share stories and photos over the generations and, of course, eat together. "The hard part is finding the remaining settlers, their families, their descendants," he said, adding his family's farm was in East Nassau, but he now lives in Greenfield, Mass. Fader is trying to reach fellow descendants of Jews who settled in the region in the early 1900s. They were refugees who fled pogroms waves of terror and killing aimed at Jews in Czarist Russia, Poland, Lithuania and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. Baron Maurice de Hirsch, a wealthy German Jewish banker and philanthropist, awarded many Jewish refugees plots of land throughout the country, some as far west as Colorado. Jews were rarely allowed to own land in Eastern Europe at that time. They were trained instead as tailors, shoemakers and doctors anything but farmers, Fader said. The grants and loans stipulated that these immigrants farm the land, an activity that offered them ways of sustaining themselves and integrating into the American economy. Having moved to rural Rensselaer County towns, many found it hard, Fader said. Some families, unaccustomed to the farming life and tired of struggling with poor, rocky soil, left soon after arriving. But others among the Yiddish-speaking newcomers relied on their traditions and communal sensibilities to help them overcome the local climate and soil conditions, as well as swelling anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic sentiments at the time, he said. In the 1920s, there were an estimated 200 Jewish farming families in Schodack, East Schodack and Nassau. The families in Nassau had a bakery and two kosher butchers. The son of one of those families, the late Harvey Honig, served as town justice. Today, Fred Rheingold, a third-generation Jewish farmer, is helping to organize the reunion. He's one of a remaining handful who lives out the results of the effort in East Schodack, Fader said. Rheingold and his wife, Jody Leopold, grow fruits, vegetables and flowers on a section of their 225-acre family farm. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. "They wanted to show that Jews could be Americans," Rheingold told the Times Union in 1996. "If you work on the land, you're a part of the country." By the 1950s, Fader said, many Jewish farmers dispersed. Some who had settled and thrived had children leave for college or other jobs. Only a handful of Hirsch's beneficiaries remain in Rensselaer County. Others live in the Catskills. "Once they got their foundation in the New World a lot of people left for a new life," Fader said. Three synagogues that were erected by the farmers bookmark their history in the town. The Nassau Synagogue, which also serves as a Jewish Community Center, is still in operation. The East Schodack one with a Star of David still ornamenting the front window houses the Four Doors Down thrift shop, operated by a Christian charity. The other, on Route 66 overlooking the Kinderhook Creek in East Nassau, closed years ago and is now a private home. And Fader's poem? It's titled "Country Schtibel" using a Yiddish term for synagogue and is still in the works. dclark@timesunion.com 518-454-5008 @DartDClark 2016 commemorations will be officially kick started in Donegal on Monday with the launch of the Donegal 2016 Commemorations Programme by Cathaoirleach Cllr. Ciaran Brogan at the County House in Lifford. Donegal 2016 will see an extensive programme of events and activities across the county to commemorate the events of the 1916 Rising, to reflect on our achievements over the last 100 years and to look towards our future. This programme is part of the Ireland 2016 programme and contains events and initiatives across all seven strands of the national programme. The Donegal programme has been developed following extensive community consultation. To coincide with the launch of the Donegal 2016 commemorations, Donegal County Council has produced a history and heritage education pack Donegal in 1916: From the Edge. This pack, which was funded by The Heritage Council, consists of a 64 page booklet and 19 facsimiles in a designed folder. The pack, which is aimed at upper primary/secondary school students, teachers and a general audience, will give people a flavour of what life in Donegal was like in 1916 and will be unveiled at Mondays launch. With over 90 events planned for Donegal, and more likely to be included in the coming months, Donegal is set for an exciting year of commemorations, where everyone of all ages, both in Donegal and overseas, will have an opportunity to join in. [January 19, 2016] Accruent Reports Significant Growth in 2015 Fueled by its Focus on Customer Value Accruent, the fastest-growing and largest independent provider of real estate, facilities and asset management solutions, achieved another record year of growth across all key metrics in 2015. Through industry alignment and strategic product investment, Accruent gained market share in all industry verticals, expanded its international footprint and generated robust EBITDA growth. Accruent grew both revenue and software bookings by 43 percent. The company's focus on customer value included delivery of 64 product releases and the launch of AssetConnect, the first integrated solution that links capital planning with facilities management. In addition, Accruent enabled 139 implementation go-lives, an increase of 48 percent over the prior year. This focus drove 97 percent customer retention. With the most complete solution set for delivering value across real estate and facilities management, Accruent added 171 new customers in 2015 and expanded its international presence with go-lives in Nigeria, Brazil and Colombia. Top line results were accompanied by increasing profitability as the company delivered its 24th consecutive quarter of EBITDA growth. To continue this growth, Accruent announced the addition of two new executives to the team, Kelly Connery as chief revenue officer and John Borgerding as president. Connery previously served as CRO at Bazaarvoice and draws upon 20 years of experience in building successful, high-growth companiesand high-performing teams. Since October 2015, Connery has been leading Accruent's newly aligned industry teams. Each industry team has a dedicated general manager and a core set of leaders to ensure the company invests in and delivers market-specific solutions that drive greater customer value. "Accruent had an incredible year," said Kelly Connery, CRO, Accruent. "The acquisitions of 2014 helped shape the strategy to move to industry-focused teams, and we will now be able to better deliver expertise, products and services." The addition of Borgerding as president further enables Accruent to scale globally to meet the needs of its entire customer base. Borgerding brings over 20 years of technology experience including his most recent positions as president and COO of Websense, CEO of SumTotal Systems (News - Alert), and EVP of global services for Ventyx. As president, Borgerding will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company and report to CEO Mark Friedman. "I'm excited to be part of a company that has such a huge potential for the future," said John Borgerding, president, Accruent. "Accruent has consistently proven its leadership in the market and I look forward to continuing the growth trajectory." "We have had tremendous success over the past 20 years and these changes position us to drive continued growth and innovation for years to come," said Mark Friedman (News - Alert), CEO, Accruent. About Accruent Accruent helps real estate and facilities leaders deliver long-term, world-class operational and financial performance through industry-specific suites that deliver greater customer value. Accruent's solutions are at work in more than 4,400 leading organizations worldwide, including 40 percent of the top 100 retailers, 20 percent of the Fortune 500, 40 percent of the leading universities, all of the top 4 U.S. wireless carriers, 40 percent of U.S. hospitals, and leading service providers managing more than 4 billion square feet of property. Founded in 1995, Accruent is headquartered in Austin with U.S. offices in Santa Monica, Evanston, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Boston. Outside of the U.S., Accruent has offices in Vancouver, BC; Burnaby, BC; Calgary, AB; Vaughan, ON (News - Alert); Reading, UK and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.accruent.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005065/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] AHF Welcomes Chris Holt, MD To San Diego Healthcare and Wellness Center AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today announces that Chris Holt, MD has joined its AHF San Diego Healthcare Center, located at 3940 4th Ave., Suite 140 in the Hillcrest neighborhood. A graduate of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Holt is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and has extensive experience in treating patients living with HIV/AIDS. Prior to joining AHF, Holt worked as an HIV specialty physician at San Diego's Scripps Coastal Medical Center and Scripps Mercy Hospital. Holt will work alongside Adam Zweig, MD as a primary care physician at the AHF San Diego Healthcare Center, which is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:30 am - 5:30 pm and Wednesdays, 11:00 am - 8:00 pm. "Dr. Holt is one of the busiest and most highly respected HIV providers in the San Diego area," said Dr. Zweig, lead physician at AHF's San Diego Healthcare Center. "The staff here is excited to welcome him and his patients to our office. His addition testifies to our ability to grow in the community by providing quality care in a personal and caring environment." "I've lived and worked in San Diego as an HIV specialist for many years and I know first hand how great the need is for people living with HIV/AIDS to have access to medical care in a trusted environment," said Dr. Holt. "I look forward to working with Dr. Zweig to expand our reach in the San Diego community and offering our patients the best medical care and support possible." "As AHF continues to expand our operations in the U.S. and internationally, we are thrilled when we can have experienced and highly-regarded HIV specialists like Dr. Holt join our famil to provide exceptional care to our patients," said Jonathan Petrus, Chief/National Bureau and Investment at AHF. "Dr. Holt's appointment is significant for AHF because it allows us to leverage our local presence and expand our services to areas of greatest need in San Diego County." AHF's San Diego Healthcare Center opened in September 2014 in the same location as the AHF Pharmacy, a full-service pharmacy that has served the San Diego area since 1987. The AHF San Diego Wellness Center, which opened in November 2014 in the AHF San Diego Healthcare Center, provides free HIV testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases on Wednesdays, 4:00-8:00 pm. According to a report from the County of San Diego HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Unit, there were 1,819 HIV diagnoses between 2007 and 2011, 91% of which occurred in men. Though the African-American community carries the heaviest HIV burden in the county, 43% of the 1,819 recent diagnoses were white, 36% were Hispanic, and 15% were black. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 500,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005576/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Ambassador of Ukraine to Austria Oleksandr Scherba has said that Ukrainians will face no inconveniences due to suspension Schengen Agreement by Austria. "Dear Ukrainians. Concerning the so-called suspension of Schengen in Austria: nothing new for Ukrainian citizens except for one thing," the ambassador wrote on his Facebook account. According to him, Ukrainians, as a rest of Europeans, when crossing Austria through motorways, should be ready to stand in line and to present a passport with visa. "The rest [of the rules] remain the same," the diplomat added. Media earlier reported that Austria had decided to withdraw from the Schengen area in connection with the migration situation. "Having made a decision to bring in passport checks on highways, Austria has introduced a system which already exists in Germany and Sweden. Vienna has not left the Schengen Area," Scherba wrote on Twitter on Monday. Global Disposable Medical Devices Sensors 2015-2021 - Research and Markets Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5dxfzs/global_disposable) has announced the addition of the "Global Disposable Medical Devices Sensors Market, By Country (United States, Canada, India, China, Japan, United Kingdom), Company Profiles, Share, Trends, Analysis, Opportunities, Segmentation And Forecast 2015 - 2021" report to their offering. Disposable medical devices sensors market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% for the forecasted period of 2015-2021 It is segmented on the basis of applications which include diagnostic disposable sensors market, therapeutic disposable sensors and patient monitoring sensors market. The diagnostic and patient monitoring market have the highest market share. Rise of the medical imaging sensor market, wearable devices, high prevalence of diabetic and CVDs are the major factors driving the market growth for diagnostic and patient monitoring market. Recent advances in surgical techniques like robotic surgery, endoscopic surgeries and other minimally invasive procedures have contributed in a big way to the applications of these devices. There is a demand for high image quality cameras since these procedures require a lot of accuracy nd precision. Therapeutics applications will also have a good market growth. Conventional diagnostic imaging devices like X-Rays, CT Scanners, MRI machines etc. have a significant impact on the market growth. The market is segmented on the basis of sensor types i.e. temperature sensors, pressure sensors, image sensors accelerometers and biosensors. Image sensors market is going to have a good growth rate with a CAGR of 22%. The disposable images sensors is driven by changes in technology. The market for CMOS (Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor) is growing rapidly and is fast replacing CCD (Charge-coupled Device) as the major technology in medical image sensing devices. The market is also segmented on the basis of placement of sensors. The segments include Invasive disposable medical devices sensors market, Wearable disposable medical devices sensors market, Strip sensors disposable medical devices sensors market, Ingestible sensors disposable medical devices sensors market. Major players include GE healthcare, Philips (News - Alert) healthcare, Medtronic, Given Imaging and others. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Market overview 3. Market determinants 4. Sector Analysis 5. Market Segmentation 6. Competitive Landscape 7. Geographical analysis 8. Company Profiles - GE Healthcare - Philips Healthcare - Analog devices - Given imaging ltd. - Lifescan Inc. - Stmicroelectronics Inc. - On semiconductor - Smiths Medical - Honeywell (News - Alert) - Medtronic - Covidien - Omnivision - Sensirion - Given Imaging - Olympus - Philips Helathcare - Sensirion Ag - Jant Pharmacal - Gentag Inc. - Measurement Specialities inc - Awaiba - Toshiba (News - Alert) - Sharp - Perkin Elmer - Hamatatsu - Neusoft - Suni medical - Canon (News - Alert) - Teledyne dalsa - Pixel Plus For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5dxfzs/global_disposable View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119006551/en/ Governor Ricketts Signs National School Choice Week Proclamation Governor Pete Ricketts will sign a proclamation recognizing January 24?30, 2016, as "School Choice Week" in Nebraska, at a special event on Monday, January 25. He will be joined by area students and education leaders. The proclamation signing will be held in the Governor's Hearing Room of the State Capitol on January 25 at 12:30 pm, in an effort to raise awareness about the need for greater access to school choice in Nebraska. Educate Nebraska, a newly formed nonprofit created to grow grassroots support for improving public education in the Cornhusker State, worked to coordinate the event. "Educating parents about charter schools and building support for school choice in an effort to close the achievement gap are among our top priorities," said Katie Linehan, executive director of Educate Nebraska. Approximately 50 attendees will join the governor for the signing, which will kick off National School Choice Week all across Nebraska, with additional events including rallies, school tours, and receptions. For more information, contact Katie Linehan, at [email protected]. As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical public awareness effort, National School Choice Week shines a positive spotlight on effective education options for students, families, and communities around the country. For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com, or visit www.facebook.com/schoolchoiceweek. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005461/en/ [January 19, 2016] Immunovia AB: Immunovia and the University of Liverpool enter into a collaboration in a prospective clinical study Immunovia and the University of Liverpool enter into collaboration to validate early detection blood test for pancreatic cancer in a prospective clinical study. In line with Immunovias strategy to deliver the first validated test for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, the company announced today that the first European site participating in its prospective clinical study for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer will be the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit, based at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. Designed to validate Immunovias blood test, IMMray PanCan-d, the study will run for three years across sites in both the US and Europe, starting in the second half of 2016. The NIHR Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit in Liverpool is a leading global translational research unit dedicated to the management of pancreatic digestive diseases, such as acute and chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The institute is the only NIHR funded specialist unit to research into pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer in the UK. The Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit in Liverpool will contribute together with the other sites to the development of the prospective study clinical protocol. This will involve obtaining the required approvals to recruit study subjects and following them up over a period of three years, delivering the blood samples for analysis and disseminating the results to clinicians and patients. "We are very pleased to enter into collaboration with Liverpool Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit for the prospective validation of IMMray PanCan-d in Europe. This leading UK centre will play a crucial role by contributing a wealth of knowledge and providing access to the largest registry in Europe of individuals with a genetic predisposition for pancreatic cancer: The European Registry of Hereditary Pancreatitis and Familial Pancreatic Cancer (EUROPAC). We anticipate that upon achieving successful results we will be able to proceed with regulatory and reimbursement applications worldwide to establish our test for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer as a standard amongst pancreatologists for detecting pancreatic cancer in high-risk groups much earlier than possible today, thereby saving patient lives", said Mats Grahn, CEO, Immunovia. "Treatment for pancreatic cancer is improving and it could change from being a death sentence if it can be picked up early enough. Yet 80% of the patients are beyond treatment with curative intent by the time they are diagnosed. Immunovia has developed a system for early diagnosis, which needs to be further validated in a prospective study. The NIHR Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit in Liverpool co-ordinates Europe's biggest registry of individuals at high risk of pancreatic cancer and this collaboration will enable us to take a potentially lifesaving test into the clinic", said Dr. Bill Greenhalf, Operational Director of Liverpool Good Clinical Laboratory Practice Facility and Lead Scientist of EUROPAC. "Immunovias test has the potential to bring us one step closer to our vision in Liverpool University of reducing patient mortality and morbidity due to digestive diseases of the pancreas through development of new treatments and diagnostic strategies" said Dr Eithne Costello who will be the other academic lead for this collaboration. In addition to the collaboration agreement signed with the University of Liverpool, UK, for the prospective validation of IMMray PanCan-d, Immunovia announced a partnership in October with the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, USA (see announcement here (http://immunovia.com/immunovia-ohsu-collaborating-on-early-detection-test-for-pancreatic-cancer/)). The third prospective study site will be announced within short. About Immunovia Immunovia AB was founded in 2007 by investigators from the Department of Immunotechnology at Lund University and CREATE Health, the Center for Translational Cancer Research in Lund, Sweden. Immunovia's strategy is to decipher the wealth of information in blood and translate it into clinically useful tools to diagnose complex diseases such as cancer, earlier and more accurately than previously possible. Immunovias core technology platform, IMMray, is based on antibody biomarker microarray analysis. The company is now performing clinical validation studies for the commercialization of IMMray PanCan-d tha could be the first blood based test for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. (Source (News - Alert): www.immunovia.com) Immunovia's shares (IMMNOV) are listed on Nasdaq First North in Stockholm and Wildeco is the company's Certified Adviser. For more information, please visit www.immunovia.com. About NIHR Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit, Liverpool, UK NIHR Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit is built around the world class excellence of pancreatic research in Liverpool, and has a range of collaborations with other leading European research institutions. The unit also works with companies to develop and validate a broad range of health care products including new therapeutics and diagnostic methodologies, and has started research forums with the aim of developing new mutually beneficial collaborations. NIHR Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit has broad access to clinical and scientific state-of-art research facilities and has developed an ambitious ground breaking research programme, focused on six themes: Drug discovery and development of new interventions Application of new diagnostic and imaging strategies Validation of new biomarkers and screening protocols Early Phase Trials Collaborative Technology Platforms Industrial Partnerships About Pancreatic Cancer Pancreatic Cancer is one of the most deadly and difficult to detect cancers, as the signs and symptoms are diffuse and similar to other diseases. There are more than 40,000 deaths and over 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the U.S. alone, and the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is currently 4-6%. It is predicted to become the second leading cause of cancer death by 2020. However, because resection is more successful in stage I/II, can significantly improve pancreatic cancer patients' 5-year survival rates from 4-6% to potentially 50-60%. Particulars Dr Greenhalf has been lead scientist of the European Registry of Hereditary Pancreatitis and Familial Pancreatitis (EUROPAC) (http://www.europac-org.eu/) since 1997. Dr Greenhalf sits on various trial steering committee. Including the EUROPAC2 (https://www.lctu.org.uk/LCTU_NET/frontend/core/Features/trialinfo.aspx?Data=W1tWSEpwWVd4SGNtOTFjQT09XV1bTkE9PV1bW1ZISnBZV3hKUkE9PV1dW05ETT1dW1tiRzlqWVd4bF1dW01nPT1d) trial (anti-oxidants and magnesium for the treatment of pancreatitis). The Vandetanib in Pancreatic Cancer (VIP (http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/find-a-clinical-trial/a-trial-comparing-gemcitabine-vandetanib-gemcitabine-alone-pancreatic-cancer-vip)) Trial and The European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer (ESPAC (http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2014/07/31/changing-the-future-of-pancreatic-cancer-the-espac-trials/), trials of adjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer) Tissue group. He also sits on the Cancer Research UK Quality Assurance and Translational Science (QATS (http://www.ecmcnetwork.org.uk/groups/quality-assurance-and-translational-science-qats-network-group)) Steering Committee and the Confederation of UK Biobanks UK Working Group for Harmonisation, Standardisation and Benchmarking of Biobanks (http://ccb.ncri.org.uk/). Dr Greenhalf is part of the NIHR Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit (PBRU (http://pancreasbru.co.uk/stafftraining/staff.aspx)) and is the Operational Director of the Liverpool GCLP facility (https://www.liv.ac.uk/translational-medicine/departmentsandgroups/molecular-and-clinical-cancer-medicine/gclp/) Dr Eithne Costello After gaining a B.Sc. (Hons) in Pharmacology, at University College Dublin, Eithne undertook a cancer-based molecular biology PhD, at University College Dublin, spending one-year of her is Ph.D. research time at the University of Berne, Switzerland. She remained in Switzerland for a further six years where she was a postdoctoral fellow, firstly at the Swiss Institute for Cancer Research (ISREC), Lausanne and subsequently at the Institute of Microbiology, University of Lausanne. She is on the European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer (ESPAC (http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2014/07/31/changing-the-future-of-pancreatic-cancer-the-espac-trials/), trials of adjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer) Tissue group, a member of the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Molecular Biomarkers Advisory Group, biomarker lead for the NIHR Liverpool Pancreas Biomedical Research Unit (PBRU) (http://www.pancreasbru.co.uk/), and is a co-leader of a workgroup of the COST Action BM1204 EU_Pancre. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005864/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] KFx Wins Again versus Arthrex as Fed Court Dismisses Arthrex Suit KFx wins again versus Arthrex as United States Federal Court dismisses all of Arthrex's claims in a suit filed in July 2015. On January 12, 2016, The United States District Court in Trenton New Jersey ruled against Arthrex and for KFx Medical in an ongoing dispute that the United States Supreme Court had already refused to hear. Arthrex filed suit on July 31, 2015 versus KFx and Dr. Joe Tauro alleging misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair competition, breach of contract and interference. On September 1st, KFx filed its response denying the allegations and asserting that Arthrex's claims were barred by the judgment in favor of KFx in its earlier successful patent infringement lawsuit against Arthrex. In addition, KFx asserted new counterclaims for patent infringement based on Arthrex's infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 8,926,663 ("the '663 patent") and 9,044,226 ("the '226 patent"). KFx and Dr. Tauro promptly moved to have Arthrex's lawsuit dismissed. The New Jersey Court agreed with KFx and Dr. Tauro and dismissed the case. KFx patent infringement counterclaims against Arthrex continue. "As previously announced, this was a baseless suit at best by Arthrex, especially after having already appealed the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. We are looking forward to the hearing of our new patent infringement case versus Arthrex and fully expect the outcome to be in our favor," remarked Tate Scott, president and CEO of KFx. In April, 2015 KFx Medical announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reaffirmed their January 20, 2015 ruling upholding a judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California in which a jury found that Arthrex infringed KFx's U.S. Patent No. 7,585,311 and two other patents, found the patents were valid, and awarded $29 million in damages. The District Court later awarded additional damages an interest to bring the total judgment to over $35 million. In the April, 2015 ruling an Arthrex petition for en banc rehearing was denied and the mandate to enforce the judgment issued. Arthrex paid in excess of $35 million to KFx Medical. In November 2015 KFx Medical announced that a petition for writ of certiorari filed by Arthrex was denied by the Supreme Court of the United States. KFx is represented by Knobbe Martens of Newport Beach, CA (News - Alert) and COLE SCHOTZ P.C. of Hackensack, New Jersey. About KFx Medical Headquartered in Solana Beach, Calif., KFx Medical was founded in 2003 to develop products for tissue fixation in a variety of orthopedic surgical procedures performed on the shoulder, knee, foot, and ankle. KFx provides simple systems for orthopedic surgeons focused on sports medicine. The new AppianFx line of implants from KFx reattach tissue to and in bone in shoulder, knee, foot and ankle procedures which combined exceed well over 1 million annual surgical procedures in the United States. Product offerings include those that directly place and secure tissue into bone both with and without the use of sutures. The company is privately held - Investors include Alloy Ventures, Charter Life Sciences, Arboretum Ventures, Montreux Equity Partners, and MB Venture Partners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005872/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 18, 2016] Renren Inc. Announces Appointment of Independent Director BEIJING, Jan. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN) ("Renren" or the "Company"), a leading real name social networking internet platform in China, today announced the appointment of Mr. Shinzo Nakano as an independent director, as well as a member of the Audit Committee and the chairman of the Compensation Committee of the board of directors of the Company (the "Board"), effective on January 18, 2016. Mr. Shinzo Nakano has been the president, chief executive officer and a partner at Itochu Technology Ventures, Inc. since April 2015. Mr. Nakano joined Itochu Corporation, one of the largest trading firms in Japan in 1989. During his 26-year-tenure at Itochu Corporation, Mr. Nakano held senior positions in system development, sales and marketing of computer products, Internet business development, and venture investment at Itochu Corporation and its various subsidiaries. Mr. Nakano recived his bachelor's degree in law from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan in 1989. The Board reviewed the independence of Mr. Nakano and determined that Mr. Nakano satisfied the "independence" requirements of Section 303A of the Corporate Governance Rules of the New York Stock Exchange and the "independence" standards under Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. "We are delighted to welcome Mr. Shinzo Nakano to Renren's Board of Directors. His rich experience and industry expertise will bring significant value to Renren," said Renren's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Joseph Chen. About Renren Inc. Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN) operates a leading real name social networking service (SNS) and an internet finance business in China. Our SNS enables users to connect and communicate with each other, share photo, play online games. Our internet finance business include primarily consumer financing and auto financing. Renren.com and renren mobile application had approximately 228 million activated users as of September 30, 2015. For more information, please contact: Cynthia Liu Investor Relations Renren Inc. Tel: (86 10) 8448 1818 ext. 1300 Email: [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/renren-inc-announces-appointment-of-independent-director-300205572.html SOURCE Renren Inc. [January 19, 2016] Duetto to Provide Revenue Strategy Solutions for NH Hotel Group LONDON and MADRID, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Duetto, the market leader in hotel profit optimization technology, announced today that it will implement its revenue strategy solutions for NH Hotel Group, bringing new insights on pricing and demand to close to 400 NH hotels encompassing approximately 60,000 rooms in Europe, the Americas and Africa. NH Hotel Group is one of the world's top 25 hotel chains, and is known for superior locations, facilities, guest service and guest technology. "We are very happy to announce this agreement with NH Hotel Group, one of the premier hotel companies in the world," said Duetto CEO Patrick Bosworth. "As we enter 2016, the pace of change in the marketplace is accelerating ever more quickly, and Duetto's revenue strategy solutions bring flexibility to fully optimize revenue and manage distribution complexity. NH has long been recognized as an innovator and we are excited to bring a new level of insight and revenue optimization as we rollout our solutions at NH properties worldwide." By adopting Open Pricing, a core element of Duetto's approach to price optimization, NH Hotel Group will now be able optimize its advance pricing model and bring to its entire commercial team state of the art technology, improving decision-making process and time to market. "At NH Hotel Group, we take pride in staying on the leading edge, not only in property management and guest service, but also in the technologies we use to operationalize our business, especially to optimize profit and build revenues," said Fernando Vives, Senior Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Pricing. "We are pleased to launch our partnership with Duetto. Together, we will raise the bar of excellence and innovation in revenue strategy at NH properties around the world." Duetto is rapidly expanding worldwide throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. More than 1,000 hotels and casinos in more than 50 countries have partnered to use Duetto's revenue strategy solutions. About Duetto Duetto delivers the most powerful revenue strategy solutions to the world's leading hotels and casinos, allowing them to better manage pricing, revenue and business-mix decisions with superior, actionable data. The unique combination of hospitality experience and technology leadership enables Duetto to provide new insights on pricing and demand as a true cloud-based software-as-a-service. With solutions that address the challenges of today's distribution landscape, Duetto's applications are a GameChanger optimizing profit and guest loyalty. More than 1,000 hotels and casinos in more than 50 countries have partnered to use Duetto's revenue strategy solutions. About NH Hotel Group NH Hotel Group is a consolidated trusted operator and one of the leading urban hotel companies in Europes business segment with a wide presence in America. Over 35 years of experience position it as a reference in excellent service and customer care. The Company operates close to 400 hotels with almost 60,000 rooms in 29 countries, hosting more than 16 million guests a year across Europe, America and Africa in top destinations such as Berlin, Madrid, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Rome, Vienna, Mexico City, Barcelona, and New York. Recently, and as part of its five year strategic business plan, NH Hotel Group has redefined a new brand architecture that brings together the Group's new value proposition and adapts to different consumer profiles and locations. Along these lines, the Group has structured its hotel portfolio under the following brands: NH Collection, premium hotels located in major capitals across Europe and America; NH Hotels, three or four-star urban hotels for guests who demand an excellent location with the best value for money; nhow, unconventional and cosmopolitan hotels each with a unique personality inspired by the cities where they are located; and Hesperia, the Group's resort proposition. The Group's main motivation is the satisfaction of its customers, and with its more than 18.000 committed employees trained to offer an exceptional service, NH Hotel Group aims to deliver memorable experiences and exceed guest expectations. As a responsible company and benchmark in the hospitality industry, responding to what the Company's stakeholders expect from it is of key importance for NH Hotel Group. The Company offers hotel services designed to fulfill customers' expectations while providing efficient and sustainable solutions for todays and futures challenges. NH Hotel Group is a listed company of the Madrid stock exchange market. Contact: Michael Frenkel, MFC PR For Duetto (212) 808-6556 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duetto-to-provide-revenue-strategy-solutions-for-nh-hotel-group-300205525.html SOURCE Duetto [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] Zhaopin Announces Receipt of Preliminary Non-Binding Proposal BEIJING, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhaopin Limited (NYSE: ZPIN) ("Zhaopin" or the "Company"), a leading career platform in China focusing on connecting users with relevant job opportunities throughout their career lifecycle, today announced that its board of directors (the "Board") has received a preliminary non-binding proposal letter, dated January 19, 2016, from CDH V Management Company Limited and Shanghai Goliath Investment Management L.P. (together, the "Proposing Buyer Group"), proposing to acquire all outstanding ordinary shares in Zhaopin not owned by Zhaopin's controlling shareholder SEEK International Investments Pty Ltd for US$17.50 in cash per American depositary share ("ADS"), or US$8.75 per ordinary share of the Company, in a going private transaction (the "Transaction"). A copy of the proposal letter is attached as Exhibit A to this press release. According to the proposal letter, the Proposing Buyer Group intends to fund the consideration payable in the Transaction with equity and/or debt capital. The Board ?plans to evaluate the Transaction. The Board cautions the Company's shareholders and others considering trading in its securities that the Board just received the preliminary non-binding proposal letter from the Proposing Buyer Group and no decisions have been made with respect to the Company's response to the Transaction. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated. The Company does not undertake any obligation to provide any updates with respect to this or any other transaction, except as required under applicable law. About Zhaopin Limited Zhaopin is a leading career platform in China, focusing on connecting users with relevant job opportunities throughout their career lifecycle. The Company's zhaopin.com website is the most popular career platform in China as measured by average daily unique visitors in each of the 12 months ended September 30, 2015, number of registered users as of September 30, 2015 and number of unique customers for the three months ended September 30, 2015. The Company's over 104.8 million registered users include diverse and educated job seekers who are at various stages of their careers and are in demand by employers as a result of the general shortage of skilled and educated workers in China. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, approximately 25.6 million job postings1 were placed on Zhaopin's platform by 418,423 unique customers including multinational corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises and state-owned entities. The quality and quantity of Zhaopin's users and the resumes in the Company's database attract an increasing number of customers. This in turn leads to more users turning to Zhaopin as their primary recruitment and career- related services provider, creating strong network effects and significant entry barriers for potential competitors. For more information, please visit http://www.zhaopin.com. 1 Zhaopin calculates the number of job postings by counting the number of newly placed job postings during each respective period. Job postings that were placed prior to a specified period - even if available during such period - are not counted as job postings for such period. Any particular job posting placed on the Company's website may include more than one job opening or position. Safe Harbor Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Zhaopin may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Zhaopin's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: Zhaopin's goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; its ability to retain and grow its user and customer base for its online career platform; the growth of, and trends in, the markets for its services in China; the demand for and market acceptance of its brand and services; competition in its industry in China; its ability to maintain the network infrastructure necessary to operate its website and mobile applications; relevant government policies and regulations relating to the corporate structure, business and industry; and its ability to protect its users' information and adequately address privacy concerns. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and Zhaopin does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law. Exhibit A Preliminary Non-Binding Proposal to Acquire Zhaopin Limited January 19th, 2016 The Board of Directors Zhaopin Limited. No.10 Furong Street Wangjing, Chaoyang District,Beijing The People's Republic of China Dear Members of the Board of Directors: CDH V Management Company Limited ("CDH") and Shanghai Goliath Investment Management L.P. ("SG Fund") (the two parties forming the "Proposing Buyer Group") are pleased to submit this preliminary, non-binding proposal (the "Proposal") to acquire all outstanding ordinary shares in Zhaopin Limited, ("the Company") other than those owned by SEEK International Investments Pty Ltd in a taking-private transaction (the "Transaction"). We believe that our Proposal provides an attractive opportunity for the Company's shareholders. The Proposal represents a premium of approximately 22.0% to the Company's last closing price on January 15th, 2016, a premium of approximately 17.3% to the volume-weighted average closing price during the last 30 trading days, and a premium of approximately 21.4% to the volume-weighted average closing price during the last 90 trading days. Set forth below are the key terms of our Proposal: Buyer Group. The members of the Proposing Buyer Group intend to enter into a consortium agreement, pursuant to which each member of the Proposing Buyer Group will agree to, among other things: cooperate in connection with implementing the Transaction, and work with each other on an exclusive basis in pursuing the Transaction. The contemplated consortium agreement will obligate the Proposing Buyer Group members (the "Consortium Members") to vote for the proposed Transaction and not take any action inconsistent with it. Purchase Price . The consideration payable for each American Depositary Share of the Company ("ADS", each representing two ordinary shares of the Company) to be acquired will be $17.50 in cash, or $8.75 in cash per ordinary share. Funding . We intend to finance the Transaction with equity capital, and possibly some debt capital. Equity financing will be provided from the Consortium Members and any additional members we may accept into the Consortium. Due Diligence . We believe that we will be in a position to complete customary legal, financial and accounting due diligence for the Transaction in a timely manner and in parallel with discussions on the definitive agreements. Definitive Agreements . We are prepared to promptly negotiate and finalize definitive agreements (the "Definitive Agreements") providing for the Transaction. These documents will provide for representations, warranties, covenants and conditions that are typical, customary and appropriate for transactions of this type. Process . We believe that the Transaction will provide superior value to the Company's shareholders. We recognize that the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") will evaluate the Transaction independently before it can make any determination of its support or otherwise. We appreciate that certain members of the Board may recuse themselves from participating in any Board deliberations and decisions related to the Transaction. Confidentiality . We anticipate that you will agree with us that except as required by applicable law and regulation (including the listing rules of recognized stock exchanges), it is in all of our interests to ensure that we proceed in a strictly confidential manner, until we have executed Definitive Agreements or terminated our discussions. No Binding Commitment . This letter constitutes only a preliminary indication of our interest, and does not constitute any binding commitment with respect to the Transaction. A binding commitment will result only from the execution of Definitive Agreements, and then will be on terms and conditions provided in such documentation. In closing, we would like to express our commitment to working together to bring this Transaction to a successful and timely conclusion. Should you have any questions regarding this Proposal, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, CDH V Management Company Limited By: Mr. Xie Fang /s/ Xie Fang Shanghai Goliath Investment Management L.P. By: Mr. Qu FaBing /s/ Qu FaBing For more information, please contact: Zhaopin Limited Ms. Daisy Wang Investor Relations [email protected] Christensen In China Mr. Christian Arnell Phone: +86-10- 5900-1548 E-mail: [email protected] In U.S. Ms. Linda Bergkamp Phone: +1-480-614-3004 Email: [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zhaopin-announces-receipt-of-preliminary-non-binding-proposal-300206128.html SOURCE Zhaopin Limited [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] Strategic Domain Names Could Give a Big Edge in the 2016 Presidential Election WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Early favorites Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton might actually be in jeopardy. There is competition in the Republican field and perhaps we may see a surprise on the Democratic side. Since Barack Obama's win in the 2012 presidential campaign, all parties and candidates have come to understand one universal truth about campaigning: he or she who wins the online battle has a great chance to win the election. So what's the next obvious digital media play for candidates, parties and even media companies looking to capture mindshare for the 2016 election? Where can we expect to see the next move to control the political conversation? "We believe the next big edge in the political race is the use of strategic domain names," said Alan Hack, CEO of Names Plus Marketing, a domain name and Internet marketing company that has facilitated many premium domain name sales and acquisitions over the last 15 years and is currently representing the sale of the domain name 2016.com. "Candidates and parties are looking to attract voters and communicate their message. The media are also vying for the attention of voters. One of the most powerful domain names to use t connect with voters in 2016 is 2016.com. "A domain name like 2016.com can immediately link a candidate, party, or a media company with the election year. It is instantly memorable and can create a significant unconscious association in the minds of potential voters." The Hill estimates nearly $5 billion will be spent during the 2016 presidential election cycle. The Koch brothers alone are estimated to have budgeted $889 million as part of their 2016 war chest. Over the next several months getting the attention of voters, many of whom may be undecided, will be critical during this long campaign. "We can't tell you who we are in negotiations with, but we can say that many of the major players are vying for the acquisition of 2016.com recognizing this is a one of a kind digital asset," said Alan Hack. Domains like 2016.com would be highly attractive acquisitions for candidates like Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and even those candidates trying to compete with these front runners. It could also be valuable to the major political parties like the Democratic and Republican parties. In addition, 2016.com could be acquired by a media company like CNN, Fox, or MSNBC who want to keep voters informed and who stand to generate significant revenue. "At its simplest level, a domain name like 2016.com allows a tremendous return on investment. Intuitive, memorable, marketable, and credible domain names like 2016.com have the power to go viral and capture massive mind share and market share. How easy is it to remember 2016.com? The answer to that question is obvious. For a fraction of what candidates, parties, special interests and media companies are spending they can literally own the election year with 2016.com and drive voters to this credible and memorable digital destination." With just about 10 months to go before the 2016 election there will undoubtedly be many surprises, power plays and strategic moves that will continue to unfold. The big questions are what will the moves be and who will be making the winning moves? A winning move could definitely be the strategic acquisition and use of the domain name 2016.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/strategic-domain-names-could-give-a-big-edge-in-the-2016-presidential-election-300205854.html SOURCE Names Plus Marketing [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] DigiCert CertCentral Named Finalist for IoT Security Global Excellence Award LEHI, Utah, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DigiCert, a global SSL Certification Authority (CA) and the leading provider of trusted certificate management solutions, announced that its certificate platform CertCentral has been named a finalist for Internet of Things (IoT) Security Product Excellence. Winners will be announced at the Info Security Products Guide's 12th Annual Global Excellence Awards, to be held on Feb. 29 in San Francisco, in conjunction with the start of the annual RSA security conference. CertCentral handles all aspects of the digital certificate management lifecycle in one intuitive, cloud-based portal that is capable of supporting active deployment of billions of certificates simultaneously. A rapidly increasing number of major IoT companies are using the platform to embed security into current and next-generation internet-connected products. "The IoT demands smart, optimized security solutions at enormous scales, and CertCentral does this for organizations by simplifying certificate management and automating critical tasks," said DigiCert CSO Jason Sabin. "We're honored by this recognition and excited about the growing number of popular IoT platforms, manufacturers, and leading organizations that are working with us to authenticate and encrypt smart devices and systems to gain a competitive edge." The IoT era spurs exponential growth in the number of connected devices and objects but also increases the attack vector for malicious prties looking to exploit the lack of basic security controls such as authentication and encryption. According to Gartner, "public key infrastructure (PKI) will re-emerge as one of the most relevant authentication mechanisms for organizations to address the IOT authentication problem. PKI's flexibility is important when changing requirements and represent identity in a cross-platform, multiprotocol approach Gartner predicts that discovery, provisioning, authentication and data protection will account for half of all security spend in the next five years." 1 To fulfill its promise, the IoT market must implement PKI correctly. Episodes such as Heartbleed serve as reminders of the importance of enterprises not only deploying digital certificates at-scale but being ready to execute real-time updates of all TLS termination points across the network. DigiCert's CertCentral helps organizations maximize their IoT brand investments by simplifying certificate deployment and management through automation and best-in-class innovation. CertCentral automation and real-time insights help reduce human errors and the hours spent on manual processes. CertCentral closes the security gaps often caused by negligence, ignorance or rogue actions of employees not authorized to issue certificates by IT. CertCentral addresses all aspects of the certificate management lifecycle, including: Discovery: Organizations can view all of their certificates and endpoints, regardless of issuer, to determine where deployed, licensing period, potential vulnerabilities, and other key data. Procurement: Administrators can automate and control procurement and budgeting through access to smart tools and responsive APIs. Deployment: Using a proprietary Express Install command, IT departments can speed up and simplify certificate installation on devices and servers, using established processes that eliminate human error and ensure optimized configuration. Management: Staff can control costs, improve inventory and drive accountability by apportioning certificates to specific business units. Pre-purchase approvals drive efficiency in advance of major deployments. Monitoring: Accessing Google Certificate Transparency logs (including the one DigiCert operates) and other proprietary resources, administrators gain access to all certificates authorized or not issued to their domains and derivatives. This can help identify mis-issuance, rogue certificates and phishing attempts to stop them at early stages. Analysis: Organizations can use smart agents found in the DigiCert Certificate Inspector to view all TLS/SSL certificates and endpoints in real-time. This tool alerts administrators to problem areas that might be out of compliance with best practices and recommends remediation steps. Remediation: The platform suggests proper mitigation steps to guide best practices for using the right protocols, cipher suites, hashing algorithms and a host of other areas that affect certificate and endpoint security. With OCSP response times for TLS/SSL Certificates more than four times faster than competitors, DigiCert certificates are the clear choice for performance-minded enterprises working in the IoT. As a result, DigiCert continues to attract the business of the world's leading brands, including six of the global Alexa Top 10, major IoT platform providers and global technology companies. For more information about how DigiCert helps secure the IoT, visit https://www.digicert.com/internet-of-things/. 1 Gartner, Predicts 2016, Security for the Internet of Things, December 9, 2015 About Info Security Products Guide Awards SVUS Awards organized by Silicon Valley Communications are conferred in 10 annual award programs: The Info Security's Global Excellence Awards, The IT Industry's Hot Companies and Best Products Awards, The Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards, and Consumer World Awards, CEO World Awards, Customer Sales and Service World Awards, The Globee Fastest Growing Private Companies Awards, Women World Awards, PR World Awards, and Pillar Employee Recognitions World Awards. These premier awards honor organizations of all types and sizes from all over the world including the people, products, performance, PR and marketing. To learn more, visit www.svusawards.com. About DigiCert, Inc. DigiCert is a premier, trusted provider of enterprise security solutions with an emphasis on authentication and encryption via managed PKI and high-assurance digital certificates for the web and the Internet of Things. Headquartered in Lehi, Utah, DigiCert is trusted by more than 115,000 of the world's leading government, finance, healthcare, education, and Fortune 500 organizations. DigiCert has been recognized with dozens of awards for providing enhanced customer value, premium customer service, and market growth leadership. For the latest DigiCert news and updates, visit digicert.com or follow @digicert. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323390LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digicert-certcentral-named-finalist-for-iot-security-global-excellence-award-300206055.html SOURCE DigiCert [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] Telnexus Announces $185 Per Month Fiber Internet in the East Bay BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Telnexus1, a Berkeley-based communication service provider, today announced availability of gigabit-speed Internet services running on a 100%-pure fiber optic network at revolutionary prices in select areas of Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley. Extraordinary savings on monthly subscription fees is now available for businesses that want the speed and power of a direct fiber optic connection to the Internet. "Telnexus gives eligible businesses access to a new level of value when subscribing to a vital utility service. By offering affordable gigabit fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) Internet service Telnexus now delivers the best Internet technology in the East Bay," said Vernon Keenan, CEO of Telnexus. Availability of new Telnexus services are limited to businesses close to the Telnexus Open Access Internet network. Cities currently in the Telnexus fiber optic network are Emeryville and Oakland. An expansion into Berkeley is planned for 2016, enabling Telnexus to offer the most affordable high-performance broadband Internet service to more businesses in the East Bay. "Fiber optic networking technology allows Telnexus to offer businesses in Emeryville, Oakland and Berkeley the most advanced and affordable high-performance Internet service available. By making this network available to more businesses and organizations, Telnexus aims to attract more startups and 21st Century industries to our side of the Bay," added Vernon Keenan. New Service Pricing New classes of Internet service now available2 from Telnexus using efficient Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) technology. Telnexus Sublight SM comes in a range of metered services ranging in speed from 250 Megabit to 1 Gigabit. Service levels for Telnexus Sublight are appropriate for smaller businesses who do not host services to the public. Prices range from $185 per month for Telnexus Sublight 50 , which is a 250 Megabit service suitable for a 5-person office, to $385 per month for Telnexus Sublight 200 , which is a 1 Gigabit service metered for a 20-person office with an installation fee of $199 . comes in a range of metered services ranging in speed from 250 Megabit to 1 Gigabit. Service levels for are appropriate for smaller businesses who do not host services to the public. Prices range from per month for , which is a 250 Megabit service suitable for a 5-person office, to per month for , which is a 1 Gigabit service metered for a 20-person office with an installation fee of . Telnexus Warp SM links customers directly to the Telnexus lightwave Internet network with a high-performance Service Level Agreement (SLA). Telnexus Warp prices range from $595 per month for Telnexus Warp 1 , which is a metered gigabit fiber Internet service, to Telnexus Warp 6 , which is $1,895 per month for unmetered service. Installation fees start at $995 and may require additional networking equipment purchases. links customers directly to the Telnexus lightwave Internet network with a high-performance Service Level Agreement (SLA). prices range from per month for , which is a metered gigabit fiber Internet service, to , which is per month for unmetered service. Installation fees start at and may require additional networking equipment purchases. Telnexus Transwarp SM 10 Gigabit Internet service is available for $2,495 per month. Installation fees start at $2,495 and may require additional networking equipment purchases. 10 Gigabit Internet service is available for per month. Installation fees start at and may require additional networking equipment purchases. Telnexus Dark FiberSM and Telnexus Private EthernetSM are affordable networking options available to businesses and institutions based Berkeley , Oakland and Emeryville . Private Ethernet networks start at $395 per end point. Single-mode dark fiber connections are available and start at $999 per month. A full listing of all new Telnexus fiber Internet services is available at the web site address telnexus.com/services/internet. "Telnexus cuts unnecessary layers out of the telecommunications sales chain," said Mr. Keenan. "Our fair pricing model makes our enterprise-grade gigabit fiber service available for one-half the price offered by the incumbent phone and cable companies." $100 Sign-Up Discount Available For a limited time, businesses in Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland who want Telnexus high-speed broadband Internet can sign up for a $100 discount coupon. In exchange for joining the Telnexus Gigabit Waiting List, each business location in these cities is eligible for a $100 discount coupon redeemable for Telnexus products and services.3 To sign up for the Telnexus Gigabit Waiting List go to the web site at the address telnexus.com/gigabit. About Telnexus Telnexus is the most thorough VoIP and Internet service provider in the San Francisco Bay Area. Telnexus offers wired and wireless broadband Internet, Universal Communication as a Service (UCaaS), and managed IT services to a growing number of San Francisco Bay Area businesses and organizations. Telnexus is a Trademark registered in the United States by Telnexus LLC. Telnexus Cloud PBXSM, Telnexus SublightSM, Telnexus WarpSM, Telnexus TranswarpSM, Telnexus Dark FiberSM, and Telnexus Private EthernetSM are Service Marks of Telnexus LLC. 1 Telnexus is a Registered Trademark and Service Mark of Telnexus LLC 2 Service locations are subject to fiber optic network availability. Not all addresses are eligible for service. 3 Limited to one $100 account credit per verified business premises address in the cities of Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland. May only be used for products or services linked to a recurring monthly Telnexus service agreement. Contact: Vernon Keenan, [email protected], 510-859-7000 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/telnexus-announces-185-per-month-fiber-internet-in-the-east-bay-300205387.html SOURCE Telnexus [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The State Aviation Service of Ukraine will hold unscheduled inspections at PrJSC Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), Interavia Ltd., municipally owned Kyiv Zhuliany international airport, and Master-Avia Ltd., which is the operator of the airport's terminals, the service reported on its website. The inspectors will check if the companies' legal acts and procedures meet flight safety requirements. The service said it had decided to inspect the companies in connection with recent accidents at Lviv's Danylo Halytskyi international airport on January 15 and at Zhuliany airport on January 16 when the UIA was carrying out its flights. A UIA Boeing 737-800 plane departing from Lviv to Kyiv on January 15 had to land at Lviv as the smell of burnt plastic had been reported in the passenger cabin, though no source of smoke or fire was revealed. Another UIA plane was involved in the accident when it was flying from Lviv to Boryspil airport and had to land at Kyiv's another airport, Zhuliany, where it skidded off the runway. The UIA reported in its press release that the plane was bound for Boryspil but because of the closure of a runway there it had to land at Zhuliany. "After the landing the aircraft ran off the runway. None of the 134 passengers and five crew members on board has been injured. The aircraft has not been damaged," the press release said. At the same time, Boryspil denied the closure of the runway, saying it had been working without any restrictions on departures and arrivals. The second accident made Zhulany close its airport until 16:00 local time on January 16. [January 19, 2016] Advanced RF Technologies, Inc. Launches the ADX V, a Next Generation Distributed Antenna System (DAS) AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless In-Building Technology Update Forum -- Advanced RF Technologies, Inc. ("ADRF" or the "Company"), a leading provider of wireless coverage and capacity solutions, announced today the launch of the ADX V, an evolution of its DAS platform. This new solution uses modular architecture and is ideal for supporting both single carrier and neutral host applications. The ADX V is the most flexible platform on the market that provides a genuinely future-proofed solution allowing consumers to only pay for what they need now. The ADX V provides all the benefits of ADRF's legacy DAS, including modularity, hot-swappable design, user friendly web-based monitoring system, and power consumption efficiency, and it also comes in a significantly reduced form factor. With up to 60% in space saving, the ADX V is not only smaller in dimension but also lighter in weight, which results in a small, more aesthetic enclosure which is simpler to install even in a small telecom closet with limited space. Featuring unique, patented technologies, the ADX V is ideal for providing wireless coverage for multiple dwelling units (MDU), commercial buildings, large venues and campuses, and metropolitan areas since it can eliminate the need for multiple wireline infrastructure y using a single strand of fiber to support multiple wireless operators. "Our new ADX V DAS represents not only the culmination of Distributed Antenna System as an advanced technological platform but also one that addresses 21st century demands such as energy, space, and cost efficiency," said Julie Song, President of ADRF. "The ADX V epitomizes our company's design philosophy of ultimate modularity to enable a perfect fit for virtually any application or venue." Product Highlights: Flexible platform allows any combination of 700MHz, 700/800MHz Public Safety, Cellular, SMR800, PCS, AWS, WCS, and 2.5GHz Class-leading output power with 2W, 5W, 20W, and 40W in all bands Save up to 60% rack space compared to the previous ADX DAS Series, with improved power efficiency IP66 rated for NEBS compliancy 4.3-10 type connectors to mitigate passive intermodulation (PIM) Ability to daisy chain multiple Head Ends to monitor all Head Ends from a single point of interface Supports up to a maximum of 64 Remote Units per Head End Requires only a single strand of single mode fiber per Remote Unit Supports MIMO on all bands, within the same chassis Remote monitoring and control capability using Web-based GUI The ADX V will be available for commercial deployment in Spring 2016. For product pricing and availability, please contact [email protected]. ADRF will showcase the ADX V at the Verizon Wireless In-Building Technology Update Forum (IBTUF) on January 19 22, 2016. To learn more about the ADX V, visit www.adrftech.com. About Advanced RF Technologies, Inc. Advanced RF Technologies, Inc. ("ADRF") is an established, leading provider of in-building equipment and services that improve wireless coverage and capacity for the largest service providers and enterprise customers around the world. ADRF's product suite encompasses distributed antenna systems, repeaters, small cells, antennas, and passive components. ADRF is proud to be certified as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) and has achieved TL 9000 and ISO 9001 certifications. We are also a member of the HetNet Forum, APCO, IWPC, as well as the Northeast DAS Forum. For more information, please visit http://adrftech.com/. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160115/322737 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160115/322735 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160115/322736LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/advanced-rf-technologies-inc-launches-the-adx-v-a-next-generation-distributed-antenna-system-das-300205355.html SOURCE Advanced RF Technologies, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] Inaugural IEEE Tech Industry Summit Coming to Santa Clara, California PISCATAWAY, N.J., Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The IEEE Tech Industry Summit on Industrial IoT (Internet of Things) will be held in June 2016 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. This engaging two-day event will bring together industry and research visionaries to understand and address complexities and challenges faced by each sector on a daily basis. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160118/323211LOGO The program features elite speakers and experts including Doug Davis, Senior VP, Internet of Things from Intel, Max Senges, lead of Google's Internet of Things Research and Open Innovation Expedition, and Richard Soley, President of Industrial Internet of Things Consortium and OMG. The IEEE Tech Industry Summit, taking place June 6-7, 2016, is part of a week-long program of events including: 25th IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics TEMS Workshop on Technical Management and Entrepreneurship Issues on IoT International Transportation Innovation Center Program IEEE Standard for an Architectural Framework for the Internet of Things Committee IEEE IoT Community Workshop IEEE ComSoc workshop on IoT and communications Additional Resources: www.techindustrysummit.org About IEEE IEEE is a large, global professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more at http://www.ieee.org. Media Contacts: Michael Condry, Chair: [email protected] Lee Stogner, Marketing: [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inaugural-ieee-tech-industry-summit-coming-to-santa-clara-california-300205899.html SOURCE IEEE Tech Industry Summit [January 19, 2016] LearnLaunch and McGraw-Hill Education Team to Support Ed-Tech Innovation in Boston and Beyond NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Education, a learning science company, and LearnLaunch, Boston's leading organization dedicated to connecting, supporting, and growing the education technology ecosystem, today announced a collaboration to promote innovation in education through the development of learning technology. Through the collaboration, McGraw-Hill Education will build relationships with some of the country's most exciting ed-tech startups by providing mentoring and strategic counsel from its leaders and extensive network of in-house developers. The partnership deepens the existing relationship between LearnLaunch and McGraw-Hill Education. The two organizations have worked together on an informal basis for several years, with McGraw-Hill Education providing guidance and financial support to LearnLaunch. "Through this partnership, LearnLaunch will be able to offer more expertise to the ed-tech startup community to help grow their businesses and transform learning," said Liam Pisano, managing director of LearnLaunch. "McGraw-Hill Education has not only established itself as a leader in applying the science of learning through technology, it's been a great supporter of ed-tech innovation in the Boston area and around the world. We're excited to partner with them and drive innovation in our classrooms, schools and universities." The partnership represents McGraw-Hill Education's latest investment in digital research and development. The Company estimates that it invested $175 million in digital development and operations in 2015. The partnership is also a product of McGraw-Hill Education's commitment to supporting a culture of learning innovation within he Boston area, where the company opened its digital research and development hub in 2013 and doubled the size of its office in 2014. "Startups play an important role in the digital ecosystem, and as a '125-year-old startup' ourselves, we feel a kinship with them," said Stephen Laster, chief digital officer of McGraw-Hill Education. "LearnLaunch has done a remarkable job in helping early-stage companies grow and develop, and we look forward to guiding them through their efforts to transform teaching and learning." Richard Keaveny, McGraw-Hill Education's vice president of technology partnerships, added, "One of the great things about working with an independent startup accelerator like LearnLaunch is that there are no constraints placed on the startups' ability to think creatively. We're excited to collaborate with LearnLaunch to help tackle some of the biggest challenges in education and to see what we'll be able to achieve through our combined efforts." Stephen Laster, McGraw-Hill Education's chief digital officer, will speak at the fourth annual LearnLaunch Across Boundaries Conference, which will take place on Jan. 21-22, 2016 in Boston. The conference, which will be sponsored in part by McGraw-Hill Education, will explore how education is moving from digitizing past practice toward more personalized learning through technology. About McGraw-Hill Education McGraw-Hill Education is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that help students, parents, educators and professionals drive results. McGraw-Hill Education has offices across North America, India, China, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions available in nearly 60 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter. About LearnLaunch LearnLaunch is dedicated to connecting, supporting, and growing the education technology ecosystem to drive innovation and transform learning. We are a vibrant community, delivering educational events, a selective accelerator program and a collaborative co-working space. We are based in Boston, a world education hub. For more information, visit www.learnlaunch.com and follow LearnLaunch on Twitter at @learnlaunch. Contact: Tiffany Eckelberg McGraw-Hill Education (646) 766-2434 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/learnlaunch-and-mcgraw-hill-education-team-to-support-ed-tech-innovation-in-boston-and-beyond-300206285.html SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] Pratt & Whitney North Berwick Recognized as an IndustryWeek Best Plants Recipient NORTH BERWICK, Maine, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney North Berwick has been named a recipient of IndustryWeek's 2015 North America Best Plants Award. The award recognizes world-class facilities in North America that perform with excellence in terms of increasing competitiveness, enhancing customer satisfaction and creating stimulating and rewarding work environments. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company. "This is a huge achievement for Pratt & Whitney North Berwick and our special and talented team of employees," said Mike Papp, general manager, Pratt & Whitney North Berwick. "The award reflects our workforce's commitment to excellence, which has continuously enabled us to improve our manufacturing and quality systems to be a world-renowned manufacturer in the aerospace industry, and to be a great place to work." Pratt & Whitney North Berwick, founded in 1979, has more than 1,400 employees. At one million square feet, it's the largest manufacturing facility in the state of Maine under one roof. The site manufactures world-class modules, components and parts for military and commercial engines including the PurePower Geared Turbofan engines and the F135 engine for the Joint Strike Fighter. "The recognition of North Berwick's accomplishments by IndustryWeek is a gratifying acknowledgement of Pratt & Whitney's investments in advanced manufacturing technologies and innovation as well as the quality of our employees and work environment," said Paolo Dal Cin, vice president of Manufacturing and Module Center Operations. "Pratt & Whitney continues to demonstrate its leadership in 21st century manufacturing." Also being honored as a 2015 Best Plant is United Technologies' Carrier Transicold facility located in Athens, Georgia. Carrier Transicold is a leading producer of transport refrigeration equipment for trucks, trailers and rail cars. This is the first year that two United Technologies plants have been named to the list in the same year. IndustryWeek will include a profile of the Athens and North Berwick facilities in its April/May issue and will feature the operations at its 2016 Manufacturing & Technology Conference and Expo being held May 3-5 in Chicago. About The IndustryWeek Best Plants Awards Program Established in 1990, the IndustryWeek Best Plants awards program annually recognizes plants, located in North America, that are on the leading edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction and create stimulating and rewarding work environments. Its further goal is to encourage other manufacturing managers and work teams to emulate the honorees by adopting world-class practices, technologies and improvement strategies. For additional information, visit www.industryweek.com. About Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC. For more information about Pratt & Whitney, visit http://www.pratt-whitney.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/prattandwhitney Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prattandwhitney YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/prattandwhitney1925 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pratt-&-whitney Cindy Szabo Shawn Watson Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney 860-205-7245 mobile 860-371-5236 mobile [email protected] [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pratt--whitney-north-berwick-recognized-as-an-industryweek-best-plants-recipient-300206293.html SOURCE Pratt & Whitney [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] Webcor Joins BuildingConnected SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Webcor Builders joins over 350 of the nation's top general contractors in choosing BuildingConnected as their preferred bid management solution. BuildingConnected has seen an influx of general contractors leaving their legacy software solutions for their more user-friend, intuitive service and advance analytics. In fact, BuildingConnected projects to have over 1000 General Contractors and be the largest pre-construction service provider in the country by the end of 2016. "BuildingConnected helps us see company wide metrics on all of our preconstruction activities," said Jitendra Pahilajani, Vice President at Webcor Builders. "Webcor prides itself on being at the forefront of construction technology. We believe BuildingConnected is the best bid management solution the industry has to offer. Their technology will help us save time in managing vendor contact information and improve our bid communication proces." Webcor Builders is one of the leading General Contractors in California and was recently named the 2014 California Contractor of the Year by the Engineering News-Record (ENR). They strive to be open to new ideas that add social and economic value. Known for their innovative and efficient approach to construction, Webcor selected BuildingConnected as a partner to help improve its processes. "Webcor is one of those icon names in construction on the west coast and we are excited to have them as a customer," said BuildingConnected CEO, Dustin DeVan. "We plan to work with them and all our customers to delivery industry changing services to improve preconstruction communication." In addition to Webcor, BuildingConnected also announced a partnership with Turner Construction this past November. About BuildingConnected BuildingConnected is a bid management solution with a refreshingly different experience. It's free to communicate, ridiculously easy to use and contractors never have to update a contact database again. BuildingConnected's secure network connects hundreds of thousands of construction professionals across the US, helping them get project bids done quickly, accurately and with ease. The analytics tools help construction professionals get smarter every time they work together, enabling them to make better decisions, faster. Bid management shouldn't be hard, so we created BuildingConnected. It's about time! BuildingConnected is based in San Francisco, CA and is backed by CrossLink Capital, Homebrew, Freestyle, Bee Partners and Brick & Mortar. More information, http://www.buildingconnected.com. Contact: Jadie Fanganello [email protected] (720) 231-0105 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151103/283638LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/webcor-joins-buildingconnected-300206291.html SOURCE BuildingConnected [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Global Secure Web Gateway Market 2015-2021 - Company Profiles, Trends, Analysis, Opportunities, Segmentation And Forecasts - Research and Markets Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/brmm85/global_secure_web) has announced the addition of the "Global Secure Web Gateway Market, By Country (United States, Canada, India, China, Japan, United Kingdom), Company Profiles, Share, Trends, Analysis, Opportunities, Segmentation And Forecast 2015 - 2021" report to their offering. The global secure web gateway market is estimated to reach $6 billion by 2021 growing at the CAGR of 21% during 2015-2021 The growing internet penetration and the extensive use of internet have given rise to incidence of malware threats. Other major driver is the rising demand among businesses for enhancing productivity through secure data transfer across mobile devices. Moreover, adherence to various data security standards, restore the need to adopt various secure web gateway solutions. However, the market is witnessing various challenges suh as lack of awareness for secure web gateway solutions and lack of adoption among enterprises. Some of the major players in the global secure web gateway market include Check Point Software Technologies, Sophos Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, Dell, Citrix (News - Alert), IBM Corporation, Trend Micro, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., Symantec Corporation, and Intel Corporation and so on. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive summary 2. Market overview 3. Sector analysis 4. Market determinants 5. Global secure web gateway market by software solution, 2014-2021,($ billion) 6. Global secure web gateway market by services, 2014-2021,($ billion) 7. Global secure web gateway market, by deployment type, 2014-2021,($ billion) 8. Global secure web gateway market, by applications, 2014-2021,($ billion) 9. Geographical Analysis 10. Competitive Intelligence - Symantec (News - Alert) Corporation - Intel Corporation (McAfee) - IBM Corporation - Cisco Systems, Inc. - Check Point Software Technologies - Microsoft (News - Alert) Corporation - Dell - Citrix - Trend Micro, Inc. - Sophos Ltd. - Websense - Blue Coat (News - Alert) Systems - Barracuda Networks - F5 Networks, Inc. - Trustwave Holdings, Inc. - Ancoris Ltd. - Riverbed Technology - Zscaler, Inc. - Finjan Holdings, Inc. - Clearswift (News - Alert) For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/brmm85/global_secure_web View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119006606/en/ [January 19, 2016] Europe Carrier Quarterly Update Q3 2015 NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Developments in the European Telecommunications Market The research provides an overview of key mobile and fixed communications developments by major European mobile operators in Q3 2015. It covers both qualitative (product launches, infrastructure development, partnerships/alliances, M&A activity, key client wins, change in personnel) and quantitative (mobile and fixed broadband subscribers, mobile ARPU, operating profit margin, market capitalisation) information. The research is a continuation of Frost & Sullivan's regular quarterly updates on the industry. Top 3 European Carrier Highlights Q3 2015 Wind and 3 Italia Agree on Italian Merger - VimpelCom and CK Hutchison have agreed to form a joint venture of their Italian telecommunications operations, Wind and Italia. - With more than Million mobile customers, the combined entity will be the largest mobile operator in Italy. It is expected to generate significant operational efficienciesand will compete more aggressively against its rivals, Telecom Italia and Vodafone. - Turkcell secured MHz of spectrum in Turkey's long-awaited 4G auction held on 26 August 2015 . It spent a total of Billion to acquire the highest amount of spectrum acquired among the country's three operators. The operator will use the spectrum to launch LTE-Advanced by April 2016 . Vodafone UK Launches WiFi Calling - The service makes calls available in more places connected to WiFi (and/or lacking mobile signal) and eliminates the need of running an app as in the case of over-the-top (OTT) services. There is no additional cost involved. - With this move, Vodafone is catching up with its main rival, EE, which was the first UK operator to launch WiFi calling. Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03571238-summary/view-report.html About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/europe-carrier-quarterly-update-q3-2015-300206591.html SOURCE Reportlinker [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] 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... The next training course for Ukrainian sappers on disposal improvised explosive devices under the NATO standards has started in the Mine Clearing Center of the Main Directorate of Operations Support of Ukraine's Armed Forces in Kamyanets-Podilsky involving Canadian instructors. "From the first days of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, Canada and its people have demonstrated to the whole world the principal position on the resolution of the military conflict in Donbas. I hope that the program of joint trainings, which was designed for two years and launched in 2015, will provide an opportunity to improve the professional level of servicemen of both countries and will bring peace prospects to a closer vicinity," the press service of Ukraine's Defense Ministry cited chief of Mine Clearing Center Colonel Volodymyr Rodikov. Leader of a new group of Canadian explosion ordnance disposal military trainers Major Yugo Marcotte thanked Ukrainian servicemen for the trust and warm welcome and said that he believed that his and his colleague's experience would be useful for Ukrainian sappers while performing tasks both in missions and in the anti-terrorist operation zone. As reported, from January 10, 2016, until the end of the current month, a group of around 200 Canadian Army soldiers of the 5th Canadian mechanized brigade group, based in Valcartier, Quebec, will be deployed to Ukraine to take part in the training operation UNIFIER. The Canadian governmental website has reported that the newly arrived servicemen will replace their colleagues from 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group located in Petawawa, Ontario, who will return home within January, upon completion of military training as a "part of Canada's response to requests for assistance from the government of Ukraine." The Ukrainian government has approved an interdepartmental plan for adaptation of Donbas combatants for peace. The government resolution, No 10-r dated January 13, 2016, has been published on the governmental portal. According to the document, the discharged army and law enforcement officers and their families are entitled to vocational training "focused on the development of entrepreneurial skills." The formation of self-support and support groups for former combatants will be encouraged. Discharged army and law enforcement officers will be provided with career guidance and training services at employment offices. The possibility of simplified, priority employment of former combatants with law enforcement agencies is under consideration. Cooperation between units registering combatants and military units will be provided for recruiting volunteers for military service by contract. Ukraine's High Council of Justice has recommended that 21 judges be dismissed for breaking their oath when issuing court rulings with regard to Euromaidan activists, council head Ihor Benedysiuk told reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday. "Of the 41 conclusions that have already been received by the High Council of Justice [from the provisional specialized commission in charge of inspecting judges], 29 conclusions have already been considered. We have recommended that 21 judges be dismissed for violating their oath," he said. "The president's decision to dismiss four judges came as a follow-up to the decision adopted by the High Council of Justice Three judges were dismissed for illegal decisions with regard to Euromaidan activists. The fourth one is Kiryeyev," he said when commenting on the president's decision to dismiss these judges. "Such decisions will be implemented far more promptly if parliament finds the political will to vote in favor of the appropriate changes to the Constitution," he added. It was reported that on January 18, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko dismissed four judges, among them Kyiv's Pechersky District Court Judge Rodion Kiryeyev, who had convicted the country's former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko as part of the 'gas case'. The situation remains complicated in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in Donbas, and about 50 violations of the truce by the militants were observed on January 18, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Intelligence Department has said. "Forty-seven attacks were conducted [on Ukrainian positions] on January 18, by use of small arms, grenade launchers, infantry combat vehicles, 82mm and 120mm mortars and 100mm Rapira anti-tank cannons," the department said in a report posted on its website on Tuesday. Information about the presence of weapons forbidden by the Minsk agreements tanks, artillery systems with calibers larger than 100mm, and 122mm Grad rocket launchers near Luhansk, Almazna, Rozsypne and Horlivka was delivered to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, the report said. According to the intelligence data, the enemy was focused on reinforcing and rotating forward units in the Donets sector over the past day (troops, armaments and military hardware were seen being amassed in the western area of Donetsk) and on holding routine practice. For instance, militants' units were practicing driving and shooting in the ranges in Illyria and Buhayevka. The Ukrainian Bar Association (UBA) considers unacceptable the delay in addressing the issue of bringing judges, who made unjust rulings against participants in mass protests in 2013-2014, to responsibility. According to a press release from the UBA, in the period from October 1 to December 25, 2015 the High Council of Justice submitted an appeal to the Verkhovna Rada and the president of Ukraine on the dismissal of 24 judges who violated the oath. As of January 16, 2016 the president supported the dismissal of only one judge. The UBA, in turn, appealed to the parliament and the president with respect to the state of affairs in the case and the signing of appropriate representations. In addition, the association appealed to the people's deputies with the request to send their appeals to the authorized agencies with the proposal to urgently resolve the issue of dismissing the judges who violated the oath. According to the report, the UBA considers the delay in the matter unacceptable and calls on state authorities and officials to act in accordance with the powers and perform all the necessary actions required by law to ensure the purification of the judiciar 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). Kyiv says militants are using heavy weapons against Ukrainian army Militants continue to use heavy weapons, including infantry combat vehicles and cannons, against the Ukrainian army in the east, Ukrainian Presidential Administration spokesman Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday. The enemy opened fire twice from an infantry combat vehicle in Luhanske, a 100-mm Rapira cannon and a mortar were used in Krasnohorivka, and a sniper was active in Opytne and Pisky, he said. "None of the Ukrainian servicemen were killed or wounded in the hostilities over the past day," he said. Low intensity hostilities occur in the Donetsk sector, Motuzyanyk said. The enemy also breached the truce in the Mariupol area, and there were no hostilities in the Luhansk sector, Motuzyanyk said. WASHINGTON, D.C. The password manager LastPass can be impersonated in a phishing attack that could steal all of a user's passwords and credit-card numbers, a researcher demonstrated at the ShmooCon hacker conference here Saturday (Jan. 16). (Image credit: Amanda Hobbs/Shutterstock) Sean Cassidy, chief technology officer of the Seattle security firm Praesidio, showed how he "spoofed" a fake LastPass login window in a Web browser to capture a victim's username and master password. Until this past Sunday (Jan. 17), when LastPass fixed part of the issue, if two-factor authentication (2FA) had been enabled, the user would actually have been easier to fool. "Using two-factor authentication in LastPass makes you less secure," Cassidy said on Saturday. MORE: Best Mobile Password Managers Like most password managers, LastPass needs the user to remember only a single master password. This unlocks the LastPass "vault," in which all other account passwords (and sometimes credit-card numbers and other sensitive information), are kept. When the LastPass software is installed on a computer, it adds extensions to installed Web browsers so that when the user visits a website with a known account, LastPass automatically logs into the site. For security reasons, LastPass periodically signs the user out of his LastPass account and forces him to log in again with his master password. By default, this happens every two weeks, but the user can change that to happen every time the computer starts up, or when a browser closes, or when a browser has been idle for a certain period of time. If the user is logged out of LastPass and visits a website to which LastPass holds the password, the browser displays a banner with a login button stating that "Your LastPass session appears to have expired. Please re-login." (Image credit: Sean Cassidy) That's all well and good, Cassidy said, but the way LastPass browser logins are handled creates a perfect phishing opportunity. If a malicious or corrupted website were to display a fake logout banner, then a fake login window, the attacker behind the website could seize control of a victim's LastPass account, and then any account social, financial or Webmail that had its login credentials in the LastPass vault. So Cassidy created a proof-of-concept attack, called LostPass, that did just that in Google Chrome. The basic problem, Cassidy said, is that most of the LastPass notifications and login windows appear within the browser's main window, or "viewport," in which websites are displayed. That means any website controlled by an attacker could display pixel-by-pixel reproductions of those LastPass notifications. In Google Chrome, the logout-notification banner, login window and demand for a 2FA code all appear within the viewport, and Cassidy was able to replicate them perfectly by simply viewing browser source (hit Ctrl + U) and copying and pasting the source code. He even created a close match of the signature "chrome-extension" URL by registering a "chrome-extension.pw" and then using the real Chrome extension's alphabetic ID as the directory name. (Image credit: Sean Cassidy) In Mozilla Firefox, the logout-notification banner is in the viewport, but the login window behaves differently on different operating systems. In Windows 8, the login window pops up as a separate box outside the viewport, but Cassidy was nevertheless able to create nearly perfect (but as of yet non-working) facsimiles. (Image credit: The real LastPass login window is on the right. Credit: Sean Cassidy) "If it's easy for an attacker to fake, then it's broken," Cassidy said. "If users are tricked, then it's the fault of the software designer. Good UX [user experience] is a security measure." Until recently, Cassidy said, the LastPass browser extension had a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) weakness, which meant that any website could force the LastPass user to become logged out. (LastPass fixed this after having been notified by Cassidy in November.) Upon landing on a page with a fake banner warning him that he's logged out, the LastPass user would have immediately checked the LastPass browser icon on the right site of the browser menu bar and seen that he indeed was logged out. Another recent LastPass fix involved 2FA. If a user tries to log into LastPass from a new device, LastPass sends the user an email asking him to confirm that he is indeed making that request. But until Sunday, if that user had previously enabled 2FA, the email would not be sent, and the user would instead be asked to provide a second authentication code provided by the authentication option he had selected. (LastPass supports more than a dozen 2FA options, including Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, RSA SecurID and YubiKey.) Cassidy managed to replicate the LastPass notification window in Chrome that asked for a Google Authenticator code. Had the user provided it, even a user with 2FA would have had his account hijacked. (Image credit: Sean Cassidy) "We have now changed the default so that all users, even those with two-factor authentication, will be directed to the verification process when logging in from unknown devices or locations," LastPass wrote in a lengthy statement (opens in new tab) Sunday regarding Cassidy's presentation. Nevertheless, the underlying problem of notifications occurring within the browser viewport still exists in Google Chome, the LastPass statement said. It's just that LastPass has no control over it. "LastPass has encouraged Google for years to provide a way to avoid using the browser viewport for notifications," the statement said. "As a true solution to this threat, Google should release infobars in Chrome that give extensions the capability to do proper notifications outside the DOM," or main browser window. As Cassidy pointed out, phishing attacks are the perfect way to steal data. They don't require any malware, and often not much coding, and work very well if they can convince the target that he or she is interacting with a trusted party. "Phishing is the most dominant attack vector, and is used by everyone from run-of-the-mill Cryptolocker types to APTs," Cassidy wrote in a blog posting put up the day of his ShmooCon presentation. "The real solution is designing software to be phishing resistant. Just like we have anti-exploitation techniques, we need anti-phishing techniques built into more software." If you'd like to try this proof-of-concept out yourself, Cassidy has released the code for LostPass on GitHub, though he adds in the GitHub README notes that he is "not particularly interested in making it weaponized." Until Google lets Chrome extensions create new windows, then you might want to consider logging into your LastPass account in Mozilla Firefox, or, even better, within the LastPass application itself. Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs Surface Pro 8: Heres the biggest upgrades Here's a breakdown of the biggest new features of Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 compared to the Surface Pro 8. Little has changed, but there are some key upgrades you need to know about. Kyiv will host celebrations to mark the Day of Unity of Ukraine on January 22, 2016, which will be attended by the leadership of the state, representatives of the central and local authorities, members of the parliament, fighters of the anti-terrorist operation, representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora, NGOs and religious organizations, scientists and artists. The respective plan of events was approved by resolution of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Minister's No3-r, signed by Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk on January 13, 2016, and then published on the governmental portal. Besides, on January 22 flower laying ceremonies are scheduled at monuments, memorial signs and places of burial of prominent figures of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, to the 20th century fighters for Ukraine's independence, the perished members of the Revolution of Dignity and the anti-terrorist operation. Thematic events are prepared in educational, cultural, and military institutions. The Foreign Ministry has been instructed to organize activities related to the Day of Unity together with Ukraine's foreign diplomatic missions, "in particular, engaging representatives of the Ukrainian community abroad." Also, the plan foresees a production and broadcasting of a series of television and radio programs dealing with this topic, as well as an organization of information, scientific, educational, cultural, artistic and other events. When Legion Festival, Australias first ever fan-funded heavy music festival, was announced, it was instantly met with excitement. For a while there, it seemed as though this crazy dream could actually become a reality. Organiser John Sankey, drummer for Devil You Know, had clearly learnt from the mistakes of Soundwave festival, which Legion intended to replace, and was committed to total transparency as well as opting to crowdfund the event. It was basically a no-risk proposition for all involved. Punters can pledge to a crowdfunding campaign to secure their ticket and the festival only goes ahead if the campaign reaches its goal, otherwise no pledges are processed. For the first few days, a healthy stream of pledges was flooding in, but things soon slowed and fans began wondering whether the campaign would be able to hit its ambitious target of just over $3 million before its 25th January deadline. Yesterday, the inevitable finally happened and organisers announced that the festival would not go ahead in 2016. Instead, the festivals inaugural event would take place next year, with rescheduled dates. In a lengthy statement, Sankey cited several reasons for Legions shift to 2017, including the short time frame that organisers gave themselves to secure enticing headliners, venues, and the correct visas for any potential lineup acts. Sankey also cited issues with obtaining council permits in time and the issues posed as a result of holding the festival on the Easter long weekend, when many music fans would have family commitments and when travel costs spike. However, looking back, one of the biggest oversights made by Legion organisers is the fact that many refunds from Soundwave 2016 are yet to be processed in the wake of the debacle that ensued following the festivals cancellation. To Legions credit, theyve done a stellar job of listening to their fans and taking their complaints and criticism on board. As readers will recall, after Soundwave 2016 collapsed, a dispute arose between Soundwave founder AJ Maddah and ticketing provider Eventopia, with each party passing the buck on who actually owed refunds to the fans whod purchased tickets. Eventually, Eventopia caved and took responsibility for issuing refunds to ticket-holders, promising fans the money would be returned within 21 business days, after they send in a special refund request to the ticket provider. Other fans, meanwhile, opted to get their money back via bank chargebacks, though these werent always successful. With so many fans still out of pocket from Soundwave 2016, it came as little surprise they were reticent or simply didnt have the money to support Legion. The fans certainly made it known on social media, with many fans responding to news of Legions various activities with comments indicating they were still waiting on securing the money spent on Soundwave and wouldnt be pledging until its returned. [include_post id=469214] Organisers even acknowledged as much in their statement, writing, Fans were having trouble justifying the expense given that some Soundwave refunds are yet to be processed. Although unlike a normal ticketing situation that takes payment immediately, where our crowdfunding pledges do not have any funds processed at all, the delay on refunds have still had a major impact on people pledging. By extending the campaign we know we have a large number of supporters who are right behind the event once their refunds come in. To Legions credit, theyve done a stellar job of listening to their fans and taking their complaints and criticism on board. Its a brand new model that was always going to take a bit of time to explain to the industry but we knew there was no way we could ask people to buy tickets, then change the goal posts if we have any chance of making this sustainable, said Mark Spillane from Legion HQ in a statement. The debut of Legion Music Festival is set to proceed in 2017 with three major East Coast open air shows, plus two mini-festival club shows in Perth and Adelaide. According to fans, Eventopia have begun processing refunds and it remains to be seen what impact this will have on Legions crowdfunding campaign, which readers can check via Pozible over here. With their one-off Melbourne show having sold out in just days, shoegaze trailblazers The Jesus & Mary Chain have announced the addition of a second Melbourne show to their Australian tour. One of the most influential bands ever to come out of the UK, The Jesus & Mary Chain will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut, Psychocandy, by playing the album in full at Melbournes 170 Russell. The release of Psychocandy immediately thrust The Jesus & Mary Chain into the forefront of the UKs 80s post-punk scene, with its mix of acrid, noisy meshes of guitar and ethereal, wall-of-sound atmospherics. Having seldom performed live over the past decade, this is a rare chance for Australian fans to experience one of the most influential bands in rock music performing one of the most highly regarded albums of the 80s. The Jesus & Mary Chain Australian Tour Dates Tickets on sale 9am Thursday, 21st January Sunday, 6th March 2016 170 Russell, Melbourne Tickets: 170 Russell Monday, 7th March 2016 SOLD OUT Forum Theatre, Melbourne Saturday, 5th March 2016 Divine Times, Spectrum Now Festival, Sydney Tickets: Spectrum Now As Tone Deaf reported yesterday, the inaugural Legion Music Festival, a proposed replacement for the cancelled Soundwave 2016, has itself been cancelled and will instead go ahead in 2017 with revised dates. After teasing fans with news of a forthcoming announcement, the festivals 2016 cancellation quickly leaked, with organisers claiming in a statement that its in everyones best interest that we do this in a way thats as sustainable as possible. Organiser John Sankey cited several reasons for Legions shift to 2017, including the short time frame that organisers gave themselves to secure enticing headliners, venues, and the correct visas for any potential lineup acts. Sankey also cited issues with obtaining council permits in time and the issues posed as a result of holding the festival on the Easter long weekend, when many music fans would have family commitments and when travel costs spike. Sankey also said that the festivals ambitious March-April 2016 dates had been announced in haste as a response to the the disappointment so many hard music fans faced once news broke that Soundwave 2016 would not be happening. Soundwave founder AJ Maddah has since responded to the cancellation of Legion. @robkaay Harder than it looks this festival caper. AJ (@iamnotshouting) January 18, 2016 Taking to his hyperactive Twitter channel, the promoter expressed a tongue-in-cheek sentiment at Legions postponement, writing, Harder than it looks this festival caper. The collapse of Maddahs flagship festival has left a considerable gap in the Australian festival market and, as Tone Deaf recently noted, could even impact the way the Australian events industry is governed. [include_post id=469166] Innovation and Better Regulation Minister Victor Dominello recently told The Weekend Australian that corporate governance and the behaviour of the companies involved in events has been below par and a new standard for the local events industry ought to be enacted. Meanwhile, Legion Festivals Pozible crowdfunding campaign is set to be re-launched with an additional 60 days to provide adequate time to announce the full lineup and implement additional marketing to ensure that the events $3 million goal is reached. All existing supporters will be recognised, with organisers arranging extensive additional benefits to reflect their support. Those who wish to opt out and relinquish their founding benefits will be able to do so. Legion Music Festival 2017 Saturday, 21st January 2017 Perth Sunday, 22nd January 2017 Adelaide Thursday, 26th January 2017 Melbourne Saturday, 28th January 2017 Sydney Sunday, 29th January 2017 Brisbane Undoubtedly one of the most important figures in dance music, Tim Sweeney has helmed (and garnered an extremely loyal cult following for) his Beats In Space program on NYUs radio for over 15 years now. Having featured both breaking talent and big name guests including DJ Harvey, Prins Thomas, Horse Meat Disco, James Holden, Trentemller, Four Tet, Ben UFO, Todd Terje, Prosumer, and Kindness just to name a few, the Beats In Space show is these days considered a dance music icon. As well as introducing listeners to some of the most groundbreaking and genre defying music crawling out of each corner of the globe, Tim has mixed for DFA Records, and was a soundtrack supervisor at Rockstar Games. Hell be in town this weekend to play as part of the impressive Sugar Mountain line up on the Bacardi x Boiler Room stage, and to celebrate hes curated us a mixtape, which is also a musical memoriam of sorts. Says Tim of the mixtape With the recent passings of David Bowie and Lemmy, Ive been thinking a lot about death. Check it out below, and for more info on Sugar Mountain visit sugarmountainfestival.com. Omar Souleyman Hafer Gabrak Bidi (I Will Dig Your Grave With My Hands) Im going to assume this is actually a love song about how he would dig his wifes grave if she passed away. But thats pretty fucked up too. Anyways, I have no idea what the lyrics say but its good and Souleyman is the man. Severed Heads Dead Eyes Opened Straight up classic from Australian synth group Severed Heads in 1984. Anne Clark Our Darkness Then over in London in 1984 you have Anne Clark making death techno before there was techno. William Onyeabor Heaven and Hell Nigerian jam from 1983 that has been recently reissued by Luaka Bop. All of Willys music is killer. Separate Minds Troubled World (US Mix) This is a troubled world, a crazy mixed-up world. Detroit techno at its best from 1993. Secret Circuit Afterlife I hope Bowie and Lemmy are having a good time up in heaven. Sugar Mountain 2016 Saturday, 23rd January 2016 Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne (18+) Tickets: Moshtix Kansas City Insider Considers Walmart Store Closings And The Fight For $15 Checkit:Back on October of 2015 TKC wrote about the minimum wage fiasco being perpetrated by our Mayor. Specifically, we wrote:We also wrote on March 2nd of 2015 that history correctly foretells the results of increasing minimum wage.We wrote:and on August 31st we pointed out that Wal-Mart, after raising their minimum wage, was forced to cut back hours of those same employees. We wrote:The Kansas City Star has been a very loud proponent of increasing the minimum wage. They, unfortunately, dont seem to see the correlation we do; namely, raise the minimum wage and you hurt the least employable, and cause unemployment to rise higher.The recent headlines that, is blamed on everything except the rising cost of their employees. Tonys KC, as shown above, correctly identified this reality on three separate occasions over the last year.Theway to guarantee yourself employment is to make sure you deliver more value than what you are paid. Otherwise, someone demanding $15 an hour to perform a task a machine (or trained monkey) could handle substantially less expensively, like flipping burgers, will soon be in the unemployment line.Tractors have displaced thousands of farm hands in the early 20th Century. Should we blame the farmer that purchased this labor saving device? Remember, that same piece of equipment, while causing massive unemployment, also drove down the cost of food for, quite literally, the world; a relatively small amount of unemployment compared to the worlds population and the benefits the world has received.Likewise, Wal-Mart provides millions with products at significant savings over what others charge, which helps raise the standard of living of the millions that shop there.When you raise the cost of any input into the price of a good, materials or labor, you harm the buyer who either is force to pay higher prices or the goods are not available at all and the entity either goes bankrupt, or closes its doors as in the case of Wal-Mart.##########Developing . . . KANSAS CITY COMPLAINTS AGAINST CITY HALL TRASH PICKUP ARE STARTING TO PILE UP ON LOCAL WEBSITES!!! - "I thought I had a bulky pickup scheduled for Wednesday using the city's Bulky Express program but never got a confirmation. Yesterday I tried to log back in to the scheduler only to find out the web page had been taken down. Contacted the city today and this was the first THEY had heard of it. Someone is supposed to call me back, but I'm not holding my breath, and either way it seems as tho I may not be getting my items picked up . . ." - "You can make an appt. through the city of KCMO on their website: http://kcmo.gov/publicworks/bulkyitem/. I just made an appt. yesterday - first available was April 13." - "I tried to schedule a bulky pick up onsite and was told my address did not exist! I called and scheduled for March 9th. Hope the city gets this fixed." - "Yes, you can schedule a bulky pickup for free thru the city - but as you mentioned the available dates are quite a ways out. For our neighborhood the soonest available was the second week of April. It's great if you can plan ahead, but there are certain times when you can't wait for months. In those situations the city also offered a service called "Bulky Express" . . . - "I have scheduled twice since Nov (online and by phone) and no p/u. Both times I called. Told not in system. One time when scheduling online, I was told my address didn't exist." Let's be real for the late night . . . It's important to remember history but for a great many residents most federal holidays are simply a glitch in the trash schedule.To wit . . .KCMO touts thecommunity and right not,reveal a great many conversations about busted bulky item pickup appointments.Some quote highlights . . .And so . . . We can talk about social justice and political leadership and all kinds of high and mighty ideas but in the end people simply expect their city to reliably take out the trash . . . Which is becoming a rarity in Kansas City proper.Perspective . . . Don't forget thatHopefully, more for the morning update . . . TKC EXCLUSIVE: THE PETITION FIGHT AGAINST THE DOWNTOWN CONVENTION HOTEL HAS EFFECTIVELY STALLED THE PROJECT THAT WAS RAMMED THROUGH BY MAYOR SLY IN A DECEPTIVE PROCESS THAT LACKED TRANSPARENCY OR ANY SEMBLANCE OF DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION!!! RE: COURT DATE! February 2, 2016, Tuesday; 1:30 PM at the Courthouse in Independence, MO. The fight over Kansas City subsidy for pricey Downtown Kansas City development projects persists as petitioners against the convention hotel plan will soon get their day in court.Remember that. . .Even better . . .Like it or not, the hallmark of the Mayor James Administration has been a blatant disregard for the Democratic process and now it seems voters are increasingly looking to challenge this trend.Here's the word from petitioners:The Judge has set the court date for arguments in our case to get our downtown hotel petition on the ballot so the voters can decide if they want to finance this project with a large amount of taxpayer dollars (our dollars). Arguments between the citys attorneys and our attorney will be heard.The hearing is scheduled for :We would like to get as many of our supporters as possible to attend to let the judge and the city know we all care about how our tax dollars are being spent.Litigation continues to be expensive. We need to continue to build our litigation fund. If you are able to help, you can send a donation to the address below. Any donation is greatly appreciated.Thank you for your continued support!Citizens for Responsible Government4741 Central St. #112Kansas City, MO 64112##############Developing . . . Tourexpi, turizm haberleri, Reiseburos, tourism news, noticias de turismo, Tourismus Nachrichten, , travel tourism news, international tourism news, Urlaub, urlaub in der turkei, , holidays in Turkey, , global tourism news, dunya turizm, dunya turizm haberleri, Seyahat Acentas, This site is best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+, at a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768. Our hotel is located in the neighborhood called the Heart of Nice since it is here that the people from Nice, the locals, live, explains Pedroni, Director of Hotel Monsigny, clients who stay in our hotel can enjoy the real Nice lifestyle. It is a very authentic zone of the city where the typical Provence market takes place at the hotels doorstep in the morning. Also, many art galleries have opened next to it recently, not far from the Chagall Museum. We reside in a lively and dynamic neighborhood of Nice. The 6 floor building contains 56 comfortable and fully renovated bedrooms with marble bathrooms, high quality sheets, sound-proof windows, a safe-box, and free wifi access. Of all of the rooms, 4 are accessible and perfectly adapted for persons with reduced mobility. Another strong point: the last floor houses a pleasant panoramic terrace with a view on the citys roofs where guests can lounge in comfortable seats. A shower and jacuzzi will be set up for the warmer days in order to freshen up after tanning. In the downstairs, the bar offers an excellent selection of trendy cocktails, next to a large room where every morning a buffet breakfast is served, in either the consistant (12) or express (6) option. But the terrace may be the most pleasant place to enjoy a coffee, especially since it is often sunny on the French Riviera! Tea lovers will be delighted with the large variety of teas offered, where they can brew the perfectly infused cup thanks to a small unique designer hourglass that times exactly the right moment to enjoy it. Omans National Business Centre (NBC) has signed incubation agreements with Ibra Energy Services and Majan Health Services (MHS) towards offering a platform to Omani entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas. Ibra Energy Services is an in-country value (ICV) initiative aiming to position itself as the leading energy solutions provider in Oman and the region. The team has extensive knowledge, experience, and resources in the oil and gas sector in Oman, the region and internationally, a statement said. Mohsin Al Barwani, managing director of Ibra Energy Services, noted that the objectives of the firm include providing solutions to all the major oil operators in Oman, with plans to provide products and services in the region. Majan Health Services (MHS) is a one-stop occupational medicine service provider and innovative medical solutions. MHS specialises in the diagnosis, management and prevention of diseases and illnesses in the workplace. Dr Aisha Al Balushi, CEO of MHS said: "MHS provides unique mobile and on-site services covering healthcare management and occupational medicine tailored packages that suits the needs of organisations needs of the O&G, marine, construction and aviation industries. MHSs qualified occupational physicians visit workplaces and assess a range of work-related health issues. MHS offers a range of modular, flexible services. We assist in the development and implementation of occupational health solutions and strategies that protect the health of your greatest asset - your workforce, Dr Al Balushi added. The National Business Centre is an initiative launched by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) to offer promising Omani entrepreneurs a platform to develop their business ideas and advance them into growing ventures. TradeArabia News Service Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabis leading listed property development, investment and management company, has acquired Daman House a commercial office building in Capital Centre, Abu Dhabi. Daman House comprises 23,000 sq m GLA (gross leasable area) of Grade A commercial space, fully leased on a long-term contract to a single government-related entity. The transaction underscores Aldars ambition to grow its recurring revenue portfolio through investment in new and existing revenue producing assets. The purchase of Daman House is the first to be made as part of a Dh3-billion ($816 million) investment programme that Aldar is implementing to drive growth within its recurring revenue business to achieve its new target of Dh2.2 billion ($599 million) net operating income (NOI) by 2020. The company has already committed approximately Dh900 million ($136 million) of investment, representing almost 30 per cent of this programme, through the Daman House transaction, the forthcoming extension of Al Jimi Mall in Al Ain and the expansion within Aldar Academies through the construction of the Al Mamoura School in Abu Dhabi, announced in November 2015. The Dh410-million ($111.6 million) extension of Al Jimi Mall will bring an additional 33,000 sq m GLA of retail space to the existing 43,000 sq m GLA trading space as well as a renovation and facelift of the existing mall. Al Jimi Mall remains a key retail asset in Al Ain, with footfall of eight million visitors a year and this investment will bring new retailers to Al Ain as well as enhancing the overall shopping experience. Ground-breaking of the new extension is expected to take place in January 2016. The Al Mamoura school will be a co-educational primary school and a girls only secondary school. A total of Dh160 million ($43.6 million) will be spent on its construction, which is expected to be completed in 2016. The school is being built in response to continued strong demand for high quality education in Abu Dhabi and will become the seventh school in Aldars portfolio. The investment into these three assets, all of which is being funded out of existing cash resources, will contribute approximately Dh90 million ($24.5 million) NOI once the assets are fully stabilised, with Daman House making an immediate contribution to NOI growth. Mohamed Al Mubarak, chief executive officer at Aldar Properties, said: The acquisition we are announcing today fits perfectly with our strategy of increasing our recurring revenue base and demonstrates our ability to take advantage of value accretive opportunities when they arise. "The acquisition underscores our ability to successfully execute against our strategy to grow recurring revenues. I firmly believe that our sound financial position, strong capital structure and proven asset management capabilities will allow us meet our NOI target of Dh2.2 billion ($599 million) in NOI by 2020. - TradeArabia News Service A storage project with 25 million barrels of space will open in Oman in 2019, helping to keep the country's oil flowing, Oman Tank Terminal Company (OTTCO) said on Tuesday. The complex, which will be built at Ras Markaz, is needed as oil storage in Sohar is already full, Said Al Maawali, project director for OTTCO, told the Platts Oil Storage Conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.. "It will help them (manage) unforeseen circumstances," Al Maawali said. The tanks will help boost trading of Oman crude oil futures on the Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME) by making more oil available that can be delivered against the futures contracts, Al Maawali said, and it would also help guard against price volatility. He said future phases of the project could expand its capacity to as much as 200 million barrels of storage. OTTCO last year launched a floating storage on an oil supertanker with 2.1 million barrels of space, awarding contracts to China Oil, Glencore and Oman Trading International (OTI). Al Maawali said the floating storage was a first step towards marketing the new project, and OTTCO was considering adding another vessel while the on-land tanks were under construction. - Reuters With Dubai home to 18 of the 100 supertall structures in the world, the construction sector in the Middle East region has flourished tremendously, said industry experts. According to a GCC construction report released a few months back, UAE accounts for the largest value of projects worth $525.6 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman respectively. The same report also indicated that the GCCs construction industry is expected to reach a record high of $126 billion, said the report. The steady growth witnessed in the construction industry also facilitates the growth of facility management and building facilitation services, it added. Harnessing the power of technology, the construction industry has indeed come a long way. Integrating digital technology, in ways more than one, for the design and construction of buildings has proved to be extremely advantageous. While supertall skyscrapers play a pivotal role in the vertical growth of a city, delivering effective vertical transportation solutions is critical to the overall design of the building, said experts ahead of a key industry event. The third edition of Smart Skyscrapers Summit will be held from May 16 to 17 at Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa. Referring to the worlds top five tallest buildings, Burj Khalifa (Dubai), Shanghai Tower (Shanghai), Makkah Royal Clock Tower (Makkah), One World Trade Center (New York City) and Taipei 101 (Taipei), sector specialists said they will discuss and highlight the trends and latest technologies dominating the vertical transportation at the event. According to the experts, the vertical transportation industry has undergone widespread transformation that is in tandem with the uptake witnessed in the construction sector. With the implementation of innovative techniques, vertical transport solutions have now visually appealing designs and significantly faster in speed. It is estimated that every day, more than seven billion elevator journeys are taken in buildings all over the world. Given how elevators consume up to 10 per cent of a skyscrapers electricity usage, use of new technological innovations also allow a considerable reduction in energy consumption, they stated. Brad Hariharan, the regional director, Expotrade Middle East, said: "With the increase of supertall structures, there is an imperative need to determine the advancements in lift technology." "Our summit will prove to be an invaluable platform to discuss the various vertical transportation strategies that provide maximum space utilization and also improve building efficiencies," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Switzerland has been ranked at number one globally on talent competitiveness, followed by Singapore and Luxembourg in second and third places, respectively, remaining the same as in 2014, a report said. Insead, the business school for the world, today released the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2015-16, an annual study based on research in partnership with the Adecco Group and the Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore (HCLI). This years theme of Talent Attraction and International Mobility focuses on findings linked to the significant correlation between movement of talent and economic prosperity. Mobility is vital to fill skill gaps; and a high proportion of innovative, entrepreneurial people were born or studied abroad. It is hence not surprising that top ranking countries have positioned themselves as desirable destinations for high-skilled workers. Faced with new types of migration flows, decision makers need to shape policies and strategies to address both the immediate concerns of their constituencies and the longer-term interests of their citizens. Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2015-16 Rankings: Top Ten 1 Switzerland 2 Singapore 3 Luxembourg 4 United States 5 Denmark 6 Sweden 7 United Kingdom 8 Norway 9 Canada 10 Finland Countries ranked in the top 10 clearly demonstrated openness in terms of talent mobility close to 25 per cent of the respective populations of Switzerland and Luxembourg were born abroad; the proportion is even 43 per cent in Singapore. The proportion is also significant in the United States (4), Canada (9), New Zealand (11), Austria (15), and Ireland (16). There has been little change in the top 20 since the release of the last edition of the GTCI report, with the exception of Czech Republic (20) entering this group, New Zealand improving its performance significantly, while Canada and Ireland saw modest declines. Ilian Mihov, dean of Insead, said: With the dynamics of global labour markets shifting rapidly, the GTCI is increasingly relevant for key influencers looking for quantitative instruments and recommendations to help boost competitiveness and bridge the labour challenges they face; even major economies such as China, Germany and Brazil will not be spared from severe labour shortfalls. We are encouraged that the GTCI emphasis on the importance of vocational education has generated positive feedback across the world, and we are now seeing vocational training emerging as a cornerstone in many policy approaches. In the coming years and beyond, we look forward to continually engage our global audience in high-quality dialogue as part of our efforts to help key decision makers and influencers boost talent competitiveness and prosperity, he added. Bruno Lanvin, executive director of Global Indices at Insead, and co-editor of the report, commented: One key recommendation from the report is that countries have to be more proficient at managing the emerging new dynamics of brain circulation. While the temporary economic mobility of highly skilled people may initially be seen as a loss for their country of origin, countries have to understand that this translates into a net gain when they return home. The way in which Taiwan built its world-class electronics industry, through returnees from Silicon Valley, is a model that many look to emulate. New technologies might create new challenges for workers at different skill levels: low-skill jobs are being destroyed by automation; medium-skill jobs may be displaced by algorithms, he added. Through analyses and comparisons of the scores registered by individual countries, a number of patterns and similarities emerge, converging towards eight key messages relating to this years theme: Mobility has become a key ingredient of talent development: creative talent cannot be fully developed if international mobility and brain circulation are not encouraged. The migration debate needs to move from emotions to solutions: countries will find it advantageous to address movements of people through a talent perspective. Management practices make a difference in attracting talent: apart from monetary incentives and standard of living, another important differentiator in talent attraction is the professionalism of management and investment in employee development. While people continue to move to jobs and opportunities, jobs are now moving to where the talent is: some countries have started to attract the attention of international investors because of creative talent at a reasonable cost: China, South Korea, Philippines and Vietnam in the Asia Pacific region; Malta, Slovenia, Cyprus and Moldova in the European region; Turkey, Jordan and Tunisia in the Mena region; and Panama in Central America. New talent magnets are emerging: While the US, Singapore and Switzerland have long been attractive to talent, competition may become fierce among emerging talent hubs such as Indonesia, Jordan, Chile, South Korea, Rwanda and Azerbaijan, as more aspire to join these increasingly attractive destinations. Low-skilled workers continue to be replaced by robots, while knowledge workers are displaced by algorithms: as mobility continues to be redefined in new ways, notably through technology, knowledge workers are affected and this shift signals that entire sectors of activity may be displaced. Some people may have to work virtually for different employers from their homes, while others have to retrain and move far to obtain jobs. In a world of talent circulation, cities and regions are becoming critical players in the competition for global talent: agility and branding of cities seem to be more critical differentiators than size as an increasing number of large cities adopt imaginative policies to attract global talent. Scarce vocational skills continue to handicap emerging countries: gaps in vocational skills continue to exist in emerging countries such as China, India, and South Africa, and particularly in Brazil where talent capabilities show signs of weakening on all fronts. This is also true for some high-income countries such as Ireland, Belgium and Spain. TradeArabia News Service Oman Drydock Company (ODC) witnessed one of its busiest half year periods during July to December, 2015, with the number of drydockings undertaken during the period taking the total number to 375 since it opened in 2011. ODC is one of the biggest shipyards in the world at 1.3m sq metres and is based in Duqm Omans new ports and logistics city (see notes to editors). ODC deputy CEO Dr Ahmed Al Abri, said the work was completed for a wide variety of clients including Maran, Dynacom, SCI, Springfield, PIL, Mercator TMS, Synergy, Gulf Marine, Oman Shipping, Gas Cat, Maersk, CMA, Exmar, NYK, Red Sea and Sea Traders. Vessels worked on included Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), crude oil tankers, container ships, LNG and LPG carriers, chemical carriers, bulk carriers, as well as dredgers, RO-ROs and barges. We are immensely proud of the work we have done in the last six months, he said. The complex range of contracts shows the world-class skills, facilities and expertise that we have. October saw ODC complete our third major conversion of an OBO to a VLCC for Springfield this year. These massive conversions are right at the cutting edge of shipyard engineering employing 500 men and deploying the considerable expertise of our Korean partner DSME. The conversion works entailed removing bulkhead covers and installing new swash bulkheads and making the vessels multi-functional for more efficient loading. Between the three conversions we fabricated close to 120 blocks between 50 and 80 tonnes. This enabled us to build in larger portions, reducing on time and cost. We believe this track record in conversions sends a powerful message to the shipping industry and can catapult us further into the multi-billion global conversion industry. Outside conversions Dr Al Abri pointed to ODCs rapidly increasing work in the LNG sector. Again combining the knowledge and expertise of DSME with our world class facilities and geographical location we strongly believe we are one of the most advanced and best equipped yards in the world for LNG tankers, he said. We have worked on many LNG vessels for owners including Oman Shipping, Exmnar and GasCat, undertaking repairs and maintenance. Works included hull blasting and painting, cargo tank inspection by GTT and the overhaul of machinery. This covered the engine room, propeller, boiler and generator as well as outfitting and electrical jobs. ODC LNG services cover key areas such as the supply chain of various materials including invar, insulation boxes, membranes, prefabricated panels and cryogenic safety valves. Further investment has included renovation to its cryogenic shop so it can repair up to four LNGCs at any one time. Dr Al Abri said other important jobs in the last six months have included applying an epoxy tank coating to a product tanker to a tight deadline and very high standard. In addition, the yard has prefabricated a massive steel platform structure of more than 12,700 tonnes for an oil field. It has further undertaken refits of a navy ship and large yacht. In 2016, ODC will be looking to extend its work scope and offer specialist services like complex painting, retrofitting, modification, restructuring and the installation of Ballast Water systems, Dr Al Abri said. He said ODC will also be targeting the industrial and offshore sectors for steel fabrication works. TradeArabia News Service Daimler on Monday said its trucks division had signed letters of intent with joint venture partners in Iran as part of the German truck maker's re-entry into the Iranian market following the lifting of international sanctions. Iran has opened up as an export market following years of economic isolation as world powers lifted sanctions in return for Tehran's compliance with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions. Daimler said it would cooperate with Iran Khodro Diesel (IKD) and Iran's Mammut Group, establishing a joint venture for local production of Mercedes-Benz trucks and powertrain components, plus the establishment of a sales company for Mercedes-Benz trucks. Furthermore, there are plans for Daimler to return as a shareholder in the former engine joint venture Iranian Diesel Engine Manufacturing Co. (IDEM). Daimler Trucks intends to open a representative office in Tehran during the first quarter of 2016, the Stuttgart, Germany-based company said. The first Mercedes-Benz Actros and Axor trucks could be supplied to the country in the form of CKD (completely knocked down) kits - or fully disassembled - before the end of the year, Daimler said. In addition to the plans for Mercedes-Benz trucks, Daimler Trucks also sees great opportunities for its Mitsubishi Fuso brand - especially in the light-duty truck segment. To open up this market, Daimler has signed a distribution agreement with Dubai-based Mammut Group is one of the Middle East's largest truck bodybuilders and distributors, for the Fuso brand. Mayan, a unit of Mammut Group, will be responsible for opening up the Iranian market in close cooperation with Fuso. Daimler can build on a long and successful history in Iran: The company has been present in the market with Mercedes-Benz trucks and passenger cars since 1953, interrupted only by the sanctions phase between 2010 and 2016. Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles are still present there and remain very visible on Iran's roads. Previously, Daimler sold up to 10,000 vehicles per year in Iran, most of them commercial vehicles. Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, a board member of the Daimler AG responsible for Trucks & Buses, said: "Daimler commercial vehicles have always had an excellent reputation in Iran. And right now, there is a huge demand for commercial vehicles, especially trucks." "We plan to quickly resume our business activities in the market there. The signing of the letters of intent with our local partners IKD and Mammut Group are important pre-requisites to resume business quickly," he stated. Despite the sanctions, Iran was one of the largest national economies in the Middle East, with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $415 billion in 2014. Industry accounts for almost half of the Iranian national economy. The potential is huge for Daimler as the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has estimated that about 200,000 commercial vehicles will be replaced in the coming years some 56,000 of them in the next three to five years alone, said Bernhard. With its growth potential following many years of sanctions and the pent-up demand in the transport sector, Iran offers promising opportunities for Daimler Trucks, he added.-Reuters and TradeArabia News Service A new 180-room Swissotel is set to open in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia following a recent agreement signed between leading hospitality chain Swissotel Hotels & Resorts and Mohammed Ibrahim Al Subeaei & Sons Investment Company (Masic). With a planned opening in 2019, Swissotel Al Khobar will be situated within the Masic Business Park development, occupying an enviable location within the urban area's commercial and residential district. Encompassing around 55,000-sq-m of retail and prime office space, this development will become a landmark in the Eastern Province. The project is being developed by Masic, one of the largest investment companies in Saudi Arabia with an extensive portfolio of investments locally and globally featuring financial services, real estate, agriculture, manufacturing, industrial and retail. In addition to 180 guestrooms, Swissotel Al Khobar will feature over 1,300-sq-m of meeting and conference space and a variety of food and beverage offerings from Cafe Swiss and Swiss Gourmet to a pool and grill restaurant. With an emphasis on vitality and fitness, the hotel will also feature the brand's signature Purovel Spa & Sport along with an outdoor rooftop pool. This mixed use property will also present 20 exclusive and contemporary luxury residential apartments, branded under the Swissotel Living concept offering high-end amenities and round-the-clock service to residents. The announcement marks Swissotel's, and parent company FRHI Hotels & Resorts', first venture into the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry in the eastern part of the country. With the city of Al Khobar as its commercial centre, the property is close to Dhahran city, home to the world's largest energy company - Saudi Aramco, as well as the US Consulate and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. Overall, the province is just a short distance away from the Arabian Gulf, and is linked to neighbouring Bahrain by a 25 km causeway. "Continuing our pipeline growth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a key focus for our world-leading luxury hotel brands," said Sami Nasser, senior vice president, operations, Middle East, Africa and India for FRHI. "Since our debut in the region over five years ago with our multi-branded hotel complex in Makkah, our brands have been well positioned to appeal to both business and religious tourism in this increasing sophisticated travel market." The addition of Swissotel Al Khobar complements a growing portfolio of FRHI-managed hotels currently under development in Saudi Arabia, including Swissotel, Raffles and Fairmont hotels in Jeddah all slated to open before 2020, in addition to Fairmont Riyadh, Business Gate which will open in 2016. Swissotel flags will also be raised throughout the Middle East within the next five years with Swissotel Jadaf in the UAE, Swissotel Citystars Sharm El Sheikh and a property in 'New Cairo' - Swissotel Katameyah in Egypt. TradeArabia News Service An unknown woman toiled and strived for 40 minutes attempting to save the life of a fellow traveller on a Ryanair flight from the Canary Islands earlier this week. When a sick passenger had a heart attack at 35,000 feet, this lady who was flying with her two kids responded to announcement requesting any medical specialists on board, saying she'd worked for an airline for a long time. She then battled to save the man for the next 40 minutes while the plane was diverted to Cork, Ireland, and never stopped even during a rough landing. Medics met the sick passenger upon landing and took him to a doctor's facility, yet tragically he passed away in spite of the travel holy messenger's efforts. Nobody knows yet who the lady was and there are no data coming out to recognise the unknown hero. Another passenger, Kitty Dollah, told the Irish Echo, 'Because of the weather, when we were landing the plane tilted so much before we hit the ground, the whole plane screamed, but that woman never stopped. Her kids watched patiently, they didn't flicker. The woman inspired me I'll never look at life the same again.' Ryanair released a final statement saying that the crew helped the customer, and in accordance with procedures, they made a request for any medically prepared passengers to come forward to help the sick passenger and called ahead to request medical assistance on the ground. And the airplane landed normally at Cork and was met by doctors, and the client was transferred to the nearest hospital but sadly passed away. Ryanair extends its deepest sympathies to the family of the deceased and has given help during this difficult time. Ryanair wishes to sincerely thank the passengers in this situation for their assistance and help to their fellow passenger. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 If you're into sleeping on ice beds and drinking in glasses made of ice, you may want to visit an ice hotel. MSN recommends the following ice hotels you can check out all over the globe before they're gone by spring. Hurry before they start melting! Ice Hotel -- Jukkasjarvi, Sweden Located in a village in northern Sweden, this beautiful hotel is made entirely out of snow and ice blocks. It is the first ice hotel in the world and has glasses made of ice and ice chapel for couples that are about to wed. Hotel Kakslauttanen Igloo Village -- Saariselka Finland This hotel has 20 thermal glass igloos where tourists can enjoy looking at the stars, the snow and the aurora borealis (if lucky enough) in the comforts of a warm bed. Snow Village -- Montreal, Canada This ice hotel is the centerpiece of Montreal's Snow Village that boasts a dining hall, several bars and many theme rooms constructed from ice and snow. Hotel of Ice -- Balea Lac, Romania The Balea Lac Hotel of Ice offers accommodations in over 10 double rooms with king size beds, an ice-lounge, a bar and a restaurant. Snow Village, Kittila, Finland This village is constructed during every winter from about 20 million kilos of snow and 350,000 kilos of crystal clear natural ice. It features snow rooms and suites, a restaurant, bar, chapel, a slide and striking corridors with spectacular snow and ice art work. This hotel also allows visitors to enjoy regular tours by car or snowmobile. The Snowcastle of Kemi -- Kemi, Finland The Snowcastle of Kemi offers great light-effects and ice tables and seats. The castle features a restaurant, chapel and hotel. Hotel de Glace -- Quebec City, Canada It is 10 minutes from downtown Quebec City. It is this stunning hotel that has attracted over a million people from around the world since it opened in 2001. This hotel features huge snow vaults, 44 rooms and suites, and dazzling decor that will put Disney's Frozen to shame. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Two people died after their boat turned over somewhere in the coast of Western Australia. Two dead bodies have been found in the waters south of Mawby Island at 7 a.m. It appears that the corpses came from an overturned boat that was spotted nearby. A search and rescue mission has been launched to find other possible victims. The team has yet to confirm the number of people that were on the vessel when the accident happened. Fremantle Water Police were assisted to do the rescue operation by Department of Transport, North West Water Police and West Pilbara Volunteer Sea Rescue. With four helicopters and several divers, they are hoping to find other survivors. The capsized boat, said to be a half-cabin private cruiser designed for recreation, was spotted and reported by sailors aboard another vessel near Malus Island. Upon seeing that the boat has flipped over, the sailors quickly searched for survivors where they found one body. The sailors then notified police divers of the incident. An hour later, the second body was found. The sailors who found the flipped vessel continued to look for other bodies by monitoring the waves through their boat's computer system. Sen. Const. O'Meara from the Fremantle Water Police knew the name of the recreational sea vehicle but decided not to disclose the information for now because he is unable to determine the crew's expertise. The area near Dampier where the private boat sank is considered to be a good place for fishing. An abundance of Blue Bone, Coral Trout, Norwest Snapper, Red Emperor, Scarlet Sea Perch and Spangled Emperor are to be caught there. Thunderstorm forecast in the area was issued the morning before. Fishermen, however, begged to disagree with the report since they noticed that the weather was fine for boating. The rescuers continue their search with fear that more people might be missing. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Forget about the time when Iceland was deemed too expensive for most travellers, thanks to budget airlines such as WOW Air and easyJet as in the recent years they have made travelling to the other-worldly landscapes of Iceland more affordable and doable. Reykjavik is now becoming more popular by being a stopover hub from London and Bristol. Both budget airlines Iceland Air and WOW are offering customers the option of a stopover at no extra cost. This encourages tourists to incorporate a trip to Iceland in their travel plans. Now how to spend your stopover in Reykjavik? If you're on a tight schedule you can stay in a centrally located hotel like the four-star Fosshotel Reykjavik for the best view in the tallest property in the city. Rooms start at AU$192.29 per night. You can go visit Hallgrimskirkja Church and Harpa Concert Hall while you're in the city. These key attractions are within easy walking distance. If you prefer indoor activities, there's the largest whale exhibition in Europe, the Whales of Iceland that features life-size models of cetaceans found in the waters around Iceland. Tickets costs AU$31. The chance to see the Northern Lights is one of the Iceland's key attractions. Aurora displays are common from October to March, but to be in with a chance of seeing them, you'll need to escape light pollution. Tours operate nightly from the city, but a much better option is to stay in a more remote area for a few days. Less than an hour drive from Reykjavik, the boutique Hotel Ion offers guests an opportunity to watch the lights from an outdoor hot tub. Double rooms start from AU$413.52 per night. Alternatively, head southeast from the city for an hour drive to Hotel Ranga, which operates an aurora alarm service. Guests can fall asleep safe in the knowledge that if the lights do show up, a night watchman will raise the alert. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Type to search or hit ESC to close Experts say despite past irrational overseas investments, spending may well continue as good deals are still possible The year-end retreat by China Investment Corp, the country's sovereign wealth fund, from Canada's mining and oil-and-gas sectors, has raised concerns that past overseas investments of State-backed oil companies may prove duds, due to the prolonged slump in crude oil prices. After a string of bad investments overseas, CIC shifted its only office outside China from Toronto to New York at the end of 2015. The Toronto office used to manage CIC's investments in the energy sector. Since 2010, CIC invested about $1.9 billion in Canada's oil sands sector. Five years on, those investments are believed to have slipped into sharp losses. China's State-backed oil giants, including China National Offshore Oil Corporation, the country's largest offshore oil and gas producer, and Sinopec Group, Asia's largest oil refiner, too, have a large presence in Canada. But, they are reportedly either scaling back their operations or putting new investments on hold. Brion Energy, the Canadian unit of State-backed China National Petroleum Corp, also known as PetroChina, bought two oil sands projects in the MacKay River site and the Dover project for about $2.4 billion from Athabasca Oil Corp, a Canadian oil sands company. PetroChina needed to make an additional investment of about $1 billion as a result of an 18-month delay in the first phase of the MacKay River oil sands project. Chen Weidong, chief energy researcher of the CNOOC Energy Economics Institute, said high cost of early-stage exploration in unconventional fuels such as oil sands has contributed to the huge losses of Chinese companies' overseas assets. "Oil sands projects are generally more difficult and expensive to extract than conventional drilling, as it involves a mixture of sand and clay. So when the crude price kept falling, the cost of this process began to take its toll," he said. Late last year, a Toronto-Dominion Bank report said half of Canadian oil sands producers will be in deficit if the West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, a North American benchmark for crude oil price, kept falling under $44 a barrel. "Investors in the oil and gas industry need long-term positive cash flow in order to keep a certain scale of investment," Chen said. "At current crude prices, even well-established oil sands projects are struggling to make money." Other reasons include the misjudgment of the long-term trend of international crude prices and the government's push toward more energy resources in foreign countries, experts said. "Oil, as a source of fuel, is considered as a scarce resource in China, which relies heavily on oil imports. For this reason, the country is pushing oil companies to embark on huge overseas expansion plans to secure more resources," said Zhao Hongtu, a research professor at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, a government-backed think tank. "Under such circumstances, ensuring the country's energy security is their major task, while higher returns from overseas investments become secondary," he said. Also, lack of experience in international operations and inappropriate estimates have put the Chinese oil companies under huge pressure. They realized, rather late in the day, that their overseas deals were overpriced. Gao Jian, a crude oil analyst at commodities consultancy Sublime China Information Co Ltd, said the State-backed companies, when they were snapping up overseas oil and gas assets before 2008, were confident they were getting good bargains. But crude oil prices fell by more than half in 2009 after the global financial crisis. It started to plummet from $140 a barrel in 2008 and reached $70 in 2009, when China's oil majors were picking up distressed overseas assets. Since then, the crude price descent has continued and, earlier this month, fell below $29 per barrel, the lowest in 12 years. No one was able to expect that the crude prices would continue to fall over such a long period of time, Gao said. "Crude price is not expected to see a rebound in a short term, not at least for this year and next year, as the level of global oil stocks is already at its peak this year." Oil stocks in member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a key indicator of whether the world oil market is tight or well-supplied, already hit the high mark of 3 billion barrels, according to estimates. As a sharp decline in international crude prices hit upstream earnings, China's oil majors saw their profits slump in the first half of 2015. But experts said companies such as Sinopec that span the whole industrial chainthat is, both upstream and downstreamwould probably suffer less than those that focus only on oilfields. Gao said Chinese firms need to be prudent in the future and have stricter assessment of investment risks to ensure expansion would not compromise profits. "If you look at the overseas investments in the past decade, some of them were very irrational, but I don't think it is a bad time for Chinese companies to continue their overseas spending, as there is still a good chance for them to find good deals," he said. Global oil and gas investments are expected to fall to their lowest in six years in 2016 to $522 billion, following a 22 percent fall to $595 billion in 2015, according to Oslo-based consultancy Rystad Energy. An optical illusion is sweeping the Internet - and leaving online users completely bamboo-zled. Russian artist Ilja Klemencov has hidden a giant panda amongst black and white zig-zag lines in what appears to be the latest mind-altering puzzle featuring the fluffy bear. The clever trick-of-the-eye, titled 'They can disappear', appears to support charity conservation efforts by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Can you see it? Russian artist Ilja Klemencov has hidden a giant panda amongst black and white zig-zag lines in what appears to be the latest mind-altering puzzle featuring the fluffy bear. While the mammal instantly jumps out at some observers, those who are struggling to see it are advised to take a step back from their computer screens or turn it to a near 90 degree angle. The original artwork was uploaded onto picture-sharing site Imgur by user 'matata' three years ago, but has surged in popularity again after being re-posted to Reddit. Can you spot the panda? After Hungarian illustrator Gergely Dudas posted this image on his Facebook page, thousands of people vented their frustrations at not being able to find it. The illustrator had Internet users competing with friends to find the animal in the shortest time possible after he posting the artwork to his Facebook page on December 16. The original Where's Wally-style snowmen picture was liked by 42,000 people and shared 100,000 times within days, with many struggling to find the panda at all. He followed it up days later with another picture posted online, this time of a cat hidden among dozens of brightly coloured owls. The Hungarian illustrator often posts cartoons and mind-bending puzzles for his followers. Dudolf told i100: 'The popularity of the 'panda' picture amazed me, I still can't believe it, but it makes me really happy! Glad to see how people like something I made.' This was followed by Reddit contributor, with the username Oneste, who created a mind-boggling puzzle in which he hid a panda amongst rows and rows of Stormtroopers - and TIE fighter pilots. There it is! Gergely Dudas' chameleon-esque panda is hidden in amongst hundreds of festive snowman; eighth row from the top, fourth from the right. There are plenty of red herrings with bright scarves and hats. Chinese Ambassador to Iran Pang Sen praised the economic and trade cooperation between China and Iran in recent years on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinpings Middle East trip, pointing out that Iran contributes 10 percent of Chinas imported oil. Xis upcoming Iranian trip will be the first one paid to Iran by a Chinese head of state in 14 years. China has been Irans largest trading partner for six consecutive years and also the largest export destination of oil and non-petroleum products, Pang added in the article published in the Peoples Daily. In 2014, the bilateral trade volume exceeded the $50 billion landmark. In addition, many Chinese companies like Huawei have set up branches in Iran. The resource-abundant Middle East nation is transforming its natural resources into wealth and productivity, while China is undergoing in-depth economic restructuring and industrial transformation, read the article. Against such a backdrop, Sino-Iranian cooperation enjoys a promising prospect, said the ambassador, adding that their development complement with each other well. Hailing the wisdom contributed by China to the recently adopted political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, the ambassador explained that as developing nations, both sides share a similar stance on national sovereignty as well as global and regional affairs. He added that the initiative of Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road put forward by China were also actively echoed by the Middle Eastern nation. Thanks to the proposal, Sino-Iranian cooperation in trade, connectivity, production capacity and industrial parks will be boosted, the ambassador said. The Whale Watching Capital of the World (TRAVPR.COM) USA - January 19th, 2016 - Monterey, CA, January 19, 2016 The Monterey Fisherman's Wharf Association will sponsor and hold the 6th ANNUALWHALEFEST MONTEREY at and around Old Fishermans Wharf, Monterey, California, The Whale Watching Capital of the World on Saturday, January 23rd and Sunday, January 24th, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This free, fun and educational interactive family event for all ages celebrates the migration of the gray whales! The event also benefits many local and national marine organizations that inspire, educate, explore and empower the public to protect the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Among the highlights will be a symposium with lectures and documentaries related to ocean and marine life conservation, musical performances, and many educational displays by participating organizations. Thousands of attendees are expected again this year that range from local families and school children who want to learn more about our maritime environment to visitors from near and far who want to explore the annual whale migration. Whale watchers come from around the world to view hundreds of whales, orcas, dolphins and pelicans who continue to feast on a krill and anchovy buffet in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Throughout the year, this Whale Watching Capital of the World offers sightings of 15 species of whales, 10 species of dolphins, 2 species of porpoise, 6 species of pinnipeds and 1 species of fissiped (sea otter). Weather permitting, whale watching tours, fishing, sailing and glass bottom boats (for a fee) will be operating from the Wharf, and Wharf restaurants will be serving lunch and dinner. Wharf shops will also be featuring marine-themed merchandise. The two-day event will feature a wide array of fun and informative activities including: A 60-foot model whale Humphrey the Humpback Whale (attendees can climb inside), will be on site to honor the migration of his friends, the gray whales. There will be squid dissection by scientists from the Hopkins Marine station and interactive displays from the Shark Research Center. Learn more about the Web Entanglement Team (WET) coordinated by Marine Life Studies that help rescue the increasing number of entangled whales. MY Museum will bring Wheelie Mobilee with lots of interactive activities for kids. Currently, the participating marine conservation and other organizations that will provide information, demonstrations and activities include: American Cetacean Society California Coastal Commission Camp SEA Lab Central Coast Lighthouse Keepers Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Hopkins Marine Station Marine Life Studies Marine Mammal Center Monterey Academy Oceanographic Science (MAOS) Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD) MY Museum Moss Landing Marine Labs Otter Project Pacific Grove Museum Pacific Shark Research Center Save the Whales U.S. Coast Guard & Coast Guard Auxiliary Whale Entanglement Team (WET) Ventana Wildlife Society Additional organizations will be participating too. Whalefest Monterey once again has lined up world-renowned marine scientists, researchers, authors and historians to speak at a two-day Symposium on January 23rd and 24th, 2016 as part of the Whalefest Monterey event on and around Old Fishermans Wharf in Monterey. This years presentations focus on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and its wildlife; climate change, weather and water anomalies and their affects on marine life; whale entanglements and rescues; and local marine history. On Saturday, Paul Michel from MBNMS/NOAA will provide an overview of the abundant marine life in Monterey Bay; while leatherback turtle researcher Scott Benson will discuss biology and ecology of leatherback turtles including information specific to the endangered western Pacific population that utilizes US west coast waters as a foraging region. UC Santa Cruz distinguished professor Dan Costa will share his research experience with elephant seals. Cannery Row Foundation founder and John Steinbeck expert Michael Hemp explores the fate of the Western Flyer research ship that took Doc Ricketts and John Steinbeck on a well documented research trip to the Sea of Cortez 70 years ago; and local fisheries historian Tim Thomas will entertain with tales of whales, sardines and canneries in oldMonterey. Scientist, researcher and New York Times bestselling author of Blue Mind, Wallace J.Nichols, will be on hand to share his insights on the remarkable truth about the benefits of being in, on, under or simply near water. Hell also sign copies of his book, available at the event. Sundays program focuses on climate change and recent meteorological and oceanographic events and their affect on marine life in general and whales in particular. Marine Biologist Steve Webster, one of the founders of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, will talk about the effects of climate change on whales; while marine ecologist Steve Lonhart explores warm water abnormalities recently observed in Monterey Bay and beyond. Rounding out the program are presentations by the Northern California Whale Entanglement Team, including founder Peggy Stap of Marine Life Studies, wholl share their experiences and insights into rescuing injured whales on the high seas and in port. A full schedule of the program with additional speakers (subject to change) will be released later. Additional information about the presentations and speakers biographies can be found on the Monterey Wharfs website:http://montereywharf.com/index.php?page=whalefest-monterey-2013 For more information and updates, go to www.montereywharf.com or call 831-238-0777. Contact: Wendy Brickman Brickman Marketing 395 Del Monte Center #250 Monterey, CA 93940 831-633-4444 http://www.montereywharf.com ### When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. I have always wondered why a sandwich of polystyrene and concrete is considered green, and have taken significant abuse for my position on insulated concrete forms (ICF). Now an interim report from the impressive-sounding MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub attempts to "deliver a new level of clarity" to the issue, and "to demonstrate the potential energy savings due to the benefits of thermal mass, effective insulation, and reduced air infiltration" with an elaborate comparison of apples and oranges. The study, (PDF Here) funded by the absolutely impartial and disinterested Portland Cement Association and Redi-Mix Concrete Research Foundation, finds that yes indeed, ICF homes "deliver energy savings in heating, cooling, and ventilation." But compared to what? For residential buildings, insulated concrete form (ICF) construction can offer operational energy savings of 20% or more compared to code compliant wood-framed buildings in a cold climate such as Chicago. So they are comparing a premium product like an ICF that has an insulating value of R-40 or more to a conventional new code-compliant building built to ASHRAE 90.2-2007, "the minimum energy-efficiency requirements for the design and construction of new residential dwelling units", and quelle surprise, it uses less energy. That delivers lots of clarity. But what if they compared it to another premium product, like a structural insulated panel, or a passivhaus, or any other R-40 wall? they continue: Blower-door testing has demonstrated that ICF homes achieve tight construction with minimal air infiltration, which improves the energy performance of residential construction. Again, compared to what? A code compliant house with a 6 mil poly vapour barrier or another premium system where attention is paid to air infiltration? Then there is my bete noire, the embodied energy in the concrete and the CO2 released in its production, and the fossil fuels and flame retardants used to make the polystyrene forms. According to the comprehensive life cycle analysis: Because use-phase emissions are much larger than pre-use and end-of-life emissions, this same percentage is a reasonable estimate of life-time savings in carbon emissions associated with the use of ICFs. The energy savings can compensate for the initial carbon emissions of the concrete within a few years of operation. More than 90% of the life cycle carbon emissions are due to the operation phase, with construction and end-of-life disposal accounting for less than 10% of the total emissions. But they are talking about a 75 year life span. That is a lot of emissions, and 10% of that is a very big number, which they decline to state in the interim report. And are they going to compare it to another, say wood framed house insulated to R-40 with cellulose or icynene? The investigators have only released an interim report without data, but on the face of it, their conclusions are completely obvious and equally meaningless. In their 2004 study Insulating Concrete Forms Construction Cost Analysis (PDF here) The Portland Cement Association found that ICF walls cost double what a conventional 2x6 insulated wall cost. There are half a dozen greener ways to achieve the same results with that kind of money. Doing a study comparing ICFs to code-compliant walls isn't even comparing apples to oranges, it is more like comparing apples to bicycles, a completely pointless and tautological exercise. Reuters report on CSRC (China Securities Regulatory Commission) chairman Xiao Gangs resignation does not conform to the facts, and we have contacted Reuters on its correction, said CSRC on its official microblogging account on Weibo Monday. Xiao Gang was spotted on a news video, showing that he was still attending a conference of central CPC cadre on January 18, 2015. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech on the conference.Reuters earlier announced that Xiao Gang had stepped down, due to mishandling a recent crisis that wiped over $5 trillion off the value of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets. The report was also posted on its Weibo account in its Chinese translation. After CSRC issued the request to the news agency, Reuters has responded by an article, in which it cited the Weibo announcement of CSRC, but it still referred to anonymous resources for Xiaos resignation. It was not known if Xiao's resignation offer had been accepted by the central government, it said.The weibo page of Reuters (username Reuters) shows the user does not exist after the CSRCs announcement. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 19 Suzuki Motors Corporation chairman Osamu Suzuki has exhorted Japanese entrepreneurs to invest in Haryana. He made this call at an investment promotion seminar organised at the Embassy of India in Tokyo today where Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar made an emotional connect with Japanese companies and investors. While inviting industrialists to invest in Haryana, Khattar said Haryana offers great opportunities for investment in the fields of IT/ITES, agro and food processing, healthcare and medical education, skill development, electronics hardware manufacturing, textile and apparel, defence and aerospace and mass rapid transport. Haryana has an advantage of its geo-strategic location. Presence of large MNCs in Haryana, including Japanese companies like Suzuki, Honda, Panasonic, Daikin etc is a testimony to our progressive industrial policies and the sound infrastructure facilities available, he said. He said the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan, and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, have jointly identified Jhajjar as one of the 12 nodal districts. It has the potential of ushering in a new wave of large scale Japanese investments in this region which is situated in the NCR. He said ample land bank was available for the industry with 24X7 power availability. He said the government would appoint relationship managers for them for handholding them through the entire project lifecycle. Later in the day, Khattar held meetings with various industrial leaders in Tokyo. For many Chinese people, the Spring Festival travel rush means much more than just a migration. At the end of a year, millions of people are eventually able to return to their homes and have a reunion with their families. But for those who work for railway departments, the Spring Festival travel rush is a battle. Hu Ruichou is a conductor of Xi'an Railway Bureau, who has worked in Spring Festival travel rush six years in a row. The attendants he leads are quite young, with the average age of 23. "We run four round trips a day from Xi'an to Baoji. This year we still will be spending the first two days of the lunar year on the train," said Hu. Aneesha Sareen Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 19 Ahead of French President Francois Hollandes visit to the city on January 24, thieves decamped with Le Corbusier-designed heritage furniture, including 15 sofa chairs and a table, from the storeroom of Government College of Art late last night. The thieves made their way in by snapping the barbed wire on the colleges boundary wall. They broke three locks to enter the storeroom located in the basement. They took away the locks too. A case has been registered on the complaint of storekeeper Vinod Kumar at the Sector 3 police station. Watchmen Ajit and Krishan Kumar, in their statements to the police, claimed that they had visited the storeroom during the night hours and had found nothing amiss. The locks were intact too. But these were found missing when they inspected the storeroom at 6 am. The furniture was gone. The college has issued a notice to the watchmen. The police are wary of the watchmens claim. They say as there was dense fog last night, had the two kept a close watch, the theft could not have occurrred. The incident brings to the fore the apathy of the college management towards precious heritage items lying on its premises. The college has no record as to when the furniture was kept in the storeroom and who were the employees who had carried the items to the storeroom. The police believe the thieves were aware of the fact that the furniture lying in the basement was part of the city heritage and, hence, precious. Inspector Neeraj Sarna, SHO, said they were examining the CCTV footage at the Matka roundabout and nearby sites. In September 2015, thieves had stolen eight wooden chairs and two tables after breaking the windows of the exhibition hall of Le Corbusier Centre in the city. The heritage items have been fetching thousands of euros in auctions held abroad. In May last year in Paris, nine furniture items were auctioned for 2,11,450 euros. New Delhi, January 18 Ex-servicemen seeking changes in government's One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme today shifted their protest back to Jantar Mantar here from outside Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's residence following a late night meeting with Minister of State Jayant Sinha. The delegation will now meet Jaitley on Wednesday, Col Anil Kaul (Retd), spokesperson of the protesting veterans, said. The meeting between representatives of the protesters and Sinha was held at about 12:30 am apparently at the instruction of the Prime Minister's Office. The protesters had yesterday morning staged dharna outside Jaitley's residence alleging that he failed to respond to concerns raised by them. This was the second time in two weeks that the veterans have held demonstrations outside the minister's official residence.PTI It is a familiar, recurring tragedy. Parents sell their land or take loans to help their young ones flee unemployment, chase dollar dreams or run to a safe place from drug peddlers. There is the push factor: the land their parents own is not enough to accommodate rising aspirations, education they acquire does not equip them for a job and the state offers them no hope. There is the pull of the land where dreams are supposed to come true. NRIs flaunting their wealth ignite a fire in them. Failing to secure a visa legally, they approach travel agents who show a way out, risks and illegalities notwithstanding. Quite a desperate situation that has persisted for so long. The Malta boat tragedy claiming 283 lives 19 years ago was a wake-up call for all. Some steps were indeed taken to check illegal immigration, a Rs 1,500 crore business. But the justice system has failed to deliver. Not even a charge sheet has been filed against the 29 accused. Lack of punishment helps criminals thrive. Killer travel agents continue with their deadly business. There is no fear of the law. The new law enacted in 2012 to regulate immigration has not been implemented. It is another instance of failure of governance. The Ministry of External Affairs, which seems unconcerned and unable to find the whereabouts of the 39 Punjabi youths missing in Iraq, is taking its own time to respond to the unfolding Panama tragedy. Once again, the Chief Minister and his deputy appear to be doing something. They would do anything to limit the political fallout of Panama, but wont say why it takes a tragedy to crack down on unscrupulous travel agents, why there is an exodus of youth from the state, and why there is never any mention of unemployment in their speeches lauding development in Punjab. If the government has no clue about how to create jobs, it could at least train youth in skills needed for jobs abroad, help them move out legally and reach them swiftly in emergency. Is it too much to expect from an elected government? Tribune News Service Karnal, January 19 A 32-year-old man, Navdeep Singh Harchandia, who, at his familys request, returned from Australia to contest the panchayat elections, has been elected sarpanch of Singhra village in Nissing block, 20 km from here, on Sunday. A chef in Melbourne, he was drawing a handsome salary and had applied for PR there. But now he has left everything for the village. Navdeep said he returned to the country in July 2015 when the panchayat elections had been announced. His grandfather Sardar Virsa Singh was sarpanch in the village for two plans and to get the same post, he contested the election for the development of the village. Villagers gave him full support, which he would not forget, he said. I had applied for PR in Australia, but when my family members asked me to come to India for contesting the election. I dropped my plan to continue there and came to my native village, he asserted. Besides launching a door-to-door campaign, he used the social media for spreading his vision of development, said Navdeep. Inclusive development of the village without any discrimination is my vision and I did not speak anything about castes during my campaign and asked everyone about my development agenda, he said. I will seek villagers suggestions and will conduct meetings with them regularly. Transparency in each and every activity related to development works in the village is my agenda, he maintained. He said he would make efforts to upgrade the government school to secondary level. Our Legal Correspondent Ludhiana January 18 A city consumer has won a legal battle against a leading shoe store. The State Disputes Redressal Commission, Punjab, penalised the store for indulging in unfair trade practice. The commission has ordered M/s Aero Club, Woodland store, to deposit Rs 20 thousand in legal aid account for indulging into unfair trade practice. Apart from this, the commission has awarded Rs 2,000 as compensation. Sunil Kapoor of Kundan Puri, Civil lines, Ludhiana, had urged in his appeal that District Consumer Forum has awarded only Rs 1,500 as litigation expenses which was a meager amount in comparison to his mental pain and agony suffered due to defective shoe. Moreover, no compensation was provided to him. Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 16 Two unidentified people fired at a ground in new Kidwai Nagar Park where a meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Shakha (RSS) was scheduled on Monday, police said, and instituted a Special Investigation Team to inquire into the incident. No casualties were reported in the incident as dense fog that hung over the city delayed many from reaching the venue on time. An eyewitness, RSS worker Narinder Kumar, claimed the incident occurred at 6:30 am on Friday when he and three others came to the ground for the assembly. Two swayamsevaks went into an old age home nearby, leaving Narinder and another swayamasevak in the park. Narinder spotted a clean-shaven man with a shawl draped around him standing in the park. The man pulled out a gun and fired a shot that missed Narinder. The gun appeared to get stuck when the gunman tried again. Meanwhile, Narinder and the other swayamsevak ran for cover, but the assailant and an accomplice waiting for him on a black motorcycle fled. The gunshots also caused panic among morning walkers in the area. The incident was caught on a CCTV camera nearby. Two people on a motorcycle with their heads covered with monkey caps shot at the assembly ground, a senior police official said, adding that their faces could not be seen due to the caps. The police official said one cartridge of .32 bore pistol has been recovered from the ground, the official, DCP Narinder Bhargva, said. Police have registered a case under various penal provisions of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Arms Act. Police Commissioner Paramraj Singh Umranangal held a meeting of station house officers (SHO) to review security and has instituted a team to investigate the incident. Bhargava will head the team. Security has stepped up in Kadwai Nagar and other RSS Shakhas. Police have registered a case under various penal provisions of the IPC and Arms Act. Soon after the incident, rumours that district BJP president Parveen Bansal, a regular at the RSS Shakha meetings, was the intended target began to circulate. Heavy fog delayed Bansal and his father from reaching the venue on time. In May 1991, some armed gunmen attacked an RSS assembly at Dresi ground, killing two volunteers. The park has been named Shaheedi Park after the incident. Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 18 The incident of firing at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Shakha (RSS) this morning has sent shock waves in the Police Department. While the police appears to be completely clueless about the firing incident of November 27, in which a constable was shot at outside the hotel where Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal was staying before the Moga rally, todays firing incident has raised concerns for the security agencies. Yas Giri, an RSS worker, said too much should not be read from the incident till the probe was completed. Let the police investigate the matter. I hope the culprit will be nabbed soon. Relating such incidents as an act of terrorism can fuel tension among communities, said Yash Giri. It is not the first time that the police have went into a huddle following an incident which could lead to serious political repercussions. As many as 12 .32 bore weapons were confiscated from people visiting two marriage venues and sent From page 1 for a ballistic test after constable Gurvinder Singh,who was deployed outside the hotel where the Deputy CM was staying, was shot at. The ballistic test report has not arrived so far. Meanwhile, todays firing incident has left many questions unanswered. It is still a mystery from where the shot was fired. It is still unclear what was the motive behind todays firing. Why RSS Shakha was targeted. Interestingly, the intelligence agencies have not sounded any fresh alert for beefing up security at the RSS Shakha. A retired police official said as the election activities had begun, such stray incidents would occur across the state. Commissioner of Police Paramraj Singh Umranangal reiterated that the police was on the job and soon, both cases would be cracked and the accused arrested. Congress leader Ishwarjot Cheema has blamed the police for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. He said if such incident could occur in a densely populated area of the city, then one could imagine the security scenario in villages. He said the law and order situation had collapsed. Another early morning incident After the recent terror incidents, assailants again targeted a place during early morning. A police officer said dense fog also helped assailants in escaping. Police sources said it was a planned attack and who was the target, it was still unclear. Tribune News Service Lucknow, January 19 BJP MLA Sangeet Som, who is an accused in a Muzaffarnagar riots case, today surrendered before a court here and was granted bail after securing a personal bond of Rs 20,000. Som is an MLA from Sardana in Meerut. For months he had been evading bailable warrants issued against him in connection with the 2013 riots in which he allegedly uploaded a false video on a social networking site, fanning communal hatred. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Sitaram today granted him bail after he submitted a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and gave an undertaking that he would appear in the court for the next hearing fixed for January 23. In December 2015, in connection with the same case Union Minister for Agriculture and Food Processing Sanjeev Baliyan, Thana BJP MLA Bhawan Suresh Rana, Bijnore BJP MP Bhartendu Singh and four others had already surrendered in court and had been granted bail on personal sureties. According to the prosecution, Som and other six accused are facing charges under various sections of the IPC for violating prohibitory orders, deterring public servants from discharging their duties and also wrongful restraint. It is alleged that the accused participated in Nadala Mador mahapanchayat meeting and incited violence through their speeches in the last week of August 2013. Firebrand Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Prachi similarly accused in the riots case is also facing bailable warrant. The communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in August and September 2013 had claimed 65 lives. Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 19 A Chinese submarine is reportedly lurking in waters around India and the security establishment has been informed about the development. The vessel is in international waters and India has conducted specific sorties over the Bay of Bengal using aircraft capable of spotting submarines lurking under the waters. The submarine accompanied by three warships was part of the anti-piracy task force on duty off the coast of Africa which is now returning to China after a four month deployment. On its return journey, the flotilla is at present docked in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from January 17 to January 21. It was in Pakistan earlier and even did a day-long drill with the Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Zulfiqar. A Chinese flotilla comprises guided-missile frigates Liuzhou and Sanya and a comprehensive supply ship, Qinghaihu. Indian authorities are tight-lipped about the nature of the submarine nuclear powered or conventional diesel-electric. The nuclear powered one has greater endurance to remain submerged hence remain undetected. The Chinese anti-piracy escort force departed from the Gulf of Aden on January 3 on its way back to China. Colombo is its second stop which will be followed by a stop-over at Chittagong, Bangladesh. Two of these warships (not the submarine) will then arrive in India for the international fleet review on February 6-7 at Vishakapatnam on the east coast. Submarines are the favoured platforms of naval commanders when tasked to launch attacks, deter enemies or for securing the vital sea lines of communication (SLOCs) used by merchant ships carrying goods, crude oil, equipment and produce for trillion dollar economies like China or India. Technology still does not effectively track or locate undersea vessels, more so in waters around India which have high suspended particle or salt content. A submarine is capable of pinning down six-seven warships of the enemy just by installing the fear of the unknown. The US has been vocal about the lack of transparency and intent on the part of China and the very fact that a submarine is deployed for anti-piracy operations. US Pacific Fleet Commander, Admiral Scott Swift, who was in India on January 9, had told mediapersons: Its hard for me as a maritime commander to understand how can a submarine support anti-piracy operations. New Delhi is equally concerned. Just yesterday, Indian Navys anti-submarine warfare capable Boeing P-8I aircraft ended a special week-long deployment to snoop around in the Bay of Bengal and be stationed at the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC). A report to the US Congress presented on December 21, 2015, and titled China Naval Modernisation: Implications for US Navy says: As Chinas global footprint and international interests grow, its military modernisation programme has become progressively more focused on investments for a range of missions beyond Chinas periphery, including power projection, sea lane security, counter-piracy, peacekeeping, and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HADR). (File photo) The latest reports on 2015 employment show that the number of students who choose to work in China's western regions is gradually increasing. In 2015, the number of new graduates reached some 7.49 million, hitting a record high. Among them, 7,677 are from Fudan University, where the employment rate of recent graduates was 98.06 percent. Of those graduates, a total of 158 chose to work in western China, including in Sichuan province, Chongqing municipality, Guizhou province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan province. For Peking University, there were 9,317 new graduates in 2015. About 23 percent of Ph.D. students went to regions in the middle, west and northwest of China to seek opportunities. They were mainly working in education, scientific research and technology services. For undergraduates and graduates, only 45.8 percent choose to stay in Beijing the first time this percentage included less than half of the class. Reports also show that manufacturing, financial services and the IT sector are the top three industries favored by students, followed by public service and education. Financial services is the most favorable sector, according to graduates from China's top three universities; 26.5 percent of graduates from Peking University, 19.1 percent of graduates from Tsinghua University and 20.92 percent of graduates from Fudan University signed contracts within the financial sector. The first choice of 27.08 percent of graduates from Shanghais Jiaotong University was manufacturing. The report also shows that graduates are paying more attention to private enterprises. Nearly one quarter chose to work at private companies. (File photo) New Delhi, January 19 The HRD Ministry had written five letters to Hyderabad University on Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya's complaint regarding "anti-national activities" on the campus and the "violent attack" on an ABVP leader, but maintained it was standard procedure on such "VIP references". Questions have been raised about the HRD ministry's five letters, which have been blamed as one of the major reasons for the suicide of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student, which has snowballed into a massive political row. (Read: Protest escalates, Rahul visits campus) HRD officials however claimed that after Dattatreya, MP from Secunderabad, wrote the letter on August 17 last year, the ministry only followed the standard practice by writing to the University on September 3, seeking the "issues raised by the MoS may be examined and facts intimated." It would be wrong to say that the Ministry has put any pressure on the Hyderabad University. The Ministry had only followed the procedure as per the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure. "According to the procedure, if there is a VIP reference, it has to be acknowledged in 15 days and another 15 days may be taken to reply to it. Since no response was coming from the University, the Ministry had to send reminders," HRD Ministry spokesperson Ghanshyam Goel said. (Read: Writer Ashok Vajpeyi to return DLitt from Hyderabad varsity) After its first letter, the ministry sent four reminders on September 24, October 6, October 20 and November 19 last year, to the University seeking facts expeditiously so that it could respond to the Minister of State Dattatreya. HRD Ministry officials said the University finally provided a reply only on January 7, this year. An official said not only are the ministries supposed to reply in a time-bound manner to VIP reference, but even in Cabinet meetings, the number of pending references, grievances, assurances, etc., has to be shared which makes it important that these are pursued. HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who today visited Assam and accompanied the Prime Minister to IIIT, Guwahati, had yesterday said the government neither intervenes in functioning of the university nor does it have administrative control over it. Three of the HRD Ministrys letters were written to the university V-C, while two were addressed to the registrar. In the letter written on October 20, the V-C was asked to look into the "facts personally and get the facts provided at the earliest". Fact-finding panel to return tomorrow HRD officials also said the two-member fact-finding panel comprising its officers Shakila T Shamsu and Surat Singh, is expected to be back tomorrow and that they are waiting for it to file its report. Insisting that the ministry had given no directions to the university, HRD officials said on the night of August 3 last year, a group of students suspected to be belonging to Ambedkar Students Association allegedly attacked Susheel Kumar, the then president of ABVP on the campus and the Proctorial Board of the University enquired into the matter. It was the executive council of the university that then approved the expulsion of five students, including Rohith, they said. An executive sub-committee, which included a senior Dalit faculty member and was headed by the senior-most professor, was subsequently constituted to go into the matter and it upheld the recommendation. However, later at a meeting of the executive council, a lenient view was taken as expulsion would have deprived the students of the chance to continue pursuing their doctorate and it was decided to permit them into their departments, library and academic meetings but not in hostel, administration and other public places. The decision was challenged by the students in the court. Three of the students also started protest by sleeping in the open, the sources added. They also said the Dean Students Welfare had regularly counselled the students to have patience to wait for the court's verdict, while the Vice-Chancellor had also discussed the issue with them. PTI Hyderabad, January 19 Protests escalated today over the alleged suicide by a Dalit research scholar with activists of a local outfit demonstrating outside the residence of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been accused in the case, demanding his immediate resignation. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited the University of Hyderabad and interacted with students over the issue even as several students in campuses outside the state came out of classes in solidarity with their counterparts here. The activists of TJYF (Telengana Jagruti Youth Front), a cultural outfit headed by TRS MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha, raised slogans outside the house of Dattatreya at Ram Nagar here and blamed him for the death of PhD scholar Rohit Vemula, who was found hanging in his hostel room on Sunday, triggering angry reactions. Holding placards, the protestors demanded that the minister should resign immediately. "Thirty seven of the protesters were taken into preventive custody when they held a dharna near the Union Minister's house," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) V B Kamalasan Reddy said. They were later let off. On the university campus, scores of students, who intensified their protests, demanded that Dattatreya, BJP MLC Ramchander Rao, university's Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders, against whom cases were registered for abetting suicide of Rohit, be jailed. Raising slogans like "We want justice", they held Dattatreya and others responsible for Rohit's death and took out a rally on the campus. Resignation of the Vice-Chancellor, immediate revocation of suspension of the four students by the university, employment to a member of Rohit's family, an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh were among the other demands made by the agitators. Rohit was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. A two-member Trinamool Congress delegation led by party MP and national spokesperson Derek O'Brien is going to Hyderabad this evening to express solidarity with the students protesting against the alleged suicide. Earlier, speaking to reporters on the University campus, Congress MP V Hanumantha Rao alleged that university Vice Chancellor Appa Rao was responsible for the suicide of the student, and demanded his suspension. He further alleged that a "social boycott" was imposed on the students (who were suspended earlier), including the Dalit research scholar who allegedly committed suicide. A group of students was also trying to install a memorial for the deceased student, Rohit, on the campus. "We are going to keep the university shut till all our demands are met," a girl student said and alleged the whole development betrayed the "casteist mentality" prevailing in the higher echelons of the society. Another student said, "No assault took place against any ABVP leader, including Sushil Kumar. There is a political agenda. Why he (Dattatreya) is interested in writing letters against our students to the HRD." Meanwhile, in Pune, the students of FTII sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institute's gate here, expressing "solidarity" with students protesting over the alleged suicide. The hunger strike started with eight students and slowly other students too are joining the protest, FTII Students' Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu said. Another students' body representative Yashaswi Mishra said, "We feel that the unfortunate incidents like death of Rohit Vemula is an institutional murder. The very ideology that led to this devastating tragedy has to be fought across. We stand together with the students' community fighting for quality of education, beyond caste, class and biases." "We condemn the government's attempts to suppress and crush voices of disagreement, and at this hour of crisis stand together with the larger student fraternity," he added. In Mumbai, several students held a protest outside the office of Mumbai University in Kalina area to condemn the dalit student's death. Students wing of NCP also held protests at various places in Maharashtra.RPI leader Ramdas Athawale would be visiting the student's family in Hyderabad tomorrow. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi accused the institution of using their power to crush students freedom to speak. "The Vice Chancellor and the Minister in Delhi have have not acted fairly. What is the result? The result is that the youth, who came here to improve the country, to learn and to express himself was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. "Certainly he has committed suicide but conditions for his suicide were created by the vice-chancellor, the minister and the institution," he told students, one of who said before his speech that they did not want the issue politicised. He demanded "strictest punishment" for vice-chancellor and the minister. However, Gandhi did not name Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani, who criticised in Amethi over the weekend for his failure in addressing issues of youth in his constituency, but continued to attack her. After meeting the students, Gandhi tweeted: The VC and Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself". Dattatreya, Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". PTI New Delhi, January 19 Noted writer Ashok Vajpeyi today decided to return DLitt given to him by Hyderabad University in protest against the anti-Dalit attitude of authorities which has allegedly driven a Dalit student to commit suicide. A Dalit student, Rohith Vemula, who wanted to be a writer was driven to commit suicide due to anti-Dalit and intolerance of dissent shown. I have decided to return the award in protest against university authorities, (who were) presumably acting under political pressure, Vajpeyi told PTI. The former Lalit Kala Akademi chairman, who was awarded DLitt (Doctor of Letters, honoris causa) by the Central University of Hyderabad few years ago, said the institution has "acted against human dignity and knowledge." Vemula, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the University in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya, Hyderabad University vice-chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. Vajpeyi was among the first to return his Sahitya Akademi award to the government criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking up against various incidents of violence against writers and activists. A total of 39 writers had returned their awards protesting against the Akademi's alleged silence on the murder of fellow writer and Sahitya Akademi board member MM Kalburgi as well as against the growing "communal atmosphere" following the Dadri lynching incident. Vajpeyi had received the Sahitya award in 1994 for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin. PTI Jerusalem, January 19 With India and Israel expanding cooperation to new areas like homeland security innovation and science and technology, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has asked Israeli businesses to look beyond trade for building "long-term stakes" in the Indian economy. Swaraj, in her address at an Indian community reception here last night, expressed optimism for the future in the growth of bilateral ties. "To quote your (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) 'sky is the limit' for ties between India and Israel," she said, underlining that India and Israel are expanding cooperation to new areas such as homeland security, innovation, education and science and technology. "We should work towards a new vision of our important partnership, which should reflect our close friendship and harness fully the potential of our two knowledge economies," Swaraj said. , who was here on her first visit to the West Asia region, also held talks with the top Israeli leadership and discussed a wide-range of bilateral and regional issues. "The economic relationship is the key to developing our bilateral ties. We should move from a trade-based relationship to one that is based on investment, manufacturing and services," Swaraj said. "As you know 'Make in India' is a priority of our Government. Our flagship schemes of 'Clean Ganga', 'Smart Cities' or 'Digital India' are all areas of Israeli expertise. We encourage you to look beyond trade to build long term stakes in the Indian economy through investment and joint development of products and services," she said. The Minister said she had "very good" meetings with President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders. "All of them expressed to me the importance they attach to Israel's relations with India, as a friend and partner. I wish to assure you that these feelings are reciprocated by the Government and people of India. We attach high priority to India's relations with Israel," she said. Swaraj noted that the bilateral interactions at the political level are also increasing. In this context, she highlighted President Pranab Mukherjee's visit here last year. "This first ever visit by the President of India gave a substantial boost to our bilateral relationship. Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the full establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries," she said. "I am very happy to be here in Israel. I served as the Chairman of the India-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group for three years during which I also had the pleasure of visiting Israel. I am a personal advocate of strong ties between India and Israel; so I am very happy to see that our relations are progressing so well in all fields of our engagement," she said. Swaraj highlighted that India has always offered the Jewish people a safe and secure home for many centuries. PTI Tribune News Service Kapurthala, January 18 The Kapurthala police today arrested unauthorised travel agents Harbhajan Singh Sucha of Bhatnura Lubhana village and Kulwinder Singh Multani of Bhogpur following reports that at least 21 Punjabi youths travelling in a boat headed for the US from Panama had drowned. The two agents were booked under the Immigration Act yesterday. Arpit Shukla, IG, Jalandhar Zone, claimed that only one of the youths on the boat, Jaswinder Singh alias Sonu of Laroi village, had survived. He had called up his father Harjinder Singh back home and informed him about the incident. The police, he said, were yet to identity the remaining victims. They were on the lookout for a third agent, believed to be a resident of Dayalpur village. Police sources said the capsized boat was carrying passengers more than its capacity. Meant to hold not more than 10, it was carrying at least 21 persons. Aggrieved parents alleged that agent Multani had earlier sent many youths to the US via the sea route. Police said they had information that certain agents were deliberately taking the sea route as it resulted in a fatter commission per person, as compared to the land and air routes. Sources said Multani first learnt of the incident from a contact in Bajajan village. The latter told him that while his batch of boys had survived, Multanis boys had all drowned. Time and again we have nabbed unauthorised agents who have a presence in the region. Despite dissuading people not to send youths abroad through shady agents, they continue to do so. The police are examining the role of more agents in the racket, the IG said. He did not rule out the involvement of five or more persons. CM in touch with MEA Meanwhile, the Punjab government has set up a control room at the Civil Secretariat to keep families of the boat tragedy victims informed. The helpline numbers are 0172-2740397 and 2740859. Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal has urged the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister to send a team to the US. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said he was in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and had asked the Chief Secretary to liaise. Sukhbir Badal asked the Centre to expose those behind human trafficking. Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 18 The Panama boat tragedy has brought back haunting memories for the families from Doaba who lost their kin in a manner akin to the Malta boat tragedy. As many as 283 youth went missing while on way to Italy through an illegal water channel 20 years ago. The kin of the victims and activists, who are pursuing the case, said that nothing had changed since then and they were still fighting for justice in a CBI court. The matter had been marked to the premier investigating agency by none other than former PM IK Gujral. Balwant Singh Khera, who had formed the Malta Boat Tragedy Mission, said, The progress of the case has been a great disappointment. Not even a chargesheet has been filed in the past 19 years against the 29 accused. The families have already lost hope and are now not even keeping a track of the case. I am in New Delhi for the case today to move an application to get the case expedited. The only reprieve so far is that three of the accused have been punished in Italy. The Italian government has also passed a budget for setting up a memorial wherein the debris of the sunken ship Yiohan was recovered from the Mediterranean, he added. His close aide, Om Singh Sathiana, too mentioned, The affected families have just got a compensation of Rs 50,000 and too after Khera relentlessly raised the issue at different fora. The Punjab Police has failed to curb illegal immigration by not making stringent laws against the travel agents and were allowing them to go scot free, said Ram Singh Insaaf, who had then spearheaded the campaign for the victims. Many of the victims were from Kala Sanghian, Chitti and Bidhipur villages. A film based on the incident too has been screened. As days stretched to years, the families just gave up, he recalled. Narain Singh Chitti of Chitti village, who lost his only son in the tragedy, said that it was unfortunate that a similar incident had occurred after 19 years. It is sad tale of affairs that the travel agents continue to play with the lives of innocent youth of and the Punjab Police is apathetic, he said. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 18 An unidentified man fired shots at an RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) shakha in Kidwai Nagar here this morning, triggering panic. The Commissioner of Police has formed a special investigation team (SIT) under Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Narinder Bhargav to probe the incident. Security has been tightened at all RSS shakhas. Narinder Kumar, an RSS worker and resident of Kidwai Nagar, said the incident occurred at 6.30 am when he, along with his three associates, reached Shaheedi Park for holding the RSS shakha. He said as his associates left for a senior citizens home near the park, he spotted a man draped in a shawl standing in the park. The man pulled out a pistol and fired a shot at him but he was lucky to have escaped unhurt. While Naresh Kumar and his aide Dharminder ran for cover, the assailant fled along with his accomplice waiting outside the park on a black motorcycle. Owing to the fog, there were not many morning walkers in the park at that time. No one was injured. The assailants were caught on a close-circuit television camera (CCTV). The motorcyclist wore a monkey cap. The police is yet to identity the assailant. Commissioner of Police Paramraj Singh Umranangal said a cartridge used in a .32 pistol was found at the site. Later in the day, he held a meeting of all station house officers (SHOs). There is speculation that BJP district president Parveen Bansal may have been the target. Because of the fog, the latter could not make it in time for the shakha today. Yash Giri, an RSS man, said that in May 1991, two RSS activists were killed and 15 injured in a terrorist attack at the same site following which the park was named Shaheedi Park. A case has been registered. Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 19 For 11 years, Kamaljit Kaur marriage proposals for her younger son as she did not want to break the order. Her elder son Jatinder Kumar Sabi from Khotran Kalan village in Banga had reportedly gone missing on April 18, 2002 while on way to Greece via a boat that reportedly sank near Turkey. With no confirmation of the tragedy, she kept waiting for her son. What if he is alive and return soon, I kept asking everyone? Sabi would say you cant marry Amolak, who is three years younger to him, when he is still unmarried. But there was pressure from within the family and I gave in. My heart still weeps for him, she said. There were then reports that about 17 youth had drowned, an incident akin to the recent Panama tragedy. A case was registered against two travel agents, Satnam Singh of New Delhi and Gurmeet Singh of Bakkapur village of Nawanshahr. The matter was investigated by then SSP Nawanshahr Naresh Arora (now posted as IG (security), PAP) and then SDM Pritam Singh, now retired. Both of them have said they could recall the case but had no clue which way the inquiry went. The families of the victims have said they kept visiting the Balachaur court for five years, but failed to keep track later. There were six families from Amargarh, Musapur, Bakkapur and Kaulgarh villages of Nawanshahr while the remaining from other parts of Doaba. Complainant Bhag Singh of Bakkapur village, whose son Rachpal Singh was one of the victims, said he entered into a compromise with the accused three years ago. Accused Gurmeet, who is also our relative, came from abroad for a marriage in his family. He convinced me that he was not at fault. So, I took the case back, he said. There were about 10 boys whom I knew personally. There is no confirmation as to how many lives were lost. No compensation was given to the families as has been announced for Panama victims, he added. Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 19 The families of 37 youths from Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur, who went missing while travelling from Mali to Morocco on their way to Spain 11 years ago, are yet to get justice. While the parents of some died, others spent lakhs of rupees to get stringent punishment to culprits, but the latter are free and back in the business. Jaswinder Singh from Mansurwal Bet village last heard from his brother Avatar Singh (who was then 28) on November 19, 2004, when at Mali, he informed him that he was going to take the water route ahead. The youths belonged to Gazi Godana, Thigli, Mansurwal Bet, Padhas, Begowal, Nangal Lubhana, Chugarvan, Sidhwana Dona and Patial Dona villages. The families last learnt that the youths had gone further to Morocco, but there was no news after that. Avatars father had paid Rs7 lakh to travel agents, Manjit Singh of Lakhan ke Paddan village and his brother Major Singh, but by the time they were convicted, the third accused, Satnam Singh, died. The family spent an additional Rs20 lakh in search of their son and fight court cases. We fought the case for seven-eight years and the agents were out on bail in two. Released two-and-a-half years ago, they continue to operate freely, Avtars brother Jaswinder said. An appeal filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by Jaswinder for stringent punishment to agents remains pending. Sharing his ordeal, Jaswinder said: For years, we hoped to hear from my brother. Numerous youths of Kapurthala villages have been duped in a similar manner. Unable to bear the trauma of my brothers absence and the unending litigation, my mother Jagir Kaur died in 2010 and father in 2012. My brothers wife remarried. The tragedy ravaged our family and we spent a fortune on finding him and getting justice. While our appeal is still pending, the culprits walk free. Chain Singh, father of Sukhvinder Singh of Gazi Godana village near Dhilwan, who also went missing on way to Spain, still hopes for a word from his son. While there is no trace of our sons, the travel agent is back to business of sending youth abroad. Succha Singh from Thigli also awaits his lost brother Vijay Kumar (then 20). He said: In winter of 2004, we were told within three to four months we would hear from Vijay again, but months passed and then years, but there is no news. While two jailed agents were freed on bail, there are other agents who faced no action. Several other families from the region have similar stories to tell. (File photo) China's Mars probe project is on its way to being approved. The first Mars rover will orbit Mars, land on Mars and tour around the planet, said an official from an aerospace think tank at a press conference. A film about the Mars probe named "Exploration Underway" was released at the press conference, which was jointly held by two magazines about space and satellites. One of the organizers, Editor-in-Chief Pang Zhihao, said that China may launch its Mars probe in 2020. Ye Peijian, the chief designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, said in May 2014 that although China lags behind India in the arena of Mars probes, Chinese scientists should be able to accomplish the tasks of orbiting around and landing on Mars by 2018. Ye hoped that China could start the project as soon as possible. Ye also said that China is capable of fulfilling two tasks at one time. Since Mars gets closest to Earth every 26 years, Ye hopes that China can work out plans as soon as possible in order to begin the Mars probe project in 2016. Long Lehao, a rocket expert, confirmed that China is ready for a Mars probe. Tribune News Service Dehradun, January 18 A war of words has broken out among state Congress leaders on the issue of making Gairsain as the permanent capital of the state. The first salvo was fired by Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat, in an interview recently, said Garisain was not suitable to be the permanent capital of the state as all required facilities were situated in Dehradun. The minister, while going against the party line adopted by the state party leadership, said the ground reality was different than what was being stated about the Gairsain issue. He said people understand everything as all facilities and infrastructure were being built in Dehradun. Making it a political issue will not help, he added. On the other hand, Chief Minister Harish Rawat rejected the contention of his Cabinet colleague and said, I am the only person who has a clear road map on the issue and people have faith in me. Many senior Congress leaders, including party vice-president Jot Singh Bisht, expressed dismay at the statement by Harak Rawat and advised him to use discretion on such sensitive issue. According to political pundits, the state government wants to use the Gairsain issue in the run-up to state Assembly elections next year. The government held two Assembly sessions at Gairsain last year to show its commitment towards making Gairsain as the permanent capital of the state. A building of the state Assembly has also been built at Gairsain. Now, the statement by a senior minister has thrown a spanner in the works of the state government. It is an emotional issue since Gairsain lies between Garhwal and Kumoan. Statehood activists had also envisaged Gairsain as the future capital of the state. On the other hand, the BJP has flayed the state government for its ambiguity on the issue. Senior party leader Trivendra Singh Rawat said the statement by a senior minister indicated that the state government was not serious on the Gairsain issue. Peshawar, January 19 A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up close to a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 30, officials said. The bomber rammed his motorcycle into a police vehicle next to the roadside checkpoint in the Jamrud area on the edge of Pakistans volatile Federally Administered Tribal Areas, local government official Munir Khan told Reuters. He was riding an explosives-laden motorcycle and hit the checkpoint and the vehicle of the line officer, Khan said. Among the dead were at least five police officers, including the line officer, whose vehicle was targeted by the bomber, as well as a child and a local journalist, officials said. TV footage showed the burnt-out remains of cars as rescue workers rushed to evacuate the wounded. Pakistani Taliban senior commander Maqbool Dawar claimed responsibility for the attack. He told Reuters it was revenge for what he alleged were the recent deaths of arrested Taliban men while in government custody, and said the journalist was not the target. A Taliban splinter group also claimed it was behind the bomb. The attack took place in an area where security forces have stepped up their fight against the Taliban and other militant groups along the border with Afghanistan, following the massacre of more than 150 people, mostly children, at an army-run school in December 2014. Attacks have fallen since the government crackdown and the Taliban squeezed into small pockets of territory, but militant groups remain able to launch hit-and-run and suicide attacks on security forces. A spokesperson for the Hayatabad Medical Complex in nearby Peshawar, to where the wounded were evacuated, said earlier that the hospital had received six bodies, including that of a child. Agencies GENEVA, January 19 An estimated 3,500 people, mainly women and children, are believed to be held as slaves in Iraq by Islamic State militants who impose a harsh rule marked by gruesome public executions, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The militant group, which also controls large parts of neighbouring Syria, has committed widespread abuses that may "in some instances, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide," the report said. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the U.N. human rights office estimated that 3,500 people were "currently being held in slavery by ISIL". "Those being held are predominantly women and children and come primarily from the Yezidi community, but a number are also from other ethnic and religious minority communities," said the joint report issued in Geneva. The report detailed executions by shooting, beheading, bulldozing, burning alive and throwing people off the top of buildings. It said the United Nations had information about the murder of child soldiers and had verified reports suggesting between 800 and 900 children in Mosul had been abducted for military and religious training. "Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq," UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement. The figures capture those who were killed or maimed by overt violence, but countless others have died from the lack of access to basic food, water or medical care." Agencies Cash-starved IS cuts fighters salaries Jerusalem: The Islamic State terror group has decided to cut the salaries of its fighters by half blaming the "exceptional circumstances", a sign of worsening financial situation of the outfit, The Jerusalem Post said. IS sympathiser hacks top Chinese varsity website Beijing: The website of Tsinghua University, leading Chinese university, was hacked by an Islamic State sympathiser, who replaced its pages with the photos of militants and Arabic verses accompanied by the terror group's propaganda Islamabad, January 19 Pakistan is considering a ban on Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a charity run by Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, a recent media report has said. "Officials said the government is likely to ban FIF. The Ministry of Interior, these officials said, had started serious consultations with all the stakeholders before banning FIF and a final decision would be taken in next few days," The Nation reports. The charity is operated by Saeed, head of the outlawed Jamaat-ud- Dawa (JuD) and the suspected brain behind the Mumbai terrorist attack that killed some 166 people in 2008. The paper also said that Pakistan had assured the US it was not a double game with India regarding investigations into the recent attack on an airbase of the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot. Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to investigate the incident and urged it to focus on the countering terrorism in the region on priority. The report quotes a senior government official as saying that Washington had been updated of the progress in investigations into the Pathankot incident. "We have told them we are serious in finding out whether someone from Pakistan is involved in the terror act. There have been arrests and the investigations are ongoing. There has been no double game and there will not be any double game on the Pathankot issue," the official is quoted as saying. He said the prime minister and the foreign ministry both have received a message from Washington that President Barack Obama and his team were happy with Pakistan's reaction to the Pathankot attack and hoped there the probe will be fair. PTI Islamabad, January 19 A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up close to a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 20, officials said. The blast took place in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, where security forces are fighting the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups near the border with Afghanistan, two senior government officials said. Rescue workers have started evacuating the wounded to a hospital in the city of Peshawar. Agencies Chinese President Xi Jinping kicks off his Middle East trip on Jan 19. As Chinas first diplomatic event in 2016, analysts believe that it comes at the right time. The three destinations chosen by Xi, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran, are the most influential states in the Middle East, according to analysts, adding that they all maintain close ties with China in political trust and economy. China shows its great attention to Middle East by choosing it as destination of Xis first overseas trip in 2016, Xue Qingguo, member of the Center for China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Studies said. A Saudi Arabian trader promotes products at the 2015 China-Arab States Expo held in Yinchuan of Chinas Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on September 12, 2015. (Photo: Xinhua) Hua Liming, former Chinese ambassador to Iran, UAE and the Netherlands, noted that since China planned an all-round diplomacy three years ago, Xi has visited five continents but left no footprint in Middle East. Xis visit to the three important Middle East states comes at the right time, Li Shaoxian, an expert on Middle East studies in Ningxia University concluded. Xis visit is expected to cement friendship, boost collaboration and beef up cultural exchanges, according to analysts. Hailing the decades-long friendship between China and the Middle East despite the turbulence in global and regional arena, Hua said that it withstood the test of time. A visitor takes photos during the "Chinese Lacquer towards the World" exhibition, an exhibition of lacquer art collection from China's Hubei Museum of Art held in Cairo, Egypt on December 15, 2015. (Photo: Xinhua) As the only major power maintaining friendship with all Middle East countries, China boasts a unique advantage, Xue noted. He further explained that given their sound ties in politics, economy and culture, China enjoys a good reputation in the Middle East, especially among Arabian states. Such an intimate relationship also facilitates their mutually beneficial cooperation. Middle East continues its undulation as it now needs to restructure its political landscape, transform its economy and society and re-balance geopolitical forces. Against such backdrop, according to Li, Chinas role has become more prominent in addressing Middle East issues. Xis proposal to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will help restore and stabilize its economy. An Iranian customer purchases stuffed monkey toys in Zhejiang Province, China on December 31, 2015. (Photo: Xinhua) Cultural exchanges between the two cradles of world civilization are regarded as another highlight of Xis trip. China has been seeking more cultural dialogues with the region. Xi, for instance, once said that civilization only becomes more enriched through exchanges and communication. In its recently-released first Arab Policy Paper, China also called for more cultural exchanges in religion, think tanks, media, tourism, youth and women. There is great potential in China-Middle East cultural exchanges. More dialogues will contribute to mutual understanding and world diversity, Xue noted. 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. BAGHDAD The abduction of three Americans from a Baghdad apartment over the weekend is the latest in a series of brazen high-profile kidnappings undermining confidence in the Iraqi governments ability to control state-sanctioned Shiite militias that have grown in strength as Iraqi security forces battle the Islamic State group. Witnesses said men in uniform carried out the kidnapping in broad daylight Saturday, 100 yards from a police station. Gunmen in military uniforms came in five or six SUVs; they entered the building and then left almost immediately, said Mohammad Jabar, 35, who runs a shop down the street from the three-story apartment building where the Americans had been invited by their Iraqi interpreter. A few hours later, we heard that three foreigners had been kidnapped by these gunmen, Jabar said. The three were abducted in Dora, a mixed neighborhood home to Shiites and Sunnis. However, they were then taken to Sadr City, a vast and densely populated Shiite district to the east, and there all communication ceased, an Iraqi intelligence official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. A similar scene unfolded in September, when masked men in military uniforms abducted 18 Turkish workers from a construction site in a Shiite neighborhood. A hostage video later showed the men standing before a banner that read Death Squads and Oh, Hussein, a Shiite religious slogan. The workers were released later that month. In December, gunmen driving SUVs raided a remote camp for falconry hunting in Iraqs overwhelmingly Shiite south, kidnapping 26 Qataris, who are still being held. Iraqs Interior Ministry said at the time that the abduction was to achieve political and media goals, without providing further details. Baghdad authorities said in a statement the three Americans were kidnapped from a suspicious apartment without elaborating, and have provided no other details. The U.S. Embassy confirmed Sunday that several Americans went missing in Iraq, after local media reported three Americans had been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital. U.S. officials have declined to provide further details, and have neither identified the Americans nor said what they were doing in Iraq. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Besides Shiite militias, the perpetrators of kidnappings in Iraq have included the Islamic State group, as well as criminal gangs demanding ransom payments or disgruntled employees seeking to resolve workplace disputes. The kidnapping of the Americans comes at a time of deteriorating security in and around the Iraqi capital after months of relative calm. Last week two Iraqi journalists were killed within sight of a police checkpoint in Diyala province north of Baghdad. The scale and sophistication of the recent kidnappings of foreigners suggest those responsible are operating with some degree of impunity, said Nathaniel Rabkin, managing editor of Inside Iraqi Politics, a political risk assessment newsletter. You kidnap 26 Qataris out in the desert, thats not like four or five yahoos out in the south. ... Thats a pretty well-run operation. It must be some relatively established group that did it, he said. The only groups operating in Iraq with those capabilities, Rabkin said, are the countrys powerful Shiite militias. Shiite militias have played a key role in battling the Islamic State group, filling a vacuum left by the collapse of the Iraqi security forces in the summer of 2014 and proving to be some of the most effective anti-IS forces on the ground in Iraq. The government-allied militias are now officially sanctioned and known as the Popular Mobilization Committees. But many trace their roots to the armed groups that battled U.S. troops after the 2003 invasion and kidnapped and killed Sunnis at the height of Iraqs sectarian bloodletting in 2006 and 2007. Rights groups have accused them of kidnapping and in some cases killing Sunni civilians since they rearmed in 2014, charges denied by militia leaders. Although the militias are fighting on the same side as the U.S.-led coalition against IS, many remain staunchly anti-American. When the Pentagon announced an increase in the number of U.S. special forces in Iraq last month, the spokesman for one militia vowed to attack them. Any such American force will become a primary target for our group. We fought them before and we are ready to resume fighting, said Jafar Hussaini, spokesman for the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, one of the most powerful Shiite militias. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has struggled to balance the power and popularity of Shiite militia groups with the governments dependence on the U.S.-led coalitions contributions to the fight against IS. Unchecked, continued brazen shows of Shiite militia power in the Iraqi capital could further undermine the already weak leader. I think theres a growing sense that al-Abadis not in charge, that nobody in Iraq is really in charge anymore or in a position to rein in these militias, Rabkin said. OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso In the wake of a weekend attack that killed at least 29 people, security was beefed up across Burkina Fasos capital Monday as businesses and banks reopened. The West African nation also announced a joint effort with neighboring Mali in the fight against Islamic extremists in the West African region. Please go ahead and search my bag. We want to be protected and there is no way to refuse this, said Fati Doussa to security guards as he visited a bank to get some cash. Metal detectors have been placed at banks. We know it is just going to be different from now on, said Ousmane Sawadogo, a cell-phone seller near the Splendid Hotel, which was attacked Friday night. The attack was the first of its kind in Burkina Faso, a largely Muslim country that had managed to avoid the kinds of jihadi attacks that have hit neighboring Mali since 2012. At the site Monday, forensic experts and investigators from France and Burkina Faso, dressed in white, filled the brown dusty street, gathering evidence in secured areas near the hotel and the Cappuccino Cafe. Military forces ended the siege Saturday. Burkina Fasos security minister, Simon Compaore, said Sunday 32 people were dead, including three jihadis. French Ambassador Gilles Thibault said Monday that about 30 people were dead in addition to the three attackers who were killed by French forces. Thirty others were still hospitalized, and about 180 had been freed by French and Burkina Faso forces during and after the siege, he said. We were awaiting an attack like this one, he said. Its impossible to say if these types of operations will be limited to just this one. Officials Saturday said forces killed three attackers in the Splendid Hotel and another in a neighboring hotel. Military spokesman Capt. Guy Herve Ye on Monday said, however, that they have clearly identified three attackers and are investigating what they thought was a fourth. He said that many witnesses said that there were women among the attackers, though he says that is probably because the attackers had long dreadlocks. Two former Olympic officials, Jean-Noel Rey from Switzerland and Jean-Pascal Kinda from Burkina Faso, were killed, Swiss and Burkina Faso authorities said. It was not clear if they had been together during the attack or if their presence was a coincidence. Kinda, 73, was a former Olympic Committee president who had gone to the Cappuccino Cafe to pick up a paper, said his friend and a local magistrate Mathias Tankoano. Rey was co-president of the Swiss bidding committee for the 2006 Olympics, Swiss media reports said. He was in Burkina Faso for a charity project to open the canteen of a school, the reports said. The toll also includes a Ukrainian woman who was co-owner of the Cappuccino Cafe, along with her 9-year-old son, according to Ukrainian and Italian officials, and six Canadians, according to Canada officials. The six were traveling together as part of a humanitarian mission, and four them were from the same family. The list of those killed include eight citizens of Burkina Faso, two Ukrainians, two Swiss, two French and one each from the U.S., the Netherlands, Portugal and Libya, and one French-Ukrainian, according to Burkina Faso officials who released a partial list. Other bodies were being identified. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb put out a formal statement Sunday naming three of the attackers as men, according to SITE Intelligence Group which monitors extremist sites. It said it was a drop in the sea of global jihad. The group on Friday claimed responsibility for the attack saying al-Mourabitoun fighters carried out the siege. Al-Mourabitoun joined AQIM last year and they claimed their first joint attack was the Nov. 20 seizure of the Radisson Blu in Mali that killed 20 people. Benins President Thomas Boni Yayi visited Ouagadougou Monday to show support and the backing of the Economic Community of West African States. What could have led to such hatred? It is unimaginable. I am so dejected. We must prepare ourselves for an adequate response, he said near the site of the attack. Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said regional forces must combine to fight extremism. We need to combine our intelligence and military to better fight terrorism, notably at our borders. This does not only concern West Africa. We are in an asymmetric war. We need to train our armed forces for this type of combat, Kabore said Monday. From now on we are going to take all measures to prevent such things from happening again. Burkina Faso and Malis prime ministers met Sunday and agreed to share intelligence, strengthen transnational cooperation and have join patrols along shared borders, they said. GAZIANTEP, Turkey Mohammed Saad, a Syrian activist, was imprisoned by the Islamic State group, hung by his arms and beaten regularly. Then one day, his jailers quickly pulled him and other prisoners down and hid them in a bathroom. The reason? A senior Muslim cleric was visiting to inspect the facility. The cleric had told the fighters running the prison that they shouldnt torture prisoners and that anyone held without charge must be released within 30 days, Saad told The Associated Press. Once the coast was clear, the prisoners were returned to their torment. Its a criminal gang pretending to be a state, Saad said, speaking in Turkey, where he fled in October. All this talk about applying Shariah and Islamic values is just propaganda, Daesh is about torture and killing, he said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. Syrians who have recently escaped the Islamic State groups rule say public disillusionment is growing as IS has failed to live up to its promises to install a utopian Islamic rule of justice, equality and good governance. Instead, the group has come to resemble the dictatorial rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad that many Syrians had sought to shed, with a reliance on informers who have silenced a fearful populace. Rather than equality, society has seen the rise of a new elite class the jihadi fighters who enjoy special perks and favor in the courts, looking down on the commoners and even ignoring the rulings of their own clerics. Despite the atrocities that made it notorious, the Islamic State group had raised hopes among some fellow Sunnis when it overran their territories across parts of Syria and Iraq and declared a caliphate in the summer of 2014. It presented itself as a contrast to Assads rule, bringing justice through its extreme interpretation of Shariah and providing services to residents, including loans to farmers, water and electricity, and alms to the poor. Its propaganda machine promoting the dream of an Islamic caliphate helped attract jihadis from around the world. In Istanbul and several Turkish cities near the Syrian border, the AP spoke to more than a dozen Syrians who fled IS-controlled territory in recent months. Most spoke on condition they be identified only by their first names or by the nicknames they use in their political activism for fear of IS reprisals against themselves or family. Daesh justice has been erratic, said Nayef, who hails from IS-held eastern Syrian town of al-Shadadi and escaped to Turkey in November with his family, largely because of Russian airstrikes. They started off good and then, gradually, things got worse. He insisted that his last name not be printed, fearing for his safety. The group has recruited informers in the towns and cities it controls to watch out for any sign of opposition. Like under the (Assad) regime, we were also afraid to talk against Daesh to anyone we dont fully trust, said Fatimah, a 33-year-old whose hometown of Palmyra was taken over by IS early last year. She fled to Turkey in November with her husband and five children to escape Russian and Syrian airstrikes. IS has also become less able to provide public services, in large part because military reversals appear to have put strains on its finances. U.S. and Russian airstrikes have heavily hit its oil infrastructure a major source of funds. Over the past year, the group has lost 30 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria, according to the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition. Many of those interviewed by the AP said there are lengthier cutoffs of water and electricity in their towns and cities and prices for oil and gas have risen. Abu Salem, an activist from the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, said public acceptance of IS rule is eroding. It has made an enemy of almost everyone, he told the AP in the Turkish city of Reyhanli on the Syrian border. One sign of the distance between the claims and realities is a 12-page manifesto by IS detailing its judicial system. The document, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, heavily emphasizes justice and tolerance. For example, it sets out the duties of the Hisba, the religious police who ensure people adhere to the groups dress codes, strict separation of genders and other rules. A Hisba member must be gentle and pleasant toward those he orders or reprimands, it says. He must be flexible and good mannered so that his influence is greater and the response (he gets) is stronger. Yet, the escaped Syrians all complained of the brutal extremes that the Hisba resorts to. One woman who lived in Raqqa said that if a woman is considered to have violated the dress codes, the militants flog her husband, since he is seen as responsible for her. When her neighbor put out the garbage without being properly covered, she said, the womans husband was whipped. Abu Manaf, a 44-year-old from Deir el-Zour, said some clerics challenged the groups enforcers over their wanton use of strict Shariah punishments like beheadings, stoning to death, flogging and cutting off limbs. More moderate clerics in IS argued that such punishments can only be implemented under specific conditions. They also complained about the jihadis custom of displaying bodies of the beheaded in public as an example to others, violating Islamic tenets requiring the swift burial of the dead. Many of those moderate clerics disappear, are killed or jailed for crimes they did not commit, said Abu Manaf, who left Deir el-Zour in November, then stayed in the Islamic State groups de facto capital, Raqqa, for three weeks before he reached Turkey. Saads account of his imprisonment in his home city of Deir el-Zour reflected the tensions between the fighters and some clerics. He was arrested because of his media activism, reporting on the anti-Assad opposition. IS suspected him of belonging to the rebel Free Syrian Army, which is fighting the extremists. The day the cleric came to inspect the prison set up in a former police station he heard the cleric asking the guards if the prisoners were getting enough food and water, and whether they were being beaten, Saad said. On another occasion, a cleric and a judge visited and spoke to the prisoners in their cells. Saad said they told him to write on a piece of paper his name, why hed been jailed and whether he had been tortured or made to confess under duress. He wrote that he had not been beaten, because he knew the guards would punish him if he said he had been, Saad said. After five months in custody, Saad said he secured his release by agreeing to do media work for IS. For three months, he helped put together videos and other propaganda before escaping to Turkey. The Syrians interviewed in Turkey said that in IS courts the judges often show a bias toward IS operatives in any legal dispute with the general public. Judges justify the bias by pointing to Quranic verses or sayings of the prophet Muhammad, including God prefers those who fight in jihad over those who sit. Often, IS members refer to the general population by the dismissive term al-awam, Arabic for the commoners. Hossam, who owned a womens clothes shop in Raqqa, said IS members receive perks that sharply set them apart from everyone else. In many cases, young men join the group to escape poverty or protect themselves from IS excesses, he and others said. He insisted that his last name not be printed, fearing for his safety. Those who join Daesh receive a step up in the social ladder, he told the AP in Istanbul. Daesh men drive luxury cars and eat at the best restaurants and whoever has a friend or a relative with Daesh has a better life. One perk that IS members avail themselves of is the chance to marry local women. Several of the Syrians interviewed by the AP said families with daughters often came under pressure to marry them off to fighters, which has led many to smuggle daughters to Turkey. Khatar, a 26-year-old who spoke in Lesbos, Greece, making her way to Western Europe, said she has two younger sisters back in Raqqa, and jihadis have been knocking on our doors at least once a month to ask for their hands in marriage. Her father lies to them and tells them he doesnt have unmarried daughters, but they keep coming back. But some take the opportunity to marry an IS member because the benefits lift the whole family out of the al-awam class. Khatar said a 17-year-old daughter of one of her neighbors married a Saudi jihadi. When Khatar went to congratulate her, she found her loaded with expensive clothes and jewelry as a dowry. She seemed very happy with her new, elevated social status, Khatar said. Four people were arrested early Monday after a highway pursuit, with authorities reporting that a Skiatook police officer was punched and a state trooper was spit on when the chase ended. The suspects vehicle, which was reported stolen, also swerved at a Sapulpa officer before police disabled the car using stop sticks on Oklahoma 97, Skiatook police Detective Shane Thompson said. The driver, Chad Allen Wells, 21, is accused of eluding police, DUI, assault on an officer and possession of a stolen vehicle. Wells and the other suspects Ashauna Lynn Solt, also identified as Shauna Burns, 34; Nolan Tisdale, 36; and Ashley Sharpe, 30 also face possession of stolen property and drug-related complaints. Police were alerted to a larceny at a Skiatook Wal-Mart store at about 3 a.m. The vehicle believed to be involved in the theft was spotted by police and sped away after an attempted traffic stop, Thompson said. Officers from multiple agencies, including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, pursued the vehicle along Interstate 44. The chase ended on Oklahoma 97 near the Turner Turnpike when the vehicle ran over a set of stop sticks, Thompson said. During the arrests, Wells allegedly punched a Skiatook officer in the face. Also, OHP Trooper Dwight Durant said a trooper was spit on by the suspect as well. President Barack Obama is determined to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and if he decides to do so without Congress, there may be little his foes can do to stop him. Since his State of the Union address, when he reiterated that he will keep working to shut down the prison, the administration has sped up the effort significantly. Ten prisoners were transferred last week; 93 prisoners remain, 34 of whom have already been cleared for release. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he had sent a detailed, written plan to Obama laying out how to move the remaining prisoners to the U.S. The White House is to submit that plan to Congress soon. That strategy directly challenges existing laws that not only prevent Obama from moving Guantanamo prisoners to U.S. soil, but also bar the Pentagon from spending congressionally appropriated funds to do so. Obama, in a series of signing statements, has consistently rejected the validity of those laws, arguing they infringe upon the executives powers. Military law experts told us that if Obama defies Congress, Congress options for stopping Obama are limited. If he really wanted to do it, he could, but it would come at a huge political cost, said Rachel VanLandingham, a professor at Southwestern Law School who served as a judge advocate in the Air Force. That cost could include a long court battle over the constitutional separation of powers. But courts are unlikely to intervene quickly because its largely a political issue, experts said, meaning that the administration would be history before a final ruling on the legality of its approach. And at that point, the prison already could be closed. Congressional leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, have said Obamas anticipated action could amount to asking the U.S. military to break the law, but the military is not likely to see it that way. Military members are required to follow all lawful orders, but theres a legal presumption that orders are lawful, said VanLandingham. The military is going to salute smartly. Congresss record on stopping Obama from releasing prisoners is not strong. Congressional leaders were incensed when in 2014, he used executive authority to release five Taliban commanders from Guantanamo to trade them for U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who is now set to stand trial for desertion. In December, House Armed Service Committee Republicans issued a report that said Obama violated a statute that required a 30-day notification to Congress on the transfer of any detainees. The Government Accountability Office agreed and added that the Pentagon misused funds for the transfer. Outgoing Southcom commander Gen. John Kelly said that the military was directed to transfer the Taliban five secretly, without alerting reporters who were on the base. It was a dicey transfer. All of us were down there. We were doing the transfer, and we never got caught. Obama has come close to saying he will shut the prison with or without congressional approval. At his year-end press conference, the president said, We will wait until Congress has definitively said no to a well-thought-out plan with numbers attached to it before we say anything definitive about my executive authority here. On Jan. 12, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said that Obama would employ audacious executive action, for the rest of the year, on several issues that could include Guantanamo Bay. He said the main question Obama will use when considering whether to use executive action is, Why not? Asked about Obamas plans to close the prison, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said: Hopefully, he will fail. He added: Im a supporter of Gitmo. I hope it stays open. I think we should add more terrorists to it. Obama would get support. The ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, who was against the Bergdahl trade, told us the prison should be closed. It removes one of the biggest drivers of hostility towards this country, she said. The wild card is Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain. McCain has supported closing the prison, but he is frustrated with what he sees as White House intransigence. He told us he was open to considering the plan but skeptical anything the White House submits can get Republican support. Theres been so much unilateral action that theres a lot of anger about this, McCain said. Moving the Guantanamo prisoners to U.S. soil has another advantage for Obama; being inside the U.S. makes it possible for prisoners to be tried in civilian courts. By barring transfers from Guantanamo, Congress had kept many of them in the military commissions system and also given the military and intelligence community greater access to interrogate them. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr told us the prisoners should stay where they are to maintain that access: Its still a viable thing to be able to tap back in to these individuals. When it comes to Guantanamo, the presidents lame duck status is a misnomer. Politically, he is now free to act without Congress, saving his successor the problem of Guantanamo. But he may spawn a new problem: a court battle over the constitutional separation of powers. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Mazzei said Monday that Oklahomas financial management options should include suspension of the 0.25 percent reduction in the state income-tax rate that went into effect Jan. 1. Given the financial stress the state faces, we should consider a number of financial management options, one of which is a delay in the reduction from 5.25 to 5 percent in the top tax rate, said Mazzei, R-Tulsa. Mazzei last week filed Senate Bill 1073, which voids the reduction approved by the state Equalization Board in December 2014 and specifies such a reduction cannot occur in a fiscal year in which a revenue failure has been declared. SB 1073 also raises the requirements for triggering a rate cut from 5 percent to 4.85 percent. Mazzei said he does not believe rescinding the 0.25 percent reduction would require a super majority vote of the Legislature because the statutory threshold for triggering it was never actually achieved. In December 2014, the Equalization Board certified a small general revenue increase for FY 2016 the current budget year which automatically locked in the reduction. Less than two months later, the board revised its projections for FY 2016 and estimated $611 million less in general revenue than the previous year. Last month it said general revenue would fall short even of that mark, and that another $900.1 million less is expected for FY 2017, which begins on July 1. Monday, Mazzei said the drop is likely to be closer to $1 billion. There are going to be a great number of financial management changes discussed, Mazzei said of the upcoming legislative session. All involve difficult decisions. Im trying to provide as many options as possible. The 0.25 percent reduction works out to about $150 million a year less to the state treasury when fully implemented, and comes on top of more than a decade of income tax cuts that the Oklahoma Policy Institute, a liberal-leaning advocacy organization, says total more than $1 billion a year. Conservatives contend the reductions have made the state more attractive to business and forced state government to operate more efficiently. Mazzei said the problem with existing financial tax-cut triggers is that they allow no margin of error. His bill proposes requiring general revenue estimates equal the cost of the reduction plus 3 percent of the previous years general revenue. Mazzei would not speculate on the chances of the Republican-controlled state government backing off the tax cuts. This is just one concept of many that I think has to be discussed, he said. When all of the bills are filed youll see there are many, many proposals. Thursday is the filing deadline for all but appropriations bills. The 2016 session begins Feb. 1. He was a little scruffy looking and didnt have a majestic set of antlers, but a Nickel Preserve bull elks laid-back, camera- and kid-friendly attitude earned him the nickname Hollywood and in the end, it probably got him killed. As one regular visitor put it, He wasnt tame, but he didnt exactly act like a wild elk. Poachers, likely sometime Friday night or early Saturday, found the elk a few yards off a county road and shot it with a crossbow and a rifle, then took its head and one hindquarter, leaving the rest to rot. News of the killing exploded on social media Sunday night and Monday as The Nature Conservancy put up a $1,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible. That was on top of a potential $500 offered through Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservations tip line, Operation Game Thief. On Monday, Tulsa-based conservation group NatureWorks pledged another $1,000 and the Oklahoma State Game Warden Association added another $500. The Nature Conservancy said Tuesday that Wagoner business owner Bobby Mahan pledged $1,000 to make the potential payout $4,000. Our board members are outraged by this totally classless act. NatureWorks hopes in matching the reward that the responsible party will be apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent, NatureWorks President Michael Linscott said via email. Nickel Preserve Director Jeremy Tubbs said the elks small rack and scruffy look may have actually kept him safe for a time. I always felt that kind of protected him in a way, he said. I thought people wouldnt take the risk poaching an elk like that. If he had large antlers, this may have happened sooner, but someone must have come through here this weekend and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Nature Conservancys 17,000-acre Nickel Preserve, in the Cookson Hills northeast of Tahlequah, is home to a herd of about 50 elk. A group of five bulls and 15 cows was transplanted to the preserve in 2005 to re-establish an elk herd in the Ozarks. The bull is not the first to be killed illegally in the area, Tubbs said. Its just that this one was always there and we could direct people over there. People with kids could drive through, and it was almost guaranteed they would see him. There are no other elk like that on the preserve; they are typically pretty secretive animals. Tubbs nicknamed the elk Hollywood because the 8- to 9-year-old had taken up residence near the county road on the preserve and was a regular feature of social media posts from nearly everyone who visited the facility for the past four or five years. The elk seldom left the area, not even to establish a harem during breeding season. I cant say he never mated, but he really wasnt a large bull, and even at this age he never developed large antlers, Tubbs said. He wasnt one of the big-herd bulls. Tubbs saw the elk at least two or three times a week, if not every day, until he got the report about 1 p.m. Saturday that its headless, partially salvaged carcass had been found about 30 yards off the road. Tubbs was at a loss to come up with a motive. The refuge boundaries and roads are well marked with no-hunting signs, and the elk had little or no trophy value. Meat might have been the incentive, but if that was the case, why take the head? He was very close to the road, Tubbs said. It could be they thought they could load him into the truck, but an elk is a large mammal, and people often dont realize how big until they get close. The old bull was indeed a good one for people who wanted to get close. We called him Lawrence Elk, said Kristy Reeves of Westville. She saw the elk for the first time last year, and since then she and her daughters, Sara, 14, and Kathy, 10, have visited the preserve once or twice a month. He always had a happy vibe to him, so we jokingly named him that, Reeves said, referencing Lawrence Welks musical variety show. There have been many times I pulled up and he was within 4 yards of my car, and he would just lie down and chew his cud, she said. I think he saw cars so much he just became accustomed to it. Reeves said her daughters were saddened to hear the animal was dead, but coming from a family of hunters, they understood the death and the difference between ethical hunting and people breaking the law. They were pretty upset to hear it, she said. Becky Reeves of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, photographed the elk a year ago. My photos just came up on Facebook, you know, where it brings up memories of one year ago today, and then we learned someone killed him, she said. She and her three teenage children had enjoyed seeing the bull. Its heartbreaking to think such a tame animal was preyed on like that. Chinese President Xi Jinpings state visit to Saudi Arabia will significantly deepen bilateral ties in politics, economy, society and culture, Salman Aldossary, editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, a major Saudi Arabian newspaper, told the Peoples Daily on the eve of Xis Middle East trip. Saudi Arabia, now Chinas largest trading partner in West Asia, will be the first stop of Xis trip. Xis upcoming Saudi Arabia visit is of historic significance, the editor-in-chief added. China and Saudi Arabia develop their economic and trade ties rapidly in recent years. ICBC, Chinas largest bank by total assets opened its branch in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia on June 4, 2015. It is the first China-funded bank in the country. (Photo: Xinhua) Salman said that to diversify its economy, Saudi Arabia has increased investment in China and their mutually beneficial cooperation is on the fast track. As China grows its industry and technology rapidly, Saudi Arabia hopes to intensify its ties with China, he added. Hailing the importance of Chinas proposal to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the editor-in-chief noted that it not only tightened economic, trade and cultural ties between China and the nations along the routes, but also facilitated infrastructure construction and currency circulation. Thanks to its geographic position and dominance of the regional economy, Saudi Arabia carries significant weight in the routes, Salman added. He also appreciated the newly-founded Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), saying that the bank built to help Asian countries with infrastructure construction now receive more worldwide support. Higer, a Chinese bus manufacturer, holds ceremony for strategic agreement signing and delivery of 1,200 school buses with Saudi Arabian clients in Suzhou, Higer's manufacturing plant. (Photo: Xinhua ) Saudi Arabia, as one of the AIIBs 57 founding members, will render full support to the bank together with other regional states, the editor-in-chief added. He explained that the bank would not only help member states modernize their roads, railways and ports, but also expanded their access to power and telecommunication services. The AIIB would also open up new prospects for contractors in West Asia and North Africa to carry out infrastructure construction projects in the member states, Salman said. 1987 First MLK Day in Tulsa observed with parade About 100 marchers locked arms and braved bitter cold and deep snow to participate in an abbreviated parade for Tulsas first official observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A near-capacity crowd filled the First Presbyterian Church, where the parade ended, for an interfaith church service memorializing the civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1968. President Ronald Reagan had signed a bill in 1983 creating a federal holiday honoring King with the first observation scheduled Jan. 20, 1986. State and federal offices were closed on that date; city offices remained open. 2001 President Clinton admits false statements On his last full day in office, President Bill Clinton acknowledged for the first time that he made false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky. He also surrendered his Arkansas law license for five years as part of a deal with the independent counsel to avoid a grand jury indictment. The nations interests have been served, Independent Counsel Robert Ray said. This matter is now concluded. Based on this state bar suspension, Clinton was automatically suspended from the U.S. Supreme Court bar and allowed 40 days to appeal an otherwise-automatic disbarment. Clinton chose to resign during the appeals period. 2012 ATF agent in corruption case reports to prison Former Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives agent Brandon McFadden, the last of four law enforcement officers sentenced to prison in December for police corruption, reported to federal prison in Texas. He was sentenced in December 2011 to 21 months in prison for his part in corruption involving the Tulsa Police Department. McFadden and three former Tulsa police officers were sentenced as part of a grand jury investigation of civil rights violations, falsified search warrants, stolen drugs and money, and perjury. The Tulsa police officers sentenced along with McFadden were John K. J.J. Gray, Jeff Henderson and retired Cpl. Harold R. Wells. 2014 Rep. Lankford announces run for Coburns seat U.S. Rep. James Lankford became the first candidate to announce he was running to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn. Coburn, the Republican senator, said he was resigning at the end of the congressional session in December, an announcement that reverberated through the states political landscape. When word of Lankfords candidacy emerged, two potential candidates, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, who represents the 4th Congressional District, and Attorney General Scott Pruitt, quickly announced they were not running for the post. Lankford defeated former state House Speaker T.W. Shannon and former state Sen. Randy Brogdon in the June Republican primary. He defeated retiring state Sen. Constance Johnson in the general election. Joe Worley 918-581-8373 The second-ranking Republican in the Oklahoma Senate has announced plans to seek longer term limits for seven statewide offices. The measure by Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Schulz of Altus would give the states lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor and inspector, treasurer, insurance commissioner, labor commissioner and schools superintendent up to 12 years in office. If passed by the Legislature, the proposed constitutional amendment would also need the approval of state voters in November. After decades without term limits on the offices, Oklahoma voters approved eight-year maximums in 2010. Schulzs proposal wouldnt apply to the Governors Office, which would continue to have an eight-year limit, or the three members of the Corporation Commission, who are allowed two six-year terms. In the 2018 election cycle, eight-year limits will prevent re-election bids by Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Auditor Gary Jones, Treasurer Ken Miller and Insurance Commissioner John Doak. Schulz says he believes in term limits, but longer tenures for secondary office holders would allow for more efficient and effective administrations. That makes sense to us. We dont want permanent fixtures in state offices, but a 12-year limit seems reasonable. The most effective term limit of all an election defeat remains available for any officeholder who proves corrupt or incompetent or is simply opposed by a better alternative. That said, if Schulz really wants to reform the states administrative offices, he should propose a much better plan, taking at least two offices off the ballot altogether. Voters have little idea what the state insurance and labor commissioners do and usually dont know a great deal about the candidates, except maybe a fiery anti-Obamacare speech at the Rotary Club. They naturally turn to partisan labels for guidance, which politicizes offices that have only administrative duties. If those offices were made appointive, it would make the governor answerable for their good administration and take needless politics out of the equation. This country's cyclists will come up against the region next month when T&T hosts the Ca Upcoming US medico-drama Heartbeat, featuring both Melissa George and Don Hany, is due on Universal in early 2016. Melissa George stars as Dr. Alex Panttiere while Don Hany (no stranger to being a medical love interest) is her former flame Dr. Jessie Shane. Other cast includes Dave Annable, Shelley Conn, D.L. Hughley, Jamie Kennedy, Maya Erskine, JLouis Mills and Joshua Leonard. The series was originally titled Heartbreaker. A mid-season airdate is yet to be revealed in the US. Based on the real life and achievements of Dr. Kathy Magliato, this unique character-driven medical drama follows Dr. Alex Panttiere (Melissa George) an outspoken world-renowned heart transplant surgeon and one of the few women in her field. Stubborn and fearless, Alex always operates on her own terms. She revels in a racy personal life thats a full-time job in itself, manages the daily demands of skeptical faculty and dutiful interns, and pushes the boundaries of medical science to impressive new heights. Don Hany stars as Dr. Jessie Shane, Alexs former flame and mentor who returns to Los Angeles Saint Matthews Hospital as Head of Surgery and Alexs new boss. Tensions rise as Alex now has to battle with her head and her heart. Both George and Hany have achieved local and international success with combined roles in Mulholland Drive, Alias, Friends, Greys Anatomy, Tangle, Offspring, East West 101 and the critically acclaimed Devils Playground. Nines returning series The Farmer Wants a Wife, hosted by Sam McClymont, returns on Monday 1st February. It will undoubtedly follow the premiere of another returning series, Australias Got Talent. There are six new farmers featured this series. They are: Farmer Adam (VIC) Strong-willed and driven, Adam has worked hard to get himself to a position where he can buy his farm and now hed like to share it with someone. Farmer Jedd (SA) Prioritising the remote family business has meant no time for love for this eco-oyster farmer. Farmer Julz (SA) This straight-up rough diamond would love a real woman who can crack open a tinnie around a campfire. Farmer Lance (QLD) This old-fashioned cowboy longs for a lady whos comfortable mucking in or wearing heels for a night out. Farmer Lachie (NSW) He failed to find love through Married At First Sight but will Cupid strike this time around? Farmer Matt (WA) This heir to a cattle station feels the pressure to build the business and find a best friend to share it with. In her first television presenting role, Sam McClymont of Australias number one country group, The McClymonts, will guide the six lovelorn farmers on their quest to find a wife. The Farmer Wants a Wife is one of the most loved television series in Australia it has already produced eight marriages, three long-term relationships, and recently notched up baby number ten. The Farmer Wants a Wife is a FremantleMedia Australia production for the Nine Network. 8:45pm Monday February 1 on Nine. Photo taken on Jan. 18, 2016 shows tight security in the checkpoint in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad after three persons with U.S. citizenship were kidnapped while they were inside a brothel apartment in al-Saha neighborhood in Doura district, Baghdad, Iraq. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood) BAGHDAD, Jan. 18 -- Three American contractors went missing in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad were kidnapped from a brothel apartment, while Iraqi security forces carried out a search operation, security sources said on Monday. Brigadier General Saad Maan, spokesman of Baghdad Operations Command, told reporters here that the three persons with U.S. citizenship were kidnapped while they were inside a brothel apartment in al-Saha neighborhood in Doura district. Iraqi security forces have carried out a search campaign in the surrounding neighborhoods, looking for the kidnapped, while an investigation has been launched into the incident, said Maan whose command is responsible for security in the Iraqi capital. An Interior Ministry source told Xinhua that information about the incident so far is very rare and restricted, but he said that the security forces have deployed in several areas in Baghdad and set up checkpoints on main streets as part of the search operation. Late on Sunday, local Iraqi news agency NINA quoted unnamed sources as saying that the three Americans were at the house of a translator in the southern district of Doura, Baghdad, when a group of gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed the house and took them away. It said that the translator who invited the three Americans to his house was also abducted. Earlier, U.S. media reports said that the three missing were Iraqis who had acquired U.S. citizenship and were kidnapped from an apartment well-known in southern Baghdad as a brothel and is subject to frequent raids by Shiite militias, including the Iran-backed Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq. Also on Monday, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri said in a statement that "the increasing abductions for foreigners in Iraq is adding complication to the Iraqi scene, as the kidnapping of Americans, and before them Qatari hunters whom their destiny is still unknown, would undoubtedly refers to the growing of organized gangs in Iraq." Late on Monday night, the pan-Arab news channel Al Arabiya reported that three Americans were kidnapped in Baghdad, without giving further details, but mentioned that the U.S. State Department said they are aware of the report and are working with the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover them. \ President Xi Jinping will elaborate on China's policies to boost peace and development in the Middle East during his first overseas trip of the year, which starts on Tuesday. This was disclosed at a media briefing in Beijing on Monday by Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Ming, who also said Xi will outline China's measures for pragmatic cooperation. Observers have voiced high hopes for the president's schedule, which is aimed at reinvigorating the conflict-plagued region, including his speech on Middle East policy and possible outcomes regarding China's Belt and Road Initiative. During his state visits to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran, Xi will also visit the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo and deliver a speech there, Zhang said. The trip, which covers the three major players in the region, was announced last week. This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt and of China-Arab ties. A joint statement on setting up a China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership will be issued during Xi's visit to the kingdom, Zhang said. Zhang also said major international and regional issues will be discussed during the visits to the three countries. Wu Sike, a former Chinese special envoy for Middle East affairs, said doubts had been raised over Xi's visit to the region, and his trip will show that China's policies toward the area "have been tested by time and the evolving situation". Wu said Xi's initiatives on co-building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road proposed in 2013 have received proactive responses from the region, including from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. Nourhan al-Sheikh, a professor of political sciences at Cairo University, told Xinhua News Agency, "Arab-Chinese ties are stable and far from any tensions, disagreements or contradictions in political positions." In a signed article published on Monday in the Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh, Xi said that it is hoped that Saudi Arabia will become "an important participant, builder and beneficiary of the Belt and Road". Li Shaoxian, a senior expert in Middle East studies at Ningxia University in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, said that Iran has been one of the "most honest supporters" of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the country is witnessing sanctions being lifted by the international community. "As it undertakes rebuilding, it expects international participation in its domestic economic development," Li said. Full text of Chinese President's signed article on Saudi newspaper Chinese President Xi Jinping published a signed article titled "Be Good Partners for Common Development" on Saudi newspaper Alriyadh on Monday ahead of his state visit to the country. Transparency International Ukraine has decided to support the volunteers, who exposed corruption in the Kyiv City Organization of Ukrainian Red Cross Society. The protection of whistleblowers is conducted within the framework of the national anti-corruption campaign "They Would Not Keep Silent, press office of Transparency International Ukraine reports. "Ukraine urges the law enforcement bodies, the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine, and also partners of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society to interfere in the situation and pay attention to the facts of corruption revealed by the volunteers," reads the statement. The volunteers of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society reported TI Ukraine about some cases of selling humanitarian aid, intended for distribution among the indigent and temporal in-migrants from the occupied territories. Representatives of the Red Cross called the costs received for the humanitarian aid charitable contributions. Besides, volunteers reported on the facts of conducting first aid courses on a paying basis, which must be free for all interested, and other malfeasances of the employees of the respectable civil society humanitarian organization in Kyiv and its region. ol Officials of the National Bank of Ukraine have held a meeting with representatives of the National Bank of Poland to discuss the rendering of technical assistance to the Ukrainian regulator in 2016-2018, the NBU press service reports. According to the Program of technical cooperation 2016+, approved by the central bank of Poland, Ukraine entered the list of priority partner countries that have an access to the enlarged format of cooperation in the form of theme packages of technical assistance and horizontal cooperation between the two countries. Thus, the number of directions of rendering technical assistance for the countries that are partners of the central bank of Poland involves: the monetary policy and its tools, financial stability; payment systems; statistics; monetary circulation, currency issuance, the management of reserves in foreign currency, the financial risks management, the press service reports. In addition, the NBU considers technical assistance projects as an opportunity to study the experience of other central banks and find correct decisions to problems and tasks. iy Israel hopes to sign a free trade agreement with Ukraine until the end of the year. Ambassador of Israel to Ukraine Eliab Belotserkovsky told the Press Club, "Diplomats without ties" that was held at Ukrinform. "We hope that by the end of the year we will be able to sign an agreement on free trade zone between Israel and Ukraine," he said. He noted the trade turnover between the two countries for the latest year reached the level of $800 million, which is lower than in the previous year. The slide in the turnover, the diplomat said, is due to lower Israeli exports, while the Ukrainian exports to Israel were up 4 percent. The European Commission expects Ukraine to fully comply with some of the commitments to launch the legislative process of abolishing the visa regime for Ukrainian citizens in the first quarter of 2016. EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said this before the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "As for Ukraine, some of the commitments, took on by the President and the Prime Minister, should be met. We expect that we will get a report on it very soon, give the necessary estimate, and present our proposals for the visa liberalization in the first quarter," the Commissioner said. As reported, in December 2015, the European Commission praised Ukraine's progress in completing the implementation of the Action Plan on Visa Liberalization. ol The temporary termination of the Schengen agreement in Austria means that Ukrainians must be ready to wait in a line while crossing the border, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to Austria Oleksandr Scherba wrote on Facebook. Dear Ukrainians, concerning the so-called termination of Schengen in Austria, for Ukrainian citizens nothing changes, apart from one thing. While crossing the Hungarian-Austrian or Austrian-German border via autobahn [on route of migrants], you as other Europeans must be ready to stand in line and show a passport with visa. All the rest remains the same, the ambassador said. As a reminder, Austria announced temporary termination of the Schengen agreement because of the migrant flow to the European Union. iy Russias State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin has stated that the EU should impose sanctions on Ukraine for the alleged "disruption of the Minsk Agreements." This is reported by TASS news agency. "I want to believe that the position of France and Germany, which, by the way, chairs the OSCE this year, will be completely comprehensive and impartial while the advocates of continuation of the anti-Russian restrictions will understand that, following their own logic, the sanctions should be imposed not on Russia, but on official Kyiv for the gross violations of the terms and content of the Minsk Agreements," Naryshkin said. As a reminder, the leaders of the "Normandy Four" agreed to extend the Minsk Agreements for 2016. At the same time, the European Union officially extended the economic sanctions against Russia for its policy of interference in the affairs of Ukraine in Donbas until July 31, 2016. ol BEIJING, Jan. 18-- Chinese President Xi Jinping published a signed article titled "Be Good Partners for Common Development" on Saudi newspaper Alriyadh on Monday ahead of his state visit to the country. The following is the English version of the article: Be Good Partners for Common Development By H. E. Xi Jinping President of the People's Republic of China Published on Alriyadh of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is the first stop of my first overseas visit this year and also the first Arab country I will visit as President of the People's Republic of China. China sees Saudi Arabia as a brotherly state. An oil kingdom with huge oil and gas reserves, a country with time-honored history which is the birthplace of Islam, and the magnificent setting sun against the vast expanse of the desert: these are the images that Saudi Arabia brings to our mind. In 2008, I visited Saudi Arabia as Vice Chinese President, and I was greatly impressed by its prosperity and the hospitality of its people. Eight years on, at the invitation of His Majesty Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, I will once again set foot on this beautiful and rich land, and I will bring with me the Chinese people's friendship towards the Saudi Arabian people and their keen desire to grow friendly ties between our two countries. We Chinese often say that true friendship stands out in time of adversity. And people in Saudi Arabia also believe that "there is no greater virtue than extending a helping hand to those in need". In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Wenchuan of China's Sichuan Province in 2008, Saudi Arabia immediately provided over US$60 million of both cash and material assistance to China, the largest item of overseas assistance ever received by the Chinese government. This assistance provided by the Saudi Arabian government people, a vivid symbol of the China-Saudi Arabia friendship, deeply moved the Chinese people and will always be remembered by us. The peoples of China and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed friendly exchanges for centuries. Over 2000 years ago, numerous camel caravans from the two sides travelled along the ancient Silk Road. Diplomatic envoys from the Seljuk Empire visited China during the Tang Dynasty. Zheng He, China's Muslim navigator in the Ming Dynasty, travelled to Jeddah, Mecca and Medina, and he described them as paradises where people enjoyed peace and harmony. The interactions and mutual learning between the Chinese and Islamic civilizations are an important part in the history of inter-civilization exchanges. The establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Saudi Arabia in 1990 opened a new chapter in their relations. In particular, since the establishment of the strategic and friendly relationship between the two countries in 2008, China-Saudi Arabia relations have progressed by leaps and bounds, with enormous growth made in all-round corporation. For years, Saudi Arabia has been China's biggest global supplier of crude oil and its biggest trading partner in West Asia and Africa. In 2013, China became the biggest trading partner of Saudi Arabia for the first time. Two-way trade reached US$69.1 billion in 2014, growing by 230 times over that at the time of the establishment of diplomatic ties. Today, one in six barrels of crude oil China imports comes from Saudi Arabia, and one out of every seven Riyal Saudi Arabia earns from its exports comes from China. China and Saudi Arabia are also expanding the cooperation, with numerous cooperation projects being undertaken in infrastructure, investment, labor and agriculture. The light rail line constructed by a Chinese company in the sacred city of Mecca provides convenient travel services to Muslim pilgrims from around the world. Chinese companies have provided good telecommunication services for the pilgrimage for many years. Our scientific and research institutes successfully completed the genetic map for date palms, leading to increased yields, better strains and stronger capacity of pest resistance. China and Saudi Arabia enjoy increasingly close people-to-people exchanges. The Silk Road Treasure Boat Pavilion built by Saudi Arabia for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai was one of its most popular pavilions, and it still attracts numerous visitors today. In 2013, China attended the Jenadrivah Heritage and Culture Festival in Saudi Arabia as the country of honor, enabling Saudi visitors to intimately learn about a dynamic and innovative China that enjoys both a traditional cultural heritage and success of modern development. As a Chinese saying goes, "devoted friends afar are not kept apart by distance". The growing friendship and cooperation are bringing our two peoples closer than ever before. There is so much inspiration we can draw from the flourishing ties between China and Saudi Arabia: Mutual respect, mutual trust and equality are the solid foundation of the sound and steady growth of the bilateral relationship; tapping our respective strength for mutual benefit provides powerful impetus for our relationship to deliver long-term benefits to our two peoples; and openness and amity between our peoples are the inexhaustible source of strength for sustaining China-Saudi Arabia friendship A review of our respective progress in economic and social development shows that China and Saudi Arabia have so much in common: Both countries have followed development paths suited to their national conditions; both of us have achieved future-oriented sustainable economic development in diverse ways; and both countries have endeavored to improve our people's lives. Our highly compatible visions on development will greatly boost the growth of China-Saudi Arabia relations The Chinese people are making tireless efforts to realize the two "centenary goals", namely, to finish the building of a country of initial prosperity in all respects when the Communist Party of China celebrates its centenary in 2021 and turn China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious when the People's Republic celebrates its centenary in 2049. We are also endeavoring to achieve the Chinese dream of great national renewal. Saudi Arabia has started the implementation of a new five-year plan and vigorously pursued a strategy of diversified economic development to achieve all-round, balanced and coordinated development. Similar development aspirations, same development missions and converged development interests provide enduring impetus to the in-depth growth of China-Saudi Arabia relations. China and Saudi Arabia, both countries with important influence, will embrace a great historic opportunity of advancing their bilateral relations. By making this visit, I look forward to working together with the leaders of Saudi Arabia to elevate the bilateral relations, upgrade mutually beneficial cooperation and deliver more benefits to our two peoples. ---Let us forge a strategic partnership of mutual support, sincerity and mutual trust. We should bear in mind the strategic nature of China-Saudi Arabia relations and ensure their long-term and sound growth, form synergy between our respective development strategies, increase mutual understanding to and support each other on issues relating to our respective core interests and major concerns, and cement political mutual trust. ---Let us forge a win-win partnership of mutual benefit and common development. We should expand trade, build a long-term, stable China-Saudi Arabia community of energy corporation, enhance cooperation in infrastructure and investment, and prioritize three hi-tech sectors, namely, aerospace, peaceful use of nuclear energy and renewable energy, in our efforts to enrich practical cooperation. China welcomes Saudi Arabia's joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a prospective founding member; and we will work with Saudi Arabia to accelerate efforts to build the China-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Area. All those efforts will reinforce both our bilateral and multilateral cooperation and yield greater benefits to both countries. ---Let us forge a partnership of expanding cooperation and solitary. China will enhance cooperation with Saudi Arabia multilaterally to maintain regional peace and stability and promote common development. To advance regional connectivity and common development, China has launched the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road Initiative). We hope and trust that Saudi Arabia, located at the west crossroads of the Belt and Road, will become an important participant of, contributor to and beneficiary of this initiative. ---Let us forge a friendly partnership of frequent exchanges and mutual learning. Frequent exchanges will deepen friendship. China will step up exchange and cooperation with Saudi Arabia in areas such as education, media, think tanks and the youth and enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges and at various levels. I welcome more Saudi Arabians to visit China, and I am sure there is much you can do personally to contribute to China-Saudi Arabia friendship through these visits. Let us join hands to deliver an even brighter future for China-Saudi Arabia relations! Latest data on sea arrivals in Yemen shows that despite the ongoing conflict some 92,446 people arrived by boat there in 2015. This is one of the highest annual totals of the past decade. A full two thirds arrived since March 2015 when the conflict began. With 95 deaths reported, 2015 is the second deadliest year recorded to date. In view of this, and the loss of 36 lives in an incident on 8 January this year, UNHCR is today reiterating its warning to people contemplating the crossing over the dangers of this journey. UNHCR began systematic recording of arrivals in Yemen in 2006. To date, only 2011 (103,154) and 2012 (107,532) have seen higher arrivals of Ethiopians and Somalis in Yemen than there were in 2015. Almost 90 per cent (82,268) of last year's arrivals were from Ethiopia. UNHCR Somalia and partners have been working with the international community and Somali authorities to improve political, security and socio-economic conditions in Somalia, as well as actively pursuing durable solutions for refugees, returnees and people who are internally displaced. These efforts aim at providing an alternative to Somalis to undertaking perilous sea journeys to Yemen. The number of Somalis who made the journey to Yemen last year compares to a high of just over 33,000 in 2008. Nonetheless, the overall figures are disturbing. People continue to arrive despite unprecedented escalated internal conflict in Yemen and tragically more people continue to lose their lives trying to cross the sea in overcrowded, unseaworthy boats. Most of the arrivals in 2015 were along the Arabian Sea coast rather than the Red Sea coast where in previous years the majority of arrivals were recorded and where smuggling and trafficking networks have been active. Since the escalation of the conflict in March 2015, some of the most intense conflict has centred in Taizz governorate along the Red Sea coast which may offer an explanation for the change in travel routes. UNHCR's partners continue to patrol the coast and provide shelter, food and medical care for those rescued at sea or arriving by their own means. People seeking international protection are referred to UNHCR offices in country. As a result of the ongoing conflict along the Red Sea coast UNHCR's partner had to temporarily close its transit centre and adjacent clinic in Bab-el-Mandab. Many new arrivals are misinformed about the severity of the conflict, believe that the situation has become relatively calm in some of the southern governorates, or are following rumours of improved access into neighbouring Gulf countries. New arrivals face movement restrictions in Yemen, and there have been reports of some being caught in the conflict and killed. There are now fewer income opportunities and available services, and organized gangs and smugglers continue to operate along the Red Sea coast. UNHCR and partners in the Horn of Africa counsel would-be crossers about the inherent dangers of the journey, the realities of the situation on the ground in Yemen and the asylum and assistance options available to them. Conflict continues to rage in the country and Yemenis are bearing the brunt with over 2.5 million people now internally displaced. Despite severely restricted humanitarian access and security constraints, UNHCR reached over 280,000 internally displaced Yemenis with essential household items and shelter material in 2015. Yemen is also host to over 266,000 refugees, of which some 250,000 are Somali. Meanwhile, over 168,000 people have fled Yemen to neighbouring countries since March. The latest UNHCR Yemen arrivals infographic covering 2012 to 2015 is attached. The total number of arrivals in previous years was: 2006 (25,898), 2007 (29,360), 2008 (50,091), 2009 (77,802), 2010 (53,382) and 2011 (103,154). For more information on this topic, please contact: Teddy Leposky, UNHCR Yemen, +962798660268 (Amman) Pier Luca Nicosia, UNHCR Somalia, +254 734628053 (Kenya) Andy Needham, +41 217 3140 (Geneva) Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan Portal is available here UNHCR and its partners are struggling to help an estimated 100,000 people newly displaced in recent weeks in south-east Niger's Diffa region by attacks launched by Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgency group. Our team in Niger describes the situation as very serious with acute shortages of shelter and non-food items for the displaced. These include local villagers, internally displaced people from Niger, people who have been displaced several times and Nigerian refugees who were staying with host families or in sites for the displaced in a 10 to 30-kilometre belt of land between the River Komadougou and Niger's Route National No.1. Some 170 villages have been left empty in the Diffa region. UNHCR is redirecting available resources to meet the urgent shelter and other assistance and calls on donors for extra support to help this vulnerable population. The officials expect more to flee the volatile border area when the dry season returns in a matter of weeks and Nigerian military operations resume in the area. The newly displaced have sought shelter alongside Niger's National Route No. 1, which links the capital Niamey to the east of the country. The Niger army has not been able to ensure protection for villages and displacement sites because they are spread over a wide area and attacks usually come at night. Many of the newly displaced have sought shelter at Kouble, which is located some 910 kilometres east of Niamey on National Route No. 1 and normally has a population of just 300. A UNHCR team visited last week and found a mixed population of Nigerian refugees, local villagers, internally displaced people. The local government had recently conducted a provisional registration at Kouble and put the number of displaced who have arrived there since November 2015 at more than 10,000 people from 20 villages, including Nigerian refugees who have fled their homes since 2013. In Kouble, like elsewhere on a 100-kilometre stretch of Route No. 1, people are living in makeshift shelters alongside the highway. Newly arrived families have few sanitation facilities and have to walk far to fetch water from distribution points. Our partner, Medecins Sans Frontieres, is providing health care and sanitation but needs more support. And many children are unable to attend school. While the World Food Programme is currently meeting food demand in the Diffa region, there is urgent need for other assistance, particularly adequate shelter. Help is needed urgently and UNHCR has offered to conduct a more comprehensive registration that will make it easier to determine needs, especially as many refugees and locals have been displaced several times in recent months and may have been counted twice or not at all. Providing assistance and shelter is all the more difficult because people are living in spontaneous sites rather than in a camp environment, where security is tighter and access to water, health care and sanitation facilities is easier. At present, UNHCR and its partners are facing difficulties coping with the needs. The conflict in north-east Nigeria has forced more than 220,300 people to find refuge in neighbouring countries since 2013, including 138,300 in Niger (Nigerian and Niger nationals), 61,000 in Cameroon, and 14,100 in Chad. Over 2.2 million people are also internally displaced, mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. In Niger, insurgent incursions had displaced an estimated 50,000 people within the country. UNHCR's Niger operation is 49 per cent funded with US$24.9 million received against overall requirements of US$51 million. For more information on this topic, please contact: In Dakar, Helene Caux on mobile +221 77 333 12 91 In Niger, Benoit Moreno on mobile + 227 92192417 In Geneva, Leo Dobbs on mobile +41 79 883 6347 A makeshift refugee shelter beside the highway east of Diffa, Niger. UNHCR/B.Bamba GENEVA, Jan 19 (UNHCR) - The UN Refugee Agency and its partners are struggling to help an estimated 100,000 people driven from their homes in recent weeks in south-east Niger's Diffa region in attacks launched by Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgency group. UNHCR's team in Niger reports that the situation is very serious with acute shortages of shelter and basic aid items for the displaced, including local villagers, internally displaced people from Niger and people who have been displaced several times. Also impacted are Nigerian refugees who were staying with host families or in sites for the displaced in a 10 to 30-kilometre belt of land between the River Komadougou and Niger's Route National No.1. Some 170 villages have been left empty in the Diffa region. "UNHCR is redirecting available resources to meet the urgent need for shelter and other assistance and call on donors for extra support to help this vulnerable population in Diffa," UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told reporters at a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday (January 19). Edwards stressed that officials expect more to flee the volatile border area when the dry season returns in a matter of weeks and Nigerian military operations resume in the area. The newly displaced have sought shelter alongside Niger's National Route No. 1, which links the capital Niamey to the east of the country. The Niger army has not been able to ensure protection for villages and displacement sites because they are spread over a wide area and attacks usually come at night. Many of the newly displaced have sought shelter at Kouble, which is located some 910 kilometres east of Niamey on National Route No. 1 and normally has a population of just 300. A UNHCR team visited last week and found a mixed population of Nigerian refugees, local villagers and internally displaced people. The local government had recently conducted a provisional registration at Kouble and put the number of displaced who have arrived there since November 2015 at more than 10,000 people from 20 villages, including Nigerian refugees who have fled their homes since 2013. In Kouble, like elsewhere on a 100-kilometre stretch of Route No. 1, people are living in makeshift shelters alongside the highway. Newly arrived families have few sanitation facilities and have to walk far to fetch water from distribution points. Humanitarian aid partner, Medecins Sans Frontieres, is providing health care and sanitation but needs more support. And many children are unable to attend school. While the World Food Programme is currently meeting food demand in the Diffa region, there is urgent need for other assistance, particularly adequate shelter. "Help is needed urgently and UNHCR has offered to conduct a more comprehensive registration that will make it easier to determine needs, especially as many refugees and locals have been displaced several times in recent months and may have been counted twice or not at all," Edwards said. Providing assistance and shelter is all the more difficult because people are living in spontaneous sites rather than in a camp environment, where security is tighter and access to water, health care and sanitation facilities easier. At present, UNHCR and its partners are facing difficulties coping with the needs. The conflict in north-east Nigeria has forced more than 220,000 people to find refuge in neighbouring countries since 2013, including 138,300 in Niger (Nigerian and Niger nationals). Over 2.2 million people are also internally displaced, mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. In Niger, insurgent incursions had displaced an estimated 50,000 people within the country, but this figure is now likely to change. UNHCR's Niger operation is 49 per cent funded with US$24.9 million received against overall requirements of US$51 million. Boats on the shore along Bab el-Mandeb, the narrow strait separating Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The area is fenced to keep smugglers and kidnappers out. UNHCR/Jacob Zocherman GENEVA, Jan 19 (UNHCR) - Despite the ongoing conflict in Yemen, thousands of Ethiopians and Somalis are continuing to make a perilous sea crossing, which has already claimed at least three dozen lives this year, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has warned. Latest data on sea arrivals shows that 92,446 people arrived in Yemen by boat in 2015, one of the highest annual totals recorded over the past decade. A full two thirds arrived since March 2015 when the conflict began. With 95 deaths reported, 2015 is the second deadliest year recorded to date. In view of this, and the loss of 36 lives in an incident on 8 January this year, UNHCR is today reiterating its warning to people contemplating the crossing over the dangers of this journey. "The overall figures are disturbing," UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told reporters at a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday (January 19). "People continue to arrive despite unprecedented escalated internal conflict in Yemen and tragically more people continue to lose their lives trying to cross the sea in overcrowded, unseaworthy boats," he added. UNHCR began systematic recording of arrivals in Yemen in 2006. To date, only 2011 (103,154) and 2012 (107,532) have seen higher arrivals of Ethiopians and Somalis in Yemen than there were in 2015. Almost 90 per cent (82,268) of last year's arrivals were from Ethiopia. UNHCR Somalia and partners have been working with the international community and Somali authorities to improve political, security and socio-economic conditions in Somalia, as well as actively pursuing durable solutions for refugees, returnees and people who are internally displaced. These efforts aim at providing an alternative to Somalis to undertaking perilous sea journeys to Yemen. The number of Somalis who made the journey to Yemen last year compares to a high of just over 33,000 in 2008. Most of the arrivals in 2015 were along the Arabian Sea coast rather than the Red Sea coast where in previous years the majority of arrivals were recorded and where smuggling and trafficking networks have been active. Since the escalation of the conflict in March 2015, some of the most intense conflict has centred in Taizz governorate along the Red Sea coast which may offer an explanation for the change in travel routes. UNHCR's partners continue to patrol the Arabian Sea coast and provide shelter, food and medical care for those rescued at sea or arriving by their own means. People seeking international protection are referred to UNHCR offices in country. As a result of the ongoing conflict along the Red Sea coast UNHCR's partner had to temporarily close its transit centre and adjacent clinic in Bab-el-Mandab. Many new arrivals are misinformed about the severity of the conflict, believe that the situation has become relatively calm in some of the southern governorates, or are following rumours of improved access into neighbouring Gulf countries. New arrivals face movement restrictions in Yemen, and there have been reports of some being caught in the conflict and killed. There are now fewer income opportunities and available services, and organized gangs and smugglers continue to operate along the Red Sea coast. "UNHCR and partners in the Horn of Africa counsel would-be crossers about the inherent dangers of the journey, the realities of the situation on the ground in Yemen and the asylum and assistance options available to them," Edwards said.. Conflict continues to rage in the country and Yemenis are bearing the brunt with over 2.5 million people now internally displaced. Despite severely restricted humanitarian access and security constraints, UNHCR reached over 280,000 internally displaced Yemenis with essential household items and shelter material in 2015. Yemen is also host to over 266,000 refugees, of which some 250,000 are Somali. Meanwhile, over 168,000 people have fled Yemen to neighbouring countries since March. Ahead of his state visit to Saudi Arabia tomorrow, Chinese President Xi Jinping published an article in the country's media, saying the two nations should expand their bilateral trade volume. He also called for the establishment of a China-Saudi energy cooperation community, and intensifying pragmatic cooperation in fields such as infrastructure, investment and high technology. Xi says China appreciates Saudi Arabia joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member and that the two will work together to push the China-GCC Free Trade Agreement talks. He also said China is willing to work with Saudi Arabia to promote regional stability and inter-connectivity, through the "One Belt, One Road" initiative. The Chinese President vows to beef up people-to-people exchanges of all levels, and encouraged Saudis to visit China. Chinese President Xi Jinping has left Beijing for his first state visits of the year. His first stop is Saudi Arabia, followed by Egypt and Iran. Before his departure, President Xi published an article on Saudi newspaper Alriyadh, saying the two nations should expand their bilateral trade volume. He also called for the establishment of a China-Saudi energy cooperation community, and intensifying pragmatic cooperation in fields such as infrastructure, investment and high technology. He says China appreciates Saudi Arabia joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member and that the two will work together to push the China-GCC Free Trade Agreement talks. He also said China is willing to work with Saudi Arabia to promote regional stability and inter-connectivity, through the "One Belt, One Road" initiative. The Chinese President vows to beef up people-to-people exchanges of all levels, and encouraged Saudis to visit China. Responding to the article, Saudi experts say developing bilateral cooperation will benefit both countries, as well as the whole region. "Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned in his article that Saudi Arabia is the first Arab country he's visiting since took office. It has great significance to Saudi Arabia and indicates that China pays great attention to the ties with Saudi Arabia," said Abdul Rahman Murshed, political columnist. "And Saudi Arabia will also cherish the good relationship with China. Over the past 12 years, the trade volume between China and Saudi Arabia has exceeded 450 billion US dollars, a remarkable figure. And the two sides will deepen cooperation and promote common prosperity in the following years." "China holds strong confidence in politics, economy and military matters. China's efforts in the Middle East display its important role in supporting humanitarianism, as well as its will to ease the regional tensions and crises," said Nayef Hamra, journalist, Al Riyadh Newspaper. San Francisco, Jan. 17, (People's Daily Online)Twenty contesting entrepreneurial teams, 300 investors, 10 Chinese industrial parks and 3000 attendees gathered Saturday at the 6th North America Chinese Startup and Talents Summit in Santa Clara, California to witness innovation. After pre-selection and semi-final, 20 finalists out of 50 teams competed on Saturday to win capital incentives, advices, preferential policies and other supports from mentors consisted of venture capitalists, former entrepreneurs, industry experts and administrators from technology and innovation parks in China. Actually, before entering the final contest, the 20 teams were trained in an accelerator program, including business plan polishing , China market strategy, product and business model reassessment, presentation trainings, as well as market connections. These 20 candidates at the final pitched investors and judges about their projects ranging from robots, wearable devices, APP, to imaging technologies for disease diagnosis. Pervasive group: mobile parental control team won a special award. While two robot teams got the first prizes, and one of them is "OneCook", a robot kitchen assistant that helps take care of cooking and free the real cooks time. Linquan Luo, Chinese consul general in San Francisco, delivered a keynote speech at the contest. He said that China is now making efforts to intensify structural reform, implement the strategy of pursuing innovation-driven development, and boost mass entrepreneurship and innovation. He told People's Daily Online that the contest is not only a one-way test for the competing startups teams, but also a competition for investors and experts from China to seek good programs to invest in and lure talents to return to China. Erica Huang, CEO of Techcode, an incubator platform, told the reporter that entrepreneurship and innovation is boundless. With more Chinese companies extending their antennas around the word and more talents going abroad, startups are more international. Compared to Wahaha, Lenovo, Haier and others, China has never stopped establishing new companies in the past 30 years. Now China needs to build a sound ecosystem to foster and develop startups. Chaoyong Wang, president and CEO of China Equity Group, said that China has 5 developing trends during the past 30 years, and the future opportunities lie in venture capital plus Chinese talents. If good technology doesnt match huge potential market, it will never makes great impacts. Besides those contestants, the young entrepreneur group also highlights the summit. Averaging 12, there American born Chinese showed their services and products with innovative ideas and business acumen. Charles Wang, a nine-year-old boy starts an advertisement business with his another two friends with an age of 9 and 12. They planed to use the LED and laser to project the advertisement on the back of the privately owned cars. They will share the ads profit with each private car owner. This idea was borrowed from Uber, he told the reporter, I am so happy to be one of the participants of the contest, from which I really learn a lot. The contest is organized by UCAHP (US-China Association of High-level Professionals, a professional group started by Tsinghua Alumni and serving global startup teams), SVC Angel Club/Fund, TEEC (Tsinghua Entrepreneurs and Executive Club), and ECPU (the Entrepreneur Club of Peking University. Roy Kong, general secretary of UCAHP, said that the organization strives to foster collaborations on market and investment opportunities, career development for professionals and entrepreneurs between the United States and China. The contest has entered its sixth year. The past five contests have drawn more than 10000 attendees, and more than 2000 startups teams. Among them, more than 200 teams have received initial funding or have initiated partnerships with China counterparts. It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump ruffled a few feathers during his address at Liberty University, but one of the loudest critics was represented those he was trying to win over. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, took to Twitter for a running commentary during Trump's speech. He called it "counter to the mission of the gospel of Jesus Christ." This would be hilarious if it weren't so counter to the mission of the gospel of Jesus Christ. #TrumpatLiberty Russell Moore (@drmoore) January 18, 2016 Winning at politics while losing the gospel is not a win. Russell Moore (@drmoore) January 18, 2016 Religious commenters, evangelical bloggers and preachers echoed many of Moore's sentiments as well. This speech wouldnt pass freshman comp at Liberty. #TrumpatLiberty Preston Yancey (@prestonyancey) January 18, 2016 Oh wow, @JerryJrFalwell just made the most convoluted comparison between Trump, his father, & #MLK. This is ignorant opportunism. At best. Zach J. Hoag (@zhoag) January 18, 2016 But while a select few evangelicals spoke out against Trump, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. opened the convocation with glowing remarks about the GOP candidate's philanthropy and personality. Trump also told the crowd he was going to Iowa shortly afterward, a state with a strong evangelical presence that opens its Republican nominating caucuses on Feb. 1. Falwell was also keen to point out that Liberty does not endorse political candidates, the school did host Bernie Sanders in September, you can watch that speech here. Falwell gave Sanders (criticized by many GOP members for his "socialist" policies) plenty of kind words as well and the convocation audience cheered him heartily. But as The Washington Post pointed out, Falwell has given Trump these kinds of "endorsements" away from Liberty's campus. "He cannot be bought, he's not a puppet on a string like many other candidates... who have wealthy donors as their puppet masters," Falwell told the crowd. "And that is a key reason why so many voters are attracted to him." Another point of contention was Liberty's policy regarding convocation, which the school uses to host guest speakers. On its website, Liberty explicitly differentiates its convocation from its chapel, but notes that undergraduate students who live on campus agree to attend upon enrollment. A new study suggests that residing on higher floors in an apartment building may lower your chances of survival in the case of a heart attack, Fox61 reports. The Canadian Medical Association Journal released the study on Monday called, "Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in high-rise buildings: delays to patient care and effect on survival." For the study, the researchers "examined the relations between floor of patient contact and survival after cardiac arrest in residential buildings." The object was to determine if the floor one lives on in a high-rise building influenced the chances for survival in the case of a heart attack at home. "As the number of high-rise buildings continues to increase and as population density rises in major urban centres, it is important to determine the effect of delays to patient care in high-rise buildings on survival after cardiac arrest," study author Ian Drennan, a paramedic with York Region Paramedic Services and a researcher at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael's Hospital, said in a press release, The Globe And Mail reported. The researchers analyzed data from Toronto's emergency response network from January 2007 to December 2012. They examined 7,842 cases involving adults who suffered from cardiac arrest without a specific cause. Out of the total number of cases, 3.8 percent, or 300 of the 7,842, survived the heart attack and were discharged from the hospital. The results showed that living on the third floor or above resulted in a 2.6 percent survival rate, while those living below the third floor had a 4.2 percent survival rate. Researchers noted that younger patients and those who had a witness with them were more likely to survive. However, they noted that floor number independently played a role in the survival rate. The report also noted in its findings that response time was a leading cause of the lower survival rate. The study concluded that, "interventions aimed at shortening response times to treatment of cardiac arrest in high-rise buildings may increase survival." UTSA study explores how to increase productivity by stopping cyberloafing Share this Story (Jan. 18, 2016) -- A new study by Matthew McCarter, associate professor of management at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), looks into the bane of managers in nearly every industry: employees slacking off by excessively surfing the Internet, an activity known as cyberloafing. Leisure surfing can be helpful, McCarter said. It relieves stress and can help people recoup their thoughts, but cyberloafing is different. Thats when people are supposed to be working and are instead surfing. Cyberloafing costs hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity in the United States annually. Whats happened now, with the advent of the Internet, is that its nearly impossible to keep people off the Internet at work because of mobile devices, he said. Getting people to stop cyberloafing is the big thing management is worried about. McCarter, an expert in managerial decision making in the UTSA College of Business, notes a study that found that British workers were being interrupted by Twitter and Facebook notifications about every 10 minutes. It took the employees about 23 minutes to get back to work, costing their employers thousands of dollars each year. He partnered with Brice Corgnet at Chapman University and Roberto Hernan-Gonzalez at Nottingham University to determine the best methods of eliminating cyberloafing in a standard office setting. A group of 10 volunteers were given a mundane data entry task, and were overseen by a manager, also a volunteer. They were paid the standard for a data processing clerk, but also given a bonus resulting from how much work the workgroup was collectively able to accomplish. At any time, the workers could click on a button and go surf the Internet instead of entering data. Some people never left their work while others left their work right away. Still others went back and forth between working and online surfing. Overall, about 14 percent of the workers time was spent cyberloafing. McCarter and his fellow researchers tried two different methods to stop cyberloafing. The first was an autocratic decision process, wherein the manager simply turned off the Internet access. This stopped the cyberloafing, naturally, but didnt necessarily cause an uptick in productivity. The cyberloafing subjects, in spite, often just stopped working and would even stare at the ceiling until the day was over. The second method allowed the group to vote whether to turn the Internet off. Ninety percent of the time, the group agreed to cut off the Internet. In this instance, the subjects who had previously been cyberloafing increased their productivity by 38 percent. As time went on, the former cyberloafers were equally as hard-working as those who had stayed off the Internet. In group voting, you strategically give your workers control over something, McCarter said. By giving them a voice to stop an unproductive behavior, not only did a strong majority agree to stop cyberloafing, but those who had been cyberloafing (and even who voted against turning off the Internet) redeemed themselves by contributing to the team and working just as hard as the others. ------------------------------- Read Matthew McCarters study, The Role of the Decision-Making Regime on Cooperation in a Workgroup Social Dilemma: An Examination of Cyberloafing. Learn more about the UTSA Department of Management. Connect online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and UTSA Today. San Francisco, Jan.14, (People's Daily Online)Internet was born with the gene of connecting and sharing. With quick upgrade and development, ecosystem of the Internet has also faced radical changes with the pervasive nature of mobile. Sheng Fu, CEO of Cheetah Mobile, said at the Connect 2016 on Thursday that We live in the age of connection. The mobile Internet is making the world flatter and more connected than ever before. He said mobile is breaking down borders between countries, its connecting the worlds industries, and it is connecting every human brain into the worlds biggest think tank. Thats why in this globalized market place, even startups have great potentials, said Jay, founder of a startup company focusing on healthcare. How could startups instantly go global and what it takes to work effectively across international borders aroused attendees interest at conference Connect 2016, a conference bridging the mobile and Internet industries in Asia and the U.S. Cheetah Mobiles success could be seen as an example of a Chinese companys going global. When Cheetah Mobile originally started, the bulk of its users were using its free PC anti-virus software in China. Established in 2010, Cheetah Mobile has grown exponentially from a six-person startup, to a more than $2billion market cap NYSE company. Statistics show that Cheetah Mobile had approximately 567 million global mobile monthly active users as of September 2015. Over 70 percent of its users come from overseas. Sheng Fu told the audience at the conference Weve also proven that its possible to make money on mobile. Weve seen 26 times revenue growth since 2011. Our estimated revenue for all of 2015 was about 550 million US dollars, thats up from just 20 million US dollars in revenue in 2011. Why? Sheng Fu thinks there are three reasons. First, Cheetah understands the monetization model of global mobile Internet companies. Second, the company enhances its localization in some key markets. Third, it increases investment not only in tools and security, but also in contents. With the right planning, developers can push their apps globally very easily. There still is a need to also have regional and localized apps. I think the big questions are What problem are you solving for people? What value are you bringing to your users? These are global questions, but every developer needs to ask them, he said. He believes that the Chinese companies have great potential. Combined with the harsh competition, it is the Chinese startups who are working harder and faster than their Silicon Valley counterparts. This environment is causing new innovation to spring up all the time.He said. When he had a fireside chat with Al Gore, 45th Vice President of the United States at todays conference, he was asked how can firms from both countries cooperate. He said that both side need to improve communication as well as break down stereotypes and pre-judgments. Sheng Fu told that The globalization of the mobile industry has just started with great potentials. Some newly emerging markets are more like what China looks three or four years ago. In these countries, you can find gold anywhere. He also announced its Cheetah Global Lab, a research institute to understanding and improving the mobile ecosystem toady at the conference. The Lab will share important findings with entrepreneurs and other tech leaders to assist them in innovating their perspectives through regular salons and meet-ups. Connect 2016, a mobile-focused conference, gathered hundreds of business leaders, experts, startup entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in San Francisco to discuss opportunities in a globalized mobile era. A woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy in the Guangzhou metro station on Saturday morning. To help the women, the staff of the Guangzhou metro built a temporary delivery room in the station. Xu, 22, was 38 weeks pregnant when she took the metro to Guangzhou South Railway Station on Saturday morning. Her water broke while she was on the metro. After the metro arrived at the Guangzhou South Railway station at 8:15 a.m., Xu was already having strong contractions. Her situation caught the attention of metro staff member Lin Ruonan, who immediately called an ambulance and reported the situation to the control room. She helped Xu to sit down on the bench and tried to comfort her. Station heads Zhu Jiang and Zhou Rong rushed to the scene. Given the emergent situation, they arranged for three female staff members to help Xu and five male staff members to build a delivery room in the station using a screen and overcoats. They used the metro broadcast system to search for a doctor, and security guards helped to maintain order as all of this was occurring. Just about ten minutes later, at 8:28 a.m., with the help of the metro staff members, Xu gave birth to a baby boy. A pediatrician arrived at the scene just as the baby was born. He did a preliminary examination of the baby and declared the boy healthy. He also did a quick check on Xu and said that her situation was stable. An ambulance came at 8:57 a.m. and took Xu and her baby boy to the hospital. Both Xu and the baby are in healthy condition, according to medical staff at the hospital. Xu and her husband named the baby "Guang" in honor of Xus adventure in the Guangzhou metro station. They both express their gratitude to the warm-hearted Guangzhou people who offered helping hands to Xu in her moment of need. Wealth inequality has grown to the stage where 1% people control world's wealth, or 62 of the worlds richest people own as much as the poorest half of humanity combined, according to the report "An Economy for the 1%". The research, conducted by the charity Oxfam, says the gap between the global richest and the global poorest has widened in just the last 12 months. In 2011, 388 people had the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity. In 2011 this fell to 177. The number has continued to fall each year to 80 in 2014 and 62 in 2015. The wealth of the poorest half of the worlds population 3.6 billion people has fallen by 41 per cent, or a trillion U.S. dollars, since 2010. While this group has become poorer, the wealth of the richest 62 people on the planet has increased by more than half a trillion U.S. dollars to 1.76 trillion U.S. dollars. On our planet, one in every nine people goes to bed hungry each night. Oxfam GB chief executive Mark Goldring said, It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the world population owns no more than a small group of the global super-rich. Therefore, a crackdown on global tax havens was a necessary step towards ending the rampant global inequality, he said. After the sustained efforts of two generations, Chinese archaeologists have found for the first time ruins of pottery marked with the characters for "Yueyang" in a location northeast of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province. With this discovery, they have confirmed the location of Yueyang, one Qin state capital during the Warring States period (475 BC221 BC), where the famous Reforms of Shang Yang took place. The discovery has provided important information for the study of history and culture of the state of Qin. In 383 BC, the Duke Xian of Qin moved the capital from Yongcheng to Yueyang. Yueyang thus became the new capital of the Qin state, lasting for 35 years. During that period, Shang Yang, an important Chinese statesman of the State of Qin, contributed to what would be termed Chinese Legalism. With the support of Duke Xiao of Qin, Yang enacted numerous reforms, transforming the peripheral Qin state into a militarily powerful and strongly centralized kingdom, as well as enhancing the administration through an emphasis on meritocracy. Qin finally conquered all other Warring States and eventually unified China in 221 BC. A large number of relics from the Qin and Han Dynasties have also been unearthed. Liu Rui, researcher at the Institute of Archaeology in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that we can confirm the location of the ancient capital of Qin through meticulous archaeological work. The important pottery relics and ruins also prove the importance of Yueyang during the Qin and Han Dynasties. At least seven human rights lawyers were arrested in China over "subversion" claim. The detained lawyers are known to be employees of Beijing Law Firm Fengrui. One of them is founder of the law firm, Zhou Shifeng, previously known to have represented families involved in China's poison baby milk scandal in 2008. Zhou and at least six other lawyers from Fengrui have been captured and held in secret since July last year. According to Human Rights Watch, since last summer at least 233 human rights lawyers and activists across the country had been taken into custody, either summoned, detained, or just dissapeared in a massive crackdown. The detained activists were accused of being involved in the activism of Fengrui. Among the 233 activists, more than 200 have been released during the first few weeks after being taken into custody. Some of them had came forward to describe the torture they undergone in detaining. They mentioned being hung up, beaten, and sleep-deprived. Charged with "state subversion", Zhou is subject to maximum sentence of life in jail, according to The Guardian. Meanwhile, four other detained lawyers: Xie Yanyi, Xie Yang and Sui Muqing, and 24-year-old legal assistant Zhao Wei, are accused of "incitement of state subversion" which could result in a maximum jail sentence of 15 years. Dailymail mentions Wang Quanzhang and 24-year-old trainee lawyer Li Shuyun and to face the same charge as Zhou and could face a life in jail sentence. According to The Guardian, a week after Zhou was arrested, state media said that he confessed to an unspecified crime, later to be announced as a report which said he had "inappropriate relationships" with at least five women. BBC correspondent Jo Floto in Beijing reported that it's likely that the lawyers will face trial. And if they do, there are strong reasons to believe that conviction is guaranteed. The Guardian reported that China's courts have a conviction rate of more than 99.9 percent of criminal cases. It's also quite common to use force to make suspects confess guilt. China's government's sentiment with the Fengrui lawyers is made clear last year in an official statement of accusation. The BBC wrote that last year the authorities accused them of organizing more than 40 controversial incidents, disrupting public order, and arranging a "murder conspiracy". Since then, state media often called the human rights lawyers a criminal gang who often organize protests and created disorder around the country. The world's largest importer of crude this year is estimated to fall on China. Despite the slow economy in China, the country will sure be replacing the U.S. who imported the biggest crude previously. Referring to a Bloomberg survey of company officials, China is anticipated to keep increasing its crude import, which almost a fifth of the total is from privately owned refineries. This is good news for the world's producers, who are struggling with the oversupply and the lowest price for more than 11 years. In 2015, import licenses began to be granted to those private refineries from the China's government. This is claimed to improve the energy industry by enhancing more investments. Before, the ones who were allowed to do crude import are only large-scale state-owned companies, including China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. and PetroChina Co. According to ICIS China, an industry researcher, China is forecast to purchase 7.4 million barrels a day of crude in total in 2016, or a minimum of 1.1 million barrels a day. This is beyond the import by the U.S. which is estimated to touch 7.26 million barrels a day this year. These are some of the detail purchases; Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group 150,000 barrels a day, an asphalt producer Panjin North Asphalt Co. 170,700 barrels a day, Baota Petrochemical Group 150,600 barrels a day, Sinochem Hongrun Petrochemical Corp. 115,000 barrels a day, Shandong Kengli Petrochemical Group 60,200 barrels a day, and Shandong Huifeng Petrochemical Corp. 116,500 barrels a day. As mentioned in Reuters, the Ministry of China did state last year that China would support more refineries to receive crude import licenses. Therefore, they will no longer follow the old policy, in which they had to sell the crude oil they import to the state-owned oil larger companies. With the recent regulation from the National Development and Reform Commission last year, more small-scale refineries can directly use the imported crude for their own production, under certain circumstances. For example, they have to fulfill some conditions related to the environmental issues, including closing the old refineries that are causing pollutions. an Analyst for Drillinginfo who has 20 years practicing law with a focus on public policy and energy security, Tom Morgan, said in his article in Forbes, "Unlike Saudi Arabia (which is ironically a net importer of refined product despite producing 10 million barrels of oil per day), China currently is a net exporter of petrochemicals." In fact, China is now is the "fastest growing petrochemical industry worldwide". China's push to close obsolete teapot refineries in favor of modernized, complex refineries that add more value per barrel of refined oil points to a long-term need for increased feedstock imports." Last summer at Sen. Harry Reid's National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, President Barack Obama and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz told the world that Nevada was where all could see the value and benefit of renewable energy, especially solar. Over the past several years, Nevada has become one of the leading US states for new rooftop solar installations, but it looks like things have come to a screeching halt. Rooftop solar fans in Nevada got a huge honking lump of coal in their Christmas stockings just last Tuesday, when the state's Public Utilities Commission voted to increase a fixed monthly fee for solar customers by about 40 percent. It also made these changes retroactive. Berkshire Hathaway's NV Energy Inc, which owns Nevada's two biggest utilities, sought the charges to offset revenue lost as solar-powered customers buy less power. As reported by Bloomberg, the solar industry plans to protest the new fees at rallies in both Las Vegas and Carson City and the regulators scheduled a hearing. David Noble, The Commisione, receive a letter from investors including John Fisher at Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Nancy Pfund at DBL Partners. "This is already creating a chilling effect in the investor community, and force us to reconsider future commitment of capital in the state," wrote in a letter. Las Vegas Sun reported during the 2015 Nevada legislative session, the representatives were contacted by constituents and had meetings and hearings with businesses involved in the fast-growing residential-solar industry. It was obvious that the people of Nevada were becoming eager to enter the age of solar, opting to either buy or lease rooftop systems. Groups that supported "distributed generation" sought legislation to help average homeowners buy solar systems and ensure that existing regulations would allow the industry to grow and expand. According to CNBC, solar installer SolarCity, which has more than 13,000 employees said it would cut 550 job in Nevada, just two weeks after the state's utilities commision approved changes that would reduce credits customer recive for selling excess solar power to the grid. SolarCity Executive Lyndon Rive said on Wednesday, 6 January 2016, he was convinced that Nevada's Governor and the utility commission did not fully understand the consequences of the decisions. The company had closed a training center in West Las Vegas. It opened a little over a month ago. The company's shares were down 1.4 percent in early trading. Up to Tuesday, the stock had fallen about 8.5 percent since the state's decision last December. BP Plc plans to slash 4,000 jobs in its crude-oil production unit as the prices trade near a 12 year low. The oil giant will trim its global upstream workforce to less than 20,000, including 600 people employing at North Sea projects, according to the company's spokesman Davis Nicholas. Bloomberg said BP is cutting staff after sacking 4,000 employees last year. According to the figures collected by Bloomberg, BP presently employs about 3,000 people at North Sea projects. The company had 84,500 employees globally at the end of 2014. The Independent.co.uk quoted analysts at Jefferies saying "The near-term outlook for the oil market is bleak. OPEC is producing flat-out into a market that is oversupplied by over 1 million barrels a day; already decelerating demand could decay further with slowing economic activity, and OECD inventories that are already at record levels are likely to expand through at least the middle of the year." Commenting on the cut, Deirdre Michie, the CEO of Oil & Gas UK, said: "Companies are having to take very difficult decisions in what continues to be a challenging time, and we as an industry must be thoughtful and supportive of our colleagues who are being made redundant or facing uncertainty." Sky News said that BP representatives have started alerting workers regarding the cuts at Scotland meetings. According to the sources, BP's move came as the flight in the oil price showed no sign of relief. Brent crude is currently at its lowest level since April 2004 as markets continue to struggle with a mixture of Chinese chaos, a global supply excess and a rising dollar, which makes purchasing of crude more expensive. Mark Thomas, regional president for BP North Sea, told reports that there was a "long-term future" for its operations in the region, with nearly GBP 1.4 billion to be invested this year by the company. "In toughening market conditions and given the challenges of operating in this maturing region, we need to take specific steps to ensure our business remains competitive and robust... We are speaking to our staff and agency contractor management and will work with those affected over the coming months." Mark added. Iraq, the second-biggest manufacturer inside OPEC, expects to export a record of 3.63 million barrels per day from its southern oil terminals in February, Reuters reported, citing sources. Hong Kong is determined to stop ivory trade in the region. The authorities will ban import and export of ivory, "as soon as possible", as stated by the city's leader Chief Executive Leung Chun-Ying to lawmakers. According to International Business Times, Hong Kong has the world's largest retail market for elephant ivory. Ivory is mainly used for traditional medicine and ornaments. It's also been reported that until now, ivories are smuggled around the borders of Hong Kong, with mainland Chinese visitors as main buyers. The Guardian reports that Hong Kong has been heavily criticized by activists and environmentalists for tolerating the ivory trades for so long. The illegal trade of ivory in Hong Kong is also said led to the spread of elephant poaching on Africa. Most of the order for poaching in Africa is reported come from Hong Kong. In 2013, ivory seizures in Hong Kong peaked at 8,041 kg. In his statement at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Leung said that Hong Kong authority is very concerned about the illegal poaching of elephants happening in Africa. So they will start to ban both import and export of ivory to the city. This move is highly praised and hailed by activists and environmentalists. Some activists even regarded this as a historic move made by Hong Kong. "We're absolutely delighted, this is a fantastic news," said WildAid Hong Kong's Alex Hofford to CNN. WildAid has been campaigning against ivory trade in Hong Kong for a long time. Activists and lawmakers also encouraged and urged the government to execute this plan without delay. They demanded that the government set a reasonable deadline to start implementing the new policy. The chief did not specifically state when and how he will do it, but he did said that it would be taken care of "as soon as possible". Also, he said that ministers will "actively explore other appropriate measures" to achieve the goal. A similar move has been made priorly by China and the United States in recent years. President Xi Jinping and Barack Obama to ban ivory sales in both the country. Meanwhile, international elephant ivory trade was already outlawed quite some time ago in 1989. Among the NGOs and environmental communities that show support to this commitment is World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Hong Kong. Conservation director Gavin Edwards said that this decision is a significant step toward the end of Hong Kong's ivory trade. He also added that the question is not whether the ban is needed, but how to accomplish it. Now, the US government is starting to work on a national policy for autonomous cars, and it's promising to invest $4 billion over the course of the next 10 years to accelerate the development and adoption of safe vehicle automation through real-world pilot projects. The idea here is to work with the technology industry and auto manufacturers to test connected and autonomous cars in designated corridors throughout the country. The policy including a program to test self driving cars by investing in technologically connected road. According to USAtoday, Over the next six months, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will come up with a prototype policy and develop best-practices for automakers. Foxx and NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind have said their goal is to one day have no deaths attributable to car accident. Today, about 4 in 5 accident are due to driver's mistake. "We ask ourselves. What if human error could be aliminated? That is a possibility worth pursuing." Foxx told reporters on the floor of the North American International Auto Show. Just last week as reported by ABCNews, General Motors announced a $500 million invesment in Lyft, in part to develop a fleet of on-demand autonomous cars. In a report submitted to the California DMV, Google acknowledge that its driveless cars 'disengaged' 272 times between September 2014 and November 2015. Another 69 times, the driver felt compelled to take the wheel even though the software hadn't disengaged, the report said. Google determined 13 of those 69 events were what the company called 'simulated contacts'. In other words the simulator determined the car would have crash into something if the driver had not taken over. Quoted from Techcrunch, Google will likely be happy that the DOT and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are also looking at rules for cars that were designed without a human driver in mind. For now, the state that have policies around self-driving vehicles still require a human driver behind a steering wheel who can take over control if necessary. The DOT is also asking car manufacturers to submit rule interpretation requests to see if their autonomous driving feature meet its standard. Ten years is obviously a long time, but even though the incumbent in the car industry are starting to move faster. There are also still plenty of technological and regulatory hurdles to overcome before sel-driving cars will be able to drive down any street. Newcomers like google and Tesla will work Faster than established car company. Japanese trading company, Itochu is to partner with Kyudenko on the development of a 21 MW solar station in Japan's prefecture of Saga. The station will sell solar power to Kyushu Electric Power Co. for 20 years. Bloomberg reported that a venture set up by the two companies signed a loan agreement with the Bank of Fukuoka Ltd., Itochu said in a statement. Itochu Corp, one of the leading sogo shosa, is engaging in domestic and overseas trading of various product, import/export, and business invesment in Japan and overseas. Kyudenko Corp is a provider of facilities engineering services. The Company operates in two business segments. The Facilities Engineering segment is engaged in the design and construction of electric works. The Others segment is engaged in the sale of electrical work and air conditioning ductwork related materials and equipment. PVTECH note that Itochu and Kyudenko will have equal 50% shares in the JV, to be named Saga Ouchi Solar. Kyudenko will carry out construction works at the 320,000 square-metre facility, which is to comprise more than 75,000 panels. According to Renewable See News, Construction of the plant will begin this month, with operations set to start in April 2018, according to the statement. The station will sell solar power to Kyushu Electric Power Co. for 20 years. Saga, Kyushu's smallest prefecture, is located on the northwest corner of the island, border by the Genkai Sea and the Tsushima Strait to the north and the Ariake Sea to the south. Saga's proximity to mainland Asia has made it an important gateway for transmission of culture and throughout Japanese history. The advantage of the rosource not only sustainable for energy consumption but also indefinitey renewable, require little maintenance, and a silent producer of energy. On the other hand, the environmental impact is minimal as there are no CO2 emission during electricity generation, free fuel and no depletion risk. The primary disadvantage is that it obviously cannot be created during the night. The power generated is also reduced during times of cloud cover. Many largescale solar farm combat this problem by having the panel on tower that can track the sun to keep the panel at optimal angles throughtout the day. Solar power in Japan has been expanding since the late 1990s. The country is a leading manufacturer of photovoltaics. As world's fourth largest energy consumer, making solar power an important national project since the country's shift in policies after Fukushima in 2011 to solar energy. Hyperloop Technologies Inc., a Los Angeles-based startup company working to grow Hyperloop systems, said that it would join hands with Elon Musk's SpaceX as sponsor for the Hyperloop design competition. The company also announced that it would offer $150,000 in prizes for students. This move highlights the company's effort to categorise the next generation students with engineering talents and who are engrossed in making Hyperloop a veracity, Josh Giegel, VP for design and analysis of Hyperloop said in hyperlooptech blog. More than 1000 engineering students and 100 teams from all parts of the world will be elected to participate in the contest. The competition consists of two parts in which the students design and construct a pod prototype for Hyperloop system. The first portion of the competition, the Design Weekend, will be presented at Texas A&M University on the final weekend of January. During the Design Weekend the teams will portray their Hyperloop pod designs, which will be judged by the university professors and SpaceX engineers. The winning teams of the Design Weekend will move onto the final stage of the contest where they will be provided with the chance to evaluate their pods on a one-mile Hyperloop test track which will be constructed near the SpaceX headquarters, according to the TechInsider. The Los Angeles-based startup said that it would offer $50,000 to the selected winning team of the Design Weekend for constructing the pods for the last round. Moreover, the company said it would also give $20,000 to the selected runner-up team towards their pods. Recently, the company said it has signed deals in order to fix the Propulsion Open Air Test (POAT) on an a 50 acre site which it has secured in the Industrial Park in the City of North Las Vegas, Nevada. Hyperloop Tech expects to begin its testing process in the first quarter of 2016. According to MERCED SUN-STAR, the UC Merced Hypercats team, involving four mechanical engineering students, is winning the major exposure in the worldwide contest started by Elon Musk, the co-founder of Tesla Motors and PayPal, to accelerate the growth of Hyperloop. The "real world" is the greatest obstacle for the future of transportation system. Both Hyperloop Tech and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies are facing a host of hurdles including finding funding, receiving land rights and convincing lawmakers, Giegel added. The HyperLums team from Lahore University of Management Sciences has been nominated for the pod design contest, according to the recent reports. Fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) launched a brand-new chicken flavor on January 18. "Nashville Hot Chicken", as the new menu is named, is launched worldwide, as well in its 4.300 U.S restaurants. Hot chicken is hardly a new menu in culinary. Fried chicken with spicy red crust has been the signature dish of Nashville for generations. The popularity of the local cuisine is widespread, but it was hard to find the menu somewhere else. KFC is promoting the new dish with a food truck tour starting in Nashville Village, Ohio and ending in Nashville Town, North Carolina, according to AOL. The food truck tour started on Thursday and will be visiting cities and towns with no KFC nearby. U.S chief marketing officer for KFC Kevin Hochman said that they think this will be the biggest spicy chicken innovation since Buffalo wings in the 1980s. The dish also comes with specially-designed containers to make is easier for people to dip their biscuits to the spicy sauce. KFC's move to add this special this to their menu has raised different response and opinions. Nashville's former mayor Bill Purcell welcomes the idea. "It's a very good thing, good for Nashville and good for hot chicken, whatever we can do to focus the attention of America on our city and on our special indigenous food," he said, as quoted by TIME. Nashville's current mayor Megan Barry was also welcoming, with a little note. "Hot chicken is uniquely Nashville and delicious, so who can blame KFC for wanting to recreate it? But KFC is missing one ingredient in their Nashville Hot Chicken - there's no Nashville!" she wrote in an email. According to CNN Money, Nashville Hot Chicken is only the fourth chicken flavor in KFC's menu, despite the fact that the brand has been around for 86 years already. The new menu is part of the brand's strategy to resurrect the sales and keep itself in touch with Gen X while attracting younger consumers. It took an enormous time and effort to perfect the Nashville Hot Chicken flavor. KFC's corporate chef Bob Das stated that their team has worked on the recipe since March last year. To refine the flavor, Bob's team even made 50 to 70 versions of the menu before they decided it's the right flavor. The new Nashville Hot Chicken meal costs $5.49 to $5.99. For this price, the dish will be served with coleslaw, pickles, and a biscuit. An 8-piece chicken meal or 12-piece tenders meal are also available for $21.99 to $29.99. The chain restaurant also stated that they will undergo some changes and an updated look in the next three years. China's main search engine, Baidu, is facing punishment over claims of pornographic contents and false medical ad. The claims were gathered from public complaints about the Nasdaq-listed company. Some of the complaints also mentioned leaks of personal information. Recently, China's internet users accused Baidu over violation of moral and ethics when the company sold one of its illness-related forum, Tieba, to unlicensed private hospitals. The hospitals, then in charge of the forum's management, used the platforms to advertise poor-quality service care, according to Forbes. Baidu has apologized on this matter and resolved to only cooperate with non-profit organisations for its forum's management. In addition to that, it's also reported by The State Internet Information Office that some search results provided by Baidu are not impartial or objective. Also, its news channel has been caught spreading harmful information involving violence and terrorism. Baidu was accused of having no moral and would be boycott. Previously, Baidu also faced complaints that said it alters search result to feature paying-sites, despite their ranks and quality. China's internet users despised the commercialization posed by Baidu and filed complaints and critics to the regulator. IBTimes said that in February 2011, Baidu also faced monopoly complaints from Chinese encyclopaedia website Hudong, which claimed a compensation of $120.3 million. Last year, Baidu took a $33,800 fine for carrying online publications without permit and uploading pornographic contents to its app. For the recent accusations, It is yet to be announced the kind or amount of punishment for the search engine company. Baidu quickly apologized regarding the accusations. "We've heard a broad range of criticism and advice from media and netizens, as well as the voices of Tieba users. This incident has exposed a dereliction of duty in the management of our Tieba commercialization," said the statement posted on Baidu's official Weibo account. But the apology didn't seem to satisfy all the parties who filed complaints and critics. Even after that, a group of 36 non-profits still took it up to Beijing Administration of Industry and Commerce with accusations of violating China's advertising law, according to Financial Times. While managing the Tieba forums, the unlicensed hospitals and pharmaceutical companies gave advices on health-related topics, mainly on high blood pressure, liver disease, vascular disease and uterine fibroids. They also delete posts questioning their credentials, while advertising for crude health services. However, regulators did not specify what type of punishment awaits the company due to pornography and false advertising. Microsoft is planning to bring its Windows Phone keyboard Word Flow to iPhone's iOS. The giant tech company also looks to bringing their technology to other platforms. The Verge reported that Microsoft is currently reaching out to iPhone users to try the beta version of the Word Flow keyboard. There is no news, however, on when the feature will be officially released to the public for the iOS platform. 9 to 5 Mac posted Microsoft's recruitment letter for beta users, which says, "Word Flow keyboard has long been one of the highly praised features on Windows Phone and was used to break the Guinness World Record for fastest texting. We are now working on extending to other platforms, starting with iOS." According to Engadget, the Word Flow keyboard is one of the favourite features of mos Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobil users. The website wrote that it wouldn't come as a surprise if Microsoft would release a Word Flow keyboard version for Android devices. Along with Cortana and other cross-platform Microsoft apps, users don't have to withdraw from their Windows devices. The Windows Phone version of the software provides users with features such as gestures, suggestions, autocorrect, and the Swype-like capability to swipe letters to type words. It will work as a third-party keyboard for iPhone, which means users of the Apple devices don't have to ditch their gadgets for a Lumia. Word Flow, like Swype, allows users to trace their fingers across letters to provide word suggestions, which allows for quicker typing. This technology also supports traditional typing. It even recommends emoji characters when users will type in "dog" the dog emoji will show up. Apple first supported third-party keyboards for its iPhone and iPad in 2014, when it released the iOS 8. However, users started a thread on Reddit saying that the compatibility has some glitches and bugs when used in certain apps. With the lifting of international sanctions from Tehran, India would be able to recommence its unobstructed oil import from the Persian Gulf country. The chance of importing oil freely from Iran, which would be currently paid in US dollars, arrives at a time when worldwide prices are predicted to drop more with Iranian oil accumulating to the supply surfeit. Shortly, Iran is anticipated to boost its oil export of 1.1 million barrels per day by 500,000. The sanctions were lifted from Tehran subsequent to the statement issued by US Secretary of State John Kerry confirming the verification by International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran has wholly executed the mandatory commitments, reports said quoting Indian Oil Corporation. The continuing fall of oil prices with UK Brent crude closing Friday trading session below $29 per barrel was motivated by Iran's view of expanding its crude oil export. The Indian crude oil market closed Friday trading at 13 year low of $26.43 per barrel, The Economic Times said, citing official data. The Indian Oil Corp's latest refinery in Odisha's Paradip commenced production of petrol from the Rs.34, 555-crore facility on Sunday. The Economic Times said that Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, would donate the 15 million metric tonnes per annum refinery, which would mainly produce BS-VI fuels to aid the southeastern and eastern markets, to the country on February 7. Iran intended to recover supply deals with its European partners to ramp up crude oil exports. Reuters said that before the sanction, Tehran was exporting nearly 800,000 bpd to its European partners like Spain's Repsol, Total Greek Hellenic petroleum of France, Italy's ENI and Royal Dutch Shell. "Former clients of Iran are the ones who are likely to return as buyers... Italy, Spain and Greece were the top EU importers in 2011," according to Peter Sand, BIMCO's chief shipping analyst. The Persian Gulf country will boost its oil production by 100,000 barrels per day, only after a month the sanctions being lifted, according to the average estimation done by 12 economists and analysts charted by Bloomberg. Last week, Hedge funds boosted bearish oil stakes to a record as worldwide equities drop and sanctions on Tehran were poised to be removed. Gordon Kwan, analyst at Nomura Holdings, said Bloomberg that Tehran's surplus crude oil shipments have the capacity to lower prices further, to as low as $25 per barrel. According to Bloomberg, Tehran's emerge from international sanctions has made life worse for its Gulf Arab rivals. A recent international survey in the market revealed that millennials fear losing their jobs to artificial intelligence in the near future. Almost 4 out of 10 youngsters share this sentiment and feel the need to be better equipped to handle this situation. A very grave complaint was brought to light by the young generation in the Western countries, when they said there was a huge gap in their education system given the rapid change in the technology world. According to The Times of India, this gap is more predominant in Europe as per the poll of 9000 16-25 year-olds in nine of the world's biggest countries, conducted by Infosys, a leading Indian software firm. These nations included Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, France, Germany, India, the United States, and South Africa. Almost 80% of the response indicated a fresh approach is needed that will be at par with the current skills and technological standards. The society needs to break away from the conventional mindset that education ends after college. Infosys Chief Executive Vishal Sikka responded to these findings by stating, "Technologies have evolved far faster than what was thought possible even 10 years ago, while the educational system remains wedded to practices initially designed for agrarian societies 300 years ago. We must transition away from our past; shift the focus from learning what we already know to an education focused on exploring what hasn't happened yet," as represented by CXO Today. A London-based firm, ICM Unlimited, carried out this survey and, commissioned by Infosys, released the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution' well ahead of the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Switzerland. The study accounts for almost 67% of the global workforce, covered by 15 economies. It mainly focuses on the seismic shifts in the markets due to disruptive digital technologies. As per The Telegraph, the analysis reveals the loss of around 800,000 jobs over the past 15 years due to the rise of artificial intelligence. More than 200,000 personal assistants and almost 100,000 bank and post-office clerks have lost their jobs to smarter technology. The 'Future of jobs' report shows the biggest impact would be faced by healthcare, followed by energy and financial sectors. Immediate steps to curb this displacement should be implemented, starting with a roll-out of right education and skills for the workforce. The education system needs to quicken its pace to match the fast-changing world of digital know-how, management strategies, troubleshooting methods, and creativity. Armed with these 'weapons', the millennials should feel more confident about themselves and be better prepared to take on the 'rise of smart robots'. After his failure inimplementing circuit breaker system to limit losses in stock market, head of CSRC Xiao Gang offered his resignation. The system failed to live up to expectation and causing a global market panic in the first day of trading in 2016. CSRC announced that started in 2016, circuit breaker mechanism is implemented as a preventive measure to stop the trading when stock price decline too fast. Unfortunately, things did not work as planned, because on the very first trading day of the year, Chinese market was halted and creating a panic. Again on January 6, Chinese stock markets were halted in just half hour after trade opening. This second sudden halt in a week triggered a global market panic. As a result, CSRC had to deactivate the circuit breaker system in order to smooth the trading process on January 7. Soon after, head of CSRC, Xiao Gang was rumored to step down, but CSRC denied the rumor. Nevertheless, Reuters reported its source said Xiao Gang offered his resignation last week. He handed his resignation after a perceived mismanagement wiped more than $5 trillion off the value of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets since they peaked last June. The source said that Chinese Communist party leadership was unhappy about Xiao Gang decision in circuit breaker mechanism, which was blamed for exacerbating a sharp sell-off. CSRC has not issued any official statement regarding Xiao Gang resignation. Xiao Gang made quite a controversial statement regarding the trading halt on Saturday,"The abnormal stock market volatility has revealed an immature market, inexperienced investors, an imperfect trading system and inappropriate supervision mechanisms." His statement drew a wave of criticism. According to Wall Street Journal, many users in Weibo, Chinese microblog denounce his comment. Some even said, "The speech didn't mention one word of reflection or investigation into who should be held responsible." Another comment said, "How can you call investors immature? Stock investors are all profit-driven." Following an interview with Hong Kong's Phoenix TV in 2012, public questioned his capability to lead a governing body of financial market. In which he admitted to his terrible skills in math. However, he was appointed a head of China Securities Regulatory Commission 2013, after finishing his term as a chairman of Bank of China Ltd for 10 years. Meanwhile, China's stock market has not recovered completely yet. As Xinhua reported that on Friday closing, market value of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchange plummeted to 42.74 trillion yuan ($6.5 trillion), down nearly 9% from the previous week. Xiao Gang was rumored to offer his resignation last week as the head of CSRC last week. However, up to now, there have been no official statement from CSRC regarding Xiao Gang's resignation and his replacement. Owners of electric vehicle Nissan Leaf are given two years worth of free charging through the "No Charge to Charge" program of the car maker. The program is opening up in three more cities, bringing the total number of areas to 26 markets. According to Automobile Blog, the Nissan Leaf sold more than 89,000 units in the US and 200,000 all over the world, making it one of the most popular electronic vehicles in the market. Owners of the car can avail of the "No Charge to Charge" program by using public charging stations that are usually located in shopping centers. Through the EZ-Charge app for Apple and Android smartphones, owners can easily locate these charging stations. The free service is now available in New York, Santa Barbara, and Philadelphia, as reported by the Business Wire. The 2016 Nissan Leaf SV model is priced at $26,700, while the SL model is $29,290. Both these models can run an EPA-rated range of up to 107 miles in one charging. Meanwhile, the Nissan Leaf S models have 24 kWh batteries with an EPA range of up to 84 miles. Its priced at $21,510. Meanwhile, Nissan and Fastned announced a couple of weeks ago that they have partnered up to provide four years of free charging for owners of the electric vehicle Leaf, according to Inside EVs. Fastned CEO Michiel Langezaal said, "With this fastned subscription Nissan drivers can fast-charge for free throughout the Netherlands, and soon throughout Europe. This partnership does not only make electric driving economical, it also makes electric cars accessible to those without their own charging point at home." In the US Nissan's "No Charge to Charge" program is now available in San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Diego, Portland (Oregon), Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Monterey, Boston, Raleigh-Durham, Austin, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Salt Lake City, Santa Barbara, Philadelphia and New York. Fluor Corp.'s NuScale unit recently announced that it could fulfill UK's ambitions to have small modular nuclear plants by 2025. The firm will submit a 50-megawatt reactor design to the U.S. nuclear authorities by the end of 2016. NuScale seeks approval from the US nuclear authorities, which would allow it to also get the approval of the UK nuclear authority called Generic Design Assessment (GDA), according to Bloomberg News. The GDA is the process where UK nuclear regulators would evaluate whether a nuclear reactor design is stable or not. "Assuming the GDA is submitted and takes four years, we'd be looking at approval in 2021," said the US company's executive vice president for program development Tom Mundy. "There's then a 36-month construction time, so it's plausible to expect that if all things line up, we could have a U.K. plant built by 2025." Meanwhile, the Gazette-Times wrote that NuScale and other nuclear facility firms have smaller modular nuclear reactors that are zero-carbon. These can help achieve the carbon reduction goal set during the COP21 conference in Paris. The article stated that the contributions of renewable energies like solar and wind are limited their intermittent characteristics and leaves big environmental footprints. Small modular nuclear reactors are being considered not only in the UK. In the US, The Bellingham Herald posted a newly completed report that shows smaller modular nuclear reactors could work in Washington state. This is according to Senator Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick. Through the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, the senator got $176,000 worth of funds approved for the project. According to the report, small modular reactors have "the potential for significant improvements in nuclear plant siting associated with cost, safety, permitting schedule, generation flexibility and site requirement." Meanwhile, Britain is planning to create small modular nuclear plants to create baseload power enough to provide energy for the area as it sets to close down its coal-fired power plants by 2025. This is one of the best options as traditional nuclear power plants are expensive and time consuming, while gas-fired stations proved to be unprofitable. Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration announced Sunday that the New York Central Park carriage industry will shrink from its present 220 horses to only 95 horses by 2018. This is in line with the Mayor's promise to his supporters that he would get rid of this business on his first day after being re-elected. According to the New York Times, the deal will lead to the creation of a new stable in the Central Park that has the capacity to house 75 horses at a time by October 1, 2018. Twenty more horses will have their own rotation schedules to let all of the animals have ample rest. A hearing on the deal is expected to happen this week. It needs the City Council's approval to pass. Animal-rights activists have been advocating against the horse carriage industry for a long time. These activists are big donors to de Blasio's campaign, providing about $1 million to defeat Democrat Christine C. Quinn. The Wall Street Journal reported that de Blasio has been supporting animal-rights groups' advocacy that horses aren't supposed to be in city streets. He promised the New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets to ban the carriages after the group attacked his opponent Quinn back in 2013. The deal is considered "an agreement in concept" for the carriage industry according to a statement by the carriage drivers Teamsters Local 553, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverity, and Mayor de Blasio. "We are pleased to have reached an agreement in concept on the future of New York's horse carriage industry," according to the statement in a report by the Observer. "We look forward to working together on the final details of this legislation and getting this passed." Starting June 1, horses can still travel the city streets and back to their existing stables, until new stables are built. The city is working with the horse carriage industry to designate hack stands for horses in Central Park on the same date. Canadian stocks market dropped as oil price continues to plunge. Meanwhile, Suncor Energy and Canadian Oil Sands (COS), two big Canadian oil companies agreed on a merge deal as Suncor Energy will acquire Canadian Oil Sands. Stocks market in Canada relies heavily on energy and resource sectors, such as oil and and mining. Therefore a plunge in oil price will affect the country's stock market. Bloomberg reported that Canada's index, the Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index dropped 1.1% to 11,942.17 on Monday's trading. The plunge followed last week's 2.1% drop, which recorded as one of the worst week in history. Monday's tumble followed U.S. benchmark oil fell to $28.94 in electronic trading. Oil dipped to more of its lowest level as Iran began efforts to boost production after international sanctions were lifted. This adds more supplies to already saturated oil market, which may continue to a more steep price drop. In his comment regarding a drop of oil price to $28, Elvis Picardo, strategist at Global Securities in Vancouver told Reuters, "If you had a solid, sharp bounce back above $30 that might have done something for sentiment, but as it stands it's really hard for the index to get much traction." On Monday's end of trading session, Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended down 131.29 points, or 1.09%, at 11,942.17. Picardo said that, "Negative sentiment is so overwhelming, it's not really surprising to see the TSX trade down on a day like this." Among the energy companies that face the decline, Kelt Exploration Ltd. and Penn West Petroleum Ltd. are the worst. Both energy companies fell more than 6.5%. Only Canadian Oil Sands upped 11% to C$8.27 ($5.69) after reaching an agreement for its acquisition by Suncor Energy Inc. However Suncor Energy Inc dropped 4.6% to C$29.77 ($20.48) . On Monday, Canadian Oil Sands and Suncor Energy released a joint statement regarding the deal. Toronto Star reported Don Lowry, Canadian Oil Sands CEO said, "Since Suncor made its initial offer, our board has remained steadfast in our commitment to maximize value for all shareholders. This agreement fulfills that commitment, providing our shareholders with a higher exchange ratio for their shares despite a 37 per cent decline in spot oil prices." While his counterpart Steve Williams, CEO of Suncor Energy said, "We are pleased to have the support of the COS board of directors and shareholders, including Seymour Schulich, and have been advised of their intent to tender their shares." Williams also added, "Together, we're bringing this full, fair and final offer to COS shareholders and we encourage everyone to tender their shares." The successful deal with C$6.6 billion ($4.5 billion) total transaction value between Suncor Energy and Canadian Oil Sands will merge those two oil Calgary-based companies. However, Canada's energy companies still have to face the oil crisis which affected their stock prices, resulting a drop in Canada's stock market. Home Box Office (HBO) is planning to launch its streaming service as a standalone online service in Spain by the end of this year. The company will take on Netflix head-to-head it a new forefront of European market in video streaming. The introduction of streaming service will allow HBO to have exclusive rights to its original show without licensing its program to Spanish pay-TV service provider. This mean the premium cable company will give up its licensing service. As a result, fans of HBO in Spain will only be able to watch its first-run program through the new streaming service. However by offering its Web service, the company believes it can make more money in the long term. HBO Chief Executive Officer Richard Plepler told Bloomberg in an interview, "We follow the money. We're making a determination of where we think the most profits lie." Spain is the last frontier where the New York-based company has to entice cord cutter, a term to define people who cancel their cable TV subscription or never sign up. Previously, HBO offered its streaming in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark in a service called HBO Nordic. In April last year, its stand-alone online service was launched in U.S., and Colombia followed at the end of 2015, with expansion plan to Latin America. By its Spanish streaming service, HBO takes on Netflix on a new frontline of European market. So far, Netflix has expanded its international operation to 190 countries with a total of 70 million customers. Netflix also prepared to double its children content to 35 programs from previous 15 programs. Chief content officer of Netflix, Ted Sarandos explained the reason to enlarge its kid program on Sunday as reported by Market Watch, "Families have subscribers with kids in the house, and they tend to be much more engaged." Netflix has prepared an enormous budget of $6 billion to develop its original content. That will pose a serious threat for HBO's children program such as Fraggle Rock, Henry's Cat and its most famous Sesame Street. The Guardian reported that HBO most famous original children program, Sesame Street is the battlefield in the streaming wars for kids' TV. Along with more than four decades of experience in television industry, HBO is a serious rival for video streaming service provider such as Netflix. Especially, with a large number of original content, HBO has the upper hand. Especially, Netflix international expansion has faced challenge from an alliance of local streaming service in Canada, France, Nordics, Australia and New Zealand. Spain will be a new battlefront for video streaming service in 2016. HBO, Netflix and European streaming company such as Canal Plus will compete to win the cord-cutter in the Iberian peninsula country. French President Francois Hollande declared "a state of economic and social emergency" and promises to improve the country's business model. He also unveiled a 1-billion-euro budget to revive hiring and to keep up with the world's economy. According to the Financial Post, president Hollande's proposals are modest and would not in any way affect the 35-hour workweek. He told business leaders his plan to train some 500,000 jobless workers, improve the use of apprenticeships, and help companies that takes in young workers. France's Socialist government has been trying to solve the unemployment problem of the country, which has been steadily hovering around 10 percent for several years. He emphasized the importance of improving the country's labour-friendly business model as the online economy makes the global job market a smaller place. The current number of unemployed people in the country is 5,743,600. That is 650,000 more compared to before Hollande became president in 2012. He said he will not run for re-elections unless this rate is curbed. He proposed loosening the tight working time rules and provide 2,000 euros to small business that employs young workers, according to a report by The Australian. He stressed the importance of providing better jobs for youths and minorities in the troubled suburbs of the country. Unemployment among France's African communities is one of the driving factors of violence and drug trade among youths. "Aside from the security of the French people, the only question that matters is employment," said Hollande in a report by The Irish Times. "I consider that, faced with the disorder of the world, faced with an uncertain economic situation and persistent unemployment; there is also a state of economic and social emergency to be proclaimed." The president plans to reform the country's 3,689-page labour code to create a new unemployment insurance system. He repeatedly compared the terrorism crisis to the problem of unemployment. The measures mentioned above will be included in the economic reform laws that will be presented to the parliament in the following weeks. Italian lender UniCredit appointed a new CEO for its Bank Austria to oversee restructuring of its struggling retail business. The firm announced on Monday that Robert Zadrazil, 45, Bank Austria's head of private banking, will replace CEO Willibald Cernko, 59, on March 1. Reuters has reported that UniCredit, which is the biggest bank in Italy in terms of assets, plans to restructure its retail business in Austria. It aims to save cost of operations by 300 million euros or $325 million by 2018. The restructuring plan also requires the firm to shrink its number of branches from almost 200 to only 120 by 2018. Most of the cost cutting would be done through eliminating jobs. Bank Austria handles most of the Vienna-based lender's operations in Central and Eastern Europe. The Austrian business of UniCredit reported a pre-tax loss amounting to 41 million euros in the first three quarters of 2014. "The resignation signals a break with past management, which obstructed the needed restructuring of Bank Austria," said Fidentiis Equities analyst Fabrizio Bernardi in a report by Bloomberg News. "A reshuffle could speed up cost cutting at the unit." "We expect the new CEO to give impetus to the restructuring and relaunch of Bank Austria that was announced last December," Said UniCredit CEO Federico Ghizzoni in a statement posted on Money.pl. "This strategic plan seeks to combine significant cost reductions with major investments for growth, confirming UniCredit's present and future role as a strong European commercial bank, able to support our customers and the economies of the countries where we operate." Restructuring the consumer business of Bank Austria means cutting a third of the branches to boost profitability. This is UniCredit's decision after considering other options, which included the sale of the unit. Cernko developed the restructuring plans to prevent UniCredit's initial plan to sell its Austrian retail business. While bigger emerging economies are faltering, Vietnam's economy is steadily growing at almost 7 percent this year, making it one of the world's fastest-growing markets. This Southeast Asian Country was able to defend itself from the global volatile market through its rising domestic demand and strong foreign direct investment. According to Bloomberg News, the impressive performance of Vietnam's economy is bolstered by its leadership transition, which is expected to bring economic reform and improvements. The Communist party has created a socioeconomic plan for 2016 to 2020 that targets a 7 percent average annual growth rate. The New York Times reported that the national congress of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party will convene on Wednesday to choose the country's leader. This event happens every five years. Vietnam's new Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is a charismatic leader who favors close relationships with the US. He is battling conservative apparatchik general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The Vietnam Net wrote that Vietnam entered a new path of development after hitting a 6.68 percent GDP growth rate last year. It has also signed free trade agreements with South Korea, as well as the European Union. The country has also joined the ASEAN Economic Community, and it has finished negotiations with the trans-Pacific Partnership. All these factors will help the country create new jobs, raise incomes, curb poverty, increase exports, attract more foreign investments, reform its economy, and boost economic growth. "In a very subdued global environment, domestic demand is king," said Natixis SA Hong-Kong based senior economist for emerging Asia, Trinh Nguyen. "People in Vietnam are becoming more optimistic about the future. In both the regional and global landscapes, it's set to outperform." Vietnam's economy is seen to grow 6.7 percent in 2016, according to Bloomberg surveys. The next communist party general secretary will be given the responsibility to come up with a growth path that would make sure that the soaring credit growth and state company inefficiencies of the past won't happen again. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Nelson Arreola, left, of Oxnard on the rope ride at Marina Park in Ventura as The Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington, replicas of old sailing vessels, are seen conducting a three-hour battle sail on Saturday. The battle featured booming cannons, maneuvers in close-quarters and for passengers life aboard an 18th century tall ship. SHARE CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR The Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington, replicas of old sailing vessels, conduct a battle sail on Saturday viewed from Marina Park in Ventura. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR The Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington, replicas of old sailing vessels, conduct a three-hour battle sail on Saturday viewed from Marina Park in Ventura. The battle featured booming cannons, maneuvers in close-quarters and for passengers life aboard an 18th century tall ship. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Linda Breedlove of Ventura photographs the Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington, replicas of old sailing vessels, on Saturday viewed from Marina Park in Ventura. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR People gather and watch the Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington, replicas of old sailing vessels, conduct a three-hour battle sail on Saturday viewed from Marina Park in Ventura. The battle featured booming cannons, maneuvers in close-quarters and for passengers life aboard an 18th century tall ship. By Staff Reports It looked and sounded like something out of "Pirates of the Caribbean." That's because it was. Lady Washington, the ship that was named HMS Interceptor in the 2003 Disney movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," took part in a mock battle with another tall ship replica, Hawaiian Chieftain, off the Ventura County coastline on Saturday. It was the first of the ships' battle sails that will take place on weekends over the next month. The two ships are docked at Ventura Harbor through Feb. 8, at which point they'll sail to Channel Islands Harbor for a stay through Feb. 14. On weekends, weather permitting, they take paying customers out for battle sails, where they fire cannons at one another using real gunpowder but no cannonballs. Tickets for the three-hour battle sails are $75 for adults; $67 for students, seniors and active-duty military members; and $39 for children 12 and younger. For tickets for these sails or other adventure sails or sunset cruises, call 800-200-5239 or visit www.historicalseaport.org. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The Ventura County Medical Examiners Office lies near the county hospital in Ventura. By Kathleen Wilson of the Ventura County Star County officials say they took a big step in reforming the Medical Examiner's Office by replacing the former chief and are now moving to tighten oversight. Dr. Jon Smith directed an assistant without a California medical license to examine some bodies while Smith was vacationing and determined cause of death for people he never examined, The Star reported last month. Previously, The Star found that Smith had been working extensively as a forensic pathologist in Santa Barbara County even though he was supposed to be a full-time medical examiner in Ventura County. County Executive Officer Mike Powers said policies and procedures are being completely rewritten to meet national accreditation standards, quarterly audits will be done to make sure those rules are followed and the pathologists' work will be reviewed by their peers in the profession. Risk specialists will check on the safety of the facility, condition of equipment and employee training, Powers said. County supervisors said critical changes had already been made with the replacement of Smith and the appointment of Dr. Ann Bucholtz as the new chief. Other changes: training for staff on how to report future concerns anonymously and a written policy stipulating that bodies may only be examined by doctors trained in forensic pathology. "I feel confident with who we have in leadership and also the emphasis of making sure the employees feel empowered," board Chairwoman Linda Parks said. Supervisors Steve Bennett and John Zaragoza said an examination of the agency's oversight structure may be in order. Smith and now Bucholtz report directly to Health Care Agency chief Barry Fisher, who in turn reports to Powers. "Medical examiners tend to operate off the normal radar screen," Bennett said. "It is such a unique thing they are doing. It does raise the question, what is the right structure to make sure the medical examiner is not operating off the radar screen?" Zaragoza said oversight needs to be examined as with any other agency in county government. Supervisor Kathy Long said there were enough signs to suggest checks and balances had not been in place at the agency that investigates suspicious, violent and unexpected deaths. "That should not be the case, particularly with the platform that the medical examiner has in intersecting with law enforcement and the district attorney and families," she said. "It should be able to step up under any spotlight." The fifth supervisor, Peter Foy, did not return a call seeking comment. Supervisors may wish to look at tightening county policies even if an investigative report from District Attorney Greg Totten finds that no laws were broken, Long said. The District Attorney's Office launched an investigation of the examiner's office last spring after receiving information on what were called "unauthorized postmortem procedures" by staff. Its report, expected to be released two weeks ago, is pending. STAR FILE PHOTO SHARE By Staff Reports A robbery was reported Monday inside the parking structure at the Pacific View Mall in Ventura. The robbery occurred about 3:30 p.m., when a group of four men approached a man who was near his parked vehicle, police were told. One assailant pulled out a knife and threatened the victim, while another man took his keys, wallet and cellphone after searching him, according to police. The victim said the assailants fled after forcing him into his vehicle. Officers said that they were unable to find the four men in a search of the area. No one was injured, police said. Family home 18 months after fire razed their Thousand Oaks condo The Thousand Oaks family says it's been a long, frustrating wait, but they're thrilled to finally be back home in their two-bedroom unit. It was a monumental evening tonight at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts as president and CEO, Myron Martin, hosted the centers first-ever Presidents Reception (Photo: Erik Kabik / www.ErikKabik.com). httpvh://youtu.be/ZoKLUCKWG5k Held in the intimate Troesh Studio Theatre inside Boman Pavilion, Martin welcomed guests to an evening of cocktails and hors doeuvres as he remarked on the success of The Smith Centers first year before announcing the 2013-2014 Broadway Las Vegas season. Photo: Erik Kabik / www.ErikKabik.com. Sponsored by Southern Nevada Ford Stores, the upcoming Broadway Las Vegas season is comprised of 10 of Broadways most beloved productions featuring many timeless classics and some of the most recent smash hits. Combined, the 10-part series, which includes the previously announced The Book of Mormon, brings an impressive 40 Tony Awards to Las Vegas. Photo: Erik Kabik / www.ErikKabik.com. After unveiling the new season, Martin welcomed a surprise guest to the stage the star of one of the upcoming productions, Joey from War Horse. At 10-feet long and eight-feet tall, Joey is the astonishing horse puppet that brings the timeless book and classic screenplay to life on stage. Controlled by three specialized puppeteers, each with different roles, Joey entertained guests and brought smiles into the room as he demonstrated stage techniques and galloped across the theater. The upcoming season includes Les Miserables, Wednesday, Aug. 7 Sunday, Aug. 11; The Wizard of Oz, Tuesday, Sept. 10 Sunday, Sept. 15; War Horse, Wednesday, Oct. 2 Sunday, Oct. 6; Sister Act, Tuesday, Oct. 15 Sunday, Oct. 20; Evita, Tuesday, Nov. 26 Sunday, Dec. 1; Mamma Mia! Tuesday, Jan 7 Sunday, Jan. 12; Flashdance The Musical Tuesday, Jan. 28 Sunday, Feb. 2; The Gershwins Porgy and Bess, Tuesday, April 15 Sunday, April 20; Once, Tuesday, May 20 Sunday, May 25; and The Book of Mormon, Tuesday, June 10 Sunday, July 6. Guests also enjoyed signature cocktails provided by Wirtz inspired by the Broadway Las Vegas season and exquisitely presented hors doeuvres spreads created by Culinary Arts Catering. With this contract, for the next 15 years, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam will be the exclusive business partner providing life insurance products through the VNPosts network of post offices in 64 cities provinces all over the country. At the same time, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam will introduce VNPost products and postal services to its customers. With this strategic alliance, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam continues to make another footprint in the life insurance market by working with prestigious local partners in order to expand new distribution channels to bring the advanced life insurance products and services to the Vietnam people all over the country. "The cooperation with VNPost is part of our strategy to diversify distribution channels of Dai-ichi Life Vietnam, serving our desire to create opportunities for all people in Vietnam to access to the company's advanced products and services of life insurance, especially those living in rural and remote areas, Takashi Fujii, chairman of the Member Council of Dai-ichi Life Vietnam, said. We expect this exclusive partnership will create a solid foundation beneficial for both parties, up-bringing the position of Dai-ichi Life Vietnam and VNPost to a new level on the market through the linking of Dai-ichi Life Vietnams Japanese quality advanced financial protection solutions with VNpost extensive distribution network and professional postal service. We are also pleased to announce that this signing, which takes place on the ninth anniversary of the establishment of Dai-ichi Life Vietnam on January 18, will open a new and promising page for the company in the journey to perfect our service quality and to win excellence reputation in the life insurance business in Vietnam. As the leading postal services provider of Vietnam, VNPost will promote the distribution of superior financial protection products offered by Dai-ichi Life Vietnam to the people through its network of post offices spreading nationwide. At the same time, all customers who joined an insurance policy with Dai-ichi Life Vietnam will enjoy the convenience of paying insurance premium through the collection service at more than 11,000 current service points of VNPost. This will contribute to bring maximum satisfaction for customers, especially those in the remote provinces. Do Ngoc Binh, chairman of the Member Council of VNPost, said that in the new period, VNPost defined that the sustainable development of life insurance through the post office network has become one among the fundamental services of VNPost, aiming at facilitating the access to life insurance of the people in the remote areas. During the forthcoming 15-year cooperation period between VNPost and Dai-ichi Life Vietnam, both parties expect to enhance the position of both parties to a new height, as well as providing the convenient service to all the people nationwide, Binh said. As a member of Dai-ichi Life, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam was established in January 2007 and this is the first overseas market where Dai-ichi Life has a life insurance company which it owns 100 per cent of the capital. Just after nine years doing business, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam has built a solid foundation and maintained its position as one of the top four life insurers in Vietnam, in term of the total premium revenue, serving more than one million customers with the staff of nearly 750 employees and 50,000 professional financial consultants. Dai-ichi Life Vietnam is proud to hold the third place on customer service network with over 170 offices and general agencies throughout the country. To celebrate its nine-year anniversary, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam has achieved excellent business performance in 2015 with the total premium revenue over VND3.5 trillion, growth of over 40 per cent compared with 2014. VNPost is an affiliate to the Ministry of Information and Communications, having a tradition of 70 years in operations with over 41,000 staff and nationwide service network with more than 10,000 transaction points, serving millions of customers with its diversified post and communications distribution services. photo ndh.vn On January 16, Power Generation Corporation 3 (Genco3), a subsidiary of Electricity of Vietnam Group (EVN), held the inauguration ceremony of Mong Duong 1 Thermal Power Plant, one of the two thermal power facilities in Mong Duong Power Centre. Mong Duong 1s construction started in October 2011. It includes two turbines with a combined capacity of 1,080MW, generating 6.5 billion kWh per year. The first and second turbines of the plant became commercially operational in October and December 2015, respectively. The plant is a key project in the national power development plan for the 2011-2020 period, with the vision to 2030. The project has a total capital of $1.76 trillion, $930 million of which came from the Asian Development Bank as ODA loan and $510 million as loans from Export-Import Bank of Korea. According to Duong Quang Thanh, chairman of EVNs Board of Members, Mong Duong 1 will contribute to supplying energy to serve the socio-economic development of the key North Vietnamese economic region in general and Quang Ninh province in particular. The second facility in Mong Duong Power Centre is Mong Duong 2 Coal Fired Power Plant, a joint venture between the USs AES Corporation with 51 per cent, Korean Posco Energy with 30 per cent, and China Investment Corporation with 19 per cent. The $2.1 billion Mong Duong 2 plants construction started in September 2011. The plant, including two turbines with a combined capacity of 1,240 MW, came into operation in April 2015 and will be handed over to Vietnam after 25 years. The two thermal power plants operation in Mong Duong Power Centre contributes 18 per cent of the total power supply of the national electricity system. The demand of power will increase between 5,000MW and 7,000MW annually, thus constructing and upgrading the power infrastructure is a key duty in the national power development plan for the 2011-2020 period, with the vision to 2030, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said. Financial technology firms from the UK are looking to bring their payment services to Vietnam Photo: Le Toan British Ambassador to Vietnam Giles Lever told VIR that the UK, a world leader in new types of technology to provide financial services, known as Fintech, was looking to embrace the Vietnamese market. Vietnam is a very fast developing market, which is attracting many UK firms providing financial technology services. Last week, a group of seven leading UK Fintech companies came to Vietnam in search of local partners, including commercial banks, enterprises, and credit organisations. They offered numerous technologies able to revolutionalise fundraising, payment processes, and risk analysis. They met with over 50 Vietnamese firms. The UK companies include Byoot Capital, Earthport, Korala Associates, PayPoint, The Floow, Misys International Financial Systems, and State Street Global Exchange. Andrew Walden, head of International Business Development of PayPoint, said that Vietnam had an increasingly large consumer population, and strong cash payment habits. It was also ideal for developing digital payment solutions and digitising cash payments. PayPoints core service enables consumers to pay bills or top up mobile phones/prepaid energy meters, typically in cash through a network of 28,000 retailers. We wish to explore the potential of a similar service in Vietnam, meet potential partners, and position Vietnam relative to ASEAN markets, Walden said. Sharath Padmalochanan, KAL Southeast Asia manager of new-generation AMT software maker Kolara Associates, also said that KAL wanted to meet with the management executives of Vietnams commercial banks to discuss and identify the business, technical, and user requirements of the ATM channel of these banks. We want to position KALs world-class ATM multivendor software and retail teller machine (cashless ATM) to meet banks requirements, Padmalochanan said. Meanwhile, State Street Global Exchange, which provides software solutions in the area of banking data and analytics, currently has two clients in Vietnam, including Dragon Capital and VietFund Management. We want to meet similar clients to extend what is still a fresh footprint in the Vietnamese market. We have studied Vietnams legal framework, potential customers, and market demand, said Frank Maltais, director of State Street Global Exchanges Asia Pacific Sales and Business Development. We offer software solutions, information, and data management, plus analytics that help you plot those results and manage risks for all asset classes. Additionally, Misys International Financial Systems is strategically seeking to develop and drive business growth in the Vietnamese market in Fintech across retail and corporate banking, lending, treasury, capital markets, investment management, and enterprise risk. Vietnam has a growing demand for open account assistance and supply chain finance, said Brian Edmondson, global head of Misys Trade and Working Capital Finance. Misys has been providing many software solutions for BIDV, Military Bank, State Bank of Vietnam, Asia Commercial Bank, Maritime Bank, PVCom, and Techcombank. According to the firms, Vietnam is well placed to develop financial technologies. With 23 million smart phones and 55 million mobile phone subscribers, Vietnam benefits from large demographic advantages, with a large proportion of the population growing up in the digital era. The 12th National Congress is scheduled to take place from January 20-28. Photo:VGP The events drew the attendance of Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Education and Popularisation Dinh The Huynh; Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations Hoang Binh Quan; and Chairman of the Viet Nam Journalists' Association Thuan Huu. Waiting for important documents According to Mr. Huynh, the upcoming Party Congress will review the implementation of the 11th Party Congress Resolution and 30 years of the renewal and define orientations, goals and solutions for national development in the next five years. The event upholds the theme Build a transparent, strong Party; promote national strength and socialist democracy; comprehensively and systematically accelerate national reform, ensure national defense and a peaceful and stable environment; build a foundation for Viet Nam to become a basically modern industrial nation. The Party Congress will discuss and adopt important documents, including a political report of the Party Central Committee (11th tenure); a report on the implementation of the five-year socio-economic development norms (2011-2015) and orientations and tasks for socio-economic development in the 2016-2020 period; a report on the leadership of the 11th Party Central Committee; a report on the implementation of the Party regulations in the 11th tenure and supplement (if any); and a report on the implementation of the Resolution of the 4th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (11th tenure). The Central Committee of the 12th tenure will be elected. According to Mr. Huynh, 1,510 deputies representing for over 4.5 million Party members will attend the 12th Party Congress. The participants included 197 Central Committee and alternate members (12.05%); 1,300 delegates from local levels (86.09%); and 13 nominated delegates (0.86%). The Communist Party of Viet Nam already sent letters on the organization of the Party Congress to political parties, organizations, and international friends and invited diplomatic corps and representatives of international organizations to attend the opening and closing sessions. Facilitating press operation At the launching ceremony of the press center, Deputy Head of the Central Propagation Department Nguyen The Ky announced that the press contre has a total area of over 1,000m2, equipped with 170 computers. So far, around 600 domestic reporters and technicians and 118 foreign correspondents from 20 press agencies have registered to cover the event. Press agencies and reporters will be given free images and sound. Staff of the Viet Nam Bank for Social Policies in Tri Qua Commune of northern Bac Ninh Province's Thuan Thanh District assist needy households to borrow loans. - VNA/VNS Photo Tran Viet In Decision No 2525/QD-TTg issued on December 31, 2015, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung set the year-on-year credit growth rates at 4.5 per cent for the Viet Nam Development Bank (VDB), and 8 per cent for the Viet Nam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) this year. He assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) to allocate detailed lending quotas for the institutions. He particularly designated VDB to reserve loans worth VND10 trillion (US$444 million) for exports and distribute official development assistance (ODA) worth VND12 trillion ($533 million) in 2016. VDB General Director Tran Ba Huan told its meeting last week that it would continue to implement tasks in accordance with a strategy that the government adopted for it until 2020, with vision to 2030. The development bank, with VND30 trillion ($1.33 billion) in equity, focuses lending in such areas as socio-economic infrastructure, support industries, agriculture and rural areas, besides education, healthcare and environmental protection, along with green technology and clean and recycled energy. It also finances important exports, distributes ODA capital to specific projects, and guarantees loans borrowed by small and medium-sized enterprises. Huan said the bank would need to mobilise funds worth some $2.23 billion to assure the disbursement progress and liquidity security this year, while Dung enabled it to issue government guaranteed bonds worth VND25 trillion ($1.11 billion) this year. Last year, the VDB raised funds of more than VND47 trillion ($2.09 billion) for major national projects, and it disbursed nearly VND17 trillion ($755.56 million), besides having around VND20 trillion ($888.89 million) implemented. Several key projects were inaugurated while some others were completed in important phases. These included Ha Noi-Hai Phong Highway, the Son La-Lai Chau 500kV electric line, the Lai Chau hydroelectric plant, and the Bac Lieu wind power factory. The bank also lent VND8.8 trillion ($391 million) for exports during 2015. In 2016, Huan said the bank would try to improve the quality of credit, diversify services and foster organisational restructuring for more efficient operations. Meanwhile, VBSP Deputy General Director Tran Lan Phuong told its meeting on January 10 that the bank would extend lending to meet the allocated credit growth target of 8 per cent this year. The bank, entrusted by the government to eradicate hunger, reduce poverty and ensure social security, mobilised about VND147 trillion ($6.53 billion) and lent more than VND142 trillion ($6.31 billion) to nearly 6.9 million poor households and other beneficiaries of special policies last year. As of December 31, 2015, it helped about 400,000 households get above the poverty line, created jobs for 173,000 people, and assisted 103,000 pupils and students, besides supporting the construction of 7,800 houses for the poor in the country's central and southern regions. The bank would prioritise loans for provinces with high poverty rates and impoverished localities in border and island areas in 2016, while it actively reviewed poor households following standards for the next five years. In his decision, Prime Minister Dung asked the banks to especially monitor financing for the concretisation of irrigational canals and channels and roads in rural areas, following an ongoing national programme. People's committees of provinces and cities directly under the central government were required to review how they carried out the programme as of the end of 2015, and propose capital needed to implement it during 2016. The local authorities are to submit reports on this to the MPI and the Ministry of Finance by January 31, before they are presented to the prime minister for consideration by the end of March. According to official data, the country's total investment capital for development is estimated to reach 31 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP), while the GDP is expected to grow by 6.7 per cent this year. The government wants to encourage hi-tech development with preferential tax policies Photo: Le Toan This movement came following the Ministry of Finances proposal to grant tax incentives for investment projects by Japans Nidec Corporation in Ho Chi Minh City. Nidec Corporation previously complained that its subsidiaries faced difficulties in determining the preferential corporate income tax (CIT) due to different interpretations between corporation and state audit agencies, as well as between state agencies. These subsidiaries include Nidec Vietnam Corporation, Nidec Sankyo Vietnam, and Nidec Servo Vietnam. These firms are among five of Nidecs subsidiaries in Saigon Hi-Tech Park. The above subsidiaries received additional investment during 2009-2014, thus the state audit office identified businesses with value-added machinery annually since 2009, when the Law on Corporate Income Tax 2008 became effective. It is said that these projects should not be entitled to the initially granted incentives, as these activities were expanded investment projects. Decree No.91/2014/ND-CP, dated October 1, 2014, stipulates that additional income derived from additional machinery and equipment for normal production/business activities is entitled to the incentives of the original project for the remaining incentive period, effective from the tax year 2014. However, in the case of additional investment as an expanded investment project during 2009-2013, the CIT incentive treatment is still being considered by tax policymakers. Previously, in June 2008, the prime minister issued Official Document No.1000/TTg-KTTH to grant tax incentives to investment projects by Nidec Corporation in Saigon Hi-Tech Park. Under this, investment projects by the Japanese group in Saigon Hi-Tech Park would receive CIT of 10 per cent during project development, provided that all projects meet the regulations on hi-tech product manufacturing stipulated by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Therefore, in a document sent by the Ho Chi Minh Peoples Committee in late 2015, it was noted that the government should consider creating conditions for Nidec Corporations subsidiaries invested in Saigon Hi-Tech Park, as directed by the Official Document No.1000/TTg-KTTH. The investment certificates were granted by the Management Board of Saigon Hi-Tech Park to ensure consistency in the application of investment incentives. Nidec Corporation is the worlds leading producer of hard disk drives, optical disk drives, and DC motors. Since 2005, the Management Board of Saigon Hi-Tech Park has licensed Nidec Corporations five projects to make hi-tech products. After 10 years of operation, these subsidiaries have contributed a significantly combined sum of $23 million to the local state budget. Their export value has been increasing, accounting for 8.7 per cent of the total export value of Saigon Hi-Tech Park, and creating jobs for nearly 12,000 employees. Fishermen stand aboard a boat at a fishing port in Thailand's southern province of Pattani. (Photo: AFP/Tuwaedaniya Meringing) BANGKOK: Thailands fishing industry this week faces an assessment by the European Union (EU), which is evaluating the governments progress in tackling illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing. The EU warned Thailand last April that if the countrys IUU fishing situation does not improve, Europe may ban Thai seafood products in its markets. The EU technical team will conduct random inspections of the Thai fishing industry from Monday (Jan 18) to Wednesday, while official delegations will follow from Thursday to Friday. The EU has accused Thailands fishing industry of flouting international regulations, which has led to problems such as overfishing and the abuse of workers in the industry. The Thai government has introduced a new legal framework as a result, and introduced new laws and regulations in an attempt to prevent the EU ban. The most important thing is to create an understanding that will help the fishermen themselves do the right thing, said Vice Admiral Jumpol Lumpiganon, spokesman for the Command Centre for Combating Illegal Fishing. This also includes officials that were complicit in the problems; they must adapt and abandon their old ways and conduct themselves in the right way under the law and their duty. New monitoring systems for ships were introduced on 93 per cent of large commercial fishing vessels, as well as Port-In-Port-Out Controlling Centres created in coastal provinces to allow authorities to better track the movement of fishing ships and prevent illegal fishing. More than 45,000 commercial fishing vessels have registered under the new rule, while more than 8,000 that failed to comply have had their licenses revoked. "FURTHER WORK" Under the new regulations, law enforcement has improved, which resulted in the prosecution of more than 1,000 suspects. Authorities have shut a number of seafood factories found using illegal or forced labour. Some local civil society groups agree that there have been huge improvements in the regulation and protection of workers' rights, but warn that there are still legal issues that concern migrant workers, who make up a bulk of the workforce in the fishery industry. All workers in the fishing boat have to come from a legal channel, said Sompong Sakawe, director of the Labour Rights Promotion Network. This may not be a problem for the Thai workers, but for the migrant workers, this is the most important issue. Will they be working under an MoU system between governments or will they be registered in a different way? I think these are the issues that will need further work. If the EU decides that Thailand has not done enough to tackle illegal fishing, it is likely to impose sanctions on seafood exports to its 28 member states. Thai seafood exports to the EU accounted for 10 per cent of total exports, estimated at almost US$7 billion a year. The dumping margin on Vietnamese CWP is expected to be the highest rate of 113.8 per cent. - Photo vca.gov.vn The investigation will also extend to imports from other countries, including Oman, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Under the ITC's preliminary determination in the case, it said investigations would continue because of indications that the import of CWP from these countries had threatened the American industry with prices that were lower than those in the US market. The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) had announced in November the initiation of anti-dumping duty investigations of CWP imports from Viet Nam and other countries. The investigation had been sparked on October 28, with the filing of a lawsuit against the DOC and ITC by American plaintiffs, including Bull Moose Tube Company, EXLTUBE, Wheatland Tube and Western Tube and Conduit, based on charges of dumping and anti-subsidies. In 2014, imports of CWP from Viet Nam were valued at an estimated US$60.6 million. The dumping margin on Vietnamese CWP was at its highest rate of 113.8 per cent, followed by Oman at 98.87 per cent to 105.58 per cent and the United Arab Emirates, from 47.06 per cent to 54.27 per cent. Under the ITC's determination, the DOC will continue its investigation. The preliminary results are scheduled for release on April 5, 2016. In 2011, the United States conducted anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations on CWP imported from Viet Nam and other countries, such as Oman and the United Arab Emirates. However, the investigation ended as the DOC said Vietnamese firms had not received any subsidies from the government, and the ITC said there was no damage done to the American CWP industry. The group also has plans to construct more plants and production facilities, as remarked by general director Nguyen Gia Tuong at the groups annual business review in 2015 and plan for 2016, organised by Vinachem on January 16 in Hanoi. In 2015, the group earned $2.03 billion in revenue with a consolidated profit of $62.4 million. Export and import turnover reached $516 and $248 million, respectively. The export of fertilisers and crop protection substances ranked first among Vinachems products and services, bringing in a total $159 million, up 39.2 per cent on-year. In 2015, Vinachem continued to make headway in its key projects. Notably, in September 2015, the group held the groundbreaking ceremony of a potassium salt mine exploration project in Laoss Khammouane province. The project has the total capital of $522 million and a designed capacity of 320,000 tonnes of potassium salt per year. It is considered one of the cornerstones of the master plan to develop the Vietnamese chemical industry, and is expected to benefit both countries once on stream. In June 2015, the group inaugurated the project upgrading and expanding Ha Bac Fertilizer plant in the northern province of Bac Giang. Covering an area of 33.4 hectares, the $568.6 million plants capacity was increased to 500,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser and 300,000 tonnes of liquid ammoniac per annum. The project creates approximately 2,000 jobs for local people. In December 2015, Lao Cai DAP Fertilizer Plant was put into operation after three years of construction. The 72ha plant, worth a total of $235 million and producing 330,000 tonnes of DAP fertiliser, will meet the countrys demand for DAP fertiliser for agricultural production. US Secretary of State John Kerry will make a two-day visit to Cambodia next week, meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen and senior officials. The State Department said in a statement Kerry will discuss a US-Asean meeting in California next month, as well as bilateral cooperation and economics. The high-profile visit follows trips by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2015 and President Barack Obama in 2012. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters Tuesday the meetings will improve relations between the two countries. However, members of civil society say they hope Kerry will raise concerns about human rights, freedom of expression, and non-violent elections when he meets Cambodias leaders. Cambodian rights are restricted, and some protesters are detained, said Thun Saray, head of the rights group Adhoc. This is an important issue, which I want the Secretary of State to discuss carefully with Cambodias senior leaders. Thun Saray said he hoped Kerry could help with the release of the detainees and with peaceful elections in 2017 and 2018. My concern of the atmosphere for the upcoming elections is that political tension will lead to restrictions on the freedom of speech and freedom of expression, but it should be free and without fear, he said. And political prisoners should be released because their detention leads to fear and unfairness during the upcoming elections. Thida Khus, executive director for the womens development organization Silaka, said she hopes Kerry will discuss better law enforcement with leaders, as well as more investment from the US and more opportunities for Cambodian women. If hes coming for commercial purposes, I want him to raise important points to help women, especially in urging for the endorsement of policies that provide greater opportunities for women, including their participation at the leadership level in Cambodias public sector, she said. Civil society leaders are drafting a joint statement to issue for Kerrys visit, Chak Sopheap, head of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said. We will raise some points of concern on human rights, such as the restriction of the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and association, etc., she said. The core issue of concern is the threat of activists. That includes next weeks trial of union leader Vorn Pov, who is accused of inciting violence during demonstrations in 2014. Chak Sopheap also said she is concerned about a new law to regulate NGOs, one to regulate trade unions, and one to regulate the Internet, all of which have repercussions for Cambodias democracy. Former U.S. marine Amir Hekmati says he feels extremely lucky to be free following his release from an Iranian jail as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. "I feel alive for the first time. It's like being born again," Hekmati said Tuesday in his first comments since release from prison. He added that he was humbled by the support of everyone, including the U.S. president and Congress. "I was at a point where I had just sort of accepted the fact that I was going to be spending 10 years in prison, so this was a surprise and I just feel truly blessed to see my government do so much for me and the other Americans,'' he said. The 32-year-old said there was no advance warning of their release. "They just came one morning and said 'pack your things'," he said, adding that he did not initially believe they would be freed. "I did not relax until we were outside of Iranian airspace. But it's finally starting to become a reality." Hekmati, an Iranian American, was arrested in 2011 on spying charges while visiting his grandmother. He left Iran following his release Sunday along with Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and pastor Saeed Abedini. Rezaian met Monday with senior editors from the Washington Post at the German hospital where he is recovering before going back to the U.S. He said he had limited human interaction during his 18 months in prison, including spending 49 days in solitary confinement. "I want people to know that physically, I'm feeling good," he said. "I know people are eager to hear from me, but I want to process this for some time." Rezaian was convicted of espionage charges that both the Post and U.S. government called absurd. 'Touch and go' He said his last few hours in Iranian custody were among the most anxious, calling his departure from Iran and handover to Swiss officials as "touch and go until the last minute," fearing something would go wrong. American pastor Saeed Abedini, who was jailed in 2012 for spreading Christianity, is also undergoing treatment at the German hospital. It is not clear where Abedini will be reunited with his family. His wife, Naghmeh, told the Idaho Statesman newspaper Monday that she will not be traveling to Germany and instead will meet him when he flies back to the U.S. Posts on her Facebook page said she spoke with him on Sunday and that he is "doing well." She said that after so much time in Iranian custody and away from home, she is not sure what his condition will be like, and that it will take time for their family to adjust to each other again. She also described how excited the couple's 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son are to see their father again. Not much is known about the fourth American, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose reasons for being in Iran are still unclear. Matthew Trevithick, detained in Iran last month on charges that were never disclosed, was freed in a deal separate from the four other Americans. Some charges dropped In return for freeing the four U.S. citizens, President Barack Obama offered clemency to seven Iranians who were either charged with or convicted of violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. Charges include exporting military electronics to Iran and computer hacking. The Obama administration also agreed to drop charges against 14 other Iranians outside the U.S. None is in U.S. custody, and officials have determined that efforts to have them extradited will not succeed. Iran also has agreed to try to determine the fate of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working on a project linked to the Central Intelligence Agency. U.S. officials have said they are not sure if he is still alive. The Americans were freed as the United States and European Union lifted economic sanctions against Iran as part of last year's nuclear deal. There was no mention of the prisoner swap while the deal was being negotiated. But Obama and other senior U.S. officials have said they repeatedly demanded that Iran free the Americans. Now that international sanctions against Iran have been lifted, the Islamic Republic's relations with its neighbors, in particular Saudi Arabia, are being closely watched. Saudi Arabia, the dominant Sunni country in the region, is particularly on edge as Shi'ite-led Iran prepares to rejoin the world economy, said Gulf State Analytics founder Giorgio Cafiero. Sanctions relief is expected to release $100 billion worth of frozen assets back into the Islamic Republic's sagging economy. The financial windfall is considered one of the premier achievements of the current reformist government. Iran's central bank on Tuesday said it already sees $32 billion unfrozen, and industries like oil and air travel have resumed international business. Over the course of the nuclear negotiations that led to sanctions relief in exchange for a scaled-back nuclear program in Iran, the kingdom has been increasingly suspicious of U.S.-Iran relations, Cafiero said. Saudi Arabia views increased cooperation between the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama and Iran as a threat to U.S.-Saudi relations. "The Saudi leadership views the Obama administration's diplomatic overtures to Tehran as nothing short of betrayal," he said, "and as a major setback to Riyadh's geostrategic interests in the Middle East." Saudi Arabia's recent execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric signals that the kingdom does not intend to take this setback lightly, according to Cafiero. The execution prompted an attack on the Saudi embassy in Iran and a subsequent severing of diplomatic ties between the two regional giants. "The Saudis' execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was intended to send a message not only to a domestic audience, but also to Washington," he said. "Put simply, Saudi Arabia will seek to counter Iran's expanded influence on its own terms." Zero sum game Iran and Saudi Arabia are often described as being perpetually at odds because both countries view their relationship as a zero sum game. This means they view any economic or geopolitical win from one side as an equal loss for the other. Iran, however, is suffering under a deep recession brought on not only by sanctions, but by corruption and poor management, according to economists, and it could be years before the average Iranian feels the benefit of sanctions relief. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that sanctions relief marked the beginning of a "difficult road" for his country as it re-enters the global economy. "Today is just the start for an innocent human who was kept chained unjustly by the hands and feet for 12 years," he said. "Sanctions are gone, but there is a long way between sanctions and development." Rouhani's remarks come two days after the United States imposed new sanctions against the country's ballistic missile program. The new sanctions may partially be an attempt to allay fears among Gulf countries, said Theodore Karasik, Gulf State Analytics' Dubai-based senior adviser. But, he added, they may not be enough to quiet the increasingly tense region. "This move is a nod toward the [Gulf Cooperation Council] and their concern about the Islamic Republic's capabilities in this arena," he added. "However, the sanctions are only targeting a few firms and individuals." Better ties with West In the case of the Iran nuclear deal, one of the major "wins" for Iran is increased cooperation with Western nations, evidenced not just by the deal, but by diplomatic successes that followed, according to Reza Marashi, research director at the National Iranian American Council. The swift release of 10 U.S. sailors who the United States said had mistakenly entered Iranian waters and the release of several Americans from Iranian jails in a prisoner swap are both a result of the diplomatic channels opened through the nuclear agreement, he said. "I think it's a result of both sides deciding to use the diplomatic channel that the nuclear deal created to resolve other problems of mutual concern," Marashi said, adding, "Hopefully, this trend will continue." The trend, however, is fragile. Some hail the deal as one that will prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon in the near future and potentially rescue its economy, but it has also angered many other people. "Such progress achieved on diplomatic fronts is not irreversible," Cafiero said. "There are political factions in both Washington and Tehran that oppose diplomacy and prefer a confrontational relationship." And for those on the Iranian side who prefer confrontation, new sanctions can be held up as proof of Western treachery. Iranian leaders have already condemned the sanctions, saying they are illegitimate and will not impact the country's ballistic missile program. Additionally, the United States will have a new president next year, and Obama's overtures toward Iran have been highly controversial inside the country, according to Camelia Entekhabifard, an Iranian author and news commentator. After 35 years without formal diplomatic ties, she said, "it doesn't look like Iran and the next U.S. government have plans to normalize the relations." Jeb Bush, whose campaign for the U.S. Republican presidential nomination is languishing, took a swipe at Donald Trump in the front-runner's hometown Tuesday, accusing him of being a "trash talker" and saying that if Trump was the eventual nominee he would be "wiped out" in the November general election. Bush made the prediction in an address to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. The former Florida governor also said Trumps proposals on tariffs, taxes and immigration would wreak havoc on the United States economy. The son and brother of former U.S. presidents, Bush is running a poor fifth in nationwide polls among GOP presidential candidates. He trails Trump by nearly 30 percentage points in the latest surveys. He used his hour - long speech to the CFR to offer views on a list of other national and international issues. His main theme was that the U.S. economy is weak and unless the nation develops a stronger economy, it will be looked at as weak to the rest of the world. He also called for a reinvigoration of alliances that have kept us safe, especially the U.S. alliance with Israel, and for improving our intelligence capabilities. Domestically, Bush said he thought the United States needed a 4 percent annual growth rate, energy independence and a simplified tax system. "With our current 2 percent growth rate, it is hard for the United States to lead the world, he said. Fight against IS Terrorism also was an issue at the CFR meeting. Bush said the United States was not leading in the fight against Islamic State, which he called a threat to the American way of life. He said those leading the fight against IS on the ground should have more authority, not having to go to the Pentagon to make every big decision. In his far-ranging presentation, Bush called for more engagement with China; he called on Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact with other Pacific and Asian countries; and he called for a no-fly zone over Syria. At one point Bush called himself wonky. He said, I love fixing things. From all recent polls, the Republican candidate has a lot of fixing to do with his own campaign. The onetime favorite, Bush continues to target Trump's lack of experience. But the rise of Trump and a short-lived surge by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have shown Republicans' tendency to rally to outsider contenders in this election campaign. Cameroon Christians have started guarding mosques during prayer sessions and Muslims are also guarding churches after five attacks on mosques by suspected Boko Haram fighters. The fifth mosque was attacked by a teenage male suicide bomber near the central African nation's border with Nigeria on Monday. Boko Haram is now attacking not only churches, schools and markets, but mosques, making Cameroonians more united to fight what they call a common enemy. At a recent morning prayer call in the central mosque at Mozogo, located on Cameroon's border with Nigeria, the faithful assembled while members of the local vigilante committee kept guard to ensure no stranger is given access. Christian vigilante Among the vigilantes is Jacques Mabali, 55, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon. Mabali said he responded to the call of his church's hierarchy to protect the Muslim faithful when they gather for their religious obligations. He said he is carrying out a social activity for the well-being of his country, that it is his duty as a Christian to defend his country from violence. Ibrahim Moctar, a Muslim youth leader in Mozogo, said they reciprocate for neighboring churches, because the insurgents have attacked Christians as well. Moctar said he not only prays for God to save Cameroon from the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, but to end terrorism. He said some of his family members are Christians and others, like him, are Muslims. The Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram has been active in Cameroon for three years, looting, killing, and burning schools, markets and churches. To assist government The vigilante groups were created to assist the government against increasing attacks by Boko Haram, which even began using female suicide bombers early last year. In December 2015, suspected members of Boko Haram, which said it was attacking Cameroon to create an Islamist state, started attacking mosques. Governor Midjiyawa Bakari of far north Cameroon congratulated Christians and Muslims for working together to protect the country from the terrorist group and urged others in the country to follow the example. Bakari said he visited areas in Mayo Tsanaga, on Cameroon's border with Nigeria, where Muslims and Christians have taken to guarding each other during prayer services. He said this relationship is helpful in assisting Cameroon and Nigerian soldiers as they fight the Boko Haram insurgency. He said it makes Cameroon an example of inter-religious tolerance. Cameroon believes the militants have resorted to attacking mosques because they have come under attack because Cameroon and Nigerian troops have raided Boko Haram strongholds, which has limited their ability to stage attacks. Of Cameroon's 23.7 million people, 40 percent are Christians, 20 percent Muslims ,and the rest hold indigenous beliefs. The governor of Michigan is fending off the latest attacks from politicians and celebrities who have accused him of ignoring a water problem in the city of Flint for too long. The state National Guard has sent additional troops to Flint, where the water supply is so contaminated with lead that it cannot be used for drinking or bathing. About 70 guardsmen have been sent to Flint to help distribute bottled water, filters and testing kits to about 100,000 residents who cannot use their tap water. Flint residents have complained for some time about the strange odor and color of the water coming out of their taps, but apparently nothing has been done for as long as a year. Local children show increased levels of lead in their blood, which means they are at risk of permanent brain damage. Governor Rick Snyder is under fire for the state's slow response to the warnings. The issue was brought up during Sunday night's debate among Democratic presidential candidates. "If the kids in a rich suburb of Detroit had been drinking contaminated water and being bathed in it, there would have been action. So I sent my top campaign aide down there to talk to the mayor of Flint, to see what I could do to help," said Hillary Clinton. President Barack Obama on Saturday declared a federal emergency in Flint, freeing up to $5 million in federal aid to help solve the public health crisis, but he denied the governor's request for a disaster declaration. Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson urged Flint residents to fight for their rights during a visit Sunday. "This is a disaster zone, not just an emergency. Maybe there should be duct tape around the city because Flint is a crime scene," Jackson said. Filmmaker Michael Moore, a native of Flint, also blamed the governor for the water crisis and urged Obama to visit the city. "Water infrastructure of this city has been destroyed. And it's been destroyed by the governor of this state," Moore said. Flint's water supply system became contaminated with lead in early 2014 after the city switched its supply source from Lake Huron to the Flint River to save money, while the city waited for construction of a new pipeline to the lake. But corrosive water caused lead to leach from the old pipes. The water supply was switched back to Lake Huron last month, but contamination remains a concern because of damaged pipes and other infrastructure. State officials are under investigation. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling to Europe, the Middle East and Asia for talks on issues including the multinational effort to bring political stability to Syria and North Koreas recent nuclear test. Kerry's first stop Wednesday will be to Switzerland, where more than 40 heads of state and government are expected to attend the World Economic Forum. Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Ash Carter also will attend the annual gathering that pairs governments with executives from some of the worlds leading companies. A senior State Department official says the four economic focal points for Kerry will be the importance of tackling corruption, clean energy initiatives, expanding Internet connectivity, and the environment. The annual World Economic Forum serves a benchmark exercise for officials on issues that will be of key important to officials for the rest of the year, said John McArthur, a global economy analyst with the Brookings Institution. Russia talks come at critical time Before the forum, Kerry will meet with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Their bilateral talks come at a critical time in the multinational effort to help foster a political transition in Syria. The United States and Russia are part of the International Syria Support Group, which is backing a United Nations-led effort to launch political talks between the Syrian government and opposition. The two countries, however, are at odds over support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Efforts to launch the talks on a political transition in Syria on January 25 appear to be in jeopardy. A U.N. spokesman said Monday the world body could not send out invitations for the talks until there was agreement on which opposition representatives should attend. Earlier, the Syrian government said it wanted to see an opposition list before the talks. According to Russias Interfax news agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Friday there could be more clarity on the date for intra-Syrian talks following the meeting between Kerry and Lavrov. Iran nuclear implementation is major concern for Gulf leaders From Switzerland, Kerry travels to Riyadh for talks with Saudi officials and foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The visit comes days after the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, an agreement that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries say could lead to Iran destabilizing the region. A U.S. effort has been under way to keep tensions between U.S.-ally Saudi Arabia and Iran from spilling over into other issues of regional concern, such as unrest in Yemen. From Riyadh, Kerry travels to Laos and Cambodia for talks to set the stage for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in February that will be hosted by President Barack Obama. The White House says the gathering would further advance the [Obama] administrations rebalance to Asia and the Pacific. China key in response to North Koreas nuclear activity Kerrys final stop, China, comes amid heightened concerns about North Koreas test of what Pyongyang said was a nuclear device and the possible response from the international community. Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken discussed North Koreas provocation with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts last week in Tokyo. All parties affirmed our mutual interest in security, a robust international response to uphold a rules-based order, the State Department said Monday following the trip. Analysts say China is key to an effort to convince North Korea to cooperate with the international community. North Korea gets something like 80 percent of its food and fuel from China and also China is North Koreas closest friend, for what its worth, in the international community, said Council on Foreign Relations analyst Scott Snyder. He added that China might be reluctant to support additional U.N. Security Council penalties against North Korea because of concern further sanctions against Pyongyang could increase regional instability. The number of fish caught globally is drastically underreported by about 30 percent an error that has significant ramifications for the environment and maritime nations, according to a long-term study released Tuesday. The new estimate, in Nature Communications, puts the annual global catch at roughly 109 million metric tons 32 million higher than what countries have been reporting annually, obscuring an ominous decline in seafood resources. Countries report to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) their industrial catches, but not those by artisanal, recreational and subsistence fishers. But even the available commercial data is misleading. For example, shrimp trawlers retain only the shrimp and the fish that they catch often eight to ten times the shrimp gets thrown away, said University of British Columbia (UBC-Canada) fisheries professor Daniel Pauly, a lead author of the study and principal investigator of the Sea Around Us. The catches that are submitted by member countries to FAO suggest a slowly-declining catch or even a stagnating catch. But our figures suggest that since 1996 a rapid decrease is happening, Pauly explained to VOA. And if you project this forward you end up in a few decades having much less catch, literally no catch. So that is potentially dangerous. Researchers say inaccurate data also handicaps implementation of effective fisheries policy and management measures. The study, involving 400 researchers around the world, led by the Sea Around Us, research initiative at UBC, also revealed some surprises. In West Africa the figure that was most astonishing is the enormous role of foreign fishing of European and Asian vessels fishing legally or illegally and competing against local fishers, said Pauly. On the other hand for the U.S., Australia and some developing countries, such as the Bahamas, what was apparent is the enormous contribution of recreational fisheries which also never get reported to the FAO. "This groundbreaking study confirms that we are taking far more fish from our oceans than the official data suggest," said Joshua Reichert, executive vice president and head of environment initiatives for The Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew began supporting the UBC study in 1994 and Vulcan Inc. jointed the collaboration with the Sea Around Us in 2014 to provide African and Asian countries with more accurate fisheries data. Data from the study broken down by species, regions and countries is being made available online at: http://www.seaaroundus.org/. Armed with spray cans and paintbrushes, a local hip-hop group is bringing new life to the pockmarked surroundings in one of Lebanons most notorious neighborhoods. In the city of Tripoli, the areas of Bab al-Tabbeneh and Jabal Mohsen have been the periodic scene of clashes for decades. The area is now quiet, but the marks of thousands of bullets that hit the concrete buildings, sidewalks and outdoor stairs are a constant reminder that violence is not far way. In these poverty-blighted neighborhoods, a rap collective known as One Voice has decided that peaceful words alone are not enough. Perched on the outdoor stairs that wind past his home, Adel Nashabi looked admiringly at a kaleidoscope of colors beneath his feet. This is something new and far from the problems of the city, Nashabi told VOA. They are doing something beautiful. The outdoor staircases that link buildings and neighborhoods in hilly Tripoli once were a theater of conflict between opposing fighters. Today the weapon of choice is paint. The musicians' social activism led to creation of the One Voice Team, made up of the rappers and a loose affiliation of social activists. On this day, over a dozen team members were giving a makeover to the outdoor stairs that link buildings in Bahssa. One Voice has painted 16 staircases in bright, bold colors since last summer and painted murals over scarred building facades, daubing geometric patterns over bullet holes. Were trying to give these people hope, said Sara Rahouly, a 20-year-old rapper, one of the original members of the One Voice team, "hope that when the youth grow up here they can change this environment and the community. From One Pain to One Voice Formed four years ago, the One Voice rappers released their first album in response to a 2013 double bombing that killed 47 people. Named "Our One Pain," it sought to give a voice to an often-neglected city, attracting a legion of local fans in the process. We thought we needed to do something more for them than just an album, said Rahouly. We needed to help them. It was in the most damaged and neglected neighborhoods that their album resonated most and where they decided to take action. They could hear in our lyrics that we were talking about the pain of Tabbeneh and Jabal Mohsen, said rapper Bob Arja. They felt they were being represented. Widespread deprivation A United Nations study one year ago said 57 percent of Tripoli's residents are poor or deprived. That figure rose to 87 percent in Bab al-Tabbeneh. Clashes involving armed groups in mostly Sunni Muslim Tabbeneh and neighboring Jabal Mohsen, inhabited mostly by Alawite Muslims, began in the 1970s. Further fueled by the current Syrian war (Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is Alawite), the violence has persisted, with the most recent bout coming in the form of a suicide bomb that killed nine people a year ago in Jabal Mohsen. Since then, amid a security sweep, there has been relative calm. But the areas reputation is hard to shake. Its not just economic, its social, said Sahar Atrache, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. Those from Tabbeneh and similar neighborhoods "are often looked down upon as second-class people, even within Tripoli, and associated with poverty and a lack of education, she added, and the situation has contributed to the lure of armed gangs among youths who barely have any prospects for the future. It is this lure, and sense of hopelessness, that the rappers aim to counter. Cynicism and turf battles Gaining acceptance and being allowed to work in such tight-knit neighborhoods has not been without its challenges. Some in the community reacted cynically, while a number of youngsters were protective of the steps they considered their turf. But once they realized we were the musicians they sang along to, it helped, Rahouly said. The hope is that painting the stairs will help dispel the specter of war and offer youngsters rare opportunities. Painting the stairs also was like an icebreaker between these communities, Rahouly added. It has helped people from Jabal Mohsen and Tabbeneh interact with each other without fighting, and realize they can be friends. Indian authorities have launched an investigation of a reported threat by Islamic State to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Monohar Parrikar. Media reports say the threat was communicated on a postcard received at the countrys State Secretariat last week. Police in Goa said it had been posted locally. Since you are not allowing to eat beef, you will be taken care of, read the postcard signed IS. It was referring to the ban on cow slaughtering in the country. IS has shown signs of expanding in South Asia. Although Union Minister Rajnath Singh said recently that India was under no threat from IS, the countrys National Intelligence Agency chief has warned that IS could be a major threat. News reports Tuesday said that this years Republic Day Parade faced a real threat from IS. French President Francois Hollande is expected to visit India to attend the Republic Day celebration as the chief guest January 26. Top officials of the Indian central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states met to discuss steps to try to counter the growing influence of IS among youngsters through social media and other sources. Last year, several Muslims were killed and injured by Hindu extremist mobs for allegedly eating meat from a cow, an animal considered sacred by majority of the followers of the majority Hindu faith. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday called for a parliamentary review of the country's anti-terror law after Islamic State-linked militants struck at the heart of Jakarta on Thursday, leaving eight people dead, including four attackers. Addressing a high-level security meeting in the capital, Widodo emphasized the need to amend the 2003 law so that it prohibits citizens from joining terrorist groups operating in conflict-ridden Iraq and Syria, and bans the return of citizens who went there to fight alongside terrorists. Hundreds of supporters of radical terrorist organizations have shuttled between Indonesia and Syria. Thursday's attacks in Jakarta have raised concern throughout Asia that the Islamic State group is attempting to create a caliphate in Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population in the world. Parliamentary speaker Zulkifli Hasan responded to Widodo's remarks by confirming strong support for the amendment across all political parties. Hasan told reporters the proposed revisions would include a clause preventing terror training and establishing a legal basis for police to take action against citizens traveling abroad to join radical militants. Indonesia has been the target of several terrorist attacks, most notably the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. In Indonesia there are growing concerns that more deadly attacks could follow last week bombings in Jakarta by Islamist militants. Bali police Tuesday say they received an anonymous letter warning that the resort Island will be the next target for a terrorist assault. "The letter was sent by an anonymous individual to Buleleng district, and the police are still conducting an investigation, and trying to find out who sent the letter. But again, I urge people in Bali not to be afraid, but they should stay alert," said Bali Police Chief Sugeng Priyanto. Authorities say they've increased security at shopping malls and other locations that draw crowds in Bali. In 2002, the popular resort island was targeted by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an Indonesia-based terrorist group with links to al-Qaida. The bombing of a club in Bali killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. The Bali bombing severely hurt Indonesias tourism industry, and began a decade of deadly plots in Indonesia carried out by Southeast Asian militants affiliated with al-Qaida. Indonesia successfully combated the JI related terrorist threat through police action, intelligence operations and high profile criminal prosecutions. However, after last week's attack in the center of Jakarta that killed eight people, including four militants, Indonesian security forces are raising concerns that more and deadlier attacks could follow, carried out by groups inspired by Islamic State. The Jakarta attack was the first of its kind in Southeast Asia to be attributed to Syria-based militant Islamists. Authorities say about 500 Indonesians have travelled to the Middle East to join the extremist group. About 100 are believed to have returned, although experts say only about 15 have combat experience. Jakarta back to normal So far the renewed threat of terrorism has not instilled any widespread sense of panic or fear amongst Indonesians. Life in Jakarta has quickly returned to normal, less than a week after the deadly attacks. On Tuesday the Starbucks coffee shop that was bombed remained closed and boarded up for repairs, but the memorial of flowers had been removed. Other shops have reopened and traffic at the busy intersection was congested as usual. 'Ojek' hero The ojek motorcycle taxi drivers were again gathered at the intersection where the attack took place, waiting for their next fares. One of the ojek drivers back at work is Muhamad Yunus, who has received widespread praise for the selfless courage he exhibited during the attack. The militant attackers last Thursday (January 14) set off two bombs, the first at the Starbucks and the second at a police traffic station in the middle of the intersection, near Jakarta's oldest department store, Sarinah. After the second explosion Yunus rushed to the police station to help the wounded even though the assailants were shooting at anyone in the area. He said he found a woman whose legs were severely injured and brought her to safety, away from the firefight. I got that woman and I told her, dont cry. Please be strong. Be strong. Please dont be sad, Yunus said. Yunus said he found out later that the woman and her nephew were stopped by the police for a traffic violation at the time of the blast. Her nephew died in the explosion. Kami tidak takut After the Jakarta attack there have been demonstrations by Indonesian Muslims to denounce terrorism and call for the government to eradicate radical militants and supporters of Islamic State in the country. The head of Iran's central bank said Tuesday the country is gaining access to $32 billion in assets as a result of the lifting of international economic sanctions tied to its nuclear program. State media quoted Valiollah Seif saying the bank has already successfully transferred some of its assets between banks to test that they were in fact no longer frozen. The United States and European Union put the sanctions in place to pressure Iran amid allegations it was working to develop nuclear weapons. The sanctions badly hurt Iran's economy, and lifting them was what Iran got in return for sharply cutting back its nuclear program in a deal with world powers last year. That deal was implemented on Saturday after the United Nations certified that Iran had completed its requirements, including reducing the number of centrifuges it operates at nuclear facilities and largely reducing its stockpile of enriched uranium. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is welcoming the lifting of international economic sanctions against his country, but says it must remain wary of the United States as curbs on Tehran's nuclear program are fully imposed. Khamenei wrote Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to congratulate him Tuesday on the implementation of the nuclear pact Tehran negotiated with, Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United States to keep Iran from building a nuclear weapon in exchange for lifting the sanctions that have hobbled Iran's economy, including its oil exports. But Khamenei warned, "I reiterate the need to be vigilant about the deceit and treachery of arrogant countries, especially the United States, in this [nuclear] issue and other issues. Be careful that the other side fully meets its commitments." He said that "the comments made by some American politicians in last two, three days are suspicious." Khamenei did not name any U.S. political figures, but all of the Republican presidential candidates looking to succeed President Barack Obama when he leaves office a year from now have attacked the Iran nuclear pact, saying it will not keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and poses a security threat to Israel. Several of the Republican contenders say they would disavow U.S. involvement with the international pact as soon as they take office. No mention of the prisoner swap Khamenei made no mention of the prisoner swap between Tehran and Washington, with five Americans freed by Iran and seven Iranians accused or convicted in the U.S. for violating the ban on trade with the Islamic republic being cleared of charges. On Sunday the United States imposed new sanctions against five Iranian nationals and a network of companies with links to banned missile activity. Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan said Monday the new sanctions targeting the country's ballistic missile program would have no effect on missile development. Dehqan said the ballistic missile sanctions show the United States is "hostile" towards Iran and he pledged to unveil new missile developments soon. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari called the new sanctions illegitimate. Iran drew condemnation from the United States and other Western powers for two ballistic missile tests late last year they said violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. Iran defended the tests as a matter of national security. 'Vigorously' enforce sanctions U.S. President Barack Obama said his government will "vigorously" enforce sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile program. The U.S. Treasury Department said the five Iranians worked to get missile components for Iran, as did the network of companies based In the United Arab Emirates and China that used third parties to try to deceive foreign suppliers and hide the identity of who would ultimately be using the materials. Rouhani said Monday that Tehran would uphold its end of the nuclear deal as long as the "other side" does, according to state news agency IRNA. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed al-Shabab militants will pay a heavy price for the attack Friday that reportedly killed dozens of Kenyan soldiers in southern Somalia. Speaking in a nationwide broadcast Tuesday, Kenyatta said Kenya is unbowed." The flag-draped caskets of four Kenyan soldiers killed in Friday's attack arrived at Nairobi's Wilson Airport late Monday. Top military officials were there to receive the bodies. Al-Shabab has said it killed up to 100 Kenyan soldiers in its attack on an African Union base in the Somali town of El-Adde. There has been no independent confirmation of the claim and Kenyan officials have not released any casualty figures. Kenyatta said, As I speak to you today, our defense forces are conducting intense search, rescue and recovery operations to make sure we bring home our fallen and our injured heroes that have been and remain our key priority." Kenyatta reaffirmed Kenyas commitment in stabilizing Somalia and vowed to take the fight to al-Shabab. We are determined and committed to pursuing those criminals who perpetrated this act and to ensure that they shall pay heavily for their crime. Our soldiers did not die in vain," he said. On Tuesday, Kenyan troops retook control of El-Adde without a fight after al-Shabab members slipped away into rural areas. Most residents of the small town have fled, fearing more attacks. Father awaits news of son The father of a Kenyan soldier who has been missing since the attack spoke to VOA's Somali Service of his family's worry and heartbreak. Abdinasir Issa Abdi, 23, is part of 9th Kenya Rifles unit that arrived in El-Adde just two days before the attack. His father, Issa Abdi, said his son departed another base on January 4 as part of a troop rotation and sent him a message nine days later to say that he had arrived safely. He sent me a message saying he is in El-Adde and is doing fine, he said Tuesday in a telephone interview. Two days later al-Shabab attacked the base. We heard they were attacked, that soldiers were killed, and they are scattered, Abdi said. He rang his sons phone, but there was no reply. Abdi says he now fears the worst but does not know what exactly happened. The government is not giving out any concrete information, he says. Abdi, who is an ethnic Somali from Wajir, ruled out travelling to Somalia. Im not the government, I cant go to Somalia, I dont know the people. I guess those who captured [the base] are Somalis. Allah may save him. Kenyan troops working with the African Union have battled al-Shabab inside Somalia since October 2011. The Islamist militant group has since carried out several major terrorist attacks in Kenya, including shooting rampages at Westgate Mall in Nairobi and Garissa University College. The Garissa attack in April was the deadliest, killing 148 people. Some sectors of the Kenyan society are calling for the withdrawal of the Kenyan army from Somalia, but President Kenyatta is appealing to Kenyans to unite. Every Kenyan must understand that this war demands our unity as a nation and we must stand shoulder to shoulder and face together the enemy of humanity," he said. The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a statement, her second in two years, addressing the lack of diversity among Oscar nominees. In her statement Monday, Cheryl Boone Isaacs said she was "heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion of African-Americans and other minorities among this years nominees. Her address came after actress Jada Pinkett Smith and filmmaker Spike Lee announced their decisions to boycott this years Oscars as a way to express their outrage over the nomination of 20 white actors and no black ones. Isaacs said the diversity issue had touched off a difficult but important conversation and it is time for big changes. The academy, she said, would be "taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. According to a February 2012 study conducted by the Los Angeles Times that sampled over 5,000 of its 5,765 members, the academy was 94 percent white, 77 percent male and 86 percent age 50 or older. One of its members is two-time Oscar winner Russell Williams II. An African-American, a native of Washington and a professor at American University, Williams won his golden statues in the category of sound mixing for the 1989 film "Glory" and the 1990 film "Dances With Wolves." A voting member of the academy himself, Williams told VOA that the academy demographics should be in step with U.S. demographics. But just because the majority of members are older white men doesn't automatically make them racist, he said. There is no way I am a two-time Academy Award winner," he said, "without having the majority of the white voters vote for me. Environment of exclusion Williams does agree that the academy needs new blood. But he said adding it would be easier said than done, because the voters are elected for life. It's also pretty difficult to get an invitation. Those proposed for membership must either be Oscar nominees and winners themselves or have extensive and recognized experience in a movie field. So, he said, except for attrition there are not many possibilities [for new members], and we try to keep the voters to a total of 6,000. Williams also noted that the 6,000 members vote independently from one another and dont have shared agendas. He called it a large democratic body. The problem as Williams sees it is an overall lack of inclusiveness. It starts, he said, with lack of funding for movies about minorities. Hollywood already knows it will go in debt making some of these character-driven, touchy-feely films," he said. "They are going to go into debt only so many times, especially if the audience does not show up at the theater. Follow the money Also, the Oscars campaign resembles a political campaign. Even to get noticed for the nominations, Williams said, you have to spend a minimum of $2 million. You have to send DVDs to all voting members, not only the motion picture academy but the nominating committees of the Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild," and commercials and websites have to be paid for as well. "Many smaller films cannot afford that and fall wayside." He said efforts such as those by Pinkett Smith and Lee to call out the academy as exclusive add pressure on its members, who, he said, dont like to be portrayed in a unflattering way by the press. But whether such actions will significantly change the academy's makeup remains to be seen. Pinkett Smith is feeling the heat from some of her African-American peers who called her actions self-serving because her husband, Will Smith, did not get a nomination for his role in the film "Concussion." In a four-minute YouTube video, African-American actress Janet Hubert criticized Pinkett Smith, saying she found it "ironic" that someone who has "made millions and millions of dollars" in the film industry would boycott an awards presentation "just because you didn't get a nomination." But it's not hard to make the case that Hollywood isn't particularly diverse. And to some, this year's Oscar nominees are just more proof of the obvious. British actor David Oyelowo, who was famously snubbed in last years nominations despite his masterful depiction of Martin Luther King Jr. in Ava DuVernes film "Selma," sounded off on the academys lack of diversity on nominees. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oyelowo said that for 20 opportunities to celebrate actors of color, actresses of color, to be missed last year is one thing; for that to happen again this year is unforgivable." But Williams said that in order for there to be more nonwhite nominees, there have to be more ethnically diverse, character-driven films and more studio executives willing to sign the checks for their production. And unless there's money in doing so, it's not likely to happen. Its not called show 'love, its called show 'business,' and it really is the business of show that dictates how these other things operate," Williams said. This year, at least, if you're a white actor, business is good. A spokesman for a Nigerian Shi'ite group says it will not participate in a state inquiry into a deadly December clash unless their imprisoned leader is released. Hundreds were killed in the northern city of Zaria last month after fighting broke out between the Islamic Movement in Nigeria group and the Nigerian military after IMN protesters blocked the convoy of army chief General Tukur Buratai. The Nigerian military says the road block was an attempt to assassinate Buratai and the soldiers were only defending themselves. But the IMN claims group members were hunted down by troops long after the general left the area, leading to the destruction of their mosque and the wounding and arrest of their leader Sheikh Ibrahim Al Zakzaky. Kaduna state governor Nasir el-Rufai has set up a commission of inquiry into the shootout. But IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa says the group wont take part until Zakzaky is set free. We want the immediate release of our leader simply because he is the one that is in the best position to explain and tender some other things that the commission might like to know about the whole crisis, Musa said. He also objected to statements el-Rufai has made about the group, claiming they show bias against IMN and would affect the neutrality of the commission. We dont expect fairness and justice from this judicial commission, Musa said. A spokesman for the Kaduna state government was not available to comment. The state government says the IMN has long been a nuisance for residents. In a speech shortly after the incident, el-Rufai said the group had blocked roads in the past and built illegal structures around its headquarters in Zaria. Many of the groups buildings in Zaria were destroyed after the fighting, Musa said. While Zaria is IMNs headquarters, the groups membership extends across Nigerias north and west. The militarys behavior also attracted condemnation from abroad. Human Rights Watch called the militarys use of force unjustified, and said it hadnt found credible claims by the military that the group posed a threat. Nigeria researcher for HRW Mausi Segun said the government was violating due process by keeping Zakzaky in prison. Musa said he is being held after receiving medical treatment for about six gunshot wounds. He says the sheikh has not been charged with a crime. The continued detention of Sheikh Zakzaky without any charges being filed against him is unconstitutional, Segun said. He added that any findings by the commission of inquiry will lack authority without IMNs participation. The outcome of the investigation or the work of the commission will be jeopardized without the full involvement or cooperation of a major party to the clashes, Segun said. Nigeria is about evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. A small percentage of the population identifies as Shi'ite; according to the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates 12 percent, though others place the number lower. U.S. President Barack Obama has praised Australia for being an effective partner in the fight against Islamic State. Obama spoke at the start of talks at the White House with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The fight against IS and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal were high on the agenda. Australia has been conducting airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria as part of the U.S.-led coalition that has been bombing Islamic State targets since late 2014. Obama noted that Australia is the second largest contributor of troops, after the U.S.. He also referenced the fight against terrorism in the Asia-Pacific region. We know the recent attack in Jakarta that appears to have been ISIL inspired. Its a reminder that Southeast Asia has done a very effective job fighting extremism but it is an area that we have to pay attention to and watch. Obviously, Australia has been impacted in the past by such terrorist attacks, Obama said. Turnbull said he is pleased the U.S. and Australia are going to be working more closely together to battle extremists. The Pentagon said Turnbull and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter discussed developments in Iraq and Syria during their own meeting Monday, and that Carter expressed appreciation for Australia's contributions. Taiwan's voters gave Tsai Ing-wen and her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party or DPP a new mandate Saturday, helping it seize control of both the legislature and presidency for the first time ever. Dealing with the islands neighbor and political rival China will be one of her biggest challenges and concerns. Tsai Ing-wen won a landslide victory over the Nationalist Party (KMT) Saturday. The KMT spent the last eight years growing ties with Beijing and Tsai ran on a platform that calls for diversifying the islands economic ties. New chapter The victory will open a new chapter in Taiwans history, but the China that the island faces today, is much different from the first time Tsais DPP won the presidency in 2000. The Peoples Republic of China geopolitically, militarily and economically is far more powerful than it was 16 years ago and second of all there is an authoritarian leader in charge in the PRC who I think is in many ways more ominous, says Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and close watcher of Taiwans democratic development. Diamond says that there is no democracy in the world that faces the same kind of intimidation and pressure that Taiwan does in the shadow of China. And that, he says, underscores, president-elect Tsais need for caution in managing relations with China. China Model How Beijing treats Taiwan will also be key. As China markets itself as an alternative global power, its actions in the South China Sea, crackdown on dissent on the mainland and Hong Kong are increasingly a source of concern. Hong Kong demonstrates that the vision that China has is one that the people who would be subject to it are unhappy with. People in Hong Kong are very unhappy with the attempts by China to put more and more controls on the place, says Bruce Jacobs, a Taiwan specialist. He says that how the relationship develops is really up to Beijing. Actually everyone in Taiwan wants good relations with China and its the Chinese that control whether the relationship is good or bad. Democratic identity Following the elections, China reasserted its view that the self-ruled island is part of its territory, arguing that the democratic vote would not change as it put it, that basic fact or international opinion. The comments were in sharp contrast to Tsais remarks following the elections, who called for respect of Taiwans democracy, national identity and international space. She also warned that any form of suppression would harm the stability of cross-strait relations. What I think that they sometimes fail to understand the leaders in Beijing is that for Taiwanese, democracy is their identity and this political system is definitive of Taiwan, says Shelley Rigger, a Taiwan scholar at Davidson College in the eastern state of North Carolina. For now, analysts say, China will give Tsai some breathing room and wait at least until she delivers her inaugural address. Tsai was elected Saturday, but does not take office until May 20. Some experts believe last years terrorist attacks in Paris may only be a preview for even deadlier strikes to come. In the French capital, area firefighters are conducting workshops on life-saving first aid techniques. A shootout outside a cafe. Chairs overturned. People lying on the ground, some bleeding heavily. A woman calls for emergency services. She has basic first aid training. She is told what to do until help arrives. Stop the flow of blood. Move people into positions so they can breathe. Move quickly to treat the most serious cases. Classes in first aid techniques Such a scenario facing about a dozen Parisians one recent afternoon was not real. The group was taking a two-hour class in first aid techniques at a fire station in the citys northern Montmartre neighborhood. Fire station commander Fabian Testa organizes the weekly workshops in half a dozen fire stations around the French capital. The course will soon be extended to outlying suburbs. By June, firefighters hope to train about 8,000 area residents in basic life-saving techniques. Last years terrorist attacks in Paris have lent urgency to their mission. The November 13 assault killed and injured nearly 500 people. Enrolling the public Testa says when firefighters performed first aid at the attack sites, Parisians asked how they could help. The course was designed to show how simple gestures save lives. The course teaches techniques like how to apply a tourniquet or reposition a wounded person so his or her airway stays open and that person can breathe. People practice giving CPR or a cardiac massage on mannequins. The lesson: in a crisis, every minute counts. It's a lesson that's also being taught to civilians elsewhere, amid worldwide fears of more terrorist attacks. Gosia Kotula took the training. She has spent time in Paris as well as Brussels, another city affected by last years attacks. Now many people start to have a second reflection about what has happened. The reflection of how would I react?What would I do if something happens? And we just realized that we really know nothing, she said. Another Parisian, Loic Kempf, had wanted to take first aid training for some time. We learned to evaluate first if someone is unconscious or well. And then we tried heart massage and defibrillator...we learned to stop the bleeding," he said. That knowledge won't stop a future attack, but will give Kempf tools to save lives should one occur. Russian Orthodox Christians in the resort city of Sochi ran into the Black Sea early Tuesday to mark Epiphany. Abpit 3,000 people gathered at the beach of the Black Sea after attending prayers at the Holy Trinity Cathedral as part of celebrations that see worshippers immersing themselves in water, regardless of the winter weather. Rushing waves were already striking at the feet of those gathered on the shores of the beach as a priest blessed the water in Sochi. People then shed their clothes before walking into the sea under the night sky, plunging in as they crossed themselves. The ritual commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, or the Epiphany, which the Russian Orthodox Church mark on January 19, in the middle of the Russian winter. Traditionally, Epiphany celebration starts the night before. By bathing on this day, believers symbolically wash off their sins. Many, however, also believe the dip in the cold water is good for their health. From the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East to the heart of Moscow, every year believers all over the vast nation brace for freezing winter weather to make the holy jump. In Eastern Russia temperatures can plummet below 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of Siberia. Those taking the plunge in Sochi were among the luckiest as temperatures on Monday reached up to 20 degrees Celsius in the day, with Russian media stating it was a 40 year record high. The first of several thousand Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica have crossed into the United States under a plan agreed to among Central American leaders. The migrants arrived in Miami Sunday, after 180 of them first crossed the U.S. border late last week at Laredo, Texas. The deal allows the migrants to be flown from Costa Rica to El Salvador, before being taken to the U.S. border by bus. This pilot effort will be evaluated by the Central American governments before it is expanded to allow all the Cubans to leave for the U.S. Officials estimate it will take 28 flights to get the Cubans to El Salvador. As many as 8,000 Cuban migrants have been stuck in Costa Rica for several months after traveling from their home to Ecuador through Colombia and Panama, and then into Costa Rica, before being denied entry by Nicaragua. The migrants left their home for the United States fearing improved relations between Washington and Havana will end a Cold War-era policy that grants Cubans preferential treatment if they arrive in the U.S. by land. Officials in northwestern Pakistan say a suspected suicide blast Tuesday killed at least 12 people and wounded many more. A majority of the victims are said to be security forces. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Witnesses say the bomber riding a motorbike struck a security checkpoint separating the semi-autonomous and volatile Khyber tribal district from the city of Peshawar. Rescue workers and local officials say a senior officer of the tribal police force and a local journalist are among the dead. Massive blast The massive blast caused damage to several vehicles and motorbikes parked near the security post. Khyber serves as one of the two main routes for trade and transit between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. The Pakistani tribal area has been a hub of local and foreign militants involved in terrorist attacks on both sides of the border. But officials say recent Pakistan army-led security operations have cleared most of Khyber of the insurgents. Convoy targeted On Monday, a roadside bomb blast targeting a convoy of paramilitary forces in the southwestern city of Quetta killed at least five soldiers and wounded three others. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Quetta attack. It has been has been waging an insurgency against the state of Pakistan for the past many years, killing thousands of people in bomb blasts and other terrorist raids across the country. Taiwans premier has left his post following elections that will bring the chief opposition party into power. That party may put ever tense relations with China on hold. But todays president and the incoming one are negotiating a deal that could stop a mass resignation of the cabinet. Taiwan Premier Mao Chi-kuo has taken leave from his job, saying he will not be back. He expressed worry Saturday about his ability to govern after voters elected a president and parliament from the opposition party. The opposition leaders are expected to take a tougher stance on ties with political rival China and a hobbled cabinet now may be unable to sustain the trust it has built up with Beijing since 2008. The premier also asked his Cabinet to quit, and President Ma Ying-jeou is considering whether to give approval. Government transition Mao defended his governments work on China relations and economic growth in a speech to the Cabinet Monday but acknowledged divergent public opinion. He said a new public opinion has been formed. In order to respect the new public opinion and safeguard the promotion of future government work, Mao said he has approached the president to request approval of his resignation. On Saturday, opposition Democratic Progressive Party chairperson Tsai Ing-wen won the presidential election with 56 percent of the vote. That day the premier issued a statement saying that without his resignation, major decisions would be impossible, severely affecting development and peoples happiness. Analysts believe her victory reflects popular discontent with the current government of eight years. Voters said this month the president has moved too fast in forming economic ties with China, an old rival that claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island. Many in the electorate also believe the Ma administration could have done more to create jobs, raise wages and control housing prices. But President Ma is holding off on approving the Cabinet resignation. He is talking with the president-elects camp about finding government ministers who are agreeable to both sides and could keep their jobs past Tsais inauguration in May. Ma can legally retain his current cabinet, but Taiwanese presidents typically change them to apologize for election losses. The premiers temporary replacement said talks with China on a free trade deal would stop if the cabinet resigns. It is unclear how Tsais government will negotiate with China. She disputes Beijings precondition that both sides can talk only as parts of a single China. The current Taiwan government has accepted that condition since Ma took office in 2008. However, the president-elect said throughout her campaign she would avoid upsetting China and not try to break away legally to back up the islands de facto autonomy. The only female candidate in Ugandas upcoming February presidential election says she is running because she wants to rebuild the foundation of the nation away from its colonial connection. But Maureen Kyalya, a former adviser to incumbent President Yoweri Museveni on poverty alleviation, also said she wants to unite the people. She said she does not believe the election will be free and fair because Museveni has created laws that make it harder for his challengers to have access to the voters. Presidential debate Kyalya criticized Museveni for not taking part in last Fridays first-ever Uganda presidential debate. Museveni said he could not take part because debates are speech competitions that should be left to high school students and he could not leave his busy campaign schedule to attend such a function. Basically, Id like the people of Uganda to elect me because I want to rebuild the foundation of Uganda. The issues in Uganda start way back in 1900 at its foundation, Kyalya said. She said Uganda is made up of roughly 15 kingdoms, with different languages and cultures. But she said when colonial Britain came it only signed an agreement with one kingdom, and other kingdoms were forced to become the modern day Uganda. She said since then, Ugandans have been fighting among themselves, and have never sat down to discuss the type of governance that would serve all Ugandans. Today, even the current president was never elected into power. He came by gun power and has made sure he rigs the election every single time. So, I decided to take part in the election to appeal to Ugandans that we need to gather round a roundtable, she said. Kyalya is one of six opposition candidates seeking to unseat Museveni, who has been in power for 30 years. In a few words, the election has been rigged already because first and foremost the Ugandan law says that all public servants have to resign their offices before taking part in the election," she said. "The incumbent did not resign; he is the president of the country at the same time he is an aspiring candidate. And during this time, he is making all sorts of oppressive laws to make sure the opposition has no access to the public, Kyalya added. The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch earlier this month accused the Ugandan government of intimidating the local media ahead of the February presidential and parliamentary elections. In a report, Human Rights Watch said journalists have been suspended under government pressure, and radio stations threatened for hosting opposition members as guests or when panelists expressed views critical of the ruling party. Human-rights report called propaganda But minister of information and national guidance, Retired Major General Jim Muhwezi, told VOA this month the Human Rights Watch report is nothing but propaganda. Muhwezi said freedom of speech in Uganda is the strength of the ruling National Resistance Movement government. He also said the report is laying the groundwork for an after-election complaint because President Museveni will win the February election. Kyalya said Museveni feels hes God or an emperor of Uganda. I really think, one, hes is definitely too arrogant, and also he has taken on so much power like Saddam Hussein or Gaddafi if I can put it that way. I believe power has gone to his head; he believes hes a God now, and the Ugandan people are watching him as well, she said. A mini survey conducted by the Uganda Monitor revealed that Ugandans believe Museveni should have appeared in last Friday's presidential debate to show the other candidates vying for his seat in next months election that he is still the best leader of the country. The United Nations wants to convene a new round of Syrian peace talks on Monday, but with only days remaining and no agreement on who should participate there are doubts about whether the negotiations will begin as scheduled. Staffan de Mistura, the U.N.'s envoy for Syria announced last month that he wanted to begin the talks, which are aimed at setting up a transitional government, on January 25 in Geneva. De Mistura has the support of a group of 17 nations, including the United States and Russia, but those nations have yet to decide which of the many opposition groups fighting in Syria will have representatives at the negotiating table. Decision on opposition groups U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Monday that invitations will not be sent until those decisions are made. Haq said the U.N. is still focused on January 25 for a start date and that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging world powers to "redouble efforts" to reach an agreement. Haq said the U.N. also hopes and expects that a cease-fire in Syria will accompany the beginning of peace talks. Syria has been at war since March 2011 when peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad were met by a harsh crackdown and the situation spiraled into a civil war. The conflict has left more than 250,000 people dead and led millions to flee their homes. Flood of refugees The flood of refugees fleeing Syria has strained the country's neighbors and European nations that are struggling to cope with the influx of people. The goal of the peace talks is to not only halt the fighting, but to kick off a series of political transitions that include a new constitution and elections in 2017. Two previous rounds of U.N.-brokered talks ended in early 2014 with little progress. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN on Monday that he cannot make any promises about Syria, but that the Geneva conference is the only way to get a political settlement. Syria analyst David Lesch of Trinity College in Texas told VOA that deciding who will represent the opposition in Geneva was always, in his mind, one of the biggest challenges to ending the five-year civil war. The United Nations says in a new report that Iraqs war with Islamic State militants led to more than 18,800 civilian deaths and more than 36,000 wounded between January 2014 and October 2015. The report is based largely on testimony from victims, survivors or witnesses of violations and says that during the period from May to October of last year, nearly 4,000 civilians were killed and more than 7,000 wounded. About half of these deaths took place in the capital, Baghdad. U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani tells VOA the figures do not fully capture what is happening in Iraq. These only include the people who were directly killed by violence. This does not include the countless others who have died from the lack of access to basic food, to water, and to medical care. And, also bear in mind that the security situation in Iraq prevents us from doing a lot of our work. So, really, even the casualty toll of those killed directly by violence could be much higher than what we have managed to document, said Shamdasani. UN blames Islamic State U.N. monitors blame most of these deaths on Islamic State, known also as ISIS and ISIL. It says victims include those perceived as being opposed to the terror group's ideology and rule, such as government civil servants, doctors and lawyers, journalists and tribal and religious leaders. It says women and children are subject to sexual violence, particularly in the form of sexual slavery. The report finds people judged by Islamic State's self-appointed courts are subjected to punishments such as stoning and amputations. It details numerous examples of public executions, including shootings, beheadings, bulldozing, burning people alive and throwing people off the top of buildings. Crimes against humanity Shamdasani says some of the incidents amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. She says IS systematically targets ethnic and religious minorities, the most well-known being Yazidis. They are either forced to convert or be killed. So, there is a case to be made that ISIL has the intent to systematically destroy either in part or in whole entire communities, which is why we are raising the alarm bell. This could amount to genocide, which is a serious international crime, she said. The U.N. finds pro-government forces also are guilty of human rights violations and abuses and says it has received reports of unlawful killings and abductions perpetrated by those forces. It notes some of these incidents may have been reprisals against supposed IS supporters. WATCH: Related report by VOA's Zlatica Hoke Diplomats at the United Nations say next week's scheduled peace talks on Syria may be delayed because major powers are squabbling over which Syrian opposition members should be invited. The talks are set to open January 25 in Geneva, but invitations have yet to go out. U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said Monday that the 25th remains the target date for the meeting. "The U.N. will proceed with issuing invitations when the countries spearheading the international Syria support group process come to an understanding on who among the opposition should be invited," Haq told reporters. "The Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] urges those countries to redouble efforts to reach that agreement." Seventeen world powers plan to be at the Geneva talks, including the United States and Russia who back different sides in the Syrian civil war and Iran and Saudi Arabia, regional powers and arch-rivals. The talks are aimed at setting up a transitional government for Syria in the hopes of turning it into a democracy. While all the delegations agree that the fighting must stop, there is severe disagreement over who should be part of the new Syria. The United States has said President Bashar al-Assad, someone who has committed atrocities against his own people, cannot be a part of Syria's future. Russia Assad's most powerful ally says it is up to the Syrian people themselves to decide that. Some opposition groups in Syria are more moderate than others, while the Syrian government regards all opposition members as "terrorists." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN television Monday that he cannot make any promises about Syria, but that the Geneva conference is the only way to get a political settlement. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell arrives in Africa this week to examine the issue of wildlife trafficking. She told journalists Tuesday that Washington had a role to play to end the illegal trading of wildlife and its products. Before her visit to Gabon, Kenya and South Africa, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said the Obama administration is concerned about the rise in cases of wildlife trafficking from Africa to Asia, Europe and the United States. She explains why the United States, last year, banned lion and elephant trophies from Zimbabwe. "The United States Wildlife and Fisheries Services does not believe that sufficient measures are in place in that country (Zimbabwe) to put conservation efforts into local communities. That is the position that we have taken. Zimbabwe has not addressed those issues, where as Nambia does. It is very important that a country works with us and work with local communities to make sure that the resources get to the people," said Jewell. President Robert Mugabes government and tourism operators argue the ban affects revenue generation for Zimbabwe. But Zimbabwe continues exporting wildlife, animals and products to Asia as part of its "Look East Policy" adopted in the early 2000s, after most Western countries imposed sanctions on Mugabe and his senior officials following reports of election rigging and human rights abuses. Last month, Zimbabwe said it had exported elephants to China as part of its efforts to reduce the animals population, which Harare says is now affecting the ecosystem in the African country. During her Africa visit that begins Thursday, Jewell is expected to meet with government officials, non-governmental organizations and conservation leaders. According to the U.S. State Department, African countries are major sources for ivory, rhino horn and other illegally taken flora and fauna destined predominantly for markets in Asia. Jewell traveled to China and Vietnam last summer in a similar effort to further work to crack down on black markets at home and internationally. The U.S. presidential campaign is focused on the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses on February 1, and the candidates used the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday to hold rallies and campaign events. Fresh off a Sunday night Democratic presidential candidate debate in Charleston, South Carolina, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley marked the holiday on the steps of the South Carolina statehouse -- celebrated for the first time with no Confederate flag flying overhead. The flag was removed last July from the statehouse, where it had flown for more than a half-century, after a mass shooting in Charleston in which the suspect was often shown photographed with the flag and said he hoped to incite a race war with the shooting. "(King) was counting on all of us to keep going after he was gone, to be a part of what President (Barack) Obama calls the `Joshua Generation,' carrying forward the holy work the heroes of the civil rights movement began,'' said Clinton, who credits the civil rights leader with her choosing a life of public service. Sanders, also has spoken of hearing King speak, joined a march, organized by the South Carolina NAACP Monday. Before the debate Sunday, he unveiled his "Medicare for all" proposal, which he dubbed a natural evolution of the Affordable Care Act. Health care Later Monday, in Toledo, Iowa, Clinton said her plans to improve health care access include requiring insurance companies to give members three free visits that would not count toward their annual deductible. Sanders addressed a crowd of more than 5,000 in Birmingham, Alabama, later Monday. He spoke about raising the minimum wage, free college tuition and paid family medical leave. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia, on Monday and spoke to 11,000 at Liberty University in an attempt to bolster his support among evangelical Christian voters. The Lynchburg campus is popular among presidential hopefuls, and has hosted candidates from both parties. The school's president, Jerry Falwell Jr., in introducing Trump, called him a "breath of fresh air." "We're going to protect Christianity," Trump told the audience, before proceeding to quote from what he introduced as "Two Corinthians, 3:17." His phrasing prompted a chuckle from the students in the crowd, who noted the New Testament book is generally referred to as "Second Corinthians." Voting bloc Senator Ted Cruz, Trump's main competition, is leading the real estate mogul in Iowa, where evangelical Christians are a huge voting bloc. Cruz, who was campaigning in New Hampshire Monday, accused Trump of exhibiting inconsistent conservatism, noting the New York mogul has donated to Democratic campaigns in the past. The two candidates, who have been going head-to-head in polling in many states, have been having a war of words since last week's Republican presidential debate. Trump has attacked Cruz on Twitter in recent days, calling the Texan a "nasty guy" and questioning his eligibility to run, given that Cruz was born in Canada. Cruz said Monday Trump has become "rattled" and "dismayed" by his recent gains in several surveys. 'Steady hand at the helm' "The American people want a steady hand at the helm," Cruz told The Associated Press in an interview on his campaign bus Monday. "They don't want, I believe, a commander in chief who wakes up obsessed with the latest polls and driven to issue a frenzy of tweets.'' The Iowa caususes, and the nation's first primary, in New Hampshire on February 9, are often are a good gauge of a candidate's popularity and ability to continue in the nominating process. South Carolina, an important early voting state, holds its primary February 20. Alabama holds its primary March 1. The U.N. refugee agency reports tens of thousands of newly displaced people in Niger are in desperate need of international assistance. The UNHCR says about 100,000 people have fled in recent weeks from attacks launched by Nigerian Boko Haram insurgents. The UNHCR says aid agencies are struggling to help the newly displaced who are living in makeshift shelters along the volatile Niger, Nigeria border. Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the UNHCR, tells VOA the people are a mix of internally displaced from Niger, some of whom have been forced to flee several times, and Nigerian refugees. He says they are scattered along one of the most difficult and remote areas in that part of West Africa. People are spread out over a wide area," said Edwards. "This is contributing to the difficulties in reaching them. There are no camps as such there. It is, as I said, a spontaneous settlement environment. Security is certainly a problem and this is something we are talking to the authorities about ... So far, the military authorities have not been able to provide protection across this wide area. That is something that has to be looked at. Edwards describes the situation as very serious. He says there are acute shortages of adequate shelter and non-food items for the displaced. He adds there also is an acute shortage of money. He notes the UNHCR has received less than half of the $51 million it needs to run its Niger operation. UNHCR is redirecting available resources to try and meet the needs that we are seeing there," said Edwards. "We are calling on donors for extra help to support the vulnerable population. Local officials expect more people to flee the volatile border area when the dry season returns, which I understand is at the end of February typically and when Nigerian military operations resume in the area. Edwards says newly arrived families have few sanitation facilities and have to walk long distances to fetch water. He says the medical charity Doctors Without Borders is providing health care and sanitation, but it too is strapped for funds. He says many children are unable to attend school. For now, he notes, the World Food Program has enough supplies on hand to meet food demands. India, a country grappling with violence against women, has one of the highest rates of acid attacks in the world about 350 cases were officially reported in 2014. Their faces scarred, most acid attack survivors virtually disappear from society. But a cafe in the tourist hub of Agra, Sheroes Hangout, is helping them return to the mainstream by winning social acceptance for them. Dolly Kumari, 15, never ventured out for two agonizing years after a man who was 20 years older her senior chucked acid on her face for spurning his advances. She says when she first came to the cafe, I had covered my face fully, I did it in a way that even my eyes did not show. Regained confidence But after serving and meeting customers for several months, Dolly has regained confidence, and has vowed never to hide behind a dupatta (a piece of cloth worn around the neck in South Asia). She wants to return to her studies. I have so much courage I can say anything to anyone. I, too, have a life, Dolly says. New Delhi based nongovernmental group, Stop Acid Attacks, that works with acid attack survivors, launched the cafe a year ago after making little headway in getting jobs and rehabilitating victims like Dolly. Most of the women are attacked over domestic or property disputes, or for rejecting sexual advances or marriage proposals. Isolation forced upon them Alok Dixit, founding member of the group, says families and neighborhoods worsen the plight of the women with attitudes that compel them to become virtually invisible. Dixit says the isolation forced on them unwittingly by society is perhaps even more painful than the agony they suffered at the time of the attack. At Sheroes, he hopes to change the perception that a disfigured face spells ruin. This is the notion we want to break. Your face is not all. You cannot ruin a victims life by ruining their face. Life is beyond how you look, he says. The cafe is an effort to spread that message softly not through sloganeering and protests, but by bringing victims face to face with the public. They gain confidence through interacting with the nearly 10,000 cafe customers, many who have visited after hearing about it through social media. Social acceptance has given a renewed sense of purpose to Rupa, whose stepmother threw acid on her in 2008. After the attack, she hid herself in the house. But after working at the cafe, she said she is nurturing dreams of becoming a fashion designer clothes she designs are displayed at the cafe. 'Society reaches out to us' People come to meet us, they want to know our story, they sit and talk to us. At one time, we were alone even within our families, now society reaches out to us, she says. To draw in people from all strata of society, the menu at the cafe does not set a price, letting customers pay what they want. There are no official figures for acid attacks in India, but it is estimated there could be 1,000 a year in a country where acid is easily available despite laws implemented in 2013 to regulate its over the counter sale. Seventy percent of the acid attacks target women and most are against those between ages 21 to 30. Laws to punish offenders have been made tougher, but it is unclear if that has helped stem acid attacks. What is clear is that the veil is slowly being lifted from a crime whose horrific implications few saw earlier because victims went into hiding. Family attacked Neetu Mahour, 23, encountered the world at the cafe for the first time since she was 3 years old when she was nearly blinded in an acid attack by her father. He also targeted her infant sister and her mother. The infant died, and now Neetu and her mother work at the cafe. Neetu never went to school or played with other children. People considered us different, no one spoke to us or invited us. Now she says life is better in every way, whether it is money, the way she dresses, eats or lives. People, she says, no longer make comments when she passes by. The women are encouraged to be proud of the way they look, their faces and stories are plastered on the walls. We want to redefine beauty, Dixit says. The heartening response to Sheroes has encouraged Stop Acid Attacks to plan three more ventures in New Delhi, Lucknow and Udaipur. It is a small but inspirational step in a country that is stepping up the fight to tackle violence against women. An organization representing Gweru residents says there is need to bring to finality the issue of the citys suspended councillors as the prolonged stay of an interim commission put in place last year to run the citys local authority is proving to be costly and worsening service delivery in the Midlands capital. Cornelia Selipiwe of the Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association says although they had initially welcomed the suspension of councilors and the subsequent appointment of a commission to run the affairs of the city, local people are now unhappy over the commissions continued stay and delay in resolving the issue of the suspended councilors. Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere suspended 18 Gweru councilors last August on allegations of incompetence and corruption. He also fired three local councilors. Kasukuwere then appointed a three-men commission headed by former Masvingo Town Clerk, Tsunga Mhangami, and it is still in place to date. Last week the commission suspended Town Clerk, Daniel Matawu, amid reports that investigations had revealed that council management was guilty of maladministration and corruption. Selipiwe says the final decision on suspended councilors is taking too long, adding that the prolonged stay of the commission is worsening service delivery. The move by the Ministry of Local Government to suspend Gweru councilors on allegations of corruption, incompetence and abuse of office was welcomed by the residents, and even the appointment of commissioners. But what we now have as a problem is that allegations will remain allegations until the issues are fully investigated and the case is brought to finality. What is now worrying us is the prolonged stay of the commissioners, the prolonged stay on suspension of the councilors without their issues being resolved. We need this matter to be brought to finality. Selipiwe said residents are unhappy that the commission does not consult residents and has not improved service delivery in any way. He said the commission is making matters worse by drawing large sums of money in allowances, claiming that it has so far spent over a $100,000 in such allowances. The commission is actually doing the same things that the councilors were doing They are also abusing council funds; they are also taking a lot of allowances; they are not holding any meetings with residents or stakeholders to find out how they can best help the residents. They are not answering to anyone besides the minister who appointed them. I think the commission is just the same as the councilors who were there and this is really worrying. Studio 7 was not able to hear from Mhangami or other members of the commission on the issue. When they were suspended, eleven of the councilors, including mayor Hamutendi Kombayi, challenged the suspension as well as the appointment of the commission at the High Court. The court granted a decision in their favour explaining that under the new constitution the local government minister has no powers to unilaterally suspend or fire councilors and to appoint such a commission. Kasukuwere was later quoted in a state newspaper as having said that the commission would remain in place because he had challenged the High Court decision. VIOLATION OF ZIMBABWE CONSTITUTION A lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for professional reasons, said it was clear that Kasukuwere was violating the countrys constitution and seemed to take advantage of the absence of the appropriate regulations as most laws are still to be realigned to the new constitution. Studio 7 was unable to reach Kauskuwere for comment. Development studies lecturer Didmus Dewa of the Zimbabwe Open University, speaking as an independent analyst, told Studio 7 that while it is necessary to curb corruption in councils in Zimbabwe, the Zanu PF government has often interfered with the running of some local authorities to frustrate the opposition MDC-T councilors, who have dominated in most urban councils. Dewa said there is need to implement devolution as enshrined in the new constitution and also urged political parties to choose the right people as candidates so as to help ensure that councils are run in an efficient way. We need the provincial councils as outlined in the constitution. There is lack of political will on the part of government to align our laws so that we can have devolution in local councils. So we are saying lets align the constitution, and at the same time lets dismiss everybody who is corrupt, have elections held and have the right councilors in council. I want to send a message to all political parties that the time for politics of patronage is over. Lets have competent people in local authorities; lets have benchmarks. PREVIOUS COUNCIL SUSPENSIONS The Ministry of Local Government has over the years suspended councilors in cities controlled mostly by opposition parties. In the 1980s then Local Government Minister Enos Chikowore suspended some councilors in areas controlled by PF Zapu claiming that they were incompetent and supporting so-called dissidents. The MDC-T has found itself in a similar situation in cities like Harare, Chitungwiza and others. The Harare City council is warning home owners in low density suburbs who built their homes without approval from council to regularize their plans or risk demolitions. The council has in the past targeted illegal structures in high density suburbs but now says it would conduct similar demolitions in low density areas. Acting communications manager for the Harare City Council, Michael Chideme, said there is an overwhelming response among people interested in legalizing their building plans with the council following a media blitz in the local press highlighting this issue. Chideme urged local residents, who want to legalese their plans, to contact local district offices urgently or risk demolitions. "We are urging those that built their homes without their plans being approved by council to visit their district office to have them regularized as we cannot risk having structures built illegally fall on dwellers as they would not have passed inspection," said Chideme. He said although there is no timeline, residents in affected low density suburbs should urgently take action to ensure that they are not affected by demolitions. "We are aware that some of the houses were built on legal stands but the plans used were not approved by council and this makes them illegal structures." Some of the affected low density suburbs include Mount Pleasant Heights, Pomona, Belvedere West, and others. "We are urging those that know that they built their houses without approval to bring their documents urgently so that we can review and approve them, and our turnaround is 14 days so the earlier people come to our offices the better," said Chideme. The Zimbabwean government embarked on an exercise to clean its capital a few years ago under a programme codenamed "Operation Murambatsvina" or "Operation Remove Filth, which left thousands of people homeless. Chideme said the aim of the Harare City Council is not to just demolish the houses without giving residents living in illegal structures a chance to regularize their plans and building structures. "Our aim is to make sure that we can provide some of these low density suburbs with illegal structures a chance to also receive service delivery that is provided to those paying rates, so once this is done it will be easy to provide these services to those living in these areas," says Chideme The Ministry of Education has recalled teachers on vacation in what insiders say is due to a critical shortage of staff in some regions. Some Zimbabweans question the role of vice presidents, who dont perform some functions of the president when he is on leave. Gweru residents urge the government to speed up investigations on councilors who were booted out of office and replaced by what they say is an equally inefficient commission. Harare City Council warns owners of illegal housing structures in low density areas that they will not be sparred from current demolitions. Stay tuned for these stories and more coming up on Studio 7 at 7:30 pm on 9-0-9 Medium Wave and on the 4-9-3-0, 5-9-4-0 and 1-5-4-6-0 shortwave frequencies. We also broadcast on www.channelzim.net. Please check us out on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. Today on LiveTalk our host of the Connection Ntungamili Nkomo will be talking with Zimbabwean youths about political issues in the country. Send us your numbers on our WhatsApp number 001 202 465 0318. The number again 001 202 465 0318. Stay tuned!!!!!! The trial of a Harare-based journalist and two human rights activists accused of illegally taking pictures at a protected area in Zimbabwe opened in the capital on Tuesday with the accused denying the charges leveled against them. The trial of freelance journalist Edgar Gweshe and two human rights activists, Donald Makuvaza and Charles Chidhakwa, accused of illegally taking pictures at the Harare Remand Prison sometime last year opened at the Harare Magistrates Courts with the defense team calling Gweshe to the witness stand. Gweshe told the court that he was outside the 100-metre radius prohibited by the law for anyone to take pictures of a protected. The accuseds lawyer, Tonderai Bhatasara of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights told Studio 7 that Gweshe and the two activists are denying the charges leveled against them. During cross examination by prosecutor Francisca Mukumbiri, Gweshe told the court that there was no way that pictures of the Harare Remand Prison allegedly found in his flash disk could have been taken by him because he had no computer during the time of his arrest to enable him to transfer the pictures that he took from his camera to the memory stick. The trial continues tomorrow with other Makuvaza and Chidhakwa expected to take to the witness stand. Harare-based freelance journalist, Whatmore Makokoba, says media freedom is now under siege in Zimbabwe. Charges against Gweshe and his co-accused arose after they allegedly took pictures of civil society activists, who had visited the leaders of the National Vendors of Zimbabwe in prison following a blitz on street traders. Despite the crackdown on vendors, the road-side traders are still playing a cat and mouse game with authorities in the central business district as the vendors say trading is their only source of livelihood given the countrys under-performing economy. Authorities say the prison where Gweshe and his co-accused took pictures of the civic leaders falls under protected areas. At the same time, some victims of political violence want the country to craft a law that will ensure that they are rightfully compensated whenever a person is injured in political incidents. This came out at a Consultative Reference Group meeting in Harare where some activists called for the slashing of the executive functions of the Minister of National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation, who they believe is likely to influence the outcome of the crafting of such law. The current bill is silent on the compensation of survivors of political violence. Rashid Mahiya of Heal Zimbabwe Trust said the proposed bill should ensure that victims of political violence are catered for accordingly. Opposition party activists, Naison Mudzuri and Polite Zambezi, an employee of the state-run National Railways of Zimbabwe are facing renewed charges of allegedly insulting President Robert Mugabe, a couple of years after the offenses were committed. Mudzuri, who was represented by Blessing Nyamaropa of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, appeared in court Tuesday in Masvingo province facing charges of undermining the authority of or insulting President Mugabe in 2013. He allegedly contravened Section 33 (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. According to state prosecutors, Mudzuri, who was first arrested and charged on September 9th, 2013 before he was removed from remand and only to be summoned to stand trial recently, allegedly passed some unpalatable statements about the Zimbabwean leader. He allegedly blamed Mr. Mugabe for presiding over the collapse of the once prosperous southern African country. The magistrate, who presided over the matter, reserved ruling on Mudzuris objection. Zambezi will appear in court at Mwenezi Magistrates Court on Wednesday after he was summoned to stand trial on charges of contravening the same law. Zambezi was first arrested on November 24, 2012 while aboard a commuter omnibus after he allegedly composed and chanted a song with the lyrics Mugabe will be hanged like Saddam. Saddam Hussein was a secularist, who rose through the Baath political party to assume a dictatorial presidency. Under his rule, segments of the populace allegedly enjoyed the benefits of oil wealth, while those in opposition faced torture and execution. After military conflicts with United States-led armed forces, Hussein was captured in 2003. He was later executed. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights spokesman Kumbirai Mafunda told VOA Studio 7 they view the renewal of these cases as a crackdown on dissenting voices. We feel that this is just a continued clampdown on dissent in Zimbabwe, we have noted the rising cases of people being arrested, charged and prosecuted for allegedly undermining the authority or insulting the president since 2010, said Mafunda. Mafunda said they will continue working with parliamentarians to make sure that the laws are changed or aligned with the new constitution. So much for ending feuds: The original Aunt Viv, from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, on Monday uploaded a scathing rebuke aimed at the Smith family. (Theyve not really gotten along since Aunt Viv was replaced by another Aunt Viv in the early 90s.) Janet Hubert holds nothing back in the above four minutes, first going after Jadas call to boycott 2016s very white Oscars, then using it as an opportunity to slam Wills Concussion turn and essentially label both Smiths hypocritical favoritists. I find it ironic that somebody who has made their living, made their living, and made millions and millions of dollars from the very people youre talking about boycotting, just because you didnt get a nomination, just because you didnt win that is not the way life works, baby, she says. You aint Barack and Michelle Obama, and yall need to get over yourselves. You have a huge production company that you only produce your friends and your family and yourself. So you are a part of Hollywood. You are a part of the system that is unfair to other actors. So get real. Huberts who-cares-about-the-Oscars tirade comes amid growing #OscarsSoWhite fallout displeasure that has not only been expressed by the Smiths, but also by other such prominent industry figures as Spike Lee and, most recently, the Academys own Cheryl Boone Isaacs. Hit play above for Huberts full message (as well as an unexpected food endorsement), and then begin praying this years the year Hubert and the Smiths finally end their decades-long war. Chipotle Mexican Grill, which has a location in Waco, will launch a campaign to polish its image in the wake of food-poisoning outbreaks that sickened more than 300 people in several states and prompted the chain to close dozens of restaurants on the West Coast for a time. On Feb. 8, every Chipotle location will close for most of the day so employees can receive a refresher course on food preparation and cleanliness. The chain also announced it will give away more product to get customers through the door and will step up its advertising to tell the Chipotle story and why customers should return if they left. Contrary to rumors that have become rampant, the Colorado-based chain that specializes in burritos and tacos is not closing its stores for good. Chipotle operates nearly 2,000 locations in North America and enjoyed revenues of $4.1 billion in 2014. Sales growth at existing locations has declined, and stock in Chipotle dived from around $745 in September of last year to below $445 before improving to $475.57 on Friday. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and other health-related agencies late in 2015 confirmed outbreaks of E. coli that sickened hundreds on the West Coast, in the states of Washington, Oregon and California, as well as in Kansas, Oklahoma and at Boston College in Massachusetts. Many of these outbreaks became though some had taken place earlier in 2015, according to published reports. Danny Rivera, who manages the Chipotle at 1115 N. Valley Mills Drive, said he saw a sizable drop in traffic after the companys problems became public nationwide. He theorized that two factors were in play would-be customers were alarmed by the news, and Baylor University students left Waco for the holidays. Between November and December, our sales hovered around $1,800 to $2,200 per day, Rivera said. Now were back up to more than $5,000 a day. He said customers in recent weeks have inquired about the food poisoning almost every day, though the Waco store was not implicated in the incidents. The local Chipotle will join others in a zone that stretches from Dallas to San Antonio in taking part in a national training day. Rivera said details remain elusive, but employees may gather at one location, possibly in Austin, or remain in their own eateries and receive instruction via video. Reports have surfaced that Chipotle will reopen at 3 p.m. Feb. 8, after the training, and may offer free burritos and tacos to the public. Chipotle released a statement saying, We are hosting a national team meeting to thank our employees for their hard work through this difficult time, discuss some of the food safety changes we are implementing and answer questions from employees, who number nearly 50,000. Chipotle fills orders by asking customers to walk by a wide selection of ingredients and point out the ones they want on their burritos or tacos. Procedure changes We have changed some of our procedures because food safety is our top priority, Rivera said. Previously, restaurants would receive shipments of food items in bulk, and staffers on-site would cut and prepare them for serving, he said. Now, they are prepared off-site, then heated in-store if necessary and served. Customer Matt Yeilding, 25, returned to Wacos Chipotle on Monday after keeping his distance after news of the E. coli outbreak elsewhere. Im used to coming here two times a week, but this was my first visit in several weeks, Yeilding said. I have heard the stories about food poisoning, but I figured that a large company like Chipotle would have the problem solved by now, and Ive heard nothing that concerns me about this location. He said Chipotle offers a great product, but how they deal with this public scare could make a difference in whether they are here this time next year. Yeilding said he likes the freshness of the offerings at Chipotle and especially enjoys the guacamole and chips. Liz and Mark Dollar, of Hewitt, brought their two youngsters, ages 10 and 7, to Wacos Chipotle on Monday because all were off for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. No one can ever go wrong with more training, said Liz Dollar, commenting on the chains decision to set aside a day for just that. All restaurants should follow their lead, and it would be a good idea for any kind of industry. Im in education, and we are required to continue our training in seminars. Dollar said she thinks Chipotle is taking the right approach in launching an advertising campaign to get people back through the door. They had a trusted name, and it makes sense to remind the public of the good things, such as the taste of the food, she said. At least two visitors to the Chipotle on Valley Mills Drive during the noon hour said they had not heard about the E. coli outbreaks. One customer, who did not want to be named, said he visited several cities in Northern California during the holidays, and all the Chipotle locations were closed. Reconnecting James Roberts, who teaches marketing at Baylor, applauded Chipotles efforts to reconnect with consumers. I like their food and I like what they represent, but they are in trouble right now, Roberts said by phone. I think the additional training is a good idea, as is making that training public knowledge. Offering free samples is always a good way to promote a product and get people back in the store. He said those who enjoy the food and the experience will tell their friends, and they likely will mention that they did not become ill. Roberts said the Chipotle situation is comparable to that of Blue Bell, which stopped production and distribution of ice cream to 25 states in April after the discovery of listeria. It recalled all products after 10 reported cases of listeria in four states were linked to Blue Bell frozen treats. Three of the people who became sick, all hospital patients in Kansas, later died. No deaths have been attributed to Chipotles E. coli outbreak. Once the public gets the idea your food is not safe, its a hard road back, Roberts said. Loyal customers will save Chipotle. They are so in love with the restaurant that they are willing to give it a second chance. But theyve got to make sure they dont mess up again. Liz Anderson, with E.H. Anderson Public Relations in Waco, said Chipotle is dealing with a crisis PR problem and that the most effective approach it can take is admitting it did something wrong, lay out a plan for correcting the problem and asking that it be given a second chance. Rivera, who manages Wacos Chipotle shop, said he is targeting local businesses with coupons that will allow employees and patrons to buy one item and get one free. Our first is local fitness clubs, to which we will give 1,000 coupons between Jan. 25 and March 6, he said. Its a treehouse worthy of the T in Texas. There is room for a kitchen sink, dining table, small refrigerator, shower, queen-size bed, loft and, at the end of a deck, a doghouse. Located near Mart in the northeast corner of Falls County, the treehouse makes its national television debut Friday night in the premiere of a new series, Treehouse Masters, on the cable televison channel Animal Planet. Forget the treehouse of your childhood, cobbled from scrap wood in haphazard fashion. This is more a cottage with living hackberry legs, a sizable project even for Washington treehouse wizard Pete Nelson, the master of the series title. Its a Texas-sized treehouse, thats for sure, Nelson said in a recent phone interview. The combination of big and Texas proved alluring to the series producers, and before treehouse owners Jimmy and Sandy Maddox knew it, they were part of a television episode. They made us wear our boots, said Sandy, a slight eyeroll conveyed in her voice. Soft-spoken but glib Jimmy added. Ive got a pair of boots and I like them, but its not like Im going to wear them out, he said. The Dallas couple, both Baylor University graduates, had the treehouse built near their five-bedroom country home to provide extra space for visits by their five children and soon-to-be-six grandchildren. Jimmy is retired after 28 years in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas federal court system in Dallas, where he worked as assistant deputy chief probation and pretrial services officer. Sandy, who taught at Wacos Mountainview Elementary School early in her career, is deputy executive director of the Region X Education Service Center in Richardson. Their Falls County home, on 197 acres of farmland that has been in her family for four generations, serves as hub for family visits by two sons in Houston, a daughter in Dallas, a son in Fort Worth and a fourth son in North Carolina. Guest house Sandy had the idea for a treehouse as guest house. A Google search led the Maddoxes to Nelson, who has not only made a career crafting tree-borne structures across the country, but a cottage industry from it. He has written several books on the subject, leads workshops for professional and amateur builders and, with his wife Judy and daughter Emily, runs an arboreal bed-and-breakfast, TreeHouse Point. Starting Friday, he will have his own television show. Nelson, a down-to-earth guy in an above-the-ground field, hit it off with the Maddoxes from their first visit. The Nelsons and Maddoxes are both parents of twin boys. The treehouse builder found a challenge in the Texas couples desire for a livable space complete with utilities and amenities. Its a fully appointed guest house. Thats one of the reasons the treehouse is as big as it is, he said. Others built in Treehouse Masters have more specialized uses, including a bed-and-breakfasts honeymoon suite, a spa, an Irish treehouse with peat-burning fireplace and a brewery. Nelson toured the Maddoxes property and climbed a few trees before settling on a cluster of sturdy hackberries near their weekend home a short distance, it turns out, from where Sandys mother was born. After the treehouse design was completed, an arborist checked the trees health and trimmed branches while Nelson and his team assembled walls, window and door frames and trimwork at their Fall City, Wash., workshop. From late January to mid-February, Nelson and his construction crew assembled the house, starting with a platform anchored by Nelson-designed tree attachment bolts. Steel pins about the diameter of a soft drink can are inserted into nine-inch holes bored into a trees heartwood. Through time, a trees trunk grows around the pin, solidifying its fit. What is built on the platform, in contrast, needs a certain flexibility to move with the tree in wind and weather. The Maddoxes treehouse, complete with a small tree growing through it, stands about 10 feet off the ground, not as high as many of Nelsons creations, and its weight is partially supported by vertical braces. Nelson said that early in his career he was a purist and avoided such connecting structures, but eventually mellowed. I think the important thing is to get people into the trees, he said. The opportunity to spread that message led Nelson to agree to the television series. Initially concerned that a television crew might interfere with his crews work, Nelson found them even more highly organized and efficient. Creative, too. They would take us out of the box a lot of times, he said. A staircase leads to the Maddoxes finished structure with its floor of Douglas fir, pine walls and roof, and western red cedar window and door frames. A semi-circular deck wraps around the treehouse while inside is a living area with chairs, table, sink, microwave and refrigerator; a loft; a bedroom with queen bed; and a bathroom with toilet and shower. Two dozen windows offer views of surrounding wheat fields, meadows and woods. Cozy confines Its close, but cozy. Jimmy compares it to a well-designed boat cabin. Theres not a bit of wasted space, he said. The cottage in the hackberry trees has about 600 square feet of space with a deck that contains another 280 square feet. The lady who decorated this said it was bigger than her New York apartment, Sandy said. But she had a great view of Central Park, Jimmy added. So how much did the treehouse cost? Neither the Maddoxes nor Nelson will say, but the builder acknowledged, Its a limited market of people who can spend what it takes to hire qualified carpenters, getting the materials and bringing them to the site. Sandy said the result was worth it. We see it as a legacy to our kids, but something whimsical, too, she said. The Maddoxes and their extended family assembled for a Treehouse Masters reveal after the house was finished and with summer ahead, the grandparents anticipate regular use of the above-ground retreat. All like it, but in varying degrees, Sandy said, explaining treehouse appeal isnt a factor of age, but personality. There are those who like country life and those who have to be entertained, she said. A New York attorney who filed a sexual misconduct complaint against U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. is appealing the judges reprimand, saying Smiths punishment is far too lenient and he deserves to be impeached. Ty Clevenger, formerly of Dallas, filed his appeal Monday with the Judicial Conference Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability of the Administrative Office of United States Courts in Washington, D.C. He is appealing a December decision by the Judicial Council of the 5th U.S. District Court of Appeals that formally reprimanded Smith after finding he made inappropriate and unwanted physical and nonphysical advances toward a court employee in his court chambers in downtown Waco in 1998. The court also stripped Smith from hearing any new criminal or civil cases filed after Dec. 3 for one year. I am appealing the decision because I think no one should be above the law, even if you are a federal judge, Clevenger said Monday. He deserves to be impeached. Smith, 75, has been a federal judge since 1984. He has denied comment throughout the 14-month process that included the complaint being filed, the 5th Circuit investigation and the courts decision last month. The Tribune-Herald was unable to reach the judge Monday. In his two-page letter of appeal, Clevenger said Smiths conduct, as determined by the courts investigation, could have been classified as a felony. Im sure most felons wish they could receive such lenient treatment, Clevenger wrote. It seems the Fifth Circuit has created a new category of crime the de minimis felony for those cases where the perpetrator is a federal judge. While the Judicial Council of the New Orleans-based federal appellate court found that Smiths conduct was in contravention of existing standards of behavior for federal judges, it concluded that his actions do no warrant a recommendation of impeachment. The order of the Judicial Council also said Smith does not understand the gravity of such inappropriate behavior and the serious effect that it has on the operations of the courts. The Judicial Council also finds that Judge Smith allowed false factual assertions to be made in response to the complaint, which, together with the lateness of his admissions, contributed greatly to the duration and cost of the investigation, the order, signed by 5th Circuit Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart, said. The council also directed Smith to complete at his expense a sensitivity training course about appropriate professional interaction. The council appointed U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade, of Dallas, to serve as liaison between Smith and the Judicial Council and to make recommendations as Kinkeade deems appropriate. Clevengers appeal asks how many felonies a judge needs to commit before the Judicial Council is willing to recommend impeachment. If a courthouse security officer had forcibly groped (the clerk), he would have been fired summarily and probably arrested, the letter said. He certainly would not have gotten away with a reprimand, sensitivity training and a reduced workload at full pay. . . . Does anyone seriously think that sensitivity training will be able to fix that kind of problem in an unrepentant 75-year-old man? Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, of San Antonio, issued an order last month that directs all new cases filed in Wacos federal court as of Dec. 3 to be assigned to a visiting judge docket. Bierys order transfers many of Smiths normal duties to U.S. Magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske, including pretrial proceedings and requests for injunctive relief. Visiting judges will be brought in to handle matters over which Manske has no jurisdiction. Clevenger supplemented his complaint against Smith in October to allege that Smith and Waco attorney Greg White violated conflict-of-interest standards by failing to disclose that White represents Smith in the judicial sexual misconduct investigation to attorneys opposing White in a civil case presided over by Smith. The investigation council also found that Smith did not follow appropriate procedures regarding his subsequent recusal from the case involving White. Initial complaint Clevengers initial complaint against Smith also included allegations that Senior U.S. District Judge Harry Lee Hudspeth, of Austin, who was chief judge of the Western District of Texas at the time, was told about the allegations against Smith and failed to take appropriate action. Clevenger said the 5th Circuit notified him recently that the query involving Hudspeth remains open. The former clerk wrote a letter to Smith in 1998, telling the judge that his proposition to me completely caught me off-guard. It frightened me and has caused me much grief and emotional anguish, she wrote. It was very inappropriate, and I did nothing to provoke it. According to the womans testimony in a sworn deposition, on the day she said she was assaulted, she saw Smith at the third-floor water fountain in the Waco federal courthouse and he invited her to visit him in his chambers. She said it was 8:30 a.m. and he had a pretty strong smell of liquor on his breath. The woman said she was puzzled by his request because they rarely spoke and rarely saw each other at work. She said she went back to her desk and her phone rang. She said it was Smith asking where she was because he had told her to come see him. When she went to the judges office, Smith closed the door behind her, put his arms around her and kissed her, she testified. I just froze. I couldnt move. And he said, Let me make love to you. And I, and I, I just freaked out, she said in the deposition. She said Smith tried to touch her inappropriately, but she pulled away and told him she had to get back to work. The woman testified that after the incident, Smith sent her flowers at work and continued to make advances. She told her supervisor, who reported the alleged incident to Hudspeth, who at that time was presiding judge over the federal district that includes Waco. She testified that Hudspeth called her at home but seemed dismissive about her charges. He asked me, What do you want me to do about it? she testified. Precinct 3 County Commissioner Will Jones reported almost $26,000 in political contributions, by far the most between the two commissioner races, while his opponent Ben Matus listed about $11,000 in campaign coffers, all from personal finances and a loan. We were really blessed, Jones said. I think it just goes to show that people believe in the job Im doing as county commissioner. I reached out to a lot of people. The overwhelming response was, Yes, we want you to continue what youre doing, Will. Jones said he has a plan in place for how to best spend the contributions, including buying advertising, signs and all your usual campaign stuff. Jones, a Republican, faces Matus, of West, in the March 1 primary election. County commissioners receive a $90,020 annual salary. Matus, 63, an auto repair instructor at Texas State Technical College for the past 29 years, reported no political contributions from outside sources between Nov. 17 and Dec. 31. He listed almost $3,300 in political expenditures, which went toward various advertising. He took out a $5,000 loan from Educators Credit Union and added more than $6,000 to his campaign from personal finances. Between July 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2015, Jones received $25,785 in political contributions and spent more than $2,000 on event expenses, advertising and fees. Top contributors to Jones campaign include nine people who each donated $1,000: John Derrick, an agent with Kelly Realtors; Larry Jaynes, Fashion Glass & Mirror owner; David Lacy, Community Bank and Trust president; Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP; Melvin Lipsitz, M. Lipsitz & Co., Ltd. owner; Joe Nemmer, Nemmer Electric owner; Jeff Reeter, Northwestern Mutual managing partner; investor Tom Salome; and Richard Welday, who did not have an employer listed. Jones also received $250 from Chris and Kristi DeCluitt and $250 from K. Paul Holt. DeCluitt is the countys criminal justice program analyst, and Holt is the McLennan Community College Board of Trustees chairman. Jones defeated Democrat Brian Scott in the November 2012 election in the race to replace retiring McLennan County Commissioner Joe Mashek. Jones ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for county GOP chairman. Matus this month said that in December Jones offered to personally reimburse Matus $1,250 filing fee if he withdrew his bid to unseat Jones as the Precinct 3 commissioner. Matus said at the time that he spoke to a staff attorney at the Texas Ethics Commission about the offer and was referred to the local district attorneys office if chooses to file a complaint. Jones acknowledged he offered to reimburse Matus the cost of his filing fee, describing it as a simple business transaction. Precinct 1 Another seat on the court is up for an election this year. Precinct 1 McLennan County Commissioner Kelly Snell, of Robinson, faces a primary opponent in Cory Priest, of Lorena. Between July 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2015, Snell received $1,750 in political contributions and spent $1,305, according to his campaign finance report. During that same time period, Priest received $4,150 and spent more than $6,400 on fees, advertising and food, according to his campaign finance report. Priest received two donations of $1,000. One was from John Embry, and the other was from Kelly Hancock. Precinct 1 includes parts of Waco, Beverly Hills, Robinson, Golinda, Lorena, Bruceville-Eddy and Moody. Snell, who was first elected in 2009, defeated three-term incumbent Wendall Crunk in the 2008 GOP primary. Snell owns Texas Electrical Energy Savers Inc. Priest owns a cattle business and real estate and is co-owner of a construction company in Waco. LOCAL CANDIDATES CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS County Commissioner Precinct 3 Will Jones, incumbent: Raised $25,785 and spent $2,063 Ben Matus: Raised no political contributions and spent $3,296 County Commissioner Precinct 1 Kelly Snell, incumbent: Raised $1,750 and spent $1,305 Cory Priest: Raised $4,150 and spent $6,458 McLennan County Sheriff race Parnell McNamara, incumbent: Raised $89,815 and spent $45,311 W. Patrick Swanton: Raised $31,274.19 and spent $14,636 Willie Tompkins: Did not file Hewitt City Council on Monday approved a resolution supporting a $13 million affordable-housing development for seniors. Austin-based firm DMA Housing LLC requested the resolution to support its proposed senior citizens housing development, the Reserve at Dry Creek, at 900 N. Old Temple Road. The company will move forward by using the resolution to apply for Housing Tax Credits from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The company hopes to bring the citys first senior-only housing to Hewitt if approved for the tax credits. Janine Sisak, DMA senior vice president, said the tax-credit program is very competitive. Based on self-scoring, she said, Hewitt has a good chance at getting the development. If approved, seniors over the age of 62 could live in the development after meeting the requirements by the Texas Department of Community Affairs. Reserve at Dry Creek would sit on about 10 acres and possibly have 106 units, she said. Included in the citys resolution is a $500 fee waiver for DMA Housing to build the development. Construction would start in spring 2017 if DMA receives the award. Sisak said there is no actual economic benefit for the company to ever flip the property, and if for any reason that were to happen, the new general partner would be subject to the same land restrictions for 40 years. Sisak said their properties typically average a 95 to 100 percent occupancy rate. The development is targeted to attract elderly households to downsize, those with modest retirement savings and those who cant afford full-service senior facilities. The property would not be Section 8 housing, she said. Typically our seniors move out when they need a higher level of care, or they die, she said. If the project moves forward, it would be the second large housing developments approved by the city in recent months. In September, the city council approved rezoning property to allow a $30-million high-end apartment complex to come to town. Construction on the 264-unit complex on Ritchie Road is expected to begin this summer. The complex, called The Icon at Hewitt, will be built by Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Case & Associates Properties Inc. The land is adjacent to the new public safety facility and the under-construction city hall and library. Also at the meeting, the council approved more than $153,000 to purchase furniture and equipment for the new library. City Manager Adam Miles said it was a big deal to get a facility that Hewitt deserves. Staff doesnt anticipate any other large purchases in the near future for the library, he said. The next few purchases will include a fence for the back of the courtyard at the facility, some signage and miscellaneous moving expenses. (Librarian Waynette Ditto) has literally spent hours on working to get this number down, down, down, Miles said. The new $4.5 million joint city hall and library is located on Patriot Court, just off Hewitt Drive and Ritchie Road, and was approved to meet the citys growth. The current city hall was built in 1990, and the city has grown 400 percent since that time. It is important to note that the purchase of some items has been postponed due to budget limitations. It is expected that additional furnishings will be acquired over time as funds become available, city documents state. When Arizona Sen. John McCain was running for president in 2008, his campaign experienced turbulence over an issue currently vexing the campaign of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz: the phrase in the Constitution stipulating that the president must be a natural born citizen. There are conflicting legal views (naturally) about what this means. Law professor Gabriel Chin of the University of California at Davis wrote a paper arguing that McCains birth outside U.S. borders, in the Canal Zone, made him ineligible for the presidency. Billionaire Donald Trump, a birthers birther, makes a similar claim about Cruz, who was born in Canada and held Canadian citizenship for most of his life. I asked Trevor Potter, a former Federal Elections Commission chairman who was the general counsel of McCains presidential campaign, about that campaigns research into McCains eligibility and what it might tell us about Cruzs situation. Potter studied the issue carefully. Bottom line: Its dicier than you might think. Q: How seriously did you take claims that John McCain might not qualify as a natural born citizen? A: We looked carefully into the issue early on. We were aware of the question being raised in earlier presidential campaigns. Barry Goldwater was born in a territory of the U.S. and George Romney was born in Mexico to two American-born parents. We consulted constitutional law professors. We had an opinion from [Gibson Dunn lawyer Theodore] Ted Olson and [Harvard professor Laurence] Larry Tribe that confirmed our understanding that John McCains birth to two American parents on a U.S. military base in a U.S.-controlled territory was as close to the historic English understanding of the term natural born citizen as possible. Q: Those are a lot of supporting factors: U.S. parents on a U.S. military base in a U.S.-controlled territory. Despite all that, the McCain legal team was still concerned about the definition of natural born citizen and whether a legal challenge to a McCain presidency might be upheld? A: We were very comfortable that we would win any legal challenge. What was less clear is who would have standing to bring a legal challenge and at what stage in the process. The campaign actually responded to several suits, and all were dismissed by the courts. Q: Would you have the same degree of confidence if your candidate just thinking out of the blue here had been born in Canada of one American parent? A: We believed McCains birth made his situation absolutely congruent with English precedents at the time the Constitution was adopted. The Founders used the English phrase natural-born citizen, which had that same common meaning. Any divergence from Sen. McCains particular circumstances by definition changes the facts and takes us further away from the common-law meaning circa 1789. One American parent and one foreign parent; a birth in a foreign country and not on a U.S. base; and not while the parents were in the service of the nation; dual citizenship for an entire adult life all of those facts are certainly different from Sen. McCains case. Q: So is it fair to say that you were comfortable with McCains circumstances in 2008 but you would not be able to apply your conclusions from that experience to the very different circumstances of Sen. Cruz? A: After conducting legal analysis of the term natural born citizen we were very comfortable with Sen. McCains eligibility based on multiple factors. Without those specific factors two U.S. citizen parents, birth on a U.S. base on U.S.-controlled territory our comfort level that the candidate met the constitutional requirement would have declined. Francis Wilkinson writes on politics and domestic policy for Bloomberg View. An old witticism holds that the problem with juries is theyre made up of people who arent smart enough to get out of jury duty. One wonders if that will be so amusing after District Clerk Jon Gimble sends out letters informing the 270 people who simply blew off jury summons this month that they can now explain all this to State District Judge Ralph Strother and why they shouldnt be held in contempt of court. Onerous government overreach? Hardly. And its high time. In laying out the Bill of Rights, the Founding Fathers stressed through the Sixth Amendment that citizens charged with a crime had a right to trial before an impartial jury, a right that can be traced all the way back to the Magna Carta of 1215. And while this amendment originally applied only to federal trials, the 14th Amendment helped ensure this also applied to trials involving the individual states. But federal and state justice systems cant function if citizens ignore jury summons, as is reportedly the case in McLennan County. District Clerk Gimble says on average 70 percent of people summoned for jury duty dont bother to respond to court notices. Were not talking about people who show up for jury duty to then seek waivers before the judge. And were not talking about people who understandably seek to change jury service dates because of other, unavoidable obligations. Were talking about scofflaws who in the past have probably gotten away with ignoring jury summons and so feel free to do so again. Happily, Judge Strother is giving the 270 people in this particular case a chance to reschedule their service. Our advice: Take the offer and fast. Some of us were a little doubtful when district judges and Gimble warned late last year they would take more seriously those who ignore jury duty, but were glad to see them actually laying down the law. Its overdue. People held in contempt for failing to appear for jury duty can face fines ranging from $100 to $1,000. And those who think they can also ignore Gimbles forthcoming letters are subject to a personal visit by a sheriffs deputy with orders to haul them into court. Americans should revel in jury service, given its one of the very few obligations a citizen has. It ensures our courts operate properly. And with controversial trials coming up involving everything from liability in the deadly 2013 West fertilizer plant explosion to guilt or innocence in the 2015 Twin Peaks biker shootout, citizens should be a part of the equation ensuring that any justice dealt is truly just. Article originally published on the Commemorative Air Forces website The CAFs High Sky Wing is proud to announce the CAF Airpower Museum in Midland, Texas will soon reopen as the Midland Army Air Field (MAAF) Museum. The MAAF Museum will provide visitors an opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of 1940s West Texas. The gallery spaces within the Main Hangar at the High Sky Wing complex have been renovated and designed to exhibit the vast collection of MAAF artifacts. MAAF was the largest bombardier training school in World War II. The MAAF training school welcomed its first class 42-6 on February 6, 1942. In total 6,627 bombardier officers graduated from MAAF. Other exhibits will include West Texans who made an impact during World War II, George H.W. Bush will be one of the individuals highlighted. An addition to the interactive exhibit displays, museum patrons will be able to view the vast collection of aircraft maintained and operated on the High Sky Wing Campus. The High Sky Wing is excited to help reconnect our communities to the Ghosts of West Texas via educational exhibits and aircraft rides opportunities. Seventy-four years to the day the training school welcomed its first cadets, the MAAF Museum will open its doors to the public for a grand opening and preview of the newly designed facility. The museum will soon establish hours of operation. For more information visit www.HighSkyWing.org. Fore more photos click HERE. The world gained another airworthy Curtiss Kittyhawk when P-40N 42-105120 took to the skies on the morning of Monday, January 11th following a ten year restoration with Chris and Gail Kirchners C&G Air at the Leeward Air Ranch in Ocala, Florida. The aircraft is a veteran of the Aleutians campaign, although the restoration bares the famous skull motif of the 80th Fighter Groups Burma Banshees on the port side. Captain Ernest Hickox flew her along the Aleutian archipelago with the 343rd Fighter Group in Alaska. Hickox named his P-40 the Bonnie Kaye after his wife and daughter back home, repainting the starboard cowling in their honor. Sadly, both Hickox and Bonnie Kayes luck ran out on July 25th, 1945, when they crashed on Unalaska Island while escorting an amphibian on a search and rescue mission for another missing pilot. Hickox received a posthumous Soldiers Medal for his bravery and sacrifice in a non-combat endeavor. The wrecked Kittyhawk remained in-situ for the next five decades, before Ken Hake salvaged her remains in the early 1990s. Chris and Gail Kirchner acquired the wreck from Hake in 2004 and began the painstaking process of restoring the aircraft not too long after. It has been a labor of love for the couple and a small dedicated band of volunteers. Chris Kirchner has a powerful, personal connection to the P-40 Kittyhawk. His father served as a quartermaster under Claire Chennault in the famed Flying Tigers (post AVG) between 1942 and 1945. The memory of Ernest Hickox was also ever present for the restoration team, and became even stronger when the pilots daughter, Kaye Henning, contacted them after finding out about the rebuild of her late fathers lost Kittyhawk. She presented the Kirchners with a photograph of Hickox and his fighter, which was must have been incredibly moving for all involved, not to mention helpful in getting the markings repainted correctly. The Bonnie Kaye was finally ready to fly in recent weeks, and veteran warbird pilot, Mike Burke, came all the way from Texas to perform the test flights, which have gone well so far. Matt Abrams, who graciously provided the beautiful images in this article, described those initial forays as follows. all went well. The first flight conducted by Mike Burke was brief with two hops around the pattern and then a landing; all without retracting the landing gear. About an hour later, it flew again. This time the landing gear was retracted on takeoff and the plane flew wide patterns around the airport for about four or five circuits before it lined up and came down the runway for a high speed low pass at about 50ft AGL, which was quite wonderful to see up close like thatThe way the place is setup, we were on the parallel taxiway about 5 away from the runway lights, so needless to say, we were very up close and it was quite the view. A few hours later, they went up and did a third flight which was very similar to the second one. The aircraft flew another two or three times today and all seems to still be going well. The whole neighborhood was out there for the event, so when the plane would land, there were about a hundred people that immediately congregated around it, so the pilot would get out and he and the owner would immediately go inside the owners house, presumably to debrief as well as get prepared for the next flight. I will definitely keep you posted along the way as things progress! Thank you very much to Matt Abrams for the photos and the report of the test flight. Visit Matts website for really great photography. Thanks to Jack Cook for the historical information about the aircraft. More photos of the test flight [inpost_galleria thumb_width=200 thumb_height=200 post_id=23332 thumb_margin_left=3 thumb_margin_bottom=0 thumb_border_radius=2 thumb_shadow=0 1px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) id= random=0 group=0 border= show_in_popup=0 album_cover= album_cover_width=200 album_cover_height=200 popup_width=800 popup_max_height=600 popup_title=Gallery type=yoxview sc_id=sc1452944451921] ACT Policing has warned Canberrans to be wary of a common scam operating in the area by callers pretending to be from the Australian Tax Office. Officers are investigating a "number of incidents" where people have been defrauded of amounts ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to a hundred thousand by scammers. Criminal Investigations Manager Response Sergeant Marcus Boorman said many of the incidents involved a similar approach. "Often the call comes from what appears to be an Australian phone number and the person claims to be from the ATO. They say that the victim must repay a tax debt. They may also threaten arrest if the victims don't pay up," he said. "They'll often ask victims to pay by money transfer or provide their credit card details. It's incredibly difficult to get your money back once you've been scammed." A Belconnen couple have been banned from owning animals for five years after being convicted of animal cruelty charges described as abhorrent, appalling and an offence to the Canberra community. Three dogs under the care of the couple were seized by RSPCA inspectors in late 2014 in a severely emaciated state with illnesses from inadequate worming. A picture of the conditions the dog was living in at the Belconnen home. Inspectors were appalled by the dogs' poor living conditions and an unwillingness to provide appropriate care. The couple kept the dogs on chains to stop them attacking each other, with one found with a bloody ear on inspection. Shawn Hemphill, 32, became tearful when sentenced by Special Magistrate Margaret Hunter in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday afternoon. The number of Canberra motorists caught drink driving on ACT roads during the holidays remained stable, despite a significant fall in the number of breath tests police carried out compared to the previous year. Thirty-five motorists were nabbed driving alcohol-affected from 5928 random breath tests carried out between December 24 and January 4. A roadside drug driving test. Sixteen Canberra drivers tested positive for drugged driving from 107 roadside mouth swab tests carried out. Credit:Rohan Thomson That was up only slightly from last summer's double demerit period, which saw 32 drivers test positive to alcohol from 10,594 breath tests. Sixteen drivers tested positive for drugged driving from 107 roadside mouth swab tests carried out. Federal MP Clive Palmer could have saved the jobs of 237 Queensland workers if he wanted to, a former member of his party says. Senator Glenn Lazarus was a member of the Palmer United Party when it received about $20 million in political donations from Mr Palmer's Queensland Nickel business, which went into administration on Monday. Glenn Lazarus with Palmer United Party founder Clive Palmer back when they were party mates. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The now independent senator says Mr Palmer could have sold off some of his asset to save the troubled business, but didn't. He has lodged a claim with Fair Work Australia alleging his hours were unfairly cut by half after he complained about not having breaks. A party was held in what workers say was the surgical linen folding room. "The soiled linen and the clean linen is not separated and the spread of infection is unavoidable," he says. "The place is infested with insects." "Their weapon is to drop hours and also use humiliation. The managers are very hard to approach because everyone is scared of getting bullied. They have no respect for anyone and people are suffering." Linen bound for Melbourne hospitals. A spokeswoman for Spotless said the Abbotsford laundry was clean and "completely sanitised before the start of each shift, every day" and was independently audited and inspected twice a year. "Linen sorting, processes and hygiene are of the highest standards as you would expect, and are closely supervised, reviewed regularly and audited independently," the spokeswoman said. Linen at Spotless' Abbotsford. These workers have described appalling Dickensian-type conditions with a racists slurs on top of that. Yarra Councillor Stephen Jolly She said claims of dirty linen lingering at the site were "simply untrue", and the longest turnaround it experienced are over weekend periods. "To be clear, the fabric draped over the storage carts is protective this is how our carts are arranged in storage. Linen bound for Melbourne hospitals at Spotless' laundry at Abbotsford. "The commercial laundering of blankets, towels and sheets does create a lot of fluff and dust as you would expect but there is a strict process in place to ensure each workspace is thoroughly clean before the start of each day." But the spokeswoman did confirm a party was held at the laundry. "There has been no parties or events planned by the business or the management inside this facility," she said. "A staff member brought in some things to celebrate a colleague's birthday before the commencement of their shift. Management addressed the issue after being informed." Former worker, Korlu Zarwue, 24, originally from Liberia, said she suffered racist abuse from managers who talked about "dark babies in Africa" and "her sort of people". "I went home and cried about it," she said of one such incident. "Those managers are very racist." Another employee, who declined to be named, also has a pending Fair Work claim. He alleges his hours were unfairly cut after he asked for lighter duties because of a minor back injury. He has since been reinstated. "I was treated very badly and sent home for three days," he said. "It seems like people need to go to Fair Work just to get paid properly." Other workers wanted to remain anonymous for fear of losing their jobs but backed up the claims of racial taunts, bullying and exploitation. They claim several workers fainted in the poorly ventilated and un-airconditioned factory during recent heat and another suffered a nose bleed. The Spotless claims come amid a Senate inquiry into the exploitation of foreign workers, including systemic wage fraud in the 7-Eleven empire, exposed by Fairfax Media and Four Corners. One in 10 workers in Australia are on a visa, the inquiry heard. Spotless reported a $2.8 billion revenue last year, employs 39,000 people and services major clients such as the MCG, Melbourne Airport, the Western Australia Department of Housing and the New Zealand Defence Force. However, it has had a horror month that saw its share price halved following a shock earnings downgrade. The company blamed increased labour costs at newly acquired laundry businesses as one of the biggest contributors to the downgrade, as well as a delay and deferral of tender decisions across the business. It was also embarrassed when Fair Work ordered a young whistleblower be reinstated last month. The man was sacked after appearing on the ABC's 7.30 report to expose the exploitation of cleaners that Spotless had subcontracted to work at Myer. Yarra Councillor Stephen Jolly, who the Abbotsford workers first contacted for help, accused the company of "ripping off" local workers. . "These workers have described appalling Dickensian-type conditions with a racists slurs on top of that," he said. Chief executive Martin Sheppard, whose tenure began in November, said the company supported whistleblowers and was a "very proud employer of people from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds". "Not for a second would this management team countenance any form of behaviour that disrespects any colleague on any basis," Mr Sheppard said. When Prime Minister Turnbull visits the Oval Office this week, he faces clear choices about the kind of foreign policy leadership he offers Australia. In an ideal world, our Prime Minister would be confident and forthright about Australian values and interests, supportive of the American approach where this aligns with our own, and critical where it doesn't. That's unlikely to happen. If anything characterises Australian foreign policy today, it is silent complicity. We follow the US into wars that are devoid of strategy or a clear endgame, without explaining to Australians how sending troops overseas does anything to make anyone safer. In exchange for Sri Lanka's help to prevent people seeking asylum from leaving their shores, we give their secret police military equipment and actively undermine UN attempts to investigate human rights abuses and war crimes. On Hun Sen's Cambodian regime which is violently undermining democracy by arresting and attacking Opposition parliamentarians Australia is silent, in the hope that country will continue to resettle refugees from our offshore detention camps. When the courageous publishing organisation Wikileaks blew the whistle on war crimes and corruption, our government stood by meekly while US authorities attempted to destroy the organisation. Our so-called leaders talk about Australian values, but when it comes to practising that on the world stage, they fail us in the extreme. Australia hasn't always limited its global influence in this way. After the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, Prime Minister Bob Hawke enabled 42,000 Chinese students to remain in safety in Australia, and was a vocal opponent to the "systematic repression of legitimate democratic aspirations" in China. As former Australian Ambassador to China Stephen FitzGerald has reflected, Gough Whitlam enraged Washington when he spoke out publicly against the 1972 Christmas bombings of Hanoi, "but, like it or not, in the end America accepted his re-framing of relations." In failing to pursue an independent foreign policy, we renounce our ambition to be a confident 21st century country and undermine our own national interests. By following the US into air strikes in Syria, we contribute further to destabilisation in a region torn apart by illegal invasion in 2003, and we make Australians less safe. We know this because the 2003 invasion of Iraq had the same effect, with intelligence organisations around the world confirming that this helped grow a new generation of radicalisation. Though the Prime Minister's reluctance to commit further troops in December 2015 may show a departure from the usual script which would be very welcome indeed we have to question why our troops are there in the first place. Why would we not be better served by a strategy to combat extremism with inclusion at home, while supporting global efforts to cut off financial and personnel support to Islamic State? Instead we've followed the US into yet another conflict, again with no clear strategic objective, and without pausing to question whether this is really in anyone's best interests. On Saturday, in the report on the frequent occurrence of dreadful acts of self-harm among the asylum seekers marooned on Australia's two offshore processing centres, Fairfax Media documented what has long been obvious to common sense. The 1500 or so fellow human beings we have sent to Nauru or Manus Island, most for two years or more, are in the grip of an almost unimaginable despair. As in my opinion and experience, most Australians would not inflict grievous suffering on innocent human beings for no reason, what needs to be explained is why as a people we are willing, in full knowledge of the facts, to refuse to settle these people in Australia and to tolerate their destruction in body and in spirit. The Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea. Credit:Andrew Meares The principal answer is surprisingly straightforward. Between 2009 and 2013, 50,000 asylum seekers arrived on Australian shores by boat. On their way to Australia another thousand drowned. Officials in Canberra, both major political parties and the overwhelming majority of the Australian people, believe the sacrifice of those now on Nauru and Manus Island is justified in order to prevent a return of the boats. What is so terrible is that the logic underlying this argument is so easily shown to be false. "It's better for them to disengage from any contact with the kidnappers and let a professional negotiator do the work for the family," Professor Williams said. Private contractors with local relationships, knowledge and expertise can be arranged through organisations such as Hostage UK. The British government's policy is to hand over a situation to private negotiators as soon as they establish it's a kidnap-for-ransom. Nigel Brennan at a media conference following his release in 2009. Credit:Marco Del Grande For now, Australian authorities such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Federal Police will be seeking to make contact with the extremist group through local authorities in Mali and Burkina Faso, to liaise with a third party such as militants Ansar Dine, who have previously spoken on behalf of Emirate of the Sahara. The no-ransom policy means government is limited to negotiating without promising financial gain, undertaking a rescue operation, outsmarting hostage takers or stepping back and enabling the family to negotiate through private firms. Nigel Brennan shortly after his release following 15 months as a hostage. When governments remain involved, captors can believe they will secure a larger ransom. In a 2011 Senate inquiry into the government's responses to overseas kidnapping, DFAT admits its no-ransom policy limits what it can do. Andrew Thirsk who was killed during a botched rescue attempt in Yemen. Credit:Andrew Taylor "The often extensive assistance we provide to kidnap victims and their families is within the context of this clear no-ransom policy," they said. "We will provide strong consular support. We will also draw on our own resources, alliance, intelligence information and relations with other governments, but the no-ransom policy clearly puts limits on our involvement." Douglas Wood, who was rescued from Iraqi insurgents in 2005. It is possible, but unlikely, for a successful outcome to be negotiated without a sizeable ransom payout. Ransom It is down to the Elliott family to provide enough money to satisfy the militants. This can be a significant challenge. Dr Ken Elliott in his Dijbo surgery. Credit:Centre Medico-Chirurgicale de Djibo Hostage takers in the region believe that all Westerners are very wealthy, which is true when compared to their own socio-economic status. However, this leads them to demand millions of dollars that most families do not have. Professor Williams says this is where wealthy benefactors can be essential. In 2008, Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan was kidnapped by Somalian insurgents and was released a year later when a payment of $1.3 million was secured with the help of a private security firm. This was partially enabled by $500,000 from philanthropist Dick Smith and $100,000 from former Greens leader Bob Brown. Testament to the challenge of funding a ransom payment is the plight of a Swede and South African held by the same militant group in Mali since 2011. The government stands by the longstanding position that financing ransoms encourages further kidnappings and more outrageous demands. This policy is shared by the United States, New Zealand, Britain and Canada. Security firm Clayton Consultants advises that the kidnap-for-ransom industry remains lucrative, not being vulnerable to "volatile upswings and downswings of market conditions". "Not only is it profitable, but when planned properly, it requires very little investment for a high yield of return." Military operation An armed rescue operation is high-risk - less safe than negotiating an outcome and requiring extensive local intelligence and expertise. It is very easy for hostage takers to kill their prisoners before they are rescued and the only country with trusted capability in the region is France, a former colonial power. In 1998, Sydney accountant Andrew Thirsk was killed in a bungled rescue attempt. He was caught in a shoot out as Yemeni security forces sought to retrieve him from Islamic militants. Another hostage, Catherine Spence, survived unharmed. Conversely, a Dutch man being held by Emirate of the Sahara alongside the Swede and South African was rescued last year by French special forces. In 2005, Australian engineer Douglas Wood was successfully rescued from Iraqi insurgents when local and US military forces conducted a surprise operation. The Defence Force and DFAT agree that, while available, a military option is rarely feasible or advisable. Miley and Liam were spotted spending time together in Australia at the Falls Music Festival over New Years, and were reportedly spotted kissing and holding hands at a Golden Globes after party. Some believe Hemsworth will be a good influence on Cyrus, hoping to see her go back to her more subdued looks. "Hopefully she'll start wearing clothes again," said one fan. "You need to walk away Liam," said another. "He could do sooooo much better than Miley. She is so nasty!" said one fan. The pair have remained close since their split and have both recently spoken about their relationship and ongoing friendship. "You fall in love with who you fall in love with; you can never choose. I guess some people just come with a little more baggage," 25-year-old Liam told Men's Fitness in October when asked whether he felt he had "dodged a bullet" with Cyrus, given their different approaches to fame. "I mean, look - we were together five years, so I don't think those feelings will ever change. "And that's good because that proves to me that it was real. It wasn't just a fling. It really was an important part of my life and always will be. "She's a free spirit. I think she'll always surprise people with what she does, but she's not a malicious person in any way. She's a young girl who wants to do what she wants to do." An antenna repairman has been charged with indecently assaulting a woman in a shower after he was called to a western Sydney home to carry out repairs. Police allege the repairman, 42, was called to a house on Hutchens Avenue at Mount Pritchard to conduct repairs on the property's TV antenna in December last year. While the woman, 36, was taking a shower the man allegedly went into the bathroom and indecently assaulted her. The woman allegedly told him to leave and then contacted police after he had left. After a month long investigation, police from Cabramatta Local Area Command arrested the man on January 18 at a police station. A pregnant teenager has been kicked in the stomach and a man struck in the head with a hammer during a violent home invasion in Sydney's south, police say. The 16-year-old girl and the injured man, aged 37, are being treated in hospital following the assault at a unit in Cronulla in the early hours of Tuesday morning. A NSW Police spokeswoman said officers were called to the address on Waratah Street to reports that a group of people had forced their way inside the unit and attacked the pair. During the attack, the pregnant girl was kicked in the stomach and also suffered an injury to her face. The traditional three-person seats will continue to be a fixture in Sydney's double-decker trains, following the abject failure of a trial to gauge whether there was any benefit in getting rid of them. Gladys Berejiklian announced the trial removal of the three-person seat in mid-2013 on some Tangara trains, replaced with two seats or a bench. No future for the bench: the government has dropped plans to change the seating on trains following a bungled trial "The middle seat of the three person seat is often left empty so we want to see if this is a better use of that space," the former transport minister said at the time. Removing that seat, she said, could fit another 80 people into two carriages. That would be a boost of about 15 per cent, and potentially make it easier for people to get on and off the train. Nearly all of the government agencies which last year snooped on citizens' phone and internet records without warrants have reapplied to access the data following the introduction of legislation which was meant to reduce the scope of access. Sixty-one non-law enforcement federal and state agencies, including organisations such as Australia Post and Sydney's Bankstown City Council, have applied to access citizens' metadata for pursuing criminal activity or protecting public revenue. Nearly all the agencies which accessed citizens' private information in the past have applied for continued access. Credit:Louise Kennerley The telecommunications data may include information such as phone numbers and addresses of people who called each other, or email addresses and the times messages were sent. By comparison, the latest official government report on metadata access, covering a period before new mandatory data retention legislation came into effect in October last year, showed 69 agencies accessed metadata. At that time they were automatically authorised to access this data, however following the legislation, non-law enforcement agencies must now apply directly to federal Attorney-General George Brandis for temporary approval to access metadata for up to 40 parliamentary sitting days. A virus has attacked the computer system of one of Melbourne's largest hospital networks, causing chaos for staff and patients who may face delays as a result. Staff at Melbourne Health - the network which runs the Royal Melbourne Hospital - are urgently trying to repair damage to its IT system after a virus infected Windows XP computers. The health network's website is not working and says it is "currently under maintenance". An email sent to staff today said the virus had hit Melbourne Health's pathology department, causing staff to manually process specimens such as blood, tissue and urine samples instead of computers aiding the registration, testing and entry of results. While the Blood Bank is still operating for the hospital, the email said only urgent pathology specimens would be processed due to delays involved in "manual work-arounds" and that staff needed to send faxes to the pathology department if they required urgent results. Wild weather predicted across the city eased overnight as severe thunderstorm warnings for Perth were cancelled, but not before hail blanketed suburbs including Ellenbrook, Parkwood, Warnbro and Secret Harbour. The metropolitan station to receive the most rain was Jandakot, with 15.6 millimetres recorded between 9am Tuesday and 7am Wednesday, but the hail was widely recorded on social media. Weather over that period was even more spectacular in the regions, particularly the South West. Pemberton received another drenching with 73 millimetres of rain, following 160 millimetres of rain falling there on Monday night - almost eight times the usual rainfall in the area for the entire month of January. A former Kuta police chief has been demoted for at least a year over a scandal in which a group of Melbourne men were forced by police to pay a bribe after they hired a stripper at a buck's night. An ethics court also ordered the former police chief, Ida Bagus Dedy Januartha, to apologise to the Bali police chief over the incident. Kuta Police chief Dedy Januartha. Credit:Amilia Rosa The panel found he had violated the police ethics code by taking a cut of the bribe and failing to adequately supervise his officers. The judge said Mr Januartha's actions had a negative effect on the reputation of police. Police are investigating a threatening letter that warns the Balinese cities of Denpasar and Singaraja could be the next targeted by terrorists responsible for the Jakarta blasts. A letter delivered to a local government office in the Balinese regency of Buleleng warns the terror network responsible for the blasts outside the Sarinah shopping mall were "ready to blow up these cities in the name of Allah". A woman lays flower outside the Starbucks cafe where Thursday's attack took place in Jakarta. Credit:AP "Our members are currently present in Denpasar and Singaraja," it said. It warned they would attack shopping centres, offices and tourism destinations." Buleleng police chief Heri Heriyadi told Fairfax Media the police were conducting a full investigation, including taking witness accounts and scanning CCTV footage. Tuesday, we reported about the error of making a portion of the open disciplinary hearing, for Sergeant Burton in Glasgow, closed to the public. The public was asked to leave the room while Tammy Britt testified, to protect her personal privacy rights as an officer. Now a transcript of her testimony has been released. Britt sent a semi-nude photo of herself to another officer, which was then sent to Officer Burton by a third party. During the testimony, Britt was asked if she felt sexually harassed when the photo was turned over to the Police Chief. To which she replied "What made me feel sexually harassed was when I learned that this photo and everything involved with this photo was distributed among other co-workers and other supervisors of mine." Mayor Dick Doty has not made a decision on Sergeant Burton's future with the Glasgow Police Department and doesn't expect to make one this week. The full version of the transcript is attached. A disciplinary hearing was held Monday night to decide the professional fate of a sergeant of the Glasgow Police Department. Sergeant Michael Burton received screen shots, from a person who will remain anonymous. The screen shot showed a partially nude photo sent by a female co-worker, along with texts, exchanged by that female co-worker and Sergeant Terry Flatt. The texts were exchanged while they were on the clock. Burton said he heard through rumors that Chief Guy Howie was planning on making a 'change of command' between him and Sergeant Flatt. Burton emailed Howie, stating those rumors and asked to meet. He planned on talking about what he had received. According to what was presented at the hearing, Howie responded he wasn't planning on making a change of command and did not comment on meeting. At the hearing, Burton said that after trying and failing to meet with the Chief, he conducted an investigation himself. Burton then presented the evidence to Howie, who, on December 7th, 2015, requested that Captain Tony Morgan conduct an internal investigation. Morgan was not present at the hearing. "And you go to trial without the investigating officer, the case gets dismissed. Here, they didn't call him as a witness, they didn't subpoena him as a witness. We attempted to subpoena, but apparently he couldn't be located," Burton's attorney Stephen Poindexter said. During the hearing, Chief Howie recommended that Sergeant Burton be terminated from the Glasgow Police Department for violating multiple codes of conduct. "It's very heart breaking. I've had 11 years in this career with no disciplinary action from the Glasgow Police Department. And to know that there's supervisors and employees doing this kind of conduct, and after it's brought to their attention, nothing has happened to those employees, but yet I'm the one losing my career.. it's very heart breaking," Michael Burton said. According to a special notice about the meeting, because of recent changes to the "Police Officer Bill of Rights" the hearing was not required to be conducted before a city council. Mayor Dick Doty is the official who hired Guy Howie in October 2015, in hopes of repairing a broken police force. Both officers who exchanged the text messages, are currently receiving no disciplinary action. It is also because of those 'Bill of Rights' the woman who is involved cannot be named. While she testified, all civilians and media were asked to leave the room. "And it just, it just doesn't make sense. It doesn't seem like a fair hearing to me," Poindexter added. He says that if Burton is terminated, they plan to appeal. "I gave a lot to this community and I still will," Burton said. Julie Ann Williams, Glasgow Police Department Public Affairs Officer, helped Burton print the screen shot, which she received through email. Williams was terminated and Burton was suspended on January 5, 2016. Since she is a civilian employee, she does not get a hearing. Glasgow Mayor Dick Doty will make the decision by or on Friday. By Adam Morton Jan. 18, 2016 | 05:14 PM | PADUCAH, KY McCracken County officials are set to take a trip to Frankfort this week to discuss possible changes to the county's 911 service. The McCracken County Fiscal Court met in a Monday workshop session to talk about the progress of the county separating 911 facilities from the city. Judge Executive Bob Leeper and Sheriff Jon Hayden are scheduled to meet with Kentucky Justice Secretary John Tilly on Thursday. The meeting is to discuss the cost of the building and how to pay for it. "One of the major issues of their proposal is the cost of the building to put the 911 service in at the state police post. Previously they suggested that McCracken County or the city and county would go together to pay for that construction. We would like to see a different strategy for that, to share the cost with other people using the facility." Leeper said. Previously, the city had turned down the state police proposal to outsource the 911 center. Since that time, the county has been revisiting options of outsourcing its 911 service to Kentucky State Police. On the Net: Kentucky State Police are looking for a missing Monticello woman last seen in Hopkinsville By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 18, 2016 | 05:23 PM | FULTON COUNTY, KY A woman was arrested Saturday on various charges after a police pursuit in Fulton County. Fulton County deputies responded to a home on Vernon Street Saturday evening to serve an arrest warrant on 35-year-old Nickie Bradshaw, but no one would answer the door. A deputy drove around the block to watch the home, and after a while a pizza delivery driver arrived at the apartment. The occupants opened the door for the delivery driver and the deputy knocked and went into the apartment. Deputies said there was a strong smell of marijuana inside the home. When the deputy attempted to serve the warrant on Bradshaw she reportedly fled out the back door. She was found about 30 minutes later in the attic of another Vernon Avenue home. Deputies said they had to tase Bradshaw when she did not comply with their requests for her to come down out of the attic. Bradshaw was taken into custody and booked into the Fulton County Detention Center. The original warrant charged Bradshaw with 14 counts of 2nd degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, two counts of receiving goods by fraud under $500 within six months, 27 counts of fraudulent use of credit card more than $500 but under $10,000, knowingly exploiting an adult by a person over $300, and 1st degree being a persistent felony offender. Her bond was set at $250,000 cash. After Saturday's incident, new charges were added including fleeing or evading police, resisting arrest, wanton endangerment, alcohol intoxication in a public place, possession of marijuana, and contempt of court libel / slander resistance to order. Bond on these charges was set at $5000 cash. Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world Producers have announced that The Great British Bake Off presenter and WhatsOnStage Awards host Mel Giedroyc, will star in the UK premiere of JC Lee's play Luce at Southwark Playhouse. Directed by Simon Dormandy (The Hudsucker Proxy), Luce centres around the fear of homegrown terrorism, raising questions about parenting, education and racism. The play, which premiered at Lincoln Center Theater in 2013, will be designed by Dick Bird and runs at Southwark Playhouse from 9 March to 2 April 2016. Further casting is to be announced. It was recently announced that Giedroyc will again return to host this year's WhatsOnStage Awards Concert next month. To book tickets for the concert and cast your votes, click here. Loading... His first full length play was a surprise smash-hit about Welsh coal mining that transferred to the West End. His second has already won the Bruntwood award for playwriting and now arrives in London having been seen and praised last year in Manchester and Leeds. It's probably fair to say, then, that with only two plays behind him Chris Urch is already becoming one of British theatre's major talents. In The Rolling Stone, Urch couldn't be further from the damp dark underground of Wales. This time he writes about Uganda, a country where it is illegal to be gay. He focuses in on a family at the heart of the real-life hunts prompted by Kampala tabloid newspaper Rolling Stone in 2010, which outed homosexuals and called for their deaths. It's a brave choice of subject, especially for a writer with limited experience of Uganda. But a playwright's job is to imagine, immerse and re-create (something Urch points out in the programme notes). And it's clear Urch has done his research: he deals with the material with delicacy and intelligence and creates a meaty, believable storyline with some beautifully drawn characters. Dembe is an 18 year-old student who has met Sam, a boy who grew up in Londonderry but whose mum is Ugandan. Sam has come to work in Kampala and the two embark on an intense love affair. But around them the newspaper is stirring up distrust, prejudice and hatred. Because of Dembe's actions, his resolutely religious family including his brother Joe who has recently been made a pastor are placed in a horrendous position: support their loved one and risk potentially violent castigation by their community, or reject him. Ellen McDougall's production is set on a church-like stage, with a central plinth where pastor Joe preaches from. But, in several climactic final scenes, it is also used as a pedestal where each of the characters defend their actions. It is as if they each plead their cases while God, and also the audience, judges them. These scenes are searingly intense. There are a couple of great parts here and a superb cast impress. Fiston Barek as Dembe is brilliant, playing a man teetering between childhood and adulthood and facing a world viciously hostile to who he is. Jo Martin plays Mama, the local religious community pillar who fans the fires of hate, but appeals to God in the same breath. She is excellent, and it is the entire bunch who define this as a remarkable and deeply troubling production of a play that says some timeless things about family, religion and responsibility. The Rolling Stone runs at the Orange Tree Theatre until 20 February. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/01/2016 (2466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Jim Young would like a second chance to make a first impression. The NewLeaf Travel Company CEO announced Monday that it has decided to delay its launch date for flights while the Canadian Transportation Agency reviews licensing regulations for indirect air service providers. The company will refund all credit card transactions for reservations that were scheduled to begin Feb. 12. Young said he hopes the new discount airline, based in Winnipeg, will be in the air by spring and its customers will return because thousands and thousands of people made bookings online when NewLeaf started selling tickets to seven Canadian destinations on Jan. 6. Were the customers champion. We have brought low fares to the country and weve proven that people really want those, Young said at a press conference Monday. By giving everybody more than 28 days from our first flight to make other arrangements, we wanted to serve the best and thats why were doing this. Though the Canadian Transportation Agency was not prohibiting NewLeaf from operating during the review, Young said NewLeaf doesnt want any customers to have their bookings at risk and wants its customers to have time to make new arrangements. New Leaf CEO Jim Young leaves a scrum outside the company offices Monday. See Ashley Prest story re:Postponement of service. January 18, 2016 - (Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press) Theres still a lot of ambiguity and uncertainty with respect to whether or not were going to need to amend our agreement with Flair, he said, referring to the charter arrangement that NewLeaf currently has with Kelowna-based Flair Airlines Ltd. Under that agreement, Flair held the Canadian Transportation Agency operating licence while NewLeaf offered seat sales. Though the Canadian Transportation Agency gave NewLeaf an exemption from holding a licence directly while it reviews the licensing regulations, Young said the company is taking the high road right now to respect its customers. It came to the point where I had to make a really difficult decision with our partner Flair and I did not want to put our customers at risk, Yong said. Theyre spending their hard-earned money to actually fly. At these prices, theyre making decisions to make trips to take their families and I didnt want to get into a situation where theyd made arrangements with hotel rooms and other things and they wouldnt be able to get their money back because we were at some loggerhead with five days to go. Barry Rempel, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Airports Authority, said while he was disappointed as a consumer that NewLeaf had to delay its launch, hes happy as a stakeholder Young took the stance he did. As far as the consumer is concerned, hes taking the high road. If there is uncertainty, Id much rather see him come out and put it on hold, give everybody their money back so nobody is negatively impacted and come back when its all straightened out, he said. Rempel said the delay didnt make him lump NewLeaf in with failed carriers of the past, such as Canada 3000 or Greyhound. In fact, he said most people have forgotten that WestJet made a similar move before it took to the skies 20 years ago after being accused by Transport Canada of having planes in it fleet that didnt comply with serviceable requirements. They decided to shut down, address the issues squarely and come back and start again, Rempel said. Just how successful NewLeaf will be once it has settled its regulatory requirements remains to be seen. Thats going to be in the hands of the consumer, Rempel said. The Canadian Transportation Agency is reviewing whether organizations that do not operate any aircraft but market and sell air services to the public should be required to hold agency licences. As part of its review, the Canadian Transportation Agency is consulting with, and seeking comments from, stakeholders before finalizing its approach. The consultations end this Friday. We dont really know whats going to happen once the review is completed, Young said. What we want to do is see what the CTA review comes out with to make sure whether we need to actually get a licence or whether we can continue on with the way things are. Young said the Canadian Transportation Agency had given NewLeaf approval in December, which was why it started selling low-cost airfares on its website earlier this month. NewLeaf said those who made reservations are guaranteed the opportunity to re-buy their seats for the price they paid for it when NewLeaf resumes sales. NewLeaf was scheduled to take to the air on Feb. 12 with a network of seven cities, including Winnipeg, Halifax, Regina, Saskatoon, Kelowna, Abbotsford, B.C., and Hamilton. NewLeaf plans to achieve its model by focusing on smaller airports, a simple point-to-point network and avoiding larger, more expensive airports, such as Pearson in Toronto. That model includes providing passengers with a seat and a seat belt and then enabling them to customize their trip by paying for extras such as priority boarding, in-flight drinks and snacks as well as carry-on and checked baggage. NewLeaf will start out with two aircraft, a pair of 156-seat 737-400s, which are owned by its partner, Kelowna-based Flair Airlines. The plan is to grow to three planes within the first month and then to four by the summer. Within three years, Youngs goal is to have a fleet of 15 planes. The arrival of NewLeaf makes Canada the last of the G-20 countries to have an ultra-low-cost carrier, Rempel said. NewLeaf has hired a small handful of people for its Winnipeg head office and as the number of planes flying out of the city grows, that will increase as well. Eventually, Young said there will be 750 people based here, including administrative staff, pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/01/2016 (2466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Councillors on a civic committee criticized senior administration Monday for failing to keep them up to date with the Waverley underpass project and refused to rubber stamp an administrative report that they were told had to be approved. Couns. Devi Sharma, Cindy Gilroy and Shawn Dobson said they felt they were being rushed to approve a report that would have placed the $155-million project on the 2016 capital budget. This is a huge (project), with a big price tag, Sharma (Old Kildonan) said. Today, I dont feel I had enough time to make a proper decision. JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files The City of Winnipeg needs to raise its debt ceiling just to come up with its share of the cash for the Waverley underpass. Any further borrowing could lower its credit rating, which would automatically increase interest rates on debt, leading to a vicious cycle for civic finances. The special meeting of the public works committee was called early Friday afternoon and details of the project were only released at that time. In addition to including the underpass in the 2016 budget, the report called on the chief administrative officer to be given authority to award an untendered $12-million contract to a consulting firm to design and manage the project and for the CAO to be given authority to approve any over expenditures. Council voted in March 2015 to make the Waverley underpass the citys top priority to receive infrastructure funding from Ottawa and the province. Since then, as a council member I have heard nothing, Dobson (St. Charles) told reporters following the meeting. I think we should have heard something and the fact we didnt and it comes up (today) and were supposed to pass it right away, I dont think thats fair to us. CAO Doug McNeil told the committee that if they failed to approve the project, it would be delayed for up to a year. Committee chairwoman Coun. Janice Lukes told reporters she had been already briefed by both the administration and the consulting firm working on the project. Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) said she understood the councillors decision to take more time to consider the report. Theres a lot of information to go through and theres a lot of questions and sometimes the answers are not in the documents, Lukes said. Its difficult to access staff on the weekend to answer questions. Lukes said she believes there are opportunities to hold special meetings to ensure the report is approved to meet the administrations schedule. I dont know if it will be delayed a year, Lukes said. Hopefully we can speed up the process and not see that delay. Dobson and Gilroy supported a motion by Sharma to postpone any decision on the project for up to 60 days to allow the administration to brief all of council on new developments within the project. CAO Doug McNeil told the committee that there was no opportunity to brief councillors before Mondays meeting, explaining that staff were busy preparing the report. McNeil said council has to approve the report at its Jan. 27 meeting to ensure construction can start in 2017 and be completed by the fall of 2019. McNeil said further complicating the project are the plans by the Reh-Fit Centre and the provincial government, which will relocate the Pan Am Clinic into a site of the expanded Taylor facility. The committee was told that while the Reh-Fit Centre will begin work on its expansion later this year, the CN Rail lines that cross Waverley have to be detoured onto the vacant Reh-Fit property before the Reh-Fit Centre begins its construction work. The councillors said they werent satisfied with McNeils explanation. Theres been a lot of work on this project but nobody bothered to tell us, Dobson said. Gilroy said she doubted other councillors were aware of the reports significance. Gilroy and Sharma said once all of council is briefed on the project, special meetings of both the committee and council can be held to get the project back on track. Sharma said she isnt worried about the administrative-imposed deadline. Thats up to the CAO (McNeil), Sharma said. Im sure hell come up with something. McNeil told the committee that the need for the Waverley underpass has not changed despite recent, high-profile developments the end of the dispute between First Nations and Ottawa over the Kapyong Barracks and last weeks announcement of a special task force headed by former Quebec premier Jean Charest to examine the possibility of rail lines rationalization and relocation. McNeil said Ottawa has kept city hall in the dark over the Kapyong property which is key to any widening of Kenaston Boulevard and any actions from the rail task force is likely years down the road. aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/01/2016 (2466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Conservative Leader Brian Pallister says education will be the number one investment in the future of our province if he forms a government after the April 19 provincial election. Pallister has promised a Tory government would not cut teachers though it would recognize the autonomous authority of local school boards to do so. Pallister emphasized his own union roots as a teacher in a wide-ranging interview with Manitoba Teachers Society website manager and publications editor George Stephenson, to be published in the January-February issue of the Manitoba Teacher. Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press Brian Pallister says school boards have to be allowed to operate autonomously. MTS provided an advance copy to the Free Press you can read the entire article at wfp.to/mtspallister. The MTS article pointed out repeatedly there is widespread fear the Conservatives would return to their funding cuts of their last government in the 1990s and would impose standardized tests on the system. People working at the front line of the public service in health care, education and social services; thats your front line and I believe theres waste in government, Pallister said. We can find the waste, we can eliminate the waste, and we can protect front-line services. Thats what most people care about. But, Pallister cautioned, You have to allow local autonomy to exist. School boards have decisions to make. The decision I would make is to support education. What I am getting at is, in terms of the allocation of resources, that those resources have to be there for the front line. Stephensons article points out the Manitoba Conservatives have hammered the NDP over the results of national and international testing of students in math, reading and science, in which Manitoba students regularly rank at or near the bottom among Canadian provinces and territories. Frankly, it doesnt surprise me when I read these test results, Pallister told the teachers magazine. We face some challenges in our province, with a higher percentage than most provinces of new Canadians who have language challenges. We also have a high percentage of indigenous students who are moving into (large) schools, in many cases in the inner city, from isolated communities, remote communities, things like that. The culture shock (is) very real. Recognizing that is important, recognizing we have to focus on the needs of those students as young people with potential is really important. We have been gathering ideas and I am looking for more suggestions (from) teachers who I know have a great interest and stake in on how we can improve our offerings to those specific young people particularly, said Pallister, who wants a made-in-Manitoba solution. Teachers are telling me they would like to have more latitude to do more analysis, not less; more reporting, not less. But they want it to be worthwhile reporting, not necessarily reporting for show, but reporting accurately to give parents and students accurate feedback. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/01/2016 (2466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. It could only happen in Friendly Manitoba. Tuesday, a group of Syrians led by a Muslim woman from Iraq will pack up 34 executive suites full of donated furniture and furnishings from a downtown hotel that will be moved by Crystal Spring Colony Hutterites with trucks for distribution to resettled Syrian refugees. Crystal Spring Hutterite Colony is about 50 kilometres south of Winnipeg. John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press Ahlam Jasim, Canadian Muslim Women's Institute (CMWI) outreach co-ordinator and refugee volunteers, left to right: Mahmood Al-Nuaimi (Iraq), Yaser Albakar (Syria), Mohammad Alshami (Syria) and Hayder Abdulhussein (Iraq) organize donated clothing for incoming refugees at the CMWI office Monday. I have my team of volunteers theyre new Syrian refugees to help with the move, said Ahlam Jasim, outreach co-ordinator with the Canadian Muslim Womens Institute. The donation of furniture and furnishings from dishes and pots and pans to leather couches, feather dusters and bath robes is immense, said Diane ONeil, executive director of the Canadian Muslim Womens Institute. Its everything a family would need. The luxury furnishings are being donated by Westcorp, which bought the building formerly known as Place Louis Riel Suite Hotel, remodelled it and renamed it Antares Luxury Suites. Surplus hotel furniture and household items, while still in near-perfect condition, needed to be removed from the property in order to accommodate new residents moving into the building. General manager John Saad contacted a number of non-profit organizations in Winnipeg who were assisting Syrian refugees and offered to donate the gently used items. We know that these furnishings will help out many new refugee families as they start their lives in Manitoba as Canadian citizens, Saad said in a press release. We hope that with this donation to our community, families can start the process of rebuilding their lives here in Winnipeg. The donated items are being moved to an undisclosed location where theyll be held in trust and sorted by the Canadian Muslim Womens Institute for redistribution to resettled Syrian refugees, said ONeil with the non-profit organization. The volunteer movers 15 men and women from Syria are looking for something to do, said Jasim, who spoke only Arabic when she arrived in Winnipeg 13 years ago as a single-parent refugee from Iraq with two little kids. I was in the same position they are, said Jasim. I told them that if I am a woman with two kids and I am still standing and working and speaking the language they can too. They are a little bit encouraged to do the same. They all want to work and support themselves, and Jasim. No one balked at moving furniture in the cold or hesitated to help, she said. I explained how important it is to be a volunteer, Jasim said. You need to know the environment and you need to adapt to this environment. This is a good opportunity. The Canadian Muslim Womens Institute at 61 Juno St. has clothing and household items it distributes to newcomer families in need. It is still collecting donations of household items but is running out of room and no longer accepting donations of clothing, ONeil said. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/01/2016 (2466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Violence in our community affects us all and it requires action. Of course, part of that response is the responsibility of our justice system. Much more than this, however, we need to examine the causes of violence in our society and to find preventative solutions. Numerous studies have found that violence in the home can lead to violence in the community. It can be very disheartening that in Manitoba our rates of family violence are so high the second highest of any province in Canada and quite substantially so. This is not to suggest that family violence is related in any way to the individual responsible for the shocking act of violence at one of our local high schools this past summer. Looking at family violence, however, is a place we can start. What can we do to reduce such violence? It was with the objective of reducing interpersonal and family violence that I introduced a bill in our Manitoba legislature on Oct. 28, 2015, the Prevention of Family Violence through Education Act (Bill 215). This legislation provides for changes, starting in the fall of 2017, to ensure all children throughout Manitoba in our K-12 school system are exposed to educational programming which helps young people to understand family dynamics, the reasons for family violence and better approaches to addressing family issues and conflict. The legislation will require all schools to include material in their curriculum related to the understanding and prevention of family violence. We currently do have some school divisions which have made good progress in particular areas like the Seeds of Empathy and Roots of Empathy programs. The goal is to knit together best practices like these to develop the most effective province-wide approach so that all of Manitobas children have an opportunity to learn about how to reduce family violence. The bill has received all party support to make it to second reading and debate and I am hopeful that it can move through the remaining necessary steps including legislative committee consultations so that, in the upcoming session of the legislature from Feb. 24 to March 15, it can become law. To see the bill you can visit this link http://web2.gov.mb.ca/bills/40-4/b215e.php As always, I welcome any comments or suggestions at 204-945-5194 or jon.gerrard@leg.gov.mb.ca Winona schools were not exempt from national celebrations and memorials honoring Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, as both the Winona Middle School and Winona High School held all-school assemblies on past and current civil rights issues. At WSHS, hundreds of students gathered in the schools gymnasium for a presentation and discussion about the struggles of the past and the very real struggles of today, said special-education teacher and FORTITUDE adviser Lora Hill at the start of the assembly. While Hill warned students that the presentation might make them uncomfortable, she stressed that it was important to understand the Civil Rights movement, past and current. You are the future, she said into the microphone to the students. Because of you, I have hope. Winona State political science professor Fred Lee was the first to present, describing the injustice he experienced first-hand living in the segregated south when he was young, such as having to ride the back of buses and attending a segregated school. Lee said he lived in a constant state of fear, a fear that was all-encompassing. But, he said, living in the segregated south made him realize that discrimination is a choice. People choose to treat people poorly, he said. Kevin Seales also spoke, on the question of Why on earth would I be afraid of just being black? and Joe Morse presented on the time he spent protesting in Mississippi in the 1964 Freedom Summer. Lee, Morse, and social work professor Ruth Charles brought the conversation to current times, when civil rights issues are still very much alive, Charles said, from growing racial tensions and acts of violence toward African Americans, to homophobia, religious intolerance and discrimination, and more. Lee asked students to reflect on how people lose the ability to be empathetic and go out of their way to hurt others who or what teaches us to do these things? he asked. Its a question each individual has to answer and do something about, because if in fact youre not a victim today, youll be a victim tomorrow, Lee said. After the presentation, five WSHS girls stood up and sang the Bruce Springsteen version We Shall Overcome, to which students and staff began singing along to and clapping their hands and stomping their feet. Students were certainly affected by the assembly, finding ways to relate it to their everyday lives. No one should be bullied no matter what their color is, no matter about anything, junior Krystal Klinnert said. Sophomore Zach Drazkowski said talking about racism and discrimination in all forms is an important conversation for young people to have. If we dont keep talking about it, everyone will forget about it and it will go back to how it was before, he said. Senior Hunter Miner stayed after the assembly to speak with some of the presenters and thank them. It really brought what actually happened into the spotlight, he said of the presentation. Do you think students got the point that things happening then are similar to whats happening now? Morse asked him. Yeah it never really went away, Miner said. He related a story about a time a teacher confronted a black student about using his phone in class, when Miner also had his phone out but wasnt reprimanded. Miner and the student repeated the behavior as an experiment, with the same result. It bothers me, he said. Why does skin color have to make a difference? Junior student Bathscheba Duronvil said the presentation opened up (her) mind to certain things she hadnt realized before about civil rights, but said she has hope for the future. Its good to know because in the history of the whole world everyones been separated, she said, referring to discrimination of all kinds. But now this generation is being more open to different cultures, religions, races. Governor Scott Walker announced that he is seeking applicants for a student representative on the Wisconsin Technical College System Board. The student representative is appointed for a term to expire May 1, 2017, must be over the age of 18, a state resident, enrolled at least half-time, and be in good academic standing. Please note that due to Waukesha County Technical College and Madison College having been recently represented on the board, no applications may be accepted from these institutions. The Technical College System Board is the coordinating agency for the Technical College System. The board establishes statewide policies and standards for the educational programs and services provided by the 16 technical college districts that cover the state. To apply for the position, please submit the following: Application: Online application, cover letter, resume, and essay The online application will require uploading a cover letter, resume, and essay found on Governor Walkers website: www.walker.wi.gov (select the apply tab on the right side of the page, then click the boards/commissions tab). The deadline for submitting application materials is noon on Friday, Jan. 29. Potential applicants with questions about the appointments process may contact Elizabeth Hizmi at 608-266-1212. Prosecutors have filed charges against several people they say were involved in an unusually high number of overdoses in Sauk County within the last week. The man authorities have implicated in selling a portion of the unusually potent batch of heroin to local users is 31-year-old Daniel A. Kaiser of Baraboo. He now faces felony charges of possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to sell and bail jumping. A sergeant with the Sauk County Sheriffs Department reports that he made contact with Kaiser in the parking lot of the Baraboo Walmart Superstore on Saturday afternoon. The officer said Kaiser had an open wallet in his hands with a large amount of cash. As he was being arrested for an active warrant out of Illinois, the officer allegedly found heroin inside a cigarette box that was in Kaisers pocket. The two rocks confiscated during the arrest weighed about 1.5 grams, according to a criminal complaint filed in Sauk County Circuit Court. Authorities say they found $1,730 in Kaisers wallet. During an interview at the jail, Kaiser allegedly told an investigator that he has a gram-a day heroin habit. He said he frequently takes trips to Madison, where he purchases 1.5 grams of the drug, then sells a gram. Kaiser has been jailed on a $7,500 cash bond and is due to appear in court Feb. 17. Two other men now facing charges were themselves were victims of apparent overdoses. The criminal complaints against 21-year-old Christopher Lee Martinez of Merrimac and 22-year-old Andrew A. Lee of Baraboo each detail efforts to save the two young mens lives. Paramedics arrived at a Sauk City home Saturday to discover a man giving chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth to Martinez. They quickly administered Narcan, a drug that counteracts the affects of overdoses from opiates. The man who had administered life-saving efforts told authorities he received a call from Martinez earlier that afternoon in which Martinez said he was really high and was worried he did too much heroin. During an interview after he was revived, Martinez allegedly admitted to shooting a gram of heroin that he purchased in Baraboo for $100. He now faces one felony count of heroin possession and has been released on a $1,500 signature bond. Authorities were called to a home in Baraboo on Jan. 8, where they found Lee unresponsive. He was revived after first responders administered four doses of Narcan. A woman at the scene, 18-year-old Claudia Cornelio-Riley of Baraboo, said Lee had ingested heroin about 10 minutes before he became unconscious. Lee initially told investigators that he had taken a normal dose of the drug, but later said he took double the amount that he typically does. Investigators found drugs and paraphernalia at the scene. Lee and Cornelio-Riley each face charges of possession of heroin, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Lee was jailed on a $750 cash bond, and Cornelio-Riley on a $200 cash bond. They are both due to appear in court Feb. 11. The village of West Baraboo will create its own tourism commission to oversee the distribution of room tax funds collected from motels and hotels. The Village Board approved the measure Thursday as it sought to address a state law municipal leaders said could create a hole in the villages budget. Act 55, a new law included in this years state budget set to take effect in 2017, restricts how municipalities can spend room taxes they collect. The law requires at least 70 percent of room taxes to be turned over to a local tourism commission or a tourism entity. For the past several years, the village has distributed about 53 percent of its room tax collections to the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2015, the village collected $146,000 during the first three-quarters of the year, and paid out $78,000 to the Chamber, while retaining $68,000. Collections from the final quarter of the year will be disbursed at the end of this month. The Chambers portion of 2014 room tax funds was $84,000, and the village kept $73,000. Village President Dave Dahlke said the village may or may not contract with the Chamber in the future. Village Attorney Mark Steichen said an organization must spend 51 percent of the funds received on things that will generate overnight stays to qualify as a tourism entity. He cited marketing projects and visitor information services as some of the areas in which room tax funds could be applied. Dahlke questioned whether the local Chamber would meet the guidelines. Maybe the Chamber doesnt qualify, Dahlke said. Its good to have an entity in place. On Monday, Baraboo Chamber of Commerce Interim Executive Director Keri Olson said the organization, which celebrates its 65th anniversary this month, meets the states guidelines as a tourism entity. I do not have a doubt in that, she said. I feel, having been a Chamber board member and longtime volunteer and definitely involved with Big Top Parade, I am comfortable with the Chamber budget and I am confident over 51 percent would be considered tourism related, she said in a telephone interview. According to the Chambers 2015 annual budget, income is at $355,085. Of that, expenses are estimated at $345,155. When I look at the expenses the chamber has for 2016, and in discussing with our board of directors, $187,554 is tourism related, she said. That is well over 51 percent and it certainly is over 51 percent of the expenses. Olson said room tax dollars for 2016 are projected at $6,200 from the city of Baraboo and $93,000 from the village. That makes up 28 percent of what is considered revenue for the chamber, she said. The village voted to set up a commission with six members, each serving one-year terms. At least one representative from the hotel/motel industry will serve on the commission. During the meeting Thursday, Village Board member Jim Bowers asked what would happen if the Chamber did not qualify for the percentage of room tax funds. I think there would have to be a nonprofit created for this purpose, Steichen said. If there isnt another organization that does this sort of thing, we would probably end up creating something. Dahlke said as long as the Chamber qualifies to receive the funding, he expects the village to continue its funding arrangement. The intent is to do what weve done, with room tax dollars going to the chamber, Dahlke said. Elections Village Clerk/Treasurer Kathy Goerks said only two candidates have filed to run for three Village Board seats in the April 5 election. Jim Bowers and Steve Earl have filed papers to run for reelection, while mary Arndt decided not to run. Goerks said there will be room on the ballot for a write-in candidate for that position. In honor of Martin Luther King Day, Easter Seals Wisconsins Camp Wawbeek was busy Monday morning assembling service projects for its campers. Members of the community and AmeriCorps a partner with Easter Seals Wisconsin constructed a bench, weighted sensory sticks and murals at Wawbeeks Camp Respite. Both camps lie within a 400-acre wooded property about a mile north of downtown Wisconsin Dells. Camp Respite and Camp Wawbeek provide camping opportunities throughout the year for adults and youths with disabilities to gain greater independence. Camp Respite offers campers with more challenging disabilities one-on-one opportunities with staff, while Wawbeek offers more group situations for campers. During the morning volunteers and staff worked on projects designed to provide a calming atmosphere for its campers. Chris Hemmer, veterans coordinator for AmeriCorps, explained that during camping sessions up to 100 participants are often mingling in a noisy atmosphere and campers may need tools to offset the commotion. Hemmer and other volunteers spent the morning constructing the sensory sticks by filling colorful two-foot long soft cloth tubes with rice and decorating the outside. Campers can then place the tubes around their neck for what Hemmer described as a calming experience. Other volunteers created colorful murals that will be placed in various indoor sections of the camp. Hemmer said the murals not only provide decoration but also give a more soothing atmosphere for campers. Earlier this summer volunteers also created a sensory room offering campers a quiet space to retreat. Alexis Matthews, AmeriCorps program manager, said the day was very successful. We had three projects going on. Its going to benefit a lot of people. Sensory stuff is really big (relieving) pressure for campers is very important. Easter Seals Wisconsin provides vocational rehabilitation, respite services, camping and recreation, information, referral and public education services to about 10,000 individuals with disabilities and their families throughout Wisconsin. Its mission is to increase independence, maximize opportunities, minimize barriers and enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities. Camp Wawbeek, the first Easter Seals camp in the country, has been operating for 78 years on the property north of downtown Wisconsin Dells and has welcomed more than 50,000 campers throughout its history. Two sisters donated their deceased parents land to Easter Seals in 1938 for the camp. Matthews said both camps in Wisconsin Dells are always looking for volunteers for 14 weekend sessions during spring and fall and 10 week-long sessions during summer. To volunteer, contact AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator Anna Korb at volunteer@eastersealswisconsin.com or call 608-254-2502. The concealed carry law, gerrymandering and the erosion of the middle class, were some of the topics of discussion when Rep. Dave Considine, D-Baraboo, held a listening session Saturday morning at Driftless Glen Distillery in Baraboo. Considine handled the session on his own, since a medical emergency sent his listening session colleague Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, to the hospital. Over 40 people stopped in to discuss their concerns with the representative. One of the first issues brought to his attention was gun control and concealed carry legislation. Considine expressed concern over the amount of guns in the hands of the public. Five years ago, because of violence, there was talk of putting guns in teachers hands, he said. I said no way, I dont want guns in the building. He said he would rather go the route of the Weston principal (John Klang), who sacrificed his life for his students in 2006, than have guns in the hands of educators. Lets face it, hand-held guns are not super accurate unless youre within 10 or 20 feet, especially if youre not well trained, he said. Richard Peidelstein, a Baraboo resident, emphasized the point about accuracy. He said the ability to take down someone with a hand gun is exaggerated. Odds of being effective are really slim, Peidelstein said. I understand the fear completely, but what the solution is, I dont necessarily know. Peidelsteins wife, Nancy, asked about public transportation,and Considine said transportation funds are dismal on both a state and federal level. When one listener spoke up about concerns regarding gerrymandering, the redistricting of congressional and legislative boundaries to favor one political part over the other, Considine said one group is challenging the recent gerrymandering of a Republican-controlled state. It will go to the judges to decide, he said. We have to trust our judicial system. When and how can we stop erosion of middle class? one audience member asked. Some said the passing of Act 10, a collective bargaining law that took effect four years ago in Wisconsin, destroyed the middle class. One audience member, Scott Frostman, who has run on the Republican ticket for Assembly seats in the past, argued Act 10 was not destroying the middle class. Thats really a partisan issue and a philosophical ideal, Considine said. He said he would rather see the state fund real small business, dividing money between 50 and 100 small businesses, rather than trying to bring in one large corporation. That is one solution to support those who create jobs, he said. When asked by Baraboo Mayor Mike Palm about local control, Considine said there is an argument to be made for balancing certain areas of the state differently. Despite referring to the Republican party as them, Considine said he prides himself on being as non-partisan as possible. One audience member suggested the newspaper stop making the distinction of Republican or Democrat which follows an elected officials name in publications. I love that, Considine said. Mental health, STEM At the start of the session, Considine said there are some positive changes being made in the Legislature in the area of mental health reform. We are making it easier for mental health providers to be in schools, he said. He said there are also proposals to expand Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education in the form of $5,000 grants to schools for robotics programs. Considine said he feared the Fox Valley area would receive the bulk of the funding. My plan is to contact all of the schools to make sure they apply for these funds, he said. Environmentally, especially, there is not a lot of good news, he said. When asked about the regulation of high-capacity wells, Considine said My hope is that, since they had public hearings on it, maybe it wont come up again. He said he wanted a balanced approach to the planning of any high capacity wells, to make sure there is no diminishing of aquifers, but communication across the aisle has been a challenge. We really arent discussing things very well, he said. Considine encouraged everyone to vote and spread the word about the importance of getting to the polls in both the spring and fall elections. Considine said he was pleased with the attention Baraboo residents had given political issues over the time he has been in office. I applaud your local officials for how frequently they contact me, he said. Detectives with the Columbia County Sheriffs Office arrested a Wisconsin Dells man on Friday, suspected of selling heroin and cocaine in the Portage area. Thomas L. Ball, 35, was arrested on Friday after an investigation by the Columbia County Sheriffs Office. Ball has been charged with felony possession with intent to deliver heroin, felony possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and felony bail jumping. He was kind of on our radar and we had a tip that some of the drugs that he had were stored at a separate location, said Columbia County Sheriffs Office Detective Lt. Roger Brandner. Upon searching that location, we found the cocaine, the heroin, and his drug paraphernalia for selling the drugs. Ball was known to authorities, having two open cases in Adams County for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On March 30, while being stopped for driving 69 mph in a 55 mph zone, Ball was charged with one count of manufacturing and delivery of cocaine and one count of possession of paraphernalia. The next day he was released on a $500 cash bond. On Oct. 6, Ball was charged with three counts of manufacturing and delivery of cocaine, based on offenses on Feb. 18 and Feb. 27. His arrest was one part of a bust through the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force. He was released on a $5,000 cash bond on Nov. 3. Hes obviously got no respect for the judicial system, Brandner said of Ball. He has been arrested a number of different times and released from custody and continued committing these illegal acts. When you bring heroin and cocaine into the mix, these are significant drugs that are being introduced into our communities. Thats a problem. For someone not to, I suppose, learn their lesson, is disheartening and shameful on his part for doing that to our community. Ball is expected to appear for a bail hearing today in Columbia County Circuit Court. Epidemic continues On a national level, the continuing heroin epidemic is serious enough to have been one of the points President Barack Obama highlighted as having a broad sense of urgency and bipartisan support during his State of the Union address Jan. 12. Since 2000, the amount of heroin seized by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency has increased 46 percent, from 546 to 1,020 kilograms. In 2015, Portage police dealt with 11 cases of the specific charge of possession of a Schedule 1 or 2 narcotic, with most of those being heroin-related. This does not account, though, for calls in which officers respond to an overdose and no drugs are found at the scene. Also included among those narcotics are the prescription drugs Oxycodone and Suboxone, which although not heroin itself, are similarly opioid-based prescription drugs. That is a pretty common trajectory for someone who gets addicted to opioids to begin with prescription opioids starting at a younger and younger ages, said Dr. Randall Brown with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. By the time someone reaches 18 in the United States about 25 percent have at least tried to use prescription opioids recreationally. As a habit continues, with an addiction rate around 50 percent, Brown explained, heroin is a more affordable option. Whereas a user can search the Internet to match up tablet markings to know what they have with a prescription pill, purity and potency of heroin varies, with misjudgment sometimes being fatal. Overdose reports Between January and November, Portage police responded to 98 overdoses. This figure, however, is overall and not specific to heroin itself. Also skewing figures is the period between Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, when four people overdosed on heroin, then were saved with Naloxone (Narcan). The cluster of near-fatalities was traced back to one bad batch of heroin that had been distributed. In addition to the near 100 reported instances of officers administering Narcan to bring a person back from dying of an overdose, there are many other reported instances in which an officer reports and EMS administering the drug with a phrase like, Divine Savior EMS arrived, took control of the scene. The ease of using Narcan, with its seemingly-magical ability to bring victims back to life has led to dispute among some officials and law enforcement as to whether it gives addicts and impression of heroin use being relatively risk-free. And while theoretically, yes, that can make sense, it really hasnt borne out in the literature. Individuals who overdose and need to be reversed with Nalaxone or Narcan actually tend to use less after that event and to be more likely to seek treatment, said Brown. There is still a very serious risk of death and some people will say, Who cares, right? This tends to be a very young population that were saving. A lot of potentially productive years of life and someone who dies cant have a recovery. And these are treatable illnesses. These are not lost causes. Portage and Columbia County authorities have pushed toward finding more long-term treatment oriented solutions, one proposal being a drug court, similar to the OWI court managed by Judge Alan White. The Columbia County Board of Supervisors voted 25-1 in December in favor of creating the position of medication assisted recovery coordinator, with Columbia County Health and Human Services Director Dawn Woodard describing it as a place to start. These moves are aimed at helping those addicted to heroin or prescription drugs get access to recovery services or for those charged with drug possession to safely segue from jail to treatment. FRIESLAND On one of the coldest days so far this winter, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisconsin, spent part of Monday afternoon in a room that emitted an aroma like that of a bakery with massive batches of cornbread in the ovens. Grothman, of Campbellsport, whos in the final year of his first term, was getting a closer look at a key industry in his 6th Congressional District. There are three ethanol plants in the district, and two of them are in Columbia County, within a few miles of each other United Wisconsin Grain Producers Inc. near Friesland and Didion near Cambria. Grothman toured both on Monday. At UWGP, Grothman noted that he doesnt hear much about ethanol in Congress, because the three committees to which hes assigned Committee on Education and the Workforce, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Joint House and Senate Economic Committee rarely discuss issues related to agriculture or energy. UWGP board member and investor Cal Dalton, who farms in Marquette Countys town of Moundville, said Grothman was invited to tour the plant partly to make him aware that the ethanol industry is vital to farmers. Twenty-five years ago, Dalton said, most of the corn grown in Wisconsin went to Wisconsin livestock operations, or it was shipped to Illinois and sold internationally. Largely because of the ethanol industry, however, more Wisconsin-grown corn stays in the state, Dalton said. And, said UWGP Quality Assurance Manager Tim Politano, making ethanol from field corn doesnt take food out of the mouths of people, or of farm animals. Politano explained that the ethanol comes from the starchy parts of the corn, which are typically fermented for more than 60 hours. Grothmans tour included an opportunity to sniff two samples of corn, at different stages of fermentation, to discern the alcohol content in each sample. Whats left over after the fermentation process, Politano said, is distillers grain, which is higher in protein and far more digestible by livestock than it would have been had the ethanol not been extracted. The sale of distillers grain is so important to UWGPs operations, Dalton said, that the plant, in the town of Randolph just outside of Friesland, is now undergoing a $30 million addition, to produce distillers grain that is even higher in protein content than whats being produced now. That construction project is expected to be completed this summer, he said. UWGP opened in April 2005, Dalton said. Today, according to Politano, the plant has about 43 full-time employees. Dan Wegner, UWGPs commodities manager, said one of the key myths about the ethanol industry is that its supported by government subsidies. Actually, he said, the only government support for the industry came in the form of protective tariffs and a tax credit to oil companies for blending ethanol into their products. Both of those are gone now, Wegner said. Another commonly-quoted myth, Politano said, is that the production of ethanol consumes more energy than it produces. But even if you factor in the energy expended to grow the corn, in addition to the energy spent making ethanol, the ethanol yields 67 percent more energy than was invested in its manufacture, he said. Grothman asked several questions about UWGPs operation, and about the availability of motor fuel with a higher percentage of ethanol than the 10 percent found in most regular gasoline sold in this part of the country. After seeing UWGPs operations, however, Grothman observed, Im always amazed at how much work gets done with just a few people. John Muchow John D. Muchow, 70, of Reedsburg, passed away at home Saturday, Jan.16, 2016, surrounded by his family after a six-year battle with multiple myeloma. John was born June 25, 1945, the older of two sons of John and Lorraine (nee Gall) Muchow. His formative years were spent on a farm in the town of Ironton. John married the love of his life Debra J. Schwartz on March 6, 1976, and they had three sons, Nathan, Jacob and James. John was a positive person who made his country, his community and his family better. He viewed the world with broad perspective, seeing answers and angles others never considered. He was not intimidated by challenges and always thought big. His motto was to deal in solutions and not problems. John attended St. Peters Lutheran School and Webb High School. He graduated from Stout State University in 1967 with a bachelors degree in industrial technology. He later did graduate work in secondary school administration through the University of Southern California. John entered the United States Army in July 1967. After initial training, he was posted to the 7th Infantry Division in South Korea during the Pueblo incident. He attended engineer officer candidate school at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. before being posted to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, Mohawk School. John completed helicopter flight school in Fort Wolters, Texas, and Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia. John spent all of 1970 in Vietnam with the 195th Aviation Company flying insertion and extraction missions. After Vietnam, John was assigned to the Rhineland Falls Engineer District in Europe. He maintained his flight status through the 32nd Army Air Defense Command. John joined the Wisconsin National Guard in 1976 and in the ensuing years served in many leadership and command positions. He completed U.S. Army War College in 1997 and retired at the rank of colonel after 31 years of military service. As owner of Muchow Builders for more than 35 years, John designed, built and remodeled many homes and light commercial properties. His first design-and-build project was Reedsburg Cleaners. Muchow Builders transformed the former Huntley Hotel in Reedsburg into Cornerstone, a residential and retail mixed-use project that helped revive downtown Reedsburg. He also designed and built his familys home in the Frank Lloyd Wright style. After retirement, John continued to follow his passion for creativity by completing several unique and ambitious woodworking projects despite the challenges of his illness. John was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the VFW, the U.S. Army War College Foundation and a past member of Reedsburg Jaycees. He served as a board member of the Reedsburg Area Medical Center, Seth Peterson Cottage Foundation, and Reedsburg School Board, serving seven years as board president. John is survived by his wife, Debra Muchow of Reedsburg; sons, Nathan (Kristin Maenner) of Chicago, Jacob and wife Lisa of Westfield, New Jersey, James (Molly Gilmore) of Milwaukee; grandchildren, Joshua and Sophie; brother, Wayne Muchow (Linda) of Green Bay; brothers- and sisters-in-law, Jean Schwartz of Reedsburg, Sue and Craig Schappe of Madison; Sid and Julie Schwartz of Beloit; three nieces and three nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; mother- and father-in-law, Jane and Gordon Schwartz; sister-in-law, Virginia (Schwartz) Zinn; and infant grandson, Dylan Muchow. The family thanks Dr. Natalie Callander and the staff at Carbone Cancer Center as well as the staff at the Baraboo Dialysis Clinic for their compassionate care. A Mass of Christian burial for John D. Muchow will be conducted at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Reedsburg, with Father David Carrano officiating. Burial with Military Honors will follow in St. Patricks Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday at Farber Funeral Home in Reedsburg, and from 10:30 a.m. until the time of the service Wednesday at the church. Memorials may be made to the Carbone Cancer Center or the Reedsburg Educational Foundation. The Wisconsin Dells School Board announced at its Monday night meeting another community listening session will take place Feb. 10 at the high school media center. The board conducted three sessions last week to about 115 attendees to get community input on a facilities study that was conducted late in the summer and fall. The $15,000 study was paid for out of the Boards budget and was designed to give it guidance on how to address aging district facilities and overcrowding issues. The three sessions were marked by passionate testimony from some community members opposed to the architectural firms proposal to close Neenah Creek Elementary School. Plunkett Raysich Architects (PRA) Steve Kieckhafer and Nick Kent concluded last weeks meetings by saying closing the school was not necessarily a final option. Based on community input from last weeks sessions, the firm said that it would regroup and present options that may contain a la carte items from seven different options it presented last week. District Superintendent Terry Slack said at next months session the architectural firm will more than likely narrow down the options from seven, to three or four. What (PRA) will do at that point is take those options and apply a specific dollar amount to each of those line items and talk about the concept themselves, Slack said. They will also aggregate the feedback they received from last weeks community sessions. During those sessions several community members expressed concern that none of the seven options presented by PRA had a cost analysis, making it difficult to rank them. PRA responded that it needed the community to tell the architectural firm what specific changes it wanted before assigning specific cost projections. While about 115 people attended the sessions, several were repeat visitors. Because we only had a sampling size of about 85 people, getting greater input from the community has been a methodology or practice with many districts that put some type of survey together, Slack said, adding that the board would probably not put together a survey until options are narrowed to two or three. Its putting us on that path, but were not quite there yet. Slack said that PRAs architects said last weeks community turnout was about typical for initial sessions, noting that initially the ideas are so abstract. Slack also said PRA may present options at the Feb. 10 listening session to convert Neenah Creek Elementary into a charter school. The session will be at 7:30 p.m. at the high school cafeteria. In other action Teacher Dean Knetter made a presentation to the board about second-year progress of Project Lead the Way. The project is a hands-on learning experience for middle and high school students who learn engineering and math concepts through various building projects such as automation and robotics. Knetter said the program has generated excitement among students, who in a video presentation said their learning experience has been different from other classes because they learn on their own through experimentation and building. One student said its different from other science and math classes. Its very hands-on. Knetter said the program provides relevance of math and science in our lives and develops critical thinking skills, noting that students will be able to use the experience in a workplace and in life. He said the future of the program could be developing a summer program for students in grades six through eight. District Curriculum and Instruction Director Brian Grove said although were in the midst of arctic cold weather, state assessment testing is right around the corner. In a report to the board he said spring is state assessment season in Wisconsin. We have been working to ready the SDWD for current and upcoming assessments. The first round will take place in March when all 11th-grade students take the ACT on the first of the month. The following day those students will take ACT Workeys. On March 15 and 16, make-up assessments will be given to students who were absent. After the Feb. 10 listening session, the next regular school board meeting will take place at the high school at 7 p.m. Feb. 15. Wisconsin Dells Walgreens store is now dementia-friendly, thanks to a training program recently provided to the stores staff by the Alzheimers and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin (ADAW). A dementia-friendly business is defined as one whose staff has been trained in how best to serve its customers who have dementia. The staff at the Walgreens in the Lower Dells underwent training in late 2015 and earlier this month received the dementia friendly designation with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the store. All of Columbia Countys Walgreens and many of the companys stores in the south-central stores in the region have completed the training, according to ADAW outreach specialist Janet Wiegel. As part of the training, each member of the Walgreens staff in the Dells was provided with a Dementia Friendly Quick Reference Guide with tips on how to help customers who might be affected by dementia. Store manager Dana Weiland and assistant store manager Ciera Priest both say that the training has made a huge difference in working with customers who might have dementia. Its amazing how many people probably already have the start of it and you dont realize it, Weiland said of customers she now realizes, after the training, may have dementia. Ive noticed Ive had to step back and think about the training and talk a little bit slower, and say the questions more than once so that they get what Im trying to say, and make them feel comfortable in the situation so theyre comfortable talking to me. It shed light on some stuff that we kind of realized about people who we work with every day, but that we just kind of shrugged it off with they just forgot, Priest said. Contrary to what may be the popular connotation, the word dementia as a medical term describes a set of symptoms causing a decline in cognitive function severe enough to affect daily living, according to the ADAW. More than 70 percent of those with dementia still live at home, and many without assistance. That means someone next to you in line at Walgreens or any other store, for that matter might have some of the symptoms of dementia. Those symptoms include short-term memory loss, disorientation to time and place, difficulty with problem-solving and abstract thinking and difficulty with verbal or written communication. Many diseases and disorders can cause dementia, indicates the ADAW on its website. Its really difficult for them to go into places, even places that are very familiar, because they can be overwhelming and confusing to their senses when they are having issues with dementia, Wiegel said. There are five million people in the U.S. currently diagnosed with dementia and more than 120,000 of those diagnosed in Wisconsin, Wiegel said. Theres probably at least half again out there that are undiagnosed, she said. Thats why were trying to make the communities more aware and more able to adapt for those individuals. For more information about how to become dementia friendly, either for yourself or your place of business, contact Wiegel at 608-742-9055 or the ADAW at 1-888-308-6251. Planning nutrient management prior to harvest Harvest is always a fast-paced season for growers, that's why it is important to meet nutrient management goals prior to harvest. 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 Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Hitachi enhances UK presence ahead of ABWR deployment 19 January 2016 Share Hitachi today announced the incorporation of a new UK company - Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe - as part of its strategy to enhance its UK presence for the engineering, procurement and construction of Horizon Nuclear Power's new nuclear power plant development at Wylfa Newydd. Horizon Nuclear Power, a 100% subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd, plans to deploy the UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) at two sites - Wylfa Newydd, which is on the Isle of Anglesey, and Oldbury-on-Severn, in South Gloucestershire. Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe will lead Tokyo-headquartered Hitachi's work in a proposed joint venture with potential partners Bechtel Management Company and JGC Corporation. Speaking at UK Trade & Investment's (UKTI's) annual nuclear showcase, Hitachi Europe's Shunsuke Utena described formation of Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe as "a key pillar of our increasing UK capability". UKTI is a UK government department. Utena said that progress with potential partners include a memorandum of understand "showing clear intent amongst the parties". He added: "Whilst the details of our agreement remain to be finalised, I am absolutely delighted that we are close to bringing together a team of such proven capability. Bechtel and JGC are world-leading in their fields, and together we are primed to help make this project a real success." Meanwhile, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy - which has held a front-end engineering and design contract with Horizon Nuclear Power for three years - will continue to provide the UK ABWR nuclear plant design, and will operate under contract to the joint venture team, once fully established. Horizon Nuclear Power is working to achieve the necessary permissions, consents and commercial arrangements in order to begin construction of the plant in 2019 with first commercial operation in the first half of the 2020s. Two UK ABWRs will be developed on the Wylfa Newydd site, generating around 2.7GWe of energy between them. Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy in November last year reached a regulatory milestone in its progress towards deployment of the UK ABWR, following confirmation that British regulators will move to the final step of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA). The GDA process for the UK ABWR is on schedule for completion by the end of 2017. GDA is the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency's process for assessing new nuclear power plant designs proposed for construction in the UK. Completion of GDA alone does not enable a reactor design to be constructed on a site within Great Britain, but must be viewed along with nuclear site licensing and eventual regulation of the construction phase. JGC Corporation, formerly Japan Gasoline Co, is a global engineering company headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. Bechtel Corporation is a US construction and civil engineering company with its headquarters in the South of Market, San Francisco. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Email Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter Karachi boasts strong performance, Lahore and Islamabad witness upward movement Sign Up Free | The WPJ Weekly Newsletter Relevant real estate news. Actionable market intelligence. Right to your inbox every week. Go Thank you for your interest! You will now be receiving our Weekly Real Estate Newsletter. Real Estate Listings Showcase According to Pakistan property portal Zameen.com, when compared to a rather uneventful 2014, 2015 generally proved to be an exceptional year for Pakistan's real estate sector. The constant activity, coupled with an overall positive outlook displayed by buyers and sellers alike, promoted a vigorous investment environment across all major cities.According to statistics compiled by Zameen.com, Karachi flaunted spectacular numbers and registered remarkable price rises. However, Bahria Town Karachi (BTK) was an exception to this, as rates fell noticeably in this particular society.2015 was better for Lahore's realty market as well, but Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Lahore failed to impress investors and just managed to hang on to mere stability. Nevertheless, this should not be a reason for major apprehension.In Islamabad, growth was noticed in almost all major areas. And yet, Bahria Town was an exception here, too, as the locality did not perform that well.Once again, DHA and Bahria Town retained their popularity among investors and homebuyers, as predicted. However, the list of top 5 localities for homes saw a surprising new entrant - Bani Gala, which took over the spot that Sector F-11 enjoyed in 2014.As mentioned in the Overview, DHA Lahore could not overly excite investors, as it remained merely stable in 2015. The average price of 1-kanal plots stood at PKR 14,881,211, a meagre 0.29% decrease from last year. Yet, investors need not worry as DHA does has a record of delivering to its stakeholders. Therefore, even mere stability is good news as it indicates safe investment.Even in the face of various controversies, prices for 1-kanal plots in Bahria Town increased by an impressive 13.91%, bringing the average up to a solid PKR 11,291,147. Despite the possibility of Lahore Ring Road (LRR)'s southern route cutting through the locality still being a widely discussed topic, it seems that investors are still optimistic that their patience will bear fruit.LDA Avenue I, a locality that enjoys a better address than many other societies in southern Lahore, could not post extraordinary numbers either. However, it did witness moderate growth. This is probably because the locality is plagued by various litigation problems and electricity supply issues. The prices of 1-kanal plots did shoot up by 9.06%, pushing the average price up to PKR 9,632,064.Wapda Town exhibited a 7.25% in the rates of 1-kanal plots. The average price for these plots was PKR 15,564,745, indicating that 2015 was a good, but not phenomenal, year for this society.The federal capital's Sector F-11 posted noteworthy numbers in 2015, as rates of 1-kanal plots hiked by a healthy 15.99%. This was quite an improvement from 2014 which brought the average price of these plots to an impressive PKR 52,346,961.While DHA Islamabad posted a moderate growth of 9.39%, pushing the average price of 1-kanal plots to PKR PKR 12,515,396, Bahria Town remained stagnant. The locality just managed to post a 2.63% rise and the average price of plots remained almost the same - PKR 11,868,293. Many believe that it was probably Bahria Enclave II's downfall that terminated any major spikes. However, according to Zameen.com's popularity index, the locality remained popular among genuine investors and homebuyers, but certainly not as popular as DHA.Sector E-11, a locality that saw moderate growth in 2014, remained pretty much on the same track in 2015. It registered a 5.52% increase, bringing the average price of 1-kanal plots up to PKR 37,717,494.Karachi's property market performed brilliantly and saw meteoric growth in 2015.While most localities in the city of lights flaunted impressive numbers, just BTK marched in the other direction by registering a 9.74% plunge for the 500-yard2 plot category. At the end of the year, the average price stood at PKR 5,789,565. It is possible that investors did not show overwhelming interest in this locality because they are waiting for the expected launch of Bahria Town Peshawar. However, genuine buyers maintained their interest.Both DHA Karachi and Gulshan-e-Iqbal performed remarkably well. Compared to 2014, these societies saw noteworthy growth and managed to increase investor interest. DHA posted a 15.87% rise, bringing the average rate of 500 yard2 plots up to PKR 37,011,238, while Gulshan-e-Iqbal registered a whopping 19.56% rise, pushing the average up to PKR 24,572,062.Despite all this, it was DHA City Karachi (DCK) that truly stole the limelight. The average price of 500-yard2 plots came up to PKR 4,383,367, which is an incredible 66.71% increase from last year. In terms of price rise, it is approximately a PKR 2,000,000 increase.Needless to say, 2015 was clearly a better year than 2014 and the growth witnessed in Karachi's property sector was the definite highlight. In 2016, DHA Karachi, DCK and Gulshan-e-Iqbal will probably continue their roaring upward ascent, but BTK's status remains rather vague. Even though development work is underway at a decent pace, the decline in rates in a bit concerning.Lahore and Islamabad also performed well, as no jarring plunges were noticed.In the case of Lahore, we have a feeling that 2016 will shape up to be a much better year. As we said earlier, DHA Lahore's stability should not be a cause for concern, as the commencement of development work in Phase IX and the completion of Phase VII and VIII will certainly pull more investors. Despite facing multiple controversies, Bahria Town Lahore remained a healthy performer in 2015, but the resolution of LRR-related issues is needed to clarify its status further. In the same way, if electricity and litigation issues are resolved in LDA Avenue 1, prices will probably rise in this locality.Bahria Town in Islamabad, too, needs to resolve its existing issues if the developer wants investors to channel money into the society. If it doesn't, investors will flock towards the other investment options in Islamabad, which will continue to be lucrative in 2016."As I predicted in Zameen.com's, this year has been a much better one in terms of market activity. Karachi's stellar performance, propelled by the improved law and order in the city, truly has us at the edge of our seats!" said Zameen.com CEO Zeeshan Ali Khan."However, the imposition of withholding tax on bank transactions during the second half of 2015 did disrupt the market to a certain extent. In this regard, the government needs to facilitate the property sector to boost its popularity. Despite this, we, at Zameen.com, are really excited about 2016. It's certainly a good time to be in this business," he added. Road Reopens Following Three Vehicle Collision Near Ruabon This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Jan 19th, 2016 Update: The road has since reopened and the accident has been cleared. Original Story: Emergency services are currently in attendance at a three vehicle collision between Ruabon and Chirk. The incident took place between A539 J1 (Ruabon, Wrexham) and A5 (Halton Roundabout, Chirk) shortly before 9am this morning. It is believed that three vehicles have been involved in a collision. As a result the road is partially blocked and police are diverting traffic away from the area. Traffic is also backing up from Ruabon down to the Wales / England border due to the collision. Sarah told Wrexham.com: Accident on the A483, just before Chirk / McDonalds southbound. Police are in attendance. More information when we have it.. *Stock image of road closure Fearing a continuation of the sick out protests by teachers that shut down nearly the entire Detroit Public Schools system last week, the interim president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers sent out an email yesterday to DFT members urging them to stop further resistance. Angered over the long years of DFT collusion with the attack on public education, rank-and-file teachers took matters into their own hands and organized the job actions independently of the union. Defying state threats of fines and decertification, the teachers used social media to expose deplorable school conditions and demand the restoration of wages and benefits given away by the DFT. The rebellion provoked fear in top echelons of the government all the way to the Obama administration, which were concerned that unauthorized protests could trigger a far broader movement of social opposition in the city, which has been a center of the corporate-government attack on autoworkers, public employees, pensioners and other sections of the working class. Sixty miles away in Flint, social anger has erupted over the lead poisoning of the citys largely poor population and the coverup by Governor Rick Snyder and local officials. With rank-and-file teachers planning more sickouts this week and protests at the Detroit Auto Show Wednesday where Obama is expected to hail the return of Detroit, state and local Democrats, along with national and state leaders from the DFTs parent union, the American Federation of Teachers, have carried out a full-court press to smother the protests. Last Thursday, AFT President Randi Weingarten, a close ally of Obama, feigned support for the teachers during a local union meeting and then promptly prevented a vote on strike action, which teachers expected. Instead she promoted a toothless petition campaign, newspaper ads and other publicity stunts, and then shouted down teachers opposing these self-defeating tactics. In the letter to the members, DFT President Ivy Bailey wrote, We have reached out to the Obama Administration and conversations started on Saturday to brief them on the conditions, low and frozen salaries, the debt and frustrations. Were continuing to speak to key Obama Administration members, and the president will arrive in Detroit this week having been briefed on our issues. We will keep you updated on any developments. As one veteran teacher aptly responded, Obama knows all about Detroit; he sent [former Education Secretary] Arne Duncan here. All they want us to do is stop fighting so they dont look bad while they do NOTHING. The Mayor, Obama and his administration have done NOTHING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. Snyder, [AFT President] Randi Weingarten and [former DFT President] Keith Johnson are all working together to fatten their pockets. Indeed, Arne Duncan infamously declared in 2009 that Detroit was ground zero for education in this country, and could soon leapfrog New Orleans, which has since become an all charter-school district. Obama has gone far beyond his Republican predecessor in attacking teacher tenure and using test-based accountability schemes to scapegoat and fire teachers, justify the closing of thousands of so-called failing schools and vastly expand the number of for-profit charter operations. In the letter from the DFT president, Bailey tries to patronize teachers telling them that their actionswhich she publicly opposedhad shone a national spotlight on the conditions in the schools and allowed people across the country to hear the voices of Detroit teachers who are fed up. She claims progress has been made in the last 48 hours that will move us closer to winning the fight for stronger neighborhood public schools. And what is the progress? The first is the earth-shaking development that the hated Emergency Manager Darnell Earley has agreed to meet with DFT officials on January 25! Bailey acknowledges that for the past month, the DFT has been holding behind-the-scenes meetings with Earley to beg him for some bones to pacify opposition. Their meager demands include reinstatement of prep time, a return to one-hour faculty meetings instead of two, and a return to previous sick leave policies. She acknowledges that this does not address the lost wages and benefits, which have driven teachers into financial ruin. Nevertheless, she says, the union is eagerly awaiting a response from the district on whether Earley will meet our initial demands prior to the meeting as a good faith demonstration of his willingness to work with us. The only good faith Earley has is his faith that the DFT will do anything he tells them to. The DFT has collaborated with every emergency manager since former Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed the first financial dictator in 2009. Since then thousands of teachers have lost their jobs while the rest have suffered a 123.5 percent increase in health care premiums and copay and prescription costs since 2009 and a decade-long freeze on pay and step increases. To add insult to injury, in 2010-2011, in an agreement drafted up by Randi Weingarten, the DFT forced teachers to loan the district $9,000 in 2010-11. As a reward, former DFT President Keith Johnson was made one of Weingartens highly paid national vice presidents. Bailey heaps praise on Mayor Mike Duggan, a ruthless turnaround specialist who destroyed the jobs and wages of hospital workers before making millions by selling his share of the Detroit Medical Center. He also played a key role in the Detroit bankruptcy and has since handed over much of the city to billionaire real estate speculators. On Saturday, DFT leaders, support staff, teachersincluding a group of teacher activists from Robeson, and several principals met with Mayor Mike Duggan and a DPS official to talk about how to get our schools on track and about fair and equitable pay. The mayorwhile asking us to keep educators in school and fight that wayhas expressed strong support for teachers All of this is aimed at saying, Dont take further action because this would only alienate our friendsDuggan, Obama, and maybe Mr. Earleywho are working so hard on the behalf of teachers. This is utter nonsense. Under bills now being drafted in the state legislature, Governor Snyder and Duggan will appoint a new school board which will be under the thumb of the same unelected Financial Review Commission that has dictatorial control over city spending. Even when another school board is elected in 2017, financial power will remain be in the hands of the commission, which will guarantee that wealthy bondholders continue to reap their money at the expense of teachers, parents and students. In other words it will be emergency management without an emergency manager. The elemental demands of the teachersfor adequate staffing and resources to repair school buildings, reduce class sizes and address chronic poverty among school children, for the restoration of lost wages and the protection of health and pension benefitsare opposed by every section of the corporate and political establishment. That is because the fight for the right to quality public education challenges the capitalist system, which subordinates the most basic social needs to the rapacious drive of the super-rich to increase their personal fortunes. The allies of teachers in this fight are not the corporate-controlled politicians and corrupt union officials but the masses of workers in Metro Detroit, throughout the US and internationally who share the same interest in ending social inequality. In taking the initiative independently of the DFT, teachers have pointed the way forward for every section of workers. But such a struggle can only be taken forward if it is also waged independently of and in opposition to all the false friends in the Democratic Party, which are no less the enemies of public education and teachers than the Republicans. The sick outs were long overdue, a 28-year teaching veteran told the World Socialist Web Site. We had to take measures because we couldnt get the response we needed from the union. Now the AFT national leader comes in at the 11th hour and tells us to 'slow it down! We have the momentum now, on the contrary, we should ramp it up. This is everybodys fight. If everyone went out just one time to show our unity that would be important. We have to fight tooth and nail for a decent livelihood. In his New Year message, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilae declared that 2016 would be a moment of truth. When confidence in the Finnish economy and its competitiveness is restored the economy will start to grow, driven by investment, Siphilae said, even though Finlands economy has experienced a seven-year decline. Sipilaes office complained: For years now we have been unable to make the necessary decisions and reforms. Our labour market is inflexible and has not been able to adjust as we promised when we joined the euro. An increase in the number of unemployed has been the only way to adapt. This cannot continue. Sipilae said the right-wing coalition government formed in April was tasked with closing a 10 billion sustainability gap. Ongoing budget cuts would save 4 billion euros and the restructuring of health and social services another 4 billion. Pension reform approved by Parliament and decisions to downsize local government are planned for early 2016. The prime minister warned that if a final 2 billion sustainability gap was not achieved then in spring 2017 the government will have to make additional savings. His proposals will be put before Parliament in February for speedy enactment. The Finnish economy is mired in crisis, with the Helsinki Times noting on December 14 that it is still paralysed. Official figures show that industrial output of Finland contracted 0. 8 percent year on year in October. Statistics Finland reported that output continued to shrink for over 30 months practically across industries the gross value added of industries has declined by 11 billion since 2007. Seven billion euros of the decline is attributable to the electronics industry, two billion euros to the traditional metals industry and 1. 7 billion to the forestry industry. According to the Bank of Finland, the conditions are not as favourable for the recovery of export industries as they were following the recession of the early 1990s when the country was pulled out of recession by growth in world trade and the mobile phone business of Nokia. Jan van Gerich, the banks chief strategist, exclaimed upon hearing last September that the economy was contracting for a fourth successive year, Oh my God, theyve killed all the growth! International capital is acutely aware of the crisis. Last September Bloomberg Business Scandinavian specialist Dara Doyle wrote that the Finnish economy is one of the regions worst performers in part because of its failure to build a competitive labour market. He remarked that Sipilae is a staunch ally of German led austerity and the European Commission has predicted that in Europe only Cyprus will perform worse this year. Numerous economics commentators have drawn attention to what they deem to be Finlands expensive labour market, with labour costs per hour 20 percent above the eurozone average. The Helsinki Times September 30 headlined a piece, Finland falls four places in major competitiveness ranking, highlighting the nations latest placing on the World Economic Forums listing. Finland is now ranked eighth by that body. Commenting on the lower ranking, Petri Rouvinen, a research director at ETLA, declared that the downgraded ranking [is] attributable to the fact that erosion of cost competitiveness and the consequent economic uncertainty have begun to gnaw away at the wider structures of national competitiveness. Tomas Hirst, writing in the World Economic Forum July 23, argues that given that Finland is a member of the eurozone, one solution to the crisis would be internal devaluation--which would entail low wages and/or high unemployment. Signs of this can already be seen, he writes, with unemployment at 9.4 percent and likely to stay over 9 percent throughout 2016. Hirst advises, One way of achieving this adjustment without significantly increasing job losses or forcing people to accept pay cuts is to increase the amount of hours worked without raising wages accordingly. Sipilaes Centre Party-led government began its offensive against workers as soon as it came to office. In July 2015, Sipilae announced a new social contract entailing the abolition of two paid public holidays, cutting sick pay entitlement, slashing public services and social programmes across the board and the driving down of wages by 5 percent. It is projected these austerity measures will continue until 2030. Jarma Ollila, a former Nokia CEO and now board chairman of both the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy and the Finnish Business and Policy Forum, said earlier this month, Consequences will be dire unless Finland resolves its economic and structural problems We need breakthroughs Finland is on the edge of an abyss. Not in a way that it is about to become Greece, but Finland is falling behind Germany and other Nordic countries in the most important economic indicators Ollila continued, We must create a model for wage formation that is based on the demands of the export sector and allows for genuine local flexibility. Sipilaes government is declaring war on the Finnish edition of the so-called Nordic Model--a corporatist alliance between government, employers and trade unions in which there was a decades-long consensus over welfare spending and living standards. Lauri Lyly, president of the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), told the Financial Times September 9, If these proposals are carried through they will have incalculable consequences for all of Finnish society. This was a warning from the union bureaucracy who fears they will not be able to contain the anger that will develop in opposition to this onslaught. That said, the unions are stepping up to enforce whatever attacks are required. In September the unions agreed details of the countrys long-awaited pension reform, which will raise the retirement age in fixed increments until 2025-- entailing a minimum retirement age of 65 and a maximum of 70. In December, the trade unions walked out of the latest round of talks on the proposed measures. Lyly said December 8 that the proposal to waive wage increases in 2017 and allow export industries to determine wage rises in 2018 was no longer on the table. In response, he said, SAK was prepared to transfer a number of social security contributions from the shoulders of the employers to those of wage earners on the condition that the government withdrew its coercive revisions to the terms and conditions of employment. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, or T) is planning steep fare increases effective July 1, with the discussion at an upcoming series of public meetings to be limited to two proposals put forward by the unelected Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB). One proposal would result in an average fare increase of 6.71 percent system-wide, while the average increase in the other is 9.77 percent. These figures represent averages of the increases across a wide variety of payment methods (monthly passes, paper tickets, and stored-value CharlieCards) and modes of transportation (subways, buses, ferries, paratransit mandated by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, and commuter rail lines to suburbs and smaller outlying cities). Fare hikes for some services would be at least double the average. The cost of a monthly local bus pass, for example, would go up by 16 percent in the lower proposal and 19.5 percent in the more draconian one. Monthly LinkPasses (which cover subways and local buses) would go up by 23.1 percent for students with a smaller increase for adults. Monthly passes are designed to provide discounts to riders who use them frequently. The current cost of a bus pass, for example, is $50; the cash fare for one bus ride is $2.10. Any use above 24 rides per month thus decreases the average cost per trip for the user. The cost of monthly LinkPasses for adults would go up by either 10 percent or 12.7 percent. These passes are one of the most popular payment options for commuters who use the system, with the Boston Globe reporting that the MBTA sold 1,959,710 in its 2015 fiscal year. Increasing the cost of these passes by 10 percent, or $7.50 each, would bring in additional revenue of less than $15 million per year. The systems projected operating deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1 will be around $240 million, even with this increase. Workers using the MBTA for their daily commutes have to contend with broken-down buses, subways, and commuter rail trains, often overcrowded and behind schedule, with the old and failing vehicles causing unpredictable delays and risks to safety. At the heart of the problem is a deferred maintenance backlog of more than $7 billion, accumulated over years of the governments refusal to adequately fund the system. The FMCB, appointed by Republican Governor Charlie Baker and Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, is spearheading the drive for fare hikes. While trying to squeeze as much revenue as possible out of public transportation riders, Massachusetts and its municipal governments are far more generous with their corporate allies. The most recent example is General Electric Corporation, which announced last week that it will move its corporate headquarters from Connecticut to Boston after being wooed by the city. The move will bring about 800 jobs, mostly executive positions, to Boston. Incentives from the Massachusetts, Boston and federal governments total some $145 million. These incentives include the use of public land, money for ferries serving the GE headquarters, rebates on corporate property taxes, and a trolley tour of Boston neighborhoods so that GE executives can decide which to grace with their upscale lifestyles. In comparison, the total revenue increases expected from the upcoming MBTA fare hikes will be no more than one third of this amount. Only one category of MBTA fares will be cut significantly under the proposed fare scheme. The cost of riding an Outer Express Bus (which usually run from Boston to outlying suburbs) will be slashed by 26.5 percent no matter which proposal is adopted. These routes are among the first the governor is planning to privatize and the lower fares will be used to promote the supposed benefits of privatization. Even more cynically, the governor, transportation secretary and FMCB are parsing the language of a 2013 law limiting fare hikes so that it means next to nothing. The legal cap was passed after fare hikes averaging 23 percent system-wide in 2012, when riders were threatened with draconian cuts to service if they didnt agree to pay more. The legislature and governor responded in 2013 with a law stating that the MBTA shall not increase fares at intervals of less than 24 months or at an annual rate greater than 5 percent. The Senate intended the limit to be 5 percent every two years, and a precedent was set the following year when fares were increased by 5 percent in 2014. Senators Tom McGee and Sonia Chang-Diaz have recently confirmed that intention. Former state senator Katherine Clark, now a US Representative, said in floor debate at the time that the fares could only be increased under this amendment every two years and not more than 5 percent at any time. However, the conference committee that finalized the legislation inserted the word annual in such a way that the increases can be 10 percent instead of 5 percent every two years. While Representative Bill Strauss, the chair of the House Transportation Committee, is willing to admit to this sleight of hand, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg has now dismissed the issue arrogantly by calling it the flea on the tail of the dog. The FMCB and Secretary Pollack have developed three excuses for skirting the limit in the 2013 law: their contention that it allows for a 10 percent increase; their claim that the legal cap governs only the system-wide average of increases and not fare hikes for specific modes of transportation; and their excuse that the law limits increases to fares but not to the cost of passes. MBTA workers should take heed that the same disrespect for laws and contracts will be applied to the union contracts they have struggled for during their careers. Seeking to pit MBTA riders against the systems workers, a campaign has been launched against overtime pay for the latter. The names and salaries of more than 1,500 MBTA employees were recently released by management to show that these workers earned more than $100,000 last year, including overtime. One of the main targets of this attack is the stipulation in union contracts that overtime is paid after an 8-hour workday rather than after the standard 40-hour workweek. Other attacks on T workers are being planned, including unspecified incentives for 1,000 retirement-eligible staff to leave now rather than continuing to work. Three hundred of these jobs, mostly administrative, would not be filled again. MBTA Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve expects that the unfilled positions and lower salaries of new workers will yield a recurring cut of $30 million to $36 million as a result of the retirements. The overtime issue is being used frequently in the local news media to pit riders against workers. In just one example, NECN headlined a January 5 report, Riders Rankled by MBTA Overtime. However, the report included only two interviews with riders about the fare hikes, while the president of the right-wing Massachusetts Taxpayers Association was extensively quoted about the overtime. Another argument is advanced frequently to excuse the increases: that they would still leave the MBTA cheaper than transit systems in other cities. This facile comparison obscures both the extreme income inequality in the Boston area and the high cost of other necessities. According to a Brookings Institution study released last week, the income of a household in the 20th percentile in Boston is slightly less than $15,000 per year, and the city has the highest income inequality in the country when measured as the ratio of the 95th percentile to the 20th. In the greater Boston area, including surrounding cities and towns, average household income for the 20th percentile is slightly less than $28,000. Even this amount is impossible to live on. According to the real estate firm Zillow, rents in greater Boston increased by 7 percent from November 2014 to November 2015. Nationally, average rents increased by 4 percent for the year, and Zillows figures show an average rent of $2,245 in the Boston area vs. $1,383 nationwide. Boston is one of the 10 most expensive cities in the US for apartment rentals. Drug overdoses are driving a dramatic rise in death rates among young white adults in the US. A New York Times analysis of death certificates finds that rising mortality rates among young white adults, ages 25-34, have risen to levels not seen since the end of the AIDS epidemic more than two decades ago. This is the first generation since the mid-1960s to experience higher death rates than the generation before it. The data collected and analyzed by the Times paints a picture of a segment of society wracked by substance abuse, suicide and alienationpropelled forward by poverty, lack of education and other social problems. A government hell bent on slashing social programs, combined with a pharmaceutical industry profiting off of addiction are contributing to this social catastrophe for millions of young Americans. The Times analysis shows that the rise in mortality among white adults extends beyond that documented in a study published last November, which showed a sharp increase in the mortality rate for white, middle-aged, working class Americans ages 45-54. Similar to the new analysis, that study attributed the increase in the mortality rate to deaths from suicide, drug abuse and alcoholism. The Times analyzed nearly 60 million death certificates from 1990 to 2014 collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Death rates for non-Hispanic whites were found to either rise or flatten for all adults under age 65. This trend was particularly pronounced in women. The increased mortality comes despite medical advances that have slowed deaths from heart disease and other medical conditions. While overdose deaths for young adult blacks have increased slightly from 1999 to 2014, overall death rates for blacks and most Hispanics continued to fall. The Times analysis attributes this mainly to the decline in deaths from AIDS, particularly among blacks. The once wide gap between death rates for blacks and whites has shrunk by two-thirds. While the pseudo-left promoters of identity politicsand groups such as Black Lives Matterroutinely denounce whites, and particularly white males, as privileged, these figures demonstrate the deadly effect of growing social inequality in the US along class, not racial, lines. Whites ages 25-34 without a high school education saw a staggering 23 percent increase in mortality from 1999 to 2014, compared with only a 4 percent rise for those with a bachelors degree or higher. Death from overdose from both illegal and prescription drugs in 2014 for young whites was five times its 1999 level. The overdose death rate for 35- to 44-year-old whites tripled during this same period. The population of whites ages 25-34 grew by about 5 percent from 2004 to 2014, to about 25 million. Over this same decade, however, deaths from all causes in this age group rose by about 25 percent. Deaths from overdose in this group more than doubled over this decade, rising from 2,888 in 2004 to 7,558 in 2014. Deaths from accidental poisoning, mostly drug overdoses, for young non-Hispanic whites rose from six per 100,000 in 2004 to 30 in 2014. Young men and women are the victims of a drug abuse epidemic that claimed more than 48,000 lives across the US in 2014, according to a recent CDC report. Since 2000, the rate of deaths from drug overdoses has increased 137 percent, including a 200 percent increase in the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids, including both prescription opioid pain relievers and heroin. Nearly half a million people have died from drug overdoses since 2000. Heroin use more than doubled among all young adults ages 1825 in the past decade, according to the CDC. The ready availability of the illegal drug, combined with its affordability compared to oxycodone and hydrocodone, has led to a surge in its use. Unbeknownst to the user, heroin is often combined with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid mainly used for medical sedation that is 50 times stronger than heroin, which can kill instantaneously. Overdose deaths from other opioidspain relievers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, marketed as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, etc.almost doubled between 2013 and 2014. Individuals given prescriptions for pain often become dependent upon the drugs and may subsequently overdose, or turn to heroin with similar deadly results. The question is why Americans, and young people in particular, are dying in record numbers, particularly from drug overdoses. The suicide rate for young whites also rose from 15 per 100,000 in 1999 to 19.5 in 2014. What is prompting young people to turn to drugs and alcohol, resulting in accidental overdoses, or to purposely take their own lives? The answers are both readily apparent and complex. Addiction, suicide and drug abuse are all expressions of social and personal crisis. It is telling that young people without a high school education have seen the most dramatic increase in mortality. As education level is a general indicator of income, it is clear that people with the lowest incomes are being hit the hardest. Working class men and women in their 20s and 30s, who 50 years ago would have had a chance at employment in a decent-paying job, now face conditions where long-term unemployment is pervasive and wages are stagnant and plunging. They have lived their entire lives under the ruling-class offensiveaided and abetted by the trade unionsthat has relentlessly driven down wages and dismantled social services. The ruling class and its political representatives have no solution to the overdose epidemic because they are responsible for the economic and social reality that is devastating communities across the country. While there is much handwringing in these circles over the lives lost to drug abuse, it is approached as simply a personal mental health issue. The opioid epidemic has taken a prominent place in the current presidential campaign. Republican Jeb Bush is airing a new ad referring to his daughters battle with addiction. Shamelessly capitalizing on his familys personal struggle, he offers hollow promises about stopping the flow of drugs and improvements in treatment and recovery programs. At the Democratic debate on Sunday, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were asked a question about the war on drugs. Clinton said that Americas response to heroin and drug addiction should emphasize treatment and recovery, and that her policy would center on treating addiction to drugs as a health issue, rather than a crime. Sanders supported Clintons plan, saying, I agree with everything the secretary said, without mentioning she fully backed her husband Bill Clintons law-and-order policies in the 1990s that helped fill the prisons with such victims of drug abuse. Sanders said pharmaceutical companies should be responsible for their products and be held accountable for the consequences of drug overdoses. Statements from both candidates are so much hot air. While posturing as an advocate for middle class Americans and seniors to rein in drug prices by negotiating with the giant pharmaceuticals, the supposedly socialist candidate who helped draft Obamas misnamed Affordable Care Act does not in any serious sense challenge the for-profit health care system in America. Clinton has received more campaign cash from drug companies than any candidate in either party, accepting nearly $165,000 in the first six months of the campaign from these sources. Big Pharma can be secure in the thought that their profits will not be challenged, whichever candidateDemocrat or Republicanwins the White House. Another unspoken reality of the opioid epidemic is the massive profit being made off the misery of drug addiction and resulting deaths. Raymond and Beverly Sackler, owners of Stamford, Connecticut-based, Purdue Pharma, are newcomers to the Forbes list of Americas 20 wealthiest families, with a personal wealth of $14 billion. Purdue has generated estimated sales of more than $35 billion from OxyContin since 1995, when it launched its supposedly addiction-proof version of the painkiller oxycodone. Insys Therapeutics, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, derives almost all its revenue from the highly addictive opiate fentanyl, delivered as an oral spray, which it markets under the brand name Subsys Fentanyl. In the first six months of 2015, Subsys accounted for $147.2 million in total company revenue. Insys is currently subject to investigations over aggressive marketing and other practices in five states. Directed by Gianni Bozzacchi from a script by Bozzacchi and Carlo Lizzani Neorealism: We Were Not Just Bicycle Thieves, which last year had a limited release in a handful of US cinemas, provides a basic overview of neo-realism, Italys most influential cinematic movement. The loosely defined trend, which emerged in the early 1940s, after the collapse of Italys fascist dictatorship, and developed during the subsequent decade, was characterised by its humanitarian focus on the plight of the working class and the poor, on-location shooting and the use of mainly non-professional actors. Directors Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica and Giuseppe De Santis were some of the early and best-known adherents of the internationally-acclaimed style. Over 30 neo-realist features, including at least four or five genuine masterpieces, were produced by Italian filmmakers between 1943 and the early 1950s, many of them in or around the Stalinist Italian Communist Party (PCI) or other left-wing organisations. Directors Visconti and De Santis and scriptwriter and neo-realist theoretician Cesare Zavattini were PCI members. An early anticipation of the aesthetic shift that was to occur in Italian filmmaking was indicated in an October 1941 essay, entitled Truth and Poetry: Verga and Cinema, by Giuseppe De Santis and Mario Alicata. While not specifically criticising the fascist regime, the essay rejected the silly pretensions of Italys movie industry and said filmmakers should focus on real people and seek inspiration from the literature of Gustav Flaubert, Anton Chekhov, Charles Dickens, Henrik Ibsen and Sicilian writer Giovanni Verga. The documentarys title is a reference to De Sicas Bicycle Thieves, the directors 1948 masterpiece about the desperate efforts of a worker, and his seven-year-old son, to find and recover a stolen bicycle. Set in Rome, the movies final scene, in which the father attempts to steal a replacement bicycle, much to the disbelief and shame of his son, is arguably one of the most affecting moments in post-World War II cinema. The narrator and co-scriptwriter of Neorealism: We Were Not Just Bicycle Thieves is Carlo Lizzani, who appears throughout the 72-minute documentary, interviewing academics, writers, filmmakers and actors. Lizzani, who joined the PCI in 1942, was an active participant in the neo-realist movement and remained a prolific filmmaker until he committed suicide in 2013, aged 91. He was also a film critic for LUnita, the PCIs post-war newspaper, and made scores of features during his long career, many of them dealing with the anti-fascist resistance. Lizzani, who worked with Rossellini on Germany Year Zero and as a scriptwriter for De Santis on Bitter Rice, directed his first film Achtung! Banditi! (1951) after the PCI raised funds from workers in Genoa. His other movies include Chronicle of Poor Lovers (1954), The Last Days of Mussolini (1975), Fontamara (1977), Dear Gorbachev (1988), Celluloid (2007), a dramatic account of the making of Rome, Open City in 1945, and countless documentaries and television films. Throughout the documentary, Lizzani presents short segments from several neo-realist classics. These include Ossessione, regarded as Italys first neo-realist film, and La Terra Trema (Visconti, 1943 and 1948 respectively); Rome, Open City, Paisan and Germany, Year Zero (Rossellini, 1945, 1946 and 1948); and Shoeshine, Bicycle Thieves, Miracle in Milan and Umberto D (De Sica, 1946, 1948, 1951 and 1952). These clips, which provide a general overview and illustrate something of the genres history and stylistic convention, are cleverly projected into the open window-frame of Lizzanis apartment in Rome. Neorealism: We Were Not Just Bicycle Thieves, however, is a limited work that skates across the surface, focusing on inconsequential issues and engaging in exaggerated praise for the genre. The documentary, for example, begins with Lizzani and Professor Paulo Galluzzi, from the Galileo Museum in Florence, claiming that neo-realism was comparable to the Italian Renaissance. The comparison is ahistorical and unhelpful. The Renaissance, which began in Italy in the 14th century and continued for another 150 years, was a major political, economic and cultural shift. It marked the transition between medieval and early modern Europe and saw the emergence and increasing power of the bourgeoisie. Neo-realism, by contrast, lasted just over a decade. Notwithstanding the ongoing international influence of its best work, the trend had dissipated by the 1950s. Visconti and other Italian filmmakers, including most notably Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni, turned away from the social framework laid down by neo-realist theoretician Zavattini. He, and other left critics, insisted that filmmakers should focus exclusively on the lives and times of workers and the oppressed. This transition is not examined in any real detail. Lizzani asks contemporary filmmakers and writersUmberto Eco, Bernardo Bertolucci, Martin Scorsese, Ermanno Olmi, the Taviani brothers and Gabriel Garcia Marquezto explain why they were inspired by neo-realism. The comments are frustratingly brief and superficial. Discussions with cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno and actors Antonella Lualdi (Bitter Rice) and Enzo Staiola (the young boy in Bicycle Thieves) are little more than anecdotal tit-bits. No reference is made throughout the documentary to the most significant political development during the early years of the neo-realist movementthe counter-revolutionary betrayal of the working class by the Stalinist PCI. Masses of Italian workers saw the 1943 collapse of Benito Mussolinis fascist regime, the growth of the partisan resistance and the eruption of mass strikes in northern industrial cities as the opportunity to put an end to capitalism, but the PCI, led by Palmiro Togliatti, had other plans. Working under the direction of the Soviet bureaucracy, the PCI, like its French counterpart, politically disarmed socialist-minded and revolutionary workers, doing everything possible to assist the Italian bourgeoisie re-establish its rule. In conformity with Joseph Stalins post-war settlement with US and British imperialism, the PCI unconditionally defended Italian capitalism, joining the government of Marshal Pietro Badoglio in 1944 and then various national coalition governments up until May 1947. How this betrayalimposed under the banner of preserving national unityand the post-war consolidation impacted on filmmakers and other artists is obviously a complex question, but one that cannot be ignored in any serious assessment of the neo-realist trend. While the documentary points to the aesthetic significance of De Sicas Bicycle Thieves, it fails to note that the all-pervasive poverty shown in the movie was a result of the PCIs strenuous defence of Italian capitalism. As one critic has remarked, Bicycle Thieves was about, Italy reborn not as a socialist paradise but as a capitalist purgatory beset with massive unemployment. Given his political record, Lizzani was obviously anxious to avoid any discussion of this and other related questions. One of his earliest documentaries Togliatti is Back (1948)is about the Stalinist politicians return to Italy from exile in the Soviet Union. Lizzani, who also maintained a long friendship with fellow PCI member and Italys longest-serving president, Giorgio Napolitano, was not about to break the official silence about the reactionary political role played by the Stalinists during these years. Gianni Bozzacchi, the documentarys co-scriptwriter and director, who spent many years as a celebrity photographer, including almost two decades as Elizabeth Taylors personal photographer, appears to have no interest in these critical issues. A documentary that honestly examines the political and social dynamics that produced the rise and decline of neo-realism, as well as its artistic strengths and limitations, and the relationship of the cinematic trend to the fate of the Italian revolution, is yet to be made. Confronting this issue is a crucial political and artistic challenge, not just for Italian filmmakers but for the working class itself. TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Why was an airplane flying a Confederate flag around the capital Tuesday morning? According to a group known as Save Southern Heritage, it was a message to legislatures that were meeting in Florida's capital. The plane was flying the confederate flag as well as a banner that said "We'll Remember in November!" We want to let the legislature know that there are a lot of Floridians watching what happens. These initiatives are draconian, expensive and irreversible. Once history is gone, its gone, said David McCallister, a SSH spokesman. The group says it wanted to send that message to lawmakers in response to three legislative initiatives they say are targeting southern heritage. SB154 would prohibit the display of the confederate flag on public property. HB141 and SB310 would remove the statue of Florida Lt. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith from its place in the Statuary Hall in Washington D.C. This is the second time that the group has used the flyover method as a form of protest. Their first attempt Charleston, SC for the GOP presidential debates. So far the group has raised about $2,452 to go towards more flyovers. TALLAHASSEE (WTXL) - Hard freeze warnings are issued through 10 am for our far northern counties near Albany. Make sure you monitor all 4P's: People, Pets, Plants, and Pipes. Have our faucets at a steady drip for the next few hour to ensure that the pipes won't freeze or burst. Temps will dip to the low and mid 20s with low 30s likely for folks in the freeze warning, including Florida-Georgia line counties along with folks in north Florida. By this afternoon, it'll be a very similar set up to yesterday with highs in the mid 50s. Overnight, it's back in the deep freeze with mid 20s likely again. Currently, there are only freeze warnings issued, but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a re-issuance of some hard freeze warning as well. Low 60s return by Wednesday afternoon as winds eventually turn from the Gulf of Mexico which will usher in our next storm system late Thursday into Friday. Upper 30s overnight to Thursday warm to near 70 in the afternoon. Expect scattered showers and storms throughout Friday, especially early in the day. This weekend looks cooler with 30s overnight and 50s in the afternoon as another area of high pressure sets up. However. Sunday and Monday should warm to the 60s. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Banking sector in Azerbaijan is stable in general and is characterized by high indexes, the chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan Elman Rustamov said Jan.19. He made the remarks during the meeting of the parliamentary committee on economic policy. He went on to add that at this stage, Azerbaijan needs to neutralize the shocks caused by the state of global economy. He said that in the whole, banking sector of the country is stable. "Except for one or two banks with weak performance, the level of capital and liquidity is high," he said. "We don't deny that there are some problems as well. But the situation is under control, and the proposed bills will create conditions for more efficient and flexible management." Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the South Carolina Tea Party Convention on Saturday at the Springmaid Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (AP Photo/Willis Glassgow) A shovel prepares to dump a load of coal into a 320-ton truck at the Black Thunder Mine in Wright, Wyo., in April 2007. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File) One of the first defendants set free under Yakima Countys new pretrial release program is back behind bars after police reported he threatene Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Huseyn Veliyev - Trend: Azerbaijan will give preference to domestic products during public procurement, Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev said Jan.19 at the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Policy. He made the remarks regarding the draft amendments to the law "On Public Procurement" adopted Jan.19 by the country's parliament. In case of high quality production, even if the tender bid cost exceeds the price offered by the customer within the framework of the tender by 20 percent, the preference will be given to local producer, in accordance with these amendments, the minister said.. "These proposals have been prepared within the framework of promoting domestic production," he said. "Previously, it was recommended to give preference to domestic production even if the tender bid cost exceeded the price offered by the customer within the framework of the tender by 15 percent, but it wasn't mandatory." On Jan.15, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on liquidation of the State Procurement Agency and the transfer of its powers and functions, as well as its state property, to the State Service for Antimonopoly Policy and Consumer Rights' Protection of the country's economy ministry. If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. A Jewish-American group that lobbied for the Iran nuclear agreement said on Sunday the prisoner swap and Tehran's release of captured US sailors were positive signs for US-Iranian relations but that strict verification remained paramount. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter But improved relations do not indicate a detente with Iran, which has a history of being a troublemaker in the region, said Dan Kalik, chief of staff at J Street, a "pro-Israel, pro-peace" advocacy group. An Iranian man walks past a board listing exchange rates following the lifting of sanctions against Iran (Photo: Reuters) "I don't think we're at a place where just because we have a nuclear deal with Iran, they're now trustworthy or even an ally," Kalik said. Other Jewish-American organizations remain deeply opposed to the deal, which has also been sharply criticized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Republicans. The issue has sharply divided American Jews. The International Atomic Energy Agency ruled on Saturday that Iran had fulfilled last year's landmark agreement with the United States and five other world powers to curtail its nuclear program, triggering the end of sanctions. Days before the accord's implementation, nerves were rattled when Iran briefly held 10 US sailors who the US military said made a navigational mistake that led them into Iranian waters. The leader of another Jewish-American organization that had not taken a position on the nuclear agreement in the months leading to its implementation, invoked a biblical saying from the book of Psalms to "seek peace and pursue it." But Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said: "Iran's support of terror, a strong inspections regime, Iran's human rights and religious freedom violations, and the United States' standing in the world remain uppermost in our minds, as is ensuring Israel's security." The Anti-Defamation League, which opposed the nuclear deal, said on Saturday that Tehran's release of several Iranian-American prisoners this weekend was a positive step. But it expressed hope Iran would soon release Robert Levinson, an American held captive for nearly nine years and whose fate remains unknown. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif announcing implementation day for the Iranian nuclear deal (Photo: EPA) US officials said on Saturday the United States would continue to seek Levinson's whereabouts and try to bring him home. The ADL also urged "strong US pushback" on human rights violations, Iran's regional expansionism and further missile development, which it said exemplified "ongoing militarism." The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said the deal, which it strongly opposed, was a turning point for Iran's strength as a "terrorist state" and its ability to pursue regional dominance, as tens of billions of dollars are repatriated. "This is a dangerous moment for America and our allies," AIPAC said in a statement on Saturday. It said Iran must be held to the commitments it agreed to under the nuclear accord and that its support for militant groups and arming of regional proxies must be confronted. A common complaint among Israelis is that the cost of living in their country is high, higher even than in European or North American states that might serve as a comparison to Israel. The "Start-Up Nation" it might be, with a high-tech economy that largely escaped the effects of the 2008 crash, but for many young families, Israel is an expensive place to call home. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter On the one hand Israels standard of living as per capita is in the middle range, better than the poor countries of the OECD like Turkey, Mexico, Greece, (or) Portugal, Rafi Melnick, a professor of economics at the Inter Disciplinary Center, Herzliya, said, referring to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. On the other hand levels of poverty are worse in Israel than in most other countries in the Western economies club, Melnick told The Media Line. A tent park set up by the homeless in Tel Aviv Made up of 34 countries, the OECD is an organization which aims to foster international trade, open market economies and democracy. Most of the club members are developed economies with high Human Development Indexes, a statistic used to rate standards of living between countries. It is an organization that Israel joined in 2010, allowing Israelis to accurately compare their economy to other Western nations markets, a comparison that doesnt reflect well on the country, some believe. The ratio between how much people earn and how much they have to spend to live is worse than in other countries, Noam Shani, a new father who works in the tourism industry, told The Media Line. This is a feeling shared by many Israelis and also backed up by the statistics. Because of restrictions on the food market and the price of housing , the cost of living in Israel is high compared to that of the OECD countries, Melnick confirmed. This is something especially felt by working class Israelis who are often undercut in terms of wages by the countrys foreign workers, many of whom are in fact Palestinians who come to work each day from the West Bank, the economist explained. High levels of poverty among the Arab and the ultra-Orthodox communities, where only one member of the family might actually go out to work, also undermines Israels economic standing in comparison to its OECD partners, Melnick added. Housing is often cited by Israelis as being far too high (Photo: Yaron Brener) But middle-class Israelis are not unaffected by the cost of living in the Holy Land. Gal Mor is a business owner who lived in Berlin for several years. The price of basic necessities is markedly higher in Israel than in Germany, the father of three told The Media Line. Food and housing are often cited as disproportionately high by Israelis, something Mor also commented on. Another cost is transportation in a roundabout way, because public transportation (in Israel) doesnt work so well. It doesnt work on weekends, its not frequent or reliable enough you cant really count on it, Mor said. When they lived in Berlin it was possible to get by using just public transport, while in Israel an average family with several children and both parents working needs two cars, Mor explained. This is an additional expense in a country where cars, their insurance and gas, are notoriously expensive. Added to this is the fact that wages are often lower in Israel than in other countries where the cost of goods is comparable. Thats the ultimate thing that has an impact you earn less, your buying capacity is already lower, Mor said. Others point to the price of housing as the number one burden. Rent is high and the cost of real estate is high and the government has done nothing to change that, Noam Shani argued. Like many middle-class Israelis, Shani said he received help from family members that made it possible to navigate the countrys expensive housing market. In this regard he said he was lucky, I know for a fact that there are a lot of people that dont get that (help) and these people are in big trouble. The question as to "why" the cost of living is so high is less easily answered than "how." A possible explanation is that the government is so frequently distracted by other issues that it doesnt focus on the economy to the degree that a European administration would, Rafi Melnick suggested. The lack of practical action to reduce the increase in housing costs over the last eight years is one example, the academic noted, saying It really reflects the fact that the government is busy taking care of other things, not the standard of living. But this seems to be what Israelis want. Despite their complaints, voters consistently fail to prioritize the economy when voting. If you analyze the elections since, well, forever, for most Israelis questions of security dominate their voting decision, Melnick concluded. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 Trend: Baku International Sea Trade Port plans to tranship more than five million tons of cargo in 2016, the port's director general, Taleh Ziyadov told reporters Jan. 19. "Currently, the main transhipments are carried out in the port located in the city's center. Shipment of goods, which are transported via railway, is carried out from the Alat terminal," Ziyadov said. "A new RO-RO (roll-on/roll-off) terminal will be constructed in Alat until the end of 2016, enabling to tranship heavy trucks," he added. "This is a very important factor, since these trucks' entering the city creates serious problems. So, their shipment from the Alat port has great importance," said Ziyadov. Jewish rights groups organized acts in several Argentine cities on Monday to mark the first anniversary of prosecutor Alberto Nisman's death. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The events included marches in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Parana and San Luis. Vice-President Graciela Michetti and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich attended the act in Buenos Aires, along with city officials. Organizers read a letter written by Nisman's daughters Iara and Kala, who met Macri at his private residence over the weekend. People hold candles during a vigil on the first anniversary of Argentinian prosecutor Alberto Nisman's mysterious death in Buenos Aires (Photo: EPA) Nisman's daughters did not attend the Buenos Aires event, but his mother, Sara Garfunkel, was present, along with hundreds of people who chanted: "We want justice." The prosecutor was found dead in the bathroom of his Buenos Aires apartment on Jan. 18, 2015 with a bullet to his head. At the time he was investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center that killed 85 people. Authorities have not determined Nisman committed suicide or was killed, as some have asserted. No one has been convicted in the case. Hundreds of people gather to commemorate the first anniversary (Photo: EPA) Shortly before his death, Nisman had presented a claim against then-president Cristina Fernandez for an alleged cover up in the attack on the Jewish community center. She denied the charges. New President Mauricio Macri has now since ordered the declassification of files related to Nisman's death. The Macri government's foreign and security ministries on Dec. 18 reiterated Argentina's interest in retaining international arrest orders enforced by Interpol for three Iranians accused of involvement in the bombing. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich told reporters during the Buenos Aires event that Argentine law allows it to try the men in absentia. A Ricardo Saenz, a fellow prosecutor of Nisman, said during the ceremony that retaining the international arrest orders was "essential" to solving the crime. Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) and Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid slammed the government on Tuesday at the annual convention of the Institute for National Security Studies. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "All the expensive F-35s will not help in the face of 50 commandos digging the way to Netiv HaAsara," said Bennett. The minister argued that Israel is reacting to existing realities rather than shaping its own destiny. He further said that Israel must modernize its thinking about defense and not only weapons. Education Minister Naftali Bennett at the INSS conference To illustrate his point, Bennett used the example of companies like Kodak and Nokia collapsing. "These companies didn't collapse because of faulty management, but because of an attitude that became irrelevant," he said. Bennett also spoke defiantly about the removal of sanctions from Iran, which began this week. "We were told earlier and this evening that Iran is the enemy and Hezbollah is only an operational branch," he said. "If so, we have to discuss whether we should devote all our efforts to damage the operational branch, while we create a position of immunity for the enemy itself. We must ask ourselves how it's possible that in every conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah, we bleed, but the head of the snake has enjoyed immunity until now." Lapid, for his part, focused on the government's public diplomacy policy and the Foreign Ministry's activities. "Never, in all Israeli history, was our situation worse than it is now," he said. "Our rift with the United States is the worst we have never known. It's not just the relationship between Netanyahu and Obama, but between Israel and the US. Yesterday's announcement by the EU foreign ministers drives home the point that relations with Europe are also not good. "Just when the foreign service is more critical than ever for national security, instead of strengthening it, the prime minister decided for very narrow political considerations to split the ministry's powers between six different ministers and a deputy minister, who complicate and obfuscate the picture further," stated the former minister. Nashat Melhem, who committed a deadly terror attack in Tel Aviv this month, attacked law enforcement officers several times during a previous investigation (which led to a conviction), it was revealed this week raising the question of whether his father should have received a firearm license. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Melhem used his father's weapon to murder three people in Tel Aviv: Alon Bakal and Shimon Ruimi at the HaSimta pub and and Amit Shaaban in his taxi. He was caught in his hometown after a week-long search, where he was killed in a firefight with security forces. Melhem during questioning in 2007 Melhem received a five-year jail sentence after a July, 2007 attempt to seize a weapon from a soldier. Although his indictment noted that he wanted to hurt a soldier "because he is a representative of the state," he was not charged with a security-related offense but rather with aggravated assault and attempted theft. Judge Yehiel Lipschitz on Monday approved the release of investigative materials from that incident. Records revealed allegations that during questioning of Melhem at a Hadera police station in that incident, another police officer entered, after which "the accused rapidly rose from his chair, clung to the policeman's body and tried to snatch the gun that was in his holster." The two policemen reportedly succeeded in overpowering Melhem. Melhem's body after his death in a firefight In a separate incident, two policemen accompanied Melhem to a reenactment of the crime. As Melhem sat in the back while the officers sat in front, the young man attacked one of them, gripping his throat and choking him. The policemen again overpowered him. In yet another incident, he lunged at a forensic photographic during a reenactment in order to stop the pictures from being taken. Melhem said the crime was motivated by rage over the killing of his cousin by a policeman who arrived to search his home. However, he later said he intended to sell a stolen weapon in order to pay off debts. The critically-acclaimed Hungarian film "Son of Saul", which takes an intimate approach to the Holocaust and was directed by a Jew, has raised the specter of anti-Semitism in the central European country. Far-right attitudes and racism, encouraged by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, have recently shot up in Hungary following a deluge of refugees and migrant workers. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "Son of Saul" marks the debut of director Laszlo Nemes; it won the Jury Grand Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and is nominated for this year's Academy Award for a foreign language film. It also won the foreign language category at the Golden Globe Awards never a bad omen for Oscar chances. Still from 'Son of Saul' But perhaps surprisingly, the film has many detractors in the country of its origin. Many Hungarians have expressed discomfort with the prospect of the film bringing the coveted Oscar to their country, claiming that the film is "Jewish propaganda". According to Hungarian reports, references to the film as a "Holomaku", or Holocaust joke, have spread on social media networks. Others have mockingly called the film called "hyper-realistic" by the New York Post "science fiction". An online campaign argued that the film was not an achievement for Hungarian cinema because it is "Jewish propaganda". Some people even went on Prime Minister Orban's Facebook page and posted a content warning, "a film about Jews meant for Jews only," after Orban praised the film for winning the Golden Globe. Some Hungarians complained that only Holocaust movies are made in Hungary, while subjects related to national history are ignored. Still from 'Son of Saul' (Photo: TNS) The makers of the award-winning film said in May they wanted as many Hungarians as possible to see it in a country that has been plagued by anti-Semitism and xenophobia. Many Hungarians praised the film, however, or argued that it should be supported even if the subject is not to their liking. Some in the Jewish community have nevertheless voiced concern about a backlash. "So many anti-Semitic reactions were published," said one member of Budapest's Jewish community. "It's a disgrace. I wonder if the West knows what people here think." Hungarian journalists even asked authorities to get law enforcement involved and crack down on Holocaust denials and inciters so far, to no avail. Director Nemes remains unperturbed. "I recommend that all the detractors do something with their lives," he said. "This film shows that it's possible. Many young people and some who are less young are congregating online and thinking about what to say and against whom, but they have no right to do so because they have done nothing significant for Hungary. Nothing." The Palestinians are "being fed with fairytales about a return to the 1948 borders instead of the Jewish state," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The prime minister was speaking at a special event celebrating the Knesset's 67th birthday and marking 50 years to the inauguration of the Knesset building, which had quite a low turnout. In addition to Netanyahu, only five of the government's ministers arrived at the plenum - Ayelet Shaked, Avi Gabay, Uri Ariel, Ofir Akunis and Ze'ev Elkin. "The root of the conflict is the negation of the very existence of the State of Israel, the aspiration to wipe us off the face of the earth," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu speaking at the Knesset (Photo: Gil Yohanan) It was at this point that the Arab MKs left the plenum in protest, saying the prime minister's speech was "cheap right-wing demagogy and exploitation of the event." The Arab MKs returned after Netanyahu's speech. The prime minister spoke about the threat of radical Islam worldwide, which presents an anti-democratic vision. "Israel is at the forefront of this campaign," he said. Netanyahu also spoke about the murder of Dafna Meir outside her Otniel home on Sunday by a 15-year-old Palestinian "A great moral abyss separates us and our enemies," he said. "A despicable 15-year-old Palestinian murderer did not hesitate to take a life with such great cruelty. He likely absorbed the poison of hatred towards Jews from birth. The incitement against us by the Palestinians, including part of the Palestinian leadership unfortunately, does not stop. They're being fed with fairytales about a return to the 1948 borders - to Haifa, Jaffa, Acre and Safed - instead of the Jewish State." The government's table is nearly empty (Photo: Moran Azulay) In his speech, Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) slammed the government, saying that "those who think they can stay in power by weakening the Knesset and canceling its authorities are transgressing the basic values the State of Israel was formed on as a Jewish and democratic state. Those who think they can stay in power by weakening the gatekeepers, the media, supervision, law and law enforcement authorities, are transgressing the basis of democracy that the State of Israel was formed on as a Jewish and democratic state." Herzog speaking at the Knesset (Photo: Gil Yohanan) Herzog warned that the "the rule of the majority can easily turn into the tyranny of the majority. The Israeli democracy, as strong as it is, is also fragile. The responsibility to strengthen, safeguard and protect it is ours - all members of the Knesset." Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein called on the public "not to allow disturbing, outrageous or 'yellow' incidents taint the bigger picture. Remember what is the essence of the Knesset, its place, and decisive role in the government and in the Israeli democracy." Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein takes a nap up in the balcony (Photo: Gil Yohanan) He urged Israeli citizens not to "allow a minority of public representatives, whose conduct in this plenum or outside of it disgraces mostly themselves, to taint the Knesset's image. Don't rush to generalize and besmirch the entire Knesset, with all of its work, its devoted employees, and its active members." Edelstein went on to say that "like all of us, I hear the criticism and feel the general mood among the public, which is consistently giving us low grades (for our performance). This keeps me aware at night, because these aren't specific reservations about one MK or one incident, and it's not just the erosion of the Knesset's standing." WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama on Tuesday thanked Australia for its "steadfast" alliance and key contributions in the fight against Islamic State group, as he we welcomed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the White House for the new leader's first visit to Washington. Opening a meeting in the Oval Office, Obama said the leaders planned to discuss the anti-Islamic State operation, as well as broader counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The president noted Australia is a key contributor to the coalition, with the second-largest force of ground troops in Iraq behind the United States. "They have been a consistent and extraordinarily effective member of the coalition," Obama said. Egypt's Prime Minister Sherif Ismail has decided to revoke the Egyptian citizenship of 22-year-old Dina Ovadia from Jerusalem because she moved to Israel and joined the IDF. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Ovadia was born and raised in the city of Alexandria in Egypt. "My name was Rouleen Abdullah, and I went to a Muslim school," she told the IDF journal two years ago. When she was 15, an incident happened that turned her life upside down. "I was at home with my mother and brothers, and all of a sudden bearded thugs stormed into our apartment," she told the IDF journal. "They were Salafists, radical Muslims. They fired into the air and warned us to leave Egypt immediately. Dina Ovadia "In all the commotion I heard them call our apartment 'Bayt al-Yahud' and I didn't understand what they were talking about. Only after they left, my grandfather sat us, his three grandchildren, for a talk and told us we were Jewish. "It was hard for me to comprehend this, because at school we were taught to hate the Jews." The family left Egypt in a hurry and found a home in Jerusalem. Ovadia joined the IDF and served in the IDF Spokesman's Unit. Shortly before her release, she was even recognized by the unit as an exceptional soldier. After receiving the prize, she was interviewed for the IDF journal and filmed a video of herself telling her life's story. "My biggest dream," she said in the video, "is to visit Egypt wearing uniforms, tell them my truth about Israel, and declare: I'm Jewish, and I'm proud of it." Ovadia's interview and video caused outrage in Cairo, which reached its climax on Monday when the well-known TV personality Ahmed Moussa attacked "the country of the Zionist murderers" on air, and revealed that the Egyptian prime minister decided to revoke Ovadia's citizenship. "This is the first time in history that an Egyptian woman serves in the occupation army," said Moussa, who failed to mention Ovadia was Jewish. Ovadia, who was released from the IDF a year and a half ago, is currently studying international relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "It's shocking, and a low blow, but I don't want to stoop to their level," she said on Monday. "As far as I'm concerned, they should know I'm first and foremost a proud Jew and Israeli, and only then an Egyptian. Every additional word I say will be twisted in Egypt and used against me." Mercator, Slovenia's largest supermarket chain, has removed Israeli products from its shelves including pomelos, dates and avocados, following pressure from the BDS movement. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Slovenian government holds shares in the chain. The Slovenian ambassador to Israel was this week summoned for a discussion at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, where senior ministry officials explained the seriousness with which Israel views the affair. Mercator, Slovenia's largest supermarket chain, has removed Israeli products from its shelves Israel's Ambassador to Slovenia, Shmuel Meirom, is expected to arrive in the country soon in order to raise the issue with Slovenia's Foreign Ministry, as well as with Mercator's management. In 2014, the chain attempted to boycott Israeli "JAFFA"-branded grapefruits, again following pressure from BDS activists. Following intensive efforts by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Israel supporters in Slovenia, the chain renewed its marketing of Israeli-branded products, an initiative that now seems to have failed. Pressure from the BDS movement has led to several European stores pulling Israeli products from their shelves (Photo: AP) Last November, the KaDeWe department store in Berlin the second biggest in Europe reversed its decision to boycott products from the settlements and the Golan Heights, saying that products labeled as such would return to the shelves. In August, Luxembourg's biggest supermarket chain, Cactus, decided to stop selling Israeli fruits and vegetables until they could have confirmation that the produce did not come from the West Bank. The chain's management had succumbed to pressure from activists with a pro-Palestinian organization that had held noisy demonstrations in their stores. BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON - Three US citizens who disappeared last week in Baghdad were kidnapped and are being held by an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, two Iraqi intelligence and two US government sources said on Tuesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The US sources said Washington had no reason to believe Tehran was involved in the kidnapping and does not believe the trio are being held in Iran, which borders Iraq. "They were abducted because they are Americans, not for personal or financial reasons," one of the Iraqi intelligence sources in Baghdad said. American troops in Iraq (Photo: Reuters) Unknown gunmen seized the Americans on Friday from a private residence in the capital's southeastern Dora district, according to Iraqi officials. The Iraqi government has struggled to rein in the Shi'ite militias, many of which fought the US military following the 2003 invasion and have previously been accused of killing and abducting American nationals. No US citizens have been abducted in Iraq since US troops withdrew from the country in 2011. The State Department said on Sunday it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate Americans reported missing, without confirming they had been kidnapped. Hostility between Tehran and Washington has eased in recent months with the lifting of crippling economic sanctions against Iran in return for compliance with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions and a recent prisoner swap The Islamic State group confirmed on Tuesday that its fighter Mohammed Emwazi, more commonly known as executioner "Jihadi John," has indeed been killing in an airstrike in the city of Al-Raqqah in Syria two months ago. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Emwazi is featured in the new issue of the organization's English-language Dabiq magazine . The short article about him states that he was killed instantly. Jihadist John "Abu Muharib al-Muhajir, the mujahid who made headlines around the world as 'Jihadi John,' was originally from the northeast of the Arabian Peninsula, while his mother originated from Yemen," the article states. "At a young age, the honorable brother traveled with his family to London. This would become a place he grew to hate along with its kafir people, whose customs were far-removed from the praiseworthy values he was much accustomed to," the article goes on to say, next to a photo of Emwazi - unmasked. Jihadi John in the ISIS magazine. Jihadi John is infamous for several videos released by ISIS showing him executing prisoners. A 6 million GBP reward was placed on his head. He first made headlines when he beheaded American James Foley. The video of Foley's execution followed by videos of Emwazi executing Steven Sotloff, David Haines, Alan Henning, Peter Kassig, and the two Japanese Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. The last video of beheadings that featured Jihadi John was the execution of 17 Syrian soldiers. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend: Last week, the Obama administration took a positive step in dealing with the United States' lack of real friendships and genuine alliances in the Muslim world, Alexander Murinson, a senior fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center and Bar Ilan University, wrote in his article published by Washington Times. "It acknowledged the critical part Azerbaijan plays in the interdiction of nuclear and radiological materials as a part of the global nonproliferation effort," the article said. The author wrote that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was invited to attend the fourth Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., to be held in March. This highlights the indispensable role this small nation on the Caspian Sea plays in U.S. national security. "Azerbaijan borders a hostile and militant vassal of Russia in Armenia to the west," the article said. "Moving forward, Baku needs to receive consistent and clear messages of support and reassurance from Washington and not criticism in this hour of utmost regional tensions." The author wrote that the consistent demonstrations of unambiguous support from the United States will assure Baku that a great power is watching its back and will provide breathing room while Baku aligns its domestic policy with its long-term interests, namely to become to a model Muslim democracy. "The majority of Azerbaijan's population realizes that there is no alternative to the current leadership if the country seeks to preserve its stability and avoid being swept into a maelstrom of Islamist radicalism that seized so many Muslim-majority nations," the article said. "In particular, Azerbaijan's electorate is scared of a replay of the Arab Spring. Yeni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan Party) delivers tangible benefits both to the urbanites - pro-Western, liberal, young and middle class - and to the more conservative population in rural areas." The author wrote that Israel sent a high-level delegation to oversee Azerbaijan's parliamentary elections in November 2015 that included former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Michael Oren, former ambassador to the United States and currently a member of the Knesset. "This was a clear sign of recognition of the Azerbaijani government's outstanding ability to preserve stability in this volatile region," the author wrote. "This observer mission also had a diplomatic aspect, namely, to acknowledge the importance of Azerbaijan as a Muslim-majority state that maintains its secular constitution." The author wrote that in the context of rapidly shifting geopolitical reality in the Near East, the position of Azerbaijan becomes increasingly critical for the West, as the main reliable conduit of energy resources for Europe. "Azerbaijan has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to maneuver between different power centers and protect the country's self-sufficiency and independence," the article said. "Under Mr. Aliyev's steady hand, this line will continue." "Otherwise, the West will have to significantly revise its energy plans and the East-West corridor projects," the article said. "Europe can ill afford a dramatic change in its energy security architecture. In particular, at such a critical juncture in reducing Europe's dependence on the Russian "energy dominion," a dramatic shift will be economically costly and unrealistic. If Baku is not convinced of the reliability of Western support, it is likely to drift into Moscow's orbit." "Pragmatic U.S. leadership at this time is critical to uphold past achievements and to preserve well-crafted American policy in the Caspian region," the author wrote. "President Aliyev's attendance and participation with President Obama at the fourth Nuclear Security Summit puts the United States and Azerbaijan squarely on that road together." The US does not oppose the European Union's decision to label products as coming from Jewish West Bank settlements, the State Department said Tuesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "We do not view labeling the origin of products as being from the settlements a boycott of Israel. We also do not believe that labeling the origin of products is equivalent to a boycott," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing. Kirby was also asked about the timing of US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro's harsh criticism against Israel on Monday. State Department Spokesman John Kirby at daily briefing X In the aftermath of two terror attacks in as many days, Shapiro attacked Israel's policy towards the settlements and claimed that "too much vigilantism goes unchecked." He also expressed concern of Israel's settlement policy, and the fact that "there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law (in the West Bank): one for Israelis and another for Palestinians." Kirby defended Shapiro's statements, saying the ambassador was simply reiterating long-standing US policies regarding Israel's settlement construction. "Our long-standing position on settlements is clear. We view Israeli settlements activity as illegitimate and counterproductive to the cause of peace. We remain deeply concerned about Israel's current policy on settlements including construction, planning, and retroactive legalizations," he said. US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro speaking at the INSS conference (Photo: Motti Kimchi) "The US government has never defended or supported Israeli settlements because the administrations from both parties have long recognized that settlement activity beyond the 1967 lines and efforts to change the facts on the ground undermine prospects for a two-state solution," Kirby added. He also insisted that "it would be wrong to conclude that (Shapiro) would've chosen this moment necessarily to tweak noses," arguing Shapiro's speech at the security conference was scheduled long in advance, and his remarks were prepared in advance. Kirby stressed the US was concerned with violence on both sides. "We obviously have strongly condemned terrorist attacks perpetrated by Palestinians, including the attacks over the weekend. We also remain deeply concerned - and we've not been bashful about this and neither was (Shapiro) about Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank," he said. "It's because we value the relationship with Israel so much that we feel it's important to continue to have an honest, candid, forthright discussion about our concerns," Kirby continued. "That he said these things in a speech shouldn't be misconstrued as us not saying them in private to Israeli leaders as well - and have, other many, many months." Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 Trend: Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has excluded the name of Andrey Bogdanov, the Russian ex-presidential candidate, from the list of "undesirable people", the ministry said Jan. 19. Bogdanov's name was included due to his illegal visit to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia. Bogdanov, the Russian politician, who ran for the presidency in Russia in 2008, appealed to the Azerbaijani foreign ministry with a request to exclude his name from the list of "undesirable people". In his letter, Bogdanov said that he recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and has paid a visit to the occupied territories of the country, not knowing about possible consequences. Bogdanov regretted visiting Nagorno-Karabakh, saying he didn't try to promote the separatist regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other Armenia-occupied regions of Azerbaijan without Azerbaijan's consent are considered illegal, and the names of the individuals who made these visits are included on the "black list" of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. 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. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Azerbaijan should cancel visa regime with Turkey and the countries in Europe, said Gudrat Hasanguliyev, a member of Azerbaijan's parliament. "This will allow the citizens of these countries to visit Azerbaijan without visas, and spend here currency, thus making contribution to development of tourism," he said at the parliament's extraordinary meeting Jan. 19. Hasanguliyev added that it is important to accelerate the privatization process in Azerbaijan and a delay is impossible in this matter. "It is needed to privatize universities and other educational institutions, enterprises in Azerbaijan for reducing burden on the state. It is time to privatize the structures as the Azerishig, Azerigas, AZAL," he said. --- The warning comes from WA Consumer Protection, after it reprimanded a real estate agency after a house in the state was almost sold by people imitating the legitimate owner. Peel Realty Pty Ltd, trading as Raine and Horne Mandurah, its licensee Peter Ronald Vetten and property manager Galinda Hodge were reprimanded following a consumer protection investigation into an attempted property fraud scam in 2014. The attempted scam saw the fraudsters access the agencys database in January 2014 and change the email and phone contact details for the South African based owner of a house in the Mandurah suburb of Greenfields. Those behind the scheme then used the altered details to request the house be sold and an offer on the property was accepted on 4 March 2014. The attempted fraud was uncovered on 6 March 2014 when the real owner received a copy of the listing agreement that the agency had sent to her home address in South Africa and the pending sale was stopped prior to settlement. The matter was reported by the real estate agent to WA Police who, in conjunction with the real estate agent and a local settlement agent, continued with a mock settlement of the property. Three people allegedly involved in the fraud attempt were later arrested by South African Police. With potentially huge financial gains to be made from a successful sale, there is no doubt that there will be more attempts by overseas criminals to carry out property fraud in Western Australia, WA Consumer Protection acting commissioner David Hillyard said. We dont want scammers to get a foot in the door when attempting to carry out a fraudulent sale of a property, so agents are reminded to verify the identity of the owners before they accept and put into action any request to change contact details of owners, particularly if they are based overseas or interstate, Hillyard said. While the scam ultimately failed, Hillyard said it was still important that the regulator took action against the agency. We commend the agency for their quick action once the scam was discovered, as well as their cooperation with the Police investigation, but the disciplinary action was taken in order to emphasise the importance of real estate and settlement agencies detecting these scam attempts at the very beginning and not later in the process, he said Verification of identity procedures are critical requirements for key staff working in real estate and settlement agencies, so there should be no excuse for these fraud attempts not to be detected immediately upon initial contact being made. The figures from SQM research have revealed there were 81,401 vacancies in Australia over December, putting the national vacancy rate at 2.7% That figure is up from the 2.3% recorded during November; however, it is relatively similar to the 2.6% recorded in December 2014. The December increase in the national rate was felt across the country, with vacancies rising in every capital city over the month. The largest monthly increases were seen in Sydney, Darwin and Melbourne, with vacancies rising in the three cities by 0.4%. Vacancies rose by 0.3% in Hobart, Canberra and Brisbane during December. Source: SQM Research While there are some seasonal factors at play in the latest figures, the report from SQM Research also says vacancies do appear to be trending up. While there is seasonality in these readings, its clear that the trend for vacancies is still on the rise, the report said. This is as a result of a combination of factors including the strong upswing in residential dwelling construction which commenced back in 2013 and will continue on into 2016; as well as the commodities downturn which has hurt the economies of Perth and Darwin. According to the figures, four capital cities saw year-on-year vacancy rate increases in the 12 months to December. Over the 12-month period Perth has seen the largest increase, with its vacancy rate up by 1.3% to 4.1%. Over the same period, Darwins vacancy rate increased by 0.8% to 4.2%, while vacancies increased in Adelaide by 0.4% to 2.1% and 0.2% to 2.9% in Brisbane. Melbourne has seen the largest decrease over the past 12 months, with its vacancy rate down to 2.8% from 3.2%, while Hobarts vacancy rate decreased by 0.3% to 1.1% Sydney and Canberras vacancy rates were identical in December 2105 compared to December 2014. Ray White Surfers Paradise Group chief executive officer Andrew Bell believes the Gold Coast will continue to attract attention for the foreseeable future, helped into the investment spotlight by worsening affordability in markets such as Sydney and Melbourne. As soon as Sydney and Melbourne started to test peoples affordability levels we saw a huge increase in the level of interest from investors, Bell said. People were buying properties sight unseen. For properties in the $400,000 to $420,000 range people were ringing up and offering $410,000. Other investors were just flying up on the weekend and then going home having purchased something, he said. While Bell said affordability no doubt pushed some buyers to the Gold Coast, there are other factors that are helping the popularity of the region. Because our prices hadnt gone up so much recently our yields are more attractive than in other areas and our vacancy rate, which I believe is down to around 1.7% is only going to help that, he said. The other thing is that I think people see the area as a safer market now because of the substantial development weve got going on. Its bringing tradesmen, engineers, architects and those in a range of other industries associated with it and thats helping employment and the economy here. While the 2018 Commonwealth Games has resulted in an injection of funding into the area, Bell said the development occurring currently goes beyond that one off event. Theres something like $10 billion dollars of worth of expenditure happening here at the moment. Thats a combination of government spending as well as private operations like Jupiters. Theres a real sense of optimism and renewed confidence throughout the area. Brisbanes been talked up for the past year or so as the next big thing, but there are some concerns about supply levels there and it hasnt seemed to do much yet. Bell isnt the only one who is bullish on the Gold Coasts prospects. Louis Christopher, head of SQM Research, last year gave the region his vote of confidence, predicting values to rise by 7% - 11% during 2016, with rents growing at around 8% in 2016. We believe Gold Coast property investors are likely to enjoy good returns, both in rents and capital growth for up to the next three years," he said. While there are predictions interest in the Gold Coast real estate market will remain strong, this weekend give an indicator of what is to come as Ray White Surfers Paradise Group hold their annual auction showcase, The Event. The Event will see the more than 100 residential properties go under the hammer on Sunday. Weve got something like 109 properties up for auction this weekend and its diverse range of properties. Weve got one-bedroom apartment, houses, waterfront villas and rural properties, Bell said. Its something weve been doing for a few years now. This time of year we have a huge number of people in the area from across the country and overseas, so its a great opportunity to showcase to them the opportunities in the area at the moment. The overhaul has been in the pipeline for a number of years, with the reform and consultation process beginning in 2013, but a statement on the Landgate (Western Australian Land Information Authority) website claims the new legislation will be introduced in the second half of 2016. According to the Landgate statement, the proposed reforms will cover five main areas. New types of strata, community title and leasehold strata would be introduced. Community title would allow for multiple strata titled schemes on one land parcel or in one building, while leasehold strata would allow for a land owner to retain the freehold ownership of the land and develop a strata scheme which can operate for up to 99 years. Those buying into a strata scheme would be offered better protection, with information such as management levies required to be set out in clearer terms. The State Administrative Tribunal would be given expanded powers and become the sole forum for strata disputes to be heard. The management of schemes would be improved by allowing the use of electronic meeting notifications and voting systems, while strata managers would be required to act honestly and in good faith, exercise due care and skill, hold a trust account for strata funds, provide records of management activities, disclose conflicts of interest and lodge an annual return with Landgate. The reforms would also allow entire apartment blocks to be sold if 75% of owners vote in favour of doing so. Property Council of Australia WA executive director Joe Lenzo said the proposals were long overdue. The strata titles system is very important for the continued growth of Perth and major centres in Western Australia. Strata offers great flexibility for housing and commercial properties and its vital that the regulations are updated, Lenzo said. The reforms will modernise the strata titles system including the introduction of Community Titles, more efficient strata development and reducing the complexity of strata purchases and management, he said. Kara Grant, head of strata management with property development and services firm Blackburne, said the updated legislation was a real step forward for the state. "It's fantastic to see that there's now a real commitment from Government to progress much needed reform, which will be beneficial for owners and residents as well as providing more options for the future development of WA, Grant said. Although licensing of strata management is unfortunately not on the table, we're glad to see that strata managers will be recognised in the legislation, hopefully making them more accountable and therefore improving the professionalism of the industry, she said. Paul Keet, managing director of Strata Asset Services (WA), said while some aspects of the updated legislation such as expanding the use of technology for strata committee meeting were common sense, he does have misgivings about some of the changes. Allowing for electronic meeting notices and voting is just a natural part of moving into the 21st century. A lot of people in the industry have been doing that for a while now, but now we no longer have to hunt around to find the legal means to do so, Keet said. Requiring strata managers to provide annual returns and that sort of thing is an attempt by Landgate to compile some industry statistics. The thing is though the government doesnt have the best track record of keeping that kind of information confidential, so Im not terribly excited about that, he said. The move to allow the sale of apartment blocks with the support of only 75% of owners was introduced in NSW last year, and despite some criticism then it has support from those in WA. Those wishing to redevelop ageing buildings will face fewer hurdles, making way for modern and more sustainable dwellings across Perth, Lenzo said. Keet also welcomed the move, and said the 75% threshold had been effective when adopted in other areas. The threshold had to be relaxed. As schemes age they become harder to repair and maintain and there were situations where the minority was holding out and making life harder for the majority. The key was to come up with an acceptable threshold, along with the other reviews and processes that go along with it, and 75% seems to be that. From what Ive seen in locations overseas the evidence seems to show it works. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 Trend: The Council on State Support to NGOs under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan plans to apply to law enforcement authorities for legal proceedings against NGOs that do not fulfill contractual commitments on projects' realization, Azay Guliyev, the chairman of the Council said Jan. 19. He noted that the Council's task is to solve the problems of NGOs and assist them, but NGOs also should be aware of their responsibility. "The only thing the Council wants NGOs to do - is to fulfill contractual obligations," Guliyev said. "Delays in reporting, or a large number of defects in them are unacceptable," Guliyev said. Appeals to the law enforcement agencies will be taken in respect of such NGOs, he noted. --- 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... Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 Trend: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed Jan. 19 an order to increase monthly official wages of servicemen and civilian employees, who are not servicemen, at the Main Department of Interior Troops of Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry, by an average of 10 percent starting from Feb. 1. Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers was tasked to solve the issues arising from this order. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 Trend: Bloody January, a movie produced by ANS Companies Group, was shown at BHOS to commemorate the tragic events of January 20th that took place 26 years ago. The movie was directed and screen played by Vahid Mustafa Yev, President of ANS Companies Group. The casting team including starring actors Azer Aydemir, Faiq Mirzayev and Tamilla Hamidova attended the event. First, the victims of the tragedy that took place at the night from Jan. 19 to Jan. 20, 1990 as the result of the intrusion of the Soviet Army into Azerbaijan was commemorated with the silence minute. Opening the meeting BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov touched upon the heroic way the Azerbaijani nation came through emphasizing that the tragedy of January 20 is in fact the day which manifested the heroism and courage of our nation. Drawing attention of the audience to the social and political situation in 1990, Mr. Gasimov said that the people who became the victims for Azerbaijan's freedom and independence now belong to the eternity. BHOS Rector also underlined the importance of protecting the independence gained at the cost of the young men and women's bloodshed, founded by the National Leader Haydar Aliyev and now being maintained owing to the policy of President Ilham Aliyev. The Rector particularly stressed that the movie episodes reflected the real facts and thanked the movie producers, especially Vahid Mustafa Yev, for screening the film which would certainly serve as a tool to spread the truth about those bloody events all over the world. Mr. Gasimov heartily thanked the actors and presented them the gifts. In turn, the actors said that they were glad to be at BHOS and thanked BHOS management for providing the opportunity for the demonstration. They were convinced that the movie which reflected the recent past and glorious history of Azerbaijan would in a certain way facilitate fostering even greater patriotism in young people. Then the movie The Bloody January was shown. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 Trend: The rallies in some districts of Azerbaijan were not connected with the devaluation of the manat, said Lieutenant-General Madat Guliyev, the head of the Azerbaijani State Security Service. "Only those individuals who can't and don't want to work are making such attempts," he said. "They say: if you have taken money in the bank, write it off. We informed the president about this." Guliyev said that the crisis is being observed worldwide, and Azerbaijan is carrying out great work to combat the consequences of the crisis. "The flour prices have been reduced in the country," he said. "The prices on gasoline and other products are being controlled. We are trying to keep the value of Azerbaijan's currency." Guliyev added that President Ilham Aliyev is informed of all the recent developments and implements innovations. Hyderabad/New Delhi: The suicide by a dalit student of Hyderabad University on Tuesday snowballed into a major issue with BJP's rivals wading into it and demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, accusing them of being responsible for the death. As Congress mounted the demand for the sacking of the HRD and Labour Ministers, Rahul Gandhi led the multi-party charge attacking them and the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao saying "The VC and the Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Though he did not name Irani, who had just over the week attacked Rahul in his constituency Amethi of failing youths there, the reference was obvious to her against the backdrop of ministry's action which is blamed for the suicide by Rohith Vemula, a dalit research scholar, on Sunday night. Protests escalated in Hyderabad and cities across the country including in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Student organisations including the pro-Left AISA and AAP-backed CYSS and Congress' NSUI held protests in Jantar Mantar and the HRD ministry in the capital demanding the sacking of the ministers and strong action against the VC. Various political parties and leaders have blamed Labour Minister Dattatreya's letter of Aug 17 last year to Irani seeking action against the "anti national activities" of a students union and the alleged assault of an ABVP leader and a series of five communications from the HRD Ministry between Sept 3 and Nov 19 demanding follow up action for the suicide. The HRD ministry, however, today rejected allegations that it had put any pressure on the University relating to either suspension of Rohith or keeping him out of the hostel. The communications, it maintained, was not aimed at putting pressure but was in compliance with the standard protocol adopted in accordance with the Central Secretariat Manual of Procedure whenever a "VIP Reference" is received. Ministry officials said the two-member committee of HRD officials have met people concerned in Hyderabad today and their fact-finding report is expected to be ready after their return tomorrow. After the high-profile visit of Rahul to the campus, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi also went there and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not saying sorry over the incident. "It does not need even 140 characters," he said in an apparent reference to the Prime Minister's penchant for tweeting on issues. He alleged that there has been social discrimination that had led to the suicide. Gandhi flew into Hyderabad from Delhi in the morning and drove straight from the airport to the University campus where he addressed the agitating students. He alleged that the institution instead of operating fairly has used its power to "crush" the freedom of students to express. "The Vice Chancellor and the Minister in Delhi have have not acted fairly. What is the result. The result is that the youth, who came here to improve the country, to learn and to express himself was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. "Certainly he has committed suicide but conditions for his suicide were created by the Vice Chancellor, the minister and the institution," he told the students, one of whom said before his speech that they did not want any politicising of the issue. He demanded "strictest punishment" for Vice-Chancellor and the minister holding them "responsible" for the death of the research scholar. After meeting the students, Gandhi upped the ante against Irani and Dattatreya and the Vice Chancellor, by observing in a tweet: The VC and Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Union Labour Minister Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The Congress Vice President said there is "no question of the Vice Chancellor remaining" on merit and criticised him severely for not even meeting the mother of the deceased. "There are certain people responsible for it. Vice Chancellor is among them. The minister is among them," Gandhi said insisting that whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in strictest terms. In a series of other tweets, Gandhi said, "Any student can come to the University- whether he belongs to any caste or religion. He should feel that I can say what I want to say. The idea of a University is that young people can come and share their thoughts." "These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus. Met students of the Ambedkar Students Association, Hyderabad University," he said in the other tweets. Earlier, accompanied by senior Telangana Congress leaders, Gandhi paid tributes to Vemula by garlanding a memorial "stupa" put up in the university. He also spent some time with family members of Vemula and consoled them. On its part, the BJP accused Gandhi of politicising and insisted that it had nothing to do with the victim being from the depressed community. Party general secretary P Muralidhar Rao, who hails from Telangana, accused Gandhi of "unprincipled" behaviour, saying that the same Congress which had "harassed" dalit icon BR Ambedkar "all his life" was now trying to project itself as champion of Dalit cause. He alleged that Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula's suicide has been made into political issue by "Congress, section of media and some groups with vested interests". In a series of tweets, he said, "Suicide of Rohith Vemula has nothing to do with dalit issues or rights just because he was a dalit. It is merely politicising of the issue." "Disciplinary action was taken against Rohith on the advice of the court and even a lenient stand was taken by University authorities by permitting him to enter the campus except the hostel," he said. "Rahul Gandhi's hurried visit to Hyderabad is an unprincipled behaviour and it is unfortunate that a national political party stoops to such levels. Student leaders, who explained the situation in the university to Rahul, demanded that punishment be handed out to Dattatreya, Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, and a university official for the alleged suicide of Rohith. The VC should be removed from his post and Rs five crore compensation given to the family of Rohith, they said. They also demanded that the "false case" filed against the students be withdrawn and the suspension be revoked. Meanwhile, Hyderabad MP and AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi, who expressed solidarity with the protesting students, told reporters that the Prime Minister should take note of the incident and initiate action against the minister and also the Vice-Chancellor. "Prime Minister says 'India first' and Constitution is the book for him. We hope that the Prime Minister of India takes note of this and takes action, removes the Vice Chancellor, the minister and also takes back the rustication of the students. The government, whether it is Telangana, Andhra Pradesh or the Union should provide help, employment to the family," he said. "What was the need for a minister to intervene in the university affairs (by writing a letter to Union HRD Ministry)," Owaisi asked. The VC should be removed from his post and arrested, he added. Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Reddy on Tuesday was heckled by students at Hyderabad University, who were staging protest over the alleged suicide by PhD scholar Rohith Vemula. The suicide by a Dalit student of Hyderabad University today snowballed into a major issue with BJP's rivals wading into it and demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, accusing them of being responsible for the death. Rohith was found hanging from the ceiling of a room in the New Research Scholars' Hostel late on Sunday. He was one of the five Dalit students suspended and expelled from the hostel and was staging a protest on the campus for the past 15 days. As Congress mounted the demand for the sacking of the HRD and Labour Ministers, Rahul Gandhi led the multi-party charge attacking them and the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao saying "The VC and the Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack the two ministers who allegedly interfered in the internal matters of the University of Hyderabad, culminating in a Dalit student's suicide. Patna: Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday mocked JD(U) leaders for counting Nitish Kumar in the race for Prime Ministership in 2019, saying everybody cannot be an IK Gujral or a Madhu Koda. "A small regional party like JD(U) which at best could have 15-20 MPs is daydreaming about its leader Nitish Kumar on the PM post," Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters in reply to a question. "Everybody cannot not be an IK Gujral or a Madhu Koda, who became PM and Chief Minister of Jharkhand respectively," he said emerging from his first 'Janata Darbar', where he listened to the people's complaints. During its recent national executive at Delhi, Many JD(U) leaders had said Nitish Kumar would be a serious contender for the post of PM in 2019 parliamentary poll. Sushil Modi, who was Kumar's deputy during the NDA rule in Bihar until the BJP-JD(U) alliance broke, hit hard at him describing him as "a highly intolerant person". "Irked by comments of his ally Lalu Prasad on law and order recently, Nitish Kumar had set free spokesmen of his party on RJD," he said adding "Kumar cannot tolerate criticism...he is a highly intolerant person." Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday lay the foundation stone of the campus of Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati (IIITG) during his visit to Assam. Modi will also address students of IIT, IIITG and students of all central technical institutions in the North-East region. His address will be transmitted to other institutions though the National Knowledge Network, IIITG Mentor Director Gautam Barua said. The Assam Governor, Chief Minister, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani, state Education Minister Sarat Borkotoky are expected to attend the function. Modi will also address a BJP youth programme here and a public rally at Kokrajhar today. BJP sources said Modi will address the youth rally at Khanapara here prior to the IIITG programme. According to Kokrajhar district administration sources, the PM will begin his first programme in the state at Kokrajhar town. IIITG is one of the 20 IIITs set up by the central government in NPPP (not-for-profit public private partnership) mode. The campus is located at Sontola Gaon, 4 km from the airport here towards Goalpara, with an area of 70 acres, Barua said. The institute is operating from its temporary premises in Assam Textile Institute campus at Ambari in Guwahati. Preliminary construction work has started and buildings are expected to be ready by the end of 2017, the Mentor Director said. IIITG began its operations in August 2013 and now has three undergraduate batches with a total strength of 179 students, the Mentor Director said. Its partners are central government (57.5 percent funding share), Assam Government (35 percent), Tata Consultancy Services, Oil India Limited, Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd and Amtron Ltd (1.875 percent each), Barua added. New Delhi: Delhi government has sought a detailed report on the ink attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from Police Commissioner B S Bassi and asked him if the force has plans to prevent such incident in future. Principal Secretary (Home) S N Sahai has written to Bassi on the ink incident against Kejriwal on January 17 while he was addressing a public rally to thank Delhiites for making odd-even scheme a "success" in North Delhi here. "Sahai has written to the police commissioner seeking a report on the ink attack on the Chief Minister during a public rally here on Sunday. He has also sought to know if the Delhi Police has plan to prevent repetition of such incident in the future," a senior official said today. 26-year-old Bhavna Arora, who claimed to be the in-charge of the Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, threw ink at Kejriwal at a public rally held to celebrate the "success" of the odd-even scheme. The incident had triggered angry reactions from the AAP government, which alleged a BJP conspiracy behind the attack and assailed the police for the major security lapse. Earlier in the day, a Delhi court sent Arora to 14-day judicial custody. Terming the offence as "grievous" and "serious", the court dismissed the bail application moved by accused Bhavna Arora and remanded her to judicial custody. Arora has claimed she had "proof in the form of a CD" on the CNG scam. A resident of Rama Vihar in outer Delhi's Rohini sub- city, she was booked for alleged offences under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the IPC. Pune: Expressing solidarity with students protesting over alleged suicide by a dalit scholar in Hyderabad, the students of FTII today sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institute's gate here. "We are in solidarity with students protesting the death of Rohit Vemula, and as many as eight students from the Film & Television Institute of India have sat on hunger strike for a day," FTII Students' Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu said. The hunger strike started with eight students and slowly other students too are joining the protest, he said. Another students' body representative Yashaswi Mishra said, "We feel that the unfortunate incidents like death of Rohit Vemula is an institutional murder. The very ideology that led to this devastating tragedy has to be fought across. We stand together with the students' community fighting for quality of education, beyond caste, class and biases." "We condemn the government's attempts to suppress and crush voices of disagreement, and at this hour of crisis stand together with the larger student fraternity," he added. Notably, the FTII students had last year held a 139-day-long strike to protest the appointment of TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as the institute's chairman. New Delhi: The HRD Ministry on Tuesday rejected allegations that it had put any pressure on the University of Hyderabad in the matter relating to the suspension of a dalit student, who committed suicide on Sunday. After it emerged that the Ministry had sent five letters including four reminders to the University regarding the August 17, 2015 letter written by Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, it said it was only following the procedures. "It would be wrong to say that the Ministry has put any pressure on the Hyderbad University. The Ministry had only followed the procedure as per the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure. "According to the procedure, if there is a VIP reference, it has to be acknowledged in 15 days and another 15 days may be taken to reply to it. Since no response was coming from the University, the Ministry had to send reminders," HRD Ministry spokesperson Ghanshyam Goel said. Seeking to justify the Ministry's action, officials said that even in Cabinet meetings the Ministry is supposed to provide all details about pending assurances, VIP references, grievances etc. According to sources, the Ministry had sent its first letter on September 3, 2015 to the University, and reminders were later sent on September 24, October 6, October 20 and November 19. Officials said that the University finally replied on the matter on January 7. Dattatreya had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani after a clash between two student groups in the campus in which an ABVP leader Susheel Kumar was attacked. Rohith Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the University in August last year over the alleged assault case. They were also kept out of the hostel. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme step taken by Rohith was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, following his letter to Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". Rohith was found hanging at the Central University's hostel room in the campus on Sunday, triggering protests from fellow students this morning. Mumbai: A special MCOCA court here on Tuesday granted CBI permission to interrogate deported gangster Chhota Rajan in connection with journalist J Dey murder case of 2011. Special Judge AL Pansare allowed CBI's plea seeking nod to question the 54-year-old crime boss for 10 days starting January 27 before adjourning the case till February 5. Rajan, who was produced via video link from Delhi's Tihar Jail told the court that he has received the chargesheet and needs time to go through it. "I am kept in a high security cell and only taken out once in a week and need 15 days to a month for scanning the chargesheet and engaging a lawyer in Mumbai," Rajan told the court to which Judge Pansare informed the gangster that his (Delhi-based) lawyer Anshuman Sinha was present in the court. On January 7, the court had reprimanded Mumbai Police for not serving the copy of the charge sheet to Rajan. "Why not yet ? What are you waiting for....why are you waiting for an order for everything," the judge had asked. Later, he had passed an order directing the police to serve the copy of charge sheet to Rajan. Rajan, a former key aide and lieutenant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25 after he arrived from Australia, and was later deported to India. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, which includes the J Dey murder case. Maharashtra government has handed over all the cases against him to CBI. Dey, a veteran crime reporter, was shot dead in suburban Powai by motor-cycle borne shooters on June 11, 2011 allegedly at the behest of Rajan. Four persons on two motorbikes fired at least four to five rounds at Dey, who was also riding a bike, from behind near Spectra Building at D Mart in Hiranandani area of Powai. After the attack, he was rushed to nearby Hiranandani Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Police had claimed the shooters fled the spot after firing. The first charge sheet in 2011 names arrested accused Satiah Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia. Later another chargesheet in 2012 was filed against journalist Jigna Vora who is now out on bail. Rajan was allegedly upset with two articles written by Dey and therefore ordered his killing. Vora allegedly instigated him, owing to her own professional rivalry with Dey. On January 4, the Bombay High Court had designated a special court for conducting the trials of cases in which Rajan is an accused. Earlier, Rajan had moved an application in Delhi court, saying that he may not be sent to Mumbai as there is threat to his life. Port Blair: India has started to deploy long-range naval patrol aircraft Poseidon-8I and spy drones at the forward military base in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as part of its strategy to counter China's move to regularly send its nuclear and conventional submarines to the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The Times of India quoted Defence Ministry sources as saying that two Poseidon-8I aircraft have been patrolling the maritime area in the strategically-located Andaman and Nicobar Islands for about two weeks now. Navy and Air Force's Israeli Searcher-II unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have also been deployed in the archipelago on a temporary basis. The P-8I aircraft are especially designed to gather intelligence and detect threats. The aircraft are armed with Harpoon Block-II missiles, MK-54 lightweight torpedoes, rockets and depth charges, the daily reported. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 20 Trend: Today, Azerbaijan commemorates the 26th anniversary of the 20th January tragedy. January 20, 1990 is a day which went down in history of Azerbaijan's fight for independence and territorial integrity. The Jan. 20, 1990 entrance of the Soviet army forces into Baku, to suppress the masses, resulted in unprecedented tragedy in Azerbaijan. The protests were held against the USSR-supported Armenia's aggressive actions, made upon territorial claims towards Azerbaijan. Valiant sons and daughters of Azerbaijan put the country's freedom, honor and dignity above everything else, sacrificed their lives and became shahids. The tragedy of Jan. 20 brought huge losses and death of innocent people. But it also demonstrated the spirit and pride of Azerbaijani nation, which couldn't stand the betrayal policy of the criminal empire led by Mikhail Gorbachev. Azerbaijani people gained the independence they have been dreaming of, and the country achieved sovereignty. Despite that many years have passed since those bloody days, Azerbaijani nation remembers the dreadful night that took many innocent lives, and marks the anniversary of the January 20 tragedy every year. The events of January 20 are immortalized in the vital memory of Azerbaijani nation as a Day of the Nationwide Sorrow. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday directed Delhi Police to eliminate the VVIP culture from the national capital for the obstruction caused to people due to politicians' convoy. According to sources, PM Modi today told Delhi Police that he is unpleased with the inconvenience caused to the people due to his convoy. He also asked the city Police to bring out measures so that VVIP movement does not cause further obstruction to the aam janta (ordinary citizens). VVIP culture privileges politicians above ordinary people for instance, allowing them to bypass the grid locked city traffic. Modi's visit to Chandigarh in April last year had caused lots of inconvenience to people. Schools and colleges were shut and exams were cancelled in many institutions in the city. The parking lot at the main crematorium ground was turned into a temporary parking space for a public rally that was addressed by the PM. Bereaved families were asked to use another crematorium ground which was in the western part of the city. Brigadier Devinder Singh, who had participated in the Kargil war in 1999 against Pakistan, lost his 24-year-old son in a road mishap on the same day. Singh was forced to go to Mohali to cremate his son since the city cremation was being used for rally addressing. After facing the public outcry, PM Modi later expressed his regrets and said that the inconvenience caused to people because of his cavalcade during his Chandigarh visit will be examined and its accountability will be examined. Hyderabad: The suicide of Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU), has triggered a national debate on how authorities should deal with student politics. Amid all this, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) student leader who emerged as a key character in the entire episode has spoken out. Susheel Kumar, an HCU student leader, has expressed shock over the death of Rohith. Speaking to The News Minute, Susheel said the news of Rohith's suicide made him numb. The trigger for Rohith's suicide can be traced back to an altercation with Susheel way back in August. Apart from Rohith, four more Dalit scholars - associated with Ambedkar Students Association (ASU) - were involved in the altercation with Susheel. The trigger for the altercation was a protest by the five Dalit scholars and others against 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon's hanging. In a Facebook post, Susheel had called Rohith and other ASU members goons for organising protest. There were claims that ASU students had attacked Susheel even though he had apologised for the Facebook post. Rohith and others had, however, denied resorting to violence. Following a complaint and probe, the five Dalit scholars were suspended from the university and expelled from the hostel. The university suspension was later revoked. Susheel told The News Minute that he never imagined this would happen. I have known him for almost five years. We were ideologically different, but he was brave. He would rip apart posters we placed in campus, he was at the forefront of their agitations. I never imagined this would happen. Never, Susheel told The News Minute. This was just student politics. I have engaged in many conversations with Rohith, though we always disagreed. I stopped speaking to them after August 2015, he added. On the issue of seeking Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya's intervention, Susheel said he did ask for help but it was all done in the heat of the moment. No one would have thought that a person like Rohith would commit suicide, he said. New Delhi: Interpol has re-notified a global Red Corner Notice (RCN) against a British national, alleged to be a middlemen in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal, on charges of money laundering pressed against him by the ED. The re-issued international warrant pertains to Christian Michel James, who has earlier been notified under the same category by the Interpol in the said case but on the request of the CBI, also probing the deal. The RCN against 54-year-old James has been re-notified recently, officials said, to include charges of money laundering under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the request of the Enforcement Directorate(ED). "The charges under PMLA were not included earlier in the Interpol RCN notified against James. These charges have been inserted and the notice re-notified. Indian authorities require him for prosecution in the case," they said. The CBI has sought his arrest for "criminal conspiracy, cheating, illegal gratification and abuse of official position." An RCN, according to Interpol, is issued "to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action" in a criminal case probe. With this re-notification of the global warrant, both CBI and ED have now got RCNs issued against three alleged middlemen wanted in this case-- Italians Carlo Gerosa and Guido Ralph Haschke and James-- after a special court here had issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against them on their separate pleas late last year. In ED's case, the court's order came as it sought issuance of an open NBW against James, who is presently in Dubai, claiming that Agusta Westland had allegedly paid a "kickback" of around 70 million Euro out of which around 30 million Euros was paid to James and his firm Global Services FZE, Dubai while Gerosa and Haschke had allegedly cornered the rest. The agency had claimed that "investigations revealed that kick backs received by James in his company M/s Global Services, FZE, Dubai in the guise of two agreements from M/s Agusta Westland, were nothing other than that of the kickback which is thus a proceeds of crime." New Delhi: Twenty six years after Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the Valley, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Tuesday, said onus is on onus is on them to come back". Speaking exclusively to 'Hindustan Times', the National Conference leader said, "onus is on Kashmiri Pandits to come back to the state and no one will come with a begging bowl". The Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of their homeland in 1990 to live in exile. According to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, the major impediment in the rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits lies in the fear of losing their lives and homes all over again. Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah today said one more year had passed but no progress had been made in bringing back displaced Kashmiri Pandits to the state. "Another year passes with no further progress in bringing back the displaced Kashmiri Pandits. Words sound even more hollow," he said in a tweet. "Much was expected of the current government where all others were accused of paying only lip service but nothing changed. Kabul: A photograph of an Afghan woman whose nose was sliced off by her husband in a fit of rage has sparked online anger, with activists demanding punishment for what one called a "barbaric act". Reza Gul, 20, was rushed to hospital after the attack in Ghormach district in the northwestern province of Faryab on Sunday. Her husband is said to have fled to a Taliban-controlled area. "Mohammad Khan (the husband) cut off Reza Gul's nose with a pocket knife," Faryab governor's spokesman Ahmad Javed Bedar told AFP. The incident highlights the endemic violence against women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline Taliban Islamist regime was ousted by a 2001 US-led invasion. "Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned," Kabul-based women's rights activist Alema told AFP. "Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women," added Alema, who goes by one name. The disfigured woman's photograph was widely shared on social media, prompting calls for tough action against the husband. Bedar said Gul would need reconstructive surgery, which was not possible in the local government hospital. It was not immediately clear what prompted the husband to attack Gul, the mother of a one-year-old child who was married off five years ago as a teenager. Bedar said Khan, an unemployed man, had recently returned from neighbouring Iran and may have joined the Taliban after fleeing home following the attack. The government has vowed to protect women's rights but that has not prevented deadly attacks. In November a young woman was stoned to death after being accused of adultery in the central province of Ghor. And last March a woman named Farkhunda was savagely beaten and set ablaze in central Kabul after being falsely accused of burning a Koran. The mob killing triggered angry protests nationwide and drew global attention to the treatment of Afghan women. In 2010, Time magazine put the photograph of a mutilated 18-year-old, Bibi Aisha, on its cover. Her nose was cut off by an abusive husband. The cover provoked a worldwide outpouring of sympathy for Aisha, who was taken to the United States where she was given a prosthetic nose. Lucknow: Violence broke out in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday night after the body of an abducted child was found, police said. The seven-year-old son of show manufacturer Khalid Ali had gone missing on Saturday. Initially the family members began searching for the child, but when they failed to find him, they lodged a police complaint. A ransom call was later received by the family. After surveillance of the businessman's phone, three of his neighbours -- Zoeb (18), Labbo (17) and Farhan (21) -- were found involved and later taken into custody. During interrogation, they admitted that after kidnapping the child, they developed cold feet and killed the boy and burnt his body in the thickets of Kurau. As soon as the body was found, relatives and well-wishers of the family attacked the houses of the kidnappers and set a house on fire. Additional security deployment has been made and the situation was under control now, police told IANS. Baghdad: Iraqi Sunni lawmakers and ministers decided to boycott Tuesday`s parliament and government sessions to protest violence targeting their community in a town east of Baghdad, the independent al-Sumaria TV channel reported on Monday. A coalition of Sunni Arab parliament members took the decision after a meeting chaired by parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, who is also the most senior representative of the community in the Iraqi state, the channel said, citing lawmaker Badr al-Fahl. Anti-Shi`ite bombings claimed by Islamic State on Jan. 11 in the town of Muqdadiya triggered retaliatory attacks on the Sunni community, leaving an unknown number of people killed. Police have not yet announced a casualty toll for the anti-Sunni violence in Muqdadiya. At least 23 people were killed and 51 wounded in a twin blast in an area frequented by Shi`ite militia fighters of the town on Jan. 11, according to security sources. "The parliamentary and ministerial blocs representing the (Sunni) Forces Coalition ... has decided to withdraw from the government session of Tuesday and also the parliamentary session because of the events in Muqdadiya," parliament member Fahl said in an interview with al-Sumaria. Addressing a news conference on Sunday, Jabouri reported "retaliatory operations targeting journalists and innocent people and places of worship," in Muqdadiya, without giving further details. The Iraqi government is led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shi`ite politician. Colombo: Jailed former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed on Tuesday thanked the world leaders who helped secure his release for urgent surgery in Britain, after being granted temporary leave from his prison cell. Nasheed, whose conviction last March on terror-related charges has been widely criticised, left the Maldives late Monday for Sri Lanka, after a delay caused by a legal dispute with the honeymoon island nation`s hardline government. The opposition leader spent his first day of freedom since his imprisonment in a top hotel in the capital Colombo and is due to fly to Britain on Wednesday. "He is making calls to world leaders to thank them for their support in getting him released," his aide, Ahmed Naseem, told AFP. "The Sri Lankan government has been extremely kind," Naseem said, referring to an internationally brokered deal to secure Nasheed`s 30-day freedom. Aides said Nasheed had decided against speaking to reporters in Colombo on Tuesday, given the intense diplomacy involved in brokering the deal, and would only meet his doctors in Colombo before flying directly to London. He had been due to leave the Maldives on Sunday after the government said he could travel for urgent spinal cord surgery under the deal brokered by diplomats from India, Sri Lanka and Britain. But he refused a government request to leave a relative behind to act as a guarantor liable to prosecution if he failed to return to serve the rest of his 13-year sentence, leading to a tense back and forth over conditions. The United States, which has pressed for Nasheed`s complete freedom, welcomed his temporary release and urged hardline President Abdulla Yameen to take more steps towards democracy. US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone to Nasheed on Monday night, his US lawyer said in a tweet, after his release from the high-security Maafushi prison located on a small islet near the capital Male. "Release of Nasheed is step in the right direction, urge more engagement from Government of Maldives on democracy, shared challenges," Kerry said on Twitter early Tuesday.Nasheed, 48, became the first democratically elected president of the Maldives in 2008 and served for four years before he was toppled in what he called a coup backed by the military and police. He was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism charges relating to the arrest of an allegedly corrupt judge in 2012, when he was still in power. The United Nations has said his trial was seriously flawed and he should be released and compensated for wrongful detention. But Yameen has refused to accept the UN ruling and has been resisting international pressure to release Nasheed. The government initially said Nasheed could have the procedure on the tiny archipelago, but then agreed to allow him to travel to Britain. Nasheed`s opposition Maldivian Democratic Party agreed Monday to the government`s amended demand for his brother to instead update authorities on Nasheed`s whereabouts while abroad. The Maldivian government in a statement insisted that all legal formalities had been followed before Nasheed was allowed to leave. President Yameen is a half-brother of former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years until his defeat by Nasheed in the country`s first multi-party elections in 2008. Nairobi: The bodies of Kenyan soldiers killed when Al-Qaeda-linked militants overran their base in Somalia were flown home late Monday draped in the national flag as a rescue operation was underway for survivors. Defence Minister Raychelle Omamo called the dead "VIPs, the fallen heroes" as four coffins arrived by plane in the capital Nairobi. They were carried by an honour guard of their comrades. The army has set up helplines for families of those killed, although it has yet to name them and no official toll has been released. "This is a very sombre moment for the Kenya Defence Forces -- and I think for the country at large," Omamo said, calling for "patience" as efforts to rescue remaining troops continued. "Search rescue and recovery operations are ongoing, and consequently we except to receive more of our soldiers in the coming days," she added, without giving further details. The African Union base in southwest Somalia was attacked by Shebab fighters early on Friday morning, the latest incident of an AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) base being overrun by the militants. More than a dozen survivors, some wounded, were flown back on Sunday and Monday. Kenya has so far declined to say how many of its soldiers were killed, wounded or missing but on Sunday a Shebab statement said that more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed and others captured. The Shehab have also released two recordings they say are of captured Kenyan troops which were broadcast on their Radio Andalus station, although their veracity could not be confirmed. Jihadist websites in Somalia claimed that 12 Kenyan soldiers were captured. The militants frequently exaggerate the number of troops they kill, while AMISOM and the countries that contribute troops to the force rarely give reliable tolls. Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke on Monday condemned the Shebab`s "barbaric attack" as he offered his "condolences to the families of the gallant soldiers who lost their lives". Islamabad: Pakistan is considering a ban on Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a charity run by JuD chief Hafiz Saeed , according to a media report. "Officials said the government is likely to ban FIF. The Ministry of Interior, these officials said, had started serious consultations with all the stakeholders before banning FIF and a final decision would be taken in next few days," The Nation reported. The charity is operated by Saeed who also runs Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and is the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack. The paper also said that Pakistan had told the US it is not playing any double game with India regarding investigations into the Pathankot airbase attack. Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to find out the truth and urged the need to focus on the pressing challenge of terrorism in the region. A senior government official said that Washington was taken into confidence on the investigations conducted so far into the Pathankot incident. "We have told them we are serious in finding out whether someone from Pakistan is involved in the terror act. There have been arrests and the investigations are ongoing. There has been no double game and there will not be any double game on the Pathankot issue," he added. He said the prime minister and the foreign ministry both have got the message from Washington that President Barack Obama and his team were happy with Pakistan's reaction to the Pathankot attack and hoped there will be fair investigations. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Samir Ali - Trend: Baku's Narimanov District Court reviewed on Jan. 19 a lawsuit by the former chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan, Jahangir Hajiyev, who is under arrest. The lawsuit concerned his detention in the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, Hajiyev's lawyer Agil Layijev told Trend. Jahangir Hajiyev's lawsuit wasn't granted at the trial chaired by Judge Turgay Huseynov. Having reviewed the lawsuit, the judge considered it appropriate to leave Hajiyev in the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime in connection with the investigation. Hajiyev was taken from a detention facility to the Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime on Dec. 30 in connection with investigative actions. He is currently in the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. Hajiyev is charged under various articles of the Criminal Code, including misappropriation, abuse of office, fraud by causing huge damage, embezzlement through the abuse of office, and bribing. Earlier, according to a decision of the Narimanov Court, a preventive measure in the form of arrest for a period of four months was chosen against him. Peshawar: A suicide bomber blew himself up close to a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least ten people and wounding more than 20, officials said. The bomber rammed his motorcycle into the roadside checkpoint in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, local government official Munir Khan told Reuters. "He was riding an explosives-laden motorcycle and hit the checkpoint and the vehicle of the line officer," Khan said. Two government officials said ten police officers were killed in the blast including the line officer whose vehicle was targeted. A spokesperson at the Hayatabad Medical Complex in the city of Peshawar said the hospital had received ten bodies, including that of a child. The attack took place in an area where security forces are fighting the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups near the border with Afghanistan, the two officials said. Washington: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has accused his Republican presidential rival Donald Trump of exhibiting inconsistent conservatism and said the billionaire real estate mogul is becoming "rattled" and "dismayed" by his gains. Both Cruz and Trump were campaigning yesterday in New Hampshire, which holds the second contest in the country's primary season. The war of words between Cruz and Trump has intensified in recent days, with Trump going on the offensive over Cruz's eligibility to be on the ballot given his Canadian birth and for Cruz's failure to disclose loans received from Citibank and Goldman Sachs for his 2012 Senate race in Texas. Trump on Sunday called Cruz a "nasty guy" who no one likes. Cruz tried to turn the insult into a joke yesterday, posting a message on Twitter saying Americans feel "nasty" toward the "Washington Cartel." Cruz posted a link to the video of Janet Jackson's hit song "Nasty." "Donald seems to be a little rattled," Cruz told reporters before a town hall in Washington, New Hampshire on Monday. "For whatever reason he is very, very dismayed. I guess as conservatives continue to unite behind our campaign, as his poll numbers continue to go down, he's a little testier." Polls show Cruz and Trump locked in a tight race in Iowa, whose Feb. 1 caucuses lead off the state-by-state presidential nominating contests. But Trump is polling considerably better in New Hampshire. Cruz embarked on a five-day swing through New Hampshire this week as his numbers began to show new strength. Cruz questioned whether Trump is a true conservative, noting donations he's made to Democrats over the years, including USD 50,000 in 2010 to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama. And Cruz rejected Trump's self-comparison to Ronald Reagan, saying he was "pretty sure" Reagan never supported or made large donations to Democrats. Trump, campaigning in New Hampshire late yesterday, did not bring up his rival's accusations. In the past, Trump has said he made donations to Hillary Clinton for her Senate campaign and other Democrats not for ideological reasons but rather to serve his business interests. "The American people want a steady hand at the helm," Cruz told The Associated Press in an interview on his campaign bus yesterday. "They don't want, I believe, a commander in chief who wakes up obsessed with the latest polls and driven to issue a frenzy of tweets. Instead, they want a principled, steady, conservative leader who will do everything necessary to protect this nation and keep America safe." Reuters: Iranian authorities "continued to manipulate" Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian until the moment he was released with four other Americans in a prisoner swap over the weekend, his brother said on Monday. A deal had been negotiated between Washington and Tehran for the swap but at the last minute, Iranian authorities tried to stop the Iranian-American journalist`s wife, Yeganeh Salehi, from leaving with him, Ali Rezaian told CNN. "The Iranians, as they have done all along, continued to manipulate them, continued to try and mess with them and prevented Yeggie for leaving for some period of time," Ali Rezaian told CNN in an interview from outside a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. "The U.S. stuck to its guns, they had said Yeggie had to come along with Jason and they got her out," Ali Rezaian said. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that a delay in the departure of the plane taking some of the detainees from Iran was partly due to a "temporary misunderstanding" about whether Rezaian`s mother, Mary, and his wife, who is also a journalist, were on the plane, as had been agreed. They were later confirmed as being on the plane. Rezaian and two other Iranian-Americans arrived on Sunday in Landstuhl where they were undergoing medical evaluations. The prisoner swap followed the lifting of most international sanctions against Iran under a deal to curb Tehran`s nuclear program. Ali Rezaian said his brother had recounted to him some aspects of the 545 days he was held in Iranian custody after being accused of espionage. He said Iranian authorities grilled him about fellow journalists who cover the country. "We talked about a couple of things some folks here, Iranian folks people that cover Iran. The only thing he said was, `I was interrogated about them,`" Ali Rezaian told CNN. Washington Post editors flew to Germany to meet with Rezaian, 39, who appeared in a photograph on the newspaper`s website wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and jeans and said he was feeling fine. "I want people to know that physically I`m feeling good," the Post quoted Rezaian as saying. "I know people are eager to hear from me but I want to process this for some time." Rezaian spent 49 days in solitary confinement before he was assigned a roommate in a 15-foot (4-meter) by 20-foot (6-meter) cell, one of his editors, Doug Jehl, told CNN after the meeting in Germany. He occupied his time by walking around an 8-foot (2-meter) by 8 foot (2-meter) concrete courtyard, reading fiction and looked forward to periodic visits from his wife and his mother. "He wasn`t sure until the plane took off that it was the end of his ordeal," Jehl told CNN. Other Americans freed with Rezaian included Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine, who was detained while visiting family in Iran in August 2011, and who appeared smiling in a photograph taken in Germany on Monday. Also released was Saeed Abedini, 35, an Iranian-American pastor from Idaho who was setting up an orphanage in Iran in 2012 when he was detained. The fourth American freed was Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, who did not travel on the plane that departed Tehran on Sunday. The fifth American, Matthew Trevithick, who went to Iran in September to study Farsi at a language centre affiliated with Tehran University, was seen in photographs in the Boston Globe returning to family in Massachusetts on Sunday. Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is Europe American intelligence agencies are to conduct a major investigation into how the Kremlin is infiltrating political parties in Europe, it can be revealed. James Clapper, the US Director of National Intelligence, has been instructed by the US Congress to conduct a major review into Russian clandestine funding of European parties over the last decade. . . . The review reflects mounting concerns in Washington over Moscows determination to exploit European disunity in order to undermine Nato, block US missile defence programmes and revoke the punitive economic sanctions regime imposed after the annexation of Crimea. The US move came as senior British government officials told The Telegraph of growing fears that a new cold war was now unfolding in Europe, with Russian meddling taking on a breadth, range and depth far greater than previously thought. It really is a new Cold War out there, the source said, Right across the EU we are seeing alarming evidence of Russian efforts to unpick the fabric of European unity on a whole range of vital strategic issues. A dossier of Russian influence activity seen by The Sunday Telegraph identified Russian influence operations running in France, the Netherlands, Hungary as well as Austria and the Czech Republic, which has been identified by Russian agents as an entry-point into the Schengen free movement zone.The US intelligence review will examine whether Russian security services are funding parties and charities with the intent of undermining political cohesion, fostering agitation against the Nato missile defence programme and undermining attempts to find alternatives to Russian energy.[ The Telegraph, London, 16 January 2016. For the full article see here - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In a related development, Austria, an EU member state, is passing legislation to limit foreign influence on Islamic religious institutions in Austria. See below: More significantly, Paragraph 6.2 of the law seeks to limit the religious and political influence of foreign governments within the Austrian Muslim community by prohibiting foreign countries -- presumably Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states -- from financing Islamic centers and mosques in Austria. [ here The EU a nd US have lately been complaining about the non-profit organization transparency bill being promoted by Ayelet Shaked , Israel's minister of Justice. They complain that it inhibits democracy, human rights and freedom , etc, the usual excuses for their attempts to bend Israel to their will so that it will capitulate to Arab fascists, jihadists, and genocidists --embodied in Fatah and Hamas-- and give up territory to them so that it loses its strategic terrain needed for defense against ground attacks. But now it turns out that Russia is supplying funds to political parties in EU countries that work against the EU. When Russia does it, it's not fair, it's not right, it's subversion. When the EU itself plus EU member states supply tens of millions of euros over the years to supposed Israeli "non-governmental organizations," supposed non-profit bodies, instead of using the money to help needy EU citizens, in Greece for example, then that's OK. That's democracy. But democracy depends on transparency, a supposed value of the EU. However, when Israel wants to subject foreign-funded so-called NGOs to transparency requirements, then that is not nice, not fair, not democratic. Just by the way, NGO Monitor has pointed out that the EU funding to the "palestinian authority" is anything but transparent. It is often very difficult for NGO Monitor to find out from official EU sources which "NGOs" the EU is funding and with how much money. Hypocrisy thy name is Europe.Of course, when the shoe is on the other foot, when Russia does it to the EU, then . . . . See below: Labels: "human rights", EU, European Union, NGOs, United States Blog Archive September (1) May (1) March (1) September (1) June (2) February (1) January (2) August (1) June (1) September (1) June (1) March (1) February (2) January (1) November (2) October (1) August (1) May (1) April (1) February (1) January (2) November (2) June (1) May (1) March (3) February (1) January (1) December (1) October (2) August (2) July (1) June (1) May (5) April (2) March (1) February (2) January (3) December (3) November (2) October (2) September (2) August (2) July (1) June (4) May (2) April (2) March (3) February (4) January (2) December (3) November (3) October (2) September (5) August (3) July (5) June (3) May (3) March (1) February (2) October (2) February (1) January (1) December (3) Discount airlines fight red tape to get off the ground in Canada NewLeaf Travel Company, the new Canadian discount airline that launched Jan. 6, has had to postpone its plans to begin operations in February and will refund any reservations while its licensing is reviewed. In a release today, the new air service said its position was "ambiguous" while the Canadian Transportation Agency reviews licensing of indirect air service carriers. NewLeaf had a charter arrangement with Kelowna, B.C.-based Flair Airlines Ltd., with Flair holding the CTA operating licence, while NewLeaf sold the seats. The transportation agency is reviewing whether persons who do not operate any aircraft, but market and sell air services to the public, should be required to hold a licence directly. "Now, there is ambiguity in the air as to whether we need to amend the relationship with our air service provider, or whether we need to have a licence ourselves. While Canada has many other indirect air service providers, NewLeaf is in a unique position as we are the first large-scale [indirect provider]," said NewLeaf CEO Jim Young. "We welcome a regulatory system in which businesses like ours can thrive in Canada as they do in other countries." But Alexandre Robertson, a spokesman for Canadian Transportation Agency, told CBC News Monday evening that the agency has been conducting the review since the fall. That process has not changed and is continuing, he said. NewLeaf and other carriers operating under the indirect model were allowed to proceed pending the review. The consultation will continue until Jan. 22. Robertson couldn't offer a precise time when the results of the consultation would be available, but he said the agency "will be moving quickly." "The requirements and the agency's approach has been clear from the very beginning," Robertson said Monday evening. Refunds coming Young said the airline aims to resume taking reservations in the spring, but would refund all credit card charges so customers could make alternative travel arrangements. Story continues Young said the fledgling airline was seeing huge demand and had thousands of bookings. Everyone who booked should get a refund within the next 72 hours, he said Monday. It was offering flights to seven Canadian cities, starting Feb. 12: - Abbotsford, B.C. - Halifax - Hamilton - Kelowna, B.C. - Regina - Saskatoon - Winnipeg. In a news conference from Winnipeg, Young said NewLeaf had an agreement from the CTA in December to operate with Flair as the licensed carrier. He said the review the agency is conducting creates too much uncertainty. "We didn't want to get into a situation where we were getting closer to operating our services and have to cancel at that time," Young said. "We don't know what will happen when the review is completed," he added. The CTA has never before agreed to allow a large passenger carrier to operate under an indirect licence held by another party in fact, in 1996 it turned down a proposal from Greyhound Airlines to operate under an indirect licence. Since NewLeaf launched, the agency has faced complaints from competing airlines and from consumer advocates. "There are a lot of naysayers who don't want to see us in business," Young said. New terms Jack Branswell, a spokesman for the Canadian Transportation Agency, said it would be acceptable for Flair to set air carrier rates and offer seats for sale as it is "the licensed carrier in this situation." It is calling for comments on a review that could set new terms for NewLeaf. Jetlines and Jet Naked, two other discount carriers hoping to launch in Canada, are both in the process of applying for a carrier licence, something that requires a lot of up-front capital. Correction : The Canadian Transportation Agency is a quasi-judicial tribunal and economic regulator that operates independently of Transport Canada. An earlier version of this story confused the agency with Transport Canada. An earlier version of this story also said the CTA had previously given an all-clear to NewLeaf's proposed business model before the airline launched. In fact, the agency says, pending the review, all companies that bulk purchase and resell tickets to the public were not required to seek licences if they met certain criteria.(Jan 18, 2016 9:35 PM) [NDP Leader Tom Mulcair THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick] Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair is reportedly living in a hotel on the taxpayers dime while he carries mortgages on four homes. Mulcair had to vacate Stornoway, the Ottawa residence of the leader of the Official Opposition, when his party lost more than half its seats in the House of Commons and was bumped to third-party status in the October election. Last month, as part of his mandatory disclosure under the Conflict of Interest Code, the MP for Outremont declared that he and wife, Catherine Pinhas Mulcair, hold mortgages on a principal residence, a secondary residence, a recreational property and a second recreational property, all in Quebec. The four mortgages, as well as a line of credit, are with RBC, though figures are not provided. MPs are not required to disclose debts of $10,000 or less or the value of property used as a principal or recreational residence. Meanwhile, Mulcair stays in a hotel in Ottawa, according to a report by Postmedia News. Mulcairs primary residence is in Montreal and his secondary one in Quebec City both more than 100 kilometres outside of the National Capital Region, which puts him in travel status, as defined in the Members Allowances and Services Manual, whenever he is in the nations capital on parliamentary business. That means Mulcair is entitled to be reimbursed for hotels, meals and incidentals at rates set out in the manual for instance, up to $50 per night for private accommodation, and up to $95.05 per day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, to a maximum of $28,600 per fiscal year. The most recent expense statement for Mulcair covers the period between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2015, while he was still living at Stornoway. A spokeswoman from the Board of Internal Economy, which governs MPs expenses, referred further questions about Mulcairs expenses to the MP himself. A spokesman for Mulcair did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Story continues Mulcairs MP salary is $167,400. After the election, he lost the $80,100 bonus paid to the Opposition leader, as well as a $2,000 car allowance. Pinhas, who is a psychologist, earns an undisclosed income from public health care and private practice. Mulcair took the helm after Jack Layton died in 2011 just months after leading the party to its first ever Official Opposition status, with 103 seats. The NDP lost 59 of those seats in the 2015 election. Mulcair has so far resisted calls to step down, even from within his own party. Ontario NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, in an interview with the Toronto Star earlier this month, called Mulcair tainted and said he has to go. If he doesnt resign, hell face a leadership review at the partys convention in Edmonton in April. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend The removal of international sanctions against Iran can lead to strengthening trade ties between Tehran and Baku, an Iranian diplomat said. "I assume Iran and Azerbaijan are capable of creating proper chances in the three sectors of trade, transit and energy," Iranian Ambassador to Baku Mohsen Pak-Ayeen told Trend January. 18. In addition to the expansion of trade ties between Tehran and Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan can play an important role in linking Iran to the markets of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Pak-Ayeen said. Saying that the removal of sanctions has created a chance for the Islamic Republic to play an important role in the region, he added Azerbaijan can connect Iran to the markets of Caucasus, and Central Asia. In the meantime considering Iran's geographical location, the Islamic Republic and neighboring counties can cooperate in the development of goods transport, oil swap and also connecting to international electricity networks, he added. In a joint statement on Jan. 16, the EU's High Representative Federica Mogherini and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced the implementation of the JCPOA and the removal of economic sanctions on Iran. According to the statement, EU has confirmed that legal framework, providing for lifting of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions, is effective. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: Kazakhstan's oil and gas company KazMunayGas said Jan.19 that the merger of two of its major subsidiaries - KazTransOil and KazTransGas - will not happen. "In connection with the incoming media inquiries on the possibility of merging the two subsidiaries of the KMG group - JSC KazTransOil and JSC KazTransGas - the company officially states that such a merge is economically unfeasible," the company said. KazMunayGas (KMG) is the Kazakhstan operator for exploration, production, refining and transportation of hydrocarbons, representing the state interests in the oil and gas industry of Kazakhstan. Joint Stock Company "National Company "KazMunayGas" was established by way of merger of "Kazakhoil" National Oil and Gas Company and "Oil and Gas Transportation" National Company pursuant to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan as of February 20, 2002. KazTransGas JSC was established in accordance with a governmental decree of the Kazakh Republic No173 dated February 5, 2000, in order to systematise the work of the gas industry. In accordance with the Kazakh government decree N914, as of July 5, 2012, KazTransGas JSC is defined as the national operator in the field of gas and gas supply. Companies and organisations dealing with gas production, transportation and sale are included in the KazTransGas company group. KazTransOil is a largest oil pipeline company of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which provides services on oil transportation on the domestic market and for export. KazTransOil JSC is an owner of the largest network of main oil pipelines and waterlines in the Republic of Kazakhstan, total length of which amounts to 5 502,997 km of oil pipelines (with account of 71,7 km of Kenkiyak - Orsk oil pipeline, which passes through the territory of the Russian Federation and which is on the balance sheet of Representation of KazTransOil in Samara) and 2 148,1 km of water pipeline. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Azad Hasanli - Trend: Consolidation in Azerbaijan's banking sector may affect five to seven banks, said Elman Rustamov, head of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), speaking to reporters Jan. 19. "This is a sensitive issue as the population's deposits have been placed in these banks," he said. "Therefore, the main issue to be resolved now is the insurance of deposits. This issue shouldn't cause any problems, as the banks, through their merger, become bigger." Rustamov said international financial organizations, in particular, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), are also interested in the consolidation of banks in Azerbaijan. "This will lead to financial recovery of the banks. International organizations can bring modern standards to the management of these banks," said Rustamov. "I consider that the consolidation process is in the interests of both the banks' owners and the population." Currently, 42 banks operate in Azerbaijan. There are already good examples of consolidation of banks in the country. For instance, UniBank was formed by the merger of two commercial banks in 2002 - MBank and Promtexbank, where the EBRD acquired a 15-percent share, and 8.3333 percent is owned by the German Investment Corporation DEG. Bank of Baku merged with IlkBank in 2005. By Elizabeth Pineau and Leigh Thomas PARIS (Reuters) - Three suspected al Qaeda attackers involved in an assault on a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso's capital that killed 30 people at the weekend were still being sought on Tuesday, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said. Three gunmen were killed in a French and U.S.-assisted operation by Burkina security forces to retake the Splendid Hotel and surrounding buildings following the Friday night attack, which targeted an area popular with foreigners. Eight Burkinabes, six Canadians, three Ukrainians and three French citizens were among the dead. Other bodies are still in the process of being identified. "Of the six assailants, three were killed and three others are still being sought," Valls said in remarks before the French parliament, adding that the attack on Ouagadougou was a reminder of a similar attack in Paris in November. "This attack was claimed by AQIM. This is further proof that this group is dangerous." Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on Monday identified three fighters it says were responsible for the attacks, giving their names as al-Battar al-Ansari, Abu Muhammad al-Buqali al-Ansari and Ahmed al-Fulani al-Ansari. The French troops involved in the operation against the attackers were part of a 200-strong force stationed in the country as part of a regional anti-militant operation. AQIM claimed a similar attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital Bamako that killed 20 people in November. Some witnesses however reported seeing more attackers. Security forces responding at the scene of events initially believed they were facing a team of 12 gunmen. Gendarmes at the time said they believed at least two assailants were women. "The investigation is moving forward. Eleven French police and gendarmes are assisting Burkinabe experts with the identification of bodies. There are also five American FBI agents," Burkina Security Minister Simon Compaore said. ARRESTS Authorities in Ouagadougou have already made a number of arrests though some had since been released, said Foreign Minister Alpha Barry. "In this kind of situation we pick up everyone who could resemble the suspects and then, bit by bit, we verify," he said. Leaders from Burkina and Mali have agreed to work more closely to fight jihadists by sharing intelligence and conducting joint security patrols. Heavily armed security agents on Saturday raided the Ouagadougou home of Mossa Ag Attaher, spokesman for the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) - a Malian Tuareg rebel group. He was questioned but later released. "What kept coming up was 'Do you have information on imminent threats to Burkina? Does the MNLA have links with those threatening Burkina?'" Ag Attaher told French radio RFI, adding that he had denied any connection to the attack. Burkina authorities also arrested Adal Rhoubeid, a politician from Niger who is running for president this year. "Rhoubeid was in the wrong place at the wrong time and there's no doubt he will be freed," said a source close to his family. Both men are Tuaregs, a nomadic people based in Saharan parts of Niger, Mali and Algeria. A photograph of one of the attackers released by AQIM showed a man of light-skinned appearance, suggesting he was Tuareg or Arab. Barry would not comment on the arrest, but an intelligence official in Niger said Rhoubeid had been picked up when he returned to the Splendid Hotel, where he had been staying, to collect his belongings. Earlier on Tuesday, French President Francois Holland paid homage to French photographer Leila Alaoui, who was in Burkina Faso for a report on women's rights for Amnesty International. Alaoui succumbed to injuries sustained during the attack, becoming the 30th fatality. (Additional reporting by Abdoulaye Massalaki and Souleymane Ag Anara in Niamey, Mathieu Bonkoungou in Ouagadougou; Writing by Joe Bavier) Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Huseyn Valiyev - Trend: Azerbaijan is changing the approach to promoting attraction of local and foreign investments, Shahin Mustafayev, Azerbaijan's economy minister, said at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on economic policy, Jan. 19. Mustafayev said according to the draft amendment to the Tax Code, which is being considered by the country's parliament, an investment promotion document will be given to entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan. After getting this document, 50 percent of an individual entrepreneur's revenues and 50 percent of a legal entity's incomes will be exempt from income tax for seven years. "The bill submitted to the parliament envisages the use of preferences for investment projects meeting three main criteria, namely, the investment volume, kind of activity and development of the country's districts," the minister said. "First of all, preferences will be applied to the import of technological equipment and facilities, brought into the country by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs," he said. "Their import will be exempt from customs duty and VAT for seven years. The entrepreneurs will also be exempt from property tax and land tax for seven years from the date of getting the document." The import, production and sale of wheat, wheat flour, and bread are free from taxation since Jan. 1. Mustafayev also said that changes are planned to be made to the Customs Code of Azerbaijan. "We have raised two questions," he said. "First of all, as part of the investment promotion, it is planned to exempt the equipment imported by the residents, who are represented in the industrial parks as businesses, from customs duties. We believe it is a very important step in terms of investment promotion. But it is also aimed at reducing the entrepreneurs' expenditures and will be an important tool for attracting investors." He said another important issue is to promote the export of non-oil products, which contributes to the development of the non-oil sector of the economy. "We are considering the promotion of export of non-oil products in several directions," he said. "First, a subsidy mechanism will be worked out in this area in accordance with the president's instructions. Azerbaijani national brands are also planned to be formed. It is also planned to promote the export development and involvement of the public sector in this process. Through these measures, we will be able to achieve the export promotion in the non-oil sector. This is important for the country and entrepreneurs." TipRanks You dont get to head one of the worlds largest banks if you dont know a few things about economics and so when J.P. Morgans CEO Jamie Dimon speaks, investors listen. And lately, what Dimon has to say isnt nice to hear. "We're just getting closer to what you and I might consider bad events," was the warning Dimon issued on J.P. Morgans earnings call last week. So, what are these bad events, then? The CEO thinks another 20% decline for the S&P 500 is not out of the question, a drop which w Nocart Oy has won contracts for delivery of three distributed power plants, two in Malawi and one in Nigeria. The plants in Malawi are a 2MW Solardiesel hybrid off-grid solution with 1MWh energy storage and a 4MW Solardiesel hybrid off-grid solution with 2MWh energy storage. The plant in Nigeria is a 1MW off-grid hybrid using solar and sawdust (multi-fuel CHP plant). Total value of the deliveries is 12,9 MEUR. In 2015 Nocart revenue is estimated to be 3,9 MEUR. Cleantech Invest ownership is 20% of Nocart. Nocart delivers distributed power plants combining solar, wind, bio and other energy sources as well as energy storage for utility grade electricity production. The heart of the delivery is Nocarts proprietary software controlled PMU (Power Management Unit) that controls the production, storage and distribution of power. Other components of the power plant are subcontracted from selected vendors. Nocart CEO Vesa Korhonen: We have been working in Africa for two years and have identified a project pipeline of 400 MEUR worth of high quality potential projects where we aim to participate during the next five years. These three signed projects are our first megawatt class deals and we expect this rapid growth to continue over the coming years. Cleantech Invest CEO Alexander Lidgren: Nocart has quickly established itself as a technology leader in power management for renewable distributed energy production and we have great expectations for Nocart to emerge as a market leader in this rapidly growing area. This fast growing market has recently come in widespread recognition as its true potential starts to unveil. US Secretary of State, John Kerry's speech at COP15 in Paris highlighted it well - building distributed energy generation in off-grid areas may very well be the most extraordinary market opportunity in the history of humankind. Vesa Korhonen, CEO of Nocart Oy. Tel:+358 50 5700 952, vesa.korhonen@nocart.fi Alexander Lidgren, Managing Director of Cleantech Invest Plc. Tel. 46 73 660 1007, alexander.lidgren@cleantechinvest.com Access Partners Oy, Certified Advisor. Tel. 358 9 682 9500 Cleantech Invest focuses on clean energy and efficient use of natural resources. The company has minority ownerships in a diversified portfolio of companies and is actively looking for new capital light and high impact businesses within the cleantech universe. Cleantech Invest invests in the most promising early-stage and growth cleantech companies in Finland, Sweden and in the Baltic Sea area. The company management team members are international pioneers in cleantech investing. Cleantech Invest is also a designated Accelerator in the Vigo Program initiated by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. www.cleantechinvest.com. 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 Tehran, Iran, January 19 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: Countries such as Kuwait and the UAE are going to be new markets for Iranian gas as Iran prioritizes export to regional countries in the post-sanctions era, CEO of the National Iranian Gas Export Company Alireza Kameli said. Also, Iran is going to export 65 million cubic meters of gas to Iraq per day, which will increase in the warm season, he said, Mehr news agency reported January 18. Iran will be exporting 30 million cubic meters of gas to Baghdad province and 35 million Kameli said, speaking about Iran's sixth cross-country pipeline, which is to connect to two pipelines in Iraq (one to Baghdad, second to Basra). Kameli said Iraq has the facilities ready and the only major problem to inaugurate them is related to security issues. Speaking of Pakistan, the official said that despite this country's lack of commitment regarding the completion of the Peace Pipeline, 780 kilometers of which fall within the country's soil, Iran is not going to sue the country, preferring friendly relations. Iran and Pakistan signed a gas agreement, according to which Pakistan was set to import 22 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) of natural gas from Iran through the Peace Pipeline as of 2015. However, Pakistan has not yet managed to establish its section of the pipeline. The pipeline is to carry 21.5 million cubic meters of gas per day to Iran's neighbor. Commenting on Iran gas export to Turkey, Kameli said that until the current lawsuit filed by Turkey against Iran receives a court ruling, Iran will not hold any negotiations with Turkey to boost the export. Turkey has field a lawsuit against Iran in International Arbitration Court, accusing its eastern neighbor on selling gas at high price and delivering low volume. Iran has obligation to export about 10 bcm/y of gas to Turkey. Further on, Kameli spoke about the Iran-Oman underwater gas pipeline, saying it will be completed in 1.5 years. The agreement on this pipeline was signed two years ago. Iran will export 28 million cubic meters of natural gas per day to Oman - part of it will be consumed by the country, while the rest will be turned into LNG and exported on behalf of Iran. Commenting on Iran-India talks, he said Iran will hold negotiations with Indian customers in near future. A 1,300-km pipeline is going to be stretched by Indian companies to carry the gas to the south-Asian country, he noted. Iran is producing about 700 mcm/d of gas, while the country has planned to increase this volume to 1,300 mcm/d by 2020. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend: Iran's ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen believes that after the removal of sanctions, Tehran is capable of joining major regional projects such as TANAP. On January 16, the 12-year-long nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were lifted according to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany). TANAP project envisages transportation of gas of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field from Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey. The project's total cost is estimated at $10 billion. Currently, the shareholders of TANAP are: the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) - 58 percent, Botas - 30 percent and BP - 12 percent. Meanwhile, Pak Ayeen, speaking to reporters in Baku, said that Iran plans to join the World Trade Organization as well. "We will participate in all projects that are in our favor," Pak Ayeen said. Ambassador added that Iran can use Azerbaijan's investment in transit projects including both roads and marine. "We can invest jointly with Azerbaijan in oil fields," Pak Ayeen said. "Iran is ready to use Azerbaijani investors' contributions for building hotels, while in the power sector we can jointly invest as well." Iran's ambassador added that the current economic crisis which has been created with the contribution of a regional country (Saudi Arabia) will end soon. Iran accuses Saudi Arabia on pumping more oil to markets, which has created glut and pushed the prices down. "Both Iran and Azerbaijan are interested in decreasing their reliance on oil revenues and to achieve that, they can strengthen transport, agricultural sectors and trade," Pak Ayeen said. "We can expand our agricultural products trade and also export agricultural products to third countries as we both enjoy good agricultural sources." he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 Trend: The onshore construction activities of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will begin in all countries mid-2016, with the offshore scope starting in the winter of 2017/2018, Ian Bradshaw, Managing Director at TAP AG said in an interview to AzerNews. "TAP's progress continues to be in line with the project schedule, which ensures we will be ready to transport Shah Deniz II gas to Europe early 2020," Bradshaw said. TAP effectively started construction in Albania in June 2015 with the rehabilitation of access roads and bridges, and marked the occasion with a ceremony attended by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Energy and Industry Minister Damian Gjiknuri. The 878 km TAP pipeline will transport Azerbaijani natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field through the last leg of the Southern Gas Corridor, connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline at the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi and then crossing Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy. Early 2016, award of major procurement contracts are expected to be completed within the TAP. These contracts include offshore pipeline construction and line pipes, compressor stations. Last year TAP concluded the contracts for access roads and bridges, turbo compressors and ball valves. Bradshaw further noted that TAP is fully aligned to the Shah Deniz II development schedule. "TAP will be ready when the first gas is available for delivery to Europe. Currently, the Shah Deniz Consortium plans first gas deliveries to Georgia and Turkey for late 2018, and first deliveries to Europe will follow approximately a year later, in 2020," he said. Asked about the competitive advantages of SGC for other possible suppliers like Turkmenistan or Iran, he said TAP is designed to double its capacity to 20bcm/a by installing additional compressor units and stations - which will be an extremely cost efficient solution to bringing a further 10 bcm/a of gas to Europe. Bradshaw assured that this flexibility will enable TAP to transport additional gas volumes in the future. "Indeed, TAP is the European leg of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the most complex energy projects worldwide. While TAP will initially transport 10bcm/a from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan, our pipeline can double its capacity once additional gas resources come on stream. TAP is likely to bring more Caspian gas to European markets in the future," he said. "TAP's landfall in Italy provides multiple opportunities to some of the largest European markets such as Germany, France, the UK, Switzerland and Austria. TAP's contribution to energy security and diversification will perhaps be most significant in South Eastern Europe. TAP remains committed to facilitating connections to several infrastructure projects such as the Interconnector Greece - Bulgaria (IGB) and the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP)." Asked about the impact on TAP should the trend of low oil continue, Ian said a low oil price scenario leads all to look at cost across operations and with contractors and sub-contractors. "TAP is no different; we will continue to ensure we execute the TAP project with exemplary cost control," he said. "However, in more macro terms the energy industry is a long wavelength one used to oil price cycles and makes investment decisions for the long-term. Our project is underpinned by long-term gas transportation agreements for 25 years, which were agreed and signed by the buyers and shippers of Shah Deniz gas in September 2013." Bradshaw also pointed to the fact that the project's Board took a Resolution to Construct - effectively the project's Final Investment Decision (FID) - in November 2013, saying this means that TAP's shareholders have formalized their commitment to invest in the construction of the pipeline, and the project is progressing according to schedule. "Finally, TAP is a highly strategic gas project which contributes to Europe's energy security and diversification objectives. TAP will maintain a laser light focus on cost management, but safety will continue to remain our top priority throughout the life of the project," he said. TAP will promote the economic development and job creation along the pipeline route; it will be a major source of foreign direct investment and it is not dependent on grants or subsidies. With first gas sales to Georgia and Turkey targeted for late 2018, first deliveries to Europe will follow approximately in early 2020. TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent). Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: Iran needs plenty of investment money to restore its oil infrastructure, but it is yet to be seen if it is hospitable enough to attract investments, Gal Luft, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS), a Washington based think tank focused on energy security, and a senior adviser to the United States Energy Security Council told Trend. "At today's price, companies don't have as much money to spare and they prefer to go to places that are safe and stable. I don't see them rushing to Iran," Luft said. "Iran is not a terribly convenient place to do business as they have been isolated from financial markets for too long," he added. The international sanctions imposed on Iran with regard to its nuclear program have been removed as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, aka nuclear deal) entered the implementation phase on Jan. 16. Iranian officials have repeatedly announced that Tehran will increase its current oil export of one million barrels per day by 500,000 barrels as soon as sanctions are removed. The figure is planed to increase by another 500,000 to two million barrels per day within a six month period at the next step. Iran's current oil production is estimated to be around 2.8 million barrels per day (mbpd), of which about one million barrels are exported. Iran's top oil officials have been holding meetings with industry executives for months and in December the oil ministry unveiled the outline of new contracts aimed at attracting the billions of dollars it needs to rehabilitate its neglected oil and gas infrastructure. Luft believes that the best bellwether will be China's president Xi Jinping's visit to Iran in the next few days. "This will indicate how eager China is in investing in Iran. If China is lukewarm than it is likely that the rest of the world will be even less inclined," he said. Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Iran on January 22. The upcoming visit will be the first visit of Chinese president to Iran in 14 years. The Chinese president reportedly will arrive in Iran heading a big delegation of political and economic representatives. The visit will last for two days. Madrid (AFP) - Argentina's new president, Mauricio Macri, says he wants to start "a new era" in relations with Britain, long strained by the two nations' dispute over the Falkland Islands, according to remarks published Tuedsay. "We will keep our claim over the islands which are Argentine, but I will try to start a new era in ties with Britain," he said in a joint interview with Spain's daily El Pais, Britain's The Guardian, France's Le Monde and Italy's La Stampa. Macri's leftist predecessor Cristina Kirchner and British Prime Minister David Cameron clashed very publicly over the islands, which are claimed by Argentina, where they are known as Las Malvinas. The tensions between the two leaders over the issue came to a head in 2012 at a G20 summit after Kirchner tried to hand Cameron a package of papers relating to the disputed islands and he refused it. Argentina claims it inherited the remote, wind-swept archipelago from Spain when it gained independence while Britain says it has historically ruled them and that the islanders should have the right to self-determination. In a 2013 referendum, 99.8 percent voted to remain a British overseas territory. The 1982 Falklands War claimed the lives of 649 Argentine soldiers, 255 British soldiers and three islanders. Pressed whether his conciliatory tone towards Britain would mean more trade, better transport links and other changes requested by the islanders, Macri avoided specifics. "I want to sit down and start talking about the subject and in the meantime find in which ways we can cooperate," he was quoted as saying by The Guardian during his first interview with the foreign media since taking office last month. Macri, 56, adopted a conciliatory tone throughout the interview granted at his presidential office before he headed to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It will be the first time that an Argentinian president attends the annual gathering in over a decade. Story continues "Argentina wants to have good ties with the entire world. I want to create jobs, I have committed myself to an Argentina with zero poverty. We need investment," he said according to El Pais. Macri also said his government would solve a long-standing dispute with bondholders in the United States which has for years blocked Argentina's access to global capital markets. "Our plan is to end all past conflicts. We are going to negotiate with the best attitude," he said when asked if his government would end the dispute.. Argentina's new government reopened talks with bondholders in New York last week. Argentine officials say they plan to submit a proposal later this month. The previous administration of Cristina Kirchner had refused to compromise with the creditors, mainly hedge funds it branded "vultures," after a US court ordered the country to pay the full value of bonds that Buenos Aires defaulted on some 15 years ago. Beit Amra (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israel on Tuesday arrested a Palestinian teen accused of stabbing a Jewish woman to death in the occupied West Bank and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to demolish his home after the attack provoked Israeli outrage. Sunday's killing and another stabbing of a pregnant woman inside an Israeli settlement on Monday further boosted tensions after months of unrest, raising fears of an escalation in violence as well as a harsh Israeli crackdown on Palestinians. Most of the previous knife attacks occurred in public places, including checkpoints and junctions. Sunday's incident saw the woman stabbed to death at her home in the Otniel settlement while some of her children were in the house. Even after the arrest was announced, Palestinian workers were being temporarily barred from Israeli settlements in the West Bank as part of security measures. The family of arrested 15-year-old Murad Ideis said the raid occurred around 2:00 am at their home in the Palestinian village of Beit Amra near Otniel. Brief video footage of the raid distributed by the Israeli military showed forces arriving at a home in darkness before entering and advancing into a bedroom, where it appears two people are sleeping. The footage ends there. Ideis's father defended his son, saying such an attack would be out of character. "His life is only school and home," Badr Ideis told AFP at his home. "I don't believe this. I know my son. Even if he tells me 'dad I did it,' I won't believe it. I won't believe a 15-year-old-ignorant kid. How could he do this?" - Controversial demolitions - Netanyahu, during a visit to Otniel and facing pressure over a wave of Palestinian attacks, pledged to destroy the house where the suspect lives with his family. Israel regularly demolishes the homes of alleged attackers in what it describes as a deterrent. Rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment, with families forced to suffer for the acts of relatives. Story continues Netanyahu again accused Palestinian leaders of stirring up violence. "The hatred that caused this murder has an address," he said. "It is the incitement campaign led by the Palestinian Authority and other elements such as the Islamic Movement and Hamas, and it is about time the international community stopped their hypocrisy and called things by their names." A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted in October, and many of the assailants have been young people, including teenagers. Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, as well as by Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the fractured Palestinian leadership. Israel says incitement by Palestinian officials and news media has been a main cause of the violence. In Sunday's attack, the Israeli army initially said the assailant broke into the home of Dafna Meir, a 38-year-old nurse and mother of six, and stabbed her to death. Israeli media have since quoted witnesses saying she was stabbed at the entrance to the house as she painted the doorframe. None of her children was hurt. - 'Concerned and perplexed' - Hours later on Monday, a new knife attack on a street in another West Bank settlement wounded a 30-year-old pregnant woman. The 17-year-old Palestinian assailant was shot by security personnel and taken to hospital in severe condition after the attack in Tekoa, south of Jerusalem. Israeli military chief of staff Gadi Eizenkot told a security conference on Monday that there had been no advance warning for the dozens of stabbings, making it difficult for security forces to counter them, local media reported. At the same time, he spoke of seeking to avoid a harsh crackdown, such as new restrictions on Palestinian workers, that could push more Palestinians toward violence. "It would be a bitter mistake to impose curfews and closures," he said. "That would work against Israeli interests." US ambassador Dan Shapiro on Monday condemned the stabbings as "barbaric acts of terrorism," but also questioned Israel's policies concerning settlements in the West Bank. The settlements are seen as major stumbling blocks toward peace efforts since they are built on land the Palestinians view as part of their future state. "We are concerned and perplexed by Israel's strategy on settlements," Shapiro told the security conference in Tel Aviv. "This government and previous Israeli governments have repeatedly expressed support for a negotiated settlement that would involve mutual recognition and separation. "Yet separation will become more and more difficult" if Israel continues to expand settlements, he said. By Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - The lifting of sanctions on Iran as a result of its nuclear deal with world powers will be a harmful development if it uses the extra money to fund "nefarious activities", Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Reuters on Tuesday. Asked in an exclusive interview if Saudi Arabia had discussed seeking a nuclear bomb in the event Iran managed to obtain one despite its atomic deal, he said Saudi Arabia would do "whatever we need to do in order to protect our people". "I don't think it would be logical to expect us to discuss any such issue in public and I don't think it would be reasonable to expect me to answer this question one way or another," he said. Jubeir's comments were the first to directly address the lifting of sanctions on Iran, Riyadh's bitterest regional rival, although Saudi Arabia has previously welcomed Iran's nuclear deal so long as it included a tough inspections regime. But in private, officials have voiced concern that the deal would allow Iran greater scope to back militias and other allies across the region thanks to the extra funds it can access after sanctions are lifted and because of the reduced diplomatic pressure. "It depends on where these funds go. If they go to support the nefarious activities of the Iranian regime, this will be a negative and it will generate a pushback. If they go towards improving the living standards of the Iranian people then it will be something that would be welcome," Jubeir said. Saudi officials have also in recent years voiced fears that their most powerful ally, the United States, is disengaging with the Middle East, something some of them have said may have contributed to Syria's descent into civil war. Jubeir said he did not believe Washington was retreating from the region, but emphasized that the world looked to it as the sole superpower to provide stability. "If an American decline were to happen or an American withdrawal were to happen, the concern that everybody has is that it would leave a void, and whenever you have a void, or a vacuum, evil forces flow," Jubeir said. SECTARIAN TENSIONS Riyadh accuses Tehran of fomenting instability across the region and the two back opposing sides in wars in Syria and Yemen and political tussles in Iraq, Lebanon and Bahrain. Last year Saudi Arabia began a military campaign in Yemen to stop an Iranian ally from gaining power. The two rival powers accuse each other of supporting terrorism, detribalizing the region and inflaming sectarian hatred. Jubeir said Iran's support for Shi'ite Muslim militias across the region was the main source of sectarian ill will, but acknowledged that this had produced what he described as "a counter reaction in the Sunni world". Asked about inflammatory rhetoric from Saudi Sunni clerics, Jubeir said he could not comment on remarks he had not seen, but said the government encouraged dialogue and inclusion and discouraged extreme or disparaging language. The state-appointed Imam of Mecca's Grand Mosque this week wrote a Tweet alleging an "alliance of the Safavids with the Jews and Christians against Muslims", using a sectarian-tinged term often used to describe Iranians or Shi'ites. (Reporting By Angus McDowall; Editing by Ralph Boulton and Janet Lawrence) Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: Kazakhstan increased gas production by 5.2 percent in 2015 compared to 45.713 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2014, the Statistics Committee of the Kazakh National Economy Ministry said. Thus, gas production in gaseous state amounted to 21.635 bcm in the last year in Kazakhstan, and the associated gas - to 23.827 bcm. Production of coal, including coal concentrate decreased by 6.4 percent - up to 107.189 million tons in 2015 in Kazakhstan. Production of lignite (brown coal) decreased by 20 percent - up to 5.513 million tons in the reporting period. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova By Laila Kearney (Reuters) - Bomb and mass shooting threats were made against more than two dozen schools in New Jersey on Tuesday, along with schools in at least six other states, forcing evacuations and lockdowns that affected thousands of students. They were the latest in a string of anonymous threats of violence, all apparent hoaxes, made against U.S. schools in recent weeks. As least 26 schools in New Jersey received the threats by phone starting at about 8:50 a.m. EST, said Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino, adding that the schools were all subsequently declared safe. "When we catch the people doing this, an example is going to be made," Saudino said. Made in a robotic voice, the threats appeared to come from computer-generated phone numbers that could be traced back to a location in Bakersfield, California, Saudino said. Bergen County prosecutor Gurbir Grewal said his office felt confident it would help catch the culprits. "There are digital fingerprints and we will follow up on each and every lead," Grewal said. The threats, which may have been automated because they were so similar, were received by high schools in Teaneck, Garfield, Tenafly, Clifton, Fair Lawn, Leonia, Bergenfield, Englewood and Hackensack, police said. Some of the New Jersey schools were threatened with bombs and others with mass shootings, police said. In Massachusetts, schools in at least 15 communities received threats, state police said. They offered no details but said no hazardous materials or other credible threats were found after searches of the schools. Nine Boston-area schools were the targets of similar threats on Friday. Delaware State Police said they were also investigating threats, made by phone in a robotic or computer generated-style voice, to at least three schools. The menacing calls were made at about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and forced the evacuation of elementary schools in Millsboro, Middletown and a high school in Greenwood, police said in a statement. Police did not release information about the nature of the threats. Threats were also made to schools in communities including Iowa City, Iowa, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Mesa, Arizona and North Miami, Florida, according to statements from local law enforcement agencies. (Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg and Scott Malone; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Tom Brown) China's economy, the world's second-largest, grew at its slowest pace in a quarter of a century last year, decelerating to expansion of 6.9 percent. International financial markets have been hammered in recent months by worries over a slowing China, which has been the main driver of global growth. Here are some key points which explain China's economic transformation and how it affects the rest of the world. Q: Why does China's economy matter? The days of isolation for the People's Republic are long over. China is the world's second-largest economy and its largest trader in goods. From Australia to Zambia, via the European Union and United States, China's influence on other economies is pronounced, whether through the prices of commodities such as iron ore, oil, and copper, or through rising consumer demand for luxury and consumer goods from foreign companies. Retail investors can also feel the effects. The bourses of Shanghai and Shenzhen have been in varying degrees of turmoil since a debt-fuelled bubble burst in June, but worries over the economy have also fuelled sell-offs in overseas stock markets in recent weeks. Q: Are the latest growth figures good or bad? China has already served notice of a "new normal" of slower expansion as it seeks more sustainable growth, supported by domestic consumer spending rather than cheap exports and massive government investment. So to the government, 2015 was a year of "moderate but stable" development in line with the annual target of around seven percent. Such rates would be the envy of developed economies in North America or Europe, and the figures matched market expectations. But after decades of rapid Chinese growth, often with double-digit annual GDP increases, which helped the world navigate both the 2008 global financial crisis and the earlier Asian financial crisis, a quarter-century slowdown is a worrisome sign. Q: Why has growth slowed? Analysts point to a multitude of reasons: a weaker external environment which caused Chinese exports to drop last year and a limping property market, a key source of revenue for the government. Story continues More alarming in recent months, a stock market collapse which caused the financial sector to contribute less to the economy, and a weakening currency which has seen capital storm out of the country. Chinese officials say the Asian country is willing to accept slower growth as part of the cost of carrying out deep structural changes. For the first time, services made up more than half of GDP in 2015. But analysts fear the current environment has actually caused much-needed economic reforms to halt, delaying policies needed to sustain China's development in the long term. Q: Are China's economic figures reliable? When Wang Baoan, the chief of China's National Bureau of Statistics, was asked the question as the data was released on Tuesday, he answered: "The GDP data we publish is true and trustworthy." But even Premier Li Keqiang has previously expressed doubts about man-made data, and many analysts take Wang's assurance with a grain of salt. As well as political pressure, they point to the frequent revision of prior quarters' data, which can change comparison bases, and the speed with which China produces its figures, less than three weeks after the end of the calendar year. Some estimate the real growth rate is significantly lower than official statistics. Capital Economics said that its own measures pointed to Q4 growth of just 4.5 percent, but its economist Julian Evans-Pritchard said in a note that the economy was nonetheless "broadly stable". Q: What will the government do now? Beijing wants to keep growth steady and stable, while shifting the economy away from its traditional dependence on exports and infrastructure spending. This is easier said than done. Analysts anticipate that Beijing will further loosen monetary policy this year to fight deflation, with the weak growth figures spurring expectations. But the government's bungled handling of a volatile stock market and yuan devaluation have called into question its ability to steer China safely through a tough transition. This year's big challenges include: how to handle a massive oversupply of property and rein in continued overproduction in heavy industries, many of them still state-owned, that dominate much of the economy. Japan had a record number of foreign visitors last year thanks to a surge in Chinese arrivals, a cheaper yen and looser visa rules, it was announced Tuesday. Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Japan has set a target of boosting the number of annual visitors to 20 million by 2020 when Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics. But already in 2015 19.7 million people visited Japan, 47.1 percent above the previous year, the Japan National Tourism Organization said. As the total number is likely to reach the government's goal before 2020, officials are considering revising it upward, said Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman. "We would like to decide whether to seek one of 30 million or above 30 million," he told a parliament session Tuesday. The Japanese figures do not differentiate between tourists and other kinds of travellers. By comparison, France drew 83.7 million tourists in 2014 and has a target of 100 million by 2020. Among other moves, Tokyo has made it easier to obtain visas and expanded the coverage of goods that can be purchased duty-free. A decline in the value of the yen has also helped. Another key factor is China, which sent a record 4.99 million visitors to Japan, more than double the previous year's figure. China surpassed South Korea in the number of visits and became the largest source of visitors to Japan, the Japan National Tourism Organization said in a statement. It cited improved China-Japan relations, the weaker yen and an overall increase in the number of Chinese going abroad as their country's economy grows. Visitors from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan were counted separately. South Korean visitors surged 45 percent to 4.0 million last year, despite sometimes frayed diplomatic relations. The Japan Tourism Agency said total spending by foreign visitors reached a record 3.48 trillion yen ($29 billion) last year. Previously, Ridzki Kramadibrata was Regional Director of the AirAsia Group Ridzki Kramadibrata, Managig Director for Indonesia, GrabTaxi Third-party transportation app GrabTaxi today announced the appointment of Ridzki Kramadibrata as its new Managing Director for Indonesia. Kramadibrata will be in charge of leading GrabTaxi Indonesias expansion and overseeing local programmes for all stakeholders, by providing strategic guidance and local business knowledge to drive growth in Indonesia. GrabTaxi Co-founder and CEO Anthony Tan said in a written statement that 2015 was a great year for us in Indonesia. Weve been able to improve the transportation landscape by successfully launching GrabBike, GrabCar and GrabExpress to complement our taxi business, he said. We believe [that] Pak Ridzkis leadership will bring us to new heights and enable us to realise our mission to make transportation safe, dependable and accessible in this region, he added. Also Read:Call me a plumber, not COO: GrabTaxi Co-founder Hooi Ling Tan Prior to his appointment, Kramadibrata was the Regional Director of AirAsia Group. He spent the majority of his career in the telecommunications industry, including as EVP of Marketing, Product and CRM of Bakrie Telecom. Im very excited about the opportunity to collaborate with a magnificent and dynamic team that has transformed the public transportation landscape in Indonesia, he said. Since its founding in 2012, GrabTaxi claims its app has been downloaded to 10 million devices and has partnered with 185,000 drivers in the GrabTaxi network. It recently launched an engineering office in Seattle in the US. Echelon Indonesia returns to Jakarta this April! Save over 35% off your tickets with promo code Empower10 exclusive to e27 readers only! Tickets available at e27.co/echelon/Indonesia Image Credit: GrabTaxi The post GrabTaxi appoints new Managing Director for Indonesia appeared first on e27. Iran denounced new US sanctions on its missile programme on Monday but pushed ahead with international cooperation after its historic nuclear deal. Washington announced the new sanctions on Sunday, the day after the UN atomic watchdog confirmed that Iran had complied with the measures imposed by the deal with global powers reached in Vienna in July. World leaders hailed the implementation of the deal, and the subsequent lifting of European and US sanctions, as a milestone in international diplomacy. But in a sign that tensions persist, the US Treasury announced it was imposing sanctions on five Iranian nationals and a network of companies based in the United Arab Emirates and China in connection with Iran's ballistic missile programme. Iran's foreign ministry on Monday decried the new measures as "illegitimate", with spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari insisting the missile programme has no links with the nuclear issue. "Iran's missile programme has never been designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons," Ansari was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. He said Iran would respond by "accelerating its legal ballistic missile programme and boosting defence capabilities". Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said the new sanctions would have "no effect", telling the Fars news agency: "We will prove it in practice by unveiling new missile achievements." Cooperation on the nuclear programme was moving forward however, with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano in Tehran for talks with senior officials on Iran's continued compliance with the deal. Amano met Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, and was to hold talks with President Hassan Rouhani to discuss monitoring and verifying Iran's commitments under the agreement. "We talked about future cooperation, especially in the new atmosphere, and we partially drew the roadmap" for continued efforts, state television quoted Salehi as saying after the talks. - 'A new chapter' - Rouhani on Sunday said the implementation of the nuclear deal -- negotiated with the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany -- had "opened a new chapter" in Iran's relations with the world. US President Barack Obama praised the deal as a breakthrough in diplomacy, but noted that "profound differences" with Tehran remained over its "destabilising activities". Warming ties between the longtime foes were also in evidence in a weekend prisoner swap that saw Tehran release four Iranian-Americans, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian. Rezaian, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and former US Marine Amir Hekmati arrived at a US military base in Germany late on Sunday on their way home from Iran. A fourth Iranian-American, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari was also set free but chose not to leave Iran, local media reported. Under the exchange, Washington said it had granted clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom were dual US-Iranian citizens, and dropped charges against 14 others. Rouhani, a moderate whose 2013 election victory helped launch the huge diplomatic effort toward the deal, has promised that the lifting of sanctions will give a major boost to Iran's economy. Iran will now be able to significantly increase its oil exports, long the lifeblood of its economy. Concerns that fresh Iranian exports will worsen a supply glut have helped push oil prices to 12-year lows, and they plunged below $28 a barrel early on Monday. The Vienna agreement was nailed down after two years of negotiations following Rouhani's election. It drew a line under a standoff dating back to 2002 marked by failed diplomatic initiatives, ever-tighter sanctions, defiant nuclear expansion by Iran and threats of military action. The steps taken so far by Tehran extend to at least a year -- from a few months previously -- how long Iran would need to make one nuclear bomb's worth of fissile material. They include slashing by two-thirds its uranium centrifuges, reducing its stockpile of uranium -- enough before the deal for several bombs -- and removing the core of its Arak reactor, which could have given Iran weapons-grade plutonium. Iran has always denied wanting nuclear weapons, saying its activities are exclusively for peaceful purposes. Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa has topped the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) shortlist for the vacancy in the Supreme Court (SC) left by the early retirement of associate justice Martin Villarama Jr. last Friday. In voting yesterday, Caguioa garnered the unanimous approval of all seven members of the council tasked to vet nominees to judicial posts. Malacanang said it will make the necessary appointment to the SC upon evaluation of the qualifications of the shortlisted candidates submitted by the JBC. President Aquinos former chief legal counsel and classmate in elementary and college, he is said to be the top contender for the SC post. In his earlier public interview, Caguioa said the President could not be held accountable for the Disbursement Acceleration Program after his term ends in June. Caguioa took up economics and later law at the Ateneo de Manila University, where he was a classmate and close friend of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares and Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, among others. Son of the late Court of Appeals (CA) justice Eduardo Caguioa, he was a senior partner of the Caguioa and Gatmaytan law office. Prior to passing the Bar in 1986, he obtained his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila law school in 1985, along with several members of the current Aquino administration. He joined SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan in 1986 and was a partner there from 1994 until February 2007. Caguioa went on leave for a year in 1987 to join his father, handling mostly appeal cases in the CA and the SC. He was a professor at the Colleges of Law of the Ateneo de Manila University and San Sebastian College, where he taught obligations and contracts, property, statutory construction and administrative law. Caguioa said he is happy with his inclusion in the JBC shortlist, saying he did not expect to get the nod of all seven members of the JBC. Story continues He also addressed his reportedly being a top choice for the post due to his closeness to President Aquino. The President has his own mind. He doesnt make choices or decisionsbased on relationship; I never knew him that way. I hope people see me other than being a classmate. Thats not the only thing I can bring to the table, he told reporters in a chance interview. When asked how the reforms he introduced during his three-month stint in the Department of Justice (DOJ) would continue if he is appointed to the high court, the justice secretary said he would recommend Undersecretary and spokesman Emmanuel Caparas to replace him. We were appointed here together at the same time so he is most qualified to finish the reforms we started, he said. The shortlist included four other nominees for associate justice of the high court: CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and Associate Justices Jose Reyes Jr. and Apolinario Bruselas Jr., and former Commission on Audit chairperson Ma. Gracia Pulido-Tan. The two Reyeses also got seven votes from the council chaired by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, while Tan and Bruselas garnered five and four votes, respectively. The JBC picked the five final nominees in its shortlist from an initial list of 16 aspirants. Caguioa is a member of the JBC, but was substituted by deputy executive secretary for legal affairs Menardo Guevarra in this instance. The other members of the council are Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., retired SC justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez, retired CA justice Aurora Santiago-Lagman and lawyers Jose Mejia and Milagros Fernan-Cayosa. Villarama retired last Friday after availing of optional or early retirement due to deteriorating health condition following his double-knee metal implantation in 2013 and his cataract operation in 2014. Villarama, who was appointed justice in 2009 after he rose from the ranks in the judiciary since 1970, was supposed to retire from the SC upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 on April 14, a period covered by the ban on appointments during the election period. The position of the chief justice and justices of the SC are exempted from the ban per the high courts 2010 ruling for the vacancy in the retirement of then chief justice Reynato Puno. President Aquino had questioned the ruling, and his position was supposed to be tested by the vacancy to be left by Villaramas retirement in April. With Aurea Calica, Delon Porcalla With SPH Media Fund as lead investor in the latest round, the on-demand logistics service provider will expand into Singapore TheLorrys office (Image Credit: TheLorry) Malaysia-based on-demand logistics startup TheLorry has raised US$1.5 million in funding. The Series A round was led by Singapore-based SPH Media Fund, with participation from Silicon Valley-based Elixir Capital. There is much room for disruption in the Southeast Asia logistics space and TheLorry has been particularly strong in adding value to businesses with commercial cargo, said Boon Ping Chua, CEO of SPH Media Fund. Having done well in Malaysia also gives them an advantage in expanding to Singapore due to the high volume of cross border logistics between the two countries. The impending entry into Singapore will see TheLorry providing competition to Ninja Van, also a logistics services startup that is in the business of providing last mile fulfillment for e-commerce. It is a competitive market but having investors familiar with the Singapore market will be useful for our expansion plans, said Chee Hau Goh, Co-founder and Managing Director of TheLorry. Also Read: Four hours of sleep is enough, there is never nothing to do: Ninja Van CEO TheLorry, which previously raised a seed round of undisclosed amount from Singapore-based KK Fund, will be using the injection of capital to strengthen its presence in Malaysia and introduce new services, in addition to preparing for regional expansion, it said in a statement. The company will be rolling out a new service that allows both individual and commercial customers to save costs through consolidation of packages and optimisation of space within their lorries. Rather than charging by the charter price, which some customers find cost prohibitive, we will offer this new, more cost-effective option where they can send a few items that would take up minimal space in the lorry or van. This option opens a new dimension of cost savings and reliability for our customers, said Goh. TheLorry also appointed Boon Kong Teoh, former Group General Manager of Kerry Asia Road Transport Malaysia as a special advisor. Teoh has over 30 years of experience with multinational companies in the logistics sector. The post Malaysias TheLorry raises US$1.5M Series A appeared first on e27. ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will travel to Saudi Arabia and Iran on Monday, in a bid to bridge the growing divide between the two countries after the Sunni kingdom's execution of a Shi'ite cleric sparked a bitter row. Sharif will fly to Saudi Arabia on Monday before visiting Iran's capital Tehran on Tuesday, Pakistan's foreign office said in a statement on Sunday. Army chief General Raheel Sharif will also accompany the prime minister during the visit, government sources told Reuters. Islamabad has sought to avoid taking sides in the escalating dispute between Saudi Arabia and its main regional rival Iran, as it wrestles with its own sectarian tensions at home and works to bolster economic ties with both countries. "Pakistan is deeply concerned at the recent escalation of tensions between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran," the foreign office said in a statement. "The Prime Minister has called for resolution of differences through peaceful means, in the larger interest of Muslim unity, particularly during these challenging times." Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric earlier this month was followed by Iranian demonstrators ransacking the Saudi embassy in Tehran, prompting several of Riyadh's Sunni allies to break off diplomatic ties with Iran. Sunni majority Pakistan maintains deep links with the establishment in Riyadh, which provided Sharif with political asylum in the 2000s after he was ousted in a military coup. Sharif's trip to Saudi Arabia follows the visit of both the Saudi foreign minister and deputy crown prince to Islamabad last week, underlining the closeness of the relationship between the two states. But with a large Shi'ite minority, Pakistan has a lot to lose from rising sectarian tensions. Last year Pakistan declined a Saudi call to join a Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen to fight Iranian-allied insurgents. Islamabad also wants to finish a major gas pipeline to Iran on its western border. (Reporting by Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Ros Russell) The Philippines-United Kingdom defense agreement is being updated to expand the scope of cooperation between the two countries as they hope to sign a revised defense pact before October, British Ambassador Asif Ahmad said yesterday. The current defense agreement, which the ambassador said was lacking in ambition, would have to be updated to make it more responsive to recent developments. Its actually being redone now. We have an existing one but we want by the end of this calendar year to establish a new one, Ahmad told reporters in an interview at his residence in Makati City. We dont have a timetable for it but I think well before October. Were just exchanging drafts, he said. He explained that the agreement would be treated more like an umbrella under which we can do many, many things but would be not as complicated as the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the US. I dont think so. I dont think it translates into something more than that, Ahmad said. He did not rule out the possibility of elevating the partnership to a more strategic one that would involve joint training between UK and Philippine troops. I dont rule that out but right now, itll be wrong for me to say thats next on the horizon, Ahmad said. I wouldnt describe them as British troops coming here because that sounds a bit emotive. Its British expertise coming here, he added. He said the UK also wanted to expand the scope a little bit to cover some of the lessons learned from disasters like Super Typhoon Yolanda. South China Sea issue The ambassador said the developments in the South China Sea and terrorism were also considered in updating the defense agreement. He also said freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea are non-negotiable and considered red lines for the UK. Story continues UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who was in Manila for an official visit last Jan. 7, said Britain has been urging all parties in the dispute not to take actions that could increase tensions. We maintain the position that we as an international maritime and trading nation enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. We expect to continue to exercise those rights, Hammond said. Meanwhile in Zamboanga City, critics of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the US have nothing to worry about the possibility of the US re-establishing permanent bases in the country, Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Hernando Iriberri said. So, whatever are the apprehensions and worries, I think the Supreme Court has already given the answer. So there is nothing to worry about, everything is constitutional and that is the underlying principle when this agreement was crafted that it will not violate the Constitution, Iriberri said. With Roel Pareno Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Khalid Kazimov - Trend: The removal of International sanctions on Iran's financial and oil sectors have created a chance to boom the country's economy, however, if the Islamic Republic fails to use the chance properly it may become extremely harmful, an Iranian broker said. Due to their low quality and high costs a group of Iranian industries will not be capable of competing with foreign companies, Amir Hossein Mohammadi, an official with Tamin Sarmayeh Novin Brokerage Company, told Trend Jan. 18. Meanwhile, the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal) and consequently the removal of sanctions offer Iran considerable advantages. Mohammadi believes that unblocking frozen assets, boosting exports, decreasing the costs of exports and production, creating new job opportunities as well as regaining share of oil market are considered among major advantages that Iran would gain from the removal of international sanctions. Through a joint statement on Jan. 16, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced the implementation of the JCPOA and the removal of Iran's economic sanctions. According to the statement, EU has confirmed that legal framework providing for lifting of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions is effective. Iran's revenues from oil sales which were frozen in several international banks during the sanctions-era will be unblocked. Given the decline in oil prices and the decline in the government's revenues, the unblocked assets would be considered as a suitable source to provide the government with funds to launch and complete development projects in the country, he said. However the procedure of releasing the unblocked assets would have a significant impact on the issue, Mohammadi added. According to him with the removal of sanctions on Iran's shipping lines and insurance companies the costs of exports will drop. Meanwhile given the capability of the country in exporting petrochemicals and oil products the removal of sanctions on the shipping lines and insurance sector will contribute to boosting the amount of exports. Following the removal of sanctions on oil sector, Iran will have a chance to regain its market share which will lead to creating new job opportunities, he said. He estimated that the removal of banking sanctions will decrease the cost of production as Iranian producers faced restrictions for importing raw materials and they had to buy the raw products through a third individual or company at higher prices. Saying that Iran seems a good market for investment as the country enjoys high security and suitable profit margin in a number of industries, he concluded that foreign investments will lead to boosting the quality and quantity of the products in the Islamic Republic. By Andrew MacAskill KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States sat down to talks on Monday aimed at laying the ground for a negotiated end to almost 15 years of war between U.S.-supported government forces and Taliban insurgents now firmly on the offensive. Taliban forces have stepped up their campaign in the last year to topple the Kabul government, which has struggled since most foreign troops left at the end of 2014. High-profile suicide attacks and Taliban territorial gains in Helmand province have underlined how far Afghanistan remains from peace. The Taliban, who now control or contest more territory than at any time since they was ousted by a U.S.-led intervention in 2001, did not attend the talks. The four nations in a statement after the meeting in Kabul called on "all Taliban groups to enter into early talks with the Afghan government to resolve all differences politically." The next round of talks will be on Feb. 6 in Islamabad. The ultimate goal of the diplomatic manoeuvring is to get representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban into direct negotiations. The first formal peace talks with the Taliban since the start of the war in 2001 collapsed last year after it was announced its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had been dead for two years, throwing the militant group into disarray. The Taliban remain split on whether to participate in talks. Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said earlier on Monday the public would not accept an open-ended process without results and warned the Taliban not to delay joining talks any further. A suicide bomber who killed 13 people in eastern Afghanistan and a rocket which landed near the Italian embassy in Kabul on Sunday were a reminder of what is at stake. "The talks are strategically important for everyone involved, but are unlikely to go anywhere right now," said S. Chandrasekharan, director of the South Asia Analysis Group. "The Taliban are making gains and the army is on the defensive. Until there is a stalemate, the talks are unlikely to succeed." Although the Afghan army and the Taliban are intensifying fighting on the battlefield, a political settlement is seen as the most likely solution to the conflict.A statement on a Taliban website on Saturday did not rule out joining talks but rejected U.S. involvement, saying the country was to blame for a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of Afghans. "On the other hand, they take the first row among peace negotiators," the statement said. (Editing by Nick Macfie) The platform for discovery of online merchants is looking to scale in Thailand before expanding in Southeast Asia Thai startup Stylhunt has raised a pre-Series A round of close to US$500,000 led by Japan-based CyberAgent Ventures. The round saw participation from 500TukTuks, Expara Ventures, Singapore Angel Network, and angel investor Paul Pattarapon Sinlapajan, a best-selling author and TV personality in Thailand. Based on more than 500 user interviews, we know that greater than 70 per cent of online shoppers in Thailand shop exclusively through social media, said Surawat Promyotin, Co-founder and CEO of Stylhunt. For these shoppers, the two greatest pain-points are trust and discovery trust because they must typically pay before receiving their products, and discovery because they have great difficulty finding relevant products and merchants when using traditional search engines. Stylhunt claims to address these issues through its mobile app by aggregating and sorting merchants based on their social media footprint in terms of likes and followers, which are treated as signs of the level of trust that consumers put in these merchants. The startup will use the funds from the pre-Series A round to recruit for positions in software development, community management and business development. It is looking to scale operations in Thailand before raising a Series A round to expand into other Southeast Asian markets. Also Read: Help merchants be more easily discovered by millions of online shoppers The post Thailands Stylhunt snags close to US$500,000 in pre-Series A round appeared first on e27. By Amantha Perera NEGOMBO, Sri Lanka (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Anslem Silva has fished for four decades from this popular harbor on Sri Lanka's west coast, but for five years now filling his boat has become increasingly difficult. "We seem to be spending more and more time out at sea looking for catch. Where there were fish for decades, now there is very little. It is strange, but all of us have been noticing that," said the 54-year-old fisherman, who operates his own trawler on multi-day trips reaching 100 to 150 kilometres (60 to 90 miles) off the coast. Overfishing is responsible for some of the lowered catch, but another problem may also be contributing: lack of food for the fish themselves, driven by global warming. "Rapid warming in the Indian Ocean is playing an important role in reducing phytoplankton up to 20 percent," said Roxy Mathew Koll, a scientist at the Centre for Climate Change Research at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune. Over six decades, rising water temperatures appear to have been reducing the amount of phytoplankton microscopic plants at the base of the ocean food chain available as food for fish, according to research released in December by Koll and other scientists from the United States, South Africa and France. That may cascade through the food chain, potentially turning this biologically productive region into an ecological desert, Koll said. Such a change would curb food security not only in Indian Ocean rim countries but also global fish markets that buy from the region, he said. As waters in parts of the Indian Ocean have warmed by 1.2 degrees Celsius over the last century, the mixing of surface water and nutrient-rich deeper waters have slowed, the scientists said. That has prevented nutrients from reaching the plankton, which are mostly active in surface waters. The vertical mixing (of water) is a critical process for introducing nutrients into the upper zones where sufficient light is available for photosynthesis, said Raghu Murtugudde, a scientist from the University of Maryland. TROUBLE NEAR KENYA, SOMALI COASTS The researcher said that recent data showed phytoplankton levels falling dramatically in some regions that are traditionally home to large shoals of fish, such as near the Kenyan and Somali coasts. Recent satellite data show that the decline is up to 30 percent in the western Indian Ocean during the last 16 years, which is one of the most biological productive regions in the tropics and host to some of the most economically viable tuna species, said Marcello Vichi, another of the studys coauthors, from the University of Cape Town. The western Indian Ocean is responsible for 20 percent of the global tuna catch, the research said. While tuna overfishing was a contributing factor to lower stocks of the fish, declines in food sources such as phytoplankton were also a significant problem, it said. Koll predicted fish stocks could decline significantly further in the face of continued overfishing and ocean warming. All of the state-of-the-art climate models unanimously project that the Indian Ocean will continue to warm under increasing greenhouse gases. This will result in a further decline of the phytoplankton in the Indian Ocean, exaggerating the stress on the marine ecosystem and the fish, which are already affected by overfishing, he said. The impact will be felt in countries around the Indian Ocean, including India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. But importers such as the United States, Europe and Japan also could feel the impact, the scientists said. Fishermen in Sri Lanka say they already see the number of fishing boats in some of the countrys ports declining as a result of the changes. It is very difficult to operate a new boat so few people now want to get into fishing at a large scale, said Mohamed Riyazudeen, who works as a boat captain from Valechchennei, an important fishing port on Sri Lankas east coast. He called the research on ocean warming very bad news. What are we to do? We don't know any other trade and if there is no fish, what are we to catch? he asked. (Reporting by Amantha Perera; editing by Laurie Goering :; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women's rights, trafficking and corruption. Visit www.trust.org/climate) Mobile 14 Tips to Make BYOD Programs Work for You Schools that experiment with bring-your-own-device policies have reduced their costs but must cope with a variety of student devices, some of which don't meet minimum standards for computer instruction. And if a student misuses a device, it could be taken away from him or her, creating the exact opposite situation that benefits education. Naturally, the student who is prone to misuse a device is often a student who needs the device most. Textbooks don't generate such tricky issues. "How many teachers take away a textbook because students are misbehaving with it?" said West Coast-based educator Susan Brooks-Young, one of a trio of experts who conducted a BYOD workshop at FETC 2016 in Orlando. The educators who attended the workshop listed the pros and cons of having students supply their own computers for schoolwork. Benefits of BYOD: The student invests in the device, so there's more flexibility and lower initial and maintenance costs to the school. Support costs are also lower. Drawbacks of BYOD: The school must supply IT support for a variety of student devices. It becomes a big deal for students who do not to have a device. The school must guarantee access for everyone, control unwanted use and maintain the balance between security and students' needs. Administrators must handle breakage, discipline students for misuse and prevent parents from purchasing low-quality devices. And what if the student doesn't have Internet access at home and can't finish his or her homework? A laptop is most often the practical choice for a BYOD program, but schools are keen on iPads, which limit what the student can do digitally. Additionally, the layout of the classroom sometimes becomes an issue. Rearranging the desks so the students can work in groups is preferable, but administrators often believe neat rows of desks facing the front is the only way to maintain order, said Dan Morris, one of the workshop facilitators from Colorado. Proper training for teachers and minimum technical standards for parent-purchased devices can help students get the most out of BYOD programs. Electronic devices are changing how students learn. Some two-thirds of ninth- through 12th-grade students text classmates about assignments. This collaboration slows the pace of homework, even though it teaches students how to work together. "Homework is a very social experience now," said workshop facilitator Ryan Imbriale of Baltimore. "It takes a long time to do your homework," he often tells his own children, "because you asked everyone in the world about it." While teachers struggle with inadequate, confusing or non-existent training, they soon will face new privacy issues over the security of students' personal information held in their personal computers. Another problem with BYOD plans is that teachers might not have the technical ability to help students make each device function correctly. "(Teachers) are pretty flipped out by 30 kids walking in with 30 different devices, which they are supposed to make work overnight," said Brooks-Young. And that situation might not even be the worst case, she added. "I just finished working at a school where the teachers did not know from one day the next whether there would be Internet access." BYOD Teacher Management Tips: Getting Started with BYOD Keep control of student use, and make sure devices are not in use whenever anyone addresses the class; Have students support each other; There should be consistent consequences for off task behavior; Bring the device out only when it is needed; Know what each device can do; Walk around the classroom to spot problems; Always have a "Plan B" to work around tech issues; Communicate appropriate use; Set clear expectations; Let go of control; Be flexible; Explore gaming as a teaching tool and an incentive; Assign group roles; and Teach responsibility. SOURCE: eLearning2 Professional Development Software Soundtrap Releases Education Edition for Online Music Collaboration An application that allows students to collaborate on making music and doing audio recording is getting an education treatment, including integration with Google's learning management system. Soundtrap, from a company of the same name, works on multiple kinds of computing and mobile devices to enable one or more people to play and record music online. Users can plug in their own instruments, use the virtual ones provided on Soundtrap, or record a song directly with an external microphone. When the recording is finished, it can be uploaded to social networks for free or onto Spotify or iTunes for a charge. Soundtrap for Education allows teachers to set up assignments in Google Classroom. The new Soundtrap for Education adds features suited for school use. It was demonstrated last week at FETC 2016, an education technology conference in Orlando. The software is compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and group recordings can be done with students from within an "invited" and secure group. Teachers set up the groups and invite participants using a link, from within Google Classroom or by importing users through a CSV file. Teachers can create private areas for a single class, a school or a mix of classes and schools. They can have an entire class participate in a performance and still view the work of an individual student in that effort. They can also work with students one-on-one or in a group via built-in audio and video chat. The company's Web site includes a search feature that allows teachers to find their counterparts in other parts of the country or the world for collaborative projects. The program works on iOS, Android, Chromebook, Windows and Mac devices and was named in a list of "best Web sites for teaching and learning" in 2015 by the American Association of School Librarians. "Our new education version is ideal for American classrooms," said CEO Per Emanuelsson, in a prepared statement. "Since it's the first such solution integrated with Google Classroom and fully supports Chromebooks, it takes advantage of the enormous number of Chromebooks in schools more than half of the devices sold in [the United States] while meeting the great demand for collaborative platforms that can create music or podcasts." Pricing is set at "less than $5 per seat per year," the company said. Among the educators who have used Soundtrap are teachers in Angola High School in Indiana, Massapequa School District in New York and Monmouth Beach School District in New Jersey, among others. The company claims more than 1,000 schools among its user base. BERLIN (Reuters) - Reinstating border controls within Europe's passport-free Schengen zone because of the migrant crisis would significantly increase costs for Germany's foreign trade, national trade organisations told German media on Wednesday. "About 70 percent of German foreign trade takes place within Europe, particularly with countries of the euro zone," Anton Boerner, head of the BGA trade federation, told newspaper Tagesspiegel. "The cost for international road transport alone would increase by about three billion euros ($3.27 billion)." Stefan Genth, head of the HDE retail group, said checks would severely impact the transport of goods throughout Europe due to delays at the borders. European Union member states are bitterly divided over the handling of an influx of migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa. Germany took in 1.1 million last year. The failure to agree on joint measures to handle the crisis has put the Schengen zone, with its 26 European members, on the verge of collapse. German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Monday urged Chancellor Angela Merkel to prepare to close the country's borders to stem the influx, arguing Berlin must act alone if it cannot reach a Europe-wide deal on refugees. Merkel has resisted calls to shut the borders and tried to convince other European countries to take in quotas of refugees, pushed for reception centres to be built on Europe's external borders and led an EU campaign to convince Turkey to keep refugees from entering the bloc. But pressure to put a cap on the number of refugees entering Germany is growing on Merkel after women were sexually assaulted in the western city of Cologne on New Year's Eve. Police have blamed many of the attacks on groups of migrant men, mainly from North Africa. On Tuesday, European Council President Donald Tusk said Europe had no more than two months to get the migration crisis under control and prevent a collapse of its passport-free travel zone. Foreign trade last year contributed 0.2 percent to Germany's gross domestic product. (Reporting by Tina Bellon; Editing by Janet Lawrence) By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Philip Blenkinsop AIT OURIR, Morocco (Reuters) - A few weeks before she was killed in a raid by French special forces beside the suspected ringleader of last November's Paris attacks, Hasna Ait Boulahcen packed her bags and said her last farewells to relatives in Morocco. The 26-year-old Parisian's almost two-month-long trip to her father's home town of Ait Ourir proved to be one of the last stops on her journey from fun-loving party girl to devout Muslim - and possibly Islamist militant. Conversations with relatives and family friends shed light not only on her transformation but also on the role of Moroccan intelligence in helping services in France and Belgium trying to counter the threats of Islamist militant attacks. Ait Boulahcen's stay in Ait Ourir from early August until late September is now part of the investigation into the attacks which killed 130 people and were claimed by Islamic State, and has increasingly drawn in Morocco's intelligence services. On Nov. 18, five days after the Paris attacks, she and her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud were killed in a barrage of bullets when special services opened fire on the apartment she had led him to in the French capital, possibly as a hideout. Morocco provided the tip-off that enabled French police to locate Abaaoud, has been holding Abaaoud's brother Yassine since October and has issued an arrest warrant for Salah Abdeslam, who is suspected of taking part in the attacks and is on the run. A week after the attacks, French President Francois Hollande received King Mohammed of Morocco in Paris to thank him for Rabat's "efficient help". On Nov. 23, after it became clear some of the attackers had planned the attacks from Brussels and were of Moroccan origin, Rabat said Belgium's King Philippe had also called King Mohammed to enlist the help of the North African country's intelligence. "We are exchanging information with them on a very professional and very good level," said Alain Winants, who was head of Belgium's intelligence service from 2006 to 2014 and is now Advocate General at Belgium's Supreme Court. Morocco said on Monday authorities have arrested a Belgian national of local origin directly linked to the Paris attackers. Identified only by his initials, the suspect fought in Syria with al-Nusra before joining Islamic State, the interior ministry said. Security has been tightened in Ait Ourir, a dusty potato-growing town in central Morocco where Ait Boulahcen's father Mohammad has a modest concrete home. Relatives and neighbours told Reuters they had been questioned by police, who kept a close watch on the town from cars parked on many street corners. The Moroccan authorities have not said what their inquiries have thrown up but a relative in Ait Ourir told Reuters that Ait Boulahcen was accompanied by one of her brothers when she arrived in early August and the other brother joined them later. She was stopped at the airport when she flew in, one of her uncles said, but was allowed to enter the country when her father and an uncle gave the authorities their addresses. It was not clear why she was stopped or whether she was on any security watch list. Police did not comment. BIG CHANGE Ait Boulahcen, her brothers and a sister were born in France to their father's second Moroccan wife after his first marriage, which produced two daughters and a son, broke down. He returned to Morocco from France when his second marriage also collapsed. Relatives and neighbours saw a huge change in Ait Boulahcen this summer. She had ditched the modern clothes she wore during her first visit to see her father in 2013 and now had on the full face veil favoured by more conservative Muslim women. "We had problems with her when she came the first time because she used to smoke and drink, and in our town it is shameful for a girl to act like that. She was so happy when she said she'd changed and was a good Muslim now," an uncle said. "She said she wanted to come back and get Moroccan identity papers and a passport," he said, without making clear how far she had got. He and other family members said they believed Abaaoud had exploited his cousin's naivete and led her astray. How close they were is unclear but Ait Boulahcen's half-sister, Nezha, said they had not discussed Abaaoud during her stay. Ait Boulahcen unwittingly led police to Abaaoud by speaking to him on her mobile phone, which was tapped as part of a drugs investigation. Police then saw her meet Abaaoud and lead him to the apartment where they and a third suspect were killed. French police located Abaaoud after they received a tip-off from Morocco that he may still be in France and honed in on Ait Boulahcen. Until then they thought he had fled the country. It is not clear why Abaaoud's younger brother Yassine has been held since landing in Morocco in October. Their father, Omar Abaaoud, declined comment. LONG HISTORY OF COOPERATION European intelligence has cooperated with Rabat since guest workers from Morocco began arriving in the 1960s because monitoring them was impossible without knowledge of their culture and languages, Moroccan Darija and Amazigh, experts say. Morocco has stepped up its tracking of militant cells since Islamist attackers killed 17 people in Marrakesh in 2011. "Morocco has shown itself to be extremely reactive in passing on crucial information that has prevented terrorist attacks and whose value has been appreciated by countries targeted, ranging from France to Spain and the United States," said Moroccan scholar El Mostafa Rezrazi, author of a book on security cooperation between Morocco and Europe. A Moroccan security source said the foreign intelligence service DGED (Direction generale des etudes et de la documentation) has "operations" in Belgium but did not confirm estimates by experts that it has about 150 "contacts" there. Cooperation almost broke down in 2008 when Belgium asked the DGED to pull out three officers who had not kept it informed about their actions, and Rabat pulled out all of its agents. "That didn't last long because, with 600,000 Moroccans in Belgium, neither the Moroccan service nor the Belgian service could stay in a situation where there was no contact," said Winants, the former Belgian intelligence chief. "I went very rapidly to see my counterparts in Morocco and we started again on a new basis." CRITICISM BY RIGHTS GROUPS Cooperation between France and Morocco also dates back many years although relations were strained in 2014 when French authorities sought to question Abdellatif Hammouchi, the head of Morocco's domestic intelligence, over torture allegations. This led to Morocco suspending cooperation agreements with France, despite concerns in Paris that Moroccans and French of Moroccan origin were heading to Syria to train as jihadists. The two countries resumed cooperation in January 2015, after Islamist gunmen killed 12 people in an attack on the offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Moroccan officials estimate that 2,000 Moroccan fighters have joined armed groups in Syria and Iraq, including Islamic State and the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, and about 200 have been jailed on their return home. But Morocco's experience of battling militancy dates back at least to the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan war, when hundreds of Moroccans went to Afghanistan to fight Soviet forces. A number of militants from Morocco or of Moroccan origin were arrested over the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and were linked to other attacks such as suicide bombings that killed 33 people and 12 attackers in Casablanca in 2003 and the Madrid bombings that killed 191 people in 2004. The DGST domestic intelligence (Direction generale de la surveillance du territoire) has been accused by Moroccan and international human rights organisations of torturing suspects, including on behalf of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency during President George W. Bush's "war on terror". Morocco has denied the charges. (Philip Blenkinsop reported from Brussels, Additional reporting by Morade Azzouz, Marie-Louise Gumuchian and John Irish in Paris, and by Thomas Escritt in Amsterdam, Writing by Patrick Markey and Timothy Heritage, Editing by Janet McBride) By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis made his first visit as pontiff to a synagogue on Sunday, where, in a reference to Islamist attacks, he condemned violence in the name of religion. Amid chanting of psalms in Hebrew and speeches underscoring the remarkable advances in Catholic-Jewish relations in the past 50 years, Francis became the third pontiff to visit Rome's main synagogue, after popes John Paul and Benedict. The temple is just across the Tiber River from the Vatican, and is rich with symbolism of the past persecution of Jews, who for nearly 300 years until the mid-19th century were forced to live in the adjoining quarter still known as The Ghetto and make compulsory payments to the popes. Security was exceptionally tight in the area, with even journalists going through three separate checks in the space of less than 100 metres. Anti-terror police patrolled both sides of the riverbank, which was closed to the public. "The violence of man against man is in contradiction with any religion worthy of this name, in particular the three great monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam)," he said in what appeared to be a reference to attacks by Islamist militants. "Conflicts, wars, violence and injustices open deep wounds in humanity that call on us to strengthen or commitment to peace and justice," he said. "Neither violence nor death will ever have the last word before God." The Jewish leaders who addressed him were more specific in their condemnation of Islamist violence. "Faith does not generate hatred. Faith does not shed blood. Faith calls for dialogue," Ruth Dureghello, president of Rome's Jewish community, said in her address to the pope. "FANATIC VISIONS" "Our hope is that this message will reach the many Muslim people who share with us the responsibility to improve the world in which we live. We can make it together," she said. Rome's chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, condemned violence "justified by fanatic visions inspired by religion". Yahya Pallavicini, an Italian Islamic leader involved in inter-faith dialogue, attended the ceremony and the pope warmly greeted him. A handful of Italian survivors of the Nazi death camps sat in the front row and Francis appeared moved when they were mentioned, rising with the congregation in a standing ovation. "Their tears should never be forgotten," Francis said. "The Shoah teaches us that we need the maximum vigilance in order to intervene quickly in defence of human dignity and peace," Francis said, using the Hebrew term for the Holocaust. The revolution in Catholic-Jewish relations began 50 years ago with when a document by the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council repudiated the concept of collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus and called for inter-religious dialogue. Under the late Pope John Paul, the first pontiff to visit a synagogue, the Vatican established diplomatic relations with Israel. Last month the Vatican issued a major document saying Catholics should not try to convert Jews. On Sunday Francis called for the "rediscovery of the Jewish roots of Christianity" and repeated an appeal for Catholic to "say 'no' to every form of anti-Semitism". "Jews and Christians must, therefore, feel like brothers united by the same God and by a rich common spiritual heritage," he said. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Ros Russell) 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. Iran's oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh announced interest of Czech Republic to import natural gas from Iran. He made the remarks in a meeting with Czech Republic Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mladek on Jan. 18, the official IRNA news agency reported. Zanganeh said that exporting gas to Czech Republic by pipe is not possible now, but considering Iran has an incomplete unit of LNG, the Czech side may sign a long-term contract with Iran for importing Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) or cooperate in its investment. He also expressed Iran's interest for cooperation with Czech Republic in the sector of underground reservation of gas considering its capabilities and continuation of negotiation in this field. Zangeneh underlined that Czech companies may have cooperation with Iran as investors and not contractors. He added that Czech Republic is strong industrially and is able to cooperate with Iran in manufacturing oil equipment. Czech companies can cooperate with Iranian companies in transferring technology, manufacturing goods and equipment of oil industry and also investing in the petrochemical industry. Based on the statistics available, volume of trade exchange between Iran and the Czech Republic in the first five months of the Iranian year (started March 2015) stands at $12.3 million. Iran's export to Czech Republic stood at $2.3 million and its imports from the Republic was $10 million in value in the five months. Tehran, Iran, Jan. 19 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: As economic sanctions on Iran were lifted, Deutsche Bundesbank freed the assets of the National Bank of Iran (known as Bank Melli Iran or BMI) in Germany, the BMI's CEO, Abdolnaser Hemmati said. He added that following the move, 17 BMI subsidiaries will be able to work abroad, Fars news agency reported Jan. 19. Hemmati said that in the meantime, Deutsche Bundesbank authorized BMI's branch in Hamburg, adding that the BMI's Dubai branch has also been freed of transaction barriers previously in place under sanctions. The official said measures have been taken to launch the London branch of the BMI, noting that only a UK permit is left to be issued. Hemmati further said Mir Business Bank CJSC, a BMI branch in Moscow, can also resume its full operations, adding that in one week, all BMI branches abroad will be operational. Iran was freed of sanctions on Jan. 16, following the implementation of its famous nuclear deal with six world powers. The day after, Iranian sources said over 1,000 letters of credit (LCs) had been opened for Iranian businesses. Iran is also expected to join the SWIFT soon. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Khalid Kazimov - Trend: Iranian and Chinese officials have discussed a contract for constructing two nuclear power plants in the Islamic Republic's southern coastal area of Makran, Iran's atomic chief said. Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi said that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to discuss the issue of building power plants during his upcoming visit to Tehran, IRNA news agency reported Jan 19. President Xi Jinping is scheduled to make a visit to the Middle East including Iran and its rival Saudi Arabia as well as Egypt over the week. It was earlier reported that President Xi Jinping would kick off his five- day regional tour on Jan. 19. According to Salehi the power plants will generate 1000 megawatt of power and the construction of the power plants will start within the next several weeks. He also added that the country is considering the construction of several small power plants with the capacity of 100 megawatt. Speaking about the nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers, Salehi further added that a group of European countries as well as Asian states such as Japan, China and South Korea are ready to cooperate with Iran to develop its nuclear program. In a joint statement on Jan. 16, the EU's High Representative Federica Mogherini and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal) and the removal of economic sanctions on Iran. According to the statement, EU has confirmed that legal framework, providing for lifting of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions, is effective. You, as a consumer, no doubt think cheap oil is great. It has reduced the price of gasoline to levels not seen in nearly a decade. But perhaps nothing so perfectly illustrates the gulf between the interests of Wall Street and Main Street as falling oil prices, because Wall Street definitely doesn't see it the way you do. In recent weeks, stock prices have moved in tandem with oil prices. Oil prices plunge, so does the stock market. Oil prices rally and stocks surge. Bloomberg News does an excellent job of explaining why Wall Street has such a different view of oil prices, and it boils down to this: too many institutions made big bets that oil prices would keep going higher. You could say they bet the bank on it. Shale producers had to borrow a lot of money to fund their operations. That debt paid high interest rates and was eagerly purchased on Wall Street. Sound familiar? Remember the housing bust? A similar thing happened during the early 2000s housing boom, when subprime mortgages in particular were prized for their high interest rates. At the time, very few people thought home prices could actually go down. But they did. In 2008 bad mortgage bets nearly sank the economy. Today's nervousness is due in part to the fear that bad oil bets pose their own systemic risk. So when oil prices get so low that U.S. producers can't be profitable, the people who have bought their debt get very nervous. Making matters worse, in Wall Street's eyes, consumers are saving lots of money at the gas pump but aren't spending it. Instead, they're saving it for heaven's sake, or paying off their credit cards. So the complaint is that consumers are benefiting from low oil prices but aren't sharing the wealth, so to speak. Economists rightly point out that this can be a problem. Since the Great Recession, the one area where the U.S. economy has enjoyed strong growth has been in the oil industry. Now that industry appears to be going down for the count, and with it the huge contributions it has made to the nation's economy. It was hoped that the extra money flowing to consumers through lower gas prices would get spent elsewhere, providing a lift to the economy. That isn't happening, so the net effect is the slowdown in the oil industry has produced a drag on the overall economy. Weak growth But instead of blaming consumers for socking away the money they are saving at the gas pump, perhaps economists might better explain why the U.S. economy, absent the recent contribution from the oil industry, is so weak. Why haven't other sectors recovered? And why is it up to consumers to take up the slack? Maybe one of the reasons Wall Street has been so volatile this month is the realization that there doesn't seem to be much there to backstop the economy when the oil industry isn't providing the economic growth it has over the last few years. Was it always this way? Definitely not. But in the first quarters of the last two years, the U.S. economy has contracted. Will it be the same this year? If so, there may be a lot of blame to go around. But it may not be fair to blame American consumers who have finally caught a break in the form of lower gas prices. The OPEC + production cut will hit motorists in the wallet The national average price of gasoline has been moving higher over the last couple of weeks and is about to go even higher. This week the group of major oil-producing nations, known as OPEC + because it includes non-OPEC members like Russia, announced member nations will cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day by the end of October. The cuts come at a time that the world is already experiencing tight supplies. As a result of OPEC's production cut, I estimate U.S. g... You can use this tool to find the radius around a point on the map. First type in the radius required in kilometers or miles and then click on the map at the center of where you wish the circle to appear. You can then create as many radii as you wish. [12th July 2018] Unfortunately, due to a large price increase in back-end services, we can no longer offer some features on this page or have had to use alternative providers. Options Radius Distance km OR miles OR feet OR meters Input Point - do one of... (1) Click on the map (2) Place radius by location name : Draw Radius (3) Input Coordinates : Latitude and Longitude (decimal) Draw Radius (4) Draw at your location Current Location Colours and Line Thickness Line Thickness Line Colour Fill Colour Thin Red Red Medium Blue Blue Heavy Green Green White White Yellow Yellow Black Clear Map Options Zoom to Fit Map Clear Last Clear Map [Map Height : Small - Medium - Large - Full Screen] Show center marker? Show resize grip? Add label marker: Type text below then click on the marker for which the label should be attached: Map Layers USA County Borders Input CSV Upload [latitude,longitude,radius(km),label(1 text character / optional)] per line latitude,longitude,radius(km) For Example... 51.538611,-0.016389,10 Upload Click Here to Show/Hide CSV Upload Panel Output Circumference of last circle km miles Area of last circle km acres Latitude / Longitude of center of last circle URL to last radius URL loads full screen? URL loads unclickable map? Google Maps Static API Image Output Step 1 : Get the map above to look as you wish (pan/zoom/radii) Step 2 : Generate Your Static Map Code Google Earth KML Output Once you have a radius on the map : Generate KML Instructions Type in a radius required in the Radius Distance text box above [Zoom and Pan to find the required area on the map then click on the map to draw a circle] OR [Type a location into the text box and click Draw Radius] OR [Input the latitude and longitude of the location in decimal format]. Click as many times as necessary to draw multiple circles You can use the [Clear Map] button to erase all markers and radii and start again Use the "URL to last radius" text box to find a URL that will show the most recent radius on this page when opened in a web browser. This URL can be sent to anyone if you wish to forward it on. Google Earth KML Output You can now export all the drawn radii on the map to Google Earth for improved display and printing. You must have Google Earth installed (or another application capable of importing KML files). You need to have a radius displayed on the map before the output will work. Please report any bugs. The procedure to Export to KML is as follows: Draw one or more radii on the map as you see fit Once ready, click the [Generate KML] button. You will probably need to scroll down the page to find this! After a short delay, the KML file with download You can then open the KML file in application such as Google Earth Currently, the KML will include: The same radius size and shape Transparency of 50% It will not include: Shading colour (blue only, but you can change this once it is loaded into Google Earth) Line colour (you can change this once it is loaded into Google Earth) Line thickness (you can change this once it is loaded into Google Earth) These features may be added later depending on feedback. CSV Upload The CSV option allows you to upload bulk points to the map. To do this you must format your points using the convention of latitude,longitude,radius per line where latitude and longitude are in decimal format and radius in km. Make sure to strip out any whitespace. You can upload as many lines as you wish, however more lines will take more time and every web browser will have its limits on the maximum number of lines (hence circles drawn) before things slow to a halt. For Example... 51.538611,-0.016389,10 51.538611,-0.016389,15 ..should add two radii around the Olympic stadium in London for 10km and 15km Future Ideas Ability to input nautical miles URL link includes settings to show/hide the radius centre marker and resize grip URL link to include the data for multiple radius KML export improved to cope with 100's / 1000's radius Ability to customise the center marker Version History MLK Day Challenge to City Council to End Homeless Repression steve [at] santacruzhub.org) by Steve Schnaar A letter to the City Council, delivered on the Martin Luther King Jr holiday, urging them to take inspiration from his life and words in considering a more just and constructive approach to dealing with homelessness. Dear City Council, On this Martin Luther King Jr holiday, I hope that we can all take some time to consider Dr. King, and to take inspiration from his life and his words. I imagine that here in Santa Cruz, there is no controversy in celebrating the Civil Rights movement and the end of Jim Crow. However King's vision grew to include much more than desegregation, and it is these broader visions of social and economic justice that I think are critical for us all to consider. With respect to our particular city and your particular roles as public servants, I would like us to hold King in our hearts and minds as we consider our relationships and policies towards the homeless people living in our community. In his later years, King challenged inequality and poverty, calling for a revolution of values that would put human needs first. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society, he said. As an example, he considered the issue of poverty and charitable giving: On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on lifes roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on lifes highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. I was thinking about this passage the other day when I heard that the Council unanimously voted for the City to collaborate with the Warming Center program. I think it's great that you made that vote, and I appreciate your concern that people should not freeze to death in our city. However when I considered the matter further, it struck me that this decision by the Council is really a very small offer: the use of a City building only if no church spaces are available, and only for a maximum of five nights this winter. The reason this strikes me as problematic is that the same Council also voted to increase punishments for sleeping in parks, as well as making it illegal to sleep in large vehicles. Therefore, while I think it's great to help a few dozen people keep warm on a few of the coldest nights of the year, ultimately that feels to me like a very small good, in comparison to far greater harms. I appreciate that apart from the Warming Center, the City supports many programs that help meet people's basic needs, acting as the metaphorical Good Samaritan that Dr. King referred to. Yet the need for shelter, one of the most important needs of all, is not available to most homeless people, and in this respect the City's response is even worse than the priest on Jericho road, who walked by without stopping to help. Whereas the priest merely ignored the plight of his fellow, the City kicks them while they're down, sending police to raid their camps, increasing penalties for the crime of sleeping outside, and outlawing large vehicles that many people use for shelter. Even with respect to daytime, waking life, the City continually restricts the use of public space by homeless people downtown, and has even condoned brazen police violence against the homeless (i.e. the inaction by the City after a SCPD officer was caught on film slamming a hand-cuffed Richard Hardy face-first into the curb). I understand and can sympathize with the reasons that people consider such laws. Having no private space available, homeless people spend a disproportionate amount of time in public places, and some of them can be difficult, disruptive, or scary. I know this from personal experience, and have my fair share of stories I could relate. And yet the solutions offered by the City make no sense either morally or in terms of practical public policy. Instead, they are based on the false notion that our generosity and social services act like a magnet pulling homeless people here, and so by cutting services and implementing harsh policies against the homeless, that will drive them away. Although it seems feasible that homeless people could flock somewhere especially hospitable to them, the idea is simply not borne out by the facts. For starters, Santa Cruz is not particularly welcoming, having laws against sleeping in parks, and heavy restrictions on panhandling and even just sitting on the sidewalk downtown. But more importantly is the biannual ASR homeless survey, the best data we have about the homeless population. Their data show that while there is a trend of migration from elsewhere in Santa Cruz County into the city, the great majority of homeless people were already in the area when they lost housing, and no more homeless are coming here from elsewhere than to San Francisco, Monterey, or any number of other cities. While poverty and homelessness are national problems beyond the scope of your power and responsibility as City Council to solve, at least we can avoid piling more abuses and indignities on a population that already is suffering enough. In addition to being indecent, it is ineffective and counterproductive, further alienating and embittering people who, like it or not, are part of our community, and not going away any time soon. I've watched many efforts over the past fifteen years to clean up certain areas and drive homeless people away, and it is clearly a failed policy, which simply pushes people from one spot to the next, like a giant game of whack-a-mole. Therefore I want to suggest that in considering these issues of how to share public space, we try to avoid the stigmatizing of an entire class of people, and search instead for more constructive solutions. For example, if you don't want human waste on the sidewalk, how about opening more 24-hr public bathrooms? Or if you don't want people sleeping in parks, how about designating specific places where camping is permitted? Without such constructive alternatives, these crackdowns on homeless represent a cruelty and repression that is beneath the dignity of yourselves as Council members, and our community. Best regards, Steve Schnaar Sunday Morning at the Marxist LibraryReport Back From the Rojava RevolutionPaul Simons, writing under the pen name, El Errante, is the author of a series of recent dispatches from the liberated territories of Kurdistan in Syria. Currently on a tour across the Bay Area, Simons has just returned from a region besieged by war yet is also in the middle of one of the most far reaching social experiments of the 21st Century: the Rojava Revolution. The liberated territories of Kurdistan are a thriving example of stateless democracy and of a people who are overturning traditional institutions such as patriarchy and social hierarchies.Simons discusses not only the day to day life of the people living within the evolving revolution, but also the various grassroots organizations and militias that they have created while waging an exhausting fight against both ISIS and the Turkish State. Weaving together ideals of anti-authoritarianism, feminism, ecology, and a rejection of Statism, Paul Simons report on the the Rojava Revolution is not to be missed by anyone working for sweeping social transformation in the current age.Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 - 10:30 am to 12:30 pm6501 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)Seating is limited, so plan to come early. We start promptly.FREE - but hat will be passed for donations to NPMLAbout Sunday Morning at the Marxist LibraryA weekly discussion series inspired by our respect for the work of Karl Marx and our belief that his work will remain as important for the class struggles of the future as they have been for the past.For info or to subscribe to our weekly announcements,Call Gene Ruyle at 510-428-1578 or email: cuyleruyle [at] mac.com For our full schedule, go to icssmarx.org Black Queer Liberation Collective Black.Seed Shuts Down Bay Bridge by Black.Seed For Immediate Release January 19, 2016 4pm BLACK QUEER LIBERATION COLLECTIVE BLACK.SEED SHUTS DOWN BAY BRIDGE For the second year in a row, the Anti-Police Terror Project (APTP) put out a call for 96 Hours of Direct Action to reclaim Dr. Martin Luther King Jrs radical legacy and take a stand against anti-Black racism and terrorism. In a courageous display of solidarity and the spirit of MLK, Black.Seed, a Black, queer liberation collective, has shut down the Bay Bridge as a show of resistance to a system that continues to oppress Black, Queer, Brown, Indigenous and other marginalized people throughout the Bay Area. Today, January 18th, Black.Seed has shut down the west-bound span of Bay Bridge. Cars are blocking lanes and individuals are chained across lanes to demand investment in the wellbeing of Black people. Motorists on the Bay Bridge can follow the action by tuning their radio to 107.9, a temporary radio station broadcasting the event. The action can also be followed on Twitter: @APTPaction Over the last few years, we have seen San Francisco and Oakland destroyed by police murders, rising housing costs, rapid gentrification, and apathetic city officials. Last year, we saw dozens of police murders throughout the Bay Area; since June of 2015 in Oakland alone there have been eight Black men murdered by police. Today Black.Seed celebrates and honors the radical legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Historically, our people have had to take drastic and dramatic measures to highlight the systemic abuses that harm our communities. 51 years ago, those who came before us participated in direct action in Selma, Alabama, to speak out against the harms of racism and oppression. It is this very spirit of resistance that flows through our lives and actions, in the Black Out Friday, Black Brunches, and highway shutdowns of today. We are here to move towards an increase in the health and wellbeing of all Black people in Oakland & San Francisco. We stand in solidarity with APTP and demand: The immediate divestment of city funds for policing and investment in sustainable, affordable housing so Black, Brown and Indigenous people can remain in their hometowns of Oakland and San Francisco The resignation of Mayor Libby School The immediate termination of Chief Greg Suhr The immediate termination of Chief Sean Whent The immediate termination of the officers involved in the murders of Richard Perkins, Mario Woods, Yuvette Henderson, Amilcar Lopez, Alex Nieto, Demouriah Hogg, Richard Linyard, O'Shaine Evans ### Turtle Island Restoration Networks new report 'Driftnet Overview' outlines how the California driftnet fishery for swordfish is among the most wasteful fisheries in the world in terms of bycatch (unwanted animals caught and discarded). The just-released-report examines new data that shows the driftnet fishery is a threat to marine mammals, sea turtles and sharks; targets toxic high-in-mercury fish; is a drag on Californias economy; and hampers efforts to clean up international fishing practices. Joanna NasarCommunications DirectorTurtle Island Restoration NetworkCell: (415) 488-7711Joanna@SeaTurtles.Org Olema, Calif. (January 19, 2016) Turtle Island Restoration Networks new report 'Driftnet Overview' outlines how the California driftnet fishery for swordfish is among the most wasteful fisheries in the world in terms of bycatch (unwanted animals caught and discarded). The just-released-report examines new data that shows the driftnet fishery is a threat to marine mammals, sea turtles and sharks; targets toxic high-in-mercury fish; is a drag on Californias economy; and hampers efforts to clean up international fishing practices. "Californias driftnet fishery kills more whales and dolphins than any other on the West Coast, and that is too high a price to pay for swordfish dinner, and it is time to phase it out," said Todd Steiner, biologist and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network (SeaTurtles.Org), which has worked for over a decade to reduce wildlife deaths in this and other fisheries. The driftnet fishery in California consists of roughly 20 fishing vessels. The vessels set out nets the size of the Golden Gate Bridge to float overnight and indiscriminately catch whatever swims into their nets.[i] The California driftnet fishery kills or injures approximately seven times more whales and dolphins than all other observed fisheries in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska combined, and 13 times more than any other single observed fishery on the West Coast.[ii] The fishery has killed an estimated 16 endangered sperm whales in the last decade. Recent stock assessments suggest that this take is more than the population can sustain from all sources combined, much less from a single fishery.[iii] In total, an estimated 885 marine mammals have been killed in the past decade alone. [iv] "This deadly fishery has been operating at too high of a cost to marine wildlife, our economy and our health for far too long. It is time to shut down the driftnet fishery once and for all," said Joanna Nasar, Communication Director for Turtle Island Restoration Network. Driftnets are already banned by the United Nations, on the high seas, by a host of countries, and throughout the United States. Turtle Islands new report shows that it is time for California to phase out this outdated and ineffective method. "This report calls for the phase out of this deadly fishery which is killing too many whales, dolphins, sea turtles and sharks, and provides critical information to lawmakers to act," said Doug Karpa, legal program and science policy director at Turtle Island. Download the Driftnet Overview Report here (.pdf). ### Turtle Island Restoration Network works to mobilize people and communities around the world to protect marine wildlife, the oceans and the inland waterways that sustain them. Join us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. SeaTurtles.Org Trade unionists and community activists rallied and marched in Oakland on MLK day on January 18, 2016. Participants talked about the systemic racism and attacks on not only Black and Latino people but the entire working class. Trade unionists and community activists joined a rally and march in Oakland on January 18, 2016 to commemorate the life of Martin Luther King. They discussed the privatization including charter schools, poverty, systemic racism and discrimination as well as the sanitizing by the corporate press of MLK's positions on war and capitalism. Trade unionists from OEA, IAM, SEIU 1021, SEIU USWW, UAW 2865, Unite Here Local 2. San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi also discussed the racist attacks on his staff who have been defending their African American clients.Production of Labor Video ProjectFor more information:S.F. public defender detained outside court; office outragedVivian Ho | on January 28, 2015A San Francisco deputy public defender was handcuffed and arrested at the Hall of Justice after she objected to city police officers questioning her client outside a courtroom, an incident that her office called outrageous and police officials defended as appropriate.The Tuesday afternoon arrest of attorney Jami Tillotson as she denied police officers attempts to take photos of her client without explanation raised questions about police intimidation and harassment, Public Defender Jeff Adachi said at a Wednesday news conference.But police said the five officers, led by a plainclothes sergeant, were investigating a burglary case in which Tillotsons client and his co-defendant were considered persons of interest. Tillotson was cited for misdemeanor resisting or delaying arrest because she obstructed a police investigation, officials said.I was arrested for what we do as public defenders every day, Tillotson said of the encounter, which was captured in a video that the public defenders office posted on YouTube. I asked questions. I talked to my client and explained to him his rights. At that point, I was told I was interfering and taken into custody.'Simply doing her jobAdachi said, This is not Guantanamo Bay. You have an absolute right to have a lawyer with you when youre questioned. Ms. Tillotson was simply doing her job.Tillotsons client had just made an appearance in Department 17 on the second floor with a co-defendant for a misdemeanor theft charge when they left the courtroom and came under questioning by a plainclothes police officer at about 2 p.m., authorities said.Other attorneys with the public defenders office filmed the interaction, in which the plainclothes officer, Sgt. Brian Stansbury, told Tillotson, I just want to take some pictures, OK, and hell be free to go. When she declined his request, Stansbury said, If you continue to do this, I will arrest you for resisting arrest.Please do, Tillotson responded.It was very clear to me that I hadnt been doing anything illegal, she said at the Wednesday news conference. I was challenging him, telling him that you know that I know that I did not violate the law. He moved it forward.The video showed Stansbury continuing to take photos of the client and his co-defendant after Tillotson was handcuffed and led away, with Stansbury telling them, Try not to move.Stansbury was one of three officers whose traffic stop of an off-duty black colleague in 2013 led the off-duty officer to file a federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the city. Police officials have said the officers involved had not engaged in racial profiling.Vivian Ho|Reporter Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that lifting international sanctions on his country is not enough for improvement of economic condition in the country. Khamenei made the remarks in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani on Jan. 19, posted on his official website. Earlier, Rouhani in his letter to Khamenei, which was published Jan. 18, provided details on the recent implementation of the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, and briefed him on achievements on the deal. Answering to Rouhani's letter, Khamenei expressed satisfaction with the removal of international sanctions against Iran. Iran's economy was stifled by the 12-year-old sanctions, which were on Jan. 16, lifted according to the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 (the US, the UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany). Khamenei further stressed that the removal of sanctions was a result of the Iranian people's resistance. He also wrote in his letter that Iranian officials should take care that the counter party completely fulfils its obligations. Iranian supreme leader also called on the country's officials to be vigilant about the "deceit and treachery" of "arrogant countries," in particular the US, in the nuclear case and other issues. Khamenei added that high costs have been paid for the nuclear deal, which should not be neglected. The supreme leader, in his letter, further thanked the nuclear negotiations team and the country's nuclear scientists for their sustained efforts. Los Angeles, CA Attorney Patricia Oliver, who specializes in cases involving water contamination from oil production and waste injection wells, says people in and around Attorney Patricia Oliver, who specializes in cases involving water contamination from oil production and waste injection wells, says people in and around Porter Ranch should be concerned about this gas leak, from benzene levels in the escaping gas to the SoCal Gas plan not to include a safety valve replacement on the well. Even if you havent experienced any symptoms, such as respiratory problems, nosebleeds or nausea, Oliver urges everyone exposed to the Porter Ranch gas leak to relocate - now.I think we should all be concerned because this gas leak is something unprecedented and nobody knows the long-term effects, Oliver says. I have been there and it has personally impacted me; this gas leak is setting us all up for health problems says Oliver.To date, experts are still trying to figure out how far the methane cloud is expected to go. They do know that complaints have been reported 5-10 miles from the well. We are trying to track how far the gas will travel when it was released from the wellhead, but we need to obtain from the State of California the test results from SoCal Gas, Oliver explains. Once their experts have that data, they can take the molecular weight of gases and match them to the wind pattern to determine how much it will travel.We have been seeking this information from the state since December 1, says Oliver.SoCal Gas just proposed a plan to start burning some of the gas escaping from the damaged well, but how safe is that? Methane - one of the strongest natural greenhouse gases - can do much more than damage our planet - it can be deadly. When mixed with other chemicals, methane levels as low as five percent can become explosive and in higher concentrations, it can be deadly when ignited.At the risk of being a conspiracy theorist, its sounding like a cover-up. Oliver says it is one big lie.Gov. Brown waited over two months to declare a state of emergency and during that time we are dealing with health issues, loss of income and more. Just nine days after the BP oil spill, the governor of Louisiana was dealing with it. Why was Brown absent? There is no justification except for a huge conflict of interest, both with him and his sister.Kathleen Brown owns more than $400,000 in Sempra Energy (it owns SoCal Gas) stock and she receives a yearly salary of $188,380 to sit on the Sempra board. Oliver says she is also the director of a group that is trying to develop part of Porter Ranch. And she is partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, a law firm that represents the California Independent Petroleum Association.You should relocate to where you dont feel like you are breathing gas, but realistically, close enough to schools and businesses where you feel comfy, says Oliver. Conservatively, I would move five or six miles away from Porter Ranch, and most people have been relocated at least 10 miles away.Unbelievably, the state of California has drafted emergency regulations, but one thing, which is of utmost importance but is not included, is the subsurface safety valve.People are asking why this issue is dangerous. Think about it: the gas is injected underground in 2-inch casing. There is no rational reason to think this rupture couldnt happen! The other 98 SoCal Gas wells all have the potential to blow like this one. We dont know what is happening underground and with the water table down there.Another lie: In 1979, SoCal Gas told state regulators that it replaced the safety valve on one of its wells, the(Jan 3, 2016) reported. Just last month, however (and perhaps after some digging by attorneys), Rodger Schwecke, a SoCal Gas executive, said in a public meeting that the valve was old and leaking and the company decided not to replace it because it was not a critical well.Visit thefor more information about the safety valve, or lack thereof. King County, WA A group of janitors suing retail giant Fred Meyer are not looking to clean up as it were, but rather are seeking justice and due compensation for work performed off the clock in Washington state. The A group of janitors suing retail giant Fred Meyer are not looking to clean up as it were, but rather are seeking justice and due compensation for work performed off the clock in Washington state. The Washington Employment class action names as defendants Fred Meyer, as well as a number of subcontractors in a case due to be heard in April. According to(1/4/16), the plaintiffs were directly employed by a subcontractor to Fred Meyer. The subcontractor, MH Janitorial, was accused of not paying janitors for work performed off the clock at the end of their shifts in accordance with Washington State Employment Laws. Off-the-clock work is a growing problem, with many employees called upon to perform tasks either before their scheduled shift or after they have clocked out for the day.Plaintiffs assert that such tasks, sometimes for just a few minutes and sometimes longer, constitute work performed for the employer on the employees own time - work for which the employer is not paying. Those minutes can add up over time.According to theradio report, MH Janitorial is no longer operating. Thus the plaintiffs have turned their focus toward Fred Meyer, which had hired MH Janitorial as a subcontractor to supply janitorial services.Court documents reveal that Fred Meyer placed responsibility for adherence to wage and hour laws according to Washington State Labor Law on its subcontractor. Now that MH Janitorial is no longer operating, the question is whether or not Fred Meyer can be held responsible for the failure of its subcontractor to pay wages.There has been increasing pressure in labor circles for the primary contractors to share in the liabilities of subcontractors where employees are concerned. This comes at a time, according to the attorney representing the plaintiffs in the Washington Labor Law class action, when corporations are moving away from responsibility and liability for the human resources working in their facilities.Fred Meyer, owned by Kroger, is expected to argue that since the janitors were employed by MH Janitorial, responsibility for wages and adherence to Washington State Employment Laws rests with the subcontractor, given that the janitorial staff were not employees of Fred Meyer directly. The plaintiffs are expected to argue that since the janitors performed their jobs on premises owned by Fred Meyer, and that Fred Meyer benefitted from the off-the-clock work, Fred Meyer should have a stake in the liability for the unpaid wages.Case details were not available. A court date for King County Superior Court is scheduled for April. About a week ago, the Biafra Independent Movement announced Rev. Fr. Samuel Aniebonam as the chairman of the Biafra Independent National Electoral Commission (B-INEC). [article_adwert] However, the Catholic priest has reportedly denied the media reports, denied that he has accepted any such position, and claimed that he does not support Biafran independence. He was quoted as saying in a statement: Media reports claim that Chief Ralph Uwazurike of Biafra Independent Movement (BIM) appointed Rev Fr. Samuel Aniebonam as the chairman of Biafra Independent National Electoral Commission (B-INEC), a body that would conduct and supervise the internal election into offices of BIM on February 22. I, Rev Fr. Samuel Aniebonam, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Awka, Anambra State, hereby dissociate myself from the publications as they were made without my consent. I, never in any forum, discussed or accepted the appointment, either from Chief Uwazurike, his agents, proxies or any other person. I also state unequivocally that by my vocation as a priest, I am stopped from active participation in partisan politics and I have maintained this in the 23 years of my priestly ordination. I have neither been involved in, nor encouraged any act of secession or insurrection against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I, therefore, urge the public to disregard the publications as I strongly believe in the unity and indissolubility of Nigeria. Hmnn...Nawa o, who do we believe? Source: Legit.ng When Iranian officials released footage of 10 U.S. sailors being taken captive, it made John Kerry "very, very frustrated," the secretary of state told CNN on Monday. Kerry's remarks came the same day the Navy released more information about what exactly happened when the sailors were taken into custody, including their interactions with Iranians. Kerry has been negotiating with Iran on a number of fronts for well over a year, including on the President's nuclear deal and a prisoner swap completed over the weekend. But after U.S. Navy vessels "regrettably, inadvertently" drifted into Iranian waters, per Kerry, and the 10 sailors were taken by Iranians last Tuesday, Iran's military released footage of the troops with their hands behind their heads at gunpoint. Though the sailors were released within 24 hours, the footage was inflammatory. "I was very angry. I was very, very frustrated and angry that that was released," Kerry told John Berman on CNN's "New Day." "I raised it immediately with the Iranians. It was not put out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the government directly, it was put out I think by the military over there, the (Revolutionary Guard), who is opposed to what we are doing." Also on Monday, the Navy released more information about how the incident, which lasted about 15 hours, played out. As the footage showed, the soldiers were held at gunpoint on the ship by Iranian troops. The Navy said the troops were also under machine gunpoint from more Iranian troops on the responding ships. No fire was exchanged during the incident, but there was what the Navy categorized as as "verbal exchange." Editor's Note: Ikorodu has grown over the years. The once serene town has developed into a city with thriving commercial and social activities. Like all emerging cities, crime has also become a permanent feature of Ikoodu. Legit.ng Lagos contributor Joseph Uwana writes about the dark spots in city. Ikorodu, surbirb of Lagos has developed due to population explosion but crime has also increased Ikorodu is one of the fastest developing suburbs of Lagos state. In fact, it is one of the biggest divisions in the state, hence a recent appeal by some prominent indigenes of Ikorodu for the creation of a Lagoon state. The fact that it is fast developing also makes it danger-prone, especially with daredevil armed robbers and ritualists preying on unsuspecting victims in the area. Although the division used to be ravaged with cult groups clashes, the immediate past Ayangbure, Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi worked alongside the vigilante group of Ikorodu, popularly called 'Onyabo' in the area to combat the despicable acts. READ ALSO: 20 Most Dangerous Bus Stops To Avoid In Lagos Thus, before the late monarch joined his ancestors, the division was rid of such reports and occurrences. However, a few weeks ago, reports emerged of how six mutilated female corpses were dumped within the area, a development which was followed up by another gruesome murder in the same division. Legit.ng has therefore gathered ten of some areas considered to be dangerous in the division which first-timers and regular visitors need to be wary of when visiting. 1. Solomade Estate: Although there have not been recent reports of killings or attacks in this area, history tells us that this area used to be a den for cult guys to launch out their attacks. In fact, a few people (rival cult group members) have been brought down in this estate. The fact that it is often silent, whether day or night, does not make it a no-go area, but an area where one has to be careful of while passing. 2. Ikorodu Garage: This may seem impossible for many because it's the heart of Ikorodu; usually the first port of call for most residents of the division. However, caution has to be taken while passing through this area. First, there is a regular presence of bag snatchers and scammers, as well as criminals who have snatched people's possessions in broad daylight. Therefore, any visitor or regular passers-by must take precautionary measures when they are passing through this area, especially because it is almost unavoidable most times. 3. Itowolo: This Bus Stop makes this list not because there have been reports of danger there, but because it is an isolated area where hoodlums are likely to lurk. The fact that few people alight at this bus stop makes it difficult to predict incidents that may occur there, therefore, when next you are alighting at Itowolo, make sure you 'watch your side' very well before making the next move, else you fall into the hands of street urchins. 4. Majidun: It is common sense for anybody living in Ikorodu not to toil with 'Majidun Boys'. In all fairness to them, they are not particularly violent on a normal day. But, any attempt to show disregard for them should be perceived as being suicidal because they seldom forgive. The same Majidun area was where a Pastor was alleged to have opened a church where members were 'caged' and used for money-making rituals. Regulars in this area would have also noticed the presence of Naval officers which came as a result of oil bunkerers who have made Majidun their permanent home. For safety purpose, anyone passing through Majidun should always be on red alert because it is almost turned into a war zone when there are issues in the area. 5. Agric: Another sensitive spot in Ikorodu, which has a mention here because it is home to many 'migrants' to the division. The fact that it is an avenue to many new houses in the area has earned it the 'family bus stop' tag. Like Ikorodu garage, Agric bus stop has series of 'smart' guys who are ready to rid unsuspecting residents, passersby of their hard-earned possessions. On their day, you cannot trace any form of violence to the 'agberos' in the area, but any breakout of order in this area means the people will get an overdose of unrest. 6. Abuja (Ibeshe): This bus stop is not so popular in Ikorodu because it is one of the 'safest' places to perpetrate any atrocity. READ ALSO: 10 Most Dangerous Places In Bariga In fact, residents and commuters who ply this route regularly have attested to the fact that armed robberies have occurred consecutively without anybody being able to help forestall the occurrences. To prevent being attacked, the victims suggested that anyone passing through this route should try not stop by any parked vehicle or attend to strange faces in the area. 7. Ladega: Ladega is another area in Ikorodu where any breakout of order may force residents to stay indoors for hours or even days. This is because, although they have been relatively tamed now, Ladega boys are not to be toyed with. No matter how daring one may be, it is often not advisable to stay around this area once any disorderliness breaks out. Ladega also hosts a market which could be another hideout for the 'Big Boys' in the area. Its proximity to Ikorodu garage makes it an easy getaway for touts who are always bent on giving Ikorodu a negative tag. 8. Anibaba: Until a few weeks ago, Anibaba area of Ikorodu may have not been so popular, but for some mutilated female corpses which suspected ritualists dumped there. To make matters worse, two 'incomplete' body parts were found close to that area after about a week from the first incident; a situation which has heightened tension in the whole of Ikorodu and its environs. Anibaba area is not particularly dangerous, but the fact that corpses could be dumped there without anyone being able to pen down a suspect means acts of atrocities could be carried out there without anybody finding out. 9. LASPOTECH (Ikorodu Campus): With freedom do suspected cult guys move around within and outside the premises of the Ikorodu campus. Such is the impunity that so much fears lie in the heart of students living off campus because the 'predators' are likely to strike at any moment. This area which houses more students than any other part of Ikorodu, is on this list because of certain acts of violence for which students are notorious. 10. Elepe-Gberigbe axis: This area is more popular for land ownership tussle and has played host to many life-threatening disputes, some of which are presently in courts spread across the state. READ ALSO: 5 Dangerous Places To Live In Lagos For anybody willing to purchase landed properties or build a house in this axis, caution has to be taken and the appropriate quarters must be consulted before embarking on such project. While the issue of land ownership tussle is not peculiar to landgrabbers in the state, the issues being reported here are those which could have been avoided had the buyers not thrown caution to the wind. While this compilation is not aimed at painting Ikorodu as a dangerous place to visit or live in, after all, it hosts about a million people, it is targeted at ensuring that anybody going through these places make sure they are always at alert. [article_adwert] Source: Legit.ng Tehran, Iran, January 19 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: Iran's government is planning to take giant steps toward the privatization of much of the economy during the current administration, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said addressing a conference of business owners from across the country. The government's main agenda in the post-sanctions era is economic growth, "which will not come by as long as the economy is in the grip of the government," he said as cast live on IRINN TV channel January 19. Appropriate measures to realize that goal have been envisioned within the next year's national budget plan, the president noted. On January 16, nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were lifted according to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the group 5+1 (the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany). The 12-year-old sanctions had stifled the country's economy. Rouhani said the government has on agenda not only to settle a great part of its debts to banks and the private sector, but also to hand over past years' unfinished projects to them. "In the past decade, despite having the record for the highest income, the net employment has been zero. To have employment, an economic growth of eight percent is needed. But that is impossible to achieve with domestic resources," he said. "If all domestic resources come to the scene, then we will need a minimum of $50 billion worth of foreign investment a year to achieve that target growth rate." "Our non-oil export needs, and is going to see a 15-percent rise every year." "Iran is like a young man who has been behind bars for 12 years. Now that the sanctions are removed, this young man is free and is going to heal and compete with his rivals," Rouhani said. "Iran can join the league of newly-formed growing economies of the world soon." Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend: The recent developments regarding the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group will lead to expansion of ties between the Islamic Republic and the world, said Iran's envoy to Azerbaijan, Mohsen Pak Ayeen. Speaking to reporters in Baku, Pak Ayeen said that the implementation of the nuclear deal proved that the Islamic Republic was never after nuclear weapon and all of its nuclear program was peaceful. "Now the world has officially accepted Iran's right regarding the nuclear activities", Pak Ayeen told reporters Jan. 19. He added that Iran's ties with the world, particularly the banking ties, have been normalized and the great chances have been created to expand Iran's ties with the world". "I personally thank the Azerbaijani officials for expressing happiness over the removal of sanctions off Iran," Pak Ayeen said. "I see a proper perspective for trade ties between Iran and Azerbaijan." The ambassador said that Iranian people expect economical growth following the implementation of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). On January 16, the 12-year-long nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were lifted according to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany). "Now a chance has been created for resuming the activity of Iranian factories and industries as the country enjoys good infrastructure," said Pak Ayeen. Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration's foreign relations department said on Jan.18 that Azerbaijan welcomes West's lifting sanctions on Iran, which was achieved as a result of talks. "Azerbaijan doesn't see the use of sanctions against countries in international relations for various reasons as a successful and fair step," said Novruz Mammadov. President Hassan Rouhani said in a telephone talk with his Venezuelan counterpart that successful implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a victory for the world, friends in particular, Irna reported. He also said that Iran-Venezuela ties should be further developed in all fields in the post-sanctions era. Referring to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's statements about the need for further coordination between the two countries in the field of global oil prices, Rouhani called for consultations in issues of mutual concern. During the telephone conversation, Maduro also congratulated Iran over the success in defending its nuclear rights and official implementation of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying that in this regard, not only Iran but also all independent states emerged victorious. Tehran-Caracas ties are excellent, he said, noting that practical implementation of JCPOA will open new chapters in bilateral ties and that Venezuela has always been alongside Iran. The president also said that Joint Economic Commission should convene at the earliest to review new opportunities in line with boosting bilateral ties. A patient currently undergoing treatment at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo state has escaped from the facility. The minister of health, Professor Isaac Adewole made the disclosure while inaugurating the Lassa Fever Eradication Committee in Abuja on Tuesday, January 19. He ordered the immediate tracing and readmission of the patient who allegedly escaped with other patients at the health care center. Prof Isaac Adewole and minister of state, Dr Osagie Ehanire at the event today He said: "I have just been informed that a patient who is currently undergoing treatment at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo state had escaped. I want to charge all concerned to ensure that him and other who escaped from the centre are traced and returned back. Health woekers must also assure these patients that they will be well," he added. READ ALSO: Benue Bans Eating Of Rats Over Fear Of Lassa Fever Prof Adewole blamed the outbreak of Lassa fever in some states on the failure of the surveillance system in Nigeria. The committee inaugurated by the minister is headed by the president, Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, is saddled with the responsibility of advising the federal government on the way forward as regards eradication of the virus from Nigeria. The minister stated that the federal government had began plans to construct at least 1000 primary healthcare centers across the country within the next one year. He noted that the centers which would be built according to international standards with borehole and solar power system in each of the facility. READ ALSO: All You Need To Know About Deadly Lassa Fever Adewole who pledged the support of the federal government through the provision of funds however advised on judicious use of all resources by members of the committee. Speaking at the event, the project director, Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Abdulsami Nasidi noted that most of the suspected cases have tested negative to the Lassa Fever Virus. [article_adwert] He maintained that at least two laboratories should test a patient before he is confirmed to have been infected with the virus. It will be recalled that the minister recently confirmed the spread of the Lassa fever virus in 17 states and 62 local government areas in Nigeria. In a related development, the Benue state government has directed people in the state to desist from eating rats for the meantime. Source: Legit.ng Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has called on Muslim countries to form an alliance for progress and development and not for war, in an apparent reference to the coalition formed by Saudi Arabia for the aggression against Yemen, Press TV reported. "We believe that the conditions in the region and world of Islam call for the creation of a coalition for development, and not war, in the world of Islam," Rouhani said in a meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Tehran on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia launched a deadly aggression against Yemen last March with the help of some of its allies. More than 7,500 Yemenis have so far been killed in more than nine months of incessant attacks, while millions more are reported to have been stranded across the country. Responding to the Pakistani premier's remarks about the recent tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Rouhani said, "We call for the expansion of relations and do not welcome tension provided that the rights of Muslim people are respected." Nimr's execution was widely censured by Muslims and human rights activists around the globe as well as different governments. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3 following demonstrations outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad by angry protesters. The Saudi diplomatic premises was attacked by some during the demonstrations. Iranian officials strongly denounced the raids and have arrested over 150 people over the incident. Besides Pakistan, other countries, including Russia and China, have voiced readiness to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani expressed deep concern over insecurity caused by terrorists in the region and said the Iranian administration's policy is "based on constructive interaction with world countries, particularly neighboring states." Iran will give a "positive response" to request for cooperation by countries which are fighting terrorism, the president added. He pointed to "unacceptable" efforts aimed at causing division between Shia and Sunni Muslims and said, "We call for enhanced unity and coherence among all Muslims, including Shias and Sunnis, and are ready to cooperate with regional countries in line with the campaign against terrorism, extremism and sectarianism." A young woman was left with a bloodied face after her husband of five years had cut her nose off and fled on Sunday in the northwestern province of Faryab, Afghanistan. Please, scroll down for photos below! Reza Gul, 20, was was rushed to hospital after her husband Mohammad Khan, 25, sliced off her nose with a pocket knife. According to the woman, who lost large amounts of blood and now needs reconstructive surgery, the attacks began several months ago after Khan had returned from Iran. The 20-year-old, who was married off five years ago, lies on her hospital bed with her one-year-old child READ ALSO: Wife Faces Prison Sentence For Defaming Her Cheating Husband (PHOTOS, VIDEO) [article_adwert] Besides repeatedly beating and torturing his wife, he also also married another girl who was just seven years old. Traditionally, community elders and local Taliban representatives are dealing with marital poblems but even they failed. Khan had reportedly fled to a Taliban-controlled area of the country. Officials are trying to arrange to fly Gul to Turkey so she can undergo reconstructive surgery Local security forces including the intelligence agency and police are currently searching for his whereabouts. Reza, who was married off by her parents when she was just 15 and now has a one-year-old child, will likely to be flown to Turkey for the costly treatment. READ ALSO: Two Sisters To Be Gang-Raped After Their Brother Eloped With Married Woman The photograph of a disfigured woman was widely shared on social media, sparking anger among women's rights activists. Maria Reha is one of them, she wrote a sarcastic message on her Facebook page: Reza Gul, whose nose was sliced off by her husband, receives treatment at a hospital in the northern Afghan province of Faryab READ ALSO: Angry Husband Bites And Swallows Wife's Nose Off During Fight (PHOTOS) This shocking image, purporting to show Gul after the attack, was tweeted by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and caused outrage across the country Afghanistan is thought to have one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world, although most incidents are not reported to officials. In parts of Afghanistan, slicing off a person's nose is meant to shame them and show they have brought disgrace to their family or clan. Source: Legit.ng Under its asset management mandate for an institutional investor, Bilfinger Real Estate has negotiated and implemented the sale of a logistics property in Hamburg's Allermohe district. The buyer is the Northern Region of Aurelis Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG. It has been agreed not to disclose the purchase price. [] Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, the logistics service provider with its headquarters in Osnabruck, has signed a long-term lease for 7,000 sqm at the World Cargo Center (WCC) in Hamburg Norderstedt in a transaction brokered by Realogis. Thus Hellmann has expanded its existing capacity in a key location near the airport. Garbe [] The HB Reavis group named Petr Herman to the function of Director for the Czech Republic. Until now Mr Herman worked in the position of Business Development Director, and in the last six months he was entrusted with the management of the entire Czech branch. He formerly received experience in [] Javascript Error Javascript is deactivated in your browser. To use all functions on this portal, for example the login, Javascript must be activated. Please activate Javascript in your browser settings. Comprehensive survey of IT professionals shows ongoing security challenges as businesses fail to take full advantage of encryption technology BOSTON, M.A., Jan. 19, 2016 Sophos (LSE: SOPH), a global leader in network and endpoint security, today announced the findings of its recent survey, The State of Encryption Today. The survey polled 1,700 IT decision makers from mid-sized businesses in the United States, Canada, India, Australia, Japan and Malaysia, about their encryption habits, concerns and plans. Key findings of the survey reveal that private, highly-sensitive employee information, including banking details, human resource (HR) files and personal healthcare records, is at risk. While many companies take the security of their customer data seriously, employees are not protected to the same level. For example, 31 percent of the companies surveyed that store this type of data admit that employee bank details are not always encrypted. Forty-three percent of the companies holding sensitive employee HR files dont always encrypt them, and nearly half of those that store employee healthcare information (47 percent) fail to consistently encrypt these records. Of the U.S. companies surveyed that do use encryption, only 79 percent claim to always secure employee bank details, making it the most advanced of the six countries. By comparison, 48 percent in Japan fail to consistently encrypt employee bank details, making their employees the least protected. Company data remains at risk as well. Nearly one-third (30 percent) of all organizations surveyed fail to always encrypt their own corporate financial information, and nearly half (41 percent) inconsistently encrypt files containing valuable intellectual property. The percentage is higher in the U.S. where 62 percent of organizations cite the need to secure proprietary data as a key driver to encryption. Cloud data security is also driving encryption adoption. More than eight in ten companies (84 percent) expressed concern about the safety of data stored in the cloud. Nevertheless, while 80 percent are using the cloud for storage, only 39 percent encrypt all files stored in the cloud. The U.S. leads all six countries with a propensity to encrypt all files in the cloud with 48 percent of those surveyed in America doing so. Malaysia is at the opposite end of the spectrum with only 17 percent of businesses surveyed encrypting all files in the cloud. Data breaches happen to large and small companies every day, and the last line of defense against that breach turning into a corporate crisis is a comprehensive data encryption policy, commented Dan Schiappa, senior vice president and general manager of Enduser Security at Sophos. While it is the customer data breaches that hit the headlines, companies have the same obligation to protect sensitive employee data, and they should not overlook it. Encryption demand is growing although companies cite budget, performance concerns and lack of deployment knowledge as the top three barriers to implementing a solution. Three-quarters of organizations acknowledge that they need to improve how they encrypt and secure employee, customer and company information. In fact, over the next two years, 69 percent of organizations surveyed plan to increase their use of encryption, showing that companies are moving in a positive direction. The State of Encryption Today survey confirms that while encryption is widely used and accepted by businesses, it also highlights critical gaps, continued Schiappa. Unfortunately, I am not surprised by the findings because too many people mistakenly believe that encryption is too complicated or too expensive to implement. The reality is that modern, next-generation encryption solutions can be easy to deploy and quite cost-effective. The State of Encryption Today survey methodology includes 1,700 IT decision makers interviewed in the U.S., Canada, India, Australia, Japan and Malaysia. All respondents were from organizations with 100 to 2,000 employees in all sectors, excluding government. Vanson Bourne, an independent specialist in market research, conducted the study. A white paper containing the full survey results can be accessed at www.sophos.com/encryptionsurvey. Turkey is set to open its first military base in Africa in which Turkish military officers will train Somalian soldiers and troops from other African countries to fight against Al-Shabaab terrorist organization, military sources said on Monday, Daily Sabah reported. The base in the African Horn, which has been approved by the United Nations, will be Turkey's second military base abroad and will be set up in capital Mogadishu. With the agreement between the Turkish and Somali governments, over 1,500 Somali troops will be trained by 200 Turkish military officers. "This military training center will also be an important base to provide military training to all of Africa," Emil Tekin, an official from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said last week. The official added that Turkey is also planning to build a military school in the African country to train both formal and non-commissioned officers. Turkey has been providing military assistance to Somalia within the scope of military and financial cooperation deals between the two governments for over five years now. Turkey also provided the African nation with over 400 million dollars in the biggest aid campaign for the country while it was struggling to fight starvation. In late December, Turkey announced its first military base abroad. The base which will be established in Qatar is being set up as part of a defense agreement aimed at helping both of the countries confront "common enemies." New York City forged a deal with the horse carriage industry over the weekend, aiming to keep the dubious tradition alive in the city, but substantially curtailed. If approved by the city council, the last bastion of horse-drawn carriages in New York City will be kept within the sprawling Central Park. What's more, the number of licensed horses will fall from 220 to 95 by 2018, the New York Times reports. YouTube/NYCLASS The proposed pact, a collaboration between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and union leaders representing the carriage industry, was announced Sunday in a joint statement. "We are pleased to have reached an agreement in concept on the future of New York's horse carriage industry," the statement read. "We look forward to working together on the final details of this legislation and getting this passed." Dodo Shows Comeback Kids Family Stops At Nothing To Help Their Great Dane Run In fact, the only stakeholders not cheering the plan appear to the most important ones: the horses themselves, and the advocates who fight on their behalf. Horses, after all, have paid most dearly for the pomp and pageantry of this outdated tradition. While New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), an organization that has long criticized the carriage industry, admits the recent plan would be a "step in the right direction," representatives of the animal welfare group say the measure is not nearly enough. Even in Central Park, horses would still share roads with cars, and, of course, be under the yoke of unscrupulous operators. "Horses do not belong in a congested, urban setting," NYCLASS states on its website. "They constantly breathe exhaust while dodging dangerous traffic ... confined to the shafts of their carriage and their tiny stable stalls, with no access to green pastures." Records obtained through New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) revealed the industry's brutal track record between the years 2009 and 2014. In that time span, there were 12 hit-and-runs, where a carriage horse was involved in an accident and the carriage driver fled the scene, according to Allie Feldman, executive director of NYCLASS. A virtual menagerie of animals, exotic and domestic, some illegal and others commonplace, is collected and advertised in one place, right at our fingertips - on Craigslist. Craigslist One morning, while browsing the Google Alerts I subscribe to, to help stay up to date with animal news, I saw the headline, "Free Baby Chimp." The website? Craigslist. The preview line? "Hey, I have a free baby chimp to a good home. His name is Donkey Kong and I got him for my girlfriend for Christmas." Whether a hoax or an honest appeal, the author had deleted the post by the time I clicked on it. It's hard to discern which Craigslist ads are reflective of actual situations and which are simply instances of trolling, because to weigh each case independently would take more than one lifetime. There are so many ads for unwanted pets out there, too many to count - and many seem completely serious. In browsing the New York City Craigslist ads alone, I found not only posts about cats and dogs, but also sloths, sugar gliders and snakes, all available to whoever would take them. Dodo Shows Odd Couples Kitten Isn't Sure About His Pittie Brother At First Craigslist The ads I came across offered a window into the complicated and opaque lives of perfect strangers and how many of them treat their animals, who seem to occupy some odd space between possession and family member. The photos of animals - who don't even know their futures hang in the balance - peer out from the screen, in what, to a helpless onlooker, feels like some silent appeal for help. "I'd just like for him to be in a loving home where he is accepted." For some people, contingencies like sudden illness or losing their home can make it nearly impossible for them to keep their pets. "Fosse has been my friend's sun, moon, and stars for the last two years, but her serious asthma and other major health problems have been making it too hard for her to take care of him," one person posted to Craigslist recently. (The post has since been taken down.) "She is leaving for inpatient health treatment on Thursday morning, and just found out that the family that was taking care of him isn't allowed to keep him. The cat rescues that we've called are all not accepting new cats right now, and we don't know what else to do." Other ads show how some people just don't care about animals. "I am going away to college and my parents unfortunately do not want my cat to stay at their apartment," another person wrote. "This is a very sad, hard situation for me because I've had Oreo for 7 years (since he was a kitten). He is very friendly, playful yet calm, affectionate, clean, hygienic, healthy, neutered and has had all of his vaccines (papers included). He is the perfect house cat, and you will love him! Oreo is free of charge, I'd just like for him to be in a loving home where he is accepted." For those of us all too aware of just how many animals are without homes, ads like these become painful to read. Those who want to re-home a pet because of some minor inconvenience seem incredibly crass - and for many of the advertised animals, finding a taker could mean the difference between life and death. Craigslist In the U.S. alone, approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters each year. Of those, approximately 2.7 million animals are adopted, while roughly the same number of shelter animals are euthanized. "We owe animals more than just a partial chance at a good life." And Craigslist has come under fire in the past. In 2010, the site agreed to make changes after illegal activity occurred in the Adult Services section of its site. The company removed the "adult" and "erotic" sections, but these measures came a bit too late for Julissa Brisman, a masseuse acquired through a Craigslist ad, who was found dead in a Boston hotel room. If measures aren't in place to ensure people using the site are protected, one can only imagine the plight of the animals featured on Craigslist. And the worst case scenarios for animals put up for free on the site are almost unthinkable. What a man named Jeff Nally did is a textbook example of how horribly wrong online animal listings can go. Nally used Craigslist to obtain 29 free dogs. He then mutilated and tortured the dogs in front of his kidnapped and horrified girlfriend. In the spring of 2012, he was sentenced to up to 45 years behind bars. A more recent case is that of Jason Brown, who was just sentenced to up to 28 years in prison after he used Craigslist to find dogs being given away. He beheaded four dogs. Apart from these nightmarish scenarios, people have also been known to acquire free animals to act as bait in dog fights. There's also the risk that some people look for free smaller animals, like mice or rabbits, as free food for their pet snakes. "It's pretty reckless to place a free-to-a-good-home ad without any sort of background check," Scott Heiser, staff attorney Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), told The Dodo. "That's not to say a significant amount don't turn out fine, but we owe animals more than just a partial chance at a good life." Animal abuser registries can help people perform background checks before handing over their pets. "We've seen that happen in many places, and in Tennessee the registry is now statewide," Heiser said. But first, rather than placing a free-to-a-good-home ad online, Heiser suggested trying to rehome the animal with an animal rescue organization or shelter. "At least a shelter has some kind of vetting process," he said. In circumstances where a no-kill shelter can't be found in your area, Heiser suggested doing the extra legwork if you are advertising on sites like Craigslist to ensure your pet will be safe. "If you're going to do a free-to-a-good-home [ad], before you place the animal, do a home visit," he said. "Anyone who is willing to take on a pet should be willing to do that. That should turn out pretty well for the animal for most of the time." "Never offer your animal as 'free to a good home.'" People who know firsthand how crowded and stressful animal shelters can be see the internet as a potentially useful tool for direct rehoming. "Ending up in a kennel can be incredibly stressful for any animal," Katie Armour, project coordinator at the MSPCA Boston Adoption Center, told The Dodo. "As empathetic animal lovers, we experience this stress along with these animals and do what we can to alleviate it as they wait to find their forever home. Many would benefit from being directly placed into a loving home." Craigslist If it's used very cautiously and responsibly, the internet can be the saving grace for an animal about to become homeless, Armour said. But even though she's more amenable to this kind of virtual networking than others, she's still cautious about using Craigslist. "Many people have had great success placing animals within their social media networks (Facebook, etc.) rather than using the more faceless and unknowable Craigslist," she said. And offering an animal up for free could be a recipe for disaster, just because it makes the transaction far too easy for people with bad intentions. "Never offer your animal as 'free to a good home' - even a small, nominal amount can make a big difference in the quality of adopters and help you know their intent a bit better," she said. Craigslist "I can't imagine being forced to make that choice." It's very difficult to track how often people rehome their pets on Craigslist and what happens to the pets afterward. A recent study from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) shows that when people do rehome their pets, in 37 percent of cases it's through a friend or family member, and 36 percent of the time it's through a shelter. But 11 percent rehomed their pets to a stranger. "The ASPCA actively supports safety net programs across the country, which enable owners to keep their pets in their own homes by providing services such as access to affordable veterinary care or help with pet-friendly housing," Dr. Emily Weiss, vice president of research and development for the ASPCA, told The Dodo. "If a pet owner absolutely must rehome their pet, we would recommend exploring options other than Craigslist." Weiss' recommendations include: Reach out to friends and family who may be able to take the pet in. Reach out to local shelters to learn what options they may have available for rehoming. Some organizations have virtual bulletin boards and other ways to connect with potential adopters. Connect with rescue groups. If you are able to keep the pet in your home and act as a foster home for your pet, that can increase the ways a rescue organization can help you. Connect with veterinarians in your community to explore rehoming opportunities they may have available. Armour agreed that your own social networks are a great place to start. "Friends and family, and their friends and family, can be the key to help you find kindred spirits who would love your pet just as you do," she said. If trying to rehome your pet online, use your instincts and ask potential adopters questions, Armour urged. "If you have a bad feeling about a person, or feel unsafe dealing with them, this is certainly not someone you'd entrust your pet with." Shutterstock Pete L. Manos, who rose during a four-decade career at Giant Food from accounting clerk to president, chairman and chief executive before the grocery chain was sold in 1998, died Jan. 7 at a hospital in Annapolis. He was 79. The cause was respiratory failure, said a niece, Cheryle Caldwell. Founded in Washington in 1936 and later headquartered in Landover, Md., Giant became the dominant food chain in the capital area, with 150 stores in the District, Maryland and Virginia, and one of the largest such chains in the country. Mr. Manos joined the company in his early 20s and ascended the company ranks, working in inventory before overseeing grocery purchasing, deli operations and departments including dairy, produce and perishables. The greatest learning part was in perishables, he once told The Washington Post. Because you are dealing with Mother Nature and you still have to deliver high quality to the customer. Pete L. Manos, shown in 1998, rose from accounting clerk to president, chairman and chief executive of Landover, Md.-based Giant Food before the grocery chain was sold. (Larry Morris / The Washington Post ) He became senior vice president of food operations before being named president in 1992. He succeeded Israel Izzy Cohen, the businessman largely credited with leading the companys expansion, as chairman and chief executive after Cohens death in 1995. Mr. Manos was widely admired among employees for what was described as his common touch like his cashiers, he wore a badge with his name, Pete and for his attention to the everyday needs and experiences of grocery shoppers. He led the company through a labor strike by Teamsters truck drivers and through increasing competition from chains including Shoppers Food Warehouse and Safeway before retiring in 1999 after the acquisition of Giant by Royal Ahold NV, a Dutch grocery concern. Pete Lazarus Manos was born in Washington on Dec. 29, 1936. He graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School in 1954 and studied accounting at Benjamin Franklin University, now part of George Washington University, where he received a bachelors degree in 1956 and a masters degree in 1961. He was a Navy veteran and a certified public accountant. Mr. Manos served on the board of the Childrens Cancer Foundation, according to his family. He lived in Annapolis. His wife of 55 years, the former Barbara Isper, died in October. Survivors include two daughters, Helene Manos of Annapolis and Cindy Manos of Millersville, Md.; a sister; a brother; and a grandson. Wendy Wassersteins The Sisters Rosensweig is a tough play: Wasserstein thought it was a Chekhovian drama but was surprised at how much early audiences laughed. Its a drawing-room comedy, yet the script is deeply serious about its three sisters women of a certain age, and American Jews adrift in London. It was a solid Broadway hit in 1993, when Wasserstein (who died in 2006 at age 55) was flying high after her Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for The Heidi Chronicles. It toured the country and played the Kennedy Center. It makes sense that Theater J would include Wasserstein in a season dominated by the gender-equity issue for dramatists. A generation ago, Wasserstein led the charge. But if Wasserstein is an obvious choice, The Sisters Rosensweig is not. Director Kasi Campbells eager production doesnt make a good new case for the play: As the sisters quip and jab and beam at one another in an upper-crust London home, Wassersteins dialogue feels gaudy, its wit over-packed with verbal razzmatazz. The moments of quiet connection, on the other hand, are beautifully done, and they remind you of the dark emotional tug that gives Wassersteins comedies such wonderful heft. [Read the Posts 1994 profile of Wasserstein] The sisters are gathering for the 54th birthday of the eldest, the twice-divorced, high-flying international bank official Sara (given elegant bearing and imperious voice by Kimberly Schraf). In blows 40-year-old Pfeni (Susan Lynskey), a journalist whose recent subjects include Afghan women. And then theres middle sister Gorgeous (Susan Rome), a fashion-conscious Massachusetts homemaker whos on the radio with something called The Dr. Gorgeous Show. (Shes not a doctor.) Wasserstein fleshes out the family with Saras rebellious daughter Tess (Caroline Wolfson), whos thinking of heading to Vilnius with her Lithuanian boyfriend a superbly polite and spiky-haired Josh Adams as his native country fights for independence. (Its 1991.) Pfenis beau is the bisexual theater director Geoffrey, played with maximum panache by James Whalen. Characters frequently break into little songs and minor dances, though those spirited bits of bonding dont bubble up with ease. Assimilation is a theme: Where does each character really belong? Gorgeous is an observant Jew; Sara is hostile to the faith they grew up with. Pfeni has been trotting the globe; British Geoffrey seems like an exotic and unstable choice if she wants to settle down. Saras pronunciations sound like London. No character is more self-aware or comfortable than Mervyn, a New York furrier who practically waltzes into Saras conservative English home and gently clowns his way into her line of sight. Michael Russotto plays Mervyn with a blissfully light touch, though it still takes awhile for their bantering about Jewish roots, gender expectations and middle-age romance to find a good incisive edge. As Sara, Schraf has daunting intelligence to spare; for a character whos reputedly analytical and remote, though, Schrafs Sara wears her heart a little implausibly on her sleeve. The show in general seems like its grand manner could be taken down a peg or two, but its reckonings ultimately connect. Lynskey is an acute Pfeni, never more so than when shes jolted into sense by Whalens Geoffrey. Rome is a perceptive Gorgeous, which runs counter to the broad and airy comic figure originally played by Madeline Kahn, yet makes her seem part of the family with the quick-witted Pfeni and Sara. James Fouchards drawing-room set instantly grounds the story in an impersonal kind of material comfort and cultural neutrality that the sisters struggle to overcome. Kelsey Hunts costumes smack of the late 1980s and early 1990s hello, pleated pants and bulky jeans while placing each character precisely in terms of class and spirit. Its the kind of play in which a genuine Chanel suit and a new plum shirt are big deals, just like the sentimental old songs and goofy sisterly rituals. Wasserstein accessorized The Sisters Rosensweig to the max; the trick that needs ironing out is how to wear it all lightly. The Sisters Rosensweig by Wendy Wasserstein. Directed by Kasi Campbell. Lights, Harold F. Burgess II; sound design, Neil McFadden. With Edward Christian. About two hours and 45 minutes. Through Feb. 21 at Theater J in the Washington D.C. Jewish Community Centers Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets: $37-$67. Call 202-777-3210 or visit www.theaterj.org. Stephen Adly Guirgis won the Pulitzer Prize for drama last year for Between Riverside and Crazy, a wise, wry portrait of an embittered ex-New York cop whose entire reason for being is the lawsuit he stubbornly pursues against the city and his own best interest. Its the sort of intimate, character-driven play that Studio Theatre tends on many occasions to do very well. On this one, the results are reasonably good although they cry out to be better still. The company entrusted the direction of the piece to Brian MacDevitt, a highly decorated Broadway lighting designer with a hankering to step up and run the whole shebang. And it snared an actor of estimable pedigree, Frankie R. Faison, for the pivotal role of Walter Washington, a black policeman forced into early retirement after being shot in error (six times!) by a white rookie. Its a juicy premise, made all the more intriguing by Guirgiss clear-eyed drawing of Walter as a man whose mind marinates in booze even as his compassion runs hot and cold. Stephen McKinley Henderson portrayed Walter in the original production off-Broadway, in a performance of devastatingly pinpointed acidity. Faison, who has evinced great range in work that has included major motion pictures, the plays of August Wilson and HBOs The Wire, seemed an inspired choice to pick up the mantle. Hes a bit tentative as Studios Walter, though, owing, one suspects, to some difficulty with the sheer volume of Walters lines; at the performance I attended over the weekend, Faisons delivery in several scenes was halting. Little will weaken a spectators confidence more surely than the feeling that an actor is struggling to get some of the words out. And in the case of an iron-willed character of pointed glibness such as Walter, that feeling can do especially serious damage to ones concentration and appreciation. Faisons contribution is likely to gain in power as the run of Between Riverside and Crazy progresses; indeed, I wish Id seen it two weeks later, when his security in the part may be more evident. As it is, MacDevitt surrounds Faison with an excellent supporting cast that provides a supple smorgasbord of what you might call tough New York softies. Sean Carvajal, Jasmin Tavarez, Bryant Bentley, Emily Townley, David Bishins and Cristina Frias offer favorable accounts of people who all need something from Walter, whether its shelter or love or even a signature on a legal document. Guirgis, author of the even tauter and funnier The Motherf----r With the Hat, pits a flawed man here against a flawed system. What we experience is the anguish of an African American man who has been both an instrument and a victim of that system. To the playwrights credit, the character he creates is a contradiction: not a saintly cop but not one without the ability to have done good; not an outstanding father, either, and yet, not a negligent one. Walters lawsuit against the city, which has dragged on for years, bears on his say-so nasty racial overtones; shot while off duty, he claims the rookie officer called him by an ugly epithet. The city, frustrated by the widowed Walters holding out for a larger settlement, is now putting the squeeze on him, threatening to evict him from his spacious rent-controlled apartment on Riverside Drive if he doesnt relent. The apartments air of masculine neglect is realized terrifically by set designer Lee Savage, who also resolves the issue of Riversides outdoor scenes far more satisfyingly than did the debut 2014 production at Manhattans Atlantic Theater Company. As might be expected, MacDevitt, for his freshman directorial assignment in Washington, assembles a first-rate design team. And he has bona fide success with some of the comedy, especially in scenes involving Bentley, playing Walters son Junior, and Tavarezs lulu of a Lulu, Juniors risibly dim girlfriend. (Her lips move when she reads the horoscope, Walter bitingly tells Junior.) The sequences in which Walters onetime partner on the force (Townley) and her lieutenant-fiance (Bishins) attempt to placate their retired comrade, unfold with an amiability that turns resonantly into something darker. And yet, another scene, one that in every sense is supposed to give the play its climax an Act 2 encounter between Walter and a supposedly deeply spiritual church lady played by Frias feels rather tame, not quite the raucous interlude it is meant to be. The necessity of a performance of certified steel at the plays center is affirmed in the final movement, when Walter reveals to his former police partner just how profound his sense of grievance is, and to what shocking lengths hell go to assuage it. Getting this aspect of Between Riverside and Crazy right may seem to put an inordinate amount of the burden on one actors shoulders. But for an optimal outcome here, thats no less than whats required. Between Riverside and Crazy, by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Directed by Brian MacDevitt. Set, Lee Savage; costumes, Dede M. Ayite; lighting, Jen Schriever; sound, Eric Shimelonis; fight direction, Robb Hunter; dialects, Zach Campion. About 2 hours 20 minutes. Tickets, $49-$96. Through Feb. 28 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Visit studiotheatre.org or call 202-332-3300. D.C. Council members David Grosso (I-At Large) and Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) on Tuesday introduced a bill that would attempt to streamline public access to government actions, meetings and information that might otherwise be hard to find. Under the Strengthening Transparency and Open Access to Government Act of 2016, all information yielded by individual Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests would be published to the District of Columbia online FOIA public access library. It would also expand the public reporting requirements for District agencies, and the Office of Open Government would handle all appeals for rejected FOIA requests. Grosso, who is up for reelection this year, said the bill would also require the mayor to publish the names and demographic data of all appointees to government boards and commissions in one place, so that the public can more easily track political appointments. It is my strong belief that an open and transparent government is more likely to be an effective and ethical government a good government, he said. Students were evacuated from Spotswood Elementary in Harrisonburg, Va., on Jan. 11 after a bomb threat was called into the school. No device was found in a police search. Schools in six states received threats on Tuesday. (Nikki Fox/AP) In Delaware, the caller said he was armed, and he claimed to be on the roof of an elementary school, ready to hurt children and teachers. On Marylands Eastern Shore, the caller said there was a bomb inside a high school. And in New Jersey, the caller left a voicemail message for school officials saying that a bomb would be followed by a mass shooting attack. Tuesdays threats of violence, which affected dozens of schools in at least six states in the East and Midwest, were just the latest in a rash of threats against U.S. schools in recent weeks. The menacing phone calls and emails have triggered police investigations and, in some cases, school evacuations. While no bombs have been found, the threats have disrupted class time and stoked fear in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. One of the things we fundamentally assume is that schools are safe, said Bradley Stein, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at RAND who helps schools work with children who have experienced trauma. These threats create anxiety in students and in their parents, and the effects can linger long after the threat has passed, Stein said. It raises the possibility that schools may not be safe. Los Angeles Unified, the nations second-largest school district, decided to shutter all of its more than 900 campuses in December after receiving an emailed threat. Since then, media reports have documented a constant stream of threats against schools across the country. There were 374 mass shootings in 2015, according the crowd-sourced database Mass Shooting Tracker. Watch this motion graphic and hear the 911 calls to get a complete picture of the human toll. (Gillian Brockell,Julio Negron/The Washington Post) [Facing the same threat, schools in L.A. & NYC take different tacks] On Tuesday, the threats affected not just schools in Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey, but also in Iowa, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Its not clear whether schools are actually receiving more threats or whether it just feels that way. The U.S. Department of Education referred questions about how the number of school threats has changed over time to the FBI, and the FBI did not respond to requests for data. Its also unclear what role the FBI is playing in investigating the threats. Sheriff Michael A. Lewis, of Marylands Wicomico County, one of several Eastern Shore communities to receive multiple school threats in recent days, said that the FBI was assuming primary investigative responsibility for these cases. Lewis said that the FBIs Baltimore Field Office had created a task force to catch the culprits. Amy Thoreson, spokeswoman with the FBIs Baltimore Field Office, said there is no such task force. We are working with our local partners, but beyond that I cant comment on our response, she wrote. Many of the threats have been made via computer-generated robocalls, according to school and law enforcement officials. [Robo-calls delivered school bomb threats, causing evacuations] Robocalls are most often employed by telemarketers hawking vacation time-shares and political campaigns to encourage voters to head to the polls. But the technology is widely available via websites that offer robocalling services for less than a penny a minute. School officials face the unenviable job of deciding how to respond to threats quickly and in a manner that protects students safety without causing unnecessary alarm. But thats a challenge that becomes more difficult as the threats pile up and as freezing temperatures make it impossible for children to wait outside while police search their schools. The conditions we face right now, weatherwise, only complicate it that much more, said Jerry Wilson, superintendent of Worcester County schools on Marylands Eastern Shore. Wilson decided to dismiss all of his schools early on Friday after a pair of threats were called in to the districts central office and to Stephen Decatur High School. The high school was evacuated again on Tuesday after the main office got another call saying there was a bomb in the building. By 11:30 a.m., the building had been searched and cleared, and students were on their way back to class. Parents have been supportive but are concerned, Wilson said. They want to know what schools are doing to handle childrens fear, and what the consequences are for keeping kids home. Caryn Abbott, the parent of a two Worcester County students, said she felt helpless when she received a text message from her eighth-grade daughter when school was evacuated on Friday. I could just hear through her text how frantic she was feeling, and scared, Abbott said. Wilson has worked as a superintendent for 23 years, including in Oregon, Wyoming and Colorado. He said that while its not unusual for individual schools to receive bomb threats, he hasnt seen so many threats directed to so many school districts at the same time. Its weird, he said, and its frustrating for students who want to be in class. They have finals coming up, he said. The threats are compromising what were able to accomplish in a school environment. As educators who arent experts in threat assessment, school leaders often lean on law enforcement officials for help gauging threats and deciding how best to respond. In Marylands Wicomico County, a bomb threat prompted officials to evacuate a high school Friday. But when a middle school was threatened Tuesday, officials kept it open while police investigated with a bomb-sniffing dog. Its so easy to second-guess our collective decision regarding school evacuations when you arent privy to preliminary information, Lewis, the Wicomico sheriff, wrote in a statement Tuesday. Decisions to evacuate our schools are not taken lightly. In Taunton, Mass., Superintendent Julie Hackett decided to keep schools open after her central office received a voicemail message late Monday night one of a spate of robocalls that threatened schools in more than a half-dozen towns across the state. The comments were non-specific in nature and, therefore, did not warrant an evacuation, Hackett wrote in an emailed statement. But, she added, police had stepped up their presence at each of the districts 13 schools. Schools in the Washington region have been challenged with how to deal with similar threats in recent weeks. Officials in Prince William County evacuated an elementary school after a robo-call threat last week. And since the start of school this year, police in Prince William County have investigated five threatening messages that were graffitied on to school walls at three high schools. The messages prompted police to increase security at Woodbridge High, Gar-field Senior High and Forest Park High. The messages do not appear to pose a credible threat, police said on their Facebook page. It appears these threats have been done to disrupt school functions and garner attention. Moriah Balingit contributed to this report. Wilson High School sophomore Kimberly Ortiz, 16, pictured at the school Jan. 12, was selected to travel to Normandy, France, to study D-Day as part of a National History Day program. (Moriah Balingit/The Washington Post) Veterans often have been a source of inspiration for Kimberly Ortiz. Kimberly, 16, a sophomore at the Districts Woodrow Wilson High School, has cerebral palsy and has crossed paths with disabled military veterans at Adaptive Adventure Day, when veterans some with disabilities volunteer to help disabled children participate in sports. And Kimberly, who walks with a limp, said she is energized when she sees veterans conquer their challenges. Now she will have a chance to retrace the steps of American soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy as part of a special program that is slated to bring high schoolers to France in June to study D-Day. The Columbia Heights teen was selected as one of 15 students to attend the program along with her English and history teacher, Eden McCauslin, impressing the selection committee with her passion for history and her determination. Even though I have a disability, I wasnt going to let that get in the way, Kimberly said, acknowledging that aspects of the trip including long walks and delivering presentations standing up could be difficult. Kimberly has a special interest in World War II and sometimes ponders what the world would be like if Americans had stayed sidelined. Instead, D-Day marked the start of an American invasion that would turn the tide of the war, leading to the defeat of Nazi Germany. I find the war fascinating; how everything played on itself, making my interest grow even more imagining how the world could have been different if the ending of the war would have played out differently, Kimberly wrote in her application essay. The program the Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom Albert H. Small Student & Teacher Institute brings student-teacher teams from across the country first to Washington, where students have an opportunity to hone their research skills, and then to France, where they will walk on Omaha Beach and visit memorials. The students also get an intensive history of D-Day, reading books and articles and participating in weekly online discussions. Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day, said the program was started because Albert H. Small, a local philanthropist and businessman, worried that young people did not appreciate the sacrifices of the Greatest Generation. The institute pushes students to understand the human toll of the war by having them get to know the life story of an American soldier who was killed in Normandy who hailed from their home town. Past students have interviewed families of World War II soldiers. Gorn calls the soldiers silent heroes, the ordinary young men whose names are lost to history. What the kids are doing is theyre giving them back their history, Gorn said. To really understand what sacrifice means, youve got to make it more personal. Kimberly said she is excited to study an individual and to walk the same routes that weary young men did when they landed on Omaha Beach in 1944, where there were as many as 9,000 Allied casualties. And she will do so with a keen sense of what its like to face a physical challenge. I want to make that connection, Kimberly said. What if this was me? Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The lifting of sanctions from Iran is opening up new opportunities in the development of the Tehran-Ankara relations, the Turkish presidential administration told Trend Jan. 19. The presidential administration said that Turkey welcomes the lifting of international sanctions from Iran, stressing that Turkey has always supported the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program. "The lifting of sanctions from Iran is also a real economic opportunity for Turkey as Tehran is Ankara's economic partner," the administration said. According to the Turkish Statistics Institute, the trade turnover amounted to $14.2 billion between Iran and Turkey in the first six months of 2015. Ankara and Tehran intend to increase the trade turnover up to $20 billion by late 2016. On Jan. 16, the IAEA stated about Iran's compliance with its obligations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal) necessary for the day of implementation. This envisages the lifting of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, as well as all economic and financial sanctions imposed by the EU and the US related to Iran's nuclear program. On Jan. 16 night (Jan. 17 Moscow time), the EU official journal published a decision on lifting the financial and economic sanctions from Iran related to its nuclear program from January 16. On Jan. 17, the EU disclosed the details about the cancelled and valid sanctions. VIRGINIA 3 shot, wounded after Falls Church concert Three concertgoers at the State Theatre in Falls Church were shot and wounded early Monday after a fight broke out just as a show was ending, authorities said. According to Falls Church police spokeswoman Susan Finarelli, officers were sent to the theater a converted movie theater that now hosts concerts just before 2 a.m. after a fight broke out inside. Finarelli said people were just beginning to leave making for a chaotic scene. She said that near a side street and parking lot outside, someone fired multiple rounds, wounding three people. One man who was shot in the shoulder went back inside and sought help, and was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, Finarelli said. The other two men reported on their own to a hospital in Frederick, Md., and told authorities that they had been shot in Falls Church, Finarelli said. She said none of the mens wounds were thought to be life-threatening. It was unclear what sparked the fight or whether that led directly to the shooting outside, Finarelli said. She said police think there was one shooter, but the only description they have of him is that he is about 5-foot-8. According to information on its website, the theater, on North Washington Street, was hosting a show Sunday night called Love, Peace, & Unity 2, featuring Northeast Groovers and Scarface. Finarelli said all of those wounded had attended the concert, though she was unsure whether the suspect had or whether the shooting was related to the show. Those with information are asked to call Falls Church police at 703-248-5053. Matt Zapotosky Excess of 30 rounds fired in shootout More than 30 shots may have been fired Sunday morning in a violent exchange in Stafford County, authorities said. The Stafford County sheriffs office said the shooting was reported about 12:30 a.m. Sunday in a neighborhood about 40 miles southwest of the District. At least two vehicles were damaged, and an apartment house and townhouse were hit, authorities said. There were no reports of injuries. According to the sheriffs office, detectives think that in excess of 30 rounds were fired in an exchange between two groups. In addition, the sheriffs office said, detectives have identified two people who they thought were involved in the shooting. The sheriffs office said that at least two people fled before deputies arrived. They left in a vehicle that bore New Jersey license plates, and it may have been damaged by the gunfire, the sheriffs office said. It was not clear why the flurry of shots erupted in the 1000 block of Providence Street. However, authorities indicated that several people heard the early morning outburst and called to report it. Martin Weil Supreme Court appointment on hold The controversy over an appointment to the states Supreme Court is on hold for now. Republicans, who control the General Assembly, had planned to interview their choice for judge on Monday as part of a plan to oust Gov. Terry McAuliffes (D) nominee, Jane Marum Roush of Fairfax. But freshman Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R-Richmond) upset their plans when he said that he would not vote for his partys choice, state Court of Appeals Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr., robbing Senate leadership of the majority they needed to unseat Roush. House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford), who manages an overwhelming majority, said the House will still not support Roush. Republicans have said they are unhappy with McAuliffes failure to consult them before giving Roush an interim appointment last summer and with the politicization of the process. Jenna Portnoy A Prince Georges County community activist and former drug dealer who unsuccessfully sought a seat in the Maryland State House died in a vehicle crash early Monday, authorities said. Gregory Antoine Hall, 45, was driving westbound on Walker Mill Road in Capitol Heights about 2:50 a.m. when he was struck head-on by an eastbound SUV that had crossed into Halls lane of traffic, county police said in a statement. Hall was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the striking vehicle suffered injuries that were not expected to be life-threatening, police said, as did the driver of another car, which the first vehicle sideswiped. Investigators are looking into whether alcohol or speed were factors in the crash. Maryland politicians remembered Hall on Monday night as someone who had overcome a troubled past and used his experiences to encourage young people to make better choices. [What does a person need to do to earn a second chance?] Greg Hall had made tremendous strides in his life, said Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince Georges). We all knew about some of the difficulties he had, but he made tremendous strides in turning his life around, and he was doing good work in the community. Hes going to be sorely missed. In 1992, as a 21-year-old crack dealer, Hall took part in a gun battle that killed a seventh-grade honors student who was leaving church with his family. Hall was charged with murder and spent 40 days in jail. But the charge was withdrawn after ballistics tests showed that the fatal bullet came from a different gun. Hall was convicted of a separate, misdemeanor gun violation. Since then, Hall had opened his own business, worked as an aide to then-County Council member William A. Campos (D) and become a well-known advocate for some of the countys lowest-income neighborhoods. In 2010, he ran for state delegate, losing the Democratic primary by a few hundred votes. Two years later, after first-term Del. Tiffany T. Alston (D) was ousted from office in a corruption scandal, the Prince Georges County Democratic Committee nominated Hall to replace her. But then-Gov. Martin OMalley (D) rejected the nomination, citing Halls criminal past. Hall ran for delegate again in 2014 but lost in the primary. [Activist selected to replace Tiffany Alston has his own troubled past] Hall grew up in the Chapel Oaks neighborhood of Prince Georges, near the District border. He was indefatigable in keeping politicians accountable and was driven by a deep sense of fairness, said state Sen. Victor R. Ramirez (D-Prince Georges). He believed in second chances and wanted everyone to have the same opportunity to get ahead in life, Ramirez said. Greg was special and he was going to advocate for what he believed in. . . . In his own way, he pushed all of us to be better. Hall is survived by his wife, Jacqueline Marshall-Hall, principal of G. James Gholson Middle School in Landover, and five children Ajalia Hall, Skylar Webb, Kalyn Upshaw, Bobby Marshall and Demetrius Brown all of Maryland. Jacqueline Marshall-Hall said her husband had touched the lives of many and will be greatly missed by all. Former state delegate Justin Ross, a longtime friend of Halls, said: Greg loved Prince Georges and was very loyal to it, and the people who knew him admired that most about him. He was a voice for that part of town. Lynh Bui, Josh Hicks and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), center, appears with Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D), left, and Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch (R) last year at the governors first State of the State address. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) Marylands majority-Democratic House of Delegates will vote Wednesday on whether to overturn at least two of Gov. Larry Hogans vetoes, marking the first direct showdown between lawmakers and the Republican governor of the 2016 legislative session. The state Senate has delayed its override votes until Thursday, because two senators will be absent Wednesday. Each chamber needs a three-fifths majority to override a veto. The House will decide whether to reinstate a bill that would require online hotel booking companies to collect sales tax for the entire cost of a hotel room in Howard County and give the full amount to the state, rather than keeping part of it as a service fee. It will also try to resurrect a measure that would provide $2 million for capital improvements to a performing-arts hall in Annapolis. [Democrats say all of Hogans vetoes could be overriden] It remained unclear Tuesday whether the House would also attempt to override Hogans veto of a bill to restore voting rights for felons who have been released from prison but are on parole or probation. The House could wait for the Senate to take up the issue first. The Senate will attempt four veto overrides on Thursday, including the voting rights measure; a bill that would decriminalize drug paraphernalia; and one that would prevent police from seizing a certain amount of property and money from people without charging them with a crime. The Senate will also consider a statewide hotel tax bill, known by many as the Marriott bill, because the hotel chain has pushed for the measure and threatened to move its headquarters out of Maryland if the legislation is not enacted. Hogan vetoed the bills in the spring. The people opposing the Marriott bill theyve hired every lobbyist in town, including two of my former chiefs of staff, said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), adding that he is concerned about losing 2,000 jobs if Marriott moves away. But Im certainly going to vote for the override. Its the right thing to do. Democratic leaders have said that resurrecting the voting rights bill may be the most difficult. Hogan has said he does not think convicted felons should be able to vote until they have completed their entire sentences, including parole or probation. It doesnt poll well, said Miller, who plans to vote for the override. So its a question of, do you do things because it doesnt poll well or because its the right thing to do? . . . This isnt about Democratic or Republican policy. Its about human beings coming back into society. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland is pushing for overrides of the voting rights veto, the veto of the bill decriminalizing drug paraphernalia and the veto of the asset-seizure bill. The group on Tuesday held a news conference that focused on the asset-seizures bill and also backed legislation being introduced this session that would make forfeiture laws even stronger. Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery) has joined Sen. Michael J. Hough (R-Frederick) to introduce a bill that says a civil forfeiture can not take place unless there is a criminal conviction. Josh Hicks contributed to this report. Activists hold a rally and die-in outside the State House in Annapolis, Md., on Jan. 18 to demand police accountability. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post) Dozens of bundled-up protesters, holding unlit candles in their gloved hands, walked to the center of Lawyers Mall in the bitter cold Monday night as the names of victims of police brutality in Maryland were read. Tom, Prince Georges County, white, a woman read. Eric, Baltimore City, black. One by one, the protesters lay down on the frigid pavement. A statute of Thurgood Marshall stood above. The demonstrators said they staged a die-in on the grounds of the Maryland State House to call on lawmakers to enact strong police reform during their 90-day session. In 2016, I want people to look back and say that this was the year that Maryland made . . . rebuilding the trust between communities and the police . . . a priority, said Larry Stafford Jr., executive director of Progressive Maryland. Stafford, one of the events organizers, said he chose Martin Luther King Jr. Day to hold the rally, calling it the perfect day to kick off efforts to push for police reform in the state. Its a day that we take to reclaim the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Stafford said. To reclaim his message of equality and justice for all people, standing up for black people in this country and demanding respect and justice. Similar die-ins have been held over the past year across the country including St. Louis and New York City to protest the deaths of Michael Brown and other black males at the hands of police officers. In Annapolis, the protesters stood for more than 45 minutes in sub-freezing temperatures, listening to advocates and chanting No justice, no peace and Cant stop, wont stop until killer cops are in cellblocks. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) created a panel last year to find ways to improve the trust between the community and police, after riots erupted in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray. Last week, the panel endorsed 21 recommendations for police reform. [Maryland panel recommends major changes to police practices] The recommendations include giving officers periodic psychological evaluations, allowing the public to attend police trial boards and providing residents more time to file brutality complaints. The panel also called for the creation of an independent Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission that would focus on setting standards and training for all police agencies. The police training commission would develop and require antidiscrimination and use of force de-escalation training for all officers. It would also set up a confidential early intervention policy for dealing with officers who receive three or more citizen complaints within a 12-month period. The panel suggested that the commission require annual reporting of serious officer-involved incidents, the number of officers disciplined and the type of discipline that was given. Other recommendations include developing a police complaint mediation program; creating recruitment standards that increase the number of female, African American and Hispanic candidates; and offering incentives, including property tax credits and state and local income tax deductions, to officers who live in the jurisdictions where they work. The Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability has called the recommendations a good first step, but says additional changes are needed. Sara Love, the public policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, said Monday that the coalition disagrees with a proposal that says people who file complaints against officers must identify themselves. There is a role for anonymous complaints, Love said, arguing that there could be instances where a person faces criminal charges and would be worried about retaliation. Advocates also are pushing for civilian review boards. They say they are seriously concerned about a provision that would give the police union more input on who sits on a trial review board. Trial boards currently consists of three law enforcement officers appointed by the chief who have the same rank as the officer under review. The panel suggested that the board consist of one person recommended by the chief, one recommended by the police union and one recommended by the chief and union. If this went into effect, it could undo all of the good that these recommendations are trying to do, Love said. Mario Perez (left) was fatally shot during a holiday gathering in Damascus, Md., by his friend Frank Trujillo (right). Frank Trujillo had a rule: Dont mix work life with home life. Then he met Mario Perez, a colleague he quickly trusted, a dad whose son was the same age as Trujillos older boy and a gregarious buddy. The night of Dec. 20, Perez, his 8-year-old son and girlfriend arrived for a holiday get-together at Trujillos neatly decorated home in Damascus, Md., 25 miles north of Washington. The children played, drinks were served, and the two fathers made their way to the houses lower level, talking about work. Trujillo, 35, is vice president and head of safety at Miller & Long, one of the areas leading construction firms. Perez, a barrel-chested former active-duty Marine, also had worked there and, according to one close friend, wanted his job back. The more Perez drank, at least one person in the home would later tell police, the more belligerent he became. Trujillo went upstairs into his bedroom, got his gun and came out. What happened next Perez following upstairs, Trujillo shooting him in the chest, Perez collapsing with a Christmas tree in the background has emerged as one of the most hotly contested homicides in the region. The debate centers on Trujillos mind-set. Frank Trujillo, who is charged with murder in Montgomery County in the shooting death of his friend, Mario Perez. (Family photo) In the eyes of Montgomery County police, who charged Trujillo with first-degree murder, he could have called them for help but instead escalated events by getting his gun and needlessly shooting an unarmed man. Perezs wide circle of friends share this view, saying the 40-year-old was a tough guy but not someone who would go after a close friend. To Trujillo, the shooting was a justified way to stop a threatening man in an alcohol-fueled rage. Self-defense, period, his attorney, Barry Helfand, said in court Dec. 29, when he asked a judge to assign a $100,000 bond to Trujillo so he could leave jail pending further proceedings. Helfand told the judge that his client had been threatened with death and serious bodily harm. Helfand was aided in his argument by a text message the victims girlfriend sent to the suspects wife about 10 hours after the shooting. Know that I dont hold a grudge against anyone nor Frank, she wrote. He reacted in a defensive way. Thank you guys for having us over. I really enjoyed being there. And the attorney also got a boost in court from some executives at Miller & Long, a well-respected firm in the county and one of the largest general concrete contractors in the nation. Trujillo has been nothing but impressive, the companys chairman, John McMahon, told Circuit Court Judge John W. Debelius, adding that Trujillos skills as the companys safety director likely saved lives in a very dangerous industry. Hes a rising star in our company. And he is just solid as a rock. Thats why were standing here on his behalf today. Debelius gave Trujillo a $50,000 bond, an uncommonly low figure for a first-degree murder case, although the judge insisted that Miller & Long cosign it. Mario Perez, who was fatally shot by his friend Frank Trujillo in Damascus, Md., loved to grill for friends, as he was doing in this recent photo. (Family photo) Trujillo who has a masters degree in occupational safety and, according to Helfand, no criminal record left jail that day. Sorting through the dueling narratives are prosecutors at the Montgomery states attorneys office, who must decide whether to hold to first-degree murder, which is punishable by life in prison, seek lesser charges or drop the case. Complicating that review was the close relationship between Trujillo and Perez. Perez, who was living in Northern Virginia when the shooting occurred, grew up in California, was a high school linebacker and joined the Marines in 1994, according to friends and military records. He left the service, where he was a computer systems specialist, in 1998 and entered the private sector in that line of work. A loving, sweet, curious soul who loved to laugh and learn, said Jenny Johnston, a girlfriend who lived with Perez from 2004 to 2007. In their bedroom, she recalled, Perez kept framed art that listed eight principles associated with Japanese samurai, which he recited daily: justice, courage, benevolence, politeness, honesty, honor, loyalty, character. After they broke up, Perez had a son. Perez and the boys mother split up, but he remained active in their childs life with money and time, according to friends and letters filed in court. In 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile, Perez went to work for Miller & Long, where he earned kudos for his reliability. Outside of work, though, he had a problem with drinking a problem that came to a head in the early hours of April 22, 2015. While driving a Chevy Impala in the Crystal City area of Northern Virginia, he made a right turn on red against a sign barring that. An Arlington police officer pulled him over, noted his slurred speech and asked Perez how much hed had to drink. Too much, Perez replied, according to an incident report. Officers searched his pockets. They wrote that they found receipts for purchases that night of beer, tequila and sake. Perezs blood alcohol level tested at 0.17, about twice the legal limit for driving, according to court records. Prosecutors charged him with a multiple-DUI count, due to two drunken-driving convictions within the past 10 years. Perez pleaded guilty Oct. 22. He told friends he wanted to straighten out his life. Ive been through the ringer this past year, he wrote in a Nov. 30 text message to Johnston, his former girlfriend. Im so tired, Jennygirl. I realized that I have to focus!! To spend more time on the things that matter and not waste time on the things that dont. The chaos is all around me. I dont want it anymore. . . . I am just focusing on my son and leaving the drama and BS behind me. The court scheduled a sentencing hearing in Perezs case for Jan. 8. Several people wrote letters on his behalf, including Trujillo. I met Mario when he joined our construction company, Trujillo wrote. I came to trust him as a person that could be relied upon to achieve important goals and offer an overall positive contribution to any project. I came to trust Mario enough to do what I have never done before in my career, invite he and his family to my home for an evening cookout. I normally try to keep my work and personal spaces separated, but I felt that I could trust Mario and I wasnt disappointed. Trujillo wrote that his family enjoyed the visit and arranged many more, adding, my sons and his son were especially thrilled to see each other and play together. On Dec. 20, Perez, his girlfriend and his son arrived with plans to spend the night. Perez cooked for the gathering as he drank, according to Helfand, Trujillos attorney. Trujillo also was drinking, but not as much, Helfand said. They get into an argument over nothing, an employment kind of argument, Helfand would later say in court. Trujillo retrieved his gun from his bedroom. Perez came upstairs to a kitchen area. Trujillo came out, Helfand said, with his gun at his side. Calm down, Trujillo said, according to Helfand. Ill call you a cab. Ill get you an Uber. . . . Calm down. Please respect my home. Helfand said that Perez continued threatening Trujillo and approached him, even though Perez was now looking at a raised gun. My client shoots him one time, Helfand said. Operators at the countys 911 center received a call from Trujillos wife, according to arrest documents, saying Perez had threatened them and her husband had shot him. When police officers arrived, they saw Perez with a gunshot wound to the chest. Trujillo told him that he was sorry and that his gun was on a cabinet by the back door. In two court hearings, prosecutor Patrick Mays has outlined the basic parameters of his case: Perez was unarmed, and Trujillo escalated the confrontation by getting his gun. Mays said that Trujillo didnt try to retreat, or call 911 before getting the weapon, and that he didnt have to shoot. There was no reason for this person to be murdered, Mays said. Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report. A person with a gun held up Bread Furst during the Tuesday afternoon lunch hour, forcing the upscale bakery on Connecticut Avenue to close for the day as D.C. police investigated. One person was seriously injured and taken to a hospital, according to D.C. fire department spokesman Tim Wilson. Authorities did not provide additional details about the incident, which occurred about 12:30 p.m. D.C. police classified the incident as an assault with intent to rob with a gun. They could not immediately say whether anything was taken. Authorities also had no description of a potential suspect, and the attempted robbery was not listed on the departments Twitter feed. [Bread Furst reviewed by Washington Post] Lt. Sean Conboy, a police spokesman, confirmed the incident at the store in the 4400 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, tucked between a car wash and an apartment complex north of the University of the District of Columbia and near the Van Ness Metro Station. A woman who identified herself as the stores general manager but would not give her name said the shop was closed, and that there were no customers inside when the attempted robbery occurred. Police said there have been no arrests. Bread Fursts owner, Mark Furstenberg, a top chef in Washington, could not immediately be reached for comment. The bakery opened in Washington in May 2014 and boasts bread, pies and pastries considered among the best in the city. Tim Carman contributed to this report. Jeff Squires, left, from Amelia, Va., and William Willard, from Chesapeake, Va., hold a Virginia state flag during a pro-gun rally at Capitol Square in Richmond. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP) Hundreds of gun rights and gun-control advocates descended on Virginias state Capitol on Monday, rallying in below-freezing temperatures and buttonholing lawmakers to press an old cause with new fervor. The General Assembly has more than 100 gun-related bills to take up over the 60-day session that began last week. While guns have always been a hot-button issue in Virginia, this years battle mirrors the one raging at the national level, with despair over senseless deaths mixing with fears of unchecked executive power. On one side were those motivated by a string of mass shootings across the nation, including one in August that killed two Roanoke journalists on live TV. They came on Lobby Day one set aside each year for amateur arm-twisters to press their cases with elected leaders to demonstrate their exasperation and determination to curb the violence. [Two Roanoke journalists killed by angry former colleague] On the other side were those angered by actions that Virginias governor and attorney general, as well President Obama, have taken in response to the shootings. Those activists expressed fear that overreaching executives are stripping law-abiding citizens of the power to defend themselves. Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran speaks at an anti-gun-violence rally at Capitol Square in Richmond. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP) [McAuliffe bans guns in state office buildings in wake of mass shootings] Sharon Burnham of Roanoke held a sign outside the Capitol with photos of four gun victims she knew: two killed in the 2012 Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting; a next-door neighbors daughter, slain in Baltimore with her boyfriend for reasons unknown; and her 43-year-old stepson, who took his life amid a battle with depression and a fight for custody of his son. Its reasonable to ask ourselves what kind of society we want to live in, and thats all were asking for, said Burnham, 60, a former federal prosecutor. We should not fear going to a church, to a mall, to walk down the street and wonder if that person with a gun is about to attack us. Burnham said she had the feeling that the gun-control movement was gaining steam as she traveled to the Capitol on a bus with members of the Blue Ridge Coalition Against Gun Violence. We have 50 people on a bus this year, with a waiting list, she said. Last year, we had two vans with a total of 20 people. The year before that, it was a car with three people. Gun rights groups also bused in supporters. They, too, said they felt that this was a moment of critical importance to their movement. In light of gun-control moves made single-handedly by Obama, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D), many of them said democracy was at stake. Its not so much the gun thats the issue, its about the attack on the freedoms and liberties that our founders wanted us to have, said Wendell Walker of Lynchburg, a Republican Party activist. This is part of the slippery slope. When you start removing peoples freedoms and privileges, where does it end? On February 1, 2016, Virginia will no longer honor concealed carry handgun permits from 25 states with which it previously shared reciprocity agreements. (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post) As national groups on both sides of the debate try out messages and tactics in Virginia, the state that prides itself as the birthplace of American democracy was again serving as a laboratory for the rest of the nation. All of that is playing out next door to the nations capital, in a swing state that will be critical to determining who takes the White House this year, a place where gun politics are in an unusual state of flux. It seemed to mark a new day in Virginia gun politics in 2013, when McAuliffe won the governors race while bragging about an F rating from the National Rifle Association. Until then, Democrats running statewide took pains not to offend the group, which is headquartered in the state. Democrats running for president this year also have unabashedly embraced gun control. But that stance had mixed results in Virginias fall legislative elections. In a state whose deeply blue Washington suburbs and scattered urban centers are in a constant tug-of-war with its red rural and exurban territory, Everytown for Gun Safety, a group bankrolled by former New York mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I), poured $2.3 million into TV commercials for two fiercely contested state Senate races. The ads likely helped Democrat Jeremy McPike defeat Manassas Mayor Harry J. Hal Parrish II (R) in Northern Virginia, political observers said last year. But in a Richmond-area district that spans urban, suburban and rural territory, the TV spots did not aid Democrat Dan Gecker and possibly backfired to the benefit of now-Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R-Richmond). Emily Tisch Sussman, campaign director for the Center for American Progress Action Fund, sees gun control as an issue that is quickly gaining unabashed acceptance for Democrats, as was the case in recent years with gay marriage. Same -sex marriage had been used as a wedge issue to turn out the conservative base, but Democrats didnt see it as a safe place to be, she said. But the politics really flipped on that, where it became unacceptable for many Democratic voters to have their elected [officials] be against the issue. And were starting to see that same evolution on gun issues. Conservatives subscribed to the gay marriage analogy as well as a warning that courts and overreaching executives are imposing policies against the will of the people. McAuliffe addressed a crowd of gun-control activists at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square on Monday afternoon, along with the parents of slain WDBJ-TV reporter Alison Parker. He made note of his executive order banning guns from state office buidings and ticked off other goals, including closing a loophole that allows gun buyers to avoid background checks if they purchase from private sellers. He also gave a nod to Herring, who recommended that Virginia stop recognizing concealed-handgun permits from 25 states with standards looser than Virginias. Were just warming up, McAuliffe said. [Virginia to stop recognizing concealed carry gun permits from 25 states] Sen. Charles W. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson) took to the Senate floor to vent about Herrings action related to rescinding reciprocity agreements. It is something that Herring and his supporters describe as common sense and a matter of Virginia law, which calls for honoring weapons permits only from states with standards similar to Virginias. But for Carrico, a retired state trooper whose rural district in far southwest borders Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia, revoking reciprocity makes carrying a gun unworkable. He noted one spot in his district where the line between Virginia and Tennessee runs down the middle of the street. In Bristol, Virginia, you can stand on State Street, he said, and depending on which side your holsters on, you could be in violation of the law. Walmart announced last week that it is pulling out of a plan for a store at the Skyland Town Center in Southeast Washington. (Dayna Smith/For The Washington Post) Its not unusual for working-class and low-income people to be targeted for con jobs high-interest payday loans, scam repair services, products marketed with false claims. But the bait-and-switch that Walmart just pulled off in the District has to rank among the sleaziest ever played. To get approval to build three stores in wealthier parts of the city, Walmart promised to build two in underserved neighborhoods. So they built the three they wanted. Then, last week, Walmart told city officials that it had made fresh assumptions about the profitability of stores slated for black working-class neighborhoods and decided not to build them. [Walmart backs out of plan to build stores in poor neighborhoods] City leaders were understandably upset, having been used as patsies in the Walmart maneuver. Im blood mad, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said at a news conference Friday. Walmart said Friday that it is terminating plans to build two stores on the east side of the Anacostia River in Washington D.C. This comes after the retail giant announced it was closing more than 200 stores around the world. (WUSA9) But it was the residents in those underserved neighborhoods who got burned. To make way for the new, Walmart-anchored Skyland Town Center in Southeast Washington, the city had demolished a tattered but vital neighborhood economy. Variety shops, a laundromat, a beauty shop and fast-food establishments were razed along Good Hope Road near Alabama Avenue. Some apartments were also demolished, and residents were displaced. They knocked down all our stores and said they were bringing in something better, recalled R.M. McKnight, who had been a cook at a now-demolished Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. They said they were cleaning up the area and going to make everything nice and good. Then last week, Walmart told District officials that the economics had changed. Large urban Walmarts were more expensive to build and less profitable to operate. The three D.C. stores had shown disappointing results. The company no longer believed the stores planned for Skyland and Capitol Gateway Marketplace, in Northeast, would generate enough sales. But the proposed Walmart in Southeast meant much more to the residents than sales. A rendering of the new Skyland center depicted an astounding transformation of a long-neglected D.C. neighborhood. Gone were the mom-and-pop shops with unsightly, roll-down, corrugated-metal security fronts. In their place were 300,000 square feet of retail stores, 1,300 ground-level parking spaces and 475 residential units some rising three stories atop the Walmart. [Skyland Town Center was to have apartments atop a Walmart] Billed as a Prominent Living, Shopping & Gathering Place, the $200 million or more project would have been a bold step toward broadening the benefits of living in a revitalized Washington. The two Walmart stores that the mega-corporation reneged on would have been located east of the Anacostia River, where resurgence has been slower than in the rest of the city. The river has long been a geographic dividing line between rich and poor in the city, which has one of the widest income disparities in the nation. It is inconceivable that Walmart did not know about the racial demographic and economic state of the city when agreeing to put two stores east of the river. Nevertheless, there probably will not be any consequences to reneging on the deal. Rarely do corporations pay for shafting the poor and the working class. D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) delivered the hardest knock that the corporation is likely to get. The optics of this are horrible; they are not going to build the stores east of the river, in largely African American neighborhoods? said Evans, who chairs the councils finance committee. Thats horrible; you cant do that. A deals a deal. Actually, it was a reluctant promise made on a handshake, apparently with fingers crossed behind their backs. We needed that Walmart, said Chris Johnson, who was working as a security guard Monday for the grand opening of Good Hope Family Dental in Southeast. Having more jobs helps reduce crime, which brings in more jobs and more benefits to the community. Will Emerson, an employment specialist who lives in the Skyland neighborhood, said he, too, had been looking forward to Walmarts arrival. More jobs, better prices, he said. Now all we have is Safeway, Giant, CVS. Its a disappointment. McKnight had lost his job as a cook for KFC when the fast-food restaurant was demolished. I had been doing all right, supporting my child, he said. Finding another steady job has been hard. People were saying things would get better when Walmart opened, how my work experience would help me get a job with benefits and employee discounts. Looking out over the razed, empty acreage, he recalled that the old stores lining the street may not have been much, but they were better than nothing. We had a Murrys Steaks and a Discount Mart. Not everybody can afford Safeway, okay? McKnight said. They even tore down the laundromat. People have to catch a ride just to get their clothes washed. A dirty deal. To read previous columns, go to washingtonpost.com/milloy. General Electric sold its century-old appliances arm to Chinese company Haier Group for $5.4 billion. (Photo : Getty Images) In a bid to strengthen its presence in the global market, China's Haier Group bought U.S.-based General Electric Co.'s appliances manufacturing division for $5.4 billion. The two companies announced the sale on Friday after several months of negotiation. According to Haier chairman and CEO Zhang Ruimin, the deal is in line with the company's efforts to gain a foothold in the American market. Zhang added that the transaction is set to benefit both companies. Advertisement Under the agreement, Shanghai-listed Qingdao Haier Co., of which the parent company owns 41 percent, will be the one acquiring GE appliances division, The Wall Street Journal reported. It would also grant Haier the rights to use the GE brand in its products for the next 40 years, which Haier hopes will help them penetrate overseas markets. Haier will also gain hold of GE Appliances' 48 percent hold on Mexican appliance manufacturer Mae. However, GE Appliances' headquarters would still remain in Louisville, Kentucky. GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt expressed his optimism about the outcome of the deal, stating that Haier has what it takes to further build the business globally. Immelt also said that the appliance unit is doing well, which has attracted a lot of potential buyers. The company initially tried to sell its century-old appliances arm to Swedish corporation Electrolux for $3.3 billion. However, negotiations were eventually abandoned in December after the deal was opposed by antitrust regulators from the United States, USA Today reported. Haier was able to outbid other companies by providing a better offer than the previous deal, according to people privy to the negotiations. However, the sale is yet to undergo scrutiny by regulators, though observers claim that the Chinese company is likely to face the same problems due to its smaller presence in the U.S. market. GE earlier said that its decision to sell its appliances arm is in line with its refocusing toward selling industrial products like jet engines and turbines. The remains of a mammoth that was hunted down about 45,000 years ago have revealed the earliest known evidence of humans in the Arctic. Marks on the bones, found in far northern Russia, indicate that the creature was stabbed and butchered. The tip of a tusk was damaged in a way that suggests human activity, perhaps to make ivory tools. With an estimated age of 45,000 years or more, the discovery extends the record of human presence in the Arctic by at least about 5,000 years. The site in Siberia, near the Kara Sea, is also by far the northernmost sign of human presence in Eurasia before 40,000 years ago, Vladimir Pitulko of the Russian Academy of Science in St. Petersburg and co-authors reported in a paper released last week by the journal Science. They also briefly report evidence of human hunting at about the same time from a wolf bone found well to the east. That suggests a widespread occupation, although the population was probably sparse, they said. Daniel Fisher, a mammoth expert at the University of Michigan who did not participate in the study, said the markings on the mammoth bone strongly indicate human hunting. It makes sense to conclude that the hunters were from our own species rather than Neanderthals, John Hoffecker of the University of Colorado at Boulder commented in an email. But Robert Park, an archaeologist at the University of Waterloo in Canada who has studied the bones of hunted animals in the far north, called the evidence for human hunting pretty marginal. The beast had been found with remains of its fat hump, while hunters would be expected to take the fat for food and fuel, he said. And the skeleton shows far less butchering than one would expect, he said. Park emphasized that hes not ruling out the idea that the mammoth was hunted. If people were living this far north that long ago, he said, it implies they had not only the technical abilities to carry out mammoth hunts but also a social organization complex enough to share the food from the relatively rare kills. Research shows that if hospital patients with gunshot or stab wounds return to their previous circumstances, the odds are good that they will come back with another injury. (RICKY CARIOTI/THE WASHINGTON POST) Ask David Ross to describe an average day on the job. He says it doesnt exist. Ross is a violence intervention specialist at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Although he isnt a doctor, he has been working at the hospital as part of its violence prevention program for close to 10 years. His team works with patients who are victims of violence stabbings, shootings or beatings and whom physicians flag as candidates for the programs assistance. His challenge is to figure out the factors in their lives that put them at risk of violence.The work is time-consuming, and the relationships he builds with these patients can last months and even years. Do you feel safe at home? Do you have health insurance? A high school diploma? A stable job? Having health insurance or a diploma is no guarantee against violence, but Ross and his colleagues ask such questions to help the team connect patients with programs that might improve their lives and insulate them from the violence that put them in the hospital. Some days, it can be emotional. Or it can be gratifying, Ross said. I spoke to a patient the other day, and he almost had me crying. Sometimes that kind of emotion comes from the devastating things patients have seen, whether its the result of a dysfunctional living situation, substance abuse, poverty or other social ills. Other times, its because you thought you made progress and then theres a setback. Maryland is a pioneer in this type of coordinated effort, having launched its anti-violence program in 1998. Now, about 30 hospitals across the country have developed similar initiatives. They follow Marylands wraparound approach, which involves following up with patients after they leave the hospital and providing medical and social support to keep them out of harms way by, for example, getting them into drug rehab or education classes for people who have not finished high school. The hospitals are acting on the notion that keeping violent injury from recurring will ultimately reduce their expenses and improve peoples long-term health. In other words, they increasingly view violence prevention as both good medicine and good business. On this particular day, Ross visited seven patients who were being treated for violent injuries. Rosss job isnt just to identify the trouble spots in a patients life; it also involves moving with the person through the legal and medical systems, sometimes acting as an advocate. The day before, for instance, he had accompanied a mentally ill client to court to make sure the mans condition was understood by authorities. On such days he dresses in a suit instead of his hospital uniform: pink scrubs, an outfit that shows that although he doesnt stitch wounds or prescribe pills, hes part of a team dedicated to keeping patients healthy. As experts increasingly view violence as a medical concern, hospitals see an opportunity to prevent it. Theres been a groundswell of professionals understanding that this is a public health issue, said trauma surgeon Rochelle Dicker, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco who also directs the UCSF Medical Centers violence prevention program. The 2010 federal health law supports that interest. It says nonprofit hospitals have to work harder if they want to maintain their tax-exempt status. Among other requirements, they must formally measure their surrounding communitys health needs at least every three years and implement a strategy to address them. High-crime areas To this end, a growing number of hospitals, especially those located in areas with high rates of violent crime, are partnering with local organizations to try to reduce neighborhood violence, said Jonathan Purtle, an assistant professor at Drexel University who researches hospitals and violence prevention. The Department of Justice has been supportive, too. In a 2012 report, it recommended that hospitals become more involved in violence prevention, through counseling patients directly or connecting them to education, gang diversion programs, substance abuse treatment and other social services. Research shows that if hospital patients with gunshot or stab wounds return to their previous circumstances, the odds are good that they will come back to the emergency department with another injury. In addition, trends and anecdotal evidence suggest that people at higher risk for violent injury are likely to face issues such as domestic violence, mental illness and substance abuse. They also often deal with other stressors, such as poverty and bad housing. These challenges can result in health problems, including lead poisoning and poor nutrition, which the hospital can work to address. Even if they cant change, for instance, a neighborhoods crime rate or drug culture, they can help someone get into rehab or find somewhere new to live. Much of the growth in hospital interventions has happened in the past five years, Dicker said. Its becoming a more established understanding that this kind of violence is preventable, said Rebecca Cunningham, an emergency medicine professor at the University of Michigan who directs its injury center and is the associate director of its youth violence prevention center. And we can have programs that can prevent it, and the hospital and emergency department are really critical locations for this. Fewer repeat injuries Michigans center doesnt do the same level of outreach and case management as Marylands. Hospital patients between the ages of 14 and 20 and from neighborhoods where violence is more prevalent are approached for a counseling session what Cunningham called a preventive intervention. So far, there isnt much research measuring such programs effectiveness. But the findings that are available show promise. UCSF found that people who had come to the hospital with a gunshot or stab wound and then participated in the intervention program were far less likely to get injured again. The number of patients returning with another violent injury dropped from 16 percent to 4.5 percent. And in a paper published last year, researchers estimated that the program would save the hospital half a million dollars annually. Thats crucial. Its very important to be able to talk about cost-effectiveness as hospitals look to curb expenses, Dicker said. The University of Marylands statistics are similarly encouraging. Research found that victims of violent injury who went through the program were 83 percent less likely to return because of another violent event compared with those who didnt participate, said Tara Reed Carlson, who directs the universitys Center for Injury Prevention and Policy. Those who had participated in the program were more likely to have a job and less likely to be involved in criminal activity. The aftereffects Ross said the work he does and the change he sees underscore the value of intensive outreach. The before-and-after contrast is striking. Im talking about young guys who havent had any guidance, he said. Thats rewarding. Often, he said, patients stop by to visit, years after they have gone through the program. They share new successes such as buying a home or getting married. It makes you feel good, he said. Youre doing something thats needed. This article was produced through a collaboration between The Post and Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service that is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. While self-driving cars already are being tested on public roads, newly released safety data support the cautionary view that the technology has many miles to go before people can sleep at the wheel. That doesnt mean relief is decades away for drivers weary of commuting. Its possible, even likely, that within a few years mainstream cars will be able to drive themselves reliably on routes they have mastered, in weather they can handle and on the premise that a driver will be ready to take over when needed. (The White House last week said it will work with auto companies and state governments to speed up the arrival of driverless cars.) Traditional automakers and technology companies such as Google are investing hundreds of millions probably billions of dollars in a race to market. Google was one of seven companies required to disclose to Californias Department of Motor Vehicles the number of times a trained test driver had to seize the wheel either because of a technology failure or because a prototype car was driving unsafely. The DMV released those reports last week. The data they contain are the most detailed look yet at how safely the prototypes are performing. One thing that became clear is that even Google, which has done the most testing in California by far, is not on the cusp of perfecting a car that doesnt need a driver. Another is that, for now at least, traditional automakers remain far behind. Google reported that, in 424,000 miles of testing since autumn 2014, its cars needed human help 341 times due to serious safety issues. The leader of its self-driving-car project, Chris Urmson, said that while he considers the results encouraging, they show room for improvement. After all, by the companys own analysis, there were 11 instances in which the car would have had an accident if its driver had not taken over. Five other companies combined said their prototypes drove about 36,000 miles in the same period and needed human help more than 2,400 times. Those five companies were Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and parts suppliers Bosch and Delphi. The seventh company, Tesla Motors, reported no problems but it did not report having driven any test miles, either. A spokesman for Nissan, which has said it wants to have commercially viable autonomous drive vehicles by 2020, said disengagements of the self-driving systems are an expected part of testing. Other companies did not respond to requests for comment. Its hard to draw direct comparisons between companies. The raw numbers say nothing about the conditions under which the cars were tested (a rainy day can mean many more disengagements) or how hard the companies pushed them. If one company ventured to the hilly, hectic streets of San Francisco, its disengagement numbers probably would spike. exercise Downward-facing dog, even shortly before childbirth Yoga in pregnancy, Harvard Health Blog Yoga is widely recommended as a good exercise for pregnant women: It keeps the body limber, tones muscles and can relieve stress. But it comes with caveats, warnings that some poses can be dangerous and that all yoga should be done gently. Many women are also worried about doing yoga in the final weeks of their pregnancy. A new study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology and described in the Harvard Health Blog, offers evidence that many yoga poses are safe until quite late in pregnancy including some that have previously not been recommended. The study, led by a researcher from the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, N.J., involved 25 healthy women who were 35 to 38 weeks pregnant. Ten practiced yoga regularly, eight were familiar with yoga and seven had no yoga experience at all. In one-on-one sessions with yoga instructors, the women performed 26 yoga postures. In some cases, the women were permitted to balance themselves with the aid of chairs or a wall. The poses included four that some experts have deemed contraindicated for pregnant women: corpse pose, happy baby pose, childs pose and downward-facing dog. But during all 26 poses, for all the women, vital signs of both mother and baby remained normal, the women felt safe and comfortable, and none had any problems such as contractions or vaginal bleeding within the following 24 hours. (Three women reported some muscle soreness but still liked the experience.) The Harvard article noted that most women experience anxiety during pregnancy and about 13 percent of pregnant women experience clinical depression. This study . . . adds to the growing scientific evidence that yoga is a helpful, safe tool to reduce stress, anxiety and depression throughout pregnancy, wrote the author, Marlynn Wei. We all want health-care providers who are experienced and skilled, but some factors that seem to have less to do with medical abilities may be equally important to your care. Here are six concerns that commonly crop up in the doctor-patient relationship, and what to do to make yours much better: Concern: A failure to communicate Maybe when you try to tell your doctor whats bothering you, she interrupts, without looking up from her chart or computer screen. Or shes all business and her brusqueness makes you feel awkward about asking questions. Studies have found that if your doctor has good people skills making plenty of eye contact with you or responding to your emotions, for example you have a better chance of losing weight and succeeding at lowering high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Fix it. Speak up: Let your doctor know, for example, that you feel nervous about asking questions or that you can better focus on what shes saying if she faces you instead of the computer. And instead of relaying just your symptoms (my head hurts), tell a full story: Describe when the pain started, your activities at the time and the physical sensations youre experiencing. Concern: He makes decisions without your input For health concerns large and small, your doctor should discuss the pros and cons of treatment options, then help you make an informed choice. That shared decision-making can increase your chances of positive results because it boosts the likelihood that youll stick with the treatment. Fix it. If your doctor isnt receptive to your ideas, ask him how the benefits and risks of his recommendations compare with your preferences. One helpful strategy: Ask whether you can have some time to think about his suggestions. Another useful tactic: If youll be discussing a serious issue, bring a family member along with you to the appointment. Often its easier for someone else to pose tough questions or ask about other treatment options. Concern: She discourages second opinions Second opinions arent needed for everyday issues, but if youre facing a potentially serious condition, a diagnosis is unclear or the condition is quite rare, or when a course of treatment isnt straightforward or may be risky, having someone else weigh in is wise. Although its common to be concerned about second-guessing your doctor, remember that physicians consult colleagues all the time, Fix it. Try asking your doctor for her recommendation on someone to see for a second opinion, suggests Orly Avitzur, Consumer Reports medical director. Or if you have a particular health-care provider in mind, run it by your current doctor to help get her on board. Concern: The doctors office is disorganized Perhaps no one returns your calls in a timely manner, its hard to get drug refills or test results, or the doctor always runs behind. A disorganized office wastes your time, can result in poor care, and increases the likelihood of medical errors, says Marvin M. Lipman, Consumer Reports chief medical adviser. Fix it. Mention the problem to her. She may be able to address issues by having a staff member update patients on office wait times every 20 minutes, for instance. If the receptionist or office manager seems receptive, ask him how to communicate efficiently by secure email, perhaps or whether you can book appointments and get test results and prescription refills via a patient portal. Concern: You dont feel respected by your doctor Does your physician scold you about your weight or your sedentary lifestyle? Or do you think shes being patronizing because of your age? Unfortunately, research bears out the fact that some doctors judge patients negatively on the basis of age, gender ethnic background and more. Fix it. Keep in mind that you both have the same goal your health and she may not realize how her behavior or delivery affects you, or understand how challenging a health problem may be for you. But do let your doctor know that you feel criticized or dismissed. And if youre struggling with a problem for example, quitting smoking ask whether she can recommend extra support, such as a structured cessation program. Concern: She holds back important info In some cases, a doctor may not fully discuss the costs or potential side effects of a medication or procedure, or may be uncomfortable about sharing bad news when a patient is dealing with a serious illness. Though some of us may feel overwhelmed by medical details or negative news, not having the entire picture may lead you to stop taking a vital drug or ignore her advice. Fix it. Tell your doctor that you want to know about side effects, recovery periods and more. Copyright 2015. Consumers Union of United States Inc. A search vessel cruises the waters off the beach at Haleiwa, Hawaii, on Jan. 15, 2016. The Coast Guard is still searching for 12 Marines who went missing near Oahu. (Audrey Mcavoy/AP) Ohio University reaches settlement with family The University of Cincinnati announced Monday that it will pay $4.85 million to the family of a 43-year-old black man who was shot in the head and killed by a white university police officer last year during a routine traffic stop. As part of the out-of-court settlement with the family, the university has also agreed to provide a free undergraduate education to 12 of Sam DuBoses children and to build a memorial commemorating DuBose on campus. Former officer Ray Tensing shot and killed DuBose on July 19, firing a single bullet through the open window of DuBoses car after he pulled him over for a missing front license plate and as DuBose attempted to drive away. Tensing told investigators that he was being dragged by DuBose when he shot him, but body-camera video of the incident appears to contradict his account, which led prosecutors to charge Tensing with murder. A date for his trial has not been set. If convicted, Tensing could go to prison for life. University of Cincinnati President Santa Ono said in a statement that the agreement is part of the healing process not only for the family but also for our university and Cincinnati communities. In an interview, DuBoses sister, Terina DuBose, said an important part of the settlement was the formation of a community advisory committee. The committee will review the results of an external audit of the universitys police department, will solicit input from the DuBose family, and ultimately recommend reforms. Kimberly Kindy Suspect in officers death is in custody A man whose ex-girlfriend reported that he was armed and looking to kill police was in custody Monday, suspected in the death of an officer whose body was found behind the municipal building of a small Ohio town, authorities said. The body of Danville Officer Thomas Cottrell was found late Sunday night, about 20 minutes after the ex-girlfriend of Herschel Ray Jones called dispatchers to report that officers in Danville were in danger, Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer said. Shaffer said dispatchers tried to make contact with Cottrell after receiving the tip about 11:20 p.m., but couldnt reach him. The sheriffs office then searched the village and found Cottrells body, Shaffer said. His service weapon and cruiser were missing. Jones was taken into custody about 1:30 a.m. following a short foot chase after he was spotted running from a home in Danville, which is about 60 miles northeast of Columbus. Jones was being held Monday for violating the conditions of his release from prison last year. A Knox County prosecutor said thats enough to hold him until he is formally charged. Knox County court records show Jones, 32, has multiple convictions for breaking and entering, burglary, receiving stolen property and carrying a concealed weapon dating back to 2001. In a 2011 case, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity before changing his plea to guilty. Associated Press Search continues for crews of crashed Marine helicopters: Authorities searching the area where two Marine helicopters crashed off the coast of Hawaii have found some life rafts that were carried aboard the aircraft, but still no sign of the 12 crew members who were on board. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers said Monday she believes three life rafts have been recovered so far. Rescuers from various agencies have been searching since the Coast Guard was notified late Thursday of the crash by a civilian who saw the aircraft flying and then disappear and a fireball. Man said to kill ex-girlfriend, another man and himself after breakup: A 24-year-old man distraught over a recent breakup stabbed to death his ex-girlfriend and a fellow college athlete she was with in her off-campus bedroom before apparently killing himself with the same knife, police said Monday. Colin Kingston of Geneseo, N.Y., entered Kelsey Anneses apartment around 6 a.m. Sunday near the State University of New York at Geneseo in Upstate New York, police said Monday. Kingston, who brought a large knife he had recently purchased, found Annese, 21, with another student, Matthew Hutchinson, 24, of Vancouver, B.C. Police said Kingston, a former student at the school, killed them both. From news services The woman surnamed Yang was 34 when she was admitted to Peking University Third Hospital on Dec. 28 due to hypertension. (Photo : Bloomberg) Two of Chinas most powerful medical and scientific institutions clashed following the death of a pregnant employee at a Beijing hospital, according to a report by China Daily. The woman surnamed Yang was 34 when she was admitted to Peking University Third Hospital on Dec. 28 due to hypertension. Advertisement According to the hospital, Yang, who was 26 weeks pregnant upon the time of admission, complained of chest pains until her heart stopped on Jan. 11. Despite emergency resuscitation efforts, Yang passed on. The autopsy results showed aortic rupture as the cause of death. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), where Yang worked under the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, sent an official letter to the hospital on Thursday, Jan. 14, to request a "fair, transparent, and thorough" investigation. The Chinese Medical Doctor Association, however, issued a statement on Saturday, Jan. 16, questioning the legitimacy of the letter. CMDA also advised the CAS institute to educate its employees about the law following reports of the woman's family destroying hospital property and inciting physical altercations with some hospital staff. As a response, Huang Yong, deputy chief of the physics institute, cleared with ThePaper.cn on Sunday, Jan. 17, that the letter was sent upon the request of Yang's family, who complained that the hospital was unforthcoming to include them in the investigation. It wasn't meant to put pressure on the hospital, said Huang, but to encourage fast action to find the actual cause of death. According to Peking University Third Hospital, Yang's family members congregated at the hospital and began destroying hospital property. Medical staff were also allegedly beaten, disrupting the hospital's operations. Once the authorities arrived, Yang's family left. Yang's husband Zhang Ziqiang denied the claims on Sina Weibo on Sunday. He said the medical staff failed to provide a detailed medical record and death report, but no property or medical staff was destroyed nor beaten. According to Li Huijuan, a lawyer at Zhonglun W&D Law Firm, it was inappropriate for the CAS institute to send a letter regarding matters between hospital and patient. GERMANY First arrest made in Cologne sex assaults A 26-year-old Algerian man has become the first person arrested in connection with a string of sexual assaults during New Years celebrations in Cologne that sparked a debate about Germanys ability to integrate migrants. Prosecutors said Monday that the unidentified asylum seeker was arrested at a refugee home in the nearby town of Kerpen over the weekend. He is accused of groping a woman and stealing her cellphone, said prosecutors office spokesman Ulrich Bremer. Two other Algerian asylum seekers, ages 22 and 24, were arrested in Kerpen and the western city of Aachen over the weekend, both for robbery, Bremer said. The number of people accused of committing crimes in Cologne at New Years now stands at 21, of whom eight are in detention, he said. Almost three weeks after the incident a total of 838 people have filed criminal complaints, including 497 women alleging sexual assault. Associated Press MACEDONIA Caretaker premier named; elections set Lawmakers in Macedonia have approved conservative politician Emil Dimitriev as caretaker prime minister following a Western-brokered deal to resolve a political crisis triggered by a wiretapping scandal. Late Monday, the parliament approved Dimitriev, a senior member of the governing VMRO-DPMNE party, ahead of early elections on April 24. It also voted to dissolve the assembly on Feb. 24 midway through its four-year term. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski stepped down last week as part of the agreement brokered with the assistance of the European Union and the United States. The crisis stemmed from allegations that the government illegally wire-tapped 20,000 people, including police, judges, and foreign diplomats. Associated Press Morocco says man linked to Paris attack arrested: Moroccan police have arrested a Belgian man of Moroccan descent, saying he is linked to the Islamic State group and had a direct relationship to the attackers who killed 130 people in Paris two months ago, the Interior Ministry said. The man had traveled to Syria with one of the Paris suicide bombers, where he received military training and built relationships with Islamic State field commanders, the ministry said. It identified the suspect only by the initials J.A. But Belgian federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt told the Associated Press that the suspects name is Gelel Attar, a dual Belgian-Moroccan national previously convicted in Belgium of involvement with a terrorist group. Saudi-led airstrike kills 26 in Yemen: An airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition targeted a building used by police in Yemens capital, Sanaa, killing at least 26 people and wounding about 15, security officials said. The officials, who are loyal to anti-government Shiite rebels known as Houthis, said about 30 people were believed still trapped under the debris of the badly damaged building in central Sanaa. Al-Qaeda affiliate names Burkina Faso attackers: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb identified three fighters it says were responsible for attacks in Burkina Fasos capital over the weekend that killed 29 people. Gunmen from the Islamist militant group stormed the Cappuccino restaurant and the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou on Friday night, singling out white people for slaughter. Eight Burkinabes, six Canadians, three Ukrainians and two French people were killed, among others. In a statement, the group named the three attackers as al-Battar al-Ansari, Abu Muhammad al-Buqali al-Ansari and Ahmed al-Fulani al-Ansari, according to SITE Intelligence group. From news services PRESIDENT OBAMA did not focus his final State of the Union address on an agenda for the next and last year of his presidency, tacitly indicati ng that he does not expect to make much headway as a lame duck facing a hostile Congress in an election year. But the president still noted the flurry of legislative compromise at the end of last year, which kept the government open and provided long-term infrastructure funding. And he reached out directly to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.): Speaker Ryan has talked about his interest in tackling poverty, he said. Id welcome a serious discussion about strategies we can all support, like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers who dont have children. Given the perpetual partisan rancor about the size of the federal safety net, it may be surprising that there is a significant point of agreement between policy minds in both parties on expanding a major anti-poverty program. The success and elegance of the earned-income tax credit (EITC) accomplish this feat. The credit tops up wages for low-income working people, pulling millions out of poverty every year. But its design increasing the subsidy with wages before flatlining and then tapering off encourages people to enter the labor force and work more once they are in it. As a means of improving conditions for the working poor, it is much better targeted than, say, increasing the minimum wage, which helps teenagers from affluent families as much as desperate parents trying to feed and house their children. There are some questions about better- preventing fraudulent EITC claims, but the big problem with the policy is that it is too stingy. It focuses on helping poor people with children, when it should serve as a more holistic response to poverty in the United States, because it helps people and promotes work all at once. Mr. Obama has proposed increasing benefits for poor single people. So has Mr. Ryan, in a nearly identical plan. At the poverty summit Mr. Ryan moderated this month , moreover, other Republicans expressed interest in making EITC reform happen. So why hasnt it yet? The sticking point has been how to pay for such an expansion, which would cost about $6 billion per year. In the past, Mr. Obama has proposed raising taxes a bit on certain wealthy people, whereas Mr. Ryan has favored taking the money out of other anti-poverty programs he insists are ineffective. For two men of goodwill, this is a bridgeable divide. Money could be raised by mixing the two approaches, or from somewhere else entirely: Commentator Jonathan Chait has suggested linking EITC expansion with adopting the so-called chained CPI, a money-saving reform to Social Security that would change the way the government calculates cost-of-living adjustments. The potential for compromise is obvious. Election year or no, Mr. Ryan should take the president up on his offer. FEW LOCAL public agencies in the region are as reviled as Montgomery Countys Department of Liquor Control, an antiquated public monopoly that distributes millions of cases of beer, wine and spirits annually to nearly 1,000 restaurants, stores and bars countywide. Those businesses the agencys clients complain of shabby service, unreliable deliveries and price-gouging for specialty items, not to mention the occasional scam run by delivery crews. As the grievances have increased in volume, so too have demands to allow private firms into the delivery market. That would be a death sentence for the DLCs warehouse and wholesale operation, though the agencys 25 liquor shops, which already compete with private stores selling wine and beer, would probably survive. Mindful of the complaints, and the existential threat, the agency issued an updated improvement action plan in December, complete with dozens of steps to enhance customer service and warehouse operations. Two weeks later, at Christmas, disaster struck: delivery snafus that left bars and restaurants high and dry for the holiday season. Its time to scrap Montgomerys liquor monopoly. How many times, and for how many years, must the county demonstrate that notwithstanding its proficiency in running libraries, maintaining parks or educating children, it is inept at the liquor business? A bill in Annapolis, sponsored by Del. C. William Frick (D-Montgomery), would put the question of abolishing the monopoly to voters in a referendum this fall. It is opposed by almost all of the countys Democratic politicians, for fear of two things: the power of the union representing more than 250 DLC workers who staff the warehouse, delivery trucks and county-run liquor shops; and the prospect of losing $25 million the liquor operation generated for the countys annual budget. The revenue issue is serious. The $25 million amounts to 2 percent or 3 percent of Montgomerys annual discretionary spending the amount not earmarked for public schools and other non-optional priorities. The liquor revenue also helps pay debt service on county borrowing to build roads. Those funds would have to be replaced starting in 2018. Thats a tall order but not an insurmountable one; the county regularly manages bigger jolts to its revenues. One option is for the state to help out. It would gain some $20 million in annual tax revenue as it recoups cross-border sales now lost to the District and Virginia; that money could be shared with the county. With the states permission, the county might also sell the right to operate existing DLC stores, or enact a tax on retail liquor sales. In the longer term, breaking the liquor monopoly is likely to have a salutary effect on overall economic activity just as doing away with most public monopolies does in most places. An analysis by the Maryland comptrollers office suggested privatization would yield $193 million in new economic activity by 2020. The concerns about scrapping the monopoly are legitimate, but outweighed by the potential benefits. (FILES) In a file picture taken on January 16, 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures while addressing the South Carolina Tea Party Convention at the Springmaid Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images) The British Parliament set out Monday afternoon to debate a question that is often argued on this side of pond but has never before been taken up in the halls of Westminster: Is Donald Trump dangerous? Or is he merely a buffoon? The man who would Make America Great Again, it turns out, has already done a great job of unifying Great Britain. Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum took turns insulting the American billionaire. Daft and offensive. Ridiculous xenophobe. Impulsive, not well informed. While most members of British Parliament opposed a petition to ban Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump from the United Kingdom, they didnt hold back their opinions of Trump and his views. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post) Objectionable and hateful. Buffoonery. The orange prince of American self-publicity. What is under his hair? British legislators giggled as a colleague read aloud some of the puffy plutocrats utterances on global warming (Its freezing and snowing in New York) and on the great and inexpensive border wall he wants to build. Lets be clear: Donald Trump is an idiot, said Gavin Newlands, an MP from the Scottish National Party. A Tory MP, declaring Trump crazy with no valid points to make, said he would like to see Americans challenge Trump with the words that brought down Joe McCarthy: Have you left no sense of decency? I dont think Donald Trump should be allowed within 1,000 miles of our shores, said Labour MP Jack Dromey. Trump is free to be a fool, but he is not free to be a dangerous fool in Britain. Still, the result was good news, of sorts, for the Republican presidential candidate: While there was universal consensus that the billionaire developer is appalling, there was little interest in banning him from entering Britain if only because that would make him a martyr. Half a million Britons, reacting to Trumps pledge to ban Muslims from entering the United States, had signed a petition calling for Trump to be banned from Britain. A travel ban is up to the Home Office, not Parliament, but legislators decided to have a debate because, as Labour MP Paul Flynn said in introducing the topic, it is very difficult to ignore the vox pop. Flynn was apologetic about the debate because it might well be interpreted as disrespect to America. But for Americans watching, it was useful proof that Trump is a reviled and preposterous figure to our most important ally and that America would be the laughingstock of the world if we elect him. MP Sarah Wollaston, who represents Dartmouth, noted that the Pilgrims sailed from there four centuries ago to escape the kind of religious persecution that we are addressing today. She argued that if Britain were to ban Trump, it would send a very clear message to the people of the United States about what we feel about those who demonize an entire people for no reason other than their religion. On Monday, Trump was at Liberty University in Virginia, warning his evangelical Christian audience that our country is disappearing fast. Across the Atlantic, in the Grand Committee Room of Westminster Hall, Tulip Siddiq, a Muslim and an MP, was at that moment speaking about the need to stop a poisonous, corrosive man from entering our country. She listed some of his many attacks on women, his racist dog whistles and his proposed ban on Muslims. Some conservatives lamented the sad state of the Republican Party. MP Edward Leigh noted that hes an extreme right winger in Britain but asked: Would I survive in the Republican Party? (No way.) Steve Double, another Tory, said he was surprised by Trumps support because he seems to cut right against the heritage and the values that I understand the Republican Party to have. But while there was no defense of Trump in the House of Commons, most in the debate thought it counterproductive to ban him from Britain, rather than employing, as one put it, a classic British response of ridicule. That British natural resource was in abundant supply in Parliament on Monday. Conservative Paul Scully, though calling Trumps conduct not acceptable for an aspiring world leader, said travel bans to Britain are issued for incitement and hatred, but Ive never heard of one for stupidity. Gavin Robinson, from Northern Ireland, described Trumps style of discourse: He throws a dead cat on the table, and people stop and listen to him. One of the most powerful contributions came from Naz Shah, a proud British Muslim woman who called Trump evil and a demagogue. But she said she wouldnt ban Trump from Britain but rather invite him for a curry. Given that it is Martin Luther King Day, she said, invoking the American holiday, I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. Twitter: @Milbank Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. FOR ALL the semblance of a judicial system, with lawyers, judges and prosecutors, Chinas courts remain a tool of a party-state that sees itself as above the law. People can be detained for months they simply disappear and only later formally charged or tried. In China, detention means being sucked into the vortex of arbitrary rule. In recent years, some lawyers and activists in China attempted, with extraordinary bravery, to navigate this system and work within it. Known as the rights defense movement, the lawyers demanded that authorities follow Chinas own laws and rules. They worked in a sort of legal gray zone, tolerated despite the party-states intolerance of dissent because they handled individual cases and did not seem to threaten the regime. Now, these attorneys are being dispatched to oblivion. After rounding up or questioning 293 of them last summer, and detaining some for as long as six months, China has begun to issue formal charges of subverting state power, which can carry a sentence of life in prison. The charges are akin to saying the lawyers are trying to undermine the regime. Among those who have been accused in recent days are human rights lawyer Wang Yu and several others from the Fengrui law firm in Beijing who were part of the rights defense movement. Ms. Wang was detained in July and has not been heard from since, but lawyers said a notice from the police about the charges had been sent to her mother. Her husband, Bao Longjun, is also detained and facing charges. Wielding the charge of state subversion marks a dark turn of events in China. In some cases in recent years, individual activists were accused of inciting state subversion, a lesser charge. It was leveled against Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo , who is serving an 11-year prison term for advocating greater freedom of expression and democracy, among other things. In other cases, activists and dissidents were rounded up on lesser charges of provoking trouble or creating public disorder. President Xi Jinping is now well into a campaign to crush independent voices in China. Recently, four labor activists were detained, and Chinas security apparatus appears to be behind the disappearance of five booksellers in Hong Kong in recent months. The booksellers had been peddling tomes critical of Mr. Xi. When they vanished, a chill immediately descended on their publishing house, which announced it would not bring out a forthcoming volume on him. The charge against the lawyers, subverting state power, is absurd. The lawyers were simply advising clients how to defend themselves under Chinas laws; their intentions were pragmatic and relatively modest. But it is now clear they touched a very sensitive nerve, and Chinas rulers reacted harshly. The gray zone is being turned into a twilight zone of fear, a message to anyone that they can be taken away in the middle of the night. A member of Iraqs security forces holds a rocket-propelled grenade as he stands guard on the outskirts of Ramadi a few weeks after the town was retaken from the Islamic State. (Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) Theres a scary disconnect between the somber warnings you hear privately from military leaders about the war against the Islamic State and the glib debating points coming from Republican and Democratic politicians. The politicians fulminate about defeating the terrorists, but they dont talk much about the costs or sacrifices that will be required. The generals and admirals, who have been at war for 15 years, know that success cant be bought cheaply. Defeating this enemy will require a much larger and longer commitment by the United States than any leading politician seems willing to acknowledge. My visit here last week to the headquarters of Central Command, which oversees all U.S. military activities in the Middle East, came as part of a conference organized by the Center for Naval Analyses, which provides research to the Navy and other services. The ground rules prevent me from identifying speakers by name, but I can offer a summary of what I heard. Its not reassuring. Military leaders know that they are fighting a ruthless adversary that has adjusted and adapted its tactics as the United States and its partners have joined the fight over the past 18 months. The jihadists have lost about 25 percent of the territory they held in mid-2014, but they have devised innovative methods to compensate for their weakness. Some examples illustrate the agility of Islamic State commanders: They have used tunnels and other concealment tactics to hide their movements; they have developed super-size car bombs, packing explosives in bulldozers and other heavy equipment and sending them in waves against targets; they have deployed small drones for reconnaissance and may be preparing armed drones; they have used chemical weapons, such as chlorine and mustard gas, on the battlefield and may expand use of such unconventional weapons. The Washington Post gives an insider's look at the Islamic State's propaganda machine and its influence throughout the world. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) U.S. commanders have learned how difficult it will be to create a Sunni force that can help clear and hold territory in Iraq and Syria thats now controlled by the Islamic State. Sunni tribal leaders mistrust the United States and doubt U.S. staying power. U.S. efforts to avoid casualties and resist boots on the ground reinforce the sense that the United States is pursuing a strategy of containment, not victory. One painful learning experience has been the Pentagons $500 million train and equip program to build a Syrian opposition force that can help assault the Islamic State and hold territory afterward. That effort collapsed last year because many expected recruits didnt show up and the few who did were mauled on the battlefield. Among the lessons learned are the difficulty of finding and training mature fighters; the shifting and unsteady combat environment in Syria; and the difficulty of working with regional partners, such as Turkey, that have their own agendas. The deeper lesson is that training a reliable military force that adheres to Western norms and standards is the work of a generation, not a few months. The U.S. desire for quick results is an exercise in frustration and disappointment. The sobering reality of this conflict that politicians and the American public seem least willing to face up to is that it will require a decades-long commitment. Paradoxically, the United States determination to protect its troops can be self-defeating. Allies and adversaries see U.S. forces living in secure compounds, eating fancy chow and minimizing their exposure to potential terrorist assaults. The United States may say its fighting alongside its allies, but on the ground, it often looks different. Actually living and fighting alongside our partners in Iraq and Syria will be much more dangerous, but it may be the only way to build a solid alliance that can someday eradicate the extremists. Contrast these stern admonitions from the commanders who have lived through the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts with the upbeat talk from political leaders. President Obama pledged that priority number one is protecting the American people and going after terrorist networks and then said a few moments later that these networks do not threaten our national existence. That sends a mixed message one that Hillary Clinton has echoed in her campaign. Republican rants about the Islamic State are even worse, in that they promise total victory without suggesting the level of commitment and sacrifice involved. The GOP responses sound tough, from Donald Trumps bomb the hell out of [the Islamic State] to Sen. Marco Rubios (Fla.) assurance in last weeks debate that the most powerful military in the world is going to destroy them. The next president is going to inherit an expanding war against a global terrorist adversary. The debate about how best to fight this enemy hasnt even begun. Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. The outbreak of hostilities between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz may not be edifying, but it is clarifying. Cruz represents the arrival of tea party ideology at the presidential level. He espouses a constitutionalism that would disqualify much of modern government, and a belief that Republican elites are badly, even mainly, at fault for accommodating cultural and economic liberalism. Trump has adopted an ethno-nationalism in which the constraints of political correctness are lifted to express frankly nativist sentiments: that many illegal immigrants are criminals and rapists who threaten American jobs, and that Muslims are foreign, suspicious and potentially dangerous. These approaches can overlap, but they are not identical. Cruz is attacking Trump as a fake conservative on gun and property rights and as a New York liberal on cultural matters. For his part, Trump defends those portions of the welfare state that benefit the working class, opposing cuts in Social Security and an increase in the retirement age. Cruz is the conservative true believer. Trump is the wrecking ball of political convention. They are not only two strong personalities; they demonstrate two different tendencies within the right. Trumps attacks on Cruz have begun drawing both blood and protests from ideological conservatives. Either cut the crap, warns radio host Mark Levin, your accusations . . . that Cruz is Canadian, a criminal, owned by the banks, etc. . . . or you will lose lots and lots of conservatives. Levin and others registered no protest when Trump denigrated women, minorities and the disabled. Attacking a favored conservative is evidently a different matter. But this is Trumps greatest political talent exploiting weaknesses like a dentist probing and drilling the most sensitive spot. Trumps questions about Cruzs Canadian roots are not primarily about constitutional interpretation. The issue is simpler: Why would voters who support the forced expulsion of 11 million undocumented people want a president born north of the border? Trumps mention of undisclosed Wall Street contributions highlights the contrast between Cruzs outsider brand and insider resume. And Cruzs seriously Denmark-like proposal for a value-added tax as Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) pointed out in the recent Republican debate may be disqualifying for many economic conservatives. This is what Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz means when he criticizes Donald Trump's "New York values." (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post) In a Trump-Cruz battle, I would not bet against Trump. Much of the Republican donor class is convinced that Cruz is the political equivalent of Barry Goldwater, in part because of his very conservative social views. A Trump-Clinton contest, however, is beginning to appear more winnable (particularly as Hillary Clinton appears more awkward and inept). Donors, one leading Republican figure told me, are trying hard to get comfortable with Trump. And Trump, without doubt, has improved his skills as a candidate. But here is the problem. Donors, analysts and media are naturally drawn to the horse-race aspect of politics: establishment vs. anti-establishment, insider vs. outsider. But Trump is proposing a massive ideological and moral revision of the Republican Party. Re-created in his image, it would be the anti-immigrant party; the party that blows up the global trading order; the party that undermines the principle of religious liberty; the party that encourages an ethnic basis for American identity and gives strength and momentum to prejudice. We are already seeing the disturbing normalization of policies and arguments that recently seemed unacceptable, even unsayable. Trump proposes the forced expulsion of 11 million people, or a ban on Muslim immigration, and there are a few days of outrage from responsible Republican leaders. But the proposals still lie on the table, eventually seeming regular and acceptable. But they are not acceptable. They are not normal. They are extreme, and obscene and immoral. The Republican nominee for the sake of his party and his conscience must draw these boundaries clearly. Ted Cruz is particularly ill-equipped to play this role. He is actually more of a demagogue than an ideologue. So he has changed his views on immigration to compete with Trump and raised the ante by promising that none of the deported 11 million will ever be allowed back in the country. Instead of demonstrating the humane instincts of his Christian faith a faith that motivated abolition and the struggle for civil rights Cruz is presenting the crueler version of a pipe dream. For Republicans, the only good outcome of Trump vs. Cruz is for both to lose. The future of the party as the carrier of a humane, inclusive conservatism now depends on some viable choice beyond them. Read more from Michael Gersons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook . In early 2015, shortly after his victory in a heated reelection contest, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) began exploring a run for president. With his business experience and electoral success in a blue state, Snyder was considered a viable potential candidate, so he embarked on a national speaking tour and set up a fundraising organization. Its name: Making Government Accountable. As Snyder was testing the presidential waters, however, his government was being shamefully unaccountable to constituents who were concerned about their water supply. The city of Flint switched its primary water source from Lake Huron, through Detroits system, to the Flint River in April 2014. Approved by an emergency manager appointed by the governor, the move was supposed to save the beleaguered city millions of dollars. But residents soon began reporting tap water that appeared discolored, smelled rotten and caused kids to break out in rashes. Today, Flint has become a nightmarish example of how misguided austerity policies can literally poison the public. We now know that Flints water supply was contaminated by lead that it collected from deteriorating pipes. In recent weeks, Snyder has issued a public apology to the city, declared a state of emergency, activated the National Guard and requested assistance from President Obama, who declared the situation a federal emergency on Saturday. The state health department is also looking into whether an outbreak of Legionnaires disease that has killed 10 people in the area is connected to the water crisis. Meanwhile, the Justice Department is investigating the state and local governments actions, while it could cost up to $1.5 billion to fix the citys water distribution system. All of this is the result of the Snyder administrations stunning lack of accountability, beginning with the fateful decision to put Flint under the control of a political appointee who was unelected and unaccountable to the public. When the citys residents initially reported their concerns in 2014, officials responded by pumping hazardous levels of chlorine into the water. When complaints persisted, officials assured citizens that the water was safe to drink, repeatedly disregarding clear evidence that it wasnt. But when elevated levels of lead showed up in childrens blood this past fall, the government was forced to admit there was a problem. Snyder appointed a task force to investigate the crisis, which found, among other things, that legitimate fears were met with aggressive dismissal, belittlement, and attempts to discredit the individuals speaking out. They cut every corner, said Flint resident Melissa Mays. They did more to cover up than actually fix it. Thats criminal. Snyders thenchief of staff, Dennis Muchmore, acknowledged the administrations deplorable response in a July 2015 email, writing: These folks are scared and worried about the health impacts and they are basically getting blown off by us (as a state were just not sympathizing with their plight). At Sunday's Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C., Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders slammed Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) over his handling of the Flint, Mich. water crisis. (NBC) But the water crisis in Flint represents more than a catastrophic political failure. It is also a direct consequence of decades of policies based on the premise that government spending is always a problem and never a solution. Long before Flint tried to reduce spending by moving to a cheaper water source, the pipes that ultimately poisoned the water were neglected. Across the country, crumbling infrastructure is a pervasive threat that is creating serious issues in other cities and could produce similar crises . As Michigan State University economist Eric Scorsone explained , Flint is an extreme case, but nationally, theres been a lack of investment in water infrastructure. This is a common problem nationally infrastructure maintenance has not kept up. Unfortunately, the biggest obstacles to desperately needed public investments are politicians like Snyder who conflate accountability with austerity. For Republican technocrats in particular, more accountability almost always means less spending on government programs that help ensure the public good. With less than a month until the Iowa caucus, the conventional wisdom is that voters are fed up and that their anger is reflected in the polls. That frustration and distrust of government is understandable when politicians like Snyder and their cronies are so blatantly unaccountable to the public. Indeed, when government is polluted by officials who put corporate interests above their constituents and cost-cutting above the common good, it too often fails to fulfill even its most basic functions, such as protecting access to safe drinking water. But instead of giving in to anger and austerity, in this election, we should be having a vigorous debate about how government can be truly accountable to the people it serves. Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvels archive or follow her on Twitter. Included in his itinerary are the countries of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran, the three major players in the Middle East. (Photo : Getty Images) President Xi Jinping departed from Beijing on Tuesday, Jan. 19, to begin his Middle East tour, according to a report by China Daily. On his first overseas trip of the year, Xi will be tackling Chinas role in promoting peace and development in the region. Advertisement In a media briefing in Beijing held on Monday, Jan. 18, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming said that the Chinese president will also outline the country's plans to promote pragmatic cooperation. Experts are optimistic about the trip and the president's schedule. Hope is particularly high in terms of reviving the troubled region. Xi is also expected to address the leaders of the region in a speech on Middle East policy and China's Belt and Road Initiative. Included in his itinerary are the countries of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran, the three major players in the Middle East. Leaders he will meet are Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Saudi Arabian monarch King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. President Xi will also drop by the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo to deliver a speech, said Zhang. Xi's trip to the Middle East was only announced last week. Aside from strengthening relations and celebrating the 60th anniversary of China-Arab and China-Egypt diplomatic relations, the state visits also aim to discuss major international and regional issues. According to Wu Sike, a former Chinese special enjoy for Middle East affairs, Xi's visit to the region will show detractors and supporters alike that China's policies "have been tested by time and the evolving situation." So far, relations between China and any of the three nations have remained on the good side, said experts. "Arab-Chinese ties are stable and far from any tensions, disagreements, or contradictions in political positions," said Nourhan al-Sheikh, a political sciences professor at Cairo University. Meanwhile, senior expert in Middle East studies Li Shaoxian from Ningxia University named Iran as a steadfast supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative. A hearing is set for Wednesday at the Supreme Court in John Sturgeons lawsuit. He says federal regulations didnt apply to a wilderness area in Alaska where he was cited for using a hovercraft during a moose hunt. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post) John Sturgeons path to the Supreme Court began in a broken-down hovercraft on a gravel shoal in middle-of-nowhere Alaska. He was on his way to hunt moose. Instead, Sturgeon became the target of three officers of the National Park Service. Hunting wasnt the problem the hovercraft was. Even though Sturgeon had used his 10-foot rubber boat for years in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, the officers pulled out the rulebook and said noisy hovercraft were banned in all national parks, even in Alaska. If Sturgeon was lucky enough to get it working again, they said, he still could not board it, even to get back to where he came from. To be frank, they were real jerks, Sturgeon recalled. His pique led to a lawsuit, and the lawsuit led to a surprising grant from the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Courts interest led to an outpouring of support that has startled the businessman and moose hunter. [Supreme Court adds Iranian bank, Alaskan moose hunter to docket] Strangers and politicians pack fundraisers to pay for hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills. Admirers extol his Last Frontier virtues in a tribute video. The states congressional delegation has filed a friend-of-the-court brief taking his side against the federal government. Hes like the Alaskan version of Gideon v. Wainwright, said Sen. Dan Sullivan (R), referring to the landmark decision that established the right of the criminally accused to a lawyer. He is going to vindicate the rights of all Alaskans, Sullivan added. It might be difficult for those in America, as some Alaskans refer to the Lower 48, to divine such an outcome from a case that many who know the court were surprised the justices decided to accept. The distinctly underwhelming question were federal officials legally justified in enforcing the hovercraft ban in the Alaskan preserve? was deemed by the federal governments lawyers to be not in itself one of surpassing significance. All agree that the answer lies in a statute that applies exclusively to the 49th state. But Sturgeons petition landed at a court whose conservative members increasingly are on alert for signs that federal bureaucrats are bursting through the limits of their statutory authority. [Supreme Court rules against EPA pollution standards] And it comes amid an ongoing siege in Oregon, where armed protesters are taking an unlawful but dramatic stand over the federal governments management of its vast Western landholdings. Nowhere are the concerns more pronounced than in Alaska, where 60 percent of the land an area bigger than California is under federal control. A district judge and a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled against Sturgeon, saying the law unambiguously supports the Park Service. But allowing those decisions to stand, the state of Alaska said in its brief supporting Sturgeon, threatens not only the states sovereignty . . . but also the way of life of ordinary Alaskan citizens. Such a coordinated backlash has some wondering whether Sturgeons suit might represent something more a Trojan moose, if you will. Revoking the Park Services authority over navigable waters would cripple the Park Services enforcement abilities, says a brief filed by environmental groups backing the federal government. Sturgeon, 70, hoped the lawsuit would raise bigger issues about federal overreach in Alaska, but even he was surprised that the Supreme Court plucked his from the thousands of petitions it receives. This lawsuit has passed me by and has taken on a life of its own. A remote river To get from Sturgeons home in Anchorage to the scene of the crime, youd drive 500 miles to the flyspeck town of Eagle, then float about 45 miles in a boat on the Yukon River, then switch to a lighter craft to traverse the shallow and rocky Nation River. Its technically possible but not easy to reach the spot this time of year, said Sturgeons friend and supporter Craig Compeau, who owns a marine supply store in Fairbanks. He advised in an email: The trip might involve a dog sled team, snowmachine (we dont call them snowmobiles here thats a term they use down in America), bush plane, bunny boots (look them up), and/or a sealskin parka. But autumn is different in the Yukon, and that is when Sturgeon and his buddies have gathered at a small cabin near the Canadian border for 45 years. Its about more than just shooting a moose, he said. Sturgeon bought the hovercraft in 1991, and it allowed him to skim over the rocky river on a cushion of air. His encounter with the Park Service didnt come until 2007. Sturgeon challenged the officers assertion that the federal ban on hovercraft the service says they are noisy and allow park visitors to go into areas where they dont necessarily need to be applied in the Alaskan preserve. He contended that the riverbeds over which he was gliding belonged to Alaska and that the state had no such ban. The officers assured him that he was subject to criminal sanctions. Once back in Anchorage, Sturgeon wrote to then-Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to question the regulations. When he did not get a response, he went in search of a lawyer. Ive been in business, so I know that if youre going to sue somebody, you want to make sure you have a good case, Sturgeon said. He narrowed it down to two law firms and then hired both of them. Their challenge lies in the unique and complicated statutes that govern the federal governments relationship with Alaska. As part of a 1971 settlement with Alaskas Native peoples, the government guaranteed land to regional Native corporations and hundreds of Native village corporations. It also set aside more than 105 million acres as a protected federal reserve and in 1980 established rules for its use in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). The separate protected ecosystems are a mix of federal, Native and private lands. The Native and private holdings must be treated differently than the federal lands, according to the act, and are not subject to the regulations applicable solely to public lands within such units. To Sturgeon and his supporters, the importance of those words is that Alaska must be treated differently. We have an economy that a lot of people in the East dont understand, said Sturgeon, who ran the largest logging operation in the state and now works as a consultant to one of the Native corporations. Having so much of the land under federal control requires exceptions so the Native corporations can use the natural resources they have been given; restrictions that would be reasonable elsewhere are not in Alaska, he said. The courts disagreed. For one thing, the law includes waters in its definition of public lands, the appeals court said, so it doesnt really matter which government owns the riverbed. At any rate, the court said, the correct reading of ANILCA is that land not owned by the federal government is exempt only from park regulations that apply solely to Alaska parks. The hovercraft is banned nationally, not just in the Alaska preserves. The law, the appeals court said, unambiguously forecloses [Sturgeons] interpretation. Enough is enough Sullivan, the states junior senator and former attorney general, said it is hard for folks outside Alaska to understand how the case resonates. Believe it or not, if you asked, most Alaskans would know all about ANILCA, he said. There is a sense, he said, that an agreement meant to recognize that Alaska is different now gives the federal officials more control. The [9th Circuit] decision gave the government more than it even asked for, Sullivan said, and it is being cited in proposed restrictions on mining and other activities. Sturgeons case reflects a very, very broad-based coalition of Alaskans coming together and saying, enough is enough, Sullivan said. That was partially Sturgeons intent with the lawsuit I can hunt moose without a hovercraft, he said. And so a wealthy benefactor, several Native corporations and others Sturgeon said he doesnt even know have come forward to fund it. Sturgeon hasnt attended the most recent fundraisers, and he arrived in Washington on Saturday night along with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, one of whom texted him a photo of the Supreme Court to make sure he knew where to go for Wednesdays hearing. Sturgeon said he received a bad draw of liberal judges in his first two hearings. Hes hoping the Supreme Court will be different. Most everyone at the Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed that the First Amendment protects a public employee in a non-political job from being fired or demoted for supporting a political candidate. But in a case alternatively described as bizarre and more like a law school hypothetical, the question was what happens when the boss retaliates against an employee on the mistaken belief that the employee has asserted such support. By the end of the hour-long argument, it seemed clear that Paterson, N.J., police officer Jeffrey Heffernan would have had a better case if he had endorsed his friend running for mayor rather than maintained his neutrality. The First Amendment talks about abridging freedom of speech, and I thought the case came to us on the proposition that he wasnt engaging in speech at all, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said, adding: Im not sure how he can say his freedom of speech has been abridged. On the other hand, Justice Elena Kagan warned that such a reading would be a threat to every couch potato out there politically agnostic or uninterested government workers who might have no constitutional protection if their bosses set out to replace them with workers with more aligned political views. If somebody had come in to me before todays argument and just said Does the First Amendment prevent the government from punishing a person because that person does not share the governments views?, I would have said, Why, yes, of course the First Amendment protects that, Kagan told lawyer Thomas C. Goldstein, who was representing the city of Paterson. Now youre telling me, no, the First Amendment does not prevent the government from punishing a person because that person doesnt share the governments views, unless that person is actively opposed to the governments views. Even Goldstein acknowledged that Heffernan presented a very sympathetic claim. He was a detective in the police department, assigned to a division headed by the police chief. His boss supported the incumbent mayor in the 2006 election; Heffernan was a close friend of former police chief Lawrence Spagnola, who was the challenger. One day, while on his own time, Heffernan was observed by another officer picking up a yard sign at the Spagnola campaign headquarters. The sign was not for him, Heffernan explained later, but for his bedridden mother (Heffernan didnt even live in Paterson and was ineligible to vote.) Nevertheless, Heffernan was demoted to patrol officer the next day and told it was because of his overt involvement in a political campaign. The case has bounced around lower courts for years Heffernan won once, only to have the judgment overturned. Finally, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit ruled that Heffernan could not receive damages for a First Amendment violation when he had not actually exercised First Amendment rights. The courts conservatives seemed to agree that Heffernan might have a legitimate beef but that he could not make a constitutional case out of it. Justice Antonin Scalia was among the most outspoken. The First Amendment guarantees the right to freedom of speech and freedom of association, Scalia said. Your client was neither speaking nor associating. So how could he possibly have a cause of action under the First Amendment? There might be statutes that protect against unfair retribution, Scalia said, but theres no constitutional right not to be fired for the wrong reason, and thats what happened here. (Actually, Heffernan was only demoted.) The justices across the board expressed some irritation with Heffernans attorney, Mark Frost of Philadelphia, when they asked whether there were New Jersey statutes that Heffernan could use to challenge his demotion. But Frost insisted that Heffernan was right to assert his constitutional protections, saying the fact that he actually was not engaged in any political activity should make no difference. The Obama administration agreed with Heffernan, and Assistant Solicitor General Ginger D. Anders defined the officers rights this way: He has a First Amendment right not to have adverse action taken against him by his employer for the unconstitutional purpose of suppressing disfavored political beliefs. Anders acknowledged that would be an expansion of what the court has previously recognized, but said it would not lead to a flood of new lawsuits. (The case did not touch on the Hatch Act, which limits the political activity of federal executive branch employees.) Justice Anthony M. Kennedy seemed to have a different view of the issue the case presented. Would it be fair to the proposition that you are putting before the court to say that youre asserting the right to be free from government inquiry into an oversight of your views? Kennedy asked, in one form or another, of all three lawyers. Goldstein encouraged the justices to focus on the case in front of them: He may have a state law right; he does have a collective-bargaining-agreement right, but he doesnt have a First Amendment right because hes not engaging in First Amendment-protected activity. But Justice Stephen G. Breyer said he was concerned that the demotion would chill the speech of others who might want to take a position. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it defied common sense that a person who spoke out would be protected from demotion and one who did not would have no case. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said that Heffernans case might be what the court likes to call a one-off. How often will it be the case that an employee will be unable to allege any expression or any association that is protected by the First Amendment? he asked. It seems to me quite rare. The case is Heffernan v. City of Paterson. Immigrants and their supporters with the group We Are CASA protest planned raids to deport illegal immigrants during a rally in Lafayette Park next to the White House in December. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will consider whether President Obama exceeded his powers in trying to shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, stepping into one of the most contentious topics in the nations political debate. A positive ruling from the justices would provide Obama his last chance before leaving office to protect more than 4 million people who are parents of citizens or of lawful permanent residents and allow them to come out from the shadows to work legally, as he put it when announcing the program in November 2014. The initiative was challenged by 26 states and has been blocked by lower courts. [Obama takes immigration leniency program to Supreme Court] The Supreme Court will find itself once again reviewing a top priority of the Obama administration; in dramatic, high-profile cases, the court twice has saved the presidents Affordable Care Act from conservative legal challenges. This time, the justices will confront the fundamental tension of the Obama years: whether the president is using the substantial powers of his office to propel the nation past political gridlock or whether he has ignored constitutional boundaries to unilaterally impose prescriptions that require congressional approval. The court amped up the legal importance of the case by adding a constitutional question: whether Obamas actions violated the take care clause, which commands the president to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. In vowing to aggressively use executive action to counter congressional inaction on his priorities, Obama has caused his greatest confrontations with Republicans and led them to claim that he disregards the Constitution. The new case adds yet another controversy to a Supreme Court docket this term that already includes abortion rights, affirmative action and the rights of religious objectors to not provide employees with contraceptive coverage. Most or all of those decisions will land in June, just before Republicans and Democrats officially choose their nominees to succeed Obama. The presidents immigration program, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), has split the presidential candidates. Republicans have said they would reverse it immediately if it ever took effect. Democratic hopefuls have said they would expand upon it. It would allow illegal immigrants in the affected categories to remain in the country and apply for work permits if they have been here at least five years and have not committed felonies or repeated misdemeanors. The administration says the program is a way for a government with limited resources to prioritize which illegal immigrants it will move first to deport. As a practical matter, the government has never deported more than 500,000 undocumented immigrants per year and often sends home far fewer than that. But Texas and 25 other Republican-led states sued to stop the initiative, and a federal district judge in Texas and then a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit said the program could not be implemented. President Obama announced new action to delay the deportation of about 4 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Here are some numbers to know about immigration. (Julie Percha/The Washington Post) [Appeals court rules against Obamas deportation plan] The states said that the program would be one of the largest changes in immigration policy in our nations history and that it raised major issues involving the separation of powers and federalism. DAPA is a crucial change in the Nations immigration law and policy and that is precisely why it could be created only by Congress, rather than unilaterally imposed by the Executive, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said in a filing to the court. The Obama administration had urged the court to accept the case in time to hear it during the current term, and White House officials said they were confident their side would prevail. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obamas actions were clearly within the confines of his authority as president of the United States. Weve got a lot of confidence in the legal arguments that well be making before the court, Earnest said, adding that the administration has not only a legal case to make but also a policy argument about the practical impact, the positive impact of the executive actions on the security of communities across the country. The administration contends that the states have no legal standing to sue because it is up to the federal government to set immigration policy and that the Department of Homeland Security did not violate federal statutes in devising the program. [Administration scales back deportation policies] The governments decision to set priorities about whom to deport was a practical response to financial constraints, the administration says. Congress has given it enough money to deport no more than about 400,000 of the nations estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, according to the government. In the administrations petition to the court, Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. said that the lower courts had ignored established limits on the judicial power. If left undisturbed, [the rulings] will allow States to frustrate the federal governments enforcement of the Nations immigration laws. Verrilli said that if not reversed, the rulings will force millions of people who are not removal priorities under criteria the court conceded are valid, and who are parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to continue to work off the books, without the option of lawful employment to provide for their families. The administration has challenged Texass legal standing to sue. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen agreed with the state that, because it would face a financial cost in providing drivers licenses to those covered by the new program, it had standing to challenge the initiative. The administration countered that Texas was not required to issue the licenses. It should not be able to injure itself, Verrilli argued, to achieve standing to sue. In the appeals court decision, U.S. Circuit Judge Jerry Smith rejected the administrations argument that DAPA was a form of prosecutorial discretion in which a government with limited resources sets priorities for enforcement. The program, Smith wrote, is much more than nonenforcement: It would affirmatively confer lawful presence and associated benefits on a class of unlawfully present aliens. Though revocable, that change in designation would trigger eligibility for federal and state benefits that would not otherwise be available to illegal aliens. The administration has made clear that it will rely heavily on a 2012 Supreme Court decision that struck down parts of an Arizona law restricting immigration and that said the removal process is entrusted to the discretion of the federal government. Verrilli, in his petition to the Supreme Court, also disputed the lower courts ruling that the DHS secretary had exceeded his authority in issuing guidance about how to treat the illegal immigrants. Under the appeals courts reasoning, Verrilli said, immigration laws allow the secretary to decide that individuals may remain in the country for a period of time but bar him from enabling them to work lawfully to support themselves and their families while they are here. Congress did not constrain the secretarys broad discretion to such half-measures. Even as Earnest, the White House press secretary, highlighted support for the administrations position noting that there are other states and the District of Columbia that have filed paperwork indicating they strongly support implementation of these executive actions he acknowledged that it is unclear how much of the program could be implemented before Obama leaves office. Since every Republican vying for the partys presidential nomination has voiced opposition to Obamas plan, Earnest observed that only Congress could deliver a lasting solution to the question of illegal immigration in the United States, since executive actions can be reversed by subsequent presidents. The case is United States v. Texas. David Nakamura contributed to this report. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made his first visit to Washington on Tuesday since assuming office in September, giving him and President Obama a chance to confer on how best to strengthen trade ties in the Asia-Pacific region and discuss the international campaign against the Islamic State terrorist organization. Turnbull, who came to power after a Liberal Party victory, is more conservative than Obama but has demonstrated a willingness to cooperate with the U.S. administration on issues including the use of military force abroad as well as climate change. Speaking to reporters, Obama noted that Australia ranks as the largest contributor of troops on the ground . . . after the United States in the fight against the Islamic State. Turnbull visited Iraq and Afghanistan shortly before coming to the United States. And those are just two places where we see the value of Australias armed forces and the remarkable contribution that they have made and the sacrifices that they make consistently, the president said. Obama said the two leaders planned to discuss during a working lunch how we can strengthen our cooperation, both in Syria and Iraq, the state of affairs in Afghanistan, but also countering violent extremism globally. And Australia will be a very important partner in that process. Turnbull recounted touring Baghdad and Kabul in recent days, meeting with military personnel from his country and also with many from the United States. And Ive learned firsthand from our people and yours and, indeed, from the government of Iraq, from its prime minister, how Australians and Americans working together were able to support the Iraqi security forces in the retaking of Ramadi, he said, which has been an absolute adrenaline shot of confidence for that government a very, very significant result. The visit did not yield any major policy initiatives, but the leaders vowed to enhance their collaboration on several fronts, including cybersecurity and the implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade accord encompassing a dozen Pacific Rim nations. And can I say, as Ive just said to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, encouraging them to encourage their congressmen and senators to support it, that the TPP is much more than a trade deal, Turnbull said. The prosperity of the world, the security of the world has been founded on the peace and order in the Asia-Pacific, which has been underwritten by the United States and its allies, including Australia. Turnbull added that he had discussed with U.S. intelligence officials how to counter Islamist extremists online. Archaic and barbaric though they may be, their use, regrettably, of the Internet is very sophisticated, he said. A man lights a candle at the site where Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was killed in Moscow in 2015. Russian dissidents are voicing fears that more assassinations may be looming. (Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters) Nearly a year after the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, a senior ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin is again calling for a harsh crackdown on the Kremlins opponents. The comments made by Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Russian region of Chechnya, over the past week and culminating Tuesday with the suggestion that Putins opponents should be sent to a good psychiatric hospital echo the harsh anti-opposition rhetoric that flared in Russia early last year. At the time, Putins supporters took to the streets of Moscow to threaten violence against those seen as favoring peace with Ukraine. On Feb. 27, Nemtsov was assassinated in the shadow of the Kremlin in one of the highest-profile political murders since the breakup of the Soviet Union. [Putin critic, Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, killed in Moscow] Russian authorities have prosecuted Chechens with links to Kadyrov for the killing. They have not officially traced it back to Kadyrov, and he has denied any responsibility. But Western diplomats, opposition activists and even some senior Russian officials say privately that they believe that the orders came from the very top in Chechnya. That has some of those named by Kadyrov most of whom are allies of Nemtsov taking the Chechen leaders campaign seriously. The strongman controls a security force of heavily armed fighters who operate largely with impunity in Chechnya and in Moscow. Chechens have been tied to other murders of Kremlin critics, including opposition journalist Anna Politkovskaya, although Kadyrov has never been officially implicated in any of them. Chechen regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov, shown in Chechnyas provincial capital, Grozny, has escalated his rhetoric against Russian opponents of the Kremlin. (Musa Sadulayev/AP) Opposition leaders are jackals who are dreaming of destroying our state, Kadyrov wrote in an editorial published Tuesday by the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia. We have a village, Braguny, and there is a good psychiatric hospital there, Kadyrov wrote. The boiling reaction of the non-system opposition and its supporters might be treated as mass psychosis. I can help them with this clinical problem and promise that we wont stint on injections. The verbal assault started last week when Kadyrov blasted opposition activists at a news conference held on the occasion of Russias Press Day. Putins liberal opponents should be treated as enemies of the people, as traitors, Kadyrov said. These people should be tried to the fullest extent for their subversive activities. On Sunday, Kadyrovs chief of staff, Magomed Daudov, posted a picture on Instagram of the Chechen leader holding back a massive Caucasian shepherd dog named Tarzan. The dogs teeth itch, Daudov wrote. Hes barely restrained. Kadyrov and Daudov targeted opposition leaders by name, including one of Putins most prominent critics, Alexei Navalny; Nemtsov ally Ilya Yashin; the head of the Ekho Moskvy opposition radio station, Alexander Venediktov; and an exiled opposition member of parliament, Ilya Ponomarev. Some of those named have responded with humor. Yashin posted a picture of his cat on Facebook, saying: I have a cat who lives at home. Shes also tough. Two journalists on an opposition-minded television station, TV Dozhd, mockingly begged Kadyrov for clemency. But others were more cautious. These are unprecedented statements on his part, Navalny said Tuesday. They are repeating what they did a year ago because there was no official reprimand. Navalny likened Kadyrovs Tuesday editorial to those written in 1935 or 1937, the years of major Joseph Stalin purges. Nobody believed Nemtsov could be killed, Navalny said. Nobody knows whether anything could happen after these words. Even as Kadyrov lobbed his threats at the opposition over the past week, there has been next to no official reaction. One local politician who condemned the barrage, an obscure member of a regional parliament in Siberia named Konstantin Senchenko, quickly apologized in a video. He later said he had received threats that he could be killed like Nemtsov. The head of Russias largely powerless human rights council, Ella Pamfilova, also criticized Kadyrovs remarks, and her group plans to investigate them. Kadyrov is planning a massive rally of his supporters in the Chechen capital, Grozny, on Friday, a year after he had organized a similar event that drew up to 200,000 protesting the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad published by the Paris-based Charlie Hebdo newsmagazine. Fridays rally, seemingly designed to demonstrate his strong domestic support, may drive home the Kremlins dilemma. Russia fought two bloody wars against separatists in Chechnya after the breakup of the Soviet Union, and Kadyrov has succeeded in bringing a measure of peace to the region by cracking down harshly on critics and opponents. Putin appears to believe that he has no alternative to Kadyrov to run Chechnya, analysts say. Nobody at the top level of Russian political life tells him: Stop it. Its enough, said Alexey Malashenko, a Chechnya expert at the Carnegie Moscow Center, an independent think tank. He feels he has no limits. Read more: Russia sends a very clear message In Chechnya, pupils strive to become better Muslims, one Koran verse at a time Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Former U.S. Marine Amir Mirza Hekmati spoke to the media Jan. 19, 2016. Hekmati is one of three American prisoners, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who were released as part of a deal with Iran. (Reuters) Former U.S. Marine Amir Mirza Hekmati spoke to the media Jan. 19, 2016. Hekmati is one of three American prisoners, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who were released as part of a deal with Iran. (Reuters) Champagne flowed and chocolates were passed around moments after a group of former Iranian American prisoners left Iranian airspace on a Swiss jet that carried them to freedom. Everybody was sort of in a state of disbelief, and we still are, Marine veteran Amir Hekmati said Tuesday. Hekmati was among a group of four Iranian Americans, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, released Saturday as part of a two-country deal under which the United States also pardoned or dropped charges against 21 Iranians in sanctions-related cases. In addition, Iran released a fifth American, 30-year-old student Matthew Trevithick, in what U.S. officials described as a separate humanitarian gesture that coincided with the lifting of international sanctions on Iran as part of a nuclear pact with world powers. Commenting on the nuclear deal Tuesday, Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, welcomed the removal of international sanctions but trampled on hopes of further rapprochement with the United States. Amir Mirza Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine who was arrested for allegedly spying for the CIA in Iran, talks to the news media on Jan. 19, 2016, for the first time since his release, near an entrance to the U.S. military medical center at Landstuhl, Germany, where he and two other Americans released from imprisonment in Iran are getting checkups. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) [How the deal came together] Hekmati, 32, who spent more than four years imprisoned in Iran, said he felt alive for the first time, like being born again, as he recounted the dizzying events of the past days: a prison guard telling him to pack, a nerve- racking delay in leaving Iran and the trip that ended at a U.S. military hospital in Germany for the former prisoners to undergo medical tests. Before his release, he was at the point where I had just accepted that I was going to be spending 10 years in prison, said Hekmati, who is from Flint, Mich. He faced espionage-related charges in Iran. Hekmati, appearing calm and healthy, wore a heavy black sweater and jeans as he met journalists outside the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, accompanied by his brother-in-law and Rep. Daniel Kildee (D-Mich.), in whose congressional district Hekmati lives. Hekmatis two sisters also are staying at the base with him. We were speechless for a while, he said. But Ive said a lot, and we still have a lot to talk about. [Post reporter: Im feeling good] Hekmati expressed deep gratitude for the support from loved ones, the news media and elected officials, including President Obama. Amir Mirza Hekmati, center left, talks to reporters in Landstuhl, Germany, on Jan. 19, 2016. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) Even the Iranian officials, our captors essentially, were amazed, he said. They asked us, Why are they working so hard for you? And I just said that its America and they love their citizens. Even the other Iranian prisoners were moved. When the plane finally took off, and then cleared Iranian airspace, the celebration began. Champagne bottles were popped aboard the Swiss government jet, he said. The Swiss are amazing. The hospitality. Chocolates. Veal was served. Switzerland handles U.S. diplomatic affairs with Iran in the absence of direct diplomatic relations between Washington and Tehran. Hekmati declined to speak in detail about his time behind bars, but he did credit his experience in the U.S. Marines with helping him withstand all the pressures that were put upon me, some of which were very inhumane and unjust. Hearing about some of my fellow Marines supporting me really gave me the strength to put up with over four years of some very difficult times, he said. Rezaian, the Post reporter, also was undergoing medical tests at the U.S. military hospital after almost 18 months in prison. Rezaian, 39, stood trial behind closed doors in a Revolutionary Court on charges including espionage allegations he strongly denied. He was found guilty last year and sentenced to a prison term, but the court disclosed neither the specific charges on which he was convicted nor the length of the term. [Timeline of Rezaians ordeal] I want people to know that physically, Im feeling good, Rezaian said during meetings Monday with The Posts executive editor, Martin Baron, and foreign editor, Douglas Jehl. I know people are eager to hear from me, but I want to process this for some time. Also released in the deal were Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, 35, of Boise, Idaho, and another Iranian American, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, who opted to remain in Iran. The student, Trevithick, flew out Saturday. Abedini had been imprisoned since July 2012 for organizing home churches. Hekmati was arrested in August 2011 during a visit to see his grandmother. Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) met with Abedini for 90 minutes Tuesday at the Landstuhl hospital, the congressmans office announced. I think hes doing very well physically, emotionally and mentally, Pittenger said in a brief telephone interview. Hes come out of an honest trauma, 3 1/ 2 years, much of that in isolation. He said that in the last six months, they fed him well and treated him well, knowing that they would soon be releasing him. I think that they saw in their mind that they would be releasing him at the point of this [nuclear] deal being consummated. Pittenger had worked since 2013 to secure Abedinis release at the request of Charlotte pastor David Chadwick and evangelist Franklin Graham, his office said. [Photo gallery of scenes of arrival and anticipation] In Tehran, Khamenei, the countrys top religious and political authority, offered no further openings to Washington in his first public remarks since international economic sanctions were lifted Saturday. Instead, he repeated past warnings about Irans deep mistrust of the United States. Khameneis approval was critical to last years nuclear accord with world powers that limited Tehrans nuclear program in exchange for ending sanctions against Iran. Khameneis nod also was needed for additional talks leading to the prisoner deal that culminated Saturday. I reiterate the need to be vigilant about the deceit and treachery of arrogant countries, especially the United States, in this [nuclear] issue and other issues, Khamenei said, according to Iranian news agencies. Murphy reported from Washington. William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report. Read more: Post reporter describes details of his months in Iranian prison Freeing a reporter: Secret talks and a scary last-minute hitch The ordeal of Post reporter Jason Rezaian Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Family and friends of Israeli Dafna Meir attend her funeral in a cemetery in Jerusalem on Monday. A Palestinian broke into a West Bank settlement home and fatally stabbed her before fleeing Sunday. (Sebastian Scheiner/AP) In four months of renewed violence, Palestinian assailants have targeted Israeli soldiers and civilians at bus stops, highway intersections, military checkpoints and the narrow alleys of Jerusalems Old City. Now the attacks are taking place inside Jewish settlements in the West Bank that are protected by armed forces and perimeter fences. On Monday, a Palestinian teenager squeezed through a hole in a fence and stabbed and wounded a pregnant Israeli woman at a warehouse in the Tekoa settlement south of Jerusalem. The youth was shot at the scene and taken to a hospital. On Sunday, a Palestinian suspect entered the home of Dafna Meir, 38, in the Jewish settlement of Otniel, south of Hebron. The assailant fatally stabbed Meir, a mother of six, in front of her eldest daughter and then fled on foot. As large crowds and Israeli cabinet ministers gathered for Meirs funeral in Jerusalem on Monday, a manhunt was underway in the south Hebron hills, as Israeli troops conducted raids and operated roadblocks in nearby Palestinian villages. Fearing more attacks, Israeli army commanders, who oversee the 49-year military occupation of the West Bank, ordered all Palestinian workers out of the nearby Gush Etzion settlement block. [A new kind of terrorism in Israel] Israel has issued permits for 25,000 Palestinians to work in the settlements, where they build houses for the Jewish residents or work in light industries owned by Israelis. The two attacks inside the perimeters of Jewish settlements represent a frightening escalation for the more than 350,000 residents who live in West Bank settlements . Two days before she was killed, Meir wrote an article in her community bulletin. Lately, I have had a lot of objections in light of the security situation, thoughts about what is necessary and what is unnecessary to do, about fears, about my husband and children, she wrote, according to a translation by the Jerusalem Post. The situation is not easy and sometimes it feels like Russian Roulette. The 200 settlements are considered by most of the world to be in violation of international law, although Israel disputes this. The United States considers the communities illegitimate and an impediment to a peace deal with the Palestinians, who want the same land for a future state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the recent wave of attacks which he described as an awakening has been driven by the frustration and humiliation of occupation. [Israel steps up home demolitions to punish Palestinian attackers] At Meirs funeral, Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of a pro-settlement political party, blamed official incitement by Palestinian authorities for the surge in violence. The Palestinian version of Sesame Street teaches children to murder Jews and then, as we see, they go and do it, Bennett said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the assailant who killed Meir would be caught. Whoever tries to harm us, we will bring him to justice, the Israeli leader said. He said Israel would strengthen the settlements in the aftermath of the attacks. At Meirs funeral, her daughter Renana, 17, spoke through tears. It is difficult for me to imagine that we will never sit together again and drink tea or laugh together again, and that you will not be there when I get married or get drafted or have my children, she said. I am so sorry that I could not manage to help you in the hardest moment of your life. Meir worked as a nurse at the hospital in Beersheva and also counseled women on fertility issues. [Israeli military confronts violent protests with increasingly lethal force] The last deadly Palestinian attack inside a Jewish settlement occurred in 2011, when five members of the Fogel family, including their 3-month-old baby, were stabbed to death in their home in Itamar, south of Nablus. In four months of violence, Palestinians attackers have killed 25 Israelis using knives, guns and cars. Israelis have killed almost a hundred Palestinians during attacks or attempted attacks; fifty more have been killed in violent clashes as Israel deploys increasingly lethal countermeasures. Jewish settlers mourn at the funeral of Dafna Meir in Otniel, in the southern West Bank, on Monday. Meir, a mother of six, was stabbed to death by a Palestinian who broke into her home, the Israeli army said. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images) Israeli leaders on Tuesday sharply criticized U.S. Ambassador Daniel Shapiros observation that the law in the occupied West Bank is applied differently to Palestinians and Israelis, calling it unacceptable and demanding a retraction. Shapiros comments would strike many as a statement of fact: Palestinians in the West Bank live under military occupation, face Israeli military tribunals and can be held for months, even years, without charges; the Jewish settlers in the territory, however, are subject to Israeli civilian courts. But the plainly critical remarks by the U.S. diplomat in a speech at a security think tank Monday angered Israels top leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called them unacceptable and wrong. The diplomatic skirmish comes as Israel finds itself facing renewed criticism from the European Union for the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a complaint that Shapiro echoed in his remarks. It also follows on the heels of another diplomatic dust-up. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom recently called for thorough, credible investigations into extrajudicial killings of Palestinian attackers or suspects by Israeli forces. Wallstroms comments incensed Israeli officials, who said she was no longer welcome in their country. [Israel steps up home demolitions to punish Palestinian attackers] In his speech, Shapiro said, Too many attacks on Palestinians lack a vigorous investigation or response by Israeli authorities, too much vigilantism goes unchecked, and at times there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law: one for Israelis and another for Palestinians. The U.S. diplomat was referring to assaults and acts of vandalism by Jewish extremists against Palestinians, including a July arson attack in the West Bank village of Duma that killed a toddler and his parents. Earlier this month, Israeli prosecutors filed charges against two Jewish Israelis accused of killing the members of the Dawabsha family in Duma and indicted several others who they said were responsible for arson attacks and vandalism against Palestinians. None of the suspects have been convicted. On Tuesday, Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said Shapiro should recant his remarks. We are being subjected to a terrorist onslaught that is simply unfamiliar to the United States, and to pass judgment on us in such a one-sided manner is wrong, Shaked told Army Radio. It would be appropriate if he corrected himself, and I hope he does that. [Israelis are calling attacks a new kind of terror] Shapiros speech comes in the middle of a surge in violence. In the past four months, 25 Israelis have been killed, as well as an American and three others, by Palestinians wielding knives, guns and even potato peelers in what authorities here have called a new kind of terror by leaderless, angry and frustrated youths. About 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during the attacks or attempted assaults; 50 others have been fatally shot by soldiers during clashes as Israel has dramatically increased its use of live fire to suppress riots. Netanyahu traveled to the Jewish settlement of Otniel on Tuesday to offer condolences to the family of Dafna Meir, a 38-year-old nurse and mother of six who was stabbed to death Sunday. The prime minister said: Whoever wants to see the truth about the roots of the conflict between us and the Palestinians should come to Otniel and see here a wonderful family who only wants coexistence and peace. They should see the young people, inflamed by incitement, who come to murder women here. Netanyahu said that there is humanity here in the Jewish settlements and the desire for peace and coexistence on one side and boundless hatred on the other. This hatred has an address; this is incitement by the Palestinian Authority and other elements such as the Islamic Movement and Hamas, and the time has come for the international community to stop its hypocrisy. The Islamic Movement is a Palestinian group in Israel that seeks to promote Islam. Israeli authorities have arrested some of its leaders and banned some of its activities, charging that the organization incites violence. The Islamist militant group Hamas controls the Gaza Strip. Israeli authorities announced Tuesday the arrest of a suspect in the Meir killing, a 16-year-old boy from the village of Yatta. Fearing further Palestinian attacks, the Israeli army on Tuesday banned all Palestinians from entering Jewish settlements in the West Bank. About 25,000 Palestinians hold permits that allow them to work inside the settlements, where they build homes for the settlers or work in Israeli-owned businesses. A military spokesman said the ban was not designed as collective punishment, as some Palestinians charge, but is a security precaution that will be reviewed daily. More than 350,000 Jews live in about 200 settlements in the occupied West Bank. Most of the world considers these communities illegal, although Israel disputes this. The United States views the communities as illegitimate and an impediment to a peace deal with the Palestinians, who want the land for a future state. [Administration concedes that Mideast peace beyond reach on Obamas watch] In his speech Monday, Shapiro said: We are concerned and perplexed by Israels strategy on settlements. This government and previous Israeli governments have repeatedly expressed their support for a negotiated two-state solution a solution that would involve both mutual recognition and separation. Yet separation will become more and more difficult if Israel plans to continue to expand the footprint of settlements. The U.S. ambassador complained that new settler outposts are being legalized despite earlier pledges to the United States not to do so, while routine, administrative demolition of Palestinian structures continues. Again, the question we ask is a simple one: What is Israels strategy? He said it was becoming increasingly hard for the United States to defend Israel in international forums, especially in the absence of peace negotiations. What is Israels plan for resolving the conflict? Shapiro asked. For remaining a Jewish and democratic state? And if it judges a political solution to be out of reach for the time being, then what is its plan for managing and stabilizing the conflict in the short and medium term? The diplomatic scuffle came as the nongovernmental group Human Rights Watch charged that international companies that do business in Israeli communities in the West Bank are supporting the settlement enterprise by taking advantage of cheap Palestinian labor and reduced government taxes. The conclusion we have drawn from this report is that this is not a situation where companies can eliminate human rights violations if they are carrying out businesses from the settlements or with the settlements, said Eric Goldstein, a deputy director at Human Rights Watch. He added, The only way companies can stop being complicit is to remove their business from the settlements. Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesman for Israels Foreign Ministry, called the report one-sided and politicized and said it jeopardizes the livelihoods of thousands of Palestinians and discourages rare examples of coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. Ruth Eglash contributed to this report. Read more: Fearful of Jewish settlers, Palestinians deploy night watchmen We are the tip of the spear that protects Israel, radical settlers say Palestinians press International Criminal Court to charge Israel Israel can fend off militants rockets. But can it stop international boycotts? This file photo shows a still image taken from a video released by the Islamic State showing the British militant known as "Jihadi John." (AFP/Getty Images) The Islamic State appeared to confirm Tuesday that a British militant known as Jihadi John, who beheaded Western hostages in widely publicized videos, had been killed. The acknowledgment appeared in the latest issue of an English-language magazine the group publishes online and came two months after U.S. officials announced that the notorious executioner had probably been killed in a U.S. drone strike. The militants real name, Mohammed Emwazi, was revealed by The Post last year after he appeared in a series of gruesome videos wearing a black mask while killing hostages, including three U.S. citizens. An article in the Islamic States online magazine, Dabiq, said that Emwazi was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of [Raqqa], destroying the car and killing him instantly on Oct. 27. The magazine identified him as Abu Muharib al-Muhajir but noted that he had made headlines around the world as Jihadi John and that he had been born in Kuwait before moving with his family to London. U.S. officials declined to comment on the article but generally regard statements in approved publications such as Dabiq as the equivalent of an official acknowledgment by the terrorist group of a leaderss demise. The latest issue of Dabiq also includes a lengthy essay praising the recent terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., in which 14 people were killed, as an example of how even distant supporters are capable of terrorizing the crusaders in their very strongholds. Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the husband and wife who were killed after carrying out the attack, declared their allegiance to the Islamic State in a Facebook post. But officials have indicated that there is no evidence so far that the two were in communication with or got direct support from the Islamic State. Emwazis ghastly videos in mid-2014 served for many Americans as their introduction to the Islamic State and its vicious strain of Islamist militancy. He taunted Western leaders including President Obama, vowing additional killings in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes that intensified as additional videos surfaced. The Americans he killed included two U.S. journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as an aid worker, Peter Kassig. Another militant with a British accent has drawn comparisons to Jihadi John after appearing in more recent videos, including one released this month that showed five alleged spies for Britain being killed. A boy inspects his school, which activists say was damaged in an airstrike carried out by the Russian air force in the Syrian town of Injara, in Aleppo province, on Jan. 12, 2016. (Khalil Ashawi/Reuters) Russias military intervention in Syria is finally generating gains on the ground for Syrian government forces, tilting the battlefield in favor of President Bashar al-Assad to such an extent that the Obama administrations quest for a negotiated settlement to the war suddenly looks a lot less likely to succeed. The gains are small-scale, hard-won and in terms of territory overall dont add up to much, in keeping with the incremental nature of war. But after 3 months of relentless airstrikes that have mostly targeted the Western-backed opposition to Assads rule, they have proved sufficient to push beyond doubt any likelihood that Assad will be removed from power by the nearly five-year-old revolt against his rule. The gains on the ground are also calling into question whether there can be meaningful negotiations to end a conflict Assad and his allies now seem convinced they can win. The situation on the ground in Syria is definitely not conducive to negotiations right now, said Lina Khatib of the Paris-based Arab Reform Initiative think tank. Peace talks scheduled to start in Geneva next week are already in doubt because of disputes between Russia and the United States, their chief sponsors, over who should be invited. The alliance between Russia and the regime of Bashar al-Assad goes back decades. Here's a bit of historical context that explains why Russia is fighting to prop up its closest ally in the Middle East. (Ishaan Tharoor and Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) Russia and the Syrian government are objecting to a U.S.-backed list of opposition delegates drawn up in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh last month that includes representatives of some of the main rebel groups, saying that they wont negotiate with people they term terrorists. Russia is pushing instead for the inclusion of a group of government-approved opposition figures who have remained loyal to Assad and also of Syrias Kurds, who are fighting a somewhat different war on their own behalf in northeastern Syria. [Is it too late to solve the mess in the Middle East?] U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters in New York on Monday that the U.N. Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, would not issue invitations to the talks until Russia and the United States agree on who should represent the opposition. He did not rule out that there could be slippage on the Jan. 25 date. U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are expected to try to hammer out the differences at a meeting Wednesday in Zurich, five days before the scheduled start of the talks. Even if the guest list is agreed upon, however, it is far from clear whether the opposition will attend without some gesture on the part of Russia and Syria to demonstrate that they are negotiating in good faith. A group of 33 rebel groups issued a statement last week saying they would not join the talks unless Russian and Syrian warplanes stop striking civilian targets, release political prisoners and send humanitarian aid to besieged towns such as Madaya, where people have been dying of starvation. [23 people starve to death in besieged Syrian town, medical charity says] The opposition is also seeking clarity on the agenda of the talks, which are officially supposed to conform to a formula drawn up by Russia and the United States in Geneva in 2012, at a time when the rebels appeared to be winning, and was more recently were endorsed by a gathering of world powers in Vienna late last year. The Geneva process never clearly stipulated that Assad should relinquish power, but the opposition and the United States said they thought that was the intended goal. Nearly four years later, with Syrian troops and their allies gaining ground on multiple fronts in the north, the south and the center of the country with the support of Russian airstrikes, there is no longer any reason for Assad to feel pressure to step down, and the United States has pulled back from its insistence that he do so. Nor is there any reason to think that either the government or the Russians will be willing to make concessions, whether before or during negotiations, analysts say. Rather, Khatib said, it appears that both the Russians and the Syrian government are intent on buying time in order to continue to grind down the opposition. Russias strategy is to weaken the Syrian opposition to the point of elimination, so that in the future Russia may well be able to argue that there is no one to negotiate with, she said. If the talks dont take place anytime soon, it will be a serious setback for a key goal of the Obama administrations foreign policy. With the Iran nuclear deal now in the implementation phase, putting an end to the bloodshed in Syria has emerged as one of the Obama administrations top priorities. U.S. officials say they recognize that other foreign policy goals, including the defeat of the Islamic State and halting the flow of refugees from Syria, cannot be fulfilled without ending the war, which is thought to have claimed in excess of 250,000 lives and displaced more than 11 million people so far. [How the battle against the Islamic State is redrawing the Middle East map] Instead, it seems likely that the killing will continue, with pro-government forces seeking to capitalize on the steady weakening of rebel forces. The Russian intervention got off to a rocky start last October, with initial attempts by Syrian government forces to advance under Russian air cover stalled by an onslaught of dozens of antitank missiles that had been supplied to U.S.-vetted groups by the United States and its Arab allies. The intervention came after gains by rebel forces had called into question Assads ability to survive, and seemed intended to reinforce his increasingly shaky hold on power. To that extent, the airstrikes have worked. The supply of the missiles has since slowed down, rebel fighters say, as the intensity of the airstrikes has steadily increased. The targeting by Russian warplanes of supply lines from Turkey has impeded access to weapons as well as food and humanitarian supplies, according to the rebels. At the same time, Syrian troops have advanced on several key fronts. After driving the rebels out of a string of villages near the Turkish border in northern Latakia province, last week they recaptured the town of Salma, which had been in rebel hands for nearly three years. Syrian troops have been making advances in and around the key city of Aleppo and have begun to pressure the rebels in some of their strongholds in southern Syria. Even if the talks do take place, it is hard to see how they could progress toward a meaningful solution when the balance of power on the ground and in the diplomatic arena has shifted so decisively in favor of Assad and his allies, said Jeff White, a military analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Under the current military circumstances, there is no reason for the strong alliance to go and negotiate a win-win solution. The stronger alliance is going to go into the negotiations and dictate terms, he said. Either the negotiations will fail because the opposition forces that are there will refuse to become part of a surrender-type solution, or the people on the ground will just say, fine, and continue to fight, he added. Read more: Syria is emptying Russian airstrikes force a halt to aid in Syria, triggering a new crisis What the ruins of Kobane tell us about the destruction of Syria Amid growing global economic gloom, including a slowdown in China and falling oil and commodity prices, major companies throughout Europe are announcing mass layoffs and job cuts. Last Wednesday, US multinational General Electric (GE) announced plans to cut 6,500 jobs in Europe over the next two years, including 1,700 jobs in Germany, 570 in the UK, 765 in France and 1,300 in Switzerland. According to comments from the head of GEs power division last September, this is part of a plan to squeeze out $3 billion in cost savings over five years. GE acquired French engineering company Alstom in a 9.7 billion deal in 2014, promising to create jobs. GE France spokesman Laurent Wormser said job cuts in France will hit mainly administrative jobs in the Paris area, in human resources, public relations and the legal department. After reaching an agreement with the trade unions, French nuclear group Areva announced plans for 6,000 job cuts worldwide, including in Germany, the United States and 2,700 in France. The competitiveness plan deal would net Areva 1 billion in savings by 2017. Frances largely state-owned electricity firm EDF is cutting 4,000 jobs, or 6 percent of its workforce, through attrition over the next three yearstwice the number announced previously. On a 72.8 billion turnover in 2014, EDF amassed a 3.7 billion net profit. This comes after last month's announcement of more job cuts in the French state sector, with French state-owned rail operator SNCF announcement of 1,400 job cuts in France as part of a plan to shed 10,000 jobs by 2020. Air France plans to cut 2,900 jobs between 2016 and 2017, including 1,000 jobs this year, despite making a significant operating profit over the last year. Air Frances recovery is continuing and the current buoyant economic situation allows us to offer a return to growth as from 2017, Air France CEO Frederic Gagey boasted. Tata Steel will cut 1,050 jobs in Britain, hitting plants in Port Talbot, Llanwern, Trostre, Hartlepool and Corby, after announcing hundreds of job cuts last year as steel prices plunged. Ceramics group Royal Doulton will cut up to 1,000 jobs, mostly in Britain, amid the closure of its Baddeley Green factory. While amassing huge profits from speculation and European Union (EU) bailouts, European banks have announced over 30,000 job cuts for 2016, after Europes top 30 banks shed over 80,000 jobs from 2008 to 2014. According to the Financial Times, two of Europes biggest banks, Barclays and BNP Paribas, plan to unveil job cuts to slash 10 to 20 percent of their investment banking costs. The assault on the European working class comes amid escalating signs that the world economy is nearing another major collapse like the one triggered by the 2008 Wall Street crash. Since the New Year, stock markets worldwide have seen massive sell-offs amid plunging prospects of economic growth in China and collapsing prices for oil and basic commodities. As a result of a slowdown in global trade, notably in China, Germanys export-driven economy is highly vulnerable, while Southern European economies, undermined by EU austerity bailouts, remain plagued by mass unemployment and weak consumer demand. In a January 17 article in the South China Morning Post, New View Economics CEO David Brown warned, If Germanys export powerhouse begins to falter, the rest of the euro zone will suffer as internal demand starts to trend lower. With up to 50 percent of euro zone exports traded internally within the single market, the consequences for growth and employment could be severe. Another quick recession should not be ruled out. Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, the worlds biggest private investment fund, told US financial channel CNBC that the crisis was set to worsen. I actually believe theres not enough blood in the streets, he said, adding, youre going to start seeing more layoffs in the middle part of the first quarter, definitely the second quarter. The renewed economic collapse underscores the bankruptcy of capitalism. After the 2008 crisis, the European ruling class imposed harsh austerity policies, while plunging trillions of euros into bank bailouts, claiming this was necessary to prevent a complete collapse. Unemployment and social inequality skyrocketed as industries and living standards were undermined, while the super-rich saw a massive rise in their wealth. Now, however, the economic devastation and financial criminality unleashed by the ruling class are provoking another global economic breakdown, with far-reaching consequencesnot least of which is rising social opposition in the working class. The financial press is nervously reporting social protest in China, which saw 2,774 worker protests last year, including 400 in December alonea monthly record. Geoffrey Crothall of Hong Kongs China Labour Bulletin told Bloomberg, The increase in strikes and protests began last August around the time of the yuan devaluation and subsequent stock market crash and continued to build during the final quarter of the year, as the economy has showed little sign of improvement. Above all, the European ruling class is increasingly concerned about social protest at home. In one widely reported incident in October, after Air France announced thousands of jobs cuts, workers stormed an Air France works council meeting and assaulted two executives, ripping their shirts, amid widespread sympathy from workers across France and internationally. Air France took the unusual decision to sack and mount legal action against several of the workers. These escalating class tensions are driving preparations in the European ruling class to try to use the military to crush strikes and social protests. In 2014, a study by the European Unions Institute for Security Studies called for using military force to put down strikes, stating, Within the framework of the joint foreign and security policy, the responsibilities of the police and armed forces are increasingly being merged, and the capacities to tackle social protest built up. Identifying conflict between unequal socioeconomic classes in global society as the main threat to EU security, it warned, the percentage of the population who were poor and frustrated would continue to be very high, the tensions between this world and the world of the rich would continue to increase, with corresponding consequences. we will have to protect ourselves more strongly. Less than two years later, these issues have taken an acute form. Draconian security policies are being imposed across Europe on the pretext of the war on terror, a far-right regime is emerging in Poland and Frances Socialist Party (PS) government has imposed a three-month state of emergency after the November 13 terror attacks in Paris. This state of emergency bans demonstrations and the PS has cracked down on ecological protests that proceeded in defiance of this ban. It is also preparing a constitutional amendment to extend the state of emergency indefinitely, allowing police to detain and search anyone they view as a potential threat to public order. The ruling class will seek to turn this climate of law-and-order hysteria against workers struggles. Last week, in an unprecedented act of political intimidation, French courts condemned eight former Goodyear tire workers to prison for briefly detaining executives during a strike, setting a precedent for broader crackdowns on social opposition against layoffs and austerity. Hundreds of Social Security recipients in eastern Kentucky are threatened with the loss of their federal disability benefits in the new year, nearly a year after some 1,500 people were ordered to attend hearings to re-certify their eligibility. Several people have committed suicide due to the cuts, with additional risks lingering as the threat of further cuts looms. Dozens gathered January 14 in Prestonsburg, in Floyd County, to meet with a legal team assembled to represent the impoverished residents. Attorney Ned Pillersdorf, who heads the legal counsel, told reporters at the meeting that several people have said they would kill themselves if they lost their benefits. At least three recipients committed suicide last June after receiving benefit termination letters. The suicide chatter is way up, Pillersdorf said Thursday night. It was especially bad around Christmas. Unfortunately people have got this unfortunate response that suicide is somehow a rational response to losing their benefits. We want to reassure people their lawyers are doing everything they can to help them. Around 1,000 disability recipients have no legal representation for their re-certification hearings, and Pillersdorf said it was likely that they could lose their cases as a result. The hearings are part of a federal fraud investigation targeting eastern Kentucky and southwestern West Virginia, one of the poorest areas of the United States. The Social Security Administration announced a mass suspension in May of last year that cut disability benefits to 900 residents in eastern Kentucky. Another 600 recipients also received letters warning that their eligibility was under review. The letters were sent out after a Congressional investigation accused Kentucky attorney Eric C. Conn and former judge David B. Daugherty of fraud in the cases. A 2013 US Senate investigation alleged that Conns office relied on medical evidence from doctors who did not properly examine some beneficiaries, and accused Daugherty of rubber-stamping the cases with little scrutiny. Conn and Daugherty came under scrutiny after a report on CBCs 60 Minutes alleged that the law firm was paid millions of dollars in attorneys fees and was pushing illegitimate claims through the system. The federal suspension letters sent beneficiaries, many of whom subsist exclusively on the paltry monthly payments, into a panic. Posting a Facebook update on May 31, Pillersdorf sounded an alarm about clients despondency. Very concerned about some of the extremely distressed messages I have been receiving, he wrote. Dont hesitate to contact medical professional if feeling too overwhelmed. Fully realize how serious this is. Two days later, Pillersdorf wrote: The first client who contacted me about this fiasco committed suicide yesterday please if you are feeling overwhelmed contact a medical professionalor call a suicide hotline By later that evening, the attorney said two others had died by their own hands. Pillersdorf filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Floyd County Circuit Court on behalf of the beneficiaries, stating that the Social Security Administration violated due process by cutting benefits without hearings for recipients. The lawsuit, which named Conn and his law firm in addition to the SSA, was dismissed on August 6. Conn has not been charged with a crime, and has denied any wrongdoing. There is no evidence that individuals whose benefits have been suspended are committing fraud. In many cases, the claimants are former workers in coal and lumber, physically demanding industries that have high rates of injuries and chronic conditions. Never have so many economically vulnerable people, in one of the most economically distressed areas of our nation, had to endure as much turmoil, economic uncertainty, suicides and distress, Pillersdorf commented in a court motion. Leroy Burchett, 41, was one of Conns former clients who committed suicide after receiving the suspension notice. His wife, Emma, said his monthly check amounted to $1,036. A disabled worker for Tri State Guardrail, Burchett depended on the checks after suffering significant physical injuries six years ago, according to the legal complaint. Without the payments, he could not afford antidepressants or other basic care. He became despondent, and shot and killed himself. Melissa Jude also died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after receiving the suspension letter. On June 2, the day she died, she had gone to the doctor to try to retrieve medical proof of her disability. The doctor told her it would take longer than the 10-day deadline that the federal investigation had imposed on clients to file for an appeal. After leaving the office, Jude pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and shot herself. Most of the people being reviewed for benefits cannot afford an attorney. Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky Executive Director Robert Johns said the agency has been deluged with unprecedented numbers of requests for help, and about 80 attorneys have been working without compensation to help. More than 8 percent of residents in Kentucky and West Virginia receive disability checks. In Floyd County, 11 percent of the population receives the benefit. In Kentuckys 5th Congressional District, located in the eastern part of the state, roughly a quarter of the areas 715,000 people draw some sort of Social Security benefits, including retirement and disability checks. One of the predictions offered recently by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings sounds like the plot of a sci-fi TV series that youd want to binge watch on the popular streaming service: the battle for Earth will be fought between AI machines and genetically modified humans. Cant we all just get along? DONT MISS: 15 paid iPhone apps that are on sale for free today Hastings is not the only CEO of a top tech company afraid of machines, but hes not predicting imminent doom. While speaking at the DLD Conference in Munich, Germany, Hastings said hes not worried about a Terminator-like apocalypse. Some people worry about what happens when machine intelligence is too strong, Hastings said, according to VentureBeat Thats like worrying about our Mars colony and people being overweight on our Mars colony. We can deal with that later. However, he said that the world between 5 and 15 years away from a time where we wont be able to tell whether theres a machine involved in a three-person conversation or not. But human intelligence will keep up with AI, which were also developing. According to Hastings, were going to upgrade the human race by modifying the genetic code and thus create smarter and healthier humans. Future of intelligence is a race brewing between carbon-based lifeforms and silicon-based lifeforms, Hastings said. Both are rapidly evolving. Its unclear which type of intelligence will emerge dominant in 100, 150 years. Hastings is on to something, as are other people worried about AI as well. But the fact remains were not done inventing and upgrading robots. And some of them will take our jobs in the foreseeable future, Business Insider reports. Thats a different worry humankind has. In a detailed report on The Future of Jobs, the World Economic Forum said that robots will steal five million human jobs in 15 major markets including Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States by 2020. Story continues The WEF actually estimated that 7.1 million jobs would be lost through redundancy, automation and disintermediation while 2.1 million new jobs will be created in areas such as computing, mathematics, architecture and engineering to offset losses partially. Without urgent and targeted action today to manage the near-term transition and build a workforce with futureproof skills, governments will have to cope with ever-growing unemployment and inequality, and businesses with a shrinking consumer base, WEF founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab said. Genetically altered humans will probably be able to adapt quickly to such a landscape, at least assuming these predictions all come true. Related stories Netflix teases Pee-wee Herman's triumphant return in new video There are six billion reasons to get a Netflix subscription right now Will Netflix's VPN ban be bad for business? More from BGR: Snoop Dogg narrating Planet Earth is the Internets most addictive video series This article was originally published on BGR.com (Reuters) - Sprint Corp plans to save up to $1 billion in costs by relocating its radio towers to low-cost government-owned properties from space leased from private firms, Re/code reported, citing sources. The U.S. telecom company plans to relocate towers from the more expensive space leased from Crown Castle International Corp and American Tower Corp as soon as June or July, Re/code said on Friday. (http://on.recode.net/1SmFRB4) But the move, dubbed the Next Generation Network, would result in a wave of network hiccups, Re/code reported, citing a person familiar with the company's plan. Sprint is expected to lease communications towers from cell-tower company Mobilitie, the technology website said. Sprint, Mobilitie, American Tower and Crown Castle were not immediately available for comment. Shares of Sprint, the fourth-largest U.S. telecom carrier, were down 8.1 percent at $2.93 in late afternoon trading. In November, Sprint announced plans to slash expenses by as much as $2.5 billion in fiscal 2016, to end six straight years of losses. The company expects to report an operating loss in 2015. Sprint said it was determined to "attack its cost base" and was looking at areas such as labor costs, network operating expenses, information technology and administrative expenses to reduce costs. "We'll go after everything including snacks and yogurt cups" for employees, Chief Financial Officer Tarek Robbiati had told Reuters in an interview in November. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza) Despite what sometimes felt like a constant threat of terrorism in 2015, the travel sector held its own. Indeed, 1.2 billion people visited countries that were not their own last year, up 4.4 percent from the previous year, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Europe saw one of the biggest boosts, probably due in part to the weak euro, which made spending money there a good deal for many tourists. Six hundred and nine million people traveled to Europe in 2015, up 5 percent from 2014. Related: Eww! New Study Finds Expensive Hotels Have More Germs The strong dollar fueled a spike in visits to the Caribbean and Central America, with 7 percent growth. The Americas saw 5 percent growth in visitors (up to 191 million tourists), as did Asia and the Pacific (277 million). Even the conflict-ridden Middle East saw 3 percent more visitors than the previous year. Though limited information is available, Africa tourism to Africa saw a 3 percent drop in tourism (perhaps due partially to the Ebola scare?). Travel to North Africa decline a full 8 percent, according to the UNWTO. This year, the UNWTO expects to see a continued rise in tourism numbers to Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Related: The 20 Biggest Mistakes You Can Make While Traveling in Europe WATCH: Caribbean Travel: Smart Ways to Save In recent weeks, there have been reports of fish, grown in local fish farms, which have been dying in massive numbers and floating to the surface of the water, mainly in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate Egypts Prime Minister Sherif Ismail called on Monday on a number of ministers to take future precautionary measures to prevent mass deaths of fish in the Nile River that took place over the past few weeks. In recent weeks, there have been reports of fish, grown in local fish farms, which have been dying in massive numbers and floating to the surface of the water, mainly in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate. The Ministry of Environment said in a Sunday statement that the mass deaths occurred because the cages were overpopulated, meaning that there is less oxygen for the fish. The statement also said that the farmers submerged the cages to very low depths, so that they wouldnt be caught over-farming fish. Such low depths, according to the ministry, have lower oxygen levels, and coupled with over-population, can cause mass deaths. Samples have been taken from the dead fish to further investigate the reasons for the occurrence. The dead fish have already been removed from the Nile, according to state news agency MENA, and water is constantly tested to check for its quality. Authorities have also been inspecting local markets to ensure that the fish sold there are healthy. Search Keywords: Short link: The Chinese president's visit to Egypt comes as part of a larger tour of the Middle East that will also include trips to Iran and Saudi Arabia Chinese president Xi Jinping will arrive in Cairo on Wednesday to meet his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to discuss regional matters and bilateral relations, then will head to Luxor on Thursday, MENA reported. The Chinese president's trip is part of a larger Middle East tour, the first of its kind in 10 years. His tour of the region will also include visits to Saudi Arabia and Iran. The vice-president of the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday in a press conference that the regional tour will be an opportunity for dialogue with the three countries' leaders about regional matters and areas of mutual interest. While in Cairo, China's president will give a speech directed to the Arab world, at the Arab League headquarters, that will explain China's policy towards the Middle East, and its will to support peace and development in the region. He will also attend the launching of the second phase of the Egyptian-Chinese commercial and economic project in Ain Sokhna town, located in the North-West of the Gulf of Suez, a six square kilometres area that is preparing to attract industrial investments amounting to around $30 billion. The Chinese president will arrive in Luxor on Thursday to attend a celebration at Luxor temple for the beginning of the new Egyptian-Chinese cultural year and the 60th anniversary of Egyptian-Chinese relations. The Egyptian Culture Minister Helmy El-Nemnem arrived in Luxor on Monday to receive his Chinese counterpart who will arrive to Luxor on Tuesday. Both ministers will prepare for Thursday's celebration. El-Nemnem said the choice of Luxor temple to hold the celebration comes in the context of supporting tourism by shedding light on Luxor's Pharaonic monuments for the world to see. Search Keywords: Short link: The secretary-general of the parliament said that the initial decision to bar journalists from the House of Representatives was not one made by MPs but by parliamentary police The speaker of Egypt's new parliament Ali Abdel-Al said on Monday that a "problem" regarding 12 journalists who were prevented from entering the House of Representatives on Sunday has been solved and that the reporters were able to proceed with their work. The Journalists Syndicate released a statement after the incident expressing its "dismay" that the journalists were prevented from covering parliamentary activities, "especially after rumours that this was per security instructions." The statement continued, "If this is true, it carries with it serious connotations on citizens' rights to know what is going on in their House of Representatives." Abdel-Al stated that they had been prevented because security was under the impression that the reporters were not members of the Journalists' Syndicate, MENA reported. He added, however, after a phone call with the president of the syndicate, Yehia Qalash, it became clear that they are members and they were then allowed to enter. Ahmed Saad El-Din, the secretary-general of the house, said that the incident was an "individual one," adding that it was "unacceptable." He continued to say that the decision was not a parliamentarian one, but that it came after a decision from the parliament's police. Earlier in the week, Abdel-Al said that parliamentary sessions are to remain off-air for 15 days until MPs review the laws and presidential decrees made in the parliaments absence. After this, live broadcasting will presume normally. Egypt has been without a legislature since the dissolution of the Islamist dominated parliament in 2012. Since then, the president has held full legislative powers. The new parliament is expected to discuss and approve all the legislations passed by the president within 15 days of its commencement, according to article 156 of the 2014 Egyptian constitution. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypts women rights New Woman Foundation condemned on Monday the sexual assault and beating against a female teacher in Daqahliya governorate by high school students, and called for measures to protect female teachers Egyptian NGO the New Woman Foundation condemned on Monday an alleged sexual assault of a female teacher in Daqahliya governorate by high school students, and called for measures to protect female teachers. The 23-year-old teacher spoke about her experience via a phone call to 90 Minutes, broadcast on private channel Mehwar TV, without giving her name. She said she was supervising the mid-year exams of school pupils in their second year of high school on Sunday, along with another female colleague, when chaos erupted in the exam room, with students attempting to wreak havoc and take selfies. The teacher started withdrawing the exam papers when some of the boys sexually harassed her, while others were videotaping the incident using their mobile phones. They started harassing me, and touching my body; I started to scream but no one came to help, my [female] colleague ran outside the room and started to scream too, she stated. The teacher said one of the boys began hitting her when she scratched him with her nails. A male colleague finally rescued the teacher, who filed a police report against the students. She said she could only identify the faces of three of her attackers, including the one who was photographing her and the one who hit her, as she did not teach that group of pupils regularly. The deputy education minister assigned to the governorate transferred her to another school in the same village, Talkha High School for Girls, after the incident. The police investigations are still ongoing. A medical examination was performed on the teacher, and showed heavy bruises from being hit. The New Woman Foundation stated that this is not the first time that a female teacher has been sexually harassed or beaten up by a mob of students inside a classroom. Sexual harassment was criminalised in 2014. The new law imposes jail terms of six months, and/or fines of LE3,000 to LE5,000 ($380 to $630) on those who are found guilty. Outside the classroom, more than 99 percent of women surveyed across seven of the country's 27 governorates reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and assault, ranging from minor harassment to rape, according to an April 2013 report by the United Nations along with Egypt's Demographic Centre and the National Planning Institute. Search Keywords: Short link: The Egyptian Administrative Court annulled on Tuesday a former media gag order imposed on a case referred to in the Egyptian media as the the 2012 presidential elections fraud case. In its reasoning, the court said that all information and data related to the public is considered a method of forming public opinion, therefore citizens and media outlets have the right to broadcast and discuss reliable sources of information they acquire, so that every citizen will be able to articulate his opinion on public matters. The court explained that: "The prosecutor-general is not allowed to usurp the power of the investigating judge by imposing a media gag on a certain case if he is the one who is undergoing investigations in the case." "Every obstruction of the right of citizens and media outlets to reach correct information and truthful news without a legal basis or justification established for the public's interest is against the constitution, and squanders the rights given to citizens and media," the court added. In October 2014, the former prosecutor-general Hisham Barakat imposed a media gag on investigations conducted by the prosecution following an appeal by failed presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq's lawyer Shawki El-Sayed against the results of the 2012 presidential elections. The media gag was imposed by the prosecutor-general after Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm said it would publish documents about the case. Mohamed Morsi won the 2012 elections following a tense run-off with Shafiq. Many voters, though with some reluctance, voted for him as the lesser of two evils compared with Shafiq, a familiar face from ex-president Hosni Mubaraks toppled regime. El-Sayed claimed that the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group committed electoral fraud during the elections which resulted in Morsi's victory. Search Keywords: Short link: All 20 were abducted in a Al-Jufrah city earlier this month Related Egypt attempting to verify news of Egyptians abducted in Libya Twenty Egyptians who had been held captive by Libyan militia groups were greeted by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi at Cairo airport on Tuesday after their release. We wont leave any Egyptians in danger in Libya or anywhere else, El-Sisi told journalists at the airport. The president added that hard efforts, in cooperation with the Libyan army and General Hafter, had brought about the release of the twenty. The Egyptians were abducted from the city of Al-Jufrah, 750km from Libya's capital Tripoli, earlier this month. They come from the same village, Dakuff, in the governorate of Minya in Upper Egypt. Libya has become deeply fractured since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Since the summer of 2014 it has had two rival governments and parliaments, operating from the capital Tripoli and from the east. Both are backed by loose alliances of armed brigades of rebels who once fought Gaddafi. For decades, Libya has been a major destination for Egyptian migrant workers due to its once booming oil economy, geographical proximity and open borders. Last year ISIS militants beheaded 20 Egyptian Christians and one Ethiopian Christian near the Libyan city of Sirte, in a video circulated by the group's propagandists. The Egyptian foreign ministry has repeatedly called on all expats still living in Libya to return home. Search Keywords: Short link: Related Cairo University bans teachers from wearing the face veil Egypt's Administrative Court upheld Tuesday a decision by the president of Cairo University to ban its academic staff from wearing the face veil, or niqab, during classes. It is not allowed for academic staff and their assistants, at all faculties and institutions, to teach theoretical or practical classes or to attend laboratories or practical trainings while wearing the niqab, the university's decision stated. Lawyer Ahmed Mahran had filed four lawsuits against university president Gaber Nassar with the administrative court on the grounds that the October decision was unconstitutional. Mahran represents 80 researchers who wear the niqab. Nassar has said the decision was made for the sake of "general welfare" and is meant to "ease communication with students" and "advance the educational process," adding that the ban is restricted to classrooms at the times of lectures, so teachers are still allowed to wear their niqab on campus. Search Keywords: Short link: As part of his tour of Egypt beginning Wednesday, President XI Jinping requested that he pay a visit to the country's new parliament Chinese President Xi Jinping has requested to visit Egypt's newly formed parliament during his two-day trip to the country this week, speaker Ali Abdel-Al disclosed in a meeting with MPs on Tuesday. "By paying this visit, I think the Chinese president wants to send a message to the world that China is supporting Egypt and wants to build a strategic relationship with it at all levels," said Abdel-Al. According to Abdel-Al, the Egyptian parliament the House of Representatives is also expected to receive a number of high-ranking figures from around the world in the next few days. "We expect to receive China's president during his visit to Egypt this week and this will be the first visit of its kind, marking the historical relations between Egypt and China," Abdel-Al said, adding that "the speaker of the Russian Duma, Sergy Naryshikin, will also visit Egypt to express congratulations on the election of a new parliament in Egypt." According to Abdel-Al, the visits of president of China, the speaker of Russia's parliament, and president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union reflect how world leaders and politicians have welcomed the latest political developments in Egypt, particularly the election of a new parliament. "I am afraid that some at home don't appreciate these developments as highly as foreign leaders and parliamentarians," said Abdel-Al. On Saturday, a delegation from the British House of Commons met Abdel-Al and discussed issues related to terrorism, the status of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation in the UK, and restoring British tourist traffic to Egypt in the near future. The British delegation also met with Prime Minister Sherif Ismail. Abdel-Al also indicated Tuesday that president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Saber Chowdhury, will also meet with him very soon to discuss the full resumption of relations between the Egyptian parliament and the IPU. Abdel-Al said Chowdhury sent him a message which spoke highly of the democratic parliamentary elections which took place in Egypt last year. "The message also stated that Egypt is one of 22 Arab countries which are members of the IPU and that it was the first Arab country to join the IPU in 1924. Its role in the IPU has always been active, not to mention that its speakers were elected presidents of the IPU many times, the last of which was between 1994 and 1997," Abdel-Al said. Chowdhury is currently visiting Egypt and he met on Tuesday with speaker of the Arab Parliamentary Union, Ahmed Al-Garawan, at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo. Abdel-Al said at the end of the morning session that Chowdhury will also visit the House on Tuesday and that he will attend a part of the evening plenary sitting. He also indicated that he has received phone calls from speakers of the Pan-African Parliament (Monseir Roger Nkodo) and from Al-Garawan on behalf of the Arab Parliamentary Union, congratulating him on his election as speaker and expressing their wish to meet him very soon. Abdel-Al told MPs that Nkondo informed him that he will visit Egypt this month to congratulate him and congratulate President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on completing the country's three-part political roadmap by electing a new parliament. Abdel-Al seized the morning session to defend parliament's endorsement on Sunday and Monday of 248 laws that have been passed since the implementation of the Egyptian constitution in January 2014. Abdel-Al indicated that another 93 laws must be debated and voted before 25 January so that parliament can meet the obligation stipulated by article 156 of the constitution which states that all presidential decrees (341) passed between 16 January 2014 and the end of 2015 must be reviewed by parliament in 15 days. "If we failed to meet this obligation, the entire legislative and constitutional structure of this state would collapse," said Abdel-Al. Search Keywords: Short link: An explosion hit an armoured security vehicle travelling along a highway in Al-Arish A police officer and two police conscripts were injured on Tuesday afternoon when an IED detonated in Al-Arish in North Sinai, state-owned agency MENA reported. In statements to MENA, the Ministry of Interior's media centre stated that the IED detonated beside the international highway in the city, while an armoured security vehicle was nearby. The injured were transferred to hospital to receive treatment, the ministry said. The security forces are currently investigating the incident. Militants have killed hundreds of police and army personnel in the past three years in North Sinai, while the authorities have announced that hundreds of militants have been killed in military campaigns in the governorate. The Islamist group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, affiliated to the Islamic State group, has claimed responsibility for most attacks against security forces in Sinai. Search Keywords: Short link: The Chinese president will have a busy two days in Egypt Chinese President Xi Jinping will start his two-day visit to Egypt on Wednesday, discussing bilateral ties and regional matters with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. His visit comes as part of a 10-day tour in the Middle East which includes stops in Saudi Arabia and Iran. The two presidents will meet for talks on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, Xi will address the newly elected Egyptian House of Representatives, according to the parliament's speaker, Ali Abdel-Aal. Xi is the first foreign official to visit the House of Representatives. He will also give a speech directed to the Arab world at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, which will set out China's policy towards the Middle East, and its desire to support peace and development in the region. Both presidents will attend the signing of a number of economic agreements, including one related to civil aviation, several electricity projects, and an agreement related to the construction of Egypt's new administrative capital. Earlier on Tuesday, the Egyptian and Chinese commerce ministries organised in a meeting between Egyptian and Chinese businessmen to discuss investment cooperation. A Chinese delegation made up of 20 representatives from 11 Chinese corporations workings in the fields of agriculture, textiles and light industry participated in the forum. In statements to MENA, Egypt's ambassador to Beijing, Mady Amar, revealed that the two countries would put in place a five-year bilateral cooperation programme, based upon the strategic cooperation agreement signed by the two presidents during El-Sisi's visit to China in December 2014. The Egyptian ambassador also revealed that China will lend the Central Bank of Egypt one billion dollars to support the foreign reserve. He also added that agreements for $700 million loans to the National Bank of Egypt and for another $100 million loans to Banque Misr to fund micro and medium-sized projects. The Chinese president will also attend the launching of the second phase of the Egyptian-Chinese commercial and economic project in Ain Sokhna. The project will develop a six-square kilometre area to attract industrial investments amounting to around $30 billion. The two presidents will hold a press conference on Thursday at Kasr Al-Kobba Palace in Cairo according to the Egyptian presidency. Also on Thursday, in celebration of 60 years of diplomatic relations between Egypt and China, renowned artists and troupes from both countries will stage a grand scale performance at the ancient Luxor temple, which both presidents will attend. This is the first visit by the Chinese president to the Middle East since 10 years ago. Search Keywords: Short link: EU foreign ministers on Monday agreed a statement on the stalled Middle East peace process and Israeli settlements after resolving differences over wording which some felt was too critical of Israel. "We unanimously approved (the statement), it is a good and common basis for our common position and our engagement in the region," EU external affairs head Federica Mogherini said after a meeting of bloc foreign ministers in Brussels. The statement expressed the EU's deep concern at continuing violence, holding both sides to account for their actions. "The EU firmly condemns the terror attacks and violence from all sides and in any circumstances, including the death of children," it said. "The EU is convinced that only the reestablishment of a political horizon and the resumption of dialogue can stop the violence." The 28-nation bloc restated its commitment to a two-state solution and said it would closely monitor developments on the ground which undermine that outcome. The statement had been expected to be passed without discussion but differences emerged over the weekend, notably on the consequences of an EU decision to label products from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories as "Made in Israel." French state secretary for European Affairs Harlem Desir, standing in for his foreign minister Laurent Fabius, said some countries, including Greece, wanted to see changes to the text, thinking it too critical of Israel. One EU diplomatic source told AFP: "The text has been watered down slightly but the language remains very close to what it was (previously)." "Greece had some problems and they got most of what they wanted; they felt there was too much emphasis on violence by (Jewish) settlers," the source said. when the labelling decision was announced late last year Israel reacted very sharply, saying it was hostile and smacked of a boycott. As a result, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended diplomatic contacts with the EU on the Middle East peace process which has been stalled since April 2014. At the weekend, the Haaretz newspaper said the Israeli government was trying to prevent EU foreign ministers from approving a text which would highlight the distinction between Israel proper and settlements in the occupied territories, exposing them to possible sanctions. In Monday's statement, foreign ministers reiterated that the settlements were "illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two state solution impossible." "The EU and its member States are committed to ensure continued, full and effective implementation of existing EU legislation and bilateral arrangements applicable to settlements products," it said. Ministers also agreed that the EU would ensure that all agreements with Israel should "unequivocally and explicitly" state that they did not apply to the occupied territories. Search Keywords: Short link: Libya's Presidential Council announced a new government of national accord on Tuesday aimed at uniting the country's warring factions under a U.N.-backed plan. The Tunis-based council had pushed back the deadline for naming the government by 48 hours, amid reports of disputes over the distribution of ministerial posts. Only seven of the council's nine members signed the document, which named a total of 32 ministers. Libya has become deeply fractured since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Since the summer of 2014 it has had two rival governments and parliaments, operating from the capital Tripoli and from the east. Both are backed by loose alliances of armed brigades of rebels who once fought Gaddafi. Western powers hope the new government will be able to deliver stability and tackle a growing threat from ISIS militants. But many members of Libya's competing parliaments did not back the agreement, with critics saying the plan does not evenly represent all the country's groups and factions. It is also unclear how and when a new government will be able to establish itself in Libya. Tripoli is controlled by a faction called Libya Dawn, and the head of the self-declared government that it backs said last week that preparations by the Presidential Council to secure the capital violated military law. Search Keywords: Short link: Companies operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank contribute to "an inherently unlawful and abusive system" violating Palestinian rights and should halt activity there, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The new report from the US-based rights group describes Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank that lead to government support of settlements, the "unlawful confiscation" of Palestinian land and denial of permits to Palestinians. According to the report, which cites examples of foreign firms linked to settlements, including cement and real estate companies, "Israel's privileged treatment of settlers extends to virtually every aspect of life in the West Bank." "Settlement businesses unavoidably contribute to Israeli policies that dispossess and harshly discriminate against Palestinians, while profiting from Israel's theft of Palestinian land and other resources," HRW's Arvind Ganesan said in a statement. "The only way for businesses to comply with their own human rights responsibilities is to stop working with and in Israeli settlements." Israel's foreign ministry said officials were studying the report, but called it "one-sided." "At a time when Israel and the international community are taking practical steps to bolster the Palestinian economy and increase Palestinian employment, Israel is concerned with this one-sided, politicised report, which jeopardises the livelihoods of thousands of Palestinians and discourages rare examples of coexistence, coordination and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians," it said. Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Six Day War and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers now live in the territory and in the occupied east Jerusalem. The 1990s Oslo accords divided the West Bank into zones known as Areas A, B and C. Area C -- some 60 percent of the West Bank -- is under full Israeli military and civilian control. The accords were intended to lead to a permanent resolution within five years, but more than two decades later, peace efforts are at a standstill and a fresh wave of Palestinian protests erupted in October. Some analysts say frustration with Israel's continuing occupation as well as the Palestinians' fractured leadership have been key reasons for the violence. Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media for the continuing attacks. West Bank settlements are seen as illegal under international law as well as major stumbling blocks in peace efforts since they are built on land Palestinians view as part of their future state. HRW points to foreign firms operating in Area C of the West Bank to the benefit of settlements while "Israel all but bars Palestinians from building or extracting natural resources" in the zone. Two examples it points out include Germany's Heidelberg Cement and US-based Remax real estate. Heidelberg told HRW that it believed its Nahal Raba quarry "does not infringe the human rights and livelihoods of the Palestinian people" and provided Palestinians with well-paid jobs. Remax did not respond to HRW or to an email from AFP, but has said previously that its offices are independently owned and operated. It said it "understands the serious nature of the controversy surrounding real estate operations in the West Bank and has been working to a find a resolution that is acceptable to all parties." *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah said on Tuesday that confronting Islamist militants in government-controlled regions of the war-torn country was inevitable in the future. Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) group are both active in Yemen, but so far the Yemeni government and its allies have concentrated on battling Iran-backed Shia Houthi rebels. Eliminating the extremism of the Islamist militants groups will not be resolved though dialogue, Bahah told reporters in Abu Dhabi. "A confrontation is inevitable, whether it takes place today or tomorrow," he said. "Today we are facing various forms of terrorism aimed at shedding blood, killing innocent people, destroying cities... and endangering liberated regions" of the country, Bahah added. The Saudi-led coalition supporting the government with air strikes and ground troops has so far not targeted the Islamist militants even though Al-Qaeda seized the southeastern port city of Mukalla in April. Loyalist forces have regained control since July of five provinces including the government's temporary capital Aden. But the government faces a growing Islamist insurgency presence in the city where there have been several attacks and assassinations targeting officials. "The presence of these groups has hampered efforts to rebuild liberated" towns destroyed by months of deadly fighting between rebels and loyalists, said Bahah who himself escaped a bombing claimed by ISIS in Aden last year. Bahah, who is also vice president, insisted that his government hoped to return to Sanaa "peacefully... through political consultations." He did not give a date for the postponed next round of UN-brokered peace talks between the government and the insurgents. The Yemeni government sat down with the rebels and their allies last month in Switzerland for six days of talks that ended without a major breakthrough. Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi said Saturday that the talks, initially scheduled to start on January 14, had been pushed back until January 20 or 23 More than 5,800 people have been killed in Yemen since the start of the Saudi-led bombing campaign, about half of them civilians, according to the United Nations. Search Keywords: Short link: Nearly 100,000 Ethiopians and Somalis last year travelled by boat to Yemen despite the conflict raging there, the UN said Tuesday, warning about the dangers of the journey. "Clearly it's extremely dangerous, both for the journey and for what they meet inside Yemen," UN refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards told AFP. His warning came less than two weeks after 36 people drowned trying to reach Yemen on January 8. Ninety-five people meanwhile were reported drowned trying to make the journey last year, making it the second deadliest year recorded to date on that route, Edwards said. The high death toll reflects the large numbers still trying to reach Yemen, even as the country has collapsed into a brutal civil war. According to the latest UNHCR data, 92,446 people arrived in Yemen by boat last year -- a full two-thirds of them since the conflict in the country escalated dramatically in March. That marks one of the highest annual totals in more than a decade, UNHCR said. Nearly 90 percent of the arrivals, 82,268, were from Ethiopia, while the remainder were Somalis, it added. Edwards described the figures as "disturbing", lamenting that "people still seem to be uninformed about the severity of the situation in Yemen." Some 6,000 people -- around half of them civilians -- have been killed in Yemen since conflict there escalated last March with the start of a Saudi-led campaign against rebels, according to UN numbers. More than 2.5 million others have become internally displaced and another 168,000 have fled Yemen since March, the UN said. Edwards said smugglers were clearly organising the boatloads of people headed to the war-torn country and suggested the information they had and were sharing about the situation on the ground was not completely accurate. "People continue to arrive despite unprecedented escalated internal conflict in Yemen, and tragically more people continue to lose their lives trying to cross the sea in overcrowded, unseaworthy boats," Edwards told reporters in Geneva. In the incident on January 8, 106 people had been on a boat heading for Yemen when it ran into difficulties, Edwards said, quoting information from Somaliland authorities. There were 70 survivors -- all but one of whom was Ethiopian Oromo -- and 36 people perished, he said. Search Keywords: Short link: Tunisia has declared a curfew in the western city after clashes between police and more than 1,000 young protesters demonstrating for jobs. The interior ministry says the clashes in Kasserine on Tuesday left 20 protesters injured as well as three police. Tensions have risen in Kasserine since Sunday when an unemployed youth killed himself by scaling an electricity transmission tower to protest his rejection for a government job. The self-immolation five years ago by another unemployed youth in the neighboring town of Sidi Bouzid set off a popular uprising that overthrew Tunisia's longtime ruler Zine El Abine Ben Ali, and eventually gave rise to the "Arab Spring" uprisings across North Africa. Search Keywords: Short link: Leading children's charities warned Tuesday that young refugees crossing through the Balkans were at serious risk from the bitterly cold weather and lacking adequate shelter in the snowy conditions. "It's an absolutely desperate situation," Valentina Bollenback, a spokeswoman for Save the Children, told AFP by telephone from southern Serbia near the Macedonian border, where the ground is currently covered with about six inches (15 centimetres) of snow. She said refugees were forced to trudge through the snow for two kilometres (about 1 mile) to cross the border into Serbia. They then travel to the Presevo registration centre, where she had seen shivering children with chattering teeth and blue lips. "There's an increasing risk of hypothermia, pneumonia, and other life-threatening illnesses," Bollenback told AFP. While tents were being heated and local authorities were "stepping up" their efforts, she said a better system was needed to give a "dignified and humane" response to refugees. UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, also released a statement warning that children arriving in southeast Europe were "physically exhausted, scared, distressed and often in need of medical assistance". "The recent sub-zero temperatures and sometimes snowy conditions (are) exacerbating the children's poor physical condition as many children on the move do not have adequate clothing, or access to age-appropriate nutrition," the statement added. "This has been worsened by the lack of shelter and inadequate heating in some reception centres as well as buses and trains." More than one million migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in 2015, nearly half of them Syrians, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Despite the cold weather, men, women and children continue to travel from Greece across the Balkans in hope of reaching more prosperous western European countries, particularly Germany. Mirjana Milenkovski, a spokeswoman for UNHCR in Serbia, said nearly 7,000 refugees had entered the Presevo reception centre from Friday to Monday, adding that the "situation was under control". Search Keywords: Short link: Revenues fell to $6.1 billion in 2015, as number of tourists slide to reach 9.3 million and total tourist nights see 14 percent drop Egypts tourism receipts were down 15 percent in 2015 compared with the previous year as a falling Russian rouble and escalating terrorist attacks took their toll on the sector, the country's tourism ministry announced on Tuesday. Egypt saw $6.1 billion in tourism revenue last year, as the total number of tourists dropped by 6 percent to 9.3 million and the total number of tourist nights declined by 14 percent. The sector suffered a number of setbacks in 2015, including several terrorist attacks by Sinai-based militants affiliated with ISIS, culminating in the downing of a Russian airliner travelling from the popular Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in October, which claimed 224 lives. The plane crash was claimed by local ISIS affiliates; Russia has said that terrorism was the cause of the incident, while the official investigation led by Egypt has yet to publish its findings. The incident prompted the UK, Russia and others to suspend flights to Egypt, leading to losses of LE2.2 billion ($283 million) a month according to the ministrys statement, as tourist numbers and revenues halved in November and December. A falling Russian rouble also caused revenues to decline by 20 percent in January and February of 2015 compared with the previous year, said the ministry. Egypts Red Sea beach resorts are a popular destination among Russian holidaymakers, who made up close to a third of the 9.9 million tourists who visited Egypt in 2014. But in recent months dozens of hotels have been forced to shut their doors in the resort towns of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, where occupancy rates have fallen to as low as 10 and 15 percent, Elhamy El-Zayat, chairman of Egypt's Federation of Tourism Chambers (EFTC), told Ahram Online in a telephone interview. Egypts manpower ministry announced on Tuesday that it had signed off on LE10 million ($1.3 million) in subsidies to 14,000 workers employed in 126 touristic establishments who had stopped receiving their pay in light of the crisis, in addition to LE23 million ($2.9 million) already distributed to 32,000 workers since the beginning of the year, Aswat Masriya reported. Tourism is an important source of foreign currency revenue for Egypt, which has been seeking billions in foreign financing facilities to address a severe hard currency shortage and to maintain FX reserves at $16.4 billion over the past three months. In 2010, around 14.7 million tourists visited Egypt, generating $12.5 billion in revenues. Search Keywords: Short link: The Victoria and Albert museums' announced on Tuesday that eleven artists have been shortlisted for the biannual Jameel prize, including two Egyptians Egyptian artists Wael Shawky and Bahia Shehab were among the 11 artists and designers shortlisted to receive this year's Victoria and Albert Museums (V&A) Jameel Prize awarded every two years -- that is in its fourth round. Shakwy, who is based in Alexandria, presented his project Cabaret Crusades: The Path to Cairo (2012), the second chapter of a trilogy in which he tackles the histories of the crusades from an Arab perspective based on Amin Maaloufs 1983 book The Crusades Through Arab Eyes. He uses crafted glass marionettes, with objects and drawings accompanied by music, to present the detailed horrors of these historic religious wars. A designer and associate professor at The American University in Cairo, Shehabs work tackles contemporary design issues with traditional Arabic script and calligraphy. Her project, titled A Thousand Times No (2010), traces the history of the Arabic letter lam-alif, which spells the word for "no" in Arabic. The project also displays on a plexiglass curtain a thousand different shapes of the word in Islamic history. In addition, the project includes a book that documents the artists research of the letters. The other artists shortlisted for the prize are David Chalmers Alesworth, Rasheed Araeen, Lara Assouad, Canan, Cevdet Erek, Shahand Hesamiyan, Lucia Koch, Ghulan Mohammad and Shahpour Pouyan. The shortlist was selected by a judging panel headed by V&A director Martin Roth, from 280 nominations. The prize is worth 25,000 euros and is granted to a contemporary artist or designer with work inspired by Islamic traditions of craft and design. The winner will be announced on 7 June, one day before the The Jameel Prize 4 exhibition, which will run until 14 August and is to be held for the first time outside the V&A premises at Turkeys Pera Museum. In the future, the exhibition, which already went on international tours every year since the prize was launched, will rotate between the V&A and international guest venues. According to the V&A press release, works on show will range from delicate paper collages to an animated video installation with marionettes and from ceramics, calligraphy and sculpture to artists books. This years shortlist includes not just a diversity of practices from sound to film to minimalist sculptures, but also evidences a growing confidence in the artists, many with strong reputations in the global art world, to assert their multiple identities both contemporary and rooted in Muslim cultures, Hammad Nasar said, one of the prizes judges. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Directed by Tamer El-Said and starring Khalid Abdalla, the film 'In the Last Days of the City' will screen within Berlinale Forum section Akher Ayyam El-Medina (In the Last Days of the City) has been chosen as the only entry by an Egyptian director to take part in the 46th annual Berlinale Forum, part of next month's 66th Berlin International Film Festival. The film will be screened among the 44 films in the forum's main programme. The screening will be its world premiere. According to a note about the film released by the Berlinale organisers, El-Said's feature sees his alter-ego Khalid star as a Cairo-based film-maker strugging to make a film about the city, which is in a state of uproar. El-Said first introduced the project to Abdalla as early as 2007, but the British-Egyptian actor was then busy with Green Zone, a 2010 British-French-American war thriller. In Ahram Online's interview with Khalid Abdalla published in December, he called his work with El-Said "an extraordinary collaboration. The fim's production was paralelled by many transformations in Abdalla's career, one of them being establishment of Zero Productions, an independent production company in Cairo. Abdalla revealed in the same interview that when they began shooting "none of the money [was] in place, thinking that somehow just by ourselves, wed be able to carry it. This experience quickly brought Abdalla face to face with the infrastructure that lies underneath filmmaking and why its so difficult to make that kind of film in Egypt and in this region. As Abdalla and El-Said proceeded to respond to those production challenges, which ranged from locations falling apart, to actors dropping out, to having to change the script. And how the level of the quality of the image that you produce demands extraordinary preparation, which requires people who have the experience and the skill to do that, Zero Production, became a hub where people would hang out, talk and edit. The shooting of the film began in 2008, taking the filmmakers to Cairo, Alexandria, Beirut, Baghdad and Berlin and bringing together many talents from the Arab world. Co-produced by Zero Production, the film was written by El-Said and Rasha Salti. The film's art director is late renowned artist Salah Marei. A graduate in film direction from the High Institute of Cinema in 2008, El-Said is an Egyptian filmmaker, writer and producer who lives and works in Cairo. The Berlin International Film Festival will take place between 11 and 22 February. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Dina El Wedidi, Egyptian Project, Cairokee to perform at the 'Music From Egypt & Sudan - Oxford Maqam' to be held at the SOAS, University of London Egyptian and Sudanese musicians will play in an event organised by Marsm company at the University of London campus on Friday 22 January. Dubbed 'Music From Egypt & Sudan - Oxford Maqam,' the series of events will celebrate the two countries' inspiring artists from traditional folklore to alternative rock roots. The evening will feature Dina El Wedidi (Egypt), Egyptian Project (Egypt), Cairokee (Egypt), Oxford Maqam (Egypt/UK) as well as Alsarah (Sudan/NY) and Rasha (Sudan). Dina El-Wedidi has in recent years gained not only success and popularity in Egypt but also abroad, performing in America, Europe and a number of countries in Africa such as Kenya and Uganda. A yearlong mentorship from 2012 to 2013 with Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil and her own debut album Turning Back (2014) established her as a professional musician in her own right. El-Wedidis style of music is deeply rooted in Egypt, as well as Africa evidenced from her collaboration with the Nile Project which includes musicians from Nile basin countries though she has a following in Europe and America, touching on many often contrasting cultures. An electronic-folk band, Egyptian Project, merges electro, classical and trip hop sounds to underlying Egyptian tunes. The band has been known from their first hit single titled Ya Amar, which toured at international festivals. Founded by French musician and producer Jerome Ettinger, the members of Egyptian Project band include three Egyptians: Sayed Emam on vocals and the kawala instrument; Salama Metwally on the rababa and violin, and Ragab Sadek on percussion. The band also includes French musician Anthony Bondu on drums. The band has performed internationally and locally at several festivals, including Paleo Festival in Switzerland, Fete de la musique in Egypt, and Festival d'ete and Festival Les Nuits Metisses, as well as performing at Paris's Grand Palais. Although Cairokee were founded in 2003, eight whole years before the revolution, their first biggest success came with the post-25 January triumphs. Their hit single, Sowt El Horriya (The Voice of Freedom) written during the first 18 days of the revolution and released before former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down took the country by storm to be seen and heard for months on radio stations, all over TV channels, and even as a cell phone ringtone. The band even made it to international media outlets, with appearances on CNN and in publications like Vanity Fair. Their third and latest album Sekka Shemal (An Indecent Path) features collaborations with the renowned musician Souad Massi and the late vernacular poet Ahmed Fouad Negm. The event 'Music From Egypt & Sudan - Oxford Maqam' will take place at the Brunei Gallery of the SOAS, University of London. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations between two countries, over 500 renowned artists from Egypt and China will participate in an artistically rich show in Luxor Celebrating the beginning of the new Egyptian-Chinese cultural year and the 60th anniversary of Egyptian-Chinese diplomatic relations, a grand scale performance, including some of the most renowned artists and troupes from both countries, will be staged on Thursday 21 January at Luxor Temple. Among the remarkable guests from China is internationally acclaimed pianist Lang Lang and soprano Ying Huang. Lang Lang will play the fourth movement of Yellow River, the piano concerto based on the renowned Chinese composer Xian Xinghai's Yellow River Cantata. The evening will also include the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe -- consisting of deaf performers -- who will stage Thousand-hand Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy, a classical dance show inspired by the goddess. The audience will be treated to a troupe of acrobats, also from China. The mutual celebrations will be accentuated with a fusion of traditional Egyptian and Chinese music. The Cairo Opera Ballet Company will stage an Arabic and Pharaonic dance, choreographed by the troupe's artistic director Erminia Kamel. The artists will also perform the victory scene from Opera Aida and aria 'Nessun dorma' from Puccini's Turandot. The Egyptian soloists of the evening will be soprano Iman Moustafa, mezzo soprano Jolie Faizy, bartone Mostafa Mohamed, bass Abdel Wehad El-Sayed and bass baritone Reda El-Wakil. The Cairo Opera Festival Orchestra, Cairo Opera Choir and A Capella Choir will be conducted by Nayer Nagui. The evening will be directed by Abdalla Saad. Chinese president Xi Jinping will arrive in Cairo on Wednesday to meet his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to discuss regional matters and bilateral relations, then will head to Luxor on Thursday, MENA reported. The Chinese president's trip to Egypt is part of a larger Middle East tour, the first of its kind in 10 years. He will arrive in Luxor on Thursday to attend the celebration at Luxor temple. The Egyptian Culture Minister Helmy El-Nemnem arrived in Luxor on Monday to receive his Chinese counterpart who will arrive to Luxor on Tuesday. Both ministers will prepare for Thursday's celebration. El-Nemnem said the choice of Luxor temple to hold the celebration comes in the context of supporting tourism by shedding light on Luxor's Pharaonic monuments for the world to see. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Cultural and heritage activists say that Cairo's eastern and northern medieval walls are being restored incorrectly Egypt's antiquities ministry has denied allegations by a group of conservation activists that the restoration of part of Cairo's medieval walls is being done unprofessionally and damaging the ancient structures. Earlier this month, a group of heritage and archaeological activists warned that Cairo's medieval eastern and northern walls were being incorrectly restored and reported the whole matter to the prosecutor-general. The Antiquities Revolutionaries, a Facebook watchdog group, had published a series photos as well as a leaked memo from a group of inspectors working with the antiquities ministry, detailing how the medieval wall was being badly restored. "All those claims are lies; they were spread by members of the inspection team who were excluded from the project for incompetence," Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, the head of historical Cairo project and a deputy antiquity minister, told Ahram Online. "Even the pictures they shared online do not indicate or prove anything. Yes, we use cement for supporting columns, but 50 metres away from the ancient wall," he added. The dispute comes as another episode in the countrys recent line of restorations that have gone wrong. The leaked memo sent by a group of archaeological inspectors in the committee assigned by the Ministry of Antiquities to supervise the restoration works in December highlights apparent problems with the restoration. Among the points raised in the report was how the medieval wall's mud bricks were replaced unnecessarily by new bricks. The report further states that there had been no plan by the restoration company to secure the old wall's bricks before or during the restoration works, which led to the leaking of cement on the site. The medieval eastern and northern Cairo walls were built in the 12th century, during the rule of Saladin, then sultan of Egypt and Syria. Sally Soliman, a cultural and heritage activist, told Ahram Online that she visited the site in late December and took photos showing what she considered clear evidence of the unprofessional restoration that had been carried out there. "They simply replaced ancient mud brick with bricks and cement unprofessionally," the co-founder of Save Cairo heritage watchdog group said. She also added that there are concerns about the public sector construction and restoration company that is handling the project. A total of LE167 million has been allocated by Egypt's Ministry of Housing to restore Cairo's medieval walls. The project is assigned to public sector company Wadi Al-Nil, a construction and restoration company, with the Ministry of Antiquities supervising it. The companys previous restoration projects include the Mohamed Ali Palace in Shubra El-Kheima. In 2012, after six years of restoration, parts of the Mohamed Ali Palace project in Shubra El-Kheima collapsed despite being restored at a cost of LE55 million. The palace is currently closed after it was further damaged by a bomb that exploded outside Qalioubiya security directorate -- a few blocks away -- in August 2015. Asked by Ahram Online about the memo leaked online that details the violations in the restoration works, Aziz said that it was leaked by a group of "young, angry and incompetent" inspectors who were excluded from the project. "They released it the day after they were excluded. Why didnt they release it before or during the six months that they worked in the committee?" he asked. According to the leaked internal memo to the minister by the group of inspectors, they did report the violations six months ago as well as four months ago again, to both the Historical Cairo project and the Ministry of Housing. Search Keywords: Short link: 'Spend the Day in Al-Khalifa 3' festival will begin on Thursday and last for three days A three-day festival called Spend the Day in Al-Khalifa 3 will begin on Thursday, in collaboration with the antiquities ministry, Cairo governorate, the built environment collective Megawra and the volunteer project Mashroo3 Kheir. The festival will include guided tours of Al-Khalifa Street in Sayyeda Zeinab, performances in the street and at its heritage sites, a craft exhibition, a sketching and photography workshop, and activities for children. Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, the deputy minister for Islamic and Coptic antiquities, told Ahram Online that the festival is to last for three days, and it comes within the framework of a participatory conservation initiative called "Al-Athar Lina" (The Monuments Are Ours) launched in June 2012 to bring citizen participation into heritage conservation. The initiative is organised in partnership with Terre des Hommes, with funding from UNHCR. According to Al-Athar Lina's press release, the primary aim of Spend the Day in Al-Khalifa 3 is to inaugurate the project to conserve the mid-13th century dome of Shajar al-Durr, funded by the American Research Centre in Egypt (ARCE) with additional funding from the Barakat Trust. It will also inaugurate a project to conserve the mid-12th century shrines to descendants of the prophet Al-Sayyida Ruqayya, Al-Jaafari and Aatika, funded by the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. The event will also showcase the results of two preparatory workshops, the first on mural art inspired by the streets heritage and the second to redesign the traditional Ramadan lantern made of tin and glass using contemporary approaches and traditional techniques. It will also fundraise for the current efforts to clean the street and resolve its waste management issues. The closing event will bring together Syrian and Egyptian children for educational activities addressing acceptance and tolerance through emphasising common historical ties. The festival also received funding from AIC Finance and from private donations. Search Keywords: Short link: A growing number of lawyers who graduated from the Judicial Research and Training Institute are unable to find either jobs or cases to defend after opening their own practices. According to the institute, 34 out of the 978 lawyers who graduated from the institute in January are unemployed. This is the first time graduates of the institute have been unable to find work for so many months after finishing training. "At this time last year, there were only three graduates who were unable to decide what to do with their careers, but this year, graduates seem to have a tough time finding work," an institute official said. "The economic slump may be part of the reason, but another factor is an oversupply of lawyers with 1,000 new attorneys entering the field each year." Some are unable to find work despite lowering their salary expectations. The annual starting salaries of lawyers have dropped significantly. Ten years ago, law firms in southern Seoul guaranteed starting salaries of W80 million (US$1=W1,249) a year. But nowadays law offices are putting out recruitment ads offering salaries of W40-50 million. Many lawyers have opened their own practices but are barely able to cover their bar association fees. As the slump deepens in the legal industry, brokers who bring cases to lawyers are taking close to a 50 percent cut or are even setting up law firms and hiring attorneys, which is against the law. Brokers usually take 20-30 percent of the fees, but some lawyers are now willing to give them more. A sense of crisis is deepening within the legal community, with most attorneys feeling the situation will worsen as time passes. Each year, 1,000 new lawyers graduate from the institute and starting in 2012, law schools at universities throughout Korea will graduate around 2,000 new lawyers annually. As of June this year, there were 10,946 lawyers in Korea. "We are seeing the beginning of a crisis for lawyers as jobs become tougher to find and work more scarce," an official at the Korean Bar Association said. "Only the fittest lawyers who have survived cut-throat competition will remain standing in the end." The Chosun Ilbo looked at the professions of 742 people who applied for court-mediated debt-rescheduling programs and found that 47 percent or 348 applicants were doctors, lawyers, dentists, oriental medicine doctors or pharmacists. Those who applied for debt rescheduling had taken out more than W1 billion in loans based on collateral or W500 million without collateral (US$1=W1,130). As the economic slump drags on, a growing number of highly paid professionals like doctors, lawyers and accountants are also beginning to feel the pinch. Competition is intensifying as new licensed practitioners pour into the market every year, and the deepening slump is driving many professionals to the verge of bankruptcy. Even in 2009, at the height of the global financial crisis, only 93 professionals applied for court-mediated debt rescheduling, and that dropped to 82 in 2010. It rose again to 107 last year, and in the first eight months of this year 66 highly-paid professionals applied, so the number for the whole year could be even higher than in 2011. More and more of these professional "are unable to repay hundreds of millions of won worth of loans they took out to cover their start-up fees, including purchases of expensive equipment and rent," a court official said. "The slow economy is keeping people from spending money on non-urgent needs such as beauty or staying fit," said one doctor with a private practice in downtown Seoul. Scores of plastic surgeons in the swank Gangnam district of southern Seoul seem to be going bankrupt, while the wide availability of health supplements is causing oriental medicine doctors to close down. "About10 percent of all doctors look like they're going to default," said a medical industry insider. Many lawyers and accountants are also closing their businesses to find other kinds of work. In 2004, 8.6 percent of lawyers or 592 closed their offices, but the number rose to 17.6 percent or 2,507 this year. The situation is the same for accountants. In 2004, 24.5 percent of accountants or 1,753 closed their offices temporarily, but this year there were 32.6 percent or 4,880. This is partly because over the last 10 years, 1,000 new lawyers and accountants have entered the job market ever year, so competition for ever fewer openings amid this recession is getting fierce. Prosecutors on Friday demanded a 20-year prison term for Arthur Patterson, who is accused of murdering a Korean college student in the toilet of a fast-food joint in Itaewon, Seoul in 1997. Prosecutors cited the brutality of the crime and Patterson's attitude during a trial. He showed no remorse and denies committing the crime. Patterson, who was 17 at the time of the murder, is accused of stabbing to death 22-year-old college student Cho Jung-pil in the bathroom of a Burger King franchise in Itaewon, a neighborhood popular with foreigners, because he had "looked at him funny." The man he was with at the time, a Korean American named Edward Lee, was first convicted of the murder on Patterson's say-so but later acquitted for lack of evidence. Patterson, who had fled to the U.S., was extradited in September of last year. The 20-year sentence is the maximum term allowed by the law in Korea for a juvenile offender. Patterson continued to blaming Lee, saying that Lee was too drunk to remember what he did to Cho and made up his side of the story at his father's instruction. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 29. The U.S. enacted new measures Sunday against five Iranian nationals and a network of companies with links to banned missile activity. Iran drew condemnation from the U.S. and other Western powers for two ballistic missile tests late last year they said violated UN Security Council resolutions. Iran defended the tests as a matter of national security. Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said Monday that Iran will respond by boosting efforts in its legal ballistic missile program and promoting its defense capabilities. President Barack Obama said his government will "vigorously" enforce sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile program. "Iran's recent missile test, for example, was a violation of its international obligations and as a result the United States is imposing sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance Iran's ballistic missile program. And we are going to remain vigilant about it," he said. The U.S. Treasury Department said the five Iranians worked to get missile components for Iran, as did the network of companies based In the United Arab Emirates and China that used third parties to try to deceive foreign suppliers and hide the identity of who would ultimately be using the materials. The announcement came a day after the U.S. agreed to lift sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program under an international deal reached in July, and hours after confirmation that several Americans held captive in Iran had been released. "Iran's ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions," said Adam Szubin, acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in a statement issued by the Treasury Department. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday that Tehran would uphold its end of the nuclear deal as long as the "other side" does, according to state news agency IRNA. The agreement was reached in July 2015 after negotiations between Iran and the P5+1, which includes China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. Speaking at a meeting with Yukiya Amano, the visiting head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rouhani added that Iran is committed "not to seek weapons of mass destruction." The national currency was down 1.8 percent at 79 rubles to the dollar by 5 p.m. Moscow time (1400GMT), its lowest mid-trading level since December 2014. The ruble fell to an all-time low against the euro as the Central Bank set the official exchange rate at over 85 rubles to the euro on Monday. The Russian ruble, battered by weak oil prices, on Monday dropped to a new low and broke an all-time record against the euro. Oil, the mainstay of the Russian economy, recently plummeted to under $30 a barrel, a 13-year low. The ruble is also under pressure from economic sanctions that the West imposed on Russia for its involvement in the Ukraine crisis. Russia is running a budget deficit of 3 percent of GDP this year, and the government is looking to cut 10 percent from the federal budget which was drafted with oil prices of $50 a barrel in mind. All Russian ministries are expected to present their proposed cuts by the end of the month with a view of cutting 500 billion rubles ($6.3 billion) in government expenses, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, in televised comments on Monday, said that the government finds the price of oil "difficult to predict" and that Russia should use this moment to diversify its economy away from oil since it "has got a chance now to do it as quickly as possible." Korea's trade with Iran is expected to recover quickly after a fallow period enforced by international sanctions since both sides tried to keep their decades-old business ties alive. The sanctions were lifted last weekend after the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran is complying with its obligations under a recent deal with the U.S. and EU. Korean construction companies as well as automakers are eager to hunt for new business opportunities since Iran used to be Korea's second biggest trading partner in the Middle East. A recent cyber attack on South Korean government agencies has been traced to North Korea as expected. Police said the IP addresses of the senders of spam e-mails on Jan. 13-14, right after the North's latest nuclear test, were the same as those used in a cyber attack against Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power in 2014. The e-mails containing malicious code purported to come from Cheong Wa Dae and targeted thousands of government employees here. Police said the IP addresses have been traced to the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning that borders North Korea and match those used in the cyber attack against the nuclear agency in 2014. In 2014, the hackers threatened to paralyze nuclear power plants and leaked some reactor blueprints to the public. Police said the latest attack was something known as "two-track phishing e-mails" where hackers hide malware in second e-mails that are sent after recipients respond to the uncompromised first e-mails. A nationwide cold spell that is expected to last until this weekend is raising concerns of related health risks like hypothermia, especially for the old and frail. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday said the country experienced warmer-than-usual temperatures from December until the middle of this month, but scores of people still fell ill with severe cold-related ailments and six died. One-third of the patients were over 65. The KCDC advised the elderly and ill to stay indoors and be sure to wrap up warm if they must head outdoors. People with high blood pressure face higher risks if exposed to cold winds that can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure triggering a heart attack or stroke. "It's better not to get up too early in the morning and refrain from workouts or climbing during the morning hours," Sun Woo-sung at Asan Medical Center in Seoul said. Doctors recommended wearing a mask to prevent cold air from directly entering the lungs and causing respiratory illnesses. As Koreans live longer, more people are signing up for private pension plans, but payouts fall far short of what is needed to cover basic necessities. According to Samsung Life Insurance on Monday, 227,000 people received monthly private pensions last year, which averaged a mere W350,000 (US$1=W,212). That is an increase of around W80,000 from five years ago but still accounts for a mere 17 percent of the W2.11 million a month people preparing for retirement said in a survey is the minimum they need to cover their basic living expenses. The number of pension plan subscribers at Samsung Life Insurance increased around 10 percent over the same period, and the number of recipients tripled from 74,000 to 227,000. The average age Koreans began collecting private pension payments was 58.9. Most Koreans retire from their jobs between their mid 50s to early 60s. "As baby boomers born between 1955 and 1963 retire, the number of subscribers and recipients of private pension plans is increasing, but the actual amount they receive is growing at a snail's pace because they took out their pension plans too late and didn't pay much in," a Samsung Life Insurance spokesman said. In a recent survey by the Korea Insurance Development Institute of 1,266 people preparing for retirement, a whopping 84 percent said they find it difficult to save up enough money to have W1.96 million available a month, which is the minimum necessary to cover monthly living expenses. Only 7.9 percent said they expect to have W2.69 million a month after retirement to ensure an average living standard. China, Arabs look for enhancing media cooperation 2016-01-19 15:32 CAIRO, Jan. 18, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Participants from China and Arab countries attend the dialogue meeting in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 18, 2016. Participants in the "Chinese-Arab Media Dialogue Conference," which kicked off in Cairo on Monday, called for enhancing means of mutual media cooperation, deeming it as "witnesses and protectors for Sino-Arab friendship." (Xinhua/Meng Tao) by Marwa Yahya CAIRO, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Participants in the "Chinese-Arab Media Dialogue Conference," which kicked off in Cairo on Monday, called for enhancing means of mutual media cooperation, deeming it as "witnesses and protectors for Sino-Arab friendship." The conference came at the eve of the Chinese President Xi Jinping's five-day tour to the region, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. "The Chinese-Arab media is a momentum for change and a registrar for the events," said Jiang Jianguo, Minister of the State Council Information Office of China. Jiang suggested four ideas for increasing mutual cooperation in the media. The first is cooperation in raising the voice of peace and common development, as he said "the media personnel has a role in directing the public opinion and upholding the peace norms at wider range, and to positively enhance consensus in views and increase the positive energy towards peaceful development." He added that "we should cooperate hand in hand to combat all shapes of terrorism firmly." Secondly, Jiang suggested that working together will create positive environment for the public opinion and will draw energetic vision for profitable cooperation for both China and the Arab countries. The third point focused on setting strong bases for the public opinion and the traditional ties between the two sides. "The media means are messengers who work on boosting friendship and communication among the people," he illustrated. He added in the fourth suggested idea for mutual cooperation that the media office in the Chinese State Council to create convenient circumstance and provide more facilities to strengthen the cooperation and training for all the journalists, editors, translators, broadcasters and all the media men on mutual visit bases. Sino-Arab relations have extended historically with important trade routes, and good diplomatic relations. The modern mutual ties are evolving into a new era with the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum in 2004 which helped China and Arab nations to establish a new partnership based on peace and development. From his side, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Song Aiguo considered the "Chinese-Arab Media Dialogue Conference" as a great event for cooperation. China and the Arab nations are attached by natural familiarity, Jiang added, citing President Xi's words "distances wouldn't prevent our friendship, miles wouldn't prevent our neighborhood." He pointed out that Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum has added diversity and richness to the cooperation and exchange of information among the Arab-Chinese media. Exchange of offices and branch stations for both the Sino-Arab media means is increasing, "there are six Chinese media institutions branches in Cairo, while Egypt's Ahram newspaper has applied for launching its office in China which reflects excellent trend for exchange among the Sino-Arab media channels," he added. The Chinese ambassador added that the media tools are eyewitnesses and protectors for the Chinese-Arab friendship and deepening cooperation ties. The conference, which is the first of its kind, was attended by representatives of 12 Chinese newspapers, news agencies, radio and others, while more than 30 representatives of Arab media institutions in addition to the Arab League who have contributed in the proceeding of the conference. Ahmad Al-Nagar, chief-in-editor of Egypt official Ahram newspaper, said the mutual cooperation at the media level has witnessed fast and big developments. He added Ahram has signed several agreements with Chinese news institutions in Egypt, noting Ahram is keen on exchanging visits and visions with Chinese media institution. "We are in dire need for intensifying our efforts in combating terrorism," he added. Meanwhile, Magdy Lasheen, chairman of the Egypt's State Television & Radio Union, said the cultural and media exchange between Egypt and China is one of the important part for deepening relations. He reiterated the role of the media at the international level in the progressed digital technology and globalization. "Art is the fastest means for delivering messages and uniting nations," he added. He added that the country's state TV will display a Chinese series dubbed "Romantic of White Hair" subtitled in Arabic on Jan. 20, and send two Arabic series to China. Adel Sabry, chief editor in "Arab Egypt" website, believes the Chinese media has seen technological and administrative growth that enabled them to exceed the national border to play an international role. "Thanks to the Chinese government plan either by integrating some news institutions or even by enriching their independence, the Chinese media became powerful entities," he added. Chairman of Egypt MENA news agency, Alaa Hayder, suggested establishing technological and information center which includes Asian, African, Arab news agencies, and university which includes media faculty as projects for cooperation. The Arab League representative Nasimah Shareet has called for establishing Chinese-Arab electronic library on the internet to provide information in different fields. She focused in her speech on adoption of work strategy project for supporting cooperation between both sides and enhancing mutual visits of media delegation, encouraging exchange of media content regularly, and organizing annual symposium to exchange expertise and to identify the production company. 1 2 3 4 5 >> 1 2 3 4 5 >> China ready to support Algeria's economy amid crisis: ambassador 2016-01-19 15:32 ALGIERS, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to help supporting the development and diversification of the Algerian economy, Chinese Ambassador to Algeria Yang Guangyu said on Monday. "We are confident in the economic future and we are ready to support the strategy of economic diversification in Algeria," Yang Guangyu told a press conference at the embassy in Algiers. Algerian government is struggling to diversify the country's economy which is still dependent on oil revenues. Oil prices have witnessed spectacular drop, going from around 110 dollars a barrel in June 2014 to under 30 dollars, which forced the government to adopt an austerity plan, to counter the imminent financial crisis. The ambassador recalled the commitment of Chinese President Xi Jinping who announced at the China-Africa Summit held earlier in South Africa the financial support of up to 60 billion dollars for the next three years to support Sino-African economic cooperation projects. "China appreciates the efforts and measures taken by the Algerian authorities to improve the investment environment. We believe that we must try to go beyond simple trade to develop a genuine industrial partnership," the Chinese diplomat said. In terms of international trade, China was ranked Algeria's largest supplier in 2014 with 8.2 billion dollars, from a total of 58.3 billion dollars of imports bill, dethroning thus France for the second year in a row. Some 790 Chinese companies are operating in Algeria in the fields of public works and construction, in addition to energy and trade. More than 35,000 Chinese are working in this North African nation. Manichan who was an accused in the Kalluvathukkal hooch tragedy and lodged in the Central Jail was transferred to the open jail as part of character correction. #Eunma Apartments Seoul approves reconstruction of dilapidated Eunma apartment complex An antiquated southern Seoul apartment complex long at the center of the nation's real estate policy debate due to its massive size and location in the wealthy Gangnam district has... #BTS S. Korea releases tourism promotional videos featuring BTS members The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Thursday it has released two tourism promotional videos on its YouTube channel featuring Suga and Jimin of K-pop megaband BTS. The vid... The trailer for the sequel to the 2014 hit Bad Neighbours has arrived online and it looks like Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne aren't done chasing college students out of their neighbourhood. Mac(Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne), are looking to sell their house and move to the suburbs now that they have a second baby on the way. They've found a buyer, now they just have to ride out a 30 day waiting period before the deal goes through. What could go wrong? A sorority could move into the house next door, that's what could go wrong. Yep a group of college girls led by Kick Ass star Chloe Grace Moretz move into the same house once occupied by Teddy(Zac Efron)'s fraternity and it seems like they're even more wild and out of control than Teddy's brotherhood was. Of course the only thing for Mac and Kelly to do is chase the sorority out before the sale collapses, so they enlist Teddy to help them. Needless to say it doesn't exactly go according to plan. Look for this one to arrive in Irish cinemas on May 6th. Who could forget last year's hilarious Late Late Show singles night, where the entire audience was filled to the brim with a load of hyped up young ones that had definitely had a few tipples before coming on the show, despite what RTE said. It was madness of the highest order, and now, they're doing it again. The Late Late Show is on the search once more for the single men and women of Ireland as they once again play Cupid on Valentine's weekend. Ryan Tubridy said: Last year was great fun there was a palpable excitement in the studio. Im really looking forward to some great guests and to bringing in a new batch of singles this year. Hopefully, Cupids arrow might strike for some of the lucky audience members! They want to hear from anyone looking for a bit of romance, people who aren't camera shy and are up for a bit of a laugh. If that's yourself, you can apply for tickets via the programmes website. Last year's show was one of the most talked about of the year, with more than 573,000 people tuning in to see Ryan play matchmaker while controversial columnist Katie Hopkins was jokingly propositioned by an audience member, and Ronan O'Gara said that infamous line about his wife Jessica. Essentially, the wheels came off. Made for great TV though all the same. Sino-UK Year of Cultural Exchange sees closing ceremony Updated: 2016-01-19 23:27 By Wang Mingjie(China Daily Europe) The installation features two larger-than-life decorated teapots, symbolising the love of tea in both countries. Photo provided to China Daily The Sino-UK Year of Cultural Exchange Closing Ceremony was celebrated last week in London, wrapped up with a showcase of major China-UK art, featuring the art work "Inclusive," in which Chinese and British artists worked jointly on a twin tea-pot installation. The installation featured two larger-than-life decorated teapots, symbolising the love of tea in both countries. This exchange was formally announced during Premier Li Keqiang's visit to the UK in June 2014 and comprised two phases. The UK season in China ran from 2015 March to July and was led by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy; the Chinese season in the UK was organised by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and ran in the second half of the year 2015. "China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange has pushed the bilateral ties in cultural sector to a historic new high with a great leap forward in development," said Xiang Xiaowei, Minister Counsellor for Culture from the Chinese Embassy in the UK at the ceremony. "Take the China Season as an example, which focuses on Creative China. We presented more than 60 events in the UK covering performing arts, design, and new media, attended by a direct audience population over a million, during which, several tens of cooperative agreements or consensus had been reached." Xiang added. Whilst displaying traditional Chinese culture which is profound and inclusive, Xiang said the China-UK Year also showcased cultural innovation and creativity achieved since China's opening up and reform. Various events were also organized to discuss collaborative strength and prospects in creative sectors of the two countries. Xiang said Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK last year opened up a new era for Sino-UK relations, adding "culture will thus play a more essential role in promoting understanding and mutual trust between our two countries by deepening exchanges and cooperation in arts like what we do today in order to lay a solid foundation for China UK relations." As one of China's priorities, Xiang emphasized that the cooperation in creative sectors will be mutually beneficial and prosperous as China has a bigger market and strong investment while the UK has better management, expertise and knowhow. "I believe, with more support from our two governments and people, and with the success of the China UK Year of Cultural Exchange, the cooperation between our two countries in cultural sector will be bound to rise to a new level while contributing more to China UK relations in golden times', Xiang added. The theme for the UK season in China was announced when Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, visited China early last year. 'The Next Generation' included a series of contemporary, adventurous, multi-disciplinary and innovative digital media works. A new online portal UK NOW' was also launched in March 2015 and brought artists from both countries together to showcase the best in the contemporary digital arts. The GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai was the high point of the UK season, which explored the role of innovation and creativity in commercial success, as well as bringing together Chinese and British industries. British Council said, the 2015 China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange provides an opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and build new links between individuals and organizations in the arts and creative industries, as well as between governments. Nigel Rolfe, Professor of Fine Art at Royal College of Art, who also attended the ceremony, said the exchange was very positive and refreshing, and was of great significance in terms of encouraging more open and good cultural interchange and relations, and bringing constructive goodness to the world. It opens up what is possible not only in the future but also in the here and now, said Rolfe, adding "the heritage in this set of relations by Government endorses good educational basis and should foster better exchange on many levels we hope." To contact the reporter: wangmingjie@mail.chinadailyuk.com Description A night of being unplugged, playing traditional board games and singing with friends old and new. Were excited to invite all members of our community to play game night karaoke with us by bringing back childhood memories in classic game-play." - Michelle Mitchell , worthy matron of Nassau Chapter, 718 The event will be a combination of icebreakers and party games that are less about strategy and competition and more about laughing and having fun together. We are encouraging our members, friends to unplug and take some time out and engage with each other through game-play and song. Every dog has its dayyou will pay for it [filing the criminal complaint] in the heavenly court and perhaps even before that." Above: file photo used for illustrative purposes only Haredi IDF Recruiters Life Threatened, Family Harassed, By Other Haredim Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com The recent arrests of three haredi men accused of harassing haredi IDF soldiers and recruiters has allegedly caused the harassment against at least one haredi IDF officer to dramatically increase. The family of Captain Yehuda Glickman, the commander of the haredi recruits who serve in technology and logistics capacities in the IDF, faced harassment for months that only increased after Glickman filed a criminal complaint with police over six months ago about the harassment and incitement against all haredi soldiers and recruiters. The Glickmans received late night harassing phone calls, had their home phone number posted as the number for haredim to call to call to register for donated Passover food, and faced other similar harassment on a near-daily basis. But after the recent announcement of the arrests of the three haredi men who allegedly printed and posted pashkvils (wall posters) and other material that incited the harassment of Glickman and other haredi IDF soldiers and recruiters, the harassment against Glickman escalated into threats of murder, Behadrei Haredim reported. While Glickmans wife Adi was being interviewed about the arrests which were apparently only made last week because of her husband's criminal complaint she received a call from someone who openly threatened the life of her husband. The call came in while she was being interviewed about the arrests. It was later traced to a pay phone in the haredi city of Bnei Brak. Behadrei Haredim reportedly has a recording of the threatening phone call, which it says it will published when the criminal investigation into the threat is completed. After filing a police complaint Adi Glickman went home and received yet another threatening call. Every dog has its dayyou will pay for it [filing the criminal complaint] in the heavenly court and perhaps even before that," the caller said. Adi Glickman told Behadrei Haredi the threats concern her. "Before the [Jerusalem Gay Pride] march [last year, police] did not think [haredi terrorist Yishai] Shlissel would stab and kill marchers, but he did], Adi Glickman said. Shlissel had been convicted ten years earlier of a similar stabbing attack on Gay Pride marchers and was only released from prison three weeks before what would turn out to his second terror attack on the march. But even though Shlissel never repented for his first attack and was openly encouraging opposition to the 2015 Jerusalem Gay Pride March, police failed to watch him or stop his attack. Haredi rabbinic and political leaders vehemently oppose drafting haredi yeshiva students into the IDF or even having them serve in the civilian national service. All non-haredi Israeli Jews, even Zionist Orthodox yeshiva students and secular college students, must serve in the IDF beginning when they turn 18. The IDFs Military Police has opened an investigation into IDF officers suspected of financial offenses involving the draft of haredim. IDF Police Investigating Alleged Financial Crimes By Officers Involved In Haredi Recruitment Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com The IDFs Military Police has opened an investigation into IDF officers suspected of financial offenses involving the draft of haredim, Haaretz reported today. The IDF reportedly confirmed the investigation is ongoing but declined to provide any details about its nature or scope. IDF sources told Haaretz there is no connection between this new investigation and a previous investigation into the IDFs Rabbinate for allegedly illegitimately being given municipal rabbi positions to increase their salaries. That earlier investigation was closed by the Military Advocate General without issuing criminal indictments. But several officers, including the IDFs head of information security and a rabbi in charge of integrating haredim into the IDF, were disciplined by the IDF for their roles in the scandal. Malka Leifer, wanted in Australia for 74 counts of indecent acts and abuse at the haredi Adass school in Melbourne, is still safe in Israel avoiding extradition because of her alleged frequent psychotic episodes that are better described by the professionals who examined her as severe panic attacks. Above: Malka Leifer Israeli Court Refuses To Move Forward On Extradition Of Alleged Child Sex Abuser Malka Leifer Over Leifers Extreme Panic Attacks Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com Malka Leifer, wanted in Australia for 74 counts of indecent acts and abuse at the haredi Adass school in Melbourne, is still safe in Israel avoiding extradition because of her alleged frequent psychotic episodes that are better described by the professionals who examined her as severe panic attacks. Leifer has been safe in Israel since fleeing Australia in 2008. Extradition proceedings against her were opened more than one year ago. Israel has a very poor track record with regard to extradition of wanted criminals who have good political connections in Israel as Leifer does. Leifer now lives in the haredi city of Bnei Brak, where she is under house arrest. Just before each scheduled court hearings, Leifer has repeated claimed to have a new psychotic episode, causing every one of those hearings to be canceled, the Times of Israel reported. The Jerusalem District state psychiatrist confirms Leifers panic attacks in court before the hearings are genuine and reportedly found those court hearings put her under extreme pressure. Child advocate Dr. Yitzhak Kadman, head of the Israel National Council for the Child, wants the judge to go to Leifers house and hold the extradition hearing there. The court refuses to do so. According to professionals medical opinions, a hearing cannot be held in the presence of Malka Leifer, and attempts to hold a hearing in her home are also impossible. No [tranquilizing] pill can help [calm her down] before a court hearing, a court spokesman said. Leifers many alleged victims were all young teen girls at the time the abuse took place. At least two of them, who are sisters, are in Australia waiting to testify against Leifer. Advocate-victim Manny Waks told Israel Radio a sister of those two victims recently passed away in London after being harassed, bullied and threatened by the haredi community over the pending extradition and Australian trial. It is very unlikely most Western countries would, apparently indefinitely, stop an extradition proceeding of an accused child molester over panic attacks, no matter how severe. Kadman called Israels failure to extradite Leifer intolerable. I dont think Israel should become an asylum for sex offenders and this is certainly not the way to receive [Jewish] immigration, Kadman said. Related Posts: All Malka Leifer Posts. "Too much Israeli vigilantism in the West Bank goes on uncheckedthere is a lack of thorough investigations at times it seems Israel has two standards of adherence to rule of law in the West Bank - one for Jews and one for Palestinians." Above: US Ambassador Dan Shapiro at a haredi wedding in 2013 US Ambassador To Israel Points To Double Standard Of Justice In The West Bank Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com Speaking at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference in Tel Aviv earlier today, United States Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro issued what Haaretz called nearly unprecedented criticism of Israels West Bank settlements. While he praised Israels recent progress into solving the hate crime arson-murders of a Palestinian baby and his sleeping parents in the West Bank Palestinian village of Douma (Duma) in July murders allegedly committed by extremist Jewish settlers Shapiro lashed out at Israels overall lack of law enforcement against Jewish settlers. "Too much Israeli vigilantism in the West Bank goes on uncheckedthere is a lack of thorough investigations at times it seems Israel has two standards of adherence to rule of law in the West Bank - one for Jews and one for Palestinians, Shapiro said. He went on to say the two-state solution is the only way to stop Israel from turning into a single bi-national state. The US Administration is "concerned and perplexed" over Israels policy on the settlements "which raise questions about Israeli intentions [with regard to the two-state solution], Shapiro said. TIn return, the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Office lashed out at Shapiro's statements. The ambassador's statements, on the day when a mother of six who was murdered is buried, and on a day when a pregnant woman is stabbed are unacceptable and wrong. Israel enforces the law on Israelis and Palestinians. The onus for the stalemate in the diplomatic process is the Palestinian Authority, which continues to incite and refuses negotiations," the Prime Minister's Office said. However there is much evidence of the Israeli governments lack of enforcement of the law against Jewish settlers and for its tolerance of settler hate crimes and vigilantism. Indeed, it was sharp US criticism of Israel for that laxity in protecting religious minorities from settler hate crimes issued in 2014 that appears to have prompted Israel to make some minor efforts to stop them. Before that, the settler hate crimes went largely unchecked. featured the article by, Neda: The Voice of the Iranian People , as one of the first three blogs worldwide to bring the fate of Neda to the public. Agence France-Presse chief executive and chairperson Emmanuel Hoog (R) and Korean Central News Agency vice president Rim Ho Ryong (front L) sign an agreement next to KCNA interpreter and journalist Kim Myong Min (C) in Paris on January 19, 2016 (AFP Photo/Lionel Bonaventure) (AFP) Agence France-Presse (AFP) announced Tuesday it will open a bureau in Pyongyang, becoming only the second global news agency to establish a permanent presence in the North Korean capital. The newswire signed an agreement with the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Paris, which will allow AFP to open an office in the nation where few foreign news organisations maintain full-time operations. "The establishment of an AFP bureau in Pyongyang in the near future will help expand the agencys international network," said AFP's chief executive and chairman Emmanuel Hoog. "AFP needs to be present all over the world to fulfil its mission of reporting news as fully as possible, notably through the medium of images," he added. AFP's global coverage is governed by the principles of objective, accurate and balanced reporting. Its Pyongyang bureau, which will produce photo, video and also text news, will be operational by the middle of 2016. The office will be composed of two permanent North Korean staff who will work under the supervision of AFP's Asia regional management and work closely with a team of AFP foreign correspondents who will be selected to carry out regular reporting trips to the northeast Asian nation. AFP will join only a handful of foreign media organisations that have offices in the North Korean capital, including the Associated Press, Kyodo news agency of Japan and Beijings Xinhua agency. AFP, one of the worlds three major news agencies and originally formed in 1835, operates more than 200 bureaus in some 150 countries around the world. isis marines air strikes Fighting the terrorist group ISIS from the air is coming at a high price for US taxpayers about $11 million per day, according to the latest Defense Department data. The air war has cost the US about $5.5 billion total since it began in August 2014. The Military Times noted that the daily cost of the war has jumped about $2 million since June. Just last week, Dan Lamothe wrote for The Washington Post that the air war against ISIS (also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, and Daesh) is expanding "more so than most observers realize." Lamothe wrote that the Air Force dropped a record number of bombs on ISIS targets in November and December. Many of these air strikes have been run in tandem with ground offensives carried out by local forces to reclaim territory from ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In the past year, local forces backed by US air power have reclaimed Kobane in Syria and Tikrit, Sinjar, and Ramadi in Iraq. The Kobane, Sinjar, and Ramadi operations coincided with significant upticks in US air strikes. The US is running an aggressive air campaign in the hopes of stomping out ISIS as quickly as possible. The Obama administration has been reluctant to send in US ground troops to combat ISIS, opting to deploy forces in an advisory capacity that isn't supposed to include combat. Lt. Gen. Charles Brown Jr., commander of US Air Forces Central Command, told the Air Force Times recently that he "hope[s] to be pretty well done with Daesh" by the end of 2016. "Thats probably aspirational, but I think we are putting pressure on Daesh," he said. But many experts and politicians expect the war to drag on much longer. NOW WATCH: Jerry Seinfeld interviewed President Obama and it was hilarious More From Business Insider BAKU, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan plans to impose limits on foreign currency outflows and to introduce a 20 percent tax on currency exports related to direct investment, the purchase of real estate or bonds abroad, the country's central bank chief said on Tuesday. Elman Rustamov told parliament's economic policy committee that no limits would be imposed on currency exports related to education, medical treatment or outflows relating to court decisions. (Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Dmitry Solovyov and Andrew Osborn) , . By Luc Cohen and Ivan Castro NEW YORK / JINOTEGA, NICARAGUA, Jan. 18 (Reuters) - Brimming with shade trees and bounded by the Tuma river, the lower climes of Roger Castellon's farm in Nicaragua's mountainous Jinotega department were long ideal for growing coffee. But with temperatures on the rise, the veteran coffee farmer is shifting his lower-lying land to a crop that, although new for him, enjoys a rich legacy in the region: Cocoa. "Coffee is no longer viable due to climate change," said Castellon, who calls his 420-hectare (1,038-acre)farm Los Nogales. Soaring temperatures in Central America, linked to climate change, are forcing many farmers like Castellon to replace coffee trees with cocoa - a crop once so essential to the region's economy it was used as currency. Farmers across the region, known for high-quality arabica beans, are still recovering from a coffee leaf rust disease known as roya, which devastated crops over the past four years. Now, lower-altitude areas are becoming unsuitable for growing coffee as temperatures heat up. Cocoa thrives in the warmer weather. Castellon maintains coffee plants on the higher portions of his farm, at about 1,200 meters (3,937 feet). But two years ago he replaced coffee with cocoa on 84 hectares (208 acres) of land at about 700 meters (2,297 feet) in altitude, protected by the shade of fig and banana trees. He expects to produce his first cocoa crop this April and said planting the cocoa trees cost about a third of what it would have cost to renew coffee plants. The quiet shift across the region shows up in export data: This crop year, coffee bean exports from six countries in the region excluding Honduras will fall for the third straight year, to 8.14 million 60-kg (132-pound) bags - the lowest level since the 1973/1974 cycle, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cocoa production and exports have steadily risen. In Nicaragua, cocoa exports totaled 3,839 tons (8.5 million pounds) in 2015, up more than 80 percent from 2014, and in El Salvador, a coalition is working to expand cocoa acreage hundredfold. Story continues Even in Honduras, which has seen a successful recovery from roya, the government is requiring growers to substitute 8 percent of coffee land to cocoa. To be sure, some new cocoa acreage has come from abandonment of other crops, and high-altitude coffee production is strong in many parts of the region. Central America also will not supplant West Africa as the leading supplier of the main ingredient in chocolate anytime soon. But high cocoa prices are providing an incentive to farmers to switch. The region's cocoa rebirth could ease concerns about supply stability amid growing emerging market demand, weather scares and the potential for civil strife in Ivory Coast and Ghana, which produce 60 percent of world output. COPING WITH COCOA In Nicaragua, the ideal coffee zone is between 700 and 1,700 meters (2,297-5,577 feet) above sea level, but rising temperatures and lower rainfall will shift the range to 1,000 to 1,700 meters (3,281-5,577 feet) by 2050, according to a 2012 study by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. Temperatures have increased between 0.5 and 3 degrees Celsius (0.9-5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in the region in the past century, and temperatures in coffee zones are expected to rise another 2.1 degrees Celsius (3.8 Fahrenheit) by 2050. Roya has long plagued coffee production, but scientists say warmer weather will cause more harm because the disease thrives in high temperatures. "Coffee is not for this region anymore - the yields are no good, and it's more investment," said Roberto Mairena, 51, who eight years ago planted 8.4 hectares (21 acres) of cocoa on his 300-500-meter (984-1650 feet) San Miguel farm in La Dalia, in the mountainous Nicaraguan department of Matagalpa. The devastating impacts of roya forced many affected farmers to reconsider the wisdom of re-investing in coffee. Many decided on cocoa, calculating that rising temperatures would only make coffee in those areas more vulnerable. "Leaf rust was an effect of climate change," said Ryan Bathrick, the Nicaragua country director for TechnoServe, a U.S. nonprofit organization that helps coffee and cocoa producers with farming techniques and business practices. "There's a lot of optimism around cacao." In El Salvador, a coalition including USAID and Catholic Relief Services hopes to help plant cocoa on 10,000 hectares (24,711 acres) by 2019, up from 100 hectares (247 acres) when the project began in September 2014. The group is specifically targeting roya-ravaged coffee growers. The coalition's efforts helped Andres Menjivar, who planted cocoa trees on one-third of his farm's 8.4 hectares (21 acres)this August, after roya wiped out coffee production on his La Libertad, El Salvador farm four years ago. "Studying history, we always learned about how cocoa was part of the way of life in Central America, but it gradually lost out to other crops," said Menjivar, who expects to cultivate his first cocoa crop in 2018 and is considering planting more. CHASING THE PREMIUM Current price levels are also sending a signal to producers to transition to cocoa. Coffee futures fell 24 percent in 2015 to around $1.20 a lb, while cocoa futures have risen for four consecutive years to trade around $3,000 a tonne, or $1.36 a lb. Growing consumer demand for higher-quality products in both markets is also driving the shift, and coffee premiums tend to increase with altitude. "The lower-altitude coffee does not have the quality level that is now being demanded by the market, so the income these farmers are getting is lower," said Gilberto Amaya of Catholic Relief Services in El Salvador. But those altitudes are suitable for higher-quality criollo cocoa, which is sought after by craft chocolate makers. Efforts in the region are focused on promoting quality rather than volume, so while Hershey and Nestle may not be using the beans any time soon, Central America may soon supplement the Dominican Republic and Madagascar as a source of beans for the burgeoning craft chocolate industry. (Editing by Lisa Girion) ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - January 19, 2016) - CNL Commercial Real Estate, the multi-city commercial real estate firm headquartered in Orlando, has rebranded to Foundry Commercial. The rebrand comes just months after the organization announced its spinoff from its former parent company, CNL Financial Group, in September 2015. The mutual decision to spinoff from CNL Financial Group via a management-led buyout by CNL Commercial Real Estate and its new joint-venture investment partner, HQ Capital Real Estate, was made in order to allow both companies to focus on developing their respective platforms. Since then, the CNL Commercial Real Estate leadership team has been diligently working to select a new name and brand for its nearly decade-old company that pays homage to its legacy, while simultaneously symbolizing a new era of organizational growth and development. "We thought long and hard about a name that represents who we are and the future of our company before arriving at Foundry Commercial," said Paul Ellis, chief executive officer of Foundry Commercial. "The primary function of a foundry is to cast metal into purposeful shapes, which reminded us of how our new stand-alone company came to be. Nine years of hard work went into building our company and, moving forward with that foundation, we are partnering with HQ Capital Real Estate to seek to create a new form in commercial real estate. A foundry is also relevant in our industry, as it is essentially where commercial real estate begins; with the creation of steel that will later serve as the foundations for building structures. Our foundation is serving others." That passion for service is what prompted the company's first official act as Foundry Commercial: a platform-wide initiative called Serve Week, during which associates in cities across the Southeast will volunteer with one of a number of charities and not-for-profit organizations. "We have experienced tremendous growth in our organization since inception and even more so since our spin-off," said Nick McKinney, strategy officer at Foundry Commercial. "We are now serving more customers through 240 associates across the South in all areas of commercial real estate. Our belief is that, in the commercial real estate space, there remains a lot of consolidation in the race for scale, and the customer is the one left behind. What better way to remind ourselves of the importance of service than to spend a day volunteering with the organizations in our community that focus on the serving and caring for those in need?" Story continues Serve Week kicks-off on February 8th and ends on February 13th. About Foundry Commercial Foundry Commercial is a full-service real estate services and investment company with 240 employees and nearly 30 million square feet of space under management across the Southeast and Texas. Foundry provides corporate services, brokerage, leasing, building management and project management services, and is the largest real estate service provider to religious and not-for-profit organizations in the Country. Foundry also includes a development and investment platform that is fully integrated into its services business, leveraging its local market expertise to control more than $500 million in advantaged investment opportunities in partnership with its clients. Foundry Commercial was founded as CNL Commercial Real Estate in 2007 and launched as Foundry in 2015 through a management led buyout. For more information, visit http://www.foundrycommercial.com. About HQ Capital Real Estate HQ Capital Real Estate L.P. is a member of HQ Capital, a leading independent alternative investment manager with currently more than US $12 billion in assets under management in private equity and real estate. Since 1989, HQ Capital Real Estate has invested in over $12.5 billion of U.S. real estate ranging from core and value-add acquisitions to opportunistic joint-venture developments. The company currently manages approximately $5.7 billion of real estate across its funds, managed accounts and third party asset management business. HQ Capital has more than 130 employees in Frankfurt, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Washington D.C., London, Hong Kong and Shanghai. For more information, visit hqcapital.com. Unrest in Turkey: Will Middle Eastern Gas Pipelines Materialize? (Continued from Prior Part) Ongoing crisis in Turkey The Kurds account for a significant portion of the ethnic minorities in Turkey. The ethnic group is in the majority of Turkeys eastern and southeastern provinces. The Kurds live in a vast area that borders Iran and Iraq. The Kurds have their own grievances against the regime in Ankara. Experts think that the regime in Ankara sees the Kurds as a threat to their national security. In the past, Turkey has been blamed on humanitarian grounds for its military operations against the Kurdish minority in the eastern and southeastern provinces. The Kurds enjoy a peaceful relation with Iran. The Islamic State carries out terrorist attacks on tourist places in Turkey to impact its economy. Tourism accounts an important portion of Turkeys total economic revenue. The geopolitical tensions with Russia (ERUS) already impacted its revenue from tourism. The revenue from Russian tourists accounts for an important portion of Turkeys total revenue from the tourism industry. Impact on stocks Gazprom PAO (OGZPY) is closely related to the above geopolitical development. Instability in Turkey raises questions about the gas pipeline from the Middle East. Moscow ended all of its diplomatic ties with Ankara. Therefore, Turkey aligning with other Middle East suppliers for natural gas exports to the EU (FEZ) can impact Gazprom PAOs market share. Lukoil (LUKOY) and Tatneft (OAOFY) are other Russian ADRs (American depositary receipts) in the oil and gas sector. The above graph shows Gazprom PAOs performance in the last five years. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Taiwan president Tsai On January 16, Taiwan broke a series of firsts in its national elections. For the first time, a woman, lawyer Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, won the presidency. Simultaneously, her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won an outright majority in the Legislative Yuan. And while these elections show that democracy is very much vibrant and alive in Taiwan, they could potentially set the stage for mounting tensions between Taiwan, mainland China, and by extension, the US. In China's view, Taiwan is a renegade Chinese province that technically belongs to the mainland under its "One China" policy. However, the DPP has in the past pushed for a strong pro-independence line that rattled both Chinese and US politicians. From 2000 to 2008, the last time the DPP held the office of presidency, the candidate "was a pro-independence firebrand who needlessly provoked China, creating endless headaches for Washington policy makers," The Wall Street Journal notes. And that was without control of the parliament. Now, with the DPP controlling both the presidency and the legislature, any push for Taiwanese independence could drastically impact Chinese-Taiwanese, and Chinese-US relations. As the Christian Science Monitor notes, China still maintains hundreds of missile pointing at Taiwan and the two sides exchanged fire in the 1970s over precisely the issue of Taiwanese sovereignty. Any return to tensions would drastically impact the US pivot to the Pacific and, in a worst case scenario, could result in the US and China being dragged into war on opposing sides. The US, although falling short of recognizing Taiwan as independent, maintains with the Taiwan Relations Act that it would support the island against any forced moves by Beijing for reunification. Story continues Fortunately, cooler heads are so far prevailing. Tsai, the WSJ notes, is noted as a pragmatist who is unlikely to campaign for Taiwanese independence and is instead believed to want to stick to the ongoing "One China" status quo even if Taiwan and China both have radically different ideas of what that idea may mean. taiwan election celebrations And with a series of larger issues now looming over China tensions in the South China Sea, a struggling economy, and a North Korean nuclear test among others the issue of Taiwan may be low on Beijing's priorities as long as Taipei doesn't do anything drastic. In return, Beijing has so far responded moderately to the Taiwanese elections. "What they are saying is that something close to One China has to come out of Tsai Ing-wens mouth eventually," Shelley Rigger, a professor specializing in Taiwanese politics at Davidson College, told the Christian Science Monitor. Essentially, as long as Taiwan is willing to continue to tow the line, then Beijing will also continue to allow Taiwan to carry on ruling itself as essentially an independent nation. If Beijing can adjust its strategy and Tsai is willing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping half way, a mutual accommodation between them is not impossible, Richard C. Bush III, the director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institute wrote. But it will not be easy. NOW WATCH: China is immortalizing its founding leader with an enormous 121-foot gold-plated statue More From Business Insider Delta CEO Richard Anderson Delta Air Lines is thinking about placing an order for Bombardier's flagship C-Series airliner. "We actually think for the right price, it's quite an impressive airplane," Delta CEO Richard Anderson said today during the company's earnings call. "So we are taking a very serious look at it." According to the Delta CEO, company executives had the opportunity to preview the C-Series shortly before Christmas after Bombardier flew an example of the jet down to Atlanta. Bombardier shares jumped as much as 9% in the wake of those comments, and were about 2% higher late Tuesday. The Canadian airplane maker has been in search of a headline-grabbing order from one of the continent's major players for the C-Series which is set to enter service later this year with Swiss. However, Bombardier has had a tough time convincing major North American airlines to purchase the highly praised, but slow selling aircraft. Last week, United Airlines reportedly picked Boeing's 737 over the C-Series for a 30-plane $2 billion order. So Anderson's words are certainly music to Bombardier's ears. But as United's decision to go with Boeing shows, there's a lot that can happen between Delta kicking the tires and praising the aircraft, and actually reaching a deal. Even though, Anderson complimented Bombardier for the impressive work it has done on the plane, much of the his praise was directed to the jet's advanced engines The Pratt & Whitney PW1500G with Geared Turbofan Technology. Bombardier's CS300 Aircraft, showing its' Pratt & Whitney engine in the foreground, sits in the hangar prior to its' test flight in Mirabel February 27, 2015. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi "The geared turbofan is really the first true innovation since the Boeing 787 Dreamliner revolutionized composite structures for airplane fuselages," Anderson said. "It's an impressive plane, particularly given the engine technology." The problem for Bombardier is that those fuel efficient and ultra-quiet geared turbofan engines are not unique to the C-Series. In fact, variants of the PW1000G family of engines can be found on a variety of other jets including Embraer's new E-Jet and the Airbus A320neo one of the C-Series main rivals. Story continues Secondly, Delta isn't signing on with out one heck of a sweet deal. Bombardier CS100 Swiss While airline bosses are known for driving a hard bargain, few in the business are as shrewd and value-oriented as Anderson and Delta's management team. The company is famous for extracting maximum value out of its fleet renewal deals. During the 2000s, Delta made a killing by buying up used MD-80/90 airliners at a mere fraction of their value when everyone else was dumping them in favor of newer, more fuel efficient jets. This doesn't necessarily mean Delta won't buy the Bombardier C-Series, but if it extracts a steep enough discount from the Canadian company then the sale won't do for Bombardier's finances even if it does end a sales slump for the aircraft. Note, Anderson was careful to point out that its an aircraft he likes "for the right price." By all indications, Anderson was duly impressed by the Canadian jet. And if Bombardier can put the right deal together, it's perfectly reasonable for Delta to buy if the price is right. NOW WATCH: 5 of the most successful 'Shark Tank' stories of all time More From Business Insider How the European Union Economy Has Reacted to the Refugee Crisis Eurozone migration crisis The European economy (EZU) (FEZ) currently faces a major problem known as a migration crisis. A large number of people seeking asylum could increase the pressure on government spending in different European Union (or EU) nations. The EU already waged a war against ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in Syria after the terror attack in Paris. A war implies a substantial increase in government spending. This war will weigh on the continent, which is already struggling for gross domestic product growth. This series will focus on the following points: How did the migration crisis start in Europe? How is France struggling with unemployment? Is Germany ready to take on more refugees? Performance of Europes major indexes After the Paris attack in November, most European indexes fell as geopolitical tensions rose in the continent. The United Kingdoms (EWU) FTSE 100, Germanys (EWG) DAX, and Frances CAC 40 (EWQ) have fallen 10%, 16%, and 15% since December 1, 2015. The above graph shows the performance of the SPDR Euro Stoxx 50 ETF (FEZ). Major stocks in Germany such as Volkswagen (VLKAY), Daimler (DDAIF), and Siemens (SIEGY) have fallen in recent months, and Germany-tracking ETFs also fell 13% due to various macroeconomic factors. Growing geopolitical issues in the Middle East and Chinas economic slowdown are affecting crude oil prices, due to which major global indexes have also seen massive sell-offs in recent months. In the next part of this series, well analyze how the migration crisis started in the Eurozone. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Michael Morell The morning before US President Barack Obama gave his State of the Union address, three former US intelligence and diplomatic officials testified before the US House Armed Services Committee, describing the major issues with the US fight against ISIS. Former CIA Director Michael Morell, former US Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers, and former US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford had common threads that outlined two major problems with the US strategy to defeat the terrorist group ISIS aka the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh. The first problem is that air power alone won't be enough to defeat the group. The second, related issue is that there aren't local ground forces in Iraq and Syria that are capable of clearing and holding territory. And while the US has been fighting terrorism directly in the Middle East for more than a decade, ISIS is a much more evolved version of America's old foe, al-Qaeda. "I believe ISIS poses a significant strategic and lethal threat to the United States of America," Morell said. He continued: "The nature and significance of the threat posed by ISIS flows from the fact that ISIS is at the same time a terrorist group, a quasi-state, and a revolutionary political movement. We have not faced the likes of it before." ISIS map The US has been fighting an ideological and a literal war with ISIS. At home, the US government has been working to counter ISIS's very effective online propaganda messaging, and abroad the military has been running airstrikes and training ground forces in Iraq and Syria. The propaganda war isn't going well for the US, and the officials who testified on Tuesday emphasized that the air war is falling short as well. "Air power is not gonna win this thing alone," Morell said. "We need a ground force." Morell is more optimistic about Iraq than he is about Syria. This sentiment was echoed by Ford, who said that he was "much less upbeat, much less optimistic" about the Syrian side of the fight. Story continues "There is a strategy in Iraq to get that ground force. Ramadi showed that that strategy has potential," Morell said. Ground forces backed by US air power recently drove ISIS out of the Iraqi city of Ramadi. isis airstrikes ramadi Still, Iraqi ground forces have a long way to go, Ford said. "I worry, frankly, that we do not yet have enough people, friendly indigenous fighters, in places like Ramadi, Anbar Province, Diyala Province" to hold territory retaken from ISIS, he said. "I'm not sure that 30,000 [soldiers] is going to be enough to secure that Syrian border and control those towns." Meanwhile, the US is struggling to figure out how to seize territory back in the first place in Syria. "There is no ground force on the Syrian side that carries the same kind of potential as the Iraqi military carries," Morell said. He continued: We can do more, I think, with the moderate opposition, but at the end of the day, I think, [Syrian President Bashar] Assad's got to go, and we have to take the Syrian military [and] security resources, as degraded as they've become, and turn them into a force that the international community supports in taking on ISIS. Ford agreed that Assad, whose forces have been known to barrel-bomb civilians and commit other atrocities, must be forced out if we want to see a successful ground fight in Syria. ISIS Flag Iraq Iraqi Soldiers "The only way to generate more indigenous forces is to help the Syrian opposition and to see the removal of Bashar al-Assad at some point and the creation of a new national unity government," Ford said. "The sooner that can be done in Syria, the better. Only a new national unity government in Syria is going to be able to mobilize enough Syrians to fight and destroy the Islamic State." assad syria grafitti It's unclear, however, if Assad will be removed from power anytime soon. Russia recently jumped into the fray in Syria under the guise of fighting ISIS. But it seems that Russia's real aim is propping up its ally the Assad regime, since much of Russia's airstrikes in Syria have hit anti-Assad rebels rather than ISIS fighters. And while Russia has been increasing its presence in Syria, the US-led coalition has been focusing on Iraq. "Two-thirds of coalition efforts have really been against Iraq and not against Syria, where the more dangerous threat has existed," Vickers said. Syria is a much more chaotic theater than Iraq considering the all-out civil war that exists there, and ISIS's de facto capital and center of operations is based in Raqqa, Syria. The group is deeply entrenched there and US-backed forces haven't yet been able to take back Mosul, ISIS's main Iraqi base, let alone go into Raqqa. And while the US has seen some success in training Iraqi forces, that has not been the case in Syria. In October, the US ditched its program to train rebels in Syria to fight ISIS. This came after reports that rebels had been told that they couldn't fight Assad or the regime's allies, including Iranian-backed militias in Syria. Even if the US took the advice of experts who say Assad must go in order to achieve peace in Syria, it's unclear who would replace him. "It has to be negotiation," Ford said. "Had we asked the question 'Who would follow Saddam Hussein?' we wouldn't have known the answer to that in 2003," he continued, referencing the US toppling former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein after the 2003 invasion. He said: Just as the wobbly government in Iraq ... needed help, that will be the case also in Syria. I do not believe that if Assad goes, only the Islamic State takes over. I think that is wrong on multiple levels and is indicative of the sense that there is no hope, when actually there is quite a bit of hope. Here's a video of the full testimony: More From Business Insider Robert Gates Former US defense secretary Robert Gates isn't optimistic that the landmark July 2015 nuclear deal with Iran will lead the country to halt any of its disruptive policies in the Middle East or its support for terrorist groups. In an interview with Business Insider, Gates, who spent nearly 27 years in the CIA and was the only cabinet secretary to have served under Barack Obama and George W. Bush, said that he didn't believe the nuclear deal would have a moderating impact on Iranian behavior or lead Tehran to become a more responsible international actor. "The notion that betting that this regime is going to temper its behavior in the region because of this nuclear deal I think is mistaken," Gates told Business Insider. "I think that will not happen." iran emad rocket test In the six months since the nuclear deal was reached, Iran has tested two nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, fired live missiles within 1,500 yards of a US aircraft carrier, and continued its support for the Assad regime in Syria and for Shiite militia groups in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. At the same time, Iran agreed to a prisoner swap with the US that secured the freedom of five US citizens detained in Iran in exchange for the US dropping charges against seven Iranians accused of violating sanctions against the country and removing several regime-linked officials from Interpol's "red notice" list. Iran also quickly freed 10 US sailors detained in Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf on January 12 although not before propaganda images of the captive troops were broadcast on Iranian state media. An undated picture released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards website shows American sailors sitting in a unknown place in Iran. REUTERS/sepahnews.ir/TIMA/Handout via Reuters Overall, Gates doesn't think that Iran's long-term behavior will change that much after the nuclear deal, or that the deal can overcome the now 36-year-old regime's religiously motivated ideology or temper its regional ambitions. Story continues "This is a country that has a long history under the revolutionary government," says Gates. He recalled his involvement in the "very first official US meeting" with members of the Islamic Republic of Iran's government, when Zbigniew Brzezinski, then the US national-security adviser, met with high-ranking regime officials in Algiers, Algeria, just three days before the 1979 US embassy seizure. "As I like to tell people, that began my now more than three-decades-long quest for the elusive Iranian moderate," says Gates. kerry zarif Gates also doesn't expect Iran's geopolitical objectives to change as the result of the nuclear deal. He told Business Insider that he believes Iran will still harbor ambitions of building a nuclear weapon even as the deal is implemented. "My view is that the belief that Iran over time is going to evolve into a regular nation state and abandon its theological revolutionary underpinnings, its aspirations in the region, or even its aspirations for nuclear weapons is unrealistic," Gates said. Under the nuclear agreement, Iran agreed to never "seek, develop, or acquire any nuclear weapons." On one of the agreement's most important points, Gates isn't quite willing to take Tehran as its word. iran nuclear reactor Gates actually urged members of Congress to vote to implement the deal during the runup to the September 2015 deadline for congressional review of the agreement, arguing that the consequences of canceling the accord after its completion outweighed the risks of implementing it. But he still criticized the deal's provisions, stating that the US had gotten "out-negotiated" and calling the deal "flawed." In an interview with Business Insider, Gates raised the possibility that US negotiators did not secure as strong a deal as possible. "The administration told us through April of last year that they had to have anywhere, anytime inspections," said Gates, in reference to the possible degree of access international inspectors would have to sensitive Iranian nuclear sites over the life of the agreement. "That was given up in the deal, so I worry about verification." "I'm not sure we couldn't have gotten a better deal if we hadn't been eager," Gates added. Gates Bush Condi Gates' suspicion of Iran's long-term intentions stems in part from his experience overseeing the US campaign in Iraq as Pentagon chief. As secretary of defense, Gates was involved in a US war effort in which Iranian-backed militia groups were a consistent US military adversary. If this is the case, Gates' concerns might have been vindicated by last week's kidnapping of three American contractors in Baghdad at the hands of an Iranian-linked Shiite militia group. He also witnessed Iran's attempts to meddle in Iraq's internal politics during the closing years of the Iraq War, after the US troop "surge" and the "Sunni awakening" succeeded in defeating Al Qaeda in Iraq and pacifying much of the country. In his interview with Business Insider, Gates identified the strong-arm sectarian policies of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as one of the contributing factors to the rise of ISIS. Maliki was closely identified with Tehran and was reelected as prime minister in 2010 as the result of Iranian political maneuvering. Gates might have difficulty investing too much confidence in a regime whose strategies he experienced first-hand during his years at the Pentagon. Overall, Gates thinks that the nuclear deal only creates a greater urgency for the US counterbalancing Iranian moves in the Middle East. "It seems to me that agreement needs to be paralleled by a very aggressive American strategy of working with our allies, both Arab and Israeli in the region to counter Iranian meddling, support of terrorism, and other activities," Gates said. He continued: "We need the same kind of strong-minded strategy in dealing with Iran in its behavior in the region that other countries are looking for, and there's no reason for that to be contradictory to the" nuclear agreement. Pamela Engel contributed to this report. NOW WATCH: Former Defense Secretary calls out Trump for 'over-the-top ISIS plan More From Business Insider * Malaysia's palm oil output seen dropping to 19.8 mln T * Indonesia's production of the vegoil to rise to 34 mln T (Adds paragraphs on biodiesel) By Emily Chow KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Growth in world palm oil output is expected to slow this year due to unfavourable crop weather and an overall decline in yields, a leading industry analyst said on Tuesday. A smaller rise in production could propel further gains in benchmark palm oil futures that are currently near a three-week top of 2,495 ringgit ($571.92) per tonne. Palm oil output in Malaysia, the world's No.2 producer of the tropical oil, is expected to drop marginally to 19.8 million tonnes in 2016, while top producer Indonesia will see output rising slightly to 34 million tonnes, said Thomas Mielke, editor of Hamburg-based newsletter Oil World. In 2015, Malaysia produced 19.96 million tonnes of palm oil. Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) estimated Indonesia's output at 32.5 million tonnes for the year. "Palm oil has lost momentum, production saw a relatively slow growth last year and will see a further slowing down in 2016," Mielke said. "This is not only due to weather factors ... actually yields per tree are declining, which is quite alarming." Mielke expects a moderate rise of 0.6 million tonnes in world palm oil output in the current season. "This is shocking," he said, as it is below an annual average increase of 2.7 million tonnes. Mielke was speaking at a palm oil economic review and seminar in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil export prices, free on board, have the potential to appreciate by about $50-$100 from current levels by June if any additional production problems occur, he added. "It is a tentative estimate, we may still be overestimating Malaysian and Indonesian production. A scenario is possible where world production of palm oil will only stagnate or be in decline slightly in calendar year 2016," Mielke said. Mielke also said Indonesia's biodiesel production in 2016 would reach around 2.5 million-2.6 million tonnes, up about 1 million tonnes from last year. Malaysia's biodiesel production would decline to 0.7 million tonnes this year from 0.8 million tonnes in 2015, he said. Story continues Indonesia raised its minimum bio content in diesel fuel to 15 percent last year to cut its oil import bill and mop up its supplies of crude palm oil. The mandate will be raised to 20 percent this year, and to 30 percent in 2020. Malaysia's mandate is currently at 7 percent, although it has been proposed that this be raised to 10 percent. Palm oil prices are likely to get a boost from the higher production of palm oil-based biodiesel, especially in Indonesia, industry officials at the seminar said. (1 = 4.3625 ringgit) (Writing by Naveen Thukral; Editing by Himani Sarkar) hillary clinton bernie sanders Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has been closing the gap with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in both national and early-state surveys as of late. But he still hasn't solved perhaps the biggest obstacle on his theoretical path to victory. A new Monmouth University poll released Tuesday found Sanders trailing Clinton, 52-37, among national Democratic voters. But a vast majority of minority voters still overwhelmingly favor Clinton. Thursday's poll showed 71% of black and Latino voters supporting Clinton over Sanders' 21%, which was an increase from her 61-18 advantage with the groups in last month's national poll. With a shrinking margin, a strong showing by Sanders in Iowa and New Hampshire could cut Clintons national lead even more. However, he would still have to overcome Clintons demographic advantage in the ensuing contests, Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray said in a statement. Though Sanders continues to poll well among New Hampshire and Iowa voters, who are disproportionately white and more liberal, Clinton retains a key edge among voters in South Carolina and Nevada. The latter two February contests' voters represent a more diverse swath of the electorate. "The good thing for her, and the bad thing for Sanders, is that because he spent so money and put so much stock in [Iowa and New Hampshire], I dont see where it gets better for him," one Democratic strategist unaffiliated with any 2016 campaign told Business Insider last week. "I dont see him winning Nevada. You look at that electorate and the amount of Latinos that represent the Democratic Party in Nevada. I dont see him making inroads there." The Sanders campaign appears well aware that much of its success beyond Iowa and New Hampshire relies on gaining support among minority voters. The Sanders campaign has hired a large staff in Nevada to make up ground against Clinton, who's been operating in the state since launching her campaign last spring. Story continues Arturo Carmona, the Sanders campaign's director of Hispanic media, said during a press call late last month that even if Latino support for Sanders isn't yet reflected in polling, the campaign has seen an uptick in interest from Hispanic volunteers, who are helping with Spanish-language phone-banking efforts in the state. "Latinos are really gravitating toward our campaign, and the numbers are changing every day, especially in states like Nevada," Carmona said. He added: "We had thousands of Latino and Spanish-speaking volunteers doing a call a couple weeks back with one of our celebrity endorsers, George Lopez. We got nearly 1,000 volunteers in one hour." NOW WATCH: These are the biggest risks facing the world in 2016 More From Business Insider FAIRFAX, VA--(Marketwired - January 19, 2016) - Invincea , the leader in advanced endpoint threat protection, today announced the company's Invincea Advanced Endpoint Protection software has been recognized as a finalist in the Best Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) Protection category of SC Magazine's 2016 SC Awards. Invincea is the only endpoint security company honored in the APT Protection category. Finalists are recognized for outstanding leadership and for providing superior security products to the information security industry. Invincea Advanced Endpoint Protection excels at both detecting and protecting against attacks in real-time, ensuring that businesses not only identify advanced threats but can also stop them. By combining machine learning based anti-malware technology with behavioral monitoring, Invincea helps organizations stop new and unknown malware, while protecting against file-less intrusions. Invincea also defeats spear-phishing attacks with its proven containerization technology. Protecting more than three million users and 25,000 organizations, Invincea provides unrivaled defense against spear-phishing, Web-based attacks, weaponized documents, and unknown malware. "Invincea's technology is trusted by 25,000 enterprises across every sector to defend against evolving threat vectors, including spear-phishing, file-less intrusions, and previously unknown malware. It is a privilege to be recognized by SC Magazine as a global leader in APT protection for helping Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and other organizations address their top cyber threats," said Anup Ghosh, Founder and CEO, Invincea. "What sets Invincea apart from other endpoint solutions is the ability to rapidly deploy and scale within the enterprise, and our immediate proof of value in detecting and stopping attacks that get past other APT solutions." With the awards, SC Magazine recognizes the achievements of security professionals in the field, the innovations happening in the vendor and service provider communities, and the vigilant work of government, commercial and nonprofit entities. Winners will be announced at the SC Awards 2016 ceremony to be held March 1, 2016 in San Francisco. Security leaders interested in conducting a free 30-day trial of Invincea's advanced threat detection technology are invited to register here: https://www.invincea.com/invincea-advanced-threat-detection-program/. Follow Invincea: Invincea Blog: http://www.invincea.com/resources/blog Twitter: @Invincea LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/invincea-inc- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InvinceaInc About Invincea Invincea is the leader in advanced endpoint threat protection for enterprises worldwide. The company provides the most comprehensive solution to contain, identify, and control the advanced attacks that evade legacy security controls. Invincea protects enterprises against targeted threats including spear-phishing and Web drive-by attacks that exploit Java, Flash, and other applications. Combining the visibility and control of an endpoint solution with the intelligence of cloud analysis, Invincea provides the only market-deployed solution that defends against 0-day exploits, file-less malware, and previously unknown malware. The company is venture capital-backed and based in Fairfax, VA. For more information, visit www.invincea.com. About SC Magazine SC Magazine provides IT security professionals with in-depth and unbiased information through timely news, comprehensive analysis, cutting-edge features, contributions from thought leaders and the best, most extensive collection of product reviews in the business. By offering a consolidated view of IT security through independent product tests and well-researched editorial content that provides the contextual backdrop for how these IT security tools will address larger demands put on businesses today, SC Magazine enables IT security pros to make the right security decisions for their companies. Besides the monthly print magazine, special Spotlight editions and daily website, the brand's portfolio includes SC Marketscope and SC Magazine Newswire, and face-to-face events, including the SC Congress series (New York, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, London, Amsterdam), and the SC Awards. LONDON (Reuters) - Iran is set to take on rival OPEC producer Saudi Arabia in a competition for European buyers now that Western sanctions have been lifted by offering lower official selling prices for February crude shipments. Based on official selling prices (OSP) published on National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) website this month, Iran cut its OSP for light crude to northwest Europe in February to a discount of $4.85 a barrel to the Brent Weighted Average Price (BWAVE) from a discount of $4.30 in January. The cut on the OSP was made before sanctions banning oil shipments to Europe were lifted. This matches the $4.85 discount in December, which was the lowest selling price to northwest Europe since early 2009. The discount for heavy crude is now $6.55 a barrel for February, down from $6.00 for January, also a seven-year low. The discount for Iran's light crude also matches Saudi Arabia's February OSP for sales of its Arab Light blend to northwest Europe. Nitesh Shah, director and commodity strategist at ETF Securities, warned earlier on Tuesday that Iran will still have difficulty marketing its oil. "Sales of Iranian oil cannot take place using U.S. dollars. While European companies have more flexibility, their close ties with the U.S. pose challenges," Shah said in a note. "Had oil prices been higher, Iran's strategy would have been to offer deep discounts on price to sell to countries like India to compensate for the increased complexity of dealing with its oil. But with oil prices so low, there is little potential for discounting." Iran, a member of OPEC, has said now sanctions have disappeared, it will increase production by 500,000 barrels per day and plans on adding another 500,000 bpd shortly after. The sanctions halved Iran's oil exports to around 1.1 million bpd from a pre-2012 level of 2.5 million bpd. A Reuters survey released on Jan. 5 on OPEC crude output showed Iranian production reached 2.9 million bpd in December. (Reporting by Amanda Cooper; Editing by Katharine Houreld) By Tova Cohen and Steven Scheer TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel's pension funds are facing calls to invest more in the country's thriving high-tech sector, with complaints growing that the Israeli public is missing out while foreign investors reap the returns of the country's technology boom. Burned by the tech bubble that burst in 2000 and hampered by regulatory constraints, Israeli pension funds have shied away from high tech over the past decade, during which billions have been generated from high-profile takeovers or flotations. Now, with pension funds posting sluggish returns of between 2 and 3.6 percent during 2015, bankers, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs are saying they should put more into the country's best performing industry. "It's mostly guys from California enjoying the fruits of the Israeli high-tech success," said Yaron Bloch, chief executive of Bank Leumi's investment banking arm Leumi Partners. Israeli tech mergers, acquisitions and IPOs rose 16 percent in 2015 to $9.02 billion, according to the Israel Venture Capital (IVC) Research Centre and the Meitar law firm. At the same time Israeli venture capital firms raised $1.02 billion, but the funds mostly came from U.S. investors, and increasingly from Asia, rather than Israel's risk-averse institutional investors. However, recent successes such as Google's purchase of Israeli navigation app Waze and the large initial public offering of driver-assistance technology provider Mobileye are expected to gradually boost institutional interest. U.S. CONTRAST U.S. funds such as the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers Retirement System have invested billions of dollars in Silicon Valley and Israeli venture capital (VC) firms such as Pitango, Carmel and Giza. The $185 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund, the third largest in the United States, has invested over $140 million in Israeli venture capital firms and $22 million in two Israel tech-focused private equity funds. Story continues Israeli institutions have started to place small amounts with venture capital - mostly in late-stage growth funds targeting companies with sales over $10 million. But specialists say it's not enough to deliver major pension fund returns. "The government should give incentives to long-term investors to start investing in the high tech industry. It has to happen," said Eldad Tamir, CEO of the Tamir Fishman investment house and a partner at the Eucalyptus Growth Capital fund. Israeli pension funds, insurance companies and mutual funds manage 1.6 trillion shekels ($407 billion). In contrast to the United States where pension funds allocate 50 percent of assets to equity investments, in Israel it's under 10 percent - the eighth lowest of 31 OECD countries. Israeli institutions invest about 40 percent overseas, some of which goes to money managers to invest in private equity and investment funds. Ironically, some of that money is allocated to private equity and venture capital funds that then invest in Israeli high tech, said Koby Simana, CEO of the IVC Research Center. SIGNS OF CHANGE One fund that raised money from Israeli institutions is Israel Growth Partners (IGP), which focuses on small but growing tech firms. It received $250 million from five institutions, including Leumi Partners. "Things are changing," said Haim Shani, IGP's general partner. Institutions "prefer to invest in the growth stage which has a different risk-reward curve." Assaf Shoham, chief investment officer at Migdal Insurance - Israel's largest insurer with $50 billion under management - said he was examining investing in a fund of funds that would invest in private equity and venture capital. One problem for institutional investors though is the time it takes to show a profit. "You won't see results for seven or eight years," Ilan Artzi, chief investment officer at investment house Halman Aldubi, noting funds could book an accounting loss early on. The government can help not only by offering tax incentives to encourage pension fund investment but also by easing the restrictions imposed by the insurance commissioner on the amount pension funds may pay to external managers, such as venture capital funds, venture capitalists and pension fund managers say. In the United States there is no restriction. A Finance Ministry spokeswoman said the regulation's purpose is to ensure institutions don't charge too much in management fees, enabling higher returns for investors. "That regulation that was meant to protect investors had good intentions but was done without properly understanding how VCs are structured," said Dan Shamgar, a partner at the Meitar law firm, which represents most of Israel's major venture capital firms. (Editing by Adrian Croft) LANSING, Mich, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, facing protests and lawsuits into the state's handling of contaminated drinking water in Flint, will make the crisis the main subject of his annual speech to lawmakers on Tuesday. President Barack Obama was meeting on Tuesday with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver over the crisis. Separately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it acted too slowly to address the situation. Demonstrators plan to protest at Michigan's state Capitol in Lansing before Snyder's speech, set for 7:15 p.m. local time. The Detroit News reported that Snyder would detail more than $28 million of supplemental spending on health treatment, replacement of faucets and fixtures in Flint schools and day care centers, and a study of the city's water pipes. President Obama, acting on a request from Snyder, on Saturday ordered federal aid for state and local response efforts in Genesee County, which includes Flint, about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit. "It's an opportunity for the president to hear from the mayor of Flint on the significant challenges that are facing that city," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said of the president's meeting with the mayor. Protesters have demanded swifter state action and some have called for Snyder, a Republican, to resign. He has rejected those calls. Financially strapped Flint was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its source of tap water from Detroit's system to the more corrosive water in the nearby Flint River in April 2014 to save money. The Flint River leached lead from the city pipes more than Detroit water did, leading to elevated levels of lead in the water and the blood of some children. Flint resumed using Detroit water in October. At least three lawsuits have been filed over the crisis. The latest on Tuesday in Genesee County court seeks an injunction to stop Flint from issuing shutoff notices to residents, who are still receiving bills for water declared undrinkable. Story continues The lawyers have heard from more than 500 people. Some have reported rashes, hair loss, seizures, unexplained miscarriages, psychological breakdowns, and financial hardship, attorney Cary McGehee said. Other Flint residents in November filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city and state of endangering their health. Last week, Snyder sent the Michigan National Guard to distribute bottled water and other supplies in the area. (Reporting by Serena Maria Daniels in Michigan, Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago and David Bailey in Minneapolis; Editing by David Gregorio) * West eager not to see Ukraine's reform agenda fail * Ukrainians, investors frustrated by lack of judicial overhaul By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The European Union pressed Ukraine authorities on Monday to overcome political feuding and implement promised reforms as it looks to shore up the country's democratic and economic credentials. Having so far failed to end the Russian-backed war in eastern Ukraine, Kiev's western supporters are now seeking to shift the focus onto modernisation, concerned that the West's huge political investment in Ukraine could go to waste. "We understand the pressures the Ukrainian government is under internally," said Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. "But we continually remind them of their obligations under Minsk," Hammond told reporters, referring to the peace deal signed in February last year in the Belarusian capital. Reforms tied to the Minsk accord, which was extended beyond its end-2015 deadline, would give Kiev more credibility, Hammond said. That included changing Ukraine's constitution to grant special status to the Donbass industrial regions of eastern Ukraine now under rebel control. Russia denies it has provided weapons to the rebels or that it has troops engaged in the conflict that has killed more than 8,000 people since it broke out April 2014, following Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. Rebels and the Ukrainians complain of violations of the ceasefire negotiated as part of the Minsk deal. Both say heavy artillery, meant to have been withdrawn, is still being used. Seeking to cement Ukraine's historic shift away from Russia, senior U.S. and EU officials are trying to help Ukraine's leadership modernise the former Soviet state, where the shadow economy accounts more than half of output by some estimates. In a note seen by Reuters on Monday, nine EU countries including Germany and Britain said Europe needed to show even more support for Ukraine, as well as calling for reforms. Story continues While political rifts and the danger of the ruling Ukrainian coalition breaking up is less of an imminent threat since the government passed a 2016 draft budget in late December, other difficult reforms outside of the Minsk accord, ranging from the tax code to the judiciary, are pending. "There are deficits in the justice system, especially in the fight against corruption," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told a news conference. "That has to be corrected as soon as possible ... Ukraine has to become more attractive for foreign investors." Ukraine has already received almost $10 billion in 2015 from the International Monetary Fund and other international lenders to shore up its finances, crippled by the conflict and years of mismanagement and corruption. (Additional reporting by Tom Korkemeier; editing by John Stonestreet) Unrest in Turkey: Will Middle Eastern Gas Pipelines Materialize? (Continued from Prior Part) Russian natural gas pipeline network The European Union (FEZ) depends mostly on imports to meet its gas needs. Europe accounts for a significant portion of Russias gas exports. Russias (RSX) heightening tensions with Ukraine in recent years caused the energy supplier to consider other possible routes to Europe. The above map shows gas pipelines going from Russia to Europe. The pipeline passing through Ukraine has a capacity of 159.5 Bcm (billion cubic meters). The operation statistics in 2014 showed that the pipelines load fell by 50% compared to 2013. This can be attributed to the geopolitical issues and pricing disagreements that developed between Ukraine and Russia. Meanwhile, the Nord Stream directly supplies gas to Germany through the Baltic Sea. The load on this pipeline rose significantly as the load on the pipelines passing through Ukraine fell. Germany is among Russias top trading nations in Europe apart from China. Most of Germanys energy requirements are met by Russian exports. The pipeline that passes through Belarus connects to Polland. In 2014, Polland consumed 16.3 Bcm of natural gas. This pipeline operated with a capacity of 31.5 Bcm. It was 100% operational in 2014. Importance of these pipelines to Gazprom PAO Gazprom PAO (OGZPY) supplies most of its natural gas to the Europe through these pipelines. Gazprom PAO is developing the Nord Stream to enhance its capacities. Recently, Italian oil and gas company Eni (EAA) denied reports of buying stake in Nord Stream. Lukoil (LUKOY) is another Russian (RSX) oil and gas company. It operates with a production mix of 13% in natural gas. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Zika virus microcephaly A virus that until this month had never been in the US has been connected to a case of brain abnormality in Hawaii. The mosquito-borne Zika virus is causing severe problems in Brazil, where it appears to be connected to serious birth defects. To stop Zika's spread, a company called Oxitec is planning on expanding its genetically engineered mosquito project to try to rid areas in Brazil of the bug at the heart of the problem: the Aedes aegypti mosquito. A tricky bug The Zika virus is primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti, the type of mosquito responsible for spreading dengue, yellow fever, and a whole host of other tropical infectious diseases. The mosquitoes pick up the virus from infected people, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Originally identified in 1947 in Uganda, Zika was relatively unknown until 2007, when there was an outbreak of the virus in Micronesia. To treat these diseases, scientists have started looking into how to stop the mosquitoes. One step affected areas can try is introducing sterile mosquitoes into the area so as to curb their populations and prevent the disease from spreading. In the past, researchers have done this by zapping the bugs with radiation. Unfortunately, that strategy can also make the mosquitoes less competitive and more resistant to mating. So Oxitec tried a different approach: genetically modifying male mosquitoes, which in turn seek out female mosquitoes and mate with them, resulting in no offspring and eventually, a size ably smaller mosquito population, if all goes well. "They do what they want to do, which is seek out those females," Chris Creese, a spokeswoman for Oxitec told Business Insider. "That's why its so effective." Creese said they've seen more than 90% suppression in trials of their genetically engineered mosquitoes. Creese said Oxitec is planning on building out its project in Piracicaba, Brazil, an area that's particularly hard hit by viruses stemming from the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Right now, Oxitec's mosquitoes are able to cover about 5,000 people in a district of the city, but the company plans to spread the mosquitoes to cover the up-to-60,000-person urban center soon. Longer term, Oxitec said it's going to be able to scale out to cover about 300,000 people. Story continues Mosquito Zika virus An untreatable virus Until 2014, the virus had broken out only in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. That year, it spread to South America. By last May, Zika had made its way to Brazil. In the past year, Brazil has seen more than 84,000 cases of the virus. Only about one in five of those who are infected show symptoms, which most commonly include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. In total for 2015, thousands of babies about 10 times the normal amount for a year were born with microcephaly, a condition in which the brain is abnormally small. This birth defect was often found after the mother had Zika virus-like symptoms early in the pregnancy. So far, there are no vaccines or treatments for Zika. The only way to prevent the infection is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. That's why the US government have been advising travelers who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant to avoid areas with an ongoing outbreak. Governments in areas where the outbreaks are happening are even advising women to postpone their plans to get pregnant. "The advice from authorities in Brazil, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic, to delay getting pregnant is definitely not a long-term solution," Creese said. "The World Health Organization recommends controlling the mosquito." More From Business Insider children sharing milkshake Deutsche Bank is so desperate to keep junior bankers happy that some managing directors are taking a cut to their own bonuses to give junior bankers a little more. That's according to The Financial Times' Laura Noonan and Alistair Gray, who report that some managers are doing so on a "'case by case' basis" in what is expected to be a rough year for bonuses. US banks are in the midst of bonus season right now, with European banks set to communicate bonuses to staff in a couple of weeks. Banker pay has been a contentious issue for some European executives. Last week, Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam said that the current pay model for investment banks "does not work." In October, Barclays Chairman John McFarlane also argued that bankers earned too much. And Deutsche Bank's own CEO, John Cryan, has publicly made digs at investment banks' bonus culture. In October, Cryan referred to his firm's "inflexible compensation culture" as a "significant challenge" in a presentation. Read the full report in The FT NOW WATCH: The banker who inspired Christian Bale's character in 'The Big Short' sent his Birkenstocks to Bale so he could wear them in the movie More From Business Insider TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's staid politicians aren't known for championing pop music, but even Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday was hailing an announcement that homegrown boy band SMAP had averted an impending break-up. Saturation media coverage and despairing fans greeted news last week that the five-man group, which formed in 1988 when its members were in their teens and in its heyday packed venues around Asia and sang for Chinese leaders, was on the brink of dissolution. But late on Monday, SMAP - whose name stands for "Sports Music Assemble People" - said they would stay together, prompting so much joyful internet chatter that Japan's Twitter network briefly crashed. "It was good that the group responded to the wishes of many fans and decided to continue (as it is)," Abe told a parliamentary committee. "Like in the world of politics, I assume there are various challenges for a group to keep on going for such a long period of time," added the 61-year-old leader, whose ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been in power for nearly all of the past six decades. Other cabinet ministers, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, lauded SMAP's survival and said they hoped they would continue to "give dreams and hopes to the public." (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Nick Macfie) COLOMBO, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's telecommunications regulator will introduce common floor rates for call charges effective Feb. 1 to ensure small operators remain competitive, an official said on Tuesday. Charges on the same network will be raised by a maximum 50 percent, and charges between networks will be reduced by as much as 28 percent, the official said. "Operators requested to review the floor rate, especially the small operators having a lower market share. When this type of tariff is there, they can compete with big operators," Indrajith Handapangoda, acting director, competition, at the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission told Reuters. Sri Lanka has five mobile telephone network operators and three fixed-line operators. (Reporting by Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal) * Move to increase competition - analysts * Small telecom operators to benefit - official (Adds details, analyst comment) COLOMBO, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka will introduce common floor rates for call charges effective from Feb. 1 in a bid to ensure that small telecom operators remain competitive, an official with the country's telecommunications regulator said on Tuesday. Charges on the same network will be raised by a maximum 50 percent to 1.50 rupees per minute, while those between networks will be reduced by as much as 28 percent to 1.80 rupees, Indrajith Handapangoda, acting director, competition, with the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, told Reuters. "Operators had requested to review the floor rate, especially the small operators having a lower market share. When this type of tariff is there, they can compete with big operators." The move would help improve competition among telecom operators as new subscribers would have no incentives in choosing a particular network, analysts said. Sri Lanka has five mobile telephone network operators, including listed Dialog Axiata and Mobitel Sri Lanka, the mobile arm of listed fixed line phone operator Sri Lankan Telecom. Dialog and Mobitel account for around two-third of the mobile phone market. The other three mobile telephone network operators are Airtel, the local arm of India's biggest telecom carrier Bharti Airtel Ltd, Etisalat, a subsidiary of Dubai-based Emirates Telecommunication Corp, and Hutchison, owned by Hutchison Asia Telecom. (Reporting by Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu) Georgia stair lift dealers can now benefit from the free mini website service provided by Stairlift Company Reviews HARRISON, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 18, 2016 / For stair lift dealers or someone interested in buying a stair lift, the name of StairliftCompanyReviews.com is likely to be familiar. Anyone looking for stair lift information online knows that this is the biggest and best independent online stair lift source around. Georgia stair lift dealers can now join with similar businesses in other states to get for free their own customized mini-website at StairliftCompanyReviews.com. Today the internet is the equivalent of what the appealing shop front was in previous years when it comes to attracting new customers. The idea of the mini-website is to give each stair lift dealer the chance to imprint their commercial image in terms of text, pictures, the "About Us" blurb, and how to make contact details, plus that all important 'how to buy' information. Georgian dealers are known for their sharp business instincts so a high offer take up rate is anticipated. Yale Lipschik, Co-Founder of StairliftCompanyReviews.com explains his company's interest in the Georgian stair lifts market, "I believe the 'State of Adventure' slogan on Georgia highway welcome signs is also going to be reflected in the willingness of Georgia dealers to explore these new marketing possibilities online. We will provide all the professional guidance required to set up appealing mini-websites that bring the dealer's products to discriminating customers looking for good deals on quality stair lift products." Stairlift Company Reviews has already attracted the support of local stair lift dealers who appreciate how the website can help them find new customers. Robert MacDonald, a Georgia chairlifts dealer comments, "Without any previous online trading experience we approached StairliftCompanyReviews.com for assistance. They did an amazing job assisting us to set up a mini-website that reflects our business mission." Story continues This new offer to Georgia stair lift dealers shows that StairliftCompanyReviews.com is convinced that this market is growing and additional service/product announcements are likely to be issued over the coming quarter. For more information please visit www.stairliftcompanyreviews.com. About StairliftCompanyReviews.com StairliftCompanyReviews.com is the internet's largest single source of stair lift information. We connect stairlift shoppers with the best local chair lift dealers, installers, and servicers who represent the most popular brands in the industry. Chair lift customers can quickly and easily get price quotes from all major brands on stairlift rentals and on all new and pre-owned models from manufacturers like Acorn, Stannah, Hawle and Bruno. Consumers who use StairliftCompanyReviews.com receive competitive quotes from only prescreened, trusted dealers and service representatives for new, pre-owned, and rental stairlifts. For more information about us, please visit http://www.stairliftcompanyreviews.com/ Contact Info: Name: Yale Lipschik Organization: Stairlift Company Reviews Address: 500 Mamaroneck Ave Harrison, NY 10528 Phone: 1-888-507-2015 SOURCE: StairliftCompanyReviews.com By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Aukkarapon Niyomyat BANGKOK, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Thailand's prosecutor has charged the local unit of Philip Morris International of under-reporting the value of imported cigarettes, which led to tax revenue losses of about 20 billion baht ($551.27 million), the attorney-general said. The case involves cigarettes imported by Philip Morris Thailand from the Philippines between 2003 and 2007, the prosecutor told reporters. In addition to the company, seven Thais were also charged, as well as four foreigners who were outside the country, they added. A court will hear the case on April 25. If convicted, the company will have to pay 80 billion baht in damages, and each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison. Philip Morris Thailand said the charges were unjust. "Not only are these charges wholly without merit ... they also call into question Thailand's commitment to fairness, transparency and rule of law," branch manager Troy Modlin said in a statement. A 2010 ruling by the World Trade Organization said that Thailand had no grounds to reject the import price of cigarettes from the Philippines, and Thailand has previously lost a case over the issue. The Philippines has complained that a series of domestic taxation and customs valuation by Thailand that started in 2006 had undermined the competitiveness of its cigarettes against those produced by the state-controlled Thailand Tobacco Monopoly. ($1 = 36.2800 baht) (Editing by Miral Fahmy) HELSINKI, Jan 19 (Reuters) - U.S. biotechnology company Acorda Therapeutics Inc. announced on Tuesday an agreed $363 million cash bid for all of the shares in Finland's Biotie Therapies. Acorda said the acquisition would expand its pipeline in Parkinson's disease therapies. The company will offer 0.294 euros for each Biotie share, a premium of about 95 percent compared with the closing price on Monday. Biotie shares had jumped 79 percent to 0.27 euros by 0824 GMT. (Reporting by Tuomas Forsell; Editing by Jussi Rosendahl and Mark Potter) By Pavel Polityuk and Alessandra Prentice KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian authorities will review the defences of government computer systems, including at airports and railway stations, after a cyber attack on Kiev's main airport was launched from a server in Russia, officials told Reuters on Monday. Malware similar to that which attacked three Ukrainian power firms in late December was detected last week in a computer in the IT network of Kiev's main airport, Boryspil. The network includes the airport's air traffic control. Although there is no suggestion at this stage that Russia's government was involved, the cyber attacks have come at a time of badly strained relations between Ukraine and Russia over a nearly two-year-long separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine. "In connection with the case in Boryspil, the ministry intends to initiate a review of anti-virus databases in the companies which are under the responsibility of the ministry," said Irina Kustovska, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's infrastructure ministry, which oversees airports, railways and ports. Ukraine's state-run Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-UA) issued a warning on Monday of the threat of more attacks. "The control centre of the server, where the attacks originate, is in Russia," military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said by telephone, adding that the malware had been detected early in the airport's system and no damage had been done. A spokeswoman for the airport said Ukrainian authorities were investigating whether the malware was connected to a malicious software platform known as "BlackEnergy", which has been linked to other recent cyber attacks on Ukraine. There are some signs that the attacks are linked, she said. "Attention to all system administrators ... We recommend a check of log-files and information traffic," CERT-UA said in a statement. In December three Ukrainian regional power firms experienced short-term blackouts as a result of malicious software in their networks. Experts have described the incident as the first known power outage caused by a cyber attack. Story continues A U.S. cyber intelligence firm in January traced the attack back to a Moscow-backed group known as Sandworm. The Dec. 23 outage at Western Ukraine's Prykarpattyaoblenergo cut power to 80,000 customers for about six hours, according to a report from a U.S. energy industry security group. Ukraine's SBU state security service has blamed Russia, but the energy ministry said it would hold off on attribution until after it completes a formal probe. (Editing by Matthias Williams and Gareth Jones) By David Ljunggren SAINT ANDREWS, New Brunswick (Reuters) - Canada's Liberal government could push back its first federal budget to April to give policymakers a better idea of the impact low commodity prices are having on the economy, a senior Liberal official said on Tuesday. Canadian governments usually unveil their budgets in late February or March, but a collapse in oil prices to their lowest levels since 2003 is making fiscal predictions more difficult than usual. "April is definitely an option this year," said the source, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the topic. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led his Liberals to an election win last year on the back of a promise to run three consecutive budgets with deficits of no more than C$10 billion ($6.9 billion) a year. Officials say the worsening economic situation means the deficits will be larger than C$10 billion, but added that no final decision has been made yet on the size of the projected shortfalls. If the Liberals do push back the date of the budget's release, it will mirror a similar move by the former Conservative government. Last year, then Finance Minister Joe Oliver waited until April 21, citing a need to get a better idea of where oil prices would end up. (Reporting by David Ljunggren, editing by G Crosse) Why German Jets Are Grounded at Night in Fight Against ISIS It seems U.S. fighter jets arent the only ones prone to head-scratching technological problems. Six German Tornado jets deployed to Syria to participate in the fight against ISIS cant fly at night because the cockpit lights are too bright for pilots, a local German paper reports, according to Agence France-Presse. Related: Russias Military Buildup Continues with Big New Fighter Jet Order The aircraft in question are outfitted with high-resolution infrared surveillance equipment and are supposed to be able to conduct reconnaissance missions during the day or night, regardless of weather conditions. That the same gear is blinding the pilots is a bit of a hiccup, to say the least. "It is possible that the night goggles worn by pilots result in reflections," a defense ministry spokesman told the news agency, adding that right now there is currently no need to fly the aircraft. He said officials hope the problem can be fixed within the next two weeks. Related: Why the Air Force Will Keep the A-10 Warthog Flying for Now Germany sent the warplanes to assist the U.S.-led coalition effort to help gather information against the terror group following the ISIS attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Last month a defense ministry report revealed that only 29 of Berlins 66 Tornado jets are airworthy, mostly because of overdue or poor repairs. The multi-role strike aircraft was developed in the 1970s by United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Besides Germany, the Tornado is still flown by the United Kingdom, Italy and Saudi Arabia. The aircrafts variants carry different avionics and equipment, depending on their mission. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Marlene Awaad | Bloomberg | Getty Images. Alain Dehaze said sectors such as IT and finance were waiting for the outcome of the vote before making decisions on hiring for projects. Switzerland, Singapore and Luxembourg occupy the top three spots in Adecco's latest annual benchmarking of countries' ability to compete for talent. "Those countries have been able to develop a very successful education system," CEO Alain Dehaze told CNBC on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, referring in particular to the vocational training system in Switzerland. In addition, the top three countries are able to send their talent to other countries to learn languages and new skills, but are also open to taking in skilled workers from abroad, Dehaze said. Forty-five percent of workers in the Swiss chemicals, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries were from abroad, he added. Adecco's report notes these countries have long attracted skilled workers. Other "talent magnets" are now emerging. They include Indonesia Chile and South Korea. China will soon be part of this group, Adecco says in the report, particularly if it manages to lure back former emigrants with science and engineering skills. Globally, 200 million people are out of work, but in Europe and the U.S. there are 8 million vacancies due to a "talent mismatch". Dehaze believes the key to addressing the high levels of unemployment is more vocational training. Turning to the increased use of technology in the labor market, such as the use of robotics and artificial intelligence, Dehaze said these developments will also create opportunities. "Six out of ten (elementary school) pupils will do a job that does not exist today. So that is also an opportunity," he said. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. More From CNBC donald trump Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump pounced after Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) said he hoped Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) does not win the Iowa caucus. "Wow, the highly respected governor of Iowa just stated that, 'Ted Cruz must be defeated. 'Big shocker!" Trump exclaimed Tuesday on Twitter. "People do not like Ted," the real-estate mogul added of Cruz, currently his top presidential rival. According to The Des Moines Register, Branstad said it would be "a mistake" for his state to back Cruz because of the Texas senator's opposition to ethanol subsidies. The subsidies help fund Iowa's corn industry. "Ted Cruz is ahead right now. What we're trying to do is educate the people in the state of Iowa. He is the biggest opponent of renewable fuels," Branstad said. The governor continued: "He actually introduced a bill in 2013 to immediately eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard. He's heavily financed by Big Oil. So we think once Iowans realize that fact, they might find other things attractive but he could be very damaging to our state." Branstad reportedly said "yes" when asked if he wanted to see Cruz be defeated in the 2016 presidential race. The most recent polls have Cruz roughly tied with Trump in the February 1 Iowa caucus. The Hawkeye State's voters are the first to weigh in on the Republican primary. Trump, who has declared his support for ethanol subsidies, often criticizes Cruz on the issue when speaking in Iowa. Trump spoke Tuesday at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, where he began his address by touting Branstad's comments about Cruz. "It's so much fun. And so interesting. I know the governor just made a very big statement that was appreciated by many. And that was amazing, actually. And he's a respected man and when he speaks, people listen. ... His feelings about one of the other candidates, that's strong feelings," Trump said. Cruz has stressed that he would like to phase out the subsidies over a number of years. Story continues He responded to Trump's tweet by accusing the mogul of currying more establishment support: @realDonaldTrump continues to seek Establishment support. Cartel wants more deals & cronyism; fears conservatives. https://t.co/NpIKHosjEd Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 19, 2016 NOW WATCH: Here's who was leading the polls in January in the past three election years none of them made it to November More From Business Insider LUSAKA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Water levels in southern Africa's Lake Kariba have dropped to 12 percent of capacity, the authority in charge said on Tuesday, raising concerns about severe power rationing in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Both countries rely heavily on the Kariba dam for electricity. The levels were 477.25 metres (1,500 feet) above sea level on Monday, just two metres above the point their working capacity, the Zambezi River Authority, which manages the lake for Zambia and Zimbabwe, said on its web site. "The Kariba Lake was created and designed to operate between levels 475.50 metres and 488.50 metres," it said. The dam was 12 percent full on Monday compared with 53 percent on the same date last year, underscoring the severity of a prolonged drought that threatens crops across the Southern African region where the United Nations has warned that 14 million people face hunger. Zambia asked South Africa last week for up to 300 megawatts (MW) of emergency power to ease an electricity crunch that has hit mining companies already grappling with a slide in global copper prices. Meamwhile, on Monday, water flow measurements from the famed Victoria Falls, a major tourist site, were recorded at 492 cubic metres per second, close to the historic low of 390 cubic metres per second posted in the 1995/96 season, its authority said. Zambian power companies and mining firms in August 2015 agreed to cut power supply to the mines by 30 percent due to a power deficit which rose to 985 MW in September from 560 MW in March. (Reporting by Chris Mfula Editing by Jeremy Gaunt; Editing by Ed Stoddard/Jeremy Gaunt) What Are International Stocks & Bonds? Todays investors aim to diversify their holdings across different asset classes and geographic regions. Portfolio theory holds that diversified investments provide higher returns and lower risks than limited portfolios do. International instruments like stocks and bonds give U.S. investors access to different opportunities around the globe that may have a low correlation to U.S. securities and to one another. Most investors participate in the international markets through mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. International Stocks International stocks, both common and preferred, are issued by corporations outside the U.S. They may trade on several different exchanges around the world, including in the U.S. in the form of American depositary receipts, or ADRs. Depending on their sponsorship level, ADRs may trade in the U.S. and be used by foreign corporations to raise capital in the U.S. Global stocks, including U.S. and international stocks, are tracked by indexes such as the MSCI World Index and the S&P Global 1200. International Stock Funds Many mutual fund companies offer international stock funds that cover one or more countries or regions. The most diversified versions are international funds, which contain representative stocks from around the globe, excluding the U.S. Regional funds cover markets in areas like Latin America or Asia and the Pacific Rim. The most focused international stock funds are single-country funds. As the focus narrows, funds tend to become less diversified and thus riskier. International ETFs are baskets of foreign stocks that trade as units, and they may be broadly diversified or focused on a specific region or country. They often track an international stock index. International Bonds International bonds include debt issued by foreign governments and corporations. International government bonds are usually denominated in the countrys currency and offer interest rates partially driven by local inflation rates. Some foreign government bonds offer higher interest rates than U.S. government bonds, but high interest rates tend to depress economic activity by making borrowing more expensive. This ultimately weakens a country's currency, as investors do not want to hold the currencies of sluggish economies with low growth rates. Instead, they move their money to countries with robust economies because these investments provide higher returns. Should investors move their money to countries with stronger growth, the income they get from foreign bonds denominated in a weakening currency loses value when that money is translated into strong currencies like the U.S. dollar; weakening foreign currencies buy fewer U.S. dollars. Corporate international bonds trade with higher interest rates than do government bonds because of credit risk. Some international bonds are denominated in U.S. dollars to attract American investors. International Bond Funds Mutual funds and ETFs offer many different kinds of international bonds: corporate and government, long term and short term, bonds specific to a country or region, high yield and low yield. Indexes such as the Barclays Global Aggregate and the Global Aggregate Corporate track global bonds. Some funds tie their returns to international indexes, so the choice of an index dictates an investors exposure to some subset of international bonds. International stock and bond funds tend to move in opposite directions: Stock funds do well in good economic environments, and bond funds are a better choice when economic conditions are deteriorating. If you need more information, here is a brief list of additional forced migration resources (research guides, information-rich websites, networks, and blogs). 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. Nebraska farmers who apply chemicals in irrigation water such as fertilizer or pesticides have an opportunity to certify and obtain a license. Certification meetings for Southeast Nebraska will be held March 4 in Fremont, March 8, in Tecumseh, and March 11 in York. According to Saline County Extension educator Randy Pryor, these meetings are for people who need to renew their chemigation certification or for initial applicants. The trend has been for more new applicants the past several years. If you plan to become certified for the first time, please contact Pryor at the Saline County Extension Office at 402.821.2151 to pre-register for the training session you plan to attend. Study materials can be sent prior to the training session which is highly encouraged. All class participants will receive a new chemigation manual and calibration workbook the day of training and should bring a pencil and pocket calculator. There is sometimes confusion what chemigation really means. By definition, chemigation is any process whereby chemicals are applied to land or crops in or with water through an on-farm irrigation distribution system (Title 195, Ch. 1, 003). The regulations apply whether the water is from a surface water source, such as a stream or canal, or ground water from an irrigation well. Pryor said there can be benefits associated with chemigation or the use of fertilizer or agricultural chemicals in irrigation water through pivot systems when managed properly. Chemigation is a very efficient way to manage nitrogen closer to the time the crop really needs it. Irrigators understand and recognize the importance of the required safety equipment and attend certification classes every four years to comply with state laws and review environmental stewardship. The operators complete a written exam upon completion of the class. Individual site permits are issued by the respective Natural Resources District (NRD). The following website shows additional training sites and more information: CONESTOGA Julia Anderson has enjoyed helping others during her time with the Nebraska National Guard. She delivered a positive surprise to one of her mentors in Cass County Tuesday morning. Anderson presented an American flag from a military base in Qatar to Conestoga High School Principal David Friedli at a schoolwide assembly. Anderson said it was important for her to honor Friedli with the flag and military certificate in front of CHS students. Hes not surprised at very many things. Usually hes the one surprising others, Anderson said. It was pretty fun to do this and see the expression on his face. Friedli has been friends with Andersons parents, Herb and Linda Anderson, for many years. He also served as a youth camp counselor to Julia Anderson when she was a teenager. Anderson returned from a tour of duty in Qatar Dec. 21. She and other members of the Nebraska National Guards 192nd Military Police Detachment protected American forces at several bases in the Persian Gulf country. Conestoga Activities Director Jeremy Schroeder helped arrange the surprise presentation. Friedli had already told staff members that he would be calling a special assembly Tuesday morning to announce a reward for Conestoga seniors. Senior students learned they would be able to spend four hours in the gym for their work on last years state writing tests. The group set a school record with an 85-percent proficiency rating on the state exam. Schroeder called Friedli up to the front of the CHS commons area as soon as Friedli had finished his announcement for the senior class. Anderson appeared from behind the stage curtains and gave Friedli a hug in front of the student body. CHS seniors Jaci Parriott and Matt Morton then appeared with the framed flag and certificate as Anderson read her presentation announcement. Hes a good person, so it meant a lot to be able to do this, Anderson said. This was definitely a fun morning. OMAHA -- Girl Scout Cookies go on sale Feb. 5 with cookie booths opening statewide Feb. 12. Cookies will be $4 per box and all of the net proceeds stay in Nebraska. The 2016 Girl Scout Cookie line-up includes Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbread, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Thanks-a-Lot, Cranberry Citrus Crisps and Lemonades. Gluten-free Trios are $5 per package. When customers purchase Girl Scout Cookies, they enjoy a once-a-year treat and they make an important investment in their community. Girls and troops use their cookie proceeds to reinvest in their neighborhoods through community service projects and to fund their Girl Scout activities throughout the year. Through their participation, girls also develop key life-skills like decision making, money management, goal setting, business ethics and people skills. In addition to door-to-door and Cookie Booth sales, girls can reach customers online using an enhanced digital platform, bringing 21st-century technology to the nearly 100-year-old Girl Scout Cookie Program. This will increase girls selling prospects and augment the skills necessary for their ongoing success in the digital age. To find Girl Scout Cookies near you, or to connect with a troop to order cookies online, visit GirlScoutsNebraska.org. LINCOLN Registration is now open for the 2016 Nebraska Agri/Eco-Tourism Workshop, presented by the Nebraska Tourism Commission. The workshop Feb. 22-24 in Grand Island. Join the workshop to learn creative ways to Share Your Story and get the right tools to grow your business. This three-day event will provide community leaders, landowners, farmers and ranchers, entrepreneurs, small business owners and service providers with information on how to establish, finance, market and grow businesses based on agri/eco-tourism and small business partnerships. Participants will come away with fresh marketing ideas, greater financial opportunity and numerous new contacts. Visitors to our state adore experiencing the land first-hand. This workshop gives small businesses, outfitters and landowners an opportunity to learn how to use your resources, talents and ideas to develop new product, increase your operational income and create new opportunities, said Kathy McKillip, Nebraska Tourism Commission Executive Director. This is a great chance for people to learn skills to successfully connect the land to the visitor, providing a down to earth Nebraska experience. The workshop will kick off with educational Business 2 Business tours on Monday. The Business to Business (B2B) Tours provide attendees the opportunity to go behind the scenes to see how businesses really make things work. Tours will begin at the Nebraska Mushroom Farm and then the Crane Trust Nature and Visitor Center, where the guest speaker will be John Wayne, owner of Wayne Cyclery in Grand Island. Tuesdays sessions and events will be held at the Raising Nebraska Building on the State Fairgrounds. There, all types of breakout sessions will take place, giving attendees a chance to learn from a variety of professionals, like Steve Maly of Maly Marketing, Russ Roca and Laura Crawford with Path Less Pedaled, social media expert/journalist Rebecca McCormick and many more. Tuesday night, the Taste and Feel of Nebraska event will give attendees the opportunity to network while sampling local products. The workshop will wrap-up Wednesday, with sessions being held at the Grand Theatre in downtown Grand Island. To get more information and a full schedule go to http://visitnebraska.com/media/industry. Online registration is now open or you can print off the brochure /registration form and send in a check to Nebraska Tourism Commission, c/o Bryce Arens, 301 Centennial Mall South, PO Box 98907, Lincoln, NE, 68509. A block of rooms have been reserved at the Midtown Holiday Inn in Grand Island until Jan.31. Call 308-384-1330 and ask for the Nebraska Agri/Eco-Tourism Block to secure your special room rate of $87.95 plus tax. When I was first elected to serve on the Lincoln City Council, I asked for the earliest meeting minutes in the history of the city. As I recall they were from 1871. I expected the proceedings to be full of colorful anecdotes about the Old Westperhaps a story about a shootout on "O" Street. Instead, the records spoke of managing a drainage ditch, buying a new fire apparatus, and other routine matters. This is the ordinary work of government. I sometimes ponder how our leaders of the past would view the current condition of the country. If George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, or Theodore Roosevelt were suddenly placed in the context of modern society and government, would they recognize the problems we face? Or are things completely different? One constant between the eras is the constitutionally-mandated State of the Union address. In modern times the address has evolved to a speech in the House of Representatives, full of expectations, controversy, and drama. It is an essential part of our political tradition. The President reasonably structured his remarks around four key issues: the use of technology for proper ends, economic security, a measured foreign policy, and a better type of politics. Technology should be channeled toward proper progress for everyone. The economy should deliver widespread opportunity and security. Our national security strategy should chart a wise course between isolationism and over-intervention. Finally, we should pursue a new type of politics that aims to achieve constructive outcomes. Most politics today is infested with an ugly dualism: a widespread desire for a better political approach yet hypocritically laced with factional interests. The President showed his own brand of this inconsistency in front of the Little Sisters of the Poor, who were seated in the House Gallery. The Little Sisters dedicate their lives to serving the elderly and the poor with health care. They are forced to sue the Presidents administration to preserve their basic freedoms of conscience and religious liberty. Unfortunately, while the President yearns for a new type of politics, he glossed over a legacy of division. The presidents of bygone eras would be familiar with many of our challenges: providing stability and order, maintaining security and freedom, and negotiating tensions between progress and tradition. On the other hand, unforeseen dynamics have changed so much about the modern age. They likely would be startled by advances in technology, the growth of government, the complexities of a globalizing economy, and new social fractures. In a recent conversation with a scholar on the founding moments of our country, we discussed the deep divisions between those who shaped our Republicbut also on the friendship that bound them together. Their divisions never rose above their desire to protect that friendshipa quality sorely missing in todays discourse. In the midst of a tumultuous political season, clashing visions and coarsening rhetoric are widening political debates into seemingly irreconcilable divides. The hard work ahead lies in rediscovering a binding set of values. Many Americans feel their voices don't matter. If we want better politics, our nation must demand it. Change always comes with opposition, especially when it pertains to cherished traditions of a legislative body. The Unicameral is no different in regards to secret ballots being used for the election of leadership positions. Last week, senators debated the proposed changes to the Legislatures permanent rules for the 2016 session, and for the second year in a row I proposed to shine the bright light of transparency on our election of our Legislature's leadership. Im happy to report that the idea of eliminating secret ballots is gaining support amongst my colleagues. Secret ballots for the election of the speaker and committee chairmen has been in the Legislatures rules since 1971. Yet, rules which protect politicians leadership votes from the eyes of their constituents is, in my opinion, in direct contradiction to the philosophy of transparency in everything else the Legislature does. In fact, the late U.S. Senator and father of the Unicameral Legislature, George Norris, thought transparency was critical to good government. He said, Every act of the Legislature and every act of each individual must be transacted in the spotlight of publicity. Unfortunately, a majority of Nebraska senators still want to hide in the grass when it comes to electing leadership. This is the last frontier of transparency in the Unicameral. I have always disliked politicians who would just prefer that their constituents go about their busy lives and leave them alone to do their job, preferably away from the prying eyes of anyone that might object to anything they are doing. That is one of the reasons that most politicians do not publicize where they stand on key issues. If pressed, many politicians will reluctantly reveal where they stand on an issue and some will just talk in a circle, never quite stating their real position. In every walk of life leadership is important. Leaders influence and guide the direction of businesses, organizations, churches, schools, teams and families. Leaders are intricately connected to the success or failure, positions and visions of the group they represent. If no one knows how senators vote on leadership, no one can hold them accountable for how our Legislature or committees are run and which issues are prioritized. In addition, secret ballots make it easier for senators to cut deals and promise their votes for committee chairmen, but their fellow senators never know for whom they really voted. This absolutely goes against the spirit of the Unicameral and against the wishes of the vast majority of people in Nebraska. For this reason I will continue to fight for complete transparency as long as I have the privilege of representing you in this Legislature. I am also happy to report that a bill I have co-sponsored, LB289, which would prohibit the regulation by ordinance of firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories by cities and villages has made it on the agenda. The first round of floor debate and consideration is expected to start this week. This would get rid of the patchwork of municipal codes relating to firearms that set additional requirements beyond federal and state law and create uniformity throughout the state by protecting law abiding firearm owners from unwarily breaking an unknown local regulation. In 2009, Concealed Handgun Permit holders were made exempt from local ordinances that go beyond state law. LB 289 would do the same for all firearms. One exception is that cities will still maintain the right to regulate the discharge of a firearm. I believe LB 289 has the good chance to pass this session, and I will do all I can to support the bill and help it to reach the governor's desk. Finally, last week, the governor briefed the Legislature on his plan for adjusting the budget. He presented a very balanced approach to our current $110 million budget shortfall. Starting this week, my colleagues and I on the appropriations committee will sit down and begin the detailed work of reviewing the governor's recommendation and crafting our own recommendations for how to close the budget gap. We will spend the next six weeks conducting hearings and working on our budget. As always, I really appreciate hearing from you on important matters. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff for information on legislative bills or if I may be of assistance. Please reach me at: Sen. Bill Kintner, 1000 State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509 (402-471-2613), or at my email: bkintner@leg.ne.gov. A Fremont man accused of threatening to kill his wife and 12-year-old son had his bond reduced during a hearing Tuesday morning in Dodge County District Court. Quynh B. Nguyen, 44, of Fremont has been held in the Saunders County Jail on a $1 million bond with a 10-percent option since being arrested Dec. 13, 2015, for making terroristic threats and third-degree domestic assault. Nguyens bond was reduced to $30,000 with a 10-percent option by Judge Geoffrey Hall. Hall said he made the decision in part based off of how he has handled similar cases in the past. Defense attorney Leo Eskey fought to have bond reduced to $25,000 with a 10-percent option, noting that Nguyen hasnt had any criminal law violations since moving to Fremont in 1999, no major violations in his entire life and that he has had a successful business in Fremont for many years. He doesnt want to just give up on what he has built the last 16 years, Eskey said. It appears that there is a lot of misunderstanding with this entire situation. Nguyen submitted a written plea of being not guilty of the charges being investigated by the state. Dodge County District Attorney Oliver Glass argued that such a drastic decrease in bond would be a mistake. Glass said with Nguyen facing such serious charges that flight risk is a concern. There is a chance he could attempt to head down to Texas where he has family living, Glass said. Additionally, Glass said it isnt accurate saying that Nguyen has no major violations in his entire life. During his time living in California, Glass said that Nguyen was arrested for felony burglary which was dropped to a misdemeanor , had a misdemeanor vandalism charge, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and arrested for battery. Glass said he was unable to find out what resulted from the battery arrest. Nguyens prior record indicates that he has a propensity toward violent behavior and substance abuse. Although they are not recent, we can see that he has been involved in violent crimes and alcohol-related crimes, Glass said. Nguyen was arrested on Dec. 13 after allegedly sending a picture of a handgun and three bullets to his wife. Glass said Nguyens wife asked what the bullets were for. One for you, one for the kid and one for me, Nguyen allegedly said. Nguyens wife asked when he was going to do it, Glass said, and he replied that he was going to after he left work. When Nguyen arrived home, he was arrested by officers from the Fremont Police Department. Since the incident, Nguyens wife has filed for divorce and a protection order has been issued, Eskey said. If bond is posted, Judge Hall said that Nguyen can have no contact with his wife or child. He cannot return to work because his wife is managing the operation. He must work or seek work, receive a mental health evaluation, have no firearms or weapons in his possession and not use drugs or alcohol. Glass said he is concerned that Nguyen will not comply with the post-bond requirements, and that a bad situation could get even worse. My main concern is the safety of the victim and the family, Glass said. Much of the conflict that happened stems from how the business is managed, and other money-related issues. Another reason Glass is uncomfortable with the bond reduction is because of how high Nguyens temperament scored on The Bridges risk assessment survey. Nguyens wife took the exam, and her responses about her husbands behavior placed him in the extreme danger category meaning that it is likely that he may have gone through with his alleged threats if he wasnt apprehended by authorities. Nguyen returns to court at 9 a.m. Feb. 22 for arraignment. The 35th Fresh Produce Forum has the answersBerlin, 18 January 2016 The 35th Fresh Produce Forum will kick off the FRUIT LOGISTICA 2016 supporting programme on 2 February, the day before the opening of the leading trade fair for the international fresh produce industry. The main focus will be on Climate change The challenges for global production and procurement.Climate zones are shifting, resulting in changes in growth and production cycles across entire cultivation areas. For the produce industry, this means fundamental changes in global sourcing.Climatologists Dr. Benjamin Leon Bodirsky and Dr. Susanne Rolinski (both from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) will explain how these changes impact the produce industry and retail trade. Stewart Collis, whose company aWhere provides weather and agronomic data, Thomas Averhoff from UNIVEG Deutschland and Alfredo Miralles from the Spanish grape grower Uvasdoce will describe the specific effects these changes have on production, procurement and ultimately on the consumer.The 35th Fresh Produce Forum takes place Tuesday, 2 February, from 15:00 to 18:30 in Hall 7.3a in Saal Berlin. All presentations will be translated simultaneously into English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.Participation fee is EUR 90 and includes a three-day pass for FRUIT LOGISTICA. Register here. As part of the state's effort to eliminate blight, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency announced last November that it would distribute $13 million in funding for the demolition of distressed residential properties. This was the fourth such round of the Neighborhood Initiative Program ( NIP ), which has received $79 million in funding from the U. S. Department of Treasury's Hardest Hit Fund Cuyahoga County received $6,075,000 of the $13 million."This program started in summer of 2014," says Cuyahoga Land Bank's chief operating officer Bill Whitney of the NIP. "Before this $6 million, we received $14 million and have spent approximately $13 million of that." In doing so, he adds, the organization has demolished about 1,050 properties with the funds, 850 of which were done in 2015."This last award of $6 million brings the total to $20 million since 2014," says Whitney of the NIP funding. "We expect now be able to continue the program and probably demolish an additional 480 to 500 properties."Of the 12 Ohio counties receiving these most recently announced allocations , Cuyahoga was awarded the lion's share, with Lucas County's $2.3 million allocation coming in second. The 10 other counties received $500,000 each.Coming in "first" in a funding round such as this is sobering indeed, but not unexpected considering the state of northeast Ohio's residential vacancy rate.A comprehensive property survey conducted last year by Western Reserve Land Conservancy, in collaboration with the City of Cleveland, counted 3,809 vacant residential properties graded D (deteriorated) or F (unsafe or hazardous). When combined with the 1,437 residential properties condemned by the city, the total is 5,246 structures that may be candidates for demolition. While that figure is daunting, it is also 32 percent lower than the city's 2013 estimate of 7,771 vacant and distressed properties.The Cuyahoga Land Bank acquires foreclosed properties from HUD and Fannie May as well as tax foreclosures. Demolitions are restricted to vacant and abandoned blighted properties the organization owns. It does not demolish properties that have more than four units, those that might have historical significance or any property that is connected to other residences such as row homes.Referencing a graphic that categorizes Cleveland neighborhoods and a host of eastside inner ring suburbs as either undergoing "revitalization" or nearing a "tipping point," Whitney explains that the revitalization sections are experiencing the most severe effects of the foreclosure crisis. They are also in predominately African American neighborhoods."In general, the foreclosure crisis here and maybe in other places was extremely racist," says Whitney.If a property is salvageable, the land bank works with community development corporations and humanitarian organizations to rehabilitate it and put it to constructive use."We try to save any property we can," says Whitney. The organization prioritizes at-risk populations such as refugees, veterans and the disabled. Partner organizations include the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry and a host of area CDC's. Whitney tags Slavic Village Development Northeast Shores Development Corporation , the Famicos Foundation and the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization . In such cases, properties will transfer for as little as one dollar."Everybody needs housing," says Whitney."To keep things in perspective," he continues, "in our six years of operation, we've acquired about 5,000 properties. We've demolished about 3,500 and have been able to save about 1,000." Of that number, approximately one third go to humanitarian causes with the balance going to market. Prospective buyers are thoroughly screened and the land bank holds the title until they have brought the property up to municipal code.To get an idea of the task at hand, Fresh Water invites readers to scroll through the properties owned by Cuyahoga Land Bank."There's still an awful lot of stuff to do," says Whitney, "but it's gradually getting better." Political science PhD specializing in delegate selection rules, presidential campaigns and elections. Founder of FHQ Strategies LLC Amari Havodda Maldives marked its official opening in the presence of senior government officials from the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Featuring 120 guest villas with overwater and beach options, Amari Havodda Maldives is an ideal hideaway within the pristine nature of the Maldives with its own house reef and uninterrupted views of the ocean and underwater life. Photo from the opening shows Hon. Minister of Finance of The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Ravi Karunanayake welcomed to Amari Havodda Maldives by Mr. Peter Henley, President & CEO of ONYX Hospitality Group (right), Mr. Ranjith Gunatilleke, Chairman of Sanken Overseas (left) and Mr. Zafer Agacan, General Manager of Amari Havodda Maldives. Mr Abdulla Jihad, Minister of Finance and Treasury, Republic of Maldives, Mr Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Mr Hussain Lirar, Deputy Tourism Minister of Maldives were honored the opening ceremony. Peter Henley, President & Chief Executive Officer, ONYX Hospitality Group, said, The Maldives continues to be a popular destination and we are confident of the appeal of an upscale brand like Amari in this pristine and beautiful location. This opening marks a key milestone in our international development plan, as we continue to expand our presence in key destinations across the Asia-Pacific. We look forward to welcoming our first guests to this island paradise, and to a long and successful partnership with our project partners Sanken Overseas, Singapore Hospitality and Momentum. As part of the opening celebrations, Amari Havodda Maldives is offering a special promotion. Book by 31 January 2016 for arrival before 30 April 2016 to receive 40% off full board rates. Guests who book a minimum of seven nights will receive an incredible 50% off full board rates. For more details, visit www.amari.com. Iberia has announced non-stop flights from Madrid to both Tokyo and Shanghai. Pending government approval, starting on 18 October, Iberia will operate three flights per week to Japan, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, for a total of some 90,000 seats per year. Tickets for these flights are on sale now, with promotional fares. The promotional launch fares starting at 612 Euros round trip from Spain. Luis Gallego, Iberias Chairman and CEO, says: We have always wanted to be a global airline. With these routes to Tokyo and Shanghai, we take a step in that direction, while we bring closer our country to two economical and touristic powers such as Japan and China These will be the only non-stop flights linking Japan with Spain, one of the most attractive touristic destinations for Japanese citizens, who fly to that country to experience its culture, gastronomy and artistic expressions such as flamenco. From January to September 2015, the number of Japanese tourists visiting Spain grew by 27% compared to the previous year. The new route will also make travel easier for a growing number of Spanish tourists who would like to visit Japan because of its culture, natural heritage and technology. Iberia will also commence non-stop flights from Madrid to Shanghai during the winter season 2016/2017, with three flights every week. The airline has already started negotiations with Chinese authorities to operate the route. The launch date will be announced once negotiations have been finalised and permits, as well as slots, have been granted. Currently, there isnt any no other non-stop route between Spain and Shanghai, a financial global centre and the busiest container port in the world. The number of Chinese citizens visiting Spain is growing continuously. From January to September last year, it increased by 66% compared to 2014. Shanghai is also a very important business destination, where many Spanish and international companies are already based. It is also a very attractive touristic destination, where modern skyscrapers and old colonial buildings coexist, and with a wide cultural and gastronomic offer. On both routes Iberia will fly its most moder aircraft, the twin-engine, wide-bodied Airbus A330-200, carrying up to 288 passengers, 19 in Business and 269 in Economy. The aircraft is equipped with Iberias newly designed long-haul cabins. Iberia will offer good connections for incoming passengers from Asia to 29 additional Spanish destinations and 59 other European cities, as well as numerous destinations in Africa and the Americas. The two new routes will be Iberias first foothold in the Asian travel market. The airline is undergoing a transformation to reduce costs, improve productivity and efficiency, while simultaneously expanding its revenue base and changing its company culture. The measures taken allow the airline to start now its routes to Asia in a profitable and sustainable way. For more information: www.iberia.com Etihad Airways announced the welcoming ruling by the higher administrative court in Luneburg, Germany that reverses an earlier judgment and allows the carrier to continue operating 26 out of the 31 codeshare flights with airberlin for the full Winter Schedule, which ends on 26 March 2016. The court definitively ruled that 26 of the 31 codeshares are lawful. Together with the other 50 approved codeshares with airberlin, 76 of the 81 codeshares are now approved once and for all, that is 94 per cent of the codeshares applied for. The other five codeshares are on German domestic routes. The court's interpretation of the UAE-Germany Air Services Agreement also means that Etihad Airways will be able to continue with all those codeshares beyond the Winter Schedule. Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said: We are pleased with the ruling which confirms 94 per cent of Etihad Airways codeshares. This ruling is a victory for consumers and competition in Germany. We remain strongly committed to our strategic partner, airberlin, and will redouble our efforts to provide a strong competitive alternative to the dominant German carrier, Lufthansa. We would like to encourage German consumers to support airberlin and its 8,000 staff, who have been seriously damaged by this sustained attack on their business. JetBlue has expanded its existing partnership with Hawaiian Airlines through a bilateral codeshare agreement. Customers purchasing a codeshare itinerary will benefit from having a single ticket that includes both Hawaiian and JetBlue-operated flights as well as conveniences on their day of travel like one-stop check-in and baggage transfer. JetBlue is placing its B6 code on nonstop flights operated by Hawaiian Airlines between New York (JFK) and Honolulu (HNL). The B6 code is also available on select connecting flights from JetBlues east coast network to Honolulu via Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) and Las Vegas (LAS) and onward to Hawaiians neighbor island network to destinations including Maul (OGG), Kona (KOA) and Lihue (LIH). Additionally, Hawaiians HA code, which has been on select JetBlue flights since 2012, is expanding to additional destinations in JetBlues growing network. Hawaiian offers flights between Hawaii and 11 U.S. mainland airports, including JetBlues home at the award-winning T5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Hawaiian Airlines operates the only year-round, non-stop flight between Hawaii and JFK, offering convenient connections within the same terminal to JetBlue flights across the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America. Hawaiian and JetBlue also offer members of each carrier's loyalty program the opportunity to earn and redeem points or miles for travel on either carrier. JetBlue's TrueBlue members can accrue points on Hawaiian-operated flights, while HawaiianMiles members can earn miles on JetBlue-operated flights. Similarly, frequent fliers can redeem their points or miles for travel on either carrier's network, creating a long list of destinations for each program's loyal members. Organised by Marcus Evans from 18-19 January, the two-day premium forum, Global Hospitality Summit, held in Dubai. Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO of HMH- Hospitality Management Holdings addressed a special presentation on 'Reshaping Luxury Hospitality to Welcome & Win Over New Generation of Guests' . In his presentation, Laurent said, "People are moving away from the bling factor. A pillow menu, gold-plated bathroom fixtures and plush rooms will not be able to woo the next generation of the world's wealthiest clientele. Their expectations are different and much harder to please. The new generation has grown up in the age of technology, social media, instant access, the proliferation of global consumer brands, affluence and conspicuous consumption - hence they crave an alternative to traditional luxury hotels. Therefore, it is time for our industry to evolve and adapt". According to Laurent intuitive technology designed to anticipate the needs and desires of guests will play a key role in delivering new levels of service. Technology is a huge priority for next generation travelers as it continues to change the rules of our industry like never before. Hotels will also have to know more about their customers. And concierge services will have to advance to new levels, delivering on the demands of guests long before they arrive. Most importantly people will continue to be the asset of luxury and therefore service and staff training will be more than ever critical for our industry". Over the past decade, the Middle East has established itself as the next frontier in luxury travel for the affluent. Marrying innovation with tradition, the region continues to grow as a top luxury destination with 44% of its existing inventory of hotels in luxury and upper upscale category. There are 694 hotels with 188,817 rooms in the Middle East and Africa development pipeline - majority of which will open before 2020. Therefore, when it comes to luxury everyone knows the stakes are huge. Like all hoteliers, we at HMH have been pondering over What will it take to lure new generation of luxury travelers?' given 40% of our existing inventory of hotels is in luxury segment." The global luxury hospitality sector is valued at an estimated $164.4 billion and is expected to increase to $195.27 billion by 2021.Luxury travelers are growing at an unprecedented rate. By 2022, there will be 4,076 billionaires in the world. The number of super rich people valued at more than $30m in the Middle East will soar to more than 7,300, including 203 billionaires, by 2022.The number of HNWIs in the Middle East will grow by 58 percent between 2012 and 2022, faster than the global average of 50% but well behind the emerging economic regions of Asia (88%), Latin America (88%) and Africa (69%). Manila, Philippines is hosting the 35th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2016 with an impressive 2,620 delegates comprising of ministerial and NTO delegates, as well as TRAVEX suppliers from across ASEAN, international buyers and media. ATF TRAVEX features the largest and most diverse collection of ASEAN suppliers. The event will see 1,000 exhibitors connect with 457 buyers from around the world, alongside 175 international and local media. A massive 500 of these delegates have been hosted to the event. The 3-day ATF TRAVEX 2016 which commences from tomorrow till 22 January, will aggregate close to 70 official sessions with the host country setting new highs on several fronts from one of its largest ATF TRAVEX exhibition showcases ever with 175 local exhibitors across the Philippines, to a generous line-up of social activities including the Pre-Show City Tours, Opening Ceremony, Welcome Reception and Dinner, and Farewell Party for all ATF delegates, as well as the Heavy Cocktails and exclusive Hosted Dinner for ASEAN NTO delegates. Through its Filipino hospitality and capability, the country is clearly demonstrating it has what it takes to be the fun destination of ASEAN. Complete with world-class infrastructure, facilities and services to make even greater headways in its tourism appeal. One of the Philippine Host Committees most anticipated highlights is its whopping 10 post-ATF tours that run from 23 to 26 January to celebrated spots in the Philippines. This possibly marks ATFs most extensive number of post-show tours in recent years. With a diverse range of itineraries including UNESCO sites and heritage tours, to islands hopping and highlands visits, there is a Philippine destination to suit every taste. The list of tours offered include Ilocos: UNESCO World Heritage Tour; Cordillera Heritage Tour, Southern Luzons Heritage, Wellness, Culinary Trail; El Nido; Palawan: The Last Frontier; Northern Palawans Eco Adventure; Bicol Express; The Visayan Charms; Negros Y Cebu and Islands to Highlands. Visit Philippines Year (VPY) 2015 was truly a huge success. This year, with Visit the Philippines Again (VPA) 2016, we are confident that it will be another spectacular year for the tourism industry, not just with the help of the government and private sector, but also with the heart of the Filipino people. With the Filipinos as our most important asset, VPA 2016 will surely captivate tourists even more as they return this year. We believe that this years host committee has created ample opportunities for delegates to experience the appeal of The Philippines. said Susan del Mundo, Chairperson of ATF 2016 TRAVEX Sub-Committee. True to ATFs objectives of promoting the 10 ASEAN regions as a single destination, the spotlight at this years event is not only on the Philippines. Other ASEAN NTOs have displayed huge support and involvement in enhancing the 2016 ATF TRAVEX programme. In addition to their own showcase on the exhibition floor, countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia will be showcasing their own destinations appeal and hospitality, while evidencing ASEANs strength of diversified experiences amidst a unified community during hosted lunches, late night functions and cocktail bashes. For more information and programme updates for ATF 2016, visit www.atfphilippines.com Are you interested in getting your company, event, or institution noticed? Advertise with the GRC on Global Geothermal News - Contact at dgroves@geothermal.org OSAGE Appealing to an anti-establishment sentiment, Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina emphasized her past as a corporate executive in an attempt to seal the deal with undecided caucus-goers. Despite trailing with single digits in the polls, Fiorina told a crowd of around 100 at the Cedar River Complex on Monday evening she had a common sense approach to government that allowed her to stand out in a field of career politicians. I dont pay attention to the polls and neither should anyone else, Fiorina said after the event. Several prospective caucus-goers in the audience said they were still undecided two weeks out from Iowas Feb. 1 caucus. Marlis Bechtum, 60, of Riceville, said Fiorinas message appealed in a year she was looking for a more down-to-earth mentality. Im excited about her, that she wants to get the government back to the people, Bechtum said. Pushing a simplified tax code and changes to the Affordable Care Act, Fiorina told the crowd she would use her practical experience as a former Hewlett-Packard CEO if elected as president. (Politicians) are not working for us anymore, she said. They just say and do what they please. Fiorina promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act, because its not working, she said. She also told the crowd she was fit as a former executive to be a more effective leader than Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. If you have never made a tough call in your life, you are not ready to be commander in chief, she said. Fiorina also supported eliminating gun-free zones for soldiers on military bases, but did not touch on whether she would favor the same in school zones. I think we have demonstrated gun-free zones are dangerous, she said. If they had been armed they could have saved themselves, she said, referring to service members killed in shootings on military bases. ROCKWELL | Phyllis Carol Christiance Echelberger, 86, of Rockwell, died Monday Jan. 18, 2016, at the Rockwell Care Center, Rockwell, Iowa surrounded by her loving family. Funeral services will be 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016, at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, Iowa with the Rev. Sandi Gobeli officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery, Mason City, Iowa. Visitation will be Thursday, one hour before the service. The family suggests memorials to the Rockwell Care Center or Hospice of North Iowa. Phyllis was born June 16, 1929 to Donald and Ione Christiance in Woolstock, Iowa. She lived her early childhood in Klemme attending grade school. The family purchased a farm north of Clear Lake when she was in junior high and she attended Fertile and Hanlontown schools, later returning to Klemme where she graduated in 1947. While living on the farm, Phyllis was a great help to her parents operating the farm equipment as her father continued operating his barber shops at Klemme and Meservey. She was confirmed at Klemme Immanuel Reformed Church now United Church of Christ where she is a member. Phyllis loved her church, town, and school. She was an excellent student and loved playing her saxophone in the school band. In 1947, Phyllis married Glen Echelberger at the United Brethren Church in Ventura. They began farming her grandparents Christiance farm at Thornton where Glen and Phyllis raised and sold sheep, milk cows and enjoyed the farm life. Later, they moved into Thornton where Glen operated a bulk truck business and Phyllis assisted with the accounting. Their lives took them to Goldfield, Clear Lake and Oregon, Wisconsin. Two children blessed their home, Michael and LuAnn. Phyllis loved caring for people, attending NIACC and began employment at Clear Lake Oakwood Care in various areas and med-aide. She was noted for her excellent work ethic. Glen and Phyllis loved dancing at the Surf Ballroom in earlier years to big band music, and enjoyed listening to many other favorites over the years. Phyllis enjoyed watching classic movies with her family. She loved sewing, poetry, antiques, family stories and was an excellent homemaker. She always enjoyed when the family dog Libby a golden retriever came to visit. Left to cherish Phylliss memory are her children Mike (Donna) Echelberger of Rockwell, LuAnn Scott (Chris DeKruif) of Mason City, her sister Beverly Hummel (Ron) Ankeny; two grandchildren Michele (Dan) Martinez, Rockwell, Todd (Cameo) Echelberger of Garner. Also, six great-grandchildren Payton, Seneca, Hayden Echelberger, Melaina, Charleigh, and Blaike Martinez and several nieces and nephews. Also, brother-in-law Lavern Behrens of Sebring, Florida. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Glen; sister-in-law Delores Behrens, grandparents Burt and Jessie Christiance, and Dr. Frederick and Gertrude Schwab, parents-in-law Ross and Lucy Echelberger and favorite aunt, Veryl Christiance Subbert. Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. Fourth St., Clear Lake, IA; 641-357-2193. ColonialChapel.com HENDERSON, Nev., Jan. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A Cat Hospital announced that the feline-only veterinary practice has added a new exercise condo for cat boarding. The cat condo is six feet tall with a walk-in door and features a camera focused on the condo. When the camera is live, cat owners will be able to view their cats in the exercise condo. Inside the condo are several long shelves and a four-level cat tree; cat-friendly plants decorate one side of the condo. Las Vegas cat veterinarian Dr. Trish Auge says that the condo is designed to provide a safe space for cats to exercise while in boarding. A Cat Hospital is expanding their cat boarding services to include access to a cat exercise condo. The new condo, which was custom-built for the feline-only veterinary hospital, is six feet tall with several shelves for cats to play on. As the first cats-only veterinary hospital in Nevada, our feline veterinary care team strives to provide superior cat care, and our latest cat exercise condo carries on this tradition, said Las Vegas cat veterinarian Dr. Trish Auge. Boarding at a cat clinic offers many advantages to leaving a cat home alone, including providing soothing comfort and reassurance. Now, with our new cat condo, we are proud to offer a fun, safe exercise option for cats. Dr. Trish Auge says that cat boarding here offers a number of benefits for cats. According to Dr. Auge, while cats are very independent, unfamiliarity and loneliness can be upsetting and confusing. The exercise condo is an open playful area where cats can visualize their surroundings including birds, lobby and clients coming in. Even if a neighbor is able to come over to feed the cat, the unexplained absence of the cats primary caregiver can be very stressful for cats, said Dr. Auge. Most neighbors cannot stay with a cat for extended periods. Cats that are left alone can experience depression and anxiety and may even try to escape. At our cat hospital, we provide cats with a constant, safe and reassuring presence. If cats have had a negative experience in the past with boarding, Dr. Auge says that her team can help. For cats that are nervous about entering a cat carrier or going to boarding, our team can provide personalized recommendations to ease your pets anxiety and make this process a positive one for everyone involved, said Dr. Auge. A Cat Hospital follows strict safety guidelines, including requiring all owners to submit proof that their pets are up to date on vaccinations. While cats are in boarding, owners may also schedule a wellness exam, vaccination boosters or dental checkup. A Cat Hospital is a feline-only veterinary hospital in Las Vegas dedicated to excellence in cat care. Services include cat vaccinations, dentistry, cat boarding, senior cat care and laser therapy. For more information on cat care and cat boarding, visit www.acathospital.com or call 702-454-4400. English Lithuanian Vilnius, Lithuania, 2016-01-19 14:31 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The INVL Asset Management companies in Lithuania and Lithuania on 19 January this year combined the two investment funds Finasta Obligaciju Fonds and Finasta Sabalansetais Fonds, which were managed in Latvia, into the Finasta Emerging Europe Bond Subfund, which is managed in Lithuania. The companies, which are part of the asset management group Invalda INVL, made the decision to merge the funds seeking to optimize investment fund management. The merger of the funds was approved by the Latvian and Lithuanian supervisory institutions on 2 December 2015. Following the fund merger: the Finasta Obligaciju Fonds (ISIN LV0000400257) has been terminated; the Finasta Sabalansetais Fonds (ISIN LV0000400265) has been terminated; the Finasta Emerging Europe Bond Subfund continues to operate successfully with a larger number of participants and more assets. All clients who on 18 January 2016 held investment units of the Finasta Obligaciju Fonds, on the day of completion of the merger acquired units of the Finasta Emerging Europe Bond Subfund: their Finasta Obligaciju Fonds units were converted free of charge into Finasta Emerging Europe Bond Subfund investment units at the ratio of 0,29743133. All clients who on 18 January 2016 held investment units of the Finasta Sabalansetais Fonds, on the day of completion of the merger acquired units of the Finasta Emerging Europe Bond Subfund: their Finasta Sabalansetais Fonds units were converted free of charge into Finasta Emerging Europe Bond Subfund investment units at the ratio of 0,30653823. After the merger, the participants of the Finasta Obligaciju Fonds and the Finasta Sabalansetais Fonds became participants of the Finasta Emerging Europe Bond Subfund, which is registered in Lithuania and distributed on an international scale, and invest according to its rules. The funds Finasta Obligaciju Fonds and Finasta Sabalansetais Fonds ceased operating after the merger. The person authorized to provide additional information is: Vaidotas Rukas, Head of Funds Management E-mail: vaidotas.rukas@invl.com NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Travel Detective, a weekly TV series on Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS), hosted by award-winning CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg, featured the "Hidden Gems of Malta" in its season premier, January 9, 2016. The travel series is aired nationwide across the US. Co-hosted by the Malta Tourism Authority and Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa, Peter Greenberg discovers the diversity of this jewel of a Mediterranean Island, steeped in 7000 years of history. Peter Greenberg visits the walled city of Mdina, known by the Maltese as the "Silent City" with a special guide, Alfred Pisani, Maltese-born Group Chairman of the Corinthia Hotels who opened the first Corinthia Hotel in 1968. Starting at the Corinthia Palace Hotel, located across from the President's Palace, Mr. Pisani takes Peter Greenberg for a drive in a vintage jaguar through the narrow streets of the medieval town. Mdina is a mix of Norman and Baroque architecture and home to many palaces and private villas, as well as the Cathedral of the Conversion of St. Paul, which stands in the main square of the town. The Maltese archipelago boasts some of the clearest, warmest waters in the Mediterranean and is an ideal location for water sports. Peter Greenberg boards a jet ski in Mellieha Bay to discover the secluded beaches and caves of Malta that are only accessible by sea. In Valletta, the capital of Malta and the European Capital of Culture of 2018, Peter Greenberg takes a behind the scenes private tour of this UNESCO World Heritage site, including St. John's Co-Cathedral, whose opulent interior is home to the only signed Caravaggio masterpiece "The Beheading of Saint John." "Hidden Gems of Malta" would not be complete without "Chef" Peter Greenberg preparing a taste of Maltese cuisine under the tutelage of Gozitan Chef George Borg at the Ta' Mena Estate. "Chef" Peter grilled fresh fish using Ta Mena estate olive oil while guests sipped Ta Mena wine in a spectacular setting overlooking the Mediterranean. "Although most people in the US may not even know where Malta is, once they get there, the great thing is they discover there's no confusing what Malta is -- an amazing island of history, grace and charm. There are only a few places in the world I return to each year, and Malta now is on that short list," said Greenberg. Greenberg added, "When exploring Malta, one of the best places to base yourself is the Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa, the original flagship of the Corinthia Hotels, opened in 1968. Located in the heart of Malta, the Corinthia is a great hub of history and hospitality with the stories to go along with it, not to mention its century-old, restored restaurant, The Villa Corinthia." Malta is accessible from the US on British Airways via London, Air Malta code sharing with Turkish Air via Istanbul, and Lufthansa via Frankfurt and Munich, as well as other European gateways. -ENDS- Photos Attached: 1) Peter Greenberg, Travel Detective Host/ CBS News Travel Editor & Alfred Pisani, Group Chairman, Corinthia Hotels in Vintage Jaguar at Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa 2) Peter Greenberg on Jet Ski About Malta The sunny islands of Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, are home to a most remarkable concentration of intact built heritage, including the highest density of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in any nation-state anywhere. Valletta built by the proud Knights of St. John is one of the UNESCO sights and the European Capital of Culture for 2018. Malta's patrimony in stone ranges from the oldest free-standing stone architecture in the world, to one of the British Empire's most formidable defensive systems, and includes a rich mix of domestic, religious and military architecture from the ancient, medieval and early modern periods. With superbly sunny weather, attractive beaches, a thriving nightlife and 7,000 years of intriguing history, there is a great deal to see and do. For more information on Malta, visit www.visitmalta.com. About Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa The Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa is the original flagship of Corinthia Hotels, opened in 1968. Located in the heart of the island of Malta, adjacent to the Presidential Palace, the 150-room five-star Corinthia Palace exudes grace and historic charm. It is positioned between the island's capital Valletta and Mdina, the picturesque medieval silent city that is still inhabited till this day. This opulent hotel offers the leisure guest an extensive range of facilities, including the Athenaeum Spa, complete with a wide range of revitalizing treatments and indoor and outdoor pools. With a century-old restored villa as its main dining venue, this hotel is all about warmth, personal attention, and traditional elegance. The hotel boasts top-class restaurants, including Rickshaw, offering Asian-fusion dishes, and the al fresco Summer Kitchen. For corporate guests, modern business facilities are available, with a large conference room easily accommodating 450 delegates, and six syndicate rooms including two boardrooms for smaller groups. Corinthia Palace is a 21st-century stately hotel, created by experts with a passion for craftsmanship and an understanding of world-class service. Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa is an award-winning member of Corinthia Hotels' collection of five-star hotels founded by the Pisani family of Malta. For more information visit corinthia.com/palace or visit Twitter @corinthiapalace or Instagram @corinthiapalace About Corinthia Hotels Corinthia is a collection of five-star hotels founded by the Pisani family of Malta. Established in 1968, the group is a family-inspired business, with family values underpinning the Spirit of Corinthia. As a hotel business, Corinthia's focus is on giving honest, discreet service. Authenticity, passion, precision and understanding are Corinthia's guiding principles, ensuring they are true craftsmen in the world of hospitality. Each of the hotels and resorts, in some of the most exciting places in the world, are a tribute to local architecture and cultural traditions. The Corinthia portfolio includes the flagship Corinthia Hotel in London, as well as award-winning Corinthia Hotels in Budapest, Malta, St Petersburg, Prague, Lisbon, Khartoum and Tripoli. Corinthia Hotels is owned by International Hotel Investments (IHI), a publicly-traded company in Malta. CHI Hotels & Resorts Limited is a wholly-owned member of the IHI Group which manages Corinthia Hotels. For more information visit corinthia.com or visit Twitter @CorinthiaHotels or Instagram @corinthiahotels About Travel Detective The Travel Detective is the weekly half hour investigative travel series hosted by multiple Emmy award winning CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg. Each week, the program examines the process of travel -- from airline safety to which cruise ship has the best maintenance to which hotel is most likely to be burglarized. The Travel Detective correspondents include Scott McCartney from the Wall Street Journal, Arnie Weissmann from Travel Weekly and Rikki Klieman from CBS News. "Hidden Gems" -- a weekly segment within the show, reveals all the experiences at a particular destination that aren't in any brochures or guide books that only the locals know. Season two of The Travel Detective premieres January 9th on public television stations across the U.S. Check local listings. Corinthia Hotels Editorial Contact: Fiona Harris, fiona.harris@corinthia.com, or tel: +44 (0) 20 7321 3034 Evelien Lemmens, evelien.lemmens@corinthia.com or tel: +44 (0) 207 321 3196 Corinthia Hotels US Media Contact: Karen Hoffman/Bianca Pappas The Bradford Group Info@bradfordglobalmarketing.com (212) 447-0027 Photos accompanying this release are available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=38521 http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=38522 SONOMA, Calif., Jan. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- V2 Wine Group of Sonoma, California and Merryvale Family of Wines (MFW) are proud to announce a sales and marketing partnership between the two companies effective February 1, 2016. Under the terms of the agreement V2 Wine Group will provide sales and marketing services and manage the distribution network of MFW throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. MFW portfolio is owned by the Schlatter family and operated by Rene Schlatter and includes Merryvale Vineyards, Profile Collection, Starmont Vineyards and Winery and Forward Kidd all produced in Napa Valley, CA. "Partnering with the Schlatter family on their luxury portfolio is an exciting proposition. Merryvale is an iconic Napa Valley Estate on par with anything up and down Highway 29 and Starmont is an exciting brand well positioned for growth in the years ahead," said Dan Leese, President of V2 Wine Group. "Our professional Sales and Marketing team cannot wait to get started as the Merryvale Family of Wines fits our premium portfolio perfectly." "We are very excited to be working with Dan Leese and the V2 Wine Group to bring our Merryvale Family of Wines to the next level. Their portfolio is an excellent fit for our Napa Valley brands and offers a tremendous opportunity to solidify our position within the 3-tier distribution system," stated Rene Schlatter, Proprietor and CEO of MFW. "Over the past 20 plus years, we have developed our vineyard sources and expanded our DTC presence, most recently with the opening of our Starmont Winery Tasting Room. This partnership allows us to focus on producing excellent wines with the support of a knowledgeable and expanded sales team that brings a powerful group of brands to the marketplace." "V2 Wine Group understands our family wine business and recognizes the potential that our brands represent. With this partnership, we are well-positioned for the future," said Jack Schlatter, Proprietor and Founder of MFW. With the addition of MFW, V2 Wine Group now represents eight wine families in the North American marketplace. The company's portfolio, which includes wines that V2 Wine Group produces as well as family owned wineries with which it has sales and marketing agreements, has grown significantly since Dan and Katy Leese and Pete Kight founded it in 2010. V2 Wine Group services all classes of trade and specializes primarily in wines priced from $15 - $100 plus per bottle. "MFW is a marvelous family owned winery recognized for their distinctive winemaking expertise in Napa Valley, it is an honor to have them as a winery partner, " stated Katy Leese, General Manager of V2 Wine Group. ABOUT MERRYVALE FAMILY WINES Established in 1983, MFW is dedicated to making high quality wines from the Napa Valley. Helmed by the Schlatter family for more than 20 years, MFW has established deep roots in the Valley with ownership of two Estate vineyards: the Schlatter Family Estate, a hillside vineyard overlooking St. Helena, and the historic Stanly Ranch vineyard in Carneros. A family owned company; MFW is comprised of four distinct wine brands, each with their own winemaking team, vineyard sourcing, wine style and personality; Merryvale Vineyards, Profile Collection, Starmont Vineyards and Winery and the newest member Forward Kidd. ABOUT V2 WINE GROUP V2 is a wine producer and provides sales and marketing services to a limited group of family owned wineries. With a wine portfolio that includes Bouchaine Vineyards, Cameron Hughes Wines, Dry Creek Vineyard, Hedges Family Estate, La Follette Wines, Lake Sonoma Winery, Lucinda & Millie Vineyards, Morande, Quivira Vineyards, Steelhead Vineyards, Toad Hollow Vineyards, Torbreck Wines, Valley of the Moon Winery and Vindicated Wines. V2 is dedicated to building strong, family owned wine brands in the North American marketplace. Founded in 2010, the company is a partnership between wine industry veterans Dan and Katy Leese and entrepreneur Pete Kight. ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Sept. 12, 2016, the security industry's most influential event, the ASIS International 62nd Annual Seminar and Exhibits (ASIS 2016), will open at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fl. Thousands of security professionals from around the globe are expected to take part in four intense days of education, networking, and exploring the latest solutions in the exhibit hall. ASIS International (ASIS) is the leading organization for security management professionals worldwide that crosses industry sectors. ASIS is honored to announce its 2016 keynotes. While each one's life journey is quite diverse, collectively these notable figures embody remarkable strength, passion, and intelligence. ASIS 2016 keynotes include: Ted Koppel, Award-winning Journalist Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. From the funeral of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 to the celebrated release of Nelson Mandela after 26 years in prison, Mr. Koppel has covered our world's most impactful milestones for more than 50 years. At ASIS 2016, Mr. Koppel will share from his most recent book, a New York Times best seller, Lights Out, which examines the threat of a cyber catastrophe and evaluates how America can prepare for such an event. Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. What needs to be done to keep America safe amid the instability and danger that rages in the Middle East region? Mr. Abrams examines the U.S. foreign policy challenges that lie ahead, drawing from his acute understanding of American history and his own senior-level experience making foreign policy in the Reagan and Bush (43) administrations, to answer this critical, timely question. Dr. Beck Weathers, Survivor of the 1996 Mount Everest tragedy and inspiration for the 2015 feature film, Everest Thursday, September 15, Closing Luncheon Speaker Not many are granted a second chance at life like Dr. Weathers. Caught in one of the most violent and deadly storms in the history of Mount Everest, Dr. Weathers was presumed dead with his team of eight climbers. He'll reflect on his survival, lessons learned, and his appreciation for getting a second chance at life. "This year's keynotes are outstanding. Their personal insights and timely perspectives offer security professionals distinctive stories and images of how past events have influenced and impacted our world today and for decades to come," says ASIS President Dave Davis, CPP. "Each one has been driven to excellence in his profession. One demonstrating enormous, almost super-human courage and strength. Their stories will fascinate, inform, and empower our audience on many levels." ASIS 2016 registration will open online in early February. Admission to the keynotes on the Tuesday and Wednesday is included in all registration packages. The sixth (ISC)2 Security Congress will be colocated with the Annual Seminar and Exhibits. (ISC)2 is the largest not-for-profit membership body of certified information security professionals worldwide. Registrants of both events may attend the other's education program and exhibits. Visit www.securityexpo.org for the most up-to-date information on ASIS 2016. ABOUT ASIS INTERNATIONAL: ASIS International (ASIS) is the largest membership organization for security management professionals that crosses industry sectors, embracing every discipline along the security spectrum from operational to cybersecurity. Founded in 1955, ASIS is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of security professionals at all levels. Through hundreds of chapters across the globe, ASIS develops and delivers board certifications and industry standards, hosts networking opportunities, publishes the award-winning Security Management magazine, and offers educational programs, including the Annual Seminar and Exhibitsthe security industry's most influential event. Whether providing thought leadership through the CSO Roundtable for the industry's most senior executives or advocating before business, government, or the media, ASIS is focused on advancing the profession, and ensuring that the security community has access to intelligence, resources, and technology needed within the business enterprise. www.asisonline.org CLEARWATER, Fla., Jan. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Church of Scientology invites religious studies students and teachers to come to the Scientology Information Center in downtown Clearwater and research Scientology there. According to the Scientology Information Centers manager Amber Skjelset, religious students from half a dozen educational institutions have visited the Scientology Information Center to research Scientology since its opening in July 2015 to their benefit. The manager said that students have been coming from as far away as Russia and the United Kingdom and have joined over 6,500 people from 20 different countries to find out about Scientology at the Information Center. Some of the commonly posed questions cover, How do people become Scientologists, Do Scientologists believe in God?, Can members of other faiths also be Scientologists?, and What are the basic ceremonies of the Church of Scientology? said Center Manager Skjelset. The Scientology Information Center is housed in the historic Clearwater Building which is located at 500 Cleveland Street. It offers guests the opportunity to peruse 4 audio-visual informational displays covering basic Scientology concepts, as well as a full biographical display on the life and legacy of L. Ron Hubbard, Scientologys Founder. The interactive displays feature nearly 300 videos; all of which can be viewed in 17 languages, with subtitles for the hearing impaired. One display features the broad humanitarian initiatives supported by Scientologists and non-Scientologists the world over. Each of these humanitarian initiatives now has its own facility just steps from the Scientology Information Center. Skjelset says, The additional centers offer solutions to tackle issues that plague communities; drug abuse, moral decay, crime and more, providing educational materials and tools which address these situations and bring about results. Scientologists are dedicated to helping our communities eliminate these ills. All of the centers are open from 10 am to 10 pm. One Dunedin resident stated, It is very important for people to have a place where they can find out what Scientology is for themselves. Its better to find out from the source, rather than rumor. For more information, please contact Amber Skjelset at 727-467-6966 or e-mail her at amber@cos.flag.org. About the Church of Scientology: The Scientology religion was founded by humanitarian and philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has expanded to more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 nations. Scientologists are optimistic about life and believe there is hope for a saner world and better civilization, and actively do all they can to help achieve this. Based on L. Ron Hubbards words, A community that pulls together can make a better society for all, the Church of Scientology regularly engages in many humanitarian programs and community events. ajit257 wrote: Almost every modern kitchen today is equipped with a microwave oven, mainly because microwave ovens offer a fast and convenient way of cooking and reheating food. Indeed, it has become a standard appliance in most households. Studies have shown, however, that microwave ovens are not completely safe and their use has occasionally resulted in serious injury. Because of this, some consumer advocates argue that microwave ovens should not be so readily accepted as a standard appliance until they can be certified to be completely safe. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument of the consumer advocates? (A) Microwave ovens have taken much of the joy out of cooking. (B) There have been many reported incidences of people who have been scalded by liquids superheated in microwave ovens. (C) Absolute safety is the only criterion by which an appliance should be judged to be acceptable as standard. (D) There is no such thing as a completely safe appliance. (E) Stoves and ovens that use natural gas consume energy much more efficiently than microwave ovens. OFFICIAL EXPLANATION (C) CORRECT. The passage makes the premise that microwave ovens are not completely safe. This is followed by a conclusion by the consumer advocates that microwave ovens should not be accepted as standard appliances. Since there is nothing in the passage that provides an explicit link between the safety of microwave ovens and their acceptability as standard appliances, the consumer advocates conclusion is based on an assumption (i.e., an implied premise) that an appliance should be accepted as standard only if it is found to be completely safe. The most effective way to strengthen such a conclusion is to show that such an assumption is indeed true.(A) The strength of the consumer advocates argument hinges upon the link between the level of safety of microwave ovens and the rationale for their acceptance in the home. Any lack of joy in microwave cooking is not relevant to the argument.(B) Providing a specific example of how a person might be injured, even seriously, by a microwave oven may provide emotional support for the consumer advocates position, but does little to strengthen the argument logically: the possibility of injury has already been stipulated as a premise.This choice best strengthens the argument by making explicit the assumption upon which the consumer advocates argument was based.(D) If no appliance is completely safe, then the consumer advocates argument is absurd: no appliance is, or ever will be, acceptable as standard in a modern kitchen. This choice weakens the conclusion.(E) The relative energy efficiency of gas vs. microwave cooking is not relevant to this argument._________________ Status: On a mountain of skulls, in the castle of pain, I sit on a throne of blood. Re: Many United States companies believe that the rising cost of employees [ #permalink Hi there,Thanks for sharing your information. Given your goals and your current situation, have you considered going after a part-time MBA? Further, you might want to consider Booth's Civic Scholars Program. Your age might be a bit of a hurdle, however we can help you pull together a strong story to overcome this based on your other strong qualities in your application. Your academic profile suits you for top part-time programs, so I think you're good there unless you feel you can drastically improve your GMAT. I like your involvement - we'll need to highlight your impact here.Hope this information helps. Feel free to get back to us with the answers to the above questions. Also, feel free to check out our free resources to get you started. Best of luck!_________________ We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today Companies owned by luxury developers and accused serial fraudsters Shaya Boymelgreen and Lev Leviev will continue to be allowed to do business in New York under the terms of a settlement announced yesterday by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The investigation focused on three luxury condo projects in the Financial District and DUMBO where, according to Schneiderman, they built shoddily, falsified documents to get building inspectors' okay, stole condo buyers' money that was meant to bring the buildings up to code, and resisted attempts to get them to pay up and relinquish control. According to the terms of the settlement, Leviev's company Africa Israel must finally fix up 15 Broad Street, which overlooks the New York Stock Exchange, as well as 20 Pine Street a block away, and 85 Adams Street, at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge. (Leviev and Boymelgreen ended their business partnership in 2007.) Africa Israel must also hand over the buildings to the condo boards, pay a $2 million fine for improperly collecting tax breaks on the Broad Street building and neighboring 23 Wall Street, and put an undisclosed settlement in escrow for bilked condo buyers. Schneiderman filed no criminal charges in the cases, and though he has the power to restrain the company from doing business, he instead reserved that punishment for if it breaks the terms of the settlement. 'Todays settlement is a warning to property developers in New York state," he said in a statement. "Those who collect the enormous profits that flow from offering real estate securities in New York will not be allowed to shirk their obligations to purchasers and the public. My office will not allow developers to walk away from their promises." The view of the stock exchange from the roof deck at 15 Broad Street. (Tony Shi/Flickr) In the mid-2000s, the developers built 382 condos and 18 retail spaces in the imposing former J.P. Morgan Chase headquarters at 15 Broad and the connected 55 Exchange Place and 23 Wall Street, directly across from the New York Stock Exchange. They also applied for and received a 421-g tax abatement, a now-defunct program meant to reward developers for converting commercial space to residential in Lower Manhattan. The abatement kicked in in 2007 when, according to the AG's Office, the developers still owned 30 apartments, meaning they sidestepped a $270,000 tax bill. As the attorney general writes in the settlement, Leviev and Boymelgreen "benefited from that tax relief but failed to complete the 15 Broad project, leaving a landmarked New York City building vacant and disused for 10 years." The official plan for the condo project said that 15 Broad would get a permanent certificate of occupancy within two years of the first apartment sale. Also that year, an architect told the condo board that it would take $9.4 million to get the building up to code, and the developers pledged to put that money in escrow. If the renovations came in under budget, the condo buyers were to get the difference. And when the certificate of occupancy was issued, the developers were supposed to give up control. Shaya Boymelgreen (Bryan Bedder/Getty) According to the settlement, in the years since the first sale in 2006a 2-bedroom was "just" $585,000 at the timethe developers "have failed to take virtually any action to get a PCO." What's more, by 2007, the $9.4 million escrow account had been drawn down to just $57,000. Nearly nine years later, the developers were still managing the building. In the interim, residents sued, citing these issues, as well as physical problems with the building that they say are tied to illegal corner-cutting construction. Among their dozens of pages of complaints, residents cite "occasional" brown water in their sinks and tubs, leaks in external walls, buckling floors and gaps in floors, one apartment that lacks hot water, cracked concrete in stairwell landings, and incomplete fireproofing throughout the building. That lawsuit is ongoing, but if after an undisclosed period of time the claims are not resolved in state court, the developers are supposed to pony up through the escrow account demanded by Schneiderman. "We have settled in principle, condo board president Robb Tretter told the New York Times. "They have come through in the end and coughed up the funds necessary to make us whole." The allegations surrounding 20 Pine follow roughly the same blueprint. The 409-unit project sold its first condo in 2008 and its last in 2013. Still, according to the settlement, the developers maintained control because again they had failed to get the Building Department's sign-off within the allotted time, and had drained a $10.3 million escrow account intended for construction completely by 2013. Another ongoing lawsuit by 20 Pine residents includes photos of standing water and plants growing on the roof, bulging and shifting walls, abandoned cables attached to the building, exterior limestone patched with wood, a leaking swimming pool, and a "problematic combination shower head-light." The developers finally secured a certificate of occupancy in 2014, after the state investigation into the building began. At 85 Adams, where a 2 bedroom sold for $920,000 right before the 2008 financial collapse, condo owners say that Leviev and Boymelgreen bilked them too, having architects and contractors falsely certify necessary fireproofing and other work had been done, pillaging the construction funds, and resisting every step of the way when sued by residents and by the attorney general. Faced with similar accusations by residents of other new buildings in DUMBO and Prospect Heights in the late 2000s, including an improperly connected sewage line that sent human waste flowing into the street, Boymelgreen allegedly said, "What do they expect a Manhattan building?" Under the terms of the settlement, Africa Israel and its LLCs avoid admitting or denying the allegations. They have seven days to turn over control of the condo boards, and must obtain certificates of occupancy within set times or face penalties of $20,000 per three months delay. The $2 million fine is supposed to be set aside for funding low-income housing, and Schneiderman tacked on $250,000 to cover the investigation. Lev Leviev (Scott Wintrow/Getty) Boymelgreen lives in Brooklyn, and though the economic downturn, numerous lawsuits, botched deals, and the dark cloud of the investigation have diminished his stature as a mega-builder, his son Sam is trying his hand at the business, developing a 126-apartment complex across from the Kensington Stables in Brooklyn, among other projects. He denies acting as a front for his father or using his money. Leviev is a billionaire Israeli who, in addition to making a fortune in real estate and drawing protests over his involvement in settlement-building in Israel's West Bank, owns diamond mines in Russia and Angola. The settlement stipulates that the attorney general is "[discontinuing] its investigation" into the properties, but in a statement Schneiderman said his probe into Boymelgreen is ongoing. An email sent to Boymelgreen's company bounced back. Africa Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Making A Murderer is the latest Netflix series to grip the nationthe documentary, which has been packaged up into 10 episodes, follows more than a decade in the life of Steven Avery of Manitowoc County, WI. Avery was wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years on a sexual assault charge, and released when evidence proved his innocence. Two years after his release, in 2005, Avery was charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach, which he is still serving time for, along with his nephew Brendan Dassey (charged with first-degree intentional homicide). Whether or not you believe Avery and Dassey are guilty, the show is an infuriating look at the failures of our criminal justice system, with special prosecutor Ken Kratz as its fatalistic antagonist. Kratz is a former Wisconsin DA who headed the investigation and prosecution of Avery and Dassey. He resigned in 2010 after being accused of sexting and harassing domestic violence victims. Last week, I emailed him in hopes of securing an interview, and with some persistence, I eventually got him in a room with comedian Jena Friedman, who has been vocal about the show on social media. Below is the resultyou'll hear Kratz discuss the series, the sexting, and his astrology sign. Friedman also presents him with a Ouija board... Interview: Jena Friedman Director of Photography & Editor: Jake Salyers Additional Camera: Jessica Leibowitz and Lee Towndrow Producer: Jen Carlson Over 100 pedicab drivers gathered today outside of City Hall Park to rally against the mayor's recently announced deal with the carriage horse industry, which would restrict carriages to Central Park and prohibit pedicabs from going below 85th Street within the park. Pedicab drivers are calling this a monopoly, and insist that because they rarely pick up customers above 85th street, this legislation, if passed by the city council, would effectively put them out of business. Currently, most pedicab drivers pick up passengers primarily tourists from Central Park South, and take them on one of two routes: either around the skating rink and mall up to 72nd street and back, or in a loop around Bethesda Terrace and Cherry Hill at the southern end of the park. Drivers rarely take passengers past 79th street, let alone up to 85th, said King Farruk, who's been driving a pedicab for the past six years. "There's nothing to see," he said of the park above 85th street; because of that, he and his fellow drivers are convinced people will turn entirely to carriage horse rides. "I support more than 20 people in Senegal by driving pedicab," said Tadhfa Niang. "If they take my job, what am I going to do? I send them money for food; they eat. If I dont work, they're not going to eat." The mayor's proposed deal would reduce the number of carriage horses from 180 to 95, and would only allow 75 to operate in the park at a time. Parks advocates are also concerned about the plan to build a $20 million stable in Central Park. Our biggest concern is whos paying and what is the taxpayer going to get from this, Tupper Thomas, the executive director of New Yorkers for Parks, told the Wall Street Journal. This is tragically not a great solution. On Monday, de Blasio defended the adjustment to pedicab regulations, saying that "we had to make an adjustment in terms of the pedicabs for balance, and I think its a fair outcome." But the pedicab drivers are arguing that this move is a concession to carriage drivers to compensate for the proposed reduction in their numbers. Unlike carriage horse operators, pedicab drivers are not unionized and are all independent contractors, according to Laramie Flick, who has been driving his pedicab for over 11 years and is president of the New York City Pedicab Owners' Association. Flick estimates that there are approximately 300 drivers, with a good deal of turnover. Many, like Niang, are immigrants supporting families back home. "It's shocking the mayor went from proposing to ban horse carriages to giving them a monopoly," Flick said. "This benefits 75 horse carriage owners, and everybody else loses. Half the horse carriage drivers, tourists, the park...all of this exists only to give the illusion that de Blasio is doing something. It's for show." He added, "If we are such a nuisance in Central Park, we should be banned from the entire park. But by allowing us to have the northern end of the park, it concedes that were an asset to Central Park, and therefore this ban is completely arbitrary and completely just a government-enforced monopoly for a small group of wealthy carriage owners." Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito declined to explain the reasoning behind banning pedicabs below 85th street, but did say that the legislation could still change before being put to a vote. But if it doesn't, the pedicab drivers are prepared to fight. "We'll pool our money and try to get lobbyists," Flick said. "And there will definitely be lawyers involved." A very savvy stripper allegedly seduced an ailing HBO executive into bequeathing most of his cash to her in his will after living together for only 35 days, according to documents filed in Manhattan Surrogate's Court last month. This is the stuff of Carl Hiaasen novelsshe even briefly fled to Florida! The stripper, 31-year-old Veronica Beckham, allegedly met HBO exec Micky Liu at a Scores in Atlantic City in July 2014. Liu, who suffered from heart disease, obesity and chronic alcoholism, was quickly charmed, and ended up covering some of her rent and dental bills right away. Beckham kept up correspondence with Liu via text and email, then moved into his apartment. According to court documents filed by Liu's sister, May Liu, they lived together for 35 dayswhen Liu, 50, died in March, he left Beckham his brokerage accounts, a retirement plan and a life insurance policy. May Liu alleges that Beckham, "was adept at applying and using coercion and manipulation upon men," according to court documents, and that she "preyed upon Micky Lius vulnerability by exerting influence over him in the form of moral coercion and by performing sexual acts on and with Micky Liu." Beckham, who eventually left to care for her mother in Miami, says she and Liu did not have a sexual relationship, and claims she did not know he named her as a beneficiary on his accounts until after he died. I have plenty of nice, great things to say about Micky, but I cant at this time as the case is pending," she told DNAinfo. "Just know that Micky was an outstanding, amazing, intelligent person." The amount of cash Liu left her has not been disclosed. We've all been there: on vacation in a dazzling new city, single and ready to mingle with some cute strangers. Hooking up while on holiday is usually a fun challenge, but when 24-year-old Jhanzaib Malik decided to flirt with the front desk clerk at Brooklyn's Sheraton, he quickly found himself arrested, stripped of his passport, and locked up in jail. Malik, a Pakistani man, travelled from South Africa last month to spend the holidays vacationing in New York Citya trip he told the Daily News he took two years to save up for. While chatting with hotel staff, he boasted that his Guess suitcase was "the bomb." Malik's choice of words were apparently grounds for suspicion, and on December 22nd he was arrested, questioned by the FBI and held on Rikers Island for 11 days without charge. I just came for vacation and my stupid joke led to all this, Malik told the News. I was just flirting. Im a flirty guy. The victim of a racially-charged homonym mishap, Malik is now stuck at a very bleak impasse: prosecutors have confiscated his passport and his visa was revoked by the U.S. State Department, making it impossible for him to travel home. His family has stopped loaning him money while his attorney fees continue to climb, and the South African airline that employed him recently laid him off. U.S. authorities are currently holding $2,700 in cash that he had brought along to spend on his trip. Malik also says his predicament has been mocked in a skit on national Pakistani news, and, on top of everything, he was assaulted by another inmate while in jail. With no clear path out of his legal woes, Malik is currently renting a room in Jackson Heights, Queens and trying to keep his head up. I don't want to go back to South Africa or Pakistan, he told the News. Keep my passport, just let me stay here. I love this country. In most of this country, 230,000 people is enough for a big city. In New York, its the number of people who ride the L Train under the East River every day, through two passages called the Canarsie Tubes. When those parallel, one-track tunnels are shut down to repair flooding damage from Superstorm Sandyand it seems likely they will be shut down entirely, for at least a yearfleets of ferries, buses and bicycles will be no substitute. The good news is that the city has a plan for another subway link to Williamsburg that features two separate tunnels and four tracks beneath the East River, with direct service to Midtown. Existing stations have been designed to accommodate it. The bad news is that the plan is from 1929, and only a small part of it is still under consideration by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Its called the South Fourth Street line, and it was once, alongside the Second Avenue Subway, thought to be a fixture of the future subway system. At that point, New York City had already planned and broken ground on its Independent Rapid Transit Railroad, or IND, which includes most of todays A, B, C, D, E, F, and G trains. This publicly built network would compete with the existing BMT and IRT companies. In September 1929, before any part of the IND had opened, the Board of Transportation announced a follow-up plan called the Second System. (This plan, along with many others, is documented in Joseph Raskins book The Routes Not Taken, a history of the citys unbuilt subways.) One of the major components of this hundred-mile expansion was the South Fourth Street Line, a six-track artery running through South Williamsburg. While Brooklyn was already crossed by both subways and elevated lines (on Fulton Street, Myrtle Avenue, Third Avenue, and Lexington Avenue, for example), there was reason for the city to feel bullish: Annual subway ridership passed two billion in 1930, a mark the system would only reach again in 1946-47 (in 2014, it was 1.71 billion). Brooklyn had grown by 550,000 residents between 1920 and 1930. And southern and eastern Queens were (then as now) underdeveloped because of poor access to transit. The new Williamsburg line was to reach Manhattan via two separate tunnels. The first would run beneath Grand Street (in Brooklyn) and Houston Street in Manhattan, linking into the Second Avenue F station; the second would swoop down Worth Street in Manhattan to join todays E train tracks south of Canal Street. A massive junction was planned for South Fourth and Union, at the G trains Broadway stop. To the east, the subway was to split in Bushwick. Four tracks were to go north under Myrtle Avenue before branching into dozens of miles of new track in Queens, while four tracks proceeded down Stuyvesant Ave. through Bed-Stuy, continuing down Utica Ave. to Sheepshead Bay. The first plan for the Second System, 1929 (Wikicommons) Once you know about the South Fourth Street line, a few other peculiarities of the subway start to make sense. This is why the Utica Avenue A/C station is so deep two platforms and four tracks are built into the ceiling. Its also why the Second Avenue F station has four tracks two were designed to head towards Williamsburg. The major Greenwich Village junction is called West Fourth Street to eliminate any confusion with South Fourth Street, which would have been just a few stops away. The city went so far as to build part of the South Fourth Street station, carving out a six-track, three-platform station under Union Avenue in South Williamsburg. Its possible that if the new subway had been built, the city would have bought and demolished parts of todays Broadway elevated line (as it did with the Sixth Avenue El, whose steel scraps were sold to Imperial Japan in the late 1930s). Even so, the plan would have enhanced North Brooklyns subway capacity, and forever transformed the settlement patterns of eastern Queens and lower Utica Avenue. Real estate speculators had been pushing for a train on Utica for decades, and were willing to pay special assessment taxes for an elevated. Any delay in authorizing the work is a serious menace to the proper development of Brooklyn, one realtor told a newspaper in 1910. The second plan for the Second System, 1939 (Wikicommons) But the Second System plan, with a projected cost of $800 million (in 1929 dollars), was soon postponed when the city ran out of borrowing power during the Great Depression. A 1939 plan reprised and simplified the South Fourth Street line, sending all trains down Utica Avenue and none to Queens. But the high-water mark of subway planning had passed. Most mid-century transportation projects in New York City involved the automobile. Today, Utica Avenue is served by the B46 bus, New Yorks second-busiest route. Mayor de Blasio has expressed interest in extending the subway to serve the avenue, and the MTAs current capital plan allots $5 million to study the idea. But any Utica Avenue subway would be a continuation of the 3 or 4 train from Eastern Parkway a modification proposed in the 1950s with no new tracks running north. The change is in part because the South Fourth Street plan would, at that point, have seriously congested Manhattans 6th and 8th Avenue lines, where the inbound trains were to merge. The full utilization of the lines in the outlying areas of the City, wrote Board of Transportation chairman William Reid in 1948, is now not possible because of the bottlenecks due to insufficient trunk lines in Manhattan. Still, it's fun to imagine. The biggest obstacle to building any new subway, of course, is money. For reasons that arent quite clear, the MTA spends more on per-kilometer subway construction than any transportation authority in the world between $1.5 and $1.9 billion on each kilometer of new subway track. (By contrast, Paris is building 6 kilometers of subway and four new stations for $1.5 billion!) At the hometown rate, the ten-mile Brooklyn portion of the 1939 South Fourth Street linenot including those precious tunnelswould cost $32 billion. Put another way: If you live in Williamsburg, you should buy a bicycle. Henry Grabar is a writer in New York. You can read more of his work here. Every semester, I ask my students to tell me why they write. And when I say tell I mean write. This semester one that is the third in which they sp... 1 year ago Zapoper's modem went and got drunk yesterday and now it doesn't recognize him anymore. As a result, he lost his internet and pho... Dorothy Mokua from World Farmers #MAPYouth on our farm Jessy Gill, World Farmers In short, at NESAWG I met in Jessy, a passionate young woman, committed to essential ideals and now the new Program Director at World Farmers, an organization doing important work in the northeast US. In an e-newsletter article published by her former workplace at the Community Food and Justice Coalition in Oakland , Jessy recognized her own identity and privilege being a young white middle class woman. She mentioned her experience with Paolo Frieres Popular Education practices, and dropped her involvement in Occupy, a movement which was gaining traction in the Bay area when she arrived on the scene in Oakland in 2011. In a following conversation, Jessy reiterated all she learned from engaging in that work, and how much more she has to learn. To learn more about World Farmers, visit This post was written by Rebekah Williams, MAP's Youth Education Director. Jessy and the programming at World Farmers embody an acknowledgment and understanding that people are worth-it, and that everyone has something critical to offer our communities. Our work, which involves going deep with people, is necessary to redefining the food system, offering economic opportunities, and ensuring healthy food for all.To learn more about World Farmers, visit www.worldfarmers.org In November, at NESAWG's "It Takes A Region" conference, I met a passionate young woman, Jessy Gill, who shared her experience addressing racial equity issues as Program Director at World Farmers located in Lancaster, MA.Jessy explained that at World Farmers, the organization looks to New Americans to learn from them what is important in terms of their needs and the direction for the organizations day-to-day work. This approach reminded me of MAP; at MAP, we look to the community and individuals we work with to determine our work and direction. We believe this is how we will see the greatest impact.World Farmers provides immigrants and refugees with resources and support to get started developing their farm businesses. They provide New Americans with access to land and an opportunity to build a business. She said, For the first year, the new farmers can work the land, at no cost. Then after one year, the farmers pay World Farmers a small fee that covers the preparation of the land and minimal maintenance fees."World Farmers has 70 acres of land. Their website highlights eight of the over 250 farmers in the Flats Mentor Program , among them: Fabiola Nizigiyimana from Burundi who was honored at the White House as a Champion of Change; Sangiwa Eliamani who farmed in several countries, and then recently became one of the founding members of the Flats Mentor Farm African Immigrant Marketing Cooperative; Dorothy Mokua from Kenya, who is also a Nurse Assistant Aid, a Manchester United fan, a devoted mother, and a tomato lover; Yia Ly from Laos; Elizabeth Gitari from Kenya; and James Momanyi from Kenya.Jessy said, At World Farmers, staff work with the farmers person-to-person. The work they do there is not just about mentoring beginning farmers, but also about supporting each farmer to be food sovereign and to provide their families with the food they need to feel the power of home. This sentiment and style brought MAP to mind. This is the same way we work with MAPs youth employees.Jessy explained that The Flats Mentor Program has been in existence for over 30 years in various forms, maintaining the integrity of the program, and never shutting its field to farmers even when funding was scarce to none. The continued existence of the program speaks to the dedication of the staff to go deep in their partnership with individuals, and cultivate an environment of co-learning and trust.In one of the farmers stories on the World Farmers webpage, they highlighted that Dorothy is a Nurse Assistant Aid, Manchester United fan and devoted mother even a tomato lover! These are the kinds of things we learn about our youth at MAP. If you look back through our blog and social media posts , youll know what I mean. World Farmers work with New Americans really resonates with our approach to youth work at MAP.With the similarities in how each of our organizations approach our work, I was excited to learn about World Farmers, and it got me thinking about how our two organizations might build a partnership. Some of our youth employees graduate from high school and hope to continue farming, and some envision building a business. Those youth, similar to the beginning farmers at World Farmers, may be looking for more experience in sustainable agriculture, farm business, marketing, and mentorship support from their peers to be reassured in their commitment to sustainable agriculture. "Gulen Charter Schools USA",a factual look at a worldwide movement to dominate education. Read about the "Gulen Charter Schools" in the USA as well as worldwide. Share our ride exploring the Gulen Movement tactics. These postings are based on news articles, government documents such as H1-b Visa info, IRS information. http://www.gulencharterschools.weebly.com http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com http://www.charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com http://www.gulenschoolsworldwide.blogspot.com Opinion Destination Sharjah Come November and all roads will lead to Expo Centre Sharjah. Every year, we wait for this moment to arrive. The 41st edition of Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is all set to begin from Nov.2. Everybody in the UAE is super excited for SIBF. Lots of authors of international repute will grace the much-loved event. A total of 1,632 exhibitors from 83 countries will attend the event. I am also looking forward to meet and listen to a few of them. 404 For All U of U Health Patients & Visitors On behalf of our staff and the Shodair Childrens Hospital Board of Directors, I want to thank the community of Helena for the thoughtfulness, kindness and generosity shown to the young people being treated at Shodair. During the recent holiday season, we received an unprecedented number of gifts, which allowed for children who spend the holidays away from home and family to experience a joyful Christmas. BILLINGS -- Yellowstone County Sheriff deputies patrolled the city Monday morning, allowing Billings police officers to honor the passing of one of their own. More than 500 family, friends and Montana law enforcement members gathered Monday for the service at the MetraPark Pavillion honoring Billings Police Sgt. Shawn Finnegan, who took his own life last week. As people entered, they were encouraged to pin a small blue and black ribbon to their chest in honor of Finnegan. "He was the people's police officer," said Yellowstone County District Judge Mary Jane Knisely. Police Chief Rich St. John and Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder led a sea of officers past where scores of people already sat waiting for the ceremony to begin. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officers, border agents and other members of law enforcement agencies from across the state joined the procession. Billings Mayor Tom Hanel spoke for the city, thanking everyone for the support they had shown the police department and Finnegan's family. He spoke of Finnegan's tremendous contribution to the department and for the leadership he showed. He said being a law enforcement officer is a high-risk job with little reward. Even so, Finnegan loved the people of Billings. "We were proud of Shawn and we are proud of you, because like Shawn you are also the best," Hanel said. "We must go on, you have a job to do, people to serve." Hanel mentioned briefly the nature of Finnegan's suicide. "We will always ask why," he said, but there's no time for blame, only support. "We, as a city, are with you," Hanel told the police officers in the crowd. Yellowstone County Sheriff Detective Troy Charbonneau sang in honor of Finnegan. Knisely read from Psalm 23, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Billings police officer Seth Foster read the biblical story of the Good Samaritan. A slide show featured photos of Finnegan at a wedding and at birthday parties. A photo showed him with his son Patrick standing in front of his squad car, Patrick wearing his father's police hat. "If you wanted to put a profile together of what a Billings police officer looks like, that is Shawn," St. John said after the ceremony. St. John said the department received calls from as far away as Washington expressing sorrow at Finnegan's death. More than one call was from someone with a story about how Finnegan's extra care had helped their loved ones. The department is still looking for answers, St. John said. The prospect they may never find those answers is something the department continues to struggle with. "I can't thank the community enough for the outpouring of support," St. John said. "People from all walks of life have been calling and wanting to help." Linder, whose department provided the extra patrols and whose deputy association donated money for the service, said his officers would always be there for city police. "We know that times like this are hard," Linder said. "They know we've got their back." Linder stressed that law enforcement is one big family, too true for Finnegan, whose younger brother Sgt. Riley Finnegan, is a fellow officer at the police department. The city has united to help Finnegan's wife and son, as well as officers in the department affected by Finnegan's death. "We'll pull together from the top down," Hanel said. "Public employees are always under a lot of scrutiny and we want to help them through this as much as possible." Knisely had known Finnegan when he was young and said he wanted to be a cop. She said she didn't have any idea why Finnegan had taken his life, but said it highlighted the level of pressure on police officers, especially as the department deals with issues of under-staffing and lack of funds. A study done by Badge of Life, an organization dedicated to studying mental health struggles within law enforcement, estimates as many as 150 police officers a year die by suicide. According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, more officers die from suicide than during felonious acts. Walmart, Albertsons, Tiny's Tavern and Mountain Mudd Espresso made donations of food and drinks for the reception, which was organized by several groups from the Yellowstone Country Club. The Billings Police Protective Association, Billings Dispatch, both City and County Attorney's offices and retired police officers made donations for the service. Director of Marketing and Sales at MetraPark, Ray Massie, said the county would be paying for a large portion of the service at MetraPark. Massie said he was glad to provide a space for the community to say goodbye to Finnegan. Finnegan was cremated and a private ceremony for family was held after the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations to a scholarship fund for Finnegan's son, Patrick, may be made at the Rimrock Credit Union. Wilmot Collins, a Liberian refugee who found a home in Helena, said he recently saw disparaging remarks about displaced Syrians on Facebook. Collins was especially taken aback because it was posted by a neighbor with whom he regularly has beers. He responded with the message: "I didn't know you thought about me like that." The friend said Collins was different. Collins countered that they both fled their country due to war, lived in refugee camps and wanted a second chance at life, he told a crowd gathered for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event at the Myrna Loy Center Monday night. The United Against Hate & Fear event started with a candlelight vigil across the street at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse. "It's happening here," Collins said. Collins explained education is key. Another vital lesson he taught his son, who was born and raised in Helena, is to take a moment to reflect before he reacts to someone judgmental and abrasive. He then recalled about struggles his son has experienced lately while working as a bank teller in his hometown -- Helena. One man informed his son that he needed money to kill all of the African Americans -- only the man used the most offensive derogatory term. Collins told the crowd he was proud his son took a moment to process the man's hateful words, then asked the man how much money that would be. Another speaker at the event, hosted by the Montana Human Rights Network, echoed Collins' sentiments. Duran Caferro, a local pro boxer who is Native American, said he instills in the children he works with that they must be more patient and better overall than those who try to oppress them. "We must learn to pity them and walk away," Caferro said. "This day is for everyone." Shahid Haque-Hausrath, Pakistani-American and an immigration lawyer, encouraged those gathered to think hypothetically about xenophobic comments in order to be better prepared if they encounter hurtful statements from others. He also urged attendees to pen letters to the editor, in part as a means to bolster morale. "There's a real need for public displays of support," Haque-Hausrath said. "Do something public." A week ago today, Obama delivered the final State of the Union address of his presidency to the Republican-led Congress. Some excerpts: "Food stamp recipients didnt cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did." "For the loved ones weve all lost, for the families that we can still save, lets make America the country that cures cancer once and for all." "Thats the America I know. Thats the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." Even his critics begrudgingly admit that speechifying is one the president's strong suits, but his words left a large part of his audience unmoved. Here are just some of the issues that Republican senators and congressmen in attendance refused to stand or even clap for: the creation of nearly 15 million new jobs and the unemployment rate being cut in half; equality for all; limiting pollution; providing a good education for the nation's children; combating terrorism; the idea that America is the strongest nation on earth; averting war; making it easier to vote; and curing cancer. It his first interview after the speech, Majority Leader Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, shed some light (I think) on his own lack of engagement: Basically, I disagreed with much of what he had to say, and I just wanted to be respectful and not wince or grimace or do anything. So I just kind of poker-faced the whole thing, just out of respect for the institution, the office. The State of the Union is a great thing, and I just basically wanted to be wallpaper and not be a part of it from an expression point of view. "I just kind of poker-faced the whole thing"? "Not be part of it from an expression point of view"? I might be enraged if I understood what Ryan was talking about. But since I don't, I am embarrassed -- for him, the nation and, most of all, the art of rhetoric. Luckily for him, no one much paid much attention to (made fun of) his inarticulate explanation. All attention was already focused on the highly controversial comment made by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the official Republican response to Obama's speech. What did she say that prompted conservative author and commentator Ann Coulter to tweet: "Trump should deport Nikki Haley"? What unleashed a maelstrom of criticism from her own party? Here is Haley's inflammatory statement: "Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That is just not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference." A couple days later and the Republican presidential candidates are debating. Many are up in arms at Iran's treatment of the 10 U.S. Navy sailors who strayed into its waters -- and the fact that Obama didn't mention it during his address. Right off the bat, we have Ted Cruz all puffed and asserting, "And I give you my word, if I am elected president, no service man or service woman will be forced to be on their knees, and any nation that captures our fighting men will feel the full force and fury of the United States of America." Maybe Marco Rubio should ask Trump to deport Secretary of State John Kerry too. How dare he use diplomacy to bring about the release of the sailors in less than 24 hours after their capture! How dare he and his boss, as Marco Rubio put it, "cut deals with our enemies like Iran"! *** Leah Gilman is glad Bernie Sanders is going to wipe the floor with whichever of these Republican clowns has the bad fortune to win his party's presidential nomination. BILLINGS -- Losing part of Colstrips 40-year-old power plant would devastate Montanas economy through possible job losses and higher power bills, state elected officials and industry backers said Monday in Billings. They urged the business-friendly audience to speak out against federal regulations they say would hurt the coal industry. President Obama stopped the Keystone pipeline. Next on his to-do list is to kill the coal industry, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said at the forum sponsored by Big Sky Economic Development. About 180 people attended the lunch gathering at Crowne Plaza in downtown Billings. Included in the audience were state lawmakers, county commissioners and tribal leaders. The main point of discussion was the Environmental Protection Agencys proposed Clean Power Plan, released last fall. The agency is aiming to cut carbon emissions 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The keynote speaker was Republican Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, who said regulators must adhere to rule of law above politics in forming the rules. Fox is one of 27 attorneys general nationwide who have signed on to a lawsuit aimed at overturning the Clean Power Plan. The group has asked a federal judge for an injunction to delay the plan. Montana received in a year about $103 million in coal taxes. The state also has about $1 billion in its coal severance tax fund. In Montana, the carbon emission cuts amount to about 47 percent, according to the federal plan, and Colstrip, which employs about 350 workers at the plant, is the biggest target. This month, Gov. Steve Bullock announced in Colstrip a panel to help craft guidelines by a September deadline. The Colstrip plant has five owners: NorthWestern Energy, Talen Energy, Portland General Electric, Puget Sound Energy and PacifiCorp. The latter three market power in Washington and Oregon, where legislators are proposing new laws this year to cut cross-state purchases of coal power. State Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, said he expects a tough push-and-pull between Montana lawmakers and their counterparts on the West Coast. Legislative sessions in Oregon and Washington are annual and are already underway. It will be a dogfight, but thats all right. As long as were the big dog, said Ankney, a member of Bullocks clean-power council. In addition to power-plant regulations, the Obama administration announced last week it was suspending new coal leases on federal land. Officials with the U.S. Department of Interior said they needed time to evaluate whether mining companies are paying a fair amount for extracting publicly owned coal on federal lands. During a panel discussion, Jason Small, a union boilermaker and Northern Cheyenne tribal member, said the union has about 100 jobs at Colstrip 1 and 2, and losing them could kill the union. I dont believe our local would survive. ... Theres a huge effect on the boilermakers, said Small, who was Daines guest at last weeks State of the Union speech. The following is a transcript of a speech by Lawrence Trimble, pastor of discipleship at Maranatha Assembly of God, at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March program, Jan. 18, 2016: We're here to celebrate. Is anybody here to celebrate? Amen. We're here to celebrate the life and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, who basically transcended generations. I don't think he knew the impact that he was going to make when he was actually stepping forth to advocate for the rights of his fellow African-Americans at that time. His boldness has impacted us today. His faith and his ability to step out there under the power of the spirit of God that was on the inside of him has impacted our lives today to where we can all use the same bathrooms, we all have access to education, water fountains and voting privileges and all different types of things that were not available to us at the time. Let's just thank God for that man. Today we celebrate the life and the legacy of one of the greatest men to lead during one of the most heated and oppressive times. He was not the only one, but he was part of a movement that impacts us today. Today we celebrate a man who dared to have a dream. A dream that all men would be created equal with the same civil liberties, and access to the same basic things of utilizing the restrooms, schools, water fountains and demonstrating the basic rights to vote. It is because of the men like Martin Luther King, men like Vernon Jordan, Malcolm X, Harry Belafonte, Julian Bond, Marion Barry, Stokely Carmichael, Medgar Evers, and a host of other generals that we can enjoy access to many of the basic civil rights that were once held away from us. It all started with a dream. So we fast-forward 53 years ahead, and I want to just say that we still have to dream again. Fifty-three years later, the question to be asked is how far have we come to actualizing the dream? Although the face of injustice is no longer Jim Crow, there is still a conflicting reality intensifying the notion that we must dare to begin to dream again. In the face of a reality that men and women can be gunned down by officers of the law, and due to the continuation of insufficient evidence, per se, the verdict returns not guilty. Somebody say we must dream again. In the face of a reality of a system that says that we all can achieve the American Dream, but the resources are kept out of reach just for certain demographics. In the face of a reality that the school-to-prison pipeline impacts more African American males than any other subgroup. In the face of a reality where words like white privilege are misunderstood by some whites because they consider themselves not racist, but they fail to understand that the system is formalized for them, whereby they can maximize the benefits of being in the majority while others have to just through hoops in order to achieve a small piece of the American pie. Somebody say we still have to dream again. In the face of a reality where black men in certain metropolitan cities feel subjected to live a life of crime due to access to a lower standard of education and criminalization surrounding them. Sue Scherer already talked about the level of funding, the discrepancies in funding, especially in some metro cities, and so we still must dream again. In the face of a reality where the waters of Michigan are poisoned impacting more blacks and poor than any other subgroup somebody say, we must dream again. So my question to you is that, can we begin to dream again? We can't stop with just the dream that Martin Luther King had. Yes, it made us progress. It allowed us to achieve certain things and we're not knocking what he laid the foundation for, but there is still work that needs to be done. The dream that Dr. King had brought us a mighty long way and we are respectful and thankful for that, but the dream that we must have must carry us the rest of the way. There's a dream that has to build inside of us that will take us into the promised land that Martin Luther King talked about. A lot of times we talk about the I Have a Dream speech but he also had another speech right before he died. That was the Mountaintop Speech. There was something significant about the Mountaintop Speech because he said that he's been to the Promised Land. He sees certain things happening, he sees equality coming to pass, he sees social injustices going to not. He said I've been to the Promised Land. And I want to tell you, my brothers and my sisters, that sometimes we have to dream of a promise before we can actually see the promise. We have to dream of a promise before we can actually see the promise. I know what the scripture says because the scripture reminds us, that in the last days, old men shall see visions and young men shall dream dreams. There's a dream that still has to happen because there's still some realities that we are facing today that show us that we still have some progress that needs to be made. One thing that Martin Luther King says in his dream speech, he said that we cannot walk alone. As we walk, we must make the promise that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. We cannot look back and think that we can move forward. We must bind together to achieve the maximum benefit of the neo-dream, the new dream. A dream that is not satisfied with just getting a little bit of the crumbs of the American pie. But a dream that truly operates under the Godly principle that all things are possible if we can only believe. So can you dare to dream again? Can you dare to believe? Somebody say, I believe. I believe that the stings of injustice and despair will begin to disappear, and no longer shall people deem it ok to slay those people. I believe that inner cities will no longer have to deal with the disheartening traumas of having to bury their sons and their daughters due to violence and territorial disarray. I believe that all men will be understood for who they are and not subjected to immoral interpretations based on cultural biases. I believe that all men can truly be created and treated as equal. I believe that we can come out of our comfort zone to fight for the man that is considered beneath or below. I will say that again: I believe that we can come out of our comfort zone to fight for the man that is considered beneath or below. I believe that we can truly operate out of a spirit of unity, a spirit of unity that connects us at the hip and binds us at the heart, making our actions unite so that we can put up a unified fight. We have to understand that where there is unity, there is strength. As long as we remain divided, we'll never accomplish it. Getting out of our comfort zone actually means looking at our brother and sister and saying, you know what? Regardless of our differences, regardless of whether you truly like each other or not, we are unified I believe that we can demonstrate the effectiveness of the power that God has placed on the inside of us. God has given us the power to accomplish more than we even can fathom in our minds. I believe that we can dream again because God tells us in his word that the weapons that we fight with are not carnal. We are not fighting against racist people. We are fighting against racist spirits. We're not fighting against our brothers and our sisters, but we're fighting against spirits. There are mighty weapons inside us and if we come together to use them there is no devil in hell that can stop the progress that we can achieve. So Martin Luther King said one thing: Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. I want to encourage you, my brother and my sister, that it's time to speak. It's time to speak up and speak out. It's time to no longer be silent, no longer consider ourselves dumbfounded Because we have to get to the point that we continue to speak the dream, until we begin to see the dream that we speak. In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama lamented the deep divisions of our time and expressed regret that he hasn't done more to overcome them. His words had a nostalgic air, cloaked in memories of times when Americans were more united and less angry. "Democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens," he said. "It doesn't work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice. It doesn't work if we think that our political opponents are unpatriotic or trying to weaken America. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise or when even basic facts are contested or when we listen only to those who agree with us." If that were true, American democracy would have expired a long time ago. Accusing your political opponents of being malicious and unpatriotic is as American as the Super Bowl. Obama suggests that fierce hostilities are a new and ominous development. In fact, as Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley assured me, "American politics has been a mud-fest since the get-go." He's not exaggerating. In the 1800 presidential election, a Federalist newspaper warned that under Thomas Jefferson, "murder, robbery, rape, adultery and incest will be openly taught and practiced." When was this innocent age that we trusted and listened to each other with respect? Not the 1990s, when Bill Clinton was impeached, Hillary Clinton detected a "vast right-wing conspiracy" and Newt Gingrich urged GOP candidates to label their opponents with such terms as "corrupt," "sick" and "traitors." Not the 1980s, when Democrats reviled Ronald Reagan as a racist who hated the poor. Republicans charged that Democrats "always blame America first," and Pat Buchanan pronounced AIDS to be nature's revenge on gay men. Not the 1970s, which brought fierce battles over Vietnam, Watergate, Black Power and the Equal Rights Amendment. Not the 1960s, when assassinations, riots and bombings became a scary part of the political landscape. Not the 1950s, when President Harry Truman tried to seize steel mills, Joe McCarthy accused his opponents of being communists and President Dwight Eisenhower had to send troops to integrate a Little Rock high school. Not the 1940s, when our politics were so fractured that in the 1948 presidential election, the leftist Progressive Party and the white supremacist States' Rights Democratic Party each got more than 2 percent of the popular vote. Not the 1930s, when the Great Depression raised the specter that communism or fascism would take hold in America. There have been times when political passions cooled and parties cooperated toward broad goals, such as winning World War II and landing on the moon. Ideological fissures were less visible back when the two major parties had considerable overlap. Brinkley noted that in the 1960s, liberal Democrats and moderate Republicans joined in passing civil rights legislation. But the underlying conflicts were there, and they often boiled over. When segregationist George Wallace mounted a third-party presidential campaign in 1968, he got 13 percent of the vote and carried five states. After National Guard troops killed four students at an anti-war protest at Kent State University in 1970, a Gallup Poll found that most people blamed the students. Americans have always been more pluribus than unum, separated by region, income, race, ethnicity and religion. That's why the nation nearly collapsed under the Articles of Confederation, and actually split apart during the Civil War. The centrifugal forces have persisted through centuries. A 2014 Reuters poll found that 23.9 percent of Americans would like to see their state secede from the union. The past seven years have been polarized, but not appreciably more than the preceding ones. In December 2008, 62 percent of Republicans approved of George W. Bush's performance, while 88 percent of Democrats did not. The two parties not only have different viewpoints but inhabit different realities. But the gulfs separating different groups have existed since the beginning. Henry David Thoreau wrote, "We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate." Our intractable divisions should not be grounds for despair. History indicates that we can overcome the hostility, distrust and inflexibility that pervade our political environment. Obama would like Americans to behave as though we are members of the same family. In fact, we do. Like Cain and Abel. We, pastors of the United Methodist churches of Macon County, write in opposition to the proposal to have a casino placed in the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel. We ask the members of the Decatur City Council to vote no to any proposal that would indicate willingness on the part of the city of Decatur to receive such a casino. The gambling industry has tried to take the bl out of the word gambling, changing it to the word gaming as though gambling is just an innocuous game to be played. But gambling is destructive to the quality of life in a community and negatively impacts individuals and families. Please have the courage to do what is right and defeat the mirage of a casino as part of the solution to the economic doldrums of our community. To say yes would be short-sighted, foolhardy and harmful in the long run. Gov. Bruce Rauner has asked the Illinois Labor Board to rule on whether talks with the union representing a large number of state workers have come to an impasse. Although the battle will be portrayed as Rauner trying to hurt working families, it can also been seen as a move to help the states taxpayers. The Rauner administration claims that the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 30,000 state workers, has not bargained in good faith and that talks have reached an impasse. The administration claims AFSCME has refused to negotiate on terms that 17 of the states other unions have accepted. This is as much a political showdown as it is a labor/management disagreement. AFSCME and the other state unions have developed a cozy relationship with lawmakers over the years. The result is a pay and compensation package for state workers that one study put as 27 percent higher than that received by private sector workers in the state. That study said state workers, on average, made $4,000 per year more than private sector workers and $13,000 more in benefits. Many state employees are able to retire before age 60 with a pension that averages $42,000 per year, with a guaranteed 3 percent increase, compounded annually. So far, AFSCME has stuck with its demands of step salary increases of 3.8 percent, along with regular wage increases. The union has also failed to budge on workers receiving overtime pay after 37.5 hours. Its estimated the AFSCME proposal would cost the state $1.6 billion per year. Thats money the state obviously doesnt have. Other public sector unions have been more reasonable. For examples, the Teamsters union representing about 5,000 workers, agreed to a four-year general wage freeze and a four-year step freeze and agreed that overtime pay would begin at 40 hours. Workers do have the opportunity to receive merit pay bonuses, primarily based on good attendance and adherence to work rules. AFSCME has every reason to delay the implementation of a new contract, since by an agreement the old, union-friendly contract stays in force. This is not an attack on the states workers. Many of them do excellent work, sometimes under trying conditions. Many of them understand the states financial problems and realize that changes need to be made. What Rauner is trying to do is to break the too-friendly relationship between union leadership and the states politicians. Its a system the states taxpayers, which includes state workers, are funding with their own hard-earned dollars. Its a confrontation that could be messy, but is entirely necessary. On February 24, 2105, an official from the Tavoush Provincial Administration told members at the opening meeting of the provinces council that the committee handling snow and refuse removal throughout the province was conducting spot checks to see if the work was being handled correctly. To deal with infractions and deficiencies, the provincial government, it was claimed, had reviewed the issue, had taken appropriate steps, and had drafted a corresponding plan of action to see that such irregularities were fixed. Deadlines were set and instructions were sent to local authorities to right such wrongs. The official noted that the above noted measures had resulted in a measurable improvement in sanitary conditions in local communities and the roads running through them. The improvements are to be seen in all communities in the province. I must note, however, the extremely positive work carried out by the communities of Dilijan, Berd, Haghartzin, Baghanis, Joujevan, Haghtanak, Ptghavan and Azatamout, said the official. Months later, on August 18, Hetq published the first in a series of articles entitled Tavoush Province: Armenias Legal and Illegal Garbage Dumps examining the state of trash collection and disposal throughout Armenia. Hetq found 19 illegal dumps in Tavoush. A few were located in areas deemed measurably improved by the Tavoush authorities. The Tavoush government never responded to the article. One month later, during a discussion of the issue that took place at the second session of the Tavoush council on September 17, 2015, it was noted that: From an environmental perspective, there remains the problematic issue of spontaneous placement of wastes, irregular garbage removal, and the matter of unregulated use of garbage dumps in the province. The report issues by the province notes that the problem must be tackled on several fronts the drafting of a plan dealing with the regulation of garbage dumps in large communities; designing inter-communal garbage dumps and the provision of equipment to operate them; and improving overall trash collection. The report also stresses the need to strengthen monitoring of sanitary conditions in the communities. With its third session the provincial council ended its work year. It was assumed that at least one of the above-mentioned work approaches to the overall problem would have been noted at the session. However, the Tavoush Provincial Administration deemed it more important to discuss the results of the December 6 constitutional referendum. It seems that the Tavoush Administration wasnt aware that summarizing the results of the referendum does not fall within its purview. In any event, the year ended and it remained unclear what else the Tavoush Provincial Governor felt regarding the garbage problem in his backyard other than expressing some concern and discomfort. After reading the Hetq article, with the accompanying map pinpointing illegal trash dumps in Tavoush, did the governor issue more directives to the committee in his government responsible for sanitary norms and trash collection? This state of affairs is not confined to Tavoush. Hetq found the same neglect and inaction when it surveyed trash collection in Kotayk, Vayots Dzor and Ararat provinces last year. Of the 15 garbage dumps Hetq discovered in the five villages along the Garni-Geghard stretch of highway, just one was legal. Eight illegal dumps were found in Vayots Dzor. Only one dump of the 18 registered in Ararat was legal. (We should note that Hetqs research didnt encompass all the territory in these provinces.) None of the provincial governments in question deemed the issue of removing these illegal garbage dumps imperative. And we are disinclined to believe that the provincial authorities were informed of the problem only after Hetq published its findings. Every year, the provincial governments conduct monitoring of 1/3 of their communities and inspection crews have registered sanitary and environmental violations in almost all communities both prior to and after our studies. These inspection crews have instructed all local community officials to remove the existing violations and to adopt decisions regarding how to tackle sanitary issues within their borders. In other words, they have to meet the guidelines as specified in Article 11 of the RA Law Regarding Wastes stating that if suggestions arent met within a defined time limit the matter will be adjudicated in the courts. Communities, however, arent concerned with such threats because they are never applied. No one follows up to see if such official directives are complied with. According to Presidential Decree NH-728 (Official Governance in Armenias Provinces), the results of administrative monitoring must be summarized quarterly and presented at the next session of the provincial council. In addition to debating such findings, the provincial governments must also provide systematic assistance to communities in order to ensure legality. An inspection team from the Kotayk Provincial Administration visited the communities along the Garni-Geghard roadway to assess sanitary conditions in May, months before Hetq published the second of its articles that specifically dealt with the area. (Garni-Geghard: Armenias Legal and Illegal Garbage Dumps) The team found a number of environmental violations and set a twenty day deadline for community authorities to resolve them. Three months later, however, Hetq found the situation unchanged. Communities werent collecting garbage removal payments and trash removal contracts hadnt been signed with residents or businesses. Provincial council sessions should have prioritized the issue of setting fees garbage collection, obtaining adequate equipment for the job, and ensuring that legal dump sites are maintained and operated properly. Provincial authorities should be working with local communities to see that financial and other resources are effectively and legally used to tackle the garbage collection issue. Naturally, such measures will only be adopted if Armenias provincial authorities are serious about tackling the garbage problem head on. Thoughts about a variety of things from Christianity to sports and everything in between. Some readers may enjoy listening to this brief, concentrated version of my case against Trident renewal, broadcast on LBC ( a London independent radio station which also broadcasts on the web) on Sunday. I think it makes quite clear (as does my article) that Im in favour of this country keeping nuclear bombs in some form. Just not Trident. I stress this because some readers seem to have commented in the absurd belief that I support nuclear disarmament. I can see that this belief makes it easier for them to dismiss my case. But its mistaken. Once again, I dont. Please listen: http://www.lbc.co.uk/colossal-pointless-toy-peter-hitchens-lets-rip-at-trident--123315 Arguments about this are of course complicated by the Labour Partys curious divisions, in which the leader is against nuclear weapons on principle, and the unions support a ludicrous weapon simply because of the jobs it provides. Quite reasonable, even if unprincipled, you may say, and so would I (my father was very fond of Barrow-in-Furness where his favourite ship, the cruiser H.M.S. Ajax, was built, and where the officers and many of the ships company lived for some months to supervise her completion) if it werent the case that our economys distortion by such things almost certainly destroys manufacturing capacity elsewhere. Though it is true that our military industries survive because they are the only ones we can protect from foreign competition (nobody admits this, but any government can find ways of giving preference to its own manufacturers for defence contracts, and all do, despite the supposed commitment to total free trade in the EU and elsewhere) . I am amazed that there is no serious protectionist strand in modern British (or American) politics, given the devastation which has been wrought (and is being wrought) on our mining and manufacturing industries by free trade. Since Ross Perot was defeated by Al Gores largely irrelevant comparison of his policies to the Smoot-Hawley laws, there hasnt been a major protectionist voice in any big manufacturing country. But Germany, by ingeniously using membership of the Euro to effectively devalue the Deutschemark, has achieved a level of protection for its industries ( at the price of reducing its own living standards) without getting into trouble. Those who laugh at Jeremy Corbyns idea of emulating the Japanese, and not actually arming, which he seems to have been a good deal less specific about than you would think (a transcript of the interview is here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/17011602.pdf) really need to consider just how serious Trident itself is. Submarine drones, now being developed at amazing speed, present a threat to missile submarines which may render them as obsolete as battleships in the age of the dive-bomber, long before the renewal is complete. The technical battle between hunters and hunted, in which submarines become ever-quieter and hunters become ever more capable of detecting the slightest noise over vast distances, never ceases. Thanks to the known ranges of their missiles, the shallow approaches to their home ports, and other factors of depth, currents and water conditions, major world navies all know roughly where these vessels hide. If they had detected individual submarines, using passive sonars which themselves make no noise, they wouldnt boast about it now. I personally would be amazed if the US Navy could not find one of our Trident submarines if it wanted to, which raises an interesting question (see below). Then theres the issue, always dodged by the Trident cultists, of the lack of true independence. Why spend all this money on a weapon which, if it came to it, we might find we couldnt use? How are these missiles guided to their targets? I cant help thinking that they need to communicate with satellites for mid-course corrections during their ballistic flight. Who owns and runs these satellites? The missiles themselves are American, and are in effect leased from the US Navy by us. The US Navy maintains them at its Kings Bay facility in Georgia. The warheads, are built to an American design. If modern technology can take over a car from a remote station then what about a missile, one you made, designed and maintained? Then theres the point about how we are not the country we were in the 1940s, when Ernest Bevin decided to go ahead with a British bomb at all costs. Actually the original British bomb was mainly directed at the Americans , who cast us aside like an old shoe as soon as the 1941-45 war( as they saw it) was over. This included total ingratitude for our important role in building the first US Atomic bomb, and the disrespectful; treatment of Ernest Bevin by the US Secretary of State, James Byrnes. It was Bevins fury over this humiliation which impelled him to back the British independent bomb, crippling though the cost was. But in those days we still had a global empire and pretensions to world power. Countries as significant as us now manage quite well without nuclear weapons. Why do we stick with them , when we are much smaller, much less important and when the Cold War is over? Inertia. Anyway, New Labour is and was crammed by people (including Anthony Blair himself, who concealed his membership of CND until it was definitively exposed) who campaigned against British nuclear weapons when they actually had a purpose and a role. The same people who savage Jeremy Corbyn for openly opposing British nuclear weapons, fawned on Blair despite his secret, dishonestly concealed, opposition to them (which is surely far more alarming). The Blairites and their Cameroon heirs support Trident because they think we are too thick to grasp that we dont need it any more, and that we are so stupid we will think they are patriots for supporting it. Over 3 million dollars was donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County to fund AVID/TOPS, a college preparatory program. Neighborhood Police Officer Adam Kneubuhler walks by the Madison Police Department's Neighborhood Office in the Meadowood Shopping Center in the Balsam-Russett-Raymond Neighborhood in Madison, Wis., Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. M.P. KING -- State Journal You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, shown here discussing the state budget in 2015, is proposing ways to address serious staffing and safety concerns at Wisconsin prisons. Republicans should work with Erpenbach and his allies before the problems get worse. PHOTO BY JOHN HART/STATE JOURNAL Wealthy donors, empowered by recent court rulings, are exerting more influence on political party fundraising in Wisconsin fueling a contributions bonanza for the state Republican Party in 2015, newly filed reports show. A recent overhaul of state campaign finance law, passed by Republican lawmakers and signed by Gov. Scott Walker in December, ensures that new landscape will remain in place. Republicans recent dominance in state elections also bolstered their rainmaking efforts, experts said. Money flows to power, said Jay Heck, president of Common Cause in Wisconsin, a nonpartisan advocacy group. It doesnt surprise me to see an influx of money to the state GOP. The strong fundraising totals in 2015 could help Republicans retain their hold on the statehouse in the upcoming 2016 elections, said Edwin Bender, founder of the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonpartisan group that promotes accountability in politics. The states top election this fall is a U.S. Senate contest between Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Russ Feingold. At the state level, all Assembly seats and half the Senate seats are up for grabs. The new state campaign finance law says political parties may collect contributions of unlimited size from individuals. For decades, Wisconsin law put a $10,000 limit on how much an individual could give per year to all state political parties, candidates and political committees. While not directly limiting how much a person could give to a single party or committee, the so-called aggregate limit prevented an individual from giving more than a combined $10,000 to all of them, or any one of them, in a given year. But a series of court rulings in 2014, starting with the U.S. Supreme Courts McCutcheon v. FEC decision, struck down that requirement. State regulators followed suit, halting enforcement of it in May 2014. Since then, all parties have been able to collect checks of unlimited size from wealthy donors. The party that has benefited most is the state GOP. It raised nearly $2 million in 2015, according to its latest campaign finance report, filed Friday. Thats nearly four times what the party collected in 2013 and more than seven times what it raised in 2009, the two most recent non-election years in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Republicans had a nearly four-fold fundraising advantage over Democrats in 2015. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin raised about $563,000 last year, a sum much more in line with what it raised in other recent non-election years. More from individuals For Republicans, the big money haul was made possible by a sum from individual contributors, at $1.13 million, that dwarfed what it got in other recent non-election years. From 2014 when court rulings made it possible for individuals to give unlimited amounts to the parties through 2015, the state GOP raised more from individuals, at more than $5.5 million, than it raised in the previous six years combined. Largest donation Diane Hendricks, a longtime Walker supporter and co-founder of Beloit-based ABC Supply, wrote the biggest check to the Republican Party of Wisconsin over those two years a $1 million contribution in September 2014. Nevada Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson followed suit with a $650,000 contribution in October 2014. Wealthy benefactors continued making six-figure contributions to the party in 2015. Hendricks made a $100,000 contribution in November, and Richard Uihlein a Republican mega-donor from Illinois, whose business, Uline, is based in Pleasant Prairie gave $200,000 in March. Republicans have had a pronounced edge in funds raised from big donors the last two years. But Wisconsin Democrats also got help from well-heeled contributors. Lynde Uihlein, a Milwaukee philanthropist, gave $1 million to the party in September 2014. Other big donors included Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, who gave three contributions to the party in 2014 totaling $210,000, and Grant Abert, a Hillpoint businessman and philanthropist whose 2014 contributions totaled $120,000. Money trickles down Money raised by political parties trickles down to candidates. That will continue without limits in the foreseeable future, due again to the new campaign finance law. The new law says political parties may give contributions of unlimited size to candidates. Those contributions had been restricted by state law until a court ruling, also issued in 2014, struck down the restrictions. Mike Wittenwyler, a Madison-based campaign finance lawyer who represents outside political groups across the ideological spectrum, said Wisconsin Republicans recent fundraising boost probably is owed to a mix of factors including their recent electoral success. Wittenwyler said he doubts Republicans will be the only ones to benefit from the new big-money environment. Im assuming at some point, it will even out, Wittenwyler said. Heck isnt so sure. Chris Drosner Chris Drosner writes the Beer Baron column for the Wisconsin State Journal. Follow Chris Drosner 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. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Q. Whats your take on the PicoBrew homebrewing device? Jenn, via Facebook A. This Keurig for beer machine claims to combine and automate the functions of home brewing, from mash to boil to fermentation, in one nifty little countertop appliance. Pop in a PicoPak containing ingredients, press a few buttons, turn a few dials, and voila, youve got fresh beer, the videos seem to indicate. While you can make brewing easier and perhaps faster, fermentation cannot be rushed, and PicoBrews inventors gloss over that a bit. But the thing looks pretty cool, and Im sure its a remarkable engineering achievement. It seems to me, though, like a solution without a problem. Most homebrewers I know do it because its hard. They enjoy the process the cleaning, the boiling, the chilling, the cleaning, the racking, the cleaning, the fermenting, the cleaning, the racking, the bottling, the cleaning. Its a lot of work, but the work is usually a source of satisfaction rather than something to be removed from the equation. If you value fresh beer in nearly endless variation, without less work, theres a pretty easy prescription for that that doesnt require an $700 appliance: a local brewpub. Or a local bottle shop. And I can almost guarantee the beer will be better, too. Q. Are there laws governing my tendency to take a couple cases of local beer with me for friends when I travel? Is there a limit to what I can transport like that, if Im not selling it? Bob, via Facebook A. No, youre safe, and good on you for that tendency. Laws governing state-to-state transfers of beer are directed at that being sold, not shared (or traded) with friends (or strangers). Q. Any news on R&D schedule/beers? Milwaukee Beer Exchange via Twitter After New Glarus Brewing dramatically ramped up release of the fruits of brewmaster Dan Careys sour and wild-fermented workshop in 2015, that schedule has been dialed back somewhat this year, company president Deb Carey told me last week. There will be three R&D releases at the brewery this year, down from four in 2015; and each release will span a Friday and Saturday, paring the Thursday releases seen last year. The releases, some of which drew thousands of beer geeks to New Glarus, coincide with other major beer events in New Glarus or Madison. The June 10-11 releases overlaps New Glarus Polka Fest weekend, as well as Saturdays decadent Beer, Bacon & Cheese Fest. The Aug. 12-13 release pairs with the Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival in Madison, which draws thousands from around the country. The final release, Sept. 23-24, is on the weekend of New Glarus Oktoberfest celebration. Details on the beer to be released each weekend will be announced closer to the date. Carey also said a special lagered pilsner will be available only at the brewery beginning sometime later this year. Fear of missing out Q. Im in Chicago right now and it seems like the scene here is blowing away what we have going on in Wisconsin. Or am I just spoiled? What Chicago-area brewery would you like to see distribute in Wisconsin? Andy A. Chicagos beer scene has been coming on strong for a few years, but for me its hard to see its ascendance on national lists of best beer cities as anything more than catching up. The Chicago market is twice as big as all of Wisconsin, so if its blowing away our fair state and Im not convinced it is well, shouldnt it? But to Andys point, metro Chicago does have a lot of excellent breweries. Weve been cut in on a piece of that action, welcoming in the past year Metropolitan, Two Brothers and 5 Rabbit. Solemn Oath entered Wisconsin in 2014 only to pull back about a year later due to what company president John Barley said was massive demand at home. He was emphatic that Solemn Oath will return to Wisconsin. Weve had Goose Island, the granddad of the Chicago scene, for years. Also boosting Chicagos beer profile are the smaller production breweries like Off Color, Pipeworks and Spiteful, as well as a host of brewpubs and tap rooms. More realistically for Wisconsin, Id love to see either of two well established Chicago brewers Half Acre and Revolution open this market. Both have new breweries to help meet demand at home, but Revolutions expansion has the six-figure barrel capacity that seems designed for adding thirsty new markets. And with Revolutions excellent and widely varied lineup and a worthy flagship in Anti-Hero IPA, I would be very OK with Wisconsin being one of those new markets. Q. After Ballast Point and Surly recently, whats the next BIG craft brand to hit Wisconsin market? Which would you most want to see? Eric A. A run down the Brewers Associations most recent list of the 50 biggest craft brewers shows a couple of promising Wisconsin prospects. No. 9, San Diegos Stone Brewing, told me in 2014 it had no plans to re-enter Wisconsin after it pulled out a few years ago. Since then, though, its gone bi-coastal and is wrapping up construction of a new brewery in Richmond, Virginia. A Stone rep did not respond to a renewed question about any plans for Wisconsin. Another good candidate also hails from California: Firestone Walker. The Paso Robles brewery last summer joined Duvel Moortgat USA, a Belgian brewing concern that also owns New Yorks Brewery Ommegang and Kansas Citys Boulevard Brewing. Such an ownership change often means new markets, and both Boulevard and Firestone Walker bring beer right up to, but not across, the Wisconsin border. Opening a new state usually involves a lot of feeling out retail purchasing managers, some of which have loose lips, and there have been rumblings in recent months about both Firestone Walker and Boulevard opening Wisconsin in 2016. While Id be quite happy to write about new Wisconsin arrivals like Firestone Walkers Pivo pilsner and Boulevards Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, the rumor mill just this week turned around: FW and BLVD will not open Wisconsin this year. Q. Three breweries Id love to see in Wisconsin: Stone, Odell and Firestone Walker. Any idea when/if theyll arrive? Troy Despite a ray of hope on Stone and a waiting game on Firestone Walker, were probably out of luck on Odell, Troy. The excellent Fort Collins, Colorado, brewery distributes to Minnesota and was No. 34 on the Brewers Association 2014 list, but an Odell rep noted it sells in just 11 states and took 26 years to get even that far. While one should never say never, Adam DAntonio said, Odell has no plans to begin selling in Wisconsin. Fortunately for those in Wisconsin, there are some fantastic local beers available, DAntonio said, singling out New Glarus and seeming to underscore Andys suggestion that yes, we are indeed spoiled here. Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the cost of PicoBrew. After months of searching, Madison intends to move all city agencies during a $30 million renovation of the landmark Madison Municipal Building to two sites just blocks away. But some city officials are concerned about a possible permanent relocation of a U.S. Postal Service office from the Municipal Building to the Near East Side and want the post office to stay Downtown. For city agencies, staff negotiated terms to rent three and a half upper floors of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 W. Mifflin St., for $33,656 per month, and all three floors and a basement of the former AnchorBank annex building at 126. S. Hamilton St., for $23,067 monthly. The city must relocate 200 employees, multiple agencies, their customer service operations and all of their equipment to allow a renovation of the 79,000-square-foot Municipal Building slated to start late this year. After the project is completed 18 to 24 months later, the city will move everybody and a lot of things back. Im relieved we were able to secure temporary digs for city offices in the core Downtown area, said Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, who will introduce a resolution Tuesday night for the two leases to the City Council, with decisions coming at a later date. The Municipal Building, built in the late 1920s, was initially a federal courthouse and post office, and was acquired by the city in 1979. It is home to city services including planning, the Community Development Authority, Community and Economic Development divisions, building inspection, real estate, traffic engineering and zoning. The city had a number of choices for the relocation but chose the two sites based on cost, proximity to the City-County Building, and access to public transportation, said Natalie Erdman, director of the Department of Planning, Community & Economic Development. The cost of two-year leases at the relocation sites, part of the renovation budget, will be $1.36 million. The city also can extend the leases up to six months. The city estimated the double move would cost roughly $2 million, including about $1.6 million to lease temporary space, $200,000 for moving expenses, and $200,000 to make the temporary space suitable for city operations. The Postal Service, which has occupied space at the Municipal Building since it was built, will leave permanently for another location. No final decisions have been made, but the Postal Service is eyeing the QTI Group building on the 700 block of East Washington Avenue, where it already has a presence, city officials said. Ive sadly grown to accept the post office moving out due to renovations to the Municipal Building, Verveer said, adding that he is very much upset about its potential relocation outside of the central business district. Such a move would be a tremendous inconvenience for customers, especially those who have post office boxes at the Municipal Building, Verveer said. He said that he and others hope to persuade the Postal Service to reconsider and intends to enlist efforts of the citys congressional delegation. The Postal Service must schedule a public hearing before any move, he said. The Madison Credit Union will leave during renovations but will return when the Municipal Building is reopened to the public. The city knows the two spaces eyed for city offices well. It moved Fire Department administration from offices at 325 W. Johnson St., demolished in late 2013, to two upper floors in the Veterans Museum building. The offices moved from the Veterans Museum building to a permanent location on the second floor of Hovde Properties $47 million Ovation mixed-use project, 314 W. Dayton St., last month. And the city in late 2011 closed the Central Library Downtown for a $29.5 million renovation, which affected 80 employees and resulted in the relocation of services, books and materials and warehouse operations to three sites for roughly two years. The city leased 20,000 square feet of space at 126 S. Hamilton St. for its services. Now, the city will lease 22,500 square feet at the Veterans Museum all of the fifth, eighth and ninth floors and part of the 10th floor and 20,844 square feet at the Hamilton Street building. The city couldnt find a single building that would accommodate all space needs, but officials didnt want to break up divisions and felt certain divisions needed to be together, city real estate agent Kris Koval has said. The stately but aging Municipal Building must be emptied to be fully renovated, city officials said. The citys consultant, MSR Design of Minneapolis, which helped with the much-lauded Central Library renovation, proposed restoring the Municipal Buildings exterior, a first-floor hallway and the historic second-floor courtroom, overhauling mechanical systems and adding sprinklers, and expanding and modernizing staff work spaces, customer access and meeting spaces. Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-19 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] President Pavlopoulos to meet ECB's Draghi on Tuesday [02] Hotspots in Greece and Italy will be ready in four weeks the latest, EU Commissioner Avramopoulos says [03] PM Tsipras to meet newly elected New Democracy leader Mitsotakis on Tuesday [04] Two ferries with refugees on board arrive at Piraeus port [05] Turkey is not implementing EU deal on managing refugee flows, Greek minister tells Bild [01] President Pavlopoulos to meet ECB's Draghi on Tuesday President of Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Tuesday will meet with ECB president Mario Draghi at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt. The two officials are expected to discuss the course of the Greek programme and the ECB quantitative easing policy. German unions have called a rally in support to Greece during the meeting. [02] Hotspots in Greece and Italy will be ready in four weeks the latest, EU Commissioner Avramopoulos says Hotspots in Greece and Italy will be ready in four weeks the latest, European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos said in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Tuesday. Avramopoulos also warned of increased refugee flows in the coming months. Referring to the EU member states that refuse to contribute to the joint EU effort, he said that some governments tell 'no' to everything, but they do not inform their citizens on the consequences of their refusal. He also noted that the European Commission has proposed any kind of support, either economical, technical of infrastructure to these countries [03] PM Tsipras to meet newly elected New Democracy leader Mitsotakis on Tuesday Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will have his first meeting with newly elected New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday, at 15:00. Tsipras and Mitsotakis will discuss social security reforms, the refugee issue, the electoral law and other domestic and foreign issues. Mitsotakis will meet with the other party leaders in the following days, and will be received by President of Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Wednesday. [04] Two ferries with refugees on board arrive at Piraeus port "Blue Star 1" ferry carried 426 refugees from Chios and 334 refugees from Mytilene on Tuesday. "Diagoras" ferry with 71 people on board is expected to arrive at Piraeus port within the day. [05] Turkey is not implementing EU deal on managing refugee flows, Greek minister tells Bild Turkey is not implementing the agreement reached with the European Union on managing refugee flows, Alternate Minister for Civil Protection Nikos Toskas was reported as telling German newspaper Bild in an interview published on Monday. "This is evident from the numbers that I gave you [said about 90,000 refugees and migrants arrive monthly]," he was quoted as saying. Toskas also said that the government is struggling to complete the First Reception Centers while the Greek state has spent 2 billion euros for the reception of refugees and migrants and stressed that the crisis should not be linked to terrorism. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-19 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] First meeting between PM Tsipras and main opposition ND leader Mitsotakis underway [02] PM Tsipras to address open event for first year anniversary of SYRIZA government [03] Alternate FM Xydakis' remarks to the EU General Affairs Council in Brussels [01] First meeting between PM Tsipras and main opposition ND leader Mitsotakis underway A first meeting between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and newly elected New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis was underway on Tuesday, starting around 15:00. The meeting was arranged during a telephone call that the prime minister made to Mitsotakis on the night of his election. Tsipras and Mitsotakis will discuss social security reforms, the refugee issue, the electoral law and other domestic and foreign issues. Mitsotakis will meet with the other party leaders in the following days, and will be received by President of Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Wednesday. [02] PM Tsipras to address open event for first year anniversary of SYRIZA government "One year Left, One year struggle. We proceed" will be entitled an event that will be held on Sunday 24 January, one year-anniversary from the national elections and the victory of SYRIZA. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will address the event at 18:30 that will take place at the Tae Kwon Do venue at the coastal Athens suburb of Paleo Faliro. [03] Alternate FM Xydakis' remarks to the EU General Affairs Council in Brussels Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Xydakis participated in Monday's meeting, in Brussels, of the EU General Affairs Council (GAC) a the first under the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the EU. According to a Foreign ministry's announcement, the main items on the GAC agenda were the presentation of the priorities of the Netherlands Presidency and preparation for the February 2016 meeting of the European Council. The refugee crisis, innovation and job creation, fiscal health and economic policy, energy and climate change were the main points of reference of the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands and chair of the GAC, Bert Koenders. In his remarks during the Council proceedings, Xydakis stressed that "the ambitious and, due to the refugee crisis, heavy agenda Holland is starting with coincides with a very difficult state of affairs in which the EU's cohesion, unity and integrity are being challenged. What is needed," he continued, "is the upgrading of the European value framework and a cohesive vision. The tool-box, short-term policies need to give way to mid- and long-term policies." Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-19 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] PM Tsipras, ND leader recognise differences, say communication is important [02] Pavlopoulos meets Draghi, says Greece's partners must also fulfill promises on debt [01] PM Tsipras, ND leader recognise differences, say communication is important Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras urged on Tuesday the main opposition to state clearly its position towards the major issues facing the country and pending reforms during his first meeting with New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis since the latter was elected to his post. Following the meeting at Maximos Mansion, the premier said through Twitter that he briefed the leader of the main opposition on all the important issues. "The opposition must make known its position on all major reforms to social security, public administration and the negotiations with lenders," he said. "It's time a new generation of politicians to overcome the petty confrontation and talk honestly talk about the great problems facing the country," he added. New Democracy disagrees on many issues with the government but it's important to have keeping communication channels open, main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on his side after the meeting. "I look forward to an honest discussion," Mitsotakis said. Commenting on what Tsipras told him during their talks, the ND leader noted that the two sides disagree on many issues but that institutional parties must keep the channels of communication open. He also said that there must be an effort to achieve an understanding on institutional issues for which the Constitution itself requires increased majorities, such as the issue of the constitutional review. Mitsotakis also pledged to maintain communication with the government and keep political debate "civilized" in parliament and beyond. [02] Pavlopoulos meets Draghi, says Greece's partners must also fulfill promises on debt BERLIN (ANA-MPA/ F. Karaviti) Upon concluding the review of the Greek programme, Greece's partners must also live up to their end of the bargain, both in terms of debt relief and in the way the European Central Bank approached Greek bonds and the Greek banking system, President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos said on Tuesday. "After the conclusion of the review, which must finish as soon as possible so that we can exploit the first signs of growth that are now visible, there must be a fulfillment of obligations by our partners," he said, after his meeting with ECB President Mario Draghi in Frankfurt. Greece would do its part in order to comply with everything agreed in the framework of the third programme, he noted, but after the conclusion of the review, its partners would also have to fulfill their obligations. He clarified that this meant restructuring the country's debt, not through a haircut but in accordance with European Stability Mechanism (ESM) rules, and changing the ECB's approach to Greek bonds and the Greek banking system so there was a return to normality and the situation that existed prior to the imposition of capital controls in Greece. "The rule 'Pacta sunt servanda' does not apply only to Greece but also to its partners...we must finish as soon as possible with capital controls, which are a brake on the smooth progress of our banking and economic system," he noted. The Greek president praised the ECB's role in the Euro zone debt crisis, saying the central bank had risen to the occasion in a manner fitting to European institutions and the rules of solidarity that suit European culture. Pavlopoulos said his visit to the ECB intended to express the importance that Greece attaches to the organisation, which he called one of the foremost institutions of the EU and the Euro zone in terms of its economic and banking system. "On behalf of the Greek government, as well as all the democratic forces that support the country's European course, I expressed support for continuing the effort to finally make the ECB a real central bank and to give it all the capabilities that will allow it to more easily and effectively confront the major crises that exist and which are not going to end," he said. Conditions throughout 2016 will continue to be difficult, even more so due to the refugee crisis and the ECB will play a significant role in the effort Draghi is making in this direction, the Greek president added. Bank of Greece governor Yannis Stournaras, who attended the meeting, said the Greek economy had made "significant progress on which we must build." He urged all sides to focus on the positives and conclude the review "so that we can have all the benefits that will arise afterward." Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Blog Archive October 2022 (2) September 2022 (4) August 2022 (5) July 2022 (4) June 2022 (5) May 2022 (5) April 2022 (6) March 2022 (3) February 2022 (4) January 2022 (4) December 2021 (7) November 2021 (4) October 2021 (5) September 2021 (4) August 2021 (6) July 2021 (2) June 2021 (4) May 2021 (3) April 2021 (5) March 2021 (6) February 2021 (3) January 2021 (6) December 2020 (4) November 2020 (8) October 2020 (7) September 2020 (3) August 2020 (7) July 2020 (6) June 2020 (4) May 2020 (8) April 2020 (9) March 2020 (6) February 2020 (4) January 2020 (2) December 2019 (3) November 2019 (2) October 2019 (3) September 2019 (3) August 2019 (3) July 2019 (3) June 2019 (1) May 2019 (1) April 2019 (2) March 2019 (1) February 2019 (1) January 2019 (2) December 2018 (1) November 2018 (5) October 2018 (7) September 2018 (6) August 2018 (5) July 2018 (2) June 2018 (5) May 2018 (4) April 2018 (3) March 2018 (5) February 2018 (6) January 2018 (9) December 2017 (7) November 2017 (5) October 2017 (7) September 2017 (9) August 2017 (6) July 2017 (9) June 2017 (6) May 2017 (8) April 2017 (8) March 2017 (12) February 2017 (8) January 2017 (12) December 2016 (10) November 2016 (8) October 2016 (4) September 2016 (2) August 2016 (5) July 2016 (6) June 2016 (4) May 2016 (5) April 2016 (3) March 2016 (9) February 2016 (5) January 2016 (7) December 2015 (8) November 2015 (5) October 2015 (6) September 2015 (4) August 2015 (7) July 2015 (3) June 2015 (5) May 2015 (9) April 2015 (5) March 2015 (5) February 2015 (8) January 2015 (7) December 2014 (8) November 2014 (9) October 2014 (13) September 2014 (10) August 2014 (7) July 2014 (10) June 2014 (10) May 2014 (12) April 2014 (10) March 2014 (14) February 2014 (10) January 2014 (14) December 2013 (14) November 2013 (9) October 2013 (17) September 2013 (14) August 2013 (23) July 2013 (19) June 2013 (16) May 2013 (23) April 2013 (23) March 2013 (29) February 2013 (31) January 2013 (31) December 2012 (31) November 2012 (49) October 2012 (60) September 2012 (48) August 2012 (40) July 2012 (20) June 2012 (32) May 2012 (18) April 2012 (47) March 2012 (61) February 2012 (59) January 2012 (44) December 2011 (57) November 2011 (58) October 2011 (54) September 2011 (51) August 2011 (53) July 2011 (57) June 2011 (46) May 2011 (34) April 2011 (36) March 2011 (43) February 2011 (48) January 2011 (36) December 2010 (23) November 2010 (31) October 2010 (30) September 2010 (29) August 2010 (20) July 2010 (24) June 2010 (21) May 2010 (23) April 2010 (38) March 2010 (39) February 2010 (35) January 2010 (40) December 2009 (29) November 2009 (33) October 2009 (33) September 2009 (43) August 2009 (49) July 2009 (34) June 2009 (29) May 2009 (33) April 2009 (48) March 2009 (32) February 2009 (25) January 2009 (37) December 2008 (19) November 2008 (35) October 2008 (90) September 2008 (77) August 2008 (67) July 2008 (37) June 2008 (36) May 2008 (33) April 2008 (28) March 2008 (34) February 2008 (33) January 2008 (31) December 2007 (18) November 2007 (23) October 2007 (23) September 2007 (23) August 2007 (26) July 2007 (29) June 2007 (26) May 2007 (30) April 2007 (30) March 2007 (25) February 2007 (20) January 2007 (14) December 2006 (20) November 2006 (18) October 2006 (20) September 2006 (20) November 2005 (1) 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. I have received a request from someone who wants to know how to cook whale. The recipes are presented here for the curiosity value, as whale is only available in a few countries. I haven't tasted whale since I was in my teens, and I don't expect many of my readers will ever get the chance to try it. The recipes are therefore untested by me. Beef or a good, tender piece of horse-steak can be substituted for whale, in which case you can leave out the beating. Recipe nr 1: 3/4 to 1 kilo whale meat (or beef/horse) 50 g butter, tallow or lard 2-3 onions Salt and pepper Laurel leaf (optional) 600-700 ml water Sauce colouring (caramel) 50 g flour 200 ml milk Clean the meat: some say it's enough to slice off about a centimetre off each side of the piece, others recommend soaking in milk overnight. This is only to ensure there will be no oily taste to the meat, but if it has been properly handled in the first place, it will not taste oily. Cut into steaks and beat with a meat ma ST. LOUIS - A mini-mutiny appears to be developing over GOP presidential picks, as 20 state leaders of the conservative Eagle Forum line up behind U.S. Senator Ted Cruz after the network's founder Phyllis Schlafly indicated support for businessman Donald Trump . Trump is the only hope to defeat the Kingmakers, the 91-year-old founder of Eagle Forum said last week. Because everybody else will fall in line. The Kingmakers have so much money behind them. But in a rare move of independence from Schlafly's leadership, 20 state leaders released a letter endorsing Cruz. Cruz responded to the move with careful respect for Schlafly. I am honored to have the support of so many Eagles, at the grassroots and all across this nation, Cruz said. Phyllis Schlafly has given me much good advice over the years, and I admire the courageous grassroots activists who are carrying on her great work. Our nation is indebted to Eagle Forum for their conservative leadership, now in its fifth decade. Eagle Forum understands the unequaled power of the American people when they rise up against the Washington cartel and in defense of our nations founding freedoms. A key Eagle Forum supporter for Cruz is Texas leader Cathie Adams. Others longtime, influential activists that signed the letter include Schlafly's niece and heir apparent Anne Cori, Missouri's state leader, as well as Eunie Smith from Alabama, Gayle Ruzicka of Utah and Sandy McDade from Louisiana. They wrote: Among the Republican candidates, Ted Cruz stands out. His courageous conservatism is indisputable. As Solicitor General of Texas, he successfully protected the Ten Commandments and the Pledge of Allegiance. He stood up for veterans free speech rights. Ted Cruz defended religious liberty in public schools, the workplace, and the church. Ted Cruz resume is just as remarkable as his courage: Cruz does not simply choose the right side in the battles that matter: he leads the battle to victory. As a United States Senator, Ted Cruz has led the fight against Planned Parenthood and Obamacare. He has defended marriage, opposed judicial activism, exposed Common Core, and worked to secure our border. He has eloquently defended our freedom of speech and 2nd Amendment rights. The Washington cartel has betrayed the American people. Too many Republicans have abused the trust of conservatives. It is time for conservatives to claim our nation for liberty and to restore opportunity: as Ted Cruz says, to reignite the promise of America. Ted Cruz embodies Eagle Forums mission: to enable conservative and pro-family men and women to participate in the process of self-government and public policy making so that America will continue to be a land of individual liberty, respect for family integrity, public and private virtue, and private enterprise. And in closing, a bit of defiance showed in the letter, when the group mentioned the word "echo," alluding to Schlafly's conservative movement best seller in the early 1960s, "A Choice, Not an Echo": With this in mind, we, the undersigned Eagle Forum state leaders, enthusiastically endorse Ted Cruz for President of the United States. From the grassroots up, we will work to ensure his victory: Ted Cruz is our choice, and we refuse to be an echo. Schlafly's high esteem for Donald Trump is matched by conservative political pundit Ann Coulter and rumors are Sarah Palin could officially be joining their ranks as soon as Tuesday. A country that refuses to respect its armed forces will eventually end up getting forces that will not respect the nation Dear Col Anand, You are doing fabulous job for your country and for your men in uniform. I am an ex Jawan. Officers on retirement should join you and ask for good welfare for active/serving people as well as ex service personnel. If our active soldiers are looked after well, automatically our numbers will increase a lot, and we all would follow the leaders for doing good deeds towards the entire defence forces. Prem Singh Negi Hav, 11 August 2012 Dear Col Anand My dear friend Amit, whose heart is always afire with the love of our betrayed & mutilated "Matribhoomi" has suggested that I should write to you, to express my highest appreciaton for the patriotic work that you are doing and to make a request to put me on your mailing list. Regards RS Rajput Veteran (UK) 22 Jan 12. Dear Veteran Rajput, Thanks a lot for your appreciation. I have noted your request for action. Regards Col LK Anand (Retd) 23 January 2012 Dear Col Anand, I was so overwhelmed to visit your blog spot which i happened to browse while browsing for some articles on India's festivals and their diversified colours. I must say, your blog is like a Hub of well written master pieces, a conglomerate of ideas and views which are free, frank and positive in outlook. I am an editor of an English weekly which has its circulation around the world. I will be happy to be associated with your blog by being a regular reader. With kind respects, our country surely needs graceful people like you. Hemacharya, Editor in chief Daijiworld weekly F2, Divya Deepa Arcade, Bendorewell Mangalore - 575 002, Tel. 8244258372/9372 Mob 9740296297 Hello! I just want to thank you for your wonderful blog indiamydreamland.blogspot.com. I read the post "Secularism Vs Religious Fanatism - Part II" and then I spent another hour on your blog by reading your posts with pleasure :) Every article is interesting and easy to read. I really like the "Warriors on the Front". I work for Jooble company, we aggregate job adverts around the world. My job is to persuade bloggers to link to our site. I really love my job! We have a friendly team and good management, but unfortunately I have no idea how to convince a blogger to link to us, I'm afraid I might lose my job because of it. And that is why, instead of sending letters to thousands of different blogs, I am reading yours. Honestly, I am not really sure if the link to our website in India - jooble.co.in, will be appropriate for your blog, but if you believe it will and it is possible to add it, I would be really grateful to you! Our site is really cool, it can greatly help hundreds of people to find jobs. I wish you to have a good day and excellent mood! Thanks again for your nice blog. Write more! Thanks! P.S. I am a Leo by zodiac sign too. Best regards, Serge Lavange Account Manager Tel: +44 (0) 800 098 8516 E-mail: sl@jooble.com Sir, I accidentally stumbled upon your blog today and I must confess I was awestruck. While searching for essays on India of my Dreams, I got to read your articles. I am deeply touched by the positivism, pride and passion in being a True Indian as reflected in your articles. Had each citizen an iota of your zeal, India would have been a paradise. Thank You. Warm Regards, Pamela **** Dear Madam, I am indeed touched by the sentiments and good words expressed by you about the blog "India of my Dreams". It is people like you, who inspire me to devote myself towards certain essential causes for this great country, which I feel would further help us all in making this country an India of every Indian's Dreams. May I request you to be kind enough to propogate further, the views expressed in the blog, as well as to encourage wider readership and frank expression of views. Thanks a lot once again, and I also invite you to give your valuable views, on any of the various listed topics, which I propose to develop further towards betterment of this country. With kind regards. Col LK Anand (Retd). As Congress gets its first non-Gandhi chief, Mallikarjun Kharge, in 24 years, we raise these questions on the show: Can Mallikarjun Kharge bring change? Is Mallikarjun Kharge stop-gap chief? What will be Gandhis' role? Watch as panelists debate these and more on this episode of News Today. Here's what you can expect from the helicopter rides that will soon be offered to tourists by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). By Samonway Duttagupta: The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has recently devised a very interesting way of satisfying the wanderlust of those travelling to Mumbai for a brief period. In association with Pawan Hans, the state tourism board will be organising helicopter tours to some of the most popular tourist destinations in and around Mumbai. Here's what travellers can explore by taking the helicopter rides: Mumbai Initially, the helicopter ride will last for a duration of 10 minutes and will give tourists glimpses of the most popular destinations in Mumbai. The flight is mainly designed to give a bird's eye view of the city. Although details haven't been released by the tourism board, we can expect the ride to give you glimpses of the most popular tourist attractions like Juhu Beach, Chowpatty Beach, Marine Drive, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus among the others. advertisement Also read: Travel to Raigad Fort for a 6-day festival Elephanta Island A sculpture in one of the caves in Elephanta Island. Picture courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Ryan Wenzel A sculpture in one of the caves in Elephanta Island. Picture courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Ryan Wenzel After its initial run in Mumbai, MTDC will start these rides in other places of the state as well, and Elephanta Island is one of them. Known as Gharapuri in ancient times, the island got its present name from 16th century Portuguese explorers when they saw a monolithic basalt sculpture of an elephant found near the entrance. The island is home to the historic Elephanta Caves, which are basically ancient cave temples that were carved out of rock sometime between 450 AD and 750 AD. Ajanta Caves Ajanta Caves. Picture courtesy: Wikimedia/Dey.sandip/Creative Commons Another destination that will soon be a part of the heli tours, Ajanta Caves refer to a cluster of 32 Buddhist caves attracting tourists for decades because of their architectural splendour. Declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, these caves are known for having some of the finest examples of ancient Indian art, in the form of cave paintings. The caves are mainly of two types -- chaityas, which means Buddhist prayer halls, and viharas, which refers to the residence of a Buddhist monk. The caves were built in two phases -- 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE, and 5th century CE. Shirdi A part of the Sai Baba temple in Shirdi. Picture courtesy: Flickr/Gopal Aggarwal/Creative Commons A heli tour to this place can attract hordes of devotees and tourists alike. Shirdi as we know it, was the home of Sai Baba, the great 20th century saint, whose temple attracts millions of tourists to the place throughout the year. The town is also full of sites having historical and religious references to Sai Baba's presence. Good to know: The initial ride will last for 10 minutes and will cost you Rs 3,200 (including taxes). By Apoorva Nijhara: Akshay Kumar's Airlift is the story of the biggest-ever human evacuation in the history of mankind. Directed by Raja Menon, Airlift is about those 1,70,000 Indians stranded in Kuwait when Saddam Hussein invaded the country in 1990, and kick-started the Gulf War. At the Delhi press conference of the film, Akshay Kumar had a snippet or two to share about his latest patriotic venture, Airlift. Talking about the ideology behind the film, Akshay told reporters, "Is film ka nazariya yeh hai ki hum dikahana chahte hai - dikhana kya, yeh hakikat mein hai - India is the greatest country in the world. This is a real story of what happened to 1,70,000 Indians who were in Kuwait when Saddam Hussein had attacked the country in 1990. They didn't know where to go, what to do and had only one hope: calling out to their nation for help. And aapko yeh jaanke khushi hogi ki hamare jo Air India ke pilots hai unhone uss time risk uthaya and 488 flights (Kuwait ke) andar lekar gaye aur sabko bachake le aaye. This is why I chose to do this film." advertisement Akshay's film has often been compared to Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning film Argo. The 2012 film chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis (November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981). And on this, the Brothers actor said, "It's an insult if you compare Airlift with Argo because they saved only six people and we saved 1,70,000 people. How can Airlift be a copy of Argo when the Kuwait incident is a true story? It is not a copy. It is something which you should be proud of. It is the story of the biggest-ever human evacuation in the history of mankind." Elaborating on the point, director Raja Menon said that there was no similarity between his film and Argo, and it's just that the two films share a common theme of evacuation. "There is absolutely no connection in between these two films. The only faint link is that some people were saved in a covert operation. Everything else is different. It is only a similar genre. Our film is about the single greatest achievement of independent India. Argo is not in that space. It's like saying that every romantic film is the same or every thriller is the same," said Menon at the press conference. Akshay also revealed that he was unaware of the whole Kuwait incident and came to know about it, thanks to his director. He continued, "I was shocked ki aisa bhi kuch hua tha, that's why I chose to do this film and then we decided that I should produce the film too. Agar aap dekhein toh, back in 1990, sirf ek hi article tha jisne yeh cover kiya tha. India ne itna chup chap ye kaam kar diya. It is not a matter of joke. The government did it so silently. I have met those people (who were rescued and brought back to the country) and they cry when they recall the whole incident. I was deeply inspired by the story." Akshay will be seen playing the role of a rich businessman Ranjit Katyal, who managed to survive the Iraqi invasion, and against all odds started a mission to save all the Indians stuck in Kuwait. Apart from Akshay, the film also stars Nimrat Kaur in the lead role. The Lunchbox actor will play Ranjit's wife Amrita and reflecting on her and Akshay's character, Kaur said, "Amrita knows of him as a shrewd businessman who will do anything to make sure that he gets what he wants. And here, he is making a large move as a civilian to rescue 1,70,000 people eventually. He is putting his life and his family's life on the line. She doesn't understand him initially, but later on she managed to support him when he was falling apart." Nimrat and Akshay in Delhi for the promotions of Airlift. Pic Credits: Yogen Shah During the media interaction, Akshay was asked how he managed to do intense films like Baby and Holiday and then switched to doing commercial films like Singh Is Bliing. "I keep on challenging myself all the time. I want to be in my comfort zone and then try some roles which are challenging for me. Singh is Bliing and Housefull 3 are in my comfort zone, but this one is not; Baby was not," said the Gabbar Is Back actor. advertisement Akshay also revealed that before the film hit the screens, he will be releasing a video of those people who went through this traumatic experience. "If you go through the Guinness Book Of World Records, the biggest air evacuation was done by our country, India. And this is why I wanted to bring it in front of everybody," said the 48-year-old actor. Kumar said that he would require the Indian Government's help for making such films and show what the nation has done for the benefit of their countrymen. He also added, "America mein 100 films banti hai and they all show America is a great country and a saviour of every attack. Kuch bhi ho, even an alien attack, toh bhi America will save the whole world. Then why can't India? We should also make films like America does and let people know the greatness of our country. And I would like to make a film where Indians save the Americans." Directed by Raja Menon, Airlift will hit the screens on January 22 this year. --- ENDS --- By Indo-Asian News Service: The hit comedy series Friends will never be adapted into a film, says its co-creator. The internet nearly broke after it was announced that Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer would be reuniting for an NBC special honouring TV director James Burrows, without Matthew Perry. But fans shouldn't expect the real-life reunion to lead to an on-screen one, reports eonline.com. On a tour to promote her series Grace and Frankie, Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman crushed any hopes of a big-screen team-up for the iconic group. "There will never be a Friends reunion movie," she said. Meanwhile, there's no 'Friend reunion' happening on TV per se. Actor David Schwimmer who played the role of Dr Ross Gellar says the cast of Friends is gathering together in February to honour legendary comedy director James Burrows but that will not be a reunion of the popular comedy series. advertisement "There's no Friends reunion," Schwimmer, who starred with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry in the comedy series, told reporters during the 2016 TCA Winter Press Tour, reports aceshowbiz.com. "It's a tribute to Jimmy Burrows who we love and I'm just thrilled to be a part of it. As many of us that can be there will be there and the casts of so many shows are going to try to be there... Frasier, Cheers, Will and Grace... it goes on. "This man is an incredible director who helped define situation comedy in this country in the last 40 years so I love him and I'm excited to be there," he added. Schwimmer was sad that Perry couldn't join the Friends special. "I wish I could say it was going to be a reunion. Anyway, (It's a) 5/6 reunion," Schwimmer told eonline.com while promoting his upcoming FX series American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. He added: "Sure I'm sad, but I'm happy for him, he's doing a play in London and it's thrilling. I did one there and it was fantastic." The actor said the moments will still be special despite Perry's absence. "It's going to be a good time. We're all going to be there honouring someone we love very much... Jimmy Burrows, the great director," he said. The James Burrows special is scheduled to air on February 21 on NBC. By India Today Web Desk: Asin and her fiance, Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma, are officially married now. The couple was said to have a church wedding in the morning, followed by shaadi as per Hindu rituals in the evening at Dusit Devrana Resorts, Delhi. Asin's fan club took to Twitter to declare that the two are now married. Exclusive: It's official that Asin have already married @rahulsharma today morning in a Christian wedding ceremony ?? pic.twitter.com/hC0SahPQOe Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 19, 2016 Akshay, who was the 'matchmaker', is said to be the part of Asin and Rahul's wedding ceremonies. The Khiladi actor is in the capital to promote his upcoming film Airlift. He was the first one to receive the reception card. According to a report in Hindustan Times, the menu for the wedding is going to be strictly vegetarian, and a special 10-tier vanilla cake has been made for the special occasion. Asin is going to be wearing a Sabyasachi creation on her wedding day. advertisement This is the hotel (@DusitDevarana ) where #Asin will be getting married to @rahulsharma on 19th January ?? pic.twitter.com/YflpXwIKR3 Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 17, 2016 Their wedding in Delhi, like Shahid Kapoor, would be a private affair but the reception will be attended by the well-known faces of the film industry. The reception is on January 23 in Mumbai. Asin and Rahul Sharma are tying the knot in the capital today. Before their big fat Bollywood wedding, here are ten things you need to know about Asin's husband-to-be Rahul Sharma. By India Today Web Desk: Asin is to tie the knot with Micromax Mobiles co-founder Rahul Sharma in Delhi today (January 19). Ever since the news of the All Is Well actor tying the knot with Sharma made its way to the grapevine, netizens and Asin's fans have been in a tizzy. While the exact details of the big fat Bollywood wedding is not all in the open yet, we do know that Asin and Rahul are getting married in the capital today. ALSO READ: Micromax founder Rahul Sharma speaks about his love for music, gadgets and more ALSO READ: Here's all you need to know about Asin and Rahul Sharma's Delhi wedding today As for Asin's husband-to-be, who is Rahul Sharma is a question that has been doing the rounds of the internet for a while now. People with some knowledge of the mobile phone scene in the country would be aware of the identity of Sharma, given the fact that the man co-founded Micromax Mobiles, India's first mobile phone company. Before Rahul and Asin are pronounced man and wife, here's what you need to know about Rahul Sharma: advertisement 1. Rahul Sharma founded the company, Micromax in the year 2000. At present, the company operated from its headquarters in Gurgaon, Haryana. 2. Sharma holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nagpur. Apart from that, he also has a Bachelor in Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. 3. Rahul Sharma currently serves as the CEO of Micromax Informatics. The group began selling mobile phones in 2008, after being a distributor of Nokia phones in India for a while. 4. In 2014, Fortune named Rahul Sharma among their 40 Under 40. When not working, the 38-year-old loves spending his time playing badminton. 5. Rahul Sharma doesn't like seeing people wearing suits to work, says Fortune. The Micromax CEO loves Japanese food. 6. When he was 15 years old, Sharma had once walked about 14 kilometres to attend a rock concert, because back then, he couldn't afford cabs. 7. Rahul Sharma is an experienced marketing architect, and has a background in product goods and technology. 8. Sharma has headed several successful campaigns for big brands in the country and abroad. 9. Sharma's modus operandi of focussing on the Indian youth and tweaking mobile phones to meet their demands saw a warm response in the country. As of today, the brand is the 10th largest handset supplier globally. 10. Rahul Sharma is close friends with actor Akshay Kumar, who is the one behind hooking him up with Asin. Kumar and his wife Twinkle Khanna were among the first stars to endorse Micromax when the brand had begun selling mobile phones in 2008. Thereafter, Sharma's company went on to hire Wolverine star Hugh Jackman as its brand ambassador in 2014. The Micromax co-founder also addressed a session at the India Today Conclave in 2014. Sharma spoke about his journey, his vision and more. Watch: Once again, we take a look at the smartphones available in the Indian phone market and tell you the ones that are absolute value for money at their respective price points. By Javed Anwer: Before you read further, here is something very important: January this year is actually a bad month to buy a smartphone. So if you can, postpone your purchase. The newer (and possibly better) phones are just around the corner. We saw some of these phones at the Consumer Electronics Show in the first week of January. Some like the Huawei Honor 5X, which is likely to launch in India on January 28, are impressive. And some like the Xiaomi Mi 5 would be possibly seen in February. These are the kind of phones that are worth the wait. But in case you can't wait, what are your options? Once again, we take a look at the smartphones available in the Indian phone market and tell you the ones that are absolute value for money at their respective price points. These are the phones currently worth buying. advertisement Best phone under Rs 5,000: Motorola Moto E (2nd gen) This month we are again seeing that the Moto E (2nd generation) is on the sale with a discount. This means, now you can buy the 3G version of the Moto E (2nd generation) at a price of Rs 4,999. And if you have a budget of Rs 5,000 for your next phone, we suggest that you go with this. Yes, it lacks the 4G (that version is selling for Rs 5,999) but in actual use it hardly matters. It is going to take a while before the 4G in India turns into the kind of service that will be worth its high-price. For now, there is barely any difference between the 4G and the 3G. The Moto has decent hardware -- although the 8GB internal ROM may be a limitations for many -- and in its price offers the best performance, complete with clean and easy-to-use pure version of Android Lollipop. Read more about the Moto E (2nd gen) in our review. Best phone under Rs 10,000: Lenovo K3 Note Last month we gave the nod to the Lenovo K3 Note. And while the K4 Note is now out -- albeit at a slightly higher price -- we continue to put our faith in the K3 Note in this price bracket. It is fast enough with good screen and decent camera. And it runs Android Lollipop, albeit one that has been customised by Lenovo with its own user interface. The phone has a 5.5-inch screen and also a few extra sound-related features, which people who watch lots of videos would appreciate. Read more about the Lenovo Note K3 Note in our review. Also consider: In this price range, with a price tag of Rs 9,999, there is another phone worth considering. The Asus Zenfone Max is a phone with a huge battery, which obviously makes the phone chug along for two days even if you forget to charge it in night. If you are among people who want great battery life from their phones, we recommend the Zenfone Max to you. Read the full review of the Max here. Best phone under Rs 15,000: Moto X (2nd Gen) This price band amply shows why we suggested that you should wait and not buy the smartphone in January. The older phones that have got a price cut represent incredible value in this price band but at the same time they lack a thing or two. But then, as the saying goes, there is no perfect phone. Considering that you need to buy a phone under Rs 15,000, we suggest the Motorola Moto X (2nd gen). This is an old phone now but it is still a gem of a phone due to its incredibly powerful processor (Snapdragon 801) and a very good AMOLED screen. What you don't get with the Moto X, however, is the 4G. Though as we explained earlier, the 4G is more of a hype right now instead of something that is truly useful. You can read more about the Moto X (2nd gen) in our review. Also consider: There are three more phones in this price band that deserve a mention. Just like the Moto X (2nd Gen), the Xiaomi Mi 4 is an old phone. But by the virtue of its good hardware and now a price of Rs 14,999, this is an impressive phone. In particular, go for it if you want the phone with the best camera at a price of less than Rs 15,000. The second phone that deserves mention is the Moto G Turbo. This is the phone to buy in this price bracket if you must need the 4G. Now with a reduced price of Rs 12,499, the Moto G Turbo makes a lot of sense. Finally, if you are after the "sexy phone" go for the Lenovo Vibe S1, a smooth phone in design and in performance. advertisement Read the full review of Moto G Turbo. Read the full review of Xiaomi Mi 4. Best phone under Rs 20,000: LG Nexus 5 Once sold for a price of around Rs 30,000, the Nexus 5X is now available for less than Rs 20,000. Though to find it at this price, you have to look a little hard on the e-retail websites. It is an old phone that was released in the late 2013 but in 2014 and 2015, the growth in core Android hardware has been so slow that the Nexus 5 is still a very compete ant phone. In fact, now powered by Android Marshmallow, this is still one of the fastest and smoothest phones you can buy. The battery life, however, is ordinary and camera, although very good, requires some attention when you are using it if you want the best results. It also lacks support for 4G. advertisement Read more about the Nexus 5 in our review here. Also consider: In case you don't want the Nexus 5, next in line on our recommendation in this price bracket is Motorola Moto X Play. It is fairly well-balanced and sort of all-rounder phone. Read more about it the full Moto X Play review. Apart from the Moto X Play, we recommend two more phones: If you are after the style and design, go for the Lenovo S1 that sells for around Rs 15,000 and if you want a lot of internal storage consider the OnePlus One (64GB) that sells for around Rs 19,000. Best phone under Rs 25,000: LG Nexus 5X Introduced at a price of above Rs 30,000, the Nexus 5X now sells for a price of around Rs 23,000. This is a fantastic phone for its price. It has updated hardware and feels as fast as the Nexus 5. It also has a killer camera and a much better battery life. But as it is the case with the Nexus phones, the best feature of the Nexus 5X is its clean and unmodified version of Android Marshmallow. advertisement Read more about the Nexus 5X in its full review here. Best phone under Rs 30,000: LG Nexus 5X (32GB) What is good for people spending around Rs 23,000 is also good for those who want to spend Rs 30,000. So if you are planning to buy a phone for Rs 30,000, go for the 32GB version of the Nexus 5X. It is now slightly overpriced relative to its 16GB sibling but compared to others in the market it still makes more sense to get the Nexus 5X. Also consider: In case you don't want something more stylish and premium feeling than the Nexus 5X, we recommend the HTC One A9. It is one of those rare phones that are allrounders. Everything about the One A9 is good and the whole experience that it offers is more polished than what its mid-range hardware would indicate. To know more about the HTC One A9 read our full review here. Best phone under Rs 35,000 None. Buy the Nexus 5X or the HTC One A9. Best phone around Rs 40,000: Huawei Nexus 6P Huawei-made and Google-certified nexus 6P is the one of the best phones you can buy right now. And it is definitely the best phone to buy in this particular price bracket. The design is good and so is the hardware. The only reason not to pick the Nexus 6P is if you don't like the Android (more on this later) or if you find it too big. Other than these two potential issues, the Nexus 6P is almost the perfect phone that you can get. Read more about the Nexus 6P in our full review. Also consider: You don't like Android? Okay, we hear you. Thankful if you are spending around Rs 40,000 on your phone, you have a viable alternative to the Android phones and that phone is the iPhone 6. Now selling for little less than Rs 40,000 the iPhone 6 is a fantastic device for its price. It's fast, very functional and has a great camera. The iOS is not as flexible and free-wheeling as the Android but it surely gets the job done, in fact some would say it does its job in a better way. The other phone to consider in this price bracket is the Galaxy S6. Now selling for little over Rs 36,000 the S6 is a top class phone. In fact, it is the Android world's iPhone with beautiful design and supremely impressive hardware. If you don't mind Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, go for it. You will love it. Best phone around Rs 50,000: Galaxy Note 5 Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 is an engineering marvel. It is also one of the best phones ever released. It is smaller than the Apple iPhone 6Plus but has a bigger screen. It has probably the best screen ever put in a smartphone and a camera that is among the best shooters we have ever seen in a phone. Even the design, with an aluminium and glass body, is fantastic. It is fast, offers unique features with its bundled stylus, and has everything that you can ask for in a smartphone. With a price of around Rs 48,000 this is totally worth the money. Read more about the Galaxy Note 5 in our full review. Also consider: The iPhone 6S. Sold at a price of around Rs 48,000 this is the latest and greatest iPhone you can buy right now. And while we don't find it a great value for money, it does offer enough to buyers to satisfy them. Read more about it in the Apple iPhone 6S Plus full review. The long-neglected issue of disposing dead bodies in the Ganga, a practice sanctioned by Hindu rituals, was brought to the notice of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday. By Baishali Adak: The long-neglected issue of disposing dead bodies in the Ganga, a practice sanctioned by Hindu rituals, was brought to the notice of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday. Over 3,000 human bodies are immersed into the holy river just in Varanasi, every year, for salvation. These corpses float by as daily prayers, bathing, cooking and washing go on unabated on the river ghats. This puts innocent lives at risk besides creating a breeding ground for diseases and epidemic, it was pointed out to the environmental court. The judicial bench, headed by chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, called the practice "unfortunate" and also criticised the BJP-led central government saying, "Your slogans are very contrary to your actions." Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious 'Namami Gange' programme, `2,037 crore have been allocated to bring the Ganga back to its pristine state. Modi himself has in the past picked up the shovel to clean the ghats of Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. advertisement Recently, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti had also inaugurated sewage treatment systems in Hapur district, Uttar Pradesh, to prevent the filth from being drained into the Ganga. The NGT also flayed the UP government for its negligence. The issue was brought up as part of the ongoing petition of Anil Kumar Singhal, a water quality expert. Singhal has prayed that Ramganga, a significant tributary of Ganga, be freed of waste emanating from brass factories along UP's Moradabad. His counsel, Gaurav Bansal, on Monday, submitted pictorial evidence to NGT of bloated corpses on the river and vultures feeding on them. He argued that Ganga cannot be clean until this practice is banned. Justice Kumar responded, "It is really very unfortunate that such things are going on. Why don't you do something about this?" He pulled up the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and also asked the UP government to deal with the issue expeditiously. Counsel, Gaurav Bansal, said, "We have found that no less than 3,000 human bodies and 6,000 animal carcasses are dumped into the Ganga each year. These may have died of dangerous diseases and obviously carry pathogens, bacteria and virus which are contaminating the river. Those who come in contact with the water can fall seriously ill." "There are also various Supreme Court directions for municipal corporations to stop this practice, but nothing is being done on the ground," he said. Petitioner Anil Singhal has submitted various reports to the tribunal to prove that the river is highly polluted. The issue of dead bodies in Ganga last came into spotlight on January 14, 2015, when over 100 such corpses mysteriously washed up near Pariyar between Kanpur and Unnao. The district administration blamed it on the Hindu custom of not burning unmarried girls, children and people dying of snake bites. The BJP accused the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) while SP leader Azam Khan said it was a conspiracy by the saffron party to defame it. Contrary to the rumours, Divyanka and Vivek never dated in the first place; it was an arranged match set up by a friend. By India Today Web Desk: Amidst the rumours of their firmly-kept-under-wraps affair, television's reigning queen Divyanka Tripathi exchanged rings with Ye Hai Mohabbatein co-star Vivek Dahiya on January 15 in a quiet ceremony in Chandigarh. The much-in-love couple couldn't stop smiling after the ceremony and revealed that the plan to get engaged was a last-minute decision and not a pre-planned one. So how did love blossom between the two? Who introduced the love birds? And when did they decide to get married? Here's all you want to know about their love story. It was never a love affair, it was an arranged match: Divyanka Tripathi's mom frequented the sets of her show Yeh Hai Mohabbatein and asked everyone to find a match for Divyanka. "One of the people associated with the show who felt that we had many common traits--we don't party, drink, smoke--introduced us," Divyanka shared with Aaj Tak show Saas Bahu Aur Betiyaan. advertisement After their introduction, it was awkward for both of them to shoot together. "There was no courtship as we were looking at the relationship culminating into marriage. We just wanted it (the ceremony) to be a private affair and didn't want to jinx it. Now, we are madly in love with each other," she told TOI. How a family meeting turned into an engagement ceremony: "Dus din pahle maine bhi nahi socha tha ki ye dhamaka doongi (I wouldn't have thought 10 days back that I would give you this news). We were going to Chandigarh to meet Vivek's family. We thought when everybody likes everyone, then why not turn this into an engagement," says Divyanka. According to the couple, the engagement was a very simple affair. "My parents are from Haryana. Kuch Ragini gaaye. Haryanvi gaano par performance hui. Sab logon ne dance kiya enjoy kiya," shared Vivek. Wedding is scheduled for this year: Vivek Dahiya told The Indian Express online that though the wedding date would be decided by their parents, it will most likely happen this year. "Yes. Most definitely this year and that will be decided by our parents. We have come this far. We are going to let our parents take us further. Both our families have met. They are extremely fond of each other. It didn't feel like they were meeting for the first time. We are extremely happy that not just us but even our families have started to share an extremely close bond. All the joking, pulling of each other's legs started from the first day itself." Divyanka on Vivek: "Bahut achchi feeling hoti hai when you find a person jiski aankhon mein aap dekho aur unki aankhon mein utna hi pyaar nazar aaye jitna aap unhe karte ho. Bahot achchi feeling hoti jab aap care karo...aur badle mein aapko care mile," she told Aaj Tak's show Saas Bahu Aur Betiyaan. Vivek On Divyanka: "Divyanka jaisi ladki milegi, itni expectation nahi thi. She's an amazing person, beautiful, more beautiful from inside than outside." The Bengaluru police arrested four youths for allegedly assaulting traffic cops and a doctor after they were caught in a drunken driving case in the city on Monday. By Mail Today: The Bengaluru police arrested four youths for allegedly assaulting traffic cops and a doctor after they were caught in a drunken driving case in the city on Monday. According to the police Sunil (23), Nitin (24), Rajesh (22) and Amith (24) were in an inebriated state when the Malleshwaram police flagged down their car. The youths contested the police's claim that they were under the influence of alcohol. Subsequently, the police took all the 4 to the KC General Hospital for medical check. Instead of cooperating with the police and the medical staff, the youths allegedly broke the window panes of the hospital and attacked the doctor on night duty Dr. Sanjeev Kumar. When the policemen tried to protect the doctor, the youths allegedly roughed them up. The traffic police then summoned the Malleshwaram police, who arrested the 4 youths. --- ENDS --- According to reports, many civilians are believed to be trapped inside a local mosque in the village. By India Today Web Desk: A gun fight between the security forces and terrorists is on in Nyeonpora village of Pulwama district. Three terrorists are believed to be hiding in the village. Acting on specific information, security forces cordoned off the village on Tuesday evening. Terrorists opened fire on a joint team of J&K Police, CRPF and Army which was conducting a search operation. According to reports, many civilians are believed to be trapped inside a local mosque in the village. Security forces have asked people, who had gathered there for a religious function, to remain inside the building. A massive manhunt is continuing in the area to nab the terrorists. The actor has uploaded a funny video on his Twitter handle spoofing the odd-even number traffic scheme initiated by Arvind Kejriwals AAP government in Delhi. By Mail Today: Humour, they say, is infectious. Twinkle Khanna has firmly established her credentials as Bollywoods Mrs Funnybones, and it seems her sense of humour is now rubbing off on superstar hubby Akshay Kumar. The actor has uploaded a funny video on his Twitter handle spoofing the odd-even number traffic scheme initiated by Arvind Kejriwals AAP government in Delhi. While Akshay uploaded the video after the scheme officially ended on Friday, it was perfectly timed to work as promotion for his new film, Airlift. The spoof title Odd-Even RuleLift, after all, is based on the official trailer of the film. Heres a hilarious take on Delhis odd-even scheme, just had to share. Have a look,?? wrote @akshaykumar as caption for his tweeted video. The two-minute and nine second video is voiced by Akshay and is created using scenes lifted from the original trailer clip of Airlift. advertisement The short film hilariously narrates the plight of an aam aadmi?? stuck in the odd-even fiasco and how, in a bid to selflessly guarantee free rides of Ola and Uber for other aam aadmis like him, ends up with his girlfriend walking out on him. The video, though, is not anti-AAP. It actually celebrates the Dilliwaalas grit to survive any situation and also notes how the odd-even scheme has brought down pollution in the city. Airlift is slated to release on January 22, and is based on a true incident that happened during the Iraq-Kuwait war of 1990. Akshay plays a rich Indian tycoon who selflessly worked to rescue thousands of Indians stranded in Kuwait as Iraq attacked that nation. The incident is said to be the biggest civil evacuation of Indians in any country ever. Airlift is directed by debutant filmmaker Raja Menon and also stars Nimrat Kaur, who returns to Bollywood action for the first time since her much-feted role in The Lunchbox. The 2012 film that also starred Irrfan Khan, tasted international box-office success and also won awards all over the world. Despite being partially shot in Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, the makers have managed to keep the budget of Airlift within a 35-crore ceiling. Part of the film has also been shot in Rajasthan. Akshay and his co-star Purab Kohli took basic lessons in Arabic language for their roles. Also read: Akshay Kumar and co-star Nimrat Kaur in Airlift mode 26 years ago on this day, Kashmiri Pandits had witnessed a hysteric, macabre night in the form of blaring threats and slogans, asking them to flee their homeland, convert or die. By India Today Web Desk: The cold, dark night of January 19, 1990, had stirred into life the worst nightmares of Kashmiri Pandits living in the valley. Screaming from loud speakers and crowded streets was a message for the Sikhs and Hindus living in Kashmir - Ralive, Tsaliv ya Galive (either convert to Islam, leave the land, or die). The threats had been coming in for a long time, but the night of January 19 is said to have seen a demented assault of a different level. Even 26 years later, Kashmiri Pandits shiver remembering the night that forced them into exodus. Ticket to exile: Bus ticket purchased by family on 19th Jan., 1990 when we were forced out of Kashmir. #KPExodusDay pic.twitter.com/dXBzVrKXoT Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) January 19, 2016 advertisement Several authors have penned down accounts and personal experiences of the exodus over the years. What remains common in these descriptions is the fright that gripped this particular night. Here's an excerpt of Col Tej Kumar Tikoo's book, Kashmir: Its Aborigines and Their Exodus, describing the fateful night: "As the night fell, the microscopic community became panic-stricken when the Valley began reverberating with the war-cries of Islamists, who had stage-managed the whole event with great care; choosing its timing and the slogans to be used. A host of highly provocative, communal and threatening slogans, interspersed with martial songs, incited the Muslims to come out on the streets and break the chains of 'slavery'. These exhortations urged the faithful to give a final push to the Kafir in order to ring in the true Islamic order. These slogans were mixed with precise and unambiguous threats to Pandits.They were presented with three choices - Ralive, Tsaliv ya Galive (convert to Islam, leave the place or perish). Tens of thousands of Kashmiri Muslims poured into the streets of the Valley, shouting 'death to India' and death to Kafirs... ... The Pandits could see the writing on the wall. If they were lucky enough to see the night through, they would have to vacate the place before they met the same fate as Tikka Lal Taploo and many others. The Seventh Exodus was surely staring them in the face. By morning, it became apparent to Pandits that Kashmiri Muslims had decided to throw them out from the Valley. Broadcasting vicious Jehadi sermons and revolutionary songs, interspersed with blood curdling shouts and shrieks, threatening Kashmiri Pandits with dire consequences, became a routine 'Mantra' of the Muslims of the Valley, to force them to flee from Kashmir..." #KPExodusDay Abandoned houses of Kashmiri Pandits In Kashmir (via "A Long Dream of Home" by Siddarth Gigoo) pic.twitter.com/WFOYpBwbil Srivatsan V (@Sr1vatsanV) January 18, 2016 Different accounts give different statistics of the total number of Kashmiri Pandits who fled their homes for their life in the 1990s. While some say around 1,00,000 of them had left the valley, others suggest figures as high as 1,50,000 to 1,90,000. A report by the Jammu and Kashmir government says as many as 219 people from this community were killed in the region between 1989 and 2004. In his book, Our Moon Has Blood Clots, author and journalist Rahul Pandita gives a timeline of the events that brought about the exodus. In this, Pandita writes about the murder of political activist Tika Lal Taploo in September 1989 and goes on list many more horrid memories. Here's an excerpt of this timeline: 'September 1989 Pandit political activist, Tika Lal Taploo is shot dead by armed men outside his residence. January 1990 Massive crowds assemble in mosques across valley, shouting anti-india, anti-pandit slogans. The exodus of Kashmiri Pandits begins. In the next few months, hundreds of innocent Pandits are tortured, killed and raped. By the year-end, about 350,000 Pandits have escaped from the Valley and taken refuge in Jammy and elsewhere. Only a handful of them stay back. March 1997 Terrorists drag out seven Kashmiri Pandits from their houses in Sangrampora village and gun them down. January 1998 23 Kashmiri Pandits, including women and children, shot in cold blood in Wandhama Village. March 2003 24 Kashmiri Pandits, including infants, brutally shot dead in Nadimarg Village. 2012 Thousands of Pandits still languish in refugee settlements of 8 x 8. After more than two decades, the Kashmiri Pandit community has still not been able to return to their ancestral land. They are dispersed all over from Jammu to Johannesburg." advertisement India has seen several changes ever since that fateful night in 1990. New governments have come and gone, multiple developments have come forth nationwide, but scores of Kashmiri Pandits who were chased out of their homes have still not been able to find a way back. When will they be able to return home? By India Today Web Desk: Ranveer Singh won the Best Actor award in the male category for his performance in Bajirao Mastani at Filmfare Awards 2016. And after Rekha announced his name, Ranveer Singh did something unthinkable. Reportedly, he went and touched Deepika's parents' feet. It was earlier said that Ranveer and Deepika will announce their relationship officially in 2016. A source had earlier said, "It was due for a while. But Ranveer and Deepika had family issues. They absolutely love their parents and wouldn't move ahead without their consent. While Ranveer's parents were most happy with their son's choice, it took Deepika's parents some time to come around." "The signs are already there. Ranveer and Deepika are no longer beating around the bush. On Comedy Nights Bachao, Ranveer was indulging in a lot of PDA, which would otherwise have not been allowed by Deepika. Yes, they are ready to take their relationship to the next level," futher quoted the source. advertisement Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone's dating rumours have been doing the rounds, ever since they started shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2013 film Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. They were last seen together in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Bajirao Mastani. The film released on December 18, 2015. The Delhi Police registered a case of gangrape today on the complaint of a minor girl who lives in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in Delhi. By India Today Web Desk: The Delhi Police registered a case of gangrape today on the complaint of a minor girl who lives in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in New Delhi. The girl has been working in the home of a professor for several years. According to sources, the victim in her statement said that she knew the person with whom she went to Munirka. She fainted after consuming alcohol, and found herself naked when she regained consciousness. The victim was driven back to the campus after the incident. She was taken to a private hospital, but was later referred to a government hospital. A case has been registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Police have recorded the victim's statement before a magistrate and investigation is on. advertisement ALSO READ Delhi woman makes rape complaint against IIM professor JNU student accuses PhD scholar of rape on pretext of marriage JNU scholar accused of raping sister-in-law By India Today Web Desk: This 18-year-old woman stabbed her boyfriend to death and then admitted to the crime on Facebook. Nakasia James was arrested by the police department of United States of America. Nakasia killed her boyfriend, 21-year-old Dorian Powell, in San Bernardino county, and was arrested from Hemet city in California. It seems the couple was involved in a domestic dispute when Nakasia ended up stabbing her boyfriend with a knife. That's some "domestic dispute"! Her Facebook post mentioned Powell hitting her on the face as well. The post, now deleted, said "I gt the knife and and stabbed him ddnt think I would hurt him BT he died and I'm on the run." (SIC) She expressed regret and said she did not intend to do it, and everything happened in the spur of the moment, "Btsorryy lord hopefully u forgive me! And sorry Dorian Powell rip." (SIC) advertisement You murder someone and then apologise on Facebook. Are we living in la-la land? Police found Powell's dead body after receiving a 911 call. Investigators found Nakasia hiding in an apartment at North Hamilton Avenue in Hemet. She was booked into West Valley Detention Centre on $1 million bail. The postcard threat letter was received at the State Secretariat last week following which Goa Police swung into action, a senior police official said today. An anonymous letter supposedly signed by ISIS has threatened to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. By Press Trust of India: An anonymous letter supposedly signed by ISIS has threatened to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Goa Police have circulated this letter to all the police stations in the state and handed over the case to the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS). The postcard threat letter was received at the State Secretariat last week following which Goa Police swung into action, a senior police official said today. "All the agencies of state police are investigating this letter. We will soon be able to find the source of it," the police official said. "ISIS was written at the bottom of the postcard," the official confirmed. The letter has expressed anger over ban on cow slaughter in the country. --- ENDS --- Asin is all set to tie the knot with her fiance and Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma in New Delhi today. By India Today Web Desk: Asin is all set to tie the knot with her fiance and Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma in New Delhi today. The couple will get married in an intimate ceremony at the Dusit Devarana resort in the capital. Annnnd yes Asin is getting married to Rahul Sharma today in Delhi ?? @rahulsharma #asin #asinthottumkal Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 19, 2016 According to a report in Hindustan Times, a source said, "Both the ceremonies will be private. While around 50 guests are invited for the Christian wedding, the Hindu ceremony will be attended by 200 guests. In all likelihood, there will also be a private house party next day at Rahul's farmhouse at Sonali Farms, West End Greens." Asin's fan club shared the pictures of the resort. advertisement This is the hotel (@DusitDevarana ) where #Asin will be getting married to @rahulsharma on 19th January ?? pic.twitter.com/YflpXwIKR3 Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 17, 2016 The report further stated that a special 10-tier vanilla-flavoured cake is being designed for their wedding. The menu of the events will be strictly vegetarian. Asin will be seen in Sabyasachi's creations. Asin took to Instagram to share her wedding invite. The invitation is in an elegant white box with Asin and Rahul's name embedded in gold, on the top. Both Asin and Rahul were involved in choosing the design and the overall look of the card. Asin and Rahul's close friend Akshay Kumar was the first person to receive the wedding reception card and is likely to attend the marriage today in the capital as he is in the city for the promotions of his upcoming film Airlift. It was Askhay who introduced Asin to Rahul. In an earlier interview, "Yes, I got them together. I just made them meet each other, and the rest was the way they wanted." Asin and Rahul have also kept a reception for their B-Town friends in Mumbai on January 23. The suicide of a Dalit student in Hyderabad has become a political issue with BJP facing flaks from all quarter. By India Today Web Desk: The suicide of a Dalit student in Hyderabad has become a political issue with BJP facing flaks from all quarter. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has tweeted, saying Modi govt is constitutionally duty bound to uplift Dalits. Instead Modi ji's ministers got five Dalit students ostracised and suspended. It's not a suicide. It's a murder. It's the murder of democracy, social justice and equality. Modi ji should sack ministers and aplogoize to the nation. It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation(2/2)&; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 19, 2016 Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modi ji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised n suspended(1/2)&; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 19, 2016 Meanwhile, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi along with Digvijaya Singh will be visiting the University campus in Hyderabad to meet protesting students. It is likely that the Congress vice-president will target the NDA government and project Modi sarkar as anti-Dalit. advertisement Rohith, a 26-year-old doctorate student, was found hanging in a hostel room at Hyderabad University on Sunday. < Also Read Hyderabad student's suicide: Latest developments Dalit student commits suicide at Hyderabad University, bandh called Hyderabad student's suicide: Protests in Delhi, case filed against Bandaru Dattatreya Chhota Rajan was allegedly upset with two articles written by Dey and therefore ordered his killing. By India Today Web Desk: A special MCOCA court in Mumbai today granted CBI permission to interrogate gangster Chhota Rajan, who is the prime accused in journalist Jyotirmoy Dey's murder case. Chhota Rajan was allegedly upset with two articles written by Dey and therefore ordered his killing. Journalist Jigna Vora who is now out on bail, had allegedly instigated Rajan, owing to her own professional rivalry with Dey. Vora is accused of passing on key information like the number plate of the slain journalist's motorcycle and his address to the fugitive don. The police had arrested her on November 2011 and she was granted bail in July 2012. Rajan, who was produced via video link from Delhi's Tihar Jail told the court that he has received the chargesheet and needs time to go through it. advertisement "I am kept in a high security cell and only taken out once in a week and need 15 days to a month for scanning the charge sheet and engaging a lawyer in Mumbai," Rajan told the court to which Judge Pansare informed the gangster that his (Delhi-based) lawyer Anshuman Sinha was present in the court. Fearing a threat to Chhota Rajan's life if he is taken to Mumbai, a Delhi court had directed the CBI to urge the Maharashtra government to arrange the trial of the J Dey murder case through videoconferencing from Tihar Jail. On January 7, the court had reprimanded Mumbai Police for not serving the copy of the chargesheet to Rajan. Rajan, a former key aide and lieutenant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25 after he arrived from Australia, and was later deported to India. Several attempts have already been made by Dawood's men to kill Rajan. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, which includes the J Dey murder case. Maharashtra government has handed over all the cases against him to CBI. Dey was shot dead in suburban Powai by motor-cycle borne shooters on June 11, 2011 allegedly at the behest of Rajan. Four persons on two motorbikes fired at least four to five rounds at Dey, who was also riding a bike, from behind near Spectra Building at D Mart in Hiranandani area of Powai. After the attack, he was rushed to nearby Hiranandani Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Police had claimed the shooters fled the spot after firing. The first charge sheet in 2011 names arrested accused Satiah Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia. Also read: Delhi court says too risky to produce Chhota Rajan before Mumbai court CBI takes over probe in journalist J Dey murder case The festival that lets you indulge in history, culture, music and literature has finally begun! Stephen Fry is one of the many writers who are going to be present at JLF 2016. Picture courtesy: Reuters and Pinterest/Prayash Giria By Mini Dixit: If the idea of sipping masala chai on a cold January morning while exchanging notes with your favourite authors in the lush green lawns of a historical palace excites you, the 2016 edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival is what you've been waiting for. JLF, which is hailed as one of the greatest and largest literary festivals in the world, is all geared up to enthrall attendees and make sure that their experience at the festival goes down as a intellectually-enriching one. The festival is scheduled to take place from January 21 to 25, 2016, and will be held at the magnificent Grand Diggi Palace Hotel, Jaipur, making sure all in attendance immerse themselves in history, culture, music and literature. Produced by Teamwork Arts since its inception in 2006, JLF has been a confluence of the greatest thinkers, authors, historians, journalists and musicians from around the globe and has subsequently put India on the global literary map. advertisement Having said that, JLF is not just about books, literature and all things that require you to be mentally active. Here are some things you can do at JLF 2016 to enjoy the festival in its full glory. Also Read: Not just Ruskin Bond, Stephen Fry Jaipur Lit Fest to also feature Malian musician Fatoumata Diawara Drown yourself in stories With a line-up of authors and thinkers that is bound to excite any literature enthusiast, this year's edition will feature names like the legendary Margaret Atwood, Ruskin Bond, who is beloved to generations of Indian readers; Steve McCurry, one of the world's greatest living photographers; controversial Harvard historian Niall Ferguson and Britain's national treasure Stephen Fry. From literary sessions and social issues that face the world currently to discussions on your favourite fiction stories--JLF 2016 guarantees to be an eclectic celebration. Meet your favourite authors Writer's ball, Friends of the Festival delegate passes and other provisions will serve as an opportunity to interact with your favourite authors face-to-face. More information about the ball and the Friends of Festival delegate passes is available here . Give your ears a dose of wonderful music With renowned musicians like Fatoumata Diawara all set to perform at JLF 2016, the musical and cultural nights ensure that your visit to the festival isn't merely confined to the world of books. Enjoy masala chai, kachoris and samosas while exchanging literary notes Sipping masala chai while munching on to those freshly-made kachoris and samosas is another level of bliss, isn't it? Add to that a breezy January morning and you'll get the 2016 edition of JLF. Also Read: Jaipur Literature Festival announces first list of authors Experience the magic Rajasthan is known for Adorned with several historical forts, museums and markets, Rajasthan is a traveller's paradise.The local markets of Jaipur that are infused with antique jewelry, traditional jootis and fabrics are sure to make your experience at JLF even better. Also, do not forget to relish the local Lal Maas, Dal Batti, Kachori and other Rajasthani delicacies. Kabir Bedi is a happy man after tying the knot with his long-time partner Parveen Dusanj last week. The 70-year-old actor says that the marriage was "the most natural step forward", but it took him a decade to convince her family. ALSO READ: Kabir Bedi marries Parveen Dusanj, Pooja Bedi calls stepmom 'wicked witch'. Then deletes tweet ALSO READ: Kabir Bedi is deeply disappointed by his daughter's venomous comments on his marriage Kabir gave his near and dear ones a surprise at his birthday celebrations on January 16 this year by announcing his marriage with Parveen. He got married in Alibag on January 15 in the presence of his close family and friends. "Delighted to be married for the last time! Parveen and I have been together for 10 years, living in London, Rome, and Mumbai, so marriage was the most natural step forward," Kabir said in a statement. "We met when I was performing a play, The Far Pavilions, in the West End of London, and she came to see the play. When I moved to Rome for a big Italian series A Doctor In The Family for over a year, I missed her, and asked her to come and live with me," he recalled. He added, "Since then, after moving to Mumbai, she has been a great partner for me, in love and life, and we plan to do great things together through our media company, BediMedia. At the beginning, her family was cautious and it's taken me a decade to convince them all. Parveen Dusanj Bedi is the love of my life." His friends were happy for him, but his daughter Pooja Bedi passed snide remarks on Twitter after her father announced his wedding. The actress posted, "Every fairytale has a wicked witch or an evil step-mother! Mine just arrived! @iKabirBedi just married @parveendusanj (sic)." Pooja then quickly deleted the tweet, but the damage was done. Reacting to Pooja's views, Kabir shared, "Deeply disappointed by venomous comments by my daughter Pooja against @parveendusanj just after we married. No excuse for bad behaviour. (sic)" Pooja was understandably missing from the bevy of stars and friends in the wedding photographs, which surfaced online. Talking to India Today on the fight for injustices meted out to Kashmiri Pandits, actor Anupam Kher said that being a minority, Kashmiri Pandits were of no purpose to politicians. By India Today Web Desk: Every 19th of January, we remember the plight of Kashmiri Pandits. They witnessed a hysteric, macabre night 26 years ago in the form of blaring threats and slogans, asking them to flee their homeland, convert or die. From Delhi to Mumbai to Jammu, Kashmiri Pandits staged protests today as they called for return to home claiming they remained refugees in their own country. They said the government has done little to help their cause because they are not a vote bank. Talking to India Today on the fight for injustices meted out to Kashmiri Pandits, actor Anupam Kher said that being a minority, Kashmiri Pandits were of no purpose to politicians. The plight of the community was a not a vote bank issue and thus, failed to get the traction they deserved. advertisement "We don't count, we are not a vote bank. All political parties have failed them when it came to rehabilitation," Anupam Kher said. "26 years has been a long period. Kashmiri Pandits continue to live in fear, in tents and refugee camps. No one has bothered about them and no concrete development has taken place," the actor added. On whether it was turning into a Hindu-Muslim one, Anupam Kher said that the issue concerned only the Hindus and not the Muslims. "Hindus were thrown out of Kashmir, not the Muslims. Hindus were largely targeted and killed and then the exodus began. You should not balance it by saying that it is now becoming a Hindu-Muslim issue," he said. When asked why isn't the community returning back to Kashmir despite being asked by the government, Anupam Kher said, "Those who were a witness to the tragedy continue to live in fear. So if they are not ready to go back, it is quite justifiable." However, in contrary to Kher's response, Sanjay Tickoo, President of Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS), said that he felt safe and secured. "I feel safe and secured. Else, I wouldn't have been talking to you on the issue," he said. Author Siddhartha Gigoo said that Kashmiri Pandits had become a mere hashtag. Rashneek Kher, Founder of Roots in Kashmir, said that the plight of the pandits were beyond money. Monetary compensation could in no way solve the situation. Watch full debate here: Longing for decades to go back home, Kashmiri Pandits feel the hope generated by the Narendra Modi government is fizzling out. By Amit Agnihotri: Longing for decades to go back home, Kashmiri Pandits feel the hope generated by the Narendra Modi government is fizzling out. "When the Modi government came to power in 2014 we thought there would be some forward movement on the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. But things are at a standstill even after one and a half years," Rasnik Kher, a member of Roots in Kashmir, told Mail Today. He cited a recent Union home ministry RTI response which said there was no forward movement over the issue. According to Kher, though there has been much talk about working out a plan to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits, who had to flee from the state as a result of an ethnic cleansing, neither the Centre nor the state government seems to be interested in the issue. The reason, said Kher, is that there is no plan. advertisement "Our land was either sold in distress, taken over by the government or grabbed. Our temples were demolished. There has to be a piece of land where the Pandits would be resettled. Livelihood is another concern besides houses," said Kher. According to him, the Pandits fear that things may not be the same again even if they go back to their native places as those responsible for the exodus of the community are still roaming free and the atmosphere is still not conducive for their return. "People like Bitta Karate and Yasin Malik who persecuted Kashmiri Pandits are roaming free. The people responsible for the exodus are now making the noise for our return," he said. As per data, there are around 66,000 families of Kashmiri Pandits who have to be rehabilitated. This means resettling around three lakh people. Activists said an effort made by the previous UPA government too has not made much difference. Kher pointed out that of the 6,000 jobs for the resettlers, only 1,600 have actually gone back, but are living in poor conditions. To drive home a point, Kher said that only one family has gone back in the past 26 years. Also read: Jammu and Kashmir cop, who decamped with four AK 47 rifles, may have joined LeT Bhawna Arora has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of being involved in a CNG scam. Bhawna Arora has accused the AAP government of being involved in a CNG scam. (PTI photo) By India Today Web Desk: The woman who splattered ink on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday while he was addressing a public gathering on the odd-even scheme has been sent to 14-day judicial custody today. Bhawna Arora was produced before a magistrate in Delhi's Rohini court. Delhi Police has slapped four charges on Bhawna under IPC sections 186 353,355 and 504. These charges are related to obstruction to work of a public servant and are bailable offences. Bhawna Arora has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of being involved in a CNG scam. "The odd-even rule was positive, but behind that was a big CNG Scam, of which I had a sting. That is why I wanted to meet Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Transport Minister Gopal Rai, but they didn't agree to meet," she said. advertisement She further alleged that in the scam, CNG stickers were issued on bike numbers. "They have done scam in CNG and I have evidence to support it," the woman claimed. ALSO READ BJP, AAP cross swords over ink attack on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Ink attack: Delhi Police chief blamed for attack on Kejriwal A third arrest has been made in the Audi hit-and-run case. Johny was arrested today from outside West Bengal. He will be brought to police headquarters. Further details are awaited. By India Today Web Desk: A third arrest has been made in the Audi hit-and-run case. Johny was arrested today from outside West Bengal. He will be brought to police headquarters. Johny was stated to be in Jharkhand after the incident but then came back to the city. He was then holed up in a known person's house in Port area and city police was tipped off by a 'source'. "Johny was arrested from a house in the Port Area by our sleuths this morning. He was not traceable since the January 13 incident," Joint CP, Crime, Debashis Boral said. Boral said it was still being ascertained whether he was travelling in the same car driven by Sambia or trailing the Audi in another car. Johny had earlier released a video from an undisclosed location, in which he had revealed that Sambia was indeed driving the car and was also drunk. He had also said that he is hiding as he was afraid of being implicated in the case. advertisement Meanwhile, Kolkata Police has intensified the probe into Audi hit-and-run case. With the prime accused and TMC leader's son Sambia refusing to cooperate in investigation - he will be cross questioned along with other accused in the case. Cops have also found several discrepancies in his statement. On Monday, another key accused Shahnawaz was arrested by the Kolkata Special Investigation (SIT)team in Delhi. Shahnawaz has reportedly told investigators that Sambia was driving the car and he is being pressurised to take responsibility for the killing of the IAF corporal. The 21-year-old Corporal was knocked down and killed after being hit by the Audi car during the Republic Day rehearsal parade on the Red Road. The brand new white Audi broke three guard rails and barged into the parade rehearsal before fatally hitting the IAF officer. Also Read Kolkata hit-and-run case: Another accused Shahnawaz arrested from Delhi Kolkata hit-and-run case: Sambia Sohrab sent to 14-day police custody Kolkata hit-and-run case: Prime accused Sambia Sohrab arrested Kolkata hit-and-run case: BJP workers protest against police inaction TMC has no connection with driver of car that mowed IAF official: Derek O'Brien By India Today Web Desk: Leonardo DiCaprio is on cloud nine after winning a Golden Globe and being nominated in the best actor category for The Revenant at the Oscars this year. The 41-year-old actor recently revealed that his dream role will be to play Russian President Vladimir Putin on the silver screen. ALSO READ: Oscars 2016 - Will this be Leonardo DiCaprio's year? Leo's Titanic co-star Kate Winslet feels so ALSO READ: Oscars 2016 - Will Leonardo DiCaprio win the elusive Oscar this year? "Putin would be very, very, very interesting, I would love to play him," DiCaprio told Germany's e-paper Welt am Sonntag. DiCaprio, who is an environmentalist, met the Russian president in 2010 at a conference on protecting the Siberian tiger. "My foundation has provided financial support for several projects for the protection of these big cats. Putin and I talked only about the protection of these magnificent animals, not politics," DiCaprio had told International Business Times back then. advertisement Even Putin praised The Revenant actor for attending the event despite flying through bad weather. "A person with less stable nerves could have decided against coming, could have read it as a sign - that it was not worth going," Putin said. Putin had called DiCaprio a "muzhik" or "real man," reported Los Angeles Times. DiCaprio, who refers to himself as half-Russian as his maternal grandparents were Russian-born, told the German paper that in future he would like to portray some prominent leader from the country's history. "Lenin, too, would be an interesting film role. I would (like) to play Rasputin too. I believe that there should be more movies about Russian history," Welt am Sonntag quoted the actor. "Russia unites so many stories almost of Shakespearean character. For an actor, it's extremely exciting," he added. The movie has already created unrest in Belagavi, which has a sizeable population of Marathas, who are keen on the city being included under Maharashtra territory. By Mail Today: The producers of the Marathi movie Maratha Tigers, which focuses on the sensitive issue of border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra, is contemplating seeking legal remedy if the state bans the screening of the movie, which is set for release on February 5. "The Censor Board has cleared the movie and a representative of the Karnataka government was also present at that time. We will approach the court if Karnataka restricts its screening along the border districts," said the movie's producer Abhijit Tahsildar. The movie has already created unrest in Belagavi, which has a sizeable population of Marathas, who are keen on the city being included under Maharashtra territory. The movie trailers and video clips, which are being circulated on smartphones in the districts bordering Karnataka and Maharashtra, allegedly derides Kannadigas, and this had led to tension last week in Belagavi. The police conducted meetings with Kannada groups and Marathas to maintain peace. advertisement Also read: Karnataka may seek nationwide ban on movie Marathi Tigers Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, who orchestrated the January 2 Pathankot terror attack, was not taken into custody without any lead or reason. By India Today Web Desk: Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, who orchestrated the January 2 Pathankot terror attack, was not taken into custody without any lead or reason. According to a report in The News, Khwaja, who was speaking to media persons outside the Parliament, said, "Maulana Masood Azhar's detention did not come without any lead or reason at this stage." Khwaja said that some intelligence tip off may have led to the detention of the banned JeM's chief. The minister further said that Pakistan cannot allow non-state actors to roam around freely and put the security of the country in jeopardy. India has urged Pakistan to initiate action against Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, who masterminded hijack of Indian Airlines IC-814 and also planned the attack on Pathankot air base. advertisement Also read: India to give Pakistan Masood Azhar's terror dossier How Babri demolition triggered the jihad in Masood Azhar A collection of over 100 drawings of the late King of Pop to go up on sale for charity. By Indo-Asian News Service: A man who has collected 100 of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson's drawings plans to sell them to help children in need. Joseph McBratney claims to have privately amassed over 100 drawings by the late Thriller hitmaker, who died in June 2009, and now wants to sell them to raise money to help at-risk children, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Also read: Michael Jackson is Forbes' top-earning dead celebrity of 2015 He also plans to sell sketches of The Beatles, the late Princess Diana, Abraham Lincoln, Charlie Chaplin, Bart Simpson, Peter Pan, Mickey Mouse, Snoopy and Garfield. "It's a big responsibility, I put this collection together. (I want to create) a non-profit endowment to help kids," he told the New York Post. Also read: Happy Birthday Michael Jackson: 5 celebrities who keeps MJ alive in Bollywood advertisement "It would be a shame for this beautiful property to be anything else but a healing property for suffering kids and adults who would never have the chance to be in recovery or treatment," he added. All the drawings are signed by the star and the collector said he has had them authenticated by an autograph authentication service. Mumbai RTO has terminated for life the driving license of corporate lawyer Jhanvi Gadkar in connection with the drunk driving case which killed two people and injured four others. By India Today Web Desk: Mumbai RTO has terminated for life the driving license of corporate lawyer Jhanvi Gadkar in connection with the drunk driving case which killed two people and injured four others. Gadkar had mowed down two people on June 10 last year while driving in a drunk state on the Eastern Freeway in Mumbai. Her license had been suspended in September, but she had appealed to the Deputy Commissioner of Regional Transport Office against the order of the RTO officer. The RTO officer had heard her lawyers but not given a personal hearing to Gadkar before taking the step. The transport commissioner ordered the RTO officer to give a personal hearing to Gadkar. Gadkar was then called twice, first on December 29 and then on January 7. During both these hearings Gadkar herself did not appear, and like before her lawyers came before the RTO officer and sited bad health as a reason for her nonappearance. advertisement The RTO officer said, "They wanted one more month to appear but it is high time a decision was to be taken. This can't be left hanging." In June 10, 2015, Gadkar, 35, had rammed her Audi Q3 into a taxi killing two people, Mohammed Abdul Sayyad (55) and Mohammed Salim Sabuwala (50). Following the accident, the Wadala RTO revoked her license and sealed her car. She had moved the Sessions Court, where her trial is on, for return of property, and after the due procedures, the court allowed her to take back the properties. Gadkar has been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which carries a penalty up to 10 years in prison. Also Read: Mumbai hit-and-run: Lawyer Jahnavi Gadkar granted bail By India Today Web Desk: Besides the drunk texting, if there's one thing you regret about getting drunk, it's probably the hangovers. North Korea seems to have come up with a ginseng drink that will give you all the buzz that comes with alcohol, minus the hangover. Ginseng, the magical herb. Picture courtesy: Reuters Also read: The connection between hangovers and your age According to a report published in the Pyongyang Times quoted here, Taedonggang Foodstuff Factory i.e. the company that has been refining the drink for years, has claimed "Koryo Liquor, which is made of six-year-old Kaesong Koryo insam (ginseng), known as being highest in medicinal effect, and the scorched rice, is highly appreciated by experts and lovers as it is suave and causes no hangover." While previous claims by North Korea of having invented a cure for Ebola, Aids and MERS, turned out to be false, there are doubts surrounding the true nature of this ginseng type of alcohol too. More than anything, it looks like an urban legend that will hopefully rise and die in DPRK. --- ENDS --- Dr Farooq Abdullah said that the onus is on the pandits to return to Kashmir. No one will come with a begging bowl and ask the pandits to return. By India Today Web Desk: A comment by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Dr Farooq Abdullah on the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Kashmir valley today stirred a controversy on social media. Dr Farooq Abdullah said that the onus is on the pandits to return to Kashmir. No one will come with a begging bowl and ask the pandits to return. Dr Abdullah also advised the Narendra Modi-led NDA government to fall back on the approach adopted by former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani and organise meetings between stakeholders to dig out the real solutions to ensure the early return of Kashmiri Pandits to their homes. "If this thing has to be decided then the government should take initiative and organise a meeting with Pandits and Muslim community leader and see how it can work and what should be done in promoting this to its logical end, as was done when Advani was home minister, there were lots of meetings then," he said. advertisement The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister asserted that militancy has waned in the Valley and the proof of Pandits being safe is the presence of many community members who continue to live in the Kashmir. He also refuted that the government's rehabilitation packages announced in the recent past have found no takers. "I don't know who has gone back. But there are a number of Hindus living there very comfortably, and they are living in villages," he said. ALSO READ Kashmiri Pandits don't count, they are not a vote bank, says Anupam Kher Kashmiri Pandits: Modi government has no plan Why are #OscarsSoWhite? After Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith talk of boycotting Academy Awards 2016, debate over Oscar nominations escalates on social media. By India Today Web Desk: With the announcement of the 88th Academy Awards nominations, the Twitterati and celebs have reacted fiercely against the non inclusion of coloured actors in the list this year too. As soon as the Oscar nominations were announced, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite went viral on Twitter. ALSO READ: Oscars 2016 - Will this be Leonardo DiCaprio's year? Leo's Titanic co-star Kate Winslet feels so ALSO READ: #OscarsSoWhite - Director Spike Lee and Matrix star Jada Pinkett Smith to boycott Oscars over lack of diversity ALSO READ: Oscars 2016 - Will Leonardo DiCaprio win the elusive Oscar this year? Even the who's who of Hollywood dived headlong into the online protest against what activists have termed 'systematic discrimination against coloured actors'. The hashtag received a major boost when director Spike Lee and actor Jada Pinkett Smith announced their decision to boycott the Oscar ceremony as they believed that people of colour have not been given a proper chance despite possessing enough talent. advertisement The boycott by these two celebs even prompted the Academy Awards president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, to give an official statement on the 'unfortunate' turn of events. The president, who is also the first African-American woman to hold the prestigious post, said that she is "heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion" in this year's Oscar nominations. Cheryl Boone Isaacs acknowledged the need to address the topic immediately, "We need to do more, and better and more quickly." Boone posted a statement on Twitter on January 18, after the raging debate over fair representation at the Oscars, which was followed by the boycott by Smith and Lee. A statement from Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs pic.twitter.com/Nqhgc7sbqG The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 19, 2016 Spike Lee also took to Twitter to share his disappointment, "How Is It Possible For The 2nd Consecutive Year All 20 Contenders Under The Actor Category Are White? And Let's Not Even Get Into The Other Branches (sic)," Lee wrote under the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag. "40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can't Act?! (sic)" added Lee, who was awarded an honorary Oscar in November last year. Whereas, Jada Pinkett Smith, whose husband Will Smith was a strong contender for Oscars this year, shared a video on Facebook. "Maybe it's time we pull back our resources and we put them back into our communities, and we make programmes for ourselves that acknowledge us in ways that we see fit, that are just as good as the so-called mainstream," she said in the video. We must stand in our power.Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, January 18, 2016 In 2012, the Los Angeles Times reported that more than 90 per cent Academy voters were white. It also revealed that out of total voters, more than 70 per cent were male. The newspaper also confirmed the identities of almost 90 per cent of its members. While the debate is raging on as to why the Oscars are 'SoWhite', not many celebs have joined the bandwagon. Actors such as Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence, who were quite vocal on gender pay gap last year, haven't shared their views on the trending debate yet. Other actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, who is pretty outspoken about environmental issues and other subjects of consequence, haven't spoken out on this subject yet. Let's see how many white actors stand up in support of people of colour this year. Pakistan said on Monday it had removed a three-year ban on YouTube after the Google-owned video-sharing website launched a local version that allows the government to remove material it considers offensive. By Reuters: Pakistan said on Monday it had removed a three-year ban on YouTube after the Google-owned video-sharing website launched a local version that allows the government to remove material it considers offensive. Pakistan banned access to YouTube in September 2012 after an anti-Islam film, "Innocence of Muslims", was uploaded to the site, sparking violent protests across major cities in the Muslim-majority country of 190 million people. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom said in a statement that under the new version of YouTube, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority can ask for access to offending material to be blocked. "On the recommendation of PTA, Government of Pakistan has allowed access to recently launched country version of YouTube for Internet users in Pakistan," the ministry said. "Google has provided an online web process through which requests for blocking access of the offending material can be made by PTA to Google directly and Google/YouTube will accordingly restrict access to the said offending material for users within Pakistan." advertisement Blasphemy is a highly sensitive subject in Pakistan, where angry mobs have killed many people accused of insulting Islam. The crime of blasphemy can carry the death penalty, although a death sentence has never been carried out. Pakistan has blocked thousands of web pages it deems undesirable in the last few years as internet access spreads, but activists say the government sometimes blocks sites to muzzle liberal or critical voices. With as many as 25 young men from Punjab dead in the Panama boat tragedy, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to immediately send a team to expose the human-trafficking racket which is responsible for the mishap. With as many as 25 young men from Punjab dead in the Panama boat tragedy, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to immediately send a team to expose the human-trafficking racket which is responsible for the mishap. "Badal today had a telephonic conversation with the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who assured that the government would reach out to the victims' families immediately. He told her that Punjab government is already sending senior officials from State to US to trace out the survivors of the tragedy," a Punjab government spokesperson said. Badal has directed the Director General of Police and SSP Kapurthala to take action against the travel agents involved. Kapurthala Police has registered a case under Sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and various sections of the Immigration Act against the travel agents. advertisement Around 25 youth were feared dead as the boat in which they were travelling capsized near Panama on January 10. The incident took place at sea between the Colombian port city of Turbo and neighbouring South American country Panama. The men were reportedly headed to the US .The news about the tragedy reached their parents on January 12 and 13. Bachan Singh's 21-year-old son Gurwinder is one of the 25 who perished. Bachan Singh said one of the survivors, Sonu of Bhogpur (Jalandhar), informed him about the incident. Gurwinder was unemployed and Bachchan had paid Rs 10 lakh to the travel agent Harbhajan Singh, a retired cop, to send his son to the US. "Harbhajan Singh had asked for Rs 27 lakhs to send his son to US. Later settled for Rs 24 lakhs out of which Rs 10 lakhs were paid as advance on October 15 at Kulwinder Singh Multani's petrol pump. My son had left for US three days after they got the payment. They took him to Maldives first, then along with others, he was sent to Brazil. My son had called home on December 22 last year," Bachan Singh said. Bachan Singh said that he had confronted the travel agent Multani who had assured that his son would reach US within three days. Kapurthala police has registered a case against two travel agents Kulwinder Singh Multani and Harbhajan Singh .No arrests have been made so far. Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra said today that the Pathankot terror attack could have been prevented if lessons had been learnt from previous attacks. By India Today Web Desk: Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra said today that the Pathankot terror attack could have been prevented if lessons had been learnt from previous attacks with focus on securing the country's border with Pakistan which is not yet well guarded. Speaking about the infiltrations by terror groups through International Border (IB), including the recent attack on Pathankot air base, Vohra said BSF with its limited capacities cannot guard the IB (in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab) which is a long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometers. The Governor who was in New Delhi to deliver a key note address on seventh National Investigation Agency (NIA) day, noted that the five-six terror attacks which took place from September 2013 onwards via Kathua through the IB, part of which falls in Jammu and Kashmir, should have been followed up as closely as the Pathankot attack. advertisement He said that the attack on Dina Nagar police station in Gurdaspur could have been avoided, if the previous terror attacks were subjected to a tight investigation. "...and if Dinanagar would have been properly investigated, Pathankot, I am sure would have been almost impossible because we would have been able to know the routes taken by the terror groups to infiltrate the IB. I also hold very strongly that IB is not well guarded," Vohra, who has been the Governor of the border state for last eight years, said. The Governor, who has also served as Union Home and Defence Secretary besides Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister in 1997, maintained that he had informed the centre about it. "I think there are issues...but we need to do much more. BSF, with its present capacities, cannot safeguard IB which is long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometres almost including the border in Punjab. It is a difficult area and we need to look at that," Vohra reiterated. He was replying to a question over the reluctance of state governments in handing over terror cases to central probe agencies. Punjab government had refused to hand over the Dina Nagar police station attack probe to NIA. The July 2015 terror attack on a police station in Dina Nagar in Gurdaspur district of Punjab resulted in 10 deaths, including that of three terrorists. Superintendent of Police Baljeet Singh was also killed in the attack. ALSO READ Pathankot terror attack fallout: BSF DIG, Commandant shunted Pathankot attack: NIA may move court for lie detector test on Gurdaspur SP Prime Minister Narendra Modi today blamed the Congress for the problems of Assam, saying that the party hasn't done any work in 15 years despite the fact that former prime minister Manmohan Singh represented the state in the Rajya Sabha. By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today blamed the Congress for the problems of Assam, saying that the party hasn't done any work in 15 years despite the fact that former prime minister Manmohan Singh represented the state in the Rajya Sabha. "They (Congress) didn't work for 15 years and expect me to do all the work in 15 months," Modi said while addressing a rally in Assam's Kokrajhar "My 3-point programme for Assam is - Development, development, development," the PM said. Later in the day, he is expected to address about 6000 students and others at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Guwahati. The assembly elections are due in the state by April. Here are the highlights of his rally I have come here today to work with you shoulder to shoulder to bring development to people. Today I am among you at a time when there is an environment of unity here. For 12-15 years the promises that were made to you haven't been fulfilled. And doing that over & over is what has led to your anger. I thought there can't be any problem in Assam as a party(Cong)was in power here for 15 yrs, PM from here governed nation for 10 years. There is a long list you have of the promises made to you and are still unfulfilled. They didn't work for 15 years and expect me to do all the work in 15 months. People who ruled here for 15 years are asking for account of work I've done in 15 months. Is this fair? Rajiv Gandhi ji got it right when he said that a rupee reduces to 15 paise as it goes from Delhi to the villages across the nation. The solution to all problems of the nation lies in 'Development'. The first and foremost need of this area for development is infrastructure, which is why our Govt has come up with 'Act East' policy. It is my dream that electricity reaches all and is available 24X7 by 2022 when the nation will celebrate 75 years of Independence. I have instructed that youths from Northeast should be recruited in Delhi Police and the process has started. Karbi community people living in plains of Assam to be also accorded ST status. Bodos living in hills will come under ST status too. advertisement Also Read Sikkim becomes the first fully organic state of India According to a Press Release from the Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Chandrashekar, the ban notice was issued in view of Togadia's provocative speech, which could lead to a law and order situation. By Mail Today: The Karnataka government has banned Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) International Working President Praveen Togadia from entering the communally-sensitive Dakshina Kannada district for a week from January 18-24. According to a Press Release from the Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Chandrashekar, the ban notice was issued in view of Togadia's provocative speech, which could lead to a law and order situation. Recently, the district administration had also banned Islamic scholar Dr. Zakir Naik from entering Mangaluru for the same reasons. The VHP has objected to the government's decision, as Togadia was supposed to address multiple rallies in Mangaluru and other parts of Dakshina Kannada district. Since the last six months, incidences of communal unrest are on the rise in coastal Karnataka prompting the government to take such preventive measures. Also read: advertisement Karnataka cops ban entry of Zakir Naik, Praveen Togadia into Dakshina Kannada Poet Ashok Vajpeyi has returned his D Litt degree awarded to him by Hyderabad University in protest against circumstances leading to PhD scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide. By India Today Web Desk: Poet Ashok Vajpeyi today returned his D.Litt degree awarded to him by Hyderabad University in protest against circumstances leading to PhD scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide. Vajpeyi had earlier returned Sahitya Akademi award in protest against the murder of renowned writer MM Kalburgi in 2015. "Hyderabad University's anti-Dalit attitude drives a young scholar to commit suicide. How can I continue to be on the honours list of the Hyderabad Central university?" Vajpeyi told India Today TV. "If the probe proves that the university has nothing to do with the incident, then offcourse one can reconsider. The students were thrown out of the hostel, they were living in a tent outside the hostel, is this the way you treat your students?" he added. Rohith was found hanging in the university's hostel room on Sunday. His suicide sparked a massive protest by students in Hyderabad and in Delhi. advertisement Rohith was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. The suspension was, however, revoked later. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were named in an FIR over the death of the scholar. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited University of Hyderabad today and said that the university Vice Chancellor and a union minister created the situation that made Rohith Vemula commit suicide. "I agree with the students here. Rohith committed suicide but the conditions for his suicide were created by the VC and the minister," Rahul Gandhi said after meeting Rohith's family. A case has been filed against Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been accused of abetment of Rohith's suicide. Watch full video here: Also read: Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad: University V-C, HRD ministry responsible for Rohith's suicide Hyderabad Dalit suicide: It's not suicide, it's the murder of democracy, says Kejriwal Dalit student commits suicide at Hyderabad University, bandh called Salman Khan is all set to team up with rumoured flame Iulia Vantur for the Indian version of The Farm. Salman Khan, Iulia Vantur will co-host the Indian version of The Farm By India Today Web Desk: After Bigg Boss 9, Salman Khan is all set to co-host the Indian version of The Farm, a popular TV series across many countries, along with rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur. Iulia, who has hosted the first season of the Romanian version of the show, is currently shooting for the second season. The Farm, a reality show which has been aired in over 40 countries, features a group of 12 people living together on a farm. The contestants are supposed to undertake activities like farming, harvesting, milking the cows, etc., on the show. As far as elimination is concerned, in some versions it happens through 'The Duel' where the contestants compete in a physical endurance test; in other adaptations, contestants are eliminated through voting. The popularity of the show in many countries has supposedly prompted Salman to buy the Indian rights. advertisement Created by Swedish producer Strix, the show is being produced by Endemol, in association with Stix, in some countries. Iulia Vantur on the sets of the Romanian version of The Farm Inainte de un nou sezon "Ferma vedetelor" am venit in vizita "la Maruta" #backtowork #firstday #lamaruta #newseason #thefarm #tvshow #reality #newchallenge A photo posted by Iulia Vantur Official Account (@vanturiulia) on Jan 11, 2016 at 2:37pm PST American Airlines has landed itself in a legal soup for forcing a Sikh man and his friends out from a flight merely because their appearance made the captain uneasy. By India Today Web Desk: American Airlines has landed itself in a legal soup for forcing a Sikh man and his friends out from a flight merely because their appearance made the captain uneasy. All the four men have now decided to sue the airline agency by slapping a USD 9 million lawsuit against it. Shan Anand, a Sikh, along with three other friends - Faimul Alam besides a Bangladeshi Muslim and an Arab Muslim, all young US citizens, were ordered to deboard flight number 44718, which was flying from Toronto to New York, last month, CNN reported. The Bangladeshi Muslim and Arab Muslim were identified only by their initials W.H. and M.K. Anand and Alam switched seats with strangers after boarding, so they could sit next to W.H. and M.K. advertisement According to the lawsuit which was filed on Monday in Brooklyn Federal Court, a white woman flight attendant asked W.H. to get off the plane. On asking why they were being removed, the flight attendant told them to exit "peacefully" and "demanded" they return to the gate and await further directions, the lawsuit said. "It basically made me feel like a criminal," W.H. said, adding: "It was like I was put on a pedestal where everyone is pointing at you. I was frightened that they were frightened." It was only after the plane took off that an airline agent told the men "they could not board because the crew members, and specifically the captain, felt uneasy and uncomfortable with their presence on the flight and as such, refused to fly unless they were removed from the flight," the report said. The flight took off, leaving the four men behind. "They said it was protocol," said Anand. The Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested a suspected terrorist from Roorkee, Uttarakhand on Tuesday night. The man named Akhlaq is said to be associated with an international terror group. Three other persons have also been detained in Delhi Police's operation across Uttarakhand. The arrested men are currently being interrogated. According to reports, the Special Cell had got a tip off that terrorists are planning to target the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. Militants were also planning to hit some vital installations in the national capital and surrounding areas. The arrests have come a day after police nabbed an Al Qaeda operative Abu-al-Sami from Mewat in Haryana. Sami, who belongs to Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, has reportedly provided some important details about terrorists plan to strike around Republic Day. Police sources said Sami received terror training in Pakistan in 2014. He landed in Pakistan via Dubai in January, 2014. After spending some days in Karachi, Sami travelled to Mansera, where he received training on handling arms and explosives. ALSO READ EXCLUSIVE: How Jaish-e-Mohammad is funding terrorists in J-K By India Today Web Desk: "But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?" "For him?" shouted Snape. "Expecto Patronum!" From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe. She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. "After all this time?" "Always," said Snape. Can you guess where this is heading? No? okay, here's what this is about. Also read: This is what JK Rowling did when she finally finished writing the last Harry Potter book Post Alan 'Snape' Rickman's recent demise, author JK Rowling has gone on to reveal the secret she shared with the late actor during the filming of the Harry Potter series. advertisement Alan Rickman who played the role of the antagonist, Severus Snape passed away last week at the age of 69 following a battle with cancer. The actor had previously, admitted that Rowling had confided in him a movie related spoiler when he took on the role of Severus Snape in the fantasy movie series--a secret he'd vowed to never reveal. Also read: Life at Oxford not scary, all thanks to Harry Potter Although the secret was not related to any crucial plot of the story but it was important for his role. Following the actor's death, a fan asked Rowling whether she would finally reveal the information or was it meant to be a perpetual secret. "Will you tell us the piece of information that you told Alan Rickman about Severus Snape? Or will that forever be a secret? (sic)" read the fan's tweet. A delighted Rowling replied and said that Snape was in love with the wizard's mother, Lily Potter and has cared deeply about her son, Harry all along. The 50-year-old writer replied, "I told Alan what lies behind the word 'always'." Also read: Fancy being part of Harry Potter star Emma Watson's new feminist book club? On Monday, she revealed on Twitter that she had told Rickman of Professor Snape's enduring love for Harry Potter's mother Lily, who died protecting a baby Harry from Lord Voldemort. A 21-year-old Nepali youth committed suicide in the upscale DLF Phase 1 residential area of Gurgaon on Sunday after being allegedly assaulted and humiliated by a Supreme Court lawyer over the issue of two broken flower pots. By Ajay Kumar: A 21-year-old Nepali youth committed suicide in the upscale DLF Phase 1 residential area of Gurgaon on Sunday after being allegedly assaulted and humiliated by a Supreme Court lawyer over the issue of two broken flower pots. The victim, identified as Keshaw Gamal, was employed as a house help and driver at the residence of a Delhi-based businessman in Fblock of DLF Phase 1 area. While trying to reverse his employer's car outside the residence on Sunday afternoon, Gamal accidentally broke two flower pots belonging to a neighbour identified as K Khar. Following the incident, Khar allegedly assaulted Gamal in public and used abusive language against him. "Following my instruction to wash the car, Gamal had gone downstairs and parked the car outside the residence after completing the job. In the process, two flower pots were broken. My neighbour, who is a prominent Supreme Court lawyer, came outside his residence and entered my house. He pulled Gamal by his hair and took him outside. He then brutally assaulted him and humiliated him by using abusive language and discriminatory remarks," said Deepak Malhotra, the victim's employer. advertisement Malhotra said he tried to intervene in the matter but Khar was so furious that he humiliated him as well. Gamal received injuries on his ears and nose. "I asked him to go rest, after which he went to the servant quarter. When he did not come out for three hours, I asked my son to call him. When my son went to his room, he was shocked to see Gamal hanging from the ceiling fan," Malhotra said. "I immediately informed the local police and also visited the lawyer's house. I slammed him over his act which prompted someone to end his life. Sensing trouble, the lawyer escaped his house immediately," Malhotra added. Many people of Nepalese origin from Delhi and Gurgaon assembled in the area after the incident to demand the arrest of the accused. "It was a shocking incident. We need justice and will fight for it till the end. We have also informed the victim's relatives in Nepal about the incident," said Bal Krishna Pandey, convener of NGO Maiti India. The Gurgaon Police have registered an FIR against the accused, who is at large now. Also read: Hyderabad University suicide case: Student ends life because of discrimination A trip to Washington DC can help you see Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter together at the same time. By Samonway Duttagupta: Have you ever dreamt of being in space just to look at how the planets look? Well, I am sure you can probably board that space shuttle someday, but till then, here's how you can see the five brightest planets from planet Earth. Travel to Washington DC, the place which will actually witness the five brightest planets Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter becoming visible together. As reported by The Huffington Post, this will the first time that these planets can be seen with the naked eye, as they will all align in a diagonal row for the first time in a decade. The last time astronomers observed a similar line-up of these planets was between December 15, 2004 and January 15, 2005. The phenomenon will start on January 20, and will continue every early morning until February 20, 2016. The order in which the planets will rise is -- Jupiter, followed by Mars, then golden-looking Saturn, Venus, and lastly Mercury. The precise timing of this will vary from one day to the other. advertisement Why Washington DC Even though the phenomenon will be visible from various parts of the world with the help of telescopes, reports by The Washington Post has confirmed that Washington DC is set to get a rather clear view of Mercury right before dawn on Sunday, January 24. This is because the planet will be closest to eastern horizon, while Jupiter will loiter in the west-southwest. In case you miss it this time, there's a prediction of a similar spectacle in the evening sky from August 13 to August 19, according to EarthSky.org, which first reported about this phenomenon. While you are in Washington DC, you can also visit the following attractions: Washington Monument: Climbing high up to 555 feet, the famous Washington Monument is the tallest building in the district. There's an elevator ride on offer, which takes you to the observation deck at the top. Lincoln Memorial: Anyone who knows about Washington DC, can easily picture this place in his or her mind. It's the famous hallowed shrine to former US president Abraham Lincoln, whose statue sits in the middle onlooking a beautiful pool. National Archives: This historic building houses some of the most significant documents of American history, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and one of four copies of the Magna Carta. Washington DC Hop-on Hop-off Trolley Tour: This bus ride will take you on a guided day tour to 20 different spots of Washington DC. Some of the most popular spots included in this tour are Petersen House, International Spy Museum, The White House, National Aquarium, and National Archives, among others. Amid the politics over the tragic incident, the question which has remained unasnwered is what actually drove Rohith to take such an extreme step? By India Today Web Desk: Several politicians, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, rushed to Hyderabad on Tuesday to show solidarity with students protesting against the university administration and the HRD ministry for forcing PhD scholar Rohith Vemula to commit suicide. Rahul Gandhi, met Rohith's mother at the Hyderabad University and alleged that "the Vice Chancellor, the minister in Delhi and the institution created conditions" for Rohith's suicide on Sunday. Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has been named named in a police complaint. The minister has been accused of forcing the university to punish Rohith and friends. Amid the politics over the tragic incident, the question which has remained unasnwered is what actually drove Rohith to take such an extreme step? Was Rohith driven to suicide by the Hyderabad University administration and secondly by the general anti-Dalit atmosphere or is his suicide better explained by his suicide note which suggests that the reason for his step was much deeper and further than the recent events? advertisement Social anthropologist Shiv Visvanathan described Rohith as a "very interesting person." "Let's be clear about it that University of Hyderabad is restrictor of Dalit dreams. There's politics to it. But if you look at the letter, it shows a man who is deeply troubled. Who is thinking deeply and responding to a wider set of issues. This is a complex issue which requires many layers of storytelling. The nuance is very important," Visvanathan said on the show To The Point. Big questions 1. Was Rohith forced to kill self due to expulsion? 2. Who is to be blamed for scholar's death? 3. Was Rohith's personal life reason for suicide? 4. Is Rohith Vemula a victimn of campus politics? 5. What is the reason for rising campus suicides? 6. Will the university take any concrete action? 7. Should Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya be blamed? Deciphering Rohith's suicide note, Visvanathan added that it was important at this point time not to over socialise the issue. "There have been suicides in campuses but the poignancy of the story has to be captured. To reduce this incident to statistical trends and policy implementation is a second step. What he (Rohith) pointed to (in his suicide note) is an ecology of corruption, politics which we have to understand," he said. Nalsar University Vice-Chancellor Faizan Mustafa pointed out that Dalit students, in particular, have to face a lot of stress inside university campuses all across India. "Our examination system tests memory rather than intelligence. Students particularly from the vulnerable sections of our society go under a lot of academic stress. Rohith was also undergoing a lot of stress, his scholarship was not released for 7 months. He was the sole bread earner of his family," Mustafa told Karan Thapar. Former professor at Osmania University PL Vishweshwar Rao said that for the last 4-5 months Rohith and his friends were being harassed and humiliated. "What the Vice-Chancellor has been doing? In the last five years, several suicides have taken place in Hyderabad University campus. There is discrimination of the students," Rao said. The information, which comes from a person in China, indicate that Google will continue the trend of bringing two Nexus phones into the market. By Javed Anwer: Google is apparently working with HTC for this year's Nexus phones, says reports. The information, which comes from a person in China, indicates that Google will continue the trend of bringing two Nexus phones into the market. The company started this trend in 2015 when it launched the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P, unlike previous years when it came out with just one Nexus phone every year. However, the two Nexus model helps Google compete better, with one phone appealing to consumers who want a regular smartphone while the other targeted at people who like bigger screens. Apple and Samsung, two biggest smartphone companies in the world, follow the same model. While Apple sells the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus, Samsung relies on the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note phones. advertisement It has been rumoured that this year, Google would also scale back on the Nexus phones in terms of their size. The company, along with HTC, would probably make a 5-inch regular Nexus phone and 5.5-inch Nexus phablet. The smaller Nexus will be a successor to the Nexus 5X that has a screen size of the 5.2 inches and the bigger Nexus would replace the Nexus 6P, a phone with 5.7-inch screen size, in Google's product line-up. If the rumour comes true, it would gladden the hearts of many Nexus fans. Google started the Nexus programme in 2010 with HTC when it came out with the Nexus One. That phone, which for its time was an extremely good looking and polished device, is considered one of the best Nexus devices ever. Even though its availability was limited, the phone is regarded one of the iconic Android phones. While from the new Nexus phones, if at all HTC is making them, we can again expect some wonders in terms of design, something that would be in line with the legacy of the Nexus One, don't expect the microSD card to return to Nexus. The Nexus One, incidentally, is the only Nexus phone that came with support for microSD card slot. Google has done fairly well with its Nexus line of phones, although in the last couple of years the company has tried making them more mainstream, unlike in the past when these phones kind of served an example for other Android phone makers and were mostly targeted at developers and hobbyists. With the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, the company has also recovered well from the Nexus 6, a Motorola-made Nexus released in 2014. That phone had a 6-inch screen and a size that most users found too unwieldy. For now, we don't know anything more about this year's Nexus phones, although it is safe to assume that they would be powered by the next version of Android that would have a name starting with letter N. The Android N is likely to be announced at Google IO on May 18. In terms of hardware, we expect the new Nexus phones to follow the trend started by the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 6P. This means at least the bigger Nexus this year will pack in the top of the line processor -- likely to be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820, although it other components like camera and screen the hardware improvement are likely to be incremental because they are already very good in the Nexus 6P. You may also like to read: Nexus 5X Review: Return of the people's champion Nexus 6P Review: The best Android phone you can buy Chinese technology major Lenovo on Monday launched its ThinkServer brand in India aimed at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The launch of ThinkServer TS140, an entry-level tower server, and ThinkServer RD450-an entry level 2U rack server, is the first addition from the ThinkServer portfolio to the EBG server range for Lenovo in India, post their acquisition of IBM's x86 business in 2014, a company statement said. "We are extremely happy to be launching the first ThinkServer in India - a small step as we move towards becoming a market-leader in enterprise solutions by 2020," said Siddhesh Naik, director of enterprise business group at Lenovo, at the launch. "With ThinkServer TS140 and RD450 we aim to take the legendary Think engineering to new age Indian small businesses who are looking to build their first DIY server compute cluster, or a software defined storage cluster, or even managed service providers looking for a whisper-quiet machine," Naik added. ThinkServer TS140 is engineered to enable 24x7 running time. Additionally, the advanced thermal design also reduces overall system noise to super-quiet levels of close to 26 decibels. The model also supports enterprise grade hard disk drives that have 3x higher MTBFs and can handle up to 10 times the workload as compared to entry-level servers that come with consumer-grade hard drives. The ThinkServer RD450 strikes the perfect balance between high reliability, powerful software solutions and versatile storage capacity. The model comes with next generation mainstream CPUs up to 105W offering 267 percent more memory capacity, improved systems management capabilities and range of Platinum/Titanium PSUs. Users can benefit from increased performance, faster IO for business applications and highly efficient flexible design aimed at reducing power consumption and cost, the company said. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD? Through Repentance in the name of The LORD Jesus Christ, and thereby living in Truth; Righteousness; Holiness and complete Surrender to The LORD Jesus Christ. Living day by day while watching and waiting for the imminent return of The LORD Jesus Christ, the darling of heaven. That is the bride of Christ that Jesus Christ is coming to snatch and rescue to heaven. Investigative reporting from the inner city to Wall Street to the United Nations This is the blogspot version InnerCityPress.com Naftogaz expects to meet with Gazprom by end of January to discus new gas transit rates NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy expects to meet with Russia's OAO Gazprom by the end of January to discuss new gas transit rates in connection with the introduction of the new "ship-or-pay" rate formation principle in Ukraine from 2016, Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolev said. If the talks fail, the Ukrainian side may take the Russian company to court, Bloomberg quoted Kobolev who met with the press in Brussels on Monday. Kobolev assured that transit shipments of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine would remain stable and natural gas stocks in underground facilities were 20% up on the same date in 2015, as domestic consumption had declined. "We feel more at ease. We see no risks on our side," Bloomberg quoted Kobolev as saying. In his words, Naftogaz buys gas from those sellers who offer the best price, and Russian gas is much more expensive nowadays. He admitted that Naftogaz might start buying Russian gas again in case of long-lasting strong frosts, but, in his words, it is unlikely to happen in January. Yatseniuk, diplomatic envoys of Germany and France discuss how to bring peace to Donbas Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatseniuk met with German Chancellor's Diplomatic Adviser Christoph Heusgen and French President's Diplomatic Advisor Jacques Audibert to discuss the situation in the eastern part of Ukraine and the prospects for further cooperation with the European Union. "In a course of the talk the relevant issues of peaceful settlement [of the conflict] in certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and restoration of territorial integrity of Ukraine have been covered," a press service of Ukrainian government said following the results of the meeting. Besides, the interlocutors discussed certain aspects of cooperation between Ukraine and European Union and top priority tasks in the frames of Ukraine's integration into Europe. Ukrainian army reports 47 attacks on its positions in Donbas Ukrainian army strongholds in Donbas came under 47 attacks over the past day, the army operation press center wrote on Facebook on Tuesday morning. It said tensions persisted in the operation zone and attacks by use of mortars, grenade launchers and armored vehicles were observed. Ukrainian strongholds were shelled by small arms and grenade launchers near Maryinka, Pisky, Avdiyivka and the Butivka mine in the Donetsk sector. In the Mariupol sector, tensions escalated in Shyrokyne, and mortars, grenade launchers and small arms were fired on Ukrainian army positions. On Friday, January 22, at 14.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference on the results of the work of the International conference 'Monitoring the Challenges to Governing of Ukraine's Security and Defense Sector: Current Condition and Needs' which was organized by the Razumkov Center in cooperation with the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control over Armed Forces (DCAF) as part of a two-year project. The participants include D AF deputy director Philipp Fluri; co-director of foreign policy and international security programs at the Razumkov Center Oleksiy Melnyk (8/5A Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation. By Chris Smaje on 17 January 2016 for Small Farm Future - Veterans of this blog may recall that some time ago I had a fascinating discussion about the balance of nature with a curious fellow who turned out to be none other than the devil himself. Well, blow me if I didnt meet him again as I journeyed home from the Oxford Real Farming Conference. He was sitting in a shadowed corner of the train carriage, hunched over a thick pile of papers and books, but unmistakeably my old friend Nick. We had another very interesting conversation so I thought Id write it down as well as I can remember it and publish it here:Hello Nick! Long time no see(shielding his papers with his arms) Shhh! Dont let anyone know who I am.Oh, sorry. The devil in disguise, huh? What are you reading there?Nick: As a matter of fact Im looking at some very interesting findings, and between you and me I dont think youre going to like what they have to sayOh yes? How so?Well, it turns out that this local food thing that youre so into isnt all its cracked up to be.Is that so? Who says?Well, for starters theres this very interesting book by a chap called Leigh Phillips.Oh god.Look, I do read your blog, you know. I realise that youre not exactly Mr Phillips biggest fan. But its not just him. Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams (S&W) say much the same in this new book of theirs. And even someone that I know you rate very highly has written a sniffy article about local food.Who?(triumphantly) George Monbiot Oh god.(grinning malevolently) You see? Just admit it, youre onto a loser with this one.Look, George is a busy guy, he cant always get everything spot on. As to the othersWell, Im going to be publishing a critique of S&W soon, and Ive already done one (in fact, more than one ) for Leigh Phillips. Anyway, lets leave the personalities out of this. What are their actual arguments?(rubbing his hands together) I thought youd never ask. Lets get started with the concept of food miles. All the authors Ive mentioned point out some problems with it. Turns out that food grown locally may have acarbon footprint than food grown further afield for example tomatoes for the UK market grown in sunny Spain rather than in heated tunnels in the UK. What do you have to say aboutSince when did the devil care about carbon footprints Id have thought an overheated world would be right up your street?Thats not the point. Do I detect a bit of evasiveness here?No. Theyre right.You what? You agree with them?Yes.So you dont even support local food yourself then!Let me try to unpack this as succinctly as possible. If you tomato-pick particular examples such as, er, early tomatoes, then you can sometimes show that the non-local product has a lower impact than the local one. It may have other impacts that youre excluding from your analysis, such as the water issues involved in transporting watery tomatoes from arid Spain to rain-soaked Britain. But leaving that aside, yes if you feel the need to buy early season tomatoes in Britain in the supermarkets you may be better off getting Spanish ones. Favoured anti-localist examples like the tomato gambit aside, Im not convinced that the globalised food commodities in the average British shopping basketturn out better than their localised equivalents, but maybe they do.Localism, however, doesnt just mean buying local the point of it is that its aiming for aof the food system, a transformation of that basket, so that we move towards a situation in which people start eating mostly what their locales can actually provide at a sensible cost cost here being measured in carbon, in soil retention and other such environmental measures, as well as financially, and socially. The consumerist mindset expects to get whatever food your money will command from wherever in the world can produce it most cheaply, with any additional considerations such as carbon intensity factored in. If you accept its logic, then youll be wowed by figures like the relative carbon emissions of a kilo of British lamb versus a kilo of New Zealand lamb. But if you dont, youll be more interested in how much lamb your local agriculture can realistically and sustainably provide. The anti-localist might say A kilo of New Zealand lamb sold in Britain may be environmentally better than a kilo of British lamb sold here. The localist might reply Fewer kilos of more local, more carbon intensive lamb may be environmentally better than more kilos of non-local, less carbon intensive lamb. Substantial and sustainable local sufficiency is a long-term goal, though. More pressing currently is retaining small-scale and local agriculture in the first place, so that you have something to work with. Im inclined to think that thats more important at the moment than kilo for kilo, theoretical carbon audits of local and non-local products.Well, you say that but Monbiot points out that a kilo of lamb protein produced on a British hill farm can cause more carbon emissions than someone flying to New York. Thats a stunningly high carbon cost. And Phillips says that its better to import fresh granny smiths all the way from New Zealand during the English summer than keeping British ones in cold storageI think George is overreaching himself a little there those crazily high figures derive from an outlying datum on farm-level soil carbon. Soils have highly variable properties as sources or sinks for GHG emissions for reasons not directly related to how theyre farmed, so I dont think its really fair to say that upland British lamb is always worse than lamb from elsewhere, or indeed from arable products. Saying the carbon cost of local food can be higher prompts the question of how often it actuallyAnd Leigh Phillips hmm, I think hed be better off wondering why theres been a massive diminution in apple varieties (such as long keepers) associated with the rise of the global food system, or even now heres a radical thought contemplating the possibility ofHa! Anybody would think youre opposed to the notion of consumer sovereignty.Yes I am, as elaborated in some detail in my writings. One advantage of localism is that it stops people from thinking and writing in terms of consumerisms generic we, replacing it with a more specific one. So its not where should we buy our apples from as some global supply-chain efficiency issue. Its where should we here in our town or village buy our apples from as part of our own self-provisioning. And if the answer is nowhere right now or nowhere very easily, because we live in a city of 30 million people it prompts a much more interesting and urgent set of questions about producer-consumer relations in the present political and environmental context.But the implication of all this is that a local food agenda involves a top to bottom overhaul of the entire political economy.Quite.Are you some kind of dangerous radical?Look whos talking.Keep me out of this. Anyway, S&W who, by the way, are radical leftists say that the problem with the local food idea is that it flattens the complexities its trying to resolve into a simplistic binary of local-global. The bigger question, they say, relates to the priorities we place on the types of food we produce, how that production is controlled, who consumes that food and at what cost.Yes, and those arethe questions raised in the local food movement. S&Ws critique is fatuous. Its like saying that the problem with leftism is that it flattens the complexities its trying to resolve into a simplistic binary of left-right. Leftism. Localism. Theyre just labels referencing diverse, dynamic and complicated movements. The point is that we localists cant see any plausible ways of tackling the profound problems we face in the contemporary world without a stronger turn to the local. S&W do have some interesting thoughts on this, and Ill say more about them in another post, but the idea that localism only amounts to minimising food miles or buying artisanal bread or whatever is sheer nonsense. It suggests to me that the likes of Phillips and S&W just havent bothered to do much proper research into the local food movement.OK, OK, but Phillips makes the interesting point that small-scale local production uses up more land than more technology-intensive agriculture because not every plot of land is equally well suited to all types of plant and animal. Thats got to be right regional specialisation surely makes sense?Phillips is mixing up a few different things here. The uses up more land point sounds like the land sharing/land sparing debate which I and many, many others have written extensively about. Im not going to dwell on it here, but much depends on what gross outputs the two agricultures produce, and also on whether using land for agriculture turns out to be the same as using up land. The other point about regional specialisation is more interesting. Of course its true that different locations are differentially suited to different products, and theres been agricultural specialisation for centuries (such as dairy on the claylands and arable on the chalklands in my neck of the woods chalk and cheese as they say). But specialisation operates at different spatial scales, and at larger ones it starts to get problematic. Some soils and climates are better than others for just about any crop, but beggars cant be choosers we cant grow everything the world needs in the Ukraine or central California. Sometimes land thats good enough to grow something is good enough. The real issue isnt soil quality, but the logic of capital, which forces farmers to try to economise in every conceivable way. Finding the optimum soil for the crop is only one such way. Finding cheap and pliant labour is another. Developing large diesel-hungry machines to substitute labour yet another. Often enough, you get all of those combined for example in East Anglian vegetable production, where vegetables are grown on deep, fertile, well-drained, stone-free soils, employing massive labour-saving and energy-hungry machinery and below-minimum-wage illegal workers furnished by criminal gangmasters. The soil I have isnt as good for growing veg on, or probably as good for growing anything on, and I cant produce vegetables as cheaply but I guarantee that I can produce them at a lower carbon cost and without criminal labour exploitation. Talk of optimising agricultural production on global scales is all very well, but under conditions of globalised capitalism what that amounts to is basically soil-eating, labour-eating, climate-eating lowest common denominator consumerism. Substituting local for global production doesnt necessarily overcome that in and of itself, but its a start. Localism negates the logic of unbridled capital accumulation.Maybe so, but local agriculture has its own problems, doesnt it? I mean, Phillips points out that customers of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) schemes complain about getting too many weird vegetables that they dont really know what to do with and end up wasting them. So local agriculture isnt necessarily very efficient, is it?Would this be the same Leigh Phillips who thinks that the Earth has a carrying capacity of a hundred quintillion people?YesAnd hes worrying that CSA schemes produce slightly more waste than conventional food systems?Yes(not answering)Youve gone all quiet. Are you all right?Sorry I was just rendered temporarily speechless.Nick: Here, sniff a bit of this brimstone.(gagging) Yuk thank you, thats better. OK, so heres the thing the difference between CSAs and mainstream retail isnt that the CSAs produce more waste but that the waste in the system is borne by the consumer who pays for it, and therefore notices it. Surely thats a good thing? There is literally no waste production on my farm. We sell what we can, and since our customers are resourceful types who know how to cook a twisty carrot we waste less on that front than the mainstream retailers. What we cant sell we try to eat ourselves. What we cant eat we try to feed to our livestock. What we cant feed to the livestock we compost to help restart the growing cycle. All Phillips is pointing to here is the fact that food waste in local production has more consumer visibility, rather than being hidden within a huge supply chain. And that people dont know how to make use of fresh, local vegetables. Thats supposed to be a problem?Fair enough. Still, there are some big kit technologies that people need which are never going to be furnished by all you silly little wannabe peasants. Take some of the GM technologies supported by Phillips, like releasing transgenic mosquitoes to tackle malariaIs this the same Leigh Phillips who emphasised conservation biologists inability to predict what would happen when a few wolves were released onto a small Canadian island?YesAnd he thinks its a good idea to release transgenic mosquitoes over vast stretches of malarial country?It would seem so, yes.(not answering)More brimstone?(gagging) Thank you.He mentions other food-related GM technologies too, and takes a well-aimed swipe at Seralinis laughably flawed glyphosate study. Anti-GM types love latching on to Seralini because hes a properly credentialed scientist who published in a credible journal. But his paper has now been retracted. In Phillips words, Pointing at Seralinis work and shouting Look! Science-y aint enough.Ive pretty much given up debating GM. One day the truth will out: I suspect that GM will have some kind of role to play once its been properly detached from corporate control probably one that will confound both its strongest critics and its strongest proponents. I also suspect that glyphosate will turn out to be quite dodgy. Meanwhile, it seems pretty clear to me that publication bias is in play, with findings uncongenial to the GM case receiving way, way more critical scrutiny than their pro-GM counterparts, both in the research community and in the shouty realm of the blogosphere where such self-appointed biostatistical experts as Marc Brazeau food writer, chef and trade union organiser like to hold forth. Im tempted to say that pointing at Seralinis work and shouting Look! Retracted! aint enough either. However useful GM techniques ultimately prove to be, Im not convinced that theyre a major point of economic transformation in the food system, which is still geared to the good harvest/bad return conundrum. Meanwhile, as Phillips himself concedes, were already starting to experience various social and agronomic problems with the current range of GM crops, such as the emergence of glyphosate-tolerant weedsAh well, Phillips covers that he points out that it can be tackled by various methods, including use of more locale-specific seedsHow do more locale-specific seeds make any difference to weed resistance if they have glyphosate-tolerance built in?He doesnt say.I dont suppose he would. Ach, Im done debating GM in general and Leigh Phillips take on the world in particular. Lifes too short to work my way through any more of his non-sequiturs and tendentious logic. Besides, Im nearly at my station. Let me just summarise: we need to ditch the notions that food miles or the relative per kilo carbon intensity of given foods or the arguments in favour of so called land sparing exhaust the rationale for local food production. We need to ditch tendentious and evidence-free notions about CSAs creating food waste, and we need to give scientific research around GM crops at least oh, another century, Id say before anyones likely to be in a position to say anything with much confidence about them.Gosh, well youve certainly convinced me. From now on, I shall be mingling with the tattooed and bearded twelve dollar marmalade-smearing kale botherers down at my local farmers market.Youre just saying that, you old devil.No, honestlySo the farmers who live in your neck of the woods are they mostly small-scale, local operators or big agribusiness types?Big agribusiness types, on the whole.Ha! I rest my case. 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. East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 19 January, 2016: H.E. Moody Awori, Former Kenyan Vice President, presented Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera, EAC Secretary General, with the final observation report from the recently concluded Presidential and Parliamentary Elections held in Tanzania last year. The ceremony took place at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. While receiving the Report, the Secretary General thanked the Former Vice President for his leadership and commitment to the EAC Elections Observers Mission, adding that, the collaboration between the EAC and other stakeholders led to sustainable peace in the country. In October 2015, a 55-member team was deployed to Dar es Salaam to observe the countrys General Elections in both Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar. The Mission was drawn from different complementary disciplines that included members of the East African Legislative Assembly, as well as members of the National Assemblies Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, National Electoral Commissions, National Human Rights Commissions, Civil society organizations, and youth representatives from the EAC Youth Ambassadors Forum. I was very happy to observe the steadfastness, determination, patience and orderliness with which Tanzania conducted her General Elections, said H.E. Awori. These and many other positives that have also been highlighted in the report, can be used as benchmarks for which other countries can borrow good practices from, he said. The report consists of recommendations to streamline and improve the electoral process for future elections in Tanzania. H.E. Moody Awori, Former Kenyan Vice President (left), handing over the Tanzania 2015 General Elections Observation Report to his host Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera, EAC Secretary General in a handing-over ceremony recently held in Arusha Tanzania. [January 18, 2016] e3 Retail Announces Best Buy Deployment of e3 Retail's Next Generation Point of Service (POS) Software Focusing on Customer Experience, New EMV Compliance Requirements and Flexibility with ADVANTAGe POS e3 Retail announced today that Best Buy (News - Alert) completed its chain wide deployment of e3 Retail's new ADVANTAGe POS software within the first six months of 2015. The software was in place prior to the 2015 holiday shopping season in each of Best Buy's more than 1,400 stores in the U.S. e3 Retail's ADVANTAGe suite of enterprise retail software is an advanced solution designed for tomorrow's retail challenges and redefines the traditional approach to point of sale software. With ADVANTAGe POS, retailers can easily utilize multiple form factors - including mobile tablets, kiosk and traditional POS registers - for customer efficiency and checkout, eliminating the unnecessary cost and time to support similar functionality on multiple software platforms. In an ever-changing competitive retail market landscape, Best Buy is well positioned to move faster with the introduction of these and many other new capabilities into its stores. "e3 Retail is an important partner for us as we work to put the customer at the core of every process and every decision," said Joe McRae, Senior Director of Retail IT for Best Buy. "The POS solution was key to facilitating a poitive experience for our customers. Using a solid product together with incredibly knowledgeable teams produced a system that was simple and intuitive for our associates. e3 Retail brought both of these qualities to the table." ADVANTAGe POS is designed with the holistic store experience at its core. This is achieved by creating optimal experiences for both the associates and the customer. The intelligent user interface provides the associate with real-time information at the right time to impact the customer experience. To compliment the new POS system, Best Buy also invested in new touch-based flat-screen monitors. By enabling the touch screen interface, ADVANTAGe POS can be used throughout the store in order to significantly aid usability and speed. As a result, both the needed training time and overall transaction time decreased. The faster transaction times ran contrary to what many retailers experienced as a result of the new EMV compliance requirements. Best Buy is also leveraging e3 Retail's ADVANTAGe Enterprise Promotions Engine to deliver omni-channel pricing in real-time to systems requiring up to the minute pricing and offers. "e3 Retail's success is defined by our customers," said Ken Jenkins, President, CEO, e3 Retail. "We appreciate the confidence Best Buy has shown in e3 Retail. As Best Buy grows their business, e3 Retail can provide the company with a competitive advantage by bringing innovative technology solutions, project leadership and service wherever they are needed." About e3 Retail e3 Retail is a privately held company with offices in Raleigh, North Carolina; San Diego, California and New Delhi, India. With expertise in large-scale technology implementations, complex networks, systems architecture, industry consulting and innovative solutions, e3 Retail has provided its products and expertise to some of the leading companies in the world. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160118005608/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 19, 2016] Boutique Law Firm Launches; Larson O'Brien to Focus on High Stakes Trials and Appeals Eleven lawyers from the Los Angeles office of a national law firm have launched a litigation boutique based in Los Angeles -- Larson O'Brien LLP. The name partners are Stephen G. Larson, a former federal judge, and Robert C. O'Brien, former Arent Fox (News - Alert) LLP California Managing Partner. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005787/en/ Robert C. O'Brien (left) and Stephen G. Larson (right)(Photo: Business Wire) Larson O'Brien will focus on "complex litigation, internal investigations and white collar matters, arbitration and state and federal appellate work," said Larson. O'Brien said the firm will "handle high stakes trials and litigation when companies and individuals have critical issues on the line." Larson and O'Brien have a combined 50 years of trial experience on both sides of the bar. Larson adjudicated over a thousand cases as a U.S. Magistrate Judge and U.S. District Judge. e was designated to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on seven occasions. Prior to serving on the bench, he was the Chief of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, where he tried over 20 cases and argued more than 20 appeals. Since returning to private practice, Larson has emerged as one of California's "go to" trial lawyers for both civil and criminal matters. In the past two years, Larson has appeared before the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. At Arent Fox, he headed the firm's national litigation practice group, which he doubled in size. O'Brien has been handling high-profile cases in California and nationally throughout his career. He recently headed the internal investigation into Warren Capital Corporation, representing the receiver responsible for finding and returning millions of dollars to the company's investors. Last year, he was co-lead counsel for Timor-Leste in a multi-week Singapore-based arbitration against ConocoPhillips arising out of oil-and-gas lease tax disputes. O'Brien was the federal court-appointed discovery master in MGA v. Mattel, the "Barbie v. Bratz" case, and in United States v. S & P, a case that focused on the role of the rating agency during the mortgage crisis. He has served in senior foreign policy positions, including as a U.S. Representative at the United Nations. As California Managing Partner, he grew Arent Fox's Los Angeles office from 10 to 84 lawyers and opened its 20-lawyer San Francisco outpost. Larson and O'Brien will be joined by journalist-lawyer, Hugh Hewitt. Hewitt, one of the moderators in all three of CNN's GOP presidential debates this cycle, will provide both legal and crisis-management advice to firm clients. Like Larson and O'Brien, Hewitt is a former Senate-confirmed presidential appointee, having served as Deputy Director of the Office of Personnel Management in the Reagan Administration. Former Arent Fox partners Steve Bledsoe and Jon Phillips, both of whom started their careers at Kirkland & Ellis in Los Angeles, will also be partners in the new firm. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerry Behnke and Melissa Meister, a counsel and associate at Arent Fox, and associates R.C. Harlan, Paul Rigali, Steven Haskins and Emilie Zuccolotto have also signed on to the firm. Larson and O'Brien will continue to represent clients such as the Walt Disney (News - Alert) Company, 21st Century Fox, F. Korbel & Brothers Champagne Cellars, Trojan Battery Company, LSE-listed Green Dragon Gas, Riverside Mission Inn, Colonies Partners, Buzz Aldrin, Cooner Wire and various municipal entities at their new firm. www.larsonobrienlaw.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005787/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] by Makoto YukimuraMy rating: 5 of 5 starsHardcover, 400 pagesPublished December 29th 2015 by Kodansha Comics Source: review copy from Random Penguin House Canada Vinland Saga (#7)Nothing can compare with this manga series. An epic historical tale of the Vikings. Book Seven sees King Canute's battle and capture of the Ketil Farm as he seeks revenge. This is a fierce, violent, bloody battle. Very realistic historically. This volume brings a brutal death to a beloved character which shocked me. Thorsfinn has been free to escape but he's honour bound to settle his dues with Canute before he does so. Thorsfinn has become such a complicated, mature character now and he's ready to go back to Iceland. But it isn't exactly as he may have imagined returning a full grown man to a home he left when was only six years old now. An emotional and intense volume. This is a way for me to immediately let you know what has arrived on a weekly basis. I will be posting all new guitars first on this blog with links to Flickr and pricing. They go on my website soon after if I did not sell it directly as a result of someone seeing it on this blog first. It usually takes about a week for a guitar to go from blog to website. Please direct inquiries about buying guitars you see on this blog to my email or phone. I've sold hundreds of guitars from the blog that have never made it to my website or the "sold guitars" pages on the website. If you see something you are interested in, email or call. Whomever asks about a particular guitar gets the first refusal on the guitar. You can subscribe to this blog so every time I post you get an email. That way you know the day anything new arrives. I'll likely be posting weekly, letting you know what's up in the lefty guitar world (or my little corner of it anyway). Years ago there was some reservations expressed about accepting Irish Catholics into this country, some saying that a Catholic President would be beholden to the Vatican. This nation has accepted Italians, Poles, Germans, Greeks, and people of many nationalities over the years, and all were accepted by a few Americans with some degree of apprehension that later dissolved. For example, Germans who migrated to the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century and later, were suspected, in some quarters, of being the secret agents of Kaiser Wilhelm and later, Adolph Hitler. However, over time, all these people assimilated into the general populous and became respected citizens. We have generally accepted people of every religion. Catholics, Protestants of differing denominations, Mormons, Jews, the Eastern religions and devout atheists as well. None of these, even those having no spiritual sensitivity whatever, had any intention of overthrowing the U.S. government and setting up their own Theocracy. Brigham Young being the exception, but his plans never came to fruition. Our nation, and its Constitution, has always exhibited a respect for religious freedom, and for that reason, and by that means, Islam has taken full advantage of our country. Islam is a horse of a different color. Islam is unique to America, in that Muslims, even over generations, do not assimilate into the population. They tend to live in tightly knit ghettos, such as those in Dearborn, Michigan, Minneapolis Minnesota and elsewhere. Islam alone, in their Koran, has a mission statement that commands everyones conversion to Islam or death, unlike ANY other religion. Many U.S. Mosques were funded and staffed by oil rich Saudi Arabia. Too many have become breeding grounds for radical Islamic jihad. There is much fear being expressed by many of us as to bringing in a new generation of Muslims into the country, just one of whom may be a terrorist. I believe our apprehension is well founded. We have all the terrorists we need. Jack Pierce, Mattoon The views expressed on this personal blog are my own personal views and are not made in any professional capacity and do not reflect that of any organization I am associated with nor other members of my family. (There is a link to my professional blog below) If you believe you have the sole right to any picture or writings posted here please advise and I will remove it. Plan International Call for Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH) Experts Plan International is a global organization that works side by side with communities in 50 developing countries to end the cycle of poverty for children and their families. Plan works at the community level to develop customized solutions and ensure long-term sustainability. Our solutions are designed up-front to be owned by communities and range from clean water and healthcare programs to education projects, economic empowerment, child protection initiatives and youth civic engagement. Across program areas, Plans activities are guided by a Child-Centered Community Development (CCCD) approach, which is rights-based, holistic, gender-sensitive, and inclusive. Plan International is seeking expressions of interest from motivated and talented senior-level Water Supply and Sanitation Experts for an anticipated three to five year project Transform: WASH in Ethiopia. Highly qualified professionals with extensive experience in Water Supply and Sanitation development projects funded by USAID/USDOL or other bilateral donors are encouraged to apply for either long or short term technical assistance positions. Plan is an Equal Opportunity Employer and as such qualified female candidates are highly encouraged to apply. Further, qualified Ethiopian nationals, including those living in the diaspora, are highly encouraged to apply. To apply please submit a cover letter, USAID 1420 biodata form, and resume in English to https://plan-international.org/about-us/careers-plan-international. Applicants who fail to meet the application criteria may be disqualified. The deadline for applications is January 29th, 2016. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Term of Employment: Project Based Duty Station(s): Amhara- Bahir Dar Required Number: One Salary & Benefits: Competitive Application Deadline: January 31, 2016 BACKGROUND: The Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) has been established by the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to identify and address systemic bottlenecks to Ethiopias agricultural development. The Agency does this through problem-solving, implementation support, and capacity building of stakeholders involved in implementation of interventions that address the systemic bottlenecks. The Agency reports to a Transformation Council chaired by the Prime Minister and whose co-chair is the Minister of Agriculture. The programmatic focus of the Agency responds to a core set of needs identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Transformation Council. Within the Agency, issues are divided into three different groups: Production and Productivity which includes Inputs and Crop Protection, Livestock, Research and Extension, Mechanization and Rural Finance; Agribusiness and Markets including Market Support Services, Commercial Farming, Agro-processing & Market Development, and Cooperatives Development; and Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive Agricultural Growth including Natural Resource Management, Sustainable Land Management, Gender Equality and Nutrition, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, and Planning and MLE. Across the programs, the ATA engages public, private and non-governmental stakeholders to support strategic planning, manage and strengthen implementation capacity and test innovative models. Our Culture We have an exceptional team of employees with a proven track record of success in managing complex activities and achieving transformational results. Our culture is one where talented individuals are committed to doing their best and work together to achieve excellent results. At ATA, we provide an exceptional platform for people who want to achieve their highest potential and make a meaningful contribution in changing the countrys agricultural sector. We offer rewarding work in a young, fast-paced growing organization with passionate, motivated colleagues and excellent career development and training. We recognize our most valuable assets are our people and are committed to providing our employees with the tools and training necessary to achieve their career goals. POSITION SUMMARY: ATA, in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Bureau of Agriculture, USAID and CNFA, is implementing a three-year Feed the Future Ethiopia Commercial Farm Services Project. The objective of this project is to improve smallholder productivity, food security and incomes through the development of sustainable private sector driven agricultural input supply and services by creating 20 new Farm Service Centers (FSCs) throughout Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and SNNP Regions. These FSCs will serve as innovative and replicable private, retail input supply and farm service businesses model for scaling up private farm supply and service networks in Ethiopia and throughout Africa. Working under the supervision of the Project Lead, the Regional Project Officer (PO) will work on all aspects of promoting the FSC opportunity, identification of potential FSCs, and assessment of inputs demand and supply in selected potential areas, business management counseling, clear guidance on development and implementation of presentable accounting systems, business development initiatives at the FSCs. In collaboration with the Senior Project Officer (SPO) at the Head Office, the PO will provide guidance on Business Plans preparation by candidate FSCs in the course of grant application processes. The PO will be a key player in providing all aspects of business management capabilities to candidate FSCs through business profitability assessment and analysis. In collaboration with SPO at the Head Office, s/he will provide periodic and need based business management skill enhancing trainings; grant utilization and reporting in compliance with USAID policies to FSC staff. The PO will seek, guide & recommend on alternative access to credit financing to the FSC. As a multi-faceted position, the PO will review & monitor clients accounting reports, business performance progress & provide timely technical support wherever necessary. ESSENTIAL DUTIES: The specific duties of the PO will include the following: a) Promote the FSC opportunity to potential private sector actors in potential areas b) Gather, compile and provide information for evaluation of FSC grant applicants, including performance of documentary and in-person due diligence of the applicants historical financial records; c) Assist FSC grantees to access trade credit and commercial finance, to help meet their matching investment requirements and project implementation costs; d) Provide capacity building on financial management and business planning to FSC staff and program beneficiaries over the life of the project; e) Coordinate regional staff, project report and overall communication f) Produce timely and quality periodic reports; g) Other duties assigned to him/her by the Regional Project Manager. Tuesday, January 19, 2016 Starting Gate For '16 Session: Uncertainty Over Licenses, Martinez's New Challenges, Major Move On Bail Bond Amendment, The Budget Fantasy And Still Tracking Torraco Gov. Martinez & Leader Sanchez The most asked question about the 2016 legislative session kicking off today is whether there will be a deal on driver's licenses. This one looks like a jump ball that could fall either way. The one man in the state who may have a pretty good idea on what is going to happen isn't talking. That's Michael Sanchez, the often inscrutable Senate majority leader who each year seems to get better at keeping his playing cards to himself. He is more than ever the man to watch this session as the Republicans make a long shot play to take over Sanchez's beloved 42 member chamber at the ballot box this year. The R's are going to want votes on every imaginable tough on crime bill they can get so in the campaign they can frame the Dems as weak in the knees. The majority leader will have to be mindful of that booby trap at every turn. . . The Governor will give her sixth state of the state address at the opening of today's session. It's too early to look past her and to the next governor who we'll elect in 2018. But Martinez's true colors are now well-known, especially after the pizza party gone wrong, and that is sure to impact our politics. That aforementioned GOP takeover attempt of the Senate looks more doubtful. The ability of Martinez and her political machine to get voters blood boiling is diminished. She is shackled by her new, less serious image crafted in those fateful early morning hours in December at the Eldorado Hotel. And the shadow of the federal grand jury investigation over her "Shadow Governor" Jay McCleskey is also buoying the Democrats who have often acted like willing hostages since her advent in 2011. And then there's the usual second term creepy crawlers beginning to surface from under the capitol carpets. That's a whole lot of worry on her plate. It makes holding on to what you have suddenly more critical than what you would like to add. DOA Things that appear dead on arrival at this session: ABQ Mayor Berry's double-dipping bill to bail him out of his police officer shortage, an independent ethics commission and the third grade retention bill (again). BONDING OUT Rep. Adkins Here's a little blog exclusive for you Roundhouse residents that's sure to shake the place up. From an insider: Joe, Wall leaners tell me that freshman GOP Rep. David Adkins of Albuquerque will introduce a bipartisan and clean bail bond constitutional amendment that nearly mirrors Democratic Sen. Peter Wirths bill to give judges the ability to hold dangerous criminals without bail. Thats it. Adkins bill does not include the controversial and potentially poison pill section of Sen. Wirths bill that ties the ability to make bail to income. The thought is that nearly everyone under the sun supports the judges ability to hold bad criminals. That portion needs to be in a clean bill to insure its passage and ultimate vote of the people in November 2016. The other part, they argue, can be dealt with by statute, if the Legislature wishes. It's going to be interesting to see how Senator Wirth and NM Supreme Court Justice Charles Daniels--a major advocate for the Wirth bill--reacts to the Adkins play. Let the legislative intrigue begin. FANTASY LAND As for job one in Santa Fe, getting a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, Dem State Senator John Sapien Sapien called the $232 million fantasy land, adding, Were more than likely going to be at $35 million to $40 million (in new money), if any at all. The oil price crash is what Sapien is talking about and its impact on the $6.5 billion budget. We're now in the $29 area for a barrel of the black gold. That spells more red ink for Santa Fe, if it stays in the cellar. NARRATIVE GRAB In a political environment dominated by austerity hawks, the fight to reclaim the political narrative and place the state's social conditions crisis front and center has been uphill. But the bad news isn't going away. Today this news is released: . . . The state now has the highest rate of child poverty in the nation, according to the 2015 New Mexico KIDS COUNT report. While child poverty is down slightlyfrom 31 percent in 2013 to 30 percent in 2014other states have seen bigger improvements in child poverty, leaving New Mexico dead last in this indicator. The 2015 New Mexico KIDS COUNT data book--released every year on the first day of the legislative session--tracks the same 16 indicators of child well-being that are used to rank the 50 states. New Mexico ranks 49th in child well-being. The annual state rankings are part of the national KIDS COUNT program run by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. That child poverty rate is highlighted in those attention getting TV spots from CHI St Joseph's Children that parodied the state's "NM True" tourism campaign and drew intense criticism from the Martinez administration. It threatened legal action over the ads. That threat is fizzling. The ABQ Journal, which at first rejected $14,000 for the ads, has now relented and will run them. KOAT-TV was the lone TV station to reject the ads because of possible copyright infringement. Numerous attorneys weighed in here debunking the argument that the NM Truth campaign was a violation of copyright. Meantime, the Santa Fe New Mexican came with . . . The clever New Mexico Truth campaign is determined to serve up truth, no matter how unpleasant the facts. And the truth is, children in New Mexico are suffering. By playing off the popular New Mexico True campaign. . . New Mexico Truth is generating controversy. Instead of displaying the states cultural sites or outdoor attractions, New Mexico Truth is taking beautiful images but pairing them with such unpalatable truths as New Mexico being 49th in child well-being. This is guerrilla marketing at its finest. Its garnered such attention that its backers might extend the campaign past its original three-week run. (Go to New Mexico Truth to judge the campaign for yourselves.) DUNN VS. O'NEILL Back on that topic of a GOP takeover attempt of the Senate, we're getting word that attorney Blair Dunn, son of State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, will make a play for the seat held by incumbent Dem Senator Bill O'Neill in ABQ's North Valley. That could be an intense battle. . . . And is GOP State Rep. TRACKING TORRACO Joe: I'm not running for Court of Appeals. I am seeking re-election for my Senate seat District 18. Okay, Lisa, but put please stay put for a while. You're making the Alligators following you pretty thirsty. FROM TEXAS We get this from a Republican reader on the passing of Royal trained hundreds of New Mexicans at the campaign schools he held in Austin. He never charged tuition for New Mexicans that attended. The New Mexico Republican Party would pay for airfare and lodging and Royal let the students in for free. Former NM GOP Chair Ramsay Gorham, ex-ABQ City Councilor Sally Mayer and even former State Sen. Rod Adair attended. Many New Mexicans who attended would like to know about his passing so I am asking you to post his obituary. THEY SAID IT From the Ive had lawmakers from both parties tell me they fear this upcoming session will be just as nasty as last year. But looking on the sunny side, itll only be half as long. The 2016 NM legislative session goes for 30 days. This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. ( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2016 The most asked question about the 2016 legislative session kicking off today is whether there will be a deal on driver's licenses. This one looks like a jump ball that could fall either way. The one man in the state who may have a pretty good idea on what is going to happen isn't talking. That's Michael Sanchez, the often inscrutable Senate majority leader who each year seems to get better at keeping his playing cards to himself.He is more than ever the man to watch this session as the Republicans make a long shot play to take over Sanchez's beloved 42 member chamber at the ballot box this year. The R's are going to want votes on every imaginable tough on crime bill they can get so in the campaign they can frame the Dems as weak in the knees. The majority leader will have to be mindful of that booby trap at every turn. . .The Governor will give her sixth state of the state address at the opening of today's session. It's too early to look past her and to the next governor who we'll elect in 2018. But Martinez's true colors are now well-known, especially after the pizza party gone wrong, and that is sure to impact our politics.That aforementioned GOP takeover attempt of the Senate looks more doubtful. The ability of Martinez and her political machine to get voters blood boiling is diminished. She is shackled by her new, less serious image crafted in those fateful early morning hours in December at the Eldorado Hotel. And the shadow of the federal grand jury investigation over her "Shadow Governor" Jay McCleskey is also buoying the Democrats who have often acted like willing hostages since her advent in 2011.And then there's the usual second term creepy crawlers beginning to surface from under the capitol carpets. That's a whole lot of worry on her plate. It makes holding on to what you have suddenly more critical than what you would like to add.Things that appear dead on arrival at this session: ABQ Mayor Berry's double-dipping bill to bail him out of his police officer shortage, an independent ethics commission and the third grade retention bill (again).Here's a little blog exclusive for you Roundhouse residents that's sure to shake the place up. From an insider:It's going to be interesting to see how Senator Wirth and NM Supreme Court Justice Charles Daniels--a major advocate for the Wirth bill--reacts to the Adkins play. Let the legislative intrigue begin.As for job one in Santa Fe, getting a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, Dem State Senator John Sapien says out loud what everyone is thinking:The oil price crash is what Sapien is talking about and its impact on the $6.5 billion budget. We're now in the $29 area for a barrel of the black gold. That spells more red ink for Santa Fe, if it stays in the cellar.In a political environment dominated by austerity hawks, the fight to reclaim the political narrative and place the state's social conditions crisis front and center has been uphill. But the bad news isn't going away. Today this news is released:That child poverty rate is highlighted in those attention getting TV spots from CHI St Joseph's Children that parodied the state's "NM True" tourism campaign and drew intense criticism from the Martinez administration. It threatened legal action over the ads. That threat is fizzling. The ABQ Journal, which at first rejected $14,000 for the ads, has now relented and will run them. KOAT-TV was the lone TV station to reject the ads because of possible copyright infringement. Numerous attorneys weighed in here debunking the argument that the NM Truth campaign was a violation of copyright.Meantime, the Santa Fe New Mexican came with a hearty editorial endorsement of the NM Truth ads:Back on that topic of a GOP takeover attempt of the Senate, we're getting word that attorney Blair Dunn, son of State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, will make a play for the seat held by incumbent Dem Senator Bill O'Neill in ABQ's North Valley. That could be an intense battle. . . .And is GOP State Rep. Dianne Hamilton of Silver City going to hang up her political spurs this year? That's what we're hearing. If so, the Dems will have a shot at a pick-up there. . . Tracking the political plans of ABQ GOP State Senator Lisa Torraco has been a walk on a very twisted trail. First, the Gators get word that Torraco was thinking of giving up her Senate seat, with Torraco knocking that down only for her to resurface as a candidate for the Court of Appeals. That word came from Bernalillo County GOP Chairman Frank Ruvolo (it is Frank not Roger as we erred yesterday) as well as several individuals who Torraco told. But now in a brief email Torraco has turned that off, saying:Okay, Lisa, but put please stay put for a while. You're making the Alligators following you pretty thirsty.We get this from a Republican reader on the passing of Royal Andrew Massett , 70, who has died in Laredo, TX and had ties to NM:From the media pit The 2016 NM legislative session goes for 30 days.This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Links HOME E-MAIL ME About Joe Google News Real Clear Politics Huffington Post Drudge Report The Politico New Mexico newspapers NM TV stations Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham NM Legislature Archives Select: 9/28/03 - 10/5/03 10/5/03 - 10/12/03 10/12/03 - 10/19/03 10/19/03 - 10/26/03 10/26/03 - 11/2/03 11/2/03 - 11/9/03 11/9/03 - 11/16/03 11/16/03 - 11/23/03 11/23/03 - 11/30/03 11/30/03 - 12/7/03 12/7/03 - 12/14/03 12/14/03 - 12/21/03 12/21/03 - 12/28/03 12/28/03 - 1/4/04 1/4/04 - 1/11/04 1/11/04 - 1/18/04 1/18/04 - 1/25/04 1/25/04 - 2/1/04 2/1/04 - 2/8/04 2/8/04 - 2/15/04 2/15/04 - 2/22/04 2/22/04 - 2/29/04 2/29/04 - 3/7/04 3/7/04 - 3/14/04 3/14/04 - 3/21/04 3/21/04 - 3/28/04 3/28/04 - 4/4/04 4/4/04 - 4/11/04 4/11/04 - 4/18/04 4/18/04 - 4/25/04 4/25/04 - 5/2/04 5/2/04 - 5/9/04 5/9/04 - 5/16/04 5/16/04 - 5/23/04 5/23/04 - 5/30/04 5/30/04 - 6/6/04 6/6/04 - 6/13/04 6/13/04 - 6/20/04 6/20/04 - 6/27/04 6/27/04 - 7/4/04 7/4/04 - 7/11/04 7/11/04 - 7/18/04 7/18/04 - 7/25/04 7/25/04 - 8/1/04 8/1/04 - 8/8/04 8/8/04 - 8/15/04 8/15/04 - 8/22/04 8/22/04 - 8/29/04 8/29/04 - 9/5/04 9/5/04 - 9/12/04 9/12/04 - 9/19/04 9/19/04 - 9/26/04 9/26/04 - 10/3/04 10/3/04 - 10/10/04 10/10/04 - 10/17/04 10/17/04 - 10/24/04 10/24/04 - 10/31/04 10/31/04 - 11/7/04 11/7/04 - 11/14/04 11/14/04 - 11/21/04 11/21/04 - 11/28/04 11/28/04 - 12/5/04 12/5/04 - 12/12/04 12/12/04 - 12/19/04 12/19/04 - 12/26/04 1/2/05 - 1/9/05 1/9/05 - 1/16/05 1/16/05 - 1/23/05 1/23/05 - 1/30/05 1/30/05 - 2/6/05 2/6/05 - 2/13/05 2/13/05 - 2/20/05 2/20/05 - 2/27/05 2/27/05 - 3/6/05 3/6/05 - 3/13/05 3/13/05 - 3/20/05 3/20/05 - 3/27/05 3/27/05 - 4/3/05 4/3/05 - 4/10/05 4/10/05 - 4/17/05 4/17/05 - 4/24/05 4/24/05 - 5/1/05 5/1/05 - 5/8/05 5/8/05 - 5/15/05 5/15/05 - 5/22/05 5/22/05 - 5/29/05 5/29/05 - 6/5/05 6/5/05 - 6/12/05 6/12/05 - 6/19/05 6/19/05 - 6/26/05 6/26/05 - 7/3/05 7/3/05 - 7/10/05 7/10/05 - 7/17/05 7/17/05 - 7/24/05 7/24/05 - 7/31/05 7/31/05 - 8/7/05 8/7/05 - 8/14/05 8/14/05 - 8/21/05 8/21/05 - 8/28/05 8/28/05 - 9/4/05 9/4/05 - 9/11/05 9/11/05 - 9/18/05 9/18/05 - 9/25/05 9/25/05 - 10/2/05 10/2/05 - 10/9/05 10/9/05 - 10/16/05 10/16/05 - 10/23/05 10/23/05 - 10/30/05 10/30/05 - 11/6/05 11/6/05 - 11/13/05 11/13/05 - 11/20/05 11/20/05 - 11/27/05 11/27/05 - 12/4/05 12/4/05 - 12/11/05 12/11/05 - 12/18/05 12/18/05 - 12/25/05 1/1/06 - 1/8/06 1/8/06 - 1/15/06 1/15/06 - 1/22/06 1/22/06 - 1/29/06 1/29/06 - 2/5/06 2/5/06 - 2/12/06 2/12/06 - 2/19/06 2/19/06 - 2/26/06 2/26/06 - 3/5/06 3/5/06 - 3/12/06 3/12/06 - 3/19/06 3/19/06 - 3/26/06 3/26/06 - 4/2/06 4/2/06 - 4/9/06 4/9/06 - 4/16/06 4/16/06 - 4/23/06 4/23/06 - 4/30/06 4/30/06 - 5/7/06 5/7/06 - 5/14/06 5/14/06 - 5/21/06 5/21/06 - 5/28/06 5/28/06 - 6/4/06 6/4/06 - 6/11/06 6/11/06 - 6/18/06 6/18/06 - 6/25/06 6/25/06 - 7/2/06 7/9/06 - 7/16/06 7/16/06 - 7/23/06 7/23/06 - 7/30/06 7/30/06 - 8/6/06 8/6/06 - 8/13/06 8/13/06 - 8/20/06 8/20/06 - 8/27/06 8/27/06 - 9/3/06 9/3/06 - 9/10/06 9/10/06 - 9/17/06 9/17/06 - 9/24/06 9/24/06 - 10/1/06 10/1/06 - 10/8/06 10/8/06 - 10/15/06 10/15/06 - 10/22/06 10/22/06 - 10/29/06 10/29/06 - 11/5/06 11/5/06 - 11/12/06 11/12/06 - 11/19/06 11/19/06 - 11/26/06 11/26/06 - 12/3/06 12/3/06 - 12/10/06 12/10/06 - 12/17/06 12/17/06 - 12/24/06 12/31/06 - 1/7/07 1/7/07 - 1/14/07 1/14/07 - 1/21/07 1/21/07 - 1/28/07 1/28/07 - 2/4/07 2/4/07 - 2/11/07 2/11/07 - 2/18/07 2/18/07 - 2/25/07 2/25/07 - 3/4/07 3/4/07 - 3/11/07 3/11/07 - 3/18/07 3/18/07 - 3/25/07 3/25/07 - 4/1/07 4/1/07 - 4/8/07 4/8/07 - 4/15/07 4/15/07 - 4/22/07 4/22/07 - 4/29/07 4/29/07 - 5/6/07 5/6/07 - 5/13/07 5/13/07 - 5/20/07 5/20/07 - 5/27/07 5/27/07 - 6/3/07 6/3/07 - 6/10/07 6/10/07 - 6/17/07 6/17/07 - 6/24/07 6/24/07 - 7/1/07 7/1/07 - 7/8/07 7/8/07 - 7/15/07 7/15/07 - 7/22/07 7/22/07 - 7/29/07 7/29/07 - 8/5/07 8/5/07 - 8/12/07 8/12/07 - 8/19/07 8/19/07 - 8/26/07 8/26/07 - 9/2/07 9/2/07 - 9/9/07 9/9/07 - 9/16/07 9/16/07 - 9/23/07 9/23/07 - 9/30/07 9/30/07 - 10/7/07 10/7/07 - 10/14/07 10/14/07 - 10/21/07 10/21/07 - 10/28/07 10/28/07 - 11/4/07 11/4/07 - 11/11/07 11/11/07 - 11/18/07 11/18/07 - 11/25/07 11/25/07 - 12/2/07 12/2/07 - 12/9/07 12/9/07 - 12/16/07 12/16/07 - 12/23/07 12/23/07 - 12/30/07 12/30/07 - 1/6/08 1/6/08 - 1/13/08 1/13/08 - 1/20/08 1/20/08 - 1/27/08 1/27/08 - 2/3/08 2/3/08 - 2/10/08 2/10/08 - 2/17/08 2/17/08 - 2/24/08 2/24/08 - 3/2/08 3/2/08 - 3/9/08 3/9/08 - 3/16/08 3/16/08 - 3/23/08 3/23/08 - 3/30/08 3/30/08 - 4/6/08 4/6/08 - 4/13/08 4/13/08 - 4/20/08 4/20/08 - 4/27/08 4/27/08 - 5/4/08 5/4/08 - 5/11/08 5/11/08 - 5/18/08 5/18/08 - 5/25/08 5/25/08 - 6/1/08 6/1/08 - 6/8/08 6/8/08 - 6/15/08 6/15/08 - 6/22/08 6/22/08 - 6/29/08 6/29/08 - 7/6/08 7/6/08 - 7/13/08 7/13/08 - 7/20/08 7/20/08 - 7/27/08 7/27/08 - 8/3/08 8/3/08 - 8/10/08 8/10/08 - 8/17/08 8/17/08 - 8/24/08 8/24/08 - 8/31/08 8/31/08 - 9/7/08 9/7/08 - 9/14/08 9/14/08 - 9/21/08 9/21/08 - 9/28/08 9/28/08 - 10/5/08 10/5/08 - 10/12/08 10/12/08 - 10/19/08 10/19/08 - 10/26/08 10/26/08 - 11/2/08 11/2/08 - 11/9/08 11/9/08 - 11/16/08 11/16/08 - 11/23/08 11/23/08 - 11/30/08 11/30/08 - 12/7/08 12/7/08 - 12/14/08 12/14/08 - 12/21/08 12/21/08 - 12/28/08 12/28/08 - 1/4/09 1/4/09 - 1/11/09 1/11/09 - 1/18/09 1/18/09 - 1/25/09 1/25/09 - 2/1/09 2/1/09 - 2/8/09 2/8/09 - 2/15/09 2/15/09 - 2/22/09 2/22/09 - 3/1/09 3/1/09 - 3/8/09 3/8/09 - 3/15/09 3/15/09 - 3/22/09 3/22/09 - 3/29/09 3/29/09 - 4/5/09 4/5/09 - 4/12/09 4/12/09 - 4/19/09 4/19/09 - 4/26/09 4/26/09 - 5/3/09 5/3/09 - 5/10/09 5/10/09 - 5/17/09 5/17/09 - 5/24/09 5/24/09 - 5/31/09 5/31/09 - 6/7/09 6/7/09 - 6/14/09 6/14/09 - 6/21/09 6/21/09 - 6/28/09 6/28/09 - 7/5/09 7/5/09 - 7/12/09 7/12/09 - 7/19/09 7/19/09 - 7/26/09 7/26/09 - 8/2/09 8/2/09 - 8/9/09 8/9/09 - 8/16/09 8/16/09 - 8/23/09 8/23/09 - 8/30/09 8/30/09 - 9/6/09 9/6/09 - 9/13/09 9/13/09 - 9/20/09 9/20/09 - 9/27/09 9/27/09 - 10/4/09 10/4/09 - 10/11/09 10/11/09 - 10/18/09 10/18/09 - 10/25/09 10/25/09 - 11/1/09 11/1/09 - 11/8/09 11/8/09 - 11/15/09 11/15/09 - 11/22/09 11/22/09 - 11/29/09 11/29/09 - 12/6/09 12/6/09 - 12/13/09 12/13/09 - 12/20/09 12/20/09 - 12/27/09 12/27/09 - 1/3/10 1/3/10 - 1/10/10 1/10/10 - 1/17/10 1/17/10 - 1/24/10 1/24/10 - 1/31/10 1/31/10 - 2/7/10 2/7/10 - 2/14/10 2/14/10 - 2/21/10 2/21/10 - 2/28/10 2/28/10 - 3/7/10 3/7/10 - 3/14/10 3/14/10 - 3/21/10 3/21/10 - 3/28/10 3/28/10 - 4/4/10 4/4/10 - 4/11/10 4/11/10 - 4/18/10 4/18/10 - 4/25/10 4/25/10 - 5/2/10 5/2/10 - 5/9/10 5/9/10 - 5/16/10 5/16/10 - 5/23/10 5/23/10 - 5/30/10 5/30/10 - 6/6/10 6/6/10 - 6/13/10 6/13/10 - 6/20/10 6/20/10 - 6/27/10 6/27/10 - 7/4/10 7/4/10 - 7/11/10 7/11/10 - 7/18/10 7/18/10 - 7/25/10 7/25/10 - 8/1/10 8/1/10 - 8/8/10 8/8/10 - 8/15/10 8/15/10 - 8/22/10 8/22/10 - 8/29/10 8/29/10 - 9/5/10 9/5/10 - 9/12/10 9/12/10 - 9/19/10 9/19/10 - 9/26/10 9/26/10 - 10/3/10 10/3/10 - 10/10/10 10/10/10 - 10/17/10 10/17/10 - 10/24/10 10/24/10 - 10/31/10 10/31/10 - 11/7/10 11/7/10 - 11/14/10 11/14/10 - 11/21/10 11/21/10 - 11/28/10 11/28/10 - 12/5/10 12/5/10 - 12/12/10 12/12/10 - 12/19/10 12/19/10 - 12/26/10 12/26/10 - 1/2/11 1/2/11 - 1/9/11 1/9/11 - 1/16/11 1/16/11 - 1/23/11 1/23/11 - 1/30/11 1/30/11 - 2/6/11 2/6/11 - 2/13/11 2/13/11 - 2/20/11 2/20/11 - 2/27/11 2/27/11 - 3/6/11 3/6/11 - 3/13/11 3/13/11 - 3/20/11 3/20/11 - 3/27/11 3/27/11 - 4/3/11 4/3/11 - 4/10/11 4/10/11 - 4/17/11 4/17/11 - 4/24/11 4/24/11 - 5/1/11 5/1/11 - 5/8/11 5/8/11 - 5/15/11 5/15/11 - 5/22/11 5/22/11 - 5/29/11 5/29/11 - 6/5/11 6/5/11 - 6/12/11 6/12/11 - 6/19/11 6/19/11 - 6/26/11 6/26/11 - 7/3/11 7/3/11 - 7/10/11 7/10/11 - 7/17/11 7/17/11 - 7/24/11 7/24/11 - 7/31/11 7/31/11 - 8/7/11 8/7/11 - 8/14/11 8/14/11 - 8/21/11 8/21/11 - 8/28/11 8/28/11 - 9/4/11 9/4/11 - 9/11/11 9/11/11 - 9/18/11 9/18/11 - 9/25/11 9/25/11 - 10/2/11 10/2/11 - 10/9/11 10/9/11 - 10/16/11 10/16/11 - 10/23/11 10/23/11 - 10/30/11 10/30/11 - 11/6/11 11/6/11 - 11/13/11 11/13/11 - 11/20/11 11/20/11 - 11/27/11 11/27/11 - 12/4/11 12/4/11 - 12/11/11 12/11/11 - 12/18/11 12/18/11 - 12/25/11 12/25/11 - 1/1/12 1/1/12 - 1/8/12 1/8/12 - 1/15/12 1/15/12 - 1/22/12 1/22/12 - 1/29/12 1/29/12 - 2/5/12 2/5/12 - 2/12/12 2/12/12 - 2/19/12 2/19/12 - 2/26/12 2/26/12 - 3/4/12 3/4/12 - 3/11/12 3/11/12 - 3/18/12 3/18/12 - 3/25/12 3/25/12 - 4/1/12 4/1/12 - 4/8/12 4/8/12 - 4/15/12 4/15/12 - 4/22/12 4/22/12 - 4/29/12 4/29/12 - 5/6/12 5/6/12 - 5/13/12 5/13/12 - 5/20/12 5/20/12 - 5/27/12 5/27/12 - 6/3/12 6/3/12 - 6/10/12 6/10/12 - 6/17/12 6/17/12 - 6/24/12 6/24/12 - 7/1/12 7/1/12 - 7/8/12 7/8/12 - 7/15/12 7/15/12 - 7/22/12 7/22/12 - 7/29/12 7/29/12 - 8/5/12 8/5/12 - 8/12/12 8/12/12 - 8/19/12 8/19/12 - 8/26/12 8/26/12 - 9/2/12 9/2/12 - 9/9/12 9/9/12 - 9/16/12 9/16/12 - 9/23/12 9/23/12 - 9/30/12 9/30/12 - 10/7/12 10/7/12 - 10/14/12 10/14/12 - 10/21/12 10/21/12 - 10/28/12 10/28/12 - 11/4/12 11/4/12 - 11/11/12 11/11/12 - 11/18/12 11/18/12 - 11/25/12 11/25/12 - 12/2/12 12/2/12 - 12/9/12 12/9/12 - 12/16/12 12/16/12 - 12/23/12 12/23/12 - 12/30/12 12/30/12 - 1/6/13 1/6/13 - 1/13/13 1/13/13 - 1/20/13 1/20/13 - 1/27/13 1/27/13 - 2/3/13 2/3/13 - 2/10/13 2/10/13 - 2/17/13 2/17/13 - 2/24/13 2/24/13 - 3/3/13 3/3/13 - 3/10/13 3/10/13 - 3/17/13 3/17/13 - 3/24/13 3/24/13 - 3/31/13 3/31/13 - 4/7/13 4/7/13 - 4/14/13 4/14/13 - 4/21/13 4/21/13 - 4/28/13 4/28/13 - 5/5/13 5/5/13 - 5/12/13 5/12/13 - 5/19/13 5/19/13 - 5/26/13 5/26/13 - 6/2/13 6/2/13 - 6/9/13 6/9/13 - 6/16/13 6/16/13 - 6/23/13 6/23/13 - 6/30/13 6/30/13 - 7/7/13 7/7/13 - 7/14/13 7/14/13 - 7/21/13 7/21/13 - 7/28/13 7/28/13 - 8/4/13 8/4/13 - 8/11/13 8/11/13 - 8/18/13 8/18/13 - 8/25/13 8/25/13 - 9/1/13 9/1/13 - 9/8/13 9/8/13 - 9/15/13 9/15/13 - 9/22/13 9/22/13 - 9/29/13 9/29/13 - 10/6/13 10/6/13 - 10/13/13 10/13/13 - 10/20/13 10/20/13 - 10/27/13 10/27/13 - 11/3/13 11/3/13 - 11/10/13 11/10/13 - 11/17/13 11/17/13 - 11/24/13 11/24/13 - 12/1/13 12/1/13 - 12/8/13 12/8/13 - 12/15/13 12/15/13 - 12/22/13 12/22/13 - 12/29/13 12/29/13 - 1/5/14 1/5/14 - 1/12/14 1/12/14 - 1/19/14 1/19/14 - 1/26/14 1/26/14 - 2/2/14 2/2/14 - 2/9/14 2/9/14 - 2/16/14 2/16/14 - 2/23/14 2/23/14 - 3/2/14 3/2/14 - 3/9/14 3/9/14 - 3/16/14 3/16/14 - 3/23/14 3/23/14 - 3/30/14 3/30/14 - 4/6/14 4/6/14 - 4/13/14 4/13/14 - 4/20/14 4/20/14 - 4/27/14 4/27/14 - 5/4/14 5/4/14 - 5/11/14 5/11/14 - 5/18/14 5/18/14 - 5/25/14 5/25/14 - 6/1/14 6/1/14 - 6/8/14 6/8/14 - 6/15/14 6/15/14 - 6/22/14 6/22/14 - 6/29/14 6/29/14 - 7/6/14 7/6/14 - 7/13/14 7/13/14 - 7/20/14 7/20/14 - 7/27/14 7/27/14 - 8/3/14 8/3/14 - 8/10/14 8/10/14 - 8/17/14 8/17/14 - 8/24/14 8/24/14 - 8/31/14 8/31/14 - 9/7/14 9/7/14 - 9/14/14 9/14/14 - 9/21/14 9/21/14 - 9/28/14 9/28/14 - 10/5/14 10/5/14 - 10/12/14 10/12/14 - 10/19/14 10/19/14 - 10/26/14 10/26/14 - 11/2/14 11/2/14 - 11/9/14 11/9/14 - 11/16/14 11/16/14 - 11/23/14 11/23/14 - 11/30/14 11/30/14 - 12/7/14 12/7/14 - 12/14/14 12/14/14 - 12/21/14 12/21/14 - 12/28/14 12/28/14 - 1/4/15 1/4/15 - 1/11/15 1/11/15 - 1/18/15 1/18/15 - 1/25/15 1/25/15 - 2/1/15 2/1/15 - 2/8/15 2/8/15 - 2/15/15 2/15/15 - 2/22/15 2/22/15 - 3/1/15 3/1/15 - 3/8/15 3/8/15 - 3/15/15 3/15/15 - 3/22/15 3/22/15 - 3/29/15 3/29/15 - 4/5/15 4/5/15 - 4/12/15 4/12/15 - 4/19/15 4/19/15 - 4/26/15 4/26/15 - 5/3/15 5/3/15 - 5/10/15 5/10/15 - 5/17/15 5/17/15 - 5/24/15 5/24/15 - 5/31/15 5/31/15 - 6/7/15 6/7/15 - 6/14/15 6/14/15 - 6/21/15 6/21/15 - 6/28/15 6/28/15 - 7/5/15 7/5/15 - 7/12/15 7/12/15 - 7/19/15 7/19/15 - 7/26/15 7/26/15 - 8/2/15 8/2/15 - 8/9/15 8/9/15 - 8/16/15 8/16/15 - 8/23/15 8/23/15 - 8/30/15 8/30/15 - 9/6/15 9/6/15 - 9/13/15 9/13/15 - 9/20/15 9/20/15 - 9/27/15 9/27/15 - 10/4/15 10/4/15 - 10/11/15 10/11/15 - 10/18/15 10/18/15 - 10/25/15 10/25/15 - 11/1/15 11/1/15 - 11/8/15 11/8/15 - 11/15/15 11/15/15 - 11/22/15 11/22/15 - 11/29/15 11/29/15 - 12/6/15 12/6/15 - 12/13/15 12/13/15 - 12/20/15 12/20/15 - 12/27/15 12/27/15 - 1/3/16 1/3/16 - 1/10/16 1/10/16 - 1/17/16 1/17/16 - 1/24/16 1/24/16 - 1/31/16 1/31/16 - 2/7/16 2/7/16 - 2/14/16 2/14/16 - 2/21/16 2/21/16 - 2/28/16 2/28/16 - 3/6/16 3/6/16 - 3/13/16 3/13/16 - 3/20/16 3/20/16 - 3/27/16 3/27/16 - 4/3/16 4/3/16 - 4/10/16 4/10/16 - 4/17/16 4/17/16 - 4/24/16 4/24/16 - 5/1/16 5/1/16 - 5/8/16 5/8/16 - 5/15/16 5/15/16 - 5/22/16 5/22/16 - 5/29/16 5/29/16 - 6/5/16 6/5/16 - 6/12/16 6/12/16 - 6/19/16 6/19/16 - 6/26/16 6/26/16 - 7/3/16 7/3/16 - 7/10/16 7/10/16 - 7/17/16 7/17/16 - 7/24/16 7/24/16 - 7/31/16 7/31/16 - 8/7/16 8/7/16 - 8/14/16 8/14/16 - 8/21/16 8/21/16 - 8/28/16 8/28/16 - 9/4/16 9/4/16 - 9/11/16 9/11/16 - 9/18/16 9/18/16 - 9/25/16 9/25/16 - 10/2/16 10/2/16 - 10/9/16 10/9/16 - 10/16/16 10/16/16 - 10/23/16 10/23/16 - 10/30/16 10/30/16 - 11/6/16 11/6/16 - 11/13/16 11/13/16 - 11/20/16 11/20/16 - 11/27/16 11/27/16 - 12/4/16 12/4/16 - 12/11/16 12/11/16 - 12/18/16 12/18/16 - 12/25/16 12/25/16 - 1/1/17 1/1/17 - 1/8/17 1/8/17 - 1/15/17 1/15/17 - 1/22/17 1/22/17 - 1/29/17 1/29/17 - 2/5/17 2/5/17 - 2/12/17 2/12/17 - 2/19/17 2/19/17 - 2/26/17 2/26/17 - 3/5/17 3/5/17 - 3/12/17 3/12/17 - 3/19/17 3/19/17 - 3/26/17 3/26/17 - 4/2/17 4/2/17 - 4/9/17 4/9/17 - 4/16/17 4/16/17 - 4/23/17 4/23/17 - 4/30/17 4/30/17 - 5/7/17 5/7/17 - 5/14/17 5/14/17 - 5/21/17 5/21/17 - 5/28/17 5/28/17 - 6/4/17 6/4/17 - 6/11/17 6/11/17 - 6/18/17 6/18/17 - 6/25/17 6/25/17 - 7/2/17 7/2/17 - 7/9/17 7/9/17 - 7/16/17 7/16/17 - 7/23/17 7/23/17 - 7/30/17 7/30/17 - 8/6/17 8/6/17 - 8/13/17 8/13/17 - 8/20/17 8/20/17 - 8/27/17 8/27/17 - 9/3/17 9/3/17 - 9/10/17 9/10/17 - 9/17/17 9/17/17 - 9/24/17 9/24/17 - 10/1/17 10/1/17 - 10/8/17 10/8/17 - 10/15/17 10/15/17 - 10/22/17 10/22/17 - 10/29/17 10/29/17 - 11/5/17 11/5/17 - 11/12/17 11/12/17 - 11/19/17 11/19/17 - 11/26/17 11/26/17 - 12/3/17 12/3/17 - 12/10/17 12/10/17 - 12/17/17 12/17/17 - 12/24/17 12/24/17 - 12/31/17 12/31/17 - 1/7/18 1/7/18 - 1/14/18 1/14/18 - 1/21/18 1/21/18 - 1/28/18 1/28/18 - 2/4/18 2/4/18 - 2/11/18 2/11/18 - 2/18/18 2/18/18 - 2/25/18 2/25/18 - 3/4/18 3/4/18 - 3/11/18 3/11/18 - 3/18/18 3/18/18 - 3/25/18 3/25/18 - 4/1/18 4/1/18 - 4/8/18 4/8/18 - 4/15/18 4/15/18 - 4/22/18 4/22/18 - 4/29/18 4/29/18 - 5/6/18 5/6/18 - 5/13/18 5/13/18 - 5/20/18 5/20/18 - 5/27/18 5/27/18 - 6/3/18 6/3/18 - 6/10/18 6/10/18 - 6/17/18 6/17/18 - 6/24/18 6/24/18 - 7/1/18 7/1/18 - 7/8/18 7/8/18 - 7/15/18 7/15/18 - 7/22/18 7/22/18 - 7/29/18 7/29/18 - 8/5/18 8/5/18 - 8/12/18 8/12/18 - 8/19/18 8/19/18 - 8/26/18 8/26/18 - 9/2/18 9/2/18 - 9/9/18 9/9/18 - 9/16/18 9/16/18 - 9/23/18 9/23/18 - 9/30/18 9/30/18 - 10/7/18 10/7/18 - 10/14/18 10/14/18 - 10/21/18 10/21/18 - 10/28/18 10/28/18 - 11/4/18 11/4/18 - 11/11/18 11/11/18 - 11/18/18 11/18/18 - 11/25/18 11/25/18 - 12/2/18 12/2/18 - 12/9/18 12/9/18 - 12/16/18 12/16/18 - 12/23/18 12/23/18 - 12/30/18 12/30/18 - 1/6/19 1/6/19 - 1/13/19 1/13/19 - 1/20/19 1/20/19 - 1/27/19 1/27/19 - 2/3/19 2/3/19 - 2/10/19 2/10/19 - 2/17/19 2/17/19 - 2/24/19 2/24/19 - 3/3/19 3/3/19 - 3/10/19 3/10/19 - 3/17/19 3/17/19 - 3/24/19 3/24/19 - 3/31/19 3/31/19 - 4/7/19 4/7/19 - 4/14/19 4/14/19 - 4/21/19 4/21/19 - 4/28/19 4/28/19 - 5/5/19 5/5/19 - 5/12/19 5/12/19 - 5/19/19 5/19/19 - 5/26/19 5/26/19 - 6/2/19 6/2/19 - 6/9/19 6/9/19 - 6/16/19 6/16/19 - 6/23/19 6/23/19 - 6/30/19 6/30/19 - 7/7/19 7/7/19 - 7/14/19 7/14/19 - 7/21/19 7/21/19 - 7/28/19 7/28/19 - 8/4/19 8/4/19 - 8/11/19 8/11/19 - 8/18/19 8/18/19 - 8/25/19 8/25/19 - 9/1/19 9/1/19 - 9/8/19 9/8/19 - 9/15/19 9/15/19 - 9/22/19 9/22/19 - 9/29/19 9/29/19 - 10/6/19 10/6/19 - 10/13/19 10/13/19 - 10/20/19 10/20/19 - 10/27/19 10/27/19 - 11/3/19 11/3/19 - 11/10/19 11/10/19 - 11/17/19 11/17/19 - 11/24/19 11/24/19 - 12/1/19 12/1/19 - 12/8/19 12/8/19 - 12/15/19 12/15/19 - 12/22/19 12/22/19 - 12/29/19 12/29/19 - 1/5/20 1/5/20 - 1/12/20 1/12/20 - 1/19/20 1/19/20 - 1/26/20 1/26/20 - 2/2/20 2/2/20 - 2/9/20 2/9/20 - 2/16/20 2/16/20 - 2/23/20 2/23/20 - 3/1/20 3/1/20 - 3/8/20 3/8/20 - 3/15/20 3/15/20 - 3/22/20 3/22/20 - 3/29/20 3/29/20 - 4/5/20 4/5/20 - 4/12/20 4/12/20 - 4/19/20 4/19/20 - 4/26/20 4/26/20 - 5/3/20 5/3/20 - 5/10/20 5/10/20 - 5/17/20 5/17/20 - 5/24/20 5/24/20 - 5/31/20 5/31/20 - 6/7/20 6/7/20 - 6/14/20 6/14/20 - 6/21/20 6/21/20 - 6/28/20 6/28/20 - 7/5/20 7/5/20 - 7/12/20 7/12/20 - 7/19/20 7/19/20 - 7/26/20 7/26/20 - 8/2/20 8/2/20 - 8/9/20 8/9/20 - 8/16/20 8/16/20 - 8/23/20 8/23/20 - 8/30/20 8/30/20 - 9/6/20 9/6/20 - 9/13/20 9/13/20 - 9/20/20 9/20/20 - 9/27/20 9/27/20 - 10/4/20 10/4/20 - 10/11/20 10/11/20 - 10/18/20 10/18/20 - 10/25/20 10/25/20 - 11/1/20 11/1/20 - 11/8/20 11/8/20 - 11/15/20 11/15/20 - 11/22/20 11/22/20 - 11/29/20 11/29/20 - 12/6/20 12/6/20 - 12/13/20 12/13/20 - 12/20/20 12/20/20 - 12/27/20 1/3/21 - 1/10/21 1/10/21 - 1/17/21 1/17/21 - 1/24/21 1/24/21 - 1/31/21 1/31/21 - 2/7/21 2/7/21 - 2/14/21 2/14/21 - 2/21/21 2/21/21 - 2/28/21 2/28/21 - 3/7/21 3/7/21 - 3/14/21 3/14/21 - 3/21/21 3/21/21 - 3/28/21 3/28/21 - 4/4/21 4/4/21 - 4/11/21 4/11/21 - 4/18/21 4/18/21 - 4/25/21 4/25/21 - 5/2/21 5/2/21 - 5/9/21 5/9/21 - 5/16/21 5/16/21 - 5/23/21 5/23/21 - 5/30/21 5/30/21 - 6/6/21 6/6/21 - 6/13/21 6/13/21 - 6/20/21 6/20/21 - 6/27/21 6/27/21 - 7/4/21 7/4/21 - 7/11/21 7/11/21 - 7/18/21 7/18/21 - 7/25/21 7/25/21 - 8/1/21 8/1/21 - 8/8/21 8/8/21 - 8/15/21 8/15/21 - 8/22/21 8/22/21 - 8/29/21 8/29/21 - 9/5/21 9/5/21 - 9/12/21 9/12/21 - 9/19/21 9/19/21 - 9/26/21 9/26/21 - 10/3/21 10/3/21 - 10/10/21 10/10/21 - 10/17/21 10/17/21 - 10/24/21 10/24/21 - 10/31/21 10/31/21 - 11/7/21 11/7/21 - 11/14/21 11/14/21 - 11/21/21 11/21/21 - 11/28/21 11/28/21 - 12/5/21 12/5/21 - 12/12/21 12/12/21 - 12/19/21 12/19/21 - 12/26/21 1/2/22 - 1/9/22 1/9/22 - 1/16/22 1/16/22 - 1/23/22 1/23/22 - 1/30/22 1/30/22 - 2/6/22 2/6/22 - 2/13/22 2/13/22 - 2/20/22 2/20/22 - 2/27/22 2/27/22 - 3/6/22 3/6/22 - 3/13/22 3/13/22 - 3/20/22 3/20/22 - 3/27/22 3/27/22 - 4/3/22 4/3/22 - 4/10/22 4/10/22 - 4/17/22 4/17/22 - 4/24/22 4/24/22 - 5/1/22 5/1/22 - 5/8/22 5/8/22 - 5/15/22 5/15/22 - 5/22/22 5/22/22 - 5/29/22 5/29/22 - 6/5/22 6/5/22 - 6/12/22 6/12/22 - 6/19/22 6/19/22 - 6/26/22 6/26/22 - 7/3/22 7/10/22 - 7/17/22 7/17/22 - 7/24/22 7/24/22 - 7/31/22 7/31/22 - 8/7/22 8/7/22 - 8/14/22 8/14/22 - 8/21/22 8/21/22 - 8/28/22 8/28/22 - 9/4/22 9/4/22 - 9/11/22 9/11/22 - 9/18/22 9/18/22 - 9/25/22 9/25/22 - 10/2/22 10/2/22 - 10/9/22 10/9/22 - 10/16/22 10/16/22 - 10/23/22 website design by website design by limwebdesign State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha says lobbyists shouldn't be allowed to buy meals for lawmakers inside the Capitol while the Legislature is in session. Lobbyists regularly pitch in to provide meals for senators at the statehouse, particularly in spring when debates can stretch into the late evening. Chambers has long chastised colleagues for accepting the food, even calling them "lunch hunters" and refusing to take part in the meals himself. But Tuesday, he made his first attempt at prohibiting the meals entirely through a proposed legislative resolution (LR414). "We should not be eating at the lobbyists' trough," he said. "I never do, and never have." Chambers said he made the proposal "in the interests of transparency," and to call out "so-called conservatives" who backed changing legislative rules this year to make votes on committee chairmen and other leadership jobs public rather than by secret ballot. "With bated breath, I am watching to see if 'Conservatives' clamoring for 'Transparency' will speak out eschewing the LUNCH-HUNTER SCAM or wax as silent as a LUNCH-HUNTING CLAM," he wrote in a poem distributed at the Capitol. He added Tuesday that he plans for the issue to be debated by the entire Legislature, regardless of whether it's held back by a committee. The resolution language states that "in politics, 'there is no such thing as a free lunch' and 'the hand that feeds controls.'" If approved, Chambers' proposal would establish "that no meals and beverages shall ever be provided anywhere in the state Capitol building to members of the Legislature by any lobbyist or group of lobbyists while the Legislature is in session." Community filmmaking grants The Nebraska Arts Council would get $500,000 to distribute as grants for Nebraska communities to promote filmmaking and related cultural and economic development under a bill (LB1018) sponsored by Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash. While the bill wouldn't guarantee more money in the future, it would signal the Legislature's intent to pump $250,000 into the program each year after the first year. A ban on the sale and use of flying lanterns in Nebraska sailed to first-round approval Tuesday. The bill (LB136) to ban the lanterns was introduced in the Legislature last year by Sen. Jerry Johnson of Wahoo. They use a flame to produce heated air in a balloon-type covering, which allows them to float high in the air. There is no control over the lanterns once they're launched. The Judiciary Committee advanced the bill unanimously. Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers was absent for the vote, but said Tuesday he strongly supports the bill. There is no compelling state interest in allowing something that is a hazard and has no societal value whatsoever, he said. The invitation to do damage to private or public property is not something the Legislature should approve, he said. Sen. Curt Friesen of Henderson also supported the ban, considering the distances the lanterns can travel. Theres too much risk involved and when conditions are dry and these things land on somebodys roof, theyre just an instant, almost, fire hazard. They're going to start something on fire, Friesen said. Steve Dewald, manager of the Archer Daniels Midland plant in Columbus, testified last year that lanterns have drifted over ethanol plants and landed, still burning, near explosive materials, endangering employees. Last year at the bills hearing, fireworks dealers turned out to oppose the bill. Information from 10 fireworks dealers showed that over three years, approximately 400,000 flying lanterns had been sold in Nebraska by those dealers alone, bringing in $600,000 to $700,000 in tax revenue. At least 25 states ban flying lanterns, Johnson said. Missouri and Kansas are also considering bans, he said. The city of Lincoln approved a ban last year. A violation would be a Class V misdemeanor, punishable by a $100 fine. It's the third time a state senator has attempted to ban the lanterns. The bill advanced from first-round debate on a 30-0 vote. The video landed in Nebraska lawmakers' inboxes last week. "You don't know me, but I'm a mom from Columbus, Nebraska, whose daughter died from meningitis," an expressionless Lori Pickinpaugh says into the camera. "I can't turn back time, but I can do something to honor my daughter by making sure this doesn't happen to other Nebraskans." Support LB18, she pleads. The measure would require Nebraska students to be immunized for meningitis before starting seventh grade, then get a booster shot at 16. Snarled up by a legislative filibuster last year, the bill is back on the agenda for debate in the next few days. Opponents say requiring the vaccine would infringe on parents' freedom to choose what is best for their children, and they have raised questions about whether the immunization is safe, effective or necessary. To Pickinpaugh, it's about shielding families from going through what hers did, and protecting young people from the illness that claimed her daughter, Rachelle, a week before her 25th birthday. "Her entire life was ahead of her," Pickinpaugh says in the video produced by the Nebraska School Nurses Association and posted on YouTube. Rachelle, who worked in Fremont with people who have intellectual disabilities, got sick one Saturday in 2007 while visiting her family in Columbus. A friend took her home. Forty-eight hours later, Pickinpaugh and Rachelle's dad were wearing isolation suits in a Fremont hospital room, their daughter in an induced coma and connected to "all different kinds of machines." Bacterial meningitis had triggered flulike symptoms in her early on, which compounded in a manner unfamiliar to the mother who had experienced viral meningitis with another child. "I was not prepared for it at all," Pickinpaugh said. Four days after Rachelle arrived at the hospital brain dead, her organs failing and tissue breaking down her family took her off life support. Rachelle's death could have been prevented by the vaccine that would be required under the bill sponsored by Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, Pickinpaugh said Monday. "It makes me angry," she said. "As a mother, it makes me feel like I let my daughter down by not being educated, by not knowing this was out there." Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte sympathizes with stories like Pickinpaugh's, but in the case of bacterial meningitis, he said, the promise of vaccination might give false hope to families. "It's hard to confront somebody who's had a loss," Groene said. He led opposition to the bill last year, and has prepared to do the same again over the coming weeks. The issue has divided conservatives in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. Krist and Groene are both registered Republicans. Groene said he does not oppose vaccines, but bacterial meningitis is not common or contagious enough to warrant mandatory inoculation. As of last year, the state Department of Health and Human Services had documented just 11 cases of meningococcal (bacterial) meningitis since 2003 among Nebraskans 12 to 22, the range most likely to be covered by a vaccine. "You've got a very slim chance of getting meningitis," Groene said. He also questioned whether Krist's bill would require a vaccine for one specific strain of meningococcal disease, serogroup B, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends on a "permissive" level meaning parents should decide themselves whether to inoculate their children after doctors assess the risk. Groene said serogroup B vaccines don't always work, and studies have shown isolated cases with serious adverse effects. The Nebraska proposal doesn't clearly state which meningitis vaccines would be required. Groene also takes issue with the potential costs to families, which he pegged in the hundreds of dollars. As with Nebraska's other required immunizations, parents could opt their children out if the meningitis vaccination conflicts with religious beliefs or if a medical provider concludes it could be harmful. Either step would require a signed statement from a doctor or parent. Those exemptions aren't broad enough, said Groene, who argues families should be able to opt out for philosophical reasons as well. Pickinpaugh says she isn't taking any chances with her surviving children. "I've had all four of my kids vaccinated now," she says, then corrects herself. "The three living siblings have been vaccinated." And parents who can't afford vaccinations can get help from clinics, which offer it for free or at extremely reduced prices, she says. "All you've got to do is do a little research." A state senator from Lincoln is pushing his colleagues to help ensure students' online privacy at school. A measure sponsored by Sen. Adam Morfeld would prohibit technology companies from using student data for commercial purposes like targeted advertising if that data was collected through educational technology used at school. "Student privacy is critical, and it is imperative that adequate safeguards are in place to protect that privacy," Morfeld told members of the Legislature's Education Committee at the Capitol on Tuesday during a public hearing on the bill. Privacy groups have accused Google in recent years of mining student data using its wide array of websites and devices, which include Google Apps For Education, Google Classroom and Chromebooks laptop computers which are common in K-12 districts including Lincoln Public Schools. Similar concerns have been raised about other educational technology providers. Morfeld's bill would allow providers to collect student data for educational purposes only, not to sell to entities or use it themselves for things like targeted advertising or creating personal profiles that could help sell insurance policies or other products. The proposal comes as schools across the country increasingly turn to online learning services and cloud computing, where information is stored off-site and accessed via the Internet. People won't use that technology if they don't trust it, Microsoft lobbyist Ryan Harkins told committee members at Tuesday's hearing. Microsoft, a Google competitor, supports Morfeld's bill. No one testified against it. "In our view, student data should be used to help kids learn. It should not be used for commercial practices," Harkins said. Lawmakers' interest in the topic has ballooned along with the use of technology in the classroom. Virtually a non-issue five years ago, it was the subject of more than 180 bills considered by state legislatures last year. Twenty-one states actually adopted laws in 2014, followed by 15 more states in 2015. Online advertising that targets school-age children isn't rare. "We see targeted advertising happening in Nebraska all the time," said Karen Haase, a private-practice attorney whose Lincoln firm represents about 170 Nebraska school districts. The challenge is connecting those ads directly with school-related technology versus websites children or their parents visit at home, she said. Morfeld's bill would make it easier for schools to avoid vendors that misuse student data, and for the Nebraska attorney general's office to go after companies that invade young people's privacy at school, Haase said. Sponsors of legislation to access federal Medicaid expansion dollars to purchase private health care insurance for the working poor said Tuesday they have devised a plan that would have no impact on the state tax-supported general fund. The proposal would require small premium contributions from most enrollees and some co-pays while pointing recipients to employment, education and skills training programs. The state would turn to its health care cash fund as "a backup" for financing the plan, which would extend health care insurance coverage to 77,000 Nebraskans, 72 percent of whom are employed in low-wage jobs. The health care cash fund includes tobacco settlement dollars sent to states for tobacco-related health care costs. Although the bill makes use of an Arkansas model, Appropriations Chairman Heath Mello of Omaha described the legislation as "a third-way approach" that does not expand the current Medicaid program, but accesses an estimated $2 billion in federal funds available to the state during the next five years to expand health care coverage to uninsured Nebraskans. Senators immediately formed battle lines over the legislation (LB1032) introduced by Sen. John McCollister of Omaha along with 15 co-sponsors. As the bill was being placed before the Legislature, 15 other senators joined a Platte Institute for Economic Research news conference in the Capitol Rotunda to signal their opposition to the measure. "This is the first time that conservatives (in the Legislature) will all be on the same page," Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion said. If none of those 31 senators who have expressed themselves thus far changes sides in coming weeks, the bill would need to gain the support of all but one of the remaining 18 senators who haven't publicly picked sides to reach the 33 votes required to clear a filibuster mounted by opponents. The legislation provides "a pathway to job training and job placement," Sen. Kathy Campbell of Lincoln said. Recipients would have an opportunity to "transition out to their own health care, employment and education," she said. Thirty-one states have expanded their Medicaid programs to access the additional federal dollars now available under the Affordable Care Act to increase health care coverage in their states, McCollister noted. Republican governors in nine states have chosen to participate, he said, and four or five additional Republican governors are in the process of considering joining in. At stake is 100 percent federal funding of expanded health care coverage in 2016 followed by gradual reduction of the federal share to a 90 percent floor in 2020. The recipients are people who fell through the gap in Obamacare coverage opened by a U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed states to opt out of Medicaid expansion. Gov. Pete Ricketts announced his firm opposition to Nebraska's participation during his State of the State address to the Legislature earlier this month. Campbell, McCollister and Mello said they will meet with the Republican governor soon to brief him on the details of their plan. "We will show this actually is a conservative approach," Mello said. "It's not partisan; it's not ideological." It is, in fact, "an innovative, free market approach," McCollister said. McCollister and Campbell are Republicans; Mello is a Democrat. The plan would create an estimated 10,000 new jobs, many of them in health care, McCollister said, and provide the state with "an economic tailwind." The legislation responds to the governor's stated concern that the federal government might abandon its funding commitment by automatically terminating the new program in Nebraska if that occurs, the three senators said. Introduction of the legislation triggered dueling news conferences in the crowded Capitol Rotunda. First came the Platte Institute, arguing that the model established in Arkansas and Iowa created "a new entitlement for able-bodied adults that is exceeding enrollment projections and trapping more citizens in poverty." "Creating a new Medicaid private insurance entitlement with higher reimbursement rates for able-bodied, childless adults means placing a higher priority on the expansion population than those on Medicaid right now: children, pregnant women and low-income parents, the disabled and elderly Nebraskans with long-term care needs," Jessica Herrmann said. Herrmann is the Platte Institute's director of research. McCollister was executive director of the institute before he became a candidate for the Legislature. Ricketts was founder and president of the conservative think tank. Nebraska Appleseed said the proposal would "create a path to affordable health care coverage for 77,000 uninsured Nebraskans." The plan would "allow Nebraska to recoup approximately $2 billion in federal taxes to fund health coverage for hard-working Nebraskans and support economic development across the state," Appleseed stated. Dr. Joe Miller of Lexington, president of the Nebraska Academy of Family Physicians, said his organization composed of 875 members "enthusiastically supports the bill." Sarah Parker of Lincoln said she fell into the coverage gap when she quit her full-time job and opted to work half-time so she could care for her father, who had Parkinson's disease, at home. "I don't need an entitlement program," she said, "but I do need a little help right now. Please, give us this chance." Up, up and away! From the moment Gary Harpster saw his first drone in 2012, he was intrigued, and he knew he was going to build one of his own. However, he had a lot of questions: How long can they stay in the air? What kinds of batteries do they use? How long does it take to recharge the battery? How much weight can drones lift? Harpster may have had a slight advantage when it came to learning about how drones operate because of his life-long career in aviation and avionics. Avionics are the electronic equipment in an aircraft, and during his 30 years at Duncan Aviation, Harpster learned a thing or two about avionics. He researched his questions about drones but still didnt rush out to buy the parts to build his own. Instead, Harpster bought a flight simulator and a transmitter and practiced learning to fly without crashing. Flying the early drones had a pretty steep learning curve, and the controls were fairly sensitive. Although you can pay as little as $30 and upward of $5,000 for a drone, Harpster had his eye on one that was somewhere in the middle. It wasnt going to break the bank, but he didnt want to crash it into the lake he and his wife Susan live on, either. So, Harpster practiced on the simulator for months and patiently taught himself how to fly drones. As an avid fan of all things electronic, photography and the great outdoors, drones presented a unique opportunity for Gary to merge all of his loves into one hobby. It was nearly a year before Harpster felt comfortable enough to get started building his own drone. I ordered my first drone in May 2013, Harpster said. It was an Aquacopter, designed to float on the water. Id noticed in my research that people were mounting GoPro video cameras on the bottoms of drones, and if you had clear water, you could take pictures underwater, power up the drone, and lift off right from the water. By the time Harpster finished tinkering and adjusting components on his new drone, it was the middle of the winter again, and the lake was a slab of ice. In the event of a crash there were two possible scenarios, and both of them were bad. A crash on thick, unyielding ice would damage the delicate components in the drone, or a crash on thin ice could result in the drone breaking through the ice and potentially sinking into the lake. Neither option appealed to Harpster, so he waited until the summer of 2014 to test his Aquacopter. Needless to say, in spite of all of his preparations, flying his actual drone was different from his simulator. His drone was slightly heavier than the simulator drone because he had mounted a camera on the bottom, and his Aquacopter didnt have legs, so taking off from the ground wasnt an option either as the camera prevented the drone from sitting level. Harpster used an 8-inch base made out of PVC for takeoff. On his simulator, he had learned to take off from the ground; with the weight of the camera and the height of the platform, Harpster was concerned about how much thrust hed need on takeoff. Too much throttle, and the craft would just go straight up. He had to figure out the delicate balance of getting the drone off the ground while keeping it at the right altitude. My first attempt ended up with me sliding the copter across the piece of PVC and snagging the camera. I tried to compensate and over-corrected, causing the drone to pitch over, crash onto my patio and slide across the pavement. His second attempt at takeoff ended abruptly with similar results. He realized he needed to get the drone a few feet off the ground instead of trying to hover it, so he tried again. The third time was a charm! It took off, and I was so thrilled to see it just sitting there in the sky, waiting for me to do something with it, Harpster said. In my excitement, though, I forgot to start the timer. In those early versions, the interface was pretty rudimentary and it didnt tell you how long youd been aloft or how much battery life was left, so you needed to start a timer. Because I forgot, I had no idea how much time it had been flying, so after 15 minutes, my drone just fell out of the sky and into the water. Thankfully, it floated. Now, Harpster has five drones, two of which are little crafts that he flies around the house in order to keep his fingers nimble through the Nebraska winters and increase his reaction time. And hes taught his 6-year-old grandson Grant to fly the indoor drones. Hes getting pretty good at flying his around the house, Harpster said. His generation will be getting packages delivered to their homes by drones. Harpster uses his drones primarily for photography, and he flies his mostly around his home and lake. Hes also taken drones on a couple of vacations to Arizona and Canada. Security wasnt an issue for the drone itself, but he needed a special case for transporting them. Getting them through airport security hasnt been a problem, Harpster said. In fact, in a couple of airports, they never even physically looked at them. They actually have more issues with the batteries that run these machines than with the drones themselves. And, yes, hes crashed a couple of his drones, but he hasnt lost one . . . yet! Anyone whos flown a drone for more than 10 minutes has experienced a crash or two. I have only have one drone I havent crashed, and I know its just a matter of time, Harpster said. I dropped one one that isnt waterproof into a lake up in Canada. Id hiked two miles from our hotel, and the water in the lake was glacier runoff, so it was freezing cold. But rather than leave the drone sitting in the water, I waded into chest deep water to retrieve it. I couldnt feel my legs for an hour after I got out, but I salvaged the drone and all of my pictures, and Im still flying it today! As with all new technology, drones and their interfaces have evolved very quickly. New drones give all kinds of feedback on battery life, GPS positions, altitude, distance from you and heading; the feature that pleases Gary the most is the ability to see what the camera mounted on his drone sees. In the past, you just pointed the camera in the general direction and hoped for the best, Harpster said. Now, you can switch from video to still pictures, adjust your ISO settings and even tilt the camera. It just keeps getting better. Although Harpster doesnt need a whole lot of help when it comes to building, maintaining and modifying his drones, he does subscribe to RotorDrone magazine. The digital version of the magazine features videos and hundreds of posts from fellow drone operators. Reading the posts is an excellent way to learn from other operators trials and errors, and Harpster also enjoys the equipment reviews. Multirotor podcast (multirotorpodcast.com), which is available through iTunes, Stitcher or directly from the web site, provides a professional point of view. These guys have a whole different perspective because theyre commercially licensed drone pilots who fly drones that cost tens of thousands of dollars, and they get paid to deliver consistent performance, Harpster said. Harpster is aware of the controversy surrounding drones, and he supports implementing guidelines for limiting access to some airspace. I have a commercial pilots license, so I can sympathize with pilots whove seen drones flying close to the approach path of an airport, Harpster said. Im sure the drone operators are thinking that what theyre doing is safe, and that they have full control of everything, but thats why they call them accidents. Its not something you plan on; it just happens. In order to mitigate potential problems, Forbes magazine reported last year that some drone manufacturers are writing code into their software to prevent their drones from operating within a certain radius, such as 15.1 miles, of an airport or highly populated downtown centers. Its too bad this has to happen, Harpster said, but manufacturers dont want their products associated with any sort of aircraft incident that could draw negative attention. As with anything new, Harpster encourages prospective drone pilots to educate themselves on the basics of flying drones and to stay on top of the rapidly evolving and expanding nature of the technology. Ive never seen an industry take off . . . no pun intended . . . like drones, Harpster said. Its absolutely amazing to see the new ideas and accessories that have been created just in the last few months. There are industry trade shows and even university programs for flying drones. I heard on the news the other day that more than 750,000 drones were purchased over the Christmas holidays. Thats a whole lot of drones! BEATRICE -- A Beatrice pharmacy owner who was set to be sentenced in March for defrauding Medicaid was found dead Monday evening. Tod A. Lundberg, 50, was found dead in the basement of his residence at 600 Grable Ave. shortly after 6 p.m. Beatrice Police Lt. Mike Oliver said there were no indications Lundbergs death was a suicide. We have nothing to believe that it was anything but natural causes, but an autopsy has been ordered, Oliver said. He added there was also no indication at the scene drugs or alcohol were factors. Two weeks ago, Lundberg, owner of The Medicine Shoppe at 601 Court St., pleaded guilty in Gage County District Court to a felony charge of fraud to obtain assistance of more than $500. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors planned to recommend a sentence of probation. Lundberg would have also been required to make a restitution payment of $39,759.84. An investigation of The Medicine Shoppe dates back to January 2014 when a woman reported the provider to the Nebraska Medicaid Fraud and Patient Abuse Unit. A month later, the woman, who was a former employee of The Medicine Shoppe, agreed to provide information regarding the suspected Medicaid fraud scheme as a cooperating witness. For her cooperation, court documents state it was agreed the woman, who left the company in 2013, wouldnt be targeted in the investigation. The Medicine Shoppe had been a Nebraska pharmacy provider since 2000, and court documents state Lundberg had an active pharmacy license dating back to February 1993. The woman told authorities Medicaid was the primary payment source of The Medicine Shoppe. Court documents state the woman was concerned Lundberg had been billing the preferred brand-name drug Lovenox, although the generic version of the drug was being dispensed. The woman noticed the scheme in February or March 2013 when she saw a label that read the brand name of the drug and asked Lundberg about it, since the prescription in question had previously been the generic version. Lundberg allegedly then printed out a new label with the generic name. The worker discovered that billings to Medicaid had always been for the name-brand version of the drug. The worker allegedly confronted Lundberg about the discrepancy, and was told he ran the prescription through as the brand name then labeled it the generic version. According to court documents the worker told authorities Lundberg said that was the only way he can make money in the pharmacy world and was able to do it because Medicaid didnt send an explanation of benefits to clients, so they were unaware what it was paying for. The worker had reason to believe other generic drugs were being dispensed while their name-brand counterparts were billed due to a note in the companys computer system on other prescriptions reading BBGG, which she found out stood for bill brand, give generic. She told authorities Lundberg was the only one who entered the data and would review all claims before they were submitted to insurance. The worker also alleged prescriptions that were dispensed but not picked up were still being billed through insurance. Authorities interviewed a customer of The Medicine Shoppe who was allegedly getting the generic version of Lovenox, but paying for the name brand. It was determined the customer had received both name-brand and generic versions of the drug. When interviewed, Lundberg allegedly admitted to billing for Lovenox but giving the generic version of the drug. He told investigators the profits were going into the Medicine Shoppes business account. He was unable to say when he began the practice. Three people remained in jail Tuesday evening on felony drug charges connected to the largest drug seizure by the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office: 1,517 pounds of marijuana. The pot, worth an estimated $7.5 million, was stuffed into a rental RV stopped by deputies at noon Friday, Chief Deputy Jeff Bliemeister said. Deputies stopped the RV for following another vehicle too closely on U.S. 77 near West Van Dorn Street, Bliemeister said. A Lancaster County Sheriff's Office K-9 indicated the presence of drugs, and deputies found 39 duffel bags stuffed with marijuana inside the RV, he said. They arrested Isabel Mallar, 28, of Martinez, Georgia; Rahman Nabavi, 28, of Alpharetta, Georgia; and 51-year-old Abbas Hajianbarzi, also Alpharetta, who was following the RV. The group was traveling from Oregon to Georgia, the sheriff's office said. On Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors charged the three with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. If convicted, each faces as many as 20 years in prison. Lancaster County Judge James Foster set their bonds at $150,000 each. We love our phones. We love them small, smart and portable. Wally Tubbs loves his phones, too. He loves this phone. And that phone. And those phones over there. He loves candlestick phones and princess phones, fiddleback phones and old-time silver dollar phone booths. Tubbs knows phones, what makes them work, how they've evolved, which phones went over big (the Ericafone) which phones flopped (the camera phone). The hundreds of phones at the Frank H. Woods Telephone Pioneer Museum don't technically belong to the retired Lincoln Telephone Company employee, although he is president of something called The Pioneer Association -- a group of former and current telephone company employees that run the place. And he does volunteer his time to lead tours here at 21st and M streets, where a portrait of Frank H. Woods hangs in a replica of his old office. And where some pretty nifty mannequins -- all women -- man an impressive old-time switchboard. And you can tell -- listening to him -- that even though texting isn't yet his forte, Tubbs is committed to our favorite form of communication in all of its historical permutations. And that he's worried about this museum. The valuable archive of telephone history -- from Alexander Graham Bell to the BlackBerry -- sits in the middle of the Antelope Valley Project. The low-slung white building is owned by Windstream, and board members worry developers will gobble it up and give them the boot. Not yet, say Windstream's vice president of operations in Nebraska, Brad Hedrick, and the company's PR man on speaker phone from Little Rock, Ark. But that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. The company provides the building rent-free to the museum. But if the land were sold, Windstream would not provide the museum a new home, Hedrick said. They have a business to run and customers to serve "and that keeps us pretty busy." Which is why Tubbs and his Pioneer Association board members are trying to let people know the museum exists. And that it would like to continue to exist. They don't have a budget, Tubbs says. They don't have a marketing arm. Schoolchildren can tour the museum by appointment during the week. (Most common question: What's that dial for?) On Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m., anyone can walk in the door and see where their Droid got its start. The museum has the phone world's Lucy -- the Gallows phone -- and most of the models that followed. This place is a well-kept secret, Tubbs said on a recent winter morning. At least locally. It's been on the radar of phonatics since it opened in 1996. Jim Carrey's "Yes Man" gave it another boost when the museum was featured in a scene (filmed in California with memorabilia from Lincoln and a sign "Come to the Frank H. Woods Telephone Pioneer Museum Today" that doesn't exist). With an uncertain future, museum supporters would like more of Lincoln to see more of what's inside. And the effort it took to get it there. Like needing a crane to remove an old switchboard intact from the eighth floor of the old Lincoln Telephone building. And phone company employees like Al Farmer scouring the countryside for phone memorabilia. He shows the place off with Tubbs -- beautiful antique phones made of walnut and brass and oak. And vintage phones from the '50s and '60s, in every color of the rainbow. Tubbs looks through the glass at the sleek lines of the "automatic electric AE34." "To me that's a piece of art, not a phone." There is a lot of history in the museum on M Street -- and in the building itself, constructed as a filling station in 1956 which later became home of Millie's Cafe, the forerunner of Don & Millie's. Tubbs knows time brings change. And that Hedrick has been more than good to them. But Windstream, with its headquarters in Arkansas, is a long way from Frank Woods and his Lincoln phone empire. And landlines are going the way of the party line. The double-walled phone booth no longer exists outside of museums and movie sets. It doesn't take a room of switchboard operators to connect us. The Antelope Valley Project is the big kid on the block. But Tubbs also believes there is value in history. Hello? Can you hear him? This refrigerator had been around so long it wasnt leaving without a fight. It filled its house on Georgian Court with a stench so strong the homeowners had to call 911 and spend the next two nights elsewhere. It drew the local health department. And it kept firefighters busy for more than six hours over the course of two days. They dont make refrigerators like this anymore. This was the flat-screen, high-definition TV of its day, said Ralph Martin, an environmental health specialist for the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department. You set it out in the middle of the kitchen and it was a centerpiece. If you had a fridge like this, you were somebody. When it was built in 1930, though, it was cooled by ammonia. That was eventually deemed too toxic, and coolants like Freon replaced ammonia in residential refrigerators. The compound is still found in industrial chillers and some cleaning products, but its not common in most homes. Consumer products typically dont use ammonia anymore," Martin said. In fact, the refrigerators owner hired a technician to remove the ammonia from its compressor a few years ago, Martin said. And Wednesday, the homeowner tried to remove the compressor. But when he cut the vapor line, the basement became unbearable. For healthy adults, the recommended level of ammonia in a home is 1 to 10 parts per million. On Georgian Court, firefighters got a reading of 30 parts per million. Even outside, we could smell it coming out of the basement, Martin said. It was enough you didnt want to stand there. The refrigerator was supposed to be empty of ammonia. But a firefighter who knew something about heating and cooling suggested its compressor oil contained enough residual ammonia to be a problem, Martin said. Firefighters crimped the line, hauled the compressor outside, aired out the home and thought their work was done. They were called back the next day. The homeowner thought he smelled ammonia again, said Capt. Mark Heithoff of Lincoln Fire and Rescue. Firefighters couldnt smell it, and their monitors didnt detect it. But they did discover the refrigerator was releasing a low level of hydrogen cyanide, which can smell like burning plastic, from the line that had been crimped. Theyre not sure of its source, but ammonia mixing in the oil could have been creating new chemicals, he suggested. The firefighters were finished with this refrigerator. They took it apart -- reducing it to 15 to 20 pieces -- and hauled it outside. Nikki Haleys 44th birthday is this week. You would think her a little old for fairytales. But a bizarre, little-reported remark the South Carolina governor made last week suggests that, age notwithstanding, Haley lives in Fantasyland, at least insofar as American history is concerned. The comment in question came the day after her Tuesday night speech in response to President Obamas State of the Union address, in which she cuffed Donald Trump for his strident anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant bigotry. Haley told reporters, When youve got immigrants who are coming here legally, weve never in the history of this country passed any laws or done anything based on race or religion. Some observers found that an astonishing thing for her to say as chief executive of the first state to secede from the Union in defense of slavery, a state that embraced segregation until forced to change by the federal government. Others observed that any fair reading of Haleys quote makes it pretty clear she was speaking only in the context of legal immigration. Theyre right. The problem is, even if you concede that point, Haley is still grotesquely wrong. She thinks no immigration laws have been passed based on race or religion? What about: The Naturalization Act of 1790, which extended citizenship to any alien, being a free white person ? Or the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, whose title and intent are self-explanatory? Or the Immigration Act of 1917, which banned immigrants from East Asia and the Pacific? Or Ozawa v. U.S., the 1922 Supreme Court decision which declared that Japanese immigrants could not be naturalized? Or U.S. v. Bhagat Singh Thind, the 1923 high court ruling which said people from India like Haleys parents could not become naturalized citizens? So yes, however you slice it, Haley is wrong and Haley is ignorant. But one wonders if Haley is to blame. Americans, the historian Ray Arsenault once said, live by mythic conceptions of what they think happened in the past. And as school systems, under pressure from conservative school boards, retreat from teaching that which embarrasses the nations self-image, as ethnic studies classes are outlawed, as textbooks are scrubbed of painfully inconvenient truths, as standards requiring the teaching of only positive aspects of American history are imposed, we find those mythic conceptions encroaching reality to a troubling degree. Suddenly, slaves become immigrants and settlers. The Civil War has nothing to do with slavery. Martin Luther King becomes a tea party member. And America has never passed laws based on race and religion. Yes, Haleys ignorance might be willful. Theres surely a lot of that going around. But it might also be that shes simply part of that generation which has been taught fairytales under the guise of history. Such teaching will leave you comfortably indoctrinated in a kind of civic mythology and wholly unprepared to interpret or contextualize whats happening before your eyes. To wit: What makes Donald Trumps proposed restrictions on Muslims troubling is not that they represent the coming of something new, but the return of something old, a shameful strain in the American psyche that we have seen too many times before. It is not a deviation from America, but the very stuff of America, an ugly scapegoating that has too often besmirched our character and beguiled us away from our most luminous ideals. This is something all of us should know, but do not. As a state official, perhaps a candidate for vice president, perhaps eventually a president of the United States, Nikki Haley might someday change history. It would be good if she understood it first. Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins wants judges in Nebraska to run for office, rather than being appointed. This is a horrible idea. All Nebraskans ought to have confidence that theyll get a fair hearing in the states courts, even if they are an ordinary, average citizen. If judges have to run for office, they will be in debt to deep-pocket political donors. "I never felt so much like a hooker down by the bus station as I did in a judicial race, said Paul Pfeifer, an Ohio Supreme Court Justice, told Stateline in 2013. Everyone interested in contributing has very specific interests. They mean to be buying a vote." A study by the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, found that judges were more likely they are to rule in favor of business litigants appearing before them in court, if they had received business contributions. Nebraska currently has an excellent system for creating and preserving an independent judiciary. Under the states merit selection system a nominating commission of four lawyers, for non-lawyers and a nonvoting Supreme Court justice hold a public hearing to interview attorneys who applied for the job. The commission forwards the names of at least two candidates, and the governor makes the final pick. The system isnt 100 percent foolproof, of course. Every once and awhile an incompetent or intemperate candidate makes it to the bench. But there are avenues for recourse. Judges must run for retention three years after appointment, and every six years after that. Every so often a judge gets tossed out by voters. Citizens can also file a complaint about a judge. After Sen. Ernie Chambers filed a complaint against Douglas County Judge Richard Deacon Jones, the Nebraska Supreme Court removed Jones from the bench. His offenses included signing court papers with the name Snow White, setting bond at a gazillion pengos, and igniting fireworks in a judges office. The ink on Bloomfields proposed constitutional amendment was hardly dry before Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Les Seiler sounded an alarm that the proposal could endanger Nebraskas independent judiciary. Seiler recalled trying a case in Texas, where judges are elected. In the middle of the trial the judge motioned to the opposing attorney. You know, I havent gotten your $10,000 to my campaign. Bloomfield said that judges are not connected to the people anymore. All his proposal would do is to connect judges to people with the willingness and ability to make big campaign contributions. State senators should make this proposal one of the first to be tossed on the legislative scrap heap this session. I was saddened to hear of a Catholic priest who was recently appointed as chaplain of a Lincoln convent ("Embattled K.C. bishop starts anew in Lincoln convent," Jan. 15). Robert Finn has the dubious distinction of being the first American priest convicted of not notifying police of child abuse within his diocese in Kansas City. He became aware that one of the priests under him had child pornography involving children within his own diocese. Finn failed to notify authorities immediately. Instead five months later, someone else contacted police, but in that time, said priest had proceeded to take more pictures of another girl within the diocese. The dead eagle was found Sunday in Cedar County about three miles southeast of Yankton, South Dakota. Game and Parks officials think the eagle was shot that day. Bald eagles are protected by the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits the take, possession, sale, purchase, barter, offer to sell, transport, export or import of any bald or golden eagle, alive or dead, including any part, nest, or egg, unless allowed by permit. The term "take" includes to pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, trap, collect, molest or disturb. The maximum penalty for violating the act can be as high as a $250,000 fine and two years in prison. PLATTSMOUTH -- The traditional model of high school education has followed the same core-classes path for many decades. Students in Plattsmouth, however, could set out on a new trail of school-based learning as early as next year. Plattsmouth Board of Education members heard a presentation this month on implementing a wall-to-wall academies structure at Plattsmouth High School. Principal Jeff Wiles led a discussion including Plattsmouth teachers, students and community members. He said the new academies would allow students to gain knowledge both in the classroom and through business partnerships and job shadowing. With wall-to-wall academies, all kids will be involved in learning about subjects they will need for their future individual careers. At the same time, the academies will be driven by the way kids learn today," Wiles said. "Those two things go hand in hand. Wiles said the goal of the academy system is to provide students with educational tools they will need for either college, the workforce or the military. Plattsmouth students would participate in one of three academies that would revolve around different career and educational subjects. Each academy would include core subjects such as math, science, social studies and language arts. The first academy would feature business, education, hospitality, human services, performing arts, media and communications subjects. A second academy would revolve around science, technology, engineering, aeronautics and mathematics classes. Areas of study in the third academy would include agriculture, architecture, art, construction, manufacturing, transportation and logistics. Wiles said advisory boards including administrators, teachers, school board members, business professionals and college representatives would oversee each of the academies. They would help forge partnerships between students and various community organizations and area businesses. Freshmen would take a class to help them identify their learning and career interests. Students would then choose which one of the three academies they would like to enter in their sophomore year. Before implementing the plan, the district must apply to the Nebraska Department of Education, which established written protocols for career academies in 2013. Plattsmouth would be just the third high school in Nebraska to implement a wall-to-wall academies system, joining Omaha Benson and Kearney. Kearney's program will begin when the district opens its new high school later this year. Under way - Quilt Exhibition by Lincoln Modern Quilt Guild opened Jan. 9, continues through Feb. 23 at Bernina Sewing Studio Gallery, 1265 S. Cotner Blvd., during regular store hours. Reception 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23. More details: see article in this issue and/or email info.lincolnmqg@gmail.com Under way - Fiber Works exhibition Expressions in Fiber opened Jan. 12 at The Landing at Williamsburg Village, 3500 Faulkner Dr. Public reception 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21. Exhibition runs through March 25. Tuesday - Heritage League general meeting and luncheon 11:30 a.m. at Hillcrest Country Club, 9401 O St. Guest speaker: Dr. Kenneth Dewey, professor of Applied Climate Science, School of Natural Resources. Topic: Everything you wanted to know about tornadoes. For reservations, call Sharon Griess, (402) 420-6075. Wednesday - Community Women's Club of Lincoln monthly luncheon meeting 11:30 a.m. at Hillcrest Country Club, 9401 O St. Project sign-up at 11:30 followed by noon luncheon and business meeting. Presentation of the Women's Club charitable donation to be made to The Gathering Place. Guests welcome. Reservations due Monday; call Nancy Borrell at (402) 489-2583. Coming soon - Lincoln Business Women's Association luncheon meeting 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2 at The Eatery, 48th & Van Dorn, Van Dorn Plaza. Program: discussion on reorganizing. Send reservations to DiamondVicki1700@cs.com Coming soon Deborah Avery chapter of DAR (Daughters of American Revolution) monthly program 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5 in Fireside Room of Legacy Estates, 7200 Van Dorn St. Program: The Importance of International Studies, by Christopher Banks, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Union College. Light refreshments served. Info.: call Sharon Savidge, (402) 440-2925. Coming soon - Bethany Womens Club, a city-wide service group, hosts monthly meeting 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9 in Fellowship Hall of Bethany Christian Church, 1645 N, Cotner Blvd. Program: Growing up in Afghanistan, by Farida Ebahim. Please join us for this enlightening program and an afternoon of fellowship and refreshments. Guests welcome. Annual membership dues: $5. Questions: call Jeannette: (402) 476-2466. Mark your calendar: Spring Luncheon & Fashion Show April 12. Details to follow. Coming soon - Women's Welcome Club of Lincoln next luncheon meeting Tuesday, Feb. 9 at Country Club of Lincoln, 3200 S. 24th St. (No monthly luncheon meeting in January, but most interest groups will meet in January; refer to the monthly newsletter regarding time, place and hostess.) More info. at womenswelcomecluboflincoln.org. Coming soon - Women in Sales and Business (WISB) meeting Wednesday, Feb. 10 at Hillcrest Country Club, 9401 O St. Guest speaker: Diane Siefkes, consultant at dkSolutions. Topic: "Top 10 LinkedIn Tips. Lunch ($18) and networking at 11:30 a.m., business meeting 11:55 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register at www.wisblincoln.org or email wisblincoln@gmail.com to RSVP. Coming soon 100s of Lincoln Women Who Care event 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11 at the Country Club of Lincoln, 3200 S. 24th St., sponsored by Smith Hayes and Cline Williams. Coming soon CHI Health St. Elizabeth Auxiliarys annual Valentine Day sale 7 a.m.to 4 p.m. Feb. 11-12 at CHI Health St. Elizabeth, 555 S. 70th St., on first level near Admissions. Wide variety of handcrafted items. Proceeds to benefit the Mobility Fund at St. Elizabeth. KENOSHA For Thelma Sias, a vice president at We Energies, the time has come to stop asking ourselves what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would think of our country, but instead ask what we as a society think of it and how we want to shape our legacy. Its not about what he thinks, but what do I think about my community, my nation, my world around me? she asked a crowd at Gateway Technical Colleges Kenosha campus, 3320 30th Ave., on Monday afternoon. It is now for us to give a look, it is now for us to give conclusion that we must want better, not only for ourselves and our own families but families of families. Sias gave a rousing keynote address at Gateways 22nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Monday afternoon to commemorate the federal holiday dedicated to the famed civil rights activist. She was among numerous local and state leaders who reflected on Kings legacy, including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Wisconsin Technical College System President Morna Foy and Gateway President and CEO Bryan Albrecht. In a stirring 20-minute address to the several hundred people gathered for the celebration, Sias gave credit to King for starting a movement of people with no connection to each other that changed the paradigm of a nation, but she said it now falls on the generations of today to make our own change and take action to stop injustice. I challenge each of us to have a dream that one day every man, woman and child has the ability to live in a nation to be judged not by the color of their skin but the content of their character, by their power of their opportunity because we decided on this Martin Luther King Day Celebration, we were going to stand up and take responsibility to change a nation, Sias said. Republican lawmakers took their final step Monday toward overhauling how Wisconsin oversees elections, campaigns and the conduct of public officials, sending two controversial bills to the desk of Gov. Scott Walker. Walkers office didnt immediately say Monday if he would sign the bills. But he is widely expected to do so. The Assembly, which passed versions of the bills last month, convened in extraordinary session Monday at the Capitol to take up changes made by the Senate. Assembly Republicans voted largely on party lines to endorse the Senate changes to both measures, sending them to Walkers desk. One of the bills would give state campaign finance law its biggest makeover in decades, dialing back restrictions on money flowing into political campaigns. The other bill would split the Government Accountability Board into two new boards staffed with partisan appointees instead of the nonpartisan former judges who make up the current board. It would end the practice of providing a blank check to investigate alleged wrongdoing by public officials. With little debate, Assembly Republicans voted 59-0 Monday to endorse the Senate changes to the campaign finance overhaul bill. No Democrats voted; GOP lawmakers said their recusal from a previous vote on the bill barred them from weighing in on the measure again. Three Republicans who previously voted against the GAB bill Reps. Todd Novak of Dodgeville, Warren Petryk of Eleva and Travis Tranel of Cuba City broke with their party again Monday to oppose the Senate changes to the measure. Democrats and government transparency groups recently have made opposition to the bills a centerpiece of their critique of Republicans who control the Legislature. Critics say the bills will water down oversight of Wisconsins elected officials, allow more money much of it unknowable to the public to flood campaigns and make it easier for incumbents to be reelected. This is about securing your jobs, and it takes precedence over securing the future for Wisconsin citizens, Rep. Debra Kolste, D-Janesville, told her GOP colleagues. Republicans supporting the measures say change is long overdue for what they describe as a rogue, partisan agency in the GAB. The board drew the ire of Republicans in Wisconsin and nationally by aiding a secret investigation, halted by the state Supreme Court in July, into coordination between Walkers gubernatorial campaign and outside groups. The sponsor of the GAB bill, Rep. Dean Knudson, told the Assembly on Monday that he doesnt like all of the Senate changes to the bill. But Knudson, R-Hudson, said its imperative to pass the bill now so it takes effect before the 2016 election cycle. Lawmakers wont meet again in regular session until January. Knudson pledged to work with Assembly lawmakers to improve the bill after it becomes law. Its critical that we make this change because an election is coming, Knudson said. Republicans say the campaign finance changes are needed because current law has been carved into a patchwork by recent court rulings. But Rep. Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie, said the bill goes far beyond anything required by the courts. Youre using that guise, but that doesnt hold water, Hebl said. The bill allows unlimited campaign contributions from a range of sources, permits corporate contributions to political parties and legislative campaign committees, and boosts contribution limits to candidates. It also makes clear that candidates may coordinate with so-called issue advocacy groups that need not disclose how they raise or spend money. Its the same type of coordination that was at the center of the secret John Doe investigation into Walkers campaign. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, speaking before the vote, said rules dictate that Assembly Democrats not be permitted to debate or offer amendments to the campaign finance bill after they recused from a previous vote on the measure. Unfortunately for them, they will have an opportunity to watch but not participate, because they chose to recuse themselves, Vos said. Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, speaking earlier Monday, said Senate Republicans made two bad bills worse with changes to the bills in the Senate session earlier this month. The GAB bill creates two new boards one overseeing elections, the other, campaign finance, ethics and lobbying to replace the GAB, which now oversees all those areas. The partisan appointees to the new boards would be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats and made by legislative leaders and the governor. A Senate change to that bill would add two former judges to serve with four other partisan appointees to the proposed new ethics board. The elections board will include two members who formerly served as county or municipal elections clerks. Another Senate change would task a legislative committee now controlled by majority Republicans with appointing head administrators for the new boards if the board members dont pick them within a 45-day window. Since the boards are expected to be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, critics said the change would create an incentive for board members aligned with the majority party to stall on voting for an administrator, thus empowering their party to make the selection. Democrats said that change undermines the stated intent of bill supporters who said the new boards wont operate in a partisan manner. This is about securing your jobs, and it takes precedence over securing the future for Wisconsin citizens. REP. DEBRA KOLSTE D-Janesville, to her GOP colleagues JURIST Guest Columnist Pacifique Manirakiza of the University of Ottawa Law School discusses the debate surrounding what is going on in Burundi and proposes a different view Burundi is undergoing a political and constitutional crisis. Following the announcement of Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza as the presidential nominee for the ruling party, the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie/ Forces de defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD), people mainly in the Capital city Bujumbura descended to the streets to demonstrate against the decision. The organizers of the demonstrations (main political opposition parties and civil society organizations) are of the view that Nkurunziza vying for a third term is unconstitutional. Although they were initially peaceful and all-inclusive, they became violent as some of demonstrators resorted to violent acts followed by police fierce reprisals. Also, they became contained in Tutsi-dominated suburbs of Ngagara, Nyakabiga, Musaga, Cibitoke, Mutakura and Jabe. Invoking the law and order paradigm, the government resorted to forcesometimes excessiveto curb the demonstrators today labeled as insurgents or terrorists. The ongoing serious human rights violations, especially the extra-judicial killings carried out by government security forces, have alimented fears of genocide a la rwandaise [Rwandan style]. 1. The genocide rhetoric in Burundi There is controversy among Burundians and some corners of the international community on the legal characterization of the human rights situation in Burundi. Tutsi-dominated organizations and the Tutsi elite have no doubt that genocide is ongoing against the Tutsi ethnic group. Apart from some usual Tutsi genocidemaniacs, prominent tutsi elite joined the club and warned[in French] against Tutsi genocide ongoing or in preparation. With the massacres of December 11-12, 2015 following the attacks on the military barracks in Bujumbura, more people now strongly believe that these are evidence of acts of genocide against Tutsi, as most of the hundred and more victims were of Tutsi ethnicity. In addition, reference is made to unfortunate hate speeches made by political leaders like the Speaker of the Senate, Hon. Reverien Ndikuriyo who told local leaders to work, a word that was interpreted, by reference to Rwanda, as an incitement to murder as many people as possible. Interestingly, the ruling party CNDD-FDD joined the genocidemaniacs club. In a statement of November 10, 2015, the party accused Belgium, the former colonial empire, of orchestrating genocide in Burundi. Similarly, in another statement made public on December 23, 2015, the Chairman stated that if the December 11-12 attacks on the military barracks were successful, then the attackers would have easily carried out their genocide project as planned. The statement asserts that this is why the Belgian EU Member of Parliament, Mr. Louis Michel, was unhappy when the army defeated them. In both statements, the Hutus were hinted as the would-be victims of that planned genocide. Without denying that Tutsi who essentially opposed the third term project are being killed, other stakeholders are more nuanced and conclude instead that genocide of a political nature is ongoing. Less radical in their positions, some opposition political parties and organizations, whether Hutu or Tutsi, denounce an ongoing genocide of a political nature. For instance, since early 2014, Leonce Ndendakumana, chairman of the FRODEBU party, cautioned on the risk of a political and ethnic based genocide in Burundi. Similarly, the UPRONA in opposition, which portrays itself as the genuine representative of Tutsi interests deplored a politico-ethnic based genocide ongoing. On its part, the Conseil national pour le respect de lAccord dArusha et de lEtat de droit (CNARED) observed that both Hutus and Tutsis are being victimized by Nkurunziza regime to the point that its chairman, Mr. Leonard Nyangoma characterized the situation as Barundicide (Ihonyabarundi[in Kirundi]). Likewise, in an interview aired on Humura Radio on December 29, 2015 [in Kirundi], Alexis Sinduhije, chairman of the Mouvement pour la solidarite et la democratie (MSD) and also another CNARED leader, stated that it is counterproductive to be selective and focus on Tutsi victims alone while ignoring the sufferings of Hutu families who lost their loved ones. Civil society is not left out. In a letter sent to the UN on April 14, 2015, the Campaign Halt to the third term warned of perpetration of international crimes in Burundi, including genocide. Recently, Ms. Marguerite Barankitse, founder and CEO of the Maison Shalom stated [in French] on the Reseau dinformation de Radio Canada that genocide was ongoing in Burundi. With regards to the different positions displayed above, it is interesting and useful to analyze the current situation from a legal perspective and find out whether or not there is an ongoing genocide. 2. Is there genocide ongoing in Burundi? Before I respond to the question, I deem it necessary to recall the legal definition of the crime of genocide. According to the Convention on the Prevention and the Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, this crime amounts to an act targeting ethnic, racial, religious or national groups as such, with the intent to destroy them in whole or in part (article 1). Since the total annihilation of a group is practically impossible, the issue then lies at the meaning of the part of the group that needs to be destroyed for genocide to occur. Originally, the international case-law considered that the killing of a single person would suffice to establish genocide, as long as he or she was intentionally targeted because of his or her ethnicity, race, nationality or religion (Akayesu case, judgement, para. 521). However, the case-law has evolved since. Today, for an act to be characterized as genocide, the prosecution must establish, beyond reasonable doubt, the destruction of a substantial part of the protected group (Jelisic case [PDF], judgement, para. 82; Bagilishema case, para. 64; Krystic case, appeals judgement, para. 8). This approach makes sense because the Genocide Convention aims at protecting groups, not individuals per se. Even Raphael Lemkin, the Godfather of the Genocide Convention has explained that the intent to destroy in part must be interpreted as a desire for destruction, which must be of a substantial nature [] so as to affect the entirety. The ICTR caselaw in Kayishema has set the bar high since, for an accused to be found guilty of genocide, the prosecution must prove the intention to destroy a considerable number of individual members of a group (Kayishema case [in French], para. 97), to the point that their disappearance would impact upon the survival of the group as such. It is worth noting that the Genocide Convention has been ratified and somehow domesticated by Burundi, making the crime of genocide prosecutable nationally. So, according to the legal criteria, is it warranted to speak of genocide in Burundi for the moment? Although Burundi has experienced atrocious acts over the last eight months, mostly in Tutsi-dominated suburbs of Bujumbura, the killings do not amount to acts of genocide targeting Tutsi group as such. Given the fact that the spring demonstrations against the third term of President Nkurunziza were carried out by people predominantly living in these suburbs, the targeting of these areas is politically motivated and localized. Other Tutsi-dominated areas such as Rohero, Kiriri, Kinindo and countryside have been spared from police reprisal acts. However, it should be highlighted and reminded that international criminal law does not require territorial generalization of heinous acts to qualify as genocide. If the legal criteria are satisfied, genocide can be proved even if the acts are simply localized. Furthermore, regardless of the atrocities and the deplorable number of deaths, it is less plausible for the moment to suggest an intention to destroy a substantial part of the Tutsi to the point that the killings have endangered the very survival of the Tutsi ethnic group as such. In fact, the human rights violations modus operandi in the anti-third term areas follows the same pattern of this very government, which has displayed a great deal of intolerance towards political opponents. For instance, during the first and second Nkurunziza presidential terms, one should remember the systematic killings perpetrated against the militants and combatants of the Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL). Despite their Hutu ethnicity, members of the FNL were systematically killed mainly in Muyinga and Bujumbura Rural provinces. Victims corpses were also found in water drains and rivers or on the streets as we are witnessing it today with third term victims. Apart from FNL militants and combatants, government sponsored hostile acts were carried out against members of other opposition political parties such as MSD, FRODEBU, UPD Zigamibanga as well as prominent members of civil society organizations like Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, who survived an attempted assassination. Can we then say that a politicide is ongoing against those opposing the CNDD-FDD political agenda? Although the majority of stakeholders are of that view, it should be reminded that the Genocide Convention affords protection to only four groups (ethnic, racial, religious and national). Contrary to other countries, the Burundian implementing legislation textually adopted the definition from the Genocide Convention, without extending the grounds for protection, to include for example other groups deemed to be equally vulnerable for genocide such as political groups. Therefore, no political genocide can be sustained either, from a purely legal perspective. In conclusion, an evidence-based inquiry into the facts suggests that the killings and other degrading and ill-treatment acts are targeting people who are against Nkurunziza third term. They are in no way attacks on any Tutsi for his or her ethnicity as such. Therefore, from a legal perspective, no serious analysis can conclude to the existence of genocide ongoing in Burundi. However, from a human rights perspective, and for the time being, even if they cannot found allegations of genocide, most of the horrible acts are in no way justifiable, under the law and order paradigm. They are punishable domestically or internationally, the real issue here being for the moment the recognition of the scale of the human suffering and the dignity of victims as opposed to the recognition of genocide per se. Time is not for apocalyptic discourse from politicians and others. Burundians are all affected by the current crisis, irrespective of their ethnic or political affiliation. In order to avoid the worst, the international community should ensure that political belligerents commit to dialogue. Dialoguing is playing responsible politics. Professor Pacifique Manirakiza is an Associate Law Professor at University of Ottawa. Professor Manirakiza has just completed a 4-year term as a member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights. In 2014 Dr. Manirakiza has been appointed member of the first African Union-led Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan. Suggested citation: Pacifique Manirakiza, The Genocide Rhetoric in Burundi, JURIST Academic Commentary, Jan. 19, 2016, http://jurist.org/academic/2016/01/pacifique-manirakiza-burundi-genocide.php. [JURIST] A German court on Monday announced that Hubert Z, a 95-year-old German man accused of being an accessory to the murder of 3,681 people at Auschwitz, will stand trial next month. Because of Germanys privacy laws Hubert Zs last name has not been released, but it is known that he was a death camp paramedic that operated as a sergeant [Guardian report] in the Nazi SS from 1943 to 1944. Hubert Zs trial is scheduled to begin on February 29 in Neubrandenburg. Hubert Z had previously been deemed too fragile to stand trial, but in December a German court reversed [JURIST report] a lower decision to hold that he is fit for trial. German courts have recently seen a flurry of war crimes-related charges against former members of the German Nazi party. Prior to 2011, German prosecutors often chose not to charge individuals they regarded as simply cogs in, rather than active members of, the Nazi war machine. In November, a German court deemed [JURIST report] that a 93-year-old former SS sergeant, charged with 170,000 counts of accessory to murder for allegedly serving as a Nazi camp prison guard, was fit for trial. The 2011 conviction [JURIST report] of former Nazi guard John Demjanjuk may have emboldened German prosecutors to pursue cases against all those who materially helped Nazi Germany function. The most recent person imprisoned for their role in the Holocaust was Oskar Groening. Known as the accountant of Auschwitz, Groening was charged [JURIST report] in September of last year as an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people. In June, Groening was given a four-year jail sentence for his role at Auschwitz, a sentence Groening said he would appeal [JURIST reports]. [JURIST] Moroccan police on Monday arrested a Belgian man with a direct relationship to the November attack in Paris that killed 130 people. The Moroccan Interior Ministry said [BBC report] the individual in question, whose name has not been released, traveled to Syria with one of the Saint-Denis suicide bombers. The head of Moroccos central Bureau of Judicial Investigations in a recent interview with the AP [AP report] stated that he has helped the French and Belgian authorities make multiple arrests in connection with the attacks on November 13th. Numerous attackers were of Moroccan and Belgian origin. Authorities in Belgium are still searching for suspects that have been linked to the terrorist attacks in France on November 13. Paris chief prosecutor Francois Molins reported the day after the attack that several arrests [JURIST report] had already been made, and numerous raids have since been conducted in France and Belgium. Organized in three teams, terrorists reportedly connected to the Islamic State (IS) [JURIST backgrounder] perpetrated attacks on six different targets in and around Paris. The attacks began with a suicide bombing at the Stade de France around 9:20 PM local time. Soon thereafter, individuals riding in a Seat brand car opened fire on individuals outside cafes around Paris. At around 9:40 PM, assailants fired on concert-goers at the Bataclan concert hall, killing 89. Molins related that these individuals were using war-type weapons and explosives, further indicating association with IS. Speaking about the attacks generally, French President Francois Hollande called them [BBC report] an act of war, and vowed that the French will lead the fight and will be ruthless. A UN rights expert also commented in November that the attacks may amount to crimes against humanity [JURIST report]. [JURIST] Approximately 180 Cuban migrants crossed the US border on Friday as part of an organized Central American effort to transport the 8,000 Cubans stranded in Costa Rica. Following recent diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba, thousands of Cubans are attempting to seek asylum [New Yorker report] in the US fearing that migration policies for Cubans might soon change. The Cuban Adjustment Act [materials], through a provision added in 1995 which is informally called the Wet Foot/Dry Foot policy, requires that Cubans seeking asylum reach land to avoid being returned to Cuba. In recent months, waves of Cuban migrants have been fleeing to Ecuador and attempting to reach the US border through Central American countries. However, migrants were forced to remain in Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador last November when Nicaragua closed its borders [AP report]. Following negotiations with Central American leaders, Costa Rica reached an agreement to fly Cuban migrants to El Salvador where the migrants can travel to the US through Mexico. Central American countries will continue the airlift program through the next three weeks, and the same program may be initiated for the 3,000 Cuban migrants in Panama should their efforts be proven successful. After a decades-long strained relationship between the US and Cuba, the US completed [JURIST report] the re-opening of diplomatic ties with Cuba last July by converting the standing US Interests Section into the US Embassy Havana. President Obama began to take steps in late 2014 to improve the diplomatic relationship [JURIST backgrounder] between the two countries. In April, President Obama announced [NYT report] that he would be removing Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism [text] list, which enumerates countries that sponsor terrorism. President Obama completed Cubas removal [JURIST report] from the list in May as a positive step towards restoring diplomatic relations between the nations. Also in April, a bill [JURIST report] was introduced in the House of Representatives that proposed tying any further removal of sanctions against Cuba to the nations human rights record. [JURIST] The Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] urged the government of Myanmar on Sunday to release all remaining prisoners currently being held for political and religious violations. The National League for Democracy Party (NLD) [official website, in Burmese], which won in a national election [JURIST report] last November, has already promised [Myanmar Times report] that there will be no political prisoners when they take office in late March. The party has defined political prisoner to be anyone arrested, detained or imprisoned for their direct or indirect activities to promote freedom, equality, and human and civil rights, including ethnic minorities, as well as for involvement in anti-government protests. However, HRW Asia Director Phil Robertson [official profile] has stressed [HRW report] that current Myanmar President Thein Sein [official website] should immediately fulfill a similar promise he made in 2012. Though President Sein initially formed review committees and made significant progress, the HRW reports that the number of political charges and convictions has drastically risen in recent years. The HRW elaborates that the number of political prisoners has grown from 25 to 128, and 472 Myanmar citizens face charges for exercising civil rights in various ongoing cases. The court in Myanmar is currently scheduled to hear one of these cases on Tuesday which regards 50 Burmese students arrested for peaceful political protests against the National Education Bill. Serious political and social issues have continued to arise in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, since independence from the British in 1948. In October President Sein signed a nationwide ceasefire agreement [JURIST report] with eight armed rebel groups in an effort to establish peace in Myanmar. In March UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee called on state authorities [JURIST report] to address ongoing challenges to the democratic reform process in Myanmar. Previous Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tomas Ojea Quintana expressed concern [JURIST report] last April about the deteriorating human rights situation in the countrys Rakhine State [JURIST news archive]. In October 2013 Quintana warned [JURIST report] that sectarian violence between the Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State was contributing to wider anti-Muslim sentiments in Myanmar and threatening the positive changes undertaken by the country in the past two years. [JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] issued a letter [text, PDF] Tuesday to the Indian Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment [official website], urging it to strengthen provisions of the 2015 Rights of Transgender Persons Bill [text, PDF]. In the letter, dated last week, HRW South Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly [official profile] argues that the new bill is a large step forward for transgender rights, but states that there are still areas of the bill that need improvement. Ganguly has asked that the Indian government make changes to the new bill which include publishing the bill in all Indian languages, including inter-sex persons to the bills protections, and redefining the bills term violence to exclude actions against ones self. HRW believes that the recommendations will serve to make the new bill more effective in promoting the rights of one of the most marginalized and vulnerable communities in the country. It is Gangulys belief that her recommended changes will help continue the fight against discrimination and violence towards the Indian transgender community. The lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community (LGBT) continues to face legal challenges throughout the world. In December voters in Slovenia rejected a law [JURIST report] that would allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children. In November the Constitutional Court of Colombia ruled [JURIST report] that same-sex couples can legally adopt children. The UN has become increasingly focused on the rights of LGBT individuals. In September 12 UN agencies released a joint statement [JURIST report] arguing that abuses toward the LGBT population are human rights abuses impacting society as a whole. In June the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported [JURIST report] that members of the LGBT community continue to face discrimination and human rights abuses. [JURIST]The US Supreme Court [official website] on Tuesday heard [day call] the cases of Americold Realty Trust v. ConAgra Foods and Heffernan v. City of Paterson [SCOTUSblog backgrounders]. In Americold Realty Trust v. ConAgra Foods [argument transcript] the Court will examine whether the citizenship of a trust for purposes of diversity jurisdiction is based on the citizenship of the controlling trustees, the trust beneficiaries, or some combination of both. ConAgra Foods sued Americold Realty Trust for breach of contract relating to a warehouse fire. The case was removed to federal court based on diversity jurisdiction; however, because Americold is a real estate investment trust, with possible beneficiaries in multiple places, there exist questions about the requirement of complete diversity. Americold argues that diversity should be based on citizenship of trustees and not beneficiaries, while ConAgra asserts a trust to be a citizen of every state in which any of the trusts members, shareholders, or beneficiaries is a citizen. The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit [official website] held in favor of ConAgra [Opinion, PDF] last year. In Heffernan v. City of Paterson [argument transcript], the Court will address the issue of whether the First Amendment [LII backgrounder] bars demotion of a public employee based on the employees support of a particular political candidate. The case concerns Jeffrey Heffernan [SCOTUSblog Argument Summary], a detective and later chief of police in New Jersey who, because it was perceived that he supported a mayoral candidate, was demoted from his office to that of a patrol officer. Heffernan sued but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit [official website] rejected his claim that his demotion was violative of the First Amendment. [JURIST] United Nations humanitarian agencies on Monday called for continued aid to Syrians due to the deteriorating conditions in the area of Deir-Ez-Zor. UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq announced [statements] in the daily briefing that the individuals residing in the area need immediate assistance of food and health supplies. The humanitarian aid from the UN has continually been halted from reaching those in need due to the fierce clashes in the vicinity. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen OBrien of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [official website] stated [statement, PDF] in an open letter to Syria, The Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, his team, the United Nations and its partners have taken serious and repeated risks to reach people in need, in some cases coming under direct fire from parties to the conflict or suffering the ultimate price, selflessly serving others. The conflict in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] has continued for five years in a civil war based around the legitimacy of President Bashar al-Assad [BBC backgrounder]. According to the UN more than 250,000 Syrians have died, and about 10.5 million have fled their homes. These refugees have attempted to flee the fighting by entering Europe, prompting UN officials to urge a global response [JURIST report] to the crisis. In December the UN Security Council adopted [JURIST report] a resolution outlining 15 steps for peace in Syria. The conflict has been highlighted by countless human rights violations and use of chemical weaponry, which has created mounting pressure among the international community to find an end to the conflict. About Me Kaminoge Take off your rose-colored spectacles, all ye who enter here. View my complete profile Translate Expats blog Blog Archive The United States Japan Hong Kong (then) England Austria Slovenia Taiwan South Korea China Belgium Hong Kong (now) Thailand Lithuania Germany The Netherlands Poland Finland Estonia Latvia Scotland The Czech Republic Italy Vatican City Ethiopia South Africa Egypt The Seychelles Canada NTC launches new social networking site Meet The Nepal Telecommunications on Monday unveiled a new social networking portal Meet with a prime aim to develop relations among the customers. Upendra Yadav announces to intensify Singha Durbar-centric protest Chairman of Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepala key constituent of the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM)Upendra Yadav has said the agitating Morcha will now intensify its protest programmes focusing the countrys main administrative building Singha Durbar. Wont give up the race for NC prez: Poudel Nepali Congress (NC) Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel has remarked that nothing can lure him to give up the race for the post of party president. Anthrax fear grips Palpa village Anthrax, a disease which causes fever, swelling and often death in animals, has spread to an epidemic proportion in remote Galdha VDC-7 of Palpa district. Lawmakers propose life imprisonment Lawmakers have sought life imprisonment to those embezzling more than Rs1 billion in banks and financial institutions (BFIs). Nawayugs hat-trick propels Nepal to Bangabandhu finals Nawayug Shresthas hat-trick helped Nepal secure a position in the finals of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup after trouncing Maldives 4-1 in the semi finals match played at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Tuesday. NHRC: Dont sell food received as donation The National Human Rights Commission has asked the government not to sell the foodstuff received in grant from donors for earthquake survivors. No national treatment to foreign banks: Lawmakers Lawmakers on Monday stressed that the government should not give national treatment to fully foreign-owned banks which have been allowed to operate in Nepal since 2010. NRB, ministry at odds over labour bank plans Ministry of Labour and Employment and Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) have taken differing positions on plans to establish a labour bank. NT unveils MEET social networking platform State-owned telecom giant Nepal Telecom (NT) has unveiled a social networking platform named MEET, which is also expected to help NT develop a unified communication system (UCS) to integrate the varied services and facilities it provides. Redefining nationality It is necessary to change the notion of nationality as per peoples aspirations Speaking their minds For Nepali slam poetry enthusiasts, Word Warriors (WW) is a household name. Yadav warns of Singha Durbar-centric protest Chairman of Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepala key constituent of the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM)Upendra Yadav has said the agitating Morcha will now intensify its protest programmes focusing on the countrys main administrative building Singha Durbar. 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 Mike Dunleavy the governor of the US state of Alaska is intending to introduce legislation that will repeal the two state boards which regu... After successfully organizing last weeks presidential debate, the Inter- Religious Council is now finalizing plans for another one. While addressing the media earlier today the chairman of the Elders Forum Justice James Ogoola said there is still need for another debate to give to Ugandans to hear from their candidates. He adds that they are already in contact with willing presidential candidates in an effort to agree on a date in the second week of February. This debate will mainly focus on foreign policy dwelling more on the East African Integration, cross boarder crime as well as trade among other issues. Story By Samuel Ssebuliba Between January 20 and 28, Vietnams ruling Communist Party is scheduled to convene its 12th national congress. The Party congress is to Vietnam in some sense what the presidential election is to the United States: It decides who the countrys next leaders will be. But there are some very significant differences between the Vietnamese and American systems. In the United States, the president is elected by members of the Electoral College who are in turn elected by millions of voters. In Vietnam, it is the delegates of the National Congress who elect the Central Committee, which then elects the Party general secretary (the countrys supreme leader) and the Politburo members (the countrys collective leadership). But even the congress delegates will have very limited choices. Usually the outgoing Central Committee will select the next Party chief complete with the next Politburo, the next prime minister, the next state president, the next National Assembly chair, and the next cabinet members. The outgoing Central Committee also assembles a list of candidates from which the congress can form the next Central Committee. In the United States, you dont know who will be in the government until you know who the president is. In Vietnam, the order is reversed. The most consequential question is answered last, and the least important first. Thus, you only find out who the next Party chief is in the last moments before the Party congress, but you can be more certain about the new cabinets members much earlier. Although the next government will be formally selected by a new National Assembly that is to be elected the coming May, most of the ministries are already fairly clear on who their next minister will be. According to diplomatic sources in Hanoi, the Defense Ministry will get a new boss in the person of the present head of the Vietnam Peoples Army General Political Directorate, Ngo Xuan Lich. The Public Security Ministry will also change ministers, with To Lam, one of the present deputy ministers, slated to be the new minister. Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh will remain in his current job. By the time of the 13th Central Committee Plenum in late December 2015, the most likely scenario also foresaw current Public Security Minister Tran Dai Quang becoming the next Party boss of Ho Chi Minh City and current Chief of the VCP Central Propaganda Commission Dinh The Huynh the new Party boss of Hanoi. The top four posts Party chief, prime minister, state president, and National Assembly chair were to be decided at the VCP Central Committees 14th plenum, which took place early this week. The pool of candidates for these highest positions is limited, however, because they must be in the current Politburo and most of the current Politburo members will retire at the 12th congress. According to a rule that has been in place for years, the age limit for a Politburo member to stay into a next term is 65. Ten of the current 16 Politburo members will be older than 65 years at the time of the 12th congress. The 14th Plenum was to make decision about the exceptions to this rule. Basically the question was, who among the current top four Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Truong Tan Sang, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and National Assembly Chair Nguyen Sinh Hung would stay. The strongest scenario that emerged at the 13th plenum was that Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong would be the only exception to the rule, and he would stay for two more years in his current job, which then would be turned over to either Tran Dai Quang or Dinh The Huynh. The new state president would be either current Fatherland Front Chairman Nguyen Thien Nhan or current Vice-Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Ngan and current Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc would be the candidates for the prime ministers post. And the one among the three who did not get the other two posts would be the new National Assembly chair. At the 14th plenum, the Central Committee reportedly voted for Trong to remain general secretary, Quang to become the new state president, Phuc to be the next prime minister, and Ngan to be the new National Assembly chair. (In another important development, the 14th plenum also endorsed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, making certain that Vietnam will sign and ratify the pact.) Tense Contest The leadership equation recommended by the 14th plenum will remain just that a recommendation until the 12th Party Congress makes the final decision. Until then, the toughest question, who will be the next Party chief, cannot be viewed as resolved. This question has been the trickiest one for every congress for decades. But the hallmark of the 12th congress next week is that the race for the highest position in the country is the most tense ever. The leading contenders for the post are the incumbent general secretary, Trong and the prime minister, Dung. Dung is extremely determined to become the next general secretary, and Trong is equally determined to deny him the job . Whats more, the two are polar opposites. At their core, Trong is a mandarin, while Dung is a capitalist; one is loyal to his principles, the other to his profits. This personality contrast is one of the reasons for the severity of their clash. These characteristics should not imply, as many outside observers often assume, that Trong is pro-China and anti-Western while Dung is pro-U.S. and anti-China. The reality is far more nuanced and complex. In fact, neither Trong nor Dung can be described as either soft or tough on China; each combines softness with toughness in his own way. One of Dungs best remembered statements is his heroic comment on Vietnams relations with China, We do not trade sovereignty and territorial integrity for a quixotic peace and a dependent friendship. During the HYSY-981 oil rig crisis of 2014, Dung advocated launching legal action against China in the South China Sea. More recently, Dung was the only Vietnamese leader to offer Chinese President Xi Jinping a full hug when the latter visited Hanoi in early November 2015. Perhaps to reward this and other offers Dung made during that talk, Xi then extended the only invitation he made during the trip to Dung, rather than to his rivals Trong and Sang, to visit China in the future. A veteran watcher of Sino-Vietnamese relations has commented that this signaled the Chinese approval of Dung as the next leader of Vietnam. Some analysts also note that Chinas redeployment of the HYSY-981 oil rig near the Vietnamese EEZ and test flights on a newly built airstrip in the Spratlys, both in the time period between the 13th end 14th plenums, may help to strengthen Dungs position in his bid for Vietnams top job. In contrast, Trongs public comments on Vietnams relations with China are remarkable for their dullness. Responding to voters concerns about Chinas expansion in the South China Sea, Trong said , We have maintained independence and sovereignty, but we must also resolutely preserve the regime, ensure the leadership role of the Party, maintain a peaceful and stable environment for national construction and development, and maintain friendly relations with other countries, including China. Behind the scenes, however, Trong made some decisions that can only be viewed as tough on China and soft on the United States. In 2011, he strongly defended the appointment of Pham Binh Minh as the new Foreign Minister, over Chinas objections. (Minh is the son of former Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach, whose retirement at the 7th VCP congress in 1991 was one of Chinas conditions for renormalization between the two countries.) In 2012, Trong threw his support behind the Law of the Sea of Vietnam, passage of which had been delayed for years due to Chinese opposition. More recently, in 2015, Trong yielded to U.S. insistence and made a major concession to allow independent labor unions, paving the way for Vietnam to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Party vs. Government? Many outside observers view the political infighting in Vietnam as a rivalry between the Party and the government, with Trong commanding the Party camp and Dung the government bloc. Again, the reality is not so simple. Within the framework of a party-state, there is significant fluidity between party and government structures. This is even more true with the circulation of cadres (luan chuyen can bo), a practice copied from China, where senior officials have to rise through different positions in the government bureaucracy and the Party apparatus both at the central and provincial levels. Trong and Dung, through their position at the apex of the two structures, can mobilize their respective apparatus to a certain extent, but their real power rests on networks that cut across the Party-government border. For example, of the five deputy prime ministers, only one Hoang Trung Hai is Dungs ally; none of the other four Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vu Van Ninh, Vu Duc Dam, and Pham Binh Minh is in the Dung camp. At the same time, many of the Party bosses in the provinces and the central Party apparatus are allies of Dung, while Trong also has his allies in the central and provincial Government bureaucracies. doi moi is democratization, are no different than those advocated for years by Nguyen Trung, another credentialed reformer. (Trung is the author of then Prime Minister Vo Van Kiets 1995 memo, which also outlined a reformist platform, and for which Kiet was attacked by conservatives.) Critics, however, argue that there is a big gap between Dungs rhetoric and his action. They believe that Dung is willing to sacrifice the national interest for his own personal interest and the interests of his family and cronies. His name has been associated with the default of large state-owned conglomerates Vinashin and Vinalines, which caused losses of billions of dollars. Nor does the ideological frame of conservatives vs. reformers seem to fit the Trong-Dung contest. Whether Dung is a reformer is a contentious issue. Supporters believe that he promotes institutional reform with more market and less state. Dungs 2014 New Year address sounded like a reformist manifesto. Authored by former Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen, a credentialed reformer, the address contends that institutional reform and democratization are the two key motors of development and urges the Party to hold firm the banner of democracy. The main tenets of the address, such as the core ofis democratization, are no different than those advocated for years by Nguyen Trung, another credentialed reformer. (Trung is the author of then Prime Minister Vo Van Kiets 1995 memo, which also outlined a reformist platform, and for which Kiet was attacked by conservatives.) Critics, however, argue that there is a big gap between Dungs rhetoric and his action. They believe that Dung is willing to sacrifice the national interest for his own personal interest and the interests of his family and cronies. His name has been associated with the default of large state-owned conglomerates Vinashin and Vinalines, which caused losses of billions of dollars. Trong meanwhile is at best a moderate with some conservative inclinations and at worst a conservative out of touch with reality. His insistence on regime preservation, a leading role for the state in the economy, and other conservative ideas have obstructed reform. Yet Trong has also promoted many reformers. The views of Vuong Dinh Hue, a former Finance Minister who was brought into the Party apparatus by Trong to head the Partys Central Economic Commission, are not too far from those of Truong Dinh Tuyen. Another prominent protege of Trong is the late Nguyen Ba Thanh, the charismatic Party boss of Da Nang who was brought in to lead the Partys central anti-corruption commission. Thanh was, as a Western investor has observed , the nearest Vietnam has to a Lee Kuan Yew. Trongs fierce opposition to Dungs bid for power has also attracted many reformers who view Trongs leadership as the more viable alternative to a future full of crony capitalism, corruption, and more authoritarianism. Vietnam is at its most critical juncture since the end of the Cold War 26 years ago. But its ruling elite is faced with an impossible choice. Ultimately, though, the best hope for those who wish to see Vietnam become the next Asian tiger may lie not in the choice that is made, in the unintended consequence of the political clash it entails. Alexander L. Vuving is a Professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect those of his employers. 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. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won plans to attend an economic forum that opens in Switzerland later this week, the group said Tuesday, marking his first official overseas trip after a scandal surrounding his extramarital relationship. Chey will participate in the World Economic Forum, scheduled to kick off Wednesday for a four-day run in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos, where thousands of state officials and business heads around the world will gather to discuss key global agenda. SK Group said the visit is in line with the group's efforts to find new growth engines, adding its officials will join various energy-related sessions during the forum, along with the "Korea Night" function on the sidelines. In late December, Chey admitted to having a child with an unidentified woman, adding he was going through divorce proceedings with his wife. Since the announcement, Chey had taken a low-key stance, until he appeared at the group's New Year's ceremony earlier this month, where he vowed to continue groupwide efforts to overcome the prolonged economic slump. SK Group said it also plans to hold meetings with officials from various segments, including the chemical, information-communications technology and semiconductor industries. Other top South Korean officials, meanwhile, will also fly to Switzerland for the annual forum. Choi Kyung-hwan, who served as the finance minister until earlier this month, will represent South Korea as a special presidential envoy at the forum. In 2014, President Park Geun-hye attended the Davos forum. The forum, however, withdrew its rare invitation to North Korea, a move seen by some as the first of a concerted effort by the international community to penalize Pyongyang. North Korea conducted what it claimed is its first successful test of an H-bomb on Jan. 6. (Yonhap) The South Korean branch of Iran's Mellat Bank is moving to normalize operations as soon as possible following the landmark nuclear accord that helped to lift international sanctions on the oil-rich country, the branch chief said Tuesday. Seoul said Sunday that it will step up "reciprocal cooperation" with Iran as countries around the world move to lift economic and financial sanctions against Tehran. Seoul citing allegations that Mellat had violated a U.N. Security Council Resolution had restricted the bank's operations from 2010 onwards. "Every effort is being made to restore the necessary infrastructure so normal operations can resume," Kim Tae-gil said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "For the past few years, the bank has not been able to engage in its core business of foreign exchange and trade support," Kim said. "The office stayed afloat by providing limited Korean won-based transaction services." Before the sanctions went into effect, South Korean carmakers, petrochemical and construction companies did brisk business in the Middle Eastern country, with the Asian country being a major importer of Iranian crude oil. Mellat Bank opened its South Korean office in June 2001 and supported bilateral trade and foreign exchange transactions, as well as the transfer of wages for Iranians working in South Korea. In 2009, the branch posted 32.5 billion won ($26.8 million) in net income, but this plunged to around 760 million won in 2014 in the wake of sweeping sanctions. Such constraints caused the bank to reduce its staff from 36 in June 2010 to 13 at present. The banker said that with the lifting of restrictions, Mellat has been getting calls from local companies that deal with Iran. "There is growing hope that things will improve down the line," he said. The official, however, cautioned that it will take time for Mellat to offer the full range of services it did in the past. He pointed out that the Seoul branch of Mellat's banking system has been effectively disconnected from the international transaction regime for years. Kim said that Mellat has to first restore the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication system that can allow it to issue letters of credit. Moreover, he said the bank must reopen its internal bank account network, which will naturally require time. (Yonhap) Defense officials and experts were to gather together later on Tuesday to gauge North Korea's nuclear capability following the communist country's recent nuclear test, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday. Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo, Vice Minister of National Defense Hwang In-moo and 17 other defense and military officials are set to hold a workshop at the defense ministry at 2 p.m. with seven experts on North Korea, mostly from state-run research centers including the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. Technical assessment of the recent nuclear test by North Korea, how to respond to the test on the diplomatic front and how to denuclearize the communist country will be the main topics of the discussion, according to the ministry. On Jan. 6, the North claimed it conducted a "successful hydrogen bomb test," a claim discredited by the international community. (Yonhap) Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low around 30F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low around 30F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. American Legion Post 595 in La Crescent hosted the 79th annual high school oratorical district contest on the U.S. Constitution on Sunday, Jan. 17. Ricky Erpelding, a sophomore at Cornerstone Family School in Kasson, won the district competition with his speech entitled, Christianity in the Constitution: Inseparable. Erpelding is awarded a $250 prize from the district and will go on to compete in the state semifinals in Anoka on Saturday, Feb. 20. Erpelding competed last year and took fourth in the state competition. The purpose of the American Legions National High School Oratorical Contest is to develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States on the part of high school students. Other objectives of the contest include the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently, and the preparation for acceptance of the duties and responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship. Scholarships are awarded to the first- through fourth-place winners at the state contest, and also to the state competitor who goes on to compete at the national contest in Indianapolis in April. The national champion winner is awarded an $18,000 college scholarship. Sy Fix, District 1s oratorical chairman, moderated the contest and hopes that more high school students will be encouraged by their history teachers and guidance counselors to compete in next years contest. Contact Fix for more information on how to get involved by calling 507-313-3376. American Legion Post 333 in Kasson sponsored Erpelding the past two years. Contact the American Legion state headquarters for more information about the competition at 1-866-259-9163 or go to www.mnlegion.org. Civil rights leader Sheyann Webb-Christburg spoke Monday evening of the inspiration Martin Luther King Jr. provided a young girl growing up in the 1960s. The keynote speaker at the 30th La Crosse Area Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration, she spoke of meeting King and how he told her to get good grades in school and that she could go to college. Webb-Christburg was hailed by King as the smallest freedom fighter when she participated in the Selma march at the age of 8 and said his presence made her feel special, leaving an indelible mark on her growing up. He motivated me to do something and to make a difference, she said during her speech, later adding, He inspired me not only to do my best but to be my best and not be ashamed. Mondays celebration at the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center honored the life, work and legacy of Martin Luther King. After a welcome from university President Rick Artman, a prayer was given by Pastor David Myron Smith Jr. of the Bountiful Harvest of Faith Church calling for people to remember King's vision. Once we begin to lay that foundation, expectation will begin to grow out of that foundation, he said. Lord, I believe that we will begin to see that love that Martin Luther King talked about. The 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Leader Award recipient Naohoua Tony Yang was honored at the celebration for his work helping La Crosse area Hmong residents since he moved to the area at age 14. Not knowing any English when he first arrived, Yang acted as a translator for his fellow Hmong, and then got a part-time and now full-time position as a cultural liaison with the School District of La Crosse. Yangs family immigrated to La Crosse from a refugee camp in Thailand in 1987. He lives in Onalaska with his wife, Amanda, and their four children. In his work, Yang also worked with the AMOS Hmong Advocacy Task Force to develop a volunteer class to help La Crosses Hmong residents gain U.S. citizenship, a program that led to his own parents becoming citizens. He reminds us of the vitality and enrichment that immigrants bring to our nation, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse associate dean of diversity and inclusion Barbara Stewart said when introducing Yang. He has made our community better and deeply exemplifies the values of Dr. Martin Luther King. As part of his job at the district, Yang has organized school programs to teach students respectful conflict resolution, self-confidence, positive life skills and ways to explore career interests. Yang says he works with students to help them think past just today and guide them toward jobs and careers that will lead them to their own community involvement. Acts across this country in recent years let us know we still have a lot to do for racial unity and social justice, Yang said after receiving the award Monday night. If we work together, I know we can achieve the dream that Dr. King spoke of. MADISON -- Milwaukee County Judge Joe Donald once supported state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, one of his rivals in this years race for the high court. Donald was listed as a reference on Bradleys application for an appointment to the court of appeals in 2015 and endorsed her in a 2013 campaign to retain her seat as a Milwaukee County judge, the political website WisPolitics first reported Friday. Donald told WisPolitics he has since been bamboozled by Bradley. I really thought she was about being a trial court judge, Donald said. It became apparent that it had nothing to do with it, that this was clearly a process to put her in place to put her on the Supreme Court. Gov. Scott Walker appointed Bradley to the Supreme Court last fall, following the death of Justice N. Patrick Crooks. The appointment came after Walker in 2012 appointed her to the Milwaukee County bench, and again to the District 1 Court of Appeals in May 2015. Donald did not return a phone call seeking comment. Campaign spokesman Andy Suchorski said in an interview that Donald supplied the reference because he was essentially a supervisor of Bradley, and that his endorsement in 2013 was part of a common practice on the part of judges to support incumbents. But Bradley in an interview said Donald offered his endorsement during her circuit court race unsolicited. Hes always been supportive of my judicial career and a friend to me, Bradley said. And, to me, this sounds like his campaign talking. Donald told WisPolitics he also was a reference for Judge Timothy Dugan, who applied for the post. Advertisement (1 of 1): 0:10 In that reference, Donald wrote to Walker that In your review of all the candidates I can only hope that you will arrive at the same conclusion: that Tim will make a fantastic Court of Appeals judge. In an interview with the State Journal last week, Donald emphasized his desire to be an independent candidate and not one created to support conservatives or liberals, though he has drawn broad support from Democrats. Donald was first appointed to his seat by former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. Bradley appointed to a temporary seat on the states highest court by Walker will face Donald and State Court of Appeals Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg in a Feb. 16 primary for a permanent seat. The top two vote-getters will face off in the general election April 5. Kloppenburg spokeswoman Melissa Mulliken said Donalds past support of Bradley and his explanation raise troubling questions. He allowed Rebecca Bradley to use his name as a reference, but when asked by the governors office he gave a better reference to another applicant for the same job? she asked. He was bamboozled into supporting Rebecca Bradley a year ago because he didnt understand who she was? Suchorski said its untrue Donald supported Bradley twice. The Kloppenburg campaign is grasping at straws here, he said. We might not need to demolish part of the Village Shopping Center for additional parking if more employers provided bus passes to their employees. But depending on what direction that bus is coming from on Losey Boulevard, crossing that busy street on foot could prove dangerous. This wide street contributes to our dependency on cars, and while those at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation claim they'd like to get more people out from behind the wheel, the truth is the DOT would like to widen more streets like this one within the city. The DOT will conduct a meeting to present its local transportation plan at 5 p.m. Jan. 27 at Central High School. Ironically, you'll likely have to cross Losey to get there, so be careful. I recently joined fellow legislators from rural areas across the state to announce the Rural Wisconsin Initiative. It will be ongoing and incorporate suggestions from people across the state. To begin the conversation, the Initiative will focus on improving education, workforce development, technology and health care in our rural communities. Quality education is the foundation of a strong economy and essential to improving those areas of our communities. In order to better understand the challenges facing our rural schools, I toured them and met with administrators and parents. My goal was to see the success stories and find ways to reinvest and renew our states support in public education. Some school districts have Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education programs to help prepare students for the new high demand careers of the 21st century. The Initiative will focus on developing a Rural STEM Grant to help rural school districts start, expand and maintain STEM education programs. If our rural communities want to grow and become economically competitive, we need to graduate more students who are highly skilled and fully prepared to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Many schools have done an outstanding job in advising students on career and academic choices. However, students are graduating from four-year universities, burdened with high debt and unable to find employment in their field of study; while at the same time, there is a worker shortage in segments of our economy that provide high-paying, desirable jobs that do not always require a four-year degree. To address this issue, I have co-authored legislation to create a new pilot program designed to assist schools, students and parents in career and workforce education. It will be a competitive grant program for the 12 Cooperative Education Service Agencies to apply for. The duties will include workforce education, business development outreach, coordination between businesses and schools, and apprenticeship and job training opportunity advancement. Additionally, they will work to assure that students and their families receive sufficient career and academic counseling to make informed choices. Wisconsins Youth Apprenticeship program is another valuable tool for students. The program is designed for high school students who want hands-on learning in an occupational area with classroom instruction. Increasingly, rural schools, tech colleges and businesses are working together to equip students with the skills they will need to succeed in their local industries. The Initiative will work to increase the amount of funding to bring the program in line with current demand. Along with enhanced skills comes greater needs for information and technology delivery. Rural areas are still underserved when it comes to high-speed internet, and focusing on bridging the technology gap will ensure that people in rural areas have the same access to opportunity that people in urban or suburban areas do. That is why I have authored Assembly Bill 647 to make changes to the Broadband Expansion Grant Program. Currently, there is $6 million in funding for the grants to expand service to underserved areas of the state, but the Public Service Commission is prohibited from making more than $1,500,000 in grants in a fiscal year. My legislation eliminates that prohibition and allows the PSC to allocate the grants until funding is depleted. This will ensure that the funds for the grant program can continue to be used to extend broadband access to underserved areas. Increasing broadband to underserved areas will better serve rural communities in areas such as education and business development, but it will also translate to increased access to health care. Quality broadband service will help promote the use of telemedicine, which provides many benefits, including greater convenience for families, safer care, better outcomes, and ultimately higher quality care and cost savings. In order to increase the availability of telemedicine and address our physician shortage, I authored Assembly Bill 253. It enables Wisconsin to enter into an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which will provide a new, expedited, licensing option for physicians seeking to practice in multiple states. As a former hospital board member, I understand the challenges some of our rural hospitals have in attracting and accessing healthcare specialists. With the compact in place, qualified physicians with an existing medical license in a compact state can begin providing care in Wisconsin communities more quickly. Eliminating the regulatory burden by allowing for expedited multistate licensing was a good step but now it is time to attract physicians so they want to work and live in rural Wisconsin. The Initiative will do that by focusing on improving the Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program. The WRPRAP program is a collaboration of rural health advocates, community clinicians, and residency educators throughout Wisconsin to develop educational experiences that encourages young new physicians to practice in our rural communities. I think that many of the items Ive mentioned here showcase just some of the positive changes being made for the future of our rural communities. Improving all areas of rural life in Wisconsin will be a process, and one that needs your input. The intent of the Initiative is to begin a conversation and continue to work toward reflecting what our constituents want. I encourage you to join the conversation and please share your feedback and ideas at www.RuralWisconsinInitiative.com. THC-laced gummy candies surface in La Crosse Candy infused with THC is popping up in La Crosse, likely trafficked into the area from states that have decriminalized or legalized marijuana. La Crosse police first discovered eight gummy bears laced with THC on Sept. 7. An investigator on Jan. 3 found two more sugarcoated gummies in the shape of bow ties on Central High School student Antoine Bell, who said he paid $30 for each. Anyone caught with the gummies faces a charge of possession of THC or a more serious charge of possession with intent to distribute if arrested with a large quantity, La Crosse County Deputy District Attorney Brian Barton said. The gummies pose a serious risk of accidental ingestion and toxicity to children if swallowed, Dolan said. Adults also are susceptible to toxicity because the gummies could contain a higher concentration of THC than expected, Dolan said. - La Crosse Tribune Winona State student hit by train, dies A Winona State University student was hit by a train early Sunday morning and died. The details werent still fully clear that day, but senior Derek Bute appeared to have fallen on the tracks at the Huff Street crossing at approximately 1:24 a.m., according to police reports and the university. He was transported via ambulance to Winona Health shortly afterward, where he was pronounced dead. Andy Cummings, a spokesperson for Canadian Pacific, said the eastbound train, which was stopped on the tracks across several city intersections for about two hours, was bound for Chicago from Vancouver, British Columbia. Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears the train crew sounded the horn, but unfortunately contact was made. It can take a train a mile or more to come to a complete stop, Cummings said. He said Canadian Pacific police are working with Winona police in the investigation. - Winona Daily News Woman killed in La Crosse house fire La Crosse fire investigators are trying to determine the cause of a fire at a La Crosse house late Sunday that killed a 65-year-old woman. Crews found the exterior of 2703 Hass St. engulfed by flames at 11:11 p.m., according to the La Crosse Fire Department. They battled the flames before two firefighters entered a bedroom window and found Darlene Jambois. Firefighters and paramedics treated her at the scene and in an ambulance, but Jambois was pronounced dead at Gundersen Health System. Her death is not considered suspicious. The house had heavy fire and heat damage. The fire started at the south end of the living room and spread quickly, according to the department. Investigators have not determined whether the house was equipped with smoke alarms. It did not have a sprinkler system. - La Crosse Tribune Mayor alleges hostile work environment Tomah Mayor Shannon Hough said shes the victim of a hostile work environment at city hall but gave no other details during a brief but emotional press conference Friday at her Tomah home. Hough read a brief statement that said, I am working to correct that situation and I am fighting to continue to serve as mayor of Tomah: a position which I am proud and privileged to have. Hough declined to answer specific questions about her allegation, including whether she has initiated a formal complaint or plans to file a lawsuit. She also declined to say who was responsible for the hostile environment. Hough had told the media earlier in the day she would resign as mayor but said during the press conference she intends to stay on. The city council scheduled an emergency closed meeting Friday to discuss the situation. City attorney Penny Precour-Berry said, The purpose of the meeting is to be more informed about what is going on. There is not going to be any substantial action taken. She said Friday was the first time she was aware of Hough using the term hostile work environment. - Tomah Journal You have the power to keep local news strong for the coming months. Your financial support today keeps our reporters ready to meet the needs of our city. Thank you for investing in your community. Stories like these are only possible with your help! Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe Hundreds lined up in Watts today, with a queue wrapping around the block for the grand opening of chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson's first healthful fast-food chain, LocoL. The community's energy and excitement about the restaurant opening was contagious. A DJ spun hip hop and R&B music that blasted on speakers outside, and people of all ages waited patiently in linesome of them waiting since 7 a.m.to get a first taste of the food. Right at 11 a.m. when LocoL opened its doors, they played Martin Luther King, Jr's. "I Have a Dream" speech in commemoration of MLK Day, as some stood in silence and others clapped in agreement. As kids waited in line, LocoL employees passed out juice, water and snacks to them. Others stood in line wearing "I Love Watts" t-shirts. Choi helped shout out pick-up order numbers to the new customers. Jon Favreau visiting LocoL (Photo by Eugene Lee/LAist) The event even brought out some big names, like Jon Favreau, Lena Dunham, Jim Brown and Mayor Eric Garcetti. The grand opening was a momentous occasion for a number of reasons. LocoL brings about healthful fast food options to an otherwise food desert in Watts, where most of the options tend to be greasy fast food from the likes of Burger King. Choi said at the event that everything at LocoL is made from scratch and they never use frozen food. Their fast food also comes at a reasonable price range, from $1 to $6. As for the community aspect of LocoL, they hire employees from Watts as well. "This is history in the making, I believe," Choi said. Children in line for LocoL (Photo by Eugene Lee/LAist) A number of kids surrounded Choi throughout the grand opening, excited to meet him and calling out his name. He explained how he wanted to also make an impact on these children's lives. "If this becomes successful, this experience will be a memory for these kids where they can take it with them in their lives." Patterson told LAist that they were mostly there to "feed people" and "get people jobs," but he also talked about how it brought people out from other parts of L.A. to Watts, too. "People are wonderful, genuine and loving here. Maybe people will come back, open more businesses here. Makes it a positive experience when theres a humanizing effect," Patterson said. Garcetti also talked about bringing people into the community as well. He asked the crowd if anyone had been to Watts before or at least in the last year, and welcomed them to "one of the most incredible communities anywhere." "This is the heart of L.A., and 50 years after the Watts uprising we're here, just a few months ago saying, 'We wouldn't just commemorate history, we'd make history,'" Garcetti said. "Now we've got LocoL, Children's Institute working with Frank Gehry to come in here. We've got the best of what's here and partners and friends coming from outside saying, 'Watts matters.' And a half century after that uprising, we got to make sure that the next generation has jobs, has a future, has dreams, and they can realize them not outside of Watts, but here at home in Watts." LocoL Cheeseburg (Photo by Jean Trinh/LAist) Community members echoed the same sentiment. Tisha Reed, who had been waiting in line since 8:30 a.m., told LAist that was she was there for MLK Day. "The opening of the restaurant is one piece of the puzzle in a tribute for him," Reed said. "It's a great area for the business because of the lack of employment here. For the community, with the presence of togetherness, it can bring hope and our community can stand together and become as one." She added that LocoL gave them options to eat healthier, and different styles of cooking with fresh ingredients instead of fried, greasy food. "There's nothing here but Burger King and stuff like that. It's been like that for years. It's a good thing for [Choi] to want to bring food here. It's a blessing." Susana Moreno, who was the 13th person in line, lives just a couple of blocks away and has been watching the whole progress of the restaurant being built over the past year. "I've noticed a change," she told LAist. "We don't have anything that looks nice. They're keeping their promise to bring us a healthy alternative, which we don't have much [of around] here." Inside LocoL (Photo by Eugene Lee/LAist) Inside LocoL, you can find cheery black and white cartoons decorating the walls, block-style tables and chairs, and a "We Are Here!!" sign emblazoned at the entrance. Huge windows look out to the back patio, where there are more tables and umbrellas for people to sit at and eat. As for the menu itself, they have $4 "Burgs," including a fried chicken sandwich, cheeseburgers with scallion relish and veggie burger options. There are $6 bowls with noodles made with ginger, chile and lime, veggie and tofu stews, and beef chili bowls. You can get "Foldies," that are like taco-quesadilla hybrids made with carnitas, bean and cheese and machaca. They even have breakfast items, $1 agua frescas and coffee (no sodas in this place!), and $4 soft-serve sundaes. As for the future of LocoL, expect many more locations to open soon. Choi says they're expanding next to Oakland, then the Tenderloin in San Francisco, and Watts again off of Central Avenue. "This is L.A," Choi said. "Lets get past racial segregation. Lets get together." LocoL is located at 1954 E 103rd St. in Watts a website dedicated to express views on topical legal issues, thereby generating a cross current of ideas on emerging matters This is the memoir of the experiences of Western missionaries. The book opens with the heartrending tragedy that will define much of this book's narrative. Ray Norman tells his story, and his family's story, in 11 chapters. He ends in a postscript that updates the reader about what is going on with him and his family. Norman ends it all with with ackknwledgments about those who made this book posdible. The very end of this book ends with his bio. This author was raised in rural West Africa. His own parents had been medical missionaries. After he finished schooling, he worked in Africa and the Middle East for over 15 years. In 1999, he jined World Vision International as the national Director for Mauritania, an Islamic nation. At one point, he returned to the U.S. so his children could finish their educations. He retuned to World Vision in various administrative roles. Currently, he and his wifeserve in villages and areas in the West. The rest of the time they travel. The author has two grown children.This book is an education. It educates us on the unique challenges faced by missionary families. It educates us on the major challenges that Muslims face in their countries. The beginning re-enactment of the defining event of this entire book, drew me in right away. This book is fairly easy to read. But because this is set in a fifferent culture, I got lost in the narrative sometimes. As I read the recounting of the attack on the author and his daughter, I wondered, "Where was the wife/mother during all of this?" I didn't grasp until later in the text, that she had been traveling during this time. I was unclear as to why she went on that trip. I could not understand her cold response to her husband when she came back. She even seemed angry at him for "letting himself and our daughter" get attacked." I took a dislike to her ever since, though the author, her husband stressed that she had warned him to be careful of such attacks and had been traumatized herself. From the portrayal of the daughter, she seemed to be wise beyond her years. I found myself feeling a pang of envy for this family. This author testifies to how God moved unmistakably in his family and in the lives of many Muslims he and his family served. This family and Christians outside the West, are often richer than us in the West. They are richer in the ways that count. They have spiritual weath and are richer relationally. I liked the author's openness about his emotional struggles. He denies that he is a hero. I thought he was overly generous in taking more than his share of responsibility for situations he faced, including the attack on him and his daughter. This book made me yearn for a different Christianity than what is usually seen in the West.I recommend this book for every person interested in overseas missionary work. This book will give you an accurate picture of what overseas missionary work is like, especially in hostile areas. This book will give you an honest view of the unique challenges and rewards of such involvement. You will see that while it is hard, it is worth it. I recommend this book for every pastor. It will not only bless them but also give them a realistic picture of what being an overseas missionary is like. They may appreciate betterthe unique challenges and rewards of their members who may be or want to be overseas missionaries. I recommend this book for another group who may be uncomfortable with its message. This is the many in Western Christendom who have come to confuse cultural Christianity with Biblical Christianity. This book will show you that the two are very different. THe author and his family had been outside the West for a long time. So their walks with Jesus were not influences by Western compromise. This book can be a wake-up call for many Christians.I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give this book a favorable review. Relations with China are causing political waves in Taiwan after the party opposed to closer ties easily won Saturdays elections. Taiwans candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party, Tsai Ing-wen, won Saturdays presidential election with 56 percent of the vote. Tsai is the first woman to win the islands presidency. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, also gained more seats in the islands legislature than the ruling Nationalist Party. Tsais victory raises question about whether eight years of increased ties with mainland China will end. The DPP has opposed closer links with China and expressed support for independence. President Ma Ying-Jeou has worked to improve relations with China for years. His efforts resulted in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore last November. It was the first meeting between leaders of mainland China and Taiwan since they split after Chinas civil war in 1949. China considers Taiwan part of its territory. Taiwan also has signed a number of trade deals with China. However, those efforts are thrown into doubt, and ruling party leaders are admitting a change in the publics will. Taiwans premier has taken leave of his job and says he may not return. Mao Chi-Kuo expressed concern about his ability to govern after voters elected a DPP president and gave it a majority in the legislature. The premier also asked his cabinet to resign. President Ma is considering whether to give his approval to such a move. Premier Mao defended his governments efforts to improve relations with China and economic growth in a speech to the cabinet Monday. He said public opinion has changed. He said he had approached the president to request his resignation to safeguard the work of the future government. Without his resignation, he said, important decisions would not be possible, affecting development and the peoples happiness. President Ma, however, is holding off approval of the cabinets resignation. He is talking with supporters of the president-elect. They are seeking government ministers that both sides agree could remain after Tsai takes office. By law, Ma can keep his current cabinet, but Taiwanese presidents often make changes after election losses. The premiers temporary replacement has said that talks on a possible free trade deal with China would stop if the cabinet resigns. It is not clear how Tsais government would negotiate with China. After the election, China reasserted its consideration that the self-ruled island is part of Chinas territory. It said the democratic vote would not change that basic fact. China has changed a great deal since the last time a DPP candidate won the presidency. China is more powerfully economically and militarily than it was in 2000. Experts say this means Tsai needs to use restraint in developing the islands relations with its larger neighbor. But, they point out that the world is watching how China deals with difficult issues at home and near its borders. These include how it deals with dissent within China, as well as concerns in Hong Kong and conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea. The president-elects campaign has said she will avoid angering China. Most experts do not expect the dispute between the mainland and Taiwan to intensify, at least before May 20. That is when President-elect Tsai takes office. Im Mario Ritter. This story was adapted from reports by VOA's Bill Ide and reporter Ralph Jennings. Mario Ritter adapted their stories for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Worlds in This Story take leave v. to say goodbye; to take time off restraint n. to limit; to keep under control reasserted v. to state or declare something more strongly; to restate A local woman cleaning her attic brought a box of toys to the Goodwill drop-off location at the Lebanon Mega Foods on Jan. 15 and that included a homemade gag gift that appeared to be a dynamite stick. Stephanie Hodson, of Lebanon, said the device was an old smoke bomb from the Fourth of July. Years ago, she painted the smoke bomb red, wrote dynamite on it in permanent pen, and gave it to her teenage son as a present. Hodson was surprised by the drama her donation caused. Roads in the area were closed off and an Oregon State Police bomb squad was called in to investigate the device, which was reported to Lebanon Police Department at 2:43 p.m. on Jan. 15. It was ridiculous, Hodson said. You could tell by looking at it that it wasnt dynamite. What a waste of money. Roads in the area were reopened at about 4:15 p.m. on on Jan. 15, after state police workers seized the device, which appeared to be factory made and had a fuse, according to police logs. Hodson learned of the turmoil her donation caused via a Democrat-Herald story notification on her cellular phone. I went, Oh, my God, and I called the cop shop. I said it wasnt dynamite, she said. Her call was made at 6:20 p.m., according to Lebanon police logs. Hodson said she altered two smoke bombs to create gag gifts for her son and then-boyfriend six or eight years ago. She couldnt recall the exact reason or occasion for which she made the gifts, which she described as about the same size as a toilet paper roll. When Hodson and her ex broke up, he took his stick of dynamite with him. Recent history may have led the Lebanon Police Department to treat the report of dynamite seriously. In October, Highway 20 northbound was closed for more than an hour at Vine Street after a stick of dynamite was found in a house by Home Depot subcontractors, who were preparing to install insulation in an attic. The worker who discovered the explosive brought it directly outside to Rose Street before police were called. In an interview at the time, Capt. Greg Burroughs said that Lebanon officers deal with discovered explosives such as old dynamite, grenades and blasting caps about once a year. Mega Foods declined comment on how the dynamite incident impacted business. Thoughts on political, economic, social developments in Eastern Mediterranean countries from someone who has spent the last 25 years living and working in the area. This website is inclusive of tolerant people of all faiths, without exception. Neither anti-Semitism nor Islamophobia nor homophobia should ever be acceptable to anyone. We must all strive to live in peace and harmony with each other, regardless of religious affiliations, or none. Intolerance is the mother of strife and conflict. Mark Alexander We Britons are Europeans!Wir Briten sind Europaer! Nous, les Britanniques, sommes europeens ! Mark AlexanderEmail me at:markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen Sunny Leones rockstar answers in a sexist interview has turned on not just Twitter users in India but in Vietnam, UAE and Latvia too! Within India, Sunny Leone topped Bengalurus Twitter charts as the #1 trend, Lucknows Tweeple spent 415 minutes tweeting about Sunny Leone after her interview telecast on CNN IBNs Hot Seat. After Bhupendra Chaubey flung "rude" questions to Leone at Mumbais Mehboob Studio, the Sunny Leone search and chatter on Twitter rode to the top on Bengalurus Twitterati circuit. Notably, these trends are not about the actress' name with the accompanying hashtag which typically helps online search. Data from iTrended says Sunny Leone remained #1 on Twitter in Bengaluru for 5 minutes and trended for 540 minutes in total. At # 5 in Bengaluru, Twitter users spent 285 minutes on Sunny Leone. The Sunny Leone interview on CNN IBN was part of the ongoing promotion of the Indian-origin Canadian actors upcoming adult comedy film, Mastizaade. In Latvia, Sunny Leone rose up to # 9 on Twitter trends and spent 25 minutes there. The actress trended for 320 minutes in this country. Over a span of 371 minutes, Sunny Leone trended in Latvia for 320 minutes. In UAE, Sunny Leone reached #13 on Twitter where people spent 45 minutes tweeting in a total trend time of 155 minutes. The US went cold on Sunny Leone, coming off a long weekend which saw the first snow on the East Coast this winter. In Vietnam, Sunny Leone did even better, spending 65 minutes as the country-wide average at the # 8 trend. Twitter users in Ho CHi Minh City, Vietnam spent 75 minutes devoted to Sunny Leone at the # 8. Sunny Leone displays far more dignity than these self appointed moral custodians of society. vidya balan (@vidya_balan) January 19, 2016 Bollywood hails "rockstar" Leone Bollywood has hailed Leone's answers to Chaubey's line of questioning which has been panned as "rude", "sexist" and "misogynist." Chaubey hit a low point with this one: "I wonder if I'm being morally corrupt by interviewing you." Here are more: "Are you proud of your past?" "Do you think Aamir Khan will work with you?" "In typical Bollywood terms, you're an item girl" "How many people would aspire to be a porn star?" These are some of the statements thrown to Sunny Leone in an interview with Bhupendra Chaubey. In a bid to promote her upcoming film, Mastizaade, Leone must have thought she was attending a harmless, promotional interview. What she got instead, like Alia Bhatt mentions in tweet (scroll below) was "hyper opinionated statements with a question mark at the end." The 30-minute-long interview is replete with Chaubey cutting Leone off as soon as she started to make a point that deviated from her "image" or her "past". It seemed as if all the questions were aimed to corner Leone, and yet she managed to keep her cool and answer his questions with dignity and a straight face. Even topics of politics and being the most-Googled person in India were conducted by Chaubey with a sly smirk on his face, as if to indicate that the only thing one deserves to speak to Leone about is porn. Leone was probably calmer than anyone in her place. Upon being asked what she felt about CPI leader Atul Anjan blaming her for corrupting Indian morality and youth of the country, her response was, "I'm waiting for the day when Obama makes a speech about me." One is unclear what the purpose of Chaubey's interview was. Gaurav Kapur in his tweet nails it, by saying, "Bhupendra's every word reeks of a dodgy agenda". Maybe he thinks talk about porn sells? Either that or like Vir Das mentions, he was exploring his own prejudice towards porn and morality. Here's how Bollywood and Twitterati reacted to the now viral video clip of the interview: Very unfair& rude interview with Sunny Leone on CNN IBN.She is taking it on her chin sportingly,obviously in the interest of her coming film rishi kapoor (@chintskap) January 17, 2016 That was literally NOT an interview.. Just hyper opinionated statements with a question mark at the end!!! No Grace? Chivalry? Ridiculous! Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) January 19, 2016 He asks the same question for 20minutes. Because she doesn't satisfy him with the response he's looking for.#Respect https://t.co/RkG4B0C5d2 Dia Mirza (@deespeak) January 19, 2016 How beautifully u held your own in that stupid interview @SunnyLeone .Some1 should have taught him how to respect a woman when he was a kid. Sushant S Rajput (@itsSSR) January 19, 2016 As a live broadcaster, you must be objective & rid yourself of all bias before an interview. Bhupendra's every word reeks of a dodgy agenda. Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) January 19, 2016 Full marks to Sunny Leone for the grace she showed. Most would've walked out of that cringe fest of an interview. Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) January 19, 2016 Here's hoping Mr Chaubey's next interview explores something other than his own prejudice. Vir Das (@thevirdas) January 19, 2016 FRANKFURT Twitter said on Tuesday it has resolved outages caused by a glitch in a software update that affected the social network on computers and phones, widely reported across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America. In a status update at 1800 GMT, Twitter said an "intermittent issue affecting some users" was related to "an internal code change." The statement said: "We reverted the change, which fixed the issue." There was no immediate way to determine whether full service had been restored for all users after Twitter made the change. Both Twitter's web and mobile services began suffering outages concentrated in northern Europe around 0820 GMT, with smartphone users receiving the warning: "Tweets aren't loading right now." Users from Scandinavia to Saudi Arabia to South Africa reported outages. India and Russia also suffered performance issues, according to a Twitter technical site. Intermittent breakdowns later spread to the United States and Canada in the early part of their working day. Sporadic disruptions continued at 1420 GMT, six hours after they first began to spread. At approximately 1745 GMT Twitter reported that some users were still having trouble accessing the service. "We are aware of the issue and are working towards a resolution," a statement on the company's Twitter status website said (status.twitter.com/). Then 15 minutes later the company announced the service problems had been resolved. A company spokeswoman had no further comment. Even during the outage, services had been restored for some affected users, only to fail again later. Some Twitter features continued to operate normally for some users, while others suffered disruptions, according to Twitter's developer website. The on-again, off-again nature of the outages meant that the hashtag #twitterdown was trending as a topic while Twitter was down for many other users. Twitter Inc shares were down almost 7 percent in afternoon trading. (Reporting by Eric Auchard; Editing by Mark Potter, Keith Weir, Stephen R. Trousdale and David Gregorio) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Vice-Chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile has a long association with the University of Hyderabad, also known as Hyderabad Central University. His academic excellence has won him several laurels, but his career on the campus is not devoid of controversies. A major controversy he faced was in 2002 when he, in his capacity as the chief warden, rusticated 10 Dalit students from the university. Prof Appa Raos political leanings, or at least as they are made out to be, veer towards rightist political thought. He is alleged to have been openly pursuing the BJPs political ideology. Students belonging to Ambedkar Students Association have alleged that he has time to hobnob with the BJP MLA N Ramachandra Rao more than to listen to the students grievances. Born on 3 August, 1962, Appa Rao did his schooling at KVR Zilla Parishad High School, Thullur of Guntur district, now the new capital region of Andhra Pradesh. He did his graduation in Botany, Zoology and Chemistry between 1977 and 1980 in Hindu College, Guntur. He later went to Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidya Nagar, Gujarat and completed his Master of Science (1981-83) and later his Ph D (1983-87). He is a gold medalist in M.Sc. He is a post-doctoral fellow from the Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan and subsequently was a visiting scientist at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, and Department of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Munster, Germany. He began his career as an Assistant Professor in the University of Hyderabad and scaled higher positions there itself. Prof Rao knows the university and its politics, problems and the various other issues on the campus seen over a span of two decades. Appa Raos professional acumen and scholarship have been acknowledged by several of his colleagues, who, however, did not want to be named at this point in time. A senior faculty member in the Department of Plant Sciences at the university, his contributions to plant-microbe interactions and plant disease control with modern molecular approaches are well acclaimed. Prof Rao has been conferred with fellowship of the Indian Academy of Sciences for his research contributions in plant sciences. He was earlier elected a fellow of National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi. He was awarded the Tata Innovation Fellowship by the Department of Biotechnology and BSR One Time Grant by the University Grants Commission. Prof Rao is a member of several scientific committees of Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology of Government of India. His Laboratory at the university is funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and European Union under Framework Programme 7 and leads a group of 15 research students. He has so far guided 17 researchers. Known for being a very soft-spoken person, some alumni, who owe their allegiance to the Students Federation of India, too expressed surprise over how he walked into such a major controversy. A former Vice-Chancellor of the university, who did not want to be identified, said Prof Raos academic competency is surely much above the usual benchmarks. The former VC also said that he had the distinction of excelling in all the researches he has undertaken. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked whether Sikhs in Punjab and Muslims in Kashmir can be treated as minority, as it commenced hearing to decide the correctness of a 2007 Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict holding that Sikhs cannot be granted 50 per cent quota in Sikh educational institutions in Punjab. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, while issuing notice to the Centre, sought the assistance of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi and appointed senior advocate T R Andhyarujina as amicus curiae in the matter. "Can Muslims, who are in majority in Kashmir, still be treated as minority? Can Sikhs be minority in Punjab? Can Christians be minority in Meghalaya," the bench, also comprising Justices F M I Kalifulla, A K Sikri, S A Bobde and R Banumathi, asked. The bench was informed by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) that the contesting parties were students who may not be interested any more in the outcome of the case having got admission elsewhere. "This is a serious issue on which we need assistance of the Centre," the court said and issued notice to the Minority Affairs Ministry and asked the Attorney General to assist it. The move by the apex court could have a bearing on other communities as well. The question came up before the court in an appeal of the SGPC challenging the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which stripped Sikh educational institutions of their minority status, holding that Sikhs were not a minority community. The High Court had set aside the state government notification, issued on April 13, 2001, that Sikh institutions can reserve 50 per cent seats for members from the community. PTI Panaji: An anonymous letter purportedly signed by Islamic State has threatened to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Goa Police have circulated this letter to all the police stations in the state and handed over the case to the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS). The postcard threat letter was received at the State Secretariat last week following which Goa Police swung into action, a senior police official said on Tuesday. "All the agencies of state police are investigating this letter. We will soon be able to find the source of it," the police official said. "ISIS was written at the bottom of the postcard," the official confirmed. The letter has expressed anger over ban on cow slaughter in the country. PTI Mumbai: A special MCOCA court in Mumbai on Tuesday granted CBI permission to interrogate deported gangster Chhota Rajan in connection with journalist J Dey murder case of 2011. Special Judge A L Pansare allowed CBI's plea seeking nod to question the 54-year-old crime boss for 10 days starting 27 January before adjourning the case till 5 February. Rajan, who was produced via video link from Delhi's Tihar Jail told the court that he has received the charge sheet and needs time to go through it. "I am kept in a high security cell and only taken out once in a week and need 15 days to a month for scanning the charge sheet and engaging a lawyer in Mumbai," Rajan told the court to which Judge Pansare informed the gangster that his (Delhi-based) lawyer Anshuman Sinha was present in the court. On 7 January, the court had reprimanded Mumbai Police for not serving the copy of the charge sheet to Rajan. "Why not yet ? What are you waiting for....why are you waiting for an order for everything ? the judge had asked. Later, he had passed an order directing the police to serve the copy of charge sheet to Rajan. Rajan, a former key aide and lieutenant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on 25 October after he arrived from Australia, and was later deported to India. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, which includes the J Dey murder case. Maharashtra government has handed over all the cases against him to CBI. Dey, a veteran crime reporter, was shot dead in suburban Powai by motor-cycle borne shooters on 11 June 2011 allegedly at the behest of Rajan. Four persons on two motorbikes fired at least four to five rounds at Dey, who was also riding a bike, from behind near Spectra Building at D Mart in Hiranandani area of Powai. After the attack, he was rushed to nearby Hiranandani Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Police had claimed the shooters fled the spot after firing. The first charge sheet in 2011 names arrested accused Satiah Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia. Later another charge sheet in 2012 was filed against journalist Jigna Vora who is now out on bail. Rajan was allegedly upset with two articles written by Dey and therefore ordered his killing. Vora allegedly instigated him, owing to her own professional rivalry with Dey. On January 4, the Bombay High Court had designated a special court for conducting the trials of cases in which Rajan is an accused. Earlier, Rajan had moved an application in Delhi court, saying that he may not be sent to Mumbai as there is threat to his life. PTI New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will on Tuesday visit the University of Hyderabad to meet the students after a Dalit scholar allegedly committed suicide sparking massive protests. Rahul is leaving for Hyderabad along with party General Secretary Digvijay Singh and will meet the students of the university, party sources said. The body of the Dalit research scholar was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room, which sparked massive protests. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were on Monday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". The deceased student, Rohit Vemula, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. The Congress had accused the BJP dispensation of having an "anti-Dalit agenda and mindset" and said the death of the scholar was "deliberately orchestrated by Dattatreya, Union HRD Ministry and their cohorts of ABVP". "Now an FIR has been registered against the Union Minister and the letter written by him prima facie amounts to abetment of suicide, Congress demands that Dattatreya resigns with immediate effect, failing which the Prime Minister should sack him", party spokesman RPN Singh had said on Monday. PTI The Congress wants Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya sacked from the Cabinet after he was named in an FIR over the suicide of a Dalit PhD student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University. The 26-year-old Dalit scholar hanged himself in hostel room 207 on Sunday after his desperate pleas to reverse a varsity decision to expel him and four Dalit students from the hostel and common areas got only deafening silence in response. Vemula was suspended from Hyderabad Central University over a political dispute. The Opposition said Vemula's suicide shows the anti-Dalit mindset of the Union government and the RSS Vemula would have turned 27 on 30 January. Hours before he hanged himself, Vemula told his friends he did not have enough money to give them "even a small treat", reports The Indian Express. Last August, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya had written to the HRD ministry accusing the university of being a mute spectator after a group of Dalit students, including Rohith Vemula, clashed with an ABVP leader. Vemula's friends say the trouble began in the first week of August 2015, when five of them protested against the hanging of Mumbai-blasts accused Yakub Memon and condemned the ABVP attack on the screening of the documentary Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai in Delhi University. Over the last 6 months, Vemula's defenses broke, his stipend stopped, a series of curious flip-flops between the University, Labour ministry and local political groups (ABVP) led to Vemula's complete and crushing isolation from what he loved best - campus life. Why did the Labour minister interfere in the internal affairs of an educational institution is a question that is raging. Vemula made one last call to his mother but a lethal mix of anger and sadness inside finished the young man days before his 27th birthday. Vemula requested for "euthanasia" facility Vemula wrote a stinging letter to the Hyderabad Central University vice-chancellor last month seeking euthanasia facilities for students, reports The Indian Express. First, let me praise your dedicated take on the self-respecting movement of Dalits in campus. When an ABVP president got questioned about his derogatory remarks on Dalits, your kind personal interference into the issue is historic and exemplary, Vemula wrote to V-C Prof P Appa Rao on 18 December, reports The Indian Express. I request your highness to make preparations for the facility euthanasia for students, Vemula wrote in the same letter. Students said that Vemula, hailing from a poor family of agriculture labourers in Guntur district, was supporting his family, including mother and younger brother, with his stipend. He had been unable to send any money home for the past several months. As protests gathered steam at the university and in Delhi, Union HRD minister Smriti Irani sent a two-member committee to Hyderabad to confirm facts about Rohith Vemula's suicide. Criminal case against Dattatreya The Cyberabad Police also booked vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile, BJP legislator Ramachandra Rao and two student leaders of the university under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 200 Rapid Force Action personnel battled student groups protesting the suicide on campus. The police registered a criminal case against Dattatreya and others following separate complaints from the warden of the hostel and a student, Prashanth, who was among those expelled. In his complaint, Prashanth blamed Dattatreya for "forcing" Vemula to end his life. Vemula and his fellow research scholars, all members of a dalit group, Ambedkar Students Association, were expelled in December last year for an alleged brawl with activists from the rival Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad over the July hanging of Yakub Memon in the Mumbai blast case. Now that an FIR has been registered against Union Minister Dattatreya and, the letter written by him prima facie amounts to abetment to suicide, the Congress demands that Dattatreya resign with immediate effect, failing which the Prime Minister should sack him immediately, Congress spokesperson R P N Singh said. He called his mother and abruptly cut the line Vemula's friend Krishna Kumar says that at 4 pm, Sunday, Vemula left the group and said he had to finish "some work." "When he did not return till 6 pm, we started searching for him. By then his mother had also called us, saying that Rohith had called her and sounded very depressed. She said he had abruptly cut the call, and had stopped answering her calls. Then, we found him hanging from the ceiling fan in a friends room (207), which was also the ASA activity room. He used a ASA banner to hang himself. "Anti-Dalit agenda" The unfortunate and tragic suicide by Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula amidst circumstances deliberately orchestrated by Dattatreya, the HRD ministry and their cohorts of the ABVP, is yet again a blatant manifestation of the anti-Dalit agenda and mindset of the government at the Centre and its controller the RSS, the Congress said. Vemula reached out to former UGC chief On December 30, 2015 five research scholars of Hyderabad University, including Vemula, expelled for their political activism, reached out to former UGC chairperson Sukhdeo Thorat, reports The Hindu. The five students handed over a 10-page memorandum, detailing the events leading to their expulsion in mid December 2015. Mr. Thorat, who handed over the memorandum to Social Justice Minister Thavar Chand Gehlot on Monday, said activism, integral to student life, should not have been held against them. The memorandum sought his immediate intervention with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Ministry of Social Justice and the Ministry of Human Resources and Development and mentioned how the five students, who also belong to the Ambedkar Students Association, were restrained from entering the administrative building and other common areas. When I met them, they talked about discrimination as a fact of life in campuses that governments find it difficult to admit. I did not for a moment think one of the students I had met would be forced to take his life, Thorat told The Hindu. Seven years ago, Thorat submitted a report on the circumstances leading to the death of a medical student in the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. The administration did not accept the findings. "I feel a growing gap between my soul and my body" The Indian Express reports on the sequence of events that broke down Vemula. From July 2015, the university stopped paying Rohith his monthly stipend of Rs 25,000. Friends said that he was targeted for raising issues under the banner of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA). In August, the university set up an inquiry against Rohith and four other ASA members, two days after they allegedly assaulted ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar. In August, Dattatreya wrote to HRD Minister urging action and claiming that the Hyderabad University has in the recent past, become a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. The five students, Vemula included, were suspended in September. On December 17, the decision was upheld. On January 3, after the sanction was confirmed, the five moved out of their hostel rooms to a tent they set up inside the campus and began a relay hunger protest. On Sunday, Rohith Vemula hanged himself. His suicide note read: I feel a growing gap between my soul and my body. And I have become a monster. Letter With Agencies The protest of students unions against the alleged role of a union minister in the suicide of Hyderabad-based research scholar Rohith Vemula threatens to get bigger with a few student bodies planning to escalate their agitation. On Tuesday, they erupted in protest on streets and campuses. While the Congress-backed National Students Union of India (NSUI) staged a demonstration outside the HRD Ministry in the national capital, the students wing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) protested with banners and slogans at Jantar Mantar. Weve demanded the immediate resignation of HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya. They should be prosecuted for abetment to the suicide of Rohith Vemula. The five letters issued by the HRD Ministry to the vice chancellor and registrar of the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) asking whether action had been taken against the Dalit students speaks clearly of the involvement of the ministry and Irani. How can HRD ministry write to the VC without the knowledge of the minister? After todays demonstration, the NSUI will stage a protest across the country. The government is clearly trying to gag the voice of students in every institution and promote a single ideology, NSUI president Roji M John told Firstpost. Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), which had been a centre of students protest in 2015, has gone on a one-day hunger strike with a group of students sitting outside the FTII campus. Devas Dixit, a final year FTII student and member of the strike committee of FTII Association, said We strongly condemn the incident and five FTTI students are on a hunger strike. This suicide incident and the long strike at FTII last year without any outcome show that the government is utterly insensitive towards students. Any students voice of demand or protest has been dubbed as anti-national by the government. In each and every case it has been seen that the government has paid no heed to their demands. Its only the students, who are at the receiving end and the problems continue to remain as it is. The picture was no different at IIT Madras. Outside the IIT campus, Progressive Students Group staged a demonstration demanding the arrest of Dattatreya. Weve gathered outside the IIT campus to protest against the suicide of Rohith Vemula and the role of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who acted on a representation by ABVP leader Sushil. Five Dalit students were suspended. Were demanding an enquiry into the incident, remove Dattatreya and revoke the students suspension. Government should also probe into the role of the Union HRD minister, said Sadashivan, one of the students from the group. The CPI (M-L)-backed All India Students Association (AISA) staged demonstrations in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Patna and Chandigarh, and burnt an effigy of Dattatreya at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday. The five letters from HRD ministry have exposed the ugly face of the government. The governments involvement in it has become clear. Instead of initiating an independent probe into the incident that occurred in the past at HCU, the government played into the hands of ABVP leader Sushil and forced the university to take action. Weve demanded immediate resignation of Smriti Irani, Dattatreya and HCU VC, and all should be prosecuted under the SC-ST Atrocities Act, said Shehla Rashid, member, AISA and vice president JNU Students Union, who was a part of the demonstration in Delhi. The organisation would make the fight bigger, its members said. While the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has called the suicide of Vemula a national loss, the right-wing students body said no anti-national activities should be tolerated in university campuses in the country. Bandaru Dattatreya never wrote the HRD Ministry to take action against the students group, Ambedkar Students Union, but he pointed out about anti-national activities in the campus. Earlier, we opposed the screening of film Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai and later this group staged a protest after the hanging of Yakub Memon. They put posters saying Ek Yakub ko marenge, to har ek ghar se Yakub niklega (kill one Yakub, there will be one Yakub born out of every house). Under the name of Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, these students have been indulging in anti-national activities. All these students groups and parties need one issue or the other to target the government. This wont be tolerated, ABVP national media in-charge, Shreerang Kulkarni told Firstpost. Scores of Kashmiri Pandit protesters blocked the road leading towards the governor's house in the winter capital Jammu on Tuesday. The protesters held demonstrations outside Raj Bhavan demanding their immediate return to their homeland: Kashmir Valley. Terming 19 January as Holocaust Day for Pandit community, who were forced in a mass exodus from the Valley when the insurgency began in 1990, the displaced minority community submitted a memorandum to Governor NN Vohra and demanded a time-bound judicial probe naming the names involved in their exodus from the Valley. Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits or (Hindus) were forced to flee from the Valley on 19 January, 1990, after repeated threats from different militant groups, who blamed the Pandits for being informers or Indian Agents. The BJP, during elections promised us that the day they will come to power, they would start immediate process of our return. Separate colonies and jobs under the rehabilitation process, nothing has happened till now, Agni Shekhar, a Kashmiri Pandit writer and political activist, who was part of the protests, told FirstPost. To restore our dignity those responsible for the genocide should be held accountable and their names should be made public. That is the reason we have been protesting. If nothing the Parliament of India should immediately pass a resolution naming the events as religious genocide. For how much time do you think should we suffer? Shekhar added. Presently, there are 37,128 Kashmiri Pandit migrant families living in Jammu. Besides, there are 19,338 families living mostly in Delhi and other parts of India, according to the state government's Revenue and Rehabilitation Ministry. In the Kashmir Valley, the Hindu minority in Muslim-majority Kashmir shrunk from an estimated 140,000 in the late 1980s to a paltry 19,865 in 1998. Today, there are fewer than 3,400 Pandits in Kashmir. Ajay Chrangu, chairman, Panun Kashmir, says previous policies of the governments both at the Centre and the State have failed his community because they were cosmetic and symbolic". "That could be the reason they failed to attract people to the Kashmir Valley. All those who have returned are primarily doing government jobs. You basically need a compact policy and political will, not just by the Centre but also by the State government. We have been suffering for so many years. We hope the Prime Minister will show some courage to address this issue, Chrangu told Firstpost. As part of the renewed efforts to bring back displaced Kashmiri Pandits, PM Narendra Modi had asked the state government of Jammu and Kashmir to identify and earmark 16,800 Kanals of land in three districts of the Valley Anantnag, Baramulla and Budgam where migrant families could be resettled. After late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became chief minister of PDP-BJP coalition government in the state, the return of Pandits was listed in their "Agenda for the Alliance". Waheed ur Rehman Para, Peoples Democratic Party spokesperson, told Firstpost that the late Sayeed, the leader of his party, had been before his demise pursuing on almost everyday basis the progress made on the return of the Kashmiri Pandit community. They are part of us. We are incomplete without them. They have to come back and their honour and dignity have to be restored. We cant call our society progressive and secular until and unless, the minority community in the state is back, Para told Firstpost. To provide better facilities to the migrants, the state government had initially come up with temporary accommodation in Jagti township and other areas of Jammu. The PDP-BJP government in the state had told the Assembly in 2015 that it had spent Rs 349.86 crore out of its total allocation of 728.07 crores to help rehabilitation efforts. In April 2008, a Rs 1,618 crore package was announced by then PM Manmohan Singh for offering jobs and other assistance to Kashmiri Pandits. The state government spent Rs 218.46 crores to create transit accommodation, such as the one in which Pandita presently lives, while Rs 169 crore was set aside for salaries. The programme worked. The government says no Kashmiri Pandit youth who was given a job has left it. Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, said that another year has passed but there was hardly any progress in bringing back the Kashmiri Pandit community. Another year passes with no further progress in bringing back the displaced Kashmiri Pandits. Words sound even more hollow #KPExodusDay Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) January 19, 2016 My family left under somewhat similar circumstances so I know the fear of not seeing home again, though mine was short lived #KPExodusDay Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) January 19, 2016 Much was expected of the current government where all others were accused of paying only lip service but nothing changed #KPExodusDay Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) January 19, 2016 All we can do is recommit ourselves to do what we can to keep the spirit of Kashmiriyat alive in the hope that Kashmir will be complete soon Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) January 19, 2016 State government estimates say that more than 50,000 Kashmiri Pandit families left the Valley in the early nineties, with most of them settling at Jammu and other parts of the country, while a few thousand families stayed back. A sessions court on Monday adjourned till 10 March the next hearing in the defamation case filed against DMK chief M Karunanidhi by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Karunanidhi, 92, appeared before the court on Monday and has been granted exemption from personal appearance for the next date. The Tamil Nadu state assembly polls are scheduled in May and political combinations are being discussed as Jayalalithaa exhorts her cadre to "destroy" the Opposition. Jaya swept aside rivals by a huge margin in 2011. "What was defaming is not known to them (to the government) nor to us. Only the government should say what it is that it found defaming," Karunanidhi said while coming out of a swift court appearance. Principal Sessions Judge N Audhinathan had in December 2015 directed Karunanidhi to appear before the court on January 18 in connection with an alleged defamatory article published in DMK party mouthpiece 'Murasoli' in November 2015 about the AIADMK government's four-year rule. Karunanidhi said the defamation case is an attempt to threaten publications that do not support Ms Jayalalithaa's ruling AIADMK. The case was filed in November last year after the DMK mouthpiece Murasoli reproduced an article first published in a popular Tamil magazine "Anantha Vikadan." The chief minister has alleged that the article is defamatory. DMK cadre thronged the court premises with police making tight security arrangements. DMK party lawyers were also present. Karunanidhi, who enjoys 'Z' category security status, was escorted by a posse of security staffers. DMK leaders including Karunanidhi's son MK Stalin, daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, Arcot Veerasami, grand nephew Dayanidhi Maran and TR Baalu also marked attendance. The court had also summoned Murasoli's Editor, Printer and Publisher S Selvam to appear on the same day in this regard. The party's legal wing secretary R Girirajan had asked party lawyers to be present in the principal sessions court in good number as a show of strength. Amid speculation that Mr Karunanidhi's 62-year-old son MK Stalin will take on Ms Jayalalithaa this year for the chief minister's post, the party and Mr Stalin have insisted that it will be Mr Karunanidhi who will be chief minister for a sixth term if the party returns to power. The Tamil Nadu line-up There's not much change in the Tamil Nadu star cast, although the combinations may vary. Two dominant parties AIADMK led by Jayalalithaa and DMK led by Karunanidhi and son Stalin, and the rest of them. Peoples Welfare Front (PWF) is a newbie formed by Left parties, GK Vasan has broken off from the Congress and formed his Tamil Maanila Congress, DMDK is led by Vijayakanth, a former film star, most recently in the news for spitting at journalists. Vijayakanth's cadre is mounting the pressure on him to tie up with DMK. PMK, led by Ramadoss, has found a new anti-Jaya fix: How much does the TN govt spend on broadcasting her radio messages to the public? The Congress has done a BJP on Jaya, whipping out a 'corruption booklet' with a list of alleged scams by the Jaya government. The BJP brought out a similar booklet against the Congress on the National Herald case. In one massive blow, Jaya knocked out the Opposition in the most recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The Jaya led AIADMK won 203 of 234 seats contested in the last assembly elections in 2011. The partys vote share jumped from 39.91 per cent it polled in 2006 to 51.8 percent. The DMK front saw a five percentage point swing away from it. From 44.75 percent in 2006, its vote share dipped to 39.44 percent. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Jaya wiped out the Opposition with AIADMK winning 37 of 39 seats. Yes, Tamil Nadu votes differently in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, but if you choose to keep it simple, a top Jaya government official says it best: AIADMK will always have that 33-35 percent, DMK will take 20 percent, Congress, DMDK and PMK another 25 percent all put together. As long as Jayalalithaa stays open to allies and the more ways the Opposition vote gets split, Jaya gains. Jaya DA case comes up in SC on 2 Feb For Jayalalithaa, the court rounds are not over yet. The Supreme Court decided to commence final hearing from February 2 on various appeals including the one filed by Karnataka against acquittal of AIADMK Chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and others in the disproportionate assets case. "We will start the hearing from February 2 and will hear the matter on 3 and 4 February as well," a bench comprising justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy said. The bench, meanwhile, asked the counsel for both the parties to file the "issues" highlighting main points to be considered within the next two weeks. Earlier the apex court had agreed to conduct day-to-day hearing on the appeals filed against the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting Jayalalithaa and three others in the case. On 27 July, the apex court had issued notices on Karnataka government's appeal seeking stay of the high court judgement, to Jayalalithaa, her close aide Sasikala and two of her relatives, VN Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, and asked them to file their replies within eight weeks. The apex court had allowed an intervention application by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in the matter and had asked him to file issues he wished to press before it. The Karnataka HC had on May 11, 2015 ruled that AIADMK supremo's conviction by special court suffered from infirmity and was not sustainable in law, clearing decks for her return as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. Karnataka government, in its plea against the 11 May order, claimed that HC erred in computing disproportionate assets of the AIADMK leader. The Karnataka government also asked whether the high court had "erred in law" by according benefit of doubt to Jayalalithaa in pursuance of a Supreme Court judgement holding that accused can be acquitted if his or her disproportionate assets were to the extent of ten per cent. The state government had also claimed that the high court has erred in overruling preliminary objections raised by it and added that the accused had filed their appeals against conviction without impleading Karnataka as a party. The special court had in 2014 held Jayalalithaa guilty of corruption and sentenced her to four years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 100 crore. With Agencies Bengaluru: Alleging that the crime graph in Bihar was surging, LJP leader Chirag Paswan has said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was clearly not in control of the government and the apprehensions of return of "jungleraj" were coming true. "We had discussed in our core party meeting (recently) that - will it be too early to demand President's rule or resignation of the Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) because every alternate day someone or the other is getting killed in our state...We can't really wait for things to get better now," LJP Parliamentary Board Chairman said in Bengaluru on Monday. Paswan, a Lok Sabha member, said Nitish Kumar also cannot be given the benefit of doubt because he has vast experience and had been Chief Minister for three terms. He also alleged that the killings clearly showed that Nitish does not have control, and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad was directly running the coalition government in Bihar. "He (Nitish) is the Chief Minister, and I don't know what is stopping him to check these kind of incidents (killings). This clearly shows he (Nitish) has no control over the government, and Laluji is directly running it," he said. Paswan, son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said, "The crime graph in Bihar is on the surge, and we did not expect things to get worse so soon. So, whatever our apprehensions of return of jungleraj have come true, which we had predicted soon after Laluji joined hands with Nitishji to form government." Asked how long the government would last, Paswan claimed his party does not see it surviving not more than two years as there has been "verbal arguments" between Lalu and Nitish. For instance, Paswan said, there has been arguments between the two over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore in Pakistan recently. "The way Nitishji appreciated Prime Minister for his Lahore visit, and the way Laluji criticised it, clearly shows they are not on the same platform," he said. Paswan also said they were not natural allies for a very long time and were against each other...today they have joined hands to come back to power in our state and to stand against BJP, LJP and NDA," he added. PTI New Delhi: Expelled AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan are mulling to launch a political party and may field candidates for the 2017 Punjab assembly election, at a time when Arvind Kejriwal is pulling out all stops to ensure victory in the state. Swaraj Abhiyan, a group formed by the duo and their supporters after their expulsion from the AAP, said they are "seriously thinking" about contesting the assembly elections in Punjab. "We intend to launch a political party soon, but no date has been fixed. But yes, we are seriously thinking about contesting Punjab polls," a senior Swaraj Abhiyan leader told PTI. Meanwhile, the party has said it will "back" musician Bhai Baldeep Singh from Khadoor Sahib assembly during by-poll in Punjab next month. "Swaraj Abhiyan is currently a non-political organisation and we don't hope to launch the party by next month. Bhai Baldeep Singh will contest as an independent and will be backed by Swaraj Abhiyan. We will be putting all our weight behind him," he said. Bhai Baldeep Singh, who is also a part of the national executive of the organisation, said, "Swaraj Abhiyan's support is crucial for the polls." Yadav and other Abhiyan leaders are also expected to campaign for Singh next month. The decision to support Singh was taken on Sunday. He had contested 2014 Lok Sabha polls on AAP ticket from Khadoor Sahib, but had lost. The seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned from the Assembly in protest against the sacrilege incidents in the state. PTI Although the Ministry of Human Resource Development is stoutly denying any hand in the events leading up to the suicide of PhD student Rohith Vemula at Hyderabad Central University, the Ministry sent four fairly detailed letters to the same University where Vemula was a student, asking for details on the "matter" raised by Minister of State Bandaru Dattatreya. Some media reports are pegging the number differently at 5 letters and 4 reminders but either way, why so much Delhi muscle in a south side story? The "matter" here is Dattatreya accusing the University of being a mute spectator after a group of Dalit students, including Rohith Vemula who committed suicide Sunday evening, clashed with ABVP leader Nandanam Susheel Kumar. Was ABVP leader injured at all? But the latest reports from Hyderabad suggest huge question marks over the clash itself. Last August, ABVP leader Nandanam Susheel Kumar alleged he was assaulted by members of the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) in his hostel room. He was admitted into Archana Hospital in Madinaguda by his brother Vishnu Kumar on 4 August, he was operated upon for appendicitis on August 7. After collecting all the medical reports of Susheel Kumar and examining them, I could not reach the conclusion that he developed appendicitis due to the alleged assault," says Dr Anupama Rao, Senior Medical Officer of the University of Hyderabad who, along with then Vice Chancellor R P Sharma, visited Susheel Kumar on August 8 a day after the surgery, according to The Indian Express. ABVP is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and was founded even before the BJP. It works with BJP's official youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and claims to be the largest student political body in India. Bandaru Dattatreya is Minister of Labour and Employment in the Narendra Modi Government. He was also a Union minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government He was re-elected to the 16th Lok Sabha from Secunderabad constituency. Cong wants Irani, Dattatreya to be sacked Vemula's suicide has snowballed with BJPs rivals wading in and demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, accusing them of being responsible for the death. As Congress mounted the demand for the sacking of the HRD and Labour Ministers, Rahul Gandhi led the multi-party charge attacking them and the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao saying The VC and the Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. RG with students of Hyderabad's Central University who are seeking justice for Rohith Vemula #RG4SocialJustice pic.twitter.com/AxG4UCVV7x INC India (@INCIndia) January 19, 2016 Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modi ji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised n suspended(1/2) Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 19, 2016 It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation(2/2) Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 19, 2016 Why 4 reminders from HRD ministry? The Indian Express has published contents of the four reminders that went from the HRD ministry to the University. On Tuesday, HRD Ministry spokesperson Ghanshyam Goel said the Ministry was only doing its duty by seeking the universitys comments as it is obligated to give a time-bound reply to all VIP references, reports The Indian Express. The Ministry was only following procedure. As per the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure, the government should acknowledge a VIP reference within 15 days and respond to it in another two weeks. As it is evident from the content of the letters, the university was asked to only respond with comments and facts so that the government can draft its reply to the VIP reference. Reminders were issued as there was no reply from the university authorities. Its wrong to insinuate that the Ministry put pressure on the university administration, Goel told the Express. The Hindu reports that the HRD ministry sent five letters, including four reminders following Dattatreyas letter dated August 17 last year. Four of the five students expelled are sons of agricultural laborers, fueling even more grassroots anger against the establishment. In his defence, Mr. Dattatreya explained that he wrote after ABVP students from the campus had approached him. Mr. Gehlot also met with ICSSR chairman Sukhdeo Thorat on Monday who handed him a memorandum submitted by the expelled students. The memorandum was the last in the series of letters the students had sent out following their expulsion from the campus. Subject line: "Anti-national" Since no response was coming from the University, the Ministry had to send reminders, spokesperson Ghanshyam Goel said. The Ministry was hard-pressed to explain why it chose to re-direct letters to the University of Hyderabad, marked anti-national as subject matter of correspondence giving rise to suspicion that Iranis office was taking the lead from Mr. Dattatreyas complaint referring to the students as anti-nationals. The university replied on January 7. Links: The student who died for Dalit rights Student organisations including the pro-Left AISA and AAP-backed CYSS and Congress NSUI held protests in Jantar Mantar and the HRD ministry in the capital demanding the sacking of the ministers and strong action against the VC. Various political parties and leaders have blamed Labour Minister Dattatreyas letter of Aug 17 last year to Irani seeking action against the anti-national activities of a students union and the alleged assault of an ABVP leader and a series of five communications from the HRD Ministry between Sept 3 and Nov 19 demanding follow-up action for the suicide. The HRD ministry, however, Tuesday rejected allegations that it had put any pressure on the University relating to either suspension of Rohith or keeping him out of the hostel. The communications, it maintained, was not aimed at putting pressure but was in compliance with the standard protocol adopted in accordance with the Central Secretariat Manual of Procedure whenever a VIP Reference is received. Ministry officials said the two-member committee of HRD officials have met people concerned in Hyderabad Tuesday and their fact-finding report is expected to be ready after their return tomorrow. After Rahul Gandhi visited the campus, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi also went there and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not saying sorry. It does not need even 140 characters, he said in an apparent reference to the Prime Ministers penchant for tweeting on issues. He alleged that there has been social discrimination that had led to the suicide. Gandhi flew into Hyderabad from Delhi in the morning and drove straight from the airport to the University campus where he addressed the agitating students. He alleged that the institution instead of operating fairly has used its power to crush the freedom of students to express. The Vice Chancellor and the Minister in Delhi have not acted fairly. What is the result. The result is that the youth, who came here to improve the country, to learn and to express himself was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. Certainly he has committed suicide but conditions for his suicide were created by the Vice Chancellor, the minister and the institution, he told the students, one of whom said before his speech that they did not want any politicising of the issue. He demanded the strictest punishment for Vice-Chancellor and the minister holding them responsible for the death of the research scholar. After meeting the students, Gandhi upped the ante against Irani and Dattatreya and the Vice Chancellor, by observing in a tweet: The VC and Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were Monday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The Congress Vice President said there is no question of the Vice Chancellor remaining on merit and criticised him severely for not even meeting the mother of the deceased. There are certain people responsible for it. Vice Chancellor is among them. The minister is among them, Gandhi said insisting that whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in strictest terms. Party general secretary P Muralidhar Rao, who hails from Telangana, accused Gandhi of unprincipled behaviour, saying that the same Congress which had harassed the dalit icon, B R Ambedkar all his life was now trying to project itself as a champion of the Dalit cause. He alleged that Hyderabad student Rohith Vemulas suicide has been made into a political issue by Congress, a section of media and some groups with vested interests. "BJP govt neither for minorities not for Dalits" The AAP on Tuesday intensified its protest and demanded the resignation and arrest of union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the vice chancellor of the University of Hyderabad. Over 300 supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi unit and its student wing, Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, besides party leader Ashutosh and MLAs Sandeep Kumar and Rakhi Birla, gathered at the Jantar Mantar here. "We demand the immediate resignation and arrest of union minister Bandaru Dattatreya for driving a Dalit student to suicide in Hyderabad," AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh said at a press conference here. He demanded that Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani's role in the matter should also be investigated. "The Dalits have faced persecution after the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre. There are several instances, including those in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Haryana, where Dalits were targeted, persecuted and even murdered," he added. Ashutosh, while referring to the Dadri lynching, attacked the NDA government saying, "This government is neither for the minorities nor for the Dalits." "Today in this country, in the name of Hindutva ideology, there is no space left for any kind of protest. Baba Bhimrao Ambedkar in 1949 had warned the country about the RSS saying that they are a big threat to the nation. He also demanded Smriti Irani's resignation saying, "The PM continues to shield ministers who ostracize Dalits. The PM should sack Bandaru Dattatreya, and Smriti Irani's role should be probed." Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded that Modi sack Irani and Dattatreya and apologise to the nation over the suicide. With Agencies Jerusalem: India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Israel and always offers a safe and secure home to the Jewish people, said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "India attaches the highest importance to full development of wide-ranging ties with Israel," she said on Monday as she met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the second day of her visit to Israel. "Our bilateral cooperation has developed well in a number of areas over the past two decades. But the potential of our relationship is much more," Sushma Swaraj, who is on her first visit to West Asia as external affairs minister, said. Stating that she was looking forward to her meetings with the Israeli leadership, she said she hoped to "discuss the entire spectrum of our bilateral relationship". "I also hope to get an assessment of the situation in the region and explore areas where we can cooperate in addressing common challenges," she said. Welcoming the Indian minister, Netanyahu, who is also Israel's foreign minister, said that India and Israel were intensifying cooperation in a number of fields. "In the fields of science and technology, cyber, defence and agriculture, we want to do more," he said. He said that Sushma Swaraj's visit has provided a special opportunity for the foreign ministries of both the countries to discuss various challenges and opportunities. He said that though India and Israel shared very old civilisations. "The future belongs to those who innovate. Israel and India are at the cutting edge of so many areas of innovation," the Israeli prime minister said. "By working together we can do a lot more for our peoples and for the world," he said, adding that Israel admired and viewed India as a great friend. Sushma Swaraj, who is being accompanied by the Secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry, Anil Wadhwa, and a number of other senior officials of the ministry, then held delegation level talks with Netanyahu. Following this, she called on Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. External affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted: All in a morning's work. After meeting PM @netanyahu, EAM calls on @PresidentRuvi of Israel at the President's House pic.twitter.com/LHztRqmAsw Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) January 18, 2016 Sushma Swaraj also held delegation-level talks with Israel's Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Yuval Steinitz and Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Ahead of the Indian minister's visit, Israeli Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said at a media briefing in New Delhi that Israel and India would collaborate in the areas of agriculture and water management. Stating that Israel had faced the problem of water scarcity, he said that his country would collaborate with the Indian private sector on this and was in close contact with India's water resources and Ganga rejuvenation ministry. He also said defence cooperation was "the central pillar of our relationship". He said Israeli defence manufacturing companies were "open and flexible" to the idea of 'Make in India'. Carmon said India-Israel defence ties have gone way beyond a buyer and seller relationship and now it was about joint research and development. On Monday, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely and former Israeli foreign minister and chair of the India-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group Tzipi Livni also called on Sushma Swaraj. Later in the evening, addressing a community event, the visiting Indian minister said that India has always offered the Jewish people a safe and secure home. "India has always offered the Jewish people a safe and secure home for many centuries," Sushma Swaraj said while addressing the Indian community and the Friends of India. She congratulated the Indian caregivers for performing commendable service away from their homes. There are at least 80,000 Jews of Indian origin in Israel, most of whom are now Israeli passport holders, according to Indian embassy figures. There are at least 10,000 Indian citizens in Israel, of whom at least 8,000 are care-givers while the others are diamond traders, IT professionals, students and unskilled workers. The visiting Indian minister started the day by paying homage at Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, located near Jerusalem. Sushma Swaraj's visit to Israel comes after the visit of President Pranab Mukherjee in October last year, the first ever by an Indian head of state. On Sunday, Sushma Swaraj went to Ramallah on the first leg of her West Asian visit and held bilateral discussions with her Palestinian counterpart Riyad Al Maliki and called on President Mahmoud Abbas. IANS Rabat: Morocco said Monday it had arrested a Belgian man of Moroccan descent who it said was directly linked with some of those behind the jihadist attacks in Paris in November. The interior ministry said in a statement that the suspect, arrested on Friday in the port city of Al-Muhammadiyah near Casablanca and Rabat, had "direct links with some" of the Paris attackers. The statement said the man had travelled to Syria along with one of the suicide bombers who blew himself up in the northern Paris district of Saint-Denis near the Stade de France national stadium. While in Syria the suspect, who was not named, initially joined Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, before linking up with the Islamic State group, which claimed the Paris attacks. During his stay in Syria he took military training and made connections with IS commanders, including "the mastermind of the terrorist attacks in the French capital," the statement said. The suspect had entered Morocco via The Netherlands, after travelling from Syria through Turkey, Germany and Belgium, the statement said. Belgian prosecutors named the man as Gelel Attar, while Moroccan website le360 said he was arrested at the home of his mother, who was in Belgium. Prosecutors in France have identified the alleged planner of the November Paris attack as Belgian national Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed in a shootout with police days after the onslaught. Moroccan intelligence helped put French investigators on the trail of Abaaoud. One of the gunmen in the attacks was last week identified by French authorities as Belgian-Moroccan man Chakib Akrouh, with Brussels prosecutors saying he had travelled to Syria in 2013 to join IS. The series of coordinated shootings and bombings in Paris killed 130 people, the bloodiest attacks in Europe since the Madrid train bombings in 2004. AFP Kabul: Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States sat down to talks on Monday aimed at laying the ground for a negotiated end to almost 15 years of war between US supported government forces and Taliban insurgents now firmly on the offensive. Taliban forces have stepped up their campaign in the last year to topple the Kabul government, which has struggled since most foreign troops left at the end of 2014. High-profile suicide attacks and Taliban territorial gains in Helmand province have underlined how far Afghanistan remains from peace. The Taliban, who now control or contest more territory than at any time since they was ousted by a US led intervention in 2001, did not attend the talks. The four nations in a statement after the meeting in Kabul called on "all Taliban groups to enter into early talks with the Afghan government to resolve all differences politically." The next round of talks will be on 6 February in Islamabad. The ultimate goal of the diplomatic maneuvering is to get representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban into direct negotiations. The first formal peace talks with the Taliban since the start of the war in 2001 collapsed last year after it was announced its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had been dead for two years, throwing the militant group into disarray. The Taliban remain split on whether to participate in talks. Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said earlier on Monday the public would not accept an open-ended process without results and warned the Taliban not to delay joining talks any further. A suicide bomber who killed 13 people in eastern Afghanistan and a rocket which landed near the Italian embassy in Kabul on Sunday were a reminder of what is at stake. "The talks are strategically important for everyone involved, but are unlikely to go anywhere right now," said S. Chandrasekharan, director of the South Asia Analysis Group. "The Taliban are making gains and the army is on the defensive. Until there is a stalemate, the talks are unlikely to succeed." Although the Afghan army and the Taliban are intensifying fighting on the battlefield, a political settlement is seen as the most likely solution to the conflict.A statement on a Taliban website on Saturday did not rule out joining talks but rejected US involvement, saying the country was to blame for a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of Afghans. "On the other hand, they take the first row among peace negotiators," the statement said. REUTERS One of the most unintended casualties of the terrorist attack at Pathankot has been that the Indian media, or large sections of it, went overboard in giving out the "news" of the "detention of Masood Azhar", the chief of the dreaded Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) which has been accused by India of masterminding the attack on the the Indian Air Force base. Governmental authorities in both India and Pakistan contradicted the story. This was too natural. Masood Azhar is very close to sections of the Pakistani civil and military administration. It was later clarified that he was only taken under "protective custody". A day after, the Pakistani establishment openly clarified that Masood Azhar was not arrested. But this is enough to shake the very foundation of the state of Pakistan. It conclusively establishes before the world that Pakistan is now only some steps away from being a territorial conglomeration of different terrorist power centres. Very little of Islamabad's writ runs in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is supreme. Although a provincial government run by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) of Imran Khan is there, it is common knowledge that the PTI could win the election because of tacit support from the TTP. Different terrorist organisations have in fact divided Sindh among themselves and have carved out their own territorial jurisdictions. In Punjab four terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-i-Sahaba are really powerful. Of late, the TTP has also penetrated deep inside the province. Pakistan has now the onus to prove to the world that it is not a terrorist state. It has now become extremely necessary for Islamabad, after US President Barack Obama's comments that Pakistan could become a safe haven for terrorists and that the country would continue to face instability for decades to come. The Pathankot incident, however, was different to what happened during the Mumbai attack of 2008, when Pakistan had denied any connection with the terrorists and washed its hands off the charge. This time, the response as well as cooperation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was prompt. It shows that a qualitative change has occurred in the equation that some of the terrorist groups enjoy with the Pakistani administration and the army. This change is however half-hearted and, therefore, Pakistan is now saying that it will take action against Masood Azhar if his culpability is proved "beyond doubt". There is no need to wait for the completion of the probe as there is plenty of evidence against the JeM chief and his organisation. After it was banned in 2002, JeM split into several cells which were linked to the Al-Qaeda. Masood Azhar coordinated the activities of these splinter groups from his underground shelter and launched two successive attempts to eliminate then president Pervez Musharraf. Azhar was also the principal brain behind the building up of Islamic fundamentalist insurgency around Islamabad's Lal Masjid. The Pathankot terrorist strike affects Pakistan very seriously. By a single stroke, it has disrobed the extreme vulnerability of the country's security and stability. Both India and Pakistan have exhibited prudence by only deferring the foreign secretary-level talks and rescheduling it in the "very near future". But saner voices in Pakistan are now questioning the policy of the state in giving a long rope to some non-state actors who are creating havoc with impunity. But Pakistan needs to undertake some surgical operations into its polity if it really wants to come out of the quagmire and stave off destruction. There is a limit to which it can go so far as operations in the Fata area are concerned. Moreover, the Pashtun community lives on both sides of the Durand Line that separates Pakistan and Afghanistan. But the agreement creating the Durand Line expired long ago and if the Pashtuns living on the Pakistan side and facing military action now want to join Afghanistan, it will mean the dismemberment of Pakistan. Patronisation of the Deobandi school of thought has now become the bane of Pakistan. Fundamentalism has now struck so deep a root that even the Election Commission has not been left untouched. During the last election, the commission had invoked articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution that forbade anybody who was not a practicing Muslim from contesting. Even the candidature of a renowned journalist like Ayaz Amir was rejected on the charge that he drank. The Pakistan Army must immediately dismantle the unholy alliance between a section of it and the fundamentalist outfits. Unfortunately no such serious attempt is in sight. On the contrary quite a few army and naval officers, many of them being Shias, have been murdered after they protested against inaction on the part of their superiors against organisations like the JeM and the LeT. IANS iStock/Thinkstock(FRANKFURT) -- A CEO change at Adidas has the German company's stock soaring. Adidas AG announced Monday that CEO Herbert Hainer would be replaced by Henkel AG Chief Executive Kasper Rorsted in October. "Kasper Rorsted is the perfect candidate to succeed Herbert Hainer as CEO of adidas AG," said Igor Landau, chairman of the supervisory board at Adidas, in a statement. "He has extensive international management experience, having held positions with high-calibre companies such as Oracle, Compaq and Hewlett Packard. For eight years, Kasper Rorsted has very successfully headed up Henkel, a DAX company that just like the adidas Group is known for its growth, internationality and sustainability." Over at Henkel, Rorsted handled such brands as Persil detergent, Dial soap, and Schwarzkopf shampoo. After news of the announcement, Adidas shares rose over 5 percent with Henkel shares falling about 3 percent. Hainer's departure comes before his contract was supposed to run out in March 2017. He headed Adidas for more than 14 years, but faced pressure to keep up with the U.S. sportswear giant Nike. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Representatives of Chinas Ministry of Trade and the Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Co. were in Maputo last week to analyze the possibility of setting up a partnership in public transport, according to Mozambican daily newspaper Noticias. On Friday, the members of the delegation visited the Matchedje Motor car assembly plant, in the town of Machava, Maputo province to get acquainted with the unit, whose capacity could be enhanced to produce even more buses in the country. Noticias also wrote that the Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Co., a subsidiary of the King Long Group, one of the largest bus manufacturers in China, will focus the potential partnership in Mozambique on providing technical support to Matchedje Motor Ltd in the bus segment. The managing director, Sandra Song, said the company was currently operating at a reduced level as it is building a 590-hectare industrial park in Maluana, in Maputo province. The project involves an increase in production to 100,000 vehicles per year by 2017, following which there will be a new expansion phase to about 500,000 vehicles. The Matchedje Motor project, established just over four years ago, is the result of an investment by the China Tong Jian Investment Co. Ltd, and at this initial stage is operating with two assembly lines, a painting area and another area for inspections. MDT/Macauhub The Council of the Portuguese Communities has accused the immigration department of taking too long to process local ID requests and of being excessively bureaucratic. In a letter sent to the Portuguese Consul, Vitor Sereno, a representative from the advisory body for Lisbons government policies on immigration and Portuguese communities abroad claimed that some requests for documents violate privacy laws. [Authorities] have been requesting bank statements in order to verify banking movements and [have been] requesting salaries superior to MOP25,000, a value that we consider extremely high, the letter reads. The council, chaired by lawmaker Pereira Coutinho, says that Vitor Sereno should debate the issues raised in the letter with local authorities. Twenty prominent lawyers and jurists from Europe, North America, Australia and Pakistan yesterday urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to release a dozen Chinese lawyers and legal assistants held in detention in an open letter published in the British newspaper The Guardian. In the letter, the legal professionals, predominantly from Western countries, expressed worries that the Chinese lawyers have been denied legal counsel since their July detention. They also said they feared that without legal representation the Chinese lawyers and legal assistants could be at high risk of torture or other cruel and inhumane treatments. China has arrested six rights lawyers and legal assistants on suspicion of state subversion, and three more on suspicion of inciting state subversion. One legal assistant was arrested on suspicion of helping destroy evidence. Hong Kong-based China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group said several more lawyers remain missing. The lawyers have sought to use Chinas own laws to hold officials accountable or to protect citizens rights, but Beijing says they are trying to sabotage the judicial system with improper activism. Since July, more than 300 lawyers, legal assistants, staff members of law firms, and social activists have been detained and interrogated. Most have been released, but some of the most prominent rights lawyers have been arrested, including Wang Yu, who defended one of the five women who became known as the Feminist Five. They were detained last March after they planned to hand out flyers against sexual harassment in several Chinese cities in a case that drew international scrutiny. The lawyers are known to have taken up some of the most contentious cases in China, often involving petitioners who have grievances with local governments, practitioners of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong, or political dissidents. State media say the lawyers have colluded with social activists and used social media to put undue pressures on local courts. The Ministry of Public Security called them a major criminal gang. Their arrests have drawn international attention, as shown by the latest open letter signed by heads of bar associations, legal scholars, and lawyers. AP In a dense strip of peat swamp jungle along the banks of Mangkutub River in the heart of Borneo, a conservationist aims his tranquilizer rifle at an orangutan high in a tree and fires two darts. The giant, red-haired primate slides down the tree on its own and soon loses consciousness on the jungle floor. A team of ten rescuers from the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation huddle around the adult male and perform a brief medical examination checking temperature, teeth to determine rough age, taking a blood sample and inserting a chip under its skin before preparing to transport the orangutan to a release site about 80 kilometers away, where they believe it will have more space to roam and be less threatened by forest fires. Forest fires, often set illegally to clear land, have been an annual problem in Indonesia since the mid-1990s, but last years was the worst in nearly 20 years, when blazes spread across 2.1 million hectares. They killed 21 people, damaged crops and caused respiratory problems for more than half a million. The fires also encroached on the habitat of orangutans in central Borneo, forcing them to move closer to river banks, in some places along a strip of forest as narrow as 30 meters near the Mangkutab River. The population of the big apes got so crowded that experts worried they would starve and get into conflicts with people living nearby. Recent forest fires have made it difficult for orangutans to find food and this is very dangerous for them, said Ahmad Sayoko, coordinator of rescue and release mission. Most rescued orangutans were found in bad condition, apparently starving and some with cataracts. One had multiple air rifle pellets in its head and leg, a sign of conflict with humans. Southeast Asias Sumatra and Borneo islands are the orangutans last homes on Earth, and environmentalists warn that the estimated 60,000 animals remaining could disappear from the wild within the next decade if steps arent taken to protect them. Wild orangutans are also threatened by poaching and illegal logging. We have to rescue and relocate them as soon as possible or they could lose their lives, said Kissar Odom, who works for the foundation. During the teams first operation in November, they rescued and relocated 39 orangutans, he said. On this, the teams second operation, rescuers have spotted an orangutan nearly every ten minutes as they ride along in the boat, a sign that the area along the river has a higher population density than is healthy. Team members carried the large tranquilized orangutan through a dense swamp and put it in a cage, which was then loaded on a waiting boat to be taken to the release site. They hope to rescue two or three of the great apes each day, said Sayoko. We are determined to continue this operation until the last orangutan along Mangkutub River is safely relocated, he said. Dita Alangkara, Sungai Mangkutub, AP All 60 people forced overboard after their tourist boat caught fire yesterday off the coast of New Zealand have been rescued, according to authorities. Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said the fire aboard the vessel PeeJay broke out as it was returning from White Island to the town of Whakatane. She said all 53 passengers and seven crew members were forced overboard to escape the fire and smoke. She said one passenger and one crew member were taken to a local hospital after suffering from minor injuries and smoke inhalation. Perks said the boat was about 1 kilometer from shore when authorities were first notified of the incident, and they called on nearby boats to assist. She said the PeeJay crew then sent a mayday to say they were abandoning ship. Perks said four other private vessels and the New Zealand Coastguard were able to get to the scene quickly and rescue everybody. She said the PeeJay later sank. White Island, 50 kilometers off the North Island coast, is volcanically active and popular with tourists. White Island Tours, which operated the tourist boat, was not immediately available for comment. Whakatane resident Roger White told The Associated Press it was raining at the time of the incident but he could see some of what unfolded from his home. He said he saw some light smoke coming from the front of the vessel which then got heavier. After about 10 minutes, he said, the cabin burst into flames and fire quickly engulfed the ship. He said it appeared some evacuated onto two small dinghies while he could see the figures of others still on board as the flames grew larger. He said it was hard to make out but believes those people must have then leaped into the water. White said plenty of boats arrived quickly to help out, including a fishing boat and some charter boats, which assisted the Coastguard in the rescue. Nick Perry, Wellington, AP Philippine officials said yesterday they received two intimidating radio warnings identified as from the Chinese navy when they flew a Cessna plane close to a Chinese-constructed island in the South China Sea. Eric Apolonio said the incident happened Jan. 7 when he and other personnel of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines flew to a Philippine-occupied island for an engineering survey for the installation of civil aviation safety equipment on the island. The island, which the Philippines calls Pag-asa and is home to a small fishing community and Filipino troops, is close to Subi Reef, one of seven reefs in the disputed Spratly archipelago which China has transformed into islands in the last two years using dredged sand. Chinese officials say they have completed the island building and are now constructing buildings and runways to ensure safe civilian sea travel. They have acknowledged, though, that the islands could also be used militarily, adding that they have the right to build on what they say is Chinese territory. The United States and governments with rival claims with China in the disputed region, including the Philippines and Vietnam, have expressed alarm over the Chinese construction, saying it raises tensions and threatens regional stability and could violate freedom of navigation and overflight. As their Cessna approached Pag-asa to land, Apolonio said a message was received over an emergency radio channel warning: Foreign military aircraft, this is the Chinese navy. You are threatening the security of our station. The Filipino pilots ignored the warning and continued with the trip since they were flying a civilian plane over what Apolonio said was Philippine territory. After finishing the survey on Pag-asa, known internationally as Thitu island, they left in the plane and later received the same warning message, he said. Asked if they felt threatened, Apolonio said they were apprehensive because youll never know, we can be fired upon. Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon, the leader of the community on Pag-asa who flew with Apolonios team, said the radio warnings were an act of intimidation and illustrated the threat to freedom of flight in the region. He said other civilian and military planes have also been shooed away by the Chinese in the region. Despite the incident, Apolonio said the government will proceed with plans to install the aviation equipment, which is required by the International Civil Aviation Organization to help ensure the safety of commercial flights. Called the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast, the equipment helps aircraft determine their positions via satellite navigation and enables them to be tracked. British Ambassador to Manila Asif Ahmad said Monday that his government would oppose any move that restricts freedom of navigation and overflight in the disputed waters. If a British aircraft, civilian or military, was intercepted and not allowed to fly over a space which we regard as international, we will simply ignore it, he told reporters. Jim Gomez, Manila, AP Moroccan police have arrested a Belgian man of Moroccan descent linked to the Islamic State group and who had a direct relationship to attackers who carried out the Paris attacks just over two months ago, the Interior Ministry said yesterday. The man had spent time in Syria getting military training and building relationships with IS field commanders, including the mastermind of the Paris attacks, and others who threatened attacks in France and Belgium, the ministry said in a statement. The statement identified the suspect only by the initials J.A., and didnt explain his suspected relationship to the Paris attackers. Several of the Islamic extremists who targeted a Paris rock concert, stadium and cafes had Moroccan origins and links to Belgium. The attacks on Nov. 13 killed 130 people. The ministry said in a statement that the man was arrested Friday in the town of Mohammedia near Casablanca. Extremist attacks, plunging markets, and the break-neck pace of technological innovation. The world is beset by uncertainties as 2,500 business executives, political leaders and activists gather in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos this week. The meetings can lead to corporate deals and diplomatic dialogue. Last year, Ukraine struck an international bailout deal in Davos. The annual gathering organized by the World Economic Forum is mainly a business event but it has grown over the years to attract world leaders, celebrities, Nobel prize winners and star academics. This years meeting is officially about how to harness technological change. In practice, it will be abuzz with discussion about the multitude of risks facing government and business leaders. Heres a look at whats likely to dominate the meetings. CHINA. The future of China has become synonymous with the fate of the global economy and financial markets. Concerns about Beijings ability to handle a slowdown in the worlds second-largest economy have caused stocks to plunge this year. The big risk is that Chinas decline might become disorderly and hammer business activity or trigger a financial crisis. The country is a huge consumer of raw materials and energy from states like Brazil, Australia, and Russia. Its outsize industrial sector buys machinery from the West and makes and exports consumer goods at a low cost. And the growing middle class has become a key market for car makers and luxury goods companies. Key people to watch: Jack Ma, the head of Chinese retail giant Alibaba, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, and Fang Xinghai, representative of Chinas financial market regulator. SECURITY. The threat of extremist attacks of the kind that have hit Paris, Jakarta and Istanbul will be among the top issues, particularly for the political leaders, who will have the opportunity to hold multiple closed-door meetings with their counterparts. The international campaign to fight the Islamic State group has seen several Western countries and Russia bomb Syria and Iraq. The conflict has triggered a mass migration of people into Europe and inflamed tensions between Middle Eastern powers Saudi Arabia and Iran. This months nuclear test by North Korea will also be a topic of discussion particularly after the World Economic Forum canceled its invitation to the countrys delegation over the incident. Key people: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. OIL. The dramatic slide in energy prices is shaking up companies and economies. While making fuel cheaper for consumers and businesses, the drop in oil prices is also leading to thousands of job cuts in the energy sector and financial instability and poverty in oil-exporting countries like Russia and Venezuela. And world powers agreement this weekend to lift sanctions on Iran will see the country start pumping millions of barrels of oil into the already oversupplied market, as well as a rush to sign business deals with the country. Key people: Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Abdul Aziz Al Assaf, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden, Iraq Prime Minister Haidar Al Abadi. TECHNOLOGY. This years meeting is officially focused on how the fourth industrial revolution will change every aspect of society, from health to business and travel. Among the most immediate concerns is how to protect companies and governments from cyberattacks as business increasingly goes digital. But participants will also be keen to discuss opportunities created by growing trends such as 3D printing, driverless cars, robotics and new biotechnologies. Key people: Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google parent company Alphabet, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk. Carlo Piovano, London, AP The shipping company operating at the Inner Harbor Ferry Terminal has informed its clients that all routes from the ferry to Zhuhais Wanzai Port will cease following the closure of the ferry service. The local ferry terminal, which reportedly served an average of 2,000 people per day, has been closed since Sunday. After being questioned by the Times, the shipping company staff members admitted that they were unsure as to when they will resume operations. According to official information, there were 14 daily ferries departing to Wanzai between 8 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., with departures to Macau beginning at 8:15 a.m. and ending at 4.30 p.m. The ships departed at almost approximately half-hourly intervals. A woman from Zhuhai, working as a trade businesswoman in the area, told the Times that many tourists used to arrive in Macau via the link. I personally use the Cais De Sampanas Sul because my passport allows me to enter Macau through this one. Local people from Macau seldom pass through here, she said. Cais De Sampanas Sul is a ferry station located in the same area, and is usually used by fishermen who travel between Wanzai and Macau. Several shops and restaurants have expressed little concern about the closure of the ferry. When questioned whether his business had been affected by the decrease in the number of visitors, Mr Wang joked, It was never a good business: not in the past, when there were tourists coming out from that building; not now; nor in the future. But I did see more people. Thats it. Mr Wang added that he always goes to Zhuhai through the border gate because there is nothing for him to do in Wanzai. Notwithstanding, a few travelers staying near Praca de Ponte e Horta were surprised by the fact that a pier exists next to them. Although most interviewees acknowledged they havent gone to Wanzai from the ferry terminal, one passerby still recalled: My relatives sometimes went to that side for seafood restaurants. They have seafood restaurants over there. We would only go there on Sunday, not often though. The shipping company is sure that the disruptions will impact the business, and they are currently negotiating with the authorities to mitigate the effects of these plans. A counselor requested that the government come up with further plans to help the traders that will be influenced from the Wanzai Port shutdown. Staff reporter A predominantly one-topic blog: how is it that the most imminent and lethal implication for humankind - the fact that the doctrine of "Mutually Assured Destruction" will not work with Iran - is not being discussed in our media? Until it is recognized that MAD is dead, the Iranian threat will be treated as a threat only to Israel and not as the global threat which it in fact is. A blog by Mladen Andrijasevic POCATELLO Eastern Idaho welcomes growers to attend the 48th annual University of Idaho Potato Conference and the 37th annual Eastern Idaho Ag Expo, Jan. 19-21, on the Idaho State University campus. If you are a grower, potato industry rep, researcher, extension educator or someone else who wants to learn a lot about potatoes in one fell swoop, dont miss out on the 2016 University of Idaho Extensions Idaho Potato Conference and Ag Expo, said conference co-chair Pamela J.S. Hutchinson. We wont be talking at you; we will be talking with you. The Ag Expo will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Holt Arena. Billed as one of the largest ag expos in the nation, the show will host over 125 exhibitors and the latest in potato equipment. The Potato Conference will open from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Thursday at the Pond Student Union Building. The lineup for Wednesday includes a late blight presentation from Amanda Gevens with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as updates from the Idaho Potato Commission, National Potato Council and United States Potato Board. Other workshop sessions will address management of various aspects of potato production including diseases, pests, weeds, irrigation, storage and seed. After several mild winters in a row, this winter is starting to look a little more old fashioned with ample snow in the mountains and frosty temperatures in the valleys, but most big game animals around the state are doing fine so far. Contrary to the warmer, wetter conditions predicted during an El Nino, this winter is about normal in terms of precipitation and temperatures for this time of year, which are conditions big game animals can survive, said Brad Compton, Fish and Games assistant wildlife bureau chief. But we have a lot of winter ahead of us, and Fish and Game will be closely monitoring the herds and seeing how winter conditions affect their survival. The first survival mechanism for most big game animals is migrating to lower elevations where weather is milder and forage available. These areas are commonly known as winter range and you can see hundreds, if not thousands, of animals congregating there. Animals spend months on winter range feeding, or trying to feed, but forage is slim and usually doesnt provide enough nutrition to sustain animals. Thats why one of the most important survival factors for big game animals is the body fat they carry into winter. Fish and Game personnel check the body conditions of animals taken by hunters in the fall. Those animals are representative of those remaining in the herds. Animals with abundant body fat can survive most weather conditions, but even in the healthiest animals, fat reserves are limited and must be conserved. People can help animals from unnecessarily burning energy by avoiding areas where herds spend the winter, and if you encounter deer and elk, dont disturb them. Enjoy them from a distance, but if your actions cause them to move, youre too close, said Daryl Meints, Fish and Games big game manager for the Magic Valley Region. While big game animals have endured Idahos climate for eons, populations tend to be cyclical. Herds flourish after mild winters, and decline during harsh winters. As wildlife managers, Fish and Game strives to keep herds within the biological and social carrying capacities, but winter survival is a complex equation with many moving parts. Ensuring quality winter-range habitat is a primary way of maintaining healthy herds. Fish and Game, other state and federal land managers, and private landowners contribute to providing winter range to maintain healthy herds. Supplemental winter feeding is another way Fish and Game can mitigate for extremely harsh conditions. But its done carefully and typically limited to emergency situations when abnormal weather overwhelms a herds natural ability to endure winter, or wildlife damages private property. There are winter feeding committees in each of Fish and Games four regions that periodically conduct emergency feeding. These committees provide timely information to Fish and Game regional supervisors so supervisors can decide whether emergency conditions exist and winter feeding is needed. Advisory committees and Fish and Game monitor snow depth, temperatures and quality of forage on the winter range. Extreme weather can also trigger winter feeding, such as five consecutive days when temperatures stay below zero degrees, and snow depths of more than 18 inches on south facing slopes. But other variables also affect the decision. For instance, an 18-inch snowfall combined with mild temperatures in December may not constitute feeding, while snow crusting a condition when deep snow hardens and makes foraging difficult for animals might trigger it. Regardless of the severity of winter, some animals naturally perish. Thats an inescapable part of nature, and animals too stressed from winter can die even when they are fed. Theres also a Darwinian irony about winter feeding stations: Strong animals that would survive without supplemental feeding may drive off the weakest animals that will perish without it. If current weather conditions continue with average to slightly above-average precipitation and normal temperatures, emergency feeding probably wont be necessary. However, Fish and Game is ready to implement it if necessary should winter conditions turn for the worse. Magic Valley A report from a wildlife manager in the Magic Valley region: Snowfall was above-average for December, but most snow levels are currently at average or slightly above average. A December cold snap also broke, and the region is seeing warmer temperatures so far in January. Like elsewhere, there are a couple of months of winter weather remaining, and a wet, cold spring could also pose a threat to animals. The area recorded its highest survival in the last two years, peaking around 80 percent, but biologists expect it to drop this winter to average. Since 1998, fawn survival in the region has averaged about 65 percent and ranged from 80 percent survival down to 20 percent. There is no emergency feeding in the region so far, but there is a special feed site near Sun Valley where about 200 elk winter. Its intended to keep the animals out of Ketchum and away from Idaho 75. BOISE A Boise pastor who was held in an Iranian prison for more than three years has serious medical issues and may need several days of treatment before he is reunited with his family, his wife told the Idaho Statesman Monday. Saeed Abedini, 35, was one of five prisoners released by Iran over the weekend. During his incarceration, he reportedly suffered severe beatings. Abedini is currently being examined and treated at U.S. Armys Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. North Carolina Rep. Robert Pittenger will be part of a welcoming group meeting Abedini in Germany. Abedinis wife, Naghmeh, wont be meeting her husband in Germany. But she has spoken with him on the phone, she said. After he receives medical treatment, he will be flown to a facility on the East Coast. The kids and I will meet him there to take time to heal and readjust and work on our marriage, Naghmeh Abedini said, noting that the family is moving toward a time of much-need privacy. The couple have two children, Rebekka, 9, and Jacob, 7. Naghmeh Abedinis tireless advocacy for the release of her husband included a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2013 and meeting President Barack Obama during his Boise visit last year. The news of Saeeds release was a happy surprise. Naghmeh said she woke her children at 7:30 a.m. Saturday to tell them the news. The children are excited. Theyre beside themselves, she told the Statesman this weekend. They keep asking me, When are we going to see him? Saeed Abedini was released as part of a prisoner swap. The other Americans released were Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, according to the Associated Press. A fifth American detained in Iran, Matthew Trevithick, was released in a move unrelated to the swap, U.S. officials said. Abedini has been held by Iranian authorities since September of 2012, when he was in his native Iran to build an orphanage. He was sentenced in January of 2013 to serve eight years in prison for Christian proselytizing. He was previously arrested in 2009 and released after promising to stop organizing churches in homes. The U.S. imposed new sanctions on Iran after the prisoner swap Saturday due to violations of United Nations resolutions against ballistic missile tests. The new sanctions are mostly aimed at individuals and some small companies accused of shipping crucial technologies to Iran, including carbon fiber and missile parts that can survive re-entry, according to the New York Times News Service. We are totally confused and it's not because we have Alzheimer's or any other malady associated with old age. We fear our country is slowly (or perhaps speedily) going to hell in a handbasket. Recently over in Oregon two hard-working ranchers, Dwight Hammond and his son, Steve, were re-incarcerated an additional four years after already serving time on an arson charge. We understand they were originally tried on some kind of anti-government terrorist thing. Really? Setting fire to some grass and noxious weeds is an act of terrorism? Yet a while back when a madman murdered his fellow soldiers on a base in Texas it was called "workplace violence" and not terrorism, which it most assuredly was! Regarding the Hammond case, just who was the plaintiff in the first place? The government? Who was the prosecutor? The government? Who handed down the original sentence? Here again we assume it was the government. Wow! That is really lopsided and seems like a "lose-lose" situation to us. Those poor ranchers didn't stand a chance. And who filed the appeal which triggered the latest decision in October? Here again we assume it was the government. How in the world can the Hammonds even remotely be compared to the terrorists in Gitmo or the terrorists in the Paris attack and the San Bernardino attack? Or the worst one of all, the attack on 9-11 in New York which killed thousands of our fellow Americans. Big government, get out of our faces! Concentrate on the situations which are a real threat to our security, our homeland and our personal safety. It's difficult for us to find the logic in the judge's decision to hand down a five-year sentence to the two Hammond men. No one suffered bodily harm, and all that was burned was grass, noxious weeds and maybe a sagebrush on their property and some federal land. Day in and day out we hear on the news and read in the newspaper about criminals who commit real atrocities and all they get is a slap on the wrist and probation. Hand down sentences to the real criminals: the rapists, the murderers, those who steal our identity and those who are career criminals. Our country doesn't really need a bevy of new laws. The courts just need to sensibly enforce the laws we already have. Lets overhaul the prison system and stop treating inmates better than we do our vets and our brothers and sisters and even parents who are homeless and on the streets. We hope and pray the leaders who are voted into office this year will have the desire and the integrity to do what is right and have the backbone to represent their constituents and not be beholden to their donors, the lobbyists and the unions. We can and we must do better in Washington, D.C.! Jim and Carole Finch Gooding This appeared in the Idaho Statesman We struggle as much as our lawmakers when considering how to attain affordable health care for all Idahoans particularly the 78,000 left in the gap who make too much money to be considered for Medicaid and too little to access subsidized coverage through the Your Health Idaho exchange. But there is no need to struggle. Our leaders could take action to accept Medicaid expansion, as 31 other states (even conservative Republican ones) and the District of Columbia have done. These states have decided to tap federal funding under the Affordable Care Act and access an unprecedented level of health care for some of their most vulnerable citizens. There is resistance in Idaho to accept a new entitlement program that, yes, the federal government would subsidize now but what about the future? What happens if down the road the federal government decides it can no longer fund the program? This what-if scenario is real but no more real than the critical need to get health care for Idahoans. Gov. Butch Otter and the Legislature are studying alternative methods to get some measure of health care to our gap citizens. Although the Primary Care Access Program now being considered would establish relationships with a doctor and would cover preventive care, it would not cover acute or chronic care, hospitalization or prescriptions, as the Statesmans Bill Dentzer reported this week. Money for PCAP would come from state tobacco and cigarette taxes and thus avoid any federal source. But such funding comes with risks, just as federal funding does. And though it is true that PCAP gets gap Idahoans to first base, it leaves them there. What would be the options for someone diagnosed with cancer or diabetes who needed treatments? The level and extent of care at first base would be different and uneven, depending upon what clinic one accessed throughout the state. We also dont feel comfortable calling this an Idaho solution, though its proponents do. At best it is a first step that will never go the distance and serve all Idahoans in a way Medicaid expansion could. Two Otter task forces concluded that some form of Medicaid expansion was the preferred path in Idaho. The last recommendation in 2014 estimated savings of $173 million over the next 10 years. Weve heard all about the lack of political will to get it done. Lawmakers have found the sweet spot of political will to get behind education to the point where keeping up with spending increase plans is now a foregone conclusion. We congratulate Otter and the Legislature for finally getting this done. It happened because the stakeholders involved would not take no for answer. Idahoans should not take no for an answer on Medicaid expansion, either, and should not accept PCAP alone unless it can lead to something more comprehensive. Otter expended great political capital and took great risk when he agreed to go with an insurance exchange in Idaho in 2012. OK, accepting Medicaid expansion right after that would have been a stretch. But campaigning for Medicaid expansion is within reach now for a governor who wont be running again and who shouldnt be worried about hoarding his political capital. Accepting Medicaid expansion does not have to be forever. Idaho could use it as an interim plan and walk away at any time as soon as it finds a true Idaho solution that doesnt leave people stranded at first base. The feds seem eager to hand out waivers that allow flexibility about how to manage the federal money meant for those in need of health care. Accepting Medicaid expansion on an interim basis would make sense; if not, lets get things rolling with PCAP. But then lets fashion a true and lasting Idaho solution that rescues our friends and neighbors from the gap. The inauguration of the fifth is nigh so maybe things are far enough removed from the ruling of the Supreme Court in the presidential electi... The humanitarian crisis in the besieged Syrian towns is reported to have been eased as a third batch of aid was delivered although the actions of aid workers have been limited in certain areas. A joint statement released by the U.N., the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent stated that aid reached the government-controlled towns of Zabadani and Madaya as well as Foua and Kafraya in Idlib province, which are surrounded by rebel groups. The statement also pointed out that plans to assess the situation in Foua and Kafraya were not approved by the rebels as they stopped them from entering the cities on Monday, arguing that more time was needed to finalize security arrangements in areas under their control. Aid delivered to the towns consists of fuel, food and medical supplies. The control of the Syrian territory is divided between the government and several rebel groups including the Islamic State group. The five year old war has already left more than 200,000 people dead and forced at least 4million to flee their homes. The new U.N. refugee agency chief, Filippo Grandi, who assumed his post at the beginning of the year lamented about the situation of Syrian refugees calling for much more ambitious actions to resettle them. World powers either support the Assad regime or the rebels in the war but Grandi stressed that what is needed is a better sharing of responsibilities, internationally, for a (refugee) crisis that cannot only concern the countries neighboring Syria. Meanwhile, there are reports that Damascus is holding secret discussions with Kurdish self-defense units and political parties for their involvement in the forthcoming Geneva III talks to begin on January 25. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) on Monday said it is increasingly concerned about food security for an estimated 14 million people in southern Africa after the prolonged periods of drought led to a poor harvest in 2015. Countries on the red line include Malawi with a prevalence of 2.8 million people (16 percent) who are threatened by hunger, followed by Madagascar where almost 1.9 million people are at risk. In Zimbabwe, 1.5 million people, more than 10 % of the population, face hunger, WFP said. With little or no rain falling in many areas and the window for the planting of cereals closing fast or already closed in some countries, the outlook is alarming, WFP said. The U.N agency is looking to scale up its lean season food and cash-based assistance programs in the worst-hit countries but faces critical funding challenges, it added. The drought has hit much of the region including the maize belt in South Africa, the continents most advanced economy and the top producer of the staple grain. Also causing concern are Lesotho, Angola, Mozambique and Swaziland. The drought has been worsened by exceptionally strong El Nino weather patterns that typically bring drier conditions to Southern Africa and wetter ones to East Africa. Six soldiers died during an advance at Boko Harams stronghold, Diffa, when they stepped on a land mine buried by the suspected Islamist militants. According to El Hadj Daouda Abari, Mayor of Kabalewa, where the explosion occurred, the army vehicle hit a mine and exploded. Although details of the tragedy have not been disclosed, initial reports suggest six soldiers are among the victims. Boko Haram has ramped up cross-border attacks into Niger, Chad and Cameroon from its strongholds in north-eastern Nigeria in recent months. Almost a third of Diffas nearly 600,000 inhabitants have been displaced by the violence while at least 150,000 refugees seeking protection from Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria live in the region. Cameroon, Chad and Niger have formed a military alliance with Nigeria and Benin to battle the extremists, who last year declared allegiance to the Islamic State. The Islamists lost ground somehow as a result of offensives launched by local armies, but the group maintains strongholds in remote parts of north-eastern Nigeria, the Mandara Mountains on the Nigeria-Cameroon border and the islands of Lake Chad According to reports published last week by the Cameroon Minister of Communication and government spokesman, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Boko Haram orchestrated 315 raids, caused 12 landmine accidents and 32 suicide attacks in the countrys Far North region between 2013 and early 2016. Ghana President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday appointed a former U.N. Peace & Conflict Resolution Specialist as interior minister to strengthen domestic security after Burkina Faso attacks last week and ahead of general elections this year. The former Peace & Conflict Resolution Specialist with the United Nations, Prosper Douglas Bani will replace Mark Woyongo, who has been reassigned to the Flagstaff House as a Minister of State. Bani, 57, who once coordinated the U.N. Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery in Africa, is expected to focus on security in the West-African nation as tension remains high between the opposition and the electoral body ahead of November general election. The main opposition party, NPP, last month asked the electoral body to create a new voters register before the elections, saying it had evidence that the current electoral roll was bloated with ineligible voters, including the names of Togolese nationals. The claims have touched off a wider debate within the countrys polarized political system and helped trigger demonstrations by the opposition to force the electoral commission to heed its call. President John Mahama is seeking a second term in next years election in what is expected to be a tight contest between him and the NPPs Nana Akufo Addo. Ghana, which exports cocoa, gold and oil, is also seen as a model of stable democracy and rule of law in a region that had been afflicted with political unrests in the past. Chinese New Year Sale now on Lazada Malaysia Chinese New Year or sometimes known as Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations in Malaysia. Celebrated by millions in the country, 2016 would be the year of the red monkey where it usually would be preceded and followed by many specific traditions. Because of that, many would go all out in term of their expenditure in ensuring that every day of the celebration would create memories that would last.If you are worried about the allocated budget for all the preparations needed, worry no more. Every year, Lazada Malaysia will offer the best of their products and items for the best of offers, deals and prices. Getting the best does not mean you have to fork out a huge amount of money to get the best or the highest quality products. Often times, if you know where to look, you can actually save so much more! Therefore, look no further than what Lazada Malaysia has to offer on this auspicious year! Make your 2016 Chinese New Year (2016 CNY) memorable with the best of Lazada Chinese New Year Sale! Lazada Chinese New Year Sale or Lazada CNY Sale is a once a year event where you can get yourself the best of products that are being offered with irresistible deals and offers! Across all thirteen major categories available here, you will find various products and items that have been discounted up to 88%! So, whether you are looking for the latest smartphones for yourself or the nicest gifts for your loved ones, look no further than Lazada Malaysias CNY Hot Sale!With so many products offered and listed for special prices, go bananas with your online shopping for the year of the red monkey! Head to Lazada Malaysia Chinese New Year Sale page and discover for yourself the available products for you to choose from! Just place your order on products that you have always wanted and wait for the items to be delivered right at your doorstep upon confirmation! With few simple clicks or taps on your smartphone, you are up and ready to celebrate 2016 CNY!In addition to its two-week 2016 CNY sale which will run from 26th of January to 8th of February, Lazada Malaysia would be offering limited special deals and offers that would run for a short period of time during the major sale. You can also find specially priced products with our Flash sales from 26th to 29th of January. With 96 carefully selected products that are being offered here, this is one of the sales that you would not want to miss!If you do not want to miss these great deals, offers, and more, subscribe to our daily newsletter or use our official Lazada app that can be found on iTunes App Store or Google Play to stay up-to-date with the latest offerings of Red Hot Sale or any other sales, every day! (est. 2006), 208 issues so far. *Facebook https://www.facebook.com/The-Metal-Bulletin-paper-zine-238441519609213 * Twitter @MetalBulletinZn * pdfs at https://issuu.com/metalbulletinzine 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 @MaryEllenKlas and @JeremySWallace House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, who is retiring this year because of term limits and is not even expected to be on the ballot in November, is the top fundraiser this legislative session, raising $2 million in his two political committees since the last session ended and this cycle began in July. His take rose $350,000 alone during a flurry of fundraisers the first 11 days of the year, before session. Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, has not announced he will run for higher office but it is widely believed he is working to stave off challengers for a 2018 run for agriculture commissioner, when Adam Putnam, the current ag chief, runs for governor. Early January was a busy time for fundraising for the state's legislative leaders. According to a Herald/Times analysis, the top fundraisers collected $1.7 million alone during that time, raising their total since July to $9.6 million. The Herald/Times found that the total directed to legislative political committees between July and December in anticipation of the session that began Jan. 12 exceeded $28.5 million. Most of the money was raised by the two dozen lawmakers who have the most influence over the process. Crisafulli raised nearly twice as each of the next 14 fundraisers, including Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, and Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, whose fundraising climbed as they were locked in a protracted battle to become Senate president. Negron won that challenge and started to steer his fundraising to the Florida Republican Senate Campaign Committee since December. The goal of this blog is to show things that I have been learning from studying the Word of God for over forty-eight years. I am currently studying the book of Matthew and as you scroll through the writings on my two blogs you will find things from many different books of the Bible. To get to my other blog just go down to my profile and click on it and you will see how to get to the other blog, which currently has Spiritual Diaries from the book of Ephesians. Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The White House has reason to believe that missing former FBI agent Robert Levinson is no longer in Iran, and has apparently thought so for years. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest made the comment on Tuesday, alleging that the administration had mentioned that belief several years ago. Robert Levinson, who disappeared from Irans Kish Island in 2007, was not included in a highly-publicized prisoner swap over the weekend that freed several other Americans from Iranian prisons, much to the anguish of Levinsons wife, who said she felt betrayed by the White House. Iranian officials said during the prisoner negotiations, as it has for years, that they do not know where Levinson is being held a claim doubted by some U.S. officials and Levinsons family. The family was sent proof of life videos and photos a few years into his captivity but they have not heard from him since. The photos, released by the family to media outlets in 2013, show Levinson dressed in an orange jumpsuit, draped in chains and holding a series of signs, one that said, I Am Here in Guantanamo Do You Know Where It Is? The 67-year-old Levinson, who served for more than two decades with the FBI before retiring, is believed to have been grabbed off Iran's Kish Island in March 2007. For years the U.S. government said Levinson was working at the time as a private investigator, but in December 2013 his family acknowledged that he was, in fact, working as a freelance "spy" for a rogue CIA operation. Despite Earnests comments on Tuesday, it was not widely known that the White House believed Levinson was not in Iran. Saturday Iranian media broke the news that Iran and the U.S. government had struck a deal in which five Americans held in Iranian prisons were freed in exchange for the release of seven Iranians either convicted or awaiting trial in the U.S. all accused of crimes related to violating sanctions against Iran. The U.S. also removed Interpol red notices and dismissed charges against 14 other Iranians abroad who a U.S. official said were unlikely to be extradited to the U.S. Secretary Kerry tweeted Sunday that as part of the swap, Iran also agreed to deepen our coordination as we work to locate Robert Levinson. We wont rest until the Levinson family is whole again. Christine Levinson, Roberts wife, told ABC News the White House didnt call to tell the family about the imminent deal. Instead, they found out by watching television. I thought after nine years that they would have enough respect for our family to at least tell us in advance that this is happening, Levinsons wife, Christine, told ABC News. It could have been five minutes, but to find out on the TV for the whole family was wrong. It was absolutely devastating. Im very disappointed. I feel extremely betrayed by them, she said. Earnest said the White House is determined to press the Iranians to provide as much information as they have about Mr. Levinsons whereabouts and were going to continue to do that through the channel that has been opened. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. With the Florida Legislature all but declaring Gov. Rick Scott's agreement with the Seminole Tribe dead on arrive, the tribe has launched two 30-second television ads that are running statewide on cable news networks to keep the pressure on. The Senate Regulated Industries Committee has scheduled a workshop on the proposal on Wednesday and the House Regulated Industries Committee is drafting an alternative to the compact that is expected to be ready next week. Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, has predicted that the issue will not get resolved this session. One of the Seminole's ad, Sovereign highlights the Seminole Tribes commitment to Florida, and the second Letter focuses on the governor's agreement but continues to echo misleading claims from the governor's letter and suggests that "for the first time" would "empower the Legislature to keep Florida family friendly" and creates "nearly 20,000 new Florida jobs." There is nothing today that stops the Legislature from "keeping the state family friendly" and there is nothing in the proposed deal that requires the creation of any jobs. Both ads are running Tampa, Miami, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Ft Myers, Mobile-Pensacola, Tallahassee, Panama City, and Gainesville.on CNN, FOX, MSNBC and on digital sites. Legislators return after a long holiday weekend with four days packed with activity. Here are five things to watch on Tuesday: * Thousands of supporters of a controversial voucher-like education program will arrive in Tallahassee Tuesday for a rally at the Florida Capitol. The event is organized by the "Save Our Scholarships Coalition" and other school-choice groups and the keynote speaker for the event is Martin Luther King III, son of the civil rights leader. * The Senate will take up a bill to impose insurance requirements on ride-sharing companies life Uber and Lyft. The proposal, SB 1118, is filed by Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs. * This is the week for public records exemptions as several bills aimed at erecting new barriers to public records get a hearing. The first up, SB 1004, filed by Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, would create a new public-records exemption for video or audio recordings from security systems at state or local government buildings. * A controversial bill to require abortion clinics to be licensed like hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, similar to one that made headway in Texas, will get its first hearing in the Florida House. The measure, HB 233, is sponsored by by Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami. * Health care issues will also get some traction in the Florida Senate as Senate Health Policy Committee considers a bill, SB 212, by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, to create "recovery care centers" by allowing patients at ambulatory-surgical centers to stay up to 24 hours, changing current law which prohibits patients from staying overnight. @PatriciaMazzei Jeb Bush, who speaks Spanish and lives in Miami, on Tuesday called himself the best presidential candidate to improve U.S. relations with Latin America. "The best way to ensure a better relationship with Latin America is electing me president of the United States," he said at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. The former Florida governor accused the Obama administration of "neglecting" the region and letting relations with Canada and Mexico deteriorate. He also argued the U.S. should spot an opening to influence the region because, he said, the Chinese have not seen as high a return on their investment in Latin America. "It hasn't worked because commodity prices have gone to the floor," said Bush, whose wife was born in Mexico and who lived briefly in Venezuela. "We have a good opportunity to reengage." (He also misidentified, for at least the second time in the campaign, the U.S. drug-trafficking program in Colombia. It's Proyecto Gran Colombia -- not, as Bush likes to call it, "Proyecto Gran Colombiano." @MichaelAuslen The Florida Senate has a message for Gov. Rick Scott and his Commission on Health Care and Hospital Funding: A few regulatory changes like certificate of need reform or price transparency arent going to make health care affordable. Accurately and fairly reporting to a hungry man without money the true prices on the menu that he cant afford in a restaurant he cant get to doesnt mean hell get to eat, Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, told commission members Tuesday morning. Posting the price list doesnt by itself reduce cost or provide access to care. Gaetz was sent to the commission, created by Scott last year, by Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, for their final meeting. The commissions work has largely focused in recent months on requiring greater price transparency, including legislation Scott proposed. But Gaetz, who said he supports a price transparency bill by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, insists that wont actually affect access. Its a common refrain from Senate Republicans, who last year voted to expand Medicaid in Florida. The idea of expanding access to care by providing health insurance coverage to the uninsured is dead in Florida, certainly for three years, maybe for five years, Gaetz told commission members. And so now the health care debate is focused on a variety of second-tier issues that may or may not to a degree affect the cost of care. @ByKristenMClark Several thousand parents and children rallied in Floridas capital on Tuesday to urge the states largest teachers union to drop a lawsuit challenging a controversial voucher-like education program that benefits low-income families. Martin Luther King III joined several religious and community leaders in praising the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, which they say affords opportunities many families wouldnt otherwise have, and they urged the Florida Education Association to end its misguided effort to halt the program. Critics led by the FEA argue the tax-credit scholarships divert state money away from a quality public education system the state is required, under the Constitution, to provide. The 15-year-old state program helps low-income families afford to send their children to private schools by giving dollar-for-dollar tax credits as much as $447 million this year, growing to $560 million in 2016-17 to businesses that donate to organizations that fund the scholarships. Almost all of the scholarship money is facilitated by Jacksonville-based Step Up For Students. This is about justice; this is about righteousness, said King, eldest son of the late civil rights leader whose namesake annual federal holiday was Monday. This is about freedom the freedom to choose for your family and your child. Organizers for the rally which included the Save Our Scholarships Coalition and various other school-choice advocacy groups called the "historic" event the largest school choice rally ever in Florida and one of the largest in the country. They said 10,500 people attended, with 240 busloads coming from all over the state including three dozen buses from South Florida and about 30 from the Tampa Bay area. @doug_hanks Uber is targeting the chairman of Miami-Dade's County Commission with a new radio ad accusing him of "taking us backwards" with proposed regulations of the ride-hailing company. The ad is the latest swing Uber has taken at Chairman Jean Monestime, whose legislation is competing with a pro-Uber ordinance proposed by the commission's vice-chairman, Esteban "Steve" Bovo. Both ordinances face a preliminary vote Wednesday. "We must band together to send a clear message to Chairman Monestime to drop his attack on our jobs and access to transportation," the narrator says in the ads, which an Uber representative said will air on WHQT Hot105 FM and WMBM 1490 AM. The 60-second spot starts with a mispronunciation of Monestime's first name. The ad's narrator uses the English pronunciation of Jean (sounds like "Gene") though Monestime, the commission's first Haitian-American chairman, uses the French or Creole pronunciation (which uses a soft "J" and rhymes with "Sean"). County Hall watchers know that's a fairly common mistake when Monestime's name is invoked during commission meetings or at other functions. But he consistently uses the French pronunciation, including at a Friday press conference on his proposed Uber legislation. Monestime's Haitian heritage could get added attention in the Uber debate, since a large portion of Miami-Dade's taxi drivers also are Haitian-Americans. The taxi industry is warning of financial ruin from Uber's popular ride-hailing service, which would not be subject to the same fare regulations or permitting limits that taxis face. A Monestime spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment. A full transcript of the ad follows. To hear the ad, click below. Listen Up Miami-Dade! Jobs, transportation, and the future of our community are on the line in an important vote on Wednesday. Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Jean Monestime is taking us backwards with his legislative proposal against ride-sharing companies like Uber. Commissioner Monestime is putting at risk flexible income opportunities that give so many of our friends, family, and neighbors the chance to earn extra income and support their loved ones by providing this valuable service. If this bill passes, our community would no longer have access to safe, affordable, and reliable rides through the Uber app in Miami-Dade. We must band together to send a clear message to Chairman Monestime to drop his attack on our jobs and access to transportation. Uber Monestime Ad @JeremySWallace Carlos Beruff, a Manatee County developer who leads Gov. Rick Scotts hospital commission, said on Tuesday that he has not ruled out making a late entry into Florida's U.S. Senate race, but denied reports that he has already met with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and is close to making a decision. Beruff said anyone claiming he met with the NRSC, should be on the lookout for an imposter. Beruff said some friends and allies have told him he should consider the race and he said hell look at it. But he said the idea is in its infancy and he is not close to making a decision if it is something hed want to do. The U.S. Senate race already has a crowded GOP primary forming with U.S. Reps Ron DeSantis and David Jolly, Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Todd Wilcox. They are seeking the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Beruff, 58, has been the chairman of Scotts hospital commission since its inception in May 2015. That commission has been charged with looking at how taxpayer-supported hospitals spend their money and other costs and outcomes related to health care services. The commission held its final meeting on Tuesday in Tallahassee. Beruff said in a short interview that if he runs for the Senate it would be because he thinks he can get something done in Washington and can give something back to a country that has been so good to me. Beruff, who grew up poor in Miami, is a multi-millionaire who in 1984 started Medallion Homes, which is now one of the biggest residential land development companies in Manatee County. He has never held elective office, but over the last six years has been increasing his political stock on local and state government boards. Hes been a member of the Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority, the Southwest Florida Water Management District Board and the State College of Florida Board of Trustees, where his questioning led to dramatic changes in the Manatee County schools leadership team. Beruff has been a major campaign contributors to Republicans causes, according to Federal Election Commission records. Since 2006, Beruff and his wife have donated nearly $160,000 to Republicans including $5,000 to Right to Rise, a political committee backing former Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign for the White House. Beruff has also hosted fundraisers for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, and supported U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and Carlos Curbelo, R-Miami, in their re-election campaigns. Three nonprofit organizations will share a $3 million gift from the estate of a Missoula businesswoman who passed away in 2013. Lorna Ann Gavin worked for many years at her father's company in Missoula, Howard Gavin Distributors. She bequeathed half the money to the Humane Society of Western Montanas Friends for Life Endowment. The other $1.5 million was split equally between Providence Montana Health Foundation and Foundation for Community Health, the successor organization of the Community Medical Center Foundation. Gavins gift to the Missoula-based Humane Society has the potential to generate more than $60,000 a year for the organization, which has an annual operating budget of roughly $800,000. We do not receive government grants or funding from national organizations, so donors like Miss Gavin are the lifeblood of our work, said Lora OConner, the executive director of the Humane Society of Western Montana. Her gift is the largest we have received in 53 years, and the opportunity and stability she has created here is truly beyond measure. The final distribution to the Humane Society was received late in December. OConnor said the animal shelter has a goal of using the money to expand both its animal-training programs and its critter camps as well as adopt 250 more pets this year than it did last year. Thats 250 more lives saved, she said. OConner said she first met Gavin when she was adopting a cat, and over the years she also adopted a cocker spaniel. Were really thankful for people like Ann who care about the plight of animals, she said. *** Gavins charitable bequest to the Providence Montana Health Foundation will go to the Providence St. Patrick Hospital Rehabilitation Center, which offers inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and therapy. Staff at the center combine physical, occupational and speech therapies to help patients reach independence at home and work. This is the largest outright gift in the history of our rehabilitation center, and we are immensely thankful to receive such a transformative contribution, said Anita Nash, director of rehabilitation services for Providence St. Patrick Hospital. We are keenly aware that Anns vision and generosity will extend far beyond our center. We can already anticipate the impact this will have on the Missoula community and all patients who walk through our doors. Fran Albrecht, executive director of the Providence Montana Health Foundation, said the organizations mission is to support the health of the community. What an honor to celebrate a gift of this magnitude that through Anns generosity will help a multitude of individuals in need of rehabilitation services, she said. Her legacy will ensure our rehabilitation center continues to carry out our mission of providing quality healthcare with a compassion focus and is a tribute to her incredible thoughtfulness and dedication to giving back to her community. *** Dorcie Dvarishkis, executive director of the Foundation for Community Health, said Gavins gift honors her family. Ann had a great appreciation for quality rehabilitation care, and knew that our foundation generated a community-wide benefit that could complement her familys commitment to the community, Dvarishkis said. It was important to her that a gift like this would honor her father by giving back to the community from which it came. From the foundations beginning, community leaders like Bill and Rosemary Gallagher, Ty Robinson and so many others have created both health and hope through their generosity and service." After Gavin died in 2013, attorney Andrew George made sure her wishes were carried out. What a rewarding and important experience this has been, he said. It reinforces what is possible with love of a community, a strong charitable intent, prudent investing and an intentional estate plan. I hope others will feel encouraged to follow in Anns legacy-building footsteps. Imagine learning social studies in the Salish language. Or in Lakota. Or learning math in a totally different tongue. Rosalyn La Pier, assistant professor at the University of Montana, said people in China do just that every day. They all learn math in Chinese, said La Pier, who speaks some Blackfeet. We do not need the English language to learn math and science. On Tuesday, La Pier heads to Hilo, Hawaii, to attend a symposium on opening an international center on native language preservation and advancement. The working title of the organization is the Global Center on Indigenous Language Excellence, and La Pier is one of 13 people invited to its launch and strategy session. The center will be a gathering place both physical and virtual not only for noted experts in a wide range of indigenous issues, all of whom are grounded in a strong fluency in their native languages, but the center will also place a particular emphasis on including, attracting and grooming new generations of such experts, Namaka Rawlins, a symposium host and executive director of Aha Punana Leo in Hawaii, noted in an email to invitees about the project. *** La Pier is participating in the effort because of her history of support for native languages. She worked at the Piegan Institute, which has a mission to revitalize the Blackfeet language, for 15 years up until 2014, and she advocates for state and federal legislation that supports Native American languages. One issue repeatedly comes up in her advocacy work, especially in Washington, D.C.. On several visits last year to the nations capital, for instance, policymakers wanted to know that learning a native language is beneficial, and not harmful, to a student, she said. Montana is home to 12 tribes on seven reservations, and an estimated 10 native languages. One of the questions people always have is, What is the data that shows learning a second language is useful to a student? she said. Research shows that learning a foreign language, such as French or Spanish, increases a persons cognitive abilities, she said. However, she said theres little research that shows the same for Native American languages, and the center aims to produce that body of work. One of the things we want to do with the global center is to create more, again, scientific-based research that proves that learning a second language, learning a native language, is not going to inhibit a childs ability to be educated, she said. *** The center is a project of the Aha Punana Leo, a center focused on the Hawaiian language, and the Hawaiian Language College, and it is receiving grant money from the Talampias Trust. The University of Hawaii is a symposium host as well. One of the main challenges for people working on native languages is they operate in isolation, La Pier said. Researchers in New Zealand and Ireland have done groundbreaking work on language revitalization, and the center will help preservationists elsewhere replicate their methods instead of reinventing the wheel. In particular, La Pier is interested in developing ways of teaching subject matters in native languages. If it works in Cherokee, lets see if it will work in Blackfeet. If it works in Lakota, lets see if it can work in Crow, La Pier said. She herself speaks some Blackfeet, but she isnt fluent. When she worked for the Piegan Institute, one elder in particular never spoke to her in English. Hed always start by saying, You should be speaking Blackfeet. Your grandmother speaks. So should you, she said. If the advocates who launch the center have their way, the next generation of grandmas may be even more adept at their native tongue. Montanans are an industrious lot, with a keen ability to work together for the betterment of all. That is exactly what happened in 2005, when a group of foresters, snowmobilers, outfitters, wildlife advocates, ranchers and business owners came together to create a shared vision for the Blackfoot and Clearwater Valleys. Ten years later, the product of our labor is evident in new jobs, restored forests and a commitment to win-win solutions. But in order to fully realize our goals for our shared backyard, well need Montanas congressional delegation to pull as one, just as weve done. Shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday, a group of more than 100 Missoulians gathered at the public library in celebration of the Blackfoot and Clearwater valleys. Just minutes away from downtown Missoula, these valleys are incredible places to live, work, play and raise our families. That passion for our land, water and wildlife is what first brought the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project together, and its the reason why our proposal is stronger than ever at the 10-year mark. Originally convened by the Blackfoot Challenge, our collaborative effort set out to build bridges between diverse stakeholders regarding how the lands surrounding the communities of Seeley Lake and Ovando should be managed. The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project contains three components: forest restoration, recreation and conservation. The Southwestern Crown Collaborative grew out of our proposal, and to date has provided the Seeley area with 160 jobs annually and injected $52 million into the local economy. Those timber jobs have resulted in 48.6 million board feet of wood products sold, 105 miles of healthier streams and 1,400 miles of maintained trails, to name just a few accomplishments. However, the recreation and conservation components of the BCSP are yet to be realized and the time is now to finish what we started a decade ago. From a small-business perspective, our economic vitality depends on diversifying our uses of public land. Whether timber harvesting or snowmobiling, backpacking or fishing, much of our economy is tied to our ability to access our healthy public lands. The BCSP would create the Otatsy Recreation Management Area, which would create new snowmobile access and ensure it in perpetuity. Additionally, our proposal asks the U.S. Forest Service to perform a study on the lands surrounding Seeley and Ovando, opening up the possibility for new year-round recreational opportunities. Outfitting has long been an economic cornerstone for our communities. However, without permanent protection for iconic places like Monture Creek, the North Fork of the Blackfoot or Grizzly Basin, that longtime Montana outdoor heritage could cease to exist. Thats why the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project proposes 83,000-acres of additions to the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat and Mission Mountain Wilderness areas ensuring our kids and grandkids will be able to hunt elk, fly fish for trout, and horse pack into our storied landscapes forever. As we wrap up 2015 and look back at the decade of work weve accomplished, we wish to thank Sen. Jon Tester for being a longtime supporter of the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project and our communities. Additionally, Sen. Steve Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke have both taken a keen interest in the Montana-born legislation weve created. Now is the time to move the BCSP forward, and complete the work. As we head into 2016, we ask our entire Montana delegation to work together to pass our homegrown, collaborative proposal into law in Washington, D.C. Weve seen what can happen when we work together in our rural communities. Now is the time for our delegation to show what can happen when Montanans work together in our nations capital. Republican Sen. Rick Ripley, a member of Montana's Environmental Quality Council, met with legislators from Oregon and Washington to discuss the future of Colstrip. In his effort to maintain production, he stated that "coal is still the most affordable... form of electricity." What the senator (and many others) fail to understand is that coal is only "cheap" because the market grossly distorts the price by ignoring the true costs. Those affected in faraway places or those who will be affected in the future are "externalities" in economics lingo, and not accounted for in the exchange. This distorted price signal incentivizes perverse behavior, such as burning more coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. The same thing is happening when "cheap" gas has people buying bigger trucks. Fossil fuels are not "affordable." Instead, the market has failed. Dave Jones, Hamilton BUTTE Butte High School was evacuated at 9:56 a.m. Tuesday after a school secretary received a computer-generated bomb threat via telephone. It immediately followed a bomb threat called into the Butte-Silver Bow County Courthouse at 9:55 a.m., according to police. Authorities say the two incidents are related. It was a computer-generated voice, said Principal John Metz, back in his office after the entire school including faculty, staff and students was allowed back into the buildings by 10:43 a.m., when the school was deemed safe. Authorities pulled the fire alarm to alert the entire school to evacuate. We followed our protocol to evacuate the school, Metz said. According to the police, its the exact same one the courthouse got. We follow our protocol, regardless of the situation. Safety is number one for our kids. BHS administrators Wes Peters, Chuck Merrifield, Brenda Floreen and Metz searched the grounds as teachers followed their own roster-check procedure with their classes in the parking lots and other designated areas. Once the school is evacuated, we the administrators go back to make sure everyone has left, said Metz. We check the bathrooms, tunnels, every little nook and cranny and that takes some time. Then after we do it, the police department and fire department comes in and checks also. By 10:50 a.m., administrators sent out text alerts to notify parents that their children were safe and back in the building. Parents sign up with the school to receive either text alerts, voice messages or email messages or all three whenever an emergency occurs in the district. Butte High, a class AA school with an enrollment of 1,200, covers an entire city block. It took us about an hour to make sure everything was OK, said Metz. Its a big school and you cant ever be too safe. Superintendent Judy Jonart, who immediately went to campus when the call came in, said administrators and staff followed protocol properly. Everything was very orderly and the kids were well-behaved, she added. Chemistry teachers Maureen Driscoll and Colleen Fogerty, class rosters in hand, were among several faculty overseeing their classes in the south parking lot. Fogertys seniors were reviewing for their chemistry final when the fire alarm sounded, as semester finals starts Wednesday and runs through Friday. Youve got to treat every threat as if its legitimate, said Driscoll, shivering in the 18-degree temperature. Unless students already wore a Hoodie or other jacket, many were left out in the cold without a coat for the long wait. West Elementary fifth graders, wearing hair nets, white aprons and winter coats, were among the evacuees. They were visiting Butte High family nutrition teacher Judy Bryants cooking class, where they were in the middle of making carrot muffins for the Farm-to-Cafeteria Harvest of the Month program. We took a second to grab our coats, said Bryant, minutes before leading her young charges back into the building after getting the all-clear signal. Its the first time in Metzs 11 years as an administrator that Butte High received a bomb threat. Its so disruptive, Metz said. Some of our poor kids were standing out there in the cold. But when we get something like that, we always follow through. BILLINGS Since starting after the regular hunting season ended in November, the newly enacted elk shoulder season hunt taking place largely in the White Sulphur Springs area has resulted in the harvest of more than 350 cow elk. That figure was provided by Fish, Wildlife and Parks Quentin Kujala, wildlife management section chief, during a meeting of the Environmental Quality Council last week in Helena. The EQC is an interim legislative committee with oversight of FWP. "Landowners have rated it a success," Kujala said. "All landowners in the district are participating in some way." It's also working to keep elk off of haystacks, precluding the need for damage hunts another method of reducing elk populations. So it's possible, said FWP director Jeff Hagener, that shoulder seasons could reduce the need for damage hunts in the future. The harvest figure was the first time any number had been attached to the first-time program. The goal of the shoulder seasons is to remove at least half of the annual calf crop in hunting districts where elk are over objective. The other half is expected to be removed during the general hunting season. In four years the shoulder seasons would sunset and be reviewed for their level of success. Kujala called the early cow elk harvest estimate for the White Sulphur Springs area encouraging but said there is still more work to be done and the pilot project could lead to modifications when the program is expanded. That could be a reconsideration of allowing hunting seven days a week and whether some other public lands should be included. Currently, forest lands are excluded. The Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider at its February meeting whether to expand the shoulder season hunts to 44 more districts next year. Eighty hunting districts are considered over objective. Taking the leap to 44 districts was called too big by Nick Gevock, who represents the Montana Wildlife Federation. He said his group would rather see FWP move slower in ramping up the program. "It's fair to say there is tremendous interest in this shoulder season," Gevock said. BILLINGS Court documents indicate the U.S. government has failed to reach an agreement with the owner of a long-delayed energy lease near Glacier National Park. The Interior Department is planning to cancel the 6,200-acre lease in northwestern Montana. It's located in the Badger-Two Medicine area just south of Glacier land considered sacred to the Blackfoot tribes of the U.S. and Canada. Government attorneys say it was improperly issued in 1982. Attorneys for the two sides on Friday asked U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C. to allow a lawsuit in the matter to proceed. The case had been on hold since December because of negotiations. The lease is owned by Solenex LLC of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The company's attorneys want compensation for their client if the lease is canceled. BILLINGS Heres a formula for fun: a frosty January day, a warm library, a bunch of kids and six friendly, tail-wagging dogs. Thats what happened in Billings Public Librarys community room during the second annual puppy party. Dozens of adults and children showed up for a half-hour of storytelling, followed by a craft time and a meet-and-greet with six certified Reading Education Assistance Dogs and their owners. The happy menagerie of large and small dogs, all certified through Intermountain Therapy Animals, included a miniature schnauzer, a sheltie, a golden retriever, a golden doodle, an Australian shepherd and a soft-coated Wheaten terrier. The dogs, in their red kerchiefs, and the youngsters grinned at each other, and the dogs offered their fans soft fur to pat, paws to shake and gentle kisses. Some of the canines sat, others lay down and one, T-Rex, an Australian shepherd, rolled onto his back and looked up, eyes hopeful, inviting belly rubs. The dogs, four returning and two new, are part of the READ to a Dog program, where children are invited to individually read aloud to one of the dogs for 15 minutes. The program takes place at the library from 10:30 to 11:30 the first and second Saturdays of the month. The morning started with most of the children sitting in a semi-circle on the floor and the adults in chairs. The kids listened as childrens librarian Cindy Patterson and childrens assistants Allynne Ellis and Elizabeth Fellerer read books with dog themes. Then, after the youngsters were instructed on how to approach the dogs, the six owners led them into the room and sat down in front so the children could line up and meet the pooches. It was organized chaos as the children and their parents moved from one dog to the next, the youngsters often chatting with the dogs owners. T-Rex is the silliest dog ever, 6-year-old Benjamin Roach said, sitting next to the dog. Hes on his back, 7-year-old Rebecca Roach added. Their mom, Sara Roach, said the family has a dog at home, a golden retriever. But the kids really love animals, and so I thought it would be fun for them to get to see some other dogs and get out of the house because its a cold day, she said. We are also going to check out books. We do that every time we come. *** The READ to a Dog program initially was funded through the Otto and Yvonne Mansfield Endowment at St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation, Patterson said. They loved animals, so they wanted it to go to some kind of program that had something to do with animals, she said before the start of the program. We were able to get in touch with Intermountain Therapy Animals, and they had just had several dogs go through the Reading Education Assistance Dogs program, so it was perfect. READ to a Dog kicked off last January, starting out one Saturday a month. As more dogs were trained, it expanded to two days a month in September. The response has been phenomenal, Patterson said. New people come in every month, and then we also had kids that return and they have their favorite dog they like to read to. Each dog has a bag of books the children can choose to read, or they can bring their own book. The only caveat is that everyone has to be able to read. It doesnt matter what level of reading theyre at, but the program is designed for readers reading to the dogs, Patterson said. Deede Baker, owner of Oliver, the miniature schnauzer, said that when she watches a child reading to the dog, she sees a kind of silent engagement. Theyre reading the book, but theyre reaching over and touching him and hes just relaxing, Baker said. And as he relaxes, they relax. Its almost palpable. You can just feel the child go this is OK. For a child who struggles with reading or self-confidence, reading to a dog that isnt critical can really help, she said. The child reads to a canine audience thats not going to laugh at them or make them feel uncomfortable. And I think for children to be able to gain that confidence in themselves by sitting down and reading to a dog, theyre going to take that confidence into the classroom and I think thats going to be very beneficial to them in the long-term. *** Julie Myers, who owns T-Rex, the Australian shepherd and a rescue dog, said meeting up with kids is his favorite thing. When we get the red scarf out, he absolutely goes crazy, she said, sitting next to the dog. In addition to visiting the library, she and T-Rex also visit various Head Start schools once a week through the READ to a Dog program. She tells about one young boy who could barely talk the first time she met him. He had a speech problem and he was scared of (T-Rex) and he was kind of scared of me being in the room, Myers said. And by the end of 15 minutes, he touched the dog a little. The next week, she opened the door and she and T-Rex walked into the building, and the little boy was there again. He was way down the hall and he saw us come in the door and he said, theres Wex, theres Wex, I get to wead to Wex, Myers said. And I started crying and I looked at the teacher and she said Did you hear him? Because otherwise we couldnt understand what he was saying. A year later, the little boy has grown in size and in his ability to speak and read. Hes come so far, and his confidence level is just 100 percent, Myers said. I could just see him bloom through the dogs. BUTTE - Democratic Sen. Jon Tester expressed shock when he learned at a breakfast meeting Monday that the Butte hill consent-decree negotiations which will determine Superfund cleanup and its costs are held in secret between Atlantic Richfield Company and federal, state and county officials. Tester met with about 15 members of the Restore Our Creek Coalition a group coalescing around the Parrot cleanup between the Civic Center and the Visitor's Center to discuss a number of Superfund issues in Butte. The breakfast meeting at Gamer's Cafe in Uptown preceded a public forum to be held Tuesday evening. The forum, co-sponsored by The Montana Standard and Restore Our Creek, will bring representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the state, and the county to discuss cleanup concerns in the Parrot corridor and on the Butte hill. Tester will not be able to attend the forum. Restore Our Creek members raised numerous concerns at the breakfast, including the fact that ARCO, EPA, state and county officials meet in private to negotiate Buttes consent decree. Once it is signed, the consent decree will be legally binding and will determine the cleanup in Butte as well as how much ARCO will pay to keep heavy metal contamination from impacting the town and upper Silver Bow Creek. Ultimately, the consent decree will determine how healthy Butte and Silver Bow Creeks future will be. Tester was visibly surprised to learn this is not a public process. "Is that legal?" Tester asked. The consent decree negotiations are held behind closed doors by a federal judge's court order, which was signed in 2002. Tester took notes during the discussion and asked many questions, trying to grasp the various ailments Butte suffers due to more than 100 years of hard rock mining and smelting. Some of the issues raised at the breakfast include the future of the Parrot corridor, run-off after storms, groundwater contamination, the Berkeley Pits treatment and discharge and Silver Bow Creeks inability to meet water quality standards year-round. Longtime Superfund watchdog Fritz Daily said the record of decision, a 700-page document that lays out Buttes heavy metal problems, should be reopened. Tester told the Standard after the breakfast that he will meet with EPA director Gina McCarthy to talk about the urgency of the cleanup issues in Butte. "EPA needs to step up and ARCO needs to be held accountable," Tester said. Northey Tretheway, president of Restore Our Creek, expressed concern that Butte has had to contend with a piecemeal cleanup approach. Superfund in Butte has meant "a fix here, a fix there." "A comprehensive cleanup has not been considered," Tretheway said. "We need something done right." Daily talked at length about the Parrot corridor and his vision of a free-flowing creek to run from the Civic Center to the Visitor's Center. Hydrogeologist Joe Griffin suggested creating linked, man-made ponds to create a wetland area between the Civic Center and the Visitors Center. Such ponds could capture run-off from storms and capture the heavy metal contamination before the water reaches Silver Bow Creek. Roy Morris, president of the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited, said it doesn't make sense that EPA took down Missoula's Milltown Dam, which came down in 2008 on the Clark Fork River just east of Missoula, before cleaning up Butte. Whatever happens here happens in Missoula, Morris said. Tester stressed how important the publics involvement became in Milltown Dams removal. Over 10,000 Missoulians wrote letters to EPA demanding Milltown Dam be torn down due to the toxic sediment that was lodged behind the dam. Many at the breakfast agreed that public support is crucial to ensuring a good cleanup on the Butte hill. The public can have an effect on government, Tester said. And (it can affect) the private sector. KALISPELL The trial of a man who allegedly threatened on social media to kill local schoolchildren and Jewish leaders has been continued to March 14. David Joseph Lenio, formerly of Kalispell, is charged with felony intimidation. His trial was scheduled to start Tuesday in a Flathead County courtroom. Its the second time the trial has been postponed. It was originally scheduled for November, but Lenios public defender asked for a delay, indicating a plea agreement was in the works. That sparked a demonstration by a local human rights group and two rabbis, who said they were concerned prosecutors might settle for something less than a felony conviction, which they said was necessary to keep Lenio from ever being able to legally own a gun. The one-time Kalispell restaurant cook was arrested the day after he allegedly moved ammunition and two rifles from a storage unit into his apartment. Authorities said they also found a pistol in his van. Lenio allegedly made multiple threats on social media about shooting children and Jews. The postings were discovered by Jonathan Hutson, then a spokesman for the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence, after Lenio allegedly engaged Hutson in a verbal duel on Twitter approximately a year ago. Hutson alerted law enforcement. Lenio was taken into custody Feb. 16, 2015, at Whitefish Mountain Resort, where he had been snowboarding. Lenio, who had been held on $500,000 bail, was released on his own recognizance and into the custody of his parents in July, and has been living with them in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In November, a blogger for the Southern Poverty Law Center accused Lenio of violating the terms of his release 348 times by re-tweeting messages written by other people. When she waived his $500,000 bail, conditions imposed on Lenio by District Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht included a ban on using social media. ATLANTA In 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that, to the joy of millions of African-Americans, Barack Obama redeemed by winning the presidency. As the youngest speaker at that March on Washington gathering, John Lewis identified another dream. It, too, has been redeemed by the American political system. But the blessing has been decidedly mixed. On that sweltering August day, Mr. Lewis, the 23-year-old champion of voting rights, lamented the absence of an unequivocal party of principles from the political scene. The party of Kennedy is also the party of Eastland, Mr. Lewis said. The party of Javits is also the party of Goldwater. He was describing the disparate ideological blends that characterized both parties at that time. Democrats spanned the distance from the liberal young President John F. Kennedy, then gingerly trying to advance civil rights, to the conservative Senator James O. Eastland of Mississippi, a segregationist aiming to thwart him. Republicans stretched from Senator Jacob K. Javits of New York, a Kennedy ally on the issue, to Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, who opposed the landmark Civil Rights Act that passed the next year. Weiner has become a source of heightened anxiety for Ms. Abedin and the Clinton campaign. She and her husband have pleaded with filmmakers to see the movie but have not been allowed to do so, according to people with direct knowledge of the conversations who could discuss the subject only without attribution, as the project has been kept under tight control. A spokesman for the filmmakers denied this and said they would have shown the couple the film had they asked. Ms. Abedin and a spokesman for the Clinton campaign declined to comment. With less than two weeks until the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1, the Clinton campaign has already had to deal with the impact of another film release, 13 Hours, the Michael Bay-directed movie about the 2012 attack on an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Mr. Trump rented out a theater in Des Moines to offer free screenings of the movie. Weiner, a 90-minute independently produced film, was directed by Josh Kriegman, who was chief of staff for Mr. Weiners district office from 2005 to 2006, and Elyse Steinberg, known for the PBS documentary The Trial of Saddam Hussein. Weiner relies heavily on humor, incorporating extensive footage of late-night comedians mocking him, and has a 1970s glam-rock, funk and reggae soundtrack. The directors of Weiner declined to be interviewed for this article, but a producer of the film, Julie Goldman, said that Ms. Abedins role as filming began was not clear at all. She added, Things, of course, changed quite drastically. Why did Mr. Weiner and Ms. Abedin continue to allow access after the scandal broke? We dont know, Ms. Goldman said. I think they were very comfortable with Josh. It was also unfolding so rapidly. Mrs. Clinton is referred to in overt and subtle ways throughout Weiner. One sequence focuses on a claim in New York magazine that Ms. Abedin was being pressured to choose between remaining a Clinton insider and supporting her husband. Ms. Abedin turns to Mrs. Clintons longtime spokesman, Philippe I. Reines, for guidance, preferring his counsel to Mr. Weiners terse advice toward the end of his campaign that she act like a normal campaign candidates wife and say, I think Anthony is doing an amazing job. Ms. Abedin is also shown heeding the suggestion of Mr. Reines to not appear in public with Mr. Weiner as he casts his ballot. Mr. Weiner finished with less than 5 percent of the vote. FREETOWN, Sierra Leone On a busy roundabout in the heart of this nations capital stands an ancient cotton tree, marking the spot where Freetown was founded by freed slaves from North America more than 200 years ago. Walk for a few minutes toward the southeast, past the vendors who line the derelict remains of Victoria Park and through the bustling streets of the city center, and you will find at the corner of two rutted dirt roads a house that looks more suited to the American South than to a steamy West African capital. The Young House, as it has been known for as long as anyone can remember, is a two-story dwelling constructed primarily from wooden boards and painted a bright lemon yellow, clashing starkly with the squat concrete buildings around it. It is what is known here as a board house (or bod ose in the local Krio language), one of an ever decreasing number still standing in the capital and the surrounding villages. Its style is as old as the city itself, brought over from the Americas by the settlers who arrived in several waves from 1792 onward. But amid rapid urbanization, rampant poverty and a cultural preference for concrete, this architectural legacy of the citys founding is fast disappearing. A family of Canadian volunteers dedicated to alleviating poverty in Africa. A group of intrepid German retirees on a tour of Turkey and the Middle East. An Iraqi who had gone to Baghdad seeking refuge from the jihadist violence of his hometown. A Canadian audiologist who had fallen in love with Indonesia. They were among the scores of people slaughtered by Islamic extremists in four countries last week in spasms of bloodshed that left loved ones stunned at the randomness of the killings. It will never be understood: Why you? No one can give an answer, observed Andre Franke, a relative of one victim, Karin Franke-Dutz, 70, a retired teacher who was among the Germans killed by a suicide bomber in Istanbul. Mr. Franke summed up a universal anguish in a Facebook post, saying, Incomprehensible that we lost such a cordial, wonderful person in such a terrible way. FAMILY RULE The recent media fit about the famed Muhoozi Project is one that has generated public curiosity at home and abroad. Many... Genmab Announces U.S. FDA Approval of Arzerra(r) (ofatumumab) as Extended Treatment for Recurrent or Progressive CLL Company Announcement Arzerra now approved by U.S. FDA for use for extended treatment of patients with recurrent or progressive CLL Approval based on data from interim analysis of Phase III PROLONG study Arzerra previously approved to treat previously untreated and refractory CLL indications in the US COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Jan. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genmab A/S (Copenhagen:GEN) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the use of Arzerra(r) (ofatumumab) for extended treatment of patients who are in complete or partial response after at least two lines of therapy for recurrent or progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The application was submitted by Novartis under the ofatumumab collaboration between the two companies. This FDA approval is based on data from an interim analysis from a Phase III study, PROLONG (OMB112517) which evaluated ofatumumab maintenance therapy versus no further treatment in patients with a complete or partial response after second or third line treatment for CLL. "The approval of Arzerra in the U.S. as extended treatment provides patients with relapsed CLL with a new treatment option that can help delay disease progression," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. A total of 474 patients were included in the analysis. Patients who received ofatumumab maintenance treatment lived 14.2 months longer without their disease worsening than patients who received no further treatment. Median progression free survival (PFS) as assessed by the investigators was 29.4 months for the ofatumumab treatment arm and 15.2 months for the observation arm (Hazard Ratio 0.50; p<0.0001).1 There were no unexpected safety findings.The most common adverse reactions (>=10%) were infusion reactions, neutropenia, and upper respiratory tract infection. The two most common grade 3-4 adverse events were neutropenia (22% in ofatumumab arm vs 8% in observation arm), and pneumonia (5% in ofatumumab arm vs 3% in observation arm). During the period between the first dose and 60 days after last dose there were two patients (1%) in the ofatumumab group who died due to adverse events and five patients (2%) in the observation group.1 About CLL CLL, the most commonly diagnosed adult leukemia in Western countries, accounts for approximately 1 in 4 cases of leukemia.2,3 Most CLL patients experience disease progression despite initial response to therapy and may require additional treatment.4 About PROLONG This Phase III study was designed to randomize up to 532 patients with relapsed CLL who have responded to treatment at relapse, to either ofatumumab maintenance treatment or no further treatment (observation). Patients in the ofatumumab arm received an initial dose of 300 mg of ofatumumab, followed one week later by a second dose of 1,000 mg, then doses of 1,000 mg every 8 weeks for up to two years, while patients in the observation treatment arm received no further treatment. The primary endpoint of the study was PFS. Secondary objectives will evaluate clinical benefit, overall survival, safety, tolerability, the health-related quality of life of subjects treated with ofatumumab versus no further treatment, and pharmacokinetics among relapsed CLL patients receiving maintenance therapy with ofatumumab. Important Safety Information The following Important Safety Information is based on the Highlights section of the Prescribing Information for Arzerra. Please consult the full prescribing information for all the labeled safety information for Arzerra. WARNING: HEPATITIS B VIRUS REACTIVATION AND PROGRESSIVE MULTIFOCAL LEUKOENCEPHALOPATHY 1 - Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) reactivation can occur in patients receiving CD20-directed cytolytic antibodies, including Arzerra(r), in some cases resulting in fulminant hepatitis, hepatic failure, and death. - Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) resulting in death can occur in patients receiving CD20-directed cytolytic antibodies, including Arzerra. Infusion Reactions 1 Arzerra can cause serious, including fatal, infusion reactions manifesting as bronchospasm, dyspnea, laryngeal edema, pulmonary edema, flushing, hypertension, hypotension, syncope, cardiac events (e.g., myocardial ischemia/infarction, acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmia, bradycardia), back pain, abdominal pain, pyrexia, rash, urticaria, angioedema, cytokine release syndrome, and anaphylactoid/anaphylactic reactions. Infusion reactions occur more frequently with the first two infusions. These reactions may result in temporary interruption or withdrawal of treatment. Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation 1 Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation, in some cases resulting in fulminant hepatitis, hepatic failure and death, has occurred in patients treated with Arzerra. Cases have been reported in patients who are hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive and also in patients who are HBsAg negative but are hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) positive. Reactivation also has occurred in patients who appear to have resolved hepatitis B infection (i.e., HBsAg negative, anti-HBc positive, and hepatitis B surface antibody [anti-HBs] positive). HBV reactivation is defined as an abrupt increase in HBV replication manifesting as a rapid increase in serum HBV DNA level or detection of HBsAg in a person who was previously HBsAg negative and anti-HBc positive. Reactivation of HBV replication is often followed by hepatitis, i.e., increase in transaminase levels and, in severe cases, increase in bilirubin levels, liver failure, and death. Hepatitis B Virus Infection 1 Fatal infection due to hepatitis B in patients who have not been previously infected has been observed with Arzerra. Monitor patients for clinical and laboratory signs of hepatitis. Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy 1 Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) resulting in death has occurred with Arzerra. If PML is suspected, Arzerra should be discontinued and initiate evaluation for PML, including neurology consultation. Tumor Lysis Syndrome 1 Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), including the need for hospitalization, has occurred in patients treated with Arzerra. Patients with high tumor burden and/or high circulating lymphocyte counts (>25 x 109/L) are at greater risk for developing TLS. Consider tumor lysis prophylaxis with anti-hyperuricemics and hydration beginning 12 to 24 hours prior to infusion of Arzerra. For treatment of TLS, administer aggressive intravenous hydration and anti-hyperuricemic agents, correct electrolyte abnormalities, and monitor renal function. Cytopenias 1 Severe cytopenias, including neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia, can occur with Arzerra. Pancytopenia, agranulocytosis, and fatal neutropenic sepsis have occurred in patients who received Arzerra in combination with chlorambucil. Grade 3 or 4 late-onset neutropenia (onset at least 42 days after last treatment dose) and/or prolonged neutropenia (not resolved between 24 and 42 days after last treatment dose) were reported in patients who received Arzerra. Monitor complete blood counts at regular intervals during and after conclusion of therapy, and increase the frequency of monitoring in patients who develop Grade 3 or 4 cytopenias. Immunizations 1 The safety of immunization with live viral vaccines during or following administration of Arzerra has not been studied. The ability to generate an immune response to any vaccine following administration of Arzerra has not been studied. Most Common Serious Adverse Reactions 1 The following most common serious adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail above and in sections of the labeling: infusion reactions, hepatitis B virus reactivation, hepatitis B virus infection, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, tumor lysis syndrome, cytopenias. Most Common Adverse Reactions 1 The most common adverse reactions (>=10%) seen in previously untreated CLL patients were infusion reactions and neutropenia. The most common adverse reactions (>=10%) seen in refractory CLL patients were neutropenia, pneumonia, pyrexia, cough, diarrhea, anemia, fatigue, dyspnea, rash, nausea, bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections. About Ofatumumab ( Arzerra(r)) Ofatumumab is a human monoclonal antibody that is designed to target the CD20 molecule found on the surface of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells and normal B lymphocytes. In the United States, Arzerra is approved for use in combination with chlorambucil for the treatment of previously untreated patients with CLL for whom fludarabine-based therapy is considered inappropriate and for extended treatment of patients who are in complete or partial response after at least two lines of therapy for recurrent or progressive CLL. In the European Union, Arzerra is approved for use in combination with chlorambucil or bendamustine for the treatment of patients with CLL who have not received prior therapy and who are not eligible for fludarabine-based therapy. In more than 50 countries worldwide, Arzerra is also indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with CLL who are refractory after prior treatment with fludarabine and alemtuzumab. Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNING for Arzerra (ofatumumab). Arzerra is marketed under a collaboration agreement between Genmab and Novartis. About Genmab Genmab is a publicly traded, international biotechnology company specializing in the creation and development of differentiated antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Founded in 1999, the company has two approved antibodies, Arzerra(r) (ofatumumab) for the treatment of certain chronic lymphocytic leukemia indications and DARZALEX(tm) (daratumumab) for the treatment of heavily pretreated or double refractory multiple myeloma. Daratumumab is in clinical development for additional multiple myeloma indications and for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Genmab also has a broad clinical and pre-clinical product pipeline. Genmab's technology base consists of validated and proprietary next generation antibody technologies - the DuoBody(r) platform for generation of bispecific antibodies, and the HexaBody(r) platform which creates effector function enhanced antibodies. The company intends to leverage these technologies to create opportunities for full or co-ownership of future products. Genmab has alliances with top tier pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. For more information visit www.genmab.com. Contact: Rachel Curtis Gravesen, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications T: +45 33 44 77 20; M: +45 25 12 62 60; E: r.gravesen@genmab.com This Company Announcement contains forward looking statements. The words "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend" and "plan" and similar expressions identify forward looking statements. Actual results or performance may differ materially from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such statements. The important factors that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially include, among others, risks associated with pre-clinical and clinical development of products, uncertainties related to the outcome and conduct of clinical trials including unforeseen safety issues, uncertainties related to product manufacturing, the lack of market acceptance of our products, our inability to manage growth, the competitive environment in relation to our business area and markets, our inability to attract and retain suitably qualified personnel, the unenforceability or lack of protection of our patents and proprietary rights, our relationships with affiliated entities, changes and developments in technology which may render our products obsolete, and other factors. For a further discussion of these risks, please refer to the risk management sections in Genmab's most recent financial reports, which are available on www.genmab.com . Genmab does not undertake any obligation to update or revise forward looking statements in this Company Announcement nor to confirm such statements in relation to actual results, unless required by law. Genmab A/S and its subsidiaries own the following trademarks: Genmab(r); the Y-shaped Genmab logo(r); Genmab in combination with the Y-shaped Genmab logo(tm); the DuoBody logo(r); the HexaBody logo(tm); HuMax(r); HuMax-CD20(r); DuoBody(r); HexaBody(r) and UniBody(r). Arzerra(r) is a trademark of Novartis AG or its affiliates. DARZALEX(tm) is a trademark of Janssen Biotech, Inc. References 1 ARZERRA Prescribing Information. January 2016. 2 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Website. http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/leukemia/chroniclymphocyticleukemia/. Accessed April 8, 2014. 3 What are the key statistics for chronic lymphocytic leukemia? American Cancer Society Website. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/leukemia-chroniclymphocyticcll/detailedguide/leukemia-chronic-lymphocytic-key-statistics. Published February 26, 2015. Accessed April 8, 2015. 4 Veliz M, Pinilla-Ibarz J. Treatment of relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cancer Control. 2012; 1:37-53. Company Announcement no. 01 CVR no. 2102 3884 Genmab A/S Bredgade 34E 1260 Copenhagen K Denmark Golden Phoenix Acquires New Project in Nevada and Reports Gold Grades Up to 1.1 oz/ton From Rock Samples DENVER, Jan. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Phoenix Minerals, Inc. (OTCBB:GPXM) (Golden Phoenix or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has renewed its exploration efforts in the Mineral Ridge District near Tonopah, Nevada. The Companys technical team has conducted geological mapping and sampling in and around its extensive land position, much of which is on trend with the nearby Mineral Ridge Mine (70% Scorpio Gold and 30% Waterton Global Value L. P.). Recent initial results include rock samples containing up to 1.1 oz/ton of gold (36.9 grams per tonne). Based in part on this new information, Golden Phoenix has acquired several hundred acres of new mineral claims in the Silver Peak Range. This project is at an early stage; additional exploration will be required to further these results. The Companys geologists staked a total of 21 new mineral claims on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land in the Silver Peak Range covering approximately 420 acres (170 hectares). These new claims include the historic North Star Mine and surrounding areas that adjoin the Coyote Fault and Silver Peak claim groups, which have been optioned from Mhakari Gold Corp. This new acquisition brings the Companys total land position in the district to more than 4,000 acres (1,620 hectares). Golden Phoenixs technical team includes senior geoscientists with more than 60 years of combined relevant experience in mineral exploration and development. In fact, a lead consultant for the Company is a senior geologist with considerable experience in Esmerelda County gold systems, including the mineralization found at the Mineral Ridge Mine. The team recognized a trend of alteration, favorable structure, and appropriate host rocks trending northwest from the nearby mine across the Companys claims. As the Companys understanding of the geological model improved, this targeted rock sampling confirmed the presence of potentially significant gold mineralization on pre-existing claims and the newly acquired property. Geologists collected a total of 37 samples from outcrops, prospect pits, and historic mines and rock dumps. The recent program identified gold and multi-element geochemical anomalies spanning more than 2.8 miles (4.6 kilometres) of the trend. The Company believes that the gold content, geochemistry, scale, and structural geology of these targets suggest the presence of a potentially significant mineral system that appears to be separate from the mineralization at the Mineral Ridge Mine. The following table summarizes the highest-grade gold samples collected in this program to date. Sample ID Au (g/tonne)* Au (oz/ton) Comments GS-03 36.90 1.08 Rock dump at North Star Mine GS-01 33.60 0.98 Outcrop sample at North Star Mine GS-07 32.00 0.93 Outcrop sample, no evidence of drilling or mining GS-05 16.35 0.48 Rock dump at North Star Mine GS-02 6.53 0.19 Rock dump at North Star Mine GS-04 6.44 0.19 Rock dump at North Star Mine GS-10 6.03 0.18 Outcrop sample at North Star Mine H-08 4.33 0.13 Rock dump from prospect pit * - Gold determinations by 30-gram fire assay/atomic absorption spectrometry and 1 assay ton fire assay with a gravimetric finish for samples containing more than 10 g/tonne gold Don Gun, President and CEO of Golden Phoenix Minerals, commented on the new acquisition and gold results, The new North Star Property is a strong addition to Golden Phoenixs large land position at Mineral Ridge. We believe this preliminary work to be a good indication that a strong gold system may exist well to the northwest of the Mineral Ridge Mine. Our technical team has built a geological model to explain these targets; and this sampling demonstrates a scale and intensity that is encouraging. We look forward to advancing these targets in 2016. Comments about Quality Assurance and Quality Control: The work reported herein was conducted under the supervision of Patrick Highsmith, a director of the Company and a Certified Professional Geologist (AIPG CPG# 11702) with more than 25 years relevant experience in the mining and exploration industry. Professional geologists collected all of these samples and delivered them to ALS Minerals Lab in Reno, Nevada for sample preparation and analysis. The Company employed industry standard methods of quality assurance and quality control, including the insertion of blind analytical control samples and repeat analyses. ALS Minerals is a leading provider of assay and geochemical services to the global mining industry. Relevant ALS facilities in Nevada and Vancouver, BC, Canada are registered to ISO 9001:2008 quality standards and have received ISO 17025 accreditation for the provision of fire assay gold determinations. About the Company: Golden Phoenix Minerals, Inc. is a U.S. based mining company focused on growth through exploration, joint venture, and royalty opportunities in precious metals, primarily in the world-class mining jurisdiction of Nevada. The Companys current mineral properties consist of the North Star Project and large blocks of claims optioned throughout the Silver Peak Range of western Nevada, including the Coyote Fault, Silver Peak, Vanderbilt, and North Springs areas. More information on the Company can be found at www.goldenphoenix.us. On behalf of the Board of Directors Donald B. Gunn, President and CEO Forward-Looking Statements: Information contained herein regarding pending legal matters or strategy, optimism related to the business, exploration results, mineral development potential, development activities and other such statements are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to the safe harbors created thereby. While the Company believes such statements are reasonable, they are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business and are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results could vary materially from the description limited herein due to many factors including: the results from our exploration programs, uncertainty regarding the availability of additional capital, fluctuations in commodity prices, domestic and international business and economic conditions, volatility of capital markets, and other risk factors listed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings under risk factors and elsewhere. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. For More Information, Contact: Golden Phoenix Investor Relations Telephone (801) 418-9378 Email: investors@goldenphoenix.us Deadline in Lawsuit for Investors in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Shares Announced by Shareholders Foundation SAN DIEGO, Jan. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. announces that a lawsuit was filed in New York on behalf of certain purchasers of shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) over alleged Securities Laws Violations by Chipotle Mexican Grill. Investors who purchased shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) have certain options and for certain investors are short and strict deadlines running. Deadline: March 8, 2016. NYSE:CMG investors should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call +1(858) 779-1554. The plaintiff claims that defendants made certain allegedly false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that Chipotle Mexican Grills quality controls were not in compliance with applicable consumer and workplace safety regulations, that Chipotle Mexican Grills quality controls were inadequate to safeguard consumer and employee health, and as a result of the foregoing, Chipotle Mexican Grills public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. Between August 19 and September 3, 2015, more than 60 people fell ill after dining at Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. restaurants in Minnesota. On September 17, 2015, the Minnesota Department of Health announced that the illnesses were salmonella linked to tomatoes consumed at 22 Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. locations. On or around November 1, 2015, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. closed all of its restaurants in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington, following reports of approximately 20 cases of E. coli by Chipotle patrons. On December 7, 2015, post-market, Boston College announced that several of its students had complained of gastrointestinal symptoms after eating at a Chipotle restaurant in Brighton, Massachusetts. On December 9, 2015, health officials confirmed that the students had contracted norovirus. On January 6, 2016, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. announced that it was served in December 2015 with a federal grand jury subpoena as part of a criminal investigation tied to a norovirus outbreak the previous summer at one of its restaurants in California. The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Those who purchased Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) shares have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. by e-mail at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call +1 (858) 779-1554. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is a professional portfolio legal monitoring and a settlement claim filing service, which does research related to shareholder issues and informs investors of securities class actions, settlements, judgments, and other legal related news to the stock/financial market. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is not a law firm. The information is provided as a public service. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon. CONTACT: Shareholders Foundation, Inc. Michael Daniels +1 (858) 779-1554 mail@shareholdersfoundation.com 3111 Camino Del Rio North Suite 423 San Diego, CA 92108 Collaboration With Ministry of Transportation Makes Entrance Into Market Valued at $7.5 Billion per Year Malaysia Pro-Guardians Security Management Corp. (OTCQB: MPGS), a highly skilled and professionally-trained security protection team has announced today that it has reached a collaborative agreement with the Ministry of Transportation (Malaysia), a government branch responsible for maintaining domestic infrastructure, regulating transport system technology, and providing active enforcement in transport industry affairs. In a coordinated effort with Dato' Sri, MPGS has managed to become the only company to collaborate with the Ministry of Transportation in Malaysia. The joint partnership now enters Malaysia's market valued at $7.5 billion MYR per year in vehicular products and security services. With over 7.5 million vehicles, 1.5 million of which are commercial and 6.5 million, residential, SkyEye:DMS expects a $7.5 billion MYR market value per year, charging each commercial vehicle a $1500 MYR monthly subscription fee. The self-renewing fee includes technological maintenance and installation of SkyEye:DMS's proprietary surveillance equipment. In a coordinated effort with Dato' Sri, MPGS has managed to become the only company to collaborate with the Ministry of Transportation in Malaysia. The combined resources and experience of both companies with infrastructure construction, security convoy technology, and government administration will optimize client accessibility and public relations. Implementation of cutting-edge technology in government-regulated vehicles with an external awareness of security protocol will communicate a consumer-oriented market strategy, promoting Malaysia's international placement in commodity transportation. Hua Fung Chin, Chief Executive Officer, remarked, "Dato' Sri's perseverance in advancing this collaboration serves to differentiate the company as a national benchmark for transport security technology. Due to Malaysia's "compulsory rule", the Ministry of Transportation is required to install black box devices in most sanctioned vehicles. Per this timely regulation, the Malaysian government conveniently maintains its public initiative for fostering a safer community while contributing to our company's marketing prospects and ensuring future legal endorsement. About Malaysia Pro-Guardians Security Management Corp.: Malaysia Pro-Guardians Security Management Corp. is a highly professional protection team that upholds and maintains safety of their client interest to support our main core business in protecting our clients from any potential harm. It is the only private sector security company that is allowed to carry firearms in all of Malaysia. All of our security personnel are well trained to be professional, reliable, and highly trained to meet the highest standards in any critical situations encountered which include first aid, protocol utility, and diplomacy in a wide variety of tactical, protective, and security related subjects. Our company recognizes that each client has specific needs and objectives, which are each assessed and addressed individually; solutions are planned and tailored to the most rigorous demands. Additional information about this company is available at: www.proguardsecuritymanagement.com Forward-Looking Statements: This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of the Company. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors other than as required under the securities laws. The Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements. Copyright 2022 HT Digital Streams Ltd All Right Reserved "When we started our business, Extension connected us with resources to get the answers we needed. Thats whats so amazing about Extension: they find a way to help you get to the next step." - Scott Hicks Cutting Edge Meat Company In Green County Lester Oxendine pleaded not guilty in Butte District Court on Tuesday to three felony charges criminal distribution of dangerous drugs, criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute and assault with a weapon. An affidavit filed by the county attorney's office in District Court alleges Oxendine sold more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine approximately $640,000 worth in Butte in a five-month period. Police seized about four pounds of meth in the Dec. 10 raid of a home on Sutter Street when Oxendine was arrested. At the appearance before Judge Brad Newman, Oxendine was represented by court-appointed attorney J.B. Anderson. Oxendine appeared with his arm in a cast, a self-inflicted injury from punching a wall in the county jail, said Butte-Silver Bow Undersheriff George Skuletich. As a result, Oxendine had been placed in isolation. BUTTE -- A 32-year-old man arrested last month in a drug bust distributed more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine over a five-month period in the Mining City, county prosecutors said. The drugs had an estimated street value of at least $640,000, said Sheriff Ed Lester. In an interview with law enforcement after his arrest, Lester Oxendine admitted he was dealing drugs in Butte, according to an affidavit filed in district court Jan. 7. He admitted that he was selling some major weight in the community, the affidavit states. He indicated that no one would mess with him because he would shoot at them. County Attorney Eileen Joyce alleges Oxendine, who moved to Silver Bow County from South Dakota last summer, distributed the meth from July 5 to Dec. 10, 2015, at various locations in the city. Oxendine was also charged with criminal possession of meth with intent to distribute after the police seized about four pounds in a drug-raid operation Dec. 10 in Uptown and at his home in Centerville. Seven firearms were also seized as well as three grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. A third felony charge, assault with a weapon, stems from Oxendine allegedly firing a gun at an unidentified partner two days before his arrest, missing her head by inches. Oxendine was to be arraigned Thursday before Judge Brad Newman, but his attorney requested a continuance to next week. Chief Deputy County Attorney Samm Cox said Wednesday that the investigation took time. In the affidavit, he wrote Oxendine was responsible for selling major quantities of methamphetamine to people in the area. Lester had said Decembers drug raid was triggered by information received by a police department investigator. The affidavit states the detective learned that Oxendine and his associates had traveled to Las Vegas and purchased a large amount of meth. An investigation of Oxendines alleged illegal activities began in August 2015 and was assisted by Southwest Montana Drug Task Force agents. Oxendine indicated to investigators during the interview that he moved to Montana to sell drugs his sole source of income. He traveled to Las Vegas at least one a month since July 2015 and would return with five to 10 pounds of meth, which he would then turn and sell to drug users, the affidavit states. Oxendine admitted that the meth found at his residence at 937 Sutter St. in December was received on Dec. 1 or Dec. 2 from a source in Nevada. He was fronted a total of five pounds of meth to sell, according to the affidavit. During the interview, Oxendine stated that he would take the proceeds from the drug sales and deposit the money in various accounts at Wells Fargo Bank. Oxendine also told investigators he shot at an individual in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County. Police Chief Tim Barkell on Wednesday declined to comment on Oxendines admission. Oxendine is being held at the Butte-Silver Bow Detention Center on $225,000 bond. Since kicking off after the regular hunting season ended in November, the newly enacted elk shoulder season hunt taking place largely in the White Sulphur Springs area has resulted in the harvest of more than 350 cow elk. That figure was provided by Fish, Wildlife and Parks Quentin Kujala, wildlife management section chief, during a meeting of the Environmental Quality Council on Wednesday in Helena. The EQC is an interim legislative committee with oversight of FWP. "Landowners have rated it a success," Kujala said. "All landowners in the district are participating in some way." It's also working to keep elk off of haystacks, precluding the need for damage hunts another method of reducing elk populations. So its possible, said FWP director Jeff Hagener, that shoulder seasons could reduce the need for damage hunts in the future. The harvest figure was the first time any number had been attached to the first-time program. The goal of the shoulder seasons is to remove at least half of the annual calf crop in hunting districts where elk are over objective. The other half is expected to be removed during the general hunting season. In four years the shoulder seasons would sunset and be reviewed for their level of success. Kujala called the early cow elk harvest estimate for the White Sulphur Springs area encouraging but said there is still more work to be done and the pilot project could lead to modifications when the program is expanded. That could be a reconsideration of allowing hunting seven days a week and whether some other public lands should be included. Currently, forest lands are excluded. The Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider at its February meeting whether to expand the shoulder season hunts to 44 more districts next year. Eighty hunting districts are considered over objective. Taking the leap to 44 districts was called too big by Nick Gevock, who represents the Montana Wildlife Federation. He said his group would rather see FWP move slower in ramping up the program. "It's fair to say there is tremendous interest in this shoulder season," Gevock said. A 90-unit, four-building apartment complex is proposed for the northern edge of the Montana Tech campus. But first, Digger-Digs, LLC a company owned by Terry Holzwarth of Billings must secure a zoning variance from the county. The proposed complex would feature three four-story buildings and one three-story building. It would span three-and-a-half acres along Granite Street between May and Ophir streets and would offer students two- and three-bedroom apartments, in addition to off-street parking. To move forward, Digger-Digs is asking the zoning board for variances involving an exemption on residential zoning, and sidewalk placement and yard depth. The 1400 block of Granite Street has an R1 zoning designation, which means its normally zoned for exclusively single-family homes. Instead, Digger-Digs wants to build the multi-family dwellings. The county's planning department is recommending that the zoning board approve the variance request. A public hearing on Digger-Digs variance request starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, in Room 312 of the Butte-Silver Bow County courthouse, 155 W. Granite St. Josh Vincent, Digger-Digs agent and principal engineer at Water & Environmental Technologies, Inc., in Butte, said the new complex would not have a negative impact on parking or disturb neighbors views. (A negative impact) is something that weve worked hard to try to minimize, Vincent told The Montana Standard on Monday. Vincent said the apartment complexs off-street parking will allow more students to walk to campus, cutting down on commuters. He also noted that the buildings rise will be lower than those of residences to the north, so the apartment complex wont obstruct anyones view. In an analysis performed by Buttes zoning board staff, Planning Director Jon Sesso also determined that the complex would not contribute to excess noise and traffic. One potentially controversial aspect of the project involves its impact on the historic character of the neighborhood. According to Sesso and Vincent, Digger-Digs has worked closely with the county Historic Preservation Commission to design the buildings to match the neighborhoods historic appeal. But in order to build the complex, Digger-Digs will demolish four exiting houses, two of which are eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, but are not currently registered. During a Jan. 5 Historic Preservation Commission meeting, Digger-Digs was granted permission to demolish the properties at 1405 W. Granite St. and 1419 W. Granite St. Digger-Digs proposal comes at a time when the Montana Tech hopes to increase enrollment. According to Sesso and previous news stories, Tech plans to grow from the approximately 3,000 current student enrollment to 4,000 students in the next five years. One of the biggest challenges of growing the enrollment is student housing, said Sesso, who added that Montana Tech also plans to build a new dorm in the next couple of years. There is not enough on-campus or near camps-housing, said Vincent. As I understand it, (its) a limitation to its growth." Democratic Sen. Jon Tester expressed shock when he learned at a breakfast meeting Monday that the Butte hill consent-decree negotiations which will determine Superfund cleanup and its costs are held in secret between Atlantic Richfield Company and federal, state and county officials. Tester met with about 15 members of the Restore Our Creek Coalition a group coalescing around the Parrot cleanup between the Civic Center and the Visitor's Center to discuss a number of Superfund issues in Butte. The breakfast meeting at Gamer's Cafe in Uptown preceded a public forum to be held Tuesday evening. The forum, co-sponsored by The Montana Standard and Restore Our Creek, will bring representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the state, and the county to discuss cleanup concerns in the Parrot corridor and on the Butte hill. Tester will not be able to attend the forum. Restore Our Creek members raised numerous concerns at the breakfast, including the fact that ARCO, EPA, state and county officials meet in private to negotiate Buttes consent decree. Once it is signed, the consent decree will be legally binding and will determine the cleanup in Butte as well as how much ARCO will pay to keep heavy metal contamination from impacting the town and upper Silver Bow Creek. Ultimately, the consent decree will determine how healthy Butte and Silver Bow Creeks future will be. Tester was visibly surprised to learn this is not a public process. "Is that legal?" Tester asked. The consent decree negotiations are held behind closed doors by a federal judge's court order, which was signed in 2003. Tester took notes during the discussion and asked many questions, trying to grasp the various ailments Butte suffers due to more than 100 years of hard rock mining and smelting. Some of the issues raised at the breakfast include the future of the Parrot corridor, run-off after storms, groundwater contamination, the Berkeley Pits treatment and discharge and Silver Bow Creeks inability to meet water quality standards year-round. Longtime Superfund watchdog Fritz Daily said the record of decision, a 700-page document that lays out Buttes heavy metal problems, should be reopened. Tester told the Standard after the breakfast that he will meet with EPA director Gina McCarthy to talk about the urgency of the cleanup issues in Butte. "EPA needs to step up and ARCO needs to be held accountable," Tester said. Northey Tretheway, president of Restore Our Creek, expressed concern that Butte has had to contend with a piecemeal cleanup approach. Superfund in Butte has meant "a fix here, a fix there." "A comprehensive cleanup has not been considered," Tretheway said. "We need something done right." Daily talked at length about the Parrot corridor and his vision of a free-flowing creek to run from the Civic Center to the Visitor's Center. Hydrogeologist Joe Griffin suggested creating linked, man-made ponds to create a wetland area between the Civic Center and the Visitors Center. Such ponds could capture run-off from storms and capture the heavy metal contamination before the water reaches Silver Bow Creek. Roy Morris, president of the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited, said it doesn't make sense that EPA took down Missoula's Milltown Dam, which came down in 2008 on the Clark Fork River just east of Missoula, before cleaning up Butte. Whatever happens here happens in Missoula, Morris said. Tester stressed how important the publics involvement became in Milltown Dams removal. Over 10,000 Missoulians wrote letters to EPA demanding Milltown Dam be torn down due to the toxic sediment that was lodged behind the dam. Many at the breakfast agreed that public support is crucial to ensuring a good cleanup on the Butte hill. The public can have an effect on government, Tester said. And (it can affect) the private sector. Butte High School was evacuated at 9:56 a.m. Tuesday after a school secretary received a computer-generated bomb threat via telephone. It immediately followed a bomb threat called into the Butte-Silver Bow County courthouse at 9:55 a.m., according to police. Authorities say the two incidents are related. Principal John Metz confirmed the bomb threat voice was computer-generated. Faculty, staff and students returned to the building by 10:43 a.m., when the school was deemed safe. Metz pulled the fire alarm to alert the entire school to evacuate. We followed our protocol to evacuate the school, Metz said. According to the police, its the exact same one the courthouse got. We follow our protocol, regardless of the situation. Safety is number one for our kids. School Resource Officer Kyle Barsness and BHS administrators Wes Peters, Chuck Merrifield, Brenda Floreen and Metz searched the grounds as teachers followed their own roster-check procedure with their classes in the parking lots and other designated areas. Once the school is evacuated, we the administrators go back to make sure everyone has left, said Metz. We check the bathrooms, tunnels, every little nook and cranny and that takes some time. Then after we do it, the police department and fire department comes in and checks also. By 10:50 a.m., administrators sent out text alerts to notify parents that their children were safe and back in the building. Butte High, a Class AA school with an enrollment of 1,200, extends several city blocks, from Utah Street on the east to Main Street to the west. It took us about an hour to make sure everything was OK, said Metz. Its a big school, and you cant ever be too safe. Superintendent Judy Jonart, who immediately went to campus when the call came in, said administrators and staff followed protocol properly. Everything was very orderly, and the kids were well-behaved, she added. Chemistry teachers Maureen Driscoll and Colleen Fogerty, class rosters in hand, were among faculty overseeing their classes in the south parking lot. Fogertys seniors were reviewing for their chemistry final when the fire alarm sounded, as semester finals starts Wednesday and runs through Friday. Youve got to treat every threat as if its legitimate, said Driscoll, shivering in the 18-degree temperature. Unless students already wore a Hoodie or other jacket, many were left out in the cold without a coat for the long wait. West Elementary fifth-graders, wearing hair nets, white aprons and winter coats, were among the evacuees. They were visiting Butte High family nutrition teacher Judy Bryants cooking class, where they were in the middle of making carrot muffins for the Farm-to-Cafeteria Harvest of the Month program. We took a second to grab our coats, said Bryant, minutes before leading her young charges back into the building after getting the all-clear signal. Its the first time in Metzs 11 years as an administrator that Butte High received a bomb threat. Its so disruptive, Metz said. Some of our poor kids were standing out there in the cold. But when we get something like that, we always follow through. What do Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have in common? That's a question that will cause supporters for each of them to go berserk and be furious at anybody who would dare suggest any sort of equivalence. But like it or not, there are parallels; the most obvious one is that they've scared the daylights out of their entrenched parties' regulars, who are suddenly realizing that one or even both of them could take the nomination. Actually, we need to add fearless Ted Cruz to the Republican establishment fear list. Until now, Trump, Cruz and Sanders had been looked upon by the power players on both sides as supernovas, who would eventually explode and disappear as their star power collided with reality. It hasn't happened, and now the old guardians of the Democratic and Republican go-along-get-along systems are starting to panic, worried that these upstarts will run roughshod over the plodding candidates who were either the anointed ones (in Hillary Clinton's case) or the acceptable one. They are deathly afraid that any of these three outsiders may take them down on Election Day. And get ready, supporters of these disruptors, to get really bent out of shape. There's even more equivalence: Those who oppose Trump, Cruz and Sanders have a pretty basic complaint, which is that each is possibly not electable. In the case of Trump and Cruz, that's because Democrats would hammer at their demagoguery, aimed at the worst instincts of those who are feeling economically fearful, encouraging their bigoted xenophobia. Sanders, on the other hand, is vulnerable not only because he's an avowed socialist, which scares the daylights out of many Americans, but also because he exploits the same justified anger at a raw deal most citizens have suffered at the hands of the oligarchs. The complaint about Sanders is that he makes promises he can't keep. Even if he could break up the big banks as president, which he could not, there are questions as to whether that would seriously destabilize the world economic order. Besides, the lobbyists would eat him alive. Even if he tried to deliver on his pledges to try to establish a single payer health system, there's no way Congress would pass the necessary tax increases. The same goes for free college tuition. Imagine the field day lobbyists would have undermining each initiative. Hillary Clinton, who is frantically trying to gain traction, derides Sanders' solutions as a "magic wand." Now she's desperately displaying still another Hillary. We started with the above-it-all prohibitive favorite, but the aloofness turned people off. So then we were told to watch as she showed her warm and fuzzy side, complete with her sense of humor. She knocked them dead on "Saturday Night Live" and the nighttime talk shows. But it hasn't worked. So in the latest debate, we got Aggressive Hillary. She went after Sanders over his shaky gun record, and the two tried to take sound bites out of each other over Wall Street, health care, all that stuff. The Bern showed he has a little of The Donald in him, bragging about his poll numbers: "As Secretary Clinton well knows, when this campaign started, she was 50 points ahead of me. We were all of 3 percentage points. Guess what, in Iowa, New Hampshire, the race is very, very close. Maybe we're ahead in New Hampshire." But he wasn't finished: "In terms of polling, guess what, we are running ahead of Secretary Clinton in terms of taking on my good friend Donald Trump, beating him by 19 points in New Hampshire. 13 points in the last poll I saw." "Good friend"? Hardly. However, their followers share a contempt for politics as usual, and these two unusual politicians have touched that nerve. They are heading in opposite directions but taking the same path. Is it possible they'll each be their party's nominee? I'd say that stranger things have happened, but they really haven't. (c) 2016 Bob Franken Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc. When the legislature voted to close the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder, many were dismayed and could not understand why this bill passed. MDC was doing an effective job, and the valid reasons for keeping it open far outweighed the few for closing it . Hundreds, if not thousands, of emails, calls, and letters were sent to Gov. Bullock, the press, and the Legislature by concerned citizens who could not see how the state could justify this action. MUSCATINE, Iowa Police expect to release more information, including charges, Tuesday or Wednesday regarding the man who allegedly stole a Hummer then was shot by law enforcement in Muscatine on Friday night. Timothy Seefeldt, 41, was shot once in the upper torso and was transported to the University of Iowa Hospital for treatment, according to a press release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety on Sunday. His injury was non-life threatening, the press release stated. Muscatine Police Lt. Timothy Hull said the blue 2008 Hummer was unlocked and the keys in it when it was stolen. The Hummer was driven by an employee Guadalajara restaurant and in the parking lot when it was stolen, Hull confirmed. Hull told the Journal that another employee noticed the Hummer was still their when going outside to warm up their own vehicle around 9 p.m. Friday. Hull said the Hummer was not running when stolen, just had the keys in it. Hull estimated that 95 percent of vehicle thefts in Muscatine occur with the keys are left in it and the door unlocked. At 10:08 p.m., the Hummer, which belongs to Alberto Jimenez-Diaz, of Muscatine, was reported stolen. A TV news station reported the Guadalajara employee that parked the Hummer was Jimenez-Diaz's daughter. According to authorities, a Muscatine County Sheriff's Office deputy spotted the stolen Hummer at 10:33 p.m. Friday on U.S. Highway 61 in Muscatine. The suspect then tried to flee in the vehicle after being pulled over in the Pearl City Inn/Best Western parking lot at 305 Cleveland Ave. According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the sheriff's deputy shot at the Seefeldt as he tried to drive away. Seefeldt hit several cars in the lot. Hull said the deputy's car was hit and damaged. He said that while Muscatine police officer was assisting with the traffic stop, the police officer's car was not hit. Chief Deputy Ardyth Slight of the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office referred all questions to the state. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Richard Rahn said his office is handling the investigation that includes collecting facts and evidence. "Our role is to see if there was any criminal element," Rahn said. He said the case would be turned over to the county attorney, or the state attorney general if the county attorney feels there is a conflict of interest, when the investigation is complete to determine whether charges are filed. Rahn could not give a timeline of when the investigation would be complete. "Each case is different," Rahn said. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Lt. Tim Hull of the Muscatine Police Department at 563-263-9922 ext. 608. Callers may remain anonymous. MUSCATINE, Iowa Nearly 300 fewer students over the past seven years has the Muscatine Community School District considering its options to get its facilities in line with the district's enrollment. The district is considering closing Washington Elementary School. Superintendent Jerry Riibe said more details about where Washington students would be transferred to if the building is closed will be discussed at the school board meeting on Feb. 8. A recommendation about the closure of Washington is expected in early March. "The problem is not that the Washington building is a bad building," Riibe told the Board of Education last week. "The problem is not that the Washington School doesn't have enough students. The problem is that as a district we have declining enrollment. With about 280 fewer students in the last seven years, we have to make sure that we keep our system in line with our number of students. Otherwise down the road, we will have a serious problem. We want to make sure we keep on top of that. "We are at point where we cannot maintain the status quo. Something is going to have to be different." Riibe explained. "We either have to find a way of reducing facility costs or, in a budget that is 83 percent personnel, you have to have fewer personnel." Riibe said district officials know that its people that make the most difference for students and they are doing everything they can to find ways to make sure that the school district's budget balances while maintaining programs which the students need. Officials have started looking at the actual capacity of the buildings involved and where those Washington students might fit in, Riibe said. The possible recommendations include turning McKinley Elementary from a two-section to a three-section building. Section sizes would be in the low 20s, Riibe said. "Also, with three sections, it's much easier when you have move-ins, kids come in," he added. Jefferson Elementary is already a three-section building and has some extra room. Franklin Elementary will be the tightest building. "We are looking at some different options there," Riibe said. "The thing is with the sale of Garfield and if Washington were to close, we may be able to save as much as a third of that deficit and it doesn't affect one program. We're very hopeful that we can make this work. Our goal is to make sure that we don't make any building worse than it was because of this." They plan to take every Washington student by name and see where they would go in the event the school is closed. "We want to make sure there is room for expansion if we had to add a section somewhere down the road. We don't want to be so tight that we have no potential for growth," Riibe said. 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 [] South Africas broadband speeds and prices are still lagging behind the rest of the world, especially when looking at fixed broadband access. One of the biggest problems in the country is the low fixed broadband penetration rate especially when looking at fibre access. Point Topics latest global fixed broadband report shows there are now more subscribers to fibre broadband services worldwide than any other fixed broadband technology. In not much more than 10 years, fibre has made it to over 285 million subscribers earning a 40% market share. In South Africa, most fixed broadband subscribers only have access to 10Mbps ADSL at best, and in some cases only 4Mbps. This raises the question: What should be done to improve the state of fixed broadband in South Africa? MyBroadband asked South Africas top ISPs what they would like to see happen in 2016 to boost fixed broadband. Web Africa Lower IPC pricing and naked ADSL Web Africa said it wants to see lower IPC pricing from Openserve, the introduction of naked ADSL, and an arms-length relationship between Telkoms Retail and Wholesale Divisions. The ISP said there are skill shortages for many technical roles, and that government subsidies pertaining to education for these technical roles would go a long way to decrease unemployment and help companies fill important positions. Afrihost Assist in the growth of fibre in South Africa Afrihost said the demand for fibre is growing at a rapid pace, and they would like to see the government assisting Telkom in rolling out fibre faster and to more areas. They would also like to see the government stimulating the local telecoms industry to allow more fibre players to emerge, which will help the sector grow. MWEB Do not overburden ISPs with new regulations MWEB said the government should be careful not to overburden Internet service providers with new regulations. The Cybercrimes Bill, FPB Amendment Bill, and POPI are examples. They are onerous in terms of what they are proposing ISPs need to implement, and for many of the smaller players it is not affordable to comply. It will be a sad day if one of the side effects of introducing all of these new regulations is that it puts some ISPs out of business. Cybersmart The government should get out of the telecoms and broadband business Cybersmart said it would be good for the government to sell its stake in Telkom, and stop trying to provide broadband. Leave it to the private sector. The ISP would also like to see a lower burden regarding regulation and legislation on ISPs, and faster permissions to trench fibre. Axxess Local loop unbundling should become a reality Axxess said that local loop unbundling is its primary concern right now. It would like to see this become a reality in 2016. Note: Axxess won the MyBroadband Best ADSL ISP of 2015 award. Crystal Web Simplify the regulatory space Crystal Web would like to see a simplification of the regulatory space and a reversal of policy flow. Rather than having a top-down approach to policy direction, government should ensure that policies are driven from the ground-up, as we know and understand better what is required to ensure a quality telecommunications future in the country. Crystal Web would also like to see the government distancing itself from its potential invasion of privacy of end users connections. If an end user is acting illegally, recourse already exists. If government wants to better streamline this process, were in support of it. If government wishes to snoop on an end-users connection by law and force ISPs to do its legwork, we take issue. More on broadband South Africas broadband price ranking may surprise you Highest peak broadband speeds in South Africa The National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) will on Tuesday continue its public hearings on Eskoms application for the evaluation and approval of the regulatory clearing account (RCA) balance for the financial year 2013/2014 of the third multi-year price determination (MYPD3. The RCA process reconciles variances between the actual costs that Eskom incurred in 2013/2014 financial year in the production of electricity and the MYPD3 record of decision by Nersa. Eskom has submitted an RCA application to recover R22.8bn, which it said is driven substantially by revenue under-recoveries, higher expenditure on coal burn, Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Open Cycle Gas Turbines and other primary energy costs. Eskoms mandate is to provide electricity to support the economy. We are sensitive to the impact the RCA submission has on the wider economy. To this end, we have not claimed R10.5bn of costs incurred by Eskom that are not recoverable under current RCA methodology, Eskom said on the first day of the public hearings in Cape Town. On Monday Leslie Rencontre, director of electricity at the City of Cape Town, told Nersa the adjustment would mean all cities in South Africa would face an electricity tariff increase of at least 16% in July. The bulk of the R22.8bn adjustment Eskom is asking for, is made up of reduced revenues of R11.7bn and increased primary energy costs of R14.4bn. Electricity prices are already high for business and residential consumers, including the poor, Rencontre said. Any additional increase approved by Nersa will have a further negative impact on Cape Towns economy. At the hearings the SA Local Government Association (Salga) told Nersa the big question is whether the South African economy and South Africans are ready for another unaffordable electricity increase at this point. Salga said it understands and accepts the RCA process, but it has unintended consequences and defeats the purpose of having a 5-year multi-year price determination. In Salgas view the RCA process, therefore, creates uncertainty and instability, which could end up punishing consumers because of bad planning and grossly inaccurate projections on the part of Eskom. Business is no longer able to absorb further electricity tariff hikes, particularly given the impact on an already weak South African economy, Virgin Active SA told Nersa in its presentation at the hearing. A further tariff increase has a massive compounding effect and is baked into the base forever. Compound effects of previous years increases should be more than sufficient for Eskom, the company said. Allowing Eskoms proposed increases has the potential to perpetuate the poor management and planning issues at Eskom. Tariffs are easily used as a convenient release valve rather than Eskom being forced to find more innovative ways to address its issues. Roger Pitot of the Authority of the SA Automotive Components Industry (Naacam) told Nersa that granting Eskom the R22.8bn adjustment would in effect mean an increase of more than 25% for tariff based customers during the 2013/14 financial year. Based on Eskoms rationale similar corrections can now be expected in future, cautioned Pitot. Does Eskom realise the consequences? Users and particularly business and industry will further reduce their usage of power as encouraged by Eskom and as prices escalate, creating a vicious circle of lower revenue, surplus capacity and Eskom requests for price increases, which is certain to continue. In his view this will lead to a further reduction of investment and employment in the industry. The public hearings will move to Port Elizabeth on Wednesday. Fin24 More on Eskom Eskom application could mean 16% electricity price increase Eskom asks Nersa for R22.8 billion at price hike hearings The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) told Eskom on Tuesday to bring its own costs under control before asking business and customers to pay increased tariffs. Addressing a panel of the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa), CCCI executive director Sid Peimer said the chamber could not support the full tariff increase as 2016 will be a tough year for business. Nersa is continuing public hearings on Eskoms application for a R22.8bn adjustment for its 2013/2014 financial year. If this is granted, it is expected to lead to a 16% tariff hike, the City of Cape Town told the panel on Monday. The regulatory clearing account application by Eskom is for cost recovery and revenue adjustments based on actual past variances and not a revenue application based on future estimates. The power utilitys application regarding the 2014/2015 financial year will come at a later stage. Peimer criticised Eskom, saying it has a long history of overstating its demand expectations and making aggressive forecasts. Its a simple economic principle that when things get more expensive, people use less, he said. Peimer said the utilitys overuse of its open cycle gas turbines was a matter of bad management and that the use of cheaper illuminating paraffin would have been a better option. Business and the South African consumer must now pay for Eskoms mistakes, he said. Peimer also called for greater transparency in procurement, citing differing prices of coal and diesel and the issue of middlemen. Fin24 More on Eskom Eskom application could mean 16% electricity price increase Eskom asks Nersa for R22.8 billion at price hike hearings I love sending and receiving postcard from all over the world. If you would like to send me a postcard or contact me, send an e-mail to ichabod.h (at) gmail.com My thoughts, assertions and observations on issues important to me as a Jew, a Zionist, a Revenant in Yesha and as an inquisitive human being. 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 EL PASO, Texas Most women in the United States about 99 percent, according to one study plan for a hospital birth. But some mothers are trending away from the sterile hallways of their local medical facilities to labor and deliver in the comfort of a birthing center or their own homes. Thats what Emily and Vito Cancellare decided to do. On Dec. 26, Leo Cancellare was brought into this world in a tub of warm water at The Retreat birthing center in El Paso. We educated ourselves on what our options were, Emily told the El Paso Times. I knew that if there was an alternative to a hospital birth, we would take advantage of that because there is a little more freedom in the decision-making process that would be respected more in a birthing center. The Cancellares decided on a birthing center to avoid unnecessary medical interventions and drugs. Emily was 100 percent in all the way, Vito said. My wife is a very, very powerful woman. She is strong, she is confident. A lot people view a pregnancy as a condition, she viewed it as something natural. This is what she was built for. Women have been doing this for millennia. The number of babies born in birth centers run by midwives has jumped from 56 percent since 2007 to about 16,000, while total U.S. births have dropped nearly 10 percent in the same time, according to federal data. Lynn Arnold, founder and administrator of The Retreat, said they are providing a support system for women looking for a holistic approach to childbirth. I dont care who or where you birth with, but I want you to be educated, I want you to have a support system and I want you to come out of your birth experience without feeling birth trauma or postpartum depression or any of those things, Arnold said. And if you do, we have counseling for that, too. There have been eight births since The Retreat opened in September. Three more births are planned for January and seven more in February. Theres another birthing center called Maternidad La Luz, Arnold said. That was set up like Casa de Nacimiento, which serves women of Juarez on this side of the border. Our women here tend to be military wives, professionals, upper-middle class Americans. Predominantly, we are serving El Paso women and some Las Cruces women as well. Birth centers are covered by many insurers the same way a traditional hospital birth is covered. Since the length of the moms and babys stay in a birth center is so much shorter hours instead of days and does not involve doctors or anesthesia, the costs of a normal delivery are about half those in a hospital. Think of it like a hospital where you go in and pay the hospital and then you pay your doctor separately. Its kind of the same way here, Arnold said. If you are coming in at a full cash pay, its $1,500 to $2,000. Your midwife depends on what her individual fees are. For example, Im the most expensive one here at $3,500. There are two other midwives at $3,000, and then there are newly licensed midwives at $1,500 to $2,000. The center provides many services, including breast-feeding support, yoga, music therapy and counseling. Its a back-to-basic birth, said Lety Knight, a childbirth educator and doula. Natural birth and birth centers get labeled as being trendy or something new, but in reality, home births, and being surrounded by midwives and other supportive people who know natural birth, have been around since the beginning of mankind. Hospital births are less than 100 years old. A doula is also known as a birth companion and post-birth supporter, who is a non-medical person who assists women before, during and after childbirth. Knowledge is power, Knight said. The more you know, the better youre going to be prepared and the more confident you are going to feel. Its nice to have your baby in familiar surroundings, where you know the people, you are comfortable and you know who is coming in because youve worked with them throughout the pregnancy. Jamie and Mark Ziegenfuss said they wanted flexibility to have the birth they wanted. That was very important to me, Jamie said. I have many friends who had really downright horrible experiences in hospitals. Im not bashing anyone who decides to or needs to go to a hospital, but in an uncomplicated birth, there is no reason why a mother should not be able to have her child where she chooses to. Their baby Athena was born at The Retreat on Dec. 25. I wanted a birth that was unmedicated and make choices that I wanted to have without opposition. I was able to do that here, she said. It was a very easy birth, I couldnt ask for a better experience. Lynn and the entire staff were very supportive and right by my side the entire time. Amissa Metcalf, a doula, childhood educator and yoga instructor at the center, said the team and personalized concept of The Retreat is what makes the center special. We realize this is a special experience. But, its not just a physical experience, its an emotional experience and its a mental experience, she said. This is designed to support all of that in one place. The birth experience is an amazing event every time. Vito Cancellare said being part of the birth experience is something he will always remember. Emily was going to carry the baby for nine months, so I wanted to do whatever I could to make the birthing experience a positive one, he said. I didnt want to be the goofy sitcom dad who didnt know what to do. He said it was a positive experience for him, too. I brought my son into this world, he said. I was the first person to touch Leo as he came into this world. Emily was in the tub, I saw his head and I jumped right in there. It was amazing to watch; I was in awe. It is something Ill never forget. PROVIDENCE, R.I. The man who authorities dubbed the "Bordeaux Bandit" for allegedly stealing expensive bottles of wine around the Northeast is being held in Rhode Island on an unrelated charge. Scott Deluca, of Cohoes, New York, was scheduled to appear Tuesday in Providence Superior Court as a bail violator. He wasn't brought into the courtroom, but attorneys met with the magistrate judge. The 25-year-old is accused of wine theft in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. One bottle he allegedly took is worth $4,800. In Rhode Island, Deluca is charged with stealing something far less rarefied: video game equipment and jewelry. He faces up to 10 years in prison for larceny. His lawyer wouldn't comment outside the courtroom. Deluca is being held on a warrant. His next court appearance is Jan. 27. The news was out last week that Hugh Hefners Playboy mansion was put up for sale for $200 million. The price is a reach, according to local Los Angeles brokers, as the value is in the land at a third of the price. But, one hitch is that, along with the purchase, you agree to allow Mr. Hefner to live in the property for the remaining years of his life. I am assuming this would mean he and his 29-year-old wife, Crystal Harris, would most likely reserve rights to the entire property. It would be an interesting dynamic otherwise to have a buyer shacking up with the playboy and all that goes along with it. Most likely what a buyer is agreeing to in the purchase is a life estate in favor of Mr. Hefner, who becomes the life tenant. The life tenant relinquishes all control of the property and essentially can only use the property similar to that of a tenant. I am uncertain why Mr. Hefner would sell with a life estate other than he may need the cash, but doesnt want to give up the property. Perhaps he wants to avoid probate, but most people of his stature would have a separate entity or trust own the real estate. This is a great segue into the introduction of the four categories of estates used in real estate title interests. A freehold estate includes a fee simple estate, defeasible estate and finite estate. A fee simple estate is the most common that many of us have as it gives us the most rights to the real estate for an undetermined length of time. A defeasible estate places conditions that need to occur for the estate to continue, while a finite estate is for a specific period of time and includes a life estate because it remains while a person is alive. A leasehold estate is created when you rent or lease your real estate. This would include a lease for a specific period of time (estate for years), a month-to-month lease (periodic estate), a lease for as long as we both agree to it (tenancy at will) and a lease that continues after your agreement expired (tenancy at sufferance). A concurrent estate is an estate you would hold along with someone else. This would include a joint tenancy, tenancy in common and a statutory estate. A statutory estate is one created by law such as community property or homestead. Finally, an equitable estate does not give you any ownership or possession rights, but rather an interest in. This would include future interests such as a gift or trust, incorporeal interest such as the right to a property you may have through an easement, and lastly, a lien. Coming in close to 22,000 square feet, if you ended up purchasing the mansion, you could negotiate a way to share the house with Mr. Hefner and his wife, but you probably wouldnt be able to keep up with him and his partying for very long. Most of us have been advised, at one time or another, that its necessary to take the bitter with the sweet. This idiom uses bitter for bad and sweet for good, a usage dating from the late 1300s. No doubt the connotation that bitter equates with bad is rooted in what we put in our mouths. Bitter-tasting foods are dangerous, is how author Mark Bitterman starts his new book, Bittermans Field Guide to Bitters and Amari. They are also essential for health. Bitterness in plants indicates the presence of toxins, but it also indicates the presence of vital nutrients. Bitterness can kill you and it can save you, he writes. Our intrigue with bitter flavors is part of the exhilarating dance we play with food and drink, the enterprise of deriving nutrition and stimulation from a bountiful but occasionally natural world. If youve been taking stock of what millennials eat and drink these days, youve noted the increasing popularity in cocktails crafted with all manner of bitters, as well as twenty-somethings bellying up to the bar for a shot or two of amaro. Bitterness is generally downplayed in Western cooking, but we crave the edge that is found in vegetables like radicchio, rapini and dandelion greens. And what about endive and eggplant? Bitters and amari amaro is Italian for bitter make up the sole category of food or drink constructed entirely around the dubious but arousing flavor of bitterness, Bitterman notes in the introduction to his new guide. Bitters are concentrated flavor extracts for seasoning. Amari are concentrated flavor extracts for drinking. That is the sole difference. By definition, both are bitter. They are beloved, not despite their bitter flavors but because of them. Locally, the king of bitters has to be Napa native Matt Durbin, bar manager at the new downtown Napa Ca Momi Osteria, where fans of bitters-laced cocktails and amari can choose from a varied drinks menu and a page of nearly three dozen digestivo, as the Italians like to collectively label the various fernets, amari, averna and such. Durbin can set you up with a flight of amari coming from all regions of Italy, from the Veneto to mezzogiorno. Amari are traditionally served at the end of the meal, Durbin said, hence the digestivo category. We have been doing flights since we opened, along with amaro cocktails. He says customers his age have developed a fascination with liqueurs of far-off places. And drinks like old-fashioneds have become popular again theyre what my grandparents used to drink. Over at 1313 Main, restaurant manager Jordan Nova is happy to provide for interested parties a little background on the producers of a flight of fernet he and staffers gladly pour including one from the Czech Republic. As the interest in cocktails spikes, people are looking for new frontiers, said Andrew Salazar, lead bartender at Ninebark on Napas Restaurant Row, otherwise known as Main Street. Sommeliers often attempt to boost sales by focusing on a particular grape variety that has not been overexposed, like riesling, Salazar said. So bartenders, too, find an interesting category and look to expand its popularity. Industry people are spearheading the growth in popularity of bitters. Fernet is the leader in the clubhouse its a very intense liqueur. The San Francisco Bay Area is the largest consumer of Fernet maybe because lots of Milanese live here. Its also big in Argentina where they mix it with Coca-Cola. Theres even a pop song, Fernet con Coca. Salazar offered an example of how bitters make a popular cocktail, Remember the Maine, even better. Its base is rye whiskey and vermouth, and it can be heavy and rich. Add a little bitters and it balances the drink. Bitters are a classic additive to most cocktails and have been for some time, said Duane Rodrigues, bar manager at Oenotri, the southern Italian restaurant on Napas First Street. In fact, some bitters are the focal point. Bartenders at Oenotri get calls for bitters and soda water on a regular basis, but Rodrigues is all about crafting cocktails that contain some of his homemade bitters. At present, hes preparing chocolate, rhubarb, orange and coriander bitters for use at the Oenotri bar. Asked to reveal the ingredients in several popular Oenotri drinks, he said the BAB cocktail is a twist on the Manhattan, a blend of bourbon, amaro and bitters, where two distinct styles of bitters are used in the same recipe. Then theres the Root Down, which mixes rye with a root tea spirit, Gran Classico Bitters from Switzerland, sassafras and plum bitters, along with a splash of lemon juice. It tastes a lot like root beer, Rodrigues concludes. With hundreds of cocktail bitters on the market, millions are using them to add punch, pizzazz and complexity to cocktails as well as cooking. but the wealth of brands and their flavors, personalities and uses can puzzle even the savviest mixologists. Bittermans Field Guide to Bitters and Amari: 500 Bitters; 50 Amari; 123 Recipes for Cocktails, Food & Homemade Bitters (Andrews McMeel Publising, $25) is the latest handbook to decode todays burgeoning selection of bitters, along with their kindred spirits, amari. The new publication provides tasting notes, maker profiles and suggested uses that make selecting, understanding, mixing and cooking with bitters a snap. But thats just the start. It also includes photos and recipes for making bitters and amari at home, bitters-forward cocktails and playfully but deliciously adding them to recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts, everything from Bittered Southern Fried Chicken to Fernet Flan. NOORD, Aruba What am I doing on a desert-like, cactus-filled island that looks an awful lot like Arizona? Learning to windsurf, for one. An admirer of windsurfers at San Franciscos Ocean Beach, Im taking a lesson on the startlingly turquoise Caribbean sea at Hadicurari Beach on Aruba, whose year-round trade breezes are why the Caribbeans biggest annual windsurfing contest takes place on this very beach, now for its 29th year. Thinking I can clutch the sail firmly and glide along, pulled by the wind, turns out to be a comforting delusion. Learning to windsurf requires, sadly, knowing how to surf first. Im having trouble standing on, or even climbing on, the wobbly surfboard. As soon as I grab the pole for the sail, it instantly topples into the water, me with it. I settle for envying others gracefully windsurfing in the direction of Venezuela, a mere 15 miles away, wondering if I should have asked Aruba Active Vacations for a kite-boarding lesson instead. Much easier, it seems, as youre in a harness. Riding a horse to the Natural Pool, for another. As I havent ridden a horse in years, my one-hour ride from Rancho Daimari to this patch of seawater, encircled by black volcanic rocks that Caribbean waves noisily crash against, claims all my attention. Im leaning so far back on 45-degree twisting downhills to avoid falling over, my thighs are cramping, and way forward on steep ascents. Then theres the part when Lulu starts galloping through water on the beach. I glimpse dramatic views of coves, dark-blue waves and rugged tablelands, in between fervent prayers my ride will end soon. Your horse doesnt respect you, an experienced horseman comments, noting my expression of intense suffering. I dont find this reassuring, and note with disgust hes not even holding the reins, blithely holding a camera in both hands. Keep calm the horse can sense your energy, another rider says. Much better advice: I resort to thinking Zen-like thoughts, and start talking to Lulu soothingly, like shes my dog, Fluffy. The next day, Im on the Aruban roller coaster, my guides nickname for the rough ride by Land Rover through Arikok National Park, a wilderness of cacti, divi-divi trees wind-twisted like bonsai, and aloe plants, toward the Natural Pool on the north coast where I snorkeled the day before. Its so exceptionally bumpy and bouncy, its like riding a bucking bronco at a rodeo. My De Palm Tours guide takes us to the ruins of gold mines. Gold was discovered in 1824 in Aruba, when a goat herder throwing rocks to herd his flock realized that what glittered was actually gold. More than 2 million pounds were exported over the next 90 years. A gold throne for the King of the Netherlands was made from Aruba gold, my guide adds. But the real gold on Aruba turned out to be tourists. About 1.5 million people a year visit Aruba, thanks to its beaches with powder-white sand; sunny, breezy, low-humidity weather year-round; and location outside the hurricane belt. The fact that English is widely spoken, U.S. dollars are accepted and nonstop flights from the U.S. are widely available (from Houston, Chicago, Miami, etc.) to this A in the ABC islands, former Dutch colonies in the southernmost Caribbean doesnt hurt. Those soft, pearly beaches a 7-mile stretch lines Palm Beach and Eagle Beach are pretty tempting. Flip-floptional! a companion aptly dubs our toes-in-the-sand restaurant at dinner. Here at Flying Fishbone, shoe trees are thoughtfully placed so guests can hang their sandals or flip-flops while eating. Some tables are even in the water. But I like to zig when others zag, so Im exploring this popular islands off-the-beaten-track side. Im thrilled to see that nature in Aruba plays on nine screens in a continuous show in the lobby of the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. The arresting artwork of underwater scenes and landscapes was created by a young Aruba artist, Armando Goedgedrag, who loves to capture its wild side in photography, painting and film (see his videos on YouTube). Besides meeting Americans whove come here every year for 25-plus years (since it was iguanas and rocks, a New Englander said), I also keep meeting Europeans. At a lovely small boutique resort right on peaceful Eagle Beach, the blissful calm at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts is due to the fact that its adults-only. I chat with the owner, Ewald Biemans, an Austrian who traded the Alps for Aruba decades ago, about his love for animals. This owner of eight dogs, who has lived on Aruba for 46 years, pays for vaccines if a guest adopts a stray dog on Aruba. When its sea turtle-hatching season on the beach in front of his hotels, he wakes guests up who ask to witness the spectacle. Its like the earth starts bubbling, he says of the infant turtles, who run to the sea. He dims the lights so the turtles are not disoriented. (Some horribly disoriented turtles on another Caribbean island landed in the swimming pool, I once heard.) I also hear about the many green features that earned him the Green Hotelier of the Year award in 2015 in the Caribbean, among other eco-friendly awards. Solar panels are used to heat water, and guests are given refillable metal water bottles to prevent them from buying plastic bottles, which arent recyclable here, to name just two. Boardwalk Small Hotel is another European-owned boutique hotel that charms me, just a few minutes drive from my windsurfing beach. Vividly painted walls, in colors like cranberry and canary yellow, adorn 14 casitas here, whose kitchens feature colorful tables in blue-green tiles. The owners, who are two Belgian sisters, and guests mingle at a weekly happy hour here. For information, visit Aruba.com. Even as the Carmelite House of Prayer grapples with the cost to repair damage from the 2014 earthquake, its members are outlining how to reshape the monastery and remain in the wine country it has called home for six decades. The Catholic prayer and counseling center west of Oakville is taking proposals through the end of January from architects, hoping to transform the 29-acre site into an expanded spiritual center, according to Father Gerald Werner, prior of the monastery. Two architectural firms have visited the Carmelite center and a third is preparing a renovation plan, he said. Funding has yet to be settled for the overhaul, which Werner said would be a lot more than the $2 million-plus the Carmelite order had estimated for post-quake repairs and seismic strengthening. But Werner called the plan a commitment to preserve ties to the Napa Valley after more than a year of uncertainty about the retreats future. We are not selling, he said Tuesday. Its off the table and wont come back on, unless we cant do something that were satisfied with. Early plans call for the 95-year-old main building a historic structure that originally was the mansion of the banker David Doak before its purchase in 1955 by the Carmelites to be remodeled into the headquarters of the spiritual center, with room for 15 to 20 guests and event facilities. Down the hill from the Doak Mansion and the chapel, the Father Edward Center would become a reception area with offices, a gift shot and one or two small meeting rooms. A new residence would be built on the north side of the property for the Carmelite retreats priests and brothers, who would move there from the mansion. The Order of Carmelites provincial council for California and Nevada voted in September to support the Oakville retreat staying in Napa County, according to Werner. While the shaking of the West Napa Fault on Aug. 24, 2014 inflicted its most visible damage on the city of Napa, it also rocked the Carmelite retreat 13 miles to the north, forcing discussions about whether to sell the land in a highly coveted real estate area or commit to the cost not only of repairs but catching up to years of deferred maintenance. All four corners of the Doak Mansion were damaged, a 25-foot section of the brick facade broke away, and brick parapets were torn off both ends of the structure. Cracks rippled through parts of the stucco exterior, and the quake also damaged natural gas pipes inside the building. A structural analysis three weeks after the quake also revealed weak and unstable soil on the buildings south and west, possibly due to the use of fill. Repairs have allowed the retreats four priests and two brothers to continue living there, but the monastery has suspended visitors retreats since the earthquake. The adjoining chapel, built separately from the Doak Mansion in 1959, was not damaged and has remained open. According to Werner, the quakes aftermath has aroused support for the Carmelite retreat not only from Catholics and supporters of the monastery, but from Upvalley residents wanting to preserve a landmark of the Napa Valleys quieter past. We know the neighbors are very interested in whats going on here, he said. Which amounts to, We dont want another winery and we dont want another bed-and-breakfast. Wed like the Carmelites to stay here and keep on doing what theyve been doing. Ask environmentalists and labor union activists about differences between the proposed new Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the North American Free Trade Agreement, better known as NAFTA, and they cant name many that amount to much. Thats because the TPP, which Congress must vote up or down sometime this spring no amendments allowed retains many aspects of NAFTA, including its single worst part. Meanwhile, labor leaders say NAFTA has sent many thousands of jobs out of this country and environmental advocates insist it contributes to global climate change. But the worst feature is an international tribunal of lawyers from a variety of countries thats empowered to override some laws of member countries and even to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court. This means attorneys from Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Chile, New Zealand, Peru and Brunei might someday help strike down United States and California laws on anything from clean air to labor conditions and movie copyrights. This has happened before and its happening right now. The most prominent previous case involved a Canadian company called Methanex, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, which made and marketed a gasoline additive called MTBE that aimed to cut smog. But MTBE turned out to have noxious odors and taste when it leached from gas station storage tanks into groundwater. It also was associated with a higher risk of some cancers. When California, under ex-Gov. Gray Davis, banned MTBE, Methanex sued in NAFTAs tribunal and the case was heard in Washington, D.C., far from affected Californians. It took years, and eventually Methanex lost because of MTBEs health effects, but that case made it clear the day would come when American environmental laws would be overruled by foreign lawyers in the interests of profits for a foreign company. Something like that did happen later, when another NAFTA ruling canceled U.S. dolphin-safe labeling regulations for canned tuna because they could impede free trade. In short, because Mexican fishermen are not careful to avoid catching some dolphins in their nets, American rules designed to save an intelligent species died, again at the hands of foreign lawyers less interested in saving a species than dollars for careless Mexican fishermen. Canadian lawyers are at it again now, using NAFTA to challenge President Obamas right to cancel the planned Keystone XL pipeline project because it might cost jobs in Canada. All this represents a major loss of sovereignty for the United States, a loss likely to be felt more sharply in California than anywhere else, because this states smog rules are the toughest in the world. What happens when Japanese auto companies tire of adhering to California smog standards and take their case for loose rules to the Trans-Pacific judicial panel? If their lawyers dont care much about lung disease and premature heart attacks both associated with dirty air we can guess what might happen. No one could be sure this tribunal was even in the treaty until the full text was released last November. The take-it-or-leave-it rules mean that, if Congress votes for this new treaty, it will give up much of Americas hard-won and hard-defended right to determine its own fate in exchange for the right to sell more rice to Japan and somewhat better copyright laws for California film and music companies. The politicians must now decide whether thats a good trade-off. President Obama, who tolerated the ultra-secret Atlanta negotiations that produced the final treaty text, calls it a great deal. Its an agreement that puts American workers first and will help middle-class families get ahead, Obama said. It includes the strongest commitments on labor and the environment of any trade agreement in history. He hints broadly that rejecting this agreement will allow China to dominate trade in Southeast Asia and most of the Pacific. Dont believe it. Countries like Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand and Japan dont want to be dominated by China. Far more likely, theyll come back for a new negotiation once they see what American objections are objections apparently not presented forcefully by Obama aides who helped write the draft treaty. So the recommendation here is a no vote by California senators and representatives, who should also make it plain they do want a tariff-free trade zone like this proposal would establish. Just not at the expense of Americas power to decide its own fate. Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. Editor's note: The following are the remarks of Rabbi Lee Bycel to open Monday's interfaith service in honor of Rev. Martin Luther King. Bycel is rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Napa and the chairman of MLK Monday: A Day of Action and Compassion. I invite you to come with me on a journey to Birmingham, Alabama. Its April 1963. Dr. King sits in jail for his civil disobedience and writes on scraps of paper, composing what many consider one of the most powerful letters of all time. This letter touches upon the major issue of the day - civil rights, when is the right to time to act, non-violence, justice and injustice, and the appalling silence of so many people. It is a letter that transcends time and regrettably, even with all of our societal advances, it is as relevant today as it was then. Today, I want to fill Dr. King in on our world, his legacy, the work that we are doing, and I invite you to listen in. Dr. King, many people around the country have responded to your letter through their actions and for you and for us that is what matters the most. I think that you would be moved to see how many are involved in important social causes and willing to give of their time and resources to create a more just world. Yet, I also know that you would be disappointed by the social and racial problems that continue to plague us as well as how polarized our society has become. We share your concern. You wrote in your letter about your own view of responding to injustice: I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Dr. King, that single garment of destiny has become frayed and at times torn. It seems as if we often forget what brings us together as human beings and fall into the dangerous path of only looking at what separates us. We need each other, now more than ever. The world of 2016 is filled with more economic and technological resources than ever to rectify our societal problems, and yet a divisiveness and anger seems to be growing, which is tearing apart the soul of America. Dr. King, most people are good and really care. Today is just one example of how we can work together. However, we have let the media and extremists dominate our society, create a culture of fear that has often left us feeling hopeless and that we cannot change anything. What we are doing today and so many people are doing all throughout the year is making sure that the most vulnerable in our society are getting their needs met. Your words, your life, your letter give us a legacy that can lift our spirits and remind us of our deep connection to each other and all humanity. You emphasized non-violence in all that you did. Regrettably, our world has grown more violent. We are often at a loss of what to do about it even though you lost your life by an act of violence as have so many others. Violence does not solve problems; it breeds more violence. Is it possible that we can really send people to the International Space Station, have unimaginable scientific and medical breakthroughs but that we keep resorting more and more to our basic instinct of violence, as did Cain when he killed his brother Abel? Dr. King, this is a plague of our time. Yet many of us have not lost hope. We believe that we can devote the same energy that has been used for creative technological breakthroughs, that has led to a number of people becoming billionaires or very wealthy through their business ingenuity, that same energy can be used in other ways. The creativity and resourcefulness of so many people can be harnessed to address mental health problems, help those who are suffering from the trauma of war and violence, as well as work out a way to have sensible gun laws that protect all of our rights. We can stop the rushing waters of violence that threaten to drown us. You offered insights not just about the world of 1963 but really about human nature when you wrote from your small jail cell: We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Appalling silence remains an epidemic in our world. And yet, as you know, there is a simple cure for it. The healing cure is to simply get involved, speak out when you see an injustice, like bullying in our schools, or scapegoating people because of their ethnicities or religious beliefs, or demeaning others because of their identities or limitations or diseases. Like it was during your life, people often say the problems are just too big and ask what difference can I really make? Each person can make a huge difference, just by doing something, one simple action or one act of compassion. When we act, when we speak, when we let our conscience have a voice, we grow as humans and empower others to believe in themselves. We need not be silent about hunger, homelessness, lack of social services, not enough funding for public schools. We may not see immediate results but by speaking out, by acting like you did, we move from being good people with good intentions to good people who are willing to enter the arena of society in order to make changes. The night before his assassination, Dr. King spoke in a church in Memphis and lifted our spirits with these words: Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days. You uttered these words out of a deep conviction that we can make things better. You offered your words out of a life filled with actions that reflect your beliefs and values that all human beings are equal and deserve respect, justice and opportunity. You challenged all those living then and all of us living now to rise up with courage, with respect, with love, with compassion, with a determination to work together to find ways for human beings to live lives that reflect the radiant beauty of the universe, our deep connection to each other and our willingness to sacrifice to ensure that our society is one that is known for its compassion, its values and its ability to turn your dreams and our dreams into reality. Dr. King, thank you for your life, for all that you did during your brief 39 years on earth and for your leadership. As we honor you and your inspiring legacy, let us resolve that we will not merely be good people with good intentions but rather good people who are willing to enter the arena of society and engage in good acts that can transformative for ourselves and our communities. YAOUNDE, Cameroon Official: Teenage suicide bomber kills 4 at Cameroon mosque A Cameroon official says a 14-year-old suicide bomber has attacked a mosque in Cameroons north, killing at least four people. Governor Midjiyawa Bakari said Monday that the boy came early into a town in the Mayo Tsanaga Division in Cameroons far north and blew himself up during morning prayers. He said a civilian defense group set up to fight Boko Haram extremists prevented more deaths by quickly warning those praying. Bakari said the attacker likely came from Nigeria, whose extremist Boko Haram group is suspected. This is the fifth mosque attacked in Cameroon in less than a month. Boko Harams six-year insurgency has killed thousands in Nigeria, and across its borders. Cameroon is one of five countries contributing troops to a regional force intended to wipe out Boko Haram. MEXICO CITY Mexico wants to question actor del Castillo about drug lord Mexican authorities say they want to talk to actor Kate del Castillo, who arranged Sean Penns interview with drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. A federal official who is not authorized to discuss the case publicly and speaks on condition of anonymity confirms that investigators have formally asked del Castillo to meet with them about her and Penns encounter with Guzman. The official did not know when that might happen. The person said Monday that del Castillo is considered a witness and is not accused of any crime. Guzman is the Sinaloa drug cartel capo who was captured earlier this month in Los Mochis, Sinaloa state, six months after escaping from a maximum-security prison. Penns article about Guzman was published by Rolling Stone a day after his capture. ROME Vatican commits to slavery-proofing its own supply chains The Vatican has announced plans to ensure its supply chains dont use slave labor. Cardinal George Pell, the Vaticans top finance official, unveiled the new policy at a forum where representatives of around 400 global supermarket chains and consumer goods companies announced their commitment to eradicating forced labor from their supply chains. Pope Francis has sought to shine the spotlight on the scourge of human trafficking and modern-day slavery and has enlisted Christian and Muslim and other faith leaders to do the same. Pell congratulated the members of the Consumer Goods Forum, which include Carrefour and food producers Barilla and Bumble Bee, for recently pledging to strive to eradicate forced labor from our value chains. He announced late Sunday that the Vatican would follow suit. BRUSSELS EU criticizes Israel; builds on anti-settlement policy The European Union has stressed that all its deals with Israel must unequivocally and explicitly show that they cannot apply to occupied territories, a move that builds on a November decision to label Israeli products made in the West Bank. Mondays meeting of 28 EU foreign ministers stressed that it does not constitute a boycott of Israel which the EU strongly opposes. However, the Israeli government considers the settlement product measure unfair and discriminatory. Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and began settling both areas shortly afterward. The Palestinians claim both areas as parts of a future state, a position that has global support. The EU statement called the Israeli settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace. KINGSTON, Jamaica Jamaica advises women to delay pregnancy due to Zika virus Jamaicas health minister is advising women to delay plans to become pregnant for the next six to 12 months due to the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The island has not even recorded any cases of Zika, which is spreading in the Americas and is suspected of causing over 3,500 babies to be born with brain damage in Brazil. But Health Minister Horace Dalley says its just a matter of time before the dengue-like virus makes it to the island. It is already confirmed in nearby Haiti. Dalley said Monday in a statement that pregnant women should take extra precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Growing evidence links Zika to microcephaly, a rare condition in which newborns have smaller than normal heads and their brains do not develop properly. On Jan. 31, the board of directors of Friends & Foundation, St. Helena Public Library, will host the first Bookmark Napa Valley, a signature literary event that will bring together four well-known authors, local readers, community leaders and library supporters. The event, to begin at 5:30 p.m. in the historic Carriage House at Charles Krug Winery, will benefit the St. Helena Public Library. The fiction and nonfiction authors include Cara Black, Laura McBride, Joel Selvin and Hampton Sides. Black is The New York Times best-selling author of 14 books in the private investigator Aimee Leduc series, set in Paris. With more than 400,000 books in print, the series has been translated into German, Norwegian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian and Hebrew. McBride is a writer, onetime adventurer and community college teacher in Las Vegas. Her debut novel, We Are Called to Rise, was praised by Isabel Allende as an outstanding first novel with unforgettable characters. Selvin is a music critic known for his long-running weekly column in the San Francisco Chronicle. His books include The New York Times best-seller Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, with Sammy Hagar, and Here Comes the Night. Sides is best known for his gripping true adventures set in war or on expeditions of discovery. He is the author of The New York Times best-sellers In the Kingdom of Ice, Ghost Soldiers, Blood and Thunder and Hellhound on His Trail. The evening begins with a wine and book-signing reception, followed by a buffet dinner, prepared by St. Helenas Oak Avenue Catering and accompanied by Napa Valley wines. Each of the authors will give talks on writing and literature. Tickets are $150 per person or $1,200 for a table of eight. For information and to purchase tickets, visit SupportSHLibrary.org or call 307-3706. Senior advocates address affordable housing, health care Local advocates for older adults know the type of headline they want to see: Napa Voted Best Place for Senior Residents. They also like Aging in Place Easy in Napa County. And First County in California to Have Zero Senior Homelessness. And 100 percent Access to Senior Service in Every Jurisdiction in the County. An agenda for Wednesdays Healthy Aging Population Initiative Coalition retreat included these sample headlines. The 50 attendees plotted strategies to try to make the headlines a reality. These are people who try to keep the local senior population healthy and thriving, and who care for the seniors who arent. They came up with a variety of ideas. Today, were going to be formulating what the low-hanging fruit is, the priorities, Celine Regalia, coalition co-chairwoman, told the gathering at Napa Valley Hospice and Adult Day Services. Affordable housing for seniors proved to be a big topic. The group resumed a discussion that began at a September 2015 senior summit. Proposed Palmaz helipad sparks big turnout at meeting About 100 people turned out at a county meeting to argue that a proposal for a private helipad in a rural area should never get off the ground. Opponents are doing more than criticizing the proposed Palmaz helipad to be built east of Napa at the foot of Mount George. Farella-Park Vineyards wants the Board of Supervisors to change the zoning code to ban private, personal use helipads throughout the county. All of this made for a lively Thursday afternoon in a packed Board of Supervisors chamber, with some people standing and sitting on the floor. Supervisors themselves werent present this was a meeting run by county planning staff. Christian Palmaz wants to build the helipad at Palmaz Vineyards, 4031 Hagen Road, for family use. He has said he can take steps to deal with noise and other neighborhood concerns, but clearly he has yet to convince everyone. We are here to stop this, a man said loudly to applause. We dont want this. Why do we need a helicopter? Napa Muslims message: Militants dont speak for us Omar Salems chosen method of reaching out is the simplest and most direct: to talk. And as a member of Napas small Muslim community, the 30-year-old police officer and son of Middle Eastern immigrants felt the time had come again to speak out for his faith and against those who in recent months have killed in its name. On Sunday, members of one local church invited Salem to lead the latest in its monthly dialogues on religion, with the memories of the Paris and San Bernardino attacks still fresh. Speaking to about three dozen audience members, Salem, a frequent spokesman for the estimated 150 to 220 Muslim families in Napa County, urged his listeners to separate the faith of a billion followers one-seventh of humanity from the militants he said hijack it for political gain. Theres a verse in the Quran that says if you kill a person, its as if you have killed all of humanity and if you save one person, its as if you save all humanity, said Salem, a Napa Police resource officer at Vintage High School, during the Conversation with a Muslim program at the Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists church. And if you kill another Muslim, there is no pardon for that. Quake-damaged Center Building to come down A historic buildings outward face will remain standing in downtown Napa, though its earthquake-damaged core will not. Preservation officials for the city have given Brian Silver the go-ahead to tear down most of the Center Building, the Brown Street law office he has owned for more than four decades. The decision Thursday by the Cultural Heritage Commission grants him a certificate of appropriateness allowing him to disassemble the Center Buildings second-story facade, which dates to its 1904 opening. Silver plans to number and inventory the stone blocks comprising the facade, then store them on his property east of Napa for later reassembly as part of a five-story reconstruction intended to take over the Brown Street site. Silver is clear to demolish the structure behind the facade because past alterations have diluted its historic character, Emi Theriault, an associate planner for the city, told commissioners. The tile covering of the first floor, a later addition, also will be removed. Demolition will take about 2 months, Silver said last month. Copia plans museum to honor Williams-Sonoma founder Almost four years after its permanent displays were ignominiously sold to the highest bidders at a bankruptcy auction, Copia has a new artistic centerpiece a museum telling the history of kitchen tools and equipment. A museum honoring Charles E. Chuck Williams the founder of the Williams-Sonoma company that sells kitchenware and home furnishings will be installed on the second floor of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia, located at 500 First St. in downtown Napa. Among the nearly 4,000 artifacts in the Williams collection are bread baking and culinary tools, specialty cookware, tableware, large and small appliances, and cookbooks. Additional items will be curated for temporary exhibits. Williams passed away on Dec. 5 after his 100th birthday earlier in the year. Made possible by a gift from the Williams estate, the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum at the CIA at Copia will become a new attraction in the city of Napa for culinarians worldwide, said a CIA news release. Napa Valley lodging revenue up 14.8 percent Napa Valleys lodging industry is enjoying double-digit growth in revenues, beating other parts of the Bay Area. According to new data from Visit Napa Valley, area hotels reported a 14.8 percent increase in revenue for the 12 months ending in November. Revenue per available room was up 11.8 percent. The lodging data was presented at Visit Napa Valleys midyear sales and marketing conference Friday afternoon at the Meritage Resort & Spa. The conference updated visitor-serving businesses on tourism trends, progress in marketing the Napa Valley as a destination and shared key information about future programs. Napa Countys revenue numbers are outstanding, said Thomas Callahan, senior managing director of CBRE Hotels in San Francisco. Those are extremely good results. Survey results prompt county to rethink jail bond The Board of Supervisors is reconsidering plans to put a $150 million bond on the June ballot to pay for a new county jail in the face of weak public support in a survey of potential voters. Supervisor Keith Caldwell told a meeting of the American Canyon Kiwanis Club on Wednesday that the board may target a different election date for the bond, whose amount may be reduced to get more voters behind it. We thought we were ready to go in June, said Caldwell, referring to supervisors aim to put the bond on the June ballot. But several factors have county leaders revising their strategy for funding a new $200 million jail to replace the aging and overcrowded one in downtown Napa. Caldwell said the surveys had revealed that residents were not hot for the idea of the jail bond as proposed. Even when the poll explained the reasons for the new jail, support barely goes over the two-thirds majority required for passing a bond, Caldwell said. Tuesday, Jan. 12 1002 Police spoke with a 15-year-old boy about a verbal and physical fight between him and his mother. 1155 Report of a reckless driver bound for St. Helena in a silver Jaguar after being involved in a verbal dispute in Napa. 1411 A car parked on Hunt Avenue was damaged by a hit-and-run driver on Christmas Eve. A witness has details and photos. Police were able to identify the suspect. 1412 An officer warned people who were using the skate park without helmets. 1652 Police were asked to be on the lookout for two couples whod been involved in a suspicious incident at a store in Calistoga. They were last seen on Lincoln Avenue and might be headed toward St. Helena in a yellow truck and a silver Honda. 1857 Items were stolen from a garage on Mariposa Lane. 1932 A man stole a bike from a bike rack while its owner was inside a Hunt Avenue store. The suspect was described as a black man in his 40s. The bike was a black and white Specialized 21-speed. 2130 Report of a man and a woman arguing near Oak/Spring. Wednesday, Jan. 13 0550 Someone smashed a window and opened a cash register at a store in the 1300 block of Main Street. 0937 Report of an ongoing problem with a boat parked on the side of the road near Pinot/Chablis, creating a visibility problem. 1032 A dog found near North Crane/Mitchell was brought to the Police Department. 1844 Medical aid on Pope Street. Thursday, Jan. 14 0845 Medical aid on Pope Street. 1116 Police took a fraud report after someone transferred funds to the wrong bank account, as the result of a hacked email account. 1208 Police conducted speed enforcement on South Crane Avenue. 1230 Report of a traffic cone in the middle of the southbound lane of Main Street near Charter Oak Avenue. It was gone when police arrived. 1344 Report of a golden retriever on the loose east of Main Street near Charter Oak Avenue. 1527 A car reportedly hit a hydrant on Hunt Avenue. 1858 The Fire Department checked the Madrona/Oak area after a caller smelled burning rubber. 1946 Medical aid on Main Street. 2050 A car parked on Main Street was damaged in a hit-and-run. Friday, Jan. 15 1018 A silver Jeep was stuck in the mud about 50 yards east of the railroad tracks on Pratt Avenue, on the north side. The Jeep didnt belong on the property. It appeared that someone had been out joyriding. 1115 A pressure washer was stolen from Chablis Court sometime in the last week. 1306 A brown wallet was lost near a Hunt Avenue business on Thursday. 1512 Report of a woman violating a restraining order on Crinella Drive. Police arrested the 51-year-old transient on suspicion of violating a court order, and for an outstanding warrant. 1755 Report of a possible drunken driver weaving and driving at varying speeds on southbound Main Street. 1930 Report of a beige Honda weaving on Hunt Avenue. Police checked the area. 2110 An SUV was reportedly stuck on the railroad tracks on Hunt Avenue. Police arrested the driver, a 47-year-old Angwin woman, on suspicion of DUI. Saturday, Jan. 16 0200 Report of people possibly trespassing on the roof of a Main Street building. Police checked the area. 1143 A small brown wallet was reported missing. It was last seen Friday night at a restaurant in the 1100 block of Main Street. 1312 Police helped library staff whod accidentally locked themselves out of the library. 1539 Another wallet was reported lost. It might have been lost in Napa, Yountville or St. Helena. 1939 A man on Allyn Avenue was reportedly causing a disturbance while under the influence. Police took a report. Sunday, Jan. 17 1030 Report of a possible drunken driver near Highway 29 and Deer Park Road. An officer found the car parked in a driveway with nobody around. 1724 Report of a reckless driver swerving and passing unsafely near Main/Charter Oak. 2349 Report of low-hanging wires throwing sparks on Main Street. Monday, Jan. 18 1030 A Vintage Avenue business that was conducting an inventory check reported that a diesel compressor that had been rented out and returned last July was unaccounted for. Police took a grand theft report. 1429 Report of a reckless driver tailgating and passing over double yellows on Highway 29 north of town. 2114 A light blue Trek Cruiser bike was stolen from Main Street within the last hour. 2122 Noninjury accident at Silverado Trail and Meadowood Road. 2239 Report of a possible trespasser in a gated area on Dowdell Lane. Welcome to National Highway of Prayer. Let us prepare a HIGHWAY for OUR GOD (Isaiah 40:3 & 62:10) as we walk TOGETHER as ONE (John 13:34-35 & 17:20-23). Contact: prayersurgenow@gmail.com Question -- What is the goal of this website? Why do we share different sources of information that sometimes conflicts or might even be considered disinformation? Answer -- The primary goal of Nesaranews is to help all people become better truth-seekers in a real-time boots-on-the-ground fashion. This is for the purpose of learning to think critically, discovering the truth from withinnot just believing things blindly because it came from an "authority" or credible source. Instead of telling you what the truth is, we share information from many sources so that you can discern it for yourself. We focus on teaching you the tools to become your own authority on the truth, gaining self-mastery, sovereignty, and freedom in the process. We want each of you to become your own leaders and masters of personal discernment, and as such, all information should be vetted, analyzed and discerned at a personal level. We also encourage you to discuss your thoughts in the comments section of this site to engage in a group discernment process. "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle 11 THE BODY + FULL OF HELL EUROPEAN TOUR DATES 2016 April 6, 2016 Vera Groningen, NL April 7, 2016 Magasin 4 Brussels, BE April 8, 2016 Het Bos Antwerp, BE April 9, 2016 Ritual Festival @ Canal Mills Leeds, UK (w/ Conan, 40 Watt Sun) April 10, 2016 Audio Glasgow, UK April 11, 2016 Rainbow Cellar Birmingham, UK April 12, 2016 The Ruby Lounge Manchester, UK April 13, 2016 Electric Brixton London, UK (w/ Converge Blood Moon) April 14, 2016 Roadburn Festival Tilburg, NL April 16, 2016 KB18 Copenhagen, DK April 17, 2016 Kantine Am Berghain Berlin, DE April 18, 2016 Klub 007 Prague, DE April 19, 2016 Feierwerk Munich, DE April 20, 2016 Jubez Karlsruhe, DE April 21, /2016 Gaswerk Winterthur, CH April 22, 2016 La Machine A Coudre Marseille, FR April 23, 2016 Sidecar Barcelona, ES April 24, 2016 Moby Dick Madrid, ES April 25, 2016 Musicbox Lisbon, PT April 26, 2016 Cave 45 Porto, PT April 27, 2016 Santana 27 Bilbao, ES April 28, 2016 Le Saint Des Seins Toulouse, FR April 29, 2016 La Mecanique Ondulatoire Paris, FR April 30, 2016 Tivoli De Helling Utrecht, BE One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache on March 25th, 2016 with preorder bundles Neurot Recordings will releaseon March 25th, 2016 with preorder bundles AVAILABLE NOW On top of the recent announcement thatandshall be releasing a collaborative LP,, this March via Neurot Recordings, we are very pleased to announce this nihilistic union will descend upon Europe together this April. The string of dates see the bands travel across the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Spain and Portugal, including appearances at the renowned Roadburn Festival and providing support for Converges Blood Moon spectacle at the Electric Brixton, London. The full list of dates can be found below:As their ongoing live actions attest to, both acts are unstoppable tour machines and initially joined forces for a massive 2015 North American live takeover. Amidst the chaos, the two groups found time to record together at Machines With Magnets in Providence, Rhode Island. The sessions culminated in the execution of, which is ultimately an audio reflection of their surroundings and their inability to cope therein. The result boasts eight scathing hymns along with two bonus tracks.Forged in 1999 in Little Rock, Arkansas and now based in Portland, Oregon,has been massively prolific since their inception with a sound that is uncategorized and unmatched. The duo writes and acts as one, a deafening wail against a failing species.was formed in 2009 in Ocean City, Maryland. In similar ethos, the band has remained relentlessly productive both on stage and in recorded form and has continued to challenge themselves, channeling resonances from across the spectrum of extreme music into a uncompromising wall of oppressive sound.Through their own respective recordings, bothandare internationally-revered as forward-thinking entities of harsh music, delivering their audio torment through incredibly intense and often unorthodox methods. White House is puzzling over how to avoid meeting between Putin and Biden at G-20 summit Eduard Aghajanyan: Once again I remind that Armenia was deprived of opportunity to protect rights of people of Artsakh U.S. says that limiting Russian oil prices is not aimed at OPEC OSCE sends mission to Armenia to assess situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border Jeff Bezos warns that U.S. economy may face recession Kiev says nearly 40% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been damaged Raisi: Iran will use all its capabilities and potential to end war in Ukraine Qatar gets first pandas in Middle East Armenian president delivers lecture at St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia More than half of Britons think Liz Truss should resign Bloomberg: Putin and Erdogan's cordial relationship arouses Western anger Dutch government invests up to 3.5 billion in military procurement Erdogan discusses latest developments in Ukraine with Zelenskyy School in Paris expels student from class for denying Armenian Genocide Germany would like to participate in EU observer mission to Armenia U.S. is considering plan to co-produce weapons with Taiwan Poland to buy K239 Chunmoo from South Korea Air defense system repels several missile attacks by Ukrainian troops at Kakhovskaya HPP Baku court does not definitively terminate criminal prosecution of Yunus spouses Liz Truss has no plans to resign CSTO countries agree on draft agreement on standardization of military equipment EU countries agree to sanction eight people and organizations over Iranian drones Congressman David Price meets with rector of Yerevan State University Chairman of Amsterdam City Court visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan ASPU supports process of unification of universities Deputy Chief of Police on new draft law: 'Citizen of Azerbaijan' is extremely relative notion Benny Gantz: Israel will not supply weapons to Ukraine Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Turkish soap operas Armenia lawyer arrested Remains discovered during renovation of Ministry of Culture building in Tbilisi are transferred to Armenian Pantheon Dollar goes up, euro falls in Armenia IRGC special forces conduct helicopter operations on third day of exercises on border with Azerbaijan MFA: France position on achieving Armenia-Azerbaijan peace is unchanged Foreign Minister: Iran will not allow blocking its communications with Armenia Kremlin: Russia does not intend to close borders amid introduction of martial law in four regions EU mission delegation visits some border communities of Armenias Gegharkunik Province (PHOTOS) Armenias Papikyan attends defense ministers assembly in India Brusov university rector: Armenia education minister offered me a high position in new university, I declined Putin imposes martial law in new territories of Russia Yerevan to host Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting Putin holds meeting of Security Council Armenia MOD spox: Azerbaijan still preventing search operations Iran announces retaliatory sanctions against EU Russian Defense Ministry reports on strike on military facilities in Ukraine Artsakh Foreign Minister receives Ruben Vardanyan 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 Yerevan judge to be arrested 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 Armenia MPs meet with European Parliament colleagues, reflect on recent Azerbaijan attack 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 Posted by Mark Williams | April 16, 2014 By Aaron Bragman When you think of full-size pickups trucks, do you think Ford or Chevrolet? Or maybe little brother Ram? Well, if you're 1 in 10 pickup buyers, you think Toyota. The Japanese manufacturer would like more people to think Toyota and intends to try and draw in more customers for 2014 with an update to its Tundra full-size pickup. Yes, most of the changes are cosmetic, but the Tundra still offers solid equipment and capabilities from the 2013 model. One of the biggest changes is the addition of a new top luxury trim package, the 1794 Edition, which is the model I spent a week with in the depths of a Michigan winter. First, we need to address the obvious question: 1794 Edition? What does that mean? Well, hang on tight because this is stretched marketing at its finest. The Toyota plant in which the Tundra is built is near San Antonio and sits on land that the company bought from the oldest working cattle ranch in the state, the JLC Ranch. That ranch was founded in you guessed it 1794 by Spanish colonist Juan Ignacio de Casanova. It's a fancy trim level meant to go up against the luxury trucks from the Detroit Three, like the Ford's F-150 King Ranch, Ram's Laramie Longhorn and Chevy's Silverado High Country. I guess it beats calling it the Tundra Casanova. Overview The Tundra has received a pretty thorough cosmetic update for 2014, starting with an exterior that's more aggressive and physically bigger than the model it replaces. Check out that new grille that has to be the biggest grille in the truck market today. It's so big, even the grille has a grille; it's mounted up on top of the chromed behemoth. New headlights with LED running lights flank the chrome. New sheet metal for the rest of the truck is subtle, with more squared-off wheel wells and fenders and a new rear-end treatment with the truck's name stamped into the tailgate. A new three-piece bumper out back replaces last year's one-piece, which should help lower replacement costs if it should get banged up. The overall look is still recognizably Tundra and communicates size and heft rather successfully, but it breaks no new ground for the brand. The Tundra is available in five trim levels, each with their own "look," according to Toyota. The entry level is the work truck Tundra SR, followed by the volume-leading SR5, the more luxurious Limited and the range-topping Platinum. The 1794 Edition comes in above the Platinum, with more luxurious trim, special leather, cool accents and more. The Tundra is still offered in three cab styles: the two-door regular cab and four-door double cab, with standard 6.5-foot and optional 8-foot beds, and the even bigger four-door CrewMax, available only with a 5.5-foot bed. Interior The more noticeable changes to the 2014 Tundra are inside, where an all-new interior improves dramatically upon the 2013 model. Plastics get an upgrade in quality, designs and shapes are considerably more modern, and seats are more comfortable. The Tundra's dashboard is where the biggest improvements manifest, as Toyota has updated the look but retained the function of the previous model with big buttons and knobs that can be operated even while wearing thick gloves. My test truck was the 1794 Edition CrewMax, loaded with everything it could have. The 1794 interior is certainly distinctive, and may be borderline kitschy. It has a Western motif to it, with saddle-colored leather, special stitching and leather on the dash, wood trim, stars here and there, and floormats that are a mix of thick rubber and carpet. The overall look isn't bad, but some of the material and color choices are a little over the top. The leather is almost orange in hue, and when matched up with the imitation wood trim, it looks a little cartoony. It certainly doesn't have the luxury truck feel of the Ram Laramie Longhorn or the Ford F-150 King Ranch (especially the all-new 2015 models), but it's pleasant enough in its own way. There's certainly no shortage of space either, with the Tundra offering the largest cabins in the segment. Seats have been redesigned front and back, and are plenty comfortable for all passengers. Standard on the 1794 are heated and cooled front seats, and a rear bench that now folds up to allow for storage of bulky items in the cabin with an 11-inch lower lift-over height. One of the coolest features of the Tundra, and one that's unique to the truck, is the sliding rear window we're not talking a small window flanked by two fixed panels that slides to the side. The entire rear back glass slides down into the cab, like the tailgate glass on an old 1984 Chevrolet Caprice Classic wagon. The truck has Toyota's Entune multimedia system, which looks better than previous efforts but lacks the user-friendliness and sophistication of Detroit Three competitor systems. It also lacks any of the truck-specific apps that have become popular on competitor models. The premium JBL audio system is decent, but doesn't feature the clarity or punch of some high-end systems in competitor trucks. Overall, the switches and gauges look a little behind the times, despite the update. Under the Hood The powertrain is completely unchanged from 2013, with my top-level test truck featuring the 381-horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8 engine. It makes 401 pounds-feet of torque and is sufficient to get the Tundra moving smartly under hard acceleration or providing sufficient pulling power to haul a trailer or a load of logs in the shortened bed. The engine is mated to a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission and sends power to the rear wheels; a part-time selectable four-wheel-drive system comes with the 1794 Edition. The powertrain combination is perfectly acceptable for everyday use, providing plenty of power and decent acceleration accompanied by a snorty V-8 exhaust note that will turn heads. Highway passing is a breeze, and aside from some rather surprising levels of cabin noise at highway speeds, the Tundra feels calm and planted, if a little choppy in its ride quality. We should note that the choppiness smooths out considerably when the Tundra is under load, as I discovered after putting a face cord of firewood in the bed. Steering is light and highly boosted, as is common in full-size trucks, with a ratio that doesn't seem particularly quick in parking-lot maneuvers. Brakes are firm and progressive, and maintain their efficacy even under fully laden conditions. Testing the four-wheel-drive system in deep snow and ice on Michigan roads after a major winter storm proved quite enjoyable, as errands on back roads through unplowed rural townships proved almost boring for the big pickup. Where you'll definitely feel pain is at the fuel pump, with the Tundra's economy ratings coming in at the bottom of the barrel 13/17/15 mpg city/highway/combined. I achieved 14.5 mpg in a week of combined highway and city driving, a less-than-stellar number and well below competitive vehicles in the segment. By comparison, the 5.7-liter Hemi engine in the Ram 1500 4x4 makes more power and torque than the 5.7-liter in the Tundra, but achieves 15/21/17 thanks to the optional eight-speed automatic transmission. GM's new 6.2-liter V-8 makes considerably more power and torque than the smaller Toyota engine, is also mated to a six-speed automatic, and even it delivers better fuel economy at 14/20/17 mpg. And Ram's new 1500 EcoDiesel gets 28 mpg highway, making the Tundra's 17 mpg even more egregious. Pricing The cost for all this is a not-too-surprising $49,715. That's $47,320 for a 1794 CrewMax 4x4 (also available in 4x2 if you've no need for the extra traction), plus $470 for optional blind spot monitoring, $345 for running boards, $220 for "chrome clad" (read: "plastic") 20-inch wheels, $365 for a plastic bedliner and $995 for destination. Option one up for yourself here. Putting things just shy of $50,000 puts the 1794 Edition within easy swinging distance of all of the major Western-themed luxo trucks on the market, such as the aforementioned F-150 King Ranch, Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn or Chevrolet Silverado High Country. A new level of luxo trucks is developing above this, however, given the F-150 Platinum and Ram 1500 Laramie Limited, further pointing to the fact that there truly is no upper limit when it comes to luxury truck prices. Compare the Tundra to similarly equipped competitors here. Overall, the lack of powertrain and suspension progress in the Tundra is disappointing. The 2014 update seems to have been mostly cosmetic, and while this pickup did sorely need an interior update, leaving the powertrain and electronics alone will push the Tundra even further behind all-new pickups from GM and Ford this year, not that truckmakers aren't about to start playing serious catchup once the revolutionary new aluminum Ford F-150 is released. But Toyota's position, it seems to us, has never been about truly competing with the established truck players; it's been about providing a reasonably viable alternative to foreign-brand buyers who also wouldn't mind owning a truck from their favored brand. More than likely these are personal-use light-duty buyers, using the pickup in much the way I did: hauling firewood and building materials, not work-site duty or serious towing (something we'll try to do more of next time). The Tundra does well with low-demand tasks, but unless the next generation delivers some improvement in the powertrain and design departments (and maybe the TRD Pro Series is a step in the right direction), it risks falling further behind its increasingly impressive competitors. To download our test unit's price sheet, click here. Cars.com images by Aaron Bragman 14:03 Hyderabad Central University (HCU) Vice Chancellor Appa Rao, who is at the centre of a raging controversy over the suicide by a dalit student following his suspension, today asserted there had been "no pressure" from Union Ministers or the HRD Ministry to act against the youth. Speaking to India Today, Rao said Rohith was his student and he felt his pain, but would not quit over the issue. He also claimed that the youth, Rohith Vemula, did not mention his suspension as the reason for the extreme step in the suicide note and that he had favoured leniency for the students allegedly involved in the ABVP leader attack in view of their background so that they could continue to get their scholarship to pursue their studies. "I am not sure whether suspension has really been the cause for suicide. At least not from the face of the suicide note as left by the student," he said. Rao said he was deeply disturbed by the loss of a precious life and the disruption of academic activities. He also sought to distance the HRD Ministry and the two ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya from the decisions taken by the University which allegedly forced Rohith Vemula to commit suicide. "There was no pressure. We took the letters received as routine letters," he said, adding "there was no phone call from either of the ministers or any ministry official". The HRD ministry had written as many as five letters to Hyderabad University on Labour Minister Bandaru Dattareya's complaint regarding "anti national activities" on the campus and the "violent attack" on the ABVP leader Susheel Kumar. The Ministry has maintained it was standard procedure on such "VIP references". Asked why there were discrepancies in the interim report and the final report which called for suspension, Rao said the interim report was made without talking to the "so called victim". He claimed that it was later decided that the punishment would be "mellowed down" in view of the background of the students as a semester suspension would have denied them the scholarship and would have virtually made impossible for them to continue their studies. The VC appealed to the students to resume academic activities and "not give space for any political games". He offered to hold talks with students to resolve the issues raised by them and called for collective efforts to avoid recurrence of such incidents in the future. Rao said that the mother of ABVP leader Susheel Kumar, who was allegedly beaten up by students including Vemula, had filed a case in the High Court. The court in return had several times asked the University about what decision it had taken on the complaint, he said. Pic: Congress VP Rahul Gandhi met Rohith's family yesterday. Reading for a lifetime -- Ronda Dunn, right, honorary chair of the 2016 Book in Every Home campaign, reads to youngsters enrolled in the Carbondale Head Start center. (Photo by Russell Bailey) SIU launches Book in Every Home campaign by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. A strong educational foundation begins with reading. Southern Illinois University Carbondales Head Start program is launching its Book in Every Home campaign. Longtime educator Ronda Dunn, wife of SIU President Randy Dunn, is once again chair for this years drive, which runs through March 1. The goal of the campaign, Read to Me Now and Ill Read for My Lifetime, is to collect enough books so that each of the 368 children enrolled in four Head Start centers will receive at least 10 new books to take home and call their own, Linda J. Flowers, interim Head Start director, said. Children ages three to five attend Head Start centers in Carbondale, Carterville, Marion and Murphysboro. Head Start centers are at 1900 N. Illinois Ave., Carbondale; Malones Early Learning Center, 108 Walnut St., Carterville; 907 N. Vicksburg, Marion, and McElvain Center, 593 Ava Road, Murphysboro. The ability to read is the single most important skill parents of preschool age children can cultivate in the home, Dunn said. Reading allows the child to dream. Dreams propel us through life. Having age appropriate books available in the home is imperative. The campaign is off to an earlier start this year and there are already significant donations, Dunn said. She read to children at the Head Start center in Carbondale last week. I always enjoy reading to the kids. Theyre so cute and well-behaved, she said. Nationally respected for its success, the SIU Carbondale Head Start program, now in its 45th year, is one of only a few university-related Head Start organizations in the country. The program focuses on meeting the social, intellectual, emotional and physical needs of preschool children from income-eligible families. The national Head Start program got its start in the summer of 1965. A triple alumna of SIU, Dunn is a graduate of Benton High School. She earned her bachelors degree in business administration, a masters degree in workforce education and development along with a certification in business education. Dunn completed her doctorate in educational administration at the university in 2003. In her early career, Dunn worked for Prudential and First Bank of Carbondale but after continuing her education, she became a business education and computer science teacher for the Herrin school district. She was then hired as Williamson County technical education director and later appointed as the Regional Superintendent of Schools for Franklin and Williamson counties. Following a move to Murray, Ky., where her husband was president of Murray State University, Ronda Dunn worked for the Kentucky Department of Education. As an educational recovery director, she supervised school improvement efforts at high schools within the western 36 counties of Kentucky. Flowers emphasized that research shows that it is difficult for young children to catch up if they are behind in reading skills by the time they reach third grade. Its important that we continue to stress the importance of reading to our children and families because reading is important to a childs success in school and in life, she said. In choosing a new book for young children ages 3-5, please consider the following: Illustrations -- Large, clear colorful pictures that relate to the words. Content -- Books that repeat words or phrases and those with rhyming words. Text -- The story should be easy to follow and understand. Design -- The pages in the book should be uncluttered. The print should be large and legible. Language -- Books written in both Spanish and English are acceptable. There are 18 drop box locations on campus and throughout the Head Start communities. On campus the following locations are: SIU Presidents office, Stone Center Chancellors office, Anthony Hall SIU Alumni Association, Colyer Hall Intercollegiate Athletics office, 118 Lingle Hall Student Health Services Student Recreation Center SIU Carbondale Head Start Central Office, 1900 N. Illinois Ave., Carbondale. Teacher Education Program, Wham Building University Bookstore, Student Center Participating businesses are: Bank of Carbondale, Carbondale; First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust locations in Carbondale, Carterville and Marion; First Southern Bank locations in Carbondale and Murphysboro; Murdale True Value & Just Ask Rental, Carbondale; Silkworm, Murphysboro, and SIU Credit Union, Carbondale. In addition to bringing books, tax-deductible monetary donations to buy new books are also welcome. Checks should be made out to the SIU Foundation with Book in Every Home written in the memo area. The SIU Foundation address is 1235 Douglas Drive, Colyer Hall, Mail Code 6805, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 62901. For more information on the Book in Every Home campaign or Head Start, contact Flowers at 618/453-7171. [January 19, 2016] All About The API Announces Call For Papers By TMC Cutting Edge July 2016 Event To Present What's Next In Business Interaction Opportunities and Solutions Norwalk, Conn. January 19, 2016--All About the API, a new four-day event from TMC (News - Alert), has announced a 'Call for Papers and Speakers.' The July 18-21, 2016 conference will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada at Caesar's Palace Conference Center. The conference will focus on the language of the interconnected ecosystem of technology solutions, services, apps and platforms that are already powering the workplace and personal lives. Topics, tracks and themes for All About the API surround multiple areas of focus, including BizTech, EdTech, FinTech, MedTech, TravelTech, MobileTech, MilitaryTech, GovTech, Telecom, Connected Home, Gaming, DevOps, Connected Car, Mobile Marketing, Wearables, Collaboration, Messaging, CyberSecurity and the Enterprise. 'APIs are the interconnective tissue between new and newer, old and new and even old and old applications and services,' said TMC CEO Rich Tehrani (News - Alert). 'Every day, new API-based services and streamlined operations are brought to market that reduce costs, time and friction in businesses of all sizes. All About the API's call for papers seeks to highlight and amplify what's working and what's next for developers, product managers, CIOs, CTOs, CMOs and engineers who need to be at the front of the line when it comes to business change and transformation.' Submissions are due on or before Monday, February 29th and should be submitted online at:http://www.allabouttheapi.com/call-for-papers.aspx For more information about All About The API visit the event website at: http://www.allabouttheapi.com/ # # # # Media Contact: Comunicano (News - Alert), Inc. Andy Abramson +1-858-523-1800 [email protected] Edited by Kyle Piscioniere [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] In retaliation to the United States President Barack Obama's recent remark that instability will continue for decades in Pakistan, Aziz said 'Pakistan's answer to instability is the strengthening democracy in the country.' Aziz asserted that US created 'holy warriors' in our tribal areas during the 'Afghan Jihad' and then left them as soon as the war was over. Aziz added that since 2013, Pakistan has been pursuing a policy of non-interference and is not taking part in other nation's wars. Aziz further said that Pakistan has also taken a strong stance against terrorism.(ANI) Nawaz Sharif and Raheel will meet Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and call on Iranian grand spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Dawn online reported. During the visit to Saudi Arabia, Nawaz Sharif met King Salman and will deliver the king's message to the Iranian leadership in Tehran. General Raheel also held a meeting with the Saudi defence minister soon after arriving in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi and Pakistani leadership exchanged views on various facets of enduring cooperation with regards to the Saudi initiative of forming a coalition of Islamic countries against terrorism," said a statement released by the foreign office of Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif also assured the Saudi leadership of Pakistan's support, and expressed concern at the recent escalation of tensions between Riyadh and Tehran. Riyadh has assured that if Tehran shows positive signs, diplomatic ties may be restored. A list of points has been given to the Pakistani leadership for discussion with Irans leadership, said diplomatic sources. Nawaz Shafif called for resolution of the current crisis through peaceful means in the larger interest of the Muslim world. Analysts regard Nawaz Sharif's diplomatic initiative a wise step to help Riyadh and Tehran prevent the current tensions from taking a turn which could endanger peace of the entire region. Moreover, with successful culmination of talks between big powers and Iran over the latter's nuclear issue, Pakistan certainly eyes economic benefits from Tehran re-entering world trade. "With Iran re-joining the world trade, Pakistan can look forward to meeting its energy needs from across the border by completing the pending gas pipeline," remarked an analyst. Tensions recently flared between the two regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran after the execution of a prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia, which led to the eruption of protests all over the region. As a reaction to the execution of the cleric, Riyadh's diplomatic post was attacked in Iran by angry protestors, which led to the severance of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, further complicating an already tense atmosphere. --Indo-Asian News Service py/vt ( 381 Words) 2016-01-19-16:21:37 (IANS) Pakistan Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will lead the delegation, reports The Express Tribune. Russia had signed a Government to Government (G2G) deal with Pakistan to lay the 2 billion dollars North South Pipeline from Karachi to Lahore to transport imported LNG and nominated RT Global to implement the project. Under the agreement, Pakistan would provide 15 per cent equity whereas 85 per cent funding would be provided by the Russian firm. The first phase of the project is expected to conclude by December 2017. Pakistani side will also negotiate a LNG supply deal with Russian firm Gazprom. During the talks, Russian side would update the Pakistani side about the sanctions imposed against RT Global. Russia could replace RT Global with some other company which was not facing US sanctions.(ANI) China's output of electric power and steel fell for the first time in decades in 2015, while coal production dropped for a second year in row, illustrating how a slowing economy and shift to consumer-led growth is hurting industrial consumers.China's economy grew at its weakest pace in a quarter of a century in 2015 and efforts to restructure have not only slashed demand but also exposed massive overcapacity in industrial sectors such as coal, steel and power.Only crude oil escaped the downturn, with refinery throughput hitting a new record in December and rising 3.8 percent to 10.44 million barrels per day in the year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Tuesday."Because steel mills are cutting production, it cuts demand for coal and power, and coal is also hit by falling power and cement demand. It is going to be really bad for the next five years," said Xu Zhongbo, a steel industry consultant.China generated 5.618 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power in 2015, down 0.2 percent from the previous year, the data showed, the first annual decline since 1968, when the country's economy was rocked by the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution."China's economic growth has decoupled from coal-fired power generation, and the increase in the service industry as a share of China's GDP has also slowed demand," said Yang Fuqiang, a senior researcher at the Natural Resources Defense Council.Yang said he expected the sector to grow at a much slower pace until 2050 as China embarks on "energy transition", and with a thermal power capacity surplus already estimated at around 200 gigawatts, China needed to stop approving new plants."TOO MANY APARTMENTS"Crude steel production dropped 2.3 percent to 803.8 million tonnes, the first yearly fall since 1981, with the entire sector sapped by weak demand and a colossal supply glut.Around half of China's steel mills are making losses and many are struggling to exit from a sector with a capacity surplus of around 400 million tonnes a year, half of total production.A slowdown in construction also hurt the energy intensive cement industry, slashing output by 4.9 percent in 2015 and creating further knock-on effects for coal and power."Steel production will continue decreasing this year, especially construction steel - there are just too many apartments and many cities just don't need to build anymore," said Xu.With coal output declining 3.5 percent in 2015, the second annual fall in a row, pressure on the sector is expected to persist into 2016, also hit by Beijing's efforts to encourage cleaner forms of energy. China is also struggling to tackle a capacity surplus amounting to around 2 billion tonnes a year.As China fights pollution, coal-fired power sources have been affected disproportionately by the slowdown, with a huge power capacity surplus allowing grids to give priority to cleaner sources of energy, including hydropower.Total thermal power generation in 2015 fell 2.8 percent to 4.21 trillion kWh, while hydropower rose 4.2 percent to 996 billion kWh in 2015. Utilisation rates at thermal power plants stood at a record low in 2015 and estimates suggest that there was a capacity surplus of as much as 200 gigawatts (GW).Official energy administration data showed on Friday that China's total installed power generation capacity rose 10.4 percent in 2015 to 1,506.7 GW. Thermal power capacity rose 7.8 percent to 990.2 GW over the period, amounting to 65.7 percent of the total. REUTERS PS NS1121 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-545720.Xml Three sisters, who were allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint from outside their house here on Saturday night, were recovered by the police from the jungles of Dudwa Tiger Reserve. It is being reported that the family paid ransom of Rs 5 lakhs to the criminals for the release of the girls. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav too was in touch with the officials and District Magistrate Kinjal Singh herself phoned the CM after the girls were found late last night. State Inspector General of Police (Law and Order ) A Satish Ganesh said in Lucknow that police has all the information about the criminals and they would be apprehended within a day or two. Mr Ganesh, however, did not confirm about the report of the payment of ransom to the criminals. He said that the matter was very critical and police wanted first the safe return of the girls which has been done. " Now the criminals would be nabbed soon," he said. Deputy Inspector General of Police ( DIG) Lucknow D K Chaudhary, who is camping on the spot, said a massive combing operation has been launched to trace the criminals who abandoned the girls in the forest and escaped. Meanwhile in protest against the kidnapping , the local traders of Singhi area have closed their markets today demanding arrest of the culprits. Police sources said the criminals kidnapped the girls-- Upma (23) Rohini (19) and Santoshi(16) from their house in Khairigarh village. The criminals also snatched the earrings of the mother of these girls. The girls' father is a businesman dealing in edible oil. He also owns a jaggery unit. Sources said that the criminals have telephoned the trader demanding Rs 50 lakhs as ransom for the return of the girls. Police was suspecting that criminal Bagga could be behind the crime.UNI MB SV VP1208 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-545726.Xml Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar says he is honoured to meet General V K Singh, the man behind the rescue mission for Indians citizens along with other foreign nationals during the 2015 Yemen Crisis.Akshay met Gen Singh , now a Minister of State for External Affairs in the Narendra Modi Government, during his visit to Delhi to promote his film, based on the evacuation of Indians from Kuwait during the 1990 Gulf war.Last evening, the actor posted a photograph of himself with general V K Singh on his social networking account. ''Honoured to meet Gen Vijay Kumar Singh, the key man behind rescue mission Operation Raahat during the Yemen Crisis,''Akshay tweeted.'Airlift', directed by Raja Krishna Menon, releases on January 22.UNI AR SV 1309 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-545839.Xml In a bid to boost ambitious Make in India initiative, Australia and India today forged a partnership for providing unique technologies. Australias Environmental Clean Technologies (ECT) signed a treaty with Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) and National Minerals Development Corporation (NMDC) at the Neyveli corporate offices in Tamil Nadu. The Australian company will deliver unique technologies that would enable countrys abundant lignite coal use for electricity and steel production.An Australian company has forged an important new partnership under Indian Prime Minister Modi's 'Make in India' initiative to deliver unique Australian technologies which enable Indias abundant lignite coal to be used for electricity and steel production, while at the same time minimising CO2 emissions, the Australian Consul-General to South India, Mr Sean Kelly announced.Under the Agreement, ECT, NLC and NMDC will jointly build an integrated Coldry low rank coal drying demonstration plant and a Matmor pilot iron ore plant as a launch pad for a global commercial roll-out of the technology. This exciting Australian innovation further reinforces Australias position as Indias pre-eminent energy partner, Mr Kelly said, while at the same time helping India reduce the carbon intensity of its rapidly growing steel industry that depends on coal.It is also a tangible example of the scope for Australians to bring their world-class technological innovations to India, adapting the technology to suit local requirements and working alongside Indian partners, resonating with Indian Government's Make in India initiative Mr Kelly said.UNI ASH ABI SV 1410 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0388-545966.Xml With the Assembly electionsfast nearing, the BJP, which has been making allout efforts to cobble up a formidable alliance, has appointed Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar as the election in-charge for Tamil Nadu. Party sources said the appointment was made by BJP National President Amit Shah last evening. Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed as joint in-charge. Mr Javadekar has vast experience in election management, especially in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister. He has also beenthe BJPs face in the media for several years. Also, Javadekar shares a good rapport with BJP Tamil Nadu unit President Tamizhisai Soundararajan. The two leaders, along with Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, had worked together for years in an intellectual forum in the party. Ms Tamizhisai Soundararajan said the party was gearing up in full force and was prepared toface the elections any time. After facing a rout in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP-led NDA showed signs of disintegrating withthe MDMK led by firebrand leader Vaiko walking outof the alliance and another key partner, the Vanniyar-dominated Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK)led by Dr S Ramadoss too stepping out by naminghis son and former Union Minister Anbumani as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the polls. The BJP has been trying hard to keep theVijayakanth led DMDK in its fold, though several parties, including the DMK and the four-party People's Welfare Front comprising MDMK, the two Left parties and the dalit outfit Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and the Congress weretrying to woo the actor-politician for an alliance to take on the ruling AIADMK in thepolls. But Vijayakanth, who was authorised by theparty's General Council to take an appropriatedecision on the alliance, was yet to pronouncehis strategy.UNI GV KVV ADB1501 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-546100.Xml " The act of the police in the kidnapping of three sisters in Lakhimpur Kheri itself is a proof about the collapsed law and order situation in the state. The Samajwadi Party government has no morale right to continue in the state," he told reporters here after his arrival from New Delhi. The Union Minister said,''it is a shame for the state government when three sisters were kidnapped and its police could not arrest the culprits so far. Mr Katheria said,''the people in UP are living in the state of fear due to bad law and order situation.'' When the Minister's attention was drawn on the BJP's prospect in the coming 2017 assembly polls in the state, he said confidentaly that BJP will come to power. To a query whether he could be the BJP state president or CM face, Mr Katheria said,"we are the discplined worker of the party and will do whatever the party ask us to do."UNI XC-MB AE AS1447 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-545955.Xml State unit SFI leader Vipin Sharma alleged that right wing organisation Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) was behind his expulsion from the university. It was due to the pressure from ABVP that a Dalit student was expelled from the hostel, he said. Terming it shameful act, he said the university should not be bias to any caste, creed or community. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice-Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the 26-year-old Appa Rao Dalit student, triggering massive protests. The issue also took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of Mr Dattatreya. The SFI leader said strict action should be initiated against the University administration and the Vice-Chancellor should be removed.He added that the student was forced to die. It was a murder rather a suicide, he added.UNI ML SW AS1437 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-545892.Xml "The Indo-Pak international border is not well-guarded and Border Security Force (BSF) in its current strength is not enough for guarding the International Border," said Vohra. Delivering a key note address at the raising day function of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Vohra said there is need for a separate cadre, National Security Administrative Services in the country. He added there is also a need to have standard operating norms that define role of state police, special forces and army in dealing with terror attacks. Speaking on the occasion, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said there is a need to empower the NIA, adding that terrorism is not only a challenge to the country, but also a global one. Singh added infrastructure must be approved and technology also should be upgraded. Earlier, Rajnath had chaired a meeting on internal security which was attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and BSF Director General D.K. Pathak were also present in the meeting. (ANI) Calling the nation's youth to inculcate the spirit of democratic behaviour, President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that the appreciation of the rich diversity of the nation, assimilation of ideas and accommodation of divergent or contrarian views must also be encouraged. The President delivered his address through video conferencing on the topic 'Youth and Nation-Building' to students and faculty of institutes of higher learning and civil service academies from Rashtrapati Bhavan today. "The idea of secularism is deeply ingrained in the consciousness of our nation. It has to be further strengthened in the minds of the young ones to build a harmonious society. Gender equality is essential for building an inclusive society. Unless women participate on equal terms and in equal numbers in the process of nation-building, all efforts will remain incomplete," he said. The President emphasized on the spirit of reverence towards women and said that it must be instilled in children at homes and educational institutions. He said that the government has launched programmes for financial inclusion, creation of model villages and formation of a digitally-empowered society. "What we have to do now is to create enough opportunities through their implementation to meet the ambitions of an inspirational India. The nation which the youth have to build as bureaucrats, technocrats, scientists, educators, social innovators, thinkers, and agriculturists has to be an India which will ensure a decent and fulfilling life to all its citizens," The President said. "It has to be a swachh India, swasth India, a digitally-empowered India, educated and skilled India, and a tolerant, harmonious and peaceful India where the last person feels a part of the narrative of the country," he added. The President said for building the India of our dreams, the nations has to work together to develop an eco-system which will bring together innovators, entrepreneurs and financiers, which will recognize merit and give primacy to science, technology and innovation. "A facilitative and supportive environment for free play of all creative forces, be it in government, corporate sector or academia, has to be created. The higher academic institutions have a clear role to play in refining the entrepreneurial abilities of their students. Teaching of entrepreneurial studies as a course in our institutes will be a good beginning," he said. The President called upon all educational and civil services institutions to inculcate in their students and trainees a sense of social responsibility. He suggested some steps for enhancing their engagement with the community such as assigning them to teach in nearby government schools for at least one hour per month; deploying them to undertake community-based projects to uplift the condition of people in the vicinity and assigning them to identify problems faced by villages and work on innovative solutions which blend modern technology with local practices. (ANI) Refuting allegation of the Aam Aadmi Party that Delhi Police is behind the ink attack on Delhi Chief Arvind Kejriwal, city Police Commissioner BS Bassi today termed the charge as ''baseless and unworthy.'' Addressing mediapersons here at Police Headquarters, Mr Bassi said, ''There is no question of entering into any conspiracy (with anybody) to cause any harm to any person who is given special security by us, including the Delhi CM.'' Brushing aside accusation hurled by the AAP, the top cop said Delhi Police was committed to providing security to every citizen of the national capital and reiterated that ''there was no security lapse and the required police cover was in place." When a specific reaction was sought on allegation of AAP leader Ashutosh, who smelled deep conspiracy behind splashing of ink on Mr Kejriwal, and blamed Delhi police for the security breach, Mr Bassi said,''Unka arop na-kabile gaur hai (His allegation doesn't deserve attention.) A controversy erupted on Sunday when a 27-year-old woman, identified as Bhawna Arora, threw ink on Mr Kejriwal while he was delivering a speech during the rally at Chhatrasal Stadium for making the odd-even traffic policy successful. The AAP has described the womans entry to the podium after breaching of police security, as a conspiracy. It slammed the Delhi Police for inadequate security at the venue and called for a probe into the security breach. UNI RG RSA 1523 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-546072.Xml Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari on Tuesday cautioned that the turbulence in Arab lands was not immune to regional and extra-regional inputs. Delivering the keynote address at the second West Asia Conference organized by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Ansari added that Bahrain, Libya, Syria and Yemen were subjected to political and or material interventions from across national borders. "Despite this backdrop of an emergent social reality, the Arab Turbulence of 2010-2011 was quintessentially a non-religious, secular, phenomenon that took the shape of a leaderless mass movement seeking dignity, empowerment, political citizenship, social justice and taking back the state and its institutions from rulers and their cronies," he said. He said that its slogans, however, did not resort to calls for Arab unity or advocate Islam as the solution and its most dramatic impact was the abandonment of the fear of the security apparatus of the state. "Some of these emanated from within the region, some from immediate or proximate neighbourhood, and some from great or big powers. The objective in each case was and is to prevent, retard or reverse the change sought by a visible majority of the public," he added. He further said the link between the citizen and state through the mechanism of accountability is critical for domestic cohesion and internal security, but has not been sufficiently in evidence. "Periods of turmoil, and unexplained happenings, are often depicted as a spectre, an impending danger. Such a spectre today seems to haunt all who look at the region of western Asia and northern Africa. The apprehensions emanate from a dangerous mix of realpolitik and professed ideology that challenges the status quo in the region, and has become a threat to regional and world peace," he said. He stated that an analysis of the states of West Asia identified among its characteristics the politics of limited association and of an essentially broad urban middle class base in which coercion or co-option into the state structure rather than durable resilience of the system whose legitimacy is based on the full participation of the people in the body politic. The Vice President said that the situation at the end of 2015 was one of total disarray, a situation in which regional and global powers together with empowered local groups are engaged in political and military action in half a dozen different battlefields. He further said that the immediate concern of each is to prevail upon its adversary. "Little thought, if any, is being given to longer term consequences for the societies in the region. In the process, the rationale for the turbulence takes the back seat, he added. (ANI) To spread the message of road safety in the city, Mr.Yunus Khan, Cabinet Minister, Transport and Mr. Babu lalji Verma, Minister of State, Transport, Govt of Rajasthan flagged-off the 'Safe and Clean Ride', a rally to celebrate Rajasthan Road Safety Week from Birla auditorium. The rally was led by India's number one E-bike manufacturer, Hero Electric. During the six-day rally, Hero Electric will showcase and give complimentary rides on its range of E-bikes at various venues during the five days of rally in order to give a closer experience of E-bikes to people of Jaipur. The company intends to highlight the fact that E-bikes are a far safer city mobility option than conventional fuel fired two-wheelers due to better speed control, robust body design and technical superiority due to minimal mechanical interplays, besides being the environmentally best option. Speaking on the occasion, Shammi Sharma, Vice President (Sales and Business Development), Hero Electric said, "We are proud to be associated with the Rajasthan Road Safety Week, as it is aimed at creating awareness among citizens about road safety while promoting a clean environment. As a part of the rally, we will encourage people to experience the comfort and safety of E-bikes while educating them about the benefits and utilities of electric vehicles." It may be known that India has the dubious distinction of having the maximum number of road accidents and deaths on roads in the world. Irresponsible driving, poorly maintained vehicles, high speed, bad road designs are major reasons for high accidents. "One of the leading reasons for high fatalities on Indian roads is poorly maintained bikes. E-bikes on the other hand have superior designs and require minimum maintenance. Also, as the speed of the vehicle is controlled, it suits city commuters while providing a much safer drive around the city", added Sharma. (ANI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq's plea for an open court hearing of his petition seeking review of its August 10, 2011 verdict upholding his death sentence in the December 22, 2000 Red Fort attack case. Making exception to its September 2, 2014 verdict limited to the case of Arif, the constitution bench of Chief Justice T.S.Thakur, Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice J. Chelameswar, Justice A.K.Sikri and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman gave him a month's time to file fresh review plea that would be heard in the open court. The court also permitted Arif to raise additional grounds supporting his plea for the review of the 2011 verdict. The apex court by its September 2, 2014 verdict had said that in the cases where the death sentence has been upheld by it, the convict will have a right that his petition seeking review of this verdict would be heard by a three judges bench in open court. In the case of pending death row convicts, the court had said that in cases where the review plea have been already rejected but curative petition has not been moved or decided, the death row convicts can, within one month, move afresh for an open court hearing of their review plea. The court bhad said that the window of an open court hearing of the review plea would not be available to those death row convicts in whose case both review plea and curative petition have been declined. Seeking the recall of the September 2, 2014 order, Arif had contended that he was the only death row convict who was denied the opportunity of an open court hearing as he came in the category where even the curative petition too had been rejected. Taking on record the contention by Arif's counsel and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation, the court made an exception to Arif's case noting that his was the solitary case where on account of September 2, 2014 verdict, he could not get an open court hearing of his plea. Around 9 p.m. on December 22, some armed intruders entered the Red Fort and started indiscriminate firing, killing three soldiers of the Rajputana Rifles, deployed in the Red Fort for its protection. A Quick Reaction Team returned the fire but none of the attackers was hit, and they were successful in escaping by scaling over the rear side boundary wall of the fort. While upholding the death sentence of Arif, the apex court by its August 10, 2011 verdict had said that "this is a unique case where there is one most aggravating circumstance that it was a direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India by foreigners. Thus, it was an attack on Mother India. This is apart from the fact that as many as three persons had lost their lives." Holding that the death sentence was the only sentence that could be awarded to Arif, the court had said that Arif had "built up a conspiracy by practicing deceit and committing various other offences in furtherance of the conspiracy to wage war against India as also to commit murders by launching an unprovoked attack on the soldiers of Indian Army". --Indo-Asian News Service pk/vd ( 566 Words) 2016-01-19-18:06:08 (IANS) "Atmosphere of intolerance not only seems to be continuing, but rising. Incidents like Malda , replay of Muzaffarnagar, and now the University showing anti-Dalit attitude. So, I am returning the honour they bestowed on me," Vajpeyi told ANI. "Under present circumstances, I don't think I can associate with Hyderabad University," he added. Vajpeyi had earlier returned the Sahitya Akademi Award in protest against the murder of renowned writer M.M. Kalburgi. Rohith, a second-year research scholar of Science, Technology and Society Studies Department, and others were suspended from the hostel last year following allegations that they attacked Sushil Kumar after the screening of a controversial documentary 'Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai'. Earlier this month, five students were thrown out of the hostel after they accused the university authorities of denying them access to campus facilities, except their classrooms and workshops. The 28-year-old victim from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district was found hanging at the hostel room of one of his friends around 7:30p.m. on Sunday. (ANI) Founder President of Lok Satta Party Dr Jayapraksh Narayan today demanded judicial probe in the specter of caste politics. In a statement here, Dr Narayan said this 66th year of the Republic of India, we hang our heads in shame at the casteist cauldron that our institutes of higher learning have become while our eyes well with tears at the truncated life of a 26 year old PhD aspirant, Rohith Vemula. It is indeed the saddest portent when Dr B R Ambedkar's prescient warning comes true. It has a sordid history of Dalit student suicides and rustication with the stench of a caste ridden administration, who instead of engendering a cordial and welcoming atmosphere of education for the underprivileged and under represented, have modeled themselves into a feudal stronghold. Any place of higher learning, especially a centrally administered one and even more so, one that specializes in scientific studies, should strive to be a shining example to society, putting the scientific minds of students ahead of their caste identities. In fact, it must journey a few extra miles in fashioning an environment where the curious mind thrives in peer company and under expert professorial guidance. Not only that, but in a country that is sorely lacking of scientific expertise and a long and established paucity of Dalit, socially backward and female scientists, it behooves the HCU to accord special guidance and extra classes as required, to rectify this grievous disparity. The revelation that even an institution populated by the most educated professors of science, instead of being a safe haven for reasoning minds, reeks of intolerance, castesim and a socially regressive environment is telling of the state of education and the educated in India. This is has now not only ended in a tragic loss of young life but is further erupting into larger social protests and clashes seeking justice. It is therefore imperative for the Central Government to act swiftly and conduct a thorough inquiry. In the interest of justice and impartiality, the inquiry must be conducted by an independent judicial committee and it's findings published. HCU must bear responsibility to create a conducive learning environment and implement measures to root out the evil of casteism, Dr Narayan said.MORE UNI VV VV AK1745 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-546518.Xml Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought personal intervention of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to make expeditious and earnest efforts to rescue and bring back Punjabi youths who have reportedly been drowned near Panama. In a letter to Ms Swaraj, the Chief Minister apprised her about the media reports that 22-24 youths from Punjab have reportedly drowned near Panama, when their boat called Turbo, capsized on its journey to United States. He said this tragedy has shaken the families of these youth to the core and in the absence of any reliable information, it was difficult to console their family members. The incident occurred on January 10 and their parents came to know about it on January 12-13. Mr Badal said on its part the state government has registered a case against the travel agents belonging to District Kapurthala who were instrumental in arranging their journey. Two travel agents have already been arrested in this regard. The Chief Minister impressed upon Ms Swaraj that the Union government make immediate and sincere efforts through the governments of countries concerned and Indian Missions in Colombia and Panama so that these young boys could be rescued and brought back to India.UNI NC SW AN1859 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-546370.Xml A two-member HRD Ministry team today began inquiry into the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula which evoked widespread outrage from students and political circles. The fact finding team, consists of Shakila Shamsu, Officer-on-special-duty and Deputy Secretary Surat Singh. "My birth is my fatal accident..", the Ph D scholar, who was found hanging in a University hostel room yesterday, had written in his suicide note. His death triggered agitation by a section of students even as political parties resorted to a blame game. Activists of the Telangana Jagruti Manch held a demonstration outside the residence of Union Minister of State for Labour, Bandaru Dattatreya's residence in Hyderabad . Protests continued in different places over the incident. The protesters raised slogans against Union Human Resource Development minister Smriti Irani and Mr Dattatreya, forcing police personnel to round them up. Expressing concern over the suicide, noted writer Ashok Vajpayee announced his decision to return the D Lit degree, conferred on him by the Hyderabad University. Congress, the principal opposition party at the Centre, took serious note of the 'tragic incident.' Its vice-president Rahul Gandhi rushed to Hyderabad to console the victim's family and meet agitating students in the university campus. Mr Gandhi held responsible for abetting to suicide, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the University VC and urged severe punishment forthe 'guilty'. His party viewed the tragedy as a "fallout of Modi Government's anti Dalit agenda" and demanded the removal of the Labour Minister and action against Ms Irani. Founder President of Lok Satta Party Dr Jayapraksh Narayan demanded a judicial probe in the specter of caste politics. In a statement, Dr Narayan said,'' in this 66th year of the Republic of India, we hang our heads in shame at the casteist cauldron that our institutes of higher learning have become while our eyes well with tears at the truncated life of a 26 year old PhD aspirant, Rohith Vemula. '' It is indeed the saddest portent when Dr B R Ambedkar's prescient warning comes true,'' he said. Dr Narayan said,'' There is a sordid history of Dalit student suicides and rustication with the stench of a caste ridden administration, who instead of engendering a cordial and welcoming atmosphere of education for the underprivileged and under represented, have modeled themselves into a feudal stronghold. YSR Congress also demanded a high level probe and said that all those responsible, irrespective of their social standing, should be arrested. All India People's Science Network (AIPSN) expressed shock and grief at the suicide. However, Bharatiya Janata Party's Telangana-unit president G Kishan Reddy refuted the criticism. He alleged that some parties, including TRS and Congress were politicising the tragedy with an eye on the upcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. Talking to newspersons, Mr Reddy said that it was University of Hyderabad's internal affair and neither Minister Dattatreya nor Ms Irani have any link with the tragedy. Moreover, the suicide note of Rohith also did not mention any names, Mr Reddy said adding that the tragedy happened at the UoH after releasing the letter which was written to the HRD Minister by Mr Dattatreya. He said ABVP president Sushil Kumar was manhandled by the Amedkar Students Association members on August last year. Mr Kumar was admitted to hospital for 15 days and following Sushil Kumar's request, Mr Dattatreya wrote to the Union HRD Minister on August 17 informing her about the happenings in the University. Meanwhile, Mr Kumar approached Hyderabad High Court. As per the HC directives, UoH disciplinary committee suspended the students on August 31. The HRD Ministry reply was received by UoH on December 27, which clearly shows that there was no connection to Mr.Dattatreya or HRD ministry for suspension of the students, Mr Reddy said adding we are ready for an inquiry by the High Court sitting Judge.UNI Team SS RP2045 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0089-547035.Xml Pakistani Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Pathankot terror attack will not be allowed to enter the IAF airbase, Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh said today, days after India said it was willing to welcome the investigative team. Ever since the External Affairs Ministry said New Delhi looks forward to the visit of the SIT, questions were raised from various quarters whether the team will be given access to the sensitive military installation. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that the Pakistani team can not enter the IAF base at Pathankot without his permission. Talking to mediapersons during his visit to NCC republic day camp here, the Minister reiterated that the team can not be given entry into the airbase, as Mr Parrikar has already clarified. He said Pakistan was the epicentre of terrorism and it is for the world community to root out the terror infrastructure. "This is responsibility of the entire world to eliminate terrorism....this is good for us if the world pressurises Pakistan on the issue of terrorism," Mr Singh said. UNI MK RSA AE 1938 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-546890.Xml Demanding immediate sacking and arrest of Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya in connection with the suicide of Dalit PhD research scholar Rohith Vemula at the Hyderabad Central University, the Aam Aadmi Party today said they would launch a nation-wide protest over the issue on January 21. "The party would launch protest against persecution of Dalit students and forcing one of them to commit suicide, party spokesperson Sanjay Singh said at a news conference. Blaming the Centre for targeting Dalits, including those in Haryana, he said, Dalits have faced persecution after Narendra Modi's government came to power at the Centre. There are several instances, including those in BJP ruled Haryana, where Dalits were targeted, persecuted and even murdered. Showing a letter written by Mr Dattatreya to Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani, Mr Singh said, "In his letter to the HRD Minister, Mr Dattatreya called these students anti-national, extremist and casteist. This shows the mind set of Modi government, which has a clear bias against the Dalits and the down-trodden." Later, The AAP leaders -- Ashutosh, Sandeep Kumar, Rakhi Bidlan and Dilip Pandey -- along with the party volunteers staged a protest at Jantar Mantar over the Dalit suicide. The AAP leaders said they would organize protests in all state capitals and district headquarters demanding immediate sacking and arrest of Mr Dattatreya and Hyderabad University's Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao. The AAP also demanded that Ms Irani's role should also be probed.UNI SM/RG SW AE 1935 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0271-546801.Xml This was announced by Keita Muramatsu, president and CEO, during his one-on-one interaction with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Tokyo today, an official release stated. He informed the Chief Minister that the Manesar plant was always the first to come out with new models. He said that the company was trying its best to make its products BS VI complaisant. Mr Keita thanked the Chief Minister for investor-friendly New Enterprise Policy and e-governance initiatives. UNI NC VJ DJK CS1942 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-546784.Xml Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur today lambasted the SAD-BJP alliance government for its failure to check the immigration mafia in the state, forcing youths to land on foreign shores illegally. The mafia of travel agents in the state not only lure the youths to shell out hefty sums but also put their lives in danger while promising to fulfil their foreign dreams, the AAP leader said while addressing a press conference along with senior AAP leader Himmat Singh Shergill here. Mr Chhotepur said while his party was still trying to get more details on the Panama boat tragedy from both the union and the state government, the media reports suggest that well oiled illegal immigration business worth Rs 1500 crore is proliferating in this state under the nose of Parkash Singh Badal-led government. He blamed the SAD-BJP government for its failure to generate employment opportunities for youth during the last nine years of its tenure which is why they are being attracted by the unscrupulous travel agents to go abroad. The AAP leader said it is laughable to learn that Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal is in touch with the MEA to send a team of police officers to Panama to inquire about the boat tragedy. "What kind of inquiry the police intends to do in Panama. If Sukhbir was serious about the issue he could have dealt the immigration mafia with an iron hand being the home minister of Punjab", he added. He said AAP leadership would soon approach the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to send a party delegation to Panama to gather information about the boat tragedy. The delegation would submit a detailed report to the party leadership suggesting ways and means to ensure such incidents do not occur in future. He alleged that unfortunately the mafia has been proliferating with the tacit support of the alliance and with the active backing of Punjab police officials. "Otherwise why the Punjab police have failed to act against the travel agents on the hundreds of complaints pending in the various police stations across the state", he said. Mr Chhotepur said the Akali government has failed to implement the Punjab Travel Profesionals' Regulation Act, 2012, under which all travel agents must be registered with the government. As a result a large number of agents are operating illegally without being registered under the Act. The AAP leader said that the party would soon constitute a wing which would reach out to the families in the state whose members have been stuck on foreign lands due to lack of documentation. "We will see if we can help them come back to Punjab", he added. UNI DB DJK CS2014 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-546836.Xml Jagdishpura village youth Arun Saini and Sarvjeet Singh who had left for Lebanon on September 24, 2014, have been languishing in a prison in Syria and the family members of the youth are worried a lot and praying for their safe return. Family members said that on January 18, 2015 Arun called home last time from an undisclosed location in Syria and told his family that, he and Sarvjeet were safe and the travel agent was making efforts to send them to Lebanon, their ultimate destination, but after that, they had no communication from them. The Kaithal youth were accompanied by Joga Singh and Kuldeep Singh from Bodda village of Pehowa in Kurukshetra district, according to Anil, brother of Arun. In the latest development, a telephone call made by some reporter from Delhi this Sunday brought some relief to the affected families when they were informed that both Arun and Sarvjeet were safe but lodged in a jail in Syria and foreign ministry was making efforts to get them released and bring them back home soon. After a long time this positive news brought cheers to members of affected families but they say that if their wards return home safely only then they would believe the reports received by them. Arun belongs to a very poor family and his father is a daily wage labourer. Anil, elder brother of Arun (24), partially paralysed told UNI today that travel agent Surjit Singh of Pehowa took Rs four lakh from them to send Arun and Sarvjeet to Lebanon. Krishan Kumar, father of Arun, raised loan to send his son abroad so that he could get some work there and send back money home. But their hopes were dashed soon. Arun said they had approached Yamunanagar MLA Ghanshyam Dass Arora who wrote to foreign minister Sushma Sawraj about three months back. They had also sent letters to Union Home Minister and Haryana Chief Minister seeking help but received no communication from any quarter. Sarvjeet Singh, another victim of the travel agent, also hails from poor family and his father Balkar passed way years back. Surender Kaur, badly shaken mother of Sarvjeet,,in her mid fifties who works as a domestic help and earns about Rs 2,500-3000 monthly, waits for her eldest son to return safely. She said sobbingly that after the death of her husband her family had high hopes from Sarvjeet. We took loans to send him abroad so that he can earn money. I hope he returns soon, she said. Jimmy (14), younger brother of Sarvjeet, and his two sisters are also equally concerned about the safety of their kin. UNI XC DB RJ GC2225 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-547124.Xml Delhi BJP workers, led by State President Satish Upadhyay, today staged a day-long dharna at Jantar Mantar, in support of the Municipal Leaders and Councillor's Symbolic Fast, demanding proper funds for the Municipal Corporations so that they can ensure proper civic services in Delhi. All three Municipal Corporations Mayors- Subhash Arya, Harsh Malhotra and Ravinder Gupta, along with the leaders of the House, Ashish Sood, Ram Narain Dubey, Yogendra Chandolia, Deputy Mayors Kuldeep Singh Solanki, Asha Singh, Neelam Goyal, Standing Committee Chairpersons Radhe Shyam Sharma, Mohan Bhardwaj, Lata Gupta, Deputy Chairpersons of Standing Committee Dipti Joshi, Praveen Rajput and Virendra Babbar, observed a day-long symbolic fast. Municipal Zonal Chairpersons, Councillors and Delhi BJP Office bearers also joined the agitation. They demanded that Delhi Government should immediately release all pending funds as per the 3rd DFC recommendations of Delhi Finance Commission's recommendations.Several Municipal Staff Association representatives also extended support to Delhi BJP agitation and urged the Municipal Leaders to move a contempt application in Delhi High Court as Delhi Government is denying municipal funds despite court orders. The BJP Workers raised slogans condemning Kejriwal regime for denying municipal funds and making citizens of Delhi suffer.Addressing the Dharna Mr. Satish Upadhyay said," it is tragic that in the national capital civic facilities are crippling due to lack of funds as the Delhi government is playing dirty politics. He said Delhi BJP would go all out to expose the farceness in the working of Kejriwal government and ensure Delhi gets proper civic services. "It is really sad that even after Delhi High Court orders Kejriwal government refuses to talk to the Municipal leaders and release pending funds of around 3000 crores as per 3rd Delhi Finance Commission itself for the 3 Municipal Corporations on account of Plan, Non Plan, Municipal Reforms and Trifurcation Funds,Mr Upadhyay said.UNI AR CJ RJ 2340 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-547000.Xml Telangana Minister for Information Technology, Mr K T Rama Rao today said, We foresee a bright future for the Hyderabad region with multinational companies like Google, UBER planning to set-up their largest campuses in Hyderabad. Speaking after inauguration of Real Estate Summit: organized jointly by Telangana Real Estate Developers Association (TREDA), Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI), Telangana Developers Association (TDA) and Telangana Builders Federation (TBA) here, Mr Rao said the large land bank available surrounding Hyderabad region gives an immense scope for expansion and growth of the city. It is indeed very encouraging to see all real estate developers associations coming together and contributing to the growth of the Telangana State, he said the State has been witnessing major developments and attracting international companies to invest in Telangana region and Government is backing and speeding the process of every developmental project for the benefit of the region and public. Real estate industry is like the backbone for every State and this kind of summits will help discuss and evaluate the growth prospects of the real estate industry in the Telangana region" the Minister added. The key discussion points between the Government and the associations revolved around concessions given to growth corridor, building plan permission, occupancy certificate, reduction of NALA tax charges from 9 per cent to 3 per cent and uninterrupted power supply, reduction of city level impact fee for high rise buildings Transferable development rights and strategic road development plan. The associations have emphasized on the fast track permissions like TPASS for faster approvals and sanction of new projects, which will indeed bring revenues to the State and also help the growth of the sector.UNI KNR CJ RJ AN2359 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-547255.Xml Talking to the media at Mantralay, he said the scheme was approved by the state Cabinet today. On common power tariff to all Mumbaikers, the Minister said he would again hold a meeting of all electricity supply companies. However, the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) was empowered to take a decision on the issue, he clarified. The Minister appealed farmers living in non-drought areas to pay arrears of the power bills. He said he would write a letter to all 40 lakh farmers urging them to pay the pending electricity bills worth about Rs 12,000 crore. On realisation, the amount could be utilised to upgrade electricity supply equipment in rural areas, he said. He pointed out that Rs 3,500 crore was needed to give new connections to water pumps to farmers on demand. Mr Bawankule further said that the state government next month would start laying of an underwater electrical cable to the world famous tourist island of Elephanta caves. Even after 60 years of independence this tourist attactintion was deprived of electricity, he said and added that historical caves will be provided with LED lamps. UNI XR SS RJ AN2314 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-547244.Xml Addressing a meeting here, Ms Mayawati said, the Dalits have always been neglected in our country. Neither the Congress, nor BJP did much for their conservation. Ms Mayawati, aiming towards West Bengal Assembly poll, appealed her party workers to reach the under privileged section of the society. However, she denied to comment regarding the suicide of a Dalit student at Hyderabad.UNI BM RJ AN2344 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-547223.Xml When Burkina Faso anti-terrorism Commander Evrard Somda arrived with 20 men to start a fight-back against Islamist militants holed up in a five-storey hotel, his first decision was to seal off the area and throw away the rule book.His training in France, Kenya, Senegal and elsewhere taught him he should be trying to make contact with the hostage takers. A quick glance at the horror before him was enough to know this would not work.Cars blazed in the street, bursts of gunfire echoed from the Splendid Hotel and bodies were strewn across the terrace of Cappuccino, a cafe-restaurant across the road popular for its European menu and free WiFi."They wanted to kill the maximum number of people and for them it wasn't a problem to die," Somda, who arrived on the scene at 8.30 pm (2030 GMT), told Reuters in the most detailed account yet of Friday night's assault.But Somda realised his men could not simply storm the hotel for fear of accidentally killing civilians."We couldn't just do what we wanted. We were obliged to take account of the life of the clients inside the hotel and avoid opening fire on them," he said.In the event, it would be nine hours before the three attackers were cornered in the nearby Bush Taxi restaurant. They fired on a brown troop carrier at the crossroads and a machine gunner perched in the vehicle's turret shot them dead, he said.By then, 29 civilians from at least seven countries were dead in an attack that stamped the imprint of Islamist militancy on West Africa well beyond the previous flashpoints of Mali and northeast Nigeria."MANY CRUSADERS DEAD"Officials have not yet been able to determine whether al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al Mourabitoun, groups that claimed responsibility for both attacks, used a local jihadist cell or sent fighters from northern Mali.What is clear is that the militants selected a target to inflict maximum damage on a country emerging from a democratic transition under an elected president, Roch Marc Kabore, the first new leader since 1987."The intention was to hurt foreigners. It is a place where you find a lot of foreigners. That explains why they attacked it," security minister Simon Compaore said.Another feature of the Ouagadougou attack is how much time the militants had. AQIM even said the attackers made a phone call to report to the group there were "many Crusaders dead."A later statement monitored by the SITE Intelligence group included a photograph of three young black men in army fatigues and carrying weapons it said were used in the raid."I was sitting in front of my boutique. Three guys passed in front of me. The tallest had a long gun. When they got to the intersection he fired in the air and the other two went into Cappuccino," said Saly Coulibaly, who saw the attack begin at around 7.30 p.m. local time (1930 GMT).People inside the one-room restaurant and on the terrace had little chance. Amid the shattered glass, bullet holes and charred ruins were signs of an ordinary evening brutally interrupted.A bottle of chilli oil to serve with pizza stood on one table. A half-finished bottle of red wine lay under another.The attackers sprayed the restaurant with bullets, set fire to cars and motorbikes and then entered the Splendid Hotel opposite. From there, they fired on people in the street, including anyone trying to emerge from the restaurant.Around midnight, a Reuters witness saw a man shot as he tried to retrieve his car parked near the hotel. He bled to death clutching his keys.Shortly after his arrival on the scene, Somda placed armed spotters in nearby buildings to determine the number of attackers, including a plain clothes officer hiding under a car.He then withdrew to a hastily erected command post at a nearby government ministry now filling with U.S. agents, French special forces and the army and police chiefs.By 2200 GMT, at least 60 gendarmes and police were ready to start a counter-attack alongside French special forces equipped, unlike their Burkinabe counterparts, with night vision goggles.FREED HOSTAGESTwo factors delayed them. First, they received mistaken information there were 12 attackers, not three.Second, they realised that if three teams simultaneously hit the Cappuccino, the Splendid and the nearby Yibi Hotel they risked opening fire on one another by accident.They opted first for the Splendid, the ground floor of which was on fire. Troops went room-by-room freeing dozens of people, a process that took most of the night.At least one door was booby-trapped with a grenade and they did not know where the militants might be hiding, Somda said. Many guests refused to open their doors, fearing a trick.In the end it turned out all the attackers had withdrawn.Next, security forces and the fire brigade went to the Cappuccino, which had been torched.In the Yibi Hotel they found bullet casings to show the militants had been there, but again no sign of the men. They were finally located at the Bush Taxi restaurant when the hidden security officers shot at them and they returned fire.French ambassador Gilles Thibault yesterday gave an account of the battle that placed more emphasis on the role played by French special forces and he said it was French troops who eliminated the attackers."There ... were certainly three (attackers) because it was the French forces who killed them," he told journalists. There was no immediate explanation for the differing accounts.Somda said that after the shootout, it then took several more hours to secure the site because of fears other militants might be hiding nearby.In the aftermath, he said the grimmest scene was at the Cappuccino, where bodies were charred beyond recognition. Only one person was pulled out alive, a woman from Burkina Faso, too traumatised to speak. REUTERS GAU RK 0531 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-545599.Xml Security forces in Baghdad were hunting for three US citizens who Iraqi lawmakers said had been kidnapped, which, if confirmed, would make them the first Americans abducted in the country since US troops withdrew in 2011.Unknown gunmen seized the trio from a private apartment on Friday in the capital's southeastern Dora district, said Mohammed al-Karbouli, who sits on parliament's security and defence panel. It was not immediately clear if their motives were political or criminal.Iskandar Witwit, deputy head of the same panel, gave a similar account citing senior security officials who said the civilians had been taken from the district's Sihha residential complex. Two of the three also had Iraqi citizenship, he said.Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militia fighters, seen as a bulwark in the fight against Islamic State militants, have a heavy presence in that part of the predominately Sunni district.The three men work for a small company that is doing maintenance work for the information technology division of General Dynamics Corp, under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with the matter.The names of two of the men, which were first published by Fox News and other media outlets, are Wael al-Mahdawy (whose name is also spelled, Wael al-Mahdawi) and Amro Mohammed, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The spelling of the first man's name was not consistent in information provided by authorities, said the source.The name of the third man was not immediately available.Mark Meudt, a spokesman for General Dynamics, referred all queries to the U.S. State Department.The State Department on Sunday had it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate Americans reported missing, without confirming they had been kidnapped.A State Department spokeswoman yesterday declined to provide any further comment, citing "privacy considerations."Dora was a bastion of the insurgency against the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and the site of intense sectarian bloodletting that peaked around 2006-07. Federal police now run most checkpoints there.The capital of Iraq, OPEC's second biggest oil exporter, has seen a proliferation in recent years of well-armed criminal gangs that carry out contract killings, kidnappings and extortion.Iraqi police set up extra checkpoints in Dora on Monday and sent out helicopter search parties. Two Iraqi army helicopters were seen hovering over the district, while police vehicles patrolled the streets, residents said.The Iraqi government has struggled to rein in the Shi'ite militias, many of which fought the U.S. military following the 2003 invasion and have previously been accused of killing and abducting American nationals.Iraq has seen a series of abductions of foreign nationals in recent months. At least 26 Qatari hunters kidnapped last month in the southern desert by unknown militants have not yet been found.In September, 18 Turks taken in Baghdad by an armed group that used a Shi'ite Muslim slogan were released following several weeks in detention.The radical Sunni militants of Islamic State have maintained a limited presence in Baghdad, regularly claiming bomb attacks against Shi'ite neighbourhoods. REUTERS GAU RK 0553 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-545600.Xml A suicide bomber blew himself up close to a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan today, killing at least five people and wounding more than 20, officials said.The bomber rammed his motorcycle into the roadside checkpoint in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, local government official Munir Khan told Reuters."He was riding an explosives-laden motorcycle and hit the checkpoint and the vehicle of the line officer," Khan said.Two government officials said five police officers were killed in the blast including the line officer whose vehicle was targeted. A spokesperson at the Hayatabad Medical Complex in the city of Peshawar said the hospital had received six bodies, including that of a child.The attack took place in an area where security forces are fighting the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups near the border with Afghanistan, the two officials said. REUTERS PS VP1120 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-545788.Xml After wrapping up her three-day visit to Palestine and Israel, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today left for New Delhi. Ms Swaraj will be reaching home via Amman. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup described the visit as "productive". "Shalom & Salaam. After a very productive visit to Palestine and Israel EAM @SushmaSwaraj emplanes for Delhi via Amman," he tweeted, ahead of the departure. Ms Swaraj, who has travelled to this West Asian country, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis expected visit later this year, discussed a wide range of issues with Israeli and Palestine leadership. Cooperation in defence, security were the focus of her discussions with the leaders here, officials traveling with her said. During her stay here, she met Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior members of the Cabinet.Besides the President and the Prime Minister, Ms Swaraj also met Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon and Deputy Foreign Minister Tsipi Hotovely and Minister of Infrastructure Uval Shteinitz. Ms Swaraj, who began her Israeli trip with a visit to Yad Vashem, also interacted with members ofthe Indian community here. Earlier, Ms Swaraj visited Palestine, where she met President Mahmoud Abbas and held bilateral talks with her Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki.UNI MK SW SV 1402 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-545969.Xml Underlining that India attached great importance to its relations with Israel, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has invited the country to move beyond trade to long-term stakes in the Indian economy. Addressing the Indian community here last evening, the External Affairs Minister said the economic relationship was the key to developing the bilateral ties. She called for moving from a trade based relationship to one that was based on investment, manufacturing and services. India was in need of Israeli expertise in flagship schemes of Clean Ganga, Smart Cities or Digital India as part of the Make in India drive. ''We encourage you to look beyond trade to build long term stakes in the Indian economy through investment and joint development of products and services,'' she said. The External Affairs Minister noted that both the countries had walked a long distance together in the short time since the full establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992. They have developed close cooperation in critical areas such as agriculture and defence. Indian farmers and soldiers know Israel well because of its innovative technologies. She also spoke of the increasing interactions at the political level as reflected in President Pranab Mukherjees a historic state visit to Israel in October last year. ''This first ever visit by the President gave a substantial boost to our bilateral relationship, she said. She said she was happy that the two countries were expanding cooperation to new areas such as homeland security, innovation, education and science and technology. Ms Swaraj also noted the services of India Indian caregivers ''who are performing very commendable service far away from their homes and families.'' Ms Swaraj also commended the role of the Indian men serving in the UN Disengagement Observer Force, and also of the Indian diamond community who, she said, had have represented India in Israel before the two countries normalised their relations.UNI XC NAZ RSA AE1625 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-546277.Xml Fifteen former members of Guinea Bissau's leading party joined the opposition yesterday, handing Prime Minister Carlos Correia's opponents a majority in parliament and vowing to block his spending plan, a move which would bring down his government.The 15 members of parliament were expelled from the ruling PAIGC party last week after they opposed Correia's latest plan in late December, saying they did not approve of his government.It is the latest threat to a fragile democracy in Guinea Bissau, which has not had a democratically elected leader serve a full term since independence from Portugal in 1974, and has suffered nine coups or attempted coups since 1980. The country named three governments between August and October.Members of the leading party, including Parliament Speaker Cipriano Cassama, left the National Assembly on Monday, leaving Alberto Nambeia, chairman of the PRS opposition party and vice president of the National Assembly, to continue proceedings.Cassama condemned the opposition party's actions. "I declare null and void all decisions emanating from the parliamentary majority that I regard as illegal," he told a news conference late today.If parliament fails for a second time to approve Correia's agenda, which includes spending on roads, electricity, health and education, the constitution requires that the government be dismissed.With the 15 ex-members of the leading party, the 41-strong PRS party now has a majority in the 102-member parliament.Members said they would not approve the spending plan because of concerns that the money would not be spent wisely."We will not approve it because the government...spends time in squandering public funds," said Ibrahima Camara, one of the 15 party members who were expelled.REUTERS SHS CS1619 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-546249.Xml Iraq's parliament suspended its meeting today amid protests by Sunni Muslim MPs over violence that targeted their community in eastern Iraq and left dozens killed in apparent retaliation for anti-Shi'ite bombings claimed by Islamic State.Sunni lawmakers urged Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to disband and disarm the Shi'ite militias which they accuse of being behind the latest attacks in and around the town of Muqdadiya, 80 kilometres northeast of Baghdad.Raad al-Dahlaki and Nahida al-Daini, two Sunni MPs from Diyala province where Muqdadiya is located, said 43 people had been killed over the past week and nine mosques fire bombed. Salah Muzahim, another MP, said the toll was over 40 dead.The rise of the Islamist militant group Islamic State, which follows a Sunni jihadist ideology, has exacerbated a long-running sectarian conflict in Iraq, mostly between the Shi'ite majority and minority Sunnis.A surge in such violence would represent a further challenge to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shi'ite Islamist who is trying to reconcile the Sunnis and win them over to push Islamic State out of the mainly Sunni-populated areas in the country's north and west which it seized in 2014."These killings are hindering Abadi's efforts to rebuild trust with the Sunnis which is essential to recover territory under ISIS control," said Mona Alami, a Beirut-based analyst with the Atlantic Council think tank, using an acronym for Islamic State."The Iraqi Forces Coalition... as the representative of the Sunni component in Iraq, announces... its members' boycott of the next two sessions of parliament and government in condemnation of what is happening in Muqdadiya," said a statement read by MP Ahmed Masari."We demand the dissolution and disarmament of the (Shi'ite) militias," the statement said. Lawmakers met briefly today and decided to adjourn until Thursday.Iraq's Interior Ministry has not published a toll for Sunni casualties in Muqdadiya and neighbouring villages. The ministry's spokesman was not available to provide details on the latest violence.Badr Organization, the Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia which is dominant in Diyala, rejected the casualty figures quoted by the Sunni MPs."Yes, there are people killed but this number is exaggerated," Mohammed Naji, an aide to Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri, told Reuters.He described the attacks on Sunni mosques as violations by people who want to stir up sectarian tension in Diyala, which lies between Baghdad and the Iranian border and has a mixed population of Shi'ites and Sunnis.At the height of Iraq's civil war nearly a decade ago, such violence often unleashed revenge killings and counter attacks across the country.Shi'ite militiamen deployed in Muqdadiya last week after two blasts killed 23 people near a coffee shop where they often meet. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks which they said had targeted Shi'ites.The level of violence has receded but tension remains with the town still under the control of Shi'ite militiamen, Dahlaki and Daini said.Badr Organisation has established itself as the ascendant militia in the region since rolling back Islamic State's advance. Amiri last week expressed regret over the violence in Diyala and offered to rebuild the destroyed Sunni mosques there.Iraqi officials declared victory over the insurgents in Diyala nearly a year ago, but the militants have remained active.Many Sunnis fled their homes in the province when Badr advanced to roll back Islamic State and accused the militias of abuses, which they have denied or blamed on rogue members.Shi'ite militias were left out of the most recent battle against Islamic State in the western city of Ramadi over fears they would aggravate sectarian tensions in the mostly Sunni area.Abadi has touted the victory in the largest population centre retaken from the militants as vindication of his strategy to rely on US-led coalition air strikes and rebuild Iraq's army, which collapsed in the face of Islamic State's initial advance.REUTERS SHS AS1829 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-546696.Xml Vietnam warned China on Tuesday against drilling in disputed waters in the South China Sea, after Beijing steered an oil rig at the centre of a previous stand-off between the countries into a stretch where jurisdiction is unclear. Vietnam closely tracks the movement of the oil rig which in mid-2014 caused the pair's worst diplomatic breakdown in decades when China parked it for 10 weeks in waters Vietnam considers its own. The two communist neighbours share more than $60 billion in annual trade but anti-China sentiment is strong in Vietnam, where people remain embittered over what many see as a history of Chinese bullying and territorial infringements in the South China Sea. Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said in a statement that the rig had moved on Saturday to a location where both countries' continental shelves overlap. "Vietnam requests China does not conduct drilling actions and withdraw Hai Duong 981 from this area," Binh said, referring to the rig by the Vietnamese name. "Vietnam reserves all legal rights and interests to this area, which are in accordance with international laws." There was no immediate response to requests for comment from China, where the $1 billion deep water rig is known as Haiyang Shiyou 981. Vietnam's concern over the rig follow its complaints, echoed also by the Philippines, over recent test flights by China on an artificial island in the disputed Spratly archipelago. China considers most of the South China Sea to be under its jurisdiction but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing claims. About $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes through the waters each year. Separately on Tuesday, demonstrators held a rare anti-China protest in Hanoi to mark the 42nd anniversary of China taking full control of the disputed Paracel islands.REUTERS CJ AN2050 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-547114.Xml Austrian prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against a 17-year-old Swedish girl with a Somali family background, accusing her of wanting to travel via Vienna to join jihadis, a court spokeswoman said on Tuesday.The girl faces up to five years in jail for what Austrian authorities call 'participating in a terrorist organisation' by contacting Islamist fighters in the Middle East and planning to go there, the spokeswoman said.The girl's parents told Swedish police of their concerns and she was detained at a train station in Vienna last month.Sweden, where her activities would not constitute a crime, did not demand her extradition and if she does not appeal against the charges, she will face trial in Vienna, the spokeswoman said.REUTERS CJ GC2220 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-547221.Xml Your digital subscription includes access to all content on our agricultural websites across the nation. Access unlimited content and the digital versions of our print editions - This Week's Paper. By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - An estimated 3,500 people, mainly women and children, are being held as slaves in Iraq by Islamic State militants, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The Islamist group, which also controls large parts of Syria, is responsible for acts that may "amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide", particularly against minorities, a report said. Iraqi security forces and allied groups including Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have also killed and abducted civilians, it said. "Some of these incidents may have been reprisals against persons perceived to support or be associated with ISIL (Islamic State)," it added. At least 18,802 civilians were killed in violence in Iraq from January 2014 to October 2015, and 36,245 civilians were wounded, the report said, calling the figures "obscene". The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq and the U.N. human rights office estimated that 3,500 people were "currently being held in slavery" by Islamic State, which seized mainly Sunni-populated areas in the north and west in 2014. "Those being held are predominantly women and children and come primarily from the Yazidi community," said the joint report issued in Geneva, referring to a non-Muslim minority in northern Iraq viewed by Islamic State as devil-worshippers. "But a number are also from other ethnic and religious minority communities." The Sunni Islamists, who claim responsibility for suicide bombings in Baghdad against Shia mosques and markets, should face prosecution for international crimes, said Francesco Motta, director of the U.N. human rights office in Iraq. "They use civilians as shields. They use children in armed conflict, they also directly target civilian infrastructure and that can amount to war crimes but they can also constitute crimes against humanity," he told a news briefing by telephone from Baghdad. The group seeks to "basically eliminate, purge or destroy minority communities", Motta said. "We've seen communities like the Yazidi in particular bear the brunt of this. Yazidi were basically given the option by ISIL to convert or to be killed. "The intent seems clear ... the international crime of genocide," he added. "The intention was to destroy part or the whole of the Yazidi people." The report detailed Islamic State executions by shooting, beheading, bulldozing, burning alive and throwing people off buildings. Doctors, teachers and journalists opposed to its ideology have been "singled out and murdered by ISIL". "We have a lot of information on the recruitment of children, children as young as nine, to train them sometimes to use them as suicide operatives in their operations, but also forcing them to give blood and also take armed combat roles in other parts where conflict is taking place," Motta said. Between 800 and 900 children in Mosul had been abducted for military and religious training, the report said. Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, was recaptured from Islamic State in late December, and the tide of fighting appears to have turned against the group. "We still have grave fears for civilians in areas under Daesh (Islamic State) control as the armed forces and those supporting the government move closer to those areas," Motta said. (Corrects timeframe for casualty figures in paragraph four) (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Andrew Roche) While 2016 is in full swing, if you haven't thought about a resolution yet, don't give up. Maybe it's time to make one that has the potential to stick. If you're often wondering how money slips out of your wallet, consider becoming the crash test dummy for better spending habits. Test drive some of these ideas below to develop better ones. Be your own cheerleader. Patting yourself on the back after following through on a behavior you want to increase goes a long way to help cement a behavior. Ginger Dean, psychotherapist and website owner of GirlsJustWannaHaveFunds.com explains the power of rewards: "When making smart money choices, celebrate them by rewarding yourself. Yes, make rewarding yourself a habit. For example, when you make it through a pay period and adhere to your spending plan, treat yourself to something nice that doesn't break the bank." She points out that this creates what we call positive reinforcement, which helps you connect good decisions with positive rewards. According to research by Wendy Wood, a social psychologist and provost professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California, a behavior only has to be rewarded initially to form a habit. So once the habit is established, you can relax and let momentum take over. Cheat a little. While it's great to start the New Year off with a new idea, give yourself a lead and start with a familiar task. Repeat the task on a regular basis. Research shows you won't have to train yourself to do the task, you just train yourself to do it repeatedly. For example, if you like drinking water when you eat at a restaurant, choose to do it more frequently. Set rules for yourself, like, "When I eat out, I will order water." Before you know it, a small gesture will become a string of little actions that can have a big impact on how you spend. It can also do double duty for your bank account if you send the money you didn't spend straight to savings. Once you establish one good habit, move on to another like trimming a little bit of your grocery budget every time you shop. Start with as little as five dollars and put that in savings, as well. Story continues Keep using the Benjamins. Let your dollars see the light of day and allow the real thing to get some exercise. Fans of carrying cash can do this more so in the New Year if it helps you control your spending. If you know you tend to do major dollar damage in just one swipe of a credit card, then this tip might work for you. Curtail the urge to go on a spending free-for-all when using a credit card as a short term loan and pay in cash whenever possible. Make using cash a habit if you find it keeps you on track. Choose a dollar amount to withdraw on a regular basis and challenge yourself to not to go beyond that amount. Graduate from a spending spree. Limit how much time you spend in a store. Research shows the slower you shop, the more you spend. Get what you need and go. Set a timer if you have to or have your eyes stay glued to your shopping list, then pay and skedaddle. This way you can avoid impulse buys and filling every nook and cranny of your shopping cart with items you didn't plan to get. Side step a budget-busting aftermath and make it a habit to make short trips to stick with your spending plan. Do a happy dance after checking out. When you have carried out a small, smart money choice like spending less time in the store, celebrate it. As stated above, positive reinforcement can work wonders for habit formation. So if you accomplished all of your shopping in record time, celebrate your small win afterwards. So when you're looking to applaud yourself for getting out of the store quickly, think of what Han Solo said in The Force Awakens when Finn and Rey reunited: "Escape now, hug later." If you originally couldn't bear the thought of making a resolution, reconsider. Just know that people tend to stay with activities that are manageable. Consider following some of the ideas above to take a step in the right direction when it comes to spending this year. They can be beacons for long-term financial change and help you meet your goals. They can also help you shortcut your way to success by following research that gets results. Employ one of these tips to establish a money smart habit today. Karen Cordaway is a teacher and writer who currently shares money saving tips on her website, MoneySavingEnthusiast.com. WLrumblegood1 WWE Promotional Image For years, the Royal Rumble match (dont worry, thats the last time Ill refer to it as that) was one of the guaranteed highlights of the WWE calendar. How could it not be? Its a 30-man, intricately-booked battle royal featuring most of the companys biggest stars with a title shot at WrestleMania on the line. That should be a surefire great match. And yet, that hasnt been the case for some time. Fan response to recent Rumbles, like 2015s Roman Reigns show, or 2014s Batista win, has been overwhelmingly negative. You could chalk that up to the fans just not liking the victor, or wanting Daniel Bryan to win, but I think it goes a bit deeper. WWE seems to have forgotten some of the things that have made the Royal Rumble consistently great in the past. Heres seven things that cant help but make any Royal Rumble better Note: Before you run to the comments section, no, not every good Rumble needs to have all of these things. But hey, they sure cant hurt. There should be a wide variety of competitors. WLrumblegood2 WWE Ive heard a lot of complaints that the Royal Rumble has been full of jobbers in recent years. I dont think thats necessarily true. At least not compared to the Rumbles of yesteryear. I mean, a 30-man match is always going to have its share of enhancement talent. I think the fact that recent Rumbles draw almost entirely from the regular roster guys is what people are responding to negatively. For the past few years, we get maybe two legends, a Bubba Ray Dudley or DDP, then the rest of the field are wrestlers we can see on literally any show. A good Rumble should have legends, current stars, up-and-comers from NXT, female wrestlers, commentators, authority figures, celebrities, whoever. Ideally, only about two-thirds (or less) of the field should be just guys from the regular roster. A good Rumble should give you the best of the past, the stars of the future, plenty of surprises, and no Zack Ryder or R-Truth. Story continues There needs to be a strong central story. WLrumblegood3 WWE There may be 30 competitors in the Royal Rumble, but when all the extra garnish is stripped away, the best Rumbles usually have a single compelling story at their core. Its no surprise the years Ric Flair, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio went the distance are considered some of the most memorable Rumbles in history. Of course, you cant have somebody run through the entire field every year, but you can do other things to give a Rumble a satisfying overarching storyline. Focus the match around a specific feud, or have a stable dominate the match as they await the arrival of their leader. Or, have several stories that flow together to form one larger story, like The Rock battling through most of the field (and three incarnations of Mick Foley) only to fall to the ascendant Stone Cold Steve Austin in the 1998 Rumble. You should be able to sum up a great Rumble in one short sentence. The one where _______. If you cant, you probably dont have a classic on your hands. That central narrative should be supported by interesting side stories. WLrumblegood4 WWE Network That said, it is possible to be too focused on a single storyline. That happened in 1999, when the Rumble was completely fixated on the Austin-McMahon feud to the exclusion of everything else. Just like a good video game should have a nice selection of sidequests, a good Rumble should have lots of other moments that enhance the main story (or take a little pressure off it). CM Punk going on a promo-cutting tear early on in the 2010 Rumble. Hogan accidentally eliminating Randy Savage in 1989. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and William Regal having a mid-2000s indie dream match in the middle of the 2011 Rumble. Kanes epic run of eliminations in 2001. All of Kofi Kingstons wacky death-defying saves (well, except for the one with JBLs chair, which was booty). If theres not always something interesting happening in a Rumble, youre doing it wrong. Dont let dead wood pile up. WLrumblegood5 WWE Network In recent years, WWE has seemingly decided only top stars are worthy enough to eliminate anybody from the Royal Rumble. As such, you tend to get a lot of midcard guys loitering around in the ring as they wait for somebody important to show up and knock them out. Earlier Rumbles were more democratic when it came to eliminations sure, Shawn Michaels, Kane and Hulk Hogan threw a lot of guys out, but Brian Knobbs, Repo Man, The Berzerker and Phineas Godwinn also got to join in the fun. The upside is this resulted in fewer logjams with a dozen or more guys in the ring at once. Anything more than six or seven guys in the ring is just clutter. Save some fan-favorite entrants for the end. WLrumblegood6 WWE Network For whatever reason, its been a long time since the Rumble had a truly grand finale. 2015s Rumble barfed out Dolph Ziggler and Big Show as its final entrants, 2014 saw Rey Mysterio coming out last in his fat shirt, and 2013 gave us Ryback at #30. You have to go all the way back to Royal Rumble 2008, with Triple H at #29 and a returning John Cena at #30 to find a Rumble that finished on a properly epic note. I know its not realistic to always have the biggest stars come out last, but this is pro wrestling. If you can convince your audience that wrestlers really do spring off the ropes like cartoon characters, you can have Brock Lesnar or Daniel Bryan (or whoever youve got in the tank) come out last. The Final Four should be able to stand alone as a great match. WLrumblegood7 WWE Network One of the secrets of the Royal Rumble is that the first 45 to 50 minutes is, ideally, just an appetizer for the final minutes of the match when the final four contenders battle it out. In most of the best Rumbles, the final four is essentially a standalone match, with its own twists, turns, and drama. Who can forget Ric Flair coming face-to-face with Hogan, Sid and Savage in the 92 finals? Or Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker essentially having a full, classic match to close out the 2007 Rumble? Or Shawn Michaels heartbreaking elimination and Edge returning to defeat his nemesis John Cena in 2010? Unfortunately, recent Rumbles have featured particularly uninspired final sprints. A half-dead Batista huffing and puffing his way to the win in 2014. Everything coming down to an uninspired Cena-Ryback confrontation in 2013. Roman Reigns triumphing over the who-cares duo of Kane and Big Show amongst deafening boos in 2015. In recent years, Rumble finishes have consistently felt deflating rather than exciting. Work backwards, WWE come up with a great final four first, then put together the Rumble that builds to it. The Royal Rumble should not be used as a stepping stone. WLrumblegood8 WWE Network Winning the Royal Rumble is the most exclusive thing a WWE superstar can achieve. Greater than winning the world title (Jack Swagger or Christian will never win a Royal Rumble) or even main-eventing WrestleMania (again, I dont expect well ever see The Miz or Chris Jericho as Rumble winners). Winning the Royal Rumble should be a coronation. It signifies youre one of the undisputed, top-of-the-heap badasses in WWE. Unfortunately, the Rumble has become just another booking shortcut. A way to try to get a wrestler over without putting in the proper work in terms of storytelling. For the past few years, most of the Rumble winners (Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Batista, Roman Reigns) have been hand-picked guys who werent as big a deal as WWE wanted them to be. In every case, trying to boost a guy using the Rumble has backfired, sometimes spectacularly. Put in the work, WWE. You have to make guys worthy of winning the Rumble, because the Rumble wont make them for you. So, will the 2016 Rumble be one of the good ones? The signs are actually fairly encouraging. Roman Reigns is far more deserving than he was in 2015, and the whole One vs. All conceit gives this Rumble a built-in match-long storyline. Also, the unusually large number of factions going into this Rumble (The Wyatts, New Day, League of Nations, Social Outcasts and more) should ensure theres plenty of subplots to go around. And hey, the ever growing popularity of NXT and the fact that WrestleMania 32 is likely going to be focused heavily on nostalgia acts could mean we get a varied field with plenty of new and old guys alike. This is WWE, so ball-dropping is always a distinct possibility, but this should be the Rumble that breaks the recent streak of mediocrity. Agree with my recipe for a winning Royal Rumble? Think I missed some important points? Share your thoughts in the comments below, although beware, its every man or woman for themselves. A photograph of an Afghan woman whose nose was sliced off by her husband in a fit of rage has sparked revulsion across the country, with activists demanding punishment for the "barbaric act". Reza Gul, 20, was rushed to hospital after she was attacked with a pocket knife on Sunday by her husband who is said to be on the run. "My husband (Mohammad Khan) tied up my hands and cut off my nose," Gul told AFP in a frail voice from her hospital bed, with a white bandage on her face. "He tortured me a lot," she added, with her one-year-old baby wailing by her side. The incident highlights the endemic violence against women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline Taliban Islamist regime was ousted in a 2001 US-led invasion. "Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned," Kabul-based women's rights activist Alema told AFP. "Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women," added Alema, who goes by one name. The disfigured woman's photograph was widely shared on social media, prompting calls for tough action against the husband following the attack in Ghormach district in the northwestern province of Faryab. Local officials said Gul would need reconstructive surgery, which was not possible in the local government hospital. Gul, who was married off five years ago as a teenager, said she suffered regular physical abuse from her husband, forcing her to flee to her parents' home in a Taliban-controlled area. While there, she said, the insurgents mediated in her case, making her husband, an unemployed man, to swear by the Koran that he would not hurt her again. But soon after she returned to him, he sliced off her nose. "Gul's village is under Taliban control... but the police are trying to chase her husband," Faryab police chief Sayed Aqa Andarabi told AFP. The Afghan government has vowed to protect women's rights but that has not prevented violent attacks. Story continues "Horrifying cases like this one happen all too often in Afghanistan," Heather Barr, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, told AFP. "The level of impunity for violence against women encourages some men to continue to feel that women are their property and violence is their right." In November a young woman was stoned to death after being accused of adultery in the central province of Ghor. And last March a woman named Farkhunda was savagely beaten and set ablaze in central Kabul after being falsely accused of burning a Koran. The mob killing triggered angry nationwide protests and drew global attention to the treatment of Afghan women. In 2010, Time magazine put the photograph of a mutilated 18-year-old, Bibi Aisha, on its cover. Her nose was cut off by an abusive husband. The cover provoked a worldwide outpouring of sympathy for Aisha, who was taken to the United States where she was given a prosthetic nose. By Mark Hosenball, Lesley Wroughton and Stephen Kalin WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Three U.S. citizens who disappeared last week in Baghdad were kidnapped and are being held by an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, two Iraqi intelligence and two U.S. government sources said on Tuesday. Unknown gunmen seized the three on Friday from a private residence in the southeastern Dora district of Baghdad, Iraqi officials say. They are the first Americans to be abducted in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011. The U.S. sources said Washington had no reason to believe Tehran was involved in the kidnapping and did not believe the trio were being held in Iran, which borders Iraq. "They were abducted because they are Americans, not for personal or financial reasons," one of the Iraqi sources in Baghdad said. The three men are employed by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp , under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with the matter. The Iraqi government has struggled to rein in the Shi'ite militias, many of which fought the U.S. military following the 2003 invasion and have previously been accused of killing and abducting American nationals. Baghdad-based analyst Hisham al-Hashemi, who advises the government, said the kidnappings were meant to embarrass and weaken Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is trying to balance his country's relations with rival powers Iran and the United States. "The militias are resentful of the success of the army in Ramadi which was achieved with the support of the U.S.-led coalition and without their involvement," he said. SECTARIAN TENSIONS Shi'ite militias were kept out of the battle against Islamic State in Ramadi for fear of aggravating sectarian tensions among the Sunni population in the western city. Baghdad touted the military's advance there last month, with backing from coalition airstrikes, as evidence of a resurgent army after it collapsed in 2014. The State Department said on Sunday it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate Americans reported missing, without confirming they had been kidnapped. Asked about the kidnapping at the daily U.S. State Department news briefing on Tuesday, spokesman John Kirby said: "The picture is becoming a little bit more clear in terms of what might have happened." He provided no details. Kirby declined to say whether Secretary of State John Kerry had contacted Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif about the kidnapping. Hostility between Tehran and Washington has eased in recent months with the lifting of crippling economic sanctions against Iran in return for compliance with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions and a recent prisoner swap. However, the United States imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals on Sunday for supplying Iran's ballistic missile program. (Additional reporting by Mohammed Zargham in Washington and Maher Chmaytelli in Baghdad; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Gareth Jones) An In-Depth Analysis of Buckeye Partners Recent Performance (Continued from Prior Part) BPLs adjusted EBITDA Buckeye Partners (BPL) adjusted EBITDA (or earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) from continuing operations increased to $204.2 million in 3Q15 from $200.6 million in 3Q14a marginal increase of 1.2%. Buckeye Partners 3Q15 adjusted EBITDA growth was driven by strong performance from its Global Marine Terminals. This was offset by weak operating results from its Pipelines and Terminals and Merchant Services segments. BPLs Pipelines and Terminals segment Buckeye Partners Pipelines and Terminals segments 3Q15 adjusted EBITDA decreased 8.9% YoY (year-over-year), driven by higher operating expenses toward FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) litigation fees and higher costs to support growth. Pipelines contribute to 55% of the segments revenue and Terminals contribute the remaining 45%. BPLs Global Marine Terminals segment BPLs Global Marine Terminals segments 3Q15 adjusted EBITDA increased 40.7% YoY, primarily due to strong volumes across both pipelines and terminaling operations. The segments average capacity utilization increased to 97% in 3Q15 from 84% in 3Q14 driven by: renewal of several contracts at higher rates and longer terms higher storage demand considering the huge supply glut Including this segments revenue, terminals accounted for 65% of the total Pipelines and Terminals segment revenue. BPLs Merchant Services segment BPLs Merchant Services segment provides crude oil and refined products distribution and marketing services. BPLs 3Q15 adjusted EBITDA decreased by 75.2% YoY. The decrease was due to lower sales volumes and declining commodities prices. The segments weak performance is expected to continue in the coming quarters. Sunoco Logistics (SXL), Genesis Energy (GEL), and NGL Energy Partners (NGL) also saw a similar decline in their crude oil and refined petroleum products acquisition and marketing businesses. BPL forms 0.59% of the Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index ETF (MDIV). Story continues Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: HUAMBO, Angola (Reuters) - The leader of a fringe Christian sect in Angola went on trial with 10 of his followers on Monday charged with the murder of nine police officers and attempted murder in central Huambo province last year. Police say the officers were shot dead during raids which ended with the capture of preacher Jose Kalupeteka, leader of a millenarian sect called "The Light of the World", and his followers last April. The raids were launched as a part of a drive against fringe Christian church groups now illegal under new rules that require denominations to have 100,000 registered members spread across at least a third of Angola's 18 provinces. Kalupeteka's church has an estimated 3,000 members. Angolan opposition party UNITA has said that more than 1,000 civilians were killed when police clashed with members of Kalupeteka's church, though police have said only 13 sect members died. Defence lawyer David Mendes asked the court for a review of the trial process, arguing his clients had been tortured during detention. The trial will continue on Tuesday. (Reporting by Herculano Coroado; Editing by Richard Balmforth) US equity investors quashed a global stock rally Tuesday as hopes of possible Chinese economic stimulus were replaced by renewed worries over falling oil prices. US stocks, which had jumped in morning trade, veered into negative territory by afternoon as US oil prices fell again on worries about higher petroleum exports from Iran due to the lifting of international sanctions. In the end, the S&P 500 finished the day barely positive as oil-linked equities, including giants ExxonMobil and Chevron, fell sharply. "We started higher because oil was up, and then Iran apparently announced the price it was going to sell oil at and it kicked a leg out the oil market," said Chris Low, chief economist at FTN Financial. "We're just sort of waiting for some stability." US benchmark West Texas Intermediate closed at $28.46 a barrel down 96 cents (3.3 percent) from Friday, as the International Energy Agency warned the market "could drown" in oversupply with the return of Iranian oil. Earlier, bourses in Paris, Frankfurt and London all rose 1.5 percent or more, following a 3.2 percent gain in China's benchmark Shanghai index. Speculation that Beijing would enact more stimulus came after official government data showed China's economy expanded 6.9 percent in 2015, which was the slowest growth since 1990. US stocks also opened strongly, with the S&P 500 rising to a session peak of 1,864.60 in the morning. But the index veered into negative territory and ultimately tacked on just a single point at 1,881.33. - Earnings outlook dim - Besides oil, US investors are at the front end of an earnings season that is expected to be lackluster. "My base case is muddle," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank. "Short of any upside surprises economically, we need to see equity prices fall another 10 percent." European commodity stocks performed well, with BHP Billiton climbing 3.0 percent, Arcelor Mittal rising 5.8 percent and German industrial giant Thyssenkrupp gaining 0.5 percent. Story continues But in the US, aluminum producer Alcoa fell 2.3 percent, copper giant Freeport-McMoRan slumped 9.0 percent and industrial machinery maker Caterpillar lost 1.4 percent. Twitter sank 7.0 percent after suffering an outage for hours in several key markets. A spokesperson for Twitter Europe confirmed the site was down, while users in South Africa, Brazil, the Philippines, Nigeria and Uganda also reported problems. Jeweller Tiffany fell 5.1 percent as it said worldwide net sales declined three percent in the key November-December period due in part to the strong dollar and weak tourist activity in some markets. But Delta Air Lines rose 3.3 percent after reporting fourth-quarter earnings of $980 million, compared with a loss of $712 million in the year-ago period. Results were boosted by a 42 percent drop in fuel expenses. - Key figures around 2200 GMT - New York - Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 16,016.02 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.05 percent at 1,881.33 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 4,476.95 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 1.7 percent at 5,876.80 points (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 1.5 percent at 9,664.21 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 2.0 percent at 4,272.26 (close) EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.5 percent at 2,980.49 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.6 percent at 17,048.37 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 3.2 percent at 3,007.74 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 2.1 percent at 19,635.81 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0912 from $1.0897 Monday Dollar/yen: UP at 117.59 yen from 117.33 yen BERLIN (Reuters) - A 95-year-old former paramedic at the Nazi death camp Auschwitz will go on trial in Germany next month on charges of being an accessory to the murder of at least 3,681 people, a German court announced on Monday. Hubert Z., whose last name is being withheld because of Germany's privacy laws, was a sergeant in the Nazi SS at Auschwitz from October 1943 to January 1944. He acted as one of the death camp's paramedics from Aug. 15 to Sept. 14, 1944. During that month, at least 14 deportation trains arrived at the extermination camp from places as far away as Lyon, Vienna and Westerbork in the Netherlands. Among the prisoners on the trains was the teenage diarist Anne Frank and her family. Anne and her sister were later transferred to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The trial of the former paramedic will begin on Feb. 29 in the northeastern town of Neubrandenburg after a court in Rostock in northern Germany deemed him fit for trial in December. Because it is uncertain to what extent he is capable of gravelling and standing trial, the first session is expected to determine his state of health, the court said. Two further hearings are planned for March and more will follow once it has been determined under what conditions proceedings can be held, the court added. Although the former paramedic is not accused of having been directly involved in any killings, the prosecution's office holds that he was aware of the camp's function as a facility for mass murder. By joining its organizational structure, he consciously participated and even accelerated the deaths of thousands of people, the prosecutors say. German court rulings have established a precedent for the conviction of Nazi concentration camp employees for being guilty of accessory to murder. In July, 94-year-old Oskar Groening, known as the "bookkeeper of Auschwitz", was sentenced to four years in prison after he was convicted of being an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people in Auschwitz. Two other cases involving death camp employees are pending trial in German courts. In the town of Detmold, Reinhold H. is accused of being an accessory to the murder of 170,000 people in Auschwitz and has been deemed fit for trial. In the northern city of Kiel, a 91-year-old woman is accused of the same charges in the case of 260,000 people. In her case, the defense maintains that the accused is unfit for trial and a final court ruling on this is expected in early 2016. (This version of the story corrects to make clear in fourth paragraph that Anne Frank did not die at Auschwitz; also edits first paragraph) (Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Larry King) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) heads into the final stretch before the first nominating contests with a massive lead in New Hampshire, besting Hillary Clinton by a whopping 27-point margin. That's according to a CNN/WMUR poll released Tuesday evening, which finds the surging Democratic presidential hopeful nabbing 60% support to Clinton's 33%, with former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley far behind at 1%. Last month, Sanders led Clinton by a much smaller margin, 50% to 40%. "This poll suggests that our campaign has real momentum and that the American people want to go beyond establishment politics and establishment economics," Jeff Weaver, Sanders' campaign manager said in a statement about the results. "But it's just a poll and we take nothing for granted." The numbers behind the numbers: Sanders' surge is powered by his overwhelming popularity among likely Democratic voters. Ninety-one percent said they held a favorable view of the senator, while just 7% viewed him unfavorably. Clinton's favorability rating stood at 65%, down from 74% in June, while her unfavorability rating has ticked up from 19% to 26% during that time period. The survey shows Sanders with a large advantage on two key metrics. By 58% to 33%, New Hampshire Democratic voters say Sanders, rather than Clinton, most possesses "the personal characteristics and qualities" needed in a president, while voters say 57% to 33% that the progressive populist Sanders is the candidate best-equipped to handle the economy. The former secretary of state, meanwhile, is seen as the strongest candidate to take on the Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIS. Fifty-five percent of voters said Clinton could best handle ISIS, compared with just 26% who named Sanders. With three weeks to go until the Feb. 9 primary, the numbers may yet change again: Only 52% told pollsters their minds were firmly made up, while 23% said they were leaning toward a candidate and 26% were still in the process of deciding. The CNN/WMUR poll is by far Sanders' strongest showing to date. Most recent polls in the Granite State show Sanders ahead by margins in the mid-single-digits to mid-teens. At any rate, it suggests that Sanders is well-positioned to capitalize on any momentum he has coming out of the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses. The latest surveys suggest the race between Clinton and Sanders is effectively tied in the Hawkeye State. Ever since Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders entered the Democratic presidential race, his motives have been clear and resolute most of all, on the issues of income inequality in the United States. However, one important aspect of Sanders' personal life has been swept under the rug: his religious beliefs. Considering nearly every president in U.S. history has professed Christianity as a held belief, Sanders' religious affiliations hold at least some weight in the political spectrum. According to his campaign page, Sanders considers himself a "secular Jew who values and actively engages with people of various faiths for the betterment of society." Being Jewish, he would be the first Jewish president in U.S. history if elected, according to NPR. However, in an interview in June with the Christian Science Monitor, Sanders said he isn't "particularly religious." Rather, his Jewish background demonstrated the heavy influence of politics. "A guy named Adolf Hitler won an election in 1932," Sanders said, according to Christian Science Monitor. "He won an election, and 50 million people died as a result of that election in World War II, including 6 million Jews. So what I learned as a little kid is that politics is, in fact, very important." Instead, he has said his spirituality permeates between several religions. "I am who I am," Sanders said in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, according to the Washington Post. "And what I believe in and what my spirituality is about, is that we're all in this together. That I think it is not a good thing to believe that as human beings we can turn our backs on the suffering of other people." The Post noted that the response was a clever evasion of a concrete answer, placing an emphasis on poor people rather than his belief in God. This is likely because Sanders is not an active member of an organized religion something that makes him a black sheep of the election thus far. However, it has not detracted him from the eyes of voters, who are instead more concerned with his background as a socialist. Story continues Additionally, it has not stopped him from attempting to find common ground with other religious beliefs, namely on the subject of income inequality. In September, Sanders spoke at the highly conservative Liberty University, where he hoped to find common ground with the students in other facets of life. "Morality is more than just your view on abortions or gay rights," Sanders said after the event, according to the New York Times. "Moral issues are also hungry children. Moral issues is also the state of our planet and climate change." Ultimately, though, the most impressive aspect of Sanders' presidential bid is that he is a candidate with two red flags in his religious beliefs and political ideology and that hasn't stopped him from impressive poll numbers against Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. It's fascinating that everyone talks about @HillaryClinton as 1st female pres, no one mentions that @BernieSanders would be 1st Jewish pres. Bernie Sanders is Jewish and used to work as a carpenter. He's basically Jesus. "What's significant here is that we have a viable candidate for presidency who is not only Jewish but has a Brooklyn accent, and it's not a big deal," Rabbi Jonah Pesner, head of advocacy and social justice for the Reform Movement, told the Washington Post. "And although he is not a particularly public candidate about his faith, he focuses on issues which resonate with the words of the Hebrew prophets. Many of us find language around income inequality very consistent with our own sense of Jewish social justice." Car dealers may be coming off of their biggest sales year ever, but the future for the auto industry looks murkier as the percentage of Americans with a drivers license continues to fall. Just 77 percent of Americans aged 16 to 44 held drivers licenses in 2014, down from 82 percent in 2008 and 92 percent in 1983. The percentage of Americans with drivers licenses declined across every age group from 2011 to 2014, according to an analysis by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Related: Best Cars from the 2016 Detroit Auto Show Several factors have led to fewer licensed drivers, including a lack of interest among younger consumers in driving or owning a car, a general return to cities and close suburbs with reliable public transportation, a rise in telecommuting, and the advent of ride-sharing services like ZipCar and on-demand taxis like Uber. Tighter restrictions on young drivers havent helped either. The introduction of driverless cars, which some industry experts say will be on roads within the next decade, promises to further reduce the share of Americans who feel the need to get a drivers license. The result of fewer licensed driver is that the aggregate number of miles driven has plateaued over the past decade, according to research from the Brookings Institute. That may be bad news for automakers and the gasoline industry, but its good news for drivers themselves. The 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute found that drivers wasted more than 3 billion gallons of fuel and spent 7 billion extra hours sitting in traffic last year, at a cost of $160 billion, or $960 per commuter. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: LONDON (Reuters) - Just over 25 years since Britain's powerful domestic spy agency dropped a ban on hiring homosexuals, MI5 was hailed on Tuesday as the country's most gay-friendly employer. MI5 was ranked first out of more than 400 organisations by rights group Stonewall in a 2016 Workplace Equality Index for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. Just six years ago, MI5 was ranked at 134th in the index. "People can only give the best they can give when they feel supported, valued and treated with respect by their colleagues," Andrew Parker, the director general of MI5, told the charity. "Diversity is vital for MI5, not just because its right that we represent the communities we serve, but because we rely on the skills of the most talented people whoever they are, and wherever they may be," Parker said. MI5, established in 1909 to counter German espionage ahead of World War One, fought the Soviet-era KGB during the Cold War and now spends about two thirds of its money on international counter terrorism, predominantly linked to Syria. British spies in MI5 and other services such as MI6 and GCHQ have for years been trying to ditch the perception that they are male-dominated bastions of reaction. The accolade from Stonewall, complete with a rare public comment from one of Britain's most powerful spy chiefs, will help MI5 pitch itself as a modern spy service. Of the 4,000 people employed by MI5, 41 percent are women and just over half are less than 40 years old, according to the spy service. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge Editing by Jeremy Gaunt) By Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Nadoun Coulibaly OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - When Burkina Faso anti-terrorism Commander Evrard Somda arrived with 20 men to start a fight-back against Islamist militants holed up in a five-story hotel, his first decision was to seal off the area and throw away the rule book. His training in France, Kenya, Senegal and elsewhere taught him he should be trying to make contact with the hostage takers. A quick glance at the horror before him was enough to know this would not work. Cars blazed in the street, bursts of gunfire echoed from the Splendid Hotel and bodies were strewn across the terrace of Cappuccino, a cafe-restaurant across the road popular for its European menu and free WiFi. "They wanted to kill the maximum number of people and for them it wasn't a problem to die," Somda, who arrived on the scene at 8.30 pm (1530 ET), told Reuters in the most detailed account yet of Friday night's assault. But Somda realized his men could not simply storm the hotel for fear of accidentally killing civilians. "We couldn't just do what we wanted. We were obliged to take account of the life of the clients inside the hotel and avoid opening fire on them," he said. In the event, it would be nine hours before the three attackers were cornered in the nearby Bush Taxi restaurant. They fired on a brown troop carrier at the crossroads and a machine gunner perched in the vehicle's turret shot them dead, he said. By then, 29 civilians from at least seven countries were dead in an attack that stamped the imprint of Islamist militancy on West Africa well beyond the previous flashpoints of Mali and northeast Nigeria. "MANY CRUSADERS DEAD" Officials have not yet been able to determine whether al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al Mourabitoun, groups that claimed responsibility for both attacks, used a local jihadist cell or sent fighters from northern Mali. What is clear is that the militants selected a target to inflict maximum damage on a country emerging from a democratic transition under an elected president, Roch Marc Kabore, the first new leader since 1987. "The intention was to hurt foreigners. It is a place where you find a lot of foreigners. That explains why they attacked it," security minister Simon Compaore said. Another feature of the Ouagadougou attack is how much time the militants had. AQIM even said the attackers made a phone call to report to the group there were "many Crusaders dead." A later statement monitored by the SITE Intelligence group included a photograph of three young black men in army fatigues and carrying weapons it said were used in the raid. "I was sitting in front of my boutique. Three guys passed in front of me. The tallest had a long gun. When they got to the intersection he fired in the air and the other two went into Cappuccino," said Saly Coulibaly, who saw the attack begin at around 7.30 p.m. local time. People inside the one-room restaurant and on the terrace had little chance. Amid the shattered glass, bullet holes and charred ruins were signs of an ordinary evening brutally interrupted. A bottle of chilli oil to serve with pizza stood on one table. A half-finished bottle of red wine lay under another. The attackers sprayed the restaurant with bullets, set fire to cars and motorbikes and then entered the Splendid Hotel opposite. From there, they fired on people in the street, including anyone trying to emerge from the restaurant. Around midnight, a Reuters witness saw a man shot as he tried to retrieve his car parked near the hotel. He bled to death clutching his keys. Shortly after his arrival on the scene, Somda placed armed spotters in nearby buildings to determine the number of attackers, including a plain clothes officer hiding under a car. He then withdrew to a hastily erected command post at a nearby government ministry now filling with U.S. agents, French special forces and the army and police chiefs. By 2200 GMT (1700 ET), at least 60 gendarmes and police were ready to start a counter-attack alongside French special forces equipped, unlike their Burkinabe counterparts, with night vision goggles. FREED HOSTAGES Two factors delayed them. First, they received mistaken information there were 12 attackers, not three. Second, they realized that if three teams simultaneously hit the Cappuccino, the Splendid and the nearby Yibi Hotel they risked opening fire on one another by accident. They opted first for the Splendid, the ground floor of which was on fire. Troops went room-by-room freeing dozens of people, a process that took most of the night. At least one door was booby-trapped with a grenade and they did not know where the militants might be hiding, Somda said. Many guests refused to open their doors, fearing a trick. In the end it turned out all the attackers had withdrawn. Next, security forces and the fire brigade went to the Cappuccino, which had been torched. In the Yibi Hotel they found bullet casings to show the militants had been there, but again no sign of the men. They were finally located at the Bush Taxi restaurant when the hidden security officers shot at them and they returned fire. French ambassador Gilles Thibault on Monday gave an account of the battle that placed more emphasis on the role played by French special forces and he said it was French troops who eliminated the attackers. "There ... were certainly three (attackers) because it was the French forces who killed them," he told journalists. There was no immediate explanation for the differing accounts. Somda said that after the shootout, it then took several more hours to secure the site because of fears other militants might be hiding nearby. In the aftermath, he said the grimmest scene was at the Cappuccino, where bodies were charred beyond recognition. Only one person was pulled out alive, a woman from Burkina Faso, too traumatized to speak. (Additional reporting by Mathieu Bonkoungou; Editing by Ed Cropley, Peter Graff and Chris Reese) Montreal (AFP) - Canadian Pacific Railway said Tuesday it has asked the US justice department to investigate its rivals for seeking to block its proposed acquisition of American railway Norfolk Southern, calling their tactics anti-competitive. In a letter made public, CP asked for a review of "recent actions by a number of major US railroads who have stated publicly that they are organizing a collective campaign" against the merger. It called the move by "a number of large" rivals to try to block a new entrant in the US market and protect their business "unprecedented" and their collective efforts to sway customers, the media, and others to their point of view "illegal because it is anti-competitive." The letter and supporting documents mention only two firms, CSX and Union Pacific, as hostile to a CP-Norfolk merger. CP in November offered to buy Norfolk for $28 billion but the offer was rejected. It has insisted that the merger would enhance competition in the railway industry. The merger of the two companies would create a pan-North American railway that proponents said would help to alleviate freight bottlenecks, notably at a Chicago rail hub. Opponents fear it will lead to rising freight costs. Canadian Pacific has 22,000 kilometers (14,000 miles) of track in Canada and the United States while Norfolk has 32,000 kilometers of track, largely in the southeastern United States. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson canceled public events in Iowa on Tuesday after a van carrying three volunteers and a campaign staffer slid on ice, flipped on its side and was hit by another vehicle, his campaign said. One of the volunteers was taken to a trauma center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, the Carson campaign said in a statement. The other three were evaluated at a hospital in Atlantic, Iowa. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, has spoken with the family of the volunteer being taken to Nebraska, as well as the attending physician, the campaign said. "Dr. Carson has canceled all remaining campaign events today and will be traveling to Omaha this afternoon to be with the family during this difficult time," the statement said. Carson is among a dozen Republican presidential candidates criss-crossing Iowa before the state's Feb. 1 caucuses, the nation's first contest to determine the party's nominee in November's presidential election. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Alistair Bell) China's power production fell in 2015 for the first time on record as the world's second-largest economy grew at its weakest pace in 25 years, official data showed Tuesday. Electricity generation and consumption are closely observed in China because they reflect the strength of economic activities, amid doubts over the accuracy of official statistics. The country last year generated 5.62 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, down 0.2 percent from 2014, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). It was the first ever decline shown among the figures available on the NBS' website, which go back to 1998. China's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 6.9 percent last year, the NBS said, the lowest since 1990 and down from 7.3 percent in 2014. Even Premier Li Keqiang has reportedly expressed doubts about Chinese official statistics, telling US diplomats earlier in his career that he preferred to focus on electricity consumption, rail cargo volume, and the amount of loans issued when evaluating the economy. Chinese leaders -- who targeted growth of "about seven percent" -- have said they are seeking lower but better quality and more sustainable growth as they try to steer the country away from investment- and exports-driven growth of the past to one more oriented towards domestic consumer demand. But the transformation is proving bumpy and world markets have been hammered in recent weeks by worries over China, with a weakening Chinese currency and its volatile stock markets complicating the situation. The government is widely expected to lower the growth target for this year, and President Xi Jinping has said expansion of 6.5 percent will be sufficient for China's needs. China's crude steel output fell last year for the first time since 1981, official figures and reports said Tuesday, amid a wider slowdown in the country's economy and European accusations of dumping. Crude steel production declined 2.3 percent year-on-year to 803.8 million tonnes in 2015, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said. The official Xinhua news agency described it as the first drop since 1981. China accounts for half the world's crude steel production, according to data from the World Steel Association. But the sector has been plagued by overcapacity in both China and the rest of the world for years, and global prices have plummeted in the face of oversupply. They have also been hit by concerns over China's slowing growth, which the NBS said reached 6.9 percent in 2015, its slowest for 25 years. European producers accuse Chinese firms of selling below the cost of production, and French economy minister Emmanuel Macron has warned that Europe would not accept the "Chinese dumping". Beijing has banned new projects in a variety of industries in an effort to correct the problem, Xinhua reported, including steel, cement, electrolytic aluminium, flat glass and shipbuilding. Many of China's giant state-owned enterprises are unviable and Premier Li Keqiang has called for a "cutback on overcapacity in traditional industries as well as a large number of zombie enterprises". State media said his remarks were directed at coal and steel. BEIJING (Reuters) - China accused the Philippines on Tuesday of deliberately trying to scare people by saying China had warned a small civilian plane carrying Philippine officials it was trespassing as they inspected an island in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines said the incident happened on Jan. 7 to an aircraft inspecting Thitu Island in the Spratlys, where Manila plans to set up surveillance equipment this year, as their aircraft flew near a Chinese man-made island. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei repeated that China has sovereignty over the Spratlys and that the Philippines had illegally occupied eight islands there since the 1970s, including Thitu, and had been building on them. "The Philippines' comments are just frightening words to scare people, deliberately exaggerating regional tensions with treacherous intent, and its plots will not succeed," Hong said, when asked about the warning to the Philippine aircraft. The Philippines plans to install a $1 million satellite-based system on Thitu to track commercial flights over the South China Sea, after China landed its first test flights this month on a reef it built in the Spratly islands. Hong said that any activities by the Philippines on the islands it occupies were illegal. China's increasing military presence in the Spratlys has stirred fears it could lead to an air defense zone, which would escalate tension with other claimants, and the United States, in one of the world's most volatile areas. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge oil and gas deposits, but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the sea, through which about $5 trillion in trade passes every year. The Philippines and Vietnam protested against China's test flights on the Fiery Cross Reef this month. "The concerns about the recent activities of China along with the reclamation activities and construction of airstrips in the disputed territory is shared by other countries as it adds to the tension in the region," said Herminio Coloma, Philippine presidential communications secretary. It "causes concern about the freedom of freedom of navigation and overflight in the area", Coloma added. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato in MANILA; Editing by Nick Macfie) A Chinese nanny admitted in a Paris court Tuesday to killing and dismembering the parents of a baby who had died in her care, in a gruesome case worthy of a horror movie. "It's true, I killed them, and I will regret it for the rest of my life," the diminutive Hui Zhang, 34, said at the start of the hearing. Hui said she merely acted in self-defence as the furious parents of the dead newborn attacked her and her boyfriend with a butcher's knife. Her boyfriend and co-accused Te Lu, also 34, denied helping Hui kill the couple. "I was sucked into a whirlwind of nightmares but I am innocent," he told the court. The case first came to light in June 2012 after two joggers came upon a leg, cut off at the ankle, in the Vincennes forest on the edge of the French capital. Several days later, a guide dog found a human torso in the same area, but the hunt for further remains was fruitless. Police knew the victims were Asian and initially thought the murders could be the work of the Chinese mafia, or of Luka Rocco Magnotta, a Canadian convicted of killing and dismembering a Chinese student who spent time in Paris. But before the bodies could even be identified, Hui and Te turned themselves in. Hui told police she had been babysitting a two-month-old baby who died in his sleep. She and her partner decided to offer the child's parents money to try to get them not to report the boy's death. They invited the parents to their home, but said their plans quickly went awry faced with the fury of the grieving couple. - 'Self-defence'- "My client maintains she was acting in self-defence," said the nanny's lawyer Alexis Guedj. A lawyer for the family of the child's mother, Chloe Arnoux, argued that the defendants prepared for the meeting by equipping themselves with the sharp weapons. She said Hui "was not able to tell them to their faces that their child was dead, so she brought the baby's body into the sitting room." Story continues Hui then chopped up the two bodies in the bathroom with an electric saw, using the washing machine to cover the noise. She then wrapped the body parts in rubbish bags and scrubbed her apartment clean. A reconstitution of the crime scene showed that Hui, despite her small size, could drag the two bodies and lift them into the bathtub. Te confirmed her version of events. He said he fell unconscious during the fight and remained so while Hui cut up the bodies. "He was violently hit, it has been medically recorded," said Te's lawyer Eric Dupond-Moretti, arguing that his client was not complicit in the murder. When he came to he helped her get rid of the remains, transporting them "by foot or public transport", said a policeman. After the couple turned themselves in, they directed police to the locations of more body parts around the forest. However they did not find the baby's body, which Hui said she had thrown in rubbish bins along with some of the other remains. Police say there were no indications that Hui and Te, who arrived in France in 2004, were predisposed to this sort of grisly crime. Hui has been described by investigators as a highly intelligent and forceful character. Witnesses say she was the dominant partner in her relationship with Te, who was a business advisor. After the murders, they went to China and closed their bank accounts in France, but returned soon after. They say they had always intended to return, but police claim they were worried about facing the death penalty in China. The trial will continue until Friday. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the first stop on a trip to raise the economic giant's political profile in a troubled Middle East. Xi, making his first presidential visit to the region, will also travel to Egypt and Iran during his five-day tour. State television showed Xi meeting with King Salman and the official Saudi Press Agency said the monarch held a luncheon banquet in his honour. The two sides signed 14 agreements and memoranda of understanding, many of them on economic issues. One dealt with establishing a mechanism for consultations on fighting "terrorism," while another foresaw cooperation on building a nuclear reactor, SPA said. "Since China and Saudi Arabia forged diplomatic ties 26 years ago, our relationship has developed by leaps and bounds, with mutual political trust deepening continuously and rich results in cooperation in various fields," Xi said in written remarks, cited by China's official Xinhua news agency. Xi said he foresaw a fruitful visit "conducive to lifting our cooperation in various fields to a new level and to elevating the collective cooperation between China and GCC nations." He was referring to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to which Saudi Arabia belongs. On Wednesday, Xi is to join Salman for a ceremony to inaugurate an energy research centre in Riyadh. And they will also open, remotely from the capital, a refinery on the kingdom's Gulf coast. The refinery is a joint venture between state-owned Saudi Aramco and China Petrochemical Corp. Red flags of China are flying in central Riyadh for the high-profile visit, to which the Arab News daily devoted a 10-page special supplement. Tensions between regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a new high this month when Riyadh and a number of its Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. They acted after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the kingdom's January 2 execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Story continues He was among 47 people put to death in a single day for "terrorism". Most of those executed were Sunnis. - Seeking stability - "The kingdom and China both work towards world stability, peace and security. And the kingdom appreciates your efforts towards this," Salman told Xi, according to SPA. Both Saudi Arabia and China maintain tight control on civil society and have been criticised by rights activists. Xi arrived three days after a historic international deal lifted sanctions on Iran in return for a scaling back of its nuclear capabilities. China and five other world powers helped broker that agreement. But Riyadh fears it will further embolden Iran, which it accuses of interference in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere. Last week a Chinese diplomat urged "calm and restraint" between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but the foreign ministry in Riyadh late Tuesday issued a 58-point complaint accusing Iran of "sedition, unrest and chaos" over nearly four decades. "Clearly now there are tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, so he (Xi) will be going there in the role of persuader," Zhu Feng, professor at Peking University's School of International Studies, told AFP before the visit. "China will try and do what it can, but it still won't play a main role." In the past month, Beijing hosted high-level members from both the Syrian regime and its opposition. China has consistently urged a "political solution" to the Syrian war, despite being seen as sympathetic to President Bashar al-Assad. Iran is one of Assad's main allies while Saudi Arabia backs rebel forces. In December Riyadh hosted an unprecedented meeting of the Syrian opposition aiming for unity before peace negotiations sought with Assad's regime. The United Nations hopes those talks will begin in Geneva on January 25. "China is the biggest importer of Middle Eastern oil," Zhu said. "So stability in the Middle East is what China would most like to see." Riyadh has been deepening ties with major powers beyond its traditional ally Washington, which it sees as insufficiently engaged, particularly in the face of alleged Iranian interference. Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao visited the kingdom in 2009. Ottawa (AFP) - Two Chinese soldiers were "co-conspirators" in a plot to steal US military secrets, including designs for the F-35 stealth fighter and other warplanes, a Canadian newspaper reported Tuesday. The unnamed pair allegedly worked with a recent immigrant to Canada now facing extradition to the United States to identify and raid secure databases of US military contractors, said the Globe and Mail newspaper, citing a prosecution summary of a cyberespionage probe launched in 2014. It is the first publicly-stated link to the Chinese army in a hacking case that first came to light in 2013, when US officials revealed a broad Chinese campaign of espionage had gained access to designs for two dozen major weapons systems critical to missile defenses, combat aircraft and naval ships. The US Defense Science Board, a senior advisory group with government and civilian experts, had however stopped short in its report of accusing Beijing of stealing the designs. The so-called book of record cited by the Globe and Mail did not make it clear whether the two soldiers allegedly involved in the conspiracy were working for themselves or at the behest of Beijing. According to the newspaper, the "two Chinese military officers" were allegedly directed toward email accounts of American aviation engineers by Su Bin, a 50-year-old Chinese aviation entrepreneur living in Vancouver. The hackers then reportedly mined corporate networks for engineering manuals related to the F-35, C-17, and F-22 military aircraft. They would consult with Su Bin on which documents they should try to take, according to the Globe and Mail. Eventually the pair were identified through intercepted emails that contained their name, rank, military unit and other information. Su Bin was arrested in June 2014 and ordered extradited to the United States last September. He remains in Vancouver pending an appeal. Abidjan (AFP) - Ivory Coast on Monday rejected an international arrest warrant issued by neighbouring Burkina Faso for the speaker of parliament, calling in a statement from the presidency to solve the dispute through diplomatic channels. The warrant for Guillaume Soro, a former Ivorian rebel leader and prime minister, was issued on Friday over a short-lived coup last year following telephone wiretaps. Soro was a leading figure in the 2011 low-level civil war in Ivory Coast which split the world's top cocoa producer in half. He was accused by partisans of then Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo of being backed by Burkina Faso's Blaise Compaore, a charge the rebels denied. According to the telephone taps the two men allegedly discussed backing a week-long coup in September in which elite soldiers seized power and briefly took Burkina Faso's interim president hostage. Abidjan "is shocked that this (warrant) ... was issued with disregard of the rules and customs in this area", the Ivorian presidency said. Ivory Coast will seek to "solve this issue through diplomatic channels, respecting the agreements that bind us," the statement added. The putsch in Burkina Faso on September 17 was staged by crack troops from a presidential guard loyal to former head of state Compaore, who was ousted in a popular uprising 2014. The operation was thwarted by street protesters and support from the army. In a separate development, Burkina Faso was again reeling this week after jihadists staged a deadly attack on Friday night in the capital Ouagadougou that left at least 29 dead, around half of them foreigners. By Nelson Acosta HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia's government and leftist FARC rebels agreed on Tuesday to ask the United Nations Security Council to help monitor and verify a rebel disarmament should the two sides reach a final peace deal to end their 50-year-old war. "We have decided to request the Security Council of the U.N. to establish as of now such a political mission with unarmed observers for a period of 12 months," the two sides said in a joint statement read in Havana, the site of peace talks for the past three years. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said last year he would make such a request of the United Nations. The rebels' willingness to make the request jointly with the government is a sign of progress as the two sides aim to reach a comprehensive peace agreement before a March 23 deadline that negotiators set last year. The Colombians asked that the U.N. body be made up of representatives from Latin American and Caribbean countries. The international monitors would verify a bilateral ceasefire, preside over the FARC's disarmament, settle any disputes and make recommendations. If needed, international participation could be extended for another year, the statement said. "We think this is good news today, transcendental news," said Humberto de la Calle, the government's chief negotiator. Rebel negotiator Ivan Marquez called the agreement a "strong signal." "Peace in Colombia is possible," Marquez said. Santos, who staked his 2014 re-election on the peace talks, has been urgently pressing for a deal to end Latin America's longest war, which has killed 220,000 and displaced millions since 1964. His government and guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reached a breakthrough on Sept. 23, when they set a six-month deadline for a final agreement, but the FARC has been hedging, indicating March 23 was unrealistic. The talks appeared to regain momentum as Cuban President Raul Castro met with negotiators from both sides on Sunday. Rebel leaders also travelled to Colombia last week to brief combatants in the mountains and jungles. The final agenda point to be negotiated is on reaching a definitive bilateral ceasefire. They have already reached partial agreements on justice, land reform, combating drug trafficking and legalizing the FARC as a political party. Any comprehensive agreement would be placed before Colombian voters for approval. (Reporting by Nelson Acosta; editing by Daniel Trotta, Andrew Hay and Richard Chang) Beirut (AFP) - The Islamic State group confirmed Tuesday the death of British extremist "Jihadi John", saying he was killed in a drone strike in their Syrian stronghold of Raqa in November. Born Mohammed Emwazi, he was known as the executioner of the jihadist group appearing masked in a string of videos showing the beheadings of Western hostages. In its online magazine Dabiq, the group said Emwazi was killed on November 12 "as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqa, destroying the car and killing him instantly". The US military had said at the time that it was "reasonably certain" he had been killed in the strike. IS described Emwazi as a "martyr" and prayed to "Allah... to envelop him with His mercy and enter him into the highest levels of al-Firdaws (paradise)". Dabiq devoted an article to Emwazi, describing him as an "honourable brother" known for his "mercy and generosity" who once gave away a concubine as a gift "to an unmarried injured brother". The world knew him as a ruthless executioner who spoke English with a British accent and he was dubbed "Jihadi John" after hostages nicknamed a group of IS guards The Beatles. He first appeared in a video in August 2014 showing the beheading of James Foley, a 40-year-old American freelance journalist captured in Syria in 2012. Foley is seen kneeling on the ground, dressed in an orange outfit resembling those worn by prisoners held at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Emwazi is dressed entirely in black. - 'Human animal' - The Pentagon has said Emwazi participated in videos showing the murders of Foley and fellow US journalist Steven Sotloff, US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and a number of other hostages. Emwazi was last seen in the video showing Goto's execution in January. Story continues On November 13, the US military said it was "reasonably certain" Emwazi, 27, was killed in a drone attack in Syria while he was being driven in a car. He was targeted in a combined British-US operation the previous day in Raqa, de facto capital of IS in war-torn Syria. Intelligence sources had been tracking Emwazi "for some time," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said at the time. "This guy was a human animal, and killing him probably makes the world a little bit better place," he added. Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron had said if confirmed, Emwazi's death would be "a strike at the heart" of the IS group. A London computer programmer, Emwazi was born in Kuwait to a stateless family of Iraqi origin. His parents moved to Britain in 1993 after their hopes of obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship were quashed. Emwazi was six years old when his family moved to London. He grew up in North Kensington, a leafy middle-class area where a network of Islamist extremists was uncovered in recent years. According to the annual Travel Leaders Group luxury travel survey, Cuba is going to be the biggest up and coming destination for those that like to travel in style and with a sense of adventure. The Luxury Travel Trends for 2016 report compiling insights from 1,316 US-based premium travel agents puts the Caribbean island in first place as the biggest emerging destination for the new year, followed by the United Arab Emirates, African Safaris and Antarctica. "Today's luxury traveler is someone who seeks incredible, authentic and memorable experiences -- not merely 5-star hotels and Michelin star restaurants. So it makes perfect sense that Cuba, Antarctica, and African safaris are among the top 'up-and-coming' luxury travel destinations according to our luxury travel agents throughout the United States," stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Ninan Chacko. By Paul Taylor DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - The leaders of the divided island of Cyprus will make an unprecedented joint appeal to the world's political and business elite in Davos on Thursday to support their efforts to reach a settlement to their decades-old dispute. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, who have been negotiating on a possible deal since last year, will share the platform at a special session at the World Economic Forum annual meeting entitled "Reuniting Cyprus". U.N. and European officials say the prospects of finally reaching a peace deal to resolve one of the oldest frozen conflicts on the planet are better than at any time since Greek Cypriots rejected a U.N. peace plan in 2004. "While the world is generally not in good shape, for Cyprus the stars are aligned," said Espen Barth Eide, the Norwegian U.N. special envoy for Cyprus and head of the WEF's global security program. "There's an interest among the leaders involved. Both Turkey and Greece see advantages to moving on," Eide told Reuters. The east Mediterranean island has been divided since Turkey invaded the north in 1974 in response to a short-lived coup in Nicosia inspired by Greece's then military rulers. Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004 despite the Greek Cypriot vote against reunification. However, its relations with Turkey have remained frozen, efforts to reduce the economic isolation of Turkish Cypriot northern Cyprus have stalled and Nicosia has blocked much of Ankara's EU accession negotiations over the continued dispute. SENSITIVE ISSUES REMAIN Peace efforts gained a boost with the election of two leaders who are personally committed to a negotiated settlement, as well as the discovery of large offshore natural gas deposits off Cyprus which would be easier to exploit if there is a deal. A reunited Cyprus would also need international investment to help the peace process work. Reconstructing one resort town abandoned in the conflict is estimated to cost billions of euros, and compensation may also be required for people unable to reclaim their properties. The regional strategic environment is more favorable because Greece's leftist government is less nationalistic than its predecessors and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has tamed the military and is keen to improve relations with the EU. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is due to address the Davos audience right after the Cypriot leaders and is likely to reaffirm his country's commitment to support a settlement this year, which would also remove an obstacle to closer EU ties. Some diplomats in Ankara hope for agreement on the text of a deal before Cypriot parliamentary elections in May, and a referendum soon after that. Anastasiades and Akinci are not expected to announce any agreement on Thursday because much detailed work remains on sensitive issues such as territory, the return of property or compensation. An international reconstruction fund with EU and private money could be a vital component. "We have gone from harvesting relatively low-hanging fruit into the hard core deepest areas. We're in tougher terrain now and both leaders will have to make concessions," Eide said. An agreement between the two leaders would have to be ratified in referendums in each of the communities and implemented over time with international support. Anastasiades has not yet really begun to sell the benefits of a potential deal to a skeptical Greek Cypriot electorate. Asked why prospects for a settlement were better now than in 2004, Eide said: "The one major difference is that this time the process is led by the Cypriots and their leaders. My role is to facilitate but we (United Nations) are not putting down our own proposals. Every word is written and agreed to by the sides." (Additional reporting by Michele Kambas in Nicosia; Writing by Paul Taylor; editing by Ralph Boulton) NEW YORK (Reuters) - The tourism industry in debt-burdened Puerto Rico urged precautions on Tuesday after U.S. health authorities alerted pregnant woman against traveling to the island because of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel warning on Friday for 14 countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin America, including Puerto Rico, where infection with Zika is a risk. It particularly cautioned pregnant women, as Zika has been linked to serious birth defects. Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, reported its first case of Zika in December. "We are closely monitoring all information about the Zika virus jointly with all the tourism-related organizations," Clarisa Jimenez, president and chief executive of the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association, said in a statement on Tuesday. Jimenez said travel agents, meeting and convention planners were being informed of the measures being taken at the tourism destination level. "Among these are urging the use of repellents and vigilance of spaces prone to accumulate water in order to eliminate them and avoid the breeding of the mosquito," Jimenez said. Zika is usually a mild illness with fever, rash and joint pain. There is no preventive vaccine or treatment, according to the CDC. While the travel cautions may not help the island's image for tourists, it is not seen having a significant economic impact. Puerto Rico is struggling with $70 billion debt and is trying to renegotiate payments with creditors. "I would be very surprised if it has any noticeable impact on the Puerto Rico economy," said Height Securities analyst Daniel Hanson. "There was pretty much no (economic) effect from the Dengue fever outbreak." According to the CDC website, as of Dec. 9, there were 1,696 suspected cases of Dengue reported in 2015, of which 43 were confirmed in a laboratory. Puerto Rico has estimated that tourism contributes about 6 percent of its gross domestic product, although Hanson said it was likely higher at around 13 to 15 percent. Standard & Poor's analyst David Hitchcock said the leisure and hospitality sector represented only about 14 percent of total employment and 2 percent of GDP, "because it is basically a low-wage industry." "It's indeterminate what the impact on tourism would be - we are not necessarily expecting an immediate big impact," said Hitchcock. (Reporting by Megan Davies; Editing by Peter Cooney) San Francisco (AFP) - Amazon on Tuesday announced the arrival of devices that order their own refills from the online retail titan. Amazon Dash Replenishment technology is making its marketplace debut in a General Electric washer; a Gmate SMART blood glucose monitor and Brother printers. "We want to make customers' lives even easier so they won't run out of items like laundry detergent, pet food or printer ink again," Amazon devices director Daniel Rausch said in a release. "It's exciting to make Dash Replenishment a reality." The feature can be activated when people link smart devices to the Internet, then go on to place orders with Amazon when supplies get low. For example, a Brother printer will order ink from Amazon when needed. "Customers can start taking advantage of the service today and we will continue to launch and add new devices to the program this year," Rausch said. Amazon introduced its "dash" button last year as part of an effort to boost its presence for everyday household items and groceries. Subscribers can merely press a button to reorder certain items like diapers, toiler paper, razors, trash bags, clearing supplies, baby formula and makeup. By Andrew M. Seaman Doctors tend to get less aggressive care before death than the average person, a new study finds. The question of what kind of care doctors themselves would receive is often on patients' and families' minds, the researchers say. "Family members of critically or terminally ill patients sometimes seek reassurance from the physician that their loved ones are receiving the same care their physicians would receive," said lead author Joel Weissman, of Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. Previous research teams have asked doctors what treatments or services they would choose at the end of their lives, but what care they actually received hasn't been clear, Weissman told Reuters Health. As reported in JAMA, the researchers compared 2,396 doctors and 665,579 members of the general population, all at least 66 years old, who died in 2004 or 2005 in four U.S. states. They analyzed services received in the last six months of life, including surgery, hospice care, intensive care, and whether the person died in a hospital. Overall, the doctors received less aggressive care. About 28 percent of them died in a hospital, compared to 32 percent of the general population. About 25 percent of doctors had surgery in the last six months of life, compared to about 27 percent of the general public. And about 26 percent of doctors were admitted to intensive care units in the last months of life, versus about 28 percent of the general population. Doctors were more likely, however, to receive hospice care and to use less costly care before death, but those findings may be due to chance. "Doctors understand (that) modern medicine can both help and harm people, especially at the end of life, and they understand its limits," said Weissman. The researchers also compared the doctors to 2,081 similarly aged lawyers who died around the same time, since lawyers and physicians tend to have similar educations and similar social and economic statuses. Other than lawyers being more likely to die in hospitals, the two groups received similar levels of care at the end of life. "What this says is that there is something about occupation and socioeconomic status that influences end-of-life care, but doctors still tend to receive less intensive end-of-life care," said Weissman. The similarities between end of life care for the two professions may also be due to the fact that lawyers have helped clients with end-of-life planning, like estate planning and do-not-resuscitate orders, Dr. VJ Periyakoil of Stanford School of Medicine in California told Reuters Health. "Weve seen what goes terribly wrong when people are not prepared or not sure what people want for themselves," Periyakoil said about doctors. "Whereas with lawyers, the angle would be slightly different." The new study didn't analyze how satisfied people were with the care they received at the end of their lives, but Weissman said the consensus is that a good death is consistent with a person's goals and preferences. "I think the big message is to have a conversation with your physician no matter what your age," he said. "And think of this study when thinking about your goals." Periyakoil, who was not involved with the new study, said her own research shows that about 99 percent of doctors report barriers in discussing end-of-life care with their patients. "A conversation with your doctor is really important, but I think its equally important that you dont wait for your doctor" to initiate it, she said. She has led the creation of the Letter Project, which guides people through writing down their wishes for their doctors (http://med.stanford.edu/letter.html). "Were hoping once a patient documents it, doctors will take the opportunity to have a very focused discussion," said Periyakoil. She said people can also talk with their families about their goals and preferences. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1Pf2bwb JAMA, online January 19, 2016. After an online petition gained a significant amount of steam, the United Kingdom's parliament formally considered Monday whether to ban Republican frontrunner Donald Trump from entering the country. The debate which lasted around three hours responded to a petition that far exceeded the 100,000 votes necessary for the government to respond to the claim, as it finished with more than The petition was the result of several offensive comments Trump has directed to a plethora of groups, which includes Mexicans, Muslims, women and people with disabilities. "The U.K. has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech," the petition reads. "The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the U.K. If the United Kingdom is to continue applying the 'unacceptable behaviour' 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." Most notably, Trump's insistence on a temporary Muslim ban in the United States has irked the United Kingdom, which has a large Muslim population. According to demographic information of the U.K. provided by the Muslim Council of Britain on the 2011 U.K. census, about 4.8% of the population in England and Wales is Muslim, which would be around 2.7 million people. Additionally, among the "black and minority" ethnic group, Muslims comprise about one-third of the population. The debate, according to CNN, ended without going to a vote. However, there were members from both parties that expressed the merits of a ban on Trump, and conversely, the negative precedent that a ban would set. "I don't think Donald Trump should be allowed within 1,000 miles of our shores," Labor Party parliament member Jack Dromey said, according to BBC News. "Donald Trump is free to be a fool but he is not free to be a dangerous fool in Britain." Story continues "Like it or not, he is quite a contender to be the head of state of the most powerful country on the planet, a country which is a vital ally of ours," Conservative parliament member Sir Edward Leigh said, according to the BBC. "We have welcomed to the country Saudi and Chinese leaders, not to mention [Romanian communist Nicolae Ceau?escu], whose crimes are far worse than anything Mr. Trump can dream up." However, as CNN noted, the debate was never likely to take any formal action. Instead, it was an opportunity for members of parliament to vent their frustrations under the protection of parliamentary privilege, a legislation that "legally shields them from accusations of defamation or slander." While Trump is still performing well in national polls, it's evident that his stock overseas has continued to plummet. Watch the debate highlights below: US News EPA says response to Flint water crisis too slow as officials play blame game The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday it should have acted faster in handling a crisis of lead-contaminated drinking water in Flint, Mich., and vowed to review its actions. Separately, the White House appointed a Health and Human Services Department official to lead the federal governments emergency aid. White House spokesman John Earnest said an assistant secretary at the department, Nicole Lurie, will coordinate federal help, but state and local officials are responsible for managing the response. The situation is anything but being ignored by the White House. Earnest Criticism of the state and federal response has grown in recent days. The crisis began in 2014 when a state-appointed emergency manager switched Flint from Detroit water to Flint River water to save money. Flint returned to the Detroit system in October after tests found elevated levels of lead in children. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has apologized for the states handling of the crisis amid growing calls in the last week for him to resign. The governor, who has previously questioned the EPAs actions, is set to deliver his annual State of the State speech, which will be devoted mostly to the crisis. On Saturday, Obama declared a federal emergency in Flint but denied an additional request for a major disaster declaration sought by Snyder. The president is set to meet with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver today to discuss the crisis. Geneva (AFP) - Nearly 100,000 Ethiopians and Somalis last year travelled by boat to Yemen despite the conflict raging there, the UN said Tuesday, warning about the dangers of the journey. "Clearly it's extremely dangerous, both for the journey and for what they meet inside Yemen," UN refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards told AFP. His warning came less than two weeks after 36 people drowned trying to reach Yemen on January 8. Ninety-five people meanwhile were reported drowned trying to make the journey last year, making it the second deadliest year recorded to date on that route, Edwards said. The high death toll reflects the large numbers still trying to reach Yemen, even as the country has collapsed into a brutal civil war. According to the latest UNHCR data, 92,446 people arrived in Yemen by boat last year -- a full two-thirds of them since the conflict in the country escalated dramatically in March. That marks one of the highest annual totals in more than a decade, UNHCR said. Nearly 90 percent of the arrivals, 82,268, were from Ethiopia, while the remainder were Somalis, it added. Edwards described the figures as "disturbing", lamenting that "people still seem to be uninformed about the severity of the situation in Yemen." Some 6,000 people -- around half of them civilians -- have been killed in Yemen since conflict there escalated last March with the start of a Saudi-led bombing campaign against rebels, according to UN numbers. More than 2.5 million others have become internally displaced and another 168,000 have fled Yemen since March, the UN said. Edwards said smugglers were clearly organising the boatloads of people headed to the war-torn country and suggested the information they had and were sharing about the situation on the ground was not completely accurate. "People continue to arrive despite unprecedented escalated internal conflict in Yemen, and tragically more people continue to lose their lives trying to cross the sea in overcrowded, unseaworthy boats," Edwards told reporters in Geneva. In the incident on January 8, 106 people had been on a boat heading for Yemen when it ran into difficulties, Edwards said, quoting information from Somaliland authorities. There were 70 survivors -- all but one of whom was Ethiopian Oromo -- and 36 people perished, he said. How the European Union Economy Has Reacted to the Refugee Crisis (Continued from Prior Part) Syria civil war The Syrian civil war has three sides. One is the Syrian government led by Assad. Assad is backed by Iran and Russia (RSX). The opposition leader or so-called rebel group is backed by Saudi Arabia. ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), on the other hand, is fighting for religious and political goals. A few years ago, following the rise of IS militants, civil war claimed many lives along with the destruction of property. Starving citizens had to leave the country in search of food and shelter. The Syrian civil war has resulted in a large number of refugees moving into the European Union. The refugees are taking the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Turkey as a direct route to Greece and other European nations. Russias involvement in Syria Analysts estimate Russias (ERUS) involvement in Syria to be of economic benefit, as it hopes to pressure Riyadh to cut production in order to boost the price of crude oil. The Russian economy is highly dependent on energy exports. Lukoil (LUKOY), Gazprom Pao (OGZPY), and Tarneft (OAOFY) represent the large-cap Russian ADR (American depositary receipts) in the oil and gas sector. The European Union faced a large number of refugees in 2015 The European refugee crisis became widespread in 2015 when a large number of refugees moved to the European Union (or EU). According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the top three nations that contributed the most refugees to the EU in 2015 were Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The report states that: Syria contributed 49% of the total migrants. Afghanistan contributed 21% of the total migrants. Iraq contributed 8% of the total migrants. According to the Eurostat, the EUs member countries received 626,000 refugee applications in 2014, the highest number since 1992. In the next part of this series, well analyze Frances stance on this crisis. Story continues Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: ATHENS (Reuters) - Hellenic Petroleum, Greece's biggest oil refiner, will meet top Iranian oil officials on Friday to discuss crude oil imports from Iran, a company source said on Monday, after world powers lifted sanctions against Tehran at the weekend. Hellenic Petroleum was a major buyer of Iranian crude, which accounted for about 20 percent of the company's total annual crude oil imports before sanctions were imposed. Sanctions cut Iran's oil exports by about 2 million barrels per day (bpd) since their pre-sanctions 2011 peak, to little more than 1 million bpd. On Monday, Iran issued an order to raise oil production by 500,000 bpd. "Since the embargo has been lifted, Hellenic Petroleum can now discuss the possibility of a deal on crude oil supplies and on settling outstanding financial issues between the two sides, the official said. Hellenic Petroleum is estimated to owe $550-600 million for oil it bought from Iran but was unable to pay when the international embargo was imposed, a source close to discussions between Iran and Greece told Reuters last month. Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia and officials from National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) will be in Athens on Friday to meet Hellenic Petroleum executives, an official at Hellenic Petroleum told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The Iranian delegation will also meet Greece's Energy Minister Panos Skourletis on Friday, an energy ministry official said. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; editing by Susan Thomas) LONDON (Reuters) - A group of shareholders in ExxonMobil urged the oil giant on Tuesday to detail the resilience of its business model to climate change, a month after the Paris agreement set the world on course to transform its fossil fuel-driven economy. The coalition of investors represents nearly $300 billion in assets under management. The group includes New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, the Church of England, the Vermont State Employees' Retirement System and the University of California Retirement Plan. A global climate agreement reached in Paris last December commits both rich and poor countries to hold a rise in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to try and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The shareholder proposal filed by the coalition asks ExxonMobil to publish an assessment of how its portfolio would be affected by the 2 degree limit to, and beyond, 2040. In particular, it should include an analysis of the impacts on its oil and gas reserves. "The unprecedented Paris agreement to rein in global warming may significantly affect Exxons operations," DiNapoli, who is Trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, said in a statement. "As shareholders, we want to know that Exxon is doing what is needed to prepare for a future with lower carbon emissions. The future success of the company, and its investors, requires Exxon to assess how it will perform as the world changes." Over the past year or so, several large U.S. investors have been pushing for the oil industry to detail the risks of climate change to their business models. In April last year, Calpers, the largest U.S. public pension fund, along with 60 other institutional investors, asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to make oil and gas companies publish analysis of climate change risks. Other oil majors, such as Shell and BP, have already agreed to disclose how they will be affected by efforts to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Exxon, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, has said it has worked transparently for years on climate science and has properly disclosed business risks. Last year, environmental groups asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the company after reports that Exxon executives had downplayed warnings on global warming by the company's own scientists. (Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Katharine Houreld) Four months after Facebook agreed to work with the German government to fight anti-refugee hate speech, the social networking giant is delivering on its pledge. The company's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, met with politicians and advocates in Berlin on Monday to unveil the "Online Civil Courage Initiative," a new campaign aimed at curbing extremist rhetoric online across Europe. "In the past year, we've seen millions of people come together online to support refugees and stand in solidarity with the victims of terrorist attacks," Sandberg wrote in a Facebook post accompanying the announcement. "But we've also heard voices of hate growing louder. With extremism damaging lives and societies around the world, challenging those voices has never been more important," she stated. RELATED: Facebook Wants to Transform Refugee Camps into Internet Hubs The initiative plans to support European nongovernmental organizations by developing a set of best practices for fighting extremism. The joint effort of Facebook, the German government, and groups that include the nonprofit London-based think tanks International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue said it was working with experts to develop tools for social media users and the general public to combat hate speech encountered on the Internet. It comes on the heels of German justice minister Heiko Maas' plea for Facebook to ban posts that violently target refugees entering the country. In the August letter to the California company, Maas said it was incomprehensible that "photos of certain body parts are automatically deleted because of moral concerns, yet racist and xenophobic statements aren't immediately removed," Bloomberg Business reported at the time. "There must be no mistaken tolerance for users that offensively preach xenophobia and racism," he said. Sandberg agreed to a partnership the following month. Story continues Germany last year accepted a record 1.1 million refugeesthe highest level since it began keeping track after World War II. But as the number of asylum seekers has surged, so too has anti-refugee sentiment in the country where men described as Arab and North African were alleged to have carried out a series of sexual assaults on New Year's Eve. Thirty-seven percent of Germans surveyed last week by the Berlin-based research firm Forsa Institute said their view of foreigners had worsened since the attacks. Germany isn't the only country looking to Silicon Valley to help fight extremism online. Last month, the French government met with executives from Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and others to draft plans for preventing the spread of terrorist propaganda and expanding safety tools online in the event of an attack, The Verge reported. French prime minister Manuel Valls and deputy minister for digital affairs Axelle Lemaire are expected to convene a follow-up meeting later this month. Related stories on TakePart: Facebook Deploys Safety Check for Nigerian Bombing, Skips Flag Overlay Facebook Wants to Transform Refugee Camps Into Internet Hubs After Backlash From LGBT Groups, Facebooks Real Name Policy Gets a Makeover Original article from TakePart (Reuters) - Major international companies are rushing to establish a position in Iran as the Islamic Republic re-opens for business after the lifting of international sanctions. Up for grabs is access to a market with 80 million people and annual output of some $400 billion, making Iran the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading system since the Soviet Union broke up over two decades ago. Some foreign companies will remain wary of investing in the country, however, because of concern that the sanctions could "snap back" if Tehran is later found not to be complying with the nuclear agreement. AIRBUS Iran's transport minister said that the country intended to buy 114 civil aircraft from Airbus in a deal worth more than $10 billion at catalogue prices. Airbus said on Saturday that it had not yet held commercial talks with Iran. AUDI The Volkswagen-owned German carmaker said its representatives had traveled to Iran for talks with possible importers as it sought to enter Iran for the first time, seeing growing potential there for luxury cars. COMMERZBANK Commerzbank, Germany's number two lender, said it was considering the possibility of returning to Iran, less than a year after agreeing to pay $1.45 billion to U.S. authorities for violating sanctions. DAIMLER Daimler said its trucks division had signed letters of intent with joint venture partners in Iran as part of the German company's re-entry into the country. Daimler said it would work with two Iranian companies to establish a joint venture for local production of Mercedes-Benz trucks and powertrain components. It was also eyeing returning as a shareholder in a former engine joint venture. HELLENIC PETROLEUM Greece's biggest oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum is due to meet top Iranian oil officials later this week to discuss crude oil imports from Iran, a company source told Reuters. The company had been a major buyer of Iranian crude before sanctions were imposed. HERRENKNECHT Herrenknecht, a German tunneling company which helped build the Tehran metro in the 1990s, is ready to bid for projects in Iran, said the company's chairman. He plans to travel to Iran in the next two months to talk to former business partners. INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP British Airways, part of IAG, hopes to start flying to Tehran in the near future, said the airline group's chief executive on Monday. NATIONAL ALUMINUM CO India's state-run National Aluminum Co Ltd (NALCO) is interested in setting up a $2 billion smelter complex in Iran, its chairman said, and will send a team of experts there to explore the opportunity. TURKCELL Turkey's largest mobile operator Turkcell is looking for deals to enter the Iranian market and is in touch with the country's fixed line and mobile operators, its chief executive said. ZURICH INSURANCE Zurich Insurance said it would look into insurance cover for corporate customers doing business with Iran. (Compiled by Sarah Young; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) A teaser has been released for the first in film in Thierry Mugler's new campaign, starring successful fashion blogger Kristina Bazan. Shots from the new campaign starring Bazan were unveiled on her Instagram, along with a teaser for the campaign's new film on Thierry Mugler's official Instagram account. Directed by Jason Wu, the film is to be the first in a trilogy of short films starring the Swiss blogger Bazan, with each one exploring Thierry Mugler's iconic perfumes Angel and Alien and the Les Exceptions scents. At just 21 years old, Kristina Bazan has become famous in the world of fashion thanks to her blog Kayture, and has more than 2 million followers on Instagram. As well as previously working as an ambassador for L'Oreal Paris, Bazan is also working on an album that should be released in 2016. The short, 11-second teaser can be viewed now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d8ysD-SzTc By T.G. Branfalt Jr. UTICA, N.Y. (Reuters) - A man accused of taking part in a mass church beating that killed one of his sons and injured another in upstate New York rejected a plea deal on Tuesday that would have sent him to prison for at least 18 years. Bruce Leonard, 65, appeared in the Oneida County Courthouse in an orange prison jumpsuit and wrist and ankle shackles to turn down the plea agreement involving charges of murder, gang assault and kidnapping in the Oct. 11, 2015, attack at the Word of Life Church in Chadwicks, a small town about 100 miles west of Albany. Leonard is accused of joining his wife and seven other church members in the beating death of his son Lucas Leonard, 19. Another son, Christopher Leonard, 17, survived the attack but was hospitalized for blunt-force injuries suffered during a so-called counseling session that lasted more than 10 hours. Their mother, Deborah Leonard, 59, pleaded guilty last month to first- and second-degree assault charges in exchange for her testimony against her husband and the seven others - including church pastor Tiffanie Irwin - in the fatal attack. During testimony last October at a hearing, Christopher Leonard described his father attacking him and Lucas with his fists as well as with a black extension cord used as a whip. Christopher said he and his brother were assaulted because Lucas intended to leave the church. The other defendants all rejected the same plea deal as Bruce Leonard. They include pastor Irwin, 29; her mother, Traci Irwin, 49; her brothers Joseph Irwin, 26, and Daniel Irwin, 24; Linda Morey, 54; her son David Morey, 26; and Sarah Ferguson, 33, a half-sister of the victims. Deborah Leonard was due to be sentenced on Feb. 1 but Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said he has asked for an adjournment for that date and was unable to say when she would appear for sentencing. Bruce Leonard's next court appearance is set for Feb. 26. (Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Bill Trott) Washington (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is considering stripping retired general David Petraeus of his fourth star after he loaned his mistress classified Afghan war journals, the Daily Beast news site reported. Three people with knowledge of the matter told the US media outlet in a story published Monday that Carter is willing to overrule an earlier Army recommendation that Petraeus not have his rank reduced. Though the revered former commander is now retired, his retroactive demotion to a three-star general could cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of his retirement, as his pension payments would be knocked down to the last rank at which he satisfactorily served, the Daily Beast reported. Petraeus, who led the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, fell from grace last year when he was given two years' probation and fined $100,000 for providing classified information to his mistress and biographer Paula Broadwell. Prior to his downfall, he had been regularly praised for his efforts during the "surge" of troops in Iraq and credited for helping salvage the troubled war effort in that country. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told the Daily Beast that Carter was still reviewing the Army's recommendation not to demote Petraeus. "Once the secretary has an opportunity to consider this information, he will make his decision about next steps, if any, in this matter," Cook said. Carter, who is President Barack Obama's fourth defense chief, has said he will not tolerate inappropriate behavior, including among his top officers. In November, he abruptly fired his top military advisor, Lieutenant General Ron Lewis, over allegations of unspecified "misconduct" reportedly linked to an inappropriate relationship. Following his retirement in 2011, Petraeus went on to head the Central Intelligence Agency, but resigned in 2012, after serving just 14 months. The US Army only has 12 four-star generals at any given time. By Caroline Copley BERLIN (Reuters) - Amir Hekmati, one of the Americans freed in a prisoner swap with Iran, said he did not believe until the very last moment that he would be let go and he celebrated with champagne once the Swiss plane flying him out left Iranian air space. Hekmati, who was detained in August 2011 while visiting family in Iran, told reporters outside a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany on Tuesday that he felt "very lucky" to be free again. "It was very nerve-wracking. I was worried that maybe the Iranian side was going to make new demands in the last minute or that the deal wasn't going to work out," he said. Hekmati was released at the weekend along with four other Americans in a deal negotiated between Washington and Iran. The prisoner swap followed the lifting of most international sanctions against Iran under a deal to curb its nuclear program. "This is all so surreal and we're just soaking it all in right now," Hekmati said, adding his release had come as a surprise. "I was at a point where I had just sort of accepted the fact that I was going to be spending ten years in prison, so this was a surprise and I feel extremely blessed to see my government do so much for me," he said. A Swiss plane took Hekmati along with Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief and Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho, as well as some family members, from Tehran to Geneva on Sunday. "As soon as we got out of Iranian air space the champagne bottles were popped," he said, adding that the Swiss served them veal and chocolates. After arriving in Geneva, they three left for a U.S. military base in Germany where they have been undergoing medical evaluations. Hekmati has seen his sister and brother-in-law and said he hopes to return home soon to be reunited with the rest of his family. (Reporting by Reuters TV and Caroline Copley; Editing by Richard Balmforth) Paris (AFP) - French oil company Total said on Tuesday that it expects 2015 profits to plunge by more than 20 percent from a year earlier because of falling oil prices. Total chief Patrick Pouyanne told Europe 1 radio that Total's earnings were supported by its transformation, refining and distribution activities. "We're present all along the chain," he said. "But at the same time our profits are falling. They will be down a bit more than 20 percent this year (2015) because the oil price fell by 50 percent." Total officials, contacted by AFP, said Pouyanne's remarks were based on results for the first nine months of 2015, but that the full-year results were headed for a similar drop, as predicted by analysts. Total in September announced cuts in spending and investment, citing the weak oil price. It expects to invest between $20 billion and $21 billion this year, and $17 billion to $19 billion in 2017, against $23 billion to $24 billion in 2015. Operating costs are to be cut by $3 billion and Total wants to sell $10 billion worth of assets as well as cut its payroll by 2,000 out of 100,000 employees, it said. The figures coincided with a warning by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the sharp collapse in the oil price was proving more of a drag on the global economy than a stimulus. The financial strains on exporters and the deep investment cutbacks in the industry are more than offsetting the expected gains from cheap oil enjoyed by key importers like Japan and the United States, the IMF said. Low oil prices, while hurting both oil producers and oil companies, can often be positive for consumers and non-oil corporates and therefore for global growth. The oil price this week hit 12-year lows and is currently trading at or below $29 dollars per barrel. Fears over China and the global economy on top of a persistent supply glut have sparked a dizzying fall in oil prices which have been compounded by the recent return of major oil exporter Iran's return to the market. Story continues The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) also warned Tuesday that prices had not yet bottomed out. "Can it go any lower?" the IEA asked in its monthly oil market report. "Unless something changes, the oil market could drown in over-supply. So the answer to our question is an emphatic yes. It could go lower." Growth in world demand for oil is also expected to ease off, it said. Shares in Total were 3.15 percent higher on the Paris stock exchange at around 1145 GMT. Total's official 2015 results announcement is due on February 11. Paris (AFP) - The French parliament will create a commission to investigate the government's handling of last year's terror attacks, the parliamentary leader of the opposition Republicans party said Tuesday. The probe will examine "the resources put in place by the state to fight terrorism since January 7, 2015", Christian Jacob told reporters. That is the date of an attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly in Paris, which was followed two days later by a hostage drama at a Jewish supermarket. A total of 17 people were killed in three days in the coordinated attacks. The rest of the year was marked by sporadic attacks and foiled plots in the name of the Islamic State group, culminating in the death of 130 people on November 13 as gunmen and suicide bombers attacked Parisian nightspots. Four days after that attack Jacob called for the parliamentary enquiry "so that the French people will know the whole truth about the conditions in which these attacks could have happened." The Republicans party has fiercely criticised the Socialist government's response to the attacks. "Were all the lessons learned from the January attacks? The answer is no, too much time has been wasted," party leader and former president Nicolas Sarkozy said after the November bloodshed. FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A Frankfurt court on Tuesday ruled that discounts offered by taxi-hailing app Mytaxi are illegal, saying they were an "unfair commercial practice". Mytaxi, owned by German carmaker Daimler, offered cab rides for half the regular price in several German cities if customers paid electronically instead of in cash. The case was brought by German taxi operator group Taxi Deutschland, which offers a competing app and a central phone number for ordering cabs. Taxi Deutschland said in a statement it welcomed the ruling. Daimler said it would appeal the ruling, saying it was convinced its actions were legal. German regulators have been tough on so-called ride-hailing apps. Uber Technologies last year said it was retreating from Hamburg, Frankfurt and Duesseldorf, focusing on Berlin and Munich in Germany, as it grapples with a ban on using unlicensed cab drivers. (Reporting by Harro ten Wolde and Jan Schwartz; Editing by Mark Potter) By Caroline Copley and Michael Nienaber BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany wants to limit migration from North Africa by declaring Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia 'safe countries', officials from the ruling coalition said on Monday, cutting their citizens' chance of being granted asylum to virtually zero. The initiative follows outrage over sexual attacks on women in Cologne on New Year's Eve blamed predominantly on North African migrants that sharpened a national debate about the open-door refugee policy adopted by Chancellor Angela Merkel. Europe's most populous country and largest economy has borne the brunt of the continent's biggest refugee influx since World War Two. Some 1.1 million asylum seekers arrived in the country in 2015, most fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Merkel's conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), agreed on Monday that Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia - troubled by unrest rather than full-blown conflict - should be designated safe countries. The step is intended to reduce the number of arrivals from these countries and make deportations easier, CDU general Peter Tauber said after a meeting of senior party members. Earlier on Monday, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin wanted to discuss with other European Union states designating Morocco and Algeria as safe countries. On Sunday, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said Berlin could cut development aid to countries that are not willing to take back citizens whose asylum applications were rejected. Asked about Germany's policy towards Algeria and Morocco, Gabriel told ARD television: "There cannot be a situation where you take the development aid but do not accept your own citizens when they can't get asylum here because they have no reason to flee their country." INTEGRATION To help integrate refugees and defuse social tensions that have escalated since the Cologne attacks, Gabriel called on Monday for an extra 5 billion euros ($5.45 billion) a year in public spending on police, education and daycare. "We can only manage the double task of integration, namely accommodating the new arrivals and also preserving the cohesion of our society, if we have a strong state capable of acting," he said after a meeting of his senior Social Democrats (SPD), the coalition partner in Merkel's government. He said Germany needed 9,000 more police, 25,000 new teachers and 15,000 daycare workers, while funds for public housing should be doubled. His proposal is expected to be approved at federal and state level in coming months. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble wants to avoid the government taking on new debt in 2016, but he has admitted this may be difficult due to the ballooning refugee costs. Part of those costs will be covered with the surplus from last year's budget, which was a bigger-than-expected 12.1 billion euros. ($1 = 0.9179 euros) (Additional reporting by Holger Hansen and Andreas Rinke; Editing by Mark Heinrich and John Stonestreet) Athens (AFP) - Greece's shipping minister has criticised coastguards who forced an alleged Turkish smuggler to look at the bodies of three dead migrant children who died crossing the Aegean. "Clearly this is exaggerated behaviour," Shipping Minister Thodoris Dritsas said in a statement late on Monday. "The state and its officials should be cool-headed and professional against any detainee, even one accused of heinous crimes," Dritsas said. The affair surfaced after Sky News on Friday broadcast footage of a distressing migrant rescue near the Greek island of Samos where two two-year-old boys and a four-year-old girl died. In the footage, the coastguards arrested a 21-year-old Turk who was driving the boat as a suspected smuggler, and forced him to look at the bodies of the children until he broke down in tears. "We should all respect the presumption of innocence until one is irrevocably declared to be guilty," the minister said. A prosecutor on Samos is to decide whether to press manslaughter charges against the alleged smuggler, who told Sky News he had been forced to pilot the boat. Convicted migrant smugglers face heavy sentences in Greece if convicted. In 2014, a court on Crete handed down multiple life sentences -- essentially 25 years in prison -- to three Syrians and a Greek caught transporting dozens of migrants inside trucks. The International Organisation for Migration on Tuesday said over 31,000 migrants and refugees had already arrived in Greece this year, 21 times the number recorded by the Greek coastguard in January 2015. - Cold temperatures - Nearly half of them are Syrians fleeing their country's civil war, and one in three are Afghans. "The number suggests that the number of maritime arrivals in Greece in 2016 may significantly exceed the record 853,650 migrants who arrived in Greece by sea in 2015," the IOM said. The organisation said 77 people including several children had died this year trying to cross the Aegean. Story continues And with temperatures in the Balkans falling below freezing, aid group Save the Children warned this figure could rise further. "With temperatures forecast to drop to as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) on the border between Macedonia and Serbia, children travelling along the refugee route are at risk of hypothermia as well as pneumonia and other potentially fatal respiratory illnesses," the organisation said. "Aid workers at the border reception centre in Presevo say there is six inches of snow on the ground and children are arriving with blue lips, distressed and shaking from the cold," it said, adding that local staff were already reporting possible frostbite cases. Snow has even fallen on the Greek island of Lesbos, the main landing point for thousands that continue to arrive from the neighbouring Turkish coast. Ottawa (AFP) - A grieving mother led fierce criticism Tuesday of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for pulling back militarily against Islamic extremists after seven Canadians were killed last week in overseas attacks. Camille Carrier, whose daughter Maude was one of six Canadian victims of an attack in Burkina Faso on Friday, said she was "ashamed" by Ottawa's stance, while a Tory opposition MP called the new Liberal government's policy on fighting the Islamic State group "incoherent." Trudeau and his Liberals swept to power in October legislative elections in which he campaigned on the withdrawal of six fighter jets currently participating in air strikes in Iraq and Syria. He has yet to say when the aircraft will return home. Opposition MP James Bezan branded the government's policy on fighting the IS group "incoherent, and the decision to withdraw Canada's CF-18s is seen by our allies as stepping back, rather than standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them." Carrier, whose daughter died when Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) attacked the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, was quoted by the Globe and Mail newspaper as saying that Canada should be boosting its military response and standing with allies such as France and the United States, not retreating. "I was ashamed before this happened, but obviously the loss of my daughter has only made me more revolted about this situation," said Carrier. "I'm so ashamed of my country." Trudeau "offers shallow words about inclusion and tolerance. We need to do more. We need our leader to pay attention to legitimate security concerns in addition to our image as a welcoming country," she said, alluding to Canada's welcoming with fanfare of 10,000 Syrian refugees since November. A Canadian was also killed in Jakarta last Thursday in an attack by a group allied to Islamic State extremists. Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Hundreds of opposition protesters in Haiti burned tires and torched vehicles in Port-au-Prince, ahead of a controversial second-round presidential vote. Haiti heads to the polls Sunday to choose between opposition candidate Jude Celestin and government-backed rival Jovenel Moise. The opposition has called Octobers first-round vote -- which saw Moise come out ahead of Celestin -- an "electoral coup" set up by President Michel Martelly, who cannot run for a second consecutive term under the constitution. Meanwhile, in an interview with AFP Monday, Celestin said he would not even participate in the election, calling the vote a farce with "only one candidate," referring to Moise. Celestin had already refused to take part in the campaigning process, and went so far as to tell AFP Monday he would not participate unless electoral reforms occurred. An independent electoral commission concluded earlier this month that fraud and irregularities marred the first-round of voting on October 25 and that 60 percent of poll workers could not do their jobs properly. Assuring the workers would be better prepared for the second-round, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council decided to move forward with elections but pushed the date from December 27 to January 24, a move the opposition says does not go far enough. "We are at the end of our tether and yes, we will use violence because we must respond to their violence against our rights," protester Joseph Onsy said, as a small group set fire to tires in the middle of an intersection in the downtown area of the capital. Meanwhile Moise campaigned on Monday, calling on citizens to vote. "We need the passion and competence of all of our citizens, regardless of their origin and political affiliation, to develop Haiti," he said. "For me, it's an essential criteria to take into account in the formation of a new government," Moise added. Story continues Only 26 percent of eligible voters took part in the first-round vote. Since the end of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986, Haiti -- already the poorest country in the Americas -- has been battered by a succession of political crises and contested elections. Its fragile economy is still struggling to recover from the massive January 2010 earthquake that claimed about 200,000 lives. Beirut (AFP) - The Islamic State jihadist group has announced plans to halve the monthly salaries of its members in Syria and Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Tuesday. The Britain-based monitoring group, which relies on a network of activists, medics, and fighters across Syria, published what it said was an IS statement announcing the cuts. "Because of the exceptional circumstances that the Islamic State is passing through, a decision was taken to cut the salaries of the mujahedeen in half," the Arabic statement said. "No one will be exempt from this decision no matter his position, but the distribution of food assistance will continue twice a month as usual," it said. IS has declared a self-styled "caliphate" across swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, imposing its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. According to Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman, the salary cuts meant Syrian IS fighters would see their salaries drop to about $200 from $400 per month. Foreign fighters, who were paid double the Syrian militants, would have their monthly income reduced to $400, Abdel Rahman told AFP. The jihadist group strives to show that it operates a full-fledged state, with government institutions, hospitals, and schools. The financial strain could be a result of intensified air strikes on its oil infrastructure in Syria and Iraq. A US-led coalition is conducting an air war on the group in both countries, and Russian warplanes are also targeting the jihadists in Syria. Over the past few months, Hari Nef has become one of buzziest names in the industry. The 22-year-old has not only made headlines for her work with &Other Stories, Vogue and Hood by Air not to mention for her turn in Amazon's hit show Transparent but also for her activism on behalf of the trans community. Most recently, the model penned an essay for Lena Dunham's Lenny newsletter where she openly shared her struggle to shed light on the issue of trans visibility. Read more Victoria's Secret Models Gigi Hadid, Devon Windsor to Compete on 'Masterchef' Now, the Philadelphia native is building her fashion cred by establishing a relationship with another one of fashion's biggest up-and-comers: Gucci's Alessandro Michele. The model tells Dazed that the pair first met after Nef contacted Gucci about possibly wearing one of the label's dresses to the premiere of Transparent. Michele invited Nef to dinner in L.A., which apparently went well, as the creative director then cast Nef in his fall 2016 menswear show. A photo posted by @harinef on Jan 18, 2016 at 1:40pm PST It's an authentic vision and I'm so happy to be a part of it," she said of Michele's gender-fluid, '70s-inspired Gucci collections to the glossy backstage in Milan. "Hes a great guy and he sees people, he sees characters...he doesnt really see a lot of the labels. To work with the team has been a joy. I can genuinely say its been amazing. See more Critics' Choice Awards: The Blue-Carpet Arrivals Nef topped off her trip with a takeover of Gucci's Snapchat account not bad for a first go at the Milan runways. If her success with the storied Italian brand is any indication, we expect to see much more of Nef in the future. A photo posted by @harinef on Jan 17, 2016 at 8:53am PST By Marice Richter FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - Lawyers for the Texas teenager who killed four people in the "affluenza" drunken-driving case and was captured in Mexico said on Tuesday they are investigating whether the 18-year-old chose to flee or was forced. Judge Timothy Menikos of Tarrant County juvenile court deferred a ruling on a move to transfer Ethan Couch's case to adult court because his parents were not adequately notified about the proceedings. Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, 48, were captured in Puerto Vallarto, Mexico, last month after a manhunt of more than two weeks sparked by allegations the teen violated his probation in the 2013 drunken driving case. "We are examining the facts ... to determine whether he was taken voluntarily or involuntarily to Mexico," attorney Scott Brown told reporters. Couch, held in a Mexico immigration detention center, may soon return to Texas, Brown said, adding that his Mexican lawyers are making moves to drop his fight against deportation. A Mexican migration official said Couchs transfer to the United States is not imminent. "First, (Couchs lawyers) have to withdraw the legal challenge ... and even then it would take another month, said Ricardo Vera, the top migration official in Mexicos central Jalisco state where Couchs legal case is being handled. Tarrant County prosecutors contended Couch is responsible for his own absence by fleeing to Mexico. His mother was returned to Texas and faces a third-degree felony charge, accused of helping her son flee, that could result in a 10-year prison sentence if she is convicted. The teen's parents are divorced, and his father was not present in court. Couch was 16 when he was tried as a juvenile with a psychiatrist testifying the boy had "affluenza" and his family's wealth had left him so spoiled that it impaired his judgment to tell right from wrong. The affluenza diagnosis, not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, was widely ridiculed. Story continues A social media video emerged in December showing Couch at an alcohol-laden party. The party was likely a violation of the probation deal that kept him out of prison. If Couch is found to have violated his probation, he could be held in adult detention for about four months. Lawyers for Couch want the proceedings in Fort Worth stopped because he is not present. A new hearing date in the case was set for Feb. 19. (Reporting by Marice Richter and Jon Herskovitz; Additional reporting by Anahi Rama in Mexico; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; editing by Alden Bentley and Cynthia Osterman) Rappers 50 Cent and Meek Mill have been feuding ever since Meek Mill released a track called "Gave 'Em Hope" denouncing 50's lifestyle on social media. The song also mocks 50 Cent's bankruptcy case in 2015. While the rappers hash out their beef online, the actual winner of the feud may be the city of Flint, Michigan. The city of Flint is facing one of the most devastating crises of the last decade the entire city's water supply has been designated as highly corrosive, and residents have been drinking water traced with lead since April 2014. A tweet from "Raspy Rawls" on Twitter prompted Meek Mill to challenge 50 Cent to match his donation of $50,000 to the distressed Michigan city. Read more: To Understand How Toxic the Water in Flint Is Right Now, This Is What You Need to Know Flint, Michigan, Is Charging Its People Over $100 a Month for Poisoned Water Somebody tell @MeekMill & @50cent the ppl in #Flint #Michigan could use some water.. Their lives depending on it.. #DontWasteEachOthersTime "I got 50k to donate to waters ... Let's see if we can have @50cent match me!" Meek Mill wrote Monday on Instagram. "I'm pretty sure 'Flint' supported us! Serious post contact .... Roc nation will purchase for me and ship! Not even just him all entertainers! I ain't got the tine posting memes and shit... 'Way too trill for that.'" While continuing to post disparaging Instagram photos of Meek Mill, 50 Center acknowledged that he would help the city of Flint, in a now-deleted post. "Even a [poop emoji] Head knows we are supposed to help out Flint Michigan," 50 Cent wrote on Instagram Monday. "I'm a ambassador for feeding America, I'm working with the United Nations world food program. I'll find out what are the right organizations to donate to. It's a tax right off anyway (poop emoji) Head." Story continues Here's How the 50 Cent-Meek Mill Instagram Beef Is Helping Flint, Michigan After removing the post, 50 continued his social media onslaught with a photo of Meek Mill accepting an award for "Most L's Taken 2015-2016." "You know you only trying donate so you can try and use it in court (poop emoji) head," 50 Cent wrote under the photo. "You don't have money to give away. When Nikki find out you playing with her boy oh boy your in for it." The feuding rappers aren't the only entertainers that have been vocal about the Flint water crisis. Pop legend Cher has provided Flint with 180,000 bottles of water. Filmmaker and Flint native Michael Moore has been vocal on social media, calling for the resignation of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. Detroit native Big Sean and P. Diddy also took to social media to express their concerns. Flint I love you, Im sorry you have to deal with this tragedy! This is a state of emergency n I have been seeing how me n my family can help "You popping shit on your Instagram, shit that you're popping ain't adding up," Mill, who most recently engaged in a beef with Canadian rapper Drake, rapped in his latest song dissing 50 cent. "Shit that you're popping ain't making sense. I got fifty reasons to say you're taking dick." 50 Cent, no stranger to rap beef, responded the best way he knows how by taking the feud to social media with a number of vicious Meek Mill disses. Here's how to help residents in Flint. Reykjavik (AFP) - Iceland on Tuesday welcomed the first Syrian refugees to reach the country, as six families swapped a Red Cross camp in Lebanon for the chilly climes of Europe's extreme north. The group were met at the airport by no less than the country's prime minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, whose press service said he had expressed the wish that the newcomers would soon feel at home. The 35-strong group will stay with families in three municipalities -- Akureyri in the north and Kopavogur and Hafnarfjordur near the capital Reykjavik. "Thank you Iceland, this is a great country," the Morgunbladid daily quoted one Syrian man as saying. Local authorities are laying on a range of social programmes to hasten the families' integration. "Every effort will be made to help the refugees to build a new life in Iceland and adapt to conditions here so they can actively participate in Icelandic society," the government said in a statement. Four more families are expected soon while some more have turned down the offer to forge new lives more than 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) from home, the ministry for social affairs revealed. Official statistics say just 21 Syrians emigrated to Iceland, which has a population of some 330,000, between 2011 when the conflict broke out in their homeland and the end of 2014. Reykjavik initially said it would take in 50 refugees but then said it would increase that figure amid a campaign on social media which saw several thousand citizens pledge readiness to provide accommodation. By Nita Bhalla NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - India's draft law aimed at protecting the rights of the transgender community must be strengthened to allow people to be legally recognized by self identification rather than based on the opinions of experts, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. India's upper house of parliament in April last year passed "The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill" which recognizes the right of an individual to be termed as of a third gender and provides them with benefits in education and employment. The bill, which was introduced by a private member, is now in the process of being formulated into a possible law by the ministry of social justice and empowerment and will be put before both houses in the coming months. But New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said there were several problems with the current bill, including a proposal that identity certificates be issued to individuals based on the recommendations of a "screening committee" of experts. "The Transgender Persons Bill will help protect and empower India's transgender population, but the government needs also to address the bill's shortcomings," Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW's South Asia director, said in a statement. "With the input of the transgender community, the government should ensure that a new law lays out a strong legal framework in line with the constitution and international law, and provides effective enforcement." Campaigners say there are hundreds of thousands of transgender people in India but because they were not legally recognized, they have been ostracized, faced discrimination, abuse and often forced into prostitution. In April 2014, India's Supreme court recognized transgender as a legal third gender and, in a landmark judgment lauded by human rights groups, called on the government to ensure their equal treatment. HRW said the proposal of a committee -- including government officials, medical experts such as psychologists, social workers and members of transgender community -- to determine if a person qualifies as a third gender was not the only problem with the bill. The bill also needs to be expanded to take into account the specific concerns of intersex persons and must also address the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming children, including their right to access education, said the group. "The Transgender Persons Bill offers the promise of both changing archaic laws and thinking about transgender people in India," Ganguly said. "The government has taken the first steps to providing transgender people legal protections. Now it needs to strengthen the draft to ensure good intentions are turned into a reality." (Reporting by Nita Bhalla, Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org) ALTOONA, Iowa (Reuters) - Iowa's governor said on Tuesday it would be a "big mistake" for voters in the nation's first presidential contest next month to choose Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination, citing the U.S. senator's opposition to a biofuel mandate important to the state. Republican Governor Terry Branstad said Cruz was in the pocket of "Big Oil," and criticized the Texan's opposition to the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires U.S. fuel to contain a minimum amount of biofuels, including ethanol. Ethanol is a major market for Iowa corn, and the state's voters have generally supported ethanol mandates. Branstad said Cruz is a big opponent of renewable fuels who is "heavily financed by Big Oil." "Ted Cruz, who is ahead in the polls, is diametrically opposed to what we really care about, and that is growing the opportunity for renewable fuels in this country, Branstad said. Branstad spoke after addressing the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, where Republican front-runner Donald Trump also spoke later in the day and endorsed the Renewable Fuel Standard. Branstad's oldest son, Eric, has worked on a political action committee that has been critical of Cruz's ethanol stance. The governor has said he would not endorse a candidate before the Feb. 1 caucuses in Iowa, where Cruz leads Trump in some opinion polls. "I think it would be a big mistake for Iowa to support him," Branstad said of Cruz. "I know he's ahead in the polls, but the only poll that counts is the one they take on caucus night. And I think it could change between now and then." U.S. Representative Steve King of Iowa, who backs Cruz, criticized Branstad's comments as a "de facto endorsement of Trump." (Reporting by Kay Henderson; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) Washington (AFP) - In this corner, Donald Trump. In the other, Ted Cruz. The brash billionaire and the US Senate conservative have taken off the gloves in Iowa, where they have emerged as the top contenders in the debut Republican presidential nominating contest. Candidates face crunch time February 1 when residents of the heartland state cast the first votes in the 2016 race, and it is looking increasingly like a two-person, bare-knuckles affair. "It's a Trump and Cruz contest for first in the Iowa caucuses at this point," Republican strategist Ryan Williams of FP1 Strategies told AFP. "It's a real dog fight... and the flame war between Trump and Cruz seems to have erupted in the last week as they realize that they're trying to peel off the same voters from each other." Real estate tycoon Trump, once in the thick of a Cruz "bromance," now calls his chief rival "a nasty guy" and a hypocrite for slamming New York values while taking money from donors in the Big Apple. Cruz, who has barnstormed the frigid, snow-driven state in recent weeks, is ramping up his own attacks, criticizing Trump for praising President Barack Obama's stimulus package, once supporting a national health care system, and for donating to Democrats. "Donald seems very rattled right now," Cruz told The Kuhner Report radio talk show Monday. "Every time his poll numbers go down, he gets angrier and angrier and he lashes out." The GOP field is deep this year, with 12 candidates still in the race. But only Trump and Cruz are capturing the imagination of substantial numbers of voters in the heartland state, a disproportionately large percentage of whom are evangelical Christians. - A tightening race - Trump is pulling 28 percent support, just one point ahead of Cruz, according to a RealClearPolitics average of recent major Iowa polls. Marco Rubio? The charismatic young senator from Florida has performed admirably in several debates and is seen by some as navigating the middle lane between far-right conservatives and the party's establishment. Story continues But he is a distant third in Iowa at less than 12 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a onetime leader in Iowa, has slipped to fourth, at 8.7 percent. None of the other candidates, including more mainstream former Florida governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, is consistently polling above five percent. Respected political forecasting website FiveThirtyEight.com puts Cruz's chance of winning Iowa at 51 percent and Trump's chance at 29 percent. Rubio's chances: 13 percent. But a hurdle was dumped in Cruz's path Tuesday, when Iowa's popular Governor Terry Branstad openly expressed opposition to a Cruz victory. "I believe it would be a big mistake for Iowa to support him," Branstad told a renewable fuels summit in Altoona. Cruz opposes the Renewable Fuel Standard, which sets the amount of ethanol and renewable fuel that must be blended into gasoline. Branstad supports it. Winning Iowa by no means assures the nomination. Just ask former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who romped to victory in the Hawkeye State in 2008 only to lose the Republican race to John McCain. But it provides a critical psychological lift for the winner going into the next contest, in New Hampshire on February 9. With the nomination on the line, the political knives have come out. "Everybody hates Ted," Trump told Fox on Monday, alluding to how Cruz has alienated many in his own party in Washington. Trump unleashed a barrage of anti-Cruz tweets on Monday and Tuesday, warning once again of Cruz's potential presidential ineligibility because he was born in Canada and the legal issues surrounding natural born citizenship have not been settled. Cruz sharpened his tone against Trump Monday night in New Hampshire, where he reminded rally attendees that Trump had been absent in the conversation when Cruz sought to block an immigration overhaul. "I would suggest as voters," the New York Times quoted Cruz as saying, "you have reason to doubt the credibility of the promises of a political candidate who discovers the issue after he announces for president." Tehran (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Tuesday against American "deceit", just days after the end of sanctions under a nuclear deal that the central bank said would unblock $32 billion. The remarks underscored the still-strained relations between Tehran and Washington, which unveiled new missile-linked sanctions against Iran on Sunday almost as soon as the nuclear-related measures were scrapped. In his first comments since the atomic agreement was implemented at the weekend, Khamenei told President Hassan Rouhani in a letter to "guard against deceit and violations of arrogant states particularly the United States". Rouhani wrote to Khamenei on Monday to provide an update after the UN atomic watchdog declared Saturday that Iran had met conditions stipulated in the nuclear deal. "We have to watch if the other parties fulfil their commitments," the supreme leader wrote in response. Washington cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 1979, when its embassy in Tehran was stormed by students, months after the Islamic revolution, leading to a 444-day hostage crisis. Khamenei has never endorsed repairing relations with the US and has largely followed a similar tack to Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who dubbed America the "Great Satan". - Recession and unemployment - Opening up to the world cannot completely fix the economy, Rouhani said Tuesday in a televised speech, warning the "difficult road has just begun". "Today is just the start for an innocent human who was kept chained unjustly by the hands and feet for 12 years," said the president. "Sanctions are gone but there is a long way between sanctions and development," he said, speaking to an economics conference in Tehran. "Today, our main problem is unemployment and recession, the lack of a booming economy and many structural and economic deficiencies." British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated Rouhani on the nuclear deal during a "warm" telephone conversation on Tuesday, the premier's spokeswoman said. Story continues "They talked about paving the way for developing stronger economic cooperation" including opportunities that could arise in areas like banking and technology, she said. Iran hopes that steps to ease its isolation, including the re-admission of its banks to the SWIFT system of international transactions, will inject new vigour into the economy. The central bank said that $28 billion (25.8 billion euros) of the unfrozen funds would go to it and $4 billion "will be transferred to the state treasury as the share of the government". The assets, which had been held in foreign banks, will be kept "in centralised and safe accounts" abroad, central bank chief Valiollah Seif was quoted by state television as saying, adding that the money could be used to pay for imports. Iran's economy suffered greatly under the international sanctions that since 2006 targeted the Islamic republic's nuclear programme and financial systems. Under the previous hardline government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, inflation topped 40 percent. But moderate Rouhani, whose election in 2013 heralded more than two years of nuclear negotiations with world powers, managed to curb inflation to 13 percent. - Foreign investment - Iran needs annual foreign investment of $30-$50 billion to reach an eight percent growth target and cash in on sanctions relief, the president said Sunday. "Untapped potential in many industries indicates that domestic demand alone cannot drive the economy" towards that goal, he said, signalling a shift in policy. Iran announced a major boost of 500,000 barrels per day in oil production on Monday -- a move Tehran had long planned for once its nuclear deal with world powers took effect. The next budget starting in March is based on a projected oil price of $40 per barrel price and exports of 2.25 million barrels per day. Iran, a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), now produces 2.8 million barrels of oil per day and exports just over one million barrels. Low oil prices and years of US and European Union sanctions that barred much of Iran's foreign oil sales hammered its income from crude. But despite global prices falling below $30, Iran intends to increase production to recoup lost market share. By Parisa Hafezi ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards did well under international sanctions, and the elite military force is destined to become still richer now they've been lifted. Iran's clerical rulers have supported economic growth of the Guards, rewarding the group for sanctions-busting as well as suppressing dissent at home and helping Tehran's allies abroad - notably Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Now the country is expecting an economic boom in the post-sanctions era and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), will be a beneficiary. Likewise, the leadership will ensure it is well funded to continue the effort in the regional crisis, including the Syrian civil war. The Guards aren't entirely off the hook, even though the United States, European Union and United Nations lifted most sanctions on Saturday under a deal with world powers where Tehran agreed to curbs on its nuclear program. Washington has noted that "U.S. statutory sanctions focused on Iran's support for terrorism, human rights abuses, and missile activities will remain in effect", and these will be enforced against certain members and actions of the Guards. But the Guards have long proved successful in defending their economic interests, including in recent years when the sanctions were at their tightest, effectively excluding Iran from the global financial and trading system. "Even under very difficult economic circumstances, the funds for the IRGC's activities, whether domestic or overseas, remained intact," said a former official close to the government of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani. Created by the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Guards first secured an economic foothold after the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s when the clerical rulers allowed them to invest in leading Iranian industries. Their economic influence grew particularly after former guardsman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president in 2005. HELPING YOUR FRIENDS Iran - the dominant Shi'ite Muslim power which is in rivalry with Saudi Arabia and the United States' other Sunni Arab friends - has fought decades of sectarian proxy wars in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Tehran is not about to end these activities just because its relations with the West have thawed with the nuclear deal. On the contrary, it hopes the economy, freed from the sanctions, will create new wealth that can be used for these ends. One senior security official signaled financing would grow for the Guards and its overseas arm, the Qods force. "The IRGC and the Qods Force are Iran's key assets in the region, where we are determined to back our allies and those oppressed nations," said the official. "All parts of the establishment have reached a consensus on this. If you are a rich person, you can help your friends more, right?" Iran has already spent billions of dollars propping up Assad and in recent months provided elite teams to gather intelligence and train Syrian forces. Its casualties are rising, with several commanders killed, and foreign experts believe Tehran may have as many as 3,000 troops there. FLOURISHING ECONOMY, STRONGER GUARDS Another senior official confirmed that a flourishing economy, which is currently 60 percent dependent on oil exports, would mean extra cash for the Guards' foreign activities. "It is very clear that our leaders will not hesitate to allocate more funds to the IRGC when needed. More money means more funds for the IRGC," said the official. "We don't want any conflicts but we will continue to help our allies." Away from the battlefield, Tehran credits the Guards with helping the domestic economy to survive under the sanctions that Washington first imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and which expanded and tightened over the years. One Western diplomat who follows Iran closely estimated last year that business activities controlled by the Guards had an annual turnover of $10-12 billion. Iran refuses to reveal their market share. But an Economy Ministry official said the Guards have been involved in a wide range of industries, including energy, tourism, auto production, telecommunications and construction. "There are many IRGC-affiliated companies that are involved in various sectors. The Guards helped different sectors to resist the unfair sanctions imposed on Iran for decades." The Guards were also rewarded with major contracts after suppressing pro-reform protests that followed Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009. A company affiliated to the IRGC bought the state-run telecoms company for about $8 billion. The Guards' construction branch, Khatam Al-Anbia, has also won a $1.2 billion contract to build a line on the Tehran metro. "There was no chance to compete with the Guards-affiliated companies. Most of the time, they were offered contracts without even entering a bid," said an Iranian trader based in a Gulf country who does business with some IRGC-affiliated firms. As the U.S. and EU sanctions on Iran's oil and finance sectors in 2012 started to bite, the Guards responded by setting up complex operations involving the likes of Dubai and Turkey. "The IRGC started to buy hundreds of small and medium-size companies around the country to use as front companies," said a trader involved in importing parts for the oil industry. "These companies partnered with some foreign companies to bypass sanctions. Most of the time cash was delivered to a foreign account in a neighboring country." Tehran also asked the Guards to take over energy projects vacated by Western oil companies due to the sanctions, with Khatam Al-Anbia leading development of the giant South Pars gas field. However, this exposed the limits to their expertise. "The IRGC had the loyalty but its affiliated companies lacked the technology and knowledge and ability to carry out projects," said a hardline former official. ANYTHING BUT MONOLITHIC Faced with such difficulties, top IRGC commanders have publicly backed the nuclear deal, which in any case would have been impossible to reach without the full support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The IRGC is loyal to Khamenei. Analysts say the IRGC is anything but monolithic. Like many hardliners, some senior Guards have been wary of reaching a deal with Iran's arch foe, the United States, or of the prospect of the economy opening up as Iran's international isolation ends. "Some remained more skeptical about dealing with the enemy. But once the system made the decision that the deal is expedient, they fell in line," said Ali Vaez, Senior Iran Analyst at Washington-based International Crisis Group. "In the aftermath of the deal, some segments of the IRGC see opportunities in an open market, while others only see threats." Among the opportunities, Iran should now be able to get hold of the equipment and expertise it needs to complete the South Pars project. Shortly before the sanctions were lifted, oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said South Pars, the world's largest gas field, is expected to be developed by 2017. Iran will also have access to billions of dollars of its frozen assets overseas. Some analysts say the cash will be mainly used to import goods and technology to develop various sectors. The IRGC-affiliated front companies have benefited the establishment's support through lower insurance, shipping and banking commission costs when importing equipment and technology. And as foreign firms enter the Iranian market, they will need a local partner - which for large-scale projects will often mean a firm controlled by the Guards. (editing by David Stamp) Tehran (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Tuesday against American "deceit" after Tehran finalised a landmark nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States. In his first comments since the agreement was implemented, Khamenei stressed in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani the need to "guard against deceit and violations of arrogant states particularly the United States". The supreme leader, who had the final say on Tehran's nuclear negotiations, welcomed the lifting of sanctions under the deal, but said that was "not enough for boosting the economy and improving people's lives", according to the letter published by the IRNA news agency. Rouhani wrote to Khamenei on Monday to provide an update after the UN atomic watchdog declared that Iran had met conditions stipulated in the nuclear deal. "We have to watch if the other parties fulfil their commitments," the supreme leader wrote in response. Washington cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 1979, when its embassy in Tehran was stormed by students, months after the Islamic revolution, leading to a 444-day hostage crisis. Khamenei has never endorsed repairing relations with the US and has largely followed a similar tack to Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who dubbed America the "Great Satan". The nuclear deal saw an end to years of painful economic sanctions on Iran but Washington on Sunday announced new financial measures against Tehran's ballistic missile programme. Tehran decried the new measures as "illegitimate". By Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Security forces in Baghdad were hunting for three U.S. citizens who Iraqi lawmakers said on Monday had been kidnapped, which, if confirmed, would make them the first Americans abducted in the country since U.S. troops withdrew in 2011. Unknown gunmen seized the trio from a private apartment on Friday in the capital's southeastern Dora district, said Mohammed al-Karbouli, who sits on parliament's security and defense panel. It was not immediately clear if their motives were political or criminal. Iskandar Witwit, deputy head of the same panel, gave a similar account citing senior security officials who said the civilians had been taken from the district's Sihha residential complex. Two of the three also had Iraqi citizenship, he said. Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militia fighters, seen as a bulwark in the fight against Islamic State militants, have a heavy presence in that part of the predominately Sunni district. The three men work for a small company that is doing maintenance work for the information technology division of General Dynamics Corp, under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with the matter. The names of two of the men, which were first published by Fox News and other media outlets, are Wael al-Mahdawy (whose name is also spelled, Wael al-Mahdawi) and Amro Mohammed, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The spelling of the first man's name was not consistent in information provided by authorities, said the source. The name of the third man was not immediately available. Mark Meudt, a spokesman for General Dynamics, referred all queries to the U.S. State Department. The State Department on Sunday had it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate Americans reported missing, without confirming they had been kidnapped. A State Department spokeswoman on Monday declined to provide any further comment, citing "privacy considerations." Story continues Dora was a bastion of the insurgency against the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and the site of intense sectarian bloodletting that peaked around 2006-07. Federal police now run most checkpoints there. The capital of Iraq, OPEC's second biggest oil exporter, has seen a proliferation in recent years of well-armed criminal gangs that carry out contract killings, kidnappings and extortion. Iraqi police set up extra checkpoints in Dora on Monday and sent out helicopter search parties. Two Iraqi army helicopters were seen hovering over the district, while police vehicles patrolled the streets, residents said. The Iraqi government has struggled to rein in the Shi'ite militias, many of which fought the U.S. military following the 2003 invasion and have previously been accused of killing and abducting American nationals. Iraq has seen a series of abductions of foreign nationals in recent months. At least 26 Qatari hunters kidnapped last month in the southern desert by unknown militants have not yet been found. In September, 18 Turks taken in Baghdad by an armed group that used a Shi'ite Muslim slogan were released following several weeks in detention. The radical Sunni militants of Islamic State have maintained a limited presence in Baghdad, regularly claiming bomb attacks against Shi'ite neighborhoods. (Additional reporting by Maher Chmaytelli and Sarah N. Lynch; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Mary Milliken) DUBAI (Reuters) - A media outlet associated with Islamic State on Tuesday released a eulogy for "Jihadi John", a member of the militant group who gained notoriety for his filmed execution of hostages, the monitoring organization SITE reported. The militant was identified as Mohammed Emwazi, a British citizen of Arab origin. The U.S. military said in November it was "reasonably certain" it had killed him in a drone strike. Emwazi was described in Islamic State's Dabiq magazine by his nickname "Abu Muharib al-Muhajir". "On Thursday, the 29th of Muharram, 1437 (Nov. 12, 2015), Abu Muharib finally achieved shahadah (martyrdom) for the cause of Allah, which he had sought for so long, as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqqah, destroying the car and killing him instantly," Dabiq said. Emwazi became the public face of Islamic State and a symbol of its brutality after appearing in videos showing the murders of U.S. journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, U.S. aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto and other hostages. Shown in the videos dressed in black, a balaclava covering all but his eyes and the bridge of his nose, Emwazi became one of the world's most wanted men. Born in Kuwait in 1988, Emwazi was taken to Britain by his family when he was 6 years old and graduated in computer programming in London. The U.S.-British missile strike believed to have killed him was months in the preparation but came together at lightning speed last November as two U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones and one British MQ-9 cruised above the Syrian town of Raqqa, according to U.S. officials. (Reporting By Angus McDowall and Ali Abdelaty, Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Janet Lawrence) He prefers the term "comfort women," actually. During a parliamentary budget session meeting on Monday, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida argued that the term "'sex slaves' doesn't match the facts" of what happened to the hundreds of thousands of women forced into sex slavery by Japan during World War II, according to the Japan Times. His statement which came in response to a question from Takashi Uto, also a member of the Liberal Democratic Party comes less than a month after Japan's government agreed to pay $8.3 million in compensation to victims of its campaign of sexual terror in South Korea. Protesters hold up images of former "comfort women" in Seoul. Kishida added that the term "victims of the comfort-women issue of the Japanese military" is preferred by the government in Seoul. While both governments recently reached a pact on the issue, the "comfort women" terminology a flagrant euphemism has been subject to debate, as n s worldwide, including Mic, have frequently used "sex slaves" instead. Japan and South Korea agreed to the settlement on after years of tension between the two Asian powers. From 1910 to 1945, Japan's military empire forced an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 women and girls into sexual slavery at the disposal of Japanese soldiers. The legacy of this violence in South Korea where 46 former, so-called "comfort women" still live today has hurt diplomacy between the two countries. In 1993, Japan formally apologized and a set up a fund that relied on private donors to compensate victims. But that fund was never fully recognized by South Koreans, and the debate roiled on. Statue in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul symbolizing the South Korean women and girls forced into sex slavery by the Japanese military Then in 2011 in a definitive toss of the proverbial gauntlet a statue was erected in South Korea of a little girl meant to signify the World War II sex slaves in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. Four years later, the two countries reached a financial agreement, with the establishment of a fund paid for by the Japanese national budget, that would cover medical and nursing services for the survivors. Story continues The average age of the surviving "comfort women" in South Korea is 89, according to Reuters. The settlement also came with a major qualifier from now on, Seoul will suspend all criticism of Japan over its sexual enslavement of South Korean women. For some victims, the trade-off isn't worth it. "We are not craving for money," said Lee Yong-soo, an 88-year-old survivor who protested the agreement, according to the New York Times. "The agreement does not reflect the views of former comfort women. I will ignore it completely." h/t Japan Times New York (AFP) - US authorities on Tuesday briefly evacuated nine schools in New Jersey after receiving anonymous bomb and shooting threats, authorities said. The schools affected were in Bergen County in the northeastern part of the state, across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Students were evacuated in the morning but were authorized to return to class by early afternoon. Police in the town of Clifton said "numerous school districts in the area" had received a bomb threat by voice mail early Tuesday. Police were dispatched to Clifton High School but found "no credibility to these threats" although "precautions are still being taken throughout the district in response to the situation," it said in a statement on Facebook. The message was apparently recorded overnight and "indicated a non-specific threat to the school district involving the placement of a bomb in one of the schools, as well as a secondary threat of a 'mass shooting,'" police wrote. The schools evacuated are located in Bergenfield, Englewood, Fair Lawn, Garfield, Hackensack, Leonia, Tenafly and Teaneck, said the spokesman for Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino. In November 2014, a series of bomb threats forced the evacuation of seven schools in the same county. Investigators found nothing. Last month, Los Angeles shut down the second-largest school district in the United States, keeping 640,000 students at home following an emailed threat that was later deemed not credible. The drastic decision was taken after a radicalized Muslim couple shot dead 14 people in nearby San Bernardino on December 2. Paris (AFP) - A remote, rural Burkina Faso community has turned to Facebook to seek the release of an elderly Australian doctor kidnapped with his wife at the weekend by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists. The dusty town of Djibo in the far north of Burkina Faso not far from Mali opened a Facebook page following the capture of "the doctor of the poor", Dr Ken Elliot, and his wife Jocelyn, on the night of January 15-16. The elderly couple from Perth have spent some 40 years running a 120-bed clinic, the only medical facility in the region. A Facebook message posted Tuesday by the people of Djibo said "the patients of the hospital of Dr. Elliot, distressed at the kidnapping and in view of the duration of his detention, envisages public demonstrations." "We are calling upon all of the citizens and governments of the international community ... to undertake actions necessary for the liberation of Dr #Elliot," it added. The message came a day after hundreds of students in khaki uniforms with hand-printed cardboard placards reading "Free Elliot" turned out in the town with their teachers. "Our small voices are crying our pain along with the dozens of sick people I've seen leaving the clinic these last three days," said a post by Adama Dicko. "I'm sure you've already looked after a relative of the people who kidnapped you," he added. The page titled "Djibo backs Dr Ken Elliot", featuring photos of the white-haired and bearded doctor at work in the clinic, already has 4,200 followers, with messages largely from the medic's Burkinabe friends but also from his family and other Australians. A former Australian hostage who spent 15 months in Somalia, Nigel Brennan, had a message of hope. "Something like 96 percent of people come out alive," he said. "Very few people die in captivity." The whereabouts of the West Australian couple in their 80s who moved to Burkina Faso in 1972 remain unknown. Story continues The Burkina government has said the pair were kidnapped in Baraboule, near the west African country's borders with Niger and Mali. News of the kidnapping came at the weekend as a jihadist assault on an upmarket hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou left at least 30 people dead, including many foreigners. A spokesman for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, Hamadou Ag Khallini, told AFP in a brief phone message that the couple were being held by jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked "Emirate of the Sahara". He said they were alive and more details would be released soon. The Emirate of the Sahara is a branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) operating in northern Mali, according to experts. The group has claimed the attack on the Ouagadougou hotel. The team at DreamWorks and Oriental DreamWorks gathered at TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Saturday morning for the world premiere of Kung Fu Panda 3, which stars Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogan, David Cross, James Hong, Lucy Liu, Bryan Cranston and J.K. Simmons. A live street show preceded the film screening and included Chinese ribbon dancers, a martial arts performance, a Chinese dragon march down Hollywood and Highland and airbrush calligraphy tattoo artists. On the red carpet, producer Melissa Cobb told The Hollywood Reporter about the collaboration between Dreamworks' sister studio in China and how the company influenced the film. "After Kung Fu Panda 2, there was interest to work with China on films for DreamWorks, so out of this idea came the idea to build a studio Oriental DreamWorks in Shanghai," Cobb said. "We partnered together from the very beginning, and this is their first feature film project, and theyll have their own independent projects coming in the next few years." Read More: 'Kung Fu Panda 3': Film Review Before the screening began, Cobb and directors Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni stood in front of the royal Chinese Theater curtains and reflected on the importance of family and the passing of time. "Its been 12 years since we first started the first Kung Fu Panda movie," Cobb recalled. "Angelina Jolie didnt even have her twins until the second movie had ended. This is such a family-oriented film more so than ever now that Po finally has found his father. And in many ways this movie is like our child. You raise them to be nice, and to share, and you hope the other kids at school like them and you release them out into the world." Co-director, Nelson added, "Jack [Black's] kid, Sammy, is in the movie. Angelina's kids are in the movie: Pax, Zahara, and Shiloh. Dustin [Hoffman's] grandson is in the movie, too." Story continues The writers of the animation film also discussed how they managed to tackle Po's issues of self-identification and family in a children's movie. Read More: Analyst Upgrades DreamWorks Animation Stock, Cites Netflix Deals, 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Jonathan Aibel explained, "This movie deals with a tricky subject and a lot of emotions about finding yourself and who you are, but at the same time this is for children and we have to make it digestible, and we want it to be funny at the same time. I think we walked that fine line, and I hope we walked it successfully." When asked about franchise newcomer Simmons and his villainous character in this movie in relation to his tyrannical role in Whiplash, Carloni joked, "He has some of the intensity, surely. But hes far more charming." Inside and outside the theater, it was hard to ignore the communal feeling of family from the hordes of actors with their families, and the relaxed, playful atmosphere provided by the venue with Panda-shaped 3-D glasses. Carloni shared how the movie helped shape their own feelings about whether or not family is important to knowing one's own identity. I dont think you are doing anything by yourself, even if you are by yourself," he told THR. "I think you became who you are thanks to your family, so even when you do something by yourself it was given to you. I think Po in this movie; probably more than any other movie he cant do it alone. This movie is about a village coming together, a family coming together to conquer evil." Kung Fu Panda 3 hits theaters Jan. 29. Most of us make mistakes and quickly try to put them behind us. Except for those who use social media to memorialize failures in judgement, personal pitfalls rarely come up as part of the interview process. However, if the errors resulted in a conviction, prospective employers will respond differently during the interview. Here are some recommendations to improve your employability if you have a record. When asked how they handle an applicant with a record, most hiring managers, business owners and human resources professionals typically respond with, "It depends." There are many different types of violations. Some things are immediate deal breakers for most professional environments, such as embezzlement, physical or sexual acts of violence, theft and fraud. Others are not perceived to be as "risky," such as possession of marijuana or public intoxication. Business leaders must protect the interests of the firm, their clients and employees. And they'll avoid applicants with criminal offenses that expose a business, its clients or employees to additional risk or an unsafe environment. The other key question posed by hiring authorities is, "How long ago did the violation occur and how old was the person when the crime was committed?" It stands to reason that there is more leniency if the crime happened a long time ago, and the applicant can show evidence of how he changed his ways or learned from past mistakes. There is also a greater level of acceptance for choices made when the applicant was a teenager or in college. Most people can remember the questionable decisions they made in their youth and are more likely to look past something that can be chalked up to a dumb decision, like public indecency at a concert in college, versus a calculated offense, like stealing the neighbor's Social Security check or running a dog-fighting ring. The bad thing about the past (especially a criminal one) is that you cannot change it. So, how do you deal with a conviction while looking for a job? First, find the most succinct and professional way to describe what happened. Stumbling over your explanation or droning on about all the things you did leading up to an arrest will be problematic. You need to know what your record will show, take ownership of your past and have a transition statement (or two) about what that experience taught you, how it strengthened you or how you have changed. I'm not advocating sugarcoating your offense, but conveying sincerity and evidence of change will go further than avoidance or rambling. Story continues Next, timing is everything. Don't walk into an interview and immediately announce your record, but don't get to the offer stage without addressing it either. In general, give the interviewer an opportunity to like you and be impressed with your professional qualifications. If you aren't a match for the role, criminal record or not, you aren't getting hired. There is no need to share information too early if the interview isn't going well. Once you see signs that you are a good match for the role and will be asked for a second interview, it might be time to speak up. If you have a felony or a more serious misdemeanor, you should bring it up before accepting a second meeting. Saying, "Thank you for your time. I would really like to accept your invitation to move forward in the hiring process. I wish I did not need to say this, but I want to be upfront with you from the start. I have a criminal background due to X offense. It happened Y years ago and here are the steps I have taken -- or amends I have made -- to make sure I am never in that place again. I would like the opportunity to explain further how I have grown, change or learned from my bad decision and I am happy to answer any questions you may have." Then, do your best to stop talking and wait for a response. Some managers may end the discussion and wish you luck, but you may find that other managers will appreciate your honesty and want to move forward. If you have a less serious offense, typically a misdemeanor not involving violence, aggression, fraud or theft (in other words, nothing that would pose a risk or threat to your employer), you can proceed more slowly. Of course, when asked directly if you have a conviction, in person or on an application, honesty is the best policy. Also, you should always alert your future employer to any past convictions on your record before they proceed with a background check. It is expected that you are aware of what is on your record and know what will come up on various background checks. Candidates that either don't know (or try to pretend that they don't know) are usually dismissed as dishonest. Making mistakes is part of life. However, mistakes (and other more deliberate actions) that result in a criminal record pose some serious hurdles when searching for work in the business world. While honesty won't solve everything, the best employment relationships are built on trust. Think carefully about how and when to explain your past. Look for opportunities to develop the best professional skills possible. A qualified, driven and honest job seeker will always fare better in the employment market. Robin Reshwan is the founder of Collegial Services, a consulting/staffing firm that connects college students, recent graduates and the organizations that hire them and a certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE). She has interviewed, placed and hired thousands of people across a broad spectrum of companies and industries. Her career tips and advice are used by universities, national clubs/associations and businesses. A Certified Professional Resume Writer, Robin has been honored as a Professional Business Woman of the Year by the American Business Women's Association. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and as a Regents Scholar from University of California, Davis. By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Part of a lawsuit can proceed against the founder of Facebook's virtual reality glasses unit Oculus VR Inc, but a U.S. judge also dismissed several claims filed by another company which alleged the Oculus founder had passed off its confidential information as his own. U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled on Saturday that a breach of contract claim could proceed against Oculus founder Palmer Luckey. However, Alsup dismissed other civil claims brought by Total Recall Technologies, including fraud. Representatives for Facebook, which acquired Oculus for $2 billion in 2014, as well as attorneys for Total Recall Technologies could not immediately be reached for comment. Facebook's Oculus acquisition was its first hardware deal, as the company sought a way into the fast-growing wearable devices arena. Hawaii-based Total Recall Technologies said it hired Luckey in 2011 to build a prototype head-mounted display. Luckey signed a confidentiality agreement, according to the lawsuit filed last year. In 2011 and 2012, Luckey received feedback and information to improve the design of the display, Total Recall claimed. It said Luckey used information he learned from his partnership when he launched a Kickstarter campaign for his own head-mounted display called the Oculus Rift, according to the lawsuit. Luckey disputes the claims and calls the lawsuit "a brazen attempt to secure for itself a stake in Oculus VRs recent multi-billion dollar acquisition by Facebook." The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Total Recall Technologies vs. Palmer Luckey and Oculus VR, Inc., 15-2281. (Reporting by Dan Levine; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Cynthia Osterman) By Megan Cassella WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The family of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who went missing in Iran eight years ago, said on Tuesday it was "desperate for answers" on his whereabouts and expressed frustration at the information it had received from the Obama administration. Levinson, who disappeared while visiting Iran's Kish Island in 2007, was not among the five American prisoners released by the Iranian government on Saturday as part of a prisoner swap with Washington. His family said in a statement over the weekend that they were "devastated," adding: "We are happy for the other families. But once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind." In a speech on Sunday celebrating the release of the Americans, Obama said the U.S. government would "not rest" until Levinson was found. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a Twitter post that Iran had agreed to deeper coordination to locate Levinson. Levinson's son, Dan, told CNN on Tuesday the family "can only hope that they (U.S. officials) are really doing everything they can." He said that for years "President Obama has promised that, Secretary Kerry has promised that, but it hasn't ... given us results." U.S. officials believe that Levinson, who suffered from diabetes, died in captivity after meeting with an American-born Islamic militant on Kish Island. Iranian officials have repeatedly denied knowledge of his disappearance or whereabouts. Robert Levinson's wife, Christine, told CNN on Tuesday that she had tried since November to arrange face-to-face meetings with high-level administration officials, including Obama, Kerry and national security advisor Susan Rice. "We're desperate for answers, and we're really going to push hard, and we're not going to go away," Christine Levinson said. She said the family had received one phone call from a member of the Obama administration after the American prisoners' release apologizing that they had not been warned ahead of time. Story continues In a separate interview on Fox News, Christine Levinson said, "we need the United States government to work harder to bring him home." White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday the administration had repeatedly pressed Iranians for "as much information as they have" on Levinson's whereabouts and would continue to do so. Senior administration officials, including Obama personally, have been in touch with the Levinson family as recently as late December, he said. "We're obviously very sensitive to the concerns and rather raw feelings of the Levinson family," Earnest said. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on CNN that officials have been working to find Levinson and bring him back "the entire time." He said the administration was uncertain Levinson was still being held in Iran. The FBI has offered a reward of $5 million for information leading to finding Levinson and his return. (Reporting by Megan Cassella; Editing by Paul Simao and Grant McCool) Skopje (AFP) - Macedonian lawmakers voted Monday to dissolve parliament next month ahead of an early election in late April, in line with an EU-backed deal to end a political crisis but under threat of a boycott by the main opposition. The parliament of the Balkan country voted to dissolve itself on February 24, after noting the resignation of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who was required to step down 100 days ahead of a vote in accordance with the deal. The agreement reached in July last year between the government and the opposition was designed to end months of turmoil in the country of about 2.1 million people. But the main opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) has since suggested it would boycott a vote on April 24, the date scheduled in the deal, saying that conditions have not been met for fresh polls. "SDSM and its coalition partners will not take part in the April 24 polls," the party said in a statement released late on Monday. Earlier, party official Goran Sugareski told parliament that "SDSM is not accepting elections without a free media and a cleaned-up electoral roll." "SDSM will continue to fight to create fair and democratic conditions for having elections with all the democratic means that we have," Sugareski said before members of the party walked out ahead of the vote. Parliament also voted in an interim government, led by prime minister Emil Dimitriev from Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE, whose main task would be to prepare the elections. Out of 123 parliamentary seats, 72 deputies supported the cabinet, which included two SDSM ministers, as previously agreed. However, the two ministers from the opposition were not in parliament and it was not immediately clear if they would participate in the government. Dimitriev vowed that "the government will organise fair and democratic elections" and urged the opposition "to be constructive" and participate in the process. Story continues After the country's last elections in 2014, won by Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE party, the SDSM boycotted parliament saying the polls had been marred by fraud. Last year the crisis deepened when the SDSM accused Gruevski of wiretapping around 20,000 people, including politicians and journalists, and said the recordings revealed high-level corruption. The government denied the accusations and in return filed charges against opposition leader Zoran Zaev, accusing him of "spying" and attempts to "destabilise" the country. Thousands of supporters on both sides took to the streets of Skopje in protest, prompting the European Union to step in and mediate. Macedonia has been an EU candidate nation since 2005 but has yet to open membership negotiations. EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who spent 12 hours in talks with the various parties in Skopje on Friday, said in a statement Monday that he "would have preferred a consensual solution by all parties". "Now it is critically important that all political and institutional actors in the country do their utmost to ensure fair elections in line with democratic standards," he said. COLOMBO (Reuters) - Jailed former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, in Sri Lanka for a two-day stopover before heading to Britain for surgery, is hopeful of a political revival once he returns to the country, his party spokesman said on Tuesday. Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically elected president, is serving a 13-year sentence on terrorism charges for the alleged abduction of a judge after a rapid trial last March which drew international criticism. He landed in Sri Lanka on Monday along with his legal team and some family members and will leave for Britain on Wednesday, Hamid Abdul Ghaffor, Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spokesman, told Reuters. "He is physically a bit weak because he was in jail, but psychologically he is in good condition," Ghaffor told Reuters. "He said he is hopeful of political revival once he returns from the surgery. During his visits to Colombo and London, he is likely to meet a number of exiled party members who have left the country amid pressure by the government." The United States lauded the temporary release of Nasheed and Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted: "Release of Mohamed Nasheed is step in the right direction; urge more engagement from government of Maldives on democracy, shared challenges." International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney last week condemned President Abdullah Yameen's administration and said Nasheed's case showed that democracy is "dead in the Maldives". Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon on Monday rejected Clooney's criticism. Defending the Maldives, popular for its pristine beaches, scuba diving and high-end tourism, Maumoon said Clooney had "spun a compelling tale" but it was not true. Nasheed was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012 for ordering the arrest of a judge. His conviction was condemned by United Nations, the United States and human rights groups as politically motivated. (Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Nick Macfie) By Shihar Aneez COLOMBO (Reuters) - Maldives Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon on Monday rejected international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney's criticism that democracy was "dead" in the Indian Ocean island. Clooney, the international lawyer acting for jailed former leader Mohamed Nasheed, last week used a high-profile interview with U.S. news channel NBC News to condemn President Abdulla Yameen's administration in the Maldives. Nasheed, who was the Maldives' first democratically elected president, is serving a 13-year sentence on terrorism charges for the alleged abduction of a judge after a rapid trial last March in a case which drew international criticism. Clooney, in an interview with NBC, had said her client's case showed that democracy is "dead in the Maldives". Defending the Maldives, popular for its pristine beaches, scuba diving and high-end tourism, Foreign Minister Maumoon told Reuters that Clooney had "spun a compelling tale" but it was not true. "My appeal to the rest of the world is to have a good understanding and not be persuaded purely by charm-filled Amal Clooney when she goes and gives some of these stories," she said. Maumoon's comments came as Nasheed was permitted by the Maldives government to leave Male and fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he is likely to stay for some time before leaving for surgery in Britain, party sources told Reuters. There had been some confusion over whether the government would grant him permission to travel or not, as Nasheed refused to nominate a guarantor, someone who could face criminal prosecution if Nasheed does not return to Maldives. Nasheed was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012 for ordering the arrest of a judge. His conviction was condemned by United Nations, the United States and human rights groups as being politically motivated. Clooney, who is married to actor George Clooney, had sought to draw attention to political turmoil in the country. In her NBC interview, she said: "Every opposition leader is either behind bars or being pursued by the government through the courts." (Reporting by Shihar Aneez; editing by Sarah Young/ Richard Balmforth) By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) - The Marussia name will disappear from Formula One this season after the team owners were granted a request to change it to Manor Racing on Tuesday. "Delighted to announce MANOR RACING: thats what were here for," the British-based team said on their Twitter feed after a meeting of the governing International Automobile Federation's F1 commission in Geneva. A team spokeswoman confirmed the name change had been approved. While the Mercedes-powered team will be known as Manor Racing, sources said the chassis designation would become MRT instead of the previous Marussia. British-based Manor started out as Virgin Racing in 2010 before transferring to Russian ownership and taking on the name of Marussia. The tail-end team hit financial hard times in 2014 and went into administration, missing the final three races of that year, before being rescued in the nick of time and returning for the 2015 season. Stephen Fitzpatrick, who runs the Independent British energy supplier Ovo, took over as owner in March last year. Founder and principal John Booth left at the end of last season along with racing director Graeme Lowdon. The team, who failed to score any points in 2015, have yet to confirm their driver lineup. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar) CANCUN, Mexico (AP) A Mexican state court has denied an appeal and upheld a 12-year prison sentence for a former Survivor producer convicted of killing his wife during a 2010 Cancun beach vacation. State prosecutors in Quintana Roo said Monday that the state supreme court had upheld the sentence handed down against Bruce Beresford-Redman in March 2015. Beresford-Redman was convicted of killing his Brazil-born wife, Monica Burgos Beresford-Redman, during a family vacation. Her body was found in a sewer cistern at the resort where they were staying. Beresford-Redman's attorney in Mexico confirmed the appeal's denial Monday in a statement. Lawyer Jaime Cancino Leon said there was no evidence to support the verdict and the trial was plagued by irregularities. He said they would file another round of appeals with Mexico's supreme court. Read More: Bruce Beresford-Redman's Family: Cries of Innocence After Lifetime's Damning Movie Portrayal Michael Keatons artistic contributions were in the spotlight Monday evening, as he received the French Order of Arts and Letters at a ceremony in Paris. The medal was presented by culture minister Fleur Pellerin, with U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley looking on. Keaton, in town to do press for his Oscar-nominated film Spotlight, was traveling with Walter Robinson, whom he portrays in the film, and Mike Rezendes. Pellerin called Keaton a mystery, citing contradictory profiles throughout his career and his last-name change early on. Keaton said he was extremely grateful and honored for the tribute, especially in a country such as France which holds the arts in high esteem. I have to say yours is a culture that has such respect for beauty and art that if I have ever in the smallest way made a tiny contribution to beauty or art in this culture, Im honored and grateful and proud. I hope that I have, he said, adding that it is one of the biggest days of my life. Speaking to reporters afterward, he remarked on his career comeback with last years best actor Oscar nomination for Birdman and this years SAG and Oscar nominations for Spotlight. I play the long game, he said. So all this is fun and great, and whats great about having things happen as you get older is that you really appreciate it more. Keaton added that someone recently called his late-in-life recognition unfathomable. "I'm assuming that's a good thing," he joked. Citing his personal history of social activism, he said the most meaningful thing about appearing in Spotlight is that the film can have a greater impact. Its unbelievably good fortune, for me anyway, to be in something that will change lives, that will make a difference. He misses the lighter side, however, and says he does not rule out a return to comedy soon. I miss it so much I cant tell you, he said. As for Spotlights awards chances following last nights Critics Choice win for best picture, he added: I think weve got a good shot. I think its a strong shot. To act like, &lsquoOh I dont care, yes, it would be fun, it would be great, but it doesnt define me. Read More: France 2015 in Review: A Year Framed by Terror Michael Moore is known for tackling tough subjects, which is especially true when it comes to his hometown of Flint, Michigan. Now, in the midst of a declared state of emergency over the city's man-made water crisis, the award-winning filmmaker is calling out what few others have: that the catastrophe has everything to do with race. Back in December, before the crisis became big national news, Moore tweeted: This is a racial killing. Flint MI is 60% black. When u knowingly poison a black city, u r committing a version of genocide #ArrestGovSnyder This month, with investigations brewing and more outraged calls for accountability, Moore reiterated his point: If this were elsewhere, & the white leader blocked a black city's clean water supply &made them drink poison, we'd call it ethnic cleansing. First, some context: Moore rose to prominence in 1989 with his documentary film Roger & Me, in which he chronicled what happened to Flint's once-prosperous economy after the auto industry left. Those who had the means fled the city. Black autoworkers, who'd migrated from the South well through the 1970s, became a majority in the city. Today, more than half of the city's 99,000 residents are black, according to census data. The median household income is only $24,834 roughly half of the average household income in the state of Michigan. Children in Flint, Michigan, stock up on bottled water amid the city's lead poisoning crisis. It's sometimes said that demographics are not destiny, but in Flint, that's not quite the case. In a city whose infrastructure was failing long before this latest catastrophe, black children already had an increased risk of being exposed to environmental toxins like lead. Lead is a toxin that, when found in excessive levels in children, can lead to long-term neurological damage. In the 1970s, it was b in food cans, gasoline and other household products. In 1988, Congress passed the Lead Contamination Control Act, which successfully reduced overall lead poisoning cases in the United States. Still, by 2005, African-American children ages one to five were twice as likely to suffer lead poisoning than their white peers, a . Ten years later, in 2015, a HuffPost analysis found a correlation between cities with high populations of black residents and elevated lead poisoning rates. In fact, Detroit, the city from which Flint had originally piped in its water before opting for a cheaper option had high rates of lead poisoning. Story continues A rding to the National Center for Healthy Housing, "Minority and low-income families are more likely to live in substandard housing and polluted communities, increasing their risk of childhood lead poisoning, asthma, cancer and other environmentally related diseases." What's more: "In addition to being disproportionately affected by disease, minorities often lack adequate insurance and access to health care due to financial and cultural barriers." New York City, , has also struggled in recent years to combat lead exposure in children. According to an analysis by the N, in 2012, more than 900 children had tested positive for lead poisoning. Of those, more than showed levels so high that city health inspectors were immediately dispatched to their homes. And of those, most were children of color: 23% were black, 31% were Latino and 26% were Asian. Matthew J. Chachere, a staff attorney at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, told the Huffington Post in 2015 about the terrifying long-term aspects of lead poisoning: The damage is "irreversible." "It could have ended a long time ago," Chachere said. "We don't know how to cure cancer. We don't know how to get rid of asthma. We do know how to cure lead poisoning, which is you get rid of the lead in kids' environment. It's not that complicated." Unless, of course, you are decision-makers in Flint, Michigan. * FTSEurofirst 300 index rises 2.1 percent * Mining and energy sectors lead the market * Credit Agricole surges, Novozymes slumps * Italy banks down as ECB asks bad loan data (Adds details, updates prices) By Atul Prakash LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - European equities bounced back from 13-month lows on Tuesday, with mining and energy stocks leading the market higher as prices of major industrial metals and crude oil surged following the release of Chinese growth data. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index was up 2.1 percent by 1123 GMT after slipping to a 13-month low in the previous session. The STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources index, which houses major mining stocks, rose 5.7 percent, while the European oil and gas index was up 2.9 percent, tracking gains in prices of commodities such as oil, copper, nickel and aluminium. Shares in Anglo American, Glencore, Rio Tinto and BP rose 2.3 to 11 percent after growth numbers from China, the world's top metals consumer. Growth in China's fourth-quarter gross domestic product eased, as expected, to 6.8 percent from a year earlier, down from 6.9 percent in the third quarter and marking the weakest pace of expansion since the first quarter of 2009. Full-year growth of 6.9 percent was China's poorest in a quarter of a century. "As figures weaken in absolute terms, we can potentially see additional stimulus measures. That is helping investors' appetite for risk," Philippe Gijsels, head of research at BNP Paribas Fortis Global Markets in Brussels, said. Credit Agricole rose 4.6 percent after the company confirmed a report that it was looking at the possibility of selling stakes in over three dozen regional banks, saying it would bolster its capital and help finance dividends. Prudential was up 3.6 percent after the British insurer posted a slightly above-forecast capital ratio under new European rules. There were strong gains across all European equity sectors, but Danish enzyme maker Novozymes fell 11.8 percent after trimming its longer-term sales forecasts. Story continues Alstom fell 4 percent with traders attributing the move to technical selling triggered by the company's 3.2 billion euro share buyback programme. Italian banks fell 1.9 percent to a one-year low as investors fretted over their unresolved credit troubles following an ECB request for data on their bad loan portfolios. Italian banks "remain very vulnerable to asset quality issues, especially in the absence of a clear and final solution to the problem of bad loans," said Italian broker ICBPI. Today's European research round-up (Additional reporting by Danilo Masoni,; Editing by Dominic Evans and Raissa Kasolowsky) Hong Kong (AFP) - China has confirmed that a missing Hong Kong-based bookseller, one of five men whose disappearance fuelled fears of an erosion of the city's freedoms, is on the mainland, the city's government said. The news will add to fears of pro-democracy lawmakers, activists and some residents who believe mainland authorities are kidnapping critics to try to silence dissent. Lee Bo, who works for a publishing house that sells titles critical of Beijing, was last seen at a book warehouse in Hong Kong on December 30. He was the fifth employee of the Mighty Current publishing house to go missing in recent months. Three were in China when they vanished, but the disappearance of Lee from Hong Kong and of another man from Thailand has raised fears of Chinese authorities operating internationally. A Hong Kong government spokesman said Tuesday police had received information from Chinese authorities that Lee was in China. The spokesman said the letter was issued by the public security department of Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong, but it did not specify where the missing man was. Hong Kong police have written to the Guangdong security department asking to meet Lee. City officials have been lambasted for what critics call a weak response to the disappearances. "It doesn't seem that the public has been calmed," Hong Kong parliament's speaker Jasper Tsang told reporters late Monday. Democratic lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan added: "People in Hong Kong want to know the truth. Why is he (Lee Bo) in the mainland and how did he end up there?" Lee accused the government of "being passive", and pressed Leung to take up the issue with the central government in Beijing. Lee's associate Gui Minhai, who disappeared in Thailand, appeared on Chinese state television Sunday. A weeping Gui claimed he had returned to China to "take legal responsibilities" for killing a college student in a car accident 11 years ago. Story continues Rights campaigners dismissed Gui's apparent confession, calling it a "smokescreen" to play down concerns that he was being detained by mainland authorities for his work. Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 after 150 years as a British colony. Under a "One country, two systems" agreement, the semi-autonomous city is guaranteed freedoms that are not available on the mainland. However, campaigns for greater democracy have been stymied and many activists fear Beijing is imposing its authoritarian stamp on the freewheeling city. Madrid (AFP) - A mother and her daugher went on trial in Spain on Tuesday for shooting dead a ruling party politician in broad daylight after the younger woman lost her job with a local council, in a case that shocked the country. Montserrat Gonzalez, 60, shot Isabel Carrasco -- the conservative Popular Party (PP) leader of the provincial government -- in the back on the afternoon of May 12, 2014 as she walked on a pedestrian footbridge in the northern city of Leon, prosecutors and witnesses say. With her face covered by a scarf and sunglasses, Gonzalez shot Carrasco two more times in the head before walking away with her daughter who was nearby, according to prosecutors. A retired police officer who happened to be on the footbridge when the killing occured trailed the pair and called police who arrested Gonzalez and her daughter, Triana Martinez. The man also saw how the pair left the gun used in the killing in a car belonging to a policewoman with the city of Leon, Raquel Gago, who was also arrested. Gonzalez told a court in Leon on the opening day of the trial of the three women that she killed Carrasco as revenge for the way her daughter had been treated by her. Her daughter's temporary contract with the Leon provincial council ended in 2011 and another candidate was chosen to replace her. Gonzalez told the court that her daughter was let go from her job because she refused to have sex with Carrasco, who had led the provincial government of Leon since 2007. Asked if she regretted killing the politician, Gonzalez told the court: "No. I would be lying if I said otherwise." "She would have continued to make life impossible" for my daughter, Gonzalez added. Public prosecutors have asked for Gonzalez, her daughter and the policewoman whose car was used to hide the weapon used in the killing to each be sentenced to 23 years behind bars. Carrasco's murder shocked a country unused to such acts since the Basque separatists ETA announced an end to violence. Numerous PP officials were assassinated in the 1990s and early 2000s in killings blamed on ETA, which declared a definitive end to violence in October 2011. By Alan Baldwin LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The Marussia name will disappear from Formula One this season after the team owners were granted a request to change it to Manor Racing on Tuesday. "Delighted to announce MANOR RACING: that's what we're here for," the British-based team said on their Twitter feed after a meeting of the governing International Automobile Federation's F1 commission in Geneva. A team spokeswoman confirmed the name change had been approved. While the Mercedes-powered team will be known as Manor Racing, sources said the chassis designation would become MRT instead of the previous Marussia. British-based Manor started out as Virgin Racing in 2010 before transferring to Russian ownership and taking on the name of Marussia. The tail-end team hit financial hard times in 2014 and went into administration, missing the final three races of that year, before being rescued in the nick of time and returning for the 2015 season. Stephen Fitzpatrick, who runs the Independent British energy supplier Ovo, took over as owner in March last year. Founder and principal John Booth left at the end of last season along with racing director Graeme Lowdon. The team, who failed to score any points in 2015, have yet to confirm their driver lineup. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar) MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Second seed Andy Murray advanced into the second round of the Australian Open after a comfortable 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory over Germany's Alexander Zverev on Tuesday. The world number two took the first two sets in 71 minutes but found the tall 18-year-old more of a handful in the third when he saved two match points before the Briton completed the victory in a little more than two hours. Zverev, playing in the main draw at Melbourne Park for the first time, suffered a nosebleed while serving at 30-15 in the second game of the match on a sun-baked Margaret Court Arena, and was forced to call the trainer to staunch the flow. Murray, who stayed on court and practiced his serve until Zverev returned, romped through the first two sets before the teenager produced some fight in a baseline battle in the third and made the Scot work for the win. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by John O'Brien) By Brendan O'Brien MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Muslim workers at a manufacturer in northeast Wisconsin walked out of their jobs after their employer began enforcing its break policy that does not allow them to pray at the times dictated by their faith, the company said on Tuesday. Some 53 Somali Muslims left their job on Thursday after Ariens, a tools and equipment maker in Brillion, Wisconsin, began requiring them to pray only during the existing two, 10-minute breaks the company provides during the day. "We respect their faith, we respect the work they have done at Ariens and we respect their decision regardless of their choice to return to work or not," company President Dan Ariens said in a statement. As of Tuesday, about 10 employees have told the company that they planned to return to work, according to the company. Ariens said his company has set up designated prayer rooms and has offered to look for other jobs for the employees that may accommodate their prayer obligations. The company said letting the workers pray during unscheduled breaks disrupts production schedules. In certain circumstances, workers can be prohibited from praying during unscheduled breaks if it causes a "undue hardship" for the business, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Officials at the Council on American-Islamic Relations met with some of the workers on Monday to discuss the dispute. CAIR officials and representatives for the employees were not immediately available for comment. Nearly 200 workers, mostly Somali immigrants, were fired from a Cargill Meat Solutions [CARGIL.UL] facility in Fort Morgan, Colorado on Dec. 31 after staging a walkout to protest what they said were insufficient prayer accommodations. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Alan Crosby) By Hilary Russ (Reuters) - Atlantic City's mayor said on Tuesday that bankruptcy was "back on the table" after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed legislation considered essential to the distressed gambling hub's tax base and cash flow. "If the state is not able to come up with the funding we need within the next few weeks, we will have no choice but to declare bankruptcy," Mayor Don Guardian said in a statement. The seaside city's gambling industry, facing increased competition from neighboring U.S. Northeastern states, lost four of its 12 casinos in 2015. The legislation called for casinos to make fixed payments in lieu of taxes and would have added a measure of stability to the city's rapidly shrinking property tax base. Lawmakers first passed it in June. Nearly five months later, Christie vetoed it but said he would consider signing it with certain changes he required. The Democratic-led legislature then amended the measure, which was part of a package of bills, passed it, made yet more changes and passed it again. Christie, a 2016 Republican presidential candidate, also declined on Tuesday to sign the other bills in the package. The city's emergency manager, Kevin Lavin, who was appointed by Christie a year ago, said in a report on Friday that without the revenues generated in the package, the city's cash flow would run dry by April. Legislative leaders, who have proposed a takeover of the city, will have to reintroduce the bills if they want to keep pushing for them. Democratic Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo, whose district includes Atlantic City, said in a statement that Christie's vetoes showed a "brazen disregard" for Atlantic City's fiscal recovery and added he would move forward on measures to restore the region's economic security. Asked why Christie vetoed the bills, the governor's office referred to comments he made on Saturday when he was campaigning in Iowa. "If I don't think the total package makes sense, I won't (sign it)," he said, according to the remarks. He has been discussing "some accommodation on this" with Senate President Steve Sweeney and other legislative leaders. Sweeney, a Democrat, originally championed the legislation but is now pushing for a takeover of the city's operations. "We cannot afford to let Atlantic City go bankrupt," Sweeney said in a statement. "The best way out is for the State of New Jersey to take control of Atlantic City's finances and the best way to do it is to act quickly." (Reporting by Hilary Russ in New York; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Peter Cooney) NASA is about to get up close and personal with Earth's corals: The space agency will use airplanes and water instruments to survey these delicate structures and capture the most detailed views ever of the planet's corals. Corals are crucial to Earth's ecosystem, but they are typically studied only occasionally, during diving expeditions. This means that many of the world's reefs have never been surveyed. Yet coral reefs host one-quarter of all ocean fish species, shelter shorelines from storms and are a source of food for millions of people. The new NASA campaign is aptly named CORAL (short for COral Reef Airborne Laboratory), and aims to assess the condition of these vulnerable ecosystems and to collect data on the size and quality of the reefs. [Images: Colorful Corals of the Deep Barrier Reef] "Right now, the state of the art for collecting coral-reef data is scuba diving with a tape measure," Eric Hochberg, CORAL principal investigator and a scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences in St. George's, said in a statement. "It's analogous to looking at a few trees and then trying to say what the forest is doing." As part of the campaign, CORAL researchers will visit the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs in Australia, as well as reefs in Florida, Hawaii, Palau and the Mariana Islands. The scientists will use an airborne instrument called the Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM), which was created at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The spectrometer will be used with on-site instruments in the water to monitor the reef's condition. One of PRISM's tasks will be to record the ratio of algae to reef on a coral. When corals die, algae numbers typically increase, and the spectral signatures of corals and algae show up differently in the spectrometer, NASA said. Based on the limited data available so far, scientists think 33 percent to 50 percent of Earth's coral reefs are degraded or dead. Some reef scientists think that reefs could all but vanish by the middle of the century. Story continues Though it will be comprehensive, the three-year CORAL campaign will cover only 3 percent to 4 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," Hochberg said. 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. The airplane was already flying off the southwest coast of New Zealand when a group of astronomers in Chile phoned a group of scientists in Massachusetts, who then called the scientist aboard the aircraft, who told the navigator they had to change course. The airplane was not a typical passenger jet or cargo aircraft but a mobile scientific observatory called SOFIA, which stands for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. On June 29, 2015, SOFIA was chasing a moving target in the sky: the shadow of the dwarf planet Pluto. For about 2 minutes, the icy world would be passing in front of a star an event called an occultation (or, sometimes, an eclipse). Observing this event held incredible promise for Pluto scientists, but it meant getting SOFIA in exactly the right spot for them to see it. [Photos from SOFIA, NASA's Flying Telescope] "When [an occultation] happens with Pluto, we can watch the interaction between the light from the star and Pluto's atmosphere, and learn about the atmosphere from Earth-based measurements, without having to actually go out there and see what's going on," Michael Person, a research scientist and director of the Wallace Astrophysical Observatory at MIT, told reporters at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Scientists have been studying Pluto occultations for several decades, Person said, but the one on June 29 had the potential to affect all subsequent studies of the dwarf planet's atmosphere from Earth. That's because two weeks after SOFIA's flight, the New Horizons probe was set to become the very first space probe to make a close encounter with Pluto. After having traveled through the solar system for 10 years, New Horizons would come within 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) of Pluto's surface. If scientists on Earth could observe Pluto passing in front of a star, and compare it to what New Horizons could see from a few million miles away, they could compare the observations in order to better understand what they were seeing from Earth. Story continues "We've been building up a catalog and a library of how the atmosphere seems to have been changing over these years," Person said. "But fundamentally, it's a remote sensing application. We didn't have any ground truth to compare it to. If we could get stellar occultation during the weeks when New Horizon was passing by Pluto, we could calibrate decades' worth of data against what New Horizons was seeing in situ and put everything on the same fundamental basis." The potential value of checking the ground-based data against the New Horizons data made it "very important" that scientists be in the right place to observe this occultation, Person said. But like most things, that's easier said than done. Catching Pluto's shadow The alignment of Pluto or another planetary body with a background star depends on the position of the observer. That's why solar eclipses (when the sun is blotted out by the moon) are not visible from every location on Earth. If, during the June 29 occultation, the shadow of Pluto didn't happen to fall on a telescope, the scientists wouldn't have been able to gather any data. If the shadow fell on a spot in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there would be no telescopes to see it. And even if the shadow did pass over a telescope, it might have been a very small telescope, or one that wasn't the best for observing this type of thing. That was just one problem. "If it's cloudy when you're trying to observe it during the 120 seconds the shadow is whizzing by, you don't see anything," Person said. "In my observing career looking at these occultation events, [I've had] several times when clouds rolled in within 3 minutes of the event happening." SOFIA eliminates most of those problems. Capable of cruising at 45,000 feet (13,700 km), the observatory gets above the clouds, and can easily fly over just about any location on Earth, including the open ocean. Scientists can load up all kinds of observing equipment so that they travel with the best instruments for the type of observations they'd like to do. Plus, SOFIA gets above most of Earth's atmosphere, avoiding a problem that often occurs during many types of astronomical observations: Viewing the cosmos through Earth's atmosphere can be kind of like trying to see through a pair of eyeglasses with the wrong prescription. In some ways, it's literally like looking through a windshield that's obscured by raindrops, because water in the atmosphere scatters light. A last-minute course change To get in the right position for the June 29 occultation, Person and his team chartered a path over the southwest coast of New Zealand. "Just as we were starting out, heading toward where we expected the shadow would be our ground teams were observing Pluto from the ground in Chile, sending that Chilean data up to our teams at Lowell [Observatory in Arizona] and MIT to do the astrometry, and then called me via satellite phone on SOFIA, where we had a quick discussion with the navigators and moved the plane off the original flight plan and on to a new one, so we could intercept the shadow in real time," Person said. The new flight path put SOFIA within "a few kilometers" of the center of the shadow, and achieved what Person and the other scientists hoped it would: By comparing their observations with what New Horizons saw, they were able to confirm the detection of haze in Pluto's atmosphere, and could even study the size of the particles in the haze. They were also able to measure the pressure of Pluto's atmosphere, and calibrate the past 20 years of measurements with New Horizons' up-close measurement. Scientists had long thought that Pluto's atmosphere might collapse entirely as it moved farther away from the sun in its orbit, but evidence from SOFIA and New Horizons showed that Pluto's atmosphere is holding on, at least for the moment. Their observations can also reveal "wind-based effects" near Pluto's surface, Person said. SOFIA's flight contributed to a growing understanding of Pluto's atmosphere. The value of the dual observation will carry on for years, Person said. Although New Horizons will never fly by Pluto again, scientists can observe occultations year after year, and keep an eye on Pluto's changing atmosphere. And now, they know how their observations from Earth (or in a plane 45,000 feet above the surface) compare with what's actually happening on Pluto. "SOFIA is an ideal platform for this kind of stellar occultation event," Person said. Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The National Association of Television Program Executives descends on Miami Beach this week to a very different conference. The market, which has shifted from syndication to more unscripted fare in recent years, has also grown significantly much like the volume of content being produced. On the eve of the annual affair, which runs Jan. 19-21 at both the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc hotels, exiting NATPE CEO Rod Perth spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the evolving marketplace, the changes he's seen during his tenure and why the surge in programming is only good news for the group's membership. What do the organization's diverse group of members have in common? We continue to be dedicated to being relevant and trying to stay ahead of all of the dynamic changes that are going on. I think we've done a good job of that. When I got here four years ago, we repositioned the event considerably. We believe that the business is divided into sectors, and the walls between those sectors are dissolving. They're all interdependent. And we reside in the center of that. "Convergence," which is the word of 10 years ago, is even more relevant today. Even a local television station or a international cable channel or a buyer from Iceland, you need to know how all of these factors influence your business. What's changed most about NATPE and the climate during your tenure? When I got here, I believed that we needed to embrace all of the new digital possibilities. Now the world "digital" almost seems like an overused, tired bucket for virtually every sector of the business. It's kind of a metaphor for how you've got to be creative. Viewers are in charge. It's no longer the networks or anyone in the business. They are clearly embracing OTT, mobile and various new technological breakthroughs that allow them to watch whatever they want. The one constant and through line during these disruptive times is that it's always content first. That's why I think NATPE is still growing. Story continues Is there a particular trend you're catering to this year? The entire business being interdependent and overlapping suggests that there's a tremendous amount of sharing. Even local television stations, which by their own assessment might have been a little faster to embrace that change, they have done it fully now. On the international side, the journey of locally produced programs in countries has become a fully formed business. Formats are the currency of everyone. Even non-English-language television shows are airing in the U.S. These are breakthroughs. They're changing the paradigm in dramatic ways. There's been a lot of talk of "Peak TV," for both reality and scripted what challenges does that present to the marketplace? It always goes back to the best creators with compelling stories having to stand on their own despite the competition. That's the one constant to all of this. What are you doing in the days leading up to the conference? It's like playing whack-a-mole. Ultimately, we're serving so many constituents of the business. The good news is that we're growing. We were bursting at the seams at the Fontainebleau, so we've tripled the size of the market floor. We needed to move into the Eden Roc next door. It's all positive stuff, but it adds to the unexpected challenges. How do you feel about this being your last go as CEO? Whatever accomplishments we've had, which I hope people think are considerable, we credit to an outstanding board of directors and staff. JP Bommel will replace me with the title of managing director and chief operating officer. He will, in effect, take over the business on March 1. He'll be a terrific leader of the organization. Any advice for first-time attendees? I would tell them that no matter what event you attend, it's all about the homework in advance and curating the events that happen to fit your needs, what you need to learn and where you can best network and meet influencers. ZURICH (Reuters) - Nestle SA has agreed a partnership with Alibaba in China to grow online sales, build key brands and offer new products, the Swiss food group said on Tuesday. Nestle has introduced products including Nido milk powder, Damak chocolate and Nescafe Dolce Gusto BMW MINI coffee machines on Tmall.com, China's largest shopping website for brands and retailers, it said in a statement. "Using Taobao.com, the country's largest shopping site overall, Nestle is expanding its distribution in rural areas," it added. (Reporting by Michael Shields) Due to antiquated licensing rules that were set up well before the dawn of streaming video, the selection of Netflix content available across different geographic regions can vary wildly. While subscribers in some countries, like the U.S. for example, can enjoy a high percentage of Netflix content, the selection available in other countries can be downright dismal in comparison. DONT MISS: Watch Kylo Ren go nuts in a hilarious SNL spoof As a result, many Netflix subscribers overseas make use of proxy servers or apps like Smartflix to skirt around these geographical restrictions. For years, Netflix turned a blind eye to such practices, only recently indicating its intention to start clamping down on such behavior. Some members use proxies or unblockers to access titles available outside their territory. To address this, we employ the same or similar measures other firms do. This technology continues to evolve and we are evolving with it. That means in coming weeks, those using proxies and unblockers will only be able to access the service in the country where they currently are. We are confident this change wont impact members not using proxies. While Netflixs about-face may amount to nothing more than a nuisance for some users, the change may prompt other users to question the value proposition of their Netflix subscription altogether. Speaking to this point, Julia Greenberg of Wired argues that Netflixs move may ultimately alienate a good number of the companys international subscribers. For users abroad, Netflix in, say, Portugal, Poland, or South America isnt exactly Netflix as Americans know it. Even the offerings in the UK, Ireland, and Canada are significantly more limited than what we in the US have. Netflixs international audience is the key to the companys future growth. As investors scrutinize Netflixs strategy after its quarterly earnings report next week, Netflix will likely facing questions about how expanding its service internationally will work on the ground. The real question isnt whether Netflix is available in 190 countries. The question is when all 190 countries will get the same Netflix. Story continues Netflixs stated intention to clamp down on proxy users raises a number of interesting questions, not the least of which is whether or not Netflix can realistically prevent such access in the face of determined viewers. That aside, any bonafide effort to strictly adhere to global licensing restrictions puts Netflix in a sticky spot. On the one hand, it doesnt want to upset current business relationships with content providers. On the other hand, it also doesnt want to drive away paying subscribers who are more than happy to fork over a few bucks every month so long as they have access to a decent library of content. This Catch-22 scenario is precisely why Netflix is so determined to spend every spare cent it has on developing original content that it can roll out across all geographic regions with no restrictions. According to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, an ideal solution to the problem would involve securing global licensing rights from the outset, thus solving the problem at the root. During the companys earnings conference call last January, Hastings said: And then I think Ted [Sarandos] really had the vision to figure out how to start to get global rights for some of the content by moving up the food chain. And weve been pushing on that dimension to be able to get the global rights where we dont have to go country by country across 200 countries, but instead, can provide the producer upfront money, guaranteed money and get great access. Netflix hasnt indicated exactly when it will start trying to clamp down on proxy viewing, but itll be interesting to see if the company is simply making public pronouncements to keep content owners happy or if they truly will employ technologies to keep Netflix subscribers honest. Related stories Marvel's 'Punisher' series reportedly in development at Netflix The easy way to browse Netflix's secret categories Here are all the trailers and teasers Netflix just released for upcoming shows More from BGR: Tesla Model S P90D in Ludicrous Mode races a Lamborghini Aventador This article was originally published on BGR.com ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's army chief of staff told an inquiry on Tuesday that his soldiers had acted appropriately during a bloody raid last month on a minority Shi'ite sect in which at least 60 people were killed. The army says the Islamic Movement in Nigeria had tried to assassinate its chief of staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, when members of the sect blocked his convoy in the northern city of Zaria in December. The following day the army said it had raided several buildings connected to the sect. The Shi'ite sect said hundreds of its members had been killed. The army took most of the bodies away, making it impossible to verify the claim but the director of a local hospital said at least 60 people had been killed. "I'm here because I was there during the incident. I was involved and my officers and soldiers acted in accordance with the rule of engagement," Buratai told an inquiry panel of the National Human Rights Commission into the raid. "There is no way we would pick our weapons and deliberately violate what we have been tasked and paid to defend and protect," added the army chief. Members of the Shi'ite sect are also expected to give evidence to the inquiry panel, which was set up to establish what happened in the raid and sat for the first time on Tuesday. It has the power to impose fines and payment of compensation. Most of Nigeria's Muslims, who number tens of millions, are Sunni, including the Boko Haram jihadist militants who have killed thousands in bombings and shootings, mainly in the northeast, since 2009. However, in the nation of 170 million people, there are also several thousand Shi'ite Muslims whose movement was inspired by the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Shi'ite Iran. Iran condemned last month's raid and summoned Nigeria's ambassador to Tehran. (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Gareth Jones) Crude prices are ticking time bombs. The city-states trade hinges on oil exports, and unsurprisingly, as it plunged by 33.4%, Singapores total exports fell by 7.2% in 2015. Whats even worse--analysts are predicting an even unstable 2016, caused by the continued weakness in crude prices. According to analysts from Maybank Kim Eng, while the global economy is expected to grow by 3.2% in 2016, the uncertainty surrounding Chinas slowdown leaves much to be worried about. This over-dependence on China as an engine of growth was also noted by the Monetary Authority Singapore in a recent review. The report highlighted that Singapores comparative advantage in intermediate goods exports has enabled the country to position itself favorably within Chinas supply chain and conversely is susceptible to an external demand shock as a result of this dependence, Maybank Kim Eng said. Meanwhile, non-oil domestic exports demand from China also weakened further. China, which remains the largest NODX destination at 14.9% of total NODX, saw shipments report further deterioration last month as it fell by double digits (Dec 2015: -18.7% YoY; Nov 2015: -9.1% YoY), Maybank Kim Eng said. More From Singapore Business Review By James Pearson and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's recent nuclear weapon test was designed to boost his domestic legitimacy ahead of a rare ruling party conference in May that could formalize market-based economic experiments in the isolated country, analysts say. The Workers' Party Congress, once a regular event, was last held in 1980. Although violent, the years since Kim took power following his father's death in late 2011 have moved the country towards increased stability and a return to a more "formal" way of running the country, said Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean leadership. "What some observers and analysts identify as instability is really more a matter of Kim Jong Un trying to reset a very entrenched system". "And that can take a few years, as we've seen," Madden said. While analysts have for years been wrong in predicting major reforms - or collapse - in North Korea, the fact that the event is taking place for just the seventh time after a decades-long hiatus is a further indication that Kim is transforming the North Korea his father Kim Jong Il ruled through back-channel dealings into a more "normal" state where formal process is ingrained. North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, provoking condemnation from its neighbors and the United States, although experts doubt Pyongyang's claim that it exploded a hydrogen bomb. At the congress, Pyongyang is likely to announce policies on matters ranging from economics and politics to defense and relations with rival South Korea. It may even announce measures lifting restrictions on the thriving informal economy, said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior analyst at the Sejong Institute. "It's possible Kim Jong Un may free up the market economy at some point during the congress," said Cheong. Under Kim Jong Un, the unofficial economy has grown against a tumultuous political backdrop of high-level purges, including that of Jang Song Thaek, the young leader's uncle by marriage who was accused of factionalism and executed in December 2013. When the last party congress took place over four days in 1980 at Pyongyang's February 8th House of Culture, a monolithic concrete pillar-fronted building since renamed the April 25th House of Culture, it was open to foreign delegations from countries friendly to North Korea. It was then that Kim Jong Il was controversially anointed successor to his father, Kim Il Sung, creating the communist world's first hereditary dynasty when its founder died in 1994. In signs the younger Kim is moving towards a more traditionally bureaucratic state, he has moved several high-profile officials between the ruling party and military, creating more inter-dependence between two bodies which used to face off against each other, according to analysts. DISMANTLING 'SOPRANO STATE'? A more formal North Korean state might also eventually be more transparent. "Under Kim Jong Il, these guys would get their fiefdom then the leader gets to regulate it when he needs to," said Madden. "It's not unlike the mafia, or the Sopranos, where Tony has to make a ruling", he said referring to a long-running television program about a New Jersey mafia chief. Kim Jong Il was heavily reliant on North Korea's military to ensure regime survival and pushed a "military-first" policy which prioritized spending on North Korea's bloated and poorly-equipped army and nuclear program. But Kim Jong Un, believed to be 33, has been normalizing the role of the Workers' Party and is "restoring a party-centered system," said Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. Kim Jong Un's regime has pushed a new policy, "byungjin", which stresses the simultaneous development of nuclear weapons and improving the economy. Kim can now use the nuclear test to boost his legitimacy ahead of the congress, and declare a new political era under his rule, analysts said. "North Korea needed a good result to celebrate at the congress and that was the hydrogen bomb test," said Lee Cheol-woo, a member of South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee, citing a briefing by the South's intelligence agency. (Editing by Tony Munroe and Bill Tarrant) US President Barack Obama on Tuesday welcomed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the White House, saluting Canberra's role in the fight against the Islamic State group. "We are going to talk about how we can strengthen our cooperation both in Syria and Iraq but also countering violent extremism globally," Obama said. The deadly attacks on Thursday in Jakarta that were claimed by the IS group shows that Southeast Asia is "an area we have to pay attention to and watch." Australia, with six fighter jets deployed, takes part in US-led air strikes against IS targets, and is heavily involved in training Iraqi security forces. Last week, Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne rebuffed a US request for a larger military commitment, saying its contributions to the anti-IS fight were already "substantial." But she said Australia would offer more transport aircraft for humanitarian missions. Stressing their "strong and steadfast" alliance, Obama also highlighted the role of the two countries as the "driving force" in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a vast free trade zone encompassing 12 Pacific Rim countries, but not China. "It is going to be good for our economy, for our workers and our businesses," he said. "For us to thrive in the 21st century, it's important for us to be making the rules in this region and that's exactly what TPP does," he said. Turnbull, who was making his first visit to Washington since taking office in September, noted his "very productive" discussions with US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, adding that the US-Australian partnership in Iraq and Afghanistan is "very, very strong." "We have to constantly lift our game in the way we engage with and tackle these extremists, particularly ISIL -- but there are many others -- as they operate in the cyber sphere," he said, using an alternate acronym for IS. "And so I'm pleased that we're going to be working on even closer collaboration there," he said. On TTP, Turnbull said it was lifting the standards for a rule-based international order, and adding to its security by integrating the region's economies. Though recent presidential polls show former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's numbers plummeting faster than they did when she ran in 2008, a new Reuters poll suggests her husband, former President Bill Clinton, could slightly influence voters in her favor. The poll, conducted from Jan. 7 through Jan. 13, prior to the most recent Democratic debate, shows 12% of American voters said they'd more likely vote for Hillary because she's married to Bill. Most Americans (73% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans), however, said Bill has no influence on whether they'll vote for Hillary. Additionally, fewer than half said Bill should be a more significant figure in Hillary's campaign and a similar amount said his involvement would boost her chances to win the nomination. A recent comparison of national political polls by RealClearPolitics showed Clinton's national lead dropping significantly faster than it did leading up to the Iowa caucus in 2008 when then-Sen. Barack Obama beat her for the nomination. In the most recent Democratic debate Sunday, Hillary said as president she'd ask for her husband's ideas, advice and "use him as a goodwill emissary to go around the country." Bill has been on the campaign trail for his wife and said he "[does] not believe in my lifetime anybody has run for the job who is better qualified by experience, knowledge and temperament." The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or graduate school search. For international undergraduate students both overseas and studying in the U.S., online learning can be a good choice, enabling them to pursue an education at a U.S. institution without having to leave their country of residence or travel to attend class. In 2014-2015, a total of nearly 10,000 international students were enrolled in the more than 120 online ranked bachelor's degree programs that reported these data to U.S. News. [See five tips for researching online programs as an international student.] Fort Hays State University was the online bachelor's degree program with the highest percentage of international students , at 43 percent in 2014-2015, according to U.S. News data. With 7,180 students enrolled in Fort Hays' program, more than 3,100 were international, making it the only online bachelor's degree program in which international students comprised more than a quarter of the student body. Meanwhile, the programs with the next largest percentages of international students had lower total enrollment and therefore had far fewer international students. Lawrence Technological University, for instance, which had the second-highest percentage of international students, enrolled only 22 international students in its online bachelor's degree program, making up 24 percent of the 93 students total. Similarly, the University of Maine--Fort Kent's online bachelor's degree program had 33 international students, which was 19 percent of the total student body. This earned it a spot among the 10 online bachelor's degree programs that had the highest percentage of international students. Story continues [Understand the challenges international students may face in online programs.] A large majority of ranked online bachelor's degree programs that reported the data to U.S. News had international student enrollment rates of 5 percent or less. Nearly 40 programs had international student populations with percentages that rounded to zero. Below is a list of the 1 4 online bachelor's degree programs with the most international students during the 2014-2015 academic year. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report. RNP* denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it. U.S. News surveyed 300 public, private and for-profit schools for our 2016 Best Online Bachelor's Programs rankings. Schools reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of these survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Online Bachelor's Programs rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. These data are specific to schools' online bachelor's degree program offerings and have no influence over U.S. News' Best Colleges rankings assessing traditional bachelor's programs. The enrollment data above are correct as of Jan. 19, 2016. Jordan Friedman is an online education editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at jfriedman@usnews.com. Frankfurt (AFP) - German automaker Opel, a unit of US giant General Motors, rejected on Tuesday a media report which accused it of manipulating the software of the engine of one of its diesel models. "Opel clearly rejects the allegations. It is not true that Opel dealers installed a modified software into the 1.6-litre diesel engine of the Zafira Tourer which changes the emissions behaviour of the vehicle," the company said in a statement. On Monday, the Belgian broadcaster VRT had reported on its website that Opel had been secretly modifying the emissions performance of its cars using unexplained software updates since the Volkswagen pollution-cheating scandal erupted in September. Global carmakers are currently under scrutiny following the revelation last September that VW installed so-called defeat devices in 11 milllion diesel vehicles worldwide aimed at cheating emissions regulations. French rival Renault said Tuesday it was recalling thousands of vehicles to make engine tweaks as the French carmaker grapples with emission levels found to exceed anti-pollution norms in some of its cars. According to VRT, the level of the Opel cars' emission of nitrogen oxides was originally much higher than EU limits. But following a software update carried out by a local dealership alongside a routine service, the cars' emissions performance improved, the broadcaster claimed. The service update carried out on the Zafira Tourer model "had nothing to do with a change in the emissions values," Opel insisted, without specifying what the update was for. Tehran (AFP) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Tuesday with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani for talks aimed at easing tensions between regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia. Sharif flew into the predominantly Shiite Islamic republic of Iran from Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, where on Monday he expressed "deep concern" to King Salman over the diplomatic crisis. "We wish to develop our relations and are opposed to any tension, as long as the rights of Muslims and the people of the region are respected and that the rules of diplomacy and politeness are respected," Rouhani told him, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency. Sharif, according to a statement from the Iranian presidency, said that Pakistan "always strives to... diminish tensions between Muslim nations". He added that those behind "terrorism and extremism" take advantage of tensions between Muslim countries. Saudi Arabia and a number of its Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early January, sending already tense relations between the rival nations to a new low. Riyadh reacted after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom on January 2 executed Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. He was among 47 people put to death in a single day for "terrorism". Most of those executed were Sunnis. The dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran has raised fears of greater regional instability and concerns for peace efforts in Syria and Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and Iran support opposing sides. PARIS (Reuters) - Former Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson triggered scenes of chaos in France's parliament on Tuesday as journalists fought and shoved to hear her campaign for a ban on the force-feeding of ducks and geese for foie gras. A photographer and a cameraman came to blows as those in the media scrum struggled to get shots of Anderson at a news conference. Some 25 other journalists were left stuck outside for want of sufficient space for them in the room. The Canadian-born star was campaigning for a bill tabled by an environmentalist lawmaker, undeterred that it has little hope of passing in the absence of support from virtually all other members of parliament. "As a Canadian, I am ashamed by the brutal clubbing of baby seals and thus I have empathy for many of the French citizens who also experience both shame and sadness at the misery suffered by these very sociable birds," Anderson said. Foie gras is made from geese and duck livers which have been fattened, usually by force feeding. Sold whole or as a pate, it is considered a gourmet food in both Western and Asian cuisine, but the practice of force-feeding has often been criticized as cruel by animal activists. California banned its manufacture and sale in 2012. A federal judge has blocked the ban on sales but the state appealed the ruling. Anderson's appearance at the French parliament comes as the sector struggles with a production freeze due to the spread of bird flu in southwestern France, by far the biggest producing region. The industry says the measure will cost them as much as 350 million euros. "We understand that some people don't want to eat foie gras but they should not keep foie gras lovers from eating it," Marie-Pierre Pe, an official with the Cifog foie gras producers association said. France produces nearly 20,000 tonnes (22,000 tons) of foie gras per year. Its main export markets include Japan, Spain and Belgium. About 30,000 families in France depend on the sector for a living, according to the Cifog. (Reporting by Emile Picy, Pauline Ades-Mevel and Sybille de la Hamaide, writing by Leigh Thomas; editing by Ralph Boulton) Paris (AFP) - Paris dusts itself off to reclaim its place as the capital of fashion Wednesday, with the start of its menswear shows amid tight security after the November terror attacks. With some of the world richest fashionistas due in the French capital for the haute couture collections which follow the 50 or so menswear shows, the organisers are taking no risks. Reinforced security and identity checks have many in the industry fearing long queues which could play havoc with the tightly scheduled catwalk shows. The extra precautions come after gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the name of the Islamic State group attacked cafes, restaurants, a concert hall and the national stadium on November 13, leaving 130 dead. Major fashion houses including Valentino and Yohji Yamamoto warned clients and guests to arrive early while Chanel said it was "reinforcing our precautions following the advice of the authorities". But the new head of the French Couture Federation Pascal Morand insisted Tuesday they wanted to make the autumn-winter shows as secure as possible without causing too much worry or inconvenience. "The most efficient security measures are not necessarily the most visible or the ones people talk about," he told AFP. Although the shows will inevitably be affected by the sombre post-attacks mood of the city, Morand said so far there had been no major drop in the numbers of those attending, or "nothing worrying" in any case. He said it was vital that Paris maintain its position as the world's fashion capital, and that it continues to attract the very best young designers. "It's important that Paris is the place where you come to be anointed, where you make your breakthrough and earn you spurs," Morand said. - Slimane snub - "Paris has really won back a lot of ground in recent years," he claimed in the face of stiffer competition from Milan, New York and London. "Everyone knows that it is here that things happen, even if we work well with our Italian friends, and that we have absolute respect for what New York and London have done," he added. Story continues That said, Hedi Slimane, the artistic director of Saint Laurent -- one of France's biggest fashion houses -- raised eyebrows by snubbing Paris and choosing to show his new collection in Los Angeles next month rather than Paris. But Morand tried to play down the loss of the most rock 'n' roll of French designers, saying it was a "one-off" unlikely to be repeated. It was something that both Hedi Slimane and the fashion house wanted to do," he said. While Saint Laurent will be absent, he said the catwalk shows will be as young and international as ever with four newcomers, the Japanese labels Christian Dada and White Mountaineering, Franco-Italian outfit OAMC and Paris-based Avoc. The shows come at a highly charged moment for the industry with New York pushing for a major overhaul of the catwalk calendar that would see new lines kept under wraps until they go on sale. But Paris and Milan are adamant that the status quo remain unchanged, with new collections shown four to six months before they appear in the shops. The air of instability has filtered down to the catwalk, with big-name Dior without an artistic designer after Raf Simons walked out in October. His own label's show on Wednesday evening is one of the week's must-have tickets, with the studio he left behind at Dior showing what they came up with in his absence on Friday. Another talking point is Cerruti's return to the Paris catwalk after a year's absence with its new artistic director Jason Basmajian. The haute couture spring-summer shows kick off on Sunday with Versace, with Chanel, Dior and Chinese-born newcomer Yiqing Yin to follow. Has PBS' Masterpiece found its successor to Downton Abbey? The program announced Monday at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour that it has acquired ITV's period drama Victoria starring Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who). The series will launch on Masterpiece in early 2017 in the slot that Downton Abbey has called home for the past six years. Downton just kicked off its final season stateside earlier this month. Coleman headlines the series as Victoria, who suddenly goes from neglected teenager to Queen and must prove her ability to lead her country despite her small stature. The eight-part drama follows Victoria from when she first becomes Queen in 1837 at the age of 18 through her eventual marriage to Prince Albert (Tom Hughes). The cast also includes Rufus Sewell, Alex Jennings, Paul Rhys and Peter Firth. Read More: New ITV Chief on Reality TV's Ratings Struggles: "Chaos Creates Opportunity" Victoria was created and written by novelist Daisy Goodwin (The American Heiress), who is known for her in-depth knowledge of Queen Victoria's diaries. The series is a co-production with Mammoth Screen (Poldark) and ITV, and is distributed internationally by ITV Studios. "Downton Abbey has proved that millions of viewers will turn up year after year for a beautifully-crafted period drama, Victoria has it all: a riveting script, brilliant cast, and spectacular locations. And it's a true story!" Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton said in a statement. "This is exactly the king of programming Masterpiece fans will love." Victoria joins Masterpiece's diverse slate of programming which includes such modern-day hits as Sherlock as well as other period dramas including Call the Midwife and Mr. Selfridge, which is also from ITV. In addition to Doctor Who, which Coleman recently exited, her other credits include Captain America and Dancing on the Edge. Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo on Tuesday defended as a sovereign right her government's changes to the judiciary and media, which the EU is probing to see if they violate democratic norms. Szydlo told the European Parliament the changes were commitments made to voters before elections in Poland last October, and the European Union should thus see this "compact with the people" as a real expression of democracy. Rather than rounding on Poland, the EU ought to be looking to engage with a country with a troubled history and which had fought at great cost for its freedom, she said. "What is important for all of us is that we feel we are being supported by the EU... that Poland is a free, sovereign state and that its sovereignty is being respected," Szydlo said in remarks translated from Polish. She repeated several times that Poland was as much part of the EU as the other 27 countries and told lawmakers, meeting in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, that the bloc must have more important things to be concerned with. "I must say I do not see the need to devote so much time to Poland... I think you have many important issues to address (but) I am here because I want to engage in this dialogue." Last week, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, launched the first probe of its kind into the changes to Poland's constitutional court and state-run media to see if they contravened the bloc's "Rule of Law" principles. European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans, who is running the investigation, told the parliament that the EU was "founded on a common set of values and when they come under threat, the EU needs to act." Timmermans stressed that the probe would be fair, open and cooperative, but explained that the replies to two letters he sent last month to Poland seeking an explanation were "not complete or sufficient." Story continues A reply to a third letter launching the investigation had just been received and was being assessed, he said, without giving details. "The Commission fully respects the sovereignty of Poland (and) ... carries out its duties impartially, as for any other member state." European Union president Donald Tusk and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Monday in Brussels urged calm on both sides in seeking to resolve the dispute. Parliament head Martin Schulz late last year said the changes amounted to a "coup" in Poland, sparking blunt demands from Warsaw for an apology. By Donny Kwok and Anne Marie Roantree HONG KONG (Reuters) - One of Hong Kong's staunchest pro-Beijing lawmakers said a bookseller's tearful confession on state television to a hit-and-run accident more than a decade ago in China is unlikely to appease public concerns that he may have been abducted. The Sunday evening broadcast on China Central Television ended months of mystery over the fate of Gui Minhai, a naturalized Swedish citizen, after he was last seen in October outside his apartment in the Thai seaside town of Pattaya. In the strongest statement yet by anyone in Hong Kong's pro-China camp, Legislative Council President Jasper Tsang said the taped confession by Gui was not enough. "The China Central Television (CCTV) report did not seem to be able to calm the public. As the case drags on, there will be more speculation," Tsang said late on Monday. He said if more details did not come to light, the Hong Kong government should seek assistance from the central government in Beijing. CCTV could not be reached for comment. Since late last year, four other associates of the Hong Kong-based publisher that specializes in selling and publishing gossipy political books on China's Communist Party leaders have been unaccounted for. Hong Kong police confirmed late on Monday that they had been advised by authorities in China's southern Guangdong province that one of them, British passport holder Lee Bo, was in the mainland. Police said Guangdong officials also sent them a letter from Lee addressed to the Hong Kong government, and that Lee's wife confirmed the writing was his. Police said it was similar to one he purportedly sent to his wife in which he said he "voluntarily" went to the mainland. INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS The disappearances have prompted fears that mainland Chinese authorities may be using shadowy tactics that erode the "one country, two systems" formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its return to China from British rule in 1997. "We should not speculate and criticisms should be based on fact," Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying said on Tuesday. "I and SAR government are also very concerned about the case." Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Tuesday that he had nothing more to add about Gui's case as Chinese media had already given a "rather detailed" report on his case. On Lee's case, he said he "did not understand" it. Hong Kong was returned to China with a guarantee that it would have greater freedoms and separate laws from the mainland for 50 years. The publishers' books are banned on the mainland, although they are popular with Chinese tourists in Hong Kong. "We will continue to raise this case at the highest levels," a British Foreign and Commonwealth Office's spokesperson said in an email response to Reuters, referring to Lee. Sweden and the United States have also expressed concern at the disappearances. Some observers, including journalists and commentators, highlighted on social media what they believed were discrepancies in the state media reports on Gui, including what appeared to be changes in the color of his undershirt in the course of the CCTV footage. Gui Minhai's daughter Angela said Swedish authorities had told her there was no record of her father leaving Thailand, and that staff at his condominium said he had just returned from grocery shopping when he went missing. "I still think he was abducted," said Angela Gui, 21, in a telephone interview from Britain, where she is studying. (Reporting by Donny Kwok and Anne Marie Roantree; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING, Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Simon Webb in BANGKOK; Writing by Clare Baldwin; Editing by Ryan Woo) By Joseph Guyler Delva PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Stone-throwing protesters took to the streets of Haiti's capital on Monday to demand the suspension of a Jan. 24 presidential election over alleged irregularities, while in provincial areas unknown attackers burned several electoral offices. Haiti is due to hold a run-off vote backed by international donors on Sunday, but tensions have risen since opposition candidate Jude Celestin said last week he would withdraw, on grounds that electoral authorities favored the ruling party. Swiss-trained engineer Celestin, 53, came second in an October first round in the poor Caribbean nation, beaten by banana exporter Jovenel Moise, 47, the ruling party candidate. Accompanied by a man playing trumpet, the several thousand-strong crowd grew angrier as it moved from poor neighborhoods into downtown Port-au-Prince. Some protesters burned vehicles, threw rocks and attacked a petrol-pump. "If I have to take up weapons I will do that. I have done it in the past," said slum resident Jaques Madiou, 40, who said he had taken up arms after former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a leftist ex-priest, was forced from power in 2004. Elections and transfers of power in Haiti have long been plagued by instability, and international observers said October's vote was relatively smooth. However, several of the 54 candidates alleged fraud in favor of Moise. On Monday, Moise called on voters to participate in the second round, telling reporters that the election was a "turning point" that would strengthen Haiti's democracy. The protesters demanded the creation of an interim government and fresh elections to be held after President Michel Martelly leaves office in February. The opposition groups included the Platform Pitit Desalin and supporters of Celestin. "We declare this week the rebellion week to block the Jan. 24 election. We will protest in front of each voting booth and voting center," said Assad Volcy, deputy secretary general for Pitit Desalin. "When Martelly leaves on Feb. 7 we want a provisional government to evaluate the electoral process and complete it," he said. In the north of the country, unknown assailants burned four offices on Sunday night belonging to the electoral council, blamed by many critics for irregularities in the October vote. Four members of the electoral council resigned recently. The Organization of American States said it deplored the violence against the election council. The council vowed to go ahead with the vote on Sunday. (Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Lisa Shumaker) By Daniel Bases NEW YORK (Reuters) - Puerto Rico, struggling to make its debt payments, outlined an increase in its financing gap on Monday, saying it now projects a $16.06 billion hole to fill, cumulatively, over the next five years, an increase of $2.1 billion from a September projection. The Government Development Bank said in an updated Fiscal and Economic Growth Plan (FEGP) released on Monday that at the request of creditors, it had added a 10-year financing gap projection. It now estimates its debt financing hole to grow to $23.9 billion through 2025. Facing over $70 billion in debt and a 45 percent poverty rate, Puerto Rico is trying to solve an economic crisis before it hits substantial debt payments in May and July. It has defaulted on some of its debt and is trying to persuade creditors to take concessions. The increases in the financing gaps occur, "even with the inclusion of economic growth and the implementation of all of the proposed measures in the FEGP," the Government Development Bank (GDB) said in a separate statement. "Since the release of the FEGP in September, the fiscal and humanitarian crisis on the Island has worsened, and the Commonwealth is now facing even larger estimated financing gaps in both the near and long term. Specifically, the General Fund revenues included in the FEGP have decreased from a previous estimate of $9.46 billion for FY (fiscal year) 2016 to $9.21 billion," the GDB said. GDB said that as of Jan. 10, it had $667 million of total net liquidity and $535 million in debt service payments during the next 6 months. "As previously indicated, we expect to sit with our creditors shortly and put forth a comprehensive restructuring proposal," Melba Acosta, President of the GDB said in the statement. Puerto Rico, as a commonwealth of the United States with 3.5 million people, is not allowed to restructure its debt under existing bankruptcy law. It has sought unsuccessfully to convince the U.S. Congress to vote for a change. However, in one development highlighted on Monday by its representative to Congress, Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's hospitals will now receive the same basic reimbursement rate, known as the base rate, by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This was included in the budget passed by the U.S. Congress in December. "The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that, as a result of this legislative change, Puerto Rico hospitals will receive $618 million more in federal reimbursement payments between 2016 and 2025, an average of over $60 million per year," said a statement released by Pierluisi on Monday. (Reporting by Daniel Bases; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Sandra Maler) Immigration can be seen as a headache, a blessing or something in between, depending on who you ask. President Barack Obama views it as something that needs to be refined. "I'll keep pushing for progress on the work that still needs doing," he said in his last State of the Union address. "Fixing a broken immigration system," was the first item that he listed. Other politicians have also weighed in. Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, for example, have recently discussed tightening the rules around citizenship. Many attorneys, however, say the intricate rules around immigrating have created a high demand for lawyers who are familiar with related legal issues. [Consider specialized program when deciding where to enroll for law school.] "The number of people who are facing deportation and detention, who have immigration cases, is very high right now because of the political climate," says Alina Das, an associate professor of clinical law and co-director of the immigrant rights clinic at the law school at New York University. The immigrant population in the U.S. grew from 31.1 million in 2000 to 40.8 million in 2012, according to the Center for American Progress. Aspiring J.D.s who want to work in immigration law have a variety of jobs to choose from and can attend certain law programs that will prepare them for this line of work. The law school at University of California--Los Angeles allows students to focus on immigration studies through a variety of classes and experiential learning offerings, says Hiroshi Motomura, a professor at the school. Students can take classes in topics such as immigration law, asylum issues and immigrant rights, and get experience through the asylum clinic, among other clinical opportunities, he says. Clinics are hands-on learning opportunities that allow students to represent real clients while under the guidance of a law professional. "A student who's interested in studying immigration law should go someplace that has a combination of coursework, clinical opportunity and community connections," Motomura says. Story continues [Understand how a law school's location can affect job prospects.] Studying in a metropolitan region, such as New York or Miami, that has a lot of immigration activity can also be helpful, he says. Los Angeles, Motomura says, has strong immigrant communities and organizations in place to help these groups. Some include the National Immigration Law Center and Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Like UCLA, the law school at NYU also caters to students who are in a city where there are many immigrants and immigrant advocacy organizations. The school has offered courses in current issues related to immigrant rights and immigration penalties and crimes, says Das. Through the J.D. program's immigrant rights clinics, students can apply what they've learned in class. "Students in that clinic are working both with individuals who are facing deportation and detention. They're representing them in their immigration cases," she says. Once students have a solid background in immigration issues, they can practice immigration law in various ways. "Our students have gone on to work for immigration legal service providers. That includes organizations like Legal Aid Society that have an immigration unit. But it also includes many public defender organizations," Das says. [Find a mentor to help with law school applications and career goals.] Law graduates can also look to the private sector for opportunities. "One place that people might go would be to law firms," says David A. Martin, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law and chair of the committee that oversees the school's immigration law offerings and events. Some graduates with a background in immigration may work at a firm that's primarily oriented toward a general practice but has a department or team that focuses on immigration, he says. "It's increasingly the case that large global law firms that want to provide a full range of services to their clients want to be sure to have immigration specialists on staff," Martin says. If the job offerings in the U.S. aren't enough, students can also consider branching out. "Consider also working abroad as an option," says Magdale Labbe Henke, a graduate of the Fuchsberg Law Center at Touro College in New York. "There's definitely a market for coming to Europe and other locations and practicing U.S. immigration law from this side of it," says Henke, who opened a law firm in Germany after practicing in the U.S. for a few years. "I'm really one of a handful of small firms in Germany exclusively devoted to U.S. immigration," she says. Henke, who studied German in undergrad, helps a variety of people -- from artists to athletes -- come to the U.S. Doing pro bono work at a law firm helped launch her career in immigration law, she says. The best preparation for getting into immigration law is doing an internship or being a summer associate at a firm, which can expose students to immigration challenges they may not learn about at school, she says. Schools may largely focus on deportation and asylum, but a firm might help companies secure work visas for their employees, for example, she says. When thinking about how law school will prepare them for the working world, law applicants should find out where students from the schools they're considering find employment. "Look at what jobs students get after graduation and how much that may align with your own hopes," says Das. Searching for a law school? Get our complete rankings of Best Law Schools. Delece Smith-Barrow is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering graduate schools. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dsmithbarrow@usnews.com. By Megan Rowling BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Food supplies for thousands of African refugees at a camp in central Malawi are running out fast, U.N. agencies warned on Tuesday, appealing for urgent funds to provide full rations for the coming year. The World Food Program (WFP) said a lack of money had forced it to reduce food aid at Dzaleka camp in the last six months. Refugees are receiving only three of five planned foods - pulses, vegetable oil and maize - at half the amount they should get. The camp's more than 23,500 refugees, mostly from the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions, have access to only 40 percent of the daily recommended minimum of calories. Without more funding, maize stocks are set to run out in mid-February, while vegetable oil, pulses and a nutrition-enhanced corn soya flour will likely be depleted by May, said the WFP and U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) in an appeal for an additional $2 million. "The situation is becoming dire," Monique Ekoko, UNHCR's representative for Malawi, said in a statement. "Many of the most vulnerable, including children, the chronically ill, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and the elderly are at the brink of malnutrition." When rations are cut, the camp environment becomes less safe for women and girls, the agencies said. A survey found that lack of food was a key driver of sexual and gender-based violence among the refugees, they added. Malawi's Commissioner for Refugees, Bestone Chisamile, said the country would meet its international obligations to refugees, but needed support from WFP and UNHCR to do so. "That is why we're appealing to the international community to provide the necessary funding so that refugee families in Malawi do not go to bed hungry," said Chisamile. REGIONAL HUNGER THREAT On Monday, WFP said Malawi was the southern African country hit hardest by last year's poor rains. As crops have failed, 2.8 million people there need food aid out of an estimated 14 million facing hunger in the region. The price of maize the staple for most of the region is 73 percent higher in Malawi than the three-year average for this time of year, due to drought on the heels of floods, WFP noted. Prolonged dry spells in southern Africa, made worse this season by the El Nino phenomenon bringing extreme weather around the world, mean the window for planting cereals is closing fast or has already shut in some countries, the agency said. "I'm particularly concerned that smallholders won't be able to harvest enough crops to feed their own families through the year, let alone to sell what little they can in order to cover school fees and other household needs," said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin who has just visited drought-prone southern Zambia. WFP said it wanted to expand food and cash-based assistance in the worst-affected southern African countries until the April harvest. But it is struggling to raise enough money for those programs as worsening crises around the world - from the Syria conflict to hunger in Ethiopia - compete for donor dollars. (Reporting by Megan Rowling; editing by Ros Russell. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org) You know the type: the person who wants to talk with you about artificial ingredients, about GMOs, about where the new neighborhood restaurant sources its pork. A lot of people care a lot about food, and not just whether Per Se had two stars taken away from the New York Times restaurant critic. No, food isnt just about pleasure or sustenance for this group of peopleits also about ethics and morals. According to a new report from the public relations firm Ketchum, which has dubbed this cohort the Food eVangelists, there are more of them then ever. In just two years, Food eVangelists have gone from representing 10 percent of global consumers to 24 percent, according to the new Food 2020 report, an annual consumer trends study published by Ketchum. According to the study, which is based on survey responses from people in China, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Italy, and Argentina, 54 percent of this group maintains that the best food comes from local farmers, and 49 percent would rather buy groceries from a small, local business instead of a supermarket. These consumers are not only buying differently, but they talk about what they buyand dont buyas well. As Ketchum puts it, Food eVangelists listen to everyone, trust no one, and take action. While the industry has often ignored its most vocal consumer-critics, their mounting numbersand the rise of social mediahave changed how big food companies respond to complaints. Just last year, a number of major food manufacturers and retailers announced changes to products and processessuch as removing artificial colors and flavors from products or switching to antibiotic-free poultrythat some have been advocating for years, if not decades. But with the rising numbers, that slow response is going to change, according to Ketchum. Food eVangelists are becoming a mainstream, dominant market force, exacting marked change on the way the food industry operates and communicates, and we predict they will become the new normal among consumers, Linda Eatherton, partner and managing director of Ketchums Global Food & Beverage Practice, said in a statement. While Food eVangelists have a desire to influence others, its important to remember that they dont promote a specific agenda. Rather they seek information from multiple sources, listen to varying opinions, and make their own decisions. Story continues The shift could profoundly change the way the food industry operates, or at the very least, how it communicates with its customers. As the report notes, children are even more strident in their beliefs than their parents, with 49 percent of respondents saying that kids take an active role in deciding what foods the family buys. Which is to say, Food eVangelists representing 24 percent of the market is just the beginning. Related stories on TakePart: The Limits of the Chipotle of ____ Antibiotic-Free Chicken Is Now a Big Deal for Big Poultry Costco Joins a Host of Retailers Refusing to Sell GMO Salmon Original article from TakePart Riyadh (AFP) - A Riyadh-based Syrian opposition group must control delegates to planned peace talks with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Tuesday. The comments by Adel al-Jubeir came after the United Nations on Monday said it was waiting for regional powers leading the Syria peace process to agree on participants for the negotiations. Talks are planned to start in Geneva next Monday. The High Committee formed after an unprecedented meeting last December in the Saudi capital "is the concerned body, and nobody else can impose on them who should represent them" in negotiations with Assad's regime, Jubeir said at a joint news conference with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius. The 17 countries pushing for a peace deal for war-ravaged Syria, including the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, have struggled to agree on the list of opposition delegates. Russia and Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival, are the main supporters of Assad. Moscow wants participation by the moderate opposition that is closer to the president. After months of effort, Riyadh in December succeeded in bringing together about 100 representatives of the main Syrian political opposition and armed factions. They agreed to negotiate with the regime but insisted Assad step down at the start of any political transition. The Islamic State jihadist group, which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, and the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front were excluded from the Riyadh meeting. Kurdish fighters were also left out. A recently formed secular Kurdish-Arab alliance, the Syrian Democratic Council, demanded last week that it get its own seat at the talks. SDC leader Haytham Mannaa said he would not want to be grouped with the Riyadh body. The Riyadh gathering came after diplomats from the 17 countries agreed in Vienna on a roadmap for Syria, with peace talks, a transitional government and then elections. Story continues Fabius said "the success of the conference in Riyadh should be respected". After meeting King Salman, he also called for a "de-escalation" of tensions in the region, where relations between Riyadh and Tehran reached a new low this month. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the kingdom's January 2 execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is to visit Paris next week, Fabius said, after arriving in Saudi Arabia from Abu Dhabi where he attended the World Future Energy Summit on Monday. His visit came in the context of "close and continuous dialogue" between Paris and Riyadh, a French statement said. France is the third-largest investor in Saudi Arabia, and has boosted ties with the conservative Islamic kingdom despite persistent criticism from rights activists of its record on civil liberties. By Emma Thomasson BERLIN (Reuters) - German ecommerce investor Rocket Internet has set up a new fund it hopes will speed up and simplify capital raising for its start-ups, helping the European tech scene keep up with U.S. rivals that have easier access to finance. Europe's largest internet firm has set up dozens of companies ranging from online fashion to food delivery, but has had to put several planned flotations on ice in recent months due to a cooling market for tech listings. The fund - to which Rocket Internet will contribute $50 million of the $420 million attracted so far - means Rocket's start-ups can draw on a capital pool of 2.1 billion euros ($2.3 billion), including Rocket's own 1.7 billion euros of cash. Chief Executive Oliver Samwer, whose serial internet investments have helped him join the ranks of Germany's newest billionaires, told reporters he had always found "good bargains" through previous downturns such as in 2000 and 2008. "There is not as much money available to start-ups as in 2014 and 2015. Investors have become more cautious," he said. "For those who have capital, the best time is starting." Samwer said the fund should help Rocket play in the same league as U.S. investors such as General Atlantic and Tiger Global Management. He said about 50 U.S. start-ups are raising $10 million or more every day, compared to very few in Europe. "We are the only firm in Europe that has more than 2.1 billion to invest in the internet, that has the expertise to invest it," he said. "This is a further sign that investors in Germany and Europe trust the internet and the company Rocket." He does not expect the fund to cannibalize demand for Rocket's own stock as it is aimed at institutional investors with a longer-term horizon. Rocket's own share price, which has fallen by half since its initial public offering (IPO) in October 2014, was up 0.3 percent by 7.47 a.m. GMT. The company pledged in September not to raise more capital or make big acquisitions for a few years. The fund will invest in the same companies as Rocket, cutting its reliance on co-investors and allowing start-ups to raise capital more quickly as investors can piggyback on Rocket's own due diligence. "In this industry, speed is a great competitive advantage," Samwer said. Samwer shrugged off reports of difficulties after two senior managers left Rocket, saying the core leadership was intact. He also played down suggestions of conflict with major Swedish investor Kinnevik. Rocket said in September that three of its top start-ups should break even by the end of 2017 and it hoped to list at least one in 18 months from then. (Editing by David Clarke) DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday his country would not breach its landmark nuclear deal with world powers as long as the West also honored its commitments to the accord. Describing the accord a unique example in the history of diplomacy, Rouhani said Iran was committed not to pursue nuclear weapons. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations are lifting the sanctions that barred Iran from the global financial system for years, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certified on Saturday that Tehran was complying with the agreement to curb its nuclear program. "We will be committed to the nuclear deal as far as the other side is," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the state news agency, IRNA, at a meeting with IAEA chief Yukiya Amano. Amano arrived in Tehran on Sunday as he prepares the introduction of measures giving his agency greater inspection powers in order to ensure any nuclear materials in Iran will only be used for peaceful purposes. "Even if a day comes when there is no NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), safeguard or inspection by the IAEA, Iran is morally and religiously committed not to seek weapons of mass destruction," Rouhani said. Under the nuclear deal, Iran agreed to implement and then ratify the IAEA's Additional Protocol to its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. This will give the agency's inspectors more powers since Iran must provide access to suspect sites within 24 days. If Iran refuses, it faces the possibility of U.N. sanctions being reimposed. "A lot of work has been done to get to where we are now. A similar and sustained effort will be required in the future," Amano said in statement to the media after meeting the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi. "Implementation of the Additional Protocol is of particular importance. We must maintain the momentum." Iran said Amano's visit to Tehran was ceremonial and he would not visit any nuclear sites. The IAEA in December closed its long-running inquiry into whether Iran once had a secret nuclear weapons program, opting to support Tehran's deal with world powers rather than dwell on its past actions. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Giles Elgood) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's air force has delivered more than 40 tons of humanitarian aid to areas of Syria which are blocked by "terrorists", Russian agencies quoted a defense ministry official as saying on Tuesday. Food and other cargo was parachuted to the besieged city of Deir ez-Zor and other localities blocked by Islamic State, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted as saying. Konashenkov added that a Russian bomber had destroyed strongholds in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor, where Islamic State had executed Syrian civilians en masse recently. He said the bomber's strikes had killed more than 60 terrorists in comments carried by agencies. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Alexander Winning) Russian director Konstantin Bronzit, whose film We Can't Live Without Cosmos recently earned an Oscar nomination in the best short animated film category, has complained that online piracy in Russia is killing his film, arguing that it was thwarting its festival prospects. "Today I'm in despair and I'm asking for your help," Bronzit said in an address distributed over social media. "Please, help me to save my new short We Can't Live Without Cosmos. It was stolen from some festival, uploaded to the Internet and ended up on [Russia's largest social network] VKontakte." According to Bronzit, the fact that the film is available online could disqualify it from participation in international festivals. His attempts to fight piracy have been futile, he saysm arguing that as soon as one user deletes the film at the director's request, another user uploads it. Bronzit called on Russian users to stop illegitimate distribution of We Can't Live Without Cosmos. "Without festival play, the film will just go into obscurity," the director said. "Save my film and my work of four years." This is Bronzit's second Oscar nomination. Back in 2009, his animated film Ubornaya istoriya - lyubovnaya istoriya (Lavatory Lovestory) was nominated in the same category. His films have also won awards at many international festivals. Read More: Russian Director Calls For "Alternative Oscars" For BRICS Countries Donald Trumps presidential campaign announced on Tuesday that he had received the coveted and influential endorsement of former Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. I am greatly honored to receive Sarahs endorsement. She is a friend, and a high quality person whom I have great respect for. I am proud to have her support, Trump said in a statement accompanying the announcement. Palin, who said she was proud to endorse Trump, was a relative unknown before being tapped to run alongside Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2008 presidential race. She resigned as governor of Alaska in 2009. Since then, Palin has remained active as a cable news commentator and reality television star. Through her media presence and political action committee, she has built a strong following among conservatives. Photos: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images; Jae C. Hong/AP I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President of the United States of America, Palin said in a statement. News of the endorsement was first reported by the New York Times. Palins support should help Trump shore up his support from the conservative base as he works to fend off Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Though Trump remains the frontrunner in national polls of the Republican presidential field, Cruz has gained ground in Iowa since last month, and the pair are currently nearly neck and neck in the RealClearPolitics average of polls in the Hawkeye State. Iowa, which is the first state to vote in the primaries, has strong evangelical and conservative constituencies, among whom Palins backing could prove influential. The Trump campaign noted that Palin has campaigned for many conservative candidates and claimed her endorsement is amongst the most sought after and influential amongst Republicans. The announcement also included a quote from Cruz, whom Palin endorsed when he was running for the U.S. Senate in 2012. I would not be in the United States Senate were it not for Gov. Sarah Palin She can pick winners, Cruz was quoted as saying. That Cruz quote is not a word-for-word reflection of comments Cruz made when he introduced Palin at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference. At that event, Cruz did indeed make both those statements, but the Trump campaign reversed the order of his remarks. Trump is scheduled to hold campaign rallies in Norwalk, Iowa, and Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday. According to his campaign, Palin will join him at both events. Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia on Tuesday accused Iran of a nearly four-decade record of "sedition, unrest and chaos," as the international community tried to calm tensions between the regional rivals. Tensions between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and predominantly Shiite Iran reached a new high this month when Riyadh and a number of its Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. They acted after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the kingdom's January 2 execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. "Since the Iranian revolution in 1979, Iran has established a record of spreading sedition, unrest and chaos in the region," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted an unnamed senior foreign ministry official as saying. "During the same period, the kingdom has maintained a policy of restraint in spite of having suffered -- as have neighbouring countries -- the consequences of Iran's continued aggressive policies." The official said Iranian policy was based primarily on the idea of exporting revolution. "Iran recruits militias in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen", the official said, further accusing Iran of supporting "terrorism" and carrying out assassinations. SPA published a 58-point "fact sheet", prepared by the foreign ministry, "to illustrate Iran's aggressive policies" and to refute "the persistent lies" from Tehran, including an article by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in The New York Times last week. Zarif said Saudi Arabia had devoted itself to trying to stop Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and blocked attempts at dialogue in the Middle East. "Some in Riyadh not only continue to impede normalisation but are determined to drag the entire region into confrontation," Zarif wrote, arguing that the Sunni-ruled kingdom was "driven by fear that its contrived Iranophobia was crumbling". Story continues "Saudi Arabia seems to fear that the removal of the smoke screen of the nuclear issue will expose the real global threat: its active sponsorship of violent extremism." - Calls for calm - Over the weekend, a historic international deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in return for a scaling back of its nuclear capabilities. Six major world powers including China helped broker that agreement. But Riyadh fears it will further embolden Iran, which it accuses of interference in countries including Yemen and Syria, where Riyadh and Tehran support opposite sides in civil wars. China's President Xi Jinping was in Riyadh on Tuesday, ahead of a visit to Iran, after a Chinese diplomat last week urged "calm and restraint" between Iran and Saudi Arabia. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, also in Riyadh on Tuesday, was another voice calling for "de-escalation". On Monday Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed "deep concern" to Saudi King Salman over escalating tensions between the kingdom and Iran. On Tuesday, Sharif continued his efforts to defuse tensions, in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. After Zarif's article, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir also took to The New York Times, making on Tuesday similar points to those issued by the unnamed official on SPA. "Superficially, Iran may appear to have changed" because of the nuclear deal, Jubeir said in the newspaper. "The real question is whether Iran wants to live by the rules of the international system, or remain a revolutionary state committed to expansion and to defiance of international law," Jubeir wrote. "We have yet to see that." On Monday, CBS This Morning aired even more footage from Charlie Rose's interview with Sean Penn about the actor's controversial meeting with Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. In clips that weren't shown during 60 Minutes, Penn shares his thoughts about the circumstances surrounding El Chapo's capture and reveals why he wants to talk to him again. The actor, who interviewed El Chapo for an article in Rolling Stone while the drug lord was on the run, said he was "shocked" that El Chapo was captured alive just six months after escaping. "I was asked did I think he'd let himself be taken alive. My impression was that he would not I was shocked," said Penn. "I didn't expect him to be captured this quickly. But I did expect that one day I'd hear about a big shootout." Read More: Sean Penn Tells 60 Minutes His El Chapo Story "Failed" When asked what conclusions he drew from the Mexican government letting El Chapo live, Penn said, "It probably means that despite the incredible corruption, despite the things that I have told you that I feel about the Mexican government, that there's still more good people than bad." In a second clip that didn't air during 60 Minutes, Penn said he wants to talk to El Chapo again. "I hope to talk to him again, under whatever circumstances," he said. "While this article had its focus and its intention, I'm interested in asking more." Read More: Sean Penn on El Chapo Meeting: "We're Not Smarter Than the DEA or the Mexican Intelligence" Tax policies need to be updated in Budget 2016. Neighbouring Southeast Asian countries are trying to snatch multinationals away from Singapores shores by rolling out more incentives for the establishment of treasury centres and headquarters. Singapore must answer the threat by ensuring that the countrys suite of industry-specific tax incentives evolves in tandem with business developments, according to Deloitte's pre-budget feedback for Budget 2016. For instance, both Singapore and Hong Kong are choice locations for multinationals to locate their treasury centres in Asia. Singapores finance and treasury centre (FTC) incentive has been instrumental in influencing companies to locate their treasury centres in Singapore, but this may be changing with Hong Kong introducing new tax measures in a drive to attract regional treasury centres. Likewise, Malaysia and Thailand have introduced tax incentives for treasury centres and headquarter activities and in time may emerge as alternatives to both Singapore and Hong Kong, said Michael Velten, Partner and Head of Financial Services Tax at Deloitte Singapore and Southeast Asia. Deloitte Singapore called not only for the extension of the FTC incentive beyond 31 March 2016, but also for improvements to be made to keep the incentive relevant and useful with developments in treasury and financial activities globally. Although incentives are key to keeping Singapore competitive, policymakers should also ensure that the countrys tax system is in line with the OECDs Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project. With the twin challenges of keeping our tax regime competitive and addressing the implications arising from the BEPS Project, a balance must be achieved between keeping Singapores tax system simple whilst ensuring that it remains coherent and acceptable in the international tax arena, said Low Hwee Chua, Partner and Head of Tax Services at Deloitte Singapore and Southeast Asia. Story continues Singapore should continue to monitor its tax incentives framework to ensure it adheres to the minimum standards that have been established, and may also wish to consider publishing more detailed guidelines on the criteria required to obtain certain tax incentives, as transparency is a key tenet of the BEPS Action 5 recommendations on harmful tax practices, Low added. More From Singapore Business Review JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African telecoms group MTN said on Tuesday its Nigerian business is likely to report about $955 million in annual profit after tax, confirming a newspaper report in the west African country. "Profit after tax figure for MTN Nigeria for the period ended 31 December 2015 being quoted in the press article, is 190 billion naira ($955 million), which is within the current estimate," the company said in a statement. Africa's largest mobile operator has been fined $3.9 billion in Nigeria for failing to disconnect users of unregistered SIM cards. MTN, which makes about 37 percent of its revenue from Nigeria, has filed a court challenge over the fine, which equates to more than twice its annual average capital spending over the past five years. Shares in MTN were up 0.8 percent at 121.50 rand by 1006 GMT, lagging a 1.4 percent rise in the JSE Top-40 index. ($1 = 199.0000 naira) (Reporting by Thekiso Anthony Lefifi; editing by James Macharia and Jason Neely) MADRID/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran and Spain are discussing the construction of an Iranian-owned oil refinery at the Gibraltar strait, the Spanish foreign minister said on Monday, a day after sanctions against the economically isolated Islamic republic were lifted. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said he hoped the planned refinery, which would be built in the southern port city of Algeciras with local Spanish firms, would be the first of many deals between the two countries. The United States and European Union on Saturday revoked crippling sanctions against Iran, which had cut its oil exports by about a half since its pre-sanctions 2011 peak, in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions. Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Abbas Kazemi said in November that buying or investing in overseas oil refineries would be Iran's policy after the end of sanctions given its plans to significantly boost its oil output. On Monday, Iran ordered a rise in oil output by 500,000 barrels a day, Iranian official media reported. Margallo told reporters in Brussels the entire Iranian energy industry would have to be restructured following its return to the international economy, and Spain was well placed to assist. "What we see here is a new chance for the region to stabilize and for our companies to secure good business opportunities," Margallo said before a meeting of EU foreign ministers. "Our political relationship with Iran is very good because we moved faster than other countries and are now very well placed for future business," said Margallo, who investigated opportunities in a post-sanction Iran during a visit in 2014 and has often spoken favorably about closer dialogue. Margallo added that an Iranian refinery in Algeciras would boost employment in a region that has the highest unemployment rate in Spain. Kazemi said last week a possible facility would refine around 200,000 barrels a day, almost equaling Spain's current largest Gibraltar-San Roque refinery, owned by Spanish firm Cepsa. Neither Kazemi or Margallo have yet said which Spanish firms would be involved in the project. (Reporting by Angus Berwick and Robin Emmott; Editing by Julien Toyer) Sting and Peter Gabriel are to co-headline a North American tour together this summer Billboard has revealed. The 19-date tour will begin on June 21 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Entitled The Rock Paper Scissors tour, it will be produced by Peter Gabriel's recent tour producer, Arthur Fogel, who also has a long relationship with Sting. Commenting on the news Fogel said Gabriel and Sting are, "two amazing, iconic artists with great history," adding, "I have no idea what they're going to do together, but I do know that whatever they do together will feel totally natural and great." Details of the tour are expected to be announced later today. Washington (AFP) - In one year, Barack Obama will leave 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. So what will life be like for America's first black president after two terms at the White House? Former presidents rarely remain in Washington after living and working in the US capital's oldest public building. Jimmy Carter headed home to Georgia, and Ronald Reagan went back to California. Bill Clinton built a new life in New York, where he created his foundation and where his wife Hillary -- the Democratic front-runner vying to succeed Obama -- launched her political career as a senator. No one yet knows where the Obamas will head on January 20, 2017, when the next president is sworn in on Capitol Hill. Every time someone close to them shows interest in a lavish property in Palm Springs or Honolulu, the press speculates about a veiled investment for the First Couple. But so far, no dice. Nothing concrete has emerged. The Obamas are attached to Chicago -- the president launched his political career there as a community organizer and celebrated his landmark 2008 election win. Obama's presidential library and foundation will also be based in the Windy City. "All the strands of my life came together and I really became a man when I moved to Chicago," Obama said last year when he made the announcement about the library site. "That's where I met my wife. That's where my children were born," he explained. But so far, there is no clear sign that Chicago is the family's next destination. "Chicago probably seems a bit too small for them now," said Peter Slevin, a professor at Northwestern University in the Chicago suburbs and the author of "Michelle Obama: A Life." The only hint given by the US president? He has said that family will be his priority. "They -- and Michelle -- have made a lot of sacrifices on behalf of my cockamamie ideas, the running for office and things," Obama told ABC in 2013, referring to his daughters. Story continues In early 2017, Malia -- the Obamas' older daughter -- will be at university. Sasha, now at the private Sidwell Friends school in Washington, will have more than half of her high school studies ahead of her. - Perhaps the Big Apple? - Slevin says that like Clinton, Obama could settle down in the Big Apple. "Their friends are expecting the Obamas to live in Washington and then surely move to New York," he told AFP. "New York has much to offer them at a time when they would like to be a bit more anonymous than it is possible to be in Chicago." Michelle Obama, a trained lawyer, has repeatedly rejected the idea that she would enter politics as Clinton did following her eight years as first lady. "There are three things that are certain in life: death, taxes and Michelle is not running for president," Barack Obama said a few weeks ago. One thing is for sure: money will not be an issue. Obama, who enjoys writing, is expected to focus on the traditional -- and lucrative -- art of writing his autobiography in his post-presidency. "Memoirs have always been an acceptable means of making money and cashing in on the presidency," says historian Mark Updegrove, who is the director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. Well-paid speaking engagements -- at home and abroad -- should pour in. "The question is how much you want to commercialize having been the commander-in-chief," adds Updegrove, the author of "Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House." - Charity work? High court? - Obama has said he hopes to work with minority youths in tough neighborhoods -- where the dropout rate, unemployment and incarceration rates are higher than elsewhere -- to give real meaning to the phrase "equal opportunity." While some former presidents of the White House have faded into the background, others have made a significant mark during their so-called second act. John Quincy Adams, who left office in 1829 after failing to win re-election, returned to Congress where he stayed until the end of his life, using his gift for soaring oratory to make the case against slavery. William Howard Taft, who was president from 1909-1913, then became the chief justice of the US Supreme Court. Could Obama -- a former president of the Harvard Law Review who will be 55 years old as he starts his post-White House life -- be tempted by the high court? "I think being a justice is a little bit too monastic for me," he told The New Yorker in October 2014. "Particularly after having spent six years and what will be eight years in this bubble, I think I need to get outside a little bit more." The example of the two Democratic presidents before him -- Carter and Clinton, who both launched foundations that are respected beyond America's borders -- could serve as a guide for Obama. Persistent rumors also suggest he could be interested in teaching courses at Columbia University in New York, where he studied in the early 1980s. "I love teaching. I miss the classroom and engaging with students," he told The New Yorker. For Updegrove, recent history shows that a president's "Second Act" can also help make his time at the White House look better in retrospect. "I do think you can burnish your legacy by focusing on the things you most want to be remembered for," he said. Strike Back wrapped its four-season run on Cinemax this past fall, but startling facts are only just starting to surface about the offscreen troubles that plagued the action drama's final episodes. When appearing at the Television Critics Association winter press tour Monday to promote his returning Masterpiece series Granchester, star Robson Green revealed that Strike Back's leading man, Sullivan Stapleton, was in a coma after suffering a serious injury while on location for the show in Thailand in February 2014. "It wasn't supposed to be me as Geordie Keating," Green said of his Grantchester role, which he landed during Strike Back's unexpected hiatus. "I don't know if you guys know the story of what happened to Strike Back. Wonderful actor, Sullivan Stapleton, who was in that had a serious accident and was in a coma. We nearly lost him. And, therefore, the show had to stop." At the time, Cinemax confirmed Stapleton's injury and the subsequent six-month production delay it caused, but the severity of Stapleton's condition and particularly his comatose state was not divulged. Read More: 'Strike Back' Director Breaks Down Series Finale: "I Wanted to Wring Everybody Dry" After an off-set accident involving Sullivan Stapleton, there has been a change in the Strike Back production schedule," Cinemax said in a statement at the time. "Following completion of shooting in Thailand, production in Hungary will be on hiatus to allow him time to recover. We plan on resuming production in the fall. HBO/Cinemax, Sky and Left Bank Pictures all join in wishing Sullivan a full and speedy recovery. Stapleton's rep also issued a statement at the time: Following the accident in Thailand, Sullivan is resting comfortably and on his way to a full recovery. We appreciate all of the well-wishes and support. Stapleton, thankfully, went on to make a full recovery and Strike Back was able to complete production on its fourth season, which aired in late 2015. Stapleton has since gone on to star in the NBC freshman hit Blindspot, which has already been renewed for a second season. Green stars opposite James Norton in Grantchester, which centers on two unlikely allies as they solve murder cases in 1950s England. Story continues Green appeared alongside Stapleton on the final two seasons of Strike Back as Lt. Col. Philip Locke. "I was shocked that I was cast as a lieutenant colonel in the SAS fighting the North Koreans to save the Western world from an impending nuclear attack. Not many actors get to do that. It was great. And then you get offered this," Green said of his arc on the action drama. "But I mean, they're completely poles apart, and the writing's different. And, obviously, the stunts in that were off the scale. They were action movies for TV." Although rumors of a possible Strike Back follow-up movie have gained traction in recent months, Green sounded focused on a possible third season of Grantchester. "It's the thing you can't quantify. You just hope, and it really, really does work," Green said. "I've only done a few longrunning series, and this is one where if the offer came for a series three, and if James was willing to do it, I would do it because James is in it." Grantchester returns Sunday, Jan. 25, at 10 p.m. on PBS. By Zandi Shabalala RICHARDS BAY, South Africa (Reuters) - Coal exports from South Africa's Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBTC) rose by 5.7 percent to 75.4 million tonnes in 2015 helped by demand in Africa and India. Africa's largest coal export facility, a major supplier to Europe and Asia, RBCT had set a target of 75 million tonnes and aims for similar results in 2016. "Its going to be hard to beat 75 million tonnes, because of where prices are sitting this year," Chief Executive Nosipho Siwisa-Damasane told a news conference. Shipments to Africa and India rose sharply, offsetting a fall in demand from Europe and from China, where RBTC said it did not send a single vessel in 2015. Coal prices have tumbled in recent years due to a glut of supply and weaker demand growth, pushing some producers to curtail activity, sell or shut coal mines. RBCT, which moves the commodity on behalf of producers and shareholders such as Exxaro and Anglo American, said it had shelved expansions plans due to weak prices. RBTC had planned to increase its capacity to 110 million tonnes from 91 million tonnes. (Reporting by Zandi Shabalala; editing by James Macharia and Jason Neely) America's favorite mom-to-be supermodel Chrissy Teigen took a trip down under to shoot the cover of InStyle Australia's February issue. John Legend's better half showed off her growing baby bump (as well as some serious leg) in a Steven Khalil long-sleeve gown for the Steven Chee-lensed cover. In her profile, Teigen talks maternity style advice from Kim Kardashian ("She told me to go stretchy") as well as her inability to choose a baby name quite yet ("We change the name everyday, basically.") [InStyle Australia] Longtime Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer will step down from the company in September. Taking his place is Kasper Rorsted, who is currently the CEO of German company Henkel AG, a German retailer that produces a number of products including household goods (soaps, detergents) and personal hygiene items (toothpastes, shampoos). The announcement caused quite the buzz, with shares up 5 percent following the news. [Fortune] Read more The Time Gigi Hadid Watched 'Making a Murderer' Following Sunday's Critics' Choice Awards, 17-year-old "kid critic" Jackson Murphy, author of film blog Lights Camera Jackson, posted a picture of himself alongside Amy Schumer on the red carpet with the caption, "Spent the night with @amyschumer. Certainly not the first guy to write that." The actress responded to the offending comments on Twitter even calling out Murphy's dad (famous Canadian sportscaster Dan Murphy) in the process writing, "@LCJReviews @jondaly I get it. Cause I'm a whore? Glad I took a photo with you. Hi to your dad." Murphy has since apologized to Schumer, but so far that hasn't saved him from the wrath of the Internet. [Mic] Khartoum (AFP) - The head of Sudan's powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) vowed Islamic State group jihadists would not be allowed to use the country to cross into Libya, a media source reported Tuesday. "Sudan will not be a crossing for Daesh and extremists," said NISS chief Mohamed Atta al-Mawla Abbas according to the Sudan Media Centre (SMC). Daesh is one of the names used for Islamic State, which is also called ISIL. "We will not tolerate any organised or cross-border crime Sudanese territory is used in," he said. The SMC, seen as close to the security forces, said he was speaking at the graduation of new members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a controversial counter-insurgency unit. There have been reports in Khartoum-based media that young Sudanese have travelled to Libya to fight with radical Islamist groups, with some reported to have been killed. Last year students from a private university in Khartoum travelled to Turkey, from where they are believed to have joined the IS group in Syria. Some of the students held western passports. The security chief also repeated claims from Khartoum that rebels battling government forces in Sudan's western Darfur region have been fighting in Libya. "For the Libyan state, we want security and stability and peace and we do not want insurgents going to Libya and coming back and sabotaging peace in Darfur," he told the graduating RSF troops. RSF forces sent to crush rebels in Darfur and the southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan states have been accused of rights abuses, which the government has denied. Unlike the regular military, the RSF come under the umbrella of the NISS. Blog Archive April (10) March (4) February (2) December (8) November (4) October (7) September (11) August (8) July (1) June (3) May (5) April (13) March (11) February (18) January (18) December (17) November (34) October (40) September (36) August (19) July (16) June (15) May (14) April (19) March (18) February (14) January (14) December (22) November (15) October (8) September (18) August (5) July (13) June (10) May (17) April (15) March (20) February (15) January (15) December (8) November (25) October (26) September (26) August (11) July (18) June (23) May (24) April (22) March (20) February (25) January (41) December (31) November (38) October (43) September (27) August (27) July (18) June (27) May (24) April (23) March (24) February (28) January (50) December (23) November (33) October (29) September (31) August (29) July (46) June (44) May (36) April (26) March (38) February (8) January (22) December (32) November (32) October (33) September (17) August (20) July (21) June (29) May (28) April (17) March (27) February (26) January (27) December (21) November (38) October (37) September (46) August (25) July (50) June (39) May (18) April (38) March (31) February (35) January (54) December (62) November (44) October (46) September (11) August (38) July (26) June (62) May (45) April (46) March (73) February (56) January (62) December (81) November (68) October (143) September (164) August (153) July (121) June (97) May (86) April (91) March (98) February (84) January (131) December (38) November (101) October (61) September (69) August (52) July (59) June (50) May (67) April (62) March (65) February (55) January (54) December (50) November (46) October (53) September (43) August (40) July (46) June (67) May (23) April (53) March (70) February (78) January (45) December (3) November (47) October (60) September (104) August (46) July (71) June (67) May (68) April (52) March (20) February (65) January (58) December (45) November (48) October (68) September (27) August (38) July (20) June (15) May (25) April (25) March (21) February (25) January (13) December (24) November (13) October (9) June (1) (Reuters) - Sunderland's new loan signing Dame N'Doye will ease the goalscoring burden on striker Jermain Defoe, manager Sam Allardyce has said. The Black Cats have relied heavily on Defoe, who has scored nine times in 14 league starts this season, with the 33-year-old netting over 30 percent of the team's league goals. "I don't think you can have enough forwards in your squad especially if they're hungry to get on the pitch and show what they can do," Allardyce told the club's website (www.safc.com). "Dame has scored goals and we want somebody in the squad to score more goals, and I also think we need to share them about more because we can't just rely on Jermain Defoe." N'Doye, who failed to score in 12 appearances for parent club Trabzonspor this season, finalised a six-month loan to Sunderland last week with a view to a permanent deal. In the 30-year-old's previous stint in England's top-flight with Hull City, he scored five goals in 15 appearances but could not stop the club being relegated last season. Sunderland, who are second-bottom in the table, lost 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend and host fellow strugglers Bournemouth on Saturday. (Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond) By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior official of Taiwans independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party said on Tuesday it would propose legislation to have greater transparency in relations with mainland China, which he said will be a priority for the recently victorious party. We will, in a new session of the legislature, put forward the Cross-Strait Agreement Oversight legislation as a priority to highlight our interest in peaceful and stable relations with China, Joseph Wu, the DPPs secretary general, said in a speech at a Washington think tank.Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party won a victory in both presidential and parliamentary elections last week, in what could usher in a new round of instability with China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own. She risks antagonizing China if she attempts to forcefully assert Taiwan's sovereignty and reverses eight years of warming China ties under incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou of the Nationalists. Wu said in order for people in Taiwan to understand any engagement with mainland China, we need to handle it in a more transparent way and we also need to have some guiding principles or rules and norms. China has deployed more than 1,000 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles as well as cruise missiles in coastal areas facing the Taiwan Strait, according to Taiwan's defence ministry. Wu added that building trust between mainland China and Taiwan would be a step by step process. In an interview with Reuters later, Wu said the DPP would "find a mechanism" to work with Taiwan's Kuomintang "on some pressing issues" but did not plan to create a shadow cabinet before Tsai is sworn in on May 20. We want to ensure that the transition is a smooth one, we want to work with the outgoing government so that the political conditions can be stable in Taiwan, Wu said. 'ENCOURAGEMENT' FROM U.S. Wu said the party was keen on expanding relations with the United States, including potentially joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. It looks for Washington to encourage Beijing to work with Taiwan. "That kind of encouragement is going to be very helpful. It helped before and I think it should help (again), he said. The United States has expressed concerns about the danger of worsening China-Taiwan ties at a time when China's navy is increasingly flexing its muscles in the South China and East China seas. (Editing by Matthew Lewis) TAIPEI (Reuters) - The Taiwan government insisted it was business as usual on Tuesday, three days after the ruling party was routed in elections and a day after the premier rebuffed attempts by the president to keep him in his job. President Ma Ying-jeou stood outside the home of Premier Mao Chi-kuo in the cold on Monday for five minutes, but only Mao's wife came to the door - and she didn't let him in, the United Daily News, a newspaper considered close to the Nationalist party, and the state-run Central News Agency said. The cabinet confirmed the two men didn't meet, but said some of the press speculation was off the mark. Just hours after the visit, Mao appeared at a special cabinet session and formally stepped down with his ministers. It is customary for the premier to resign after the ruling party loses a major election, followed by the pro forma quitting of cabinet ministers. But the inability of Ma to persuade his lieutenant to stay put prompted a flurry of press frenzy about further rifts in an already weakened Nationalist party. The cabinet, known as the Executive Yuan, said Vice Premier Simon Chang will be acting premier. "In the transition period before the new cabinet is formed, the administration will continue its work," the cabinet said. "It will definitely not be a lameduck, caretaker cabinet." Tsai Ing-wen led her independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party to a landslide victory in presidential and parliamentary polls on Saturday, much to the annoyance of giant neighbor China, which considers the island a breakaway province. While the new parliament goes to work in February, Tsai will not be sworn in until May, leaving a four-month transition period. (Reporting by J.R. Wu; Editing by Nick Macfie) By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior official of Taiwans independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party said on Tuesday it would propose legislation to have greater transparency in relations with mainland China, which he said will be a priority for the recently victorious party. We will, in a new session of the legislature, put forward the Cross-Strait Agreement Oversight legislation as a priority to highlight our interest in peaceful and stable relations with China, Joseph Wu, the DPPs secretary general, said in a speech at a Washington think tank.Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party won a victory in both presidential and parliamentary elections last week, in what could usher in a new round of instability with China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own. She risks antagonizing China if she attempts to forcefully assert Taiwan's sovereignty and reverses eight years of warming China ties under incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou of the Nationalists. Wu said in order for people in Taiwan to understand any engagement with mainland China, we need to handle it in a more transparent way and we also need to have some guiding principles or rules and norms. China has deployed more than 1,000 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles as well as cruise missiles in coastal areas facing the Taiwan Strait, according to Taiwan's defense ministry. Wu added that building trust between mainland China and Taiwan would be a step by step process. In an interview with Reuters later, Wu said the DPP would "find a mechanism" to work with Taiwan's Kuomintang "on some pressing issues" but did not plan to create a shadow cabinet before Tsai is sworn in on May 20. We want to ensure that the transition is a smooth one, we want to work with the outgoing government so that the political conditions can be stable in Taiwan, Wu said. 'ENCOURAGEMENT' FROM U.S. Wu said the party was keen on expanding relations with the United States, including potentially joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. It looks for Washington to encourage Beijing to work with Taiwan. "That kind of encouragement is going to be very helpful. It helped before and I think it should help (again), he said. The United States has expressed concerns about the danger of worsening China-Taiwan ties at a time when China's navy is increasingly flexing its muscles in the South China and East China seas. (Editing by Matthew Lewis) LONDON (Reuters) - Nearly 4,000 children were evacuated after four secondary schools in the Sandwell area of west Birmingham received hoax bomb calls on Tuesday. West Midlands Police said they were investigating. "Following checks by our teams at four schools across the region this morning, we can confirm that NO bombs/suspicious objects have been found," the force said on Twitter. Police said schools had taken the decision independently to evacuate. "Parents are being reassured everything is being done to ensure the safety of the children and there is no reason to panic," Sandwell Borough Council said in a statement. Britain is currently on its second highest alert level meaning an attack is considered highly likely, and on Monday West Midlands police charged two men with funding terrorism connected to Syria. Last September, a serving policeman was arrested on suspicion of being part of a fake terrorism plot to kidnap and kill an officer in Birmingham. (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison) Khartoum (AFP) - Thousands of civilians in a remote area of Sudan's war-hit Darfur could be affected by fresh fighting between rebel and government forces nearby, the United Nations said on Tuesday amid ongoing clashes. Government troops and rebels have been battling around the mountainous Jebel Marra area straddling Central, South and North Darfur states that is seen as a stronghold for insurgents battling President Omar al-Bashir since 2003. "Thousands of people live in this remote part of Darfur, and the protection of men, women and children is a top priority amid the chaos of fighting which could lead to widespread displacement of entire communities," said Ivo Freijsen, the Sudan head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "The impact on civilians of the ongoing hostilities that are being reported in the Jebel Marra between government and rebel forces can only be of paramount concern to the humanitarian community here," he said in a statement. The clashes come despite Bashir -- who is wanted on war crimes charges related to Darfur -- announcing a one-month extension to a ceasefire he declared in September covering Darfur as well as the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, where he faces separate insurgencies. The UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said in a statement on Tuesday it "is still receiving reports of continued fighting between both parties in Central Darfur". "The fighting allegedly resulted in an undetermined number of casualties on both sides," it said, adding that it had also received reports that houses had been destroyed in the clashes. It said it had also received reports that government aircraft had dropped bombs north of a UNAMID base in the Jebel Marra town of Nertiti on Saturday and Sunday "leading to undetermined casualties". The Sudanese military did not immediately comment on the latest clashes. Story continues Jebel Marra has been quiet in recent months, but last year it was the scene of fierce fighting between government forces and the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW). The SLA-AW is one of the groups that rebelled against Bashir's Arab-dominated government nearly 13 years ago, complaining that the western region was being marginalised. Bashir unleashed warplanes, ground forces and allied militia to crush the insurgents and was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2009 for alleged war crimes in the region. More than 300,000 people have been killed in the fighting since 2003, and there are some 2.5 million people displaced by the fighting living in Darfur, according to the UN. UNAMID deployed to Darfur in 2007 to protect civilians and secure humanitarian aid deliveries. Paris (AFP) - A jihadist attack on a top Burkina Faso hotel was carried out by six gunmen, three of whom are still on the run, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Tuesday. "Six individuals opened fire on the Cappuccino cafe before taking refuge in the Splendid hotel" in Friday's attack in the capital Ouagadougou, Valls told parliament. "Three were killed and three are still being sought," he said. Burkina Faso had not made public the number of assailants in the attack that left 30 people dead, many of them foreigners. Authorities in Ouagadougou said the bodies of three assailants had been identified, but several witnesses have said they saw more than three attackers. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on Monday named three gunmen involved in the assault. It published photos of the three young gunmen dressed in military fatigues and wielding weapons, identifying them as Battar al-Ansari, Abu Muhammad al-Buqali al-Ansari and Ahmed al-Fulani al-Ansari. In a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE, AQIM said the Splendid Hotel was "one of the most dangerous dens of global espionage in the west of the African continent". That attack came weeks after jihadists claimed an assault on a top hotel in Bamako, capital of neighbouring Mali, that killed 20 people. Valls noted that the African democracies have become prime targets of the Islamist jihadists. "Africa is the target of these terrorist acts, the target of these terrorist groups. And especially countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Tunisia, which represent democracy and calm" on the continent. Also in Ouagadougou Tuesday, the government met with about 50 relatives of the hotel attack victims "to give them information on the security situation and the situation of the deceased", including when they could recover the bodies, Interior Minister Simon Compaore said. Questions about compensation, funerals and an eventual monument to the victims were also discussed, the relatives said. Story continues Tributes poured in Tuesday for well-known Franco-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui, who was severely wounded in the attack and late Monday became the 30th and latest victim of the bloody attack. In France, where she was born, President Francois Hollande paid his respects while parliament observed a minute of silence in memory of the dead. Until recently, Burkina Faso had largely escaped the tide of Islamist violence spreading in the restive Sahel region and the hotel assault will heighten fears that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in west Africa. Burkina Faso has been criticised for a delayed and ill-equipped response to the attack by its security forces, which have been weakened by recent political turmoil. In another reminder of the country's fragile security situation, an elderly Australian couple were kidnapped on Friday in the northern Baraboule region, near the border with Niger and Mali. NAIROBI (Reuters) - Three people were killed in a grenade attack on a bar in the Burundian capital Bujumbura late on Monday, police said, as the impoverished nation faces the prospect of a return to civil war. Burundi sank into a crisis last year after President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term of office, which he secured in a disputed vote. U.N. officials say the crisis has brought the nation to the brink of a new civil war, after it emerged from a 12-year, ethnically fueled conflict just a decade ago. Pierre Nkurukiye, the police spokesman, said a senior police officer, a lawyer and a civil servant were killed in the attack that took place in the Bwiza neighborhood. Witnesses said the attackers used a motorbike to get to the scene and to flee after the explosion. Police arrested several youths in the area after the attack on the bar that is popular with Nkurunziza's supporters, the witnesses added. (Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Nick Macfie) Tobacco giant Philip Morris is facing an eye-watering $2.2 billion fine if found guilty of dodging tax on cigarette imports to Thailand, prosecutors said on Tuesday. The allegations are part of a long simmering tax dispute between the kingdom and the local unit of the tobacco company, which has also clashed with authorities over plans to increase the size of health warnings on cigarette packets. Thai prosecutors say Philip Morris, which owns the Marlboro and L&M brands, avoided around 20 billion baht ($551.27 million) tax by under declaring import prices for cigarettes from the Philippines between 2003 and 2006. "Philip Morris as a corporation, as well as seven Thais, were indicted yesterday on custom tax evasion," Somnuk Siengkong, a spokesman for Thailand's Office of the Attorney General told reporters on Tuesday. Chartpong Chirabandhu, deputy director general of the office's special litigation department, said a court could impose a fine of up to 80 billion baht ($2.2 billion) if the company was found guilty. Four foreign executives at the company have also been charged but are outside the country, prosecutors added. Philip Morris Thailand Limited described the charges as "unjust" and vowed to fight them. "The company intends to vigorously defend itself against these meritless charges and demonstrate that it is in full compliance with Thai law and international standards of customs valuation," the company said in a statement. The cigarette manufacturer added that their import valuations complied with World Trade Organization agreements and had been cleared by local Thai customs officials. The investigation first surfaced in 2006 under the administration of Thaksin Shinawatra, shortly before his ousting in a military coup. Thailand has since been hit by a decade of political instability with frequent government changes and a second coup in 2014. In 2011, the attorney general at the time recommended against charging the tobacco giant, but the prosecution was restarted two years later. Story continues That year Philip Morris was among leading cigarette firms to challenge in court plans by Thai health officials to increase health warnings on cigarettes. The World Health Organization has accused the tobacco industry of deploying legions of lobbyists and lawyers to block packaging changes. The tobacco lobby has also tried to block laws curbing advertising or raising taxes on cigarettes. But more countries are adopting the approach with Thailand something of a regional leader on the issue in Southeast Asia. Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand says more than 50,700 people die every year from smoking-related diseases with around 13 million of the country's 67 million inhabitants addicted to cigarettes, 2.2 million of whom are minors. By Minami Funakoshi TOKYO (Reuters) - The Tokyo High Court has reversed a landmark ruling by a lower court that judged immigration authorities had used excessive force when deporting a Ghanaian visa-overstayer in 2010, leading to his death, a lawyer for the deceased's family said. The plaintiffs are considering an appeal, the lawyer told Reuters on Tuesday, a day after the court handed down its ruling. The decision comes as Japan tiptoes into a debate over whether to open its doors wider to immigration to cope with its shrinking, ageing population - a contentious topic in a society where many pride themselves on cultural and ethnic homogeneity. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made raising the rock-bottom birth rate a priority and wants to focus on drawing more women and elderly into the workforce to fill gaps in the workforce rather than immigration. In reversing the Tokyo District Court's 2014 ruling, the high court said the force used to restrain Abubakar Awudu Suraj, 45, was "not at the level to stop his breathing and was not illegal", according to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. Suraj, who was gagged and bound by immigration officials while on a plane prior to take-off, died of suffocation, according to a court document from the earlier ruling. The high court disputed the cause of his death, saying he died of a rare heart condition, said Mainichi Shimbun. "The country recognized the fact that the act of restraining affected (Suraj's) condition, yet no one is held responsible," said lawyer Koichi Kodama. "Such injustice is impermissible." More than 5,500 people were deported from Japan in 2014, including an undisclosed number of failed asylum seekers, government data show. (Additional reporting by Ami Miyazaki; Editing by Linda Sieg) A few weeks after the story on Nepals receptiveness to the idea of a transgender representing them on the fashion runway was published, migme Mega Model Season 3s first transgender contestant Zenisha Tamang (@zenishapakhrintmg) was eliminated. Zenisha eliminated from Mega Model Zenisha eliminated from Mega Model Season 3 (Photo: migme) Zenisha had one of the best photos for the moving bus photoshoot episode, impressing the judges with her facial expressions and confident body language. A month later, she was eliminated because her expressions were, according to Judge Prashant Tamrakar, very hard. Zenisha Transgender - Mega Model Zenishas photoshoot (Photo: @zenishapakhrintmg) After the news broke on @megamodelofficial, many fans expressed their sadness on her elimination. A fan thought that she should not have been eliminated so early on in the competition. On migmes Facebook page, one commenter Grishma Gale agreed and said that she is the most gorgeous, courageous and confident among other girls she have seen on the show. Another fan, @cut33_gal, commented that most of the people in Nepal cannot adapt to transgenders because they are raised with the fact that there is only cisgender. Screen Shot 2016-01-19 at 3.55.48 pm Gay, lesbian and transgender people have long faced discrimination in Nepal. Despite the notable advances on paper, the actual lives for the vast majority of LGBT people in Nepal is still challenging due to widespread poverty, rigid social norms, and an unsympathetic legal framework and bureaucracy. For Zenisha, she was forced to breakup with her boyfriend when his family learnt that Zenisha was a boy. She also lives away from her home because her community does not accept her, especially the elderly people in Nepal. Colourful Umbrella (Photo: Pixabay) Despite being one of the few countries to issue a third-gender passport, the LGBT community in Nepal is still cast out and unwanted. This was even more apparent when it was hit with an earthquake back in April 2015. In the temporary camps set up across Kathmandu for earthquake survivors, facilities are segregated into male and femaleexcluding third gender people. In a society where the LGBTs are cast out by their families to fend for themselves, the lack of both physical and moral support can be daunting. Story continues Zenisha had hoped that she would inspire not just the LGBT community, but to all those who dreamt to be something through Mega Model. She had made a huge impact through this modelling platform, garnering not just the support of the local but the support of people globally. After the previous article was published, tons of online support poured in for Zenisha and the LGBT community. Fellow countryman Sumahang San Gyta Rayee posted in the comments: Why do you hate someone whos trying to attempt something big? (Is it) because she is different from the rest? Widen your mind. Respect transgender! Another Nepali Sid Sherpa agreed and wrote: Everyones got the freedom to be themselves and deserves the respect like every other person. Nepal needs to be more accepting and open minded. Our society has always been the same throughout the time. Yet, (there have been) people who did things differently and have made a mark globally. However with Zenishas (@zenishapakhrintmg) elimination from Mega Model, it seems that she will have to find another platform to inspire change. Zenisha Elimination from Mega Model Zenishas journey ends here? (Photo: migme) - by @evilbeany The post Transmodel Zenisha eliminated from modelling competition appeared first on migme. Paris (AFP) - Tributes poured in Tuesday following the death of a Franco-Moroccan photographer, the 30th and latest victim of a bloody attack by Al-Qaeda gunmen on a top Burkina Faso hotel. Leila Alaoui, 33, whose pictures featured in the New York Times and Vogue magazine, and whose latest Paris art show wound up at the weekend, died of a heart attack shortly before her evacuation after being shot twice in the leg and thorax. In France, where she was born, President Francois Hollande paid his respects while parliament observed a minute of silence for those shot Friday by six gunmen who targeted a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners in the heart of Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou. Alaoui, who lived and worked in Beirut and Marrakesh, was on assignment there for Amnesty International to shoot pictures on women's rights when she and her driver were hit by bullets in the attack claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), as they sat in their car opposite the four-star Splendid Hotel targeted by the gunmen. "It is with great sadness that Amnesty International has learned of the tragic death of photographer Leila Alaoui and driver Mahamadi Ouedraogo as a result of the Al-Qaeda attack," the rights group said in a statement. Ouagadougou "was not considered to be a high risk destination and Leila was being supported by colleagues from our national office ... and accompanied by Mahamadi," the rights group said. A former student of City University in New York, Alaoui's works, combining documentary and aesthetic aspects, had been shown on the global art circuit since 2009, including at Paris' prestigious Arab World Institute and Art Dubai. Her latest show at Paris' European Photography House featured portraits of Moroccan men and women in traditional clothes, the result of what she said was "a road trip across rural Morocco" using a mobile studio to preserve "a visual archive of Morocco's traditions and aesthetic universe". Other work centred on migrants and refugees, and in 2013 she organised a photo workshop for young refugees in Rabat with the help of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Writer Tahar Ben Jelloun said on his blog that she was "a passionate artist who knew how to detect reality behind appearances, how to show the splendour of a body behind the veil of prejudice." Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - EU president Donald Tusk warned Tuesday that a 'Brexit' referendum "is more unpredictable than ever" and that an EU reform deal to persuade Britons to stay in the bloc would be difficult. Tusk will chair a February leaders summit in Brussels to discuss British Prime Minister David Cameron's demands for EU reforms which he deems essential to persuade Britons to vote to stay within the 28-nation bloc. The referendum is due by 2017, but British officials say it could be as early as this summer. "As of today, the result of the referendum is more unpredictable than ever before," Tusk told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. "Time is of the essence and this is why I will work hard to strike the deal already in February. It will not be easy but it is still possible," he said. Tusk recalled that EU leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels in December signalled readiness to compromise despite concerns on "specific issues." Cameron's most controversial proposal is a four-year ban on top-up benefits for EU migrants working in Britain, which critics say is discriminatory and threatens freedom of movement in the EU. Cameron also wants the EU to give Britain safeguards against more political integration, to protect countries that do not use the euro currency and to boost economic competitiveness. "Hard work on all these baskets is progressing and, as we speak, my people are working with the Commission to bring us closer to the solution," Tusk said, referring to the European Commission, the EU executive. He said he would table "a concrete proposal" to all the EU leaders on the British demands. "Let me stress again from the very beginning of these negotiations I have been very clear there will be no compromise on fundamental values like non-discrimination and free movement," Tusk said. "At the same time I will do everything in my power to find a satisfactory solution, also for the British side," Tusk added. By Eric Auchard FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Twitter Inc said on Tuesday it had reversed a glitchy software update and resolved outages widely reported across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America that affected users of the social network on computers and phones. In a status update at 1800 GMT (1 p.m. EST), Twitter said an "intermittent issue affecting some users" was related to "an internal code change." "We reverted the change, which fixed the issue," Twitter said in a statement. There was no immediate way to determine whether full service had been restored for all users. Twitter Inc shares were down almost 7 percent at market close. Wall Street has long worried about Twitter's stagnant growth in users and advertising revenue, and analysts said the outage added to the concern. "The current market malaise and the recent site outages are compounding the negatives and having a very negative reaction on the shares," said Victor Anthony, Axiom Capital Management analyst. Some users who tweeted with the hashtag #twitterdown reported they had not experienced problems or that their service had been restored. Others said they were still having problems after Twitter's announcement. Many pointed out that Twitter could not have been down for everyone since #twitterdown was among the top trending hashtags on the site. Both Twitter's Internet and mobile services began experiencing outages concentrated in northern Europe around 0820 GMT. Users from Scandinavia to Saudi Arabia to South Africa reported outages. India and Russia also suffered performance issues, according to a Twitter technical site. Intermittent breakdowns later spread to the United States and Canada in the early part of their working day. Sporadic disruptions continued at 1420 GMT, six hours after they first began to spread. At approximately 1745 GMT Twitter reported that some users were still having trouble accessing the service. Fifteen minutes later the company announced the service problems had been resolved. A company spokeswoman had no further comment. Even during the outage, services had been restored for some affected users, only to fail again. Twitter currently has just over 300 million users but had its slowest user growth in 2015. It was eclipsed by photo-sharing app Instagram, which is owned by Facebook Inc and surpassed 400 million users last year. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's other company, Square Inc, was down almost 8 percent on Tuesday, though the reason for that was unclear. (Reporting by Eric Auchard; Additional reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb; Editing by David Gregorio, Bill Trott and Frances Kerry) By Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two Indian states have put sales of Swiss drugmaker Roche's blockbuster drug Avastin on hold, officials said on Tuesday, after it hampered the vision of 15 patients who used it for a condition it is not officially meant to treat. Avastin is a cancer drug but is often used by doctors to treat vision loss even though it has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for that purpose. Studies have shown that eye injections of Avastin curb vision loss. Roche's India unit said the company does not promote the use of Avastin for treatments for which it is not approved, but has initiated an internal investigation. H.G. Koshia, the top drug controller in western Gujarat state, said he had directed distributors to recall one batch of the medicine given to the patients last week. Its samples were being tested following the incident at a hospital in Ahmedabad city. Following an alert from Gujarat, southern Telangana state has ordered a freeze on all batches of Avastin being sold in the state, drug control official Surendranath Sai said. "We are stopping other batches also till the dust settles," Sai told Reuters. "We will release only if declared standard and safe for use." Many doctors around the world use Avastin "off label" to treat age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss. Such usage, Roche said in statement, "bears the risk of contamination and has already led to serious bacterial infections of the eye in other countries around the world". "Roche will cooperate fully with any investigations undertaken by the authorities ... We are taking the events in Gujarat very seriously," the statement said. Fifteen patients at C.H. Nagri Municipal Eye Hospital in Ahmedabad underwent surgery last week after they reported swelling and pain in their eyes after being administered Avastin. Six patients are still in the hospital. The hospital has administered the drug to 7,000 people over the last decade but has now stopped its usage, senior official Tejas Desai said. Cases of shoddy medical treatment and spurious drugs are often reported in India, where the public health system remains overburdened and people, especially in smaller towns, struggle to access basic health services. The hospital said all standard protocols were followed. Koshia, Gujarat's drug regulator, said they would need to ascertain whether the drug was a fake copy of Avastin. (This story corrects paragraph 4 to clarify city of Ahmedabad is not Gujarat's state capital.) (Editing by Krishna Das and Susan Fenton) Moscow (AFP) - An estimated two million Russians plunged into icy waters on Monday night and Tuesday to mark the Christian holiday of the Epiphany, when Orthodox believers take part in an outdoor purification ritual. People throughout the country stripped down to their swimsuits and took dips in cross-shaped holes cut into frozen rivers, lakes and ponds, a ritual that commemorates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Some 90,000 people took part in the celebrations in Moscow undeterred by temperatures that dropped to around minus 8 degrees centigrade (18 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, authorities said. Mobile pools filled with icy water were set up on the central Revolution Square near the Kremlin to accommodate city dwellers. "While in the past there were cases when drunk people would flop into the water, now people understand that this is not some kind of game, that this is a sacred rite that requires spiritual preparation," emergency situations minister Vladimir Puchkov said Tuesday in a statement. This extreme Orthodox ritual takes place every year from midnight to midnight between January 18 and January 19. Russia's Interior Ministry estimated some two million people had taken part as of Tuesday morning. Bathers believe the annual ice plunge will purify them and the cold water will strengthen their bodies since it has been blessed by priests. "We believe that this water is truly holy," 48-year-old businessman Andrei told AFP after his freezing dip in a Moscow pond. "A few drops of this water purifies us and dispels evil thoughts." Yelena, a 51-year-old nanny, also praised the ceremony's purifying benefits after taking a dip. "I feel incredibly light," she said. "I feel so good." Believers in the barren Siberian region of Sakha braved minus 40 degrees Celsius temperatures to take part in the ritual, the authorities said. The emergency situations ministry said that 35,000 workers had been assigned to monitor the nation-wide winter ritual. No incidents were reported during this year's celebrations. By Robert Iafolla WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court appeared split on Tuesday as it considered whether a New Jersey cop could bring a retaliation lawsuit claiming he was demoted because his boss mistakenly thought he was supporting a political rival in a local election. The nine-member courts conservative justices seemed hostile to the notion that former Paterson police detective Jeffrey Heffernan could sue for a violation of his right to freedom of association under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment when he did not actually exercise those rights. The day before Heffernan was demoted, an aide to then-incumbent Paterson mayor Jose Torres saw Heffernan getting a campaign sign backing another mayoral candidate. Heffernan said he got the sign while off-duty as a favor to his bedridden mother, but that the sign did not reflect his personal preference in the mayoral election. The police department demoted him from detective and transferred him to the traffic division's walking squad, a move he saw as political retaliation. "I mean, he was fired for the wrong reason, but there's no constitutional right not to be fired for the wrong reason," conservative Justice Antonin Scalia said during oral argument. Heffernan is seeking to reverse a 2015 ruling by the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissing his lawsuit. That court said the First Amendment retaliation claim cannot be based on an employer's perception of a worker's actions. Heffernan first filed his lawsuit in 2006. Procedural oddities, including a jury verdict that was wiped out because the presiding judge recused himself after the trial was completed, have kept the case tied up in litigation for years. The high courts liberal justices including Stephen Breyer seemed concerned that allowing city officials to demote Heffernan based on an inaccurate view of his political activities could chill government employees' exercise of their First Amendment rights. Story continues Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts questioned whether allowing Heffernan to sue on First Amendment grounds would open the floodgates to frivolous lawsuits. Roberts also pointed out that Heffernan could have fought his demotion through his union's grievance process or by suing under state law. Justice Anthony Kennedy, who often casts the deciding vote in close cases, appeared to search for a constitutional right that the city of Paterson may have violated by demoting Heffernan based on what it thought about his political beliefs. Kennedy suggested that individuals could have the right to be free from the government evaluating their political attitudes and ascribing to them views they do not hold. (Reporting by Robert Iafolla; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Will Dunham) Much to the dismay of at least half a million Brits, Donald Trump is still free to enter the U.K. Members of the British Parliament on Monday debated whether or not to ban the GOP nominee from entering the country, after an online petition sparked by his call to bar Muslims from entering the U.S. amassed in excess of 500,000 signatures. Although there wasn't a vote following the debate, the discussion gave several politicians a chance to air their views on the Republican frontrunner. The comments made by MPs saw Trump described as a "ridiculous xenophobe," a "poisonous, corrosive man" and, simply, a "fool." However, despite calls by several ministers for Trump to be banned from the U.K. for his alleged "hate crimes," it was also argued that barring him from the country would only offer an advantage "to those that support him" and offer him even more attention. One said that the move would give Trump the "halo of victimhood," while another suggested it would be an "almighty snub" to America. Although they weren't present at the discussion, both British Prime Minister David Cameron and Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn have previously expressed their opposition to barring Trump. Cameron described Trump's comments about Muslims as "divisive, stupid and wrong," but said he wouldn't support any ban, while Corbyn suggested it would be better to engage with the man. "As you know my wife is Mexican and my constituency is very, very multicultural so what I was going to do was go down to the mosque with him and let him talk to people there," he told the BBC. Had he been barred from entering the U.K., Trump would have joined a list of American including Mike Tyson, Martha Stewart, Busta Rhymes, Edward Snowden and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Read More: U.K. Parliament to Debate Banning Donald Trump From Entering Country NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United Nations is seeking $1.3 billion in humanitarian aid for South Sudan, where two in ten of the population have been driven from their homes during two years of conflict. More than 10,000 people have been killed and 2.3 million displaced since the country's civil war broke out in December 2013, when soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir first clashed with troops who backed his deputy, Riek Machar. Eugene Owusu, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, said $1.3 billion would be the "bare minimum" needed to support 5.1 million people in the country facing life-threatening circumstances. "The challenge we face is unprecedented," he said. The U.N. said more than 680,000 children below the age of five are believed to be acutely malnourished. Much of the fighting has been along ethnic lines between Kiir's Dinka community and Machar's Nuer people. Progress on a peace deal signed last year has been slow, with both sides accusing the other of violating the agreement and dragging their heels over plans to form a government of national unity. The war has also devastated South Sudan's economy, slashing the oil production that funds most public spending. (Reporting by Drazen Jorgic; editing by John Stonestreet) REUTERS - Iranian authorities "continued to manipulate" Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian until the moment he was released with four other Americans in a prisoner swap over the weekend, his brother said on Monday. A deal had been negotiated between Washington and Tehran for the swap but at the last minute, Iranian authorities tried to stop the Iranian-American journalist's wife, Yeganeh Salehi, from leaving with him, Ali Rezaian told CNN. "The Iranians, as they have done all along, continued to manipulate them, continued to try and mess with them and prevented Yeggie for leaving for some period of time," Ali Rezaian told CNN in an interview from outside a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. "The U.S. stuck to its guns, they had said Yeggie had to come along with Jason and they got her out," Ali Rezaian said. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that a delay in the departure of the plane taking some of the detainees from Iran was partly due to a "temporary misunderstanding" about whether Rezaian's mother, Mary, and his wife, who is also a journalist, were on the plane, as had been agreed. They were later confirmed as being on the plane. Rezaian and two other Iranian-Americans arrived on Sunday in Landstuhl where they were undergoing medical evaluations. The prisoner swap followed the lifting of most international sanctions against Iran under a deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program. Ali Rezaian said his brother had recounted to him some aspects of the 545 days he was held in Iranian custody after being accused of espionage. He said Iranian authorities grilled him about fellow journalists who cover the country. "We talked about a couple of things some folks here, Iranian folks people that cover Iran. The only thing he said was, 'I was interrogated about them,'" Ali Rezaian told CNN. Washington Post editors flew to Germany to meet with Rezaian, 39, who appeared in a photograph on the newspaper's website wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and jeans and said he was feeling fine. "I want people to know that physically I'm feeling good," the Post quoted Rezaian as saying. "I know people are eager to hear from me but I want to process this for some time." Rezaian spent 49 days in solitary confinement before he was assigned a roommate in a 15-foot (4-meter) by 20-foot (6-meter) cell, one of his editors, Doug Jehl, told CNN after the meeting in Germany. He occupied his time by walking around an 8-foot (2-meter) by 8 foot (2-meter) concrete courtyard, reading fiction and looked forward to periodic visits from his wife and his mother. "He wasn't sure until the plane took off that it was the end of his ordeal," Jehl told CNN. Other Americans freed with Rezaian included Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine, who was detained while visiting family in Iran in August 2011, and who appeared smiling in a photograph taken in Germany on Monday. Also released was Saeed Abedini, 35, an Iranian-American pastor from Idaho who was setting up an orphanage in Iran in 2012 when he was detained. The fourth American freed was Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, who did not travel on the plane that departed Tehran on Sunday. The fifth American, Matthew Trevithick, who went to Iran in September to study Farsi at a language centre affiliated with Tehran University, was seen in photographs in the Boston Globe returning to family in Massachusetts on Sunday. (Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Frances Kerry and Sandra Maler) LONDON (Reuters) - Britain remains deeply concerned about a British publisher of books critical of China's leaders who went missing in Hong Kong and is pressing for information about his welfare, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said on Tuesday. Hong Kong police confirmed late on Monday that they had been advised by authorities in China's southern Guangdong province that British passport holder Lee Bo was in the mainland. "We remain deeply concerned about a British citizen missing from Hong Kong with four colleagues and have raised this at the highest levels," a spokesman for the Foreign Office said when asked about the case. "It has now been confirmed by Chinese authorities that he is in mainland China and we are continuing to press for further information about his welfare and location. We stand ready to provide consular assistance," the spokesman said. 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 from Britain to China. Hammond said in China earlier this month that it would not be acceptable for someone to be spirited out of Hong Kong in order to face charges in a different jurisdiction. Such an action, he added, 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. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said at the time that China opposed any foreign country interfering with China's domestic politics or with Hong Kong affairs. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Stephen Addison) LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's junior doctors said on Tuesday they would suspend a threatened 48-hour strike planned for next week after making progress in conciliation talks with the government over pay and conditions for working anti-social hours. The junior doctors, or doctors in training who represent just over half of all doctors in the National Health Service (NHS), have already held a one-day strike this month. Their union, the British Medical Association (BMA), said that action had already sent a clear message to the government. "The BMA has today taken the decision to suspend the industrial action planned for 26-28 January," BMA junior doctor committee chairman, Dr Johann Malawana, said in a statement. "Our focus is now on building on early progress made in the current set of talks," he added. But he warned that a third strike in which even emergency care was to be withheld, planned to start on Feb. 10, would go ahead if "significant, concrete progress" was not made. The government aims to deliver what it says will be a consistent service seven days a week citing studies which show mortality rates are higher at weekends when staffing is reduced. A new deal it is proposing for the doctors would see them given a pay rise but some anti-social hours for which they are currently paid a premium would be considered to be standard. The BMA says the contract does not provide proper safeguards against doctors working dangerously long hours. (Reporting by Stephen Addison; editing by Michael Holden) London (AFP) - British judges ruled Tuesday that the country's anti-terror law is "incompatible" with European human rights legislation, in a case brought by the partner of the journalist at the centre of the Edward Snowden revelations. However David Miranda, partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, lost his Court of Appeal claim that police acted unlawfully in detaining him at London's Heathrow Airport in 2013. Miranda was held for nine hours en-route from Germany to Brazil while carrying files related to information obtained by the US intelligence whistleblower Snowden. Senior judge John Dyson said police had a "permitted purpose" to use Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which gives officials stop powers to question and detain passengers at Britain's borders. "They were entitled to consider that material in his possession might be released in circumstances falling within the definition of terrorism." But Miranda claimed victory in another ruling on the scope of Britain's Terrorism Act. The judges concluded that Schedule 7 did not define closely enough the circumstances under which the authorities could seize journalistic material, contradicting Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which provides the right to freedom of expression. The judges ruled that the "compelling national security interests" outweighed Miranda's rights under Article 10, but that Schedule 7, in general, is not "prescribed by law" with respect to journalistic information or material. They issued a certificate of incompatibility, a rare instrument issued when judges decide that British law is inconsistent with international human rights obligations. MPs must now decide whether to amend the law to bring it in line with the convention. Greenwald, who helped break the Snowden revelations on the extent of US intelligence operations, wrote on Twitter that it was a "huge win". Story continues "Terrorism Act violates fundamental rights due to no protections for journalists," he added. Rosie Brighouse, legal officer for rights group Liberty, said the judgment was "a major victory for the free press." "Schedule 7 has been a blot on our legal landscape for years -- breathtakingly broad and intrusive, ripe for discrimination, routinely misused," she added. Approximately 60,000 people a year are quizzed under Schedule 7. The government insists that it is needed to investigate passengers where there is insufficient information to justify an arrest. By Anya George Tharakan (Reuters) - The Onion - the satirical website famous for headlines like Black man given worst job in Nation following the election of Barack Obama as U.S. president in 2008 has a new major shareholder. Univision Communications Inc [UVN.UL], the U.S. Spanish-language broadcaster, has bought a 40 percent stake in Onion Inc, the company that owns the site as well as film review website The A.V. Club and satire site ClickHole. "The communications company has acquired a good chunk of Onion Inc as of (Tuesday), and may acquire the remainder down the line," Onion Chief Executive Mike McAvoy said in a memo to employees. Univision said on Tuesday its digital arm is a minority investor in Onion. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but a source in Onion said the deal was for a 40 percent stake valued at less than $200 million. Univision Digital will work with Onion to look at new content offerings including short and long-form formats for Onion's brands, the company said. The Onion, which humorously claims a daily readership of 4.3 trillion on its website and ownership of a majority of the world's transoceanic shipping lanes, was founded in 1988. "It (comedy) has also proven to be an incredibly engaging format for millennial audiences, and is expected to play a key part in the 2016 presidential election process via our robust content offerings in Spanish and English," said Isaac Lee, chief news and digital officer of Univision. New York-based Univision owns a highly rated Spanish language broadcast network that sometimes beats English language broadcasters such as NBC in the primetime ratings race. The news of the purchase of the Onion stake was first reported by National Public Radio on Tuesday. (This version of the story corrects to 2008 from 2004 in first paragraph) (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Don Sebastian) Washington (AFP) - US Interior Secretary Sally Jewell heads to Africa on Wednesday to denounce the trafficking of wild animals, on the rise over the past five years. "We are part of the problem, and we want to be part of the solution," Jewell said on the eve of her departure for Gabon. "Much of the demand is overseas but a lot of it comes to the USA and involves US citizens." Jewell, who will also visit Kenya and South Africa, said a record number of elephants were killed in Africa between 2011 and 2014. "Every 15 minutes, an elephant is killed for its ivory," she added, explaining that 100,000 of the animals, including elephant calves, had been killed during that period. Last year, the conservation chief traveled to Vietnam and China, the world's biggest consumer of ivory, the prized material from animal tusks and teeth. In order to stress the problem of poaching, a prized source of income for armed groups, US authorities organized in June the destruction of nearly a ton of confiscated ivory objects in New York's heavily-trafficked Times Square. "The only ivory that has value is the ivory that is on a live elephant," Jewell said. She recalled a disturbing visit to a Colorado warehouse where she saw tiger rugs, coffee tables with elephant feet and others items confiscated by the authorities. And Jewell also condemned trophy hunting, after a July scandal saw an American dentist kill a prized lion in Zimbabwe. There are restrictions on the importation of trophies, for which hunters must sometimes spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is only allowed from "countries that are in fact putting the money... directly into communities to enable those communities to support conservation measures for the species," Jewell explained. Jewell, who spoke with several African officials about animal trafficking during Paris climate talks late last year, is due to continue those discussions during her upcoming visit. She will also meet with representatives from non-governmental groups and visit several parks and reserves. Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court said it will review whether President Barack Obama has the authority to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. The politically charged case -- which comes in an election year -- stems from the administration's appeal of lower court rulings that blocked Obama's efforts to reform immigration policy through executive orders. More than four million people in the country illegally whose children are legal residents stand to benefit from the president's orders, which would allow them to stay and work in the United States while their legal status is being resolved. Determined to circumvent Congress, after it failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform, Obama announced the measures in November 2014. The executive action set off a storm in the US Congress, denounced by Republicans as an abuse of power and tantamount to "amnesty." Governors of 26 Republican-led states challenged the orders as exceeding the president's executive powers, and federal courts in Texas and Louisiana put them on hold. The top US court has not scheduled oral arguments in the case, but it is expected to render a decision by mid-June, with the US election season in full swing and less than a month before the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions. Immigration has dominated the race for the Republican presidential nomination since frontrunner Donald Trump launched his campaign with accusations that Mexico was sending drug dealers and "rapists" to the United States. The mere fact that the conservative-leaning court has decided to take up the case is seen as a victory for Obama, which argues that immigration policy is the purview of the federal government and that the measures it took do not violate federal law. "Like millions of families across this country -- immigrants who want to be held accountable, to work on the books, to pay taxes, and to contribute to our society openly and honestly -- we are pleased that the Supreme Court has decided to review the immigration case," said Brandi Hoffine, a White House spokeswoman. Story continues "The policies will make our communities safer. They will make our economy stronger. And they are consistent with the actions taken by presidents of both parties, the laws passed by Congress, and the decisions of the Supreme Court. "We are confident that the policies will be upheld as lawful." - Separation of powers - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, however, said the Supreme Court's decision to review the case meant it "recognizes the importance of the separation of powers." "As federal courts have already ruled three times, there are limits to the president's authority, and those limits enacted by Congress were exceeded when the president unilaterally sought to grant 'lawful presence' to more than four million unauthorized aliens who are in this country unlawfully," Paxton said. Among Texas's complaints is the additional cost to the states of issuing driver's licenses to all those given quasi-legal status if the administration's policy is upheld. The court decision to review the case was welcomed by Democrats and pro-immigrant lobbying groups, who expressed confidence that the administration's position would be upheld. "If Republicans are truly interested in fixing our broken immigration system, they should work with Democrats to pass legislation that would render the president's executive actions unnecessary," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. Todd Schulte, the president of the tech industry-funded lobbying group FWD.us, called the review "a promising step in the right direction." Unfreezing the presidential orders would allow "millions of immigrants to come out of the shadows and positively contribute to our economy, and to our communities," he said. That was echoed by Mexico, which said: "Mexico urges that the positive impact that these programs have in the lives of migrant families, the economy and the social fabric of that country be taken into consideration." - Thorny issue - The outcome of the case also could have a bearing on the 2016 elections if it motivates Hispanics, the largest US minority, to go to the polls in November. In 2012, they voted overwhelmingly for Obama. Even as Trump has made immigrant-bashing a hallmark of his campaign, other Republicans have argued that the party must attract Hispanics. It's a sometimes thorny issue for Democrats as well. Under pressure from critics, the government in December stepped up deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records. Rights groups and witnesses, however, said raids also targeted immigrants, including families with children, who had arrived from Central America to flee violence in their homeland. Obama allies -- like Reid and Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton -- sharply criticized the raids. Boksburg (South Africa) (AFP) - In a large shed to the east of Johannesburg men stacked tens of thousands of litres of water onto a flatbed truck as part of a neighbourhood volunteer campaign to save South Africa's dry towns. The water comes in two-litre soft drink bottles, five-litre plastic drums and a 1,000-litre bowser -- all of it donated by city residents, as intense drought and continuous heat waves devastate South Africa's farms. For Janine Boshoff, 35, the spur to action was a Facebook post by a cattle farmer who was distraught at the choice of either watching his starving herd die -- or shooting them. "I thought if a farmer could feel that much for an animal, I would hope that humans could feel something for each other, too," she told AFP. She began rallying neighbours in suburban Boksburg to fill their old bottles and bring them to her house. Within days, her sister's employer had offered a company truck to transport the haul a few hours' drive to parched towns in the Free State, South Africa's agricultural heartland. Boshoff's neighbour, Jolanda du Plessis, 46, and her housekeeper began walking the local streets handing out flyers. At night, the two families shut down the electric fence between their homes and passed the day's collection over the wall to store at Boshoff's house - in the hallway, on the patio, and in every available room. For 14 years, the families had been neighbours without so much as a friendly wave between them. Now they plotted the water delivery rescue mission together in Du Plessis' lounge, their phones ringing and pinging as messages of more donations flooded in. - Record highs - The regional drought, now in its second year, has been brought on by the El Nino weather phenomenon and exacerbated by climate change, pushing temperatures higher in a string of blistering heat waves. This week, the Washington-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is expected to declare 2015 the hottest year on record worldwide. Story continues On one Tuesday last October, 18 weather stations across South Africa recorded new monthly highs, all above 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit). And in early January, both Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria saw all-time record maximums of 38 and 42.5 degrees Celsius respectively. Such figures highlight the huge challenge of capping global warming at below two degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels -- the goal set at UN negotiations in Paris in December. "The abnormally high temperatures and low rainfall during 2015 are a combination of a natural effect, which is the El Nino phenomenon, and the rising baseline caused by human-caused global climate change," explained Robert Scholes, systems ecology professor at the University of the Witwatersrand. "At this stage, they approximately equally contribute to the observed high temperatures." But while emergency community efforts can provide drinking and washing water to otherwise crippled small towns, they cannot replace the absent rains as fields turn to dust. Nor are they a long-term solution to the country's hot, dry future. - Long-term planning - The South African Weather Service announced last week that last year was the driest year since records began in 1904. "South Africa is a water scarce country, it always has been," said Dhesigen Naidoo, CEO of the Water Research Commission, "We're quite astute at dealing with water scarcity and have managed for a long while to be able to reconcile our demands with our supply. "But what's clear going into the future is that we're going to need a lot more water available to the system." What's required, he said, is radical diversification of sources, including new dams and desalination plants, some of which are already under way - but also better and more efficient use of the water. "Twenty-five percent of water, clean drinking-quality water, is lost in our system every single day. If we are able to claim this back, that's more water available in the towns and cities immediately." When the truck left for the farmlands on Saturday morning -- full to the brim with bottles -- the donations were still coming in. It will help in the short term but last year's high temperatures, both locally and globally, point to more tough times ahead. "We have made exactly the right kinds of starts that we need to secure our water future," said Naidoo, referring to infrastructure investment. "The key question is, when this drought ends, will we sustain this?" FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen named former BMW manager Hinrich Woebcken to run the North American business of its core brand on Tuesday, confirming earlier reports. He will be Chairman of Volkswagen Group of America, Volkswagen Mexico and Volkswagen Group Canada, the carmaker said in a statement. Michael Horn will remain President and chief executive of Volkswagen Group of America. Sources had told Reuters earlier that Volkswagen had picked Woebcken as it faces growing criticism of its handling of the emissions scandal in the United States. (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Georgina Prodhan) By Andreas Cremer and Jan Schwartz BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen has picked ex-BMW manager Hinrich Woebcken to run the North American business of its core brand as the German carmaker faces growing criticism of its handling of the emissions scandal in the United States. Woebcken's appointment aims to strengthen the VW brand's operational performance in North America, where it has been grappling with legal and image problems since it admitted last September to installing devices to cheat emissions tests in several diesel vehicle models. Michael Horn remains head of VW Group of America, a position he has occupied since 2014, responsible for VW and the group's other brands in the United States, including Audi and ultra-luxury marques Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti. Four months after the diesel emissions scandal broke, there is no timetable for winning approval of a fix for about 500,000 affected U.S. cars, or for lifting the government's ban on the sale of 2016 VW diesel models. The U.S. Justice Department this month sued Volkswagen for up to $48 billion for allegedly violating environmental laws. The Volkswagen brand has long struggled in the United States, where its failure to develop new models quickly and a lack of crossover vehicles have left it a niche player behind rivals such as General Motors , Hyundai <005380.KS> and Toyota <7203.T>. The 55-year-old Woebcken, who in his 10 years at BMW ran global purchasing besides other positions, will head efforts to coordinate development, procurement, production and sales activities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the carmaker said on Tuesday, confirming a Reuters story. "The U.S. is and will remain a key market for the VW brand," VW brand CEO Herbert Diess said. "That's why the North America region must be steered in the interest of our customers and dealers there." Woebcken last year quit Germany's Knorr-Bremse Group , a manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles, after about 15 months. Prior to his stint at BMW, he was managing director at industrial systems and automotive supplier Duerr . Last September, the carmaker picked group veteran Winfried Vahland, previously head of Czech brand Skoda, as new head for North America as it pursued a policy to cede more power from its German headquarters to regional and car brand divisions. But Vahland, previously seen as a possible candidate for the VW group CEO post, quit three weeks later. A labor source said then this was because his new position failed to secure him a role on the group's executive board. Separately, VW said Chief Executive Matthias Mueller has the backing of top players on the carmaker's supervisory board who questioned the CEO on Tuesday, dismissing rumors that support for the CEO is crumbling due to his handling of the emissions crisis in the United States. VW plans to hire Louis Freeh, former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to help it deal with U.S. authorities investigating the scandal, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily of Munich reported on Monday. But VW's powerful labor representatives, who control about half the seats on the carmaker's supervisory board that appoints and dismisses executives, will not support a possible appointment of Freeh, said one labor representative who declined to be named. "We have (a new compliance chief) Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt to handle this ambitious task," the labor official said. "We see no further need" for special hirings, he said. The issue may add to tensions between VW's top management and the carmaker's labor leaders at a time when both sides are struggling to find ways to contain the multi-billion-euro costs of the scandal. "The company plans to hire further external specialists to deal with certain issues in the U.S.," VW said, adding that a decision will be taken in coming weeks. (Reporting by Andreas Cremer and Jan Schwartz; Editing by Maria Sheahan, Keith Weir and Adrian Croft) BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen Chief Executive Matthias Mueller has the backing of top players on the supervisory board, a spokesman said, dismissing rumors that support for him is crumbling due to his handling of the emissions crisis in the United States. "The position of Mueller has never been up for discussion," a spokesman said in response to questions from Reuters on Tuesday. "Any speculation to the contrary is without foundation and is emphatically rejected." He said the investigation into the emissions scandal led by U.S. law firm Jones Day had made "considerable further progress" in past weeks and VW should be able to provide a "substantial report" on the matter at the Apr. 21 annual shareholder meeting. Germany's Bild am Sonntag weekly newspaper had reported that doubts were growing among board members, most notably VW's powerful labor representatives, over Mueller, who took the helm at Volkswagen last September. (Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Georgina Prodhan) LONDON (Reuters) - The sister of a Briton suspected of being the masked militant fronting an Islamic State execution video said on Tuesday she believed her brother had been brainwashed but she wanted him to come home and hoped he could still be rehabilitated. Siddhartha Dhar has been identified by media as the spokesman in a film released by IS earlier this month which showed the killing of five men it accused of being Western spies, although there has been no official confirmation. Appearing before Members of Parliament, Dhar's sister Konika agreed that the militant in the video sounded like her brother but said she had still not been told by the authorities if it was definitely him. "I don't want to believe that he is who he is today," she told parliament's Home Affairs Committee. "As far as I'm concerned I grew up with a different person." Siddhartha Dhar, who converted from Hinduism and was known as Abu Rumaysah, left Britain for Syria a year ago with his wife and four children while on police bail following his arrest on suspicion of belonging to a banned group and encouraging terrorism. Already a known Islamist in Britain who had often appeared on television, a picture he placed on Twitter showing him in Syria holding a gun and cradling a baby was widely used in the media. His sister said she did not want to believe he was involved in the murders or rapes the committee highlighted as being carried out by Islamic State, and said she believed he was still a good man. "My opinion will always be biased because he's my brother," she said. Asked if he could be rehabilitated, she replied: "I would like to think so." She said Dhar had converted to Islam in his late teens but only became involved in more radical beliefs a few years later. "He was fun-loving, very laid back, easy going, very friendly with everyone," she said. "It's quite hard for me to even know within myself what it was that triggered him to become the person that he is today." She told the committee he had fallen in with the wrong crowd when he was growing up and that might have played a pivotal role. "I don't want to give up on him and I think that's a mistake that many families can make," she said. "I'm determined to have him return home to the person that I remember. If that can't be done maybe that's something I have to accept. I feel I haven't reached that point yet." (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison) MELBOURNE (Reuters) - French Open champion Stan Wawrinka shook off a stubborn early challenge from Dmitry Tursunov to advance to the second round of the Australian Open when his Russian opponent retired injured. Wawrinka was leading 7-6(2) 6-3 when Tursunov, who had called the trainer midway through the second set to treat an apparent hip problem, indicated to the umpire he was unable to continue any further. Tursunov, playing his first grand slam main draw match since the 2014 U.S. Open after battling a succession of foot injuries, had an opportunity to snatch the first set before the Swiss forced a tiebreak, that he won easily 7-2. The 2014 Melbourne Park champion then pulled away to a 3-0 lead in the second set before Tursunov sought treatment on his painful hip and when the fourth-seeded Wawrinka sealed the second set, the Russian retired. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury, editing by Pritha Sarkar) The competition in the on-demand food delivery space continues to heat up, as new entrants look to grab a larger piece of the overall market. Matt Maloney, co-founder and CEO of delivery powerhouse GrubHub (GRUB), which also owns Seamless, has placed the U.S. take-out/delivery food market size at $70 billion a year, with a still-small percentage online. At a panel hosted by Yahoo Finance at the ICR Conference in Orlando, Fla. last week, top executives from some of the biggest food delivery players suggested there's enough room for multiple winners. Participants, including Noah Glass, founder and CEO of Olo, Dan Roarty of Groupon (GRPN)/OrderUp, Stan Chia of GrubHub, and Sunil Daluvoy, head of business development for Uber, discussed the rapid pace of innovation to cater to the growing desire for convenience. Venture capitalists seem to agree. Funding in the food delivery space has surged, with $650 million raised in the food delivery space alone last year, according to Cowen & Co. When it comes to on-demand food delivery, a big focal point has been marketplace models, or restaurant aggregators, where consumers can search for their restaurant or cuisine of choice. GrubHub, which went public in April 2014, is the largest player in the space, ending last quarter with 6.4 million active diners and averaging over 211,000 orders per day. However, as worries about competition have abounded, the stock has declined about 40% since its IPO. Following GrubHub's public debut, Groupon identified restaurant food delivery as its next avenue for growth, following moves by other local Internet players like Yelp (YELP), which acquired Eat24. Last July, Groupon acquired online and mobile food-ordering service OrderUp -- which services about 40 markets in the U.S, mostly outside top metropolitcan areas. While this deal reflects Groupon's broader strategy shift from a failing "push" model -- where it promoted daily deals -- to a "pull" model, driven by a more traditional e-commerce demand model, it remains to be seen whether this can move the needle for the company. Story continues GrubHub and OrderUp deliveries are generally carried about by restaurant staff, though both have started to develop their own couriers. Meanwhile, vertically-integrated competitors like Postmates and Doordash -- using solely their own couriers -- have also disrupted the space. Outside of marketplaces, technology for ordering from individual restuarants is still nascent. While large pizza chains like Domino's (DPZ) have seen success with direct orders, many brands and individual restaurants have struggled to capture delivery demand. Uber has tried to take advantage of this gap. UberRush, part of Uber's effort to extend beyond its successful ride-hailing platform, delivers food and other retail items from local businesses. That service has so far launched in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. On Tuesday, it announced the roll-out of its partnership with ChowNow. UberRush is an extension beyond Uber's initial meal roll-out, UberEats, which launched in 2014 in select cities with limited menus during lunch time, though plans to expand the service are being tested in Toronto. Privately-held Olo has gotten involved on the software end and is trying to change the way people order from their favorite restaurant, with a focus on brand names and chains. The company, which grew in popularity with its Skip the Line feature that allowed consumers to order ahead, announced a new service, called Dispatch, in September, which provides software to synchronize orders from the kitchen to the delivery courier to the restaurant guest. While the specific winners remain to be seen, on-demand delivery -- starting with food and expanding to other services -- is an important story in the future of the restaurant space. The case behind the hit docuseries Making a Murderer, which aims to question the American criminal justice system, is also in another medium: the written word. Titled The Innocent Killer, was released in the United States in 2014 by the American Bar Association and according to the Chicago Tribune has been picked up by Penguin Random House for a U.K. release on Thursday. The book could add more spark to the already heated debate of Avery's innocence, but unfortunately for Avery, the author openly Avery is guilty. Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, prosecutor Michael Griesbach penned the book to inform people about the criminal justice system, rather than fight for a case against Avery, the Tribune reported. Like the Netflix series, the book follows Steven Avery's 1985 false conviction for the rape of Penny Beerntsen, his exoneration in 2003 and then his 2005 arrest for the murder of Teresa Halbach. "What's interesting is they say, correctly, that truth is elusive in the Steven Avery case," Griesbach on Friday. "And it really is. [But] they sort of adopt what they believe to be the truth. And they present it as the truth. And the disturbing part is they don't present it even close to thoroughly. And I understand that TV, and dramatic portrayals, you're going to approach it with a specific angle. But I think they went overboard." Griesbach was on the team that freed Avery after his wrongful 18 years in prison for the Beerntsen case, and actually appears in the first episode of the series, the Guardian reported. But he insists that "lightening did not strike twice." G ith the idea that evidence was planted against Avery, though the directors insisted that was not their intent, according to the Guardian. Instead, the evidence, such as the should prove him guilty, . "All those things as a prosecutor, usually when I have a case with that kind of strong both physical evidence and circumstantial evidence, it's the kind of case that guilt is just so obvious," he said to the Tribune. Story continues L , said she was "thrilled" to come across Griesbach's book, saying it "challenges the justice system and sheds additional light on the case that has gripped the entire world," according to the Guardian. Beernsten, who was the assault victim in the first crime, said the book is "about tragedy, but it's also about hope," the Guardian reported. Since the series premiered in December and hooked viewers nationwide, the hype around Avery has yet to settle. Audiences have been fighting for Avery's innocence and freedom through petitions. Many, from Avery's attorneys to his ex-girlfriend, have voiced their opinions on the complicated case. Griesbach said that he wouldn't be surprised if a new trial is filed, according to the T . Below is a video of Griesbach speaking about Avery's wrongful conviction: A man in India can see clearly once again now that surgeons have removed a "fairly long live worm" that had crawled deep inside his left eye, a new case report says. The slender worm, which was later identified as a parasitic species known as Loa loa, can be transmitted to people by the bites of mangrove flies, which carry the larvae of the worms. This leads to an infection called loiasis. The 25-year-old man's job may have made him more vulnerable to getting bitten by an infected fly, doctors said. "His occupation as a fruit vendor may have increased his risk for infection, as fruit flies may carry the parasite," said Dr. Bhagabat Nayak, an ophthalmologist and eye surgeon at the Dr. R.P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences in New Delhi, India. Nayak co-authored the case report, which was published online Jan. 8 in the journal BMJ Case Reports. Additionally, the case also occurred in August 2014, which is the rainy season, when the flies that can transmit the parasite may breed, Nayak said. The flies that transmit the parasite to people are more commonly found in tropical regions and the rain forests in West and Central Africa, as compared to India, he said. When he went to the eye doctor, the man's eye was painful and red. He was seeing "floaters," which are small specks, threads or clouds that move in a person's field of vision, and he had reduced vision in his left eye over a two-week period. The man said he felt like there was a shadow in his left eye and that something was moving inside it, blurring his vision, Nayak said. [7 Absolutely Horrible Head Infections] An eye exam confirmed that something visible was indeed wriggling around in the man's eye, and it was clearly a live worm. The case report described the critter as "a fairly long live worm moving around in a haphazard and relentless manner throughout the vitreous cavity," which is located toward the back of the eye, behind the lens and in front of retina. Story continues This is the first reported case of loiasis in that part of the eye, the authors said. Removing an "eye worm" The worm might have migrated to the vitreous cavity while still in its larval stage, either moving through blood vessels located in the eye or burrowing through the tissue layers of the eyeball, Nayak said. It may then have grown once it got into the cavity, Nayak told Live Science. When the L. loa worm is found in the eye, it's referred to as an "eye worm." But the parasite can also get into other areas of the body and affect the subcutaneous tissue, or the area under the skin in the limbs, Nayak said. The young man's doctors decided to surgically remove the "eye worm" rather than use drugs that could have killed the worm inside the eye. The doctors were concerned the drugs may cause toxic damage to tissues in the retina and macula, the area of the retina responsible for central vision, and that could lead to blindness, Nayak said. After the worm was removed from the man's left eye, microbiologists identified the creature as an adult maleL. loa worm. None of the man's doctors had seen this type of eye worm before, although they had treated other species of worms inside the eye, Nayak said. Worms inside the eye are generally rare in India, he added. Two weeks after surgery, the fruit vendor reported that his vision had improved signficantly and his floaters had disappeared. 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. London (AFP) - The opinion pollsters' failure to predict the Conservatives' win in the 2015 general election was down to unrepresentative survey samples, an independent inquiry found Tuesday. The British Polling Council and the Market Research Society commissioned the inquiry after surveys consistently suggested the May election was neck-and-neck between Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives and the Labour opposition -- before Cameron's centre-right party romped to victory. "The inquiry panel has concluded that the ways in which polling samples are constructed was the primary cause of the polling miss," said Patrick Sturgis, the Southampton University research methodology professor chairing the probe. Sample recruitment methods used by the polling companies resulted in "systematic over-representation of Labour voters and under-representation of Conservative voters", according to the inquiry's preliminary findings. The inquiry also raised the possibility of what it called "herding": pollsters designing their surveys and weighting responses in such a way that their results were closely aligned with those of their rivals. Issues such as question wording, postal voters and people who were not registered to vote were also likely to have made a contribution to misreading the public mood. Throughout the campaign, pollsters put the Conservatives and the centre-left Labour Party on a level pegging, calling it the closest election in decades. But the Conservatives were 6.5 percent ahead on 36.9 percent and won an outright majority for the first time since 1992, securing 330 seats to Labour's 258 in the 650-seat House of Commons. The phenomenon of "shy Tories" -- people who vote Conservative but do not necessarily tell that to pollsters -- has been documented since the 1992 election, when another apparent neck-and-neck race ended in a big lead for the Conservatives. The inquiry will deliver its final report in March, with recommendations on how to improve the reliability of future polls. Britons return to the polls on May 5 for elections to the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies, the London mayoralty and English local authorities. An in-or-out referendum on Britain's EU membership is due by the end of 2017, but some speculate it could come within months. By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - The manslaughter trial of a New York City police officer who fired the bullet that killed an unarmed black man in the darkened stairwell of a housing project is due to begin on Thursday. Officer Peter Liang is also charged with reckless endangerment, official misconduct and other counts for his actions inside a Brooklyn public housing complex on the night of Nov. 20, 2014. The death of the victim, 28-year-old Akai Gurley, added to the outrage that fueled national protests over police use of force against minorities in cities including Ferguson, Missouri; Baltimore and Cleveland. Liang's lawyers have said the shooting was accidental. The shooting occurred days before a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer for killing teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson and weeks before a separate grand jury brought no charges against a white New York officer for the chokehold death of Eric Garner. Both Brown and Garner were unarmed black men, and the decisions not to charge the officers gave momentum to the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Liang is not accused of intentionally shooting Gurley, who was walking in the unlit stairwell with his girlfriend. The bullet ricocheted off the wall and struck Gurley in the chest. Prosecutors have said Liang acted recklessly by drawing his weapon in the first place. They have also said he and his partner argued for minutes about whether to report the shot for fear of discipline, though prosecutors have not released evidence suggesting the two officers immediately realized someone had been wounded. Liang, who is Chinese-American, has hired two former NYPD officers as his defense lawyers: Rae Koshetz, a former deputy commissioner who oversaw internal disciplinary trials for NYPD members for 14 years, and Robert Brown, a former captain. Brown said Liang had committed no crime. "It was just a terrible tragedy," he said. Liang has opted for a jury trial, rather than a judge-only trial, and Brown said it remains possible that Liang will testify in his defense. Story continues "People like to hear from the person who's charged," he said. The case is likely to turn on whether the jurors believe Liang acted reasonably in unholstering his weapon in the darkened stairwell, where broken lights had gone unrepaired for days, or whether he ignored the risk that doing so could endanger others unnecessarily. Liang's partner, Shaun Landau, is expected to testify for the prosecution under an immunity agreement. (Editing by Scott Malone and Matthew Lewis) LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia's current 2015/2016 maize crop is expected to be a third lower than the previous year due to severe drought in many parts of the country, a farmers' group said on Monday. Zambia's maize harvest dropped 21 percent to 2.6 million tonnes in the 2014/2015 season versus the previous season. "If the current weather pattern continues maize production may drop by 30 percent. The high production areas have not had enough rain," Zambia National Farmers' Union spokesman Kingsley Kaswende said. Kaswende said the maize crop, Zambia's staple food, had to be replanted in some areas after it wilted due to prolonged dry spells. (Reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Ed Cropley) Chamber: VAT on books, computers a backward step In a media statement yesterday, Chamber president, Richie Sookhai pointed out that the imposition of VAT on a wide variety of books, with limited exceptions, sends a message to the public that reading and literacy have a price, and it is now a very high price, which only the very wealthy will be able to afford. This cannot be the way forward in a society where low levels of literacy can be cited as contributing factors in crime, poverty and social mobility, Sookhai stated; adding to return VAT to computers and other similar-type equipment during an era when easy access to computer technology was a must to keep the country globally relevant and literate, is a giant step backwards for our people. Time and again we have been told and shown that falling behind in the age of technology would be detrimental to any countrys growth and development. A computer, or tablet, is no longer a luxury item, it is fundamental to the literacy of our children and to keeping our workers, our private sector, our public service, and yes, our ministers, in touch with the people, and the world and on top of their game, he stated. Additionally, we are all more than aware that technology becomes obsolete very quickly and computers and their hardware and software have to be replaced and upgraded regularly. If the cost of technology becomes so prohibitive that we are left with outdated technology in this fast-paced 21st Century, then we can be guaranteed of being left behind at a time when we should be surging forward. Certainly, our capacity for diversification will be greatly affected by a rise in the cost of keeping up with the latest technology, Sookhai pointed out. Sookhai pointed out that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was on record as stating that he intended to make interventions in the school curriculum to encourage pride in our country. Energy companies committed to TT Christie told his audience, which included Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and several government ministers, As a testament to our confidence in the future, we spent close to US$1.5 billion in 2015, and if the surface conditions are right, we will spend more than that in 2016, despite the significant negative impact of prices on our earnings, and cash flow. On the issue of jobs, Christie observed, Downturns like the one we are in result in major dislocations for employees, contractors, communities, partners and the country. However he said, We view this downturn as an opportunity to demonstrate that our statement that we care, is not a shallow one. Christie indicated that while BPTTs focus on improving efficiency, may result in job losses, we will consistently follow all laws and ensure that employees are treated with respect. In a statement last week, BPTT announced plans to seek further cost efficiencies in its business in 2016. This plan will include a review of third party costs, activity prioritisation, process simplification and organisational structure. As plans are still being reviewed, the specific numbers have not yet been finalised, Christie said. In delivering the feature address, Rowley said, We also expect and intend to ensure that our nationals will be fairly treated in terms of industry opportunities. The Prime Minister added, Empathise and respect your employees as the hands which grasp the mettle and dont jettison them at the first sign of the dark cloud. Christie also indicated that BPTT is not alone in being confident about this country and its economic prospects. He said, It is encouraging to hear that despite low energy prices, there is much activity in the upstream. Christie noted that in addition to BPTTs aggressive three-rig drilling programme last year, we opened the year to hear of BHPs plans to begin development in TTs deep water, and of the Governments positive discussions with Venezuela that can potentially lead to increased opportunities for both countries. According to Christie, These future focused plans are just what our country needs to boost confidence in our energy sector. Energy Chamber chairman and BHP Billiton country manager Vincent Pereira observed the conference was happening at a challenging time for the industry and the country. Noting the two go hand-in-hand, Pereira said, Now the economy itself needs to be transformed if we are to sustain both our gas and oil industries over the next decades. He observed that while this countrys oil and gas industry has driven economic growth and propelled TT into the group of higher income nations, the question which must be asked is whether this has resulted in a sustainable and robust economy able to weather the inevitable economic storms. I think we all know the answer, Pereira said No resolution yet for TOFCO workers A number of La Brea residents have since joined the demonstrations to highlight the lack of employment opportunities by companies on the Estate. The workers, who met with Baptiste-Primus, at her Port-of-Spain offices yesterday, described the meeting as fruitful and enlightening though were hesitant to say what promises were made to the workers by the Minister. The meeting was enlightening so we are optimitic, worker representative, Clive Charles said in a telephone interview yesterday. Asked whether any promises had been made to the workers, Charles hesitated before saying, not at the moment, but the meeting was fruitful. He said the workers would continue their protest demonstration today. Work is currently being done on bpTTs Juniper project at TOFCOs La Brea fabrication yard. However, in a media statement on July 16, 2015, bpTT noted it had accepted a proposal from TOFCO to relocate fabrication of the Juniper platforms jacket and piles from TOFCOs yard in La Brea to a fabrication yard in Texas, USA. Fabrication of the Juniper topsides would however continue at La Brea. And in a twopage newspaper advertisement yesterday, bpTT pointed out that the Juniper project had provided upwards of 400 jobs with up to 95 percent of the workforce being Trinidad and Tobago nationals. The Juniper project is bpTTs 14 offshore production facility, and first subsea project, and is expected to produce 590 million standard cubic feet of gas to meet the demands of local industry. First gas expected from the Juniper project is expected in late 2017. Meanwhile, Charles said two La Brea residents and a worker had been injured in a vehicular accident when a visitor had attempted to drive into the TOFCO compound. However police reports state that a TOFCO worker and two La Brea residents were injured when they tried to block an expatriate who was leaving the compound. Police say the three attempted to open the doors of the mans vehicle and pull him out. In his bid to escape the three persons were injured. They were asked to seek medical attention, and bring their reports to the police. PM meets with bhp billiton According to a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister, the meeting took place immediately after Rowley addressed the opening of the TT Energy Conference at the same venue. Rowley was accompanied by a team that included Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre and members of the Standing Committee on Energy-Andrew Jupiter, and Gerry Brooks. Jupiter and Brooks are the chairmen of Petrotrin and the National Gas Company (NGC) respectively. BHP billiton was represented by its President Vincent Pereira, Dr David Rainey (President Exploration), Dr Niall Mc Cormack (Vice-President, Exploration) and Carla Noel-Mendez (Director External and Community Affairs, bhp TT) Recession Soca The semi-finals saw 70 artistes from TT, neighbouring Caribbean islands and Japan vying for a spot in the top 15 to be held on what is now dubbed Fantastic Friday. But for some members of the public, the show and the performances lacked the excitement of a good soca showdown. Some members of the public said on the International Soca Monarch Facebook page, I have been following this competition for years and I must say I am extremely disappointed with the line-up for the semi-finals. Another said, I am making an official appeal to the powers that be, to bring the semi-finals of the International Soca Monarch back to South Trinidad. By the time we done the people who know dey song not good eh go bother to come back. The south is known during Calypso Fiesta for waving toilet paper for artistes whose performances they are unhappy with. When you run and entity/ event which is one of a kind, you can feel free to call it international, despite the fact that nothing about its appeal or standard is truly international. Case in point, The International Soca Monarch. Not even talking bout the art itself here, which is a next issue in terms of quality, but overall professionalism and lack of standards dont seem to be an issue to promoters and organisers. Well lets not even start on other entities/events that are deemed National, as those seem to be the ones that strive to uphold our national lack of standards. Some asked, Is it just me or does soca appear to be in recession too??? Watching Soca Monarch Semis... One quipped, This recession thing serious, even the Soca Music feeling it... Chairman of Prestige Foundation, Peter Scoon said in a phone interview with Newsday, the show, had some exceptional performances. He added that the semi-finalists came out and excelled. Scoon described the events attendance as excellent, despite most of the audience concentrated to the front of the stage. The chairs in the Grand Stand remained largely empty. Asked about a fire which occurred backstage at the semi-finals, Scoon said it was not a fire but rather a wire which overheated and was quickly replaced. A generator wire sparked because of the load, he said. But despite the limitations the small crowd enjoyed themselves. During small lulls, when the DJ struck up the soca oldies but goldies, many of the patrons were dancing in the aisles and at the front of the stage. It was also evident that there was a new party going generation. Austin SuperblueLyons- who used to have crowds moving _ causing dust clouds _ was unable to get the crowd to move during his performance of We Calypso. Sekon Sta and his guest, Nadia Batson got the crowd shaking with their performance of Magic. Five Star Akil also caused a stir among the crowd with his performance of, Different Me. Popular Carnival Hit, Bum Bum/If Yuh Stush Go in D Bush by Third Bass had members of the audience waving bush, vigorously. Barbadian Peter Ram singing All ah we, Grenadians Big Red and Cloud Five with No Behaviour, Voice _ who was in the latter part of the show _ with Cheers to Life, Farmer Nappy with Bambilambambilam were also among the crowd favorites. Rikki Jai also had the crowd moving and singing along as he delivered Lleh We Fete. What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames news PM inaugurates Sikkim Organic Festival 2016; addresses Plenary Session of National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Sikkim, Tue, 19 Jan 2016 NI Wire The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Sikkim Organic Festival 2016, and addressed the Plenary Session of the National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, at Gangtok in Sikkim. Five presentations on reports of different groups of State Agriculture Ministers, Agriculture Production Commissioners and Agriculture Secretaries were made to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister digitally launched the logo of Sikkim Organic. He launched three new Orchid species developed in Sikkim. The Prime Minister handed over to the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Shri Pawan Chamling, two commendations for its journey towards total organic farming. He also handed over commendations for two districts of Sikkim for achieving 100 percent coverage of soil health cards. In his address, the Prime Minister paid homage to former Governor of Sikkim, Shri Rama Rao. He praised Sikkim Chief Minister Shri Pawan Chamling for his vision of welfare for farmers and tribes. He credited this vision for the development that the State is witnessing. He said the welfare and development issues raised by the Chief Minister would be looked into by the Union Government. The Prime Minister said he is in Sikkim as the guest of the farmers of the State. He said the deliberations during the Conference had set the tone for a new holistic vision for the country's agriculture. He said all States could pick up the relevant parts from the presentations, which he said, should be remembered as Sikkim Declaration. The Prime Minister described Sikkim as an example of resolve despite difficulties and struggle, towards organic agriculture. He sad today the whole world had recognised this effort of the farmers of Sikkim. He said the winds of this organic effort would now spread across the country. The Prime Minister recalled the recent CoP-21 meeting in Paris, where the idea of back to basics had been raised forcefully. He said Sikkim has already achieved that feat of living in harmony with nature, and is therefore a model of development which also protects nature. The Prime Minister complimented Sikkim for Gangtok being rated as the 10th cleanest city in a survey conducted by the Government of India. The Prime Minister exhorted States to identify a district, or even a block, to convert to a 100 percent organic area. This he said, would catalyse the process in other parts of the State. Referring to the recently announced crop insurance scheme, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the Prime Minister said the scheme had instilled confidence among farmers, and efforts should be made to increase coverage of insurance. The Prime Minister said farmers have to be motivated for schemes such as soil health card. He said a network of soil laboratories should come up across the country, and even school labs could be used during summer holiday months for this purpose. The Prime Minister said there was need for special products such as Kisan Mobile Phone, which catered to the special needs and requirements of farmers. He said perhaps Start-ups could take a lead in this direction. He reiterated his suggestion for a small amount of fruit juice to be mixed with aerated drinks. He said organic exports would receive a huge boost with the building of an airport in Sikkim. He said the vision behind rural roads was also to connect agricultural produce with markets. He said tree plantation and animal husbandry should also become an integral part of farming activities. The Prime Minister suggested that a digital online platform of progressive farmers should be developed in each State. Source: PIB Share Tweet Operators all around the globe are making the shift to IP. Does geography or culture make a difference in how this transition occurs, or are the same issues found everywhere? This article was written at 35,000 feet, flying between Tokyo and Canada after meeting a customer in Japan during an annual conference. These important face to face meetings offer the opportunity to work closely with clients to understand more fully their requirements, explain products and services, capture valuable feedback on portfolio roadmaps and delivery capabilities, and strengthen partnerships throughout the world. At many engagements like this, I have had the opportunity to formally present IP Transformation solutions, and how these large programs are scoped, established, managed and executed, using our own unique mix of skills, systems and processes. After the formal presentations, customers are keen to discuss their own change programs, and the challenges that face them. Looking back over these meetings, it has become clear, that while thousands of miles, language, culture and oceans may separate these companies, they are facing many universal challenges. Agreeing that change is needed: Agreeing on the priority for change is always an issue, as the number of stakeholders is so high, and the programs so wide ranging. Reaching a broad level of consensus can be challenging. As such, the programs become convoluted and often veer wildly from delivering network change, IT change, operations change and service change, without one area taking a specific lead. While balance is necessary, appointing a lead stakeholder is advised, to enable clear direction when resources become stretched and inevitable priority calls have to be made. Recognizing the consistency of the inconsistency of project scope: The scoping of programs varies wildly between companies. There is consistency only in the inconsistency of scope! Whilst some companies are network technology driven, others include the IT, Operations, Building Closure, Audit, and even HR programs under the same umbrella. Certainly this makes dependency management a universal challenge, and strong Program Management is a discipline required globally. Understanding that resource costs and availability can direct the plan: The population density of geography seriously affects the economics of migration. In western countries where resources are more expensive, the primary driver is to automate, industrialize and drive efficiency in the migration methods. It is not uncommon in such geographies to invest in specialist tooling and systems, in an effort to reduce the headcount in multi-year delivery. In those geographies where resources are abundant and lower cost, the driver is less about operational efficiency, and more about speed to market. Often, these operators have a higher acceptance of risk (due to the reliance on humans, and the inevitable errors per thousand actions), but are less susceptible to resource constraints in planning. Accepting the drive to IP is Universal: I have been privileged to meet a diverse range of customers around the world, discuss technologies, methodologies and business driversand the one commonality that resounds above others is the simple fact that the change to IP is inevitable. Though market timing may differ, eventually, the world will be driven towards a next generation Infrastructure. And therefore, addressing the Transformation to that long term architecture will face all existing operators. This is universal. Read the new white paper IP Transformation & Stakeholder Engagement which outlines these ideas and more.. About the Author: Steve Blackshaw, Director of Consulting with Nokia (News - Alert) (formerly Alcatel-Lucent) was previously a Consultant for BT (News - Alert) and DMR Fujitsu, and has over 15 years consulting experience, and 8 years related to telecoms services. He offers extensive knowledge of large-scale IT and Service Management Consulting, Program Management, Benefits Management, Business Assurance and Process Re-engineering across public and private sector industries. Related Content: For an understanding of the important role communication has in managing change, read the first article in our new series: Managing Change in IP Transformation: Using communications to guide program success. Edited by Peter Bernstein The typical analysis of the nuclear Orion external pulse propulsion rocket is to use constant charges (bombs) every 1.1 seconds to launch with people inside who experience 4Gs or less. Nuclear Orion can achieve launch costs of less than $1/kg and perhaps a tiny fraction of that. This is 1000 to 20,000 times cheaper than current costs. UPDATE: Rand Simberg at Transterrestrial has written up a response to the series of articles that have been written here in regards to nuclear Project Orion and the one shot contained fallout variant that has been presented here. Rand points out his excellent article about how small space payloads can be made cheap if they are sent up frequently. The 1,000 times cheaper number that I have quoted is cheaper than the Russian Dnepr converted ICBM cost of launch to Low Earth Orbit. I know of no space launch system that is launching more than 6 times per year now and I believe the peak might have been about 20 times in one year ever for one kind of rocket that was getting some economies of scale. At the end of this article I noted that Idealized chemical rockets with total economies of scale could achieve $50/kg. However, no one is doing this and Rand is hoping that Virgin Galactic or other new space launchers can build up to that level by doing thousands of sub-orbital flights and building up with technology and business to thousands of orbital flights. This site analyzes past underground nuclear tests and geology and nuclear energy to kinetic energy to show how the one shot launch will work while containing fallout and not creating an EMP. END UPDATE How much would the pulse units cost? Pedersen gives the amazingly low figure of $10,000 to $40,000 per unit for the early Martin design; there is reason to think that $1 million is an upper limit [for the smaller charges]. Primarily from strength of materials considerations. Whereas the Shuttle might carry thirty tons of payload, the pulse vehicle would carry thousands. If one uses the extreme example of spending $5 billion to build a vehicle to lift 10,000 tons (or 20 million pounds) to orbit, the cost if spread over a single flight is $250 per pound, far cheaper than the accepted figure of $5,000 to $6,000 per pound for a Shuttle flight Also, the system proposed here can just be a true nuclear bomb powered cannon. Not a chemical cannon launching nuclear bomb projectiles but a nuclear bomb powered cannon. So the projectiles and the launches do not have wait until we have working Orion ships to fire. We can just fire Orion like shells with cargo. We can use existing nuclear bombs from the existing arsenals. Ideally you would want to optimize with the more directional nuclear blasts (Casaba-Howitzer still mostly classified) Therefore initial costs and development would just be the containment launch facilty and adding the cheap filler part of the pulse charge that will be directed by the explosion. The nuclear bomb powered cannon is the simplest launch system. It has no development risk that can achieve $1/kg launch cost or less. The only new things being built are the fallout containment (which is a simple dome with a hole in the center and some kind of sliding door) and the shell which is a big simple metal shell. Here we will look at containing the effects of handful or even one charge where all of the fallout can be contained. Fallout and Typical Orion The explosions for Orion that occur in the magnetosphere where the magnetic field lines lead back to earth is where fallout will come back down and be a problem. We have already studied that reducing the fission component of any bomb and getting to higher fusion purity greatly reduces fallout and also a north pole launch reduces the fallout that returns to earth. Having a pile of conventional explosives for the first pulse also helps since the ground contact explosion is messier than the air bursts. It would also seem best to send it up during a snow storm which would contain the fallout that coincides with a solar storm that flattens out the magnetosphere. If you could not make the pure fusion bombs, which has not been done yet then another way to further reduce the radiation is for an unmanned high-G sprint start to a point outside the magnetosphere zone. Another method is to use a large all chemical rocket that is able carry a smaller Orion into space where it is safe to light up the Orion. The Toss and the Home Run shot An unmanned Orion asteroid interceptor was designed. It would not need shock absorbers. Artillery arming, fusing, firing system for shells are regularly built to take 1000 Gs. There was a three page paper: Nuclear explosive propelled Interceptor for deflecting objects on collision course with Earth. Johndale Solem, Los Alamos, proposed unmanned vehicle. No shock absorber or shielding. The pulse units were 25kg bombs of 2.5 kiloton yield for 100G acceleration of a 3.3 ton Orion. So an unmanned nuclear Orion can survive very high G forces. A single 25 kiloton yield would accelerate 3.3 tons to 1000Gs. A 2.5 megaton yield would accelerate 330 tons by 1000Gs. 25 megaton yield would accelerate 3,300 tons by 1000Gs. The highest acceleration had 0.4 seconds between charges so to get up to speed two or three charges might be needed to get 1.2 seconds of acceleration. Earth escape velocity is 11.2 km/s. 1000Gs is 9.8km/s**2. A structure can be built that can contain the fallout from one or a few bombs. The tee up or toss. A toss would be to use a stack of chemical explosives to get the projectile moving a bit and clear of the ground when the nuclear charge goes off. A nuclear airburst has less fallout than a ground detonation. A tee-up would be to build a tower and have the projectile at the top and the nuclear charge at the proper distance below. Obviously the tower is utterly destroyed. Also, note that the initial charge or two would not count against any projectile or rocket cargo. It would always be outside. We could also size the projectile so that we go at about 1.5 times the earth escape velocity so that it is a straight shot into the moon. The metal projectile designed to also survive the lunar impact. Ta da cheap cargo delivery to the moon. Containing the Fallout Please review the chart (click on pictures for a larger image) with the effects of different size nuclear explosions. Notice that the air eventually stops the nuclear explosion. The fireball stops after 1.1 kilometers because of air. The Orion tests showed that metal with ablative oil can be a few hundred feet away and not be damaged. The ablative oil vaporizes and takes care of the ultraviolet and soft x-rays. The metal has to be big enough to absorb the heat and not get to its melting temperature. UPDATE: The later articles that I have written indicate that an underground launch would contain most of the fallout and all of the blast. Any optional dome would be to capture any fallout that leaks from underground. END UPDATE You can build something bigger and relatively more flimsy or something smaller and tougher. The deciding factors are cost and cleanup and possibly maintenance. Looking at the 10 megaton explosive the fireball radius is 1.1 kilometers. So something that is closer than that has to be able to withstand the fireball. We are talking about building Orion so we can make elongated Dome out of pusher plate material with a slathering of ablative coating on the inside. So contain it just like the pusher plate. It would need to be a few hundred meters wide. You would have a hole at the top for the Orion to pass through and doors that would slide into place to contain the fallout. Afterwards you clean up inside after things have settled and cooled. Buckminster Fuller had designed geodesic domes that were 2 miles wide and 1 mile high. These would need to be able to withstand about 20-40 PSI. The materials exist to make such a structure. A thin polymer film with thickness of 0.05 0.3 mm. The film is supported at this altitude by a small additional air pressure produced by ground ventilators. The film mass covered of 1 km**2 of ground area is M1 = 210**6 m**2 = 600 tons/km**2 and film cost is $60,000/km**2. Covering a diameter 20 km is 314 km**2. Area of semi-spherical dome is 628 km**2. The cost of Dome cover is 62.8 millions $US. The total cost of installation is about 30-90 million $US. There are large air supported strucures now of about 215 meters in diameter. Scaling up would not be that difficult. More material and larger ventilators. Plus before the Orion went up and set off charges you would under-inflate so when the extra-pressure came it would use up some of the force inflating the thin film cover. There would need to be some flap or cover to go over the exit. If it was cheaper one could pack up the big bag afterwards for processing as opposed to cleaning up on site. With the fallout contained then it is possible to re-use the facility or the method for multiple clean launches. The Explosion that Goes to Pusher Plate or Metal Containment The Orion explosive charge has a nuclear bomb and propellant filler. The explosion is configured to send 85% of the force towards the pusher plate (or the projectile). The explosion compresses the propellant slab to 1/4 of its thickness. This expands as a jet of plasma at 150 km/sec (300,000 mph). 300 microseconds later the expanding propellant cools to 10,000 degrees (one electron volt). In another few hundred microseconds the cloud hits the pusher. For less than a millisecond the stagnating propellant reaches 100,000-120,000 degrees. In space the cloud would be invisible until it hits the plate and there is an intense white flash. The 15% of the force that is going to the walls of the containment will be going a bit further in the case where we have thick metal walls containing the remainder and the fallout. The key was how opaque the ablative oil is. The more opaque the better it protects the plate (and the walls) 100,000 degrees is a good range for opacity. It is ultraviolet and soft x-ray. The more opaque the less the radiation eats into the surface. Then the pusher and the containment have to be large enough so that the heat can be absorbed without melting the whole mass of metal. In the case of the home run shot. Even if some of the plate is eroded it does not matter because we only need to protect the cargo for the one hit and transport into space. After which we just need enough left so that cargo does not leak out. Nuclear Bomb Powered Cannon This mode of operation could start within 2-3 years. Just build the simple facility Dig a hole to blow up the bomb underground to contain the fallout. Requisition a nuclear bomb from one of the arsenals. Up to 150 kilotons for the first test, so that international discussions are optional [Threshold test ban that limits underground tests to 150 kilotons or less is the only ratified agreement in force]. Make a big metal projectile with ablative oil slathered on the bottom and tee it up. Talk a bit to the other nuclear nations, get some signoffs and light them up and start the space age. Get water, fuel, food, any hardened electronics and any other tough supplies up and available for the crews in chemical rockets to get. Chemical fuel depots would be setup at the low cost of less than $1/kg. Supply depots as well. No chemical rocket would need to take any supplies that can take more than 1000Gs. Chemical rockets can take a lot more material about ten times more cheaply to low earth orbit than to geosynch. So the nuclear supply cannon would lower the cost of chemical rockets by over ten times by supplying fuel depots. You can also launch carbon nanotube tethers or other polymer tethers for space elevators. You can launch Uranium and metal and other materials to build Orion rockets in orbit or on the moon. You can launch certain thin film or polymer solar cell material (just have to make sure it is the kind of material that can take the strain and leave out the components and structure that cannot take the stress) Also, the nuclear bomb powered cannon of simple projectiles can be located anywhere since there is no constraint to get the projectile out of the magnetosphere. You would never have a nuclear light up of the projectile. You would need to size the projectile to reach orbital velocity with an extra margin for air resistance. Plus you would need some small propulsion at the top to circularize the orbit so that it did not still fall back down. The Nuclear bomb cannon is so simple that it has almost no problematic failure modes. The initial shot you know you are lighting up a nuclear bomb. If the bomb is a dud then the shot goes almost nowhere or falls short. You launch with a flight path over the ocean. You are slathering on the ablative oil before you light up. There is no pump issue for repeated shots. If the pusher plate has a problem, well you are launching supplies or hardened equipment so you may lose the payload. There would be no people lost as it is unmanned. You have the benefit of taking one stockpiled nuclear bomb out of the stockpile for peaceful purposes. Plus there is benefit of starting a real space age. FURTHER READING Fallout and EMP analysis and pictures of Project Orion Photos and video of project Orion and super-orion. The history of above ground nuclear tests United States 216 tests from 1945-1962 for a total of 153.8 megatons U.S.S.R. 214 tests from 1949-1962 for a total of 281.6 megatons United Kingdom 21 tests from 1952-1958 for a total of 10.8 megatons France 46 tests from 1960-1974 for a total of 11.4 megatons P.R.C. 23 tests from 1964-1980 for a total of 21.5 megatons South Africa 1 test 1979 for 0.003 megatons So would it be crazy to set off nuclear bombs even if ALL of the fallout was contained for purposes of starting a true space age. As opposed to the 500 bomb explosions that were done in the atmosphere before for geopolitical and military posturing. Chemical space program deaths about 300 (astronauts and civilian Deaths from nuclear weapon tests. No direct deaths. If that is what you are planning for then you are careful and make sure everyones stays out of harms way and you can for months and years in advance to contain the effects. Laser array launch details. $2 Billion and five your program to get to 100MW sounding rocket. Previous list of favorite space launch systems, with many not yet feasible. Even an Inertial Electostatic fusion [which does not work yet] single stage to orbit would have projected costs of $27/kg. Space elevators which do not exist and might not work and are unlikely to be developed before 2030 have initial projected costs of $220/kg which would then fall possibly to $10/kg. Idealized chemical rockets with total economies of scale could achieve $50/kg. This system is 10-50 times cheaper than idealized systems that might not work and would likely take decades to develop. Enabling Seasteading Through Space and Lunar Development By Joseph Friedlander Previous related articles by Joseph or myself Setting up an lunar industrial village on the moon using the nuclear cannon. A summary of the original idea of a project Orion pulse propulsion variant of a nuclear cannon. A system using existing technology of nuclear bombs and a deep hole to launch cargo and materials into space for about $10-50 per pound. Sea based launch version of the nuclear cannon. After setting up the lunar industrial village, creating a solar sail loom at L4/L5 and progressing to a solar empire. Why not use the lunar materials, then, to create what Friedlander calls a gigantic solar sail loom, one that would stretch reinforcement wires in loom fashion over a framework that could reach 10 by 10 kilometers in size. The idea for this space shipyard is to create vast solar sails, spreading a volatile material on the framework, vaporizing thin amounts of aluminum onto it, then removing the volatile and support structure to create an ultra-thin, 100-square kilometer sail. Use Al Globus idea of an asteroid-retrieval project called AsterAnts. Globus and colleagues Bryan Biegel and Steve Traugott (all working with MRJ Technology Solutions at NASA Ames) came up with the notion back in the late 1990s, presenting it as a NASA technical report and developing its ideas in a presentation at Space Frontier Conference 8. The notion is to retrieve small (1/2 to 1-meter) Near Earth Objects for orbital processing, and to do all this with solar sails that could be constructed and tested near the International Space Station. Centauri Dreams discussed the article on setting up a solar empire. A Strategy Of Liberty and Prosperity In Our Lifetime Dr. David Criswell has written extensively about the prospect of developing a Two Planet economy, urging us to see the Moon and Earth as part of a unified industrial system. Specifically he advocates lunar surface generated solar power beamed to Earth (using the Moon as, essentially, a big powersat) which saves enormous expense in launching and stationkeeping, yet gains the advantage of constant output (given the fact that some part of the Moon is always in sunlight, and that the rotating Earth below can be beamed to (with the aid of geosynchronous relay satellites) at all times. (Excepting the polar regions) In this scenario, the only real export of space industry would be non-material. Information via satellites today already is one such. Professor Criswells plan would add energy exports. Real space colonization might be enabled by the plan (industrial parks on the Moon with 1c kilowatt hour electricity!) but per se is not part of it. Interview on the Criswell plan (Dr. David Livingston of The Space Show conducting) Testimony on the plan Pages on Dr. Criswell at a university and at wikipedia Dr. Criswells speculations served as the foundation for my ownsuppose other, material exports are not only possible but cheap from the Moon? And suppose the peculiar nature of these exports encouraged seasteading and formed a synergy with it? As Dr. Eric Drexler has pointed out, when it comes to space, down is much cheaper, energetically and in terms of ease, than up. Consider for a moment a hypothetical lunar electrical launch system. There are three things to remember here: 1. Hurling a payload into space is 22 times easier from the Moon than the Earth. It is essentially the difference between a Thor sized hydrogen-oxygen missile (60-90 tons) and a Saturn V (3000 tons) when you consider the fact that most of the payload of the initial fuel is the later fuel. Roughly speaking, each could hurl 45 tons to an escape trajectory. Another way of saying this is a fully fueled Saturn V third stage (S-IVB) on the lunar surface would not use all its fuel to accomplish this task. Remember that this 22 times easier figure neglects gravity and drag losses, it is simply the square root energy requirement, so the moon launch comes off even better. A 154 ton Titan II GLV http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_II_GLV was necessary to orbit 2 Gemini astronauts from the Earth, but the 4.7 ton ascent stage of the Lunar Module did the job on the Moon. It takes about the energy equivalent of half an objects weight in TNT to blow it clear off the Moon and when it falls to Earth it will generate the equivalent of 14 times its weight in TNT in thermal energy. (If you could tap that lunar energy of position this itself would be an energy source) 1. Natural rentry bodies are possible and cheap to make for hundreds of dollars. I was quite disappointed that NASA never held a contest, during all the years of the Shuttle program, to give school ceramics classes the chance to make sample reentry bodies and let them be released from the Shuttle in a contest to see which survived (they could have, for example, had letters inside which if undamaged could be recovered). It would have been a spectacular release of say 1000 many-colored reentry bodies. A sample natural reentry body a Tektite Caption from Wikipedia: Aerodynamically shaped Australite; the button shape caused by ablation of molten glass in the atmosphere Basically, you could make a small one of these in a ceramics class with a turntable. A larger one with the kind of turntable they use to cast 8 meter telescope mirrors. 1. Uncorrected ballistic transfers may be accurate to say 1 part in 10,000 or about 25 miles CEP at the Moons distance. (An assumption, but not a gross one) as 155 millimeter artillery can often achieve 50 m CEP (circular error probable) from 30 km. The ratio in that case is 1 part in 600, but in vacuum there are no cross winds or friction. Even if 1 part in 600, the miss radius is around 400 miles, an easy voyage of 24 hours to retrieve and tug the floating conical reentry barge and bring it back to a fixed seasteading site. If we can imagine ballistic deliveries from Lunar Industry to Earth, what would be the products of greatest comparative advantage? Consider that Earth and near-Earth space each are optimized for different functions from the human viewpoint of what I call a Two-World Industrial Bootup. Consider that the Earth is ideal for sustaining life. Cynics who doubt the ability of mankind to colonize space often point out that it would be cheaper to colonize the Sahara or Antarctica than space and in a way they are quite correct. (The unanswered question would be, how would people sustain themselves there, and what would they do for a living with enough comparative advantage to pay their way through trade? But more on that below.) What adds to the expense of space colonization is duplicating the living conditions of Earth. The heaviest thing of a space colony is the 90% of its mass that is radiation shielding (1 million tons is the actual colony hull and contents in one design, 9 million tons the shielding) These numbers are comparable to 900 tons of moved earth per inhabitant, and 100 tons of manufactured goods (the colony hull and its systems) On Earth water is available easily, air, even food. And of course there is easy import of manufactured products. (At a shipping cost of less than 1/8th cent a ton mile by large ship!) In advanced societies the amount of earth (rock, ore) moved per inhabitant is on the order of 10-30 tons per person per year. (The work of a generation in that earth-moving effort would correspond to the shielding mass) The amount of manufactured goods is on the order of 300 kg to a few tons per person per year (over the whole society not everyone buys a new car every year, part of this is supporting government, industry, medicine, etc in ways not obvious in your everyday life but you would feel its lack if this share was not there). Put the numbers together and again it corresponds to a generation of manufactured goods to create the colony hull and kit. This is the chicken and the egg problem of starting a colony before you have a colony. In contrast, on Earth you can get a new living location going with a fraction of that massand even buy existing infrastructure. Nomads and campers obviously make do with less than a ton apiece. These numbers appear impossible to duplicate in space without nanotech. In space on the other hand, you have free solar power, free vacuum, access (with great amounts of radiating surface) to passive cryogenic cold. Vast industrial operations are possible there that could only be carried on in sealed small chambers on Earth. (Vacuum deposition, for one) Thin film at wikipedia Vacuum deposition at wikipedia In contrast to the scenario of settling the Sahara or Antarctica (what would you do there once you got there? If you could not raise crops the logical industry would be mining) we can imagine an alternative scenario, with teleoperated, automatic and otherwise unmanned Lunar industry exporting large amounts of materials to earth with relatively precise accuracy (an hour to a days cruise by boat to recover the floating entry body). The more I have thought of this, the more I have seen the possibilities in relation to seasteading. (seasteading.orgcentral thesis is that freedom to move will bring competition to governments and better behavior to citizens. Seasteading at wikipedia Design of a seastead at the Millennial Project 2.0 Wiki Seasteading is a phrase evoking homesteading at sea. It basically involves the concept of people building floating units which can serve as housing and places of work, and using them as places to life free. (The most convenient ones would be near big cities for the amenities, but supplying remote seasteads is a considerable problem.) Timothy Blee has written a column dismissing the dynamic geography advantage of seasteading that depends on proximity to urban areas dynamic geography being the fact that you can move around seasteading units so only those who want to be neighbors are. (Counter on a strategic mobility level yes, I am paying extra say for a seastead near Silicon Valley or Manhattan because I need to work there. But tactically, no, I am not hostage to any fool who moves next to me and will not stop activities I simply cannot tolerate. I can move. ) Blees column Blees basic thesis is that: 1. Once established, you would not be able to separate modular seasteads because of entwined human relations between the residents of one large subunit to another (My counter would bedesign single residences that plug and unplug and use the large subunits only as housings to hold these single residences, not as units that most vote. Once the decision goes down to the family level, it is a private affair not a public one) 2. Certain infrastructure hubs or spines (he uses the examples of utility lines) are not separatable in a practical way(My counter would be so what? If single units are, move them and not the spine they plug into.) 3. High-tax, high regulation cities have an attraction despite their disadvantages hardly anyone chooses isolation in the Montana woods because cities are more conducive to business, building families (social cultural and other opportunities). (My counter would be, just because city governments have turned parasitical in the last hundred years is no reason to tolerate their present form by saying seasteading is no alternative. If I were a beer drinking man (I am not) and a snake was coiled around my favorite keg, I would remove the snake and enjoy the keg, not drink in fear and imagine there was nothing I could do. The snake is not an inevitable condition of life, and neither is overly intrustive/taxing city government. Once substantial numbers of taxpayers leave their jurisdiction, they may learn better manners.) 4. People who live close together for long periods of time need a system of mechanisms for resolving disputes, which is to say they need a government. (Counter: No real argument except this they need a government of courts and enforcement of verdicts which is to say a two office (arbitration and enforcement) arbitration service, by private arbitration, by clergical arbitration or by (last alternative) a respected judge. They do not need hundreds of city offices and bureaus which spend their tax money on unwanted street festivals, or on celebrating things best left unfunded, or pensioning the last generation of looting politicians etc. A government throughout history has meant an army against the outside, and a judge against the inside, and not much more if the taxpayers wanted to stay happy. Someday we will learn that again and seasteading can put the economic pressure on those who refuse to learn.) Of course as seasteading spreads, revenue-hungry and Constitutionally unheeding local authorities may attempt to restrict commerce to non-cooperating (ie tax-collecting) seasteads. Which brings us to the point of this article The central concept of space-enabled seasteading is it gives you an extra trading partner the sky. Consider what an enabler and aid having a Two-World Industrial System would be for seasteading. It should be obvious that having satellite communications and internet, navigation (GPS) already are enormous logistics easers for remote seasteads. (And beamed energy supplies would enormously extend this aid since a beam of energy costs no more to deliver to the Central Pacific than a major port!) Consider the alternative of hiring a small freighter for a custom supply missionelectricity from imported generator fuel can typically cost 3 to 5 times as much at remote island sites for this reasons. The demise of small load, flexible destination packet boats has only worsened the shipping cost differential between major port to major port on major ship rates and what a remote seastead is likely to have to pay. ) But consider also the advantages of having the ability to plunk down cargoes where they will be most of use. It takes not noticeably more effort to divert a reentry body cargo barge to the remote Maldive Islands, say, than offshore of a major container port. A seastead there could retrieve and tow (probably with lunar electricity-charged batteries like diesel subs use) the capsule to its dock and unload it with ease. If sufficiently large the reentry bodies might even become seastead modules or parts for them. Consider that Titanium is an ideal material for sea useand it typically constitutes 3% of the lunar maria the flat dark plains that cover ~1/6 the Moons surface around 6 million km2. . In fact, if the Moon has one exportable commodity of greatest comparative advantage it is titanium (there is also aluminum and calcium in great abundance relative to the cosmic abundancesbut those are more common on Earth).. You would coat the titanium with ablative rock to boil off during entryprobably waste from the basalt which contains the titanium being mined! This site advertises titanium boat parts. Our titanium boat hardware will NEVER corrode or rust. Its 40% stronger and lighter than stainless steel. Industry sources indicate continuing usage of the original Titanium equipment after 30 years of constant saltwater immersion has produced no measurable corrosion. Other saltwater applications with water temperatures as high as 500F has produced the same result: no measurable corrosion. So we see that the exhaustive maintenance needed for a boat made of almost any other substance may not apply to titanium seasteads. (Incidentally, for appearances sake, Titanium is one of the few metals which can be anodized for brilliant colorslike aluminum. As seen on the below page, particularly vivid purples, greens salmons blues and yellows are available. Titanium anodizing. Consider the amount of titanium on the maria (seas) of the Moon to a depth of 1 kilometer (the maria have a thickness of 1-4 km). Basalt typically has a density of about 3. To a depth of 1 kilometer, each square kilometer contains 3 billion tons of mass, of which 3% is 90 million tons of titanium. This times 6 million square kilometers, and the amount of easily accessible lunar titanium is 540 trillion tons of titanium. If we imagine million ton. 100,000 person seasteads (massive enough for great stability in the worst storms, especially in catamaran footed form) there is sufficient titanium to build 540 million of them, and there are only 335 million square kilometers of ocean (and counting seas and lakes, only 361 million square kilometers). Clearly, there is sufficient lunar titanium to sustain considerable seastead development for the foreseeable future. And if there is one metal just made to process in vacuum with near free solar power, it is titanium, which is hideously reactive with oxygen at high temperatures though non-reactive at low ones (because of surface skin oxide layer protection, like aluminum). Molten titanium will rapidly dissolve all known oxide-based refractories. But in vacuum it is much easier to work with and produce quality metal productsif need be by direct deposition from a hot metal source to a cool target. Right now near- Earth space is an industrial wilderness. Other than communication satellites, there is nothing there than vacuum and rock. But there are immediate and obvious industrial advantages to sunlight touching rock in vacuum. The cost of thermal energy on the Moon should be very low, because a foil mirror not being destroyable in minutes by wind, as would happen on Earth can work for decades, and provide solar heat in high concentration. If we can plop down fully worked titanium structures into the oceans, bearing cargoes that pay the way, and use those structures as components of seasteads, and supply these floating assemblies with lunar solar power then we have solved the problems of energy and materials supply, as well as that of jobs. Because traditionally commerce flourishes where trade routes cross. And if living at sea becomes cheaper than living on landeven without tax considerations, then people will migrate there. Enough migration and the logistics have a momentum of their own and the seastead cluster itself becomes a trading destination. This is a cheaper and safer form of space colonization but on Earth, the Earth providing the life support functions and the colony possibly directly operating the lunar industries that send down the goods they need. Their food could be grown in floating greenhouses and fish farm corrals. They might process the resources of the seabed crust directly below the colony, and move the colony itself down the length of a mineral deposit, using beamed lunar solar power to work the materials. In fact this vision of seasteading not as political escape (that will come in its own time) but enabler of logistics and cheapener of expenses at remote deep ocean mining sites would give a place to be a reason to be there and a long term goal in sightas in Marshall Savages vision-book, The Millennial Project Later version, Millennial Project 2.0 Wiki training toward true space colonization at sea without the vast logistic difficulties of true space colonization, wherein every job in space must be done by someone living in space no remote help centers, no teleoperated robot arms, no on-Earth mission control/backoffice! Because of lightspeed delays such remote aids would be largely useless much beyond the Moon but in the Two-World Industrial System bootup process they are powerful leverage tools, enabling us to avoid paying for entire generations of non-optimal space barracks and only art the wealthy end of the process pay for formal colonies. Deep seabed mining, especially near ocean ridges, gives access to hitherto untouched deposits of industrial metals on the unseen 2/3 of the Earth. Just by random distribution, (yes, geology is not all random distribution but there are always surprises) we could argue there should be at least 2 times more of high concentration deposits of desirable minerals. This could put off Peak (fill in the blank), what I call Peak Everything, off for a crucial century or so. 1. As long as we have cheap energy (and better still, supercheap energy, around 1c per kilowatt hour, electricity as cheap as the thermal energy of coal, 1/5 the current cost)materials for growth should not be a problem on Earth. The solution to Peak Everything is supercheap space solar power (under 1 cent US per kWh) and rock reduction mining. We need it even on Earth for garbage reclamation, so we might as well develop it for space as well. The idea with garbage is to use plasma-recycle technologies to make a melt and a gas output. The gas is mostly CO2 and steam. (In the absence of oxygen it can be a fuel gas, but we are postulating energy cheaper than that fuel would be worth). The melt, if dropped into water and crumpled, will make a rock like substance. (If left to cool from the glowing orange state it becomes hardened brittle glassy rock) To this we apply the same comprehensive chemical reduction techniques of rock reduction (properly, rock analysis on an industrial scale) and through various chemical steps refine out everything that is in it take away the oxygen, sort out the solid elements, extract what we need. With supercheap electrical power it works. (Plasma torches generate the high temperatures needed to dissociate the oxygen from the rock) Today it would be uneconomical. But with that abundant cheap power, we can mine the 1/1000th of typical rock that is phosphorus, and the similar portion that is potassium, for fertilizers. We can obtain essentially unlimited amounts of the useful metals. Typical crustal rock is 1/400th chromium, a comparable amount of vanadium and manganese, 1% titanium, and 8% aluminum (and we need not mine typical crustal rock. There are huge amounts of intermediate richness rocks far poorer than the ores we mine today that return far more trace elements than the average. Typical rock for example, might contain 29 parts per million copper. Not too good a deal unless you are simultaneously going for say 30 other industrial elements, at which point it becomes economical with cheap electricity. There are very large amounts of rock richer than average crustal rock, and often it would make sense to mine rocks far poorer than ore, but far richer than normal rock. We will have Peak Ore and perhaps even Peak 10 Times Richer Than Average Rock but we will probably, while Man lives upon the Earth, never have Peak Rock because the Earth, when you get right down to it, is made of rock. Peak Rock, Peak Seawater, Peak Air Peak Sunlight dont think so. With unlimited penny a kilowatt hour power from space we can power our two-world economy on those.. Note that specific materials may still be easier to produce on the Moon than Earth, noticeably titanium as mentioned above. The Earth is ideal for sustaining life, and many will not care to risk vacuum and radiation. For them space import-sustained seasteading would be an ideal way to be part of that lunar backoffice They could operate remote tractors, bulldozers, backhoes and walking draglines. They could monitor rock refineries and plot capsule launches. And the benefits would come, literally and figuratively, to the very seastead where they lived. In time those seasteads might grow quite elaborate. One can imagine catamaran (or other immersed floats supporting pillars sticking above the water) hulls suspending plains of greenhouses at sea, for land vegetables, besides the many possibilities involving floating perimeters and sacks isolating pockets of sea in which to grow secure mariculture crops such as algae, seaweed and fish. Links on seabased platforms and their uses. Pneumatic stabilized platform Very large floating structure at wikipedia Mobile offshore bases I have imagined a world where everyone lives on million ton cruise ships. (gigawatt thorium reactor or lunar solar powered, with 100,000 people on each) These are more like huge platformed catamarans than traditional ocean liners List of ten great Atlantic ocean liners Queen Mary 2 at wikipedia Quoting Wiki: Queen Mary 2s facilities include fifteen restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre, and the firstplanetarium at sea. There are also kennels onboard, as well as a nursery. Queen Mary 2 has 14,164-square-metre (3.500-acre) of exterior deck space, with wind screens to shield passengers as the ship travels at high speeds. Four of the ships five swimming pools are outdoors (although one of these is only one inch deep for use by small children). One of the pools on Deck 12 is covered with a retractable magrodome. The indoor pool is on Deck 7, in the Canyon Ranch Spa Club.[20] In total, 300,000 pieces of steel were assembled into 94 blocks off of the drydock, which were then stacked and welded together to complete the hull and superstructure. The ships final cost was approximately $300,000 US per berth, nearly double that of many large passenger ships. This was due to the size of the ship, the high quality of materials, and that, having been designed as an ocean liner, she required 40% more steel than a standard cruise ship A seasteading structure will similarly have to be overbuilt compared to a good weather cruise ship that can simply avoid bad weather by following announcements. Spend enough time at sea and rogue waves will occur, and stuff just happens. The Queen Mary 2 masses around 150,000 tons and has over 85 mw of power. She has 3000 passengers and around 1200 crew. (A passenger/crew model might not be the best for seasteading unless it were done subtly. Also, the crew/served ratio of a luxury hotel is not sustainable without robotics into the middle-range future for economic reasons) Imagine six of these babies as catamaran footings for about a square kilometer of growing surface on a parklike farming plain/jogging path You can imagine that the amenities of a million ton ship would rival those of a major resorts downtown luxury shopping district but really, if EVERYONE lives on a seastead there would be no more than a per-capita share of these things because there are only so many upscale customers relative to your society (Those numbers may change but so will expectations, so upscale gets redefined yet again. The wealthy of 1930 may have had a private orchestra and private movie theatre on call. The poor of today have CD-quality music and movies on demand from a cheapo I-pod clone holding the equivalent of thousands of songs and a few dozen movies.. Redefining poverty up (and cultural decline down) happens all the time, and we hardly know it till it is pointed out. In the future everyone may live on a seastead and have luxuries we would ache for today but it will seem normal to them. You can imagine that with nuclear electricity, heat, distillation (from waste heat) liquid fuel consumption would be quite minimal and those small quantities could be synthesized at sea from atmospheric carbon dioxide and distilled water. Most of their food would come from lower mass farm pots embedded in sea water at largely nonmobile locations, but these more mobile seasteads would grow their own vegetables and fruits where freshness was important and receive food shipments periodically. Such a world saves greatly on the difficult logistics of supporting import-dependent cities at high altitude (think Mexico City) because nearly all shipping is done at large quantity at sea for 1/50th the cost of a railroad, which itself is 1/10th the cost of a truck. It can bein the future more economical than land-steading! And one of the best features of seasteading would be freedom to pick what you wanted for an environment and leave the environment you dont want behind. I am thinking of climate (my wifes Minnesota winters!) but the statement may equally apply to crime, and to a local degree, bothersome business regulations. One may imagine running a business on a seastead and importing and exporting around the world (while touring it!) and perhaps manufacturing you product locally from a combination of sea-bottom and lunar-maria-mined materials as you move about your course, so that we not merely have an economy that is of two worlds, but products whose mixed molecules literally were mined on two different orbs circling our one common Sun. If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks netseer_tag_id = 2397; netseer_ad_width = 750; netseer_ad_height = 80; netseer_task = ad; Featured articles Ocean Floor Gold and Copper Ocean Floor Mining Company var MarketGidDate = new Date(); document.write(); A guest post by Joseph Friedlander for Brian Wangs Next Big Future read the whole thing there (excerpts, rearranged for effect) from http://www.nss.org/settlement/mars/zubrin-frontier.html Between 1903 and 1933 the world was revolutionized: Cities were electrified; telephones and broadcast radio became common; talking motion pictures appeared; automobiles became practical; and aviation progressed from the Wright Flyer to the DC-3 and Hawker Hurricane. Between 1933 and 1963 the world changed again, with the introduction of color television, communication satellites and interplanetary spacecraft, computers, antibiotics, scuba gear, nuclear power, Atlas, Titan, and Saturn rockets, Boeing 727s and SR-71s. Compared to these changes, the technological innovations from 1963 to the present are insignificant. Immense changes should have occurred during this period, but did not. Had we been following the previous 60 years technological trajectory, we today would have videotelephones, solar powered cars, maglev trains, fusion reactors, hypersonic intercontinental travel, regular passenger transportation to orbit, undersea cities, open-sea mariculture and human settlements on the Moon and Mars. Instead, today we see important technological developments, such as nuclear power and biotechnology, being blocked or enmeshed in political controversy we are slowing down. America drove technological progress in the last century because its western frontier created a perpetual labor shortage back East, thus forcing the development of labor saving machinery and providing a strong incentive for improvement of public education so that the skills of the limited labor force available could be maximized. This condition no longer holds true in America. In fact, far from prizing each additional citizen, immigrants are no longer welcome here, and a vast service sector of bureaucrats and menials has been created to absorb the energies of the majority of the population which is excluded from the productive parts of the economy. Thus in the late 20th century, and increasingly in the 21st, each additional citizen is and will be regarded as a burden. The frontier drove the development of democracy in America by creating a self-reliant population, which insisted on the right to self-government. It is doubtful that democracy can persist without such people. True, the trappings of democracy exist in abundance in America today, but meaningful public participation in the process has all but disappeared. Consider that no representative of a new political party has been elected president of the United States since 1860. Likewise, neighborhood political clubs and ward structures that once allowed citizen participation in party deliberations have vanished. And with a re-election rate of 95 percent, the U.S. Congress is hardly susceptible to the peoples will. Regardless of the will of Congress, the real laws, covering ever broader areas of economic and social life, are increasingly being made by a plethora of regulatory agencies whose officials do not even pretend to have been elected by anyone. Democracy in America and elsewhere in western civilization needs a shot in the arm. That boost can only come from the example of a frontier people whose civilization incorporates the ethos that breathed the spirit into democracy in America in the first place. As Americans showed Europe in the last century, so in the next the Martians can show us the path away from oligarchy. There are greater threats that a humanist society faces in a closed world than the return of oligarchy, and if the frontier remains closed, we are certain to face them in the 21st century. These threats are the spread of various sorts of anti-human ideologies and the development of political institutions that incorporate the notions that spring from them as a basis of operation. At the top of the list of such pathological ideas that tend to spread naturally in a closed society is the Malthus theory, which holds that since the worlds resources are more or less fixed, population growth must be restricted or all of us will descend into bottomless misery. Malthusianism is scientifically bankrupt all predictions made upon it have been wrong, because human beings are not mere consumers of resources. Rather, we create resources by the development of new technologies that find use for them. The more people, the faster the rate of innovation. This is why (contrary to Malthus) as the worlds population has increased, the standard of living has increased, and at an accelerating rate. Nevertheless, in a closed society Malthusianism has the appearance of self-evident truth, and herein lies the danger. It is not enough to argue against Malthusianism in the abstract such debates are not settled in academic journals. Unless people can see broad vistas of unused resources in front of them, the belief in limited resources tends to follow as a matter of course. And if the idea is accepted that the worlds resources are fixed, then each person is ultimately the enemy of every other person, and each race or nation is the enemy of every other race or nation. The inevitable result is tryanny, war and genocide. Only in a universe of unlimited resources can all men be brothers. ============== JF again: Read the article, where he makes the case for a new space frontier to reignite what he regards as the dying beacon of liberty. Independent support for the meme that in a closed resource limited world you get creepy eugenics/control freak kind of thoughts. http://zombietime.com/john_holdren_and_harrison_brown/ =========== Robert Zubrins most explicit pronouncement on this In a world of limited resources, men will not be brothers. In a universe of limited resources, where there is only so much to go around, men become enemies. Wisconsin Public Radio http://www.wpr.org/book/gems/gems0401.html =============== Brian Wangs writeup of Zubrins New Atlantis article ============== If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks A guest post by Joseph Friedlander The In Praise of Large Payloads for Space series continues with Part 3: Uploading Featuring the ALDEBARAN 2 Thanks to reader Kai Hiwatari for jogging my elbow to finish this series! If a simple water tank this ET could hold 2100 tons plus of water. The ALDEBARAN 2 could land 10 of these on the Lunar surface at one go. If filled with liquid hydrogen/oxygen, (730 tons) it could land over 28 of them on the Moonbut why haul the oxygen? ? Liquid hydrogen could go to the Moon in a load of nearly 200 such tanks.or 180 tanks and the 2000 ton condenser plant to keep them liquid indefinitelyAnd the ALDEBARAN 2 has the internal volume to hold them. ET Length: 153.8 ft (46.9 m) Diameter: 27.6 ft (8.4 m) Empty Weight: 58,500 lb (26,500 kg) Gross Liftoff Weight: 1,680,000 lb (760,000 kg) ALDEBARAN (Cole, 1960) The ALDEBARAN 2 can launch more in one mission than ever orbited by all 135 shuttle missionsincluding the orbiters and ETs themselves, not just the payloads. And do it again next month. The United States has spent $196 billion on the space shuttle . Wouldnt the ALDEBARAN 2 have been a better investment? A total of 355 people from 16 countries occupied 852 mission slots on the STS (Space Transportation System). Less than 600 people have EVER been to space in a half century of trying. In an all out evacuation mode the ALDEBARAN 2 could probably shuttle 50,000 people PER SORTIE to a waiting moonbase in case of planetary emergency. A fleet of 300, flying once a month, could evacuate 180,000,000 people in a yearthe population of the USA in 1960. What is the point of such exuberant scale? Throughput to grow a vast space based civilizationand the ability to amortize staggering expenses. Every million dollar fee/expense amortized over 10 tons is $100 a kilo. (Rather discouraging to those trying to reduce the cost to orbit under $100 a kilo only to have a launch fee added!) Amortized over 1000 tons is $1 a kilogram surcharge But if you have 30,000 net ton to orbit shuttle, a million dollar expense is 3 cents a kilo! This article will finish the survey of launch systems, combine Dandridge Coles Ca. 1960 ideas (ALDEBARAN design in various publications) and Anthony Tates baseline engine design (Liberty Ship at the dead website nuclearspace.com) to make a composite craft called the ALDEBARAN 2 for purposes of what if scenarios. Final Listing of Our Incomplete Large Space System Survey A few more craft referenced should complete our preliminary (not thorough) survey of early 60s massive spaceship ideas. For definitive and massive data on them the best reasonably priced references are in the back issues of Aerospace Projects Review here http://www.up-ship.com/eAPR/ And for free there is the wonderful Atomic Rockets website by Winchell Chung here http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/surfaceorbit.php A nicely inclusive though not necessarily comprehensive source for all kinds of space launch systems is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_launch_system_designs by Marcus Lindroos And here is a wonderful resource http://www.pmview.com/spaceodysseytwo/spacelvs/sld001.htm And of course you can spend all day on the wonderful memory evoking http://www.astronautix.com site. Take note of the Nexus and Super Nexus, Thats an early Saturn V at left for scale. being a leaky open cycle gas core system, I dont believe they bring much value to the tableI am going to get enormous doubt from the readers for venturing to predict that closed cycle gas core reactors will be flown everbut open cycle ones that leak fissioning U-235 would possibly be even more unpopular than nuclear explosions themselves. I am analyzing why I am getting that reading and basically people have an idea (true in solid core reactors and their holding pools but not in constantly cleaned molten salt and gas core reactors) that enormous amounts of waste are present wherever a reactor is. Leaky flying reactor does not sound too good, especially if its designed that way. Makes the designer look cold-blooded, kinda. Thus I am not hot on open cycle gas core reactors. It is not logical but very little of feeling and emotion is based on logic, it is the human environment we operate in and we have to get used to the reactions. If a closed cycle engine (new load, no old waste) goes leaky (not boom) by accident once every year (1 failure in 90000 engines over 4 engine-hours each or 1 failure per 360000 flight hours and dumps 235 in the ocean, that is sadbut uranium in the ocean is a 3 billion ton fact of nature, another 50-80 kilos wont bring The Death of The Oceans ) Nexus class ships with closed cycle engines could lift Sea Dragon class payloads (500 tons) to lunar orbit, not Earth orbit. Dumbo also was a NERVA http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/N/NERVA.html like solid core nuclear engine that could take off from Earths surface. (Unlike NERVA, best considered as riding atop a Saturn V) Solid core but innovative geometry, no chemical booster stage. With a massive scale up it could list thousands of tons with 8-11 km sec exhaust velocity using hydrogen propellant. One can imagine the early versions of ALDEBARAN powered by variants, but at huge cost in lost payload. PDF on Dumbo from Los Alamos via Dunnspace NICE heat exchange geometry done with primitive equipment in 1957! http://www.dunnspace.com/dumbo.htm Also note NBFs Wang Bullet concept under the name Verne Gun on the Atomic Rockets site. We have already covered Orion, Super-Orion, and other explosion based systems for achieving high exhaust velocities with energized reaction mass. allegedly contained nuclear explosions. As in, inside the ship nuclear explosions (yes, they left the nozzle, that was the idea). One more system not mentioned yet or indeed anywhere else except in a rocketry book for young people I saw once is the SCHMOO (named after the Al Capp cartoon character that was big around 1948 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmoo ) and presumably is bulbous and voluminous like that character. I saw one reference in an early 60s publication for children and have found nothing on the Internet about the SCHMOO but it seems to be one of a family of theoretical spaceship designs that usedAs in,nuclear explosions (yes, they left the nozzle, that was the idea). There were a few other INTERNALINTERNAL nuclear explosion designs (implying a small bomb, a large ship, an unfortunate flight crew, or all of the above) with other names, often a huge steel sphere with an arrowhead top propelled by 10-100 ton blaststhe expression put a Tiger in your tank doesnt quite seem to cover that. The most complete account of two of these systems areis covered ably by Scott Lowther in his Up Ship blog. http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=5353 another project by Dandridge Cole while Orion was still deeply classified, at the private Martin company (Titan I and II missiles) in Denver. The formula is 10 tons TNT equivalent (2400 energy capsules for only $10,000 1960 dollars each) + 858 pounds of water equals specific impulse of 931 seconds. That is the Model I design. Model II uses hydrogen for 1150 seconds impulse and 5800 individual $10,000 energy capsules per launch (an open market for which I am sure would please the Dept. of Homeland Security no end A ten times larger Model IIa used 100 ton blasts and got 1350 seconds impulse. If I am reading Lowther correctly the general concept was examined by Livermore Labs in 1963 and named Project Helios. This should not be confused with the similarly named Kraft Ehricke Project Helios that used the Atlas Missile booster/sustainer architecture to use a conventional booster and a nuclear sustainer for conventional space launch. That Ehricke work is referenced here http://www.astronautix.com/fam/nucwered.htm The Livermore Project Helios may be the source of that arrowhead artwork I ran across; the timing of the book and publication dates in my library make it likely. Lowther also covers a nuclear pulse jet design in passing (Thrust under 2 Saturn Vs worth so hardly worth mentioning in this article) and comments on the ALDEBARAN design, but without a lot of detail there. http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=5353 In 1959, Dandridge Cole envisioned craft such as this being the backbone of the space launch industry in the 1980-1990 timeframe. The ALDEBARAN was to be able to carry 60,000,000 pounds of payload into low Earth orbit, or soft-land 45,000,000 pounds on the Moon. Scale is shown by comparing the ALDEBARAN to the liner SS. United States; the helicopter shown loading cargo into the ALDEBARAN also helps show the substantial size envisioned. Clearly, if the vehicle could carry 60 million pounds of payload, it would need a bigger payload loading door than the one shown. Curiously, a secondary cockpit or observation deck is shown on the vertical fin. The survey continues with Paul Birch. Anyone who has not investigated the works of Paul Birch is in for a treat. I was saddened to learn of his passing in 2012 when compiling this post. His Wiki Bio His website lapsed but has a mirror for his amazing tech articles which tend to be less about simple ship designs and more about enabling world girdling civilizational breakouts into space. Look for the technical PDFs at http://buildengineer.com/www.paulbirch.net/index_orig.html Rounding out the large booster idea survey we come to the wonderful flying machines of the great Phillip Bono https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Bono Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTVL Single Stage To Orbit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-stage-to-orbit Vehicles! Thats Phil Bono near the ROMBUS model at upper left. Phil Bono Spacecraft Patent assigned to NASA http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT3295790 downloadable PDF there a SSTO family tree chart relevant to the Phil Bono spaceships mentioned belowhttp://www.spacefuture.com/archive/images/history_of_the_phoenix_vtol_ssto_and_recent_developments_in_single_stage_launch_systems.1.gif A non nuclear heavy lift idea in the Sea Dragon class (~500 tons up) the ROMBUS/Ithacus, Sr http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/ithacus.htm.a design by Phil Bono A $125 model kit of the Ithacus launcher http://www.modelermagic.com/?p=48674 The Douglas Ithacus Senior. might have been another superheavy lifter, (450 tons, the mass of my local 25 x 15 meter (450 cubic meter) swimming pool to orbitsuch an orbital tanker could have refueled a lunar lander in Earth orbit to carry perhaps 100 tons net cargo to the lunar surfacevs 18 tons for a Saturn V.) capable of a takeoff at 6400 tons with 450 tons or so delivered to 185 km LEO. Or to invade a country a quarter way around the world within half an hour with 1200 troops and light gear. Ithacus 1966 study had art showing 1200 rocket-belt equipped scout troops driving Jeeps off the rocket in what looks like Southern Africa after say a 25-35 minute flight from the States I am trying to imagine a repeat of D-Day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-day (160,000 troops) with 134 of these suckers launching simultaneouslybut the problem is not starting that war but finishing iteven assuming the enemy has no ABMs, the follow up logistics to a continental size invasion are insane if you actually intend conducting it by rocket. (At VE Day I think there were 2.5 million US troops in Europe, -2083 rockets worthsupported by 5,300 ships of various sizes and 50,000 vehicles and 11,000 planes.) There is also the non-trivial problem of retrieving the vulnerable empties without getting them strafed by the enemy. If you intend seizing a beachhead by rocket and have command of the sea to feed that beachheadthat is another story but in that case why bother with rockets instead of cheaper airplanes? Against a smaller than continental size enemy it might work but what a gamble that would be. Another more peaceful use of Phil Bonos single stage to orbit vehicles: New York to Bombay in flight travel time gone down from 22 hours to only 40 minutes. Not merely a SST, not a hypersonic transport but a fractional orbit transport. Any city from any direction, only 45 minutes away. $125 Fantastic Plastic Model of the Ithacus, Sr. http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/IthacusSSTOCatalogPage.htm And amazingly, Phil Bono imagined using the Rombus/Ithacus Sr. and related vehicles to make a 1000 man moon base (tour of duty, only 4 months!) in the so called Project Selena } And amazingly, Phil Bono imagined using the Rombus/Ithacus Sr. and related vehicles to make a 1000 man moon base (tour of duty, only 4 months!) in the so called Project Selena http://www.astronautix.com/craft/proelena.htm http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4577.0 involving massive lunar landing logistics to make a moon base whose goal was tolaunch a mission for Mars! In other words to build a Cape Canaveral at the Moonbase and use it for Martian launches. Alternate from Earth Orbit ROMBUS/Ithacus family Martian mission logistics http://www.astronautix.com/craft/proeimos.htm The courage shown by those early designers is staggering compared to todays play it safe worldview. text by Marcus Lindroos http://www.pmview.com/spaceodysseytwo/spacelvs/sld009.htm Bonos Project Selena called for the establishment of a 1000-man lunar colony in four successive phases by 1984. The main purpose of the Selena base was to support three unmanned Mars cargo delivery missions by 1986 and about half of the payloads (16,029t by mass) would be dedicated to the Deimos Mars follow-on. The total mass of the lunar cargo was a staggering 32,950 metric tons, requiring 1341 ROMBUS launches and 1011 cargo/propellant transfer operations in low Earth orbit over 8.5 years. A fleet of 10-15 ROMBUS vehicles would have to perform 330 lunar landing missions to deliver the crews, cargo and propellant. Bono lists the following design assumptions for Project Selena: # 40-flight average ROMBUS lifetime. # Personnel delivered to Moon at 90.7kg/man # Life support requirement of 4,536g/man/day # Maximum lunar tour of duty of 4 months # Lunar refueling base will store liquid oxygen and hydrogen propellants for Mars mission # Cryogenic propellant stored in cylindrical tanks at permanently shadowed location on Moon # Reusable Moon-Mars orbit-Earth vehicle lands 21,772kg on Mars (18,143kg useful payload) and consumes 5,343t of propellants per trip. The fourth, manned, Project Deimos mission then departs from Earth orbit in 1986. Notice that the total landed mass on the lunar surface was a mere, not a staggering, 32,950 metric tons, under 2 ALDEBARAN landing missions, (Not 1341 launches) and you will understand why the existence of ALDEBARAN would revolutionize space logistics. But so impoverished are we compared to the lost future of 1986 as projected in 1963, that even the Ithacus, Sr. and ROMBUS is science fiction like in capability. A modern superheavy plane capable of nearly that class of load is the An-225 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225 Fuel capacity: 300000 kg Cargo hold volume 1,300m3, length 43.35m, width 6.4m, height 4.4m range with maximum payload: 4,000 km (2,500 mi) Crew: 6 Length: 84 m (275 ft 7 in) Wingspan: 88.4 m (290 ft 0 in) Height: 18.1 m (59 ft 5 in) 1300 cubic meters fuel capacity, just for comparison the town where I live has a 25 x 15 meter pool that holds 450 cubic meters or tons of water so you are talking 3 swimming pools worth of fuel to fly 250 tons 4000 kilometers. On 11 September 2001, carrying 4 main battle tanks[6] at a record load of 253.82 tonnes (279.79 short tons) of cargo,[5] the An-225 flew at an altitude of up to 10,750 m (35,270 ft)[32] over a closed circuit of 1,000 km (620 mi) at a speed of 763.2 km/h (474.2 mph) The shipping cost on this vehicle seems to be well over a dollar a pound or $2.20 a kilo. Now here is the question for people saying how heavy lift rockets are too big for an economical flight model already. EXPENSIVE big lift rockets, of course. There is such a thing as pricing yourself out of a market, and the Saturn V and Energiya did it. But suppose there were super-cheap big lift rockets. Use the analogy of the 747which can carry even in early models (1970 or so) 55 tons cargo, and nowadays in the heavy cargo version over 120 tonsthe payload of the Saturn V, significantlyif the 747 is already too big why does the AN-225 have a market to the extent of being booked up? The answer is, there is always an outlier cargo. Some cargoes are so big it never occurs to anyone to send them by air until the possibility exists. Whether you could make a living while the market developed is a different question. For example, if there was a way to send 20,000 tons by air at $3 a kilo to some remote site and that is a transport fee of $180 million dollars) (Say a new nuclear powered South Pole base in one whack, pretested) someone would do it sooner or later. The trigger point might be for example, the difficulty and danger of relying on integrating a nuclear base under Antarctic conditionsit might actually be cheaper to ship it pretested and pre-crewed and then evacuate the crew by plane at end of life. (The analogy to a working nuclear lunar base is obviousThe ALDEBARAN 2 drops off the lunar base in the middle say of the lunar night with the reactor working already, pre-manned, with the first crew with 25 years of food rations). Suppose the Soviet Union of an alternate timeline had done so in 1988, and then the Soviet Union fell. Most people dont know of the Russian Ice Station program http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drifting_ice_station but an exact analogy presents itselflook at the dates between these two stations North Pole-31 V.S.Sidorov October 22, 1988 July 25, 1991 7635N15310W 7333N 16104W 5,475 North Pole-32 V.S.Koshelev April 25, 2003 March 6, 2004 8752.5N14803E 8441N 0333W 2,418 The Soviet Union collapsed and Russia did not resume the program for 12 years during the post-collapse situation. Now in this case there was pickup of the crew but if not, that would have been a bad way to go. Think of a lunar analogy to thisyou want YEARS of rations prepaid for, and in place under your physical control and your salary in escrow with a reliable third party BEFORE you go up for a tour of duty just in case something happens. With the ALDEBARAN 2, such mission robustness exists. Without it the baseline plan is to die begging on You Tube for help from Earth that never comes. This article will now combine Dandridge Coles Ca. 1960 ideas (ALDEBARAN design in various publications) and Anthony Tates baseline engine design (Liberty Ship at the dead website nuclearspace.com) to make a composite craft called the ALDEBARAN 2 for purposes of what if scenarios. Why the redesign? Because the original ALDEBARAN design was conceptual at best. It was designed to indicate the size of possible ships in the 1980-90 time frame HAD TECHNICAL PROGRESS CONTINUED AT THE BREAKNECK 1945-64 PACE for another 25-35 years. (To illustrate the pace of change back then, remember that the first Mach 2 plane flew in 1953 and in 1963 there were thousands of deployed Mach 2 fighters. In 1945 an atom bomb weighed 5 tons and there were a handful of them, in 1964 there were thousands of nuclear artillery shells that a strong man could heft, etc.) The original ALDEBARAN design could have used a wide variety of engines. Indeed the path to ALDEBARAN would start with 50,000 ton chemical boosters, then solid core, then eventually gas core. Each time upping the payload and dropping the reaction mass. We need hard numbers to work with and that means a detailed conceptual design. A dream of the late 50s and early 60s, shared by visionaries now passed on, such as Dandridge Cole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandridge_M._Cole) and Maxwell Hunter, were exhaust velocities on the order of 15-30 km second (achieved using common reaction mass like water, liquid hydrogen, ammonia, methane etc energized by gas-core nuclear reactors) making possible the kind of rocket performance that was featured in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. (And which was in fact the informed opinion of some of the best technical experts of the time.) For example, 13.8 kilometer a second delta-v (velocity change increment) to reach the Moon in around 24 hours using the fictional ARIES I-B and return in another 24 hours to a low-Earth orbit space station. Arthur C. Clarke wrote of a 12 kilometer a second (over the minimum 11.2 km/sec) trajectory that could impact on the Moon in 19 hours. Building such gas core nuclear reactor (GCNR) engines is not a trivial (nor an impossible) thing. But the engineering challenges center around one fact: To achieve exhaust velocities by thermal means you need extreme temperatures, and to fly with such an engine it must be light enough to be accelerated and to make the whole operation economical in a mission planning sense. Indeed a 1968 NASA GCNR study they assumed a thrust to weight ratio just one tenth the Liberty Ship website assumptions. See the coverage in Winchell Chungs Project Rho Atomic Rockets website http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/enginelist.php#ntrgasclosed http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/surfaceorbit.php#libertyship Atomic Rockets coverage of the ALDEBARAN http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/surfaceorbit.php#ALDEBARAN Brian Wang on the Liberty Ship https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2007/07/gaseous-core-nuclear-design-liberty.html In summary, a high thrust to weight ratio is needed to take off from Earths surface with sufficient acceleration, fuel carriage and payload; in theory this is achievable. The 1968 NASA design was cautious (A trait I would strongly recommend when working with your first gas core reactors. But eventually if its going to fly you have to up the thrust to weight ratio. If its never going to fly, however, you can get tenure for doing the same cautious work for generations, which basically is what has happened. ) 45 years would not be a starship but a politically rigged chemical space launch system replacing the Saturn V class lift vehicle retired in December 1972 by wait for itAugust 203260 years later, (as in Wright Flyer to B-70, 60 years later!) with no gigantic increase in reliability, cheapness or capacity you might have met with stunned disbelief. And no, they still dont get rid of the segmented boosters, O-rings, or politically favored contractors. Look at the last table entry at the bottom at this link to confirm the latest changes to that 2032 date. In 1968 had you mentioned to someone in NASA working on nuclear fission gas-core engines that what the future NASA would be working on inwould not be a starship but a politically rigged chemical space launch system replacing the Saturn V class lift vehicle retired in December 1972 by wait for itAugust 2032, (with no gigantic increase in reliability, cheapness or capacity you might have met with stunned disbelief. And no, they still dont get rid of the segmented boosters, O-rings, or politically favored contractors. Look at the last table entry at the bottom at this link to confirm the latest changes to that 2032 date. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System Another 1972 capability recreated at vaster expense than original after 50 years Skylab II (had Skylab I been a wet workshop it also could have been sent to a Lagrange orbit, not just LEO. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab_II Gary Hudsons take on why NASA is change resistant The customer specifies, usually in great detail, the bounds of a solution for a particular engineering problem. Contractors ignore such boundaries at their extreme risk. This stimulus/response conditioning of the contractors effectively suppresses any desire to stand out from the crowd, except in the most trivial of ways. Governments are by nature conservative entities. It usually does not pay to propose risky endeavors, when safer, albeit more expensive or less optimal, paths may be traveled. The paymasters of government agencies are not technically learned, so they cannot exert effective oversight With a charter to seek out new technology, it is natural to suppose that all new ideas would receive fair and objective hearings from NASA analysts. As most anyone who has ever suggested a new idea to a NASA center can attest however, such is rarely the case. It is in NASAs interest to take very small steps toward an ill-defined goal since such a policy can sustain the agency indefinitely. It must be remembered that NASA opposed Kennedys plan to go to the moon on a crash basis *For example, reducing the manpower associated with launches may conflict with the goal of providing high levels of employment in key Congressional districts. Furthermore, it is easy to find justifications for resistance to change on technical grounds, especially in expensive and risky projects such as launch vehicle development. Any junior engineer can show that it is easier to build a two-stage vehicle than a single-stage. In the face of clear incentives not to take risks building a vehicle which offers future payoffs which might not be desirable anyway*, it is easy to see that SSTO, along with many other examples of high risk/high payoff technologies, was not likely to be fostered at NASA. http://www.spacefuture.com/archive/history_of_the_phoenix_vtol_ssto_and_recent_developments_in_single_stage_launch_systems.shtml There is a nice discussion of the problems of gas core reactors here 5000-7000 s should be achieved, this corresponds to temperature of 50,000-100,000 Kelvin specific impulses of 3,0005,000 s (30 to 50 kNs/kg, effective exhaust velocities 30 to 50 km/s) and thrust which is enough for relatively fast interplanetary travel. Heat transfer to the working fluid propellant ) is by thermal radiation , mostly in the ultraviolet , given off by the fission gas at a working temperature of around 25,000 C. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_core_reactor_rocket Jerry Pournelle, in his book A Step Farther Out (1979, Ace Books) posted the following table: Note it assumes you are exhausting liquid hydrogen (a most inconvenient fuel in terms of handling characteristics, but the lightest conventional matter exhaust possible when plasmified into atoms, and thus the fleetest) Pournelle p. 213 Engine Temps & ISP (Specific impulse) (Assumes liquid H2) 50% 70% Ship fuel Ship wt. Particle Exhaust Specific Dv Fuel. DV ENERGY Velocity Impulse Possible Possible in Degrees of Propellant Seconds Mass Mass Kelvin cm/sec Ratio=2 Ratio =5 1,000 K 4.07 x 10E5 415 2.8 6.6 5,000 K 9.55 x 10E5 975 6.6 15.4 10,000 K 1.29 x 10E6 1310 8.9 20.8 50,000 K 2.88 x 10E6 2950 19.9 46.4 100,000 K 4.07 x 10E6 4150 28.2 65.7 1 million K 1.29 x 10E7 13,100 89.0 208 5 million K 2.88 x 10E7 29,500 199 464 So around 50000K is the energy range of interest for us 2950 seconds impulse with hydrogen. Note that in the above Pournelle quote we energize liquid hydrogen to 13 to 29 to 41 kilometers a second exhaust velocity, gives us about ten times the current exhaust velocities of in order simple buildable amateur rockets (1.3 km/s), professionally made solid boosters, (2.9km/s), and the hydrogen-oxygen liquid fuel engines of space superpowers, (~4.1 km/s), respectively. About double that temperature is needed if water is the propellant. The ratio of exhaust velocities appears to be, 1 for liquid hydrogen, .78 for methane (CH4) .63 for ammonia (NH3) .5 for water, .4 for CO2, .32 for N2 or CO. This is a rough calculation, not from a published reference. Rough confirmation from another source: Cheap and simple water is comfortably dense,and delivers about half the V_e of H2 for a given temperature. And look at that! Half the V_e (15km/s) is exactly what we need! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sfconsim-l/message/90551 The exhaust wants to be very massive, very hot and very light in molecular weightideally hydrogen plasma. At 2500K hydrogen exhaust exceeds earth orbital velocity, 4000 K exhaust velocity of hydrogen exceeds earth escape velocity http://www.stanford.edu/~rhamerly/cgi-bin/Ph241-1/images/Ph241-1-2.gif http://www.stanford.edu/~rhamerly/cgi-bin/Ph241-1/Ph241-1.php Liquid hydrogen is expensive, in mass quantities of the kind needed here it would probably be around $7000 a ton given amortization. That would be $735,000,000 a maximum ALDEBARAN load. Vs. 50c a ton for water if fresh water. ($52,500) You can see why I like using water for reaction mass. simultaneously in todays market without heroic logistics including subsidizing new plants and storage facilities. (look up the ortho and para states and the need to convert ortho to para http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_isomers_of_hydrogen If orthohydrogen is not removed from liquid hydrogen, the heat released during its decay can boil off as much as 50% of the original liquid.) Water is available by simply turning a valve. In reality, rather than use liquid hydrogen we would probably use water (even a million tons can be obtained cheaply and stored long-term). Liquid methane or ammonia possibly with chemicals and organics mixed in for absorption-line purposes. Some mix both pumpable and logistically friendly. We would obtain a lower exhaust velocity for the same energy, (probably get the equivalent of only about two thirds to one third of the specific impulse of hydrogen) but you cannot obtain more than a few thousand tons of liquid hydrogenin todays market without heroic logistics including subsidizing new plants and storage facilities.Water is available by simply turning a valve. On the other hand, U-235 aint free either, it costs energy to heat water. If its $50,000 a kilogram for U-235 and you pop 300 kilos a shot, you are talking $15 million to heat the propellant. Suppose you need 16 times the heat for water as liquid hydrogen that is 240 million dollars vs 735. And the logistics are a lot easier. On the other other handwhen you are just getting the ALDEBARAN going you will probably have a learning curve of lower to higher exhaust velocities such as 8 km/sec 11km/sec and 15 km/sec in place of 20 km/sec and 30 km/sec so very tricky to handle liquid hydrogen may tempt designers early onand much later on, if we ever try to reach a good fraction of the speed of light. Confirming that last comment, the early ALDEBARAN started off in Coles projections with less performance. But as the defunct Liberty ship site pointed out half the joy of 30 km/sec is the ability to centrifuge your nuclear waste (separating it out and concentrating it) and retro it directly to the Sun from Earth orbit the exhaust velocity, if vectored correctly, is high enough to retro the gas and any waste entrained therein into a solar infall trajectory. Details here: http://web.archive.org/web/20060109014534/http://www.nuclearspace.com/a_liberty_ship13.htm the exhaust of this nuclear spaceship shoots out at a whopping fast 30 kilometers per second. If you add this 30 kilometers per second to the 8.5 kilometers per second the whole rocket is moving while in orbit, and you point your rocket in just the right direction, you can literally shoot the exhaust right away from the planet so fast that it never comes back. You can then aim it to drop into the Sun without too much trouble. Link on calculation of specific impulse. http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/propulsion/3-how-you-calculate-specific-impulse.html These exhaust velocities allow science fiction like performance, but you would need equally science fictional materials to build such reusable engines, because no regular nozzle thin enough to fly can contain gas this hotbut there may be ways around this trap. Boundary layer and opacity tricks Sacrificial layers Condensed nuclear matter insulation. (Note that I do not claim that that last is likely, merely saying that if it existed it would be awfully convenient. With gram amounts of AB-Matter spread thinly in a radiation barrier, for example, engineering a 5 million K gas core engine capable of 6-month trips to Pluto would be almost certainly possible within a decade. Without it, good luck. 150000-300000 K would be a good temperature range to accelerate dense propellants (not liquid hydrogen) to 30 km/s+ exhaust velocities if it could be achieved. AB Matter links https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2009/07/beyond-molecular-nanotechnology-is.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2011/11/starbase-jupiter-and-other-femtotech.html Whatever the trick used to make a working gas core engineand I have to gloss over this key difficulty because of article length considerations (a book would not be too long to list the difficultiesindeed we easily could get working fusion drives before perfect gas core drivesand you really dont want to fly with a far-less- than-perfect gas core drive)let us assume it can be solved. In the first installment of this series that surveys the extreme heavy lift field https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2009/02/in-praise-of-large-payloads-for-space.html we introduced the ALDEBARAN, conceived by Dandridge Cole, around 1960, as a 1980 (!)-1990-era space freighter capable of: 60 million pounds (30000 tons to LEO or 45 million pounds 22,500 tons to lunar surface) 3000 isp (specific impulse) 29419.9 m/sec gas core reactor exhaust velocity Could also be 22500 tons to a Near Earth Asteroid, (at the day of closest encounter) since many of them have less delta-v than the 6-6.3 kilometers per second from Low Earth orbit to the Moons surface and the surface of Mars. In other words, the ability to unload an entire prechecked, pre-crewed, pre-stocked and provisioned industrial plant not specially engineered for weight reductioncomplete with crew and years to decades of supplies at a (nearby) offworld location. Exactly what has NOT been tried yet in the 60 years of trying to fly small loads more cheaply and assemble them in space with astronaut time that has not gotten much cheaper than $100,000 a man-hour. In the second installment https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2010/03/in-praise-of-large-payloads-for-space.html We discussed the uses of private space stations costing say $5- $15 million or less that are functionally the equivalent of the $100,000 million International Space Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station (not all the fancy one of a kind equipment, for sure, since nearly all that cost is engineering and custom labor of some kind of another, plus huge overhead). But something of say 3x-6x the mass, same cubic, (~850 m3) same functionality but in cruder ways (vacuum proofed marine yard construction welded commercially) and all in one go. A company no bigger than Space-X is now could have their own space station, not a coalition of nations. If 2000 tons for such a crude station, in low Earth orbit (half water reaction mass) the ALDEBARAN 2 could drop of 15 of them per sortie. Like smallsats today. Cost for transport, if $5 a kilogram, would be $10 million. The station itself should be buildable for $5 million. The first ones should be very crude but there would be a learning curve of progress. For an analog, see the Mars 500 facility http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARS-500 or Sealab http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEALAB SEALAB 2 1966 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxcUOUEURM0 Or submarine construction as an analogy to pacecraft with no weight limitationThe Submariners 1967 (Nuclear attack sub) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loiRnS8XoSA In summary (go to https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2010/03/in-praise-of-large-payloads-for-space.html to see the full treatment) it is astonishing that after nearly 60 years of the Space Age we still have not done various amazingly simple experiments because experimenters are weight limited and no one wanted to risk a one of a kind national asset on even marginally risky experiments such as: A cutting frame and furnace to melt down upper stages and try metal shop tricks with the obtained metal. Like making sheet metal. Like density separation of alloys and then distilling to pure metals and making new alloy combinations. In vacuum and microgravity. Have to be tried someday, why not now? Then ion tug experiments or solar sail loom experiments to bring some of the 5000 tons of space junk to the furnace. Building the experience base in space salvage and amassing a stockpile of mass in orbit. (Homesteading tanks and other space junk. Experiments in same. One reason they have not done this is the extreme cost of low orbital maintenance at todays prices. Another way of saying, prices going lower will enable all kinds of things not tried yet in orbit. This and operational concerns were reasons they never retrieved ONE of the 135 space shuttle missions external tank, let alone the approximately 3000 tons of them they could have orbited. They did not regard it as amassing wealth in orbit but as taking unnecessary risk. Enough space to house 30,000 people in spacebut of course if you can hardly support an 8 man space station with a 20 ton capacity shuttle you are not going to be taking any extra burdens on.) A workshop using vacuum deposit 3d printing to try to rebuild upper stage engines for reuse in space. (My nominee for the Space-X stationJ) The behavior of matter under extreme evaporation in vacuum. Opacity studies of great interest to say developing of Gas-Core Nuclear Reactor engines, explosive driven designs, and more. A centrifuge like this cancelled one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifuge_Accommodations_Module or this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautilus-X#ISS_centrifuge_demonstration http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/ISS_demo_annotated.png to ACTUALLY FIND OUT IF MARTIAN OR LUNAR OR ASTEROIDAL GRAVITY WORKS FOR PEOPLE or kills them (say, through auto-immune deficiency effects as some have suggested). Or, as Heinlein has suggested, prevents them from coming back to Earth. Or is say Lunar gravity just enough to keep you return-capable, but say asteroidal gravity not? Or is even a thousandth normal gravity enough to provide some inner cue to the system that microgravity does not? this year, goal is to keep their appropriation at least what it was last year. Everything else can be postponed, and has been, for half a century. Yes, a centrifuge module would have been a weighty module but literally half of the station could have been designed this way. (Oh, I forgot, the complications that rotating joint might introduce might endanger a national asset.) This lack of space centrifuge testing is an amazing omission when one reads the official goals of the space bureaucracies to explore the cosmos. (And presumably keeping humans healthy when doing so.) It is not so amazing when you consider that their real,, goal is to keep their appropriation at least what it was last year. Everything else can be postponed, and has been, for half a century. If we KNEW we could live in Martian gravity (.38 of Earth) we could also settle Mercury (.35) and if we could live in Lunar, gravity (.16) we could also settle the major moons of Jupiter and Saturn (if we could get to them safely). If we could live in asteroidal gravity (say 1-4%) many more small bodies would be safe to live on. Radiation shielding would be as simple as digging a maze of tunnels. KNOWING this in advance could cut decades off a colonization timetablebut since they have no real intentions in that regard, no sweat off their nose. But still, KNOWING it was safe would, one thinks, make the ethical burden of sending astronauts to Mars a lot lighter. It would still be dangerous, but one unknown removed from the equation can make an equation solvable. A general discussion of the problem is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_gravity Prototype farm module pdf for the ISS http://astronautics.usc.edu/assets/003/70951.pdf A ceramics workshop for making and annealing behind a mylar sunshade structural shapes of lunar basalt. Then testing by retroing, for example, reentry designs made of lunar basalt. You think that might be important to a settlement on the Moon that wants to sustain itself through exports to Earth someday? Pretested designs are cool things to have. Don Petits spare-time experiments in one DVD quality video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXYlrw2JQwo Don Petit was an astronaut who did Saturday Morning Science in his own time on the ISS http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Don+Pettit&search_type=&aq=f that probed the actual behavior of water and other substances in space. This is very basic stuff that is the essence of spontaneous scientific curiosityand yet he had to do it on his own time. (He made no major new scientific discoveries but did some things that probably were never done that exact way before) With hundreds of stations, and thousands to tens of thousands of experiments, there would be incredible discoveries. Some very practical. Shaped water could be frozen and used for depositation molds at low temperatures. Who knows what else. An intelligent group of high school shop students who are also space geeks could make up a list pages long of stuff to try; heck, a comments page that was FOLLOWED by an intelligent and empowered moderator on the scheduling staff could make a good list of experiments to try, but with a priceless national resource any such enthusiast suggestions will line up centuries behind impeccably arcane peer-reviewed studies that really make no difference because any results are not going to be followed up anyway. The decay state of a space bureaucracy (not the vigorous youth that everyone remembers) is that everyone important gets a place in line, once, and half of the proposed experiments might actually fly after years of whittling down the dream and shoehorning more researchers onto a paper that already has thirty co-authors. The idea of rapid nimble follow up studies is a sick joke in such an academic/bureaucratic mill. But with hundreds of private stations, any reasonably good idea might be able to get a hearing, and more importantly a trial. And hundreds and then thousands of space productivity tricks would be learned that would make first possible and then practical economically self-sustaining space settlement. The key, of course, is hugely less cost to orbit than now. Not $5,000 a kilo but something more like $5 a kilo. Now I am going to construct my own model of the ALDEBARAN, which I dub the ALDEBARAN 2, based on the data from both Dandridge Cole and Anthony Tates former Nuclearspace.com Liberty Ship Website. My model of the ALDEBARAN 2 Up to .7 propellant fraction (many missions dont require fill up) 22.5 kt landed on moon, 30 kt to low earth orbit, (Notice the huge difference between the .75 ratio between lunar landing and LEO boost and say the 8:1 ratio with conventional propellants) say 15 kt structure (10 kt is possible) Maximum propellent load 105 kt 45 maximum non-propellant load maximum takeoff weight 150 KT probable thrust up to 180 kilotons (throttlable) 180 million kg thrust Ship Cost, est., $22.5 billion each Coles design had one huge engine. Tates design had 7 engines for emergency safety shutdown (and to enable flushing nuclear waste to solar infall velocity) http://web.archive.org/web/20060109014534/http://www.nuclearspace.com/a_liberty_ship13.htm and for redundancy. The ALDEBARAN 2 has 300 gas core reactor engines, shielded against accidents in neighbor engines like in the Space X designs, which if oriented correctly will make lunar landings much more plausible than 1 huge engine. You dont really need 300, I just did that to work with the Liberty Ship engine specs Liberty Ship engine specs- http://web.archive.org/web/20060319083120/http://www.nuclearspace.com/a_liberty_ship10.htm http://web.archive.org/web/20060319083120/http://www.nuclearspace.com/a_liberty_ship10.htm 60 tons each mass thrust to weight ratio 10:1 Note: NASA 1968 study engine only yielded a little over 1 to 1 600 tons thrust each Thermal output of approximately 80 gigawatts. 25,000C exhaust temperature. addition and removal of fuel on the fly. Closed cycle (contained fissionables) exhaust velocity of 30,000 meters per second, Isp of 3060 seconds. three pumps move 178 kilos of liquid hydrogen per second combined Guess 50-80 kilograms of U-235 per engine 0.9664 gram U235 second burned (needs full critical mass to function) derived from Atomic Rockets website table below http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/atomicfuel.php Fuel MeV/fission TJ/kg 1000 MW burn 235U 202.5 MeV 83.14 TJ/kg 0.01208 gram/sec 233U 197.9 MeV 81.95 TJ/kg 0.01220 gram/sec 239Pu 207.1 MeV 83.61 TJ/kg 0.01196 gram/sec Now for the ALDEBARAN 2 we need 300 of these engines. 60 tons each 18000 tons of GCNR engines ~300 grams second U-235 consumption (4.8 Kilotons TNT equivalent per second) so if 1000 seconds boost 300 kg U-235 fissioned (4800 KT TNT equivalent per flight) Guess 50-80 kilograms of U-235 per engine so 15-24 tons U-235 needed per ship. If $50,000 a kilogram for U-235 , $50 million a ton, fuel loading is $700-$1200 million per ship. Ship Cost, est, $22.5 billion each, so initial fuel loading is ~ 5% cost. Flight U-235 cost (300 kg1 kg per engine) $15 million. Thermal output 80 gigawatts each, total 24,000 gigawatts (24 terawatts vs. ~16 terawatts world civilization constant energy consumption) For a projected fleet of 300 ALDEBARAN 2s: 15-24 tons each so 4500-7200 tons U-235 needed or ~1 million tons of natural Uranium (over many years)comparable to Cold War U235 buildup of HEU for bombsRussian stockpile was around 1500 metric tons. Total fleet power output 7200 terawatts during launch (once month per ship for 10 minutestotal fleet flight minutes, 3000) 720 hours month, so 43200 minutes If all other things were equal these 300 ALDEBARAN 2s would boost world power output by 7 percent for the few minutes powered time per month. Total U-235 fissioned over 20 year life of 300 ALDEBARAN 2s 72000 sorties, 21600 tons. (equivalent released energy around 16 megatons per ton U-235 or 345600 megatons TNT equivalentif no accidents during all that time, zero release to the environment (even negative since is literally capable of shooting its waste to the sun, as Anthony Tate has written:) http://web.archive.org/web/20060109014534/http://www.nuclearspace.com/a_liberty_ship13.htm After a projection by Max Hunter, if AB Matter engine surfaces were possible, and 200,000 Fahrenheit temperatures were possible, 111,366.483 Kelvin, 800 gigawatts of waste heat could radiate away from 1 square foot (less than a tenth square meter) of engine surface. But because of the blackbody fourth power law, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan%E2%80%93Boltzmann_law if the operating temperature were only 30000 F or 16922.039 K, the radiated heat would be a mere 431 megawatts per square foot radiating surface. (That fourth power can be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on how much you have to radiate and where.) . Cost of the ALDEBARAN 2 to the Moon One estimate on mining lunar helium 3, which will be covered in more detail in the last section of this series, assumed $40 million a ton freight fees to the lunar surface in quantity. The estimated He-3 mining equipment weighed half a million tons, moon, meaning $20 trillion dollars hauling fees, which is a laughable aint going to happen number. (With todays non-economy of scale, the cost per ton would probably be around $100 million a ton to the lunar surface or even more) But suppose instead of 100 million the cost was $100,000 a ton $100 a kilo to the lunar surface. Then half a million tons going up500,000 tons or 500 million kilogramsbecomes a mere $50 billionwhich might take a consortium of British Petroleum sized companies but at least is congruent to the world we live in now. And with a full scale ALDEBARAN fleet the cost of transport upby which I mean to the lunar surface would be probably below $5 a kilogram. If an ALDEBARAN cost $ 22.5 billion to build, could lift 270 million kilograms a year to the lunar surface and did this for 20 years, that is 5400 million kilograms delivered per ship5.4 megatons delivered amortized just for ship cost that is $4167 a ton, or about $2 a kilogram. Call it $5 a kilogram including operations and engineering costs and delivering half a million tons to the Moon becomes a mere $ 2.5 billion projectplus of course acquisitions and engineering. Certainly it should be doable for under $10 billion, and a single ALDEBARAN could set up 10 such vast mining operations during a single 20-year career. With 3000 such equivalent plantsmassing 1.5 billion tons of equipment brought upthe nucleus of a new solar system civilization could be put in place, in high orbit and on the Moon. But a note on costs, and yes, $5 a kilogram sounds incredibly cheap and it isBUT it is not free. Suppose for example you wanted about half a million tons of co2 gas on the Moon. If transport was $5 a ton the smart choice would be to mine limestone gravel for say $5 a ton transport it up for another $5 a ton and heat it in a lunar solar furnace. You would get around 440,000 tons of co2 gas per megaton of limestone. The rest would be calcium and oxygen waste. But at $5 a kilo, not a ton it pays to send up oil coal or butane gas, heat it with lunar iron oxide and get carbon dioxide gas (and water vapor and iron as valuable byproducts) to save on hauling the calcium and oxygen in limestone and just haul the carbon and hydrogen. So cheap isnt free. But we are so used to hideously expensive in space that cheap is great by comparison With the ALDEBARANs actual costs in this model $5 a kilogram we can speculate for example of importing neutral argon gas to the moon to foam titanium for export. In a vacuum a little foaming agent makes a LOT of foam, just as a tiny capsule can inflate a huge balloon: There is no outside countervailing pressure to speak of. If 1 ton of argon would foam 4540 tons of titanium in a ratio of at least 90% pore space, it would be floatable, light enough to probably withstand direct entry and literally could be hurled to the oceans to make corrosion proof thin floating islands and breakwaters for seasteads. The argon transport cost (not counting acquisition cost or operations cost) would be under $1 a ton for such titanium floaters. The path to Aldebaran is not so impossible as it seems. The fact that it should seem so exotic recalls Jerry Pournelles definition of a dark agenot that you have merely forgotten how to do something but that you have forgotten that it ever could have been done, or in this case, thought quite capable of being done in one more generation. Remember that in 1960 when proposed no man had yet flown into space unless you count X-15 pilots. If it takes nerve to propose such a huge ship now, what kind of nerve did it take then? By 1962 we were orbiting a 1.5 ton Mercury capsule. (The empty Atlas sustainer stage weighed considerably more) The Russians were orbiting a heavier ship, the Vostok. By 1969 We were orbiting well over 150 tons if you count the fuel in the Saturn V third stage as well as the moonship as payload. By the early 80s Werner von Braun projected in a essay (the World in 1984 edited by Nigel Calder) ships of tens of thousands of tons that launched and landed and were refueled only at sea. Once we had 50-100,000-ton class spaceships, it would have been natural to start considering using first solid core nuclear reactors, then possibly liquid core, then perhaps gas core. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_core_reactor_rocket http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaseous_fission_reactor Once you have a low performance 50000 ton gas core reactor, maybe 20 years will see you on the curve to a high performance 50,000 ton gas core reactor. And the Aldebaran, or something like it, would become reality over 10,000 major ocean going ships. 7.4 billion tons of cargo in 2007. Total number of ships(with Consider that now there are http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship Commercial vessels, nearly 35,000 in number, carriedn 2007. Total number of ships(with IMO number) as of 2011 is about 104,304. Consider, that say an Aldebaran flight a month would mean 360,000 tons of cargo in orbit, or 270,000 tons to the lunar surface PER ALDEBARAN PER YEAR. Assume 30 of these things flying, and you get 10.8 million tons to orbit or 8.1 million tons to the lunar surface. Assume 300 Aldebarans in the fleet, and you get 108 million tons to orbit or 81 million tons to the lunar surface per year. This is several hundred times the lift capacity of the imaginary world of 2001: A Space Odyssey What could we do with such a capability? This is the question that a lot of space aficionados stop the analysis at and either go into Star Wars Universe like unlimited fantasy or snap back hard to current NASA limited mindset and experience a quailing of the spirit. But remember, I am not asking you to think, how would YOU get there, I am asking, IF WE WERE ALREADY THERE, how would you use the capability? Well, what do we use massive transport capability for on Earth? Supporting industry, which in the end, supports reinvestment and personal consumption. If a 300 Aldebaran vehicle fleet existed, it would be used for nothing less than the industrialization of the Solar System and the settlement of large numbers of people from Earth to offworld dwellings. USES OF ALDEBARAN . (And to serve as tugs to propel assembled orbital industrial complexes to escape velocity, to be transferred around the solar system. For example, one can imagine a going out of service ALDEBARAN used to retro a hurled industrial complex into capture orbit around an asteroid, to help colonize that asteroid.) In 1981 when the Space Shuttle came out, I drew the following hopeful progression1961, 1 ton capsules to suborbit (Project Mercury) 1981, 100 ton spaceship to orbit. 2001 should by linear trend projection see a ~10,000 ton spaceship to orbit? By that rate the Aldebaran sized ~ 100,000 ton class ship with 20,000 ton payloads landed on the moon would be due by 2020. Never in my wildest science fiction imagination did I imagine that the Space Shuttle would serve for 30 years and be retired with elegiac celebrations of the end of an era (instead of we blew 30 years on a socialist space program dead end) and the next step would be a flashback to a private Project Gemini mass Apollo CM equivalent (the Space X Dragon with room for 7 crammed astronauts) In that same year, the 1981 movie Outland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outland_(film) came out starring Sean Connery, and in it was a vision of the required scale of space development of the future. The miniature work by such luminaries as Martin J. Bower http://www.martinbowersmodelworld.co.uk/Outland7.html In Outland, there was what looked like an elevated offshore platform on the Jovian moon of Io. It had 2144 personnel1250 labor, 714 support and 180 administrative. It appeared to be about 300 by x 200 meters in size and about 100 meters high on another 100 meters of pole supports and with deep mining elevators with pillar supports going down almost a kilometer into a chasm. http://www.martinbowersmodelworld.co.uk/images/tn_OUTLANDCONCEPTPAINTING1.jpg They used nuclear mining charges in the movie (mentioned in the script, none were shown onscreen.). Although with many weaknesses in design, the scale is of interest here as a realistic sized offworld installation that could get a lot done. The ore to be mined (Titanium) was laughable, the Moon is quite rich in it around the sea of Tranquility. I could believe Lithium, especially in a deuterium tritium fusion powered world (Lithium can breed tritium) that also needed huge masses of lithium batteries. On Io, volcanic moon of Jupiter, there should be a certain amount of magmatic concentration variations of various elements. Implied were dozens of other mining operations in deep space. Also laughable were some movie script motivated design flaws such as gigantic single pressurized greenhouse windows JUST PERFECT for an assassin to blow out with a single bullet. But modularized, dispersed greenhouses (with 25:1 solar concentrators given Jupiters solar distance) are not only conceivable but also recommended. What would be the mass of Outland Station? If we say 60,000 square meters in area per floor (not continuous but like a stacked piles of offshore platforms, 30 stories high, which can be modeled as 1.8 million square meters. (The portrayed installation had lots of industrial towers, was not blocky office building like, but we are trying for a mass range to do calculations with). Say a reasonable effort to keep things light, as in an aluminum marine vessel, and we might get by with a ton a square meter. Say 1.8 megatons for that one mining station and even if constructed 98% of asteroidal processed metals and materials that needs 36,000 tons of more complicated stuff hauled up from Earth in a large traffic, early settlement scenario. Yeah, I know, its just a movie, but that is the scale of mining that would pay if only shipping stuff both up and down was cheap enough. Remember how deadly the outside environment is to unshielded humans and it will be obvious that you want as robust and massive a containment as you can afford plus many modules to escape from a single point failure. You want massive communities that can rescue people. You want robustness. And you want ensured productivity and safety while working. You also want lots of supplies available on YOUR side of the airlock. One can imagine a century in the future where the 19 hour Moon-Earth trip makes casual resupply a Fed-X kind of thing (Where do you think Space-Xs name inspiration comes from? But distant solar installations need years to be able to schedule a major resupply. Huge inventories in redundant storages are a very good idea, and that implies huge installations. .Consider that Walmarts logistical chain is 20000 + suppliers with several hundred thousand line items. That is a big list but for example the list for D-Day was 750,000 line items. There are huge advantages to having a lot of volume in a station, yes, you have to supply more air but if there is a leak you have more than a few seconds to stop it before you lose consciousness. In Gerard ONeills largest Island Three space colony design a single window blow out would take YEARS to leak out all the air. Plenty of time for repairsparticularly if more than one thing is happening at a time, as often does in unforseeable fatal accidents. What if the choice is between putting out a fire and stopping a leak? That is a choice between breathing poison gas and vacuum dessication in a small module, not so much in a big one that can (in addition) be evacuated. Big installations are a bigger target, and vulnerable in other ways, but they tend to be more robust. And if well designed there is always more than one way to escape to safety. Interesting spiral grown moonbase pattern from 2001 and Space 1999a logical way of expanding in multiple directions from a single point. Note multiple opportunities for escape at any point but the furthest extremities. As long as we are committing the cardinal sin of drawing engineering proofs from movies, how about the freighter NOSTROMO in Ridley Scotts 1979 movie ALIEN, which tug towed a refinery with 20 million tons of ore INTERSTELLAR, not just interplanetary. The Nostromo was a commercial towing vessel, property of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. It was hauling an enormous (some 1.5 miles in length) ore refinery and 20 million tons of raw ore, weighing many times the mass of the ship. The ship itself is still substantial, over 60,000 metric tons and almost 245 meters (800 feet) long, including three decks, four holds, stores, engines, and lots of pipes and ducts Ah, those pipes and ducts OK, given the hitchhiking problem they experienced I can understand not basing a post on that ship, but really that is the scale we need to be talking about, not 1 to 7 man capsules. Not far from 60 years into the Space Age, that is the scale we need to be talking about, but historians may mark an abundance of commercially available 7 man capsules as the beginning of the Second Space Age. But if we want to get a lot done in space, we eventually will need to build and haul a lot. Supersized ships can help in that if they are cheap enough. As ALDEBARAN 2s reach the end of their service life they may be tasked to final tug dutya young ALDEBARAN 2 may push to escape velocity, a stripped down old one may retro in the target system and retire there. One can imagine easily 300 location opportunities for major colonization/industrial/scientific initiatives. Venus orbital station Venus direct retro atmosphere floater colonies (Oxygen balloons float in CO2) Mars moons orbital stations Mars synchronous orbit Mars surface mineral deposit mining colonies Titan direct retro atmosphere floater colonies (well insulated) Europa/Ganymede/Callisto retro land and ice melter colonies. Vast lunar geriatric colonies (less danger from falls, brittle bones) Asteroidal mining colonies Uranus/Neptune floater colonies (nearly unlimited deuterium and helium 3if an incoming comet had Earth in the cross hairs we could not defend against it today but 4-12 ALDEBARAN 2 stationed in the Outer System with a 13 kiloton mass deuterium bomb could yield a teraton (million megaton) deflection charge against any such intruder) Vast solar power farms and antimatter production (If so, bye-bye gas core as the most important space launch engine) Jupiter Trojan Asteroid Colonies at the Jovian-Solar L4 and L5 points A manned scientific submarine with 100 km cable lowering instrument packages and independent floater robots to probe the Europan ocean for organics and subsea volcanic mineral vents. Mass about like a Typhoon sub today. But well insulated and heated with nuclear power. Who knows what we will find? A 100,000 km linear or ring accelerator in the asteroid belt. Centimeter scale mapping of every worldlet bigger than say 100 km inside the Kuiper Belt. Makes landing a lot safer for first timers to know where the big rocks are. Gigantic gravity focus telescopes for high-resolution studies of the 1000 most likely extrasolar planets after a survey of millions. If we find worlds with oxygen in the atmosphere and can chart alien oceans, our view of the universe will change. Sufficient resettlement to the Kuiper Belt and beyond even the Oort Cloud so that no one disaster can destroy the human race. This concludes Part 3 of In Praise of Large Payloads. Part 4 will discuss the scale of massive extraterrestrial industry and the likely products and the practicalities of getting them to market both offworld and on Earth. If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks A guest article by Joseph Friedlander This is a longer article giving an overview of what happens if Gershom Gales theory that people with fluid filled interiors can survive 1000 G and better is workable. If so, what new opportunities for manned space operations are opened? There are so many launch system ideas that have great promise for reaching space at lower cost than present, but a distressing number of them subject cargoes to extreme acceleration. Lets focus on explosive launch for a moment. This can be gas guns or direct explosive launch. Reader Paul 451 made the following comment on one of the Wang Bullet articles. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2012/01/nuclear-katyusha-launching.html#comment-423815569 Joseph, I had a random thought. A nuke is a largely unshaped blast wave. (The drill-hole will cause some innate shaping of the wave, but I suspect that would be behind the leading edge, so irrelevant to the launch itself.) Is it possible to simulate the effects on the reaction mass (the water beneath the payload) by using conventional explosives. I was thinking something like ringing the entire length of the drill-hole with shape-charges, timing the explosions to simulate the speed and force of the nuclear blast wave. Itll take a painful amount of explosives, but it wont take 150,000 tons of HE to simulate a 150kt nuke. And its much politically safer than a nuke, so easier to actually be allowed to do it. And indeed that is one scenario we consider in the article. Brian Wangs coverage of explosive launch https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2009/06/blast-wave-accelerator-space-launch.html The Blast-Wave Accelerator: * is of Russian origin * is a concept that has been verified by NASA studies * is state-of-the-art technology Estimated launch cost: $200 2,000/kg of payload, depending on construction and refurbishment options 15 m barrel generates 300,000 g acceleration 40 m barrel generates 100,000 g acceleration Longer barrel generates lower launch acceleration Russian experiments indicate that Mach 27 projectile/payload velocity is achievable Payload mass fraction is 70 95% it has artillery-like operations, complexity and cost * it can be based anywhere * it possesses excellent stealth (i.e., it has no exhaust plume) * it has affordability, ferocity, and quick reaction time Projectiles are accelerated by a series of hollow explosive rings that are detonated in rapid sequence causing a near-constant pressure to form at the base of the projectile, thereby generating a near-constant and large acceleration The amount of explosives used can be very large and stacked in rings each conceivably as high yielding as the picture below for a conventional Wang Bullet kind of explosive launch of the kind Paul 451 suggested. I am guessing ear protection might be a good idea. Particularly when the thing goes supersonic. Note that ANFO may not be the quick triggering explosive you need for the above technology; illustrative only. Minor Scale fireball immediately after detonation. The F-4 Phantom aircraft in the foreground is 63 feet (19 m) long. 4.8 kilotons of ANFO explosive (ammonium nitrate and fuel oil),equivalent to 4 kilotons of TNT,[4] were used to roughly simulate the effect of an eight kiloton air-burst nuclear device. With a total energy release of about 1.7 1013 joules (or 4.2 kilotons of TNT equivalent), Minor Scale was reported as the largest planned conventional explosion in the history of the free world Some future explosive launch systems might be analogous to this conventional explosive shock wave guide: Sandia National Laboratorys Thundertube. The Thundertube was a conventional explosive shock wave guide which consisted of a steel pipe about 5.8 m (19 ft) in diameter and about 120 m (400 ft) long. Small scale HML design concept models were placed on a soil sample (about 5m x 5m x1.5 m deep) intended to represent Western US desert soils. Soil sample preparation was quality assurance verified using a 1 cm diameter ultra-miniature Cone Penetration Test penetrometer (tip and friction sleeve) developed at the Earth Technology Corporation (Long Beach, CA) in 1984. The CPT soil test system and sample preparation (soil surface planner) equipment was designed by Andrew Strutynsky PE,CPT Group Leader at Earth Technology 1982-1985. But explosive launch systems arent the only way up at high G: pulsed quenchguns are an transient release of electrical energy to kinetic energy: http://www.askmar.com/Massdrivers/Electromagnetic%20Launch.pdf We are talking two seconds to escape velocity. Here is an excerpt from the 1980 L-5 News announcement of Dr. Kolms work. Read the whole thing here: http://www.nss.org/settlement/L5news/1980-massdriver.htm MASS DRIVER UP-DATE By Henry Kolm From L5 News, September 1980 Mass Drivers were proposed by Professor Gerard ONeill in 1974 as the logical means for transporting lunar raw material to L-5. As all but perhaps a few of the newest L-5 members know, mass drivers are electromagnetic launchers which accelerate payloads in recirculating buckets with superconducting magnet coils at a repetition rate of about ten per second. These buckets are levitated, guided and driven by a synthetically synchronized linear motor derived from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Magneplane. The magneplane is a cylindrical high-speed train which floats twelve inches above an aluminum trough. The mass driver ultimately evolved into a line of pulse coils surrounding a barrel of aluminum guide rails within which a stream of cylindrical buckets is accelerated and decelerated without physical contact. Cutaway of a mass driver model: the current in the drive coils makdes a magnetic field which pushes on currents in the bucket coils, producing acceleration. The mass driver on display at the Princeton Conference in 1979. Photo by Charles Divine. Mass driver development has been pursued by a dedicated group, first at two NASA Ames summer studies in 1976 and 1977, and during the intervening academic year, while ONeill was a visiting professor at MIT. Out of this collaboration came Mass Driver One, built by a group of MIT students on a shoestring budget in four months, in time to be demonstrated at the May 1977 Princeton-American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Symposium on Space Manufacturing. It was also featured in the NOVA documentary The Final Frontier, and was flown to California to be exhibited and nationally televised at the festivities surrounding the first piggyback flight of the Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise in 1977. It is now believed that a lunar mass driver several kilometers long, designed conservatively with present technology, should be able to deliver 600,000 tons a year to L-5, or more easily to L-2, at a cost of about $1 per pound, assuming only ten years of operation. Smaller caliber mass drivers could also be useful as reaction engines to propel large structures or asteroids by ejecting waste matter as reaction mass. Such devices are not as straightforward as lunar launchers since certain stability problems of long, flexible structures in space need to be solved. I am often asked what, if anything, has happened recently. An update is about due, particularly since exciting new possibilities have emerged. Mass Driver Two In the fall of 1978, ONeill and I shared a university-level NASA grant for the development of Mass Driver Two. It is to operate in an evacuated, four-inch caliber tube at an acceleration of 500 gee, with a superconducting bucket and an oscillating, push-pull coil system. It is close to an actual lunar driver, but more complicated due to the need for a vacuum tube between drive coils and bucket. ...it may be possible to build mass driver reaction engines which are only several meters, rather than several kilometers, long and eject reaction mass in the form of small rings or washers (easily made of lunar aluminum, for example) without the use of superconducting buckets. Normal metals will carry even higher current densities than superconductors for very short periods of time. On the other hand, conventional mass drivers with recirculating superconducting buckets can be improved drastically by using superconducting instead of normal-conducting drive coils, and storing the launch energy inductively in the drive coils. This would eliminate the need for capacitors and feeder lines, thereby reducing the system mass, cost and complexity. The most exciting thing we learned is that mass drivers can be used to launch space cargo from Earth! The Era Of Earth-Based Mass Drivers Electromagnetically launched space vehicles are an old dream. Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein have used them for decades, and a Princeton professor named Northrup proposed them in the Twenties. The Germans attempted electromagnetic launching unsuccessfully during World War Two, before they embarked on the development of rockets. Actually the most successful catapult launch was achieved by chemical means in the Sixties when a passive missile was almost accelerated to orbital velocity from the Barbados Islands by welding together two large naval guns. It would be nice to be able to launch pure payload, unaccompanied by over 100 times its mass in expensive rocket engines and fuel. Nevertheless, space technologists never took direct Earth-launching seriously. After all, consider the ablation problems we face when entering the atmosphere from the top, where it is very dilute. Imagine the energy and ablation loss when a vehicle enters at full speed from the Earths surface, where the atmosphere is very dense. Even if a vehicle could be launched at escape velocity of 11 km/s, or even at a lower orbital velocity, it would certainly burn up before traversing the atmosphere, right? Wrong! At least one dreamer refused to accept this extrapolation: Fred Williams has talked about Earth-launching ever since the days of the Magneplane Project. The question is: just how large would an Earth-launched vehicle have to be to survive its passage through the atmosphere? The first time this question was considered seriously in a quantitative way, to the best of my knowledge, was at the 1977 NASA Ames summer study. The theory of ablation in a dense atmosphere had received recent attention in connection with the outer planet probe program, and two members of the Ames team applied the resulting software to the problem of the Earth launcher: Chul Park and Stuart Bowen. They found, much to everybodys surprise, that an Earth-launched vehicle would not have to be prohibitively large to survive: a vehicle the size and shape of a telephone pole could be launched out of the Solar System with a loss of only about 3% of its mass, and 20% of its energy to the atmosphere. There are two reasons for this result. First, the atmospheric transit is short and vertical rather than long and tangential (as required for astronauts to survive the deceleration); and second, the high atmospheric density leads to highly opaque ablation products which reduce radiation heating from the hot air to the projectiles surface. A reference design telephone pole launcher would have the specifications shown below. Vehicle: Telephone Pole Shaped, Mass of 1,000 kg Launch Velocity: 12.3 km/s Velocity at Top of Atmosphere: 11 km/s (escape velocity) Kinetic Energy at Launch: 76 x 109 joule Ablation Loss, Carbon Shield: 3% of mass Energy Loss: 20% Acceleration: 1,000 gee Launcher Length: 7.8 km Launch Duration: 1.26 second Average Force: 9.8 x 106 newton = 2.2 x 106 pound Average Power: 60 x 106 kilowatts Charging Time From 1,000 MW Power Plant: 1.5 minute This launcher is about as long as the deepest well hole ever drilled, and therefore represents the longest launcher which can be installed vertically by present technology. If it were made longer to decrease the power requirement or increase the payload size it would have to be installed up a mountainside at an inclination of perhaps 30 to 45 degress. This would increase mass and energy losses due to the lengthened path through the atmosphere. The cost of the launcher itself in terms of installed copper, steel and concrete would be only 24 million dollars. But a device to store 76 gigajoules by conventional technology (generators and capacitors) would cost 11 billion dollars. This estimate may not be very meaningful, because it is based on cost estimates for quantities of capacitors which have never been manufactured before, but even at half the price, the investment would be formidable. The energy cost of the launch would only be about 65 cents per pound, but amortization of capital would add 10 to 20 dollars per pound, even if the launcher were used continuously, day and night, every 12 minutes. Actually, it is more useful to think in terms of power compression rather than energy storage. The reference launcher could be operated by storing energy from one single large (1,000 megawatt) power plant for 1.5 minutes, and releasing it in 1.5 seconds, a 60-fold compression. Perhaps sixty power plants could be tapped simultaneously during off-peak hours by using superconducting transmission lines. On the other hand, if the power requirement were reduced by a factor of 60, there would be no need for energy storage at all. This could be done either by making the launcher 60 times longer (468km), or by making the vehicle 60 times smaller (17kg). Neither alternative is reasonable. A compromise might be to apply a factor of the square root of 60 to each: a 60km long launcher with a 129kg vehicle. Unfortunately this launcher would be too long even for installation up a mountainside, and the payload ratio of such a small vehicle would be very poor. There does, however, appear to be a solution to the energy storage problem. If the entire drive coil system of a mass driver is made superconducting, as well as the bucket coils, enough energy can be stored inductively by charging the system with current. It is then merely necessary to quench the current in each individual drive coil as the bucket passes. This loses some of the energy efficiency of a push-pull capacitor system, but the loss is more than offset by eliminating capacitor feeder line losses. A preliminary calculation indicates that a quench gun of this type of 12-inch caliber, only 1 km long, would store enough energy to launch a 20kg vehicle to 10.5km/s at an energy conversion efficiency of 80%, at an average acceleration of 5,600 gee. There are technical problems to be solved, of course, but not any of a fundamental nature. The benefit-to-risk ratio of the enterprise certainly justifies an immediate, serious study. The possibility of launching cargo into space at a cost approaching about one dollar per pound by using off-peak electric power has mind-boggling consequences. To name only the most obvious: we could dispose of nuclear waste by launching it out of the Solar System; we could begin constructing solar power satellites; and we could establish fueling stations in low Earth orbit where Shuttle travellers would take on fuel and reaction mass for the trip beyond: to geosynchronous orbit, to the Moon, and to L-5. Henry Kolm Friedlander here again. For reference we will talk about a Kolm Launcher later in the article. That is the above postulated system for a quenchgun scaled up by a factor of 100-1000 for a 2-20 ton launch vehicle but barrel lengthened to keep it down to 4,000 G. Why the upsizing? This has to be high G resistant and if manned the manned part has to be fluid filled thus the scale up. If not manned you can make the capsules smaller sized like Quicklaunch (below) but you have cargo subdivision problems (many things cannot fit in a small capsule without total redesign and segmentation) and you have packing problems (custom G proofing) and you have capsule rendezvous problems (instead of 1 self sufficient lunar surface rendezvous lander you have a bunch of little things that need gathering or orbital collection and assembly) Its a mission architecture problem you can play with. Many new insights are possible. When I say no evacuated spaces in the launch article I dont just mean in the astronauts but the whole ship literally there were no void spaces electronics potted with epoxy, tanks filled with no air at all, inflatable tanks in flat bag form, and no hard drives or other vacuum containing systems that cant be fluid filled and pumped down later. Open spaces completely filled with fluid. Combined with the stoutness of the ship that is a substantial weight penalty. The flip side is you have a lot of scrap material and chemicals you can use on the Moon. Unopened inflatable flat rolled tanks can take the outgassing as you de-liquid the ship on the Moon; later the base can do that for you. This excerpt from the link below is by Dr. David P. Stern and I recommend you see the page he wrote to get a good look at the gas gun. Note his calculation yields a 4000 G value for launch, consistent with many cannon calculations as well. http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/SSHARP.htm Let us assume that the shell inside the cannon accelerates at a constant rate ofa (meters/sec2). From the equations of motion with a constant acceleration (developed earlier for falling objects, whose acceleration a equals g 10 m/sec2), if t (in seconds) is the time spent accelerating, the final velocity (m/sec) is v = at and the distance covered, in meters s = at2/2 From the first equation, t = v/a. Substituting this in the second equation gives, after a few steps v2 = 2as Suppose the barrel of the cannon is a mile long (1600 meter) and the final velocity v, the one with which the shell emerges, is the escape velocity from the surface of the Earth v = vesc. = 11,300 m/sec v 2 128,000,000 (m/sec)2 Then a quick calculation yields: a 40,000 m/s2 4000 g The force on the shell and on any passengers inside it would be 4000 times stronger than gravity. A suitably supported person, such as an astronaut in the space shuttle, flat on his or her back, can endure accelerations of up to about 6 g. Doubling the figure can bring loss of consciousness, and any accelerations much greater than that can rupture organs and blood vessels. Friedlander here again. At 4000 gs one would expect strawberry jam on the couch. In one long ago science fiction story I read of someone who endured 30 G accelerations on a water filled couch which failed and he was extruded out a hole in the back or some equally horrible fate. But 4000 g? If we could survive thatthe cosmos would be open to us, and for cheap. By the way, if you recall THINGS TO COME by H.G. Wells, a key plot point was a crowd of rioters rushing a space gun (smooth move, dudes) trying to abort a launch. I am guessing the overpressure didnt do them any favors. However being younger then I was disgusted by the fact that they did not explain how they could survive the high Gs (At the time being naive I thought it was merely 1000 gs or so. As shown, its probably closer to 100000 (short barrel) But that is fiction. Nice page below.guns lots of guns... it will give you a feel for many possibilities in this field. Nuclear gun launch of course includes the Wang Bullet concept. (links further below) http://orbitalvector.com/Orbital%20Travel/Launch%20Guns/LAUNCH%20GUNS.htm A fact company that has been covered by Brian Wang in this blog is Quicklaunch. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2014/12/railguns-are-better-military-project.html Friedlander here. The picture is not from Quicklaunch but illustrates how easy it is to get to high velocities with simple hydrogen oxygen mixtures superhot hydrogen allows even greater velocities. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2010/09/john-hunter-of-quicklaunch-is.html Sander Olsen writes there basic idea of Quicklaunch is that you launch a projectile from a cannon at 6 kilometers per second using compressed hydrogen gas. On a conventional rocket, the payload fraction is about 3%, whereas with our concept the payload is more than 20%. So we could get propellant into orbit for about a tenth the cost of using conventional rockets. Question: So QuickLaunch could be used to launch propellant canisters to orbiting depots? Answer:Yes, these depots will serve as orbiting gas stations. For most space missions, 90% of the cost is getting propellant into orbit. Each launch could lift 1,000 pounds of payload into orbit, and we are capable of about 5 launches per day, every day. So we could reasonably expect to be able to transfer 30,000 pounds of fuel to an orbiting depot within a week, if so desired. if we try to send a single human to mars and back using only conventional rockets, the cost is $5 billion per person just for the fuel. By using our Quicklaunch, the cost would be only $500 million per person for the fuel. . We did G-tests in the 1990s on ruggedized satellites using the High G Test facilities at National Test Systems in Largo Florida. It turns out that many items, such as electronics, can be hardened to withstand high gs. Most cellphones are already hardened to withstand 1000 gs. Hardening surface mount electronics to withstand 3,200 gs only adds 2% to the weight of the object. Question: How much would it cost to assemble and prepare a Quicklaunch system? Answer: To get a system capable of launching 1,000 pound payloads to orbit into operation might cost $500 million. But constructing a proof of concept system that could hurl 100 pound payloads into orbit would cost only $50 million. Such a system could be quickly developed. Question: How long would it require to get the QuickLaunch system up and running? Answer: The main component the cannon is based on well understood principles and should not be difficult to perfect. There are four proposed development stages, and each stage should take two years. Phase 3, where we are actually launching payloads in the 100 pound range, would be in about the fifth year. The system would require roughly $500,000 per payload pound to develop, amortized over thousands of shots. So for example when amortizing over 10,000 launches, the capital cost is only $500,000/10,000= $50/lb. Naturally one must fold in the time value of money as well as the vehicle costs and the O&M. Question: Wouldnt wear and tear on the cannon barrel be a major concern? Answer: Yes, really good preventive maintenance on the barrels is required. The barrel will have a liner which will need to be periodically replaced. That process would require about a week. We would also need to be very careful to get proper payload alignments. We will also do maintenance between every launch, which would probably limit the number of launches to 5 per day. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2010/01/ocean-based-orbital-payload-delivery.html Brian writes there Quicklaunch will cost $562 million to develop over 4 phases and 8 years * One thousand pound payloads. * 10-28% payload fraction (full scale system will have 28% payload fraction) * the donuts around the tube are for bouyancy and for rigidity and precision alignment * 97+% recapture of the hydrogen gas to recycle the gas * Cellphone electronics are G hardened, just replace the transformers * Bigger systems can be built * Neutrally buoyant barrel made out of composite, so no gravitational sag Quicklaunch designs shows that all of the high-g issues of my nuclear cannon design can be resolved. If larger projectiles have issues then can launch many smaller projectiles at the same time. The nuclear launch system can achieve the 9km/sec speed so no booster is needed. The nuclear cannon can have a deeper hole to allow reduced g-forces even when accelerating to 9 km/sec instead of 6 km/sec. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicklaunch Friedlander here. As you can see, an ocean-suspended hydrogen gas gun which has the longest barrel length practical without building expensive land based structure and its aimable given time, and can theoretically be towed to a near equatorial location for maximum trajectory choice. A sabot is ejected at launch, an aeroshell is jettisoned at 100 km, a solid rocket uses most of the boost weight, but after all that cost to orbit is still a fraction of today. However if direct to escape blast were feasible the payload fraction would be far higher. Brian refers above to the Wang Bullet concept This is nuclear explosive launch from below the ground or ocean with a single round, no airbursts like ORION. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2009/03/underground-nuclear-tests-salt.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2009/02/nuclear-orion-home-run-shot-all-fallout.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2010/03/150-kiloton-nuclear-verne-gun.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2012/01/nuclear-katyusha-launching.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2010/12/sea-based-launch-option-for-nuclear.html Supportive posts with nuclear data for Wang Bullet Studies https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2012/06/what-was-total-yield-of-all-known.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2012/02/which-is-cheaper-per-unit-of-energy.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2013/01/friedlander-on-wang-bullet-and-on.html This article was inspired by the speculation of Gershom Gale who introduced Dr. Tom Shaffer of Temple University (who had perfected liquid ventilation, which he had intended to employ in order to save premature children) to Dr. Henry Kolm, who had left MIT to found a company called Electromagnetic Launch Systems (which promised to put a two-ton payload into low Earth orbit in 1.9 seconds). Gales about page: BTW Gales interesting idea on why time flows forward Gale says: It was my idea (subsequently favored by these two men) that filling an astronauts lungs with the breathable liquid developed by Dr. Shaffer and floating him in a similarly liquid-filled capsule (i.e. neutral density encapsulation) would make it possible to withstand the 1,000G forces generated by Dr. Kolms launch mechanism. This is Gales idea in his own words (shortened, whole thing at link) http://www.angelfire.com/my/theory/g.html Gales about page: http://www.angelfire.com/my/theory/gale.html BTW Gales interesting idea on why time flows forward http://www.esek.com/jerusalem/timetrav.html Surviving 1,000G One of the first problems that must be solved by any group planning to colonize space is getting there. Rockets are likely to be too slow, too dangerous, and far too expensive when substantial numbers of people, animals, and plants are involved. Perhaps there is a better way. The electromagnetic launch system designed by Dr. Henry Kolm (formerly of MIT) offers the possibility of putting two-ton payloads into low-Earth orbit in less than two seconds, and with no risk of explosion. Furthermore, it may be able to do so at a rate of up to six payloads an hour at a price of about $10,000 a payload. The cost of developing such a system, says Kolm (who has formed his own company, Electromagnetic Launch Systems), would be considerably less than what has already been spent on the shuttle program. Attaining escape velocity in two seconds, however, generates acceleration stress of close to 1,000 gravities. Up to now, there has been no way for human passengers to survive such stress. Neutral density encapsulation might make it possible. Some years ago, Dr. Tom Shaffer of Temple University developed a liquid hydrofluorocarbon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorocarbon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organofluorine_chemistry#Hydrofluorocarbons that can carry enough oxygen into the lungs to support mammalian life. His original purpose was to save severely premature infants, whose lungs are not able to handle gaseous oxygen. In this, he succeeded. Extensive animal studies and preliminary experiments with human infants show that his new liquid makes it possible to bring fetuses to healthy term after as little as 12 weeks in the womb. Liquid Breathing Interview with Thomas Shaffer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF5e2raiB7c But the substance has other applications, one of which is to neutralize almost all the effects of acceleration stress. Consider: What kills human beings at acceleration much over 30 g is not the acceleration itself, but the fact that the vehicle accelerates at a rate different from that of its passengers, and the different parts of the passengers bodies also experience different rates of acceleration. This is because of the differences in density between the astronauts bodies and the environment within the capsule, and differences in density between the lungs and the surrounding body tissues. So an unprotected human in a capsule accelerating at 1,000 g would be killed instantly for two reasons. First, in an air-filled capsule, the more dense human body, even if placed on an acceleration couch, would slam against that couch with bone-shattering force. Secondly, the relative density of the ribs and chest muscles compared to the air pockets in the lungs would cause the ribs to crush the lungs. Neutral density encapsulation could perhaps solve both problems. The overall density of the human body is nearly the same as that of Shaffers liquid. By floating an astronaut in a capsule completely filled with the hydrofluorocarbon, and then accelerating the whole capsule, the first source of stress has been removed, since both the capsule and its occupant would now be accelerating at the same rate. To better understand this point, remember the high-school science experiment with a raw egg. Placed loose inside a tin box which is then thrown against a wall, the egg shatters. If the box with the egg in it is filled with water, however, so that egg and box accelerate and decelerate at the same rate, the egg can survive the throw unbroken. The same principle was applied to living bodies during a rather cruel Italian experiment conducted in the 1960s. The researchers slammed a pregnant rat against a wall at 10,000 g. While the mother rat was killed instantly, the fetuses floating as they were in sacs totally filled with amniotic fluid survived. The second source of stress the difference in density (and hence rate of acceleration) between chest and lungs can be neutralized by having the astronaut breath the liquid. The gag reflex can be overcome by adjusting the substances temperature and pH. Ethical considerations have so far prevented Shaffer from filling both lungs of a human volunteer, but one lung has been filled, and the liquid has been breathed and later coughed out without harm. Whatever was left in the lung was safely absorbed. Neutral density encapsulation could thus permit the entire package capsule, astronaut, chest, and lungs to be accelerated or decelerated as a single-density whole. When the idea was presented to Shaffer and Kolm, they worked out the physics and concluded that, yes, floating a liquid-breathing astronaut in a completely liquid-filled chamber would offer full protection against up to 1,000 g. Of course, if the ultimate goal is colonization of the galaxy, rather than merely the solar system, drive systems considerably more potent than Kolms may be required. A Swedish specialist in space medicine has speculated that, if the sinus cavities as well as the lungs are filled, it might be possible to survive even higher accelerations. - Friedlander here again. Wiki is not so optimistic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_breathing Acceleration protection by liquid immersion is limited by the differential density of body tissues and immersion fluid, limiting the utility of this method to about 15 to 20 G. Extending acceleration protection beyond 20 G requires filling the lungs with fluid of density similar to water. An astronaut totally immersed in liquid, with liquid inside all body cavities, will feel little effect from extreme G forces because the forces on a liquid are distributed equally, and in all directions simultaneously. However effects will be felt because of density differences between different body tissues, so an upper acceleration limit still exists. Liquid breathing for acceleration protection may never be practical because of the difficulty of finding a suitable breathing medium of similar density to water that is compatible with lung tissue. Perfluorocarbon fluids are twice as dense as water, hence unsuitable for this application. Incidentally, if we could safety against a million Gs (We would need a nanotech infusion that would equalize body tissue densities) we could heliobrake at the target stars atmosphere so we would only have to pay for the outward trip which itself would be huge in terms of affording massive interstellar colonization. Combine that with an AB Matter tether at Jupiter as I have speculated on here https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2011/11/starbase-jupiter-and-other-femtotech.html and we would be able to do it with little net energy cost other than drawing down Jupiters rotational energy. But that is literally getting ahead of ourselves. Lets focus on merely launching to earth escape velocity from the ground with some sort of high G launcher of 1,000-4000 Gs with humans aboard and surviving unharmed. Brian Wang wrote about the Johndale Solem Orion like asteroid interceptor that would have given a 1000 G launch a few years ago. BTW, the original orion project had the design for an asteroid intercepter that would accelerate at about 1000 Gs. An unmanned Orion asteroid interceptor was designed. It would not need shock absorbers. Artillery arming, fusing, firing system for shells are regularly built to take 1000 Gs. There was a three page paper: Nuclear explosive propelled Interceptor for deflecting objects on collision course with Earth. Johndale Solem, Los Alamos, proposed unmanned vehicle. No shock absorber or shielding. The pulse units were 25kg bombs of 2.5 kiloton yield. Get to high velocities with only a few explosives and small shock absorbers or no shocks at all. Launch against a 100 meter chondritic asteroid coming at 25 km/sec. 1000 megatons if it hits. Launch when it is 15 million kilometers away and try to cause 10000km deflection. A minimal Orion weighing 3.3 tons with no warhead would do the job. 115 charges with a total of 288 kiloton yield. Launch to intercept in 5 hours. Ample time to launch a second if the first failed. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2009/02/unmanned-sprint-start-for-nuclear-orion.html Sprinting out of the Magnetosphere Notice the unmanned high acceleration configurations would reduce the number of charges to go through the atmosphere to about 1-3 charges. Instead of 200 charges to go to orbit with constant lower acceleration. Kick it hard with 3 or fewer 100G force acceleration charges. (charges would go off every half second for fast acceleration instead of 1.1 seconds for human safe acceleration). It can head up at 100Gs. 980 m/s**2. So only 1-3 charges is enough to give escape velocity then coast. It is only a matter of containing the fallout from 1-3 low level charges. Plus 1-3 charges and that is it we have tens of thousands to millions of tons to start the space age. Some of the Orion configurations were for 1000Gs of acceleration. At 100Gs in 10 seconds it would be almost 50 kilometers up. 20 shots assuming one every 0.5 second. In 20 seconds it would be almost 200 kilometers up. Some more charges could be used to slow the Orion for a rendezvous with human passengers and acceleration sensitive cargo. They could then fly anywhere in the solar system at a leisurely pace without concern about fallout. Mars Express Another aspect of the fast acceleration that is possible is that an unmanned Orion go from earth or earth orbit to Mars (decelerate at halfway) and get to Mars in under one day going at 100Gs if Mars and Earth are in the close approach. If the unmanned version was going at 1000Gs (which was a design that is possible), then Earth to Mars could be done in a few hours. At about 300Gs and you would be looking at a Mars Overnight package delivery. Brian A manned Soledale hotrod would give new opportunities to work on yelling Yahooo! through fluid filled lungs (could you even gurgle?) But a manned Wang Bullet would give the same performance if it were possible to launch at 4000 Gs filling humans with fluid breathing liquid and with NO atmospheric nuclear explosions (just one underground or underwater) You will note that above Gale speculated on 1,000 Gs. Many systems need a bit higher than that so I am setting the bar at a nominal 4000 Gs in which encapsulated electronics can survive. What would be the design rules for stuff going up? Compact design. If fluid has to fill every void space there cant be a lot of void space unless you have a huge system. With the Wang Bullet this is not a problem but with the reference Kolm Launcher it is. No evacuated spaces. This is the biggest rule. Not only the lungs, the sinuses would be filled. Astronauts would literally wear wetsuits, fluid containing suits in which they had been sealed (I am not sure I am joking when I can envision a CAT scan directly after sealing in the suit just to be sure). The early 60s astronauts joked about spam (the meat, not the email) in a can we are talking about spam in a beverage bag. They get loaded in their ship and the ship itself filled with (possibly a different) fluid. Ideally the time from sealing in to direct to escape is so small that literally an hour later they have been in space for half an hour. (note that sanitary arrangements are assumed and can be discussed but not here. The main concern being that you not only need to be able to take care of bathroom needs waiting for a launch but before a high -G landing. In other words, you may need to stay liquid-packed during the whole Earth-Moon run if you want to try for a high G-landing.) Yes, even though direct impacts at over 300 m/s tend to leave powder in their wake, not whole ships, (see F-4 Phantom dispute with wall movie below) there might be ways to totally cut the mass ratio of payload up to payload down if you could take say 4000 gs deceleration as well as acceleration.) (actually even 50 to 500 Gs would be huge) The penalty is you need to stay in your G-suit for however much time to get to your destination) For example the Zond capsules of the USSR would have killed a cosmonaut if they had encountered the 20-30 G forces in certain possible return trajectories. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_7K-L1 All L1/Zond spacecraft made only unmanned flights from 196770, from ( Zond 4 to Zond 8 ), and four of these five Zond flights suffered malfunctions. One of those also performed an unsafe (for humans) descent of up to 20 Gs of deceleration, the other suffered main parachute failure, and only one flight Test flights conducted around the Moon showed problems using their star sensors for navigation. These problems caused ballistic reentry due to the failed guidance. One direct descent re-entry was performed on a steep ballistic trajectory with deceleration of up to 20 Gs and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. Three others performed a maneuver known as skip reentry to shed velocity., the other suffered main parachute failure, and only one flight Zond 7 would have been safe for cosmonauts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_reentry For example again the Pioneer Venus Multiprobe they encountered 458 Gs in a very swift deceleration. http://www.mrc.uidaho.edu/entryws/presentations/Papers/bienstock_pioneer%20venus%20and%20galileo%20probe%20history-final.pdf Ability to take high Gs on demand would enable many exotic mission profiles and return trajectory profiles and probably someday save lives. I have a rotary tether in mind on the moon or something akin to but longer than an aircraft carrier arrestor system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arresting_gear that could pull on the surface skimming (you need the right angle and incoming trajectory) capsule as it comes into the moonbase. (The first missions to build the braking base would be blasted up, retro-rocket down. But by saving the half your weight in fuel youd need to retro each capsule up the capture system of the moonbase would rapidly pay for itself) This would only work for many smaller loads such as the reference Kolm Launcher mentioned above. Imagine a 12 ton launched, losing a few hundred kilos of heatshield on the way up, rocketing down to the moon, and you will find maybe 6 tons lands dry, maybe less and most of that is salvagable structure (say 2/3high G capsules are built sturdily) and void filling fluids (besides the breathing fluid, these could include water, propane, liquid ammonia (on unmanned flights) and other candidates but they arent really payload unless someone on the base asked for them and will pay for them) Net real payload might be under a ton and a half on a 12 ton launch. My model of this is two people might launch simultaneously but it might only be one. So if 6 shots an hour, 8 hours a day (the Earth rotates and not every trajectory up is ideal for a prompt Moon landing, only the best windows are for manned missions, the other payloads need to take their time down) you have 48 shots a day, a few of which might be manned, and maybe 60 tons net payload down. The Saturn V system might have been rigged for a direct landing of the 3rd stage or with 3 bottom stage only lunar modules to give say 15-18 tons down. So the equivalent of over 3 Saturn Vs a day, or a thousand a year. That basically can build a couple Skylab base modules a day, or a large Moonbase 2001 or Space 1999 style in a year. But if you could snag the 12 tons coming in and not waste 6 tons of that in retro fuel you could probably quadruple the net payload. So first you rocket down, and build the landing base. Then you operate a lunar capture port and ship more people, livestock, plants and industrial equipment and start building and launching spacecraft on the Moon for tether launch to space (including a L-5 shipyard for large structures) How might we capture large payloads at high G on the Moon? Direct crashing wont work unless we can build a retro tunnel in which to hit the incoming craft with gas streams of some kind in which it can retro. This gas need not be a permanent gas but could be sodium vapor for example that would not ruin the lunar vacuum. Another approach would be a hovering capture hook. The main idea would be a mass driver on the surface speeds up (on a hovertrack with magnetic suspension) something akin to a rocket sled that lifts a hook up to the incoming spacecraft at something under 300 m/sec relative velocity. Only the capture eyelet on the spacecraft need be built superstrong. Hooked, and then the spacecraft can decelerate at at least hundreds of Gs if not thousands at quite a reasonable encounter length. If that idea doesnt work, Kraft Ehricke came up with an elaborate treatment of using lunar dust runways to slow down with 1/10th the fuel (for hover as you brake using skids) If that idea doesnt work, this rocket sled which is going better than lunar escape velocity 8,568 km/h is slowed down by liquid drag through liquid braking. So we can imagine a liquid runway of molten sodium metal as detailed here https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/01/the-future-of-canal-transport-take_3.html with a rocket sled brake accelerated to docking speed on a mass driver along side and the capsule hooking on and decelerating at high G sloshing liquid sodium in a great plume. There are many other lower G ways to decelerate if you want to get out of the wetsuit right after reaching escape. For example hooking on to a lunar rotovator and enduring 8 Gs at 100 km radius as you are decelerated. But the whole focus of this article is cool things you can do at high G so we are weighting it toward those scenarios. I am assuming the astronauts would want to launch being awake. But if you want to keep consumption of oxygen to a minimum you could chill them and put them to sleep this way while liquid filling them. I personally would want to be awake every minute during my first space mission but I am guessing there are a lot of people who just want to go to sleep on Earth and wake up on the Moon with no worries in between. Which would you prefer? 19 hours-3 days in a wetsuit with waste filtering awake or asleep? There is a sweet spot on the trip duration and delta v requirements even if ANY launch speed is possible. If you go to bare escape velocity you take 5 days to get to the Moon and impact at the lowest possible speed. If you up the launch delta v a bit, not much over 12 km/sec launch net speed would get to the moon not in 5 days or even 3 but 19 hours. http://www.universetoday.com/13562/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-to-the-moon/ New Horizons left at 16.3-5 km/sec (the first thing launched to solar escape directly IIRC) and could have reached (and impacted) the moon at 8 hours 35 minutes after launch. It passed the Moons orbit by.New Horizons went past lunar orbit in under 9 hours But if you had to brake as you are retrofiring onto the moons surface you want a low incoming speed. So I am guessing the sweet spot is a bit over 12km/sec for explosive or high-G launch and as slow a landing as possible for under 3 km/sec delta V needed. There is a claim which I am not sure I believe that the very first thing to impact the Moon on September 1 1959 from the USSR retrofired by explosive charge to give its commemorative medallion a chance to survive impact. It also carried metal pendants which it scattered on the surface on impact, with the hammer and sickle of the USSR on one side and the launch date on the other. See more at: http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/soviet-union-first-moon#sthash.AN79osgn.dpuf Or at least a ghost of chance. Not sure if that story is real and no photographs from the surface have yet proved it. But by dynamics, if not retrofired those medallions had this happen to them with 8 times the velocity and 64 times the energy. Explosive deceleration would be tricky but might pay if for example aluminum/liquid oxygen charges were locally makable on the moon. But would detonation velocity be in the right range? It might be very hard to match compared to say a spray of liquid or gas in the path of the oncoming capsule. For that reason I think explosive slowdown isnt as likely as explosive launch. But the high-G deceleration capability for manned missions would enable astounding things. One can imagine 1000G shielded astronauts surviving an asteroid aerocapture event as the successful return of a one-way manned asteroid mission. Go to the asteroid ALMOST in an encounter with Earth trajectory, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_impact_avoidance nudge it a bit years in advance, stay with the asteroid working on it to form it into an aerocapture friendly shape, then ride it into a highly eccentric earth orbit (Low point is capture necessity, high point because you dont want it circularizing at the low altitude circular orbit which would herald atmospheric reentry!) With one mission Earth would have a literal new moon and a huge new space station possibly of kilometer scale. IF the world community would ever permit it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerocapture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_capture Some posts of mine that discuss problems of lunar landing and colonization, Lunar and Space Industrial buildupand what to do with it: Some other articles on https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2010/12/sea-based-launch-option-for-nuclear.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2010/12/setting-up-industrial-village-on-moon.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2010/12/after-lunar-industrial-village.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2011/01/two-world-industrial-bootup-enabling.html If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks Recently, there has been some worry that a Chinese government facing internal challenges might choose to aggravate external conflicts. These worries are plausible, but it strikes me that it is far more likely that an American president might provoke a conflict with China than the reverse. After all, a war with China would be primarily at sea and in the air. It would provide the United States with clear victory conditions. And it is one that (as of right now) the United States would win. So might an American president be tempted? Realistically, any scenario would need to fill several requirements: No cognitive dissonance. I do not believe in a Reichstag fire scenario. Any series of provocative responses by an American president would have to be ones that she or he could justify in their own head. Which also means that they would be justifiable in the eyes of much of the public; Provide electoral advantage. The lessons from George H.W. Bush are useful here. He came out of an amazing overwhelming victory in a popular war and still went on to lose in November of the subsequent year; Retain East Asian support. Any series of American provocations against China would need to keep Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and (to a lesser extent) Vietnam on side at every stage. Lose them and you likely lose (2) as well; Provide advantage short of war. Given the geopolitical circumstances, no single American action would lead to war. It would result from a cascading series of American actions and reactions. Each individual American action, however, would have to fill all of the above requirements, should the Chinese government not take the bait. In other words, the U.S. administration would need to believe that it would come out ahead regardless of the Chinese countermove. One question, of course, is whether a short naval war with China would have adverse economic impacts on the United States. The answer to that question is surprisingly unclear. Chinese demand for U.S. bonds is irrelevant, given that we borrow in our own currency. A decline the U.S. dollar could be good for the American economy. Most Chinese imports are replaceable, certainly in the short run. The long-run consequences would not be good, but the assumption here is that the American administration is not worrying about the long run. The question for you, then: what are the circumstances under which an American president might deliberately try to provoke a war with the Peoples Republic of China? Read this first. 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. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. A Belgian of Moroccan origin who managed last November to slip police net after the terror Paris attacks that claimed 130 lives, was captured lately in Morocco. According to Moroccan authorities, the suspect was arrested in the Atlantic coast port city of Mohammadia, near Casablanca. Investigators said the man had sojourned in Syria where he fought with Al-Nusra front militants before joining ISIS. While in Syria, the suspect received military training and made ties with ISIS field commanders, including the mastermind of the Paris attacks, and other terrorists who threatened attacks in France and Belgium. During his training camp, he learnt to handle different weapons and guerrilla tactics before leaving Syria for Turkey. He then travelled to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands before he arrived in Morocco. According to the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (Moroccos FBI), the suspect had travelled to Syria along with one of the suicide bombers who blow up himself near Paris national stadium during the November 13 terror attacks in Paris. He built strong ties with Abaaoud, 28, during his stay in war-torn Syria. Abaaoud, the Belgian architect of the Paris massacre, was killed with other terror suspects when police raided a house in the Saint Denis Paris suburb. Moroccan security services provided French and Belgian police the tip-off that enabled them to locate this terrorists hideout. The Moroccan intelligence assistance was praised worldwide for it helped to save lives and foil other terror plots. A week after the November 13 attacks, French President Francois Hollande received King Mohammed of Morocco in Paris to thank him for Rabats efficient help. For his part, Belgiums King Philippe had called the Moroccan Sovereign requesting the help of the North African countrys intelligence. Morocco, a Western ally against Islamist militancy, has broken up many radical cells that were plotting terror attacks inside and outside the kingdom. Morocco has been repeatedly mentioned by suspected Islamist guerrillas as a target of their attacks. However, since the latest assault in a Restaurant in Marrakesh in 2011, the North African country deployed a new counter-terrorism strategy which has proven its efficiency in thwarting terror threats at home and overseas. The Moroccan strategy to fight terrorism is based on a global approach including prevention, anticipation, education, rehabilitation, eradication of terrorism roots and international cooperation. Morocco has vehemently condemned the terrorist attacks that targeted the capital city of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, as a blow to peace and stability in this sisterly country and as a blow to the efforts being made to establish democracy. At least 30 people of some 20 nationalities have been killed in the attacks staged at a hotel and a cafe downtown Ouagadougou last Friday. Leila Alaoui, a young woman in her thirties holding a double Moroccan-French citizenship, is among the victims. Leila Alaoui, an artist-photographer who was on an Amnesty International mission in the African country succumbed to her serious injuries on Monday before she could be evacuated to France or Morocco. Leila Alaouis corpse will be repatriated to Morocco as soon as all the administrative procedures are completed. Following the attack, King Mohammed VI sent a message of condolences to Burkina Fasos President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, expressing firm condemnation of what he described as a cowardly terrorist attack. The King who offered his deepest condolences to the families of those killed and injured voiced Moroccos full solidarity and support to Burkina Faso and pointed out that this criminal act aims at undermining the stability and security of this sisterly country and of the whole Sahel-Sahara region. In a separate statement, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denounced the odious criminal acts, renewing Moroccos solidarity with the people and the Government of Burkina Faso and urging the international community to show more commitment in the fight against terrorism. An al-Qaida affiliate known as AQIM, or al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it was revenge against France and the disbelieving West, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The attackers were members of the Al-Murabitoun group based in Mali and headed by Algerian Mokhtar Belmokhtar, SITE said. Three jihadis, including an Arab and two black Africans, were killed in the assault on the Splendid hotel and the nearby cafe while a fourth extremist was killed at the Yibi hotel during a search by troops in nearby buildings. According to press reports, two of the attackers were identified as women. The Secret to Happiness is the Joy of the Lord; and the joy of the Lord is His manifest presence in your life. It is our Privilege and Responsibility to Glorify God; and we glorify God by manifesting His character every moment and in every situation. Humility and Pride You can tell a humble man that he has a problem with pride and he will agree with you; but if you tell a proud man that he has a problem with pride, he becomes your enemy. This one thing I know for sure, that whenever there is a problem with my relationship with the Lord, it is not His fault. Some people are just plain lazy; some people are just overly sensitive to gravity; others are simply economical with their energy. It's not enough to preach the Gospel; you must be the Gospel. If you can describe your life in a nutshell, there's a good probability that you're a nut. As a good Canadian, I'd like to apologize in advance for anything I might say that offends you; sometimes my mouth hits high gear while my brain is still in low. Never allow the thought, "I am of no use where I am"; because you certainly can be of no use where you are not. Oswald Chambers We cannot even begin to approach the Truth until we are willing to go wherever the Truth leads us. The newest object of idol worship is 'my opinion'! Suffering is the only experience we have in common with every other human who ever lived. The familiar emergency alert system, the one where we in the U.S. occasionally hear a radio or television broadcast interruption that... Commenting on the president's remarks, journalist Vasily Vankov suggested that for their part, "Washington's Baltic satellites can only welcome a situation in which they will be used as a stick with whose help the Americans can have a smack at the Russian bear." In his analysis for independent Russian newspaper Svobodnaya Pressa, Vankov recalled that, "impatient ahead of the 'shift change' set to take place in the White House, Baltic politicians have raised another tantrum, using the old tune about the 'Russian threat'. Latvian politician and economist Uldis Osis recently suggested that if Republican frontrunner Donald Trump wins the election, Washington will 'give away' the Baltics, Syria and Ukraine to Russia." "Apparently," Vankov writes, "this absurd scenario is taken seriously among the political establishment in the Baltics. At the very least, its officials are doing everything possible to transform the once peaceful, almost pastoral region into a citadel bristling with American bayonets along a potential new eastern front." "The militarization of the Baltic states is taking place at an accelerated pace," the journalist notes, citing the arrival of more and more US heavy equipment, large-scale NATO drills, parades 300 meters from the Russian border, and the creation of new army and air force bases stretching across the region. "In response to just indignation on the part of the Russian Foreign Ministry [over the creation of one such base in Lithuania], Lithuanian Defense Minister Juozas Olekas characteristically replied that his country's moves were 'forced measures' taken in connection with Russia's 'takeover of Ukrainian territory' and its 'aggressive onslaught' in Syria." "And it seems," Vankov warns, "that the Pentagon has no plans to stop there. Officials have confirmed plans to build warehouses for the forward deployment of military equipment in the Baltic countries, despite the fact that such a move would violate a key provision of the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act. Furthermore, this summer's NATO summit in Warsaw will discuss the placement of increased NATO forces in the region on a permanent (!) basis." "I would like to begin by drawing attention to the fact that Moscow has adequately assessed the situation," Konovalov noted. "A few days ago, the Defense Ministry announced the formation of three new divisions in the western direction. Before the Ukrainian crisis, the area was almost entirely undefended." For their part, the analyst suggested, the Baltic countries' political elites "are using the worsening confrontation between the West and Russia for their own purposes. To begin with, the presence of US and NATO troops on their territory benefits them economically." "The military lobby in the Baltic countries has achieved what they were after the allocation of budgetary funds for armies which could previously be categorized only as 'dwarf' in scale. At the same time, the presence of foreign troops will more than reimburse any financial losses. One can only imagine how much the Americans will lay out for the new air bases, of which there are now three in the Baltics. The cost of a full-fledged base, when accounting for aircraft and the ground components, can run upwards of a billion dollars a year." "For this reason," Konovalov explained, "our restless Baltic neighbors are trying to gain permanent bases on their territory we are talking about big money, which will come in handy for the budgets of countries whose economies have shriveled as a result of the economic crisis and the sanctions war with Russia." As for the current bases' rotational nature, the analyst noted that it makes little difference. "Yes, NATO is increasing its presence near Russia's northwest borders on a rotating basis, but by and large, this doesn't change much. Obviously, they do not want to completely throw out the NATO-Russia Founding Act, because that would untie Moscow's hands. However, without any fanfare, 300 pieces of NATO heavy equipment have appeared on Russia's borders. It may not seem like much, but this is already a division-sized force. And to think only a couple of years ago, Estonia had only one old T-55 tank, which it borrowed from neighboring Latvia to hold military exercises." Ultimately, Konovalov warns, "given the pace of the military buildup, it's not hard to imagine how many pieces of equipment the Baltics might accumulate say a year from now." As for the Russian response to the buildup, the expert notes that Russia "is changing its plans for defense including the transfer of forces to the western direction. And this is absolutely justified. It is well known that in [Russian] military history, the enemy has most commonly attacked from the west. The main obstacle for invasion has always been the Belarusian marshland. Therefore, they usually bypass the marshes via the northwest and the southwest." As for the worrying prospect of the US deploying tactical nuclear weapons in the Baltics, Konovalov explained that this too is now more likely, given that the latest modification of the B-61 variable yield nuclear bomb can be placed on any airborne platform, and is not limited to strategic bombers. "The same NATO planes which are now permanently patrolling Baltic airspace, flying near our borders, could be loaded up [with such weapons]. Europe now has 200 such bombs. Accordingly, the 16 aircraft at the bases at Zokniai, Lithuania or Amari, Estonia, can carry them onboard. And the pilots of these countries have been trained on how to use such weapons." Speaking to Svobodnaya Pressa, veteran defense commentator Viktor Litovkin agreed with his counterpart that ultimately, "the rotational character of the existing bases, in fact, is of little importance. [All it means is that] one group leaves, and another comes to take their place." As to whether the buildup in the Baltics and elsewhere in Eastern Europe violates the spirit of the NATO-Russia Founding Act, Litovkin suggested that in his view, "it obviously doesThe Pentagon uses uncertain wording, which forbids the placing of 'significant numbers of troops' [in the region]. What precisely is considered 'significant'? A company-sized force? A battalion? A regiment? A brigade? It is unclear. Moreover, Washington does not want to negotiate with Moscow on the concretization of this fuzzy definition." "This NATO 'stone in our shoe' will force Moscow to react. And the US is actively trying to provoke another arms race in order to weaken our country economically. The Baltic states' leaders also benefit receiving rent for the bases, and taxes for local budgets. Therefore, I would say that the anti-Russian hysteria among the Baltic countries' political elites have a multi-valued character." Emphasizing that Russia full realizes the risks created by NATO's provocations, Litovkin concludes that in any case, "the three new divisions, referred to by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, are only one small part of the measures Russia will take to ensure the security of its western borders." In his swansong State of the Union address before Congress, President Barack Obama indicated that the US would "make sure [that] other countries pull their own weight" in helping Washington contain its geopolitical opponents.Commenting on the developments, Ivan Konovalov, the director of the Center for the Study of Strategic Trends, a Moscow-based military think tank, told Svobodnaya Pressa that NATO's moves to turn the Baltics into a potential staging area for an invasion of Russia is undoubtedly viewed as a threat in Moscow.Commenting on NATO officials' recent " categorical denial " that NATO's military buildup poses any threat to Moscow, Konovalov bluntly retorted that "surely you must agree that it is difficult to see how Abrams tanks and artillery can be considered equipment with a purely defensive purpose? Russia was forced to respond because it reminded it of the situation in 1941, when the Germans moved large formations up to our borders, while simultaneously talking about their defensive nature.""By and large, the most convenient bridgehead for an attack on Russia by conventional forces has been via the southern direction. The Germans broke through to Stalingrad via Ukraine. And in the north, they could not pass, stopping at LeningradIncidentally, the Wehrmacht's northern breakthrough failed not least because the Baltic states at the time were part of the Soviet Union. Here, the Germans were forced to break the first line of defense. The defense of Liepaja, Latvia, for example, lasted for almost a week."Ultimately, the analyst notes, "NATO will not risk an invasion of Russia. But the deployment of military bases in the Baltics is akin to a situation where you get a stone caught in your shoe. If you cannot shake it out, it will be a constant irritant, and may eventually make it painful to walk." Mayor de Blasio has crafted a deal to make good on one of his earliest promises in office: scaling back the city's horse carriage industry. Should it be approved by the City Council, an agreement with the Teamsters union of the horse carriage industry will reduce the number of working horses from 220 to 95, and relocate the horses' stables in Midtown West to a city-owned building in Central Park near the 85th Street Transverse. The move to use public parkland for a private industry has raised red flags with park advocates. "This was not the way public parkland was intended to be used," the executive director of New Yorkers For Parks, Tupper Thomas, told the Times. The Central Park Conservancy, which oversees the 843-acre green lung, also vehemently opposes the plan. "It is like building a palace for a concessionaire," a founder of the conservancy, Betsy Barlow Rogers, told the Times, adding that the plan must "absolutely must be opposed." Its estimated that the city would spend $25 million to convert the park maintenance building into a suitable home for the horses. De Blasio calls the expenditure a "worthy investment to fix up a building that we already own." De Blasio's plan also includes confining horse carriages to Central Park and prohibiting their competition, pedicabs, from operating in the park south of 85th Street. The pedicab industry is now considering suing the city, the Times reports. "It's like orange farmers saying, 'We're going to ban tangerines now,'" the founder of the New York City Pedicab Owners Association, Gregg Zuman, told the Times. "It's unbelievable that you would forcibly eliminate your competition." The measure to ban New York City's decades-old horse carriage industry was encouraged by some of de Blasio's wealthiest donors. The Times also points out that equine rights advocates spent nearly $1 million in attacks against De Blasio's 2013 mayoral opponent Christine Quinn. The move would also free up for new development the immensely valuable Midtown West buildings currently used to house the horses. Mayor de Blasio, With Carriage Horse Deal, Addresses a Pledge but Gets New Troubles [NYT] Developers Eye Stables Freed By Looming Carriage Horse Ban [Curbed] De Blasio to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages In New York City [Curbed] Horsing Around archives [Curbed] I have betrayed my family and only hope they can find it in their hearts to admit that this will be a really entertaining movie. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images Imagine youre an ex-congressperson trying to revive your career in the wake of a sexting scandal and youre also, secretly, still addicted to extramarital sexting. Would you grant a documentary camera crew full access to you and your wife as you campaigned for New York mayor? Of course you would. Because you are Anthony Weiner. In May 2013, Weiner invited filmmakers to document (what he hoped would be) his rise from the ashes of public humiliation to the mayoralty of Americas largest city. Instead, they ended up documenting the would-be mayor racing through the back halls of a McDonalds to avoid a woman with whom he traded inappropriate texts, whom his campaign code-named Pineapple, the New York Times reports. The Times got an exclusive first look at Weiner, which premieres at Sundance this Sunday. The paper writes that the film is as much about Weiners wife, longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin, as it is about her unfortunately named husband. The documentary reportedly depicts Abedin trying to balance her marital and political ambitions at a time when both are thrown into crisis: Ms. Abedin turns to Mrs. Clintons longtime spokesman, Philippe I. Reines, for guidance, preferring his counsel to Mr. Weiners terse advice toward the end of his campaign that she act like a normal campaign candidates wife and say, I think Anthony is doing an amazing job. Ms. Abedin is also shown heeding the suggestion of Mr. Reines to not appear in public with Mr. Weiner as he casts his ballot. Abedin has been a perennial target for conservatives, first for her wholly fictional relationship to the Muslim Brotherhood, then for her actual relationship to Hillary Clinton. Republican lawmakers have questioned the legality of Abedin accepting outside income while working for Clinton at the State Department. Weiner will likely join the Michael Bay Benghazi epic 13 Hours on the Clinton campaigns top 10 least-favorite films of 2016. The Christian God is the classiest of the gods. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Donald J. Trump, a twice-divorced worshiper of Mammon, called for Christian unity in an address at Liberty University on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Christianity, its under siege, the GOP front-runner said at the Evangelical colleges morning convocation. We dont band together. Other religions, frankly, theyre banding together we have to unify. We have to band together, we have to do really, in a really large version, what theyve done at Liberty. Trump promised that if American Christians unified behind his candidacy, they would never again suffer the indignity of having a Sears employee wish them happy holidays. If Im president, youre going to see Merry Christmas in department stores, believe me, Trump said. The mogul further argued that the Bible is the best, though he had some difficulty in trying to quote it. Two Corinthians 3:17, thats the whole ballgame. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, Trump said, inspiring chuckles from an audience that knows that chapter of Scripture by its god-given name of Second Corinthians. Trumps preaching to Libertys choir comes as Texas senator Ted Cruz is narrowly out-polling him in Iowa, where Evangelical voters tend to pick the winner of the states caucus. While Cruz is a lifetime social conservative who launched his campaign at Liberty last year, the schools president, Jerry Falwell Jr., showed no lack of affection for Cruzs formerly pro-choice rival. In my opinion, Mr. Trump lives a life of loving and helping others as Jesus taught in the New Testament, Falwell said on Monday. But not all of Falwells students agree that the billionaire developer is Christlike. Ive seen him talk the talk but not walk the walk, senior Josh Neubauer told Politico. How can you call yourself a Christian and denigrate other religions? Still, the New York Times notes that there were a few scattered red Make America Great Again hats among the students in attendance. While many presidential candidates have spoken at Liberty this cycle, including Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and amateur Egyptologist Ben Carson, only Trump could boast of drawing a record crowd not because Trumps crowd was actually larger, but because only Trump had the stones to take credit for attracting the schools 10,000 students to a mandatory assembly. But at least Trump had the decency to donate his fake achievement to a fellow man of faith: Were dedicating the record to the late, great Martin Luther King, Trump said. Frey performs at the 16th Annual Race to Erase MS on May 8, 2009. Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Good morning and welcome to Fresh Intelligence, our roundup of the stories, ideas, and memes youll be talking about today. In this edition we mourn Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey, Chris Christie is pro-crispito, Ted Cruz channels Janet Jackson, the Academy responds to the Oscars lack of diversity, and we check in with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorations across the country. Heres the rundown for Tuesday, January 19. WEATHER Winter is well and truly here. Frigid temperatures continue in the Midwest, heavy rains are expected across the South, and New York will try to enjoy a relatively mild day before a storm later in the week threatens to bring a significant amount of snow. [Weather] FRONT PAGE Founding Eagle Dies at 67 Glenn Frey, a founding member of rock band the Eagles, died in New York City yesterday of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia. He was 67. Frey wrote the lyrics for many of bands hit songs, including the inescapable Hotel California, and had a cameo as a rock-and-roll smuggler on Miami Vice. EARLY AND OFTEN Stuck in Pander-Mode, Chris Christie Forgets Children Cant Vote New Jersey governor Chris Christie was in top form at a town-hall meeting in Iowa yesterday, responding to a childs question about healthy school lunches with, I dont care what youre eating for lunch every day, I really dont. He then doubled down, reminding school children throughout the country that if their parents pack them a healthy lunch, they can still throw it out. Trump Reads Bible, Possibly for First Time At an appearance at Liberty University yesterday, Donald Trump tried to shore up support among Evangelical voters by fearmongering about other religions, misquoting the Bible, and promising to save Christmas. Well leave our Christmas-saving to Tim Allen, thank you very much. U.K. Embraces Time-Wasting Political Debates A debate raged thats not quite right. Whats the British parliamentary equivalent of raged? Fussed? in the British Parliament yesterday over a petition banning Donald Trump from entering the country because of his perceived hate speech. The debate is mostly symbolic, as it is well-known Trump finds other cultures gross, and if elected would not visit them. [CNN] Its Ted Senator Cruz If Youre Nasty In a response to recent attacks from Donald Trump, Ted Cruz tweeted Janet Jacksons hit 1986 music video Nasty to his 728,000 followers. Later he attacked Trump for basically being a Democrat. In fairness, his strategy of YouTube-ing the word nasty and tweeting whatever came up could have gone much worse. [MSNBC] THE STREET, THE VALLEY Facebook in Talks to Make Future Terrible Facebook-owned messaging app Whatsapp has announced it will scrap its one-dollar annual fee and make the service totally free to all users. Lest you think Whatsapp is acting out of the kindness of the heart it does not have, the announcement also said the company is experimenting with charging businesses for the ability to directly contact annoy potential customers using the service. [Reuters] Apple, Samsung, and Sony Named in Child-Labor Report An Amnesty International report on mining practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo accused major technology companies including Apple, Samsung, and Sony of profiting from child labor in sourcing cobalt for their lithium-ion batteries. Child labor is commonplace in the DRCs cobalt mines. [BBC] Nightrider Era Inches Closer An announcement yesterday confirms BMW is developing a cloud-based digital assistant that will be rolled out in the next few months. Soon your car will be able to find a restaurant, make reservations, and provide directions, among other services. The company is actively seeking partners to develop other apps; fingers crossed for a David Cronenberginspired dating app. [Bloomberg] MEDIA BUBBLE Calls for Oscar Boycott Grow, Academy Answers Controversy continues to plague this years Oscar nominations. For the second time in as many years, each of the nominees in all four acting categories were white. In posts on social media both actress Jada Pinkett Smith and filmmaker Spike Lee announced they would boycott the ceremony, and Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs responded promising improvements in the diversity of its membership. [LAT] RNC Ditches NBC for Being Too Mean The Republican National Committee has severed all ties with NBC, probably because its still upset that CNBCs moderators didnt stick to easy questions. The preSuper Tuesday debate in Texas was supposed to be hosted by the network but will now air on CNN. PHOTO OP MLK Spirit Alive and Well Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was commemorated with marches and rallies across the country, like this one in Seattle. In the Bay Area, Blacks Lives Matter activists shut down traffic on the Bay Bridge for about 45 minutes, and 25 people were arrested. [NBC Bay Area] Photo: JASON REDMOND MORNING MEME The long-standing rumors that Tyrese built an entire private Benihana-style restaurant in his backyard have been confirmed by Aziz Ansari, who Instagrammed his experience eating there last night. Enjoy the most jealousy-inducing, happy-making clip on the web right now. OTHER LOCAL NEWS Proof: Big Macs Better Than Heroin A man reportedly paid for his meal at a La Porte, Indiana, McDonalds with cash and a small bag of heroin. Police were called, but the peckish drug-user fled the scene and remains unidentified. The incident, which was clearly an accident, has local newscasters and police baffled and disturbed because drugs. [NBC Chicago] Love, Peace, and Unity Encounter Depressing Reality A love, peace, and unity concert in Falls Church, Virginia, ended in bloodshed yesterday after someone fired as many as 15 shots into a crowd of 100 people. Miraculously only three people were hit, and all suffered non-life-threatening injuries. [WJLA] HAPPENING TODAY Scott Walker to Deliver Wisconsin State of State Address Though it will almost certainly lack the fireworks of 2011s speech, in which Walker announced his intention to repeal collective bargaining for most public workers, the annual presentation is always worth watching. You just never know whose rights are going to be threatened next. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel] Its Tax Day for Control Freaks Today is the first day you can file your taxes though you almost certainly wont. Very few people will have the information necessary to file this early mostly the jobless. Here we go again, Obama giving special treatment to the unemployed. How did it come to this?! (Oh right, the birther thing.) Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images Through the last few months of 2015, the bond between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz appeared to be unbreakable. Even as Trump called Cruz names, made uncomfortable comments about various ethnic groups, and complained about Cruzs parents, the senator stood by his man, in the hope that he might snatch up his supporters, or at least be his running mate. Over the holidays it became obvious that their relationship had run its course, but Cruz only came to that sad realization during last weeks debate, when he was forced to clap as Trump expertly rebutted his New York values jab with a 9/11 reference. Heres a replay: Now, after a few days of soul searching and passive-aggressive sniping, the Trump-Cruz bromance is officially over. Sunday on ABCs This Week, Trump unloaded on Cruz, saying, Hes a nasty guy. Nobody likes him. Nobody in Congress likes him. Nobody likes him anywhere once they get to know him. On Monday morning, Cruz tried his usual coping method: I gotta say, the American people are feeling pretty "nasty"towards the Washington Cartel. https://t.co/ZBMVcYlwdi Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 18, 2016 But this time, confusing pop-culture references and obliquely criticizing Trump in conversations with journalists wouldnt do the trick. So at an event in Whitefield, New Hampshire, on Monday night, Cruz shifted gears, directly attacking Trump in a speech to voters. Cruz went after one of the central tenets of the businessmans campaign: that no one has a more extreme position on immigration. If thats so, Cruz wondered, why didnt Trump stand up against the bipartisan immigration bill that passed in the Senate in 2013? We were on the verge of losing this fight, and 12 million people here illegally would be granted amnesty. And yet when that fight was being fought, Donald was nowhere to be found, said Cruz. If you didnt stand up and fight amnesty when the stakes were live or die, when the stakes were, Do we lose this permanently or do we win? then I would suggest as voters you have reason to doubt the credibility of the promises of a political candidate who discovered the issue after he announces for president. Since he wasnt in politics at the time, it might have been weird for Trump to get involved in the immigration fight, but Cruz noted that he also leaned left on issues closer to his own industry. You should ask, Where did you stand on the TARP big bank bailout? Did you oppose it or support it? Where did you stand on Obamas massive stimulus plan? Did you oppose it or support it? he said. On both of those I opposed it. On both of those, Mr. Trump supported it. Then in a reference to Trumps unsuccessful fight to take an Atlantic City widows home to build a casino, Cruz added, Donald Trump has said he thinks eminent domain is fantastic, and he supports using government power to seize private peoples homes to give them to giant corporations to hypothetically build a casino. At another stop in Washington, New Hampshire, Cruz hit Trump with one of the worst insults you can hurl at a GOP candidate: calling him un-Reagan-like. While Trump has claimed that the 40th presidents views shifted over time, too, Cruz said, Ronald Reagan did not spend the first 60 years of his life supporting Democratic politicians, advocating for big-government policies, supporting things like the TARP big bank bailout, supporting things like expanding Obamacare to turn it into socialized medicine. He also listed a number of Democrats Trump has given money to, including Andrew Cuomo, Hillary Clinton, Anthony Weiner, and Rahm Emanuel. Despite the strategy shift, Cruz said he wouldnt resort to insults like Trump though policy differences are fair game. So far, Trumps responses have been rather weak and repetitive: Ted Cruz is falling in the polls. He is nervous. People are worried about his place of birth and his failure to report his loans from banks! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2016 I don't think Ted Cruz can even run for President until he can assure Republican voters that being born in Canada is not a problem. Doubt! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2016 Either Cruz is getting to him, or Trumps working on a retort so harsh that Cruz will wish he werent eligible to run for president. Donald Trump has a plan devious in its intricacy. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images The human brain has a magnificent capacity to adapt to bizarre circumstances and rationalize them as normal. Donald Trumps chances of winning the Republican nomination which even his skeptics (like me) now regard as plausible, and many consider likely or even inevitable has caused a reconsideration of his standing with the public. Yes, polling data would suggest Trump is wildly unpopular with a solid majority of the public and would probably lose soundly. But polling data does not account for other, uh, factors imagined by Trumps supporters, who now present their case to the media. How Donald Trump Defeats Hillary Clinton is the headline of a Politico story, and possibly the least convincing electability argument ever published in a mainstream publication. The author, Ben Schreckinger, cites numerous arguments for why Trump would fare better than you think. Here are the most entertaining ones: 1. Black people love him. If he were the Republican nominee he would get the highest percentage of black votes since Ronald Reagan in 1980, says Republican pollster Frank Luntz. He behaves in a way that most minorities would not expect a billionaire to behave, adds another pollster. More likely, the Republican candidate to arrest the partys deep decline among African-Americans is not going to be the candidate who spent his own money to whip up public demands for the execution of five African-Americans for a rape they did not commit, and who publicly questioned the legitimacy of President Obamas birth certificate. It is true that Trump does not behave the way minorities would expect a billionaire to behave, or, for that matter, the way white people would expect a billionaire to behave. You could expect a billionaire not to act like a racist buffoon. Trumps non-stereotypical behavior does not necessarily give him special political appeal to the targets of his demagoguery. 2. He has a brilliant plan to make Latinos stop hating him. Trump minimizes his losses with Hispanics by running Spanish-language ads highlighting his support for a strong military and take-charge entrepreneurial attitude, especially in the Miami and Orlando media markets, the story explains. Thats all it takes! Just some Spanish-language ads in Miami and Orlando talking about the military and having a take-charge entrepreneurial attitude! Why didnt Mitt Romney think of this? 3. Hell use Bill Clintons affairs against Hillary. Trump, continues Schreckinger, uses a weapon he has already begun to deploy: He draws the starkest possible outsider-insider contrast with Hillary Clinton and successfully tars her with her husbands sexual history. Schreckinger allows that Trump running as a candidate of sexual propriety would be audacious. But there is also the problem of whether this tactic could succeed. Hillary Clintons popularity reached its highest level ever during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which suggests that voters are unlikely to punish her for being victimized by her husbands infidelity. 5. Trump will draw extraordinary levels of working-class white voter turnout. Somehow, though, all of this excitement he creates among voters who love Trump will not also excite countermobilization among voters who hate and fear him. 6. If Republican pollsters can frame the election in a controlled setting, they can make voters agree. This part of the argument has to be read in its entirety to be believed. [Sam Nunberg, a former Trump aide] asked women in Connecticut who opposed marijuana legalization who they respected more: a politician who is also charitable and a world-renowned businessman, father and grandfather or an Elderly woman who not only openly allows her husband to have affairs but tries to silence the women. The figure with the favorable abstract framing of Trump beat the figure with the negative abstract framing of Clinton by more than 20 points, according to Nunberg. Well, okay. Likewise, if you asked some voters if they prefer a small-business owner who rose from poverty in an immigrant community over a bearded trial lawyer who murdered hundreds of thousands of Americans, they would report that they indeed believe John Gotti would make for a better president than Abraham Lincoln. 7. Women cant resist Trump. Hes a masculine figure and that will attract women to him, adds Nunberg. Its their dirty little secret. They like Donald Trump. Yes, Trump treats women with extreme levels of contempt, unashamedly valuing them entirely on the basis of their sex appeal, including his own daughter. But, hey, women obviously love him, as evidenced by the fact that they keep marrying him. The attraction will surely apply to voting as well. Women will feel drawn to him irresistibly. They may even want to vote against Trump, but they will find themselves physically unable to pull the lever for Clinton. If youre scared that Trump can win the election, you probably shouldnt be. Netanyahu is not pleased with U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro. Photo: JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images The U.S. ambassador to Israel on Monday publicly suggested that the Netanyahu government is not genuinely committed to a two-state solution and that Israel holds Palestinians and Jews in the West Bank to separate legal standards. Israeli prime minister Bibi Netanyahu was not pleased. First, for Israel, we are concerned and perplexed by Israels strategy on settlements, U.S. ambassador Daniel Shapiro said at the annual conference of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. This government and previous Israeli governments have repeatedly expressed their support for a negotiated two-state solution a solution that would involve both mutual recognition and separation Yet separation will become more and more difficult if Israel plans to continue to expand the footprint of settlements. Shapiro went on to criticize Israels legal regime in those settlements. Too much Israeli vigilantism in the West Bank goes on unchecked, he said. There is a lack of thorough investigations at times it seems Israel has two standards of adherence to rule of law in the West Bank one for Israelis and one for Palestinians. It seems that way because it is that way. Israelis in the West Bank are governed by Israeli civil law, while Palestinians are subject to Israeli military law, which offers defendants far fewer legal protections. Beyond discrepancies in the letter of the law, there is considerable evidence of disparities in enforcement. The Israeli human-rights group Yesh Din told the Associated Press that Shapiros comments were supported by their data. Out of 1,104 investigations opened following Palestinian complaints of ideologically motivated violence over the past decade, Israeli police pursued indictments against suspects in just 75 of those cases. (Israel recently passed a highly irregular NGO Transparency bill that many in the West interpreted as an attempt to stigmatize human-rights groups like Yesh Din.) The Netanyahu governments preference for settlement expansion over the two-state solution is similarly supported by overwhelming evidence. Under internationally recognized parameters, a two-state solution would require Israel to turn over much of the West Bank to a future Palestine. The more Israelis live on settlements in the West Bank, the greater the political resistance to making such a concession. As Israeli newspaper Haaretz notes, Shapiros comments come two weeks after the U.S. State Department said that it was deeply concerned over the approval of a new settlement inside a West Bank church compound. While Netanyahu claims to support the two-state solution when facing westward, during his campaign for reelection last March, he promised supporters that there will be no Palestinian state under his watch. Still, it is unusual for a U.S. diplomat to invoke these realities so bluntly. Shapiros willingness to do so now may reflect the Obama administrations growing insensitivity to political risks as its tenure draws to a close. While the U.S. remains unwilling to punish Israeli settlement expansion with actions the reduction of aid, the withholding of Americas U.N. veto on measures damaging to Israel it now appears comfortable asserting its opposition to Israeli policy through harsh public criticism. Netanyahu called the U.S. ambassadors recitation of unflattering facts unacceptable, particularly during a time of heightened Palestinian terrorism. The ambassadors comments, on a day when a mother of six is being buried and a pregnant woman is stabbed, are unacceptable and untrue, Netanyahu said. Israel enforces the law on Israelis and Palestinians. The one responsible for the diplomatic stalemate is the Palestinian Authority, which continues to incite and refuses to negotiate. On Sunday, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli woman to death in a West Bank settlement. Over the past four months, Palestinian attacks have taken the lives of 25 Israelis and an American student, while the Israeli military has killed at least 146 Palestinians. Israel says 101 of the Palestinian dead were attackers; the others were killed in clashes with Israeli troops. Despite the two countries fractious relationship of late, the U.S. plans to increase aid to Israel by more than $1 billion in 2016. Trumps stand for cultural backlash covers a multitude of sins, including religious illiteracy. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images In the fun-house-mirror dynamics of the 2016 presidential contest, one of the more regularly hilarious images is of Donald J. Trump trying to pander to conservative Evangelical Christians. Back in July at the summers preeminent Christian-right event in Iowa, under questioning from Frank Luntz, Trump famously seemed puzzled that anyone would think he needed to ask Gods forgiveness, and deferred instead to the cleansing power of my little cracker and my little wine, a.k.a., Communion or, as Catholics and some mainline Protestants would call it, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. He rambled through other arguably offensive religious observations (his theological beau ideal, Norman Vincent Peale, is most decidedly not in fashion with any variety of American Christian at present), most of which were submerged in the furor over his disrespecting of John McCains war service. As part of the mainstream medias confusion over the characteristics of the Trump electorate, there were a few alarms sent up about the Donalds base being Evangelicals, until first Ben Carson and then Ted Cruz came along to challenge his support levels in this demographic. But according to a New York Times/CBS national survey released early last week, Trump remains the leader among Evangelicals, with 42 percent as compared to Ted Cruzs 25 percent. Yet he continues to make buffoonish mistakes. Making the obligatory rounds at a Liberty University convocation over the weekend, Trump tried to quote Pauls Second Letter to the Corinthians, more colloquially referred to as Second Corinthians. He called it Two Corinthians, showing how little time hes sat in a pew listening to a Scripture reading. And instead of going to the trouble of negotiating the complicated logic of the Christian rights position on religious liberty, which often seems like compulsory religion to many secular and religious folk alike, Trump cut right to the crudest possible War on Christmas chase: If Im president, youre going to see Merry Christmas in department stores, believe me. Im sure the company of saints will cheer. Still, Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr. gave Trump a fulsome introduction. And when word leaked out that the tycoon is unveiling an important endorsement in Iowa today, Falwells name was the first to surface in speculation before it was displaced by another Christian-right favorite, Sarah Palin. So how can conservative Evangelicals rationalize their fondness for a man who isnt even up to the task of pandering to them? The key to this phenomenon is to understand that the touchstone of the Christian right has always been the semi-divinization of cultural conservatism, and the identification of the Kingdom of God with the patriarchal and puritanical (and sometimes racist) America of the 19th century. So any politician vocally fighting against cultural change, like Donald J. Trump, is objectively a Christian soldier even if he is a religious illiterate and an ethical philistine. This is precisely how conservative Christians have in the past let themselves be recruited into the camps of other highly secular demagogues, from the proto-fascists of the 1930s to the church-y and Bible-quoting segregationists of the civil-rights era. To their credit, most conservative Evangelical leaders seem to dislike Trump for reasons ranging from his personal ethics to his hateful attitudes toward immigrants; Southern Baptist spokesman Russell Moore has issued repeated jeremiads warning the faithful against this false prophet. It may well be that Trumps Evangelical following is mostly not that observant. But so long as religious leaders and their political allies treat cultural change as demonic, and people different from them as Satans spawn, then they cannot plead complete innocence when their flocks follow the loudest voice of protest and ask for little other than lip service to faith itself. Photo: Michael A. Keller/Corbis This cold and flu season, please make a concerted effort not to call your doctor for a prescription the moment you start expelling cloudy phlegm. Its true that you could have a sinus infection, but antibiotics only work on bacterial infections, not viral ones, and your snot color is not actually a crystal ball that can illuminate the underlying cause of your illness. Still, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the most common reason doctors prescribe antibiotics to adults is to treat acute respiratory tract infections, like bronchitis or sinus infections, even though most are caused by viruses. This isnt just a complete waste of your time and money, its also a public-health menace. The overuse of antibiotics is making the drugs lose their effectiveness, and every year, drug-resistant bacteria kill an estimated 23,000 people in the United States and 700,000 people worldwide. Plus, antibiotics can decimate good bacteria in your gut, which makes it easier for severe-diarrhea-causing bacteria Clostridium difficile to grow. C. diff kills 30,000 people in the U.S. each year. Big problems. So the CDC and the American College of Physicians outlined tips for doctors on how to determine when to pull out the big guns but all humans who dont live in sterile bubbles should read them, too. The group said antibiotics should only be used for respiratory infections in these cases: if pneumonia is suspected with bronchitis; if strep throat is confirmed via a rapid-detection test or culture; or, in the case of a sinus infection, if the patient hasnt gotten better after ten days, has a fever higher than 102 degrees, or they start to recover, then get worse. Antibiotics should not be used to treat the common cold. They want doctors to use a so-called symptomatic prescription pad that explains to disheartened patients why theyre not getting an antibiotic, outlines OTC treatments for their virus, and tells them when to call back if theyre not getting better. No one asked for your advice, Mary Dye. Photo: Lucas Jackson/Corbis On Monday morning, a group of students from an eastern Washington State high school met with Representative Mary Dye as part of Planned Parenthoods annual Teen Lobbying Day, the Seattle Times reports. During the meeting, Dye reportedly asked the students part of a teen council chapter of Planned Parenthood if they were virgins, suggesting one of them was not. A cool, fair-minded question from a cool, fair-minded lady, clearly free of agenda, just gabbin with teens. The question came in response to the group of students advocating for bills that might expand insurance coverage for birth control. The Times reports that the students and a Planned Parenthood worker who was accompanying them, Rachel Todd, confirm Dye inquired about their virginity and suggested, in a way that is not stated, that one of them was not a virgin. From the Times: After she made the statement about virginity, all of my teens looked at me, said Todd, an education specialist for Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho. And I said, You dont have to answer that. You dont have to answer that. Dye then reportedly gave her opinions to the students about sex and making the right choices. Not exactly the look into advocacy and lawmaking the students were expecting. A spokesman for House Republicans confirmed Dyes virginity question with the Times, and Dye has since issued a meager faux-apology: Following a conversation they initiated on birth control for teenagers, I talked about the empowerment of women and making good choices opinions shaped by my mother and being a mother of three daughters. In hindsight, a few of the thoughts I shared, while well-intended, may have come across as more motherly than what they would expect from their state representative. If anything I said offended them or made them feel uncomfortable, I apologize. Alex Rubino, one of the students in the room during the meeting, spoke to the Times about the incident: It seemed kind of insane for her to say that, especially on the record, to constituents. Seems kind of insane to us, too. flawless movie, flawless line Reply Parent Thread Link this movie <3 still haven't seen the last installment yet! Reply Parent Thread Link omg please please see it Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Don't see it, it will break your heart. It's the worst. Reply Parent Thread Link See it, is amazing and is the best one. Reply Parent Thread Link Ooh the difference in replies to you lol. I haven't seen it yet either and I'm not sure if I want to! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link This perfect movie. Reply Parent Thread Link What movie's this from? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link What movie is this? Reply Parent Thread Link oooh link please Reply Parent Thread Link perfect gif choice Reply Thread Link FUCK. THIS. GUY. And anyone who's defending rancid behavior like his. Seriously. Reply Thread Link UGH. That's not the point! I get the women who think this way, but it does nothing to stop people from thinking they're allowed to say this to strangers. :( Reply Parent Thread Link Oh my god I need a shower to calm down after getting creeped on just last night by two different guys in TWO MINUTES and then reading this. This bullshit is every day, everywhere, for every woman. It's not cute. It's not harmless. It's not friendly. Asshole is literally saying to her "I'm gonna go ahead and refuse to do my one job and hold your stuff hostage until you gratify my sexual ~needs." FUCK. RIGHT. OFF. Asshole deserves a smile like Hitler deserves a handjob. Reply Parent Thread Link because why should we have to humor them? Is she for real? It's my biggest pet peeve to be told to smile. I have a naturally bitchy face, smiling just because isn't in my nature and I shouldn't have to apologize for how my face rests. Like fuck off. Reply Parent Thread Link if i would do everything to humour other people i'd have no life, i ain't got time for that Reply Parent Thread Link Was it a guy Reply Parent Thread Link Ew what the fuck asshole just give her the gum. Why do men expect women to walk around smiling all the time? That would be creepy. Reply Thread Link Lmao I'm gonna totally start doing this. Just being the creepiest fucker around. Reply Parent Thread Link It was the same way at a gym I used to go to, with only middle aged men asking if they could share equipment with me. Never women, never guys my age. Just middle aged men. Reply Parent Thread Link how do you handle that? i admit to being a coward, saying yes, then stopped using it and going to a whole diff area of the gym after like 30 seconds =\ Reply Parent Thread Expand Link yep Reply Parent Thread Link this happened to me once with my mum standing right next to me men are POS Reply Parent Thread Link yep. I hate it so much and its always older man telling/asking me this. Reply Parent Thread Link I'll admit that being helped by someone who looks like they're about to burst into tears at any moment everyone's cup of tea, but while I was sick a few weeks ago, I had to work because it was Christmas and I'd already taken off five or six days. I was in so much pain that I barely move after an hour of standing and I was so tired and overstimulated at the end of most of my shifts. Some days, I could barely get out of bed - I literally didn't trust that I could support myself upright without something to lean on. I got told three times in two weeks that I should smile more, because that was my job and it was Christmas and I was bumming people out or some shit. Tough tits, at least they hadn't been sick since October. I'm so glad I can at least breathe finally. Reply Parent Thread Link mte. it's usually from men. Reply Parent Thread Link I've had women and men tell me to smile. Its been older men and men my own age. And I've had older women tell me to smile, especially when I was younger. It was super annoying. I kinda wonder if it has to do with the Southern idea of Keeping Sweet. I grew up in Georgia and I was always being told by older WOC how to act and that I should smile. Reply Parent Thread Link i was getting gas last year and some dude was like "you're too pretty to not be smiling" like?????? i'm pumping gas what the fuck do i need to smile about? Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, "just being friendly" doesn't fly when it only applies to one gender. What -- you're never friendly to men? How odd. Reply Parent Thread Link wtffffffffff semi-related but i had a male customer come in once and i did the usual "how can i help you" bullshit and he goes, "GUESS." and i was like "uhhhhh i'm not sure. how can i help you?" and then he asked if i was pms-ing :( Reply Thread Link wtf was that guy even on about??????? looks like he just wanted an excuse to be misogynistic ugh Reply Parent Thread Link Sounds like sexual innuendo, but I'm just guessing cause I didn't hear his tone But let's be honest, I'm probably right Reply Parent Thread Link I would have called security. Reply Parent Thread Link Sounds like HE had a bad mood! Oh, sorry didn't read the guess part. What a fucking creep! Edited at 2016-01-19 09:03 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link I work in a tech store representing a brand and last Sunday a guy told me he was really surprised at how well I answered his questions since usually women don't know nothing about technology. So yeah. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I hate when people try and be cute or clever when someone asks you "how can I help you" or any of the variants sometimes it comes from a good place like they are just trying to brighten~ up your day but really being polite and straightforward is enough Reply Parent Thread Expand Link lmfao wtf that shit would've seen me hulk the fuck out Reply Parent Thread Link ugh I fucking hate people. It was always nasty old/middle aged men who would pull this shit with me, too. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't even have to press play to see that I now have a perfect response when some asshole demands that I smile. Reply Parent Thread Link Lmao mte Reply Parent Thread Link I love that this made the first page, as it well should Reply Parent Thread Link I'm still waiting for a chance to get to use this response. Perhaps that is a good thing. Reply Parent Thread Link I loved this scene when I first saw it. For some reason I never realized it was a "thing" to be uncomfortable and pissed off being told by men to smile and I always thought it was just me being an asshole, until I was in my twenties and realized men are the assholes in those situations. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Haha perfect. I usually just smile in the most unsettling deranged way possible. Reply Parent Thread Link this show is everything and i love how it makes men so uncomfortable lololol Reply Parent Thread Link Yesssss Reply Parent Thread Link These flawless queens Reply Parent Thread Link THE BEST Reply Parent Thread Link there is no way either of those chicks are turning 23. they look 30 Reply Parent Thread Link I hope she reports him to the manager. That's flat out harassment. Reply Thread Link "Smile baybeh, it ain't that baaad!" rme Reply Thread Link The original post popped up in my feed and the comments from people were so messy. People were actually telling her that she was being an asshole for not wanting to smile for the guy-especially women. That is overt sexism and it pains me that other women don't see it that way. She isn't an object there for his pleasure, she is just trying to make a purchase and get on with her day. Reply Thread Link Oh, I like you. Reply Parent Thread Link Agree! Unconscious bias. Kind of like that comment the grandmother made about her granddaughter finding a guy like Mark Zuckerberg instead of being like him. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link youre 100% right about that Reply Parent Thread Link Very good point Reply Parent Thread Link +1 I've seen this a lot in some fb comments. and then I think sometimes they genuinely believe it, which makes sense, since some women can look at it and not have a problem with it, but it just makes me sad. Reply Parent Thread Link Men can fuck off with that 'smile' bullshit. Reply Thread Link I never got the 'smile sweetheart' comment from any men (thank god!), but I definitely get the 'your smile is so beautiful, you should never stop smiling, etc.' from male cashier from time to time and it creeps me the fuck out so much. And it gets awkward real fast when they do that 'cause I just stop smiling instantly and don't respond. Edited at 2016-01-19 08:40 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link You're probably like me then - I'm a naturally smiley person, so no one asks me to smile, but they comment on my smile. Which makes me just as uncomfortable, because I have crooked teeth and hate to have attention brought to my smile. (The only time I haven't been creeped out be comments on my smile was the guy who called me Smiley who would comment on how happy and pleasant I always seemed. Based on the context it was a lot more genuine of a compliment.) Reply Parent Thread Link i took a cab home last friday because i was way past my drink limit and i was talking to my friend on the phone who i had lost in the crowd ... i hang up and the cab driver told me "your laugh is soooo beautiful", after he had already commented how "beautiful" i was after i got in. i really wanted to tell him to pull over and let me out, but i had to get home and ugh. how can they not understand how fucking creepy and appropriate that is? i wish i hadn't been that drunk, i would have told him off and gotten his details to log a complaint. Reply Parent Thread Link i used to do door to door sales (worst job ever) and one guy drove past me in the street and literally followed me as i was walking around because he wanted my number i said no i was working and he KEPT pressing to go get coffee or something. i ended up writing down a fake number so he would fuck off Reply Parent Thread Link i fucking hate men i already told that story here but i remember some guy grumbling at me to smile in the bus so i just did my creepiest Joker smile at him until my stop. unsettled him enough and tbh i need to find out how to make myself cross-eyed so the next guy who does that gets that extra effect. Edited at 2016-01-19 08:40 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Thanks for this lol Reply Parent Thread Link I've cultivated an ugly and aggressive smile that I flash on demand. Reply Parent Thread Link I usually just stare at them until they get creeped out. Don't give a fuck. Don't tell me to smile. Reply Parent Thread Link That sounds amazing Reply Parent Thread Link omg that's a good idea. Reply Parent Thread Link Yep, I give it my best Wednesday Addams smile. And then stare without blinking. I've learned how to do this for uncomfortably long periods of time. Reply Parent Thread Link Lmao! That is great advise tbh! I did it once and he called me a stupid whore, but it was worth it because he left me alone again. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Amazing. I am tall and have RBF so I haven't gotten much "smile!" lately but if I do, I will be doing that. Reply Parent Thread Link what kind of gum was it? sugar-free? Reply Thread Link lol you know why we really don't need another fatshaming post Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Oman wants to slash oil production in order to staunch the price slide and ease the supply glutbut it wont move before OPEC does. Its a story weve heard before. None of the 12 OPEC countries are willing to take a hit on production unless the others take a hit first, but non-OPEC Oman is reeling from the financial consequences. Oman has had to borrow $1 billion to make up for low oil prices. And there is a lot to make up for considering that four-fifths of the governments revenue comes from oil and gas exportsand its 2015 budget was calculated against $85 oil. On Monday, Oman said it would cut production by 5 percent to 10 percent in order to stabilize the market, but the ball is still in OPECs court. Related: Kenya Hoping to Export Oil, Despite Global Downturn Venezuelawhich is losing billionshas long criticized the OPEC policy of not budging on the production cap. Iran, which has been languishing under sanctions, had nothing to lose by calling for a reduction in production. Saudi Arabiathe very tenuous king of OPEChas stayed the course. Last year, the kingdoms most famous tag line was one suggesting that Allah sets oil prices. Pretty much everyone has been saying the same thing for some time, so Omans new statement doesnt carry much weight. At its November meeting, OPEC voted to maintain its production target. One thing has changed since then: Sanctions against Iran were lifted over the weekend, and the Saudis and their followers were in part hoping that their staunch position on crude production would help sway the sanctions decision. It didnt, and now the Saudis have less to bargain with. Related: $20 Oil No Longer Seen As Good For The Economy Iranian oil will flood the market. On Monday, to no ones surprise, Iran ordered an increase in production by 500,000 barrels, and the market responded with oil slumping below $28. The Saudi-aligned OPEC members had hoped that Irans planned increase in production would help deter the lifting of sanctions. How the Saudis handled the anticipated market free-fall when sanctions were lifted added another twist. In the face of additional Iranian production, OPEC predicted that the U.S.and other non-OPEC producerswould scale back production to boost prices, taking a bit of the heat off the slide. The Iran sanctions part of this game is over, but the rest is nowhere near being resolved. OPEC has spoken. Its about who will blink first. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The price of oil is falling faster than Russia can adjust its budget. In June 2014, the global price of oil was over $110 per barrel. But due to a glut in supplies from elevated production from North America, Russia, as well as OPEC countries, oil prices have collapsed. For Russias benchmark crude, Urals URL-E, the price fell to around $27 on Friday. Yet Moscows budget for fiscal 2016 was predicated on oil costing twice as much $50 per barrel itself a painfully low price. On Saturday, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov went on television to say this exceptionally low price for Urals oil meant a further reduction in revenues for his countrys budget, leading to an expected deficit of $38.6 billion for Russia in the coming fiscal year. Related: The World Just Lost One Of Its Biggest Oil Plays To Low Prices Therefore there is a difference of two times [in revenues], and I want to say that for budget income this difference equates to over 3 trillion rubles [$38.6 billion], Siluanov said during the televised interview. Russia depends on sales of oil and gas for about half its annual budget revenues. The collapse in oil prices has also hurt the ruble, which has lost more than half its value compared with the U.S. dollar since the summer of 2014. But Siluanov said he didnt expect significant further devaluation of the Russian currency simply because the price of oil cant fall much further than it already has. Our main export commodity [oil], as we have already discussed, fell in price by four times, Siluanov said. One can hardly expect prices to fall four times further compared to todays level. The pressure on the budget is driving Moscow to expand its austerity program that will see reductions in spending for virtually all government activity outside the military and social services. But even that effort has its limits, Siluanov said on January 13th in an interview in Moscow with Bloomberg Television. Related: Did Shell Take On Too Much Risk In This Oil Price Environment? The finance minister said Russia had been relying on the countrys Reserve Fund, one of its sources of sovereign wealth, to make up some of the budget shortfall. But last month that fund lost 16 percent of its value, and he said it may run out of money altogether by the end of 2016 if the government doesnt move to shore it up. We are extremely careful with our reserves, Siluanov said, and our task is to maintain these reserves at sufficient levels to ensure the stability of government finances. In fact, Siluanov said his concern wasnt as much for the current fiscal year, but the rest of the decade and perhaps beyond. He said Moscow needs to raise $20 billion for fiscal 2016 to prevent a deficit rising to over 6 percent of gross domestic product. Part of that will come from a 10 percent cut in spending. In 2016, sure, we have to adjust that budget a little, but well make it through the year, Siluanov said. We have to think beyond that. Ksenia Yudaeva, a first deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia, agreed. The concern is not just the budget deficit in one year, she told Bloomberg Television. What we are concerned with is really good medium-term budget strategy. So far that strategy has been simply to pump more oil. On Jan. 2, the Energy Ministry said Russias oil output had reached record post-Soviet levels in December, in part because a devaluation of the ruble has made production more affordable, and in part to defy OPECs demand that all producers, both in and outside the cartel, work together to cut yield. Related: Saudi Arabia: A Weak Kingdom On Its Knees? The ministry report said production of oil and gas condensate increased to an average of 10.83 million barrels per day last month, compared with 10.78 million barrels per day in November. For all of 2015, output was up to 10.73 million barrels, compared with average 2014 production levels of 10.58 million barrels per day. But all that accomplishes is to add to the fuel glut. Evidently what Siluanov and Yudaeva have in mind is a strategy that doesnt rely solely on producing and selling the countrys most valuable commodity at fire-sale prices. By Andy Tully Of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Content may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions. The material is only a general review of the subjects covered and does not constitute legal advice. No legal or business decisions should be based on its content. You should not send confidential information to us unless, and until, one of our lawyers requests it. We will not have an attorney-client relationship with you unless you have spoken with one of our lawyers and have received an engagement letter from us. The fact that unsolicited materials may be sent by you to us, or even that our lawyers may see such materials, shall not mean that we have agreed to represent you or that we will be conflicted from representing a different client in a matter in which you may be an adverse party or your interests may be adversely affected. Unless otherwise noted, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP attorneys are NOT certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The information we make available on this site does not create an attorney-client relationship; nor does it substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney licensed in your state or country. We do not seek to represent anyone desiring legal representation, based upon viewing this web site, in any state or country where this web site would not be considered in compliance with all applicable laws and ethical rules.To read the complete disclaimer click here Although the three Democratic candidates are well spoken, intelligent, progressive and experienced, the world class leadership of Secretary Hillary Clinton rises to the top of the triumverate. In fact, at the debate, Senator Sanders of Vermont was expert at promoting his vision of how to resolve income inequality, wealth re-distribution and protection of the middle class safety net programs like Social Security and Medicare. In fact, the Vermont senator denounced a "corrupt" political system and cast himself as a break from it, while Hillary Clinton tied herself tightly with President Barack Obama On the other hand, Governor O'Malley was eloquent when speaking about traditional liberal values and how he was successful as Maryland's governor. By a short read of her impressive resume, the former first lady of Arkansas, former First Lady of the Free World, former Senator of New York State and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is the best qualified of any of the presidential candidates to lead the free world. Her domestic and international leadership experiences are exemplary. America is abolutely fortunate to have Mrs. Clinton running to be the first woman to be elected leader of the free world. The Washington Post- it's a short discourse, but to the point and demonstrates extraordinary insight: In my opinion, the following is the Q & A exchange that gave the January 18th Charleston SC debate to Secretary Clinton; and exemplified her international experience over the other two Democratic opponents, from NBC Moderator Lester Holt asked about Mrs. Clinton's experience with Russia. "As president, would you hand Vladimir Putin a reset button ?" CLINTON: Well, it would depend on what I got for it and I can tell you what we got in the first term, we got a new start treaty to reduce nuclear weapons between the United States and Russia. We got permission to resupply our troops in Afghanistan by traveling across Russia. We got Russia to sign on to our sanctions against Iran and other very important commitments. So look, in diplomacy, you are always trying to see how you can figure out the interest of the other to see if there isn't some way you can advance your security and your values. When Putin came back in the fall of 2011, it was very clear he came back with a mission. And I began speaking out as soon as that happened because there were some fraudulent elections held, and Russians poured out into the streets to demand their freedom, and he cracked down. And in fact, accused me of fomenting it. So we now know that he has a mixed record to say the least and we have to figure out how to deal with him. HOLT follow up: What's your relationship with him (Putin)? CLINTON: Well, my relationship with him, it's -- it's interesting. (LAUGHTER) It's one, I think, of respect. We've had some very tough dealings with one another. And I know that he's someone that you have to continuingly stand up to because, like many bullies, he is somebody who will take as much as he possibly can unless you do. And we need to get the Europeans to be more willing to stand up, I was pleased they put sanctions on after Crimea and eastern Ukraine and the downing of the airliner, but we've got to be more united in preventing Putin from taking a more aggressive stance in Europe and the Middle East. Maine Writer summary- Americans can't wait to train another leader of the free world. Secretary Clinton has the experience to begin leading the free world on day one of her administration. America will benefit from seamless and experienced leadership by a well vetted world respected stateswoman. Americans must elect Hillary Clinton 2016 to be president. By the way, in the process of electing her, we must also rid our nation of right wing extremists, so to protect the Democratic progressive policies advocated for by Senator Bernie Sanders. Labels: Bernie Sanders, Lester Holt, Martin O'Malley, Vladimir Putin The opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the opinions of OnMilwaukee.com, its advertisers or editorial staff. I was at a party over the weekend, and I met a nice couple currently living in Slinger. I really, really, really wanted to ask them about Bob Gannon, who also hails from there, but the common-sense prohibition against talking politics at your wife's work party meant I didn't bring it up. Gannon holds the Wisconsin state assembly seat once once held by Glenn Grothman, and he has not let down those of us who miss Grothman's racially-charged, borderline insane ramblings and pronouncements since his ascension to Washington as the area's House member. Gannon first came to my attention last month when, responding to a shooting at a mall in Madison, he suggested that good clean white folks like himself take up arms to stop the "gang-bangers, thugs, and scum" like the kids in that shooting. That the mall was a gun-free zone, Gannon suggested, made it an easy target for gun violence. No one was killed, and no bystanders were hurt in the shooting, so my third thought upon reading Gannon's words was that if he had his way and a few of those good clean white folks had whipped out their pistols and started firing at the "scum" doing the shooting, people would surely have been killed and injured in the chaotic hail of bullets. My second thought, so you know, was that Gannon needs a proofreader, or at least to learn the difference between who and whom. And my first thought was that the NRA member Gannon himself was the real threat and a clear danger to the citizens of Wisconsin (beware, I used some strong language in that piece). Shortly thereafter, Gannon further distinguished himself by attempting to blame Milwaukee's crime rate for the state's sluggish job growth. On the one hand, Milwaukee's economy is doing pretty well compared to many parts of the state. On the other hand, Gannon's Republican colleagues, led by Gov. Scott Walker, themselves have a thoroughly unimpressive record trying to boost the state's employment fortunes. On the third hand, though, Gannon sounds just straight-up racist. You'd think that after the "gang-bangers, thugs and scum" flap he'd be careful about using racially charged language. And maybe get a copy editor. But no. "Milwaukee is ranked the sixth highest city nationally in per capita murders by Forbes," Gannon wrote, "which makes it obvious that our largest urban center is the anchor holding back the ship of state as far as jobs is concerned." Obvious how? Gannon falls into a classic post hoc fallacy, confusing correlation with causation. "Milwaukee leads in murders and mayhem per capita," he opined, "with a large number of these crimes occurring in mainly black neighborhoods, the same neighborhoods with the worst unemployment rates in the state. ... What employer will build or expand when they fear muggings, carjackings, attempted murder, or other serious criminal threats to their employees?" While the relationship between crime, unemployment and poverty is complicated, Gannon gets the relationship backwards from what research suggests. Rather than crime driving away jobs, as Gannon sees it, it's a lack of jobs that drives crime rates up. If Gannon gave a single concern for Wisconsin's black population beyond their value as a target, he would be working to bring jobs to the city in order to curb the crime rate. Instead, he broadcasts to the world that if they have jobs to offer, they should not bother bringing them to Milwaukee. Gannon goes on to blame the "democrat mayor" and "democrat district attorney" in Milwaukee and Milwaukee County for being concerned not about the crime but about a "tiny trolley" and the investigation of alleged election wrongdoing by Walker and others. Ha ha, tiny trolley. I'm sure Tom Barrett is crying in his beer now the beer he was drinking to celebrate the current state of Milwaukee's urban economic revival. The John Doe pot-shot is about what you'd expect from someone who probably gets all his news from Charlie Sykes. Gannon also makes no mention of Madison, likewise led by politicians of a Democratic stripe and, like Milwaukee, driving the economy of the state right now. Last week, Gannon followed up his rhetorical middle finger at Milwaukee with a literal one aimed at the Democratic Assembly leader Peter Barca on the floor of the Wisconsin legislature. Though Gannon apologized for letting a moment's anger get the better of his digital control, that moment also included additional shots at Milwaukee, which he blamed for the state's heroin epidemic. "If Milwaukee wants to export something, how about you export safety and jobs?" he asked. So that's where we are with this Gannon fellow. In just a month, he went from someone I'd never even heard of to a significant political embarrassment for the state, his comments and press releases having gone viral nationally. It only leaves the question of who the brave rational Republican will be to challenge Gannon in this year's primary election. Surely the people of Slinger and the rest of the 58th district don't want to be known for a clown like Gannon. I am sure that, like those nice people I met at the party the other night, most of Gannon's constituents are not completely unhinged monsters whose idea of a good time is vigilante fantasies and alienating people. I know the 58th won't vote for a Democrat even before the last pro-Republican redistricting, that part of Wisconsin was a deep and unchanging red which is why it needs to be a Republican in the primary. Someone must step up, and soon. Editors note: This article is one of an occasional Milwaukee NNS series profiling the 15 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). The Northside Housing Initiative is a finalist for the BMO Harris Cornerstone Award, which recognizes an organization for its commitment and effectiveness over time. Nikesha Bynum had nothing seven months ago. The mother of three young children had no job, no home and no hope. But it was then, during her darkest moments, when the trajectory of her life dramatically and instantly changed with a routine visit to the food pantry at Northcott Neighborhood House, where she learned about the Northside Housing Initiative. "I walked in for the food pantry and walked out with an opportunity to advance my life," she said. She quickly signed up for the initiatives job training program that prepares unemployed Milwaukeeans, like herself, for careers in the construction trades. "From there, I went forward, and I am the leading supervisor now, after seven months," said the 30-year-old Bynum, wearing safety goggles and a hardhat. "The program means a lot to me. Ive learned so much." Bynum, who now has a home and has gotten several job offers, is a prime example of the positive impact the Northside Housing Initiative is having on some of the citys poorest residents and neighborhoods. In 2007, Milwaukee officials approached Gorman & Company seeking help to deal with the growing number of blighted foreclosed houses on the North Side that the city owned. In response, Gorman & Company partnered with the city, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority and several community development organizations to create the Northside Housing Initiative. "I view the blighted, tax-foreclosed home as an opportunity and an asset for Milwaukee (while other) cities see that tax-foreclosed home as a liability," said Ted Matkom, Wisconsin market president at Gorman. The partnership "was based on improving the housing stock, number one; and number two, reducing the crime rate because these tax-foreclosed homes, according to the police department, are the number one cause of crime." During eight phases of the project, the Northside Housing Initiative has purchased 250 vacant lots and blighted homes from the city and has invested $84 million in redeveloping the properties. The effort has resulted in 282 affordable rental homes being put back on the tax rolls in the Metcalfe Park, North Division, Sherman Park, Washington Park and Amani neighborhoods. The need for the initiative to address blighted housing in the area has been accentuated during the last several years by the $40 million Century City project, an 86-acre business park in the 30th Street Corridor, according to Matkom. "The neighborhood around there is really in need of an upgrade so that employers and employees feel safe and welcomed," Matkom said. The Northside Housing Initiative is filling a gap in the redevelopment efforts in the area, according to Willie Smith, housing director at Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, which partners with the initiative on several other community development fronts. "Looking at the properties in a number of these areas, we just could not afford putting the kind of investment into them that was needed," Smith noted. Smith said he is able to leverage the work that is being done by the Northside Housing Initiative when he tries to sell a property in the area. "If there is a house that is near us that we cant afford to rehab, they can acquire that property and make it a rental house, thereby having us not have this eyesore next to a property that we are trying to sell," he said. All tenants who live in a home owned by the Northside Housing Initiative will have the option to purchase their property after 15 years for the remaining debt amount, which is expected to be about $30,000. "We are looking for homeownership," Matkom said. "Theres such a perception of crime here and that this is a war zone. Perception is everything, and we are trying to switch that around." The initiative is also trying to address the considerable unemployment on the North Side of Milwaukee, where more than one-fifth of residents do not have a job. More than 200 individuals, like Bynum, who were unemployed or recently released from prison, completed a soft skills program and then were trained in construction trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical and HVAC, before working on renovating and building sites. "We are going one step further with the workforce initiative," Matkom said. "We are trying to put these able-bodied people back to work (in) the construction trades and reform the North Side of Milwaukee." Gorman created and implemented the initiative through partnerships with several workforce development programs including the Milwaukee Workforce Investment Board, Northcott Neighborhood House and Big Step, a pre-apprenticeship tutoring program. About 840 people are on the waiting list to join the program, proving that people want to work, Matkom said. "It shows that as long as you do as you are supposed to do you can progress. I went from nothing to something," Bynum said. "My future is definitely bright now." by NW Spotlight There is an event planned for the upcoming short session of the Oregon Legislature to promote Oregon school-based health centers. Its important for Oregonians to understand what all happens in those school-based health centers without parental knowledge or consent. It includes reproductive care for students AT ANY AGE, gender transformation counseling & treatments, and genital exams on school property (given Oregons problems with school-related sexual abuse, that seems particularly troubling.) Background: OSBHA and State Funding for School-Based Health Centers According to their website, the Oregon School-Based Health Alliance (OSBHA) is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as the collective voice to build a stable, effective, and accessible school-based health care system through the development of school-based health centers (SBHCs). School-based health centers in Oregon get their funding from state dollars sent to each county with an SBHC. Local dollars often come through school districts, county health departments, hospitals, community providers, local businesses and individuals, grants and other fundraising. The State of Oregons Oregon Health Authority produced a 2015 Oregon School-Based Health Centers Status Report. It provides this description School-Based Health Centers are medical clinics that offer primary care services either within or on the grounds of a school. It also notes The 2013 Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2445, creating a statutory definition of SBHCs (ORS 413.225) and provided about $3.9 million in additional funding to expand and enhance the SBHC system. Capitol Event on Feb 9th OSBHA is coordinating an event at the Oregon Capitol on February 9, 2016, and trying to make it look like its youth-driven. In their email on the event, they instruct Oregon students to Talk to your school principal or superintendent to invite your school/district to participate. Let your principal know Awareness Day is a youth-driven event where youth from all around Oregon go to Salem to tell their stories about the importance of SBHC services in their lives. So OSBHA coordinates the event, but then instructs students to mislead school officials about it being youth-driven. Whats the Problem with School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs)? Parents Rights in Education (PRIE) is an excellent parents rights watchdog group. They recently sent this out in an email to some of their supporters alerting them to the planned capitol event: I wanted you to know what the Oregon School-based Health Alliance (OSBHA) is encouraging Oregon public school students/school officials to participate in. In addition, I am attaching a letter which I sent (in October 2015) to Oregon School-based Health Alliance (OSBHA) addressing concerns and evidence around matters related to Oregon School-Based Health Centers. The OSBHA referred to Parents Rights in Education as The Opposition at their October 2015 conference. We want you to know that PRIE is committed to supporting parents rights to be the final authority in deciding what is best for their child and have the right to expect full disclosure of any and all services, content, and materials disseminated to their child while at school. The letter from PRIE mentioned in the email outlines how Oregon Certified School-Based Health Centers (using taxpayer money from the Oregon Health Authority): Provide students AT ANY AGE access to reproductive care without parental knowledge or consent . . Allow 14 year old students to receive mental health services, which could include counsel related to gender transformation, without a parents knowledge or consent . . Allow 15 year old students to consent to services such as hospital care, immunizations, medical, dental, optometric and surgical diagnostic care. They can also receive gender transformation treatments (i.e.: puberty blockers, counseling, drugs, advocacy and sex change surgery) without parental notification or consent . . Collaborate with services from or referrals to controversial community-based organizations such as Planned Parenthood and TransActive. These organizations are being given access to children without parental knowledge or consent . In many situations even school boards and administrators are unaware of the programs or services being marketed to students. . In many situations even school boards and administrators are unaware of the programs or services being marketed to students. Include well-child visits which must include a physical exam, including a genital exam on school property. Does Your Childs School Have a School-Based Health Center? To check, please click here for a list of Oregon schools that have school-based health centers. A forum for critical analysis of international issues and developments of particular relevance to the sustainable political and socio-economic development of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). Czech Republic President Milos Zeman. Vincent Kessler / Reuters Existing ghettos and the recent sexual harassment scandals involving Muslim migrants in European cities are evidence the integration of the Muslim community into Europe is next to impossible, Czech President Milos Zeman said in an interview on Sunday. An established anti-immigration advocate, Zeman has condemned the European Union's migrant policies.The experience of Western European countries, where there are ghettos and closed areas, as well as recent events, demonstrate once again that the integration of the Muslim community [into Europe] is practically impossible, Zeman told tabloid newspaper Blesk in a video interview, as cited by AFP.Let them have their culture in their countries and not take it to Europe, otherwise it will end up like Cologne, the Czech president added, referring to the mass sexual assaults perpetrated by migrants in the German city on New Year's Eve.Europe is experiencing the worst migrant crisis in decades, Zeman stressed, adding that newcomers should adapt to local culture and traditions while retaining their own distinct identities.Integration is possible with cultures that are similar, and the similarities may vary, Zeman said, holding up the Ukrainian and Vietnamese diasporas living in the Czech Republic as examples of groups that have integrated successfully while maintaining distinct national identities.The Czech leader promised to challenge EU migrant quotas, which currently demand members to accommodate numbers of migrants proportionate to a nations population and national budget.As a country of 10.5 million people, the Czech Republic is obligated to accommodate part of the 160,000 asylum seekers under an EU quota scheme.Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka expressed the notion, however, that refugees are not likely to agree to stay in the country, and are more determined to finish their journey in countries like Germany which have extensive welfare systems.Last year Czech President Zeman labeled the ongoing refugee influx an organized invasion, urging the young asylum seekers to return to Iraq and Syria to take up arms and fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).Earlier this month Zeman alleged that the influx of migrants into Europe was organized by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which was striving to gradually control Europe.According to a 2010 Pew Forum survey, there were an estimated 19 million Muslims living in the EU, making up about 3.8 percent of the unions population.In 2015, however, well over one million migrants from North Africa and conflict-affected countries in the Middle East arrived to Europe, heading primarily to countries in Western Europe.Source: https://www.rt.com/news/329289-muslims-europe-integration-zeman/ Saudi soldiers stand at attention in front of tanks near the border with Yemen in 2010 (AFP) UNITED NATIONS - The West continues its strong political and military support to one of its longstanding allies in the Middle East Saudi Arabia - despite withering criticism of the kingdoms battlefield excesses in the ongoing war in neighboring Yemen.A Saudi-led coalition has been accused of using banned cluster bombs, bombing civilian targets and destroying hospitals either by accident or by designusing weapons provided primarily by the US, UK and France.The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said last week the armed conflict in Yemen continues to take a terrible toll on civilians, with at least 81 civilians reportedly killed and 109 injured in December.As a result, the toll of civilian casualties, recorded between 26 March and 31 December 2015, are estimated at more than 8,000 people, including nearly 2,800 killed and more than 5,300 wounded.But Western powers which are quick to condemn and impose sanctions on countries accused of civilian killings have refused to take any drastic action against Saudi Arabia or its coalition partners, including Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.The Saudi stranglehold is increasingly linked to a thriving multi-billion dollar arms market with British, French and mostly American military suppliers providing sophisticated weapons, including state-of-the-art fighter planes, helicopters, missiles, battle tanks and electronic warfare systems.The arms supplying countries, for obvious reasons, are unwilling to jeopardize their markets, specifically Saudi Arabia.The Saudi arsenal alone includes Boeing F-15 fighter planes (US supplied), Tornado strike aircraft (UK), Aerospatiale Puma and Dauphin attack helicopters (French), Bell, Apache and Sikorsky helicopters (US), Boeing E-3A Airborne Warning Control System (US), Sidewinder, Sparrow and Stinger missiles (US) and Abrams and M60 battle tanks (US).Dr. Natalie J. Goldring, a Senior Research Fellow with the Security Studies Program in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, told IPS that for years, the US government has documented Saudi human rights abuses in its own reports, including the State Department.Yet the United States continues to provide a largely open-ended weapons supply line to the Saudi government. Its time for the US government to act in accordance with the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and with its own laws and suspend arms transfers to Saudi Arabia, she said.She argued US weapons manufacturers profit motives for continuing massive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia should not drive US military and foreign policy.The US Defense Department may benefit in the short term by keeping some weapons supply lines open with foreign orders. But the risks to US military personnel and US interests should be given far greater weight in decision making, said Goldring who also represents the Acronym Institute on conventional weapons and arms transfer issues, at the United Nations.The current issue of Time magazine says Saudi Arabia continues to spend a bigger portion of its economy on defence than any other nation (11 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) compared with 3.5 percent by the US).It burns through $6 billion a month to bomb Yemen, an ill-advised war that has come to define the abrupt change brought by King Salman since he assumed the throne a year ago, said Time.But future military spending is likely to falter due to a sharp decline in oil pricesdropping to less than $30 per barrel this week, down from $110 in early 2014.According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, from 2010-2014, the United Kingdom and the United States were Saudi Arabias top weapons suppliers.The United Kingdom accounted for 36 percent of the Saudis weapons deliveries, just edging out the United States, which accounted for 35 percent of Saudi weapons imports. France was a distant third at 6 percent.In an article in Counter Punch published last November, William D. Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project the Center for International Policy and a senior adviser to the Security Assistance Monitor, said the recent surge in US arms transfers to the Middle East is part of an unprecedented boom in major US arms sales that has been presided over by the administration of President Barack Obama.The majority of the Obama administrations major arms sales have gone to the Middle East and Persian Gulf, with Saudi Arabia topping the list with over $49 billion in new agreements.This is particularly troubling given the complex array of conflicts raging throughout the region, and given the Saudi regimes use of U.S.-supplied weaponry in its military intervention in Yemen, Hartung said.He also pointed out that the Obama administration has made arms sales a central tool of its foreign policy, in part as a way of exerting military influence without having to put boots on the ground in large numbers, as the Bush administration did in Iraqwith disastrous consequences.The Obama administrations push for more Mideast arms sales has been a bonanza for U.S. weapons contractors, who have made increased exports a primary goal as Pentagon spending levels off. Not only do foreign sales boost company profits, but they also help keep open production lines that would otherwise have to close due to declining orders from the Pentagon, said Hartung.For example, he pointed out, earlier this year it was reported that Boeing had concluded a deal to sell 40 F-18s to Kuwait, which will extend the life of the programme for another year or more beyond its current projected end date of early 2017.Similarly, the General Dynamics M-1 tank has been surviving on a combination of Congressional add-ons and a deal for tanks and tank upgrades for Saudi Arabia.But its not just about money. U.S.-supplied arms are fueling conflict in the region. The most troubling recent sales is a deal in the works that would supply $1 billion or more in bombs and missiles for the Saudi Air Force, again for use in the Yemen war, Hartung added.Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the Canadian capital of Ottawa last month demanding the cancellation of a hefty 10.5 billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia which included light armoured military vehicles.The contract, signed by the previous government, was described as one of the largest arms deals between Canada and Saudi Arabia.The protest was triggered by the execution of 47 prisoners, including a Shiite cleric, on terrorism charges.Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion, who dismissed the protest, was quoted as saying: What is done is done and the contract is not something that well revisit.Source: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/01/16/western-powers-protect-arms-markets-ignoring-civilian-killings PM ,COAS off to Tehran RIYADH: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif have arrived in Tehran to meet Iranian leadership, as part of efforts to diffuse rising tensions between Saudia Arabia and Iran. The Pakistani leadership is slated to meet with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and are also expected to call upon Iranian grand spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei. During the visit to the kingdom, the premier met with King Salman, and the prime minister is expected to deliver the kings message to the Iranian leadership. General Raheel Sharif also held a meeting with the kingdoms defence minister soon after arriving in Saudia Arabia. Saudi and Pakistani leadership exchanged views on various facets of enduring cooperation with regards to the Saudi initiative of forming a coalition of Islamic countries against terrorism, said a statement released by the Foreign Office. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also assured the Saudi leadership of Pakistan's support, and expressed concern at the recent escalation of tensions between the kingdom and the Islamic Republic. On the question of Iran, Syria and Iraq's exclusion from the recently announced 34-nation alliance by the Kingdom, it was stated that the countries were not included due to a trust deficit. The kingdom has assured that if the Islamic Republic shows positive signs, diplomatic ties may be restored. A list of points have been given to the Pakistani leadership for discussion with Irans leadership, said diplomatic sources. Nawaz called for resolution of the current crises through peaceful means in the larger interest of the Muslim world. With Pakistan embroiled in its own fight against terrorism, the sudden spike in rivalry between its two friendly countries put additional strains on the civil and military leadership. Analysts regard the leaderships diplomatic initiative a wise step to help Riyadh and Tehran prevent the current tensions from taking a hazardous turn which could endanger peace of the entire region. Moreover, with successful culmination of talks between big powers and Iran over the latters nuclear issue, Pakistan certainly eyes certain economic benefits from Tehran re-entering world trade. With Iran re-joining the world trade, Pakistan can look forward to meeting its energy needs from across the border by completing the pending gas pipeline, remarked an analyst. Tensions recently flared between the two-regional rivals after the execution of a prominent Shia cleric, which led to the eruption of protests all over the region. As a reaction to the execution of the cleric, Riyadh's diplomatic post was also attacked in Iran by angry protesters, which led to the severance of diplomatic ties between the kingdom and the Islamic Republic, further complicating an already tense atmosphere. Two million Pakistanis travelled abroad in last three years for employment ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Monday that about two million Pakistanis travelled abroad over the past three years for employment. Answering a question in the lower house of parliament, Parliamentary Secretary for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Shafqat Hayat Baloch said that 953,945 people had moved to Saudi Arabia, 112,670 to Oman, 845,000 to UAE, about 23,000 to Bahrain, 45,000 to Malaysia and 277,108 to Qatar in the same period. He said that National Migration Policy had been drafted in 2008 but it could not be finalised because of devolution of the then Ministry of Labour and Manpower under the 18th Amendment. In reply to a question raised by Dr Shazia Sobia, he said that about 3.417m Pakistani workers had registered themselves for overseas employment over the past five years. He said that the ministry concerned was making its best efforts to increase export of manpower to different countries and the country had signed MoUs with Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE for the purpose. Federal Minister for Commerce Dastgir Khan said that the business community would be provided opportunity to participate in more than a dozen exhibitions being organised in various African countries. Answering a question of MNA Sajida Begum, he said that the ministry of commerce had prepared a calendar of international exhibitions for 2015-16 and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) had evolved a strategy for participation of Pakistani businessmen in these exhibitions. He said that some 221 companies had participated in a recent exhibition. The minister said that the government was making efforts to make the system of allocation of stalls in the exhibitions more transparent and it was also encouraging women participation in such events. He said that TDAP had participated in 59 exhibitions in 2014-15. He said 14 exhibitions would take place this year in African countries including Morocco, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. US policies responsible for instability in South Asia: Sartaj Aziz ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, on Monday said United States (US) policies were responsible for instability in South Asia, urging the Obama administration to analyse its role and that of its allies in the the region. Winding up discussion on an adjournment motion in the Upper House, moved by Senator Mushahid Hussain, about US President Barack Obama's recent remarks that instability will continue for decades in Pakistan, Aziz said: "Pakistan's answer to instability is the strengthening democracy in the country." "The US created 'holy warriors' in our tribal areas during the 'Afghan Jihad' and then left them as soon as the war was over, a factor which contributed to decades of instability in Pakistan and the region," asserted Aziz. Talking about external threats to the country's stability, Aziz added that since 2013, Pakistan has been pursuing a policy of non-interference and is not taking part in other nations' wars. The foreign affairs adviser said, "We have decided that we are not going to indulge in fighting other countries' wars now, and this policy is being pursued vigorously by the government." "Pakistan has also taken a strong stance against terrorism. Operation Zarb-i-Azb in tribal areas and the operation against criminals in Karachi have helped improve the internal security situation of the country," he said. In his last State of the Union address, US President Obama had warned: Instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of central America, Africa and Asia. Obama also identified a link between militancy and instability and warned that some unstable regions might become safe havens for terrorists. Instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of Central America, Africa and Asia, he had said. Aziz had reacted to the statement the very next day and termed Obama's predictions as distant from ground realities. To quote Larry Kudlow: Free market capitalism is the best path to prosperity! Matters of business and free enterprise are discussed on this blog. Included are company press releases, 3rd party news articles and videos, articles and videos pertaining to small business, and white collar crime. From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As... . One of the moderators from the UKDN detecting Forum (one "Puffin") decided it would be a good idea for the benefit of any met... January 19, 1994 temperatures pull out of a relatively fleeting arctic rut. We climb above 0F today; 20s will feel shockingly good tomorrow - there's still a good chance of a thaw by Sunday . What's missing? Snow. tonight The Southern Hemisphere typically has milder winters than the Northern Hemisphere. This is because the Southern Hemisphere has less land and a more maritime climate. While it seems counterintuitive, Earth is actually closest to the sun in December, even though winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. According to the Guinness World Records, on January 28, 1887, a snowflake 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick fell in Fort Keogh, Montana, making it the largest snowflake ever observed. (Image credit: NOAA). European Solution. Check out some of these predicted snow depth predictions by Sunday at midnight. I'm not buying it yet - I want to track a few more model runs and see if they converge and agree. But the ECMWF model is fairly impressive, from Richmond and D.C. to New York and Boston. Source: WeatherBell. Seasonably Cool and Quiet. While the media out east goes nuts with the potential for a cool foot or two of snow west of I-95 Minnesota will be lucky to pick up a coating of snow tonight - no weather drama brewing, just a warming trend. Graphic: WeatherSpark. El Nino Signal Lingers. The 500 mb GFS forecast valid Monday evening, February 1 shows the core of the jet diverted well south of Minnesota, soaking California and much of the Gulf Coast and eastern USA, while seasonably cold and dry air lingers over the Upper Midwest. This looks seasonably chilly for us: 20s with a few spurts of 30-degree air possible. Source: GrADS:COLA/IGES. Graphic credit Map credit Image credit above: " A rendering of a city proposal to protect against flooding in Lower Manhattan from another storm like Hurricane Sandy." An Oligarchy Has Broken our Democracy. It Must Be Dislodged. Have things really gotten this bad? Here's an excerpt of an Op-Ed at . Have things really gotten this bad? Here's an excerpt of an Op-Ed at The Guardian : ".... Image credit above: "The calculus of the Deep State has been upset by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders." Photograph: Jim Bourg/Reuters. These Airlines Have the Lowest Safety Ratings. Buyer beware; here's a clip from TODAY : Sunny start, then increasing clouds. Winds: SE 5-10. High: 10 TUESDAY NIGHT: Light snow and flurries - possible coating. Low: 20 WEDNESDAY : Mostly cloudy, thrilled to see average temperatures. High: 25 THURSDAY : Partly sunny, chilly breeze. Wake-up: 20. High: 23 FRIDAY : Bright sunshine - light winds. Winds: NW 3-8. Wake-up: 7. High: 18 SATURDAY : Fading sun, milder breeze kicks in. Winds: S 10-15. Wake-up: 10. High: 28 SUNDAY : Overcast, chance of a thaw. Winds: NW 8-13. Wake-up: 22. High: 32 MONDAY : Few flurries, then some sun. Wake-up: 23. High: 27 I define the American Deep State as a hybrid association of elements of government and top-level finance and industry that is able, through campaign financing of elected officials, influence networks and co-option via the promise of lucrative post-government careers, to govern the United States in spite of elections and without reference to the consent of the governed. These operatives use their proximity to power and ability to offer high-paying jobs to government officials to achieve outcomes foreclosed to ordinary citizens..."above: "The calculus of the Deep State has been upset by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders." Photograph: Jim Bourg/Reuters.. Buyer beware; here's a clip from TIME : "...Unfortunately, some airlinesas per the ratings listed on AirlineRatings.com have some work to do . The aviation safetyfocused website performs a comprehensive analysis of data from several international aviation and government sources and gives every airline they monitor a numerical rating from 1 to 7. (Airlines that receive a 7 are considered the safest; those that receive a 1 are the least safe.)...": Sunny start, then increasing clouds. Image credit they are not thermometers in space. The satellite [temperature] data were obtained from so-called Microwave Sounding Units ( MSUs ), which measure the microwave emissions of oxygen molecules from broad atmospheric layers. Converting this information to estimates of temperature trends has substantial uncertainties. they are not thermometers in space. The satellite [temperature] data ... were obtained from so-called Microwave Sounding Units ( MSUs ), which measure the microwave emissions of oxygen molecules from broad atmospheric layers. Converting this information to estimates of temperature trends has substantial uncertainties. Graph credit Photo credit Rolling waves driven by cyclone Christian appear in the Elbe estuary near the North Sea close to Brunsbuettel, northern Germany, in 2013." (European Pressphoto Agency/Christian Charisius) Photo credit " Credit: Thawing permafrost caused significant damage to the Dalton Highway in the North Slope of Alaska in June 2015.Credit: Alaska DOT Cancer and Climate Change. The New York Times has a poignant and powerful Op-Ed; here's the introduction: " Tatsuro Kiuchi). IM a climate scientist who has just been told I have Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. This diagnosis puts me in an interesting position. Ive spent much of my professional life thinking about the science of climate change , which is best viewed through a multidecadal lens. At some level I was sure that, even at my present age of 60, I would live to see the most critical part of the problem, and its possible solutions, play out in my lifetime. Now that my personal horizon has been steeply foreshortened, I was forced to decide how to spend my remaining time. Was continuing to think about climate change worth the bother?..." (Illustration credit: Photo credit Oakley and Casey Jones, tourists from Idaho Falls, navigate the flooded streets of Miami Beach during a king tide in September." EMILY MICHOT MIAMI HERALD STAFF. Why Climate Change is a Moral Concern for the Religious Community. An Op-Ed at An Op-Ed at NJ.com resonated; here's a clip: "... Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/elections-2016/article54945660.html#storylink=cpy Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/elections-2016/article54945660.html#storylink=cpy Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/elections-2016/article54945660.html#storylink=cpy . low early Monday at KSTC.. high in St Cloud Monday.. average high on January 18.. high on January 18, 2015.: The cold continues from the previous day with a low of -47 at Brainerd and, despite the heat island effect, the Twin Cities' airport hit -27.Data shows an average of 105 snow-producing storms hit the USA every winter. A single snowstorm can dump 39 million tons of snow. Winter cold increases a persons appetite, which can lower libido. Couples are more than twice as likely to think about splitting up between the holidays and Valentines Day.Nationwide: 74% of all auto accidents occur on wet pavement, 46% when it's raining. Only 17 percent of crashes occur during snow or sleet, 12% on icy pavement - 14% take place on snowy or slushy roads, according to Random History.com Yeah, I'm great fun at parties.Expect quiet weather asWe may get brushed with a coating, but El Nino continues to hijack the jet stream, nudging the biggest, wettest storms well south of town.We'll see more cold fronts (pretty safe bet) but I suspect the coldest weather of the Winter of '15-16 is behind us now. That wasn't so bad was it?* Model temperature forecasts above courtesy of Aeris Enterprise.Here is a link to the site referenced in the column, Random History.com , with a few factoids that made me do a triple-take:It's still WAY too early to panic (or celebrate), but a major storm is brewing for the Mid Atlantic region and New England from Friday into Sunday. If your travels take you to Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York or Boston you may experience significant delays, even cancellations this upcoming weekend. East of I-95 a sloppy mix may keep amounts down (a little), but this storm has the potential to drop a foot of snow or more on major urban centers. GFS guidance: NOAA and AerisWeather.This is another classic symptom of El Nino, which tends to energize the storm track over the southern and eastern USA. Up until now it's been amazingly quiet for the East Coast with record warmth into December. It may be time for a little payback, a cold, crystalline dose of karma.Marshall Shepherd takes a look at a fascinating and vaguely terrifying phenomenon at Forbes ; here's an excerpt: "...As reported by NBC-2.com , this particular squall line (with 80 mph wind) arrived at high tide and raised water levels significantly. The National Weather Service believes that this event was a meteotsunami because water levels coincided with storms moving inland. The water levels were nearly 6 feet higher than a normal high tide at over 7 feet. A meteotsunami is also suspected because periodic peaks and valleys in the levels, indicative of an oscillatory wave, were observed...": "Water levels at Naples, FL. January 17th, 2016." Courtesy of National Weather Service via www.nbc29.com Website.No kidding. But MSP is colder than Anchorage an average of 50 days a year? Here's some perspective in an excerpt of a WXshift article : "Whenever the mercury plummets to particularly bitter temps anywhere in the U.S., an oft-heard refrain is, Its colder here than it is in Alaska ! But just how often is that actually the case, for, say New York City, or Chicago, or Atlanta? The answer turns out to be more days than you might think. A climatologist who happens to be based in Alaska created a set of maps that shows how often cities in the lower 48 have winter days with temperatures colder than those in Anchorage or Fairbanks. Virtually all saw at least one day a winter with temps lower than those in Anchorage, which given its more southerly and coastal location than Fairbanks has a comparatively mild climate. Even parts of Florida have between 1 and 5 days a winter that are colder than Anchorage...": "The typical number of winter days with low temperatures below those in Anchorage, Alaska, across the U.S." Credit:. Here's an excerpt from a press release from NOAA : "...While flying in a low orbit, 830 miles above the Earth, Jason-3 will use a radar altimeter instrument to monitor 95 percent of the worlds ice-free oceans every 10 days. Since the Topex/Poseidon, and Jason satellite missions started in 1992, researchers have observed global sea-level rise occurring at a rate of 3 mm a year, resulting in a total change of 70 mm or 2.8 inches in 23 years...". Basic physics: a warmer atmsophere holds more water vapor, loading the dice in favor of more extreme rainfall events; here's more information from WXshift : "Climate scientists tell us that when April showers arrive, they may come with heavier downpours as the planet warms. Its not just April: more water can evaporate into a warmer atmosphere at all times of the year, and what goes up must eventually come down. (Thank you, Clausius-Clapeyron.) The data in these graphics come from 207 airports across the continental U.S. where records have been reliable and continuous since at least 1950. And the data show very clearly that theres been an upward trend in rainfalls of 1+, 2+, and 3+ nationwide with respect to the average from 1950 to 2014..."Joe Romm connects the dots at ThinkProgress ; here's an excerpt: "...If we dont act now, then, within decades, a large fraction of the worlds 9 billion people will find themselves living in places whose once stable climate simply now cant sustain them either because it is too hot or arid, the land is no longer arable, their glacially fed rivers are drying up, or the seas are rising too fast. The overwhelming majority of those suffering the most in this country and especially abroad will be people who contributed little or nothing whatsoever to the problem. This would be the greatest injustice in human history, irreversible on a time scale of centuries..."above: Shutterstock.. Here's the intro to a Guardian article at Raw Story : "Satellites dont measure the Earths temperature. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and his fellow climate contrarians love the satellite data, but as Carl Mears of the Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) satellite dataset and Ben Santer recently wrote Scientists process the raw microwave data, applying a model to make numerous adjustments in order to come up with a synthetic estimate of the atmospheric temperature..." (Image above: NOAA).Here's a link to a YouTube video from Yale Climate Connections: "We often hear from climate deniers that satellite measurements of global temperature are "the best data we have"? But is that true? Here, interviews with leading climate scientists, including Carl Mears, who keeps the dataset that he says Senator Ted Cruz, and others, are misusing."There are no direct measurements of temperatures from satellite sounders; temperatures are inferred. Here's an excerpt of a good explainer at The Guardian : "Satellites dont measure the Earths temperature. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and his fellow climate contrarians love the satellite data, but as Carl Mears of the Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) satellite dataset and Ben Santer recently wrote Scientists process the raw microwave data, applying a model to make numerous adjustments in order to come up with a synthetic estimate of the atmospheric temperature..."above: "Estimates of the temperature of the lower troposphere from satellites by RSS vs. weather balloons by NOAA (RATPAC)." Created by Tamino at the Open Mind blog.. Here's an excerpt of a Chris Mooney story at The Washington Post : "...Gleckler is the lead author of a new study in the journal Nature Climate Change finding that, in the past two decades, ocean heat content has been rising rapidly and that, much more than before, heat is also mixing into the deeper layers of the ocean, rather than remaining near the surface. As the upper oceans have been warming over time, more and more of this heat is finding its way down into the deeper ocean, and our results indicate that the fractional amount of heat that is trapped in the deeper ocean is increasing as well, Gleckler said..."above: " Huffington Post has an important story - here's the intro: "Climate change isn't just a political, social and economic issue. It's also a deeply psychological one -- and now, behavioral scientists are using psychology to better understand the complex relationship between people and nature. An increasing number of psychologists are arguing that in order to tackle the growing threat to our environment, we need to understand people's emotional and cognitive responses to this new reality, which can run the gamut from denial to indifference to outrage to anger to grief..." (Image credit: Matt Brown, Flickr). Climate Central has the story - here's the intro: "If youd asked permafrost researcher Vladimir Romanovsky five years ago if he thought the permafrost of the North Slope of Alaska was in danger of substantial thaw this century because of global warming, he would have said no. The permanently frozen soils of the northern reaches of the state are much colder, and so more stable than the warmer, more vulnerable permafrost of interior Alaska, he would have said. I cannot say it anymore he told journalists last month at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco..."above: " InsideClimate News has a fascinating article at ground zero of rising seas, a close #2 after Miami Beach - here's an excerpt: "...Conservative estimates predict a further rise of 1 to 3 feet in the next century, accelerated by climate change. Those estimates are used by many local city planners. Even a 1-foot rise would reshape floodplains and threaten neighborhoods. But those estimates are probably too low. We tend to think that higher scenariosthree feet or moreare likely, said Larry Atkinson, who directs the Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Initiative at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. The Navy has prepared reports that analyze the effects of local sea level rise of up to 6 feet. It is possible that the change will be even greater in the 22nd century...". Here's the intro to a Miami Herald story : "Not 15 miles from the homes of Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush on the mainland, Miami Beach work crews elevate the streets , turning ground floors effectively into windowed basements, to try to stave off the implacable rise of sea water. Up comes the powerful ocean, threatening people, property and the underground freshwater supply . Cant control nature, Rubio quips with a smile. Got bigger problems, Bush insists with exasperation. I dont have a plan to influence the weather, Rubio said dismissively at a town-hall style meeting in New Hampshire last month..."above: "This is to say that our current commitments to reduce carbon emissions fall short, and we continue to accelerate our consumption of natural resources. God calls his people to be stewards of all natural creation. Therefore, we must protect the Earth in any way we can and push towards a more sustainable future. As humans, we are deeply interconnected and dependent on the Earth. Climate change is not an isolated phenomenon and is more than rising sea levels or droughts. Climate change has social, health, urban, and agricultural implications. Thus, it is crucial for everyone to play a part in tackling this for the well-being of others and of the world...". Here's the intro to an Op-Ed at The Salt Lake Tribune : "A hotter, more humid world is already becoming a world of more serious virulent infectious diseases. West Nile, dengue fever, chagas, Lyme disease, yellow fever, chikungunya, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Rift Valley fever, Japanese encephalitis and malaria are just a few of the many infectious diseases spreading far beyond their previous geographic confines. Global temperatures aren't the only things that broke records in 2015. The number of victims of dengue fever in Brazil reached 1.58 million, an all time high, 20 times more than in 1990. Heat, precipitation and humidity augment the life cycle, reproduction and even biting activity of mosquitoes and other insects that carry these diseases..."Truthout has the story; here's the intro: "Is the hydrocarbon economy too big to fail? If the woefully inadequate outcome of the Paris climate conference is any indication, the answer is still a resounding "Yes!" That's because the overly optimistic agreement conspicuously ignored the core issue driving up the earth's temperature and warping the world's already misshaped markets. The problem is Big Oil. Simply put, Big Oil is a bad investment fueled by irrational exuberance, chronic cronyism and an increasingly indefensible misallocation of capital..." The second location for Oakland restaurant BAO , formally known as Meet Bao is set to open soon a few blocks away on Craig St. Signage i... Jillian Kestler-D'Amours More than 70 percent of the guests had their visa applications denied [Marc Braibant/AFP] T... 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. SA astronaut Alexander Gerst took this image circling Earth on the International Space Station during his six-month Blue Dot mission while doing a spacewalk outside of the weightless research centre. Alexander commented: "I do not have words to describe what we did today, but this photo gives a pretty good impression! " Credit: ESA/NASA With ESA astronaut Tim Peake stepping out of the International Space Station tomorrow, have you ever wanted to know if you have what it takes to be an astronaut? ESA is offering a trial version of a test developed for future astronauts for you to try at home and by taking part you will help us select a new generation of astronauts. Trainers at ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany are always looking for ways to improve their methods. Part of the job is to find out who is suitable to become an astronaut in the first place. One of the many challenges faced by astronauts is working in three-dimensional space. In a weightless universe, up can become down and left can become right depending on which way you are floating. Everybody knows the feeling of disorientation on visiting a new city, and working in space adds a whole new dimension literally. During a spacewalk this effect intensifies as the blackness of space offers little for astronauts' brains to use for orientation. Working and using objects in this environment is something astronauts must excel at and so is a key aptitude that trainers look for in selecting candidates. Start the test The head of ESA's astronaut centre, Frank De Winne, says: "ESA is not currently running a selection campaign but developing tests for astronaut selection takes time and needs to be done right." Expedition 37 crew members pose for a crew portrait in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station. Pictured (clockwise from lower left) are Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, commander; Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryazanskiy, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, all flight engineers. Credit: NASA Your task is to move and turn an object to fit exactly in a new position in three dimensions. The task is made harder because all your moves need to be programmed beforehand and the goal is to use as few as possible. European Astronaut Centre experts in robotics and spacecraft docking worked with psychologists to design the test. ESA's Head of Astronaut Training, Rudiger Seine, explains: "By 'playing' with the test online you will help the team validate it, essentially making sure it works. For us, the more people who participate, the better." Click here to go to the test website and start thinking like an astronaut as you work your way through progressively harder levels. Andre Kuipers captured his Russian crewmates performing a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. For safety reasons, he stayed inside his Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft for the duration of the spacewalk, which afforded him some excellent views of the cosmonauts in action. Credit: ESA/NASA A screenshot of a test developed for future astronauts for you to try at home and by taking part you will help ESA select a new generation of astronauts. Your task is to move and turn an object to fit exactly in a new position in three dimensions. The task is made harder because all your moves need to be programmed beforehand and the goal is to use as few as possible. European Astronaut Centre experts in robotics and spacecraft docking worked with psychologists to design the test. Credit: ESA Explore further Image: Outbound ESA spacesuits Biodiversity in tropical forest protected areas may be faring better than previously thought, according to a study publishing in the Open Access journal PLOS Biology on January 19th. The study, "Standardized Assessment of Biodiversity Trends in Tropical Forest Protected Areas: The End is Not in Sight," was based on data gathered by researchers with the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network (TEAM). Started in 2002 by Conservation International (CI), TEAM grew to a coalition in 2009 that includes CI, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. TEAM researchers monitored 244 species of ground-dwelling mammals and birds in 15 protected areas spanning tropical regions in Central and South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. They analyzed more than 2.5 million pictures captured by more than 1,000 camera traps and found that 17% of the animal populations they monitor increased in number while 22% remained constant and 22% decreased. The Wildlife Picture Index Analytics System was developed in partnership with Hewlett Packard Company. The results of this study verify the effectiveness of protected areas. Overall, the number and distribution of species in these areas did not decline during the timeframe of the study, strongly suggesting that biodiversity did not decline overall, despite other reports of intense species decline in tropical forest protected areas. "At a time when environmental concerns are taking center stage, these results show that protected areas play an important role in maintaining biodiversity," said Jorge Ahumada, executive director of the TEAM Network and a co-author of the study. "Our study reflects a more optimistic outlook about the effectiveness of protected areas. For the first time we are not relying on disparate data sources, but rather using primary data collected in a standardized way across a range of protected areas throughout the world. With this data we have created a public resource that can be used by governments or others in the conservation community to inform decisions." Researchers caution that wildlife losses could still be occurring in the protected areas that were studied. They observed declines in numerous populations and many other populations were not captured often enough on camera to make an informative assessment. This research does not speak for unprotected tropical forest areas, which may have higher rates of species decline due to differences in management and may be threatened by increased pressure from humans. Forests in the tropics and beyond provide many critical ecosystem services for people, including providing food and fresh water; oxygen via their metabolic process; and absorption of carbon from the atmosphere. The species these forests contain also provide important ecosystem services like seed dispersal, pollination and invasive species control, and help to support an intricate food web. Loss of species in forests can jeopardize the important ecosystem services that 1.6 billion people globally rely upon. "Species loss is especially high in tropical regions where most species live and where biodiversity threats are severe," said Lydia Beaudrot, a professor at the University of Michigan and a co-author of the study. "Protected areas, such as national parks, are the cornerstone of species conservation, but whether protected areas really sustain animal populations and prevent extinction has been debated. This is particularly true for tropical areas, which are oftentimes understudied and for which there is a lack of high-quality data." The data from the study is already being used to inform management of the protected areas that TEAM monitors. In Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, TEAM researchers identified a decline in the area occupied by the African golden cat, recognized as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Park managers noticed that these locations were heavily trafficked by eco-tourists and so redirected travelers to alternate trails. Since these management actions went into effect, there has been an increase in sightings of the African golden cat. Monitoring animal populations and species diversity using TEAM's standardized methods provides a first look at overall forest health and how the species in those forests are faring. The Wildlife Monitoring Solution developed by the TEAM Network enables scientists across the world to study rare species across large areas of forest of 100 km2 or more. TEAM hopes to extend this standardized approach to other geographic areas as a solution to measure changes in on-the-ground biodiversity and ecosystem health outcomes. Started in 2002 by Conservation International (CI), TEAM - the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network - grew to a coalition in 2009 that includes CI, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Wildlife Conservation Society. TEAM has collected and made publicly available more than 2.5 million photos from camera traps in tropical forests across the planet. With support from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, formerly Hewlett Packard Company, the TEAM Network is now able to analyze this global data set in near real-time and provide data-driven insights for improving natural resource management. Explore further Early warning system for nature and natural capital protection More information: Beaudrot L, Ahumada JA, O'Brien T, Alvarez-Loayza P, Boekee K, Campos-Arceiz A, et al. (2016) Standardized Assessment of Biodiversity Trends in Tropical Forest Protected Areas: The End Is Not in Sight. PLoS Biol 14(1): e1002357. Journal information: PLoS Biology Beaudrot L, Ahumada JA, O'Brien T, Alvarez-Loayza P, Boekee K, Campos-Arceiz A, et al. (2016) Standardized Assessment of Biodiversity Trends in Tropical Forest Protected Areas: The End Is Not in Sight.14(1): e1002357. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002357 Two Chinese soldiers were "co-conspirators" in a plot to steal US military secrets, including designs for the F-35 stealth fighter, pictured on September 22, 2015, and other warplanes Two Chinese soldiers were "co-conspirators" in a plot to steal US military secrets, including designs for the F-35 stealth fighter and other warplanes, a Canadian newspaper reported Tuesday. The unnamed pair allegedly worked with a recent immigrant to Canada now facing extradition to the United States to identify and raid secure databases of US military contractors, said the Globe and Mail newspaper, citing a prosecution summary of a cyberespionage probe launched in 2014. It is the first publicly-stated link to the Chinese army in a hacking case that first came to light in 2013, when US officials revealed a broad Chinese campaign of espionage had gained access to designs for two dozen major weapons systems critical to missile defenses, combat aircraft and naval ships. The US Defense Science Board, a senior advisory group with government and civilian experts, had however stopped short in its report of accusing Beijing of stealing the designs. The so-called book of record cited by the Globe and Mail did not make it clear whether the two soldiers allegedly involved in the conspiracy were working for themselves or at the behest of Beijing. According to the newspaper, the "two Chinese military officers" were allegedly directed toward email accounts of American aviation engineers by Su Bin, a 50-year-old Chinese aviation entrepreneur living in Vancouver. The hackers then reportedly mined corporate networks for engineering manuals related to the F-35, C-17, and F-22 military aircraft. They would consult with Su Bin on which documents they should try to take, according to the Globe and Mail. Eventually the pair were identified through intercepted emails that contained their name, rank, military unit and other information. Su Bin was arrested in June 2014 and ordered extradited to the United States last September. He remains in Vancouver pending an appeal. Explore further Chinese man accused of hacking for US defense data 2016 AFP A specimen of a Witwatersrand diamond. Credit: Wits University Diamonds dug up from ancient rock formations in the Johannesburg area, between 1890 and 1930 - before the industrialisation of gold mining - have revealed secrets of how the Earth worked more than 3.5 billion years ago. The three diamonds, which were extracted from the 3 billion-year-old Witwatersrand Supergroup - the rock formation that is host to the famous Johannesburg gold mines - were investigated by Dr. Katie Smart, Prof. Susan Webb and Prof. Lewis Ashwal from Wits University, Prof Sebastian Tappe from the University of Johannesburg, and Dr. Richard Stern from the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada), to study when modern-style plate tectonics began to operate on planet Earth. The diamonds were generously provided by Museum Africa, located in Johannesburg, with the assistance of curator Katherine James. "Because diamonds are some of the the hardest, most robust material on Earth, they are perfect little time capsules and have the capacity to tell us what processes were occurring extremely early in Earth's history," says Dr Katie Smart, a Lecturer at the Wits School of Geoscience and the lead researcher on the paper, Early Archaean tectonics and mantle redox recorded in Witwatersrand diamonds, that was published in the journal, Nature Geoscience, in January. A cluster of the Witwatersrand diamonds. Credit: Wits University The Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old, and while a rock record exists from about 4 billion years ago, the complex preservational history of the most ancient rocks exposed on Earth's surface has led to a heated debate amongst Geoscientists on when plate tectonics began operating on Earth. Many researchers believe plate tectonics began in the Archaean (the Eon that took place from 4 to 2.5 billion years ago), although the exact timing is highly contested. While the diamonds of this study were found in 3 billion-year-old sedimentary rocks, diamond formation occurred much deeper, within Earth's mantle. Additionally, based on the nitrogen characteristics of the diamonds, they also formed much earlier, around 3.5 billion years ago. Transport of the diamonds to the surface of the Earth by kimberlite-like volcanism, followed by their voyage across the ancient Earth surface and into the Witwatersrand basin, occurred between 3.5 and 3 billion years ago. By using an ion probe to analyse the carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of the Witwatersrand diamonds, which have been pristinely preserved for more than three billion years, Smart and her team found that plate tectonics was likely in operation on Earth as early as 3.5 billion years ago. "We can use the carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of the diamonds to tell us where the source material involved in the formation of the Witwatersrand diamonds over 3 billion years ago came from," says Smart. "The nitrogen isotope composition of the Witwatersrand diamonds indicated a sedimentary source (nitrogen derived from the Earth's surface) and this tells us that the nitrogen incorporated in the Witwatersrand diamonds did not come from the Earth's mantle, but that it was rather transported from Earth's surface into the upper mantle through plate tectonics. This is important because the nitrogen trapped in the Witwatersrand diamonds indicates that plate tectonics, as we recognise it today, was operating on ancient Archaean Earth, and actively transported material at Earth's surface deep into the mantle." Earth as a planet is unique because of the dynamic process of plate tectonics that constantly transports surface material into the Earth's mantle, which extends between 7 km to over 2800km below Earth's surface. The process is driven by both convection cells within the Earth's mantle and the character of crustal plates at Earth's surface, where newly formed oceanic crustal plates are formed at spreading centres at mid-ocean ridges and then pushed apart. Older, cooler and more dense crust at convergent plate margins is then pulled into, or sinks, into the mantle at subduction zones. The subduction of crustal plates into the mantle can also carry sediments and organic material deep into the Earth's interior. A map of the Witwatersrand Basin. Credit: Economic Geology Research Institute (EGRI) The plate tectonic process is vital for shaping the Earth as we know it, as the activity of plate tectonics causes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and is responsible for constructing Earth's landscapes, such as deep sea trenches and building of mountains on the continents. "Various researchers have tried to establish when exactly plate tectonics started on Earth, but while there are many investigations of ancient rocks on Earth's surface - like the 3.5 billion year old Barberton Greenstone Belt here in South Africa, or the 4 billion year old Acasta Gneiss in northwest Canada - we are looking at the problem from a different viewpoint - by investigating minerals derived from Earth's mantle," says Smart. "We are not the first research group to study diamonds in order to tell when plate tectonics began, but our study of confirmed Archaean diamonds has suggested that plate tectonics was in operation by at least 3.5 billion years." About the research: Researchers acquired three Witwatersrand diamonds from Museum Africa. These diamonds were cut by laser and saws to create thin diamond plates. Diamonds sometimes contain "inclusions" of minerals, which can be used to date the diamonds using radiogenic isotopes. Diamonds themselves cannot be directly dated, and it is assumed that the diamond and diamond inclusion formed together at the same time. The oldest diamond inclusion known has been dated to be 3.5 billion years old. The age of the Wits diamonds is confirmed due to their derivation from the 3 billion-year-old Witwatersrand sediments, and are likely 3.5 billion years old based on the nitrogen characteristics of the diamonds. The goal of the study was to complete carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of the diamond plates using an Ion Microprobe. The specimens were analyzed by Dr. Richard Stern and Dr. Katie Smart at the Canadian Centre for Isotopic Microanalysis at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta using a state of the art Cameca IMS1280 ion microprobe. An ion microprobe analyses geologic specimens using SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) at a very fine spatial resolution, and in the case of this study, achieved spatial resolution of < 20 microns (1 micron is 1/1000th of a millimeter). Stern fired a beam of ions (usually cesium or oxygen ions) at the surface of the diamonds, which causes the specimen to produce secondary ions whose masses are resolved by a mass analyser. The final product is a stable isotope ratio: in this case carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) isotope compositions plus nitrogen contents of the Witwatersrand diamonds were determined. Due to the sensitivity and spatial resolution required for the study, there are only a few labs worldwide that can complete these complex analyses. The results showed that the source of the nitrogen involved in the formation of the Witwatersrand diamonds was likely sedimentary and derived ultimately from Earth's surface. Importantly, this indicates that the nitrogen must have been transported into Earth's mantle through plate tectonics much earlier than 3.5 billion years ago. About the Witwatersrand Diamonds The green Witwatersrand diamonds were found in the Witwatersrand conglomerate, where the gold was found that led to the establishment of the city of Johannesburg. A number of these diamonds were found between 1890 and 1930, when men were still mining by hand and pick axes. After the industrialisation of the mines in the 1930s, most of the diamonds in the conglomerate were crushed to dust. For this reason, the Witwatersrand diamonds are extremely rare. The Witwatersrand conglomerate is known to be at least three billion years old. The diamonds that are found in the conglomerate are known as "placer" diamonds. These diamonds did not originate in the conglomerate, but were transported from their original kimberlite sources by secondary means, such as rivers. Most diamonds are believed to be younger than three billion years old, but as the Witwatersrand conglomerate is known to be three billion years old, the diamonds found in the conglomerate must have been formed more than 3 billion years ago. Thus, they can be referred to as "confirmed ancient diamonds". Explore further Research shows seawater involved in making diamonds beneath the Northwest Territories More information: Katie A. Smart et al. Early Archaean tectonics and mantle redox recorded in Witwatersrand diamonds, Nature Geoscience (2016). Journal information: Nature Geoscience Katie A. Smart et al. Early Archaean tectonics and mantle redox recorded in Witwatersrand diamonds,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2628 One of the over 30 species of box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri. Credit: Robert Hartwick Manoa (UHM) developed an array of highly innovative experiments to allow scientists to safely test first-aid measures used for box jellyfish stings - from folk tales, like urine, to state-of-the-art technologies developed for the military. The power of this new array approach, published this week in the journal Toxins, is in its ability to rigorously assess the effectiveness of various treatments on inhibiting tentacle firing and venom toxicity - two aspects of a sting that affect the severity of a person's reaction. Box jellyfish are among the deadliest creatures on Earth, and are responsible for more deaths than shark attacks annually. Despite the danger posed by these gelatinous invertebrates, scientists and medical professionals still do not agree on the best way to treat and manage jellyfish stings. "Authoritative web articles are constantly bombarding the public with unvalidated and frankly bad advice for how to treat a jelly sting," said Dr. Angel Yanagihara, lead author of the paper and assistant research professor at the UHM Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) and John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). "I really worry that emergency responders and public health decision makers might rely on these unscientific articles. It's not too strong to point out that in some cases, ignorance can cost lives." The results from Yanagihara and team's rigorous testing demonstrate that tried-and-true methods, including vinegar and hot water immersion, really do work on Hawaiian box jellyfish (Alatina alata) stings. Further, the study shows that a new therapeutic, Sting No MoreTM, developed by Yanagihara with Department of Defense funding, inhibits the venom directly. Dr. Angel Yanagihara collects Hawaiian box jellyfish (Alatina alata) at 3 am along Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, HI. Credit: University of Hawaii Yanagihara, aided by Dr. Christie Wilcox, a postdoctoral fellow at JABSOM, set out to test which first-aid measures actually help reduce the venom delivered when a tentacle stings or lessen the harm caused by venom that has been injected. But because box jelly stings can be life threatening, experimentation on people was out of the question. "What we needed were innovative models which would allow us to test how different options might affect the severity of a sting without putting anyone at risk," Yanagihara said. "So we designed a set of experiments using live, stinging tentacles and live human red blood cells which allowed us to pit first-aid measures against one another." The ultimate test compared the effects of treatments in a living sting model comprised of human red blood cells suspended in an agarose gel and covered with lanolin-rubbed sterile porcine intestine, which was used as a mock skin. The researchers found that the most effective treatments were Sting No More products and hot water, with Sting No More shown to work faster and better than hot water, according to the data. Alatina alata tentacles stinging during a test of the tentacle skin blood agarose model. Credit: Christie Wilcox, Yanagihara Lab/Department of Defense H922 "People think ice will help because jelly stings burn and ice is cold," said Wilcox. "But research to date has shown that all marine venoms are highly heat sensitive. Dozens of studies, including our recent work, have shown that hot water immersion leads to better outcomes than ice." Wilcox hopes that the new experimental models will allow for more rigorous testing of first-aid measures for venomous stings from other species of Cnidaria. "The science to date has been scattered and disorganized," she said. "We strived to design methods that were straightforward and inexpensive, so that others can use them easily. The field has suffered from a lack of standardized, rigorous and reproducible models. Our paper outlines a way to change that." While the current study only tested first-aid measures using the Hawaiian box jelly, the researchers said they are working on seeing how treatments work for stings from other common Hawaiian species, including the Portuguese Man O' War which wash ashore on leeward shores during strong winds. And, they hope that they won't be the only ones testing treatments with their experimental array. Explore further Taking the heat out of jellyfish stings More information: Angel Yanagihara et al. Experimental Assays to Assess the Efficacy of Vinegar and Other Topical First-Aid Approaches on Cubozoan (Alatina alata) Tentacle Firing and Venom Toxicity, Toxins (2016). Angel Yanagihara et al. Experimental Assays to Assess the Efficacy of Vinegar and Other Topical First-Aid Approaches on Cubozoan (Alatina alata) Tentacle Firing and Venom Toxicity,(2016). DOI: 10.3390/toxins8010019 Dogs view facial expressions on a monitor. A recent study from the University of Helsinki shows that the social gazing behavior of domestic dogs resembles that of humans: dogs view facial expressions systematically, preferring eyes. In addition, the facial expression alters their viewing behavior, especially in the face of threat. The study was published in the science journal PLOS ONE. Threatening faces evoke unique responses in dogs The study utilized eye gaze tracking to demonstrate how dogs view the emotional expressions of dog and human faces. Dogs looked first at the eye region and generally examined eyes longer than nose or mouth areas. Species-specific characteristics of certain expressions attracted their attention, for example the mouths of threatening dogs. However, dogs appeared to base their perception of facial expressions on the whole face. Threatening faces evoked attentional bias, which may be based on an evolutionary adaptive mechanism: the sensitivity to detect and avoid threats represents a survival advantage. Interestingly, dogs' viewing behavior was dependent on the depicted species: threatening conspecifics' faces evoked longer looking but threatening human faces instead an avoidance response. Threatening signals carrying different biological validity are most likely processed via distinctive neurocognitive pathways. "The tolerant behavior strategy of dogs toward humans may partially explain the results. Domestication may have equipped dogs with a sensitivity to detect the threat signals of humans and respond them with pronounced appeasement signals", says researcher Sanni Somppi from the University of Helsinki. Results provide support for Darwin's views of animal emotions This is the first evidence of emotion-related gaze patterns in non-primates. Already 150 years ago Charles Darwin proposed that the analogies in the form and function of human and non-human animal emotional expressions suggest shared evolutionary roots. Recent findings provide modern scientific support for Darwin's old argument. Exploring canine mind with dog-friendly methods A total of 31 dogs of 13 different breeds attended the study. Prior the experiment the dogs were clicker-trained to stay still in front of a monitor without being commanded or restrained. Due to positive training approach, dogs were highly motivated to perform the task. The study is part of the collaboration project of Faculties of Veterinary Medicine and Behavioural Science, University of Helsinki and Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University. Previously, the research group of professor Outi Vainio from the University of Helsinki has discovered that socially informative objects in images, as personally familiar faces and social interaction, attract dogs' attention. The research group of Professor Outi Vainio explores cognition and emotion in dogs in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Helsinki. The study has been supported inter alia by the Academy of Finland and the Emil Aaltonen Foundation. Explore further Dogs recognize familiar faces from images More information: Sanni Somppi et al. Dogs Evaluate Threatening Facial Expressions by Their Biological Validity Evidence from Gazing Patterns, PLOS ONE (2016). Journal information: PLoS ONE Sanni Somppi et al. Dogs Evaluate Threatening Facial Expressions by Their Biological Validity Evidence from Gazing Patterns,(2016). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143047 Workers on new manufacturing line of Jushi Egypt. Photo by Jushi Group. World's largest manufacturer of fiberglass Jushi Group plans to increase its investment and production in Egypt. Given Egypt's advantage in location, resources and competitive labor cost, the China-based group wants to raise production to 200,000 metric tons in the country. Established in China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in January 2012, Jushi Egypt for Fiberglass Industry S.A.E, a subsidiary of Jushi Group, now has an annual output capacity of 80,000 tons of fiberglass. The investment of the current manufacturing line is $223 million. According to Yang Jixiang, deputy general manager of Jushi Egypt, the company employs about 1,100 Egyptians and 60 Chinese. In 2015, the company exported 95 percent of its products, valued at $84 million, and paid about 135 million Egyptian pounds ($17 million) in tax to Egyptian government. Yang said the operation of Jushi Egypt has helped the development of downstream and upstream industries of fiberglass in Egypt. "Two Chinese companies have entered China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone to supply materials to us. While improving their technology to meet our need for Kaolin powder, a raw material for glass fiber, an Egyptian mill factory has increased its mills from one to four," he said. While assembling manufacturing line also with an output capacity of 80,000 tons, which will be put into operation in June, the company has started construction for capacity of another 40,000 tons. Now 40 percent of the company's middle-level executives are Egyptians and they are not going to add more Chinese for the new capacity, said Yang. He said the company chose to establish manufacturing line in Egypt because of its great location advantage, preferential trade policies Egypt enjoys and the rich raw materials for fiberglass. "If you export fiberglass to Europe from China, you have to pay anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duty at a rate of 24.8 percent, along with the tariff. There is no tariff if you export to Europe and Middle East from Egypt and there is no anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duty at all," he said. He said it takes at least one month to transport product from China to Europe, but from Egypt, it takes only one week. The container could arrive in Turkey in only two days. Egypt is rich in human resources and also in natural resources for fiberglass industry. "The engineers in Egypt are well-educated. Though the efficiency in Egypt is not as high as that in our headquarters, it will improve as we invest more in training," he said. However, the company is also faces challenges in Egypt. Though Egypt government promised export rebates to exporters, it's not easy to get the rebates. Jushi Egypt only managed to get rebates in two deals with a total amount of about 70,000 Egyptian pounds, according to Yang. Yang said the company's operation has also been affected by change of policies in Egypt. In September 2015, Egypt government called for testing all chemicals and powders imported to the country. However, the test cannot be done in one week as promised and could take two and even three weeks, resulting in a lack of raw materials for the manufacturing line and also much more demurrage charge. houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn UCBs new epilepsy drug BRIVIACT receives EU approval Details Category: Small Molecules Published on Tuesday, 19 January 2016 18:29 Hits: 2756 BRIVIACT will offer greater treatment choice to physicians and patients, bringing hope to the millions of Europeans who suffer from epilepsy1 It is estimated that more than 30% of the approximate 65 million people worldwide with epilepsy are resistant to treatments currently available2,3 BRIVIACT will join the UCB anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) portfolio, further strengthening its leadership in epilepsy and commitment to improving the lives of people with the condition BRUSSELS, Belgium I January 19, 2016 I UCB today announced the European Commission (EC) has approved BRIVIACT (brivaracetam) as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalization (spreading to both sides of the brain after the initial seizure) in adult and adolescent patients from 16 years of age with epilepsy. BRIVIACT treatment is initiated without titration, meaning patients receive a therapeutic dose of the drug from the first day of treatment. Todays approval from the European Commission is exciting news for those in the EU who suffer from epilepsy and need alternative treatment options, said Jean-Christophe Tellier, UCBs CEO. One of UCBs key ambitions is improving the lives of people with epilepsy, and we are thrilled to bring BRIVIACT to patients in Europe and lead the way in making positive changes in how epilepsy is managed. First launches in EU countries are set to begin this quarter. Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting around 7 million people in Europe.1 Despite currently-available treatments, many patients with epilepsy still experience seizures regardless of using at least one AED.2 There is an unmet need for epilepsy medicines that effectively control seizures and are also well tolerated by patients, said Dr Manuel Toledo MD, PhD, consultant neurologist and epileptologist at the Vall dHebron Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, who participated in the placebo-controlled trials for BRIVIACT. A new treatment such as BRIVIACT, that enables patients to receive a therapeutic dose from the very first day without titration, represents a big step forward to further helping people with epilepsy. The EC approval is based on pooled data from three pivotal Phase 3 studies (N01252, N01253 and N01358), in which BRIVIACT demonstrated statistically significant reductions over placebo in partial-onset seizure frequency per 28 days (19.5%, 24.4% and 24.0% for BRIVIACT 50, 100 and 200 mg/day respectively, p<0.01).4,5 The proportion of patients showing a 50% or greater reduction in partial-onset seizure frequency was 34.2% (50 mg/day), 39.5% (100 mg/day) and 37.8% (200 mg/day), vs. 20.3% for placebo (p<0.01 for all arms).4,5 BRIVIACT was generally well tolerated by patients, and the most commonly reported adverse reactions (5%) with the drug were somnolence (15.2%), dizziness (11.2%), headache (9.6%) and fatigue (8.7%).4 Brivaracetam is also currently under review for approval in other countries including the U.S., Australia, Canada and Switzerland. About BRIVIACT Rationally designed and developed by UCB, BRIVIACT is a selective high-affinity synaptic vesicle protein 2A ligand available in three formulations (film-coated tablets, oral solution and solution for injection/infusion).6 BRIVIACT can be initiated without titration, meaning patients receive a therapeutic dose of brivaracetam from the first day of treatment. Physicians are also able to adjust dosing up or down depending on patient response and tolerability. Overall, the BRIVIACT clinical development program has involved more than 3,000 people and more than eight years of experience for some patients.7 About epilepsy1,3,8 Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting approximately 65 million people worldwide. Although epilepsy may be linked to factors such as health conditions, race and age, it can develop in anyone at any age. An estimated 7 million people in Europe will have an epileptic seizure at some time during their lives. Epilepsy is considered to be a disease of the brain defined by any of the following conditions: (1) at least two unprovoked (or reflex) seizures occurring >24 hours apart; (2) one unprovoked (or reflex) seizure and a probability of further seizures similar to the general recurrence risk (at least 60%) after two unprovoked seizures, occurring over the next 10 years; (3) diagnosis of an epilepsy syndrome. About UCB in epilepsy UCB has a rich heritage in epilepsy, with more than 20 years of experience in the research and development of AEDs. As a company with long-term commitment to epilepsy research, our goal is to address unmet medical needs. Our scientists are proud to contribute to advances in the understanding of epilepsy and its treatment. We partner and create super-networks with world-leading scientists and clinicians in academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies and other organizations who share our goals. At UCB, we are inspired by patients and driven by science in our commitment to support patients with epilepsy. References European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations. Epilepsy. Accessed 17 December 2015 from http://www.efpia.eu/diseases/89/59/Epilepsy. Kwan, P., et al. Early Identification of Refractory Epilepsy. New England Journal of Medicine, 2000, 342(5); 314-319 Epilepsy Foundation. Who gets epilepsy? Accessed 17 December 2015 from http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/epilepsy-101/who-gets-epilepsy. Quarato, P., et al. Efficacy and safety of adjunctive brivaracetam for partial-onset (focal) seizures: pooled results from three fixed-dose, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III studies Epilepsia; 2015; 56; Suppl.1; 208-209. Abstract p0851 presented a 31st International Epilepsy Congress (IEC), September 05-09, 2015; Istanbul, Turkey. Quarato, P. et al. Efficacy and safety of adjunctive brivaracetam for partial-onset (focal) seizures: pooled results from three fixed-dose, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III studies; 2015; Poster PO851 presented at 31st International Epilepsy Congress (IEC), September 5-9, 2015; Istanbul, Turkey. BRIVIACT Summary of Product Characteristics. UCB data on file. Fisher, R.S., et al. ILAE Official Report: A practical clinical definition of epilepsy. Epilepsia, 2014, 55(4); 475-482. About UCB UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases of the immune system or of the central nervous system. With more than 8,500 people in approximately 40 countries, the company generated revenue of 3.3 billion in 2014. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB). Follow us on Twitter: @UCB_news. SOURCE: UCB Company Adds Large Retail & QSR Clients, Expands Global Presence and Introduces New Innovations; See VMob at NRF Retails Big Show 2016 Conference & Expo in Front of Booth No. 2803 SAN FRANCISCO, CA(Marketwired Jan 18, 2016) VMob , an intelligent cloud-based personalization platform built specifically for retailers and QSRs, today announced details of the strong momentum built throughout 2015, positioning it for continued success in 2016. Among the highlights of VMobs 2015 performance include attracting the business of numerous high-profile retail brands and QSRs, the expansion of its product functionality, key additions to its leadership team and growing recognition among the industry. VMob was founded with a mission to help brands leverage the latest advancements in mobile technology to build loyalty with customers, improve the in-store experience, increase in-person sales, encourage return visits and, ultimately, drive revenue, said Scott Bradley, CEO and founder of VMob. In just a few short years, we have grown from a pioneering startup into an industry leader transforming how retailers and QSRs connect with customers in a modern, always-on world. Overall, 2015 was a tremendous year for us, growing by every measure and introducing new innovations as we further define the role of personalized mobile marketing in the consumer experience. Growth and Expansion in North America The VMob platform provides retailers and QSRs with real-time data and tools to personalize the in-store customers experiences and increase value throughout the customer lifecycle. As global brands strive to leverage mobile marketing to reach their audiences in new ways and deliver a memorable customer experience, VMob has become the provider of choice for some of the largest global consumer brands. Throughout 2015, VMob welcomed many large-scale, high-profile clients seeking a new approach to engage with customers. These include 7-Eleven, IKEA and several new McDonalds markets as an extension of VMobs existing global agreement with the restaurant chain. As VMob continues to deliver its cutting-edge solutions to new markets around the globe, the company has significantly expanded its presence in North America. VMobs San Francisco office puts the organization near the heart of Silicon Valley and alongside other innovators in the technology sector. To further solidify its commitment to expanding in the North American market, CEO Scott Bradley has relocated from New Zealand to ensure higher visibility for VMobs market-leading solutions. Additions to Leadership Team To help steer VMobs rapid growth trajectory, the company added several key appointments to its leadership team, including the appointment of Jen Millard as an advisor to the board. Millard has more than 20 years of experience advising consumer, retail and investment executives with strategic plans, business execution initiatives and innovations. She is focused on retail innovation that spans the connections of consumers to retail brands as well as payments, advertising technology, big data and analytics. VMob also welcomed acclaimed business leader Sharon Hunter, and Tim Cook, managing director of VMob investor Collins Asset Management Limited, to its board of directors, to provide further guidance as the company scales. New Product Functionality Essential to VMobs success is its ability to deliver in-depth insights and robust data into the customer lifecycle, enabling retailers and QSRs to continually improve how they connect with customers. The company made it easier than ever to access and understand this data by offering its personalized marketing analytics on Microsoft Power BI, a cloud-based business analytics service offering a single view of the most critical business data. With pre-built integration via Power BI, users can more easily access VMobs sophisticated social profiling, geo-location and transaction history to understand their customers in real time via a single, interactive dashboard for all customer data. Industry Recognition Throughout 2015, VMob participated in several high-profile events, sharing its thought leadership in mobile marketing with a wide audience. Among the highlights, Bradley was featured in the keynote presentation at Microsoft WPC 2015 . During his segment, Bradley shared how VMob leverages Microsoft products like Azure and Power BI to drive success for one of its largest global QSR clients, using mobile customer engagement to increase revenue by millions. At this event, VMob was named a 2015 Microsoft Partner of the Year for the Cloud Platform: Application Innovation category, recognizing its delivery of exemplary solutions built upon Microsoft technologies. In addition, VMobs CTO, David Inggs, has shared the companys success stories at numerous events including Microsoft AzureCon 2015, the Internet Marketing Associations IMPACT15 event and the Mobile Marketing Associations SM2 Innovation Summit. VMob also received top honors at the I-COM Global Forum for Marketing Data and Measurement awards for the second consecutive year, receiving the Supreme Data Venture Challenge Award, as well as winning the mobile category in the Data Venture Challenge and Data Creativity awards. Preparing for 2016 Todays consumers are never far from a mobile device, providing retailers and QSRs with almost unlimited potential to engage and connect with them in entirely new ways, said Bradley. With the new year approaching, we plan to introduce new efficiencies for how brick-and-mortar stores can leverage mobile marketing to drive business and build greater loyalty. The opportunity in front of us is enormous; VMob is well positioned for continued growth in 2016 as we bring our cloud-based personalization platform to new markets around the globe. About VMob VMob is the developer of the worlds first comprehensive in-store personalized marketing solution that increases sales, fosters customer loyalty and provides crucial business insights through sophisticated analytics. Selected by prominent global brands including McDonalds, 7-Eleven, Exxon, Anheuser Busch and IKEA, VMob aggregates the distinct point-in-time customer data that enable organizations to drive and convert in-store visits to in-store sales. Visit www.vmob.com 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. The Islamization of France in 2015 "We are in a war against jihadist terrorism that threatens the entire world" An estimated 40,000 cars are burned in France every year a destruction often attributed to rival Muslim gangs. Every day, more than 80 cars are burned. The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, called for the number of mosques in France to be doubled over the next two years. Boubakeur said that 2,200 mosques are "not enough" for the "seven million Muslims living in France." He demanded that unused churches be converted into mosques. Prime Minister Manuel Valls revealed in April that more than 1,550 French citizens or residents are involved in terrorist networks in Syria and Iraq. "Can we not talk about subjects that split opinion? If you talk about immigration, you are a xenophobe. If you talk about security, you are a fascist. If you talk about Islam, you are an Islamophobe." Henri Guaino, MP. "Those who denounce the illegal behavior of fundamentalists are more likely to be sued than the fundamentalists who behave illegally." Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front party. Although French law prohibits the collection of official statistics about the race or religion of its citizens, this estimate is based on several studies that attempted to calculate the number of people in France whose origins are from Muslim-majority countries. What follows is a chronological review of some of the main stories about the rise of Islam in France during 2015: JANUARY January 1. The Interior Ministry January 3. A 23-year-old Muslim man in Metz tried to January 7-9. A series of jihadist attacks in Paris left 17 people dead. The first and deadliest of the attacks occurred on January 7, when French-born Islamic radicals Cherif and Said KouachiCharlie Hebdo and fatally shot eight employees, two police officers, and two others, and injured eleven other people. On January 8, a third assailant in the attacks, Amedy Coulibaly, shot and Last January, Amedy Coulibaly (left) murdered a policewoman and four Jews in Paris, before being shot dead by police. Right: Medics carry a victim wounded in an attack by Islamist terrorists, who shot hundreds of concert-goers, killing 90, at the Bataclan theater in Paris on November 13, 2015. January 18. A poll by the firm, Institut francais d'opinion publique (IFOP), published by Journal du Dimanche, Charlie Hebdo, and indicated they believed there should be "limitations on free speech online and on social networks." The vast majority (81%) said they favored stripping French nationality from dual nationals who have committed an act of terrorism on French soil. More than two-thirds (68%) said that French citizens should be banned from returning to the country if "they are suspected of having gone to fight in countries or regions controlled by terrorist groups." January 20. Prime Minister Manuel Valls "The social misery is compounded by daily discrimination, because someone does not have the right family name, the right skin color, or because she is a woman. I am not making excuses, but we have to look at the reality of our country." January 21. Valls January 27. Police arrested five suspected jihadists, aged 26 to 44, in dawn raids in Lunel, a small town near the Mediterranean coast. At least ten, and possibly as many as 20 people from the town with a population of just 25,000 have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with the Islamic State. January 28. An Ipsos/Sopra-Steria poll produced for Le Monde and Europe 1 Radio Also in January, artwork depicting women's shoes on Muslim prayer rugs was removed from an exhibition in the Paris suburb of Clichy-la-Garenne after the Federation of Islamic Associations of Clichy warned it might provoke "uncontrollable, irresponsible incidents." The artwork, made by the French-Algerian artist Zoulikha Bouabdellah, included high-heel shoes placed on the center of prayer rugs in shades of blue, white and red, symbolizing the French flag. She said she did not consider the work to be blasphemous, but curator Christine Ollier said it would be removed to "avoid polemics." The act of self-censorship was criticized by other artists, who said that the freedom of expression was being undermined. FEBRUARY February 5. A teacher at France's only state-funded Muslim faith school Liberation, philosophy teacher Sofiane Zitouni "The reality is that Averroes Lycee is a Muslim territory that is being funded by the state. It promotes a vision of Islam that is nothing other than Islamism. And it is doing it in an underhand and hidden way in order to maintain its state funding." The school's director, Hassan Oufker, said he would sue Zitouni, of Algerian descent, for defamation. February 12. The Union of French Muslim Democrats (L'Union des democrates musulmans Francais, UDMF), a start-up Muslim political party, February 15. The government "If foreign countries are stepping in to fund mosques, it is because the French government won't. Muslims cannot run the risk of refusing cash from outside, because the French government won't allocate them funds to build mosques." Bouamrane said France's 1905 law separating Church and State should be changed to allow the French state to provide financial support for Muslim worship. February 16. Nacer Bendrer, a 26-year-old French citizen, was February 23. For the first time ever, French authorities February 25. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve MARCH March 3. Prime Minister Manuel Valls March 6. Mohamed Khattabi, the "progressive" imam of the Aicha Mosque in Montpellier, said in a sermon that selfishness is part of "the nature of women." Khattabi a Moroccan-Canadian who has lived in France for more than 20 years, and who "No matter how much good you bestow upon a woman, she will deny it. Her selfishness drives her to deny it. This holds true for all women, whether Western, Arab, Muslim, Jewish, or Christian. This is the nature of women. "If a woman overcomes her nature and acknowledges [the truth] ... Allah grants her a higher place in paradise. But if she succumbs to her nature, and refuses to acknowledge the man's rights or rather, the goodness that man bestows upon her she is destined to go to [hell]..." March 8. Prime Minister Manuel Valls "There are 3,000 Europeans in Iraq and Syria today. When you do a projection for the months to come, there could be 5,000 before summer and 10,000 before the end of the year. Do you realize the threat this represents?" March 16. The Interior Ministry March 17. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve March 19. Prime Minister Manuel Valls APRIL April 4. The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, April 7. The Secretary of State for State Reform, Thierry Mandon, "There are not enough mosques in France. There are still too many cities where the Muslim faith is practiced in conditions that are not decent. We are forced to recognize that sometimes the Muslim places of worship are not satisfactory. If they are decent, open rather than underground or hidden, it will be better." April 8. Hackers claiming to belong to the Islamic State attacked TV5Monde, a French television network, and knocked it off the air globally. The network broadcasts in more than 200 countries. "We are no longer able to broadcast any of our channels. Our websites and social media sites are no longer under our control and are all displaying claims of responsibility by Islamic State," the broadcaster's director general, Yves Bigot, said. The hackers accused President Francois Hollande of having committed "an unforgivable mistake" by joining a US-led military coalition carrying out air strikes against ISIS positions in Iraq and Syria. April 13. Prime Minister Manuel Valls April 13. An opinion poll produced for Atlantico April 15. A 21-year-old Muslim April 22. French police April 21. A study by the Observatory of Religion in the Workplace (Observatoire du fait religieux en entreprise, OFRE) and the Randstad Institute MAY May 5. Sebastien Jallamion, a 43-year-old policeman from Lyon, was suspended from his job and fined 5,000 ($5,400) after he condemned the death of Frenchman Herve Gourdel who was beheaded by jihadists in Algeria in September 2014. Jallamion explained: "I am accused of having created, in September 2014, an anonymous Facebook page, showing several 'provocative' images and commentaries, 'discriminatory and injurious,' of a 'xenophobic or anti-Muslim' nature. As an example, there was that portrait of the Caliph al-Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State, with a visor on his forehead. This publication was exhibited during my appearance before the discipline committee with the following accusation: 'Are you not ashamed of stigmatizing an imam in this way?' My lawyer can confirm this... It looks like a political punishment. I cannot see any other explanation. "Our fundamental values, those for which many of our ancestors gave their life are deteriorating, and that it is time for us to become indignant over what our country is becoming. This is not France, land of Enlightenment that in its day shone over all of Europe and beyond. We must fight to preserve our values, it is a matter of survival." May 11. Sarah K., a 15-year-old French Muslim girl of Algerian descent who was May 27. The leaders of a small mosque in Oullins, a suburb of Lyons, made legal history by JUNE June 4. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy's opposition party rebranded as "The Republicans" Muslim groups June 6. Prime Minister Manuel Valls June 7. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve June 7. More than a dozen members of Forsane Alizza (Knights of Pride), a group formed to defend Muslims against "Islamophobia," Jun 15. Prime Minister Manuel Valls June 23. A court in Paris June 28. Prime Minister Manuel Valls June 29. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve June 29. Yassin Salhi, a 35-year-old father of three, Also in June, in Bordeaux, the De L'Orient a L'Occidental grocery store, whose owners recently converted to Islam, JULY July 8. The weekly newsmagazine, Valeurs Actuelles, July 10. Mohamed Achamlane, 37, the Franco-Tunisian leader of a banned group called Forsane Alizza (Knights of Pride), was July 14. Some 130 cars were July 15. French authorities July 22. A 21-year-old woman named Angelique Sloss was AUGUST August 13. A court in Dijon Conseil francais du culte musulman, CFCM) said: "I can only condemn the decision of the mayor, which was not made to restore social peace in schools and is creating an outcry in the Muslim community. All Muslims respect secularism. Muslims have never asked for halal meals in canteens." August 16. French mayor Yves Jego August 21. Ayoub El-Khazzani, a 26-year-old Moroccan, was SEPTEMBER September 6. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, "Germany probably thinks its population is moribund, and it is probably seeking to lower wages and continue to recruit slaves through mass immigration. Germany seeks not only to rule our economy, it wants to force us to accept hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers." September 7. President Francois Hollande September 8. Prime Minister Manuel Valls September 22. Eric Zemmour, a French writer and political journalist, was "The Normans, the Huns, the Arabs, the great invasions after the fall of Rome have now been replaced by gangs of Chechens, Roma, Kosovars, Maghrebins and Africans who rob, assault and pillage. Only homogenous societies such as Japan, which have for a long time said no to mass immigration and protected their natural barriers ... have escaped this street violence." Prosecutors had called for him to be fined 5,000 ($5,400) and for the radio station RTL to be fined 3,000 euros for posting the broadcast on its Internet site. The court, however, declared: "Excessive and shocking though these words may appear, they only referred to a fraction of the communities and not to them in their entirety." September 27. Mohamed Chebourou, a 27-year-old French-Algerian Islamic extremist, OCTOBER October 12. A 15-year-old Muslim student was October 20. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, "I am sorry, but for those who really like to talk about World War II, if we are talking about an occupation, we could talk about the [street prayers], because that is clearly an occupation of territory. "It is an occupation of sections of the territory, of neighborhoods in which religious law applies it is an occupation. There are no tanks, there are no soldiers, but it is an occupation nevertheless, and it weighs on people." Le Pen said she was a victim of "judicial persecution." She "It is a scandal that a political leader can be sued for expressing her beliefs. Those who denounce the illegal behavior of fundamentalists are more likely to be sued than the fundamentalists who behave illegally." October 29. Counter-terrorism police NOVEMBER November 13. A series of coordinated November 14. In a televised address to the nation, President Francois Hollande "It is an act of war that was committed by a terrorist army, a jihadist army, Daesh [Arabic acronym for the Islamic State], against France. It is an act of war that was prepared, organized and planned from abroad, with complicity from the inside." November 14. Ahmad Almohammad, one of the jihadists who blew himself up at the Stade de France, the venue targeted by three suicide bombers during a game between the national team and Germany on November 13, had November 16. In a rare speech to a joint session of parliament, President Francois Hollande November 17. Thirty Muslims, all of Bangladeshi origin and living in Paris, turned up to "Muslims are not being loud enough. This needed to be done because some Muslims are afraid of coming out to say the truth. About five percent of Muslims support the terrorists. The rest of them need to speak out. I wish more Muslims would join us here." November 18. Police November 18. A Jewish teacher was November 24. Anouar Kbibech, the president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (Conseil Francais du Culte Musulman, CFCM), November 30. The latest issue of the ISIS French-language magazine Dar al-Islam DECEMBER December 2. The Secretary General of Air France's CGT labor union, Philippe Martinez, December 2. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve December 13. Nearly 70 employees of the two main airports in Paris had their security clearances December 15. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, was December 16. Between 800 to 1,000 migrants tried to December 31. In his traditional New Year's Eve address, President Francois Hollande "We have just experienced a terrible year. Beginning with the cowardly attacks against Charlie Hebdo and Hypercacher, then the bloody assaults in Montrouge, Villejuif, Saint-Quentin Fallavier, then the Thalys train, and ending with the horrific acts of war in Saint-Denis and Paris... France is not finished with terrorism. The threat is still there. It remains at its highest level." Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estrategicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter. His first book, Global Fire, will be out in early 2016. The Muslim population of France reached 6.5 million in 2015, or around 10% of the overall population of 66 million. In real terms, France has the largest Muslim population in the European Union, just above Germany.Although French law prohibits the collection of official statistics about the race or religion of its citizens, this estimate is based on several studies that attempted to calculate the number of people in France whose origins are from Muslim-majority countries.What follows is a chronological review of some of the main stories about the rise of Islam in France during 2015:January 1. The Interior Ministry announced the most anticipated statistic of the year: a total of 940 cars and trucks were torched across France on New Year's Eve, a 12% decrease from the 1,067 vehicles burned during the annual ritual on the same holiday in 2014. Car burnings, commonplace in France, are often attributed to rival Muslim gangs that compete with each other for the media spotlight over which can cause the most destruction. An estimated 40,000 cars are burned in France every year.January 3. A 23-year-old Muslim man in Metz tried to strangle a police officer while shouting "Allahu Akbar!" ("Allah is the greatest!"). The assault took place at the police station after the man, who was arrested for purse-snatching, asked the officer to bring him a glass of water. When the policeman opened the cell door, the man lunged at him. The officer was rescued by a colleague who saw the scene unfold on a video surveillance camera.January 7-9. A series of jihadist attacks in Paris left 17 people dead. The first and deadliest of the attacks occurred on January 7, when French-born Islamic radicals Cherif and Said Kouachi stormed the offices of the magazineand fatally shot eight employees, two police officers, and two others, and injured eleven other people. On January 8, a third assailant in the attacks, Amedy Coulibaly, shot and killed municipal police officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe in Montrouge, a suburb of Paris. On January 9, Coulibaly entered a HyperCacher kosher supermarket in Paris, killed four people and took several hostages. Coulibaly was killed when police stormed the store. His female accomplice, Hayat Boumeddiene, France's "most wanted woman," remains at large and is believed to have fled to Syria.January 18. A poll by the firm, Institut francais d'opinion publique (IFOP), published by showed that 42% of French people oppose the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, such as those published by, and indicated they believed there should be "limitations on free speech online and on social networks." The vast majority (81%) said they favored stripping French nationality from dual nationals who have committed an act of terrorism on French soil. More than two-thirds (68%) said that French citizens should be banned from returning to the country if "they are suspected of having gone to fight in countries or regions controlled by terrorist groups."January 20. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the terrorist attacks exposed a "territorial, social, ethnic apartheid" that is plaguing France. In a speech described as one of the strongest indictments of French society ever by a government figure, Valls said there was an urgent need to fight discrimination, especially in impoverished suburbs that are home to many Muslim immigrants. He said that despite years of government efforts to improve conditions in run-down neighborhoods, many people have been relegated to living in ghettos. He added January 21. Valls announced a 736 million ($835 million) program to augment its anti-terrorism defenses amid a rapidly expanding jihadist threat. He said the government would hire and train 2,680 new anti-terrorist judges, security agents, police officers, electronic eavesdroppers and analysts over the next three years. The government will also spend 480 million on new weapons and protective gear for police. The initiative includes an enhanced online presence based on a new government website called " Stop Djihadisme ."January 27. Police arrested five suspected jihadists, aged 26 to 44, in dawn raids in Lunel, a small town near the Mediterranean coast. At least ten, and possibly as many as 20 people from the town with a population of just 25,000 have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with the Islamic State.January 28. An Ipsos/Sopra-Steria poll produced forand Europe 1 Radio found that 53% of French citizens believe the country is "at war" and 51% feel that Islam is "incompatible" with the values of French society.Also in January, artwork depicting women's shoes on Muslim prayer rugs was removed from an exhibition in the Paris suburb of Clichy-la-Garenne after the Federation of Islamic Associations of Clichy warned it might provoke "uncontrollable, irresponsible incidents." The artwork, made by the French-Algerian artist Zoulikha Bouabdellah, included high-heel shoes placed on the center of prayer rugs in shades of blue, white and red, symbolizing the French flag. She said she did not consider the work to be blasphemous, but curator Christine Ollier said it would be removed to "avoid polemics." The act of self-censorship was criticized by other artists, who said that the freedom of expression was being undermined.February 5. A teacher at France's only state-funded Muslim faith school quit his job, saying that the Averroes Lycee (high school) in Lille was a hotbed of "anti-Semitism, sectarianism and insidious Islamism." In an article published by, philosophy teacher Sofiane Zitouni wrote The school's director, Hassan Oufker, said he would sue Zitouni, of Algerian descent, for defamation.February 12. The Union of French Muslim Democrats (), a start-up Muslim political party, said it had begun fielding candidates in local elections in eight cities in France. UDMF founder Najib Azergui said his group wants to give a voice to the country's Muslim community by: promoting Islamic finance; promoting the use of Arabic in French schools; working to overturn France's ban on wearing the veil in schools, and fighting against the "dangerous stigmatization that equates Islam with terrorism."February 15. The government announced a series of measures to clamp down on the radical Islam being spread in mosques, including a ban on financial support from countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia. French Muslims opposed the move. Karim Bouamrane, a socialist politician said:Bouamrane said France's 1905 law separating Church and State should be changed to allow the French state to provide financial support for Muslim worship.February 16. Nacer Bendrer, a 26-year-old French citizen, was extradited to Belgium for his role in the May 20214 jihadist attack against the Jewish Museum in Brussels. He is suspected of helping compatriot Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, carry out the attack in which four people were murdered. When arrested near Marseilles, Bendrer was in possession of a Kalashnikov type of assault rifle, two automatic pistols and a shotgun. Bendrer and Nemmouche reportedly met while in prison in Salon-de-Provence in southern France between 2008 and 2010.February 23. For the first time ever, French authorities confiscated the passports and identity cards of six French citizens who were allegedly planning to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State. The government said it might seize the passports of at least 40 others.February 25. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve unveiled a plan to "reform" the Muslim faith to bring it into line with the "values of the French Republic." This, he said, would be done by means of a new "Islamic Foundation" devoted to conducting "revitalizing research" into a form of Islam that "carries the message of peace, tolerance and respect." The government would create, among other measures, a new forum to: promote dialogue with the Muslim community; improve the training of Muslim preachers; combat radicalization in French prisons; and regulate Muslim schools.March 3. Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced that the state would double the number of university courses on Islam in an effort to stop foreign governments from financing and influencing the training of French imams. Valls said that he wanted more imams and prison chaplains who have been trained abroad to "undergo more training in France, to speak French fluently and to understand the concept of secularism." There are currently six universities in France offering courses in Islamic studies and theology. Valls said he wanted to double that number to 12 and that the courses would be free of charge.March 6. Mohamed Khattabi, the "progressive" imam of the Aicha Mosque in Montpellier, said in a sermon that selfishness is part of "the nature of women." Khattabi a Moroccan-Canadian who has lived in France for more than 20 years, and who claims to be a "promoter of an Islam within French society, of coexistence" said March 8. Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned that as many as 10,000 Europeans could be waging jihad in Iraq and Syria by the end of 2015:March 16. The Interior Ministry blocked five Islamist websites that, it said, were promoting terrorism. The sites included one belonging to al-Hayat Media Center, the propaganda wing of the Islamic State. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said: "I make a distinction between freedom of expression and the spread of messages that serve to glorify terrorism. These hate messages are a crime." But the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe, Nils Muiznieks, criticized the move because it was carried out without judicial oversight: "Limiting human rights to fight against terrorism is a serious mistake and an inefficient measure that can even help the terrorists' cause."March 17. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve revealed that the government has stopped paying welfare benefits to 290 French jihadists fighting with the Islamic State. He said that the agencies responsible for distributing welfare payments were being notified as soon as it was confirmed that a French citizen had left the country to fight abroad.March 19. Prime Minister Manuel Valls unveiled a new bill that would allow intelligence services to monitor and collect the email and telephone communications of anyone suspected of being a terrorist. "These are legal tools, but not tools of exception, nor of generalized surveillance of citizens," he said . "There will not be a French Patriot Act," he said, referring to American legislation bearing the same name. "There cannot be a lawless zone in the digital space. Often we cannot predict the threat, the services must have the power to react quickly."April 4. The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, called for the number of mosques in France to be doubled over the next two years. Speaking at a gathering of French Islamic organizations in the Paris suburb of Le Bourget, Boubakeur said that 2,200 mosques are "not enough" for the "seven million Muslims living in France." He demanded that unused churches be converted into mosques.April 7. The Secretary of State for State Reform, Thierry Mandon, claimed that the lack of "decent" places of worship for French Muslims was partly to blame for some of them turning to radical Islam. He said April 8. Hackers claiming to belong to the Islamic State attacked TV5Monde, a French television network, and knocked it off the air globally. The network broadcasts in more than 200 countries. "We are no longer able to broadcast any of our channels. Our websites and social media sites are no longer under our control and are all displaying claims of responsibility by Islamic State," the broadcaster's director general, Yves Bigot, said. The hackers accused President Francois Hollande of having committed "an unforgivable mistake" by joining a US-led military coalition carrying out air strikes against ISIS positions in Iraq and Syria.April 13. Prime Minister Manuel Valls revealed that more than 1,550 French citizens or residents are involved in terrorist networks in Syria and Iraq. The figures have almost tripled since January 2014.April 13. An opinion poll produced for found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of French citizens were in favor of restricting civil liberties in order to combat terrorism. Only 33% said they were opposed to having their freedoms reduced, although this number increased significantly among younger respondents.April 15. A 21-year-old Muslim destroyed more than 200 gravestones at a Catholic cemetery in Saint-Roch de Castres, a town near Toulouse. Police sent the man to the hospital because he was in a "delusional state and unable to communicate."April 22. French police arrested Sid Ahmed Ghlam, a 24-year-old Algerian computer science student suspected of planning an attack on Christian churches in Villejuif, a suburb south of Paris. He was arrested after apparently shooting himself by accident. Police found three Kalashnikov assault rifles, handguns, ammunition and bulletproof vests, as well as documents linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, in his car and home. Police said Ghlam had expressed a desire to join the Islamic State in Syria.April 21. A study by the Observatory of Religion in the Workplace () and the Randstad Institute found that 23% of the managers in France were regularly confronting religious problems at work, up from 12% in 2014. OFRE President Lionel Honore said religious tension had increased since January because Muslims who feel stigmatized by the jihadist attacks in Paris were becoming more forceful in asserting their beliefs.May 5. Sebastien Jallamion, a 43-year-old policeman from Lyon, was suspended from his job and fined 5,000 ($5,400) after he condemned the death of Frenchman Herve Gourdel who was beheaded by jihadists in Algeria in September 2014. Jallamion explained:May 11. Sarah K., a 15-year-old French Muslim girl of Algerian descent who was banned from class twice for wearing a long black skirt to class, was allowed to return to school wearing a similar dress. Maryse Dubois, the head teacher of the Leo-Lagrange school in the town of Charleville-Mezieres, had said she considered the long dress to be a conspicuous religious symbol and a violation of France's secularism laws. Sarah's mother said Dubois backed down after news of the incident went viral.May 27. The leaders of a small mosque in Oullins, a suburb of Lyons, made legal history by using France's 1905 law separating church and state to prevent a Salafist from radicalizing other members of the mosque. The law includes a clause that guarantees the right to worship and calls for sanctions against anyone found to be disrupting a worship service. A court in Lyons found Faouzi Saidi, 51, guilty of being disruptive by criticizing the mosque's imam and holding parallel prayers. Saidi, who was fined 1,500 ($1,640), said his only crime was to "have a big mouth." He added: "I don't understand why I've been convicted. I practice Islam as it is prescribed."June 4. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy's opposition party rebranded as "The Republicans" held a meeting on the question of "Islam in France or Islam of France" as part of a roundtable discussion on the "crisis of values" in France. Sarkozy said: "The question is not to know what the Republic can do for Islam, but what Islam can do to become the Islam of France."Muslim groups criticized the meeting. "We cannot participate in an initiative like this that stigmatizes Muslims," said Abdallah Zekri, the president of the National Observatory on Islamophobia. The organizer of the meeting, MP Henri Guaino, countered: "Can we not talk about subjects that split opinion? If you talk about immigration, you are a xenophobe. If you talk about security, you are a fascist. If you talk about Islam, you are an Islamophobe."June 6. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that more than 850 French citizens or residents had travelled to fight in Syria and Iraq. More than 470 are still there and 110 are believed to have been killed in battle.June 7. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that 113 French citizens or residents have died as jihadists on battlefields in the Middle East. There are 130 ongoing judicial proceedings concerning 650 persons related to terrorism, and 60 individuals have been banned from leaving the country.June 7. More than a dozen members of Forsane Alizza (Knights of Pride), a group formed to defend Muslims against "Islamophobia," went on trial in Paris for allegedly plotting terrorist attacks. The group formed in August 2010 by a 37-year-old Franco-Tunisian, Mohamed Achamlane, who refers to himself as "Emir" put a message on its website demanding that French forces leave all Muslim-majority countries. The message said: "If our demands are ignored, we will consider the government to be at war against Muslims." In court, Achamlane said: "There is no radical or moderate Islam. There is only authentic Islam."Jun 15. Prime Minister Manuel Valls told a half-day conference on relations with the Muslim community that "Islam is here to stay." He also stressed that there is no link between Islam and extremism. "We must say all of this is not Islam," Valls said. "The hate speech, anti-Semitism that hides behind anti-Zionism and hate for Israel ... the self-proclaimed imams in our neighborhoods and our prisons who are promoting violence and terrorism." The conference did not discuss radicalization because the issue was deemed too sensitive.June 23. A court in Paris rejected a case brought by a mother trying to sue the French government for failing to stop her teenage son from leaving to join jihadists in Syria. The boy was 16 when he left with three others from the French city of Nice in December 2013; he took a plane to Turkey, then traveled overland to Syria. His mother, identified only as Nadine A., argued that airport police in Nice should have stopped the boy because he had only a one-way ticket and no baggage. The court ruled that the airport officers were not responsible, and rejected her demand for 110,000 ($120,000) in compensation.June 28. Prime Minister Manuel Valls told iTele that there are between 10,000 and 15,000 Salafists in France, and that 1,800 people were "linked" in some way to the Islamist cause. He said that the West was engaged in a "war against terrorism," adding: "We cannot lose this war because it is fundamentally a war of civilization. It is our society, our civilization, that we are defending."June 29. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve revealed that France has deported 40 imams for "preaching hatred" in the past three years: "Since the beginning of the year we have examined 22 cases, and around 10 imams and preachers of hatred have been expelled."June 29. Yassin Salhi, a 35-year-old father of three, confessed to beheading his boss and trying to blow up a chemical plant near Lyon. The severed head was found hanging on the fence outside the plant, next to two flags bearing the Muslim profession of faith. Salhi, a truck driver, was born in France to parents of Moroccan and Algerian descent. Before his arrest, Salhi took a picture of himself with the severed head and sent the image to a French jihadist fighting for the Islamic State in Syria. Salhi's wife said: "We are normal Muslims. We do Ramadan."Also in June, in Bordeaux, the De L'Orient a L'Occidental grocery store, whose owners recently converted to Islam, scrapped a "gender ban" after facing a barrage of criticism. In an effort to ensure that males and females did not come into contact with one another in the store, the owners attempted to ban women from shopping on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and to ban men on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.July 8. The weekly newsmagazine, launched a nationwide petition titled, "Do not touch my church!" after the head of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, said that empty churches in France should be converted into mosques. The magazine pointed to an Ifop poll which showed that nearly seven out of ten respondents (67%) said they were opposed to turning French churches into mosques.July 10. Mohamed Achamlane, 37, the Franco-Tunisian leader of a banned group called Forsane Alizza (Knights of Pride), was sentenced to nine years in prison on terrorism charges after police raids found weapons and a list of Jewish targets in his personal files. The group, created in 2010 with the purported goal of stopping the spread of "Islamophobia," was banned by the government in March 2012 after jihadist propaganda appeared on its website.July 14. Some 130 cars were burned in Paris to mark the Bastille Day, the French national day. More than 80 cars are burned every day in France, mostly by young Muslims.July 15. French authorities foiled a jihadist plot to behead a high-ranking member of the French military at Port-Vendre, a military base near Perpignan, and post a video of the decapitation on the Internet. Counter-terrorism police arrested three men, including Djibril A., a former seaman with the French Navy.July 22. A 21-year-old woman named Angelique Sloss was attacked by a mob of Muslim women after they saw her sunbathing with two friends in the Parc Leo-Lagrange in Reims. The women accused her of "immorally" exposing too much flesh at a public location.August 13. A court in Dijon upheld a decision by Gilles Platret, the mayor of Chalon-sur-Saone, to stop offering alternatives to pork in school cafeterias. Platret welcomed the ruling as a "first victory for secularism." The move was condemned by Muslim groups. Abdallah Zekri of the French Council for the Muslim Faith (August 16. French mayor Yves Jego filed a petition to introduce a new law that would require all French public schools to offer a vegetarian option in the cafeteria. The initiative aims to help students who cannot eat pork due to religious reasons. Jego said the topic of school lunch menus was a "source of a useless confrontation aimed in reality in most cases at the Muslim community" that "challenges our ability to make living together a reality." More than 150,000 people have signed the petition August 21. Ayoub El-Khazzani, a 26-year-old Moroccan, was arrested after he boarded a high-speed Amsterdam-to-Paris train with 554 passengers on board and opened fire with a Kalashnikov rifle. He was subdued with the help of three Americans and a Briton. It later emerged that El-Khazzani had fought with ISIS in Syria and was known to at least four intelligence agencies.September 6. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, accused Germany of exploiting the migrant crisis in an effort to drive down wages. Speaking to supporters in Marseilles, she said:September 7. President Francois Hollande said France would take in 24,000 migrants over the next two years: "It is the duty of France. The right of asylum is an integral part of our soul and flesh. Our history demands this responsibility."September 8. Prime Minister Manuel Valls condemned two French mayors who said they would only take in Christian refugees. "You do not sort refugees on the basis of religion," Valls said. "The right to asylum is a universal right." The mayor of Roanne, Yves Nicolin, said he would only take in Christians, to be "certain they are not terrorists in disguise." The mayor of Belfort, Damien Meslot, said he would only consider taking in Christian families from Iraq and Syria because "they are the most persecuted."September 22. Eric Zemmour, a French writer and political journalist, was acquitted of charges of inciting racial hatred. Zemmour had been prosecuted for comparing gangs of foreigners to the invading barbarians that followed the fall of the Roman Empire. In a May 2014 radio broadcast, he had said Prosecutors had called for him to be fined 5,000 ($5,400) and for the radio station RTL to be fined 3,000 euros for posting the broadcast on its Internet site. The court, however, declared: "Excessive and shocking though these words may appear, they only referred to a fraction of the communities and not to them in their entirety."September 27. Mohamed Chebourou, a 27-year-old French-Algerian Islamic extremist, went on the run after being granted a brief leave of absence from the Meaux-Chauconin prison in Seine-et-Marne, east of Paris. He was serving a seven-year sentence for robbery and was not to be released until 2019. He was later arrested in Algeria. France's Justice Minister Christiane Taubira faced pressure to explain how an Islamic extremist could be granted a furlough from prison.October 12. A 15-year-old Muslim student was arrested after shouting "Allahu Akbar!" ("Allah is the Greatest!") and shooting his physics teacher in the hand with a BB gun at a school in Chalons-en-Champagne. The boy said he wanted to die a martyr.October 20. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, went on trial on charges of inciting religious hatred after comparing Muslim street prayers to the Nazi occupation. At a campaign rally in Lyon in 2010, she had said Le Pen said she was a victim of "judicial persecution." She added October 29. Counter-terrorism police foiled a jihadist plot to attack the principle base of the French Navy in Toulon. They arrested Hakim Marnissi, a 25-year-old native of Toulon, who had been under surveillance since summer 2014, when he began posting ISIS propaganda on his Facebook page. Police believe Marnissi was radicalized by Mustapha Mojeddem, a French jihadist, also from Toulon, who is fighting with ISIS in Syria.November 13. A series of coordinated jihadist attacks in Paris and its northern suburb, Saint-Denis, left 130 people dead and more than 360 injured. Three suicide bombers struck near the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafes, restaurants, and a concert hall in Paris.November 14. In a televised address to the nation, President Francois Hollande blamed the Paris attacks on the Islamic State. Speaking from the Elysee presidential palace, Hollande said:November 14. Ahmad Almohammad, one of the jihadists who blew himself up at the Stade de France, the venue targeted by three suicide bombers during a game between the national team and Germany on November 13, had posed as an asylum seeker to gain entry into the European Union. He had entered the European Union with a fake Syrian passport. It emerged that he had been welcomed ashore on the Greek island of Leros on October 3 by volunteers with the French charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).November 16. In a rare speech to a joint session of parliament, President Francois Hollande warned : "We are in a war against jihadist terrorism that threatens the entire world."November 17. Thirty Muslims, all of Bangladeshi origin and living in Paris, turned up to protest the jihadist attacks on November 13. Paris is home to up to 1.7 million Muslims. One of the protesters, Mohammad Hassan, said:November 18. Police raided an apartment in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis outside Paris, after they receive a tip that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the architect of the Paris attacks, might be at the location. Two people were killed, including Hasna Aitboulahcen, a female suspect who detonated a suicide vest. Eight people were arrested.November 18. A Jewish teacher was stabbed in Marseille by three people claiming to be supporters of the Islamic State. Three men on scooters approached the teacher in the street before showing him a picture of Mohamed Merah, a jihadist who killed seven people in a series of attacks in southern France in 2012. They then stabbed the teacher in the arm and leg.November 24. Anouar Kbibech, the president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (), called for imams in France to obtain preaching licenses as a way to "fight against radicalization." The certification would verify that imams "promote an Islam that is open and tolerant" and "respect the laws of the Republic." This "empowerment" could be "withdrawn" if necessary.November 30. The latest issue of the ISIS French-language magazine called on supporters in France to kill teachers who promote secularism in French schools. "It is therefore an obligation to fight and kill these enemies of Allah," the magazine wrote (p.17).December 2. The Secretary General of Air France's CGT labor union, Philippe Martinez, revealed the organization had expelled nearly 500 members suspected of being Islamic extremists.December 2. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced the closure of a mosque in Lagny-sur-Marne, east of Paris, on the grounds that it was spreading Islamic radicalism and recruiting for ISIS. It was the third mosque to be shut down on the grounds of extremism within a week.December 13. Nearly 70 employees of the two main airports in Paris had their security clearances revoked after they were identified as being Islamic extremists. So-called red badges are issued to employees, including aircraft service technicians, baggage handlers and gate agents, who work in the secure zones of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports.December 15. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, was acquitted on charges of inciting hatred over comments she made likening Muslim street prayers to Nazi occupation. The presiding judge said that while Le Pen's comments were "shocking," they were protected "as a part of freedom of expression."December 16. Between 800 to 1,000 migrants tried to break into the Channel Tunnel near the French port city of Calais in a bid to reach Britain. Police, who used tear gas to disperse the crowd, said the number seeking to cross the Channel in a single day was "unprecedented." Approximately 4,500 migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East live in squalid conditions at a makeshift camp in Calais known as the "Jungle."December 31. In his traditional New Year's Eve address, President Francois Hollande warned that France could be subject to more jihadist attacks in 2016: Follow Soeren Kern on Twitter and Facebook 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute. 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. A media blitz is already under way, seeking public support to continue the movement away from the Common Core standards. The New York State United Teachers union last week unveiled an ad campaigning, seeking to end what it calls the test-and-punish era in public education and moving to a future in which educators are free to teach and inspire. The governors Common Core Task Force has recommended that the state adopt new standards and delay for at least four years any consequences for teachers based on student test scores. NYSUT said it is working with the state Board of Regents to re-design the state assessments, reducing the amount of time spent on testing and ensuring teacher evaluations are fair and meaningful, according to a news release. The ad campaign will run for 10 days at a total of $1 million. Other supporters of NYSUTs effort are the New York State PTA, New York NAACP and the School Administrators Association of New York State. Unprecedented activism by parents and teachers opened the door for much-needed change in public education. The pendulum is swinging back to whats most important teaching and learning. At the same time, were reminding New Yorkers there is still a lot of work to do. We must all work together to continue this progress for our students, NYSUT President Karen E. Magee said in a news release. The medical marijuana firm with a growing and production operation in Chester dispensed its first medical marijuana over last weekend. Etain has two dispensaries open now -- on in Kingston and one in Albany -- and saw customers at both. According to a press release from the company: "Our licensed pharmacist prescribed our brand called 'Balance' to three patients in our Kingston dispensary and one at our Albany dispensary." The Balance brand has equal levels of THC and CBD, which preserves the beneficial aspects of THC, while providing CBD's antianxiety affects that counteract the euphoric affects of THC, the release said. Two patients chose the tincture, which is similar to an eye dropper. Once chose capsules and the fourth patient picked the vaporizer pen. The dispensaries opened Jan. 7. and have been open limited hours since then. These are the hours: Kingston location: Thursdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Albany location: Fridays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Here is the press release: Etain LLC (Etain) is proud to announce that we dispensed medical marijuana to four different patients over the weekend. Our licensed pharmacist prescribed our brand called Balance to three patients in our Kingston dispensary and one at our Albany dispensary. Balance, equal levels of THC and CBD, preserves the beneficial aspects of THC, but CBD has antianxiety affects that counteracts the euphoric affects of THC. Two patients will receive their medication through our tincture (similar to an eye dropper), one chose our capsules and the fourth patient picked the vaporizer pen. We encourage all qualified patients to contact us with any questions. Our Kingston dispensary is located at 445 State Route 28 and our Albany dispensary is located at 402 North Pearl Street. Patients can contact us anytime at (914) 437-7898. QUEENSBURY The former chief executive officer of Parks Heritage Federal Credit Union was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in Warren County Jail and 5 years on probation for stealing more than $8,000 from the institution. Michael D. Howard, 39, pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny, a felony, for the theft of money from the credit union between 2010 and 2013. He was fired in December 2013, after staff at the financial institution detected possible fraud and contacted police. Warren County Judge John Hall sentenced Howard to 30 days in the county jail to be followed by probation. He must make $8,070 in restitution as part of the terms of probation. If he violates probation, he faces 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison. He will have to serve 20 days before becoming eligible for release from jail. He is now a felon, will serve 30 days in jail and the victim will be made whole, Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan said. Howard had faces 12 felonies, the grand larceny count plus 11 felonies for falsification of business records to conceal the thefts. Glens Falls Police, aided by a forensic audit, concluded that Howard had been using credit union money to pay personal bills and altering records to conceal the theft. No customer money was taken, police said. Co-workers discovered the theft when they spotted a check to a Glens Falls law firm that the company had not used. Further investigation found checks written for Howards personal home landscaping and contractor bills and utility bills. Parks Heritage Federal Credit Union has one location in Glens Falls, on Murray Street near Glens Falls Hospital, where it has been in business for more than 50 years, serving the financial needs of the medical community and their families in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties. Howards lawyer, Derrick Hogan, (no relation to the district attorney) did not return a phone call for comment Monday, and has not returned previous calls on the case since Howards indictment last spring. QUEENSBURY The Fort Ann man at the center of a child sexual abuse case that spawned an investigation of the actions of Warren Countys Department of Social Services will stand trial starting April 11. Warren County Judge John Hall scheduled trial in the case recently after denying a request by Shannon C. Dickinsons defense lawyer to dismiss felony sex charges against him. The lawyer, Joseph Brennan, had alleged procedural errors during the grand jury inquiry should lead to the dismissal of the indictment against Dickinson, but Hall found after review of grand jury minutes that the charges were legally filed. Dickinson, 43, faces a five-count indictment that includes felony charges of first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree sexual abuse and luring a child and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. He was acquainted with the 13-year-old girl, having dated her mother. Warren County prosecutors recently filed additional court documents that outline the allegations against Dickinson, who was arrested last August after an investigation by State Police. According to a statement the girl gave to police, Dickinson allegedly took the girl to the Red Roof Inn motel in Queensbury and gave her seven cups of Gatorade mixed with vodka before she passed out. She told authorities she awoke to find Dickinson, who is a paraplegic, in bed with her sexually abusing her. When he did not heed her requests to stop, she said she kicked him in the head and he relented, according to court records. He asked me if I was going to tell (the friend) what happened, and I said No, the teen told police. The complaint resulted in an investigation of whether Warren County Department of Social Services properly oversaw the girl. Warren County supervisors said they were told the state Office of Child and Family Services cleared the county agency of any wrongdoing, although a letter the state agency sent does not specify exactly what was investigated. Hall scheduled pretrial hearings in Dickinsons case for March 14. Dickinson is being held in Warren County Jail for lack of bail. A two-time felon, he has rejected a plea offer that would send him to state prison for 18 years. He faces up to 25 years in state prison if convicted of the weightiest charge against him, first-degree criminal sexual act. It was two years ago Monday that Jonathan Schaff walked away from a Granville bar, not to be seen by his family again. His cellphone was found the next day in a parked truck in a parking lot in West Pawlet, Vermont, but police have found no indication of where he went. An investigation that has crossed state borders between New York and Vermont continues to this day, with little to show for it. Because Schaffs phone was found in Vermont, and witnesses indicated he had made it over the state line after leaving the bar, Vermont State Police have led the investigation since two days after Schaff was reported missing. The apparent lack of progress has frustrated Schaffs loved ones as well as police. I feel bad for the family, said Granville Police Chief Ernest Bassett. Its a case we want resolved, but for now, its cold. We have nothing substantial to follow up on. Schaff, 21, of Fair Haven, Vermont, was last seen early the morning of Jan. 18, 2014, walking away from Riverside Pub in Granville. He was heavily intoxicated and had gotten in a fight with another man a short time earlier. It was about 4:30 a.m., and he was accompanying a couple he had met who said they would give him a ride. The couples car was parked a half-mile or so away, in the parking lot of Loomis Trucking on Route 149 in West Pawlet. The couple told police that Schaff walked ahead of them when they slowed to smoke a cigarette, and he was not in the lot when they got there. Police have questioned the couple, as well as the man Schaff fought in the bar, and found no indication they did anything to Schaff. Surveillance camera videos from businesses around Granville were reviewed. Searches of fields and the Mettawee River, which runs past the parking lot where Loomis was headed, have turned up nothing. Bassett and Granville Police Sgt. David Williams said they have passed on information they received to Vermont State Police. Some recent information focused on discussion on social media of possible suspects, which was relayed to investigators, Bassett said. Schaffs father, John Schaff, said he hasn't heard from police in over a year. "They don't tell us nothing," he said. In a post this week on Facebook, his mother, May Winchell of Fair Haven, made it clear she does not believe police have pursued all possible investigative avenues. She is trying to raise money to hire a private investigator. Enough is enough i am calling the goveners (sic) and anyone else i can think that would help us find you the law should have had the fbi involved in this long before now, she wrote. A Facebook page called Justice for Jonathan Schaff includes a post that states Winchell is offering a $500 reward for information about her sons whereabouts. Family members, including Schaffs father, have continually expressed frustration at a lack of communication from Vermont State Police. They have pushed for a diver search or draining of nearby slate quarries, which has not occurred. Vermont State Police Lt. Reg Trayah said the agency has been following leads as they come in, and recently assigned the case to a new supervising detective to take a fresh look at the investigation. He said investigators have pursued the leads that focused on social media discussions, but have not found them to be credible at this point. We are following up on any and all leads, he said. Vermont State Police initially operated under the theory that Schaff fell into the nearby river, but Trayah said there have not been any recent searches of the area. (Schaffs father, John Schaff of Cambridge, has said he walked the entire length of the river in 2014. Williams said extremely low water conditions last year would likely have resulted in any remains being found if they were in the river.) He is urging anyone who may have information that could help the investigation to contact police. We believe there is potential, and I stress the potential, that there is someone out there to provide information in this case, he said. Anyone with information in the case is asked to call Vermont State Police at 802-773-9101 or Granville Police at 642-2946. GLENS FALLS Glens Falls Police Department issued about 1,000 fewer parking tickets in 2015 than in the previous year, continuing a trend seen in recent years. Parking violation revenue decreased about $20,000 from 2011 to 2015, according to City Clerk Robert Curtis annual report. City Police Chief Michelle Arnold said a temporary reprieve from parking enforcement on Hudson Avenue during construction of the parking garage on Park Street was a factor. The parking garage was built on a hospital parking lot where hospital employees used to park. Construction began in early May and was completed in late November. We eased up on some parking restrictions in the area of the hospital due to the construction of the parking garage, Arnold said. Time limits along Hudson Avenue are now being enforced again, because hospital employees have free parking in the Park Street garage. Parking tickets are issued for violating time limits in the downtown business district and for violating a ban on overnight parking on city streets. Arnold said short staffing also was a factor. The overnight patrol staff, which monitors overnight parking, was short one officer for much of the year. We had several vacancies in the department. And my midnight shift on the majority of the nights was running with two guys. So less people would indicate less tickets as well, she said. Arnold said the department is back to full staffing. Glens Falls Mayor John Jack Diamond said the long-term trend in fewer parking tickets is likely because downtown employees changed their parking habits as a result of public information campaigns the city and business leaders conducted several years ago. I would have to say its more code-compliance, he said. Diamond said he is not concerned about the reduction in revenue. Parking tickets are not my sole source of revenue, he said. Im not going to sit here and say, Were going to rev up the revenue stream and go out and write more tickets. The number of parking tickets is the primary factor in year-to-year changes in parking violation revenue, Curtis said. The collection of long-delinquent parking fines can be a minimal factor, he said. THURMAN Town Board member Michael Eddy walked out of last weeks regular meeting, saying he believes it was illegal because board member Gail Seamans appointment is invalid. Supervisor Evelyn Wood reiterated that the appointment was valid and the board is working well together, in spite of Eddys concerns. Seaman, who was running as an incumbent, finished tied with Joan Harris in the November election. Under state law, a tie is considered a failure to elect and the seat is considered vacant. At the Jan. 4 organizational meeting, Seaman was allowed to stay as a holdover member and cast a vote on her own reappointment to fill the seat. Supervisor Evelyn Wood and John Youngblood also voted yes and the motion passed. Eddy voted no on the motion. Eddy said he has found cases on point in the Appellate Court that says it would be contrary to public policy to permit the hold-over respondent to vote upon the question of filling the vacancy of his own office. A 1923 case in Supreme Court of Cayuga County said it would be contrary to public policy and public decency to permit him to do so. Without Seamans vote, Eddy said the motion to appoint her would have failed at 2 to 1 because town law requires three yes votes a majority of the full five-member board. Board member Daniel Smith resigned, which has depleted the board. Eddy said the supervisor is not following the law and that is why he left the Jan. 12 regular meeting. You take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution and abide by New York state laws, he said. He said appointing Seaman to the seat takes the choice out of the voters hands. What you have is a split town with 50 percent of the vote going one way and 50 percent of the vote going the other, he said. Eddy said he is discussing potential legal action, and said the supervisor has the opportunity to correct this problem. Supervisor Wood said she understands that Eddy left the meeting because she would not respond to a letter he had sent. I hadnt had a chance to review all the information in the letter, she said, adding that she would provide him with a response once she had reviewed the letter. That was not good for Mr. Eddy, so he left, she added. Wood reiterated that it is legal to have Seaman hold over and remain on the board. Both state law and the town clerks manual says that the incumbent holds over, according to Wood. Mr. Eddy disagrees with the law, she said. Wood said Eddy knows what his options are and is certainly free to follow them. She said the governor would have to call a special election not the town and in her conversations with the governors office, that is not going to happen. The town will have to wait until the next election to fill those seats permanently. Leaving the seats vacant would not be an effective solution, according to Wood. If the board stayed at three members and Eddy refused to cooperate by walking out of meetings, that would leave Thurman with a two-member nonfunctioning board. Wood said Eddys refusal to work with the rest of the board has several times affected the ability of the board to function. Right now, the three other members are working well together, according to Wood. The board has established a capital reserve for machinery and passed an ethics disclosure policy. Were making wonderful progress here in the town. Yes, we have a board member that disagrees with the direction of the board. Yes, that happens on every board, she said. We come to do the business of the town. Were ready to move forward. Were ready to work, she added. John Hahesy practices with Preti Strategies as the Policy & Communications Advisor. As a former newspaper reporter, daily newspaper editor and freelance writer/editor, John brings a strong journalism background and media savvy to his role. He also has extensive experience as a legislative advocate. Preti Strategies Preti Strategies is a strategic consulting group based in Boston that provides public affairs support to businesses across New England. Preti Strategies is an affiliate of Preti Flaherty, one of New England's leading law firms. Our team has deep roots in politics and law and integrates with Preti Flaherty's experienced Legislative practice to achieve clients' goals. Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether Read more Regularly ahead of the curve, the Review has opposed federal drug policy for nearly 50 years, was a lonely media voice against the massive freeways planned for Washington, was an early advocate of bikeways and light rail, and helped spur the creation of the DC Statehood Party and the national Green Party, In November 1990 it devoted an entire issue to the ecologically sound city and how to develop it. The article was republished widely. Even before Clinton's nomination we exposed Arkansas political scandals that would later become major issues. . We reported on NSA monitoring of U.S. phone calls in the 1990s, years before it became a major media story. In 2003 editor Sam Smith wrote an article for Harper's comprised entirely of falsehoods about Iraq by Bush administration officials. The Review started a web edition in 1995 when there were only 27,000 web sites worldwide. Today there are over 170 million active sites. In 1987 we ran an article on AIDS. It was the first year that more than 1,000 men died of the disease. In the 1980s, Thomas S Martin predicted in the Review that "Yugoslavia will eventually break up" and that "a challenge to the centralized soviet state" would occur as a result of devolutionary trends. Both happened. In the 1970s we published a first person account of a then illegal abortion. In 1971 we published our first article in support of single payer universal health care In 1970, we ran a two part series on gay liberation. i n 1965 we called for the end of the draft. In the 1960s we proposed community policing No explanation was provided for Fiifi Kwartey's reassignment but analysts in the Agric sector have consistently expressed worry over the consistent decline of the sector under him. Real growth in agriculture tumbled from 7.4% in 2008 to 7.2% in 2009 through 5.3% in 2010; 0.8% in 2011; 2.3% in 2012; 5% in 2013; 4.6 in 2014 and now the rock-bottom figure of 0.04% in 2015.According to provisional data captured in 2016 budget released by the Ministry of Finance, the sectors contribution to GDP in 2015 is estimated at 19%, as compared with the 21.5 percent it recorded in 2014. The consistent decline is a cause for concern considering the agricultural sector employs 44.7% of Ghana population that are 15 years and older. Despite a 3.6% growth target for the sector in 2015, provisional data by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and also captured in the 2016 Budget statement shows the sector has only grown by 0.04%. In 2014, the agricultural sector grew by 4.6% according to revised data by the GSS despite a 5.2% target for the year. According to the BBC, Beijing had set an official growth target of "about 7%" for the world's second-largest economy.Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has said weaker growth would be acceptable as long as enough new jobs were created.But some observers say its growth is actually much weaker than official data suggests, though Beijing denies numbers are being inflated.Analysts said any growth below 6.8% would likely fuel calls for further economic stimulus. Economic growth in the final quarter of 2015 edged down to 6.8%, according to the country's national bureau of statistics.Dangerous push?After experiencing rapid growth for more than a decade, China's economy has experienced a painful slowdown in the last two years.It's come as the central government wants to move towards an economy led by consumption and services, rather than one driven by exports and investment. But managing that transition has been challenging.Some argue that China's focus on creating an economy driven by consumption is misplaced. They say as the country attempts to rebalance its economy, it should focus on productivity in order to sustain high growth."While higher consumption can support growth in the short run, there is little in economic theory that emphasises the expenditure side of GDP as a driver of growth," HSBC's John Zhu said in a note.Mr Zhu also said that China's current stage of development would require more investment, not less, and that the country would rebalance naturally towards consumption and services in time."Pushing the economy along those paths too soon would be dangerous," he said.China's headline annual economic growth numbers are important to the rest of the world - but so too are other monthly economic data as they can provide a more in depth look at the economy and where it's heading.Monthly industrial production (IP) and retail sales numbers for China were also released on Tuesday, with both December numbers coming in just slightly worse than expected.Industrial production - or factory output - expanded 5.9% in December, down from 6% in November. Retail sales grew 11.1%, down from 11.3% in November."[The] health of the labour market, retail sales and industrial production data are all key indicators for growth," said Catherine Yeung from Fidelity International in a note."Like any economic data, it's important to look at the themes and trends that drive them and not just the headline figure."When you look at China with this lens, we're not seeing a meltdown, just a slowdown," she added.Other said Tuesday's numbers were actually a relief. Whoever wins the US election in November and takes office in January will be the oldest president ever inaugurated. Trump was the oldest president to win a first term in 2016, and if he wins a second term he'll by 74 at his 2021 inauguration. If Biden wins, he'll be 78. That's pretty old! But septuagenarian presidents are a common occurrence in Africa. When Robert Mugabe was forced from office at age 93 he was the oldest head of state in the world. I posted the ages of all the presidents in ECOWAS countries two years ago. Five out of 15 were 70 years or older. Todd Moss and Stephanie Majerowicz of the Center for Global Development speculated that large gaps could lead to public anger, protests, and government turnover. We can test that hypothesis over the past two years. Below is the list from 2018; if the president hasn't changed I just posted the new age, and if he was recently re-elected. If the president did change, I post the new president with his new age, an Authorities of the school suspended the three boys indefinitely after a disciplinary committee established they were homosexuals, following a 'caught-in-the-act' report made against them by their colleagues. But, speaking to Pulse.com.gh, the Public Relations Officer of GES, Jonathan Bettey said the indefinite suspension of the three is wrong. According to him, students found in such act should only be given few days internal suspension. "We don't encourage homosexuality in our schools. So if a headmaster finds any student in this act, we need to invetigate. If there is an iota of truth, then we need to call the culprit, we sit them down and take them through counseling. After counseling if they continue, then we take them through internal suspension. "We are not encouraging indefinite suspension. We are encouraging internal suspension for some few days, less than a week," he said. Tuko-co.ke reports that Edwin Ochieng from the Migori region, was arrested on January 14, 2016, at his home in Rabuor village, Suna East Sub-County, Migori, after his wife reported the incident. The wife had reported to the police that the night before, her husband had refused to allow their children sleep in a separate house, insisting that his family must spend the night under the same roof. But a few hours after they had all gone to bed, the man sneaked into the children's room where he forced himself on his daughter. The mother was awoken by her daughters shout for help and went to see what was amiss, only to find her husband on top of the girl. Health authorities have also indicated that 21 cases have been reported so far. Techiman South Municipal Health Director Damien Punguyire has however said that the disease is being controlled. We have not reached an epidemic or an outbreak level. But we are recording cases that are moving towards an outbreak. We are going to communities where cases are coming from to follow up and ensure that there are no cases that are left and we are also asking people to report early when they discover any signs or symptoms of the ailment, Dr Punguyire has told Accra-based Joy FM. Meanwhile, Government has provided an additional GH150,000 to the Brong Ahafo Region to help fight the outbreak of meningitis in the area. The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe who made this known while interacting with health directors said government will put in more effort to control the outbreak. Dr Saxon Smith, president of the Australian Medical Association NSW branch, said in a report late last year that the most common concerns he hears from doctors-in-training and medical students are, what is the future of medicine? and will I have a job?. The answers, he said, continue to elude him. Will there be an expanded role for medical professionals due to our ageing populations? Or is pressure to reduce costs while improving outcomes likely to force the adoption of new technology, which will then likely erode the number of roles currently performed by doctors? As Australian, British and American universities continue to graduate increasing numbers of medical students, the obvious question is where will these new doctors work in the future? All governments, patients and doctors around the world know that healthcare costs will need to reduce if we are to treat more people. Some propose making patients pay more, but however we pay for it, its clear that driving the cost down is what needs to happen. The use of medical robots to assist human surgeons is becoming more widespread but, so far, they are being used to try and improve patient outcomes and not to reduce the cost of surgery. Cost savings may come later when this robotic technology matures. It is in the area of medical diagnostics where many people see possible significant cost reduction while improving accuracy by using technology instead of human doctors. It is already common for blood tests and genetic testing (genomics) to be carried out automatically and very cost effectively by machines. They analyse the blood specimen and automatically produce a report. The tests can be as simple as a haemoglobin level (blood count) through to tests of diabetes such as insulin or glucose levels. They can also be used for far more complicated tests such as looking at a persons genetic makeup. A good example is Thyrocare Technologies Ltd in Mumbai, India, where more than 100,000 diagnostic tests from around the country are done every evening, and the reports delivered within 24 hours of blood being taken from a patient. Machines vs humans If machines can read blood tests, what else can they do? Though many doctors will not like this thought, any test that requires pattern recognition will ultimately be done better by a machine than a human. Many diseases need a pathological diagnosis, where a doctor looks at a sample of blood or tissue, to establish the exact disease: a blood test to diagnose an infection, a skin biopsy to determine if a lesion is a cancer or not and a tissue sample taken by a surgeon looking to make a diagnosis. All of these examples, and in fact all pathological diagnoses are made by a doctor using pattern recognition to determine the diagnosis. Artificial intelligence techniques using deep neural networks, which are a type of machine learning, can be used to train these diagnostic machines. Machines learn fast and we are not talking about a single machine, but a network of machines linked globally via the internet, using their pooled data to continue to improve. It will not happen overnight it will take some time to learn but once trained the machine will only continue to get better. With time, an appropriately trained machine will be superior at pattern recognition than any human could ever be. Pathology is now a matter of multi-million dollar laboratories relying on economies of scale. It takes around 15 years from leaving high school to train a pathologist to function independently. It probably takes another 15 years for the pathologist to be as good as they will ever be. Some years after that, they will retire and all that knowledge and experience is lost. Surely, it would be better if that knowledge could be captured and used by future generations? A robotic pathologist would be able to do just that. Radiology, X-rays and beyond Radiological tests account for over AUS$2 billion of the annual Medicare spend. In a 2013 report, it was estimated that in the 2014-15 period, 33,600,000 radiological investigations would be performed in Australia. A radiologist would have to study every one of these and write a report. Radiologists are already reading, on average, more than seven times the number of studies per day than they were five years ago. These reports, like those written by pathologists, are based on pattern recognition. Currently, many radiological tests performed in Australia are being read by radiologists in other countries, such as the UK. Rather than having an expert in Australia get out of bed at 3am to read a brain scan of an injured patient, the image can be digitally sent to a doctor in any appropriate time zone and be reported on almost instantly. What if machines were taught to read X-rays working at first with, and ultimately instead of, human radiologists? Would we still need human radiologists? Probably. Improved imaging, such as MRI and CT scans, will allow radiologists to perform some procedures that surgeons now undertake. The field of diagnostic radiology is rapidly expanding. In this field, radiologists are able to diagnose and treat conditions such as bleeding blood vessels. This is done using minimally invasive techniques, passing wires through larger vessels to reach the point of bleeding. So the radiologists may end up doing procedures that are currently done by vascular and cardiac surgeons. The increased use of robotic assisted surgery will mean this is more likely than not. There is a lot more to diagnosing a skin lesion, rash or growth than simply looking at it. But much of the diagnosis is based on the dermatologist recognising the lesion (again, pattern recognition). If the diagnosis remains unclear then some tissue (a biopsy) is sent to the laboratory for a pathological diagnosis. We have already established that a machine can read the latter. The same principle applies to the recognition of the skin lesion. Once recognised and learnt, the lesion will be able to be recognised again. Mobile phones with high-quality cameras will be able to link to a global database that will, like any other database with learning capability, continue to improve. Its not if, but when These changes will not happen overnight, but they are inevitable. Though many doctors will see these changes as a threat, the chance for global good is unprecedented. An X-ray taken in equatorial Africa could be read with the same reliability as one taken in an Australian centre of excellence. An infectious rash could be uploaded to a phone and the diagnosis given instantly. Many lives will be saved and the cost of health care to the worlds poor can be minimal and, in many cases, free. For this to become a reality, it will take experts to work with machines and help them learn. Initially, the machines may be asked to do more straightforward tests but gradually they will be taught, just as humans learn most things in life. Organised Labour has said it will go ahead with its planned nationwide demonstration following government's refusal to reduce an increase in taxes and utility tariffs after meetings between the two bodies. Government also rejected a request by the labour unions for the controversial energy sector levy to be scrapped. The levy has resulted in a 28% increase in prices of petroleum products. Speaking to Accra-based Citi FM, Media Relations Manager of OccupyGhana, Nana Sarpong Agyemang Badu said they are ready to join as they feel concerns of labour are legitimate. "Whatever that is happening in this country, we are also Ghanaians and we are also affected by it. These high tariffs and electricity and water; we all buy fuel into our vehicles and buy stuffs at the market. "So we feel the demands by the Organised labour are legitimate enough and we want to lend support to their call." Meanwhile, the demonstration in Accra will start from Obra Spot near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle at 7: 30 am prompt. This was confirmed by the secretary general of the Trade Union Congress Kofi Asamoah, who said, doctors are also workers and since we are calling for a demonstration, they will join. Organized Labour is demanding for a withdrawal of the close to 30% increase in prices of petroleum products following the passage of the energy sector levies Act. See related:JUSAG to join Organised Labour demo Labour is also demanding that utility tariffs including water and electricity be increased by only 50 percent, after the PURC sanctioned a 59.2% increase in electricity and 67.2% increase in water tariffs which took effective December 14, 2015. Labour is also accusing government of sneaking in another increase in utility tariffs this year with electricity tariffs increasing by another 10% and water tariffs increasing beyond 112% with the implementation of the energy sector levies law. Organised Labour has said it will go ahead with its planned two-day nationwide demonstration which is expected to be held on Wednesday, January 20. This follows government's refusal to reduce an increase in taxes and utility tariffs at a meeting between the two bodies on Thursday. The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) in December 2015, increased electricity and water tariffs by 59.2 percent and 67.2 percent respectively. Government also rejected a request by the labour unions for the controversial energy sector levy to be scrapped. The levy has resulted in a 28% increase in prices of petroleum products. At a press briefing, Haruna Iddrisu appealed to Organised Labour to continue to dialogue with the government of Ghana while negotiations continue. At the last negotiation meeting, I conveyed on behalf of government a commitment to examine the PURC adjusted tariffs and to convey on the basis of numbers to Organised Labour that which government may be able to absorb, in the event that the PURC can do a downward review of that. He added that the decision of labour unions to embark on a strike action while negotiations were ongoing is 'not a fair practice.' Organised Labour has asked the government to review the PURC tariffs down to 50 percent. That is where we are in the course of the negotiations and that is what displeases me personally about their intended declared action to proceed on a demonstration and strike while negotiations are ongoingThat is not a fair practice. "Even if we were to adjust the price from 59 to 54 percent, government will be required to raise an additional 350 million Ghana cedis to support it because this has been conveyed to the independent power producers. If we were to bring it down from 59% to about 52%, government would have to look for additional 500 million to support and cushion the differences; but notwithstanding, government is willing to accommodate a certain downward adjustment and review of the PURC levies," the Minister added. Prosper Bani was last year February relieved of his post and was replaced with Julius Debrah. A statement signed by Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, said Mr. Kenneth Wujangi, a Management and Integrated Rural Development Specialist has been made a Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) at the Flagstaff House. Fiifi Kwetey will replace Dzifa Atsivor who resigned from her position on December 23, 2015 over the controversial GHc3.6 million bus re-branding saga. Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna has also been appointed the new Minister for Food & Agriculture. Hon. Mark Woyongo (MP) has meanwhile been reassigned to the Presidency as Minister of State. The following have also been nominated as Ministers of State. 1. Hon. Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye (MP)- Minister Designate for Youth & Sports2. John Alexander Ackon- Minister Designate for the Ashanti Region3. Hon. Kweku Ricketts Hagan (MP)- Minister Designate for the Central Region4. Mavis Ama Frimpong- Minister Designate for the Eastern Region5. Abdallah Abubakari- Minister Designate for the Northern Region6. Hon. Albert Abongo (MP)- Minister Designate for the Upper East RegionThe following have also been nominated as Deputy Ministers of State:1. Andy Osei Okrah- Deputy Minister Designate for the Ashanti Region2. Robert Baba Kuganab-Lem- Deputy Minister Designate for the Upper East Region The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has finally cleared the backlog of over 200,000 drivers licences, ending several months of frustration on the part of the driving public. STAY AWAY FROM OUR DEMO Organized Labour has warned political parties to stay away from demonstrations tomorrow. According to the organisers, it has come to their attention that some political parties are planning to politicize their demonstrations. JAIL ME, FAKE CURRENCY FRAUDSTER TELLS POLICE A serial female swindler has been grabbed by the Airport Police Command for using fake currencies to pay for services. GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW UTILITY TARIFFS The government has indicated its preparedness to accommodate a downward review of utility tariffs announced by the Public Utilities Regulatory Regulation (PURC) in December. GHANA TIGHTENS SECURITY AT ITS BOARDERS Ghana is tightening security at its entry points and other key public establishments against any eventualities, following the deadly terrorist attacks in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou, last Friday. PAC THREATENS TO SANCTION CONTROLLER AND ACCOUNTANT GENERAL The Public Accounts Committee (PAC)) of Parliament has threatened to sanction the Controller and Accountant General, Grace Adzroe, and her subordinates if they fail to recover 825 wrongly kept in a GCB Bank account since 2001 by Wednesday next week. KOJO BONSU HOT OVER $4.4M AMUSEMENT PARK The Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Kojon Bonsu, is in hot waters, as some assemblymen are leading a crusade to get him jailed over alleged corrupt practices leading to the fleecing of the assembly. PARLIAMENT PROBES 21M ICT CONTRACT A 20.9 million ICT contract by the Controller and Accountant Generals Department for improvement in its payroll system has come under critical scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. DKM BOSS SENT TO COURT The Chief Executive Officer of DKM Diamond Microfinance Company, Martin K. Delle has appeared before an Accra circuit court for dishonestly misappropriating 40,000. E-ZWICH TRANSACTIONS NEAR 1B The total value of transactions recorded on the e-zwich platform last year reached 922.3 million, a more than 238 percent increment on the 2014 transaction value of 272.7 million, the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhiPSS) has said. RATIFY TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT TO BOOST EXPORT REVENUE Organised Labour has said it will go ahead with its planned two-day nationwide demonstration which is expected to be held on Wednesday, January 20. This follows government's refusal to reduce an increase in taxes and utility tariffs at a meeting between the two bodies on Thursday. The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) in December 2015, increased electricity and water tariffs by 59.2 percent and 67.2 percent respectively. Government also rejected a request by the labour unions for the controversial energy sector levy to be scrapped. The levy has resulted in a 28% increase in prices of petroleum products. We assure all working people of Ghana that all is set for a peaceful nationwide demonstration to express our outrage with the insensitive increases in taxes, levies and utility tariffs. All workers in both formal and informal sectors are expected to participate fully in the demonstration, the TUC statement said. In Accra, the demonstration will start from Obra Spot near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle at 7: 30 am prompt. The routes for the demonstration in the Regional Capitals will be announced by Organised Labour Leaders in the various regions, the statement added. Meanwhile, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Haruna Iddrisu, has called on Labour Unions to rescind their decision to demonstrate and return to the negotiation table. At a press briefing, Haruna Iddrisu appealed to Organised Labour to continue to dialogue with the government of Ghana while negotiations continue. At the last negotiation meeting, I conveyed on behalf of government a commitment to examine the PURC adjusted tariffs and to convey on the basis of numbers to Organised Labour that which government may be able to absorb, in the event that the PURC can do a downward review of that. He added that the decision of labour unions to embark on a strike action while negotiations were ongoing is 'not a fair practice.' Organised Labour has asked the government to review the PURC tariffs down to 50 percent. That is where we are in the course of the negotiations and that is what displeases me personally about their intended declared action to proceed on a demonstration and strike while negotiations are ongoingThat is not a fair practice. According to the party, under President Mahama, Youth employment has been left to chance and as a wing we fear for the security of Ghana. In a statement issued on Monday and signed by Mr Sammy Awuku, National Youth Organiser and his two deputies, Mr Salam Mustapha and Mr Dominic Eduah the party said the absence of a credible data on youth unemployment was worrying. Below is the full statement: The National Youth Wing of the NPP has noted with grave dissatisfaction, the poor and incompetent manner with which President John Mahama recently addressed certain sensitive issues which boarder on the interest and welfare of the Ghanaian youth. 1. YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT The President during his last 'Meet the press' sadly mentioned that Ghana does not have the capacity to generate statistics on youth unemployment because Government is still relying on a Ghana- World bank collaborative programme which commenced as far back as 2007. It is a shame that after some 8years, the said collaboration has yielded no positive results as youth unemployment is at an all-time high. Indeed under President Mahama, Youth employment has been left to chance and as a wing we fear for the security of Ghana. It is instructive to note that, the current National Employment Policy launched by the NDC government in 2015 (7years in office) is without an action or implementation plan and we find that worrying. YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AGENCY (YEA) The revelation made by Joy FMs investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure that close to 1 million Ghana cedis was spent on just one foreign trip by a four member government delegation to an international conference in Switzerland is mind-boggling. We have sighted letters, and indeed the sector minister, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu has confirmed that the trip was actually funded from the coffers of the Youth Employment Agency, which was recently created by the NDC government to replace GYEEDA. We are all aware of the circumstances which warranted and characterised the creation of the YEA after GYEEDA was brought on it knees through the stinking corrupt activities of the Mahama led NDC. It is hence shocking that President Mahama and his government will want a similar fate to befall the newly created Youth Employment Agency. We at the National youth wing of the NPP find this as the most glaring pointer to how much President Mahama and his government are dead to the cries and pain of the teeming Ghanaian youth in the face of current unprecedented high unemployment levels and the ever worsening living conditions in our country. It is sad that an Agency which was created to find jobs and support our already stressed youth would neglect its core mandate and delve into frivolities such as financing lavish and unproductive international trips.2. TEACHER/NURSING TRAINEES The President wants us to believe that the regular postings of nurses trained in public institutions have suffered because of a mix up with privately trained nurses. We humbly wish to know how come this so called mix-up has persisted so long to the extent that it had to warrant young graduate nurses to picket at the office of the president some few days ago. As a wing, we share in the concerns and frustrations of these graduate nurses whose only crime is a burning and inordinate desire to serve the country of their birth. To this end we call on President Mahama to accept full responsibility and unconditionally apologize to the innocent young graduates who were arrested, brutalized and assaulted for making legitimate claims for postings around the seat of government. Again, the wing wishes to use this opportunity to reaffirm, the NPPs commitment towards the restoration of the teacher/Nurses trainee allowance under an Akufo-Addo presidency. CORRUPTION It is obvious that President Mahama and his NDC government are hell bent on destroying the future of Ghana's youth with massive corruption and blatant thievery. The wanton and reckless dissipation of our meagre resources is destroying the future of the youth. Almost every project being executed by the Mahama-led government is soaked in a pan of corruption. For example whiles in sometime last year, the MTN Foundation constructed a fully furnished six unit classroom block with an office and store in the Upper West Akyem district for 170,000 Ghana Cedis, the Ghana News Agency on November 8, 2015 reported that the Kpone Katamanso District Assembly had awarded a six unit classroom block at a whooping cost of 510,000 Ghana Cedis. Indeed Ghana under Mahama has now become the gateway to corruption. We are therefore least surprised that Ghana has in recent times been tagged on the cover page of an international magazine as the The Republic of Corruption. The IEA, Economic Intelligence Unit, UK and many other credible groups, consistently posit the office of the president as highly corrupt. CONCLUSION It is increasingly clear, that this government is bent on turning the noble dreams of the teeming youth of this country into nightmares. Thus folding our arms and throwing our hands in despair will only go a long way in worsening our plight as young people. Let us restore hope and inspire confidence by ARISING for CHANGE. Let us ORGANISE and MOBILISE for the credible alternative Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP presents. Lets secure our collective future by being AGENTS of and AGENTS for CHANGE. 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! In her ruling, presiding judge Justice Patience Mills Tetteh indicated that though Nii Noi is a party to the case now, at the time of the judgement he was not part of the matter and therefore cannot apply for the decision of the court to be set aside. Today's ruling follows the decision of the NPP not to get involved in the case. At the last court hearing their lawyers told the court they wanted to stay neutral in the matter. Two failed aspirants in the previously held NPP Klottey Korley constituency primaries Philip Addison and Nii Adjei Tawiah filed a suit in court challenging the eligibility of the primaries held in the constituency last year. They are praying the court to declare the results as null and void and order for a rerun of the election. He said there was no need for such a reshuffle to be made by the President since Ghanaians are facing hardship in the country. President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, January 20, 2016 appointed former Chief of Staff, Prosper Douglas Bani as the Minister Designate for Interior in his first reshuffle list for 2016. Prosper Bani was last year February relieved of his post and was replaced with Julius Debrah. A statement signed by Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, said Mr. Kenneth Wujangi, a Management and Integrated Rural Development Specialist has been made a Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) at the Flagstaff House. Fiifi Kwetey replaces Dzifa Attivor who resigned from her position on December 23, 2015 over the controversial GHc3.6 million bus re-branding saga. Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna has also been appointed the new Minister for Food & Agriculture. Hon. Mark Woyongo (MP) has meanwhile been reassigned to the Presidency as Minister of State. But speaking to Pulse.com.gh, Nii Armah Akomfrah said, the reshuffle is a "musical chair" ...as I've said "What Ghanaians want is a change of direction which solves their problem." According to Nana Akufo-Addo, the law, as contained in Section 35 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2008, (Act 762), prohibits the transaction into which President Mahama has entered with the United States government. In addition to this, the Presidents decision not to consult the relevant stakeholders in the country, so as to assuage the fears of Ghanaians, has resulted in heightened levels of fear amongst Ghanaians. Had President Mahama done the needed consultations, Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the Ghanaian people may well have been spared the disquieting anxiety, in this time of justifiably heightened fear of global terrorism, that we are being led by a President who, ostensibly in the name of compassion, prefers to ignore laws designed to defend the most sensitive area of all, our nations security. The NPP flagbearer made this known when he delivered a tribute in honour of the late Alhaji Alhassan Bin Salih in Wa, at an event of homage held on Tuesday, January 19, 2016. According to the NPP flagbearer, President Mahamas failure in showing leadership in this matter is a sad example of his belief that he is answerable to no one, not even to the laws of the Republic, like s.35 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (Act 760), which, as President, he is sworn to uphold. Section 35 (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2008, (Act 762), states that The Director of Immigration or an officer authorised by the Director shall not grant an endorsement or authority to permit a person to enter this country if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the person is, will or has been involved in the commission of a terrorist act. Since he claims that only Presidents Rawlings and Kufuor have the right to criticize him, I would have wished that he had found it worthy to consult both of our two former national leaders before he took this grave decision that has consequences for us all, he said. Delle however denied the charge of fraudulent breach of trust and was remanded into police custody until January 21. Lamti Apanga, lawyer for Delle, had urged the court to grant bail to his client. He said the police had presented the facts in a way which made his client look as though he worked with the other accused persons in the case. Apanga added that the other persons in the case operated separately of each other and that the case was purely a civil transaction between individuals. Three other microfinance operators in the Brong Ahafo Region are also in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) over their alleged roles in swindling peoples of their monies. The arrested people were Noel Nortey, Nkoranza Branch Manager of God Is Love Fun Club; Charles Asum, Managing Director of Jastar Group of Companies and Monica Afriyie popularly called Maame Korkor, Managing Director of God Is Love. The DKM boss Martin Delle turned himself in after hearing that he was on the run whilst the other three have already been put before court. The Bank of Ghana in October 2015 froze accounts of DKM Microfinance after the central bank placed a 120 day moratorium on the company for flouting the Banking Act. An audit report by the Bank of Ghana released to the Brong Ahafo Regional Security Council (REGSEC) established that DKM has no investment in the country and beyond after it collected huge amounts of money from numerous customers. DKM, contrary to Bank of Ghana (BoG) regulation, set up subsidiary companies and lent peoples money to themselves, the report said. Ever wondered how smart regular everyday Ghanaians are. Well, PulseTV set out on the streets to ask some simple questions and the answers we got from some of the people captured is sure to make your day. Watch below Season 2 episode 4 of think you're smart. Then things escalated as pictures began to turn up of Maima with the so called Abuja big boy, Akinbode, who also happens to be married. Most fans were saddened but relieved to have helped their star uncover a scandalous secret. As soon as the pictures dropped, Ice Prince posted tweets that hinted that he might have broken up with Maima, although there was nothing concrete. Just when the dust was beginning to settle with friends sending their condolences, Ice Prince does a complete turnaround, standing up for his girl, and defending her against the viciousness of the social media. At this point, it is easy to assume that Ice Prince took out time to ask Maima about the allegations, and is defending her based on what he believes to be the truth. It is yet to be decided if Maima had lied to Ice Prince concerning whatever may have placed her in those photos with Akinbode, but Ice Prince stood up for her and that is far more than most guys are or will ever be capable of. For this, Ice Prince has earned our respect. Sadly, Nigerians do not see it this way as they have come out enmass as they are known to do, dragging Ice Prince over his defense of Maima. According to The Nation, the victim simply identified as Madam Bosede, who joined the church just a month before the incident, is lying critically ill in the hospital where she was rushed to. Reports have it that the prophet said he got a divine revelation where God appeared during the service and told him to set the woman ablaze and that she would not suffer burns. The prophet reportedly said that he clearly heard a voice instructing him to set a member on fire to prove and confirm that God was in their midst. I heard the voice clearly, but I dont know what happened after we set fire on her. God has been speaking to me since and it has been working, so I wonder why now. The victim, while narrating the events that led to her predicament said: Our prophet said the spirit of God whispered to him that I would not burn if he sets me on fire. When I came out, they poured kerosene on my body and set me ablaze. But, unfortunately, I was burnt beyond recognition and before the other church members could get water, the deed had already been done. Unable to stand the incident, some members have however decided to leave the church as they say they now doubt their prophet's credibility. One of the was quoted as saying: We cannot worship here again, who knows who the spirit will ask him to burn next? A member of the church, Daniel Ayodele, who witnessed the incident, said: This whole thing is funny; when the pastor said the woman should be set on fire, why did she not refuse or was she scared to disobey the prophet. Now, she is writhing in pains on the hospital bed and I am sure the prophet is elsewhere enjoying himself. The case of Reverend Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, popularly called Reverend King, the founder of Christian Praying Assembly, who, in July 22, 2006, set one of his members, Ann Uzor, on fire leading to her death. Eyewitnesses account has it that the incident happened at about 12:30 pm at the car wash Ajia owns along the popular Taiwo Road in the commercial nerve center of the town. The murdered Bayo Ajia Photo Credit: Facebook Ajia was said to be one of the ring leaders of the Aiye Confraternity, said to have held the state to ransom for many years as he was once convicted for the killing of two of his rivals, Abdul Yekini Gobir and Abdul Ganiyu Hussein, at a night party at Deens Motel, Ilorin, in 2004 but was later granted amnesty by then Governor of the state, Bukola Saraki, who is now the Senate President. Those who witnessed the killing of Ajia said he was murdered in cold blood by his assailants whose identity is yet to be determined as at press time. He was said to have been shot at severally by his assailants but when it seemed like the bullets were not penetrating his body, the assailants used machetes to hack him down and kept tearing at him till he gave up the ghost. The confused Becky sent in this letter asking for advice from Pulse Nigeria fans: "My name is Becky, a 28-year-old lady. I work with an international oil servicing company in Lagos. I have a burning issue that has been eating me up and I really need some advice before I do anything stupid. About two years ago, I was madly in love with a young man, Chibuike, whom I thought was the best thing to ever happen to me, until it turned out that he was just the opposite. At the initial stage, Chibuike was all over me, showering me with love and attention. At that time, I was working with a big hotel and though the money was not too good, I lived well and he practically moved in with me as he was still squatting with his brother and since we could not have much privacy, I had to tell him to come and live with me. H did not have good job, so I was practically the one who fended for him but I never minded beaus I loved and had hopes of settling down with him. Then last year, I lost my job and could no longer give Chibuike the kind of lifestyle he was used to and that was when we started having problems. But it got to a head when I realised that my best friend, Anita, was secretly sleeping with Chibuike and when I confronted him, he tol m plainly that since I could no longer cater for him, Anita was doing it and he had to move on with her. I also confronted Anita and she was smug enough to tell me to live with the fact that Chibuike had moved on to her. I was devastated and ashamed at how two people who meant so much to me could hurt me that way. It took a lot of crying to get it off my chest and move on. Around August last year, I got this new job with lots of perks including international travel, an official car, a house and really good salary and just as I was basking in it, Chibuike appeared and has been begging me to take him back. Some friends have also told me to take him back if he has changed while others have forbidden me from doing that. I am confused and if truth be told, I still have feelings for him but I fear he will hurt me again. Becky." The teaser for the day was: How Nigeria voted: 38% - Yes, I will forgive him/her if he/she is genuinely repentant 45% - No, I will never accept him/her back 17% - I will not even be on talking terms with him/her The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, gave the task while inaugurating the committee at the emergency National Council of Health meeting in Abuja. He said the committee was chaired by Prof. Oyewale Tomori, President, Nigeria Academy of Science and co-founder of Lassa fever virus in Nigeria. According to him, the committee had 10 experts and representations from the Ministries of Education, Environment, Agriculture and Water Resources as well as Information. He said the committee would jointly with the Ministry and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) design an effective response plan for fighting and preventing the spread of Lassa fever in Nigeria. He enjoined the committee to offer professional advice to NCDC and the ministry to arrest current and future Lassa fever outbreaks in the country. "They would also provide a holistic guidance on one health approach to the eradication of Haemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Nigeria. "The committee will galvanise financial support and move same to stakeholders and development partners, adding that the WHO, UNICEF and American CDC pledges support to the Ministry in this regards. "The committee would implement the strategic plan under the guidance of the Minister, guide the minister on the emergency operations and activities carried out at the early infection stage. Adewole also advised the committee on the judicious use of the fund provided for the assignment, adding that funding is not the problem in the ministry. Responding, Tomori pledged that his committee will do the needful to ensure the eradication of the disease. A source at the state Ministry of Health told Vanguard that no other case had been registered in the state. As I speak, there is no fresh case of Lassa in Lagos, the only index case is responding to treatment under stable condition and contacts are all under strict surveillance while facilities; and isolation centres have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases, the source said. Barde also said that the hands of people who steal millions should be cut off, according to Leadership. If someone steals from N1million to N100 million, they should cut his hand. Yes, there is nothing wrong with that, so that when we see him, we will know yes, he stole. And those that steal from billions upward should be hanged and their property confiscated, he said at an interactive session with members of the Correspondents chapel in Kaduna. The minority whip believed that people should be punished for whatever offence they commit, adding that I am also of the belief that punishment should also be segregated according to the offence. At least, your punishment should be commensurate with what you have done. We are living in a very funny country where people steal N1,000 and they are put in jail for years. And where some people will steal billions and use that same billion to escape justice. That is not good enough. Me and some members in the National Assembly are of the believe that, we should have special courts for corruption cases. Because, if you look at the quantum of corruption in the country today, we are just talking about Dasukigate and look at quantum of money and the number of people that are involved. You have not gone to the ministries yet. You have not even gone to the states and it is only ICPC and EFCC that are to do all these jobs. If we are fair to ourselves, the work is overwhelming. And you know, people will want to use the legal system to delay Justice, and that is what is happening today. So, why dont we have dedicated courts to handle all these corruption cases, so that justice could be dispense quickly? Im aware of former Governors who have cases with EFCC and they have not gone to court for the past eight years. So, this does not encourage the young people. It rather encourages them to steal, because if you can delay justice for 10 years, it means that is a good one. So, I think we need to put our heads together because corruption like hunger does not know party, it does not know tribe of religion. We must as Nigerians take a very bold stand. You can imagine this issue of arms deal. If you knew this money was meant for the procurement of arms, weapons, my brothers and sisters here, if you have a brother in the Army, he is sent to the war front and because his weapons are archaic and he is killed. Do you now want to have sympathy for someone who knows that the money was meant for arms and he pocketed it? It is so painful, we have lost loved ones. If I am a judge and such a person is brought before me, I will confiscate his property and make sure he is killed also. Because, he bears fault in the blood of the people killed in the war front, he added. Dogara said this in a statement signed by Mr Celestine Ogugua, Head of Media, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) and made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja. According to the statement, the speaker urged the government to assist Christian and Muslim Pilgrimage Commissions to enable them assist prospective pilgrims to Jerusalem and Saudi Arabia. He said that the commissions would continue to provide a platform for the coordination of Nigerian citizens who desire to travel to the Holy Land on pilgrimage. "I sincerely believe there is need for pilgrimage; because prayer is very important. "If we want God to intervene in our situation, the only instrument is prayer, he said. The speaker stressed the need for Nigerians to participate in a A Day with Jesus while in Israel. He explained that the day was not only refreshing, it also strengthens the faith and belief of Christians in the efficacy of prayer. Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NCPC, John-Kennedy Opara, informed the speaker on the commencement of Christian Pilgrimage Lottery Scheme being organized by the Commission. He said that the lottery would help to sustain the Commission and its activities. He appealed to Dogara to be the mouthpiece of the Commission in propagating its activities. Sirika gave the warning when a delegation from the Emirates Group paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja, a statement signed by Mr James Odaudu, the Deputy Director, Press and Public Affairs Unit, Office of the Minister, on Monday, said. The statement said the minister warned that the government would no longer condone the practice of subjecting Nigerian travellers to all forms of suffering. It said that Sirika specifically warned against making them walk long distances before boarding or using small aircraft that would not carry them along with their luggage to their destinations. "Sirika informed the group that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been directed to invoke all relevant laws to protect the interest and rights of Nigerians and others from being flagrantly abused by airlines. "He, however, assured the operators of the Federal Government's commitment to complete the overhaul and upgrading of the nation's airport facilities to make the use of Nigeria's airspace a delightful experience.'' The statement added that the minister gave assurance that the second terminal at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, now under construction, would be ready before the end of the year. It added that the completion of the project would improve the comfort and convenience of both airline operators and the flying public. It said that Mr. David Broz, the Vice president Aeropolitical and Industry Affairs, Emirate Group, had earlier pledged the commitment of the airline to serve Nigeria better, being its second biggest market in Africa. The Public Relations Officer of the Tin-Can Island Customs Command, Mr Chris Osunkwo, said on Monday in Lagos that the command had not received any circular on the declaration of assets. He told NAN that officers in the command were only aware of the information like other Nigerians. "We have procedures. We are waiting for the circular and officers are familiar with the asset declaration exercise of the Federal Government, Osunkwo told NAN. The Spokesman of Customs Command, Ports and Terminal Multiservices Ltd., Mr Steve Okonma, said he had no comment on the Asset declaration. Okonmah said the command had not received any circular to that effect. On his part, the Public Relations Officer, Apapa Customs Command, Mr Emmanuel Ekpa, said asset declaration was part of the public service rules. Ekpa said there was "nothing extra-ordinary about the directive on asset declaration. "The 14-day ultimatum by the Comptroller-General to officers to declare their assets is normal and is in line with the public service rule that all workers should do that once in four years. "What Col. Ali has done with the ultimatum is to compel all officers who have not complied with this rule to do so in view of the fact that many officers have not declared their assets. "I have done my assets declaration and so I am not affected by the ultimatum. All civil servants are required to declare their assets and all the comptroller-general wants is total compliance," he said. Ekpa said the Code of Conduct Bureau was in a better position to confirm if some customs officers had started complying with the directive. He said activities at the Apapa command of the service were normal, adding that no panic or apprehension among officers as a result of the ultimatum on asset declaration. The National Public Relations Officer of Customs, Mr Wale Adeniyi told NAN that the circular on asset declaration was released on Friday. Kashamu also urged Nigerians to be patient with Buhari and perform their civic duties. The senator made the comments during a recent interview with Vanguard. Excerpts below: We should be patient with the government and perform our civic responsibilities as patriotic citizens. For instance, I endorse the ongoing anti-corruption campaign. It is one effort that must be supported by all and sundry irrespective of ethnic, religious or political affiliations. My support for the ongoing anti-corruption campaign is neither meant to rubbish anyone, curry favour from any quarters nor join the ruling party. My support for the anti-graft campaign is borne out of my genuine desire to stand up for what is right, just and equitable in order for the masses to weigh whatever I say and be able to take informed decisions rather than being brainwashed. Naturally, the current anti-corruption campaign would affect a lot of those who played active roles in the immediate past administration, especially at the federal level. Therefore, it is only normal for the government of the day to first clear the Augean stable before settling down for the onerous task of governance. In the course of doing that, if anybodys name is found in the books, the anti-graft agencies have a duty to do their job. But, such a job must be done, according to the Rule of Law. It is only the court that can say whether someone is guilty or not. Indeed, it is an aberration for a creation of the law to violate the law. Yet, if the truth must be told, within the short time that this anti-corruption campaign began, there are positive results to show that the government is on track. The President rode to office on account of his integrity and goodwill. No matter what anybody says his integrity is intact. He is a focused President whose body language is making treasury looters shiver and return their loot to the governments coffers. Punch Newspapers reports that the minister said this while holding a press conference on the National Sensitisation Campaign against Corruption. He said The situation is dire and the time to act is now. Between 2006 and 2013, just 55 people allegedly stole a total of N1.34tn in Nigeria. Thats more than a quarter of last years national budget. Out of the stolen funds, 15 former governors allegedly stole N146.84bn; four former ministers allegedly stole N7.05bn; five former legislators allegedly stole N8.35bn; 12 former public servants, both at federal and state levels, allegedly stole over N14.18bn; eight people in the banking industry allegedly stole N524bn; while 11 businessmen allegedly stole N653bn. Adding that This is the money that a few people, just 55 in number, allegedly stole within a period of just eight years. And instead of a national outrage, all we hear are these nonsensical statements that the government is fighting only the opposition or that the government is engaging in vendetta. The Minister was disappointed over dirty streets of Kuje when he visited the council on an official assignment. Tete had appealed to the Minister for the completion of the Kuje-Gwagwalad road. Angered by the state of the roads in the council, the Minister said the city is unkempt and advised the council Chairman to concentrate on keeping a clean environment. Presenting learning materials to indigent students of the FCT by the Nigerian Turkish international Colleges Foundation (NTIC) at Kayada Junior Secondary School, Bello said they will get the road done. "We are going to get you the road but make your city clean." FCT minister said. "Kuje is very dirty, I think its a shame." Kazaure said on Tuesday in Kaduna that strike at this moment will greatly affect students of the institution who have not forget the recent one that almost cripple the instruction. Speaking to the new executive of Nigeria Union of Journalists Kaduna State Council in his office when they paid him a courtesy call, Dr Kazaure said the board and Kaduna Polytechnic management are discussing to bring out mechanism to stop the problems. Kazaure said the union should wait Until the 2016 budget is implemented before taken further action. "Let me use this opportunity to appeal to ASUP not to embark on the strike. They should wait for this year's budget implementation before taken action," Kazaure said. Kazaure who said the Technical Vocational Education suffered neglect, added that it was not only by the government but that parents must take part of the blame. The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle, told State House Correspondents that the meeting was held to enable the Nigerian government and the diplomatic community compare notes. He added that the meeting was also held to ensure that they understood the each other on the scope and size of the humanitarian challenges in the region. "What you have behind is a group of diplomats; we have come in as a group today to meet with the Vice President and his team to compare notes as friends on the situation in the North East. "The meeting is to make sure we understand each other on the scope and the size of the humanitarian challenge and how we can coordinate when the time comes for the IDPs to go home, he said. Entwistle added that the meeting also discussed several upcoming workshops and conferences which would help to offer holistic solutions to the crises caused by Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East. "But essentially, this is a group of diplomats that represent countries that stand ready to help and indeed are already helping the government with the humanitarian crises in the North-East just to compare notes with the Vice President. "And we found that your government and all of our governments, we think, understand the scope of the job. "Todays meeting will really help us to do everything we can to alleviate the human sufferings going on in the North East, he added. Also speaking, Mr Michel Arrion, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union, said that besides comparing notes, the meeting discussed how the international community could support Nigeria in responding to the crises. "We are here with our colleagues to participate in this meeting with the Vice President to compare notes about our assessment and the magnitude of the crises in the North-East. "But also to what extent the international community could support the Nigerian government to respond to the crises, he said. Ndume also accused the PDP of killing Nigeria during its 16 year rule adding that Buhari had put the country back on track. It is the biggest joke of the year. We should be talking of how to kill the PDP for exposing this country to this mess, Ndume said according to Daily Trust. They killed the country in their 16 years reign and now somebody is correcting their mess. I believe in the president and Im one of the ardent believers of President Buhari. We have been together since 2003. He is the kind of leader we need to move forward. His emergence was divine intervention and the good thing is that we have a president that is in charge, unlike before that we didnt, Ndume added. Mohammed made the remark in response to calls by Senator Ben Murray-Bruce for Buhari to congratulate Dickson. This president is not in the business of interfering and intervening in elections, the minister said while addressing journalists on Monday, January 18, 2016 in Abuja. What if he sent a congratulatory message and they go to court and the election is overturned, will he call back the congratulatory message? This president believes that the presidency should be insulated from the conduct of elections and their outcomes, he added. Punch Newspapers reports that some officers of the party asked the PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh and Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Alhaji Haliru Bello, to resign immediately. Reports say an official statement declaring the stand of the party, was signed by the Deputy National Youth Leader, Dennis Alonge-Niyi; Deputy National Legal Adviser, Bashir Maidugu; Deputy National Organising Secretary, Okey Nnaedozie; and Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo. The statement reads: In the light of this, the Deputy National Officers of the PDP along with other members of the National Executive Committee, having carefully deliberated upon and reviewed the current situation of our party, wish to state and demand as follows: We hereby strongly dissociate the PDP from the ongoing trials of Mohammed (Bello) and Metuh on various charges by the anti-graft agencies. The statement also said This is because the charges against them are in their individual capacities and not acting on behalf of the party. They are said to have received funds using accounts of their private companies without the knowledge and instructions of any organs of the party. All those mentioned in the ongoing corruption trial are therefore on their own and the party was not involved financially or in any way with the office of the National Security Adviser or any other organ of the Federal Government in the last regime, the statement said. He also stated that he has learnt not to look down on anyone unless he was admiring their shoes. According to Jonathan, God created everyone equal and as such, everyone deserved to be treated equal, not minding his religion and ethnicity. The Otuoke-born politician said he was committed to using his foundation to spread the gospel of peace across the nation. Below is his full address; I thank the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, for inviting and honoring me today, and especially so, as this invitation comes right about the period when the world stands still in recognition of the selfless sacrifice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When we think of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), it is virtually impossible to separate this worthy body from its founder, the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, or from epoch making landmark events of the American Civil Rights movement. I am pleased to know that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is not just one of the great American institutions, it is also one of her more potent vehicles for the advancement of liberty and freedom for all Gods people. For that, I also commend Charles Steele for his leadership and commitment to peace and justice nationally and globally. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Dr. Martin Luther King Jrs principles of non violent protests played a great part in the independence movement in my native country Nigeria and indeed throughout Africa as a whole. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr witnessed the British Union Jack being lowered in Ghana in 1957 when Ghana became the first Sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence, an action which set off a positive chain reaction all over the continent. In 1963, Ambassador Leslie O. Harriman, Nigerias Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who prosecuted our anti apartheid strategy at the UN, testified of the support he received from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in kick starting that noble effort. Suffice to say that the efforts of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in advancing Liberty and equal rights transcended national boundaries. Speaking for my foundation, the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, I must say that I have been inspired by this great man and the worthy institutions and legacies he left behind and I am further inspired to continuing doing good and advancing human freedoms just by being present here today. My personal takeaway from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, is service to God and the brotherhood and equality of all men before their Creator. In keeping with that, I have learnt not to look up to any man, except he is taller than I, or to look down on a fellow mortal, except I am admiring his shoes. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said: Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. Those words helped me deliver on my stated promise to deepen democracy in Nigeria and in the process demonstrate through action that nobodys political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. Wike made this known while speaking at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Monday, January 18. The governor was visited by RCCG General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. When speaking, he said, "If not for the prayers of men of God, what would have happened to Nigeria." The governor thanked God for the exploits of the General Overseer of RCCG, noting that he has been a vessel of God used in blessing Nigeria. He said that his administration is anchored on God and no step is taken without the government seeking the approval of God. Pastor Adeboye has also said he is concerned for the well-being of the people of Rivers state, adding that the state has the second largest population of RCCG members in the country. He prayed: "The Almighty God will let peace reign Supreme in this state. There will be progress and development . Whatever little problem we may still have, God will settle them." "The media must strive to always be conscious of its social responsibilities toward building a sound society for all,'' Abubakar said in Kaduna, on Monday. Abubakar gave the advice when members of the the new executive council of the Kaduna State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), paid him a courtesy visit. He particularly called for extra caution in the handling of volatile issues, pointing out that the media was "an instrument that can make or mar situations at all times''. The Rector was reacting to recent reports that border on alleged plans by some unions in the institution to embark on a strike action over salaries and allowances. "It is very imperative and necessary for media practitioners to weigh the benefits of all news stories before publications or airing same. "No matter the truthfulness of such stories, since it can cause damage that can takes a longer time and energy to repair, care must be taken to ensure that the right thing is done to help the society.'' He expressed happiness at the NUJ's suggestion for entrepreneurship skills training for journalists in view of financial challenges faced by newsmen in the state. According to him, the institution has many areas of partnership with agencies that can train journalists and other members of the society to enhace their opportunties in life. "We can arrange customized training programmes, short courses on specific courses for journalists; we are ready at any time to enrol them for that, "All the council needs to do is to come up with specific courses for its members, and we will key in and train them," he said Earlier in his address, the newly elected NUJ Chairman, Mr Garba Muhammad, had called for amicable resolution to the industrial dispute between the polytechnic's management and its unions. He said that both sides must consider the interest of the students, who are always at the receiving end. "We must always have it at the back of our minds that whenever two elephants fight, only the grass suffers. The grass is innocent and must be protected." Coordinator of the DSVRT, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, the Sexual Assault Prevention Drive for Higher Institutions organised in partnership with the Pastor Bimbo Odukoya Foundation was aimed at addressing issues of sexual harassment, date rape, safety on campus, the role of a bystander and prevention. The first drive kicked off in University of Lagos on January 13. Vivour-Adeniyi said, "UNILAG Students were given tips of how to avoid being victims of sexual assault. They were also informed of how to stay safe in social settings, some of which include making a plan B for emergency exits from a place, protecting their drinks, avoiding clubs or parties that charge men but let women enter and drink for free." She added that the students were informed of the consequences of engaging in sexual assault. Conversely, students were informed of their roles as bystanders, in intervening and assisting to prevent sexual assault. They were taught to CARE- Create a distraction, Ask directly, refer the matter to an authority and enlist others and for their fellow students. State television reported that Khamenei wrote to President Hassan Rouhani to congratulate him on implementing the nuclear deal, which resulted in U.S., European Union and United Nations sanctions being lifted over the weekend. In his first comments since the deal took effect, Iran's highest authority made clear that Washington should still be treated with suspicion. He made no mention of a surprise prisoner exchange that also took place this weekend. "Be careful that the other side fully meets its commitments. The comments made by some American politicians in last two, three days are suspicious," he added. Republican candidates for the U.S. presidency have criticised the deal, and some Iranian officials fear Washington could walk away from the deal when President Barack Obama leaves office in early 2017. In December 2015, Salah Farah, was on a bus travelling through Mandera in Kenya when it was attacked by terror group, al-Shabab. He shielded fellow passengers who were Christians. Report said the attackers told the Muslims and Christians to split up but Farah refused. "They told us if you are a Muslim, we are safe. There were some people who were not Muslim. They hid their heads," he told BBC shortly after the attack in December. He added that the attackers offered him an escape. In an interview with Voice of America earlier this month, Farah explained why he ricked him life for the Christians. "People should live peacefully together. We are brothers. "It's only the religion that is the difference, so I ask my brother Muslims to take care of the Christians so that the Christians also take care of us... and let us help one another and let us live together peacefully", he said. Clooney, the international lawyer acting for jailed former leader Mohamed Nasheed, last week used a high-profile interview with U.S. news channel NBC News to condemn President Abdulla Yameen's administration in the Maldives. Nasheed, who was the Maldives' first democratically elected president, is serving a 13-year sentence on terrorism charges for the alleged abduction of a judge after a rapid trial last March in a case which drew international criticism. Clooney, in an interview with NBC, had said her client's case showed that democracy is "dead in the Maldives". Defending the Maldives, popular for its pristine beaches, scuba diving and high-end tourism, Foreign Minister Maumoon told Reuters that Clooney had "spun a compelling tale" but it was not true. "My appeal to the rest of the world is to have a good understanding and not be persuaded purely by charm-filled Amal Clooney when she goes and gives some of these stories," she said. Maumoon's comments came as Nasheed was permitted by the Maldives government to leave Male and fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he is likely to stay for some time before leaving for surgery in Britain, party sources told Reuters. There had been some confusion over whether the government would grant him permission to travel or not, as Nasheed refused to nominate a guarantor, someone who could face criminal prosecution if Nasheed does not return to Maldives. Nasheed was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012 for ordering the arrest of a judge. His conviction was condemned by United Nations, the United States and human rights groups as being politically motivated. In a statement from the office of the president, Ivory Coast called for the matter to be resolved through diplomatic channels. Burkina authorities issued the international warrant last week, based on an audio recording of a conversation allegedly between the speaker, Guillaume Soro, and Djibril Bassole, a political ally of Burkina Faso's deposed long-time ruler, Blaise Compaore. On the recording, which was posted on the Internet last year, two men discuss ways to support a coup then under way against Burkina Faso's interim government. The coup, led by Compaore's former spy chief, Gilbert Diendere, briefly seized power from Michel Kafando, the interim president. Kafando was guiding Burkino Faso's transition to democracy after popular protests forced out Compaore, who appeared to be manoeuvring to remain in power. The warrant against Soro, an ex-rebel leader turned politician, has fuelled tensions between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, which share a history of close, if often fraught, economic and political ties. The warrant, which was seen by Reuters, stated that Soro was charged with criminal association, complicity in treason and complicity in an attack on state security. Both Diendere and Bassole are already in custody in Burkina Faso. Soro has declined to comment on the warrant. "Ivory Coast reaffirms its firm will to resolve this question through diplomatic channels, respecting our treaties, in order to avoid any disagreements between our two states," the statement said. Soro and his New Forces rebels controlled northern Ivory Coast for eight years after a 2002 civil war. Allies of then- Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo accused Compaore of supporting the rebellion, a charge denied at the time by Burkina's authorities. The rebels backed Ouattara's claim to leadership during a second war in 2011 after Gbagbo refused to recognise his election defeat. As speaker, Soro would take over from Ouattara if the president were to die in office. Finding Peace of Mind: Discover These Five Places in Europe to Unwind Our regional sites have now moved. If you are not redirected automatically, please click here to access our new PwC in Northern Ireland site. After years of waiting and weeks of build-up, Daytrotters new home in downtown Davenport is officially open and rockin. At the grand opening show on Monday night, about 200 people packed the first floor of the Renwick Building at 324 Brady St. to catch a lineup of bands from in and out of town. You could almost hear the sigh of relief from Sean Moeller, Daytrotters founder, as the room filled up. Its a good feeling, he said. The sign outside has been up front for almost two years, so its nice that we can finally show it off in here. From here, were hoping itll spread like wildfire. As far as first impressions go, the word swanky got thrown around a lot Monday night. Its really beautiful in here, Daniel Boysen, of Davenport, said while pointing to the chandeliers. Ive known about Daytrotter for awhile, and like a lot of people, I was really anxious to see the doors finally open. The concert venue, complete with a full bar, will hold 400 people. It will be the site of next months festival, Daytrotter Downs. Daytrotters original location, which housed a recording studio and offices in Rock Island, closed in October. When youre having blueprints drawn up, you get excited, but nothing compares to what it actually looks like with a band and a crowd in here, Moeller said. We want to keep the momentum going. Along with headliner Hamilton Leithauser & Paul Maroon, of New York City, the show featured Quad-City based Condor & Jaybird and Sydney Eloise & The Palms, of Atlanta. Tyler Coat, 23, made the five-hour drive from Minneapolis to see Leithauser, formerly of the Walkmen, up close. You get the idea pretty quickly that today is a big deal here, Coat said. Daytrotter has a little bit of everything, and its cool they have a real place now. And, Alex Weinberger, who works with Daytrotters corporate arm, said people should get ready to be in awe. You walk in and aesthetically, its just amazing from the ceilings to the little touches in the studio and how the sound quality is, he said. A lot of venues feel older or like an old pair of blue jeans not this place. Before Sydney Eloise & The Palms took stage Monday night, they recorded a few songs inside Daytrotters freshly minted studio, which Moeller calls the best in the Midwest. Each member of the six-person band grew up hearing mentions of Daytrotter.com, as well as the famous acts, from Bon Iver to Mumford and Sons, that recorded sessions in Rock Island. "It feels like a historic moment to be here today," frontwoman Sydney Eloise said. Growing up in music, playing with Daytrotter is something weve all always wanted to do, she said. Theyre doing so much for musicians, and they have for a long time and thats really unique. Theres less and less places where musicians can go, and share their music with people. Thats the kind of place Moeller wants Daytrotter to be, and why he created the independent music site in 2006. To see everybody in the room who has supported us along the way, and to have all these curious people walk in from here on out, its going to be gratifying, he said. This community can really make or break us, and I think were ready for that. Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio focused heavily Monday night on national security, telling close to 500 people in Bettendorf he has far more experience than the rest of the GOP field. Its not even close, he said. Rubio, a first term Florida senator who was elected in 2010, also downplayed the experience of governors while seeking to make the case hes the best choice to keep the country safe. Rubio is running in third place in Iowa, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. But with two weeks to go before the Feb. 1 caucuses, the state is being flooded with candidates hoping to win over late-deciding caucus-goers and gain momentum going into New Hampshire. One of those is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was in Iowa over the weekend, downplaying the experiences of first term senators who, he said, havent had to make consequential decisions. Rubio never mentioned Christie during his appearance at Tanglewood Hills Pavilion, but he told the crowd: Being president is not like being a governor. Its not like being a senator, either. But its not like being a governor. Much of Rubios time was spent criticizing President Barack Obama, who he said has weakened the United States, particularly in the face of the Islamic State, or ISIS. Weakness is an enemy of peace. Weakness invites aggression, he said. Like most of the GOP candidates, Rubio was critical of Hillary Clinton, too. But with the Democratic presidential race tightening, he also got a question about her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders. Rubio said that running against Sanders would give Americans a clear choice. This dude is an avowed socialist, Rubio said. Nice guy. Nice socialist. Rubio repeatedly asked the crowd for their support at the caucuses, and afterward he stayed for a considerable amount of time talking with people individually even after most in the crowd had left the building. Steve Townsend, of Riverdale, said he plans to caucus for Rubio. I want somebody thats going to beat Hillary or Bernie, he said. Townsend said he has seen other candidates, too, but that Rubio excelled on issues that were important to him, like fighting terrorism and national security. Its his experience and his drive, Townsend said. Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders will be in the Quad-Cities on Saturday. Sanders, a senator from Vermont, will be at his campaign's Davenport field office, 736 Federal St., Suite 2101, at 1:30 p.m. for a volunteer canvass launch. The event is open to volunteers canvassing for Sanders. Sanders appearance here means all three of the party's presidential candidates will be in Davenport on Saturday. Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley both are attending a fundraising dinner for the Scott County Democratic Party that night. Sanders will not be attending. He has scheduled town hall meetings through the rest of the day. At 3 p.m., he will hold a town hall meeting at the Clinton Masonic Center, 416 South 1st St., Clinton. The doors open at 2:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., he'll be holding another town hall meeting at Centerstone Inn and Suites, 1910 Nairn Drive, Clinton. Doors open at 6 p.m. Sanders' visit to the area is part of a three-day swing through the state that will continue Sunday and Monday with stops in other parts of the state. ROCKFORD, Ill. A federal judge has denied former Dixon Comptroller Rita Crundwell's request for a public defender as she fights to keep $90,000 in pension funds. The (Dixon) Telegraph reports that U.S. District Judge Philip Reinhard asked for more information on several motions Monday. The judge will decide whether Crundwell's pension should be part of her restitution for swindling the northern Illinois city of $54 million. Crundwell argues that her pension should be exempt from money she must repay. Crundwell was convicted of stealing the money from the city over 22 years, and was sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison. She owes $44.4 million in restitution. The city received $9 million from the sale of Crundwell's assets and $30 million in a settlement with its former bank and auditors. If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could have magically walked into the Rock Island center that bears his name on Monday, he would have been proud. Hundreds of King admirers of different races, cultures and generations shared two hours of music and tributes in honor of the civil rights leader at Rock Island's Martin Luther King Community Center. King was assassinated in 1968, and a federal holiday in his honor started 30 years ago. In Rock Island, this was the 33rd annual event, the longest-running in the area, according to the Rev. Dwight Ford, the center's executive director. Ford and Tiffany Stoner-Harris were emcees with highlights that included a drum corps introduction, two vocalists, dancers, thought-provoking "Spoken Word" poetry from a Rock Island teen, youth essayists and a moving address by the guest speaker, the Rev. P. Wonder Harris. The invocation was delivered by the Rev. David Brown of The Refuge Church, Rock Island. "Black, brown, yellow, all life matters," Brown said to conclude his remarks. Essay winners were Jayla Upton, from the Rock Island Center for Math and Science; and Ellie Hoeper, Rock Island High School. Both wrote on the day's theme: "There comes a time when silence is betrayal," a line from one of King's speeches. "We must, as a nation, step outside our bubbles of comfort and face reality," Hoeper wrote in her piece. "Silence is betraying others; don't keep silent about what's wrong or right, but rather, speak up and make a change," Upton wrote. Deterrious Mays, 19, of Rock Island and a student at Black Hawk College in Moline, gave a "spoken word" presentation on police violence. "We can't shut up until everyone is heard, everyone speaks," he said in a dramatic presentation. Harris, the guest speaker, started his life in segregated Mississippi. "During the Vietnam War, blacks and whites fought together in another country, but they couldn't sit together in the same classroom in the U.S.," he said. The congregation at Harris' church, Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in East Moline, is a "sea of different colors," the minister said, adding that while it may be impossible to change a person's beliefs, it is realistic to give that individual something else to believe in. Harris also discussed a local program he founded to address race relations with police, The Village of a Thousand Elders. Awards were given to several individuals: former state Sen. Mike Jacobs was given the 2016 "I Have a Dream" honor for community service. Camryn Comodore, a junior at Rock Island High School, earned the Tia-Farrah Rice Youth Award for 2016. Fundraisers honored included a youth, Chad Ellis, and a team from Alcoa Davenport Works. The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and hope for today and tomorrow were themes driven home Monday during MLK celebration activities at United Neighbors, Davenport. Latrice Lacey, director of the Davenport Civil Rights Commission, was one of several speakers who encouraged people to get involved in their community during the event, which included stirring messages and songs of hope. Progress we seek will not happen overnight, she said. But I will continue to be driven by the fact that every individual has the power to make a profound impact. Bettina McWilliams of Davenport, a second-grade teacher at the Rock Island Academy, addressed Kings legacy. He marched for the freedom of all, she said. McWilliams highlighted a message King gave to junior high school students in 1967 in Philadelphia, where he asked them, What is your life blueprint?'' Like King, she urged young people to think of their futures and blueprints and to believe in their own worth. Young friends, doors are opening to you that did not open for your mom or dad. Burn the midnight oil. Do not drop out of school. She also told everyone to be part of their communities. You can make a contribution to the Quad-Cities, McWilliams said. Ask community leaders how you can become involved. Former Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba talked about King's call for a more comprehensive public works program in the late 1960s. He said King was against massive funding going to the Vietnam War when so many people were out of work and living in poverty in the United States. Gluba also encouraged people to get involved in the Iowa caucuses in two weeks. Get out and support someone in these caucuses, he said. Ryan Saddler, president of Friends of MLK Task Force, shared how Gluba formed the group two years ago as a way to honor King and African-American history in Davenport. Saddler gave an update on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park Plaza and a housing project announced last year at the northeast corner of 5th and Brady streets. The park at that location in Davenport received a $3 million grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and includes a memorial plaza and a housing project. The site is near where African-American-owned businesses once stood, including the Blue Bird Tavern where jazz great Louis Armstrong is said to have performed. Projects such as the plaza and other efforts that reflect King's dreams require people to stay involved, Saddler said. Right now, we are looking for folks to be part of this organization, he said. Saddler, director of diversity at St. Ambrose University, Davenport, also praised the event for its importance. This is a great reminder to us to keep our feet on the pavement, he said. As one, we don't have to fight for justice. For everyone, we have to do this together. Every January marks the tragic anniversary of one the most egregiously flawed Supreme Court decisions in our nations history. Since the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in 1973, tens of millions of children have been denied life, and America has in turn been denied the gifts God gave them. Make no mistake: Life is a definitional issue. It tells us what sort of society we are. If the right to life is not guaranteed for all, then our society is not truly equal. A nation that cannot guarantee a right to life cannot guarantee liberty. And of course, without life, there is no ability to pursue happiness. The election before us is a choice about what kind of country we want to be. The issue of life is a fundamental aspect of that choice. The next president could well determine the balance of the Supreme Court for a generation. He or she will have the opportunity to sign pro-life legislation, protect religious liberty, and save millions of lives. For the first time ever, Planned Parenthood has endorsed someone for president in a primary. It is now abundantly clear that if Hillary Clinton is elected, she will pursue the most radical pro-abortion agenda in American history. She must be stopped. And with your help, she will be. All human life is worthy of the protection of our laws. Even one abortion is too many. Yet despite the fact that the pro-life movement continues to grow, we have not yet persuaded enough Americans to join the effort to protect life once and for all. If I am our partys nominee, I will work every day to change that. Throughout my time in public service, I have sought, whenever possible, to protect life. Ive worked to prohibit abortion after twenty weeks, when science tells us an unborn child can feel pain. Ive led the fight to require parental notification when a minor is taken across state lines for an abortion. For my work in the Senate, Ive earned a 100 percent rating from National Right to Life and a 0 percent rating from Planned Parenthood. I dont know which Im more proud of. Ill continue this unfinished work in the White House. On day one, I will reinstate the Mexico City Policy to stop taxpayer funding of abortions overseas. A Republican Congress and I will once and for all defund Planned Parenthood. And, when the time comes, Ill appoint justices to the Supreme Court who have a record applying the Constitution as it was written and upholding the God-given rights it protects. America is an exceptional nation, one that has been an inspiration to all in search of a better life. This country tells us we are all equal that even if we are not born into wealth or power, we can still go as far as our talent and hard work will take us. We know that a culture of life is inseparable from the American Dream. A nation that values life values the dreams we have for ourselves and our children. We are a nation that encourages parents to dream big when they first catch a glimpse of their child in an ultrasound. We are a nation that insists no child is unwanted, for America is filled with families ready to adopt and love. We are a nation that through the too often overlooked work of pregnancy care centers helps and reassures women in the most difficult of circumstances. Each generation of Americans has dedicated themselves to passing a stronger nation on to their children. Today, we sometimes make the mistake of believing that all the great social battles have already been fought and won by those who came before us. But they havent been. Our generation now stands on the frontlines of the battle for the dignity of life at all stages. Our legacy depends on what we do next. This election is our generations choice. Let us side with life. STEM is one of the most ubiquitous educational buzzwords of our time. And it threatens to degrade the human experience into a life of button-mashing technophilia. STEM (science, technology engineering and math) prepares students for the workforce, proponents say. More forthright STEM disciples talk about the needs of corporate America. Gov. Terry Branstad, to his credit, is in the second camp. Indeed, Branstad's "Future Ready Iowa" proposal is all about job creation. The administration predicts 612,000 new workers will be needed thanks to growth and attrition by 2025. Increasingly, those jobs will require of workers a never-before-seen level of technical proficiency, the argument goes. And, as such, high schools and colleges must focus on applied sciences and mathematics. Branstad isn't alone. From Congress to governors of all political stripes, the STEM bug is running rampant through American primary schools. CEOs decry the unpreparedness of the modern workforce. The U.S. Department of Education showers willing, cash-strapped states with grants for STEM education. Branstad's plan was drafted only after a $170,000 grant from the National Governors Association. More math and science. Sounds good, right? It's particularly useful in a country where large populations might be described as, ahem, "science challenged." Money and time are finite commodities. Something must suffer as a result of the STEM craze. Enter the arts. The number of music programs, particularly in urban districts, has plunged since 1999, says a report by the Association of American Educators. Another study in California concluded that student participation in music dropped 47 percent in just five years. Purveyors of the arts have resorted to justifying their own existence by noting how it affects STEM. "Music education improves math scores," they say. It's a saddening, probably necessary approach to win over those who assume the arts, in and of themselves, are valueless. STEMs almost universal acceptance is peculiar in an era when climate scientists are accused of cultivating a massive hoax. At first blush, it's a weird obsession in a country where evolution, the very crux of all modern biology, stokes controversy. STEM get a pass because it's all about completing a task. STEM is about jobs, not theory or critical thought. The "great" societies are defined by a few things. Massive sewers, roads and public works projects that scar the earth for eons, offering researchers an idea of a population's size and engineering abilities. Religious monuments and burial rituals weave a tale about belief systems. The arts blend the concrete and abstract together. Songs tell stories and honor gods. Statues, paintings and glyphs show aesthetic preferences. The earliest laws were written in caricatures depicting daily life. Humans do a handful of wholly unique things. Artistic self-expression predates the others, according to the archaeological record. From theory to practice, an understanding of the arts offers a uniquely human view of the universe's countless wonders. And yet, in a nation obsessed with STEM, fewer students are offered the chance to explore it. The 91st session of the South Dakota Legislature began on Tuesday, Jan. 12. Most legislators had to be in Pierre by Sunday or Monday, depending on which committees they are on. I didnt have to be there until Monday afternoon and the roads between here and Pierre were horrible. A Highway Patrolman passed me south of Meadow Corner with lights and sirens blazing on his way to one of two car wrecks east of Faith. There was some ice on my way to Faith, but as I headed south from Faith on Highway 73 it got real western! I met the Faith ambulance headed north with lights flashing right before I came on to the wreck north of Rep. Dean Winks ranch. The ice got worse after heading east on Highway 34 and west of Hayes a young ranch wife had just rolled her pickup on her way home from getting groceries in Pierre. She had her seat belt on and had a hard time getting out of it while hanging upside down. I was the first one on the wreck and she was really shook up but, thankfully she wasnt hurt. Reminded me of my pickup wreck on the way to Pierre for Veto Day a few years ago when I was also upside down hanging from my seatbelt. Rep. Liz May had a drunk driver smash into the front of her grocery store in Kyle Monday morning, causing thousands of dollars-worth of damage. On Tuesday on her way to Pierre Liz came across five vehicles that had slid off into the ditch along I-90. I called Lizs brother Rep. Sam Marty about the nasty roads on Monday so when he came down those same roads Tuesday he had to drive so slow that he didnt get to Pierre until after Gov. Daugaards State of the State speech that afternoon. Gov. Daugaards proposals for this session are: 1. A half-cent sales tax increase to fund teacher pay. 2. Medicaid expansion to cover at least 55,000 more individuals who are presently ineligible. 3. More oversight over organizations that administer state grants and programs. 4. Create a new state park in Spearfish Canyon. 5. Strengthen the state pension plan. 6. Workforce development and a proposed tuition freeze for higher education for another year. South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice David Gilbertson gave the State of the Judiciary Message to the legislature Wednesday afternoon. Thursday afternoon Chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Harold Frazier gave the first ever State of the Tribes address to the legislature. Department of Environment & Natural Resources Sec. Steve Pirner gave the DENR report to our Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources committee on Thursday. The most serious part of his presentation was titled DENR Dealing with Deluge of New Federal Attacks. DENR has to deal with the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Forest Service, the Clean Water Act, Waters of the United States, the Sierra Club, EPA, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Power Plan for Existing Power Plants. What an absolutely terrifying bunch! After Ron Duvall gave his report on the 1,556 observation wells in our state, Ag Chairman Gary Cammack quoted Mark Twain, Whisky is for drinking, and water is for fighting, which seem to fit the subject very well. By Friday afternoon 110 bills had been filed with LRC. Most of these are agency bills, but two are bills that I co-sponsored: HB 1008 restricts access to restrooms and locker rooms in public schools to males and females determined by a persons chromosomes and identified at birth by a persons anatomy. Every restroom, locker room, and shower room located in a public elementary or secondary school that is designated for student use and is accessible by multiple students at the same time shall be designated for and used only by students of the same biological sex. In addition, any public school student participating in a school sponsored activity off school premises which includes being in a state of undress in the presence of other students shall use those rooms designated for and used only by students of the same biological sex. HB 1054 authorizes the production and sale of industrial hemp. Several states have legalized the cultivation and research of industrial hemp, including our neighboring states of Montana and North Dakota. Hemp fibers and stalks are used to make rope, twine, clothing, construction materials, paper, biofuel, plastic composites, and more. The total retail value of all hemp products imported from other countries and sold in the U.S. is $620 million a year. Hemp is an attractive rotation crop for farmers, but you cant get high on it. Because hemp varieties contain virtually zero tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), your body processes it faster than you can smoke it. Trying to use hemp to put you on cloud nine will only put you in bed with a migraine! To contact me, call the Senate Chamber at 773-3821, leave a message and Ill try to return your call. Email me at sen.bettyolson@state.sd.us and the legislative FAX number is 773-6806. When you send a fax, address it to Sen. Betty Olson. You can keep track of bills and committee meetings at this link: http://legis.sd.gov/ Use the link to find legislators, see what committees they are on, read all the bills and track the status of each bill, listen to committee hearings, and contact the legislators. The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from an Arizona sheriff seeking to halt President Barack Obama's plan to spare millions of people from deportation. The justices on Tuesday let stand a lower court ruling that said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio had no legal basis to challenge the program. Arpaio claimed the program would let more immigrants enter the country illegally, creating a burden on law enforcement from increased crime. A federal judge said Arpaio's complaints were speculative. The federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., agreed. The high court separately decided to hear another case on Tuesday in which 26 states have challenged the constitutionality of the plan. The federal appeals court in New Orleans last year blocked the program while that lawsuit moves forward. Local timber industry officials are praising a letter sent last week to U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell urging him to increase timber sales this year in the Black Hills National Forest to minimize damage from the mountain pine beetle, reduce fire risks and help sustain the forest products infrastructure. Meanwhile, area environmentalists argue that proponents of increased timber sales were relying on myths and invalid assumptions to support their cause and increase private timber company access to cheap wood in public forests. The letter, signed by U.S. Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Mike Enzi and John Barrasso of Wyoming, as well as U.S. Reps. Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, noted that at least half of the Black Hills remains at high risk from the pine beetle infestation and that despite past timber sales, those beetles are marching on and the epidemic is far from over. Approximately 17,000 acres of trees were killed in 2015 in the BHNF as a result of the mountain pine beetle infestations, which is an increase over the 2014 acreage killed by the mountain pine beetle, the congressional members wrote. Equally as concerning, according to recent Forest Service statements, approximately 50 percent of the BHNF remains at high risk for mountain pine beetle infestation. Salvaging and utilizing those trees is far more preferable than allowing them to become fuel for forest fires that threaten the communities and forests of the Black Hills, the letter continued. Ben Wudtke, forest programs manager for the Black Hills Forest Resource Association, a nonprofit trade association that represents 13 companies in the Black Hills, said the issue is less about generating more business for forest products companies than it is about maintaining a healthy forest. The mountain pine beetle continues to be a threat to Black Hills forests, Wudtke said. We still have an abundance of forests that are at high-risk for pine beetle infestations, so were supportive of the request for increasing sawtimber output that will help sustain the current forest products companies and also manage the forest in a sustainable manner. Environmentalist Brian Brademeyer, a member of the Friends of the Norbeck, said Monday that the timber industry, and by extension the two-state congressional delegation, are making a case by relying on a threat of pine beetle infestation, which he said is diminishing. That letter is curious, Brademeyer said from his home near Mount Rushmore National Memorial. We havent heard anything about pine beetles in two years. In the Southern Hills they are virtually gone. Its just a justification for more logging. Brademeyer said he had commissioned a world-famous statistician to examine a centurys worth of Black Hills data, including timber volumes, fires and pine beetle infestations dating back to 1900, and he had concluded that beetles didnt increase the risk of fire and, actually, led to a slight reduction in the likelihood of fire. They dont care if the public loses money through timber sales, and thats why they are seeking public timber, Brademeyer said. These guys just want public dollars thrown at private corporations. Nancy Hilding of the Prairie Hills Audubon Society was skeptical of the letters statistics, particularly the acreage lost to pine beetles in 2015. I havent seen the statistics, but I doubt every single tree on 17,000 acres was killed, she said. Its a little far-fetched and is probably disingenuous. Hilding encouraged the public to pay attention to the small details, because she said the letter contained some questionable assertions. As far as I know there is no scientific evidence that trees killed by beetles provide more of a forest fire danger than trees that are just standing there, she said. Studies have shown that 20 years after a pine beetle infestation, there is a little bit of increased risk for fire. But studies also have shown that 20 years after a timber sale, there also is a slight increase in fire danger. Citing a 2005 study by the Oregon-based Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation intended to dispel misconceptions about forest insect pests, Hilding noted that, Native forest pests had been part of our forests for millennia and function as nutrient recyclers; agents of disturbance; members of food chains; and regulators of productivity, diversity, and density. Furthermore, Hilding said the study found there was no evidence that logging can control beetles or forest defoliators once an outbreak had started, and that although thinning had been touted as a long-term solution to controlling beetles, the evidence was mixed as to its effectiveness and may, in fact, lead to simplified forests that could actually increase the risk of insect outbreaks. Those areas where beetles have killed trees and areas where fire has killed trees provide important and valuable habitat for species, Hilding added. For instance the black-backed woodpecker, which is currently being considered for designation under the Endangered Species Act, is one such species that needs this type of habitat. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is expected to issue its decision on the status of the woodpecker, which is found only in the Black Hills, Oregon and California, sometime in the fall of 2017, she said. SPEARFISH | A new generation will learn the history of The Matthews Opera House thanks to a childrens book written by an alum and a former faculty member of Black Hills State University. The book, Shakespeare and the Crown Jewel: A Story of The Matthews Opera House, was written by Dr. Joanna Jones, former BHSU professor, and Laurie Williams Hayes, a BHSU alum and retired educator. The Matthews executive director, Sian Young, asked Jones to write the childrens book and Jones then commissioned Williams Hayes, her previous student and colleague, to work with her on the project. The book includes 32 full-color pages following the journey of three children auditioning for a play at The Matthews. While preparing for their theatre production of A Midsummer Nights Dream, the children explore the opera house learning tidbits of history along the way. Williams Hayes, who also illustrated the book, said she and Jones researched The Matthews using newspaper clippings and archived photos housed at the Leland D. Case Library at BHSU, in addition to talking with local historians. This book brings community history to the kids, said Williams Hayes. It wont become outdated because, like the beautiful building it highlights, the story too will endure. To purchase Shakespeare and the Crown Jewel: A Story of The Matthews Opera House, visit the opera house or order online http://www.matthewsopera.com/store SPEARFISH | Black Hills State University will welcome 80 undergraduate physics majors from throughout the Midwest to campus Jan. 15-17 for the American Physical Societys Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). The conference is held in partnership with Sanford Underground Research Facility. Kristin Rath, a secondary science education and physical science major from Canton who serves as the student chair of the conferences local organizing committee, said the conference is especially important for undergraduate women in science. Nationally, women are under-represented in the field of physics. While undergraduate women in science may be one of only two or three girls in their class at school, they are one of many women in science across the nation, said Rath. This conference helps them to see that they are not alone in their love of science. The three-day conference includes research talks by faculty, panel discussions about graduate school and careers in physics, presentations and discussions about women in physics, laboratory tours, and a student poster session. Dr. Brianna Mount, research assistant professor in physics at BHSU, said the conference is one of nine held concurrently throughout the United States in different regions. BHSU, as the Midwest site, will welcome attendees from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Were hosting a variety of workshops, said Mount. It will also be great for the young women to interact socially, have a good time and build a support network for themselves. Dr. Peggy Norris, deputy director of education and outreach at Sanford Underground Research Facility, has been involved with national efforts to get more K-12 girls into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. She said pursuing a degree in physics provides many career options including research, education, and technical jobs. This conference is a great way to bring young women together who might not have a female faculty member as a role model, said Norris. Bringing them together to meet other women physicists. For more information or to view the conference agenda, visit www.BHSU.edu/CUWiP or contact Dr. Brianna Mount, 605-642-6094 or Brianna.Mount@BHSU.edu. This conference is supported in part by the National Science Foundation (PHY-1346627) and by the Department of Energy Office of Science (DE-SC0011076). Further details are available on the APS conference website. Other sponsors include Black Hills State University, American Astronomical Society, South Dakota Space Grant Consortium, GenPro Energy Solutions, SD EPSCoR, American Physical Society, South Dakota Board of Regents, University of South Dakota, South Dakota Science and Technology Authority, Dakota State University, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and the University of Utah. It has been a year since I was sworn into the United States Senate. When you trusted me with your vote to represent you in Washington, I promised to work to reduce burdensome regulations, promote pro-growth policies and make the government more effective and efficient. The new Republican-led Senate got to work right away, passing legislation to authorize construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a balanced budget, repeal major provisions of Obamacare, update the Toxic Substance Chemical Control Act, reform Social Security, protect Medicare, defund Planned Parenthood and provide permanent tax relief to South Dakota families and businesses. While I am proud to be a part of the Senate majority responsible for this progress, much more must be done. Before the Senate reconvened in 2016, I spent a week traveling across the state, hosting public meetings in Pierre, Sioux Falls and Rapid City. The goal of these meetings is to hear firsthand from South Dakotans about the issues and policies they care about most. As we look ahead to the coming year, it is now even clearer to me what our priorities must be: enacting a budget through regular order, continuing to strengthen national security and care for our veterans and rein in President Obamas continued executive overreach. Like many South Dakotans, I too am concerned about transparency in government. A prime example of how Washington can be more transparent is to enact a budget through regular order, instead of mammoth end-of-year omnibus bills crafted behind closed doors by a few individuals. Reviving and staying committed to a normal budget process in which all 12 appropriations bills are passed individually will allow us to make policy changes. It is the best tool we have to make certain the federal government is being a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars while reining in spending and reducing our debt. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan have said that passing all of the appropriations bills through regular order something that hasnt been done in more than 20 years is one of their top priorities for 2016. I will do everything I can to help them become successful. We must also continue to prioritize national security in 2016. With terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino late last year, continued aggression by Iran and North Korea and weaknesses in our own border screening process that have come to light in the past few months, we must make certain our military and border security agencies are keeping us safe. Further, we must make certain the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States are properly cared for after their service. The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to be plagued with mismanagement and unaccountability. As a member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees, I will continue to seek policies that strengthen and reinforce these principles. Finally, we must work to protect Americans from damaging new rules and regulations being promulgated by the administration. New restrictions on gun control are the latest example in a long list of regulations President Obama has sought to implement by executive order, bypassing Congress entirely. Addressing regulation without representation and pushing back on the presidents overreach will continue to be a top priority of mine as we move into 2016. After spending the holidays hearing firsthand from many of you, continuing to work toward a more accountable, effective and efficient government will continue to be my focus in 2016. I look forward to addressing these and other challenges in the coming year. Delay was blessing in disguise, says official HOT SPRINGS U.S. Navy World War II veteran Dewey Fallang was in high spirits Wednesday morning, Jan. 13. My real name is Dwayne, he said straight-faced, eyes twinkling, but everyone calls me Dewey because its as close as they could get to screwy. Fallang fought in the Pacific Theatre, driving landing craft on to the beaches of Mindanao, Leyte, Luzon and Tarawa bloody business, all. Fallang and his wife of 69 years, Mary Jane, were part of a neighborhood of 13 Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veterans Home residents being moved from the main building of the original 1889 facility in Hot Springs, into the $41 million, 133,000-square-foot new wing of the home. The Fallangs, originally from Madison, have been living at the State Veterans Home for the last 13 months. And after Dewey joked about Mary Jane wanting to trade him in on a new model husband for the move she would, he said, but shed already paid him off and couldnt get anything good for him because of his high mileage both Fallangs said the move was going pretty smoothly, thanks to the good help they were receiving. Were they excited about going into new digs? Not exactly, said Dewey, eyes twinkling with devilment, I dont get excited about much any more. I am, said Mary Jane. The new wing is nice. The Fallangs neighborhoods move was just one part of a gargantuan effort undertaken by the State Home to transport two buildings worth of senior veterans, their spouses and their belongings into the new wing. This move, originally scheduled for Veterans Day in November, was postponed after engineers discovered that portions of the foundation of the new wing, completed in September, were not solid and the necessary repairs were made. With this issue fixed, a new date for the move was assigned. According to State Veterans Home Superintendent Brad Richardson, the move started at 8 a.m. and by a few minutes after 9 a.m., his team of State Home staff, volunteers from the community and 25 airmen from Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, had completely moved 52 patients from Building No. 1, the mens dorm, into the new wing. Their next mission focused on shifting the independent patients of the State Home the Fallangs included over to the new wing. The elevator slowed this process down some, Richardson said, due having to move at the elevators speed, and take tubs filled with personal items up and down from the older portion of the home into the new wing. Still, Richardson anticipated completing the independent patient move by about 11 a.m. Meanwhile, the Fallangs joined about five other State Home residents, and two staff members on the bus ride from the 1889 building to the new wing. The Fallangs met when Mary Jane and two female cousins came to a pavilion along the Sioux River and Dewey thought hed better meet that pretty girl, he said. Mary Jane nodded. He also talked about another 20-year hitch in the Navy, as a machine shop instructor, and keeping a daily diary of his war experiences despite the Navy frowning on that, he said. A publisher had expressed some interest in this, he said. Yeah, the move is going pretty good, Dewey said, smiling. Dont tell Brad (Richardson) this, but hes a pretty good manager. It would go to his head. By Wednesday afternoon, at about 3:30 p.m., everything was pretty well finished, according to Director of Operations, Randy Meyers. The overall move was relatively stress free due to tremendous staff and community support, said Richardson. We wouldnt have been as successful had we not had Black Hills Veterans groups, Airmen from Ellsworth and community leaders from the Hot Springs area on campus to assist with this historic transition. Actually, the (second) delay was a blessing in disguise, Meyers said, because it gave us ample opportunity to prepate. After the Veterans Day delay, a second move date Monday, Dec. 14 -- was considered, Meyers said. However, between Christmas coming, bad weather and other factors, Meyers said the move was delayed a final time, to Jan. 13. This gave the staff and volunteers extra time to prepare. The weather also cooperated Wednesday, Meyers said. We had a move plan, Meyers said, and it worked well. We just rolled along and were pretty well done by 1 p.m. We stopped for lunch Custer VFW served it, and by 3:30 p.m. we finished. We had a review of the move by staff and noted what went well. From my perspective, Richardson said, we didnt have any hitches in the get-along. At times we were outpacing the movement of patients, we had to slow down to allow the logistical tail to catch up with us, but we moved all 94 patients in under two hours from start to finish. Their personal belongings had all been delivered prior to the evening dinner meal. We were very pleased that with all the movement of resources and people on campus we had zero injuries. Meyers especially lauded the work of the Air Force volunteers. They worked their hearts out, he said. Shuttling laundry carts and tubs around to keep up with the move of residents. On Thursday morning, Jan. 14, Meyers said he believes that about 85-90 percent of the residents like their new digs in the new wing. A handful of residents were not amenable to any kind of move, but after being in the new wing for a day, they were starting to enjoy it, too. Richardson said he saw high energy and a lot of excitement towards moving into the new facility. Settling into the new wing will take some tweaking, Meyers said, but most of the residents, especially the families that helped make the move, were amazed by the quality of the construction and the size of the building. We are slowly adjusting the new facility and making it into a new home, said Richardson. Were proud of the staff and volunteers who helped with the move, Meyers said. They made it work. Everyone pitched in there was no griping and grumbling. It was a team effort, that kept the well-being of the residents at heart. I want to say a big thank you to all the staff and volunteers who pitched in for this. I cant say enough. City to unveil full report later HOT SPRINGS Dr. Ignatius Cahyanto is an Assistant Professor and the Program Coordinator for Tourism and Hospitality Management with the Black Hills State Universitys (BHSU) School of Business. This fall, he, along with city leaders, helped a group of eight tourism planning and development students develop a five-year strategic plan for improving Hot Springs tourism. Between August and September of last year, the students, with help from City Administrator Nolan Schroeder and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Scott Haden circulated 259 surveys to random city visitors (243 were returned, 206 were useful), and 196 on-line surveys to residents (177 were useful) to gather their information, Cahyanto said. These revealed supply side of tourism. The students also did extensive research on websites to get a sense of Hot Springs on-line presence. Then, just after Christmas, Cahyantos students presented their work to a group of city and university representatives, including Mayor Cindy Donnell, Schroeder, Haden and other members of the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, along with BHSU leaders. Im really proud of them, Cahyanto said. Ive been doing this for the last four years in different communities (Hill City, Redfield and Belle Fourche), and this group has been the most solid. Their procedure is solid. Ive been planning tourism across the globe and this is one of the best groups Ive had. I hope Hot Springs can implement the suggestions. According to Cahyanto, this was the students first real life experience taking what they were learning in textbooks and the classroom and applying to a real life situation. The class learned that theory doesnt always work, Cahyanto said. In the classroom, they learned theory, but they had to relate this to Hot Springs. Now they can relate textbook learning to real challenges. One student, Bethanie Neuberger, a business administration-tourism major from Watertown, noted, I learned that communities are very complex. There are so many things that you have to look into it when you are working with the community. As much as we want visitors to have a great experience in Hot Springs there is also a consideration of what the community would want. You have to find that perfect balance. The process was piece by piece to make a strategic plan, he said. The work didnt tell them how to do this, it showed them: How to go from point A, to B, to C, to D and so on. Cahyanto said he suggested the students not create grandiose things, big stuff that the community might need but couldnt implement. Instead he told them to come up with tangible ideas, things the community could implement. Some of the findings in the study include: City strengths: natural spring water, beautiful nature, the Mammoth Site (the No. 1 tourist attraction in town, visited by more than 70 percent of tourists) and the citys unique architecture. Student suggestions: Put additional focus on promoting tourism clusters including wellness, the outdoors, history and function. Improve the citys organization and planning and extend the Visitor Center hours to allow more people access information about the city. Make the downtown district more attractive and vibrant for tourists. Students suggested incorporating digital billboards to promote Hot Springs and researched apps for towns similar to Hot Springs. Incorporate hashtags and photo op sites throughout the city so people can share these on their social media sites. From the citys perspective, Schroeder said, we learned many things. These things include: Need for improved directional signage throughout town. Our town is challenging to navigate for visitors and our distinctive destinations are missed because of it, Schroeder said. Need for a comprehensive brand for the community, with a focus on what other communities cannot replicate such as the water component and the health-centered mentality our town was founded on, he said. Need for improved customer service from all of our businesses, not only tourism-focused businesses. The students and the city are working on a time to present their findings to the community a date for this has not been set, although most connected to the project agree it will likely take place in February. Schroeder said that the city is planning to have some of the students present their report to the community later this year. After this, the city will make the report available on the city website, at city hall and via the Chamber of Commerce. City and Chamber officials, business owners and others attending the Tourism Conference in Pierre, later this month will get a preview of the report, Schroeder and Cahyanto said. The city is also taking other steps to move forward on some things in the report, Schroeder said. This includes: The city is looking forward to the community meeting, part of SHEDCOs Community Engagement Study on January 24. Schroeder expected that some report themes would be mirrored at this meeting. Working with the Chamber, the city is planning to develop a branding campaign for Hot Springs for at least the next four years, comparable to Rapid Citys Do Big Things or Medoras Explore It Adore It efforts. The city plans to piggyback on the state Department of Transportations US 18/385 road work in 2020 with a comprehensive way-finding signage program to make it easier for vehicles and pedestrians to navigate to Hot Springs attractions. The report cited difficulties tourists had in finding their way around town as an issue for the city to overcome. Also, the city and the Chamber of Commerce are preparing a new website to launch this spring called Explore Hot Springs. Desktops, tablets and smart phones will be able to access this website to learn about the citys history, its buildings, murals and other drawing cards. Essentially, Schroeder noted, it can serve as a digital walking tour for many components of our town, from architecture, to murals, to historical events. Tourism report findings South Dakota generated $2 billion from tourism in 2014, with each traveler spending about $249 per day. The state is a primary destination for 57 percent of visitors, with scenery being the draw, and 78 percent coming by private vehicle. Most Hot Springs visitors come for wellness, the outdoors, history and culture and special interests. Hot Springs can cater to these groups in ways other cities cannot. Hot Springs VA is one of its most recognized features The loss of this would be a significant hit to the area. Positive attitude Most of the community is excited about the future of Hot Springs Problems Location is an issue, 67 percent of visitors said Hot Springs was not their primary destination Rapid City, Custer and Mt. Rushmore were. Hot Springs doesnt promote its features strongly enough, doesnt stand out from other locations. It is an unknown brand. Other issues include: a rundown downtown, inconsistent business hours, parking, unclear signage, poor customer service, no budget (for businesses and organizations), bad winter weather and demographic changes. Opportunities Wedding/romance business Outdoors, especially the Mickelson Trail. Surrounding Attractions Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, and the Wildlife Sanctuary. Technology Develop clusters around these areas. BHSU students who participated in the study included: Morgan Chavez, Christina DiJohn, Jack Nelson, Bethanie Neuberger, Mallory Gordon, June Lallak, Chihiro Oseki and John Villa. 16 FALL RIVER COUNTY MINUTES OF DECEMBER 29, 2015 The Fall River Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on December 29, 2015 in the courtroom of the Courthouse. Present: Ann Abbott, Joe Allen, Joe Falkenburg, Michael Ortner, Deb Russell and Sue Ganje, Auditor. The Pledge of Allegiance was given and the meeting called to order at 9:00 AM. ALL MOTIONS RECORDED IN THESE MINUTES WERE BY UNANIMOUS VOTE, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. The agenda was reviewed for conflicts. Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Ortner, to approve the agenda as written. A county assistance applicant met with the Board. Motion by Ortner, seconded by Falkenburg, to approve $122.21 for telephone and $25.00 assistance for CP #2015-12, with a repayment plan. Motion by Ortner, seconded by Allen to approve the next Policy Committee meeting date of January 5, 2016 set for 1:00 pm. Discussion was held regarding a tentative jail meeting to be held January 19th. Commissioner Allen is to check to see if this date will work for participants. GIS User Agreement was moved to later in the meeting, along with the Supplement and contingency transfer hearing. Anderson Engineering presented a plot for approval. Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Abbott, to approve the following resolution for Falls Tract. With all voting yes, and Ortner abstaining, the motion passed. FALL RIVER COUNTY RESOLUTION #2015-39 WHEREAS, there has been presented to the County Commissioners of Fall River County, South Dakota, the within a Plat of CLEARWATER tract containing part of Tract C of Farm Unit #2, and all of Lots 1, 5, 6, and 7 of CLEARWATER LAKE ESTATES, located in North North of Section 16, and South South of Section 9, all in T8S, R6E, BHM, Fall River County, South Dakota, and WHEREAS, it appearing to this Board that the system of streets conforms to the system of streets of existing plats and section lines of the county; adequate provision is made for access to adjacent unplatted lands by public dedication or section line when physically accessible; all provisions of the county subdivision regulations have been complied with; all taxes and special assessments upon the property have been fully paid; and the plat and survey have been lawfully executed, NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that said plat is hereby approved in all respects. Dated at Fall River County, South Dakota this 29TH day of December, 2015. /Deborah Russell/ Deborah Russell, Chair Fall River County Board of Commissioners ATTEST: /Sue Ganje/ Sue Ganje, Fall River County Auditor Lyle Jensen, Building Supervisor requested approval to get quotes on his pickup; he will bring them back to the Commissioners at a future meeting. Frank Maynard, Emergency Management, requested approval for a MOU with the US Forest Service that would allow communication with the US Forest Service and County during fires that involve both entities, and this updates the previous 2010 agreement. Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Ortner, to approve and authorize Maynard to sign the radio frequency Memorandum of Understanding with the US Forest Service. Maynard reviewed the surveys completed on the designated shelters in Fall River County, as per the SLA Agreement, and noted no change. Motion made by Falkenburg, seconded by Abbott, to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the No Change document on shelters. Maynard reported FR County is eligible for a $5,000 grant to update the Fall River Hazardous Materials Plan, however the County would need to pay a $1,000 match. Motion by Ortner, seconded by Allen, to approve the expense and application for the grant. Maynard reported we received the 4th quarter SLA reimbursement check in the amount of $9,935.10, and advised that the LEPC Grant has been awarded to Fall River County in the amount of $1,375.32 for 2016. Discussion was held regarding private county property in disarray and what can be done. Ortner spoke of a previous attempt by commissioners to enact a Nuisance Ordinance; Frank will check to see what Custer County does on this issue and report back to the Commission. The South Dakota Pipeline Association meeting will be held on January 19, 2016 at Wollys at 5:30. The Association would like the Commissioners to attend, and will pay for their meal. The Fall River County GIS User Agreement was denied due to the need for a better understanding of the Agreement. Ortner expressed his thanks to U.S. Representative Kristi Noem and NACO for their work in passing the transportation bill in Congress. Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Ortner to approve the County bills. GENERAL FUND: FIDELITY SEC. LIFE INS CO, EYE INSURANCE, 98.74; AMERICAN FAMILY ASSURANCE, AMERICAN FAMILY ASSU, 225.04; AUDRA MALCOMB CONSULTING, MI/CONSULTANT, 1,364.89; AVIANDS LLC, INMATE/SUPPLY/FOOD, 6,767.50; BLACK HILLS CHEMICAL, SUPPLY, 517.56; BOSTON MUTUAL LIFE INS CO, LIFE INSURANCE, 32.76; CARDMEMBER SERVICE, CARD MEMBER SERVICES, 1,533.56; CENTURY BUSINESS LEASING, COPIERS LEASE & METE, 714.78; CHEMSEARCH, SUPPLY, 222.78; COLBATH, ANGELA M, CAAF, 393.60; CREDIT COLLECTION BUREAU, GARNISHMENT, 66.50; DAKOTA BUSINESS CENTER, LEASE/METER, 123.06; DELTA DENTAL PLAN OF SD, DELTA DENTAL, 2,523.95; DEMERSSEMAN JENSEN, CAAF, 2,815.50; SUPPORT PYT CLEARINGHOUSE, CHILD SUPPORT, 286.25; EXECUTIVE MGMT FINANCE, BIT NETWORK FEES, 96.00; FALL RIVER HISTORICAL SOC, 2015 ALLOTMENT, 4,000.00; FARRELL,FARRELL &GINSBACH, CONTRACT, 2,658.33; GOLDEN WEST TECHNOLOGIES, TECHNOLOGY/SERVER/MA, 48.00; GREAT WESTERN TIRE, SUPPLY, 349.72; HEALTH 4 LIFE, HEALTH 4 LIFE, 20.00; HEAVY HIGHWAY FRINGE, INSURANCE FEES, 630.00; HILLYARD FLOOR CARE SUPP, SUPPLY, 33.91; HOT SPRINGS ACE HARDWARE, ACE HARDWARE SUPPLY, 289.92; HOT SPRINGS AUTOMOTIVE, AUTO SUPPLY PARTS, 149.98; IOWA LABORERS DISTRICT, HEALTH INSURANCE, 17,080.00; IMAGINE THAT SCREENPRINTI, UNIFORM, 51.64; LIUNA LABORERS LOCAL 620, UNION DUES, 200.00; LINCOLN COUNTY TREASURER, MI, 45.00; MERIDIAN IT INC, IBM MAINT., 2,307.34; MURPHY LAW OFFICE PC, CAAF, 79.21; NATIONWIDE RETIREMENT SOL, NATIONWIDE RETIREMEN, 88.25; NEVES UNIFORM INC, UNIFORMS, 423.34; NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE, NEW YORK LIFE INS, 25.00; NORTON,TINA, CONTRACT NURSE INMAT, 1,035.00; CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENT CNT, CHILD SUPPORT, 704.00; ONEILL, JUSTIN, MI/CAAF, 809.94; ORTNER, MICHAEL P., TRAVEL, 45.00; OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY, UTILITY SERVICE CONT, 371.28; PENN CO STS ATTNY OFFICE, MI, 215.00; PENNINGTON COUNTY JAIL, INMATE HOUSING PENNI, 560.00; PENN COUNTY SHERIFF, TRANSPORT INMATE, 752.95; PITNEY BOWES, POSTAGE METER LEASE, 1,110.09; QUILL CORPORATION, OFFICE SUPPLIES, 419.12; QUILL CORPORATION, OFFICE SUPPLIES, 200.63; RANCHERS FEED & SUPPLY, SUPPLY, 41.98; RAPID CITY JOURNAL (THE), PUBLICATION, 404.92; RAPID CITY REGIONAL HOS., MEDICAL RECORD INFOR, 143.20; REGIONAL PHARMACY, PRISONER MEDICATION, 282.03; SANICHEM, SUPPLIES, 244.08; SDAE4-HP, MEMBERSHIP, 80.00; SD DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, SALES TAX, 5.00; SDSU EXTENSION, SUPPLIES/BOOKS, 60.00; SD RETIREMENT SYSTEM, SDRS CONTRIBUTION, 15,025.06; SERVALL, SUPPLY/MATS/RUGS, 205.83; SOFTWARE SERVICES INC, DATA PROCESSING BOSA, 860.00; THOMSON REUTERS, LAW BOOKS, 184.50; WESTERN SD JUV SERV CTR, JUVENILE CENTER STAY, 560.00; WOODYS WORK SHOP, REPAIR, 25.50; YANKTON CO TREASURER, MI, 113.75; RHOE, KELLI, TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT, 168.62; JOHNSON, MICHAEL, MEALS REIMBURSEMENT, 47.32; Total General Fund: $70,936.91 COUNTY ROAD & BRIDGE: ADVANCED DRUG TESTING, PRE-EMPLOYMENT DRUG, 26.00; FIDELITY SEC. LIFE INS CO, EYE INSURANCE, 80.66; AMERICAN FAMILY ASSURANCE, AMERICAN FAMILY ASSU, 448.60; B H ELECTRIC COOP INC., UTILITIES, 14.41; DELTA DENTAL PLAN OF SD, DELTA DENTAL, 444.95; EXCEL TRUCK & TRAILER REP, REPAIR/SUPPLY, 5,521.17; FALL RIVER AUTO SUPPLY, SUPPLY, 135.91; FORWARD DISTRIBUTING, SUPPLY/SHOP, 54.05; HEAVY HIGHWAY FRINGE, INSURANCE FEES, 150.00; HOT SPRINGS AUTOMOTIVE, AUTO SUPPLY PARTS, 496.11; IOWA LABORERS DISTRICT, HEALTH INSURANCE, 3,285.00; K & M TIRE, SUPPLY, 11,402.56; LIUNA LABORERS LOCAL 620, UNION DUES, 150.00; MG OIL, FUEL, 10,790.68; NATIONWIDE RETIREMENT SOL, NATIONWIDE RETIREMEN, 73.53; NELSONS OIL & GAS INC., FUEL, 8,990.00; SAFETY KLEEN, SUPPLIES, 117.42; SD DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION, COST SHARE PROJECT C, 41.41; SD RETIREMENT SYSTEM, SDRS CONTRIBUTION, 3,524.00; SEILER, RANDY, CELL PHONE REIMBURSE, 35.00; SOUTHERN HILLS FIRE, ANNUAL FIRE INSPECTI, 139.00; County Road & Bridge Total: $45,920.46 EMERGENCY MGT: CARDMEMBER SERVICE, CARD MEMBER SERVICES, 267.44; DAKOTA PROPANE, PROPANE, 800.00; PITNEY BOWES, POSTAGE METER LEASE, 22.65; SD RETIREMENT SYSTEM, SDRS CONTRIBUTION, 638.22; OGLALA LAKOTA, SOUTHWEST DISTRICT, 1,092.86; Emergency MGT Total: $2,821.17 TOTAL: $119,678.54 Randy Seiler, Highway Superintendent, presented fuel transfers for approval. Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Abbott, to approve transfers to reimburse the Highway Department for fuel or work performed during the period of November 30 through December 27, 2015 in the following amounts: the Sheriffs Office, $1,718.76; DOE, $19.32; Building, $20.66; States Attorney $20.65; Commission $17.67; Emergency Management, $71.92; GIS, $38.84 and Weed Board, $163.99. Seiler presented the Fuel bids. 6,000 gal. Diesel (1/2 #2, 1/2 #1 Dyed): Nelsons Oil & Gas , $1.550, Accepted 12/22/15 MG Oil (4500 gal), $1.640 PJs is not accepting tanker orders at this time 7000 gal.Unlead Plus MG Oil, (E1087), $1.585, Accepted 12/22/15 Nelsons, $1.62 / gal. PJs is not accepting tanker orders at this time Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Abbott, to approve Nelsons bids of $1.550 per gallon for 6,000 gallons of 50/50 Dyed Diesel as the only bid; MG Oils bid of $1.585 per gallon for 7,000 gallons of Unleaded Plus as the low bids. Break was called at 9:56 am, and meeting resumed at 10:05. During Public Comment, Ann Abbott thanked everyone for their condolences on the death of her husband. Henderson brought an article from the RC Journal and one from Popular Science on fracking. Copies were made and distributed to all Commissioners. Henderson stated her position was to not allow fracking in Fall River County. Public comments were closed at 10:14. Motion made by Ortner, seconded by Abbott, to approve the Avesis contract be changed to allow both full-time and part-time employees to enroll for this benefit through payroll deduction. This benefit is paid 100% by the employee. Ortner requested the Auditors office check with the current medical insurance to see if we can offer medical insurance to part-time employees with the understanding it would be 100% employee paid. Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Abbott, to approve the following Resolution: FALL RIVER COUNTY RESOLUTION # 2015 - 38 WHEREAS, Fall River County follows rates set by the State of South Dakota for mileage, meals and lodging; and WHEREAS, new rates have been set as follows: Mileage: $0.42 per mile; $0.23 per mile if a fleet vehicle is available but the full-time employee opts to use a private vehicle; In-state meal rates of: $6.00 if the employee leaves before 5:31 AM and returns after 7:59 AM; $11.00 if the employee leaves before 11:30 AM and returns after 12:59PM; $15.00 if the employee leaves before 5:31 PM and returns after 7:59 PM; $32.00 Total Out-of-state meal rates of: $10.00 if the employee leaves before 5:31 AM and returns after 7:59 AM; $14.00 if the employee leaves before 11:30 AM and returns after 12:59PM; $21.00 if the employee leaves before 5:31 PM and returns after 7:59 PM; $45 Total Lodging In-state: $55.00 plus tax a day from check-in on September 1 through check-out on June 1 $70.00 plus tax a day from check-in on June 1 through check-out on September 1 Lodging Out-of-state: $175.00 plus tax NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the above rates are effective December 29, 2015. Passed and approved this 29st day of December, 2015. /s/Deborah Russell Deborah Russell, Chair Fall River Board of County Commissioners ATTEST: /s/Sue Ganje Sue Ganje Fall River County Auditor Jim Sword discussed the 2016 Contract between Oglala Lakota and Fall River Counties, which he stated mirrored last years and the salaries stayed the same. Jims contract with the Counties is separate and will follow. Motion by Ortner, seconded by Falkenburg, to approve the contract as written for 2016 between Oglala Lakota and Fall River Counties. Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Abbott, to move into executive session for personnel issues at 10:22 am. Commissioners returned from executive session at 10:42am. Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Ortner to approve the Supplemental Budget #5 FALL RIVER COUNTY RESOLUTION #2015-37 Supplemental Budget 2015, #5 WHEREAS, SDCL 7-21-22 provides that the Board of County Commissioners may adopt a supplemental budget and whereas, due and legal notice has been given, the following Supplemental Budget to the Calendar Year to the following General fund (expenses): Vehicle Expense #10100x4340111, $6,768.05; Auditor Salary #10100x4110141, $10,178.80; Treasurer Salary #10100x4110142, $10,879.16; ROD Salary #10100x4110163, $2,586.52; DOE Salary #10100x4110162, $2,604.56; Treasurer Supply #10100x4260142, $4,874.00; Elections #10100x4110120, $2,407.05; Judicial Jury Witness 0100x4223130, $224.10; Data Processing #10100x4260143, $702.05; Court Appointed Attorney #10100x4261153, $7,453.04; Jail #10100x4110212, $36,381.61; EM Mgt #22600x4110222, $17,857.29; Mental Handicap #10100x4227441, $1,335.00; Dispatch #10100x4110225, $12,708.85; Mental Board #10100x4221445, $2,865.00; and NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners to adopt the Supplemental Budget, #5 for 2015. Dated at Fall River County, South Dakota this 29th day of December, 2015. /s/ Deborah Russell Deborah Russell, Chair all River County Board of Commissioners ATTEST: /s/ Sue Ganje Sue Ganje Fall River County Auditor Effective January 2016 the Board requests Department Heads review their budgets monthly and report to the Commissioners when an overrun is needed along with the reason. It was further asked that department heads start attending monthly meetings, with the Auditor arranging a staggered schedule. The official canvass of the 2014 Fall River County Referendum vote was completed with the official count: Yes 1,290 and No 1,483. This action nullifies action of the Commission on Resolution 2014-16. Motion by Ortner, seconded by Abbott, to move into executive session for personnel issues at 11:19am. and returned from executive session at 11:37. With no additional action taken, Motion by Falkenburg, seconded by Allen, to adjourn at 11:38 am. /s/ Deborah Russell Deborah Russell, Chair Board of Fall River County Commissioners ATTEST: /s/ Sue Ganje Sue Ganje, Fall River County Auditor Published once at the total approximate cost of $155.07. Jan. 19 South Korea gives Ambassador for Peace medals HOT SPRINGS -- Seven Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veterans Home residents Frank Bryant, Arthur Has No Horse, Paul Hofwolt, Clarence Jerke, Orville Oster, Fred Riedel and Earl Weiss were honored at a special ceremony that took place simultaneously at the State Home and in the Capitol Rotunda in Pierre, Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 12. The seven State Home men, all Korean conflict veterans, received a sash and a peace medal from the Republic of Korea as a token honoring their service and sacrifices during the Korean conflict. At the same time and this was being broadcast live, via South Dakota Public Broadcasting, on the huge television screen in the new wing of the State Home Auditorium -- a number of Korean-era veterans received the same medal and sash in Pierre. The Ambassador for Peace medal is bestowed as an expression of appreciation for those who served in Koreas land, air and sea conflict from June 25, 1950 through Oct. 25, 1954. The events were the culmination of an effort begun in 2010 the 60th anniversary of the Korean conflict according to Sungchoon Park, Minister of Patriots Veterans Affairs with the Republic of Korea (South Korea), who presented the medals and sashes to the veterans in Pierre and spoke for his nation. Park, speaking through an interpreter, called the Korean conflict a forgotten war but not for South Koreans. He talked about the outbreak of the war: How Communist forces from North Korea (backed by both the Soviet Union and Chinese communists) invaded South Korea late in June of 1950, and how the United Nations (UN) got involved in settling the conflict, with 21 nations providing supplies and nearly 2 million troops to fight the invasion. U.S. aid and military force represented the lions share of this, with 88 percent, or 1.7 million troops. Two months into the fight to push the North back, things werent going well. However a September, 1950 amphibious counter-offensive at Inchon cut off the Norths invaders, forcing them back across the Chinese border at the Yalu River. This, however, prompted Chinese forces to enter the fray, and the pushed the UN forces south through mid-1951, with South Koreas capital, Seoul, changing hands four times. While the ground war stalemated, becoming a war of attrition near the 38th parallel; the air war with jet fighters engaging in aerial combat for the very first time continued, with Soviet pilots covertly flying for their communist allies. A July of 1953 armistice ended the fighting with a demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. However, there has never been a peace treaty, and the two Koreas are technically still at war. Of 7,000 South Dakota Korean conflict participants, 158 were killed in action during the conflict, and 46 remain missing in action, something Park called a noble sacrifice. Park said that U.S. involvement in Korea more than 60 years ago has resulted in many things, including: 60 years of security for the South Korean people, and hopefully the peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula some day. South Korean economic development South Korea becoming a model democracy for other nations A success of American foreign policy in the containment of communism worldwide. The consolidation of U.S. leadership in the post-war world. Park saluted all of the veterans present, then invited all Korean conflict veterans to return to South Korea. He also hoped that the South Dakota initiative with South Korea would expand to include other states. This was the first time that a state and a national government together honored Korean War veterans in this way. Park talked about North Koreas recent nuclear test, how this has drawn international sanction, and vowed that South Korea would remain a U.S. partner for global strategic initiatives. Dakota, Park said, in the language Dakota native peoples, the states original inhabitants, means ally or friend. South Dakota and South Korea are friends, allies, Park concluded, wishing Gods grace and peace to all. To the family of a Korean conflict man who remains missing in action (MIA), the Bowden family, Park also presented a sash and medal. Other Korean-era conflict veterans at the State Home include David Albrecht, Darrell Custer, Dean Foucault, Lewis Holman, Laverne Lohmiller, Ronald Pichulo, Mildred Rexroat, Jack Timm and Melvin Welch. Delta Dentals Dakota Smiles Mobile Dental Bus will be returning to Meade School District Feb. 8-12 when it will be stationed at Piedmont Valley Elementary School. Because of its relationship with local dentists, many of whom volunteer their services, the program is able to offer cost effective, high quality oral health services to children who would otherwise go without. Those services include cleanings, preventive services, fillings and oral health education, and are available to students who have not seen a dentist in two years, or who live more than 85 miles from a dentist. No child is turned away for inability to pay. During the 10 years the dental bus has visited the school district, more than $457,000 worth of services has been provided to students. The Care Mobile is a partnership effort of Delta Dental of South Dakota, Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Dakota, the South Dakota McDonalds restaurant owners and the South Dakota Department of Health. Local financial support has been received from Sturgis Rally Charities, Grace Lutheran Church and First Presbyterian Church. For more information or a copy of the consent and patient information forms, call the school nurses office at 347-2610. The forms are also at Piedmont Valley Elementary and on the school district website: http://www.meade.k12.sd.us/files/8014/5210/0133/Dakota_Smiles_2016.pdf. Officials from cities across the state immediately had concerns when Buffalo Chip became an incorporated town, Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie says. "As a member of the state's municipal league, we bring up significant issues we think might have statewide impact and Buffalo Chip was one of those," Ainslie said. "And, there was concern from a lot of cities instantly." For that reason, the South Dakota Municipal League has asked to intervene in the lawsuit questioning the legality of the town of Buffalo Chip. Yvonne Taylor, executive director of the South Dakota Municipal League, the lobbying group that represents 300 cities in the state, said the organization's membership has been following the Bufflo Chip incorporation closely from the start and wants to protect their interests. "We want to make sure the laws of incorporation are enforced uniformly statewide," she said. The Municipal League's board voted in December to join in the lawsuit. Sturgis Finance Officer Fay Bueno is a member of that board. Thomas Frieberg, attorney for the Municipal League, says his clients have the same questions as do landowners and the city of Sturgis who have appealed the county's approval of Buffalo Chip's petition to incorporate. Frieberg contends the Meade County commissioners wrongfully approved the petition for municipal incorporation. Chief among the league's concerns is that the petition wasn't signed by qualifed voters who "actually live on the land" of the proposed municipality. "Under the statutory requirements...the petition signers, other than the landowners who are also registered voters of this state, must be registered voters in the proposed municipality of which most of them were not," Frieberg noted. The league wants to ensure that the requirements for municipal incorporation are protected and applied uniformly throughout the state of South Dakota, Frieberg said. Frieberg filed the request on Jan. 11 and Fourth Circuit Judge Jerome Eckrich has yet to respond. Other parties involved in the suit appeared Wednesday, Jan. 13, before Eckrich focused on a motion from Buffalo Chip attorney Kent Hagg to dismiss the appeal. Hagg contends that neither the city of Sturgis nor a group of residents, both of which filed appeals, have the legal right to do so. Mark Marshall, attorney for Gary Lippold and Jane Murphy, two of the 56 landowners who appealed the county's decision, says Hagg's motion is at best ambiguous. In the proceedings Wednesday, Marshall slammed Hagg calling him a "headnote" lawyer. A headnote is a brief summary of a particular point of law that is added to the text of a court decision to help readers in locating discussion of a legal issue in an opinion. As the term implies, headnotes appear at the beginning of the published opinion. Marshall said Hagg's motion to dismiss questioned his clients' right to appeal the county's decision, but didn't really cite the legal premise on which it was based. "I'd like to know to what facts I am responding? I'm looking for guidance here," Marshall told judge Eckrich. Hagg argues that once the Meade County Commission approved the resolution for the incorporation of Buffalo Chip on Feb. 27, 2015, and the voters confirmed it through the election on May 7, it was a "done deal." And if Buffalo Chip is indeed a municipality any additional inquiry into the matter would have to be brought by the state, Hagg says. Hagg broached the subject with Eckrich at the hearing Wednesday saying that if Buffalo Chip were recognized as a town, his legal premise would be sustaintiated. "Nice try. I'm not going there right now," Eckrich told Hagg. Since the May 7 election, in which all 43 Buffalo Chip voters cast ballots in favor of incorporation, lawyers for Sturgis and the landowners have been working the appeal. Hagg filed the motion to dismiss on Dec. 23, which gave the opposition little time to respond. Marshall then asked for a continuance to gather the facts necessary to respond. A hearing has been tentatively set for March 4 to again hear the motion to dismiss the appeal. The issue of whether or not to allow the South Dakota Municipal League to join in the case will also be considered at that time. A court trial in the case has been tentatively set for May 11 and 12, interestingly a date close to the one-year anniversary of the town of Buffalo Chip. The "starving artists" maxim is often true, but three local Native American artists will now have a little extra money to help them pursue their artistic passions. First Peoples Fund, a nonprofit that supports indigenous artists across the country, has awarded 27 grants in the new year, with three awarded to Black Hills artists. Rapid City beadwork artist Molina Parker, an Oglala Lakota, has received a $5,000 business entrepreneurial grant, while Rapid City flutist Darren Thompson, an Ojibwe, has won a $10,000 business entrepreneurial grant. Kyle-based stone sculptor and wood carving artist Brendon Albers, of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, has won a $5,000 cultural preservation grant and fellowship. "What's great about these grants is that they're artists who are mid-career with strong projects," said Jessica Miller, program manager of First Peoples Fund. "We're able to help them take their work to the next level, aid them with marketing, and really help them find financial independence." Miller said that the business entrepreneurial grants have worked well before, as Albers is a previous winner who was able to purchase better carving tools for his work and find a studio space. He'll use his grant this year to hold workshops on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to teach young people classic stone and wood carving skills. "We just play a small role for them," Miller said. "They take the initiative, and we provide what assistance we can." Thompson said that he learned of the award just prior to the Christmas holiday. "It's been challenging waiting for them to officially make the announcement," Thompson said. "I submitted back in August, so this has been a half-year in the making." Thompson, who manages his own career, said that his proposal was to use the grant for marketing. "Doing outreach and sending materials can be costly, so the grant is going to offset sharing and distributing costs," Thompson said. "Word-to-word and in-person stuff always works, but I can't be everywhere all the time, so this will expand my reach to new organizations." Thompson has already started setting up meetings with media ahead of time and updating equipment. "My computer was on its last leg, so that's one of the things this is funding," Thompson said. "I can update how I manage invoices and my inventory, and I can publish more albums so they're better available." Thompson said that album pressings were particularly prohibitive, as CDs cost $4 or $5 per unit in smaller orders. "Now I can get a larger quantity to keep costs down and profit up," said Thompson, who is also working on new musical material. Parker said that she had her own challenges as an artist and a stay-at-home mother, which kept her from having the money to create larger works of art that she could enter in art shows. "This is going to enable me to buy the supplies I need that I normally couldn't afford: antique beads, tanned leather, rawhide that's been treated properly," Parker said. "That stuff tends to be fairly expensive, so this will give me the financial freedom I need to spend it on larger pieces." That newfound freedom is particularly encouraging to Parker, who only learned she had won two weeks ago after initially expecting news by Thanksgiving. "I figured I didn't get it, and thought, 'Well, that's OK, a record amount of people applied,'" Parker said. "When they called me, I was in shock, my face went numb, I got on the phone with my husband and just started screaming." Parker has already sketched out new works, including a fully beaded purse, a beaded vest that fellow grantee Thompson had asked for, and beaded portrait that is a memorial to her grandmother. She also plans to improve her website to more professionally market herself. Both Parker and Thompson said that they felt honored to be a part of the First Peoples Fund's artists. "It's difficult to push forward, but I hope people see this and realize that if they keep following their dreams, it makes a difference," Thompson said. "The 'starving artist' thing is true,'" Parker said. "It's hard to make money off of your work unless you have the tools and someone buying on a regular basis. So this does a lot of the promotion that needs to be done." In arguing for a wheel tax, Pennington County officials often mentioned that if the tax was not imposed, the county Highway Department budget would face a deficit of about $2.2 million for needed road and bridge projects. But the county has a pot of highway money in the neighborhood of $11 million, and Highway Superintendent Tom Wilsey recently said he will ask county commissioners to tap that pot to make up for a budget hole left when voters on Jan. 5 rejected the wheel tax. County commissioners, however, caution that dipping into the $11 million, known as highway reserve funds, could derail a carefully plotted method of building up money to tackle expensive, much-needed projects that have been on the drawing board for years. "There is not an $11 million slush fund sitting there," County Commission Chairman Lyndell Petersen said recently. "Most of the $11 million is accounted for." And yet, the county previously has tapped the reserve funds for road projects. Highway reserve funds are an accumulation of unspent money from previous Highway Department budgets, as well as from a portion of fees collected on motor vehicles. The reserve funds can only be used to pay for highway projects. As of December 2014, highway reserves totaled $11.8 million, according to the County Auditor's office. The latest numbers have yet to be calculated. Wilsey said he has requested, and has been granted, money from the reserves for specific projects, although his previous requests have been in the county's annual budgeting process, which takes place in the fall. He has never requested reserve funds outside the regular budgeting process, Wilsey said. The highway department regularly requests reserve funds during the budget process. Money from the reserve funds is allocated for specific construction projects. Since 2013, the department has requested between $1.5 and $3.9 million in reserves each year. For the 2016 highway budget, $2 million in highway reserves were included. According to Wilsey, that was broken down this way: $1 million for construction of a new Highway Department building; $800,000 to rebuild a quarter-mile of Degeest Drive in Rapid Valley; and $200,000 to repair a bridge on Bradsky Road. The new Highway Department building has not yet been approved by the commission and would require mostly capital funds to build. Highway reserve funds are updated yearly, and this projection does not include what County Auditor Julie Pearson calls an unexpected vehicle fee windfall. When the state lawmakers in 2015 passed Senate Bill 1, they increased fees collected on license plates and vehicle excise taxes. Some of those increases will be given back to the counties, and in Pennington County, that money goes directly into the highway reserve fund. The increases started in April 2015, but Pearson said the additional money collected by the county has not been calculated. The South Dakota Department of Transportation estimates it will transfer $15 million this year into the newly created Bridge Improvement Grant program, known by the acronym BIG, which will make bridge-project money available to counties that meet the state's requirements. Because voters denied the wheel tax, Pennington County is not eligible for BIG money even though county residents will pay an estimated $1.6 million into the BIG pot. The county's contribution to BIG will be distributed to other counties. County official say much of the highway reserve fund is already earmarked for future projects. Wilsey said the reserves have been purposely grown over the last eight or nine years to pay for a Sheridan Lake Road construction project that will include repairs to about 9 miles of road between Albertta Drive and U.S. Highway 385. Construction will include adding shoulders and smoothing out of some dangerous curves. The reserve funds also have been built up to pay for the reconstruction of Rochford Road. The project will include fixes on nearly 10 miles of highway on South Rochford Road to improve year-round access to the town of Rochford from the Deerfield Lake area. Commissioner Nancy Trautman said that slowly building the reserve over many years to pay for highway projects is more responsible than constantly adjusting property taxes based on immediate need. The $11-plus million "looks like a lot of money," Trautman said, "but would people rather keep a level amount of tax, or do we want to radically raise or lower their property taxes depending on the number of projects we need to do?" Trautman said the large reserve for highway projects is a testament to careful planning by the commission. Some of the money from the reserves can be used in emergency situations, such as paying for additional plowing equipment during a brutal winter or repairing flooded roads. Wilsey could not say how much the reserve is earmarked for future projects and how much for emergencies. He said he thinks the current lack of money for projects could be considered an emergency on its own, and added that using the reserves to fill some of the shortfall was likely. However, he said he would not deplete the reserves and would likely have to cut some road services this year, for example amending the snow plow plan to conserve resources. Wilsey said if the county dedicated some of the reserve to make up for the lack of wheel-tax revenue, there still would be sufficient money to use in an emergency. But Trautman said, "The commission will have to consider gambling being able to handle emergencies." Wilsey said that in his two years as highway superintendent he has not dipped into the reserves outside the normal budgeting process, "Thats something we are proud of," he said. "We are one of the few departments in the county to not have to dip in the reserve." Wilsey will discuss the state of the highway department in relation to the defeat of the wheel tax at today's commission meeting at 9 a.m. in the County Administration building, 130 Kansas City St. RAPID CITY | William G. "Buddy" Meredith, 89, passed away Jan. 15, 2016, with his family by his side. Born April 13, 1926, in Beaver Falls, PA, he was the son of the late William and Agnes (Todd) Meredith (Goen). After graduating high school in 1944, Buddy enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the South Pacific during World War II. After the war, Buddy returned to Pennsylvania where he met Lois Brown. They were married on Sept. 10, 1949. A year later the couple moved to Rapid City, where Buddy pursued his dream of a career in country music. Beginning in the 1950s, Buddy formed and played in numerous bands that performed all over the Midwest. Buddy was instrumental in bringing the music of dozens of Nashville stars to the Black Hills area, and is warmly remembered for playing dances throughout the local five state area. During his career he was invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry several times. Late in his career, Buddy joined the Circle B Cowboys and played nightly dinner shows for nearly 20 years. In 2006, the governor presented Buddy with the Rushmore Honors Award for his contribution to the arts and cultural life of the Rapid City community. Buddy was preceded in death by his parents; his uncle, Joseph Sonny Todd; and his brother, Jim Goen. Buddy is survived by Lois Meredith; daughters, Michelle Payne and Lori Rigmaiden (Richard); son, William Meredith (Veronica); nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; his brother, Baylor Shorty Goen (Janice); sister, Margaret Bouton (Michael); and numerous nieces and nephews. Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home. Inurnment will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, with full military honors. Buddys online guestbook may be signed at osheimschmidt.com. 746 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held by the City Council of the City of Chadron, Nebraska, on the 1st day of February, 2016, at 6:00 oclock P.M., or as soon thereafter as can be heard, in the City Hall Council Chambers, 234 Main Street, Chadron, Nebraska, to receive public comment regarding the Redevelopment Plan in connection with the tax increment financing application for Chadron Hospitality, LLC dba Holiday Inn Express for the construction of a Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, located at 247 Ash Street, at which time all parties and citizens in interest shall have an opportunity to be heard. Written testimony will also be accepted at the public hearing. /s/ Donna J. Rust City Clerk Publish Jan. 13 and 20, 2016 748 PUBLIC NOTICE The regular meeting of the Advisory Council of the Aging Office of Western Nebraska will be held under Nebraskas Open Meeting Laws on Monday, February 8, 2016 at 10:00 AM, in the Aging Office of Western Nebraska Conference room, Suite 122, Bluffs Business Center, 1517 Broadway, Scottsbluff, NE. In conjunction with the regular meeting, beginning at 10:30 AM, a public hearing will be conducted. In compliance with the Older Americans Act, (307)(a)(8)(A) & (306)(b), public comment/proposals will be received concerning options in the community for providing delivery of IIIC-1 congregate nutrition, IIIC-2 home delivered nutrition, III-B supportive services, III-E family care giver support, and III-D health promotion services, all interested persons will be heard. These services are currently provided directly by the Aging Office of Western Nebraska to assure adequate supply, and to provide services related to AOWN administrative function. Written comment can be submitted to the Aging Office of Western Nebraska at the above address but must be received by February 5, 2016 to become part of the hearing process. AGENDA OF MEETING AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST Publish Jan. 20, 2016 750 The January meeting of the Board of Directors of Chadron Housing Authority will be held Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Apartments Community Room located at 740 Pine Street, Chadron, Nebraska. Publish, Jan. 20, 2016 751 NOTICE OF MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a meeting of the Board of Directors for the Solid Waste Agency of Northwest Nebraska (SWANN) will be held at 7:00 p.m., January 21, 2016 in the Chadron Council Chambers, Chadron City Hall, 234 Main Street, Chadron, Nebraska, which meeting will be open to the public. An agenda for such meeting, kept continuously current, is available for public inspection at the SWANN office, 1010 E. Niobrara, Chadron, Nebraska. The Agenda may be modified up to 24 hours prior to the meeting. Minutes of the meeting will be made public within ten (10) working days following the meeting. They may be obtained from our Chadron office. Frank Nemeth Executive Director Publish Jan. 20, 2016 753 Commissioner Meeting Notice: Notice is hereby given the Dawes County Board of Commissioners will convene on January 26, 2016 beginning at 9:00 A.M. in the Commissioners Room at the Courthouse. Meetings of the Dawes County Board of Commissioners are open to the public. Cheryl Feist Dawes County Clerk 758 NOTICE OF MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a meeting of the Problem Resolution Team will be held at 6:00 P.M. on Wednesday, January 27, 2016, in the City Hall Council Chambers at 234 Main Street, Chadron, Nebraska, which meeting will be open to the public. An agenda for such meeting, kept continuously current, is available for public inspection at the office of the City Clerk at City Hall. The agenda may be modified at such meeting only to include items of an emergency nature. Donna J. Rust City Clerk Publish Jan. 20, 2016 759 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held by the City Council of the City of Chadron, Nebraska, on the 1st day of February, 2016, at 6:00 oclock P.M., or as soon thereafter as can be heard, in the City Hall Council Chambers, 234 Main Street, Chadron, Nebraska, to consider a Rezoning Request for Carol Petersen for Lot 1, Southwest 1st Subdivision, Dawes County, Nebraska, from existing LI Limited Industrial District to AG Agricultural District, 5791 West Highway 20, at which time all parties and citizens in interest shall have an opportunity to be heard. /s/ Donna J. Rust City Clerk Publish Jan. 20 and 27, 2016 Blog Archive October 2022 (35) September 2022 (60) August 2022 (63) July 2022 (65) June 2022 (68) May 2022 (67) April 2022 (62) March 2022 (68) February 2022 (54) January 2022 (61) December 2021 (70) November 2021 (72) October 2021 (67) September 2021 (59) August 2021 (56) July 2021 (57) June 2021 (66) May 2021 (63) April 2021 (75) March 2021 (73) February 2021 (61) January 2021 (69) December 2020 (62) November 2020 (62) October 2020 (70) September 2020 (51) August 2020 (52) July 2020 (60) June 2020 (57) May 2020 (79) April 2020 (56) March 2020 (52) February 2020 (50) January 2020 (69) December 2019 (58) November 2019 (64) October 2019 (44) September 2019 (49) August 2019 (71) July 2019 (71) June 2019 (71) May 2019 (67) April 2019 (74) March 2019 (85) February 2019 (64) January 2019 (73) December 2018 (66) November 2018 (81) October 2018 (87) September 2018 (66) August 2018 (76) July 2018 (84) June 2018 (86) May 2018 (64) April 2018 (83) March 2018 (78) February 2018 (69) January 2018 (69) December 2017 (82) November 2017 (87) October 2017 (89) September 2017 (77) August 2017 (75) July 2017 (76) June 2017 (90) May 2017 (86) April 2017 (59) March 2017 (61) February 2017 (82) January 2017 (91) December 2016 (90) November 2016 (80) October 2016 (75) September 2016 (95) August 2016 (104) July 2016 (93) June 2016 (96) May 2016 (98) April 2016 (99) March 2016 (113) February 2016 (82) January 2016 (98) December 2015 (113) November 2015 (94) October 2015 (93) September 2015 (98) August 2015 (97) July 2015 (105) June 2015 (103) May 2015 (95) April 2015 (100) March 2015 (102) February 2015 (93) January 2015 (114) December 2014 (110) November 2014 (103) October 2014 (105) September 2014 (96) August 2014 (96) July 2014 (112) June 2014 (119) May 2014 (109) April 2014 (116) March 2014 (117) February 2014 (109) January 2014 (116) December 2013 (117) November 2013 (121) October 2013 (125) September 2013 (93) August 2013 (115) July 2013 (110) June 2013 (102) May 2013 (115) April 2013 (113) March 2013 (119) February 2013 (108) January 2013 (119) December 2012 (132) November 2012 (115) October 2012 (121) September 2012 (115) August 2012 (124) July 2012 (102) June 2012 (121) May 2012 (121) April 2012 (127) March 2012 (130) February 2012 (112) January 2012 (131) December 2011 (129) November 2011 (118) October 2011 (118) September 2011 (110) August 2011 (138) July 2011 (146) June 2011 (139) May 2011 (144) April 2011 (127) March 2011 (140) February 2011 (116) January 2011 (134) December 2010 (133) November 2010 (136) October 2010 (148) September 2010 (128) August 2010 (155) July 2010 (129) June 2010 (138) May 2010 (152) April 2010 (161) March 2010 (119) February 2010 (149) January 2010 (155) December 2009 (177) November 2009 (171) October 2009 (176) September 2009 (159) August 2009 (156) July 2009 (170) June 2009 (157) May 2009 (185) April 2009 (179) March 2009 (183) February 2009 (170) January 2009 (181) December 2008 (189) November 2008 (183) October 2008 (164) September 2008 (164) August 2008 (177) July 2008 (179) June 2008 (170) May 2008 (191) April 2008 (175) March 2008 (195) February 2008 (162) January 2008 (188) December 2007 (187) November 2007 (189) October 2007 (194) September 2007 (156) August 2007 (194) July 2007 (163) June 2007 (176) May 2007 (190) April 2007 (177) March 2007 (192) February 2007 (165) January 2007 (170) December 2006 (182) November 2006 (177) October 2006 (185) September 2006 (180) August 2006 (156) July 2006 (160) June 2006 (177) May 2006 (173) April 2006 (157) March 2006 (158) February 2006 (146) January 2006 (144) December 2005 (135) November 2005 (138) October 2005 (128) September 2005 (141) August 2005 (136) July 2005 (133) June 2005 (119) May 2005 (143) April 2005 (52) About Me Nicholas. It has been a while. I started this blog long ago when I went to Chile with my family in 2010. Lo and behold, I'm headed back for some sightseeing, introspection, to (hopefully) learn a language and to see some family. View my complete profile Blog Archive About Me africanelections www.africanelections.org contact us at africanelectionsproject AT gmail.com View my complete profile The EU Google says the EU requires a notice of cookie use (by Google) and says they have posted a notice. I don't see it. If cookies bother you, go elsewhere. If the EU bothers you, emigrate. If you live outside the EU, don't go there. British officer of Blackwater killed in Taiz TAIZ, Jan. 16 (Saba) A British officer of the Blackwater forces in Yemen was killed in Taiz province on Friday, a military official said. The officer, Dominique Stellark, was killed in a military operation targeted a gathering of mercenaries in al-Sanmah area in al-Waze'yah district of Taiz province, the official explained. The missile force of the army targeted also a point of the aggression hirelings in northern al-Ahyouq junction, killing and wounding a number of them, the official added. On Friday, the Saudi led-coalition warplanes waged raids in Taiz city, targeting Sala neighborhood in southeast of the city and the areas of Habeel Salman and al-Barh, leaving casualties and damage to dozens of buildings in the targeted areas. The hostile raids targeted also Hawzan area in Thubab coastal district in Taiz. HA/BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [16/January/2016] As I am writing this, I sit in my new room. I hear the chatter of locals outside my window and the mopeds zoom past in the street. Here I am in the city of Alicante. The hustle and bustle of making new friends and exploring a new city to call home, it something that is hard to describe in words. I have been dropped in a city that is rich in history and I am lucky to call this home. Within my first week, I have began my intensive language class, moved in with a new family, hiked up El Castillo De Santa Barbara, began to discover the city, and walked over 100,000 steps! If anybody knows me, they know I am a total homebody. I talk to my mom on the phone everyday about 50 times a day and any chance I had in my busy schedule to go home, I took (even if it was just for dinner on a Tuesday night). This trip for me was a big step in taking the leap of faith and being extremely independent. While I am homesick, I am able to distract myself everyday by taking a new adventure. And FaceTime also helps! Monday, I was picked up by my host family. That in itself was a huge shock for me. Adjusting to a new schedule with new people is difficult, however my host family has given me the support I need in order to succeed here! In my home, I have a sister, Gema, she is 17 years old. She helps me a lot with my Spanish. Since living in the home, I have seen my Spanish improve and I can't seem to shut off my "chip." In the home and in the CIEE study center, I primarily only speak Spanish, however when I am with my friends in the streets, we speak spanglish, every other word in English and Spanish. Coming from New York to Spain is very different. Here, they like to take things "more eslow." Yes, eslow because in Spain, it is difficult or impossible to say the 's' sound at the beginning of the word on its own. Before I continue, I must add SIESTAS ARE A REAL THING!!!!!!!!!!!! The first thing we did when we arrived to the house was eat (my favorite part). The bread. The cheese. Everything is AMAZING! for lunch, around 2:00-3:00, we eat a large meal (dinner in the United States. After we eat, we rest. If you try and go out to the stores anytime between 1:00-4:00, you will find that everything is closed! Hence, the siesta is real! Around 5:00, the stores open up and you go back to work. around 10:00 is when dinner is (yes, 10:00 at night) and the meal is significantly smaller. For dinner, you may eat a bocadillo (sandwich) con jamon, queso aceite de oliva, tomate, y sal (my favorite) or un tortilla de patata (another favorite) but you can always count on fresh bread and cheese being a big part of the meal! I also had my first Paella this weekend! Also during my first week, my classmates and I climbed the iconic Castillo de Santa Barbara. Dating back to the 9th century, it is one of the most famous landmarks in Alicante. It is one of the highest points in the city and has the best views. The climb up was difficult but the view was worth it. I hope to do this climb A LOT while I am here in Alicante. I have more photos on my camera, I will upload those later. Around every corner in Alicante, you come across something new. On our first day of class, we took a walking tour of the city. We were showed the "go-to" spots such as El Barrio (the neighborhood where all the bars are), El Corte Ingles (basically a Wal-Mart and Macys packed into one with "American things), and the beach. The nightlife in Alicante is very different than in the U.S. For one, they don't leave their homes until midnight!!!! If any of you know me, I am a grandma and I am most likely in bed by then on a Friday/Saturday night. Because they don't go out until very late, they also get home very early the following morning (4 or 5 or even 6 in the morning). With my "grandmas-ish" ways, I came home at 3 and that was early! Everyday, I become more and more accustomed to this city. While I am missing my family at home more than anything, I know this will be an experience of a lifetime. I am lucky enough to have this opportunity. I have began to plan some travel with my friends both here in Alicante in my program and my friends from SHU who are studying in various locations. I am so excited to see what this semester has in store for me! And P.S., the "study" part of study abroad is also real, I have my first mid term exam tomorrow for my intensive language class! Algerian media that act as mouthpiece of the countrys leaders reacted very badly to the remarks made by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has openly expressed support for the Moroccan Western Sahara. The Algerian media described his remarks as malevolent. The former French head of state and chairman of The Republicans Party has only reiterated the official position of successive French governments, whether from the right or from the left. Frances backing to Morocco in the Western Sahara issue is unwavering. France has always supported the Sahara as a Moroccan territory, Sarkozy said at an international conference held last week (January 13) in Abu Dhabi by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies. My first visit to Laayoune is not recent. It dates back to 1991, he recalled, saying that it would be hard to convince me of the need to have a Sahrawi republic in a region of the World that is endangered by terrorism. And of course, such viewpoints have annoyed, as usual, the Algerian media pending the reaction of the officials who generally do not miss such occasions to bring out their heavy artillery against the Moroccan neighbor and his supporters. The Algerian e-journal Tout sur lAlgerie quoted a senior Algerian diplomat, who spoke under condition of anonymity, as saying that these malevolent remarks vis-a-vis Algeria are irresponsible and thoughtless on the part of a politician who aspires to the highest office in a country (France) which is and will remain, for a multitude of reasons, a strategic partner of Algeria. This diplomats comment is no exception to the rule, since any pro-Morocco statement or position in the Sahara conflict are regarded in Algiers as unfriendly acts against Algeria. That did not stop the former French President, who is acknowledgeable of the file, to speak out saying that the closure of borders between Morocco and Algeria, at a time the Maghreb region is in a dire need of a common market between the two countries and Tunisia in a first phase, is one of the direct consequences of the conflict over the Sahara. Actually, despite repeated calls from Morocco and its king to the Algerian brothers to reopen the borders that have been closed for over 20 years, Algerian rulers response has always been a categorical No. This is not surprising however as their motto seems to be hegemonic ambitions first, brotherhood and neighborliness can wait. Intro Greetings! I am a political scientist , specializing in International Relations , my research and teaching focus on ethnic conflict and civil-military relations . I watch way too much TV, and I like movies as well so I tend to write about both and find IR stuff in pop culture. I rant alot about American politics and sometimes about Canadian politics. I like to take ideas I once learned a long time ago and apply them to whatever strikes my fancy. Hello beauties, welcome to Asoebi fashion Friday!! We refuse to let you go into this weekend without looking glamorous and fabulous in your... 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. Three gang-related deaths in Santa Maria on Monday bring the number of homicides in the city to five in the first month of 2016, and are raisi Dear Visitors: Truth is truth, but it may need to be cut like gems. What you find here may not be the same as what the mainstream media in Thailand offer. You decide. 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. 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). Concerns about concerns about the recognition of serious gun rights | Main | Oh, the places sentencing can take you! January 21, 2008 Reflecting on race and criminal justice realities to honor MLK's legacy To honor MLK's legacy, I encourage everyone to take 15 minutes to watch all of Dr. King's amazing "I Have a Dream" speech (available here). Notably, in this post on MLK day two years ago, I asked whether criminal justice reform should be the new civil rights movement and made this observation: From my sentencing-centric perspective, reflecting on a day honoring Martin Luther King leads me to the view that Dr. King, were he still alive, would be focused on criminal justice reforms. So many aspects of the criminal justice system from racial profiling to jury selection, from drug sentencing to the administration of the death penalty highlight that our system is not color-blind (or at least not color-neutral). And, because of felon disenfranchisement and other collateral consequences, the enduring impact of a racially skewed criminal justice system cannot be overstated. Listening to the speech with a concentrated criminal justice focus is an interesting exercise especially when one reflects on Dr. King's emphasis on freedom and the massive number of people of color subject to criminal justice control in the United States. With this context, I also recommend reviewing this recent congressional testimony of Dr. Bruce Western, Director of the Inequality and Social Policy Program at Harvard University, which includes this distressing data: The fraction of the population in state and Federal prison has increased in every single year for the last 34 years. The rate of imprisonment today is now five times higher than in 1972.... Today's novel rates of incarceration are most remarkable for their concentration among young African American men with little schooling.... Young black men are now more likely to go to prison than to graduate college with a four-year degree, or to serve in the military. These extraordinary rates of incarceration are new. We need only go back twenty years to find a time when the penal system was not pervasive in the lives of young African American men. In the period of mass incarceration, blacks have remained 7 to 8 times more likely to be incarcerated than whites. The large black-white disparity in incarceration is unmatched by most other social indicators. Racial disparities in unemployment (2 to 1), nonmarital childbearing (3 to 1), infant mortality (2 to 1), and wealth (1 to 5) are all significantly lower than the 7 to 1 black-white ratio in incarceration rates. January 21, 2008 at 02:38 AM | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451574769e200e54ffb38a48834 Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Reflecting on race and criminal justice realities to honor MLK's legacy: Comments Eric Foner calls Sitkoff's King: Pilgrimage to the Mountaintop (2007)"the finest brief biography of Martin Luther King, Jr." Details about the book at http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/law_librarian_blog/2008/01/sitkoffs-king-p.html See also See also The Legal Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/law_librarian_blog/2008/01/the-legal-legac.html Posted by: Joe Hodnicki | Jan 21, 2008 9:50:27 AM Doug, as I posted a while back, in my last capital trial 85% of black femaless were challenged for cause due to their opposition to the death penalty. I believe that such skewing of the jury venire by a statute which is race neutral on its face but discriminatory in practice violates the equal protection clause and the fair cross section component of the Sixth Amendment. bruce cunningham Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 21, 2008 9:55:21 AM "Racial disparities in unemployment (2 to 1), nonmarital childbearing (3 to 1), infant mortality (2 to 1), and wealth (1 to 5) are all significantly lower than the 7 to 1 black-white ratio in incarceration rates." This doesn't seem to have any logical implications for me. This is comparing apples to oranges. Does anybody out there think the relationship of these other variables to incarceration is so simple as to imply that there should be equivalency in their respective ratios? Posted by: Jesus Louise | Jan 21, 2008 12:14:57 PM "First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says 'I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;' who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a 'more convenient season.'" -- Letter from Birmingham Jail as found in A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., p. 295. Posted by: Scott Taylor | Jan 21, 2008 2:12:02 PM From my [insert pet cause here]-centric perspective, reflecting on a day honoring Martin Luther King leads me to the view that Dr. King, were he still alive, would be focused on [my cause]. Claims like this seem to be the favored way of "honoring" Dr. King. It's too bad he's not still around. Posted by: | Jan 22, 2008 9:16:37 AM Post a comment Seventh and final USSC regional hearing this week in Phoenix | Main | A sad sentencing in memoriam: Professor Daniel J. Freed January 18, 2010 Another reminder of race and criminal justice realities to honor MLK's legacy I have generally made a habit of honoring Dr. Martin Luther King's Day by encouraging everyone to reflect on the historic and modern intersection of racial issues and criminal justice realities. I will do so again today principally by providing links to some prior MLK Day posts and also to other more recent posts spotlighting the enduring racial dynamics that surround the modern administration of criminal justice. As always, readers are encouraged to add their own perspectives via the comments (and also encouraged to keep it civil in honor of one of America's great civil rights leaders). Some related posts: January 18, 2010 at 11:47 AM | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451574769e2012876eaf7fa970c Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Another reminder of race and criminal justice realities to honor MLK's legacy: Comments Your readers may also be interested in a new book by Professor Michelle Alexander called "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness." Prof Alexander also has an Op Ed concerning the role of race in the California prison crisis, which I address in the Stanford Criminal Justice Center blog, here: http://blogs.law.stanford.edu/scjc/2010/01/18/governors-plan-for-prisons-ignores-racial-history/. Posted by: Kara Dansky | Jan 18, 2010 2:14:49 PM Post a comment One tale (of thousands) of a juve LWOPer now with a glimmer of hope | Main | Explaining why I am rooting so hard for "Amy" in Paroline January 20, 2014 Fittingly for MLK day, Prez Obama laments class and race disparities from pot prohibition I am intrigued and pleased to see that the New Yorker has just released this very lengthy article profiling President Obama that has a very interesting small section with quotes from the President concerning modern marijuana policies and reform. Though I expect to cover various aspects of what Prez Obama said a lot more over at Marijuana Law, Policy and Reform in the week ahead, these comments should be of special interest to sentencing fans: What clearly does trouble him is the radically disproportionate arrests and incarcerations for marijuana among minorities. Middle-class kids dont get locked up for smoking pot, and poor kids do, he said. And African-American kids and Latino kids are more likely to be poor and less likely to have the resources and the support to avoid unduly harsh penalties. But, he said, we should not be locking up kids or individual users for long stretches of jail time when some of the folks who are writing those laws have probably done the same thing. Accordingly, he said of the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington that its important for it to go forward because its important for society not to have a situation in which a large portion of people have at one time or another broken the law and only a select few get punished. As is his habit, he nimbly argued the other side. Having said all that, those who argue that legalizing marijuana is a panacea and it solves all these social problems I think are probably overstating the case. There is a lot of hair on that policy. And the experiment thats going to be taking place in Colorado and Washington is going to be, I think, a challenge. As the title of this post highlights, I think it is valuable and fitting that news of the President of the United States making these points hits the papers on the weekend we honor the work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. As students of history know, Dr. King was concerned about economic inequallity as well as racial inequality, and I think the stories of modern pot prohiibition reflect both. More broadly, as I highlight in a new post over at my other blog, titled MLK marijuana mash-up: "I Have A Dream..." we are free at last from pot prohibition, I think MLK's most famous exhortations about freedom and equality are useful to consider at this unique moment of marijuana reform debates. Some related recent posts (mostly from MLPR): January 20, 2014 at 10:40 AM | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451574769e201a3fc7e8b7c970b Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Fittingly for MLK day, Prez Obama laments class and race disparities from pot prohibition: Comments Isn't everyone sick of this race huckster yapping about race? Those who support and engage in race-based payola (Pigford) have no business lecturing the rest of us. Posted by: federalist | Jan 20, 2014 11:48:18 AM Federalist, I know you are upset that a black man is President of the United States. And twice elected by the people. Try to deal with it; you'll be a happier man. Posted by: anon | Jan 20, 2014 12:14:27 PM Federalist, your screed against Obama reminds me of the epithets hurled at Lincoln by the supporters of slavery. And I used to think you worth reading. Posted by: onlooker | Jan 20, 2014 12:16:49 PM Oh boy, looks like I touched a nerve. The problem is, of course, that the facts are on my side, not yours. With respect to Pigford, even the NYTimes thought that racial politics played a large role in allowing obviously fraudulent claims to be paid. (Guys, Google is your friend.) Of course, I can go on and on--from the Administration's friendliness and approval of race-based discipline in our schools (now there's an idea) to the "Latinos should punish their enemies" statement. Gentlemen, these things happened, and no amount of whining or comparing me to slavery supporters is going to change that. It never ceases to amaze me how liberals can get in such high dudgeon over simple inferences from indisputable facts. You should take a cue from Doug B. He has some of the same impulse--yapping about how I don't take drunk driving seriously, but then gets somewhat lucid when I point out that he supports 'rat politicians that want to give illegal alien drunk drivers citizenship. I know it's hard when I criticize your messiah. I know you feel deeply wounded when someone dares to criticize the one who has the power to slow the oceans' rise and heal the Earth (or is that Gaia?). But you have to come up with something better than this--really, comparing me to a supporter of slavery? Just laughable. By the way, my personal dislike of Obama (putting aside his politics) is that he reminds me of an effete college prof. And given my upbringing, effeteness is not high on my list of admirable qualities. So guys, perhaps you could explain why the Pigford reference is so wrong here? I don't think there's any doubt that Obama isn't even steven when it comes to race--maybe you guys are ok with that. Posted by: federalist | Jan 20, 2014 12:59:50 PM Middle-class kids dont get locked up for smoking pot, and poor kids do... False. Almost no one gets "locked up" just for "smoking pot." And African-American kids and Latino kids are more likely to be poor and less likely to have the resources and the support to avoid unduly harsh penalties. How about avoiding the conduct that results in the penalties? That doesn't take a dime. And I notice he doesn't define "unduly," which is kind of crucial to this whole debate. [W]e should not be locking up kids or individual users for long stretches of jail time..." We don't. Does this guy ever fact check? "...when some of the folks who are writing those laws have probably done the same thing. It's all true, Barry. The massive, huge, enormous and really big majority of pot smoking by rich whites -- an by everyone else -- goes unnoticed by the cops. "As is his habit, he nimbly argued the other side." Translation: When you're on both sides, it's really hard for anyone to say you're wrong. Duh. No one ever accused the man of being a lousy politician. Having said all that, those who argue that legalizing marijuana is a panacea and it solves all these social problems I think are probably overstating the case." Except that not even the most blockheaded pot advocate, even on this site, ever claimed that legalizing pot "is a panacea and it solves all these social problems." Obama is a true master of the straw man. And while we're at it, someone should tell the New Yorker that using flagrantly obvious straw men is not "nimble" argument. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jan 20, 2014 1:55:00 PM federalist -- The same group for whom no attack on Clarence Thomas was too vile -- including obvious suggestions that black men have uncontrollable sexual appetites -- jump to point the finger of racism at you. Far out! Posted by: Bill Otis | Jan 20, 2014 2:01:46 PM Federalist writes that "It never ceases to amaze" him "how liberals can get in such high dudgeon over simple inferences from indisputable facts." First problem, the facts are quite disputable. Second problem, various inferences can be deduced from the facts, not just ones you want to to draw Third problem, inferences upon inferences lead to increasingly unreliable conclusions Fourth problem, not just liberals think your post was screed. Posted by: logician | Jan 20, 2014 3:52:20 PM Bill Otis, you write that "almost no one gets locked up for smoking pot." Not true. In my state we regularly arrest black folks, not white for smoking pot. We also arrest them for possessing relatively small quantities--whereas not so for white folks. Furthermore, there is a widespread practice of police (and I've worked in several states) to stop black folks driving for any pretextual reasons (hence "driving while black), while not stopping white folks pretextually nearly so often. With these arrests and pretextual stops black folks get arrested a whole lot more for carrying other no-nos like guns, cocaine, stolen cars, etc, outstanding warrants. This is of course a very good thing as far as the achieving the end--crime reduction and social control--but nevertheless is quite discriminatory, and racist. This accounts for much of the anger and hostility toward the police of the largely innocent folks who live in black communities. Posted by: policeman | Jan 20, 2014 4:03:13 PM Federalist writes that "With respect to Pigford, even the NYTimes thought that racial politics played a large role in allowing obviously fraudulent claims to be paid. (Guys, Google is your friend." There is (and there is bound to be) fraud in every government program: social security, medicare, income tax, etc.). I regularly indict and prosecute as may folks as we can for fraudulent activity. Pigford is no exception. That the New York Times "thinks" that racial politics played a role in bad payouts is hardly evidence of same, much less evidence linked to Obama. Curious that a conservative would cites the New York Times, whom conservatives always excoriate, for support. Posted by: prosecutor | Jan 20, 2014 4:19:46 PM oh do tell, logician-- Did not Obama take special interest in Pigford? And did it not have significant fraud attached to it? (When I say fraud, I mean that people who weren't harmed by the USDA glomming onto the settlement.) Obama is on record as supporting the disparate impact theory when it comes to school discipline. That is an utterly pernicious idea because it deems discrimination as happening merely because of disparate numbers. The remedy, of course, is to race norm punishments. And what of the Latinos should punish their enemies? I don;t think libs want to debate these issues on the merits, so we get ad hominem argument. Weak. Posted by: federalist | Jan 20, 2014 4:21:27 PM Bill, how pathetic are these libs? Posted by: federalist | Jan 20, 2014 4:21:55 PM Federalist, you write "Bill, how pathetic are these libs?" Is that an argument? Posted by: onlooker | Jan 20, 2014 4:26:28 PM You did clearly touch a nerve, federalist, but that's largely because you once again approach a complex matter with a misguided sledge-hammer when a scalpel would better advance the dialogue (after which you then brag about your dubious achievement at getting others distracted and worked up). Just what does possible fraud in a long-running, long-settled civil rights case dealing with farmers have to do with what Obama said here abut race, class and the modern drug war? If you want to debate Prez Obama and race issue outside the criminal justice arena, fine, but please find a more fitting forum. Put simply, your Pigford reference is a misguided sledge-hammer because it is a distraction from the merits of the main issues of this post and blog, and an opaque one at that. It would be as if I said in response to your comment: "Isn't everyone sick of federalist yapping about Obama? Those who actively study Mandarin Chinese have no business lecturing the rest of us about the President of the United States." In any event, I will not try to prevent you from using the comments here to needle folks you disdain and to complain about off-topic matters. But, as other comments suggest, I do not think you help your cause or add force to your perspective when you do. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 20, 2014 4:30:45 PM Federalist, I think you're smart, but I've noticed the following: 1. Judges you don't agree with are "hacks." 2. Liberals are "pathetic." 3. President Obama is "a race huckster yapping about race." These gratuitous epithetscause me to substantially devalue the merits of your arguments. I suggest you temper your remarks; you'll achieve the more satisfaction and win more folks to your side, even on occasion a pathetic liberal, a hack, or a race huckster. Posted by: obective observer | Jan 20, 2014 4:33:09 PM policeman -- "Bill Otis, you write that 'almost no one gets locked up for smoking pot.'" Nope, I wrote that almost no one gets locked up JUST for smoking pot. Don't ever purport to quote me and omit the words I actually used. And I will stand by exactly what I wrote, which I put up under my own name, rather than some alias. P.S. You are no more a policeman than you are a prosecutor, which was the "signature" you used in your next comment. Were we supposed to be fooled? Posted by: Bill Otis | Jan 20, 2014 4:43:18 PM federalist -- The attempt to portray law enforcement as racist -- which is what's actually going on here -- is indeed pathetic. The disproportion in the arrest of males over females vastly outstrips the disproportion in the arrest of blacks over whites. Does this mean that the country has it in for males? The disproportion in the arrest of persons aged 18-30 over persons 48-60 also vastly outstrips the disproportion in the arrest of blacks over whites. Does this mean that the country has it in for young people? What pure tripe. The reason that males, young people and blacks get disproportionately arrested is that their behavior is disproportionately criminal, compared to the general population. But most of the people on this site want to pretend that behavior has zip to do with it, and that it's all the White Devil. Simultaneously, they have no answer to the gross racism liberals aimed at Clarence Thomas. The reason they have no answer is that they were in bed with the people doing the aiming. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jan 20, 2014 5:06:58 PM Doug, "misguided sledgehammer"? Say it ain't so. What I am doing, Doug, is pointing out that the Obama really has no business lecturing the rest of us about race. That's completely germane (although it is ad hominem). Obama was supposed to be a "post-racial" president, but instead we get the same tired shibboleths with a good deal of perniciousness. You can criticize me for opacity in my references, but should we really be taking those who champion race-based payola (which is what 90% of Pigford was) at face value when they pontificate on race? I suggest the answer is no. Of course, race-based payola is bad enough, but what about race-norming discipline in public schools? Should we take seriously Obama's pronouncements on race given his views on school discipline? And Doug, you should practice what you preach--you questioned my public safety bona fides simply because I am not all that vocal about the punishments for repeat drunk drivers. Of course, you beat a hasty retreat when I pointed out that you vote for people who want to keep illegal aliens who drink and drive here in America where they can wreak more havoc. But hey, this is about Democrat electoral fortunes, so public safety be damned. Ha ha. See in Doug's ivory tower, voting for people who want to keep drunk drivers here isn't relevant to his bona fides on drunk driving, but because I don't raise the hue and cry about it, somehow my bona fides on public safety is somehow questionable. I'll leave it to Ivy League lawyers to explain how that works. With respect to my "how pathetic are libs"--guys, lighten up, that obviously wasn't argument, As for the defense of Pigford--good grief. Apparently, racial politics and payola is not just ok, but it is illegitimate to question the bona fides of those who practice it in the context of such persons' pronouncements on race? With respect to me calling judges hacks---guys, I almost always back that up with argument (which is a lot more than most in here, by the way). And I notice that when I do criticize judges, very very few of commenters in here dare take me on. With respect to Obama, guys, all you have to do is look at his pronouncements on the Jena Six to see that. And didn't he declare himself inspired by a speech that contained the following trite line: "White man's greed runs a world in need." I could go on. But why? You guys won't debate it. And was anyone else nauseated by the "nimbly" characterization in the piece? Hero worship. Posted by: federalist | Jan 20, 2014 5:26:22 PM By the by, Doug, I have a decent knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. Posted by: federalist | Jan 20, 2014 5:27:59 PM Again, federalist, your tendency to conflate and confuse in service to your own talking points and ego is on display here. Obama is not, at least in the quote set forth above, "lecturing the rest of us about race." (He did lecture the rest of us about race in his post-Rev-Wright speech in Spring 2008, and I personally was underwhelmed by that effort. But it did likely help him get elected. Twice.) In the quotes above, Prez Obama is just noting what seems reasonably well-documented in arrest and incarceration data concerning the inner-city poor, young people of color, and the operation of the modern drug war. Moreover, a close read of Obama's comments here suggest he is trying, perhaps inartfully, to make important observations about class and privilege and the practicalities of criminalizing only some drug use. (Because you make your living, federalist, helping the 1% keep their money, I cannot help but wonder if you are so eager to lament race issues having nothing to do with the criminal justice system in part to help ensure issues of class and privilege in modern criminal justice systems do not ever take center stage). Your silly comments about what you think my voting patterns are exhibit the same distracting inaccuracies and smoke. Because you seem interest in my voting pattern, you should know I rarely vote down party lines (e.g., I usually vote for female candidates of either party over male candidates of either party, I usually vote for self-made candidates over trust-fund babies, etc.). Also, I know I have never voted for someone who campaigned for leniency for drunk drivers. Finally, on the merits, a policy requiring the deportation of every illegal alien convicted of a DUI likely would be a very bad/costly way to try to make the roadways safer because of the extra (state taxpayer) monies that would end up being spent by illegals to contest/appeal every breathalizer test anytime they blow above .08. The broader point you have missed, federalist, is that saying distracting things about the speaker of a point --- e.g., saying he studies Mandarin Chinese or Vatican Latin, or that he is Catholic or Jewish, or that he might vote for certain candidates or work for bankers, or that he served in the military or in as a judicial law clerk, or that he went to a certain college or law school, or that he worked for a federal government agency while Obama has been Prez --- only adds heat, not light, to a discussion of that point. Perhaps that is your goal or a technique that has served you well in your personal and professional life. So be it. But it really does not advance a thoughtful discussion of the issues I hope this blog engages. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 20, 2014 6:33:42 PM "One last point, federalist, which I think we both know/see: the biggest "price in blood" that should be obvious to all judges and other criminal justice officials is the willingness to let repeat drunk drivers drive again. Roughly speaking, about 10 people die or are critically injured EVERY SINGLE DAY due to repeat drunk drivers. Only if and when you and others get serious about the price of blood getting spilled on our highways every day because of these adult violent criminals, then I will turn to having a greater concern about whether a few extra releases of juve killers due to Miller might lead to similarly harmful public safety consequences." That's the good professor in another thread. Note how he questions my bona fides because he doesn't think I am vociferous enough on this issue--of course, I think that drunk drivers need to be punished, and often a lot harsher (or smarter) than they are. Note how he calls them "violent criminals"--now we find out that he doesn't think that illegal aliens who commit drunk driving offenses should be deported because of a resource allocation issue, and we also find out that he'll vote for Dems who just don't make that big a deal for their support of citizenship for drunk driving illegal alien criminals. Once again, I'll let the Ivy Leaguers figure out how these positions can be reconciled. If stopping these "violent criminals" is so important, why would you even consider voting for those (including President Obama) who wish to foist thousands of them on us? As for Obama, once again, you challenge my public safety bona fides because I am not vociferous on the drunk driving issue. But me challenging Obama's bona fides on this issue is somehow verboten. In this excerpt, he is lecturing about disproportionate arrests etc. (Of course, it never seemed to occur to Obama that perhaps the reason for this is the visibility of pot---cops don't usually bust down the doors to bust recreational users. If you've got pot on your person and you're pulled over, well, different issue.) In any event, Obama is talking race here, and slyly attacking the criminal justice system. Well, as has been amply shown by words and deeds, anything Obama says on race cannot be taken at face value. I don't see how pointing that out adds heat rather than light to the discussion. I am baffled by your reference to Mandarin Chinese. Whether one speaks Mandarin or not seems entirely tangential to a discussion about how facially neutral laws and enforcement priorities fall on minorities in America. However, someone's history of not playing it straight when it comes to race--certainly, that's relevant to a discussion of that person's point of view on race. Obama is pontificating, and let's just say he doesn't come to the table with an entirely trustworthy record on the issue he's pontificating about. I fail to see how it's out of bounds for me to make that argument. Are you really saying that in a thread discussing Obama's views on race and pot arrests that anecdotal evidence of Obama's lack of objectivity (to say the least)? As for me helping the 1% keep their money--well, since I live well inside the city limits of a major US city and raise three kids in that city, I think that reality, rather than my work, influences my view on criminal justice. Posted by: federalist | Jan 20, 2014 8:04:59 PM This is getting tiresome, federalist, but I will try another round: you can shoot the messenger all you want, but the data show that Obama's assertions about the impact of race and class in the enforcement of the drug war are well-founded. If you do not think the drug war impacts the poor and people of color more than it impact the rich and whites, explain why rather than complain about what you think is Obama's problematic record on race. Similarly, if you think the Miller ruling has a bigger impact on public safety than our lenient treatment of repeat drunk drivers, make the case for it. But talking about illegal aliens or what you think it my voting record has nothing to do with my point in that other thread. Nor does the fact that I went to two Ivy League schools and you did not. Again, federalist, at issue is whether you want to discuss the merits of issues on the table or the nature of the person at the table raising the issues. Maybe you think who raises an issue matters to its substance. But the fact you still use a pen name suggest you think what is said matters more than the speaker. But maybe not. So, I will try to get you to get back on the substantive point: do you dispute the substance of what Prez Obama suggests concerning the drug war impacting the poor and people of color more than it impact the rich and whites? If so, explain. If not, save your complaints about Prez Obama's race record for another forum. (Similarly, if you think the Miller ruling presents a bigger public safety threat than repeat drunk drivers, explain why. I do not what this forum to be about you or me or Obama, but about ideas. You are welcome to create your own forum to discuss people rather than ideas.) Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 20, 2014 9:32:58 PM Recreational use of marijuana almost NEVER results in harsh punishment of anyone, minority or non-minority. That doesn't mean you should walk around in public with your grass, and if you do, you're likely to get into some (not much) trouble. So yeah, I dispute what Obama has to say. Additionally, Doug, Obama's commentary is likely slanted by his worldview, which I have shown (assuming that what he says and does evidence his worldview) is pretty slanted. Obama seems to live in this world where the poor and minorities are put upon by the criminal justice ("just-us" system). (Obama actually said that.) I fail to see how Obama's worldview as evidenced by things he's said and done isn't relevant. "Similarly, if you think the Miller ruling has a bigger impact on public safety than our lenient treatment of repeat drunk drivers, make the case for it. But talking about illegal aliens or what you think it my voting record has nothing to do with my point in that other thread. Nor does the fact that I went to two Ivy League schools and you did not." Now this is just obtuse. You yourself questioned my commitment to public safety because apparently I am not vociferous enough about drunk driving. And so my guess about your voting record and stance on illegal alien drunk drivers became fair game. You are going to use a lack of vociferousness about drunk driving mayhem to attempt to show indifference to public safety (when the truth is that I agree with you on drunk driving) and then what, claim that we should allow illegals who drive drunk to stay here? And as for Miller and drunk driving lenience, I never said that Miller was worse for public safety than drunk driving lenience, so why would I make the case for it? And why would you mischaracterize what I have said by stating that I need to make some case about something I never said? To paraphrase: Me: Miller sucks--there are public safety implications. Doug: Well, I'll take you seriously when you're more serious about drunk driving. Me: Well, Doug, you don't want to deport illegals who commit drunk driving. (I.e., you're not as serious as you say you are.) Doug: Prove Miller is more of a problem than drunk driving lenience. Me: Um, I never said that it was. You called me out on drunk driving--I made a couple of educated guesses which call into question your bona fides on the issue, and now the thing changes to a discussion of the relative dangers of Miller and drunk driving lenience. "Again, federalist, at issue is whether you want to discuss the merits of issues on the table or the nature of the person at the table raising the issues. Maybe you think who raises an issue matters to its substance. But the fact you still use a pen name suggest you think what is said matters more than the speaker. But maybe not." Generally speaking what is said IS more important than the identity of the speaker. But that's only true where the authority of the speaker isnt really an issue. If Obama is giving his take on the intersection of race and class and pot crime, then yes, his worldview IS relevant. Posted by: federalist | Jan 20, 2014 10:11:39 PM I do share your sense, federalist, that worldview is relevant when facts are uncertain or opinions are being offered. But the fact of arrests and incarceration for drug crimes as they intersect with race and class seem pretty clear to me, and now I am trying to figure out whether you dispute the data or dispute that the Prez of the US should be troubled by this data. Moreover, should we inherently question your claims/authority in this regard because of your background and worldview? My sense is that your worldview is so biased against Ds and liberals that you find whatever reason you can to complain about what they do and say (or what their appointed judges do or say in cases like Plata and Miller). Speaking of Miller, It seem you now acknowledge that the public safety impact of drunk driving is much great than the impact of Miller. But you persistently assail the Justices who decided Miller whereas I have never before heard you complain about Rhenquist's work for a unanimous SCOTUS in Leocal. Why is that? I surmise it is because you like beating on those you dislike more than you like advancing a sober discusion of public safety. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 21, 2014 7:21:08 AM so now we've moved from pot to drugs? So basically we have you saying that Obama's worldview would be relevant if the facts were uncertain. But they are uncertain. Recreational use of marijuana isn't a huge law enforcement priority in many urban areas. Now, law enforcement isn't all that jazzed about people smoking dope in public for the same reason they aren't too jazzed about people walking down the street with a brew in their hands. But is this a racial issue--that you don't get to flout laws in public? That's a stretch, and I think Obama's playing a little bit of the race card here. As for Leocal--that's a matter of a lawful resident who can't get deported because the statute doesn't allow it. Why would I criticize Rehnquist--the case looks to be correctly decided. I'm not crazy about the policy, but the rules are the rules. Now let's contrast that with your view that illegals (i.e., people who broke our laws to get here) should get to stay even if they committed drunk driving. But then you want us to believe that youre so hardcore on drunk driving that you get to call me out because I don't get all vociferous about it in here. You can call me biased all you want about 'rat politicians and judges, but I don't see a lot of people taking me on. You've taken me on, and I think any fair observer knows you've gotten your clock cleaned on this thread. Posted by: federalist | Jan 21, 2014 10:23:17 PM Federalist stated: "You've taken me on, and I think any fair observer knows you've gotten your clock cleaned on this thread." Federalist cleans everyone's clock. If you don't think so, just ask him. Posted by: Tim Holloway | Jan 22, 2014 10:30:59 AM Wow, federalist, I never cease to be amused and amazed by your obvious desire to make debates personal and then brag about success that only you see. Perhaps this so personal for you because you hold a grudge about not having been able to go to certain schools or not getting some kind of credit you think you deserve. I am tempted to think you project so much bravado because you must be insecure about something in your personal or professional life. Bravado aside, it seems here you are happy to admit you are biased against "'rat politicians and judges." That should help you understand why you "don't see a lot of people taking [you] on" --- doing so is as unsatisfying and as pointless as trying to take on Supremacy Clause with his bias against lawyers and feminists. When your response to one point is a screed on your off-topic interested --- e.g., when a pot comment by Obama (which is more about class than race) has you screeching about Pigford, school discipline, Latinos and our prior debates over Miller --- nobody has any interest in playing in the silly sandbox that you so proudly claim you reign over. I will sometimes play along with you because I think your screeds, along with our back and forth, help me better understand what folks with you worldview and background believe. Because my job is to understand arguments and worldviews, especially in the criminal justice arena, I have more time and reason to engage even with those like you who seems to care more about huffing and puffing than about advancing ideas. This is the same reason I used to engage with Supremacy Clause -- until doing so became tiresome and no longer enlightening. Similarly, I have come to find the engagement on this thread, federalist, no longer enlightening save for seeing yet again how eager you are to call yourself the winner of your own created off-topic battle that nobody else wants to waste time fighting in this space. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 22, 2014 5:43:12 PM Unbelievable. All I did was point out that Obama's record on race isn't hot and I get compared to someone who favors slavery--and I am the bad guy? Huh? But let's walk through the thread--here's a nutshell of my back and forth with Doug: Doug: Calling Obama a race huckster, what's that got to do with the price of tea in China? Fed: Well, Obama is talking about an issue that involves race, and he's not exactly evenhanded on race. Doug: Fed, his statement is fact-based, and so what he said is more important, but you're right--when the facts aren't clear, the worldview of the speaker is relevant. Fed: Well, then, let's look at this---Obama's talking about how the system treats minorities different from whites when it comes to smoking pot. Well, that seems an odd thing to talk about--most urban jurisdictions (i.e., jurisdictions which have a high percentage of minorities) don't make pot-smoking a priority. So, I don't think Obama's right about pot-smoking by itself getting a whole lot of minorities in the pokey. Doug: Well, fed, I won't answer that point. But you like to raise irrelevant stuff. And why are you bringing up the drunk driving thing. Fed: well Doug, you criticized me for doing the very thing you accuse me of doing--whether or not I write about drunk driving deaths in here was supposedly a basis for criticizing me about Miller/Graham. Under any standard, that's germane. In other words, I raised it because you used the same tactic you criticize in me. Posted by: federalist | Jan 22, 2014 10:07:21 PM How come you keep leaving out the class point I keep raising, federalist? The way you describe the dialogue itself shows that your worldview distorts what you think Obama is saying and what I am saying, too. Who is the true race ruckster when you repeatedly keep avoiding the class issues in order to obsess over race? I think the facts are clear about the impact of class (and race) concerning pot policy and the broader drug war. You are the one who remains eager to focus on who is saying this --- Obama and me --- rather than pointing to any contrary evidence. You bring up concerns about people, not concerns about ideas. I will answer any point you make on criminal justice issues once I can get through all the silliness about Pigford and school discipline and voting patterns. When you stay on topic, the discussion is productive. When you rant about the Ds and judges you dislike, the discussion is wasteful In this vein, know I do not think you are the bad guy, nor do a seek to criticize you personally for your dis affinity for Miller... Rather I was explaining that my own interest in public safety make me much more concerned about DUI than about Miller. This forum is not used by me as game of who scores more personal point or thinks they are winning like Chalie Shhen. Rather it is a place for me to explore and to advance ideas about improving our criminal justice systems. So, again, I urge you to stop being so involved in personal drama and instead to focus on ideas. And the idea I still want your views on concerns whether you think CLASS and wealth impact pot policies and practices. If so, you me and Obama are really on the same page here to some extent. But perhaps you think our CJ system lacks any class bias and impact. If so, then we do see the facts of the modern marijuana world quite differently. Indeed, the point of my quote of the Prez and my commentary thereafter was to try to get this economic issue fleshed out. But you managed to --- and still persist in --- ignoring that part of this story because it seems you are the real race huckster or rather just interested in calling people names rather than on engaging with ideas. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 23, 2014 12:08:07 AM Interesting response, Doug. First of all, Obama was talking about the recreational use of pot--not dealing, other drugs etc. Second of all, as Bill (and the WSJ) have asked whether the recreational use of pot (absent other consideration--e.g., probation violations for other crimes, plea deals which knock down dealing charges to simple possession and people with serious criminal histories who get busted)) is a serious threat to one's liberty. My guess, and you don't seem to dispute it, is that in most urban areas pot smoking is way low on the list of priorities. Now, of course, if you flout the law by smoking weed in public . . . . you'll get in some trouble. If I am right, then the issue of race/class and pot smoking seems to be an odd one for the President to get upset about. Although there are lightning strikes, a little weed smoking isn't going to get people sent to the pokey for "long stretches of time"--do you dispute that? So, if you don't, and I don't think you can with a straight face, Obama is engaging in a bit of tall tale telling. And now that we're there, his worldview on race becomes very very relevant. As for class, well, Obama is the one who brings race into the equation. But he's wrong about class too--poor kids who do nothing else but smoke pot recreationally aren't going to the State pen for "long stretches." Obama is falsely undermining the legitimacy of the "just us" system. Amazing that a law prof doesn't see this for what it is. I can't help but note that you seem to have caved on the point about drunk driving. You did the same exact thing you criticized me for. Do you dispute that? You think that the war on drugs is a bad idea and that it's too harsh and that the harshness falls disproportionately on minorities. Well, perhaps that's so. I have vigorously advocated in here for a more robust clemency process. I also tend to focus my ire on violent criminals (and I include those who have serious criminal records who blow drug tests) and serious drug dealers. But the idea that pot-smoking alone is resulting in draconian punishments seems to me to be a fantasy of Obama's and yours. Obama has an agenda with this BS. Hard for me to see how you don't see that. Posted by: federalist | Jan 23, 2014 10:00:00 PM Post a comment SCOTUS grants cert on two more criminal cases (and on Obama's immigration policies) | Main | Former AG Michael Mukasey and other former DOJ leaders urge Senate to move forward with vote on sentencing and corrections reform January 19, 2016 Early accounts of the developing post-Hurst hydra for past and present capital cases in Florida In this post last week not long after the Supreme Court in Hurst v. Florida declared Florida's death penalty procedures violative of the Sixth Amendment, I coined the term term "post-Hurst hydra" to describe what will likely be multi-headed, snake-like litigation that will develop in various ways in various Florida courts as both state and federal judges try to make sense of just what Hurst must mean for past, present and future capital cases. Not surprisingly, as reported in these two new local articles, courts, lawyers and experts are already puzzled by the situation that SCOTUS has now handed them: From the Orando Sentinel here, "Florida death penalty experts disagree on who will be spared execution" From the Florida Times-Union here, "Courts face dilemma with Donald Smith and other death-penalty cases coming up after Supreme Court ruling" As these capital cases are sure to unfold in hard-to-predict ways in the weeks and months ahead, I cannot help but be especially sympathetic to the difficult position in which Florida's prosecutors and the families of victims of capital murderers now find themselves in. Until the Florida legislature enacts a Hurst fix, and likely long thereafter, so many of the worst-of-the-worst murder cases are going to be in a legal limbo that will make hard cases for prosecutors and hard times for families only that much harder. Prior related posts: January 19, 2016 at 12:53 PM | Permalink Comments SCOTUS has been puzzled most of all on how to handle post Ring cases for 13 years now. Posted by: DaveP | Jan 19, 2016 5:22:50 PM A healthy share of the blame goes to the Florida Supreme Court. After Ring undermined the FL system that court repeatedly refused to examine the issue again. Instead, it just cited its pre-Ring cases and said any change had to come from SCOTUS. So it was proceeding at its own severe risk, and should hold itself largely responsible for the cases that accumulated in the meantime. -EMF Posted by: Eric M. Freedman | Jan 19, 2016 6:04:00 PM I agree with that. But it seems like SCOTUS should have selected a case later that term or the next. Only one judge ever ruled the Florida procedure unconstitutional in Evans v Secretary. The 11th Circuit reversed him and cert was denied without comment. Then, right away the next term cert was granted on Hurst from direct review. Posted by: DaveP | Jan 19, 2016 7:09:57 PM Agreed Eric, the way the Court granted cert in Hurst and the brevity of the opinion overruling Spaziano indicated a bit of irritation, in my opinion. The Hurst cert petition put forth a series of issues related to mental retardation procedure and unanimity of the jury on aggravating factors. The Court granted cert and then rewrote the question presented itself. The issue was broadly worded "Whether Florida's death penalty system violates the Sixth and Eighth Amendment, as described in Ring v Arizona?" Or very close to that. Then the vote was 7 to 1 to 1. Kennedy, who dissented in Apprendi, joined Sotomayor's majority opinion without comment. I think Floridian hubris came home to roost in Hurst. As Doug pointed out even Kent at Crime and Consequences called them foolish. bruce Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 19, 2016 7:14:43 PM I still don't understand why a defendant whose jury voted for death -- with no judicial override -- is entitled to any relief. Just because the sentencing scheme is unconstitutional as applied to OTHER defendants doesn't entitle to a remedy those to whom it was applied constitutionally. Following Ring, for example, every death-row prisoner in Arizona had a viable Sixth Amendment claim if the jury did not make the required findings. That's not he case here. Posted by: Da Man | Jan 20, 2016 2:14:02 PM Post a comment Notable Yale Law Journal Forum essays respond to big report on solitary confinement | Main | SCOTUS grants cert on two more criminal cases (and on Obama's immigration policies) January 18, 2016 Some still timely phrases from MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech for advocates of criminal justice reforms Long-time readers likely know that I have long stated in this space that I think Martin Luther King, whom we all should take time to honor today, would have been concerned with criminal justice and especially sentencing issues if he had lived into the modern era of mass incarceration. I also have a tradition of spending MLK Day listening to the full legendary "I Have A Dream" speech Dr. King delivered in the "symbolic shadow" of Abraham Lincoln in August 1963. And as I was listening to the speech this year, more than a few lines had a timely resonance in light of on-going efforts to move forward with modern criminal justice reforms. Here are some of the lines catching my ear today: We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.... Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.... But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. One reason I have spent much of may professional career working on criminal justice issues is because I strongly believe that freedom is a preeminently important human value and that each and every American's freedom is, in many senses, inextricably bound to each and every other American's freedom. These beliefs keep me ever engaged in the struggle for an ever-sounder criminal justice system, keep me ever committed to the "fierce urgency of now," and keep me ever eager to encourage all to seek to satisfy the thirst for freedom without "drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." With the echoes of this remarkable speech still in my head, let me conclude this honoring of Dr. King by providing links to some prior MLK Day posts (from both of my main blogs). As always, readers are encouraged to add their own perspectives via the comments (and also encouraged to keep it civil in honor of one of America's great civil rights leaders). January 18, 2016 at 01:45 PM | Permalink Comments Didn't MLK deplore the rate of criminality in the black community? I believe he gave a speech in St. Louis where he did. Remember too, one of the bitterest complaints about the apartheid system was that it failed to protect law-abiding black South Africans from criminals. "One reason I have spent much of may professional career working on criminal justice issues is because I strongly believe that freedom is a preeminently important human value and that each and every American's freedom is, in many senses, inextricably bound to each and every other American freedom." Yes, but it seems you are into the freedoms of criminals more than the freedom of law-abiding society to be free from the depredations of criminals. Posted by: federalist | Jan 18, 2016 1:59:22 PM Like many, I was taught to venerate that speech as a child. As the years have passed, I have found it more and more disagreeable. It is a speech rooted in the kowtowing of a slave to his master. It is rooted not in a thirst for equality but in a rejection of equality. Fundamentally, King is not making the argument that that justice is the right thing to do, he is making the argument that justice is the decent thing to do. More and more I see this speech as the perfect evidence of the claim made by postmodern philosophers that morality is based upon nothing more than "convention and anecdote". To my mind the speech is morally treasonous, not because it is a plea for the wrong result but because it amounts to nothing more than cultural butt-kissing. I'm with the philosophers who say that morality cannot be left to convention and anecdote. Racism is wrong, it always was and always will be wrong. And its wrongness has nothing to do with blank checks or inherent human dignity. for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. Wrong. As recent history has shown they came because they felt sorry for your black ass. The weren't motivated by a sense of common destiny but by a sense of noblesse oblige--that by helping the poor black child they were making the world a less cruel place for their own kind, because they were tired of African American caterwauling. I want to be perfectly clear here. I am not blasting King for what he said. This was exactly the correct way to approach the problem at that time. Too much violence would have destroyed the sympathy the white nobles had for the treatment of the black community at the hands of low-class whites. I'm disgusted by the fact that it took this intellectualized butt-kissing to get white people to do the right thing. That's why I find it disagreeable. Posted by: Daniel | Jan 18, 2016 2:49:43 PM federalist: part of my call for freedom-oriented reforms involves pushing for a new understand of who is a criminal and who is law-abiding. Indeed, the grand moments of much of American history highlights that concern for the "freedom of criminals" has been a driving force of American exceptionalism. The freedom fighters involved in the Boston tea party were, of course, engaged in criminality. So turn were slaves who sought to flee from the south to the north via the Underground Railroad. So too was MLK when he was in the Birmingham jail and so have been so many others involved in civil disobedience throughout American history. Indeed, much of human history shows that the first step to the diminishment of the freedom of all citizens is when a government start to prioritize some citizens' freedoms over others. Daniel: I am curious if you think much has really changed over the last half-century? Do you expect the BLM movement to achieve much in this era without being involved in intellectual butt-kissing of some sort? Critically, in a democracy were political power always trends toward a majority viewpoint, isn't it likely that all minority concerns (racial, religious, economic, social) will have to be pursued through at least some efforts to kiss the butts of the majority of voters through some means? Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 18, 2016 4:02:04 PM Doug, you can do better than that. Are you really positing that crack dealers are engaging in civil disobedience? If not, why mention? And as for this: "Indeed, much of human history shows that the first step to the diminishment of the freedom of all citizens is when a government start to prioritize some citizens' freedoms over others." Um, so what? We are talking about people who, through their voluntary acts, have wronged society. Or more to the point, this statement actually buttresses points I've made--the people who are in favor of retroactive sentence reductions (other than those required by the Constitution--this is to nip your irrelevant Scalia sloganeering in the bud) favor the interests of criminals getting early releases--without much back-end checking--over the interests of the law-abiding. Your unstated idea that the interests of the criminal class need to be equal with that of the law-abiding (else the law-abiding's freedoms are being elevated) is preposterous. Now, obviously, we have Constitutional protections and notions of fairness and justice which preclude LWOP for DUI. That's what criminals are entitled to--not some idea that their interests (note I say interests, not freedom) are somehow equal to the society that they have wronged. You claim to want this debate on a practical level. Your responses disprove that. I get it--if you did want to really debate this, you'd be open to iron-clad guarantees of far better back-end checking than is currently the case, but you can't actually come out and say this because this was an obvious problem all the while, and you'd look like you didn't think all this through and got seduced by the siren-song of "freedom" for criminals and being morally superior. So you engage in platitudes and silly absolutism. You cannot even come out and say that the release of a guy who had a history of serious recent violence should not have been released under a regime that was supposed to keep locked up those who pose a serious risk of violence. You can't even say that---face it Doug, you simply think that too many people are incarcerated (a simplistic idea if ever there were one) and that whatever it takes to get the numbers down is ok. That would be honest. Posted by: federalist | Jan 18, 2016 5:26:33 PM @Doug B. Liberals overweight sympathy as a bulwark against cruelty. I simply do not believe there is any historical evidence that sympathy can carry the burden of liberal hopes over the long run the way they expect it to carry that burden. Sympathy has its limits--nurses call it "care fatigue". I've seen this today among responses to BLM activists. What more do these people want? Look at all those millionaire black athletes! We even have a Black president and yet they still complain! How much is enough? So while I think MLK was shrewd in his strategy at that time I believe he sent the country on a perilous course because sympathy is not a stable domestic emotion. Why do you think Trump is getting so much mileage out of his 'ban the muslims' comment? People get tired. They stop caring. Forget about butt-kissing; they don't want the minority anywhere near them. And when a culture has eliminated any essential moral or intellectual foundation for its policies--as this country has--then there is nothing to hold back the tide of human cruelty that we have seen perpetrated in Bosnia and Rwanda. Hell may indeed have no fury like a woman scorned but let me assure you that history has many examples that are not pretty of a majority that has run out of sympathy for a minority. Butt-kissing may work in the short run but fundamentally it shifts the argument onto a ground that is poisoned. Posted by: Daniel | Jan 18, 2016 6:04:26 PM federalist: I do considerable comparable some crack dealers in Detroit and weed dealers in Denver and gun dealers in Durango and bootleggers decades ago during Prohibition. These are all often small "businessmen" looking to profit by providing adults access to a potentially harmful product. They are all exercising a form of freedom that gives meaning to the first term in the phrase "free market," and you are thicker than I thought if you cannot readily appreciate that any and all criminal prohibitions of free market transaction among adults, though perhaps justifiable on other grounds, serve to diminish human freedom. Speaking of being thick, I must be missing something when you say it is problematic to say the "interests of the criminal class need to be equal with that of the law-abiding (else the law-abiding's freedoms are being elevated)." Huh? Are you saying that treating the so-called "criminal class" as having lesser interests in freedom does not amount to elevating the fredooms of the law-abiding? And are you ignorant to the historical fact that the first move of most repressive regimes are to brand as "the criminal class" guilty of "wronging society" whomever they wish to oppress (whether Jews in Germany under Hitler or gays in Russia under Putin). I surmise you operate with a kind of formalistic forfeiture approach to these matters: once any individual has violated a duly enacted law and thus "wronged society," her interest in freedom (and lots of other interests, I presume) are forever diminished. That is certainly a defensible moral view, but it puts huge pressure on giving blind respect to duly enacted laws, and also raises hard questions as to whether any violation of any law passed by any sovereign diminishes the transgressors interests in society. Should everyone who ever speeds or jaywalks be forever considered part of a "criminal class" deserving of less respect? Everyone who engages in underage drinking or marijuana use? And should this dimiinshed respect persist for past behavior even if society comes to view prior prohibitions as misguided (e.g., should all adulterers and/or those who engaged in "sodomy" before Lawrence v. Texas be subject to diminished respect)? Unless and until you explain in some detail whose freedoms should be respected and whose shouldn't, I will continue to believe strongly that all adults' freedoms should be respected comparably. That does not mean we cannot and should not restrict freedoms in service to lots of other societal values, but it does mean that I still am inclined to respect the interest in freedom that Weldon Angelos and Scooter Libby and Martha Stewart in the same way I respect your freedom interests. I am not trying to be "morally superior," but rather just trying to explain my own personal moral perspective. And I would now be very eager to hear more about and better understand your distinct moral perspective --- specifically, I am eager to how just you define who gets relegated to "the criminal class" and just how you think their seemingly diminished interest in freedom is to be understood and applied relative to the freedoms of the "the law-abiding." Thanks in advance for any further explanation of your views so I can better understand your different perspective on these important issues in our "land of the free and the home of the brave." Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 18, 2016 6:52:07 PM Interesting comments, Daniel, and I concur that sympathy has its limits. But I surmise the core aspect of your pessimissm is the view that "when a culture has eliminated any essential moral or intellectual foundation for its policies -- as this country has -- then there is nothing to hold back the tide of human cruelty." To me, the genius of the MLK Dream speech was its repeated to the "essential moral and intellectual foundation" of the USA as expressed in our founding documents and repeated in the Gettsburg Address four score and seven years later. Indeed, as I perhaps poorly explained in my post here, I think a commitment to human freedom (and a kind of political equality) is the "essential moral and intellectual foundation" of the American experience, and I think that foundation gets stronger and stronger as we have over time, with fits and starts and some temporary back-sliding, enhanced humans freedoms and political equality throughout the last 2.5 centuries. There are certainly times in modern America, whether due to sharp political rhetoric or incarceration data or broader disrepect shown to freedom by many important people in many spheres, that I worry about a diminishment commitment to what I see as America's "essential moral and intellectual foundation." But then, if I look a bit harder, I can usually find new rays of freedom shining through even as dark clouds seem to gather. But, then again, I tend to be a perpetual optimist when in comes to the USA. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 18, 2016 7:16:07 PM "Should everyone who ever speeds or jaywalks be forever considered part of a "criminal class" deserving of less respect? Everyone who engages in underage drinking or marijuana use? And should this dimiinshed respect persist for past behavior even if society comes to view prior prohibitions as misguided (e.g., should all adulterers and/or those who engaged in "sodomy" before Lawrence v. Texas be subject to diminished respect)?" Apparently my comments about absolutism didn't take. Really? The problem isn't the idea that there are some bedrock rights people (criminals or not) have or that criminals have rights that we're obligated to respect--the problem is that you posit that criminals (who have committed serious crimes--I am not talking about nonsense like unenforced laws) somehow should be on equal footing. That's obviously nonsense. "I do considerable comparable some crack dealers in Detroit and weed dealers in Denver and gun dealers in Durango and bootleggers decades ago during Prohibition." Wow. Amazing things that will be said in order to avoid admitting error. Posted by: federalist | Jan 18, 2016 8:47:45 PM @Doug B. Postmodern liberalism has abandoned the "essential" character of human equality and human freedom in the American tradition. This was the entire point of Richard Rorty's famous 1985 essay on "Postmodern Bourgeois Liberalism". For the record, Rorty is the intellectual godfather of gay rights and Justice Kennedy's opinion in Obergerfell is full of this type of postmodern bourgeois liberalism. In fact, what Kennedy really tries to do in that opinion is reconcile the libertarian "freedom" tradition in American life with postmodern liberal assertions of "human dignity", rooted in human sympathy. I'd argue that in a more inchoate way MLK speech is trying to do the same thing. So my pessimism is rooted in fact. It is people like Kennedy and Rorty who tell me point blank that in America dignity and freedom have no essential character. You might believe that freedom is essential to the American experience, I might believe that freedom is essential to the American experience, but the five justices who signed on to Obergerfell do not. This isn't because they hate freedom. It's because they believe there is nothing essential about the American experience. There is a historical irony in that stance because Obergerfell is perhaps the most beautiful example of what WEB Du Bois called "double consciousness". For Du Bois, however, double consciousness was not an identity but represented a lack of identity. Postmodernism has turned his criticism of Black culture into a virtue--it is the fact that America has no essential identity that is America's identity. That is what five justices on SCOTUS tell me. That is what the person who has been called the greatest American philosopher of the 20th century tells me. So excuse me if I feel that I have every right to be pessimistic about whether a country that says the fact that it has no identity is its greatest identity can hold the line against human irrationality. Posted by: Daniel | Jan 18, 2016 11:06:47 PM MLK, Lawyer Dumbass Victim In the 18th Century, everyone educated knows slavery to be wrong. Slave owning, lawyer dumbasses decide a tax bite of 2% of GDP requires a violent revolution against Mother England. They kill 10,000 people and maybe much more, for a few lousy pounds. They come up with the masking ideology of freedom and individual liberties, when no one has any, except them. The American Revolution was one of the greatest mistakes in the annals of lawyer stupidity. Had we stayed a British colony, slavery would have ended in 1833 not in 1863. It would have ended peacefully as it did around the world, and without a war. The race problem that took another 100 to resolve, in 1964, would not have taken place. We would be more like Canada and less extreme in every way. Lawyer dumbass, James Madison, allows slavery to continue in the US constitution. Lawyer dumbass, John Marshall, uses Article III to violate Article I, Section 1. This filthy crook invents judicial review just out his fevered imagination, in violation of a lot of law. http://supremacyclaus.blogspot.com/2007/06/marburygate-or-misconduct-in-marbury-v.html Cut to lawyer uber dumbass, Justice Roger Taney. This asshole of assholes, uses Marshall's fiction of judicial review, and cancels the Missouri Compromise that prevented war for 30 years, abrogates a ratified international treaty settling the border with Canada and prohibiting the spread of slavery. He then invents out of whole cloth substantive due process right in the Fifth Amendment, another stupid lawyer fiction. Lawyer uber asshole Taney sets off Bloody Kansas, and the Civil War shortly after. Did any of you lawyer assholes in this blog study the Dred Scot decision in law school courses on Constitutional Law? Not a single one of you assholes knows anything about it. And what I learned about it in high school was erased from your stupid brains by the criminal cult indoctrination you willingly underwent. Along comes, Mr. Please, Do Not Sue Your Neighbor. To his credit, Lincoln issues an arrest warrant to arrest Taney for treason, then to hang him. A lawyer in the room snatches it back from the Federal marshal's hand. He persuades Lincoln to not arrest a Justice of the Supreme Court. Taney then dies a slow painful death, of course, soon afterward. Lincoln's soldiers enter the courts of Maryland lawyer traitors and pistol whip the judges issuing writs of habeus for accused Confederate spies. These are beaten whether they needed to be or not, and flung in Civil War era prisons. So far so good. However, Lincoln is often called the greatest President by the lying filthy traitor lawyer, but who is really the very worst President, bar none. Lincoln, lawyer, dumbass supreme, has a decision to make. He is proposed to buy the slaves, to declare the newborn free, and other peaceful options. This lawyer dumbass, a moron, a distance learner, chooses war. His decision kills 850,000 Americans in the most catastrophic decision in our history, worse than even the stupid lawyer decision to have an American Revolution. Lawyer Lincoln is executed by an actor, as he well deserved to be. I did admire the way the conspirators were rounded up, arrested, tried, and hanged within weeks. When the lawyer is killed, justice is swift and certain. Two lawyers and a judge form the KKK. They initiate a campaign of genocidal terror, by beating and lynching hundreds of innocent black males in front of hundreds of witnesses. http://withoutsanctuary.org/ How do you that and not go to jail? The local prosecutor and the judge have given the lawyer founded and run KKK absolute legal immunity. That's how. The Klan is a lawyer fraternal organization. However, it cannot operate so openly without the legal immunity of the local lawyer profession. The Congress says, enough. They pass the KKK Act. The Army hangs dozens of these lawyer pieces of treasonous, genocidal filth. The KKK goes away. Blacks thrive in every field, without any stupid affirmative action or political correctness, just by their own enterprise, and accumulate well earned wealth and power. The self evident lesson? Hang a lot of lawyer scum, blacks will thrive. The election of 1876 is far more unsettled and disputed than Gore v Bush. A deal is struck. Republicans get the Presidency, and the Army of Occupation is removed from the South. The lawyer founded and run KKK comes roaring back. Same deal. Kill thousands of black in public lynchings, and nothing happens to the lawyers because their pals, the prosecutors have granted them immunity to do so. Blacks lose all their hard earned gains. The Supreme Court allows Jim Crow laws. Had they allowed the market to be free, discrimination would be punished by ruination. If I do not want a third of the population in my restaurant, and my competitor across the street does allow them, I go out of business for discrimination. But lawyer passed laws had it so no white restaurant could accept black customers. Cut to World War II. The lawyers elites have been soldiers against racist Nazi government. They saw that black soldiers did their part, return home, and get treated as the Nazi would have. These geniuses figure, this is not right. Meanwhile, reverend King studies the methods of lawyer super dumbass Mahatma Gandhi, admirer and good pal to Adolf Hitler. That asshole did not cause the deaths of 850,000 as our asshole, Lincoln, did. By getting rid of the British, he set off the ethnic cleansing and the killing of tens of millions of Hindu and Muslim Indians. Their lawyer assholes make ours look like geniuses. So, MLK tactics pressure the lawyer dumbass to pick up the pace. The oppressive Civil Rights Act gets passed, in total violation of the Free Association Clause of the First Amendment, the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment, and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. But political correctness, which is always lawyer job generating case, prevails. These violations are ignored. MLK is assassinated by whom? James Earl Ray, the spawn of an ultra-violent career criminal, is himself a career, violent, super-predator. He should have been executed shortly after his fourteenth birthday. Instead he is protected, privileged, and empowered by the rent seeking, pro-criminal lawyer dumbass, despite committing thousands of violent crimes. This subhuman is allowed and enabled to kill a great leader, a non-lawyer, by the lawyer dumbass. You disgusting lawyer traitors are not through with black people. Your vile feminists lawyer set about the destroy the black family, so big government may replace it. It took the lawyer founded and led KKK 100 years to lynch 5000 innocent black males. That is now the excess number of murders of black males every single year. The vile feminist lawyer and its male running dogs is 100 times more deadly to black males than the KKK. Now the vile feminist lawyer and its male running dogs are coming after the white family. All the social pathologies of the black population will now visit the white population because there are no genetic difference in behavior between the races. Meanwhile, I live in a lawyer neighborhood only 5 miles from an extremely dangerous black ghetto. No crime. Welcome to Switzerland and Japan. The death penalty is at the scene for anyone not getting the memo. The lawyer is looking out for itself, and only for itself. The lawyer profession has been, and continues to be the greatest enemy of the people of MLK. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 19, 2016 12:20:27 AM federalist: it seems you are much more eager to launch criticisms than to try to provide any explanation for your (still confusing) expression of your gut feelings concerns whose freedoms should and should not be a basis for concern. This main post is about human freedom, and you criticized my concern for the "freedoms of criminals." I then noted that governments eager to diminish human freedom often brand the disfavored "criminals" to deny them (and others) freedom. You retreat in response, intimating that some branded as "criminals" have freedoms that merit concern (like MLK, I suppose), and that you are only assailing having concern for freedoms of "the criminal class" who "wrong society." But I do not understand how that is a meaningful distinction. Bootleggers in the 1920s, like today's weed dealers or unlicensed gun sellers, are all considered to have "wronged society" by failing to follow duly enacted federal criminal laws. When I seek further explanation as to which criminals' freedoms you think I should or should care about, you add that you mean only those involved in "serious crimes ... [not] unenforced laws" as if this distinction somehow clarifies matters rather than just showing you are making this up as you go along to account for your gut feelings. We are left to wonder if, for example, shoplifting, DUI, domestic assault, buying/selling a gun without a license, small-time marijuana (or crack) dealing, or major lying (e.g., Martha Stewart/Scooter Libby/Bill Clinton) qualify as "serious crimes" or if instead the millions of Americans arrested and prosecuted for these types of crimes are able to avoid your "criminal class" label? I suppose we can ask for your gut feeling in each case, but I generally prefer the rule of law to the rule of federlist in important settings. Let me keep it simple, in the hope I might still get some clearer understanding of your views: can you explain just how and why you see a small-time cocaine dealer today as so obviously different than, say, a small-time weed dealer (today or in the 1950s when a first-offense for marijuana possession carried a minimum sentence of 2-10 years) or a small-time bootlegger in the 1920s. I surmise you think it is obvious I should forever care much less about freedom of the small-time cocaine dealer today than about the freedom of the others, but some more explanation of how and why you see these figures as so obviously different will perhaps help me see what I am struggling to understand in your criticisms of my concern for the "freedoms of criminals." Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 19, 2016 12:45:51 AM Daniel: I will not question your view of postmodern liberalism, or of Richard Rorty's account of it or your reading of Justice Kennedy's opinion in Obergerfell. But I readily will question whether what Kennedy and Rorty have to say defines America is any more accurate or certain than what the Justice Holmes said in Buck v Bell to echo eugenic philosophers of a century ago. I say this not to deny, Daniel, your claim "that you have every right to be pessimistic about whether a country that says the fact that it has no identity is its greatest identity can hold the line against human irrationality." But I say it to highlight that few paths in American (or human) history seem to me to be certain or even reasonably predictable. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 19, 2016 12:59:00 AM Prof. Berman. Let's keep it simple. Find a small time drug dealer. Try to sell the same product in his territory. Report back. That is the impetus for the Mandatory Guidelines, the massive increase in the murder rate caused by the crack epidemic and its profitability. See the movie, American Gangster, if you do not want to do the experiment. Based on a true story. The funniest, most shocking part of that movie, no one has mentioned or even noticed. The ending. You have an incorruptible police officer. He turns in a suitcase from the trunk of a car containing $2 million in cash. He cannot be reached. He is therefore picked to head the task force, and takes down an entire division of NYPD, as well an entire black mafia. Rare individual. He attends law school at night, passes the New Jersey bar. Frank Lucas is sentenced to multiple life terms, and his murderous rampages have not been indicted yet. So this incorruptible police officer becomes a lawyer. We see him, at the end, getting Frank Lucas out of prison in his appellate practice, and their walking around together, now friends, likely because offered him $million to get him out. I threw food at the screen seeing that for the first time. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 19, 2016 1:43:06 AM Doug, you're playing silly definitional games while equating crack dealers with the Underground Railroad. I foolishly entered the thicket of your position that criminals' freedom (which you seem to take to mean freedom from incarceration) is somehow on an equal footing with the interests of society. The whole thing is ridiculous--let's take murderers--any freedom from incarceration would be a matter of grace (from a normative standpoint)--obviously, other crimes have a different calculus. And no, I didn't retreat--that's so silly--that I want to talk about serious crime, not consensual sodomy isn't a retreat, it's a focus on what's really important---you want to play these deconstructionist games to try to tease out what--that I don't know, and cannot fully know, the proper balance to be struck with respect to any criminal transgression? And for what--to somehow defend the ridiculous idea that (a) criminals can actually persecuted so therefore we, as a society, have to release serious felons early to prove up our commitment to not persecuting criminals and (b) that the interest of the law-abiding in freedom from incarceration is somehow equal to the interest of criminals? The caveat to (b), of course, is that where society goes way too far (a judgment call) then the interest in freedom of the criminal approaches that of the law-abiding. Getting into crazy deconstructionist nonsense to justify your opinion doesn't get it done. You want to criticize me as coming from the gut (of course, you didn't want to debate the actual law governing what Gleeson did)--but even if that's true--you posit that the incarcerated's freedom to walk around in society is a strong as the law-abiding. That cannot be right. Posted by: federalist | Jan 19, 2016 9:15:19 AM federalist, I am not playing "silly definitional games" at all, I am just contining to try to better understand your initial criticism that I ought not be so concerned about the "freedoms of criminals." I explained that my concern for the "freedoms of criminals" is rooted in the long history of governments using the label "criminal" to justify all sorts of widespread denials of freedom, and so I hoped to hear who exactly are the "criminals" whose freedoms you do not think I should care so much about. You used the term "criminals" (and then "criminal class") as if it should be obvious who you are talking about, and all I keep trying to understand is just who you are talking about. I genuinely want to know, are you talking about marijuana dealers in Denver? All (most, some, a few) drunk drivers? Scooter Libby and Martha Stewart? I think all humans' freedoms are important, but you seem to say I am wrong for caring about (a few, some, all?) of these "criminals." So, I keep asking if you mean all criminals, and eventually after trying to dodge this basic question, you suggested no, only "serious criminals." I then asked who are "serious criminals" and you make no effort to help me understand what you mean, but your prior references to crack dealers and now to murderers continue to leave me to worry, yet again, that you cannot provide any kind of clear and defensible account of the scope and meaning of your initial criticisms and thus will continue to avoid answering what should be simple questions about the meaning of the very terms you used to attack my concern for human freedom. Sigh, I guess I should give up trying to actually understand what you mean and just treat you more like SC whose feverish attacks I have learned to just ignore. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 19, 2016 10:00:34 AM "Yes, but it seems you are into the freedoms of criminals more than the freedom of law-abiding society to be free from the depredations of criminals." That's what I wrote--you transmogrified it into me taking you to task about not being so concerned about the "freedoms of criminals." Obviously, you cannot mean constitutional protections--since you and I are on the same page there--I never advocate for blowing off these protections. So what you are referring to is them getting out, and my criticism, which is correct, is that you seem to care far less about society which has to bear the predations of released criminals. I foolishly allowed myself to get into the your miasma of talking in terms of freedoms (which is obviously ambiguous when it comes to incarcerated criminals) and serious criminals. And so we get into the reduction ad absurdum which allows you to obfuscate your way out of ridiculous comments. I don't know (don't really care) about the precise boundaries of serious criminals and not-so serious ones, as I am generally willing to defer to society's views on these things. What I do care about--three entirely preventable deaths. All you can muster is something along the lines of "well, to make omelets . . . ." But seriously, you advocate constant efforts to reduce sentences and pay little attention to the human wreckage that accompanies it, nor do you seem to care about the fact that criminals had a choice about what they did, whereas innocent members of society don't. You can dress up all your criminal friendly ideas as a commitment to freedom and try to make the case that crack dealers aren't really all that bad since they are akin to the Underground Railroad (truly offensive, by the by). But the bottom line is that people get hurt by policies you embrace, and that's certainly more of a freedom issue than whether we let out a crack dealer or some 16 year old animal who slaughtered a family. Posted by: federalist | Jan 19, 2016 11:25:50 AM federalist, if you are now asserting we are "on the same page" for constitutional protections of prisoners, I then struggle to understand why you attack my expressed views in cases like Montgomery and Plata. These cases are about whether and how the constitutional protections of prisoners should be given meaning through retroactive application of a new Eighth Amendment rule (Montgomery) and a congressionally authorized prisoner release order (Plata). Indeed, these cases are so challenging because we have to figure out how to balance the freedom interests of prisoners convicted of some VERY serious crimes with other interests, including public safety. I suppose I am pleased to hear you do not disagree with my take on prisoners' freedom interests in constitutional analysis, and I apologize that your prior attacks of my SCOTUS discussions led me to think that was what your attack at the start of this thread was partially about. Turning to your latest articulation, you now say that you are assailing me because I "seem to care far less about society which has to bear the predations of released criminals." First, I wonder where exactly you see this in my expressions of concerns about human freedoms, and I still need to know which "released criminals" you think I am not concerned about with respect to their potential harm to society. I thought you had come to see that I worry a whole lot about the "predations" of released drunk drivers, who kill many more Americans than do released crack dealers. And when you try to duck again explainnig key terms by saying you are "generally willing to defer to society's views," we get back to my first response that repressive regimes have a history of encouraging a society to view disfavored citizens and not-so-serious criminals as serious criminals (e.g., gays, socialists, bootleggers, weed dealers). (Also a big problem, in my view, is the tendency of some regimes also to encourage society to view what seem to be quite serious offenses (DUI, domestic assault) as not-so-serious. I agree that many sentencing decisions can result in "human wreckage" and "entirely preventable deaths," but that is precisely why I often harp on drunk driving when the concern is public safety. Statistics continue to show me that better sentencing decisions in the drunk driving arena could result in much less "human wreckage" and "entirely preventable deaths," but I almost never see the usual tough on crime crowd talking about these cases. Now you (and Bill these days) are understandably focused on the tragedy resulting from one drug offender's release. And because that tragedy is now very salient, I understand why. But, by the same measure, you seem to continue to want to ignore or disregard the people who get harmed --- and the potential harm to broader commitments to the value of freedom --- by the policies you embrace (which, again, I cannot even fully understand because you keep dodging my request that you explain how to distinguish a small-time cocaine dealer today from a small-time weed dealer or a small-time bootlegger). I keep pressing a critical definitional point about WHICH criminals' freedoms you think I should care less about, because the more you say, the more it seems you agree with me with respect some part my human freedom concerns. Indeed, I surmise by your telling use of the phrase "16 year old animal" that what is really in play here is your belief, federalist, that some people who commit certain crimes should not be treated or considered humans but instead should be treated and considered sub-human animals. The suggestion some humans are to be treated as "less than human" reminds me of the way repressive regimes have historically justified being repressive in certain arena. It also returns me to wanting to know who other than murderers do you think should be considered and treated as "animals" --- are repeat drunk drivers "animals" in your view? crack dealers? weed dealers? I was previously inclined to give up on this thread; but your latest assertion that for prisoners' "constitutional protections [we] are on the same page" has me thinking our views, as we further explain them, may be more similar than even we realize. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 19, 2016 12:26:40 PM @Doug B. All fair points. I wasn't trying to dissuade you from your optimism, only to explain why I don't share it. Posted by: Daniel | Jan 19, 2016 2:44:45 PM Um, Doug, you and I disagree on what the Constitution requires, not that the constitution needs to be followed. As for Montgomery, um, don't see how that needs to be retroactive, even if one agrees with the underlying "constitutional" law. All I am talking about is this idea of criminals getting out. All the other stuff is besides the point. I agree that drunk driving laws should be strengthened and that we should be looking at ways to ratchet up punishments. I don't know what else you want me to say---I've taken this position before. My criticism of you has been very simple--you espouse this idea that releasing criminals proves up our commitment to freedom--I point out that you don't seem to care as much about the safety of society. You then try to drag me into some miasma of what constitutes a serious crime. Um, no. Not going there. Second, you criticize me for calling some guy who slaughtered his friend's family an animal. Actually, he's worse, and in my view, death is really the only appropriate punishment. So forgive me if I don't think (a) a settled judgment should be ripped open for this guy and (b) you're morally obtuse for proposing some rule not required by the constitution to make the victim's family go through the hell of trying to keep this guy in prison. Sorry Doug, his interest in the naked power of 5 criminal coddlers on the Supreme Court shouldn't override the families' interest in repose. And yes, Doug, I remember the BS you espoused about re-sentencing being in the victims' general interests. Posted by: federalist | Jan 19, 2016 6:22:41 PM federalist, I think seeking to limiting deprivations of freedom "proves up our commitment to freedom." And I care plenty about the "safety of society," I just do not think historically high and costly incarceration and extreme criminal enforcement of drug prohibitions contributes effectively in the long term to the safety of society. Indeed, I genuninely believe we could have more freedom and more safety if we improve our sentencing systems. That is both my hope and my goal. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 19, 2016 10:16:55 PM Post a comment Here we discuss sex and politics, loudly, no apologies hence "screeds" and "attitude." San Francisco's formula retail rules, est. 2004, don't themselves adhere to any one strict formula. For example, while Hayes Valley, Chinatown's tourist corridor, and North Beach ban chains entirely, other parts of town simply subject every potential chain retailer and food operation to the conditional use permit process, with its automatically ensuing public hearing. That on its own weeds out many businesses, since they aren't likely to pass through planning if other chain stores are around the corner, and they aren't likely to pass muster with the public if people express the kind of outrage they did when Chipotle tried coming to the Castro or when Jack Spade threatened to move into the Mission. Remember when that was the only thing people could talk about? Moving on. Right now, city planners and the Board of Supervisors are revisiting our Formula Retail Use laws with a particular eye toward subsidiaries of chain stores, as the Examiner reports. That's because last summer Supervisor Eric Mar introduced an expanded definition of the chain stores pertaining to their subsidiaries, which still needs Supervisorial approval. According to Mar, "Its a simple and elegant solution to address the problem that our neighborhoods face particularly when a particular chain store that owns subsidiaries are allowed to enter a commercial corridor without neighborhood input, But others aren't so sure about it's simplicity or elegance. Mar's amendment would apply to affiliates of chain stores that have at least 3 locations worldwide. For the record, the current definitional language on the subject is this: "[A] retail sales establishment which, along with eleven or more other retail sales establishments located in the United States, maintains two or more of the following features: a standardized array of merchandise, a standardized facade, a standardized decor and color scheme, a uniform apparel, standardized signage, a trademark or a servicemark." You can read all about SF Planning's Chain Stores (Formula Retail Use), but the point here is that there are plenty of specifics when it comes to the rulebook, which SFist revisited a few years ago. The question now is whether new changes in the form of Mar's amendment would finally corral or further complicate existing legislation. The Planning Department doesn't like Mar's idea, and have in fact instructed the Planning Commission to shoot down the legislation in a vote on Thursday. They argue that regulating businesses by ownership rather than accounting for local impact might even be illegal. According to San Francisco Chamber of Commerce senior vice president of public policy Jim Lazarus, [Given] that this legislation would regulate businesses based on ownership rather than use, it is clearly illegal under land use control laws, which prohibit government regulations used to solely or primarily suppress economic competition. Also, it might just be too damn hard to execute. Determining whether a business is a subsidiary or not, Planning argues, would be a thorny question in every case.How much of a percentage does each investor have in a business? Then, do any of those investors have other businesses that are chain stores, of which the business in question might then be considered a subsidiary? This type of regulation is entirely new for the Planning Department and outside of our area of expertise, write city planners. But Mar, who has apparently been working on the legislation since 2014, remains staunch. As he pointed out back then, "There is no shortage of chain stores in San Francisco. There are 1,250." That doesn't, by the way, count subsidiaries. Previously: What We Talk About When We Talk About Formula Retail Chain Retail Rules For S.F. To Get More Strict Don't let the seemingly non-stop rain and flooding get you down, there is a lot to do this week around the Bay. From dance parties, to an erotica book reading, to learning how to sew we're here to make sure you don't remain cooped up until spring. Because seriously, don't do that. TUESDAY, JANUARY 19 LIVE BLUES FOR A RAINY DAY: The wonderful Rite Spot Cafe frequently hosts free live shows from local bands, and tonight's performance from Octomutt is great opportunity to check out the local treasure if you haven't already. The blues/Americana group will play some tunes to warm you up after this rainy day, and the duo (bass and guitar/vocals) is frequently joined by guest artists. Rite Spot Cafe, 2099 Folsom Street, 8:30 p.m., free but donations are welcome EROTICA BOOK READING AND SIGNING: San Francisco is a literate town (think Litquake), and tonight's reading of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 puts a very SF twist on our love of all things literature. Featured readers include editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, and well as various contributors. Not for the heteronormative, the "hot, varied pansexual stories" should make for a fun evening. Good Vibrations (Polk Street Store), 1620 Polk Street, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., free WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 SF RESTAURANT WEEK: Wednesday marks the beginning of SF Restaurant Week (previously Dine About Town), and serves as a great opportunity to try out a new spot that's been on your list for a while (also, a great opportunity for restaurants to get people in the door during the year's slowest month). Participating restaurants offer unique prix-fixe menus, and feature discounts specific to the week. See the website for participating restaurants, SF Restaurant Week runs from January 20 through January 31st, lunch menus are offered at $15 and $25, and dinner menus are offered at $40 and $65 NON-ELECTRONIC DANCE ALBUM RELEASE PARTY, PSYCH ROCK POP SHOW: Three local artists are sharing a bill for a dance-filled concert. The Rad Ishes headline, artist Ben Pearce is releasing a 6-song solo EP, and White Knuckles (which is Samantha Perez of The She's new band) are all playing some combination of non-electronic dance music and psych rock. Brick & Motor Music Hall, 1710 Mission Street, 18 and over, 8 p.m., $5 in advance and $8 at the door THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 COMEDY: The wonderfully named Bubblegum Garbage Party has morphed from its beginnings as a radio show on Mutiny Radio to a live improv show. Hosted by Bay Area comedians Thomas Bridgman and Sam DiSalvo, BGP features guests comedians answering hosts' questions and riffing on their material. PianoFight, 144 Taylor Street, 10 p.m., $7 in advance ART STUDIO HAPPY HOUR: Join a bunch of artists for the Fleet Wood 1st Shop Jams Happy Hour Session and a chance to catch some music, make some art, and have some drinks. With live performances, a donation bar, and tarot card reading, this is a great opportunity to check out a local shop making great art. Fleet Wood SF, 839 Larkin Street, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., free FRIDAY, JANUARY 22 GALLERY OPENING: The grand opening celebration of the San Francisco Arts Commission's new exhibition space is a perfect way to both explore the historic War Memorial Veterans Building and to see the work of the thirteen local artists featured. The work of Bay Area artist Susan O'Malley is specifically highlighted in the show. SFAC Main Gallery, 401 Van Ness Avenue, 6 p.m., free NIGHT OF THEATER: We hipped you to this show in our winter theater preview, and the final evening preview performance of Noel Cowards A Song at Twilight offers you an opportunity to see the Theatre Rhinoceros production at Z Below for less than a third of the price of an opening night ticket. Theatre Rhino is a mainstay in the SF queer theater scene, and some posit the play served as a "coming out" for the closeted playwright. Z Below, 470 Florida Street. 8 p.m. $10 SATURDAY, JANUARY 23 80's DANCE PARTY: Hey, you remember the Elbo Room, right? Well, it's not closed yet, and the This Aint No Disco 80's New Wave dance party means you can sweat it out there (at least) one last time. With Kirk Harper from Sweater Funk, Special Lord B from Soul Party, and Troy Cook from New Wave Hookers all spinning, it's going to be a fun night. Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, 10 p.m., $5 at the door SEWING BOOT CAMP: If you're looking for an all-day activity that will prevent those hands from getting too idle these rainy January days, the Sewing Boot Camp For Beginners will definitely keep you busy. It's a 7-hour class with instructors that teach you everything from simple stitches to sewing machine techniques. Everything you need is included in the price of the class, and you'll leave with three completed projects. Workshop SF, 1798 McAllister Street, 11 a.m., $100 SUNDAY, JANUARY 24 OUTSIDE CUMBIA DANCE PARTY: The semi-regular Salsa Sunday's at El Rio provide a frequently much-needed opportunity to get down to some Cumbia on the bar's back patio. This Sunday features music from Danilo's Orquesta Universal. El Rio, 3158 Mission St, 3 p.m., $8 before 4 p.m. and $10 after 4 p.m. SIMPSON'S TRIVIA: Trivia can be fun, but trivia specifically about The Simpson's is definitely more fun. Sip beer and test your knowledge of the (once) wonderful television show as your favorite moments play on a big screen. The Knockout, 3223 Mission Street, 6 p.m., free While some of you were wasting your lives sleeping, others were struggling to convey their profound life insights in less than 140 characters or look for info about last night's episode of The Bachelorbut were thwarted by a technical meltdown that affected Twitter users around the world. The Wall Street Journal called it "a major interruption... with some users unable to log on to the social-media service for more than two hours." #WHYGOD The outage probably started around midnight PST, which meant Europe felt the brunt of it. When it came back (for some users), they started to use #TwitterDown to express their frustration. A British social media consultant "joked": "I've had to talk to real people and that's a little bit frightening... Genuinely, I didn't know where to get my news from, I usually put a tweet out in the morning." Twitter stated (via a Twitter account for support) , "Some users are currently experiencing problems accessing Twitter. We are aware of the issue and are working towards a resolution." The NY Times reports: Days after a fatal stabbing rocked UCSF's Parnassus Avenue campus, the victim has finally been identified. According to the San Francisco Medical Examiner's office, San Francisco's first homicide victim for 2016 has been identified as 60-year-old SF resident Mina Willis. A UCSF spokesperson says that Willis was stabbed during a domestic violence dispute with her companion, 46-year-old David Calvin King, at 4:48 p.m. on January 14. The attack occurred "in a building breezeway near the UCSF Ambulatory Care Center at 400 Parnassus," UCSF spokesperson Elizabeth Fernandez says. Following the stabbing, Willis was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, which Fernandez notes is "San Franciscos only trauma center." She died at 5:33 p.m. Neither Willis nor King worked at UCSF, Fernandez says. King was arrested by UCSF police at the time of the stabbing, and was booked into San Francisco County Jail later that evening "on one count of homicide," Fernandez says. According to the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, he remains in custody as of this morning. As of publication time, a San Francisco Police Department spokesperson confirms, Willis' death is SF's sole homicide for the year. Previously: No One Wants To Say Who'll Be Investigating What Might Be SF's First Homicide Of 2016 SIOUX CITY | Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson will hold a Sioux City campaign event featuring actor Kirk Cameron and the Christian rock band Casting Crowns. The event is free to the public at noon Saturday at the downtown Orpheum Theatre. It is called Revive 714, which is a reference to the Second Chronicles 7:14 Bible verse, which says to "heal our land." Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, made Siouxland appearances last week. He is one of 12 Republican candidates competing to become the party's nominee, and lately has been fourth in Iowa polls. The Iowa caucuses take place on Feb. 1. SAC CITY, Iowa | Trevor Feauto was supposed to be sentenced Tuesday for vehicular homicide. Instead, a plea offer made to him was withdrawn, his earlier guilty plea vacated, and he will now stand trial on four charges related to a traffic accident in which two teenage girls were killed. Trevor Feauto, 19, of Clarksville, Iowa, had pleaded guilty in November to two counts of vehicular homicide -- recklessness in Sac County District Court. Both charges are Class C felonies carrying 10-year prison sentences. At Tuesday's scheduled sentencing hearing, Sac County Attorney Ben Smith withdrew the plea agreement he had offered to Feauto. Smith said the offer was withdrawn because family members of the crash victims didn't believe it provided adequate justice. They preferred to see the case go to trial with the hope that Feauto will be found guilty of all four charges that have been filed against him, Smith said. District Judge William Ostlund vacated Feauto's guilty pleas. A trial date has yet to be set. Feauto also faces two counts of homicide by vehicle -- intoxication, which are Class B felonies punishable by 25 years in prison. Feauto is charged in an Aug. 23, 2014, crash near Breda in which his Ram truck hit a Chevrolet Impala driven by Bailey Jacobsen at a rural intersection. Jacobsen and her passenger, Lindsey Quirk, both 16, were killed. According to the Sac County Sheriff's Office, Feauto had a blood-alcohol level of 0.133 percent when tested after the crash, above Iowa's legal limit of 0.02 percent for minors under age 21. Jacobsen's blood-alcohol level was 0.057 percent, sheriff's deputies said. Feauto was 17 at the time of the accident and was initially charged as a juvenile. His case was waived to district court after a judge ruled that his prospects for rehabilitation were not reasonable because he would soon turn 18 and no longer be under the juvenile court's jurisdiction, making him ineligible for many juvenile services. Matthias Stork, 22, of Breda, was later charged and sentenced to 45 days in jail and fined $1,250 for supplying alcohol to Feauto. The 2016 legislative session kicked off on Jan. 11, complete with the hopes of bipartisan cooperation that accompany the beginning of most sessions. Time will tell if bipartisanship and compromise can gain traction or if gridlock will rule. Time told us plenty during the last session, because the session took plenty of time. Gridlock set in as the session went into significant overtime, finally coming to adjournment a month and a half after daily per diems for lawmakers ran out. That should tell you a little bit about the 2015 session. We realize most state representatives are there for all the right reasons to forge the best path for Iowa going forward. We also know perspectives on how to do that vary. When those differences cannot be overcome through discussion and compromise, progress on important issues can be thwarted and the metaphorical can is kicked down the road. The 86th Iowa General Assembly adjourned its overtime session after 145 days. Many of those days were spent hashing out differences on a $7.168 billion budget for this fiscal year. It ranked as one of the least productive sessions in recent memory. While House Republicans and Senate Democrats came to a compromise late in the session to fund public schools for this year, they failed to reach an agreement for 2017. We see that failure to come to an agreement on a two-year school funding solution as a major impediment for lawmakers this year. Since much time was spent wrangling over the budget and school funding in particular that route fails to clear the table for other issues including a host of them that still linger from past sessions. There is a lot of unfinished business. And with the Legislature wrestling over another school funding solution, forgive us if we have lost faith unfinished business will be properly addressed. Some of the issues that will most likely see a rerun in this years session include cellphone use while driving; assisting schools in preventing bullying of students; the expansion of access/availability of medical cannabis in Iowa; and addressing Iowans division on the use of automated traffic enforcement devices. We had sided with law enforcement and safety advocates who had hoped the Legislature would toughen Iowas ban on texting while driving, making it a primary offense that warrants a police stop. Instead, legislators left current law in place that considers texting a secondary violation. The bill to assist schools in preventing bullying of students has languished for three consecutive sessions. And while medical cannabis in Iowa is now legal for some uses, there was virtually no way to obtain it within the state. The divided Legislature was able to come to a conclusion on increasing the state gas tax by 10 cents per gallon a painful yet necessary action to address failing infrastructure statewide. Compromise is essential, since Iowa has a Democratic-controlled Senate and a Republican-led House. In this nation, compromise has always been necessary to pass laws. However, it seems over the last decade-plus that concept has been lost on many of our lawmakers at all levels and from both major parties. While the partisanship and bickering always become tiring, government representatives armed with their varying goals, allegiances and perspectives eventually come to some sort of agreement even if it takes overtime and many important issues are left undecided. That said, we wish our lawmakers and their constituents across the state good luck during this 2016 legislative session. Waterloo-Cedar Falls (Iowa) Courier It was a night for underdogs at the 2016 Golden Globes. But it wasnt much of a night for viewers. Bleeped repeatedly, the sloppy telecast had plenty of profanity and jabs from host Ricky Gervais that set a tone for some of the presenters. Feeling free to contribute their own four-letter jokes, they tossed them in and got laughs from the celebs nearby but puzzled looks from the fans at home. In the TV division, shows that werent on the radar won most of the prizes. Mozart in the Jungle (an Amazon offering) took home Best Comedy and Best Comedy Actor (Gael Garcia Bernal). Crazy Ex-Girlfriend won Best Comedy Actress for Rachel Bloom. Wolf Hall won Best Limited Series/Movie (besting Fargo, which should have won) and Mr. Robot picked up Best Drama and Best Supporting Actor (Christian Slater). Star Rami Malek lost Best Drama Actor to Mad Mens Jon Hamm, who was doing a victory lap. Lady Gaga won Best Actress/TV Movie, Miniseries for American Horror Story: Hotel and Oscar Isaac got the male trophy for Show Me a Hero. In the Drama division, Empires Taraji P. Henson won Best Actress; Maura Tierney (The Affair) got the supporting prize. If youre familiar with all of the shows, youre a TV critic. Thats the best way to explain the choices. In the film division, The Martian, Steve Jobs and The Revenant won multiple awards, suggesting they could have clout when this weeks Academy Award nominations are announced. Look for The Martian (which won Best Comedy/Musical, and Best Actor for Matt Damon) to do well. The Revenant (which won Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Director and Best Drama) also should score. Steve Jobs (which got Best Supporting Actress for Kate Winslet and Best Screenplay) could have a tougher road to a Best Picture nomination. Spotlight, a critics darling, was shut out, but it should figure heavily in the Oscar nominations anyway. Thanks to his standing ovation, Sylvester Stallone looks like hes likely to repeat at the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor for Creed. Jennifer Lawrence won the Comedy Actress prize (for Joy); Brie Larson got the Drama Actress prize (for Room). Both will be in the hunt. Inside Out won Best Animated Film. The theme from Spectre got Best Song and The Hateful Eight won Best Score, all solid picks for the Oscars. The show? A let-down, particularly after Tina Fey and Amy Poehler lifted it during the past three years. Gervais told jokes that were more than a little insensitive, looked like he was bored to be there and didnt keep the others from offering their own bleep-worthy ad libs. The effect was like a financial planner talking to a room full of Powerball winners. Eva Longoria and America Ferrera had the best bit when they admitted folks might confuse them with Gina Rodriguez and Eva Mendes. And neither of us are Rosario Dawson. Ryan Gosling tried to appear irritated that he was presenting with Brad Pitt (yeah, right) and Jamie Foxx got good mileage out of Steve Harveys gaffe at the Miss Universe pageant. Sylvester Stallone probably had the best acceptance speech (thanking his imaginary friend Rocky Balboa) but Denzel Washington was woefully underprepared for his previously announced Cecil B. DeMille Award. Thanks to Sundays ceremony, DiCaprio looks like hes finally on track to win his first Oscar. He had that special something when he picked up his Golden Globe. Visit siouxcityjournal.com to read the rest of this blog entry. One letter can indeed make a difference. If you havent already, you should really make the change from HTTP to HTTPS on your business websites. Not only are HTTPS sites more secure, but Google is giving these sites a priority when indexing. If you want to know how much importance Google is placing on HTTPS sites, here is an important piece of data. Marketing scientist at MOZ, Dr. Pete Meyers, recently Tweeted that the MOZCAST 10K, a measure of top Google search results, now shows 25 percent of these are HTTPS sites. HTTPS: URLs are currently right around 25% of page-1 results in the MozCast 10K. Dr. Pete Meyers (@dr_pete) January 12, 2016 The MOZCAST 10K graphs SERP (Search Engine Results Page) feature history. The graph looks at changes in major SERP features over time. This latest graph, taken between December 17, 2015, and January 13, 2016, shows Googles SERP feature history. And guess what, HTTPS results are increasing. Thats a lot of acronyms, but thats just the world we live in! HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, and is a method of moving data around. Its a fast way to move data however its also not the most secure. But adding the S in HTTPS makes a big difference. Essentially the S in HTTPS is security, literally standing for Secure. This means data coming and going on your site is now encrypted using an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate that is hard to hack. Again more acronyms, but is goes to show how important security is to Google. Its also good to have more security on your business website where lots of sensitive information is probably shared. From the simple login page to more important information like credit card numbers, you want to make sure not only your information but also your customers information is secure. And so apparently does Google, as the MOZCAST 10K graph shows that HTTPS page-1 results have increased since the company announced giving HTTPS indexing priority. True its not the biggest increase, but it does show a steady growth. If you are wondering how to make the switch to HTTPS for your small business website check out our article on the subject. TOP Analysis, Prognoses and News about Greek - Albanian Relations and the Region. Remember this. The boat in the background along with a similar sized boat are credited with taking down a Riverine Command Boat bristling with weapons. Is it too much to think that even with available personal weapons they would have been able to repel an assault by these people? That is the major question I have. Weapons on hand, yet no resistance? Motoring away after saying that they had mechanical difficulty? And yet you still think you're being told the truth by the White House, State Dept, Pentagon and CENTCOM? The two RCBs were scheduled to conduct an underway refueling with the USCGC Monomoy in international waters at approximately 2 p.m. (GMT). At approximately 2:10 p.m. (GMT) NAVCENT received a report that the RCBs were being queried by Iranians. At approximately 2:29 p.m. (GMT) NAVCENT was advised of degraded communications with the RCBs. At 2:45 p.m. (GMT) NAVCENT was notified of a total loss of communications with the RCBs. Immediately, NAVCENT initiated an intensive search and rescue operation using both air and naval assets including aircraft from USS Harry S. Truman and the U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Coast Guard, U.K. Royal Navy and U.S. Navy surface vessels. At the time of the incident, two carrier strike groups were operating nearby. USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group was 45 miles southeast of Farsi Island and Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group was 40 miles north of Farsi Island. NAVCENT attempted to contact Iranian military units operating near Farsi Island by broadcasting information regarding their search and rescue effort over marine radio, and separately notified Iranian coast guard units via telephone about the search for their personnel. At6:15 p.m. (GMT), U.S. Navy cruiser USS Anzio received a communication from the Iranians that the RCB Sailors were in Iranian custody and were safe and healthy. NAVCENTs initial operational reports showed that while in transit from Kuwait to Bahrain the RCBs deviated from their planned course on their way to the refueling. The command investigation will determine what caused the change in course and why the RCBs entered into Iranian territorial waters in the vicinity of Farsi Island. At some point one RCB had indications of a mechanical issue in a diesel engine which caused the crews to stop the RCBs and begin troubleshooting. As the RCBs travel together, the second RCB also stopped. This stop occurred in Iranian territorial waters, although its not clear the crew was aware of their exact location. While the RCBs were stopped and the crew was attempting to evaluate the mechanical issue, Iranian boats approached the vessels. Based upon initial operational reports, the first boats on scene were two small craft with armed personnel on board. Soon after, two more Iranian military vessels arrived on scene also with armed personnel on board. Initial operational reports indicate there was a verbal exchange between the Sailors and the Iranians but no exchange of gun fire. Armed Iranian military personnel then boarded the RCBs, while other Iranian personnel aboard the Iranian vessels conducted armed over-watch of the boats with mounted machine guns. At gunpoint, the RCBs were escorted to a small port facility on Farsi Island where the U.S. Sailors disembarked and were detained for approximately 15 hours. At this point there are no indications that the Sailors were physically harmed during their detainment. The Navy command investigation will focus on the Sailors treatment while in Iranian custody, including any interrogation by Iranian personnel. All indications are that the RCB crews were detained by Iranian military personnel operating from Farsi Island. THIS IS FUCKING SUSPICIOUS AS HELL! This is beyond goofy and headed toward the scandal lane. via USNI News.First. A navigational issue? How could they make such a STUPID navigational mistake? Second. Mechanical issue? They didn't have an trouble getting the hell outta dodge once they were released. Third. Surrender to a couple of Iranians in RHIBs? So Iranian RHIBs are capable of taking down a USN Riverine Command Boat? Correction! A couple of Iranian RHIBs are capable of taking down TWO Riverine Command Boats?This doesn't make any sense. The cover story (yes, cover story) is silly and will only be acceptable to the extremely gullible. The Iranians did SOMETHING that the USN, Administration, CENTCOM and Pentagon don't want to admit.But ok, let's for a second ACT like we believe the bullshit being heaped on our plate. The proper reaction by the Navy should be to courts martial this Officer in Charge and kick him out of the service.We'll see how determined they are to stick to this version. Remember people, we've seen Ship Skippers removed for less. via Sputnik CAIRO (Sputnik) Yemen's armed forces have destroyed dozens of tanks, hundreds of armored vehicles, as well as numerous military aircraft belonging to the Saudi-led coalition since the beginning of its military intervention, army spokesman Brig. Gen. Sharaf Ghalib Luqman said Tuesday. "Dozens of tanks and hundreds of armored vehicles were burned, some of them became our trophies and are now being used," Luqman told RIA Novosti. "We have shot down ten Apache attack helicopters, three F-16 fighter jets and a lot of drones," he added. If the Saudi/GCC forces think they've had it bad before, just wait...it will get much worse. , 12 . ... 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 Email address protected by JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript to contact me. Matthew Saroff, Mechanical Engineer, Owings Mills, Maryland, US I reserve the right to reprint any email correspondence on my blog. If you want to keep your correspondence private, please tell me. A member of the Democratic wing of the Democratic party, and a fan of Bernie who thinks Neoliberal (DLC/New Dem) trickle down conomics sucks. Mechanical Engineer with a background in defense, electronics packaging, medical & food equipment, transportation, and manufacturing. In my spare time (Hah!), I am the developer of the Firefox addon, bbCode for Web Extensions (bbCodeWebEx). I have two cats, a black cat, and a gray and white long hair cat, who keep me on my toes. (Because he keeps attacking my feet) I am a Jew and a Zionist, who is married to a woman with exquisitely bad taste in men, and I have two remarkable children with her. 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. Thomas James "TJ" Hopkins, 41, of Chesapeake Beach passed away January 15, 2016 in Rockford, IL. He was born October 19, 1974 in Rockledge, FL to Thomas Young Hopkins and Babette (McConnell) Newman. TJ grew up in a Coast Guard family and lived in Florida, Georgia and Hawaii. He entered the Coast Guard in 1993 and attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School in 1994. TJ graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1999 with a Bachelor's degree in Government. He married Anna Katrina Hager in July of 2000 whom he met while attending the Naval Academy Preparatory School. Following his graduation TJ served aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Rush out of Honolulu where he served as Deck Watch Officer and Boarding Officer. He later volunteered to serve with Coast Guard forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom aboard Coast Guard Cutter Wrangell, home ported in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He also served as deputy of the Maritime Intelligence Center in Miami, FL. TJ received his Master's degree in Strategic Intelligence and was in charge of the counter smuggling analysis branch from June of 2009 until 2013. He then became the chief intelligence officer in San Francisco, a position he held from June of 2013 to November of 2014. TJ was an avid surfer and in his leisure time he enjoyed hiking, biking up Mt. Diablo, and trips to the beach. Most of all TJ loved his children and spending time with his family, especially his wife and kids. TJ is survived by his loving wife Anna Katrina Hopkins of Chesapeake Beach; daughter Sophia Hopkins and son Tristan Hopkins; brothers Joshua Hopkins of Ewa Beach, HI and George Kent of Savannah, GA and sister Rachelle Diaz of Melbourne, FL. He is also survived by his mother Babette Newman and her husband Frank of Melbourne, FL and father Thomas Hopkins and his wife Debbie of Ewa Beach, HI; as well as his grandmother Peggy Green and her husband Bob of Cape Canaveral, FL and grandfather Thomas Hopkins also of Cape Canaveral, FL. Arrangements provided by Rausch Funeral Home. BILLINGS - Gov. Steve Bullock has expanded prohibitions against discrimination in state employment and state contracts to include pregnancy, military service and gender identity. Bullock said in statement Monday that he was honoring the principles of equality fought for by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday was a federal holiday marking the civil rights leader's birthday. The executive order from Bullock, a Democrat, directs the Department of Administration to develop policies to enforce the prohibitions. The department is in charge of state personnel and contract procurement policies. The order also covers genetic information and medical conditions related to childbirth. It replaces a 2008 antidiscrimination directive from former Gov. Brian Schweitzer that was more narrowly written.| The governor's action was hailed by the Human Rights Campaign, which reportedly is the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. "Discrimination in any form is wrong, and through his actions today, Gov. Bullock has taken a bold step to expand equality and fairness for all," HRC President Chad Griffin said via email. "We commend him for doing everything in his administrative power to fight for the rights of LGBT Montanans, and hope his actions encourage other government officials to make safeguarding protections for all residents and visitors a priority." Currently there is no federal law or regulation that explicitly bans workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and Montana is one of 31 states where people are at risk of being fired or refused employment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the HRC stated. Bullock said 40 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual people report some form of employment discrimination based on their sexual orientation, and 90 percent of transgender people report harassment, mistreatment or discrimination on the job. Four cities - Bozeman, Butte, Helena and Missoula - have nondiscrimination ordinances that protect people who are LGBT from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. Staff Writer Phil Drake contributed to this Associated Press story. The executive order The following is the executive order No. 04-2016 issued Monday by Gov. Steve Bullock. The order prohibits discrimination in state employment and contracts: WHEREAS, Montana is a place that welcomes all people and recognizes the value of diversity; WHEREAS, Montana's Constitution affirms Montanans' basic human rights, declaring that "the dignity of the human being is inviolable"; WHEREAS, in Obgerfell et al. v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that "[t]he fundamental liberties protected by the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause extend to certain personal choices central to individual dignity and autonomy, including intimate choices defining personal identity and beliefs" and laws burdening this liberty interest also "abridge central concepts of equality"; WHEREAS, four in 10 lesbian, gay and bisexual people report experiencing some form of employment discrimination based on their sexual orientation, and 90 percent of transgender people report harassment, mistreatment or discrimination on the job; WHEREAS, four of Montana's largest communities have taken steps to expand workplace, housing, and public accommodation protections for LGBT residents and visitors; WHEREAS, 91 percent of Fortune 500 companies prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and 61 percent prohibit discrimination based on gender identity; WHEREAS, a 2013 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission study found that pregnancy-related discrimination complaints have increased significantly since an earlier study conducted in 1997; WHEREAS, our military service members, veterans, and their families have made and continue to make tremendous sacrifices for our country, and their diverse backgrounds, experience, discipline, specialized training, and leadership skills make them well-suited for public service; WHEREAS, nearly 100,000 veterans and their families call Montana their home; WHEREAS, federal and state laws prohibit employment discrimination against our nation's service members and veterans; WHEREAS, Montana is likely to face a worker shortage over the next decade, and this shortage will be exacerbated by discrimination that drives away talented and trained workers who want to live in a place where they are free from discrimination and harassment; WHEREAS, workplace protections are linked to greater job commitment, improved workplace relationships, increased job satisfaction, and improved health outcomes of employees; WHEREAS, denial of equal opportunity, discrimination, and harassment based on race, color, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth, political or religious affiliation or ideas, culture, creed, social origin or condition, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, military service or veteran status, or marital status is prohibited by state, federal, and local law, rule, policy, or executive order; and WHEREAS, Jan. 18, 2016, is the day our country honors civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. On this day, I am guided by words he wrote while jailed in Birmingham during our country's fight for racial equality "[i]njustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Letter from Birmingham Jail, Alabama, 16 April 1963, in Atlantic Monthly, August 1963. NOW, THEREFORE, I, STEVE BULLOCK, Governor of the State of Montana, by virtue of the authority vested in me under the Constitution and the laws of the State of Montana, do hereby order and direct the Department of Administration, which is charged with the administration of state personnel and procurement policies, and all agencies, managers, supervisors, and employees under the jurisdiction of the Governor, to take the following actions: 1. Develop and implement policies necessary to ensure that all persons employed or served by state government are afforded equal opportunity, without discrimination, based upon any of the above classes. 2. Take steps necessary to prevent and stop discrimination, sexual harassment, or harassment based on membership of any of the above classes. 3. Include provisions in state contracts or subcontracts for construction of public buildings or for other public work or for goods or services, in accordance with federal, state, local law, rule, policy, or executive order that all hiring must be on the basis of merit and qualifications and that there may not be discrimination based on any of the above classes by the persons performing the contract or subcontract. 4. The Department of Administration is directed to prepare a nondiscrimination policy applicable to all agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor, which includes specific language prohibiting discrimination, sexual harassment, and harassment based on membership in any of the above classes and an internal complaint procedure that remains continuously in effect. The policy shall make it clear that discrimination based on any of the above-named classes and sexual harassment or harassment based on membership in any of the above classes is a form of misconduct and anyone who is found to have violated the policy of non-discrimination and non-harassment will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment. The policy statement must be distributed to all department directors and heads of agencies that are subject to policies promulgated by the Department of Administration for further distribution to state employees. 5. The Department of Administration shall continue to assist state agencies in implementing and maintaining an Equal Employment Opportunity Program in state government. The program shall include non-discrimination and harassment awareness programs that emphasize harassment prevention and cultural diversity awareness with emphasis on Montana Indian Tribes. 6. Each agency head and its managers are responsible for compliance with and implementation of this Executive Order. 7. This Executive Order supersedes and rescinds Executive Order No. 41-2008, issued by Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Nov. 14, 2008. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday reversed a lower court opinion in a transgender Georgia womans employment discrimination lawsuit against an auto dealership and ruled that there is sufficient evidence for the case to be heard by a jury. Its the latest news in a six-year-long legal battle following Jennifer Chavezs January 2010 firing from her job as an auto mechanic at Credit Nation Auto Sales, a dealership in Austell that has since closed. The details of the case per a press release from Chavezs attorneys at The Law Office of Jillian T. Weiss, a New York-based law firm that specializes in cases involving employment discrimination against transgender individuals: In January 2010, Jennifer Chavez was fired from her job as an auto mechanic at Credit Nation Auto Sales, LLC, a company near Atlanta, for sleeping on the job. The termination came shortly after Chavez had transitioned to live authentically while working for the company and allegedly experienced a number of discriminatory incidents in the workplace, including being told to tone it down, not wear a dress to and from work, not talk about her transition with other colleagues, and not go into the restroom used by other female employees, among other incidents of of bias. The Eleventh Circuit opinion noted that Chavez offered evidence that her boss (James Torchia, President of Credit Nation) had told her, I know you [Chavez] are the best mechanic here and I have heard that from everyone. The ruling further states: And yet even though Chavez was an excellent employee and had no prior disciplinary history, after disclosing her gender transition, Chavez soon found herself the subject of discipline. Chavez asked the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to take her complaint and was denied on two separate occasions. On the third attempt, the Commission took the complaint, but ruled it too late. (The EEOC later acknowledged the error, and filed a brief in favor of Ms. Chavez.) The Law Office of Jillian T. Weiss then took on the case and ultimately filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court, receiving the initial ruling against Chavez that was overturned on appeal this week by the Eleventh Circuit Court. This is an important victory for transgender employees, but most importantly for our brave client, Jennifer Chavez, said Jillian T. Weiss, Ms. Chavezs attorney, in the press release. Ms. Chavez not only endured the initial discrimination but also three separate EEOC refusals to take her complaint and a lower court ruling against her. After six long years of ongoing legal proceedings, we are thrilled that this case will finally go to trial. No one deserves to be fired for being who they are and this ruling ensures that we can make our case before a jury once and for all. The case will now go back to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for trial. NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 15 January 2016. NASA NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Tim Peake completed the primary task for their spacewalk on January 15, 2016 before it was ended early by Mission Control Houston. The astronauts replaced a failed voltage regulator that caused a loss of power to one of the stations eight power channels last November, accomplishing the major objective for this spacewalk. See photos from the spacewalk. The pair ended its spacewalk at 12:31 p.m. EST with the repressurization of the U.S. Quest airlock following an early termination after Kopra reported a small water bubble had formed inside his helmet. These procedures did their job, the team did their job and we flowed right into a nice, safe return into the airlock for these guys, remarked NASAs Chief Astronaut Chris Cassidy, who took part in the July 2013 spacewalk when ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano experienced a similar, but more serious, incident. Listen to the full audio from the interview with NASA Chief Astronaut Chris Cassidy. Commander Scott Kelly assisted the crew members with an expedited removal of their spacesuits and helmets. Once they removed the spacesuits and helmets, the astronauts used a syringe to take a water sample and retrieve the helmet absorption pad to determine how much water was introduced. Engineers are already looking at data to find what may have prompted the water to form inside Kopras helmet. The crew was never in any danger and returned to the airlock in an orderly fashion. The 4 hour and 43 minutes spacewalk was the third for Kopra and the first for Peake, who both arrived to the station Dec. 15. It was the 192 in support of assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory. Teams will continue to look over data collected during the spacewalk and discuss forward plans in the days to come. On-Orbit Status Report Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #35: Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #35: Peake and Kopra egressed the Airlock at 7am CST in order to perform EVA #35. During the EVA, Kopras carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor failed and then later he noticed a water bubble in his helmet. Based on the trend, the Flight Control Team decided to terminate the EVA. The Phased Elapsed Time (PET) for todays EVA was 04:43 hours with Crew Lock ingress taking place at 11:40 pm CST. The objectives for the EVA are as follows: Sequential Shunt Unit (SSU) 1B: The new SSU was successfully checked out. Ground teams are in the process of configuring the 1B channel for normal operations. Remove and Replace Sequential Shunt Unit (SSU) 1B Completed Install Node 3 Non-Propulsive Vent (NPV) Completed Retrieve Camera Port 9 Light Deferred Route International Docking Adapter 3 Cables Partially Completed Mate Enhanced Processor and Integrated Communications (EPIC) MDM Ethernet Cable Deferred Todays Planned Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. Checking fuse LED indication on ???-4, ???-7 Fuse Boxes in MRM1 Closing USOS Window Shutters ISS HAM RADIO Power Down ISS Crew and ???? (RSA Flight Control Team) Weekly Conference Photo/TV EVA Camera Test EVA CUCU Deactivation EMU Preparation for US EVA USOS EVA Comm Config Life On The Station Photo and Video OTKLIK. Hardware monitoring and sensitivity threshold adjustment Vacuum Cleaning of ??1 and ??2 air ducts in DC1 EMU Prep for EVA Prebreathe in EMU BAR. ??-1 Ultrasound Analyzer Repair and Recovery EMU Prebreathe Assistance ??? Maintenance Charging ?? 718 IRIDIUM Phone Configuration setup, start charge Test activation of Vozdukh Atmosphere Purification System Emergency Vacuum Valves Crew Lock Depress Maintenance activation of Atmosphere Purification System Emergency Vacuum Valves [??? ???] from the Sparest Kit (??1??_3_321_1, Bag II-1/256-1, [???] Cover (007223R) Charging ?? 718 IRIDIUM Phone Battery Charge Status Charging ?? 718 IRIDIUM Phone Terminate Charging Maintenance activation of Atmosphere Purification System Emergency Vacuum Valves [??? ???] from the Spares Kit(??1??_3_321_1, Bag II-1/256-1, [???] Cover (007223R) Crew Lock Egress US EVA Preparation for SSU R&R Pre-packing Russian Cargo Items for Disposal via Cygnus AO-4 Pumping brine and urine from EDV-U to Progress 429 (SM Aft) Rodnik H2O Tank and Flushing connector ?? 719 IRIDIUM Phone Charging Initiate Charge Charging ?? 719 IRIDIUM Phone Battery Charge Status Recharging ?K 719 IRIDIUM Phone Terminate Charge, Teardown the Setup, Closeout Ops (???1???_2_224_1, CTB 1017 (002857J), Soft Container (00044322R) US EVA SSU R&R Changeout of Dust Filter ??1-4 Cartridges in SM (???431???_????1_?????????5. Discard the removed items. Reflect changes in IMS) US EVA Cleanup after SSU R&R MOTOCARD. Experiment Ops US EVA NPV Installation US EVA IDA 3 Cable Routing [Partially Complete] MOTOCARD. Operator Assistance with the Experiment Video Footage of Greetings ISS Crew Handover US EVA PMA3 Bolt Release [Deferred] US EVA CP9 Activities [Deferred] US EVA EPIC MDM Cable_W0087 Connection [Deferred] URYSIS Setup for Operation Crew Lock ingress Closing USOS Window Shutters EVA Glove Photo Setup Return to nominal comm configuration after US EVA US Post-EVA Cleanup PBA relocation Earth photo/video ops IMS Delta File Prep Completed Task List Items None Ground Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. System commanding associated with EVA Three-Day Look Ahead: Saturday, 01/16: USOS Airlock Deconfiguration, EVA Tool Stow, EVA debrief with ground Sunday, 01/17: Crew Day Off Monday, 01/18: SPHERES, MBSU Demo Day 1 QUICK ISS Status Environmental Control Group: Component Status Elektron On Vozdukh Manual [???] 1 SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1) Off [???] 2 SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2) On Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab Standby Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 Operate Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab Idle Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 Operate Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) Process Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Standby Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab Full Up Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 Off Artist's concept of Astrobee Robotic Free Flyer Freelancer.com Have you got what it takes to help NASA design a free-flying robot for the International Space Station? NASAs Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI), through the NASA Tournament Lab (NTL), partners with Freelancer.com to design concepts for a robotic arm for the Astrobee free-flying robot that will succeed the SPHERES robot on the International Space Station (ISS) by crowdsourcing parts from over 17 million freelancers from around the world. NASA is recruiting freelancers from Freelancer.com to design a concept for a robotic arm as part of a next generation free-flying robot that NASA is developing as a follow-on to the SPHERES autonomous free-flying robot on the ISS. The Astrobee free-flyer robot will have the capability to move around inside the space station on its own without interfacing or interfering with the space station. This type of robot is envisioned to perform a number of tasks that can be routine, repetitive, or simple but long-duration, such as surveys and inspections, serving as a mobile sensor platform, or even as a mobile camera to film activities or special events like astronauts speaking to school children. Astrobee will have many new capabilities, but one of the principal additions is a small, lightweight robotic arm, which will be used for perching and interacting with small objects. NASA is working on its own design but decided to also reach out to the crowd to come up with an alternative concept, which could provide complementary or enhanced capabilities. The project will be rolled out in three phases over the next few months: Phase 1, starting on January 14, will be a registration process that will allow NASA to select the top thirty freelancers that enter the first task of the competition. Phase 2 will require each of the thirty selected freelancers to break down options for the system architecture. Generating the system architecture for a product or system is a widely understood and used process to describe all the elements that make up the complete product or system. Even though this is a widely used process, there are always multiple ways to decompose or break down any given system. NASA wants freelancers to help them figure out multiple ways to approach creating a decomposed architecture of a complex system. Phase 3 will see NASA crowdsource the detailed designs of many of those subcomponents based on the specifications created by the thirty freelancers in phase 2 along with those from NASAs team using the wider pool of over 17 million freelancers on Freelancer.com. Freelancer.coms CEO Matt Barrie says: NASA and Freelancer.com achieved great success with crowdsourcing on Freelancer.com to build CAD models to help train the image recognition system of the Robonaut 2 robotic astronaut. We are now excited to be tapping into the collective ability of over 17 million freelancers to design a robotic arm that could possibly be used with the successor to the SPHERES robot on the International Space Station. It showcases the phenomenal breadth and depth of talent available worldwide on Freelancer.com. NASAs Director of Advanced Exploration Systems and the lead for the NASA Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, Jason Crusan says: NASA has grown in the multiple ways we engage the crowd to provide solutions to challenges we face when advancing complex space systems. This challenge continues that expansion and will help to create novel designs but also allow us to learn about sophisticated system design through the use of open innovation. We continue to explore the many ways to engage external innovators. This ambitious new partnership builds on a previous collaboration, which also crowdsourced the design of a Smartwatch app, which might in the future be used by astronauts. Over a thousand UX, graphic, engineering and industrial designers from all over the world took part in those challenges and helped NASA push the boundaries of human imagination and innovation. The latest contest can be viewed here. Previous successful partnerships between NASA and Freelancer.com can be viewed here. An overview of the NASA Tournament Lab can be viewed here. About Freelancer Eight-time Webby award-winning Freelancer.com is the worlds largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by total number of users and projects posted. More than 17 million registered users have posted over 9 million projects and contests to date in over 850 areas as diverse as website development, logo design, marketing, copywriting, astrophysics, aerospace engineering and manufacturing. Freelancer owns Escrow.com, the leading provider of secure online payments and online transaction management for consumers and businesses on the Internet. Freelancer Limited is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker ASX:FLN. About NASA Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) The challenge is managed by NASAs Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI). CoECI was established with support from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to assist NASA and other federal agencies in using new tools such as challenges to solve tough, mission-critical problems. The Center launches challenges under the umbrella of the NASA Tournament Lab and offers a variety of open innovation platforms that engage the crowdsourcing community in challenges to create the most innovative, efficient and optimal solutions for specific, real world challenges. FRENCH engineering company CCN Group has built a new production plant in Belusa in the Puchov district. Font size: A - | A + The investment is part of the companys increase in production capacity and it will bring dozens of new jobs to the region. The CEO of CCN Group, Nicholas Trouche, told the TASR newswire that this is a milestone that will make a huge contribution to the company as well as to the entire Trencin Region. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement In addition to increasing the production output of CCN Group, construction of the new plant also created new jobs. With this investment, about 80 new jobs have been created. CCN Group started operating in the Slovak market in 2004. One of the reasons we chose Slovakia is that there are many people with good-quality engineering education here as well as with experience in metal machining, Trouche said. We started in Povazska Bystrica where we built two smaller plants; however, their capacity failed to accommodate our needs and we thus decided to build one big production plant close to Povazska Bystrica. FRENCH culture has historically had a strong and lasting impact in Slovakia and this has never been missing for too long. Font size: A - | A + Recently, however, the more intense ties and influences between these countries celebrated 25 years, as the French Institute in Slovakia was established in 1990. The founding of the Institute Francais (FIS) in Slovakia even preceded the arrival of the French embassy. Negotiations with the Bratislava city administration resulted in the rental of the historical Kutscherfeld Palace where the institute still resides. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The festive opening on September 14, 1990 was attended by then-French president Francois Mitterand in person, with also the attendance of Slovak culture minister Ladislav Snopko and famous dissident politician from communist times, Alexander Dubcek, stated Michel Pouchepadass, the current head of FIS, to the TASR newswire. Celebrating 25 When asked why the FIS did not organise a single great event marking the 25th anniversary, Pouchepadass answered: We decided not to organise anything special as we would thus limit the number of people able to attend the celebrations. Instead, we made everything we organised between September and December 2015 a part of the celebration, being marked the 25th anniversary of the French Institute in Slovakia. This enabled us to address many more people those interested in painting, photography, film, lectures, the UN climatic conference COP21 in Paris and more. He added that for four months the anniversary had been celebrated also as part of the decoration of the institutes windows. Part of the series included the opening concert of the festival of classical modern music Melos-Etos on November 7 that offered French artist Serge de Laubier and the Electronic Joystick Orchestra who brought music to the Main Square, interactive VJing on the walls of the Old Town Hall and a site-specific performance called Bratislava 360. Other events connected with the anniversary included five photography exhibitions within the month of Photography 2015, many film screenings (at Bratislava film festivals and other venues), the performance of Stephane Kerecki at the Bratislava Jazz Days, French violinist Pierre Amoyal at the Bratislava Music Festival, participation in the White Night in Bratislava, many exhibitions and lectures, and more. Robert Doisneau: Los amantes del Hotel de Ville, 1950 (Source: Courtesy of Danubiana Museum of Art) French culture goes nation-wide Outside the capital, the events involving French culture were also connected with the anniversary. In addition to the activities of FIS, there are also two French Alliances in Banska Bystrica and Kosice organising language courses and a wide range of cultural, scientific and social events; but Pouchepadass noted that originally there were a total of seven of such alliances since 1990 . Concerning language courses, the head of FIS stressed their importance, as he considers them the gateway to foreign culture and lifestyle, but he also named other events and services of his institute, like the library and mediatheque, lectures and discussion that strive to address all generations, from young people to the elderly. Pouchepadass also stressed for TASR that the FIS was involved in the establishment of the Imro Weiner-Kral Prize in 2014. Weiner-Kral (1911-1978) was a Slovak painter from Povazska Bystrica who spent part of his life in France. The first edition of the prize went to Slovak glass artist Jan Zoricak whose works are famous globally and who also lives in France. In mid October 2015, two women received the prize: former head of the Cite Internationale des Arts, Simone Brunau, and Maria Horvathova. Our cultural presence [in Slovakia] is very important for us, as we have felt since the beginning a certain attractiveness and even demand of the Slovak population towards French culture, Pouchepadass said. It was necessary to react to this demand. I think that in France, this feeling, the hunger of the Slovak public for French culture was very strongly perceived, similarly as in other countries: Germany, the UK and the USA; all these countries arrived fully for cultural, but also political reasons, as the goal was to help the central and eastern European countries from the communist regimes. Prime Minister Fico has used the migrant crisis to bolster his standing ahead of March elections, but Slovaks are more concerned about economic issues. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Smers poll numbers have increased in direct correlation with the governments increasingly combative stance against taking migrants since the summer. Security, Smers campaign says, is the countrys top priority but Slovaks dont agree. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Smers political tactics are not unique, but the fact that they are succeeding here (which they are) is definitely curious. Removed from domestic party politics and separated out as individual issues Slovaks overwhelmingly disagree with Smers positions, and yet look set to vote for them anyway. In the Eurobarometer poll conducted during the second week of November, at the height of the refugee crisis, Slovaks were more concerned with unemployment, the economy generally, health care and a perceived rising cost of living than they were about immigration. Just 6 percent of Slovaks considered terrorism as one of the two most important issues facing the country the same amount that consider government debt to be one of the top problems. Slovaks are actually not that concerned about migrants, but at the same time are buying into Smers message that the country is under siege from migrants. This makes no sense. Most of the other survey results also indicate significant opposition to what Smer is doing on this front. For example, the government has sought to take on the EU by suing the European Council over is migrant redistribution plan. Whether they win the case or not seems to matter little before the election, but clearly the government thought that by taking this case to court they would be doing something politically popular. But Slovaks are much more supportive of the EU than one might think. A full 69 percent of Slovak respondents said they feel like a citizen of the EU and a majority of people (54 percent for, as opposed 37 percent against) are in favour of a common European policy on migration which is what the migrant redistribution plan is. In general, economic matters are almost always the single biggest concern of voters. Parties that are seen as doing a good job managing economic issues tend to stay in office, when the economic mood is sour people tend to vote for change. Objectively speaking, the economy is growing at a healthy pace, but people dont feel that it is. Two-thirds of Slovaks consider the domestic economy to be in a bad state, and amazingly more people than not (47 percent versus 43 percent) believe the worst of the economic crisis is still to come. All these numbers should almost certainly lead to defeat for an incumbent, and they raise questions about the logic of running a campaign that is based on security issues. Even though there is no indication Smer has convinced people into feeling that their safety is really threatened, they are nonetheless successfully persuading people to vote as if they do. The capital is ready to set up a tent camp or arrange for the opening of railway station waiting rooms to shelter the homeless. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled In an effort to help homeless people cope with their plight on freezing streets, the city of Bratislava is ready to set up a tent camp or arrange for the opening of railway station waiting rooms to shelter the homeless. Weather forecasts indicate freezing temperatures for this week. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement While the situation shouldnt be critical in Bratislava, we do not want to underestimate anything, said Bratislava Mayor Ivo Nesrovnal as cited by the TASR newswire. Nesrovnal spoke after city hall officials met on January 15 with representatives of homelessness outreach and street work organisations. With an eye towards setting up the tent camp, Nesrovnal has also talked to Interior Minister Robert Kalinak. The (Interior) Ministry is ready to help City Hall, said Nesrovnal. City Hall is operating a shelter called Mea Culpa with 36 beds, where an extra nine beds can be added. The Vincent St. Paul shelter is capable of adding an extra 70-80 beds on top of its regular capacity of 200 beds. If the additional beds arent enough or if the temperature dips below minus 10 degrees Celsius for a longer period of time, City Hall is ready to set up a tent camp, according to Bratislava City Hall. PRESIDENT Andrej Kiska donated his December salary of 5,220 to a re-socialising facility for the homeless, Resoty, founded by priest, communist-era dissident and altruist Anton Srholec. Font size: A - | A + The decision followed the wish of the recently deceased priest, Martin Liptak from the press department of the Presidents Office told the SITA newswire. Read also: Read also: Funeral celebrates life of dissident priest Srholec Read more Srholec died on January 7, 2016 at the age of 86. He was born on June 12, 1929 in Skalica. After he decided to study theology, which was not possible in then communist-Czechoslovakia, he tried to illegally emigrate abroad in 1951 to study there. However, he was caught and sentenced to 12 years in prison, of which he served 10, mostly in uranium mines in Jachymov; after his release in 1960, he was a labourer working at construction sites. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Later, he worked as a labourer and secretly studied theology also at the papal university in Torino. In 1970, he was ordained as a priest by Pope Paul VI, yet after he returned to Czechoslovakia, Srholec could not pursue a clerical career, and he was first a sexton and then a popular preacher in the Bratislava church of Blumental. He was also sent to smaller parishes in the vicinity of Bratislava. In 1985, he was stripped of state approval after he had organised religious festivities at Velehrad. He worked again as a labourer and retired in 1989. In the following years, after the fall of communism, Srholec was active in the Helsinki Committee and other organisations, as chairman of the Confederation of Political Prisoners of Slovakia (KPVS), and he mostly focused on working with homeless people. THE PRESTIGIOUS British daily The Guardian listed the High Tatras among the top 10 destinations for adventure holidays in Europe. For climbing some of Slovakias peaks a professional guide is required. (Source: Courtesy of slovakmountainguide.sk) Font size: A - | A + The author of the story describes the mountain hiking in the Slovak mountains as a less expensive alternative to the Alps which offers dramatic walks with 20 summits of over 2,500m in just 26km. The soaring views of rocky peaks, lush valleys and sparkling lakes are reward for burning thigh muscles, the story reads. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Read also: Read also: Discover natural wonders by foot Read more The author also recommends websites for planning the trips, accommodation and guided trips. Listing Slovak tourist destinations in similar rankings is a great way to lure more tourists to Slovakia, said Marta Kucerova, head of the Slovak Tourist Board (SACR). The High Tatras offer unforgettable adventure not only in the form of spectacular tourist trips in summer, but also adrenaline fun on the ski slopes, Kucerova said, as quoted by the SITA newswire. The number of British tourists who came to Slovakia between January and October 2015 increased 40 percent year-on-year. More Brits may come this year also thanks to similar news. Read also: Read also: The view from above Read more Slovakia has already been recommended by the LA Times, The Times, and also the travelling websites of CNN, BBC, The Economist, TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet, SITA wrote. NEARLY 10,000 Slovaks contributed to the financial collection for malnourished children in Nepal and Mauritania. Font size: A - | A + It was organised by the Slovak Committee for UNICEF before Christmas, the SITA newswire wrote. Within the campaign for Nepal, UNICEF collected altogether 7,420 which will be used for nourishment programmes for children. As for the Mauritania campaign, it collected a total of 9,964. The latter collection was joined by more than 100 schools across Slovakia which motivated their pupils to attend the collection as volunteers. The most money was collected in Bardejov (Presov Region), SITA wrote. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Moreover, everybody who sent a text message to the two collections participated in a competition to reveal the most generous group of Slovaks. The poll showed that women are more generous than men, and that people from eastern Slovakia are more generous than those from the western or central part of the country. We chose Nepal as a target country for funds we collect in this campaign because also in these days more than 3 million children aged less than 5 are threatened with death or illness during winter months as a result of serious lack of fuels, food, medication and vaccines, Juraj Misura, head of the Slovak Committee for UNICEF, told SITA. The lack of food and other commodities impacts mostly children living in the areas stricken by two big earthquakes back in April and May 2015. More than 200,000 families still live in temporary houses located at an altitude of more than 1,500 metres above sea level, where the weather conditions are the harshest. Ever since he was a student at the University of Amsterdam, Jeff Flink had a thing for the coffee business. He recalls frequenting the Coffee Company branch on Kinkerstraat and thinking: It could be cool to one day have something similar, with that vibe where you can chill. But I also thought: Okay, just first do something else. Lets see what the bad world has to offer. So after completing a degree in marketing and then working in advertising for about eight years, Flink was ready to quit flirting with, and full-on consummate, what had become a grown-up passion: In late 2014, he left his job as an ad accounts manager. By late 2015, there was Toki. The 90-square-meter property spreads over a storybook scene of a corner in Amsterdams Jordaan neighborhood. Espressos are pulled on a La Marzocco Linea PB. Filter is prepared with a Kalita Wave. Berlins Bonanza Coffee provides the two choices of roasts: a Seka Forest and an Espresso Blend, which combines the formers Ethiopian beans with some from Brazils Irmas Pereira farm. At the ready are twin Anfim Super Caimano On Demand grinders and, for smaller batches, a Mahlkonig Guatemala Lab. Coffee is Tokis core business, yet when asked about the place, Flink rarely, possibly never, utters the word cafe. It is moreas one side of its storefront sign readsa hangout. I wanted to have the Sunday feeling that I like: you start with a coffee or a nice tea, he explains. You might have a bite. But at the end of the day you can grab a beer that kind of vibe. Tokis name, says Flink, is a Japanese word meaning time or occasion, which he selected after a day of perusing multilingual dictionaries at the library. Other words that the 33-year-old Dutchman likes to use are vibe and chill. They come through in a Southern California-esque drawl that might have something to do with the 90s hip-hop he likes to play at Toki, though the breezy atmosphere belies his far more Manhattan-like work ethic. And although he has been putting in 12-hour shifts to stock and run the place single-handedlyexcept on Fridays and weekends, when a fellow industry fledgling helps outFlink makes no claims of being an expert. I will never be like that coffee nerd, he says, using the epithet as a compliment. For me, its more the complete lifestyle picture of doing good stuff with good coffee and learning a lot from ittrying to be on top of your game instead of being the top. Flink discovered Bonanza as a regular patron at the roasters Berlin cafe. He chose to serve their coffee at his own place because, as he puts it, the staff are real specialists, but still very relaxed, and, furthermore, really chill. This is also the reason he went to Bonanza for barista training. When or if time permits, Flink hopes to get more training, notably on presentation. The taste is good and the foam is good, but its not like the perfect heart or tulip, he admits of his latte art. I want somebody who can stand next to me and say, Just do this, and you can do this, and then you practice, practice, practice. So the macchiato markings may be rough around the edges, but little else at Toki is. Brand savvy and aesthetic exactitude have swayed each decor decision, from the staple-shaped fluorescent-light fixtures by Dutch duo Os and Oos to the army canvas loveseat by LAs Stephen Kenn. The piece de resistance is a Max Lamb-designed slab of Italian marblecream with autumnal flecks, evoking a nougat bar of Wonka proportionsthat has been fashioned into a tabletop, a bleacher-like settee, and a couple of bar boards. The beer comes from Crate Brewery in London. Tea from Brooklyns Bellocq is brewed via Hario drippers and served in vessels from P&T. Polish natural drinks company John Lemon supplies the rhubarb soda, one of several carbonated drinks available. The most exotic offering, however, travels the shortest distance: the labor- and butter-intensive kouign-amann, made, on Flinks request, by Petit Gateau, one of several Amsterdam bakers providing Tokis pastries. No matter what he is serving at the bar, Flink applies a quiet, monk-like concentration to his work. It is often punctuated, though, by a smile that causes the corners of his mouth to spread up to the corners of his eyes. His expression invokes Tokis logo: an eyeless smiley accompanied by the tagline go slow. His ad-man days are over, but Flink seems happy being the face of his own brand. Karina Hof is a Sprudge staff writer based in Amsterdam. Read more Karina Hof on Sprudge. According to Marandi, the US actions contravene the spirit of the nuclear agreement, reached by Iran and six world powers in July. "However, it simply serves as a reminder to Iranians that the US cannot be trusted," the professor stressed. Marandi added that the success of the nuclear deal is in line with US interests. "If the US hopes that it will be able to reinstate the sanctions regime using excuses such as Iranian missiles, terrorism, or human rights, they are mistaken. They will show the internationally [community] once and for all that the Iranian nuclear program was simply an excuse from the beginning of this manufactured crisis," he said. A source in the Saudi-based company Candid General Trading, which is affected by the fresh round of anti-Iran sanctions, told Sputnik that its management was unaware of the reasons for the measure. According to the US Treasury, the company was sanctioned for supporting or attempting to support another firm, Mabrooka Trading, which in turn was sanctioned for cooperating with the Iranian-based Navid Composite Material Company. "It was unexpected, nothing of the kind happened before," the source said. Moreover, Egypt is Africas second most populous country, a hub between Africa and the Middle East, and one of the most interesting markets, which seeks foreign direct investment, he added. "If you look around the Middle East, there are not many alternatives: Morocco is a much smaller, much less central country; Algeria is a very closed market; Tunisias too small; Libya, Iraq, and Syria are in turmoil, and the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council countries] are not in need of development aid. So, youre left with Egypt," Eibl outlined. Another expert, professor in International Relations at the University of St. Andrews Ian Taylor, suggested that Beijing was pursuing primary economic goals in Cairo. "Egypt is a strategic country and economically important in the MENA [the Middle East and North Africa region] so it makes sense for China to have good ties with Cairo," Taylor highlighted. At the same time, the expert expressed doubt that Egypt would become "an outpost" for Chinas political expansion in the region as well. "Egypt is in the pockets of the United States and is more interested in good ties with Washington," Taylor concluded, admitting, nevertheless, that diversifying relations is always a good idea. Xi travels to Egypt as part of a wider regional tour this week, which includes stops in Saudi Arabia and Iran. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi has visited China twice in his tenure, both times in 2015. The country's opposition parties denied links to the protests, although they recieved warnings, while some local leaders were arrested. The opposition Musavat Party made a statement, distancing itself from the protests, and blaming them on the authorities' failure to control price increases, RBK reported. On the other side of the spectrum, the reclusive and decidedly neutral nation of Turkmenistan has not faced any difficulties with protests, and plans to extend its president's term from five years to seven in the next constitution, which experts see as an attempt to hold on to falling popularity, according to Vestnik Kavkaza. Its exchange rate has also remained unchanged since January 1, 2015, despite falling revenues from its oil and gas. Russia's Gazprom-Export stopped buying natural gas from Turkmenistan on January 1, citing economic issues. While Turkmenistan still sells most of its natural gas to China, its next pipeline, heading to India through Afghanistan and Pakistan is not due to be completed until 2019. Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow responded to the crisis by firing the country's oil and gas minister and restructuring the ministry, after it failed to enter into new negotiations with Gazprom. Turkmenistan has also shut down sales of foreign currency at exchange bureaus, allowing only online exchange for Visa and MasterCard card holders for foreign trips and online purchases, with a $1,000 per month limit. "The Saudis know that the only way they can assure a high long-term price and demand for their oil stocks is to drive out alternative energy sources," Shields pointed out. However, "What matters is total current world demand and expectations of future world supply," Shields cautioned. Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of King Salman, has indicated that an IPO float could be made immediately following a review of the business, scheduled to be completed within the next several months. "Liquefying some assets now, preventing security considerations from encouraging new producers [and] stiffing Iran may be issues they have to factor in, but they are probably subsidiary considerations." Experts say the launching of such an IPO would be probably undertaken to feed state coffers amid weak energy prices, while the Saudi government monitors the actual value of its national wealth. However, Shields pointed out that while Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed was clearly pursuing the traditional Saudi aim of keeping revenue high while maximizing market share, he was looking at a bold new way for Riyadh to do so. "It may just be that he fancies having a bit of fun in pursuing the traditional goals in his own way," he told Sputnik. Shields also expressed skepticism that the Saudis needed to plan for long-term, structurally low global oil prices. "My assumption is that oil prices will spike up again before too long whether to $50, $80 or $120, I have no view," he said. Even a small Aramco IPO of five percent at a valuation of $1.5 trillion, Business Insider pointed out, would still amount to $75 billion. Jon Shields served as deputy division chief at the IMF Africa Department. He previously was a mission chief for Equatorial Guinea, Malawi, Liberia, Angola and Gambia. Shields also headed the Fiscal Transparency Unit at the IMFs Fiscal Affairs Department. The main beneficiary was the organisation that now calls itself the Islamic State. This began as the Iraqi branch of the global jihadi terrorist group Al-Qaeda. It took advantage of the vacuum created by the Syrian army's withdrawal from Syria's desert regions to expand into Syria and to establish itself there. As the best organised, most violent and most militant of the jihadi groups that form the core of the Syrian rebellion, it quickly achieved predominance especially as it focused on seizing territory rather than fighting the Syrian army. In 2014 it went on the offensive in Iraq, seizing the important city of Mosul. Shortly after it declared itself the Islamic State and proclaimed its leader the man known as Ibrahim Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Islam's Caliph. The Islamic State is said to have a Wahhabist or Salafist ideology, like those in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and like that of its original parent, Al-Qaeda. Actually it combines Salafism with an apocalyptic vision previously unknown to Islam. As it says its leader is the Caliph it claims to be the only legitimate government for Muslims. It rules the areas it controls by violence and terror, backed by money it gets from the Gulf and from the illegal oil trade. All this explains why following Russia's military intervention in Syria it is doomed. The Russian military intervention means there is no danger of the Syrian government collapsing as looked possible just a few months ago. The Syrian army has now been able to go on the offensive, and is advancing on all fronts. The Islamic State cannot withstand the Syrian army backed by the Russian airforce and Iran and Russia. However if it fails to hold the territory it has seized its claim to be the Islamic State collapses. The only way the Islamic State could survive would be if the US and its allies acted to save it. Its appalling violence and megalomaniac pretensions means that for the US it is however an embarrassment not an asset. The main thing Its grotesque antics have achieved is to unite world opinion behind the Syrian government and Russia. Instead of willing the Islamic State's survival, the US would far rather it disappear so it can support the other jihadi terrorist groups the so-called "moderates" without embarrassment. That seals the Islamic State's fate. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik. Looking back now, it seems amazing how this Western brainwashing managed to get away with such scare tactics. And to a large degree it worked back then. It allowed the US and its NATO allies to build up a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons that could annihilate the planet many times over; it permitted the US in particular to militarily interfere in dozens of countries all over the world, subvert their governments and implant brutal dictatorships all on the pretext of defending the "free world" against "evil Russians". Last week, we got a reprise of the Cold War brainwashing formula. Britain's Daily Telegraph, a notorious purveyor of psychological warfare, ran a report which cast Russia and President Vladimir Putin as a malign specter trying to break up European unity by "funding political parties" and "Moscow-backed destabilization". The newspaper, mockingly known as the "Torygraph" because of its deep links with Britain's rightwing political establishment, quoted anonymous British government officials as saying: "It really is a new Cold War out there. Right across the EU we are seeing alarming evidence of Russian efforts to unpick the fabric of European unity on a whole range of vital strategic issues." It was also reported in the same article that the American Congress has ordered James Clapper, the US National Intelligence Director, to "conduct a major review into Russian clandestine funding of European parties over the last decade." European political parties suspected of alleged Russian manipulation include Britain's Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn, France's National Front led by Marine Le Pen, as well as others in Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Austria and Greece, according to the Daily Telegraph. Not one scrap of evidence was presented to substantiate the story of alleged Russian conspiracy to destabilize European politics. Typical of old Western Cold War propaganda dressed up as "news" the accusations leveled against the Russian government relied on innuendo, prejudice and demonization. Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin are "malign" because, well, er, we say they are "malign". What's really going on here is that the European Union is indeed straining at the seams because massive numbers of ordinary citizens have become so disillusioned with the undemocratic monstrosity. That disaffection with the EU applies to voters of both rightwing and leftwing parties. Economic policies of unrelenting austerity, rising unemployment and poverty, and draconian cutbacks in public services while banks, corporate profits and a rich minority keep getting richer and richer has alienated vast swathes of the EU's 500 million population. The EU's political leadership, whether called Conservative, Liberal, Socialist or whatever, has shown itself to be impotent to create more democratic policies and meet the needs of the public. In the eyes of many Europeans, the established political parties are all the same, all slavishly following a form of capitalist welfare for the already super-rich. Contacts between Russia and the United States on the Ukrainian crisis would be welcomed if they bring a settlement to the issue in eastern Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. I welcome anything that would lead to settling the conflict, Steinmeier said in response to Russian Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov and US Undersecretary Victoria Nulands meeting in Kaliningrad. I dont know the contents [of the meeting] and I only know what the press is saying, but if the concluded agreements lead to [settling the conflict], then they would be welcomed, Steinmeier added. Kiev has been conducting a military operation in Ukraines eastern regions since April 2014. In February, Kiev and Donbass militia signed a deal on Ukrainian reconciliation in Minsk, which stipulated a ceasefire and the withdrawal of weapons from the line of contact. Under the deal, constitutional reforms aimed at decentralizing power in Ukraine and the initiation of local elections in Donbas must have been concluded before the end of 2015. The country's regions of Donetsk and Lugansk agreed to postpone their local elections until 2016. Before elections in those regions can take place, Ukraine authorities must fulfill all the Minsk agreement obligations. "The limit of the burden in Germany objectively exists, and has been reached. There are limits to integration and to the labor and housing market, and for that matter to the social system." #Merkel's transport minister calls for #Germany to close its borders or risk #EU collapse https://t.co/vhBx4s5lpM Josie Le Blond (@josieleblond) 19 2016 Dobrindt criticizes Merkel: 'It's not adequate to show a friendly face,' reported Munich Merkur. Dobrindt said he disagreed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's opinion that the open borders principle of the Schengen Zone is integral to the survival of Europe. Instead, he wants the chancellor to "give a clear signal to the world: not everyone who is in search of a better life can come to Germany." "Only the opposite of the sentence that 'the closure of the borders would lead to the failure of Europe' is true. A failure to close the border, and keeping this up, would bring Europe to its knees." "We need a rapid change in the situation, in the knowledge that this can have an impact on Germany's image in Europe. It's not adequate any more to show the world a friendly face," said Dobrindt. On Monday, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann responded to an entreaty from the CDU's Volker Kauder, head of the CDU/CSU Bundestag coalition, to give time and patience to Merkel's plan to reduce the number of migrants and refugees in Germany, saying "it's not about the impatience of the CSU, but actual developments that mean we must come to decisions quickly." CSU representatives in the Bavarian parliament have drawn up a 12 point plan to present to the German Chancellor when she arrives to meet with them in the state on Wednesday. "Fluchtlingsfrage bei Klausur in Kreuth: CSU empfangt Merkel mit zwolf Forderungen" https://t.co/LVoWJh5iFp pic.twitter.com/y5E0ZDghko MOISES GONZALEZ (@mgd_1970) 18 2016 'Refugee issue at a meeting in Kreuth: CSU receives Merkel with 12 demands,' reported Spiegel. The plan states that "the limits of our capacity in recent months have been more than exceeded. Our population rightly expects that we restrict immigration." The document reports that in the first half of January, on average 3,000 people arrived in Bavaria each day. MOSCOW (Sputnik), Alexander MosesovOn Monday, a massive anti-refugee rally took place in a small town of Heesch in the Netherlands over plans to construct a center to accommodate 500 asylum seekers in the town with a population of merely 12,500. About 1,000 people took to the streets after clashing with riot police. "Our unit is called Oost-Brabant, and in Oost-Brabant, a couple of thousand policemen are working, ready to react all over our region. If necessary, we can ask colleagues from other places," the press officer said answering a question whether local police units have enough staff to deal with massive demonstrations and rallies. He added that youth arrested during the protest in Heesch arrived from the nearby towns. The EU's quotas for Ukrainian chicken meat amount to 16,000 tonnes per year, around 1.3 percent of Ukraine's total production. Kosyuk said that his business exports 250,000 tonnes of chicken meat every year. Kosyuk also blamed the Netherlands' upcoming referendum on the Ukrainian association with the EU on a conspiracy of Dutch agricultural producers. "I am convinced that the referendum Holland has made up regarding ratifying the EU's Association Agreement with Ukraine is one of the ways bywhich Dutch manufacturers, at least agricultural ones, are trying to shield themselves from Ukraine. And we know who is doing this" Quota Problems Ukraine's agriculture ministry noted problems with reaching agricultural quotas in July 2015, when the EU implemented a provisional free trade agreement with Ukraine. Ukraine's membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) free trade area, which covers much of the Soviet Union, was suspended after Ukraine joined the EU's free trade area on January 1, 2016. Like many in Ukrainian business circles, Kosyuk initially favored the protests and coup which ousted Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovych over his break from the Association Agreement with the EU in 2013. During protests in the lead-up to the coup, an infographic was circulated among activists, detailing trade with the EU, as an argument that the country's trade with the union can be an alternative to trade with Russia. The infographic showed Ukraine's exports to the EU in 2012, which appear to essentially mirror the quota policy. In an attempt to put pressure on Israel over the creation of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, the resolution called for a "fundamental change of policy" by Benjamin Netanyahu's government to help "enhance stability and security for both Israelis and Palestinians." "Recalling that settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two state solution impossible, the EU reiterates its strong opposition to Israel's settlement policy and actions taken in this context. It urges Israel to end all settlement activity and to dismantle the outposts erected since March 2001, in line with prior obligations. Settlement activity in East Jerusalem seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States." The council also called for the lifting of the blockade of Gaza, which has crippled the Palestinian economy by preventing a flow of goods into the Palestinian enclave for close to a decade. It's understood that Israel lobbied Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Bulgaria and Czech Republic to form a bloc and oppose the resolution, however all rejected the plea. Further Dent in EU-Israeli Relations MOSCOW (Sputnik)In its 162-page report, entitled "Occupation, Inc.: How Settlement Businesses Contribute to Israels Violations of Palestinian Rights," Human Rights Watch urged businesses to stop servicing Israeli settlers. "Settlement businesses unavoidably contribute to Israeli policies that dispossess and harshly discriminate against Palestinians, while profiting from Israels theft of Palestinian land and other resources," HRW business director Arvind Ganesan said. Israel has constructed over 230 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since its war with Palestinians in 1967. HRW stressed that businesses trading with settlers are helping these communities grow. BERLIN (Sputnik)The progress that has been made in the past year of negotiations on Syria is being put at risk by the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday. "Last year we were able to take the first small steps towards the Syrian settlement. But after the executions in Saudi Arabia, and the attacks on Saudi diplomatic mission in Tehran and complications that arose in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, we may not be fully rolled back, but much has been threatened, " Steinmeier said during a press conference at the Foreign Press Union. In early January, a diplomatic row erupted in the Middle East, with Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia severing diplomatic ties with the regions main Shiite power, Iran. The crisis came after protesters stormed the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Iran in response to Riyadh's execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Over 40 metric tons of humanitarian aid, including dry rations, have been delivered to areas in Syria surrounded by militants, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. "The Russian air group deployed in Syria is continuing a humanitarian operation aimed at delivering food and emergency supplies to areas besieged by terrorists," spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters in Moscow. According to the spokesman, some aid, such as non-perishable food items, were provided by the Syrian government. "Qatar has indeed supported a political settlement from the first day. In addition, we support all organizations and international initiatives aimed at finding a political solution, provided that it shall be satisfactory to all parties," Tamim added. For his part, Mirzayan believes that "such a sharp change in rhetoric" is not mere diplomatic courtesy: "The emir is simply adapting, and it's no secret that Qatar is now in a very difficult situation." This, the journalist notes, is the result of Qatar's regional conflict with Saudi Arabia. "After former emir [Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani's] plans to seize the leadership of the Middle East collapsed [in 2013], he was forced to resign, and it fell upon his son, Tamim, to improve relations with Doha's neighbors, who had long sought to put the emirate in its place." The new government's "plans did not succeed. Less than 10 days after Tamim's accession to the throne, the Egyptian military, in an unholy alliance with the Saudi monarchy, toppled the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt, in whom the Qataris had invested a great deal of effort and resources. The new emir found himself isolated, and was forced to maneuver desperately to salvage the emirate's influence in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and its allies presented Doha with an ultimatum looking to deny Qatar any influence in the region." Likening the Iranian leadership's agreement to Western demands to a "capitulation," and pondering why Tehran may have agreed to such conditions, Buchanan challenged his hawkish colleagues' answer, which is that Iran did it "to get $100 billion." The reality, the analyst suggests, is that "the money Iran is getting back belongs to Iran. It is not foreign aid. The funds had been frozen until Iran accepted our conditions. The sanctions worked." Moreover, "there is another reason Tehran may have submitted: When Iran said it did not have a nuclear bomb, it was telling the truth. Indeed, it is Iran's accusers, many from the same crowd that misled and lied to us when they said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, whose credibility is in question today." "Iran's accusers," Buchanan argues, "should produce their evidence, if any, that Iran had, or still has, a nuclear bomb. Otherwise, they should shut up with the lying and goading the US into another war that will leave us with another trillion-dollar debt, ashes in our mouths, and thousands more dead and wounded warriors." "Europe was pummeled by crises from start to finish in 2015, with terrorist attacks, bankruptcy brinkmanship and an unparalleled refugee influx combining to leave continental unity in tatters by year's end," Griff Witte of The Washington Post emphasizes. Berger points out that the EU's founding principles have been put in jeopardy: on January 4, 2015 Berlin announced that a common visa policy in the Schengen Area has been endangered by new border control measures introduced by Sweden and Denmark. EU member states are at pains to stem the increasing tide of refugees. However, at the same time they are undermining one of the union's most important principles the freedom of movement within the EU in a bid to ensure security. "With a growing fear of ISIS [Daesh] and international terrorism more broadly, the Schengen agreement risks being broken in 2016, and as more governments take legal action (as with Slovakia's fight in the European Court of Justice), a divergence of national perspectives will dominate European policy," Ian Bremmer, the president and the founder of Eurasia Group and the group's Chairman Cliff Kupchan write in their Top Risks 2016 prognosis. It is an open secret that Ankara has been allowing foreign jihadis to cross the Syrian-Turkish border in order to join numerous Islamist groups, fighting against Syria's legitimate President Bashar al-Assad. Remarkably, Can Dundar, the editor in chief of the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, and Erdem Gul, the newspaper's Ankara bureau chief were arrested by the Erdogan regime after shedding light on Ankara's arms smuggling to Islamic extremists. Ankara has repeatedly denied allegations regarding its involvement in aiding Islamist militants in Syria. However, in March 2013 C. J. Chivers and Eric Schmitt of The New York Times reported that "with help from the CIA, Arab governments and Turkey have sharply increased their military aid to Syria's opposition fighters in recent months, expanding a secret airlift of arms and equipment for the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, according to air traffic data, interviews with officials in several countries and the accounts of rebel commanders." But that is not all. Cartalucci points to Deutsche Welle's (DW) 2014 report "IS' [Daesh] supply channels through Turkey," telling of fleets of trucks moving from Turkey to Raqqa, the de facto capital of Daesh. "Every day, trucks laden with food, clothing, and other supplies cross the border from Turkey to Syria. It is unclear who is picking up the goods. The haulers believe most of the cargo is going to the "Islamic State" militia. Oil, weapons, and soldiers are also being smuggled over the border, and Kurdish volunteers are now patrolling the area in a bid to stem the supplies," the report stated. So why the sudden change of heart? According to Svobodnaya Pressa columnist Svetlana Gomsikova, the answer is simple: " pragmatism ." Clinton's answer at the debate (i.e. that everything will depend on 'what the US gets in return'), is "purely pragmatic," the journalist argues. "For example, Clinton recalled that seven years ago, the US received permission for the transit of NATO military cargo to Afghanistan via Russia, reached an agreement with Moscow on the limitation of nuclear weapons, and another one on sanctions against Iran." "What she did not mention," Gomsikova adds, "is that the symbolic red button which she presented to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva in 2009 as a symbol of the reset of relations between Washington and Moscow was slightly defective." The famous red button on a yellow and black base featured a minor translation error. Instead of reading 'perezagruzka' (reset), the button actually read 'peregruzka' (overload). Written off as a minor flub at the time, Gomsikova recalls that in fact, the error "eventually proved to be prophetic. Clinton had promised Lavrov, who called her attention to the mistranslation, that Washington would not allow for an 'overload' of US-Russian relations. Then there was Libya, Syria, and Ukraine" Commenting on Clinton's change of tune, and the prospects for a real 'reset' in relations between Moscow and Washington, Sergei Samuylov, the head of the Center for Research of US Foreign Policy Mechanisms at the Moscow-based Institute for US and Canadian Studies, told Svobodnaya Pressa that "for openers, Hillary Clinton is a leader of the Democratic Party. And the Democrats recognized even ahead of the 2008 election that America is not omnipotent, and cannot lead the world on its own." It was a very serious and substantive debate. Therefore, I've asked a couple of comedians to join me and Desi Doyen to help us make sense of it all! Incredibly enough, it is also the last scheduled debate before voters actually go to the polls and caucuses in Iowa and New Hampshire about two weeks from now to cast the very first votes of the 2016 cycle. So, with all of that in mind, today, unlike on our debate coverage up until now on The BradCast, I've invited actual advocates for each of the two front-runners, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, to have it out and make their best case for their respective candidates. Joining me on today's raucous, lively and occasionally very funny program "A critical incident investigation has been launched following the death of a man during a confrontation with police at a north-west Sydney police station," NSW police said. No officers have been reported injured. In his letter, Storchevoy reminded that Annex 17 to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, as well as ICAO document 9554, require that states keep the level of threat to civil aviation within their territory under constant review. Ukraines responsibility over not closing down its airspace is downplayed in the final DSB report, Storchevoy noted, adding that the information on real threats to the safety of civil flights arising from the military activities in the countrys east was either distorted or concealed. Flight MH17 was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, when it was downed. The crash claimed the lives of all 298 people on board. The DSB initiated the international investigation into the incident since most of the victims were Dutch citizens. The appeal of the relatives of the MH17 eastern Ukraine plane crash victims to unveil radar images of the incident falls beyond the scope of the civil aviation convention, the communications chief at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) told Sputnik. Relatives of the MH17 victims sent a letter to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on January 13, asking him to put pressure on the United Nations or ICAO to get hold of Ukrainian, Russian and US radar images of the scene made at the time of the crash in hope they would shed light on who launched the missile that allegedly struck the plane down. "This type of appeal falls beyond the scope of Annex 13 (Accident Investigation) to the Convention on International Civil Aviation," Anthony Philbin said. The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, crashed over the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Li emphasized that Russia and China, both of whom suffered huge human losses during WWII, had drawn similar conclusions from the worlds bloodiest conflict and intended to maintain friendly relations with other nations. Moscow and Beijing have to strongly oppose any attempts to distort the history of World War II, Chinese Ambassador said. "History can not be distorted. World War II ended 70 years ago. Until now, some countries do not want to sensibly assess its lessons. China and Russia, and those people who value peace and justice, should, must preserve high vigilance and resolutely oppose such provocative statements and actions," Li said at a press conference in Moscow. He stressed that Russia and China fought "shoulder to shoulder" in the war against Nazism and suffered huge losses. The ambassador added that the two countries made a great contribution to the victory over Nazism. In 2015, Russia and China, among other countries around the world, celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. In May, Moscow held its largest-ever military parade to mark the victory. Ahead of the anniversary events, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern that some East European and Baltic nations attempt to glorify Nazism and distort the Second Worlds War history. A large-scale military parade was held in Beijing in September to commemorate the anniversary of Chinas victory in the War of Resistance against Japan and the end of WWII. Left. Anna Pintor with a flap-footed lizards (Pygopodiae) . Photo c redit: Image courtesy of James Cook University.Right pygopodids are legless geckos. JCM James Cook University scientists have found lizards exposed to rain, hail and shine may cope better with extreme weather events predicted as a result of climate change than their fair-weather cousins.A new study by JCU PhD student Anna Pintor, published in the journal, is one of the first to test the Climatic Variability Hypothesis (CVH) -- which proposes that animals living in environmentally variable areas should be able to tolerate more environmental fluctuations as a result.This idea is a key assumption of the controversial Rapoport's Rule -- which states that a species at higher latitudes with variable weather conditions leads to the evolution of wider environmental tolerances which leads to a requirement for a larger range size.Ms Pintor, along with supervisors Professor Lin Schwarzkopf and Professor Andrew Krockenberger from the Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, used three groups of Australian skinks for their analysis.Their results confirm, in all three groups, that species living in regions with greater temperature variability have both greater environmental tolerances and wider ranges -- both in terms of latitude and altitude.Andrew Krockenberger explains the importance of this result to advancing scientific thought "The literature is full of examples of species that do and don't fit Rapoport's rule," he said. "We've shown what is important is the actual underlying mechanism -- that species that can deal with a high degree of variability at a single site also end up with more extensive geographic ranges."Arguing about whether or not Rapoport's rule is valid is irrelevant and misses the point -- let's start making sure we understand the underlying process instead."Lead author Anna Pintor said if we want to understand impacts of climate change in the future, we need to know how species' current distributions come about it the first place."Understanding underlying mechanisms like the CVH is one way to do that, but we need to do a lot more before we can tell exactly how species will be impacted and how to best help them deal with climate change."CitationAnna F. V. Pintor, Lin Schwarzkopf, Andrew K. Krockenberger. Rapoport's Rule: Do climatic variability gradients shape range extent?, 2015; 85 (4): 643 DOI: 10.1890/14-1510.1 Three of the highest priced horses sold in Monday's January Select Mixed Sale at The Meadowlands will be headed north of the border as two friends look to move forward following the Classy Lane Training Centre fire that claimed the lives of 43 horses earlier this month. Lindys Tru Grit fetched the highest price of the session. The multiple stakes-winning regally-bred racehorse was collared by Ontario's Brad Grant for $125,000. Grant lost four horses in the fire, all trained by Ben Wallace. I lost a great horse in Apprentice Hanover, said Grant. I got a lot of comments from horsepeople who thought this was going to be his year. But you get back up and you go back at it. This gets Ben back up and running and racing right away. Weve known each other for 40 years and hes probably trained my horses for 20 or 25." In addition to Lindys Tru Grit, Grant also purchased four-year-old female pacer A Plus for $80,000 and three-year-old male pacer Easy Lover Hanover for $70,000. I wanted a top-end trotter and I think (Lindys Tru Grit) was the best one in the sale by far. I think hes just one step below the great ones. Hell fit in Toronto; hell race real well against the Preferred up there. Im excited about it. I want top-end horses and I think all three of them will be. In 51 career starts, Lindys Tru Grit (Cantab Hall - True Lindy) has a 10-10-6 record and a mark of 1:52.1 taken last year at The Meadowlands. The six-year-old trotting stallion knocked off some of the division's best as a three-year-old, winning the Simcoe at Mohawk as well as the American National at Balmoral Park. As an aged horse, he's knocked heads with the best open trotters on the continent. A Plus doesn't have the stakes resume that Lindys Tru Grit might have but the talented pacer does have impeccable form on her side. In her most recent start, the four-year-old American Ideal - Has An Attitude paced in 1:51.3 -- just three ticks off her lifetime best. A Plus and Easy Lover Hanover were both previously trained by Tony Alagna. I talked to Tony about them and he was high on them both, Grant said. Theyll fit in classes in Toronto right away. Thats the part we do like. I think the mare could end up being an outstanding mare down the road. Were excited about both of them. Grant said the outpouring of support from the industry following the Classy Lane fire was overwhelming. A GoFundMe page set up by the Central Ontario Standardbred Association has raised more than $365,000 so far. Its been amazing, Grant said. Its just amazing, the outpouring from everywhere. Its not just locally, its everywhere. Its been tremendous. Youll never get over what you lost. Theyre as much your family as they are racehorses. Theyre your life. Its been devastating. But the industry rallied around it. Its just an amazing industry. You cant say enough about the people in it. You want to win every race and beat them every night, but when somebody is down on their luck this industry seems to rally around them. While these three horses will be heading to Canadian soil, one prominent competitor will be leaving. Dont Rush was purchased by trainer Josh Green for $100,000. Now four, Dont Rush (Infinitif - Color Me Pretty) posted eerily similar campaigns at two and three -- each time earning a shade over $296,000. I loved the look of him, Green said. I loved the size; hes just kind of a medium-small horse. I just thought he was well made. Ive bought some horses from Dustin Jones and hes a great trainer and does a nice job with them. He helps me out with them. Hes a good guy. (Dont Rush) will start out at Dover and well see how it goes from there. But hell probably finish out the meet at Dover. Its always tough buying the three-year-olds turning four. Theres always high risk there. But I think the horse has been a pretty consistent horse. The four-year-old year, our big thing is to just try to protect them. The back-to-back Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final winner was campaigned by trainer Dustin Jones, who co-owned the trotting stallion with Greg Judson. Four-year-old trotting stallion Maestro Blue Chip was next on the list of top-selling horses. He was purchased for $90,000 by Richard Poillucci of Massachusetts. The horse, who has won three of 14 races in his career and earned $84,173, will be trained by Jim King Jr. and is being pointed toward Aprils Yonkers Raceway/SOA of New York Bonus Trotting Series. Maestro Blue Chip was trained previously by Trond Smedshammer, who guided the horse to a career-best 1:53.4 win on Jan. 8 at the Meadowlands. It was the horses first time on Lasix. Hes a young, fresh trotter, said Poillucci, who owns seven horses and was among the owners of late trotting star Modern Family. Fresh horses are hard to come by. Well see how he matures and how he progresses. That was the horse I was looking at. I thought he was the best for what I was looking for. The average price for the sale's 225 racehorses was $24,551, while the 33 stallion shares entered in the sale brought an average just under $10,000 at $9,860. To view the results from Monday's sale, click the following link: January Select Mixed Sale Results. (with files from HRC) On Monday, January 19, the Georgia Horse Racing Coalition unveiled its vision for a new racetrack that would include adjacent areas for residential and commercial undertakings. As an article by The Augusta Chronicle explains, horse racing is currently legal in the state, but betting on them is not. Separate pieces of legislation in regard to wagering on horse racing are currently in the legislature, and if the bills are ultimately passed, the issue could be addressed by voters via a ballot question. The coalitions vision, as it is currently viewed, would require 250 acres. The group has said that the proposed undertaking does not yet have a location, but the The Augusta Chronicle article states that the location would likely be in metro Atlanta. The coalition has stated that its aspirational goal is to reinvent Thoroughbred racing through this transformational project and that Georgia racing will set the course for the future. Our goal is to reinvent horse racing by combining a race track with a mixed-use development and park to create the ultimate fan experience at no expense to taxpayers, the coalitions president, Dean Reeves, has said. Reeves is also the owner of the 2013 Breeders Cup Classic winner, Mucho Macho Man. (With files from The Augusta Chronicle) The results are in from the stallion auction that took place last week in support of the victims of the tragic barn fire at Classy Lane Training Centre, and the numbers are encouraging. Officials with starquine.com have informed Trot Insider that the auction which featured breedings to Standardbred, Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse stallions raised a total of $25,701 for the official Classy Lane Fire Relief Fund (complete details here). Donors included Baymorr Stables, Park Stud Spring Farm, Shannondoe Farm and Phil Hudon. Breedings to Standardbred stallions Big Jim and Cash Register went up for auction, along with breedings to a pair of Quarter Horse studs (Bar Frenchman, Jay L Bonanza) and 10 Thoroughbred stallions (Big Screen, Conquest Curlinate, Due To You, Exhi, Frac Daddy, Milwaukee Brew, Nephrite [GB], Rookie Sensation, Silent Name [JPN] and Societys Chairman). Purchasers included Mike Ambler, Cynthia Dika, Arika Everatt-Meeuse, Jesse Ladouceur, Cathy McEwin, Kim McIssac, Irene McLellan, Jenn Ruczay, Candace Sirianni, Rocky and Tony Tangreda, Jim Terdik and Joseph Tosterud. The January 4 barn fire at Classy Lane in Puslinch, Ont. claimed the lives of 39 Standardbred racehorses, one Thoroughbred, and three Miniatures. The list includes millionaire pacer Apprentice Hanover. The Central Ontario Standardbred Association has set up the official GoFundMe page for the relief fund, which can be accessed by clicking here. COSA has asked that all online donations be made via the page. Carmelo J. Sabatino, a retired senior executive with Delaware North Co. and former general manager of Batavia Downs, passed away on Sunday (January 10) in Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He was 95. Born in Buffalo, Sabatino was a graduate of Kenmore High School and the University of Buffalo, where he earned a bachelors degree in business administration. Sabatino served in the army during World War II and was stationed in the south pacific. Upon returning home, he married the former Josephine Marino in 1946. That same year, he joined the Delaware North Co., which he helped to build under the direction of L.M. Jacobs. Following his retirement from the company in 1976, Sabatino joined the management staff at Batavia Downs, where he continued to work until 1999. Sabatino held a number of positions during his tenure at Batavia Downs including general manager in the early 1980s, and then a variety of executive capacities after that. Near the end of his career there, he was in charge of mostly special projects. He travelled extensively during his term with both Delaware North and Batavia Downs and met several celebrities. Even after his last retirement, Sabatino continued to help manage a private family business. "Mr. Sabatino was always a well-dressed and reserved man, yet certainly was capable of getting the job done, said Todd Haight, general manager / director of live racing at Batavia Downs. He was at Batavia Downs for two of the tracks biggest races, 1980 Niatross and 1988 Breeders Crown Armbro Flori and helped to ensure those marquee nights went off without a hitch. He was all business, all the time and garnered the respect of everyone who worked with and for him." Sabatino is survived by a daughter, Carolyn Sabatino Liarakos; two sons, Thomas C. and David G., and three grandchildren. Sabatino was predeceased by his wife, who passed away in February 2007. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Carmelo Sabatino. (Batavia Downs) Er is iets heel griezeligs aan de gang in Nederland. Dat wij geleidelijk aan in een totalitaire 'democratie' wegzinken wordt steeds ... About Me Subvert This is a blog that pierces convention and disrupts the status quo. We seek intelligent turbulence over boring stability and creative uncertainty over certitude. Chaos is good. Stay tuned for future missives! View my complete profile Blog Archive LABELLE, FL. -- A young male was an apparent murder victim at the Port LaBelle Inn this morning, presumably from a handgun bullet. On scene ... This swiftlet farming blog started sometime in 2007 November. I created it as my personal diary on all those things that I discovered. After a number of calls received I decided to make it more like a reference site to those newbies who wanted to get into the swiftlet industry.It has been kept as a secret industry where no one wanted to share their knowledge. May be with my small contribution I hope more and more people will open up their mind and willing to share what they know. I am not a "Consultant" or a "Sifu" but just a person who loves swiftlet farming. All what I wrote are from my own discoveries and I hope they are useful to all who stumbled onto this blog. My aim is to provide as many information as possible so that it will reduce the current failure rate by 3-5%. I have discovered many new ideas and gadget on how to pull those birds into your new BH and how to make them stays. Please help me to reduce the failure rate. The best you can do is refer this swiftlet blog site to your friends and if you can try to attend my once a two months Swiftlet Farming Seminar.You will be a totally changed person once you attended my seminar. Trust me. I will share everything that I know about swiftlet farming. This blog is about learning to understand all of our feelings and learning to consciously face, feel and experience all of our feelings within the context of our own childhood. Everything we become and happens to us is connected to childhood. Not every victim becomes an abuser, but every abuser was once a victim of abuse, these are facts, Violence is not genetic, its learned. https://sylvieshene.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-dance-to-freedom-book-reviews.html CHICAGO Stephanie Jackson was nervous as she stepped in front of the room. This is a very important day for the Fe Fes, she began softly. This is the first time that a group of women with disabilities . She paused and looked down at her notes. Oh, God, she murmured. The room echoed with encouragement. Youre doing great! Go on! She went on. Sometimes people in my life dont want me to make my own decisions, she said. But its about you and taking control of your life. Thank you. She walked away to cheers amid celebration of the launch of Take Charge! a guide to reproductive health for women with disabilities. The new guide tells what to expect at a gynecology appointment, discusses birth control and preventing sexually transmitted infections and advises disabled women on how to ask to see a doctor without a parent or guardian present. A project of Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago funded by the Chicago Foundation for Women, the guide is being presented by a group that inspired its creation and contributed to its content the Empowered Fe Fes. The Empowered Fe Fes slang for females are young women with disabilities who meet regularly at Access Living to enjoy one anothers company and talk about their shared concerns. Among them is reproductive health care. Women with disabilities have the same needs for pelvic exams, Pap smears and birth control as other women, said Fulani Thrasher, women and girls community organizer at Access Living. But they may be stymied by inaccessible exam tables or clinics that dont provide help with donning gowns or transferring from a wheelchair. And they often face another barrier: the belief they dont need services like birth control. We are seen as people who maybe shouldnt have sex that were not ready for something like that, said Jackson, who is 23. The Fe Fes know disabled women have sex. One of them has a 2-year-old daughter. Sex is a recurring subject at meetings. The Fe Fes talk about birth control, masturbation and at what point to broach the subject of sex with a partner. At a recent meeting, a representative from a sex toy store brought various wares. The Fe Fes used some of them for a practice session on putting on a condom. The absence of media representations of disabled physical love leaves Fe Fes with frank and specific questions. How do people who use wheelchairs have sex? How do they maneuver in the room with the wheelchair? Can other people be in the room helping them? They dont have a picture of what sex is like for disabled people, Jackson said. And their families arent necessarily eager for them to find out. Parents and guardians dont want the young women to be taken advantage of or hurt. Thrasher sympathizes. The pressure is real for parents of children with disabilities to protect them and make sure they have housing and transportation, she said, and arranging for their continued care after theyre gone. But the young women are thinking about boyfriends, marriage and children, Thrasher said, and should get guidance and support. Their health is at stake, said Kennedy Healy, 20, Access Chicagos women and girls intern and a primary force behind the new guide. Because of outdated assumptions that people with disabilities dont have sex and dont find love, she said, disabled women are rarely taken to gynecologists and thus have higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies. Disabled women are also at higher risk for sexual violence, according to Illinois Imagines, a statewide project to improve services for disabled women who are victims of sexual assault. Their relationships should be taken as seriously as anyone elses, said Healy, who is also a student at DePaul University. When someone with a disability gets a date to the prom, its on the evening news, she said. When a disabled person having a date becomes a heroic or adorable thing, its hard to have these relationships respected. The new guide outlines the accommodations medical officers are required to provide under the Americans with Disabilities Act and they go beyond wheelchair accessibility. They must have height-adjustable exam tables to which someone can transfer from a wheelchair, or else provide lifting equipment or a trained lifting team. They must provide assistance in undressing and dressing if a patient needs it, or an American Sign Language interpreter or written instructions in Braille. And the medical office must provide the helpers; women are not required to bring their own aides or interpreters. Those accommodations may be hard to find, though. Members of the Empowered Fe Fes contacted major Chicago hospitals and clinics and found that half said, for example, that they did not help patients dress and undress. Many, and possibly most, clinics and hospitals are not fully compliant with the ADA, according to a health care consultant who helped write the new guide. The Department of Justice never enacted regulations to enforce the act at health care clinics. Still, the mood of the launch party was one of celebration. The new guide will be distributed in coming months to community organizations, medical offices and, Thrasher hopes, to medical students. The Empowered Fe Fes, who were hugging and laughing for photos, will continue encouraging women with disabilities to live fully. Its OK to have these feelings, said 25-year-old Brittany King, who has mobility issues in the wake of a stroke. We are women, at the end of the day. We want the same desires and relationships as other people. Julie Barton was sitting on the couch one day with her head in her hands, utterly defeated by the severe depression that filled her with sadness and self-loathing, when she felt an unexpected warmth in her toes. Her fluffy red golden retriever puppy, Bunker, was sitting on her feet. He leaned against me, and it seemed to me to be very deliberate, she says. He looked at me like, Are you better? or Did that help? and I thought, Either Im going totally crazy, or he sees me. And I decided to do one hopeful thing, which was to trust that feeling. Bartons new memoir, Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself, joins a growing list of books, both fiction and nonfiction, that highlight the role pets can play in emotional healing. While the iconic pets of the past Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Benji, That Darn Cat saved humans from physical dangers, the furry heroes of books such as the national best-seller Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him (Hachette) and the novel The Dog Who Saved Me (St. Martins Press), help their owners fend off depression, anxiety and PTSD. Science is moving in the same direction, with research suggesting that dogs bring down stress levels, encourage physical activity and reduce depression. In the typical study, depressed people who get conventional treatment are compared with depressed people who get conventional treatment as well as interaction with a pet, often a dog that is included in therapy sessions, says psychologist Stanley Coren, professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and author of Do Dogs Dream?: Nearly Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know (W.W. Norton). The results are almost always the same: You get anyplace between a 30 percent and a 50 percent added improvement in the reduction of depression scores (with pets), so its quite huge, Coren says. Questions remain: A 2014 review of the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy for the elderly (The Benefit of Pets and Animal-Assisted Therapy to the Health of Older Individuals in Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research complained of the poor methodological quality of pet therapy studies and pointed to issues such as small sample sizes, and lack of adequate controls and comparison groups. Despite over four decades of research, these studies remain preliminary, the authors wrote. Barton, whose memoir covers an episode of severe depression when she was in her early 20s, got married in 2000 and lives in Piedmont, Calif., with her husband, their two children, ages 8 and 11, and an energetic terrier named Jackson (shelter name: Action Jackson). Bunker died in 2007 at age 11, but he remains a big presence in Bartons life. Speaking from her home office, she said she was surrounded by photos of Bunker. Its like a shrine in here, she quipped. GROWING AUDIENCE Dog Medicine appears to have hit a nerve: The first 2,500-copy printing sold out in a day, Barton says, and more than 5,000 additional copies have been printed. We sold rights to Korea, to Holland. The U.K. is interested, she says. Theres lots of chatter, and I think its really resonating. In the course of promoting the book, she has heard stories of emotional healing from cat-, dog- and horse-lovers. And, at a talk in California, a middle-age man approached her on the verge of tears. My daughter is very depressed. Shes 20, and shes coming home to live with us, she recounts the man telling her. But there was one bright spot: She has a therapy rat. Its the most incredible thing. Is it a trained rat? Barton asked him. No, the man told her. They are just extraordinarily connected. Something about having this living creature with her by her side all the time is really healing for her. For Barton, now 42, the road to recovery involved medication, counseling and strong family support, as well as bonding with Bunker. She was 22, an Ohioan living far from home in New York and weathering a painful breakup, when the negative thoughts that had long assailed her took on a scarier tone: Walk into the path of that cab, she would think. Step in front of that oncoming bus. The thoughts told her she was worthless, dumb, ugly and weak. Wrong in every way. Wrong for being alive. After she collapsed on the kitchen floor with a pot on the stove and woke up to a room filled with smoke, she called her mother. Her parents brought her home, found a psychiatrist and gently pressed her to take the antidepressant Zoloft. When she told them one thing that might help was a puppy, her parents helped make that happen too. A WAY TO CONNECT Bunker offered uncomplicated love and loyalty, which was vital, Barton says. As her mood stabilized, he also helped her go back out in the world again. Depression is a very isolating disease, she says. In New York, I would walk down the sidewalk thinking I was completely alone on an island of millions of people, because people didnt acknowledge you, or if they did, it was with a rude push or a mean look. When you have a dog, doors open, social doors. People go, Oh, how sweet! How old? Whats his name? You talk about your dog experience, and its a real ice breaker for someone who may not be as adept at social interactions. I loved going out because people would talk to me. It made me so happy. In her book, Barton describes how, with Bunkers help, she was able to move across the country, make friends, and eventually get a job and find love. Today, she says, shes doing very well. Her depression is a chronic condition, but medication works well for her, and she keeps an eye out for the sinking feeling that tells her to seek additional support from her doctor, her counselor or her husband. I havent had a major episode (of depression) in six or seven years, she says. It was pretty hard after Bunker died, but I had young kids, and that helped keep me occupied in a good way. By May 18, 1980, Art Jordan had been a seasoned member of the Cowlitz County Search and Rescue for nearly a decade. But none of the cases he had worked could compare to the eruption of Mount St. Helens. As sulfur and mud flowed down from the volcano and ash cloaked the region, Jordan and hundreds of other volunteers rallied to Toutle to help law enforcement in any way possible. The first night I was assigned to help coordinate with the Air Force colonel. Then as things got bigger and bigger, I did more support on land until the mountain calmed down, said Jordan, who stayed four days straight in Toutle after the initial blast. More than 8,000 hours later, Jordan continues to dedicate much of his time, money and heart to Cowlitz County Search and Rescue and now he and other volunteers have been recognized for their efforts. Search and Rescue (SAR) on Jan. 17, 2019, awarded nearly 40 members with the Presidents Volunteer Service Award an elite recognition for volunteers who have logged more than 100 service hours in a year. It was the first year Cowlitz SAR has awarded the honors. This isnt some store downtown giving away prizes, said Phil Slagle, a spokesman for SAR who has logged more than 3,000 hours himself. Awards are tiered by service hours logged: Volunteers who work between 100 and more than 500 hours a year receive bronze, silver or gold recognition. More than 4,000 service hours the same as two work years earns a volunteer a lifetime achievement award, along with the presidential medal. Of SARs 73 active volunteers, only four have qualified for the lifetime achievement awards. Jordan, 67, has earned at least two for working 8,624 hours since 1985. But, Slagle said, hes famous for not recording his hours. Jordan, a retired school psychologist with the Longview School District and now living in Olympia, said he has always placed helping others high on his list of priorities. Ive been lucky enough to be there when families are reunited. Its tearful for them and humbling for the rest of us, said Jordan, who also is the SAR president. Its a really good feeling when youre a leader to see the results of volunteer efforts. Sometimes, the efforts are recovery and bringing closure. Being a SAR member is not for the flighty. The all-volunteer organization runs on the commitment of its members who devote a hefty chunk of time, money and expertise to helping the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office with its cases. Many of the volunteers have to juggle full-time jobs with their SAR duties. Jim Peters, who earned a lifetime achievement award for logging 5,675 hours since 1994, said on occasion he has worked cases overnight then was back at work at Waite Specialty Machine the next morning. There have been days when I get up and go to work, bring extra clothes with me on my search and (then) work all day the next day again. Its maybe 33- to 37-hour shifts being up. It takes your works support and familys support, said Peters, who has been a SAR volunteer since he was 18. Hes now 47. Its harder when you get older. Theres a lot of adrenaline (at the search site), but the next day at work is a little more tough. SAR, which is entirely run by donations, requires a lot of financial sacrifice as well. Members supply their own gear, which many already own to fuel their outdoor hobbies, Slagle said. Just buying rain gear, youre out $400 to $500, Peters said. Boots are probably the most important thing out there. Youre not going to walk very far if theyre not any good. Thats why you buy the best. All the sacrifices the missed holidays, sleepless nights, and time away from loved ones are worth bringing peace to a family, Peters said. Giving closure to a family keeps me going. Even when its bad, and were recovering a body, you can see their relief. Theyre not wondering anymore, Peters said. hidden Chinese technology giant Lenovo today said it expects about 20-25 per cent of its server revenues to come from the government vertical on the back of initiatives like Digital India. Lenovo, which acquired IBMs global x86 server business in 2014 for USD 2.1 billion, currently gets about 12-13 per cent of its revenues from the government sector in India. "The government has initiated many projects and we are participating in many in areas like surveillance and eGovernance. We expect to get about 20-25 per cent of our revenues from the segment in the next three years," Lenovo Director Enterprise Business Group Siddesh Naik told reporters. He added that currently about 12-13 per cent of its server revenues are coming from the government vertical, which is a "top priority" segment. Naik said the company is part of three pilot projects for surveillance but declined to name the cities where these are being carried out. "For us, enterprises segment (which has sectors like manufacturing, FMCG etc) is the largest, about 45 per cent of our revenues come from there," he said. Lenovo launched the ThinkServer brand in India with two models - ThinkServer TS140 and ThinkServer RD450. "With ThinkServer, we aim to add to our robust portfolio across the entire server spectrum, right from entry-level to high-end servers," he said. He added that the launch is a step towards becoming a market-leader in enterprise solutions by 2020. PTI hidden Global instant messaging behemoth WhatsApp on Monday said it will waive its annual subscription fee over the next several weeks as it has not worked well. "For many years, we have asked some people to pay a fee for using WhatsApp after their first year. As we have grown, we have found that this approach hasn't worked well," said WhatsApp in a blog post. Despite not being able to charge its hundreds of millions of users the annual fee, WhatsApp said it would not subject its users to advertisements. "Naturally, people might wonder how we plan to keep WhatsApp running without subscription fees and if today's announcement means we are introducing third-party advertisements. The answer is no," said the WhatsApp blog post. Where then will WhatsApp's revenue come from? Without clearly defining the revenue model, WhatsApp said it would test tools starting from 2016 which could replace text messages and phone calls mode of communication between people and businesses and organisations. "We will test tools that allow you to use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses and organisations that you want to hear from." Promising zero third-party advertisement and spam, WhatsApp said, "That could mean communicating with your bank about whether a recent transaction was fraudulent, or with an airline about a delayed flight. We all get these messages elsewhere today - through text messages and phone calls." Reaching out to many WhatsApp users without a debit or credit card across countries is also an objective of the move. "Many WhatsApp users don't have a debit or credit card number and they worried they would lose access to their friends and family after their first year," said the blogpost. Founded by Ukrainian immigrants to America Jan Koum and Brian Acton in 2009, WhatsApp got acquired by social media giant Facebook for $19 billion in 2014. Both Koum and Acton were former employees of technology company Yahoo. IANS tech2 News Staff After announcing the 'Startup India, Stand Up' initiative to boost startups in India, PM Narendra Modi has set the ball rolling with the Startup action plan. He released a 30-page action plan that makes the journey smoother for startups and helps them grow. The industry has welcomed the initiative and hopes to see much more indigenous innovation in the days to come. Here's a look at what some insiders have to say. Shaifali Agarwal Holani,Founder and CEO,EasyFix - a labour development and construction focused company feels that India has sharpest brains and this initiative will give a platform to many enthusiastic but under confident talents to come out of their ordeal. "Encouraging privatisation will speed the pace at which India is developing and we will become a developed country soon," says Holani. https://twitter.com/travisk/status/688532665419481088 Rajiv Srivatsa, Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Urban Ladder seconds this sentiment of encouragement. It is encouraging to see the kind of attention the startup community is getting from the central government. It re-instills faith in the path many of us (entrepreneurs) have chosen. I'm confident the government will play a significant role to support the ecosystem, and help us build truly world class 'Made in India' companies. With introduction of self certification compliance and easier patent laws, entrepreneurs will be able to spend more mind-space on innovation. The move to make exits simpler is also encouraging and will encourage more risk taking and hence, disruption. https://twitter.com/maheshmurthy/status/688371371928358912 Mohit Mittal, founder and CEO of Voodoo welcomes the move by PM Modi to open 7 research parks in different IITs with a 100 crore backing each. "Exposure to a facility like the research park facilitated many a budding entrepreneurs and friends with funding and guidance. Scaling it to seven other institutes would definitely help the budding startup enthusiasts right from their first day in college, and that's really paramount to their future success. One has to start early and fail early to really learn the intricacies of scaling a company, college students should welcome this move with open arms," Mittal says. He started up his first company while studying at IIT Madras. Talking about the government's emphasis on making healthcare affordable via technology, Saurabh Arora, CEO, Lybrate, the online doctor consultation platform, says, The Startup Action Plan unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very encouraging, dynamic and invigorating. Measures like single point contact, patent protection, creation of funds of funds and on top of all tax incentives will provide a huge boost to the entire startup ecosystem and propel startups to the next level. The government is very supportive and believes in the tremendous potential of entrepreneurial ventures and how immensely they can contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country. The steps announced will further spur entrepreneurial mindset in India. The government has set the ball rolling for startups to excel and let them solve real problems facing the people of the country." https://twitter.com/ficci_india/status/688261692552159232 Bureaucratic bottlenecks often hamper the growth of startups and the change in policies, relaxation of tax and compliance norms also has been received positively. "Patent fee reduction of 80 percent will be huge for IP based startups who can not only protect their intellectual property , but patents once registered add to tangible valuation increase," says Swati Gupta, CEO and founder of Industrybuying.com. She adds that no inspections for three years will reduce the regulatory burden related to VAT set up in new states, warehouse procedures , new factory set ups and much more physical infrastructure related start ups." Also talking about tax and 'License Raj', Dinesh Goel, Co-Founder & CEO, AasaanJobs-a recruitment portal for entry level and blue collar jobs says, "The salient points of the Startup India initiative announced by PM Narendra Modi tax exemption for incubators and startups, IPR protection, patent fee reduction, setting up of research parks across IITs and IISC and a corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore to be utilised for startups all look quite promising in terms of attracting the best talent from far and wide to help India reach its potential. Other measures such as the exemption from capital gains tax when investing one's own wealth in a startup will ensure that many jobs are created in every level and human resource and talent acquisition will no longer be a bottleneck. Apart from this, no inspection for the first 3 years and self-certification for statutory compliance will enable startups to hire in bulk and scale up their operations, creating a cascading effect as far as job creation is concerned." He feels the true test of the government will now lie in how the policies are unfurled in the future to cut down red tape and 'escape the License Raj', as pointed out by Jaitley in his speech. https://twitter.com/firstpost/status/688248661046726656 Tax and compliance seems to be the industry favourite point to talk about. Amit Ramani, CEO, Awfis Space Solutions says, Indias start-up ecosystem and its players have been evolving at a phenomenal pace in the recent years. The Government through the Start-up India campaign has chalked out ambitious some guidelines in a bid to propel start-up activity and innovation in the world's fastest growing economy. Reforms on the income tax exemption for three years, capital gains tax waver, and a Rs 10,000 crore start-up fund will play a pivotal role in further fuelling the countrys start-up activity. In addition to this, push for practices such as the single day registration, will definitely have a positive impact on the start-up ecosystem and reduce compliances and clearances." The initiative launched by PM Modi today will surely set an enabling and conducive environment for startups in India. We are overwhelmed to have such support from the Government which will certainly make a big boom in the Indian startup ecosystem to fuel the economy and create new age jobs. The policies announced today at the program, open doors for massive opportunities, boost further investments and innovations. We look forward to implementation of Tax framework for startups and reduced regulations," says Prafulla Mathur, Founder and CEO, WudStay also hoping for smoother operations in the future. The backbone for startups faster, reliable and ubiquitous mobile connectivity is also being talked about with this update. "It is great to see the nation finally giving the much needed attention to the startup space. Government should make the necessary changes in the company laws to make incorporating startups, fund raising, issuing sweat equity etc. much easier so that entrepreneurs can focus on running the business than spending time with consultants and lawyers. Reliable, fast Internet and ubiquitous mobile connectivity are the basic necessity for our startups to build compelling value propositions for the global audience. It is imperative that government helps & enforces telecom operators and ISPs to provide quality services," feels Sony Joy, Founder and CEO of Chillr, a mobile app for peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant payment to anyone in the phone book. Joy believes that giving incentive to citizens for using digital means of reaching out to government departments and making payments digitally can go a long way in reducing corruption and increasing the efficiency of the economy. Many advanced countries have in the past offered such discounts to boost digital payments at retailers and these measures have helped them earn great economic dividends later on. https://twitter.com/BhogleAnita/status/688916747408269312 Talking about expectations from the initiative, Sairee Chahal, founder of SHEROES.in says that she feels that the younger generation will be inspired and motivated to move from being job seekers to become job creators. She anticipates a change in entrepreneurial policies which were drafted mainly for SME kind of organisations and catered to the manufacturing sector. "Todays startups work with tech mainly focusing upon product and service kind of offerings. They require different kind of resources and have much lower input investments." Chahal hopes that more women entrepreneurs take benefit of the initiative. Prashant Rai, Founder and CEO, OneTimeJobs voices his opinion about the Startup India initiative being more than just about IT or the digital world. "The Start-up India initiative is not just about the IT or digital world, but an effort to assist people starting new business ventures, especially those involved in innovation. Although government is helping the startups in raising funds and help them grow on a wider scale, we would request the government on reducing the taxes on service industries. We would need governments support like the one on Smart City initiative. GST implementation is also a good way out considering the current scenario in business. Government should also help in making the internet connection available to all including the lower middle class and others so that people actively use apps for accessing startups services and connection with the real world. Karrishma Modhy Popular and widely used messaging service WhatsApp is now free. The Facebook-owned company has decided to stop charging people 99 cents annually to use the service. Up until now, WhatsApp has been free for the first year, with the annual fee added for subsequent years of use. WhatsApp founder Jan Koum made the announcement at the DLD conference in Munich and admitted, "It really doesnt work that well." Does this mean we will now see innumerable third party ads? Apparently not. But, the company will instead try to monetise communication in different ways. WhatsApp said in blogpost, "Starting this year, we will test tools that allow you to use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses and organisations that you want to hear from." The company explains that this could either mean communicating with a bank about whether a recent transaction was fraudulent, or with an airline about a delayed flight. Mostly, these kind messages (SMS) are passed on using a simple SMS. WhatsApp aims to offer tools in which, conversations can be carried out between businesses and organisations with the common man via its service, sans spam and advertisements. Communicate with businesses and organisations. This sounds a bit similar to BlackBerry Channels or Line Messenger wherein users could head to a channel of interest and discuss about certain topics or even, contact them. As of now, the company's approach remains unclear. Today, WhatsApp is an integral part of our lives for communication. We depend on the service to talk to various service platforms for work. It could either be a grocery store or even an e-commerce store. If given the option, it would be far more convenient to order a smartphone via WhatsApp rather than going through the trouble of ordering it online. This process would be the simplest, instead of the other two - order online or via retail. But then again, the only question which arises is security. If the service wishes to offer a platform where companies and consumers can make transactions, it needs to tighten up its security. It is a known fact that even the Pentagon trusts BlackBerry for their internal communication, but not WhatsApp. So would businesses blindly trust the service for intense transactions? On the contrary, it can. WhatsApp's parent company is Facebook, one of the biggest and strongest platform today has the man power and technical expertise to take it forward. Even revolutionise the entire structure as we know it. A report by Wired points out the deal with Facebook allowed WhatsApp to concentrate on growth without worrying too much about revenue. Koum points out, WhatsApp has a greater global reach than nearly any other app. This gives Koum and company additional leverage. A lot of companies are global, he says, such as airlines and banks and car rental outfits. And these companies may be willing to embrace this kind of messaging because WhatsApp gives them more efficient access to more people than any other medium. If this plan goes forward, there wouldn't be much difference between WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, a platform which also allows users to communicate with companies. For example, Facebook has struck a deal with Uber, to allow users to hail a taxi directly from the app. However, Facebook made a good decision by not meddling into WhatsApp and making various changes and added a line of new features. Though, the company kept improvising Messenger and today, it can be touted as a rich-in-media app. Another good decision is not combining them into a single app. Keeping two separate messaging apps makes a lot more sense as Messenger is popular in the US, but WhatsApp has a stronger hold in countries such as India, Brazil and others. In conversation with Re/Code, Koum has stated that businesses are already finding ways to use WhatsApp to reach customers. The new plan, could make the flow of communication a lot easier. He said that the company wants to experiment with different approaches but added, "We havent written a single line of code yet." Possibly, WhatsApp could also look at a business-to-consumer (B2C) integration. This leaves WhatsApp as a product, and not a service. It isn't necessary that a business perspective put in to place for WhatsApp could be a welcome change. Even without having ads, companies could send various messages, in the form of advertisements, which might irk the 900 million users and counting, it has today. That's a huge number! The main essence of the $19 billion acquisition in 2014 for Facebook, has remained untouched, up until now. Here's hoping that Facebook can in fact, monetise the service, at the business' expense and not the user! University teachers to decide today on attending classes A meeting of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association (FBUTA) will be held this afternoon after a fruitful meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the issue of their salary hike. FBUTA secretary general Prof ASM Maksud Kamal said they will take the decision at the meeting to be held around 5pm whether they will continue their strike or attend classes. On Monday, the public university teachers who have been on a movement to press for their four-point demand had a meeting with the Prime Minister at Ganobhaban after Maghrib prayers. Earlier on Sunday, the Prime Ministers Office invited the teachers to have tea at the Prime Ministers official residence. On January 11, teachers of the countrys 37 public universities went on an indefinite strike protesting what they said discriminations against them in the 8th national pay scale. The public university teachers have been on protests since the 8th National Pay Scale was announced on May 14 last year, advocating for a four-point demand that includes formation of a commission to introduce an independent pay scale for them. The other demands of the teachers are to remove the gap in salaries and allowances between senior professors and senior secretaries, and between professors and secretaries; upgrading the status of teachers in the warrant of precedence; and the provision of cars and other allowances for teachers similar to provisions given to bureaucrats. -- Dhaka, Jan 19 (UNB) University teachers postpone strike until Feb 3 Eight days after enforcing it to press for their four-point demand, public university teachers on Tuesday postponed their indefinite strike until February 3. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association (FBUTA) held at Prof Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium at Dhaka University. Briefing reporters after the meeting, FBUTA secretary general Prof ASM Maksud Kamal said they decided to put on hold the strike until February 3 following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas assurance of looking into their demands. Weve postponed our strike showing respect to the Prime Minister. But it has not been withdrawn, he said, adding that they will return to classes on Wednesday. The FBUTA secretary general also said they will hold a review meeting on February 3 to decide the next course of action if their demands are not met by the time. Earlier on Monday, the public university teachers who had been on a movement to press for their four-point demand had a meeting with the Prime Minister at Ganobhaban. During the meeting, the Prime Minister assured them of looking into their demands. On January 11, teachers of the countrys 37 public universities went on the indefinite strike protesting what they said discriminations against them in the 8th national pay scale. The public university teachers had been on protests since the 8th National Pay Scale was announced on May 14 last year, advocating for a four-point demand that includes formation of a commission to introduce an independent pay scale for them. The other demands of the teachers are to remove the gap in salaries and allowances between senior professors and senior secretaries, and between professors and secretaries; upgrading the status of teachers in the warrant of precedence; and the provision of cars and other allowances for teachers similar to provisions given to bureaucrats. -- Dhaka, Jan 19 (UNB) Syrian army - IS fighting cost 190 lives Syrian men inspect a damaged vehicle in the rubble following a reported air strike by Syrian government forces on the Sukkari neighbourhood of Syria\'s northern city of Aleppo on Monday. Reuters, Beirut :The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said scores of Syrian government forces have been killed in three days of fighting with Islamic State in the east of the country, where the jihadist group has attacked government-held areas. Syrian officials could not be reached for comment.The Britain-based Observatory said 120 members of the Syrian government forces and 70 Islamic State fighters had been killed in clashes since Saturday.The official news agency SANA reported on Monday that government forces had recaptured some residential areas taken by Islamic State in Begayliya, near the city of Deir al Zor, and killed a number of fighters.Salma, Syria: As Syrian forces battled to recapture the rebel stronghold of Salma last week, they relied not only on Russian air support but also a secret weapon: motorbikes.Adapting a tactic used by both their rebel opponents and the pro-regime fighters of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, government forces used dozens of the vehicles to navigate the town's tiny alleys.Soldiers said they were key to the recapture of Salma, a town that was a rare rebel stronghold in the regime bastion of coastal Latakia province.Syrian army soldier Hany, 25, said he spent most of the past nine months on a motorbike, fighting street battles for the town that fell from government control in 2012."The way we fight has changed since the beginning of the war, and we have developed our offensive methods," he said, dismounting from his muddy vehicle after a spin through the recaptured town."Nowadays, we use motorbikes for their speed and mobility," he said.While rebel snipers managed to hit a car delivering meals to regime forces several times, Hany said he could outmanoeuvre such fire."My bike is harder to track and is too light to set off landmines," he said.While small, Salma's many narrow alleys, and the forests and hills that surround it, made the fight for its recapture long and hard. Some of the streets were entirely unnavigable with cars, armoured vehicles or tanks, troops said."It was the use of more than 80 motorbikes in the last battle for the town that had the greatest impact in terms of winning in the final 72 hours," one field commander told AFP."The motorbikes allowed us to transfer the wounded, carry light ammunition and food and were used by fighters carrying machine guns and night vision binoculars," he said.He too had ended up riding one to inspect his troops and front lines."I check on my troops by motorbike because they are fast and light, and much more difficult to track than a car would be," the commander said.Motorbikes have long been used by rebels in Syria and beyond, and the commander acknowledged the tactic is one regime forces picked up from their foes."We don't deny that we learned the tactic of using motorbikes from the militants," he said."We've come up with an advanced course on street fighting and guerrilla warfare, and fighting on motorbikes may become a tactic that regular armies come to rely on," he added.Another soldier, 38-year-old Reda Haj, said his first encounter with motorbikes on Syria's battlefields was in Qalamun in Damascus province, where the pro-regime Hezbollah movement used them.The Shiite militant group has been a key force multiplier for the Syrian regime, fighting alongside its troops on several fronts. Rights abuses in Israeli settlements The Jewish settlement of Pisgat Zeev (foreground) is built in east Jerusale. AFP, Jerusalem : Companies operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank contribute to "an inherently unlawful and abusive system" violating Palestinian rights and should halt activity there, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The new report from the US-based rights group describes Israeli policies in the West Bank that lead to government support of settlements, the "unlawful confiscation" of Palestinian land and denial of permits to Palestinians. According to the report, which cites examples of foreign firms linked to settlements, including cement and real estate companies, "Israel's privileged treatment of settlers extends to virtually every aspect of life in the West Bank." "Settlement businesses unavoidably contribute to Israeli policies that dispossess and harshly discriminate against Palestinians, while profiting from Israel's theft of Palestinian land and other resources," HRW's Arvind Ganesan said in a statement. "The only way for businesses to comply with their own human rights responsibilities is to stop working with and in Israeli settlements." The Israel defence ministry unit that oversees civilian affairs in the West Bank, known as COGAT, did not respond to requests for comment. Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Six Day War and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers now live in the territory and in east Jerusalem. The 1990s Oslo accords divided the West Bank into zones known as Areas A, B and C. Area C -- some 60 percent of the West Bank -- is under full Israeli military and civilian control. The accords were intended to lead to a permanent resolution within five years, but more than two decades later, peace efforts are at a standstill and a fresh wave of Palestinian gun, knife and car-ramming attacks erupted in October. Some analysts say frustration with Israel's continuing occupation as well as the Palestinians' fractured leadership have been key reasons for the violence.Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media for the continuing attacks. West Bank settlements are seen as illegal under international law as well as major stumbling blocks in peace efforts since they are built on land Palestinians view as part of their future state. HRW points to foreign firms operating in Area C of the West Bank to the benefit of settlements while "Israel all but bars Palestinians from building or extracting natural resources" in the zone. Two examples it points out include Germany's Heidelberg Cement and US-based Remax real estate. Hedeilberg told HRW that it believed its Nahal Raba quarry "does not infringe the human rights and livelihoods of the Palestinian people" and provided Palestinians with well-paid jobs. Remax did not respond to HRW or to an email from AFP, but has said previously that its offices are independently owned and operated. It said it "understands the serious nature of the controversy surrounding real estate operations in the West Bank and has been working to a find a resolution that is acceptable to all parties." Increased charge of BICDA stopped The increased charge of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association (BICDA) on containers has been stopped temporarily. Mentionable that without the consultation with Importers, exporters and beneficiaries of BICDA, additional charges imposed on containers recently Following the protests by the Port Users Forum and other beneficiaries, BICDA suspended the increase charges. In this connection, a 12-members committee headed by Member (Harbour) of Chittagong Port was formed to resolved the matter within a short time. The new constituted committee will submit a report on increased charge of ICDs by February 13 next after consultations with the beneficiaries, sources said. The decision of suspending the increase charge was taken at a meeting of the port users and business community leaders held at CPA Bhaban with Chittagong Port Chairman Rear Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed, sources said. Among others BICDA President Nurul Kaiyum Khan, Chittagong Chamber Director Mahfuzul Hoque Shah, vice president of Metropolitan chamber AM Mahbub Chowdhury, former first vice president of BGMEA Nasiruddin Chowdhury, and representatives of Shipping Agents, BAFA, C&F agents were present in the meeting, sources said. 'BNP's allies enough to break their alliance': Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader Sunday said none has to do anything to break the alliance headed by BNP as its own allies are enough to break the coalition. "Awami League does not need to engage itself in any conspiracy to break any alliance. It is in a good position. BNP's own allies are enough to break the party and their alliance," he said. The minister said these while talking to newsmen after offering Fateha at the grave of Sahabuddin Forayeji, a leader of Awami League of Pekua upazila in Cox's Bazar this noon. Quader also consoled the family members of Forayeji, who has been killed in an attack by the miscreants. Suicide bombing costs 11 lives in Peshawar CBC News :A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle struck a crowded police checkpoint on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing 11 people in an attack claimed by the Taliban.Another 21 people were wounded in the blast, which took place on a road leading to neighbouring Afghanistan, police official Iqbal Khan said. Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, a stronghold of the Taliban and other Islamic militants. Khan said the dead include four police and seven civilians, including two children and a local journalist, Mahboob Shah Afridi, who was president of Tribal Union of Journalists in the neighbouring Khyber region.People comfort a man who lost a family member in a suicide attack in Peshawar, Pakistan on Tuesday. A local Pakistani Taliban commander, Maqbool Dawar, claimed the attack, which took place as a local police chief arrived at the checkpoint. Dawar said it was in response to the killing of his comrades by security forces.Nisar Khan, who was waiting to cross the road, said the checkpoint was choked with traffic at the time of the attack. He said the huge blast left vehicles in flames and that he saw wounded people in pools of blood crying out for help.Militant violence has declined since Pakistan launched a wide-ranging military offensive in North Waziristan, a tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, in the summer of 2014. But the Taliban have still managed to carry out major attacks, including an assault on an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 that killed over 150 people, mostly children. Zia's birth anniv observed UNB, Dhaka : BNP and its associate bodies on Tuesday celebrated the 80th birth anniversary of party founder Ziaur Rahman across the country with a fresh vow to 'restore' democracy and people' s right in the country. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia paid homage to Ziaur Rahman, her late husband, by placing wreaths at his grave in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, marking his birth anniversary. Khaleda, flanked by party leaders and activists, went to the grave around 11:30 am and placed flowers on it. She offered Fateha and prayed with the party leaders and workers, seeking salvation of her husband's departed soul. BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Tariqul Islam, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, vice-chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yousuf, Selima Rahman, chairperson's advisers Shamsuzzaman Dudu, party joint secretaries general M Shahjahan and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, were, among others, present. Talking to reporters after placing wreaths, Fakhrul said 'resorting' democracy and people's rights are the main challenges now for their party. "Now democracy is deported and Bangladesh is at stake. We're working to organise people to overcome this situation. We all have to be united for restoring democracy and people's rights," he said. Fakhrul said they have taken a vow at Zia's grave that they will work for freedom of people and the welfare of the country and its people following Zia's ideals. Earlier, party flags were hoisted at the party's Nayapaltan central office and chairperson's Gulshan office at 6:00 am, marking the day. BNP and its associate bodies and district units also marked the day with various programmes, including discussion, milad mahfil, medical camps, and others social cultural programmes. Doctors' Association of Bangladesh (DAB) arranged a free medical camp and voluntary blood donation on the ground floor of BNP's Nayapaltan central office at 9:00am and it was opened until 4pm. A discussion on the life of Ziaur Rahman was held on Sunday at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh on the occasion. Born on January 19, 1936 at Bagbari in Bogra, Zia had become the country's 7th president and formed Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Zia was assassinated by a group of army officers at Chittagong Circuit House on the night of May 30, 1981. Since then, BNP is headed by his wife Khaleda Zia. Accused woman arrested, remand Staff Reporter : Nazma Akter, arrested in connection with the murder of five members of a family in Narayanganj, was placed on a five-day remand on Tuesday. Police on Monday night arrested Nazma Akter, wife of Shahjahan, another accused in the case from Darmuda area of Shariatpur district. She was later taken to Naranyanganj and handed over to the detective branch (DB) of police. Seeking a ten-day remand, the plainclothes police on Tuesday produced Nazma Akter before the court of Narayanganj judicial magistrate Ashek Imam. The court granted five days remand for interrogating her. Nazma Akter told the court that she had given loan money to Taslima. "Taslima didn't return my money. But it doesn't mean that I have killed her," Nazma claimed. On Saturday night, the five members of the family -- Taslima Begum, 35, wife of Shafiqul Islam, a private car driver in capital Dhaka, their children Sumaiya, 5, Shantu, 10, Taslima's brother Morshedul, 22, and Lamia, 25, -- were hacked to death at their Baburail residence in Narayanganj. The family members were the residents of a rented house in Baburail area. Earlier, police detained six persons, including Shafiqul's nephew Mahfuz. Mahfuz is now on a seven-day remand. The rest detained five persons were released later. Shafiqul Islam, husband of deceased Taslima Begum, filed the case against Nazma Akter, Shahjahan, Badal Bahadur, Badsha and some unidentified miscreants with Narayanganj Sadar Police Station on Sunday. When contacted Superintendent of police of Narayanganj Khandakar Mahid Uddin said in the compliant Shafiqul Islam mentioned the names of Nazma Akter, Shahjahan, Badal Bahadur and Badshah in the case, they are examining and reexamining information. "A family feud and money could be the reasons behind the murders. The victims possibly knew the killers. Nothing from the flat had been stolen or been damaged," he told The New Nation on Tuesday night. The police super said that they had launched massive drive to net the other accused. Shafiqul Islam mentioned in the case that his wife Taslima had taken a loan of around Tk 12 lakh from Nazma and Shahjahan. "As my wife failed to repay the loan, they used to issue threat to her (Taslima). Even they issued threat to kill all of my family members," he mentioned in the case. According to Narayanganj General (Victoria) Hospital, the culprits beat the five with heavy substance indiscriminately on the upper parts of their bodies. Mamunur Rashid Mandol, Officer-in-Charge of Detective Branch of Narayaganj police claimed that some progress had been made in the investigation. "Nazma has already gave some important information in this connection. We are expecting that details about the murder will come to light soon," he told this reporter. He added the arrested Mahfuz has already confessed to the law enforcers about his involvement in the murder. "There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bou... 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. Greg Ellison Photo by Robin May Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Greg Ellison, an Iraq War veteran who runs Kitty Hawk Energy, confirmed Tuesday that he has raised $100,000 in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany. The Lafayette Republican announced his candidacy for the 3rd Congressional District last Tuesday in front of approximately 400 people at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Boustany is seeking the Senate seat currently held by David Vitter, who is not running for re-election. Among Ellison's supporters are first-time donors he says believe his leadership skills are what South Louisiana needs. We are living in trying times. Im concerned about what the future holds for our children, Ellison said in a press release announcing the contributions. I dont know if they will be able to pursue the American Dream in the same way we did unless we make some changes. Our national and economic security is at risk. After 20 years in the military and another 19 in the oil and gas business, I believe I am the only candidate in this race with the experience to ensure the security of the people of the 3rd Congressional District and our great nation. Ellison graduated from West Point, led troops in the first Iraq War and earned a bronze star and Legion of Merit. He is a founding partner of Kitty Hawk Energy, a Lafayette-based oil and gas exploration company, which he started after retiring from the military 12 years ago. He lives in Lafayette with his wife, two children and three grandchildren. Lafayette businessman and District 8 Lafayette Parish School Board member Erick Knezek, a Republican, is expected to announce his candidacy for the 3rd Congressional District this week; term-limited state Rep. Brett Geymann, a Republican from the Lake Charles, has been campaigning for the seat since late last year, LaPolitics reported in December. Capt. Reginald Thomas accepts the position of LPD interim chief. Photo by Wynce Nolley Mayor-President Joel Robideaux announced Tuesday that he has named Capt. Reginald Reggie Thomas as the Interim Police Chief for the Lafayette Police Department. Thomas is a 25-year veteran of the LPD and a graduate of the FBI National Academy who just this past Sunday was promoted to captain and named as the commander of Precinct Four headquartered on Moss Street. Thomas will take over for outgoing Police Chief Jim Craft who will be ending his 39-year career with LPD on Jan. 31 to take a position as the executive director of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice, which is among the recent cabinet appointments by Gov. John Bel Edwards. Chief Craft, thank you for everything, said Robideaux to a round of applause. I appreciate your help in this process. Your community certainly owes you a debt of gratitude and I hope that you remain a familiar face in Lafayette as you venture into your next phase. Robideaux also announced his intention to create a new position within the police department of deputy chief. While its not an easy task to fill the void that Chief Craft leaves behind, Im certain that I have found the right person to lead the department, said Robideaux. And going forward, let me say that I plan to work with the council and with the Civil Service Board to establish the position of deputy chief. My intention and hope is to have Capt. Thomas serve in that role once the national search has been conducted and a permanent chief has been named. Thomas holds a number of leadership positions including having served as the supervisor of the Officer Involved Shooting Team and has been previously elected by his peers to serve as their representative on the Civil Service Board. As a supervisor in the Criminal Investigations Division, Thomas has both led and supervised investigations of major crimes in Lafayette. Thomas also currently serves at the president of the Louisiana Chapter of the FBI National Academy Association, and was instrumental in obtaining and managing a grant for the department for the Violence Against Women Act. Thomas was surrounded by his friends and family as he accepted the position. I would like to thank Mayor Robideaux for trusting me with this important position, said Thomas. I am honored and humbled to accept the position of interim chief of the Lafayette Police Department. I would also like to thank Chief Jim Craft for not only training, but mentoring me throughout the years. Thomas will take over as interim chief as Robideaux begins a nationwide search for a permanent police chief. During this time, it will be my duty to insure a successful transition and ensure the safety of the community, said Thomas. It is my goal as interim chief to continue to lead the city of Lafayette with the input of the community and to focus more heavily on community policing. I understand that we must bridge the gap between the police department and the community. 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! Blog Archive About Me New York State Of Mind I never thought that I would own a blog. Knew nothing about them. When Richard of Amish Stories decided he wanted to change his blog-he asked me if I would take over Jean our Old Order Mennonite lady that has posts. I said yes, but I didn't know a thing about blogs. One day Richard gave me an e-mail to go to. That is New York State of Mind. I still thank Richard for all he did and all my complaints he hears and fixes for me. New York State of Mind is about Mennonite, Amish and New York State places of interest. I hope you enjoy it. View my complete profile 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. Synonyms For Curator Best synonyms for 'curator' related to 'person' are 'caretaker', 'warden' and 'librarian'. A curator can be charged with. Search for synonyms and antonyms. Find definitions, similar or opposite words and. ['kjret, kjrt'] the custodian of a collection (as a museum or library). Panera Discount Code Donate 20% of total sales to different schools. Apply this panera bread coupon code and receive a $5 discount off your purchase of $20 or more with this. Up to. Rent A Tow Dolly The price for tow dolly rental prices are packaged with a budget truck and cannot be rented. Rental mobil ciracas jakarta timur adalah shadan auto rent yang dapat melayani anda. For Rent Jasper Ga 24 hood park ct , jasper, ga 30143. 3 bedrooms 2 baths. Find unique places to stay with local hosts in 191 countries. Search great deals on recently listed. 4 Bedroom Houses Near Me For Rent Property (7 days ago) amazing furnished home near south maui beaches 6 month lease. Many house rental listings are currently available. Homes 4 bedroom 1 bathroom section 8. Rent.com offers 59 4+ bedroom houses for rent in indianapolis, in neighborhoods. 202 rentals available on trulia. Rent An Rv For A Month 11 rows on average, renting an rv for a month can range from $1,450 to $9,500 including tax. Some average prices for rentals across the united states will give you. Boost Mobile Lg Phones By purchasing, installing or activating a boost mobile sim card, you agree to abide by boost mobiles terms and conditions. Network experience may vary & other services/features,. Boost's $50 plan. Private Entrance Room For Rent The room has a 200+ square. See ciracas vacation rentals with swimming pools. Discover 28 holiday homes, villas, and hotel suites in ciracas that feature indoor, outdoor, or private pools.. Houses For Rent In Hiram Ga Explore rentals by neighborhoods, schools, local guides and more on trulia! Houses for rent in hiram, ga. This rental unit is available on apartments.com, starting at $1975 monthly. In addition, there are 2. Creekside, hiram, ga 30141 $2,695 /mo rent to own. Saxon Math Course 3 Math > > language arts social studies course 3 files. Using math in real life; Learn final exam saxon math course 3 with free interactive flashcards. Saxon math 5/4 (or. Hagerty Car Insurance Warung jati barat no.15,, jakarta, indonesia 12550. At hagerty media, we illuminate the joy of driving, the wonder of mechanical components, and the bond drivers share with their machines. Get. Upper East Side Apartments For Rent Upper west side pet friendly. View 251 e 61st st #s04f, new york, ny 10065 rent availability including the monthly rent price and browse photos of this 2 bed, 1. Craigslist Jobs Denver press to search craigslist. 61 craigslist jobs available in denver, co 80251 on indeed.com. (denver) hide this posting restore restore this posting. Boulder > > jobs > post; Denver > > jobs > post; Power Drive Inverter If you are looking for a power source to accompany you in your travels, this foval car power inverter might be the right one. Powerdrive pd3000 3000 watt power inverter. Horse For Rent 2 homes and space for horses. Home for rent, large 4 bedroom, 2 bath home, close to 35w/35e, close to stores and restaurants, but feels like you are in the. Nfl Shop Coupons There are a wide variety of sales and promo codes available just about anytime you shop. Get the best nflshop.com coupons, promo codes, and deals directly from the official online. 2 Bedroom 2 Bath House For Rent 2 bedroom houses for rent in los angeles ca. That said, with searching for rentals, its important to start your search by selecting 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, or 4 bedrooms apartments for rent in toronto. A free national directory of houses for rent, condos, townhomes, apartment rentals, and rental homes. 2 bedroom houses for rent in san diego ca. See 44 2 bedroom houses for rent in tampa, fl, browse photos, floor plans, reviews and more to help you find your perfect home. Grubhub Promo Codes That Work $12 off your first grubhub app purchase over $15. New diners take 25% off $15+ orders. Enjoy food from your favorite restaurants without leaving home!. $7 off $12+ orders.. Duplex For Rent Okc 3 bedroom, 2 baths with a 2 car garage duplex for rent in sw okc near sw 89th and walker. $200 off the 1st full months rent! Apartments buildings /. The S.P.D. Murder of John T. Williams On a sunny, warm Seattle August day in 2010, Native American wood carver John T. Williams was murdered by the Seattle Police Department as he walked down the crowded downtown streets while on his normal daily routine of carving small totem poles with a small pen knife, then selling them to the tourists that flock by the Seattle Public Market. Seattle Police Officer Ian Birk noticed Mr. Williams walking down the city streets and deemed him a threat, do in major part I believe - simply because he was Native American. Williams was one of many homeless Native Americans who roam downtown Seattle. These people are usually dismissed and overlooked by Seattles daily bustle of businessmen, the working class, and tourists. When the officer approached Williams from behind, and then ordered him to freeze and drop his small carving knife and a stick of carving wood he was carrying, Williams was hard of hearing in one ear, and failed to hear the police officer over the traffic and pedestrians, thus did not immediately comply; officer Birk then instantly felt that this gave him the right to use lethal force against John T. Williams. No threat was ever given by the homeless woodcarver. Officer Ian Birk coldly gunned down John T. Williams from behind, murdering him in the streets of Seattle, Wash, right in front of many horrified citizens who later professed that they felt no threat from the homeless Native American man whatsoever. The officer was fired thats it, and was allowed to live his life somewhere else, work a steady job, live in a nice house, somewhere out of media sight, and out of the publics mind; smug in the fact that he got away with legal murder with just a slap on the wrist. We must all remember that this type of legal homicide happens every day all over this nation of ours, by those sworn to Serve and Protect us. And that this violent tragedy can happen to anyone, or anybodys family members, especially if they are citizens of color. This makes it everybodys problem who believes in justice, personal safety from unwarranted persecution, and true American freedom in the society they live in. Let us still remember John T Williams, and never forget the fact that he was ruthlessly murdered by the S.P.D. The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. Barrett-Jackson will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2016 and their auction in Scottsdale, Arizona is considered the crown jewel. Known as the the worlds greatest collector car auction, it features some of the rarest and most sought after cars January 23-31. Among these highly sought-after cars are three VIN #001 Chevrolet Corvettes. Lot 1351 is the first 1955 Corvette off the assembly line. It comes in Polo White and has a red interior. Lot 1352 is a 1956 Corvette VIN #001 and is the only 1956 model known to be built without the fender scoops. Lot 1353 is the first-production 1957 Corvette. Lot 1359 is another special Corvette. 1953 was the first year Chevrolet produced the Corvette and only 300 were available all of which were painted white and featured a red interior. Up for grabs will be the very last one produced. Smokey and the Bandit is one of my favorite automotive movies and the iconic 1977 Bandit Trans-Am has always been on the list of cars Id like to own. Lot 7004 would be one Id bid on. The Bandit himself Burt Reynolds will be on hand to promote the auction of the 1977 Universal Studios Promo Bandit. If youre more of a Pontiac GTO fan, a rare 1969 GTO Ram Air IV Convertible will be available. It's one of only 14 built from the factory, and from the Thomas Stutzman Collection. Would a Camaro grab your attention? One of the rarest made, a 1969 X66 Double COPO Yenko Camaro is lot #1390. If you like the Transformer movie series, the semi-truck Optimus Prime and a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS, known as Bumblebee in the latest film, Transformers 4: Age of Extinction, will both be auctioned off. There will also be one-of-a-kind automobiles with NASCAR heritage available and many others. I couldnt fit every car Id like to in one preview story, but I will say that at the Barrett-Jackson auction theres a car for everyones taste. Tune in to the Discovery Channel and Velocity for live coverage of the auction. CARBONDALE For Southern Illinois University administrator Jeff McGoy, achieving The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.s dream of equality depends on the devotion of a new generation. McGoy, SIUs assistant dean of students, delivered the keynote address at the 34th Annual King Breakfast, held Monday morning at the SIU Student Center. He cited Kings arc of moral freedom, which has seen inequality crumble in fits and starts on the long path toward justice. Still, championing themes of giving, unity and love, McGoy urged the younger generation to fight on. Dont neglect the fact that we have made a lot of progress, but there is still more work for us to do, McGoy said, to applause from the audience. We should never forget where we come from, and we should always build bridges for others to come this way, he added. About 300 community members, activists and students attended the event, organized by the Carbondale branch of the NAACP. Henry's remarks leave audience members shaking their heads CARBONDALE Of the myriad of memorials to The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. offered Monda Progress stalled McGoys speech came one year after SIU President Randy Dunn addressed audience members at the 33rd Annual King Breakfast in 2015. During his keynote, Dunn said he feared SIU had stalled in its struggle toward diversity. While black students make up 17 percent of the colleges nearly 18,000-student population, black educators comprise just 5 percent of faculty, according to the SIUs department of Institutional Research and Studies. While we have a history to point to and a tradition thats strong, I do fear weve hit a bit of a plateau, he said at the 2015 event. And we have to recommit to push forward and regain what SIU has been known nationally for in years past. Since then, Dunn said progress has been a mixed bag. Budget stalemate in Springfield has left about a $100 million hole in the Carbondale campuss budget, and hiring has all but ceased, he said. I dont think weve made near the movement that we should have this past year, reflecting back on what we hoped would happen a year ago, he said. Still, the university systems Board of Trustees is poised to hear recommendations on possible improvements to race relations at its next scheduled meeting in March, he said. One proposal Dunn said hes likely to put forth? A call to more deeply involve campus diversity groups in the hiring process. Group hoping for talks on race relations CARBONDALE A few years ago, Fern Chappell said someone alerted police that her brother had I think the boards looking for a little bit more affirmative approach in getting out and being more aggressive in bringing more people of color to us, specifically in faculty and staff, he said. Voices of the future In between speeches from community leaders, students young and old took the stage to play music and lead audience members in inspirational songs. Two Carbondale Elementary School District 95 students read winning essays from this years King Essay Contest. This years entrants were asked to write letters to King about the world they live in. Set against a backdrop of police killings in Chicago; Ferguson, Missouri; Baltimore and other cities, students essays highlighted the new reality of race relations in a nation still staggering toward unity. Dr. King, maybe you can convince the police to not be so afraid of people so they wont shoot and kill so many people, Anthony Lacey, a fifth-grader at Lewis School, read from his first-place essay. BENTON A Chicago man who faces up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to making bomb threats in a self-declared "war" on Southern Illinois University in Carbondale is headed back to federal court for his sentencing hearing. Derrick Dawon Burns admitted in August 2015 to sending four threatening letters to students, employees and campus police in 2012 and 2013. The FBI was also an intended recipient. Three of the letters were entitled "The War on SIU." One was placed in a campus mail box and the others found in mail sorting machines. A sentencing hearing for the former SIU student is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Benton. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge. Burns was found competent to stand trial after a psychiatric exam. SPRINGFIELD An Illinois senator has introduced legislation that would authorize funding to pay for about $10 million the state owes for utility bills at government offices in the capital city. Illinois owes Springfield's City Water, Light and Power more than $9 million, including overdue bills totaling more than $6 million covering electric, water, sewer and sanitary services. The city provides utility services to 90 separate accounts for state facilities. The state hasn't had authorization to pay the bills because lawmakers haven't agreed on budget for the fiscal year that started July 1. State Sen. Andy Manar, a Democrat from Bunker Hill, has filed a bill that would allow Illinois to use general funds and additional money from the previous fiscal year to cover unpaid utility bills that aren't covered in the current fiscal year's budget, The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reported. "If the state government were a residential customer, the state government's power would have been shut off," Manar said. The utility has said that accounts are usually disconnected within 60 to 90 days of being overdue but it has been working with the state. Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder said no state building is in danger of losing power at this time. The Springfield City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a resolution asking Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Legislature to make utility services to state facilities an essential service so that electric, water and sewer bills can be paid. The legislation is SB2230. COBDEN The City of Carbondale, in partnership with Carbondale Farmers Market and Food Works, is conducting a feasibility study of farmers markets. Ted Spitzer of Market Venture Inc. met with farmers who are vendors of Carbondale Farmers Market on Monday in Cobden as part of the study. Spitzer started his presentation by saying the market is vibrant and busy. We do not want to make changes and screw it up, Spitzer said. The market has both regular and seasonal vendors. Regular vendors participate every week of the market, which runs April through October. Seasonal vendors secure spots by the day and do not sell at every market. Spitzer met with regular vendors Monday morning and seasonal vendors Monday afternoon. Carbondale to host town hall meeting for future events CARBONDALE Have ideas about the kind of events people would like to see in Carbondale? Spitzer provided nine options for Carbondale Farmers Market and asked for input on each. Options included: An additional day of operation at the same or different sites; building a physical market, either a shed or building; operating year round; additional educational programming and promotion; changing the mix of vendors; changing the number of vendors; building a shared commercial kitchen; and creating a friends of the market group. Farmers added a couple options: mobile toilets for the market and more wholesale options for selling produce. Farmers were given green, yellow and red stickers to mark the ideas that interest them the most. The discussion started with the options that drew the most interest, but farmers had the opportunity to comment on all the ideas. The afternoon group liked several of the ideas. A permanent structure is appealing, but the vendors were concerned about cost, maintenance and oversight. They also like the idea of an all-year market. The current winter market is small, but seems to attract a different crowd than the typical Carbondale Farmers Market crowd. The response to expanding educational opportunities was good, too. Scott Martin, who sells honey, usually has some educational component to his farmers market booth. He feels like it draws people in when he brings a bee hive. Mike Hatfield also shows some of his mushroom blocks to teach people about his mushrooms. 40 years and growing: Carbondale Farmers Market continues to attract customers For 40 years, farmers in Southern Illinois have had a place where they can sell their produc Changing the mix of vendors could open the market to include sale of prepared food, maybe through food trucks, or local wine and beer. Ann Stahlheber, market manager, said they work to maintain diversity of products and vendors. Currently, the market requires vendors to carry liability insurance and starts new vendors on a trial basis to allow some flexibility. Spitzer will facilitate other meetings this week. For the latest news about Carbondale Farmer's Market, visit the group's Facebook page. The welfare of the city that hosts a university campus is married to institutional progress. Universities are becoming go to economic development agents based on the number of people hired, the toilet paper purchased, and the hot dogs and beer consumed. These are shortsighted economic development assessments. Academic standards that relate to the effectiveness of the university are the only durable measures of institutional economic contribution. Academically excellent programs create jobs in the long run. A December 15, 2015, report from The Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies identified a $900 million economic contribution from NIU. It is accurate and impressive and similar to many reports from many universities across the nation. The University Economic Development Association defines economic development thusly: In higher education, economic development means proactive institutional engagement, with partners and stakeholders, in sustainable growth of the competitive capacities that contribute to the advancement of society through the realization of individual, firm, community, and regional-to-global economic and social potential. This reasonable definition counts not only dollars but the impact of academic work, ideas, and intellectual pursuits that lead to economic growth. The redistribution of state tax dollars and student tuition and fees produces economic impact that differs little from any other state or private enterprise. A state police headquarters or a highway maintenance yard has economic impact similar to what too many universities tout as economic development. The impact of state-owned enterprises makes sense only when free market models are followed. The economic health of a region is more appropriately defined through long-term benefit. Accounting shell games regarding redistribution of state tax revenue creates political sound bites but if value added is shallow, so is long term economic gain. A legitimate question is this "If the state invested the hundreds of millions of dollars that it invests in a university, could it more fruitfully attract other enterprise with a stronger day-to-day economic impact?" This indelicate question is the core of the matter regarding a universitys long-term economic impact. Institutions that win the "mission struggle" become economically powerful by contributing intellectual capital to local communities in a way that dwarfs the typical measures of economic viability jobs, hot dogs and hotel stays. The Disney Institute has a healthy perspective. Van Arsdale France, who helped pave the way for Disneyland said in 1955, "My goal, as I saw it, was to get everyone we hired to share in an intangible dream, and not just working for a paycheck." Mission and purpose create satisfaction and success. For example, a university that appeals to the needs and proclivities of nontraditional students, i.e. those married with children, frequently single-parent families, often in low wage jobs, is a draw to a region that has little to do with research productivity. The Best Colleges currently lists the top 25 colleges that appeal to nontraditional students. They are good at what they do. Leading the list is the College of Idaho, and rounding out the top 10 is Olin College: There is not a household name or a public institution on the list. Yet, each makes important contributions locally because they focus on a specific academic mission. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a vibrant model of an institution that has identified a student group (people at work) and has deliberately and tenaciously pursued this group of learners through online learning. Mission tenacity has caused robust growth for SNHU that has had a remarkable local impact in Manchester, N.H., and the surrounding communities, according to a recent Manchester Development Corporation study. Some campuses provide special provision for students with disabilities. This is another form of academic mission. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, my home institution, appears at number 12 on the list and should be assiduously working to be No. 1. Such focus will create stronger purpose and economic impact. Increasingly universities struggle in a competitive marketplace. Regrettably, definitions of university excellence are shaped by about 100 institutions in the United States rather than the 4,000 campuses that make up the national higher education complex. Most troubling, boards and university leaders without vision have bought into the one-view model that creates debilitating "Harvard envy." Local elected, civic and business leaders should encourage university leadership to find and resolutely focus on vividly clear academic mission creating purposeful quality, reputation, and economic growth. South Carolinas political primaries are shaping up as the make-or-break contests that officials with both the Democratic and Republican parties had hoped. And they could be the tale of the tape for the establishment candidates. Sunday nights Democratic debate left little doubt that presumed frontrunner and nominee-in-waiting Hillary Clinton is taking no chances in the Palmetto State. Clinton is aware polls show a reasonable possibility she could lose in the opening caucus in Iowa and the primary in New Hampshire to upstart liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders anti-establishment, the-poor-and-middle-class-are-being-cheated campaign continues to resonate with Democrats, who seemingly dont want to hear the argument that the Vermont senators avowed socialistic views are simply too liberal. So Clinton looks to South Carolina Democrats on Jan. 27 to set the race straight. She will rely on African-American voters in South Carolina to what she had hoped they would do in 2008 by ending an insurgent campaign. That didnt happen then because black voters turned out in record numbers to support then-Sen. Barack Obama, setting the tone for a race that would see the undoing of the frontrunner. It was not a happy time for Clinton, as even former President Bill Clinton weighed in with harsh criticism of Democrats here for failing to rally around the former first ladys candidacy. This time, Hillary Clinton is leaving nothing to chance, fully aware of Obamas popularity in South Carolina among African-Americans and Democrats in general. On Sunday night in Charlestons debate, she embraced the administrations record on everything from health care to foreign policy. That could serve her well, particularly if 6th District Congressman James Clyburn, whose relationship with the Clintons has been cool since the 2008 race, sides with Hillary. He is reportedly nearing a formal choice in the race. Prediction: Clyburn and South Carolina Democrats know Sanders is not an electable candidate. Clinton may have high negatives with a percentage of the U.S. population, but she is the candidate giving the Democrats the best bet to retain the White House. Meanwhile, Republicans have an even more intriguing situation. If the pollsters are right, the Iowa and New Hampshire contests will do nothing to knock billionaire Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz off their perches as frontrunners. That will leave South Carolina on Feb. 20 to determine whether the party will go as far right for a candidate as Democrats are left in looking at Sanders. With the states reputation for supporting the eventual nominee, candidates such as Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Chris Christie will be looking to this state to choose the candidate who will be the alternative to Trump and Cruz. And S.C. politicians can play a key role. Gov. Nikki Haley signaled in her national address following Obamas State of the Union that the party does not need extremism. That rules out support for Trump or Cruz. Should she choose to go along with South Carolina U.S. Sen. and former presidential candidate Lindsey Graham and back Bush, there is a real possibility the states voters could do as Graham forecasts: On Feb. 20th, we're going to give Jeb Bush the momentum that he needs and deserves to win the nomination. Although there are reports that even the GOP establishment has become resigned to the possibility of Trump winning the nomination, Republicans remain aware of the electoral reality of a general election. With New York and California and their electoral votes near certainties for the Democrat even before a vote is cast, it will take a candidate who can get would-be Democratic votes to move from Clinton to a Republican in states such as Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan if the GOP is to regain the White House. Prediction: South Carolina Republicans and their elected leaders are anxious to have a Republican president. They may not want to call the winner here the establishment candidate, but he will be the best bet to achieve what Republicans want most: Keeping Hillary Clinton out of the White House. Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge encouraged the hundreds in attendance at the inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Orangeburg event to continue the civil rights leaders fight for justice, equality and righteous living. "There are many of us who are living King's dream but there are so many of us who are not, especially in communities of color," Fudge told those gathered at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church. "If Dr. King were alive today, I believe he would be proud of how far we have come, but he would also make a commitment that we need to move forward together as a nation, she said. Mondays event, held with the theme "A call for education equity: Are you on board," was sponsored by the Orangeburg Branch of the NAACP. Fudge said parents need to encourage their children to read and learn about the past. "If you don't give these young people a good opportunity to make it out of school, where do they go?" Fudge said. If they don't get an education, they are out on the streets. If you don't give people the opportunity to succeed, they will find ways to survive." Fudge said she has heard a lot about Orangeburg from her colleague, Congressman Jim Clyburn. During the height of the civil rights movement, Orangeburg had the courage to march, to move and to fight, she said. "A lot of people don't have courage but a lot of people have dreams," she said. "Dr. King inspired a nation to dream. He spread a message of hope and perseverance. He said if you can't fly, than you need to run, if you can't run than you need to walk, and if you can't walk you need to crawl. You have to keep going." But Fudge said there are still challenges in the United States. She said many still suffer the ingrained history of injustice and prejudice. "They think it is all right that there is an over criminalization of black men," Fudge said. "They think it is OK for black boys to die in the street at the hands of the police." She noted black women are four times more likely to be in prison than white women and about two-thirds of females in prison are black. She also decried the violence on city streets as reminiscent of the Wild West. "We need to get these guns off the street," she said. "I don't mind having a gun in the house to protect yourself, but that is all it is needed for. "Kids in my neighborhood can buy a gun faster than I can go through TSA at an airport," she continued. "I have babies dying in the streets." Fudge challenged the audience to think about ways they can make someone else's life better by perhaps befriending a youth who has been in trouble. As a congresswoman, Fudge says she will continue to support the downtrodden through education, Social Security and healthcare expansion. "I want this world to be a better place," Fudge said. I want to see King's dream. I, too, dream of a better America." Orangeburg Branch NAACP Membership Chairman Charles Owens said King represents a history that we must never forget. Owens said there is still work to be done to improve race relations and equality. "I am kind of upset about what is happening in our country today in terms of some of the attitudes coming today from political parties," Owens said. "It saddens me. During Martin Luther King's time, though we had friction, there was a lot of love and peace around, but now we find that the country is going through a difficult time. Sometimes we don't know quite where we are going." South Carolina State University Student Service Program Coordinator Kenita Pitts said, "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of high ethical standards and spiritual and a fighter for everyone, not just for African-Americans, but he believed in justice for all men, women and children. "It is very important that we remember him and his efforts and that we continue on with his legacy of helping others, she said. Pitts said young people do appreciate King's message, but they need to be reminded of the sacrifices that have been made. University students participated in a day of service Monday, honoring King by helping others. "We are reminding everyone that love is the greatest compliment you can give to one another," Pitts said. WASHINGTON -- If you thought the political landscape couldn't be more unsettled, think again. In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders is surging. Hillary Clinton now faces not a coronation, not a cakewalk, but a contest -- one she could lose. Has there ever been a worse election to be an establishment candidate? Certainly not in my lifetime. When a pitchfork-populist billionaire is leading one party's race and a self-described socialist is rapidly gaining ground in the other, I think it's safe to say we're somewhere we haven't been before. For much of the past year, Clinton led Sanders in national polls by more than 20 points. Now, according to the Real Clear Politics average, her lead has shrunk to less than nine points -- and the most recent survey, a CBS/New York Times poll released this week, showed just a seven-point gap. State polls should make Clinton even more nervous. Her once-comfortable lead over Sanders in Iowa is now just four points, pretty much a toss-up. And in New Hampshire, Sanders -- a longtime senator from next-door Vermont -- leads Clinton by six points. It is within the realm of possibility that the presumptive Democratic nominee could lose both of the first two states. Then what? It's tempting to look for parallels from 2008: Clinton had the backing of the party establishment, but an insurgent named Barack Obama beat her in Iowa and ran away with the nomination. However, the one bit of finger-in-the-wind punditry I'm comfortable dispensing this year is that comparisons with previous election cycles probably don't mean much. Instead, we should start by looking at Sanders and his message. All along, his campaign has enjoyed less media coverage than it deserves. I believe many journalists accepted the conventional wisdom that he is too unpolished and too far to the left to win the nomination -- despite evidence that substantial numbers of Democrats disagree. Sanders' central campaign theme is inequality. Over the past four decades, he argues, "Wall Street and the billionaire class" have "rigged the rules to redistribute wealth and income to the wealthiest and most powerful people of this country." He proposes to do something about that -- lots, in fact. He wants wealthy individuals and large corporations to "pay their fair share" in taxes. He wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and put millions of people to work by spending $1 trillion over five years to renew the country's aging infrastructure. Sanders denounces free-trade pacts, such as NAFTA -- and President Obama's Trans-Pacific Partnership -- contending they drive down wages and eliminate American jobs. On this question, he agrees almost word-for-word with Republican front-runner Donald Trump. As I said, this is not a normal election cycle. Sanders wants to make tuition free at public colleges and universities. He wants universal child care and pre-kindergarten. He supports equal pay for women -- by law -- and a requirement that employers provide at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave and a minimum of two weeks' paid vacation. And Sanders supports truly universal health care. He describes it as "Medicare for all" and notes that every other major industrialized nation considers medical care a right. Any Clinton supporters looking for a reason to panic should consider the way the campaign attacked Sanders on health care. Chelsea Clinton, stumping for her mother in New Hampshire, charged that "Senator Sanders wants to dismantle Obamacare, dismantle the CHIP [children's health] program, dismantle Medicare and private insurance." Hillary Clinton later doubled down, saying that "if you look at Senator Sanders' proposals going back nine times in Congress, that's exactly what he's proposed." Come on, be real. Sanders doesn't want to eliminate government health programs, he wants to combine them all into one comprehensive system. A more honest line of attack might be that Sanders has yet to spell out how he would pay for universal health care -- or, for that matter, get it through a hostile Congress. Such careful and misleading parsing of language can only be called Clintonesque and only be read as a danger sign. I can't help but recall how Bill Clinton invited a backlash in 2008 by calling the Obama candidacy a "fairy tale." Maybe Hillary Clinton should try leaving the family at home. Sanders still has an uphill battle, especially after Iowa and New Hampshire. But the Clinton campaign has a fight on its hands -- and anything smacking of politics-as-usual is more likely to lose votes than win them. 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. THANK YOU for being a part of The Write Way Cafe! Starting January 1, 2020, please join us on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/TheWriteWayCafe/) and Twitter ( https://twitter.com/writewaycafe2 ), where we plan to continue promoting books for our fellow authors. Have a book you'd like to promote? Please contact us at thewritewaycafe@gmail.com for more information on how we can help! 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. A blog about living well, in truth and virtue, so as to die well. 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.. Random thoughts about topics, including lucha libre, video games, language, music, and probably some other things. /By AzerNews/ By Aynur Karimova The removal of Western sanctions on Iran, the fourth country with largest proven oil reserves (about 158 billion barrels), immediately affected the global oil prices, pushing them below $28 per barrel. Brent crude fell as low as $27.67 a barrel, its lowest since 2003, before recovering slightly to trade at $28.17. The price of U.S. crude fell below $29 a barrel to $28.86. At a time when the market already is grappling with a global supply glut, Iran (daily oil production was about 3 million barrels) has said it is ready to increase exports by 500,000 barrels per day. Iran's such a decision came after the IAEA, the international nuclear watchdog, said Iran had complied with a deal designed to prevent it developing nuclear weapons and it was decided to lift the sanctions against Iran on January 16. However, analysts say the lifting of the sanctions on Iran means worsening of the existing oversupply problem and production of half a million barrels more oil per day. They believe that Iran's initial export is easy to achieve, but further production increases are challenging. The decrease of oil price has been driven by oversupply, mainly due to the export of U.S. shale oil to the market, while demand has fallen because of a slowdown in economic growth in China and Europe. Iran's oil exports could reach 1 million barrels per day within a year, while the country's officials hope to eventually increase output by almost 1.5 million barrels per day. According to the International Energy Agency, about 38 million barrels of oil are in Iran's floating reserves, ready to enter the market. Any additional oil would add to the one million barrels a day of over-supply that has led to a more than 70 percent collapse in oil prices since the middle of 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. So, experts believe that it is the wrong time for Iran, the fifth-biggest member of oil cartel OPEC, to return to the oil market, both for the market and for Iran. They did not exclude the possibility of further drop of oil prices, but not much lower than $25. But Iran is keen to return to the oil market despite all sad figures. "The legs of Irans economy are now free of the chains of sanctions and its time to build and grow, Rouhani tweeted on January 17. However, experts believe that Iran's oil sector needs a lot of investments. In particular, Iran's oil fields have experienced a long period of underinvestment. So, the country needs significant foreign investment and technology to repair and build out its production potential. The country also needs huge investments in its out-of-date oil infrastructure. On January 18, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, said in an interview with CNN that Iran needs about $500 billion to restore its oil infrastructure. Iranian officials are aware that they are returning to the market at an inauspicious time with outdated infrastructure, thus, they want to set special relationships with their customers such as oil-for-goods bartering. Bartering is believed to help Iran during a period of intense competition among oil producers for buyers. Over the past several years, Iran has bartered oil for equipment and goods with China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey, the countries that did not impose sanctions against Tehran. Iranian officials believe that Iran could use this bartering practice towards European costumers. Iran is also negotiating acquiring stakes in refineries in India, Brazil and Spain, while Iranian private companies intend to purchase refineries in Switzerland and France. The safest way to increase the exports is investment in refineries abroad. On this basis, the petroleum ministry wants to invest in refineries abroad, whose crude oil will be supplied by Iran, Abbas Kazemi, the head of the state-run National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Co., told local media on January 9. /By AzerNews/ By Amina Nazarli The art specimens of Azerbaijani masters spread all over the world since ancient times and had gained repute with its artistic excellence and beauty. The national handicraft masters works can be met in museums around the world, including in the United States. Hundreds of rare art specimens can be found in the museums of Washington, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit, Boston and other cities, art galleries and private collections. Among the samples kept in the U.S. Metropolitan Museum of Art one can find also a turban helmet, belonging to Shirvanshah Farrukh Yashar, the last ruler of Azerbaijans state Shirvanshahs. The helmet dates back to the late 15th century and is made from steel, silver, copper alloy. This especially attractive and well preserved turban helmet retains the mail aventail that protected the lower half of the face and neck. The aventail is fixed with a lead seal stamped with the mark used in the Ottoman arsenals, an indication that this example, like the other turban helmets also in the Museum's collection, passed into Turkish possession as booty with the Ottoman conquest of Iran and the Caucasus. Although the label of the showpiece depicts that the helmet was made for a ruler, the description mentions nothing about the belonging of the helmet to Azerbaijan. The information about the helmet says that At least one turban helmet decorated in a style comparable to this example bears the name of Farruhk-Siar (reigned 14641501), ruler of Shirvan in the Caucasus. Such evidence suggests that this helmet is also of Shirvan manufacture. In fact, the State of Shirvanshahs founded between Shabran and Gilgilchay was approximately existed 1,000 years. Shirvanshahs took important role in continuation and upgrade of Azerbaijan people's statehood traditions after the collapse of the Great Saldjuc emperorship. The current capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, was for the first time proclaimed the capital by Shirvanshahs in the 12th century. Azerbaijani historian Sarah Ashurbeyli writes In spite of the heroic struggle for independence for ten centuries, the Shirvanshahs state after 1538 virtually ceased to exist, it fell under the blows of the troops appeared on the historical scene of a strong Azerbaijani Safavid state, and there was not even a trace from this dynasty, except only a name. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially "the Met", located in New York City, is the largest art museum in the United States and among the most visited art museums in the world. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among seventeen curatorial departments. The museum keeps many exhibits belonging to Azerbaijani history and culture including national instruments, carpets, belts and others. Silvano was on a cruise ship when the family curse struck. An elegant 53-year-old with striking red hair who enjoyed wearing a tuxedo at every possible occasion, he tried to present himself with the poise of the film stars he admired. But while on the ships dance floor one evening, he was embarrassed to find that his shirt had become drenched in sweat. Concerned, he examined himself in a mirror, only to find that his pupils had shrunk to two tiny black pinpricks. It was the same glassy-eyed stare that had afflicted his father and two sisters at the beginning of their mysterious illnesses. He knew this was just the beginning. Tremors, impotence and constipation could follow. But the most terrifying symptom would be the disappearance of sleep almost total insomnia for months; a kind of waking coma that ultimately would end in death. He said, Ill stop sleeping, and within eight or nine months, Ill be dead Silvano eventually referred himself to the University of Bolognas sleep unit for further study, but he was under no illusions about the course of the disease. He said, Ill stop sleeping, and within eight or nine months, Ill be dead, one of his doctors, Pietro Cortelli, told me in a phone interview. I said how can you be sure? He then drew me his genealogical tree from the 18th Century, all by heart. In each generation, Silvano could name family members who had succumbed to the same fate. As Silvano had predicted, he died less than a couple of years later, but he left his brain to science in the hope that it might shed some light on the strange disorder that had plagued his family. Whats going on inside the brains and bodies of people with this strange disease? Its a mystery that researchers are only now starting to fully understand, and possibly treat with a promising new drug. However, since Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) involves a genetic legacy that is passed through generations, this research is also raising a difficult and ethically fraught question: if your familys genes meant you could one day be struck down by the inability to sleep, would you want to be told your fate? Patient zero Silvanos family have mostly remained silent about their struggle with FFI, but about 15 years ago they opened up about their history to the writer DT Max, whose book The Family Who Couldnt Sleep offers an engrossing portrait of a family living in fear of their own genes. Hunting for patient zero, Max found the disease could be traced as far back as a Venetian doctor who fell into a continuous, paralysed torpor during the late 18th Century. Soon after, a nephew named Giuseppe succumbed to a similar fate, and from there, the illness passed through his sons Angelo and Vincenzo to their children and great grandchildren, until it reached Silvanos father Pietro, who died during World War Two. Despite this chain of losses, the family tried not to talk about the illness for fear of tempting fate, but that changed in the 1980s when Silvano started developing his symptoms. His niece had married a doctor named Ignazio Roiter, and as a man of science, he persuaded his wifes uncle to visit Elio Lugaresis famous sleep clinic at the University of Bologna, where Cortelli was working. Together, they set about solving the mystery of the illness. Although their efforts could do nothing to save Silvano or two other family members who would succumb shortly afterwards, extensive testing eventually found the culprit: a misshapen protein in the brain called a prion, caused by a tiny genetic mutation. For some reason it is only at middle age that the prions begin to proliferate wildly, collecting in pockets that poison the neurons. The size and shape of a walnut, in Silvanos brain the thalamus appeared to have been riddled with boring worms This made it a relative of CreutzfeldtJakob disease (CJD) and Mad Cow Disease two other prion diseases that were garnering serious scientific interest at the time. But whereas CJD leaves the surface of the brain looking like Swiss cheese, Silvanos condition seems to target parts of the thalamus, at the very centre of the skull. Normally the size and shape of a walnut, the thalamus in Silvanos brain appeared to have been riddled with boring worms. After years of further research, the scientists can now explain why damage to this small nub of neural tissue unleashes such a puzzling constellation of symptoms. We know, for instance, that this hub orchestrates all our autonomic responses to the environment things like temperature control, blood pressure, heart rate, and the release of hormones to keep the body ticking over comfortably. When it breaks down, it is as if your central heating is going haywire, your water pipes have sprung a leak, your windows are wide open and your loudspeakers are blaring at full volume everything is in chaos. Hence the profuse sweating and shrunken pupils, the impotence and the constipation. Turning off consciousness This erratic autonomic control could also contribute to the patients insomnia: their bodies cant prepare for a nights sleep. Where blood pressure typically drops before sleep, theirs would be abnormally high, for instance, giving the sensation that their body is still on high alert. If the sympathetic nervous system is unbalanced, of course youve got insomnia, says Cortelli, who presented his ideas in a recent issue of Sleep Medicine Reviews. The closest they get to normal sleep is a kind of mindless stupor not quite asleep, but not quite aware Compounding these issues, the brains rhythms are now in complete disarray. During the night, we normally experience periodic cycles of rapid eye movement punctuated by a deeper slow wave sleep. During this stage, low-frequency oscillations of electrical activity ripple across the cortex the gnarled, bark-like tissue on the surface of the brain. This appears to calm down the buzz of coordinated conscious activity youd normally see when we are awake, while also performing important maintenance work, such as consolidating our memories. And what nub of neural tissue deep in the brain orchestrates those delicate rhythms? The thalamus. Lacking this dimmer switch, the FFI patients are always switched on and can never descend into deep, restorative sleep, says Angelo Gemignani at the University of Pisa, who has demonstrated that people with FFI are missing this important pattern of brain activity. Without those slow waves, the closest they get to normal sleep is a kind of mindless stupor not quite asleep, but not quite aware, in which they mindlessly mime their routine daily activities. Cortelli thinks this is a pale remnant of the REM stage that punctuates the deeper stages of sleep; in some ways, it looks like they are acting out dreams. He remembers a woman, Teresa, who would mindlessly mimic the action of combing someones hair; she had been a hairdresser before the disease struck. Slowed decline One remarkable patient, however, has hinted that there may be some unusual ways to alleviate the misery. A psychologist at Touro College in New York, Joyce Schenkein first came across Daniel not through her work, but through a radio chat line (a precursor to internet forums in the 1990s). His profile was very clever he was a brilliant guy, extremely funny, she says; they ended up having a long-distance friendship. (Daniels name has been changed to preserve his familys privacy.) Daniels response was to buy a motorhome and travel across the US - he wasnt just going to sit there and die In a conversation a few years later, he started to sound confused and vague. At some point, he said pardon me if I sound incoherent but I havent slept for five days, says Schenkein. Medical tests revealed he was carrying the FFI mutation. (His mother had apparently known there was some illness in his fathers family, but had decided not to worry her son with the details.) Worse still, it was the form that should progress most rapidly. Rather than crumbling into despair, his response was to buy a motorhome and travel across the US. He was an adventurous spirit he wasnt just going to sit there and die, Schenkein says. As the symptoms became more extreme, he employed a driver, and then a nurse, to take over the steering wheel when he was too unwell, she says. Floating in the egg-like shell, he found the rest that had proven so elusive, enjoying a blissful four and a half hours of sleep Meanwhile (and sometimes with Schenkeins advice) Daniel was determined to try as many potential treatments as possible, ranging from vitamin supplements and exercise to improve his general fitness to anaesthetics such as ketamine and nitrous oxide, and sleep medicines like diazepam anything that would give him a few winks of sleep, even for as short as 15 minutes at a time. He even bought a sensory deprivation tank, having found that even under an anaesthetic, his fragile slumbers could be interrupted by the slightest sound or movement. Floating in the egg-shaped cocoon while bathed in warm salt water, he found the rest that had proven so elusive, enjoying a blissful four-and-a half hours of solid sleep. Once he awoke, however, he had to face terrifying hallucinations including a strange uncertainty as to whether he was alive or dead. He even tried electroconvulsive therapy to see if the sharp electric shock could knock him out Despite these (relative) successes, Daniel still faced regular relapses that became more intense as the disease progressed. When the symptoms reared themselves, he couldnt do anything, says Schenkein. There were times when he lost the whole day it takes over your consciousness. He could sit there without the initiative to move; hed be frozen in time. Once, he tried electroconvulsive therapy to see if the sharp electric shock could knock him out; it did, but he suffered such bad amnesia afterwards that it seemed a far from ideal solution. After a few years of this struggle, he too finally passed away. Clearing the debris Although none of the treatments provided long-term relief, Daniel lived years longer than his diagnosis might have predicted. Schenkein points to recent evidence showing that slow-wave sleep triggers currents of cerebrospinal fluid to wash through the channels between brain cells, carrying away the debris and detritus from the days activity, and leaving it clean like the beach after high tide. Perhaps, by alleviating the insomnia, you can encourage this clean-up and forestall the brains further disintegration. Together with the Italian neurologist Pasquale Montagna (who had worked on those other cases of fatal familial insomnia), Schenkein wrote up the case study for a medical journal in the hope it may inspire others to look for measures to extend the life of patients with FFI. It at least opens the possibility to say that there is something we can do, says Cortelli though he emphasises that we can only learn so much from a single case report; it is unclear if similar measures would help any other sufferers. The Venetian familys hopes lie in a different direction. Lugaresi passed away at the end of December last year after decades of working with people with FFI, but Roiter and his colleagues at Milan and Treviso believe they may finally be close to the cure they had all dreamed of. Last year, they announced a clinical trial of a new drug, which, they hope, may prevent (or at least decelerate) the formation of the poisonous prions. The drug in question, doxycycline, had previously shown some promise in experiments investigating CJD; originally an antibiotic, it seemed to stop the prions sticking together in clumps and encouraged their breakup through the brains natural enzymes. Indeed, in a small clinical trial on people showing early signs of the disease, the 21 people taking thedrug lived about twice as long (an average of 13 months) as the 78 control subjects. The problem was that many family members did not want to know the results of the test: the fear would cloud the rest of their lives Disappointingly, a later study that tested the drug on patients already showing more aggressive symptoms of CJD failed to find a benefit. Roiter and his colleagues wonder if by that point, it might simply be too late to be of use. For this reason, they want to see if doxycycline may still function as a preventative treatment in people at risk of FFI, before the prions have started to amass. It might delay or completely disrupt the development of the disease, says Gianluigi Forloni at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, who is helping to lead the project. Setting up a reliable trial, while remaining sensitive to the familys anxieties, involved some knotty considerations. First, the scientists had to genetically test each member to see who was carrying the mutation, and so should be given the active drug. From these, they selected 10 members aged 42 to 52 who might be expected to decline within the next decade. Fear of knowledge The problem was that many of the family members did not want to know the results of the test: even with the hope of the drug, the fear would cloud every waking minute of their lives. For this reason, a further 15 members who are not at risk of the disease will also receive a sham treatment. This means that each member should have no way of figuring out the results of their test: as far as they can tell, there is less than a 50:50 chance of proving positive or not. Without treatment, Forloni predicts that at least four of the 10 subjects carrying the mutation would be expected to succumb within the next decade. So if the team find that more than six have escaped the disease by the end of that period, they will consider the trial a success perhaps justifying more widespread use. Despite the glimmer of hope it offers, the trial remains controversial among some of the doctors who have been following this family closely. Cortelli, for one, has decided not to be involved in the project because he is concerned about its ethics. Some of the side effects of the antibiotics may still give away the subjects diagnosis, causing unnecessary distress, he thinks. (In their defence, Roiter and Forlonis team will be providing psychological support throughout the experiment.) In any case, he is sceptical that the evidence for the drugs potential is not strong enough to justify such an extended period of treatment. And even if the family members have escaped the disease at the end of the trial, Cortelli says we cant rule out the possibility that these few individuals were simply lucky; some people with the mutation have still lived into their 80s, although no one knows why their gene remained dormant. But with anxiety and uncertainty plaguing them whatever they decide, its not hard to see why the family is willing to take a gamble on the treatment: here is a chance to absolve the death sentence that has been written in their DNA for centuries. Silvanos niece once spoke of creeping into her mothers room each night to check that she was really asleep and not hiding the first signs of insomnia. She was, she said, a spy in her own home. If the drug really does work, it would be the end of this living nightmare the start of a future in which the solace of a nights sleep can be embraced without fearing it could soon be the last. Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on January 18 on additional measures to encourage investments. The decree was signed to expand investment activities, improve business environment, increase industrial production, as well as create a mechanism and normative legal acts related to encouragement of investments, in accordance with the action plan for realization of the 2015-2020 State Program for Development of Industry in Azerbaijan. President Aliyev also signed an order on additional measures to promote exports of non-oil products. In recent years, there have been significant achievements in development of the non-oil sector, which is the main driving force of the economy. Its share in GDP began to prevail, and the production of competitive goods with high export potential has expanded, the order said. The decision to issue the order was made with an aim to promote exports of non-oil products, increase production and export of non-oil products, improve the opportunities to access the traditional and new markets, and expand favorable conditions in this area. /By Trend/ /By AzerNews/ By Aynur Karimova Establishment of joint Armed Forces of Turkic states in such a complicated world is of significant importance, military expert Uzeyir Jafarov believes. Commenting on works being conducted by Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan towards improving the joint Armed Forces in the framework of TAKM project, he told Azernews that such an army is necessary for resolving problems in the Turkic world. "I said this is a great idea and it is important to realize it [establish Joint Armed Forces]," he said. "The Turkic-Muslim world, in particular Azerbaijan and Turkey, has a lot of artificial problems. In this regard, establishment of a Turkic Armed Forces - a mini model of NATO can become beneficial for resolving these problems," he said. Last week Ismet Yilmaz, Turkish National Defense Minister, told Trend in an interview that Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan are conducting works towards improving the joint Armed Forces in the framework of TAKM project. Jafarov believes that these Armed Forces could play a stabilizing role in the Turkic world. "It is necessary to achieve this goal," the expert said. "Participation of fraternal Turkey - a member of NATO - in the establishment of this army is of significant importance. Turkey has a huge experience in this field. It enjoys both theoretical and practical knowledge." The joint Armed Forces of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia - TAKM were established in January 2013 to strengthen the cooperation among the law enforcement organizations of military status located in Eurasia. Jafarov believes that being near Turkey in achieving these goals is important for Azerbaijan. Touching upon the affect of establishment of such an army to Azerbaijan's army training, Jafarov said that it will have only a positive affect. "Azerbaijani army has achieved significant success in recent years thanks to the support provided by the Turkish army. Today, the Azerbaijani army is represented in the world scale at a high level both in Iraq and Kosovo. Over 90 members of the Azerbaijani army are attending operations in Afghanistan. I believe that establishment of joint army will become a good practice for Azerbaijan and it will have only a positive affect on us," Jafarov concluded. Military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey - the two neighboring nations - dates back to 1992 when they signed an agreement on military education. Since then, the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments have been closely cooperating in both defense and security fields. In December 2010, both countries signed a range of treaties provisioning for military assistance should any of the party be attacked by third party. Based on numerous agreements on joint military exercises as part of bilateral progressive efforts towards military cooperation, the Azerbaijani and Turkish armed forces have held regular drills, featuring various tactical and combat tasks so far. Azerbaijan's defense ministry told local media that Baku and Ankara have started preparations for next joint military drills. On January 18, a meeting on basic planning of the "TurAz ?ahini - 2016" exercises began in the Turkish city of Konya. Representatives of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are attending the drills that will last until January 20. The joint tactical exercises entitled "TurAz Qartali-2015" of the Azerbaijani and Turkish Armies were held in Azerbaijan in September. The exercises, which were conducted as part of an annual joint military plan, lasted until September 18. The joint military exercises TurAz Qartal?, TurAz Shahini and drills of the Land Forces represents the level of cooperation between the armies of both countries. /By AzerNews/ By Amina Nazarli The Los Angeles-based Beth Jacob Synagogue, which is the largest Orthodox synagogue in the Western U.S., hosted a talk dedicated to Azerbaijans exemplary model of multiculturalism and tolerance on January 16. At the invitation of the Synagogue, Azerbaijans Consul General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev addressed the entire Congregation. Opening the event, the Synagogues Senior Rabbi Kalman Topp expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to get to know Azerbaijan, which he called a beacon of hope and inspiration for multifaith peace. He expressed his hope that many more nations would follow Azerbaijans example of positive multiculturalism. Then the floor was given to Consul General Aghayev. In his remarks, the Consul General informed the audience about Azerbaijans tumultous history, its steady modernization and incredible transformation from a poor war-torn country into a regional economic powerhouse and an island of stability in an otherwise unstable region. Highlighting Azerbaijans long-standing traditions of interfaith tolerance and positive multiculturalim Aghayev said: The principle of interfaith tolerance and harmony has always been an important part of our culture. But following the restoration of our independence, Azerbaijan, under our National Leader Heydar Aliyev, has elevated this principle into a strong Government policy. This policy and the environment of inerreligious tolerance and inclusion constantly nurtured by President Ilham Aliyev, enables all different religions to enjoy the full freedom of religion, practice their faith freely and live in harmony with representatives of other religions. It is not a coincidence that the Government of Azerbaijan is financing the building and rebuilding of places of worship and religious cultural centers, as well as provides annual funds for the maintenance of religious communities... Moreover Azerbaijan provides free natural gas to all mosques, churches and synagogues not only in Azerbaijan, but also in neighboring Georgia. So all these measures are directed at making sure that this model of interfaith harmony becomes stronger and stronger every day, he said. Speaking of the wider implications of this model for the world, the Consul General called on the world to adopt multiculturalism concept. In light of the dangers we face today, we must push the world to embrace the concept of multi-faith and multicultural harmony, and with Azerbaijans example we are showing that this harmony is possible, he noted. /By AzerNews/ By Laman Sadigova Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry has excluded Andrey Bogdanov, the Russian ex-presidential candidate, from the list of "undesirable people". Bogdanovs name was included in the Foreign Ministrys black list due to his illegal visit to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia. Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly one million were displaced as a result of the war. Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions are temporarily out of the control of Azerbaijan as a result of Armenias aggression. Bogdanov, who ran for the post of the Russian president in 2008, appealed to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry with a request to exclude his name from Bakus black list. In his letter, Bogdanov said that he recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and has paid a visit to the occupied territories of the country, not knowing about possible consequences. Bogdanov regretted visiting Nagorno-Karabakh, saying he didnt try to promote the separatist regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. His appeal has been studied in the proper way and it was decided to exclude his name from the list of "undesirable persons", the Foreign Ministry reported. Andrey Bogdanov is the leader of the Democratic Party of Russia and a Freemason, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Russia. Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions of Azerbaijan are considered illegal and individuals who pay such visits are included in the ministrys black list. The list of persona non grata banned from visiting Azerbaijan includes MPs, businessmen, journalists, entertainers, and others, who violated Azerbaijans borders and showed disrespect to the sovereignty and territorial unity of the country. Large-scale hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994, but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal. Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far. Irans oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh announced interest of Czech Republic to import natural gas from Iran. He made the remarks in a meeting with Czech Republic Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mladek on Jan. 18, the official IRNA news agency reported. Zanganeh said that exporting gas to Czech Republic by pipe is not possible now, but considering Iran has an incomplete unit of LNG, the Czech side may sign a long-term contract with Iran for importing Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) or cooperate in its investment. He also expressed Iran's interest for cooperation with Czech Republic in the sector of underground reservation of gas considering its capabilities and continuation of negotiation in this field. Zangeneh underlined that Czech companies may have cooperation with Iran as investors and not contractors. He added that Czech Republic is strong industrially and is able to cooperate with Iran in manufacturing oil equipment. Czech companies can cooperate with Iranian companies in transferring technology, manufacturing goods and equipment of oil industry and also investing in the petrochemical industry. Based on the statistics available, volume of trade exchange between Iran and the Czech Republic in the first five months of the Iranian year (started March 2015) stands at $12.3 million. Iran's export to Czech Republic stood at $2.3 million and its imports from the Republic was $10 million in value in the five months. /By Trend/ Iran's government is planning to take giant steps toward the privatization of much of the economy during the current administration, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said addressing a conference of business owners from across the country. The governments main agenda in the post-sanctions era is economic growth, which will not come by as long as the economy is in the grip of the government, he said as cast live on IRINN TV channel January 19. Appropriate measures to realize that goal have been envisioned within the next years national budget plan, the president noted. On January 16, nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were lifted according to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the group 5+1 (the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany). The 12-year-old sanctions had stifled the countrys economy. Rouhani said the government has on agenda not only to settle a great part of its debts to banks and the private sector, but also to hand over past years unfinished projects to them. In the past decade, despite having the record for the highest income, the net employment has been zero. To have employment, an economic growth of eight percent is needed. But that is impossible to achieve with domestic resources, he said. If all domestic resources come to the scene, then we will need a minimum of $50 billion worth of foreign investment a year to achieve that target growth rate. Our non-oil export needs, and is going to see a 15-percent rise every year. Iran is like a young man who has been behind bars for 12 years. Now that the sanctions are removed, this young man is free and is going to heal and compete with his rivals," Rouhani said. "Iran can join the league of newly-formed growing economies of the world soon. /By Trend/ A commemoration ceremony to mark the 26th anniversary of the 20 January tragedy was organized in the Azerbaijan Embassy in Germany. The event was attended by employees of the Foreign Ministry of Germany, representatives of political and cultural community, media outlets, foreign diplomats and representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Germany. The event began with a moment of silence in memory of those who died that day, after which Azerbaijani Ambassador to Germany Parviz Shahbazov briefed about the January events. Shahbazov said this bloody crime aimed to put down the ideals of freedom of the people of Azerbaijan by the Soviet authorities was unable to turn the nation from the path of independence. He said Azerbaijan's great leader Heydar Aliyev, who then lived in Moscow, came to Azerbaijan's permanent representative office - a day after the tragedy - and strongly condemned those who committed the January massacre and gave the political-legal assessment to the tragedy after returning to the political power in independent Azerbaijan. The memory of the 20 January martyrs is traditionally marked by the state and people every year. The Day was engraved in the heart of the Azerbaijani people and will never be forgotten. Matthias Dornfeld, Chairman of the European Institute for Caucasus and Caspian Studies gave the depth analysis of the events of that period, talked about the policy of the Azerbaijani state, the achievements and considerably significant progress the country gained in all spheres in the past years. The event was culminated with the performance by Narmin Najafli, young and talented Azerbaijani musician who now studies at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. Irish duo back in training , 19 January, James McCarthy is nearing fitness after his aborted comeback last month James McCarthy is nearing fitness after his aborted comeback last month The pair have resumed full training but are unlikely to be considered for Sunday's clash with Swansea City, with Roberto Martinez pencilling them in for the all-important return to the Etihad Stadium. McCarthy has been sidelined since an abortive return to action against Stoke City last month where he aggravated a groin problem that he first picked up in the draw at Bournemouth in late November. Coleman, meanwhile, hobbled out of the first leg against City with a calf injury but his manager is hopeful he will be ready by next Wednesday. Martinez has been buoyed further by the fact that Bryan Oviedo should be fine for this weekend after receiving the all clear on his ankle. The Costa Rican was stretchered off as a precaution at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the 3-3 draw with Chelsea after taking a kick to the same leg he fractured two years ago at Stevenage but suffered no damage. "It was more of a strong kick to the leg in the same area he had the fracture and a nerve reacted and Bryan got the sensation and the feeling that he felt the worst," Martinez told evertonfc.com. "It ... could have caused problems [but] the body and the leg reacted really well." Finally, Tom Cleverley, who was also substituted against Stoke and then again against City in the cup because of a calf strain of his own, should also be back for the visit of the Swans this weekend. Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer About these ads ToffeeWeb Welcome to Trading for a Living, a technical analysis blog on stocks listed in Singapore Stock Exchange(SGX). Objective of this blog is to share ideas in trading stocks. Please note postings in this blog are based on my personal opinions which are neither investment advice nor inducements to trade. The blog owner does not accept any claim for any loss incurred by any reader acting on these postings. You are encouraged to seek professional advice when in doubt. Good Luck and Happy Trading! Meftech, a top event in the Mena region that connects the entire financial technology community, will re-launch in March in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Hosted by the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, the event takes place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from March22-23. We are excited to bring back a new-look Meftech, and are indebted to the Abu Dhabi Government for recognising the significance of the event through the support it is providing, said Chris Fountain, managing director, Turret Media, the event organisers. This is a key time for the regions financial services industry which is being swept by a wave of innovation as banks seek to align with digital age realities. The combined Meftech 2016 exhibition and conference will serve as the focal point for Mena banks to discover latest innovations and stay abreast with global developments in this fast-evolving field. Organisers say $13 billion is spent annually in the Middle East on financial services technology, with 95 per cent of this total spend controlled by hosted buyers at Meftech. In addition to more than 50 exhibitors displaying a broad range of solutions, Meftech 2016 will also showcase live demos from some of the most exciting fintech start-ups. The organisers hope this initiative will help promote collaboration between regional banks and fintech companies, leading eventually to the emergence of new fintech hubs in the region. Another first sees the introduction of the Innovation Theatre offering exhibitors an opportunity to share perspectives and establish their thought leadership. The Meftech Innovation Awards, running alongside the conference, will recognise Mena-based financial institutions that have demonstrated strong commitment to innovation over the last year by leveraging cutting-edge technology to offer innovative products or services enhance customer experience and improve efficiency. Categories to be announced include Best Digital Bank, Best Cyber Security Initiative and Most Innovative Product or Service. TradeArabia News Service Arab National Bank, Saudi Arabia's seventh-largest lender by assets, reported a 5.5 percent fall in fourth-quarter net profit on Tuesday, missing analyst forecasts as fees and commissions declined and credit provisions rose. The bank made a net profit of SR594.4 million ($158.5 million) in the three months to December 31, down from SR628.8 million in the corresponding period of 2014, it said in a bourse statement. Six analysts polled by Reuters had forecast on average the lender would make a fourth-quarter net profit of SR691.2 million. Arab National Bank, 40 percent owned by Jordan's largest lender Arab Bank, blamed the profit fall on a 4.2 percent decrease in operating income, which was caused by lower fee and commission income, plus higher provisions for credit losses. It did not provide further details. Saudi companies issue brief earnings statements early in the reporting period before publishing more detailed results later. The bank said last month it has proposed paying a cash dividend of SR0.55 per share for the second half of 2015, in line with the payout for the same period of the previous year. - Reuters Saudi Arabia's imports in November fell 14.4 percent compared with a year earlier, while non-oil exports declined 12.6 per cent, data from the Central Department of Statistics and Information showed. Non-oil exports dropped to SR15.032 billion ($4 billion) in November 2015, compared to SR17.189 billion in the same month the previous year. However, exports recorded a rise from SR13.938 billion in October 2015. Imports totalled SR47.21 billion in November 2015, down from SR55.126 billion during the same month in 2014. Imports were worth SR54.809 billion in October 2015. Non-oil exports traditionally account for around 12 percent of the overall exports of Saudi Arabia. The world's largest oil exporter does not release complete trade data on a monthly basis. - Reuters The American Hardwood Export Council (Ahec) plans to launch collaborations, seminars, workshops and sustainable design initiatives across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) to open up new market opportunities for American hardwoods in 2016. Roderick Wiles, Ahec director for Africa, Middle East, South Asia and Oceania, said the major elements of Ahecs campaign will involve both established and emerging markets in the Mena region. The Mena design market is expected to grow by about six per cent annually to reach $147.5 billion by 2019, according to the Mena Design Outlook report. With this in mind, Ahec remains committed to its involvement with the major design events in the region such as the Commercial Interior Design Awards, Dubai Design Week, Design Ras Al Khor (DRAK), and Downtown Design, amongst others. In terms of the timber trade, key activities for the year include Ahecs participation at Furnex in Cairo (Egypt), Timber in Construction Expo (Yapi Ahsap Fuari) in Istanbul (Turkey) and the Dubai WoodShow. Collaborative installations have proven to be a highly effective way of stimulating interest from designers and the design media. At the same time, they help to serve as a means of demonstrating the beauty of widely-available and yet under-utilised American hardwood species. Building on our LCA (life cycle assessment) modelling data, we plan to calculate and communicate the light environmental footprint of American hardwoods used in all installations in a bid to demonstrate the true sustainability of the material, said Wiles. Ahec runs one of the most widely recognised wood promotion campaigns in the world and it makes perfect sense for us to continue our support for events that we have been involved with whilst also exploring new avenues and opportunities to promote American hardwoods. Through 2016, Ahec will also focus its strategy in the Mena region on education aimed at all elements of the timber chain, whether it is specifiers (architects and interior designers), end users (furniture and joinery manufacturers) or importers and distributors. Ahec intends to conduct seminars across the region, highlighting positive developments such as the growing acceptance of thermally modified US hardwoods, which can be used in exterior applications, such as decking and cladding and the development in engineered wood solutions, particularly cross-laminated timber (CLT), which represent an exciting potential for American hardwoods and particularly for American tulipwood given its high strength-to-weight ratio. With an industry goal to increase sales of US hardwoods, Ahec is focused on developing existing markets and finding new markets and applications for American hardwoods, said Wiles. Our aim is to enable the American hardwood industry to be proactive rather than reactive by identifying markets and providing data to help develop these markets. It is through the strong connections made with architects and designers in the region - particularly in Dubai - that awareness of both Ahec itself and American hardwoods has been raised considerably in recent years. As a result, it has become increasingly common for architects and interior designers who are looking to specify American hardwoods to come to Ahec for advice, concluded Wiles. TradeArabia News Service Meraas, a UAE-based holding company, has announced plans to set up Valiant Clinic at City Walk, its first healthcare and wellness project, under the management of US-based Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services, in Dubai, UAE. Developed and owned by Meraas as part of its newly established healthcare division, the outpatient clinic will offer comprehensive diagnostic and wellness services with a focus on preventive care. Spread across 15,000 sq m, Valiant Clinic will incorporate state-of-the-art technology allowing integration across platforms such as wearable technology and mobile applications, said the international subsidiary of renowned Houston Methodist Hospital in the US. The implementation of an electronic health record system will provide healthcare professionals with instant access to health records at the clinic. Valiant Clinic is scheduled to open doors this year. On the new project, Hamad Al Matrooshi, the senior VP of Healthcare at Meraas, said: "Valiant Clinic is the first project to become operational within the Meraas healthcare division, and we are delighted to enter the market to complement the existing healthcare landscape with an offering of exceptional quality." "We are committed to supporting the Dubai Medical Tourism Strategy that aims to attract 500,000 medical tourists to the emirate by 2020," stated Al Matrooshi. "We strongly believe that Meraas through the introduction of Valiant Clinic will significantly raise the bar on the delivery of healthcare services in the UAE and the wider region and contribute to Dubais vision of becoming a leading medical tourism destination," he added. The appointment of Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services comes as part of Meraas' commitment to providing international expertise and quality services that todays customers demand. "Given its holistic approach to diagnosis and wellness firmly rooted in the belief that prevention is eminently preferable to the reactive treatment of illnesses, we are confident that Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services will ensure that Valiant Clinic will offer patient centric services," stated Al Matrooshi. Cathy Easter, the president and chief executive, said Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services was committed to improving the health of the world community through sharing its innovative, personalised patient care and health care expertise, as well as standards of clinical service excellence. "By working with Meraas, we aspire, through Valiant Clinic, to positively impact health care in the region and promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle and preventative medicine as key to disease management," she noted. An industry veteran, Andrew Fisk has been appointed as the new general manager of Valiant Clinic. Holding 25 years of healthcare experience in the US, 20 years of which he spent in leadership positions at Houston Methodist hospitals in Houston, Texas, Fisk will head the team of multi-specialty physicians and experts at Valiant Clinic in Dubai. Once operational, Valiant Clinic will offer services including diagnostics and tailored check-up programmes, in addition to specialties such as cardiology, endocrinology, internal medicine, pulmonology and womens health.-TradeArabia News Service Jordanian government is set to implement projects worth JD5.3 billion ($7 billion) to secure additional water resources as part of its water management strategy for the next 10 years, said a report. The 2016-2025 water strategy will provide the kingdom with new water resources expected to amount to 178 million cubic metres (mcm), reported the Jordan Times citing a senior minister. Water consumption in the country increased by 20 per cent due to the influx of Syrian refugees, said the report citing Mohammad Momani, the minister of state for media affairs and communications. The new national strategy aims to reduce the cost of producing one cubic metre of water from JD1.9 to JD1.4. "Currently, a cubic metre of water is being sold to consumers at JD1, and this price will not change," stated the minister. Under the new plan, the authorities will work hard to trim water loss due to technical reasons and theft. China's December exports fell 1.4 per cent from a year earlier, while imports slid 7.6 per cent, both much less than economists had expected but still likely consigning the economy to its weakest annual growth in 25 years. That left the country with a trade surplus of $60.09 billion for the month, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected dollar-denominated exports to fall 8.0 per cent, and predicted imports would fall 11.5 per cent. China's economy likely grew by around 7 per cent in 2015, in line with the government's official target, the top economic planning agency said on Tuesday. Still, such a level would be the slowest pace of expansion in a quarter of a century, and down from 7.3 per cent in 2014 as weak demand at home and abroad, industrial overcapacity and faltering investment drag on the world's second-largest economy. Some China watchers believe real growth levels are already much weaker than official data suggest, reinforcing expectations that the government will have to roll out more stimulus measures this year to avoid a hard landing for the economy. Reuters Mubadala Petroleum, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, and Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) have signed an agreement, to provide the basis for discussions between the two companies and their affiliates about potential opportunities in Mexicos energy sector. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed during a ceremony attended by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Enrique Pena Nieto, President of the United Mexican States, and HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of Dubai Executive Council. It was signed by Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO of Mubadala Petroleum, and Emilio Lozoya Austin, CEO of Pemex. As well as providing a framework for discussions to identify potential upstream exploration and production projects, the MoU identifies a number of broader areas for potential collaboration in the oil and gas midstream sector, and energy and power-related infrastructure that may be of interest to other Mubadala businesses, a statement said. Al Kaabi said: This MoU is a first step to opening a concerted dialogue with Pemex to look at collaborative opportunities in Mexico and reflects the strengthening relationship between the UAE and Mexico. We look forward to working alongside Pemex to see how we might contribute to Mexicos initiative to revitalise and develop its energy sector. Austin said: "The Mexican energy reform allows Pemex to have partners for upstream and midstream projects. Mubadala is a world class partner to establish a solid, long term relationship with. We will look into some primary projects, as well as to support infrastructure projects for the core business and decide joint investments that benefit both parties and may consider third party if required. Details of any specific opportunities, and technical or commercial discussions will remain confidential between the two parties, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service Iran ordered a sharp increase in oil output on Monday to take immediate advantage of the lifting of international sanctions, and some foreign firms raced to snap up deals as Tehran emerges from years of international isolation. Others were more wary, mindful of the risk of falling foul of an array of US penalties that remain in place despite the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions on Saturday by the United States, European Union and United Nations. Those measures were scrapped as part of a landmark deal between Iran and world powers, rewarding the Islamic Republic for scaling back its atomic energy programme in ways that US President Barack Obama said would prevent it from getting its hands on a nuclear bomb. "We will be committed to the nuclear deal as far as the other side is," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday, adding that his country was "morally and religiously committed not to seek weapons of mass destruction". The agreement restores Iran's access to tens of billions of dollars in frozen assets, reopens the country to foreign investment and allows it to resume selling oil on world markets, albeit at a time when they are drowning in excess supply. Deputy Oil Minister Rokneddin Javadi said Iran could increase output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) "and the order to increase production was issued today." The sanctions revoked at the weekend had cut Iran's oil exports by about 2 million bpd since their pre-sanctions 2011 peak, to little more than 1 million bpd. Oil prices touched their lowest since 2003 on Monday as an already oversupplied market braced for additional Iranian exports. The lifting of sanctions opens up business opportunities across a host of sectors, from planes to telecoms. "Iran is a huge market and in our focus," Kaan Terzioglu, head of Turkey's biggest mobile operator, Turkcell, said in an interview with Reuters. He said Iran could be a target market as the company looks for regional acquisitions: "We are closely watching the Iranian market and in touch with all of its fixed line and mobile operators." NEW MIDDLE CLASS Dennis Nally, global chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, told Reuters before the start of this week's World Economic Forum in Davos that the audit and consultancy firm was seeing strong client interest in opportunities in Iran. "Without question the energy, energy-related and infrastructure industries stand to benefit, but also sectors like retail, with the potential creation of a new middle class," he told Reuters. A clutch of German firms were among those to signal their appetite to ramp up business ties with Tehran, and the Berlin government said it planned to revive state export guarantees for companies that wanted to do so. Daimler said its trucks division had signed letters of intent with joint venture partners in Iran in order to re-enter the market, where it was selling up to 10,000 vehicles a year until 2010. Its rival Audi said it had representatives in Iran right now to discuss the "growing potential for luxury cars." Herrenknecht, a family-run German tunnelling company that helped to build the Tehran metro in the 1990s, said it expected Iran to put up new projects for tender, and it was ready to pounce on the opportunity. Commerzbank, Germany's number two lender, also said it was considering the possibility of returning to Iran. That announcement was especially striking, less than a year after Commerzbank agreed to pay $1.45 billion to US authorities for sanctions violations partly linked to Iran. At the time, it joined a long line of foreign banks similarly penalised - France's BNP Paribas alone paid $8.9 billion. For that reason, most international banks are expected to tread very carefully to avoid violating US trade sanctions that remain in place. DEALS AND DIPLOMACY In further signs of likely deals in the pipeline, Switzerland's Zurich Insurance said it would look into insurance cover for corporate customers doing business with Iran, and the head of British Airways' parent company IAG said it hoped to start flying to Tehran "in the very near future". Russia, another party to last year's nuclear deal, said it was looking to sell military helicopters to Iran and export more grain. India's national aluminium company NALCO said it would soon send a team to Iran to explore setting up a smelter complex worth about $2 billion, taking advantage of cheap and plentiful gas there. Spain's foreign minister said Madrid and Tehran were discussing the building of an Iranian-owned oil refinery on the southern tip of Spain. In a burst of diplomatic activity that will provide opportunities for discussing investment deals, Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit both Iran and its regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia this week. In Rome, a diplomatic source said the Iranian president would travel to Italy and France next week on his first trip to Europe since the lifting of sanctions. The nuclear deal removed restrictions that stifled Iran's economy for most of this decade - on banking, money transfers, insurance, trade, transport and technology procurement. This will allow Iran to satisfy pent-up demand for goods and services that it had trouble obtaining at affordable prices under sanctions, from aircraft to factory machinery, medicines and some consumer goods such as cosmetics and branded clothing. In an indication of the scale of potential deals, the transport minister said at the weekend that Iran intended to buy 114 civil aircraft from Airbus - a deal that could be worth more than $10 billion at catalogue prices. Airbus said on Saturday it had not yet held commercial talks with Iran. OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS Entering the Iranian market is not without risks: indebted local banks, a primitive legal system, corruption and an inflexible labour market. Many foreign companies will remain wary that sanctions could "snap back" if Tehran is later found in breach of the nuclear agreement. "A lot of work has been done to get to where we are now. A similar and sustained effort will be required in the future," U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Yukiya Amano said on a visit to Tehran. "We must maintain the momentum." US companies look set to lag rivals from other countries in restoring trade with Iran, because Washington will retain broad sanctions that predate the nuclear crisis and were imposed over other issues such as terrorism and human rights abuses. But US business with Iran may still increase, after the US Treasury said on Saturday that it would permit foreign subsidiaries of American companies to trade with Iran - a channel that big multinationals may be able to exploit. "In most respects the sanctions are not lifted at all" for US businesses, said Adam M. Smith, a former senior adviser at the US Treasury Department who is now an attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Washington. "There are still significant limitations on what a company can do in Iran." He spent Monday fielding calls from corporate clients who were curious about whether they now had larger leeway in Iran. But even without the sanctions, Iran is still a challenging place for businesses, Smith said, because of issues such as corruption and money laundering. "It's not a very transparent place," he said. A big foreign investment presence may take longer to rebuild than trade ties. Some firms may want to wait until they see the stance of the next US president towards Iran; many will worry about "reputational risk," or exposure to legal action from shareholders or lobby groups, if they invest there. Further complicating the picture, the United States imposed new sanctions on Sunday on 11 companies and individuals for supplying Iran's ballistic missile programme, even as it removed the old nuclear-related measures and carried out an exchange of prisoners with Tehran. The new sanctions are much smaller in scope, but Tehran denounced them on Monday. Foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said they had "no legal or moral legitimacy," because US weaponry sold to regional allies was used to commit "war crimes against Palestinian, Lebanese and most recently Yemeni citizens". The weekend lifting of international sanctions was accompanied by a US-Iranian prisoner swap. Three of the five Americans released from detention by Iran were flown on Sunday for medical checks at a US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. "I want people to know that physically I'm feeling good," the Washington Post quoted one of them, journalist Jason Rezaian, as saying. "I know people are eager to hear from me but I want to process this for some time." Reuters Charles Russell Speechlys, a leading international law firm in the Gulf, has appointed Rupert Copeman-Hill as partner and the firms head of Business Services, who will lead the firms Corporate and Commercial teams in Bahrain and Qatar. Copeman-Hill joins the firms Bahrain office with nearly 20 years international experience advising on M&A and investment transactions, joint ventures, capital raisings, private equity transactions and commercial and corporate governance matters in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, the UK and Australia. Patrick Gearon, head of Middle East said: We are delighted to announce the appointment of Rupert, to lead our Business Services team. With an impressive background, and significant experience in acting for listed and unlisted multi-national corporations, financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies and high net worth individuals, he will be a huge asset to our office and the GCC region. With Ruperts lengthy experience in the region he will hit the ground running and be critical in ensuring our firm maintains its reputation as one of the Gulfs leading law firms, he added. TradeArabia News Service A consortium of Saudi Arabia's Acwa Power and South Korea's Taekwang Power Holdings has signed a $2.2 billion thermal power plant investment agreement with Vietnam, Acwa Power said on Tuesday. The pact comes as Vietnam faces a shortage in power supply amid the developing country's ever-increasing demand for electricity to fuel economic expansion, which hit a five-year high of 6.7 per cent in 2015. The 1,200-megawatt Nam Dinh 1 thermal power plant will be built on a build-operate-transfer basis for 25 years in the northern province of Nam Dinh, Acwa Power said in a statement on its website. "This agreement is an important stepping stone for our first project in Vietnam," said Rajit Nanda, Chief Investment Officer of Acwa Power. It is unclear how much each firm will invest. The project is scheduled to start in mid-2016 after eight years of negotiations and will use coal provided by state coal mining group Vinacomin, Vietnam's trade ministry said in a Tuesday statement on its website. Vietnam is expected to start importing coal next year as rising demand for power exceeds domestic supply, and since 2010 it has been a net consumer of oil, with demand growing 7.5 percent annually in the 20 years ended 2013, outpacing China at 6.5 per cent, ANZ said in a report last year. Last year, Vietnam's coal imports jumped 125 per cent to 6.96 million tonnes, while exports dropped 76 percent to 1.7 million tonnes, extending the annual export downtrend of about 10 percent a year that began in 2010, customs data showed. Reuters Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas are inviting all brides- and grooms-to-be to the hotels exclusive wedding showcase, a one-day boutique event on January 30. Recently voted the "Favourite Middle East Hotel or Resort for Romantic Getaway" by Conde Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards 2015, the hotel is located along the pristine shores of Saadiyat beach, and is the ideal wedding venue offering breath-taking views of the Arabian Sea while creating an intimate experiences. Guests can find inspiration and fresh ideas in the showcase, and with the help of Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi dedicated wedding concierge, make sure each wedding is tailor-made, reflecting the couples personal taste and style. From 12:00 pm to 8:00 PM, the hotels event spaces will transform into an interactive wedding venue presenting various picture perfect set ups, such as beachfront wedding receptions, live cooking stations, themed beverage bars, creative table and flower arrangements. Guests will also have the chance to sample the hotels wedding menus and discuss their wishes directly with our chefs and event experts. In collaboration with Park Hyatts preferred vendors, the wedding couple can start planning their special day, from the design of the invitations to the selection of their honeymoon destination. The event will be complemented with a raffle draw and total makeover by the Atarmia Spa make-up therapists and beauty artists. As a special wedding gift, guests celebrating their wedding at Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi can earn a complimentary night in our Presidential Suite and free nights for their honeymoon at any Hyatt Hotels & Resorts location worldwide. TradeArabia News Service Makkah has registered a 10 per cent drop in the number pilgrims performing Umrah this season, receiving 1.8 million pilgrims compared to two million during the same period last year, said a report. According to Abdullah Ghadi, deputy head of the National Committee for Haj and Umrah at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), the drop in pilgrim numbers is attributed to a number of factors including economic and political issues, a report in Saudi Gazette said. The Ministry of Haj had set a target of 1.2 million pilgrims each month, but the average is only 800,000. The countries that witnessed a drop include Indonesia, Turkey, Jordan, Morocco, Iraq, Libya and Iran. Only Egypt and Pakistan witnessed a 20 percent increase in the number of their pilgrims, Ghadi said. Jumeirah Group, a Dubai-based luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, has appointed Shrikant Shenoy as its new vice president corporate strategy. He joins Jumeirah from Dubai Holding where he was director of strategy development and deployment for almost six years. Responsibilities included coordinating the annual target setting and business planning process for Dubai Holding, developing strategy and targets for the groups real estate and telecommunications subsidiaries, evaluating business plans and investment proposals and executing special projects in support of Dubai Holding and its verticals. Before joining Dubai Holding, Shenoy worked for McKinsey & Company in Dubai from 2008 to 2010, for Banco Santander in Spain in 2007 and for Agilisys in the UK from 2000 to 2006. A British national, Shenoy is a graduate of Oxford University, where he studied Engineering, Economics and Management, and has an MBA from London Business School, as well as holding the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Nabil M Ramadhan, group chief human capital officer, said: Shrikants role will be to support the implementation of the companys corporate strategy and its project management framework in collaboration with the Executive Committee. We welcome Shikants expertise in strategic development and his experience in Dubai as we prepare for a period of accelerated growth, starting with the opening of Jumeirah Al Naseem next year and a raft of new managed properties under both the Jumeirah and Venu brands coming on stream from 2017 onwards. TradeArabia News Service The Middle East is looking to tap into the booming market of foodservice in shopping centres with the UAE expected to add over 1,000 additional F&B outlets by 2018, said a report. Food & beverage (F&B) operators have doubled the amount of floorspace they take in shopping centres over the last 10 years, from 7 per cent to 15 per cent, according to research from JLL, a leading property investment and advisory firm. Across Europe, foodservice in shopping centres currently accounts for 15 per cent of the total GLA (Gross Leasable Area). JLL predicts that this will rise to at least 20 per cent in total over the next decade. Food is now recognised as a key ingredient in encouraging dwell time in shopping centres. Figures show that customers who eat during a shopping centre trip spend on average 27 minutes longer across the shopping centre and spend 18 per cent more in overall transactions. The trend for food gourmetisation and a quest for new experiences is credited with the rise of F&B in retail. JLL also predicts there will be more demand for Asian food operators as malls cater for new customers from China and other Asian markets who have significantly expanded their overseas travel footprint. The UK, in particular, can expect additional Chinese travellers as a result of recent visa relaxation, which is likely to increase tourism. Ippudo, a Japanese noodle chain, recently opened stores in London, testimony to this rising demand for Asian food, which also satisfies demand for clean eating from calorie-conscious consumers. Andrew Williamson, National Director - head of retail, JLL MENA said: Meeting family and friends is a key component of the social fabric in the Middle East. This offers home-grown and unique F&B concepts the opportunity to cater to the diverse nationalities that live in the region. Walk through the Ripe Market on a Friday morning in Zabeel Park or the food trucks at Kite Beach and you can see the F&B diversity that is gaining a foothold in the UAE. Jonathan Doughty, MD of Coverpoint, JLLs food consulting business, said: In a new online world experience is king and gastronomy will be the social glue that will hold retail spaces of the future together. The rise in online sales means that consumers are looking for leisure and culinary experiences from their shopping centre visits as this is something that is still impossible to do online. Well-configured and complementary dining and drinking provision can add real diversity and vitality to major city markets worldwide, and can often boost consumers shopping experience and dwell time, as well as giving consumers a reason to keep coming back. This is only set to rise. For investors, retailers and landlords alike, this presents opportunity. Robert Bonwell, EMEA CEO of Retail at JLL, added: The retail narrative at the moment is physical versus online, however the growth of food and beverage highlights the opportunity that exists for restaurants and food offerings that can tap into new eating and leisure trends. Other key consumer trends that are impacting the food & beverage sector include: Gourmetisation: The increasing desire from consumers for a deluxe dining experience, with a basic product being elevated to the next level. There is also an emerging trend for hybrid food; the combining of two basic products to create something new. A prime restaurant example is Sushi Samba, which offers a hybrid of Japanese, Peruvian and Brazilian food. A product example is the cronut, a cross between a doughnut and a croissant, from Rinkoff bakery. Service mixology: There are emerging combinations of service and self-service in restaurants, with increased self-service in mass-market dining. This calls for staff having more engagement, knowledge and prowess. Examples include Vapiano where your order is loaded onto a card and paid for on exit. TradeArabia News Service Got a long weekend ahead and failed to plan a trip because you didnt know? Wego, a leading travel search site in the Asia Pacific and Middle East, has put together a Public Holiday calendar for 2016 to make planning holidays more simple. At Wego, we see a lot of last minute travel planning, and also recognise the reality of post-holiday blues, which is why we think its important to start planning some extended getaways now, , said Joachim Holte, chief marketing officer, Wego. With a little forward planning, you can now check the years public holidays in advance, and search for the best flights and hotels now which can equate in big savings for your travel budget. We definitely encourage spontaneous travel and escapes, its good for the soul, but knowing youve planned a four day trip, using only one or two days of your precious holiday leave, is extremely satisfying, and gives you something to look forward to, Holte added. You should also get in early before your workmates and apply for holiday leave with your boss so you dont miss out! Depending on where you live, theres enormous opportunities for extended weekend breaks with the addition of a couple of days of holiday leave. We all tend to procrastinate and its usually only when someone mentions that Monday is a public holiday that you find yourself wishing youd had more forethought and planned a great escape, said Holte. When you add up the number of public holidays in your country, you get a real sense of the number of opportunities to slip in a number of extended breaks. The Philippines leads this year with 20 national public holidays*, even more depending on which area you live in, Holte continued. Hong Kongers can look forward to 18 days this year, 15 in Malaysia and Thailand, 13 in Indonesia, 11 in Singapore and the UAE, 10 in Australia and 9 in Saudi Arabia. India has 17 national holidays although there are a number of state based holidays as well, which makes it a country with one of the most number of opportunities for additional leave, said Holte. Similarly in the Philippines, where regional observances for cultural festivals add some more days to the national tally. Before youre facing another January, print Wego's calendar and plan a year of unforgettable experiences. Dont curse missed opportunities, celebrate a year of great memories instead this time next year, Holte said. TradeArabia News Service Dohas much anticipated new five-star hotel City Centre Rotana Doha celebrated its official opening, ushering in a new era for business and leisure travellers and setting new standards in Qatars hospitality sector. A press conference to announce this launch witnessed the presence of a number of VIPs, and senior management team from Rotana as well as Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (Artic) - the developers of City Centre Rotana. This newest addition to the Rotana portfolio, and the third hotel for the group in Qatar, City Centre Rotana is strategically located in the West Bay area. The hotel is characterised by its connection to the City Center Doha shopping complex and is also only 30 minutes away from the airport, 15 minutes away from the traditional Souq Waqif and the Museum of Islamic Art. Addressing the official opening of City Centre Rotana, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Faisal Al Thani, Artics vice chairman said: The tourism sector in Qatar is witnessing a remarkable growth, and we are committed to playing a key role in supporting this growth. In line with this, the launch of City Centre Rotana is a unique addition to Qatar's hospitality market, and we are delighted to welcome our guests to the latest addition of Artics high quality assets portfolio." Commenting on the launch, Omer Kaddouri, president and CEO of Rotana, said: The opening of City Centre Rotana is a major milestone for us and we are proud to be managing this new jewel in the heart of Doha. This 52-storey tower features 287 luxurious modern rooms and suites and 94 serviced apartments as well as state-of-the-art meetings and banqueting facilities, Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club and an exciting collection of restaurants. With this new upscale hotel, we will offer the best amenities for business and leisure guests in the West Bay area. With the opening of City Centre Rotana, our companys inventory in Doha has increased to more than 1000 rooms. Moreover, the second quarter of this year will witness the opening of Centro Capital Doha, our first hotel to be launched in the country under the lifestyle affordable brand Centro Hotels by Rotana, which will then add another 229 rooms to our portfolio in Qatar, he added. TradeArabia News Service Doll collection on display Please come and see a fabulous doll collection of Lisa Esterlines at the Senior Center, 1831 E. 4th St. She belongs to the Casper Doll Club and the Casper Needle Guild. Some of her doll costumes have won prizes in competition. Parkinsons support sets schedule Join us on the second Tuesday of each month at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street, Building #500 Casper, at 5:30 p.m. This support group is open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons. Our guest speaker, for the Tuesday, Feb. 9 meeting, will be Linda Kantor, N.D.M.H., Chinese Herbs/Health Analysis. To RSVP call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon. We will be meeting the following dates: February 9, March 8, April 12, May 10, and June 14. Rocky Mountain Therapy is offering a Parkinsons Exercise Program on Thursdays, 12-1 at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street, Building #500. These classes are open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons. Thursdays class is tailored for the individual with Parkinsons and focuses on improving endurance, safety and managing symptoms. We are open to all ages and can tailor the class to meet varying exercise needs. The cost of the exercise class is $5. To RSVP call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon. To find out more about Rocky Mountain Therapy visit our website at www.rockymountaintherapy.org. Photos with Mac OS The Natrona County Library will offer a Photos with Mac OS computer class Monday, January 25 at 10 a.m. in the Crawford Room. Learn how to organize, store, and edit your photos; create photo slideshows; order prints; make greeting cards; build albums and even perform automatic face detection. Feel free to bring your MacBook with you to follow along. Call 577-READ ext. 2 for more information. Tween Book Club Monday The Natrona County Librarys monthly Tween Book Club will meet Monday, January 25 at 4 p.m. in the Crawford Room. Participants will read Bigger than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder. Students in grades 4-6 can read great books and make new friends by participating in this special book club just for Tweens. Space is limited, so please register in advance by calling 577-READ ext. 122 or sign up when you stop by the childrens department. to pick up a copy of Bigger than a Breadbox. Resources for small businesses Join us Monday, January 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Natrona County Librarys Crawford Room to learn more about the valuable assistance available to support Wyomings businesses and economy. Funding from the State of Wyoming and local and federal government resources supports a wide variety of business services, most of which are free of charge. This presentation will connect you with the expertise in the Wyoming Business Resource Network, and you will learn how they can serve your business from start-up to expansion, to exit, and everything in-between! There is no fee for this seminar, but please register by calling 577-READ ext. 2 or visiting http://wyen.biz, and clicking on Classes. This event is organized by the Wyoming Entrepreneur Small Business Development Center in coordination with the Natrona County Library. Family movie night Both families and individuals (ages 8 and up) are invited to the Natrona County Librarys Family Movie Night Tuesday, January 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the Crawford Room. Januarys feature recounts the tale of Stuart, Kevin and Bob who are recruited by Scarlet Overkill, a super-villain plotting to take over the world. Pizza will be provided by the Friends of the Library. Call 577-READ, ext. 2 for the movie title (rated PG). After School Bingo Elementary-age students are invited to attend our weekly After School at the Library program Wednesday, January 27 at 4 p.m. in the Natrona County Librarys Crawford Room. Come play Bingo and win prizes! Call 577-READ ext. 122 for more information. Introduction to Windows 10 The Natrona County Library will offer an Introduction to Windows 10 computer class Thursday, January 28 at 2 p.m. in the Crawford Room. Whether youre new to computers or have used them in the past, this class will help you become more comfortable using the Windows 10 interface. Feel free to bring your Windows 10 device with you to follow along. Call 577-READ ext. 2 for more information. Preschool Fair Looking for a preschool? Not sure where to start? The Natrona County Library will host a Preschool Fair in the Crawford Room from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, January 30. Representatives from Casper area preschools will be on-hand to answer questions and provide information about their programs. The event is designed to help families learn about their preschool options and find the right fit for their child. Call 577-READ ext. 2 for more information. Valentines cards workshop A Valentine Cards workshop will be held Saturday, January 30 at 1 p.m. at the Natrona County Library. Learn card design ideas and stamping techniques taught by Kay Capps. Space is limited. Please sign up in advance for this free workshop at 577-READ ext. 2. Supplies will be provided. For those who wish to learn more, your library also has a wide variety of books on paper crafts available for checkout. The eight hopefuls had only minutes to make their case for a spot on the Casper City Council. Some sped through their answers. Others were measured and took their time. But after the interviews were complete Monday night, it didnt take long for the Council to select Wayne Heili for the Ward 1 opening created by Robin Mundells resignation earlier this month. Heili, a former CEO of mining company Ur-Energy, will be sworn into office Feb. 2. After being chosen, he talked about the economic downturn Casper is experiencing and whether it will affect the citys ability to grow. Im looking forward to being engaged in that discussion and lending some good fundamental advice to the decision-making process, Heili said. Mundell announced her resignation in November and formally stepped down Jan. 5. She cited her husbands health and their move to Nevada as reasons for leaving the Council. On Monday, the Council asked five questions to each of the people seeking to replace her. They asked why the applicants were qualified for the position and whether they planned on running for re-election if selected for the vacant seat. Mundells replacement had been expected to fill the remainder of her term, but City Attorney Bill Luben clarified Monday that her replacement would have to run in Novembers general election and then again in 2018 if he or she wished to remain in office. Nine applicants were initially considered Monday, although Brian Scott Gamroth of K2 Radio withdrew his name from consideration before his interview started. He cited his inability to be both a member of the media and a public official while running for re-election in November. Reginald Kokes, a local retiree, said he would try to help most people, not just a few, and expressed interest in the citys recent projects, including the downtown plaza. Local businessman Jason Magnuson said he didnt care about prestige, power or recognition and that he didnt need the extra stress or aggravation. I still want to do it, Magnuson said. I cant give you a good reason why. It just feels like where should I be. Rita Walsh highlighted the need to make Casper a great place to live and visit among her goals. A member of the Natrona County School Board, Walsh said she would step down if picked to fill the vacancy. Ive benefited from this community a great deal, Walsh said. Giving back is an obligation I take quite seriously. After the interviews were complete, council members headed into executive session to make a final decision. They were done in about a half hour. I think we could have thrown a dart at a dartboard and ended up with a good candidate, Councilman Charlie Powell said after emerging from the executive session. Mondays meeting marked the second time in the last 12 months that the Council has held interviews to fill a vacancy. In September, they tapped Scott Miller, an assistant human resources director at Casper College, to replace former Ward 2 Councilman Craig Hedquist. Lawmakers hope to revive a school safety and security bill that includes an anonymous tip line to report threats in Wyomings K-12 schools, though an almost identical measure failed in the 2015 legislature. Last year, lawmakers voted to postpone the bill indefinitely due to funding, which was to be allocated from the School Foundation Program account. But House Bill 15, sponsored by the Joint Education Interim Committee, would use more than $500,000 in federal grant money to create a comprehensive school safety program, install the new tip line service and create a unit in the Division of Criminal Investigation to run the program. The unit would answer to the Wyoming Attorney Generals office. The tip line is confidential a way for teenagers to anonymously report classmates considering suicide or planning violence or criminal activity. Wyomings current tip line, WeTip, run by the Wyoming Department of Education, has been criticized as ineffectual due to its poor follow-up protocol. In June of 2015, the attorney general testified before the Education Interim Committee that they could replace WeTip with Safe2Tell, a 24/7 tip line that has had success in Colorado, and they could do it for less money than originally thought. The new tip line program would utilize the state police dispatch center to field calls, officials said. People would also be able to submit tips via text messaging, a website and a cellphone app, according to the bill. The deputy coordinating the program would be responsible for looking into tips. Safe2Tell was implemented after the mass shooting incident at Columbine High School in 1999, and has seen exponential growth, according to Rep. David Northrup, R-Powell, house chairman of the committee. Its far and away the program that we would like to model after, said Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, senate chairman of the committee. In addition to the tip line, the bill provides for two full-time positions to oversee the statewide program, money for software and maintenance. The $686,610 to run the program from 2016 to 2018 is part of a federal grant Wyoming receives annually from the Federal Emergency Management Agency/the Department of Homeland Security. Wyoming receives the grant every year, with the provision that 80 percent of it be used for local communities. HB15 would be paid for through the remaining 20 percent that is retained by the state. Though the federal dollars are a boon to the bills proponents, some congressmen are likely to evaluate the bill with greater scrutiny due to Wyomings current budget crisis. This topic as well as every other topic is going to be thrown in the hopper and compared and contrasted to every other bill down there, said Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, member of the Education Committee. That is what we are up against. Others may be hesitant to begin a program contingent on cash from Washington, he said. Thats going to be the debate on this bill, just because its federal money, does that mean we should access the federal money? said Landen. To me, it makes sense to get a program in place and get a baseline established. And then you can always reassess. One of the first priorities for the deputy running the program will be educating school districts and school-age kids, something WeTip has failed to do, Northrup said. Kids talk, and they talk to each other, he said. With the tip line, hopefully those kids will have a way to alert authorities to the thing they hear or see, he said. What you learn on these school shootings is that someone, somewhere, knew about them in advance, Landen said. If there is ever an opportunity that you can pick up valuable information like that I think its imperative that we do what we can. The program will likely have a slow start, as awareness of the tip line grows, Northrup said. Tips under the old system were often filed away, he added. Under the new school safety unit, the coordinator will follow up on tips, alert police and the proper authorities, he said. Coe said there will likely be similar pushback as last year, but the tip lines effectiveness in Colorado, and the federal funding available, will garner enough support to pass. The latest news from Glacier National Park spokeswoman Denise Germann is that Denise Germann is leaving her job with Glacier National Park. Germann confirmed Thursday that she has accepted the position of public affairs officer for Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Germann filled in as Tetons spokeswoman for three months this fall, and said she went without any intention of pursuing the position permanently. Dave, my husband, was able to come with me and we just had a great time, Germann said. Both our boys started college this fall and so we had the empty-nest thing going on, and it just became an opportunity for new challenges, and new adventure, that came along at the right time. Germann will assume the Grand Teton job later in February. She came to Glacier from the Flathead National Forest in 2011, with an official title as management assistant. She worked in both public affairs, and as lands manager, dealing with private landowners within the park. I never thought Id leave, Germann said. Its been spectacular here. But where were at in our lives, and this being a promotion opportunity for me, we decided to go for it. Glacier is one of the gems of the National Park Service, so Im working at a gem, but Im moving to a gem. Germann is from Nebraska, and said she grew up in a family that did a lot of camping and boating, which launched her interest in a possible career as a park ranger. After graduating from college, Germann took a seasonal ranger job at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, and quickly decided to pursue a full-time career. She has since worked for the National Park Service at the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site and Gateway Arch monument in Missouri, the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in Illinois, the Homestead National Monument in Nebraska and the NPS regional offices in Denver. Germann has also worked for the U.S. Forest Service, at the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest in Colorado and Wyoming, and the Flathead National Forest, which brought her to Montana in 2004. She met her husband, who is now retired from the Forest Service, at Medicine Bow-Routt. Their two sons, who are twins, graduated from high school last year and headed off to college, making the move to Grand Teton feasible, Germann said. A state senator has jumped into the race for Wyomings lone U.S. House seat. Leland Christensen, a Republican from Alta, announced Monday that he is running for the seat being vacated by Rep. Cynthia Lummis, who announced last year that she would not run for re-election in 2016. The reason that Im doing this, is Wyoming people, Christensen said when reached by phone Monday. Every day, Wyoming people deserve someone whos going to fight for them and protect them, and thats been my career pattern. Christensen is serving his second term in the Wyoming Senate and is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He served 15 years in the 19th Special Forces Airborne Army and the National Guard, and worked in the Teton County and Lincoln County Sheriffs offices for 20 years. His House campaign is being chaired by Lummis daughter, Annaliese Wiederspahn. Christensen said he feels the federal government is waging a war on the Wyoming economy. The regulations Im seeing, both as an individual citizen and through the Legislature, are impacting our local economies, jobs, families and public lands, all across Wyoming, he said. My focus has always been and will continue to be Wyoming. I want to protect our way of life. College professor Mike Konsmo, veterinarian Rex Rammell, state corrections officer Jason Senteney, Casper pizzeria owner Charlie Tyrrel and State Rep. Tim Stubson have also announced they are seeking the House seat. Each is expected to participate in Saturdays Republican debate in Washakie County. Christensen will also take part in the debate. Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has discussed running for the U.S. House seat, though she has not made a final decision. Christensen and Cheney both live in Teton County. GOP political strategist Bill Novotny expects the House race will be highly competitive. These candidates, especially the ones coming from the Legislature, they think they have statewide name ID, but theyre going to be forced to work very hard to introduce themselves to people outside of their district, said Novotny, who also considered a House bid. Christensen lives in Teton County, an area that is home to many wealthy political donors. Novotny said that while Christensen may have the advantage of being the hometown boy, the donor base is broad and selective. I dont think hell have an exclusive right to fundraising abilities in Teton County, Novotny said. BOISE, Idaho Four Idaho children are receiving treatment for severe forms of epilepsy with an experimental, non-psychoactive drug derived from marijuana plants, state health officials announced Monday. Elke Shaw-Tulloch of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare told state budget writers that Idaho has filled four of the 25 slots in the newly created Expanded Access Program, which Gov. C.L. Butch Otter established last year through executive order. It treats children suffering from severe epileptic seizures with the new drug known as Epidiolex. The program officially launched earlier this month. Shaw-Tulloch said another 18 children are scheduled to be screened for the program, and if more families are interested in participating, the department will consult with the Federal Drug Administration and the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the drug, GW Pharmaceuticals. The program coincides with a statewide clinical trial that is testing the drug on epileptic adults and children. Those results wont be released for years, and its unknown if the drug is having the intended effect in either setting, explained state epidemiologist Christine Hahn. This particular one is too early to say, she said. There have been ... anecdotal reports out of Colorado and other places where they have an artisanal product and they are claiming success. I guess I would say I am guardedly optimistic. Hahn said she hopes to see the program continue until substantive results are released. Lawmakers approved legalizing oil derived from marijuana plants last year. Supporters of the bill, like Boise resident Clare Carey, argued the extract oil can reduce the frequency and severity of seizures in children with epilepsy. However, Otter vetoed the legislation after citing concerns that there wasnt enough evidence supporting the claims. Instead, the Republican governor signed an executive order establishing the new program that restricted the use of the oil to 25 children. Carey, whose daughter Alexis suffers from Dravet syndrome, said Monday the new program is a mismanagement of taxpayer dollars, as other clinical trials have already finished in places like Illinois and New York. Her daughter is not participating in the program, as she anticipates Epidiolex and other similar drugs may be on the market later this year. Anyone will be able to access to it, not just 25 people in the program, Carey said. CHEYENNE Gov. Matt Mead is asking lawmakers to spend more money on the University of Wyoming, infrastructure projects and cities, towns and counties. Mead released changes to his 2017-18 budget plan on Monday as the Legislatures Joint Appropriations Committee prepares to vote on the governors proposals. The new recommendations, done through a process called governors letters, update the two-year budget plan that Mead released at the start of December. The new requests include the governors proposed spending plan for $164.5 million in newly available Abandoned Mine Lands funds. The federal highway bill that Congress passed late last year included a provision to send Wyoming more than half a billion dollars in AML funds over the next decade. Of that amount, $164.5 million will be available at the Legislatures discretion for the upcoming 2017-18 budget. Alex Kean is head of the states Economic Analysis Division. He said the governor wants to use much of the newly acquired funds to fulfill requests that previously were only partially funded. This includes adding $40 million to University of Wyomings science initiative, $78.4 million to pay for renovations at state-run health facilities and $14 million for a new state office building in Casper. The governor also is proposing to use $25 million in AML funds to replace his recommendation that $25 million come out of the rainy-day fund to help maintain the states cash-strapped highway system. Mead said that move will free up rainy-day funds that he would then use to support the states towns, cities and counties. The governor included $90 million in his original proposal for the localities. His new request would add $33 million in rainy-day funds for local government infrastructure projects. While all of us the state, counties, cities and towns must tighten our belts, we must recognize the importance of local services, infrastructure investment and economic drivers, Mead wrote in his letter to the Joint Appropriations Committee. One of the best umbrellas for a state rainy day is support of local governments. Another budget change Mead announced Monday is his plan to use $250,000 in rainy-day funds to let every interested high school student in the state to take part in the FIRST Robotics program. That pairs students with mentors to design, build, program and test build their own robots. There are many worthy career and skills competitions in our state and across the country, Mead wrote. I believe we need a single, spectacular goal for all students, and then we need to offer necessary support. Mead also is asking for $1.2 million in rainy-day funds for a cybersecurity training and education initiative and $736,000 to overturn his previous recommendation that denied proposed raises for livestock brand inspectors. Revenue shortfall adjustments The governor also announced his plan to deal with last weeks announcement that the states revenue shortfall will widen by almost $80 million over the next three years. That news prompted growing fears that the downturn in the states oil, gas and coal markets will continue or worsen. Meads plan would use agency savings and unspent funds, including money previously earmarked for state employee raises, to make up the $31 million shortfall for the current fiscal year that ends in June. In addition to that shortfall, the January Consensus Revenue Estimating Group report showed that projected traditional fund revenue for the upcoming two-year budget will be $46.4 million less than what the state forecast when Mead crafted his spending plan. The governors original budget plan left millions on the table for the Legislature to decide how to use. Mead eliminated the availability of those funds to partly cover the shortfall. And in order to address the remaining $17.4 million budget gap, Mead said he wants to work with the Legislature to identify vacant positions throughout the state that can be eliminated permanently. Monday also marked the end of the dozens of hours that the Joint Appropriations Committee has spent over the past two months reviewing the governors requests and interviewing agency heads. Starting today, the legislative panel will begin voting on Meads recommendations. It then will craft its own budget plan to present to the full Legislature when the budget session begins Feb. 8. Suspicion over federal plans to restore endangered Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest has spread to Colorado and Utah, where ranchers and officials are fiercely resisting any attempt to import the predators. About 110 Mexican gray wolves a smaller subspecies of the gray wolf now roam a portion of Arizona and New Mexico, nearly two decades after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 11 wolves there to restart a population that had nearly vanished. The agency hopes to complete a comprehensive recovery plan for the Mexican wolf in 2017, and officials say theyve made no decision about releasing them in Colorado or Utah. But neither state is waiting. Their governors joined Arizona and New Mexicos executives in November to accuse the Fish and Wildlife Service of using flawed science and biased experts. They demanded that no Mexican wolves be released outside the southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico. Wildlife commissioners in Utah and Colorado also spoke out against releasing Mexican wolves in their states the Utah Wildlife Board in December and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission last Wednesday. The Fish and Wildlife Service defended the experts and the process. Mexican wolves have been contentious in Arizona and New Mexico for years. New Mexico officials are resisting proposals to release more wolves. Arizona state lawmakers tried but failed to allow ranchers to kill federally protected wolves in self-defense. Environmental groups, meanwhile, are pushing for the release of more captive-bred wolves to bolster the population in those states. In Colorado and Utah, opponents argue that wolves would inflict costly and cruel losses on cattle and sheep and decimate big game herds that support the lucrative hunting industry. They also say Mexican wolves arent native to their states, and bringing them in could taint the gene pool if they bred with gray wolves roaming down from the northern Rockies. We dont need to introduce another large predatory carnivore to the state, Colorado Wool Growers Association director Bonnie Brown told the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission last week. Mountain lions are already killing pets in urban areas bordering open country. Wolf advocates say the fears are overblown, and that Mexican wolves need more ranges to avoid extinction. Parts of Colorado and Utah would be ideal for wolves, said Jonathan Proctor of Defenders of Wildlife, and he argued that both states are within the wolves historical range. The West needs wolves to help restore balance to the environment, he said. Its we humans who have eradicated all the wolves from the West, Proctor said. Its our responsibility to bring this animal back. Wolves have long been deeply divisive subject in the region. They were hunted, trapped or driven out of many areas by the end of the last century and were regarded as a menace to largely defenseless sheep and cattle. But they also became a symbol for the environmental movement, a noble if fearsome avatar of the wild. To support their arguments, both sides point to the northern Rockies, where the Fish and Wildlife Service estimates about 1,800 gray wolves live in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. Wolves began killing hundreds of sheep and cattle after their release in the northern Rockies about 20 years ago, and big game populations fell drastically in some areas, officials said. But they say cattle deaths are declining and game herds are rebounding since wolves were removed from Endangered Species Act protection in Idaho and Montana in 2011. The Fish and Wildlife Service then turned over wolf management to the states, which allow some hunting and sometimes remove or kill problem wolves. We know the wolf population is doing fine and continues to expand, said Mike Jimenez, northern Rockies wolf coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service. We use lethal control on wolves that are causing big problems. Overall agricultural losses are low, but to an individual rancher, they can be devastating, he said. In Idaho, elk numbers have begun to rebound since the state began managing wolves, state Fish and Game spokesman Mike Keckler said. And we still have a very sustainable wolf population in our state, he said. So we feel like were making progress in bringing balance. Wolves were briefly removed from federal protection in Wyoming, but safeguards were restored after environmental groups filed lawsuits challenging state management plans. The state is appealing the decision. Legal wrangling is part of what makes wolves so aggravating, said Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. We have learned to live with them, he said of the estimated 330 wolves in Wyoming. We have not learned to live with the never-ending process. CHEYENNE Sheriffs officials found a woman dead of exposure and her teenage son suffering from frostbite Tuesday, ending a three-day search for a family of three that went missing amid a series of mishaps while snowmobiling in the Medicine Bow Mountains. Searchers had found the father in good condition Monday after he went for help and became separated from the other two. The couples 18-year-old son was being treated at a Colorado hospital and was in stable condition, Albany County Undersheriff Robert DeBree said. He has a lot of frostbite, DeBree said. Officials werent identifying the Cheyenne family. Both parents were 46. It was a depressingly common tragedy for the Rockies in winter. Each weekend, thousands of snowmobilers crowd groomed trails or explore less-traveled reaches of the high country. Each trip risks hazards from avalanches to foul weather and equipment problems. All too often, stranded snowmobilers find themselves struggling against the snow instead of playing in it, like when Olympic gold medalist wrestler Rulon Gardner became stranded on his snowmobile and spent a night in the Wyoming backcountry in 2002. He lost a toe to frostbite. This time, multiple problems harsh weather and malfunctioning machines built into a disaster that played out over three days and nights. Heavy snow and strong winds slammed the southeast Wyoming mountains Saturday night. That was the last thing the Cheyenne family needed after one of their three snowmobiles broke down during an outing in the Medicine Bows. The family built a fire and spent Saturday night in a snow cave, DeBree said. Attempts by the father to find help Sunday failed when another snowmobile got stuck in ice and the handlebars of the third broke off, stranding him away from the others. Searchers found him Monday after he spent a second night in the mountains in a snow cave. The search involved two rescue helicopters and several searchers on snowmobiles. By Monday, the weather was windy but clear and not too chilly, allowing teams to fan out amid many recreational snowmobilers enjoying Martin Luther King Jr. Day away from work. In western Colorado, three snowmobilers reported missing were found safe Monday after spending a night in the backcountry. Two of their machines had mechanical problems, the Glenwood Springs Post Independent reported. Their names werent released. CHEYENNE Wyoming residents may have more ways to win in the future, as Wyoming Lottery Corporation officials are looking to add new game options. WyoLotto hopes to add at least one new draw game by the fall. State law limits to the lottery to only draw games. WyoLotto CEO Jon Clontz says the new games will be part of the company's push to increase the player base and grow profits above $6 million. The 2013 state law that created the lottery states that its first $6 million in profits will be divided and distributed to individual cities, towns and counties now that its debts are paid. LAS VEGAS As visitors continue to flock to Mount Charleston, Nevada Highway Patrol has increased its presence in the area to deal with the heavy traffic. KLAS-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1P0LToq ) that seven troopers were on patrol this weekend handing out citations around the mountain. Troopers are focusing on illegal parking, speeding and drunken driving. Lee Canyon Ski Resort parking was nearly full by 9 a.m. Saturday and highway patrol officers say they saw heavy traffic as early as 8 a.m. Officials say resources on the mountain are limited, leading Clark County to form a multi-agency team of fire, medical and law enforcement personnel to manage the flocks of people heading to the snow. ___ The co-owner of a Tucson real estate firm and his wife died Monday morning when the small twin-engine jet plane they were in crashed in Utah. Authorities identified the two as Donald Baker, 59, co-owner of commercial real estate firm Larsen Baker LLC, and Dawn Elizabeth Hunter, 55. No other occupants were reported aboard the plane, which was en route to Tucson from Salt Lake City. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane, a 1999 Cessna Citation 525, is registered to Baker. Baker has been a registered pilot since 2008. Flight records show the aircraft left Salt Lake City International Airport at 9:51 a.m. At around 10 a.m., deputies from the Utah County Sheriffs Department responded to a report of a plane crash near Cedar Fort, about 50 miles north of Salt Lake City. Witnesses described hearing a loud boom and then seeing an airplane on fire as it fell to the ground, Utah County sheriffs spokesman Sgt. Spencer Cannon said in a news release. Deputies said they found two bodies inside the plane. Search and rescue volunteers sifted through the debris field, a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide, in an effort to locate items from the plane, Cannon said. Hank Amos, president of Tucson Realty & Trust Co., called Bakers death a loss to the Tucson real estate community. Don was truly well-respected in the commercial real estate industry. He had an amazing run in Tucson, especially in retail. Its obviously a big loss. Baker began working as a contractor and broker after receiving his bachelors degree in finance and real estate from the University of Southern California. He and George Larsen founded Larsen Baker in 1993. Over the years, Baker has constructed properties in Southern California and Southern Arizona, according to the Larsen Baker website. George (Larsen) and Don started with virtually nothing, and now they have 350 locations in Southern Arizona, said Andy Selez-nov, director of leasing for Larsen Baker. He was a great guy, and very involved in the community. Nancy McClure, first vice president of CBRE brokerage services in Tucson, described Baker as a true change-maker for Tucson who, with his partner, transformed the streetscape of the community. She also said Larsen Baker is the largest shopping-center ownership group in Tucson. Don was a dealmaker, and always looked forward at trends and worked to be at the forefront of bringing new retailers, restaurants and shopping-center formats to Tucson. His presence will be missed, but he leaves an undeniable legacy, McClure said. Marana town leaders are beginning a new program to reinvest in some of the towns oldest neighborhoods. Town staff are analyzing and listing below-standard infrastructure in the old neighborhoods and colonias, said Town Manager Gilbert Davidson. He sought the buy-in of the Town Council at a study session meeting last week to start addressing the problem. As Marana becomes more successful, and we are a prosperous community, I think every neighborhood should reflect that in terms of the towns infrastructure, Davidson told the council. Projects to look at include roads improvements, sidewalks and streetlights, drainage improvements, sewer connections and small parks, he said. The analysis due this spring will show which projects are doable. The focus areas are Honea Heights, Yoem Pueblo, Marana Vista, Marana Estates, Berry Acres, Adonis, Amole Circle and Price Lane. Many of the homes were built in the 1940s-1960s. Some of the neighborhoods included the original residents who signed the incorporation documents to form the town. Others were early annexations into the town limits. Davidson estimated a couple thousand people live in the neighborhoods. In most cases, the residents are low-income. In the past, the town has looked at the overwhelming total cost for addressing all the needs and hasnt taken any action, he said. All of this is going to take time, Davidson told the council. Each fiscal year, we just make a commitment to chip away at this, rather than look at the large dollar amount and then do nothing, we at least start to do something. The town will seek grant money and partnerships, such as the Pascua Yaqui tribe and the Catholic church, but could also use some sales-tax revenue or transportation money to get projects done. The town has a great example in Marana Vista, Davidson said. In 2007, the town built a $1 million fund using money from the town, county and federal government to install sidewalks and streetlights in the neighborhood. People then took more pride in their neighborhood and we started to see people make improvements to their own properties, like painting and landscaping, Davidson said. I think the same thing would happen in any one of these other neighborhoods. If we went in and started making improvements, that would start to spread through the whole neighborhood area, he told the council. Of particular importance to Davidson is the idea that each neighborhood should have its own park with a safe and clean play area. New neighborhoods in Marana are required to have park amenities, so older neighborhoods should have them, too, he said. The plan was well-received by the Town Council. Council member Patti Comerford said theres a lot of work to do but the town should start to chip away at it. Asking residents whats important to them for quality of life will help the town figure out which projects to prioritize, she said. Nonprofit wish list The Arizona Daily Star publishes a Community Wish List every Tuesday for nonprofits. Nonprofits registered as 501c(3) organizations are eligible to participate for free. Email wishlist@tucson.com with your list of up to 10 items in order of priority. Include the name of your organization as it should appear in print and a description of your mission in 15 words or less. Provide a physical address where you can receive donated items, a phone number and a website address. Community Wish List is a collaboration of the Star and Heather Hiscox, founder of WishListHero.org, and Amelia Klawon, a nonprofit consultant. Two Tucson-area men, along with a robotic device made in the Tucson area that specialize in water rescues, are working with Greek officials to try to reduce the number of drownings of fleeing refugees off the countrys coast. The robotic devices known as EMILY are manufactured at Hydronalix, a company in Sahuarita. EMILY stands for Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard. Capt. John Sims of Rural/Metro Fire Department, who has a background in swift-water rescue and is a consultant on EMILY, and the robots co-creator Anthony Mulligan went to Greece recently to work with rescue organizations. They are expected to return home this week. They are among a larger team from the Center for Robot-Assisted Search & Rescue at Texas A&M that are involved in the life-saving project in Greece. The center invited Sims, Mulligan and EMILY, a remote-controlled robot lifeguard, to aid Greeces Hellenic Coast Guard in rescue operations on the island of Lesvos. Hundreds of refugees fleeing violence in Syria and Iraq have drowned while traveling in small boats in waters between Turkey and the coast of Greece, according to news reports. Many of the drownings have been young children. On the centers website, Director Robin Murphy said of their work with rescue workers, It is an honor to think that we could provide them with useful tools to do their amazing and heartbreaking work. EMILY, which is 4 feet long and weighs 25 pounds, is propelled with a pump jet, said Bob Lautrup, executive vice president at Hydronalix. He and Mulligan invented EMILY. Six people can hold on to the flotation device and when not using the pump jet, the device can be pulled to shore or to a rescue boat by a rope. EMILY has a camera that can send photos through a radio frequency, and it also carries a two-way radio. The remote-controlled device can reach speeds of up to 22 mph, Lautrup said. Each EMILY unit costs $10,000, and is used by law enforcement, the Coast Guard, lifeguards and first-responders across the world, said Lautrup. The devices were tested by Rural/Metro crews for swift-water rescues in the Tucson area. This humanitarian mission EMILY is on in Greece is one of the biggest missions she has been used for, said Lautrup. It is an international effort to help rescue people and save lives. For 16 years, Marilyn Hanson has been beating the bushes for volunteers, literally. Her efforts have paid off: Last year in Tucson Mountain Park alone, hundreds of volunteers logged 2,700 hours removing buffelgrass, an invasive weed that threatens native desert flora and fauna. In the last 16 years that we have been working in Tucson Mountain Park, the value of our volunteer hours is more than $700,000, and I think people should know that. We have been removing buffelgrass from the viewscapes of the people who hike and walk in the park; people dont see it because we have dug it out, said Hanson, volunteer coordinator for the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers and a member of the board of directors for the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center. The Weedwackers are one of multiple grass-roots groups dedicated to removing invasive grasses that work in conjunction with the center, a nonprofit that emphasizes an integrated management approach to controlling buffelgrass in Southern Arizona. The center is sponsoring Beat Back Buffelgrass Day on Saturday in an effort to remove the drought-resistant weed from washes, roadsides, parks and schools at more than 20 sites in the Tucson area. Buffelgrass is invading our public lands. It is an aggressive plant that is taking over parts of the Sonoran Desert where diverse native vegetation grows in places like Ironwood Forest National Monument, Saguaro National Park and open spaces throughout the county. Part of what we love about Southern Arizona is our desert, and if we let buffelgrass take over, we wont have the same desert, said Lindy Brigham, coordination center executive director. Brigham said that in addition to choking out wildflowers, cactus and other native flora, buffelgrass is an extreme fire hazard. It burns very hot, and native vegetation cant withstand that kind of heat, so if fire breaks out in those areas, it will destroy all the native vegetation immediately, she said. A key element in the buffelgrass battle is education, according to Brigham. People need to understand that we are not going to pull all the buffelgrass out in one day, she said. Areas must be cleared two or three times and often on an ongoing basis; if all of the roots are not removed (with a digging bar or shovel), buffelgrass grows back. It is very insidious. It drops seeds that are viable for three to four years, so if you clear an area and then dont check it frequently, within a couple of years it is like you were never there, said Joe Ciaramitaro, who became involved about five years ago after reading about a pulling event in at Finger Rock Wash in the Foothills. Now he works weekly on slopes off of the Pima Canyon Trail and areas near his home on the northwest side. Ciaramitaro is shocked to find that many locals are still unaware of the danger of buffelgrass and believes that increased leadership from the city and county is needed to improve awareness. People need to understand how dangerous it is and why it needs to be controlled. I am afraid that one of these days it will cause a huge fire ... and if people just worked to clear it in their own neighborhoods, that would really help, he said. Hanson hopes that improved outreach will also bring an infusion of new volunteers, since the majority of regular volunteers range in age from 55 to 75. We are trying to get the younger generations to realize that you have to put out some energy to save the natural flora and fauna or it will disappear. In some parts of the country it already has, she said. A retired biology teacher of 33 years who tracks areas cleared in Tucson Mountain Park on Google Maps as part of the coordination centers larger mapping effort, Hanson understands how changes to plant life impact the entire ecosystem as well as economic, cultural, social and political landscapes. Invasive species crowd out the native flora, which impacts the native birds and butterflies and animals. When you wipe out the native flora, you are wiping out the food chain and that has far-reaching impact, she said. Overall, Hanson said that fellow volunteers make the effort to save the desert rewarding. 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. Lorenzo Romero, the governor's top budget analyst, will go through Gov. Doug Ducey's proposed budget in detail at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Pima Community College district office at 4905 E. Broadway in Tucson. The event is in Building C, Room 105. Program cut In preparing his $9.5 billion budget for the coming year, Gov. Doug Ducey did find at least one state program that probably wasn't worth the cost: fingerprinting applicants for food stamps and welfare. Arizona imposed the requirement years ago as part of what had been a national trend aimed at preventing fraud. But Ducey, in his budget message, told lawmakers it's duplicative of other things the state already does, ranging from verifying Social Security numbers and checking addresses. Out of 1.1 million applications, the state turned up 10 duplicate applications. Denying benefits mostly paid for by the federal government to each those 10 people cost the state $85,620. If approved by the Legislature, the move cuts $856,200 from the budget. PHOENIX The nation's high court this morning refused to resurrect a challenge by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to the Obama administration's deferred action programs. Without comment, the justices let stand a ruling last year by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that the self-named "toughest sheriff in America'' had no right to sue. The move is actually one of two victories today for the Obama administration. Separately, the U.S. Supreme Court separately agreed to consider whether a federal judge in Texas acted correctly in enjoining a second "deferred action'' program. In the Arpaio ruling, appellate Judge Nina Pillard said the sheriff's lawsuit is based on the contention that allowing people who arrived in this country illegally as children to remain without fear of deportation will lead to more crime in Maricopa County and burden his officers and jails. But Pillard, writing for the three-judge panel, said the sheriff's contentions "are unduly speculative'' and "rest on chains of supposition and contradict acknowledged realities.'' And without any proof he or his agency will be harmed, Pillard said there was no basis for a lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in 2014, challenges both the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the expanded Deferred Action for Parents of Americans. Both programs allow millions of people here illegally both to remain and work. Arpaio charged that the programs are "unconstitutional abuses of the president's role in our nation's constitutional architecture, and exceed the powers of the president within the U.S. Constitution.'' And he said even if Congress has granted some power to the president to decide how to enforce immigration laws, these two programs exceed that delegated authority. The Tucson Theatre Announcements List is a monitored e-mail list. Notices from Tucson area theatre companies, filmmakers and others are forwarded to the list members. These notices include auditions, casting calls, openings and other announcements of interest to actors, directors, techies and theatre lovers in our community. This Blog contains an archive of recent posts to the list. For more information go to http://tucsonstage.com Help India! New Delhi : Delhis Transport Minister Gopal Rai on Monday said he will write to the central government to probe the CNG scam alleged by a woman who threw ink on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He said the city government has nothing to do with the alleged CNG scam. Support TwoCircles The CNG scam, about which the woman is talking about, has nothing to do with the Delhi government and has no links with the governments odd-even plan, Rai said. Tomorrow (Tuesday), I will write to the central government and ask it to probe the matter properly as the scam is related with the CNG testing centres which are run by the (union) ministry of commerce and industry. The woman named Bhawana Arora, alleging a CNG scam in the Aam Aadmi Party government, threw ink at Kejriwal on Sunday at a public gathering held to mark the success of the odd-even traffic restriction scheme at Chhatrasal Stadium in north Delhi. Rai said that according to the documents procured from the woman, it was known that a few CNG testing centres which inspect CNG cylinders in vehicles had given a clearance certificate on the registration number of a motorcycle. These CNG testing centres are managed by the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO) under the ministry of commerce and industry. So the central government is responsible for such a lapse and the Delhi government had nothing to do with it, Rai added Help India! By Suraj Yengde for Twocircles.net Cambridge: Mid-January in the New England area is infamous for the unfriendly cold shivers. Stepping out on a weekend after a cold week in the central quarters of Cambridge area is unlikely. People passing through the Harvard Square witnessed an unusual form of social gathering by south Asians holding placards that read: Down with the Casteism in Indian Universities, #CasteMustFall, #DalitLivesMatter, Stop Caste Based Discrimination Support TwoCircles Ambedkarite groups in Boston under the banner of Ambedkar International Centre gathered in the busy space of Harvard square to protest against the caste bias that denigrates students coming from marginalised caste groups in India. It was an occasion to protest against the University of Hyderabads (UoH) arbitrary decision to expel the students overriding the results of the fact finding committee, and to call attention to the existing realities of caste discrimination in Indian society. Protesters geared in three layers and warm hats highlighted the plight of Dalit students in educational institutes in India that repress the dignity of life to Dalit and Tribal students. UoH is a significant event for smartphone-era Indians in the metros to ponder over heinous forms of exclusion and discrimination taking place in the elite institutes. If this is what happens in a globally recognised institute, then it is worrisome to think about educational condition of Dalit students in semi-urban and rural areas. Dalit students who enter (higher) educational institutes continue to be excluded and ostracized by the student community and teaching faculty to the worst degree. Reported deaths of Dalit students pose questions about responsibilities of institutes. A rebuttal to the Dalit students death is framed as a non-talented student who entered the school on a quota based system without having enough credence. Thus owing to the pressure of studies student committed a suicide is unashamedly reiterated across media spaces. Similar syntax is rarely placed among the privileged caste case(s). If discrimination of minority is to be taken as a scalar misrepresentation of democratic university spaces, then the scenario resonates to the educational institutes across United States where African American students feel vulnerable and discriminated. Protests by Yale University students, the University of Missouri students, Princeton, Harvard among the African American student groups continue to occur. Ive been personally witnessing these gruesome incidents since my college days, and in this case the government has intentionally interfered owing to the right-wing pressure, said co-organiser Venkat Maroju of Ambedkar International Center, Washington DC. Umang Kumar highlighted the synopsis of the student expulsion claiming it to be an internalised form of communalism. The protest gathered momentum among the secular and democratic individuals who foresaw the protest as a significant gesture to demonstrate unity among the Dalit diaspora. Protestors reaffirmed their commitment to be vigilant over caste discrimination. This is on-going plight of the Dalit student community, who, at the level of doctoral studies, are conscious enough of their sociality and continue to demand for equal rights. These students who would be awarded doctorate in a few months or years time are internationally targeted. The level of plight is inexcusable, appraised Boston Study Group co-organiser Sanjay Bhagat. Kashif-ul-Huda, editor, TwoCircle.net, presented the original reason for such an incident to occur. He argued that it was originally in opposition to the Dalit groups expressing solidarity with the aggrieved Muslim community who had been victim of communal violence in India. Hence, after arranging a documentary viewing of Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hain, ABVP activists took an otherwise view. The reason of increased altercation was about Dalit-Muslim solidarity which is rancor for the fringe elements of the right wing Hindu outfits. Education is the fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution of India and it is an international human rights concern. Banishing students coming from vulnerable sections of societies only dehumanizes the face of so called egalitarian educational spaces. Dalit students studying in Brandies University, North Eastern University and Harvard University too joined the protest expressing serious concerns over such incident that only hampers the development of student groups. Jaspreet Mahal, a Brandies University grad student referred to the offshore unity among Dalit groups as a significant progress among diaspora groups in the US. In witnessing the gathering of speeches and recital of poems, Harvard Square community took note of the protest by taking videos and photos. As much this protest endeavored to work with the affected Dalit and Tribal groups. It will start coordinating with the civil society groups in Boston and in the New England area declared co-organisers. We may be few but thats enough for you. We may be scattered we are suns rays. We may be invisible thats our strength We dare you because we care you. If you let go with your prejudice You will have time to recognise us Ours is a fight for reclaiming human dignity said Baba We reiterate for us thee children of Baba. Do not undermine us, we warn you For the after is your fault. The beauty about us is we are WE and me. Our identity is a plural logic. For our identity is your existence. We may be few but thats enough for you. The author is an associate at Department of African and African American studies at Harvard.He is finishing his PhD from University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. The Chinese Peoples Republic does not intend to start a war with the United States of America over Taiwan. We can wait 10-20 and even 30 or 40 years, In this case we are taking into account the experience of the Soviet Union, which over 22 years [1918-1940--ed.] did not take military measures to return the Baltic states to the ranks of the USSR. However, while not starting a war over Taiwan, we will always say and pronounce, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese Peoples Republic - Mao Tse-TungTaiwan is an inalienable part of China. Contrary to a number of countries, which after World War II had been divided in accordance with international agreements (Germany, Korea, Vietnam), on the Taiwan question there had not been and were not any sort of international acts in which the separation of Taiwan from China had been mentioned. To the contrary, even during the war, in the Cairo Declaration, it had been decided that after the completion of military operations Taiwan would be freed from its Japanese occupiers and returned to China. - Mao Tse-TungThe senior Japanese commanders and all ground, sea, air and auxiliary forces within China (excluding Manchuria), Formosa and French Indo-China north of 16 north latitude shall surrender to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. -approved by the President of the United States on 17 August 1945 , It instructed Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders, reveal all current military deployments, and preserve military equipment for later disarmament . It is also the source of the modern division of Korea at the 38th Parallel I Agree This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Privacy Policy BACKGROUND - The relationship of vasectomy to prostate cancer has great public health significance. However, the results of observational studies were conflicting. To determine whether vasectomy is associated with the risk of prostate cancer, we performed a meta-analysis of cohort studies. METHODS - A literature search was carried out using Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Libraryl, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) between January 1966 and July 2013. Before meta-analysis, between-study heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using adequate statistical tests. Fixed-effect and random-effect models were used to estimate summary relative risks (RR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Potential sources of heterogeneity were detected by meta-regression. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analysis were also performed. RESULTS - A total of nine cohort studies contributed to the analysis. There was heterogeneity among the studies but no publication bias. Pooled results indicated that vasectomy was not associated with a significant increase of total prostate cancer risk (RR = 1. 07, 95% CI [0. 79, 1. 46]). When stratified the various studies by geographic location, we found a significant association between vasectomy and increased PCa risk among studies conducted in the USA (RR = 1. 54, 95% CI [1. 23, 1. 93]), however, there was no significant association between vasectomy and PCa risk among studies conducted in non-USA countries (RR = 0. 74, 95% CI [0. 50, 1. 09]). Furthermore, sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the results. CONCLUSIONS - In conclusion, the present meta-analysis of cohort studies suggested that vasectomy was not associated with increased risk of prostate cancer. More in-depth studies are warranted to report more detailed results, including stratified results by age at vasectomy, tumor grade, and tumor stage. International journal of clinical and experimental medicine. 2015 Oct 15*** epublish *** Xiao-Long Zhang, Jia-Jun Yan, Shou-Hua Pan, Jian-Gang Pan, Xiang-Rong Ying, Guan-Fu Zhang Department of Urology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital of Zhejiang University Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. , Department of Urology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital of Zhejiang University Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. , Department of Urology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital of Zhejiang University Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. , Department of Urology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital of Zhejiang University Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. , Department of Urology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital of Zhejiang University Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. , Department of Urology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital of Zhejiang University Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. PubMed The US Commerce Department has hit China with an anti-dumping tariff of 256 percent on corrosion resistant steel products, and an attorney who has represented both sides in trade disagreements said the action should be a wake-up call for China. China has an overcapacity of steel and will have to find the political will to adjust production, said Washington-based lawyer Bart Fisher in an interview on Wednesday, one day after Commerce said in a preliminary report that certain steel imports from China were sold at unfairly low prices and should be taxed at the 256 percent rate. The report said imports from India, Italy and South Korea will be taxed at much lower rates. In June, US producers Nucor Corp and U.S. Steel Corp claimed that certain products from the Chinese mainland, India, Italy, South Korea and Taiwan were being dumped in the US and hurting the domestic steel industry. In November, the US government found that all of those countries and regions, except Taiwan, subsidized their domestic production, Bloomberg reported. Were concerned that the dumping thats occurring is at higher levels than these determinations reflect, said Tim Brightbill, a partner at Wiley Rein LLP, a law firm representing Nucor, according to Bloomberg. Nine steel associations from countries including the US, Canada and Brazil released a joint statement last month claiming that the global steel industry is currently suffering from a crisis of overcapacity and the Chinese steel industry is the predominant global contributor to this problem. Fisher said the assigning of tariff s is not over and China will have a chance to argue its case before the US International Trade Commission (ITC). This is a preliminary finding and the US will have to prove the domestic industry was injured by the Chinese steel, he said. The Chinese may argue that the excess supply is being caused in part by an anemic economic recovery in the US. Noting that the tariff s on Chinese steel are much higher than tariff s on South Korean steel (3.25 percent), Fisher said China may say that the tariff is not being applied fairly. I expect that the issue of whether the tariff has been calculated properly will be bitterly contested, he said. Fisher said the ITC will make a finding and then the case will be shifted back to the Commerce Department for a final report, which may not come until late 2016. The action against China came on the same day that Mexico said it will launch an anti-dumping investigation into imports of corrosion-resistant steel from China and Taiwan. In September, Mexican steel producer Ternium Mexico SA demanded an investigation, claiming that shipments from the mainland and Taiwan surged between January 2012 and April 2015, threatening the market for local manufacturers. Xi optimistic about China's economic fundamentals Updated: 2016-01-19 07:47 (Xinhua) A stevedore works at Qingdao port in Shandong province, July 1, 2015. [Photo/IC] BEIJING - Despite downward growth pressure and recent financial market volatility, President Xi Jinping on Monday said that the country's long-term economic fundamentals remain sound. Xi made the remarks at a symposium attended by ministers and provincial officials, adding that the new normal would be the major characteristic of the economy during the 13th Five-year Plan period (2016-2020), and a necessary course the economy must go through to realize higher, more balanced development. Xi said that as the economy expands, the growth rate will moderate, thus, its structure must be adjusted while the engines of growth must be shifted. China's economy rose 6.9 percent in the third quarter of 2015, slowing slightly from 7 percent in the second quarter and its lowest quarterly growth since the global financial crisis. The economy has entered a new stage of slower but more resilient growth, which Xi calls the new normal. The essence of which is an improved economic structure that relies more on domestic consumption, the service sector and innovation. China is scheduled to release growth rates for the last quarter and the whole of 2015 on Tuesday. Xi said innovation should be made the pivot of economic development, which would help foster new engines of economic growth. He urged officials to stabilize short-term growth and plan for longer-term development, and coordinate development among different regions and the urban and rural areas. Supply-side structural reform will advance economic restructuring by means of reform measures, while reducing noneffective and low-end supply as well as expanding effective and medium-to-high-end supply to boost productivity, Xi said. A series of policy measures, especially those focusing on scientific and technological innovation, development of the real economy, and people's livelihoods, should be used to address the problems with the supply side of the economy, he added. Supply-side structural reform should focus on both supply and demand and facilitate the decisive role of the market in allocating resources, Xi said. It is crucial, Xi said, to cut overcapacity, promote industrial regrouping, reduce cost for enterprises, develop strategic emerging industries and the modern service sector, and increase the supply of public goods and services. Presiding over the symposium, Premier Li Keqiang said the economy faces increasing downward pressure amid complicated international conditions. Li called for a focus on the implementation of supply-side structural reform, identify fresh driving forces for development, and transform and upgrade traditional driving forces. Senior leaders Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli were also present at the symposium. Reforms aim to stop miscarriages of justice Updated: 2016-01-19 07:56 By Cao Yin(China Daily) Changes to China's judicial system are designed to eradicate physical and psychological torture, coercion and other illegal methods of obtaining information and confessions. Cao Yin reports. For many women, their 20s are the best years of their lives, as they hold down a decent job, fall in love or help to raise a family. For Qian Renfeng, her 20s were a struggle; she spent the entire decade in prison, serving time for a crime she did not commit. "I lost my best years in prison, but thanks to efforts of my family members and lawyer, the slate was eventually wiped clean," said Qian, who was sentenced to life imprisonment when she was 17 after being wrongfully convicted of poisoning children. On Dec 21, her conviction was quashed by the Yunnan Provincial High People's Court, 13 years after she was jailed. The court described the case against Qian, now 30, as "flawed". Qian's case wasn't the only one to make headlines in December. Chen Man, who was given a suspended death sentence for murder and arson, stood trial a second time at a court in Hainan province in an attempt to prove his innocence after serving 16 years in jail. Chen's case is ongoing. Both said they had provided false confessions after being tortured during interrogation. According to Yuan Ningning, a legal researcher at Beijing Normal University, the use of torture was commonplace during interrogations in the 1980s and '90s, one of the main reasons for the high rate of miscarriages of justice during the closing decades of the last century. "At that time, the police had little awareness of human rights protection; they pursued a high clear-up rate, and their investigative skills were inadequate," Yuan said. He said violent interrogation has become rarer as China moves further along the road of rule of law, and the regulations to prevent coercion and torture have been strengthened since 2012, when the country's top leadership made revision of the legal process a top priority. Since then, a series of measures has been introduced to eradicate torture, such as stronger judicial interpretations of what constitutes admissible evidence and a stipulation that all interviews must be recorded in their entirety, he said. In 2014 alone, the revisions resulted in 778 convictions being overturned after evidence was ruled insufficient or inaccurate, according to a work report published by the Supreme People's Court, the nation's top court. He Jiahong, a law professor at Renmin University of China who specializes in the study of evidence and its collection, said special attention should be paid to new forms of psychological torture, and regulations should be drawn up to ban them. Technical improvements Qian had mixed feelings when she walked out of the court in December. Although she was delighted to be free, her long absence from mainstream life had left her ill-equipped to deal with the modern world. "The time in jail has made it a little difficult to get along with life today. For example, I don't know how to use a mobile phone," said the Zhaotong city native. In 2002, Qian was sentenced to life imprisonment by the city's intermediate court after she was convicted of poisoning food at the kindergarten where she worked, causing the death of one child. "When I was being interrogated, the police made me kneel for several hours to answer questions. I couldn't bear it, so I pleaded guilty. But my belief in the law made me, my family and my lawyer persist in lodging appeals," she added. Qian's mother died in April, so her nephew, Qian Lunrong, is helping her to look for work in Kunming, the provincial capital, to help her family. "We believe that those who made mistakes in the case will be held responsible under the improved legal environment," he said. Yang Zhu, a lawyer who has been working on Qian's case since 2010, said her conviction was quashed as a result of technical improvements in investigations and an increasing awareness of the protection of human rights. "Ten or more years ago, the police regularly used torture when interrogating suspects because they were more reliant on oral confessions and their ability to collect evidence at the crime scene was inadequate," he said. Now, though, interrogations are subject to strict regulations and torture has seldom been seen, especially in China's larger cities, since the government ruled that all interrogations must be recorded with audio and video, he said. Yuan, the legal researcher, praised the government's determination to eradicate torture and said every step forward underlines the country's growing awareness of the importance of protecting human rights. In 2012, the nation's top legislators highlighted the ban on torture in an amendment to the Chinese Criminal Procedure Law. A year later, the Supreme People's Court published a guideline under which courts were instructed to rule evidence inadmissible if it had been gained via improper methods, such as exposure to extreme cold, refusal to provide food or sleep-deprivation techniques. In addition to the legal measures, improved investigative skills, such as the use of electronic devices to monitor and collect DNA evidence, have also contributed to improved evidence collection and helped to reduce the number of wrongful convictions, according to Renmin University's He. A survey he conducted in 2007 showed that more than 90 percent of the 130 cases of wrongful conviction he studied were based on confessions obtained under duress. "However, our recent studies show that the problem has been alleviated greatly," he said. Prosecutors should also be applauded, he said, because the improvement in interview techniques is partly the result of their improved supervision of evidence provided by the police. Meanwhile, the increasing role of judges, who handle cases independently, has also been crucial, he added. "Ensuring that every judicial procedure is legal is an effective way of reducing the number of wrongful convictions, and will improve the nation's judicial credibility," he added. 'A hot, urgent issue' He, who has spent more than 10 years studying cases of wrongful conviction, said that while physical torture, such as beating, has been brought under control, the police still use psychological coercion, such as sleep deprivation and threats, to obtain confessions. "Judicial experts are studying ways to prevent and outlaw this type of mental torture; this is a hot, urgent issue in enforcing the rule of law," he said, adding that the legal definition of torture should be updated as soon as possible. Yuan, the legal researcher, said the courts need to ensure that the records of interrogations provided by the police are accurate: "In some counties, the police only made a record after the suspects had confessed, or they only recorded certain parts of the confession." Although he welcomed the moves to improve interrogation skills among officers, he warned that the police should avoid the practice prevalent in the United States, where suspects are often asked leading questions designed to prompt predetermined answers. "Leading questions may result in false confessions that have the potential to bring about miscarriages of justice," said Yuan, who worked from 2012 to 2013 with The Innocence Project, a non-governmental organization in the United States founded to overturn miscarriages of justice and exonerate those who have been wrongfully convicted, especially via DNA evidence. He urged similar organizations in China to make concerted joint efforts to eradicate torture and correct judicial mistakes. Luo Yaping, a professor at the People's Public Security University of China who specializes in the study of investigative skills, said the police's ability to collect evidence at crime scenes has improved greatly, and most officers understand that the collection of legally admissible evidence is the key to reducing the number of miscarriages of justice. "However, the lack of officers in grassroots police stations makes it hard for them to investigate cases, because the extra workload leaves little time for them to review their procedures and actions," she said. "Investigation is the first step in dealing with a criminal case. If that first step is inadequate, the procedures that foll-ow will also be affected to a greater or lesser degree." Contact the writer at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn Qian Renfeng wipes away tears on Dec 21, the day her conviction was overturned by the Yunnan Provincial High People's Court. The 30-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment 13 years ago after being wrongfully convicted of poisoning children. Photos provided to China Daily Chen Man, 52, during his retrial at a court in Hainan province on Dec 29. Chen is hoping to prove his innocence after serving 16 years in jail for murder and arson. Qian Renfeng hugs her father at her home in Nantuan village, Qiaojia county, Yunnan, on Dec 22, the day after her conviction was overturned by a local court. (China Daily 01/19/2016 page6) Haier's GE appliances purchase will allow US expansion Updated: 2016-01-18 11:56 By Paul Welitzkin in New York(China Daily USA) The "GE of China" Haier Group is buying a unit of GE in the United States to bolster its appliance business in that market. Haier, which makes refrigerators and other home appliances, agreed to pay General Electric Co $5.4 billion in cash for its appliance unit. The state-owned Haier tried to buy the unit in 2008, but the deal was canceled because of the global recession. The deal announced on Jan 15 comes one month after GE had attempted to sell the business to Swedens Electrolux AB for $3.3 billion, but that was scuttled when US antitrust authorities sued to block it. GE is selling to focus on technology-driven businesses such as medical equipment and jet engines. Haier has been referring to itself as the GE of China, Steven Winoker, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein in New York, told China Daily in an interview. This will enable them to drive their global brand ambitions and also get a larger share of the US market. Under the agreement, Haier can use the GE brand name for 40 years, including in China. GE Appliances will remain headquartered in Louisville and the business will continue to be operated independently under the direction of a local board with the participation of GE's current senior management team, who will manage the business. Haier is committed to investing in the continued growth of the US business, the Chinese company said in a statement. Haier has a refrigerator factory in Camden, South Carolina, a research facility in Evansville, Indiana, and a plant in Mexico, all of which the company plans to keep open, according to a company spokesman. Haier is based in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao. The companys market share for major home appliances in China is 29.8 percent, but in the US it is 5.6 percent, according to market research firm Euromonitor. It reported 2014 revenue of $32.6 billion. GE Appliances reported revenue of $5.9 billion last year. GE said the deal values its appliance business at 10 times the last 12 months earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). "This is the chance of a life-time for Haier to become big outside China and specifically US, hence they are willing to pay this very high price tag," Kepler Cheuvreux analyst Johan Eliason told Reuters. The so-called white-goods market of home appliances in the US is dominated by Whirlpool Corp, Electrolux and GE. The proposed agreement would be the largest acquisition of an American business by a Chinese firm, surpassing the 2013 purchase of Smithfield Foods Inc by Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd, according to Dealogic. I think it is highly unlikely there will be antitrust issues given Haiers relatively small share of the US appliance market, said Winoker. This is a very different situation from Electrolux. Haier and GE also agreed to form a strategic partnership to cooperate in areas such as the Internet, health care, and advanced manufacturing. "This strategic alliance provides a new starting point for Haier and GE and I am confident that this partnership will deliver enhanced value to the stakeholders of both companies, Zhang Ruimin, chairman and CEO of Haier said in a statement. Haier has a stated focus to grow in the US, build their manufacturing presence here, and to invest further in the business. GE Appliances provides Haier with great products, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, and a talented team, said GE CEO Jeff Immelt. The acquisition includes GE Appliances' 48.4 percent stake in Mabe, a Mexican appliance company that has operated a joint venture and has had a sourcing relationship with GE Appliances for 28 years. Tennessee to open development office in China Updated: 2016-01-19 05:49 By PAUL WELITZKIN in New York(China Daily USA) The state of Tennessee will open an economic development office in China this year to build on its success in luring companies from the mainland. We had an office in China previously but it was focused on exports from Tennessee to China, Randy Boyd, commissioner of economic and community development in Tennessee, said in an interview. This office will focus on attracting foreign direct investment to our state. Tennessee has been successful in attracting Chinese investment. In 2015, China-based Wonderful Group a ceramic tile maker - said it would invest $150 million to build a facility in Lebanon, its first investment in the US. The plant will create 220 jobs. Lebanon is near Nashville. Last March, Yanfeng USA, the largest Chinese manufacturer of automotive interior components and unit of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp, China's largest state-owned automaker, said it would open a plant in Chattanooga that will eventually employ more than 300. It will provide interiors for a new midsize sport utility vehicle that will be assembled at the new Volkswagen AG plant in Chattanooga. Boyd said Tennessees office will be located in Shenzhen, not in Beijing or Shanghai. We think there will be less competition there and thats an area in China where we have already had some success so we want to build on it. Boyd said Tennessee has many attractive features for companies. If you look at as map you will see that Tennessee is an ideal location for distribution activity in the eastern US. Plus we have the infrastructure like roads, rail and airports to support it, he added. Tennessee has small but thriving Chinese communities in Nashville and Chattanooga. Boyd hopes the residents in those areas can help sell the state back home. Having a strong community from China will make it a lot easier to sell Tennessee. We are appreciative of those who have settled in our state, said Boyd. Boyd believes that Tennessees pro-business attitude will also help in his recruiting efforts. Our governor is a businessman which means we are a business centric stat, he said. In addition to the office in Shenzhen Boyd said his agency is looking at opening another office in China. The state is also planning to open development offices in South Korea, Germany and Italy this year. paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com Young Chinese shooting victim mourned in Arizona Updated: 2016-01-19 11:18 By Lia Zhu in San Francisco(China Daily USA) Grief along with calls for self-defense were expressed on Monday at a memorial service for 19-year-old Jiang Yue, a Chinese exchange student who was shot and killed in a road confrontation in Arizona over the weekend. More than 200 people, including Jiang's fellow students, members of the Chinese community and local residents, gathered at the scene of the Jan 16 incident in Tempe. Jiang, a native of Chongqing, was a sophomore finance major at the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in Tempe. She was returning from a shopping trip with a friend when, after a minor traffic accident, she was subsequently shot by another driver. The suspect, Holly Davis, 32, of Mesa, Arizona, has been arrested on four charges, including first-degree murder and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person. Davis' Volkswagen Passat rear-ended Jiang's vehicle at a red light in an intersection, and she allegedly got out of her car and fired several shots into the other vehicle, hitting Jiang several times, Tempe police said. ABC15 reported that Davis walked to the driver side of Jiang's vehicle and shot through the window. Jiang's 21-year-old male passenger got out of the Mercedes to assess the damage when he saw Davis with the gun, ABC15 reported. Police says Jiang lost control of her vehicle after she was shot as she drove away, crashing into another car carrying a family of five. The family did not suffer serious injuries. The suspect was identified after witnesses got her license plate number. When officers interviewed Davis' boyfriend, he told them he and Davis had been drunk earlier in the day. Officers said in their arrest forms that Davis said she used Oxycodone, tucsonnewsnow.com reported. At Monday's service, mourners in black stood in silence around candles, flowers and hand-drawn pictures, with words in Chinese and English like "Rest in peace" and "Wish you a safe journey", placed on the ground on a sidewalk on Broadway Road near McClintock Drive. "She (the victim) was a nice and pretty girl. She also did well in school," said a classmate of Jiang's, who requested anonymity. "We were simply shocked at the terrible tragedy. She only started her new semester less than a week ago. We hope the suspect will be punished by law." The Chinese Students' Union at Arizona State has been in contact with Jiang's parents, who were on their way to Arizona, and has organized an online group to provide assistance. David, an ASU teacher who gave only his first name, went with his wife and two children to the memorial service after learning of the tragedy from his students. "We all feel very sad hearing the news. I hope her family will arrive here safely, and we are ready to help them," he told China Daily in Chinese. "The incident has prompted many students to consider buying guns," said a Chinese student at ASU, who lives near where the crime took place. "A student in my class has six guns. I myself consider buying one, too." The Chinese Students and Scholars Association of ASU prepared fliers with safety tips on driving and guns. "It is an unusual incident, so don't buy a gun out of panic," the association advised students considering buying guns, in an online statement. The incident has been trending on Sina Weibo getting more than 12 million views and 8,500 comments after it was posted on Monday, ecns.com reported. Some on Weibo referred to a crime in April 2014, when Qu Ming and Wu Ying, both 23 and Chinese engineering graduate students at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, were shot to death ambush-style in the city during a robbery. Christine Liu in Tempe contributed to the story. liazhu@chinadailyusa.com Microsoft, IBM help on pollution Updated: 2016-01-19 11:18 By Jack Freifelder in New York(China Daily USA) Air pollution in China is a constant threat, and two US companies - Microsoft and IBM - are using their technology expertise to provide air-quality forecasting. Yu Zheng, a researcher at Microsoft, told China Daily that technology companies "can leverage their computing infrastructures, data management, analytics tools and knowledge in data science to help forecast air pollution". Zheng said that Urban Computing, a Microsoft research theme that "aims to tackle urban challenges by using big data in cities" can "create solutions that improve the urban environment, human life quality and city operation systems". "While other companies have a two- to three-day forecasting capability, IBM has leveraged cognitive computing technologies to develop a 10-day pollution trend forecast which is already available to its clients," wrote Jin Dong, associate director of IBM's research division. "Cognitive computing systems ingest, analyze and understand this data, identifying valuable correlations and providing actionable insight to those fighting air pollution," he wrote. "With machine learning, the systems self-configure and constantly improve creating unprecedented levels of accuracy." Microsoft has signed with China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the environmental protection bureaus in Fujian province and Chengdu, Sichuan province. The company also has created a website called Urban Air and a smartphone app with a 48-hour air pollution forecast for cities across China. The first part of Microsoft's plans includes the ability to decipher "real-time and fine-grained air quality" of an arbitrary location by using data at monitoring stations, as well as meteorological, traffic, human mobility and road network data. This step in the process to determine the root cause of the pollution includes "studying the correlations between vehicular emission and air quality; identifying the spatio-temporal causality between air pollutants of different cities; and suggesting new locations for additional pollution monitoring stations," according to Microsoft's Urban Air webpage. IBM's China Research lab launched its "Green Horizons" initiative in 2014. "Using scenario modeling, [IBM] came up with a way to create hypothetical 'what if' scenarios - enabling city officials to try out the effectiveness of different action plans," IBM's website says. IBM's first client was the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, and the company also has signed deals with Baoding and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, which will serve as one of the host cities for the 2022 Winter Olympics with Beijing. "IBM has launched a multidisciplinary initiative to support China in delivering on its ambitious energy and environmental goals," said Brad Gammons, general manager of IBM's Global Energy & Utilities Industry. "The 10-year project sets out to leap beyond current global practices in three critical areas: air quality management, renewable energy forecasting and energy optimization for industry." In December, Beijing officials declared two "red alerts" as a warning that heavy pollution was expected for several days across the capital. Five other cities soon followed(Tianjin and four cities in Hebei province: Baoding, Handan, Langfang and Xingtai). Ming Xu, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan,said that he believes people are well-educated on the metrics and indicators of air pollution issues in China, like the PM2.5 air quality index, which measures particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 microns that can be harmful to one's health. "But people need to know also how these numbers are produced (e.g., from direct measuring or estimation/forecasting)," Xu said. "If it is estimation and/or forecasting, scientists should do a better job to explain the method and make sure people understand its limitations." "The Chinese government went to great lengths to reduce pollution for the 2008 Summer Olympics in order to protect the health of athletes and spectators alike," Dong said. "This time they will be able to target specific activities - with the maximum effect, but with much less impact on economic activity and the daily lives of citizens," Dong added. Nonetheless, "forecasting smog is different from forecasting air quality," Zheng said. "[Smog] is a kind of weather condition, whereas [air quality] is the concentration of air pollutants. Air quality is impacted by multiple complex factors, such as weather conditions (foggy, smoggy, rainy), traffic conditions, pollution emission from factories, and the dispersion condition of a location," Zheng said. jackfreifelder@chinadailyusa.com Zillow reaches out to WeChat, NetEase Updated: 2016-01-19 11:18 By Lia Zhu in San Francisco(China Daily USA) The increasing influence of Chinese homebuyers has prompted Zillow Group, an online real estate-database company, to partner with Chinese social media app WeChat and web portal NetEase to connect China-based buyers with US real estate agents. "China-based buyers continue to be a huge influence in the US real estate market - they are growing in numbers and spending more every year," said Greg Schwartz, chief business officer of Zillow Group. "We know China-based buyers are already coming to Zillow for their US home search. Through WeChat, we get to connect with them in a new way." In addition to connecting with a customer service team that speaks Chinese, Zillow is working on developing content in Chinese specifically for the WeChat channel so that China-based buyers can be well-educated about trends in the US market. "That knowledge, coupled with a direct connection to a Mandarin-speaking real estate agent, will be extremely helpful as buyers are starting their home search," Schwartz said. Through the WeChat channel zillow_china, home shoppers have access to market information and content translated into Chinese, such as homebuying tips and how to deal with agents and trends in the US real estate market. They also can find contact information for Zillow and US-based agents at the end of each article. So far, the market information is only available in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, the most popular cities among Chinese homebuyers. On NetEase, visitors can search for US homes on Zillow and also connect directly with US-based agents. Prior to NeEase, Zillow had partnered with Beijing Yisheng Leju Information Services Co, a Chinese company for home searchers. According to the National Association of Realtors, in the 12 months ending March 2015, Chinese buyers purchased US properties worth an estimated $28.6 billion, an increase from $22 billion the previous year. "Given the interest in specific American cities, the impact of these sales can be felt. There's a huge opportunity for US real estate agents to connect with those homebuyers, so we worked to develop a way for them to do so," said Schwartz, adding that Zillow hasn't seen a slowdown in traffic coming from China despite its economic slowdown and stock turmoil. Zillow has created a customer service team with Chinese-language skills and a network of Chinese-speaking agents in markets Chinese buyers are most interested in, including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. liazhu@chinadailyusa.com New era for media of China and Arab countries Updated: 2016-01-18 20:04 By Yu Yilei and Hou Liqiang in Cairo, Egypt(chinadaily.com.cn) Jiang Jianguo, minister of China's State Council Information Office, speaks at a media dialogue in Cairo, January 18, 2016. [Photo by Hou Liqiang/chinadaily.com.cn] Media from China and the League of Arab States were encouraged to be offered greater cooperation and exchanges against the backdrop of global terrorism during a media dialogue in Cairo on Monday. The dialogue, presided over by Jiang Jianguo, minister of the State Council Information Office, was held two days ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's State visit to Egypt from Jan 20 to 22. Representatives of 13 Chinese and 12 Arab media outlets participated. "There have been complicated changes in the global anti-terrorism situation. Chinese and Arab media should fight any kinds of terrorism hand in hand to protect human civilization, world peace and safety," Jiang said. Nassima Cheriet, head of media production and international cooperation section, League of Arab States, said the dialogue had brought media of China and Arab countries to a new era and offered opportunities for both sides to "know more about each other and be closer". "Because of terrorism and regional wars, we face a critical time as the humanitarian crisis worsens. It's in our common interest to cooperate with each other," she said. She said she is expecting to establish a special Internet office as a platform to share information between China and Arab countries as the two sides carry out a global plan from 2016 to 2018. Taxi drivers block central Budapest all day in protest against Uber Updated: 2016-01-19 09:31 (Xinhua) Taxis block a main road in Budapest's city centre, Hungary, January 18, 2016. Taxi drivers were protesting against the online taxi-hailing service Uber, demanding authorities to ban the service, according to local media. [Photo/Agencies] BUDAPEST - Budapest taxi drivers blocked Budapest thoroughfares all day on Monday protesting against the ride sharing service Uber that can be hailed using a smartphone application. Organizers said on Facebook that about 140 vehicles took part in the protest and were demanding that Uber be banned in Hungary. The trigger for the demonstration was a government regulation setting taxi fees for traditional taxi companies, which are higher than Uber's. Janos Lazar, chief of the prime minister's office, told a news conference on Monday afternoon that the cabinet would discuss the taxi issue at its Wednesday meeting. Taxi representatives spent Monday negotiating with the National Transport Authority, the National Economy Ministry, that National Tax and Tariff Bureau and with Uber's offices. They also met with Budapest mayor Istvan Tarlos, but reported that they had made no headway and would continue the protest. The drivers argue that Uber is apparently exempted from rules taxi companies must abide by. Neither its vehicles nor its drivers are subjected to the scrutiny of official taxis, they say, meaning that neither their tires nor their drivers' health is monitored. In addition, Uber was banned from using the smartphone application by a government decree, but continues to use it anyway, they argue. It is not known if the taxis will continue the protest on Tuesday. Okinawa squares up to Tokyo over US base row Updated: 2016-01-19 13:12 (Xinhua) Coral reefs are seen along the coast near the US Marine base Camp Schwab, off the tiny hamlet of Henoko in Nago on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, in this aerial photo taken by Kyodo October 29, 2015.[Photo/Agencies] TOKYO -- Official campaigning for the mayoral election in Ginowan, the host city of a controversial US military base, is heating up in Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa with the relocation of the base central to the elections, local media reported Tuesday. Campaigning began on Sunday and is shaping up to be a fierce contest between incumbent Atsushi Sakima, 51, hoping to secure his second four-year term, and Keiichiro Shimura, a 63-year-old former prefectural government employee. The two independent politicians, the only candidates vying for the mayoral position in the election, which will take place on Jan. 24, have contrasting views on the central government's contentious plans to relocate the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan to the coastal Henoko district of Nago. Shimura is backed by Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga, himself a staunch advocate of relocating the base outside the prefecture and is currently locked in an escalating legal battle with the central government over the issue. He is, along with being supported by the ruling parties of the Okinawa prefectural assembly, comprising the Social Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party, also backed by a significant number of local assembly members. With the support of the governor and assembly members, along with vociferous civic groups and individuals, Shimura has pledged to close the Futenma base, home to some 3,000 US Marines and serving US forces since the bloody Battle of Okinawa in 1945, and return the land to Okinawa. Sakima, for his part, has the backing of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior Komeito party ally. While not specifically referencing the government's plans to relocate the base within the prefecture, a move strongly opposed by the local citizens who feel they have suffered immeasurably having been forced to host the majority of Japan's US bases on their their island for decades, holds the base's relocation as central to his campaign. According to local media reports, the LDP-backed candidate said he will replace the Futenma base with a Disney resort, with Abe hoping a victory for his contender will speed up the impasse between the regional and central government and derail Onaga's tireless efforts to block the relocation plans. The ongoing base relocation deadlock has irked the United States, as the Japanese government continues to try and appease its ally by giving its assurances that the relocation and construction of the new base will go ahead as per a previous bilateral agreement between the two countries. However, Washington, as has been the case in the past under previous administrations, could become increasingly vexed with Tokyo over the issue, as polls have shown that Abe has failed to sufficiently explain to, and gain the support of Onaga, as well as the people of Okinawa, the central government's true stance on the base's relocation, despite intensive talks being held between both parties on the issue. Abe, whose public popularity plummeted following his forcing of unconstitutional war bills into law in a bid to expand the nation's military scope, has said that the building of a new base, partly on reclaimed land from the waters of Oura Bay in Henoko, remains the only solution for the relocation of the Futenma base. But Onaga, and Shimura of late, have repeatedly said that the plans are unacceptable and that the government is overly fixated on the base's relocation to the coastal Henoko region as being the only solution and should be more empathetic to the base hosting burdens of the Okinawa people. In 1996 the Japanese and US governments inked an accord to close down the Futenma base and return land occupied by the facility to Okinawa, with the transfer of the base's functions aimed partly at reducing the burden on Okinawa and its people. The majority of Japanese people, polls have shown, including those on the mainland and on Okinawa island, believe Abe and his administration are mishandling the base relocation issue, with the generality in Japan's southernmost prefecture wanting the new base relocated off the island at a bare minimum, and out of Japan if possible. Okinawans have consistently called on both prefectural and central governments to see their base-hosting burdens lifted, amid instances of numerous military-related accidents, such as the August 2004 incident of a Marine CH-53D Sea Stallion heavy assault transport helicopter crashing into the Okinawa International University in Ginowan. 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. The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[ ] What happens when business opportunities in non-English speaking counties such as China and South Korea are made public only through adverts in newspapers in local languages? Large companies have local staff picking up such announcements and then alerting their head office in India, but companies without such arrangements lose out on the opportunity and are unable to expand in non-English speaking countries. To overcome this, the commerce department has initiated a unique exercise in conjunction with Indian embassies in South Korea and China. Now, the embassies there translate such advertisements and upload it on a portal maintained by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). China box and Korea box have been created on the portal. Inquiries are beginning to pick up, Rita Teaotia, secretary, commerce, told Business Standard. ALSO READ: Centre pushes states to form export policy Such inquiries are not limited to trade opportunities but include offers of business partnerships. Teaotia said her department had written to various embassies and the initiative was beginning to pick up. The total India-China trade in 2015 stood at $71.64 billion, a marginal increase over $70.59 billion in 2014. Chinas exports went up to $58.25 billion, while Indias export to China declined to $13.38 billion in 2015 from $16.4 billion in 2014. In the case of South Korea, the bilateral trade grew to $18 billion during 2014-15, with exports rising nine per cent to $4.6 billion. ALSO READ: Exports fall for 13th straight month, down 14.75% in December Though the initiative has been taken by the department of commerce, its role is confined to getting the embassies on board. The entire exercise of sifting information from the local sources, translating and uploading is done by the embassies there. The current and live tender and business enquiries with contact details are available on the home page of indiantradeportal.in. For instance, there are about a dozen inquiries in the South Korean box. One such inquiry seeks to import Indian peanuts and another activated carbon. In the China box, however, there arent any entries but officials said the number was likely to pick up as the concept gains ground. The information is of immense use to small businesses who usually do not keep track of such opportunities, said an official. Besides the information box on the two countries, the portal offers details of various policies concerning foreign trade. There is also detailed information on top 25 export and importing countries. The portal is managed by FIEO with the embassies having access to their respective box through password. ALSO READ: Let rupee slide to help exports remain competitive: Assocham QUOTE UNQUOTE There is a global slowdown and we are integrated to the trade system. Since only a single quarter is left, export figures would be much lesser than anticipated earlier. The economy is growing and trade is balancing itself outThere has been a net decrease of 4% in cumulative imports, including merchandise and services leading up to December. Slowdown in commodity prices is the reason, Commerce secretary India will host 22 African countries at the India-Africa Hydrocarbon Conference later this week. To be held in New Delhi on Thursday and Friday, this will be the fourth edition of the conference. Three conferences were earlier held in 2007, 2009 and 2011. India had invited 25 oil and gas-producing African countries to the conference. Of these, 22 have confirmed their participation. Nine countries will be represented at the ministerial level. These include Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritius, Sudan and South Sudan. Mozambique and South Africa will skip the conference, as their ministers are busy with the World Economic Forum at Davos, official sources said. The government hopes to consolidate the discussions that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had with delegates at India-Africa Summit three months ago. Sources said Indias domestic production of crude oil has plateaued at 37 million tonnes (mt) and is likely to remain at this level with little likelihood of future discoveries and technological breakthroughs. Meanwhile, the number of African nations that have struck oil or gas has increased from seven in 1990 to 25 now. India imports 76 per cent of its crude oil needs, which by 2030 is estimated to reach 90 per cent. The country also imports 37 per cent of its gas requirement. Africa is likely to be a significant source of meeting Indias hydrocarbon needs in the years to come. This will also help India diversify its source of crude from volatile West Asia. In 2014, India had imported 32 mt of crude, 15 per cent of its consumption that year, from Africa. This was primarily from Nigeria and Angola. Currently, Indias oil imports from Africa stand at 7.5 per cent. Of Indias top four sources of gas Qatar, Nigeria, Australia and Equatorial Guinea two are from Africa. In 2015, Indias gas imports from Africa doubled compared to 2013; India accounted for eight per cent of Africas gas exports in 2015, compared to four per cent in 2013, official sources said. India is also a major exporter of refined petroleum products and Africa is the second largest destination for these products. Seventeen per cent of Indias refined products are headed for Africa. New Delhi expects this figure to rise to 20 per cent. Apart from energy security, India hopes to nurture the growth of African hydrocarbon sector by providing its expertise in oil exploration, refining, consultancy, training and infrastructure development. Indian public sector company ONGC Videsh has significant investments in the African oil & gas sector, particularly in Sudan, South Sudan and Libya. However, India's investments in Africa pales compared to China's $25 billion in that continent's oil & gas sector. The total India-Africa trade has increased nine-fold from $8.2 billion in 2004 to $75 billion in 2014. New Delhi expects this to touch $100 billion in the next couple of years. Doctors attending the five-day congress of the Federation of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians Associations of India (FOGSI) have resolved to give a fresh impetus to government public health programmes relating to women. The meet which ended yesterday also decided to promote medical tourism in the region of SAARC countries. FOGSI also resolved to provide scholarships and train doctors from Bangladesh and Nepal, Dr Jaideep Malhotra, Secretary Organising Committee said here. "Parents desirous of test tube babies from Pakistan and other neighbouring countries will be facilitated to avail of medical infrastructure in India," he observed. It gave a call for a major fillip to women-oriented health policies, to speed up development and securing a safe future for coming generations. During the event, agreements with Japan and South Korean organisations were signed for sharing techniques and diagnostic tools to prevent cervical cancer. Besides, an American institution, 'March of Freedom' committed 20 lakh dollars for a campaign to prevent pre-mature deaths in the wombs, and to support research by Indian doctors in this field, Malhotra said. According to an estimate the number of pre-mature babies born world-wide is around 15 million. "Over 12,000 medical professionals and people from medical sector participated in the Congress, which held 30 panel discussions and 18 workshops during the five-day meet. More than a thousand research papers were presented," he added. Problems relating to high risk pregnancy segment were also discussed by doctors. FOGSI also offered to help promote government health policies under the PPP model, with 32,000 members of its federation, across India. As part of it, young doctors would be encouraged to set up base in the vast rural hinterland to serve the people and prevent female infanticide. According to Dr Alka Kriplani, President-Elect FOGSIA, a model code would be worked out for test tube baby centres. Saudi Arabia today accused Iran of a nearly four-decade record of "sedition, unrest and chaos," as the community tried to calm tensions between the regional rivals. "Since the Iranian revolution in 1979, Iran has established a record of spreading sedition, unrest and chaos in the region," the Saudi Press Agency quoted an unnamed senior foreign ministry official as saying. "During the same period, the kingdom has maintained a policy of restraint in spite of having suffered -- as have neighbouring countries -- the consequences of Iran's continued aggressive policies." The official said Iranian policy was based primarily on the idea of exporting revolution. "Iran recruits militias in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen", the official said, further accusing Iran of supporting "terrorism" and carrying out assassinations. Tensions between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and predominantly Shiite Iran reached a new high this month when Riyadh and a number of its Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. They acted after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the kingdom's January 2 execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Hindsight is always wonderful: Morrison government minister defends COVID response A former minister who served in the Morrison government has defended Australia's initial response to COVID-19 in the wake of a bombshell report on the pandemic Down Under. Private health insurance company targeted in significant cyber security incident Medibank has apologised to customers after hackers threatened to sell private information of 1,000 elite customers they claimed were stolen in a hack, with the private health insurance halting trading "until further notice". Victoria strikes historic deal with First Nations groups The Andrews Government has reached a milestone with First Nations groups which signifies progress towards achieving another central part of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Mans body found in floodwaters in rural New South Wales The man's death is the third fatality recorded in the unfolding flood crisis gripping New South Wales and Victoria. Hawaii search finds life rafts, no Marines HONOLULU (AP) Authorities searching the area where two Marine helicopters crashed off Hawaii found three of four life rafts carried aboard the aircraft, but still no sign of the 12 crew members who were on board. A Coast Guard spokeswoman said Monday some of the life rafts were inflated, but it was unclear how that happened. There is no indication anyone was aboard the rafts based on their condition and the lack of any personal effects. Link between pot, IQ decline questioned NEW YORK (AP) A new analysis challenges the idea smoking marijuana during adolescence can lead to declines in intelligence. The study says pot smoking may be merely a symptom of something else thats really responsible for an effect seen in some previous research. Researchers said its not clear just what this other factor is. The study was released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study tracked how test scores changed, in both marijuana users and abstainers. Analysis suggested marijuana use itself made no difference. Airstrike in Yemen kills 26 Houthis SANAA, Yemen (AP) An airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition targeted a building used by police in Yemens capital, Sanaa, killing at least 26 people and wounding about 15, security officials said on Monday. Security forces swiftly sealed off the area as earth-moving equipment arrived to help with the search for bodies and survivors under the debris. The security officials, who are loyal to anti-government Shiite rebels known as the Houthis, said some 30 people were believed still trapped under the debris of the badly damaged building in central Sanaa. British slam Trump, but dont ban him LONDON (AP) Donald Trump doesnt have many fans in Britains Parliament. But a debate among lawmakers on calls to ban Trump from the country revealed little appetite to close Britains doors to the provocative Republican U.S. presidential contender. During a three-hour debate Monday, legislators from Britains main parties stood to call Trump an attention-seeker, a demagogue and a fool. Many, though, argued he should not be stifled or banned. Parliament took up the topic after half a million people signed a petition calling for Trump to be excluded over his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States in the wake of extremist violence. Trump has also claimed that some areas of Britain are so radicalized that police fear for their lives. Despite warnings, antibiotics overused WASHINGTON (AP) Despite years of warnings, doctors still overprescribe antibiotics for respiratory infections even though most are caused by viruses those drugs cannot help. Now doctors are getting new tips on how to avoid unnecessary antibiotics for these common complaints and to withstand the patient whos demanding one. Bronchitis sounds scary. So describe it as a chest cold. And no, color changes dont mean its time for an antibiotic. Antibiotics are terrific. Thank God we have them for really bad things. But we need to be judicious in the way we use them, said American College of Physicians President Dr. Wayne J. Riley, an internal medicine professor at Vanderbilt University. REINBECK | Lincoln Savings Bank, based in Reinbeck, recently received an A+ national financial health rating from DepositAccounts.com, one of the nations leading bank health-monitoring publications. The bank said it stood out in all of the primary evaluation categories, including Texas Ratio, Deposit Growth, and Capitalization. The A+ rating also places Lincoln Savings Bank in the top 10 percent of about 13,000 federally insured banks and credit unions nationwide in terms of financial health, officials said. DES MOINES | Gov. Terry Branstad said it will be tragic if Ted Cruz wins Iowas first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses because the U.S. senator from Texas has opposed the federal ethanol mandate that benefits Iowas agricultural economy. Branstad has pledged to remain neutral in the Republican presidential primary race, but on Tuesday said he believes it would be a mistake for Iowans to support Cruz because of his position on the ethanol mandate. Cruz has said he opposes all government subsidies and mandates, including the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires the nations fuel supply include a percentage of corn-based ethanol. Cruz is engaged in a close race for the lead in Iowa with Donald Trump, according to recent polls on the race here. Ive been a strong supporter of renewable energy from the beginning and Im really disappointed that (Cruz) recommended terminating the Renewable Fuel Standard, Branstad said. I think that would be really detrimental to the Iowa economy, costing us a lot of jobs and really hurting Iowa farmers, as well as all the people we have in the renewable fuel industry. Ethanol supporters have been dogging Cruz through the state recently, including an advocacy group that is led by the governor's son, Eric. Republican U.S. Rep. Steve King, of Iowa, labeled Branstads comments an endorsement, saying Branstad is, by default, supporting Trump. King has endorsed Cruz. Branstad said his comments are not an endorsement of Trump. Im not endorsing anybody. But I am the governor of Iowa, and I think I need to stand up for the interests of my state, Branstad said. I know (Cruz) is ahead in the polls, but I think it would be tragic if somebody that wants to dismantle the renewable energy standard were to win the Iowa caucuses, because I think that would be looked at that Iowans dont care about our Iowa economy and the jobs that are related to them. Branstad first made his comments about Cruz on when responding to a reporters question at the Renewable Fuels Summit in nearby Altoona. The Associated Press contributed to this report. OSAGE Appealing to an anti-establishment sentiment, Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina emphasized her past as a corporate executive in an attempt to seal the deal with undecided caucus-goers. Despite trailing with single digits in the polls, Fiorina told a crowd of around 100 at the Cedar River Complex on Monday evening she had a common sense approach to government that allowed her to stand out in a field of career politicians. I dont pay attention to the polls and neither should anyone else, Fiorina said after the event. Several prospective caucus-goers in the audience said they were still undecided two weeks out from Iowas Feb. 1 caucus. Marlis Vechtum, 60, of Riceville, said Fiorinas message appealed in a year she was looking for a more down-to-Earth mentality. Im excited about her, that she wants to get the government back to the people, Vechtum said. Pushing a simplified tax code and changes to the Affordable Care Act, Fiorina told the crowd she would use her practical experience as a former Hewlett-Packard CEO if elected as president. (Politicians) are not working for us anymore, she said. They just say and do what they please. Fiorina promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act, because its not working, she said. She also told the crowd she was fit as a former executive to be a more effective leader than Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. If you have never made a tough call in your life, you are not made to be commander-in-chief, she said. Fiorina also supported eliminating gun-free zones for soldiers on military bases, but did not touch on whether she would favor the same in school zones. I think we have demonstrated gun-free zones are dangerous, she said. If they had been armed they could have saved themselves, she said, referring to service members killed in shootings on military bases. CEDAR FALLS A former Peet Junior High School teacher has filed to run for a vacant seat on the Board of Education in a Feb. 16 special election. Eric Giddens, 42, of 1416 Madison St., taught ninth-grade math at Peet from 2009 to 2012. He is now a program manager at the University of Northern Iowas Tallgrass Prairie Center. The seat was held by Jim Brown until he resigned last month after being elected mayor of Cedar Falls. Giddens filed for the position Thursday, the first day nominating petitions could be submitted. Those interested in running must take out petitions at the Cedar Falls Community Schools administration center, 1002 W. First St., and gather signatures from at least 50 district residents. Petitions must be filed with the board secretarys office by 5 p.m. Jan. 22. I know education and the Cedar Falls school system, kind of from the inside, said Giddens. He also touted a career in community development before coming to Cedar Falls. Prior to earning his teachers certification, Giddens received a bachelors degree in civil engineering and a masters degree in community and economic development. So, Ive done a lot of professional work in community development and engineering, he said. Giddens believes serving on the school board is a perfect way to use those skills in light of the districts need to upgrade and expand school facilities due to growing enrollment. Voters will cast ballots April 5 in a $32 million bond issue referendum to build a new elementary school and pay for upgrades at North Cedar and Orchard Hill elementaries. He stressed the importance of sustainability for the potential building upgrades and expansion. Thats an interest of mine, said Giddens. When we get to the point of design for all of these facilities that were talking about, Id like to be involved in design review and making sure were making use of sustainability any way we can. Giddens expressed support for bringing the bond issue before voters a third time after the first two referendums fell short of the 60 percent approval necessary for passage. We desperately need the facility upgrades and this is the only way we can pay for it, he said. Giddens sees a strong tie between education, the school system and the development of our community. Thats why Im doing this. The Georgia native moved to Cedar Falls in 2006 with his wife and son, now 10 and a student at Cedar Heights Elementary School. His wife, a Cedar Falls native, is a district teacher. The couple left Cedar Falls for two years to teach at an international school in Honduras, returning in 2014. CEDAR FALLS It was a day off from classes, but still a day of learning for several hundred University of Northern Iowa students. They packed 25,000 fortified macaroni and cheese meals Monday at the Maucker Union ballroom as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. About 250 volunteers signed up with another 50 helping to run the event. The effort benefited the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, which distributes the meals to needy families in 16 area counties. Participants also ate a hunger simulation meal consisting of a cup of rice and a half cup of black beans. Its the type and amount of food people in Third World countries receive each day, if they get any food at all, said Shelby Yates, a UNI student and an executive with the Service Leadership Council, which organized the event. We want you to know the reality of hunger, she told students before the meal. Senior Brandon Hersom, with a plate of the food in front of him, admitted he wouldnt want to eat black beans and rice every day. It didnt taste as bad as I was anticipating, added table mate Jayden Van Berkum, a sophomore. Its not something that I would feel sustained on. It kind of reminds us of what millions are dealing with every day, said sophomore Doug Kennedy, who also sat at the table. That includes people across the U.S. and in the Cedar Valley. Barb Prather, the food banks executive director, told participants the organization distributes seven million pounds of food each year. Hunger in our area is hidden, she said, noting they serve 48,000 people in Northeast Iowa, including 20 percent of the regions children. For every five kids, one is food insecure. Those are children who regularly face hunger or dont know where their next meal is coming from. Junior Madalynn Meier said it just was kind of eye-opening to find out how many are hungry, after writing her thoughts about hunger on a table-sized sheet of paper provided for participants. Miss Iowa 2015 Taylor Wiebers, who also spoke at the beginning of the event, said hunger often isnt pictured as an issue in our own state. I dont think of my neighbors. I dont think of kids I may be speaking to in schools, she noted. Wiebers encouraged participants to share what they are learning with their peers in hopes they too will find ways to take action because it is preventable. We, of this country, often have the luxury of ignoring other peoples circumstances, Michael Blackwell, former UNI professor and director of UNIs Center for Multicultural Education, told participants. But there are no justifiable reasons for not trying to improve the well-being of others. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asked us to try and be the best persons we can be, he said, suggesting participants should seek out volunteer activities throughout the year and not just on the day commemorating King. Macaroni and cheese meals were packaged assembly line-style at tables spread across the Maucker Union ballroom. Participants wearing hairnets and plastic gloves scooped uncooked macaroni and a granulated soy product into bags along with pouches of a vitamin-enriched cheese blend. Every bag included six servings each accounting for one of the 25,000 meals being packaged. Outreach Inc., with offices in Union and Des Moines, provided the food, equipment and other materials for the event. Sophomore Lanna Whitlock enjoyed assembling the packages. Its fun giving back, Whitlock said, noting she is a social work major. Its my passion to help others. Senior Olivia Starcevich, who was working next to Whitlock, said she was gaining perspective on hunger issues through the event. I could eat this all by myself, she said of the six-serving packages. I guess we are all very fortunate that we havent had to be in this situation, but I couldnt even imagine. The students, though, were beginning to imagine other volunteer opportunities they could participate in around the campus or community. Just us sitting here talking, were thinking of the next one were going to do, said Starcevich. DES MOINES | Complaining about taxes, regulations and hard work isnt the best marketing plan for farmers hoping to encourage a younger generation to follow them into one of the great callings in life, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told farmers Tuesday. The former Iowa governor told the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association that he praised agriculture and ag-based fuel producers for their contribution not only to the nations food supply, but to its national security. But, he said, farmers could be their own worst enemy when it comes to marketing their occupation and lifestyle to the next generation of agricultural producers. You have to make the case to young people that farming is something they ought to aspire to. Despite the risk and hard work involved, Vilsack said, farming is the opportunity to be your own boss, to be an entrepreneur, to embrace innovation, feed the world, fuel your countrys safety, create options for consumers, allow the people of this country an amazing capacity with reference to their paychecks because food is so, so inexpensive. Every single person who is not a farmer is not a farmer because we have delegated the responsibility of feeding our family to a farmer, Vilsack said. There is not more import job in the United States of America than that. Why arent we marketing that? he said. Vilsack went on to thank farmers and rural America for its contribution to national security by raising children to understand and appreciate that you cant keep taking from the land. You got to give something back to it or it will stop producing. If it stops producing you dont make a living, so you look for opportunities to re-invest in the land, he said. That understanding that anything that is important to our family, anything that is important to our community requires us to re-invest, requires us to put something back. One sign of that, he said, is the fact that about 15 percent of the American population rural America provides more than 35 percent of military personnel. So farming, he included, is important to preserve that value and that value is important to preserving this country as the greatest nation on the earth. DES MOINES As he settles in for another legislative session, Iowa Sen. Joe Seng said he is feeling pretty good in his ongoing bout with brain cancer. The 69-year-old Seng, a Democrat from Davenport, revealed his diagnosis in the summer of 2014, had surgery to remove a highly malignant brain tumor that October and returned to the Legislature in 2015. The cancer has caused Seng to struggle to put his thoughts into words occasionally. But he has continued to work at his veterinary clinic in Davenport and was back at the Iowa Capitol last week for the start of the 2016 legislative session. Seng even got married this past year to Mary Kresser, his legislative clerk. Everythings there. He just has, sometimes he has a hard time getting the words out, has to take a detour, Kresser said. Hes trying to have as much of a normal life as he can. He does pretty good. Seng still undergoes treatments every two weeks. Kresser said Sengs condition has been stable since May, when a change in medications seemed to improve his health. Were doing actually better than two years ago or a year ago, Seng said. Its sort of it doesnt take much (to lose his thoughts), but its getting better. Seng has admitted the 2015 session sometimes took a physical toll, but he maintained his committee duties and at times regaled senators with accordion music during down time on the Senate floor. Seng is chairman of the Senates agriculture committee and vice chair of the committee on labor and business relations. Its great to have Joe Seng back for another session. Hes doing much better, and were happy hes making steady progress, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said in an emailed statement. All our Senators love having Joe in our caucus and continuing to serve as chair of the agriculture committee. Seng has three years remaining on his Senate term. Hes just going to take it a little bit at a time and see how he does, Kresser said. WATERLOO The Black Hawk County Health Department is encouraging women to schedule their annual breast and cervical screening this month as part of Cervical Cancer Screening Month. Women ages 40 to 64 can qualify for a free Pap test, well woman exam and mammogram if they meet the income guidelines and either have no insurance or insurance that doesnt cover these screening services. The program also covers diagnostic testing if there is a concern about breast or cervical cancer. WATERLOO Chautauqua in Waterloo will be the topic of the Jan. 26 meeting of the Cedar Valley Historical Society, set for 7 p.m. at the Grout Museum of History and Science, 503 South St. Douglas Marshall is the presenter. The Chautauqua summer learning movement was established in 1891 in Cedar River Park. Programs included consisted of lectures and orations, choral exercises, travelogues, band concerts, sports, language and cooking classes and religious programs. Visitors rented tents and camped in the park as well as on nearby Sans Souci Island. Permanent structures erected in 1896 included an open-sided amphitheatre or coliseum that could reportedly hold up to 10,000 people, a rooming hall, administration office, dining hall, grocery store, fruit stands, admission gates, boating docks and a bathing house. Historical society programs are normally held the fourth Tuesday of the month, September through May. Guests are asked to park in the upper parking lot off of South Street and ring the bell to be let in. All programs are open to the public. Program admission fees are $3 for adults and $2 for children. Refreshments are served immediately following each program. New members are always welcome. For more information, email president Nancy Atzen at nancyatzen4347@msn.com. WATERLOO The Junior League of Waterloo-Cedar Falls is accepting Enabling Fund Grant requests. One $1,000 grant remains to be awarded during the 2015-2016 year to a local, nonprofit organization with specific, immediate needs. As the JLWCF is committed to seeking out and addressing issues that affect teenagers in the area, special consideration will be given to applications that address teen issues. Organizations should complete the application available on the JLWCF website, www.jlwcf.org. The deadline is Feb. 8. To become a member or for more information, contact the Junior League office at 232-8687 or jlwcfoffice@gmail.com. By broad consensus, the winner of Thursday nights GOP debate was Donald Trump, followed by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, with most of the post-game commentary focused on the fight between Cruz and Trump. Oh, how we love a good fight. But the real fight was revealed a couple of nights earlier when South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley gave the Republican Partys response to President Obamas State of the Union address. She pulled no punches and brought the fight to her own party. Nice and pretty-like. Rather than exclusively critiquing Obamas presidency as many expected, Haley turned her sights on the angry tenor of GOP politics and our dysfunctional government, for which she said Republicans are partly responsible. There is more than enough blame to go around, she said. We as Republicans need to own that truth. ... We need to accept that weve played a role in how and why our government is broken. And then we need to fix it. Whoo-hoo. Sorry, but sometimes it takes a girl. Noting that we live in anxious times, she nonetheless urged her fellow Republicans to resist the siren call of the angriest voices. Gosh, wonder who she meant? To a certain kind of Republican, this was pure heresy. But it also was brave, necessary and true especially if the GOP is to survive or ever hope to reclaim the White House. Haleys gentle cri de coeur neatly exposed the battle lines. On one side are those who deploy anger, bias, nativism and fear. On the other are those who want to reshape the GOP into a party thats based on ideals of inclusiveness and respect for others (like, maybe, a first-generation Indian-American daughter of Sikh immigrants), exercises caution through reformed immigration policies without demonizing swaths of people and recognizes that winning hearts and minds begins with civility and communication. Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. Thats just not true, Haley said. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference. Haley confirmed on NBCs Today Show the following morning she was, indeed, referring to Trump, who shouldnt take it personally. During the debate Thursday, Trump said he is happy to wear the mantle of anger because he is angry, and he assured the audience he and Haley, who was beaming in the crowd, are good friends. Thats nice. But whats clear is Haley, who is widely considered a likely vice-presidential candidate, had decided she didnt need a Trump alliance and was choosing the establishment lane of the party, or, as some prefer, the rational lane. In other words, she signaled her support for Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Jeb Bush. But which is it? What does Haley know that we dont know? As it seems unlikely at this juncture any of these but Rubio has a reasonable shot at the nomination, we might assume shes banking on Rubio. This would be a dream ticket for Republicans. A bilingual Cuban (check Hispanic vote), a woman (check), both first-generation Americans, coverage in two crucial states, South Carolina and Florida and, perhaps most important, a younger generation of leadership without the baggage of the establishment. They would completely collapse the smallish Republican tent of older, white males and build a rainbow-hued edifice of diversity in which race and religion are not the first questions on anyones mind. Haley, whom Ive known for several years, is a polished politician, make no mistake. She doesnt accidentally do anything, such as fumble the most important speech of her career. I also know from previous conversations she has been changed by her time in office, altered by her experiences dealing with the horrific murders of nine African-Americans in a Charleston church and by her subsequent decision to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds. The latter was a calculated political risk and her speech a gamble that truth wins in the end. This truth includes the lesson of South Carolina after the shootings, when the states people embraced one another in love and dedication to a shared, higher purpose of unity, forgiveness and racial reconciliation. Haleys point: If we can do this as a state, we can do this as a nation. Its a worthy goal and a battle worthy of its opponents. Kathleen Parker is a columnist for the Washington Post. Contact her at kathleenparker@washpost.com. My mother and me pose at the Chapel at Fort Leonard Wood. Thousands of guys went through Army training in the late sixties and early seventies at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. I was one of them. It was a time of turmoil in this country as baby-boomers were faced with the draft and then with a lottery for the draft. The Vietnam War during that time was incredibly unpopular and the perception seemed to be that anybody joining the military back then was the real enemy. I was able to join an active U.S. Army Reserve unit in the Detroit area. But the first requirement was to go through several months of training. I still remember individual drill sergeants, exercises we went on and fellow recruits I trained with. The picture above was taken when my mom visited me at the post. Notice the sign for the services for different denominations. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 19, 2016 | 01:43 PM | MURRAY, KY Two men face felony charges after shots were fired during an altercation Monday night in Murray. According to the Murray Police Department, 20-year-old Patrick Martin of Benton was charged with three counts of attempted murder, and 19-year-old Isiah Gorham of Murray was charged with three counts of facilitation to murder after the incident. Police said Martin and Gorham allegedly followed the victims vehicle at around 11:30 pm to an area near North 12th and Northwood Drive. According to police, Martin fired at the victims vehicle, but none of the three occupants were injured. The victims left the scene and drove towards the Murray Police Department while still being followed. Murray police officers were able to stop Martin and Gorham and questioned them about the confrontation. After questioning, both suspects were arrested and booked into the Calloway County Jail. I have naked pictures of you: please give generously (or send more naked pictures) past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) All of the materials used here are copyright Doug Stowe. Photos of our students at work are published solely for the promotion of the Wisdom of the Hands program and Other uses are strictly prohibited and copyright will be enforced. Questions about Wisdom of the Hands can be addressed to Despite his notorious reputation, Quinn Wilde, Earl of Traherne, has mostly honorable intentions. So when beautiful Venetia Stratham boldly enters a gentlemens club, demanding that Quinn stop courting her sister, he does what any bachelor would do: He kisses her. With her sharp wit, intoxicating passion, and surprising vulnerability, Venetia is irresistibleexcept for all this nonsense about threatening to shoot Quinn. But when clandestine enemies make an actual attempt on the earls life, Venetia is implicated. To save her good name, Quinn does what any true gentleman must do: He proposes. Thus Venetia finds herself wed to arrogant, wickedly sensual Quinn, whose devilish ways are as legendary as his rumored skills as a lover. Yet vexingly, her body rebels against her vow to remain immune to his many charms. If only she could reform the infuriating noblemanwithout diminishing his undeniable allure. As Venetia discovers that a true rake is hard to tame, Quinn faces an even greater challenge: winning his wifes fragile trustwhile defending both their lives. FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Series: Legendary Lovers, Book 4Publisher: Ballantine BooksGenre: Historical RomanceISBN: 9780553392555Release Date: January 26, 2016Source: PublisherBuy it here: Amazon Regency England meets Shakespearesin. Nicole Jordan gives playful nods to the Bard while still managing to deliver a story uniquely her own in this fast-paced, sexy, highly entertaining romance.Quinn is an utterly delicious hero. Hes got that easy, natural charm I adore, a sinfully sensual nature, is intelligent, loyal, and honorable. How can a reader resist a hero like that? Quinn was burned in the past by love and has lost loved ones, so hes determined that he will guard his heart and never fall in love. Of course, its obvious from the start that hes completely entranced by Venetia and could easily lose his heart to her. Shes an outcast, a lady who dared to publicly call off her wedding after learning of her fiances infidelity. Since that fateful day, Venetia has been living abroad, honing her talent as an artist and living a life quite unlike the one she had been raised to lead. Like Quinn, she was hurt, badly, by someone who should have loved her. Quinn used to be close with her former fiance and his rakish reputation is well known, so no matter how tempting she finds him, Venetia resists her attraction to him. Her sharp tongue and independent nature may intimidate much of the, but not Quinn. When he and Venetia find themselves wed in a most unusual set of circumstances, the forced time together gives them the opportunity to truly see the person they have married. It was delightful watching them grow close, even as they try to fight the inevitable. It isnt easy for them to open their hearts, to trust each other and their growing closeness enough to risk everything on love, but Ms. Jordan makes every bump in the road worth it. Venetia and Quinn have powerful chemistry and this makes the pages offly by.is the fourth book in Ms. Jordans Legendary Lovers series, but it can be easily read as a standalone. But fans of the series need not worry Quinns family members play strong supporting roles and add even more liveliness to the tale. Their appearances made me want to go back and revisit the first three Legendary Lovers books again, and it made me more eager than ever to see what Ms. Jordan has in store for the only unmarried Wilde left Katharine. So whether youre a dedicated Legendary Lovers fan or just enjoy a sexy and fun historical romance, you wont want to miss Crisis Phone Numberspecial noticeIf you are a veteran in emotional crisis and need help RIGHT NOW, call this toll-free number 1-800-273-8255, available 24/7, and tell them you are a veteran. All calls are confidential.1-888-899-9377A Crisis Intervention Hotline has been established by the VA Heartland Network to assist veterans who may be dealing with a mental health crisis or difficult issue in their lives. The hotline will also aid family members or friends of veterans who need help in assisting a veteran in crisis. 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. 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 19, 2016 | By Benedict 3D printing specialist Tecnica, Inc. has received a US patent for its innovative 3D printer bed leveling system. The additive manufacturing invention uses a unique alignment and leveling process, helping to reduce 3D printing time and eliminate the errors caused by bed leveling issues. Incorrectly aligning the print-bed of a 3D printer is a common mistake made by rookie makers. To ensure an accurate print, it is essential to set the 3D printer nozzle at the correct distance from the print surface, and to make certain that the surface is completely level. If this alignment is performed incorrectly or not at all, the 3D printer in question could throw up some nasty surprises. Understandably, having to perform this calibration over and over again can be a cause of frustration for 3D printing enthusiasts, which is why Tecnica wanted to make the process as quick and simple as possible. The companys newly-patented build platform allows for quick and accurate alignment between the print surface and print head, reducing preparation time and increasing accuracy. Furthermore, the technology has been designed with maximum compatibility in mind. The leveling system can be incorporated into existing printers or licensed to 3D printer manufacturers so that they may reproduce the system themselves, so the newly-patented system could soon become a standard component. Last year, with the patent still pending, the company explained the technical side of its leveling process in a news post: The invention is based on transmitting light from the print head and analyzing the returned light from the print bed. A light source (infrared LED) mounted and surrounded by Light detectors (photo transistors) is mounted next to the print. The light source emits light which is reflected back from the print bed. The process is fully automated and takes less than a minute to complete. The surrounding photo detectors [measure] the light coming back (angle of incident). The invention is based on emission of infrared signals and reception of the deflecting signals from the opposite surface. The patent incorporates a tuneup algorithm and a leveling algorithm to control the leveling actuator. This latest patent expands the 3D printing companys burgeoning portfolio of Intellectual Properties, which includes hardware, software and algorithms. Since its inception in 2013, the Great Neck, New York based Tecnica has tasked its team of electrical engineers, computer engineers, physicists and mechanical engineers with optimizing the 3D printing process to provide higher quality, better resolution 3D printers at a lower cost. Posted in 3D Printer Accessories Maybe you also like: Deon H wrote at 1/20/2016 6:09:19 PM:This is an automated bed leveling system that requires no human intervention. It speeds up the bed leveling process considerably that would otherwise take hours to do manually. The bed leveling entails the implementation of two unique algorithms developed in house. Bed leveling can also be done during the printing process. If manual bed leveling is used the printing process has to be stopped which results in the loss of time. Further it is not a matter of pure trigonometry but it also provides for a further unique algorithm for the calibration of the photo detectors. This is essential since each photo detector does not have the same response. Without the calibration algorithm, accurate bed leveling could not be accomplished. See US 9,233,507 patent.jason wrote at 1/20/2016 4:10:37 PM:This is an automatic leveling system with motors for automatic adjustment, unlike the 3d system one where you need to manually adjust 3 screws and repeat leveling process again and again untill it is leveledakka69 wrote at 1/20/2016 3:33:31 PM:This looks exactly like 3D systems "cube3" leveling system....Scott wrote at 1/20/2016 1:04:47 PM:How is that in any way new? I should get a patent on pouring coffee into a cup.Grumpy Old Coot wrote at 1/20/2016 4:00:02 AM:Patenting Trigonometry? Cas Muddle at Eurozine: There is no denying that 2015 was a great year for Viktor Orban, the illiberal prime minister of Hungary, who made the most of Europes tragedies to transform himself from political pariah to ideological leader. While Time chose his nemesis, German chancellor Angela Merkel, as Person of the Year, driven by convention and wishful thinking it seems, Politico declared the conservative subversive the most influential person in the European Union. Although Merkel remains much more powerful than Orban within Europe, I would still argue that 2015 went to the Mighty Magyar. While Merkel was at the centre of both major crises last year, i.e. the Greek economic crisis and the refugee crisis, she was only partially successful in pushing through her position both times being abandoned by several EU leaders and being undermined from within the Union, particularly by her increasingly (far) right Bavarian ally, the Christian Social Union (CSU). In contrast, Orban started the year in the margins, being increasingly criticized, though never sanctioned, for his illiberal policies in Hungary. When he used the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, in January 2015, to start an ideological attack on multiculturalism in Europe, he was scolded. Similarly, his authoritarian stand against refugees in Hungary initially received more critique than support, particularly when he started to build a fence, but this changed quickly. more here. Tom Overton at The London Review of Books: In Stubbing Wharfe, a poem from Birthday Letters, Ted Hughes writes about sitting with Sylvia Plath in a pub Between the canal and the river in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire: This gloomy memorial of a valley, The fallen-in grave of its history, A gorge of ruined mills and abandoned chapels, The fouled nest of the Industrial Revolution That had flown. Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd, his birth registered in Hebden. Plath is buried on the other side of the Calder Valley, at Heptonstall. Bernard Ingham once described Hebden as the lesbian Capital of Great Britain; in 2001 he lamented the influx of trendies, yuppies and weirdos. In 2014, the BBCs Evan Davis made a wilfully eccentric argument for rebranding it as the UKs second city (population: 4200), because of the number of professional couples whove settled there so they can commute to the Northern Powerhouse. Jez Lewiss 2010 film Shed Your Tears and Walk Away documented the rates of suicide and drug addiction among those left behind by the gentrification. Meanwhile, the ability of the wuthering heights above the town to handle the run-off of rainwater is being compromised by a millionaire landowner burning moorland for grouse-shooting. more here. Clay Risen at The Morning News: The nations capital wasnt the only place teetering on the edge of violence. Memphis remained surprisingly calm, but in the middle of the state, four thousand Tennessee National Guardsmen deployed in northern Nashville after reports of vandalism and looting began pouring into police headquarters. Farther east, in Raleigh, North Carolina, a march near predominantly black Shaw University descended into a window-smashing spree, and police sealed off the area. Cops used tear gas in Jackson, Mississippi, after a mob started breaking car windows and set a reporters car on fire. Molotov cocktails ignited a furniture store in Houston. Hartford, Connecticut, and Tallahassee, Florida, experienced minor riots, while police battled with youths throwing bottles and rocks in two separate sections of Newark. But with Memphis intact, the real concern shifted to New York. Ever since the 1965 Watts riot, the media, the public, and the city and federal governments had assumed that the Big Apple was in for a major conflagrationthe mother of confrontations between black youths and the police force, as New York magazine later characterized it. Almost as soon as the news of Kings death hit the airwaves, Harlem residents were out in the streets. Music-store owners pointed speakers out their front doors, playing recordings of Kings speeches. Like the crowds in Washington, most people were looking for comfort, conversation, and more news. But others were expressing their anger in more direct ways, harassing motorists and roughing up pedestrians. more here. A new entrepreneurship program that is geared toward military veterans will be locally implemented with the help of Hillsborough Community College in Tampa.The nonprofit Veterans Florida, which developed the entrepreneurship program, was developed itself by the Florida Legislature in an effort to create more job opportunities for vets in the state.As a network partner of Veterans Florida, Hillsborough Community College will offer training and entrepreneurial education to veterans living in Florida who aim to open their own businesses through the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program.HCC has the distinction of being the only community college selected as a network partner of the program, which will also be implemented at the University of West Florida, University of North Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University and Florida Atlantic University. The colleges and universities will allocate existing small business development resources to the development and implementation of the program.Entrepreneurs fuel our growing economy, HCC president Dr. Ken Atwater noted in a news release. This program will help our service men and women get equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to be successful in the global marketplace."The Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program is provided free of charge to Florida resident veterans who are active duty or who have been honorably discharged; $1 million in program funding was granted from the Florida Legislature. Vets who plan to relocate to Florida to pursue entrepreneurship are also eligible for the program.Program participants begin training with an online entrepreneurial development-training course before moving on to on-site training at one of the five partner institutions, including HCC. The program covers travel expenses for the in-class portion of training.During in-class training, veterans will have the opportunity to work with local business leaders and entrepreneurs to further develop and examine business plans.Following the intensive, face-to-face phase of the program, veterans will receive continued mentorship as they grow and lauch their businesses, as well as follow-up support from Florida Small Business Development Council business consultants.The Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program host partner, the University of West Florida, will oversee the program from its Florida SBDC Network and Military and Veterans Resource Center. At HCC, the program will be administered through the colleges Institute for Corporate and Continuing Training.We are pleased to build upon the programs that we currently offer to the thousands of veterans we serve each through the Veterans Florida Program at HCC, Atwater said.The education received through the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program will empower the next generation of great veteran entrepreneurs to make lasting contributions to the states economy, says the groups executive director, Bobby Carbonell, by offering veterans in the state access to high value, entrepreneurship education through our world-class state universities and colleges.The Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program website is set to launch in February 2016; interested veterans can visit the website to apply for the program or contact (850) 898-3489 or [email protected] for more information. Signs Multiple ConAgra Foods (NYSE:CAG) Brands to Source User Generated Content Los Angeles, Jan 19, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - User-generated content (UGC) marketing platform company ShareRoot Ltd ( ASX:SRO )("ShareRoot") is pleased to announce it has signed its largest packaged goods client, ConAgra Foods ( NYSE:CAG ), encompassing brands Reddi-Wip and Manwich. ConAgra Foods brands Reddi-Wip and Manwich, will use ShareRoot's software as a service (SaaS) platform to easily find and source UGC associated with their products. ShareRoot's proprietary, legally secure process will allow Reddi-Wip and Manwich to obtain the legal rights to images associated with their products and utilize these images in their content marketing plans. ConAgra Foods is one of the United States' largest suppliers of packaged goods with a balanced portfolio that includes brands such as Reddi-Wip, Manwich, and many others that are found in 99% of United States households. ConAgra Foods had net sales of over US$17 billion in 2014. Reddi-wip is a whipped cream topping that comes in a variety of flavours and are immensely popular in the US. Manwich is the brand name of a canned sloppy joe sauce, introduced in 1969. The can contains seasoned tomato sauce that is added to cooked ground beef. Featuring in US popular culture, Manwich is marketed as a quick and easy one-pan meal for the whole family. Manwich's slogan is, "A sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal." Signing brands such as Reddi-Wip and Manwich provides ShareRoot with another large industry opportunity for which UGC is a perfect fit. These brands within the packaged food vertical benefit from ShareRoot's platform due to consumers posting an immense volume of social media content that features these iconic food brands. Commenting on the significance of signing ConAgra Foods, ShareRoot CEO Noah Abelson said: "We are extremely pleased to be helping ConAgra Foods brands Reddi-Wip and Manwich source and manage user generated content." "Everyday images are posted on social media displaying food that users have cooked and want to show off and these images contain ingredients such as Reddi-Wip and Manwich. We look efforts." "We believe that these two brands will lead the way in showing that the packaged goods industry can thrive and boost not only their marketing efforts with user generated content but also build deeper relationships with their loyal customers and importantly new consumers." About ConAgra Foods, Inc ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE:CAG/market cap: USD$17B) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies with branded and private label food found in 99 percent of America's households, as well as a strong commercial foods business serving restaurants and foodservice operations globally. Additionally, ConAgra Foods supplies frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice, and bakery products to commercial and foodservice customers. About Shareroot Ltd Based in Silicon Valley, ShareRoot offers a software as a service (SaaS) platform that works with brands and digital agencies to easily find and source user generated content (UGC). ShareRoot's proprietary, legally secure process allows for brands to obtain the legal rights to these images as well as display them in customizable galleries that can feature on any webpage. For more information about ShareRoot's award winning platform and why it can truly help "Harness the Visual Power of Your Consumers" please visit www.shareroot.co. (Bloomberg) Apple Inc. may be facing a hefty tax bill in Europe. The worlds largest company could owe more than $8 billion in back taxes as a result of a European Commission investigation into its tax policies, according to an analysis by Matt Larson of Bloomberg Intelligence. Apple, which has said it will appeal an adverse ruling, is being scrutinized by regulators who have accused the iPhone maker of using subsidiaries in Ireland to avoid paying taxes on revenue generated outside the U.S. The probe dates back to 2014 and a decision could come as soon as March. The European Commission contends that Apples corporate arrangement in Ireland allows it to calculate profits using more favorable accounting methods. Apple calculates its tax bill using low operating costs, a move that dramatically decreases what the company pays to the Irish government. While Apple generates about 55 percent of its revenue outside the U.S., its foreign tax rate is about 1.8 percent. If the Commission decides to enforce a tougher accounting standard, Apple may owe taxes at a 12.5 percent rate, on $64.1 billion in profit generated from 2004 to 2012, according to Larson, a litigation analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. Tax Bills Apple is perhaps the highest-profile case of U.S. companies facing scrutiny from officials in Europe. Starbucks Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and McDonalds Corp. also have had its tax policies questioned. Several senators came to the defense of U.S. companies on Friday. In a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, bipartisan members of the Senate Finance Committee asked the administration to make sure that European regulators wont impose retroactive penalties like those that would hit Apple. The senators said the companies may be facing "discriminatory taxation" and that the U.S. government should consider retaliatory measures if European tax authorities follow through with their actions against Apple and others. "Predictable tax policy fosters a fair and stable environment for business and investment," the senators wrote in a letter to Lew. "Going back in time to penalize taxpayers under a new law, or a new interpretation of an existing law without notice, runs counter to that objective." In October, Apple listed scrutiny of its taxes as a risk factor to investors. In addition to European regulators, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service has also examined the companys tax returns, Apple said. Were the tax rates to change, Apples "financial condition, operating results and cash flows could be adversely affected," the company said in its financial statement for fiscal 2015. Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has denied that the company uses tricks to avoid paying taxes. In a recent interview on CBS Corp.s "60 Minutes," he called the criticism the company has faced from U.S. lawmakers "political crap." He said the tax system is outdated and needs to be updated for a digital economy. Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman for Apple, declined to comment. Ricardo Cardoso, a European Commission spokesman, declined to comment. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is urging taxpayers and practitioners to be on high alert about a massive telephone fraud scam being committed by criminals impersonating Internal Revenue Service employees. TIGTA also announced additional outreach efforts to prevent taxpayers from falling victim to criminals who pretend to be IRS and Treasury employees this filing season. The phone fraud scam has become an epidemic, robbing taxpayers of millions of dollars of their money, said TIGTA Inspector General J. Russell George in a statement. We are making progress in our investigation of this scam, resulting in the successful prosecution of some individuals associated with it over the past year. He noted that over the summer, a ringleader in the scam was sentenced to more than 14 years in federal prison. However, this is still a matter of high investigative priority, said George. TIGTA said it continues to receive reports of thousands of contacts every month in which individuals fraudulently claiming to be IRS officials make unsolicited calls and robocalls to taxpayers and demanding that they send them cash, he said. As the tax filing season begins, it is critical that all taxpayers continue to be wary of unsolicited telephone calls and e-mails from individuals claiming to be IRS and Treasury employees, said George. This scam has proven to be the largest of its kind that we have ever seen. The callers are aggressive and relentless. Once they have your attention, they will say anything to con you out of your hard-earned cash. We will be very aggressive in pursuing those perpetrating this fraud. In the meantime, we need to do even more to warn taxpayers not to fall for it. TIGTAs expanded outreach initiative includes video Public Service Announcements in English and in Spanish that warn taxpayers about the scam. In addition, TIGTA is working with its partners in the public and private sector to help get the word out, both through traditional law enforcement channels and through direct outreach to associations, nongovernmental organizations, and the media. TIGTA said it has received reports of roughly 896,000 contacts since October 2013 and has become aware of over 5,000 victims who have collectively paid over $26.5 million as a result of the scam, in which criminals make unsolicited calls to taxpayers fraudulently claiming to be IRS officials and demanding that they send them cash via prepaid debit cards, money orders or wire transfers from their banks. "The number of people receiving these unsolicited calls from individuals who fraudulently claim to represent the IRS is growing at an alarming rate," said George. "At all times, especially around the time of the tax filing season, we want to make sure that taxpayers are alerted to this scam so they are not harmed by these criminals. Do not become a victim. This is a crime of opportunity, so the best thing you can do to protect yourself is to take away the opportunity. If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and uses threatening language if you do not pay immediately, that is a sign that it is not the IRS calling, and your cue to hang up. Again, do not engage with these callers. If they call you, hang up the telephone. George said the scam has hit taxpayers in every state. Callers claiming to be from the IRS tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card, money order or a wire transfer. The scammers threaten those who refuse to pay with being charged for a criminal violation, a grand jury indictment, immediate arrest, deportation or loss of a business or drivers license. The IRS generally first contacts people by mail, not by phone, about unpaid taxes, TIGTA pointed out. The IRS will not ask for payment using a prepaid debit card, a money order or wire a transfer. The IRS also will not ask for a credit card number over the phone. The callers who commit this fraud often utilize an automated robocall machine. They frequently use common names and fake IRS badge numbers. The scammers may know the last four digits of the victims Social Security Number. They often make caller ID information appear as if the IRS is calling; aggressively demand immediate payment to avoid being criminally charged or arrested. Scammers may threaten taxpayers that hanging up the telephone will cause the immediate issuance of an arrest warrant for unpaid taxes. They may send bogus IRS e-mails to support their scam. They may also call a second or third time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles, and the caller ID again supports their claim. If taxpayers get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, heres what to do. If they owe federal taxes, or think they might owe taxes, they should hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help answer payment questions. If they do not owe taxes, they should fill out the IRS Impersonation scam form on TIGTAs website, https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/, or call TIGTA at (800) 366-4484. They can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. Add IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments in the complaint. TIGTA is encouraging taxpayers to be alert to phone and e-mail scams that use the IRS name. It stressed that the IRS will never request personal or financial information by e-mail, text, or any social media. They should forward scam e-mails to phishing@irs.gov. But they should not open any attachments or click on any links in those e-mails. Taxpayers should also be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes winner) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS. Tax preparation software developer TaxAct disclosed a data breach, leading the company to suspend the accounts of more than 9,000 customers. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based company, part of Blucora Inc., said the data breach affected a small percentage of its customers. TaxAct recently suspended a small number of accountsless than 0.25 percent (less than of 1 percent)after identifying instances of suspicious activity, said a company spokesperson contacted by Accounting Today. The attacker did not gain access to income tax returns for the vast majority of the suspended accounts. Of those accounts suspended, a very small number, less than 5 percent of the of 1 percent, involved returns being accessed. Criminals may have stolen tax information from approximately 450 of TaxActs customers, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company sent a letter to 450 of its customers notifying them of a data breach occurring between Nov. 10 and Dec. 4, 2015, warning that their names, Social Security Numbers and tax returns may have been accessed. The company said it was able to limit the damage from the hackers, however. As a result of TaxActs existing processes, the team identified the issue early and prevented any further data from being compromised, said a company spokesperson. TaxAct then partnered with a leading forensic specialist firm to further investigate. This led to the conclusion that the incident was not the result of a security breach of TaxAct systems. Rather, the team believes usernames and passwords for a small number of account holders were obtained from sources outside of TaxActs own systems. The IRS has been working with tax software vendors, major tax prep chains and state tax authorities this year to improve the security of their software to safeguard against identity theft this tax season (see IRS Kicks Off Tax Season). They are sharing more than 20 data elements to help authenticate tax returns. There will also be new procedures this tax season to help prevent fraudsters from taking over the accounts of taxpayers. New password standards to access tax software will require a minimum of 8 characters with upper case, lower case, alpha, numerical and special characters. A new timed lockout feature and limited unsuccessful log-in attempts will be part of tax prep software, along with the addition of three security questions. There will also be out-of-band verification for email addresses, which is sending an email or text to the customer with a PIN, a practice used throughout the financial sector. TaxAct has industry-standard security protocols in place and is taking additional measures to further protect its data from external threats, said the company spokesperson. TaxAct continues to proactively identify the best and most secure technology to safeguard its customers information. 328 Support Services GmbH (328) is celebrating 10 years as Type Certificate holder of the successful Dornier 328 (jet and turboprop series). The company is marking the occasion with an expansion of its facilities at its Oberpfaffenhofen HQ, near Munich, Germany, having recently moved into new office space. It has now occupied more modern hangar facilities at Oberpfaffenhofen helping the growing development of the company and the ongoing support of the Dornier 328 series. The company employees, including mechanics engineers and Dornier 328 pilots, are committed to supporting a fleet of around 200 aircraft worldwide and continues to provide engineering and material support for the 328 Type Certificate, as well as STC solutions on VIP aircraft types ranging from small up to larger intercontinental models The 328 is a unique in aviation history is that it has been designed with turboprop and jet engines (the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW119B/C and PW306B respectively) and over the past 22 years the entire fleet has logged more than 3.598.800 flight hours and some 3.632.582 million flight cycles. A diverse customer base with Regional airlines who are flying the aircraft with 32-seats, business aviation operators flying the aircraft in VIP and corporate shuttle configuration continue to enjoy the wide bodied comfort of this versatile aircraft. Its unique handling characteristics, short runway ability, rugged performance and modern avionics make it especially popular with pilots, and it is also used worldwide for special mission, air ambulance and maritime patrols operations. 328 took over the Type Certificate of the 328 family when it acquired AvCraft Aviation, in January 2006, commencing operation with just 50 ex Dornier employees; it has grown substantially to now employ nearly 180 people. Legacy of the 328 to be continued with the new TRJet family Dave Jackson, Managing Director of 328, commented: "Speaking for the entire workforce in Op, Germany today we are extremely proud to have had the privilege of being custodians of this terrific aircraft program for 10 years. We will continue to provide comprehensive MRO and technical support to all those aircraft flying in scheduled service, in VIP charter, medevac and on special mission activities today. Entering 2016 we are also pleased to be building on the great heritage and legacy of the 328 in undertaking a key role in a new regional aircraft project by being a partner in the TRJet program, together with our new owners, Sierra Nevada Corp" The launch of TRJet is in response to a strong and growing demand within the regional market. "We are confident this project will have a worldwide impact and working together with TRJet, 328 is proud to be part of the team," he added. Afghan Air Force receives first four A-29s The U.S. Air Force delivered four A-29 Super Tucanos to the Afghan Air Force Jan. 15 at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan. Eight combat-ready attack pilots and a handful of maintainers graduated Dec. 17, 2015, and have returned to Afghanistan after a year of training with the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The pilots are the first of 30 who will be trained by the 81st FS in the next three years. The U.S. Air Force had no qualified A-29 pilots or maintainers prior to the start of the program, and stood up the 81st FS. These Airmen have been responsible for developing all the tactics and ways to instruct the students. The A-29 program has been an integral part of the U.S. governments overall Building Partnership Capacity efforts around the world and immediately supports the development of an indigenous air force in Afghanistan, said Brig. Gen. Christopher Craige, the commanding general at Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air. This rapidly developed program for Afghanistan is unique for the A-29 development because this is the first time (U.S. Air Force) pilots and maintainers have been trained as instructors to conduct training for Afghan students in the United States. The 81st FS instructors will be deployed to TAAC-Air where theyll advise their counterparts on continued development of close air support, aerial escort, armed overwatch and aerial interdiction in the coming months. Designed to operate in high temperatures and in extremely rugged terrain, the A-29 is highly maneuverable fourth-generation weapons system capable of delivering precision-guided munitions. It can fly at low speeds and low altitudes, is easy to fly, and provides exceptionally accurate weapons delivery, Craige said. It is currently in service with 10 different air forces around the world. The A-29 program was designed to help Afghan pilots gain an advantage by providing close air support to friendly forces engaged in combat on the ground. Training pilots on the A-29 in the U.S. provides them an opportunity to learn how to employ this weapon system and defend Afghanistan from insurgents, he said. This is a fighting aircraft which will destroy the centers of enemies in the country, said Col. Bahadur, the Afghan Air Force public affairs officer, through an interpreter. This aircraft has the ability of transferring weapons like rockets and machine guns. This fighting aircraft will provide security and combat support from the ground units in ground operation. Security cooperation provides a means for the Air Force to help international partners build airpower capabilities and fill operational needs, increase access, shorten response time and affect the strategic calculus of potential adversaries. Through sustained security cooperation activities, the Air Force works to build a network of global partners who have the capacity and capabilities to respond to contingencies effectively and efficiently. Air Force officials selected 1,096 first lieutenants for promotion to captain during the calendar year 2015C Line of the Air Force, Chaplain, LAF Judge Advocate, Nurse Corps, Medical Service Corps and Biomedical Sciences Corps Quarterly Selection Process.To see the promotions list, go to the Air Force Portal and select the promotion link, or visit the myPers website officer promotions page.For more information about Air Force personnel programs go to the myPers website. Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one by following the instructions on the Air Force Retirees Services website With the holidays now over, service members and their families might start looking toward another annual event, albeit one that generally garners far less excitement -- filing taxes.The Defense Department wants service members and their families to know they can get free tax consultations and tax-filing software through Military OneSource , according to Erika Slaton, the program analyst for Military OneSource."The financial environment in which we live is very complex," Slaton said. "When you combine that with the realities of military life that includes frequent moves and deployments, it can present some special challenges for service members and their families."Like previous years through Military OneSource, the DOD has teamed up with H&R Block to offer the free tax services.The services could save members and families hundreds of dollars, Slaton said. She encourages all those who are eligible to consider using the services."It's extremely important because of those challenges, (including) frequent moves and deployments, and because tax laws change every year," she said.Military OneSource tax consultants are available January through April 15, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. eastern time at 1-800-342-9647. After April 15, the consultants can be reached weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST.While Military OneSource tax experts are available only via the phone, Slaton pointed out that other tax experts are available in person at military installations with a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance location.The Military OneSource free tax software, which can be found at www.militaryonesource.mil, is available at VITA locations as well.The software is self-paced and walks users through a series of questions to help them to prepare their return. It allows individuals to electronically file a federal return and up to three state tax returns."If at any time during the course of completing their return, the user has any questions about their own tax situation, they can call Military OneSource," Slaton said.Those eligible for the Military OneSource tax services include National Guard members, and active-duty and reserve members of the Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy.Immediate family members of those eligible and non-remarried survivors from any era can also use the services. Military members who retired or were discharged honorably are eligible up to 180 days after leaving the service.Other groups are eligible, Slaton explained. She encouraged people to check the website for further information or call Military OneSource to find out about eligibility.The free tax preparation and filing software is available through the end of June.The Military OneSource tax software is secure, as the vendor uses industry-recognized security safeguards, she said. The vendor stands by the filer in the event of an audit or mistake.Military OneSource, which is a confidential DOD-funded program, offers many other resources, Slaton said, including counseling and services related to family and relationships, finances, health and wellness, education and employment."We encourage service members and their families to call Military OneSource and just explore everything that Military OneSource has to offer," she said. "They can call, click and connect with Military OneSource today." Following the footsteps of other political parties Republican Party of India (A) President Ramdas Athawale too has come forward to politicise Dalit scholar Rohith Vemulas suicide incident. Condemning the incident, Athawale said that Rohith was victimised and called for a probe into this matter. He is planning to launch a massive protest to demand justice for the victim. Instead of helping Rohiths family, Athawale is trying to rake up this issue to derive political mileage. Vemulas death has sparked off massive protests by students across the country. Even the Congress has raked up this issue for reviving itself ahead of the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will visit the University of Hyderabad to interact with protesting students. Politicising the issue Ramdas Athawale said, Its an unfortunate that Rohith Vemula had to end his life in this manner. A probe should be conducted for ascertaining the truth and strict action must be taken against the person responsible for this incident. We will hold protest to express solidarity for Rohith. A FIR has being filed against local BJP MP and Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya under the SC/ST Act and on charges of abetment to suicide. Rohith Vemula, the dead student, was among five research scholars who were suspended by the varsity in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on an ABVP leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. The university had stopped paying Rohith his monthly stipend of Rs. 25,000 from July, 2015. Rohith was found hanging in the hostel room located on the varsity campus on January 17. His suicide note read: I feel a growing gap between my soul and my body. And I have become a monster. SFI, NSUI students launched an agitation on 18 January outside HRD Ministry in the national capital. They had resorted to stone pelting and breaking barricades. Attacking the Congress for politicising the suicide of a Dalit scholar from the University of Hyderabad, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday accused the grand old party of aggravating the already tense situation. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress thing they can simply condemn everything. They are rubbing salt instead of soothing the wounds in the matter and I vehemently condemn that, said Naqvi. He also defended Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been charged with abetting the suicide of the Dalit scholar in Hyderabad, saying that he has always been compassionate towards dalits. Bandaru Dattatreya is a person who has been fighting all his life for the rights of Dalits and backwards and he is compassionate towards them. Making allegations against such a person is simply playing negative politics and he should not be targeted, said Naqvi. Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya has been charged with abetting the suicide of the Dalit scholar. He has also been booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act following allegations that he orchestrated the suspension of Rohith Vermula and four other Dalit students from the University hostel. The police has also registered a case for abetment of suicide against University of Hyderabad Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders Sushil Kumar and Vishnu. The Centre has formed a two-member probe committee as the incident triggered protests in Hyderabad and the national capital yesterday. Rohith, a second-year research scholar from the Science, Technology and Society Studies Department, and others were suspended from the hostel last year following allegations that they attacked Sushil Kumar after a screening of the controversial documentary Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai. Earlier this month, the five students were thrown out of the hostel amid allegations they were denied access to campus facilities, except their classrooms and respective workshops, on recommendation by an executive committee of the university. The 28-year-old hailing from Andhra Pradeshs Guntur district was found hanging at a friends hostel room around 7: 30 p.m. on Sunday. Rape has become a major problem in India today because our laws dont act as a deterrent which often leaves the culprits go unpunished. Some rapists even escape with a light punishment or no reprimand at all, as they enjoy political clout. Just as a terrorist has no religion and keep on terrorising people, so also a rapist has no religion and keep on raping women and young girls even below the age of 5. Women and young girls are sometimes scared to travel alone in public transport and night travel is also risky. The government must recruit better qualified and trained personnel to keep a strict vigil in sensitive and isolated areas, as well as in local trains to induce caution and fear in the minds of criminals. This preventative mode could result in a reduction in the number of crimes taking place and might even make people respect the laws of the country. The strictest possible punishment with no provision for exemption should also be meted out without any consideration for juveniles, as they are the ones committing most of the crimes. None of the criminals should be released on bail. This will teach other criminals not to commit such gruesome acts of crimes in future. An increasing number of women are facing attacks in trains, colleges, secluded places, cinema halls, bus stands, etc. There is no one to control the crimes against women and in most cases there are eye-witnesses but the crime takes place nonetheless. We find the cine world in India giving importance to rape scenes and this, according to me, is one of the reasons for atrocities against women in the real world. To reduce the attacks on women in suburban trains, the womens compartment should be separated from the mens section by a strong mesh that enables the men to be alert to any unsolicited entry or to any untoward incident in the womens compartment. In this way, the men could also respond to any untoward incident eventuality. Also, if these compartments are positioned at the middle of the train, it might make it more difficult for the offenders to escape. Each time the media reports a rape case, the civil society reacts with anger and outrage, which unfortunately dies down after some time. People forget about the incident until the occurrence of another rape. The government must amend criminal laws to secure the lives of women. (This is the first part of the article and the remaining part will continue tomorrow.) Jubel DCruz (The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.) Police will probe whether Bhatia too had committed suicide like Parmar who was harassed by local politicians. The death of Amar Bhatia, director (operations) of Mohan Group of Developers has raised questions whether he too had committed suicide like builder Suraj Parmar who had shot himself to death after being allegedly harassed by local politicians. The death of two renowned builders has sent shock waves across the realty industry which is witnessing a slowdown due to decline in property sales. Builder Suraj Parmar had already mentioned about the bureaucratic hurdles faced by builders while seeking permission for obtaining clearances for new projects. Amar Bhatia was found dead on the railway tracks between Ambernath and Badlapur railway station on Sunday morning. Railway police said that he had committed suicide. Even Bhatia had written a letter to Thane District Collector Ashwini Joshi mentioning about the problems faced by him in the construction activities. He also had threatened to commit suicide if the government fails to resolve the issues faced by builders in the city. Bhatia has been overseeing the execution of various realty projects in the Ambernath and Badlapur belt. DCP Rupali Ambure, Central Railway, GRP, says: Before taking the extreme step, Amar had WhatsApped his uncle Rajkumar Bhatia on Saturday evening that he is committing suicide. He did not explain the reason. So prima facie, it looks like a case of suicide. While Bhatias advocate says that he died while crossing the railway tracks, the GRP says it is a case of suicide. Family members of Bhatia allege foul-play as they feel he wouldnt have taken this drastic step. Police sources also said that his building contracts were also not in any kind of financial strain. A senior police officer, who does not wish to be named, said: A local activist from Badlapur-Ambernath had lodged a complaint against Amar about his ongoing projects in both places. He was under stress because of this. We will investigate if, like Suraj Parmar, he was also under pressure from any political lobby. The Thane police have decided to probe this matter, since Bhatias death comes in the backdrop of the Suraj Parmar case. The probe will ascertain if Bhatia was also under any political pressure Police have not ruled out the murder angle and is further investigating the case. They will record the statement of Bhatias family members once they recover from the trauma of his death. Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh on Tuesday underwent a lie-detector test at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters in the national capital. Sources told that NIA had given the CFSL a list of questions that could be asked to Salwinder. According to NIA DG, Salwinder is being questioned as he is a suspect in the case. He has also said that the NIA is collecting evidence as demanded by Pakistan. Even if you keep questioning me for 10 more days, you wont find anything because I have not done anything, Salwinder reportedly told NIA sleuths during questioning last week. The special court gave the go-ahead to NIA to conduct the polygraph test after the agency felt that the officer may be hiding some information. The court, while allowing NIAs application, directed the agency to get the test done within three days. Sources said NIA officials had briefed forensic experts about the possible questions that he can be asked. Salwinder had given his consent to undergo the lie-detection test after which he was taken to the court on Monday for the permission. Salwinder had claimed that he was abducted by suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists on the night of December 31, hours before they launched a terror attack on Pathankot airbase. However, he was released unharmed by terrorists after few hours. He is currently posted as Assistant Commandant of 75th Punjab Armed Police. A suicide bomber blew himself up close to a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least six people and wounding more than 20, officials said. The bomber rammed his motorcycle into the roadside checkpoint in Pakistans Federally Administered Tribal Areas, local government official Munir Khan told Reuters. He was riding an explosives-laden motorcycle and hit the checkpoint and the vehicle of the line officer, Khan said. Two government officials said six police officers were killed in the blast including the line officer whose vehicle was targeted. A spokesperson at the Hayatabad Medical Complex in the city of Peshawar said the hospital had received six bodies, including that of a child. The attack took place in an area where security forces are fighting the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups near the border with Afghanistan, the two officials said. Most disturbing here is the view expressed by John Donvan that WE SHOULDN'T CARE IF THERE IS AN EPIDEMIC OF NEUROLOGICALLY DISABLED CHILDREN. "It shouldn't matter if there's an epidemic or not" are possibly the most chilling words I've heard on the subject. That means that the loss of greater and greater numbers of children to a disorder that no one can responsibly explain is just something we have to live with--no questions asked. If your child is healthy and happy, meeting every milestone for the first two years of life and then suddenly and inexplicably loses it all, you shouldn't ask why.The New Yorker covered Donvan and Zucker's book. They tell us that autism has challenged our idea of what is normal. Salon.com also praises the book for changing our perspective on autism.Jan 18, 2016, ABC News: New Book Explores Autism From the First Case to Today VIDEO:Anchor George Stephanopoulos: "Autism...it's touched so many of our lives. ..."John Donvan: "Parents usually don't want cameras there when their children are acting up. ...but an episode like this is the raw truth of living with autism."Both Donvan and Zucker have immediate family members with autism.Stephanopoulos: "...Back in 2001, there were about one in every 500 kids diagnosed with autism. Now it's one in 45. Does this mean there is an epidemic?"Donvan: "It's not really actually clear that there's an epidemic. The truth is we dont know because were always comparing apples and oranges.The definition has changed so much. And where we come out on the science on this is that we dont know if there is an epidemic. We dont really know if there is not an epidemic, but we also think that it shouldnt matter when we decide whether or not to respond to the needs of people in the autism community. It shouldnt matter whether theres an epidemic or not. What we should do is really try to focus on the fact that they need respect, they need support, they need us to be inclusive of them."Stephanopoulos: You debunk a lot of the bad science that has surrounded autism for so long. "I think one my most contentious interviews ever here on GMA was with Andrew Wakefield. He was the man who made this link between autism and vaccines, and that caused so many problems."Donvan: "The autism episode was a really bad episode in the story of autism in that it eroded trust in science. It got people to stop vaccinating their kids, with bad consequences, and it took up a lot of energy focused on the wrong question. It was worth asking in the beginning, but then it was answered, and yet it kept going. The only thing that we can say that it had in the positive way, is it certainly made people more aware of autism than ever before, but thats about it."Jan 2016, New Yorker: What Is Autism? Now comes In a Different Key: The Story of Autism, by John Donvan and Caren Zucker (Crown). The authors are journalists, and, like many writers on the subject, they have a personal interest in autism. Donvan has a severely autistic brother-in-law. Zuckers son has autism, and so does a grandson of Robert MacNeil, a former anchor of PBS NewsHour, for which Zucker produced a series of programs on the condition. Appropriately, a major focus of the book is on autism in the family and the changing historical role of parents of autistic children. In a Different Key is a story about autism as it has passed through largely American institutions, shaped not only by psychiatrists and psychologists but by parents, schools, politicians, and lawyers. It shows how, in turn, the condition acquired a powerful capacity both to change those institutions and to challenge our notions of what is pathological and what is normal.The establishment of autism as a distinct pathological condition has certainly improved the lot of countless patients and their family members, but, as Donvan and Zucker relate, the road has been far from smooth. Not long after Kanners discovery, autism came to be seen as a developmental disorder caused by bad parentingespecially by mothers who withheld affection from their children and created kids who were incapable of affect. ......Kanner, too, veered toward blaming mothers. Though he initially judged autism to be inborn, he is now held responsible for coining the term refrigerator mothers to describe Bettelheims autism-causers. Kanner eventually recanted and returned to his original view: Herewith I acquit you as parents, he told an audience of mothers and fathers of autistic children in 1969.Jan 17, 2016, Salon.com: It scared everybody : How Jenny McCarthy and anti-vaxxers actually helped autism awarenessSalon talks to the co-author of In a Different Key" about autism history and the silver lining of controversyAutism has been in the news so much over the last few years that its amazing to think that a bit more than 80 years ago, it didnt exist. Or rather, it didnt have a name or identity of any kind. That changed when a Mississippi boy named Donald Tripplett took a train to Baltimore to meet the child psychiatrist Leo Kanner.Between then and now, autism has become better known and understood. Recent years have also seen a fascination with people who are on the spectrum and their mathematical and musical abilities (see this new Atlantic story). ......A new book looks at the whole span of it: In a Different Key: The Story of Autism comes from the ABC correspondent John Donvan and television news journalist Caren Zucker. We spoke to Donvan; the interview has been lightly edited for clarity. ...There was a 35-year-long dominance of why children had autism: It kicked off in 1949, which can be spotted in a Time magazine article, quoting Leo Kanner He said the odd and cold behavior hed seen in the parents was quite likely responsible for causing the kids to experience such extreme emotional traumas that they withdrew from the world as a defense mechanism. This was an essential driver in autism. That idea fit in very neatly with psychiatry in general: All psychiatric illness was considered to be traumatic interactions with other people.Mothers were blamed also for schizophrenia, so it fit in with the times. Kanner suggested that kids were born with autism, but it didnt get much traction. So he moved to this other position that the parents played a role. The idea grew and grew, and it finally faded out.I've written about John Donvan and Caren Zucker before....2015 ABC News' John Donvan's Vanilla View of Autism 2015 Dachel Media Update: Love The Person Not The Diagnosis So Andrew Wakefield, Unanswered Questions, Thimerosal-Let the Science Speak, Hannah Poling and a CDC whistleblower---none of it matters. Autism is nothing new.Steve Silberman, Barry Prizant and now Donvan and Zucker--all saying the same thing. And of course, we'll all want to believe it. A massive cover-up by doctors, industry and government would be too terrible to consider.And George Stephanopoulos has been covering up the link to vaccines for years.Jun 3, 2015, RFK Jr.: CDC Vaccine Program a 'Cesspool of Corruption'And on ABC's Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos told Wakefield that he had read his book, yet Stephanopoulos couldn't cite anything that Wakefield had written. I asked Dr. Wakefield if he thought Stephanopoulos had really read it and he said most definitely he hadn't.Mar 11, 2014, Dachel Media Review: Sharyl Attkisson Resigns from CBS Jan 21, 2011, GMA's Stephanopoulos Walks Over Dr. Andrew Wakefield Jan 17, 2011, Dr. Wakefield on Good Morning America - AGE OF AUTISM Web Toolbar by Wibiya CLICK HERE to support Stop Marcella Carby-Samuels' Abuse of Elderly Mom Web Toolbar by Wibiya In the following MUFON report, a witness video recorded a regressive alien home invasion. Are elites on our planet Earth covering-up experiments that are being conducted against humans? Dr. Michael Salla has suggested that human elites and aliens have contractual Agreements with one another that has approved such alien intrusions in exchange for commercially profitable technology. Date of event: 2016-01-06 - 10:36PM Place: Minot, North Dakota, USA (MUFON) In one room of our new home my husband, two daughters female Great Dane and cat were asleep. My eldest daughter and I woke up at the same time --kind of like DING up in bed. because our two male dogs were howling. We get up and found it odd that the Great Dane did not even flinch at us getting out of bed and that my husband and other daughter were sound asleep. We make our way to the kitchen - I told my daughter my left ear felt funny - like a pain but more like a beeping -screeching pain - almost like music is too loud but there is no music. I observe that the microwave says it is 10:36 pm. I turn to my daughter and say ... hmm that's funny I feel really well rested for only 30 min or so of sleep. We proceeded to the laundry room/garage entrance where our male dogs are still howling. I enter first (but my daughter swears she did) I see the my Pyrenees at the bottom of the stairs to the ground floor howling at the door and my lab making his way up to us. The minute the pyrenees sees me - he stops howling and comes to me. (my daughter says she remembers opening the door and seeing both dogs in the laundry room wagging their tails ) I then don't remember what happened with the dogs. Did I let them come with me to the bedroom - did I let them freely roam the house . I don't remember - I remember going around my living room - and looking out every single window - and thinking WOW it is really bright outside and a creepy dense fog was present. Really dense fog - like I could see it inches away from my windows 360 of my house like a blanket. Next thing I remember I am in bed. Have no recollection of sleeping so I thought i was just laying there. It is actually really confusing. My RIGHT ear hurt - it hurt as if someone had penetrated my ear with a hot rod. There was dried blood in the lobe and I quickly tended to it like a normal earache. At the time I "woke up" I was crying in pain - but at the same time my daughter next to me was like "Some one was in the room - they were holding me down - they were holding me down" I seem to remember that I was lying on my side with my back to her but I was extending my hand awkwardly behind myself to reach out and pet her? Then I also suddenly remembered that my other daughter had asked me questions but she was asleep? The timeline was off. - I didn't remember much of anything in order. Just a couple of days ago - I called the security company because I was waiting to see when someone would come out to fix my security camera that burnt out THAT evening. Turns out my doorbell camera is burnt out too. As I was complaining actually taking the time to troubleshoot the cameras I noticed the last video recorded. The indoor security camera was fried that night and recorded ---Whatever it is -- it has large arms. The light switch on the wall is 7.5 inches from the door way! This is way too close to home - actually seeing something in your house is the scariest of all!! WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2015 - A bipartisan Senate agreement to reauthorize child nutrition programs for five years is winning praise from health advocates despite easing standards for whole grains and sodium. The 210-page draft bill, which the Senate Agriculture Committee released on Monday, would lower the whole grain requirement in school meals and delay for two years additional reductions in sodium limits. Aside from those changes, the legislation locks in the gains in nutrition requirements that the Obama administration implemented under the expired Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The standards have been a top priority of First Lady Michelle Obama. The deal between Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and the panel's ranking Democrat, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan preserves the important progress made on improving school food in the last five years while giving a bit of flexibility to those school systems that are still finding some of the standards challenging, said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The School Nutrition Association, which released key details of the legislation on Friday, said it would provide schools with critical flexibility. The bill would allow 80 percent of grain products served in schools to be whole grain rich, down from the current standard of 100 percent. The reduction in sodium limits would be delayed from the 2017-2018 school year to 2019-2020. Jessica Donze Black, who directs the Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project for The Pew Charitable Trusts, called the changes a reasonable path forward. The majority of schools are successfully serving whole grain rich foods, but this will simplify planning for those that are still struggling with a few products. And extending the time available to reduce sodium while maintaining the goal ensures that schools will keep making progress. The School Nutrition Association, which represents school district nutrition directors, had asked Congress to block any further reduction in sodium limits, slash the whole grains requirement to 50 percent and allow schools to decide whether students are required to take a fruit or vegetable. No change was made in the fruit and vegetable requirement. SNA failed to convince the committee leaders to authorize an increase in the federal reimbursement rate for meals. The legislation also would expand summer feeding efforts for children and boost a farm-to-school program for schools. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides fruits and veggie snacks to schools, would be tweaked to provide a hardship exemption that schools could use to buy other forms of fruits and vegetables, including frozen. The expansion in summer feeding includes a provision that would families to get food assistance via an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card, similar to the way food stamps are now provided. In other cases, meals could be provided to kids to take home. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition praised committee leaders for doubling funding for the farm-to-school program from $5 million to $10 million a year. The increase creates important economic opportunities for our nation's farmers and rural communities, the group said. The bill is a crucial first step toward a successful reauthorization and we encourage support for the measure. The bill also includes some provision easing eligibility rules for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program, which the legislation reauthorizes. One change would allow children who are five years old and not enrolled in full day kindergarten to participate in WIC. Watching for stories about food and nutrition? Sign up for an Agri-Pulse four-week free trial subscription to stay on top of this and other ag, rural policy and energy issues. The Food Research and Action Center said the legislation features some important improvements, including the changes in summer food assistance and WIC, but the group said it was concerned that the new verification procedures in school meals could make it harder for some low-income children to qualify. We will continue to work to improve the verification process and other areas of concern so that every eligible child has access to the nutritious food they need for healthy growth and development, said FRAC President James D. Weill. House Education and Workforce Chairman John Kline, R-Minn., has said he plans to move similar legislation through his committee, which has jurisdiction over child nutrition programs in that chamber. A summary of the bill is available here. #30 For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com Assyrians in Sweden Demonstrate Against Kurdish Aggression in Syria Assyrians in Stockholm demonstrating against Kurdish attacks on Assyrians in Syria. Stockholm (AINAI) -- Assyrians gathered on Saturday, January 17 in Stockholm to demonstrate against the Kurdish PYD party and its armed wing the YPG in Syria. The demonstration was organized by the Assyrian Federation of Sweden. More than 200 Assyrians attended the demonstration despite extremely cold weather. In the early hours of Tuesday, January 12th, members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) conducted a large attack (AINA 2016-01-12) on Assyrian checkpoints that surround Al-Wusta, an Assyrian neighborhood in the center of city of Qamishli, using more than 30 vehicles and hundreds of heavily armed Kurdish fighters against the Assyrian Gozarto Protection Forces. The fighting lasted for at least three hours and ended after the Kurds called upon a Syrian government representative to mediate a cease-fire. One Assyrian was killed and two injured; three Kurds were killed. Qamishli is located in the Hasaka province, in northeast Syria. The population of the province of Hasaka is nearly equally divided between Assyrians, Arabs and Kurds. The city of Qamishli was almost entirely Assyrian until the early 1980s and was established by Assyrian survivors of the genocide of 1915 perpetrated by Ottoman Turks against the Christian populations of Greeks, Armenians and Assyrians. At that time many Kurdish clans acted as the henchman of the Ottoman government. It is natural that the recent developments in Qamishli recall those memories of Christians, who do not trust Kurdish expansionism and self-declared autonomy and control over the region. YPG's latest attacks on Assyrians came after their earlier attacks on Turkmen, Arabs and other Kurdish groups not willing to collaborate with them. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both recently documented massive human rights violations by the YPG, a Syrian PKK offshoot, including forced evictions and the destruction of homes and property of non-Kurdish populations in regions under its control (AINA 2015-11-10). January 18, 2016 President Hassan Rouhani scheduled a press conference Jan. 17 to herald a new era in Iran by announcing the lifting of international sanctions that were put into place over the country's nuclear program. Rouhani took nearly two years to fulfill perhaps his most important campaign promise of delivering a nuclear deal and easing the economic pressure on Iranian citizens. However, during the press conference, the president was forced to address another campaign promise that is currently hanging in the balance: the opening of the political climate in the country. The day before Rouhanis press conference, Iranian television, quoting the Guardian Council, which is tasked with vetting candidates to run in the elections, reported that more than half of the record number of 12,000 candidates to register in the parliamentary elections had not been qualified to run. Many of the candidates disqualified came from the Reformist and moderate camps, two groups that would have been allied with the president in creating a more open political climate in the country. During a press conference Jan. 17, Rouhani said he hoped the Guardian Council would review the candidates whose qualifications were not approved. He also said he would use all his powers to address the disqualifications by the Guardian Council and hoped Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneis comments about having lively elections would be fulfilled. Rouhani did not wait long to address the disqualifications. On Jan. 18, Elham Aminzadeh, legal deputy to the president, said that Rouhani is negotiating with the Guardian Council over the disqualification of candidates for next months elections. Aminzadeh said that Rouhani is currently pursuing the rights of the disqualified candidates and that if a mistake had been made, they would seek to restore a candidates registration. She also said that the candidates who were disqualified have 20 days to appeal the decision. It appears that Rouhanis newest political ally, parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, is also in talks with the Guardian Council over the disqualifications. Mohammad Reza Tabesh, a member of parliament, said Jan. 18 that Larijani is seeking to create a work group with members of the Guardian Council so that candidates who were disqualified could have a special hearing to personally present their complaints. Tabesh said this special work group is subject to official negotiations between the head of parliament and the head of the Guardian Council [Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati]. The record number of registrations were sure to bring a high number of disqualifications. However, the number of Reformist and moderate figures to be disqualified has surprised many observers. According to Seyyed Hossein Marashi, a member of the Reformist Policymaking Council, of the 3,000 Reformist candidates to register, only 30 were approved to run. Marashi criticized the disqualifications and said they contradict the statements by the supreme leader and stand in opposition to the political system of the country. Fifty current members of parliament were also not approved to run, with 30 of their names belonging to the moderate conservative camp. Ali Motahharis disqualification surprised many. He is the son of Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari, one of the main theoreticians of the Islamic Republic, and a conservative politician on social and cultural policies. However, Ali Motahhari was perhaps one of the most outspoken politicians to speak against the house arrests of the Green Movement leaders. January 18, 2016 CAIRO Cairo commuters can finally see some movement ahead in the citys river taxi project, which is designed to alleviate the acute traffic congestion plaguing Cairos roads. The initial phase of the project is to launch this year, but has been stuck in a bureaucratic snarl-up. On Jan. 12, the Egyptian Ministry of Transportation announced it is studying bids from three contractors for the project, which will start in Helwan south of Cairo and span some 40 miles to El Qanater el Khayreyya. International transportation expert Hamdi Barghout told Al-Monitor that investors are reluctant to get involved in river projects because each one requires 18 permits total from the ministries of health, archaeology, tourism, defense, interior and environment. Failing to obtain permission from just one of these ministries could halt the project. Barghout wants to see a Cabinet-affiliated body established to license Nile projects once specialists from all the ministries are done studying them. This could prevent detours in the project and spare investors a great deal of time and effort. He pointed out that under current law, police fine illegal vehicles but do not confiscate them. This puts passengers at risk. According to Barghout, the river taxi project is a total fiasco. The projected fare in the feasibility study could reach 50 Egyptian pounds (about $6), an amount many Egyptians cannot afford. Also, river landings lack garages or links to public transportation such as the subway. In other words, river taxis wont be an option for the poor or an attractive investment for the rich. Engineer Samir Salameh, an adviser to the transportation minister, told Al-Monitor that specifics are under legal review and that reports about the fare reaching 50 pounds are false, as the fare will depend on the distance customers travel. Maj. Gen. Maher Hafez, assistant interior minister, chairman of the police supreme council and former head of the water surfaces police, told Al-Monitor that this project will not solve Cairos traffic crisis. The problem can only be eased by having citizens leave Cairo, expanding subway networks and establishing integrated urban communities where citizens dont have to commute to the city every morning. Therefore, new jobs should be created in these communities. Hafez said the surfaces police should have full control over river vehicles, as is the case with the traffic police, who control all forms of land vehicles, be they private or cargo vehicles, motorcycles or taxis. However, the river transportation body currently grants licenses to motorized units, while municipalities grant licenses to sailboats and rowboats. Transportation Department spokesman Ahmed Ibrahim told Al-Monitor that insurance companies will be contracted to secure cargo and passengers against disasters. He added that the ministries of environment and transportation hold weekly meetings to follow up on implementation of environmental requirements, especially in transporting goods such as coal and clay. Hisham Hamama, whose company is one of the three bidding on the project, told Al-Monitor he had to deal with five government agencies to complete the required paperwork: three ministries (transportation, environment and irrigation), Cairo province and Giza governorate. However, he praised Minister of Transportation Saad Elgioshy, saying that in only 48 hours, Elgioshy was able to stimulate a project that had been pending for three years. The final cost has yet to be determined, Hamama said, because the River Transport Authority suggested a daily fee of 7.5 pounds (about $1) on each seat along with other landing fees, which makes for a steep investment for a fledgling project. However, Maj. Gen. Ismail Rida, head of the River Transport Authority, told Al-Monitor that reports of a 7.5 pound charge per seat are false, saying all of the submitted bids are still under study and no decision has been issued. The state wants to encourage investors, not create obstacles, he added. But Hamama said a major problem faces investors: The project mainly targets car owners, and the idea is for citizens to park their cars at the nearest river landing and take a river taxi. However, since no garages are planned near the landings, the plan is to use river buses in crowded places, to transfer passengers to river quays. He explained the difference between a river bus and a river taxi. The former, which is subsidized by the government, is for the general public and its speed reaches up to 15 kilometers (9 miles) per hour. However, the latter is not subsidized and its speed reaches up to 45 kilometers per hour. Also, river taxis can reduce the number of cars in the streets because they target specific trouble spots. Taxis can also reduce the cost of fuel consumption subsidies offered to car drivers and improve environmental conditions. Hamama noted that his bid outlines a plan to operate taxis using solar power. For his part, the transport authoritys Rida said the project will help solve the traffic crisis in Cairo. He pointed to the success of the expanding Cairo Metro Line subway project, which he said will attract more investors in all provinces, not just in Cairo. January 18, 2016 On Dec. 6, Maj. Gen. Jaafar Mohammed Saad, governor of the city of Aden, was killed in a car bomb targeting his convoy in Aden, in southern Yemen. The attack confirms that insecurity has reached severe heights in the temporary capital of Yemens President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. This attack came amid a series of other security incidents, such as the killing Dec. 5 of the head of the Aden-based anti-terrorism court, Mohsen Alwan, in the city of Mansoura. On the same day, unknown armed assailants killed military intelligence officer Col. Aqeel al-Khodr in al-Mualla district. Four hours after the governors assassination, in a statement online, the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack targeting Saad, two months after he was appointed at his post. Yet, it does not mean that IS is the only source of chaos. There are multiple factions and armed groups that engaged in the fighting against former President Ali Abdullah Salehs forces and the Houthis last year, and they have demanded to obtain what they perceive as merits. Ansar al-Sharia is demanding the establishment of what the group calls an Islamic Emirate, while the Southern Movement calls for the re-establishment of South Yemen as an independent state. Despite the robberies and killings of security and military officers some of which IS claims responsibility for, while the source of other incidents remains unknown Saads assassination has shocked the coastal citys residents, as it delivers the message that insecurity has defeated one of the most important government officials after Hadi in Aden. One day prior to the assassination, Mohsen Mohammed Farhan, president of the Criminal Court in Aden, was assassinated in Aden, which was invaded by Salehs forces and the Houthis in March 2015, before the Saudi-led coalition and pro-Hadi armed groups engaged in fierce battles to recover it. Aden whose residents have taken up arms in light of the ongoing battles in the city has turned into a scene of bloody operations conducted in broad daylight. These variables have required that Hadi, the head of his government and some ministers change their transportation habits. Hadi has been moving by helicopter between the presidential palace and the strategic port of Aden, which is less than a 30-minute drive away. A senior government official, who asked not to be named, told Al-Monitor, The local authority in Aden is taking measures to limit security chaos. He said that such measures have succeeded lately in partially establishing security and halting the escalation of terrorist attacks. The official spoke of a security plan [that is being implemented] in cooperation between the local authority, the Yemeni army and the Saudi-led coalition forces stationed in Aden. On Jan. 3, Yemens new Gov. of Aden Aidroos al-Zubaidi, who was appointed on Dec. 7, along with three senior officials survived a suicide car bomb attack that targeted their convoy and killed three guards in Aden. Local officials in Aden said a suicide bomber in a car bomb blew himself up while the convoy of Zubaidi, Security Director Gen. Shalal Ali Shaye'a and Lahij Gov. Nasser al-Khabji drove past. Following the attack, the authorities imposed a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the city, until further notice. This security measure, however, has not prevented the assassination Jan. 5 that targeted a member of Adens local council, Mahmoud al-Saadi, from taking place. An eyewitness said that gunmen riding a motorbike shot dead Saadi in Sheikh Othman. Following each of the violent operations, security authorities in Aden make arrests against a group of vendors hailing from the northern governorates, claiming that some are informants and members of sleeper cells that are undermining the governorate stability. Earlier this month, violent clashes erupted between the Yemeni army and armed formations, which claimed to be a part of the Southern Resistance forces and refused to hand over the Aden International Airport and the port of Aden to the Yemeni government. In March 2015, Houthi gunmen had taken control of these two important facilities, before they were defeated in a military operation that killed one civilian and injured three others. In October, Yemens Prime Minister Khaled Mahfoudh Bahah was forced to move to Saudi Arabia, after his residence and Saudi-led coalition military sites were targeted in four explosions, which IS claimed responsibility for, and killed 15 people, including four soldiers from the United Arab Emirates. IS emerged in Yemen with the outbreak of the civil war in early 2014. Its name emerged next to that of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), although there has been no apparent coordination between these groups. The current government has not fulfilled the promises made after the Houthis were expelled from Aden in the summer of 2015. Most notably among these promises are the reconstruction and the restoration of security. The residents believe that violence is triggered by the Houthis at times, and by extremist gunmen at other times, while the authorities are clearly absent. Saeed Abdullah, a journalist covering the Islamic groups affairs, told Al-Monitor, There is no doubt that Adens security situation is of a great challenge. He said, The vulnerable security situation did not emerge all of a sudden. It has worsened because of the war and the entry of Shiite Houthi militia into Aden, which motivated and provided armed groups, such as al-Qaeda and Ansar al-Sharia in Aden, with a populist dimension." Abdullah expected that al-Qaeda, Ansar al-Sharia and IS back away as the absence of a sectarian stimulant in the southern parts namely represented by the Houthis who embrace Zaidism and a territorial stimulant, namely the army under the authority of Sanaa, caused armed groups to lose an important popular cover, and placed it into a direct confrontation with local communities. This is why these groups have returned to square one, by conducting assassinations and bombings. IS gunmen stormed the University of Aden in late October and fired in the air, demanding to prohibit the mixing of women and men. On Jan. 10, unknown gunmen shot dead a colonel from the Political Security Organization. A press source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Gunmen riding a motorcycle shot dead Ali al-Nakhibi in al-Mansoura, in the center of Aden. The gunmen, however, were able to escape the crime scene. Islamist extremists are setting up checkpoints in some parts of Aden at night, and they have been able to impose their complete control over large parts of Hadhramaut governorate in eastern Yemen. Yemenis are unsure of what the future holds for them as chaos surrounds them. Meanwhile, international organizations are sounding the alarm as to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen, while the government watches helplessly. More than 45 employers will gather Thursday looking to hire coal miners and steel workers. The fair will run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Community Health Systems Activity Center at 204 E. 19th St. in Jasper. Thousands of coal miners and steel workers have been displaced in the last year in Alabama as the American industries have suffered. Walter Energy has had several rounds of layoffs since filing for bankruptcy in July. A mine in Jasper closed last year, leaving 118 without jobs; Cliffs Natural Resources also eliminated about 220 jobs in October at the mine it then owned in Oak Grove. US Steel has laid off more than 1,000 in the last year. While the fair is designed with miners and steelworkers in mind, the fair is open to anyone seeking employment. Applicants should come dressed professionally with resumes and be prepared to interview. "We know that hundreds of steel and coal industry employees have been laid off in the past few months in this area," Alabama Department of Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald Washington said in a statement. "These workers have valuable skills that can easily transfer to new careers in other fields, such as manufacturing or utilities. This job fair was primarily designed to help get back on their feet." Jobs range from service industry jobs to manufacturing and poultry processing. Participating employers include Jasper Lumber Company; the Alabama Department of Corrections; Mar-Jac Poultry; Wendy's; Alabama Power Company; G&G Steel; Baptist Health; Bevill State Community College; Hampton Inn; ACIPCO; and many others. The Alabama Career Center System is partnering with state Sen. Greg Reed, R-Jasper, Bevill State Community College and several economic development agencies to present the fair. Three Birmingham men were arrested in North Carolina over the weekend on prostitution and robbery charges. Authorities said Felone Craig, Ronald Kennedy and Brandon Jones posted an ad for sex on Backpage.com, and then attacked and robbed a victim of $200. Officers with the Jacksonville Public Safety Department in Onslow County responded to the Baymont Inn about 1 p.m. Saturday on a report of a larceny, according to Beth Purcell, the police public information officer. Once there, they launched an investigation that led to the arrest of the trio. Craig, 24, of southwest Birmingham, posted an ad for sexual exchange on Backpage.com and rented a room at the hotel for prostitution purposes, Purcell said warrants show. He is also accused of conspiring with Kennedy, 23, and Jones, 24, to steal $200 from the victim by means of assault. Craig is charged with felony common law robbery, felony conspiracy, misdemeanor aid and abet prostitution, and misdemeanor maintain a dwelling for purposes of prostitution. His bond is set at $15,000. Craig was indicted in Birmingham in November on a charge of theft by fraudulent leasing. That case involved a $369 stove from Rent A Center, court records show. He was featured as a wanted suspect on Crime Stoppers, but now is listed as captured. Ronald Kennedy, 23, of eastern Birmingham, is accused of conspiring with Craig and Jones to commit common law robbery, soliciting a victim for purpose of prostitution, and stealing $200 from the victim by means of assault, Purcell said. He is charged with felony common law robbery, felony conspiracy, and misdemeanor solicit prostitution. His bond is set at $15,000. Jones, also of Southwest Birmingham, is charged with felony common law robbery, felony conspiracy and misdemeanor aid and abet prostitution. Police said he used his cell phone to arrange prostitution. Jones' bond is set at $12,000. Authorities today released the name of a man stabbed to death Monday at a Birmingham apartment complex. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Brian John Hardwick. He was 42. Birmingham police said South Precinct officers responded to a report of a person stabbed in the 1200 block of Aspen Run. They Hardwick outside the apartment suffering from multiple stab wounds, Lt. Sean Edwards said. Authorities said the stabbing happened at 11:42 a.m. Hardwick was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m. During the preliminary investigation, officers determined that Hardwick went into an apartment where a former female associate lives, without realizing that her current boyfriend was inside. Hardwick shot at the boyfriend but missed, and a fight broke out involving a handgun and a kitchen knife. Edwards said all of those involved were taken to police headquarters for questioning. The case will be presented to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office to determine whether charges will be filed. Hardwick is the city's sixth homicide of 2016. Of those, one already has been ruled justifiable. An 85-year-old man was killed early this morning during a home invasion in Lee County. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris identified the victim as Curtis Thornton Rudd. He was found inside his home about 1:16 a.m. suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Lee County sheriff's deputies and East Alabama Medical center paramedics responded to Rudd's home in the 3000 block of Lee Road 177 in Cusseta. The wounded Rudd was rushed to East Alabama Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:05 a.m. Rudd's wife was home at the time of the attack. She told investigators she and her husband were awakened by the door being forced open. That's when they were accosted by two masked men. Rudd exchanged gunfire with the intruders, and they fled the home. Harris said a person later showed up at the emergency room with a gunshot wound, and has been identified as a person of interest. That suspect is in surgery. Harris said Rudd's body was taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for an autopsy. The slaying remains under investigation by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the Lee County Coroner's Office and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Rudd's death is the third homicide for Lee County for 2016. One happened in Auburn; the other two in the county. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lee County Sheriff's Office at 1-334-749-5651 or Lee County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-522-7847. A boisterous crowd of about 7,000 people welcomed Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to Birmingham on Monday during a campaign rally, and despite the chants of "Bernie, Bernie, Bernie," the independent Vermont senator said his campaign is about "You, You, You." Sanders, who has been neck and neck in the polls with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, alluded to how he started his campaign with hardly any support but has closed the gap since the summer. He's now ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire and within striking distance of her in Iowa. "When we began we were 50 points behind the inevitable Democratic nominee," he said. "Well, guess what? That inevitable candidate ain't so inevitable today." Beyond the early primary states, the so-called SEC Primary on March 1, which includes Alabama and several other southern states, will take place. Sanders appealed to the crowd for their support and expressed confidence that he could overtake Clinton here. "I think we'll do pretty well in Alabama on March 1," he said, adding that he believed the state's electoral history belies what's best for Alabamians. "We have got to go out to our white working class friends ... and we have got to go out to our brothers and sisters there and say, 'Stop voting against your own best interest,'" he said. In a wide-ranging speech where Sanders touched on his campaign platforms of income inequality, single-payer health care, free college tuition, a $15 an hour minimum wage, equal pay for women and mandated medical and family leave, the northeasterner also acknowledged the moxie of his supporters in a red state. "The challenge that you face -- and I respect you so much -- is the work that you have got to do is more difficult than the work in my state," Sanders said before launching into an attack on Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley - a reference that elicited a chorus of boos in Birmingham. "When the governor of this state refuses to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, he's impacting not [just] blacks, but he's impacting whites, he's impacting Latinos, he's impacting everybody," the presidential candidate said. The speech fell on the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, and Sanders told the crowd of how he participated in the March on Washington in 1963, when he was a student at the University of Chicago. "I can remember the day in my mind's eye right this moment. It was an extraordinary day that has left a lasting impression on my life," he said before telling the crowd that is was imperative that King's life be remembered more than as a "museum piece." "To truly honor the life of Dr. King we must fight to carry out his radical and bold vision for America," Sanders said to cheers. The Democratic presidential candidate, who is neck and neck with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the polls, said that what King fought for "is exactly what this campaign is about." Sanders said his campaign was larger than him, and said he would need his supporters to continue their enthusiasm should he be elected president, because the "corporate media" and the wealthy are powerful enough to derail his agenda if voters don't elect congressional representatives that share Sanders's vision. He said the American middle class, "once the envy of this world, has been disappearing." "Today in Alabama, today in Vermont, you got moms working, dads working, kids working three jobs just to cobble together income and health care," he said. "We are going to create an economy that works for the middle class, not the billionaire class." That billionaire class is exploiting its workers at the expense of profits, Sanders said. "I know that people in Alabama and all over this country hear a lot about welfare. Let me tell you who the biggest welfare cheat is in America -- it's the Walton family of Walmart. You know why? Because many of their workers are paid wages so low they have to get Medicaid, they have to get food stamps, they have to get subsidized housing," he said. The crowd booed the Walton family -- "You are familiar with Walmart," Sanders responded after the Bronx cheers . He pointed out that the billionaire family has more wealth than bottom 40 percent of the American people "I got a message for the Walton family: 'Get off of welfare pay your workers a living wage,'" he said. "We're going to help them do that because we have the wild and crazy idea that if you work 40 hours a week in America you should not be living in poverty." In a dig at conservatives, Sanders said "family values" should help strengthen families. "Our view when I talk about family values -- and we got to end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country that doesn't guarantee paid family and medical leave," he said. Sanders said those family values also extend to children, who he said shouldn't have their chances at a college education derailed because of their family's financial situation. "Our job is to tell every child in this country, every parent in this country, every teacher in this country that if every child works hard, does well, that kid, regardless of family income, will get a college education," he said. The Democratic presidential candidate had to pause his speech for about 10 minutes after someone in the crowd needed medical attention. He then segued into health care, lamenting that the U.S. "remains the only major country on earth that doesn't guarantee health care to all people as a right." While Sanders said the Affordable Care Act was an important first step toward that goal, he advocated for a single-payer system that would cover all Americans. Turning to climate change, Sanders said there was no debate about its existence - except in the Republican Party. He used the opportunity to take a shot at frontrunner Donald Trump, who said climate change was a hoax invented by the Chinese. "Donald Trump has a brilliant analysis -- you can never underestimate what Donald Trump will say," Sanders said. "I thought it would be the Mexicans, but it's the Chinese. Not even Muslims, just the Chinese." Birmingham resident and rally attendee Amanda Palmer, who said she hoped that Sanders would have ran for president earlier. "He's the only person in politics that I can say that I trust," she said. "It's time for a revolution." After reports surfaced last night that the City of Birmingham's warming station at Boutwell Auditorium was closed on one of the coldest nights of the year, there has been an outpouring of concern for the homeless population of Birmingham. According to data released last year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Birmingham metro area has the highest number of homeless in the state of Alabama at 1,153. The report also noted that there has been a 34 percent decrease in homelessness in the state of Alabama since 2010. AL.com spoke to Michael Jensen, Vice President of the SUMMIT Program, a center for addiction and mental health treatment based on the Southside of Birmingham, about what people in Birmingham can do to help. "The first and the easiest [thing] I can think of is to donate to one of these shelters." He said. "The second is to donate your time. If you don't have money to donate, then go to these agencies and see how you can donate your time." Here's a list of recommended shelters and agencies that are constant need of help: The Firehouse Shelter- Provides housing, shelter, food. The Ministry Center at Greensprings- Food bank for the homeless and impoverished as well as other community services. Call director Ray Flynn to inquire about an interview: (205) 979- 8633 The Salvation Army - Provides shelter and food. Brother Bryan Mission- Shelter for the homeless. Church of the Reconciler- Provides meals and health and community services for the homeless. JBS Mental Health Clinic for the Homeless- Located at Cooper Green hospital, JBS provides mental health and social work services for the homeless. One Roof- The umbrella agency that helps to coordinate services amongst the homeless providers. You can read more about the SUMMIT Program on their website here, or by reading this article on their "Deprivation Vacations" published on AL.com in October of last year. A miner, a trafficker, an undertaker, and a prostitute offer an insight into life in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When Papa Mukendi started his business in 2002, the Democratic Republic of Congo was experiencing one of the bloodiest peaks of its more than two-decade-long war. There have been moments when the work has multiplied, and weve had to hire more staff, he says. For this countrys misfortune is his fortune. After all, if there is an industry that prospers in Goma, it is death. And Mukendis speciality is coloured coffins. When business is good, Mukendi sells three a week. When the conflict calms down, days can pass without a sale. He used to make more money, he says, when he was the only one to envelop the dead in felt and wood. But as the conflict drew on, many carpenters reinvented themselves as coffin makers. For in this land soaked with the blood of the more than 5.4 million killed since 1998, coffins, not furniture, are the luxury on which people will spend their limited money. When theres conflict or a plane crashes, I sell a lot more. I dont like war, but if it comes I take advantage. It is work, and I welcome it, laughs Mukendi. The flesh Faida lives near Mukendis workshop. A mother of two, she prostitutes herself to the soldiers who frequent a local club called Apollo in order to provide for her sons. For war not only demands wood for Papa Mukendis coffins, it also needs fresh flesh to entertain the troops. Before this conflict, Faida took care of her children and sold traditional crafts to tourists. But since her husband joined an armed group and left her, selling her body has been the only means by which she has been able to support her family. But the money she earns rarely makes it back home to them. We dont have money to pay for a motor taxi, so we have to walk home, she explains. On the way, street kids steal what little we earn, and they rape us. When asked whether she has ever been raped, Faida responds: Many times many. She presides over an association for female prostitutes in Goma. It has 7,500 affiliates. Its tough for us to survive because we are excluded, she explains. Thats why we created this association, to protect and advise ourselves. Many women have no schooling, [they] dont know the dangers they face and the diseases they could contract if they dont take precautions. Prostitution is a prosperous industry thanks to the war. With more than 30 armed groups in the region, there is a growing market of men seeking sex. But with little money, plenty of weapons and ample alcohol, the soldiers often rape and threaten the women. The investors War is a profitable activity, with many investors both internally and externally. The United Nations, for example, sent 19,815 blue helmets to the country through its United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), the second-largest mission in the world. For the home countries of those troops Pakistan, India, Uruguay, Tanzania, South Africa and Malawi the mission can be extremely profitable: the UN pays them four times the cost of the deployment. And the troops are not the only foreigners present. More than 80 humanitarian organisations also ply their trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC, as part of an arguably self-sustaining business. One NGO mission chief, who asked not to be named, confessed: I dont know what were doing here. Our presence raises the price of food and rent, we stop people from moving on, from taking their own decisions and demanding their government take responsibility. We should have left Congo years ago. The miners Another booming industry that thrives off the bullets is the trafficking in blood minerals, for nothing serves this illicit trade better than a failed and unstable state that is incapable of collecting taxes and stopping neighbouring countries from looting its riches through strongman proxies. Rubaya in the province of Masisi is three hours drive from Goma and the epicentre of the blood minerals war. Our guide, a 16-year-old miner called Inocence, must walk for an hour to reach his post at the largest coltan mine in the country. Sometimes the mountain caves in, he tells us. The miners are buried for ever and people forget about them. As we approach, the sound of thousands of moving souls emerges from the mist. Do you hear that? Inocence asks. Thats the murmur of the mine. Its close. Our path traverses steep hills browned by mud and as we climb higher we encounter our first victim of the day. Several men carry the body of a miner on a makeshift stretcher covered with plastic. Tell of what happens here. Let it be known, says one of the group. In our pockets we carry a sample of what they risk their lives for: a small bag of green powder called manganese, a gold nugget and small dark rocks called columbite and tantalite but better known as coltan, the material the dark heart of this mountain is made of. It is a fistful of sand to die for. Some tech lobbies, perhaps wishing to wash their hands of any responsibility for the exploitation of blood minerals, recently insisted that coltan is no longer used in the making of mobile phones, tablets, consoles or cameras, and that the mines were closing. But in truth, demand for the mineral is still much greater than its supply. Around 80 percent of the worlds supply resides under Congolese soil. So around 5,000 miners, many of them children and teenagers, continue to toil in a state of quasi slavery in DRC, at first under the open sky and then, when there is no more of the mineral left on the surface, in deep tunnels where they eat, sleep and work from dawn until dusk, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Several women follow behind us with boxes of soda and sacks of grain tied to their heads. Once inside the mine, they set up their little torch-lit market so that the miners may buy their wares without abandoning their work. In worn boots, Inocence moves at military pace. He is much faster than us as we clumsily navigate the mountain that threatens to crumble beneath our feet. As we arrive at the entrance to the mine, a legion of men turn to examine us with suspicion, some visibly surprised to see whites at the summit. Many work nearly nude, without helmets or protective gear, and some are even barefoot. Others wear fake Real Madrid or Barcelona shirts. The luckiest have rain boots. To enter the tunnels you must first ask permission from the mine chief, Inocence explains, pointing out one of the Congolese foremen. The same rules that govern the base also seem to apply at the summit: no one prohibits access, but neither do they allow it. The mines are particularly dangerous during the rainy season, when the damp earth can crumble, leaving miners at the mercy of carbonic gas or crushed inside underground caverns. Sometimes weve found labourers skeletons trapped since who knows when, explains Francois, one of the foremen. No one knows for sure how many people die in this mine. One NGO has committed to counting the dead, but so far the number remains a mystery. There are days when 30 or 40 people fall, says Francois. Someone will scratch their names off a list, then hire their replacements. The trafficker James lives in the better-off far-west of the country. He drives us to his home, where he chases away the curious and then closes the curtains. Then he produces a sample of black powder from his pocket for us to check the purity of the ore. The muzungu or white man rarely sets foot here unless seeking coltan, gold or manganese. James tells us that he collects his merchandise from the river, where others who work for a dollar a day clean and separate the ore from the sand. They bring him trays of the treasure, which he then sells on earning about $2,040 a month. READ MORE: UN peacekeepers in DRC no longer trusted to protect He maintains that he knows nothing of its purpose, adding: We have been told that it is used to make casseroles, things for the kitchen. Each miner charges about a dollar for 14 hours of work. The foreman earns around 10 percent of the total received by his crew usually about $14. Then the local strongman will take his cut. And it rarely matters who that strongman is as the power shifts in the long-running battle to control the mines and minerals, one strongman simply replaces another. In North Kivu there are between 5,000 and 6,000 Congolese rebels spread among 30 armed groups. In addition to racial hatred, they are motivated by a desire to control the mineral zones and will massacre entire villages in an effort to do so. A trafficker who buys the already screened mineral at the foot of the mine will multiply its value when he leaves it at the border with Rwanda or Uganda under cover of darkness. By the time the coltan arrives in the manufacturing districts of Shanghai or Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, its market price is between $476 and $544 a kilo. But while a dark web of large multinational companies, corrupt officials and unscrupulous states participate in the ancient game of looting the DRC, an increasing number of firms, according to the annual list published by the NGO Raise Hope for Congo, are now meeting protocols designed to ensure that they do not use so-called conflict minerals in their products. READ MORE: Mother Justice waging a war on rape in DRC The gold that James, the trafficker, shows us in nugget form has left the quarry near Numbi, the same one controlled for years by Bosco Ntaganda, who is currently on trial for war crimes at The Hague. From the Congo it will probably travel to Dubai; its sale, according to the Enough Project, concealed in Swiss bank accounts. From there it will go to the market, potentially to be used in high-end cosmetic products. The UN has denounced neighbouring countries such as Rwanda and Uganda for selling a mineral that is not theirs and for feeding armed groups in order to keep the trade alive. Meanwhile, the developed world receives its sacks of cassiterite, coltan, gold, diamonds, uranium, tungsten and manganese cheaply and promptly. Who then, other than the Congolese themselves, could want a conflict that sustains such a business to end? This article first appeared in the August 2014 issue of the Al Jazeera Magazine. The Notara squat houses more than 100 refugees and migrants passing through Athens each night. Athens, Greece As thousands of refugees and migrants continued to be turned away at borders, a steady flow of new faces poured into the Notara solidarity centre in the Exarcheia neighbourhood of Athens. Notara was founded in late September when around 20 anarchists and leftists occupied an abandoned, three-storey building belonging to the Greek Ministry of Labour. The centre provides temporary accommodation, basic medical treatment, clothing and information for up to 130 refugees and migrants each day. Refugees boost Greeces economy It is one of several similar projects springing up across the country while the refugee crisis continues to grip Europe. Tucked away in an alley with graffiti-lined walls, Notara is part of a network of activist-administered refugee solidarity centres in the neighbourhood. A few hundred metres down the road is a centre that provides social services, while a handful of anarchist-run dining collectives are just around the corner. According to the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, more than a million refugees and migrants reached European shores by boat in 2015. With the doors open to welcome newcomers, enthusiasm was high as dozens of activists and volunteers debated how to expand their operations during an assembly meeting on a chilly night in early December. We need more squats in places like Thessaloniki, one volunteer argued, referring to the coastal city in northern Greece that has become a stopping-off point along the refugee trail as people fleeing violence and economic despair look for safety and stability in Europe. Mimi, a 34-year-old anarchist and member of the squat, declined to provide her last name, fearing legal retribution. We decided to do something in Athens about the refugee crisis, she told Al Jazeera, crushing the butt of her cigarette into an ashtray and swiftly lighting another. The volunteers at the shelter include teachers, social workers, doctors and full-time activists, among others. What unites them is a belief that the Greek government has failed to shoulder its responsibilities towards refugees. The difference between philanthropy and solidarity We are against the state and we think the government has done nothing to provide a real solution, she said, adding that more than 1,700 refugees and migrants had stopped over in Notara between September 25 and December 1. Most of the founding volunteers had been active in solidarity work on Greek islands over the summer of 2015, helping the thousands of people disembarking from boats and dinghies each day. We had a full summer of experience under our belts and felt that refugees needed a safe space when they get to Athens, especially as the weather gets worse. From Athens, they still have a long journey ahead of them. Deeply ideological, Notara and similar endeavours reject the philanthropic approach in favour of refugee solidarity. Refugees are asked to participate in the twice-weekly assembly meetings, which make decisions through consensus. The act of squatting in this building was a message to the government: It is failing everywhere and we are putting a spotlight on it, she said. We are anti-authoritarians. We reject the assistance of the state, NGOs, charities and businesses. She said that Notara is for political people and not those whose sole motivations are humanitarian. There is a difference between philanthropy and solidarity. We understand that we are on the same level as refugees. This is a project by the people. We believe that these are the key principles of self-organisation, and we want to take the struggle into our own hands. READ MORE: Life-jacket mountain metaphor for Greeces refugees Border closures Exarcheia itself was a symbolic choice. With little government presence, the neighbourhood is a hotbed of leftist political activity where locals clash with police when they show up. In late November, Notara witnessed a surge of refugees and migrants after Macedonia sealed off its borders to people who could not prove citizenship in Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan, deeming them economic migrants. Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov claimed that the presence of more than 2,000 refugees in his country at any given time would result in permanent and direct threats for national security. Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and other countries quickly imposed similar measures. Seraphim Seferiades, a political science professor at Panteion University in Athens, argued that the leftist SYRIZA governments about-face over Greeces debt crisis led to a vacuum on the broader left. The response of the whole left not just anarchists has been quite amazing, he told Al Jazeera. People had accumulated so much energy to participate in politics and in domestic struggles in recent years, like the debt crisis, but all that energy went into the refugee solidarity initiative after the SYRIZA sellout. Seferiades said that right-wing groups such as the Golden Dawn have been unable to capitalise on the refugee crisis so far. But if refugee solidarity activists are unable to tie their activism to Greeces domestic struggles, he warned, the hardline rightists could seize the opportunity. It will eventually happen if the solidarity movement cannot continue to politicise the issue. They need to show the general population that what migrants and refugees are going through now is linked to the same European Union policies that make [Greeks] suffer. Even volunteers duties are divided up according to ideological principles, Mimi explained. Only doing one job like clothing distribution can create a de facto hierarchy. When they are not seeing patients, doctors help to distribute blankets and clothes to refugees whose suitcases were soaked or ruined during the perilous boat ride. Teachers do laundry and cook in between classes in Notaras preschool. Every few nights, a handful of activists venture to Athens Victoria Square a gathering point for refugees to bring those with nowhere to sleep back to the squat. READ MORE: Greek anarchists cook in solidarity with refugees Direct democracy Said, a 21-year-old Moroccan who did not want to give his last name, left his hometown of Casablanca in early September. Braving the wintry Aegean waters and the lengthy land route, he made it to Idomeni on the Greek-Macedonian border, only to find that the crossing was closed for him. The closure has created a build-up of tens of thousands of people in Greece, including those fleeing Morocco, Iran, Yemen, Eritrea, Somalia, Tunisia and elsewhere. Arriving back in Victoria Square, Said was approached by activists from Notara. They told me there was a safe and warm place to sleep, he told Al Jazeera. Ive been here for a few weeks. I dont know if the borders will open for us again. Achilles Peklaris, an Exarcheia-based journalist and anarchist activist, argued that Notara is far more organised than the camps run by the government, accusing the state of providing substandard living conditions for refugees and migrants. When you mention the word anarchy, most people think of chaos and disorder, he told Al Jazeera. But if youre world view depends on a leader to tell you what to do, then we feel sorry for you, he said. Referring to the weekly assemblies and inclusive decision-making process, Peklaris added: No authority doesnt mean no rules. This is a direct democracy in the purest sense of the term. READ MORE: Macedonia border closure leaves refugees without hope As the assembly meeting came to an end, a family of Afghan refugees arrived. Activists welcomed them in and a translator explained that they could stay for however long they needed. Mimi and others took their bags to a room with two beds, bringing them blankets and clean clothes. Pointing out the worsening weather and the closing of borders across the Balkans, she predicted that the coming months would be increasingly difficult. With the borders closing, so many people are being sent back to Athens, Mimi said. What are these people supposed to do? Sleep outside? Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_ Five years that transformed the Middle East: What went right, how its gone wrong and why it got so ugly When the Arab Spring swept through the Middle East five years ago, progress seemed inevitable and the contagion unstoppable. But then everything started to regress and now looks destined to go from bad to worse unless we identify why and how something so divine turned so ugly so fast. Unfortunately, the most peddled answers one hears nowadays are also the most flawed. In the Middle East, the conspiracy theorists blame the Wests intervention and manipulation of a misguided Arab youth who bought into its subversive ideas. And in the West, smug, told-you-so cynics repeat the same derisive cliches: the Arabs are hopeless; Islam is incompatible with democracy. Some see the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL) as proof of their scepticism of the democratic promise of the Arab Spring, and advocate support for Arab autocracy, proclaiming its security apparatuses the essential bulwark against chaos. But that is a misreading of history. What went wrong? The Arab Spring was an authentic and potent response to United States neoconservative attempts to spread democracy on the back of US tanks. It showed the world that millions of Arabs, Christian and Muslim, are just as passionate as citizens of Western democracies are about the universal values of human rights, justice and political freedom. To claim otherwise is either ignorant, or racist. READ MORE: The Roundabout Revolutions: When Tahrir goes to Gwangju If the young leaders of the Arab rebellion are at fault, its not because they dared to act, but rather because they didnt act vigorously enough. For example, they failed to turn their slogans into political programmes and form political parties to rally the support of the wider public around their democratic vision. If the young leaders of the Arab rebellion are at fault, it's not because they dared to act, but rather because they didn't act vigorously enough. by Predictably, given the absence of a civil society space for opposition movements, when the grip of autocracy was breached, older and better-organised Islamist groups rushed to fill the void. Those groups failed to heed the sentiment expressed in the streets and squares of the Arab world. Instead of embracing pluralism and strengthening the democratic process, the Islamists were seen as seeking to monopolise power, albeit through the ballot box. But the fallout from the Islamist-secular divide could have been contained peacefully, as in Tunisia, if only the ancien regime had accepted the principle of peaceful transition towards a more just society and representative democracy. It didnt. As expected. How it got so ugly The old political, business and military elites the so-called deep state worked to subvert the democratic process and resorted to extreme violence in the cases of Syria, Libya, Yemen and Egypt, in the belief that they could bludgeon their way back to stability. When that didnt work, they redefined their oppression, as a much-needed anti-terror campaign. And ISIL was more than happy to provide the alibi for dictators to continue to repress their people. If ISIL didnt exist, it would have been necessary to invent it. But was that really the case? Meanwhile, the region continues to unravel at terrible cost of life and property because defenders of the status quo have failed to grasp the historic transformation their repression has helped to trigger. What began as peaceful calls for freedom, justice and jobs became revolutionary challenges that exposed the rottenness of the post-colonial regional order of Arab states. The failure of the Arab Spring to transform those states peacefully has quickened the erosion of the entire system of the post-colonial nation state. Not necessarily a bad thing if it led to region-wide Arab unity, but in reality, it is creating new rifts within the colonial partitions. READ MORE: Can the Arab revolutions survive Syria and Egypt? By eschewing a relatively painless path towards political change, the security states put the region on a course towards a more painful transition. Chaos and insecurity have pushed people to seek refuge in tribal, ethnic and other primordial affiliations that undermine state legitimacy and threaten to reshape the entire region. Its a process that started in Iraq after the US invasion of the country in 2003. Powers beyond the pale The region is now in the throes of what Condoleezza Rice, George Bushs secretary of state, memorably (if mistakenly at the time) called the birth pangs of a new Middle East. And there is a lot of blame to go around for the regions descent into a series of interlocking ethnic and sectarian proxy wars. Especially those players with high stakes and few scruples, such as those ruling in Moscow and Tehran. But unlike Western powers, Russia and Iran never claimed to support or stand for the values and aspiration of the Arab Spring. Indeed, they have been consistently dead set against them. However, US President Barack Obama, who has been marked by his predecessors military blunders and preoccupied by negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme, has insisted that no good can come of intervening in distant civil wars. And while he may be right, there is much the West could have done to stop the deterioration and reduce the pain. For example, the US could have acted early and decisively against ISIL before it exploited the chaos and entrenched itself in vast areas of Iraq and Syria, by providing sufficient support to the secular or so-called moderate opposition. He should have at least spoken forcefully in defence of the oppressed Egyptian youth, and helped to impose a no-fly zone to protect the Syrian people from the daily barrel bombings. Middle East: Death by identity As the US and others held back, the situation deteriorated dangerously, the death toll rose and the prospects for a decent outcome dimmed. Obama's hesitation on Syria was underscored by the lesson he said he had learned from the Libya debacle ... by Obamas hesitation on Syria was underscored by the lesson he said he had learned from the Libya debacle that toppling a dictator without extensive, patient involvement in managing the aftermath was a recipe for an even more dangerous civil war. After five years of turmoil and bloodshed and 50 years of dictatorships, one might not expect the West to act decisively in the spirit of the Arab Spring, but at least to refrain from selling expensive military hardware, as the US and France have done to the likes of the bankrupt Egyptian regime. Silver lining But the US and Russia are not paying attention. Neither Egyptian General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, nor any of the regional dictators such as Syrias Assad are able to restore stability or security, let alone bring prosperity to their peoples. They have violently suppressed opposition with total impunity, but have failed to tame the spirit of change. When Assad and Sisi held elections, the turnout figures show that Syrians and Egyptians voted with their feet. Their fall is only a matter of time, but the substitute or the alternative, it seems, will be transitional at best. The Arab world is going through an historic transformation that is certain to take more time and many lives, alas. But judging from other similar experiences in other areas and eras, history is not on the side of violent tyrannies of the Arab region. Marwan Bishara is the senior political analyst at Al Jazeera. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Antonia Zerbisias is an award-winning Canadian journalist. She has been a reporter and TV host for the Toronto Star, the CBC, as well as the Montreal correspondent for Variety trade paper. Last September, after the photograph of three-year-old Alan Kurdis body on that Turkish beach hit the worlds front pages, the top Google search term in Canada was, How to sponsor a Syrian? The news media here, in the midst of covering a federal election campaign, jumped all over the Kurdi story. Not just because it was tragic, nor because of the Kurdi familys Canadian connection through the toddlers Vancouver-based aunt, but because the country, bitterly divided over the former Conservative governments attitudes towards Muslims, suddenly didnt recognise itself as the welcoming, multicultural nation it had long believed itself to be. And so, on TV, online and in print, there were stories on how many refugees were expected, how few the Stephen Harper regime had approved, and how Canadians, individually, in groups and as part of community organisations, could sponsor Syrian refugee families. Then, on October 19, 2015, the Harper Conservatives were defeated and the Liberal government under Justin Trudeau swept to power. Syrian refugee fundraising Immigration organisations such as Lifeline Syria were flooded with phone calls. Settlement services scrambled to produce handbooks and hold seminars on sponsorship. Children began competing in a 1,000 Schools Challenge to each bring in a family. People banded together in Groups of Five to raise the estimated $30,000 it takes to privately sponsor families of four. Churches, mosques and synagogues partnered to bring in refugees. Business stepped up, with funding, free mobile phones and furniture. READ MORE: Note to world leaders: This is how to welcome refugees Property companies reserved hundreds of apartments. One entrepreneur pledged more than $1m to sponsor 50 families. While the media were running feel-good stories about the sponsor application rush, anybody scanning the comments sections would find very different attitudes indeed. by During the election campaign, Trudeau had promised to settle 25,000 refugees by the end of the year. That would prove to be impossible. Refugees cant row in crowded dinghies or stream over borders here as they do in Europe. They must come in by plane. It takes logistics. Which is why, despite the enthusiasm of many Canadians, the goal of 25,000 was trimmed to 10,000 by December 31, with the remainder due to land by March 2016. True, many Canadians were resistant, split especially following the November bombings in Paris. So, while the media were running feel-good stories about the sponsor application rush, anybody scanning the comments sections would find very different attitudes indeed. In early December, however, when Trudeau turned up at Torontos Pearson International Airport to greet the first arrivals and help them into warm coats, the countrys collective heart melted, its national pride burst. Doors slammed shut Sure there were bumps. A sponsorship group in Oakville, Ontario found doors slammed shut when it sought housing for its refugee family. In Vancouver, in what has been deemed a hate crime, 15 men, women and children were pepper-sprayed at a welcome ceremony. The New Years Eve sexual assault rampage allegedly committed by recent arrivals in Cologne triggered a wave of fear and loathing. But the planes kept landing. According to Canada Immigration and Citizenship, as of January 14, 10,790 refugees have arrived, about half of them Christian, approximately half privately sponsored. Private groups are still submitting some 200 sponsorship applications a week. Last Wednesday, Joe Jacobs Syrian family landed. The Muslim couple and their eight children, who range in age from weeks-old to 17 years, had fled Daraa in southwestern Syria where the father was a baker. They arrived to shiver in sub-zero weather but to bask in a warm welcome. Our group was supposed to get 24 to 48 hours notice that they were coming but we got a phone call saying that they were waiting at the hotel; we had to be there within the hour, Jacobs tells Al Jazeera. Luckily we had made preparations ahead of time. READ MORE: Welcome to Canada but dont get too comfortable The Toronto teacher is part of a Group of Five that connected through their childrens school. They raised money from others and contributed their own funds to bring in the family whose identity they are protecting. They are committed for one year to aid the newcomers with everything from finding housing, schools, jobs and language lessons to introducing them to the city and culture. Media frenzy Jacobs is realistic about the challenges ahead: You have to provide the support part but you cant be too paternalistic about it. You dont want to treat them as the wretched people of the earth. It is such a difficult position to be placed in where youre dependent on people where you really shouldnt have needed to be and youre expected to be so grateful. And I think that a danger with the whole programme a bit is that Canadians are trying to be very generous but need to be careful that these people are not treated as playthings; that these people should have what they need. As for what he calls the euphoria and media frenzy over Canadas apparent acceptance of refugees, Jacobs is wary. It seems to be all about us, he observes. There seems to be a lot of focus on how wonderful we are to be doing this sort of thing when, for example, part of the discussion for our [refugee] family is, How are we going to help these people to rise out of a certain level of poverty here in Canada? These families have a really tough row to hoe ahead and Im not sure how much Canada and the Canadians who are sponsoring are understanding of that. What worries Jacobs is not so much that the refugees adjust to Canada although thats critical but that Canada adjusts to them. Last week, when we all were getting on a bus, the driver was like Holy ****! and was just looking at them; it was such a negative reaction, he recalls. The family didnt understand but we certainly saw that a negative view is out there. I dont know how predominant it is, but it has the potential to grow when the euphoria dies down. Jane Philpott, the health minister, seemed unconcerned last week when she declared: The integration phase is ultimately the most important phase, to make sure that these Syrian refugees become well integrated into Canadian culture, that they understand our cultural values and practices The question to me is more can the people of Montreal and Toronto handle this? Jacobs says. Its not so much whether the system can. Its whether Canada allows these people to live in poverty or will support them to become economically integrated members of society. And if they dont, the question then becomes why did we say were going to accept them? Antonia Zerbisias is an award-winning Canadian journalist. She has been a reporter and TV host for the Toronto Star, the CBC, as well as the Montreal correspondent for Variety trade paper. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Worlds biggest opium producer has an estimated 2.4 million adult drug users but only 123 treatment centres. Afghanistans government has turned Kabuls largest US military camp into a centre to treat drug addicts. The country is the worlds biggest supplier of heroin, and illegal drugs are cheap to buy. The former military camp is now the largest rehabilitation centre in the country, serving mostly homeless addicts. There are usually around 600 patients in the centre. WATCH: Afghanistans billion-dollar drug war As well as receiving medicine and counselling, they receive three meals a day, new clothes and haircuts. Sayyid Walid, a patient, told Al Jazeera: I have been using drugs for 22 years. I am tired of this dark life. I want to start a new one. Another, Mohammed Assad, said: When I compare my previous life with my current one, I feel Im human. Doctors say the programme starts with a 45-day detoxification. Daruish Osmani, who works at the centre, told Al Jazeera: After 45 days, we will continue with our treatment including physical activity and teaching them a career such as carpentry We wont leave them. Afghanistan is the worlds biggest opium producer. Last year, the country produced some 3,300 tonnes The ministry of counter narcotics says there are up to 2.4 million adult drug users in Afghanistan, but only 123 treatment centres. Register contains details of 870 people considered incarnations of Buddha, a move Beijing hopes will stop fraud. China has launched an online register of living Buddhas in an attempt to root out impostors trying to swindle believers out of money. The database contains the names, photos and details of 870 verified incarnations of Buddha, the state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. The agency cites the example of Wu Darong, an impostor who fooled followers including actor Zhang Tielin, and was later exposed. At least one living Buddha has given his approval to the system, telling Xinhua the move promoted transparency. As a living Buddha, I feel genuinely happy about it, said Drukhang Thubten Khedrup. In Tibetan Buddhism, the souls of previous religious leaders manifest in others after death. Chinese interference There has been no response from the current Dalai Lama but the Tibetan religious leader has previously rejected what he calls Chinese attempts to split Tibetan Buddhism. In July last year, the Dalai Lama said the Chinese government was interfering in his succession by choosing its own successor. China, which regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist, has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since Communist troops took over the region in 1950. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule. Joint request for unarmed mission made as two sides aim to reach comprehensive peace agreement before March deadline. Colombias government and FARC rebels say they have asked the United Nations to monitor the eventual end of their five-decade conflict and the disarmament of the armed group. We have decided to ask the UN Security Council to create [a mission] of unarmed observers for a period of 12 months to oversee the end of the conflict, the two sides said at peace talks in Cubas capital Havana on Tuesday. They said the mission would guarantee that a ceasefire and disarmament would be genuine and permanent, calling the announcement a transcendental moment in the years-long peace process. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said last year he would make such a request of the UN. That the rebels agreed to make the request jointly with the government is a sign of progress as the two sides aim to reach a comprehensive peace agreement before a March 23 deadline that negotiators set last year. The announcement came two days after Cuban President Raul Castro met negotiators from both sides. Rebel leaders also travelled to Colombia last week to brief combatants in the mountains and jungles on the state of talks. Many Colombians continue to be sceptical about the peace talks. IN PICTURES: FARC rebels in Colombian jungle FARC has negotiated with the government on three previous occasions and every time it has ended in failure. Late last year, Al Jazeera was granted rare access to a FARC camp where rebel commanders expressed guarded optimism about the outcomes of the talks in Cuba. They said they would be wary to give up their guns unless they had guarantees that the government would protect them from paramilitary groups and organised crime. The Latin American countrys attorney general estimates 52,000 people have disappeared during Latin Americas longest war, which has killed some 220,000 people and displaced millions. Children as young as seven are being sent down dangerous mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to extract highly valued cobalt for batteries to power the worlds electronic devices. Laptops, mobile phones and electric cars all require the mineral for lithium batteries, and half the worlds cobalt supply is found in the DRC, a report by Amnesty and the NGO Afrewatch published on Tuesday said. In 2014, about 40,000 children worked in mines across the country, according to UNICEF. At least 80 artisanal miners died underground in southern Congo between September 2014 and December 2015, but that number could be far higher, according to the report. Risking it all Hazardous trucking in DR Congo After Congolese children and adults risk their lives in the mines, cobalt is then sold to Chinese and South Korean battery manufacturers who supply major tech and car companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, and Volkswagen, it said. We literally followed the sacks and trucks with the cobalt mineral from the mines to the marketplaces and to the distribution to companies, said Mark Dummett, who conducted research for Amnesty in DRC. There is little transparency in the production chains At the end of the line, the Western companies who sell these devices can easily say they are unaware of where the raw materials come from, Dummett said. Artisanal mining in DRC is often done by hand, using the most basic tools. Children work up to 12 hours a day carrying heavy loads, while earning between $1 and $2 a day. The report quoted one child identified as Paul, 14, who said he often spends 24 hours down in the tunnels. I arrive in the morning and leave the following morning. Francois, a miner who was sorting stones with his 13-year-old son, told researchers they had to do what was necessary to survive. It is difficult to afford the school fees, it is hard to afford food. We work because we have to because there are no jobs. Give us jobs and well look after our children properly. Francois was quoted as saying. The hand-dug mines tens of metres underground often have little tunnel support and are poorly ventilated. One woman described having to carry 50kg sacks of cobalt ore. We all have problems with our lungs and pain all over our bodies, she said in the report. READ MORE: The losing battle against conflict minerals Frank Poulsen, the Danish filmmaker, directed the documentary Blood in the Mobile in 2011, in which he tried to trace his Nokia mobile phone to the Congo mines. The situation in Congo has changed from when I was there to film the documentary, because now there is less conflict, Poulsen told Al Jazeera. But the real problem did not change: companies that extract minerals leave behind poverty and only a small and corrupt elite that profits from the natural resources. Poulsen said it was up to the major Western companies to take responsibility for the exploitation of the Congolese miners. Of course big companies on the far end can be more transparent the problem is they do not want to be, he said. Instead of being socially responsible, they care more about their shareholders and about being competitive, more than they care about child labour in Congo. That is how simple it is. European Council President Donald Tusk says EU must deal with crisis immediately or face collapse of passport-free zone. European Council President Donald Tusk has issued a stark warning that the European Union has no more than two months to tackle the refugee crisis engulfing the 28-nation bloc or else face the collapse of its passport-free Schengen zone. Tusk was speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday amid growing frustration in Brussels and Germany the blocs biggest economy and main destination for migrants arriving in Europe that the EU seems unable to resolve its worst migration crisis since World War II. We have no more than two months to get things under control, Tusk, who chairs the summits of EU leaders, said. The March European Council [summit] will be the last moment to see if our strategy works. If it doesnt, we will face grave consequences, such as the collapse of Schengen. The European Council summit on March 17-18 will focus mainly on the refugee and migration crisis. The Schengen system has already been suspended in some countries such as Denmark, Germany and Sweden, which have introduced controls at their borders in order to stem the flow of migrant and refugee arrivals. Tusk said that EU governments had failed to deliver on commitments to curb the flow of refugees and migrants reaching Europe, with more than one million arrivals last year and figures showing little sign of decreasing over the winter months. Greece reported 100,000 new arrivals in December alone and further north, thousands of refugees are caught in sub-zero temperatures as they attempt to cross the Balkans to countries like Germany. REPORTERS NOTEBOOK: Refugees look to the sea as Sweden tightens land border Unilateral actions from different European states and EU states to suddenly close borders have pushed people towards more dangerous routes in the hands of smugglers again, said Doctors Without Borders adviser Aurelie Ponthieu. Thats something were seeing today- more and more people resorting to smuggling routes and the services of smugglers to cross through the Balkans and stranding people behind borders without any assistance. Tusk said on Tuesday that a landmark deal with Turkey, which is meant to keep more people on its soil in exchange for funding for refugees and reviving its long-stalled EU membership talks, was still to bear fruit. He said the EU would fail as a political project if it could not control its external borders properly. The crisis has exposed bitter disputes among EU countries, with some blaming Greece and Italy for letting too many people in. Athens and Rome say Germanys initial open-door policy encouraged more arrivals than anyone could cope with. More than 3,800 refugees died trying to get into Europe in 2015. Protesters vow to derail Sundays runoff vote after candidate accuses electoral authority of backing ruling party. Protesters have taken to the streets of Haitis capital to demand the suspension of a runoff presidential vote over alleged irregularities. The demonstrations in Port-au-Prince on Monday came as attackers in rural areas set fire to several electoral offices. Some of the thousand-strong group of protesters burned vehicles, threw rocks and attacked a petrol station in the downtown area of the capital. Haiti is due to hold a runoff vote backed by international donors on Sunday, but tensions have risen since the opposition candidate Jude Celestin said last week he would withdraw. Celestin accuses electoral authorities of favouring the ruling party. We are moving towards a selection, not an election, Celestin told the Associated Press on Saturday. The Swiss-trained engineer came second in an October first-round vote in the poor Caribbean nation, beaten by banana exporter Jovenel Moise, the ruling party candidate. Elections and transfers of power in Haiti have long been plagued by instability, and international observers said Octobers vote was relatively smooth. However, several of the 54 candidates said the government had twisted the results. Fresh elections Mondays protesters demanded the creation of an interim government and that fresh elections be held after President Michel Martelly leaves office in February. They included several opposition groups including the Platform Pitit Desalin and supporters of the opposition candidate, Celestin. We declare this week the rebellion week to block the January 24 election. We will protest in front of each voting booth and voting centre, said Assad Volcy, secretary-general of Pitit Desalin. In the north of the country, unknown assailants burned four offices belonging to the electoral council, which has been blamed by many critics for irregularities in the October vote. Four members of the electoral council have resigned in recent days. The election authority said it condemned acts of violence and vowed to go ahead with the vote on Sunday. Companies doing business in Israeli settlements contribute to and profit from land confiscations and the violation of Palestinian workers rights and support the settlements which are illegal under international law, according to a Human Rights Watch report. The report, published on Tuesday by the rights group, is titled Occupation, Inc: How Settlement Businesses Contribute to Israels Violations of Palestinian Rights. It called on businesses to cease all activity in Israeli settlements, including trading with, servicing, financing or operating in them, in order to comply with their human rights responsibilities. It also called on governments to withhold aid to Israel, stating that they should avoid offsetting the costs of Israeli government expenditures on settlements by withholding funding given to the Israeli government in an amount equivalent to its expenditures on settlements and related infrastructure in the West Bank. The report explains how Israeli and international companies engaged in business activities in the West Bank are inextricably linked to Israels discriminatory policies in the occupied territories, which deprive Palestinians of their natural resources. The Palestinian town of Beit Fajar, near the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, is one example of an affected area mentioned in the report. Beit Fajar is heavily dependent on the stone industry for its livelihood. Its 150 stone workshops and 40 quarries employ around 80 percent of its workforce. READ MORE: US sued over donations for illegal Israeli settlements But according to Ahmad, who spoke to Al Jazeera under a pseudonym, running a quarry in Beit Fajar is no easy feat. We work on Shabbat [Saturday, the Jewish rest day] and other holidays in order to avoid getting our equipment confiscated. When we do work on regular days, we are always on guard. My equipment has been confiscated three times since 2007, he told Al Jazeera, adding that this cost him about $81,000 including $17,700 in fines. Ahmad was denied permits to run the several quarries he owns in Area C, the area comprising 60 percent of the occupied West Bank considered by the Oslo Accords to be under full Israeli control. According to HRWs report, none of the Beit Fajar quarries located in Area C has been granted a permit by the Israeli Civil Administration, a unit of the Defense Ministry. The applications have, for the most part, been left pending. According to the Palestinian Union of Stone and Marble, no new permits have been issued to Palestinians for quarries in Area C since 1994. By contrast, Israel has licensed 11 quarries to Israeli and international companies in Area C. The West Bank was divided into three areas as part of the Oslo Accords in 1995. The aim of the interim agreement was to incrementally cede control of the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority, and was meant to end within five years. Instead, an estimated 547,000 settlers live in about 125 settlements and 100 outposts (settlements not officially recognised by the Israeli government) in the occupied West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem. Palestinian development and construction in Area C is all but banned, with 94 percent of Palestinian building-licence requests denied between 2000 and 2012. Al Jazeera contacted the Civil Administration for a comment on the apparent discriminatory basis in which permits are issued. Every year, the Civil Administration examines the renewal of the quarry permits in order to ensure the security measures are determined for the safety of the quarry workers as maintaining the natural view of [the West Bank], a representative of the Civil Administration said. READ MORE: SodaStream factory shows Palestinian Bedouins plight The 162-page report, which focuses on five case studies to show the wide range of business involvement in Israeli settlements, highlights several cases including: RE/MAX, an American real estate company that sells and markets properties in illegal settlements, which Palestinians from the occupied West Bank are effectively not allowed to buy. Another is an unnamed Israeli textile manufacturer that supplies an American retailer and has since relocated to Israel; an Israeli bank financing construction in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel; a landfill site that facilitates the use of confiscated land in the occupied West Bank to dump waste from Israel and the settlements; and the case of German multinational company Heidelberg Cement. The bottom line is no settlement business should be operating and profiting from land and resources illegally taken from the Palestinian people. by Arvind Ganesan, Director of the business and human rights division at Human Rights Watch Heidelberg owns a quarry in Nahal Raba, in the western region of the occupied West Bank, through its subsidiary, Hanson. The quarry is located on 60 hectares of land which belong to the nearby Palestinian village of Zawiyah but which were declared state land and cut off from the village with the unlawful construction of the separation wall inside Palestinian territory. The report points out that companies doing business in the settlements also contribute to making Israels settlement enterprise sustainable. In 2014, Heidelberg Cement, through its subsidiary, paid $467,000 in taxes to the Samaria Regional Council, as well as $3.53m in royalties to the Israeli Civil Administration for use of the Nahal Raba quarry. The company defended its operations by arguing that in the same year, 60 percent of workers at the Nahal Raba quarry were Palestinians from the West Bank. We are convinced that the Palestinian population benefits from our operations due to the payment of royalties [to the Israeli Civil Administration] and provision of well-paid long-term employment opportunities, Andreas Schaller, its director of Communication and Investor Relations, wrote in a statement. When the EU moved to issue guidelines for its member states to label some products made in the settlements last November, Israel similarly argued that the move would harm Palestinian workers. But Palestinian analysts have debunked that argument, saying that the expansion of settlements contributes to choking the Palestinian economy, creating a situation of dependence whereby Palestinians have no choice but to join the ranks of cheap settlement labourers. According to World Bank estimates, Israeli restrictions in Area C cost the Palestinian economy $3.4bn a year, or 33 percent of its GDP. And despite the fact that Israeli labour law should apply to Palestinian settlement workers, in practice this is not enforced. Workers depend on Israeli-issued work permits and many are afraid to sue abusive employers for fear of losing them. Human Rights Watch said that according to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, companies are responsible for identifying and mitigating any adverse human rights effect their business may cause. The circumstances under which business is conducted in the West Bank are intrinsically problematic under international law, Arvind Ganesan, director of the business and human rights division at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera. Companies are responsible for knowing where their supply chain is and where they are investing. International rules on the human rights conduct of companies require them to not do business there, he added. The bottom line is that no settlement business should be operating and profiting from land and resources illegally taken from the Palestinian people, Ganesan said. Dabiq magazine releases eulogy for Mohammed Emwazi, who won global notoriety for his filmed executions of hostages. A digital magazine associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has released a eulogy for Jihadi John, a member of the group who won global notoriety for his filmed executions of hostages. The fighter, who was identified as Mohammed Emwazi, was described in ISILs Dabiq magazine by his nickname in the group of Abu Muharib al-Muhajir. The US military said in November it was reasonably certain it had killed him in a drone strike. In a briefing Colonel Steve Warren said it would take time for formal confirmation that the air strike killed Emwazi. But Warren added that the US had great confidence that this individual was Jihadi John. He said: We know for a fact that the weapons system hit its intended target, and that the personnel who were on the receiving end of that weapons system were in fact killed. Emwazi appeared in ISIL videos showing the killings of journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and a number of other hostages. Emwazi, a computer programmer from London, was born in Kuwait to a stateless family of Iraqi origin. His parents moved to Britain in 1993, after their hopes of obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship were quashed. The sprayed herbicides by the Israeli army could constitute a real hazard for the population, officials say. Khan Younis, Gaza Strip On January 7, a low-flying agricultural aircraft sprayed herbicides on to Palestinian farmlands along the eastern border, eradicating or damaging up to 162 hectares of crops and farmland along the Israeli border fence. Herbicides are sprayed in high concentrations. Thus, they remain embedded in the soil, and then find their way to the water basin. This constitutes a real hazard for the population, said Anwar Abu Assi, manager of the chemical laboratory at the Ministry of Agriculture. The sprayed areas belong to Israels unilaterally imposed and poorly delineated buffer or no-go zone. The zone, which amounts to an estimated 17 percent of the entire territory of the Gaza Strip and a third of its agricultural lands, erodes into the Strips most vital and fertile soils. READ MORE: Gaza faces harsh winter after Israel cuts gas supply Yousef Shahin, 40, was having enough trouble sustaining his farmland when, last week, an Israeli raid targeted the water tank that supplied his farm and neighbouring farms in the al-Faraheen area east of Khan Younis. The tank and collection system had cost Shahin and his neighbours some $15,000. Shahin said governmental support was lacking.Without support, we can never reconstruct the system again. We dont have running water for irrigation; I think we lost this season. The Israeli armys move had added another element to the suffering of Shahin and his fellow farmers. With the Strip being merely five kilometres wide in some areas, a few hundred metres prove essential to the Strips food security. Over the past few months, Israeli soldiers have killed at least 16 Palestinians who entered the zone, most of them protesters who were shot at by snipers while participating in demonstrations near the fence. Furthermore, scores of casualties have been reported among farmers who were merely tending to or approaching their lands. We had to jeopardise our lives daily growing these crops; now all our efforts are in vain, said Shahin while examining a new implant of spinach. He lost crops that included spinach, peas, parsley and beans. Whether or not his new endeavours to cultivate will succeed remains unknown. We had to jeopardise our lives daily growing these crops; now all our efforts are in vain. by Yousef Shahin, Gaza farmer Farmers confirm that the damages of the latest spraying extend beyond the so-called buffer zone, as the winds carried the chemicals further inside the Strip. They also fear consequences of such materials may affect their lands in the long run. Abu Assi explained that each herbicide or pesticide has a safety period that needs to be observed before attempting to grow new crops. At such high concentrations, he fears the lands are likely to constitute a hazard for a long time. An Israeli army official cited security reasons as justification. WATCH: Reality Check: Gaza is still occupied During the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza, the agricultural sector sustained losses and damages of up to $550m. Some 14,000 hectares were razed and destroyed; thousands of hectares of crops were also lost because farmers were unable to reach their lands amid the fighting. A few days ago, Israeli warplanes bombed Gazas main agricultural experiment station, causing $300,000-worth of damages and destroying the stations building, laboratories, vehicles and a large power generator. The occupation extracts a steep price from farmers and fishermen in Gaza. The station developed new seeds and strains for use by local farmers. Bombed and completely destroyed during the 2014 war, Israel seems insistent on keeping the station out of service, effectively stifling every Palestinian attempt to attain self-sufficiency or independence, even agriculturally. The stations manager, Shaher al-Rifi, says that the facility is currently 70 percent out of service. With the Israeli restrictions on imports of tractors and agricultural machinery, it is likely to remain so for a long time to come. Adel Atallah, a general director at the agriculture ministry, explains that the whole agricultural sector has for years been running on old machines. Domestic farmers face problems trying to replenish anything that goes out of service. What isnt banned is stalled at the crossings by Israel. The troubles facing the agricultural sector in Gaza span a wide myriad of difficulties. Irrigation is disturbed by the continuous power interruptions, which sometimes last more than 12 hours a day. Farmers depend on power generators to pump water, and the costs of fuel add another factor to their economic vulnerability. Winter storm brings major disruptions to the north of the country with as much as 83cm of snowfall. Heavy snow and strong winds brought serious disruption to northern Japan on Tuesday. The heaviest snowfall was across Hokkaido and northern Honshu, with the northern coastal city of Aomori reporting a level 83cm of snow at 06:00GMT. The snow extended southwards across much of western Honshu and Kyushu. Even the capital, Tokyo, saw a blanket of 6cm. Across the country 250 injuries were reported many as a result of people slipping over despite warnings from the authorities to venture outside only if absolutely necessary. The countrys highly organised and efficient transport network was affected by the snowfall. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelled almost 200 flights, affecting 16,000 passengers. Bullet trains on the JR Yamagata, Akita, Hokuriku Joetsu and Tokaido lines were delayed. Many roads were closed, including sections of the Chuo Expressway in the Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures. Winds of 140km an hour caused large snowdrifts and brought waves of up to eight metres high crashing on to the west coast. The area of low pressure that brought the severe weather was moving eastward on Tuesday into the Pacific Ocean. Honshu and the southern islands will see a return to drier, brighter weather from Wednesday. But Hokkaido is expected to experience further snow flurries in the coming days with an accumulation of 20cm in Sapporo by Friday. At higher elevations, there could be another metre of snow. Libyas Presidential Council has announced a new government of national accord aimed at uniting the countrys warring factions under a United Nations-backed plan. The Tunis-based council had pushed back the deadline for naming the government by 48 hours, amid reports of disputes over the distribution of ministerial posts, before Tuesdays announcement came. Only seven of the councils nine members had signed the document, which named a total of 32 ministers, including one female. The UN hopes that the new government will be able to deliver stability and tackle a growing threat from fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. Libya has become deeply fractured since two rival governments were formed in the summer of 2014, with one operating from the capital Tripoli and the other from the eastern city of Tobruk. Many members of Libyas competing parliaments did not back the agreement, and critics say that the plan does not evenly represent all the countrys groups and factions. Some critics cite reports that the UN representative who helped broker the agreement, Bernardino Leon, was secretly negotiating a high-paying job with the United Arab Emirates, which backs the Tobruk government. The agreement still has to be approved by the House of Representatives in Tobruk (which has 10 days to endorse the news government) as well as the General National Congress in Tripoli, which remains divided over the issue. Activists in Pakistan have demanded the removal of the chief of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) after a bill to increase the minimum legal age for marriage from 16 to 18 was opposed and termed blasphemous by the advisory body. The National Assemblys Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony rejected the child marriage restraint bill last week after the council dubbed it anti-Islamic. Child marriage in numbers Pakistan Children married by 15: 3% Children married by 18: 21% Adolescents currently married (female): 15.7% Births by age 18: 10.2% Global One-third of girls in the developing world are married before the age of 18, and one in nine are married before 15. If current trends continue, 150 million girls will be married before their 18th birthday over the next decade. Pregnancy is consistently among the leading causes of death for girls ages 15 to 19 worldwide. Sources: UNICEF, Girls Not Brides, ICRW The move to ban under-18 marriages and increase punishment for those carrying them out was initiated by Marvi Memon, a member of the National Assembly, who was forced to withdraw it last Thursday following staunch resistance from the CII. The council advises the legislature whether certain bills are compliant with Islamic law. According to a UNICEF estimate, 3 percent of girls in Pakistan are married before they turn 15 and 21 percent before age 18. Those involved in an under-age marriage are punished by one month in prison in addition to a PKR 1,000 fine ($10). The amendment not only sought to boost the minimum legal age of marriage for girls to 18, but also to impose a two-year prison sentence and increase the fine to PKR 100,000 ($950). Critics called for the dismissal of the Islamic council chief after the bill was opposed. Maulvi Sherani must immediately be removed from his post as CII chairperson and an educated, enlightened, progressive, moderate and real Islamic scholar who lives in the 21st century, and who does not hate women and girls must be appointed to replace him, civil society leaders demanded in a statement. While the council clarified it was only seeking abolishment of punishments, its spokesman reiterated the organisations earlier stance that a girl could be married as early as nine. If the signs of puberty are visible, a boy can be married off at 12 and a girl at nine years of age, spokesman Inamullah told Al Jazeera. If those elements are not present, then 15 should be the legal age. It doesnt mean that a girl should be married off as soon as she turns nine. And its unfair to blame the CII for this. Its not like we came up with the law and people started getting their daughters married at nine. Parents should do what is best for their children. But the impression that the act should be punishable is not correct From religious teachings, it is quite clear that if puberty is reached as early as nine, the girl can be married off, said Inamullah, who only gave one name. Many #childbrides develop fistula as a result of early pregnancy, with devastating consequences on their lives https://t.co/36m1VGVQ1g Girls Not Brides (@GirlsNotBrides) January 17, 2016 Poverty, lack of education, and the culture are cited as reasons behind the practice of child marriage in Pakistan. Marriage and subsequent pregnancy at the age of nine increases the chances of a young girl dying 10-fold, according to a medical expert. A nine-year-old girl is not physically, emotional or psychologically mature. She is what she is: a young girl, Dr Shershah Syed, founder of the Pakistan National Forum on Women Health, told Al Jazeera. Shameful that in 2016 we are backing down from Anti child marriage bill while Pakistan ratified the United Nations CRC in 1990. Reham Khan (@RehamKhan1) January 15, 2016 Given her frail body structure at that age and pregnancy at that age increases her chances of death 10 times shes unable to handle all this. The legal age in Pakistan 15 is still better than nine, but we in our field would not recommend a girl getting married before shes at least 18. The Council of Islamic Ideology is an advisory body and its recommendations should not be binding, Blue Viens, an NGO working for womens rights in Pakistan, told Al Jazeera We outrightly reject him [Maulvi Sherani] and his statements against women and girls, as well as the early marriage criteria, programme coordinator Qamar Naseem said. Hundreds of proposed bills are never sent to the Islamic council and many of its recommendations are not followed by the government, said Naseem. Only when it comes to women and children issues, the government forwards to CII because it knows those amendments will not be approved. Follow Faras Ghani on Twitter: @farasG Authorities plan to send dozens of mostly Syrian refugees back over the Russian border they crossed last autumn. Dozens of asylum seekers in Norways Arctic region are resisting authorities plans to deport them to Russia. Norway recently adopted stricter asylum policies and has started returning some of about 5,000 refugees and migrants who entered the country through the Russian-Norwegian border last autumn. Some of those fearing deportation have left the asylum centre in Vadso, near the border, where they are being housed. Their whereabouts are not known. About 30 asylum seekers, mostly Syrians, also went on a brief hunger strike to protest against the plan to send 55 people to Russia by bus. Police have been rounding up refugees due to be deported over the weekend after Russian authorities confirmed that those with valid visas to Russia could be returned to the country. Legal challenge In sharp criticism of the move, Halvor Frihagen, a Norwegian migration lawyer, said that attempts to return refugees to Russia put them at risk and contravened European Union human rights. The asylum seekers are detained and have not been given the possibility to appeal the decisions. This is in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights, article 13, Frihagen told Al Jazeera. He said that many of the asylum seekers may face persecution or deportation to places where they risk persecution. Norway considers Russia a safe first country of asylum, despite several convictions in the European Court of Human Rights, including for detaining asylum seekers with a view of deporting them to Syria, Frihagen said. Furthermore there is a risk of ill treatment during detention, and other risks in Russia. The plan is to deport the asylum seekers to northern Russia, where there are no asylum camps or other services to them, and the temperatures at the moment are minus 25C. We fear that families with children will be left outside in the cold. Arriving by bike The overwhelming majority of refugees trying to reach Norway have come using boats leaving North Africa and Turkey and then overland through EU member states. A small proportion, however, have taken the so-called Arctic Route through Russia crossing the Norwegian border by bike as Russia does not allow anyone to cross on foot. A pile of abandoned bikes at the Storskog border station has become the symbol of the northern refugee influx, with thousands of cheap bikes used by asylum seekers being sent for destruction as they do not meet Norwegian safety standards. The influx stopped in November, after Russia and Norway reached a deal by which Oslo would immediately reject claims of asylum made by people who crossed into Norway from Russia. The move came as part of a broader move to reduce immigration to the country brought on by the success of right-wing parties during last Septembers elections. Under a deal agreed by a wide section of political parties, the government will reduce asylum seekers social benefits, and speed up the processing of some cases and the expulsion of rejected asylum seekers. From the beginning of 2015 through to November, at least 29,000 people sought asylum in the country. In effort to foster integration, Carruurteenna will feature role models and traditional Somali stories. Northern Europes first childrens magazine that caters to Somalis has been launched in Sweden. The first issue was published last week, and the editor, Musa Isse, hopes that the initiative will lead to better integration and help children to build strong identities. We want to encourage their interest in reading and writing while strengthening their cultural identity, Isse told Al Jazeera. The title of the magazine, Carruurteenna, means our children. Copies will be available in libraries and schools, as well as in bookstores. We want the children to learn the Somali language. This will strengthen the communication bond between parents and children to reinforce relations across generations, Isse added. Somalis constitute one of the largest immigrant groups in Sweden, with up to 100,000 Somali speakers. Many of them fled the Somali civil war in the early 1990s. READ MORE: A sporting way to welcome Somalis Contributors to the magazine include writers, artists and librarians of both Swedish and Somali background. While most texts are in Somali, some are in Swedish or English. Isse said that the magazines founders want to support young people who want to read in Somali, about Somali culture and news relating to children and young people. The magazine is published by the Somali Nordic Culture, a non-profit organisation comprising of students, writers, storytellers, librarians, journalists and artists. It will be published four times a year, and targets children between the ages of 7 and 14. Some sections will focus on historic Somalia, to educate the children about the country before the war. In order for the children to build strong identities and the ability to integrate in their new home country they must learn about their roots and history, said Isse. Traditional Somali childrens stories will also be featured. And a special character, Dalmar the traveller, has been created. It mirrors a popular Swedish cartoon bear, Bamse, who travels on adventures around the country. Since Isse believes it is crucial for children to have role models, the magazine will also feature people who have built successful careers in Sweden. In the first issue, a medical doctor who grew up in Stockholm was profiled. The children need successful role models that look like them, said Isse. At the initial stage, the magazine will target Somali children in Sweden and other Nordic countries. But eventually, its founders hope to reach Somalis all over Europe. Hollywood figures lead boycott of Academy Awards citing a lack of racial diversity in nominations two years in a row. Hollywood heavyweight Spike Lee says that he will boycott this years Oscar awards because of a continued lack of racial diversity in the list of nominees. By Tuesday, the prominent filmmaker and director, along with actor Jada Pinkett-Smith, had announced they would not be attending the ceremony on February 28 to protest about the lack of recognition of black actors and others from minority backgrounds. All 20 Oscar nominations for acting awards are white for the second year in a row. The boycott forced Academy President Cheryl Boone to offer a statement via Twitter, in which she promised a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond. Lee called the Academy Awards lily-white in an Instagram post on Monday, which was Martin Luther King Jr Day. Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all. We cant act?! he wrote. OPINION: Why Hollywood is still so bad at diversity As I see it, the Academy Awards is not where the real battle is. Its in the executive office of the Hollywood studios and TV and cable networks. This is where the gate keepers decide what gets made and what gets jettisoned to turnaround or scrap heap. This is whats important. Oscars recognises Palestine as state People, the truth is we aint in those rooms and until minorities are, the Oscar nominees will remain lily-white. Also on Monday, Pinkett-Smith who is married to the actor Will Smith posted a video on her Facebook page with the caption: We must stand in our power. Will Smith was recently nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role in the film Concussion. Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking for it, diminishes dignity and diminishes power, and we are a dignified people. And we are powerful. Lets not forget it, said Pinkett-Smith. Her video has been viewed more than seven million times. OPINION: Why the Oscars are still in black and white The lack of diversity has revived a hashtag on social media from last year: #OscarsSoWhite. David A Love, editor of blackcommentator.com, told Al Jazeera: It is really disconcerting to see that even though its 2016, America is still dealing with the same problems of lack of diversity in various institutions. I think the problem really goes to the heart of the fact that the motion picture industry like so many other institutions is very slow to change. You have a situation where essentially white males are dominating the industry, and as a result you dont see diverse voices blacks, Latinos, other people being allowed to really express themselves Its an ongoing problem that people should be concerned about. Some have argued that there were no non-white actors in the running this year. READ MORE: Jordanian film nominated for an Oscar However, some Oscar watchers had expected actor Idris Elba to be nominated for his role in Beasts Of No Nation, as well as Smith for Concussion. There were also hopes that actors in Straight Outta Compton, of which the screenplay has been nominated, would also be recognised. When you consider the fact that there were a number of outstanding actors, actresses and directors who were considered for the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and other awards the fact that none at all has been considered for the Oscars, it really makes one wonder what is going on here, said Love. African-American actor Chris Rock will host next months ceremony. Addressing Rocks role in the awards, Love said: You cant have symbolism to make up for years of systemic discrimination. With reporting by Anealla Safdar: @anealla United States justices to review lower courts decision to block Obamas order, which shields millions from deportation. United States President Barack Obamas effort to shield more than four million immigrants from deportation has been given new life after the Supreme Court agreed to review lower court rulings which blocked the initiative. Obamas 2014 executive order lifted the threat of deportation against immigrants with no criminal record whose children are US citizens, but upset a large number of states which argued that the president had overstepped his bounds. The Supreme Courts justices said on Tuesday that they would review a November ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld a February 2015 decision by US District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, Texas, to halt Obamas action. The border state of Texas is leading 26 states in challenging the immigration plan. The Supreme Courts decision to review the case, which was brought by the Department of Justice, is likely to have a strong effect on this years US presidential race with immigration policy a major campaign issue for both Democrats and Republicans. The case will likely be argued in April and decided by late June, about a month before both parties presidential nominating conventions. READ MORE: Obama set to announce key immigration reforms The possible nullification of the Obama order will most likely affect millions of Latinos, who are increasingly becoming politically influential and could determine the outcome of the presidential election. In the latest Congressional mid-term elections in the US in 2014, up to 25 million Latinos were eligible to vote, although voter turnout remains low. In the countrys most populous state of California, Latinos account for about 38 percent of the population, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Correcting legal error A spokesman for the New York Immigration Coalition told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the Supreme Courts decision fast-tracked the possibility for millions of immigrants to stay and work legally in the US. We are pleased with the decision of the Supreme Court. This is what we have been pushing for, Thanu Yakupitiyage said. It signifies a lot to immigrant communities, who have been waiting for a year now, because all of 2015, President Obamas actions were delayed. She said she is confident of the legality of the order and that the Supreme Court will rule in Obamas favour. Before President Obama put forward his executive action, there were lawyers and whole teams looking at the constitutionality of whether he could do this. And based on that, he is able by executive action to do that. In New York, around 300,000 immigrants could potentially benefit from the rule, which could come into effect as early as June or July, she added. In a statement sent to Al Jazeera, Mairele Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, said the Supreme Court has the opportunity to remedy this grievous legal and moral error. Hincapie said she was confident the court would uphold the legality of the oder. The legal argument is clear: President Obama, like every president before him for nearly half a century, can and should exercise discretion in immigration matters, she said. But the moral, economic, and societal arguments in favour of the presidents immigration initiatives are no less important. With additional reporting by Al Jazeeras Ted Regencia Parties have yet to agree on list of opposition groups who may attend, as both sides seek more assurances. Talks meant to be held in Geneva next week between both sides of Syrias civil war opposition groups and President Bashar al-Assads government are far from certain to take place. Although the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, briefed the Security Council in a closed meeting on Monday about these much-anticipated talks, there is still no consensus on who should be invited. Obviously we hope that the negotiations will take place but there are some questions which have to be dealt with, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said. Last month, the Security Council issued a rare, unanimous show of support for negotiations to be held between the Assad government and opposition groups. But UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is now urging countries supporting opposing sides in the conflict to redouble efforts to agree on a list of opposition groups to be invited to peace talks. Compiling a list has not been an easy task, especially when regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia accuse each other of supporting terrorists in Syria. OPINION: How to make Syria peace talks work Russian President Vladimir Putin also made it clear during talks with Qatars Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Moscow that he believes the list for the opposition delegation drawn up in Saudi Arabia should include more secular figures and Kurdish representatives. But even opposition groups set to be invited have not committed to participating in the Geneva talks. They accuse the Assad government of not genuinely seeking a political solution, citing previous Geneva talks as being deliberately obstructive and derailed by his representatives. Its thought this time around, the format to begin with will be days of proximity talks, Al Jazeeras Diplomatic Editor James Bays reported. The two sides will be kept in separate rooms with Mr De Mistura shuttling between them. Police fire tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters in Kasserine, two days after unemployed man committed suicide. Tunisian police have fired tear gas at protesters demanding jobs in the western Kasserine province, two days after an unemployed man committed suicide, locals have said. Clashes between protesters demanding jobs and Tunisian police escalated in the city of Kasserine, the capital of the province, on Tuesday, Tunisias state news agency (TAP) reported. At least 23 people were injured in the clashes, including three security forces, according to TAP. The injuries mostly resulted from the use of tear gas. A curfew from 6pm to 5am local time has been imposed in the city, TAP said. Ridha Yahyaoui, a young job-seeker, committed suicide in Kasserine on Sunday after he found out his name had been taken from a government pool of potential public employees. Yahyaoui climbed a utility pole where he threatened to self-immolate. Yahyaoui then came in contact with the cables the pole was carrying and was electrocuted. https://twitter.com/ilyes768/status/689426236775395328 The government ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Yahyaouis death. The city of Kasserine lies near the Algerian border, in the shadow of Jebel ech Chambi, Tunisias highest peak. IN PICTURES: Tunisian revolution According to the World Bank, Tunisias unemployment rate is at 15.3 percent, only a little under the countrys unemployment rate post-2011 revolution of 16.7 percent, but still well above the pre-revolution level of 13 percent. TAP also reported on Tuesday that a delegation of members of parliament would visit Kasserine to monitor the latest developments in the region that has experienced social tension for some days. #Tunisia : Army vehicles entering #Kasserine. The curfew will begin in some minutes. pic.twitter.com/uzUMjsGbfJ Mohamed-Dhia Hammami (@MedDhiaH) January 19, 2016 The Speaker of the House of Peoples Representatives (HPR), Mohamed Ennaceur, said at a plenary session that he was willing to lead the delegation that will be composed of members of parliament representing the region of Kasserine. Ennaceur also said that a special plenary session on the social situation, particularly youth employment, would be held soon. During the plenary session, MPs warned against the spread of poverty and the rise in unemployment, saying these are signs of a new revolution, TAP reported. Tunisia five years on In January 2011, Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old street vendor, marched to the front of a government building and set himself on fire after police allegedly slapped him because he refused to hand over his unauthorised cart to the authorities. News of this act of desperation spread across Sidi Bouzid, leading to anger and protest. Within days, protests erupted across the country with Tunisians chanting slogans and demanding a solution to the vast unemployment and dire economic state of the country. Tunisian ex-president President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali officially resigned after 28 days of protests on January 14, 2011, putting an end to his 23-year-long rule. Unemployment, inflated food prices, corruption, lack of political freedom and poor living conditions were the underlying reasons for the demonstrations. Government removes three-year ban on video-sharing website but material deemed offensive can now be blocked. Pakistan has removed a three-year ban on YouTube after the Google-owned video-sharing website launched a local version but the news has been met with scepticism over fears of online censorship in the country. Pakistan banned access to YouTube in September 2012 after the anti-Islam film Innocence of Muslims was uploaded to the site, sparking violent protests across major cities in the country. The ban was overturned on Monday following the launch of the local version that allows authorities to demand removal of material it considers offensive. In the new version, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority can ask for access to offending material to be blocked, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom said in a statement. Localisation and a country version was the only way forward as a solution and we requested and convinced Google that this is what Pakistan needed, Anusha Rahman Khan, the IT and telecoms minister, told Al Jazeera. It took us some time to get to that stage where Google was ready because localisation is a business case and we cant force anybody. The government could ask Google to block access to offending material for users within Pakistan and the ministry said Google and YouTube would accordingly restrict access for Pakistani users. Google, however, said that it would not automatically remove material without conducting a review, and that the vetting process was the same as in other jurisdictions with local YouTube versions. We have clear community guidelines, and when videos violate those rules, we remove them, Google said in a statement. Where we have launched YouTube locally and we are notified that a video is illegal in that country, we may restrict access to it after a thorough review. However, the arrangement was described as a patchwork by Badar Khushnood, a former Google Pakistan country consultant, who added that the lack of transparency in the deal puts a big question mark over internet freedom in Pakistan. The way theyve fixed it is more of a patchwork than a full solution, Khushnood, who is cofounder of the digital and social media agency Bramerz, told Al Jazeera. With the growth of 3G services and cheaper handsets in Pakistan, Google was missing out on revenue and huge traffic. As they say, follow the user and the money will follow you. The ban meant huge potential in terms of revenue was missed out on. A local version, as theyve done now, shouldve been put in place much earlier. Wahajus Siraj, convener of the Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan, confirmed to Pakistans Dawn newspaper that the anti-Islam film was no longer available on YouTube. Eid-e-YouTube Mubarak, Pakistan. Emad Zafar (@EmadZafar) January 18, 2016 The film is no longer available. There are certain purported links, but when I tried to open them, it told me the content could not be viewed in Pakistan. This shows that the governments demands have been met, said Siraj. It doesnt make a difference whether one types in youtube.com.pk or simply youtube.com. It seems that the website is filtering IP addresses and it gives Internet users in Pakistan the PK version irrespectively. This is a positive development. Khushnood, meanwhile, added that Google, when it starts using a local domain, complies with rules and laws pertaining to that country, adding further questions on the censorship issue should the ruling government request removal of unfavourable content. Pakistan has blocked thousands of web pages it has deemed undesirable in the past few years as internet access spreads, but activists say the government sometimes blocks sites to muzzle liberal or critical voices. With additional reporting by Hameedullah Khan 101 East investigates what led to the deaths of five indigenous children who went missing in the jungles of Malaysia. In August 2015, seven indigenous children mysteriously disappeared from their remote boarding school in Malaysia. After almost 50 days only two were found alive in the jungle. Their friends had already died from injury and starvation. The tragedy devastated the close-knit Orang Asli community and many families blamed the boarding school for their childrens deaths. Allegations of mistreatment were levelled against teachers as the tribe galvanised to stand up against what they say is generations of neglect and abuse by authorities. 101 East enters the world of Malaysias indigenous Orang Asli tribe to learn about their decades-long struggle for survival. Join the conversation @AJ101East UF students will use colorful condoms to create accessories as part of an event to educate students about sexual health. Eta Sigma Gamma, UFs co-ed health education honorary, is hosting Sex in the Swamp with UFs Student Health Care Center on Feb. 18 in the Florida Gym. Students can sign up in teams of up to three for the contest. They will be given condoms to create items such as scarves and purses, said Amber Dellich, a member of Eta Sigma Gammas planning committee. Dellich, a UF health education and behavior sophomore, said the organization ordered about 5,000 non lubricated, colored condoms for the contest. The event will also feature booths on health education topics, such as drug and alcohol abuse, the 20-year-old said. There will be a panel comprised of sexual health experts, who will answer questions regarding sexual health. Team members who win the design contest will receive Fitbit wristbands, which monitor heart rate and the number of steps taken, Dellich said. Students who attend will vote for their favorite condom accessory. The first 200 attendees will receive a free tank top and sunglasses. The SHCC is providing the condoms, tank tops and sunglasses, wrote Catherine Seemann, the Centers communications coordinator, in an email. Dellich said the event is going to inform students about health safety before Spring Break begins. That seems to be a time when a lot of students engage in high-risk health behavior, she said. Whether it be alcohol, drug use, sunscreen use. Any of those types of things will be relevant for Spring Break. She said the organization decided to hold the event after seeing a similar contest at the University of South Carolina. Students there used condoms to make entire outfits. Its the same purpose, Dellich said. To promote safe sex in a unique way, and have more involvement with the students. Janke Mains, a UF psychology junior, said although many people talk about safe sex, it should still be discussed with students on campus. He said the Spring Break theme is a good way to remind student to use protection. Im sure theres lots of sex that happens on Spring Break, the 20-year-old said. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now He said the condom design contest is not something students will easily forget. Although he hasnt registered, he said it was a creative idea. I feel like I could make a cute scarf, Mains said. But like, knit out of condoms. Follow Katelyn Newberg on Twitter @k_newberg Students must register their teams on the Student Health Care Centers website by Jan. 29. Condoms will be provided to each team Feb. 1. Designs must be completed by 5 p.m. Feb. 16. Sex in the Swamp will be held Feb. 18. at the Florida Gym. In the name of fun and charity, Athena Conde threw colored powder at runners Saturday. Conde, 12, said she volunteered at the Color In Motion 5k to support the Gainesville chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida. Even more so, Conde said she enjoyed coating people in shades of blue, yellow, orange and green. Runners are not colorful enough, Conde said excitedly. I cant wait to go back to school to tell people why my face is blue. During the event, which was sponsored by EFOF and held at the Alachua County Fairgrounds, volunteers coated runners in biodegradable powder during an untimed race. Blaine Hawkes, a Color In Motion 5k manager, said about 500 people participated in the event. The money raised will go toward maintenance and utilities at EFOF to help the organization keep its lights on while hosting programs in areas such as stress management, said Mandy Hancock, the community development manager for EFOF. EFOF also provides educational services to the community, along with case management and medical services to those who are unable to see a neurologist or pay for medication, Hancock said. Everyone probably knows someone with epilepsy, she said. Getting those services and information out to people is invaluable. Cade Monk, a 14-year-old Buchholz High School freshman, was the first to pass the finish line. It felt good not seeing anyone behind me, Monk said. Monk tries to run about two races a month. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now I try to run charity races, he said. Why run for no reason? John Finnerty, an 18-year-old Santa Fe College student, said some volunteers take their job more seriously than others. Some of the throwers may be a bit corrupt, he said. Theyre half color-throwers, half hitmen. As the race ended with a performance by DJ James Phabulous, some people looked forward to the next event. Volunteer Becky Taylor said shes empathetic toward people with health complications, partly because her 4-year-old daughter suffers from seizures. Taylor said she wants to volunteer for Color In Motion 5k again. I am for anything with a cause, she said. When it hits home, it means more to you. The first wave of runners dash off the starting line during the Color in Motion 5K run at the Alachua County Fairgrounds on Jan. 16, 2016. The second wave of runenrs take off from the starting line on Jan. 16, 2016, at the Alachua County Fairgrounds during the Color In Motion 5K run. Runners dance to music performed by DJ James Phabulous at the end of 5K. About 500 people participated in the color run at the Alachua County Fairgrounds on Jan. 16, 2016. For those of you who read my column regularly hi, Mom and Dad! you know the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act is a piece of legislation I kept close track of last semester. Well, on Dec. 18, the Zadroga Act was finally reauthorized via its inclusion in the omnibus bill, the spending agenda Congress crafts for the following year. This is a cause for celebration. Thirty-three thousand Americans who face debilitating illnesses and cancers after responding immediately to the 9/11 attacks or helping to clean up the rubble for months on end will officially receive permanent health care coverage and renewed compensation benefits. Before we dedicate our toasts and cheers to the Zadroga Acts permanent reauthorization, let us take a moment to truly process the grueling struggle to overcome bureaucratic ineffectuality it took to get this legislation reauthorized. The fight for the Zadroga Act dates back all the way to 2009 when, after much lobbying from 9/11 first responders, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., originally proposed it to the U.S. House. What happened? Well, in December 2010, a GOP filibuster nearly killed the legislation. Instead, Republican senators directed their attention toward passing a major tax-cut bill on Dec. 15. In an attempt to justify the GOP filibuster against 9/11 first responders health benefits amidst a speedy effort to pass tax cuts for the wealthy, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., argued, ...there is a deadline taxes go up on Jan. 1. Only after intense public scrutiny from cosponsors of the Zadroga Act, citizen activists, first responders themselves and former Daily Show host Jon Stewart did Republican senators agree to vote on a revised Zadroga Act with a five-year expiration date. Fast-forward five years to December 2015: What happened? The Zadroga Act was left to expire on Oct. 1, a reauthorization act to make Zadrogas health benefits permanent was stonewalled by a handful of GOP senators and the lobbyists and first responders once again found themselves descending upon Capitol Hill to beg for support from their representatives. Heartbreakingly, by November 2015, the Zadroga Reauthorization Act had enough cosponsors (over 60 in the House and over 240 in the Senate) to pass a vote, but it was instead stalled by proposals from the House Judiciary and Energy committees that sought to strip considerable funding from Zadrogas health programs. Even after Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-W.I.., assured reporters that the Zadroga Act would surely pass by the end of 2015, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell further undercut Zadroga by removing it as an attachment from the $305 billion highway bill that sought to ensure the approval of U.S. oil exports. In 2010, it was tax cuts; in 2015, it was oil exports. As Kanye would put it: same hell just different devils. Only, its actually the same devils, because Sens. Mitch McConnell and John Thune refused to cosponsor the Zadroga Act both in 2010 and 2015. Now, in the end, Sen. Mitch McConnell has included the Zadroga Act with the 2015 omnibus spending bill, but only after once again relentless lobbying from first responders, overt criticism from Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and the return of comedian Jon Stewart to publicly shame Mitch McConnell on Trevor Noahs Daily Show and Stephen Colberts Late Show. What does it say about us when sick, wounded first responders have to travel to Capitol Hill hundreds of times to get the health care they deserve? When a handful of New York representatives endure a six-year-long battle of bureaucracy with their own colleagues to pass a common-sense piece of legislation? When a comedian has to use national television twice to shame our senators into acting in transparency? Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Perhaps the state of our union is not as strong as we would like to imagine. David Hoffman is a UF history and physics sophomore. His column appears on Tuesdays. As the lack of a paper attested to, Monday marked the 30th celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday. Although we cannot speak with authority for the rest of the country, here in Gainesville, the dream of Dr. King remains apparent and palpable. On Tuesday, UF will be visited by Virginia Tech professor and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni, whose speech will serve as the cornerstone event to the universitys celebrations of Dr. Kings life. Elsewhere in the city, acknowledgements of Dr. Kings labors began stewing long before Mondays holiday. As reported by the Gainesville Sun, just last week, the 31st annual King Commission Hall of Fame Banquet was held at the Best Western Gateway Grand Hotel. The banquet, hosted by the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Florida Inc., serves as a testament to the power, and indeed the life, that continues to permeate Dr. Kings ideals nearly 50 years after his untimely death. Living in Florida, specifically Gainesville, means that we have been allotted privileges and insight into the lives of those different from us that Americans living in other states may lack. Here in the Alligator office, we feel comfortable in asserting that our K-12 education at least for those of us who grew up in the Sunshine State provided us with a tremendous amount of knowledge about the civil rights movement and all of the struggles, sacrifices and tragedies that characterized the era. We dont know if students in Texas, whose high school textbooks refer to imported slaves as workers, could confidently stake the same claim. We as Floridians are also lucky to be part of such a vibrant, multicultural state. Although many of a more narrow-minded persuasion would disagree, it is a blessing a word we do not use lightly that we interact with so many different cultures, beliefs and backgrounds on a daily basis. This gives us knowledge, and above all, empathy, both essential traits to being a decent human being. It isnt a stretch to say that our day-to-day lives as we understand them would not have been possible were it not for the efforts of Dr. King and his contemporaries. Despite our enthusiasm for the progress made, we are not blind to the harsher realities permeating modern America: One does not have to have read The New Jim Crow to understand that racism, classism and contempt for the lesser still haunt the American political, economic and educational conscience. As the most recent publicized outbreaks of racial discord attest to, one black president does not and cannot wash away centuries of institutionalized hatred, discrimination and disenfranchisement. The words, hopes and aspirations of Dr. King stretch far beyond the noble and righteous goal of achieving racial equality in the U.S.: They speak to the dream for every individual, regardless of race, creed, color or economic background, to be able to lead dignified and fulfilled lives. Though we may loathe to admit it, this is profoundly difficult, if not outright impossible, for far too many in modern America. But heres the good news: As Floridians and Gainesville residents, we find ourselves in the unique and enviable position of actually being able to do something about it. Educate yourself in one of our myriad libraries, or attend one of the countless speaking engagements hosted by UF, Santa Fe or the Civic Media Center. Hit the streets, and raise your voice as loud as possible. Dont just read the dream, BE it; embodying Dr. Kings principles should be a daily ambition, not an annual one. It has a better ring than Little Monsters: Demi Lovato's new makeup collection with NYC New York Color is called Lovatics, after her fans. During her interview for the February issue of Allure, the singer shared some beauty intel. What's your biggest skin issue? "I get clogged pores, and my problem is I pick. If I didn't pick, it would stay pretty clear." How do you keep your skin looking good? "I have my own skin-care line [Devonne by Demi]. If you go into the store, it's all about acne or wrinkles. I wanted something that was more for maintenance and overall self-care." Can you do your own nails? "I do my own manicure several times a week. I'll do the cuticles. I'll do everything. It's kind of my new obsession." What's your biggest hair problem? "It grows really fast. It makes it difficult because I like to keep it at a certain length, and also I have to recolor because my roots grow out." Do you have a favorite product right now? "I really love the Lovatics lip and cheek tint in Berryit looks natural; it's easy to blend. And I love the [Lovatics Eyebrow Liner]. Eyebrows shape the face. When you use the liner, you can get to the areas that you need more accurately." Who taught you the most about beauty? "My mom. She was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. She's very Southern. She told me at a young age never to go to even 7-11 without makeup on. I obviously don't do that." What's the worst beauty advice you've ever gotten? "I signed with Disney Channel when I got Camp Rock, and I had a gap between my two front teeth. They were like, 'Would you be willing to fix it?' I wish today that I hadn't, because my gap was really cute." Have you ever had a crazy spa experience?"It's not spa, but I was getting laser hair removal...down south...and the lady started talking about how her kid was a huge fan. Boundaries." To go behind the scenes of Demi Lovato's cover shoot, watch: The vital flow of remittances from diaspora countries into Somalia is under threat as a result of necessary, but inadequately thought-through counter-terrorism measures. United Nations human rights experts have warned that the measures risk severely affecting the human rights of the people of Somalia, and have urged the governments of the United States, the United []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. He commended President Buharis efforts to address corruption, tackle insecurity and promote economic development in the country. The Secretary-General expressed the United Nations continuing support to these efforts. The Secretary-General and the []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... 1. The Government of Japan strongly condemns the terrorist attack which occurred on January 15, in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso. Japan expresses its condolences to all the victims and their bereaved families, and its heartfelt sympathies to those who were injured in the attack. 2. No act of terrorism is justifiable with []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... 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] Trafficking in children is a global problem affecting large numbers of children. Some estimates have as many as 1.2 million children being trafficked every year. There is a demand for trafficked children as cheap labour or for sexual exploitation. Children and their families are often unaware of the dangers of trafficking, believing that better employment and lives lie in other countries. Bill Smith Jr W Bill Smith I was born in St. Louis, MO and raised in Harlem, NY, which was not far from Spanish Harlem. I was only 10 when I was touched by the Spanish language and Latin music. View my complete profile Blog Archive Making Hydrochloric Acid from Household Ingredients I used to do this when I was young. Im uncertain now: could it not be consider... My Blog List The America Needs Fatima Blog Sixth Fatima Apparition and the Miracle of the Sun October 13, 1917 As on the other occasions, the seers, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, first saw a bright light, and then they saw Our Lady over the holm oak... 1 week ago Altria. Chevron. AT&T. These names may seem like a random assortment of Fortune 500 and blue-chip U.S. corporations. But they are among the donors that gave the most money to California state Assemblyman William Brough. Of course, Brough is far from alone in accepting the financial help of corporate America when it comes to fighting elections. But if a seemingly outlandish proposal by a local California lawyer gets onto the ballot, he will not be able to stay shy about those donating to his cause. Nor will any other politician in the state. John Cox, an activist businessman, wants to require legislators to walk into their assembly chamber wearing the logos of their biggest sponsors. The shock tactic aims to find its way onto the ballot for November, a goal that will be made possible by gathering 365,880 signatures. That effort is already under way, after the state attorney general approved the text of the petition earlier this month. The nonprofit running the campaign, California Is Not for Sale, has committed $1 million for the project. The group is also traveling the state with life-size cutouts for all 120 members of the California Senate and Assembly and one for Gov. Jerry Brown. Each cardboard politicians torso is adorned with his or her most significant backers, like NASCAR sponsors on a drivers racing suit. This will be on the ballot in 2016. That is our guarantee, the organization says on its website. The only question is whether Californians will vote yes or no. We think that it will be yes by an overwhelming majority. The specific language of the petition mandates stickers or badges displaying the names of their 10 highest campaign contributors yet leaves the specifics to the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Ultimately, the purpose of the gimmick is to call attention to the role of vast sums of money in financing campaigns, at the state, local and federal levels. By increasing the transparency behind who has paid for politicians races, voters theoretically would get a better idea about what happens to bills behind the scenes. Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French initials, MSF, said on Tuesday that border closures and tougher policing force people seeking sanctuary or jobs to find more dangerous routes to and through Europe. "Policies of deterrence, along with their chaotic response to the humanitarian needs of those who flee, actively worsened the conditions of thousands of vulnerable men, women and children," said MSF's head of operations, Brice de le Vingne. The group urged the EU to create more legal ways to go to Europe, allow asylum applications at the land border between Turkey and Greece and set up a real search and rescue system, after more than 3,000 people died trying to reach the European Union by sea in 2015. As pressure built among EU partner nations, four Central European members confirmed Tuesday their fierce opposition to a plan to redistribute 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece and called for the strict control and registration of all refugees on the external borders of the Schengen zone, comprising 26 European nations that allow passport-free travel among them. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, which make up the informal Visegrad Four group, rejected any compulsory refugee quotas. Officials from Slovenia and Serbia warned of retaliatory measures if Austria tries to slow the entry of migrants. That, they said, would cause a domino effect and ratchet up tensions along the Balkan migrant corridor back to Greece, where most migrants are arriving from Turkey. "If Austria and Germany introduce certain measures that would mean tighter control of the flow of migrants, Slovenia will do the same," Slovenia's Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that Belgrade "will protect its interests We cannot allow the borders to close and limit the flow of migrants so they stay in Serbia." German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said closing borders won't prevent people from trying to enter and pass through Europe. After the MSF report, the EU's top official, European Council President Donald Tusk, said the bloc has just two months to get its migration strategy in order, amid criticism that its current policies are putting thousands of people in danger and creating more business for smugglers. "We have no more than two months to get things under control," he told EU lawmakers, saying that a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on March 17 and 18 "will be the last moment to see if our strategy works." Tusk warned that if Europe fails to make the strategy work, "we will face grave consequences, such as the collapse of Schengen." The EU spent most of 2015 devising policies to cope with the arrival of more than 1 million people fleeing conflict or poverty, but few are having a real impact. A refugee-sharing plan launched in September has barely got off the ground, and countries are still not sending back people who don't qualify for asylum. A package of sweeteners for Turkey including $3.3 billion, easier visa access for Turkish citizens and fast tracking of the country's EU membership process has borne little fruit. Wire services Glenn Frey moved to California when he was 20. As a kid growing up outside of Detroit, Frey had already been in a couple of bands and gotten encouragement from fellow artist Bob Seger. Still, the heart of the songwriting process eluded him. In Los Angeles, Freys greatest teacher was his downstairs neighbor. Around nine in the morning. Id hear Jackson Brownes teapot going off with this whistle in the distance, and then Id hear him playing piano, Frey later recalled. I didnt really know how to write songs. I knew I wanted to write songs, but I didnt know exactly, did you just wait around for inspiration, you know, what was the deal? I learned through Jacksons ceiling and my floor exactly how to write songs, cause Jackson would get up, and hed play the first verse and first course, and hed play it 20 times, until he had it just the way he wanted it. And then thered be silence, and then Id hear the teapot going off again, and it would be quiet for 20 minutes, and then Id hear him start to play again and Im up there going, So thats how you do it? Elbow grease. Time. Thought. Persistence. Freys band, The Eagles, would release a slew of hits in the 1970s one of the first being Take It Easy, a song Frey wrote with Browne and define an era. Their songs were as laid back as their late-60s hippie forebears; their ambition as pointed as any 80s investment banker. The only difference between boring and laid back, Frey told Rolling Stone in 1975, is a million dollars. In their 45-year career, The Eagles have sold upwards of 120 million albums and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the year they were nominated. Glenn Frey wrote and sang many of The Eagles hits, songs like Peaceful Easy Feeling, Already Gone, Lyin Eyes, Heartache Tonight and New Kid In Town. Glenn Lewis Frey died Monday of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia, according to the band. He was 67. Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide, said a statement on the bands website. Frey, along with drummer Don Henley, would write and sing most of The Eagles many hits. We were family, Henley said on Monday, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. At least initially, the two shared a clear-eyed vision. Although not the first group to blend country music and rock and roll The Byrds Gram Parsons gets much of the credit for that Frey and Henley would take the formula to its greatest success. We had it all planned, Henley said. He and Frey had seen bands like Parsons The Flying Burrito Brothers flounder after early promise. We were determined not to make the same mistakes, Henley said. This was gonna be our best shot. Everybody had to look good, sing good, play good and write good. We wanted it all. Peer respect. AM and FM success. No. 1 singles and albums, great music and a lot of money. And so it came to pass. The Eagles scored five number one singles and six number one albums. Despite their popular appeal, there is a darkness to the bands catalog, especially with songs like Hotel California: The hooks are unassailable, the production an impenetrable gloss, but the lyric is shot through with existential dread. Frey often used his friendly tenor to sings songs about casual misogyny, not unusual for the time. I found out a long time ago, he sings on Peaceful Easy Feeling, what a woman can do to your soul. After The Eagles initial breakup, around 1980, Frey enjoyed continued success, writing The Heat Is On for the Eddie Murphy movie Beverly Hills Cop. He also contributed to the soundtracks of Miami Vice, Ghostbusters II, and Thelma & Louise. The Eagles reunited in 1994 and released Hell Freezes Over, an album named after the time when the band used to say they would reunite. In 2007, they released Long Road Out of Eden. Glenn Freys last album was 2012s After Hours, a collection of standards. The assessment called the civilian death toll in Iraq staggering. It also detailed the various methods ISIL has employed to kill its enemies, including public beheadings, running people over with bulldozers, burning them alive and throwing them off buildings. Such acts are systematic and widespread abuses of international human rights law and humanitarian law, the report said. These acts may, in some instances, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide. The report said another 800 to 900 children were abducted from Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, for religious and military training. It said a number child soldiers were killed by ISIL when they tried to flee fighting in the western Anbar province. Iraqi forces have advanced against ISIL on a number of fronts in recent months and driven them out of the western city of Ramadi. But U.N. envoy Jan Kubis said in a statement that despite their steady losses to pro-government forces, the scourge of ISIL continues to kill, maim and displace Iraqi civilians in the thousands and to cause untold suffering. U.N. human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein said the civilian death toll could be considerably higher. Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq, he said in a statement. This report lays bare the enduring suffering of civilians in Iraq and starkly illustrates what Iraqi refugees are attempting to escape when they flee to Europe and other regions. This is the horror they face in their homelands. ISIL swept across northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014 and still controls much of Iraq and neighboring Syria, albeit much of it in sparsely populated desert areas. ISIL has set up a self-styled caliphate and a de facto capital in Raqqa, in Syria, and governs the territories it controls with a harsh and extreme interpretation of Islamic law. Al Jazeera and The Associated Press In a previous BankThink post, I wrote about how understaffing poses one of the biggest obstacles for community banks' marketing efforts. But institutions may have a ready solution via new technology. To get more results with fewer employees, banks can set up marketing automation tools in which software, rather than a human, sends personalized messages to consumers. For example, a customer would receive automated marketing material, such as direct mail or an email, based on data that his or her balance is low or that he or she was reading about a credit card product online. Financial institutions issue a whole array of communications to customers throughout the year. Much of this material is mundane: newsletters, new account welcome letters, service fee notices and product offers. An automated system, which merges your core processor with certain behavioral triggers, allows small-staff marketing teams to send these messages and more. For example, you may want to send a thank you note to customers for opening a line of credit. Six weeks later, you might want to send a reminder to those customers who have not used their line, or advise borrowers of the amount remaining in a credit line. In an automated system, you would first craft communication templates and then populate them with customized data so the system knows when to send a message. Competition from all sides big banks, mutual funds, fintech companies has put a premium on marketing but most community banks haven't stepped up to meet the challenge. At least, that's how it appears when we look at recent data on market department staffing. A typical community bank with assets of around $415 million has one full-time marketing employee, according to a 2015 Cornerstone Advisors study. But now, labor-intensive cross-marketing programs, which were beyond the scope of small marketing departments such as these, are suddenly feasible thanks to technology. Once set up, the programs can run on cruise control. Marketing automation is ideal for routine systems such as onboarding both for welcoming clients and cross-marketing products. Those opening children's accounts could receive tips on savings for college, solicitations for student checking or college loan opportunities as they grow up. Age milestones would trigger the emails. Marketers can also automatically tailor marketing messages to website visitors depending on which section of a site they visit. A site user who clicks on a link dealing with consumer loans or mortgages or checking accounts would receive corresponding messages. Automated systems can also vary the types of messages customers receive based on their profile. Automated point-scoring software can identify the strongest candidates for product leads, who may be referred to a representative from the bank for follow-ups. Other potential candidates could be designated to receive marketing emails. The marketing technology can also be used to reduce attrition. If you would like to intercept customers before they switch banks, consider integrating behavioral clues that demonstrate the potential of making such a move with automated communications. Hints that a customer is about to leave could be one closed account, a general drop in account balances or the transfer of funds to another financial institution. Collectively, these actions could trigger an email or a call from a personal banker. If marketing departments continue to be understaffed, automated programs will become increasingly important to customer acquisition, engagement and sales. By setting up a few basic programs, the once-harried marketing director may actually have time to set sights on strategic planning. Kevin Tynan is senior vice president of marketing at Liberty Bank in Chicago. He can be reached at tynanmarketing.com and on Twitter at @kevintyn. During the last Democratic presidential debate, Bernie Sanders described himself as revolutionary. He railed against Wall Street, and how he was going to raise taxes on the billionaires who are, he states with righteous [sic] indignation, the exploiters of our society. He promises to use this money to provide free tuition to students in public institutions and to rebuild our deteriorating infrastructure. Further, he hopes to institute a single-payer healthcare system and thereby do an end run around the rapacious medical professions, as well as the insurers and pharmaceutical industries. You see, the medical-industrial complex is regularly ripping off the public. (The left always like to use terms like military-industrial complex and prison-industrial complex so why not add this term?) Therefore, Sanders concludes that if the always benign U.S. government insures the people, insurance companies will no longer control the prices or the health issues that are covered by policies. He admitted to one of the debate moderators, Andrea Mitchell, that everyone would pay a little more in taxes, but the savings from not paying insurance premiums and other out-of-pocket medical costs would amount to about $5,000 per year. Further, Sanders invoked the name of Pres. Teddy Roosevelt, trust buster extraordinaire, as an example to follow regarding the huge investment banking houses and insurers. He vows to break them up because they are now so much richer and more influential in the running of our economy than they were prior to the bailouts under the stimulus package of 2008-2009. He is disgusted that despite the fact that Goldman Sachs had to pay substantial fines for wrongdoing, it is still considered too big to fail, and has provided two secretaries of the Treasury, one in a Republican administration and the other in a Democratic administration. What is wrong with the program he is advancing? What is wrong with having a revolutionary as a President of the USA? Undoubtedly Sanders considers the long, lonely march to the White House to be an event parallel to Mao Zedongs Long March to western China where he was able to regroup and continue fighting against Chiang Kai-Shek and the Chinese Nationalist Party. You see, even though Sanders is running as a Democratic-Socialist, thereby reflecting the strong leftward shift of the Dems over the past 40 years, and his lifelong admiration for Eugene Debs, his entire career, including his support for the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and visits to Cuba, reflect a strong Communist attachment. His entire career is based on a criticism of capitalism with no expressed respect for its enormous successes. Further, where is Sen. Sanders love of country? What does he say about the opportunities America has afforded for hundreds of millions of people whose lives are clear demonstrations that this is the land of opportunity? What does he say to the millions of small businesses and medical practices that are being suffocated and overwhelmed by a network of regulations that are the direct result of highhanded interference with free business operating freely in a free society? This writer has himself been harassed by one of the Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) created under ObamaCare. I had to tell them that I do not discuss my health condition or prospects with nameless and faceless bureaucrats, but only with my personal physician. In the name of correcting abuses the regulators run the danger of committing the greatest abuse of all, namely, constricting and restricting the freedom of the people. Of course, in a complex, dynamic society regulation is needed, but when regulation begins to morph into control, then we see the tentacles of a new, unaccountable statism, whether one calls it fascism or communism, undermining the initiative, hope, and development of the people in their economic roles. Thus, Sanders by defining himself as a revolutionary candidate, with an extensive laundry list of additional invasive roles to be performed by the federal government is a leading voice in shifting the American paradigm from being focused on the individual and his enumerated rights to the government as the creator of rights on an ongoing basis. The American dream, despite the excesses of some corporate moguls, is not dead. We have more legal immigrants every year than all the countries of the world added together. People are voting with their feet as they line up for admission to our country. How many billions of people cannot even put three squares on their tables every day? Even this writer considered himself a globalist who believed other societies were in so many respects better than the USA. Yet, one day, I went to Iran, even before the ayatollahs and the mullahs came to power -- when Iran was pro-Western -- and there learned the painful lesson that everybody in the world was not the same, and that the American people where not exploited victims of a filthy rich class, but were a thriving community of very fortunate souls who could be themselves without fear of reprisal. Aside from the fact that Sen. Bernie seems to be continuously agitated when he is speaking, causing one to wonder if he has the composure to face the stresses of the presidency, he says not one word about love of country. Patriotism is missing. Faith in God is missing. A sense of the personal struggle for dignity in the midst of a lost and fallen world is missing. Respect and love for the family is missing. Could it be that, like Karl Marx, he also sees the family as an expression of bourgeois values that inherently supports an exploitative system? The man is obsessed with our victimization, and thus is insufficiently hopeful and positive to lead the country. In its latest act of illicit intervention in Israeli public life, the foreign (mainly U.S.)-funded "New Israel Fund" (where their 'New Israel" means Palestine) has filled the Israeli press and the country's billboards with a McCarthyist anti-democratic vilification poster that essentially endorses all who seek to deny freedom of speech in Israel to non-leftists. It is the NIF's response to the campaign by the student Zionist movement Im Tirtzu against 'Shtulim' (plants) in Israel, meaning foreign-funded anti-Israel subversives. In the NIF ad, it shows Yitzhak Rabin with the slogan "THEY already took care of that plant," meaning "THEY" collectively murdered Rabin. By THEY the NIF does not mean Yigal Amir and his brother. It means all Israeli critics of the left. For decades, the mantra of Israel's anti-democratic left has been that Rabin's death was caused by the exercise of freedom of speech by non-leftists in Israel, especially when they criticized Rabin and called him names. Their conclusion is that criticism of the left by non-leftists is a clear and present danger that produces murder and so must be suppressed. Just how they know that assassin Yigal Amir's behavior was not caused by his attending law school has never been explained. In any case, the catechism of the left, which includes most journalists, is that the Rabin murder was caused by "incitement." Curiously, they are not reminding people what Rabin really thought of leftist NGO B'tselem! It is hard for people outside Israel to appreciate just how hostile the Israeli media and much of the public are to freedom of speech. This hostility is manifested in the "incitement" bogeyman. One cannot read five lines in the anti-Israel leftist daily Haaretz without seeing screaming warnings and condemnations of "incitement" meaning criticism of the left by non-leftists. In other newspapers, the count is not far behind. Likud is almost as much to blame for this as the left. Likud invariably responds to charges from the left about "incitement" by yelling back in sandbox-manner that the left are the real inciters instead of demanding that the word "incitement" be removed altogether from Israeli discourse. "Incitement" is a nonsense word that simply refers to the expression of opinions that someone dislikes. When the left says "incitement," it means criticism of the left. When the right says "incitement," it means expressions of opinions by the left. It is a demonstration of the weakness of the commitment to democracy on the part of so much of the Israeli public that so many Israelis accept it as axiomatic that "incitement" is and should be a crime. In real democracies, "incitement" is not a crime at all, or at most is used as an additional charge to up the ante when someone is indicted for a real crime. Murderers facing trial for murder might face the additional charge of incitement to murder, but they would never be charged with incitement alone, without the murder charge. Ditto for bank robbers and rapists. After the Rabin assassination, the Israeli Labor Party and its captive media invented the myth that murderer Yigal Amir did what he did because he was "incited" to do so. Never mind that Amir himself says he was not. That closed the case in the "minds" of the left, proving that "incitement" by right-wingers causes murder. Of course for the 50 years before that, Israel's left, right and center every day engaged in "incitement" far worse than anything preceding the Rabin assassination, and no one was assassinated. Ben Gurion with his shrieks that Begin was a Nazi was probably the worst of the inciters, and the Knesset protocols of the 1950s and '60s are endless litanies of "incitement." Since 1995 the left grew accustomed to silencing its critics with some success by screaming "incitement." Not a single law professor in Israel has denounced the anti-democratic McCarthyism in the jihad against "incitement." It goes without saying that none of the "human rights" NGOs ever took a stand against criminalizing "incitement," nor defended free speech rights for non-leftist "inciters." Even the ACLU in the U.S. defends the free speech rights of fringe groups, but not a single NGO in Israel claiming to be the Israeli analogue of the ACLU will defend free speech rights of the "right." Into all this steps the New Israel Fund, using funds raised from people protected by the First Amendment and living in a country where they enjoy freedom of speech. It places gutter ads in Israel denouncing the exercise of freedom of speech by "THEM" speech it insists resulted in Rabin's murder. The thousands of people whose murder was preceded by Arab incitement to murder are not considered by the NIF a reason to restrict freedom of speech or even to protest the murders. The NIF would be the first to defend Ezra Nawi, the leftist accomplice of the PLO's Gestapo, who not only incited, but also murdered people. The left-wing NGOs funded by the NIF have virtually no local support in Israel. They are propped up using the NIF contributions from the ilk of George Soros and the Ford Foundation. The McCarthyist ad campaign by the NIF is the best and most persuasive argument that could be found to support and endorse the current bill before the Israeli parliament that will regulate foreign-funded subversive NGOs in Israel. FREETOWN It has been less than a week since Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the three countries most affected by the worst known Ebola outbreak in history, were declared free of transmission of the virus. But there has already been a setback, with the death of a woman, Mariatu Jalloh, in Sierra Leone, announced by the government on Friday. Officials say that flare-ups should be expected and that they are much more prepared now to deal with them. Sidie Yahya Tunis, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, said teams were quickly deployed to investigate the death, which has been traced to a northern area of the country. All steps we have taken so far are based on lessons learned dealing with Ebola the past 18 months. The fact that we are able to move teams quickly into the district, identify contacts within a day and isolate them its all based on lessons we have learned, he said. Still, there is reason to be concerned, with 106 people in quarantine. Tunis said Jallohs family members washed and buried her body. This is how many people in Sierra Leone traditionally pay their respects to loved ones who have died, but it is dangerous because the virus is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids. It is also one of the main reasons the disease spread so quickly during the initial outbreak in West Africa, which began in 2013. More than 11,000 people died, including nearly 4,000 in Sierra Leone. He said that the biggest challenge in the crisis was persuading people to change these behaviors and that community engagement, which involved getting authorities such as religious leaders in local communities to understand Ebola and explain it to others, was one of the leading factors in tamping down the epidemic. Tunis warned that even though the country is Ebola-free, that doesnt mean the virus is gone forever. He said that even now, there needs to be a push for more community engagement. Sierra Leones Red Cross Society is leading work on the issue. People probably got complacent or didnt understand that they need to be vigilant, said Abu Bakarr Tarawallie, the countrys head of communications for the organization. So what we are doing at the moment is heightened community engagement, which we have already started in [some] districts. He added that professional burial teams need to put back on standby. These teams played a key role by allowing families to have a respectful burial but without having the traditional touching and washing of corpses. Still, Tarawallie said, the biggest lesson learned was that everything should have been done faster. Local officials and international community have been criticized for not responding more quickly to the outbreak. The World Health Organization has been slammed in particular for not declaring the outbreak a global emergency sooner. It was declared in August 2014, months after the outbreak started. That the country had a poor health system to begin with was also a challenge. Of course, an emergency of this nature can destabilize even the well-prepared nations, said Tarawallie. Because of the fact that Ebola is a strange disease, it was not known about, there was not too much interest. This is the first known time an Ebola outbreak has had so many survivors. According to the World Health Organization, there are about 17,000 Ebola survivors, including just over 4,000 in Sierra Leone. The survivors have played a crucial role in learning more about this disease and its aftereffects. Its now known that the virus can be found in semen, breast milk and eye fluids after recovery. People probably got complacent or didnt understand that they need to be vigilant. So what we are doing at the moment is heightened community engagement, which we have already started in [some] districts. Abu Bakarr Tarawallie spokesman, Sierra Leones Red Cross Society Various and sundry nail-biters losing sleep over Michael Bay's just released 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, worried sick that it might pose a threat to the coronation (um, election) of Hillary Clinton as president of the United States, can relax. The movie actually does a good job of covering up the criminal incompetence of the Obama administration and its then secretary of state, the aforementioned H. Clinton. Back in the day when movies weren't just glorified video games, it was made clear early on who the good guys were and who the bad. Westerns and crime stories pretty much followed this formula, even if the good guys weren't always perfectly good, nor the bad guys perfectly evil. Audiences rooted for the good guys and went home happy when they won and the bad guys died of lead poisoning. So who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in 13 Hours? The good guys are obvious. Who are the bad guys? The first one to put in an appearance is Libya's former strongman, Col. Moammar Gaddafi, in power from 1969 to 2011. A grainy clip shows him being dragged away and summarily shot. Jubilation followed the tyrant's demise, U.N.-supervised free and fair elections were held immediately, and a pro-American government was installed dedicated to keeping a lid on terrorism throughout North Africa and beyond. Another fabulous Obama administration foreign policy success! Woo-hoo! Yes, I know, pure fiction just like all the other Obama administration foreign policy "successes" aided and abetted by then-Secretary of State H. Clinton, now, incredibly, running for president. That's not what happened at all in Libya after Gaddafi. ISIS thugs currently run the place. Speaking of Madame, who we now know was one of the bad guys because she turned down request after request after request after request afterfor additional security from Ambassador Chris Stevens. Does this come through loud and clear in the movie? To quote the commercial: not exactly. What we get is maybe a three-second clip of Ambassador Stevens (Matt Letscher) expressing concern over inadequate security at his compound. That's it! We get a short clip followed by lots and lots of action to make sure the audience doesn't pause to figure out who was really at fault that Stevens and others of his staff met with a violent death. In the blink of an eye, Clinton's criminal disregard for the lives of Americans disappears off the screen, never to be mentioned again not even at the end of the movie, when we learn what happened to the protagonists. We now know that U.N. ambassador Susan Rice since promoted to head the National Security Council was also one of the bad guys. Rice showed up on five networks the Sunday after the Benghazi attack with some absurd story about an anti-Islam video sparking the violence. Is that in the movie? Again: not exactly. In another three-second clip, we see D.S. Dave Ubben (Demetrius Grosse) expressing skepticism that the video had anything to do with the mayhem he and his comrades were facing. That's it! In the blink of an eye, Susan Rice, her State Department boss Hillary Clinton, and the entire Obama administration get another pass. You might be tempted to think that the terrorists are portrayed as bad guys. You would be wrong. They come across as enemy soldiers lethal and determined, to be sure, but nothing more than that. Islamic jihad? What's that? As the movie draws to a close, we are shown a field littered with bodies, with women clad in black crying over loved ones. There's even a shot of a child crying over his dead father. Moral equivalence is a card the left plays time and again. Michael Bay, Michael Moore, whoever. There is one unambiguous bad guy in the movie, and he's an American. No kidding. He is the CIA officer in charge, "Bob" (David Constabile). Faced with urgent pleas to be allowed to go over to help Stevens, "Bob" tells the paramilitary crew to "stand down" several times. Thus, the movie places the death of Stevens and his staff squarely on the shoulders of a senior CIA officer or, if you will, the CIA. Once again, the real culprits get a pass while the lefts favorite whipping boy takes the blame. "Bob" tells the guys they can't go over to help Stevens because they have no jurisdiction, or something like that. Gee, we're supposed to think, ain't that just like a typical Washington bureaucrat plays by the book, no matter what. That "Bob" might have had good operational reasons is not explored. The movie is worth seeing. Just keep in mind that the fall guy shown on the screen is a ruse to deflect attention from those really at fault for the Benghazi disaster, which was covered up by the press to make sure Barack Obama was re-elected. That's not a story Hollywood will tell any time soon. Sometimes polling people by a show of hands can be dangerous thing, at least in Pakistan. In one mosque, an imam wanted to know which of his congregants did not love the Prophet Mohammad. He asked for a show of hands . Unfortunately, a boy in the audience misheard and thought he was asking for a show of hands for people who did love the Prophet Mohammad, so he raised his hand. The imam called him a blasphemer who was "liable to be killed," and the boy, very upset, decided his own hand should be punished. So he sawed off his hand and brought it back to the imam. Nausher Ahmed, a police officer, said an emotional Ali rushed home and returned with his severed hand on a plate, which he presented to the mullah. The imam was initially arrested for inciting this but was let go because in Pakistan, it seems this isn't a crime. Don't worry: the boy is doing okay, and his family is happy for him, too. The boy, said he had no regrets. What I did was in love for prophet Muhammad, he said. His father, Muhammad Ghafoor, said he was proud of his son. What can be learned from this? 1) It is not good to conduct hand polling in Pakistani mosques. 2) When the imam is conducting a poll, it is very important to ask him to speak up if you think you miss a word. 3) Maybe it was more than a little crazy for the imam to ask a question that would get people in trouble if they answered yes. 4) But the absolutely nuttiest part of this story is the kid and his dad talking about how happy they are. 5) See below: Blasphemy is a capital offence under laws that are routinely condemned by human rights groups who say false accusations are often levelled against religious minorities or by people embroiled in personal disputes. 6) I like Pakistanis the best when they are in Pakistan. Not America. The RNC debate committee voted unanimously yesterday to punish NBC News for the October CNBC debate debacle and severed business ties with the network. NBC was scheduled to host the February 26 debate in Houston. Instead, the debate will take place on February 25 and be hosted by CNN. The RNC first suspended their relationship with the network after CNBC put on what most media observers concluded was a partisan hit job on GOP candidates in October. There were efforts to negotiate a new agreement with the network, but the RNC finally gave up. Politico: The committee voted via conference call Monday after negotiations with NBC failed, two sources familiar with the call confirmed. The RNC initially suspended the relationship with NBC on Oct. 30, following a debate on CNBC that angered many of the campaigns and the RNC for the network's handling of the debate format and the moderators' line of questioning. At the time, NBC said it looked forward to working in "good faith to resolve this matter with the Republican Party." Though NBC won't be a part of the debate, NBC-owned Telemundo will still take part as will the original conservative media partner National Review. Salem Communications, which has partnered with CNN for its previous two Republican primary debates will also participate. "The Republican National Committee has decided to move forward without NBC's participation in our February debate in Houston, Texas. The RNC has awarded the debate to CNN, who will broadcast it on Thursday, February 25th in Houston at a location to be decided," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus wrote in a statement. It will be the third Republican debate hosted by CNN. The network is also scheduled to host a Republican primary debate in March in Florida. It seems to me that the parties have the upper hand in this process. Why doesn't the RNC engage a hall, invite the candidates, choose the questioners, and then announce that any media organization who wishes to cover the event can pay a fee for access to the live stream? The RNC is not in the business of making money for networks. They're supposedly in the business of promoting the party and its candidates. This kind of setup would assure maximum exposure for the GOP and its candidates. But exclusivity maximizes profit for the network and allows the RNC to make millions as well. In the process, both the candidates and the voters are shortchanged. The true goals of the Brady Center, formerly known as Handgun Control, Incorporated, have been exposed thanks to archival research in the Clinton Library undertaken by Dave Hardy. Brady is a very important nonprofit organization, which has worked closely with anti-gun politicians to achieve its ultimate goal: the end of private firearms ownership and the abrogation of the Second Amendment. Bradys current vehicle is Hillary Clinton, who just accepted Bradys Mario M. Cuomo Visionary Award for her leadership on gun control. Hardys work, appearing in Americas First Freedom (published by the NRA), is lengthy and worth a thorough read by all who care about protecting the Bill of Rights, and who fear the prospect of a disarmed citizenry. Brady examined the lobbying of the Clinton White House by the Brady Campaign. But first he notes the way the Brady Campaign and its predecessor feigned a false agenda: The Brady Campaign has long claimed that its agenda is limited. Just some reasonable, common-sense gun restrictionsno need for anyone to worry about confiscation or onerous regulations. Brady officials would prefer that no gun owner read the words of its former chairman Nelson Pete Shieldsthe man who put the organization on the political map. In the July 26, 1976, issue of The New Yorker, Shields gave an interview and summed up the groups program. Saying that for now his organization would have to accept that half a loaf is better than none, and that for now hed be happy to take just a slice, he explained: Our ultimate goaltotal control of handguns in the United Statesis going to take time. My estimate is from seven to 10 years. The first problem is to slow down the increasing number of handguns sold in this country. The second problem is to get handguns registered. And the final problem is to make the possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunitionexcept for the military, policemen, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs, and licensed gun collectorstotally illegal. With the Clinton administration taking over the White House, Brady saw its chance: A September 1993 letter sent by Richard Aborn of the Brady Campaign to Howard Paster, head of Clintons White House Office of Legislative Affairs, showed the opening of the White House door. It begins, Dear Howard: In preparation for the possibility of Sarah, Jim and I meeting with the president, we thought the White House might want to consider signing some additional presidential directives. ... Id be happy to discuss these with you and would like to discuss with you the actual meeting with the president. Paster forwarded the letter, and its attached list of ideas, to the White House Domestic Policy Council with a handwritten note asking to be notified ASAP if any were usable ideas. He added, The presidents focus on violent crime makes anti-gun directives logical. The Domestic Policy Councils reply was essentially that some of the ideas were not legally doable, and they were already working on the rest. From that point on, the archives show, anti-gunners had exceptional access to the White House, and used it to the fullest. In fact, the files of President Clintons Domestic Policy Council read like the archives of the Brady Campaign. The White House files were filled with Brady Campaign/Handgun Control Inc.s legislative plans. A memo stamped confidentialdo not circulate (with the label set out by images of skulls and crossbones) outlined Bradys real agenda. It began with a list of what Brady wanted from the Clinton administration. The list was long, but mostly quite predictable: licensing requirements and registration for handgun ownership, a ban on assault rifles, one-gun-a-month, a seven-day waiting period, and stiff increases in fees (to $1,000 per year) for FFLs. Even that would not be enough to please the Brady Campaign, though. Its memo added some proposals that (until now) have never seen the light of day. Brady also asked for a federal requirement of a special arsenal license for any gun owner who possessed 20 guns or 1,000 rounds of ammunition. (The White House copy has a handwritten note: all guns.) The memo described the arsenal licenses requirements as similar to the requirements for a machine gun license, including the requirement for police approval, since anyone who has an arsenal is a danger to society. In this scenario, two bricks of .22s would be enough for a gun owner to be treated as a public menace. Brady also asked that each component of a handgun, including the barrel, stock, receiver, any part of the action, or ammunition magazines be treated as if they were the receiver. Buyers would need a license, sellers would need an FFL, and interstate sales would be illegal, Brady explained. Replacing the grips or a firing pin spring, or purchasing an extra magazine, would actually require a 4473. Apparently they consider handguns to be that dangerous! That these plans didnt achieve their goal is due to one thing: the American voters in midterm elections. Bill Clinton later wrote in his autobiography: On November 8, we got the living daylights beat out of us, losing eight Senate seats and 44 House seats, the largest defeat for our party since 1946. The NRA had a great night. They beat both Speaker Tom Foley and Jack Brooks, two of the ablest members of Congress, who had warned me this would happen. The gun lobby claimed to have defeated 19 of the 24 members on its hit list. They did at least that much damage, and could rightly claim to have made [Newt] Gingrich the House Speaker. Fast-forward to 2017, and another Clinton, this one less given to compromise, is seeking the presidency, and using gun control as a prime issue in her campaign against far-left socialist Senator Bernie Sanders. We are hearing the same catchphrase of commonsense gun safety deployed. Make no mistake: Bradys goals havent changed, and neither have Hillarys. Read the whole thing. Hat tip: Clarice Feldman A U.S. District Court has ordered the NYPD to purge extensive documentation that outlines the rise of Islamic terror in the West and threats to the United States. The report, "Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat," focused on providing law enforcement and policy-makers with vital intelligence on domestic terror operations. A key component of the document outlined how jihadists get into the country and carry out terror attacks. Many experts have described the report as critical to our national security. The court order is a huge victory for the ACLU (who spearheaded the effort two and a half years ago) and Islamic supremacists. The Free Beacon reports on key areas reached in the settlement, including the following mandates: The NYPD must purge the report on the departments understanding of radical Islam along with how best to police the threat. The NYPD must remove the publication from its database and vow not to rely on it in the future and that they will not open or extend investigations based on it. The NYPD must implement measures to mitigate the impact of future terror investigations on certain religious and political groups, such as those in the Muslim-American community. Needless to say, many legal experts have pointed out that this action could hamper future terrorism investigations. The court ties law enforcements hands behind their back, blindfolds them, and performs a lobotomy. While NYPD officials would not comment Thursday when contacted by the Washington Free Beacon , a spokesperson directed a reporter to a recent press release affirming the departments commitment to upholding the court settlement. (snip) The NYPD confirmed that it would remove from its website the 2007 radicalization report. The department will additionally incorporate into the guidelines police policies against religious profiling and insert an additional provision for considering the impact investigations have on people who are not targets of investigations, according to the statement. John Miller, the NYPDs deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, maintained in a statement that the settlement would not weaken the [departments] ability to fulfill its steadfast commitment to investigate and prevent terrorist activity in New York City. Naturally, experts are already weighing in not that we need experts to know this is a deplorable and dangerous court ruling. But okay. The experts. Benjamin Weingarten, writer and national security analyst, covered the court case and said that now more than ever, local police departments need the NYPD report. To pursue a see-no-Islam counter-jihadist strategy is not only absurd and contradictory on its face, but its [sic] a severe dereliction of duty ignorance is not an excuse, and it represents a failure to do everything necessary to defend against an ideology that seeks to undermine the Constitution and subvert and destroy Western civilization again, according to Islamic supremacists themselves, he said. Dereliction of duty. Precisely. And its shoving Americans into harms way. Far too many have already paid the ultimate price. Maj. Stephen Coughlin, retired Army officer and leading expert on Islamic law and counter-terrorism, also weighed in: I am greatly concerned with the imposition of [the case] which, I believe, exists to replace counter-terror efforts. This is a continuation of a purging of evidentiary based counter-terror analysis first initiated in 2011. Meanwhile, when The Free Beacon contacted the ACLU for comment, the ACLU directed them to an editorial published in the Guardian that celebrated the decision. Here are two little gems from the co-authors of the editorial: Bias-based policing legitimizes religious discrimination, It can pave the way to copy-cat approaches by other agencies and set the stage for hate crimes nationwide, wrote Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLUs national security project, and Ramzi Kassem, a law professor at the City University of New York. We hope the settlement announced this week pulls our city and its police department out of a downward spiral by reaffirming core values and principles, ones just as necessary to a local police force as they are to a rational debate on civil rights and liberties nationally, they wrote. This is Islamic supremacy in action. The more time passes, the less critical useful idiots will be as Islamic supremacists supplant them in organizations across the country, as with Hina Shamsi at the ACLU (here, here, here, and here). To read more about the court ruling, see Daniel Greenfields recent article, here. Hat tip: Counterjihad Report This past Saturday, I traveled to the University of South Florida (Tampa) and had the distinct honor to witness the retirements ceremony of a great American, Major General Luis R. Visot, United States Army. "Retirements" is not a misprint. General Visot was also retiring from his "day job" as executive director, Joint Military Leadership Center at the University of South Florida. In a change from my usual comments regarding the inept performance of our current commander in chief and the criminal and corrupt actions of a former secretary of state and her husband (a former POTUS), I thought I might focus on something positive: the great relationship among the United States Army Reserve, the civilian community it protects, and the soldiers who are "Twice the Citizen," serving concurrently in the military and civilian arenas. At the ceremony, this phenomenon was demonstrated from top to bottom. At the top, the event was co-hosted by Lieutenant General Jeffrey Talley, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of United States Army Reserve Component Command, along with Dr. Judy Genchaft, president of the University of South Florida. At the other end of the spectrum in the audience, friends, family, military members, and civilian coworkers mingled to share in this event, demonstrating again that mutually supportive relationship. Tying all of this together were the parallel careers of General Visot's life. Like so many National Guard and Reserve soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, he held a civilian job and was an integral part of his community. Also, like so many service members, he rose in authority and responsibility as he served his country in uniform, both stateside and abroad, and often in harm's way in General Visot's case, five combat tours. There is a photo from Iraq that has made its way around the internet, showing two Soldiers in an Army truck with a sign in the windshield saying, "ONE weekend a month MY A**!" Even when not mobilized, deployed, and fighting ISIS, career Reserve soldiers often spend much more than one weekend a month and two weeks a year staying proficient in their skills and learning new ones. As soldiers are promoted and given more responsibility, they are called upon to devote even more time to their units. This can take a toll on employers, families, and the soldiers themselves as they try to keep all of this in balance, fulfilling their commitments to family, community, civilian employers, and the military. Major General Visot represents all of us Guard and Reserve members who balance civilian and military careers while raising families. He is indeed, Twice the Citizen. Mike Ford is a former Infantry colonel. He has served in Europe, Central America, and Southwest Asia, commanding at the detachment, company, battalion, and brigade levels. He also had the great opportunity and privilege to serve as Major General Visot's chief of staff as he led the 377th Theater Sustainment Command, providing earthquake relief to Haiti during Operation Unified Response. Samsungs New Galaxy A-series smartphones were introduced last month in China, but they were always expected to be made available elsewhere. That seems to have started to happen now, with reports indicating that a number of devices in the lineup are available for pre-order in at least two countries in Western Europe, which is a pretty clear indication that Samsung is indeed looking to expand the market for these mid-range handsets. While the second-generation Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 have been put up for pre-order on UK-based online retailer, MobileFun, German retailer Idealo doesnt seem to have gotten their hands on the Galaxy A7 just as yet, seeing as the device was conspicuous by its absence on the website at press time. The A5 and the A3 are, however, being offered by the online retailer. While the 2016 Galaxy A lineup has not been officially launched by Samsung outside of China per se, the listing on popular websites in the UK and Germany does indicate that wider availability for the 2016 Galaxy A-series is only a matter of time. For those wondering about the pricing, the Galaxy A3 has been listed at 269 on MobileFun in the UK and at a306.31 on Idealo in Germany. As for the Galaxy A5, the handset can be pre-ordered for 319 in the UK, while those in Germany will have to shell out a396.17 for the privilege of owning one. The Galaxy A7, meanwhile, is currently not listed on the website of the German online retailer, but over at the UK, MobileFun is asking for 399 for those wanting to get their hands on the upper mid-range smartphone from Samsung. Advertisement The 2016 Galaxy A-series lineup was launched by Samsung last month in China, as mentioned already. Each of the three devices come with metallic build, and features Super AMOLED displays, something Samsung has started doing even with its more modestly-priced Galaxy J range, as was evident from the entry-level Galaxy J3 smartphone that was launched on Boost and Virgin just last week. It remains to be seen what kind of response Samsung gets for its refreshed Galaxy A lineup, but the company badly needs to infuse some life into its mid-range lineup to lift sagging sales and diminishing market share in the segment. Through an official press release issued on Tuesday, HTC has officially denied as incorrect, recent media reports that claimed the Taiwanese tech company was looking to spin off its VR operations into an independent new business. The report, widely circulated in the Taiwanese media and later picked up by the global tech media, cited unnamed insider sources as stating that the companys co-founder, Chairperson and CEO, Ms. Cher Wang, is planning to create a new, independent VR company that will be jointly owned by her and HTC. The report also suggested that the plans had originated last year itself, but was put on hold for unknown reasons, after the resignation of the then-CEO, Mr. Peter Chou. In its statement denying any such plans to create a new company, HTC looked to soothe the nerves of the companys shareholders by saying that the company will continue to develop our VR business to further maximize value for shareholders. The companys stock price rose by over five percent to NT$76.60 at the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) once the initial reports started doing the rounds. Of course, with all the trouble HTC is facing with its smartphone business in recent times, the companys stock price experienced a major drop late last year. The companys shares had devalued so much that at one stage the entire company was, in theory, worth less than the amount of cash reserves it had in hand. The company is now betting big on VR, and hoping that the emerging new sector will help it climb out of its financial woes. Advertisement Coming to the HTC Vive, the device is the much talked-about virtual reality headset from the Taiwanese tech major, and was developed in association with Valve Corporation the Bellevue, Washington-based American tech company that happens to be the single largest digital distributor of video games worldwide. The headset will officially go on pre-order starting the 29th of next month, although, it will start shipping only April onwards. The device had earlier been rumored to come with a rather hefty price-tag of $1,500, but an eBay listing earlier in the day seemed to suggest that the gadget will sport a slightly lower $1,200 price-tag, although, nothing has been confirmed officially by HTC. Businesses that operate within or in coordination with Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories benefit from and contribute to an unlawful system that violates Palestinian rights, according to a scathing report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch. The report, titled Occupation, Inc.: How Settlement Businesses Contribute to Israels Violations of Palestinian Rights, calls for companies to stop operating in, financing, servicing, or trading with Israeli settlements in order to comply with their human rights responsibilities. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. Specifically, U.N. Security Council Resolution 446 states: The policy and practices of Israel in establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967 have no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. More than 500,000 Israelis live in more than 200 Jewish-only settlements and unofficial outpost which are communities unrecognized or serviced by the Israeli government in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The HRW report specifically focuses on the role that settlement businesses play in supporting and benefiting from Israels 49-year-long military occupation of the West Bank. In addition to numerous small businesses, 1,000 factories operate in 20 settlement industrial zones in the West Bank. The industrial zones and agricultural land administered by settlers make up almost double the amount of land seized by Israeli settlers for home construction, the report said. Businesses operating in settlements benefit from low rent, tax incentives and cheap Palestinian labor. At least half of the settlement businesses pay Palestinian workers a wage lower than Israels hourly minimum wage, and offer no vacation, sick days or other benefits, according to Israeli labor rights group Kav LaOved. Palestinians who choose to work in settlements often do so because of an inability to find regular work in the West Bank, where according to a 2013 World Bank assessment some $3.4 billion is lost per year as a result of restrictions on Palestinian movement and trade. Google has introduced Google Photos last year, and according to many people, and this app / service might be the best piece of software Google has announced next to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Google Photos app has been widely used every since it was announced, mainly because of the sleek design, functionality and the option to store your media content for free, presuming youre willing to let Google resize your images and video. That being said, the Mountain View giant has updated this app quite a few times since it was released back in September, adding new features and improving some quirks it had in the beginning. Well, the company has released yet another update to the app recently, and added some fresh functionality to it. The new update basically allows you to add a shortcut to your camera app, which will let you launch right into Google Photos from that app. Once you get the update, youll notice this feature in the Assistant panel of the Google Photos applications. Now, this function will basically allow you to jump to the Google Photos app directly from your camera after you take a picture, and not to your default gallery app, whichever you have set. All you have to do is toggle this option to on, and thats it, the option will immediately going to be available. Advertisement That is pretty much it, this is a nifty little feature which will come in handy to those of you who use Google Photos as your main gallery app. The option is quite unintrusive and it goes away after a couple of seconds, so it wont get in your way when taking images, even though Google could have moved it further to the side. If youre more of a visual person, take a look at the gallery down below, there are three images in there which will fill any gaps you might have. If youd like to get this update, check if it is available in the Google Play Store, if its not, it will be soon enough. If you were one of the people that preordered the Saygus V2 smartphone and were curious about any new details regarding the launch, Saygus has recently announced the shipping dates for the device via social media. There hasnt been a lot of information from Saygus about the V2 since they revealed that the phone was met with the most recent delay, but a Twitter post this afternoon reveals when the company may be looking to ship phones out to backers. According to Saygus, the delayed smartphone will start shipping sometime within the first quarter of this year. Before entering the new year, Saygus made a few statements saying that they will ship the Saygus V2 in October. Unfortunately, the shipping date got pushed back to November, then out of nowhere the company was quiet with a lack of communication for the backers of the project, leaving their customers worrying on whether or not they will receive the V2. Saygus eventually reached out to their customers via Twitter stating that the holidays were busy for them, apologizing for their lack of updates. The company then went to explain that the reason for the delay was because of differences with their manufacturing partners. Following their reasons for the shipping delay, Saygus hoped for a February release but the Chinese New Year will be in full swing which they state will slow everything down. Lastly, Saygus tweeted that their projections during CES are looking to be unharmed, so for now the Q1 shipping state stands. Advertisement For people who dont know much about the Saygus V2 (pronounced V Squared) then heres a little info on the device. Besides the Snapdragon 801 processor, 5 inch 1080p display, the V2 has two microSD card slots. There is 64 gigabytes of native storage so if you add two 128GB SD cards, you got yourself 320GB sitting in your hands. The device comes installed with Android 4.4.4 but with the delayed release, theres no telling whether or not Saygus might decide to bump up the Android OS version. Then again, theres no evidence pointing towards that scenario, so its more than likely that KitKat will remain the operating system version that ships with the device. The ongoing patent infringement saga between Samsung and Apple has just taken a new turn. The United States District Court for the Northern District of California, presided over by Judge Lucy Koh, on Monday, asked Samsung Electronics to stop selling a number of its Android smartphones in the US market. The phones were previously declared to have been in violation of some patents held by Apple Inc. The interesting thing to note is that the case has been going on for years now, and the long list of banned Samsung smartphones includes devices that have largely gone out of production and are not available for purchase in the country anymore. The list includes devices like the Galaxy Nexus, the Galaxy Note, the Galaxy Note 2, the Galaxy S2, the Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch, the Stratosphere and the Samsung Galaxy S3. That last mentioned happens to be the most recently-launched device in the lineup, and even that was launched as far back as 2012. Trouble started for Samsung back in May, 2014, when the company was adjudged to have been in violation of a few UI-related patents held by Apple, which include the now-ubiquitous Quick Links, Slide-to-Unlock and AutoCorrect features. Apple was awarded a $119.6 million settlement by a jury as a result of the verdict, but the Cupertino, California-based company filed a motion for injunction against the errant smartphones, something that was summarily rejected by Judge Koh. Last September, however, Apples stance was vindicated by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which ruled that the companys motion for injunction should, indeed, have been granted till such time as the Seoul, South Korea-based tech company removed the infringing features from its devices. Advertisement While in theory the latest ruling doesnt affect Samsung (or the Android ecosystem for that matter) much, some legal eagles and industry watchers are of the opinion that it can a have far-reaching impact in the long term, as it will make things easier for patent trolls and holders of minor UI patents granted by the USPTO, to obtain injunctions against otherwise-legitimate electronics devices, thereby stifling competition. With that very apprehension, a number of entities, including major tech companies like eBay, Facebook, Google and Hewlett-Packard, got together with nonprofit organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge, and legal experts from Stanford and Georgetown universities, to file an appeal to the US Supreme Court, asking it to reform the countrys archaic patent laws in the context of the 21st century. Police chiefs have long known that officer sexual misconduct is a problem. But an Al Jazeera America investigation found that very few departments have followed basic guidelines designed to prevent it. Edel Rodriguez for Al Jazeera America It was 1 a.m. on a Monday in March 2013 when Bronx resident Erica Noonan, 31, saw flashing blue lights in her mirror. She was driving home and figured it had to be a mistake. She hadnt been speeding, she says. Carlos Becker, the officer who stopped her, says otherwise. Not only had she been driving too fast, but shed changed lanes without signaling and had run a red light, and her breath smelled of alcohol. He administered a breath test and then arrested her for drunk driving. (Noonan denies that any of Beckers reasons for stopping her were true she hadnt had anything to drink and broke no traffic laws, according to her lawyer.) Noonan started crying. Shed never been arrested before, and a DWI would put in jeopardy her job as a special education teacher in New Yorks public school system. What happened next scared her more. As he was putting on her handcuffs, Becker told Noonan that she looked prettier in person than she did in her car, according to a federal civil suit Noonan filed. Then, as he put her in the back seat of his squad car, she says, he put his hand on her left breast. Becker drove Noonan to the precinct house and booked her. When she told him she needed to use the restroom, he allegedly made her keep the door open, while he watched. As he later confessed to a police investigator, he then used his phone to film her lower body from the rear, zooming in on her buttocks because she had a hot body. Noonan was released and arraigned for a court date on a criminal DWI charge. Before she left, Becker instructed her to call him. I can help you out. I will speak to the district attorney for you, he allegedly said. Noonan took that as a threat if she didnt, hed make sure she was found guilty. She hired a lawyer, and when she told him what Becker allegedly did, he offered her controversial advice: to start communicating with the officer by text, apparently to start a paper trail that she could later use in a complaint or a lawsuit. NYPD highway cop Carlos Becker leaves the Bronx Courthouse after a hearing on Friday, July 26, 2013. He appeared in court on allegations that he had an inappropriate and possibly corrupt relationship with a woman he arrested for drunk driving. Enid Alvarez / NY Daily News / Getty Images That strategy, it turned out, put her in even more danger. Over the next eight days, Noonan and Becker exchanged nearly 600 text messages, during which Becker repeatedly asked her out: I tried to see u over the weekend because I desperately wanted to go out I want to start something serious with u, he texted on March 19. Noonan agreed to meet with Becker to discuss the case. He picked her up and took her to a sushi restaurant. After they ate and talked, she told him she wanted to go home, according to the lawsuit. Instead he took her to a bar. He ordered her a drink, and she consumed it. Then she started to feel groggy and blacked out. When she temporarily returned to consciousness, she says, Becker was putting her in his car. When she next came to, he was on top of her in a house she didnt recognize. The next morning, she awoke gasping for air. Soon after, she realized that she was in Beckers house, in the Long Island suburb of Hempstead. Her left eye was bruised and swollen shut a fact confirmed by hospital photos. Becker was in the living room watching TV. Noonan told him she couldnt find her phone, so Becker called it. It picked up and then recorded what came next: Noonan asked Becker what happened, and he told her that shed fallen. When she asked why he hadnt gotten her medical attention, he replied, I didnt know what to do. You fell. You fell like two times. Noonan went to an emergency room. Medical staff found she had tearing and bruising on one thigh and scratches everywhere her chest and breasts, feet, thighs, and stomach. They administered a rape kit and later determined that DNA linked to Becker was in her underwear. A hospital social worker called the police to report the alleged rape, and the New York Police Departments Internal Affairs Bureau and the Bronx County and Nassau County district attorneys offices all launched investigations. Becker was later indicted by the Bronx County district attorney but only for filming Noonan while she was in custody. A spokesperson for the Bronx district attorney says that the office couldnt prosecute Becker for the rape because it allegedly took place in Beckers house in Nassau County. A Bronx judge dismissed the charge because while the filming was insulting, demeaning and disrespectful to Ms. Noonan, it didnt rise to the level of a crime. He suggested that the NYPD discipline Becker for violating department policy. Erica Noonan, in a photograph taken at the hospital. A spokesperson for the Nassau County district attorneys office declined to comment on why charges were not brought for the alleged rape. And the NYPD didnt respond to a question about the conclusions of its internal affairs investigation. Last May, a Bronx court confirmed that Noonan had done nothing wrong to precipitate her arrest, dismissing the DWI charges against her. After the alleged assault, she began taking medication for HIV and STDs, got tested for HIV every six months, and started seeing a therapist. She has paid lawyers at least $10,000. (Becker has an unlisted phone number and didnt respond to two letters sent to his address requesting comment.) If Noonans account is true, Beckers actions might be written off as a bizarre case of a cop gone bad. But recent investigations suggest it's not uncommon for on-duty male officers to sexually assault, abuse and harass female civilians. While media exposes in recent months have highlighted the pervasiveness of police sexual misconduct, the problem isnt new and few departments appear to be doing anything to address it. In perhaps the highest-profile recent case, former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw was convicted in December on 18 counts of sexual assault in attacks on 13 women. His story was one of several described in a yearlong AP investigation published in November that identified about 1,000 cases over a six-year period in which officers had their badges revoked for on-duty sexual misconduct such as rape, sodomy or consensual sex. In another newspaper investigation published in November, the Buffalo News identified 700 cases in the last 10 years in which officers were involved in sexual abuse or sexual misconduct related to their police work. The paper found 105 new and credible cases in 2014 alone. While media exposes in recent months have highlighted the pervasiveness of police sexual misconduct, the problem isnt new and few departments appear to be doing anything to address it. In 2011, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a national leadership and advocacy group, produced a series of recommendations designed to change a culture that the IACP noted may encourage some officers to sexually abuse, harass and assault those theyre sworn to protect. Daniel Holtzclaw is led from a courtroom in Oklahoma City, Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. He was convicted of sexually assaulting 13 women while on duty. Sue Ogrocki / AP But an Al Jazeera America investigation found that only three departments of 20 surveyed appear to have taken any of the recommended steps for curbing sexual misconduct. And some female officers attest to a police culture that may encourage such behavior. Further, departments put themselves at risk of expensive lawsuits by not having policies in place, putting taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars in payouts. And the AP investigation found that a broken system of laws and background checks allowed some officers accused of sexual misconduct to get jobs in departments where new allegations would later surface, including rape. I think that police chiefs and administrators have been pretty slow to react to this issue, says former police officer Tim Maher, a criminologist at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and leading expert on police sexual misconduct. Im disappointed that more are not making a proactive effort to deal with it. In addition to Noonan, at least four other women have current federal lawsuits against the NYPD for alleged rapes, other types of sexual assault or sexual harassment by on-duty cops, according to media reports and information compiled by New Yorks Legal Aid Society. And theres evidence that lesser forms of sexual coercion are prevalent within the NYPD. Last April, NYPD officer Delfin Lantigua pleaded guilty to soliciting sex and cash from a woman who wanted a job with the department. In May, the city paid a $45,000 settlement to a woman who at age 17 was arrested and held overnight after she resisted officer Jose Peinans flirtatious advances. And in June, NYPD officer Luis Gutierrez was convicted of, while on duty, trying to pay for sex with an undercover detective who was posing as a 16-year-old girl. The NYPD did not respond to repeated inquiries about whether it has implemented the IACP recommendations. The officers in these cases face a range of consequences. Some get jailtime. Others are fired or transferred or have their pay docked. Its unclear whether Becker was ever disciplined a December 2013 New York Daily News story noted that hed been stripped of his badge and gun and was no longer performing enforcement duties. The NYPD didnt respond to a question about whether hes still on the force or faced any consequences. Joann Squillace, Noonans lawyer, believes no disciplinary proceedings were ever brought, reasoning that if they had been, the department would have contacted Noonan to serve as a witness. Generally, police departments can discipline only on-duty behavior. But off-duty behavior also falls under their purview if it involves something illegal or if police officers use their position to further the commission of a crime, as was alleged in Beckers case. 'Theyre often disbelieved because the internal affairs officers are investigating fellow officers. I cant tell you the number of women whove come to me with a complaint, and when I tell them what theyre up against, they just say no.' Andrea Ritchie Soros Justice fellow Police leaders acknowledge that these incidents undermine the foundation of trust on which good police work is built. The IACP, which produced its 2011 report with a grant from the federal Office on Violence Against Women, recommended changes in police departments nationwide. The problem of sexual misconduct by officers, the report warned, warrants the full attention of law enforcement leadership. The group called on departments to establish detailed zero-tolerance policies for sexual misconduct on the force and to conduct rigorous training on the policy. Those policies, the IACP said, should include thoroughly screening new hires for past sex offenses and misconduct, ensuring the protection of whistleblowers, and requiring officers who know of sexual misconduct on the force to report it. But the IACP doesnt track how many departments have heeded its summons to action, and it appears only a minority have. Of the 20 departments contacted for this story, 13 have no policy, three didnt respond to multiple requests, and one said it would not comment. (The departments contacted were chosen for their diversity in geographic location and size.) Only three do have a policy. (Houstons department, one of the 13 without a policy, did do a one-time training on sexual misconduct, which it may repeat as circumstances require, says a spokesman.) (Neither the IACP nor the Office on Violence Against Women responded to multiple requests for comment.) The Riviera Beach Police Department in Florida is investigating Charles Hoeffer after he was accused of twice sexually assaulting a woman while on duty. The department does not have a policy around police sexual misconduct. Even departments that have had multiple confirmed cases of police sexual misconduct in the last five years have no policy. The Riviera Beach Police Department in Florida, which confirmed that it has no policy, is investigating officer Charles Hoeffer after a blind woman accused him of twice sexually assaulting her in her home in March and April 2014 while he was on duty. In 2011, an officer from that same department was convicted of offering to throw out a woman's traffic tickets if she agreed to have sex with him. The department has no sexual misconduct policy because all department personnel are trained and expected to exhibit professional conduct at all times in all situations, department spokesperson Rose Anne Brown told Al Jazeera America. The Chicago Police Department also lacks a policy, though at least 14 citizens have filed complaints about alleged criminal sexual misconduct by the departments officers since 2011. Thats according to data from the Citizens Police Data Project, a collaboration of the University of Chicago Law School, journalists and others. Andrea Ritchie, a Soros Justice Fellow and New York-based police misconduct attorney, is conducting her own study of police departments to find out how many have sexual misconduct policies. Of the 28 agencies that have responded to her, 10 had one. Even then, none of those policies are as explicit as the IACP guidelines would urge, she says. In some cases, they consist of a single line noting that on-duty sexual misconduct is prohibited but not defining what constitutes misconduct. That suggests few chiefs are willing to make a priority of stopping on-duty sexual misconduct. Maher says there are several reasons. Among them: the types and amounts of sexual misconduct vary across departments, so some chiefs think that if they havent seen cases in their department, the problem doesnt exist. But sexual misconduct is a hidden behavior, so chiefs usually dont know if its happening among their officers, says Maher offenders dont tell anyone, fellow officers often dont report it, and victims are reluctant to report. Theyre being naive if they think it doesnt exist at all in their department, says Maher. In fact, women who come forward to allege they were mistreated by police are something of an anomaly most survivors of police sexual assault likely dont pursue charges. In the general population, fewer than a third of rapes are reported to the police. When the assailant is a cop, cases are even less likely to be reported because those targeted are often vulnerable. Often perpetrators pick victims who are afraid to report, or if they do they wont be seen as credible, says Jennifer Marsh of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, an advocacy group. Often theyre sex workers or those involved in substance abuse. The cop will say, If you report me, then Im going to report that you were breaking X, Y or Z law, says Marsh. For those who do report, the process can be exhausting and humiliating, says Ritchie, the police misconduct attorney. Complaints are referred to the police internal affairs bureau, and the tone that investigators take is much the same as if they were investigating a crime, she says. Theyre often disbelieved because the internal affairs officers are investigating fellow officers, Ritchie says. I cant tell you the number of women whove come to me with a complaint, and when I tell them what theyre up against, they just say no. When women do proceed with their claims, prosecutors face long odds in getting convictions. No data are available about the proportion of cops found guilty in sexual-assault cases. Overall, fewer than a third of those arrested for rape end up with a felony conviction. That proportion may be lower in cases involving officers. Juries are overwhelmingly in favor of law enforcement, says St. Louis civil rights attorney Bevis Schock, who has represented female survivors of police sexual assaults. Defendants win the vast majority of these cases. Misogyny is widespread inside some police departments. In one 2010 survey, thirteen of 20 female officers said the male-dominated police culture plays a large role in cops' sexual abuse and harassment of civilians. Edel Rodriguez for Al Jazeera America As examples of abuse and harassment mount, theres evidence that, at least in some cases, misogyny inside departments may be at their root. For a 2010 study in the journal Women & Criminal Justice, Maher interviewed 20 female officers from 10 departments. Fifteen reported having been sexually harassed by male officers or supervisors. Only two had reported the harassment one was then transferred, and the other said she was ostracized by other officers as a result. Others who didnt report said they feared the consequences of doing so. Thirteen of the 20 said the male-dominated police culture plays a significant role in cops sexual abuse and harassment of civilians. On average, they estimated that almost half of all cops have participated in sexual misconduct on the job. Nine of the 20 told Maher that they thought most officers would not report an incident involving even serious misconduct by a fellow officer, like rape. Its a minority of officers who do this kind of thing, says Penny Harrington, former police chief for Portland, Oregon. But there is this culture in law enforcement you dont tell on your buddies, and you become so insular and isolated. You get so bought into this police culture this macho, very often sexualized culture and you dont see anything wrong with it. Its like as a badge of honor, how many women in the community you can have sex with, and the younger the better. In fact, in some cases the same cops who sexually harassed their female co-workers also may have targeted woman civilians. In Washington, D.C., officer Darrell Best was charged in March with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at police headquarters. During a hearing, prosecutors revealed that in 2007 Best also had sexually harassed a female cadet he supervised. In October, he pleaded guilty. And Hoeffer, the Riviera Beach cop accused of sexually assaulting the blind woman, had previously been accused of sexually harassing two female dispatchers he supervised when he worked at the nearby Palm Beach Shores department. The accusations are still being investigated, and Hoeffer is on paid leave, according to news reports. The NYPD itself was hit with payouts in at least four lawsuits last year involving sexual harassment of female NYPD officers by male co-workers, according to news accounts. The amounts ranged from $100,000 to $1.25 million. Still, it may be hard to generalize about the culture inside the countrys largest police force. One retired female NYPD lieutenant said that in her 26 years on the force, she neither saw nor heard about cases of sexual misconduct and rarely heard of cases of sexual harassment. (She asked that her name not be used because her current job is in the security field and she doesnt think her employer would want her name out there.) Nineteen other current or retired female NYPD officers contacted for this story either did not respond or declined to comment. But a civil sexual harassment suit concluded last June tells a different story. Denis McAuliffe, an NYPD Transit Bureau lieutenant, was found guilty of sexually harassing a female subordinate. Asked during a deposition about a witness contention that hed referred to his 4,000-officer bureau as a sex fest, he said he couldnt recall. He also admitted to sleeping with female officers he supervised. Pressure on departments could bubble up from another direction: taxpayers. Thanks to new legislation, women in California and Oregon will be able to obtain hormonal birth control such as pills, patches and rings from pharmacists without a doctors prescription. This is good news for residents of those states, but theres a major potential drawback: Its not clear whether insurance companies, which are obligated to cover prescription birth control under the Affordable Care Act, will cover the over-the-counter variety as well. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray wants birth control to be available over the counter and covered by insurance whether or not its prescribed by a doctor. And Senate Republicans have proposed a bill that would give drug manufacturers more of an incentive to lobby the Food and Drug Administration to make birth control available over the counter. If that sounds suspiciously generous and progressive for Senate Republicans, its because it is. Theyre suddenly eager to get birth control approved for over-the-counter use because they want to protect their insurance company donor pals from having to pay for it. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, one of the Republican bills sponsors, has collected $470,066 from the insurance industry over five years in office; her co-sponsor, Sen. Cory Gardner, took $240,440 in just one year. Contrast this with Murray, who, in over 20 years in office, has accepted considerably less insurance industry money than Ayotte. Making birth control available over the counter without requiring insurers to cover it would certainly help insurance companies, but it wont help women who cant afford to pay for it out of pocket. Another concern is that women may be less likely to make routine visits to their gynecologists if they can get birth control at their local drugstores. Many women do not need to be prodded into seeking routine medical care, but others are already resistant to it for a variety of reasons, including overwork, poverty, fear of deportation and an understandable reluctance to spend anywhere from two hours to two days traveling to the office of an overscheduled doctor who keeps you waiting forever only to hustle you out in 20 minutes. No woman I know looks forward to stirrups, speculums and sitting around in a paper gown that opens in the front. Even with insurance, doctors visits arent exactly fun. For most women, there are very few cheap, convenient alternatives other than Planned Parenthood, which, now that its under siege from Republicans and gun-wielding maniacs, is more crucial than ever. All of which explains why making access to birth control contingent on getting a Pap smear is nonsensical and unduly burdensome for women. It makes sense to require a prescription for highly addictive substances and drugs that carry serious medical risks. But very little medical evidence suggests that modern birth control is dangerous. Thanks to lower doses of hormones, birth control is safer today than in the early days of the pill, and studies show that women are capable of properly evaluating the risks without a doctors help. School uniform news of the day: Yorkshire teenagers sent home for too-tight trousers One popular subject matter for the tabloids is the school child sent home for wearing unsuitable kit. The Barnsley Chronicle reports on Barnsley Academy in South Yorkshire, which has been measuring the width of pupils trouser legs since last week. Less than ten centimetres is a breach of school rules apparently. Its totally ridiculous, says Jane Ogden, of Worsbrough, whose daughters Ellie, 14, and Mollie, 12, were excluded from the Academy two days on account of their oo-tight trousers. The Academys website has more: There is an increasing number of students wearing tight fitting trousers. Tight fitting trousers are unacceptable and are not allowed in the academy. Never had this trouble in the 1980s. Its Madness, I tell ye. Madness! Anorak Posted: 19th, January 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink (ANSA) - Rome, January 19 - Italy's Constitutional Court gave the green light on Tuesday to a referendum on drilling for oil and gas in Italy, a decision welcomed by regional councils and environmental groups concerned about the effects of offshore drilling on marine ecosystems. The referendum will cover the duration of authorisations to explore as well as already authorised drilling of fields. It was proposed by regional assemblies who are objecting to drilling platforms because of worries about seismic stability and the environment. "The campaign against drilling starts straightaway," Puglia Governor Michele Emiliano told journalists after the court's decision. ANSA parliamentary sources said on Tuesday that Premier Matteo Renzi's government was mulling a specific modification to its "Unblock Italy" infrastructure projects decree related to the duration of drilling, which will be the focus of the referendum approved by the court. Environmental group Green Italia said the court had given the people a chance to express their voice and it urged Renzi's government not to intervene to try to prevent the poll. "It will be the citizens who will decide if they want these drilling platforms in front of the beaches that live off tourism and if they want to say yes instead to another idea of energy politics, based on the use of renewable energy," Green Italia said in a statement. (ANSA) - Rome, January 19 - Iranian Ambassador to Rome Jahanbakhsh Mozaffari told an ANSA forum on Tuesday that Italy "is in a privileged position" with Tehran in the post-sanctions era thanks to the long-standing and deep bilateral relations between the countries. "It's no coincidence that Italy is the first stage of our President Hassan Rouhani's trip to Europe," Mozaffari told the forum with ANSA Editor-in-chief Luigi Contu ahead of the Iranian head of State's visit to the Italian capital on January 25 and 26. Mozaffari welcomed the end of sanctions after the Vienna deal on Iran's nuclear programme. "We are convinced we won't go back to where we were before as the world has understood that sanctions and embargoes are not a solution," he said. Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced on Tuesday the creation of ten autonomous museums and archaeological sites whose directors would be chosen through international competitions. The sites include the ancient Ostia Antica harbour city to the west of Rome, the Appia park outside Rome and the Miramare castle in Trieste, Franceschini told parliamentary culture commissions. The move is part of efforts by Franceschini and Premier Matteo Renzi to revamp Italian cultural-site management. Italy last year appointed a 'foreign legion' of non-Italian art experts to head seven of Italy's 20 most prestigious museums. (ANSA) - Rome, January 19 - As tensions with the European Union continued, Premier Matteo Renzi said Tuesday Italy's regained stature as a major European player meant its critics and partners would simply have to "deal with it". And as Italy was set to tap a new envoy to Brussels to help address charges that the EU felt it was lacking a clear interlocutor, a key ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European People's Party (EPP) caucus leader Manfred Weber, fed the row by saying Renzi was undermining the EU's credibility. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, with whom Renzi traded barbs over migrants, economic flexibility, banks and State aid Friday, meanwhile denied accusations the EC had been slacking, saying that 11 of its new projects involved Italy. Amid the flap, the Milan bourse suffered again as banking stocks plunged but the head of bourse regulator CONSOB, Giuseppe Vegas, denied the notion that Italy was coming under specific speculative attack. As the controversy continued, government sources said Deputy Industry Minister Carlo Calenda will on Wednesday be tapped as Italy's new ambassador to the European Union, replacing Stefano Sannino. Calenda's appointment will be formalised at a cabinet meeting Wednesday night, they said. Calenda is the first career politician to be named as envoy to Brussels after a string of career diplomats. Renzi said on Facebook that Italy has regained its leadership role and that those who do not like it must "deal with it". The premier made the comments in the wake of heated exchanges Friday between Rome and Juncker, who has blasted Renzi for allegedly offending the EU executive. "Italy is increasingly open and attractive for international investment," Renzi said, "with major global companies that have decided to bank on our country, like Cisco, whose chiefs I met this morning. "(This is) the best answer to those who... would prefer to have us be weak and marginal, as often happened in the past, unfortunately. "They should deal with it. Italy is back, (and it's) more solid and more ambitious". Weber, ignoring Renzi's demand, ramped up the pressure after Juncker's unsually outspoken attack Friday. The EPP caucus leader said "Renzi is jeopardizing the credibility of Europe to the benefit of populism". Weber told the European Parliament "when we see that Italy is not willing to help Turkey unless there is a trade-off, all that hurts Europe, its strength and credibility". Italy is resisting a three-billion-euro package to help Turkey cope with Syrian migrants over concerns that national governments, and not the EU's common fund, may foot too much of the bill. Juncker, for his part, said governments that are critical of the EU executive should take a look at themselves first. "Without common action, a European policy on migration, Schengen will not survive," said Juncker, who on Friday blasted Renzi for allegedly offending the EU executive at "every opportunity". "Some governments are quick to attack Brussels, but they should look in the mirror, they are Brussels too", said the EC chief. Juncker told the European Parliament it was "not true" that the EC "has not been sufficiently active". He said "the investment plan is already in action, 40 billion euros have already been mobilised". Juncker stressed that "11 of the projects are in Italy". He added: "To those who ask me to resign for failing on the migrant crisis, I say I don't agree and one shouldn't lose heart but work together, united". Amid the fall-out from the Italy-EU row on the Milan bourse, where Monte dei Paschi di Siena hit a new low amid another widespread collapse of banking stock, CONSOB chief Vegas said that the recent strong declines in Italian bank shares were due to general market volatility rather than any concrete new developments. Banks that have come under the lens of the European Central Bank (ECB) for their bad loans portfolios continued to tumble on Tuesday. "It does not even make sense to concentrate on these banks, because the situation is general," Vegas said. He also ruled out a "specific" bourse attack on Italy. Meanwhile one of the points of contention between the EU and Italy, State aid to steelmaker ILVA, will be made the target of a probe on Wednesday, EU sources said. The probe will concern aid for production and not an environmental clean-up, they said. The undersecretary for European affairs, Sandro Gozi, said the government was having to fight growing disappointment in and indifference to the EU. (ANSA) - Palermo, January 19 - Police have arrested an Italian man on suspicion of sexually assaulting a young asylum seeker from Gambia at Termini Imerese station in Sicily, reports said Tuesday. The Gambian national, 18, had been granted permission to leave the Asylum Seeker Reception Center (CARA) at Mineo to visit a fellow countryman in the town near Palermo. On arriving at the station, he was allegedly propositioned by the suspect, 23, before being abused. The youth managed to free himself not without difficulty and asked a motorist for help. Forensic police have reportedly found biological traces in the station waiting room that could confirm the aggression. Migrants: Serbia warns against unilateral measures 'Belgrade may also adopt restrictions', says Dacic (ANSAmed) - BELGRADE, JANUARY 19 - Serbia on Tuesday warned against the adoption of unilateral restrictive measures by countries affected by migrant and refugee influxes along the Balkan route. Foreign minister Ivica Dacic, in referring to recent announcements by Austria and Slovenia, said that any unilateral decisions on border closures and suspensions of the Schengen accords would be bound to create a chain effect across all the countries on the Balkan route. ''Measures of the sort are expected to be adopted in Austria, which will probably cause a reaction in Slovenia and Croatia. This will obviously induce us to adopt similar measures as well,'' Dacic said in talks on Tuesday in Belgrade with his Slovenian counterpart Karl Erjavec. This is why unilateral measures must be avoided, he said, adding that ''Serbia has behaved more fairly than many other European countries but we are not stupid and we will certainly act in defense of our interests''. The foreign minister then underscored that Serbia would not allow refugees and migrants to be sent back to its territory. Since the beginning of the year, he added, 35,000 migrants and refugees had entered in Serbia - 6,000 more than in the first five months of 2015. (ANSAmed). (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, JANUARY 19 - Algeria is increasingly seeking to attract investments in the automotive and car components sector. According to Algerian press service ''Tsa'', German carmaker Volkswagen means to open a production plant in the north-west in Relizane, a project worth 170 million euros that should allow to assemble 100,000 vehicles a year. The report was confirmed by Mourad Oulmi, director of private Algerian group Sovac, official representative and distributor of the Volkswagen brand in Algeria. Oulmi added that Sovac has already obtained 150 hectares of land in Relizane. Algeria, which is already home to companies producing and assembling several brands, aims to become a privileged destination for groups in the automotive industry. Algeria's official news agency APR has recently announced that Mercedes means to inaugurate a company producing spare parts in Algeria. An agreement with French car group Peugeot-Citroen should be wrapped up this month to build an assembly plant in the country. (ANSAmed) Economy: over 2,000 investors from Tunisia to Morocco According to leader of young Tunisian entrepreneurs (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, JANUARY 19 - Morocco is an increasingly attractive destination for businesses, according to Chedli Houas, secretary-general of the Tunisian union of young entrepreneurs. He was quoted by Tunisian news agency Tap as saying that more than 2,000 foreign investors over the past few years have decided to leave Tunisia for Morocco. Investing in Tunisia takes too long, according to Chedli Houas, and it cannot guarantee new jobs. He therefore called on authorities to encourage foreign investors granting them tax exemptions, for example. (ANSAmed) (by Massimo Lomonaco) TEL AVIV - Pressure for Israel to change its policies on settlements in the West Bank is rising from the European Union (EU) and human rights organizations. On Tuesday, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report urged businesses to stop financing, providing services to and engaging in trade relations with the settlements. EU foreign ministers have meanwhile urged Israel to halt settlement building and to dismantle those built since March 2001. Israeli prime minister reacted by saying that Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas had ''incited hatred'', and that this was the result. A response to the EU from Otniel - a West Bank settlement where two days ago a 38-year-old Israeli was stabbed to death in his home by a 16-year-old Palestinian - called ''anyone wanting to see the truth of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians'' to visit the place. ''The time has come,'' he said, announcing that the home of the Palestinian behind the murder would be destroyed, ''for the international community stop this hypocrisy and call things by their names. The roots of the conflict is the Palestinian refusal to recognize the Israeli state within its borders.'' Abbas reacted by saying that he was ''against the killing and bloodshed of every human being, without distinction between genders, race or religion''. ''Our resistance will remain peaceful and we will remain on our land,'' the PA chief said, reiterating that Palestinians will ask the international community for protection from Israel's ''daily killings and executions''. Amid the bickering, the EU warned that Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem seriously jeopardize the possibility for Jerusalem to become the future capital of the two states. The settlements are not only illegal according to international law, it added; they are also an obstacle to peace and threaten to make the two-state solution impossible. HRW instead focused on the economic side, underscoring that business activities - including Israeli banks that finance settlement building and international real estate companies that sell property - ''unavoidably contribute to Israeli policies that dispossess and harshly discriminate against Palestinians, while profiting from Israel's theft of Palestinian land and other resources''. These policies give privileges to settlers at the expense of Palestinians, it added, such as access to land and water, government subsidies and building permits. The Israeli foreign ministry called the report ''unilateral and politicized'', saying that it ''jeopardizes the livelihoods of thousands of Palestinians and discourages the rare examples of co-existence, coordination and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians''. As it is wont to every few years, dual citizenship has become a contentious issue in contemporary politics. In the wake of the November 2015 attacks in Paris, French President Francois Hollande is pressing for a constitutional amendment that would allow convicted terrorists with dual nationality to be stripped of their French citizenship. Political elites on the French left have attacked the proposal as violating principles of equality, as it does not apply to citizens of only France; the move, they argue, would signify that dual nationals are somehow less French and that their French identity is more expendable than those who dont have another citizenship. In December the U.S. Congress barred dual nationals of Iran, Syria, Iraq and Sudan from visa exemptions that they would otherwise enjoy as citizens of European Union nations and certain other countries. The measure which a group of senators is now proposing to alter also restricts the visa-free movement of individuals who have recently traveled to these countries, on the theory that it would prevent potential jihadists from re-entering the West. Before the change, British citizens who also had Iranian citizenship were able to travel to the U.S. as tourists or businesspeople with only minimal advance formalities. Now they will have to go through a sometimes bureaucratically arduous visa application process, and the EU is threatening to adopt a reciprocal stance. Americans with dual citizenship in these countries could, then, end up having to secure visas for travel to Europe. The visa proposal sailed through a Congress otherwise crippled by gridlock. Like the French law, the visa waiver limitation assumes that dual nationals are somehow suspect, in this case requiring extra security vetting. In neither case does the premise work. Dual nationality tells us very little about a persons loyalty, trustworthiness or belief system. In fact, many people have dual nationality not by choice but because theyre stuck with it: Some countries simply wont let you go. This new allegiance paradigm is, admittedly, quite old. Medieval, in fact. In the feudal world, your place of birth determined your nationality for life. Individuals were born to the protection of their sovereign, in return for which they owed him perpetual allegiance. It was thought to be part of the natural order of things. Transferring nationality was therefore unthinkable. The mentality was Once a subject, always a subject. Migration to the U.S. in the 18th century challenged that construct as greater mobility led to transferred national identities on the ground. Nevertheless, European nations, including Britain and the German states from which many immigrants hailed, rejected the validity of U.S. naturalization, claiming their native-born subjects even after they permanently relocated to America. As Foreign Secretary William Grenville wrote to the American minister in London in 1797, A declaration of renunciation made by any of the kings subjects would, instead of operating as a protection to them, be considered an act highly criminal on their part. U.S. and European authorities repeatedly clashed when naturalized U.S. citizens returned to their homeland, only to find themselves dragooned into military service obligations. For example, President James Buchanan muscled the king of Hannover to pardon naturalized U.S. citizen Christian Ernst, who was arrested for avoiding conscription upon his return to the principality in 1859, eight years after emigrating. The issue was an existential one for the U.S. The U.K.s refusal to accept the naturalization of a group of Irish subjects in 1867 in the context of treason trials created a political furor in the U.S., as Secretary of State William Seward put it, throughout the whole country, from Portland to San Francisco and from St. Paul to Pensacola. Congress responded with an 1868 law declaring that the right of expatriation is a natural and inherent right of all people. In 1870, the U.K. backed down, automatically terminating the nationality of subjects who naturalized in another country. (ANSAmed) - RAMALLAH, JANUARY 19 - In order to respect human rights, companies should stop funding, providing services and having commercial relations with the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a 162-page report on ''Occupation Inc: How settlement businesses contribute to Israel's violations of Palestinian rights''. Such commercial activities, wrote HRW, contribute to the confiscation of Palestinian land by Israeli authorities and discriminatory policies providing privileges to settlers at the expense of the Palestinians, like access to land and water, government subsidies and permits to develop the territory, according to the organization. According to data published by HRW, over half a million Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Commercial activities quoted in the report ''contributed to the expansion process of those settlements'', the organization said. The only way for foreign companies to reduce their role in the Israeli violations denounced by the group ''is to stop operating with and in Israeli settlements'', said Arvind Ganesan, director of the Business and Human Rights division of HRW. HRW in particular cited Israeli banks funding the construction of settlements and international real estate agencies selling the properties. Also under accusation was the army's activity in the Area C, 62% of the West Bank. (ANSAmed) The ceremony was held last night at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Londons Park Lane. The Business Travel Awards recognise the extraordinary achievements of the most deserving organisations and individuals in the business travel industry. The awards, organised by Buying Business Travel Magazine in the United Kingdom, were voted for by an independent panel of travel experts. It is the first time that the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has won the award, adding to a list of prestigious accolades recently collected by the airline, including the Innovation in Travel Award at the Globe Travel Awards, held in London last week. James Harrison, Etihad Airways general manager UK, said: It is fantastic to gain the recognition of the UK travel industry and to win the coveted Business Airline of the Year award. The UK is a significant market for the airline and this year is especially important as we celebrate ten years of the hugely successful Manchester - Abu Dhabi route. In 2016 we will also commence a third daily A380 service from London Heathrow, which features the highly-acclaimed The Residence. We are looking forward to providing even greater convenience and connectivity for our guests in the year ahead. The announcement that the national carrier was to buy 114 jets from the European manufacturer coincided with Saturdays official lifting of sanctions, putting an end to decades of economic embargo, including sales of aircraft and their parts to Iran. There was industry speculation that the deliveries could be years away but it is understood that the Iran Air purchase will include a number of A340 aircraft. The four-engine wide body aircraft has lost popularity with many airlines but with a $28 oil price the aircraft could fill an immediate gap for Iran Airs domestic operations. Transport Minister, Abbas Akhoundi, has been reported as saying the mis of new and used aircraft would also include A320s. According to an official in Iran, the Airbus deal could also include A350 and even A380s especially if routes to USA and Canada grow, Bloomberg reported that Iran is also considering buying narrow-body 737s for domestic flights and two-aisle 777s for long-haul routes from US aircraft maker Boeing. Already 50% of Iran's fleet is Airbus - Iran Air has operated A300s for some years. Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet... 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 Home Improvement Products and Services Would you like to submit an article in the Home Improvement 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. A survey of dancers in the UK last summer reported that more than half of professional dancers earn less than 5,000 a year from their performance work. Thats professional dancers. The statistics also show that around 50% of dancers jobs pay less than the minimum wage, and that 70% of dancers have performed in unsuitable work environments in the past 12 months. Add to this how short dancers careers are and you wonder why anyone would try to make a living as a dancer. These statistics sound familiar. Over the past two years my colleague Sasha Anawalt at the Annenberg School of Journalism and Communications at the University of Southern California, and I worked on a project examining the dance community in Los Angeles County. We began by wondering if we could figure out ways to look inside a creative community and make it more visible. Visibility is the first step to being heard. Visibility is power. We chose dance because its a smaller community than music or theatre or film. Dance is also a community that has traditionally been less visible than other art forms in LA. And though LA has a significant history in dance as well as a thriving commercial dance industry, its also had difficulty getting broader artistic recognition. Multiple attempts to organize the community have failed to get much traction. When you talk about dance in LA, no one is entirely sure what the community actually looks like. So We Decided To Ask Over the course of four months in 2015, 1,036 members of LAs dance community took a survey about their lives in dance. Then, last summer, we invited the dance community to come together to look at the results and figure out what they mean. You can see the results here at DanceMapLA. The survey results are interesting, but not unexpected. What was unexpected though was that when we got dancers together to talk about the results, it turns out that they dont even have a common language to talk about their work or about how their field functions. And if LA dancers cant even agree on a language in describing what they do, how do they describe it to the larger community? The larger community, including The New York Times, has begun to notice that theres something interesting going on in LA dance, some suggesting that the city is becoming a significant center of dance. But some dancers suggested that one difficulty in promoting LA dance is that like much of the citys art, it comes out of the streets and isnt necessarily transportable outside its communities. As for what dancers in LA look like, as expected, they earn little half making less than $5000 a year from dance. Seventy percent make less than $40,000 a year from all sources, including other jobs they take to subsidize their dance careers. Remember these are people who identify themselves as professional dancers. Which of course begs the question, what constitutes a professional dancer? This is a highly educated group of people 60 percent have a college degree, and presumably they could do something else if they chose to. But they choose dance. But when a field cannot pay its professional practitioners enough so that they can reasonably support themselves how does it affect the art? Dance careers are short enough due to physical limitations; lack of money and resources makes it even more difficult to sustain careers and ideas. In this weeks New Yorker magazine, Calvin Tomkins has his crack at explaining the fraught past relationship between the Metropolitan Museum of Art* and contemporary art and plans for the future in an article headlined The Met and the Now. It is a feel-good article, all but a puff piece. Think of it as an antidote to the article in The New York Times several weeks back, headlined Becoming Modern: The Mets Mission at the Breuer Building. That one had tongues wagging and, Im told by Met insiders, left both trustees and the administration trying to figure out how to counter it. Why? The worst part had contemporary art chief Sheena Wagstaff (left) explaining the high turnover among her curators in her department by essentially saying that she got rid of the Mets mediocre staff. Then, director Tom Campbell (right) made matters worse by saying: You tell your American curators to stop being such whiners, he snapped. This is a very competitive institution. You succeed by being good. I could see that we might be going through a lot of rubbish out there, but, at the same time, I felt there was a sort of neo-Renaissance that the Met should be part of. Personally, he has said, he likes contemporary art: I might even buy it, if I had the money. I am glad Campbell admitted that theres a lot of rubbish out there, and I only wish I could see what he calls a neo-Renaissance. Sometimes I walk around contemporary art fairs and among the galleries of Chelsea thinking we must be in a dark age for art. Thats personal, though: theres some good, even great, art out there. I just wish there were more of it. Re: past Met acquisitions: [Bill] Lieberman [a former head of the Mets contemporary department], who was unwilling to go after anything that he thought MoMA coveted, acquired a surprising number of figurative paintings by contemporary artists whose names do not resonate today, and whose works reside in the basement. This is no surprise; other museum directors tell me they have storerooms of contemporary art theyd like to deaccession, too. They wont while the artists are still alive. [the] Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, which, divested of its nineteenth-century impedimenta, was now the Mets principal area of growth. This is indeed what Campbell thinks, I have heard from those whining curators. which is too bad. The Met should acquire contemporary art, of course. But, at a time when art has gotten so expensive, acquisitionsespecially purchasesmust be opportunistic. The Met must remain flexible about what it acquiresof a great, say, Caillebotte, or whatever, comes along that fills a gap, it should go for it. The other day, someone said to me, You have the best job in the world, Wagstaff announced. And I said, Actually, I do. It has such enormous potential for modern and contemporary art, and ultimately for artists. And the opportunity to work on joint projects with the Mets world-class scholars in other fields is the most thrilling thing in the world. Of this statement, I heartily approve. Wagstaff has put her finger on what can make the Mets contemporary department distinctive. The art historian Hal Foster, who teaches at Princeton and knows Wagstaff well, told me that her program to connect modern and contemporary to historical art is exactly what New York needs at this moment, when theres such a stress on presentness and the fascination with now. Again, yes, I agree wholeheartedly. What the Met needs to do is position itself as a potential recipient for major gifts in this area, Campbell told me. I cant raise a hundred million dollars for a single work of art, but what I can do is raise six hundred million to rebuild the modern wing. Thats easier to do. The Met takes great pride in putting supporters names on galleries. And if we rebuild the wing not all the gifts will go to MoMA . Another point on which we agree. Theyre trying something new, Massimiliano Gioni, the artistic director of the New Museum, said approvingly. Instead of using the MoMA model, of top-quality works shown to illustrate the history of style, theyre using lesser-known [contemporary] works that are expressions of a culturewhich is what you get in the Mets Roman galleries and the Egyptian galleries. It requires a different understanding of what art is. Im not sure about this one. The Met should not settle for lesser works; its storerooms overflow already. Contemporary art has overwhelmed the current market, but it is still a colossal risk, if only because there are so few standards to judge it by. The language of contemporary art is always changing, Michael Govan, the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, said recently. Our frame of reference changes. Things are diversifying. Being an encyclopedia of anything is more and more untenable. The Met is placing a big bet on modern and contemporary art at a time when nobody can predict what art will beor meanto future generations. True, Michael Govan, but I have trouble with the last sentencewhich is not yours. When did museums ever know how art was going to develop or what it would mean to future generations? They dont have crystal balls. You have to make some bets and let the chips fall where they may. Thats why some deaccessioning is perfectly normal. John Currin, a highly successful artist whose paintings make use of Old Master techniques, has expressed similar doubts. I would love to be in that collection, he told me, but I worry that if they get too engaged with contemporary stuff they wont do the oddball shows of people like Dosso Dossi, an incredibly important sixteenth-century artist whom no one knows at all. Campbell insists that this wont happenthat the new costs will be paid with new money. He said, Its not modern and contemporary at the expense of other departments; its modern and contemporary in balance with everything else. Well, in theory I agree with Currin, but he picked an odd example: Dossi had a show at the Met in 1999if hes still unknown, Currin undercuts his point. As for what Campbell added, I can only hope he means it. That isnt what I hear and it conflicts, to some degree, with the statement above about contemporary now being the principal area of growth. The fact that nobody seems to know what art is anymore makes a curators job all the more difficult. Does anyone still subscribe to Alfred Barrs definition of what he and his colleagues at MoMA were doing as the conscientious, continuous, resolute distinction of quality from mediocrity? Many curators would say that they do, but, as any Chelsea gallery-goer can attest, a vast amount of mediocre art is being shown these days, and some of it commands absurdly high prices at auction. The unfashionable, elitist notion of quality doesnt really go away, and our need for museums to sift, select, and make illuminating judgments about recent art has never been more acute. Oh, yessomeone had to say this. I am tired of hearing that theres no hierarchy in art, that all art is equal. Not true. *I consult to a foundation that supports the Met. The revolution continues with shipping freeze, stock plunge, US dollar dumping, $20 oil, attacks on gold mines and more There is a systematic effort underway to remove all fraud from the worlds financial system. This campaign is now getting to the point where some major financial institutions and countries, including the US corporate government, are about to go bankrupt. This is all part of a hybrid war involving finance, super-computers, special forces operations, news, propaganda, pin-point assassinations and more.Perhaps the most dramatic, and under-reported, new aspect of this ongoing struggle has been the freeze on global shipping. To confirm reports on the internet of a shipping freeze, this writer called NYK lines, a major international shipping firm, and was told we cannot speak for the whole world but, as far as our company is concerned, with current shipping prices we will lose money every time we send a ship so we have stopped. Chinese government sources told this newsletter shipping companies are now demanding to be paid in Chinese yuan and not dollars and that is a major reason for the freeze in shipping worldwide. If this continues, it will lead to empty super-market shelves and social unrest, especially in the US. The announcement last week by Walmart that it is closing 269 stores is just the beginning.Another major dimension to this hybrid war has been the attack on the oil cartel and control of the petro-dollar. It is this attack, and not oversupply, that is the real reason for oil prices plunging to the $20 per barrel level, and in the case of bitumen, the lowest grade Canadian oil, $8 a barrel level. What is happening is that China is insisting on paying with Yuan for its oil. Furthermore, now that sanctions against Iran have ended, Iran, which has some of the lowest production costs in the world, will be flooding the market with an extra million barrels of oil per day. China is helping both Iran and Russia deal with low oil prices by sending them Chinese goods at cheap prices in exchange for their oil. India is also avoiding the petrodollar when it buys Iranian and Russian oil.This campaign will continue until Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Countries and the big Khazarian banks go under, according to Pentagon white hats. The first Khazarian megabank domino that is expect to fall isCitibank, a Saudi owned bank which is sitting on about $58 billion in losses linked to low oil prices. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. The Dallas branch of the Federal Reserve Board has told companies to stop marking the value of their oil and energy portfolios to market. What that means is that they are being told to lie about how much they are worth. The Bank of Japan tried the same thing with real estate prices after Japans bubble burst but, they learned that pretending reality does not exist does not make it go away.Furthermore, the Pentagon and agency white hats are seriously contemplating confiscating the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia and GCC nations like Qatar, Pentagon sources say. The Qatari run Al Jazeera network has been forced to shut down its North American operations as part of this campaign, the sources say.This week Chinese President Xi Jinping will be visiting Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt with the backing of Russia, Pakistan, the pentagon and others to seek a way to find peace and stability in the region. China and the BRICS alliance will be offering massive infrastructure development in tandem with Russian control of oil prices and Middle Eastern security, Pentagon and Chinese sources say. Here is what the Chinese official Xinhua news agency has to say about the visit:On the military front, Jordan has now joined the Russian Middle East bandwagon and allowed Russia to set up a command headquarters facility in their country. In addition, Turkish overseas bases in Qatar and Somalia are now being attacked by a multi-nation force.There is also a lot of activity on the gold front. While Russia will take over oil pricing, China will now manage gold, multiple sources agree. The recent attacks on foreigner occupied hotels in Mali and now last week in Burkina Fasso were aimed at taking over control of gold mines there. 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. Commenting on the story of King David, Francis notes that God chose a boy, that human judgment "did not count". The latter was "A saint and a sinner. A man who managed to unite the Kingdom, he was able to lead the people of Israel. But he too committed sins, and was a murderer. When God sent the prophet Nathan to point this reality out to him, because he was not aware of the barbarity he had ordered, he acknowledged his sin and asked for forgiveness. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis said this morning, during Mass at Casa Santa Marta, that there is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future for God does not stop at appearances, but looks into the heart. Drawing inspiration from the First Reading of the day, about the choice of the young David as king of Israel, the pontiff noted that even in the lives of the saints there are temptations and sins, as evinced by Davids own life. Yet, no one should ever use God for his own purpose. The pope pointed out that the choice He made was far from human standards since David was the youngest son of Jesse, [for] he was only a boy. Yet, he went on to say, the Lord made it clear to the prophet Samuel that he looks beyond appearances: the Lord looks into the heart. "We are often the slaves of appearances and allow ourselves to pursue appearances: But God knows the truth. And that is so in this story. . . Jesses seven sons are presented and the Lord does not choose any of them, he lets them pass by. Samuel is in a bit of difficulty and says to Jesse: The Lord has not chosen any of them, are these all the sons you have? And Jesse replied that there was still the youngest, who is tending the sheep. To the eyes of man this boy did not count. He did not matter to men, but the Lord chose him and ordered Samuel to anoint him and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David and from that day on the whole of David's life was the life of a man anointed by the Lord, chosen by the Lord, the pope said, and then asked, Did the Lord make him a saint? No, is the answer he said: King David is saint King David, this is true, but he became a saint after living a long life a life during which he sinned. "A saint and a sinner. A man who managed to unite the Kingdom, he was able to lead the people of Israel. But he fell into temptation ... he committed sins: he was also a murderer. To cover up his lust, the sin of adultery he commissioned a murder. He did! Did saint King David commit murder? When God sent the prophet Nathan to point this reality out to him, because he was not aware of the barbarity he had ordered, he acknowledged his sin and asked for forgiveness. Thus his life went on. He suffered personally following the betrayal of his son, but he never he never used God for his own purpose. And he recalled that when David was forced to flee from Jerusalem he sent back the ark and declared that he would not use the Lord in his defense. And when he was insulted the Pope said David would say to himself: Its what I deserve. Afterwards, Francis noted, he was magnanimous: he could have killed Saul but he did not do so. Saint King David, a great sinner, but a repentant one. The life of this man moves me, the pope said, it makes us think of our own lives. We have all been chosen by the Lord to be Baptized, to be part of His people, to be saints; we have been consecrated by the Lord on the path towards sainthood. Reading about this life, the life of a child no not a child, he was a boy from boyhood to old age, during which he did many good things and others that were not so good. It makes me think that during the Christian journey, the journey the Lord has invited us to undertake, there is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future. Aid convoys with food, medicines and fuel have reached Fuaa and Kafraya besieged by rebel groups and Madaya, controlled by forces loyal to the government. First aid have also entered the city of Zabadani. A joint delegation of aid officials was not able to enter Fuaa and Kafraya for security reasons. Damascus (AsiaNews/Agencies) - New aid convoys have made new deliveries of fuel, food and medicine to four besieged Syrian towns, humanitarian officials said on Tuesday. The United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Syria's Red Crescent (SARC) said in a joint statement that simultaneous deliveries reached the towns on Monday. They said fuel had entered Fuaa and Kafraya, which are under rebel siege, and Madaya, which is under a government siege by army loyal to Bashar al-Assad. Food and medicine was also delivered to the rebel-held town of Zabadani, which was not included in similar aid deliveries to Fuaa, Kafraya and Madaya this month. All four towns were part of an agreement last year to end fighting and allow the entry of humanitarian aid. However that a joint delegation of aid officials was not able to enter Fuaa and Kafraya to carry out assessments of humanitarian needs. "The joint team had to postpone the mission to Fuaa and Kafraya upon receipt of reports from armed groups that more time was needed to finalise security arrangements in areas under their control," the statement said. According to United Nations sources, up to 4.5 million people live in disputed areas that are difficult to reach for humanitarian agencies, including at least 400,000 in 15 places under siege. One of them is Madaya, 25 kilometres north of Damascus and 11 kilometres from the Lebanese border, which has been besieged since early July by government forces and their allies, Lebanon's Shia Islamist Hezbollah movement. Aid lorries have also reached Foah and Kefraya, two northern towns besieged by rebel forces where the humanitarian situation is also said to be dire. Some 20,000 people have been stuck in the two towns since March without outside help, around 1,000 in Zabadani. Interviewed by AsiaNews recently Apostolic nuncio to Damascus, bishop Mario Zenari, said using hunger and thirst as a weapon of war is an outrage. A crime, added the Vatican diplomat, that the international media have reported too late and they should pay more attention. World's Unluckiest Guy Watches His Ex's Parents Win The Lottery Sometimes You Miss Your Ex... And Sometimes You Miss Your Ex's Parents Winning The Lottery Breaking up sucks. But breaking up only to find out your exs parents are now multi-millionaires sucks even harder. But such is the life of 28-year-old Grant Robinson, who after breaking up with Lisa Martin learned that her parents won 33 million on Saturday's rollover. For those of you counting, that is 35.9 million USD before taxes, which makes Robinson one of the most unlucky ex-boyfriends in Britain. And now his pals are teasing him for breaking up with his former girlfriend, employed as a recruitment officer, over social media. "Coulda been driving about in a Ferrari Robbo!" one friend wrote, while Billy Miller added: "Next flight home? Grant Robinson make amends." Robinson seems to be taking things in stride, though, even if he is quietly crying to Adele at home because, well, why the hell wouldnt he be? The latest full year legal adviser tables from Mergermarket show that King & Wood Mallesons acted on the most M&A deals in Asia last year. The firm ranked first for volume of deals in the both the Asia Pacific (ex-Japan) and Greater China, first for value of deals in Australasia and second for volume of deals in Australasia. KWM also performed strongly in the global results, breaking into the top 15 for volume of announced global and European M&A deals and volume of global and European buyouts.One of the worlds leading organisations for lesbian, gay, bi and transgender people has named 12 global law firms in its 2016 Top 100 of inclusive workplaces. Stonewalls listings focus on UK employers but also recognises those global employers that have positive policies for LGBT staff. The list was topped by Britains intelligence service MI5.Local government, education and health and social care sectors all scored highly but the legal sector was the only other to feature organisations in double figures. Simmons & Simmons was named as a star performer for its consistent commitment to LGBT inclusivity and for being in the top 10 in at least 3 of the past 5 years. The other law firms in the top 100 are: Pinsent Masons Clifford Chance , Baker & McKenzie, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Norton Rose Fulbright Hogan Lovells , Reed Smith, Eversheds and Dentons The Beijing corporate practice of Reed Smith has hired Jie Zhang as a partner. He joins from Norton Rose Fulbright in the city and his practice focuses on inbound foreign investment work and outbound investments, particularly in the energy sector.Four Muslim men claim they were thrown off a flight from Toronto to New York because of racial profiling. The men were part of a group of 6 travelling together and claim that a member of American Airlines flight crew told them the captain was uneasy about their appearance. NBC New York says that a lawsuit was filed on Monday seeking $9 million damages for emotional and psychological harm from the discrimination and mistreatment. The airline says it is reviewing the lawsuit. A host of new SUVs, sedans, performance cars and hybrids are on show in Delhi, with cars from Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Tata, and many more. This years Auto Expo is the biggest in its history, with SUVs and crossovers playing a prominent role as manufacturers display their upcoming cars to the Indian market. These are the main talking points, segment by segment. SUVs Some might say that the compact sedan segment has had its day in the sun, and if thats so, whats clearly taking over from it is the compact SUV. Maruti, Hyundai, Tata and Honda each showed off their intent to enter this segment with the Vitara Brezza, HND-14 Carlino concept, Nexon and BR-V, respectively. Then, of course, one of the pioneers of the compact SUV segment, the Renault Duster, was given a facelift and a new AMT gearbox. Maruti also showed the Ignis, and Chevrolet the Beat Active, which arent compact SUVs, but are both really attractive cross hatchbacks. A little further up the ranks are a couple of more premium SUVs, the Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan and Nissan X-Trail, all of which aim to find that sweet spot in the Rs 17-30 lakh range, between mainstream and luxury. Hot on their heels, however, is the all-new, more spacious, front-wheel-drive BMW X1 and punching a little higher is Mercs answer to the BMW X3, the handsome and plush new GLC. But when youre talking about SUVs, it doesnt get much more hardcore than Jeep, which is finally launching in India this year, and showed its first two models, the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler Unlimited. In the realm of ultra-luxury SUVs, you could go one of two ways. Theres the Range Rover SVAutobiography, the ultimate expression of luxury from JLR, or then theres the Mercedes-Benz G500 4x4 with its jacked-up suspension and yellow paint, that simply spits in the face of established luxury. Not left-field enough for you, how about the Mahindra XUV Aero a concept car that shows us what M&M thinks a coupe-SUV should be. What is likely to be one of the biggest launches of 2016 the brand new Toyota Innova Crysta MPV came with a few surprises, namely a more powerful diesel engine option, and the promise of a petrol variant. Sedans Much like Auto Expo 2014, this edition of the motorshow had its share of compact sedans as well. Volkswagen set the ball rolling with the reveal of the nice-looking Polo-based Ameo in the run up to the Auto Expo. The compact sedan thats been developed for India is expected to be positioned as the premium offering in the segment and will be priced higher than rivals. On the other hand, we can expect keen pricing for the production version of Tatas Kite 5. Basically, the sedan version of the soon-to-be-launched Zica hatchback, the Kite 5, at least in concept form, looks rather attractive. The same can also be said of the Chevrolet Beat Essentia which is a sedan version of the next-gen Beat. Designed largely in India, the Essentia that's expected in our market in 2017 will be a crucial car for Chevrolet as it seeks to increase sales. At the other end of the sedan spectrum, there was a lot from the luxury carmakers. Audi showcased the India-bound latest A4, Jaguar launched the XE and showed the XF and BMW launched the luxurious all-new 7-series. Performance cars Leading the pack of performance showstoppers was the Audi R8 V10 Plus which was launched at Rs 2.47 crore, with a 610bhp 5.2-litre V10 plonked on the back. Next up, the Nissan GT-R finally arrived on Indian shores and the carmaker announced that it will launch its flagship performance offering in September this year. More than 50 years after it was first unveiled, the Ford Mustang made its way into the country with an official launch planned in the second quarter of 2016. The US carmaker aims to create a niche in India by giving the country its first ever muscle car. Interestingly, Volkswagen has decided to launch the Polo GTI in India in three-door guise. Scheduled to go on sale in September 2016, the hot hatch could be priced above the Rs 20-lakh mark. Jeeps entry into the market also included the Grand Cherokee SRT, which features a potent 6.4-litre V8 petrol under the hood making 461bhp and will be out for the BMW X5 following its launch. Hybrids The national debate that arose in light of Delhis air pollution levels has prompted a strong focus on electric and hybrid vehicles. What makes this newfound emphasis on hybrids especially intriguing is that manufacturers are re-introducing vehicles to the Indian market in hybrid configuration three of five hybrids unveiled at the 2016 Auto Expo fit this bill. The Nissan X-Trail, the Volkswagen Passat GTE and the Honda Accord are all coming back to India after hiatuses of varying durations, and all of them get hybrid powertrains, at least in a variant. The X-Trail, back after two years, will come in a hybrid-only configuration while the VW Passat and the Honda Accord will be offered with hybrids as variants. Homegrown automaker Mahindra was visibly very gung-ho about electric vehicles. Its first move was the unveiling of the revised Formula E racecar, followed by the unveiling of an all-electric version of the Verito, christened the E-Verito, which will go on sale in March 2016. Mahindra also showed a race-spec version of the e2o Reva, called the e2o Sport. Also unveiled was a new generation of the original hybrid: the Toyota Prius. Bikes Two-wheeler makers also put their best wheel forward at the 2016 Auto Expo with a few notable unveilings and launches dominating proceedings. Leading the charge was the Akula 310 concept sportsbike from TVS. The Indian motorcycle manufacturer also unveiled two other concepts the RTR-based X21 and the Entorq 210 motor scooter. Also notable was the launch of classic British cafe racers, the Triumph Bonneville and Bonneville T120. Priced attractively at Rs 6.9 lakh and Rs 8.7 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), respectively, Triumph just might be onto something here. The Bonneville Thruxton R was also revealed, though its launch will take place only in a few months. Yamaha launched its middleweight streetfighter sportsbike, the MT-09. However, the adoption of the CBU route makes it pricey, at Rs 10.2 lakh. Benelli unveiled four India-bound motorcycles: the Tornado 302, the TRK 502, the BX 250 and the TNT T 135. Honda finally raised the curtain on its mystery-shrouded Navi. A mix between a motorcycle and a scooter, the curious Navi shows Honda's creative side. The Japanese manufacturer also unveiled its Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin, a widely popular adventure tourer, and announced that it will be brought into India in CKD form. The SR 150 scooter from Aprilia was also a mix between a scooter and a motorcycle, but not in the way the Navi is. It combines the performance of a motorcycle with the convenience of a scooter, and aggressive styling. The BMW G 310 R was a silent unveil, but it created ripples nevertheless. The essence of the unveiling of the G 310 R is that it brings brilliant BMW technology to more people. UM finally made its India entry with two entry-level cruisers the Renegade Commando and the Renegade Sport S. Hero, Suzuki, Indian and Mahindra Two Wheelers were at the 2016 Auto Expo too. Show report by Gavin D'Souza, Nikhil Bhatia, Nishant Parekh and Siddhant Ghalla Delhi Auto Expo 2016 - live blog MEDIA DAY TWO: Click here for the gallery from around the show 1630 - The final press conferences have come to a close, with the biggest news from the final flurry coming from Renault with the Duster facelift that gets a new automatic gearbox. And that draws to a close our live coverage of the 2016 Auto Expo, but stay tuned for plenty more news, galleries and videos to come from us. 1530 - The Toyota press conference is underway, and the fourth-generation Toyota Prius is on show to the public. Managing director Naomi Ishi has used the press conference to reveal the manufacturer's impressive target of reducing CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2050. 1445 - More on those Triumph bikes, our reporter Siddhant Ghalla said that a third bike was unveiled without actually being there. The original plan was to fly it to the Auto Expo, but it's been held up in customs. 1430 - It's not cheap, but it is a lot of fun. Would you be tempted to part with Rs 20 lakh for a VW Polo GTI? It's on show at VW's stall. 1400 - Triumph has launched two bikes: the Triumph Bonneville Street Twin and the Bonneville T120. Prices have been announched, too, and they're cheap. The iconic British Cafe Racers cost Rs 6.9 lakh and Rs 8.7, respectively. Tempted? Take a look through our full bike gallery. 1330 - Although Maruti has said the Baleno RS will go on sale this year, the model on show is still described as a concept car. 1315 - And here's the detals: Ignis and Baleno RS due during the festive season this year via Nexa dealerships. 1245 - The Maruti press conference is underway; the Ignis concept and Baleno RS are set to be showcased. 1215 - Our video team have been hard at work running up and down from stall to stall to bring you the very best coverage from the showfloor. See the fruits of their labours here: Tata Hexa first look, Sachin Tendulkar on the BMW 7 Series, and Volkswagen's Jurgen Stackmann. 1200 - In case you missed it yesterday, Datsun unveiled the Go-Cross concept - get full details here. 1130 - Roland Folger, Mercedes-Benz CEO, has been talking to our reporter Nishant Parekh. He spoke about diesel, BS-VI, and the market for AMG models. More to follow. 1100 - Fiat is showing a host of new metal, including a Punto-based crossover that will go on sale in the third quarter of this year. At the Mahindra stall, the SsangYong Tivoli crossover - already on sale overseas - is being shown. 1030 - Our reporters on the ground are saying it's been designed in-house by Mahindra but built by Pininfarina. 1000 - And the covers are off! A big reveal from Mahindra as the XUV Aero makes its debut, and the manufacturer has hinted it could actually make production: "With your help we can launch this car; we need your feedback." 0930 - Gavin D'Souza is one of the early birds hanging around the Mahindra stall, and he's snapped this picture of the XUV Aero under cover. "It seems Mahindra's decided to do its own X6. At least as a concept. Wraps off soon," he says. 0900 - We're back for the second media day and it promises to be another big one. It's still very cold in this press room, but Scania and JBM press conferences will get us nicely warmed up, before a scorcher from Mahindra & Mahindra. MEDIA DAY ONE: 1900 - Audi and BMW draw proceedings to a close, but not before we get an eyeful of one of the most popular cars at this year's show; the new Toyota Innova. We'll be back tomorrow morning from 9am to bring you all the action from every press conference. 1820 - Such is the scramble to get the best picture here, one of our reporters saw someone scrambling on top of an A3 Cabriolet's bonnet to get a shot of the Audi stall. 1815 - Sachin Tendulkar is set to unveil the BMW 7-series, which is priced from Rs 1.1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore. The X1 has been shown, too, get full details of it here. 1800 - There's a final flurry of press conferences from Nissan, BMW and Audi. We've seen the X-Trail on show, and heard that the GT-R is hitting the market in September. 1730 - More on those Kwid concepts now, with the Climber and Racer showing off-road and performance-focussed versions of the hatchback. There's also a chance that some of the feautres seen in both concepts could make it into future production models. 1715 - Away from new cars, our editor Hormazd Sorabjee has spoken to Maruti Suzuki president and COO Toshihiro Suzuki who had some interesting things to say about the challenges of making low-cost small cars return big profits. Read what he had to say here. 1645 - Would you like news of another SUV? Of course you would, here's more on the Honda BR-V, and here's a video of us driving it. 1630 - Remember when Jeep was set to enter the Indian market in 2014? Well, now it's actually going to happen, this year. The Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, and hot 237bhp Grand Cherokee SRT will go on sale in the middle of this year, first in metros then in Tier I cities. 1600 - The SUVs keep on coming. The Mercedes GLC is on show, as is the Tata Hexa. One is a bit more expensive than the other, though. 1515 - Two very interesting Kwid concepts have been on display. Full details to come. And India's very first indigenous hot hatch is strutting its stuff at the Tata stall. The Bolt Sport gets 108.5bhp (let's call it 109bhp) and can cover 0-100kph in 12 seconds. India-made hot hatches still have a bit of work to do, but then, you have to start somewhere. 1430 - The Hyundai Tucson is already on sale overseas but is coming to India, and now Volkswagen is also bringing a foreign SUV to this country. The Tiguan is expected here in 2017. 1415 - From the comments m.m. karthik asks: When will the Tata Zica be launched? And when will booking be started? Its not been confirmed by the manufacturer, but we expect it to be launched in the middle of this month. However, the entire marketing campaign has been hit by the news that Tata is changing the cars name because of the association with the Zika virus, so plans may change. It's still carrying the Zica name at the Auto Expo, though. Stay tuned. 1400 - Our man Gavin D'Souza is at the Honda stall awaiting the unveiling of the BR-V, which is a "crossover utility vehicle" rather than an "SUV". Whatever that means. 1345 - There's a few cars actually launching today, including the Jaguar XE which will enter the ultra-competitive executive sedan segment. It's on sale in India now, priced from Rs 39.9 lakh, click here for full info. 1315 - Mercedes is taking the time to show off an eclectic collection of its range, the most eye-catching being the G 500 4x4. The most important for India, though, is the GLC SUV which is making its debut in the country. More information to follow. 1300 - Big one from Tata as the Nexon compact SUV comes out from under the covers. It's trying to steal some of the thunder from the Vitara Brezza. 1245 - Honda, meanwhile, has shown an electric variation of the most popular motorised vehicle ever sold. The Honda EV Cub is based on the Super Cub and previews an electric scooter with a detachable battery to allow users to take it out and charge at home - nifty. 1230 - Plenty of bike news coming thick and fast. DSK Benelli have shown four models all set to reach India. Read about them here. 1200 - It's lunchtime, so sit back and watch our video coverage of the Auto Expo. Click here to see the Vitara Brezza. 1145 - Round-up of what's on at Hyundai's stall: Genesis, Tucson, HND-14 compact SUV. 1125 - It's kicking off at the Suzuki bike stall. Security had to be called after a scramble for the press kits made the big advertising board fall down. 1115 - More from Chevrolet now: the Beat Activ is another Beat-based concept and previews the next-generation hatchback which will launch in 2017. And the production-ready all-new Spin MPV has been showcased. 1105 - More on the Honda Navi (which stands for New Additional Value for India. Catchy, right?). It's priced from Rs 39,500 ex-showroom Delhi and has been designed entirely in India, read more about it here. 1100 - We love the Renault Kwid - we just named it our Car of the Year - and now it's set to receive some engine and gearbox updates. Buyers will be able to get a 1.0-litre petrol engine alongside the 800cc option, and it'll get an AMT gearbox as well. Will it make our favourite car of the past year even better? 1045 - Get involved and ask our reporters any questions you have on the new metal on show. Use the comments section on this article, tweet us @autocarindiamag or get in touch on Facebook. 1030 - Lest we forget, it's not all about cars at the Auto Expo, there's also a load of two-wheelers being shown for the first time. Check out our picture gallery on the Honda Navi - a mix between a motorcycle and a scooter, according to our reporter Siddhant Ghalla who was at the press conference. 1020 - For anyone tired of compact-SUVs and compact-sedans, Isuzu has shown a decidedly non-compact pick-up at its stall. The second-generation D-Max will go on sale for around Rs 15 lakh, which is a lot of car for the money. 1010 - More from that General Motors press conference now, and Chevrolet has shown a thinly veiled concept of a Beat-based compact sedan. A production version is set to follow in 2017, here's what we know. 1000 - SUVs, SUVs, SUVs: there's a pretty clear theme developing from this year's Auto Expo. Now Hyundai has unveiled a concept hinting at a future production SUV model to join its line-up. Click here for more on the HND-14 Carlino. 0945 - The big news from yesterday was VW showing off its new Ameo compact sedan that's been tailor-made for the Indian market. We're bursting at the seams with Ameo news - read the news story here, flick through the photo gallery here, and watch our video of it here. 0930 - We've got a constant stream of live pictures coming in from all of the press conferences, follow our live gallery to keep up to speed with it all. 0915 - The Hyundai Tucson looks like it's headed to India, and it could get here as early as September this year. 0900 - Over at Isuzu, the big off-road D-Max pick-up has been shown. It'll be built in India, priced from around Rs 15 lakh. 0845 - Our reporter Gavin D'Souza has been getting hands on with Maruti's new compact SUV: "Dash of Vitara Brezza all too familiar, but decently put together. Cabin is very spacious." 0830 - All eyes on General Motors and Hyundai now, more SUVs and concepts on the way 0815 - Compact SUVs are going to be a common sight at this year's Auto Expo, but will any be able to upstage the Brezza? We've got more pictures from the unveiling here. 0800 - The first press conference of the 2016 Auto Expo is underway and Maruti Suzuki has taken the covers off one of the biggest cars at the show: the Vitara Brezza compact SUV. Click here for full details on it. Mahindra XUV Aero concept The concept car previews a future XUV500-based SUV with coupe-like styling to pitch it in a class dominated by high-end luxury offerings like the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. A production version could be Mahindras flagship model, positioned above the XUV500, and the concept car will show a new infotainment system to be used in future models. Maruti Suzuki The Maruti Vitara Brezza SUV, the carmaker's first compact SUV, is set to be positioned below the S-Cross in its range. It borrows features of its styling like its sloping roofline from the bigger Vitara SUV, which is sold overseas. The Vitara Brezza will be under four metres long and is likely to be be powered by Marutis 1.2- and 1.4-litre petrol engines, as well as the 1.3-litre diesel. The Vitara Brezza SUV will face competition from the Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV300 in the segment. Baleno RS The concept car will show a warm version of the premium hatchback, powered by the new 110bhp 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine with extra styling tweaks to give it a sporty look. The Boosterjet engine will be introduced in the standard Baleno, which was spotted testing with the engine recently. Ignis concept The small crossover was unveiled at the 2015 Tokyo motor show and will make its debut in India at the Auto Expo as a thinly-veiled concept form. It features a large grille with LED headlamps and flared wheel arches, and a production model could be launched later this year, but theres no official confirmation yet. New Mercedes GLC SUV The all-new GLC SUV closely resembles the C-class sedan from the outside and inside, where the GLC gets a luxurious cabin with rotary air vents and a touchscreen infotainment system. It will enter the Indian market with two variants of the 2.1-litre four-cylinder diesel engine the 168bhp 220d, and 201bhp GLC 250d. Mercedes GLC250d review S-Class Cabriolet The drop-top version of Mercedes luxury flagship sedan is the same length as the car its based on and the roof can be extended or folded away in 20 seconds at speeds up to 60kph. Nissan X-Trail Hybrid SUV The previous generation of X-Trail was discontinued in India in 2014 because of low demand, but Nissan is bringing back the SUV with sleeker styling and a plusher cabin and will price it around Rs 32-35 lakh. The SUV will be powered by Nissans 2.0-litre diesel engine mated to a CVT gearbox. Theres a lot of interest in this segment, and the X-Trail faces competition from the cheaper Hyundai Santa Fe and Honda CR-V. Renault Duster facelift The popular Duster is set to receive a facelift and new AMT gearbox option, and its already been spotted testing in India ahead of its debut at the Auto Expo 2016. The Easy-R AMT gearbox was chosen over the DCT gearbox available outside of India because it proved to be significantly cheaper for the buyer. Cosmetic tweaks are expected to include a reworked bumper and grille as well as modified headlamps. The launch is expected sometime around March or April. SsangYong Tivoli crossover The Mahindra-owned manufacturer could unveil the Tivoli crossover at the Auto Expo ahead of its India launch. Already on sale overseas, the Indian model will get Mahindras new engine family from the KUV100 compact SUV, with a 1.6-litre petrol and 1.6-litre diesel, but the price is yet to be confirmed. This vehicle was recently seen in India on tests. Tata Nexon-based Osprey compact SUV The compact SUV, known internally as Osprey, has been spotted testing and is based on the Nexon concept showcased at the Auto Expo in 2014. The production version is thought to draw heavily from the styling of the Nexon and will see the introduction of Tatas 110bhp 1.5-litre diesel engine. The launch is not expected before the end of this year. Tata Zica -based compact sedan The The Zica-based compact sedan will replace the Tata Indigo eCS and could be priced around Rs 4 lakh when it goes on sale this year. The 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and 1.0-litre diesel engine will be carried over from the Zica, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, and other features from the hatchback version of the Zica such as Bluetooth, sat-nav, dual airbags and ABS are expected to be carried over. When launch, it will face competition from other compact sedans such as the Honda Amaze, Maruti DZire, Hyundai Xcent and Figo Aspire. All-new Toyota Innova A hugely important car for Toyota, the second-generation Innova features thoroughly updated styling and an improved interior. The MPV, which has been a very successful model for Toyota in India, also gets an all-new 2.4-litre diesel engine Volkswagen Ameo The Polo-based compact sedan has been developed specifically for the Indian market. It will share cosmetic and mechanical bits from the Polo and Vento and will be built at VW's plant in Pune and is likely to be priced above the Honda Amaze. Volkswagen Tiguan SUV The second-generation Tiguan is the first SUV to be based on Volkswagens MQB platform, shared with the Skoda Octavia. Its likely to be powered by a 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine. Volkswagen Passat GTE The all-new Passat will reach India later this year and Volkswagen is showcasing the car as a plug-in hybrid version. It has a 50km electric-only range, and with its 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine, a combined range of 1,001km. Also read: Blog: Tracking two decades of Auto Expo Auto Expo 2016: An overview Being jointly organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), the latest edition of the Auto Expo will be held at the India Exposition Mart Ltd (IEML) in Greater Noida from February 5-9, 2016. We had reported in October than SIAM was preparing enclosed permanent structures at the venue to increase the total air-conditioned permanently covered floor space. The total floor space has been increased by 37,240 sq. metres (six new halls) over and above the already available eight halls, taking the total floor space to around 79,000 sq. metres. The Auto Expo 2016 is expected to see an increase in visitors with SIAM calculating a 20 percent rise compared to the previous edition. The number of exhibitors for the event has also risen to over 65 exhibitors from last year's count of 55. Participating brands The major automotive brands to be present at the Auto Expo 2016 will include Ashok Leyland, Audi, BMW, Datsun, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda cars, Hyundai, Isuzu, Jaguar Land Rover, Mahindra and Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault, Scania Commercial Vehicles, SML Isuzu, Tata Motors, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, VE Commercial vehicles, Volkswagen India and more. From the two- wheeler industry, the major brands to be present include Hero MotoCorp, Yamaha, Mahindra Two-Wheelers, Piaggio Vehicles, Suzuki Motorcycles, Triumph Motorcycles, TVS Motor Company and more. There will also be new entrants such as Abarth, BMW Motorrad, Jeep, DSK Benelli, Indian Motorcycles and many more. However, Bajaj, Volvo and Harley-Davidson will not be participating in the expo this year. The 2016 Auto Expo will also exhibit high-end bicycles, tyres and tubes, products from oil companies, Automotive Design and Technology, Engineering and IT for automobile companies, institutions, universities, auto insurance companies and media and auto portals/magazines. In addition, there will be a pavilion dedicated to classic cars and areas for activities such as safety riding and driving simulators. Accessibility The venue will be accessible through six entry points with CISF handling the security. There will also be free shuttle services available from the nearest metro station, which is the Botanical Gardens, Noida city centre and Pragati Maidan with as many as 160 DTC busses being pressed into service. Furthermore, there will also be an smartphone app available to help navigate through the various exhibits at the venue. Network connectivity The venue will provide Wi-Fi and internet coverage along with telecom companies having being asked to provide special towers to avoid network congestion at the venue. Tickets and timings Ticket bookings for the expo are already open on the Auto Expos official website www.autoexpo-themotorshow.in and www.bookmyshow.com. The tickets are priced at Rs 300 for general public hours during weekdays (1pm - 6pm), and Rs 400 for weekends (10am - 7pm). For visiting during business hours on weekdays (10am - 1pm), tickets cost Rs 650. However, business hours ticket holders will also be able to enter the venue during public hours, until 6pm. Free home delivery is offered on bookings of 3 to 10 tickets made before December 31, 2015. Otherwise, home delivery charges of Rs 75 per booking will be levied. Home delivery will not available for tickets booked online after January 25, 2016. Delivery starts from January 15, 2016, or the tickets can be collected from counters located at parking lots near the venue. Hospitality The Auto Expo will also have a food court which gets an extra 1,000 sq. metres over the one at the previous expo. The food court will hold 60 food stalls, 20 kiosks and multiple food trucks offering an assortment of cuisine from international brands and prominent local restaurants and outlets. Two restaurants run by the Taj and Radisson Hotels have also been arranged for at the venue. Like in 2014, this year's Auto Components Show one of the biggest exhibitions of automotive components, technology and services will take place from February 4 -7, at Pragati Maidan. Technically a marble copy of a Hellenistic statue, the Farnese Atlas depicts the mythological figure kneeling with a globe on his back. Contrary to popular opinion, that globe is actually the night sky as seen from the outermost celestial sphere, which is concentric with Earth, not the Earth itself.Apparently, Atlas was condemned by Zeus to hold up The Heavens on his shoulders, preventing them from reuniting with Gaia, which in Greek mythology was the creator and Birth-giver of the Earth and the Universe.What does this improvised history lesson have to do with cars, I hear you muttering? Bear with me for a moment.There's no way that you have an Internet connection and haven't yet heard about the infamous emissions scandal that has surrounded Volkswagen in the last few months. There's also no way that you don't already have a firm opinion about Dieselgate and who is to blame (if any) for the emissions tomfoolery.That said, if we look at the extra NOx particles that our lungs have to endure because of diesel cars in general, maybe we could all use an Atlas to keep them away from our cities, engulfed in a giant globe of pollution. In that regard, we could say that if a car God existed, he or she would probably try and help our lost ways. Our car God would make us renounce the invented diesel God we've been all forced to follow by most European carmakers.Environmental laws would need to be changed and take into account NOx particles more than CO2 emissions, which are mathematically related to fuel consumption and less harmful in the short term anyway.Our Atlas would keep all those impurities engulfed in a giant sphere, which wouldn't be allowed by our car God to embrace Earth ever again, just like the Titan held The Heavens and Gaia apart from each other.Now, those of you who've been reading this far will probably start wondering if I just got back from the dentist and I'm still under the influence, but I assure you this is not the case.The truth is, it all started with Volkswagen and its Dieselgate scandal, but that was just the beginning, apparently. More and more European carmakers have been drawn into this shebang, albeit everyone is screaming that they're innocent. But are they?The latest to come under the public's watchful but also paranoid eye are Renault and Opel, although neither of the two admitted to using those abominable emission defeat devices, like Volkswagen did.After some real-world NOx emission tests had revealed some inaccuracies among a bunch of Renault models, the French carmaker decided to recall over 15,000 Captur crossovers to fix the issue. Oh, and it will also provide a voluntary emissions-system software update for around 700,000 more diesel cars from its stable.Opel, GM's only surviving European branch, may not be doing very well either when it comes to its diesel engines. It's an entirely different situation in Russelsheim, though, since only a Belgian journalist is accusing Opel of trying to cover up a yet unproven emission problem with the Opel Zafira in 1.6-liter diesel guise.BMW's shares dropped like a lead balloon last fall when a malicious Auto Bild article talked about an overly polluting BMW X3 diesel, while Mercedes-Benz has had its fair share of paranoia regarding its own diesel models.Do you see a pattern yet? If I were a tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorist, I would say that someone or something started a global battle against diesel cars. Heck, who am I kidding? I'm not exactly pro-diesel either, quite the contrary Still, that doesn't mean I don't find this newly born crusade against this type of engine a bit on the peculiar side of things. Was the Dieselgate scandal all it took for Government agencies to wake up? Really? It's almost like all the diesel lobbyists out there disappeared overnight and left us with promises of electric cars that don't come with range anxiety, make flowers bloom and hug trees with their hippie attitude.What is your say in all of this? Are we actually witnessing the death of diesels, happening right before our eyes? The reporters name is Luc Pauwels, and he works for VRT News in Belgium, Deredactie reports. Hes owned his Opel Astra for five years without a glitch, but he became curious when he received a letter from General Motors' European branch in late September 2015. He decided to hide a video camera in his car, so he could monitor what was happening to the vehicle in the service area.He learned that Opel had decided to update the engine software on the Zafira Tourers 1.6-liter diesel engine. According to unnamed technicians in the service area, the diesel released too much nitrogen oxide vapor, and needed a software update.The reporter went on with his investigation and probed two 1.6-liter diesel Zafira Tourers to find out if the update had an effect on emissions. According to the measurements done by Belgian specialists, there was a link between the update and the nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx).Meanwhile, the German company rejected the allegations that the 1.6-liter diesel engines in the Zafira Tourer required such updates, and claimed that they fully comply with regulations.According to Opels statement in the Financial Times, the company only modified 309 vehicles in Belgium, but the change had nothing to do with emission levels. Opel officials stated that they fixed a diesel exhaust fluid controller that sent out the wrong signals, falsely illuminating a warning light.In October 2015, Opel was accused by environmental lobbying group Deutsche Umwelthilfe that one of its diesel engines failed to meet European regulations. Back then, the General Motors branch denied the allegations. The German company then carried out its own tests on the Zafira Tourer with the specified engine and stated that it met official emissions restrictions. Assorted thoughts on daily life in Cairo and Chicago Police officials believe the burglar, who might be part of a gang, used a ladder to break in through a first-floor window. The noise woke up Lady March, who went to investigate but ran into the robber outside the door. She was then pushed back in, and when the Lord came to help her, the burglar hit him in the head, causing an injury to his ear.After forcing Lady March to open the safe, the robber tied them both and escaped with a historic emerald and diamond ring given to the mistress of Charles II, 40 unique items including an 1820 diamond tiara worth around 400,000 pounds, a 19th century diamond necklace worth 200,000 pounds, several high-value watches, such as a Rolex and a Girard-Perregaux, emerald, diamond and sapphire rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces.The royal couple remained tied until later in the morning when they were discovered by a staff member, who also called the police.The last 48 hours have been challenging, and I would like to thank Sussex Police, my team here at Goodwood and the local and national Press for their support. I am pleased to tell you that we are both recovering and entirely focused on providing the police with anything that may help recover the stolen items, some of which have such personal significance and others such historical value, Lord March, also known as Charles Gordon-Lennox, stated.Police are currently investigating and will focus mostly on whether the crime was planned during a visit to a part of the house sometimes open to the public and on finding out if the burglar was targeting particular items of high value. According to Daily Mail, a 26-year-old man from Hampshire was arrested, but he was later released on bail pending further inquiries.Detective Inspector Till Sanderson said that The theft of these beautiful and treasured items has left Lord, and Lady March devastated at their loss. Forensic teams are working with detectives to investigate the circumstances, and we are appealing for anyone who saw any suspicious activity during that night up until 7 am or in the previous days to contact us. We are doing all we can try to trace the stolen treasures, liaising with auction houses, stately homes, dealers and those with specialist knowledge.For those of you who dont know, March is a true petrolhead and it was his grandfather who brought motor sport to Goodwood, by opening the Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1948. Lord March established the Festival of Speed at Goodwood House in 1993, and the rest is history. EV The best-selling all-electric car is the Renault ZOE, which had a market share increase of 2.2 percent, with 18,453 new registrations in 2015. No less than 10,670 vehicles were sold in France alone, where the brand recorded a 48.1 percent market share, mostly due to the incentive set up by the French government in April 2015.Furthermore, the Renault Kangoo Z.E takes the best-selling electric LCV in Europe award with 4,325 units sold.The French company did very well in this particular segment, as between 2010 and 2015, it sold a record 62,228cars.In the UK, ZOE sales registered a 102 percent growth, to 2,053 cars. ZOE is the second best-selling electric car in Great Britain.Also in 2015, Groupe Renaults PC+LCV worldwide registrations saw a further rise of 3.3 percent for a total of 2.8 million vehicles, and it was the third consecutive year of sales growth. As the Groups worldwide market share stands at 3.2 percent, the carmaker remains the number one French brand in the world.According to Thierry Koskas, Groupe Renault Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing, 2015 marks another year of increased sales by Groupe Renault and we have beaten our previous sales record. Despite economic conditions that continue to vary from one region to another, our growth is constant and validates the geographic diversification strategy pursued these past years.The economic crises in Russia and Latin America haven't influenced Renaults sales too much as the Group held steady and even recorded market share gains in Africa, Middle East, India, and Eurasia regions.Renault wants to keep the momentum going, and in 2016 it expects the global market to record a growth of 1 to 2 percent compared to 2015. The European market is also supposed to grow by 2 percent, and the same is valid for the French market.If last year the carmaker withstood the economic crisis, this year, the Brazilian and Russian markets are expected to decline even further, by 6 and 12 percent, respectively. kWh The official didnt give exact figures, but 50 percent means somewhere around 120 miles (around 200 km) on a single charge compared to the current 81.Thanks to this modification, the i3 will have a better range than Nissan Leafs 107 miles (172 km), but wouldnt come nowhere near the 200 miles (322 km) of the upcoming Chevrolet Bolt , launched at CES 2016.Bolts incredible range is due to a new cell and battery pack developed by the American engineers together with those from LG Electronics. The battery system includes a 60battery pack, 288 lithium ion cells divided into five sections, ten modules, and 96 cell groups.The BMW I3 has been available for purchase in the US starting spring of 2014 and is currently listed at $43,350, including shipping. For an extra $3,850 you can have the model with a range extender.The German carmaker sold 24,057 i3s worldwide last year, 50 percent more than in 2014. In the US, 11,024 cars were sold, and nearly 60 percent of them were with the range extender, as Automotive News reports.Robertson has also said that the new model will get other improvements, but hasnt clearly specified what they will consist of, leaving us to make suppositions.It is a known fact that the German carmaker tends to follow the same pattern while its line-up is concerned, and it launches a facelifted model four years after the original version comes out. Based on this, we are tempted to say that the new i3 will come with a fresh new look and, who knows, maybe with some new technology on the interior, aside from the long-awaited battery improvements. The first movie of the Fast&Furious saga not to feature Paul Walker will be called Fast8 and will carry the tagline New Roads Ahead. Judging by the design of the poster, the movie will take place in New York. The photo also informs us that the motion picture will also be available in IMAX theaters.Previous statements had already confirmed April 17, 2017, as the debut date of the new Fast&Furious movie. Fast8 will be part of a new trilogy, with the motion picture set to be followed by two other films in the saga. Some industry voices claim Vin Diesels crew might further extend the Fast&Furious legacy with some spin-offs.Originally, the first Fast&Furious movie was supposed to take place in New York City. The movies concept was inspired by an article on illegal street racing in that city, but it was eventually shot in Los Angeles, Motor Authority reports.According to IMDB, the movie will be directed by Felix Gary Gray, and will feature Jason Statham, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris. Cody Walker, Paul Walkers brother, might also appear in the upcoming Fast8. The producers of Fast&Furious 7 used him as a stand-in for his late brother in filming some of the scenes.Vin Diesel is also a producer of this movie, unlike his fellow co-stars. The new director of the most recent installment of Fast&Furious is known for movies like The Italian Job (2003), Law Abiding Citizen and Straight Outta Compton.Vin Diesel is pretty busy these days, the 48-year-old actor getting ready to shoot a new sequel in the xXx franchise called The Return of Xander Cage. We know this because the artist released a picture of himself holding a longboard on his Instagram and captioned it Xander zone... Photo: Daimler Daimler Trucks is setting the course for its return to the Iranian market, having signed letters of intent with its local cooperation partners Iran Khodro Diesel (IKD) and the Mammut Group. Prior to the sanctions, Daimler said it sold up to 10,000 vehicles per year in Iran, most of them commercial vehicles. Daimler AG has already had successful business relations with IKD for the past 50 years. IKD is a subsidiary of Iran Khodro Industrial Group, which has more than a 50-percent market share in Iran and has been cooperating with Daimler for over half a century. The areas of cooperation include a joint venture for local production of Mercedes-Benz trucks and powertrain components plus the establishment of a sales company for Mercedes-Benz trucks and components, according to the company. Furthermore, there are plans for Daimler to return as a shareholder in the former engine joint venture Iranian Diesel Engine Manufacturing Co. (IDEM). In addition to this, both partners are looking at establishing a joint venture for local sales of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles. Daimler and IKD are about to benefit from each others competitive advantages to satisfy the large demand for trucks, according to the company. With its growth potential following many years of sanctions and the pent-up demand in the transport sector, Iran offers promising opportunities for Daimler Trucks. Despite the sanctions, Iran was one of the largest national economies in the Middle East, with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of 415 billion U.S. dollars in 2014. Industry accounts for almost half of the Iranian national economy. The Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade estimates that about 200,000 commercial vehicles will be replaced in the coming years some 56,000 of them in the next three to five years alone, according to the automaker. By signing the letter of intent, Daimler Trucks has started the process for a comprehensive re-entry into the Iranian market considering the persistent sanctions regime and further export control regulations. The first Mercedes-Benz Actros and Axor trucks could be supplied to the country in the form of CKD (completely knocked down) kits before the end of the year. In addition to this, Daimler Trucks is pursuing the aim of establishing an even firmer foothold in the local market by revitalizing the engine cooperation with IDEM and establishing a sales joint venture. Furthermore, Daimler Trucks is aiming to establish a sales joint venture to professionalize all sales and after-sales activities in Iran. Daimler Trucks likewise intends to open a representative office in Tehran during the first quarter of 2016. With these commitments, Daimler Trucks is therefore committed to assist with the countrys economic and social development. In addition to the plans for Mercedes-Benz trucks, Daimler Trucks said it also sees great opportunities for Mitsubishi FUSO especially in the light-duty-truck segment. To open up this market, Daimler and Mayan have signed a distribution agreement for the FUSO brand. Mayan is part of the Mammut Group. The Dubai-based Mammut Group is a truck bodybuilder and distributor. Mayan will be responsible for opening up the Iranian market in close cooperation with FUSO. Daimler said its commercial vehicle business in in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is organized through a regional center. From its base in Dubai, Daimler Commercial Vehicles Middle East & North Africa (DCV MENA) is supporting 19 countries from Morocco to Pakistan. The new company is responsible for business in the region with the groups entire commercial vehicle portfolio from the Mercedes-Benz Citan city van to the Mercedes-Benz Actros heavy-duty truck. GE Aviation will build a new facility in the Czech Republic to produce engines for Textron Aviations new single-engine turboprop, the company announced this week. The all-new ATP (advanced turboprop) engine will achieve 20 percent better fuel burn and 10 percent higher cruise power compared to competitors in the same class, GE says. The GE Turboprop Center of Excellence facility is expected to go online by 2020, with a staff of about 500. Besides production capabilities, the facility also will support research on new products, including a 5,000-shp turboprop engine for the regional market. Until the Center of Excellence goes online, design and testing for the ATP engine will take place in GEs existing facilities, the company said. Textron has released few details about the new turboprop, which will aim for a range of more than 1,500 nm and top speed of about 280 knots, making it competitive with the Pilatus PC-12. Textron is expected to reveal more details about the design this summer at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. The Sam LSA, an all-metal low-wing tandem airplane that first flew in 2013, has been acquired by brothers Sebastien and Matt Heintz, owners of Zenith Aircraft (U.S.) and Zenair (Canada). In a news release issued Monday, the brothers said they are considering several different options for the airplane, including an LSA version, a kit, a quick-build kit, and a sport aerobatic configuration. The airplane was designed by Thierry Zibi, of Quebec, Canada, who built just one copy of the airplane and flew it to many U.S. airshows in search of buyers. In 2014 he put the design up for sale, saying hed decided he was more interested in designing airplanes than in marketing and production. The Sam Aircraft design is a distinctive and fun airplane, and will be a welcome addition to the Zenith line of kit aircraft, Sebastien Heintz said in Mondays news release. The brothers said the Sam design, constructed primarily of 6061-T6 aluminum assembled with blind rivets, makes it easy and quick to build as well as durable and affordable. The brothers said they will announce further details about their design and production plans after they complete an engineering review and market research. Zenith will be an exhibitor at next weeks Sport Aviation Expo, in Sebring, Florida. AVweb contributor Larry Anglisano flew the airplane in 2014; click here for his video flight report. Examining contemporary issues in employment, labour relations and workplace injury in Alberta. 19 January 2016 17:48 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Sadigova Armenian government expects a positive response from Russia to its appeal to reduce gas prices. Premier Hovik Abrahamyan motivated it by his country tight strategic relations with the Northern giant. Although no details are disclosed, but Armenia expects prices to be lower from the current $165 to $140 per 1,000 cubic meters -- the price Russia supplies its gas to Belarus. Consumers in Armenia pay the highest price for gas in the world - about $400 per 1,000 cubic meters. Despite of the demands of society and various parliamentary committees, no one bothered to explain why a consumer price of gas on this side of the border is more than doubled. As is the case with the Armenian power grids, the pricing on gas does not exclude losses and dubious criminal schemes. The Armenian press frequently report about the luxury lifestyle of former and current leaders of Gazprom-Armenia, referring to their criminal past. Just as in the electricity sector, all the calculations show that the consumer prices can be reduced even if Russia declines making discounts on gas at the border. It is enough to cut taxes, but it would reduce the revenues of the ruling elite and their growing capitals. Now the situation is aggravated by the fact that Armenia has to undertake some steps to fix the situation because poor people, half of which cannot find a job, are unable to pay increasing fees. Even if Russia agrees upon generous discounts, the Armenian officials will hardly make the same offer to the people. They will only slightly improve their position, still earning money illegally. Inappropriate domestic policies of the government, imbalanced business environment and privileged monopolists in Armenia have cemented the 105th place for it among 144 countries in terms of the effectiveness of antitrust policy. The people in this weak post-Soviet country are still afloat only because external transfers of their luckier relatives, who managed to flee from Armenia. Now, when even these modest incomes came to naught decreased by 32.3 percent -- the situation became even tenser. Reducing flow of private transfers to Armenia has affected not only the solvency of the population in general, but also on the solvency of Armenian manufacturers and exporters, what lead to an increased amount of non-performing loans. The newly adopted 2016 public budget has also left no hope for a better year because of its high deficit rate. The government that is not interested in the well being of the nation, is not likely to ensure a stable life and prosperity. Armenian authorities rob the people endangering with next social and economic collapse. --- Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 17:34 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova The removal of Western sanctions on Iran, the fourth country with largest proven oil reserves (about 158 billion barrels), immediately affected the global oil prices, pushing them below $28 per barrel. Brent crude fell as low as $27.67 a barrel, its lowest since 2003, before recovering slightly to trade at $28.17. The price of U.S. crude fell below $29 a barrel to $28.86. At a time when the market already is grappling with a global supply glut, Iran (daily oil production was about 3 million barrels) has said it is ready to increase exports by 500,000 barrels per day. Iran's such a decision came after the IAEA, the international nuclear watchdog, said Iran had complied with a deal designed to prevent it developing nuclear weapons and it was decided to lift the sanctions against Iran on January 16. However, analysts say the lifting of the sanctions on Iran means worsening of the existing oversupply problem and production of half a million barrels more oil per day. They believe that Iran's initial export is easy to achieve, but further production increases are challenging. The decrease of oil price has been driven by oversupply, mainly due to the export of U.S. shale oil to the market, while demand has fallen because of a slowdown in economic growth in China and Europe. Iran's oil exports could reach 1 million barrels per day within a year, while the country's officials hope to eventually increase output by almost 1.5 million barrels per day. According to the International Energy Agency, about 38 million barrels of oil are in Iran's floating reserves, ready to enter the market. Any additional oil would add to the one million barrels a day of over-supply that has led to a more than 70 percent collapse in oil prices since the middle of 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. So, experts believe that it is the wrong time for Iran, the fifth-biggest member of oil cartel OPEC, to return to the oil market, both for the market and for Iran. They did not exclude the possibility of further drop of oil prices, but not much lower than $25. But Iran is keen to return to the oil market despite all sad figures. "The legs of Irans economy are now free of the chains of sanctions and its time to build and grow, Rouhani tweeted on January 17. However, experts believe that Iran's oil sector needs a lot of investments. In particular, Iran's oil fields have experienced a long period of underinvestment. So, the country needs significant foreign investment and technology to repair and build out its production potential. The country also needs huge investments in its out-of-date oil infrastructure. On January 18, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, said in an interview with CNN that Iran needs about $500 billion to restore its oil infrastructure. Iranian officials are aware that they are returning to the market at an inauspicious time with outdated infrastructure, thus, they want to set special relationships with their customers such as oil-for-goods bartering. Bartering is believed to help Iran during a period of intense competition among oil producers for buyers. Over the past several years, Iran has bartered oil for equipment and goods with China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey, the countries that did not impose sanctions against Tehran. Iranian officials believe that Iran could use this bartering practice towards European costumers. Iran is also negotiating acquiring stakes in refineries in India, Brazil and Spain, while Iranian private companies intend to purchase refineries in Switzerland and France. The safest way to increase the exports is investment in refineries abroad. On this basis, the petroleum ministry wants to invest in refineries abroad, whose crude oil will be supplied by Iran, Abbas Kazemi, the head of the state-run National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Co., told local media on January 9. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 13:46 (UTC+04:00) By Mark Leonard The European question is the grim reaper of British politics dividing parties, debilitating governments, and destroying careers. But never before have the stakes surrounding the question been so high. Prime Minister David Camerons decision to hold a referendum perhaps as early as June on the United Kingdoms continued membership in the European Union could bring down his government, destroy his political party, and literally tear his country apart. Cameron is doing all he can to renegotiate the terms of membership in order to persuade voters to choose to remain in the EU. But referendums are notoriously unpredictable. And there is no reason to believe that the storms of populism blowing across the continent will not make landfall in the UK. A decision to leave the EU would fall like a sledgehammer on the British economy and greatly diminish its international stature. Far worse, it could lead to the dissolution of the UK. The Scottish National Party has threatened to hold a second independence referendum if British voters decide to leave the EU. This, the SNPs leaders argue, would allow an independent Scotland to remain part of Europe, even as England, Wales, and Northern Ireland set out on their own. Were this to happen, the dismemberment of the UK would make Camerons legacy the worst of any prime minister in British history. That might seem like a high bar, given that the title is usually associated with Neville Chamberlain, who famously tried to appease Adolf Hitler. But while the stakes were certainly higher in Chamberlains case, at least his polices could be reversed before they destroyed the country (and Winston Churchill did just that). If Cameron loses both the EU and Scottish referendums, his successors will not be able to put the EU or the UK back together again. As Cameron fights to save his party and his country, a line from Oscar Wilde resonates: For each man kills the thing he loves. The prime ministers predicament is that his political strength depends on his ability to stretch the Conservative Partys blanket over its uneasy bedfellows of flag-waving nationalists and free-market fundamentalists; but the European question pits one side against the other. For capital and big business, EU membership is an economic imperative, offering access to 500 million consumers and reserves of cheap, qualified labor. For nationalists, it is a threat, undermining British sovereignty and control over the countrys borders. Camerons call for a referendum, first issued when he was in opposition, was an attempt to appease both sides, allowing each to stick to their principles while promising to give voters the final say. The trouble began when he became Prime Minister and was forced to pick a side. Fortunately for Cameron, he has a lot going in his favor. The facts are clear: the UKs economy, security, and international stature all benefit from EU membership. And broadly, the business community, trade unions, parliament, the media, and even a plurality of the British public all favor remaining in the EU. Meanwhile, opponents of EU membership have yet to make the case for a credible alternative. Moreover, Cameron has an impressive track record of exceeding expectations. Few predicted he would take control of his party when he launched his leadership campaign in 2005. When the Conservatives came to power in 2010, many doubted that he would serve a full term as Prime Minister. And even Cameron himself did not expect to win an outright majority in last years general election. But there is no guarantee that his winning streak will continue. The news from Europe has been unrelentingly grim, and it could ultimately sway the result of the referendum. The refugee crisis, terrorist attacks, and the lingering effects of the global economic crisis are all providing fuel for simmering nativist sentiment. Worries over migration and the spectacle of a divided, dysfunctional Europe have benefited xenophobes and extremists across the continent. And terrorist attacks, by their very nature, are intended to provoke irrational backlashes (as evidenced by a recent referendum in Denmark, in which voters unexpectedly rejected a proposal to modify the countrys opt-outs from certain EU home-affairs regulations). Camerons allies say he has only two modes of operation: complacency and panic. So far, he has faced his referendum challenge calmly. But that is likely to change as the vote approaches and the risk grows that he will be remembered as the leader who, to paraphrase Churchill, was given a choice between his party and his country, chose his party, and ended up losing both. Copyright: Project Syndicate: Neville Cameron? --- Follow us on Twitter: @Azernews 20 January 2016 00:01 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli ... It was a bloody night that I cannot forget despite so many years have passed. That horror, scare, panic, 46-year-old Arzu Aliyeva says with trembling voice. "And that was the first ever sounds of gunfire that I heard in my life. There was horrific scene outside. Everywhere was covered with a mist produced from the shots, while the accompanying sound of gun-shorts made the feeling much more dreadful. It was awful to watch screaming people down the street, running away the Soviet tanks and bearded soldiers targeting civilians." That is the very gloomy memory of my interlocutor, who scares even to remember those tragic timeframe of her life -- fired, wounded, dark... The collective punishment of people demonstrating their unwavering will to independence from the Soviet empire after 70 years of subjugation was cruel and unexpected. Twenty six years pass since that tragic January events in Azerbaijan, which was went down into the countrys history as Bloody January. During an operation which began from the late hours of January 19 into January 20, 26,000 hostile and aggressive-minded Soviet special forces called "Alfa" entered Baku to commit atrocities against the Azerbaijani people. They stormed and murdered hundreds of civilians without declaring a state of emergency. Around 10pm in the evening deafening silence suddenly covered the city after demolition of the central television station and termination of phone and radio lines by the Soviet army. The people were deprived of the right to access information. They fired protesters crushing many of them with tanks, and arrested hundreds more for imprisonment and torture. The invasion was launched at midnight. It was committed with unbelievable brutality. Even children, women and the elderly were targeted. Abbas Abbasov, the old man, remembers that blackish day in his life with sorrow. I was going home in BIna settlement outskirts Baku, when soldiers short me on my leg. Then the tanks approached me, and soldiers started to beat me down. In agony, I was taken to the hospital by local residents, he said. Sevinj Safarova, an employee of the Clinical Hospital said that she cannot forget the cries and moans of the wounded people. I was on duty that day and we received the wounded beginning from 12pm. There was huge stream of injured, while we had only three surgeons and two nurses at the hospital then. We were unaware of the happened, she told. We needed help, and medical students came to assist us. There was not even an electricity, and we were burning papers, or lighting a candle to save the injured. Soviet soldiers were standing near the hospital, not allowing people to go out. They were firing at doctors, she added. She could not keep her tear while remembering that tragic night at the hospital. We received forty-two corpses in an hour. I will never forget the death of two children -- nine and fourteen years old. There was also a child wounded in the stomach, who later died... January events of 1990 will forever remain as a big wound for Azerbaijanis. People could hardly forget the pain and confusion that the nation experienced on those days. No one even could imagine that the Soviet authority would be so cruel with the civilians. Though the final death toll is still disputed, at least 130 people died from wounds received during the subsequent violent confrontations. A vast majority of the casualties were civilians, with over 700 of them wounded Sparks for collapse Historian Firdovsiya Ahmadova says that the reasons of January tragedy go deep into history, beginning from the territorial claims of Armenians against Azerbaijan. Back in 1987 the Armenian academics and official figures claimed to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and conducted propaganda in this direction. Taking advantage of Soviet Unions last leader, Mikhail Gorbachevs perestroika policy, Armenians once again resumed their insidious policy towards Azerbaijan, the historian added. Then, the Soviet government had an intention to realize the Armenian policy by diplomatic means in 1988, but failed because millions of Azerbaijanis headed to the streets to protest Armenian aggression and separatist forces fueling unrest in the ancient land of Azerbaijan -- the mountainous Karabakh region. Azerbaijani people launched the square movement to defend their rights and land. Indeed, the Central government sent military forces to suppress the national movement and even crushed the rebellions by force. But that was temporary, Agayeva stressed. Azerbaijanis were determined to protect their territorial integrity and did not step back, showing their sacrifice and vigor for the national freedom. The crime that the Soviet army committed on these two days in Baku was a real sabotage and bloody crime against Azerbaijanis, who were protecting their constitutional rights, the historian stressed. At that time Azerbaijan's national leader, former President Heydar Aliyev, was living in Moscow and he came to Azerbaijans permanent representation to present his condolences to the people. In an emotional speech he directly blamed the officials of the USSR and Azerbaijan in initiating the tragedy. Heydar Aliyev, who considered this tragedy a crime against the Azerbaijani people, emphasized that the initiators bore responsibility for it and should be properly punished. This tragic event did not break the spirit of the nation, but marked a turning point in the history of Azerbaijans independence from the Soviet Union and revealed the strong determination of the people to build their own independent country. January 20 tragedy has provoked worldwide anger and indignation of the progressive forces. A report by Human Rights Watch titled Black January in Azerbaijan" states: "Indeed the violence used by the Soviet Army on the night of January 19-20...constitutes an exercise in collective punishment... The punishment inflicted on Baku by Soviet soldiers may have been intended as a warning to nationalists, not only in Azerbaijan, but in other Republics of the Soviet Union." The horrible night did not give the chance for many young people to fulfill their purest dreams, including the lovely couple of Ilham and Fariza, who also became the victims of bloody tragedy. The event separated two loving hearts. Ilham became one of the first victims at that night. Unable to bear the death of her beloved Fariza took her own life drinking acid, the day after Ilhams funeral. Now their graves lie side by side near the entry of the Martyrs Avenue, like the day that Ilham and Fariza promised to be together forever and kept their word. Every January 20th is a mourning day in Azerbaijan to commemorate all martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for the bright future of the nation. They live in hearts of Azerbaijanis... -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 10:27 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on January 18 on additional measures to encourage investments. The decree was signed to expand investment activities, improve business environment, increase industrial production, as well as create a mechanism and normative legal acts related to encouragement of investments, in accordance with the action plan for realization of the 2015-2020 State Program for Development of Industry in Azerbaijan. President Aliyev also signed an order on additional measures to promote exports of non-oil products. In recent years, there have been significant achievements in development of the non-oil sector, which is the main driving force of the economy. Its share in GDP began to prevail, and the production of competitive goods with high export potential has expanded, the order said. The decision to issue the order was made with an aim to promote exports of non-oil products, increase production and export of non-oil products, improve the opportunities to access the traditional and new markets, and expand favorable conditions in this area. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 11:26 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli The Los Angeles-based Beth Jacob Synagogue, which is the largest Orthodox synagogue in the Western U.S., hosted a talk dedicated to Azerbaijans exemplary model of multiculturalism and tolerance on January 16. At the invitation of the Synagogue, Azerbaijans Consul General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev addressed the entire Congregation. Opening the event, the Synagogues Senior Rabbi Kalman Topp expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to get to know Azerbaijan, which he called a beacon of hope and inspiration for multifaith peace. He expressed his hope that many more nations would follow Azerbaijans example of positive multiculturalism. Then the floor was given to Consul General Aghayev. In his remarks, the Consul General informed the audience about Azerbaijans tumultous history, its steady modernization and incredible transformation from a poor war-torn country into a regional economic powerhouse and an island of stability in an otherwise unstable region. Highlighting Azerbaijans long-standing traditions of interfaith tolerance and positive multiculturalim Aghayev said: The principle of interfaith tolerance and harmony has always been an important part of our culture. But following the restoration of our independence, Azerbaijan, under our National Leader Heydar Aliyev, has elevated this principle into a strong Government policy. This policy and the environment of inerreligious tolerance and inclusion constantly nurtured by President Ilham Aliyev, enables all different religions to enjoy the full freedom of religion, practice their faith freely and live in harmony with representatives of other religions. It is not a coincidence that the Government of Azerbaijan is financing the building and rebuilding of places of worship and religious cultural centers, as well as provides annual funds for the maintenance of religious communities... Moreover Azerbaijan provides free natural gas to all mosques, churches and synagogues not only in Azerbaijan, but also in neighboring Georgia. So all these measures are directed at making sure that this model of interfaith harmony becomes stronger and stronger every day, he said. Speaking of the wider implications of this model for the world, the Consul General called on the world to adopt multiculturalism concept. In light of the dangers we face today, we must push the world to embrace the concept of multi-faith and multicultural harmony, and with Azerbaijans example we are showing that this harmony is possible, he noted. Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz As'ad's Bio As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants. 19 January 2016 16:57 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Orujova The Azerbaijani government is continuing efforts to stabilize the economic situation in the country, that saw two devaluations last year, through a number of measures. These measures imply supporting population and developing non-oil sector of economy. President Ilham Aliyev held a meeting devoted to the solution of economic and social issues on January 18. Addressing the meeting, the head of state defined efforts that would be taken to find a way out of the situation with minimal losses. Economic reforms should be deepened, the president stressed, noting the necessity of considering the good practices of developed countries. Our economic and financial system should be more transparent. The banking sector should develop. The business environment should improve. It is necessary to create better conditions for business. All the bureaucratic obstacles should be eliminated. Then we will be able in the short term to speed up the upward trend, he stressed. President Aliyev said that through additional orders the national economy will get a new breath, economic activity will increase and, of course, social protection of people will improve. Azerbaijan needs to increase economic activity, the president said, which includes the construction sector. The businessmen should have every opportunity to implement large construction projects in Baku and other cities. Sometimes business people are facing with various difficulties bureaucracy and corruption, as well as unreasonable demands, the president said, urging to stop that. "Construction sector should develop absolutely freely. At the same time, major construction projects can be implemented on a mortgage basis, he added. The social protection of population remains one of the primary aims of each state. The head of state stressed that issues of social protection must be primarily the focus of constant attention and increase of pensions and salaries by 10 percent is another important step in this direction. Speaking about the fight with artificial price hike, the president stressed that serious struggle must be conducted. Those trying to use this situation for their own economic or political interests will be punished. The head of state stressed that the government will maintain the successes achieved in the country in recent years."We will provide the rapid development of our country. We cannot allow anyone to exploit this situation for their own benefit. The need in deepening structural reforms was also highlighted at the meeting. The state bodies should have a structure enabling them to carry out rapid and flexible policy, bringing tremendous effect. Therefore, overlapping or not much needed public entities are merged or abolished. Appropriate instructions were given to regulate the currency market that should develop based on the international experience. It is necessary to prepare a broad program of privatization, the head of state went on to add. We need to attract both foreign and local investors to this issue. The president said that a broad program of privatization should be implemented to improve the business environment and accelerate economic recovery. This program should be completely transparent, and develop with participation of international experts. Speaking about the devaluation of the manat, the head of state said that in the current situation, confidence to the national currency has decreased to a certain extent. We need to restore this trust. Necessary measures are implemented to regulate the banking sector, President Aliyev said. The position of the Azerbaijani economy is very strong and positive. This is evidenced by all the economic indicators, the head of state stressed. Considering all these factors, the economic stability and the low level of our external debt, I believe that we can attract to Azerbaijan currency reserves to the extent required from the foreign financial markets. Issuing the state loans may also be considered. This is also a phenomenon that often happens in international practice. This feature is used even in countries producing and exporting oil in a much larger scale than we are...Actually, it will allow us to give even greater impetus to the economy. The head of state also stressed that development of the non-oil sector should become an even greater priority. Development of the regions, establishment of regional infrastructure, social infrastructure, construction of roads, gas lines, power plants, schools, hospitals, rural roads, creation of businesses, jobs all these reflect recent realities of Azerbaijan, he said. The country should provide fully its food security. Today Azerbaijan largely meets its demand in building materials and food products. However, a part of these locally produced goods has an external component. In the coming years we have to try and eliminate the external components, make raw materials to all food products manufactured in Azerbaijan to be of exactly Azerbaijani origin, he said. The development of non-oil sector goes swiftly and it will enable Azerbaijan not to depend on imports, the president assured. 19 January 2016 15:44 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Sadigova Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry has excluded Andrey Bogdanov, the Russian ex-presidential candidate, from the list of "undesirable people". Bogdanovs name was included in the Foreign Ministrys black list due to his illegal visit to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia. Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly one million were displaced as a result of the war. Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions are temporarily out of the control of Azerbaijan as a result of Armenias aggression. Bogdanov, who ran for the post of the Russian president in 2008, appealed to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry with a request to exclude his name from Bakus black list. In his letter, Bogdanov said that he recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and has paid a visit to the occupied territories of the country, not knowing about possible consequences. Bogdanov regretted visiting Nagorno-Karabakh, saying he didnt try to promote the separatist regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. His appeal has been studied in the proper way and it was decided to exclude his name from the list of "undesirable persons", the Foreign Ministry reported. Andrey Bogdanov is the leader of the Democratic Party of Russia and a Freemason, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Russia. Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions of Azerbaijan are considered illegal and individuals who pay such visits are included in the ministrys black list. The list of persona non grata banned from visiting Azerbaijan includes MPs, businessmen, journalists, entertainers, and others, who violated Azerbaijans borders and showed disrespect to the sovereignty and territorial unity of the country. Large-scale hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994, but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal. Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far. --- Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Railways are the dominant mode of transportation in the region today, and Azerbaijan is keen on keeping pace with rising cargo traffic and driving the countrys economy. Signing of a protocol on setting competitive preferential tariffs for cargo transportation via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route will increase the role and importance of Azerbaijan as the main transit country linking the Central Asian and Eastern European countries, expert Ilgar Velizade believes. He told Day.Az that this protocol provides for an active participation of Ukraine in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route project, particularly on the background of ban of transit of Ukrainian goods through Russian territory, as well as the products to be imported to Ukraine through the transportation infrastructure of Russia. This, in turn, will further increase the role and importance of Azerbaijan as a transit hub. Last week Ukraine sent a container train for a test journey on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route to China through the territory of Azerbaijan. The train via the Ukraine-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-China (via the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea) route was sent from Illichivsk. The Ukrainian test train departed from Illichivsk a day after the signing of this protocol. "The same can be said about the increasing role of Azerbaijan in implementation of multimodal transportation through the route as part of the North-South cooperation. Removal of Iran from the sanctions regime, on the one hand, and Russia's desire to intensify cooperation with the countries of the Arabian Sea basin, on the other hand, allows counting on an early activation of the shortest section of the North-South project passing through Azerbaijan," Velizade noted. Trans-Caspian International Transport Route enjoys an opportunity to become attractive and profitable for consignors from European countries. This 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. The expert also believes that these projects acquire particular relevance on the backdrop of withdrawal of the country from its dependence on the oil factor and implementation of plans to diversify the national economy. "Enhancing transport links with neighboring countries and regions can be a significant incentive for the further liberalization of the Azerbaijani economy and its active integration into the regional and international economic and trade relations, enhance the participation of Azerbaijan in regional and international division of labor," Velizade stressed. Azerbaijan's advantageous geographical position at the crossroads between East and West and developed transport infrastructure, attracts various countries, which wish to transport their cargoes through the countrys territory. The government regards the transport sector as a central direction to diversify the national economy and to minimize the impact of the ongoing economic crisis to the nation. Azerbaijan has invested billions of dollars in the development of sea, railway, road and social infrastructure. Developed infrastructure and good business climate has paved the way to attract foreign direct investment in this sector, as well. With suitable location between East and West, Azerbaijan attracts foreign cargo companies. Azerbaijan also applies the principle of "single window" for transport of transit cargoes through its territory via the railways, maritime transport, ports and terminals. Azerbaijan has reduced transit costs by around 40 percent for foreign carriers heading to the Kazakh port of Aktau and Turkmenbashi port of Turkmenistan. The government applies a 30-percent discount on the services of transit of oil and oil products by railway and transshipment via the sea terminals. Large transport and logistics operators of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Georgia have already agreed to establish a consortium engaged in the shipping of cargoes from China to Europe, which will become possible through the Trans-Caspian international transport route "China-Turkey-Europe". The first container train from China arrived in Baku in August 2015. Growing interest in the transport infrastructures passing through Azerbaijan's territory is expected to make Azerbaijan a major transport hub in the region. Expansion of transport routes will further increase Azerbaijan's attractiveness for investors in terms of easing delivery processes. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 19:15 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova The removal of international sanctions against Iran over its nuclear energy program is believed to lead to strengthening of trade ties between Tehran and Baku. Mohsen Pak-Ayeen, Irans ambassador to Azerbaijan stated that the two countries are capable of creating proper chances in the three sectors, namely trade, transit and energy. He told Trend on January 18 that Iran sees Azerbaijan can play an important role in linking Iran to the markets of the CIS, as well as Caucasus and Central Asia. Pak-Ayeen believes that the removal of sanctions has created a chance for Iran to play an important role in the region. "In the meantime considering Irans geographical location, the Islamic Republic and neighboring counties can cooperate in the development of goods transport, oil swap and also connecting to international electricity networks," he added. Pak-Ayeen noted that the most important area for joint investment between Iran and Azerbaijan is the oil fields of the Caspian Sea. While Iran holds 10 percent share in Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz offshore gas field, Tehran and Baku swap about 1 million cubic meter of gas per day and exchange power, as well. Iran capable to join TANAP Azerbaijans transit role has acquired actuality in view of the lifting of international sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic. Pak-Ayeen believes that after the removal of sanctions, Tehran can join major regional projects such as Trans-Adriatic Pipeline. Iran, with one of the highest energy reserves in the world, has long been eying to supply its hydrocarbon resources to Europe. As the country does not possess a direct transit route and the necessary infrastructure to reach the European market, Azerbaijan, which has built the required infrastructure over the years, is the best transit option in this regard. Pak-Ayeen also told journalists that Iran can use Azerbaijan's investment in transit projects including both roads and marine. "Iran is ready to use Azerbaijani investors' contributions for building hotels, while in the power sector we can jointly invest as well," he said. "Both Iran and Azerbaijan are interested in decreasing their reliance on oil revenues and to achieve that, they can strengthen transport, agricultural sectors and trade." The ambassador also voiced an offer to expand trade of agricultural products and export of such goods to third countries. Azerbaijan and Iran have shared diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic ties between the two countries were reestablished in 1992. The two countries are focusing on expanding economic ties in various fields, including industry, agriculture, energy, alternative energy, and transportation. Currently, 480 companies with Iranian capital operate in Azerbaijan, and the volume of Iranian investments in the country is around $760 million. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 18:38 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Orujova Azerbaijan is keen on changing its approach to attraction of local and foreign investments in a bid to fight the negative consequences of the low oil prices. Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev, addressing the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Policy on January 19, said so far privileges were applied in a private manner and in exceptional cases to promote investments. However, with the approval of amendments proposed to the Tax Code, businessmen in Azerbaijan will be given a document of the investment incentives. Under this document, half of the revenue of an individual entrepreneur, profits of legal entity will be exempted from income tax for seven years. The bill presented to the Parliament involves the use of incentives for investment projects that meet three main criteria volume of investment, activity area and development of the countrys regions, the minister said. First, the benefits will cover imports of the manufacturing equipment and facilities, brought into the country by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs. These goods will be exempted from import duty and VAT for seven years. Entrepreneurs will also be exempted from property tax and land tax for a period of seven years from the date of receipt of the document. Mustafayev further said that amendments will also be made to the Customs Code of the country. Exemption from customs duties can cover the import of equipment in the framework of the investment promotion, as well as the import of equipment by residents represented in industrial parks as businesses entities. We believe that it is very important step, both in terms of promotion of investment, and reduction of the costs of entrepreneurs. This also will be an important tool to attract investors, the minister said. To promote local investment, Azerbaijan will give preference to domestic products during public procurement. In case of high quality production, even if the tender bid cost exceeds the price offered by the customer within the framework of the tender by 20 percent, the preference will be given to local producer, in accordance with these amendments, the minister said. These proposals have been prepared within the framework of promoting domestic production, he said. Previously, it was recommended to give preference to domestic production even if the tender bid cost exceeded the price offered by the customer within the framework of the tender by 15 percent, but it wasnt mandatory. Attraction of foreign and local investments is one of the main priorities for the government, at a time when the country is promoting its non-oil sector. Today, when Azerbaijans manat has been devalued and steps taken for easier business doing, investors may find attractive the business environment of the country. Mercy Tembon, the World Bank's Regional Director for the South Caucasus, earlier told AzerNews that greater flexibility should be given to manat to help investors position themselves in a constrained environment." Azerbaijan has already narrowed a list of the licenses required for doing business in Azerbaijan to 37. The conditions for granting licenses were also simplified. Moreover, licenses became perpetual. Furthermore, the fee for a license has been cut in half and the period for issuing licenses was reduced from 15 to 10 working days. Last October, the head of state issued a decree on simplifying licensing procedures for entrepreneurship and encouraging business transparency. The number of inspections among entrepreneurs was also reduced for two years. Moreover, changes to the Tax Code will simplify the tax system in construction, trade and catering this year. In addition, import, manufacture and sale of wheat, wheat flour and bread have been exempt from taxation for 2016. In this situation, many foreign companies, especially from the region, are attracted by the opportunities Azerbaijan may give. -- Nigar Orujova is AzerNewss staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 12:44 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli The Archaeology and Ethnography Institute operating under the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) carried out several valuable archaeological excavations in the countrys regions during 2015. Al large-scale excavations were carried out in Gabala, Guba, Khachmaz, Shabran, Gakh, Sheki, Agjabedi, Agdam, Gazakh, Shamkir, Sharur, Babek, Ordubad, Barda, Gadabay, Dashkasan, Lerik, Kangarli, Ismayillli, Gobustan, and Tartar regions, which brought invaluable contribution in a study of the national history. Last summer the expedition headed by Doctor of Philosophy in History Najaf Museyibli conducted the excavations in the Galayeri settlement of the 4th millennium BC related to the Chalcolithic period in Gabala. Galayeri is one of the monuments of Leylatepe archeological culture in Azerbaijan, which was also closely bounded up with the early civilizations of the Near East. The excavations held in the Galayeri revealed that the Leylatepe culture has spread over a wide area. Moreover, the expedition proved that the roots of the Leylatepe culture were closely bounded up with Eastern Anatolia cultures, alongside Mesopotamia. The architectural findings including ceramics, instruments made from stone, bones and metal are similar with the monuments of the Chalcolithic period Eastern Anatolia. The expedition conducted by Doctor of Philosophy in History Mansur Mansurov in the Khorgaya Paleolithic cave of the Gakh regions Lakit-Kotuklu village revealed stone and bone tolls used by ancient people. The artifacts found in this unexplored Paleolithic cave proved existence of Acheulean culture, an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture associated with early humans in Azerbaijan and South Caucasus. An expedition group held by Doctor of Philosophy in History Bakhtiyar Jalilov in the Dashkasan regions Zeylik village discovered some interesting grave monuments dating back to the Bronze and Early Iron Age or the 2nd-3rd millennium BC. The big grave found in this territory has been unknown for the national archeologists so far. The unique graves walls and top cover consisted of large rocks. During another expedition conducted by Doctor of Philosophy in History Goshgar Goshgarli in the Ismayilli, the archeologists discovered more than 30 new archaeological sites, which have been unknown so far. The scientists assess the mounds, settlements and the cemeteries found here as very valuable sources for the history. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 16:28 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli The art specimens of Azerbaijani masters spread all over the world since ancient times and had gained repute with its artistic excellence and beauty. The national handicraft masters works can be met in museums around the world, including in the United States. Hundreds of rare art specimens can be found in the museums of Washington, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit, Boston and other cities, art galleries and private collections. Among the samples kept in the U.S. Metropolitan Museum of Art one can find also a turban helmet, belonging to Shirvanshah Farrukh Yashar, the last ruler of Azerbaijans state Shirvanshahs. The helmet dates back to the late 15th century and is made from steel, silver, copper alloy. This especially attractive and well preserved turban helmet retains the mail aventail that protected the lower half of the face and neck. The aventail is fixed with a lead seal stamped with the mark used in the Ottoman arsenals, an indication that this example, like the other turban helmets also in the Museum's collection, passed into Turkish possession as booty with the Ottoman conquest of Iran and the Caucasus. Although the label of the showpiece depicts that the helmet was made for a ruler, the description mentions nothing about the belonging of the helmet to Azerbaijan. The information about the helmet says that At least one turban helmet decorated in a style comparable to this example bears the name of Farruhk-Siar (reigned 14641501), ruler of Shirvan in the Caucasus. Such evidence suggests that this helmet is also of Shirvan manufacture. In fact, the State of Shirvanshahs founded between Shabran and Gilgilchay was approximately existed 1,000 years. Shirvanshahs took important role in continuation and upgrade of Azerbaijan people's statehood traditions after the collapse of the Great Saldjuc emperorship. The current capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, was for the first time proclaimed the capital by Shirvanshahs in the 12th century. Azerbaijani historian Sarah Ashurbeyli writes In spite of the heroic struggle for independence for ten centuries, the Shirvanshahs state after 1538 virtually ceased to exist, it fell under the blows of the troops appeared on the historical scene of a strong Azerbaijani Safavid state, and there was not even a trace from this dynasty, except only a name. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially "the Met", located in New York City, is the largest art museum in the United States and among the most visited art museums in the world. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among seventeen curatorial departments. The museum keeps many exhibits belonging to Azerbaijani history and culture including national instruments, carpets, belts and others. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 16:45 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Iran and Spain are negotiating a plan to construct a joint oil refinery at the Gibraltar Strait. The sides have agreed that this refinery will be finally owned by Iran, Press TV reported. This was announced by the Spanish Foreign Ministry on January 18, just two days after the international sanctions against Iran were lifted. On January 16, EUs High Representative Federica Mogherini and Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced the implementation of the JCPOA and the removal of economic sanctions on Iran. The decision came after the IAEA, the international nuclear watchdog, said Iran had complied with a deal designed to prevent it developing nuclear weapons. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo voiced a hope that the planned refinery, which would be built in the southern port city of Algeciras by local Spanish companies, would be the first of many deals between the two countries in the post-sanctions era. Margallo believes that the Iranian energy industry needs restructuring after its return to the international economy. In this regard, Spain is well placed to assist, according to him. "What we see here is a new chance for the region to stabilize and for our companies to secure good business opportunities," Margallo said before a meeting of EU foreign ministers. "Our political relationship with Iran is very good because we moved faster than other countries and are now very well placed for future business." The Spanish minister also stated that an Iranian refinery in Algeciras would boost employment in a region that has the highest unemployment rate in Spain. Iran has likewise received proposals for buying or building overseas refineries in Asian, European, African and American countries, none of which has been finalized yet. Iran is keen to return to the oil market despite all sad figures. "The legs of Irans economy are now free of the chains of sanctions and its time to build and grow, President Rouhani tweeted on January 17. However, experts believe that Iran's oil sector needs a lot of investments. In particular, Iran's oil fields have experienced a long period of underinvestment. So, the country needs significant foreign investment and technology to repair and build out its production potential. The country also needs huge investments in its out-of-date oil infrastructure. Iranian officials are aware that they are returning to the market at an inauspicious time with outdated infrastructure. Thus, Iran is negotiating acquiring stakes in refineries in India, Brazil and Spain, while Iranian private companies intend to purchase refineries in Switzerland and France. Investing in overseas refineries is one of the most common ways used by oil producing countries to boost crude exports. At present, some littoral states of the Persian Gulf, which are among worlds major oil exporters, own a remarkable number of oil refineries in American, European and Asian countries, which has greatly increased their clout in global energy markets. Therefore, the Iranian Oil Ministry is planning to invest in refineries in countries whose crude oil is being supplied by Iran. The safest way to increase the exports is investment in refineries abroad. On this basis, the petroleum ministry wants to invest in refineries abroad, whose crude oil will be met by Iran, Abbas Kazemi, the head of the state-run National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Co., told local media on January 9. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 January 2016 17:57 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Sadigova The Georgian government will help entrepreneurs to accelerate and strengthen the process of European integration, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said while adressing the Leaders Forum in Tbilisi. "The European and Euro-Atlantic integration is the main focus of our foreign policy. I believe that by encouraging the aspirations of entrepreneurs, we can transform Georgia," Kvirikashvili said. The Prime also noted that the government will help the beginner businessmen in attracting investment. Kvirikashvili added that the state will create new programs. "We will spend significant resources and energy to support businesses and to encourage young people with innovative ideas." --- Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The field of telecommunications has appeared in Vietnam for more than 30 years and has helped the business environment and social life of ... Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Support of Trump and others in GOP field proves it was about race all along General Mills UK, which manufactures Jus-Rol pastry, is to close its Berwick bakery following a review of the business. The move to close the Berwick-upon-Tweed bakery was announced yesterday, and will affect 265 jobs. The US food group proposed the closure in October of last year, but today it confirmed that plans to close the factory were definitely going ahead. Employee representatives and union officials have been consulted at length before taking the decision, according to the company. In a statement released yesterday, General Mills UK said: That consultation process has closed and a decision has been made to proceed with the proposal. The company will now begin the necessary phases to close the plant. close by autumn The site will close by autumn 2016 at the latest. Severance and transition benefits will be provided to all employees affected by the move. Betty Crocker baking mixes, and refrigerated and frozen dough products are produced at the plant, and Jus-Rol has been manufactured there for more than 50 years (General Mills bought the Jus-Rol business from Diageo in 2001). The factory is one of Berwick-upon-Tweeds largest employers. Net sales through the first six months of the 2016 financial year fell by 4% to $8.6bn, down by 1% on a constant currency basis. But first-half operating profit was up 8% to $1.7bn. Former MP and journalist Michael Portillo was taught how to make the perfect Cornish pasty in Penzance, as part of a television series that aired last week. Held at Warrens Bakery in the Wharfside Shopping Centre, Penzance, the session was filmed for BBC Twos Great British Railway Journeys. In the show, Portillo travelled from Plymouth to Porthcurno, marking the end of his journey across the length and breadth of the country by train. The episode aired last Friday at 6:30pm, and Portillo was taught how to prepare the perfect authentic pasty he was given tips of the trade regarding all things Cornish pasty. Warrens Bakerys head baker Jason Jobling, who hosted the pasty-making session, said: It was a real privilege and honour for both me and the bakery to be involved with the filming of Great British Railway Journeys. Oldest Cornish pasty producer in the world He added: Here at the bakery we are all extremely passionate about the Cornish pasty. As the oldest Cornish pasty producer in the world, it was a perfect fit for us to teach Michael how to make and crimp a Cornish pasty in Cornwall. As to what the team thought of the former MP, Jobling said: Michael was great fun, keen to get involved and genuinely interested in the history and provenance of our products. Well, I am starting a Wall of Shame for people who show that they have no clue about plants in general. I will be totally fair and I'm not going to expect ... 12 years ago We exist to provide knowledge and points of view not represented elsewhere. Here we'll discuss and analyze politics, social issues and finance... We cut through PC & SP corporate media BS to provide Truth about the Nation, the World and where its headed... Keyword below to browse 2700+ postings as of mid Jan 2022.. Founded Sept. 6, 2010.. ** We're 100% Ad free-- We sell Nothing.. We seek no $$.. Agenda: Educate and Inform. Key Iron Age site of eastern Arabia found in Oman The site also provides early evidence of the Aflaj system in the Omani peninsula [Credit: ONA] TANN you might also like With the support and supervision of the office of the Adviser to His Majesty the Sultan for Cultural Affairs, an Italian expedition from the University of Pisa has continued its work at the archaeological site of Khor Rori Sumhuram, Al Baleed, and Wabar, in the Governorate of Dhofar.The Italian mission was invited in 2004 to conduct a preliminarily study of what has now been confirmed as be the Salut Ancient Castle and Village, at Buhla in the Governorate of ADakhiliya.The historical importance of Salut is directly linked to the beginning of the history of Oman; and thus related to the early arrival of the Arab tribes from other parts of Arabia. The site also provides early evidence of the Aflaj system in the Omani peninsula.This work resulted in a site that is now a prominent landmark in the area and can be safely visited and understood by tourists.The scope of the IMTOs involvement in Salut has gradually widened over the years, and in 2010, an investigation into the Early Bronze Age tower site (ST1; roughly 2450-2100/2000 BC), located some 300 meters to the northwest of Hisn Salut, was started. Extensive excavations continued until late 2015, bringing to light a complex monumental water management system.Here, a remarkably dense scatter of Iron Age shreds had already been recorded, as well as the presence of buried large stone walls. Recently, an Iron Age stamp seal and occasional stone vessels fragments were collected from the surface of this area.Excavations at the northern edge of this terrace revealed that it contains a substantial stone wall that also comprises an occasional megalithic. More importantly, this wall does not seem to be just a containment wall for the aforementioned large terrace, but is rather the actual fortification wall closing the settlement to the north. Its western end was in fact discovered, and ancient stratigraphy was unearthed against its southern face.The actual seat of Saluts main settlement area, directly connected with Hisn Salut, and prominent among the other smaller sites was located during previous surveys conducted by the IMTO.This development allowed the team to name the site as Qaryat Salut Alathariyah, Salut Ancient Village.The importance of this discovery can hardly be overestimated. What the team appears to be facing is, especially when considered together with Hisn Salut, is the most impressive Iron Age complex discovered so far in the whole Eastern Arabia.Besides, the presence of the intact, Iron Age surfaces at least in the part of the settlement located on the plain has already been verified. The stratigraphy along the hill slopes probably suffered from more impacting erosion, but original floors were anyhow discovered at least on the lower terraces, and indications about the presence of water drainage devices collected.A project for protecting the site from runoffs occurring after heavy rains was drafted and has already been partially realized with the erection of the sites perimeter wall. Moreover, a few tombs crowning the crest of Jabal Salut, that is, the hill that faces Hisn Salut to the northeast, were fully excavated and philologically reconstructed, as well as a small, likely Late Iron Age (650-300 BC), shrine that had been erected directly above a cluster of dismantled tombs.After bringing these fundamental projects to an end, in December 2015, investigations were re-launched in the proximity of Hisn Salut, on the remaining slopes of the hill that hosts it and its surroundings.These renewed excavations revealed an even more outstanding situation where the remains of an actual settlement were discovered. While it is true that the presence of some buried walls and stones alignments was already known to IMTOs team, the results of the first field season went beyond the most optimistic expectations.The whole hill on which the Hisn Salut stands is in fact occupied by an extensive terrace system, which also comprises some monumental features. Work mainly focused on the eastern slope of the hill, but several walls were already outlined on the opposite slope as well.Moreover, a few surroundings traced on the plain to the east of the site provided evidence that the structures also extended in that area. The same is true to the north of the Salut hill where a large terrace, slightly less than two meters higher than the surrounding plain, has been found.This situation is of immense scientific importance as the complete excavation of the settlement, although surely needing a long time when properly done.A programme of long-lasting, extensive excavations has already been compiled and had started on January 15, relying as usual on the collaboration and invaluable support of the Office of the Adviser to His Majesty the Sultan for Cultural Affairs. Latest Articles is Indias #1 and most trusted website for Banking Jobs. The portal has complete information about all Banking and Insurance Jobs, its latest notifications, from all state and national level jobs, and updates. These exams and jobs are regularly updated as per the official information available. Check thehere. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. The Republic of Armenia delegation headed by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated in the 16th meeting of Armenia-EU Cooperation Council held in Brussels on January 18. Armenpress reports the aforementioned, referring to the Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. The EU delegation was headed by Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Bert Koenders and European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Johannes Hahn who represent the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Armenian delegation comprised Head of Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union Ambassador Tatoul Markarian, First Deputy Minister of Economy Garegin Melkonyan, Deputy Minister of Justice Vigen Kocharyan. During the 16th meeting of Armenia-EU Cooperation Council presided by Armenia Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, issues related to political dialogue, negotiations on a new framework agreement between Armenia and the EU, that would adequately reflect the depth and essence of the partnership, mobility, human rights, pace of reforms were discussed. Opening the sitting, Nalbandian said: 2015 was a special year for the Armenia-EU cooperation. We witnessed high level visits, an intense and constructive dialogue with an impressive number of bilateral meetings, simultaneous negotiations on Armenia- EU agreements in various areas. Last months launch of the negotiations on a new legal framework of Armenia EU relations was a new threshold in our relations. We hope that the new agreement will reflect the depth and essence of our bilateral relations and set new guidelines for mutually beneficial cooperation. Nalbandian expressed his appreciation to the EU for its continued support and assistance provided to our country over the years which have been instrumental for the effective implementation and sustainability of the reform process and institutional capacity building in Armenia. The Republic of Armenia Foreign Minister attached great importance to people to people contacts, and the enhanced mobility of the citizens as an important prerequisite for bringing our societies closer. He also emphasized that it is almost two years now that the EU-Armenia Visa Facilitation and Readmission agreements are being implemented. First Deputy Minister of Economy Garegin Melkonyan and Deputy Minister of Justice Vigen Kocharyan informed in their speeches about the Governments economic policy, reforms implemented in the justice system, as well as the results of cooperation with the EU in the sectors of justice and economy in 2015. Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian presented his European colleagues the worldwide events on Armenian Genocide centennial, which were marked last year. He also took the opportunity to express gratitude to the European Parliament, EU countries for their principled position on this issue and expressions of support and sympathy to Armenia. He also talked about Armenias active engagement in efforts of international community on prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity, thanking the EU countries for their support to Armenian initiatives within the UN formats. Edward Nalbandian also briefed the Council on latest developments related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and in particular on the results of the meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Bern. He emphasized that the agenda of that summit was dictated by the escalation of situation as a result of Azerbaijans provocations, gross violations of cease-fire regime. Foreign Minister Nalbandian added that, unfortunately, the relative calmness in the conflict area has ended with resumption of gross violations of cease-fire regime by Azerbaijan. The participants of the Council meeting also touched upon regional security issues and other topics of international political agenda. About 350 representatives from the Diocese of St. Petersburg, including students, parents and administrators, headed to Tallahassee Tuesday morning to support tax credit for scholarships. The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program is subject to a pending lawsuit, which could ultimately put the program in jeopardy. Students, teachers and parents from St. Peter Claver Catholic School in Tampa say ending the program only hurts the most vulnerable - children. The program provides scholarships for low income students to attend private schools. After their five-hour bus ride, participants will march from the Tallahassee Civic Center to the Capitol. The St. Petersburg Diocese organized Bay area Catholic school students to march and support the tax credit program. "It teaches him and other kids that at some point in your life, you have to take a stand for something you believe in," said Tammy Jefferson, who made the trip along with her son, a St. Peter Claver student. According to the Diocese, there are almost 1,400 Bay area students who attend a private Catholic school on the tax credit scholarship, either partially or wholly. St. Peter Claver Principal Sister Maria Bebatunde said those numbers make it worth fighting for. "I think it is really important for the kids to know they have a voice," Bebatunde said. "And that is one of the things we're teaching them in school. "Right now, we are their voice but also in a situation like this where they benefit from the scholarship, they have a voice as well." A Pinellas County man is under arrest after police say he stole a puppy from a store and then traded it for crack cocaine and cash. The Largo Police Department says on Jan. 12 a man, later identified as 38-year-old Wayne Junior Barfield, was captured on video at the All About Puppies on Ulmerton Road placing a Yorkshire terrier puppy down his shirt and exiting the store. Detectives said they learned later that same day that Barfield was driven to the area of 4th Street and 75th Avenue N in St. Petersburg, where he allegedly traded/sold the puppy, valued at $1,600, in exchange for crack cocaine and cash. On Jan. 14, Largo Police detectives positively identified Barfield and he was arrested the next day on a charge of grand theft. Investigators said Barfield told them he disposed of the dog but would not disclose to whom. Largo police say the Yorkie is micro-chipped and the chip information is entered as stolen in state and national computer databases. Any veterinarian checking the microchip will be alerted to the dog's stolen status. Anyone with further information is urged to call the Largo Police Department at (727) 586-7478. All About Puppies is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the return of the Yorkie. The Republicans running to be their partys presidential nominee continue to debate the issues in front of studio audiences everywhere. In the process, theyre slinging mud at one another. And no one catches more of that than billionaire Donald Trump. During the debate on December 15, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Trump squared off on a number of issues including the battle with ISIS. At the time, Governor Bush said, Two months ago, Donald Trump said that ISIS was not our fight. PolitiFact Florida heard the claim and gave it a MOSTLY TRUE rating on the Truth-O-Meter. PolitiFact Writer Joshua Gillin said it received the rating because Bush was off on the timing of the statement. If we go back two months from then (December 15), thats going back into September actually at the time. And Trump had said during a CNN interview that he said, Why do we care? Let ISIS and Syria fight. Okay, Gillin said. And then if we go back to July, actually, Trump said thats not our fight. Thats when he used those words. Gillin went on to say Trump pushed the notion that Syria and Russia should be the countries trying to stop ISIS. SOURCES: Bush said Trump believes ISIS is 'not our fight' Seventeen Burmese pythons have been turned in as part of the 2016 Python Challenge as of Monday, Jan. 18, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The pythons are currently being processed and logged. Hunters can kill them according to the FWC's humane euthanasia protocol and can request to keep the meat and skin, though eating the meat is not recommended. Python Challenge participants can also give them to experts who "humanely dispatch" them, FWC official Carli Segelson said. They are then studied for gender, age and where they were captured in order to determine where the pythons could be a problem. The next update will be issued on Friday. The Burmese python is not native to Florida. Although the snakes are not venomous, they are a threat to the ecosystem and native wildlife. In 2013, there were 1,600 participants, but only 68 pythons were captured. State wildlife officials hope the hunt increases python sightings and removals from the wetlands. Scientists say thousands of pythons are to blame for the decline of native wildlife. The challenge runs until Feb. 14. For more information about the event, including a list of frequently asked questions, go here, or read more on hunting pythons in Florida. A St. Cloud man who lost his son to a rare genetic disease is asking Florida awmakers to raise awareness on the issue. A bill, if passed, could save the lives of other little boys. Gabriel Grigsby was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy at age 8. It all began as a lazy eye but eventually it ended his life. Watching him decline was tough, said his father, Pete Grigsby. ALD is a disease that affects the nervous system. Little by little it stops telling the muscles what to do. Its almost like his soul knew he wasnt going to be here for very long, Grigsby said. And he just wanted to experience as much as he could. While there is no cure for ALD, a bone marrow transplant performed in a timely manner can stop the disease, but the damage done is irreversible. For Gabriel, it was too late and in two years he was gone. A playground dedicated to Gabriel is currently under construction at Church of St. Luke and St. Peter. It is meant to raise awareness about ALD. This is just one of the ways Gabriels family wants to shed light on ALD. Another thing theyre rooting for is a bill known as Gabriels Law which was recently filed by State Rep. Mike La Rosa, R-St. Cloud. This legislation would require at-birth screening for the disease. You're not aware of rare diseases and currently right in Florida we test for 53 different diseases and this would ultimately be a 54th, La Rosa said. While this is the third time this bill is filed, Grigsby says he will keep on fighting for the sake of other little boys. If with newborn screening you can find it and diagnose it, theres no reason to not do it, Grigsby said. Gabriels father urges residents to call their Florida lawmakers in support of this bill. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Ukraine has officially informed the chairman of the UN Security Council on another attempt to escalate the situation in Donbas, Armenpress reports, the press service of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations has reported on January 19. It was noted that, despite the achievements of the last meeting of the Tripartite Liaison Group on the agreements to introduce the complete ceasefire, a number of such armed provocations against the Ukrainian army along the demarcation line is continuously increasing. It was also noted in the report that these provocations negate all the efforts of Ukraine and the international community aimed at restoring peace and stability, and in fact, they make it impossible to implement the political part of the peaceful settlement of the conflict." Photo by AP Five Curious Features of the Oregon Coast You Don't Know Published 01/19/2016 at 5:53 AM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Oregon Coast) Sometimes, the wildest, weirdest things are right in front of your eyes on the Oregon coast, but for some reason you just don't see them. Perhaps it's hidden beneath the waves most of the year. Or you need to be at just the right angle. (Photo above: Cube Rock, near Manzanita). The upper half of the Oregon coast hosts some slightly mind-bending features hiding in plain sight: not exactly an entire hidden beach, but a secretive aspect to a beach you've likely been to a lot. Here are five such funky features that are unforgettable once you find them. Click on the links for virtual tours and maps of these areas. Another (Little) Bay in Lincoln City? Believe it or not, Lincoln City has a kind of second bay. At the very northern end, at Road's End State Park, visitors walk right past it without realizing it. At one small section, the sandy shoreline curves around just slightly, but just enough to form a large indentation that mimics a bay. But if you pay attention, this subtlety comes to life and suddenly you can look almost straight back over the water at the place you came from. It seems to have a lot to do with the right sand conditions, and this may not always exist. Part of this section also has more pronounced gravel beds and tend to be good for agate hunting even in summer. Lincoln City Lodging Beach Near Yachats Only Exists Half the Time. During summers, while in the Yachats area, you may well have visited Cove Beach, next to Cape Perpetua. Likely fall and parts of spring, too. But this spot does not always exist. During winters and other more tumultuous wave conditions the ocean takes it over. It's gone. The area is only a mass of swirling, angry waves, which are admittedly awesome to watch from the bench on the southern face of Cape Perpetua, close to these wild waters. You can see from one photo the ocean goes all the way back. But in calmer times, you can walk a small trail from above (about a quarter mile south of the Perpetua entrance), and enjoy a beach full of fascinating finds. It's also a deliciously hidden spot not known by many, so now you've been handed a double secret tip. Yachats Lodging Near Manzanita: Cube Rock and the Giant Tube Cove. It's often referred to as the Forbidden Cliffs Near Manzanita. They take a bit of a hike to get to: find the gravel pullout near the Neahkahnie Overlooks, where the signage indicates a trail heading down to the surfer's paradise of Short Sands Beach. Take the trail to the left and go straight towards the cliffs, and you'll immediately spot a strange structure popping its head up from the edge. A massive, column-like shape called Cube Rock rises up from the ocean, looking almost like something an ancient race of giants left behind. At the cliff's edge, you can see its entirety, and the curious, craggy feature below it called Pulpit Rock. Most dramatic, however, is what looks like a giant hole in the cliff that plunges down a few hundred feet to the ocean and the cliffs of Cape Falcon. Actually, the basalt here curves around in a unique way that makes it appear like a huge tube. Manzanita, Rockaway, Wheeler Lodging Squirting Secret at Kiwanda. At Pacific City's Cape Kiwanda, there is much here that is full of grandeur and eye-popping beauty. But there are also numerous hidden pockets of fun stuff lurking on this soaring dune. Not far from the walk up to the top, you'll encounter a small fence and a kind of half-circle of a mini-cove sitting below. At its bottom, you'll notice a large crevice where the sea water comes crashing in, not unlike many chunks of the Yachats area. Between you and that crevice is a sizable flat area with large cracks running through it. One of these sometimes fires water up into the air a few inches to a foot or so. This is rather rare, actually, and not as spectacular when compared to the other spouting horns of the Oregon coast. It's more of a squirt than a spout a squirting horn, if you will. Still, it's a funky little surprise. Though you're technically not supposed to go down there, some of the locals have talked about putting small objects onto it and watching the little squirt-of-sea-water launch the object into the air. Warning: Do Not Hop the Fence here to gain access. As of 2016, seven people have died here since 2009. Pacific City, Oceanside, Netarts, Tierra Del Mar Lodging At the Devil's Punchbowl near Depoe Bay, there are a series of things you can only rarely see. It takes an extremely low tide event at this normally raging, crazy spot that allows you to actually enter this caved-in cave in sandstone. Although the region has been lucky enough in recent years that summers have made for exceptionally high sand levels that have allowed you to do so. Be warned: don't even attempt this unless tide conditions allow you even near the structure. If these conditions are right, however, getting inside the Devil's Punchbowl is only half the freaky delight. There is a small cave that leads all the way out to the ocean, tucked away near the entrance to the Punchbowl. There are a couple of small caves just around the southern corner (closer to the Inn at Otter Crest) as well, although these are largely inaccessible because of the slippery stuff that covers the rocky slabs here. There is also a mysterious cement object half-buried in the sand here. No one seems to know what it is or where it came from, but it almost looks like the remnants of a small entrance to some sort of building as if it once led underground. Or perhaps it's just a chunk of concrete building material that somehow arrive here, either falling from the cliffs once or miraculously managing to arrive here by sea. Depoe Bay Lodging 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 YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. After Russia placed sanctions on Turkey, some Turkish textile companies replaced the Made in Turkey label with Made in Azerbaijan in order to avoid problems. Armenpress reports the information, referring to Fashion United. For instance, textile companies of the Aegean Region which is the industrial center of Turkey started to use Made in Azerbaijan or Made in Iran labels. The former head of the Turkish Fashion and Ready-to-Wear Clothing Federation said that the products of Turkish manufacturers reach the Russian market by means of Azerbaijan or Iran. In elementary school, Trey Pitre surprised himself by reciting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s entire "I Have a Dream" speech during a class presentation. "It kind of flew out of my mouth," said Pitre, a 17-year-old Memorial High School student. The message of equality and freedom that resonated with Pitre as a child took on a different meaning as a young adult celebrating King's birthday during the 30th annual Port Arthur MLK Support Group brunch Monday at the Robert A. "Bob" Bowers Civic Center. "As a young African-American man, times have become hard for us," Pitre said. The Rev. Donald Hayes Jr. stood before a crowd of about 1,100 brunch attendees and stressed the need for justice. "Young black men are hunted and gunned down by appearing to look suspicious," Hayes said. RELATED: Were you 'Seen' at the MLK brunch in Port Arthur? Hayes' voice boomed from the podium, as he told the audience that black men can be killed for simply carrying a bag of Skittles and Arizona ice tea, alluding to the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Lucy Dennis, a 56-year-old Port Arthur native, sat in the crowd with a few friends. She has come to the brunch on and off since Hargie Faye Savoy started the MLK Support Group at the request of Coretta Scott King in 1986. As a self-employed hair braider and self-published author, Dennis said she never thought of her successes in terms of the odds being stacked against her. "I just knew what I had to do to take care of my children," she said. "I guess that's part of being a black woman." Dennis grew up on the west side of Port Arthur. As a child, she remembered a strong sense of community in her neighborhood. There was a school, a library, a YMCA. Now, she looks at the west side and sees no school and no stores. She said the sense of community disappeared as a result of desegregation. "It was about equality, but as we branched out, we lost our community," she said. RELATED: Photos from the MLK parade in Beaumont Pitre, the high school student, is involved in a variety of community service activities and has helped serve food at the MLK brunch for four years. His plan is to graduate high school, go to college in Iowa and then open his own kinesiology business. "My parents always said if you can get away from Port Arthur, please do, because there's nothing here for you," Pitre said. The message for a need of economic support that might entice young men like Pitre to remain in his hometown rang out in Hayes' sermon. Hayes called for Port Arthur residents to "accept responsibility" for the city and support local, black businesses. MHeath@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/mheath31 YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. The Anti-Armenian reports included in the winter sessions agenda of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe are violating the Assemblys charter. PACE Armenian delegation member, PAP MP Vahan Babayan told about the aforementioned during the meeting with journalists on January 19. That reports are violating one of the articles of PACE charter which provides for a comprehensive review and reporters obligatory visit to the region which is considered the subject of issue. You also know that one of the authors of the report Robert Walters wife is Azerbaijani citizen and has big ties there. Walter received Turkish citizenship and has anti-Armenian approaches. He wrote in the mentioned report that Azerbaijani citizens were evacuated from NKR, but no words yet on how many Armenians were deported from the mentioned territory. In other words, this report is an attempt to mislead the international community, Babayan mentioned as Armenpress reports. He also added that the adoptions of the reports will break the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. According to the deputy, PACE is not the level where announcements can be sounded which are out of Minsk Group Co-chairs announcements. This is a new weapon for propaganda and our opponents will try to use it against us, the deputy emphasized. The Civil War through the lenses of Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner George Winch Jr., MD, filed a lawsuit against Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital in conjunction with Elko Women's Health Center after Northwestern revoked Dr. Winch's privileges on "false grounds," according to a Lexington Herald Leader report. Here are five key notes: 1. Dr. Winch, an obstetrician, began performing hysterectomies at Great Basin Surgical Center more than 10 years ago due to lower costs than performing the procedure at hospitals. 2. In 2008, Dr. Winch alleges Northwestern Nevada Regional Hospital personnel began spreading false rumors that damaged his reputation. The hospital CEO hired a lawyer to investigate "inappropriate behavior" complaints in 2013. 3. Dr. Winch was not given an opportunity to review the allegations or defend himself, according to the report, and an appeal board recommended his license be revoked. 4. After his privileges were revoked at Northwestern Nevada Regional Hospital, Dr. Winch continued to perform surgery at Great Basin Surgical Center. However, the hospital acquired the center in July 2015. 5. Since the surgical center was purchased, Dr. Winch has been unable to perform surgeries there. St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare's 126-bed hospital in Farmington, Mo., shut down at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Here are five things to know about the hospital closure. 1. BJC acquired Parkland Health Center-Weber Road, which was formerly called Mineral Area Regional Medical Center, less than a year ago, according to St. Louis Public Radio. 2. In December, BJC said it planned to close the hospital by the end of January, and the hospital stopped admitting patients Jan. 8. 3. BJC ceased operations at the facility on Tuesday, and the hospital will completely close no later than Jan. 31. 4. Most clinical services have already been relocated to another Parkland Health hospital on Liberty Street in Farmington. 5. Parkland Health President Tom Karl previously told the Daily Journal that a space adjacent to the emergency department at the Liberty Street location is being renovated to accommodate additional patients, according to the report. "It is important for us to acknowledge the emotion that some may experience around the closure of the hospital," said Mr. Karl, according to the Daily Journal. "We sincerely recognize the many lives that were touched by the dedicated care givers and we fully intend to honor the heritage of the former Mineral Area Regional Medical Center." More articles on healthcare finance: Average cost per inpatient day across 50 states 55 hospitals sue HHS over changes to Medicare reimbursements 2 Texas hospitals file for bankruptcy: 5 things to know Dan Bonk, CEO of Aspen (Colo.) Valley Hospital, is leaving his post, according to an Aspen Daily News report. Here are five things to know about Mr. Bonk. 1. Mr. Bonk cited a desire to be with his family, which lives in his native Wisconsin, as the reason for his upcoming departure. 2. He has been CEO of Aspen Valley Hospital since early 2014. 3. According to the report, hospital accomplishments during Mr. Bonk's tenure include: Beginning the third of four phases of its facilities remodel and expansion plan Renewing its five-year mill levy Hiring a new hospitalist and several orthopedic surgeons 4. The Aspen Valley Hospital board will have a special meeting to discuss the appointment of an interim CEO to take over for Mr. Bonk, according to the report. 5. Mr. Bonk plans to remain in his position until an interim CEO is chosen and will help out in the first few weeks of their transition before he departs. More articles on healthcare executive moves: Centura gets new SVP of care integration, continuity: 5 things to know 23 latest hospital, health system executive moves National Quality Forum picks Helen Darling as interim CEO: 7 things to know Hours before Sunday night's Democratic debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) unveiled a healthcare plan that would "provide all Americans with the sense of freedom and peace of mind" through universal coverage. Here are six things to know about the universal healthcare plan. 1. Sen. Sanders' plan creates a federally-administered, single-payer healthcare program. He has dubbed it "Medicare for All." His public insurance system would span the continuum of care, including inpatient, outpatient, preventive, emergency, primary, specialty, long-term, palliative, mental health, oral health, vision and hearing, in addition to prescriptions, diagnostics and medical equipment. Patients would not pay copays or have deductibles. According to Sen. Sanders, this would allow the government to negotiate with drug companies and better track healthcare access to avoid provider shortages. 2. He estimates the plan would cost $1.38 trillion annually. Over the next decade, Sen. Sanders said his plan would cost $6 trillion less than the current healthcare system, which currently costs $3 trillion annually. 3. His estimates indicate the typical family would save more than $5,000 each year and businesses would save more than $9,400 each year in healthcare costs for the average employee. According to Sen. Sanders, a family of four earning $50,000 would pay $466 per year to the program, compared to $4,955 in premiums and $1,318 in deductibles. Businesses would pay the program $3,100 for the average worker with a family who makes $50,000 a year, compared to $12,591. 4. The plan would be funded by a host of taxes, including the following. A 6.2 percent income-based premium paid by employers that would generate $630 billion annually. A 2.2 percent income-based premium paid by households that would generate $210 billion annually. Progressive income tax rates that would generate $110 billion annually. Tax on capital gains and dividends that would generate $92 billion per year. Limited tax deductions for households making more than $250,000 annually, which would generate $15 billion per year. Estate tax on the wealthiest 0.3 percent of Americans which would generate $21 billion in annual revenue. He would also do away with tax breaks that subsidize healthcare, which would generate $310 billion each year. 5. Sen. Sanders says his plan will build on the gains made by the Affordable Care Act, not dismantle it. He lauds the progress made by the healthcare reform law in insuring 17 million uninsured Americans, Medicaid expansion across 31 states, increased protections against lifetime coverage limits and protection from exclusion due to pre-existing conditions. He notes he served on the Senate committee that helped pen the law. Yet his website notes that 29 million Americans remain uninsured, while millions are underinsured or cannot afford copayments and deductibles, and the U.S. still spends more on healthcare than any other advanced nation in the world. 6. Democratic frontrunner and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sen. Sanders' plan would take the country in the "wrong direction." In Sunday's debate, she said Sen. Sanders' plan would "tear [the ACA] up" and push the country back to square one. "I certainly respect Senator Sanders' intentions," she said. "But when you're talking about healthcare the details really matter." She later added, "We've accomplished so much already. I do not want to see the Republicans repeal it. And I don't want to see us start over again with a contentious debate. I want us to defend and build on the ACA and improve it." Sen. Sanders defended his plan and said it would not tear up the ACA. More articles on leadership and management: Getting more work done in 5 hours than others do in 12: Why some CEOs question traditional 'time management' 6 practices of superbosses 30 disruptive healthcare companies to watch Springfield, Mo.-based Mercy Clinic's former medical director, Hyewon Kim, MD, has been awarded more than $1.5 million in damages after claiming she was dismissed from Mercy Clinic for voicing her concerns about two physicians, according to an OzarksFirst report. Dr. Kim, a radiation oncologist, brought her lawsuit against Mercy in 2012. She alleged she was dismissed from her position at Mercy after reporting two physicians were violating medical standards that affected patient safety, according to the report. On Friday, a jury awarded Dr. Kim compensatory damages of $720,821 and punitive damages of $800,000 in the case. A Mercy spokesperson told OzarksFirst that the hospital is not commenting on the case. More articles on health law: 5 False Claims Act trends, cases that will fuel recoveries in 2016 6 latest false claims, kickback settlements Georgia health system to pay $9.8M to settle ex-CEO's allegations In midst of the massive Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina system failure, one customer went to the local media with a story about his refusal to back down, according to ABC 11. The insurer was under fire last week for technical problems, which led to many enrollees questioning whether they had insurance at all. Joe Rabiega decided to take things into his own hands after spending hours, he claims, on hold with customer service representatives. On Jan. 14, he went to the BCBS of NC corporate headquarters in Durham. He said he refused to leave the premises until he got the coverage for which he paid. Mr. Rabiega is a licensed mental health therapist. Because many of his clients' policies are listed as inactive through BCBS of NC, he has nearly $1,000 in claims for which he isn't getting paid. More importantly, although he paid for coverage in December, his own family's insurance is listed as inactive. When he showed up at the BCBS of NC corporate office, he claims he told workers he'd lock himself in the lobby with his bike lock. Though he didn't have to use it, he claims to have waited in the lobby for seven hours three and a half hours after the office closed until a customer service representative assured him his coverage was active. Becker's Hospital Review received conflicting accounts on Tuesday of the amount of time Mr. Rabiega waited at the headquarters. One source insists that the seven hour span was actually closer to an hour and Mr. Rabiega exaggerated his experience. On Jan. 15, Mr. Rabiega's coverage was confirmed as active. BCBS of NC increased security measures at its corporate office that same day, according to the report. A BCBS of NC spokesperson did not confirm enhanced security to Becker's. [Editor's note: This story was updated at 5:40 CST on Jan. 19.] To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Nobel laureate and author Orhan Pamuk has criticized recent investigations into academics and the detention of some of them after they called on the government to end ongoing military operations in Turkey's Southeast, saying Turkey's democracy is limited to the ballot box and lacks many key components of a democratic regime. Speaking to the Italian La Repubblica daily on Monday, Pamuk complained about the government's efforts to align academics' views with its decisions, adding: "In such a country, despite the fact that free elections are held, one cannot talk about the existence of a full-fledged democracy. The investigation into some academics and the ensuing detentions because they signed a declaration in order to step up efforts at establishing peace with the country's Kurds harms an already limited democracy." A total of 1,128 academics from 89 universities, both home and abroad, issued a declaration last Monday in which they called for the restoration of peace in the country. They urged a halt in the ongoing military operations in the southeastern region of Turkey and a return to the negotiating table to restart shelved talks with the Kurds to find peaceful solutions to the Kurdish issue. Michelins Raceview Road factory in Ballymena, which will close in 2018 The world-famous Bushmills Distillery has plans to expand and is reported to be interested in Michelins Raceview Road factory in Ballymena, which will close in 2018 The owner of Bushmills whiskey may have plans for the site of tyre giant Michelin after the company shuts up shop in Ballymena, it has emerged. Jose Cuervo - which bought the world famous distillery two years ago - may adapt the site for its own purposes when Michelin quits its Raceview Road factory in 2018. Bushmills production is so far confined to the distillery in the historic village of Bushmills. But the BBC reported that the whiskey maker is eyeing up the tyre giant's site. And one DUP MLA said that the site of tobacco firm JTI Gallaher, which shuts in Ballymena next year, has also attracted visitors interested in setting up there. Interest in the Michelin premises is good news for Ballymena, which stands to lose over 1,600 jobs and two manufacturing giants in the next few years. When Michelin closes in two years, 860 jobs will go, while the closure of JTI Gallaher in the town next year will result in 800 job losses. DUP North Antrim MLA Ian Paisley said JTI Gallaher's site on Galgorm Road had also received visits from companies interested in carrying out production on it. He added: "I welcome the idea of any company expanding or opening in my constituency and I'd actively encourage anyone who's looking at either of these sites." But he poured cold water on the prospect of Bushmills producing its whiskey in Ballymena. He commented: "I know that Bushmills has already indicated that they'd wish to up production - but I don't think they would bring distilling anywhere else. "The key thing is the water, and where they are in Bushmills is right beside the River Bush. "But one possibility is that they could look at Michelin for storage." Last year Bushmills filed a planning application for a new distillery facility in Bushmills which could double production capacity. The expansion is expected to lead to up to 20 new jobs with a 10-15% rise in the wages bill. The distillery currently employs around 150 staff. Under the plan there will be around 3m of capital expenditure at the distillery every year for the next 10 to 15 years. The application encompasses details of a new tourism and visitor centre. The company said this proposal was at an early stage but the aim is to produce a "world class" facility. No-one from Michelin or Jose Cuervo was available for comment - but a Michelin spokesman told the BBC that production would continue until 2018. And a Bushmills spokesman told the BBC it had explored the viability of acquiring the site. Jose Cuervo is owned by the Beckmann family in Mexico. Michelin last year said it would be closing its Ballymena site due to falling demand for the tyres made there, and the high cost of energy here. He's already hit the headlines for plans to open a new mobile restaurant along the Portstewart promenade, but Donal Doherty says he has much bigger fish to fry. The Donegal restaurateur said he wants to take on the north coast's culinary scene and plans on setting up another three restaurants along the northern counties of the Republic and Northern Ireland. Mr Doherty said he is currently looking at sites in Londonderry and Donegal and hopes to expand his chain with a further three bricks-and-mortar restaurants within the next three years. Last week, it was announced that Mr Doherty had plans to open a "wagon" just two miles along the beach from his Portstewart restaurant. This site will not require planning permission and has already been approved by the National Trust which is responsible for maintaining the coastline. He currently runs two restaurants, Harry's in Donegal and Harry's Shack in Portstewart. Mr Doherty said the wagon will make his life "easier" as he said he feels bad turning away so many customers during the busy summer months when tourist numbers soar in the area. In the height of the tourist season, Mr Doherty said he was turning up to 300 people away from his Portstewart restaurant in a day. However, he added that he would like to improve the area's tourist offering. He said: "We wanted to provide something for the people who we turned away and also give another reason to go to the beach and see the area. In July and August last year you wouldn't have been able to get a table without booking on the best days we were turning away 300 people. We're trying to develop the beach as being a good day out for all the family." Despite the disappointing summer, trade still boomed at the Port and Mr Doherty is positive that better weather will come this year. "I can't say when, but we will get a summer at some stage this year," he quipped. The first restaurant, Harry's Bar and Restaurant, was founded in Donegal by Donal's father 25 years ago, while Harry's Shack has been open for just 19 months. The businesses currently employs 20 people in Portstewart and 25 in Donegal, as well as the extra staff who are brought in to cope with seasonal demand. During summer months, the two sites employ between 60 and 70 people. Mr Doherty takes pride in sourcing his fish at nearby fishing town Greencastle and said he grows two acres of vegetables and salad crops near his Donegal restaurant. The restaurateur said he feels that the first month of the Northern Ireland Year of Food has got people excited about breakfasts. He said: "It'll take a few months before we see the full impact of it but already it has got lots of restaurants thinking about how to improve their breakfasts. I think as the months go on it will make restaurants consider how to bring other aspects of their menu up a level." Despite only being in business for a short time, Harry's Shack already has a cult following, something Mr Doherty attributes to a glowing review in the Guardian. Overseas visitors now account for between 10% and 15% of its customers. The restaurant has also worked alongside Invest NI to host journalists and bloggers from other UK nations Mr Doherty believes that by increasing its food outlets, the area it will encourage more people to see the area as a holiday destination again. He said that while business was mainly seasonal at Portstewart, an increasing number of people were visiting over long weekends - even at Christmas time. Harry's Shack sits on the beach on on stilts 10ft above the sand - lending an element of novelty to diners. John and Sally McKennas' Guides rated Harry's Shack its top eaterie for 2014, just a few short months after its August opening. The 'wagon' is expected to cost around 40,000 to buy and kit out and should be open for business by April. The new, smaller outlet will run a slightly shorter version of the Shack's menu and will feature healthier fast food options such as salads, something with Mr Doherty believes there is an untapped market for. Steel-making communities in the UK have been dealt another huge blow after Tata announced more than 1,000 job losses, worsening the crisis in the industry. But a Tata site in Lisburn employing 14 people is not affected. Most of the jobs will go at the huge plant in Port Talbot, South Wales, where 750 posts will be cut, although service firms and contractors will also be affected. Other factories will also be hit with more jobs lost at Llanwern, Trostre, Corby and Hartlepool. Karl Koehler, chief executive of Tata Steel's European operations, said: "I know this news will be unsettling, but these tough actions are critical in the face of extremely difficult market conditions which are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. "We need the European Commission to accelerate its response to unfairly traded imports and increase the robustness of its actions. Not doing so threatens the future of the entire European steel industry." The Government came under attack from unions for doing "too little, too late". The Lisburn site is part of the firm's long products division to be sold off to Greybull Capital in a deal announced last month. A snack food firm in Co Armagh has won a 130,000 deal with Tesco in Northern Ireland for its fruit and nut snacks. Kestrel Foods in Portadown has invested heavily in production, launching a new 'Forest Feast Street Food' range, inspired by street food from the American Deep South to Thailand. The 150g bags of mixed nuts and fruits will be available in 24 Tesco outlets. Steven Murphy, buyer at Tesco Northern Ireland, said: "With a 20-year heritage in food production, Kestrel Foods is one of the province's biggest food success stories and we're pleased to be bringing its latest product innovation to stores here. "Through Tesco Northern Ireland's 'Taste" campaign, our number one priority is identifying quality local produce and working with the businesses to introduce their products to Northern Ireland consumers - and beyond - through a range of initiatives that include in-store sampling, event attendance and marketing support." Kestrel Foods' commercial director Tim McVicker said that the new deal was a great way to start the new year. "Our new product range will be stocked in 24 stores across Northern Ireland, strengthening our existing relationship with Tesco Northern Ireland, who we have been in partnership with since 1997," he added. Tesco's deal with Kestrel Foods comes after the supermarket giant launched a year-long, 500,000 programme to celebrate the 2016 Year of Food and Drink in Northern Ireland. Kestrel Foods is run by husband and wife Michael and Lorraine Hall. It reported a 5.7% increase in turnover from 11.5m to 12.1m in the year to the end of April 2015. However, its pre-tax profits were down by nearly 28% to 653,418 from 903,770 on the previous 12 months - although staff numbers had grown 10%, from 60 to 66. Belfast International Airport bosses believe scrapping APD could boost more growth like the move of Ryanair to the airport Belfast International Airport bosses believe scrapping APD could boost more growth like the move of Ryanair to the airport Airport security company ICTS is creating 40 new jobs at Belfast International Airport. But those in charge at the airport say that even more growth could be seen if Air Passenger Duty (APD) was scrapped. ICTS says the recruitment and training process will be completed ahead of Ryanair's move to the airport - which the airline has said could lead to up to 750 new jobs. The 40 posts will generate 650,000 in wages in the Northern Ireland economy, meaning an average salary of 16,250. ICTS says the additional employees will bring to 250 the size of its workforce at Belfast International Airport. And the firm said the jobs were being created without any government support. Jim Finegan, operations director ICTS (UK), said: "Growth at the airport means greater demand for our professional aviation security services. It's a win-win for all. "ICTS have been at the airport since 2000 and this is easily the most exciting period of growth we have seen." Belfast International Airport operations director Alan Whiteside said the new jobs are the first to flow from the planned arrival of Ryanair and the increase in seat capacity by existing airlines easyJet, Jet2, United and Wizz. "We're ramping up for a spring and summer with passenger activity reaching new peaks," he said. "We've recruited 18 new apprentices within the past year or so and we expect our other supply and retail companies to take on additional employees to match demand. "These are exciting times for Belfast International. What's really good about these jobs is that they are being created, not promised, at no cost whatsoever to the taxpayer. "We're making headway as an economic hub for Northern Ireland. "It's a pity those who drive job creation and investment don't realise the important role the airport plays in re-balancing our economy. "I have no doubt that we could achieve even greater results if ministers grasped the nettle of APD and took steps to consign it to the bin." APD on economy flights currently costs between 13 and 71 - and those in favour of scrapping it have said that it would create a major economic boost to the province. But a report from the Northern Ireland Centre for Economic Policy (NICEP) said the overall benefits of abolishing APD on flights would not cover the amount lost from the Executive's block grant and that the case for abolishing APD was not strong enough. Meanwhile, Dublin Airport saw record passenger numbers in 2015, with 25 million passengers flying from the airport last year, up three million. The airport confirmed that passenger numbers from Northern Ireland had increased again in 2015, but did not have an exact figure. APD was abolished in the Republic two years ago, a factor cited in the growing success of Dublin Airport. Belfast will still be lagging behind other university cities in the UK even if the 7,500 student rooms currently proposed get the go-ahead, one major developer has claimed. The city council is to decide tonight whether five out of 16 planned managed student developments can get the green light. That includes a 590-bedroom, 92 studio-room, development at York Street by UK property firm UniCiti. But two others are being put forward for refusal. However, the optimism among developers that there will be a big demand in Belfast has been met with some scepticism from those in the private student housing market. But according to UniCiti, even if all 7,500 managed beds were approved, it would account for just 23% of available student beds - a lower proportion than many other cities. At this capacity, two reports suggest Belfast would still lag behind other similarly-sized university cities. UniCiti partner Paul Wilkinson said that a study by Liverpool City Council found that the typical saturation point for managed accommodation "was around 40% of all student beds in a city". "When we announced our plans in August, we claimed that Belfast was playing catch-up with other modern universities, where purpose-built managed student accommodation is the norm. Our proposals at York Street and Little Patrick Street amount to a little more than 2% of all student beds in Belfast. At present, despite having two large universities, only 3,759 managed beds are available or approved. We understand that not all proposals can, or will, be approved and built. However, if all 7,500 proposed managed beds were given permission they would together account for only 23% of student beds. Edinburgh currently has 32% of its student rooms as managed accommodation, while Glasgow has 25%. But Dairmid Laird of letting agents Laird which specialising in student properties is sceptical about demand for the developments. They (managed student rooms) are generally 450 to 500 a month, and that doesnt compare favourably to houses or apartments. A lot of students cant afford that. Some overseas students will be able to, but there are a lot, who but for the fact student accommodation is available, couldnt afford to study. We dont want to price students out of accommodation, and affording accommodation shouldnt be a barrier to anyone getting access to third level education. He said many of the developments could struggle to fill their rooms. I dont think that all the accommodation will be built. There are only a certain number of local students who are prepared to pay 450. Some initial developments, such as the new 413-room development at the former Belfast Metropolitan College building at College Square East, are quoting weekly prices from 120, including other costs such as electricity and gas. But that contrasts with some cheap student homes in areas in south Belfast, which can go for as little as 180 a month. There are around 15,000 students at the Ulster University, across its Jordanstown and Belfast campuses, with many set to move to the city during the next year. But only a fraction of those are first-year undergraduates. One Belfast landlord, who owns several student properties in south Belfast, challenged many of the plans already in the works. You would wonder where the demand has come from, he said. Meanwhile, two proposed developments are being put forward for refusal at tonights planning meeting, including a small city centre project at Royal Avenue. And plans to demolish buildings close to the Carrick Hill area of north Belfast to make way for a larger student housing project, have also been put forward for refusal. While Tesco is still the largest supermarket here, its share fell by around 2% in the 52 weeks to January 3, compared with the same period a year earlier Tesco's iron grip on Northern Ireland's retail market is shrinking as the supermarket giant became the only big retailer to see footfall drop in the last year. While still the largest supermarket here, its share fell by around 2% in the 52 weeks to January 3, compared with the same period a year earlier. But rivals Asda and Sainsbury's saw modest growth, while Lidl continues to expand. It grew its share of the market to 4.9% for the same period - up around a fifth year-on-year. Despite the growth, Tesco still dominates the market, accounting for more than a third of grocery spending in Northern Ireland. In the Republic, Tesco saw an improved picture over the Christmas period, with sales up marginally versus last year in the past 12 weeks. But a breakdown of the Christmas period for Northern Ireland was not available. In the UK as a whole, Tesco saw a small rise in sales, according to its latest trading update. Northern Ireland's biggest grocery chain, which has around 55 stores of different sizes, hailed a "strong Christmas" after revealing a 1.3% rise in UK like-for-like sales in the six weeks to January 9. Meanwhile, rival Asda has announced job losses in the "low hundreds" in its Leeds head office, which employs 3,000 people. Archie the dog was down on his luck, but now in a real rags-to-riches story that could have come straight out of Hollywood an acting career beckons, as he is set to become a stage star. The stray's life was in danger as he was spotted wandering at a service station close to one of Ireland's busiest roads - Dublin's M50 motorway - before he was plucked to safety and taken in by an east Belfast family. Love blossomed between the pooch and his new owners from Bloomfield, and now he has beaten off the competition to land one of the most famous acting roles for a canine. He is to play Toto in a production of The Wizard Of Oz by Fortwilliam Musical Society in March. Archie went for an audition on Sunday and, when it came down to the final two, he kept his nerve to get the part after his rival reportedly growled at Maria Sweeney, the actress playing Dorothy. Archie's owner Julie Morris said: "My friend Donna Mitchell saw an appeal in the Belfast Telegraph for dogs to play Toto and said Archie looked like Toto. We nearly missed the audition because you had to do a wee video and send it through, and then we went for an audition on Sunday. "I had been practising a bit calling him Toto and playing The Wizard Of Oz music. He endeared (himself to) everybody and as soon as Dorothy called Toto he ran straight over to her and he licked her." Julie added: "He was a stray, he came up from a friend of mine in the South. She was out and about and saw him at a service station on the M50. There was no microchip and she made enquiries if anybody owned the dog and put up posters but nobody came forward, and then she asked me if I would like him. "We collected him last March and he would only have been about five or six months old then. "He was very nervous at the start and very submissive, and I thought when he went on Sunday he would go back to being very panicky, but he took up the role and did everything that was asked. Maybe we have found an inner Archie. He is a cute wee thing, there is no badness in him." Musical Society chairperson Tony Young said: "We have a new star indeed. It is a real rags to riches story, isn't it?" He said they put it out on social media and mainstream media appealing for dogs to audition and, after a big response, only seven owners included a video of their dog responding to the name Toto. These contenders were whittled down to two, and Archie got the part. "At our rehearsal on Sunday Archie was definitely a star. He responded to Toto. It didn't matter what we threw at that dog, he was going to do it, he wanted that part. I would say Julie had trained Archie. There was a little growl from the other dog and Archie got the part. "We have to be very careful because the dog has to go on stage with not only our adult members but children as young as eight, and we need to be able to trust him. By March, hopefully, he will be ready for his big moment. The Wizard Of Oz is at the Theatre At The Mill, Newtownabbey, from March 15-19. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Vice President of Armenia National Assembly, Head of Armenia- Czech Republic Parliamentary Friendship Group Eduard Sharmazanov met with the Vice-President of the Senate of the Czech Republic Zdenek Skromach on January 18. Armenpress was informed about this by the Staff of the Vice President of Armenia National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov. Vice President of Armenia National Assembly thanked his Czech colleague for attending the events dedicated to the centennial of the Armenian Genocide held in Yerevan. It was bilaterally emphasized that the relations between Armenia National Assembly and Senate of the Czech Republic develop dynamically. Vice-President of the Senate of the Czech Republic stressed the importance of further deepening of the relations with the Armenian parliament. The parties also touched upon the regional developments during the meeting. They emphasized that conflicts must be solved only by peaceful means. Vice President of Armenia National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov emphasized that the "Velvet Divorce" between Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993 must serve as an example first and foremost for Azerbaijan. The people of Artsakh have as many rights to decide their fate as people of any other civilized country, Sharmazanov said. The interlocutors attached importance to the political dialogue between the Republic of Armenia and the EU. Vice President of Armenia National Assembly invited Zdenek Skromach to pay an official visit to Armenia. Jennifer Ellison became so unwell when she went cold turkey from sugar that medics had to be called in. The dancer and West End star was taking part in ITV show Sugar Free Farm, which sees celebrities quitting sugar for two weeks - instead living together on a country farm, helping to produce wholesome and healthy food. Ellison was joined by musical theatre star Jane McDonald, comedian Rory McGrath, quiz master Mark Labbett, actress Tupele Dorgu, and The Only Way Is Essex's James "Arg" Argent. But medics were called in when McDonald and Ellison suffered from withdrawal symptoms. Ellison said: "I got hit the hardest with withdrawal, as my sugar intake was the highest. I was picking carrots with Jane on the farm and every time I bent down I felt like someone was standing on my eyeballs. I felt physically sick. "I had the worst headache I've ever, ever felt. If you've ever detoxed, take that feeling and times it by 10. We were detoxing from processed food, sugar, alcohol, everything. "It was literally like someone had put my head in a vice and was just twisting it and twisting it. It felt like my eyes might pop out of my head." Before the programme she was consuming six to eight cans of Coca-Cola per day, alongside snacks of Mars bars and jelly sweets, as she balanced the demands of motherhood with running her dance school business. She also suffered from lack of confidence, declining auditions because she felt too fat and unhealthy. At the start of her experience at Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire, the 32-year-old said: "They asked would I be interested in doing the Chicago tour and I've had to say no because I couldn't go on stage like this. "So I'm just in a mess. I have got to make a change, I do know that, and that's why I'm here." She went on to lose a stone and a half. Looking back, she said: "I'd never had a day without sugar before. I was terrified of what was going to happen to my body and the withdrawal symptoms I'd have." Arg struggled more with the practical element of the programme when he had to help with the farming. He explained: " I did have a bit of an incident with some milk, in that unfortunately I spilt rather a lot of it. I don't think one of the farmers was too impressed with me. It was quite a substantial amount." Ellison added: "I was partnered with Arg a lot and in the nicest possible way, he was pretty useless. "He actually made the trip for me because he was so nice and so funny. He was just on another level. I said, 'I didn't know guys existed like you.' He just didn't have a clue." :: Sugar Free Farm starts Tuesday January 26 at 8pm on ITV. The new BBC One series will be called Peter Kay's Comedy Shuffle Comedian Peter Kay is returning to TV screens with a new show that will feature highlights from his more than 20-year long career. The new BBC One series will be called Peter Kay's Comedy Shuffle and the broadcaster says it is a chance to "celebrate and re-discover" some of Kay's best work following the success of the Christmas special honouring him. The Cradle to Grave star's work will be featured in six episodes of thirty minutes each for the new series. Kay was seen over the festive period in the Christmas special titled Peter Kay: 20 Years of Funny, which was a documentary looking at his career to date. "I was completely overwhelmed by the response to 20 Years of Funny and I feel honoured that the BBC would like to take a further look back at my career so far," Kay said of the new TV series. "I'm also delighted to still be working after twenty years at a job I still love." BBC One's controller, Charlotte Moore, said: "Peter Kay is a comic genius that brought such joy to BBC One viewers last year. I'm thrilled that he is bringing his new series to the channel." The show will be broadcast on BBC One later in the year. Its a bit of a mess but Ill show you, says Abu Rumaysah, the British man suspected of being the masked militant in the latest gruesome Isis execution video, as he rummages around his garage in Walthamstow, east London. The former bouncy castle salesman emerges triumphant. These are the black flags of Islam. This ones actually the flag of the Islamic State, so one day when the sharia comes, you will see this black flag everywhere, he proclaims, vowing that the flag will soon fly over Downing Street. The extraordinary footage of Abu Rumaysah, who fled the UK to join Isis in 2014 having previously been arrested six times, was shot by the film-maker Jamie Roberts for a Channel 4 documentary, The Jihadis Next Door, airing on Tuesday night. Roberts spent two years filming a group of Islamist extremists in London, including Abu Rumaysah, last arrested as part of an investigation into alleged support for the banned extremist group al-Muhajiroun. He left Britain with his wife and four children the day after being released on bail, travelling to Paris and then Syria. Channel 4 has declined a Metropolitan Police request for a pre-broadcast viewing of the film, in which two other activists already known to the authorities, Mohammed Shamsuddin and Abu Haleema, laugh while watching an Isis murder video and speak of recruiting fellow British Muslims through brain-washing. Abu Rumaysah, real-name Siddhartha Dhar, has not been officially confirmed as the masked figure in the video, released a couple of weeks ago, which shows the murder of five men accused by Isis of spying for the UK. When the video emerged, Roberts received a text from Shamsuddin, which had a link to the video, and a message saying: You may know the voice. Roberts said: The voice instantly gave me chills. He has lost weight and it may not be him, but I felt like I recognised his voice. In the film, Abu Rumaysah tells Roberts that he is from a Hindu background and converted to Islam when he was about 19. One man died in Woolwich, Lee Rigby, and the whole country went up in uproar, Abu Rumaysah says. There are many Lee Rigbys in Muslim countries, and if these issues arent addressed, we can expect more carnage in this country and more cycle of violence. He tells Roberts that the notion that the black flag of Islam would one day fly over Downing Street may have been described as ludicrous 10 or 15 years ago. But he says it is now a very real possibility the way Muslims are coming forward in this country. We dont believe that authority should be in the hands of the non-Muslims. Describing Abu Rumaysah as the dullest and most one-dimensional of his subjects, who spouted extremist ideology without any hint of outside interests, Roberts found it difficult to comprehend his making a journey of that magnitude to the Syrian battlefield. Haleema, a radical preacher who has had his passport removed and is banned from using social media to promote his views, said he last saw Abu Rumaysah citing the Koran in prison. The guy was just turbo-charged, always on the go, he said. Shamsuddin, who says he knows several people who have gone to fight in Syria, and Haleema support the declaration of a caliphate, but refuse to say on camera that they support Isiss aims and methods, fearing that they would get nicked support for Isis carries a possible six-year jail sentence. The film shows the extremists being confronted frequently during street demonstrations by moderate British Muslims who reject their philosophy. Haleema talks about grooming his beard with oil. Shamsuddin tells Roberts he is a fan of The Great British Bake Off although he no longer considered the 2015 winner, Nadiya Hussain, to be a Muslim. The Jihadis Next Door, Channel 4, 9pm Tuesday 19 January The new radiotherapy unit currently being built at Altnagelvin Hospital. Picture by Martin McKeown A new radiotherapy centre for cancer patients on both sides of the border is on course to open later this year and has already created 215 jobs. Funding for the radiotherapy unit nearing completion in the grounds of Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry will be shared between Stormont and the Irish Government on a pro rata basis. The centre is scheduled to open on time and within budget. From this autumn, almost 90% of people diagnosed with cancer from across the Western Trust area and Donegal will be treated at the 50m unit. Alan Moore, the Western Trusts director of strategic capital development, described it as a hospital within a hospital. Both the running and construction costs for the huge centre will be shared between the two governments. Mr Moore said: The building has been designed with the holistic needs of the patients at its centre. The staff have all been recruited and in total 215 new positions have been created although some, like the administrative staff, will not take up their positions until later this year. We advertised far and wide and have secured staff from all over the island of Ireland, the UK, Europe in fact, right across the globe. This centre will be one of four in Ireland, the others being Belfast, Galway and Dublin. This will be one of the most modern facilities in the whole of Europe and will certainly not be a second centre to Belfast or anywhere. It will be opened this year that is a definite and it will come in on budget. Anything else just was not an option. So while at this stage we cant be more specific about the actual date that we will become operational, it will be autumn. More than 500,000 patients will access their radiotherapy at Altnagelvin. For people living the Western Trust area, it will mean they no longer have to face an arduous journey of at least 90 minutes each way to Belfast. People living in Donegal will be spared an even longer journey of around four hours travelling to either Galway or Dublin for their treatment. However, while the centre in Derry will have the most modern and up-to-date equipment installed later this year, there will still be 10% of people who have to travel to Belfast for their treatment. Consultant oncologist Dr David Stewart said: Unfortunately, people diagnosed with rarer forms of cancer and children will still have to go to Belfast for their chemotherapy and radiotherapy because of the very specialist nature of their conditions. For the vast majority of people, the long journeys they faced to get radiotherapy will soon be a thing of the past. He added: Previously if a patient was considered too ill to make these long journeys either to Belfast or to Galway or Dublin they didnt get radiotherapy, but that will not be the situation any more. A Northern Ireland group set up to help Syrian refugees fleeing their homeland reach Europe has bought its own sea rescue boat thanks to a 35,000 donation from a mystery artist. The internationally-renowned artist, who has asked to remain anonymous, donated the money to the NI-based Refugee Rescue group, which is helping save the lives of Syrian refugees desperately trying to get to the Greek island of Lesbos. Musician and human rights activist Joby Fox, who set up the permanent rescue team of volunteers two months ago, said they had taken possession of an Atlantic 75 originally made for the RNLI Cowes lifeboat station on the Isle of Wight. The anonymous donor gave the funds to the group when he heard of the work of fellow artist Jude Bennett, a colleague of Fox and co-founder of Refugee Rescue. Former Energy Orchard bassist Joby said: "As this weekend saw more distressing pictures of a refugee boat sinking in the Aegean Sea with many deaths caused by drowning, it is great news that our volunteers will soon be redeployed on their fourth mission to Lesbos with their own sea rescue boat. "Our collaboration with local boat teams has been working well, only now we have our own boat. That means we have strategic control, and that we are more versatile and flexible when responding to crisis boats in other areas of the Aegean Sea." Refugee Rescue has been operating daily on Lesbos since October. The team has been working in collaboration with local boats and has provided skilled sea rescue volunteers from Ireland. They have been out at sea saving lives when boats and dinghies got into trouble. Joby added: "We are now redoubling our efforts to raise funds and to ensure we can keep our rescue boat operating with a round-the-clock skilled team, and also continue to provide on-shore co-ordination, delivering support where other international agencies cannot." Anyone interested in joining the Northern Ireland team relieving suffering in Lesbos or to provide funds for equipment should visit www.refugeerescue.co.uk The number of Northern Ireland public sector employees exiting voluntarily is expected to be 4,467, officials said. An extra small tranche of offers will be made next month to make up for a number of people who had rejected redundancy deals earlier. It will also address tight budgets next year, according to a progress report on the Fresh Start Agreement. Redundancies are predicted to cost 184m, but generate annual savings of approximately 160m. The total number of Stormont departments is expected to be cut and senior management structures for the nine new Stormont departments have been agreed with senior staff provisionally assigned to posts. Plans have been made to share personnel, accounting and IT services, an update published by the NIO said. It said: "Some 200m has been released to enable the 2015-16 public sector voluntary exit scheme to progress. "Tranche four offers have been made and acceptances finalised. "A small fifth tranche of offers will issue in February to help address rejection rates from earlier tranches and anticipated 2016-17 budget pressures. "In terms of the overall public sector, there were two tranches of funding in 2015-16. "Overall it is forecast 4,467 employees will exit at a cost of 184m, but generating annual savings of approximately 160m. "The approach to public sector pay restraint is currently under consideration." A scheme for voluntary exit from the Northern Ireland Civil Service, as well as a separate mechanism for releasing members of the wider public sector, was established following the 2014 Stormont House talks. As part of the Fresh Start deal, extra money was provided by the British Government to combat paramilitary activity and help build a shared future Money earmarked for bodies dealing with the past has been held until agreement is reached on dealing with legacy issues. The Government will provide an additional 25m over five years to tackle continuing paramilitary activity. The Government funding will only be released after the Executive has agreed a strategy to address continuing paramilitary activity. PSNI officers and forensic officers investigate. Police have said that the roads will remain closed for the next few hours. Photo: Kirth Ferris/Pacemaker Press PSNI officers and forensic officers investigate. Police have said that the roads will remain closed for the next few hours. Photo: Kirth Ferris/Pacemaker Press PSNI officers and forensic officers investigate. Police have said that the roads will remain closed for the next few hours. Photo: Kirth Ferris/Pacemaker Press PSNI officers and forensic officers investigate. Police have said that the roads will remain closed for the next few hours. Photo: Kirth Ferris/Pacemaker Press Collect picture of Eddie Girvan, the 70-year-old man found dead in his Station Road home in Greenisland last night. Pacemaker Belfast 19/01/2016 PSNI officers and forensic officers investigate. Police have said that the roads will remain closed for the next few hours. Photo: Kirth Ferris/Pacemaker Press Collect picture of Eddie Girvan, the 70-year-old man found dead in his Station Road home in Greenisland last night. Pacemaker Belfast 19/01/2016 Pictured is police officers and forensics at the scene of an incident on Station Road in Greenisland on January 19, 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott ) Collect picture of Eddie Girvan, the 70-year-old man found dead in his Station Road home in Greenisland last night. Pacemaker Belfast 19/01/2016 Pictured is police officers and forensics at the scene of an incident on Station Road in Greenisland on January 19, 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott) Police officers and forensics at the scene of an incident on Station Road in Greenisland on January 19, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott) Greenisland man Eddie Girvan, who was found murdered in his own home, was tied up on a chair and stabbed in the chest, police have revealed. The body of Mr Girvan who was aged in his 70s, was discovered in his Station Road home shortly before 9.30pm on Monday. He was found with his hands bound and had suffered a stab wound to the chest. A post-mortem examination will take place to determine the cause of death. Police spent most of the day at the scene and on Tuesday afternoon declared his death as murder. They said one line of investigation was that Mr Girvan died during a robbery in his home. Detectives have appealed for anyone who saw his car in recent days to contact them. A 29-year-old woman and two men, aged 23 and 24, have been arrested as part of the investigation and are currently in custody assisting police with their enquiries. The Station Road remains closed between the junction of Upper Station Rd and School Lane and junction of Knockfergus Park and Station Road. Mr Girvan had two daughters. He was an antiques collector and it's thought he had valuable items including Rolex watches among his collection. Neighbours have described him as a quiet man and said he was known as a bit of a character, but someone who kept himself to himself. The officer leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector John McVea, said: "A post mortem examination will take place to confirm the exact cause of Mr Girvans death however I can confirm that, at this time, we are treating his death as murder. "An incident such as this is unusual for a community like Greenisland and I am appealing to local people for their assistance. "Detectives are making house to house enquiries because we need to speak to those local people who knew Eddie Girvan and saw him in the past few days. "I also want to hear from anyone who saw or heard any activity at Mr Girvans home at 162 Station Road over the past weekend until yesterday morning around 7am. "My final appeal point is about Eddie Girvans car, a silver Hyundai Sonata, registration number MKZ 9818. I need to hear from anyone who saw this silver car any time over the weekend either in Greenisland or Belfast until it was recovered in the Verner Street area of the city in the early hours of this morning. "We know it was spotted being driven dangerously along the motorway between Rathcoole and Belfast yesterday. This is a shocking crime and our sympathies today are with Mr Girvans family and friends. " Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson, who knew Mr Girvan well, said the local community was in shock following the death. He said: This stretch of road is a quiet residential area and this death will stun people there. I am very shocked and saddened by this incident, particularly as I knew the deceased well, as did many people in the area. This death will be hard to fathom for the whole community. My deepest condolences are with this poor mans family and friends at this most traumatic of times. I would appeal to anyone with information on this sad incident to contact police immediately. East Antrim DUP MLA Gordon Lyons said he was "shocked and saddened" to hear of the death. He said: "My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time. "The police are treating this death as suspicious and there is an ongoing investigation which means the Station Road will be closed between Greenisland station and Knockfergus Park, possibly for the next couple of days as the PSNI gather information. "I would encourage anyone that has information that may be useful to the police to get in contact with the PSNI or Crimestoppers. Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at Seapark on the non-emergency number 101. Alternatively, anyone who does not want to provide their details can phone the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. DCI McVea thanked local residents for their patience and understanding since Monday night following a number of road closures in the area. He said these had been put in place to facilitate the investigation into Mr Girvans death and had only been maintained for as long as was absolutely necessary. A Seamus Heaney Arts Centre is being constructed in his home village of Bellaghy The National Lottery is to provide 688,700 to showcase the Mid Ulster celebrated in Seamus Heaney's poetry. A literary trail in his native south Derry is expected to include the eel factory at Toome and Lagan's Road Anahorish. Lagan's Road inspired many of his poems from his days walking from Mossbawn to Anahorish Primary School. Many of his best known poems are set in his homeland. Yet many of these places are inaccessible to the public and traditional ways of life are slowly fading from memory, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) said. Paul Mullan, head of HLF for Northern Ireland, said: "His inspiration came from the people, the landscape and the rural traditions of south Derry. "What better way to celebrate his legacy than to re-connect local people to his work and make many of the sites that millions all over the world have been mesmerised by through his poems accessible for all to see." Heaney died in August 2013 aged 74. He was the country's best known contemporary writer. He also created a bestseller from a translation of Beowulf and sold more books in Britain than any other living poet during his lifetime. His poems accounted for two thirds of book sales of all living poets. In 1995, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. A Seamus Heaney Arts Centre is being constructed in his home village of Bellaghy. The HLF is granting the money to the Living Past Project, which that aims to connect Heaney's great poems to people and communities in the area; to preserve the traditional rural life that inspired Heaney and to make some of the sites that feature in his poems accessible. The literary trail will feature nine local sites referenced by Heaney. There will be children's activities including a post primary programme connecting his poetry to the landscape. The project will include elements on rural life: collecting stories and making videos of activities inspired by poems such as Churning Day, Blackberry Picking and The Forge. Links are also being established with universities and colleges in Ireland, north and south as well as the two universities where Heaney taught: Oxford and Harvard. Police attending the scene of the incident in Woodvale Drive. Police attending the scene of the incident in Woodvale Drive. Police attending the scene of the incident in Woodvale Drive on Sunday morning. Police attending the scene of the incident in Woodvale Drive Two men accused of attempted murder during violence in north Belfast had also allegedly tried to hijack a taxi using a pizza cutter, a court has heard. William John Paul, 32, and Derek Armstrong, 26, are charged in connection with suspected attacks that culminated in a number of men being taken to hospital with serious injuries. Paul, of Harmin Drive in Newtownabbey, is accused of wielding a samurai sword, glass bottle and another sword amid the alleged clashes at Woodvale Drive on Sunday morning. He faces two counts each of attempted murder, attempted wounding and threats to kill. Paul is further charged with four counts of possessing an offensive weapon in public, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, attempted hijacking, two common assaults, criminal damage and two counts of theft. Entering the dock at Belfast Magistrates' Court with what appeared to be bandaging around his arms, he spoke only to confirm he understood the alleged offences. He was remanded in custody until Friday, when an application for bail is expected to be mounted. Armstrong, of Cosgrave Court in the city, appeared later on seven charges, including: attempted murder, attempted hijacking, possessing an offensive weapon in the form of the pizza slicer, common assault, criminal damage, the theft of a wallet and stealing 200 in a burglary at Glencairn Way. His face heavily bruised and cut, he nodded to indicate his awareness of the accusations against him. No details of the alleged attempts to kill were disclosed during the hearing. But a detective who opposed Armstrong's bid for bail claimed the defendant has known most of the witnesses and injured parties for most of his life. He told the court that a taxi driver was targeted after picking two men up from an address on the Limestone Road on Sunday. A struggle broke out when his passengers produced the pizza cutter, threatened him and told him to hand over the car when it arrived in the Woodvale area, it was claimed. Both men then fled from the scene, according to police. A prosecution lawyer alleged that phone records link the two accused to the incident. She revealed that a text Armstrong is suspected of sending read: "We are ditching this taxi. Want to rob him with a pizza slicer?" After his co-accused had allegedly indicated his consent, it was claimed that he continued: "No sweat. Woodvale Park, you throw knife at his throat, we take his motor." Armstrong's solicitor, Matt Higgins, argued that the case involved three separate incidents. He stressed the severity of his client's injuries, including seven staples in his head, a badly swollen eye and cuts and bruising all over the body. "He has made a counter allegation that he was the victim of an assault," Mr Higgins told the court. "He wants to make a formal complaint to seek prosecution of the alleged injured parties." However, refusing bail, District Judge Fiona Bagnall cited the risks of interference with witnesses and re-offending. She remanded Armstrong in custody to appear again by video-link on February 16. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. The Development Foundation of Armenia jointly with seven Armenian organizations will represent Armenia in the international specialized exhibition MOSSHOES-2016 to be held in Moscow on January 19-22. More than 500 leading companies from over 30 countries producing shoes and leather accessories participate in the exhibition. The number of average visits paid to the exhibition amounts to 10-12 thousand people, mainly specialists, representatives of commercial networks and wholesale buyers. Armenpress was informed about this by the press service of the Development Foundation of Armenia. It is also expected to organize a special business program in the framework of the exhibition, which will create opportunities for the participants to receive professional assistance and expand export opportunities. The Executive director of the Development Foundation of Armenia noted that the exhibition is an effective platform for agreements between the Armenian producers and wholesale buyer-organizations, diversification of export opportunities, as well as signing of new contracts. The Development Foundation of Armenia has organized the participation of the Armenian companies to promote export, as well as increase recognizability of our products. Northern Ireland's economic recovery may be losing momentum, a budget document has revealed. Forecasters suggest the Northern Ireland economy will continue to grow this year by 1.1%, a slower pace than last year. Stormont Assembly members have debated new finance minister Mervyn Storey's near 11.6 billion 2016/17 budget but he admitted real-terms funding had been reduced. A Finance Department budget report said: "There are major national and international headwinds on the horizon, which have the potential to act as a drag on economic performance going forward. "These factors will combine to further threaten the momentum of Northern Ireland's economic recovery, which already shows some signs of slowing." Mr Storey said the priorities in the 2016/17 budget were to provide additional funding for health, education and skills as well as key infrastructure projects. He stressed resources were finite. "While we have been able to make allocations to address significant pressures facing public services, we are still facing real-terms reductions in funding. "It is impossible to continually do more with less, so the challenge facing the next Executive is to ensure we are doing the right things. "In this context, it is imperative that we reform and transformation of the public sector continues. Budget 2016/17 allows that to happen." The Chinese debt crisis, potential problems over Greek debt, the weak euro and instability in the Middle East have created uncertainties, the budget document added, although the UK economy continues to perform relatively strongly. "As a small, open economy Northern Ireland is vulnerable to global conditions which are outside of its control. "The extent to which these factors (e.g. currencies, commodity prices and global demand) affect Northern Ireland's growth prospects will be a key issue in 2016/17. "In addition, implementation of the Executive's economic priorities,and the delivery of public services more broadly, is set against the backdrop of an increasingly constrained budget position in 2016/17 and beyond." The budget includes increases in health and justice spending but education is unchanged. Agriculture and the environment face some of the largest percentage cuts. SDLP and Alliance executive ministers voted against the budget but it was approved by DUP and Sinn Fein ministers. Northern Ireland's welfare system will be the most protective in the UK, a Stormont-ordered review says Northern Ireland's welfare system will be the most protective in the UK, a Stormont-ordered review said. A helpline will be established for rejected claimants and extra payments made to some who lose out from the changes, Professor Eileen Evason said. Universal Credit will replace many benefits and people on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) are expected to move to Personal Independent Payments (PIPs) over a three-year period. Professor Evason said: "There is not another part of the UK with a belt and braces system in place to help people through this." A total of 765,800 households are expected to be affected by welfare reform. The Fresh Start Agreement between the British government and the Stormont parties tasked Professor Evason, an expert in social administration, with bringing forward proposals to maximise the use of additional spending power agreed for changes to the welfare regime. Professor Evason said some people were dying in Great Britain because of a loss of benefits. The Stormont ministerial Executive has agreed to allocate 585 million over four years to top up the UK welfare arrangements in Northern Ireland, with a review in 2018/19. Some receiving enhanced disability payments could lose out from the shift from DLA to PIPs, and the report by Professor Evason recommended automatic supplementary payments to those eligible - covering the shortfall for up to one year. They would kick in once losses are worth more than 10 a week and be expected to cover three quarters of the loss. People with a conflict-related injury would receive special treatment, receiving extra points making them more likely to qualify for the extra relief. Many people are carers for those receiving DLA and there is concern those who do not qualify for PIPs will lose their allowance to pay for care. The report said: "We therefore recommend that in such circumstances carers should receive a supplementary payment to cover their financial loss for one year from the date entitlement ceases. "This will provide breathing space for expert advice to be sought and fresh claims submitted if appropriate." Changes to the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) also caused Professor Evason "concern". She said a supplementary payment should be made for a year to a claimant who loses out from the shift, subject to certain conditions. Stormont has already agreed not to introduce the bedroom tax, which was brought in for other parts of the UK. A UK benefit cap limits the amount in total that claimants can receive from specified benefits. The cap is 350 a week for single claimants and 500 for families, although that could change in the near future. The report recommended supplementary payments for up to four years for families with children affected by the cap. An OFMDFM spokesman said: "The First Minister and Deputy First Minister received the full report from Eileen Evason. "They will now share the report with the Social Development Minister to ensure speedy implementation." A spokeswoman for the Northern Ireland Office said: "The publication of Professor Evason's report is an important step towards implementation of the Fresh Start and Stormont House Agreements and builds on legislation passed in Westminster and Stormont last year. "The UK Government will continue to work alongside Northern Ireland's political leaders and the wider community to help build a society where politics works, the economy grows and society is stronger and more united." Andrew Simpson (right) with fellow actors Michael Ford (left) and Paul Reid on the set of TV show Rebellion One of Northern Ireland's brightest acting talents - whose roles include a major part in RTE's current 1916 Easter Rising series Rebellion - has been fined for speeding. Andrew Simpson (27), from Londonderry, was fined 125 and had three penalty points imposed on his driving licence when he pleaded guilty at the city's Magistrates Court yesterday. Simpson pleaded guilty through his solicitor to driving at speeds up to 80mph along the Glenshane Road on the outskirts of Derry in the early hours of last September 14. Simpson, who was not in court for the hearing, starred in Song For A Raggy Boy in 2003, and in 2006 he played opposite Cate Blanchett, Judy Dench and Bill Nighy in Notes On A Scandal. He also starred in Saving The Titanic in 2012, and his first major lead role was in Abner Pastoll's film Road Games last year. Simpson plays George Wilson - a Protestant barrister with republican leanings - in Rebellion. In court yesterday a Public Prosecution Service barrister told District Judge Barney McElholm that at 1.45am on September 14 officers in a police patrol car parked in a layby spotted a silver Mercedes car being driven at speed towards Derry. The police officers drove after the vehicle and started clocking its speed at Burntollet Bridge. The car was travelling at between 75mph and 80mph along the Glenshane Road, which has a speed limit of 60mph. The barrister told the Mr McElholm that the police then followed the car for up to three miles during which the Mercedes was driven at 50mph as it entered the village of Drumahoe, about three miles from the city, which has a speed limit of 40mph. The officers signalled to the driver to stop and when Simpson pulled over he was cautioned by police for the offence of speeding, which he admitted. A defence solicitor told Mr McElholm that Simpson, who has been driving for seven years and who has no previous criminal convictions, was driving to his family's home in Fahan. He said Simpson lived with his brother in Greystone Avenue in Belfast, where he worked several days a week in the family business. When the defendant's Republic of Ireland licence was handed to the District Judge, he remarked: "Ah, he recently appeared on RTE in a major production." Mr McElholm then fined Simpson 125 and imposed the three penalty points on his licence. "I don't think he will be doing a disappearing act because by the sounds of his talent we will be seeing a lot more of him. I am not sure how well RTE pays these days, so I will give him 10 weeks to pay his fine," he added. The victims were threatened with their recordings of their actions being published online. A number of Northern Ireland men have been blackmailed over video footage of them performing sex acts. The victims were duped into recording themselves performing or participating in sex acts - and then threatened with their online publication. Some felt so embarrassed by the so-called "sextortion", police said, that they paid money by Western Union transfer to accounts in the Ivory Coast. A PSNI spokesman told the Belfast Telegraph the crimes happened in the Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus and Antrim areas. Detective Sergeant Neil Maxwell said there had been an increase in these types of crime and that they involved men of all ages. He added: "We want anyone who has been the victim of this type of crime to come forward. Do not feel pressurised into paying money as this is unlikely to resolve the issue. "We are seeing an increase in these types of crime and we can help you. "Finally, dont do anything online that you wouldnt be prepared to do in public. "There is no such thing as private on the internet and unfortunately there are criminals out there who are only too willing to exploit people for money." A nurse who was drunk at work on at least four occasions over an eight-year period has finally been struck off. Mary O'Brien is no longer allowed to work as a nurse after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) last week found her "conduct put patients at risk of harm" and ruled she was unfit to practise. However, it has emerged concerns were raised about Mrs O'Brien as far back as 2007 - and she had already appeared in front of the NMC in 2012 for being drunk at work in 2009. She was handed a caution for her behaviour but was allowed to continue working as a nurse. Mrs O'Brien was still under the caution when she was found to be drunk on two subsequent occasions and was finally struck off last week. Questions were last night being asked about how Mrs O'Brien had been allowed to work with elderly, disabled and terminally ill people despite repeatedly turning up drunk for work over an eight-year period. During one of the incidents she failed to give out medication, gave insulin to one patient, fell asleep, and abused colleagues. She also failed to notice when a gastric tube had become dislodged from a resident and fluid was leaking on to the floor. Kieran McCarthy MLA, from the Stormont health committee, said: "It is incredible; how could that even be possible? "Talk about being shocked, it's horrific that a person with that sort of record can go from one post to another working with extremely vulnerable people. "There does seem to be some kind of serious systemic failure." Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP Tom Elliott also expressed concerns about the case. "I am just wondering how this could have been allowed to happen," he said. "It does seem like there has been a shortfall there and I hope that Gortacharn Nursing Home has reviewed its employment practices." Mrs O'Brien was suspended and referred to the NMC after admitting drinking before turning up for work at Gortacharn Nursing Home in Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, in July 2014. Despite this, she was invited to return to work as a healthcare assistant at the facility, but was found to be drunk again in February 2015 and was sacked as a result. The owner of Gortacharn last night declined to comment on the matter. Mrs O'Brien was previously disciplined by the NMC in 2012 for falling asleep in a chair after turning up drunk to work at Drumclay Nursing Home in Enniskillen in 2009. During the hearing relating to the 2009 incident, the NMC raised concerns of evidence of another similar incident when Mrs O'Brien was working as a registered nurse in the Republic of Ireland. The NMC hearing in London last week heard Mrs O'Brien, who was not present for the two-day hearing, started working as a staff nurse at Gortacharn on February 26, 2014. The panel found Mrs O'Brien arrived for a night shift at 7.50pm on July 4, 2014, and there was no cause for concern at that stage. However, when a colleague went to ask for help at 11.30pm, she found Mrs O'Brien to be unsteady, avoiding eye contact and she smelled of alcohol. The duty manager was informed and Mrs O'Brien was sent home. The following day she admitted drinking alcohol before coming to work and was suspended and referred to the NMC as a result of her actions. The NMC panel said Mrs O'Brien was later asked to return to work at Gortacharn as a healthcare assistant. During a subsequent night shift on February 9, 2015 she was said to be behaving inappropriately, her speech was slurred and she admitted she had taken a drink. "The home management decided they could no longer employ Mrs O'Brien," said the NMC. The incidents at Gortacharn occurred while Mrs O'Brien was the subject of a four-year caution order from the NMC imposed as a result of the incident at Drumclay. During an NMC hearing in 2012, a colleague from Drumclay told the NMC that Mrs O'Brien was "making exaggerated hand movements, talking really loudly and complaining about the work she had to do". Nurse Alice O'Brien said she later found Mary O'Brien asleep in a reclining chair and had to raise her voice to wake her up. She described how O'Brien became abusive, calling her a "deviant" on being told she had telephoned the manager of the home. During the shift, Mary O'Brien failed to give one patient three different types of medication and fitted a nasogastric tube - a plastic tube inserted into the stomach via the nose and throat - while drunk. She didn't notice when the tube became dislodged and fluid dripped on to the floor, and also gave insulin to a patient while drunk. McNally said he had spent all his money on Christmas presents A man with nearly 250 previous convictions was jailed again on Tuesday for stealing steaks and candles from a Belfast supermarket. Michael McNally only carried out the theft in Tesco because he had spent all his benefit money on buying his mother a Christmas present, a defence lawyer claimed. But ordering the 29-year-old to serve one month behind bars, a judge at Belfast Magistrates' Court said it would provide some respite to city shopkeepers. McNally was arrested after stealing two steaks and two candles from one of the supermarket's branches on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to the theft of goods valued at 32.90. Defence solicitor Pearse MacDermott told the court he had taken the meat for a meal, and spotted the candles located nearby. McNally, of Hillman Street in Belfast, only acted because he was waiting for his next Disability Living Allowance cheque, according to his lawyer. "He didn't have any money because he spent it on buying his mother a Christmas present," Mr MacDermott added. The court heard McNally has amassed 245 previous convictions - more than half of which involved thefts. His record includes stealing 12 tea towels from a souvenir shop in the city 24 hours after being granted bail last August. He also served a prison sentence for the theft of chocolate bars from Poundland in the Castlecourt shopping complex last year. McNally had a three-month suspended jail term hanging over his head for other offences. Although District Judge Fiona Bagnall decided against activating that sentence, she ruled that he must imprisoned for the latest crime. Stressing the consistency of his law-breaking, she said: "The only thing we are achieving with Mr McNally is giving the shopkeepers of Belfast a bit of a break." YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. During the 16th session of Armenia-European Union Cooperation Council held in Brussels headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian EU reconfirmed that the current status quo in NKR conflict is inadmissible. As Armenpress reports, EU official website informs about the aforementioned. European Union reconfirmed that NKR conflicts peaceful resolution remains to stay a priority for EU. The issue of safety on the contact line and on the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a serious matter of concern. EU again calls for restraint and reiterates its support for the peace process mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group directed to the resolution of the conflict. It encourages the future dialogue between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, EU report reads emphasizing that European Union stands ready to continue to support peacekeeping missions in the future as well. Union leaders claim the changes will affect up to 1,000 Post Office staff Union leaders have warned of job losses and closures under plans to franchise more Crown Post Offices under a "modernisation" programme. The Post Office announced plans to make changes to 42 crown offices, including three closures, which it said would affect 400 workers. But the Communication Workers Union said up to another 50 branches face being franchised in the next two years, with a total of 1,000 affected by the proposals. The Post Office argues that moving crown offices - the larger branches usually on high streets - to other sites such as retail outlets maintains and improves services. But the union said the move is "condemning the service to decline", and pledged to campaign against the proposal as well as consulting its members on what action to now take. The CWU said the announcement confirms the Government is attempting to privatise the Post Office following the sale of Royal Mail. Roger Gale, the Post Office's general manager of the crown network, said: "In some locations, directly-run Crown Post Office branches work well but in others there are alternatives, such as franchising, which can work better for the business and its customers, not just in terms of access to Post Office services but also in relation to long-term viability. "We need to continue to make changes to strengthen the crown network and we have today announced that we are seeking suitable potential retail partners to work with us on providing franchised services for 39 branches and we are proposing to close three branches in areas where it is no longer viable to keep a crown branch. "Losses in the network of Crown Post Office branches have been successfully reduced from 46 million a year in 2011/12 and, overall, this part of the network is now breaking even. "But with high property costs and restricted growth opportunities in some locations, some crown branches will not be able to make money. "We must address this and, like any high street retailer, we have to continue to adapt to customer demands, which our network must reflect. We cannot look to the taxpayer to subsidise crown branches that lose money." CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey said: "This is devastating news for our members. It is death by a thousand cuts. The proposals disregard the wealth of expertise, experience and sense of pride in public duty which is shared by Crown Post Office employees. "Post Office Ltd should never have been separated from Royal Mail. It should be developing services with Royal Mail and Crown Post Offices should be a one-stop shop for mail, banking, financial and retail services. "This trusted public service is being destroyed by lack of imagination and a dash for cash when what it needs is innovation. "Downgrading the crown offices is blatant privatisation and the Post Office is getting away with not going to Parliament for discussion on this by MPs. The Post Office is publicly owned, so presumably the Government has approved this." CWU deputy general secretary Terry Pullinger said: "Tragically, this is yet another horrendous example of broken promises, irresponsible government and chronic mismanagement by the Post Office." Unite union officer Brian Scott said: "This announcement is a slap in the face for Unite members, who have worked extremely hard over the last few years to eradicate losses. "Unite members have not shirked from the challenges that they have faced and, in return, the Post Office has announced plans, developed in secrecy, to offload more Crown branches. "The people of Belfast, Antrim and Barry will be quite rightly angered by this news that their Crown Post Office will close. "What the management has failed to realise is that the Post Office is a public service and should not be hived off to the private sector for whom profit is the prime motive. "These changes will reduce the quality and range of services to the public and could lead to job losses, as more and detrimental cost-cutting is embarked on." A Stormont department spent nine months investigating a complaint from a DUP MLA after it sent a letter to an address in 'Co Derry'. The Department for Social Development (DSD) later apologised for not referring to the county as "Londonderry". It was one of at least five occasions in the last four years when Mid Ulster MLA Ian McCrea objected to the use of 'Derry' in correspondence. The issue was also raised by Gregory Campbell, a DUP MP for East Londonderry. In one case, a complaint made in February 2013 took until November 2013 to be investigated and resolved. Staff also had to be issued with advice on how to refer to Londonderry in the wake of the complaints. The details emerged after a Freedom of Information request to DSD by the Belfast Telegraph. The department has been led by a DUP minister since 2011. Internal correspondence released to this newspaper dates back to the period when Nelson McCausland was Social Development Minister. Complaints were first raised by Mr McCrea in a letter to Mr McCausland on April 17, 2012. It came after the DUP MLA was contacted by constituents who had received letters which referred to "Co Derry". Mr McCrea wrote for a second time on February 22, 2013, about the use of Co Derry in a letter issued by the Magherafelt Jobs and Benefits Office. This letter was forwarded to Thomas O'Reilly, the chief executive of the Social Security Agency, for investigation on April 12. It took seven months for the matter to be investigated and a response issued. In his reply, dated November 12, 2013, Mr O'Reilly states: "It is usual practice within the Social Security Agency to respect the preferences of our customers in relation to the use of Derry or Londonderry in our correspondence. "Therefore, as good practice the Agency will in all handwritten, and where possible, in computer generated correspondence, use the address initially quoted by our customers. "I am sorry that [redacted] received letters addressed in a manner which was not acceptable to him. Staff have been reminded to use the address in line with claimant preference. "A reminder in relation to good practice for address formatting has been issued to all unit managers in the Jobs and Benefits network who cover the Derry/Londonderry area." The issue was taken up again in a letter from Gregory Campbell to Mr McCausland dated August 8, 2013. He wrote: "I have received complaints from constituents regarding their address on correspondence received from the Social Security Agency. "On occasions the constituent's address on letters from SSA is printed as 'Co Derry' instead of the correct name - Co Londonderry. "Can you ensure that staff at the Social Security Agency use correct place names when addressing letters to constituents?" Mr O'Reilly replied to explain that addresses were automatically generated by a computer system and "may not always reflect customer preferences". He again apologised for issuing letters which were "not acceptable" to customers. However, the issue still wasn't resolved. A further three letters were sent by Mr McCrea to the Social Development Minister in January, February and September 2014. Mr McCrea expressed his "utmost dissatisfaction" at the matter, stating: "As I am sure you will understand, my constituent is furious at the fact that this has been allowed to happen and, quite frankly, having raised this issue before, it seems that there is no regard being given to the current policy of good practice or there is a default setting to issue outgoing correspondence with 'Co Derry' instead of its proper title of 'Co Londonderry'." Mr McCrea asked the minister to investigate "as a matter of urgency". This led Mr O'Reilly to send yet another letter of apology. However, the matter was still not over, and it took a further letter from Mr McCrea, sent on September 23, 2014, before the issue appears to have been resolved. The drugs and other similar synthetic substances come in tablet, powder and liquid form Four young people were taken to hospital after taking drugs said to be a cross between LSD and ecstasy at a house party. One person was said to be left seriously ill after being taken from the home on the south side of Cork city in the early hours of the morning. The Health Service Executive (HSE) said it is believed the people who fell ill had taken 2C-B, and i ssued a warning for people not to take "party pills". The drug has psychedelic or hallucinogenic and stimulant effects which last for several hours and it is believed to be similar to products once sold legally in so-called head shops. It can come in tablet powder form or as small pills and may be slow to take effect. In a statement from the HSE said: "It is generally reported that these drugs can have serious side-effects both from a psychological and physical viewpoint. Such side-effects include paranoia, hallucinations (both auditory and visual), gastrointestinal effects and kidney problems." The HSE said there is no quality control. "There are problems with purity and contaminants, and there is no way of checking that what is purchased or consumed is the intended substance," it said. "Given the serious side-effects experienced by the young people in Cork, the HSE Addiction Services are issuing a warning about possible contaminated 'party pills' and advise people to not consume any unknown substances that they are offered at this time." Some of the 2-C psychedelic substances are among the most potent of their kind. According to talktofrank.com, the 2C-B class is relatively new to the market and there is very little medical information about its effect on the body. It said there have been numerous hospital cases associated with use of these types of drugs including one case reported of associated neurological damage and one fatal overdose. Users have described experiencing an energy buzz and hallucinations while also suffering headaches and nausea, and at high doses suffering more serious, confused, agitated or even delirious states. The drugs have also been known as tripstacy, T-7, seventh heaven, 7-UP, bromo or mexus, among other abbreviations. The Justice Minister said she had no information on specific requests for phone records made during criminal investigations A judge has been asked to review the Garda and Garda Ombudsman's powers to access journalists' mobile phone data. John L Murray, a former chief justice, has been tasked with the inquiry after at least three journalists learned their records had been analysed without them being told. It is understood a key plank of the retired judge's review will be to analyse how other countries give police and watchdogs access to telephone records and whether Ireland is out of sync. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said she had no information on specific requests for phone records made during criminal investigations. "A free press plays a pre-eminent role in any democratic society in fostering full, free and informed debate on all issues of public concern. It is therefore of fundamental importance in any healthy democracy that journalists should be able to carry out their legitimate work unhindered," she said. The minister also said the inquiry does not reflect a lack of confidence in the country's police watchdog. Mr Murray has been asked to report back in three months. His review will examine the law and powers given to the Garda, the Garda Ombudsman, the Revenue Commissioners and the Defence Forces to access phone data. Police and their watchdogs have the right to access call and text message records and other data in a criminal inquiry under the Communications (Data Retention) Act 2011, the Department of Justice said. Ms Fitzgerald said genuine concerns have been raised over a lack of balance for journalists to freely pursue matters of public interest and people's basic rights to keep their personal information confidential. "While bodies investigating crime need to have the appropriate statutory powers available to them to carry out their duties, we need to examine the balance in respect of entirely legitimate journalistic activity being carried out in the public interest," she said. The controversy was sparked last week when journalists learned the Garda Ombudsman had access to their phone data as it investigated complaints against gardai who allegedly leaked information following the death of model Katy French in 2007. Records were being accessed to see if individual officers were in contact with journalists. Separately, several Garda inquiries are under way into how leaks were made to journalists, including reports on the arrest of Independent TD Clare Daly for alleged drink-driving. She was later proven to have been under the legal limit. The National Union of Journalists called for judges to be asked to oversee applications for access to phone data. Vodafone figures showed 7,973 requests for communications data from police and security agencies from April 2014 to March 2015, compared with 4,124 in the previous year. Mr Murray's review will examine the law allowing state bodies to access data held by phone companies, taking into account the principle of protecting journalists' sources and the need for police to have the powers to prevent and detect serious crime. Ms Fitzgerald held talks with the chairman of the Garda Ombudsman, Judge Mary-Ellen Ring, and said she got assurances about clear and strict procedures for accessing phone data. The study claimed that the money raised could to towards skills training for British workers Companies would be forced to pay an annual charge of 1,000 for every skilled worker they employ from outside Europe under proposals from the Government's official migration advisers. Ministers were urged to raise the minimum salary threshold from 20,800 a year to 30,000 for the main route used by non-EU migrants coming to Britain for work. In another significant finding, a major report by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) suggested that any undercutting of domestic employees by staff arriving under the Tier 2 skilled worker scheme is "largely confined" to the public sector. It also called for rules on transfers within companies to be tightened amid indications the route was being used to bring over migrants to service third-party contracts rather than highly specialised senior personnel. The MAC was asked to investigate possible changes to Tier 2 visa requirements for skilled employees from outside the European Economic Area last year to address concerns about the rising number of migrants in the route and the reliance on them to fill shortages in the labour market. When applicants' family members and all avenues of the system are included, experts say the route accounts for an in-flow of 151,000 people to Britain a year. Indications suggest that raising salary thresholds would mean 27,600 fewer individuals would come to the country, or around 18% of the total, and this would be higher if the levy proposal is accepted, the MAC estimated, although it said it was impossible to be definitive because the impact will depend on how firms respond. The committee said it "strongly" supports the introduction of an Immigration Skills Charge, arguing an upfront annual levy of 1,000 per Tier 2 migrant could provide 250 million for skills funding each year. Professor Sir David Metcalf, chairman of the MAC, said: "Raising the cost of employing skilled migrants via higher pay thresholds, and the introduction of an Immigration Skills Charge, should lead to greater investment in UK employees and reduce the use of migrant labour." Under Tier 2, skilled workers must currently have a job with an annual salary of at least 20,800. The MAC said that raising this to 30,000 would better represent the current degree-level skill requirement for Tier 2. The report also examined how salaries paid to non-EU skilled staff compare with the UK workforce and found that generally Tier 2 migrants were paid more, supporting the view that those in the route bring "scarce skills". However, it said some occupations in which Tier 2 migrants are paid substantially less than native workers in similar roles and these were "predominantly" in public sector occupations. It estimated that on average, Tier 2 doctors and nurses are paid 6,000 less a year than their native peers, while secondary school teachers earn 2,000 less annually. The report said: "If any undercutting is taking place under Tier 2, it appears to be largely confined to the public sector." It also called for an overhaul of the intra-company transfer route which allows multinational companies to move key personnel from overseas branches to the UK for temporary periods. The conventional use of the route, where small numbers of highly skilled specialist staff are brought to Britain, delivers "significant benefits" but it was also increasingly being used for third-party contracts, particularly in the IT sector, the report found. Indian IT workers were said to comprise more than 90% of such migrants. The MAC said third-party contracting should become a separate route, with the salary threshold raised from 24,800 to 41,500 to act as an "effective proxy" for senior managers and specialists. It also recommended extending the qualifying period to be eligible for intra-company transfers from 12 months to 2 years. The Institute of Directors urged the government to reject the proposals, saying they will "hurt thousands of individual firms". Director General Simon Walker added: "T his will send a message around the world that the UK is no longer open to international talent." A Home Office spokesman said: "We are grateful to the Migration Advisory Committee for its report. We are considering its findings and will respond in due course." The mothers of four soldiers killed in action have urged David Cameron to put a stop to "vicious" legal claims against British troops. Members of the armed forces are being "thrown to the wolves", the bereaved women said, describing the lawsuits as "outrageous" and "ridiculous". In a letter addressed directly to the Prime Minister and published in The Sun newspaper, they called for a halt to what they said was an "immoral witch hunt". It emerged earlier this month that Iraq War veterans could face prosecution for crimes including murder, as Britain's six-year military mission there is probed. The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat), a Government-established criminal investigation into murder, abuse and torture claims, had a workload of 1,515 possible victims by September, of whom 280 are alleged to have been unlawfully killed. Carol Valentine, Helen Perry, Hazel Hunt and Caroline Whitaker all lost their sons - aged between 21 and 29 - during the conflict in Afghanistan. The women said their sons died bravely serving their country, but added that they were now shocked to see other soldiers being subjected to legal action for doing the same. In the letter, they say: "The lawyers are trying to use Human Rights loopholes to persecute our own soldiers, but where are the human rights of our troops? We believe it is your job, Prime Minister, to defend their honour and protect them by ceasing these vicious legal actions." They claim lawsuits now could affect troops on the front line who have to make split-second decisions, and described morale in what they said was once the "finest military organisation in the world" as being at an all-time low. They said they would go so far as to say their sons may have died in vain, and would advise young people not to sign up to join the forces "because they are treated so shoddily". Ms Whitaker's son Sergeant Gareth Thursby died in 2012 after being shot by a rogue Afghan policeman in Helmand Province alongside his 18-year-old comrade Thomas Wroe. She said that, while she had been devastated by her son's murder, she had not pursued his killer. She asked: "How can we support sending our troops anywhere when we are bombarded with reports of immoral lawyers seeking to exploit the perils of war by turning on those who protect our country? "Do you see us asking David Cameron or lawyers to take out a prosecution against the Afghan Police for murdering my son and his comrade?" The letter calls on Mr Cameron to "do the right thing". It says: "Show us you care by stopping these persecutions because to honour the fallen, you have to support the living." A British Army sniper is reportedly being investigated by Ihat over the shooting of an Iraqi about to fire a grenade at a base. The Sun claimed the soldier's actions were being probed because he did not shout a warning before opening fire. Ihat was unavailable for comment. Around 4,600 people die prematurely every year in Northern Ireland, a health charity warned. Reducing smoking, alcohol consumption and sugar intake are key to saving lives, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in Northern Ireland said. The organisation called on the Stormont Executive to set a robust target to cut the number of early deaths from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer by a quarter over the next decade. Head of the charity in Northern Ireland, Jayne Murray, said: "Today 12 families in Northern Ireland will lose a loved one prematurely because of a non-communicable disease, such as heart disease, cancer or dementia. "If we met the World Health Organisation (WHO) targets, a quarter of these mums, dads, husbands, wives and children would not be robbed of precious time with a much loved family member." Conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and dementia are responsible for around 13,000 deaths in Northern Ireland each year, or 87% of all mortality. A total of 4,600 of these deaths were classed as premature (those aged under 75), the campaigning charity added. Ms Murray said: "If Northern Ireland was to meet the WHO 2025 premature mortality reduction target, 1,150 lives per year would be saved." Associate medical director of the BHF, Dr Mike Knapton, commented: "The Stormont Executive urgently needs to take action to meet the challenge set by the WHO. "Preventing disease will play a vital role and we need to use targets like this to drive the public health agenda to reduce tobacco and alcohol use, salt intake, sugar intake, obesity, and raised blood pressure." He said the organisation fully supported reforming and modernising the health and social care system. "We believe it is about service redesign. If people with heart failure in Northern Ireland were diagnosed earlier and placed on optimal treatment quicker it would save lives, and if the implementation of the Community Resuscitation Strategy for Northern Ireland that launched in 2013 was funded and finally implemented, it would improve survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest significantly," he said. Donald Tusk said he will table a "concrete proposal" for European Union reform within weeks A "concrete proposal" for European Union reform will be tabled within weeks, Donald Tusk said in an apparent boost to David Cameron's hopes of securing a quick renegotiation deal. The European Council president said it was "not easy but possible" that agreement could be reached between the other 27 member states at a summit next month. That could open the door to the in/out referendum on Britain's continued membership of the bloc being held as early as June. "I will table concrete proposal on #UKinEU in run-up to February #EUCO. I will work hard for deal in February, not easy but possible," Mr Tusk wrote on Twitter. It came as Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond indicated they were looking at alternatives to a proposed benefits ban to stem the flow of EU migrant workers to Britain - the principal stumbling block to a deal. The Prime Minister has made measures to cut migration one of the key demands in his renegotiation of Britain's relationship with Brussels, proposing a ban on migrants claiming in-work benefits until they have been in the UK for four years. Mr Hammond told The Guardian that Britain was prepared to look at alternatives that would meet the aim of cutting migration and called the four-year proposal a "second-order approach". Number 10 said Mr Cameron wanted a solution that would make a "concrete difference" to the numbers coming to the UK and had always been clear there were " a range of options on the table". Cabinet minister David Mundell said there was a "strong argument" for holding the vote in June despite concerns about its close proximity to the Scottish Parliament elections in May. The PM's spokeswoman refused to be drawn on whether June was Mr Cameron's preferred date but said: "We are going to be driven by substance not schedule. Then he will set out the timings for the referendum. "But a deal in February would pave the way for getting on with this." Delaying the referendum until after the autumn could lead to the vote being held after another summer dominated by the migrant crisis - something those in favour of remaining in the EU believe could deter voters from backing continued membership. Mr Tusk warned that the result of the referendum "is more unpredictable than ever before" and that "time is of the essence" in securing a sufficiently strong reform package to persuade British voters to reject "Brexit". Reporting to the European Parliament about the last summit in December, he insisted there could be "no compromise on fundamental values like non-discrimination and free movement". "At the same time, I will do everything in my power to find a satisfactory solution, also for the British side," he told MEPs. "As of today, the result of the referendum is more unpredictable than ever before. Time is of essence here. And this is why I will work hard to strike a deal in February. It will not be easy but it is still possible." He said "hard work" continued on all four of Mr Cameron's priority areas - an exemption from the commitment to "ever-closer union", restrictions on benefits for migrants, protection from eurozone integration and improvements in competitiveness. "As we speak, my people are working with the Commission to bring us closer to the solution. In the run-up to the February European Council, I will table a concrete proposal for a deal with the UK to all EU leaders." Mr Tusk said the EU was undergoing a "stress test" as it sought simultaneously to deal with the UK's demands, the refugee crisis and the reform of the troubled eurozone single-currency group. In a stark assessment of efforts to curb the flow of migrants from Syria and elsewhere, he said: We have no more than two months to get things under control. "The statistics over the Christmas period are not encouraging with over 2,000 arrivals to the EU per day, according to Frontex. "The March European Council will be the last moment to see if our strategy works. If it doesn't we will face grave consequences such as the collapse of Schengen. "For sure this kind of alternative to our strategy is not pleasant, and so I appeal that Member States implement our agreements in full." There remained " a clear delivery deficit on many fronts, from hotspots and security screening in frontline countries to relocation and returns", he said, while a deal with Turkey " although promising, is still to bear fruit". Eurosceptic Leader of the Commons Chris Grayling said there was no need for ministers to quit the Government if they want to campaign for Britain to leave the EU. Mr Grayling last week sparked predictions that he may be one of the most prominent political supporters of the Leave campaign with a newspaper article in which he said it would be "disastrous" to stay in the EU under current conditions. But speaking to reporters at a Westminster lunch, he declined to confirm his plans. Speaking under the watchful eye of Downing Street media chief Craig Oliver, he stuck carefully to the terms of Mr Cameron's instruction that ministers should not campaign on either side until the renegotiation of the UK's membership is complete, when the rules of collective Cabinet responsibility will be suspended. Mr Grayling said the PM's decision was "entirely fair and proper" and refused to estimate how many of his colleagues will back the Leave campaign once they are free to do so. Mr Cameron's position was the "grown-up thing" to do, he said, questioning whether other party leaders would grant their MPs similar freedom. He cautioned that the campaigns should be led by a team of people from inside and outside politics, rather than being built around an individual leader. The Epsom and Ewell MP repeated his conviction that Mr Cameron should stay as PM even if he lost the referendum, arguing that he has a "mandate for five years" from the electorate. "I think David Cameron remains Prime Minister whatever the result," he said. "He has a mandate for five years from the people of this country. "I think if we were to vote to leave, there is then a big challenge around negotiating the terms on which we leave. The idea we would destabilise our Government at that moment in time by trying to get through a leadership contest would not be welcome." Mr Grayling declined to say whether he thought Britain should undertake the process of withdrawal in the case of a Leave vote by activating the EU's Article 50, which sets out a two-year procedure to negotiate an exit. But he appeared to suggest that this might not be the only route to Brexit, saying: "There are different options that would be available to us as a sovereign nation." Mr Grayling dismissed suggestions that a Leave vote could prompt a second referendum on Scottish independence as "utterly financially unrealistic", due to the collapse in oil prices. While the Scottish National Party was "making a noise" about the consequences of Brexit, "I don't think they are actually really intending to try for a second referendum", he said. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Vote Leave campaign group, said: "It would be more apt to describe the renegotiation as being made of sand rather than concrete, given anything built on it will not stand the test of time. "The whole renegotiation process will deliver only cosmetic changes that won't bring powers back from Brussels or return control back to the British public. "Voting 'remain' on the basis of such a trivial deal would be a huge risk as it would be a vote to hand more money and power to the EU." David and Carol Martin won the other half of the record Lotto jackpot The winner of the remaining 33 million half of the UK's biggest-ever Lotto jackpot has still not come forward, well over a week after the headline-grabbing draw. A Camelot spokeswoman confirmed no one had yet lodged a claim for the money, but added: "We've had people come forward in the second week - that's not uncommon - but we have no update as yet." Camelot will release information about where the ticket was bought, probably after this weekend but within 25 days of the draw, in an effort to jog memories and unite the life-changing prize with its owner. However, as early as last week, a Camelot spokesman said it was "highly unusual" that no one had come forward following the level of hype and excitement around this particular draw. The clock is ticking, as the winner has 180 days from the date of the draw to claim the prize. If it remains unclaimed, the 33 million will go to National Lottery projects. David and Carol Martin, both 54, from Hawick in the Scottish Borders, celebrated winning the other half of the jackpot amid a flurry of media attention last week. The couple's win has also catapulted them to the top of the Lotto rich list. As well as unveiling details of some initial spending plans, and their hopes for an early retirement, they hinted they may look to help some of those affected by the floods which hit the UK recently. The winning numbers were 26, 27, 46, 47, 52 and 58. The total jackpot of just over 66 million was the result of 14 rollovers. YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Commemorating the 9th anniversary of the assassination of the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic reiterated her call for a swift and transparent judicial procedure to identify the masterminds behind the murder. As Armenpress reports, OSCE report reads the aforementioned. I remain hopeful that recent developments in the trial will help bring the masterminds behind the murder to justice, Mijatovic said, referring to the December 2015 decision of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutors Office to approve an indictment by prosecutor Gokalp Kokcu to investigate 25 public officials on charges of negligence and misconduct related to the murder. Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of the bi-weekly Agos newspaper was gunned down on 19 January 2007 in front of his office in Istanbul. In 2011, the perpetrator Ogun Samast was sentenced to 22 years and ten months in prison for the murder. His accomplice, Yasin Hayal, is serving a life sentence for supplying Samast with a weapon and money. I trust that the trial will finally serve justice to Dinks family, friends and colleagues, Mijatovic said. Exposing the masterminds would also demonstrate to the entire society the importance of freedom of expression, and the continued need to fight violence against journalists. The BMA said "significant progress" still needed to be made to avoid a strike planned for February 10 A 48-hour strike by junior doctors has been suspended as talks continue with the Government over a new contract. The British Medical Association (BMA) said it wanted to give NHS trusts as much notice as possible to avoid disruption to patients. Thousands of operations and procedures would have been affected by the strike on January 26, when doctors were due to provide emergency care only. But the BMA said "significant progress" still needed to be made to avoid a strike planned for February 10, when full labour, including emergency care cover, is due to be withdrawn. It said " differences still exist between the BMA and the Government on key areas, including the protection of patient safety and doctors' working lives, and the recognition of unsocial hours". Talks between Government officials, NHS employers and the BMA have been scheduled at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) for this Thursday and Friday. The BMA's junior doctor committee chairman Dr Johann Malawana said the strike held on January 12 had sent a "clear message" to the Government. He said: "The BMA's aim has always been to deliver a safe, fair junior doctor contract through negotiated agreement. "Following junior doctors' clear message to the Government during last week's action, our focus is now on building on early progress made in the current set of talks. "On this basis, the BMA has today taken the decision to suspend the industrial action planned for January 26-28, thereby giving trusts as much notice as possible so as to avoid disruption to patients. "It is important to be clear, however, that differences still exist between the BMA and the Government on key areas, including the protection of patient safety and doctors' working lives, and the recognition of unsocial hours. "Significant, concrete progress will need to be made if future action, currently planned for February 10, is to be averted." On Monday, Prime Minister David Cameron said the Government has not ruled out imposing its new contract on junior doctors if talks do not resolve the dispute. He said giving up the option of imposing a contract would effectively hand a "veto" to the BMA over the future development of the NHS. A spokesman for the Department of Health said: " The strike that took place last week was unnecessary while talks are ongoing, so it's extremely welcome news that the BMA has suspended next week's action, though as it stands emergency care will still be withdrawn in February. "In the end, the Government and junior doctors want to do the same thing by improving patient care at weekends - and we look forward to further constructive discussions." Mr Cameron welcomed the suspension of the strike and Downing Street said talks should continue in an effort to find a solution. The Prime Minister's official spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister welcomes the announcement from the BMA that they will be suspending next week's planned junior doctors' strike. "We have always been clear that we want to engage with the BMA to find a solution and it is important now that we continue to all sit around the table in a constructive spirit and work to find a solution." Shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander said: "The decision to suspend next week's industrial action will undoubtedly come as a relief to many patients and NHS staff. "Nobody wanted to see industrial action take place, not least junior doctors. However, Jeremy Hunt's dismal handling of these negotiations left many junior doctors feeling like they had no other way of getting their point across. "The imperative now must be for Jeremy Hunt to listen to the concerns of junior doctors and reach a negotiated settlement." Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: "This is a welcome decision by the BMA. "We know from last week the disruption that industrial action has on patients, their families and carers as appointments and clinics are postponed or delayed. "We will continue to work with the BMA over the coming days and hope that a resolution can be reached." Libya has been left in a "terrible state" because the West failed to take "forceful" action in the aftermath of the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, MPs have been told. Britain knew that weapons were being transported out of the collapsing state but was unable to act because it did not have boots on the ground, the Foreign Affairs Committee heard. Rapid elections paved the way for the success of radical Islamists, the hearing with Liam Fox and Lord Hague was told. France was described as the driving force for military intervention, with former president Nicolas Sarkozy "very determined" from the outset. Former defence secretary Dr Fox told the committee he had concerns in the months after the death of the dictator about how plans on the ground to create a new government were progressing, as well as what measures were being put in place to control Libya's weaponry and how rebel factions would be reconciled. Britain knew stockpiles of weapons were being transported out of the country but could not stop the convoys because they may have included civilians, he told the committee. "It was, and is, always an unavoidable consequence of not having ground forces that you can have leakage of weapons of that nature," he said. "It was seen as a risk, but an unavoidable one unless we were going to put forces on the ground that could stop and search these convoys." French warplanes carried out s orties within hours of an agreement on intervention. Asked if France had "jumped the gun and didn't tell us", Dr Fox said he "was not" aware of anyone in government who knew about the impending air strikes. Conservative John Baron suggested the French had been keen to get involved militarily because they wanted to show off their hardware to increase weapons sales. "I think it is unfair to categorise it in that way," Dr Fox replied. He suggested the "keenness" at the top of the French government to be at the forefront was aimed at showing the country was a "serious player" following the "reticence" of the US to become involved. "I think that would probably be a better motivation than simply defence sales," he added. Dr Fox said there had been "no appetite" in the military for action and suggested there would have been no conflict if Gaddafi had "pulled back". The peer and the MP both denied that the campaign had been about deposing Gaddafi. "There was no plan for regime change," Dr Fox said. Lord Hague told MPs that transition had been too quick and rapid elections meant senior figures in the transitional government "disappeared" too quickly. He conceded "certainly there was a success for radical Islamist candidates" in the poll. The former foreign secretary said United Nations assistance was "not prescriptive enough" and the organisation had failed to be "forceful" in implementing plans for crucial areas such as policing. "One of the lessons of this is not that there was a lack of planning, but that transition takes a lot longer," he added. Lord Hague said: "It is in a terrible state." He added: "In Libya we had plenty of plans but no power to implement them." Some NHS patients in Kent are being offered the choice to be treated in France NHS patients will be able to travel to France for routine treatment under plans criticised as a "gimmick" by opponents. Managers have signed contracts for patients in parts of Kent to be treated at two hospitals in Calais and Le Touquet, possibly by the end of April. The NHS will foot the cost of treatment for procedures including orthopaedics, ear nose and throat and cataract surgery - but patients will have to pay for their own travel costs. Providers will give 24-hour access by phone to a member of the hospital surgical team for 14 days as part of the procurement plan. And follow-up appointments will be either by telephone or video technology such as Skype, or patients will travel back to France to see their consultant. But union officials said it was "an admission of failure" by the NHS, and they scoffed at claims that the scheme was to broaden healthcare choice for patients. The plans were revealed by the NHS South Kent Coast Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which controls 253 million and covers Dover, Deal and the Shepway district. Hazel Carpenter, of the NHS South Kent Coast CCG, said: "Our patient representatives have been to France, as well as CCG GP representatives and tested the practicalities, ensuring that the scheme is viable. "Feedback has been very positive, and the French providers have listened, improving signage, for example. And the hospitals have already ensured that staff have excellent English language skills." Simon Bolton, of Unison, said the scheme was a "gimmick" to cover up NHS failings. He said: "It's an admission of failure and instead of trying to own up and deal with it, they've come up with this. "I dare say if you go to France you will get decent treatment but if you need a hip operation, for example, how are you going to travel 22 miles? Who's going to visit you? "Having failed to commission and plan care in Kent properly, they are now saying, 'Well you can go to France'. It's a gimmick and it's to cover their own backs." NHS officials said patients cannot be forced to travel to France for their treatment, insisting that the option was an "additional choice of healthcare". They have denied it was happening because local NHS hospitals were struggling to cope with the numbers of patients they were being asked to treat. And officials sought to ease any concerns about patient confidentiality, saying the standards for managing and storing patient records will be same as for UK hospitals. Under EU rules on procurement law, healthcare providers from other EU countries are entitled to apply to be accredited. Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It is astonishing that the authorities are delivering this news without any sign of embarrassment. "Whatever the problems facing the local hospitals, outsourcing our healthcare needs across the Channel cannot be a serious or a sustainable solution. "Given the sheer amount of taxpayers' money that successive governments have thrown at the NHS, it is time we started living up to the 'envy of the world' title." Police have admitted some people have been pushed into Manchester's waterways, but deny there is a serial killer at large. Over the last six years 85 people, mostly men, have died in the city's waterways, and 28 deaths remain unexplained. The figures, made public in January last year, have prompted claims that there is a serial killer dubbed "The Pusher" in the city. Detective Superintendent Peter Marsh, of the major incident team, said in a statement released in response to the serial killer rumours that each death has been fully investigated. He said: "The purpose of our investigation is to identify if there is anything criminal that has happened to the individual. In the case of someone that goes into a canal or water - have they been pushed, have they been assaulted, have they been robbed? "Some of these have been as a result of people being pushed and robbed, and people have been arrested and prosecuted." During a Channel 4 documentary, Greater Manchester Police reveal one particularly problematic 400-metre stretch of underground canal. With four deaths in the area in the last six years, and a further five in the locks either side, officers said the incidents have been put down to drunk individuals falling in and robberies going wrong. Every time a body is pulled from the waterways in Manchester, rumours of The Pusher resurface - something the police have repeatedly denied. Mr Marsh said the force has a high detection rate for murders and manslaughters and any new evidence presented to them will be investigated, but there is "no evidence to support" the serial killer theory. "If a person has pushed someone into a canal and we have been able to investigate it, that person has been traced, they have been interviewed - and on one such occasion one of these individuals has been interviewed, CPS have offered no charges because of the circumstances around it and no prosecution has ensued," he said in the statement. During the hour-long documentary, he said he and other officers have reviewed the deaths. He said: "The reason we have looked at these is to give the families more reassurance that there is no evidence to support the theory there is a serial killer at large. "Most of those bodies, there is a definitive explanation behind it. Some people have gone swimming, we have got people seen staggering home, walking along the canal and falling in." In a statement at the end of the programme, Greater Manchester Police said: "Each death has been subject to significant investigation and independently scrutinised by the coroner. There have been no verdicts of unlawful killing in these cases." :: The documentary, Manchester's Serial Killer?, is on Channel 4 at 11pm on Tuesday. Security staff take down a Unite union banner on the fence outside the Tata steel plant in Port Talbot Scrutiny of the Government's handling of the crisis-hit British steel industry is increasing after another 1,000 jobs were axed in a devastating blow to steel-making communities. Indian-owned Tata confirmed workers' fears when it unveiled plans to cut 750 posts at the huge Port Talbot plant in South Wales, 200 in support functions and 100 at steel mills, affecting Llanwern, Trostre, Corby and Hartlepool. Almost 5,000 job losses have now been announced in the steel industry since last summer as firms struggle with high energy costs, business rates and cheap Chinese imports. Previously announced cuts include 2,200 at Redcar (SSI), 900 at Scunthorpe (Tata), 450 at various locations (Caparo), 225 at Dalzell (Tata) and 45 at Clydebridge (Tata). Welsh actor Michael Sheen warned about the impact the job losses would have on Port Talbot. "It's a very frightening time for the town," he told BBC 2's Newsnight. The star, who has appeared in films including The Queen and The Damned United, called on the Government to be "honest" about whether it was letting the industry "die by stealth". He added: "The Government says that they are doing everything they can to help it but their actions and their words don't really fit together." Karl Koehler, chief executive of Tata Steel's European operations, said "tough actions" were critical in the face of market pressures. He called for a speedy response by the European Commission to curb unfairly traded imports that threaten the whole industry. The Government came under attack from unions and Labour for doing "too little, too late", and offering merely "warm words", but ministers defended their action in supporting the industry. Prime Minister David Cameron said there was a worldwide glut and over-production of steel, affecting countries around the world. He stressed the Government had taken action on energy prices, procurement and with the European Union. "I want to have a strong British steel industry at the heart of our important manufacturing base," he said. Roy Rickhuss, leader of the Community union, hit back, saying: "If David Cameron wants to support the steel industry and make sure his Government doesn't preside over the end of steel-making in the UK, then he needs to stop being weak on China. "Everyone in the industry is clear that unfairly traded Chinese steel is the biggest contributor to the UK steel crisis and yet the Prime Minister and his Government are cheerleading for China in Europe. "You can't wring your hands over steel job losses and then shake hands with the Chinese government over cosy trade deals." Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle said there were warm words from the Government, "but very little concrete action". Business minister Anna Soubry insisted the Government had responded to demands from the steel industry and was creating a "level playing field", such as cutting energy costs. Workers and businesses in Port Talbot were despondent, saying they now needed Tata to give assurances about the job prospects of the 3,000 employees who will remain after the latest redundancies. Alan Coombs, a Port Talbot steelworker and president of Community, said: "Here in Port Talbot we make some of the world's best steel, but cheap Chinese imports and high energy costs are crippling our industry." Gareth Stace, director of trade body UK Steel, said: "This is deeply disappointing news and I am very concerned about the future of the plant and community. This is a site of critical importance to our national industrial infrastructure." First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones announced that a task force will meet on Wednesday to draw up an action plan to support workers and local supply chains. Chairwoman and co-founder of the Schwab Foundation Hilde Schwab, left, presents Leonardo DiCaprio with the Crystal Awards (AP) Fresh from his Golden Globe win, Leonardo DiCaprio drew ooohs, ahhs and smiles as he was honoured for his work on the climate change crisis at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Then he ripped into Big Oil. The Hollywood star of The Revenant announced Tuesday that his foundation was donating another 15 million dollars (10.5 million) to environmental projects, and pleaded with business leaders and other notables on hand to protect the environment. He said: "We simply cannot allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil and gas industries to determine the future of humanity," to polite applause. DiCaprio joined rapper and entrepreneur will.i.am, Danish artist Olafur Eliasson and Chinese actress Yao Chen as laureates of WEF's culturally oriented Crystal Awards. Migrants carry their belongings across a partially frozen stream as they walk from the Macedonian border into Serbia (AP) The EU has just two months to get its migration strategy in order, European Council president Donald Tusk has warned. The warning came amid criticism that its current policies are putting thousands of people in danger and creating more business for smugglers. "We have no more than two months to get things under control," Mr Tusk told EU politicians, warning that a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on March 17 and 18 "will be the last moment to see if our strategy works". The EU spent most of 2015 devising policies to cope with the arrival of more than one million people fleeing conflict or poverty but few are having a real impact. A refugee-sharing plan launched in September has barely got off the ground and countries are still not sending back people who do not qualify for asylum. A package of sweeteners earmarked for Turkey - including billions of euros, easier visa access for Turkish citizens and fast-tracking of the country's EU membership process - has borne little fruit. The failure has raised tensions between neighbours, particularly along the Balkan route used by migrants arriving in Greece to reach their preferred destinations such as Germany or Sweden further north. Mr Tusk warned that if Europe fails to make the strategy work "we will face grave consequences such as the collapse of Schengen", the passport-free travel zone. His remarks came after Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said that border closures and tougher policing only force people seeking sanctuary or jobs to find more dangerous routes to Europe. "Policies of deterrence, along with their chaotic response to the humanitarian needs of those who flee, actively worsened the conditions of thousands of vulnerable men, women and children," said MSF head of operations Brice de le Vingne. The group urged the EU to create more legal ways to come to Europe, allow asylum applications at the land border between Turkey and Greece, and set up a real search and rescue system, after more than 3,000 people died trying to reach the EU by sea in 2015. As pressure built among EU partner nations, four Central European members confirmed their fierce opposition to a plan to redistribute 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece, and called for the strict control and registration of all refugees on the external borders of the Schengen zone. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, who form an informal grouping known as the Visegrad Four, or V4, rejected any compulsory refugee quotas. Officials from Slovenia and Serbia also warned of retaliatory measures if Austria tries to slow the entry of migrants. That, they say, would cause a domino effect and ratchet up tensions along the so-called Balkan migrant corridor back to Greece, where most migrants are arriving from Turkey. "If Austria and Germany introduce certain measures that would mean tighter control of the flow of migrants, Slovenia will do the same," foreign minister Karl Erjavec said. YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Lifting of sanctions creates new opportunities for Armenia. Expert in Iranian studies Vardan Voskanyan mentioned about this during the press conference in Armenpress conference hall. According to him, by lifting of the sanctions Irans impact will increase in the Middle East and Middle East region is directly adjacent to the South Caucasus. It has a second meaning in Irans regional policy. Armenia is also located in the South Caucasus. Our country has maintained friendly relations with Iran. Armenia did not take part in any anti-Iranian action during the period of sanctions did not vote on resolution which was against Iran in any international court. We had been a reliable and predictable partner of Iran, Vardan Voskanyan said. He reminded that Iranians, after the agreement in Vienna, were first to work over Armenia. There were visits of the 2 countries delegations and the Iranian Vice President visited Armenia. We do not need to wait for a miracle, long work must be done to achieve a result, and this refers to the relations with Iran as well. Cooperation sector with Iran should be divided into several sectors. First of all it is the energy cooperation by two ingredients. In particular, electricity and gas sectors, which include the projects on construction of a hydropower plant, supplying gas to Georgia, high voltage electricity network, etc., Vardan Voskanyan said. Next is the road communication sector. According to the expert in Iranian studies, we have the best opportunities of linking Iran with Black sea. The expert also highlighted the sector of investments and added that the tourism is also necessary to develop in Armenia over the direction of Iran. Numerous Iranians are interested in Armenia. The EU wants to collect fingerprints and information about all foreigners convicted of crimes The European Union wants to collect fingerprints and information about all foreigners convicted of crimes in the 28-nation bloc to help fight terrorism and cross-border crime. EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said that "by including fingerprints of non-EU citizens we will have a strong tool to tackle the use of false identities". The data would be stored on the criminal records computer ECRIS, which gives judges and prosecutors access to suspects' backgrounds. Currently, information about convicted foreigners is kept only in national records. Authorities have to request it individually. Convicted EU citizens are on the ECRIS database, but their fingerprints are not stored. In future, nations could decide what offences to flag on the database, meaning people who enter irregularly or overstay visas could be listed. The US military is "reasonably certain" that the extremist Jihadi John was killed in an air strike aimed at the notorious British killer Isis has confirmed the death of 'Jihadi John' in the latest edition of its Dabiq propaganda magazine. The publication said that the extremist, whose real name was Mohammed Emwazi, was killed in a US drone strike. The strike on the British citizen, who was born in Kuwait, reportedly took place near the site where Isis carry out their executions in Raqqa. The militant became notorious for his filmed executions of hostages including the beheading of US journalist James Foley in in August 2014. In the article the magazine referred to him as Abu Muharib al-Muhajir. It said: "On Thursday, the 29th of Muharram, 1437, Abu Muharib finally achieved shahadah for the cause of Allah, which he had sought for so long, as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of ar-Raqqah, destroying the car and killing him instantly. "May Allah accept our brother among the shuhada, envelop him with His mercy, and enter him into the highest levels of al-Firdaws." Read more Read More In the eulogy the group wrote that "at a young age, the honorable brother traveled with his family to London. This would become a place he grew to hate along with its kafir people, whose customs were far-removed from the praiseworthy values he was much accustomed to." Isis had previously claimed he survived the attack while US officials said it was likely that that he had been evaporated. The US military said in November last year that it was "reasonably certain" that he was killed in the air strike aimed at the notorious British killer. At the time David Cameron hailed the death as a "strike at the heart" of the extremist group. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said it would have been "far better" if Emwazi had been brought to justice in the courts for his "callous and brutal crimes". North Korean scientists claim to have invented the worlds first hangover-free alcohol, adding that drinkers love it because it makes them look suave. The liquor is said to have been made from the plant extract ginseng, which Pyongyang officials have previously declared the elixir of life and falsely claimed to be a cure for SARS and Aids. Called Koryo Liquor, the drink is made at the state-run Taedonggang Foodstuff Factory where scientists have been working for years to replace sugar in alcohol with burnt rice They have now declared the process a success, saying that after years of working on different formulas they have finally stopped the drink being unpalatably bitter with the added unexpected bonus of the drink being hangover-free. Koryo Liquor, which is made of six-year-old Kaesong Koryo insam [ginseng], known as being highest in medicinal effect, and the scorched rice, is highly appreciated by experts and lovers as it is suave and causes no hangover, the Pyongyang Times reported. Read more Read More The no hangover claims have been widely ridiculed however, with experts saying there is no way an alcoholic drink could ever not lead to a hangover if enough of it is drunk. Andray Abrahamian, director of research from Choson Exchange, which supports North Korean entrepreneurs through business, economics and legal knowledge-sharing, questioned the alcohol. There are some high quality liquors made in North Korea, though in my experience there is no such thing as hangover-free booze anywhere in the world, he told the Guardian. Independent Police patrol in front of the main train station and the cathedral in Cologne, Germany (AP) More than 800 complaints have now been filed in connection with assaults and robberies in Cologne on New Year's Eve that investigators have linked largely to foreigners, German prosecutors said. About 521 complaints allege some kind of sexual assault, including three rapes. The overall number of complaints has increased from 766 on Monday to now stand at 809. The attacks have stoked a fierce debate in Germany about how to integrate the almost 1.1 million asylum seekers who arrived last year. German news agency dpa reported that police are investigating 21 people from North African countries in connection with the Cologne attacks for robbery, theft and trafficking stolen goods. Eight suspects are currently in detention. One of them is accused of sexual assault. French carmaker Renault has recalled 15,000 diesel vehicles to update their emissions filters. France's environment minister announced the move, describing the current filters as inadequate in warm weather. Segolene Royal said Renault had agreed to the recall and she acknowledged that previous tests, which were not conducted in real driving conditions, were insufficient. Renault confirmed the recall, saying it involved a small percentage of Renault Captur crossover vehicles and a calibration in the motor for a handful of cars produced before September 2015, when the problem was fixed. But Ms Royal said no cheating software has been found on a Renault or on any other vehicle - French or foreign - that has been tested since the discovery of such software in Volkswagens. She said that other manufacturers had unacceptably high emissions, but did not identify them. In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, an aerial view of a bomb explosion in Syria. According to information released by the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian aircraft have carried out 20 sorties in Syria in the past 24 hours. (AP Photo/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service) In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, an aerial view of a bomb explosion in Syria. According to information released by the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian aircraft have carried out 20 sorties in Syria in the past 24 hours. (AP Photo/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service) In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, an aerial view of a bomb explosion in Syria. According to information released by the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian aircraft have carried out 20 sorties in Syria in the past 24 hours. (AP Photo/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service) This photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 shows an attack made from a fighter jet in Syria. Russian Defense Ministry describes the incident as an airstrike against an ISIS ammunition depot near Talbiseh settlement (Homs). The object is completely destroyed. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) A picture taken on October 3, 2015 shows Russian Sukhoi SU-30 SM jet fighters landing on a runway at the Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia. AFP PHOTO / KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA / ALEXANDER KOTS *RUSSIA OUT*ALEXANDER KOTS/AFP/Getty Images An image grab made from a video released by the Russian Defence Ministry on October 5, 2015 reportedly shows a Russian aircraft dropping bombs during an airstrike against Islamic State (IS) group's positions at an undisclosed location in Syria. Russia has launched air strikes on Syria, saying its intervention is against the jihadist IS group, while Turkey and its allies say it is targeting moderate regime opponents. AFP PHOTO / HO / RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO / RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS-/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on October 3, 2015 shows a Russian Sukhoi SU-30 SM jet fighter standing on a runway at the Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia. AFP PHOTO / KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA / ALEXANDER KOTS *RUSSIA OUT*ALEXANDER KOTS/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on October 3, 2015 shows a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 bomber taking off from the Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia. AFP PHOTO / KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA / ALEXANDER KOTS *RUSSIA OUT*ALEXANDER KOTS/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on October 3, 2015 shows a Russian army pilot leaving the cockpit of a Russian Sukhoi SU-25 ground attack aircraft at the Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia. AFP PHOTO / KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA / ALEXANDER KOTS *RUSSIA OUT*ALEXANDER KOTS/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on October 5, 2015 shows Russian air force pilots and technicians checking a Russian Sukhoi Su-30 jet fighter at the Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia. AFP PHOTO / KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA / ALEXANDER KOTS *RUSSIA OUT*ALEXANDER KOTS/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on October 3, 2015 shows Russian air force technicians checking a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber at the Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia. AFP PHOTO / KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA / ALEXANDER KOTS *RUSSIA OUT*ALEXANDER KOTS/AFP/Getty Images In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 a bomb is released from Russian Su-24M jet fighter in Syria. NATO strongly criticized the Russian air campaign in Syria that began Wednesday. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) A picture taken on October 5, 2015 shows Russian air force pilots and technicians checking a Russian Sukhoi Su-30 jet fighter at the Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia. AFP PHOTO / KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA / ALEXANDER KOTS *RUSSIA OUT*ALEXANDER KOTS/AFP/Getty Images In this photo taken from Russian Defense Ministry official website on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, a Russian SU-24M jet fighter prepares to take off from an airbase Hmeimim in Syria. A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry has rejected claims that Russia in its airstrikes in Syria is targeting civilians or opposition forces. (AP Photo/ Russian Defense Ministry Press Service) In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, two Russian SU-25 ground attack aircrafts take off from an airbase Hmeimim in Syria. A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry has rejected claims that Russia in its airstrikes in Syria is targeting civilians or opposition forces. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) In this photo taken from Russian Defense Ministry official website on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, a Russian SU-34 bomber taxies at an air base Hmeimim in Syria. A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry has rejected claims that Russia in its airstrikes in Syria is targeting civilians or opposition forces. (AP Photo/ Russian Defense Ministry Press Service) A Russian SU-24M jet fighter takes off from an airbase Hmeimim in Syria (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) The Russian Air Force in Syria has killed 60 Isis militants in the east of Deir ez-Zor province, Russia's defense ministry has reported. The ministry's spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said: "The Russian Su-34 bombers have struck terrorist strongholds near the village of Bagilya in the Deir ez-Zor province where Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) have recently executed 300 civilian from the local population for the sake of intimidation." The defence ministry official said that Russia's air force has also delivered more than 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid to areas of Syria which have been blocked off by "terrorists". "According to the reports received by the Syrian leadership from the settlements where the humanitarian aid was delivered, all the cargo has been received and is now being passed to the residents. Konashenkov said that Russian warplanes have carried out 157 sorties and struck 579 terrorist targets in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Raqqa in the last four days. Russia has been bombing Isis and other militants in Syria, since September 30 last year, at the official request of President Bashar Assad. Thousands of Russians have taken a dip in icy waters to celebrate Epiphany, a major holiday in Orthodox Christianity which marks the birth and baptism of Jesus. Water blessed by a priest on the Epiphany week in Orthodox tradition is considered holy and pure, and bathing is believed to have healing powers. In Moscow, authorities set up 60 official bathing sites for believers on Monday night, from open-air pools to holes in ponds. Temperatures in the city were minus 10C (14F) overnight. For some Russians this year, Epiphany bathing was a more relaxed experience. The defence ministry organised celebrations for the troops serving at Russia's military base in Syria by putting up an inflated rubber pool. Former Israeli president Shimon Peres has been discharged from hospital after suffering a mild heart attack. Mr Peres, 92, thanked well-wishers after checking out of Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv. He said he was "happy to return to work and excited to serve the country". Mr Peres completed his seven-year term as president in 2014 but remains in the public eye. He is still active through his non-governmental Peres Centre for Peace, which promotes coexistence between Arabs and Jews and peace and development in the Middle East. In a seven-decade political career, Mr Peres also served three brief stints as prime minister. Mr Peres was rushed to the hospital last week after experiencing chest pains. Ric O'Barry at a protest to campaign against the Taiji dolphin culls The star of Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, about a dolphin-killing village in Japan, has been detained by immigration authorities at Tokyo's Narita international airport. Ric O'Barry, the former dolphin trainer for the Flipper TV series, said immigration officials told him he was not a tourist, the visa he was using to enter Japan, according to his lawyer, Takashi Takano. He said officials accused Mr O'Barry of having close ties with the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, which Mr O'Barry denies. Immigration officials said it is their policy not to comment on individual cases. Mr Takano said he appealed against Mr O'Barry's detention, and that the Japanese government will decide on whether to allow Mr O'Barry into the country or deport him. The timeframe for that decision was not clear. The Cove, which won the 2009 Academy Award for best documentary, shows dolphins being herded into a cove in the fishing village of Taiji and bludgeoned to death. "The Japanese government is cracking down on those who oppose their war on dolphins," Mr O'Barry said in a statement sent by email to the Associated Press through his son, Lincoln O'Barry. Officials in Taiji, a small fishing village in central Japan, and fishermen have defended the hunt as tradition, saying that eating dolphin meat is no different from eating beef or chicken. Most Japanese have never eaten dolphin meat, and many say they are horrified by the dolphin-killing, and have joined the campaign against the Taiji hunt. Animal welfare activists say the dolphin hunt is driven mostly by the lucrative sale of dolphins to aquariums, with the meat sale income coming as a smaller extra. Mr O'Barry has been stopped and questioned at Japanese immigration before, as well as temporarily taken into custody by local police on the suspicion of not having proper travel documents. But this is the first time he has been detained in this way. He has the support of high-profile celebrities, including Sting, US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum. Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, which have long been home to local and foreign Islamic militants A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle who targeted a crowded police checkpoint in north-western Pakistan has killed 11 people. Another 21 people were wounded in the blast o n the outskirts of Peshawar on a road leading to neighbouring Afghanistan, according to a police official. The Taliban said it carried out the attack in Peshawar, which is on the edge of Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, a stronghold of the Taliban and other Islamic militants. The police official said the dead included four police and seven civilians, including two children and a local journalist. The attack took place as a local police chief arrived at the checkpoint. Nisar Khan, who was waiting to cross the road, said the checkpoint was full with traffic at the time of the attack. He said the huge blast left vehicles in flames. Militant violence has declined since Pakistan launched a wide-ranging military offensive in North Waziristan, a tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, in the summer of 2014. But the Taliban have still managed to carry out major attacks, including an assault on an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 that killed more than 150 people, mostly children. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Dean of Yerevan State Universitys Faculty of History, Doctor of History, Professor Edik Minasyan sees no rapprochement in the Russian-Turkish relations for now. Turkey is in frigid relations with the RF. Erdogan tries to regulate the Russian-Turkish relations in every possible way. The Russian leadership tries to avoid that by drastic steps. There are concerns that the relations may regulate in the future basing on mutual interests. We do not see any prospects for that yet but I have concerns connected with that. The history shows that sometimes the interests of national minorities are violated in case of common interests. The superstates are ready to make sacrifices for their political issues, Armenpress reports, Edik Minasyan told journalists. He emphasized that Armenia must make use of the existing problems between the two countries, as well as take some steps to solve own problems in case of the current Russian-Turkish frigid relations. Minasyan also added that though Turkey states that it struggles against the Islamic State, the fact that Turkey helps the IS, is obvious. A Yemeni man inspects the damage at a site reportedly hit by Saudi-led airstrikes in the capital Sanaa on January 6, 2016. Nearly 6,000 people have been killed since March, according to UN figures. At least 2,795 of them are civilians. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED HUWAISMOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images Yemeni blind and disabled people shout slogans during a demonstration to protest after a centre for the blind was reportedly destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in the capital Sanaa on January 6, 2016. Nearly 6,000 people have been killed since March, according to UN figures. At least 2,795 of them are civilians. AFP/Getty Images A Yemeni man inspects the damage at a site reportedly hit by Saudi-led airstrikes in the capital Sanaa on January 6, 2016. Nearly 6,000 people have been killed since March, according to UN figures. At least 2,795 of them are civilians. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED HUWAISMOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images Yemeni blind men shout slogans during a demonstration gathering disabled people to protest after a center for the blind was reportedly destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in the capital Sanaa on January 6, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Yemeni blind men hold a banner during a demonstration gathering disabled people to protest after a center for the blind was reportedly destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in the capital Sanaa on January 6, 2016. Nearly 6,000 people have been killed since March, according to UN figures. At least 2,795 of them are civilians. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED HUWAISMOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOT - Yemeni construction workers walk with their rollers for painting in the the capital, Sanaa, on January 5, 2016. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP / MOHAMMED HUWAISMOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images 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) 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) 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) Yemenis look at destruction in the street following air strikes on the capital, Sanaa, on January 5, 2016. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED HUWAISMOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images A general view shows the rubble of the building of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry which was destroyed during air strikes on the capital, Sanaa, on January 5, 2016. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED HUWAISMOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images A Yemeni worker looks at the damage at the Noor Centre for the Blind after it was reportedly destroyed by Saudi-led air strikes in the capital Sanaa on January 5, 2016. AFP/Getty Images People in Yemen have stopped going to hospitals because they are seen as targets for the Saudi-led bombing campaign, a charity has claimed. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said the latest bombing of the Shiara hospital in Saada, which killed six and injured seven, was part of a worrying pattern of attacks to essential medical services. Juan Prieto, general coordinator for MSFs projects in Yemen, said more than 100 incidents involving hospitals meant people were scared to visit them for all but the most serious emergencies. Medical facilities that should be places of healing for the population, no longer seem to be safe for the patients or for the medical staff operating in them, he said. Read more Read More People still consider hospitals a target and try to avoid them as much as possible. The only cases that we are receiving are emergencies and mass casualties following attacks. MSF health workers returned to work at Shiara hospital as soon as it was confirmed the attack was over, Mr Prieto said, in spite of the fact that it has been hit by missiles or air strikes three times in the last year alone. Staff and patients alike feel uneasy and threatened because of the failure to protect medical facilities from the ravages of war, he said. Nevertheless, our staff have returned to their positions albeit apprehensively. They are more determined than ever, given the situation in the country and the specific needs in Razeh, to continue working for the population. David Cameron defended Britains support for Saudi Arabia in its countrys widely-criticised Yemen campaign on Monday. He said: Were trying to do everything we can to make sure that the work done by Saudi Arabia is properly targeted and its right that we should do that. Read more Read More Yet even as he spoke on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, reports were coming in that Saudi-led air raids had struck a group of civilian police buildings in Sanaa. At least 15 police officers were killed and more than 20 were wounded, according to local medics and residents. The facility was sometimes used as a meeting place for the opposition Houthi militia which currently controls the countrys capital, and the strike highlights the challenge of correctly identifying targets for international air raids. The fighting in Yemen has killed more than 5,800 people since last March when the Saudi-led coalition began the air campaign. In your article "Top medics slam health chiefs" (News, January 12), you quote the letter from Mr Nolan and Dr McElhenny to The Times. In this letter, they are scathing about healthcare management, using terms such as "aggressive" and "incompetent". It is recognised that health services are best managed by doctors, who understand the needs of their patients. It is incumbent on senior doctors to step up to the plate and not abandon the health service for more lucrative pastures. Only because of the training provided and funded by the health service are doctors able to sell services in the private sector. The large numbers of doctors working in the many private clinics which have sprung up is one of the factors leading to long waiting lists. In fairness, it should be pointed out that there are many senior doctors who contribute greatly to the health service in both clinical and leadership roles. The trust which formerly employed Dr McElhenny and Mr Nolan is now medically led and I have observed a significant change in the performance of this organisation with a dramatic reduction in long A&E delays among other improvements. Doctors in management are a good thing. We need more doctors in health leadership. Perhaps Mr Nolan and Dr McElhenny could return to the health service and put their skills to use reforming the management of which they are so critical. DR COLIN FITZPATRICK Clinical director and practising GP Comber Health Centre British troops negotiating a trench as they go forward in support of an attack on the village of Morval during the Battle of the Somme This year will mark a number of major centenaries. Iconic events that changed our history and shaped our world. In Ireland the events of 1916 have left powerful legacies that reverberate to this day - the Battle of the Somme, the Easter Rising, blood sacrifices that retain their forbidding power in the present, the power to instil fear and wonder, the power to shape our sense of belonging, the power to make you weep. I grew up in Legmore Street in a Protestant household in north Belfast and heard all the stories about the Somme that both terrified me and inspired me as a boy. Isaac, the old barber in Ligoniel, always talking about how he had tried to join up but was rejected. He had gone into town with his best friend Edward McMurray to enlist in 1914. Edward was passed as medically fit, but Isaac was turned down because he had a weakness in one leg caused by a football injury. Isaac said that he argued with them, he begged them to let him join up. "I told them that you don't pull a trigger with your leg," he said. You could sense his shame that he wasn't there when it really mattered, a persistent, nagging shame, there for all time. His friend Edward became a runner in the 15th Battalion of the 36th Ulster Division and lost one of his legs and half of one hand at the Somme. "He was in a sorry state," said Isaac with watery eyes. "He talked about the war a lot, but the funny thing was that he never talked about the Somme itself. He used to sit in his front room, picking bits of dirt out of his good leg while he was reminiscing. The problem with his good leg was that, because there were so many little wounds in it, all the dirt of the day seemed to get caught in it. I used to look after it for him." There were many men who came back from the Somme who couldn't talk about the battle; some came back not able to talk at all. It was up to others to tell us about what had been achieved that first day, and not necessarily about the lines captured in the "big push" of the Somme. What I heard then, and what I read now, makes me weep. At 7.10am on July 1, 1916 the first Ulstermen climbed over the parapet of their trench and lay down in long lines. Some of the men had put on their Orange sashes. Then, five minutes later, the second wave climbed out and lay down, and then the third five minutes after that, all waiting for the bombardment of the German lines to end. At 7.30am the whistles of the officers sounded and the men rose to their feet and started to walk forward. The war correspondent of The Times wrote: "When I saw the men emerge through the smoke and form up as if on parade, I could hardly believe my eyes." As the leading soldiers neared the first German line there were cries of "No surrender, boys!" By the end of that fateful day there were nearly 60,000 British casualties, with 20,000 dead. "This was the greatest loss and slaughter sustained in a single day in the whole history of the British Army," Winston Churchill later wrote in his book on the First World War. He also pointed out that by the end of that evening the German 180th Infantry Regiment again controlled all of its original trenches. The 36th Ulster Division suffered more than 5,000 casualties, and more than 2,000 dead. On July 11, what remained of the Division left Picardy to march to Blaringhem. It was reported that some of the men saw small orange flowers growing by the roadside and they were given special permission to break ranks to collect these flowers for their tunics as the band played King William's March. My mother used to tell me that not a single Ulsterman turned back that day, and in the classic book by Michael MacDonagh, The Irish At The Somme, published in 1917, an unnamed British officer is quoted as saying: "I am not an Ulsterman, but as I followed the amazing attack of the Ulster Division on July 1, I felt that I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world. With shouts of 'Remember the Boyne' and 'No surrender, boys', they threw themselves at the Germans, and before they could be restrained had penetrated to the enemy fifth line. The attack was one of the greatest revelations of human courage and endurance known in history." But there were many casualties of that fateful day and other days like it. A decade after the end of the Great War, 36% of the veterans receiving disability benefits from the British Government were psychological casualties of this industrialised war. The most frequent symptom of shell-shock (what we today would call post-traumatic stress disorder) was mutism, the soldiers literally could not speak any longer. What caused the very high incidence of shell-shock were the peculiar conditions of trench warfare which made the psychological experience particularly damaging. It was the weeks of waiting, the unpredictability of the unseen enemy shelling from a distance and the fact that any direct physical response such as a counter-attack had to be inhibited (except on fateful days like the Somme itself). The psychological treatment for the ranks suffering from shell-shock was often barbaric. Lewis Yealland, the psychiatrist, pioneered electric shock therapies to treat mutism in the ranks. He describes how he treated a 24-year-old private who had survived the battles of Mons, the Marne, the Aisne, and the first and second battles of Ypres, before collapsing at Gallipoli, where he woke up totally mute. Back in England Yealland applied electric shocks to make him talk. He explains his "therapeutic" intervention in the following words: "The mouth was kept open by means of a tongue depressor; a strong faradic current was applied to the posterior wall of the pharynx, and with this stimulus he jumped backwards, detaching the wires from the battery." Yealland writes that he then said to the soldier: "A man who has gone through so many battles should have better control of himself" and then repeated: "You must talk before you leave me." Yealland continued to apply electric shocks for an hour, at the end of which the patient could apparently whisper the sound "ah". This was real progress, according to Yealland. There were many brave men who fought and died at the Somme and thousands more who had to live with their "neuroses" for many years. This was the bit of the iconography of the Somme, and the other great battles of the First World War, that is much less well-known. This was the other side of human endeavour and courage, when survivors returned home and had to cope as best they could with friends like Isaac, who may have tried to understand what they'd been through, and with some medical practitioners who were not really interested in the content of their experience at all, rather they were just focused on fixing that unforgiving symptom of silence. The year 1916 was one that changed many things in both our culture and our understanding - it clearly spelt out to us that even heroes are human beings and that courage comes in many forms and sometimes takes years to fully display. Stephen Hawking has warned humanity that it is likely to wipe itself out unless it manages to escape the Earth. Unfortunately such space colonies arent going to arrive any time soon, according to the Cambridge professor. We will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period," the physicist said. As such, we should look to recognise the dangers and control them to ensure our continuing survival, he said. Professor Hawking warned that those dangers could come from nuclear war, global warming and genetically-engineered viruses, the BBC reported. The chances of those things are increasing, he said and there is perhaps little humanity can do about it. "Although the chance of a disaster to planet Earth in a given year may be quite low, it adds up over time, and becomes a near certainty in the next thousand or ten thousand years, Hawking said in advance of the BBC Reith Lectures, where Professor Hawking will lay out his research into black holes. "By that time we should have spread out into space, and to other stars, so a disaster on Earth would not mean the end of the human race. "However, we will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period." Despite being one of the worlds leading researchers in science and technology, Professor Hawking has repeatedly warned that they could bring huge damage to the human race. He has warned that humanity is creating huge dangers in viruses, artificial intelligence and global warming. But Professor Hawking said that he was an optimist, and that he believes we can control the dangers. Giving advice to potential scientists, he said that they should help the public to understand where those advances are going. "It's important to ensure that these changes are heading in the right directions. In a democratic society, this means that everyone needs to have a basic understanding of science to make informed decisions about the future. "So communicate plainly what you are trying to do in science, and who knows, you might even end up understanding it yourself." Independent YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. OnJanuary 18, protesters interrupted traffic as British Prime Minister David Cameron met with Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Downing Street in London. The Turkish Prime Minister arrived in London for bilateral talks on the conflict in Syria and Iraq, discussions on Cyprus unification and counter terrorism measures. As Armenpress reports, activists in London tried to block the Turkish Prime Minister from leaving following the meeting with the U.K. Prime Minister. The protesters repeated Shame on U.K. because of the silence about the violations and attacks against the Kurds in the southeastern Turkish region. They had posters with Killer Davutoglu, Stop the war against Kurds, Davutoglu supports ISIS, Stop the Genocide titles. After the attempt to stop Davutoglu, team of vehicles on Downing Street gathered with a number of people. Three protesters were arrested by the police and numerous police officers were deployed to the area to help calm the situation. Turkish PM Davutoglu is in London for a three-day visit where he is expected to speak at a round table discussion at think-tank Chatham House on Tuesday (Jan. 19) before leaving for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Armed clashes have continued between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and security forces in urban areas in southeastern provinces of Turkey since the breakdown of the peace process between the PKK and the Turkish government in July 2015. Since the settlement process ended, curfews have been imposed in numerous southeastern districts in Turkey. Nearly 200,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes due to fighting and curfews. I have long been fascinated with the concept of reincarnation since reading the book The Search For Bridey Murphy, written by Morey Bernstein. It tells the story of a woman in the 1950s, who, under hypnosis is regressed back to a lifetime in Ireland in the 1800s. Whether or not it is true, is immaterial. It drew me to explore further into the possibility that I had lived in other places at various times in history. In the 1980s, I was introduced to the pioneering work of Dr. Brian Weiss, a Columbia University and Yale Medical School educated psychiatrist who inadvertently found himself utilizing regression to assist patients with otherwise intractable symptomology. I had the pleasure of interviewing him initially for my own magazine called Visions in 1990 and then for Wisdom Magazine several years later. Fast forward to 2016 and I find myself in a room with a group of others who are also enthralled, or at least curious about the topic and want to venture into the waters themselves. The Past Life Regression workshop was facilitated by Jessica Brown Ramirez Caryn Benevento-Munroe and Erin Muldoon Stetson . The three women with diverse backgrounds had met at a training that Brian Weiss offered at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. They felt certain that they too had traveled around the block a few times together prior to this encounter, so they joined forces to teach. The workshop included EFT-Emotional Freedom Technique , which is a modality that involves tapping on certain points on the body to release long held patterns and beliefs. It was described as being like acupuncture without the needles. Another component was psychometry, in which we were invited to hold an object owned by another person in the class who we didnt know (lest it muddy the waters) and tell that person our impressions that arose. The woman I worked with had a pearl ring she asked me to use. I was able to evoke messages and guidance that addressed issues she was facing and life changes she was making. When she held an earring of mine, she too came up with powerful phrases and images that spoke to my own transitions. The next portion of the day incorporated a few meditations for healing and regressions into three past lives and one future life. Following each one, we were asked to journal about the experience and note the lessons learned. In the initial journey, I was a 10 year old girl playing on the beach under the watchful eye of her father. When asked what year it was, my first thought was 1973. My logical mind questioned how this could be, since I was born in 1958. I remembered hearing (and Brian Weiss subscribes to his paradigm) that time is fluid and that lives are lived in overlapping, simultaneous ways. Susan (as I was told her name was) had recently lost her mother following a long illness. There are numerous details in this lifetime, but the important one that links this lifetime to the others I experienced, is that when her mom passed, she held in her hand a silver heart shaped locket that had a photo of them in it. Susan wore it every day after that. Five years later, a new girl comes to her school and they notice that they are each wearing the same pendant. They become friends and Susan discovers that this other girls father had died and left her mother a widow. The two scheme to get their parents together. Eventually they marry. I am not certain if the Susan aspect of my soul is still alive. I will explore that further. Lessons: Love never dies. People find each other when they need to. People can create new lives. There are indeed what I call overlapping soul circles. The Warren Zevon song, Keep Me In Your Heart, came through as well. As we were led into the next lifetime, I feel a pain in my legs and I curl them up and a thought crosses my mind that I dont have the use of them. I am a girl in 1922 who has polio and I am in a wheelchair. Sitting in the parlor of my parents NYC brownstone, wearing black woolen stockings and braces, I am being tutored by a bitter, angry woman who tells me that I had better learn what she is teaching me so I can be independent, since No man will want you and your parents wont be around forever. I am so upset by what she is saying that I tell my parents and they fire her. My next tutor is a supportive man who encourages my independence for different reasons; so that I can make a positive life for myself. I become a writer who travels the world, albeit in my wheelchair. I do eventually meet a man who is an artist and musician. We marry and have two children. On the last day of that life, I am in bed with my family around me. Lessons: I can overcome any challenge. Mobility looks all kinds of ways. I can trust a man to take care of me. I can speak my truth and ask for what I want and situations change. I can love myself even with perceived limitations. I can use creativity to thrive. In the third lifetime I discover that I am a young boy playing by a stream, hanging out with rabbits, squirrels and fox. My father is a hunter who kills for sport and not because food is needed. I rebel against that mindset and we are often at odds and he makes fun of my Dr. Doolittle-like relationship with animals. Later in my life, I become a veterinarian and animal communicator. People bring their animals to me and I make house calls to them if they have farm animals. I dont recall if I married in that lifetime or had children, but at the end, there was a George Bailey- Its A Wonderful Life type tribute. Lessons: Follow your path. Connect with nature. Speak your truth. Stand up to bullies. Love animals. I currently offer Reiki and massage for horses. Kindness counts. In the future life progression, we were guided to a healing temple up steps into clouds. It reminded me of a Maxfield Parrish painting. I was led into a lifetime in which I lived in a pod of people who shared a home, responsibilities and interwoven relationships with each other. Each of us had a healing gift to offer. Mine was creativity and communication (as in this current lifetime). Lessons: No need to compete with anyone to feel valued. We are all special and have unique gifts to offer. Living in community and cooperation. At the end of the workshop, I left with a sense that all is well and everything in my life is unfolding as it should. All is loveAll is love. With love comes understanding. With understanding comes patience. And then time stops. And everything is now. -Brian Weiss Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana made headlines for creating a high-end Hijab and abaya collection. That is not only sleek, graceful, and trendy, but allows Muslim women more options when they are shopping. The designs are elegant with laced trims and gorgeous styles in the spring 2016 collection featuring natural tones. Shoppers will find charmeuse fabrics, and with printed daisies, lemons, and lush red roses, Style.com/Arabia first reported. It will tell "an enchanting visual story about the grace and beauty of the marvelous women of Arabia." Select stores will also carry the line. In Saudia Arabia women buy three times as much as men, the first Saudi designer Tahani Al-Otaibi, who shows in London, said in an interview in 2013 with Arab News. The market is there. It is because Saudi women and men have a high fashion sense, they like to look fashionable. The most important factor is that the spending power in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very high. The Middle East is an untapped market. Designers like Oscar de la Renta and Donna Karen already have created tapped into this wealth of buying. DKNY launched the first capsule in 2014 around Ramadan. Author Reina Lewis wrote in Muslim Fashion: Contemporary Style Cultures said in an interview with Fortune in 2015 that it is a growing demographic. This makes Muslims a very important consumer segment for anything. The market for Islamic commodities started out looking at food and finance, she added. Ive been saying for the last few years that fashion is going to be the third Fand this is indeed what is beginning to happen. Muslims according to the outlet spent over $200 billion dollars in 2013 and is expected to jump to $484 billion dollars by 2019. Women from wealthy oil countries wear high-end fashion under their abayas for years, accessorizing the wardrobe with luxury heels and bags, including D&G. These women are known to shop for luxury brands in the Middle East and in Europe. D&G operates several stores in the region like Qatar, Dubai, Bahrain and Beirut. Fashion does not discriminate, and the move is being praised all over Instagram and on major news outlets that the fashion designers are targeting women in the Middle East. afghan_fille@stefanogabbana posted: I love this collection thank you for thinking of Muslim women. Another shared Thank you for showing the World that fashion is for all women no Matter their Way of Life. Muslim women are not limited to just a select few boutiques where they can purchase clothes. The move could open more opportunities and access to other designers and expend to the US and other countries. Yes, its an untapped business for companies, but this could help people fighting the fear of Muslims to view them as everyday people who enjoy fashion like the rest of us. Corine Gatti is a Senior Editor at Beliefnet.com. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. On January 19 by 14.30 all state and interstate highways in the Republic are mainly passable. As Armenpress was informed from the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia, Vardenyats Pass closed. Vedi-Lusashogh, Sotk-Karvachar, Madina-Verin Getashen highways are difficult to pass. It is snowing in Jermuk town of Vayots Dzor Province, in Goris, Sisian towns of Syunik Province, there is storm on 35-40 km of Meghri-Qajaran highway. One lane of Areni-Khachik highway (8-9th km) of Vayots Dzor Province is closed for rock blasting in order to avoid a rockfall on that section of the road. A bypass road Noravank-Amaghu-Khachik is used instead. MTAES of the Republic of Armenia warns to drive on the high-mentioned roads only with winter tires and in urgent cases. As the department of Emergency Situations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of The Republic of Georgia informs Stepantsminda-Larsi roadway is open (except trucks with trailers) for all types of vehicles in case of using tire chains. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Iran contributed to the creation of a new format of cooperation in the region. The latter refers to Russia-Georgia-Armenia-Iran quadrilateral cooperation in the energy sector. Specialist in Iranian studies Vardan Voskanyan said the aforementioned during the press conference at Armenpress news agency. Georgia wants to diversify gas dependence on Azerbaijan, Iran is ready to provide that gas, doing that by the territory of Armenia, avoiding both Azerbaijani and Turkish territories, Voskanyan said. According to him, Turkeys territory is unpredictable for Iran connected with the escalation of the Kurdish Issue. Thus, Turkey lost its attractiveness for Iran also due to scandalous incidents in the context of Turkey-Iran relations. Regarding Azerbaijan, as the specialist in Iranian studies outlined, Iran would hardly choose this path as there are serious problems there too. All pro-Iranian forces are being suppressed in Azerbaijan; Nardaran events are the most obvious example of that. So Voskanyan concludes that the most reliable and effective way is Armenia. The specialist in Iranian studies noted that the official Moscow aims to regain its control over Georgia. This means Armenia may become an important player. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenia continues being an important regional partner for the Islamic Republic of Iran. After the sanctions against Iran were lifted, Armenias role for that country increases. MP of "Republican Party of Armenia" /RPA/ faction Gagik Minasyan said the aforementioned to the journalists on January 19. If earlier Iran did not have a potential to use Armenias capabilities for solving its external economic problems, now Iran has such an opportunity. If we take into account Irans complicated economic and political relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenias role for that country increases, Armenpress reports, the MP emphasized. MP Minasyan attaches importance to the exploitation of the North-South highway related to the deepening of the relations with Iran. In that case, cargo transportation from Iran to the Black Sea ports will be more safe and quick by the territory of Armenia. A quadrilateral agreement has been recently signed between Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Russia on building an energy bridge of 400 kilowatt capacity. This is also a rather big opportunity for Armenia as our country has big prospects in terms of energy capacity, the MP concluded. Media Advisory, January 19, 2016 Contacts: Tim Blount, Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, (541) 493-2612 x 4225 Candy Henderson, (678) 314-7239 Kieran Suckling, Center for Biological Diversity, (520) 275-5960 Rally at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to Call for Keeping Public Lands Public Harney County Rally Will Be Joined by at Least 10 Others in Towns, Cities Across Oregon, Washington, Idaho BURNS, Ore. The Friends of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and Center for Biological Diversity are sponsoring a rally on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge today to celebrate the importance of America's visionary public-lands system and highlight political and armed militia efforts to take those lands away from the American people. The rally will feature Candy Henderson, who though she underwent breast cancer surgery several weeks ago and is still undergoing intensive treatment drove several hundred miles to the Malheur when she learned of the Bundy militias takeover. She has been camping ever since in a small tent in the rain, snow and freezing temperatures to show her commitment to keep our public lands public for all Americans. She attends the Bundy militias daily press briefing to speak up for the importance of public land and the extraordinary beauty and wildlife of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Ill leave when the militia leaves, Henderson said, they cannot keep Americans from their public lands with the barrel of a gun. The Malheur is a national jewel, said Tim Blount, executive director of the Friends of the Malheur. It belongs to everyone and must stay part of America's wonderful public lands heritage to be enjoyed by future generations. Where: Narrows Pullout Bird-watching Parking Area Highway 205, Mile Marker 22 (22 miles south of Burns) Google Map point: Malheur National Wildlife RefugeNarrows Pullout Bird-watching Parking AreaHighway 205, Mile Marker 22 (22 miles south of Burns)Google Map point: https://goo.gl/maps/YF1YJQgX4qx When: Jan. 19, 2016, 12:30 p.m. 2 p.m. Who: Birdwatchers, wildlife and nature enthusiasts, and supporters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, national wildlife refuge system and America's public lands Friends of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was founded in 1999 to conserve, enhance, and restore fish and wildlife habitat and cultural history in the Harney Basin in southeast Oregon through the support of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge staff and programs. It assists the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in providing wildlife-dependent educational and recreational opportunities while enhancing public knowledge and appreciation of the Refuge mission. It also advocates for support of the Refuge and the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 990,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: Pakistan on Monday lifted a years-long ban on video-sharing site YouTube after Google launched a country-specific version ensuring the filtering out of content deemed blasphemous. The Supreme Court in 2012 had ordered a ban on the site after the "Innocence of Muslims" was uploaded. The American-made film depicted the Prophet Mohammed as a thuggish deviant and triggered protests across the Muslim world -- including in Pakistan, where more than 20 people died in demonstrations. Blasphemy is a contentious issue in Pakistan and the country has seen violent riots sparked by content considered offensive to Islam. But last week Google said it had launched a localised version of the site in Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, meaning Pakistani authorities can now ask Google to remove content deemed objectionable. On Monday authorities said the ban had been lifted. "Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Monday directed the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to unblock YouTube with immediate effect," a senior government official told AFP. "The ban has been lifted after Google launched a country-specific version in which it would be possible to block blasphemous and offensive content," the official said. Wahajus Siraj, chief executive officer of internet service provider Nayatel Private Limited, confirmed receiving the instruction. He added that he had checked and did not find blasphemous content on the website, saying that some videos came up with a notification that they had been blocked. Google has said that it would review requests before taking videos down. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, the country's largest telecom provider, also announced the move on its Facebook page with a "Welcome Back YouTube" post. Islamabad had been in intermittent talks with Google for several years over the issue. Internet users in Pakistan, meanwhile, simply circumvented the ban using proxy servers and Virtual Private Networks. In 2010 Pakistan shut down Facebook for nearly two weeks over its hosting of allegedly blasphemous pages. It continues to restrict thousands of online links. Source: AFP There's a bit of a battle of the giant posters going on at the moment in the Joburg CBD and it's clearly got something to do with the local government elections later this year. The DA has two long, colour banners having a full go at the ANC. One says people should vote for the DA "for change that creates jobs", while alongside it, above a picture of our chuckling president, is the line: "More jobless under Zuma's ANC and counting..." Above it is what looks like a counter - clearly the unemployment counter. Two posters, draped on adjoining corners of the building, face traffic exiting the CBD. What is quite smart, apart from the place (catching the going home traffic when people are perhaps in a more pensive, reflective mood), is the clever - but very cheeky - colours used. The DA side is in the party's colours, while the one raising the unemployment issue is in ANC colours. Without casting any aspersions on either party or making any political comments, I think the DA's poster is good political marketing so it gets an Orchid. However, the government (which is run by the ANC) is also not lying down when it comes to innovative OOH (Out of Home or Outdoor as it used to be known) advertising. A massive, multi-storey banner has been hung down the side of the building housing the Gauteng government. It is not quite as well positioned as the DA one, because it faces north down Pixley ka Isaka Seme Street (formerly Sauer Street, where The Star building is located). The problem is the street is a one-way, so the huge volumes of traffic using it will be facing the wrong way. That said, though, the poster is striking, not only in its size, but also its design and last, but certainly not least, for its message. With wonderful warm pictures (a father and his child, hands reaching out to each and a young school pupil), the poster establishes an immediate human bond with the viewer. Headed Ntirhisano, which means "We Care. We Act", the banner goes on to make a serious commitment to "working with people to resolve service delivery problems". The way in which that will happen, the government says, is a three-stage process: Respond. Resolve. Grow. Placed on behalf of the Gauteng provincial government as well as the major municipalities in the province, the banner is, thankfully, much, much better than some of the neo-Stalinist, cult-of personality government ads we have seen in newspapers. Whoever put this up understands marketing and understands that the people of this province are the customers of the government, however much they may be a captive audience. It is a positive statement. Whether it will be followed up remains to be seen and we hope the catchy slogan of "We Care. We Act" doesn't return to bite the government in its nether regions; much as Standard Bank's "Simpler, Better Faster" did because it became the rallying cry of disgruntled customers in endless bank queues... The banner serves a dual purpose, too, of showing that when government does help people, it is a government run by the ANC. All's fair in politics, after all. So, Gauteng authorities, you get a marketing Orchid from me. I look forward to more of this type of work, harnessing our homegrown talent for our homegrown issues. Race is the hot-button issue at the moment and, well aware I will take some heat myself, I can't help but wonder whether the fact that the advertising industry is still largely lily-white and untransformed in this country has something to do with the fact that our people are drifting further apart. Let me explain. I have said many times - and I am certainly not the first to do so - that advertising can play an influential role in the development of a society, and particularly one like ours coming out of the ashes of a race-based system. The more we start seeing each other as normal people, with normal fears, desire and aspirations, the quicker will those artificial, all-in-the-mind barriers of colour come down. But that hasn't really happened. Almost 22 years on, where are the voices of the African creatives? Why are there so few African executive creative directors in our ad agencies? Where are the real South African ads, featuring black people in non-stereotypical poses? It's not only local ad agencies which are part of this problem, it's also the multinational brands, which, to save money, are using their "international" TV spots and even print executions. These almost always show white people. Black faces, ironically, have become fewer on TV screens during the ad breaks. And, when poor, angry people look at TV, they get their prejudices confirmed. I know I shall get hate mail for this, but if we want this country to work, we have to have the difficult debates - and sometimes whites (especially those in the ad business, bru, who proclaim themselves as liberal lefties) need to look around them. Non-racialism is a lot more than trying to sing the national anthem or about wearing black-white-white waistcoats, as did people at a well-known Joburg agency in 1994 (black and white on a zebra, bru, one can't survive without the other, geddit?) *Note that Bizcommunity staff and management do not necessarily share the views of its contributors - the opinions and statements expressed herein are solely those of the author.* Over the last three decades we have learned to love the internet and all it has brought to us, but many people find it odd to type anything other than .com at the end of a company website address. How did we get here? During the early days of the internet there was a need for a unified method of identifying websites. At that time the only method of identification was the numeric IP addresses used in the creation of websites. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was given the role of releasing and monitoring alpha-numeric domain names. During those early days, the only domain extensions available to the public were .com, .net and .org. In 2002, a few more were added. They were .biz, .info, .name and .pro. .com became popular because commercial businesses used it as their preferred extension. As more people became used to the name, all but .com and Country TLDs took a backseat. Organisations used .org and the other extensions were either largely ignored or snapped up by the owners of the .com variant to avoid cybersquatting. However by 2014, there were over one billion published pages. It was very difficult to find unoccupied .com names to use and businesses had to resort to dropping vowels off brand names to be able to find domains. ICANN changed this up in a huge way. In 2014, they released 1,300 new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) shaking up the domain registration space. This meant that people who were unable to find .com extensions for their preferred names could now look at other extensions. It is now common to find people using their preferred name in the first part of the domain and one of the new extensions for the part after the dot. It is still early days, so the general public will need more time to get used to these new extensions. As a simple example, let us say that you open an online health store. You found a truly awesome domain name but the .com version is taken. You can easily opt for the .health version. The people that will visit the online store will find it a lot easier to remember the name because of the new extension. This is good time for web owners as these new extensions make it easier for businesses to describe themselves and their business in a simplistic but creative manner. Here are some examples to get you thinking: Imagine a restaurant owner named Katy who was unable to register any .com variations for her business. She can now register katy.restaurant or eatkatys.restaurant A travel agent looking for a better domain name can go with thetravelling.guru A CPA expert can simply register toddjane.cpa There are no limits to the opportunity. Reasons to get a new gLTD As we have demonstrated above, the major reason you should embrace the new gtLD is that it makes it easy for you to find a domain name that fully describes what your business is all about, making it a part of company portfolio for branding. This will make it easy for your targets to understand or get the message about what you do; at one glance. In our first example above, a domain that says Katys.com is open to misinterpretation and it is only when an individual clicks through that they will be able to understand that it is the site of a restaurant owner. Katys.restaurant on the other hand removes all doubt. The second reason you should get new gTLDs is because of SEO. When delivering websites in search results, Google pays attention to URL. Having your industry or your area of expertise in your domain is, therefore, very important. In the past, the only solution in this regard was to risk lengthy domain names that may be hard to remember for most people. Today, however, you can have your industry in the first part of the URL and then have a description just after the dot. For instance, mathematics.com is unavailable and anyone seeking to tap into the mathematics keyword on a .com extension will need to be really creative to find a human and SEO friendly URL. With the new gTLDs however, mathematics.guru or mathematics.ninja are available and can get you higher in search results. They are also easy to remember and will be catchy for prospective visitors. Similarly, local businesses looking to draw in new local customers can benefit from the new geographic extensions. Many searches include locations so this could be a massive boost for your SEO. Think of the individual that uses voice search to find maths tutor London. The search results will most likely include the website with the URL mathstutor.london or any of its variations. The actual position in the search results will obviously still be dependent on the quality of content on the site. Hopefully you are now jotting down new domain names for your next website. You can register a domain at various different registrars. There are rules and restrictions guiding some of them but a large number are available to everyone. You need to look at all the opportunities that are available when you make a decision so be sure that you are going to also consider the new domain names. They might be exactly what you have been looking for. Take your time since there are many more extensions available than what you may initially think. As smartphone penetration reaches almost 40% in South Africa, so the interest in events technology grows, with mobile event apps topping the list in international events management trends for 2016. "However, what is interesting is the rise in the use of the words 'experience' and experiential'," says Teresa Jenkins, md of Litha Communications. "Technology offers marvels for events organisers, from pre-event registration and meeting requests to on-the-day comments and integrated reporting post-event, but it is precisely because of technology that people crave the humanness of face-to-face interaction. "Virtual meetings allow viewer participation across wide distances and even countries but the attention span of most participants is around 45 minutes, after which their attention flags and they move on to the next thing. Live events present more than just information; they provide socially rewarding exchanges between like-minded people in an atmosphere of excitement and involvement and that is where events management will take us in 2016. "High on the list is the ability to create and engage with a community before, during and after the event and here interactive websites, mobile apps and social media come into their own, extending the event past its once-off moment to a more long lasting relationship. Nevertheless, what they crave more than just this is a unique experience - the belief that what the event offers cannot be matched by an online encounter. "We have always believed that an event should incorporate an experiential element - from cosy corners in an exhibition hall to outings to heritage sites to enrich the delegates' encounters and create a customised event for clients. This demand will grow, as people want to move beyond the stagnant conference hall to enrichment, excitement and energy. "This craving for novelty will extend into the traditional association meetings and conferences, as delegates, satiated with research and information, expect richer and more focused learning experiences, coupled with tangible rewards. "A fascinating trend is the rise in the virtual goodie bag - instead of the conventional pen, brochure, and uninspiring gift, sponsors and marketers can extend the reach of their promotion through online offers that encourage post-event engagement, extending the marketing and sales opportunities post-event. Imagine an academic conference, which offered an online book token rather than another notepad and pen set. "In addition to the infotainment aspect of such a gift, there is also the reduction in wasted resources - the conference papers on a memory stick are far more likely to be reviewed than a printed tome. The memory stick offers the client the opportunity to add in other information, such as all the delegate contact details, expanded reviews, research etc. After all, how many water bottles, coffee mugs, caps or pens does anyone need? Spending money and effort on new tangibles will again add to the overall event experience. "An interesting note is that for the first time security is being mentioned as a key trend for 2016 in international events - a trend that South Africa has long since adopted, given its history. Key to this is the registration process, which can range from verification with the National Intelligence Agency, to RFID bracelets that not only welcome guests but also track their movements. "Finally, there is the question of evaluation - traditionally done at the end of an event, which serves as a benchmark for the next, now it is possible to acquire the information, as the event unfolds, through the real-time collection of actionable data. This also satisfies an audience that wants participation that is more active and allows for input into shaping events. "The year will be a challenging one for South African events industry but it offers potential to in-bound events, as the Rand's weakness makes it an attractive destination. I remain confident that budgets will continue to see the value and ROI that events offer against more conventional marketing efforts and set aside larger portions for conferences, events and exhibitions," concludes Jenkins. Litha Communications promotes its client's brand and message through successful, well-attended, well-publicised events that not only excite delegates, meet specified communication objectives but also further its passion for event greening and ubuntu in Southern Africa. It offers knowledge-sharing solutions, grounded in marketing practices, which move events beyond the mundane to speak to the hearts and minds of selected audience. It has been doing this since 1999, both locally and internationally, giving it an unparalleled expertise in events management. It achieves this through integrated project management systems that offer a seamless service that incorporates events management, risk management, environmental considerations, logistics, RSVP management and the marketing of client events, from pre- to post-event. From cyber risk to corporate responsibility, job creation and skills training - so important to national stability; the responsibility of the board of directors is increasing, as latest trends and new regulations reveal. Patrick Bracher & Dale Cridlan Although the obligation of a board of directors to manage the company includes directing others who can be relied on to do so, the responsibility of directors is increasing all the time. This results from the pace of change and from the increasing regulatory risks that grow exponentially by the year. Cyber risk All recent surveys place cyber risk at the top of the list. If the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill becomes law, not only electronic communications service providers, but also all financial institutions and any company that deals with data on behalf of a financial institution or its clients, will have cybersecurity obligations and a potential R10,000 a day penalty for breach. These companies will have to establish procedures to deal with cybercrime and inform clients what the risks are. If this is added to obligations under the Protection of Personal Information Act, where there are possible severe penalties and civil claims for loss of data, it is clear that time and money will have to be put into cybersecurity. It is daunting because if hackers can get into the CIA, it is clear that no system is hackproof. But directors will have to see that their companies install reasonable systems to cope with the risks they face. Electronic communications Better electronic communications is also the source of South Africa's commitment to the Common Reporting Standard. This was signed under an international convention on mutual administrative assistance in tax matters. Companies and individuals who have previously relied on the non-disclosure or non-detection of funds held offshore, will find that revenue authorities worldwide are now parties to this standard by which taxpayer information will be exchanged between countries freely. The information includes detailed information such as account balances and interest earned. There are about 70 countries (including jurisdictions such as the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey) which have already signed up. Collation of information has begun and it will be shared from 2017. 2016 is the time to act, possibly by availing oneself of the voluntary disclosure programme, if you do have funds offshore that have not been fully disclosed. Because there is so much new regulation coming out of parliament and government departments, there are not enough government officials to administer or police the regulations. The consequence is that government is placing more and more responsibility on the directors and executives of companies to do the policing for them. This often includes day-to-day control over third parties who act as agents for the company (agents for insurers, for instance). Corporate responsibility Corporate responsibility is finding its way into personal liability for directors and executives. The US Department of Justice recently announced its intention to "maximise the ability to deter misconduct and to hold those who engage in it accountable". This includes personal liability (including criminal liability) for directors and executives and other employees. There have been multimillion rand civil judgments against directors who have failed to fulfil their fiduciary duties in regard to major corporate transactions. A director can be found liable for a negligently managed poor merger transaction or missing a merger opportunity because of a breach of fiduciary duties. The Supreme Court in the US state of Delaware (the state where most US corporate regulation happens) recently found what they called 'aiding and abetting liability' for directors for unreasonable conduct in overseeing the sale of the company and in not properly managing their investment adviser who had serious conflicts of interest. The trend is finding its way to South Africa. The Financial Sector Regulation Bill now being debated in parliament includes a proposed section that if a financial institution commits an offence under a financial sector law, each member of the governing body of the financial institution also commits the offence unless they establish they took reasonably practicable steps to prevent the commission of that offence. In those terms, the provision is almost certainly unconstitutional. But directors who are knowingly parties to offences or negligent conduct by the company, can find themselves personally liable and there is an increasing trend to do so. Bill of Rights We all need to take more seriously the general obligation on directors to promote the purposes of the Companies Act that includes achieving economic and social benefits and promoting compliance with the Bill of Rights. The recent marches by the EFF reminded companies that when directors are considering who their stakeholders are when making major decisions, they include not only the company, the shareholders, employees, customers and the environment but may also include the many unemployed and unskilled people in this country. A concern for job creation and skills training is so important to national stability that it should form an active part of any business plan. It seems clear that some major issues such as carbon tax and contribution towards the national health insurance are not going to be on the statute books during 2016. So directors can save some of their sleeping tablets for the following year. Youth Dynamix (YDx), the specialist youth and family research agency in Johannesburg, has revealed a new awakening in the youth market that will change the landscape for brands Africa into and beyond 2016. This new movement will have an explosive impact on South African business. Much greater than any of the trends that have shaped the youth market in the past. Much more powerful than the mass-transition to SnapChat, the unbending power of music and the development of content marketing as the centre-pieces of all successful youth campaigns. The new awakening has begun... I'm talking about the newly awakened youth activism we've only just had a glimpse of recently when university students practically brought the country to a standstill and the government to its knees, abolishing fee hikes at campuses nationwide for 2016. [FEATURE] We look back the #FeesMustFall campaign which dominated headlines in 2015 https://t.co/etcN5wxbgB pic.twitter.com/5CnuVlfAT0 - Eyewitness News (@ewnupdates) December 9, 2015 This movement has been brewing for some time with students protesting against the slow transformation process at universities, the lack of transport to campuses, accommodation and tuition fees. But these demonstrations have been largely isolated to individual campuses and have resulted in relatively small gains. This all changed in October of 2015 when the youth realised just how powerful they can be when they unite. A new and unstoppable sense of awakening and purpose was born within this segment of the population. The youth have a newly-found voice that will amplify beyond belief! Since the school riots of the seventies and eighties, the youth has largely been a 'dormant volcano'. But as Andrea Kraushaar, Research Director at YDx explains, it's certainly not because they haven't had any major gripes... YDx's YouthTrax research has exposed a powerful monster ferociously growing in the undercurrents of the youth market over the recent years: 70% of the youth market are disillusioned about finding employment in SA, 55% believe the standard of education in South Africa is inferior to other countries, 74% say the government isn't living up to its promises, 49% are not confident about their future in South Africa, and 50% have considered leaving the country. This research has also revealed an extreme lack of confidence and self-esteem in young people... Possibly being the very reason we haven't always seen the same level of passion we saw recently across the country in the 'Free Education' movement. But now that the youth have discovered what they're really capable of, there's no turning back. This new awakening has armed them with the very arsenal they've been yearning for, for years... a voice. Youth marketers, beware! Jane Lyne-Kritzinger, MD of YDx, explains that powerful activism movements like the one we witnessed in October 2015 will become the new trend into 2016 and beyond. The youth will easily unify to create a force to be reckoned with, not just on campuses around the country, but first and foremost through social media - the digital platform they have grown up with, and are now able to claim as their own. Across Africa, social media has increasingly become far greater than just a way to connect with friends or getting news about the world. It doesn't only provide the youth with a platform to share their stories and get their opinions out there; but also gives them an extremely powerful voice and sense of solidarity and unity - even across borders. Word-of-mouth has never been this crucial as this young generation gains momentum as catalysts in their families, communities and society at large. With this newly discovered confidence and sense of purpose, the youth will quickly expose brands that step out of line. With over 50% of Africans currently under the age of 20 and Africa being the fastest growing continent in terms of smart-phone use, you can imagine the explosive magnitude of this voice. If you're not 100% au fait with the dynamics of the youth market in Africa, you could fall into a pitfall that could take your brand a lifetime to resurrect. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. On the day marking the 9th anniversary of the murder of Istanbul-Armenian intellectual Hrant Dink, a hate note was seen on the wall of the Galfayan Armenian School located in the Skyutar District of Istanbul. Armenpress reports, Agos Armenian Weekly informs about this. Unidentified persons made a note Armenian slave on the wall in front of the school. Police of Skyutar District of Istanbul launched an investigation. WAN-IFRA is launching its editorial leadership programme, Women in News (WIN), in the MENA region in March 2016. WIN is a four-year, multi-million Euro programme conducted in partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It addresses the gender imbalance in media, while mobilising the industry to create collectively an environment that supports conditions for women in media and their organisations, to succeed. Applications are now open until 31 January for women in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine who have editorial or senior journalist roles in newspapers or online news media organisations. Women from media companies in Jordan and Lebanon are particularly encouraged to apply. The editorial leadership programme includes one-to-one career mentorship and intensive training in media management and leadership skills. "The launch of the programme in the region is an exciting and much needed development," said Fatemah Farag, publisher of Welad el Baled in Egypt and a WIN steering committee member. "Audiences are demanding more from their news media and we need to ensure women have a voice by encouraging strong female leadership in newsrooms. WAN-IFRA's Women in News programme is an essential first step for establishing women leaders in the news industry." Southern African success The programme has seen success in other regions, notably Southern Africa, where 44% of WIN participants had been promoted in their newsrooms and 84% felt more motivated to remain in the industry, as a direct result of the programme. WIN works with newspapers and their high-potential female employees to overcome the gender gap in management and senior editorial positions. It does so by equipping programme participants with strategies, skills and support networks to advance their careers and contribute to the growth of strong local media enterprises. Through this initiative with its partners, WAN-IFRA raises awareness and provides practical advice to news media on the business case for diversity in leadership and how to create an environment that supports the progression of women to management positions. The Women in News Gender and Media Freedom Strategy combines WAN-IFRA's global experience in running advocacy and development initiatives in support of media freedom and democracy with the first-hand knowledge of the impact gender-based programmes can have on media and society. Candidates can apply in either Arabic or English, by visiting www.womeninnews.org. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. After the sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran have been lifted, the country will start the realization of all the intended projects with Armenia which had been suspended due to Irans financial problems. As Armenpress reports, Specialist in Iranian Studies Gohar Iskandaryan said the aforementioned during the meeting with journalists on January 19. Now Iran will finally build Meghri Hydroelectric Power Station connected with which Iran had no problems, except the financial ones. We can consider the project as completed; it will be brought to life presently. There are other joint projects as well, which are currently suspended due to financial problems, but they will be brought to life too, Iskandaryan said. Iskandaryan emphasized that the European countries and business centers have got into the line to sign new contracts with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Armenia, unfortunately, does not possess the finance to make investments and develop business plans. After the sanctions against Iran have been lifted, we will have all the projects that we planned, and connected with which Iran assumed financial responsibility to realize. On the other hand, Armenia does not have serious financial means to make investments and cooperate with the Islamic Republic of Iran, Specialist in Iranian Studies said. Regarding the Armenian-Iranian railway construction, Gohar Iskandaryan said that in her opinion it is not realistic to think that Iran would allocate $3,2 billion of its $50 billion assets to Armenia-Iran railway construction. But investment of part of the money by the Asian bank, another part by Armenia, and the third part by Iran might be possible. It must be a joint project, as it is within the interests of all the parties and Armenia in particular. Most of the sanctions imposed on Iran by the international community were lifted on January 16. Thus Iran is again a full-fledged member in the international cooperation in different sectors. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Vice President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Chairman of Armenia-Czech Republic Parliamentary Friendship Group Eduard Sharmazanov, who is on a working visit to the Czech Republic, met with Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of Czech Republic, Jan Hamacek, on January 18. Armenpress was informed about this from the office of National Assembly Vice-President Eduard Sharmazanov. It was mentioned with mutual satisfaction that the bilateral inter-parliamentary relations develop dynamically and actively. The sides positively assessed the close cooperation between the Parliamentary Friendship Groups and commissions. Eduard Sharmazanov highly appreciated the assessment of the incidents of 1915 as genocide by Jan Hamacek during his Yerevan visit in December, 2015. Sharmazanov stated that the Czech Republic was the first country where an exhibition over the Armenian Genocide was organized under the auspices of the parliament. Vice President of the National Assembly also expressed gratitude for the unanimous adoption of the resolution on the Armenian Genocide by the Chamber of Deputies of Czech Republic. The interlocutors also referred to regional developments. Sharmazanov mentioned that Turkey does not implement its international commitments, which, in his words, may lead to serious threats for the region. Speaking about Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the National Assembly Vice President stated that the problem must be solved by exclusively peaceful means. Any militaristic rhetoric of Azerbaijan, as well as any attempts to settle the conflict by force is condemnable. I think that the peaceful divorce of the Czech Republic and Slovakia that took place in 1993 can serve as an example for Azerbaijan, Eduard Sharmazanov stated. Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of Czech Republic mentioned that the Czech Republic supports the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-chairs aimed at the peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia reconfirmed Armenias readiness to continue the political dialogue with the European Union. A France 3-Evening 3 newscaster apologizing for the program's broadcast of a video falsely attributing atrocities to Burundian security forces The argument over atrocities committed in Bujumbura, the capital of the East African nation of Burundi continues. Who is responsible and why is it happening? Western policymakers, press, and some Burundian opposition figures accuse the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza, and call for an intervention by African Union troops that Burundi has said it will respond to as invaders. The government denies that it attacks civilians and accuses the opposition not only of terrorist attacks but also of attacking civilians so as to blame the attacks on the government and heighten pressure for military intervention. Two days before the UNHCHR released his statement, a French public television program titled "The Evening 3," on the Channel France 3, aired a video of several men being hideously murdered and mutilated with machetes and reported that the murderers were Burundian security forces in northwestern Burundi, on land owned by President Pierre Nkurunzizas party. Yesterday, however, France-24s The Observers team debunked that report in their own titled, How a French TV channel aired fake footage of a 'massacre in Burundi ." They reported that a Belgian lawyer who represents some of the opposition in Burundi, gave the footage to France 3, which France 3 confirmed. France-24s Observers Team also said that the France 3 report, titled "Proof of acts of violence in Burundi, alleged that the footage had been filmed on January 11, 2016, but that they had found a longer version of the video posted on YouTube on December 22, 2015. France 24s Observers also reported that the language heard in the video is neither Kirundi, the official and majority language of Burundi, nor that of Burundis neighbor DR Congo. It is instead Hausa, a language spoken in West African nations which are thousands of miles from Burundi. Also on 01.15.2016, the France 3 channel's Evening 3 news program removed the video from its website and broadcast this apology: "Lets go back to our Wednesday evening broadcast on Burundi during which we showed excerpts of a video depicting abuses which were said to have been shot at the beginning of the week in Burundi. Authentication of the images is in question and it appears that the video is older and that it was shot in a West African nation and not in Burundi. We of course hope that you will be willing to accept our apologies." (BMCR) publishes timely reviews of current scholarly work in the field of classical studies (including archaeology). The authoritative archive can be found atThis site was established to allow responses to reviews through the comments feature; all reviews from August 2008 have been posted and comments were allowed from 2008 until 2018. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. According to the instruction of Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan, assistance programs for the Syrian-Armenian families by Yerevan Municipality and the capitals administrative districts will continue in 2016. Armenpress was informed about the aforesaid by Information and Public Relations Department of Yerevan Municipality. Municipality provided financial and material assistance to 1400 Syrian-Armenian families in need, 72 of them were provided assistance in the framework of "Erebuni Yerevan 2797" celebration in 2015. More than 160 Syrian-Armenian families living in the capital are included in the state social assistance programs. More than 700 Syrian-Armenian schoolchildren, as well as those attending kindergartens under Yerevan Municipalitys subordination are permanently in the center of attention. The children and youth are actively engaged in educational and cultural events. The heads of the staffs of the capitals administrative districts also assist the Syrian-Armenian families living in Yerevan. In the statement, the NMSP urged ethnic armed organisations (EAOs), political parties that contested in the 2015 elections, and civil society organisations to work cooperatively toward the establishment of nationwide peace. NMSP Chairman Nai Htaw Mon in an interview with MNA said: We will continue to work for peace until peace is achieved. The international community is also lending a hand for peace to succeed in the country. We will work hard to form a genuine union. The new government has the ability to continue holding talks for peace, said NMSP Chairman Nai Htaw Mon in an interview with MNA. The released statement also outlines the partys slated future goals regarding unifying ethnic Mon people, cultivating closer ties between different ethnic nationalities, ensuring tripartite political talks for peace, and establishing a sustainable, multi-party democracy and democratic rights within a genuine federal system. According to Nai Htaw Mon, although the NLD-led government will assume office soon, political reform remains burdened by the 2008 Constitution. He said: This means that the new government in office is from the democratic party and can be a democratic government. It is good if we talk about these good qualities. But peoples expectations have not yet been met. This is because we are still in the environment of the military-led 2008 Constitution. The NMSP Chairman stated it will not be easy for the NLD government to initiate reform of the 2008 Constitution. He said that the process depends on negotiation and communication between the new administration and the Tatmadaw, or Burmese Armed Forces, and that without amendments to the constitution, the public will not be satisfied. Elected CEC members at NMSPs 9th Congress (Photo: Nai Aye Mon)Elected CEC members at NMSPs 9th Congress (Photo: Nai Aye Mon) The NMSP and other groups have yet to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement adopted by the government and eight EAOs last year due to criticisms of the documents lack of inclusivity. The party asserts that it will continue to stand by the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), a coalition of 11 armed ethnic groups including the NMSP, that will hold talks with the incoming NLD administration. Recently NMSP members voted in elections for the party's top leadership at At the NMSPs 9th Congress held from 27 December to 4 January. 122 party representatives, 18 observers and 10 advisors attended the congress according to a press release. Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI 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 YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. CIS member states are intensifying their efforts to countering the threat of terrorism. Armenpress informs, citing TASS, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, Sergei Lebedev, told the journalists about this on January 19. Lebedev added that a range of meetings are planned with the heads of the special services of the CIS countries in the current year. I am not amused by fat jokes but I will say this: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is probably not the best messenger for this. If he is elected president, Christie told 11-year-old Jacob Royal on Monday while campaigning here in Iowa, he can go back to eating whatever you want to eat" at school. "The first lady has no business being involved in this, Christie told Royal during a town hall at a Village Inn, a restaurant chain that Christie said is a favorite of his to frequent when he comes to Iowa. Using the government to mandate her point of view on what people should be eating every day is none of her business, it just isnt, Christie said of Mrs. Obama. Christie went on to say that he wants everyone to healthier meals, but that is somewhat contradicted by his telling an 11-year old boy that should be able to eat whatever he wants. I can tell you from experience that if you tell an 11-year old boy that he can eat whatever he wants, he's going to eat pizza, french fries, and cheeseburgers every day. But more importantly, 11-year-olds are going to eat that every day if that is their only choice. Creating a healthy school lunch program is not about Big Government telling kids what to do; it's about looking out for them when no one else can or will. There are millions of American children whose only significant meal of the day is the free or reduced-price lunch they receive at school and some people believe, myself included, that we have a duty to ensure that children have an opportunity to eat the right thing at least once a day. The school system I attended as a child served pizza and french fries literally every single day. Your choices were either that or whatever mystery meat/slop they were serving on that given day. Most kids chose the pizza because it was a known quality while the "hoagie on a bun" was dubious at best. None of us were convinced the chicken nuggets actually contained chicken. It's possible things have improved since I last attended a public school system in 2001, but I would generally say we serve children pure shit at schools in this country. First Lady Michelle Obama should be applauded for making an effort to improve it. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley devoted a significant portion of her State of the Union response to slamming the tone of GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, but records show Haley has accepted donations from Trump several times. via Roll Call According to a search of contributors on the South Carolina State Ethics Commissions website, Trump gave Haley $1,000 in July 2010 and $2,500 two months later. In October 2011, not even one year into her governorship, Trump donated another $3,500 to Haley. Furthermore, in 2012, The State newspaper in South Carolina reported that Trump had donated to a 527 group called the Movement Fund that is supportive of Haley and had tax-exempt status. According the organizations first quarter report in 2012, Trump gave $5,000 to the Movement Fund. One could certainly argue Trump has changed since 2012, and it's true that he has become more radical, but even at that point Donald Trump made headlines by dispatching his "investigators" to Hawaii to uncover the untold truth of President Obama's birth. Are those investigators still in Hawaii? Trump regularly brings up campaign finance during his stump speeches where he strikes a populist tone against politicians who say one thing and do another. Trump is also guilty of saying one thing and doing another, but GOP voters don't seem to care. Haley has made his point for him. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. The public Council of the Republic of Armenia issued a statement over the formulations made by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, which referred to the subjects of the Ottoman Empire. We, members of the Public Council of the Republic of Armenia, having a deep sense of respect towards the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as towards Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, find it necessary to issue a statement over a number of formulations made by the latter on January 7 in an interview with TV journalist Dmitry Kiselyov on Rossiya TV channel. The claim made by the Patriarch that the Ottoman Empire was the guarantor of order and peace for its subjects raised questions among nations that where once under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Patriarch Kirill mentioned about the conquering of Christian Byzantine by Muslims as a historical example of negative relations between the Christian and Muslim civilizations, forgetting to mention the ethnic belonging of those Muslims. Thus, we find it necessary to remind that Byzantine was conquered by Ottoman Turks, and the Ottoman Empire was formed as a result of just that conquer. And the Patriarch brought the example of precisely that same Ottoman Empire, insisting that allegedly no one eliminated Christian nations there. In the recent years Turkey aims to form a romantic image of the Ottoman Empire in Russian and many other countries, demonstrating it as a tolerant state that was very attentive to all the demands and rights of its subjects. Unfortunately, Turkish lobbyists had an impact on some representatives of Russian academic circles. There is no need to once again walk along the bloody path of the history of the Ottoman Empire, which has left incurable wounds in the Balkans, Caucasus and the Middle East. Those wounds can definitely be regarded as the testimony of the inhumane policy and genocides implemented by the Sultans and the Young Turks. During its existence the Ottoman Empire waged bloody wars with its neighbors, conquered and lost territories, devastating huge territories and eliminating 100s of thousands of indigenous peoples. A top totalitarian system with no precedence was created during that period, which became the cornerstone of Turkish state policy. Forceful Turkization and Islamization of Balkan peoples, Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and other peoples: This is the success of the Ottoman plan. The genocide of 1.5 million Christian Armenians living in their historical motherland, as well as the genocides of Greeks and Assyrians, devastation and plunder of the entire Christian population and its rich cultural heritage in the territory of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey is a historical fact, which is not a subject for doubt or denial. Moreover, the Armenian Genocide was accompanied by deprivation from its historical, God given motherland. The Ottoman Empire was, and now the modern Turkey is Russias geopolitical adversary, and the latest developments in Syria are the best examples for that. The leadership of the Russian Federation has a clear stance over the genocide perpetrated against Armenians, which has been confirmed by Russias legislative body. RF President Vladimir Putin, together with the president of a number of other states, participated in the remembrance ceremony dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. But the justification of the state policy of oppression and genocide by the Ottoman Empire, keeping silent over the disastrous consequences caused by the Ottoman Empire, and, what is more, such an interpretation of the history have nothing in common with the historical reality. We always listen to the sermons delivered by Patriarch Kirill, perceiving it as a demonstration of universal benignancy, finding absolute truth and justice in them. We are convinced that the failed example of Patriarch Kirill about the tolerance and coexistence of Christians and Muslims in the Ottoman Empire is just a slip, away from truth and justice. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Remembrance event dedicated to the 9th anniversary of the murder of Istanbul-Armenian journalist, founder and editor in chief of Agos newspaper Hrant Dink took place in Yerevan. A New Awakening NGO operating in Istanbul and Hrant Dink foundation conducted a petition at the Yerevan Municipality aimed at naming one of Yerevan streets after Hrant Dink. Dozens of citizens joint the petition. After conducting a silent assembly for nearly one hour at the Yerevan Municipality, the organizers submitted a request to the Yerevan Municipality calling to name one of the streets of Yerevan after Hrant Dink. In an interview with Armenpress, Yerevan representative of A New Awakening NGO Nshan Kyuregh mentioned with sorrow that no large-scale events or protests are conducted in Armenia on the remembrance days of Hrant Dink. It would be very desirable if the political parties of Armenia organize events or protests dedicated to the memory of Hrant Dink on these days, like it happens in Istanbul. Now our goal is to success in naming one of Yerevan streets after Hrant Dink, because we do not hear the name of Hrant Dink very frequently in Armenia. I would like very much that in 2017, which is the 10th anniversary of Dinks death, political parties of Armenia become more active and organize large-scale activities, he said. After submitting the results of the petition and the request to the Municipality, the participants walked in the direction of the Republican Square. Participants of the event reached Mashtots Avenue chanting Armenia remembers you, We are all Hrant, Street, struggle, freedom from where they took the direction to the Republican Square from Amiryan Street. Petition went on at the Republican Square. Numerous citizens joint it. The event dedicated to the memory of Hrant Dink ended at the Republican Square with a candle-lighting ceremony. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Russias air force in Syria destroyed 23 fuel tanker trucks heading for Turkey. Armenpress reports, citing TASS, Russias Defense Ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told about this on January 19. Konashenkov also said Russias combat aircraft have destroyed an oil pumping station in the Syrian province of Raqqa and a convoy of fuel tanker trucks in the province of Aleppo. "During the operation to undermine the sources of terrorists criminal incomes, Russian warplanes have destroyed a large depot of fuel and lubricants and an oil pumping station in the province of Raqqa over the past four days," the spokesman said. Also, Russias air reconnaissance detected a convoy of fuel tanker trucks near the settlement of Herbol in the province of Aleppo carrying smuggled oil towards the border with Turkey. During its air raid, the Russian bomber Su-24 destroyed 23 fuel tanker trucks, the spokesman said. Konashenkov also stated that more than 60 Islamic State militants were killed in Russian air strikes in the Syrian province of Dei ez-Zor, where Islamic State massacred about 300 civilians. "Russian Su-34 bombers delivered air strikes at terrorists strongholds in the vicinity of the settlement of Bgelia in the Dei ez-Zor province, where Islamic State militants massacred about 300 civilians to intimidate the local population," he said. Apart from that, three trucks with munitions and two Jeeps with ZU-23 artillery systems had been destroyed, he added. With its gorgeous port and lively nightlife, Hydra is Greece's answer to St-Tropez and Portofino. Instead of the characteristic whitewashed cubes, Hydra townreached directly from the port city of Piraeus via a 95-minute hydrofoilhas stunning Venetian- and Genoan-designed gray-and-white mansions and a decidedly Greek, but appealingly cosmopolitan, atmosphere. With its gorgeous port and lively nightlife, Hydra is Greece's answer to St-Tropez and Portofino. Instead of the characteristic whitewashed cubes, Hydra townreached directly from the port city of Piraeus via a 95-minute hydrofoilhas stunning Venetian- and Genoan-designed gray-and-white mansions and a decidedly Greek, but appealingly cosmopolitan, atmosphere. Tsoureki () is a rich sweet bread known as the traditional Greek Easter sweet bread. It is similar to French brioche but with t... Airbnb Co-hosting on Hydra island Greece If you have an apartment, house, studio and you are looking for a co host to manage the arrivals and departures of the guests, contact me through the contact form above. I live year-around on the island and I have been working on tourism for many years. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. About 3,500 people are being held as slaves by Islamic State in Iraq. Armenpress informs UN Report on the Protection of Civilians in the Armed Conflict in Iraq informs about this. Despite their steady losses to pro-government forces, the scourge of ISIL continues to kill, maim and displace Iraqi civilians in the thousands and to cause untold suffering, said Jan Kubis, special representative of the U.N. secretary-general for Iraq, The report was produced by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It is largely based on the personal testimonies of victims, survivors, Iraqi security forces and other witnesses. Islamic States slaves are mostly women and children from the persecuted Yazidi sect, the report says. It presented stories of women sold in Islamic State territories for prices ranging from $500 to $2,000 each. Between 800 and 900 children were abducted by Islamic State and forced to train as fighters, the report found. Those aged 10 and under were forced into religious-training camps, while those aged 10-15 were trained as combatants. Last October, the group beheaded two men and shot dead a 15-year-old who had attempted to escape an area under its control. Nearly 19,000 Iraqi civilians were killed and more than 36,000 wounded as a result of Iraqs continuing violence from January 2014 to October 2015, it said, including more than 2,000 deaths in Baghdad province. More than one million children were displaced. The extremist group targets religious minorities in Iraq and Syria who refuse to adhere to its strict interpretation of Islam. YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Radio Liberty Azerbaijani Service has confirmed the information that world famous human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has offered to take the case of jailed Azerbaijani famous journalist of Radio Liberty Khadija Ismayilova to the European Court of Human Rights. Ismayilova, an RFE/RL contributor, and her lawyer are said to be considering Clooney's offer. Armenpress reports that Clooney, famous for taking on several prominent cases in recent years in such countries as Egypt, Armenia, and the Maldives, defending people imprisoned on charges often seen by human rights groups as politically motivated, told NBC about the upcoming trial. Ismayilova was sentenced in September 2015 to 7.5 years in prison on charges of avoiding taxes and abused her official position. Nevertheless, her case is widely viewed as being trumped up in retaliation for her reports linking family members of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to massive business and real estate holdings. Defence lawyer in the murder case of the late Fairgrounds Holdings Chief Executive Officer Michael Montshiwa, has argued that his clients should be charged with illegal possession of a gun. Bampoloki Seeiso of Bobididi ward in Mogoditshane and Tumelo Tshukudu of Phase I in Gaborone West were arrested in connection with the murder of Montshiwa last month. The defence lawyer Enock Mazonde made the argument during a bail application by his clients before Village Senior Magistrate, Ike Raphael. They were denied bail. Mazonde said the investigating team had no solid grounds to further remand the accused. Mazonde said it is unfair for his clients who should be charged with possession of illegal firearm to be remanded in custody while the main suspect, David Modise is out on bail. He said since the last appearance of 29th December 2015, the team had not attended to his clients until the 7th January when they took the second accused. With the alleged sensitivity and seriousness of this case, a lot could have been done from the last time we were here including searches at the accused places of abode. But that has not been done, Mazonde argued. The state prosecutor, Ernest Mosate had earlier told Magistrate Raphael that certain discoveries have been made and that investigations were still at a sensitive stage and incomplete. Mosate said that he could not disclose the discoveries to court as they could jeopardise the investigations and that another suspect was still at large. Mosate argued that the accused should not be released because of ongoing investigations that are highly sensitive. He also told court that they have certain disclosures that they are not ready to reveal in court because they could jeopardise the investigations. He said the accused could only be released once the investigations are complete. Mosate said they have made certain discoveries that he was reluctant to reveal in court. The friend to second accused is still at large, he said. Delivering his ruling, Raphael said he had considered the gravity of the offence, interference with investigations and strength of prosecution case. He also said he considered the interest of the society. The accused are expected to appear again next week Tuesday before the same Magistrate for mention. According to the charge sheet, the duo and two others who were not before the court on or about October 18 2015 in Gaborone, acting together and in concert murdered Montshiwa. In the last court appearance, Investigating Officer (IO) in this matter, Detective Superintendent Sergeant Marapo, revealed that the rifle which was used to kill Montshiwa, was bought from Seeiso by another accused, Modise, with the assistance of Tshukudu. Modise has since been granted conditional bail of P10 000 on Christmas Eve by the same court. He was Montshiwas attorney. The IO indicated that prior to the purchase of the rifle, Tshukudu and Modise allegedly travelled to Mafikeng in South Africa to buy a pistol for Modises self-protection. He said this however, could not materialise as the person whom they wanted to buy the gun from did not show up. The court heard that Tshukudu advised Modise to buy a rifle from Seeiso which he did at a cost of P2 500. According to Marapo the rifle was delivered on October 17 2015, prior to the day Montshiwa was shot at his house in Block 6 in Gaborone. When the gun was delivered, another suspect, who is a male South African national, Wilfred Mpolokeng was reportedly in Botswana including on the night of the shooting and has since crossed to his country, said the IO. Marapo told court that the two men cannot qualify for bail as they are currently before Broadhurst Magistrate Court charged with robbery, breaking into a car and theft common. He said they have missed some mentions and had warrants of arrest on their names. Modise on the other hand is facing two charges of murder and stealing by agent. Marapo told court that Modise was the last person to communicate with Montshiwa, 28 minutes before the fatal shooting. He explained that police investigations revealed that between June 30 and October 17 2015, Modise who was Montshiwas attorney, withdrew about P245 000. The money, the IO said, was entrusted with Modise for the purchase of a plot for Montshiwa in Mogoditshane. When Montshiwa realised that the money was missing from the trust account, he communicated with Modise demanding to see him at his house on the night in which he was killed, said Marapo. Modise will appear for another mention on January 25, 2016. Batswana have been urged to take advantage of the privatisation of Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTCL) as it is a major opportunity for citizen empowerment. BTCL Chief Executive Officer, Paul Taylor raved this week: Initial Public Offer BTCL is here and it belongs to us all. No Motswana should be left behind in this lucrative business. BTCL shares were opened to the public on Monday this week. Government has finally decided to sell part of BTCL to local investors in line with its privatisation policy of 2000. Taylor, who was speaking during a Kgotla meeting in Thamaga village, said 462 million shares are up for grabs. He said the shares cost P1, 00 each and will be available for purchase until 4 March 2016 at 5pm. You can get copies of the Prospectus at all Barclays Bank Botswana branches, the companys headquarters, select Botswana Post branches, BTCL retail outlets and select Choppies retail branches. The Prospectus contains information on how BTCL shares will be bought, talks about the companys strategy and also contains the application form that one has to fill. The CEO stated that minimum participation is P1000, 00 and there is no maximum. Taylor explained that BTCL would start trading on the Botswana Stock Exchange on the 8th of April 2016. He said that for one to participate one should have the Prospectus so that one could understand the business that one is investing in. He said this is the chance for citizens to buy a piece of BTCL. The sale of BTCL shares marks the first concrete step by government to start privatisation. Minister of Transport and Communications, Tshenolo Mabeo - under whom BTCL and another seven parastatals falls- said the sale of BTCL shares will be recorded in the countrys history books as the time government made Batswana part of BTCL. He called on Batswana to buy the shares even those in rural areas. Batswana will never go wrong if they buy these shares. I know the performance of this company. It has been under my ministry like other parastatals. The future is there at BTCL so every Motswana should ensure they get a piece of this company. We are looking at Batswana as individuals then Batswana companies. I urge all Batswana to buy these shares so that at the end of the year when we declare dividends they know they have something for themselves. BTCL is profitable than any other communications company, Mabeo stated. Anumber of policies that the current government has come up with in recent times have the potential to create the much-needed jobs and diversify the economy, but there is need for commitment by those entrusted with power. This is the message that is coming out loud and clear from the multilateral lender, International Monetary Fund (IMF), in their note to the Southern African country which has technically entered a recession for the first time since the economic slowdown of 2008. This latest praise from IMF is perhaps a relief for the government, which has in the past been bashed by the Washington-based lender for keeping a bloated civil service and lacking in diversity. In the recent past the mining-rich economy has passed the Special Economic Zones Act, which among others will ensure that regional-based economic opportunities are identified and benefit the local communities. The Act also calls for favourable tax rates for companies which will choose to invest in SEZs. Under the SEZs Act, it will be less cumbersome for companies to apply for such things as licensing and land for operation. This development, according to a team of IMF economists led by Enrique Gelbard, will go a long way in ensuring that the country expands at a much faster rate and attains the status of a high income economy. However, the team that spent two weeks in Botswana last December said the country must also be cautious on tax incentives, which will be extended to companies setting up in SEZs. Current President and a former army commander, Ian Khama, who is also the SADC chairperson has announced a historic Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) whose main focus is to boost economic activities in the landlocked country. The Plan includes tapping into foreign reserves to fund projects in construction, agriculture and manufacturing sectors, among others. After muted economic growth, it will seem the economy will bounce back in the medium term. This is if the IMF team is to be believed. Economic growth is projected to pick in the next couple of years, supported by the gradual recovery in the global diamond market, low domestic rates and the impact of the governments stimulus package program, said the report which is contained in the IMF website. The country is planning a number of medium term measures aimed at picking its social and economic status, which will be included in the next National Development Plan (NDP) 11. These include efficiency in public investments, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), establishing independent regulators, improving the quality of water and power supplies, reducing skills mismatch as well as enhancing profitability in state companies. Government has announced plans to invest in high-value projects through its investment arm - Botswana Development Corporation (BDC). It has also established the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) to ensure that the education sector services the labour market with right graduates. While governments PPP initiative is off to a slow start, more and more regulators are in the offing such as the water and electricity authority. The above reforms, together with a gradual scaling up of public investment over the next decade, have the potential to generate employment and diversify the economy away from diamonds, noted the IMF, whose head office is under the watch of Christine Largade. Botswana, like most commodity exporting nations, is currently experiencing a slide in external revenues. For a country like Botswana, which depends on diamonds for its national budget, this development could put it on slippery ground. The fall in commodity prices has been caused by Chinas reduction in metals orders caused by a slowing economy. However, the IMF team believes there is no need to press panic buttons yet as the country is well positioned to stem such external challenges. Thanks to a sizeable fiscal and foreign exchange savings, the country is well-positioned to weather the current slowdown, stated the report. However, the team emphasised that any government Thebe spent on projects has to be for a worthy cause such as for promotion of growth and human capital. During their stay in Botswana the team met with finance and development planning minister, Kenneth Matambo, his Permanent Secretary Solomon Sekwakwa, Bank of Botswana Governor, Linah Mohohlo, senior government officials and representatives of the private sector and development partners. In another development, Matambos ministry is busy putting final touches to the 2016/7 budget speech, which will be presented early next month. The budget comes in the backdrop of a tight economic landscape coupled with deficits, slow economic growth and declining mining revenues. When the heat became unbearable for the Francistown High Court Judge, Kholisani Solo on Tuesday in Francistown, he had no choice but to recuse himself from a case he was presiding over. The Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) had applied for his recusal in a case in which one of its members, Levy Holonga, had taken the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) to court for allegedly dismissing him unfairly. According to the court order made in his chambers Solo said, In view of comments I have made and having listened to senior Counsel, I recuse myself. This follows hard on the heels of court proceedings late last year in which Justice Solo threatened to charge Holongas lawyer, Otto Itumeleng with contempt of court. This time Itumeleng had roped in Advocate Sidney Pilane to fight on Holongas corner. BOPEU president, Andrew Motsamai and other members of the union attended the session. Holonga is a former Airport Operations Officer. On the 24th November 2015, Justice Solo refused to recuse himself from the case insisting that his recusal will have to be laid down in full in accordance with the law. If the application is valid I will recuse myself. Why would I listen to a matter in which I have an interest in, said Solo last year. He explained further saying that he has no idea if there are any links between himself, CAAB and BOPEU. At the time, he directed the applicant to file and submit heads of arguments of the matter and file comprehensive documentation showing links between himself to the CAAB and BOPEU within 14 days. He also said that the documentation must be admissible. He then made an order that a lawyer from the Attorney General Chambers (AGC) appear in court as amicus curiae (friend of the court). This is in the best interest of the court that the matter be dealt with in a just way and properly in terms of the law, he said. The tussle between Holonga and Justice Solo emanates from lack of trust. This results from newspaper reports that Justice Solo in September last year allegedly signed a solidarity letter in support of the three Judges suspended by the President. Justice Solo later withdrew his signature from the petition he had signed. According to media reports, he apologised to the President and pledged allegiance to him claiming that he had signed the petition due to group think. In his application for Justice Solos recusal, Holonga is quoted in one of the local newspapers saying, These allegations, if proved to be correct will definitely compromise the standing of his Lordship (Solo) as an impartial adjudicator in cases where the appointing authority who is also the head of executive, has an interest, as the case in the present matter where I am suing CAAB. The Business Side of Green Blog is where Peter Arpin gets to interact with the community on an ongoing basis. Here, Peter will share his thoughts and ideas when it comes to helping our community move towards a more sustainable future. Peter is also looking for your ideas and thoughts to promote and share through the Arpin Broadcast Network and its affiliates, Arpin Group, Arpin Van Lines and Arpin International Group. The word for Art is Community [art.taco@hotmail.com] Editor-in-Chief: Luis Gottardi, Senior Correspondent: Malcom Johnson, Contributors: Maida Millan, Arthur Fried Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/01/2016 (2465 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. There has been little work done on the First Street bridge in the last three weeks because the province failed to get an access agreement with the landowner. On Dec. 30, Canadian Pacific Railway discovered construction equipment operating on its property near the bridge, according to CP Rail spokesman Andy Cummings. We did not expect (the machinery) to be there, Cummings said. We asked the contractor to cease work. Upon further investigation, it appears there was a miscommunication that led the contractor, who was working on behalf of Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation, to believe an agreement was in place with CP, when in fact it was not. Tim Smith/Brandon Sun Machinery sits idle underneath the First Street bridge on Monday afternoon. The province signed an agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway on Friday to gain access approval for the CP land under the south side of the bridge. Nineteen days after the originally cease work request, CP and MIT reached an agreement that will allow PCL Construction to ramp up demolition. It is very important for anyone performing work on railroad property or near any railroad right-of-way to be in touch with the railroad before commencing work, Cummings said. Both train operations and work in support of those operations may need to use that property as well, and its important we are ensuring those operations do not conflict with one another or create a safety issue. While the agreement was finalized on Friday, equipment at the site was idle yesterday. The Brandon Sun could only see one employee who appeared to be checking generators on site. Theres going to be lots of activity on site very quickly, said Ruth Eden, MITs executive director of structures. Demolition should start probably within a week or so. Eden refused to describe the situation as a work stoppage, but did say that it was slowed. It was just in the vicinity of the rail line where the work ceased and then the contractor slowed down in other areas, but they were still doing some work on site, Eden said. Were working with PCL to get them back on track and to get them going and get progress going as quickly as possible. Eden said it took that long to get reach an agreement with CP because the design for the project moved quickly and some details werent available until recently. When asked if the construction company was frustrated with the delay, Eden said that was a question better suited for PCL Construction. Theyre never when they hit a job they want to go, Eden said. Shane Jones, a spokesman for PCL Construction, said any questions about the project will have to be answered by MIT, as they are the owner/client. ctweed@brandonsun.com Twitter: @CharlesTweed Well, 2015 has come and gone. The great news? 2016 is here! With each year comes new reasons to visit different countries around the world. Here's my take on which countries you need to visit in 2016. 1. Bolivia The only land-locked country in South America, Bolivia is still considered the "third world" by many. But with more and more infrastructure being built in the Andean nation, visits to the world-famous desert of Uyuni or a trip to the silver mines of Sucre are getting easier and easier. La Paz is very high and cold, but cities like Cochabamba and Santa Cruz are much more tropical. You can find direct flights from the U.S. departing from Miami. 2. Colombia This was also on my list of countries to visit in 2015, but if you didn't get there last year, the thought still stands: Colombia is awesome, and you should visit. From the beaches of San Andres and Cartagena, to the perfect weather of Medellin, to the bustling capital city of Bogota, Colombia is wel l worth a trip. With JetBlue and Spirit flying direct from the States (and it only being a 3 hour flight from Miami), you really have no excuse. 3. Cuba This seems to be on everyone's list, but as (most) of the travel restrictions from the U.S. to this small island nation were lifted this year, you can now travel without special permission from the U.S. government. While straight tourism is still officially a no-go, you may now visit for journalistic or humanitarian purposes. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer and write about the country for your new blog, and this country is rich with culture, beaches and food. 4. Myanmar Once isolated, Myanmar is starting to pop up as a hot vacation destination in Southeast Asia. There have been nice hotels here in Burma since the turn of the century, and the Communist government has been a lot more open to tourism in recent years. Spend time on the beaches in Nabule, or get inspired by the beauty of the Buddhist te mples and shrines dotting the country. No matter what your vacation style, there's something for everyone to explore and enjoy in Myanmar. 5. The United States You don't have to leave the country to find some amazing travel destinations! The U.S. is a vast and beautiful place with so many different kinds of vacation spots that are both cheap and easy to get to. Test out a new city this year - take a tour of my hometown of Austin, or check out the new hip neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Chicago or New York. No matter where you roam, there are new experiences waiting close to home. This article first appeared at Brad's Deals. Source: Top five travel destinations for 2016 Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/01/2016 (2465 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Brandon School Division will allow students infected with head lice to remain at school, assistant superintendent Mathew Gustafson said Monday. The division has joined the list of school boards across Canada rethinking their approach to the issue as health agencies say there is no medical reason for kids infected with head lice to stay away from school while getting treatment. Protocol published by Manitoba Health in July 2014 advises that the risks associated with not attending school are greater than the risk of a child transmitting head lice to others. We dont have a policy on head lice, but there is a reference in procedures that need to be updated, Gustafson said. In a story last week, Shannon Whaley, a public health nurse and resource co-ordinator with Prairie Mountain Health, said theres still some perception that there still needs to be a no-nit policy. Thats not the case, and is also not supported by Manitoba Health, she told The Brandon Sun. Currently, a BSD policy appendix titled Prevention of Communicable Disease-Infection Transmission advises that schools exclude infected students until treated. That, Gustafson said, will come before a policy review committee and then be forwarded to the board of trustees. In the interim, BSD wont send students with head lice home. In terms of this situation, schools will be following the Manitoba Health protocols, he said. (BSD schools) will be working with families to support them providing them that information, helping them to access community resources, including public health. Schools will also consider their prevention methods, which Gustafson said may including discouraging students from bringing stuffed animals to school and hanging up things like coats instead of letting them pile up. Its more about supporting students than exclusion, he said. On Monday, Lon Cullen, the CEO of YMCA Brandon, said their before- and after-school programs follow the guidelines decided upon by the BSD. Currently, a parent handbook requires children discovered to have lice to be picked up immediately. tbateman@brandonsun.com Twitter: @tombatemann Baking and cooking my way through the cold Alaska winters keeps me from getting cabin fever. With the help of my husband and our three dogs, we manage to maintain our sanity through adventures in our kitchen and our hometown, Fairbanks. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/01/2016 (2465 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. CHARLOTTETOWN According to a December article in the National Post, defeated prime minister Stephen Harper is earning some additional praise from the Conservative party caucus for taking his seat in the Official Opposition benches of Parliament and exercising his voting privileges. Reportedly, he intends to stay on as MP for Calgary Heritage for some time. But should a vanquished Canadian prime minister return to the cutand-thrust of the House of Commons? Why would Harper want to do that? And at closer inspection, is it really a good idea? One also wonders whether hell be doing the grunt-like work of meeting with ordinary constituents down at the local coffee shop or mall. I highly doubt it. Its just not his style or disposition. However, he could bring his valuable experiences as prime minister for almost 10 years to the partys interim leadership. No one in the Loyal Opposition right now knows the policy files better than he does. As one aspiring party leadership candidate, Milton MP Lisa Raitt, observed recently: I know that he has told our leader, Rona Ambrose, that he is open to having conversations with anybody and I am looking forward to having my chat about what he thinks we should do in on the finance file I think hes a great resource. In recent memory, it is not customary for former prime ministers, who are not exactly used to being just powerless, regular MPs, to sit in the House for an extended period of time. Lester Pearson, Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien and Paul Martin all quickly and quietly departed the political scene. It is true that John Diefenbaker did attend House sittings as a valuable contributor to debates and discussions right up until his death in 1979. And Joe Clark, of course, stayed around long enough to not only end up in Mulroneys cabinet, but also to resume leadership of the Progressive Conservative party again in 1998. But the general rule of thumb is for ex-prime ministers to respectfully exit the political stage. And Harper, after some initial soul-searching, would be wise to do so himself. Indeed, Harpers presence in the House would certainly make things awkward to say the least for interim party leader Ambrose. That would be especially so if the governing Liberals sought to exploit any daylight between what Ambrose is saying today (particularly if its during question period) and what Harper said when he was heading the Prime Ministers Office. It would also be troubling if Harper insisted on playing a key role in influencing the partys ideological leanings, its messaging or its institutional machinery. Can you imagine the mood in the Conservative caucus room if Harper chose to correct the record or push back against his detractors, to raise serious doubts about any proposed change in the partys policy direction or to lash out at those who dare to challenge his political legacy and personal integrity? Needless to say, the Conservative party does not need an internal power struggle between the still-loyal Harperites and those who wish to turn the page on the Harper era. The party really does need to make a clean break with its past if it hopes to have any chance of returning to government in four or five years. But Harpers presence could make that task far more difficult. With Harper hanging around and possibly garnering media attention, it does make it incredibly challenging for the Conservatives to change their image, tenor and branding. Lets be realistic here: the federal party desperately needs to put some distance between an emerging new style and the Harper record (which voters soundly rejected on Oct. 19). Clearly, it needs to go in a direction that is starkly different than the previous Harper period; one with a softer face and tone, greater openness, less secrecy and devoid of top-down control, more welcoming to others and one that is less ideologically rigid. Simply put, the party brain trust needs to get Harper as far away from them as humanly possible. With the House of Commons set to resume sitting on Jan. 25, the last thing that the Conservative party needs is for an unpopular former prime minister to be sitting on the Opposition front benches. It would be much better for everyone concerned if Harper would quietly fade into the background and to reject any urge to make his presence felt in Parliament or the partys caucus. Peter McKenna is professor and chair of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. His article also recently appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press. There are a few irate Swedes in Gothenburg at the moment. It seems they don't like the new piece of snow grafitti that has popped up recently. The offending artwork is a giant snow penis and was drawn on some snow that had fallen onto the ice in a park in Sweden's capital city over the weekend. The thing is, park officials have been approached by locals to remove it, but as they approached it they decided that the ice was too weak to support their weight. So it'll be there until it thaws, some time in the spring. Giant snow penis causes headache in Sweden: https://t.co/VblG2MXVhy pic.twitter.com/X5UNYCICrW Brett Rosner (@Brosner85) January 18, 2016 Darko Brankovic, director of Gothenburg's Parks and Landscape Administration, said: "They judged that the ice would not stay put. They did not dare to go out on to the moat and consequently the artwork is there until thawing weather returns." A beady-eyed local, Ake Lindgren, took a snap of the drawing from his apartment window and the 79-year-old said: "The penis is still there, I can still see it. But it is still a bit dangerous right now." The city's mayor, Anneli Hulthen, made her feelings clear on Twitter: "I can't comment in a way that makes sense. Or, in plain language, who cares?" H/T: thelocal.se By David Raleigh Two Limerick brothers, charged with possession of 50,000 worth of heroin, have been remanded in continuing custody. Brian and Kieran Collopy were arrested last December after Gardai swooped on a house in Limerick city and found the drugs. The brothers were arrested in a planned Garda operation at the house at St Ita's Street, St Mary's Park, on December 15. Today, at Limerick District Court, the two accused men were told that books of evidence - being complied by the Director of Public Prosecutions - were at "an advanced stage". Sergeant John Moloney, Henry Street Garda Station, added: "The books of evidence are not available yet, but my instructions are that (the books) are at an advanced stage." At a previous special sitting of the court in Kilmallock, Co Limerick, the Collopy brothers were refused bail after the State raised concerns that they may be leave the jurisdiction and not face trial on indictment. Det Garda David McGrath said Brian Collopy, Killonan, Ballysimon, Co Limerick, had left Ireland 11 times in 2015, and that gardai believe he is a "genuine flight risk". Mr Collopy, (aged 43), who is in receipt of a disability payment, made nine trips to Alicante in Spain and visited the UK twice during 2015. His younger brother Kieran (aged 40), St Itas Street, St Marys Park, was in Spain four times in the past year and made one trip to Prague, the court heard. Both men are charged with possession of heroin, contrary to Section Three of the Misuse of Drugs Act. They are also charged with possession of heroin with intent for sale or supply, contrary to Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Today, Judge Mary Larkin remanded both men in continuing custody, for preparation of books of evidence, to appear before Limerick District Court again, on February 2. The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has denied that he took part in any form of "an illegal scam" as far back as 2013 to hide the car emissions scandal. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin is quoted a New York Times report that suggests Enda Kenny assisted German Chancellor Angela Merkel to delay and water down new European laws on emissions. Update 2.30pmThe body of Christina Lavin has been located. Gardai wish to thank the public for their assistance in this matter. No further action is required. Gardai wish to renew their appeal for the publics assistance in tracing the whereabouts of a missing Dublin woman. By Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner Political Editor The Government has appointed former chief justice John Murray to review legislation allowing access to journalists phone records. Ministers agreed at their weekly Cabinet meeting to appoint an independent expert to examine the legislation. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald revealed that Mr Justice Murray will undertake a review and compare international practice and law to Ireland's rules in light of the decision of GSOC to tap the phones of a number of journalists. Ms Fitzgerald brought a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday on a planned review of GSOC powers and how it may be carried out. The review, however, will not be confined to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission, but also An Garda Siochana. One of the jobs for Justice Murray will be to assess if any legislative change is required. Earlier, former press ombudsman John Horgan said investigating officers should be required to seek prior approval from a judge or senior legal figure before they can access journalists phone records. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said changing legislation allowing GSOC to access journalists phone records may be necessary to protect sources. Frances Fitzgerald has said she has no role in the process of requesting or authorising access to telephone records under the legislation. By David Raleigh A Limerick man who was previously extradited to Ireland from Bulgaria to face trial for intimidating, and threatening to kill another man, has pleaded guilty to intimidating the man. Today, Senior Counsel for the State, John O'Sullivan told Limerick Circuit Court, that the Director of Public Prosecutions had accepted Vincent Collopy's plea to intimidating Willie Moran, in June 2010. Mr O'Sullivan said a nolle prosequi would be entered on a charge of Mr Collopy threatening to kill Mr Moran, meaning he will not face trial on that charge. Today in court, Mr Collopy, from St Senan's Street, St Mary's Park, Limerick, admitted "intimidating or putting William Moran in fear with the intention of obstructing, perverting and interfering with the course of justice". Mr Moran, a horse trader from Limerick, was to be a witness for the State against Mr Collopy. Mr Collopy, who was dressed in a shirt and tie and a black Crombie, was "renditioned" from Bulgaria to Ireland in May 2014 to face the charge of threatening to kill Mr Moran on June 9, 2010. Mr Collopy is currently on bail and subject to an international travel ban. He was arrested by police in Bulgaria in May 2014 on foot of a European Arrest Warrant, which was issued by the High Court in 2011. He was selling swimming gear to holidaymakers from a beach shop front in Bulgaria at the time of his arrest and subsequent extradition. In 2015, Mr Collopy lost an application to vary the terms of his bail after he sought to take his "dying father" on a last holiday to Morocco, where European arrest warrants are not recognised. Mr Collopy said he had been residing in Stillwater Drive, Manchester, before moving to Bulgaria where he rented a beach shop. He added: "I was living over there (Bulgaria) with my wife and children. She was working as a building company manager. I was renting a beachfront shop, that sold swimming gear." Today, a probation report was ordered on Mr Collopy and he was remanded in continuing custody for sentencing on March 15. Passing sentence, Judge Carroll Moran said Mr Moran said it was hard to imagine a more serious offence than attempting to attack the fabric of the administration of justice, and it could not be tolerated. It was an attempt to undermine the courts and criminal justice trials in Limerick, judge Moran said. Judge Moran said an attempt was made to get Willie Moran to a solicitors office to withdraw his statement. A convicted killer has been jailed for life for beating dissident republican Larry "Bomber" Keane to death in a lane-way after what was his second murder trial. Seamus Morgan, 49, with an address at The Hollands, Athy, Co Kildare was charged with murdering Laurence Keane, 56, in the town on July 19, 2013. Last week at the Central Criminal Court Mr Morgan pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Keane. Today a jury of three men and nine women found Morgan guilty by unanimous verdict of murdering Mr Keane in Athy over two years ago. They had deliberated for a period of three hours and six minutes. Morgan was sentenced to eight years in July 2005 after a jury found him not guilty of murder, but guilty of the manslaughter of 29-year-old James Hand, who was stabbed to death outside a Dublin pub. He had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Hand, of Mountjoy Square, Dublin 7, on or between August 22 and September 5, 2002, at The Meeting Point pub on Dorset Street Upper. In 1998 Keane himself pleaded guilty to having 980lb of an explosive mixture and devices, with the intent to endanger life or enable another to do so, at Dun Laoghaire port on April 2 of the same year. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail but the term was reduced to 10 on appeal. The court heard that the explosives were twice the size of the bomb used by the Real IRA in Omagh in 1998. Gardai believed that the likely target of the Real IRA was the Aintree Grand National. Mr Justice Robert Eagar thanked the jury for "the clarity of their concentration in the case" and the amount of "thought" they had given to it. Mr Justice Eagar then exempted them from jury service for a period of four years. Counsel for the State Mr Tom O'Connell SC then called Detective Sergeant Sean Boland from Newbridge Garda Station to take the stand and asked him to tell the court about Morgan's age, background and previous employment. He is 49 years of age, a single man who is originally from the Athy area of Co Kildare and lived for a period of time in Dublin, said Detective Sergeant Boland. The court heard Morgan has two daughters from a previous relationship. He is unemployed and did at some stage in the past work as a chef. Around the time of this incident he was unemployed and living on his own, said Detective Sergeant Boland. The court heard Morgan has been in custody since April 23, 2014 and has eight previous convictions ranging in date from May 1991 up to and including July 2005. Most of them are related to public order issues but the most relevant one from July 04 2005 was when he was tried for murder at the Central Criminal Court but convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to eight years in prison in Mountjoy. Mr Justice Eagar then sentenced Morgan to life imprisonment and backdated it to April 23 2014. Prosecution counsel Mr Tom OConnell SC read a Victim Impact Statement to the court on behalf of the Keane family. Little did we know on the morning of July 18, 2013 as day turned into night how our lives would change forever. This is a day in our lives we will never forget, read counsel. The court heard Larry Keane was "a father, a grandfather, a brother, an uncle and a friend to many people. Counsel read that Mr Keane was always in good humour, talkative and an outgoing man but he was also a vulnerable, frail and disabled man who was helpless without the aid of his walking stick. Larry lost his life in the most traumatic way, not far from the home he shared with his son Laurence, we will never know what his last words or thoughts were, read counsel. The court heard there was now a void in the familys lives that can never be filled. It is a nightmare what we will never be able to wake up from. Our life sentence began on that 18th day of July 2013, read Mr OConnell. The court heard the family expect to see Larry sitting at the foot of the Barrow bridge in his native town of Athy as they pass day by day. Mr OConnell then read that the family would like to thank the person who had the presence of mind to call 999 on the night. By David Raleigh A man has been killed in a single-vehicle road accident in Co Limerick today. The fatal collision occurred between Junction 28 and 29 on the M7, between Annacotty and the Ballysimon Road, around 10am this morning. A crashed black Renault Laguna was discovered by members of Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service who were first on the scene. The car had crashed through a railing and into a ditch. The male driver of the car, believed to be aged in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured and no other car was involved in the collision. Three units of the Limerick city fire service attended the scene along with Gardai and a HSE ambulance crew. AA Roadwatch has cautioned people to avoid the area between the J29, Ballysimon and the J28, Castletroy. To see this post on Facebook, click here. Gardai have closed the road pending the outcome of an examination of the crash site by a Garda Forensic Collision Investigator. A post mortem will be carried out on the deceased's body to try to establish an exact cause of death. Elaine Loughlin, Political Reporter Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald has denied the decision to hold their Ard Fheis on Easter weekend is a cynical attempt to claim the commemorations as their own. The party are to hold their Ard Fheis in Dublins Convention Centre on April 22 and 23, on the eve of the centenary of the 1916 Rising. Defending the decision to hold the Ard Fheis on those dates Ms McDonald said: You might more properly say that having the Ard Fheiseanna run through January is a cynical attempt to grab a bit of attention ahead of an election if you were to address that question to the other parties. We will celebrate this centenary fully, inclusively; we celebrate it as Irish republicanism and the weekend of our Ard Fheis will mark to the day almost the centenary of the rising and of Easter week, she said. The party decided against holding their Ard Fheis before the General Election as they risked missing out on television coverage if Enda Kenny announced a date before that. Ms McDonald added: Those that accuse us of trying to wipe their eye or to take possession of the legacy of the rising it seems only a concern for them this year, we have celebrated and commemorated Easter and everything that the Proclamation means every single year. A suicide bomber who targeted a police checkpoint in north-western Pakistan has killed 11 people. Local official Iqbal Khan said another 17 people were wounded in morning blast this morning, which took place on the outskirts of Peshawar on a road leading to neighbouring Afghanistan. The dead include police, civilians and at least one child. He said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, who struck as a local police chief arrived at the checkpoint. No-one has claimed the attack. Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistans volatile tribal regions, which have long been home to local and foreign Islamic militants. NEW DELHI: India has raised the price at which it will buy new season wheat from local farmers in 2023 by 110 rupees... KARACHI: Sectors like textile and cement that hold contracts to export abroad could benefit the most from making the... A new lawsuit filed in a Manhattan court Tuesday by the Oneida Indian Nation says the state Gaming Commission's selection of Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre, Seneca County was illegal and should be nullified. According to court documents provided by the Oneidas, attorneys for the tribe contend the Gaming Commission's selection process was "ad hoc, subjective and result-oriented" and didn't abide by standards established in the Upstate NY Gaming Economic Development Act, a measure that was signed into law in 2013 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The Oneidas reiterated that if Lago is built in Tyre, it will cannibalize revenues from existing upstate gaming facilities, including the nation's Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona and Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango. Members of Casino Free Tyre, a group of town residents opposing the $425 million project, are listed with the Oneidas as petitioners. "When the Oneida Indian Nation and a majority of New Yorkers supported the measure to expand gaming, we supported a very clear law one that mandated a review formula requiring new gaming facilities to prove they will create new jobs, rather than simply cannibalizing local economies," the Oneidas said in a statement. "That new law did not empower the Gaming Commission to create an arbitrary make-it-up-as-you go licensing process that allows commissioners to change their review criteria on a whim. This lawsuit is simple: we are asking the court to force the Gaming Commission to enforce and respect the law that it is responsible for upholding." A spokesman for the state Gaming Commission declined comment. Last month, the state Gaming Commission awarded Lago a license to operate a casino in New York. The Oneidas' lawsuit was filed four days after a beam signing ceremony was held at the Lago construction site in Tyre. Lago is expected to open in early 2017. In a statement, Lago spokesman Steve Greenberg said the latest legal challenge is part of the Oneidas' "all-out assault against competition." "The Oneidas are moving ahead with yet another lawsuit despite the well-considered, lawful actions of the New York State Gaming Commission, the indisputably significant economic benefits Lago will provide for the region and the state and the overwhelming support for Lago among public officials, business leaders and the public," he said. PARIS: Qatar, the controversial host of the football World Cup, is a key US ally in the Middle East that is rich in... SENECA FALLS | By adding Harriet Tubman's likeness to its walls, diners at Cafe XIX are now surrounded by 10 female icons whose influential mid-19th century achievements continue to inspire today. On Monday, Generations Bank President Menzo Case and marketing officer Katie MacIntyre unveiled the roughly 3-by-3 stylized image at the cafe of the Civil War heroine, suffragist and humanitarian. Tubman "hung out" with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Case said. Thanks to some "schooling" he received this fall from the event's guest of honor, Pauline Johnson Tubman's great, great grand-niece the bank president said the idol "spurs us on to greatness." "It's our pleasure to put this in our collection," said Case. "It's long overdue." The artwork joins like-sized images of women's rights pioneers: Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Julia Howe, Amelia Bloomer, Martha Coffin Wright, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt. "I love the dream that they had for women," cafe owner Casey Galloway said. "It's an honor to come in here every day and remember that." To commemorate the moment in the cafe, named in a nod to the 19th Amendment, the Women's Right to Vote, Johnson talked about her forebear. Speaking gently of "Aunt Harriet," who 13 times, as an escaped slave, guided her southern relatives north to Auburn and Canada, Johnson discussed the Underground Railroad. She referenced its intricate network of "stations" and "terminals" and the "stationmasters" and "conductors" who used passwords and coded language to ensure a safe journey for passengers. "This network guided thousands of freedom seekers to new life," she said. "Her courage and stamina made her a legend." Harriet Tubman Boosters Club President Laurel Ullyette told the small crowd Tubman believed in equality of all people, and supported the women's rights movement in speeches she gave in Washington D.C., Boston and New York City. Ullyette remarked the unveiling was appropriately celebrated on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Like King, she said, "Harriet had a dream too." Reading from Sara Bradford's biography, "Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman," Ullyette read a quote attributed to Tubman. "In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can't seem to get there no-how. I can't seem to get over that line." "But," Ullyette said, "she did finally get over that line. She vowed she would fight for liberty as long as her strength lasted." Unity House of Cayuga County is progressing plans to house three men with developmental disabilities, including two registered sex offenders, at a Route 34 property in Sennett. The Auburn-based support agency purchased the property, at 7102 North Street Road, for $207,000 during the last weeks of December, according to Liz Smith, executive director. With the parcel, Unity House intends to engage residing individuals with programming activities, such as searches for employment or volunteer opportunities and psychological therapy on either an individual or group basis, according to the executive director. Smith said she expects the facility to commence programming in February following several renovations. These renovations include the installation of around three new bedroom windows as well as electronic alerting devices to the house's windows and doors, she said. "These are three individuals who are really looking forward to finally moving into a house they can call home," Smith said. "We're putting the (alerting) devices in because we felt it was a strategy to demonstrate to the community that we understand their concerns. The reality is they're not a necessity." Over the course of the project's development, town residents and officials have expressed concerns with Unity House's plans to house sex offenders at the group home. Town Supervisor Peter Adams could not be reached Monday for comment. The facility is about one mile from Dilaj's Motor Inn, which is used by Cayuga County Department of Social Services for homeless housing, including sex offenders. Smith reiterated the differences between the two in an interview Monday. She said the Unity House group home will be supervised by trained staff every day while structured programming and stable housing will significantly minimize the risk of re-offending. Unity House does have plans for another, similar group home in Cayuga County, but Smith said not much progress has been made to date with the agency focused on the Sennett facility's development. She said the second facility would not be located in the town. "If I were somebody in the town of Sennett, I would continue to engage in dialogue with the county about what they could do with Dilaj's," she said before adding, "I really do believe that the community will find that we will be good neighbors. Once we move in and we get into our routine, you really probably won't notice that we're even there." Like Smith, Ray Bizzari said he understands the town's concerns with the area's sex offender population, but believes "there isn't a good alternative." Bizzari, director of the Cayuga County Department of Social Services, said he is unaware of any plans by the county to pursue an alternate housing option to Dilaj's. He called the motor inn an attractive option due to its location relative to any schools or parks. "There isn't any place that we could put sex offenders that would be better than any other place," Bizzari said. As for Unity House's plans for the Route 34 group home, Bizzari said he would have liked to see his agency more involved with the process. In general, the county social services department provides emergency services to support at-need individuals. Bizzari said the social services department was not given an opportunity to prepare specific programming in case it is required at the Unity House group home, but the office will respond as needed. "This isn't about Unity House," he said. "It's really, again, about these things that happen and they don't include the people that make sure it works alright in the conversation." KYIV: Several explosions were heard Monday morning in Kyiv, exactly a week after Russian missile strikes on the... HIT: To local events that celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and Auburn Public Theater were all sites that hosted events in commemoration of King on the national holiday weekend that honors his contribution to American history. The Auburn/Cayuga County Chapter of the NAACP also has its annual Millennium Awards luncheon coming on Friday. These opportunities to reflect on King's work and teach our children about his story and the importance of the Civil Rights movement are a tremendous community resource. Thanks to the many individuals and organizations who worked hard to make these events happen. MISS: To the case of car break-ins at the Skaneateles YMCA parking lot. Police in Manlius have arrested two Florida women over the weekend in connection with the rash of break-ins at the community center in Skaneateles in which people's valuables, cash and identifications were taken. Kudos to police agencies in the region who worked together to investigate the case and track down the suspects. It's unnerving to hear about these types of crimes, but it's also a reminder that we need to be careful when it comes to protecting our valuables. HIT: To the finalists of The Citizen Masters bowling tournaments. The month-long men's and women's tournaments wrapped up another weekend of competition and are now down to eight competitors remaining. The final matches will take place Saturday and Sunday at Cedar House Lanes in Skaneateles. MARCELLUS | On a cold January day, the foyer of the Marcellus Grange Hall felt chilly as the air seeped in through the lack of heat. But, inside the main part of the hall, it was nice and warm both the temperature and the atmosphere. At one table, a group of women worked on putting what they call "fillers" sheets, blankets, mattress pads or whatever else they can find over a bigger quilt or comforter to make a sleeping bag. At another table, three women stitched a sheet over the top of another sleeping bag to form the place where the user enters the bag in order to sleep in it. The group calls themselves the Ugly Quilters a moniker based on the the national Sleeping Bag Project of which the local Grange group is a part but for the homeless people who receive the bags, they are quite beautiful. For the past 20 years, Mary Widger said, the group of women has gotten together every Thursday afternoon at the Grange Hall to make sleeping bags to distribute to the homeless and other items for those in need. She said the group does not purchase the materials it uses to make the sleeping bags either the quilters and sewers among the group bring in their own, or people in the community are so used to the group's work that they donate their leftovers. "All these things are donated. We don't buy anything," Widger said. "People know we do this." After the group finished rolling up one of the three sleeping bags slated to be made that day, Widger explained how each one comes together. It starts with firmer fabric for the bottom a comforter or heavy blanket or quilt, for example then the fillers come next to make the sleeping bag warm and the sheet goes over the top of it all. Widger said the group then places gloves, mittens, a hat and a blanket inside the sleeping bag, along with a sweater or flannel shirt, socks, toiletries and a devotional book. Finally, the sleeping bag is rolled up, and donated men's ties are sewed on to the outside to tie it all together. Widger said the group has made 30 sleeping bags so far this year working from October to April each year with an eye toward putting together 75 before they are done. The sleeping bags typically end up at the Salvation Army in Syracuse, though Widger said a couple of the women live in Skaneateles and knew where the sleeping bags could be used in Auburn. "We just distribute them wherever they can be used," she said. But, the Ugly Quilters don't stop at making sleeping bags, Widger pointed out. Though Thursdays are dedicated to making sleeping bags, she said the group also makes items for children and babies to take to places such as New Hope Family Services and Pregnancy Care Center in Auburn. "We get a lot of extras," she said, noting that people within the group and within the community make the items to donate to the group's mission. The group also makes procedure dolls to distribute to patients at Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse, Widger said. "The reason they like these is the dolls have no features," she said. "The doctor can show the patient where the procedure will be done." Among the other work, the group makes hats for premature babies and lap robes for the elderly at The Centers at St. Camillus and the Van Duyn Center in Syracuse, as well as sending the items to the Salvation Army. "If we know of anyone that could use something, we are very happy to distribute that to them," Widger said. Of the members of the Ugly Quilters, Widger said many of them have been a part of the group for all of its 20 years. Some are newer, and others have passed away or moved on. The group takes its name from The Sleeping Bag Project headed by the My Brothers' Keeper Quilt Group of Hop Bottom, Pennsylvania, which calls its products Ugly Quilts. That group, according to a pamphlet, began its work in 1985 when the Wheatley family derived the cost-free process of making sleeping bags from scrap materials and discarded clothing and assembled the first one. The Marcellus group, Widger said, started its mission when somebody in the community approached the women and showed them how to make the sleeping bags. Twenty years later, the group is going strong and never runs out of materials thanks to the community's generosity with donations. "People always want to get rid of things and get new things, I guess," she said. "It's just amazing." The 10 women who came Thursday is "a low number," she said, and typically the group numbers around 14, though some go south for the winter. People can just show up if they are available to help, and nobody has to call if they cannot make it. "They just get along so well," Widger said of the group. "It's very casual." And in case one thought it was all work and no play for the Ugly Quilters, Widger said the women take a break around 2:30 p.m. for tea and cookies. "We consider it a good community service," she said. "The ladies all enjoy themselves, and we're helping somebody." Tax on investment earnings from superannuation could be abolished without any impact on the public purse, if done in combination with moving to a progressive system for taxing contributions that would also be fairer for low and middle income earners. That is the view of the SMSF Owners' Alliance, which has supported a version of a proposal before government to replace the flat 15 per cent tax on super contributions with a progressive tax. The SMSF Owners Alliance has written to the Treasurer backing the push to a progressive tax regime on super contributions, says the lobby group's Duncan Fairweather. Credit:Daniel Munoz Under SMSFOA's plan, money paid into super would be taxed at a discount of 15 per cent to the individual's applicable marginal income tax rate, a suggestion made in a proposal unveiled by accounting and advisory firm Deloitte in October. "However, the Deloitte proposal did not include dropping the tax on earnings in the accumulation phase so would actually help raise more money for the government, which we don't think should be the focus of super tax reforms," SMSFOA head of research Malcolm Clyde said. One of Australia's hottest-selling products, infant formula, has been caught up in the market woes about the health of China's economy. Shares in some of Australia's most-popular infant formula brands have plummeted in the past month amid increasing concerns from analysts that the world's second-largest economy will cool further this year. Phin Ziebell said demand for infant formula in China should continue to remain strong. On Tuesday, Beijing said fourth-quarter growth was less than expected while China's economy expanded 6.9 per cent in 2015, the slowest pace in 25 years. Trans-Tasman producer, a2 Milk, has fallen 26.7 per cent to $1.58 in the past four weeks, while Bellamy's Organic has eased 14.6 per cent to $13.22. This compares with the S&P ASX 200 Index shedding 8.3 per cent in the same period. Sacked workers at Clive Palmer's failed Queensland Nickel plant in northern Queensland have been told they may not receive their full entitlements, now that they rank as unsecured creditors of the company. A meeting of union representatives and the newly-appointed administrators on Monday night was told the company is $70 million in debt. This is nearly three-fold the $25.3 million owed in mid-2015, when QNI Resources, the operating unit of Queensland Nickel, last ruled off its accounts. At that time, directors described the group's debt position as "minimal". As a result, directors said they were "of the opinion there are reasonable grounds to believe the group will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due and payable". On Monday, the group collapsed, with the appointment of administrators FTI Consulting. The capital express route linking Canberra with Singapore and Wellington will take off from September. Singapore Airlines is announcing on Wednesday the international flights, as the first carrier to fly directly to Canberra from overseas. Singapore Airlines coming: Time spent on the ground in Canberra could be as little as an hour. The first flight will land in September, subject to regulatory approval, but tickets will go on sale from next week. It will be known as the Capital Express route. The thumping victories by Tsai Ingwen and her political party the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) in Taiwan's elections last Saturday are a breath of fresh air. They are similar, in this respect, to the revitalisation of democratic politics in Latin America, with sweeping victories for the political opposition in Venezuela and for Mauricio Macri and the Let's Change Party in Argentina. Nothing like this has happened in China since the election of the Constituent Assembly in 1912, which was aborted by the old imperial general Yuan Shikai, ushering in a century of warlordism, civil war and totalitarian government from which China is yet to emerge. Hello there: Newly elected Taiwanese President and Democratic Progressive Party chair Tsai Ing-wen. Credit:Getty Images Taiwan escaped Communist takeover in 1949 and has evolved a long way since then. It set an economic example to the Communist Party decades ago and is now setting it a brilliant political example. While China under Xi Jinping is going backwards politically, Taiwan has just demonstrated that its democratic politics are real, that genuine regime change is possible by completely peaceful means, and that merit can rise to the top. On Thursday, January 20, 1965, Sir Robert Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia, issued a press release, drafted in his own hand in lead pencil on quarto paper. "I have given careful thought to my future in the light of what seems best for the government and the country ... I have decided to resign from the prime ministership forthwith." Prime Minister Robert Menzies holds his last press conference in Canberra on 20 January, 1966. Credit:Stuart MacGladrie A notable premiership thus came to an end. He had been prime minister for over 18 years, more than twice as long as any of his predecessors. Of his successors, John Howard alone has held the post for more than a decade. He had been at the centre of Australian national politics for three and a half decades, half the history of the Commonwealth up to that time. Actress Janet Hubert, who played Aunt Viv in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has reignited an old feud with Will Smith in the wake of the Academy Awards controversy. In a video posted to YouTube on Wednesday, the 60-year-old criticised Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her campaign against the Oscars, describing the couple as selfish. Janet Hubert played Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for three years and had a long-running feud with Smith. "For you to ask other black actresses and actors to jeopardise their career and their standing in a town that you know damn well - you don't do that," she said. This means the burden of negotiating and financing a likely ransom may fall on the Elliott family and third parties, according to experts and authorities. The statement comes as the Australian government is presented with limited options to help because of a long-standing policy against financing ransom payments. The family of kidnapped Australians Ken and Jocelyn Elliott have issued a plea to the West African captors, calling for them to "strive constructively for peace" and release the couple. "The Elliotts would urge those who have taken Ken and Jocelyn to strive constructively for peace to the benefit of all people in the region and release their parents safe and sound so that they may continue to assist those who are in need of their services," the family said on Tuesday afternoon. The pair were abducted from their home in northern Burkina Faso on the weekend and, it is believed, taken across the border into Mali. The kidnappers are from an extremist group called Emirate of the Sahara, a branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb. The group is known for seeking revenue through ransoms and, according to security specialist Clive Williams, the best thing the government can do is get out of the way as their no-ransom policy and lack of local expertise mean they have "very little to offer". "It's better for them to disengage from any contact with the kidnappers and let a private contractor do the work for the family," Professor Williams said. Australia will probably seek to make contact with the extremist group through local authorities and groups in Mali and Burkina Faso. That anxious rustle you can hear is the sound of the Liberal Party wringing its hands. Preselections for the NSW branch in the Senate and government-held seats opened on Tuesday and with it a whole can o' worms. Choosing who gets preselected is fraught at the best of times. But as we head towards the next federal election, there are some special cases. Teachers in almost 300 Queensland Catholic schools considering going on strike as soon as next month have lost a legal battle to set an out-of-office email reply to inform people of their industrial action. Ballot papers will be sent to 9601 teachers from 288 schools on Friday, asking them to vote on whether to take industrial action including day-long work stoppages, a ban on "non-contact time" duties and staff meetings, and delays in responding to emails. Brisbane's All Hallow's school is one of 242 Catholic schools affected by Thursday's strike action. Credit:Michelle Smith It was that email action in particular, the setting of out-of-office messages informing people of the industrial action the Catholic school employers baulked at. They successfully appealed to the Fair Work Commission to have the phrase "will include an 'out of office' message on their email referring to protected industrial action as the reason for the delay in responding" removed from its ballot question. Queensland's small to medium arts organisations can breathe a small sigh of relief after the state government announced changes to the organisational funding model. Historically the state government has funded arts organisations triennially, but changes announced this week will see the small to medium arts companies, like La Boite Theatre Company, Expressions Dance Company, Southern Cross Soloists and others around the state, apply for funding every four years. Todd MacDonald takes over as the new Artistic Director and CEO of La Boite Theatre in January 2015. The changes bring the state government's funding cycle for small to medium organisations in line with the federal government's arts funding model. Until now, small to medium organisations applied for state funding every three years and federal funding every four years. A man who tried to revive alleged murder victim Shaun Barker later became fearful for his life and left town, a court has heard. Crown witness Lissa Couchman has told a committal hearing for Mr Barker's accused killers that her son Kane Ostwald was taken by unknown people to a dead body in the bush north of Noosa one night. Shaun Barker's remains were found in Toolara Forest on the Sunshine Coast in April 2014. "He said that he had to revive a person (who) was out in front of him dead," Ms Couchman told the Brisbane Magistrates Court. "He tried to resuscitate him (and) they left (my son) there." Heavy fuel oil, diesel, other oils and hydraulic fluids have been spilled 879 times into Queensland ports and coastal waters since 2002, Queensland government records show. That is more than once-a-week in 2014-15 (86 times), although the quantities range from very small to very large. Oil clean-up on Moreton Island and Tangalooma in 2009. Credit:Brendan Esposito Those 2014-15 spills range from 1000 litres of diesel from Graincorp Terminals at Port of Brisbane, an unknown quantity of oily bilge water off famous Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays, down to one litre of diesel off Heron Island. The surprising fact about the "open-data" information, which is collated by Maritime Safety Queensland, is how little is known about the quantities that are spilled. The senior sergeant, who is in his 40s and cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with five counts of contravening a protection order late last year in relation to alleged emotional and psychological abuse. The claims relate to alleged incidents on the Gold Coast in November and December, including at a primary school and a police station. It is believed the alleged victim is the police officer's wife. Credit:Rob Gunstone The man, who represented himself, appeared in the Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he questioned why he was facing five charges when he'd been issued with only one notice to appear. Magistrate Barbara Tynan raised similar issues and also outlined concerns over discrepancies with the addresses listed for each of the charges. Park has designed an app that is a client discovery tool called i-onPLAN. Originally designed for financial services professionals such as accountants, lawyers and financial planners around estate planning needs and efficiencies, it has now been adapted for other industries such as the medical profession and the sales industry. "For the past year we have trying to raise funds for the next evolution of the app and to launch overseas," she says. Not content on torturing herself trying to raise money for one project, Park decided to turn her talents into another educational idea. "My second project is i-onLEARN which has been in the making for the past four years," she says. "It is a full video education platform, based on collaboration from other professionals which allows the user to pick their own pathway of learning in small palatable chunks." I was earning a six-figure salary 10 years ago so you could say I have sacrificed $1 million in salary earnings to pursue this project. Gretha Oost Besides suffering poor health, Park says missing her roots is also an enormous sacrifice. "Re-locating from northern Queensland has put incredible stress on my family relationships," she says. "My family have always been supportive but it is very difficult being a country girl living in a city." Zero income For Gretha Oost, the process has been equally frustrating. For the past 10 years she has received zero income from her pet project but refuses to give up. "I have been living off my partner's income so financially it has been very tight," she says. "I have been investing in the business and paying off debt related to the business. This is now becoming a little daunting with two girls in Grade three and four. We recently moved to a very small two-bedroom apartment to save on rent. "I was earning a six-figure salary 10 years ago so you could say I have sacrificed $1 million in salary earnings to pursue this project." Oost's idea is to change the way we behave concerning water when not at home. "The idea is simple," she says. "When water fountains are attractive and widely available we solve the pain of thirst and reduce the need for bottled water. "Project O delivers an attractive, design-driven solution by designing water fountains in convenient public locations all around the country." Currently, the plastic bottle water industry sees 700 million bottles consumed every year. "In Australia, one million empty water bottles end up in landfill, in our rivers and oceans," Oost says. "We are living in an extremely risk averse society that is very reluctant to change. "I don't believe projects on social change are taken seriously yet here in Australia and I am determined not to give up." The businesses that fall by the wayside According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics released in June 2014, more than half of Australian businesses don't last five years and those turning over less than $50,000 are the first to fall by the wayside. Kerri Lee Sinclair, chief executive of QSR International (a Melbourne-based company making qualitative data analysis software, NVivo), who herself has been in the throes of trying to raise capital in the past, says entrepreneurs must "always be raising". "You cannot think in increments, or that you should be raising 'Series A' now," she says. "Every high-growth company will need financing at different stages, so the relationships that you build with the investor community are key. They may not invest in your business today, but could invest in your future raises." Sinclair is also a founding member of Springboard Enterprises Australia, a community-driven accelerator program for high-growth companies led by women in the areas of technology and life sciences. She believes it is harder for women than men to raise capital. "There are two high-level challenges for women," Sinclair says. "Firstly, in my experience women often focus on running the business organically, rather than thinking about the growth potential. "This means they raise from friends and family and their profits, rather than seeking outside capital to expand exponentially. "Secondly, I've found that women often approach the investment pitch differently, telling the story of how the business has grown and the credibility of the founder, rather than what is the future opportunity." Fifty Flagstaff jobs are in limbo after a local beverage distributor was purchased last week by Hensley and Co., Arizona's largest beer and wine distributor. Golden Eagle Distributors/Spike Beverages notified the city of Flagstaff and Coconino County that it expects to close its Butler Avenue distribution warehouse by March 14 and eliminate all of its positions. Ginny Clements, the owner and chair of Golden Eagles board, said Monday all employees will have the chance to interview with Hensley. There will also be severance packages available for all full-time employees that stay to the end. Hensley has about 850 employees at facilities in Prescott, Phoenix, Chandler and Tucson. Clements did not say whether Hensley intends to reopen the Butler Avenue facility under the Hensley brand or if the interviews will be for jobs at other locations. The employees mean a lot to our family, she said. Golden Eagle also plans to help employees as much as they can find new jobs. Coconino Countys Rapid Response Team, which responded to the Walgreens Distribution Center and Haggen grocery store closures last year, has been activated. The team expects to meet with representatives from Golden Eagle this week to determine what job-seeking services the employees will need. According to a press release from Golden Eagle, the Tucson-based company decided to sell its Anheuser-Busch InBev distributorship to Hensley because of its reputation for treating employees fairly. Hensley and Company has an outstanding reputation as a solid Arizona business that puts their employees first, so we have every confidence that they will treat this Tucson-based operation with the same philosophy, Clements said in the press release. Golden Eagle was established in 1974 by Bill Clements. The company has a total of 430 employees statewide. The company also has facilities in Tucson, Casa Grande, Buckeye, Show Low, Globe and Tempe. Spike Beverage, a distributor of non-alcoholic beverages, was created by Kimberly and Chris Clements, the son and daughter of Bill and Ginny Clements, in 2006. In the press release, Ginny Clements said that after continuing to grow the company after the death of her husband, Bill, in 1995, it was time to move on. According to the same press release, Hensley and Company was established in 1955 and is owned by Cindy Hensley McCain, the wife of U.S. Sen. John McCain. France's recent wave of terror attacks should not put off parents from allowing their children to go on school trips to the battlefields of the Western Front this year, the veterans affairs minister says. It is 100 years since the Anzacs arrived in force on the Somme, and fought a series of key battles at places such as Fromelles that left thousands dead. After the attention on Gallipoli in 2015, this year Anzac Day's focus will be on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux where the governor-general will attend the dawn service. French president Francois Hollande is also expected to join the service, though there has not yet been official confirmation. Geneva: An estimated 3500 people, mainly women and children, are believed to be held as slaves in Iraq by Islamic State militants who impose a harsh rule marked by gruesome public executions, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The militant group, which also controls large parts of neighbouring Syria, has committed widespread abuses that may "in some instances, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide," the report said. Demonstrators chant pro-Islamic State slogans in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, Iraq, in 2014. Credit:AP The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN human rights office estimated that 3500 people were "currently being held in slavery by ISIL". "Those being held are predominantly women and children and come primarily from the Yazidi community, but a number are also from other ethnic and religious minority communities," said the joint report issued in Geneva. Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm Major bank owned aggregator FAST has unveiled a scholarship program for brokers as part of its sponsorship of the new Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) Equipment & Commercial Finance Education Series.In November, the MFAA launched a new training program to help brokers diversify into equipment and commercial finance. The online training program will consist of three modules divided into beginners and intermediate, advanced, and master class starting from $400 plus GST for the beginners and intermediate program.The FAST scholarship will be available for up to ten FAST brokers nationwide and includes the first module of the programme which covers four online units including market, products & services and business practices. Brokers will be awarded four CPD hours for completing the first module.Brendan Wright, CEO of FAST, says education is crucial in staying ahead in an increasingly competitive market.With the start of the New Year, many brokers will be considering how they can further expand and diversify their businesses with new revenue streams as competition continues to heat up.Business finance represents a real opportunity for growth. The education series offers the best place for brokers to learn how to meet the broader needs of their existing clients as well as grow their client base, strengthen their offering and enhance their consultancy skills.We encourage all brokers to consider whether this MFAA education series fits with their business strategy and if so, they should apply for the scholarship or make the investment to attend. Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm A former Brisbane financial adviser has been sentenced to nine-and-a-half years' imprisonment following a major fraud conviction.Thanh Tu, of Forestdale Brisbane, has been sentenced to nine-and-a-half years' imprisonment in the Brisbane District Court this week after pleading guilty to 33 counts of fraud and 21 counts of fraudulent falsification of records.According to an ASIC investigation, Tu dishonestly induced 18 separate individual investors to invest approximately $9 million between September 2008 and September 2013, whilst an employee of Patersons Securities Limited.ASIC alleges Tu misled investors and gave false Certificate of Investment in the fictitious Paterson Securities API Protected Fund and fictitious Patersons Securities Capital Protected Fund.The defendant did not invest the money into secure investments as directed but instead, fraudulently redirected the funds, through a number of different accounts, to a personal trading account held by him with another organisation.He then, for his own purposes, traded the money in risky investments and ultimately lost a total of $8,120,073.53 of the original capital invested.During the offending period, Tu also made interest payments to some of the clients, which were funded through money provided by other clients and not through investment profits made by the defendant.ASIC commissioner Greg Tanzer said Tu had deliberately and systematically breached the trust of his clients on a large scale.The actions of Mr Tu were deceitful and calculated and undermine confidence in the financial advice industry. His lengthy jail sentence should send a strong message that such conduct will not be tolerated by ASIC or the community, he said.Tu will be eligible for parole after serving three years, taking into account time already served in custody. A fourth straight weekend of heavy traffic engulfed the Flagstaff area over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, bringing gridlock to local roads, boosting local business and requiring increased presence by law enforcement. Sunday appeared to be the worst, with traffic backed up four to five miles along Highway 180 north of Flagstaff, said Caroline Carpenter, spokeswoman with the Arizona Department of Transportation. Traffic through Flagstaff was no better. (Sunday), traffic was backed up and terrible until about 7 p.m., with cars cutting through the neighborhoods, said FPD Sgt. Pat Martinez. It was just a mess. We did have extra officers working traffic control but with so many cars it still takes a lot of time to filter everybody out of there. Coconino County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Jason Lurkins said the problem started around 3 p.m. when drivers began heading out of the snowplay areas and back into town. The Sheriffs Office worked with Flagstaff Police Department to divert some of the traffic onto Interstate 40 using the East Butler Avenue on-ramp, but that did not stop thousands of vehicles from bottlenecking on North Humphreys Street and Milton Road. Saturday crowds appeared to be lighter than Sunday, with several people speculating that many people stayed home to watch the Arizona Cardinals play the Green Bay Packers. For residents who live in the Fort Valley Corridor, the traffic has become an annoying, unavoidable and predictable fact of life in the winter. We just stay home. That's the only thing you can do because who wants to get out there and sit in it? said Cindy Doskocil, who lives just off South Snowbowl Road. Its been pretty bad on weekends. After 35 years living in the Baderville area, Doskocil said snowplay traffic does appear to be getting worse each year. She complimented recent efforts by law enforcement to create barricades on local roads from Flagstaff city limits to Baderville, barring non-local traffic in order to cut down on snowplayers trespassing on private property. That has really helped alleviate some of the nuisance use of our residential areas, said Lurkins. FULL BY NOON Lurkins said there were periods of heavy traffic heading north Sunday morning punctuated by noticeable breaks on Highway 180 until about noon, when traffic toward Arizona Snowbowl, the Nordic Center and Wing Mountain Snow Play Area became consistently heavy, but was still flowing. Wing Mountains parking lot filled up at about the same time. They had to close down the parking area until they wound up getting space in there, Lurkins said. Once those areas started filling up, thats when we started having people park on the highway. ADOT posted signage telling drivers not to park on the side of the road along Highway 180, but the Sheriffs Office still had to respond to a couple of parking complaints. I think people are starting to get a little more responsible, Lurkins said. But there are still some of those stragglers that are parking along the side of the highway and were addressing those as best we can when we come across them. BUSINESSES BUSY For local businesses, the weekend did not disappoint. The Canyon Inn Flagstaff has been so busy it has had to turn people away the past three weekends, manager Nicole Braddy said. The Flagstaff Nordic Centers business was on par or better than past Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekends, said Wendell Johnson, manager at the area. Last weekend, which usually sees a dip in visitation, was even better than this one, Johnson said. It was a strong weekend for Arizona Snowbowl as well, which saw about 10,000 skiers, General Manager J.R. Murray said. He said traffic backups havent seemed to turn skiers away. Late for the Train at 1800 Fort Valley Road got business from tourists stopping for a caffeine boost on their way to and from the snowplay areas. Its definitely been rushes in the morning and the afternoon when people are heading to the mountain and leaving the mountain, said barista Lani Mertes. Slow going on North Humphreys Street and Milton Road didnt seem to do any harm for businesses along the corridor. Mario Martusciello, the owner of Matador Coffee on South Milton Road, said that he didnt work the weekend shift, but judging from the number of sales from the weekend, they had two really crazy days. Business also was crazy at Mama Burger on the corner of Fort Valley Road and Humphreys Street, general manager Drew Brown said. Brown left work around 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and said the traffic was backed up as far as he could see. I had one person tell me they had just spent two hours waiting in traffic, he said. Oncore Skate and Snow Manager Rich Phillips said the shop, located at West Birch Avenue and North Humphreys Street, has seen a huge increase in business since November. He was busier last weekend after Flagstaffs big storm, but said rentals and sales were still high this past Saturday and Sunday. They slowed down Monday after a short morning rental rush. Its been an amazing season, he said. He saw plenty of cars along North Humphreys Street during the morning and evening rushes. Its that one coming back into town thats always the most noticeable, Phillips said. Youve got all the snowplay (tourists) and the people from the mountain and anyone coming from the (Grand) Canyon there, too, so it just gets super backed-up. In his neighborhood near Thorpe Park, Phillips also noticed snowplay-seekers who had decided to skip the traffic on Highway 180 altogether. We had a lot of out-of-town people lining up (along West Birch Avenue), he said. We had a lot of people parking out in front of the houses over the last couple weekends, finding anywhere they could to go sledding over near Thorpe (Park). Last week, our driveway actually got blocked. Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm Major franchise Aussie Home Loans had a record-breaking 2015 after posting a record number of mortgage settlements.Aussies 1,350 brokers settled over $21 billion in loan over the calendar year, almost $3 billion higher than 2014. Growth was achieved across the board with Aussie-owned aggregator nMB and Aussies retail and mobile broker channels all breaking their previous records.However, Aussies retail channel was the main driver of the groups record year with an 18% growth in total loan settlements. The retail channel is now settling around $1 billion per month and the chief executive of Aussie, James Symond, says it is showing no signs of slowing.Just over a decade ago we didnt even have a single [retail] store and now its absolutely thriving and showing no signs of slowing down as we head toward our 200th purpose built store within the next six months, he said.Customer enquiries for the year were also the highest in the mortgage brokers 24-year history, up 9% on the previous year.According to Symond, the growth in customer enquiries can be attributed to its major marketing push in 2015. In January 2015, Aussie launched its Smart to Ask campaign targeting the almost 50% of Australians who dont use a mortgage broker, urging them to get a free and expert second opinion from a broker on their home loan.Were receiving record numbers of customers knocking on our door thanks to the success of our national and local marketing efforts, the matchless strength of the Aussie brand and the investment dollars were pouring into our products, technology, training, recruitment, support teams and projects.Symond says this is proof that the mortgage broker market share will only continue to head north, eventually cracking 60% of total mortgage flows.For some time our view has been that the industry will continue to grow its share to beyond 60 and 70% of the residential mortgage flows and these results are a further example of this trend, he said. Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm Wholesale funder Advantedge has partnered with major real estate network LJ Hooker to launch a new white label home loan.The new product, LJ Hooker Home Loan Connect builds on Advantedges pre-existing white label products within its aggregation groups PLAN Australia FAST and Choice Aggregation as well as other major partnerships with AFG, Connective Smartline and Loan Market According to Advantedge, approximately 85% of brokers in the industry now have access to its white label home loans.However, Advantedge general manager of distribution, Brett Halliwell , said the LJ Hooker Home Loans Connect product allows the funder to deepen its relationship with LJ Hooker Home Loans, a prominent strategic partner of PLAN Australia.Were confident this new product will bring significant benefits to LJ Hooker Home Loans lending specialists and we expect strong demand due to the simple features and the great value that comes with the LJ Hooker Home Loans Connect product, he said.The LJ Hooker Home Loans Connect product comes with an annual fee of $120, however customers will benefit from no upfront fees and no application valuation or legal fees. In addition, customers get free EFTPOS and ATM transactions via NAB and rediATM networks.Jeff Chapman, national product and marketing manager at LJ Hooker Home Loans said the new product will allow brokers to provide customers with a full suite of LJ Hooker branded real estate services and lending solutions.LJ Hooker Home Loans Connect also allows our lending specialists access to a variety of marketing collateral, a consumer facing website and branding on all client communications to support client conversations. They will also have support from expert Advantedge BDMs who understand their business, to assist as required.Advantedge is further supporting LJ Hooker Home Loans lending specialists to promote the product through customisable marketing collateral. A new product video will also be published on the LJ Hooker Home Loans Connect website by the end of January 2016. Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) has announced the upcoming release of ground-breaking new research which will provide industry-first benchmarks for brokers.The Industry Intelligence Service (IIS) report, to be released in February, is based on data from over 95% of the industry with the cooperation of 16 leading aggregators and broker businesses.MFAA CEO Siobhan Hayden says the new data follows on from the quarterly broker market share report and will be an industry-first for broker benchmarking.The IIS is a great example of the MFAA responding to the needs of finance brokers. The data will provide the first ever business benchmarks for brokers to gauge how they are performing against both national averages and state based averages to really fine-tune where they sit in the market, Hayden said.The report will answer many important questions that finance broker business owners need to ask to plan for a healthy future.The reports findings will be released at a series of events held by the MFAA over February in the major capital cities. The events are open to all brokers regardless of association membership, says Hayden, to ensure that the entire industry will benefit from the results.We want to dispel some of the statistics that float around the industry that lack evidence to support the claims. This MFAA report reveals the number of loans submitted, loans approved, loan values and broker incomes as averages.We will be providing a business review template as part of the event so that attendees can return to their business and spend some time positioning how they are performing against the industry. This business review will be essential to all brokers seeking to have a healthy business.The inaugural report will use actual data from the six months ending September 2015 and will be updated each six months.Hayden says this will be the only research on broker performance using actual statistics and will inform her communication with the regulators going forward.Finally we can answer the questions often asked about the industry including the number of brokers in the industry, which is around 14,000, and what the average broker earns. This information will have wide-reaching benefits for members in business planning and will, in addition, assist the MFAA in its communications with regulators and legislators by relying on facts rather than speculation. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams This parking job really stinks. Workers who are building a controversial apartment complex on the banks of the Gowanus Canal are parking on sidewalks, say neighbors, and they havent stopped despite multiple warnings and tickets from police. They just park on the sidewalks every day, said Michael King, who lives on Second Street, across from developer Lightstone Groups still-rising building on Bond Street between First and Second streets. King has made a dozen 311 complaints about illegal parking over the past two months, which have resulted in cops issuing two fines. Officers initially met with workers to give them an opportunity to move their trucks off the pavement and away from fire hydrants before laying down the law, but when the problem persisted, authorities began issuing summonses, according to a source at the local police precinct. Some neighbors also claim the workers have taken to fencing off portions of the street with traffic cones, giving locals the impression theyll be towed for parking in the public spots though police say they are unaware of this infraction. Theyve taken over the opposite sides of the streets to accommodate wide turns for their trucks, idling trucks bring in supplies, and even their own personal cars, said Michael McGinn, who also lives on Second Street. The companies doing the construction seem to think the street is theirs to commandeer as they see fit. One of the contractors working on the project said that it has paid thousands of dollars for permits to bring in trucks and supplies, and that all of its parking was above board. My gut tells me that whatever someones complaining about is something we paid a great deal of money to secure legally, said Bernard Ruf director of operations for Lettire Construction. When shown photos of the vehicles parked on sidewalks, Ruf claimed they belonged to another company. Now, a local pol has stepped in. Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon (DBoerum Hill) says she recently spoke with Lightstone, following complaints from King, and the developer promised it would give its contractors a stern talking to. I spoke with a rep that told me theyve heard the message and theyre going to be addressing it with their crews, Simon said. But the assemblywoman said she was unaware that any permits that would give contractors carte blanche to park throughout the street and on sidewalks, and is skeptical of Rufs claims. Ive never heard of anybody buying permits to park on the street, said Simon. Lightstones Lavender Lake-side building will contain 429 units plus with yoga rooms and spin studios, and is slated to open later this year. It initially planned on constructing a second, 268-unit structure next door between First and Carroll streets, but sold that project to developer Atlantic Realty for $75 million last year. Before, that they're playing a show in Australia with Sunn O))) as part of the Adelaide Festival of the Arts which is a very cool pairing. More U.S. and Canadian dates will be announced soon. All are currently scheduled shows are listed, along with video of Magma playing their recent song "Slag Tanz" in London last year, below. Vinnie Caruana's post-Movielife band I Am the Avalanche, now back with their original lineup, have a sold-out Brooklyn show with Timeshares and Make War at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday (1/23). Now they added a WAY more intimate (and probably way more sweaty) all ages show for Sunday (1/24) at Suburbia. It's those same three bands, plus Jaguar Shark. $5 tickets are on sale now. The BRICS Post When El-Sisi visited Beijing in December 2014, the two leaders signed a number of strategic agreements to boost investment and industrial exchange [Xinhua] Trade representatives from China and Egypt are expected to sign a number of multi-billion dollar deals and investment agreements during President Xi Jinpings visit to the capital Cairo tomorrow. Xis visit comes a little over a year after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited Beijing where both leaders decided to elevate ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. His state visit to Cairo is part of a Middle East tour that sees the Chinese president visiting Iran and Saudi Arabia amid heightened tensions between the two countries. On Monday, a Chinese trade delegation arrived in Cairo ahead of Xi to prepare the groundwork for the agreements which reportedly include memoranda of understanding for Egypt to participate in Chinas One Belt One Road economic cooperation policy. The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiatives are among Chinas most ambitious. El-Sisi had earlier said that Egypt could be a key player in reviving the Silk Route due to its strategic location as a portal for Africa and Arab countries. The 4,000-mile Silk road linked ancient Chinese, Indian, Babylonian, Arabic, Greek and Roman civilizations. China announced a $40 billion Silk Road Fund in November 2014 to boost infrastructure projects along the route. In March 2014, Xi said he hoped the annual trade with the countries involved in Beijings plan to create a modern Silk Road would surpass $2.5 trillion in a decade. Egypt seeks Chinese aid The Chinese and Egyptian trade negotiations will likely also examine ways to further cooperation in infrastructure, nuclear power, new energy, aviation, finance and other sectors. Specifically, Egypt hopes to secure some $1.6 to $1.7 billion in loan agreements, which local media have speculated would come in the form of deposits. According to influential private newspaper AlMasry AlYoum, Egypts Central Bank receives the bulk of the sum $1 billion while the rest is shared between two other major Egyptian banks. Some Chine-Egypt experts say that the loans could come from the newly established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Strategic cooperation Egypt was considered to be the first among African nations to establish strategic cooperative relations with China in 1955. The two countries have traditionally focused on promoting six major fields: political trust and mutual support, practical cooperation in all fields, promoting exchanges and cooperation, strengthening cooperation in anti-terrorism and law enforcement security, and improving the exchanges of culture, tourism and other fields. The two countries have also established mutual support and cooperation in international and regional affairs. Ahmed El Sewedy, Chairman of the Egypt-China Business Council, previously said that Beijing wants to invest in both Arab and African states the only way to do that is to invest in the country that falls in the middle Egypt. Chinas accumulated investments in Egypt surpassed $500 million in 2014, accounting for the creation of over 3000 local jobs. According to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), two-way trade increased from $610 million in 2004 to over $6.24 billion in 2014, representing a 10-fold increase, which surpassed a target figure of $5 billion for 2016. Egypts exports to China which includ e marble and granite, cotton, crude oil, carpets, plastic products, iron and steel. toilet appliances, linens, crystals, glass, fruits and condensed juices, among others increased from $30 million to $430 million in this period. El Sisi is expected to travel to China as a guest of honour attending the G-20 Summit in September, local press reported. latest news October 3, 2022 Dee Gambit Hundreds if not thousands of new and returning TV shows and movies are released every month your options of what to watch are endless. Variety, they say is ... Padres stun Phillies as big brother gets best of little brother The San Diego Padres stunned the Philadelphia Phillies in NLCS Game 2, scoring eight unanswered runs in a victory that evened up the playoff series. Tickets for a special social evening to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Friends of Burnham-On-Sea Hospital have gone on sale. The event will be held on Saturday 5th March 2016 at the Oaktree Arena in Highbridge. The dress code for the evening will be to wear something gold or yellow in line with the golden anniversary theme. Local band Lipinkski Brothers has already been booked to perform following their successful appearance at one of the groups events back in March 2015. To book tickets, contact Chairman Tony Deahl on 01278 783121 or via Vice-Chairman Bernard Spilsbury on 785727 or any committee member. About Me Bagsy Born Beeston, Notts 1946, my family moved to Dorset 1959. Joined the Royal Navy age 15 years and 50 days serving 10 years. In frigates firstly then over 5 years in the Submarine Service as a Seaman/Diver, reaching the dizzy heights of Leading Seaman, before leaving to join the Merchant Service, working in Ocean Salvage and Harbour Tugs, passenger / cargo ships, trials vessels, etc. Qualified as Mate (Chief Officer) in 1976 and as Master (Captain) in 1978. For my final 20 years of 47 I worked in the Offshore Oil Industry initially on the drilling rig Stena Hunter, then the accommodation barge Borgland Dolphin and finally the Floating Production Platform Buchan Alpha. On the rigs I forged a number of long lasting friendships several of whom shared some of my extensive travels. Setting foot on Caymen, Bermuda, Bahamas and The Azores in March 2013 brought my countries / autonimous regions total to 148. The best, undoubtedly, was Antarctica, followed by Australia, Mongolia, Belize, Zimbabwe, China and Madagascar, in no particular order. Love to all our readers, your in my thoughts. Bagsy View my complete profile The growth in the Indian luxury car market is reflected in car rental firms adding luxury vehicles to their fleet. The latest to do so is Eco Rent a Car, a Delhi-based firm, which has introduced the Audi R8 V10 Plus to its fleet of premium cars for self-driving. Customers will be able to hire the car, a Sepang Blue Matt Finish with black interiors, for Rs5,000 an hour, with Rs300 for extra km over the first 10 km, which are free. The customer will also have to keep a refundable deposit of Rs200,000 while renting the vehicle. According to Aditya Loomba, managing director, Eco Rent a Car, the Indian luxury car segment is expected to grow at a rate of 15 per cent annually over the next two to three years. This has impacted the rental business for luxury cars as well thanks to young India's growing aspirations to lead global lifestyles, he added. The company, which was established in 1974, offers 2,500 vehicles across various categories including luxury vehicles and stretched limousines. It has branches in nine cities and offers services in nearly 80 cities. Source : BS Motoring Royal Enfield, which has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary to take over its North American operations, will be launching three models in 2016 in the US and Canada, besides appointing dealers in nearly a hundred cities by the end of the year. The 115-year-old company, a division of Eicher Motors Ltd, will be launching the Continental GT, the Classic and the Bullet in North America. Royal Enfield bikes were being distributed in the US by Classic Motor Works, but from the New Year it has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary to run its North America operations. Rod Copes, president, Royal Enfield North America, told a US publication that the company has grown at more than 50 per cent year-on-year for the past five years. The former Harley-Davidson executive said that Royal Enfield, with bikes averaging 500cc, aims to attract new American bikers and current bikers. We think its a very exciting time for Royal Enfield, he said. In 2015, Royal Enfield recorded remarkable growth, expanding sales by 50 per cent. It sold 450,000 bikes. Exports went up by 33 per cent to 8,285 units. The company, which is expanding production capacity to 48,000 units a month from 45,000 bikes to meet growing demand, hopes to ramp up capacity to 620,000 units in 2016. Royal Enfield plans to set up a third plant at its Oragadam manufacturing facility near Chennai, which would boost its production capacity to 900,000 units in about two years. Source : BS Motoring By Austin Lobo The best time to buy a car is obviously when you absolutely need to buy one. In most cases, buying a car is a rather carefully thought-out investment. For many Indian families buying a car is like owning the second most precious asset after property. Most people would look for a car that would give them optimal mileage and low maintenance costs, hassle-free ownership, decent power, safety and nowadays, people look for space within the car, features that come with it and its look, feel, and style. The car is no more a vehicle that gets the family from place A to place B but it has become a status symbol that tells about its owner (especially to neighbours and friends). Besides, since cars depreciate by about 50 percent by the fifth year, you would need to look at its resale value as well. Having done the research, when should you buy? A car that shows the manufacturing year as 2015, for instance, is stuck with that date even if you bought it in December 2015. You might be better off buying a car in early 2016. On the other hand, many dealers offer discounts in December to get rid of old stock before the new year sets in. Take a look. If you find a car that appeals to you, give in. For owners who would like to live with their cars for well over seven years, the manufacturing date would not matter so far as resale is concerned. What would matter, however, is the condition of the car, its maintenance papers and demand for it in the market. Be financially prepared For most families in India buying a new car involves taking a car loan, which is freely available. Take one but be sure that you will be able to service it. So, buy when you are financially sound. This could differ from person to person. Festive discounts Dealers and carmakers often offer discounts on festive occasions and throw in a few freebies as well. This might be a good time to buy. If you have a certain model in mind, it might be a good idea to wait until the discounts are announced. Wait for the launch Often you might hear of a car that is due to be launched but has not actually hit the market. It might be better to see what you are getting into before parting with your money-you may want certain features which you might be disappointed to find are not in the model you want to buy. Trade in your old one When your old car does not satisfy you any more, trade it in. Many dealers offer attractive discounts on new cars if you sell them your old car. This will give you an attractive deal on the new car you buy. End of a month Industry experts have mapped out certain times of year when you might actually get better deals if you plan to buy a car. During the end of a month, for instance, carmakers and dealers are desperate to meet targets. In the bargain, you could benefit. Although this may not be true of every month, it may be a good idea to check out prices and deals towards the ends of months. Some experts believe the best deals on a new car can be had not only at the end of a month but the end of a quarter, when periodic sales goals are to be met. Similarly, on days of bad weather, you are unlikely to have high footfalls at car showrooms. Those days might hold something special for you. But if you really cannot wait for that rainy day, go at the end of the day - people normally are more flexible when they want to go home. Source : BS Motoring It almost felt like a prelude to a party, as house music boomed through the speakers and around 500 students and faculty filled up the IIT-Bombays convocation hall in Powai. Everyone was waiting for Travis Kalanick, co-founder and chief executive of the most valued transportation company Uber, to have a fireside chat with former UTV top boss Ronnie Screwvala.There was no fire, but Kalanick was in no mood to be mellow. The University of California, Los Angeles, dropout started the meet by insisting that every entrepreneur needs to have the mindset of not a winner but a champion. A champion is someone who puts every ounce of energy into the field. When you get knocked down, get back up... until you get success, said Kalanick.The 39-year-old skipped forward and asked the students at IIT to take risks when getting jobs at start-ups.You are smart, you have a roof over your head... if this doesnt work out, there are a thousand who will hire you, he quipped in what soon became his trademark style.The former boss of RedSwoosh, however, warned budding entrepreneurs to know when to call it quits. If keep on going means you are doing severe mental and physical damage to yourself, then move on, he said. He then tried to make light of what had become a serious moment by saying his biggest failure was when he got sued for $250 billion.The entrepreneur, who is valued at $6 billion by Forbes, said he ran Uber with one motto: always be hustling. In Hindi, he roughly translated it to jugaad. In India, Screwvala tried to explain, it meant frugal innovation but Kalanicks always be jugaading worked as well.The CEO of the $50 billion company said Asia had taught him a few lessons. He explained that in the US he was always convinced about making profitable businesses but China taught him about the value economy.Subsidies and large burning of cash is a Chinese invention, he said.He came up just short of criticising the discount-induced war for customer acquisition among Indian e-commerce players and said that discounting made sense only if there was return at the end of it. "You don't want to spend money that doesn't have positive ROI, he said.What was noticeable about Kalanick was his ability to switch gears to pander to the crowd that was hanging on to his every word. With eyes surveying the crowd, Kalanick said innovation was now not just centric to Silicon Valley. R&D and innovation isn't just a Silicon Valley thing. It will happen in three Bs. Bay area, Beijing and Bangalore, he said to huge applause. The Uber boss continued to talk up India and said that investors now had a primary agenda of investing only in India, which is why the country had a great future. India will be 1 billion smartphones by 2019, he said. Last year, Uber committed $1 billion investment in India. When Screwvala asked him what next now that the money was running out, Kalanick refused to comment if more investment was needed but did insist that if he felt there were returns to be made more capital investments could be made. He asked students and heads of start-up firms to stay a few steps ahead of their investors. He told entrepreneurs to think faster in their business and anticipate suggestions and have answers to them ready before they were asked. He explained that he was coaxed out of trying to crack the Chinese market but convinced everyone that opposed him that the odds would probably be in his favour as at least one non-Chinese company could succeed in that country and he could be that one firm. At the end of the session, before the selfies, Kalanick announced his email address and asked students to email him if they wanted to work for Uber. Kalanickisms Engineers India Ltd (EIL) is likely to join three oil marketing (OMCs) -- Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) -- to set up a mega refinery cum petrochemical complex on the western coast. The refinery capacity may be in excess of 30 million tonne per annum. Though the exact location of the refinery is yet to be zeroed in, it may come up somewhere in Maharashtra. "The oil marketing PSUs will tie up with EIL for the proposed refinery cum petrochemical complex. The refinery can have a capacity of over 30 mtpa. The capital expenditure would depend on the configuration of the refinery but on an average, Rs 2,000 crore would be invested per million tonne capacity", said Sanjiv Singh, director (refineries), IOCL. Asked if EIL would have equity on the project, he said, "A team is evaluating the different aspects of the project. EIL has technical expertise but it has not been decided if they would pick up stake in the project." Singh said, the country currently has sizeable oil refining surplus. Of the installed capacity of 230 million tonne (mt) of crude oil refining, actual consumption is 165 mt. However, there is shortfall in LPG production with the country meeting 50 per cent of its requirement through imports. Manufacturing major Godrej & Boyce will look at acquisitions and collaborations to increase revenues 10-fold in the next 10 years. The Rs 10,000-crore major has set the ball rolling, acquiring a majority stake in design start-up India Circus on Tuesday, which is expected to strengthen its presence in the lifestyle andhome decor vertical. This segment is one of the numerous consumer-facing businesses, the group will focus on as it gets future-ready. "India Circus is an online-led home decor start-up, which has been around for two or three years. There are synergies that the acquisition brings to the table. We see it as a complement to our existing lifestyle portfolio, which includes home furniture, decor, accessories and interiors," Navroze Godrej, head (strategy & innovation), said. While the Jamshyd Godrej-led group did not specify details of the transaction, it said the deal would help it drive growth of the lifestyle and home decor business online. The group has already taken some of its other consumer-facing businesses such as appliances and electronics online, tying up with e-tailers as well as setting up its own e-commerce platform. Currently, 60 per cent of its revenues come from the consumer segment, with the rest coming from its industrial business. The plan is to increase revenues from the consumer vertical in the coming years by tapping into emerging areas. Navroze, son of Jamshyd Godrej, who is driving this initiative, said the group will do this by investing in design and technology for which bolt-on acquisitions and collaborations will play a key role. "In the past, we have acquired small technology-led firms in the areas of renewable energy and consumer electronics. That focus will continue. Acquisitions for us will be to fill largely need gaps that exist in our portfolio," Godrej said. Like cousins Tanya, Phirojsha and Nisa, children of Adi Godrej, Navroze is being groomed as a successor to his father Jamshyd, considered an authority on manufacturing. Godrej & Boyce counts defence and aerospace apart from engineering goods and energy as key industrial verticals. The group, for the record, manufactures missile systems, including key components and parts for the Brahmos missile and launcher. It also provides liquid propulsion engines, cryogenic engines and satellite booster systems for the Indian Space Research Organisation. In an earlier conversation with Business Standard, Jamshyd Godrej, who is chairman and managing director of Godrej & Boyce, had said the group's annual capital outlay of Rs 200 crore could rise as it looks to tap opportunities from the government's 'Make in India' programme. The group is currently putting up a new manufacturing complex at Khalapur, near Khopoli, in Maharashtra, where 10-15 factories would be set up for different businesses. This, Godrej said, would increase the number of factories the group had, from the current 30. Almost two-thirds of Indian CEOs (64 per cent) are confident of their company's growth prospects over the next 12 months, with 78 per cent expecting to maintain the momentum over the next three years. According to PwC's annual CEO Survey, compared with the 2015 levels, India Inc's buoyancy is up two points for the next 12 months and seven points for the next three years. In sharp contrast, average global growth prospects for the next 12 months and the next three years are 35 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively. Around 1,400 CEOs were interviewed for PwC's 'Redefining business success in a changing world' survey, results of which were unveiled ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The optimism of corporate India stands out amidst a gloomy outlook for the global economy in the next 12 months. Globally, just over a quarter (27 per cent) of CEOs think growth will improve over the next 12 months, compared to 37 per cent in 2015. Around 23 per cent global corporate honchos think growth prospects will worsen. The levels of optimism among North American CEOs (16 per cent) is half that of the most optimistic regions (Western Europe 33 per cent and West Asia 34 per cent). Almost a third of China's CEOs (33 per cent) believe global economic growth will slow down in 2016. Commenting on the India findings of the report, Deepak Kapoor, chairman, PwC India, noted that recent policy reforms, consequent pickup in investments and the government's aim to boost infrastructure are uplifting companies' confidence. "However, the CEO community continues to be concerned by lack of infrastructure and over-regulation," Kapoor added. In keeping with their business optimism, 55 per cent Indian CEOs said they plan to enter into a new strategic alliance or joint venture, as against global average of 49 per cent. As many as 70 per cent Indian CEOs plan to hire more in the next 12 months. According to the survey, the top three potential economic and policy threats highlighted by Indian CEOs were inadequate basic infrastructure, exchange rate volatility and over-regulation. For 81 per cent of Indian CEOs, availability of key skills was among the biggest business threats, followed by speed of technological change (79 per cent), and corruption (78 per cent). Globally, CEOs see more threats to their businesses than three years ago with heightened concerns around geopolitics, exchange rate volatility and cyber security. However, over-regulation continues to be the top threat for the fourth year in a row. Indian bosses don't expect much from the government on a stable tax system or mitigating income inequality. Responding to changing stakeholder expectations, top executives across the world are changing how they define and manage risks. Nearly nine of every ten CEOs are changing the way they use technology as well as manage brand, marketing and communications. Publicis Groupe which was founded by Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet in 1926 is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. When it all started in a little Parisian apartment on Rue Montmartre, the founders only staff was his secretary. He would never have thought that, 90 years later, his Groupe would be one of the three largest in the world, with close to 80,000 employees. Back then, Publicis Groupe began just like many of todays start-ups. It is with its founder in mind, as well as the entrepreneurial spirit of so many of its employees around the world, that Publicis Groupe has chosen to celebrate its 90th anniversary by providing mentoring, support and funding to 90 entrepreneurial projects in the digital field. To take part, projects can be submitted via the Publicis90 platform (www.publicis90.com) which will be available online as of January 18th. Whether you are a student, a new start-up, a successful entrepreneur or a Publicis Groupe employee anywhere in the world, you are welcome to put forward your idea and apply for support from the Groupe. Taking part is really easy. The goal is to provide entrepreneurs with the support they need to bring their projects to life, or to take it to the next level. The Publicis90 platform (www.publicis90.com) will be open for submissions until February 28. Projects will be pre-selected by region (the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe-Middle-East & Africa), with a first round of votes open to all Publicis Groupe employees (all projects submitted remain anonymous). A regional jury will then draw up a short-list from the pre-selected projects, before the final selection is made by a prestigious global jury that will pick the 90 most promising projects or start-ups. The selected projects will be mentored by Publicis Groupe experts in marketing, communications, management and technology. They will also receive funding in the form of an investment ranging from 10,000 euros for projects about to be launched to 500,000 euros for start-ups that are already ramping up. As for selected projects submitted by Publicis Groupe employees, they will have the benefit of a special internal incubation scheme. The holders of the 90 selected projects will be invited to participate to Viva Technology Paris (www.vivatechnologyparis.com), the first forum in France to bring together the people who matter most in digital throughout the world with over 5,000 start-ups. This event created by Publicis Groupe and Groupe Les Echos will be held from June 30 to July 2, 2016 at the Paris Expo Exhibition Centre at Porte de Versailles. The 90 selected projects will be honoured at an awards ceremony held during Viva Technology Paris. Maurice Levy, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, declared: Publicis90 is very much in line with the philosophy of Publicis Groupe and its founder, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet. The idea is to help young entrepreneurs achieve their goals. Not just through investment but also by putting Groupe resources at their disposal for a year. Rather than look back and pat ourselves on the back for 90 years of history, we have taken the forward-looking approach of extending a helping hand to young entrepreneurs. Reliance Industries (RIL) said it would be investing Rs 500 crore in its retail business for the financial year 2016-17 while curbing investment in the shale gas business. Srikanth Venkatachari, joint chief financial officer, said, capital expenditure for the shale gas business would see a drop of 20-25 per cent to $900 million from $1.2-billion in 2015. Capital expenditure for the shale business for 2016 is at $500 million. The company said drilling and completion activities had slowed down across its shale joint ventures. RIL and its joint venture partners are not drilling any new wells at Carrizo and Chevron closing the third quarter with zero rigs, an RIL release stated. "Pioneer JV dropped two rigs to close the quarter with only four rigs under operation. The activity levels are likely to be reduced further in FY17, as part of ongoing development planning efforts with JV partners," RIL said, adding, "All joint venture partners continued to reduce costs leveraging weak services market and remained focused on improving operational efficiency." This helped RIL and its partners reduce well cost significantly. "Declining trend in well costs continued- normalised well costs at present are lower by 25 per cent at both Chevron and Pioneer JVs, compared with CY2014 levels," it added. Unit realisation for the shale gas business dropped 47 per cent year-on-year and 14 per cent quarter-on-quarter during the third quarter. There was modest growth in volumes. Revenues for the quarter were at $110 million as against $117 million in the second quarter. Reliance Retail, on the other hand, posted its highest-ever quarterly turnover of Rs 6,042 crore during the December quarter, against Rs 4,686 crore during the same period last year, registering a growth of 29 per cent. The subsidiary saw a seven per cent jump in its profit before depreciation, interest, and taxes in the third quarter of the current financial year at Rs 243 crore, against Rs 227 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Reliance Retail operates more than 3,000 stores, becoming the first retailer in the country to reach this milestone. As on December 31, 2015, it had 3,043 stores across 371 cities in India. SHIFTING FOCUS This is a blog that will take you through the Rum lifestyles of a fine group of people that enjoy the fun and pleasure of fine rums. We will travel to distilleries, partys, and Rum Events to bring you the Rumstyles of all those we come in contact with. Apple Inc wants to set up a fully-owned wholesale business in India, it is learnt. The maker of the iPhone and the iPad has made a proposal to the government for a wholesale foray, where up to 100 per cent foreign investment is permitted. The proposal, sent to the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), does not refer to manufacturing or single-brand stores. Apple did not respond to a query sent by Business Standard on its plan to seek wholesale licence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook in September during his Silicon Valley tour. The PM had then invited Apple to set up a manufacturing base and Cook had responded positively. While there's no word yet on the American multinational making its products in India, its largest manufacturer Foxconn has decided to set up a base here. Apple would like to lower its dependence on two large distributors in India and that's the reason it wants to get a licence to start wholesale business, a source said. Once it gets the green signal, it would enter into direct deals with resellers. The company, it is believed, wants to have over 1,500 outlets in the next two to three months via agreements with resellers. In most emerging markets, Apple works through smaller stores in tie-up with resellers, while in the US and UK, it has signature outlets, said Gaurav Marya, promoter of franchising and licensing firm Franchise India. Other tech companies including Samsung and Xiaomi also have wholesale licence in India and they sell through tie-ups with resellers, he added. DIPP has recently relaxed sourcing norms for foreign single-brand retail stores, keeping in mind niche tech companies such as Apple. On a case to case basis, the government has decided to go easy on the 30 per cent mandatory clause, hinting at an exemption. This is "to provide opportunity" to cutting-edge companies, the revised rules said. Earlier, many niche tech companies had pointed at the difficulty in complying with the 30 per cent sourcing norm linked to the single-brand retail policy. Apple was one of them. For years, Tata Teleservices has been the laggard in the $100 billion Tata group. In spite of the huge investments made by Tata Sons, the unlisted company is way behind the trio of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular in the sweepstakes. It started with CDMA services and expanded into the GSM platform in 2008 when it also tied up with NTT DoCoMo of Japan. Though it had got a licence to operate in all the 22 circles, it was allotted spectrum in only 18. One of those four circles where it didn't have spectrum was Delhi, a huge market. In February 2012, the Supreme Court cancelled all the licences given out by the United Progressive Alliance government in 2008 under the first come first serve policy, after a report by the Comptroller & Auditor General said it had caused a loss of up to Rs 176,000 crore to the government. Tata Teleservices lost three circles. That perhaps explains why the company's 62 million subscribers are far below those of Bharti Airtel (339 million), Vodafone (180 million) and Idea Cellular (162 million). Its average revenue per user of Rs 170 per month as against the industry average of Rs 200 means its customers are concentrated at the lower end of the market. But in the first six months of the current financial year, Tata Teleservices' operating margin has doubled to 19 per cent and analysts say the company will report cash break-even by the quarter ending June this year. This news will come as a big boost to the company which has been in the woods since its inception. Mountain of debt The numbers of the company paint a grim story. At the end of 2014-15, the company had debt of Rs 32,400 crore and its annual revenue for the year was Rs 10,900 crore. The group's holding company, Tata Sons, had to pump in Rs 6,100 crore into the company as quasi equity in the last five years so that it could repay its loans: its finance costs are in the range of Rs 2,500 crore per annum. The fight among its shareholders further hurt the company. But Price Waterhouse valued DoCoMo's stake at Rs 2,915 crore, or Rs 23.34 a share. The total value of Tata Teleservices, according to Price Waterhouse, works out to Rs 11,000 crore, almost 60 per cent below the pre-agreed valuation of Rs 27,000 crore. The loss in the company's valuation was mainly due to the company failing to gain traction in the Indian telecom market and a skewed spectrum policy. But the gap was substantial and bound to cause disagreement. The fight between DoCoMo and Tata Sons then went to the London Court of Arbitration, where it is currently pending. The comeback plan One of the first steps taken by the company in the last three years was to shrink its CDMA-based services which had failed to click with the customers. The company also bought spectrum in the Delhi circle - one of the most lucrative markets where it did not have any presence. At the same time, the company also started selling its assets so that it could deleverage its balance sheet and cut jobs across the board. In October, Tata Teleservices reduced its stake in telecom tower company Viom Networks from 53 per cent to 33 per cent for Rs 2,800 crore. This money is expected to flow in by the first quarter of 2016-17 and the company will use the funds for its capital expenditure and debt repayment. It plans to sell the rest of the shares in Viom Networks at a later date. The company also took steps to improve its operations. Last year, the company bought 3G spectrum in nine circles for Rs 5,864 crore. However, with data services growing at a faster pace than voice and action moving to 4G-LTE services, it is not clear if Tata Teleservices will be able to make a dent with 3G spectrum in just nine circles. Investment bankers say the company has also initiated talks with Telenor of Norway to merge its India operations with itself. An announcement on the merger is expected shortly. The company did not reply to queries. Analysts with CRISIL say Tata Teleservices' operating performance improved in 2015 mainly due to lower termination charges, scaling down of operations in loss-making circles, network optimisation through redeployment of cell sites from loss-making circles, and stringent cost control measures. With all these measures in place, Tata Teleservices' operating margin was 12 per cent in 2014-15 as against 5.4 per cent reported in the previous year. During the first half of 2015-16, operating margins improved to 19 per cent from 8.9 per cent during the same period of the previous year. It is this rise in margins which is giving confidence to the bankers that the company is on the comeback trail but they caution that it is still not out of the woods. Tata Sons, which has invested billions of dollars in its telecom company, is hoping that Tata Teleservices remains on the track to recovery so that it can survive in the extremely competitive market, which is all set to become tougher with the entry of Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the whole of Northeast had the potential to become supplier of organic fruits and vegetables. There is a huge demand for organic products nowadays. Northeast is the only region in the country, which can grow organic products and can cater to this huge market. It will help the region grow economically, Modi said here on Tuesday. Praising Sikkim, which has turned completely organic, Modi said other states of the region, including Assam, should strive like Sikkim and become completely organic. People nowadays are rejecting chemicals. Health has become a priority for everyone. Let Northeast take the lead in catering to this huge market, said Modi. On Monday, Modi inaugurated Sikkim Organic Festival 2016 and said: Today, the whole world has recognised this effort of the farmers of Sikkim. He said the winds of this organic effort would now spread across the country. Taking a dig at the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government of Assam, Modi said it has of late become fashionable on the part of the state government to attack the Centre despite it failing in giving account of its expenses. The Assam government has to give account of funds it has spent. Those were peoples money that you had spent and so you have to give account of all the expenses. The Assam government had been complaining about tightening of central funds to the state since Modi came to power. The Centre in recent months had cut funds for many centrally-sponsored schemes in the state as many Assam government departments could not submit utilisation certificates for central funds for those schemes. There were charges and allegations that the Assam government could not provide utilisation certificates for Rs 11,000 crore of central funds. The Assam government claimed in spite of submission of utilisation certificates for Rs 5,236.98 crore worth of schemes in 2013-14 in respect to centrally-funded schemes such as Indira Awaas Yojana, rural employment scheme, mid-day meal programme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Rural Health Mission, besides flood management, only Rs 2,591.62 crore had been received against the total central fund allocation of Rs 7,161.57 crore. On Tuesday, he addressed a rally, jointly organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), at Kokrajhar in Assams Bodoland. This came close on the heels of BJP virtually inking a prepoll alliance with BPF for the upcoming Assam Assembly polls. However, against expectations, Modi did not announce any monetary package for Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), currently ruled by BPF. Earlier, expectations were running high that Modi would announce a Rs 1,000-crore package for BTC. BPF was an alliance partner in the Gogoi-led Congress government in Assam since 2003, but severed its ties in 2014. It has 12 members in the state Assembly. With the public-private partnership (PPP) strategy over developing Kolkata, Chennai and Jaipur airports in limbo, Airports Authority of India (AAI) is looking towards regional airports to shore up its non-aeronautical revenue. The plan is to develop city-side infrastructure in regional airports, with help from private players that will include building of hotels, carparks and other facilities. RITES - the engineering company under the ministry of railways - will advise it on city-side development of 13 regional airports across the country. GROWTH TAKES WING AAI is looking to develop city-side infrastructure in 13 regional airports, with help from private players RITES - the engineering firm under the ministry of railways - will advise it on the same This will bring windfall to the non-aeronautical revenue earned by AAI The process of identifying the land has already has been done at Lucknow and Raipur airports "Thirteen regional airports, holding out promise of generating high revenue, have been identified and work has already started on developing city-side infrastructure," said an official from AAI. The civil aviation ministry has, however, clarified that maintenance of the terminal building will not be included in the city-side development, ruling out any intent of privatising the airports. The process of identifying the land has already been done at Lucknow and Raipur airports, added the official. The development is significant because it comes after the government had scrapped plans to privatise the airports at Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. These were to be built via PPP, which envisaged handing over the operations, management and development of these airports to successful private bidders. This, according to the official, will bring windfall to the non-aeronautical revenue earned by AAI. Non-aeronautical revenue for the year stood at Rs 981 crore, declining from Rs 1,241 crore in 2013-14. AAI is eyeing more non-aeronautical revenue from the two privately-run airports of Mumbai and Delhi. The 700,000 square feet area at Terminal 2 at the Mumbai airport witnessed a 40 per cent jump in growth of food business in the last financial year, whereas Terminal 3 at Delhi airport witnessed almost a 45 per cent jump in revenue from the duty-free shops. There are over 500 brands in the Delhi airport space and the Amit Burman-led Lite-Bite is trying to attract major foreign brands to take up space at the airport under the agreement. DIAL has to share 45.99 per cent of its revenue with AAI every year, while the GVK Group's Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) shares 38.7 per cent. Juhu airport redevelopment AAI has set up an advisory committee for extension of the Juhu airport runway into the sea so that it can handle A320 and ATR turbo planes. RITES is advising AAI on it. Juhu airport is one of the first civil airports in the country. The government is lifting a five-decade-old ban on a type of lentil that has been linked to nerve damage and paralysis, in a desperate attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cut legume imports and make the nation self-sufficient in the edible seeds. Hit by back-to-back droughts for the first time in over three decades, lentil output has fallen and prices have nearly doubled. Now the government has cleared three varieties of the khesari lentil, which can grow in dry or wet conditions. But the opposition Congress party, which is trying to pressure Modi over continuing rural hardship, said the government was playing with the health of unsuspecting Indians by allowing the cultivation of khesari. The varieties developed by Indian scientists, however, contain a lesser amount of a neurotoxin that can damage nerve tissues and weaken the legs of both humans and animals than previous varieties, said Narendra Pratap Singh, director of the state-run Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR). "The government thought if in a reasonable quantity it can be consumed then why not allow it, particularly when there's a crisis and we're importing pulses," said Singh. Despite the ban placed on the lentil in 1961, khesari is still eaten in eastern India and neighbouring Bangladesh, mainly as a cheap source of protein for millions of poor people. "This is how the Modi government is tackling price rise - by lifting (the) ban on a pulse that's medically proven to cause paralysis," Congress party spokesman R P N Singh said on Twitter. The three varieties now allowed have been ready for the last 10 years and "various experiments on animals have shown there are no adverse long-term effects if consumption is in reasonable quantity," IIPR's Singh said. Every year Indians consume about 22 million tonnes of lentils used to make a thick stew called dal, commonly taken with rice or flat bread across South Asia. About a fifth of the volume is imported from countries like Canada, Australia and Myanmar, which grow the legumes mainly to sell to India. Modi wants India to be self sufficient in lentils and last month approved a scheme to encourage greater cultivation of the legumes. Higher incentives for water-intensive crops like wheat and rice have made India a big grains producer at the cost of other key crops like lentils and oilseeds. The government may bring in private players for outsourcing operations and management (O&M) of its ambitious project BharatNet, which aims to cover the countryside through a broadband network. The contract is estimated to be worth about Rs 1,000 crore; the project, earlier known as the National Optic Fibre Network and expected to be completed by March 2017, will connect 250,000 panchayats with bandwidth of 100 Mbps (megabit per second). State-run telecom firm BSNL is in the fray, too, as it has offered to do the O&M of the project, a senior official from the ministry of communications and IT told Business Standard. BSNL has been laying the optical fibre along with PSU firms. It plans to use it for offering services as well, which makes BSNL a perfect fit for the O&M model but the government is also looking at a tender model where bids will be invited from all, the official added. Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL), a special purpose vehicle set up by the government in 2012, is responsible for management and operations of BharatNet under administrative control of the information technology and communications ministry. The project executed through three public sector undertakings, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, RailTel and Power Grid Corporation, in a ratio of 70:15:15. The officials from BBNL, recently, gave a presentation to Minister for Communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad on the various models which could be considered for the O&M of BharatNet. In an interview to Business Standard in December last year, Prasad had said the government would consider private players for marketing. The department is in the process of finalising the marketing strategy for BharatNet. The project is critical for the Digital India programme but has seen a 75% cost overrun from the initial estimate of Rs 20,000 crore. Approved by the Cabinet in October 2011, the project was to be completed in two years but the deadline has been revised several times because of lack of coordination among implementing agencies and other issues like right of way. So far, only Kerala, Chandigarh and Puducherry have been connected under BharatNet. Until June 2014, when the new NDA government came to power, 2,292 km of fibre-optic pipe and 358 km of cable had been laid. By December this year, 106,721 km of fibre-optic pipe and 78,132 km of cable were in place. We are laying 1,507 km of fibre-optic pipe weekly and 1,713 km of cable. About 81,000 panchayats of the 100,000 targeted for the end of this financial year have been connected. A tender has been finalised for another 81,774 panchayats. About 18 state governments will set up a special purpose vehicle to implement the project across their states, a government official said. Published by an old curmudgeon who came to America in 1936 as a refugee from Nazi Germany and proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He is a former law enforcement officer and a retired professor of criminal justice who, in 1970, founded the Texas Narcotic Officers Association. BarkGrowlBite refuses to be politically correct. (Copyrighted articles are reproduced in accordance with the copyright laws of the U.S. Code, Title 17, Section 107.) Ahead of French President Francois Hollande's visit on the occasion of Republic Day, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and nuclear energy player Areva are striving to close the crucial commercial agreement for the 9,900-Mw Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra. Initially, Areva will supply two European pressurised reactors (EPRs) of 1,650-Mw each for the project. The contentious issue continues to be sharing of cost due to the application of additional safety measures in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011. The early works contract was signed between NPCIL and Areva in December 2010. Atomic Energy Commission former chairman RK Sinha two years ago had indicated that the per unit tariff of the Jaitapur project would be Rs 6.50. The project is running behind schedule for at least three-and-a-half years. THE JAITAPUR DEAL NPCIL and Areva signed early works contract in December 2010 Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011 and subsequent review led to the need to increase safety measures at Jaitapur and other nuclear plants Per unit tariff of Jaitapur project is indicated at Rs 6.50 per unit Areva and L&T signed deal for localisation of equipment Areva India president Manju Gupta said teams from both sides were working together under the pre-engineering agreement (PEA), signed in April 2015, during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to France. Gupta told Business Standard, ''Under this frame, Areva is supporting NPCIL in preliminary assessment of EPR licensability in India as per the Indian regulations. This will also enable both the companies to go a step further towards the project development."She also said they were working with L&T, in the frame of an MoU signed in April 2015, to explore areas of collaboration between the two companies. "This may include increased localisation for the Jaitapur project and contribute to the Make in India initiative. With the strong commitment from both the sides, we look forward to reaching a common understanding on the viability of the project,'' Gupta said. An NPCIL executive, who is involved in the negotiations with Areva, said the technical and commercial talks were currently under way. Efforts were being made to reach at the commercial agreement. As on date, necessary technical and regulatory requirements are in place. Infrastructure activities and pre-construction works are in progress at the project site. The additional safety applications include strengthening provision for monitoring of critical parameter under prolonged loss of power, provision of diesel-driven pumps for transfer of water, additional mobile pumps and fire tenders and steps for augmentation of onsite water storage, wherever required. NPCIL's former chairman and managing director SK Jain said the cost was subjective because in dollar terms the price, quoted by all the foreign suppliers, was only marginally higher than what they had quoted in 2005 and 2006. ''Marginally higher cost in dollar terms is on account of taking into consideration safety of reactors to a much higher level. It is unfortunate that dollar, which was at that time Rs 45-48 is now at Rs 67-plus. In dollar terms today too, offers by Areva and other reactor suppliers are very attractive,'' he said. The Centres new crop insurance scheme seems to have been influenced by the spadework already done by Madhya Pradesh in framing its own insurance policy for farmers. Officials said the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh had proposed a number of suggestions during a discussion on crop insurance held in Bhopal in June 2015, which have now been incorporated in the national scheme. The Centre has always claimed states have been actively consulted to bring out the new scheme. Officials said Madhya Pradesh had planned to bring its own crop insurance scheme, for which much of the ground work had already been done. But, the state might not push ahead with its own scheme, as the national policy has incorporated most of its suggestions. The Madhya Pradesh policy had proposed to cover all types of natural calamities through insurance, which the new policy also does. It had also proposed that the crop insurance scheme should be farm-based and should aim at including those individual farmers who have suffered loss, while the entire village might not have been affected. In the new crop insurance scheme, called the Prime Ministers Crop Insurance Scheme, individual farmland has been made unit of measurement. Officials said in the Madhya Pradesh version of the crop insurance scheme, loanee farmers were to be compulsorily included, while non-loanee farmers would also be encouraged to adopt the same. In the national scheme, too, the same has been incorporated. The Centres crop insurance scheme had fixed a premium amount of a flat two per cent for all crops grown during the kharif season, while for those sown during the rabi season, it has been fixed at 1.5 per cent. For horticulture crops, the premium amount of a flat five per cent has been fixed. Centre and states will jointly share the burden of subsidy. The MP policy, too, had spoken about keeping premiums reasonably low. Officials said Chouhan, during one of his deliberation for the states insurance scheme, had proposed that 25 per cent of the claim amount be transferred into the bank account of farmers immediately after a natural disaster. The Centres new policy has incorporated that as well. MP had also favoured using new and modern technologies such as remote sensing, satellite imagery and digital photography to eliminate the possibility of human errors in productivity loss assessment. Notably, Chouhan was among the first to congratulate, the Centre on the new scheme. Highly thankful to PM @narendramodi for historic decision to bring new crop insurance scheme. It will certainly provide succor to farmers, Chouhan had tweeted from Singapore. COVER FOR CROPS In the bidding for solar projects totalling 420 megawatt (Mw) in Rajasthan, under the National Solar Mission, the winning bid touched a new low of Rs 4.34 per unit. The bid was by Finnish solar power company Fortum Energy for a 70-Mw project. However, lowering of benchmark tariff by the Centre did not go too well in Maharashtra, which saw subdued interest from the companies participating in bidding for 500 Mw in the state. Rajasthan saw a spurt of foreign companies lining up for solar projects. US firm Rising Sun Energy quoted Rs 4.35 per unit for two projects with a total capacity of 140 Mw. Frances Solairedirect has quoted the same tariff for same capacity projects. Among the domestic ones, Rattan India, through its subsidiary Yarrow Infrastructure, won 70 Mw by quoting Rs 4.36 per unit. Fortums quoted tariff is the lowest bid received in solar power projects so far. The last lowest bid was Rs 4.63 a unit by Japans SoftBank through its joint venture in India, SBG Cleantech, for 350 Mw in Andhra Pradesh. Bidders will be allocated projects on the basis of most competitive VGF quotes. The Maharashtra tender received bids from 14 developers for total capacity of less than 1.8 gigawatt (Gw) in contrast to NTPCs recent 500-Mw tender in Andhra Pradesh, which received bids aggregating 5.5 Gw from 30 bidders. The reason for the subdued demand was because the change was made at the last moment. The last bidding for the 500-Mw solar power park in Andhra Pradesh witnessed the lowest bid of Rs 4.63 a unit by US solar firm SunEdison. The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered status quo till further orders on disinvestment of shares of Hindustan Zinc, earlier a public sector company. This would stall the move of Vedanta to acquire 29.5 per cent more of the company's shares. It already holds majority stake in the company after it bought a large tranche in 2002. The order was passed by a Bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur on a petition by the National Conference of Officers' Association challenging the earlier disinvestment of 26 per cent, in which the assets were sold to Vedanta for Rs 445 crore in 2002. The association has alleged irregularities in the valuation of shares, arguing that the shares were given at a throwaway price to Vedanta, almost one-fourth of the CAG valuation of Rs 119. The court had earlier called for a status report from Central Bureau of Investigation. It submitted a report in a sealed cover to the court. Prashant Bhushan, counsel for the association, was allowed to file certain documents in his possession with regard to the disinvestment within four weeks. The court questioned Attorney-General (A-G) Mukul Rohtagi's hurry in disinvesting the remaining shares. It wanted to examine the whole issue and till then, asked the government to hold its hands. It maintained that the government still has a role in the disinvestment though it may not own it. The process of disinvestment must be examined. The A-G told the court that the government was no longer interested in the business and it is not a government company. Therefore, no sanction was required for disinvestment according to law. Parliament approval was also not required in this case, he said. In any case, it is the government's policy which cannot be scrutinised. Vedanta counsel C A Sundaram submitted that it was interested in acquiring the shares. When it bought the first tranche in 2002, Hindustan Zinc was a losing company. It has now been turned around and has made Rs 10,000-crore profit. He said that the mineral laws need not be amended for this purpose nor Parliament approval necessary. The governments start-up action plan has kindled hopes of the young and restless entrepreneurial community in the country. Several game changing measures including a three-year tax holiday and exemptions from provisions of some cost-escalating laws. There were some rehashes from the ease of business campaign such as insolvency law, easier registration process etc, and some Pranab Mukherjee era Budget dinosaurs such as state-run venture funds getting some start-up lipstick. Despite all the incentives, the start-ups mega event fell short of expectations. At least, people involved in discussions with the government and regulators feel so. In a mail, an ISpirt representative said only 11-12 of the 34 problem areas that need policy and regulatory changes by the Ministry of corporate affairs, Reserve of Bank of India, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and other bodies have been addressed. There are promises on another dozen; the rest have not been touched at all on the working Saturday. As long as all are not addressed, in all likelihood, many start-ups will continue to be domiciled outside India. That is not good for the stock and local investors here. Companies domiciled outside India are likely to get listed in overseas and small investors are unlikely to get access to these new-age wealth creators. This is the reason why despite several relaxations in the initial public offering framework by the Securities and Exchange Board of India, not many tech start-ups have gone for listing locally. This, in turn, beats the point of whatever sops that have been announced and raises disturbing questions. If a majority of start-ups are going to be in Singapore, who is going to exploit these thousands of crores of worth of incentives? There are enough fly-by-nights who can tailor their outfits to suit government conditionalities, swallow the sops, and vanish. Let us not hope all the safeguards such as certification by investors and government panels work well. The numbers given by people involved in discussions with government suggest that about 75 per cent of the start-ups that received funding were domiciled in Singapore, up from about half the year before. The elephant in the room, which not many are very open about, here is the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy. It is no secret in the start-up world that people are getting domiciled abroad not because they are disqualified from bidding for government procurement contracts due to some random tender conditions. They are there to circumvent policy restrictions that dont allow FDI in business to consumer (B2C) retail. It is well documented how they do it. And, much to the embarrassment of the government, came reports of DIPP telling the court that the policy was unambiguous and it was for investigative arms to probe violations and act against violators. Subsequent incredible spins put on how other parts of the submission supported e-commerce players helped confuse people for the time being and contained critics from going berserk ahead of the marquee event. It is surprising that the only people who dont seem to understand these structures are the investigative agencies that have to act against the violations. Several probes began, but have gone nowhere. But, doubts continue to linger. The ambivalent submissions by DIPP betrays the governments strategy to play a dangerous double game of banning FDI in B2C, but not cracking down on violators. The options before the government seem limited. As much as it wants to woo start-ups, Modi and his party - sometimes dubbed as Baniya party - cannot afford to alienate its core constituency by fully opening up retail. More so, when its at the mercy of a combative 10, Janpath to pass Bills in the Upper House. Thus, the double game looks all set to continue. As long as it does, even if all the 33 other demands and more are met, start-ups will continue their own little double game: start up in India, stand up in Singapore. Even as Akhilesh Yadav government is keen to leverage the tourism potential in Uttar Pradesh for boosting services sector growth, the proposed international airports in the state have utterly failed to take wings. These airport projects had been proposed under different regimes to boost tourism and provide direct air connectivity from the major tourist hinterlands. Much headway had been made in at least two proposed projects at Kushinagar and Jewar, yet the ambitious plans have only come a cropper. Over the past decade, the regimes of both Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav have proposed to develop international airport/aviation hubs at Kushinagar, Jewar near Greater Noida (Gautam Budh Nagar district) and Agra. Kushinagar airport The much awaited Kushingar international airport was projected to cost about Rs 354 crore under public private partnership (PPP). In January 2014, the Akhilesh cabinet had cleared the project to be built under Design Build Finance Operate Transfer (DBFOT) basis and approved the final bid document. The bidders, who had previously qualified the technical bid stage in March 2013 included GMR, Essel, Gammon India etc. Besides, the state had acquired the land spanning 550 acres. The airport with a runway of 3,200 metres was estimated to serve about 2,50,000 tourists annually. It was touted to be India's first airport wherein the Centre had given in-principle approval for viability gap funding (VGF) of 20 per cent. Additional 20 per cent grant had been committed from the state government. Hence, the total permissible VGF grant of 40 percent came to about Rs 170 crore. Kushinagar has an old airstrip spanning 97 acres to handle small aircraft. According to a study, over 3,00,000 international tourists come to Kushinagar annually to visit Buddhist sites. In the absence of interest from private developers, the project hangs in balance, although the state government has yet not shelved it. Jewar airport The Jewar airport was proposed in 2001 as an aviation hub to rival New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. The project was approved by AAI in 2003, when Mayawati was at helm (2007-12) in UP. Mayawati had vigorously pushed for it, although it fell within the 150 km radius of the international airport in the national capital. The existing rules had prohibited another airport within such radius unless approved exclusively. Her regime had even planned to get the airport operational before the 2010 Commonwealth Games, but it never take off pending other central clearances. The project was estimated to cost nearly Rs 3,500 crore spanning about 3,700 acres and handle 4 million passengers annually. Even the techno-feasibility study had been conducted and submitted to the Centre for action and bidding document prepared. Agra airport Soon after coming to power in March 2012, the Akhilesh government had virtually scrapped the Jewar international airport project and pitched for an airport in Agra to cater the Taj Mahal-Braj tourist circuit. The government had even identified land near Etmadpur, about 16 km from Agra City, for the mega project. However, the defence ministry raised objections over the proposed site. In a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015, the state government, however, had expressed willingness to revive the proposed Jewar airport while also pitching for an airport in Agra. Owing to the defence ministry objection, the state has now proposed an alternative site in Agra apart from proposing to develop Saifai airstrip (Etawah district) into an international airport. Saifai is the native place of Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav. Former union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh during the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime at the Centre had also urged the Akhilesh government to hand over Meerut and Agra airport to AAI to unlock tourism potential in the region. Meanwhile, the state government has engaged AAI as consultant for conducting the pre-feasibility of the proposed airport sites at Agra and Saifai. "We have identified about 5,000 acres of land in Agra region for the proposed project, which would further boost tourism in the area," UP tourism department principal secretary Navneet Sehgal told Business Standard. "The state government should be more aggressive in pushing such projects. The issues of land acquisition and clearances are important, but if there is strong political will at the highest level, such issues can be taken care of easily," an official previously involved with the Kushinagar project spoke on condition of anonymity. Airports/airstrips in UP Currently, there are over two dozen airports/airstrips in UP owned either by AAI or the state government. These are located at Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Bareilly, Meerut, Saifai (Etawah), Sultanpur, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Farrukhabad, Faizabad, Kushinagar, Sonbhadra, Moradabad, Azamgarh etc. UP civil aviation department owns 18 airstrips of which the Jhansi airstrip has been under the control of the Indian Army. Lucknow and Varanasi operate commercial flights. The US has lifted its economic sanctions on Iran. While this is positive from an perspective, some more steps are required before companies can freely take for crude oil imports. G Srinivasan, chairman and managing director of New India Assurance, termed this a positive development given the difficulties Indian insurers used to face to insure refineries importing Iranian crude. Now, we will get capacity from reinsurers and even Iranian reinsurers could come forward to provide a cover, he said. In 2013, when Iranian crude importing refineries had to face problems as firms declined to extend full coverage to refiners processing Iranian crude, citing lack of reinsurance coverage. For this, a Rs 2,000-crore Indian Energy Insurance Pool was proposed to cover the refineries that were importing crude oil from Iran. However, this failed to take off due to the differences in opinion between oil companies and the former government on the size of the cover and pool. While oil companies were asking for a cover of Rs 9,500-11,000 crore, the government offered only Rs 2,000 crore. Of the Rs 2,000-crore insurance pool, the petroleum ministry was to contribute around Rs 1,000 crore through the Oil Industry Development Board, and the ministry another Rs 1,000 crore.State-owned general insurers had also invited their private sector counterparts to be part of this pool, but none of the latter accepted, citing high associated risks. Now that the US has lifted its sanctions, insurance companies said the demand for covers for crude oil importers would be back. However, they cautioned that only after the United Nations lifts its sanctions will there be availability of reinsurance capacity. A senior general insurance executive said reinsurers from Europe were yet to lift the sanctions and they would do so only after the United Nations does it. Hence, covers will be available only after this. Indian insurers used to depend on European companies to re-insure their risks. However, with the sanctions on trade with Iran from both the US and the European Union, they had refused to re-insure. Large sized covers like these are only given if the particular insurer or group of insurers have enough reinsurance capacity to deal with the high risks involved in this process. 4th India Africa Hydrocarbon Conference to be held in New Delhi to explore opportunities, bridge boundaries and boost bilateral trade . . The Fourth India Africa Hydrocarbon Conference (IAHC) is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on January 21st and 22nd, 2016. The Conference is aimed at greater cooperation between India and African continent towards Development Transmitting Partnership in the field of Hydrocarbons. It is a continuation of the discussion revolving around synergies between India and Africa and will strengthen the ties between the two. The partnership would enable India to enhance its energy security while nurturing Africas Hydrocarbons sector growth on several fronts like capacity building, environmental sustainability, human resource development and employment generation. . . India and African nations have always enjoyed strong historical, political and cultural ties. India is importing close to 75 percent of its crude oil requirements while several African nations are rich in hydrocarbon resources. This serves as the catalyst to encourage proper cooperation beyond the hydrocarbon energy sector where investment capital from India can be secured in allied projects for development needs of African countries. . . In the third Indo-African Summit held in New Delhi in October, 2015, the key areas were outlined in which India and Africa will work together. Energy security stands as one of the major focus area of the bilateral ties. Africa with its huge hydrocarbon resources and India with its rapidly rising demand of huge human resource, experience, technology and ability to invest capital are natural partners, poised for future growth. African imports play a significant role in meeting the demands of India to an extent that Nigeria stood as the second largest supplier of oil to India in June, 2015. Owing to rich natural resources in Africa, there are opportunities at various levels to be partners in growth with India which is also visible in Indian Government Policies, with a push to the Indian National Oil Companies to enhance their partnerships with African nations. . . The 4th India Africa Hydrocarbon Conference (IAHC) aims to explore opportunities, bridge boundaries and boost bilateral trade between India and Africa. The Conference will provide a global forum for Energy Ministers and Delegates of African Countries to share their vision and chart out the road map for extended energy cooperation in the coming days. The Conference will bring together leaders in the worlds of energy to network with other influential peers, gaining new perspective by hearing distinguished CEOs from India and abroad, exchange expert insights, and develop strategies for the next big steps towards enhanced energy cooperation. . . In the Conference, 22 African nations are likely to participate. Nine of them will be represented by their Ministers. These countries are Algeria, Morocco, Mauritius, Liberia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tunisia, Senegal and Equatorial Guinea. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan will deliver the inaugural address on 21st January, 2016. The Conference will conclude on 22nd January, 2016 with his remarks and valedictory address by the Minister of External Affairs, Smt. Sushma Swaraj. Besides, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan will also have bilateral meetings with the Ministers representing the African countries. There will be several panel discussions and ministerial sessions. . . YKB DoNER to support major projects in Sikkim": Dr Jitendra Singh . . The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has assured the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Shri Pawan Kumar Chamling that Ministry of DoNER is committed to support major development projects in Sikkim and will also coordinate with other Union Ministries to expedite the projects under their purview. . . Before concluding his three-day visit to Sikkim today, Dr Jitendra Singh took a review of the various projects of the Ministry of DoNER in the State from the senior officers of the Ministry of DoNER and North Eastern Council (NEC). He also exchanged inputs with Chief Secretary Shri Alok Srivastava and other senior officers of the State Administration. . . Later, talking to media persons, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the people of Sikkim were extremely grateful to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for having launched the Organic Farming Mission" which will be a role model for other States to follow. Though being a very small State, he said, Sikkim is very progressive and development-oriented, which is evident from the fact that during the 11th Five Year Plan, it recorded an impressive growth rate of 22.8%. . . Referring to various projects being supported by the Ministry of DoNER, Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that under "Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources" (NLCPR), 183 projects have been completed in the State at the cost of Rs. 487.91 crore, while in addition, 41 projects worth Rs. 721.89 crore are ongoing. Similarly, under the North Eastern Council (NEC), 54 ongoing projects have been approved for the State of Sikkim at a cost of Rs. 321.33 crore for which, an amount of Rs. 218.54 crore has already been released. . . Giving details of some of the landmark projects in the offing, Dr Jitendra Singh mentioned the Greenfield Airport at Pakyong, which is expected to be ready in 2017 at a revised cost of Rs. 605.59 crore. Another unique project, he said, is that of 45 km long Sevoke-Rangpo railway line at the cost of Rs. 4190 crore which will have the distinction of having 14 tunnels and 28 bridges. This railway line will offer an exclusively picturesque and scenic journey while passing through the foothills of Kanchenjunga mountain range and Teesta River Valley, he added. . . Health Ministry to establish two National Centres of Ageing . . Government of India has approved establishment of two National Centres of Ageing-one each at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and Madras Medical College, Chennai under the tertiary level component of National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE) during the 12th Five Year Plan Period. Both the National Centres of Ageing are expected to be Centres of Excellence in the field of Geriatric Care in the country. The functions of the National Centres will be (i) Health care delivery; (ii) Training of health professionals; (iii) Research activities along with 200 bedded in-patient services. . . A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed here today between AIIMS, New Delhi and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the presence of Shri B.P. Sharma, Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare and Dr. M.C. Mishra, Director, AIIMS, New Delhi. Dr. A.B. Dey, Professor and Head, Department of Geriatric Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi signed on behalf of AIIMS. Another MOU was also signed today between Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu and Madras Medical College, Chennai. While Shri Senthil Kumar, Special Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu, Department of Health and Family Welfare signed on behalf of Government of Tamil Nadu, Dr.R.Vimla, Dean, Madras Medical College, Chennai signed the MOU on behalf of Madras Medical College, Chennai. Both the MOUs were signed by Ms. Dharitri Panda, Joint Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. . . NCC Mentor of the Youth - Rao Inderjit Singh . . Lauding the role of the National Cadet Corps (NCC), Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh has said that the premiere agency is the mentor of the youth. He appreciated its commitment in grooming of Future Leaders of the country. Highlighting the immense contributions of NCC, the Minister brought out that it is the foremost organisation engaged in Youth Empowerment, promoting unique mix of scholastic education and multifaceted activities enabling all round development of young generation in the country. He said he was proud of NCC having entered Limca Book of Records for largest yoga performance by 9.5 lakh cadets at multiple venues on International Day of Yoga. . . The Minister visited NCC Republic Day Camp-2016 being conducted at the Garrison Parade Ground here today. On arrival, the Minister was received by Lieutenant General A Chakravarty, Director General NCC. The Minister was presented an impressive Guard of Honour by cadets followed by a band display. The Band enthralled the visiting dignitary and other eminent spectators. During his visit to Flag Area the Minister was confidently briefed by young Cadets. He complimented the cadets for their smart drill and enthusing displays. . . The Minister along with other distinguished guests later witnessed a spectacular Cultural Programme by the talented cadets in the NCC auditorium. . . The Republic Day Camp is being attended by 2069 cadets including 695 girl cadets specially selected from 17 Directorates covering all the States and Union Territories and 71 (Seventy-one) foreign cadets from six friendly foreign countries under the NCC Youth Exchange Programme. . . Nampi/Ranjan Shri J P Nadda felicitates 43 scientists for their contribution in Biomedical Research . Science should reach to all those places and people who need it the most: J P Nadda . . Our PM has a vision that the fruits of science should reach the poorest, the vulnerable and to the remotest areas of the country and we must ensure science reaches to all those places and people who need it the most." This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare while felicitating 43 scientists for their work in communicable and non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health and various other medical and biomedical fields, here today. He further added, I find health research an invaluable ally in governance and development." . . Shri Nadda also asked ICMR to list out at least 10 major pressing challenges in the field of healthcare in India and find out the local solutions of those challenges. These suggestions will enable healthcare to become holistic and truly meaningful, he said. Highlighting the importance of such awards, the Health Minister said: The awards will boost the morale of the recipients and inspire other scientists to consistently work towards making innovations more affordable." Announcing collaboration with AYUSH Ministry in biomedical research, Shri Nadda said, We have a vast traditional knowledge and this needs to be incorporated in a holistic manner." He stated that as opposed to working in silos, Ministries should collaborate and work together. He also urged ICMR to go for cutting edge research and attract the best talent in the country which would be dedicated to research. He added that research should focus in increasing access to healthcare and in making innovations affordable to those who need them the most. . . Shri Nadda stated that researchers are silent workers who go into the depth of the matter with utmost patience. He congratulated the recipients in various fields. . . Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, DG, ICMR and Secretary, Dept. of Health Research stated that ICMR will now work with AYUSH Ministry to harness the rich knowledge of traditional medicine systems. The collaboration of allopathy and traditional medicine systems will be vastly beneficial to people, she said. . . ICMR offers array of awards in biomedical sciences. Majority of the awards are annual while few are being given on alternate years. In addition to the awards given for meritorious work carried out by scientists in a particular field of science, there are number of awards to recognize and adorn the scientific talent of young scientists. There are specific awards to encourage the scientists working in the underdeveloped parts of the country and also the scientists belonging to the underprivileged communities and championing the cause of their section of the society. An exclusive award is also given to women scientists to acknowledge their contribution. This time 15 women scientists were awarded for their scientific work. . . Also present on the occasion were Shri Ajit Sharan, Secretary AYUSH, Lt. Gen B K Chopra, Dr M C Mishra, Director AIIMS, New Delhi. . . Shri Kiren Rijiju participates in the Symposium on Shared Values and Democracy in Asia in Tokyo . . The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju participated in the Symposium on Shared Values and Democracy in Asia in Tokyo today. This symposium is a follow up to the Hindu Buddhist Global Initiative for Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness held in New Delhi on September 3, 2015 and is a part of the Global Hindu-Buddhist Initiative conceived during Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modis State Visit to Japan in August-September 2014. The symposium in Tokyo is organised by the Nikkei Inc and co-organised by The Tokyo Foundation, The Japan Foundation and the Vivekananda International Foundation (India) in collaboration with International Buddhist Conference and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. . . Prior to the symposium, Shri Sujan R. Chinoy, Ambassador of India to Japan and Mr. Hiroyasu Ando, President of Japan Foundation hosted an exclusive reception for the participants and a select gathering from all sections of the Japanese and the diplomatic community on January 18, 2016. The Minister of State (Home), Ambassador of India, President of the Japan Foundation and Secretary General of International Buddhist Organisation addressed the gathering at the reception that was attended by, interalia, former President Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia. Shri M. L. Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana, the first leader of any State in India to visit Japan in 2016, also graced the reception. The Chief Minister is accompanied by a large business delegation to further promote and enhance the existing strong economic engagement that Haryana State has with Japan. . . The Minister of State (Home) delivered the Opening Remarks at the Symposium, on behalf, of the Government of India. The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modis video message was a very inspiring part of the proceedings touching upon the common value system, across Asian civilizations, which could avoid conflicts among humans and between humans and nature. The Prime Minister also said that it is universally accepted that this century belongs to Asia. The Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe delivered the Closing Remarks at the all-important event. The Symposium was attended by renowned Asian political, social, academic and religious leaders from a number of Asian countries, apart from India and Japan, including Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore and China. . . In his address at the Symposium, the Minister of State (Home) Shri Kiren Rijiju underlined that Samvad/dialogue holds the key to good relations and that for the 21st Century to be the Asian century, democratic societies must work together to preserve and promote non-conflicting traditions and democratic values. India is today the worlds fastest growing large economy and its economic and social transformation under the dynamic leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is strongly rooted in our democratic ideals. . . Shri Kiren Rijiju said that there is enough room for all countries of Asia to prosper together. At the same time, a multitude of identities and interests have prevented us from achieving better results. He said that the principles of democracy have been an integral part of India and Oriental civilizations and their spiritual traditions. The origin of democracy and democratic values in these societies can be traced back to the teachings of Buddhism, Hinduism and Shintoism and other philosophies which emphasized the collective good of society, he added. . . Shri Kiren Rijiju also said that both Hinduism and Buddhism encouraged differing thoughts and viewpoints. They advocated dialogue and emphasized the power of change and conviction through a democratic process. This provided a strong cultural base for societies development and acceptance of diversity. He emphasized that for democracies to flourish, it is essential that Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam come together. He said that today, when the world is witnessing increasing levels of polarization in conflict situations, democratic societies must work together to preserve and promote non-conflicting traditions and democratic values. . . The Minister said that we need to resolve our difference through peaceful dialogue, through better Samvad as we would say in India. We need to seek greater convergence in our mindsets. We need to distill the wisdom inherent in our Asian heritage to show us the way forward. Shri Rijiju said that he is confident that the 21st century will prove to be the Asian century. The world is looking up to Asia not only to provide the engines for global economic recovery but also for ideas and leadership critical for harmonious global relations, he said. Shri Rijiju said that Asia should be capable of meeting global challenges emerging from conflict-prone ideologies and societies. . . The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju met the Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Shinzo Abe at the official banquet hosted by the Prime Minister for the participants, at the Prime Ministers Official Residence, after the Symposium. Shri Rijiju will also travel to Nara, as part of the Symposium, to visit the Todai-ji Temple, which has a long association with India, where the consecration or eye-opening of the towering statue of Lord Buddha was performed by an Indian monk, Bodhisena, in 752 AD. He would also meet the Governor of Nara Mr Shogo Aria at Nara. . . Shri Nitin Gadkari and Dr Jitendra Singh to inaugurate the 19th National Conference on e-Governance in Nagpur on January 21 . . CM Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis to present the National e-Governance Awards on January 22 . . The 19th National Conference on e-Governance will be held in Nagpur, Maharashtra on January 21-22, 2016. The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari will be the Chief Guest at the Inaugural Function. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh will be the Guest of Honour. Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) Shri Devendra Chaudhry will also address the Inaugural Session. . . The two-day Conference is being organized by the DARPG and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Government of India in association with the Government of Maharashtra. The Conference will have six plenary sessions on topics such as Governance with Accountability Transparency & Innovation (GATI) for Citizen-Centric Services, Financial Inclusion- Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (JAM) and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Urban Governance in Smart Cities, Cyber Security Framework for Citizen Centric Services, Decade of eGovernance- Way Ahead and Technology Enabled Education. . . The Conference serves as an effective forum for IT professionals of the Central and State Governments, Software Solution Providers and the Industry to interact and analyse various solution frameworks. Many new initiatives in e-Governance have emerged out of these Conferences. Eighteen such Conferences have been organized so far and the last one was held in January, 2015 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. . . During the Valedictory Session on January 22, 2016, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis will give away the National Awards for e-Governance for the Year 2015-16 for exemplary implementation of e-Governance initiatives in twelve categories including awards given for Best District level initiative in citizen-centric service delivery through ICT, Innovative use of GIS Technology in eGovernance, Innovative use of mobile technology in eGovernance, besides the sectoral awards. In all ten gold and eight silver awards will be given away in the conference. . . Shri Rajnath Singh to inaugurate the International Conference on Cooperative Federalism tomorrow . . The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the International Conference on Cooperative Federalism: National Perspectives and International Experience" here tomorrow. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh will also address the inaugural session. . . The two-day Conference is being hosted by the Inter State Council Secretariat (ISCS), Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with the Forum of Federations, UNDP and the World Bank. This is the first conference in the country where the subject of cooperative federalism is being discussed at the international level. . . The Conference will have sessions on following five themes: Institutions, mechanisms and processes to facilitate Cooperative Federalism, Fiscal Federalism with a focus on Institutional and Legal Mechanisms and on key social sectors namely Health and Education and Horizontal and Vertical cooperation on Internal Security and Crime and Green Federalism. . . The conference is expected to identify the best practices from other countries and come out with recommendations including changes in the institutional mechanisms to foster cooperative federalism in the Indian context. . . In addition to the senior policy makers and Government officials from Central and State governments, academics and practitioners and thinks tanks in India and international experts from Australia, Ethiopia, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and Canada will share their views in the Conference. . . Mr. Roger Wilkins (Australia), former Director-General of the Cabinet Office in New South Wales and former Permanent Secretary, Attorney Generals Department, Commonwealth of Australia, Mr. Rupak Chattopadhyay (Canada), President and CEO, Forum of Federations, Ottawa, Canada, Mr. Yalew Abate (Ethiopia), Speaker, House of Federation, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Mr. Mohammed Bhabha (South Africa), Advisor to the Minister of Constitutional Affairs, Mr. Georg Milbradt (Germany), Vice-President, Independent Advisory Committee of the German Stability Council and former Minister-President of the State of Saxony, Mr. Thomas Pfisterer (Switzerland), former Member of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, Government of the Canton of Aargau, and the Swiss Council of States (Senate) will participate in the panel discussions. . . Shri Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Shri Arun Maira, former Member, Planning Commission, Shri S. Narayan, former Union Finance Secretary, Shri G K Pillai, former Union Home Secretary, Shri Navneet Wasan, former DG, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and National Investigation Agency, Shri Nitin Desai, Chairman, Institute of Economic Growth, Shri Sudipto Mundle, Emeritus Professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy and Shri Probhito Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow and Director, The Energy Research Institute and Ms. Rekha Saxena, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Delhi will also address the conference. . . More than a trillion dollars of investment flows has fled emerging markets over the past 18 months but the exodus may not even be halfway done, as once-booming economies appear trapped in a slow-bleeding cycle of weak growth and investment. While developing economies are no stranger to financial crises, with several currency and debt cataclysms infecting all emerging markets in waves over recent decades, leaders gathering for this year's World Economic Forum in Davos in the Swiss Alps are fearful that this episode is much harder to shake off. Seeded by fears of tighter US credit and a rising US dollar, and coming alongside a secular slowdown of China's and an implosion of the related commodity 'supercycle', there's growing anxiety that there will be no sharp rebound at the end of this downturn to reward investors who braved out the worst moments. "The global backdrop and the drivers for emerging markets are very different from 2001," David Spegel, head of emerging markets at ICBC Standard Bank said, referring to the time Asia, Russia and Brazil were recovering from the crisis waves of the late-1990s. "Back then all the stars were aligned for globalisation and emerging markets benefited the most. This time around, we just don't have those multiple catalysts." The chief catalyst in 2001 was of course China. Its entry to the World Trade Organisation unleashed a decade-long export and investment miracle that propelled its from sixth place globally, to the world's second biggest. Its ascent hauled up much of the developing world, from Latin American exporters of soy and steel to the Asian workshops which became part of its gigantic factory supply chain. But its slowdown is whacking these countries equally hard. Exports from emerging markets - from Korean cars to Chilean copper - are declining year-on-year at the sharpest rate since the 2008-09 crisis, according to UBS. Global trade in fact likely grew slower than the world for the fourth straight year in 2015, according to the WTO, a United Nations body. That contrasts with previous decades when commerce expanded at least twice as fast as world growth. The gloomy conclusion some are reaching is that the China effect was possibly a once-in-a-lifetime shift, whose effects are now dissipating forever. "Rather than expecting emerging markets to mean-revert toward the golden years of 2002-2007, there is a risk that in terms of trade, what we are reverting to is the environment of 1980s," UBS strategist Manik Narain said. FLIGHT One feature of the "golden years" was the extraordinary amount of capital that poured into the developing world; according to the Washington DC-based Institute of Finance net inflows in 2001-2011 totaled nearly $3 trillion. Some of this is starting to reverse as last year saw the first net capital outflow since 1988, a $540 billion loss, says the IIF which predicts more flight in 2016. Other forecasters such as JPMorgan reckon nearly a trillion dollars have fled China alone since mid-2014; its central bank reserves alone declined more than $500 billion last year. Redemptions from emerging stock and bond funds hit a record $60 billion last year, according to fund tracker EPFR Global. IIF executive director Hung Tran says emerging markets' problems are not just external. They must overcome a key homegrown issue - falling productivity. Tran estimates productivity, which provides clues on future economic growth, is growing at just 0.9 percent a year across much of the developing world, a quarter the rate seen before 2007 and not far from richer countries' 0.4 percent. "Productivity advantage of EM countries, which is key for attracting capital flows and investment, has collapsed," Tran said. "There is a cycle of diminishing returns on investment." SLOW-BURN CRISIS There are some bright spots such as India and Mexico. But with China fears on the rise and Brazil and Russia in recession for the second straight year, investment returns across the sector are unlikely to recover soon, many fear. Emerging stock market performance has lagged developed peers for five years now, and corporate earnings have shrunk for more than four years, Morgan Stanley has calculated. This is the longest decline in the MSCI equity index's history, MS says, noting the longest prior earnings recession in the asset class was after the 1997 crisis and lasted two years. Richard House, head of EM debt at Standard Life Investments, notes the strengthening dollar is spooking investors in emerging currency bonds too. "Fund performance hasn't been good across the industry...Local market funds have been an outflow asset class for a while and that experience is going to impact people's mindset going forward," House said. The fear of large-scale outflows is clearly on policymakers' minds. To combat such an exodus, emerging economies may have to resort to radical measures such as coordinated securities market interventions, of the kind done in the West after 2008, Mexican central bank head Agustin Carstens has suggested Ultimately though he said that to boost long-term growth, there was only one solution - tough economic reform. The invitation was sent. And then, two weeks later, revoked. The World Economic Forum, which on Wednesday begins its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, brings together political and business leaders to discuss the world's most pressing problems. In years past, Vladimir V. Putin has attended. So has Bill Gates. This year, Vice President Joseph R Biden Jr. will attend. And so it wasn't a complete surprise to see that the foreign minister of North Korea, Ri Su-Yong, had accepted an invitation to attend the meeting in the Swiss Alps. But in early January, after North Korea's fourth nuclear test, which was broadly condemned, the World Economic Forum revoked Ri's invitation. North Korea said the forum had "unilaterally cancelled the participation" of its delegation "based on unjust political motivation, which clearly runs counter to the nature and position of WEF as an forum for discussion of economic issues." The World Economic Forum, through one of its board members, Philipp Rosler, explained its decision. "We decided after the nuclear test that at the moment there would be no opportunity for an international, global dialogue in the spirit of the World Economic Forum," he said. But why? If the World Economic Forum isn't an opportunity to have an "international, global dialogue" about North Korea's nuclear ambitions, especially with its foreign minister in attendance, then what's the point? After all, the forum's stated purpose is to "improve the state of the world." Even though Davos has sometimes been criticised as a boondoggle for the business elite, it has often been the stage for meaningful debate and compromise among policy makers. In 1994, for instance, the Palestinian leader, Yasir Arafat, and the Israeli foreign minister, Shimon Peres, entered the stage holding hands. Six years before, in 1988, Greece and Turkey signed a no-war agreement called the "Davos Declaration." At the same time, however, it seems as if much of the conversations in Davos are a form of sanitised debate. "To attract all these famous politicians, billionaires and celebrities," Bill Emmott, former editor of The Economist, once wrote, "they have made the event safe." "I don't mean safe from terrorism, though I hope that is true," he added. "I mean safe from surprises and controversy. Things are arranged to avoid argument, confrontation, provocation." Two years ago, the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, who had flown to Davos and was scheduled to speak on a Friday afternoon, was disinvited from the conference after several protesters were shot in Kiev. He stayed in his hotel room, and criticised the snub in an interview with The Financial Times. "The forum had a unique opportunity to listen to the head of government of Ukraine, to get a wider point of view - it's hard to tell who lost more in this affair," Azarov said in the interview. For several years at Davos, WikiLeaks dominated talk among policy experts and business leaders. Was Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, ever asked to address the forum? No. Edward J Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked millions of documents about electronic surveillance by the United States government, has taken part in several events by video from Russia, where he is exiled. But he has never been invited, either. Of course, the forum has to be vigilant in creating its guest list and programming, as it does not want to become a weeklong stage for world leaders to blast each other or promote dangerous ideas. But some critics have long said that the conference is too carefully curated. "The World Economic Forum is an intensely orchestrated event with nothing left to chance," Frank Vogl wrote in the Global Policy Forum in 2001. "Every topic for discussion is carefully considered and researched, every participant is thoroughly prescreened and every moment of every day is micromanaged. The Forum is programmed to tick like the best Swiss watch." Certain subjects have been avoided. Until last year, for example, discussions that focused on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were not on the agenda, in part, because certain delegations from the Middle East and Eastern Europe objected to the topic. As for North Korea, the situation was perhaps untenable. The country's participation at Davos would have made it difficult for someone like Biden and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain to attend without being criticised. Choe Myong-nam, deputy ambassador at North Korea's diplomatic mission in Geneva, said, "the decision by WEF is based on political motivation because the organiser has suddenly decided to cancel, taking sides with the belligerent United States and its allies that are pursuing hostile policies against" the country. "We are 100 percent sure there is pressure and even blackmail." Ultimately, blaming the World Economic Forum itself for the lack of debate may be misplaced. It is the community's responsibility to try to communicate with each other - especially those with divergent views. "The community currently will not be the other party to any dialogue" with North Korea, said Adrian Monck, the forum's head of public engagement and foundations. North Korea, of course, is just one challenge in a world that has become increasingly complex and dangerous. In today's environment, with escalating terrorist attacks and heightened economic and political instability, it is perhaps unfair to look to Davos as some sort of panacea for the world's problems. A conference of disparate voices works only if all parties attend. But in an increasingly divisive world, it may be harder to get them all in the same room. 2016 The New York Times News Service Brokers have written to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) highlighting the difficulties 2-in-1 trading account holders might face in using the Application Supported by Blocked Amount (Asba) to invest in upcoming initial public offerings (IPOs). Asba is an online payment facility provided by some banks wherein the application money is blocked and gets debited only after the IPO allotment is made. Sebi has made the facility mandatory for all categories of investors applying for a public issue from January 1. According to experts, the bulk of retail applications in recent IPOs come in through the non-Asba route, as a large number of investors prefer cheque-based applications despite the convenience of Asba. There is the possibility of a large number of investors investing through their brokers either by way of cheque or an online application getting affected. A little more thought is required before making the Asba mode compulsory, said Prasanth Prabhakaran, head, retail broking, IIFL. Investors invest in the stock market either through 3-in-1 or 2-in-1 accounts. In case of the former, which are operated by bank brokers, the stock broker has the power of attorney (PoA) to operate both the bank and the demat accounts. For the latter, brokers have the PoA for demat accounts, but not bank accounts. Heres how a typical IPO application through a 2-in-1 account is processed. The broker first gets the receipt of instruction from the client, which is then verified by the broker. The system, then, generates an IPO application form, which is printed and signed by the stock broker. In the fourth step, a cheque or demand draft/bankers cheque is issued by the broker from the client bank account after debiting the trading account of the client. With compulsory Asba kicking in, the fourth step will be replaced by the Asba process. This would mean brokers will have to obtain separate PoA for operation of bank accounts from clients for these accounts, which would be tedious. Alternatively, brokers will have to open multiple bank accounts since the current norms only allow for up to five applications per bank account per issue. Both these options are unviable. Since only banks have the facility to block funds in a clients account, clients will have to open a 3-in-1 account and then apply for an IPO, said a broker who did not want to be named. Brokers also believe several investors might be left out from participating in future IPOs due to the limited reach of Asba, especially in far flung areas. Non availability of branches authorised to accept Asba forms and limited trained persons available at the bank branches who understand the securities business remain constraints, said the note. While these problems dont exist for clients using online banking, their numbers remain few, noted the brokers. At present, only 40-odd banks are designated to accept Asba applications. Rallis India slipped to its 52-week low level at Rs 149, down 5% on the NSE after the company reported 20% year on year (Y-o-Y) decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 20 crore for the third quarter ended December 2015 (Q3FY16), because of lower revenues. The agrochemicals company had profit of Rs 25 crore in year ago quarter. Revenues decreased 2% at Rs 306 crore on Y-o-Y basis, Rallis India said in a release. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) margins declined to 11.5% from 13.1% in previous year quarter. The quarter saw muted farmers sentiments due to reduced Kharif yields and lower prices of key crops. The drop in usage of crop protection solutions has impacted sales of some key Rallis brands for paddy and pulses, Mr V Shankar, managing director and chief executive office, Rallis India said. The company looks forward to market picking up in the first half of 2016-17, he added. In past three-months, the stock declined 30% as compared to 12% fall in the Nifty 50 index. Till 10:04 a.m. a combined 109,166 shares changed hands on the counter on the NSE and BSE. In an attempt to lure prospective buyers, Maruti Suzuki today announced that they have decided to cut the prices of the S-Cross in India. The price cut, which is upto INR 2 lakhs depending on the variant, is being offered with the sole purpose of attracting more customers.Earlier, we were told, the dealers would belt out upto INR 5 lakh as discount to customer who were looking to purchase the S-Cross. Unlike most of the cars from Marutis stable, the S-Cross has not been a success with its customers. The odd ball styling and the high price deterred a lot of people from choosing the S-Cross. The S-Cross comes with two of engine options staring from a 1.3 litre, 89 BHP & 200 Nm diesel motor (DDiS 200) with 5-speed manual gearbox and a 1.6 litre, 118 BHP & 320 Nm diesel motor (DDiS 320) with 6-speed manual gearbox. Both these engines power only the two front wheels. Now with the price cut, dealers can expect the better movement of the vehicle. The discounts range from INR 55,000 for the base models and go upto INR 2 lakh for the top spec models approximately. Source : MotorOctane With reports emerging that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's PA had asked police personnel to step down from the dais a short while before ink was thrown at him, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday said that it is the duty of the security personnel to offer complete security cover to the Chief Minister irrespective of what anyone says. AAP leader and former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti squarely blamed police for ink-attack on Kejriwal and said that they had failed in their duty. "One thing is clear that security officials were not present there when the incident took place. We do not know that on whose instructions they were not there. It is very surprising that they (police), who do not listen to even Kejriwal, listened to his PA," Bharti told ANI. "It is their duty to give complete protection to their protectee irrespective of any hindrance. The police has not done its job properly," he added. Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi had on Monday rubbished the AAP's accusation that he was part of a conspiracy behind the ink attack and said that there was no security lapse. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had yesterday alleged that the ink attack on Kejriwal was orchestrated by none other but the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre. Sisodia also claimed that the BJP scripted the attack on Kejriwal with the help of Delhi Police, which work under the Centre. Sisodia termed the attack as major security lapse and alleged that the 'conspirators' could also kill AAP leaders and Cabinet Ministers. The incident took place at an event yesterday when Kejriwal was expressing his gratitude to the people of Delhi for making the odd-even formula a success. The woman Bhavna Arora, who belongs to the Aam Aadmi Sena, rushed close to the dais and threw ink at Kejriwal. She was immediately detained by the police. The Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Goa Police are on high alert after receiving letter from the ISIS, threatening to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. "Our Anti-Terrorist Squad and all wings of Goa Police are on high alert. We are assuring safety and security. Various coordination meeting are being conducted at various levels," said Goa Inspector General of Police Sunil Garg. "I would not like to disclose regarding the letter. As a precaution, we are maintaining full safety. We will be providing security in Goa," he added. Earlier today, The Goa Police received anonymous letter purportedly signed by ISIS threatening to kill Prime Minister Modi and Parrikar. The police has circulated this letter to all the police stations in the state and handed over the case to the ATS. The state police are investigating the letter and are trying to find the source of it. According to reports, the name of the ISIS was written at the bottom of the postcard and it has expressed anger over ban on cow slaughter in the country. The war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress Party escalated over the death of research scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide at a Hyderabad university on Sunday. Here is who said what on the Dalit scholar suicide in Hyderabad. Met students of the Ambedkar Students Association, Hyderabad University. These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus: Rahul Gandhi's tweet after meeting students. Don't want to make political statement. My condolences to family of deceased. Government doesn't intervene in the administration of universities. Two-member fact finding team will submit report on this: Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani The HRD Ministry must not be targeted in this case. Nevertheless, we are focusing on the matter at hand. A fact finding committee is doing its job and investigating the incident. Action will be taken only after we get the report: Minister of State (MoS) for Human Development Upendra Kushwaha Rahul Gandhi has acted negatively on everything. Only because of this attitude the Congress is suffering. We are trying to heal the wound and the Congress Party wants to gain political mileage out of it. This won't happen: Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs and senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Deeply saddened at the tragic death of Dalit student Rohit Vemula in Hyderabad. Government must ensure fair probe and action against those responsible: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Modi government constitutionally duty bound to uplift Dalits. Instead Modi ji's ministers got five Dalit students ostracised and suspended. It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality. Modi ji should sack ministers and aplogoize to the nation: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Deeply disturbed to hear about suicide of Rohit Vemula. Circumstances which led to this must be independently investigated for his outspokenness honesty, frugality and love for the nation. My condolences to his friends and family: Congress leader Ahmad Patel Leaders like Bandaru Dattatreya possess an old mindset and are a result of anti-Dalit attitude of the BJP. The intolerance of the ruling government was earlier visible against the liberals but now it seems they are trying to suppress the Dalits also: Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit. Celine Dion recently revealed that she will not be singing at her husband Rene Angelil's funeral as she is still in mourning. After the rumours of her performance started flowing, the 47-year-old songstress quashed them immediately, reports TMZ.com. Dion's representatives told that it never crossed her mind to perform, but it's possible that one or two of her songs will play in the background. According to Angelil's wishes, the ceremony will be held at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal where he and Celine got married 21 years ago. Attacking the Congress for politicising the suicide of a Dalit scholar from the University of Hyderabad, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday accused the grand old party of aggravating the already tense situation. "Rahul Gandhi and the Congress thing they can simply condemn everything. They are rubbing salt instead of soothing the wounds in the matter and I vehemently condemn that," Naqvi told ANI. He also defended Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been charged with abetting the suicide of the Dalit scholar in Hyderabad, saying that he has always been 'compassionate' towards dalits. "Bandaru Dattatreya is a person who has been fighting all his life for the rights of Dalits and backwards and he is compassionate towards them. Making allegations against such a person is simply playing negative politics and he should not be targeted," Naqvi told ANI. Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya has been charged with abetting the suicide of the Dalit scholar. He has also been booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act following allegations that he orchestrated the suspension of Rohith Vermula and four other Dalit students from the University hostel. The police has also registered a case for abetment of suicide against University of Hyderabad Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders Sushil Kumar and Vishnu. The Centre has formed a two-member probe committee as the incident triggered protests in Hyderabad and the capital yesterday. Rohith, a second-year research scholar from the Science, Technology and Society Studies Department, and others were suspended from the hostel last year following allegations that they attacked Sushil Kumar after a screening of the controversial documentary 'Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai'. Earlier this month, the five students were thrown out of the hostel amid allegations they were denied access to campus facilities, except their classrooms and respective workshops, on recommendation by an executive committee of the university. Array The 28-year-old hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district was found hanging at a friend's hostel room around 7: 30 p.m. on Sunday. The Congress Party on Tuesday dubbed Bandaru Dattatreya a result of anti-Dalit attitude of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the ruling dispensation claimed the Union Minister has always worked for upliftment of the down trodden. "Leaders like Bandaru Dattatreya possess an old mindset and are a result of anti-Dalit attitude of the BJP. The intolerance of the ruling government was earlier visible against the liberals, but now it seems they are trying to suppress the Dalits also," Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI. Dikshit further said that the letter clearly states that the Union Minister had a problem with the organization, which talked about the rights of Dalits because he has banned that organisation in particular which allegedly is the reason behind the suicide. However, the BJP rallied behind Dattatreya and said he has always raised his voice for the rights of the backwards in the society. "All his life he has tried to improve the condition of the backward people in the country. Playing politics over the incident is not right," BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI. "The police has registered a case and the HRD Ministry has also started enquiring the matter. The culprit would be taken to task," he added. When asked to respond on the scheduled visit of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to Hyderabad, Naqvi said the former has a negative mindset and added that the grand old party is suffering due to it. "We are trying to heal the wounds and the Congress Party wants to gain political mileage out of it. This won't happen," he added. Dattatreya has been charged with abetting the suicide of the Dalit scholar. He has also been booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act following allegations that he orchestrated the suspension of Rohith Vermula and four other Dalit students from the University hostel. The police has also registered a case for abetment of suicide against University of Hyderabad Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders Sushil Kumar and Vishnu. The Centre has formed a two-member probe committee as the incident triggered protests in Hyderabad and the capital yesterday. 28-year-old Vermula hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district was found hanging at a friend's hostel room around 7: 30 p.m. on Sunday. In a first of its kind in India, CUTS International along with CUTS Institute for Regulation and Competition and Jacobs, Cordova and Associates (JC and A) are conducting a two day training workshop (18-19th January, 2016, New Delhi) on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) designed for officials of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). An area devoted to devising ways to cut down red tape for ease of doing and improve regulatory efficacy. RIA is a broad tool used to assess impacts (costs and benefits) of a regulation before it is adopted or existing laws need to be rectified. It is evolving quickly as it is mainstreamed into policy processes around the world. Speaking during the opening session, R S Sharma, Chairman, TRAI said that the workshop is very useful as it is important to build capacity of officials of TRAI, given the dynamism of the sector that they are regulating. Sharma stressed on the importance of formulations of regulations which comprise elements of legislative, judiciary and executive and it is important for TRAI and its team to be aware of cost and benefits of regulations on society, at large. Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS International in his opening remarks said 'the absence of RIA in policy framework in India results in formulation of bunch of avoidable regulations', Mehta added that CUTS has contributed to the erstwhile Planning Commission's Working Group on Regulatory Reforms with a recommendation on impact assessment of existing and proposed regulations. Anil Kaushal, Member, TRAI also emphasized that it is necessary to think about implementation before any new policy, law or regulation is to be drafted and adopted, and not after; for such policies, laws and regulations to be successful. Expressing anguish over the suicide of a Dalit scholar from the University of Hyderabad, Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge on Tuesday said that the ruling regime only supported people who backed their vision. "The suicide note that the student has written, he has raised his voice for the lower class concerns. It is clear that government is not concerned. The Government supports only those who support its vision. Without prove the Minister has said that the university is the ground for anti activities is very wrong," Kharge told ANI here while condemning the incident. Array Kharge also said that if Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya's name was mentioned than he should take the responsibility for what he did. Responding to Bharatiya Janata Party taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi's Hyderabad University visit, Kharge said that BJP always see things politically. "BJP always see things politically they don't see things in the other way. He (Rahul Gandhi)has not gone there to do politics. The BJP always talks politics wherever Rahul ji is going somewhere. Congress has nothing to do with what BJP says," he added. "They are doing politics themselves, as whatever Dalit students have been protesting, they did not get scholarship timely. The political wing of the student party has put down the Dalit students who were protesting. We will raise such issues when in the next parliament session," Kharge further added. Array A case was registered against Dattatreya following allegations that he wrote to the Union HRD Ministry seeking action against Rohit and four other research Scholars of the University for the alleged assault of an ABVP leader. Array One of the five dalit scholars, expelled from the University of Hyderabad 12 days ago, hanged himself to death on Sunday. Array 25-year-old Rohith Vemula, who belonged to Guntur district of Amravati, was doing his PhD in science technology and society studies for the past two years, before the scholar allegedly got involved in a tiff between two student groups in August last year. Array The five researchers were supported by 10 other students' outfits on the campus including ASA, Students Federation of India, Dalit Students Union and Students Association among others. On Sunday, the students from each of the outfits had started relay hunger strike asking the university administration to take back the students all of whom hailed from backward socio-economic backgrounds. Array The students protested against Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya. The students demanded the revoking of the suspension of the five Dalit research scholars. They also demanded Dattatreya's apology for interfering in University matters and branding the students of University of Hyderabad as casteists, anti-nationals and extremists. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday condemned the Dalit scholar's suicide in the University of Hyderabad and said the incident indicated that campus politics is no more a place for the decent. "The incident clearly shows that our universities campus is no more places of politics of the decent. I condemn this attitude and I hope that strong action that taken against vice chancellor. He (vice-chancellor) should realise that it is because of him that a youth was compelled to take his own life," he told ANI. "This is the case which should shake the whole nation and people should realise what is happening in central universities campuses," he added. One of the five dalit scholars, expelled from the University of Hyderabad 12 days ago, hanged himself to death on Sunday. 25-year-old Rohith Vemula, who belonged to Guntur district of Amravati, was doing his PhD in science technology and society studies for the past two years, before the scholar allegedly got involved in a tiff between two student groups in August last year. The five researchers were supported by 10 other students' outfits on the campus including ASA, Students Federation of India, Dalit Students Union and Students Association among others. On Sunday, the students from each of the outfits had started relay hunger strike asking the university administration to take back the students all of whom hailed from backward socio-economic backgrounds. The students protested against Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya. The students demanded the revoking of the suspension of the five Dalit research scholars. They also demanded Dattatreya's apology for interfering in University matters and branding the students of University of Hyderabad as casteists, anti-nationals and extremists. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday interacted with the protesting students of the University of Hyderabad, where a Dalit scholar committed suicide. "RG has reached Hyderabad & is interacting with students seeking justice for Rohith Vemula," the Indian Congress (INC)'s twitted. Rahul also interacted with parents of Rohith Vemula, who hanged himself to death on Sunday. Meanwhile, the students of the University continued their protest in the varsity premises demanding action against Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Susheel Kumar. The students of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) also began a one-day hunger strike here on Tuesday to express solidarity with their colleagues of the Hyderabad University. Vemula, along with four other Dalit students, were allegedly expelled from hostel following a tussle with students affiliated with the student wing of the BJP, Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Vemula, who belonged to Guntur district of Amravati, was doing his PhD in science technology and society studies for the past two years, before the scholar allegedly got involved in a tiff between two student groups in August last year. The students demanded the revoking of the suspension of the five Dalit research scholars. They also demanded Dattatreya's apology for interfering in University matters and branding the students of University of Hyderabad as casteists, anti-nationals and extremists. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is set to visit the University of Hyderabad today to meet the students after the suicide of the Dalit scholar who was expelled from the university following a tussle with students affiliated with the student wing of the BJP, Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP). One of the five dalit scholars, expelled from the University of Hyderabad 12 days ago, hanged himself to death on Sunday. 25-year-old Rohith Vemula, who belonged to Guntur district of Amravati, was doing his PhD in science technology and society studies for the past two years, before the scholar allegedly got involved in a tiff between two student groups in August last year. The five researchers were supported by 10 other students' outfits on the campus including ASA, Students Federation of India, Dalit Students Union and Students Association among others. On Sunday, the students from each of the outfits had started relay hunger strike asking the university administration to take back the students all of whom hailed from backward socio-economic backgrounds. The students protested against Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya. The students demanded the revoking of the suspension of the five Dalit research scholars. They also demanded Dattatreya's apology for interfering in University matters and branding the students of University of Hyderabad as casteists, anti-nationals and extremists. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action in the suicide of the Dalit scholar of Hyderabad University and demanded that the government must end discrimination towards the 'weaker sections' of the society. "The Vice Chancellor needs to be removed immediately as he is not worthy of his post. Because of him, a student lost his life. Hope the government removes the VC and he is arrested by the Cyberabad Police. We demand the Prime Minister to rescue the students as this is an issue that pertains to the future of our country," Owaisi told the media here. Hitting out at Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been charged with abetting the suicide of the Dalit scholar, Owaisi questioned his interference into the University's affair and demanded to know as to why he wrote a letter demanding the student's expulsion. "The Prime Minister had promised of good days in the country which is why we hope that he takes note of the situation and removes his minister. Today it was Rohith, tomorrow it can be anyone. The government needs to end the discrimination towards the weaker sections of the society," he added. Meanwhile, a nationwide outrage by the students was witnessed against the suicide of a Dalit scholar with the University of Hyderabad turning into a battlefield as they continued with their protests. The students demanded action against Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Sushil Kumar. They raised slogans denouncing the VC and carried placards with messages such as 'Appa Rao murdabad', 'Rohith Vemula amar rahe' and 'Sushil Kumar hai hai'. The agitators also demanded a compensation of Rs. 50 lakh for Vemula's family. Earlier today, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi interacted with the protesting students of the University of Hyderabad and said that the varsity had used to its power to 'crush' the students instead of allowing them to express themselves. Array Dattatreya has been charged with abetting the suicide of the Dalit scholar. He has also been booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act following allegations that he orchestrated the suspension of Rohith Vermula and four other Dalit students from the University hostel. The police has also registered a case for abetment of suicide against University of Hyderabad Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders Sushil Kumar and Vishnu. Array Earlier this month, the five students were thrown out of the hostel amid allegations they were denied access to campus facilities, except their classrooms and respective workshops, on recommendation by an executive committee of the university. The 28-year-old hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district was found hanging at a friend's hostel room around 7: 30 p.m. on Sunday. Norwegian Ambassador to India Nils Ragnar Kamsvag hosted a dinner meeting with the who's who of Tollywood in Hyderabad on Sunday. The purpose of the dinner was to welcome key producers, directors, cinematographers and actors to Norway and consider it as a potential location for their films.T he job, however, turned out to be not so difficult, with some positive feedback from some of the guests who have recently been to Norway. Sravanthi Ravi Kishore, producer and owner of the Sravanthi banner, that recently completed 30 years, noted that "as a producer, it is the most satisfying to be at a location that is new, beautiful, financially viable and supportive all at the same time. We had a great time in Norway, and we are going to go back very soon again". "When we landed in Norway, the only words we could think of were wow, amazing, beautiful.and then we got tired of repeating and just continued to admire the beauty this country offers", said Rasool Ellore, famous cinematographer, who was the man behind the camera in the songs shot in Norway for the 2015 release, Shivam produced under the Sravanthi Banner. Ambassador Kamsvag, who also made a presentation on Norway's new policy of giving subsidies to film and TV productions, was optimistic about the response. "We are here to assist and help interested productions in choosing Norway as their film destination. We have always had beautiful, untouched locations to offer, but now it also comes with a lucrative government policy, that we hope, will create more confidence among interested producers to choose Norway", said Mr Kamsvag. The process and experience thus far has been very smooth according to Richard Wallace (Richie), International locations coordinator for Shivam (Telugu) and Akira (Kannada) that shot songs in Norway in 2015. "The Norwegian Embassy immediately acted upon our request for shooting at short notice. We were connected to the Norwegian Film Commission, and had the cameras rolling in Norway in no time", he said, adding that "such support shows the serious commitment a country is making to its potential customers, which we are very pleased with". "I have received over 15 enquiries for Norway ever since. This is a clear upwards trend," he added. . After the outbreak of jaundice in some parts of Shimla, the state administration has put a ban on sale of eatables in open as a precautionary measure. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dinesh Malhotra issued the order after sudden spurt in jaundice cases and waterborne diseases in past few days. Meanwhile, the state opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest against the state government for the outbreak of the disease. Party's MLA from Shimla, Suresh Bhardwaj alleged that state government and Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) failed to tackle the outbreak of the disease. The health department has divided the affected area in six sectors. Several jaundice cases have also been reported from parts of Solan. The Goa Police on Tuesday received anonymous letter purportedly signed by ISIS threatening to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The police has circulated this letter to all the police stations in the state and handed over the case to the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS). The state police are investigating the letter and are trying to find the source of it. According to reports, the name of the ISIS was written at the bottom of the postcard and it has expressed anger over ban on cow slaughter in the country. The Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday demanded resignations of Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide of a Dalit scholar who was expelled from University of Hyderabad. "Union Minister Smriti Irani, Bandaru Dattatreya and Vice-Chancellor Rao are part of the conspiracy which led to the suicide of a Dalit student. We want that both these ministers should resign and Vice-Chancellor should be arrested," JD (U) leader K.C. Tyagi told ANI. Hyderabad police had on Monday registered a case against Union Dattatreya and three others under the Scheduled Casts and Scheduled Tribes Act in connection with the suicide of Rohit Vemula, a research scholar of Hyderabad Central University. The case was registered against Dattatreya following allegations that he wrote to the Union HRD Ministry seeking action against Rohit and four other research Scholars of the University for the alleged assault of an ABVP leader. Irani yesterday flatly refused any intervention by the government in the Dalit scholar's suicide and said that a two-member team has been sent to the varsity from the ministry to take stock of the situation. She asserted that she will not make any 'political' statement at the moment, since law and order was a subject of the state. Janata Dal (United) MLA Sarfaraz Alam, who has been accused of misbehaving with a woman passenger on the Guwahati-Rajdhani Express, on Tuesday said the allegations against him are baseless and politically motivated to tarnish his image. "These allegations are baseless. I did not even travel by that train. There is politics behind this to tarnish my image. I will initiate legal action," Alam said. "I was in Patna and I went by road and came back. The development work is underway in full swing in Bihar and some people do not like it," he added. The Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) had yesterday demanded Alam's resignation following the incident. Women activist Shamina Shafiq had said, "It is shocking and shameful. He must apologise or give his clarification." According to reports, the victim's husband, Indrapal Singh Bedi, has alleged that the JD (U) MLA forcibly evicted him from his seat and abused him and his wife. He has also accused Alam of being in an inebriated condition. A case has been filed against the JD (U) MLA at GRP Police Station at Patna junction and he has been booked under Sections 341, 323, 290, 504 and 354A of the IPC. In view of the suicide of a dalit scholar in University of Hyderabad, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being unable to protect dalits and dubbed the incident as a murder of democracy and social justice. "Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modi ji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised n suspended," tweeted Kejriwal. Kejriwal further named the suicide as a murder. "It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality. Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation," he added. One of the five dalit scholars, expelled from the University of Hyderabad 12 days ago, hanged himself to death on Sunday. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit the protesting students at the Hyderabad University. The Congress Party on Tuesday attacked both the Centre and Delhi Government over the rise in prices of petroleum products despite the value of crude oil going down globally. "Kejriwal is junior Modi and Modi is senior Kejriwal. The petroleum prices are globally falling and the Central Government has raised excise duty and Kejriwal government has increased the VAT on petroleum product. Both of them have a similar style of functioning," Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad told ANI. Petrol price in the capital was today hiked by 96 paise per litre and diesel by 53 paise after the state government raised VAT or local sales tax on the two fuels. The Delhi government last night raised VAT on petrol to 27% from 25%, resulting in 96 paise a litre hike in retail pump rates. Arvind Kejriwal Similarly, the VAT on diesel was increased from 16.6% to 18%. A pollution cess of Rs 0.25 per litre has also been levied on diesel. The Centre had hiked excise duty on petrol by Rs. 0.37 per litre and on diesel by Rs 2 per litre, the second increase in just over two weeks. A nationwide outrage by the students was witnessed on Tuesday against the suicide of a Dalit scholar with the University of Hyderabad turning into a battlefield as they continued with their protests. The students demanded action against Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Sushil Kumar. They raised slogans denouncing the VC and carried placards with messages such as 'Appa Rao murdabad', 'Rohith Vemula amar rahe' and 'Sushil Kumar hai hai'. The agitators also demanded a compensation of Rs. 50 lakh for Vemula's family. "Our demands are very clear. Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao and ABVP activist Sushil Kumar should be put behind bars. Appa Rao should be removed from the post of VC. Rohith Vemula's family member should be given employment and a compensation of Rs. 50 lakh should be given to his family," one of the protestors told ANI. "We demand justice for Rohith Vemula. Action should be taken against those responsible for his suicide," said another student. The students clashed with the police personnel as the death sparked outrage on campuses across the city. The protest did not limit to the state, but rocked the entire nation, including the capital. Array Earlier today, the NSUI workers protested outside the HRD Ministry in the capital. The AAP workers also staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar here to express their ire over the incident. Similar protests were witnessed in Chennai where the police detained several students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to bring the situation under control. The students also protested in Pune and Bangalore to express solidarity with their colleagues of the Hyderabad University. Earlier today, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi interacted with the protesting students of the University of Hyderabad and said that the varsity had used to its power to 'crush' the students instead of allowing them to express themselves. He launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA Government at the Centre and accused Dattatreya and the varsity's Vice Chancellor of abetting the suicide of the scholar. The students have demanded Dattatreya's apology for interfering in University matters and branding the students as casteists, anti-nationals and extremists. Dattatreya has been charged with abetting the suicide of the Dalit scholar. He has also been booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act following allegations that he orchestrated the suspension of Rohith Vermula and four other Dalit students from the University hostel. The police has also registered a case for abetment of suicide against University of Hyderabad Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders Sushil Kumar and Vishnu. The Centre has formed a two-member probe committee as the incident triggered protests in Hyderabad and the capital yesterday. Rohith, a second-year research scholar from the Science, Technology and Society Studies Department, and others were suspended from the hostel last year following allegations that they attacked Sushil Kumar after a screening of the controversial documentary 'Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai'. Earlier this month, the five students were thrown out of the hostel amid allegations they were denied access to campus facilities, except their classrooms and respective workshops, on recommendation by an executive committee of the university. The 28-year-old hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district was found hanging at a friend's hostel room around 7: 30 p.m. on Sunday. The Investigation Agency (NIA) will conduct lie detector-test on Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, who was questioned in connection with the Pathankot attack, today. A Special Delhi court had yesterday granted permission to NIA to conduct the test. Allegedly kidnapped and released by terrorists before the Pathankot terror attack, Singh was questioned for the fifth consecutive day last week at the NIA headquarters in Delhi. Singh had claimed that he, along with his cook and a friend, were abducted by terrorists on his way back from Panj Pir shrine. Singh, along with his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal, were allegedly kidnapped by terrorists on December 31. The terrorists entered the Pathankot air base late night on January 1 and carried out a terror strike in which seven security personnel including a Lt Colonel of NSG were killed. Seven security personnel died in the attack of the IAF base in Pathankot, located 250 km from Chandigarh, by terrorists suspected from Pakistan. Time heals all wounds and that's no different when it comes to Lil Wayne and Birdman. Array Birdman stood side by side with his protegee Weezy this weekend at a club in Miami and told the crowd he would die and kill for him, reports TMZ.com. Array The reconciliation process seemingly began less than a month ago, when the duo were spotted partying together at Drake's New Year's Eve bash, and reportedly met in private that week to discuss Wayne's current 51 million dollar lawsuit against Birdman. Array Last week, he posted a picture of him posing with Lil Wayne with the caption, "#CMB4Life". Bharatiya Janata Party MP and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh on Tuesday said he is confident that Pakistan will act against the terror infrastructure on its soil. Singh was responding to the Pakistan government that has been claiming action against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) which orchestrated the January 2 Pathankot terror attack. "After the climate change in Indo-Pak relations, we should not immediately come into a conclusion that Pakistan is not going to take any action. Lets us wait for some time and we are sure that Pakistan government will act against the terror infrastructure mainly in Pak occupied Kashmir and its leader Maulana Masood Azhar," Singh told ANI here. "Looking into the long history of Pakistan's action or so called support to the terrorist group, it is very difficult to believe immediately what action Pakistan has taken against Jaish-e-mohammad, and its leader and cadres," he added. Meanwhile, India has prepared a dossier detailing Azhar's fund raising mechanism and the document will soon be handed over to Pakistani authorities to nail the terrorist. The dossier has details about JeM's overseas funding and information about key its operatives including Rouf Azghar Azhar. The banned terror group, JeM, functions openly all over Pakistan including the PoK. Apart from that details about India's most wanted men Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, Lashkar-e-Taiba's top commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim are also included in the dossier. JeM generally conducts big congregations twice a year at Haripur and Bhawalpur in Pakistan. The outfit has huge infrastructure including offices and landed property in the name of local trusts/NGOs and charitable organizations. It runs a chain of educational institutions in different names and has built a huge hospital at Muzaffarabad. Pakistan and Russia are set to meet in Moscow today to discuss the course of action on implementing the 2billion dollars LNG project after the United States imposed sanctions against the Russian energy firm designated to build the pipeline. Pakistan Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will lead the delegation, reports The Express Tribune. Russia had signed a Government to Government (G2G) deal with Pakistan to lay the 2 billion dollars North South Pipeline from Karachi to Lahore to transport imported LNG and nominated RT Global to implement the project. Under the agreement, Pakistan would provide 15 per cent equity whereas 85 per cent funding would be provided by the Russian firm. The first phase of the project is expected to conclude by December 2017. Pakistani side will also negotiate a LNG supply deal with Russian firm Gazprom. During the talks, Russian side would update the Pakistani side about the sanctions imposed against RT Global. Array Russia could replace RT Global with some other company which was not facing US sanctions. At least ten security personnel have been killed and twenty wounded from the Khyber Khasadar force when a bomb exploded near a security checkpost situated close to the Karkhano market area. The blast targeted a vehicle of the Khasadar force and killed the assistant line officer Nawabshah, reports Dawn. The explosion occurred in Khyber Agency's Jamrud area, near Karkhano, which is a gateway to Peshawar from the tribal belt, informed the city police officer. The blast has been cordoned off however an emergency was imposed at Hayatabad medical complex. Khyber is part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border and is known to have been a militant stronghold in the past. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Organic Products' Exhibition on Tuesday. The Prime Minister will also interact with local organic farmers. Sikkim is the first state of the country with the status of 'organic state' where most of its farmland has been converted into certified organic land. Yesterday, Prime Minister Modi also released a logo 'Sikkim Organic' for state's mission mode organic programmes. The Prime Minister will then leave for Assam. He will attend a public meeting at Kokrajhar and a youth rally in Guwahati today. Prime Minister Modi will also meet representatives of some civil society organisations in Guwahati. All preparations have been made for the maiden visit of the Prime Minister at Kokrajhar in Bodoland Territorial Council Area. According to Inspector General of Police L R Bishnoi, all security measures have been taken in Kokrajhar and neighbouring areas in the wake of 48-hours bandh call given by some organisations. Prime Minister Modi will address a youth rally at Khanapara and also address the students in IIT, Guwahati. He will also lay foundation stone of a permanent campus of Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Guwahati. The Prime Minister will also address students of different higher educational institutes. The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said the preparations for the 117-seat Punjab Assembly elections were on full swing and all MPs and MLAs of the party would canvass for their candidates. Shiv Sena's North India Coordinator Vinay Shukla said, "During my visit to Pathankot on December 27, I asked Shiv Sainiks to prepare for the assembly polls. Besides, our MLAs and MPs, who have canvassed in the Bihar Assembly polls, will also be campaigning in Punjab." The Shiv Sena performed very well in the Bihar Assembly elections, thereafter the party wanted to expand in the country while carrying forward its Hindutva agenda, and therefore the party has decided to go it alone in the Punjab elections due this year. "It's a fact that not even a single Sikh was attacked during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Mumbai following an assurance by Shiv Sena patron Balasaheb Thakre. Hence, we believe that we will get blessings of our Sikh brothers in Punjab," he said. When asked if Aditya Thackeray would be campaigning in Punjab, he said "He is interested in expansion of Shiv Sena and Hindutva outside Maharashtra. Besides, there was a big change after he joined the party. He will definitely campaign in Punjab. Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, said that United States (US) policies were responsible for instability in South Asia, urging the Obama administration to analyse its role and that of its allies in the region. In retaliation to the United States President Barack Obama's recent remark that instability will continue for decades in Pakistan, Aziz said 'Pakistan's answer to instability is the strengthening democracy in the country.' Aziz asserted that US created 'holy warriors' in our tribal areas during the 'Afghan Jihad' and then left them as soon as the war was over. Aziz added that since 2013, Pakistan has been pursuing a policy of non-interference and is not taking part in other nation's wars. Aziz further said that Pakistan has also taken a strong stance against terrorism. Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, who was advised bed rest after he had minor injuries, has resumed shooting for his upcoming flick 'Rangoon.' The 34-year-old actor took to his Instagram account and posted a selfie from the sets of the Vishal Bhardwaj-directorial. The 'Haider' star, who was seen flaunting his rugged look in the picture, captioned the picture, "Morning all. #rangoon on set." The period film that is set during World War II also stars Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan. World number five Rafael Nadal suffered a major blow as he was knocked out in the opening round of the Australian Open at the hands of Fernando Verdasco on Tuesday. Verdasco smacked 87 winners to claim a 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 triumph over the Spaniard in the opening round contest, that lasted for four hours and 41 minutes, to progress through to the second round of the tournament. With the win, Verdasco has set-up a second-round clash with 87th-ranked Israeli Dudi Sela. Meanwhile, eighth-seed David Ferrer also advanced to the next round after outclassing German Peter Gojowczyk 6-4, 6-4,6-2 in the first round. At least six Khyber Khasadar Force security personnel were killed and ten wounded when a bomb exploded near a security check post close to the Karkhano market area. The blast targeted a vehicle of the Khyber Khasadar Force and killed the assistant line officer Nawabshah, reports Dawn. The explosion occurred in Khyber Agency's Jamrud area, near Karkhano, which is a gateway to Peshawar from the tribal belt, informed the city police officer. The blast has been cordoned off however an emergency was imposed at Hayatabad medical complex. Khyber is part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border and is known to have been a militant stronghold in the past. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday alleged that Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi was making childish excuses to run away from his responsibilities in a bid to divert attention from the security lapse during the ink attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "I urge him (Bassi) not to misguide people by coming out with false news. Even if we go by what he is saying, will the policeman leave the premises and break the security protocols? If the Prime Minister tomorrow says then will the SPG be removed? The Police Commissioner is making childish and lame excuses," AAP leader Ashutosh said. He also expressed his ire over reports that one of the cops from Kejriwal's security detail told his seniors that he was asked to step down from the dais when the Chief Minister was addressing the gathering in Chhatrasal stadium on Sunday. "There are two issues in this. First, the Delhi Police should disclose the name of the police officer who was told this and also the name of the Personal Assistant (PA) who was told to do so. See, all this is just being planted by Bassi to run away from his responsibilities. This is neither good for him or for the security of the Chief Minister," he said. The AAP leader asserted that he was taken aback by the way the Delhi Police has made the minute details of the Chief Minister's security public. "By doing so, they have just compromised his security. It seems that they are giving the details to the people if they want to attack the Chief Minister in future," he said. "Delhi Police is not concerned about the safety of Arvind Kejriwal. There may be conspiracy to kill him and this is not the first time when Kejriwal is being attacked," he added. The AAP had earlier alleged that the ink attack on Kejriwal was the rehearsal of an assassination attempt on him. The Delhi Police has in a report submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) post Sunday's incident stated that Kejriwal was being provided with a Z-plus security ever since he took charge as the Chief Minister in February 2015. The fresh verbal volleys between the ruling BJP and AAP escalated after Sunday's ink-attack on Kejriwal during an event organized to thank the people of Delhi for making the Odd-Even formula a success Bhavna Arora, the Punjab in-charge of Aam Aadmi Sena, who threw the attack on Kejriwal was yesterday sent a police custody for a day. She has alleged that the AAP Government is involved in a CNG scam. Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai has, however, rubbished her charges and said that he would write to the Centre in this regard. The students of the University of Hyderabad, where a Dalit scholar committed suicide after his expulsion, continued their protest in the varsity premises here on Tuesday demanding action against Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Susheel Kumar. They raised slogans denouncing the VC and carried placards with messages such as 'Appa Rao murdabad', 'Rohit Vemula amar rahe' and 'Sushil Kumar hai hai'. The agitators also demanded a compensation of Rs. 50 lacs for Vemula's family. "Our demands are very clear. Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao and ABVP activist Sushil Kumar should be put behind bars. Appa Rao should be removed from the post of VC. Rohit Vemula's family member should be given employment and a compensation of Rs. 50 lacs should be given to his family," one of the protestors told ANI. "We demand justice for Rohit Vemula. Action should be taken against those responsible for his suicide," said another student. Hyderabad police had on Monday registered a case against Dattatreya and three others under the Scheduled Casts and Scheduled Tribes Act in connection with the suicide of Rohit Vemula, a research scholar of Hyderabad Central University. The case was registered against Dattatreya following allegations that he wrote to the Union HRD Ministry seeking action against Rohit and four other research Scholars of the University for the alleged assault on an ABVP leader. Irani yesterday flatly refused any intervention by the government in the Dalit scholar's suicide and said that a two-member team has been sent to the varsity from the ministry to take stock of the situation. She asserted that she will not make any 'political' statement at the moment, since law and order was a subject of the state. The members of Telangana Jagruti Yuva Morcha staged a protest outside Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya's residence here on Tuesday over the suicide of a Dalit scholar who was expelled from University of Hyderabad. Rohith Vemula, one of the five dalit scholars expelled from the University of Hyderabad, hanged himself to death on Sunday. They were allegedly expelled following a tussle with students affiliated with the student wing of the BJP, Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Vemula,who belonged to Guntur district of Amravati, was doing his PhD in science technology and society studies for the past two years, before the scholar allegedly got involved in a tiff between two student groups in August last year. The five researchers were supported by 10 other students' outfits on the campus including ASA, Students Federation of India, Dalit Students Union and Students Association among others. On Sunday, the students from each of the outfits had started relay hunger strike asking the university administration to take back the students all of whom hailed from backward socio-economic backgrounds. The students protested against Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya. The students demanded the revoking of the suspension of the five Dalit research scholars. They also demanded Dattatreya's apology for interfering in University matters and branding the students of University of Hyderabad as casteists, anti-nationals and extremists. FX network has recently announced that Tracy Morgan will soon return to regular television work. FX revealed that the 47-year-old actor will develop and star in a comedy pilot about a career criminal trying to make it back into society after 15 years in prison, reports News24.com. It is being said that Jordan Peele of Comedy Central's 'Key and Peele' is co-writing the show's pilot. Morgan was seriously hurt in a New Jersey highway crash in June 2014 and has been getting back to work in recent months after a long recuperation. The police arrested two travel agents in Punjab for illegally sending people to the United States after a tragic boat accident near Panama claimed nearly 22 lives. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Arpit Shukla, said the investigation was underway and more arrests were likely as they suspected involvement of more people in the crime. "A survivor named Jaswindar, who was with the victims, got a mobile from somewhere and telephoned his family that 21-22 youngsters were present in the boat that capsized. All of them are dead," Shukla said in Punjab's Jalandhar town. Families claimed that the victims had paid nearly two million rupees to travel agents for immigration to the United States. Confirming its presence in India, American SUV brand Jeep made its official Indian website LIVE along with its other social media portals, in the second week of January. It is highly anticipated that the American carmaker will be showcasing/launching the Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee SRT and the Wrangler Unlimited at the upcoming Expo 2016. The Grand Cherokee has been highly anticipated for the Indian market for quiet some time now, as for our market from a long time as it aligns perfectly with our big car mindset. This beast will most likely be powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine which will churn out 240 PS of power and will be paired to an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. The Grand Cherokee also has an Eco Mode which optimises the Grand Cherokees transmission shift schedule as well as throttle sensitivity to minimise fuel consumption. It also activates the Quadra-Lift air suspension system which can lower the car's body, further enhancing it's aerodynamics, for optimum fuel efficiency. Along with the Grand Cherokee, Jeep will also be launching its more powerful version, Cherokee SRT. The SUV gets a 6.4-litre Hemi V8 engine with 475bhp and 64.2kgm of torque, and can reach the 100 kmph mark in 5 seconds. It is expected to be priced around Rs 1.5 Cr and will compete against the BMW X5M. Also Read: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and Grand Cherokee SRT Privately Unveiled before 2016 IAE Source : CarDekho The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has assured the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Shri Pawan Kumar Chamling that Ministry of DoNER is committed to support major development projects in Sikkim and will also coordinate with other Union Ministries to expedite the projects under their purview. Dr Jitendra Singh took a review of the various projects of the Ministry of DoNER in the State from the senior officers of the Ministry of DoNER and North Eastern Council (NEC). He also exchanged inputs with Chief Secretary Shri Alok Srivastava and other senior officers of the State Administration. Dr Jitendra Singh said, the people of Sikkim were extremely grateful to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for having launched the Organic Farming Mission which will be a role model for other States to follow. Though being a very small State, he said, Sikkim is very progressive and development-oriented, which is evident from the fact that during the 11th Five Year Plan, it recorded an impressive growth rate of 22.8%. Referring to various projects being supported by the Ministry of DoNER, Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that under "Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources" (NLCPR), 183 projects have been completed in the State at the cost of Rs. 487.91 crore, while in addition, 41 projects worth Rs. 721.89 crore are ongoing. Similarly, under the North Eastern Council (NEC), 54 ongoing projects have been approved for the State of Sikkim at a cost of Rs. 321.33 crore for which, an amount of Rs. 218.54 crore has already been released. Giving details of some of the landmark projects in the offing, Dr Jitendra Singh mentioned the Greenfield Airport at Pakyong, which is expected to be ready in 2017 at a revised cost of Rs. 605.59 crore. Another unique project, he said, is that of 45 km long Sevoke-Rangpo railway line at the cost of Rs. 4190 crore which will have the distinction of having 14 tunnels and 28 bridges. This railway line will offer an exclusively picturesque and scenic journey while passing through the foothills of Kanchenjunga mountain range and Teesta River Valley, he added. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Hindustan Zinc dropped 0.14% to Rs 138.50 at 15:20 IST on BSE after reports the Supreme Court stayed a fresh proposal to divest 29.5% stake in the company by the Central government. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 280.86 points or 1.16% at 24,469.23. On BSE, so far 28,305 shares were traded in the counter as against average daily volume of 65,965 shares in the past one quarter. At the day's low of Rs 137.70 hit so far during the day, the stock fell 0.72%. The stock was volatile. At the day's high of Rs 141.70, the stock rose 2.16%. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 117.20 on 25 August 2015. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 190.40 on 19 February 2015. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 18 January 2016, sliding 4.74% compared with Sensex's 5.22% fall. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, declining 9.76% as against Sensex's 11.12% fall. The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 845.06 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2. As per reports a bench led by chief justice T.S. Thakur said there can be no disinvestment of Hindustan Zinc by the government without the Supreme Court's permission. The court was hearing a plea filed by the National Confederation of Officers' Association, an employee union against proposed divestment. The apex court is also probing into suspected irregularities in Hindustan Zinc's stake sale to Vedanta (earlier called Sesa Sterlite) by the government in 2002. No divestment can happen in a public sector undertaking without the Parliament amending the concerned statute, the court reportedly said. Referring to the earlier sale of 29.5% to Vedanta, the court told the government the sale was circumvention of law. Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, however, told the court that the government has already lost its majority stake after the 2002 divestment and does not require parliamentary sanction. The court reportedly has granted the government four weeks to file documents. Hindustan Zinc's net profit rose 4.7% to Rs 2285.26 crore on 4.2% growth in net sales to Rs 3908.28 crore in Q2 September 2015 over Q2 September 2014. Hindustan Zinc is a subsidiary of Vedanta (formerly known as Sesa Sterlite), a part of London listed Vedanta Resources plc, a global diversified natural resources company. The company is one of the largest integrated producers of zinc-lead and a leading producer of silver. As per the shareholding pattern, Vedanta holds 64.92% stake and the Government of India holds 29.54% stake in Hindustan Zinc as at 30 September 2015. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Sales rise 5.16% to Rs 298.30 crore Net profit of Jay Bharat Maruti declined 10.59% to Rs 9.79 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 10.95 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014. Sales rose 5.16% to Rs 298.30 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 283.67 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014.298.30283.679.488.7624.4720.5014.5810.659.7910.95 Powered by Capital Market - Live News Sales decline 27.02% to Rs 68261.00 crore Net profit of Reliance Industries rose 38.70% to Rs 7290.00 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 5256.00 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014. Sales declined 27.02% to Rs 68261.00 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 93528.00 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014.68261.0093528.0016.659.2912873.009892.009740.006938.007290.005256.00 Powered by Capital Market - Live News In pursuance to the Budget Announcement by the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley, after consultations with Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority(IRDA) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), the following roadmap for implementation of Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) converged with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for Scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs), insurers/insurance companies and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC's) has been drawn up: (I.) Scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs) and Insurer/Insurance Companies: (a) Scheduled commercial banks (excluding Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), All-India Term-lending Refinancing Institutions (i.e. Exim Bank, NABARD, NHB and SIDBI) and Insurers/Insurance companies would be required to prepare Ind AS based financial statements for accounting periods beginning from April 1, 2018 onwards, with comparatives for the periods ending March 31, 2018 or thereafter. Ind AS would be applicable to both consolidated and individual financial statements. (b) Notwithstanding the roadmap for companies, the holding, subsidiary, joint venture or associate companies of Scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs) would be required to prepare Ind AS based financial statements for accounting periods beginning from April 1, 2018 onwards, with comparatives for the periods ending March 31, 2018 or thereafter. (c) Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) shall not be required to apply Ind AS and shall continue to comply with the existing Accounting Standards, for the present. (II.) NBFCs: NBFCs will be required to prepare Ind AS based financial statements in two phases: (a) Under Phase I, the following categories of NBFCs shall be required to prepare Ind AS based financial statements for accounting periods beginning from April 1, 2018 onwards with comparatives for the periods ending March 31, 2018 or thereafter. Ind AS would be applicable to both consolidated and individual financial statements. (i) NBFCs having net worth of Rs.500 crores or more. (ii) Holding, subsidiary, joint venture or associate companies of companies covered under (a)(i) above, other than those companies already covered under the corporate roadmap announced by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India (GoI). (b) Under Phase II, the following categories of NBFCs shall be required to prepare Ind AS based financial statements for accounting periods beginning from April 1, 2019 onwards with comparatives for the periods ending March 31, 2019 or thereafter. Ind AS would be applicable to both consolidated and individual financial statements. (i) NBFCs whose equity and/or debt securities are listed or are in the process of listing on any stock exchange in India or outside India and having net worth less than Rs.500 crores. (ii) NBFCs other than those covered in (a)(i) and (b)(i) above, that are unlisted companies, having net worth of Rs.250 crores or more but less than Rs.500 crores. (iii) Holding, subsidiary, joint venture or associate companies of companies covered under (b) (i) and (b)(ii) above, other than those companies already covered under the corporate roadmap announced by the MCA, GoI. NBFCs having net worth below Rs. 250 Crores and not covered under the above provisions shall continue to apply Accounting Standards specified in Annexure to Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules, 2006. (III.)Scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs)/NBFCs/insurance companies/insurers shall apply Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) only if they meet the specified criteria, they shall not be allowed to voluntarily adopt Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS). This, however, does not preclude an insurer/insurance company/NBFC from providing Ind AS compliant financial statement data for the purposes of preparation of consolidated financial statements by its parent/investor, as required by the parent/investor to comply with the existing requirements of law. Draft Notification/Rules, as required, would be issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, RBI and IRDA in due course. Powered by Capital Market - Live News At least 10 people were killed and over 20 injured in a bomb explosion in Pakistan's Peshawar city on Tuesday. The explosion took place near a security checkpost situated close to the Karkhano Market area which is the gateway to Peshawar from the tribal belt, Dawn online reported. Most of the dead include personnel from the Khyber Khasadar Force, rescue sources said. The blast also killed the Assistant Line Officer Nawabshah and president of the Tribal Union of Journalists Mehmoob Shah. "Although the exact nature of the blast is being ascertained, it appears to be a suicide attack," political agent Khyber Agency Shahab Ali Shah said. An emergency has been imposed at Hayatabad hospital where the injured people have been transferred. Khyber is part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border. The area is known to have been a militant stronghold in the past. Delhi has seen 40 swine flu cases this year till Tuesday, a city government health official said. "This year, we have witnessed 40 swine flu cases from various parts of the city," the health official told IANS. He said there has been no death so far due to the air-borne disease, which in 2015 had claimed the lives of 12 people and infected over 4,000 people in the capital. The disease claimed 1,994 lives in India in 2015, while the total number of cases crossing the 33,000 mark. Swine flu or H1N1 is a respiratory infection that spreads through coughing, sneezing and touching. Short distance air-borne transmission of the influenza virus may also occur, particularly in crowded enclosed spaces. Asked which part of Delhi has witnessed the highest number of swine flu cases this year, the officer said East Delhi has reported more than 25 cases. The AAP on Tuesday protested over the suicide by a Dalit research scholar and demanded the resignation and arrest of union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the vice chancellor of the University of Hyderabad. Over 300 supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi unit and its student wing, Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, besides party leader Ashutosh and MLAs Sandeep Kumar and Rakhi Birla, gathered at the Jantar Mantar here. "We demand the immediate resignation and arrest of union minister Bandaru Dattatreya for driving a Dalit student to suicide in Hyderabad," AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh said at a press conference here. He demanded that Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani's role in the matter should also be investigated. He said the party would launch a nationwide protest on January 21 against the alleged persecution of Dalit students that forced one of them to commit suicide. "The Dalits have faced persecution after the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre. There are several instances, including those in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Haryana, where Dalits were targeted, persecuted and even murdered," he added. Ashutosh, while referring to the Dadri lynching, attacked the NDA government saying, "This government is neither for the minorities nor for the Dalits." "Today in this country, in the name of Hindutva ideology, there is no space left for any kind of protest. Baba Bhimrao Ambedkar in 1949 had warned the country about the RSS saying that they are a big threat to the nation. "Today, we promise to follow the words of Ambedkar... We all will have to prepare ourselves to face a long fight against this Hindutva ideology party," Ashutosh said at the protest at Jantar Mantar. He also demanded Smriti Irani's resignation saying, "The PM continues to shield ministers who ostracize Dalits. The PM should sack Bandaru Dattatreya, and Smriti Irani's role should be probed." Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula was found hanging from the ceiling of a room in the New Research Scholars' Hostel of the University of Hyderabad on Sunday. He was one of the five Dalit students suspended and expelled from the hostel and was staging a protest on the campus for the past 15 days. Protests escalated in Hyderabad and cities across the country including in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Student organisations including the All India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI) and CYSS and the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) held protests at Jantar Mantar and at the HRD ministry in the capital demanding the sacking of the ministers and strong action against the vice chancellor. As many as 115 students were detained on Monday after a violent protest outside the HRD ministry. Dattatreya and the vice chancellor were named in the FIR over the death, which triggered massive protests and demands for their removal from their posts. Dattatreya had written a letter to Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". The HRD ministry on Monday constituted a two-member fact finding team to look into the the incident. Ahead of French President Francois Hollande's visit to Chandigarh, heritage furniture designed by the city's founder-architect Le Corbusier has been stolen, police said on Tuesday. "Government College of Arts, Sector 10, Chandigarh, witnessed an incident of loss of heritage furniture placed in the store room of the college. One table and 15 sofa chairs have been stolen," said a spokesman of the Chandigarh administration. The theft has left the administration and police red-faced as it took place just five days ahead of the French president's visit to the city on January 24. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely to visit the city. Hollande is scheduled to visit the Chandigarh Museum complex which is in the same campus as the arts college. Police said a case of theft has been registered at the Sector 3 police station. "Two chowkidars (guards) present for duty have been given show-cause notice," the spokesman said. The stolen furniture is said to be worth millions of rupees in the international auction market. In recent years, heritage furniture designed by French architect Corbusier and his team, which has stolen from various locations, has made its way to international auction houses in the US, Britain, France and other European countries. In September last year, thieves had targetted the Corbusier Centre in Sector 19, which will also be visited by Hollande. They took away heritage furniture from the centre, that led the security guard to commit suicide. Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen killed an anti-terror judge in Yemen's southern port city of Aden in the latest of a series of assassinations against officials. Masked gunmen, believed to be linked to Yemen-based Al-Qaeda branch, late Monday shot a local judge named Abdul-Hadi Muflhi, Xinhua quoted police as saying. Muflhi died on the spot "after receiving several gunshots from two gunmen", witnesses said. The killing took place two hours after Aden's authorities issued decision to ban the movement of motorbikes on the city's streets, a police officer said. Local security sources blamed Al-Qaeda for the attack though no organisation has claimed responsibility. During the past few days, several military intelligence officers, government officials and anti-terror judges were killed in Aden in similar drive-by shootings claimed either by Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State terrorist group. Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been mired in chaos since last March when a war broke out between Shia Houthi rebels supported by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition. Alok Jena, the sole petitioner in the chit fund scam, on Tuesday accused the CBI of going soft in the investigation into the multi-billion rupee scandal. Jena, who was here on a drive to mobilise victims of the chit fund scam, told reporters that Gujarat had the maximum number of victims of chit fund companies followed by Odisha. The Odisha-based social activist said the Gujarat government had "deliberately bypassed" notices by the Supreme Court to submit details of the number of chit fund firms operating in the state, their stakes and inter-state links. According to him, 27 people have committed suicide because of the scam since 2012 in Gujarat. It was in a response to Jena's public interest litigation that the Supreme Court on May 9, 2014, tasked the Central Bureau Investigation to probe the chit fund scam. Inquiries by the CBI had led to the arrests of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Ramchandra Hansda, BJD chief whip Pravat Tripathi, Odisha's advocate general Ashok Mohanty and summons to 48 ruling party leaders, including eight ministers. The social activist, however, alleged that the CBI has mysteriously gone slow after investigating officer M.K. Sinha picked up Saroj Sahu, the power of attorney holder of the bank accounts of the BJD and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He claimed that the same evening after Sahu was freed by the CBI, the chief minister left for Delhi where he reportedly met union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and after staying in a farmhouse for 12 days, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that following the meeting between Patnaik and Modi, the CBI's investigating officer Sinha was taken off the probe and it was transferred to the CBI technical branch. After the Supreme Court's order, 44 chit fund companies are being investigated by the CBI. Of these, the names of 11 companies, including West Bengal-based Saradha and Gujarat-based Astha International, were submitted to the Supreme Court by Jena. "In response to the Supreme Court's directive, I submitted the names of only 11 chit fund companies about which I was aware then. However, the apex court has kept the case open leaving scope for any citizen in the country to bring to its notice the names of other chit fund companies which need to be investigated by the CBI," Jena said. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will undergo treatment in the US later this month for a prostate problem, his office said on Tuesday. "His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, is scheduled to undergo prostate treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by rest for approximately one month from January-end," the Dalai Lama's office said in a statement here. The Tibetan leader will resume his regular schedule in March. Before leaving this north Indian hill town for the US, the elderly Tibetan spiritual leader told reporters at the airport: "If they find any problem, they can carry out treatment." Pointing a finger towards one of his swollen eyes, he said he had a minor swelling in his right eye. The 80-year-old Nobel laureate earlier cancelled his planned visit to the US on the advice of doctors after a medical check-up at the Mayo Clinic in September last year. The doctors had advised him to rest for the next several weeks. The Buddhist monk had undergone a gall bladder surgery in 2008 in New Delhi. In August that year, he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai twice following abdominal discomfort. The Dalai Lama, who is revered as a spiritual leader in the Orient and the West, favours "greater autonomy" for people in Tibet rather than complete independence. Chinese leaders have, in fact, called him a separatist -- one who wants Tibet to secede from China. The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland Tibet in 1959. The Tibetan administration-in-exile is based here. Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, will undergo treatment in the US later this month for a prostate problem, his office said on Tuesday. "His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, is scheduled to undergo prostate treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by rest for approximately one month from January-end," the Dalai Lama's office said in a statement here. The Tibetan leader's regular chedule will resume in March. The 80-year-old Nobel Peace laureate earlier cancelled a planned visit to the US on the advice of doctors after a medical check-up at the Mayo Clinic in September last year. The doctors had advised him to rest for the next several weeks. The Buddhist monk had undergone a gall bladder surgery in 2008 in New Delhi. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged suicide by Dalit student, Rohith Vemula, in Hyderabad, demanding that he should sack the Union Minister accused in the matter and also apologise to the nation. "Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modiji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised n suspended," he said in a tweet. "It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation," the Delhi Chief Minister said. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the student. Rohit Vemula, the dead student, was among five research scholars who were suspended by the varsity in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a ABVP leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Rohit was found hanging in the hostel room located on the varsity campus on January 17. Delhi Police on Tuesday moved an application in a court here, urging it to take on record the medical and potency test report of an accused in the criminal case of rape of a Danish woman. Additional public prosecutor Atul Shrivastava moved an application before Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja, requesting her to take on record the medical and potency test report of accused Shyam Lal alias Bhajni, which will help in supporting the prosecution case. The court directed defence counsel to file the reply by January 21. The prosecutor told the court that the medical report could not be placed earlier as it was misplaced and police traced it only on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, the court recorded the statements of prosecution witnesses and forensic science laboratory doctor S. Paliwal, who was recalled for examination. Arjun, Raju alias Chhakka, Mohammad Raja, Mahendra alias Ganja, Raju alias Bajji and Shyam Lal alias Bhajni have been charged with robbing and raping the Danish woman at knife-point near the New Delhi Railway Station in January 2014 after she sought directions to her hotel in Paharganj. Three minors -- also allegedly involved in the case -- are facing an inquiry before the Juvenile Justice Board. Police said all the accused were vagabonds who took the woman to an isolated spot near the Divisional Railway Officers' Club close to the railway station, took away her belongings and then raped her. Kabir Bedi is a happy man after tying the knot with his long-time partner Parveen Dusanj last week. The 70-year-old actor says the marriage was "the most natural step forward", but it took him a decade to convince her family. Kabir gave his near and dear ones a surprise at his birthday celebrations on January 16 by announcing his marriage with Parveen, 42. He got married in Alibag on January 15 in the presence of his close family and friends. It is Kabir's fourth marriage and Parveen's first. He was previously married to late Odissi dancer Protima Gauri Bedi, then British-born fashion designer Susan Humphreys. TV and radio presenter Nikki Bedi was his third wife. "Delighted to be married for the last time! Parveen and I have been together for 10 years, living in London, Rome, and Mumbai, so marriage was the most natural step forward," Kabir said in a statement. "We met when I was performing a play, 'The Far Pavilions' in the West End of London, and she came to see the play. When I moved to Rome for a big Italian series 'A Doctor in the Family' for over a year, I missed her, and asked her to come and live with me," he recalled. He added: "Since then, after moving to Mumbai, she has been a great partner for me, in love and life, and we plan to do great things together through our media company, BediMedia. At the beginning, her family was cautious and it's taken me a decade to convince them all. Parveen Dusanj Bedi is the love of my life." His friends were happy for him, but his and late Protima's daughter Pooja Bedi passed snide remarks on Twitter after her father announced his wedding. The actress posted: "Every fairytale has a wicked witch or an evil step-mother! Mine just arrived! @iKabirBedi just married @parveendusanj)". Pooja then quickly retracted the tweet, but the damage was done. Reacting to Pooja's views, Kabir shared: "Deeply disappointed by venomous comments by my daughter Pooja against @parveendusanj just after we married. No excuse for bad behaviour." Pooja was understandably missing from the bevy of stars and friends in the wedding photographs, which surfaced online. UAE-based digital platform for beauty and wellness services Beawel launched its operation in India here on Tuesday. Beawel aims to make spa, salon and fitness centres accessible to everyone through its user website and mobile app. "The company started last year in Dubai. We will start our global operations from this year. We will also move to Egypt and Turkey. Beauty and wellness sections are generally ignored. That's why we thought of coming up with it," Beawel chief executive officer Anand Choudha told IANS at the launch of Beawel, which was inaugurated by hair expert Jawed Habib here. "For the travel industry, there are sites that make booking and ticketing easy. The second place people spend their money on is a restaurant. So, there are many portals that give the search, review and buy options for restaurants as well. But for beauty and wellness, there are hardly any," he added. Headquartered in Delhi in India, Beawel will also mark its presence in Mumbai and Bengaluru, and then move on to Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad and other cities. "India's beauty and wellness market is set to double from approximately Rs.40,000 crore in 2012-2013 to Rs.80,000 crore by 2017-2018. India is a hot bed of consumerism and talent today. The middle class and the upper middle class are forthcoming to new trends and they have disposable income too. We can't ignore India," said the Dubai-based Choudha, who co-founded Beawel with Ahmad Rizvi. The site can help merchants get more footfall and feedback from their consumers. Beauty and wellness savvy people can now just go online and check a nearby salon or wellness centre according to their vicinity and preference. To ensure they give the best to their users, Beawel will list those salons and spas and fitness centres that already have a chain in the country. "There will be a certain price bracket as well as our target is the middle class and the upper middle class." British singing legend Elton John has released a video for his latest track titled "Blue wonderful" ahead of his forthcoming album "Wonderful Crazy Night", which will come out on February 5. The video for the track is inspired by the photography of Gregory Crewdson, who is known for shooting in suburban landscapes and using exterior lighting like spotlights to make the ordinary look extraordinary, reports dailymail.co.uk. The video was shot in Montreal, Canada. With lyrics including "Go where you want, when you want to/Just don't let the wind tear you free/Stick around the light that brings you home/Don't ever hang around with the breeze", the video shows a girl wearing a grey skater skirt and top as she heads outdoors to dance with a male companion. But there is an extraordinary twist to the story. She soon starts engaging in an act of chase with the man who struggles to catch up with her. The girl then takes flight and soars up above her house, before landing on the roof where she sits for a moment to take stock. A woman doctor in the Bihar capital has been asked to pay Rs.5 lakh by unidentified extortionists, police said on Tuesday. Hena Rani Devnath was also threatened on her phone with dire consequences if she does not pay the amount, a police official said. Her husband Rajkishore Prasad lodged a police complaint at the Alamganj police station. Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said they have launched an investigation, and the criminals will be arrested soon. Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Tuesday said there is a need for the Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) to endorse India's traditional medicinal system and boost research on the subject. "We have a vast traditional knowledge and this needs to be incorporated in a holistic manner. ICMR need to go for cutting edge research and attract the best talent in the country which would be dedicated to research," said Nadda. Nadda was speaking at a function to felicitate 43 scientists for their work in various areas including communicable and non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health and various other medical and bio-medical fields. The minister also asked ICMR to list at least 10 major pressing challenges in the field of healthcare in India and find the local solutions to those challenges. "These suggestions will enable healthcare to become holistic and truly meaningful," he said. Talking about the felicitation of scientists, Nadda said: "The awards will boost the morale of the recipients and inspire other scientists to consistently work towards making innovations more affordable." An Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) would be set up in Tripura to encourage the youth to study job-oriented courses within their region, the state's Higher Minister Tapan Chakraborty said on Tuesday. The state government has provided 50 acres of land in Bodhjungnagar, one of northeastern region's biggest industrial zones, 25 km north of state capital Agartala. "To cope with the growing need of information technology in every sphere and to push youth to study job-oriented courses, the IIIT would be set up at a project cost of Rs.128 crore," Chakraborty told reporters here. He said: "State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Northeastern Electric Power Corporation and National Building Construction Company have expressed willingness to be partners of Tripura IIIT as part of their corporate social responsibility." The minister said that to set up the IIIT, an agreement was signed between the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry and the Tripura government last week in New Delhi. An official of Tripura Higher Department said the HRD ministry had planned to establish 20 IIITs on a not-for-profit public-private partnership (N-PPP) basis. "It was earlier decided that the funding will be borne by the central government 50 percent, state government 35 percent and 15 percent by Public Sector Undertakings (PSU). Recently, the funding pattern was modified for the northeastern states increasing the central share close to 60 percent and the remaining portion will be funded by the PSUs," the official added. He said two more IIITs would be set up in Assam's Guwahati and Senapati district in northern Manipur. "In the northeastern states, industry participation for capital expenditure would be kept at 7.5 percent instead of 15 percent. "The central government-participation for the northeastern states would be at 57.50 percent (instead of 50 percent) while state governments would pitch in with 35 percent," the official added. India has now less than 60 days to provide concrete evidence linking Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar with the January 2 Pathankot Air Force base attack, an expert in international law has said. Azhar is under custody in Islamabad. If India does not provide concrete evidence, he will be released or will challenge his detention in the high court and may secure bail like Hafiz Saeed did, The News International on Tuesday quoted former law minister and an expert on International Law Ahmer Bilal Soofi as saying. Hafiz Saeed was detained after the 2008 Mumbai attacks but he secured release after filing a petition in Lahore High Court, while both governments remained unclear about how to provide legal cover to the case, Soofi said. "The Attorney General for Pakistan at that time (Mumbai attacks) had to concede that India had not provided sufficient evidence of attribution," said Soofi. The lawyer also said that India, through its actions, has proved that the attackers could be international non-state actors and not necessarily Pakistani citizens. Maulana Masood Azhar has been charged with being the mastermind of the January 2 Pathankot terror attack which left seven security personnel and six attackers killed. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered that a special investigation team (SIT) would investigate the terrorist attack. This was welcomed by New Delhi which said Indian intelligence agencies will extend full cooperation to the Pakistani SIT. There is a provision in Pakistan in which a person can be detained for 30 days in preventive custody and can be investigated as well. The detention is extendable by a further 30 days. Under this provision, India has now less than 60 days to provide more concrete evidence of linking Maulana Masood Azhar with the Pathankot attack. India has not handed over concrete evidence to Pakistani government. It has given two cell phone numbers to probe further. "Once the Pakistani investigation team concludes its visit to India, it can then make a judgement call if an FIR should be registered in Pakistan or not. The FIR may not necessarily be detailed or mention any specific names," Soofi said. "After the registration of an FIR, the formal process of notification of a Joint Investigation Team may commence. The JIT can then, in a formal sense, proceed to India to seek cooperation on the investigation side and request access to the site and other evidence. The legal process will then continue to move at its own pace," he said. Energy-starved India, which imports around 75 percent of its crude oil needs, is looking afresh at Africa to tap the continent's vast and yet unexplored hydrocarbon assets, for both exploration and production, as also long-term contracts, official sources said. This will be the main agenda when India hosts fourth India-Africa hydrocarbon conference here Thursday-Friday to forge what is being termed as a "development transmitting" pact - with the aim of enhancing India's energy security and capacity building in Africa. "What people may not know is India already imports 15 percent of its crude oil from Africa -- around 30-32 million tonnes -- mainly from Nigeria and Angola. Our import of liquefied natural gas also doubled in the past two years," said an official source. "At the same time, our oil refineries are also major exporters -- and here, Africa accounts for a significant share. It is the second largest destination. From 17 percent of exports of our refined products, it is expected to rise to around 20 percent over the next five years." Officials also said that crude accounts for two-thirds of total imports from Africa while petroleum products account for one third of India's exports to Africa. The conference is being hosted by India's oil ministry, led by Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, and follows the India-Africa Forum Summit in October last year where energy was slotted as the third major focus area of cooperation. As many as 25 African nations have been invited for the conference and nine of them will be represented by their ministers, the sources said. They said that India's dependence on oil imports will increase in the coming years due to its growing energy needs and the country was looking to diversify its sourcing of crude while also acquiring hydrocarbon assets. "The partnership would enable India to enhance its energy security while nurturing Africa's hydrocarbon sector growth on several fronts," an official source said. The sources said that imports from Africa play a significant role in meeting the demands of India and Nigeria stood as the second largest supplier of crude oil to India in June 2015. The government was also giving a push to the Indian national oil companies to enhance their partnerships with African nations, they said, adding that Indian state owned enterprises have invested over $5 billion in gas exploration in Mozambique. The conference is expected to chart out a road map for extended energy cooperation between India and Africa in the coming days while also suggesting ways to boost bilateral trade. India on Tuesday welcomed the decision by the Maldives government to give permission to former president Mohamed Nasheed to travel to Britain for medical treatment. "Welcome decision by Government of Maldives to give permission to former President Nasheed to travel to UK for treatment," external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in a tweet. The Maldives government had earlier said it granted permission to Nasheed, on his request, to travel to Britain to undergo surgery. Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in jail under anti-terror laws last year. The intra-state commercial flight operations of home-grown carrier Air Odisha were flagged off by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here on Tuesday. A nine-seater aircraft will connect Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Jeypore cities with Bhubaneswar. On its inaugural journey, the carrier took off to Sambalpur from the city airport here and would return to Bhubaneswar via Jharsuguda. The chief minister said the state government fulfilled the long-standing demand for aircraft connectivity to these areas within the state. He said intra-state air connectivity will further boost the industry and tourism sectors in the state. This is an initiative by the Odisha government to provide air connectivity to Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Jeypore, he added. Air Odisha had conducted a trial run from Bhubaneswar to Sambalpur on December 18 last year. The service will be available six days a week except on Sunday. The Bhubaneswar-based private carrier is offering tickets at as low as Rs.2,499 as an inaugural offer, said Air Odisha sources. Milan, Jan 19 (IANS/AKI) A court in Italy has begun hearing a plea by two former officials of aerospace giant Finmeccanica against their conviction in a 560 million euro deal to supply 12 VVIP helicopters to India in 2010. A lower court in October 2014 handed the company's former chairman and CEO Giuseppe Orsi and ex-managing director Bruno Spagnoli two-year suspended jail sentences for falsifying invoices in a graft case linked to the Indian deal for the AgustaWestland helicopters. The court, however, cleared Orsi and Spagnolini of paying tens of millions of euros in bribes to Indian officials, including a former Indain Air Force head, to win the high-profile chopper contract. Both defendants deny all wrongdoing. A ruling on the appeal is expected in April. India had suspended the contract in 2013 after Italian investigators began looking into accusations that AgustaWestland paid bribes to win the contract in 2010. Finmeccanica owns helicopter maker AgustaWestland. --IANS/AKI py/vm London, Jan 19 (IANS/RAY) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has expressed support for enabling foreign lawyers to establish a presence in India. Britain's Justice Minister Shailesh Vara welcomed the announcement. Jaitley made the statement in course of the 8th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue which he held with his counterpart George Osborne. Britain has been seeking access to the Indian market to offer legal services for several years. Jaitley's support was for foreign lawyers to "provide legal advice on non-Indian law". Such advice is to be rendered as per regulations to be framed, which are likely to include employing or entering into partnerships with Indian lawyers. The implementation in the matter is subject to a memorandum of understanding being signed between the Law Society of England and Wales, the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Bar Council of India. Justice Minister Vara commended the positive discussions on liberalisation of the Indian legal services sector at the Economic and Financial Dialogue. Welcoming Jaitley's support for the process, Vara said: "I am delighted with the progress made in seeking to liberalise the Indian legal sector and I commend Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's commitment. "This is a cause that I have been championing personally for many years, ever since I saw the value liberalisation would bring when working as a solicitor. "The UK's experience of an open legal services sector has been a hugely positive one, giving business the access it needs to international legal advice and helping make London the global legal hub it has become. "I am confident that India's decision to move down this path will benefit everyone, and be a real catalyst for bilateral trade and investment. My department stands ready to help the Indian government progress this important reform in any way that would be helpful." --IANS/RAY ray/pm/vd A court near here on Tuesday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of senior Kerala CPI-M leader P. Jayarajan in the Kathirur Manoj murder case. Manoj, one of those accused of making an unsuccessful bid on Jayarajan's life in 1999, was attacked by a seven-member gang on September 1, 2014, in Kathirur near Kannur. The assailants first threw a bomb on the RSS activist's vehicle and later hacked him to death. Jayarajan, 63, a former legislator, was asked to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) early this month. He had moved an anticipatory bail plea in the court. CBI counsel opposed the leader's plea on the ground that it could not be granted since the case was registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and it was accepted by the Tellichery district sessions court. Jayarajan's anticipatory bail petition was rejected last year as well. The Communist Party of India-Marxist leader was questioned for over four hours by the CBI last year in the state capital in the case but let off. The central agency has so far arrested 23 people in this case. Jayarajan is currently on bail in another murder case. A youth was arrested early Tuesday in connection with the hit-and-run case in which an IAF corporal was mowed down here, police said. Johnny is the third person to be arrested in the case after Shanu alias Sahanawaz was held from New Delhi on Sunday night and prime accused Sambia Sohrab was nabbed by the police on late Saturday night. "Johnny was arrested in the early hours of the day from the city. Both Johnny and Shanu are being presented before a court where we are seeking their custody," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Debasish Boral told IANS. Sambia, son of former RJD MLA Mohammad Sohrab, is alleged to have broken through police barricades before fatally knocking down Indian Air Force Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud with his Audi car on January 13 morning on the Indira Gandhi Sarani. Both Shanu and Johnny are said to be accompanying him on the night before Sambia allegedly mowed down Gaud who was supervising the Republic Day parade rehearsals. Shanu, who was brought to the city by police on Monday night, claimed Sambia to be the driving the car. Also, in a video posted on Youtube, Johnny claimed that Sambia was heavily drunk and that he had a brawl with the friends before he allegedly knocked down Gaud. In the video, Jonny had claimed that he and Shanu were in another car following Sambia who was in his Audi. He also claimed that that his car was stopped by the police from entering the Indira Gandhi Sarani which was out of bound for civilian traffic for the Republic Day parade rehearsals. "It was only in the morning we found out that all this happened and came to know that the police was looking for us," said Johnny in the video. Accused of several offences including murder, Sambia who was arrested four days after the accident, is now under police custody. The prosecution has also accused him of hitting another soldier before ramming his car into Gaud. Police have also issued a look-out notice for Sambia's father Mohammad Sohrab and brother Ambia who are still missing and untraced. The case has created a political storm with the opposition parties claiming that police delayed Sambia's arrest as his father was a leader of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress. However, the Trinamool has denied its links with Sohrab and pointed to the fact that he had become a state legislator in 2005 with support from the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front. The Indian Air Force, which is also probing the matter, too earlier claimed "vested interests" were thwarting the probe. Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is a bit worried about Mustafizur Rahman's injury but believes it's nothing serious. The left-arm pacer felt discomfort in his left shoulder before he was to bowl the last ball of the innings against Zimbabwe in the second Twenty20 International here on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com. Having watched Mustafizur clutching on to the shoulder with his other hand, Tamim Iqbal ran up to the 20-year-old and advised him to leave the field immediately. "The injuries are old for him -- both the shoulder strain and the elbow injury. So we didn't take any chances though he had just a ball remaining. We wanted to get him treated as soon as possible," Mashrafe said. "Although the matter is of concern at the moment, usually nothing serious happens from these injuries. I hope it really isn't and that he recovers." Bangladesh lead the four match Twenty20 International series 2-0 with the third match to be played here on Wednesday. A man who has collected 100 of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson's drawings plans to sell them to help needy children. Joseph McBratney claims to have privately amassed over 100 drawings by the late "Thriller" hitmaker, who died in June 2009, and now wants to sell them to raise money to help at-risk children, reports femalefirst.co.uk. He also plans to sell sketches of The Beatles, the late Princess Diana, Abraham Lincoln, Charlie Chaplin, Bart Simpson, Peter Pan, Mickey Mouse, Snoopy and Garfield. "It's a big responsibility, I put this collection together. (I want to create) a non-profit endowment to help kids," he told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column. "It would be a shame for this beautiful property to be anything else but a healing property for suffering kids and adults who would never have the chance to be in recovery or treatment," he added. All the drawings are signed by the star and the collector said he has had them authenticated by an autograph authentication service. --Indo-ASian News Service nv/nn/ Launching a scathing attack on the Congress government in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday kicked off the BJP's campaign for the assembly polls, saying the state did not develop much despite a prime minister getting elected from it for 10 years. Modi said Assam has not developed much despite the 10 years of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance rule and that the Congress has been in power in the state for about last 15 years. The state assembly elections are due in April this year. The prime minister first addressed a public rally organised by the Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) and then a Yuva Shakti Sanmilan at Khanapara area in Guwahati. He also addressed a large gathering of students from different education institutions of the northeast at the IIT Guwahati campus before leaving for New Delhi. In Kokrajhar, Modi announced the Karbis of the plains will be granted the Scheduled Tribes (ST) status while the the Bodo Kachari community of the hill areas like Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao district will also be granted the ST status soon. The prime minister, however, cautiously avoided talking about the issue of statehood to Bodoland and the Bodoland Peoples' Front's demand for a Rs.1,000 crore package for development of the Bodo region. While the BPF has been demanding a special package of Rs.1,000 crore for the four districts of Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD), several other Bodo organisations have demanded that the prime minister make the Centre's stand clear on the issue of statehood to the Bodo lands. Modi also announced that the Central Institute of Technology (CIT), Kokrajhar, will be upgraded to a Deemed University within a year and more academic and administrative autonomy would be granted to the institute. He assured the people that the defunct Rupsi airport will be made operational for the Indian Air Force and common people as soon as the land clearance is received from the state government. He said the Central government is also working on extending the Kanchanjunga Express to Assam's Barak Valley to boost connectivity of the region. Modi targeted the erstwhile Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre and the ruling Congress government in Assam. "I was under the impression there is no problem in Assam. Assam is the state from where the prime minister was elected for 10 years. The Congress has ruled the state for the last 15 years. But I am shocked to see the problems and issues here," he said. "So what has the prime minister, who was elected from the state for 10 years, done? They (the Congress) have not been able to do anything in last 15 years and they (the Congress) want me to do everything in 15 months time. You tell me if it is justified?" said Modi. "You have seen their 15 years of rule and the 15 months of BJP government in power. We have been working each minute of these 15 months for the betterment of the country," the prime minister said. Taking a dig at recent Congress campaigns against him, Modi said: "Delhi has started asking for accounts of each penny given to the states. I was told when the Centre releases Re.1 only 15 paise of it reaches the villages. So, where does the money go? The Centre has started asking for the accounts. Thus, many do not like me these days," he said. Modi also laid the foundation stone of IIIT at the IIT Guwahati and addressed a large gathering of students. He said India has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world and that the 21st century belongs to India. "We have 65 percent of young people in India, those who are below 35 years of age group. With so much of young people, India has the talent and potential to change the existing situation," he said while encouraging the students to go for more innovative work in different fields so that the country can have a unique place in the entire world. "In Silicon Valley, the address is of the US but most of the faces there are of Indians. It is the young people from India who have occupied more than 50 percent of the Silicon Valley. With so much of IITs, IIITs, and other distinguished institutions in India, we must think of innovation, new researches and new technologies in different fields, so that we can make our place in the entire world," he said. --Indo-Asian news Service ah/sd/vt Mutual distrust between India and China could hinder the economic cooperation between the two countries, experts said on Tuesday. They, however, agreed the two neighbours could work jointly to address some of the common problems they face. "Currently, the lack of distrust in military and strategic domain tends to spill over into our economic relationship. We have to find a way to insulate them or depoliticize economic relationship," said senior journalist Mihir Sharma. "And that's something which we have not been able to do so far," he sid, at a discussion on "The Future of China-India Bilateral Economic Relationship" here. Sharma said the distrust was the centre of the India-China relationship. "The (Indian) government continues to be uncomfortable with the idea that our telecommunication backbone would technically be built in China or have some kind of connection to China," he said. Sharma also noted India's ONGC's moves to invest in Vietnam could cause concern in China. Ramgopal Agarwala, a former chief economist of the World Bank, said that China was a very complicated country and India need to deal with it very carefully. "It (India) requires nimble footwork of a ballet dancer but we are from that," he said; Agarwala, however, stressed that moving towards clean energy, and dealing with global warming were some the issues on which these countries could wok together. For the next two weeks, beef will go missing from plates in the eastern part of Meghalaya as butchers and cattle traders have called for a two-week long shutdown to protest the cattle smuggling into Bangladesh. Border Security Force (BSF) figures revealed that in 2015 alone, at least 2,079 cows worth nearly Rs.3 crore were seized. Also, 18 cow smugglers were arrested along the India-Bangladesh border in the state by the frontier guards. All the beef shops barring mutton, pork, chicken and fish stalls across the six districts in the eastern part of Meghalaya remained closed since Monday afternoon. The strike, which will end on February 3, has been called by Khasi Jaintia Butchers Welfare Association (KJBWA) after the Meghalaya government failed to prevent smuggling of cattle into Bangladesh. "All beef shops will continue to remain closed and there will be no purchase of cows from the cattle market at Khanapara village along the Meghalaya-Assam border till February 3," KJBWA vice president Generous Warlarpih told IANS. Cow smuggling to Bangladesh has been going on for decades along the border in Meghalaya with illegal cattle traders from Bangladesh and those from Assam and Meghalaya drawing huge profits. Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh, part of which is porous, hilly and unfenced and prone to frequent infiltration. The BSF seizes cows and cattle and arrests smugglers from the international border with Bangladesh alomst daily. Meghalaya Police had seized 126 head of cow recently, thus proving that the informal trade in cattle is a flourishing business. "Our men have been tackling this new menace and almost everyday cows are being smuggled out to Bangladesh through unfenced border and riverine routes," Border Security Force spokesman Sushil Kumar Singh told IANS. He said the BSF and Border Guard of Bangladesh have also adopted new steps to curb cow smuggling after union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had urged the Indian frontier guards to stop this menace. "The price of cows at Khanapara is skyrocketing due to high demand of cows in Bangladesh. The smuggling rate ranges from Rs.65,000 to Rs.70,000 for a pair of cattle, while healthy cattle would cost Rs.1 lakh," Warlarpih said. The butcher's association said that even a person who herds the cows across to Bangladesh charges Rs.600 per cow, while a truck driver ferrying the cows from Khanapara market near the international border charges a transport fee ranging from Rs.8,000 to Rs.10,000 per head of cattle. "We are losing a profit of Rs.40,000 to Rs.50,000 a week. Due to such smuggling, some of the members of our association have now stopped selling beef, and have started selling pork," Warlarpih said. Indian Custom officials valued the smuggling of cows from India to Bangladesh at approximately over Rs.1,000 crore annually. (Raymond Kharmujai can be contacted at rrkharmujai@gmail.com) --Indo-Asian news Service rrk/pr/vt One of the most unintended casualties of the terrorist attack at Pathankot has been that the Indian media, or large sections of it, went overboard in giving out the "news" of the "detention of Masood Azhar", the chief of the dreaded Jaish-e-Mohammed which has been accused by India of masterminding the attack on the the Indian Air Force base. Governmental authorities in both India and Pakistan contradicted the story. This was too natural. Masood Azhar is very close to sections of the Pakistani civil and military administration. It was later clarified that he was only taken under "protective custody". A day after, the Pakistani establishment openly clarified that Masood Azhar was not arrested. But this is enough to shake the very foundation of the state of Pakistan. It conclusively establishes before the world that Pakistan is now only some steps away from being a territorial conglomeration of different terrorist power centres. Very little of Islamabad's writ runs in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas(FATA). In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) is supreme. Although a provincial government run by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) of Imran Khan is there, it is common knowledge that the PTI could win the election because of tacit support from the TTP. Different terrorist organizations have in fact divided Sindh among themselves and have carved out their own territorial jurisdictions. In Punjab four terrorist organizations - Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-i-Sahaba - are really powerful. Of late the TTP has also penetrated deep inside the province. Pakistan has now the onus to prove to the world that it is not a terrorist state. It has now become extremely necessary for Islamabad, after US President Barack Obama's comments that Pakistan could become a safe haven for terrorists and that the country would continue to face instability for decades to come. The Pathankot incident, however, did display a difference with what happened during the Mumbai attack of 2008 when Pakistan had denied any connection with the terrorists and washed its hands off the charge. This time, the response as well as cooperation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was prompt. It shows that a qualitative change has occurred in the equation that some of the terrorist groups enjoy with the Pakistani administration and the army. This change is however half-hearted and, therefore, Pakistan is now saying that it would take action against Masood Azhar if his culpability is proved "beyond doubt". There is no need to wait for the completion of the probe as there is plenty of evidence against the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief and his organization. After it was banned in 2002, Jaish-e-Mohammed split into several cells which were linked to the Al-Qaeda. Masood Azhar coordinated the activities of these splinter groups from his underground shelter and launched two successive attempts to eliminate then president Pervez Musharraf. Azhar was also the principal brain behind the building up of Islamic fundamentalist insurgency around Islamabad's Lal Masjid. The Pathankot terrorist strike affects Pakistan very seriously. By a single stroke, it has disrobed the extreme vulnerability of the country's security and stability. Both India and Pakistan have exhibited prudence by only deferring the foreign secretary-level talks and rescheduling it in the "very near future". But saner voices in Pakistan are now questioning the policy of the state in giving long rope to some non-state actors who are creating havoc with impunity. But Pakistan needs to undertake some surgical operations into its polity if it really wants to come out of the quagmire and stave off destruction. There is a limit to which it can go so far as operations in the FATA area are concerned. Moreover, the Pashtun community lives on both sides of the Durand Line that separates Pakistan and Afghanistan. But the agreement creating the Durand Line expired long ago and if the Pashtuns living on the Pakistan side and facing military action now want to join Afghanistan, it will mean the dismemberment of Pakistan. Patronization of the Deobandi school of thought has now become the bane of Pakistan. Fundamentalism has now struck so deep a root that even the Election Commission has not been left untouched. During the last election, the commission had invoked articles 62 and 63 of the constitution which forbade anybody who was not a practising Muslim from contesting. Even the candidature of a renowned journalist like Ayaz Amir was rejected on the charge that he drank. The Pakistan Army must immediately dismantle the unholy alliance between a section of it and the fundamentalist outfits. Unfortunately no such serious attempt is in sight. On the contrary quite a few army and naval officers, many of them being Shias, have been murdered after they protested against inaction on the part of their superiors against organizations like the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba. (Amitava Mukherjee is a senior journalist and commentator. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at amukherjee57@yahoo.com) Avoiding the statehood issue and the Rs.1,000 crore package demand for the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said no stone would be left unturned to develop Assam's Bodo-inhabited lands. The prime minister was addressing a public rally organised by the Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) at Kokrajhar town in Assam. Stating that the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) will be developed like any other part of the country, the prime minister said he has three-point programme for the development of the backward BTAD region -- "development, development and development". He said while the Karbis of the plains will be granted the Scheduled Tribes (ST) status, the Bodo Kachari community of the hill areas like Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao district will also be granted the ST status soon. Tuesday's rally assumes significance ahead of Assam legislative assembly polls as it has indicated a pre-poll alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the BPF, which is ruling at the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) that runs the administration in four district of the BTAD. The BPF was a partner of the ruling Congress in Assam since its inception in 2003 but it severed its ties with the Congress in 2014 over some differences. The prime minister, however, on the occasion cautiously avoided the issue of statehood to Bodoland and the BPF's demand for a Rs.1,000 crore package for development. He announced that the Central Institute of Technology (CIT), Kokrajhar, will be upgraded to a Deemed University within a year and more academic and administrative autonomy would be granted to the institute. "I was told that there is an airport here, which has not been in use for a long time. I assure you that as soon as the state government settles the issue of giving the land for the airport, the Rupsi airport will be opened for the Indian Air Force as well as for the common people," Modi said while addressing the massive rally. He said the Central government is also working on extending the Kanchanjunga Express to Assam's Barak Valley to boost connectivity of the region. Modi also targetted the erstwhile Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government and the ruling Congress government in Assam. "I was under the impression there is no problem in Assam. Assam is the state from where the prime minister was elected for 10 years. The Congress has ruled the state for the last 15 years," Modi said. "But I am shocked to see the problems and issues here. So what has the prime minister, who was elected from the state for 10 years, done?" "They (the Congress) have not been able to do anything in last 15 years and they (the Congress) want me to do everything in 15 months time. You tell me if it is justified?" said Modi. "You have seen their 15 years of rule and the 15 months of BJP government in power. We have been working each of the minutes in these 15 months for the betterment of the country," the prime minister said. Taking a dig at recent Congress campaigns against him, Modi said: "Delhi has started asking for accounts of each penny given to the states. I was told when the Centre releases Re.1 only 15 paise of it reaches to the villages." "So where does the money go? The Centre has started asking for the accounts. Thus, many do not like me these days," he said while launching a scathing attack on the Congress government in Assam. While the BPF has been demanding a Rs.1,000 crore package for development of the BTAD, several Bodo organisations have also been demanding that the prime minister make the Centre's stand clear on the issue of statehood to the Bodoland. The All Assam Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union has also called a 48-hour Assam bandh from Monday morning to protest the Centre's failure to grant the Scheduled Tribes status to six communities in Assam, including the Koch Rajbongshis. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack the two ministers who allegedly interfered in the internal matters of the University of Hyderabad, culminating in a Dalit student's suicide. He also sought the prime minister's apology to the Dalit community over the suicide on Sunday by Rohith Vemula, a second-year research scholar of science, technology and society studies department at Hyderabad university. "I strongly urge the prime minister to immediately sack the two ministers, order a high-level judicial probe and personally tender an apology to the aggrieved family, the Dalit community and the people of this country," Kejriwal said in a statement here. Rohith was found hanging from the ceiling of a room in the New Research Scholars' Hostel late on Sunday. He was one of the five Dalit students suspended and expelled from the hostel and was staging a protest on the campus for the past 15 days. "On January 18, the country watched how two powerful cabinet ministers - Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya - endorsed and abetted Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's systematic targeting campaign to first socially ostracise five Dalit students at the University of Hyderabad, deny them access to library facilities and finally have them suspended from the university itself," the chief minister said. "The searing injustice of these actions was such that it finally took Rohith's life. In his suicide note, he describes the oppressive weight of caste-based prejudices. This incident has shaken the collective conscience of the entire nation," Kejriwal said. Earlier in the morning, Kejriwal described the suicide as "murder of democracy, social justice and equality". "It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice and equality. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji should sack the (two) ministers and apologise to the nation," Kejriwal said in a tweet. "(The) Modi government (is) constitutionally duty bound to uplift Dalits. Instead, Modiji's ministers got five Dalit students ostracised and suspended," the chief minister tweeted. The Congress on Tuesday demanded a probe into an alleged scuffle US national Caitanya Lila Holt - who died in a north Goa village on January 12 - had with a gang of Nigerian drug peddlers a short while before his death. "The police appears to be covering up the fact that he had a fight with a Nigerian gang dealing in drugs. This aspect should be probed," Congress spokesperson Agnelo Fernandes told IANS. Ohio-born Holt, 30, died mysteriously, reportedly choking on mud in Korgao village in north Goa, after he was chased by villagers and policemen after being mistaken for a thief. A post-mortem on the body in the presence of US consular officials by a panel of government forensic doctors on Sunday revealed that Holt died of asphyxia after inhaling muddy water. The post-mortem also revealed injuries of non-fatal nature on the body. While the government said the foreign national choked on mud, the opposition called the death technically a murder and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe. "We have no faith in the Goa Police. The CBI should probe the case. Holt's death will also affect Goa's image as a tourism destination. Who will want to come to a place where a tourist has been chased and murdered?" Fernandes said. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday will visit University of Hyderabad, where a Dalit research scholar committed suicide. Rahul will land at Begumpet airport in the city by a special aircraft and reach the university by road. President of Telangana unit of the party Uttam Kumar Reddy said Rahul would meet the students. Rohith Vemula, a P.hD. student, committed suicide by hanging himself in a hostel room on Sunday, triggering massive protests by students who alleged that he took the extreme step because of discrimination and social boycott. Rohith and four other students were subjected to boycott by the authorities of the university, the students said. The five students of Amebdkar Students Association (ASA) were suspended and later expelled from hostel following a clash with leaders of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). ASA alleged that the action was taken against them after Union Minister for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya wrote a letter to Union minister for Human Resources Development Smriti Irani. The police on Monday booked a case against Dattatreya, Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and two BJP leaders for abetment of suicide and violation of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act. A two-member team will arrive in Hyderabad to probe the incident. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's one-day tour of the Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh on January 22 has been postponed by a day as it clashed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's schedule, party sources said on Tuesday. The Gandhi scion was scheduled to visit the area facing acute drought and scanty rainfall. There is no official word on the reason for the postponement, but insiders said that the state Congress unit told the party leadership that Gandhi's trip was clashing with that of Modi, who is on a day-long trip to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi and Lucknow. Many Congress leaders felt that the coinciding of dates of the visit might affect the media coverage of Gandhi. His Bundelkhand visit is in continuance of his dialogue with farmers that he started in Saharanpur last year. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to meet Iranian leadership, as part of efforts to defuse rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Nawaz Sharif and Raheel will meet Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and call on Iranian grand spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Dawn online reported. During the visit to Saudi Arabia, Nawaz Sharif met King Salman and will deliver the king's message to the Iranian leadership in Tehran. General Raheel also held a meeting with the Saudi defence minister soon after arriving in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi and Pakistani leadership exchanged views on various facets of enduring cooperation with regards to the Saudi initiative of forming a coalition of Islamic countries against terrorism," said a statement released by the foreign office of Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif also assured the Saudi leadership of Pakistan's support, and expressed concern at the recent escalation of tensions between Riyadh and Tehran. Riyadh has assured that if Tehran shows positive signs, diplomatic ties may be restored. A list of points has been given to the Pakistani leadership for discussion with Iran's leadership, said diplomatic sources. Nawaz Shafif called for resolution of the current crisis through peaceful means in the larger interest of the Muslim world. Analysts regard Nawaz Sharif's diplomatic initiative a wise step to help Riyadh and Tehran prevent the current tensions from taking a turn which could endanger peace of the entire region. Moreover, with successful culmination of talks between big powers and Iran over the latter's nuclear issue, Pakistan certainly eyes economic benefits from Tehran re-entering world trade. "With Iran re-joining the world trade, Pakistan can look forward to meeting its energy needs from across the border by completing the pending gas pipeline," remarked an analyst. Tensions recently flared between the two regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran after the execution of a prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia, which led to the eruption of protests all over the region. As a reaction to the execution of the cleric, Riyadh's diplomatic post was attacked in Iran by angry protestors, which led to the severance of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, further complicating an already tense atmosphere. The bounty of curriculum relating to Martin Luther King Jr. Day taught in Beatrice Public Schools on Monday is what the districts board of education had in mind when they voted two years ago to make the holiday one observed by staff and students in the schools rather than at home, district administrators said. I think the concern was that if students are sitting at home playing video games, theyre not learning about the man, said Beatrice High School Principal Jason Sutter. Sutter said more than half of the high school teachers told him they had lesson plans about Martin Luther King Jr. and his efforts in the Civil Rights Movement. All middle school history classes devoted the class periods Monday to studying King and discussing discrimination. Eighth graders wrote essays about their dreams for a better, nicer America. At the elementary schools, such lessons were molded by teachers for every grade level. Even the teacher of the BHS concert choir class gave a lecture about how the students can help make reality Kings vision of an equal, fair and kind world. Using an online article called Six ways to meaningfully honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day, instructor Kelly Meyer related each point to the teenagers. He talked about allyship. You can never be too nice to a person, in my opinion, Meyer said. He mentioned the phenomena of people raised in the same area of the world meeting each other in some faraway place. The world is big, but its not so big. How you treat people matters We only have so much time on Earth. Enjoy it, treat people well and hopefully theyll treat you well back. The Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq's plea for an open court hearing of his petition seeking review of its August 10, 2011 verdict upholding his death sentence in the December 22, 2000 Red Fort attack case. Making exception to its September 2, 2014 verdict limited to the case of Arif, the constitution bench of Chief Justice T.S.Thakur, Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice J. Chelameswar, Justice A.K.Sikri and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman gave him a month's time to file fresh review plea that would be heard in the open court. The court also permitted Arif to raise additional grounds supporting his plea for the review of the 2011 verdict. The apex court by its September 2, 2014 verdict had said that in the cases where the death sentence has been upheld by it, the convict will have a right that his petition seeking review of this verdict would be heard by a three judges bench in open court. In the case of pending death row convicts, the court had said that in cases where the review plea have been already rejected but curative petition has not been moved or decided, the death row convicts can, within one month, move afresh for an open court hearing of their review plea. The court bhad said that the window of an open court hearing of the review plea would not be available to those death row convicts in whose case both review plea and curative petition have been declined. Seeking the recall of the September 2, 2014 order, Arif had contended that he was the only death row convict who was denied the opportunity of an open court hearing as he came in the category where even the curative petition too had been rejected. Taking on record the contention by Arif's counsel and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation, the court made an exception to Arif's case noting that his was the solitary case where on account of September 2, 2014 verdict, he could not get an open court hearing of his plea. Around 9 p.m. on December 22, some armed intruders entered the Red Fort and started indiscriminate firing, killing three soldiers of the Rajputana Rifles, deployed in the Red Fort for its protection. A Quick Reaction Team returned the fire but none of the attackers was hit, and they were successful in escaping by scaling over the rear side boundary wall of the fort. While upholding the death sentence of Arif, the apex court by its August 10, 2011 verdict had said that "this is a unique case where there is one most aggravating circumstance that it was a direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India by foreigners. Thus, it was an attack on Mother India. This is apart from the fact that as many as three persons had lost their lives." Holding that the death sentence was the only sentence that could be awarded to Arif, the court had said that Arif had "built up a conspiracy by practicing deceit and committing various other offences in furtherance of the conspiracy to wage war against India as also to commit murders by launching an unprovoked attack on the soldiers of Indian Army". Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday sought action against union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, the Hyderabad University vice chancellor and others allegedly responsible for the suicide of a Dalit research scholar. "Whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in strictest manner possible," he said while addressing students at the University of Hyderabad premises, where Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide on Sunday due to suspension by the university along with four other students. Without naming anybody, the Congress leader said the union minister in Delhi and the vice chancellor created conditions which led to the research scholar committing suicide. "Certainly he has committed suicide but the conditions for his suicide have been created by the vice chancellor, the minister and the institution," said the Congress leader while seeking immediate resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao. Gandhi, who spent nearly two hours meeting four other suspended Dalit students and consoling the family of Vemula, also demanded compensation to the family. He also met students who are on hunger strike in support of their demands including Rs.5 crore compensation to the family and a job. His visit coincided with the arrival of two member committee sent by human resources development ministry to probe the suicide. He said the compensation mean both financial help and the respect. "This boy was going to give them future... they have removed this boy. Now give them the future he would have given to them," he said amid cheers by the students. Gandhi came down heavily on the vice chancellor for not showing the bare minimum courtesy by meeting Rohith's mother. "The fact this gentleman has no decency and dignity to meet the mother is also an insult to the country, to the institution, every student and teacher," he said. Referring to the student leaders' request that the issue should not be politicised, the Congress leaders said there is no question of politicising it "but what has happened here is that some youngsters wanted to express some ideas they have but the institution instead of operating fairly and instead of letting them speak has used power to crush them". "The vice chancellor and the minister in Delhi have not acted fairly... what is the result? This youngster who came here to improve this country, who came here to learn and express himself was put under so much pain he had no other option but to kill himself." Gandhi said that the idea of a university is that young people from various parts of the country come here and express whatever is there in their heart. "The idea of a university is knowledge. When somebody tries to impose on youngsters one idea and tell them only this idea is acceptable, they cause tremendous pain to their passion," he added He assured the students that they were not alone and that this is happening in every university. "It is important that we carry this flag forward so that in future we bring a legislation that gives certain minimum rights to every single student." He said such a legislation should ensure autonomy of institution and should not allow the central government to impose anything. "It should give minimum rights with regard to freedom of ideas and expression of those ideas regardless of who they are what caste, community and religion they come from." Earlier, activists of ABVP tried to stop Gandhi's convoy when he reached Begumpet airport. Police arrested the protestors. Students from Osmania University and other institutions, leaders of various Dalit and left groups also reached University of Hyderabad to show solidarity with students staging protest. University of Hyderabad continues to simmer over Dalit research scholar's suicide while Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the campus on Tuesday to show solidarity with protesting students and demanded action against a union minister and the VC. On a day when a two member committee sent by union human resources development ministry began its probe amid massive protests, Gandhi air-dashed from Delhi to meet the students and back their demands. He sought action against union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, the Hyderabad University vice chancellor and others allegedly responsible for the suicide of Rohith Vemula. The student ended his life on Sunday while staging protest along with four other research scholars over their suspension following an alleged clash with some leaders of ABVP. "Whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in strictest manner possible," Gandhi said while addressing students at the place where suspended students members of Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Social Justice, an umbrella of 14 student unions, are on indefinite strike. Without naming them, he said a union minister in Delhi and the vice chancellor created conditions which led to the research scholar committing suicide. "Certainly he has committed suicide but the conditions for his suicide have been created by the vice chancellor, the minister and the institution," said the Congress leader while seeking immediate resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao. Gandhi, who spent nearly two hours meeting four other suspended Dalit students and consoling the student's family, also demanded compensation to the family. He also paid respects to Rohith at a memorial constructed by students. He also met students who are on hunger strike in support of their demands including Rs.5 crore compensation to the family and a job. Gandhi said that the idea of a university is that young people from various parts of the country come here and express whatever is there in their heart. "The idea of a university is knowledge. When somebody tries to impose on youngsters one idea and tell them only this idea is acceptable, they cause tremendous pain to their passion," he added He assured the students that they were not alone and that this is happening in every university. "It is important that we carry this flag forward so that in future we bring a legislation that gives certain minimum rights to every single student." Earlier, activists of ABVP tried to stop Gandhi's convoy when he reached Begumpet airport. Police arrested the protestors. Students from Osmania University and other institutions, leaders of various Dalit and left groups also reached University of Hyderabad to show solidarity with students staging protest. Raising slogans against central ministers Smriti Irani, Bandaru Dattatreya, the vice chancellor and ABVP, hundreds of students marched to the building where the central committee began its hearing. Leaders of the JAC, teachers' association and suspended students separately met the committee, seeking justice. They demanded immediate arrest of Dattatreya, vice chancellor and others responsible for the suicide. The committee also heard university authorities, especially members of the panels which conducted inquiry into the alleged clash between ABVP and the Ambedkar Students Association. Earlier, activists of Telangana Jagruthi, the cultural wing of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana, staged a protest at Dattatreya's house in Ramnagar here, demanding his resignation. Police arrested dozens of protestors, who raised slogans against the minister, blaming his letter to Irani for suspension of the students. TRS MP K. Kavitha had said on Monday that Dattatreya and Irani brought pressure on the university authorities. Police on Monday had booked Dattatreya, vice chancellor and two leaders of ABVP for abetment of suicide and for violation of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday said he was worried about sending a wrong signal to North Korea unless strong UN sanctions are imposed on Pyongyang over its fourth nuclear test. Park said in a cabinet meeting that if strong and effective measures were not drawn up, it would give a wrong signal to North Korea that the international society can do nothing over Pyongyang's fifth and sixth nuclear tests, Xinhua reported. The president urged officials to make diplomatic efforts to draw up strong and comprehensive sanctions from the UN Security Council by closely cooperating with allies. Tensions rose on the Korean peninsula after North Korea claimed on January 6 that it tested its first hydrogen bomb. South Korea resumed blaring propaganda messages from loudspeakers across the border into North Korea, which in turn, restarted its own propaganda broadcasts in response. Pyongyang scattered over one million copies of anti-South Korea leaflets through air balloons in part of Seoul and some of the northern region close to the inter-Korean border. Park said the military should maintain solid defence readiness over Pyongyang's possible provocations, noting that the military should immediately retaliate against any North Korea provocation. She instructed the military to make a thorough preparation for possible cyber attack from North Korea. A large amount of emails impersonating the South Korean presidential office and the foreign ministry had been reportedly sent to Seoul government officials to poll opinions about Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test. The impersonated emails were believed to have been sent from Pyongyang to conduct a cyber attack. The South Korean policy had launched an investigation. Dense fog and cold wave conditions across north India affected normal life on Tuesday, and badly hit road and rail traffic as well as flights. Shimla town received snowfall on Tuesday, bringing cheer to tourists in the hill station. This was the heaviest snowfall in the Himachal Pradesh capital this winter. With dense fog engulfing the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in New Delhi, many flights were affected. Most of the flights, especially in the morning, departed much later than their scheduled time. The visibility in New Delhi at 8.30 a.m. was 300 metres and humidity was recorded at 97 percent. According to the Northern Railway, 14 trains were running late due to fog in and around the national capital. In the plains of Punjab and Haryana, people shivered due to cold wave conditions, as the maximum temperature at most places dipped by 5-8 degrees below normal. Vehicular and train movement was affected in the region due to fog in many places. Visibility was reduced to less than 100 metres at many places. Ambala and Narnaul in Haryana recorded a high of 12 degrees Celsius, seven and eight degrees below normal, while Patiala in neighbouring Punjab had a high of 13 degrees, six degrees below normal. Ludhiana and Amritsar recorded highs of 13.7 and 14.8 degrees, respectively. Chandigarh experienced a high of 15.7 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal. In Jammu and Kashmir, cold wave conditions, especially in the Kashmir Valley, continued, with Srinagar recording a low of minus 2.3 degrees. In Himachal Pradesh, places located at higher altitudes were cut off from the rest of the country due to heavy snowfall. "Shimla and its nearby areas experienced snowfall," an official of the meteorological department told IANS. Nearby tourist places like Kufri and Narkanda also saw snowfall, which covered the places in a white blanket. Snow is considered good for the apple crop. As news of the snowfall in Shimla spread, tourists flocked to the place known for the imperial grandeur of buildings that were once institutions of power when the town served as the summer capital of British India. "For the first time, we have seen snowfall," said Ridhima Ohri, a tourist from Chandigarh, who was in Shimla with her friends. Shimla, which saw a low of 1.6 degree Celsius, recorded more than 10 cm of snow, while Kufri and Mashobra recorded more than 20 cm of snow each. The snowy landscape in Shimla will stay this way for two-three days, an official of the Met department said. "High-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate to heavy snow," the official said. Manali, which was cloudy, experienced a low of minus 1.6 degree Celsius. The Rohtang Pass, some 52 km from Manali, also saw snowfall. Kalpa, 250 km from Shimla, and Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district also experienced snow. These towns saw night temperature fall to 3.6 degrees and 5.7 degrees Celsius below freezing point, respectively. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lauded Sikkim's effort to become an organic state. Any which way you look at it, Sikkim has assumed leadership in organic agriculture. The rest of the country will have to follow suit. Years of toil and leadership has made this happen. The people of Sikkim, the farmers, agriculturists, bureaucrats and politicians have all played their part in this great Sikkimese narrative. One must commend Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking a look at the great potential of this venture. He has found it to be a significant public policy move that can transform the agriculture policy within the rest of India. Little wonder then that he addressed a meeting of all agriculture ministers of the Indian states to push home the point of going organic. Everyone is aware that the Himalayas serves the Indo-Gangetic plains as well as the Assam ecosystem by just sending down water through its myriad rivers. It also extends much needed replenishment of fertile top soil carved out from the mountains. Climate change may actually disrupt this entire process. The rivers are going to be seasonal as more and more warming will lead to drying up of the important glaciers and permafrost. Loss of biodiversity all across the Himalaya will prove very costly for the nation. The entire Himalayan ecosystem is under threat from climate change and global warming. We have signs of that even as our farmers are reporting that oranges are better off in higher altitudes than before. And so many such like empirical evidences that are discussed in different settings. In order to combat and delay the problems of ecosystem services from the Himalayas, the remedy will be to start with organic farming. Let the entire Himalayan belt get into farming the way it was done traditionally but with much more scientific inputs and understanding. This will change the way we all think of farming and getting our food. Food security will once more move into the hands of farmers rather than remain in the clutches of politicians and bureaucrats. The prime minister's deep dive into sustainability will have the overtones of the global understanding of sustainable development. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) writes on Sustainable Development Goal #2: "Organic agriculture supports and enhances ecologically sound systems of food production that can achieve food security by increasing and stabilising yields, improving resistance to pests and diseases, and battling poverty through reducing debt incurred by the purchase of expensive chemical inputs." How significant is this can be fathomed by the keen interest that Sikkim's organic journey is being viewed all over the world. Prime Minister Modi sees great public policy value in this. He also sees that it can be scaled up to all the other states of India. This perhaps is a fine example of cooperative federalism. But greater still is that the significance of organic agriculture is the path changing public policy initiative in agriculture which can be compared to the Green Revolution of the Nehruvian era. The next phase of food security will be built on Sikkim's success and Sikkim's mantra of clean food, clean water and clean air. Don't pay more for cleaning the environment. Nature's way is the best. This is a true partnership at play between the prime minister and the state chief minister. (P.D. Rai is the sitting Lok Sabha member from Sikkim. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at pdrai8@gmail.com) Sikkim's famed black cardamom has of late been giving its farmers a major economic boost. The price of the crop has soared more than six-fold in five years owing to intelligent intervention and grassroots efforts, according to officials. The tiny hill state, which grows 90 percent of India's black cardamom, commonly called 'badi elaichi', currently sells it at around Rs.1,600 a kg -- as against Rs.250 a kg in 2010 -- through auctions of the crop facilitated by the Spices Board every fortnight at the market hub of Singtam in east Sikkim. From November 2015, the Spices Board has been supplying the crop's growers information about the prevailing price in Sikkim, thus helping them avoid local middlemen who customarily pay them less. "To ensure fast spread of the price information among the farmers, we text them market price all weekdays over mobile phones which all of them have these days," said Spices Board chairman A. Jayathilak. "We have a database of over 500 growers of black cardamom across Sikkim, where it is called 'thulo elaichi'," he says, referring to the Digital India spirit of the mission. "Even as that number is increasing swiftly, we also put up the changing prices on our website. That is in English, but the SMSes are in Nepalese language as well." The price rise has had a cascading effect to the benefit of large-cardamom growers in other states in the northeast, besides Uttarakhand, said Jayathilak, who was here to attend the digital launch of the 'Sikkim Organic' logo by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. The board has also organised a buyer-seller meet (BSM) to facilitate selling of products by Sikkim's farmers directly to exporters. Over 40 spice farmers and 22 exporters and traders from across the country are taking part in the BSM which provides a platform for the spice growers of Sikkim to establish direct trade links with exporters and traders by avoiding middlemen. The major spices grown in Sikkim have been tested for intrinsic qualities and pesticide residue in the board's laboratory in Mumbai. The results confirm that spices grown in Sikkim are rich in intrinsic parameters and has vast export potential as organic products, he said. The Spices Board-facilitated auctions at Singtam, 30 km south of Gangtok, have buyers converging from across Sikkim as well as cities outside the state such as Kolkata and Siliguri (West Bengal) and Guwahati (Assam) to even as far as Indore (Madhya Pradesh). The average quantity of black cardamom auctioned is 1.5 tonnes per auction which is conducted on a fortnightly basis. The auction generally results in sales of minimum 50 percent of the production in the state, said Chandra Shekhar Ghatani, assistant director for marketing at the Spices Board. The 1987-founded board, under the union commerce and industry ministry, next plans to facilitate e-auctions in Sikkim, says Jayathilak. "It should be on in six months or so." At least six personnel belonging to the Khasadar Force were killed and over 10 injured in a bomb blast near a security checkpost here on tuesday, Dawn reported. The explosion occurred in Khyber Agency's Jamrud area, near Karkhano, said Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mubarak Zeb Khan. Karkhano is the gateway to Peshawar from the Tribal belt. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Tuesday directed senior officials to speak directly with people in rural areas to learn about their needs to be addressed in the 2016-17 budget, an official said here. Under 'Yojna Banao Abhiyan (YBA)' one Secretary-rank official will go to one district to speak with people through panchayats, thus covering each of the 24 districts of Jharkhand, he said. The chief minister issued the direction after reviewing the YBA programme here on Tuesday. The bureaucrats would be touring the districts over four days beginning January 21 to contact Panchayats and collect peoples' inputs for the budget planning, he said. The object of the exercise is to learn how to develop infrastructure, irrigation facilities, health, education and other projects linked to the people, said the official. Israel on Tuesday described External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to the country as successful and said the two sides discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation in a range of areas. A media communique by the Israeli embassy here said that during the two-day visit of the Indian minister, discussions were held to foster cooperation in areas like security, science and technology, research and innovation, education, agriculture and water. It said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the visiting Indian leader that Israel and India were at the cutting edge of many areas of innovation. Netanyahu said Israel admired India and viewed it "as a great friend". In her remarks, Sushma Swaraj said India attaches highest importance to the full development of wide-ranging ties with Israel. On her way back after a visit to Palestine and Israel, the Indian minister on Tuesday met the Jordanian foreign affairs ministry's secretary general Mohammad Taisi Bani Yaseen in Amman. LINCOLN After three failed attempts to expand Medicaid under the federal health care law, Nebraska lawmakers will unveil a new proposal this week that would offer private coverage to thousands of low-income residents. The newest bill is modeled after the so-called private option adopted by Arkansas, which received a federal waiver to spend Medicaid dollars on private insurance. The proposal is expected to face opposition from Gov. Pete Ricketts and conservative lawmakers, who argue its not sustainable. Ricketts spoke fervently against Medicaid expansion in his State of the State address last week, calling it an unreasonable risk to Nebraska taxpayers. Nebraska is one of 19 primarily conservative states that have rejected efforts to expand Medicaid, the health care program for the poor and disabled. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have agreed to the expansion, and governors of three non-expansion states South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming are now advocating it in their latest budget proposals. The plan by Sen. John McCollister of Omaha would cover an estimated 77,000 childless adults whose incomes are too high to qualify for regular Medicaid but too low to receive tax subsidies available through the federal health care exchange. The coverage gap exists because tax subsidies are only available to people with household incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level. The Affordable Care Act doesnt provide the subsidies for people who make less than that because the law originally required all states to expand Medicaid, which would have covered that population and made the subsidies unnecessary. But in 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government cant punish states that dont expand Medicaid. Under Nebraskas upcoming plan, some recipients would still have to pay up to 2 percent of their incomes for premiums to ensure they share in some of the cost. If the federal governments share of funding ever dropped below 90 percent, the program would cease in Nebraska, said McCollister, who is expected to introduce the bill this week. McCollister, a Republican, said he didnt support the Affordable Care Act when it passed in 2010 but eventually accepted that Congress will never repeal the entire law. In addition, he said he came to agree with supporters who argued Nebraska is losing out on billions in federal matching money that could help the states health care industry and economy. Theres a good business case to make for transitional health insurance, he said. When you have a healthier population, it should result in greater productivity. McCollister pointed to a 2015 University of Nebraska at Kearney study that found economic benefits to expanding Medicaid. The study predicted the state would see at least $1 billion in economic benefits if Medicaid was expanded, in addition to $2.1 billion in federal funding over five years. The expected benefits included the elimination of so-called silent taxes paid through higher premiums to cover the cost of the uninsured, a reduction in medical related bankruptcies, and increased consumer spending because fewer patients would face financial hardship. The research was commissioned by the Nebraska Hospital Association and AARP Nebraska, which have lobbied for Medicaid expansion. Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha said the measure, which he helped craft, represents a different approach than previous Medicaid expansion bills because of its focus on private insurers. Mello, the chairman of the budget-writing Appropriations Committee, said the measure would eliminate some of Nebraskas health care expenses by covering people who receive treatment through state programs. Mello said some of the potential benefits arent easily measured, such as new jobs created in the health care and insurance industries by helping more uninsured residents obtain coverage. Without expanded Medicaid coverage, many Nebraska hospitals will have to absorb the costs of treating uninsured patients, said Elisabeth Hurst, a lobbyist for the Nebraska Hospital Association. Hurst said advocates are hopeful that recent support in conservative states will help build momentum in Nebraska. I think that speaks to the fact that this shouldnt be an ideological conversation, Hurst said. It should really be about taking care of the citizens of this state. The city police on Tuesday arrested a youth in the sensational hit-and-run case in which an IAF corporal was mowed down here last week, taking the total arrests to three. The arrest of Johnny on Tuesday morning follows that of Shanu alias Sahanawaz, who was nabbed on Sunday night from New Delhi by a team of Kolkata Police. The two were presented before a city court which rejected their bail pleas and sent them to police custody till January 30. Confirming the arrest, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Debasish Boral told IANS that Johnny was picked up by police from the city's Ekbalpore area. Countering the police claims, Johnny in a video said he surrendered before police. In the video aired by a regional news channel right after the arrest, Johnny is seen walking into the Ekbalpore police station, sayin g: "I am going to surrender before the police." His family members claimed Johnny went into hiding in Ranchi after the accident but came back to the city to surrender and cooperate in the police investigation. Police have refused to comment on Johnny's surrender claims. Referring to the police claims that Sambia was driving the car which fatally knocked down IAF corporal Abhimanyu Gaud, the counsel pressed for the bail of Shanu and Johnny contending they were not involved in the crime. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Ranjan Pal, however, accepted the prosecution's plea and remanded both Shanu and Johnny in police custody till January 30. Sambia, the son of former Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator Mohammad Sohrab, driving his car is alleged to have broken through police barricades before fatally knocking down Gaud on the morning of January 13 on the Indira Gandhi Sarani. Both Shanu and Johnny were said have been with him on the night before Sambia allegedly mowed down Gaud as he was supervising the Republic Day parade rehearsals. Shanu, who was brought to the city by police on Monday night, claimed that Sambia was driving the car. Also, in a video posted on YouTube earlier in the week, Johnny claimed that Sambia was heavily drunk and that he had a brawl with friends before he took the wheel of the car and allegedly knocked down Gaud. In the video, Johnny claimed that he and Shanu were in another car following Sambia in his car. He also claimed that his car was stopped by police from entering the Indira Gandhi Sarani which was out of bounds for civilian traffic for the Republic Day parade rehearsals. "It was only later in the day that we found out that all this happened and came to know that police were looking for us," Johnny said in the video. Accused of several offences including murder, Sambia who was arrested four days after the accident, is now in police custody. The prosecution has also accused him of hitting another soldier before ramming his car into Gaud. Police have also issued a look-out notice for Sambia's father Mohammad Sohrab and brother Ambia, who are still untraced. The case has created a political storm with the opposition parties claiming that police delayed Sambia's arrest as his father was a leader of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress. However, the Trinamool has denied its links with Sohrab and pointed out that he had become a state legislator in 2006 with support from the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front. The Indian Air Force, which is also probing the matter, too earlier claimed "vested interests" were thwarting the probe. A young man was arrested early Tuesday in the hit-and-run case in which an IAF corporal was mowed down here on January 13, police said. However, he claimed in a video clip that he surrendered before the police. Johnny is the third person to be arrested in the case. Shanu alias Sahanawaz was held from New Delhi on Sunday night, a day after prime accused Sambia Sohrab was nabbed here. "Johnny was arrested in the early hours of the day from the city. Both Johnny and Shanu are being presented before a court where we are seeking their custody," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Debasish Boral told IANS. In a video aired by a regional news channel right after the arrest, Johnny is seen walking into the Ekbalpore police station saying: "I am going to surrender before the police." Shot by a family member, the video in which Johnny repeatedly says he is "surrendering before the police" was handed to a news channel. His family members claimed Johnny went into hiding in Ranchi after the accident but came back to the city to surrender and cooperate with the police in the investigation. Police have refused to comment on Johnny's surrender claims. Sambia, son of former Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator Mohammad Sohrab, driving his Audi car is alleged to have broken through police barricades before fatally knocking down Indian Air Force corporal Abhimanyu Gaud on January 13 morning on the Indira Gandhi Sarani. Both Shanu and Johnny were said have been with him on the night before Sambia allegedly mowed down Gaud as he was supervising the Republic Day Parade rehearsals. Shanu, who was brought to the city by police on Monday night, claimed Sambia was driving the car. Also, in a video posted on YouTube earlier in the week, Johnny claimed that Sambia was heavily drunk and that he had a brawl with friends before he took the wheel of the car and allegedly knocked down Gaud. In the video, Jonny claimed that he and Shanu were in another car following Sambia who was in his Audi. He also claimed that his car was stopped by the police from entering the Indira Gandhi Sarani which was out of bound for civilian traffic for the Republic Day Parade rehearsals. "It was only later in the day that we found out that all this happened and came to know that the police were looking for us," said Johnny in the video. Accused of several offences, including murder, Sambia who was arrested four days after the accident, is now under police custody. The prosecution has also accused him of hitting another soldier before ramming his car into Gaud. Police have also issued a look-out notice for Sambia's father Mohammad Sohrab and brother Ambia, who are still untraced. The case has created a political storm with the opposition parties claiming that police delayed Sambia's arrest as his father was a leader of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress. However, the Trinamool has denied its links with Sohrab and pointed out that he had become a state legislator in 2006 with support from the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front. The Indian Air Force, which is also probing the matter, too earlier claimed "vested interests" were thwarting the probe. At least three people were killed and 18 others injured as a car hit crowd in China's Jiangxi province on Tuesday, said government sources. The accident occurred around 7.15 a.m. (local time) on a road in Fengxin county, Xinhua cited a publicity official of the county as saying. The injured were rushed to hospitals. The driver was held by police. The cause of the accident was being investigated. Tokyo stocks on Tuesday opened lower owing to the ongoing global oil glut and related geopolitical concerns as well as jitters over a perceived slowdown in China's economy. As of 9.15 a.m. (local time), the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average declined 40.07 points, or 0.24 percent, from Monday to 16,915.50, Xinhua news agency reported. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, dropped 4.80 points, or 0.35 percent, to 1,383.13. Early issues comprising notable decliners were foods, banks and insurance-linked stocks. Two people involved in a 2014 Gurgaon Jain Temple robbery have been arrested, police said here on Tuesday, adding there were seven people, including two Bangladeshi nationals, involved in the incident. Forty six idols and other valuables, amounting to over Rs. one crore were stolen in the early hours of December 30, 2014. The two arrested persons have been identified as Sagar Chaudhary alias Jahangir alias Ghagini Bangali and Sainphul, both from Nadia, West Bengal, said Gurgaon Commissioner of Police Navdeep Singh Virk. They were arrested from Ghaziabad and 25 idols and cash were recovered from them. "Additional chief of Kherki Daula police station Dinesh Kumar and his team on Monday arrested two men involved in the crime," he told media. Tinu alias Sonu and Rahul Khan from Bangladesh are among seven people involved in the Jain Temple robbery here near Shikohpur on Delhi-Jaipur-Mumbai National Highway-8, Virk added. Police had announced a Rs. one lakh reward for people providing information about the robbers. Mohammad Irshad Ali, a scrap dealer from Ghaziabad, who had purchased a few of the idols and valuables, was arrested by Uttar Pradesh police. He is also being interrogated by Gurgaon police after getting him on transit remand, the official said. All the seven accused had done a recce of the area as rag-pickers for three days before the robbery. They used a car, sharp weapons to break the wall of the temple and were in contact with each other through mobile phones. Virk said after the robbery the criminals first visited Faridabad. All three accused, including the scrap dealer, are on police remand till January 24. The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday asked district magistrates of the 10 districts where the Samajwadi Poorvanchal Expressway, connecting the state capital to Ballia, would pass to fast track work on the ambitious project. In a video-conferencing with officials, Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said the district magistrates concerned should ensure sale deeds of unorganized land on the alignment of project on the basis of mutual consent with land owners on priority. He instructed the officials concerned to nominate revenue officials for the work of UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) in all the districts - Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau, Ghazipur and Ballia - involved The Samajwadi Poorvanchal Expressway would be approximately 348.10 km long and 120 metres wide. A service road had also been proposed on the expressway. Once completed, travel time between Lucknow and Ballia would be reduced to about four and a half hours and farmers would be able to ferry and sell their products at reasonable price in major markets, UPEIDA CEO Navneet Sehgal told IANS. Instructions have also been issued for shifting of government buildings and installations located on the alignment. These include schools, health centres, panchayat bhawans, hand-pumps, tube-wells and power lines. The necessary purchases are to be completed in the next 10 months. The woman who threw ink at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at a public gathering here on Sunday was on Tuesday remanded in 14 days judicial custody by a court here. Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Kumar sent Bhawna Arora, a woman from the Aam Aadmi Party's breakaway group in Punjab, to 14 days' judicial custody after Delhi Police informed him that she is not required for further custodial interrogation. Arora was arrested on Monday after she threw ink at Kejriwal, alleging a "CNG scam" in the AAP government. She, however, missed him. The incident took place at an event held here to mark the "success" of the odd-even traffic restriction scheme. Kejriwal, who was speaking at the gathering held at the city's Chhatrasal Stadium, remained unruffled. --Indo- Asian News Service akk/sd/vt Each minute there are more than 4.1 million "likes" on Facebook, 347,000 tweets being posted on Twitter, 300 hours of new video being uploaded on YouTube. It's important that Boards appreciate the role social media plays. Twitter was launched in 2006, YouTube in 2005 and Facebook - the oldest of the three - in 2004. Given that the average age on the Indian Board is just over 59, this can be a difficult bridge to cross. But "socialise" they must. Let me cite a recent example. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw posted a tweet, disparaging an equity report that had put a sell call on her company. This immediately drew fire from analysts and investors, who quickly lined up behind one or the other. On Twitter you could then read what each of them said, what others thought of what each one said. It does not stop at this: You can view what others are saying about what was said on what was originally said. This was then picked up by the print media - which is why you are reading about this exchange. Communication is suddenly no longer one-sided, with companies telling the world about how they will change it, but receiving instant feedback about why they just cannot, since the company employs I'd rather not repeat this here. The exchange described here was rather harmless, but it is not difficult to imagine a situation where it can quickly turn ugly - because just about anyone can thrust themselves into a public conversation, and that may even require the Board to step in. It's wrong for Boards to assume that social media is only about an individual being connected to their friends or family: Technology has blurred the distance between work and home. Nor must they assume that social media is only for retail customer-facing companies or customer services. Today, it extends to recruitment and human resources, investor relations, corporate social responsibility, corporate reputation, business-to-business pretty much everything. It is important that Boards find time to discuss social media initiatives, understand the potential of social media and its risks for their company. The risk of assuming that social media is "not for our company" is that when companies do need to deal with social media, they are ill-prepared. This holds true not just for listed companies, but others, too: Unlisted, not-for-profits, large, small, educational institutions, public sector undertakings. I am not for a moment saying that companies are not present on social media. They overwhelmingly are. The question is, how much of this do the Board members really know or understand. Happily there is now a playbook for Boards to follow. One, ask whether the company has a social media strategy. This includes knowing the social media platforms the company is occupying, who maintains these accounts, who has the passwords - and whether they are secure. Ask if the company has a Facebook page and if it owns a Twitter handle. This also includes knowing if the company is ready to use social media as a tool for transparency and information dissemination. Also, if there is a budget for the social media strategy. As part of this, the Boards should keep themselves updated by "googling" (Google, founded 1998) the company's name and noting what information, news and images show up. What pops up when you key in the names of key management personnel? Two, ensure that your company knows if its employees are present on social media under the company's name or their own. For example, the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) does not have its own Twitter handle, but a number of its employees tweet using their @ _PGCIL. It would be a good idea for companies to initiate some training in dos and don'ts so that these boundaries are not crossed. Three, how does the company manage social media data analytics? Who undertakes this analysis, how often is it done, what do the results show and what is the company's action plan around key findings of the data analytics? Finally, the Board should think about crisis planning. Given the immediacy and the speed with which information and opinions are disseminated on social media, having a quick and forceful response can prevent damage to the company's reputation. Ensure a point person is identified for proactive damage control. While Boards should ask these questions, individual directors, too, need to keep themselves updated. My advice: If you are under 60, have studied in an engineering college and are present on a Board, remember, change is closer than it appears. If you are over 60, have held a government job and are present on a Board, remember, if more than two billion people use social media, so can you. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and to a lesser extent the Congress, is gobsmacked. A scheme as unpopular as the odd-even rule targeting Delhi's car-owning classes has succeeded, primarily because neither partys state unit could mount a convincing critique of the scheme. The failure of the BJP is starker because it still commands a significant support base in Delhi, particularly among the middle class that bore the brunt of the odd-even scheme. The BJP, as party insiders point out, might have been reduced to three MLAs in the 70-member Delhi assembly but had won a sizeable 32.3% vote share in the February 2015 state polls. Some in the BJP had even suggested that enough car owners on Delhi's roads should flout the scheme. "A critical mass of people, with no party affiliations, defying (the) odd-even (rule) would have ensured its failure but the party didn't build an alternative discourse about how whimsical the scheme was, that it hasn't succeeded anywhere in the world and there were more effective alternatives available to check pollution," a BJP leader said, on condition of anonymity. This lack of a counter-narrative, a section of the party believes, helped Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal dominate the discourse. The BJP strategy, it would seem, was 'not to disturb your enemy when he is busy making a mistake'. But there is now a growing realisation, albeit in hindsight, that the party let slip a golden opportunity to put Kejriwal on the mat. The party believes it should have mounted a campaign that Kejriwal was targeting the BJP support base, that is, car owners, while sparing the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) support base of two-wheeler owners despite the fact that bulk of the air pollution in Delhi is caused by two-stroke engines. But instead of either engaging in street action or putting forth a convincing critique, the BJP and Congress state spokespersons focussed on criticising the Delhi CMs style of functioning. But it is exactly this 'style of functioning' that enabled Kejriwal to outflank his rivals. Kejriwal's ad campaign and his seemingly consultative approach, where he implored all of Delhi to become a stakeholder in the experiment, helped in muting the widespread anger among car owners. The BJP and Congress leaders also became apprehensive about coming across as politically incorrect on the issue of pollution, and quite forgot to critique the scheme. The episode also exposed how neither the Congress nor BJP has been able to find a credible leader in Delhi who can challenge Kejriwal as a communicator. The story of odd-evens success tells us that Kejriwal is Delhi's unrivalled leader. He has consolidated his support base in the past one year, particularly among Dalits, Sikhs and Muslims, who together make up nearly 40% of the state's population. There is much admiration for the man among the city's dispossessed, while the Congress and BJP are yet to find a way to tap into whatever disillusionment the city's middle classes may have started feeling about the AAP government. Now, the partys victory in the Delhi civic polls in 2017 looks like a foregone conclusion. What Kejriwal has done with the success of the 'odd/even' scheme is to help increase his national stature as a politician brave enough to take 'out of the box' decisions, a politician not given to any particular ideology and somebody who is a 'problem solver'. I agree with the editorial, "Iran, open for business" (January 19), that India needs to speed up its delivery capacities to fulfil trade promises. India's credibility as a good trade partner will be established on the basis of efforts, not comforting assurances. With Iran, India not only has great trading opportunities such as cheap oil, a big commodity market, a big oil refining market and a burgeoning industrial sector but also the chance to explore untapped markets of Central and Western Asia. Iran is the natural gateway to Asian countries such as Turkmenistan, Armenia and Afghanistan, which are important from the trade, strategic and security perspectives. India already enjoys good cultural and historical connections with these countries; we need to build upon these for mutually beneficial propositions. But there are hurdles, too, in the form of stiff competition from the European Union, China and other counties. There are also some players that do not want good relations between Iran and India for their own strategic purposes. India should strive for better diplomatic relations, ease of doing business and more cordial cultural links with Iran. India should also plan investments with Iran and deal with geopolitical pressures. That Iran is opening up for business following the lifting of international sanctions is an opportunity that India should grab at once. Divyank Singh Bhopal 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 The Rallis stock was down six per cent in trade on Tuesday on expectations of earnings downgrades as the December 2015 quarter results were below analysts expectations. Consolidated net profit was down 20 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y); sales numbers, too, were down 20 per cent over the year-ago quarter. As in the September 2015 quarter, net profit has missed analysts expectations by 25 per cent in the December quarter as well. Standalone net profits dropped 18 per cent owing to tax benefits. According to the management, what has impacted sales was muted farmer sentiments due to reduced kharif yields and lower prices of key crops. Unseasonal and deficient rains have also played a role with deficiency in north-east monsoon and lower level of reservoirs across key rabi crop growing states affecting crop acreages and health. The fall in crop protection products demand and usage impacted the sales of the companys key brands for paddy and pulses. The standalone agrochemicals business saw revenues decline by 21 per cent y-o-y due to high channel inventory, falling acreages and a weak global demand environment along with market share loss for Rallis, according to analysts at Ambit Capital. What has impacted sales further has been the performance of Metahelix, its seeds subsidiary which posted revenue fall of 17 per cent over the year-ago period. This business has earlier been one of the mainstays of growth for the company. While this segment has grown at a compounded annual rate of 48 per cent over the FY13-15 period on the back of new launches, growth momentum over the past few quarters is coming down. Margins in this business have also been impacted given investments in research and development, branding, and field trials. The problem for Rallis has been compounded by muted demand environment both in the domestic and overseas geographies. In addition to a weaker presence in the fast-growing Indian herbicide market and slow improvement in the contract research and manufacturing business, domestic business has been lacklustre due to lower number of launches. Exports, which form 30 per cent of consolidated sales, have been impacted by competitive pressures and declining crop acreage in Brazil and the US. At the current price, the stock is trading at 18 times its FY17 estimates, which is not cheap. Buoyed by the success of its previous sale during the festival season two months back where over 9,500 buyers registered on the website, Snapdeal has launched another online shopping festival that showcases over 100 properties from all over India. Most discounts are straightforward discounts on the selling price. A buyer can get a discount of up to Rs 2 lakh on Sunteck's City Avenue 1 project in Goregaon West in Mumbai that selling at Rs 16,500 a square foot. Ruparel Realty's Primero at Tilak Nagar in Mumbai offers discount up to Rs 2.3 lakh that's selling for Rs 12,600 a sq ft and starting at Rs 85 lakh. In Bengaluru discounts range from Rs 100 a sq ft to Rs 900 a sq ft while in Delhi NCR there's Rs 175 a sq ft to Rs 435 a sq ft. There are also pre-launch offers and some just offering gold coin or the latest iPhones. The sale is targeted towards buyers that are holding on to their cheque books waiting for prices to correct. Snapdeal says that the sale can help buyers to get the units at six to eight% lower than the market rate. ALSO READ: Good time to buy property for end use After short listing the project, the buyer needs to pay a refundable token amount that ranges from Rs 299 to Rs 10,000. Once the buyer pays the booking amount, he/she they will need to take the transaction offline with the developer. Kishor Pate, CMD - Amit Enterprises Housing, says that internet marketing outreach has become an inalienable and highly effective part of most developers' overall marketing programme; purchase inquiries triggered online can account for as much as 25-30% of the total annual sales tally. Ashwinder Raj Singh, CEO - Residential Services at JLL India, says that such online marketing is by far the most cost-effective marketing tool that allows the developers to communicate faster and more efficiently with prospective buyers. However, it is impossible to understand the real value proposition, says Singh. Also, it may not be possible for the buyer to bargain with the developer, which every consumer, regardless of financial strength, expects. That's why experts say that buyers should not get lured by the discount. Consumers may get a good price but it's not similar to buying electronics or clothes online. A house is the life's biggest purchase for most. Experts say that buyers should physically go and check the property and due their due diligence. They need to take the legal opinion, check whether the projects are accredited by banks, whether the carpet area of the flat meets their expectations, and the compensation a developer is willing to give in case of delays. To lure the fence sitters holding on to their chequebooks and waiting for prices to correct, Snapdeal has launched an online shopping festival. The customer can choose from over 100 properties from all across the country with prices ranging between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 5 crore. The sale is targeted towards buyers that are holding on to their chequebooks waiting for prices to correct. A little push by giving upfront discounts can lure such individuals to buy the housing unit, says Mudassir Zaidi, national director, residential agency, Knight Frank India. According to Snapdeal, a buyer can get a maximum six-eight per cent lower price than the card rates. In Mumbai, Sunteck Realty is giving up to Rs 2 lakh discount on its Goregaon project where a two-bedroom unit costs Rs 2.25 crore. In Ruprel Realtys Tilak Nagar project, Mumbai, the discount is up to Rs 2.3 lakh where the unit costs upwards of Rs 85 lakh. In Delhi NCR, Mahagun Indias Mywoods comes at a discount of Rs 175 per sq ft where a 4BHK starts at Rs 76 lakh. Gulshan Homzs Bellina in Noida has a discount of Rs 200 a sq ft where a 3.5 bedroom unit starts at Rs 3,360 a square feet. There are also projects where developers are giving token discounts a free gold coin or the latest iPhone. There are easy payment schemes and also new product launches at competitive prices. To book a flat, the buyer needs to pay a refundable token fee online that can be as low as Rs 299 (TVS Emerald Green Acres in Chennai) and as high as Rs 1 lakh (Ruparel Primero in Mumbai). Once the buyer pays the booking amount, the transaction goes offline. Once the booking is done, Snapdeal assigns partners for offline support and follows up on the transaction. The deal, normally, gets closed in six to eight weeks, says a Snapdeal spokesperson. Experts say that such internet marketing outreach has become essential and highly effective part of most developers' overall marketing programme as the purchase inquiries triggered online has a conversion rate of 25-30 per cent. At the same time it also benefits the buyer. When developers announce such deals on the web, usually its the best price they would offer to the customer, says Ashutosh Limaye, Head, Research & Real Estate Intelligence Service, JLL India. It also saves the time by cutting down the entire process of negotiation. If the person approaches the developer, the latter first starts with the card rates. After gauging the intention of the buyer, they start the negotiation and the long drawn out process may take days, sometimes weeks. Zaidi points out that at present the discounts that a person gets online and offline are similar. Experts say that there are transactions happening at discount of even 1015 per cent, but in those cases the buyer should be well-informed of the developers condition. The individuals know the status of project and the crunch the developer is facing. Such deals are struck one on one in luxury projects. AS Sivaramakrishnan, Head - Residential Services at CBRE South Asia, explains that realtors dont mind participating in such online sales and offering discounts as the sales generate cash flows. If they have to hold on to the same property for another few months, they would incur the same amount of money as interest cost which they are giving as discount, says Sivaramakrishnan. Marking 26 years of their exile, displaced Kashmiri Pandits today said that apart from facing "Islamic terrorism", the community has also been a victim of the "administrative terrorism", which they alleged has delayed their rehabilitation in Kashmir. "We were hounded out of our houses when the Islamic terrorism started in the Kashmir Valley, but in the past 26 years we have become victims of the administrative terrorism," national spokesman of All Party Migrant Coordination Committee King Bharti said. "Neither the state nor the central government showed seriousness towards our rehabilitation. In the past 26 years, nobody came forward with a way," Bharti said. He said the two major concerns of the community, including employment for the educated youth, and the return and rehabilitation of the community, remained unfulfilled. Stressing on the security aspect, Bharti said, "You can guard our houses, colonies...But it's not possible to provide security to each and every Kashmiri Pandit when they go out in the market. Security is the most important aspect connected to the return of the community." The UPA-1 government had offered a rehabilitation package for KPs that proposed Rs 7.5 lakh to every Kashmiri Pandit family willing to return to the Valley. "Several families volunteered to return and filled up the forms. Eight years after that, there has been no progress," said Sham Ji Bhat, who has been living at the Jagti Migrant camp. The Ministry of Home Affairs had in a written reply in Parliament said that only one family has returned. The KPs say their return to the Kashmir Valley is linked to employment, as the youths willing to return need to have a source of livelihood. "The return is not possible without an employment package. The government has only been talking about the return of Kashmiri Pandits. Do they want the younger generation of KPs to stay out of Kashmir?...The youth can return only when they have proper employment avenues in the Valley," a senior journalist from the community, Sominder Kaul, said. The proposal to rehabilitate the community in composite townships in the Valley was mooted by the Narendra Modi government, which faced opposition not only from separatists but also the mainstream political parties in Kashmir. Due to lack of employment opportunities for the educated KP youths who have been putting up in various migrant camps across the Jammu region, drug abuse and psychological disorders have become rampant. "Our youth has become so much frustrated because they don't have jobs, they become easy prey to drugs and psychological diseases. The government needs to take immediate steps to save the current and future generations of the community," Chand Ji, another resident of the camp, said. Under the Prime Minister's rehabilitation package for the community, the government had announced 6,000 vacancies in various departments for the members of displaced KP families. However, less than half of those vacancies have been filled so far. "Even 6,000 vacancieswas a very low figure. But even after several years, the government failed to fill up these vacancies," Kaul said. KPs also demand that the Internal Displaced Persons (IDP) status, as recommended by several parliamentary committees on home affairs, should be granted to the community. Panun Kashmir spokesman Virender Raina said the community has the first and natural right over the territory of Kashmir and would return only when its geo-political aspirations as per Margdarshan resolution are fulfilled through political and constitutional means. Despite the recommendations made by a number of parliamentary standing committees on home affairs regarding the grant of Internally Displaced Persons status to the KP community, nothing concrete has been done till date, he alleged. "We demand that the IDP status as recommended by the parliamentary committees be granted to the community living in exile for the last 26 years," he added. Panun Kashmir President Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, who led a protest outside the Raj Bhawan here to mark the 26th anniversary of the 'Holocaust Day', said: "The Kashmiri Pandit community was made the selected victim of terror and terrorism, murder and mayhem on a large scale resulting in their mass exodus from the valley. "Genocide against the community was used as a strong weapon to achieve ethnic cleansing by the fundamentalists and terrorists in the Kashmir Valley." He said those who forget the history are condemned to live live it again and that is why that the leadership of the community has to stay on guard against any "hasty" move regarding the settlement of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir. "The diatribe against the Pandit community by the separatist forces in Kashmir remains unabated despite complete banishment of the Pandits in Kashmir. "It is the secessionist and terrorist forces who were responsible for the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits," Chrungoo said. Four workers, including two brothers, were asphyxiated to death today while cleaning a sewage tank of a hotel at Thoraipakkam here, police said. Kumar had entered the tank and when he did not return for a long time, his brother Saravanan and relative Velmurugan went to check but they also did not come out, they said. Subsequently, an employee of the hotel also entered the tank and met with the same fate, prompting his colleagues to alert the police, who found all the four dead. Police said the victims died after inhaling some suspected poisonous gas. Bodies of the four persons were retrieved with the help of Fire and Rescue Services Department and sent for post- mortem in a government hospital, police said. Chinese police have detained 53 suspects for telecom fraud involving more than 10 million yuan (USD 1.6 million). The ring was busted last week in a joint raid carried out by police from Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces, state-run Xinhua agency reported, citing police. They also seized more than 200 pieces of equipment, including computer and telephone sets, 200 mobile phones, and over 1,000 fake prepaid phone cards. An investigation showed that the suspects hired telephone operators in Chengdu City, Sichuan and Pucheng County, Shaanxi starting in November 2014. With the help of phone number changing software, they pretended to be staff of a Chengdu-based mobile phone service centre and sold fake and poor quality mobile phones to people in both provinces. More than 20,000 people fell victim to the scam. Telecom-based fraud, in which suspects cheat people through telecommunication channels, is a growing crime in China. Chinese police have cracked 16,708 telecom fraud cases, apprehended 5,825 suspects and busted 927 gangs since a campaign targeting new types of telecom crime was launched on October 30, the Xinhua said. JD(U) MLA Sarfaraz Alam, who was booked for allegedly abusing a couple inside Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, today claimed that he had not boarded the train on Sunday night when the incident purportedly took place. "I did not travel in the said train on that date," Alam, son of senior RJD MP and former union minister Mohammed Taslimuddin, told PTI when he was contacted for his reaction. The third-term MLA said a political conspiracy has been hatched against him. "I request the media to ask the complainant if they met me on the train...When I was not travelling in the train how come they met me and (so) the question of my touching and abusing the man and his wife does not arise," Alam said. However, in his written complaint to the RPF, the passenger said Alam was travelling without ticket and the MLA and his bodyguard were drunk. Meanwhile, a team under Sub Inspector Rekha Kumari today left for Mughalsarai and Delhi to record statements of the RPF officials present in the train and the complainant couple, Superintendent of Police, Railways, P N Mishra told PTI. The probe team would also record statements of Superintendent of the train and the TTE on duty on Dibrugarh- New Delhi Rajdhani on Sunday, the SP said. A list of co-passengers would also be collected by the probe team for more information on the episode. "I have asked the team to complete the task in next 72 hours and on the basis of facts collected, if need arises, we will question the MLA concerned," Mishra said. An FIR was lodged yesterday against the JD(U) MLA on the basis of a complaint received by RPF from a passenger, Indrapal Singh Bedi, for allegedly forcibly evicting him from his seat and abusing him and his wife when they protested. Bedi in his written complaint to RPF had stated that the incident occurred an hour before the train reached Patna on Sunday night. The RPF team which received the complaint onboard returned to Patna yesterday and an FIR was registered with GRP Patna this morning, the SP said. JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said law will take its own course and the police were proceeding in the case without government interference. VHP leader Pravin Togadia today termed the Pathankot terror strike as an "act of war" against India and said it cannot be answered diplomatically or through dialogue. Replying to a query about the rationale or logic behind Indo-Pak talks after the incident, Togadia said, "Pathankot attack was not only an attack on India's army but an act of war against our country." He said, "Pakistan is not sincere. It has not handed over Dawood, Hafiz Sayed or Massod to India. Pakistan does not want to control these elements. It should be answered in the language it understands." Togadia maintained that one sided love was not possible. The firebrand leader, however, did not give a direct reply to yesterday's attack on RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) 'shakha' at Kidwai Nagar in Ludhiana. Asked if Khalistani elements and Islamic terrorists were ganging up in Punjab to disrupt state's peace, communal harmony and revive militancy, Togadia gave only a curt reply saying it was for intelligence agencies to look into the matter as well as the 'jehadi' angle. An unidentified assailant yesterday opened fire at RSS activist Narinder Kumar but he managed to escape unhurt. He was to hold routine RSS 'shakha' there. Togadia had come to Phagwara after inaugurating training camp of doctors in Jalandhar. He also said one lakh doctors will be prepared as 'Health Ambassadors' who will conduct free door-step checking of serious ailments. A photograph of an Afghan woman whose nose was sliced off by her husband in a fit of rage has sparked online anger, with activists demanding punishment for what one called a "barbaric act". Reza Gul, 20, was rushed to hospital after the attack in Ghormach district in the northwestern province of Faryab on Sunday. Her husband is said to have fled to a Taliban-controlled area. "Mohammad Khan (the husband) cut off Reza Gul's nose with a pocket knife," Faryab governor's spokesman Ahmad Javed Bedar told AFP. The incident highlights the endemic violence against women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline Taliban Islamist regime was ousted by a 2001 US-led invasion. "Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned," Kabul-based women's rights activist Alema told AFP. "Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women," added Alema, who goes by one name. The disfigured woman's photograph was widely shared on social media, prompting calls for tough action against the husband. Bedar said Gul would need reconstructive surgery, which was not possible in the local government hospital. It was not immediately clear what prompted the husband to attack Gul, the mother of a one-year-old child who was married off five years ago as a teenager. Bedar said Khan, an unemployed man, had recently returned from neighbouring Iran and may have joined the Taliban after fleeing home following the attack. The government has vowed to protect women's rights but that has not prevented deadly attacks. In November a young woman was stoned to death after being accused of adultery in the central province of Ghor. And last March a woman named Farkhunda was savagely beaten and set ablaze in central Kabul after being falsely accused of burning a Koran. The mob killing triggered angry protests nationwide and drew global attention to the treatment of Afghan women. In 2010, Time magazine put the photograph of a mutilated 18-year-old, Bibi Aisha, on its cover. Her nose was cut off by an abusive husband. The cover provoked a worldwide outpouring of sympathy for Aisha, who was taken to the United States where she was given a prosthetic nose. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today flagged off the intra-state flight service of the Air Odisha Aviation Private Limited. The nine-seater flight took off to Sambalpur from Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here and would return to Bhubaneswar via Jharsuguda. Air Odisha Aviation Pvt Ltd will begin flight service to Jeypore in Koraput district, Rourkela in Sundergarh district, Sambalpur and Jharsuguda from Thursday, sources said. The service will be available six days a week except on Sundays. The Bhubaneswar-based private carrier is offering tickets for as low as Rs 2,499 as inaugural offer. "The regular flight between Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur will begin from tomorrow," said Chief Managing Director of Air Odisha Aviation Private Limited, Radhakant Pani. The flight will leave Bhubaneswar at 6.30 AM and arrive Sambalpur at 7.30 AM. It will return to Bhubaneswar via Jharsuguda, he said. "However, the final schedule is yet to be prepared. It will be prepared this evening," company Board member B.D.Swain said. Sambalpur MLA Raseswari Panigrahi, who was the first passenger, said the government will ensure that the seats remained filled every day. "There are several industrial houses. They will be benefited by the service. Moreover, the business people, who regularly come to Bhubaneswar, will also be benefited ... The flight service will play an important role for the development of this region," she said. A ban on the sale and use of flying lanterns in Nebraska sailed to first-round approval Tuesday. The bill (LB136) to ban the lanterns was introduced in the Legislature last year by Sen. Jerry Johnson of Wahoo. They use a flame to produce heated air in a balloon-type covering, which allows them to float high in the air. There is no control over the lanterns once theyre launched. The Judiciary Committee advanced the bill unanimously. Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers was absent for the vote, but said Tuesday he strongly supports the bill. There is no compelling state interest in allowing something that is a hazard and has no societal value whatsoever, he said. The invitation to do damage to private or public property is not something the Legislature should approve, he said. Sen. Curt Friesen of Henderson also supported the ban, considering the distances the lanterns can travel. Theres too much risk involved and when conditions are dry and these things land on somebodys roof, theyre just an instant, almost, fire hazard. Theyre going to start something on fire, Friesen said. Steve Dewald, manager of the Archer Daniels Midland plant in Columbus, testified last year that lanterns have drifted over ethanol plants and landed, still burning, near explosive materials, endangering employees. Last year at the bills hearing, fireworks dealers turned out to oppose the bill. Information from 10 fireworks dealers showed that over three years, approximately 400,000 flying lanterns had been sold in Nebraska by those dealers alone, bringing in $600,000 to $700,000 in tax revenue. At least 25 states ban flying lanterns, Johnson said. Missouri and Kansas are also considering bans, he said. The city of Beatrice approved a ban last year. The Gage County Board of Supervisors discussed a similar ban, but determined the county does not have the same authority to enact such bans as municipalities or the state. A violation of the state ban would be a Class V misdemeanor, punishable by a $100 fine. Its the third time a state senator has attempted to ban the lanterns. The bill advanced from first-round debate on a 30-0 vote. Sitarist Anoushka Shankar today said her next album "Land of Gold" focusing on refugee crisis in the world, will be released in March. The five-time Grammy award nominee, who will perform here tomorrow on the opening day of the seven-day long 'Nishagandhi festival', said "Land of Gold talks about refugee crisis that has influenced me a lot." "I have put the issues musically the best way I can. It will be released in March just before my US tour in April," she said about her ninth album. Asked about appeal of Indian classical music abroad in comparison with pop music, Anoushka, daughter of legendary sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar, said, "I am confident about our classical music, which has a strong appeal. I do not worry about our music... Very strong audience for our music." There was no need to compare the country's classical music with others, she added. To a question, she said "more students are coming forward to learn sitar.I am happy that lot of girls are also coming to learn," she added. On her album "Home", which had won her a fifth Grammy nomination, she said, "It is a special album to me for many reasons. It is an album about going back to my roots, and was recorded as an homage to my father and guru Ravi Shankar." "This is the first time I am playing classical ragas on an album since he passed away. I felt deeply connected to him during the entire process. It does feel like an offering. I felt like I was reconnecting with him through playing the music that I have learnt from him," she said. On her performance here tomorrow, she said it would be her first solo performance in Kerala. "It will be a mix of Hindustani and Carnatic music. We have two rich classical traditions. We want to explore it together." "We are looking forward to that and it would be a unique experience...I am very excited to be back in India after two years," she said. Anoushka also recalled her first concert in the state along with her father in 2000. Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), local chapter, today welcomed the amendment to the import of apples, curtailing restrictions of importing it through only one port in the country. The Director General of Foreign Trade's September 2015 a notification, wherein import of fresh apples was restricted only through Nava Sheva Port in Maharashtra, created lots of problems for fruit merchants all over India, particularly apple merchants, ICCI president D Nandakumar said. He and ICCI Secretary Rajesh B Lund, along with a member of Coimbatore Fruit Merchants' Association had met Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman when she was here in October last and given a representation on it, In response to this, DGFT had issued another notification on January 12, curtailing the restrictions and allowing apple imports through sea ports and airports in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Cochin and Land Port and Airport in Delhi, he said. Import of Apples is also allowed through India's land borders,which would help increase availability of the fruit in the domestic market and ease its prices, Nandakumar said in a release here. Asian countries and democratic societies must work together to preserve and promote non-conflicting traditions and democratic values, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said today. "We need to resolve our difference through peaceful dialogue, through better dialogue as we would say in India. We need to seek greater convergence in our mindsets. We need to distill the wisdom inherent in our Asian heritage to show us the way forward," Rijiju said, addressing a symposium on 'Shared Values and Democracy in Asia' here. The Minister of State for Home said that when the world is witnessing increasing levels of polarisation in conflict situations, democratic societies must work together to preserve and promote non-conflicting traditions and democratic values. The symposium was jointly organised by New Delhi-based Vivekananda International Foundation and three Japanese organisations, including Japan Foundation. Rijiju said there is enough room for all countries in Asia to prosper together but at the same time, a multitude of identities and interests have prevented many of them from achieving better results. "Dialogue holds the key to good relations and that for the 21st century to be the Asian century, democratic societies must work together to preserve and promote non-conflicting traditions and democratic values," he said. The symposium was a follow up to the Hindu Buddhist Global Initiative for Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness held in New Delhi on September 3 and a part of the Global Hindu-Buddhist Initiative conceived during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan in 2014. He said India is today the world's fastest growing large economy and its economic and social transformation "under the leadership of Modi is strongly rooted in the democratic ideals." "Principles of democracy have been an integral part of India and Oriental civilisations and their spiritual traditions. The origin of democracy and democratic values in these societies can be traced back to the teachings of Buddhism, Hinduism and Shintoism and other philosophies which emphasised the collective good of society," he said. Rijiju, the lone Buddhist in the Modi Ministry, said both Hinduism and Buddhism encouraged differing thoughts and viewpoints and they advocated dialogue and emphasised the power of change and conviction through a democratic process. "This provided a strong cultural base for societies development and acceptance of diversity. For democracies to flourish, it is essential that Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam come together," he said. The Minister said he was confident that the 21st century will prove to be the Asian century and the world is looking up to Asia not only to provide the engines for global economic recovery but also for ideas and leadership critical for harmonious global relations. "Asia should be capable of meeting global challenges emerging from conflict-prone ideologies and societies," he said. A video message of Prime Minister Modi was played at the symposium where he touched upon the common value system across Asian civilisations which could avoid conflicts among humans and between humans and nature. Rijiju later called on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and attended a banquet hosted by the Premier for the participants of the the symposium. Bollywood actress Asin Thottumkal today tied the knot with Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma in a Christian wedding ceremony here. The couple got married in the morning at a resort hotel. While the 30-year-old "Ghajini" actress donned a white gown, the groom opted for a black suit and bow tie. Gracing the occasion was Asin and Rahul's close friend superstar Akshay Kumar, who also played cupid for the couple. "It was a beautiful wedding. Everyone looked amazing. Akshay was present. It was Asin's idea to have a Catholic wedding. We all are very happy," said a close relative of Rahul. Delhi-based music group Elohim Worship band performed at the wedding. "Everything went great at the wedding. We played some 2-3 songs. Asin looked beautiful in her white gown. We had a rehearsal yesterday," said a band member. The wedding rituals began around 11 and went on for about 30 minutes. The couple will have a second ceremony as per Hindu rituals in the evening at the same venue. "The time for the wedding is at 7 pm and it will include jaimala and pheras," said one of the priests invited to solemnise the marriage. Around 200 people have been invited by Rahul for the evening ceremony, sources said. The wedding will be followed by a reception in Mumbai. A Bangladeshi national has been held from Malda's Kaliachak area for allegedly smuggling fake Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs 8 lakh. Officials said the incident took place yesterday at the Kaliachak market area near National Highway number 34 when a team of Border Security Force officials intercepted Anwarul Islam (48), a resident of Bangladesh's Chapainawabganj. "The troops recovered Rs 8 lakh fake Indian notes with four hundred of them being in the denomination of Rs 1,000 and eight hundred of Rs 500 denomination. Besides, Rs 2,000 INR, a passport and two mobile phones and equal number of SIM cards were recovered from him," they said. They said Islam had entered India through West Bengal on a valid visa in November last year and he has been handed over to the local police. Miscreants set fire to a car belonging to an official of Grammena bank at Cheeral Kallinkara in Waynad district late last night, police said today. According to police, the car of Bhaskaran, now working at the regional office of the bank at Kalpetta, was parked in front of his house when the incident happened. Bhaskaran and his family rushed out of the house and put out the fire, police said. A poster purported to have been written by Maoists demanding writing off loans taken by farmers was found from the site of the incident, police said. "It is not the work of any Maoist group. It is by some miscreants. However, we are looking into all possibilities," police said. Bhaskaran worked as a manager of Erullam branch of the bank before he was shifted to the present position. The bank had recently initiated action against a farmer who failed to repay agricultural loan taken when Bhaskaran was the manager. A report from Udhagamandalam in neighbouring Tamil Nadu said security had been tightened on the state's border in Nilgiris district in view of the burning of the car. Vehicle checking has been intensified since early today and addititional police force deployed to monitor the movement of strangers in the area. Special Task Force, Police and Forest department officials were carrying out combing operations in the forest areas as a precautionary measure, police said. The permanent population of China's capital Beijing was pegged around 21.7 million by the end of 2015, close to Australia's, despite it being the slowest growth in years, according to an official data released today. Defined as people who have lived in the city for six months or more, the permanent population in Beijing recorded a yearly growth of 0.9 per cent in 2015, down from the growth of 2.9 per cent in 2011, a report released by the Beijing Statistics Bureau and the National Bureau of Statistics said. The city is home to 8.2 million non-locals, about 38 per cent, which is also noticeably slower as the city continues to move out "non-capital functions," according to the report. Beijing has sought to address its "urban diseases," such as traffic congestion and air pollution, by curbing its population growth and transferring facilities to nearby regions, state-run Xinhua agency reported. It is also building a second administrative centre in Tongzhou, about 40 minutes drive from the city centre hoping to relocate about 400,000 residents from the city centre to the suburban district. The dwindling non-local influx, however, has reduced the city's work-age population. People between 15 and 64 accounted for 79.6 per cent of the city's permanent population by the end of 2015, down from 81.9 per cent in 2011, the report said. The population of Australia is over 23 million. Alleging that the crime graph in Bihar was surging, LJP leader Chirag Paswan has said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was clearly not in control of the government and the apprehensions of return of "jungleraj" were coming true. "We had discussed in our core party meeting (recently) that - will it be too early to demand President's rule or resignation of the Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) because every alternate day someone or the other is getting killed in our state...We can't really wait for things to get better now," LJP Parliamentary Board Chairman said here yesterday. Paswan, a Lok Sabha member, said Nitish Kumar also cannot be given the benefit of doubt because he has vast experience and had been Chief Minister for three terms. He also alleged that the killings clearly showed that Nitish does not have control, and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad was directly running the coalition government in Bihar. "He (Nitish) is the Chief Minister, and I don't know what is stopping him to check these kind of incidents (killings). This clearly shows he (Nitish) has no control over the government, and Laluji is directly running it," he said. Paswan, son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said,"The crime graph in Bihar is on the surge, and we did not expect things to get worse so soon. So, whatever our apprehensions of return of jungleraj have come true, which we had predicted soon after Laluji joined hands with Nitishji to form government." Asked how long the government would last, Paswan claimed his party does not see it surviving not more than two years as there has been "verbal arguments" between Lalu and Nitish. For instance, Paswan said, there has been arguments between the two over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore in Pakistan recently. "The way Nitishji appreciated Prime Minister for his Lahore visit, and the way Laluji criticised it, clearly shows they are not on the same platform," he said. Paswan also said they were not natural allies for a very long time and were against each other...Today they have joined hands to come back to power in our state and to stand against BJP, LJP and NDA," he added. Opposition BJP today dared "bechara Mukhya Mantri" (helpless Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar to act against the ruling party MLAs allegedly involved in criminal activities to make it clear that "rule of law is prevalent in Bihar". "Criminals have been emboldened after the secular alliance government of RJD, JD(U) and Congress came to power in the state. Many MLAs of ruling coalition have been booked for criminal activities but no action has been taken. Nitish Kumar has become a 'bechara Mukhya Mantri' in front of such elements," senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters. "People were earlier afraid of RJD due to Lalu Prasad but now JD(U) MLAs have also started showing their muscle power freely," the leader of opposition in Legislative Council said. Modi's comments came in the wake of a JD(U) MLA's husband escaping from a police station as well as an FIR lodged against another JD(U) MLA Safaraz Alam for misbehaving with a couple on Rajdhani Express. The first incident took place in Purnea where Awdesh Mandal, husband of JD(U) MLA Bima Bharti, escaped from Maranga police station lock up on Sunday night when Bharti and JD(U) MP Santosh Kushwaha were present in the police station. Mandal was arrested for allegedly threatening a murder case witness. In the other incident, an FIR was lodged yesterday with Patna GRP against Alam, MLA from Jokihaat in Araria district, for allegedly abusing a couple on board Guwahati-Delhi Rajdhani Express last night. Modi, who started his 'Janata Darbar' from today to hear complaints of people, dared the CM to act against these ruling party MLAs to back his claim that "rule of law is prevailing in Bihar'. "It's a litmus test for CM," the BJP leader said. Modi, however, differed with ally Hindustani Awam Morcha's demand for imposition of President's Rule in Bihar, saying "that phase has not yet come." He said a BJP delegation would soon meet Governor Ram Nath Kovind to seek his intervention to check rise in crime graph. "We will request the Governor to give direction to state police chief to put a break on the sliding law and order situation," he said. The BJP leader, who was Deputy CM during the NDA rule in the state, expressed surprise that the state has cut such a sorry figure within two months of swearing in of the new government. (REOPEN CAL9) Modi said his party had decided not to speak against performance of the new government in Bihar till its "honeymoon period of 6 months" ended. "But the fast deterioration of crime situation within two months forced us to break the silence," he added. Modi alleged that Nitish Kumar government was protecting Awdesh Mandal as well Sarfaraz Alam. "Today Sarfaraz Alam came with defence that he was not travelling in the Rajdhani Express in which complaint of misconduct against a Delhi couple has been lodged. How come the name of a passenger who is said to be travelling without a ticket found in the reservation chart?" he asked. The BJP leader said besides these two incidents, many such events involving RJD and JD(U) MLAs came into light. He referred to the incident in which Gopalpur MLA Neeraj Mandal allegedly threatened a police office for stopping his vehicle from jumping the queue, and the alleged threat by RJD MLA Saroj Yadav to a police officer. Modi alleged that investors are keeping away from Bihar after hearing about the spate of killing and criminal acts of ruling party MLAs. "The number of people going for night movie shows has come down drastically (due to the law and order situation)," he claimed. Modi said the state has been lagging in acting against criminals ever since JD(U) parted ways with the NDA in Bihar in 2013. "Over 10,000 people were punished through speedy trial in 2010 during NDA rule which came down to 6,000 in 2014 when JD(U) was alone in the government," he said. Referring to RJD president Lalu Prasad's recent assertions against putting "lunj-punj" (inefficient) policemen at key position, Modi questioned shunting of efficient IPS officers like Vikash Vaibhav and Shivdeep Lande. "More than a dozen Superintendents of Police in the districts currently have crossed 55 years of age and are not in a position to run after criminals," he said. BJP today accused Rahul Gandhi of politicising the suicide of a dalit student at Hyderabad Central University after the Congress leader visited the protest-hit campus, and insisted that the issue had nothing to do with the victim being from the backward community. BJP general secretary P Muralidhar Rao attacked Rahul Gandhi for "unprincipled" behaviour, saying that the same Congress which had "harassed" Dalit leader B R Ambedkar "all his life" was now trying to project itself as champion of Dalit cause. He alleged that Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula's suicide has been made into political issue by "Congress, section of media and some groups with vested interests". Rao, in a series of tweets, said, "Suicide of Rohith Vemula has nothing to do with Dalit issues or rights just because he was a Dalit. It is merely politicising of the issue." "Disciplinary action was taken against Rohith at the advice of the court and even a lenient stand was taken by University authorities by permitting him to enter the campus except the hostel," he said. "Rahul Gandhi's hurried visit to Hyderabad is an unprincipled behaviour and it is unfortunate that a national political party stoops to such levels. "Congress did gross injustice to Dr B R Ambedkar and harassed him all his life. Now Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh championing Dalit cause!!," he said. Rao also hit out at the Delhi Chief Minister, saying, "Arvind Kejriwal, like always, is trying to fish in troubled waters in the politicized issue of Rohit Vemula suicide!" He has even gone to the extent of demanding apology from the PM, the BJP leader said. Defending the action against the student, Rao said, "The context of the clash between student groups was Rohith's stand in support of terrorism, including that against hanging of Yakub Memon." The BJP leader, who hails from Telangana, said Rohith's suicide note is self revealing. "Connecting with incidents related to his ideological adversaries is baseless and orchestrated," he said. Rao had yesterday said that linking Dalit aspect to Hyderabad student death is "objectionable" and it is an "orchestrated campaign to malign the BJP". Rahul Gandhi, who visited the University campus in Hyderabad, alleged that the Vice Chancellor and Union Ministers have not acted fairly in the case and demanded "strictest" punishment for those responsible for the student's death. "This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. "But when you impose ideas on youngsters, and want only those ideas, then tragedies take place. "Every student can come to the University- whether he belongs to any caste or religion. He should feel that I can say what I want to say," he said in a series of tweets. "The idea of a University is that young people can come and share their thoughts," he said, adding, "These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus." He also met students of the Ambedkar Students Association. Many students and their families are starting to wonder about the value of going to college at every expense only to come back home afterwards and settle into a mundane job that high schoolers could do. Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa examined that growing problem in their latest book, Aspiring Adults Adrift.Colleges that can point to successes in preparing students for careers and helping them land jobs that actually call for higher education therefore have a big advantage over those that can't. As a result, the last decade has seen a surge in college programs intended to integrate study and work.Here is an intriguing example. In 2013, the University of Maryland teamed up with aerospace giant Northrop Grumman to create an undergraduate program in the important field of cybersecurity in the Clark School of Engineering. (Press release here .) Students will go through an intensive curriculum and undertake real-world projects, and interact with Northrop Grumman personnel.I think it's a safe bet that no student who completes that program will end up serving coffee or delivering pizza.by Peter Stokes is to my knowledge the first book to focus on the trend of collaboration between college and business-colleges crafting their programs after finding out what knowledge and skills employers want.The book is both revelatory and thought provoking. Moreover, it evidently has the approval of the higher education establishment, given that the foreword was written by Louis Soares of the American Council on Education. Apparently, it is respectable to say that colleges can improve by incorporating business ideas.Stokes, managing director at the Huron Consulting Group, formerly worked as vice president for global strategy and business development at Northeastern University. (Northeastern is one of three schools he focuses on in detail, the other two being Georgia Tech and NYU.) He argues that colleges and universities should "turn to employability" to strengthen themselves and become more attuned to the economic climate.Those that don't, he writes, "will not only face more competition for students from college and university peers, but they will also risk being supplanted by an array of entrepreneurial ventures seeking to connect students with marketable skills and career opportunities."Most of the book is devoted to Stokes's three case studies, but he begins with a chapter on the great variety of non-college ventures that are also trying to gain by improving the link between education and employment. Those ventures are worth looking at because, as he says, if colleges don't do better, they will lose students who will bypass them and get both education and job placement from these competitors.Who are they?One large group consists of the coding academies. The U.S. has huge demand for people who can write computer code and numerous firms have entered that training field. For fees that are a small fraction of the cost of earning a traditional college degree, students get an immersion in coding and a near guarantee of lucrative employment.While some education traditionalists will grumble, "it's just occupational training," that is precisely what a lot of young Americans want. Colleges will keep losing students to schools that offer useful training and a high probability of employment if they don't start to work with business.Besides coding academies, there are lots of firms seeking to act as students' intermediaries between school and work. For instance, there is Work America , which, according to founder Collin Gutman, "gets jobs for people before they start a college class."Stokes sums up: "Taken as a whole, these initiatives suggest a number of ways in which colleges, in collaboration with industry, government, and nonprofit partners, might think about integrating study and work in deeper ways...."So, what are colleges doing to serve students who aren't enrolled just for a few years of fun, but are thinking ahead to careers?Georgia Tech is buzzing with efforts. One is its Capstone Design Expo . Companies can propose projects and sponsor teams. Students who participate start learning about those firms and the relationships that spring up can lead to excellent careers.Another is GT's Veterans Education and Training Transition, a four-week "bridge" program in partnership with Hewlett Packard that teaches vets to use their military skills to pursue civilian jobs.No doubt the best known of the GT initiatives is its online masters in computer science, a high-quality degree costing only about $7,000. Launched in fall 2014, the program's returns are encouraging. In the long run, it's expected to "offer new ways for Georgia Tech to deepen its relationship with industry partners while extending the university's reach both nationally and internationally."At New York University, business-connected programs include Business Boot Camp for Liberal Arts Students. It addresses the fact that many liberal arts students have only a dim (often erroneously negative) idea about the corporate world. The camp promises them "everything you'll need to take the working world by storm."That brings up an important point-schools can collaborate with the business sector and still offer a good liberal arts education. Part of the discovery process colleges will go through consists of figuring out the best educational blends; there won't be a single right one.NYU also offers "Professional Advantage," a three-week summer program that gives students industry and career exposure-a big advantage in looking for entry-level positions.And Bob Ubell, dean for Online Learning at NYU's Polytechnic School of Engineering unabashedly says, "Curriculum that matches corporate objectives is what ultimately sells."Finally, at Stokes's old school, Northeastern, president Joseph Aoun states, "Employers shape our agenda today." The university wants to create a "talent pipeline for employers," and toward that end has collaborated with Bank of America, Duke Energy, Siemens and other firms.For example, before establishing a master's in computer science, Northeastern consulted extensively with employers in Seattle (a hotbed of computer titans and also startups) to get valuable insights in the ideal curriculum design. The school has also set up a program called ALIGN (Accelerated Link to Industry through Northeastern's Global Network) which helps graduates with the proper academic foundations land jobs in fields like bioinformatics and information assurance.Stokes has expertly highlighted a strong trend in American higher education, but it is one that upsets some educational traditionalists. It especially bothers professors who disdain business and feel that any connections to it will contaminate the pure enterprise of imparting "real" education. But given the wide acceptance of collaborating with business (found even at such liberal bastions such as Middlebury College), schools that hold back because a few faculty dislike the idea will be hurting their chances of survival.The old model of higher education was, Stokes writes, one of "learn-learn-learn-certify-wait-wait-wait-deploy" but we are moving into a different model of lifetime learning he labels "learn-certify-deploy, learn-certify-deploy." For many students, that will work far better.In his book Abelard to Apple , Richard DeMillo noted that for quite a few centuries, we have lived with "faculty-centered" colleges, where students paid their money and learned with the professors thought they should learn. But the faculty-centered college is starting to give way to the original, student-centered concept: schools that are driven to find out what students want.What most of them want, I suspect, is postsecondary learning that helps them get into a good career. The changes Stokes discusses are consistent with a competition driven swing back toward student-centered colleges. BJP will reach out to the refugees from Bangladesh, who are mostly Hindus, in poll-bound West Bengal and Assam where it aims to project itself as a defender of "persecuted" Bangladeshi minorities. BJP national secretary and West Bengal co-incharge Sidharth Nath Singh said the party will run a campaign in over 75 assembly constituencies where the presence of such refugees is significant. Sources said a similar campaign will be run in Assam where the infiltration issue is much more emotive and politically crucial. The party is likely to politically encash the Central government's notification in September last in which it gave protection to Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities from punitive measures on "humanitarian" grounds. While the party has a realistic shot at power in Assam, it hopes to emerge as a strong force in West Bengal by highlighting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's "vote-bank" politics which, it alleges, fuelled violence by "anti-national" forces in Malda. Stepping up its campaign in Bengal, BJP will hold "booth chalo" drive between February 11-20 and then meetings across the 294 assembly constituencies of the state. "Top party leaders will hold meet with workers in the 'booth chalo' drive," Singh said, adding that they will target Benerjee's 'parivartan' (change) theme as 'parivartan nahi patan' (no change but fall). The party has kicked off its campaign with a rally by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on January 18 and others, including Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani and party chief Amit Shah, will hold more rallies till 25 after which it aims to consolidate its support base in February before unveiling big rallies later. Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) has threatened to start state-wide protest for clearing of cane dues and demanding upward revision of their prices even as its members today gheraoed the collectorate here for the eleventh day. BKU Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait last evening threatened to start state-wide agitation by blocking highways from February 1 if their demands to clear the previous years' pending cane dues are not accepted. He said that the minimum price for sugarcanes announced by the UP government was not acceptable to the farmers as it favoured sugar-mill owners and demanded it to be revised. The protesters last evening locked down the treasury office in collectorate as part of their protest against the state government. Meanwhile, security has been tightened at the collectorate and additional police force has been deployed in the area. At least 11 people, including security personnel, were killed and 20 others injured today in a bomb blast near a checkpost in northwestern Pakistan. The explosion occurred near the vehicle of line officer Nawab Shah in Jamrud area of Khyber tribal region, police said. The explosive device was planted in a motorbike, it said. The dead include police, civilians and at least one child. Khyber is part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border where security forces are fighting the Pakistani Taliban. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan witnesses frequent bomb and suicide attacks blamed on extremist militant groups and troops have for years been fighting homegrown armed groups in the tribal belt. British Deputy High Commissioner to India Dominic McAllister today visited Panjab University here and held talks with officials on enhancing collaborations between PU and UK universities among other issues. During his visit, McAllister met with Vice Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover, Director Punjab Engineering College Professor Manoj Arora, among others and discussed with them issues, including possibilities of using various funds and Indo-UK programmes for enhancing mutual collaborations between PU and UK universities, an official release said. The Deputy High Commissioner also referred to UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), Newton-Bhabha Fund, Global Partnership Fund and Global Conflict Prevention Fund. VC Grover apprised him about various projects of the University and its collaborations with several leading UK institutes, it said. He also took a keen interest in Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster (CRIKC) initiative as per which the leading 20 educational and research institutions, and national laboratories in Chandigarh region have come together under one umbrella of CRIKC. British Telecom plans to recruit 1,000 staff in the UK, seen as a reaction to customers unwilling to speak to staff at its Indian call centres. The UK's leading telecom group said it would ensure that at least 80 per cent of calls were answered from the UK by the end of the year, up from more than 50 per cent at present. Staff at its Indian call centres in Bengaluru and Delhi, which BT started using in 2003, are expected to be moved into positions that do not involve talking to customers. "We will have created 2,000 permanent UK jobs by the end of this process, including agency transfers, which is a fantastic boost for the UK economy," said BT Consumer customer care director Libby Barr. "This demonstrates the commitment from everyone at BT to work together to improve customer service and to make things easy for our customers," she said. The announcement follows the UK communications regulator Ofcom reporting last month that BT was one of the most complained about firms for both its TV and broadband services. A recent survey by consumer rights group Which? had found that a vast majority of consumers (90 per cent) in the country felt UK companies should not operate call centres abroad. The new roles in Britain would be created between now and April, 2017 and spread across BT's UK call centres, with an initial 100 created at Swansea in Wales. In total, BT's consumer division has committed to spending an extra 80 million pounds over two years to improve its performance in answering customer calls. Several people have been detained and are being questioned in connection with the weekend attack on a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso's capital that killed about 30 people, the country's security minister said today. Minister of Security Simon Compaore would not give details, citing an ongoing investigation. He and Foreign Affairs Minister Alpha Barry also met with diplomats, reassuring them that Burkina Faso will remain a safe place despite the attack by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. Patrols and check points have been set up on main roads around the country, and security personnel has been increased, especially in areas of the country where there are foreigners, Compaore said. "We want to reassure the people that live on our soil that foreigners can continue to come to our country, and to invest in our country, because we are ahead on this and we continue to march forward," Compaore said. Barry said that despite attacks, Burkina Faso will prevail. "These criminal acts have been claimed by AQIM, which, with their allies want to control the Sahel," he said. "Burkina Faso is determined to overcome this but is aware that it cannot do that alone, without the support of all." Barry cited the success of international cooperation during the attack that began Friday and ended Saturday after Burkina Faso and French forces killed three attackers. Mali has already agreed to shared intelligence and joint border patrols. Amnesty International said today that a French-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui and Burkina Faso driver Mahamadi Ouedraogo were among those who died. Alaoui was being treated in a hospital after being shot twice, and suffered a heart attack while awaiting medical evacuation. She was in Burkina Faso for a photography assignment on women's rights, the organization said. Ouedraogo, a husband and father of four, was killed in his car, Amnesty International said. He had accompanied staff and consultants on missions in Burkina Faso since 2008. The organization has condemned "the vicious attack on civilians in Ouagadougou, which has killed and injured dozens of people of many nationalities and faiths. The by-elections to the Khadoor Sahib Assembly constituency, necessitated following the resignation by Congress MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki in October last year in protest against desecration of Sikh holy book-Guru Granth Sahib, will be held on February 13. The Election Commission today announced the schedule for the by-election to Khadoor Sahib Assembly constituency, according to which last date for filing nominations is January 28 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 30. The Chief Electoral Officer V K Singh said notification regarding the same would be issued tomorrow and votes would be polled on February 13, while the counting on February 16 and the result would be declared on February 18. According to ECI guidelines, the votes would be polled from 8 AM to 5 PM. Nomination papers are to be filed with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Khadoor Sahib, who is the Returning Officer, between 11 AM and 3 PM on any day other than a public holiday from 20 January to 27 January. Issuing the guidelines for filing the nominations, Singh said the nominations papers are to be filed in form 2B blank forms available with the District Election Officer/Returning Officer. Typed nomination papers will also be accepted provided they are in the prescribed format. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force in Tarn Taran district from the date of announcement of elections, which is January 12, by the Election Commission of India and shall remain in force till the completion of the election process. He said, January 23 being a Saturday is not a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, therefore, nomination papers can be presented to the Returning Officer on that day. While January 24 being a Sunday is a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, therefore, nomination papers cannot be presented to the Returning Officer on that day. However, January 26 being a Republic Day is a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act therefore, nomination papers cannot be made on that day. January 30 being a Saturday is not a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, therefore, withdrawal of candidature can be presented to the Returning Officer. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) will take call on the Rs 1,705-crore investment proposal related to transfer of HDFC shares to the UK-based joint venture partner Standard Life in HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company. Based on the suggestions of FIPB, the government has recommended the proposal of HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company for the approval of CCEA, which involves Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of Rs 1,705 crore, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company has sought approval for transfer of its shares currently held by HDFC to Standard Life (Mauritius Holdings) 2006 Limited. The move will increase share of Standard Life in the insurance joint venture from 26 per cent to 35 per cent. Based on the recommendations of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), the government also approved the proposal of Firefly Networks Ltd. The entity had sought approval of the existing foreign investment and commencement of activities as a 'Telecom Infrastructure Provider Category'. The proposal does not entail any investment inflow. The FIPB has also deferred decision on four FDI proposals. These are Quantum Simulators (defence), Sharekhan Limited (NBFC), Tata Sikorsky Aerospace (defence), and Aviva Life Insurance Co India (insurance). Tata Sikorsky Aerospace has sought permission for transfer of 26 per cent of the shares of Tata Sikorsky Aerospace from United Technologies International Corporation - Asia Private Ltd to Lockheed Martin Global, Inc (USA). Quantum Simulators has approached FIPB for approval to set up a stimulator manufacturing company in India for various applications including military and commercial uses in technical collaboration with leading US firm Textron with USD 15 billion revenue. It has a joint venture agreement with an Indian company which would be holding 51 per cent and the balance by Quantum. Meanwhile, the FIPB has rejected the proposal of Software is Correct Inc. It had sought permission for infusing fresh funds of up to USD 15 million in its wholly-owned Indian subsidiary. UK Prime Minister David Cameron has backed a ban on face-covering veils such as burqas in schools, courts and at border check points in the country but said he will not go as far as what France did to impose a blanket ban. "When you're coming into contact with an institution, or you're in court, or if you need to be able to see someone's face at the border, then I will always back the authority and institution that have put in place proper and sensible rules," Cameron said. It comes as the UK prepare to announce a series of measures designed to stop British Muslims becoming radicalised and traveling to the Middle East to join terrorist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). "What does matter is if, for instance, a school has a uniform policy, sensitively put in place and all the rest of it, and people want to flout that uniform policy, often for reasons that aren't connected to religion, you should always come down on the side of the school," he was quoted as saying by the BBC Radio Four. Cameron, 49, however, rejected the idea of a blanket ban on burqas and other religious headgear, along the lines of the ban imposed in France since 2010. "Going for the more sort of French approach of banning an item of clothing, I don't think that's the way we do things in this country and I don't think that would help," he said. Cameron's comments came on the day he unveiled plans for tougher new English language requirements to prevent segregation of members of the Muslim community. New rules will mean that from October this year migrants coming to the UK on a five-year spousal visa with poor or no English skills will have to take a test after two and a half years to show they are making efforts to improve their English. France introduced a controversial ban on wearing the full face veil in public in 2010, triggering concerns from rights groups. The main opposition Congress here today alleged that Chhattisgarh police organised the wedding of Naxalites accused in the Jiram Valley attack of 2013 in the state, a charge denied by officials. The leader of opposition in the Assembly, T M Singhdev, told reporters here that police in the Bastar district headquarters had organised the wedding of the accused in the Jiram Valley attack. Slamming the alleged move, he asked whether the Naxalites were "being rewarded" through such actions. "This was an irresponsible action on the part of police and the state government. It is condemnable," he charged. "Innocent and unarmed people were killed in the Jiram attack. Nobody who was involved in the attack deserves any sympathy," added Singhdev. The Jiram Valley attack was carried out by Naxals on May 25, 2013, in Darbha in Bastar. A total of 31 people, including top Congress leaders in the state, were killed in the attack. Further slamming the ruling BJP, Singhdev charged that those involved in the attack were being "rewarded with their wedding being organised while surrendered Naxalites have been given government jobs". "How can a government be so irresponsible and insensitive? Congress party wants to ask (Chief Minister) Raman Singh and his government whether these Naxalites are being rewarded for attacking Congress leaders," he said. Meanwhile, IG Dipanshu Kabra said that while former Naxalite Podiyami Laxman's marriage was organised by Bastar police with Kosi Markam, a surrendered ultra, on January 16, police officials in Bastar have told him that the duo were not involved in the Jiram attack. 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. A child was killed and four others were injured in an explosion at a house near here today, police said. The blast at the house of a scrap dealer in Rongnihang area in Karbi Anglong district killed a two-and-a-half-year-old girl on the spot. Of the four injured, the condition of two was stated to be critical and they have been referred to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital, Karbi Anglong Superintendent of Police Debojit Deuri said. The cause of the explosion was yet to be ascertained and the materials found at the blast site have been sent for forensic tests, he said. The police ruled out the involvement of any militant outfit in the incident. (REOPENS DEL3) Later in the day, the zonal railways said there was no bomb explosion near Agra Cantt station and that the sound was due to bursting of wheels of a railway trolley. In a statement, Bhupinder Dhillon, public relations officer of the Mathura DRM, said the bursting of the wheels had created so much noise that it was initially considered as explosion. Samples from the site have been sent to labs for test, the officer said, adding that bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs have scanned the area. Hong Kong authorities say they have received confirmation from Chinese security officials that a bookseller whose disappearance three weeks ago raised international concern is in the mainland. Hong Kong police said late Monday that they received notice from Guangdong province's public security department that Lee Bo was "understood" to be in mainland China. Guangdong officials were replying to a request by Hong Kong police for information on Lee. He and four other people linked to a Hong Kong publishing company and its bookshop had gone missing in recent months. The publishing firm specialized in books banned in mainland China for being critical of its communist leadership. Lee's case in particular raised alarm bells because it raised suspicions that Chinese security agents crossed into Hong Kong to abduct him. A Chinese nanny admitted in a Paris court today to killing and dismembering the parents of a baby who had died in her care, in a gruesome case worthy of a horror movie. "It's true, I killed them, and I will regret it for the rest of my life," the diminutive Hui Zhang, 34, said at the start of the hearing. Hui said she merely acted in self-defence as the furious parents of the dead newborn attacked her and her boyfriend with a butcher's knife. Her boyfriend and co-accused Te Lu, also 34, denied helping Hui kill the couple. "I was sucked into a whirlwind of nightmares but I am innocent," he told the court. The case first came to light in June 2012 after two joggers came upon a leg, cut off at the ankle, in the Vincennes forest on the edge of the French capital. Several days later, a guide dog found a human torso in the same area, but the hunt for further remains was fruitless. Police knew the victims were Asian and initially thought the murders could be the work of the Chinese mafia, or of Luka Rocco Magnotta, a Canadian convicted of killing and dismembering a Chinese student who spent time in Paris. But before the bodies could even be identified, Hui and Te turned themselves in. Hui told police she had been babysitting a two-month-old baby who died in his sleep. She and her partner decided to offer the child's parents money to try to get them not to report the boy's death. They invited the parents to their home, but said their plans quickly went awry faced with the fury of the grieving couple. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia today, the first stop on an unprecedented trip to raise the economic giant's profile in a troubled region. Xi, making his first presidential visit to the Middle East, will also travel to Egypt and Iran. The official Saudi Press Agency confirmed his arrival. Tensions between regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a new high this month when Riyadh and a number of its Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. The schism came after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the kingdom's January 2 execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. He was among 47 people put to death in a single day for "terrorism". Most of those executed were Sunnis. Xi also arrives three days after a historic international deal lifted sanctions on Iran in return for a scaling back of its nuclear capabilities. China and five other world powers helped broker that agreement. But Riyadh fears it will further embolden Iran, which it accuses of regional interference. Last week a Chinese diplomat urged "calm and restraint" between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but Xi's trip was most probably organised before the discord, Zhu Feng, professor at Peking University's School of International Studies, told AFP before the visit. "Clearly now there are tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, so he will be going there in the role of persuader," Zhu said. "China will try and do what it can, but it still won't play a main role." In the past month, Beijing has hosted high-level members from both the Syrian regime and its opposition. China has consistently urged a "political solution" to the Syrian war, despite being seen as sympathetic to President Bashar al-Assad after vetoing UN Security Council measures aimed at addressing the conflict on four occasions. Iran is one of Assad's main allies while Saudi Arabia backs rebel forces, and in December hosted an unprecedented meeting of the Syrian opposition. "China is the biggest importer of Middle Eastern oil," Zhu said. "So stability in the Middle East is what China would most like to see. Two Chinese soldiers were "co-conspirators" in a plot to steal US military secrets, including designs for the F-35 stealth fighter and other warplanes, a Canadian newspaper reported today. The unnamed pair allegedly worked with a recent immigrant to Canada now facing extradition to the United States to identify and raid secure databases of US military contractors, said the Globe and Mail newspaper, citing a prosecution summary of a cyberespionage probe launched in 2014. It is the first publicly-stated link to the Chinese army in a hacking case that first came to light in 2013, when US officials revealed a broad Chinese campaign of espionage had gained access to designs for two dozen major weapons systems critical to missile defenses, combat aircraft and naval ships. The US Defense Science Board, a senior advisory group with government and civilian experts, had however stopped short in its report of accusing Beijing of stealing the designs. The so-called book of record cited by the Globe and Mail did not make it clear whether the two soldiers allegedly involved in the conspiracy were working for themselves or at the behest of Beijing. According to the newspaper, the "two Chinese military officers" were allegedly directed toward email accounts of American aviation engineers by Su Bin, a 50-year-old Chinese aviation entrepreneur living in Vancouver. The hackers then reportedly mined corporate networks for engineering manuals related to the F-35, C-17, and F-22 military aircraft. They would consult with Su Bin on which documents they should try to take, according to the Globe and Mail. Eventually the pair were identified through intercepted emails that contained their name, rank, military unit and other information. Su Bin was arrested in June 2014 and ordered extradited to the United States last September. He remains in Vancouver pending an appeal. As part of their nationwide protest, the Centre of Trade Unions of India (CITU) and Kishan Sabha today staged a demonstration at Birsa Chowk in support of their 12-point charter of demands, including minimum wages of Rs 15,000 per month for the labour force. CITU leaders and activists from Jhakrhand took out a procession from near Doranda College and held demonstration at Birsa Chowk near the state Assembly. Today's 'protest day' was decided at the four-day meet of the CITU's all India General Council Meeting held in Ranchi from December 17 to 20 last. Besides the CITU's 12-point charter of demands, the state unit demanded MG-NREGA job days to 200, distribution of 35 kg grains to every family in villages, regularisation of contractual employees, ban on recruitment on the basis of contract and immediate drought relief measures. Protests were held here by Congress and Left parties against the death of a Dalit student of Hyderabad Central University. Members of the scheduled caste wing of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), led by K Selvaperunthagai, tried to picket the Shastri Bhavan here, which houses a number of central government offices. About 65 Congress workers were detained, police said. The protesting Congress workers sought a CBI probe into the death of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar of HCU, who was found hanging at the central varsity's hostel room on Sunday. Members of SFI, affiliated to CPI (M), also staged a protest demonstration. MDMK founder Vaiko demanded action against Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatareya and HCU Vice-Chancellor Apparao in connection with the 26 year-old student's death. "Dattatreya should be sacked (as Minister) while the Vice-Chancellor should be arrested," he said and appealed that the rights of students belonging to Dalit and other backward communities must be upheld. (Reopens MES8) DMK President M Karunanidhi sought legal action against those behind the suicide of Vemula. "It is the expectations of all that there should be just legal action against those behind the suicide of the Dalit student," he said in a statement. Congress is weighing options in poll-bound West Bengal as to which party would help it check BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections amid growing praise for the Marxists and reservations about ruling Trinamool Congress in the matter. The AICC is tightlipped over the CPI(M) overtures to join hands to "save" the state from the ruling Trinamool Congress. Former West Bengal chief minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had only three days ago urged the Congress to join hands with the CPI(M). Congress had contested the last assembly elections in alliance with Mamata Banerjee's party which dislodged the CPI(M)-led Left Front after 34 years. The two parties, however, parted ways in September 2012 after Trinamool Congress walked out of the UPA-2 government at the Centre. The Left is hoping that an alliance with the Congress this time around could queer the pitch for the ruling party, which is almost sure to win in the upcoming Assembly elections. The view is shared by a section of the Congress too. A senior leader said that the touchstone on the alliance issue as to which party would help the Congress stop the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Other consideration is what is the view of the state unit on the issue of tieups. Mamata's visit to 10 Janpath on December 9 where she greeted Congress president Sonia Gandhi on her birthday, had set off speculation whether the so-called "birthday diplomacy" could signal the coming together of their parties. Trinamool had been supportive of the Congress on various issues in the last session of Parliament with several in the Congress seeing it as a move by Mamata to keep the Congress away from the Left in West Bengal. A senior leader, who declined to be identified, said that the Left have been "good allies" at the Centre during the UPA-I as it insisted on implementing a common minimum programme. As regards Trinamool, the leader recalled that Mamata has shared power at the Centre with the BJP in the past. "Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal is a different version of Mulayam Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh," he remarked indicating that both TMC and the Samajwadi Party play communal politics which compliments BJP. With the West Bengal assembly elections around three months away, a section of state Congress leaders has been harping on the need for an electoral alliance with the Left Front to take on Trinamool Congress. A court today dismissed the anticipatory bail petition of CPI (M) District Secretary P Jayarajan in the case related to the murder of RSS functionary E Manoj in September 2014, being investigated by CBI. Judge V G Anilkumar of District and Sessions Court in Thalassery rejected the plea of Jayarajan, who had been summoned by CBI in connection with the probe, holding that the petitioner cannot be granted the relief since he was not an accused in the case. CBI counsel S Krishnakumar opposed the bail plea on the ground that the accused in the case had also been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Jayarajan moved the bail plea on January 11 a day after CBI served him summons for a second time asking him to appear before the investigating officers at Thalassery camp. The agency had issued the first summons on January 6. In his petition, Jayarajan contended that the summons were "politically motivated" and the move was only to arrest and harass him. 42-year-old Manoj, a district functionary of RSS, was hacked to death in the politically-volatile Kathiroor in Kannur district on September 1, 2014 allegedly by a group of CPI-M workers. CBI, which took over the investigation in the case, had filed a charge sheet against 19 accused in the Thalassery court in March last year. Manoj was an accused in a case related to an unsuccessful attempt on Jayarajan's life in 1999. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today left for the US where he will be for a month for his prostrate treatment. A notice on his official website said, "The Dalai Lama is departing Dharamsala today for the United States where he is scheduled to undergo prostate treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by a period of rest from the end of January 2016 for approximately one month." However, no official from the Tibetan government in exile was available for comment. The 80-year-old Dalai Lama's regular engagement schedule will resume in March, the notice added. Previously, in September also the Tibetan leader had been to the US for a medical checkup. I saw my first car after I came in from a flying lesson one day in my senior year of college. There it sat next to hanger. The owner of the school was offering me the opportunity to buy his 1956 VW Beetle. I accepted his offer.A few years later I was in the Army wondering why I was where I was because I wanted to be in Flying School & I had not yet been accepted into Flying School. I was driving in to where I sat around all day waiting to get into Flying School on a rainy day going downhill on a rural road. The dump truck in front of me slowed down to make a right turn off in the middle of nowhere. I did not expect this & put on my brakes but slid into the truck's right rear tire & hit the tire with my bumper just before I came to a stop.Those old VWs had a curved extension on the top of the bumper. The truck driver did not know I had made contact & he drove on to do his dumping. I examined the "damage" & found that the extension had been bent back & I could not open the trunk (in those days the truck was in the front) & the trunk was the place where we put in the gas.I went home that night & told my wife, "We have to sell that car before it runs out of gas". We had recently been car shopping & had decided that a Rambler was the car in our future. Almost immediately after telling my wife about our gas emergency, the phone rang & it was the Ford Salesman doing sales follow up calls asking us to come on down & trade our VW for a Big Car.My wife was expecting our first child & this call was like a command out of the blue telling us that we had a Big Ford in our future.The next day we were the proud owners of a 1964 Dynasty Green Falcon 2 Door Coupe "big" car.Would I kid u?SmartfellaFoolishness...Or Is It? ... Where Silliness & Common Sense come together to make Funny. A delegation led by LJP Parliamentary Board Chairman Chirag Paswan and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan's brother Ramchandra Paswan, left for Hyderabad today to meet the family members of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. Lok Janashakti Party (LJP), an ally of NDA government at the Centre bated for strict action against the culprits involved in the death of the Dalit scholar. "The suicide of Dalit student from Hyderabad Rohith Vemula is a heart rending incident. LJP demands a high-level impartial probe into it. "The national Vice President of LJP and Dalit Sena's President Ramchandra Paswan has left for Hyderabad to gather information about the incident," Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Twitter. According to party sources, the delegation will meet students of Hyderabad University protesting against the death of the Dalit scholar. It will also meet Vemula's family members. The delegation along with the Union Minister is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after they return from the state with a report, sources said. The Dalit student Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya, Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the incident. Holding the BJP-led government at the Centre responsible for the suicide of a Dalit research scholar in Hyderabad, senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan today sought President Pranab Mukherji's intervention in the matter. "The student's suicide note raises suspicion...The party heading the government at the Centre and its affiliated organisations are responsible for it...These parties are anti-Dalit and anti-minorities and do not want them (students) to study and come on par with others," Khan said in a statement here. The minister for parliamentary affairs made a fervent appeal to President Pranab Mukherji to intervene in the case. "These parties are against humanity and its example is the mayhem at Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar," Khan said, adding that their main objective was to harm Dalits and minorities and their educational institutions like the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Milia Islamia. Meanwhile, Khan vowed to prevent fascist powers from succeeding in their design to close down such educational institutions. Terming the suicide of Rohit Vemula as most unfortunate, the minister assured help of every kind to the deceased's family. V Rohit, a Dalit PhD scholar, was found hanging at the Hyderabad Central University's hostel room on January 17, triggering protests from fellow students as well as other educational institutes in various parts of the country. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action by Rohit was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". The activists of Punjab Ambedkar Sena Moolnivasi today took out a protest march and burnt effigy of Union Minister Smriti Irani and demanded sacking of Union MoS for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide on Sunday by a dalit scholar in University of Hyderabad. Led by the Sena's state President Harbhajan Suman, and supported by BSP, the protesters began the march from Ambedkar Park in Hargobindnagar locality. After passing through Central Town, they converged at the Traffic Light crossing on NH-1 and burnt Irani's effigy, briefly disrupting the traffic, the police said. Protesters shouted slogans against the Central government and BJP for its alleged anti-dalit policies and also submitted a memorandum to SDM Balbir Raj Singh. Addressed to the President of India, the memorandum demands sacking of Union MoS for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya for his alleged role in disciplinary action taken by the university against the five dalit scholars. Sena chief Harbhajan Suman, BSP's former state General Secretary Jarnail Nangal and Phagwara Councilor Purnima Suman alleged that Irani and Bandaru "pressurised" the university to take action against the dalit scholars. "Both Irani and Bandaru had pressurised the University authorities after ABVP leaders had written letters to the Ministers for it," they alleged. They demanded arrest of ABVP leaders who were allegedly responsible for committing atrocities on the dalit scholars, forcing one of them to commit suicide. They demanded that all the culprits in the case should be arrested under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, besides relevant sections of IPC, including murder. Protests over the alleged suicide by a Dalit research scholar from Hyderabad Central University today spread to more cities including Pune and Gandhinagar with the incident described as an "institutional murder". As protests against the incident continued for the second day in Hyderabad and Delhi, the students of prestigious Film and Television Institute of India(FTII) in Pune sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institute's gate in "solidarity" with the protesting students in Hyderabad. Protests were held by workers of Congress and Left parties in Chennai where members of the Scheduled Caste wing of TNCC led by K Selvaperunthagai tried to picket the Shastri Bhavan here, which houses a number of central government offices. About 65 Congress workers were detained, police said. "We are in solidarity with students protesting the death of Rohit Vemula, and as many as eight students from the Film & Television Institute of India have sat on hunger strike for a day," FTII Students' Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu said in Pune. Another students' body representative Yashaswi Mishra said, "We feel that the unfortunate incidents like death of Rohit Vemula is an institutional murder. The very ideology that led to this devastating tragedy has to be fought across. "We condemn the government's attempts to suppress and crush voices of disagreement," he added. In Gujarat, around 50 dalit students of Central University of Gujarat (CUG) held a peaceful protest in Gandhinagar. The dalit students gathered near the entrance of the CUG this morning to condemn the alleged stern action of Hyderabad Central University, which according to them, led to the suicide of the PhD student Rohit Vemula. Further, the protesters termed the suicide as an "institutional murder" and demanded free and fair inquiry into the matter. According to a CUG student and human rights activist Jignesh Mewani, Dalit students including Vemula, were intentionally targeted by the university for being a 'Dalit' and having different ideology than of BJP and RSS. The protesting students held banners with slogans such as "Punish the culprits behind this institutional murder", "Fight this Casteism and Fascism", "Shut down brahminical universities before we kill ourselves". "This situation is unacceptable in democracy. You cannot silence voices of dissent. The BJP government at the Centre must conduct a free and fair inquiry into the matter and punish the culprits," added Mewani. In Punjab, the activists of Punjab Ambedkar Sena Moolnivasi took out a protest march in Phagwara and burnt effigy of Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and demanded sacking of Union Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide. Around 50 dalit students of Central University of Gujarat (CUG) today held a peaceful protest in Gandhinagar over the alleged suicide by a dalit scholar in Hyderabad. The dalit students gathered near the entrance of the CUG this morning to condemn the alleged stern action of Hyderabad Central University, which according to them, led to the suicide of Vemula, a Ph.D student. Terming the suicide as an "institutional murder", they demanded a free and fair inquiry into the matter. Rohit Vemula was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. "Why nine of out of 10 students suspended by the university were Dalits?. This is certainly a serious matter. Apart from being a Dalit, Vemula was a staunch secularist, which made him a bete-noire of BJP and RSS," charged CUG student Jignesh Mewani, who is also an human rights activist. To register their protest, around 50 dalit students of Central University held protest by holding various banners which read "Punish the culprits behind this institutional murder, "Fight this Casteism and Fascism", "Shut down brahminical universities before we kill ourselves". "This situation is unacceptable in democracy. You cannot silence voices of dissent. The BJP government at the Centre must conduct a free and fair inquiry into the matter and punish the culprits," added Mewani. Expressing "solidarity" with students protesting over alleged suicide by a dalit scholar in Hyderabad, the students of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on Tuesday sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institute's gate here. "We are in solidarity with students protesting the death of Rohit Vemula, and as many as eight students sat on hunger strike for a day," FTII Students' Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu said. The hunger strike started with eight students and slowly other students too are joining the protest, he said. Another students' body representative Yashaswi Mishra said, "We feel that the unfortunate incidents like death of Rohit Vemula is an institutional murder. The very ideology that led to this devastating tragedy has to be fought across. We stand together with the students' community fighting for quality of education, beyond caste, class and biases." "We condemn the government's attempts to suppress and crush voices of disagreement, and at this hour of crisis stand together with the larger student fraternity," he added. Notably, the FTII students had last year held a 139-day-long strike to protest the appointment of TV actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Gajendra Chauhan as the institute's chairman. The Hyderabad University campus yesterday witnessed widespread protests after dalit student Rohit Vemula's body was found hanging in a hostel room on Sunday. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti- acts". Rohit Vemula was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. The suicide by a dalit student of Hyderabad University today snowballed into a major issue with BJP's rivals wading into it and demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, accusing them of being responsible for the death. As Congress mounted the demand for the sacking of the HRD and Labour Ministers, Rahul Gandhi led the multi-party charge attacking them and the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao saying "The VC and the Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Though he did not name Irani, who had just over the week attacked Rahul in his constituency Amethi of failing youths there, the reference was obvious to her against the backdrop of ministry's action which is blamed for the suicide by Rohith Vemula, a dalit research scholar, on Sunday night. Protests escalated in Hyderabad and cities across the country including in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Student organisations including the pro-Left AISA and AAP-backed CYSS and Congress' NSUI held protests in Jantar Mantar and the HRD ministry in the capital demanding the sacking of the ministers and strong action against the VC. Various political parties and leaders have blamed Labour Minister Dattatreya's letter of Aug 17 last year to Irani seeking action against the "anti national activities" of a students union and the alleged assault of an ABVP leader and a series of five communications from the HRD Ministry between Sept 3 and Nov 19 demanding follow up action for the suicide. The HRD ministry, however, today rejected allegations that it had put any pressure on the University relating to either suspension of Rohith or keeping him out of the hostel. The communications, it maintained, was not aimed at putting pressure but was in compliance with the standard protocol adopted in accordance with the Central Secretariat Manual of Procedure whenever a "VIP Reference" is received. Ministry officials said the two-member committee of HRD officials have met people concerned in Hyderabad today and their fact-finding report is expected to be ready after their return tomorrow. After the high-profile visit of Rahul to the campus, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi also went there and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not saying sorry over the incident. "It does not need even 140 characters," he said in an apparent reference to the Prime Minister's penchant for tweeting on issues. He alleged that there has been social discrimination that had led to the suicide. Gandhi flew into Hyderabad from Delhi in the morning and drove straight from the airport to the University campus where he addressed the agitating students. He alleged that the institution instead of operating fairly has used its power to "crush" the freedom of students to express. "The Vice Chancellor and the Minister in Delhi have have not acted fairly. What is the result. The result is that the youth, who came here to improve the country, to learn and to express himself was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. "Certainly he has committed suicide but conditions for his suicide were created by the Vice Chancellor, the minister and the institution," he told the students, one of whom said before his speech that they did not want any politicising of the issue. He demanded "strictest punishment" for Vice-Chancellor and the minister holding them "responsible" for the death of the research scholar. After meeting the students, Gandhi upped the ante against Irani and Dattatreya and the Vice Chancellor, by observing in a tweet: The VC and Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Union Labour Minister Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack HRD Minister Smriti Irani, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and apologise to the nation over the alleged suicide by a Dalit student in Hyderabad university questioning their "interference" in the internal affairs of the institute. Terming it as a "murder" of democracy, social justice and equality, Kejriwal said the incident, which sparked massive protests across the country, has shaken the "collective conscience" of the entire nation. In a statement, Kejriwal said the "searing injustice" of depriving Rohit Vemula, the deceased, along with four other research scholars of their monthly stipends, library facilities, and their eventual suspension from the Hyderabad Central university, led him to take the extreme step. "The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constitutionaly bound to protect the fundamental guarantees of the dalits, victims of historical discrimination and injustice. To this end the PM must ask this crucial question-- "What business do ministers have in interfering in the internal affairs of a University? How can a minister term young, bright students as anti-national, simply because they had an altercation with the ABVP? How can young Dalit students be socially ostracised and economically penalised by the University administration?" Kejriwal asked. Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit PhD scholar. Vemula was among five research scholars who were suspended by the varsity in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of alleged assault on a ABVP leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Kejriwal alleged that the two Ministers "endorsed and abetted" the ABVP's systematic campaign to "socially ostracise" the students and deny them "library facilities, deprive them of their monthly stipends, and finally have them suspended from the university itself." "In his poignant suicide note Rohith describes the opressive weight of caste-based prejudices that reduced him to his basic Dalit identity and refused to see the mind that yearned to touch the stars, learn about the wonder of nature and science," said Kejriwal. Earlier, Kejriwal tweeted, "Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modiji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised and suspended." "It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice and equality. Modiji should sack ministers and apologise to the nation," he said. Senior AAP leader Ashutosh demanded a thorough probe into the matter including into the role of Irani. "The incident shows that Dalits and minorities are not safe under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP." Aam Aadmi Party will also hold a nation-wide protest over the incident on January 21. "I strongly urge the PM to immediately sack the two ministers, order a high level judicial probe and personally tender an apology to the aggrieved family, the Dalit community and the people of this great country," Kejriwal wrote. Referring to the student's alleged suicide note and letter to the Vice Chancellor, Kejriwal asked, "Can there be a greater indictment of the institutions of higher learning in our country - of our society?" "It is unfortunate that the most basic rights guaranteed in our Constitution remain unacknowledged to this day. The Dalits have a constitutional right to the best opportunities of education and socio-economic advancement. A city court today rapped Delhi Police for filing at a belated stage the original report of potency test of a 55-year-old accused, facing trial along with others for allegedly gangraping a 52-year-old Danish woman two years ago. The court, which has already reserved its judgement in the case for January 21, asked the prosecutor to either file a proper application or a supplementary charge sheet for submitting medical examination documents and potency test report of accused Shyam Lal, who claimed to be impotent. "I am not taking it on record like this. Either you move a proper application or file a supplementary charge sheet," Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja said after which Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava filed a written application in this regard. The plea was opposed by the defence counsel who sought time to file a written reply, after which the court fixed the case for January 21 for reply and arguments on the application of the prosecution. "Prosecutor has filed an application for taking on record documents pertaining to the medical examination i.E. Original MLC and potency test report of accused Shyam Lal along with copy given to CMO and order of the court. "Copy of application and documents is supplied to the counsel for accused. He states that he may be given time to go through the documetns and to file reply opposing filing of the said documents at this stage," the court said. During the hearing, the prosecutor said now they are filing original documents of the medical report as they are the best evidence. He also said the potency test report showed that accused Shyam Lal was subjected to the test while the accused claimed that he had not undergone the procedure. The court, however, pointed out that there was some additional information in these documents. The judge also asked the prosecutor regarding the stand of the prosecution as to whether Shyam Lal was actively involved in the act or was he a spectator. To this, the prosecutor said all nine accused including three juveniles had gangraped the foreign national who has also maintained it in her deposition. The police has yesterday sought court's permission to recall an investigating officer and another policeman, who were prosecution witnesses in the case. On the prosecution's plea, the court had sought a reply from the counsel for the six adult accused. Three other accused are juveniles against whom inquiry before the Juvenile Justice Board is in progress. According to the prosecution, the nine accused, all vagabonds, had allegedly robbed and gang-raped 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 accused are facing charges of alleged gangrape, kidnapping, wrongful confinement, dacoity with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt, criminal intimidation and receiving stolen property under the IPC. During recording of their testimonies, the six adult accused have claimed innocence and alleged that the police had falsely implicated them in the case. Delhi government has sought a detailed report on the ink attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from Police Commissioner B S Bassi and asked him if the force has plans to prevent such incident in future. Principal Secretary (Home) S N Sahai has written to Bassi on the ink incident against Kejriwal on January 17 while he was addressing a public rally to thank Delhiites for making odd-even scheme a "success" in North Delhi here. "Sahai has written to the police commissioner seeking a report on the ink attack on the Chief Minister during a public rally here on Sunday. He has also sought to know if the Delhi Police has plan to prevent repetition of such incident in the future," a senior official said today. 26-year-old Bhavna Arora, who claimed to be the in-charge of the Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, threw ink at Kejriwal at a public rally held to celebrate the "success" of the odd-even scheme. The incident had triggered angry reactions from the AAP government, which alleged a BJP conspiracy behind the attack and assailed the police for the major security lapse. Earlier in the day, a Delhi court sent Arora to 14-day judicial custody. Terming the offence as "grievous" and "serious", the court dismissed the bail application moved by accused Bhavna Arora and remanded her to judicial custody. Arora has claimed she had "proof in the form of a CD" on the CNG scam. A resident of Rama Vihar in outer Delhi's Rohini sub- city, she was booked for alleged offences under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the IPC. This, for me, was the hardest part. I worked so hard to make the armor *just so* and it was incredibly beautiful to look at. I was so proud of how it t... Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh today took a dig at the "gullible" Indian media for lapping up the story of Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Maulana Masood Azhar's arrest by Pakistan. "Gullible Indian media lapped it up without verifying from any official agency. Breaking is more important than credibility for media", he said. "I was told by friends in media that MEA of GOI was leaking Azhar Masood arrest story. In the bargain Modi & Doval scored Brownie Points," he said in a series of tweets. "Who planted the story of arrest of Maulana Azhar Masood? Our agencies or Pakistani agencies?" he asked on the micro-blogging site. The Congress general secretary's comments came amid reports that India doubts Pakistan has taken action against anybody of consequence in Jaish-e-Mohammed, the terror group which allegedly attacked the Pathankot air base. Officials in the Indian security establishment had said yesterday that Azhar has not been arrested nor has he been put under house arrest, while three junior JeM functionaries have been detained in cases not connected with the Pathankot terror attack. They said initial reports of Azhar being detained for the Pathankot incident were completely false and suspected to be a propaganda by some Pakistani agencies. Sean Penn feels his interview with Mexican drug lord El Chapo was a "failure" because it did not bring attention to the war on drugs. "My article should not have made this much noise. El Chapo should not have been this popular a figure to read about," he told Charlie Rose on '60 Minutes'. "We all want this drug problem to stop... How much time have they spent in the last week since this article (came) out talking about that? One per cent?. I think that'd be generous," the actor said. Penn said he doesn't understand why Guzman agreed to do the interview with him. "I was stunned that he would risk. I was baffled at his will to see us... "I can't read his mind. I would say that, you know, from the conversation that was had, he, in several ways, wanted to be on the record," Penn said. Mexican authorities later said the drug lord's meeting with the actor helped them trace him. US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has been branded a "buffoon" during a parliamentary debate on whether to ban him from entering Britain. The Republican frontrunner was the subject of a House of Commons debate last evening after a petition against his anti-Muslim remarks received over half a million signatures. Any petition that attracts more than 100,000 signatories is considered by British MPs for a debate. Most of the 50 MPs presentin Parliament attacked Trump for his views on Muslims, women, disabled people, global warming and other issues in the three-hour discussion but the majority of parliamentarians from both left and right dismissed the idea of banning the millionaire. Alex Chalk, a Conservative MP, said: "This is about bufoonery. And buffoonery must not be met with the blunt instrument of a ban. It must be met with the classic British response of ridicule". Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, joined the calls for him to be banned, saying people had felt "we need to stop a poisonous, corrosive man from entering the country". "Hate crime is being inflamed and stoked by the words that Donald Trump is using. I draw the line of freedom of speech when it actually invites violent ideology which is what I feel is happening," she said. Paul Flynn, a Labour MP who opened the debate, said a ban would give Trump the "halo of victimhood". "The best plan was not to give him the accolade of martyrdom and we may already be in error in giving him far too much attention," he said. British Prime Minister David Cameron has already said he does not support a ban, while condemning Trump's comments about Muslims as "divisive, stupid and wrong". Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena arrived here today to review the poll preparedness in West Bengal, where assembly elections are due this year. He arrived here from Guwahati and will hold a meeting with all the district magistrates tomorrow to take stock of law and order situation in the state, sources in the Chief Electoral Officer's office said. The full bench of the Election Commission lead by CEC Nasim Zaidi had paid a visit to Kolkata last month to review the poll preparedness and the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in the state. The European Union's top official warned today the bloc has just two months to get its migration strategy in order amid criticism that its current policies are putting thousands of people in danger and creating more business for smugglers. "We have no more than two months to get things under control," European Council President Donald Tusk told EU lawmakers, warning that a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on March 17-18 "will be the last moment to see if our strategy works." The EU spent most of 2015 devising policies to cope with the arrival of more than 1 million people fleeing conflict or poverty but few are having a real impact. A refugee sharing plan launched in September has barely got off the ground and countries are still not sending back people who don't qualify for asylum. A package of sweeteners earmarked for Turkey - including 3 billion euros (USD 3.3 billion), easier visa access for Turkish citizens and fast-tracking of the country's EU membership process - has borne little fruit. The failure has raised tensions between neighbors, particularly along the Balkan route used by migrants arriving in Greece to reach their preferred destinations like Germany or Sweden further north. Tusk warned that if Europe fails to make the strategy work "we will face grave consequences such as the collapse of Schengen," the 26-nation passport-free travel zone. His remarks came after Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said that border closures and tougher policing only force people seeking sanctuary or jobs to find more dangerous routes to Europe. "Policies of deterrence, along with their chaotic response to the humanitarian needs of those who flee, actively worsened the conditions of thousands of vulnerable men, women and children," said MSF head of operations, Brice de le Vingne. The group urged the EU to create more legal ways to come to Europe, allow asylum applications at the land border between Turkey and Greece, and set up a real search and rescue system, after more than 3,000 people died trying to reach the EU by sea in 2015. As pressure built among EU partner nations, four Central European members confirmed today their fierce opposition to a plan to redistribute 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece, and called for the strict control and registration of all refugees on the external borders of the Schengen zone. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, who form an informal grouping known as the Visegrad Four or V4, rejected any compulsory refugee quotas. Fourteen years after he went missing allegedly in army custody, the family of Manzoor Ahmad Dar from Rawalpora today gave up their hopes of finding him alive as they conducted his funeral prayers in absentia here. Hundreds of residents from Rawalpora and adjoining areas joined the 'gayebana nimaz-e-jinaza' (prayers in absentia) for Dar, a chemist by profession, even as the markets in the area observed a shutdown. However, the family has not given up hope on getting justice as they appealed to the Supreme Court to hear the case on fast track basis. This is for the first time that the family of any disappeared person organised funeral prayers in the Valley where hundreds of people have been reported missing in the last two decades. Senior leader of hardline Hurriyat Conference Peer Saifullah led the funeral prayers of Dar. JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik also attended the funeral prayers. "We will continue our fight for justice. My father was taken away by Army and I appeal Supreme Court to hear the case on fast track basis so that those guilty are punished," Bilquees Manzoor, daughter of Dar, said. She said the family had decided to organise the funeral prayers in absentia after the Special Investigation Team of local police concluded that the victim died in custody of Army's 35 Rashtriya Rifles led by Major Kishore Malhotra following his abduction from his residence in January 2002. "We will not step back after the prayers but will further intensify our struggle to find the mortal remains of my father. We want his grave to be identified and shown to us," Bilquees said. The chemist was allegedly picked up from his home by unidentified gunmen on the intervening night of January 18 and 19 in 2002 and a case was registered at Police station Saddar in uptown city after massive protests. Subsequently, during the investigation, the name of Major Kishore Malhotra (now a brigadier) surfaced as an accused. On November 26, 2015, the SIT - probing the custodial disappearance of Dar -- closed the investigation in the case. "The custodial disappearance has occurred nearly about 14 years ago which clearly indicates that the disappeared person could have died in custody of 35 RR and accordingly section 302 (murder) of RPC is invoked," the SIT had said in its status report filed before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The family has filed a case in the Supreme Court against the Army officer and his men. Veteran speedster terms his Australia T20 call-up as a "privilege" and is not thinking in the lines of how many matches he will get to play in the series against Australia. "I feel pretty privileged to be called in at this stage of my career. With a few injuries around it's been good timing and a bit lucky but you go through your career you have good luck and bad luck," 32-year-old Tait told the Daily Telegraph. Tait has had a good Big Bash League for the Hobart Hurricanes, where he got 10 wickets and is now being looked as someone who could be drafted into the World T20 squad. "It's quite special, whether it's for one game or two or three, or more - fantastic. This is a good luck one for me, so I'll take it," said Tait. "I was going to go to the pub and have a few beers at Port Elliot. That's probably the second place I'd want to be, and this (Adelaide Oval) is the first. So it's worked out OK," the speedster said in jest. He did admit that it will be a kind of World T20 audition for him. "Without looking too much into what Rod and people have been saying in the media, that's pretty much what it is, it's a bit of an audition for a couple of guys," Tait said. "The ball's in my court. If I get a game, run in and take wickets, and we win, I suppose I'm a realistic chance. An FIR has been filed against 17 directors of the Mahanand, the apex body of milk unions in Maharashtra, for alleged inappropriate disbursement of funds to a milk federation in violation of the Co-operative Act. The FIR names NCP MLA Ramrao Vadkute, former MLA Rahul Mote and the then managing director of Mahanand S V R Shrinivas (an IAS officer) who is currently the Additional Municipal Commissioner in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, among others. These three were currently not present for the comments. S R Naik, chairman of Maharashtra Rajya Dudh Vitarak, Vahatukdar Sanghtna, is the complainant in the case. Naik alleges that Rahul Mote, one of the directors, used his influence to disburse Rs 65 lakh instead of Rs 2.5 lakh as an advance to the Bhoom Taluka Dudh Sangh (Bhoom Tehsil Milk Federation) in Osmanabad district in 2009. "This is a violation of section 83 of the Cooperative Act. As per the Act, the Mahanand board can disburse an advance for up to 10 days, which is Rs 2.5 lakh," Naik said. "It is a clear case of misappropriation of funds which may have been used for election campaigning during Lok Sabha and Assembly elections held in 2009," he alleges. "The board conspired as all members of the board knew that the same federation is not supplying milk to Mahanand. Inspite of that, they sanctioned a post-facto proposal of disbursement of funds to the federation," he said. There are other 105 milk federations across the state and the government should initiate an inquiry into all such cases, he said. Dairy Development Minister Eknath Khadse said the government will look into the issue. Broadcasting of at least three private FM radio channels and two FM channels of All India Radio (AIR) were disrupted today after a major fire broke out at a private radio station functioning from the old Doordarshan campus here at Tulasipur. Two fire engines were pressed into operation which brought the blaze under control after over an hour, district fire officer C M Routray said. There was no casualty in the fire. He said a spark triggered by a short circuit in one of the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) in the radio station caused the inferno. "Equipment including UPS, invertors, some furniture and a part of the ceiling have been gutted in the mishap," Routray said adding there was no fire-fighting equipment in place in the radio station. Private FM radio channels 93.5 Red FM, 104 Radio Chocolate and 92.7 Big FM channels operate from the building and their programmes were broadcast through the FM antenna of the AIR. "Since we had to snap the power supply to the antenna as a precautionary measure, our own FM broadcasts of Vibhidh Bharati and Rainbow were also affected," said an AIR staff. (REOPENS BOM5) "Among the deceased are three women. The deceased have been identified as Sarika Dasari (45), Nirmala Chabukswar (35), Anuradha Nimbole (17) and one Manoj," police said. "All the deceased were factory workers," they added. (Reopens BES 14) In another incident, an oil company was gutted in a blaze that broke out in Angaon near Bhiwandi in Thane district. However, no casualty was reported in the mishap as the workers were not present there because of Sunday. According to the Chief Fire Officer, around fifty cattle were shifted to safer places from the factory premises. The cause of fire is being probed. A spokesman of a cow shelter located adjacent to the factory said around 1000 cows in the facility are safe. At least four fire engines are still trying to put out the flames. 26 years after Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the Valley, their heart wrenching and poignant tales of persecution, struggle and plight speak of wounds that are yet to heal and a yearning to return to a peaceful co-existence with their Muslim neighbours. "A Long Dream of Home: The Persecution, Exodus and Exile of Kashmiri Pandits," -- a collection of first hand narratives of "never told before" stories by several generations of those evicted from their own state-- was unveiled here last evening. At the launch, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah said, "Don't wait till the last guns stop firing. Come home!". The Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of their homeland in 1990 to live in exile and 26 years since then governments at both central and state levels have changed, and myriad policies have also been formulated but "the rhetoric remains unchanged", said Varad Sharma, who along with Siddharth Gigoo edited the tome published by Bloomsbury. There have been several attempts in the past to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley by proposing the erection of townships but that, Gigoo said , "will not be home. It will be nothing less than a house arrest." According to Gigoo, Sharma and other contributers to the book, the Pandits essentially want "justice", which means getting back their way of life - a peaceful co-existence with their neighbours, i.E. The Kashmiri Muslims and more importantly, no threat to their lives. Sharma suggests a "dialogue" to restore peace in the Valley. According to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, the major impediment in the rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits lies in the fear of losing their lives and homes all over again. "Kashmiri Pandits will find reconciliation very difficult because they have gone through a deep sense of hurt and betrayal," Tharoor said. Despite assurances by authorities about "reduced militancy" in the state, Tharoor pointed out that the Pandits continue to reel under the post traumatic effect of their ouster that followed a massive devastation of property and loss of lives. "Even though Farooq has his heart at the right place but even he cannot guarantee the security and nobody wants to be the guinea pig," Tharoor said. The narratives of friendship and love in the book act as evidence that the exodus has not made the Pandits bitter towards their Muslim counterparts who they admit had suffered too. In an anecdote, Gigoo mentioned the kindheartedness of a Muslim cab driver in curfew ridden Jammu who offered to take him home to his ailing grandmother when everybody else had refused. The driver also declined to take any money from him. Even though his grandmother passed away by the time he reached, Gigoo said he still remembers the stranger's act of kindness. "Kashmir is still surviving because of such instances of humanity," Gigoo said. According to the authors the exodus in the Valley , has often been compared to the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. The only difference, they say, essentially was that the Partition did not leave those who had left their homes behind with any hope for returning. "Pakistan became a different country so, there was no hope of going back, but there is a constant noise of hope here," he said. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is considering stripping retired general David Petraeus of his fourth star after he loaned his mistress classified Afghan war journals, according to a media report. Three people with knowledge of the matter told the US media outlet in a story published Monday that Carter is willing to overrule an earlier Army recommendation that Petraeus not have his rank reduced. Though the revered former commander is now retired, his retroactive demotion to a three-star general could cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of his retirement, as his pension payments would be knocked down to the last rank at which he satisfactorily served, the Daily Beast reported. Petraeus, who led the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, fell from grace last year when he was given two years' probation and fined USD 100,000 for providing classified information to his mistress and biographer Paula Broadwell. Prior to his downfall, he had been regularly praised for his efforts during the "surge" of troops in Iraq and credited for helping salvage the troubled war effort in that country. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told the Daily Beast that Carter was still reviewing the Army's recommendation not to demote Petraeus. "Once the secretary has an opportunity to consider this information, he will make his decision about next steps, if any, in this matter," Cook said. Carter, who is President Barack Obama's fourth defense chief, has said he will not tolerate inappropriate behavior, including among his top officers. Michel Tournier, a major French literary figure in the latter half of the 20th century, has died at the age of 91 in his home near Paris, his family and the local mayor said. "He died at 7:00 pm (2330 IST)," surrounded by his loved ones, said his godson Laurent Feliculis yesterday, whom the author considered his adopted son. Tournier's death was confirmed by the mayor of Choisel, a village of some 550 residents southwest of Paris where Tournier, a devout Catholic, had lived for the past 50 years. Tournier is considered one of France's most influential authors of the second half of the 20th century. He won in 1970 the prestigious Prix Goncourt prize for "The Erl-King", a haunting novel about a man who recruits children into the Nazi regime. Decades later, along with Arthur Miller, Gunter Grass, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and other major authors, Tournier contributed in 2004 to a collection of short stories named "Telling Tales" whose sales financed the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa. He also wrote children's books, and loved to talk about his books at schools. French President Francois Hollande in a statement paid homage to Tournier, describing him as a "great writer" of "immense talent". Feliculis said his godfather's health had deteriorated badly in recent months. "In recent times, he just didn't want to fight any more, it was old age," he said. Alain Seigneur, the mayor of Choisel, said the author wanted to be laid to rest in the village he had lived in since 1957. "He was a little in love with the village. He had chosen where he wanted his tomb to be, at the foot of a tree. German authorities said today they are hunting three veteran far-left militants for attacking money vans with automatic weapons and a grenade-launcher, apparently seeking to finance their retirements on the run. Police found DNA matching that of the fugitives of the disbanded Red Army Faction (RAF) at the scene of a botched armed robbery last June, and prosecutors also linked the three to a similar attack last December. Two men and one woman have been wanted for decades as members of the anti-capitalist RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, which rocked Germany with a wave of bombings, killings and kidnappings targeting political and business leaders from the 1970s to the early 1990s. The three suspects -- Ernst-Volker Staub, 61, Burkhard Garweg, 47, and Daniela Klette, 57 -- were also chief suspects in a 1999 money transporter heist in the western city of Duisburg which netted more than one million Deutschmarks, or about 500,000 euros (USD 545,000). Last year, according to prosecutors, they were apparently at it again, starting with a failed robbery on June 6. In the attack, three masked assailants armed with two AK-47s and a grenade-launcher opened fire on a money van near the northern city of Bremen. Police said the attackers used a vehicle to block the security van that was carrying about one million euros and may have used a jamming device to disable the mobile phone communications of the two guards. The assailants fled without any cash when the security guards locked themselves inside the armoured vehicle, and no one was injured. "There is no evidence to suggest... A terrorist background," said the Lower Saxony state prosecutors about the June attack. "Rather it must be presumed the crime aimed to help finance their underground lives." There was also "suspicion because of fresh results of investigations" that the three were involved in a third attack on a cash transporter, last December 28 in the central city of Wolfsburg, said federal prosecutors in Karlsruhe. "There are parallels in the execution of the crime and the evidence," Wolfsburg prosecution spokesman Klaus Ziehe told AFP, adding that DNA checks were ongoing. The three are among a wider group of fugitives still on the run for membership of the RAF, which emerged out of the radicalised fringe of the 1960s student protest movement. The group, which had links to Middle Eastern militant organisations, declared itself disbanded in 1998. Staub, Garweg and Klette, alleged member's of the RAF's so-called "third generation", have long been wanted as chief suspect in a 1993 explosives attack against a prison under construction in Hesse state. In the attack, five RAF members climbed the prison walls, tied up and took away the guards in a van, then returned to set off explosions that caused about 600,000 euros worth of property damage, said prosecutors. A German company today launched an early earthquake warning and security system in India, claiming that the device which is to be fitted in buildings will help detect the first waves and provide people a few extra seconds to rescue themselves during a tremor. 'Early Earthquake Warning and Security System' needs to be fitted in buildings and can detect P (Primary) waves, which are in mild form and are followed by strong S (Secondary) waves during an earthquake, Secty Electronics Gmbh's Managing Director Juergen Przybylak said. "The technologies, presently available, are based on detecting P waves of an earthquake and it is a matter of seconds to act to save our lives and infrastructure. "GFZ-Potsdam has developed an algorithm and Secty Electronics has programmed it in its software to detect the P wave," Przybylak said, adding that the device alerts 70 seconds before the secondary waves hit the structure and, thus, giving more time for people to escape. In a joint venture with M/s Terra Techcom Pvt. Ltd, the firm said it has received contract from the Haryana government in Mini Secretariat at Sector-17, Chandigarh. Dresden police are searching for a man, described as sporting a Hitler mustache and wearing a Nazi-style helmet emblazoned with a swastika, who assaulted an Afghan immigrant on a sledding hill in eastern Germany. Police today said the man approached two Afghan men, aged 21 and 26, on Saturday in Geising, south of Dresden. Witnesses say the attacker insulted them, and then hit the younger man on the head, knocking him to the ground. After passers-by intervened, police say the man showed the stiff-armed Nazi salute, then fled the scene. The man, who is being sought on charges of assault and the display of banned symbols, is described as strongly built, about 25-30 years old, with a shaved head. Police are appealing to the public for any information. A 17-year-old girl working as a domestic help at a JNU professor's residence was allegedly abducted from outside the varsity's campus in south Delhi and gangraped, police said today. Four out of the five persons involved in the crime have been detained by police, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Prem Nath said. According to the police, the incident took place around 4.30 PM yesterday when the girl went to a footwear store just outside the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus where a youth, whom she knew, persuaded her to sit inside his car. When she boarded the vehicle, she found out that some other youths were also present inside. She was allegedly offered a drink which was laced with sedatives and once she fell asleep, the accused took her to a rented room in Munirka colony where she was allegedly raped. When the girl regained her consciousness, the youth who was known to her got her dressed and dropped her at the campus in a scooter. She later developed pain in her lower abdomen, for which she was taken to a hospital, where rape was confirmed. Agitated over the incident, a group of JNU students and teachers staged a demonstration outside Vasant Kunj (North) police station demanding that the accused be arrested. "The incident is reflective of the lessons that we have learnt from December 16 gangrape. We demand that the accused be arrested and we will also raise the issue of security on campus with the Vice-Chancellor tomorrow," said Saurabh Sharma, Joint Secretary JNU Students' Union. The first accused to be detained was the youth whom the girl identified. He later disclosed the names of the others, said police. "A case under relevant sections of IPC and POCSO Acts have been registered. The four accused detained so far are being questioned. A team is searching for the fifth one involved in the case," Prem Nath said. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, is warning that Russia needs to increase efforts to find a solution to its ailing economy. Gorbachev's comments to the state agency RIA Novosti today came a day after the ruble hit an all-time low against the euro, as Russia struggles with a sharp decline in prices for oil, a key export. The ruble has declined about 60 percent against Western currencies over two years. Russian officials have suggested that the economic decline, which has also been driven by Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, can be an opportunity for the country to reorient the economy and make it less dependent on oil and gas. But Gorbachev said that so far "no such program has been put together. To cater to the needs of the elderly population in the country, the government has approved setting up of two specialised national centres in Delhi and Chennai that will provide training to professionals and conduct research activities, apart from providing quality geriatric care. The Union Health Ministry said that both are likely to be 'Centres of Excellence' in the field of geriatric care and will come up in Delhi and Chennai. "Government has approved establishment of two national centres of ageing, one each at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi and Madras Medical College, Chennai," an official statement said. Both the centres have been approved under the tertiary level component of the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE) during the 12th Five Year Plan period. An MoU in this regard was signed here today between AIIMS in New Delhi and the Health Ministry, in the presence of Union Health Secretary B P Sharma and AIIMS Director M C Mishra. A separate MoU was signed between the Health Ministry and the Health Department of Tamil Nadu and Madras Medical College. "Both the national centres of ageing are expected to be Centres of Excellence in the field of geriatric care in the country. The functions of the national centres will be to provide health care delivery, training of health professionals and research activities along with 200 bedded in-patient services," the statement said. Geriatric care, which is also known as 'Ageing Life Care', is the process of planning and coordinating care of the elderly and others with physical or mental impairments to meet their long term care needs, improve their quality of life and maintain their independence for as long as possible. Government today faced some tough questions on Indo-Pak relations from some members of a parliamentary committee in the backdrop of the Pathankot terror attack during a briefing by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar today. "There were frank questions and frank answers. It was a good meeting," said a member, who attended the meeting but declined to divulge the details. The Foreign Secretary briefed the members of the Standing Committee of Parliament on External Affairs on Indo-Pakistan relations under the current political situation in Pakistan. At an earlier meeting of the panel on December 29, the Foreign Secretary was grilled by committee members, who wanted to know why India failed to anticipate the crisis in Nepal which has taken a heavy toll on ties. There was a view in the committee that the details of such meetings on such sensitive issues should not go outside the panel as they impact long-term strategies, a member said on the condition of anonymity. The panel's meeting on the status of Indo-Pak relations today came in the backdrop of India and Pakistan deferring their foreign secretary-level talks to "very near future" after the Pathankot attack. Sources said that members asked a number of questions to the foreign secretary on the impact of Pathankot terror attack on Indo-Pak relations and about the response of Pakistan on it. Opposition members asked a number of tough questions regarding the government's handling of relations with Pakistan, the sources said. In view of the sensitivity of the issue, the members were asked to maintain confidentiality of the discussion, they said. After the hour-long meeting was over, the panel headed by Congress member Shashi Tharoor held an interaction meeting with a visiting Congressional Delegation from the USA. The committee currently has 29-members -- 21 from Lok Sabha and 8 from Rajya Sabha after two vacancies one from each House. The Government Railway Police is today likely to record the statements of the family members of deceased builder Amar Bhatia, who was found dead in neighbouring Thane district two days ago. Bhatia, director (Operations) of Mohan Group of Developers, a reputed construction firm in Thane and Kalyan, was found dead on the railway tracks between Ambernath and Badlapur stations after he left home on Saturday evening, police said. According to GRP, the builder was hit by the Kolkata-bound Duronto Express and suffered multiple injuries. Subsequently, he was pronounced dead at the Ulhasnagar Central hospital on Sunday. "We haven't recorded any statements of Bhatia family so far, as they are in a state of shock and could not speak. DCP (Central Railway, GRP) Rupali Ambure told PTI. Before taking the extreme step, Amar had sent message to his uncle Rajkumar Bhatia on Whatsapp on Saturday night that he is committing suicide. He, however did not explain the reason, Ambure said. Police have not ruled out the murder angle and is further investigating the case. Today, we shall try to record the statement of their family, a GRP official said. Bhatia's death comes after the suicide of Suraj Parmar of Cosmos Group, due to which Thane Police has decided to conduct a parallel investigation in the case. Parmar, a leading builder, had shot himself on October 7 last year. His suicide note alleged that a nexus of officials and corporators was harassing him for bribes. This page has found a new home Three persons, including a scrap dealer, were today arrested in connection with the robbery of idols and valuable items from temples, police here said. According to Gurgaon Police Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk, with these arrests, a gang of robbers which was allegedly involved in the robbery of items worth Rs 1 crore from a Jain temple in the Shikahopur area here has been busted. The alleged robbery had occurred on December 30, 2014, and a case in this regard was registered at Kherki Daula police station, he said, adding that three police teams were formed to investigate the matter. The inquiries subsequently led to the arrest of two persons, identified as Sagar Chaudhary and his associate Saifal, natives of West Bengal, and the recovery of 25 idols from their possession worth Rs 1 crore, said the top cop. During sustained interrogation, the accused duo revealed that they would rob idols along with their other gang members, whom they identified as Tinu, Rahul Khan, Jahangir, Jagbandhu and Sahuk. They said they would do a recce of temples posing as rag pickers and carry out their robbery of idols and other items at night, added Virk. Meanwhile, a Ghaziabad-based scrap dealer, Irshad Ali, was also arrested who was allegedly sold some stolen idols for Rs 50,000. Police said they have recovered Rs 50,000 in cash along with some idols from Ali. "Police are looking for the other associates, who are still on the run. "The gang used to sell stolen items in Faridabad, Delhi and Ghaziabad," Virk added. A 42-year-old gym franchise owner escaped unhurt after an unidentified person fired at him thrice at the parking lot of a mall in Kothrud area of the city last night, police said. Police have recovered CCTV footage of the parking lot which shows an unidentified person shooting thrice at the complainant Shakeel Bijapure's car from a short distance. Deputy commissioner police Tushar Doshi said, "The attack took place when the complainant who owns franchise of a reputed gym brand was leaving for home. He was sitting next to his driver in the car." The assailant who came on a bike blocked car's way and fired three rounds, but both Bijapure and his driver were not hit. Bijapure had named a person as a suspect behind the attack, though police have not arrested anyone yet. "Extortion angle which the complainant suspects is being investigated," the DCP said. Haryana government has ordered a vigilance inquiry into the approval given for openning 15 Multi-Purpose Health Worker (MPHW) colleges during the former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's regime, State Health Minister Anil Vij said here today. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has also given his nod for conducting the probe. Vij, in a statement issued here, said that the previous state government had given approval for opening 15 MPHW colleges just one month before the Assembly elections. He futher said within one month, the college building was constructed, Letter of Intent and Letter of Permission were issued, verification was conducted and all formalities required for making the colleges functional were shown to have been completed. However, suspicion was raised when these 15 colleges applied for admission of students. Following this, the institutions concerned approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where the Haryana Government, expressing doubt, demanded re-inspection of the basic infrastructure of these colleges. The demand was accepted by the High Court, he said. Subsequently, sub-divisional officers of the districts concerned and officers of the Department had carried out videography of the inspection of the colleges, but the report submitted by them was different from the one submitted earlier, Vij said. Two facts came to light in this matter. Firstly, it was found that the institutions taking permission for opening colleges had "cheated" the government, he said, and then the officers who had prepared the "wrong" report had "misled" the government. Keeping in view these facts, a vigilance inquiry has been ordered, he said, adding strict action would be initiated against all those found guilty in this matter. Projecting Haryana as a "land of opportunities and enterprise", Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today sought more investment from Japanese firms especially in infrastructure, defence, aerospace and electronics hardware manufacturing, assuring them of hassle- free business environment in the state. Speaking at a well-attended investment promotion seminar here, Khattar said that nearly one-third of foreign investments in Haryana are from Japanese companies. "It is a matter of pride that Japan has been one of the major investors in Haryana. The investment flow started with the entry of Suzuki in the 1980s which created an entire eco-system of auto ancillaries in Faridabad and Gurgaon," he said in his address switching between Japanese and English. Seeking Japanese firms' continued preference and investments for the state, he assured them of hassle-free business environment and wholehearted support of his government. The Chief Minister said that the government would appoint Relationship Managers for Japanese investors who would handhold them through the entire project lifecycle. The Chief Minister is leading an official and business delegation to Japan and China to invite foreign direct investment to the state. He said that Haryana offers great opportunities for investment in fields of IT/ITES, agro and food processing, healthcare and medical education, skill development, electronics hardware manufacturing, textile and apparel, defence and aerospace and mass rapid transport. He said that presence of large multinational companies in Haryana, including Japanese companies like Suzuki, Honda, Panasonic, Aisin, Mitsubishi, Yokohama, Yakult, Musashi, Mitsui, Asahi, YKK, Stanley, Denso, Asti, Kansai, NHK, NTN, Daikin, Showa, Sanden, Koyo, is a testimony to the state's progressive industrial policies and the sound infrastructure facilities available to the industrial entrepreneurs. Calling Haryana a land of opportunities and enterprise, he said, the state is the leading manufacturer of cranes, excavators, cars, two-wheelers, footwear and scientific instruments. The Allahabad High Court has ordered a CBI inquiry into the abduction of a boy from Badaun district, who has been missing for nearly two years and whose mother has claimed that the alleged kidnapper was not being arrested as his close relatives were employed with Uttar Pradesh police. A division bench, comprising Justice Shashi Kant Gupta and Justice Vijay Lakshmi, passed the order yesterday on the petition of Satyawati, the mother of the kidnapped boy, and directed CBI to submit its progress report by the next date of hearing on February 24. The court noted that the petitioner, whose son has been missing since the year 2014, was an "illiterate lady" and "under apprehension that she will not get justice from the state police which has failed to take any effective step for tracing boy." "Justice should not only be done but it must be seen to have been done," the court remarked, adding that a CBI inquiry was necessary "to instil confidence of the general public in the justice delivery system" and to ensure that the investigation took place "in an impartial manner." The petitioner had alleged that although a case has been lodged at Islamnagar police station of Badaun, the arrest of Manphool Singh - who is named as the main accused in the FIR - has not yet been arrested as his son was an inspector while a number of other close relatives were officers of Deputy SP, Additional SP and SP rank. Delhi High Court today questioned the Delhi government as to why it had issued notification relating to school admissions at the very last moment, thereby "surprising parents and giving them no time to react". "Why you (Delhi government) issue all notifications in the month of December. Can't you do prior to this, so that people are well informed in advance," Justice Manmohan said. He further said that "your last moment decision creates chaos", leading the parents to run to get their kids admitted as they do not get enough time to "decide the future". The parents "should not be taken by surprise at the last moment." "This is a practical problem. If you had informed them in advance, they could have arranged something," the judge said during the hearing of pleas by three minors, through their counsel Akhil Sachar, challenging the government's order fixing the maximum age for nursery in private unaided schools at four years. Accepting their pleas, the court issued notice to the AAP government and asked them to file their reply before February 25 on the pleas which stated that the December 18, 2015 order seeks to do "disservice to children and society by taking away their Right to Education by introducing an age limit for admission to a school". While fixing the hearing of the matter on February 1, when one similar plea is listed to be taken up, the court asked Delhi government and the schools not to reject the application forms of petitioner here only on ground of upper age limit. During the hearing, the court said that the notification issued should be such that it can be implemented a year later. The minors, who would complete three and four years by February, sought quashing of the Delhi government's decision, saying in case government is allowed to execute the "illegal and arbitrary order" which is in "contravention of the mandatory provisions of law", they will suffer "irreparable harm and injury which cannot be compensated". As per the notification issued in December 2015 by the Directorate of Education, the upper age limits for admission in pre-school, pre-primary and class-I has been prescribed as four years, five years and six years respectively as on March 31 of the year in which admission is being sought. The Delhi government had earlier said that the distance criteria was a "priority gradation system" where first preference would be given to children within 1 km, then 1-3 km and then, if there was vacancy, to beyond 6 kms. During the hearing today, the government said it could extend the dates for the admission process, as at present, January 31 is the last date for applying for admission in the schools and thereafter till February 10, scrutiny of applications would be done. However, the court said, "we will have to follow a strict time frame" and listed the matter for hearing tomorrow. The court also said that Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Land and Development Office (N&DO) should also clarify their stand on the neighbourhood issue. The court also impleaded Centre as a party in the matter and said they should have a "clear stand" on the issue. The high court had earlier directed the parents to fill up the application forms of various schools based on the criteria set by them as well as AAP government to avoid any ambiguity in the nursery admission process. Some schools have also challenged a condition in DDA's allotment letters, giving land to some private unaided schools, under which they have to reserve 75 per cent seats for students in the neighbourhood. The two circulars of December 19, 2016 and January 7, 2017 have enforced the allotment clause and thereby restricted admission in schools on DDA land to their locality. Some parents have also approached the high court against the new nursery admission criteria. Delhi High Court today restrained around 203 websites from streaming, broadcasting or providing online access to the film 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3' starring Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani and others. Passing the restraint order, the court said the plaintiff, the production company-- Balaji Motion Pictures-- is "entitled to get protection under the Copyright Act". Balaji Motion Pictures, producer of the film which is scheduled for release on January 22, has approached the High Court contending that 203 websites, local cable operators and others should be restrained from making available or showing, uploading, downloading or exhibiting the movie in any manner without proper licence from the producers. Accepting the plea, Justice Vipin Sanghi issued notice to 300 defendants including websites and local cable operators and directed them to comply with the order restraining all of them from providing "online access in any manner". Besides restraining the websites from providing access to the film, the court also directed various Internet Service Providers (ISP), Department of Telecommunications and Department of Information Technology to ensure and secure compliance by blocking access to all the 203 websites identified by the producers. The court fixed the next date of hearing on May 5. Advocate Abhishek Malhotra, appearing for the production company, stated that the film, cannot be viewed on any device or broadcast on any platform through internet without their permission. He said that the cause of action arose after he received information that the defendants and unknown persons were engaged in rampant piracy and abuse of copyright in respect of various other works including the film. "They are likely to indulge in unlicensed and unauthorised exploitation of the film merely a week ahead," the counsel contended. Besides Kapoor and Shivdasani, the film also stars Mandana Karimi, along with Gizele Thakral, Claudia Ciesla, Krishna Abhishek, Shakti Kapoor and Darshan Jariwala in pivotal roles. Delhi High Court today sought the response of the AAP government and city police chief on a plea seeking time-bound trial and disposal of cases relating to sexual offences, particularly against children. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also issued notice to the authorities and asked them to file a status report with regard to the issues raised in a petition file by NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA). "Issue notice. Respondent 2 and 3 (Delhi government and Delhi Police Commissioner) to file status report," the court said while listing the matter for further hearing on March 9. The court's direction came on plea by BBA, which was represented by advocate Bhuvan Ribhu, who stated that not only does the CrPC, but even the Constitution "envisages a citizen's fundamental right to a fast and a speedy trial". The petitioner also stated that "despite the introduction of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, there has been an incessant delay in the investigation, trial and adjudication of cases in courts in Delhi". "Significantly, the same is despite consistent directions by the Supreme Court vis-a-vis a swift investigation to be done by the police, followed by a time bound trial in cases involving sexual offences. "That, a perusal of statistics released in the year 2014 by NCRB for cases involving the POCSO Act, elucidates grave delays not only in investigations by the Delhi police but also in criminal trials by courts," the counsel contended. Supporting the contentions raised by the NGO, advocate Prabhsay Kaur, appearing for Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), said that a record of pending cases should be called from all districts of Delhi. Quoting National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) 2014 report to show that trial in only 409 of a total 8379 cases was completed, the petitioner submitted that the "right of a speedy trial applies not only to the accused but to the victim too, as a swift trial consequences in a faster adjudication and lesser psychological suffering". The NGO sought direction to police "to adhere to a time bound investigation within three months" in cases of sexual offences, rape or sexual assault against children. It said that a direction should be given to the courts subordinate to the High Court to complete the trial in a time bound manner. It also sought directions to DCW and Delhi State Legal Services Authority to monitor the rehabilitation and counselling of all rape and sexual abuse victims, girls and boys respectively, for as long as possible. The plea further stated that the court should direct all hospitals of Delhi to provide "medical and psychological care" required in case of a sexual abuse survivor approaching the said hospital for treatment. The NGO said, "despite a clear legislative mandate, the NCRB's Crime in India Report 2014 establishes a total of 8379 cases of POCSO that were presented for trial in the year 2014, out of which 1806 cases were pending trial from the previous year. "Out of the total 8379 cases, trial was completed in only 409 cases. That at the current rate of trial, it will take 20 years to complete the trial of the existing set of cases, even if no new cases are sent to trial during that time," the NGO counsel stated. He said the said report also establishes that out of 8379 cases tried under various offences of POCSO, conviction of accused happened in only 100 cases, which was only one per cent of the total number. "Further in 4 per cent of cases, there was acquittal of the accused, and in the remaining 95 per cent of cases, trial is still pending. "That, similarly, out of a total number of 37519 cases of rape against minor children that were tried under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code, in 5527 cases, trial was completed with 1717 convictions and 3810 acquittals," the plea said. It further said that only in about 14 per cent of reported cases of rape against children trial has been completed, and there has been conviction in only in less than 5 per cent of reported cases of rape against children. "In Delhi, the situation is no better where 1004 cases of rape against children were registered in 2014. 107 cases are registered under POCSO Act in Delhi in the year 2014," the plea added. The Delhi High Court today asked the north municipal corporation to explain why it was merging 19 of its schools, where girls and boys were taught separately during different times of the day, into one co-ed institution. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath issued notice to Delhi government's education department and North MCD directing them to file their response before next date of hearing on February 11. The court, however, refrained from staying the operation of the December 31, 2015 order for merger of the schools. "What is the reason behind this order, explain it within two weeks," the court asked, adding that "it is not possible to stay the operation". The court was hearing a plea filed by a trust, which has sought quashing of the December 31 office order of the north MCD. The order had also said that after the merger, services of the surplus staff shall be utilised in the same zone against vacant posts and if vacancy does not exist, the remaining may be sent to its headquarters for further posting. The petitioner, however, stated that the order is illegal and arbitrary. "The action of the respondents to merge 19 schools into municipal corporation primary school on the grounds of low number of students enrolled in the schools... Will affect the legal right of the students/children of the poor families provided under Article 21 and 21A of the Constitution," the plea said. The cast of Disney Channel's "High School Musical" have come together for a new telecast in honour of the film's 10th anniversary. The film that launched the likes of Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale into the spotlight came out 10 years ago, reported Digital Spy. Hudgens and Tisdale will be joined by co-stars Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman during a special telecast of the movie, while Efron will join in proceedings with a pre-taped message to "High School Musical" fans. Speaking of the event, Gary Marsh, President and Chief Creative Officer of Disney Channels Worldwide, said: "Seeing the cast of "High School Musical" back together again reaffirms what made it special 10 years ago. It's their optimism, their dedication and their extraordinary talent - as a group - that made this such an exceptional movie and cultural phenomenon. The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has set up a 12-member committee headed by Prof H R Nagendra, to identify courses and programmes in Yogic Art and Science that can be offered at various levels. The Committee on Yoga Education in Universities will submit its report in 45 days and, will also spell out the scope of programmes offered at certificate, diploma, degree, post graduate and research levels. It will also develop broad details of the curriculum in various courses, an order by the HRD ministry said. The Chairperson of the panel Prof Nagendra, is the Chancellor of the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Bengaluru, and is reported to be the yoga guru of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The committee will also prescribe the syllabus for conducting NET in Yogic Art and Science and determine the eligibility qualifications for students for joining Yoga Education Programme at different levels. In its order, the HRD ministry said that a meeting on Yoga Education in Universities was held by minister Smriti Irani with VCs in Bangalore on January 2, where it was decided to set up Department of Yogic Art and Science in Universities and constitute a Committee on Yoga Education in Universities. When Geneva-based jeweller Ronny Totah received an offer last November to view a rare Kashmir sapphire set for auction with an asking price of up to USD 12 million, his jaw dropped. The large glimmering blue sapphire pictured in the prospective from the Phillips auction house was, he was convinced, a gem his company once owned before it was audaciously snatched from a Milan hotel nearly two decades earlier. "I looked at the certificate, and I had this feeling. I said to myself: 'That's it. That's it'," he told AFP in an interview last week. The story reads like the plot of a mystery novel, with a multitude of twists and turns, a second disappearance and an as yet unresolved ending centred around a New York pawn shop. It all started in 1996, when the Horovitz & Totah (H&T) jewellers had offered for auction a Cartier bracelet bearing a stunning 65.16-carat unheated Kashmir sapphire with an unusual elongated cushion-cut. On November 14 that year, days before the anticipated sale in Geneva focused exclusively on Cartier jewels, auction house Antiquorum displayed the pieces at the Four Seasons hotel in Milan. According to Swiss daily Le Temps, more than 50 people were in the viewing room when the bracelet, the main attraction of the show, vanished. "It was terrible. It is always a shock when you get robbed," Totah said. H&T's insurers dished out the USD 1.8 million -- the price they had expected to fetch at the time -- and Totah and his colleagues put the uncomfortable incident behind them. Until November 8, 2015, when he received an email from Phillips offering a Geneva viewing of a 59.57-carat Kashmir Sapphire ahead of an auction in New York. Totah did not view the stone, but studied the certificate carefully. Considering "there are basically no stones with this origin, weight and shape out there ... It is "very, very, very probably" the stolen H&T sapphire, he said. The fact that the gem in the prospectus was a little smaller than the one stolen 19 years earlier did not make Totah less suspicious, since jewel thieves will often file down a stone to alter its weight or shape. He suggested the sapphire being offered by Phillips had been filed down to just under the 60-carat mark to make it less spectacular and noteworthy. The Income Tax department is looking at clearing as many as 50 advance pricing agreements (APAs) by March, which would help India become the second country to conclude 50 or more APAs in a year, an I-T official said today. APA provides for signing of an agreement between a taxpayer and the I-T Department on an appropriate transfer pricing methodology for determining the value of assets and ensuing taxes on intra-group overseas transactions. The mechanism, aimed at avoiding future transfer pricing disputes, was introduced in 2012 and the fiscal year ended March 2013 was the first cycle. A total of 22 APAs have already taken place so far in the current fiscal and 10 more such agreements are likely to happen by the month-end. Thus, the department is looking at completing 50 APAs in the current fiscal. As of now, USA is the only country in the world which accounts for around 100 APAs per annum, the official told PTI, requesting anonymity. There were merely 10 APAs in India during the past two years. The number of such agreements pending for clearance before the Department was 575 as on March 31 last year, and this is likely to cross 775 by March 2016. Elaborating on the reason for delay in clearance, the official said that unlike in the USA, where there are 70 officials involved in processing APAs, India has only 15 people who have been engaged for the job. Maintaining critical assumptions do take place in India while resolving issues relating to APAs, he said "we do go for critical assumptions while tackling APAs. However, it depends on each case and we negotiate with taxpayers while doing so to safeguard the interest of both parties involved." "APA started happening in the country since the fiscal year 2013-14 and so far 32 APAs (22 in FY16 so far and 10 in FYs 14 & 15) have already happened. The number may cross 50 by the fiscal-end," KPMG head transfer pricing India, Rohan K Phatapherkar, said. "The problem is there were still 575 APA applications pending before the department (as on March 31 last year) and the number may cross 775 by the fiscal-end," he added. In Syria's eastern city of Deir el- Zour, supplies are running so short that desperate residents are selling their gold, valuables and even their homes for food or an exit permit allowing them to escape a siege by both government troops and Islamic State (ISIS) militants. The extremists have blockaded government-held areas of the city for over a year, and some of its 200,000 residents are slowly starving while troops and militias supporting President Bashar Assad exploit their suffering. While attention was focused recently on Madaya a rebel-held town surrounded by pro-Assad troops near the capital of Damascus the United Nations and aid agencies say another catastrophe is unfolding in Deir el-Zour. The civil war has transformed a once oil-rich city into a place where even something as simple as making tea is a struggle, according to residents who have fled, because of severe shortages of food, water and fuel. Many people live on bread and water and there are long waits for both. Taps are shut off for days at a time, and the water that flows out for only a few hours is brackish. The city hasn't had electricity for over 10 months, with little fuel available for generators and water pumps. The UN warned last week that living conditions have deteriorated significantly in Deir el-Zour. Students are frequently absent from school because of malnutrition. The only remaining civilian hospital needs drugs and other supplies, as well as staff. Unverified reports cited up to 20 malnutrition deaths, the UN said in its report. But Ali al-Rahbi, spokesman for the Justice for Life Observatory for Deir el-Zour, said his group documented 27 deaths. The Islamic State group surrounds Deir el-Zour and won't let people and supplies in by land; the Syrian government, which controls part of the city and its airport, won't allow supplies to be brought in by air or let its people out. The city, about 450 kilometres northeast of Damascus, is divided roughly along the Euphrates River, with the Islamic State group on the eastern side and the Syrian government on the western side, although ISIS controls some territory on the western bank as well. Deir el-Zour is the largest of about 15 besieged communities in Syria, cutting off about 400,000 people from aid. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said both the Syrian government and the rebels are committing war crimes by deliberately starving civilians. After a gap of four years, the Oil Ministry will this week host a conference of African nations as it looks to cement ties with the energy-rich continent in an attempt to diversify its energy sources. The 4th India-Africa Hydrocarbon Conference (IAHC) will be held on January 21-22, an official said. The last such conference was held in 2011. The conference was supposed to be bi-annual, but was skipped in subsequent years. The official said the conference couldn't take place in 2013 because of the oil industry's bi-annual conference-cum exhibition 'Petrotech' featuring that year. The conference is aimed at greater co-operation between India and the African continent for promoting partnership in hydrocarbons. IAHC will also explore opportunities, bridge boundaries and boost bilateral trade between India and Africa, he said. Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will deliver the inaugural address on January 21 while External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend the closing ceremony. India today gave Nepal financial assistance of over USD 400,000 for organising an eyecare programme across the country. A MoU was signed between the Indian Embassy and Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS), a non-profit organisation, for holding Eye Care Programme in various districts of the country as part of India-Nepal Cooperation Programme of the Indian government. India extended financial assistance "of NRs 44.16 million (over USD 400,000) to Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh for organising Eye Care Programme in various Districts of Nepal," an Indian Embassy statement said. Nepal's Minister of Health and Population Ram Janam Chaudhary and India's Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae were present at the event where the MoU was signed. Since 2001,the Indian government has provided a total grant assistanceofNepali Rs 254.16 million (USD 2.54 million) to NNJSfor organisingeye care services in the different corners ofthe country. The assistance by the Indian government has facilitated in performing of more than 11,7000 cataractsurgeries,4200 TT surgeriesandmore than 37,200students have benifited from the optical devices donated under School Eye Health Care Programme. The Indian government has decided to continue its financial assistance to NNJS for Cataract and School eye care programme in future. India and the Maldives today decided to deepen bilateral ties, especially in the critical sector of defence and security. Visiting Maldivian Defence and National Security Minister Adam Shareef met his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar here this evening and held delegation-level talks during which it was decided that the two nations should deepen and broaden their defence cooperation, official sources said. The development comes at a time when the Chinese are increasing their footprint in the archipelago nation. China is funding several infrastructure projects across the Maldives. The government's electoral pledges, like building a bridge between capital Male and the airport island of Hulhule and development of its main international airport, also hinges on soft loans being considered by Beijing. Chinese businesses, mostly state-owned corporations, have recently forayed into the Maldives with investments in areas such as the upmarket luxury tourism industry. The Maldives also held its second investment forum in the Chinese capital last November. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, during her visit to Maldives in October 2015, had said that India will always be the net security provider to the Indian Ocean archipelago. She, however, had stressed that it was important to insulate both nations from trends towards radicalisation and terrorism. The confidence level of chief executives worldwide about growth prospects of their own companies has fallen but Indian CEOs are among the most confident, says a new survey. India has also become one of the five most promising overseas markets for the businesses globally, according to the annual global CEO survey of consultancy giant PwC released here at the WEF Annual Meeting. The confidence level among Indian CEOs remains higher than the global average although they have also become less confident since last year about the growth prospects of their own companies. As per the findings, CEOs are less optimistic about prospects this year and those who think global growth would improve over the next 12 months have declined to 27 per cent from 37 per cent seen in 2015. Further, those who think the situation would worsen have increased to 23 per cent from 17 per cent. Confidence in businesses' own revenue growth for the next 12 months has fallen with only 35 per cent feeling 'very confident' compared to 39 per cent last year. "Against this tide of pessimism, CEOs in India (64 per cent), Spain (54 per cent) and Romania (50 per cent) stand out as more optimistic," it said. PwC India Chairman Deepak Kapoor said CEOs in India have given strong indication of general uplift in sentiments by showing much more confidence than their global counterparts when it comes to revenue growth for their companies. "Recent policy reforms and a consequent pick up in investment and the government's aim to boost infrastructure are also playing a role in boosting CEO confidence," he noted. However, Kapoor said the CEO community continues to be concerned by lack of infrastructure and over-regulation. "With India as the fastest growing large economy in the world, it offers one of the best opportunities for both Indian and global companies in a world that is still coming to terms with a slower growth paradigm and increasing geopolitical uncertainty," he added. While it has become more difficult to pin down where growth would come from, the survey said the US, China and to a lesser extent Germany and the UK, remain the countries that most CEOs cite as among their top overseas growth markets. The top five markets considered as most important for overall growth prospects by the respondents are the USA, China, Germany, the UK and India. "India, which has continued to do well under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-business government, is now among CEOs' five most promising overseas markets," it noted. The survey covered 1,409 CEOs spread across 83 countries. As many as 476 interviews were conducted in Asia Pacific, 314 in Western Europe, 170 in Central and Eastern Europe, 169 in Latin America, 146 in North America, 87 in Africa and 47 in the Middle East. "In the longer term, 78 per cent of Indian CEOs are very confident of growth over the next three years, 7 points up on last year and 29 points higher than this year's global average (49 per cent)," the survey said. With respect to the global economy, 39 per cent of Indian executives expect an improvement whereas the global average is 27 per cent. Around 75 per cent of Indian CEOs believe there are more growth opportunities for their company today than three years ago. About countries most important for their companies' growth in the next one year, 54 per cent said it was the US while 29 per cent respondents mentioned China and 23 per cent went for the UK. Ninety per cent of the Indian CEOs cited inadequate basic infrastructure as a major threat and 80 per cent mentioned exchange rate volatility and 77 per cent cited over-regulation. "Of business threats, 81 per cent stated availability of key skills, 79 per cent stated speed of technological change, 78 per cent stated bribery and corruption," the survey sad. As many as 56 per cent of the Indian executives plan to implement a cost-reduction initiative over the next 12 months. while 70 per cent anticipate increase in head count during the same period. When it comes to disruptive trends in their industry most likely to transform wider stakeholder expectations over the next five years, 80 per cent of the respondents cited technological advances followed by demographic shifts (64 per cent) and shift in global economic power (55 per cent). Around 64 per cent of Indian CEOs felt that the government had been ineffective in achieving greater income equality. About 51 per cent thought that the government had been ineffective in reducing environmental impacts as well as in achieving a clearly understood, stable and effective tax system. "93 per cent of Indian CEOs agree that tax is a business cost that needs to be efficiently managed like any other business cost... 87 per cent agree that a stable tax system is more important than low rates of tax," it said. Around 81 per cent agreed that reducing the administrative burden of tax is as beneficial as reducing tax rates. With 79 per cent of the CEOs concerned about over-regulation, it remains the biggest concern and is followed by geopolitical uncertainty. The latter comes at a time when terror attacks are increasing and touching every part of the world, many linked to the heightened conflict in Iraq and Syria. "Global conflicts are also connected to anxieties about social instability and readiness to respond to crises, named by 65 per cent and 61 per cent of CEOs, respectively. "Cyber security is also a worry for 61 per cent of CEOs, representing as it does (pose) threats to both national and commercial interests," the survey said. As many as 66 per cent of the CEOs see more threats for their companies than it was three years ago. Most Indian jails are overcrowded with undertrials and inmates living under miserable conditions and there is a need for a trained administration to bring reformation in prisoners' lives, an NGO today said. Stressing on the need for a better prison visiting system in India, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) today said the country's jails require a trained prison administrators to improve the situation. "Jails in the country are overcrowded with inmates and undertrials and there must be trained prison officials if the pathetic conditions of inmates needs to be improved or reformed," Maja Daruwala, Director of CHRI, said at a conference, which was jointly organised with Rajasthan Prison Department and State Human Rights Commission here. Poor budget allocation, the way accused are arrested and non-issuance of bail along with miserable conditions in prisons were leading factors attributed to the existing living conditions of the inmates, Daruwala said. She highlighted that 60 per cent prisons were congested with undertrials. The posts of Director-General of Police (Prison) and Inspector General of police (Jail) should also be filled through Prison Services in the country. It was a must to bringing reforms in prisoners' lives, she said. There are several vacancies in jail departments in the country, which needed to be filled up, she said. On the role of 'Non-Official Visitors' (NOV), which the state government appointed in 94 jails, Daruwala said, "NOV should take up the work as a mission and make their recommendations to jails and the state governments, so that the rights of inmates' are protected." Defending the jail reforms, Director General of Police (Jail) in Rajasthan Ajit Singh said the human rights of inmates have been very well protected over a period of time in the state prisons. "Inmates' humanity is never separated from their human rights..They are well protected and their problems are addressed," DGP-Jail said. Prisoners who have been working are paid well as per the rules, while they are also held accountable for their behaviour during the tenure in jails, Singh added. He also advised NOV to study laws and make their suggestions or recommendations to the prison authorities without any reservation. They (NOV) should also get proper training and skill before visiting any jail and inmates, he added. About 100 NOV across Rajasthan are participating in a two-day training workshop. Meanwhile, Dalpat Singh Dinkar, Additional Director General of police in Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission (RSHRC), said there were no satisfactory arrangements or facilities for inmates in jail. Poor inmates or undertrials should be given legal service and NOV should take up this task on their shoulders, ADG-RSHRC said. In his statement, Member of RSHRC M K Devrajan asked NOVs to make regular visits to jails and make strong recommendations at all levels for better rights of prisoners. More than 200 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from India and Singapore will meet during a three-day business conclave here next week to explore collaborations and partnerships. Over 100 Indian SMEs will be participating in the three-day meetings to be held from January 24 to 26 under the "Tomorrow's India" (TI) conclave, the first conclave in the city state organised by the New Delhi based non-profit initiative Global Social India Foundation. The series of arranged meetings will be opened on January 25 with a keynote address from India's High Commissioner to Singapore Vijay Thakur Singh and the Institute of South Asian Studies chairman and ambassador-at-large Gopinath Pillai. "Some 6,000 multinationals have set up their headquarters in Singapore, which has a network of over 50 comprehensive Double Taxation Avoidance agreement, 35 Investment Guarantee pacts and a growing number of Free Trade Agreements as well as the Trans Pacific Partnership," said Pahwa, Rajesh Pawha, co-founder "Tomorrow's India". "Indian companies can tap into Singapore's diverse capital markets and cutting-edge financial services from more than 500 local and foreign financial institutions," said Pahwa. Four Indian industry leaders will hold a panel discussion on "Doing Business in India" at the conclave. Another major event "Industry Showcase - India" will be hosted just after celebrating the Republic Day at the Indian High Commission premises, besides other interactions including a series of visits to Singapore universities, Pawhan said. "Tomorrow's India" plans to take Indian SMEs to at least two developed countries every year, offering them opportunities to study international business practices and financing options with the aim of exporting their products and services. "We will travel to a new market every six months and host programmes for the Indian SMEs," Pahwa said, adding that the focus is on business, culture and art. The conclave has been conceptualised and founded by Social Entrepreneur H P Singh. 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 Indus OS, a regional-language smartphone operating system, today said it has raised USD 5 million (about Rs 33.8 crore) funding from investors led by Omidyar Network. The Series A funding will be used to invest in technology, recruit new talent and expand into international markets. Formerly known as Firstouch, the company was founded by three IIT-Bombay graduates -- Rakesh Deshmukh (CEO), Akash Dongre (Head of Product) and Sudhir B (Head of Technology). "We are looking at expanding our presence in Bangladesh and a few other countries," Deshmukh told PTI. The company is also funded by angel investors like as Snapdeal co-founders Rohit Bansal and Kunal Bahl, Quikr founder Pranay Chulet and InMobi co-founders Naveen Tewari and Amit Gupta, Hari Padmanabhan and Mayank Singhal from Temasek. Indus OS has developed its indigenous operating system with a simple user interface, deep integration of language and technology and App Bazaar (a mobile application store targeting the regional-language audience). The company claims to have an installed user base of over 2 million and is the OS is available in 12 Indic languages. Only 10 per cent of Indians count English as their first or second language but it dominates the country's Internet and mobile phones. "We want to transform this landscape and place Indian Internet on a similar trajectory to that of China," Deshmukh said. Indus OS aims to help users in discovering and using content in vernacular languages including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Assamese and Urdu. "Indus OS is well poised to reach 100 million users in the next three years and emerge as the leader in indigenous- language technology in emerging markets," Deshmukh said. The company has partnerships with Micromax in India and Elite (a phone brand in Bangladesh). "We plans to work with other domestic and global phone brands to bring digital connectivity to smaller urban centers, non-metro and rural areas," he said. It has also signed an agreement with the Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY) to develop a native operating system with integrated text-to-speech technology in regional languages. The Saurashtra Vepar Udhyog Mahamandal (SVUM) will host a five-day long international trade show here from February 11 this year to help manufacturers to export their products in African countries. "The trade show would commence from February 11, where delegates from over 20 countries, mostly from Africa, would attend the show," SVUM president Parag Tejura said here. "The trade show will provide an opportunity for interaction and holding discussions on trade exchange, technology transfer on agriculture and other aspects also," he said. "Saurashtra is considered to be the hub of auto parts, production of building materials, kitchenware, imitation jewellery etc," he said. It will help manufacturers of the region to export their products in African countries, he said. British Deputy High Commissioner, Ahmedabad, Geoff Wain has confirmed to visit the trade show and will meet leading industrialists of Saurashtra and Kutch during his two-day stay here, Tejura said. Iran has successfully transferred some of its formerly frozen assets in order to ensure that financial sanctions have been fully lifted in accordance with a historic nuclear deal, the head of the central bank said today. State TV quoted Valiollah Seif as saying Iran has transferred assets from banks in Japan and South Korea to other banks in Germany and the United Arab Emirates. He did not give the amount of the transfers. Seif said the lifting of sanctions, which took place over the weekend after the UN verified Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal reached last summer, would give Tehran access to USD 32 billion in overseas assets and reduce the cost of international currency transactions for Iran by up to 15 per cent. He promised to unify the exchange rate within six months, eliminating a black market in which foreign currencies, including the US dollar, are traded at 20 per cent higher than their official value. President Hassan Rouhani said today that now that sanctions have been lifted, Iran should redouble efforts to attract foreign investment and liberalise its economy. "Government should withdraw from the economy in favor of the private sector, step by step," Rouhani said at a meeting with business leaders, in which he said Iran could be a "new emerging market." Iran expects an economic breakthrough after the lifting of crippling sanctions linked to its nuclear programme and a windfall of billions of dollars in unfrozen assets. Several foreign business delegations have visited in recent months, hoping to tap into the oil-rich country's huge market. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected in Tehran next week at the head of an 800-member delegation, and next month Rouhani plans to visit Italy and France, which were major economic partners in the pre-sanctions era. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned today against American "deceit", just days after the end of sanctions under a nuclear deal that the central bank said would unblock USD 32 billion. The remarks underscored the still-strained relations between Tehran and Washington, which unveiled new missile-linked sanctions against Iran on Sunday almost as soon as the nuclear-related measures were scrapped. In his first comments since the atomic agreement was implemented at the weekend, Khamenei told President Hassan Rouhani in a letter to "guard against deceit and violations of arrogant states particularly the United States". Rouhani wrote to Khamenei yesterday to provide an update after the UN atomic watchdog declared Saturday that Iran had met conditions stipulated in the nuclear deal. "We have to watch if the other parties fulfil their commitments," the supreme leader wrote in response. Washington cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 1979, when its embassy in Tehran was stormed by students, months after the Islamic revolution, leading to a 444-day hostage crisis. Khamenei has never endorsed repairing relations with the US and has largely followed a similar tack to Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who dubbed America the "Great Satan". Opening up to the world cannot completely fix the economy, Rouhani said today in a televised speech, warning the "difficult road has just begun". "Today is just the start for an innocent human who was kept chained unjustly by the hands and feet for 12 years," said the president. "Sanctions are gone but there is a long way between sanctions and development," he said, speaking to an economics conference in Tehran. "Today, our main problem is unemployment and recession, the lack of a booming economy and many structural and economic deficiencies." Iran hopes that steps to ease its isolation, including the re-admission of its banks to the SWIFT system of international transactions, will inject new vigour into the economy. The central bank said that USD 28 billion (25.8 billion euros) of the unfrozen funds would go to it and USD 4 billion "will be transferred to the state treasury as the share of the government". The assets, which had been held in foreign banks, will be kept "in centralised and safe accounts" abroad, central bank chief Valiollah Seif was quoted by state television as saying, adding that the money could be used to pay for imports. Iran's economy suffered greatly under the international sanctions that since 2006 targeted the Islamic republic's nuclear programme and financial systems. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned today against American "deceit" after Tehran finalised a landmark nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States. In his first comments since the agreement was implemented, Khamenei stressed in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani the need to "guard against deceit and violations of arrogant states particularly the United States". The supreme leader, who had the final say on Tehran's nuclear negotiations, welcomed the lifting of sanctions under the deal, but said that was "not enough for boosting the economy and improving people's lives", according to the letter published by the IRNA agency. Rouhani wrote to Khamenei yesterday to provide an update after the UN atomic watchdog declared that Iran had met conditions stipulated in the nuclear deal. "We have to watch if the other parties fulfil their commitments," the supreme leader wrote in response. Washington cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 1979, when its embassy in Tehran was stormed by students, months after the Islamic revolution, leading to a 444-day hostage crisis. Khamenei has never endorsed repairing relations with the US and has largely followed a similar tack to Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who dubbed America the "Great Satan". The nuclear deal saw an end to years of painful economic sanctions on Iran but Washington on Sunday announced new financial measures against Tehran's ballistic missile programme. Tehran decried the new measures as "illegitimate". Iran will receive $32 billion of unfrozen assets after sanctions were lifted in a deal with world powers over its nuclear programme, Iranian central bank chief Valiollah Seif said today. Seif was quoted by state television as saying that $28 billion would go to the central bank and $4 billion "will be transferred to the state treasury as the share of the government". The unfreezing of assets comes after the UN atomic watchdog confirmed at the weekend that Iran had complied with measures imposed by the deal with global powers reached in Vienna in July. The assets can be used "to buy and import goods, as the entry of such an amount of currency in to the country is not logical," Seif said. The central bank plans to keep the funds "in centralised and safe accounts" abroad, he added. The Islamic State group has confirmed the death of British jihadist "Jihadi John", saying he was killed in a drone strike in their Syrian stronghold of Raqa in November. Born Mohammed Emwazi, he was known as the executioner of the jihadist group appearing masked in a string of videos showing the beheadings of Western hostages. In its online magazine Dabiq, the group yesterday said Emwazi was killed on November 12 "as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqa, destroying the car and killing him instantly". The US military had said at the time that it was "reasonably certain" he had been killed in the strike. Israel's 92-year-old former President Shimon Peres has been discharged from a hospital after suffering a mild heart attack. Peres thanked well-wishers Tuesday after checking out of Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv. He said he was "happy to return to work and excited to serve the country." Peres completed his seven-year term as president in 2014 but remains in the public eye. He is still active through his non-governmental Peres Center for Peace, which promotes coexistence between Arabs and Jews and peace and development in the Middle East. In a seven-decade political career, Peres also served three brief stints as prime minister. Peres was rushed last week to the hospital after experiencing chest pains. A check-up found an irregular heart rate and he was given a successful cardiac catheterization. With India and Israel expanding cooperation to new areas like homeland security innovation and science and technology, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has asked Israeli businesses to look beyond trade for building "long-term stakes" in the Indian economy. Swaraj, in her address at an Indian community reception here last night, expressed optimism for the future in the growth of bilateral ties. "To quote your (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) 'sky is the limit' for ties between India and Israel," she said, underlining that India and Israel are expanding cooperation to new areas such as homeland security, innovation, education and science and technology. "We should work towards a new vision of our important partnership, which should reflect our close friendship and harness fully the potential of our two knowledge economies," Swaraj said. Swaraj, who was here on her first visit to the West Asia region, also held talks with the top Israeli leadership and discussed a wide-range of bilateral and regional issues. "The economic relationship is the key to developing our bilateral ties. We should move from a trade-based relationship to one that is based on investment, manufacturing and services," Swaraj said. "As you know 'Make in India' is a priority of our Government. Our flagship schemes of 'Clean Ganga', 'Smart Cities' or 'Digital India' are all areas of Israeli expertise. We encourage you to look beyond trade to build long term stakes in the Indian economy through investment and joint development of products and services," she said. The Minister said she had "very good" meetings with President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders. "All of them expressed to me the importance they attach to Israel's relations with India, as a friend and partner. I wish to assure you that these feelings are reciprocated by the Government and people of India. We attach high priority to India's relations with Israel," she said. Swaraj noted that the bilateral interactions at the political level are also increasing. In this context, she highlighted President Pranab Mukherjee's visit here last year. "This first ever visit by the President of India gave a substantial boost to our bilateral relationship. Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the full establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries," she said. "I am very happy to be here in Israel. I served as the Chairman of the India-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group for three years during which I also had the pleasure of visiting Israel. I am a personal advocate of strong ties between India and Israel; so I am very happy to see that our relations are progressing so well in all fields of our engagement," she said. Swaraj highlighted that India has always offered the Jewish people a safe and secure home for many centuries. Advocating closer exchanges between the peoples of the two countries, Swaraj said, "We need many more exchanges between our civil societies, parliamentarians, opinion makers and women. Our students should collaborate in scientific research. Our entrepreneurs should build start-ups together." Swaraj also lauded the Indian Jewish community and the friends of India gathered at the reception as she congratulated the Indian caregivers who "are performing very commendable service far away from their homes and families". "I also convey my good wishes to the Indian men serving in the UN Disengagement Observer Force. India has always been an important actor in the United Nations and we will continue our role," she said. Swaraj said India and Israel had walked a "long distance" together in the short time since the full establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992. "We have developed close cooperation in critical areas such as agriculture and defence. Indian farmers and soldiers know Israel well because of its innovative technologies. We should also create conditions that stimulate the flow of knowledge in both directions," she said. Noting that India and Israel are among the "most vibrant democracies in the world", Swaraj said yet they do not know enough about how each other's societies work. Praising the Indian diaspora, Swaraj said, "India is very proud of its large diaspora. Wherever Indians go they have become model citizens in their adopted countries." "They are hardworking, sincere and community-minded. They are the most preferred expatriate community in the Gulf region. The Indian Jewish community in Israel is no different and it always pleases me to see how well they have done here," she said. "We would like to see more and more Indian Jews becoming active catalysts in building ties between India and Israel," she said. "We have always viewed Israel as an important regional country and share the belief that our partnership will be strengthened further in future," she concluded. Losing part of Colstrips 40-year-old power plant would devastate Montanas economy through possible job losses and higher power bills, state elected officials and industry backers said Monday in Billings. They urged the business-friendly audience to speak out against federal regulations they say would hurt the coal industry. President Obama stopped the Keystone pipeline. Next on his to-do list is to kill the coal industry, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said at the forum sponsored by Big Sky Economic Development. About 180 people attended the gathering at Crowne Plaza in downtown Billings. Included in the audience were state lawmakers, county commissioners and tribal leaders. The main point of discussion was the Environmental Protection Agencys proposed Clean Power Plan, released last fall. The agency is aiming to cut carbon emissions 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The keynote speaker was Republican Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, who said regulators must adhere to rule of law above politics in forming the rules. Fox is one of 27 attorneys general nationwide who have signed on to a lawsuit aimed at overturning the Clean Power Plan. The group has asked a federal judge for an injunction to delay the plan. Montana received in a year about $103 million in coal taxes. The state also has about $1 billion in its coal severance tax fund. In Montana, the carbon emission cuts amount to about 47 percent, according to the federal plan, and Colstrip, which employs about 350 workers at the plant, is the biggest contributor. This month, Gov. Steve Bullock announced in Colstrip a panel to help craft guidelines to meet a September deadline. The Colstrip plant has six owners: NorthWestern Energy, Talen Energy, Portland General Electric, Puget Sound Energy, Avista Corp. and PacifiCorp. The latter four market power in Washington and Oregon, where legislators are proposing new laws this year to cut cross-state purchases of coal power. State Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, said he expects a tough push-and-pull between Montana lawmakers and their counterparts on the West Coast. Legislative sessions in Oregon and Washington are annual and are already underway. It will be a dogfight, but thats all right. As long as were the big dog, said Ankney, a member of Bullocks clean-power council. In addition to power-plant regulations, the Obama administration announced last week it was suspending new coal leases on federal land. Officials with the U.S. Department of Interior said they needed time to evaluate whether mining companies are paying a fair amount for extracting publicly owned coal on federal lands. During a panel discussion, Jason Small, a union boilermaker and Northern Cheyenne tribal member, said the union has about 100 jobs at Colstrip 1 and 2, and losing them could kill the union. I dont believe our local would survive. Theres a huge effect on the boilermakers, said Small, who was Dainess guest at last weeks State of the Union speech. Editor's note (Jan. 19): A previous story misstated the ownership of the Colstrip plant, leaving out Avista Corp. This version is correct. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that the home of a Palestinian teen accused of stabbing a Jewish woman to death in the occupied West Bank would be demolished as a deterrent. "We are going to destroy the terrorist's house," Netanyahu said as he visited the Otniel settlement in the West Bank, where Sunday's fatal stabbing occurred, according to his office. Israeli forces have arrested a Palestinian teenager for the killing, which led to outrage among Israelis. His uncle told AFP he was 15, while Israeli media reported his age as 16. Israel regularly demolishes the homes of alleged attackers in what it describes as a deterrent. Rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment, with families forced to suffer for the acts of relatives. Netanyahu again accused Palestinian leaders of incitement. "The hatred that caused this murder has an address," he said. "It is the incitement campaign led by the Palestinian Authority and other elements such as the Islamic Movement and Hamas, and it is about time the international community stopped their hypocrisy and called things by their names." A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted in October, and many of the assailants have been young people, including teenagers. Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the fractured Palestinian leadership. Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media has been a main cause of the violence. In Sunday's attack, the assailant broke into the home of Dafna Meir, a 38-year-old nurse and mother of six, and stabbed her to death. At least some of her children, aged four to 17, were home at the time, but none was hurt. Hours later yesterday, a new knife attack on a street in another West Bank settlement wounded a 30-year-old pregnant woman. The 17-year-old Palestinian assailant was shot by security personnel and taken to hospital in severe condition after the attack in Tekoa, south of Jerusalem. Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano today established a council for relations with the country's Muslims, an advisory body the government hopes will help the minority to better integrate. The council, made up of academics and experts in Islamic culture and religion, will be tasked with coming up with proposals and recommendations on integration issues based on "respect and cooperation", the ministry said in a statement. Alfano said he wanted "a community with all those who -- while from different countries, cultures, religions and traditions -- intend to contribute to the peaceful development and prosperity of our country, in full compliance with our laws and our Christian and humanistic tradition." The body will keep the government in the loop on Islamic issues in Italy and help shape "Italian Islam," the statement added. Experts put the number of Muslims in Italy at over one million, most of whom are immigrants, plus a small number of converts. Alfano, head of the New Centre Right (NCD) party, sparked controversy following the deadly attacks in Paris last November by saying the government would crack down on illegal Muslim places of worship in the fight against terrorism. Such places are often set up because Muslim communities find it exceptionally difficult to establish authorised places of worship in Italy, a country with only four official mosques. Diversified group ITC's instant noodles brand Yippee is inching closer to become a Rs 1,000-crore brand, making the most out of the controversy that hit rival Nestle's Maggi. "Sunfeast YiPPee! as a brand is now in its fifth year post the national rollout... We are proud to say that Yippee Noodles is poised to enter the Rs 1,000 crore club in the ITC Foods stable," ITC Ltd Divisional Chief Executive, Foods Division V L Rajesh told PTI. Explaining Yippee's growth before and after the Maggi ban, he said it was "growing at more than 40% before the controversy broke out... (in June 2015), with all the competitors in the market". "The controversy and confusion that prevailed adversely affected the whole industry. However, with our proactive inputs and innovative campaigns, we were the fastest to recover and then exceed our old sales levels," Rajesh added. The company's campaigns had focused on "worldclass product and manufacturing processes", he said. Nestle had relaunched Maggi in November following a Bombay High Court order, which in August had lifted ban on the instant noodles brand imposed by food safety regulators. In June the company had withdrawn the instant noodle brand from the market. It had suffered a damage of 70-85 million Swiss Francs (nearly Rs 530 crore) due to the ban that lasted five months. Exuding confidence of taking on the market leader in the instant noodles segment, he said: "We were gaining market share month-on-month even before the controversy happened and are continuing to grow even now." In financial year 2015, ITC had a revenue of Rs 36,507.40 crore. For the first half of the fiscal 2015-16 ITC's net sales was Rs 17,310.23 crore, in which non-cigarette FMCG segment including branded packaged food business had contributed Rs 4,522.63 crore. When asked if ITC is planning to set up new manufacturing units for Yippee considering its growth rate, he said: "We will continue to invest in line with our ambitions in this category." ITC had launched Yippee noodles with a plant in Pune. It has now manufacturing facilities in Kolkata, Haridwar and Bengaluru. A special MCOCA court here today granted CBI permission to interrogate deported gangster Chhota Rajan in connection with journalist J Dey murder case of 2011. Special Judge A L Pansare allowed CBI's plea seeking nod to question the 54-year-old crime boss for 10 days starting January 27 before adjourning the case till February 5. Rajan, who was produced via video link from Delhi's Tihar Jail told the court that he has received the charge sheet and needs time to go through it. "I am kept in a high security cell and only taken out once in a week and need 15 days to a month for scanning the charge sheet and engaging a lawyer in Mumbai," Rajan told the court to which Judge Pansare informed the gangster that his (Delhi-based) lawyer Anshuman Sinha was present in the court. On January 7, the court had reprimanded Mumbai Police for not serving the copy of the charge sheet to Rajan. "Why not yet ? What are you waiting for....Why are you waiting for an order for everything? the judge had asked. Later, he had passed an order directing the police to serve the copy of charge sheet to Rajan. Rajan, a former key aide and lieutenant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25 after he arrived from Australia, and was later deported to India. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, which includes the J Dey murder case. Maharashtra government has handed over all the cases against him to CBI. Dey, a veteran crime reporter, was shot dead in suburban Powai by motor-cycle borne shooters on June 11, 2011 allegedly at the behest of Rajan. Four persons on two motorbikes fired at least four to five rounds at Dey, who was also riding a bike, from behind near Spectra Building at D Mart in Hiranandani area of Powai. After the attack, he was rushed to nearby Hiranandani Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Police had claimed the shooters fled the spot after firing. The first charge sheet in 2011 names arrested accused Satiah Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia. Later another charge sheet in 2012 was filed against journalist Jigna Vora who is now out on bail. Rajan was allegedly upset with two articles written by Dey and therefore ordered his killing. Vora allegedly instigated him, owing to her own professional rivalry with Dey. On January 4, the Bombay High Court had designated a special court for conducting the trials of cases in which Rajan is an accused. Earlier, Rajan had moved an application in Delhi court, saying that he may not be sent to Mumbai as there is threat to his life. Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today suggested creating a separate Ministry out of the Home Ministry to handle security related issues along with a separate cadre of specialised officers to man it. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was present on the occassion, welcomed the suggestion of a separate cadre of officers but remained silent about the specialised Ministry. In his key note address on the seventh NIA Day, Vohra said to tackle situations like Pathankot attack, a dedicated pool of officers having expertise in various aspects of national security should be created and be named as National Security Administrative Service. He said he had proposed during the first NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee the creation of a separate ministry of National Security out of the Home Ministry to be led by leaders like Rajnath Singh and manned by specialists of National Security Administrative Service. Later in his address, Rajnath Singh said Vohra has given a welcome suggestion of raising a cadre of National Security Administrative Services to handle security related matter. "I will discuss the matter soon," he said. Terming terrorism as a global menace, Singh said India will stand by any alliance of countries which is ready to take on this challenge. "Terrorism is not only a challenge for this country but a global challenge. India stands with countries who are ready to accept this challenge. India is part of every treaty in this regard," he said. The Home Minister said the country has faced many challenges including from foreign invaders but has always maintained its sovereignity and unity. "However, difficult the challenges may be now, no one will be able to put a question mark over country's unity and soverignity. I can assure you that," he said. Lauding the role of NIA, Singh said the agency has performed its duties in a professional manner. "I have information (that) prosecution success rate is 95 per cent and 92 per cent conviction rate. Excellent. But I feel that NIA like organisation needs more manpower. Many offices are yet to set up. Once offices are complete, the NIA's efficiency will certainly increase," he said. Earlier speaking on the occasion, NIA Director Sharad Kumar said NIA is probing cases pertain to Jehadi terror, northeast insurgent groups, fake currency, terror financing and Left wing extremism. "The investigations into these cases require persistent efforts by dedicated team of investigators to piece together diverse threads of deep rooted conspiracies which many a times are spread across various states and several countries," he said, cautioning that threats to our security from local and trans-national terrorists still linger. "I can assure all of you that the NIA will continue to work in an efficient fashion in detecting and prosecuting terrorism related offences, but will also deter and prevent such crimes through efficient and professional investigations," he said. The wife of a jeweller, who committed suicide by setting himself afire in divisional commissioner's office after allegedly being harassed by Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) officials here, has demanded a CBI inquiry into his death. Rinki Aggarwal today asked the Centre to initiate a CBI inquiry into the death of her husband, Manish Aggarwal (35), during a joint press conference held with senior BJP leader Ajay Aggarwal. Rinki said she filed an application in the local court last week for registering an FIR against the officials responsible for the death and added that she would also move the High Court for justice. The BJP leader alleged that the VDA officials harassed Manish and extorted money from him on several occasion after threatening to demolish his house which led him to take the extreme step. He claimed that they have evidence to prove their claim and have recorded tapes of the authority officials who threatened Manish. The BJP leader also demanded an FIR against the Divisional Commissioner, the VC of VDA, secretary and engineer in the case. The BJP leader said that as Varanasi is the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all such ultra-vires practices must stop immediately and sought the PM's intervention in the matter. Denying the allegations levelled against them, the VDA officials said that they were only following the orders of the High Court to check illegal construction within the 200 metres of the banks of Ganga to protect city heritage. Manish had allegedly set himself on afire by pouring kerosene on himself last month inside the Divisional Commissioner's office. He was rushed to BHU's trauma centre from where he was transferred to a hospital in New Delhi where he died on on January 5. The VDA, few years ago, had issued notice to Manish for demolishing a part of a constructionin his old house, which according to VDA was illegal. Meanwhile, the mahant of Sankat Mochan temple alleged that a VDA made an "illegal" raid at his residence at Tulsi Ghat here, a week ago, on the complaint of unlawful construction. The mahant, Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, alleged that the VDA had not issued any notice to him in advance and was not informed and claimed the officials were misusing the High Court orders. Senior journalist and scholar Aroon Tikekar, who authored over 20 books, passed away here today due to breathing-related complications. He was 72. Tikekar, who worked as a college teacher for some years, had also been a Language and Literature Expert and Acquisitions Specialist at the US Library of Congress Office, New Delhi. He was the reference chief of the Times of India and a senior assistant editor for Maharashtra Times. He was the Editor of Loksatta, Marathi newspaper of the Indian Express Group Newspaper, for over a decade (1992-2002). Tikekar was also a former Group Editor of Lokmat and Editor Director of Sakal group of newspapers. The noted journalist authored over 20 books in Marathi as well as in English. He is the recipient of several literary and journalism awards, and was a adjunct professor in the Department of Journalism and Communications, University of Pune. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condoled his demise, saying Tikekar's contribution to journalism will be remembered. Cultural affairs minister Vinod Tawde said Tikekar highlighted various social issues through his articles. The minister also lauded Tikekar's expertise in Marathi and English writing. Actor Kabir Bedi has lashed out at daughter Pooja Bedi for calling his newly married wife "wicked and evil", saying he is "deeply disappointed" with the comments. Bedi, who tied the knot for the fourth time with Parveen Dusanj on his 70th birthday, took to Twitter to share his displeasure over the unwelcoming remarks made by Pooja. "DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED by venomous comments by my daughter Pooja against @parveendusanj just after we married. NO excuse for bad behaviour (sic)," he wrote. Pooja, who is the daughter of Bedi and his first wife Protima, was not happy with the marriage. "Every fairy tale has a wicked witch or an evil step~mother! Mine just arrived! @iKabirBedi just married @parveendusanj," she had tweeted on January 17 immediately after the wedding. She later deleted the tweet and wished her father the best for his fourth marriage. "Deleted the last tweet on my dad @iKabirBedi 4th marriage. Lets keep things positive. I Wish him the best!," she posted recently but Bedi is in no mood to let bygones be bygones. Bedi's first marriage was to model-turned-Odissi dancer Protima, with whom he had two children Pooja and Siddharth. He later married British-born fashion designer Susan Humphreys and the couple had son Adam. Bedi divorced Humphreys and tied the knot with TV and radio presenter Nikki Bedi. They had no children and divorced in 2005. Bedi and daughter Pooja have been estranged for over a year. Pooja had apparently asked father Kabir and his partner Parveen to move out of the house that she said belonged to her mother, Protima. A local court today discharged producer late Yash Johar and director Karan Johar from a criminal complaint for playing national anthem in movie "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham" without caution causing "dishonour" to it. "Karan Johar had filed revision petition before sessions court which was heard by Additional District Judge Dhruv Raj, who allowed the revision and discharged Karan Johar from the case today," Johar's lawyer Chandra Shekhar Sinha said. The complaint alleged that in the movie the national anthem was sung and some people in the picture hall stood up while some kept sitting as there was no caution before playing the song which caused dishonour to the national anthem. The magistrate had passed a summoning order on April 17, 2002 and it was challenged by Karan Johar in high court, which had stayed the proceedings on July 18, 2002. The high court vide judgement dated September 1, 2009 had directed the magistrate to consider discharge application but the magistrate rejected it vide order dated October 20, 2014, following which the revision petition was filed before the sessions court. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged suicide by a Dalit student in Hyderabad, demanding that he should sack the Union Minister accused in the matter and also apologise to the nation. "Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modiji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised n suspended," he said in a tweet. "It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation," the Delhi Chief Minister said. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the student. Rohit Vemula, the dead student, was among five research scholars who were suspended by the varsity in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a ABVP leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Rohit was found hanging in the hostel room located on the varsity campus on January 17. Yellowstone County Sheriff Deputies patrolled the city Monday morning, allowing Billings Police officers to honor the passing of one of their own. Longtime Billings Police officer dies by suicide on Tuesday An 18-year veteran of the Billings Police Department took his own life on Tuesday night, Bil More than 500 family, friends and Montana law enforcement members gathered Monday for the service at the MetraPark Pavillion honoring Billings Police Sgt. Shawn Finnegan, who took his own life last week. As people entered, they were encouraged to pin a small blue and black ribbon to their chest in honor of Finnegan. "He was the people's police officer," said Yellowstone County District Judge Mary Jane Knisely. Police Chief Rich St. John and Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder led a sea of officers past where scores of people already sat waiting for the ceremony to begin. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks officers, border agents and other members of law enforcement agencies from across the state joined the procession. Billings Mayor Tom Hanel spoke for the city, thanking everyone for the support they had shown the police department and Finnegan's family. He spoke of Finnegan's tremendous contribution to the department and for the leadership he showed. He said being a law enforcement officer is a high-risk job with little reward. Even so, Finnegan loved the people of Billings. "We were proud of Shawn and we are proud of you, because like Shawn you are also the best," Hanel said. "We must go on, you have a job to do, people to serve." Hanel mentioned briefly the nature of Finnegan's suicide. "We will always ask why," he said, but there's no time for blame, only support. "We, as a city, are with you," Hanel told the police officers in the crowd. Yellowstone County Sheriff Detective Troy Charbonneau sang in honor of Finnegan. Knisely read from Psalm 23, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Billings Police Officer Seth Foster read the biblical story of the Good Samaritan. A slide show featured photos of Finnegan at a wedding and at birthday parties. A photo showed him with and his son Patrick standing in front of his squad car, Patrick wearing his father's police hat. "If you wanted to put a profile together of what a Billings Police officer looks like, that is Shawn," St. John said after the ceremony. According to Gazette archives, during Finnegans time with the BPD he was honored several times, earning a 2001 Meritorious Service Award, a 2001 Officer of the Year award and the 2014 Supervisor of the Year award. Finnegan also was the departments lead crisis negotiator and had served as the field training officer supervisor for the department. St. John said the department received calls from as far away as Washington expressing sorrow at Finnegan's death. More than one call was from someone with a story about how Finnegan's extra care had helped their loved ones. The department is still looking for answers, St. John said. The prospect they may never find those answers is something the department continues to struggle with. "I can't thank the community enough for the outpouring of support," St. John said. "People from all walks of life have been calling and wanting to help." Linder, whose department provided the extra patrols and whose deputy association donated money for the service, said his officers would always be there for city police. "We know that times like this are hard," Linder said. "They know we've got their back." Linder stressed that law enforcement is one big family, too true for Finnegan, whose younger brother Sgt. Riley Finnegan, is a fellow officer at the police department. The city has united to help Finnegan's wife and son, as well as officers in the department affected by Finnegan's death. "We'll pull together from the top down," Hanel said. "Public employees are always under a lot of scrutiny and we want to help them through this as much as possible." Knisely had known Finnegan when he was young and said he wanted to be a cop. She said she didn't have any idea why Finnegan had taken his life, but said it highlighted the level of pressure on police officers, especially as the department deals with issues of under-staffing and lack of funds. A study done by Badge of Life, an organization dedicated to studying mental health struggles within law enforcement, estimates as many as 150 police officers a year die by suicide. According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, more officers die from suicide than during felonious acts. Walmart, Albertsons, Tiny's Tavern, Mountain Mudd Espresso made donations of food and drinks for the reception which was organized by several groups from the Yellowstone Country Club. The Billings Police Protective Association, Billings Dispatch, both City and County Attorney's offices and retired police officers made donations for the service. Director of Marketing and Sales at MetraPark, Ray Massie, said the county would be paying for a large portion of the service at MetraPark. Massie said he was glad to provide a space for the community to say goodbye to Finnegan. Finnegan was cremated and a private ceremony for family was held after the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations to a scholarship fund for Finnegan's son, Patrick, may be made at the Rimrock Credit Union. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will attend a Mumbai court's hearing of a case pertaining to the holding of a rally in Mankhurd without permission during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The AAP leader is expected to reach Kurla Metropolitan Magistrate Court there in the morning and will immediately leave for Delhi after the hearing. Party sources said the case pertains to a 2014 election rally in Mankhurd held to campaign for AAP candidates Meera Sanyal and Medha Patkar, which the Mumbai Police has claimed was "unscheduled" and held without prior and requisite permissions from traffic police. On December 9 last year, Kurla Magistrate's court had granted permanent exemption from appearance to Kejriwal. However, Magistrate Richa Khedekar had directed the Delhi CM to appear on January 20 for furnishing a bail bond. The Nalgonda police who are investigating a kidney sale racket have arrested Suresh Prajapati, its alleged ring-leader. The arrest of Jenunooka Raju, who had sold his kidney through Prajapati, led to the latter's arrest yesterday, a police release said here. Police also arrested Prajapati's accomplice Dilip Chouhan. Prajapati was operating the racket, where the kidney sellers were taken to Colombo, Sri Lanka, for the transplantation procedure, since 2012. He is accused of having arranged 60 kidney transplants at four hospitals in Colombo. He charged the kidney recipients Rs 28-30 lakh and earned a profit of Rs 5 lakh per transaction, police said. Inspector T Srinivas is probing the case. Lyricist-actor Piyush Mishra today said the arrest of TV comedian Kiku Sharda was a murder of freedom of expression. Actor Sikander Kher too voiced the same sentiment. Sharda was recently arrested for mimicking the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and subsequently released. "It is anarchism, stupidity and insulting... It is like killing the freedom of expression," Mishra told reporters at the trailer launch of "Tere Bin Laden- Dead or Alive" here. Mishra's co-star in the film, actor Manish Paul, said if a person is imitating someone, it means he is doing it out of respect. "Everyone has their own comedy.... Our motive is to bring a smile to people's faces but if they have a problem with that then we cannot do anything about that," he said. Sikander, who also stars in the film, said people cannot be arrested for their comedy. "It's absolutely preposterous. It's killing of freedom of expression. Comedy is comedy world over. People should laugh, you can't arrest somebody," he said. To which Mishra added, "Deepak Dobriyal had said on a channel that he (Ram Rahim Singh) came and made a joke of the film industry by making MSG (his film, 'Messenger of God'), so why can't we make fun of him?" Asked about the growing number of adult comedies in Bollywood, Paul said these films have an audience too. "If you don't like it then don't watch it," he said. Mishra, who has starred in the bold comedy "The Shaukeens", however, said there should be "some limit". "I disagree. There should be some limit... You can't show anything. My sister and mother are sitting beside me and you cannot show anything." To which Paul said, "Sir films like these are not to be watched with sisters..." Directed by Abhishek Sharma, "Tere Bin Laden- Dead or Alive" is a sequel to the 2010 "Tere Bin Laden". The film is scheduled to release on February 19. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today urged the Centre not to go ahead with its "clandestine" attempt to commercially release genetically modified (GM) mustard without the consent of the state government. In a letter to Union Minister of State (Independent charge) of Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar, Kumar expressed surprise that Delhi University is attempting to commercialise a GM mustard which has so far been pushed by multinational seed companies. "It is still more surprising to understand that even if a seed variety is developed by the Delhi University, where is the public institution to multiply the seed and make it available to farmers," he said in the letter sent today. "It appears that when the interested parties have failed to win the confidence of the farmers of the country, they are pushing the technology through public institution," Kumar, who served as Agriculture minister in A B Vajpayee NDA government, said. The Bihar Chief Minister said there were conflicting claims on the superiority of GM mustard variety over the traditional varieties. Noting that mustard is a major oilseed crop in Bihar, he said there were unverified claims of increase in productivity and also a claim of herbicide tolerance. Kumar said, "Environment issues of erosion of biodiversity, adverse effect on ecology and human health are not fully established for GM crop. There is also an issue of social acceptability of the technology." He highlighted that Bihar has consistently made its position clear on Bt technology. In 2009, the field trial of Bt-brinjal was rejected on the advice of scientists and the state farmers commission. Trial on Bt maize was also cancelled in Bihar in 2011. The Bihar CM asked Javadekar to make consultation and consent of the state mandatory for any trial of GM crop. The Supreme Court today did not allow Uttar Pradesh government's submission to defer hearing on a plea challenging the appointment of Lokayukta as senior lawyer Kapil Sibal was not available, saying the state cannot be accommodated "beyond a point". "Arrange another lawyer. We can accommodate a lawyer to a particular point, but the court has to function also. Make an alternative arrangement. List it tomorrow," a bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Prafulla C Pant said. The counsel for UP sought adjournment on the ground that Sibal, who has been leading it in the matter, is busy arguing before a five-judge constitution bench which is hearing petitions related to the Arunachal Pradesh political crisis. "The convenience of lawyer is of utmost importance for the court but not beyond a point. We can't wait for Sibal," it said and asked the state to be ready to argue the case tomorrow. The case relates to the appointment of Virendra Singh, former judge of the Allahabad High Court, as Lokayukta. Earlier, a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur had sent the fresh plea, alleging fraud by the state government, before the bench of Justice Gogoi on the ground that it was dealing with the matters on appointment of Lokayukta in UP. The court on December 16 last year had exercised its constitutional authority and appointed Justice Singh as Lokayukta, saying the constitutional functionaries-- the Chief Minister, the leader of opposition and Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court--had failed to comply with its orders by not appointing the chief of the state's anti-graft ombudsman. The Supreme Court had heard the fresh plea filed by Sachidanad Gupta during the winter vacation. The plea alleged that the SP government had "concealed facts" about Justice Singh and "played fraud" upon the apex court. The state government had also told the court that it will not go ahead with the oath ceremony of Justice Singh as Lokayukta till the apex court had heard the fresh plea. The court had taken note of the fresh plea which alleged that immediately after the appointment, the Chief Justice of the High Court had written a letter to Governor Ram Naik expressing displeasure with the state government for not disclosing the facts that he had some reservations on Singh's name. A tripartite agreement has been signed by Maharashtra government, Centre and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the conservation of Raigad fort, which was once the capital of Maratha empire under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. State Cultural Affairs Minister Vinod Tawde, who briefed reporters about three-day 'Raigad Mahotsav', which is scheduled to be held on the fort in Raigad district from January 22, said the government will adhere to the ASI policy and will not make any structural changes at this historical place. Tawde said conservation norms of the ASI do not allow any changes to the original structure and also create any replica. "The MoU will now pave the way for obtaining important permissions from the ASI for holding the Mahotsav every year, while the state government, too, will be able to grant certain permissions. The government seeks to put Raigad fort and its history on the international tourist map," he said. Talking about the Raigad Mahotsav, which will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on January 21, Tawde said the event seeks to inform and educate people about the life and times under the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Exhibition of coins, letters and weapons will be a part of the event and scenes depicting those times will be showcased, which is being created by noted Bollywood art director Nitin Desai. "Scenes recreating the life and times of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be put up at Pachad village at the base Raigad fort. How the warrior king used to hold court with his ashta-pradhans (council of eight ministers), the queen's palace and other things will be shown there," he said. The state government has allocated Rs 5 crore for the event, which was announced in the state's annual budget last year, Tawde said adding that since there is limited space on the fort, entry will be restricted to 8,000 people only. Photographs of forts taken by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who himself is likely to attend the closing ceremony on January 23, will be showcased at the exhibition, he said. Maharashtra Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule today said the government will ask the power distribution companies to show their tariff proposals to the state government before submitting them to Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) for approval. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, during his visit here last week, had taken out a protest march (padyatra) against the high power tariff in Mumbai. Replying to a question, the minister said the government too felt that the power tariffs of various distribution companies should be uniform. "The government also feels that the power tariff for consumers who use less than 200 units per month should be less," he said. He further said the state government cannot interfere with the tariff proposals decided by MERC but the government will convene a meeting of power distribution companies to work out something so that residential consumers consuming less than 200 units are not made to pay more. Delhi Police today arrested teenager suspected to be the main accused in the case relating to the murder of a 22-year-old youth with the arrest of one accused. Three juveniles were also apprehended in connection with the case. Police said that the main accused was identified as Vishal (18), a resident of Shakurpur, adding that personal enmity led to the murder of Yusuf who lived in North-West Delhi's Pitampura area. According to police, Yusuf was murdered allegedly by Vishal and his friends on January 16. Therafter, a case of murder was registered in Subhash Nagar police station. "During investigation, it was found that Yusuf was returning home along with his friend Pankaj on Janaury 16 and they were allegedly attacked near Delhi Haat, Pitampura, with iron rods by seven boys including Vishal and others. A manhunt to trace the assailants on the basis of the description provided by Pankaj, friend of the deceased, was launched, said a senior police official. A major fire broke out at the landmark Paris Ritz hotel, which is closed for renovations, the fire service said today. The blaze is on the "top floor of the building and the roof", a fire service spokesman said. He said no one was staying in the five-star hotel and there were no casualties but a "large" part of the building was affected. A column of smoke could be seen rising above Paris from the hotel's location in the Place Vendome, in the heart of the city's luxury district near the Opera Garnier. Some 60 firefighters and around 15 fire engines were dispatched to the blaze after the alert was raised at 6:00 am (0500 GMT). "Our concern is to stop the fire spreading to the rest of the floor and roof," the spokesman said. Police reported a "major fire" on their Twitter account and advised motorists to avoid the area. The four-storey classically styled hotel, owned by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, was due to reopen late this year after a three-year closure for top-to-bottom renovations. The hotel of choice of Charlie Chaplin, Coco Chanel and Ernest Hemingway, where a small bar is named after him, the Ritz is also infamous as the place where Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed dined before their fatal car crash in 1997. Jailed former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed today thanked the world leaders who helped secure his release for urgent surgery in Britain, after being granted temporary leave from his prison cell. Nasheed, whose conviction last March on terror-related charges has been widely criticised, left the Maldives late yesterday for Sri Lanka, after a delay caused by a legal dispute with the honeymoon island nation's hardline government. The opposition leader spent his first day of freedom since his imprisonment in a top hotel in the capital Colombo and is due to fly to Britain tomorrow. "He is making calls to world leaders to thank them for their support in getting him released," his aide, Ahmed Naseem, told AFP. "The Sri Lankan government has been extremely kind," Naseem said, referring to an internationally brokered deal to secure Nasheed's 30-day freedom. Aides said Nasheed had decided against speaking to reporters in Colombo today, given the intense diplomacy involved in brokering the deal, and would only meet his doctors in Colombo before flying directly to London. He had been due to leave the Maldives on Sunday after the government said he could travel for urgent spinal cord surgery under the deal brokered by diplomats from India, Sri Lanka and Britain. But he refused a government request to leave a relative behind to act as a guarantor liable to prosecution if he failed to return to serve the rest of his 13-year sentence, leading to a tense back and forth over conditions. WATFORD CITY, N.D. A man wanted by the McKenzie County Sheriffs Office for his involvement in a weekend shooting said hes not armed or dangerous and he plans to turn himself in Tuesday. Authorities notified the public Monday about an arrest warrant issued for Kyle Richard Fuchs, 33, who investigators believe fired a gun during a fight early Saturday that sent a man to the hospital with a gunshot wound. The McKenzie County Sheriffs Office said Fuchs is possibly armed and should be considered extremely dangerous. Fuchs told Forum News Service late Monday he didnt know he shot someone or that police were looking for him until he saw the news coverage. Fuchs said he gave a woman a ride to a home south of Watford City early Saturday and encountered a woman who was being assaulted. Fuchs said he got his rifle and tried to intervene, firing a shot toward the ground as a show of force. I didnt mean for anybody to get hurt in this, Fuchs said. I was just trying to diffuse the situation, and it totally went the opposite. After firing the gun, Fuchs said he was beaten by two men and was briefly unconscious before he left the scene. The sheriffs office learned of the incident shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday when responding to a report of a gunshot wound at the McKenzie County hospital. Fuchs said he contacted a McKenzie County detective on Monday and he plans to turn himself in and give a full statement on Tuesday. Ive got to tell the authorities my side, Fuchs said. During the investigation, deputies also arrested Robert Gabler on suspicion of simple assault domestic violence and Jessica Allen on suspicion of hindering law enforcement. The public is encouraged to call the McKenzie County Sheriffs Office Investigations Division at (701) 444-3654 with information. Court records show Fuchs has no felony convictions in North Dakota. He has misdemeanor convictions including menacing, fleeing a police officer and discharging a firearm in city limits. A 35-year-old man was nabbed after he was found to be moving around suspiciously near the air force station here by some villagers, police said today. The man, identified as Mohammad Shadil Ali Mandal, was spotted by villagers moving around suspiciously last evening near the air force station near Jhopra village here whereupon he was caught and immediately handed over to air force authorities for questioning. However, the suspect was found to be a mentally-challenged person who had been missing from his home in Malda district of West Bengal since January 9. "We have verified the antecedents of the man and he was found to be mentally-challenged. He was undergoing treatment at a hospital there," Sirsa SP Satender Kumar said today. "Nothing suspicious has been found from him," he added. The SP said that the Mandal's family members have been contacted in West Bengal and they will be reaching here tomorrow to take him back. "We have also verified that his family members had lodged a missing complaint with local police there," the SP said. A 50-year-old man has been arrested from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the abduction of a local teenage boy, nearly a decade after the incident, police said. However, arrest of Kadir Choudhary on January 15 revealed that the 16-year-old victim, identified as Pramod Gautam, died after he fell from a truck in which his abductors were shifting him, sometime in January 2005. "The boy fell from the truck near Nashik and was ran over by another vehicle which resulted into his death," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Parag Manere said today. Gautam, a resident of Wagle Estate here, was abducted on January 7, 2005 by four persons due to a business rivalry with his family members who are scrap merchants. Though police had arrested Abdul Choudhary (38), Mohammad Khan (35) and Jalal Khan (50) in connection with the kidnapping, Kadir remained at large. Police, who recently opened up pending cases under their jurisdiction, conducted an investigation and finally traced Kadir in UP. Kadir told us that Gautam fell from the truck near Divagaon enroute to Nashik on the Mumbai-Agra highway and was ran over by another vehicle, police said. Kadir then dumped his body by the roadside with the help of Mohammad Hameel alias Laddu Abbas Khan and truck driver Jallaluddin 'Jumman' Khan, they said. Incidentally, the Narpoli police in Bhiwandi taluka had registered a case for rash driving and causing death by negligence under IPC against unidentified persons and disposed of the body. Police are investigating various angles in the case, the DCP said. One person, who is suspected to be associated with a terror outfit, has been detained and three of his associates are being questioned by a team of Delhi Police's Special Cell at Roorkee in Uttarakhand. The detained suspect, identified as one Akhlaq, is likely to be brought to Delhi by tomorrow and produced before a court here. The suspects are believed to have been planning an attack at the ongoing Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, a police source said today. The Special Cell tracked down the suspects in a joint operation with a central intelligence agency and they are conducting search operations throughout Uttarakhand, the source said. The detained suspect is also being questioned in connection with the recent terror attack at Punjab's Pathankot as he is believed to have links with terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, the source said. Yesterday, the Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrested a person with suspected al Qaeda links from Nuh town in Haryana's Mewat district. In a joint operation with a central intelligence agency, two persons were apprehended from there, of which one was arrested by the Special Cell, senior officials claimed. The manager of a Delhi-based company was allegedly waylaid by a group of six armed men who took away his car, cash and other belongings near Valipur village under Miranpur police station in the district, police said. According to Circle Officer Anupam Singh, the incident took place on the Delhi-Pauri highway when the manager of the Delhi-based company, identified as one Ashish Kumar, was on his way to Bijnore. Six armed in a car intercepted him and looted his car and other belongings at gunpoint, Singh said, adding that a case has been registered and efforts are on to nab the culprits. Sandalwood logs worth Rs 20 crore were recovered in a raid by a team of police and forest officials from a godown in the Kharkhauda area here, police said today. Officials said that a case in this regard has been booked against a Delhi-based timber merchant who is, however, absconding. According to Kharkhauda police official Piyush Dixit, the raid was carried out yesterday on the godown situated on the Kharkhauda-Mohiuddinpur road following a tip-off. The raid yielded a massive haul of sandalwood logs, he said. The watchman at the godown, Ajay Gupta, told police that the space was rented about six years back by one Suchit Singhal, a resident of Pitampura in Delhi, for storing timber. The sandalwood seized from the godown is worth about Rs 20 crore, Dixit said, adding that the haul is still being tallied by officials. A case has been registered in this regard and a search is on for Singhal, he said, adding that Haryana police is also looking for the timber trader in connection with a similar case. Actor Michael Keaton received one of France's highest honours, becoming Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters during a ceremony here. The 64-year-old actor was presented with a medal by culture minister Fleur Pellerin, in presence of US Ambassador Jane Hartley, said The Hollywood Reporter. The honour, which has previously been given to Jim Jarmusch, Robert Paxton, Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, highlighted Keaton's career achievements. "Yours is a culture that has such respect for beauty and art that if I even in the smallest way made a tiny contribution to beauty or art in this culture, or in any culture of the world for that matter, I'm honoured and grateful and proud. This is one of the biggest days of my life," Keaton said on stage. While speaking to the reporters about his Oscar-nominated role in "Spotlight," the actor said, "I'm blessed with this is unbelievable good fortune to do something that can change people's lives and make a difference. "...I demonstrated against the war when I was in college, I've always been ecology-minded, my generation is one that fought for women's rights and equal rights for minorities and I'm part of that world. And now I get to do this for a living." Pellerin called Keaton "a mystery," throwing light on his contradictory profiles throughout the career and his last-name change early on. "Spotlight" members including Walter Robinson and Mike Rezendes, as well as Iris Knobloch, Warner Bros were present during the ceremony. The Order of Arts and Letters was created in 1957 to honour eminent artists and writers, as well as people who have contributed significantly to the arts in France and throughout the world. Attacking the 15-year Congress rule in Assam and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who represents the state in Rajya Sabha, over "lack of development", Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched BJP's election campaign here by announcing a slew of initiatives, including tribal status to two communities. Addressing a rally, organised jointly by BJP and its new ally Bodoland People's Front for the upcoming Assam Assembly polls, he said BJP will ensure all-round development of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas which have been "betrayed" by Congress. "Why does Assam have so many problems when the same government is there for 15 years and the state has sent a Prime Minister for ten years....They could not do anything in 15 years and now they want me to solve all their problems within 15 months. Don't you think its unfair to me," Modi said. "There is a long list of problems. There has been no development," he said addressing the rally at Bodofanagar here. The Prime Minister came down heavily on the Congress government in Assam and the previous UPA government at the Centre for "failing" to fulfil dreams and aspiration of the people. "They are asking questions about my government. But what have you done in last 15 years in Assam and 10 years in the Centre when a person representing Assam was the Prime Minister," he said, reffring to Singh. "They are just trying to confuse the people. You compare their 15-year rule and my 15-month-old government. You will see the vast difference," he said. Modi announced that the people of Karbi community living in the plains of Assam and Bodos living in hill areas would be granted tribal status and the process has already started. "Development is the only solution to all problems of the area and I have opened both my heart and hand to ensure that the dreams and aspiration of the people of the area, which the state government has failed to fulfil, are realised," Modi said. The Prime Minister said he had instructed that youths from the Northeast should be recruited in the Delhi Police and the process has already begun. Announcing other initiatives, the Prime Minister said a central technical institute located in Kokrajhar would be given the status of a deemed university, the Sealdah-Guwahati Kanchenjunga Express will be extended up to the Barak Valley while the Rupsi Airport in Dhubri will be taken over by the Indian Air Force. Election to Assam's 126-member Assembly is expected to be held in April-May along with four other states. The BPF is believed to have strong presence in Kokrajhar and its neighbouring areas. The party has been in power in Bodoland Territorial Council since its inception in 2003. In 2006 Assembly polls, the BPF had won 11 seats and joined the Tarun Gogoi-led government as a Congress ally. In 2011 polls, it had won 12 seats and again joined the Gogoi government. However, in 2014, BPF broke off the alliance with the Congress. Quoting late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had said that for every rupee one that is sent from the central government, only 15 paisa reaches the place where it is meant for, Modi said he was right and "we cannot allow it". "Delhi now asks state governments for accounts. They have to account for every rupee spent. Looting of people's money has to stop," the Prime Minister said. Assam government and several other states in the Northeast get perturbed whenever he sought accountability of the development funds, Modi said. "Assam government has to give us details where the money meant for development has gone. All governments in the Northeast have to give full accounts. Because of this reason, these people don't like me. But I am not bothered. Whether they like me or not. I work for the country, I work for development," he said. Modi said ever since the NDA government came to power, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region has taken several initiatives and now at least one Minister of the central government visits the Northeast every month. "We have a three-point programme -- development, development and development. All problems could be solved only through development," he said. The Prime Minister said his government's aim is to provide electricity to every household 24 hours, every family a house, a toilet and potable water by 2022. He said the DONER ministry was started by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee but during the UPA rule people of the region had to go to Delhi and they found it very difficult to get their grievances redressed. "To solve this problem, I have directed the DONER Ministry that its entire secretariat would meet once a month in any North Eastern state where people can come to discuss their problems and the state have been asked to give a detailed account of the funds allotted to them," he added. "I am not bothered if people do not like me but I am bothered about my country's progress and development and I work to achieve that," the Prime Minister asserted. During the recent recruitment in Delhi Police, it was ensured that youths from the were given priority and many have been appointed from the region, he said. He said his government was committed to development of the and was implementing 'Act East' policy with emphasis on infrastructure development, particularly road, rail and waterways. The Prime Minister announced that the issue of declaring the Bodo-Kacharis living in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts and the Karbi-Mikirs in the plains as Scheduled Tribes will be soon approved by the Cabinet and then passed in Parliament. Modi said he had talks with BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary on the problems of the area. "I assure you that your blessings give me the strength and inspiration to serve you and with our new ally, the BPF. We will bring development in the area," the Prime Minister said. Continuing his tirade against the Congress government in Assam, he said it is surprising that those who should be giving an account of their performance are asking questions. "Actually by asking us what we have achieved in 15 months, they are admitting that they have a document of long list of failure," he added. Curfew was lifted today from two localities under Kotwali Police Station here following normalcy, three days after it was clamped due to a communal clash in the area. "We lifted the curfew around 8 AM today. Peace prevailed in Kari-Bawdi and Malli Mohalla localities," district collector, Ashutosh Awasthi, told PTI. "In a prelude to lift the curfew, we relaxed it in between 9 AM and 6 PM yesterday. No untoward incident was reported and following peace we have lifted it," he said. Trouble had started in Kotwali area here when a man was allegedly attacked with weapons by three persons of another community in a market on January 15 night, police said. The incident led to a stampede in the market and triggered rumours leading to a clash and stone-pelting between the two groups. In the attack, a 25-year-old MBA student, identified as Narendra Rajoria, suffered injuries who later died in Indore during treatment on Saturday, police added. In view of the tension, curfew was imposed in the two localities on the morning of January 16 and about 50 people were arrested, while around eight petrol bombs were seized during searches. The Environment Ministry's Experts' Appraisal Committee (EAC) has asked the MMRDA to strictly comply with coastal regulatory zone guidelines during commissioning of the much-delayed Rs 11,500-crore Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project. The committee, while granting the coastal regulatory zone clearance, said the environment management plan submitted by the MMRDA should be implemented in consultation with all the stakeholders. The 22-km link connecting Sevri and Nhava aims at decongesting and reducing pollution by providing an alternate road link. It also aims at providing faster and easier flow of traffic and reducing congestion on the mainland. The EAC further noted that "the project shall be carried out strictly in accordance with the CRZ provisions and shall not affect the coastal ecology of the area including flora and fauna. Also, MMRDA shall obtain all permissions from concerned authorities prior to commencement of the project, and shall observe all safety requirements onshore and offshore". The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is expected to float global tenders to invite consultants for the project by the end of January. Last week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the project has received all the clearances and that the government will formally complete all the talks with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) related to the financing of the project, in addition to beginning the tenders process by March. JICA had earlier agreed to fund 80 per cent of the estimated project cost of Rs 11,000 crore, while the remaining 20 per cent was proposed to be made available by the Centre. The NDA government's MUDRA Yojana scheme is a game changer, aimed at benefitting seven crore entrepreneurs and more than Rs 1.22 lakh crore had been set apart to provide aid to unemployed youth through banks to take up ventures, BJP National Secretary H Raja said today. "The MUDRA scheme evolved and implemented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a game changer aimed at benefitting seven crore entrepreneurs. As much as Rs 1,22,500 crore has been set apart to provide assistance through banks to youth to relieve themselves of the unemployment problem," he said. Raja said the NDA government was implementing the MUDRA Yojana in keeping with its poll promise of generating jobs for not less than one crore persons every year. The BJP leader was speaking after felicitating V Saminathan, who assumed office as Puducherry State Committee President at a function here tonight. Raja said the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' was a poor man's friendly scheme and hassle-free accounts could be opened in banks. As many as 20 crore bank accounts had been opened till date, he said. The Make in India and one on Skill Development'were among 'path breaking programmes' conceptualised by the PM, he said. He said the recently launched programme to encourage start-ups would also be of help for augmenting employment. Raja rubbished the charge by some political parties that the NDA government was pro-corporate, pointing out that the common man could now open bank accounts and draw benefits of various subsidies and benefits under direct benefit transfer system through banks. He also referred to the social security insurance schemes launched last year to enable people to get insurance cover, which he said, were unprecedented and helpful for poor families. "The country is making rapid strides in economic growth, in generating employment, development of skill and training for the youth, which could never be dreamt and visualised during the previous UPA rule," he said. He urged party cadres to explain to the people the various schemes of the NDA government. As part of their offering to a crowd gathered to celebrate the life and works of Martin Luther King Jr., a sextet from Billings Central High School charmed the crowd with an a cappella version of Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from the film The Lion King. After about 20 people marched by flashlight from the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn to the NOVA Center for the Performing Arts, about 40 others joined them for a celebration called Standing on the Shoulders. Additional performers included the Sweet Adelines Montana Sapphire Chorus; Synergy, a group of youth served by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Yellowstone County; poetry by youth served at Friendship House; the 10-member Montana Mass Choir; and an Okinawa Celebration Dance. Co-organizer Mike Yakawich called Martin Luther King Jr. Day events part of the communitys culture of service. About 15 volunteers worked a half-day shift cleaning and painting at Friendship House on Saturday. We didnt just talk service, he said. We exemplified it. Mondays Martin Luther King Jr. celebration was the communitys 12th. In addition to the inspiring music and poetry, a number of speakers offered their thoughts as well. During a prayer, former Billings City Councilman Denis Pitman noted, We stand on the shoulders of all who have gone before us shoulders that have been tested to be strong for the next generation. We honor people we never knew but who acted for us and future generations. The Rev. Melvin Terry, co-organizer and president of the Black Heritage Foundation, told the crowd they must not be silent in a world that is frightened and fragmented. He urged those present to examine their lives for harmful, destructive behavior and to leave out the pestilence of hatred and bigotry. He said its fine to preach our oneness but affirm our differences and said its everyones duty to endow and empower each generation with the instruments of peace. Yellowstone County Commissioner Bill Kennedy said he spent part of his Day of Service making chicken soup for people eating at The Hub on Monday. Since mothers around the world have delivered that variety of soup to their sick children and grandchildren for centuries, Kennedy had this idea for making the world a better place. We need to make a lot more chicken noodle soup, he said. Every day should be a day of service. While introducing the 10-member Montana Mass Choirs Grateful, the Rev. Teresa Swift told the crowd shes grateful for all who have gone before us, and on whose shoulders we stand. Weve made it through trials and tribulations, and were grateful. We have come a long way, but we have a long way to go, said Jay Kohn, the event's master of ceremonies. There have been a lot of disturbing events in our community and our country over the past year. But Mondays gathering was nothing like that. This is my first year doing the walk, said Leena Burke of Billings, who was one of the 20 to gather on the Courthouse lawn for the short hike to the NOVA Center. Its always been something I just talked about. Im glad I did it. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today invited leading Swiss companies to establish manufacturing units in the State. Naidu elaborated on business opportunities in Andhra Pradesh at an investor meet in Zurich, Switzerland, and asked Swiss firms, especially those in manufacturing sector, to invest in the souther State, AP Government's Information and Public Relations Department said in a release here. The Chief Minister was addressing the meet ahead of his visit to Davos, where he will participate in World Economic Forum's annual summit beginning tomorrow. Naidu is accompanied by a large delegation comprising Ministers and officials from the state. He interacted with representatives of leading Swiss companies at Zurich. According to the release, Naidu invited Meyer Berger, a solar equipment manufacturer, to establish its unit either in Visakhapatnam or Rajahmundry. He also met senior executives of companies like Nuesch, Keller, Gherzi, Verde International and SEAS, and sought investments in areas such as urban development, solar and hydro power and and textile, it added. Mohamed Nasheed, the former Maldives president serving a 13-year jail sentence on terror charges, has arrived here on his way to London for urgent medical treatment, his party said today. Nasheed, 48, arrived last night in Colombo and will be leaving by a Srilankan Airlines direct flight to London later today, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) sources said. He is currently lodged at a five star hotel in Colombo and is expected to leave for London for a back surgery. Nasheed was supposed to leave on Sunday after a deal brokered by diplomats from India and Sri Lanka as well as Britain, but his departure was delayed as the government imposed new conditions on his trip. The government was insisting that he nominate a family member to stay in the capital Male to guarantee his return. Nasheed initially refused the government request to leave a family member behind who had to sign as a guarantor for his return, but finally agreed to the offer. According to Maldivian government, Nasheed had signed an undertaking to return after his treatment and his brother has agreed to act as guarantor. Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader, was sentenced to 13 years in jail in March over the arbitrary arrest of chief criminal judge Abdullah Muhammed during his presidency. He was elected in 2008, ending three decades of rule by former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Nasheed resigned as the Maldives leader in February 2012 after weeks of protests over the judges arrest on corruption allegations. The former president had appealed his prison sentence after backtracking on his earlier decision and opted to go to the Supreme Court instead. In his appeal, Nasheed had sought a lesser penalty under the new penal code that came into effect in November. The Supreme Court had also been asked to nullify the charges lodged against him in the lower court and the subsequent sentence. India, the US and the European Union had all expressed concern over Nasheed's imprisonment and conviction. His conviction drew widespread criticism over the apparent lack of due process in the 19-day trial. The current President Abdulla Yameen was elected in controversial polls in 2013 and is the half-brother of Gayoom. In a major decision, the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) today decided to support nine transport infrastructure projects in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana including six-lane elevated road in Ghaziabad and Noida-Greater Noida Metro projects. NCRPB will provide a loan of Rs 700 cr for development of six-lane elevated road in Ghaziabad in UP and finance the 29.7 km long Rs 5,533 crore Noida-Greater Noida Metro Project with a loan assistance of Rs 1,587 cr. These projects are expected to substantially improve traffic flow besides reducing pollution benefitting Delhi and adjoining areas. The Project Sanctioning and Monitoring Group of NCRPB chaired by Urban Development Secretary Madhusudhan Prasad today discussed projects, including the two costing Rs 7,838 crore and decided to support them with a total loan assistance of Rs 3,113 crore. According to NCRPB Member-Secretary, B K Tripathy, this was the highest loan assistance approved in a single meeting of the Board. Two infrastructure projects in Uttar Pradesh will cost Rs 6,681 cr for which NCRPB will provide a loan of Rs 2,287 cr. Haryana has proposed projects 7 projects at a total cost of Rs 1,157 cr and will get a loan of Rs 726 cr. The 10.3 km long six-lane elevated road with a single pier is the first of its kind in the country, being developed by the Ghaziabad Development Authority at an estimated cost of Rs 1,148 cr and is targeted for completion by the end of 2016. This road taking off from near UP Gate and ending at Rajnagar Extension, connects NH-24 with NH-58 and will serve as a bypass ending traffic problems on Kausambi-Mohan Nagar- Vaishali section. Ghaziabad Development Authority intends to have a self-sustained urban settlement in the area duly connected to adjacent areas through express traffic corridors. On completion of this project, travel time between UP Gate and Hindon Bridge is expected to come down from the present 50 minutes to about 15 minutes, a release said. NCRPB will also provide Rs 5,533 cr for the Noida-Greater Noida Metro Project with a loan assistance of Rs 1,587 cr. This Metro line connects City Junction in Sector-71 with Depot Station in Sector 142. Of this line, 70 per cent runs through Noida and will meet the rising demand for public transport besides stimulating development in Greater Noida. This is subject to final approval by the Centre. US authorities today evacuated at least nine schools in New Jersey after receiving a bomb and shooting threat, a sheriff office's spokesman said. The schools affected are located in Bergen County in the northeastern part of the state, across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Police in the town of Clifton said "numerous school districts in the area" had received a bomb threat by voice mail early Tuesday. Police were dispatched to Clifton High School but have found "no credibility to these threats" although "precautions are still being taken throughout the district in response to the situation," it said in a statement on Facebook. The message was apparently recorded overnight and "indicated a non-specific threat to the school district involving the placement of a bomb in one of the schools, as well as a secondary threat of a 'mass shooting,'" police wrote. The schools evacuated are located in Bergenfield, Englewood, Fair Lawn, Garfield, Hackensack, Leonia, Tenafly and Teaneck, said the spokesman for Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino. The police sub-inspector who allegedly shot dead his paramour before turning the gun on himself at southwest Delhi's Dwarka, left behind a note claiming the woman was extorting him, police said today. Recovery of the suicide note was confirmed by DCP (Southwest) R A Sanjeev. He said that the police are now probing the role of a co-conspirator in the case. The officer, identified as Vijendra Bishnoi (33), a native of Rajasthan, allegedly had an extra-marital affair with the woman, Nikita Chauhan (28), a former stringer who lived in Dwarka and had separated from her husband. Yesterday, Bishnoi called her at a park in the morning and fired three rounds at her with his service revolver. Then he shot himself twice. While the woman died on the spot, Bishnoi succumbed to his injuries in the evening, said police. A police source said that in the suicide note, Bishnoi expressed deep regret about his extra-marital relationship with Nikita and the decisions he took in his life. He also mentioned how Nikita had allegedly extorted Rs 15 lakh from him, threatening to frame him in a false rape case and was demanding more. Bishnoi was posted as a sub-inspector in west Delhi's Ranhola police station. Bishnoi was married and is survived by two children. He himself was an accused in a domestic violence case registered on the basis of a complaint filed by his wife in Rajasthan, police said. President Barack Obama today thanked Australia for its "steadfast" alliance and key contributions in the fight against Islamic State group, as he welcomed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the White House for the new leader's first visit to Washington since taking office in September. Opening a meeting in the Oval Office, Obama said the leaders planned to discuss the anti-Islamic State operation, as well as broader counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The president noted Australia is a key contributor to the coalition, with the second-largest force of ground troops in Iraq behind the United States. "They have been a consistent and extraordinarily effective member of the coalition," Obama said. Australia has said it is among 40 countries being pressed by the US to boost their military contributions in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State after the deadly terrorist attack in Paris in November. But Australia told the US that its commitment would remain largely unchanged. Australia has six jet fighters based in Dubai flying missions against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. It also has soldiers in non-combat roles in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Turnbull said his visit had included productive meetings with Defense Secretary Ash Carter. He said he looked forward to working more closely with US intelligence officials on counterterrorism efforts aimed at curbing the Islamic State's recruitment and communications online. The oil price is set to fall further this year as supply vastly exceeds demand, with major oil exporter Iran's return to the market offsetting any production cuts from other countries, the IEA said today. "Can it go any lower?" the International Energy Agency asked in its monthly oil market report. "Unless something changes, the oil market could drown in over-supply. So the answer to our question is an emphatic yes. It could go lower." The oil price this week hit lows not seen in 12 years, and is currently trading at or below 29 dollars per barrel. Iran's return to the oil market, a major reason for continued price weakness, has probably not been fully factored into prices yet, the IEA warned, contradicting many financial analysts. "Iranian barrels are likely to back out similar quality sour crude from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Russia - so producers are likely to become ever more competitive on the pricing front," the IEA said. Iran is facing "the not inconsiderable challenge" of finding buyers willing to take more oil into an already glutted market, the IEA said. "However, if Iran can move quickly to offer its oil under attractive terms, there may be more 'pricing in' to come," it said. Even under the sanctions regime, Tehran did everything it could to ensure the country's oil sector is prepared for higher output as it strives to reclaim its spot as OPEC's second biggest producer after Saudi Arabia, a post now occupied by neighbouring Iraq, the IEA added. Iran's projected 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) production boost following the end of sanctions will offset production cuts from non-OPEC producers which are also estimated at 600,000 bpd. These production cuts are the only "bullish side" for the oil market, the IEA said, with most other factors conspiring to keep the oil price under pressure. Growth in world demand for oil, which rose more than most years this century in 2015 before being drowned in over-supply, is expected to ease off. Worldwide demand for oil is now expected to rise by 1.3 percent in 2016 to 95.7 million barrels of oil, a sharp slowdown after a 1.8 percent increase in 2015. Oil prices were stuck near 12-year lows at below $30 in Asia today as Iran ordered a boost to crude production after the West lifted sanctions, exacerbating an already oversupplied global market. Prices sank to new depths not seen since 2003 yesterday, a day after the United States and Europe lifted the crippling economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran's compliance with a deal to curb the country's nuclear ambitions. Iran immediately announced a major boost in oil production, with the National Iranian Oil Company saying it had ordered output to increase by 500,000 barrels per day. Iran currently produces 2.8 million barrels per day and exports just over one million barrels. At around 0250 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in February was down 30 cents, or 1.02%, at $29.12 a barrel. Brent crude for March was trading 24 cents, or 0.88%, higher at $28.79. Brent plumbed below $28 for the first time since November 2003 yesterday. "The re-entry of Iran... Is expected to further add to the supply glut," said Sanjeev Gupta, head of the Asia Pacific oil and gas practice at professional services firm EY." "Pending any major disruption in supply, the increase in exports from Iran will restrict any major gains to the price of crude in the near-term," he said. However, analysts said that the return to the market of Iranian oil will be gradual due to certain constraints. "Before large volume exports can begin, Iran will have to set up new oil sales contracts above those already in place," BMI Research said in a market commentary. It said Europe is expected to be the initial target for Iranian oil exports but noted that Iran "will have to offer incentives and ensure sufficient transparency in its domestic banking sector to lure back European buyers". "As such we expect a more gradual return of oil to markets, not an immediate flood of oil," it added. Iran may also encounter difficulties because some of its oil infrastructure may need repair and replacement, while it may take time for its idle oilfields to be ramped up to full production potential, it said. German automaker Opel, a unit of US giant General Motors, rejected today a media report which accused it of manipulating the software of the engine of one of its diesel models. "Opel clearly rejects the allegations. It is not true that Opel dealers installed a modified software into the 1.6-litre diesel engine of the Zafira Tourer which changes the emissions behaviour of the vehicle," the company said in a statement. Yesterday, the Belgian broadcaster VRT had reported on its website that Opel had been secretly modifying the emissions performance of its cars using unexplained software updates since the Volkswagen pollution-cheating scandal erupted in September. Global carmakers are currently under scrutiny following the revelation last September that VW installed so-called defeat devices in 11 milllion diesel vehicles worldwide aimed at cheating emissions regulations. French rival Renault said yesterday it was recalling thousands of vehicles to make engine tweaks as the French carmaker grapples with emission levels found to exceed anti-pollution norms in some of its cars. According to VRT, the level of the Opel cars' emission of nitrogen oxides was originally much higher than EU limits. But following a software update carried out by a local dealership alongside a routine service, the cars' emissions performance improved, the broadcaster claimed. The service update carried out on the Zafira Tourer model "had nothing to do with a change in the emissions values," Opel insisted, without specifying what the update was for. Keeping open its options to form alliance with like-minded parties for the forthcoming West Bengal assembly polls, CPI(M) today said it was for "other parties to decide" whether they want to join hands with it and stated that removing TMC was its target to "save the state". "In West Bengal, our intention is to remove TMC, save West Bengal. Remove Modi government, save the country. These are our two slogans and we are moving on, following this line. Who comes or does not come with us, it is for them to decide," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told reporters here. When asked specifically whether the CPI(M) will tie up with Congress for the election, likely to be held in April-May this year, Yechury did not rule out the possibility outright. "Our intention is to remove TMC from Bengal and the Modi government from the country," he said. Yechury made the remarks on the sidelines of a condolence meeting convened here to pay tribute to CPI veteran AB Bardhan who passed away on January 2. Former CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, who also attended the meeting, said a decision regarding the party's election tactics will be taken by the Politburo and Central Committee on the basis of "political and tactical" line it adopted during its 21st Congress last year. The party Central Committee is expected to meet next month, he said. The Rajya Sabha member also demanded sacking of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya in connection with alleged suicide by a Dalit student and sought action against them under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. "The Ministers can't continue to remain part of the Ministerial Council after committing such an offence. They should resign. The VC too should resign. Resignations are not enough, they should be punished under the Act," Yechury said. Virtually kicking off the party's poll campaign in West Bengal, former state Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had on January 16 sent out a message to Congress and other like-minded parties to join hands with the Left Front to oust the ruling TMC. He had said, "We will change the situation. We can do it. We want Congress to make its stand clear in this regard. We want Congress and other Left parties to join hands with us to oust the TMC government." Bhattacharjee's call to Congress came in the wake of similar statements by CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra and Politburo member Mohd Salim. GRAND FORKS, N.D. Interest in a memorial for a black man who was lynched by a mob in Grand Forks 134 years ago has not been quashed, local leaders said. In 1882, an angry mob of Grand Forks residents hanged Charles Thurber before he had a chance to stand trial on charges of attempted rape of two women near Buxton, N.D. "There's many different theories about whether or not he was not guilty," Audra Mehl said. "That doesn't matter because he didn't have justice." In 1997, Grand Forks almost got a plaque installed for Thurber. That year, Grand Forks City Council granted $500 to Central High School students to memorialize Thurber. Mehl worked with students she taught as part of a multicultural club at the school to create the plaque, and she noticed the students' passion for the project. "Even though this was a very sad chapter, it was still honoring someone's life and acknowledging a tragedy," Mehl said. But then the flood of 1997 hit. "There were just many, many other things that floated to the surface," Mehl said. "The city was reeling and recovering from that." The next year, Mehl was just happy to have her job, she said, and the school year continued. But the following year, she moved to Fargo with her then-husband. "It's always made me sad that I couldn't see that all the way through to become a reality," Mehl said. In the years since, there have been subsequent proposals to create some sort of memorial, city spokesman Pete Haga said, but past ideas were never finalized. It's not that the memorial isn't a priority, Haga said. In fact, he feels it's a very important issue. "It is a significant part of community history," Haga said. "It's important to acknowledge that part, even if it's a dark moment and a dark chapter in the community." It's just that it will take time, he said. A location will have to be selected that meets flood protection guidelines, "as well as looking at where the funding would come from." "I still believe it's still in the works," Haga said. "I believe it's going to move forward." The memorial is one of the topics brought up in the last year in discussions of a diversity commission for Grand Forks, he said. Natasha Thomas, one of the proposers of the commission, has been part of that discussion. And while a memorial is still important to have, it's also important to create discussion in the community about the more-than-century-old incident, she said. "I learned that in talking about Thurber, it raises a lot of general misconceptions about lynching in America and a lot of racial tension," Thomas said. "I think that's become a focus, for me, to talk about those misconceptions." These conversations may be "uncomfortable" but are still important to have, she said, which is why Thomas co-hosting a moderated discussion Monday at the Empire Arts Center as part of the Red River Valley Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. UND's Black Student Association also hopes to spark discussion through events at the Memorial Union throughout Black History Month. In the fourth week of February, the association is holding events to celebrate the history of African-Americans in North Dakota, including Charles Thurber, Lauren Chapple, UND's president for the organization, said. "Our goal is to get information out on people who are doing great things and people who made great sacrifices and achievements," Chapple said. Chapple, Thomas, Haga and Mehl all agree that a memorial is a positive way to help recognize a person in Grand Forks' past. "I think any time we can embrace our history--the good and the bad--that is always a positive," Mehl said. While discussions are slow, they are still ongoing, Thomas said. "And I'm learning that's the way it should be," she said. "It's something that has to take time and unfold gradually." More than ten cases of MCOCA were registered in the metropolis last year and over 100 gangsters were arrested under this stringent Act, a senior police officer said here today. The officer claimed that this action led to a decline in underworld activities in 2015. "We registered more than ten cases of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999 and arrested more than 100 people of various gangs in 2015. We were successful in curbing the activities of the underworld," the officer said. Police have been carrying out sustained operation against those possessing illegal weapons, he said adding, "In 2015, we registered 140 illegal firearm cases and arrested 270 accused in this connection. We seized about 170 illegal weapons and over 500 live cartridges." The seizure is less in comparison to the previous years, which means our continuous action against selling of illegal arms, which are that brought here from different states, has yielded result, the officer claimed. Pakistan has no independent industrial safety law to protect workers against hazards and accidents, according to the government though the country has a history of several such fatal accidents. "There is no independent legislation on occupational safety and health issues in Pakistan," Human Resource Development Minister Sadaruddin Shah Rashidi conceded in the Parliament. The minister made the remarks in the National Assembly - the Lower House - yesterday while responding to questions. Rashidi also said that he was not in a position to give a timeframe to develop any such law. To another question, he said that Pakistan's Supreme Court directed the government two years ago to develop industrial safety laws after consulting the province but the court did not give any deadline. Yesterday's remarks came months after criticism over lack of legal framework to provide safety to workers in the wake of collapse of an industrial complex in Lahore in November, 2015 which killed at least 45 workers. At least 255 workers were still struggling to get justice after they were killed in the factory fire in 2012 in Karachi. Five suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives, including a Pakistani national, arrested for allegedly conspiring to kidnap businessmen from various places to raise funds to carry out terror strikes in the national capital, were today put on trial by a Delhi court. The court framed charges against Pakistani national Arshad Khan, Mohd Shahid, Mohd Rashid, Abdul Subhan and his nephew Ashabuddin for alleged offences punishable under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and under sections 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Khan, who is lodged in Kolkata Jail in connection with shoe baron Partha Roy Burman kidnapping case of 2001, was not produced before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh today after which the court posted the matter for February 3 for formal framing of charges against him. The court has directed that Khan be produced before it on the next date of hearing through video conferencing. Section 18 of UAPA pertains to punishment for conspiracy, while section 20 relates to punishment for being a member of terrorist organisation. Shahid and Rashid were arrested in December 2013 from Mewat region in Haryana by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in connection with the case. Police had named both of them in a charge sheet filed in May 2014 for the alleged offences. Later, Subhan, Ashabuddin and Khan were arrested in the case and a supplementary charge sheet was filed against them. In its charge sheet, police had alleged that Subhan was the main conspirator in the case and had entered into a conspiracy with others to carry out terrorist acts in Delhi. It had claimed that Subhan was in touch with wanted LeT man Javed Baluchi, who is based in Pakistan. With the arrest of Rashid and Shahid, police had claimed to have unearthed a terror module of the LeT which was at an "advanced stage" of planning a major strike in Delhi. Ashabuddin was arrested in the case after he was produced before the court here from Kolkata Jail where he was serving jail term for his role in the Burman kidnapping case. Police had earlier claimed that Rashid had told the investigators about LeT's plan to execute a terror strike "on the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition". The Israeli army said today it had arrested a young Palestinian suspected of killing an Israeli at her home in a West Bank settlement. The suspect, whose age and identity were not given, was from a village close to the Otniel settlement where Dafna Meir, 38, was stabbed to death Sunday after she fought to defend her children, the military said in a statement. While Sunday's killing was part of a months-long wave of violence, it was the first inside a Jewish settlement home in the occupied West Bank and triggered fears that the unrest was worsening and that Israel would impose a harsh security crackdown on Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled further security measures yesterday, pledging to "strengthen the communities" after the deadly stabbing in the Otniel settlement near the flashpoint city of Hebron in the southern West Bank. "Whoever tries to harm us, we will bring him to justice," Netanyahu said. "In the end he will be found and he will pay the full price." Meir was a 38-year-old nurse and mother of six. At least some of her children, aged four to 17, were home at the time of the attack, but were not hurt. Her funeral in Jerusalem yesterday was attended by hundreds, including Israeli politicians and Jewish settlers carrying rifles. Meir's death brought the toll in the recent violence to 24 Israelis and 155 Palestinians killed since October 1. Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli forces during protests and clashes. Israel's government had already come under heavy pressure over the spate of attacks and Sunday's killing provoked fresh outrage. Most of the stabbings have occurred in public places, including checkpoints, junctions and entrances to Jerusalem's Old City, and they have rarely been fatal. Many of the Palestinian attackers have been young people, including teenagers. A number of them have attempted attacks with kitchen knives in what some analysts have described as virtual suicide missions. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today slammed the SAD-BJP government over the reported drowning of at least 24 Punjabi youths near Panama, alleging that it has failed to check the "immigration mafia" in the state. The mafia of travel agents in Punjab not only lures the youth to shell out hefty sums but also put their lives in danger, while promising to fulfil their dreams of settling abroad, AAP's Punjab Convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur said here. He was referring to the incident in which over 20 youths from Punjab have reportedly drowned near Panama, when the boat in which they were travelling from a port town called Turbo, capsized on its journey towards the United States of America. Chhotepur said that while his party was still trying to get more details on the Panama boat tragedy from both the Centre and the state government, media reports suggest that "well oiled" illegal immigration business was proliferating in Punjab "under the nose of Parkash Singh Badal-led government". The AAP convener went on to say that it is "laughable" to learn that deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal is in touch with the MEA to send a team of police officers to Panama to inquire about the boat tragedy. "What kind of inquiry does the police intend to do in Panama? If Sukhbir was serious about the issue he could have dealt the immigration mafia with an iron hand being the home minister of Punjab," he said. He said the AAP leadership would soon approach the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to send a party delegation to Panama to gather information about the boat tragedy. The delegation would submit a detailed report to the party leadership suggesting ways and means to ensure such incidents don't occur in future. "Unfortunately the mafia has been proliferating in Punjab with the tacit support of the SAD-BJP government and with the active backing of Punjab Police officials," he alleged. "Otherwise, why has Punjab police failed to act against the travel agents based on hundreds of complaints pending in various police stations across the state," he asked. The Akali government has failed to implement the Punjab Travel Professionals' Regulation Act, 2012, under which all travel agents must be registered with the government. As a result, now a large number of agents are operating illegally without being registered under the Act, he claimed. AAP leaders said that the party would soon constitute a wing which would reach out to the families in Punjab, whose members have been stuck on foreign lands due to lack of documentation. "We will see if we can help them come back to Punjab," Chhotepur added. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's intervention into the issue of reported drowning of atleast 24 Punjabi youths near Panama after their boat capsized on the sea while travelling to the US. In a letter to Swaraj, the Chief Minister apprised her about the reports that around 22-24 youths from Punjab have drowned near Panama, when a boat in which they were travelling in from Colombian port town of Turbo, capsized on its journey to the US. He said the tragedy has shaken the families of the youths and in the absence of any reliable information, it was difficult to console them. The state government has registered a case against the travel agents belonging to Kapurthala district who were instrumental in arranging their journey, Badal said, adding two travel agents have already been arrested in this regard. The Chief Minister impressed upon Swaraj that the Centre should make immediate and sincere efforts through the Governments of concerned countries and Indian Missions in Colombia and Panama in this regard. According to an official spokesperson, the youths were reportedly headed to the US illegally in a boat when it capsized on January 10 on the sea between the Colombian port city of Turbo and neighbouring South American country Panama. Yesterday, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal spoke to Swaraj over telephone on the issue even as state Congress chief Amarinder Singh sought MEA's intervention into the matter. REOPENS DES 32 Meanwhile, an American association of NRIs today demanded Chief Minister Badal to immediately order a probe into the Panama boat tragedy and urged him to establish a corporation, on the lines of Maharashtra and Kerala, to monitor the youths from the state going abroad. "Chief Minister Badal should take an immediate decision in this regard and order a probe into the matter so that we could know which agent took how much money to send these youths illegally to America," said Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director, North American Punjabi Association. He said, "Our Association has been demanding Punjab government establish a corporation on the lines of Maharashtra and Kerala to monitor if the youths venturing abroad are going legally or illegally. We reiterate our demand. A commission probing the solar panel scam today rejected prime accused Biju Radhakrishnan's request that he be permitted to personally cross examine Oommen Chandy when the Chief Minister deposes before the panel on January 25 at its sitting in Thiruvananthapuram. The Justice G Sivaraman Commission, however, permitted Radhakrishnan to cross examine the Chief Minister through a counsel. During the deposition, Chandy will be examined on his office's alleged role in connection with the scam. While rejecting Radhakrishnan's demand, the commission cited his present status of being an accused in 58 cases. It agreed with the government counsel who said the accused's background and present situation must be considered before taking a decision on his demand for personal cross examination of the Chief Minister. Radhakrishnan, currently serving life term in jail in a murder case, has to be taken to various courts in connections with the cases registered against him, it noted. "He can be permitted to cross examine (the chief minister) through a counsel appointed by him," the commission said. It also directed necessary permission be given to Radhakrishnan to discuss the case with his counsel in jail. The commission, however, permitted Radhakrishnan to personally examine his alleged partner in the scam Saritha S Nair while she deposes before the panel on January 27 and 28. Ruling out an interim report in the case, the Commission said it was trying to submit the final report on the solar panel scam by April 27, this year. The scam relates to the duping of several persons by the two prime accused -- Saritha and Radhakrishnan -- who had promised to install solar power panels for them. The Commission, headed by retired High Court Judge G Sivarajan, has examined several people, including politicians from the Opposition, on whether the government suffered any financial loss due to the alleged deals. While Saritha was granted bail after remaining behind bars for some nine months, Radhakrishnan is still in jail. After the scam broke out, the opposition had demanded the resignation of Chandy as the names of two of his personal staff had come up during the probe. Cheetham Hill in Manchester is Britain's counterfeit capital, according to a new government report, days after authorities seized fake goods worth 1.5 million pounds during raids. The trade in counterfeit brands continues to flourish there despite a series of high-profile raids which have seen fake goods worth millions seized by the authorities, according to the Intellectual Property Office. Manchester, a major city in the northwest of England, has a rich industrial heritage. The latest in a series of raids in the area saw police and trading standards seize goods worth 1.5 million pounds during raids at 14 shops before Christmas, Manchester Evening Post reported. A million counterfeit cigarettes and 70 kilos of fake tobacco with an estimated value of over 5 million pounds were seized in 2014. In 2013, 1 million pounds of fake designer clothes, handbags and footwear were intercepted. Fake vodka worth 250,000 pounds was seized in 2010. "It is indicative of the entrenched criminal culture of the area that the trade in counterfeit goods has continued despite regular enforcement action and high-volume seizures," the report said. It added: "Cheetham Hill occupies a focal point in the UK market for counterfeit goods. In addition to the significant retail trade occurring directly from premises in the area, there is also information suggesting that local wholesale operations supply counterfeit goods to online and in-person traders across the UK." Cheetham Hill's counterfeiters trade out of shops, private homes, car boots and via the internet using aliases and working through 'closed' social media groups. They have links to serious organised crime, drug dealing and violence, the report said. Minister for intellectual property Baroness Neville-Rolfe said: "Working together we have made a significant impact on intellectual property crime across the UK however problem areas such as Cheetham Hill still exist. "This trade, where income tax and consumers safety is simply ignored, undercuts and undermines legitimate businesses and allows other criminality to be funded and flourish," she said. Nationally some 1.6 million fake items were intercepted at border crossings in 2014/15, according to the report. Some 75,000 of the fakes bore the logo of one un-named brand-holder, it said. The value of the genuine articles would have been 2.5 million pounds. Pathankot terror strike could have been prevented if lessons were learnt from previous terror strikes with a main focus on securing country's international border with Pakistan which is not yet "well guarded", Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra said here on Tuesday. Speaking about the recent infiltrations by terror groups through International Border (IB), including the recent attack on Pathankot air base, Vohra said BSF with its limited capacities cannot guard the borders which is a long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometers including the Punjab IB. The Governor who was here to deliver a key note address on seventh Investigation Agency (NIA) day, noted that the five-six terror attacks which took place from September 2013 onwards via Kathua through the IB, part of which falls in Jammu and Kashmir, should have been followed up as closely as the Pathankot attack. He said that the attack on Dina Nagar police station in Gurdaspur could have been avoided, if the previous terror attacks were subjected to a tight investigation. "...And if Dinanagar would have been properly investigated, Pathankot, I am sure would have been almost impossible because we would have been able to know the routes taken by the terror groups to infiltrate the IB. I also hold very strongly that IB is not well guarded," Vohra, who has been the Governor of the border state for last eight years, said. The Governor, who has also served as Union Home and Defence Secretary besides Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister in 1997, maintained that he had informed the centre about it. "I think there are issues...But we need to do much more. BSF, with its present capacities, cannot safeguard IB which is long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometres almost including the border in Punjab. It is a difficult area and we need to look at that," Vohra reiterated. He was replying to a question over the reluctance of state governments in handing over terror cases to central probe agencies. Punjab government had refused to hand over the Dina Nagar police station attack probe to NIA. The July 2015 terror attack on a police station in Dina Nagar in Gurdaspur district of Punjab resulted in 10 deaths, including that of three terrorists. Superintendent of Police Baljeet Singh was also killed in the attack. Highlighting the sensational issue of sabotage of security related decisions, Vohra said, "Considering the level of sabotage and subversion which have progressively got established in our country, in our systems, various actions and decisions taken with regard to security, enforcement have the high potential of being sabotaged". The Governor was posed a question by an NIA officer who claimed that the Malda riots in West Bengal were carried out by people with criminal intent who destroyed records of a police station so that when NIA takes over, there are no document and evidence to pursue the probe. Vohra replied that he had seen such sabotage during his tenure in various capacities in Punjab, during post Blue Star period, and in Jammu and Kashmir. "The point that you made about certain elements in the state system, whether among the public or the criminal elements or elements within the state police who would subvert the NIA's objectives--by burning records or doing things like that so that when it comes to prosecuting an offence, you don't have the wherewithal, you don't have the evidence.. This is bound to happen," he said. Vohra also suggested that a separate Ministry should be carved out from the Home Ministry to deal with national security related incidents and a separate cadre of officials who are specially trained to handle these issues be raised to man the proposed ministry. The Governor asserted that in the wake of terror attacks, standard operating procedures must be strictly followed. Routinely assigning people with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease to physical or occupational therapy offers no improvement to their quality of life, said a British study out today. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Neurology, suggest that the current standard of care for early-stage patients may be a waste of time and money. Parkinson's disease attacks the central nervous system, and affects about seven million people across the world, including about four percent of those over age 80. The randomized trial involved 762 patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease, recruited from 38 sites in Britain. All the patients were experiencing some difficulties with daily activities such as buttoning shirts or brushing teeth. Half were assigned to physical therapy and the other half to occupational therapy -- both practiced in hour-long sessions that took place several times over the course of the study. Physical therapy tends to focus on diagnosing and treating injuries, while occupational therapy aims to help patients adapt to injury and improve life skills. After three months, researchers at the University of Birmingham found "no difference between the groups" in their ability to perform daily tasks or in their answers on a health-related quality of life questionnaire. Furthermore, there were "no clinically meaningful short- or medium-term benefits" from either therapy for those in the study, the researchers added. Therefore, more time should be spent on exploring "the development and testing of more structured and intensive physical therapy programs in patients with all stages of Parkinson's disease," the study said. An accompanying editorial by J. Eric Ahlskog, a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, pointed out that doctors for all the patients in the study had already decided they were unlikely to benefit from such therapies. HELENA The Montana Public Service Commission will hold a public meeting with railway officials and state lawmakers Wednesday about how to address rail safety problems found in a recent audit. The Legislative Audit Division's report in October faulted the PSC for not having a rail safety plan, not conducting a risk assessment, not participating in national and regional organizations, and having no goals other than meeting the minimum number of track inspections each year. The safety issue is a concern given the increased train traffic carrying volatile crude oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota, the audit said. Auditors recommended adding inspectors, becoming more engaged in regional rail issues and possibly moving rail safety oversight from the PSC to another state agency. PSC Chairman Brad Johnson told a legislative panel Friday that the commission has complied with the "easy stuff" in the audit by engaging with other agencies and organizations. Next comes the hard stuff how to boost safety protocols to the level the audit calls for with only two state inspectors. "The Montana Public Service Commission stands ready and willing to carry out any responsibility we are given by the Legislature so long as we have the mandate, the authority and the resources," Johnson said. That is the primary purpose of Wednesday's roundtable discussion with officials from BNSF Railway, Montana Rail Link and Union Pacific Railroad, plus invited state legislators, PSC spokesman Eric Sell said. The commission wants to understand to what extent the railway companies conduct their own safety inspections and how the state and federal government's inspections fit with their work, he said. The commission also is seeking comments on how to increase staff, conduct a risk assessment and develop safety goals and a plan, he added. "If we determine that there is a lacking in the oversight of rail safety in Montana, the PSC is ready to go to the Legislature and ask for more resources," Sell said. Johnson and Sell both stress that the federal government has taken over nearly all of the regulatory oversight of railroads, and that states voluntarily participate in rail safety regulation. The commission has not taken a position on whether rail safety oversight should remain with the PSC, Sell said. The Delhi Police has rescued a one-and-half-year-old child within 24 hours of kidnapping even no arrests were made in connection with the case. The South-East District police has solved the case and has claimed that the kidnapped infant was rescued due to its swift action. In a statement, the police said that Baby Devi (25) years residing under Modi Mill Flyover reported that her husband resides in Bihar and she earns her livelihood by begging. On January 17, around 11 AM, she went outside for washing clothes leaving behind her son, Bittu, sleeping under the tin shade behind Kalkaji Mandir Market. "The police team acted swiftly. The footage of CCTV cameres installed in the nearby areas was analyzed and more than 150 persons in the premises of Kalkaji Mandir were also interrogated to get the lead about the kidnapped child as well as any suspect in this regard. "It gave results and it was revealed that one Guddi aged about 25 years was also missing after this incident," a senior police official said. The official further said that during the investigation, it was revealed that she was of unsound mind. Her father who runs a 'Prasad' shop at Kalkaji temple, was questioned about her whereabouts on which he informed that she had gone to her native village Mohammad Pur in Badaun of UP. "The police team was immediately dispatched to the native village and the kidnapped child was rescued from there in safe and sound condition while Guddi was not found there. Further efforts are being to trace the accused Guddi. "In this case, the police team had acted swiftly and professionally due to which the kidnapped child could be rescued within 24 hours of the incident," the official added. Precision Camshafts today fixed the price band between Rs 180-186 per share for its initial public offer (IPO) which will hit the capital market on January 27. The IPO, which closes on January 29, would be made through a fresh issue aggregating upto Rs 240 crore and an offer for sale of up to 91,50,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each. "The company has fixed the price band between Rs 180 to Rs 186 per share. The object of the net proceeds of the fresh issue are establishment of a machine shop for ductile iron camshafts at the export oriented unit (EOU) in Solapur, Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 200 crore and for other general corporate purposes," the company's Chairman and Managing Director Yatin Shah told reporters here. Maharashtra-based Precision Camshafts makes over 150 varieties of camshafts for small and mid-sized passenger vehicle engines world over. Meanwhile, the company also proposes to set up two new machine shops at Solapur, for ductile iron camshafts and assembled camshafts respectively, by fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2018. SBI Capital Markets, HDFC Bank and India Infoline are the book running lead managers to the issue. Family members of priest and activist Father Bismarque Dias have accused the police of hiding crucial reports from them which disapproves of the theory that he had an accidental death due to drowning. "Police (Crime Branch) are quoting several forensic reports to prove that it was not a murder. We had asked them the copies of the reports for our satisfaction but to our surprise police refused to give it," Mario Dias, younger brother of Father Bismarque told PTI today. He said the family members want to show these reports to qualified doctors who will be able to give their opinion on it. "We are surprised why the Police is hiding the reports from us," he said. Father Bismarque, a green crusader who was part of several agitations in the state, was found dead in a rivulet on November 6 last year near his village of St Estevam, about 15 kms from here. The family members and his friends have suspected that he was murdered. Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch), Karthik Kashyap had earlier said that the priest was not murdered and died due to drowning. "If there's nothing to hide, then why they are not showing us the reports?" Mario asked, adding that he has personally written to the Police department several times in this regard. The family members are yet to take Dias's body, which is currently kept in a morgue of Goa Medical College and Hospital. "There are several statements which are yet to be recorded. Police is not investigating the case properly," he alleged. When contacted the SP, Kashyap was not available for comments. However, a senior Crime Branch official said the case was still being investigated. "The case is not closed. We are investigating it. There is no need for the family to jump to any conclusion," the official said on the condition of anonymity. Protests over alleged suicide by a Dalit research scholar in Hyderabad University continued in the national capital today with youth wings of various parties including AAP and Congress hitting the streets demanding resignation of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya. The protesters blamed "interference" in internal matters of the Hyderabad University by Irani and Dattatreya for the incident and called the student's suicide an "institutional murder". While protesters from Congress affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) marched to HRD ministry shouting slogans against the government, those from AAP's Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar here. They were joined by left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) and Students Federation fo India (SFI). "We are absolutely convinced that the HRD Ministry has directly interfered in the matter that has led to the suicide. There were five letters sent from the MHRD to the varsity seeking immediate action on the Dalit students following the letter to the MHRD by Bandaru Dattatreya. This is not a suicide but a case of institutional murder," NSUI President Roji M John alleged. The protesters staged a demonstration outside Shastri Bhawan which houses the HRD ministry following which 27 of them were detained by police. AAP leaders Ashutosh and Dileep Pandey joined the CYSS protesters at Jantar Mantar who reiterated their demand for an independent probe into the matter. "The leaders consider them (dalits) to be their enemies and anti-nationalists. We demand that Dattatreya should be arrested immediately and he should be ousted out of the Cabinet. "Smriti Irani has a suspicious role in this and her role should also be probed. An independent commission with the presence of Supreme Court judges should be set up to investigate the matter and submit its report," Ashutosh said while addressing the gathering. The AISA and SFI staged silent protests and conducted candle light vigils at Jantar Mantar demanding that the ministers as well as the Vice Chancellor be held accountable for the tragedy. 26-year-old Vemula Rohit, a Dalit PhD scholar, was found hanging at the Central University's hostel room in the campus on Sunday. He was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. The suspension was revoked later. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were named in an FIR over the death of the scholar, which triggered massive protests and demands for their removal from their posts. The issue also took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". The HRD ministry has constituted a two-member fact finding team to look into the the incident. As many as 115 students were detained yesterday after violent protest outside the HRD Ministry over the death of the scholar. Russian's president is hosting the ruler of Qatar for talks set to focus on the Syrian crisis. Vladimir Putin welcomed Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the start of Monday's talks in the Kremlin by hailing Qatar's role in regional affairs. He voiced hope that they would be able to "search for ways of settlement of the most difficult issues." Al-Thani emphasized a key role Russia could play in stabilizing the region, adding that Qatar wants to find a solution for problems "concerning stability of some of the countries of the region." Neither leader mentioned Syria in their opening remarks, but the Syrian crisis was looming over the talks. Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nearly five-year conflict, while Qatar has supported the opposition. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will today visit the University of Hyderabad to meet the students after a Dalit scholar allegedly committed suicide sparking massive protests. Rahul is leaving for Hyderabad along with party General Secretary Digvijay Singh and will meet the students of the university, party sources said. The body of the dalit research scholar was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room, which sparked massive protests. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti- acts". The deceased student, Rohit Vemula, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. The Congress had accused the BJP dispensation of having an "anti-Dalit agenda and mindset" and said the death of the scholar was "deliberately orchestrated by Dattatreya, Union HRD Ministry and their cohorts of ABVP". "Now an FIR has been registered against the Union Minister and the letter written by him prima facie amounts to abetment of suicide, Congress demands that Dattatreya resigns with immediate effect, failing which the Prime Minister should sack him", party spokesman R P N Singh had said yesterday. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today targeted Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide by a Dalit scholar saying the Ministers and the Vice Chancellor have "not acted fairly" that forced him to take the extreme step. He flew in here from Delhi in the morning and drove straight from the airport to the University campus where he addressed the agitating students. Gandhi alleged that the institution instead of operating fairly has used its power to "crush" the freedom of students to express. "The Vice Chancellor and the Minister in Delhi have have not acted fairly. What is the result. The result is that the youth, who came here to improve the country, to learn and to express himself was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. "Certainly he has committed suicide but conditions for his suicide were created by the Vice Chancellor, the minister and the institution," he told the students, one of whom said before his speech that they did not want any politicising of the issue. He demanded "strictest punishment" for Vice-Chancellor and the minister holding them "responsible" for the death of the research scholar. Gandhi, however, did not name Irani who had over the weekend attacked him in Amethi accusing him of failure in addressing issues of youth in his constituency. After meeting the students, Gandhi upped the ante against Irani and Dattatreya and the Vice Chancellor, by observing in a tweet: The VC and Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." The dalit student Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The Congress Vice President said there is "no question of the Vice Chancellor remaining" and criticised him severely for not even meeting the mother of the deceased. "There are certain people responsible for it. Vice Chancellor is among them. The minister is among them," Gandhi said insisting that whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in strictest terms. The Congress Vice President also chose the occasion to flag the need for a legislation to protect the interests of the students. "We should not let the ball fall here. We should keep the flag up. In the future, we should create a legislation, a law which gives certain minimum rights to every Indian student, minimum rights with regard to the freedom of ideas and expression. "One can express those ideas regardless of who they are, what caste they are, where they come from, what religion they have," Gandhi said. In a series of other tweets, Gandhi said, "Any student can come to the University- whether he belongs to any caste or religion. He should feel that I can say what I want to say. The idea of a University is that young people can come and share their thoughts." "These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus. Met students of the Ambedkar Students Association, Hyderabad University," he said in the other tweets. "There are certain people who are responsible for this boy's death. The Vice-Chancellor is among them. The Minister is among them and the people that have applied pressure on this boy from expressing his ideas are among them. Whoever is responsible for this "outcome" (the death) has to be punished in the strictest manner possible", he said. Earlier, Gandhi, who was accompanied by senior Telangana Congress leaders, paid tributes to Vemula by garlanding a memorial "stupa" put up in the university. He also spent some time with family members of Vemula and consoled them. More. Gandhi is the first major leader from a national party to visit the University after the incident. A two-member Trinamool Congress delegation led by party MP and national spokesperson Derek O'Brien is going to Hyderabad this evening to express solidarity with the students protesting against the alleged suicide. RPI leader Ramdas Athawale would be visiting the student's family in Hyderabad tomorrow. Students wing of NCP also held protests at various places in Maharashtra. Some student leaders tried to clarify that this issue was "not Congress versus BJP" for them and they do not want politics on it as the protest is to seek justice for the victim. Noting the contention, Gandhi said there is some discussion that the issue should not be politicised. "There is no question of politicising it. But what has happened here is that some youngsters wanted to express certain ideas. The institution instead of operating fairly used its power to crush," Gandhi said. He said that a legislation is required to ensure the autonomy of institutions and one that it "does not allow the central government to impose" conditions on institutions that leads to such incidents. Going hammer and tongs at the Vice Chancellor, the Congress leader said that whenever any such incident happens in a university when some student commits suicide or dies due to accident or illness, decency and dignity demand that the man in charge of running the University meet the family members. Alleging that the Vice Chancellor did not bother to meet the mother of the victim, he said it was an "insult" not only to family members of the victim but the entire nation. Assuring the students that they are not alone in this fight, Gandhi said that he has come to the campus not as a politician but a young person who feels what the students are going through. "Compensation has to be paid to Rohit...And it is perfectly valid demand that his family should be paid five crore rupees", he said, adding compensation also meant respect and job for the bereaved family. "I have come here for Rohit but Rohit is not alone. All of you in this university are not alone. Rajasthan Congress will hold a seminar next month to raise the issue of Dalit rights and to demand protection of the same from the BJP-led state government. "Dalits are feeling insecure in the BJP government rule and they need protection. Congress stands with them and would not let the government snatch their rights," PCC president Sachin Pilot said. The seminar will be attended by the people of the community besides Congress leaders and workers, he said. Pilot, after holding the state level executive meeting here, said similar meetings would also be held at local level. "Atrocities against Dalits is a big issue which needs attention," Pilot said and accused the BJP of having an "anti-Dalit" mindset. In December last year, Dalit IAS officer, Umrao Salodias, who was aspiring to become the state's chief Secretary had alleged "victimisation" because of his caste after the incumbent top-most bureaucrat was given a three-month extension. Addressing the executive meeting, Pilot also hit out at the BJP-led state government for "neglecting" the interest of farmers. "It is very sad that more than 60 farmers have committed suicide due to negligence of the government. It is also unfortunate that most of the farmers whose crops were damaged are still waiting for compensation and insurance claim," Pilot claimed. Expressing serious concern on the quality of grocery items used in kitchen of jails, Rajasthan Home Minister G C Kataria today directed prison authorities to make arrangements to procure food commodities from state agencies instead of private contractors. To arrange good and pure quality food commodities for prison inmates, the jail administration should consult and take support of the state agencies instead of regular outside contractors, Kataria told jail administrators during a review meeting held here. This system be adopted on pilot basis at one or two jails, and if successful then could be implemented across prisons in the state, the Home Minister said. There was a proposal to have fixed time for meeting inmates and undertrials so that their relatives should not have to wait for long outside the jails, Kataria said. He added that waiting rooms would also be set up to provide them with a meeting point inside jails. Kataria also instructed officials that overloaded prisons be examined and excess inmates be shifted to other jails having space for their livelihood and work. So far 1,500 prisoners have been shifted to other prisons in the state, and process to prisoners from Udaipur Central jail would be shifted to other places to ease the load, he said. As against a capacity of 18,282 prisoners in the state jails, there were 18,961 inmates, the Home Minister said, adding new barracks were also being constructed to accommodate prisoners and undertrials. He also assured that pending promotions of officers and employees in jail department would be taken up on priority. Apprising the Home Minister, DGP (Jail) Ajit Singh said there was extra land space where the new barracks could be constructed in some jails. Installation of jammers was under process in jails, DGP said, adding while their testing was underway at Ajmer, Bikaner and Jaipur. 10 new vehicles were also being purchased for commutation of inmates to the courts, the DGP said. Ravinder Bhakar, a 1999 batch Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS) officer, has taken over as the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Western Railway (WR) today. Prior to his appointment as CPRO, Bhakar was posted as the Deputy Chief Materials Manager of WR at Churchgate here, a statement issued by WR said. Bhakar is a mechanical engineer from MNIT, Jaipur, who in his distinguished career as an IRSS officer and has rich experience of holding many important posts in Central and Western Railway. He is also recipient of many prestigious awards, including the General Manager Award for outstanding service in CR and WR and has also played a key role in implementation of electronic procurement and formulation of various multi-modal logistics plans, it said. Outgoing CPRO Sharat Chandrayan has joined as Group General Manager of Container Corporation (CONCOR) in Mumbai. After 'Nancy' and 'Sony', it was the turn of ITBP sniffer dog 'Nisha' to display her capabilities in detecting a dummy explosive kept along Rajpath during security drills being held in the run up to the Republic Day celebrations here on January 26. During a preparatory 'sweeping' of the seating area in the lawns flanking Rajpath yesterday, security agencies had cleverly hidden a RDX-smeared decoy explosive and the six-year-old paramilitary dog smelt its fumes from a distance and gave out a special bark in her signature style to alert her handler and ITBP constable Ravindra Kumar about the bomb. "The drills are being conducted everyday to sweep and sanitise the parade area against any improvised explosive device or explosive. The ITBP has provided its elite canine squad and they are delivering good results everyday," a senior official involved in the preparations of the parade said. 'Nisha', a German Shepherd dog, has been trained at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) canine training academy in Bhanu near Chandigarh. The wing has been declared a 'centre of excellence' for training of police and paramilitary dogs in the country. These Republic Day drills have been successfully undertaken in the last few days by 'Nisha's' colleagues 'Nancy' and 'Sony' when they detected hidden and dummy explosives kept by the Prime Minister's security wing to test their accuracy in providing fool-proof security to the VVIP national event. About 20 ITBP canines, ranging from Labradors, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois have been deployed to secure event and its main areas on Rajpath from where the parade will travel after it begins from Raisina Hills. Security has been put on all-time high in view of threat emanating not only from terror groups but also by concealed IEDs for the national event where French President Francois Hollande will be the chief guest in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The top government, political and security brass will also be in attendance besides thousands of members of the public. The RSS today said if Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa visits Goa then he should apologise to the people of the state for 450 years long oppressive rule of Portugal. "We are not supporting his felicitation on the soil of Goa. We don't want him to be honoured here. But BJP government wants, and if he arrives to accept the felicitation, he will have to apologise to the people of Goa for 450 years long Portuguese oppressive rule," RSS Goa unit Chief Subhash Velingkar said. The demand from RSS comes close on the heels of statement by BJP's ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar who had said the Prime Minister should apologise to Goa. The state Legislative Assembly in the session on January 15 had passed a congratulatory motion to Costa, who has roots in Margao city of South Goa district. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar had even said in the session that the government may invite Costa to the state in the near future. Velingkar today said the kind of destruction that was unleashed by Portuguese on the soil of Goa is "unpardonable". "Portuguese should apologise for their sins. They forced Goa into slavery for 450 years," he said. Goa was liberated from the Portuguese rule on December 19, 1961. Russian gas giant Gazprom today fired off a new salvo in Moscow's feud with Ukraine by demanding some USD 2.5 billion for Kiev allegedly breaching its supply contract. Gazprom said in a statement that under the terms of its deal with Ukraine state firm Naftogaz, Kiev had to buy a minimum annual amount of gas from them or face a penalty and that supplies had fallen short of the required level in the third quarter of last year. "Taking this (minimum level) into account and the volume of gas delivered by Gazprom to Ukraine in the third quarter of 2015, Naftogaz Ukraine has been sent a bill for $2.549 billion," the statement said. "Gazprom is waiting for the bill to be settled in the next 10 days," it said. The move is the latest step in Russia's fallout with its ex-Soviet neighbour that started with the ouster of Kremlin-backed leader Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014 and saw Moscow seize Crimea and back pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine. The crisis has also sparked a lengthy gas dispute between the two countries that has seen Gazprom turn off supplies to Kiev and the European Union step in to help negotiate a new deal between the two sides. Ukraine has been trying to wean itself off its reliance on Russian gas and bought practically no supplies from Gazprom in the third quarter of last year, according the Russian company. There was no immediate response from the Ukrainian side to the demand. Ukraine's standoff with Russia has also recently been accompanied by an escalating trade war and a heated disputed over an overdue USD 3-billion (2.8-billion-euro) loan that Moscow extended to Yanukovych and which cash-strapped Kiev now refuses to repay in full. Kiev argues that Moscow lent its ally the money on preferential terms as a bribe for Yanukovych's shock November 2013 decision to scuttle a free trade agreement with the EU that Kiev has since signed. The new government wants Russia to accept a 20-per cent debt writedown - the same terms accepted last year by Ukraine's private creditors. Russia has refused and promised to launch legal proceedings against Ukraine in a London court by the end of the month. South Korea said on Tuesday it was filing a criminal complaint against the head of Volkswagen AG's Korean office, saying a plan it submitted for recalling emissions-cheating vehicles was legally deficient. The environment ministry said the suit -- filed with the Seoul Central Prosecutor's Office -- targeted Johannes Thammer, managing director of Audi Volkswagen Korea. The ministry said the recall plans submitted by Volkswagen were unacceptable and lacked key information -- including details of how the problem had occurred and how it would be fixed. Similar issues were cited by US environmental regulators last week when they turned down Volkswagen's initial recall plan for emission-cheating vehicles sold in the US market. The world's number-two automaker faces legal action in several countries, after it admitted in September to faking US emissions tests on some of its diesel engine vehicles. In November, South Korea ordered Volkswagen Korea to recall more than 125,000 diesel-powered cars sold in the Korean market and fined the company 14.1 billion won ($12.3 million). It also demanded detailed recall plans by January 6 that would specify how the emissions of the cars in question would be improved. A Volkswagen Korea spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, but told AFP that the company would submit "a revised recall plan that supplements the ministry's requests". German brands have led a surge in sales of foreign cars in South Korea in recent years, notably following a free trade deal in 2011 that cut duties on vehicles imported from Europe. Around 70 per cent of foreign auto sales in South Korea are diesel engine vehicles. The Delhi government's deadline of January 22 for accepting nursery admission forms was today extended till this month end for the prestigious Sanskriti School today by the Supreme Court, which also decided to set up a three-judge bench to hear the matter. The Centre and the school administration have assailed in the apex court the decision of Delhi High Court setting aside the 60 per cent quota for wards of group-A government officials who are in the highest class of government servants, in the school. They have also sought an interim order allowing the institution to continue with the admission process under the old scheme till the matter is finally decided by it. A bench comprising justices A R Dave and A K Goel, which has now fixed the pleas for hearing on January 21, said now a three-judge bench would hear the petitions of the school and the Centre. Now the court will decide as to whether the society running the school, can be held as state or its instrumentality under the Constitution and hence, amenable to the writ jurisdiction of the apex court and the high court. Senior advocate Arvind Datar, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in the matter, said there were judgments which were at variance with each other on when a society can be held either state or its instrumentality. He said a three judge bench should hear the matter and give a "once for all" authoritative view on the issue as to whether a society, managing the affairs of an institution or a sport, would be akin to the state. Earlier, the Government had told the apex court that wards of government employees, other than Group-A central government officials, can also be provided admission under 60 per cent quota earlier meant only for kids of this section in the prestigious Sanskriti School here. The school administration had said the nursery admission process under the local laws have begun on January 1 and the last date for submission of nursery forms is January 22. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is also assisting the court as an amicus curiae, had said he was personally not in favour of granting 60 per cent reservation to wards of Group-A central government officials, but there should be some avenues for the wards of other officers also who get transferred often to various places or sent on offshore assignments. Meanwhile, one Dheeraj Singh, father of an admission seeker, had moved a plea through lawyer Akhil Sachar for being made a party in the case, alleging that the High Court had already quashed a 2013 notification granting special status to the school and the order had remained unchallenged. While setting aside the 60 per cent quota in Sanskriti School, the high court in its November 6 judgement had said it was "akin to the erstwhile segregation of white and black students in the US and violated constitutional provisions of equality and right to education". The Centre and the school have separately challenged the High Court decision. The apex court had on December 15 last year agreed to hear the plea challenging the Delhi High Court decision. 60 per cent seats in the school are reserved for children of Group-A officers, 25 per cent for those from economically weaker sections, 10 per cent for wards of rest of the society and 5 per cent for its own staff. The high court in its judgement had also observed that various expert commissions have said that the current school system in India and abroad promoted and maintained a wide chasm between the advantaged and disadvantaged. The high court had taken suo motu cognizance of the issue in 2006 after reports that the school was charging "nearly 40 per cent less fee from the children of Group-A officers of the Union Government vis-a-vis other children". The Supreme Court today restrained the government from going ahead with any further disinvestment of its stake in Hindustan Zinc Ltd, the management of which is under the control of a Vedanta subsidiary. The apex court also questioned the government for selling of 29 per cent of valuable shares in the company which deals with the strategic minerals. "There will be status quo as of today pertaining to disinvestment of Hindustan Zinc Ltd to be maintained by parties," a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur, Justices A K Sikri and R Banumathi said. The bench clarified that it was not stopping Sterlite Vedanta, which has taken over the company, from carrying out investment and only stopping the government from selling its residuary shares in the company. The bench also said that it will not allow any further disinvestment till the matter is heard and admitted the petition. Senior advocate C A Sundaram, appearing for Vedanta, submitted that the private company had taken over the majority stakes 14-years back when HZL was a loss-making company and now it has emerged as a profit-making unit. The court, however, asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatagi, "What is the requirement to hand over the valuable assets to Vedanta. Don't do this and don't go for the disinvestment. We will hear the matter. We will not allow them to sell." The bench also wanted to know why the government wanted to part with the residuary stakes in HZL. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for National Confederation of Officers' Associations of Central Public Sector Undertakings which has filed the petition, submitted that when the first disinvestment was carried in the company, there was transgression of the law which had become clear when a two-judge bench of the apex court had dealt with disinvestment in another PSU. Taking note of the contention, the bench said, "Already you have committed a wrong and we would not allow the second transgression." Referring to the earlier judgments, it said further disinvestment could not be carried out without amending the relevant legal provisions and asked the Attorney General, "What is the compulsion for the disinvestment. The Attorney General maintained that it is a policy decision, saying what will the government do with the remaining shares of the company. "It is a peculiar situation," Rohatgi said. The bench then said that there is no other way left but for the government to go before Parliament and seek amendment of the relevant law, otherwise it has to retain the remaining stakes in the company. The petitioner has challenged the proposed disinvestment, saying the decision is "irrational, illogical, illegal, unreasonable, mala fide and arbitrary". During a hearing in the case on October 9, 2014, the apex court was informed that CBI had registered a preliminary investigation with regard to the sale of stakes in HZL to Vedanta-promoted Sterlite Opportunities and Ventures Ltd in 2002-03. The much-delayed seaplane service between Juhu and Girgaon chowpatty in Mumbai is likely to commence from February 13, when the week-long 'Make in India' event begins in the megapolis. "The last mile hurdle for launching the service was the clearance from the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). But now we have received even that, paving way for commencing the services between these destinations," Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) Joint Managing Director Satish Soni told PTI here today. He said the intent was to coincide the launch of the services with the mega event to be organised from February 13 to 18. The MTDC has appointed city-based seaplane operator Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR) for providing the service. "We wanted to start this service at that time of the programme to make it a mega event," he said. Soni said the clearance from the Defence Ministry - permissions from the Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force was obtained last year and recently the MbPT gave its nod. The project now only awaits clearance from the collector for setting up porta cabinsto provide basic passenger facilities. "We hope we will get the clearance from the collector in a week and after completing all the necessary formalities we will be able to start the services," he said. MEHAIR Co-founder and Director Siddharth Verma said the service will provide the much needed boost to the tourism industry. "The service will provide Mumbaikars the opportunity to travel in a unique, exciting and quick mode of transport between Juhu and Girgaum Chowpatty. It will also provide a huge impetus to the tourism initiative of the state of bringing the proposed destinations of Ganpatipule, Tarkali and Harihareshwar (in Konkan region) within aerial reach of Mumbai," he added. Initially, when the government had mooted this plan, a minimum fare of Rs 999 per person was decided. However, the government is now rethinking about the introductory fares. "The Rs 999 fare was proposed more than two years back. But we have not yet finalised the fares," Soni said. Verma, however, said though the proposed invitation pricing of Rs 999 is less than the break-even cost of the company for this sector, this will be a long-term investment which will help build volumes on the other proposed sectors of MEHAIR ex-Mumbai. "By cutting down the commute time between Juhu and Girgaum chowpatty to between 7-9 minutes, the service will provide a much needed relief from the traffic snarls and also save precious travel time for the users," Verma said. The Cessna 208A aircraft, which has a capacity of nine passengers and two pilots, will be used for the services, he added. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has sought clarity from Law Ministry on whether a judge can continue to head the panel probing sexual harassment charges against a high court judge despite his retirement from the Supreme Court as it is not satisfied with the opinion given by the Attorney General. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had told the Secretariat last week that the Rajya Sabha Chairman can decide on whether Justice Vikramjit Sen can continue to head the three-member panel probing sexual harassment charges against Madhya Pradesh High Court judge S K Gangele despite his retirement from the Supreme Court on December 31, 2015. He had said since the Judges Inquiry Act of 1968 is silent on whether a judge can continue to head the probe panel even after his retirement from the Supreme Court, in his opinion Justice Sen can continue to preside over the committee. On the stand taken by the Law Ministry that Justice Sen should not continue as he headed the panel by virtue of being a SC judge, AG had said that even the opposite view "is also not contrary to law." He had said that both the views are valid and the Rajya Sabha Chairman can decide on whether Justice Sen can continue to head the committee. Now the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has sought clarity from the Law Ministry and has asked it to come up with a specific answer on whether or not Justice Sen can continue. Justice Sen was a sitting Supreme Court judge when he was appointed the chief of the panel in April last year. The Ministry was also asked if another sitting SC judge is appointed in place of Justice Sen, will the panel start its investigation afresh or continue from where the Sen panel had left. The AG said the probe by the committee could recommence from the stage it was on December 31 when Justice Sen retired. In April last year, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari had set up the three-member panel to investigate sexual harassment charges against Justice Gangele. Besides Justice Sen, other members of the committee are Justice Manjula Chellur, Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, and jurist K K Venugopal. In March last year, 58 MPs had submitted a motion to Ansari for initiating impeachment proceedings against Justice Gangele for alleged sexual harassment of a woman judge in Gwalior. The motion was admitted by Ansari. The motion lists three "grounds of misconduct" for impeachment. "Sexual harassment" of the woman judge, "victimisation" of the judge "for not submitting to his illegal and immoral demands", including but not limited to, transferring her from Gwalior to Sidhi, and "misusing" his position as the administrative judge of the MP High Court to use the subordinate judiciary to victimise the judge. Shahid Kapoor has begun filming for Vishal Bhardwaj's "Rangoon" again after getting hurt on the sets of the movie. The "Shandaar" star, who is sharing screen space for the first time with Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut in the period drama, injured himself last week during an action sequence in Ludhiana. "Morning all. #rangoon on set," he wrote along with a picture of his stubble look from the film. In "Rangoon", the 34-year-old actor plays a soldier in the in the love story set against the backdrop of the World War II. The movie is Shahid's third on-screen outing with Vishal after 2009's "Kaminey" and last year's "Haider", both of which are considered the actor's career-defining movies. A Sikh man along with his four friends, who were kicked out from an American Airlines flight because their appearance made the captain uneasy has filed a USD 9 million lawsuit against the airline. Shan Anand, a Sikh, along with three other friends - Faimul Alam besides a Bangladeshi Muslim and an Arab Muslim - all young US citizens, were ordered off the flight 44718 from Toronto to New York last month based upon their perceived race, colour and ethnicity, CNN reported today. The Bangladeshi Muslim and Arab Muslim were identified only by their initials W.H. And M.K. Anand and Alam switched seats with strangers after boarding, so they could sit next to W.H. And M.K. Several minutes later, a white woman flight attendant asked W.H. To get off the plane, according to the lawsuit, which was filed yesterday in Brooklyn Federal Court. When they asked the flight crew why they were being removed, the flight attendant told them to exit "peacefully" and "demanded" they return to the gate and await further directions, the lawsuit said. "It basically made me feel like a criminal," W.H. Said, adding: "It was like I was put on a pedestal where everyone is pointing at you. I was frightened that they were frightened." It was only after the plane took off that an airline agent told the men "they could not board because the crew members, and specifically the captain, felt uneasy and uncomfortable with their presence on the flight and as such, refused to fly unless they were removed from the flight," the report said. The flight took off, leaving the four men behind. "They said it was protocol," said Anand. At least 16 people have been killed when a bus in Peru plunged off a curvy mountain road into a river, police said. The bus was taking passengers to the central city of Pichanaki yesterday when the driver lost control and ran off the road, falling 35 meters into the Tarma river, said Jose Mendoza, police spokesman for the region of Junin. The accident totalled the bus and left another 10 people injured. Initial investigations indicate the driver was speeding and lost control on a curve, Mendoza said. Fatal road accidents are common in Peru, in part because of lax traffic enforcement but also because of the Andean country's challenging mountain terrain. Resolution of unsettled matters with Bangladesh were priority issues of New Delhi, newly-appointed Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla said today as he presented credentials to President Abdul Hamid. "The government of India will give priority to resolving all unsettled issues between the two neighbouring countries," a Bangabhaban presidential palace spokesman told PTI. He said that the envoy praised flourishing of Bangladesh's democracy and development, and described the existing situation as "the good time to expand relations between the two countries". The Indian High Commission in a statement said that while presenting the credentials, Shringla told the president "it would be his endeavour to work towards further expanding and strengthening the close and friendly relations that exist between India and Bangladesh". "The High Commissioner said he looked forward to working with the Government of Bangladesh to realise the full potential of India-Bangladesh relations so as to enhance the welfare and well-being of both peoples based on mutual respect, mutual benefit and mutual understanding of each other's concerns and aspirations," it said. According to the Bangabhaban spokesman, President Hamid welcoming the envoy said that India is a close neighbour of Bangladesh and the bilateral trade ties in particular "would get a further boost when Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) will be implemented". A smartly turned up contingent of President's Guard Regiment earlier welcomed the envoy at the presidential palace with an honour guard. Shringla presented his credentials a week after his arrival. The new envoy, who prior to his new appointment served as India's ambassador to Thailand, succeeded his predecessor Pankaj Saran who left Dhaka in December to assume his duties as Indian envoy in Moscow. In the course of his diplomatic career spanning over 30 years, Shringla has held various positions in New Delhi and in Indian missions in Paris, Hanoi and Tel Aviv. (Reopens FGN 10) Islamic State group and a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda (AQIS) have claimed responsibilities for most of the murders. However, the government rejects the claim attributing the murders to homegrown militant outfits like Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), saying key-opposition outside parliament BNP and its crucial ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami were patronising the attacks under an orchestrated plot against the government. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday vowed to catch "each and every killer" and asked people to help capture the militants to support the anti-Islamist security clampdown that is underway. A spokesman in police headquarters said nearly 200 suspected militants have been arrested since the crackdown was launched. The star of an Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove," about a dolphin-killing village in Japan, was detained today by immigration authorities at Tokyo's Narita international airport. Ric O'Barry, the former dolphin trainer for the "Flipper" TV series, said immigration officials told him he wasn't a tourist, the visa he was using to enter Japan, according to his lawyer, Takashi Takano. He said officials accused O'Barry of having close ties with the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, which O'Barry denies. Immigration officials said it is their policy not to comment on individual cases. Takano said he appealed the detention, and that the Japanese government will decide on whether to allow O'Barry into the country or deport him. The timeframe for that decision wasn't clear. "The Cove," which won the 2009 Academy Award for best documentary, shows the slaughter of dolphins herded into a cove in the fishing village of Taiji and bludgeoned to death. "The Japanese government is cracking down on those who oppose their war on dolphins," O'Barry said in a statement sent by email to The Associated Press through his son, Lincoln O'Barry. Officials in Taiji, a small fishing village in central Japan, and fishermen have defended the hunt as tradition, saying that eating dolphin meat is no different than eating beef or chicken. Most Japanese have never eaten dolphin meat, and many say they are horrified by the dolphin-killing, and have joined the campaign against the Taiji hunt. Animal welfare activists say the dolphin hunt is driven mostly by the lucrative sale of dolphins to aquariums, with the meat sale income coming as a smaller extra. O'Barry has been stopped and questioned at Japanese immigration before, as well as temporarily taken into custody by local police on the suspicion of not having proper travel documents. But this is the first time he has been detained in this way. He has the support of high-profile celebrities, including Sting, US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum. Young entrepreneurs who have started new ventures in Sikkim to harness the potential of processed organic products in the state, shared their experiences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. The Prime Minister interacted with 29-year old entrepreneur Vivek Cintury, founder of Nature Gift and IIM graduate Anurag Aggarwal, co-founder of Parvata Foods, among others after inaugurating an exhibition on organic products here. The event comes days after the launch of Startup India programme on January 16. "Modiji asked about my products. I shared how I started this new venture taking loan from the Prime Minister Employment Guarantee Fund," Cintury, who has showcased his products in the exhibition, told PTI. Cintury's startup firm Nature Gift was set up in 2013 and now has a processing capacity of 200 tonnes for ginger, turmeric, buckwheat and millets. He sells processed organic products not only in Sikkim but also supplies to companies like Lucknow-based Organic India, Jaipur-based Vision Organic, among others. Cintury said he has got his products certified from export promotion body APEDA and the Spices Board and eventually wants to focus on exports. Similarly, Parvata Foods was set up in 2013 by two young entrepreneurs soon after passing out from the IIM, Ahmedabad. "We started with our own funds. We saw farmers were selling their produce in Siliguri. So, we decided to tap the potential," company's co-founder Aggarwal said. The company has partnered with New Delhi's Mother Dairy for supply of organic turmeric and ginger through 372 Safal retail outlets, he said. Industry body CII-Ahmedabad and Village Capital USA and other five investors have invested Rs 65 lakh in the company for branding and creating market linkages, he added. Another startup firm Pure Sikkim also showcased its organic products at the exhibition. Modi, who spent an hour at the exhibition visiting stalls spread over five acres, also interacted with farmers and scientists. He walked through stalls displaying organic vegetables, organic crop production technologies, medicinal and aromatic plants, besides spices and fruits along with value added products from indigenous crops. Modi also saw new farming practices like vertical farming, low cost plastic tunnels and shelters for round the year vegetable production and low cost housing for livestock. The Sikkim government showcased the state birds and animals made of organic cereals, fruits and vegetables. The state also displayed its creativity and showcased huge statue of Lord Ganesha using local organic oranges, sleeping Buddha made of bananas, Kanchenjunga mountain range made of organic ginger. Modi is here on a two-day visit. Sikkim has become the first state in the country to adopt 100 per cent organic farming. It grows organic products in 76,392 hectare. The Prime Minister yesterday gave a certificate to Sikkim government commending its efforts for converting itself into a fully organic farming state in a span of 12 years. About 64,726 farmers were also certified for their farm land. A total of 14 NGOs as service providers and six accreditation agencies are involved the process. The state grows local mandarin, kiwi, turmeric, buckwheat, rajma, vegetables, flowers among others. It has identified six products -- large cardamom, ginger, turmeric, buckwheat, tea and Cymbidium -- for sale outside Sikkim. However, the state government is facing the challenge of limited supply of certified seeds and planting material, huge documentation formalities for organic certification, higher cost for collection and transportation of produce in hills. The state also lacks post harvest and value addition infrastructure, quality control facility for organic manure and testing facility to check biofertiliser and pesticides residue. A Taliban suicide bomber today blew himself up near a checkpost in Pakistan's restive northwest, killing at least 11 people, including security personnel and children, and injuring over 30 others in the rush-hour attack. The bombing, that comes within a week by the outlawed group, occurred near the vehicle of line officer Nawab Shah in Jamrud area of Khyber tribal region, police said. The explosive device was planted in a motorbike, it said. The dead include police, civilians and at least one child and officials said the casualties are feared to rise. Some reports also put the number of children killed at 2. As many as 31 others were injured when the bomb exploded beside a busy road. A journalist, Mehboob Shah Afridi, besides the target, Shah, were also killed in the attack, the Express Tribune reported. Eyewitnesses said cars and the area around the site of the blast were engulfed in fire. Khyber is part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border where security forces are fighting the Pakistani Taliban. The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, the report said. "The TTP's martyrdom squad (TSG) carried out the successful attack on the 'khasadar' checkpost near Karkhano bazaar," TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khorasani said in a statement. Pakistan witnesses frequent bomb and suicide attacks blamed on extremist militant groups and troops have for years been fighting homegrown armed groups in the tribal belt. On Wednesday last week, the Taliban had struck with a suicide bomber who blew himself up outside a polio vaccination centre in restive Balochistan's capital Quetta, killing at least 15 people, mostly security officials, in the worst attack on the anti-polio campaign in the country. Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi today mocked JD(U) leaders for counting Nitish Kumar in the race for Prime Ministership in 2019, saying everybody cannot be an I K Gujral or a Madhu Koda. "A small regional party like JD(U) which at best could have 15-20 MPs is daydreaming about its leader Nitish Kumar on the PM post," Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters in reply to a question. "Everybody cannot not be an I K Gujral or a Madhu Koda, who became PM and Chief Minister of Jharkhand respectively," he said emerging from his first 'Janata Darbar', where he listened to the people's complaints. During its recent national executive at Delhi, Many JD(U) leaders had said Nitish Kumar would be a serious contender for the post of PM in 2019 parliamentary poll. Sushil Modi, who was Kumar's deputy during the NDA rule in Bihar until the BJP-JD(U) alliance broke, hit hard at him describing him as "a highly intolerant person". "Irked by comments of his ally Lalu Prasad on law and order recently, Nitish Kumar had set free spokesmen of his party on RJD," he said adding "Kumar cannot tolerate criticism...He is a highly intolerant person. Telangana BJP spokesperson Prakash Reddy today faced the wrath of agitating students of the Hyderabad Central University(HCU) while he was leaving the campus after participating in a TV debate. A group of students, who have been demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and the Vice Chancellor, rushed to Reddy's car and raised slogans against the ministers and his party. The HCU has been witnessing protests over the alleged suicide of a dalit research scholar on Sunday. A window of Reddy's car was also broken during the protests, eyewitnesses said. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and leaders of different political parties and social organisations including Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi visted the university during the day. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has accused his Republican presidential rival Donald Trump of exhibiting inconsistent conservatism and said the billionaire real estate mogul is becoming "rattled" and "dismayed" by his gains. Both Cruz and Trump were campaigning yesterday in New Hampshire, which holds the second contest in the country's primary season. The war of words between Cruz and Trump has intensified in recent days, with Trump going on the offensive over Cruz's eligibility to be on the ballot given his Canadian birth and for Cruz's failure to disclose loans received from Citibank and Goldman Sachs for his 2012 Senate race in Texas. Trump on Sunday called Cruz a "nasty guy" who no one likes. Cruz tried to turn the insult into a joke yesterday, posting a message on Twitter saying Americans feel "nasty" toward the "Washington Cartel." Cruz posted a link to the video of Janet Jackson's hit song "Nasty." "Donald seems to be a little rattled," Cruz told reporters before a town hall in Washington, New Hampshire on Monday. "For whatever reason he is very, very dismayed. I guess as conservatives continue to unite behind our campaign, as his poll numbers continue to go down, he's a little testier." Polls show Cruz and Trump locked in a tight race in Iowa, whose Feb. 1 caucuses lead off the state-by-state presidential nominating contests. But Trump is polling considerably better in New Hampshire. Cruz embarked on a five-day swing through New Hampshire this week as his numbers began to show new strength. Cruz questioned whether Trump is a true conservative, noting donations he's made to Democrats over the years, including USD 50,000 in 2010 to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama. And Cruz rejected Trump's self-comparison to Ronald Reagan, saying he was "pretty sure" Reagan never supported or made large donations to Democrats. Trump, campaigning in New Hampshire late yesterday, did not bring up his rival's accusations. In the past, Trump has said he made donations to Hillary Clinton for her Senate campaign and other Democrats not for ideological reasons but rather to serve his business interests. "The American people want a steady hand at the helm," Cruz told The Associated Press in an interview on his campaign bus yesterday. "They don't want, I believe, a commander in chief who wakes up obsessed with the latest polls and driven to issue a frenzy of tweets. Instead, they want a principled, steady, conservative leader who will do everything necessary to protect this nation and keep America safe. Telengana has joined Gujarat in putting sales of drug major Roche's cancer treatment drug, Avastin, on hold after 15 patients lost their vision partially after using it in Ahmedabad. Telangana Drug Control officials today started "freezing" the company's blockbuster drug, Avastin, based on information that it received from its Gujarat counterparts saying that the drug has allegedly hampered vision for some patients who had usedit, a senior official of the Drug Control Administration the state said. "We have received information that the drug caused some vision problems to patients in Gujarat. As a precautionary measure we started freezing the samples of Avastin. It is not made in India. It is imported into the country," MAmruth Rao, Deputy Directorof DCA, told PTI. A senior official of the department said they have also started identifying the licensed importers of the drug. The official said the sample will be sent to laboratory for verifying the standards. On January 14, the sales of drug were put on hold in Gujarat. "We have asked the Switzerland-based drug manufacturing company H Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and importer company in Mumbai Roche product (I) to put on hold the sale of Avastin injections of that batch number," Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration(FDCA) Chairman H G Koshia said. "We have not banned the drug yet but as the hospital authorities suspect that the problem came up after they were given Avastin injections, as a precautionary measure we have asked the company not to sell this batch of the drug in the market," he said. Koshia said authorities had collected two-three samples of the same batch for testing. "As it is an injection, it will take 10 to 12 days to find out if the drug was contaminated." Meanwhile, some of the 15 patients who complained of partial vision loss were operated upon by doctors on January 13 and 14. These patients were undergoing treatment for various eye ailments at the civic-run C H Nagri Eye Hospital in Ahmedabad. Commenting on the development, a Roche India spokesperson said: "Our carrying and forwarding agent in Hyderabad has received a communication to hold salesfor a period of 20 days. We have also received communication from the Deputy Commissioner, FDA Gujarat, requesting for supply details of a specific batch of Avastin and technical testing protocols." Patient safety is always Roche's primary concern, and as such, "We are taking the events in Gujarat very seriously. Roche will co-operate fully with any investigations undertaken by the authorities.We have also initiated an internal investigation. Benjamin Boyce : The bottom part of the left wants to destroy every order and the top part wants to centralize things. I dont know w... A jihadist attack on a top Burkina Faso hotel was carried out by six gunmen, three of whom are still on the run, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said today. "Six individuals opened fire on the Cappuccino cafe before taking refuge in the Splendid hotel" in Friday's attack in the capital Ouagadougou, Valls told parliament. "Three were killed and three are still being sought," he said. Burkina Faso had not made public the number of assailants in the attack that left 30 people dead, many of them foreigners. Authorities in Ouagadougou said the bodies of three assailants had been identified, but several witnesses have said they saw more than three attackers. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) yesterday named three gunmen involved in the assault. It published photos of the three young gunmen dressed in military fatigues and wielding weapons, identifying them as Battar al-Ansari, Abu Muhammad al-Buqali al-Ansari and Ahmed al-Fulani al-Ansari. Three Maoists were arrested today with arms and ammunitions from Bihar's naxal-hit Aurangabad district and seized a pistol and some ammunition from them, police said. District superintendent of police Baburam said acting on a tip-off police raided Kataiya village and caught two of them from a house. With information provided by them another Maoist was arrested from Nimidih village, he said abd added that police seized two local made pistol and 315 bore six cartridges from the three. Baburam said the arrested were involved in collection of 'levy' from businessmen by terrorising them and police was looking for them in connection with several cases. Tobacco giant Philip Morris is facing an eye-watering $2.2 billion fine if found guilty of dodging tax on cigarette imports to Thailand, prosecutors said on Tuesday. The allegations are part of a long simmering tax dispute between the kingdom and the local unit of the tobacco company, which has also clashed with authorities over plans to increase the size of health warnings on cigarette packets. Thai prosecutors say Philip Morris, which owns the Marlboro and L&M brands, avoided around 20 billion baht ($551.27 million) tax by under declaring import prices for cigarettes from the Philippines between 2003 and 2006. "Philip Morris as a corporation, as well as seven Thais, were indicted yesterday on custom tax evasion," Somnuk Siengkong, a spokesman for Thailand's Office of the Attorney General told reporters on Tuesday. Chartpong Chirabandhu, deputy director general of the office's special litigation department, said a court could impose a fine of up to 80 billion baht ($2.2 billion) if the company was found guilty. Four foreign executives at the company have also been charged but are outside the country, prosecutors added. Philip Morris Thailand Limited described the charges as "unjust" and vowed to fight them. "The company intends to vigorously defend itself against these meritless charges and demonstrate that it is in full compliance with Thai law and standards of customs valuation," the company said in a statement. The cigarette manufacturer added that their import valuations complied with World Trade Organization agreements and had been cleared by local Thai customs officials. The investigation first surfaced in 2006 under the administration of Thaksin Shinawatra, shortly before his ousting in a military coup. Thailand has since been hit by a decade of political instability with frequent government changes and a second coup in 2014. In 2011, the attorney general at the time recommended against charging the tobacco giant, but the prosecution was restarted two years later. A leading Chinese university's website was hacked by an Islamic State sympathiser, who replaced its pages with the photos of masked militants and Arabic verses accompanied by the terror group's propaganda music. The hacker attacked some web pages of Beijing's Tsinghua University on Sunday and put music featuring Arabic verses from Islamic scripture that said, "God is great, I am unafraid of death, dying a martyr's death is my ultimate goal," site thepaper.Cn reported. Instead of displaying links to university's departmental information, the site showed a photo of four hooded fighters on horseback with the flag of the Islamic State. A screenshot of the hacked web page was uploaded on social media and titled "Islamic State Hacker," but the accompanying hyperlink led to a Facebook page that could not be opened. The home page of the university remains intact, and the original contents of the hacked Web pages have not been changed, state-run Global Times reported. The university quickly shut down its server after the incident, and its Tsinghua National Laboratory for Information Science and Technology is investigating the incident. A weak password on affiliated pages likely led to the incident, and no evidence has shown that hackers specifically targeted Tsinghua University, it said. Security loopholes and weak passwords are common on the websites of some universities in China and could lead to hacks of the whole website and the loss of all data, a security expert with wooyun.Org, a Chinese Internet security monitoring platform, told the Global Times. Although some overseas hackers have previously attacked websites in China, this is the first time that IS has been involved in the hacking of a university website in China, if the incident is in fact confirmed to be the work of the IS, the daily quoted an expert as saying. He noted that it is difficult to trace the hackers unless they claim responsibility. No organisation or person has so far claimed responsibility for the cyber-attack. Chinese officials say that a number of Uyghur militants from restive Xinjiang province have joined the IS to fight in Syria. A Chinese national has been executed by the IS last year. "The hacker attack may have been conducted by the jihadist group, its supporters or hackers who only want to make a fuss," Zhu Yongbiao, assistant director of the Institute of Central Asia Studies at Lanzhou University, said. "The hacking of China's top university would demonstrate IS' intent to attract public attention, extend its influence and incite panic, if IS is held responsible," Zhu said. Zhu said that since IS is deft in using multimedia to attract followers, Internet police and universities in China should take measures to curb the group's attempts to gain access to the country. Police acted lawfully when they used anti-terror powers to detain the partner of a journalist who worked with National Security Agency secret-spiller Edward Snowden, Britain's Court of Appeal ruled today. But the judge said journalists need stronger protection against arbitrary interference from the police. David Miranda was held under the Terrorism Act for nine hours at Heathrow Airport in August 2013 while he was traveling from Germany to Brazil. He was carrying documents for his partner, Glenn Greenwald, including encrypted intelligence files leaked by Snowden. Civil liberties groups criticized the use of anti-terror legislation, accusing the authorities of attempting to intimidate journalists. The High Court ruled in 2014 that police acted lawfully. Three appeals court judges agreed on Tuesday, saying police exercised the power to stop and search arriving travelers "for a permitted purpose." "They were entitled to consider that material in his possession might be released in circumstances falling within the definition of terrorism," said one of the judges, John Dyson. The court rejected Miranda's argument that the detention was "an unjustified and disproportionate interference with his right to freedom of expression." But the judges also said there should be stronger legal safeguards when the stop-and-search power is used against journalists, "to avoid the risk that it will be exercised arbitrarily." They said Parliament should decide on what form the safeguards should take. Kate Goold of law firm Bindmans, which represented Miranda, said she welcomed the ruling that the anti-terror powers needed "to come in line with other legislation to ensure that the seizure of journalistic material is protected by judicial safeguards. The UK today launched a new website to offer "practical advice" to protect children from being radicalised as part of a larger anti-extremism drive. The "Education Against Hate" website will hold information for schools and parents to tackle the "spell of twisted ideologies". It also involves a tougher approach against illegal or unregistered schools such as madrassas from operating. UK education secretary Nicky Morgan said the aim is to protect "impressionable minds from radical views" during a speech atBethnal Green Academy in east London, a school attended by three girls who ran away to Syria last February and feared to have joined the Islamic State. She said:"We are determined to keep children safe in and out of school. Today's announcement of resources and tougher powers to protect young, impressionable minds from radical views sends a clear message to extremists: our children are firmly out of your reach." "It requires judgement - but just as we must be absolutely clear that we should never give those who peddle extremist ideologies' entry in to our schools or colleges, so too we must guard against inadvertently hiding young people from views which we simply think are wrong and disagree with. The new anti-radicalisation website promises to provide "practical advice to protect children from the dangers of extremism", with information from the government and groups such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Schools will be required to inform local councils when pupils stop attending without any explanation and parents will be encouraged to carry out checks to ensure their children are not being radicalised. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has held talks with top German and French diplomats in a push to end the uneasy stalemate in the former Soviet nation's 21-month pro-Russian separatist conflict. French presidential envoy Jacques Audibert and his German counterpart Christoph Heusgen arrived in Kiev yesterday as part of a sudden upsurge in efforts to resolve one of Europe's deadliest crises since the 1990s Balkans wars. US President Barack Obama and Russia's Vladimir Putin -- their relations nearing chills not witnessed since the end of the Cold War -- discussed the conflict during a rare but wide-ranging phone conversation on January 13. Their senior aides met two days later in Russia's westernmost exclave to thrash out new pathways to end bloodshed that Kiev and its Western allies insist was provoked and backed by Moscow -- a charge the Kremlin denies. Two different Ukrainian sources said Audibert and Heusgen met Poroshenko for the second time in two days on Tuesday after first flying to Moscow for a visit whose details have not been disclosed. "Right now, all our partners are trying to understand how to end this stalemate because in reality, there has been no improvement," a high-ranking Ukrainian diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. "This does not mean that they brought some sort of document for us to discuss," the diplomat added. The Europeans separately met Ukrainian peace negotiators to gauge their commitment to an all-but-abandoned peace and political reconciliation agreement that Berlin and Paris helped Moscow and Kiev strike in February 2015. The Ukrainian diplomat said the two envoys also visited "practically all" lawmakers to see whether they intended to pass a stalled Western-backed constitutional amendment granting special status to rebel-run parts of the eastern regions of Lugansk and Donetsk. Kiev and the insurgents last week signed on to a new truce meant to quell violence that has claimed the lives of more than 9,000 people -- most of them civilians -- since April 2014. Putin has repeatedly denied playing any direct role in a uprising that begun less than two months after the ouster of Ukraine's Kremlin-backed president over his refusal to establish closer ties with the European Union. But the Russian president admitted for the first time last month that there were "people (in Ukraine) who work on resolving various issues there, including in the military sphere. The UN refugee agency says more than 92,000 people made the perilous sea crossing from the Horn of Africa to Yemen last year, one of the highest annual totals of the past decade. The Geneva-based agency says two thirds of the arrivals happened after March 2015, when the conflict in Yemen began. Most are from Ethiopia or Somalia. Spokesman Adrian Edwards said Tuesday that 95 people died during the crossings last year, the second-highest number recorded since 2006. This year alone 36 people have already drowned. Edwards said "many new arrivals are misinformed about the severity of the conflict" even though the agency has warned of the dangers they face in Yemen. Along with 2.5 million Yemenis displaced by the conflict, the country hosts 266,000 refugees. The US Supreme Court said today it will review whether President Barack Obama has the authority to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. The politically charged case stems from the administration's appeal of lower court rulings that blocked Obama's efforts to reform immigration policy through executive orders. The US Supreme Court said today it will review whether President Barack Obama has the authority to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. The politically charged case -- which comes in an election year -- stems from the administration's appeal of lower court rulings that blocked Obama's efforts to reform immigration policy through executive orders. More than four million people in the country illegally whose children are legal residents stand to benefit from the president's orders, which would allow them to stay and work in the United States while their legal status is being resolved. Determined to circumvent Congress, after it failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform, Obama announced the measures in November 2014. The executive action set off a storm in the US Congress, denounced by Republicans as an abuse of power and tantamount to "amnesty." Governors of 26 Republican-led states challenged the orders as exceeding the president's executive powers, and federal courts in Texas and Louisiana put them on hold. The top US court has not scheduled oral arguments in the case, but it is expected to render a decision by mid-June, with the US election season in full swing and less than a month before the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions. Immigration has dominated the race for the Republican presidential nomination since frontrunner Donald Trump launched his campaign with accusations that Mexico was sending drug dealers and "rapists" to the United States. The mere fact that the conservative-leaning court has decided to take up the case is seen as a victory for Obama, which argues that immigration policy is the purview of the federal government and that the measures it took do not violate federal law. "Like millions of families across this country -- immigrants who want to be held accountable, to work on the books, to pay taxes, and to contribute to our society openly and honestly -- we are pleased that the Supreme Court has decided to review the immigration case," said Brandi Hoffine, a White House spokeswoman. "The policies will make our communities safer. They will make our economy stronger. And they are consistent with the actions taken by presidents of both parties, the laws passed by Congress, and the decisions of the Supreme Court. "We are confident that the policies will be upheld as lawful," she said. Students and staff at United Tribes Technical College celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a reminder that his fight for civil rights for people of color included Native Americans. UTTC President Russ McDonald started Monday morning's event with an excerpt from King's 1963 book, "Why We Can't Wait." "Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race," King wrote. "Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shores, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society." The civil rights leader went on to write that American society had not yet felt remorse for "this shameful episode." McDonald said he believes the situation for Native Americans is improving. "The experiences my dad and my folks and grandparents had are different than all of our experiences today," he told more than 50 people gathered in the James Henry Community Center. He acknowledged that there's still work to do. "When I'm on the East or West Coast in the cities and where there's more diversity, you're more accepted for the individual that you are," he said. "That's where we have to get to here in North Dakota and in other places." Those in the audience, including student Caleb Vandervier, said he found the lesson on King and his advocacy for Native Americans inspiring. "I felt a sense of pride," he said. "It makes me want to be a better student here at United Tribes." Others reflected on their experience combating stereotypes. Nicole Littlewind-Beaver traveled the world with the U.S. Army. She said she encountered foreigners who asked her questions like, "Do you live in a tepee?" She came to realize all they knew of Native Americans was what they gleaned from school textbooks. Her job, she said, was to educate them. "I keep stressing our civil liberties as of today in 2016 are still under attack," she said. McDonald said UTTC's goal is to ensure that everyone is treated equally regardless of cultural background, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Doing so requires "mutual respect" among students that represent 48 tribal nations. "I think that is the basis for everything else," he said. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today ruled out creation of more districts, sub-divisions and tehsils in the state, saying there was no exigency for establishing new administrative units. "Each administrative unit involves expenditure and already the cost of running the administration is quite high and as such increasing financial burden by creating new administrative units is not advisable," the chief minister told reporters in Palampur. He said the erstwhile BJP government had fooled the people by promising to create more districts, sub-divisions and tehsils but at present, there was no such need and no proposal under consideration of the government. On inclusion of adjoining villages in Palampur Municipal Council, the chief minister said it was for the people of adjoining villages to decide whether they wanted to come under the civic body. The chief minister said the only agenda of his government was development and to fulfil the promises made to the people during the elections. "We want to convince the people that Congress is synonymous with development and the government is keen to accelerate the pace of development and ensure that the benefits of development percolated down to the target groups," Singh said. Interpol has re-notified a global red corner notice (RCN) against a British national, alleged to be a middlemen in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal, on charges of money laundering pressed against him by the ED. The re-issued international warrant pertains to Christian Michel James, who has earlier been notified under the same category by the Interpol in the said case but on the request of the CBI, also probing the deal. The RCN against 54-year-old James has been re-notified recently, officials said, to include charges of money laundering under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the request of the Enforcement Directorate(ED). "The charges under PMLA were not included earlier in the Interpol RCN notified against James. These charges have been inserted and the notice re-notified. Indian authorities require him for prosecution in the case," they said. The CBI has sought his arrest for "criminal conspiracy, cheating, illegal gratification and abuse of official position." An RCN, according to Interpol, is issued "to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action" in a criminal case probe. With this re-notification of the global warrant, both CBI and ED have now got RCNs issued against three alleged middlemen wanted in this case-- Italians Carlo Gerosa and Guido Ralph Haschke and James-- after a special court here had issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against them on their separate pleas late last year. In ED's case, the court's order came as it sought issuance of an open NBW against James, who is presently in Dubai, claiming that Agusta Westland had allegedly paid a "kickback" of around 70 million Euro out of which around 30 million Euros was paid to James and his firm Global Services FZE, Dubai while Gerosa and Haschke had allegedly cornered the rest. The agency had claimed that "investigations revealed that kick backs received by James in his company M/s Global Services, FZE, Dubai in the guise of two agreements from M/s Agusta Westland, were nothing other than that of the kickback which is thus a proceeds of crime. The agency's prosecutor had then told the court that sustained custodial examination of James was essential for taking forward the probe in the case and know about the role played by him in the procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters' deal and also to identify his accomplices and associates. The prosecutor had also informed the court that interrogation of James was necessary to know about the quantum of proceeds of crime he had received as commission for this deal from these firms, details of movable/immovable properties on which the proceeds of crime was invested and allegedly laundered by him and also for "decoding" the names of various persons figuring in the documents recovered during the probe. "It is also relevant to know that where he had parked the commission amount i.E. Proceeds of crime, how he had secured the influence of various persons in India for the said procurement and how he was sending the progress report to officials and other private persons involved in the deal from M/s Agusta Westland etc," the agency had claimed while pressing charges against James. In September last year, the court had issued an open NBW against James on an application by CBI which is also running a parallel probe in the matter. ED had in July, 2014 lodged a case under the provisions of the PMLA against several persons who were named in the FIR registered earlier by the CBI in this case. ED also filed a charge sheet in the case last year against businessman Gautam Khaitan and others including Gerosa and Haschke for alleged offences committed under various PMLA sections. CBI had named a number of persons in its FIR in the case including former Indian Air Force chief S P Tyagi and the three middlemen are among the 13 individuals named as accused in CBI's FIR, which was later used by the ED for filing their separate case under criminal charges of money laundering. US officials believe Robert Levinson may no longer be in Iran, a White House spokesman said today, vowing that the US would keep up the search for the former FBI agent who disappeared from an Iranian resort nearly nine years ago. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the US has received assurance from the Iranian government it would search for Levinson. The commitment came amid broader negotiations over the return of several other Americans detained in Iran. "We're going to hold the Iranians to that commitment," Earnest told reporters at the White House. Levinson's relatives said Monday they're happy for the families of prisoners released from Iranian custody but wished government officials had warned them he would not be among them. "We had to learn it from the TV ourselves, and that's very disappointing and heartbreaking," said Robert Levinson's wife, Christine. Robert Levinson disappeared from an Iranian resort on March 9, 2007, while in the country on an unauthorized mission for the CIA. It's unclear where he is. Iranian officials have said they don't know, but Levinson's family does not believe them. Earnest did not elaborate on the evidence putting Levinson outside of Iran. He acknowledged that if Levinson is no longer in the country, the Iran's cooperation in the search may be limited use. His son, Dan Levinson, told The Associated Press that it felt like "once again, he's been left behind" and that the US can't give up on bringing his father back. A 60-year-old woman died of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), commonly known as monkey fever, the first death reported from the ailment in Goa this year, a senior health official said here today. The victim, Janaki Desai, who was being treated for the fever at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near here, died on Sunday, state epidemiologist Dr Utkarsh Betodkar told reporters here. The fever has gripped Mauxi, Zarmen, Copordem, Budruk, Karmali and Saleli villages in Sattari taluka located in the north eastern part adjoining Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in the state. Desai, who lived in Mauxi, was admitted to the Primary Health Centre at Valpoi on January 11 with complaint of the fever. Later, she was shifted to GMCH on January 13, he said. Betodkar said that 24 patients from Sattari have so far tested positive for the disease and are being treated. The monkey fever was first detected in the state last year at Pale village in Bicholim taluka when it claimed four lives. Health Minister Francis D'Souza had earlier said in the state Assembly that government has taken up a vaccination drive in these villages, but the response is very poor. Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a tick-borne viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to South Asia. The disease was first reported from Kyasanur forest of Karnataka in India in 1957. Its outbreak then was among monkeys, killing several of them. Hence, the disease is locally known as 'monkey fever'. A woman Naxal commander was killed during an exchange of fire with police near a village in the insurgency-hit Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh today, a senior police official said. "The woman Naxalite, identified as Zareena, was killed in a gun-battle with police at Bayanar village under Bedre police station limits in Bijapur," Inspector General of Police, Bastar range, SRP Kalluri told PTI over phone. Following reports of Naxal movement in the area, a police team had been dispatched to patrol, he said adding, "When the policemen reached the forest area near Bayanar village, the ultras opened fire, after which the police launched a retaliatory firing." After minutes of exchange of fire, the Naxals ran away from the spot. When police searched the area, they found the body of Zareena, two guns, including a 12-bore gun, and other material was recovered from the spot, Kalluri said. The World Economic Forum's gala annual meet began today with Founder Klaus Schwab stressing on the need for cooperation and collaboration among everyone, while a performance by acclaimed musicians, including Sandeep Das from India, marked the inaugural ceremony. The opening ceremony in this Swiss ski resort town also marked Annual Crystal Awards with this year's awardees including Chinese actress Yao Chen, Hollywood actor Leonardo Dicaprio, artist Olafur Eliasson and musician will.I.Am. Schwab, who is WEF Founder and Executive Chairman, hoped that when participants go home they would be convinced that the future of our small global village can only be managed by collaboration and cooperation. With the theme 'Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution', this year's pow wow of the rich and the influential is meeting against the backdrop of global economic uncertainties even as emerging nations, including India, present a bright spot in the world economic affairs. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is distinct in the speed, scale and force at which it transforms entire systems of production, distribution and consumption, according to WEF. Acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma alongside musicians from his award-winning Silk Road Ensemble performed at the inaugural. Apart from India's Sandeep Das, Yo-Yo Ma was joined by Brazil's Sergio and Odair Assad, USA's Johnny Gandelsman, Spain's Cristina Pato, UK's Kathryn Stott China's Wu Tong. Sandeep Das, who played tabla, is a disciple of Pandit Kishan Maharaj of Banaras Gharana and has been nominated for Grammy awards twice. He is also the founder of Harmony and Universality through Music (HUM). Over 2,500 top leaders, including over 50 heads of state or government and CEOs of about 1,000 top MNCs, would discuss steps for "improving the state of the world" over the next five days during more than 300 sessions at the 46th WEF Annual Meeting in this snow-laden town. (REOPEN FGN 32) "We cannot allow corporate greed of coal, oil and gas industries to determine the needs of the people," DiCaprio said while referring to his visits to various countries to spread awareness about climate change challenge. The actor also recalled that he saw crops of farmers getting wiped out in historic floods in India. At WEF, DiCaprio also announced grants worth 14 million pounds from his foundation for addressing the climate change crisis. The world's oldest man, Yasutaro Koide, died today at the age of 112 in central Japan due to chronic heart failure. Koide, a former tailor and recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living man on Earth, died at a hospital in Nagoya, his relatives said. Koide became the oldest living man in the world last August following the death of then-record holder Sakari Momoi of Saitama Prefecture, who was also 112 years old, Kyodo agency reported. Koide was quoted as saying his secret to long life was not smoking or drinking, not to overdo things and to "live with joy". Officials said he died of heart failure and pneumonia early today, just two months short of his 113th birthday. Born in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, in March 1903, a young Koide trained as a menswear tailor in Osaka before returning to his hometown to earn his living making formal wear such as tuxedos and tailcoats. It was not yet clear who will succeed him as the oldest living man. The title of world's oldest person is held by US woman Susannah Mushatt Jones, who is 116 years old. Expelled AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan are considering the launch of a political party and may field candidates for the 2017 Punjab assembly election, at a time when Arvind Kejriwal is pulling out all stops to ensure victory in the state. Swaraj Abhiyan, a group formed by the duo and their supporters after their expulsion from the AAP, said they are "seriously thinking" about contesting the assembly elections in Punjab. "We intend to launch a political party soon, but no date has been fixed. But yes, we are seriously thinking about contesting Punjab polls," a senior Swaraj Abhiyan leader said. Meanwhile, the party has said it will "back" musician Bhai Baldeep Singh from Khadoor Sahib assembly during by-poll in Punjab next month. "Swaraj Abhiyan is currently a non-political organisation and we don't hope to launch the party by next month. Bhai Baldeep Singh will contest as an independent and will be backed by Swaraj Abhiyan. We will be putting all our weight behind him," he said. Bhai Baldeep Singh, who is also a part of the national executive of the organisation, said, "Swaraj Abhiyan's support is crucial for the polls." Yadav and other Abhiyan leaders are also expected to campaign for Singh next month. The decision to support Singh was taken on Sunday. He had contested 2014 Lok Sabha polls on AAP ticket from Khadoor Sahib, but had lost. The seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned from the Assembly in protest against the sacrilege incidents in the state. A 31-year-old Yemeni man who fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan pleaded guilty in New York today to conspiring to kill US soldiers and supporting Al-Qaeda. Ali Alvi al-Hamidi admitted to conspiring to murder Americans abroad, conspiring to provide material support to Al-Qaeda and to receiving military-type training from the terror network. He entered his plea before US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in federal court in Brooklyn. He now faces spending the rest of his life behind bars. US prosecutors said Hamidi went to Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt in early 2008 to join Al-Qaeda and learn how to use weapons, bombs and detonators. During the spring and summer of 2008, he crossed the border into Afghanistan to fight against US-led troops alongside the Taliban. Prosecutors said he helped US citizen Bryant Neal Vinas join Al-Qaeda. Vinas traveled to Pakistan for Al-Qaeda training and was recruited into a plot to attack the Long Island Railroad, a commuter line that connects Manhattan to the suburbs on Long Island. Vinas was arrested in 2008, before he could carry out the attack, and pleaded guilty to terror charges in 2009. Private sector lender Yes Bank aims to list up to USD 500 million green bonds on London Stock Exchange by December and has tied up with the UK's exchange group on debt and equity issuance. It has also formalised the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the London Stock Exchange (LSE) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in November to develop bond and equity issuance, with particular focus on the relatively untapped sector of green infrastructure finance. The lender in a statement today said it "plans to list a green bond of up to USD 500 million on London Stock Exchange by December 2016. Yes Bank will also evaluate the possibility of raising further capital in London, potentially through the listing of Global Depository Receipts (GDR) as part of its overall USD 1 billion of equity capital raising plans, basis market conditions." The MoU will help strengthen the increasingly vibrant economic and financial ties between the UK and India, it said. The MoU was signed by Yes Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Rana Kapoor and Nikhil Rathi, CEO of LSE Plc at the stock exchange's opening bell ringing ceremony here. Yes Bank was the first issuer of the green infrastructure bonds in India, it said. As part of catalysing green infrastructure finance in India, allowing investors to facilitate funding for renewable and clean projects, it is also the first bank to commit fund for 5,000 MW of renewable energy, Yes Bank added. "Yes Bank will strive to improve the access to long-term overseas funds for corporations in India, through capital markets in the UK particularly towards Green Infrastructure Financing, which is high on India's agenda. "We also look forward to working with LSE in establishing London as the leading instrument for raising rupee denominated offshore capital via masala bonds", Kapoor said. Masala bonds are Indian rupee denominated bonds issued in offshore capital markets. The government has envisaged a target of 175 gigawatt of additional renewable energy capacity installation by 2022. It is estimated that the renewable energy sector will require significant and structured financing in the country. A former Williston man who was wanted on a warrant for a shooting of another man south of Watford City early Saturday morning has peacefully surrendered himself to authorities in Roosevelt County, Mont. According to a release from the McKenzie County Sheriff's Office, Kyle Fuchs, 33, contacted McKenzie County investigators on Monday, saying he wanted to give a statement and surrender himself peacefully. Later that evening, Fuchs was apprehended by the Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office in Montana based upon information provided by Fuchs about his whereabouts. Investigators arrested him without incident in Poplar, Mont. Fuchs will be extradited back to McKenzie County to discuss his side of the story with investigators. A joint team of IB and Uttarakhand STF today nabbed a youth with suspected Syrian links from Manglaur near Roorkee in Haridwar district. The mobile phone of the youth, which was under surveillance for some time, had been used to call some Syrian numbers, officials interrogating the youth said, requesting anonymity. The youth is a local, they added. By Sujata Rao DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - More than a trillion dollars of investment flows has fled emerging markets over the past 18 months but the exodus may not even be halfway done, as once-booming economies appear trapped in a slow-bleeding cycle of weak growth and investment. While developing economies are no stranger to financial crises, with several currency and debt cataclysms infecting all emerging markets in waves over recent decades, leaders gathering for this year's World Economic Forum in Davos in the Swiss Alps are fearful that this episode is much harder to shake off. Seeded by fears of tighter U.S. credit and a rising U.S. dollar, and coming alongside a secular slowdown of China's economy and an implosion of the related commodity 'supercycle', there's growing anxiety that there will be no sharp rebound at the end of this downturn to reward investors who braved out the worst moments. "The global backdrop and the drivers for emerging markets are very different from 2001," David Spegel, head of emerging markets at ICBC Standard Bank said, referring to the time Asia, Russia and Brazil were recovering from the crisis waves of the late-1990s. "Back then all the stars were aligned for globalisation and emerging markets benefited the most. This time around, we just don't have those multiple catalysts." The chief catalyst in 2001 was of course China. Its entry to the World Trade Organisation unleashed a decade-long export and investment miracle that propelled its economy from sixth place globally, to the world's second biggest. Its ascent hauled up much of the developing world, from Latin American exporters of soy and steel to the Asian workshops which became part of its gigantic factory supply chain. But its slowdown is whacking these countries equally hard. Exports from emerging markets - from Korean cars to Chilean copper - are declining year-on-year at the sharpest rate since the 2008-09 crisis, according to UBS. Global trade in fact likely grew slower than the world economy for the fourth straight year in 2015, according to the WTO, a United Nations body. That contrasts with previous decades when commerce expanded at least twice as fast as world growth. The gloomy conclusion some are reaching is that the China effect was possibly a once-in-a-lifetime shift, whose effects are now dissipating forever. "Rather than expecting emerging markets to mean-revert towards the golden years of 2002-2007, there is a risk that in terms of trade, what we are reverting to is the environment of 1980s," UBS strategist Manik Narain said. FLIGHT One feature of the "golden years" was the extraordinary amount of capital that poured into the developing world; according to the Washington DC-based Institute of International Finance net inflows in 2001-2011 totalled nearly $3 trillion. Some of this is starting to reverse as last year saw the first net capital outflow since 1988, a $540 billion loss, says the IIF which predicts more flight in 2016. Other forecasters such as JPMorgan reckon nearly a trillion dollars have fled China alone since mid-2014; its central bank reserves alone declined more than $500 billion last year. Redemptions from emerging stock and bond funds hit a record $60 billion last year, according to fund tracker EPFR Global. IIF executive director Hung Tran says emerging markets' problems are not just external. They must overcome a key homegrown issue - falling productivity. Tran estimates productivity, which provides clues on future economic growth, is growing at just 0.9 percent a year across much of the developing world, a quarter the rate seen before 2007 and not far from richer countries' 0.4 percent. "Productivity advantage of EM countries, which is key for attracting capital flows and investment, has collapsed," Tran said. "There is a cycle of diminishing returns on investment." SLOW-BURN CRISIS There are some bright spots such as India and Mexico. But with China fears on the rise and Brazil and Russia in recession for the second straight year, investment returns across the sector are unlikely to recover soon, many fear. Emerging stock market performance has lagged developed peers for five years now, and corporate earnings have shrunk for more than four years, Morgan Stanley has calculated. This is the longest decline in the MSCI equity index's history, MS says, noting the longest prior earnings recession in the asset class was after the 1997 crisis and lasted two years. Richard House, head of EM debt at Standard Life Investments, notes the strengthening dollar is spooking investors in emerging currency bonds too. "Fund performance hasn't been good across the industry...Local market funds have been an outflow asset class for a while and that experience is going to impact people's mindset going forward," House said. The fear of large-scale outflows is clearly on policymakers' minds. To combat such an exodus, emerging economies may have to resort to radical measures such as coordinated securities market interventions, of the kind done in the West after 2008, Mexican central bank head Agustin Carstens has suggested Ultimately though he said that to boost long-term growth, there was only one solution - tough economic reform. (Reporting by Sujata Rao; Editing by Peter Graff) By Pete Sweeney and Samuel Shen SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese shares picked up on Tuesday as the Asian giant confirmed that fourth-quarter growth met expectations, albeit the weakest in nearly seven years, underlining the task Beijing faces in stabilising activity while reforming its economy. There was relief that the reported growth of 6.8 percent from a year earlier at least matched forecasts, even if the pace was down a tick from the previous quarter. Yet growth of 6.9 percent for 2015 as a whole was still the slowest in a quarter of a century, while monthly readings on industrial output and retail sales were weaker than expectations. Output rose 5.9 percent compared with December 2014, while sales growth confounded analysts by pulling back to 11.1 percent. The latter disappointed those counting on the consumer to be the engine of growth while world trade remains becalmed. "China is in a debt, deflation-led economic slowdown, and the process is very difficult for traditional monetary and fiscal policy to change the trend of the growth path - that is continued slowdown in the coming years," said Liu Li Gang, an economist at ANZ in Hong Kong. Offshore investors were clearly unimpressed and took to selling the Australian dollar as a liquid proxy for expressing bearishness on China. Asian equity markets were mostly in the red, while safe havens such as the Japanese yen found favour. China's own stock markets were slow to react, but picked up late in the morning session. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was up 1.6 percent at the midsession interval, while the CSI300 index of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen was up 1.4 percent. The indexes remain about 15-16 percent down so far in 2016 after a series of sell-offs in the new year. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) did its bit to try to calm nerves by keeping the yuan largely steady, setting the currency's midpoint fix at 6.5596 per dollar. That followed of plans requiring overseas banks to hold a certain level of yuan in reserves, a move that could raise the cost of wagering on further falls in the currency. CURRENCY RISK Tommy Xie, economist at OCBC Bank in Singapore, said he expected more stimulus to the economy from the PBOC, but the stability of the yuan, also known as the renminbi, was critical to maintaining growth. "This is a new risk for China. If the renminbi continues to weaken, the volatility and capital outflows get worse, then that is likely to pose a challenge to growth." The spot yuan was at 6.5793, little changed from Monday's close, but offshore it weakened 100 pips during the morning to 6.5960, nearly 0.3 percent adrift from the onshore rate. Confusion over China's currency policy and its commitment to reforms has sparked mayhem in financial markets in recent weeks, as the PBOC allowed the yuan to fall sharply in early January then switched to aggressive intervention to steady it. Likewise, concerns have mounted that the economy's troubles might be beyond Beijing's ability to fix. Markets have long harboured doubts about the veracity of China's growth data, given their habit of closely matching official forecasts year after year despite wildly changing circumstances at home and globally. Investors used to comfort themselves with the assumption that the authorities, while often inscrutable, were competent managers who could be trusted to ultimately guide the economy to a more consumer-driven model. That trust has been challenged by perceived policy missteps over the yuan and stock markets, giving weight to a voluble clique of China bears who claim high debt levels and massive overcapacity are bound to end in tears. Even relative optimists are worried. "A recent trip back to China suggests the economy remains in a rather bad shape. Public confidence and expectations are very low," says Wei Li, China and Asia economist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "Faced with rising non-performing loans, banks are cutting credit lines despite policymakers calling for more support. New credits are mainly used to repay existing debts, rather than flowing into new investment projects." (Reporting by Pete Sweeney, Samuel Shen and Shanghai and Beijing newsrooms; Writing by Wayne Cole and Will Waterman; Editing by Neil Fullick) By Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Gujarat and Telangana states have put sales of Swiss drugmaker Roche's blockbuster drug Avastin on hold, officials said on Tuesday, after it hampered the vision of 15 patients who used it for a condition it is not officially meant to treat. Avastin is a cancer drug but is often used by doctors to treat vision loss even though it has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for that purpose. Studies have shown that eye injections of Avastin curb vision loss. Roche's India unit said the company does not promote the use of Avastin for treatments for which it is not approved, but has initiated an internal investigation. H.G. Koshia, the top drug controller in western Gujarat state, said he had directed distributors to recall one batch of the medicine given to the patients last week. Its samples were being tested following the incident at a hospital in Ahmedabad city. Following an alert from Gujarat, southern Telangana state has ordered a freeze on all batches of Avastin being sold in the state, drug control official Surendranath Sai said. "We are stopping other batches also till the dust settles," Sai told . "We will release only if declared standard and safe for use." Many doctors around the world use Avastin "off label" to treat age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss. Such usage, Roche said in statement, "bears the risk of contamination and has already led to serious bacterial infections of the eye in other countries around the world". "Roche will cooperate fully with any investigations undertaken by the authorities ... We are taking the events in Gujarat very seriously," the statement said. Fifteen patients at C.H. Nagri Municipal Eye Hospital in Ahmedabad underwent surgery last week after they reported swelling and pain in their eyes after being administered Avastin. Six patients are still in the hospital. The hospital has administered the drug to 7,000 people over the last decade but has now stopped its usage, senior official Tejas Desai said. Cases of shoddy medical treatment and spurious drugs are often reported in India, where the public health system remains overburdened and people, especially in smaller towns, struggle to access basic health services. The hospital said all standard protocols were followed. Koshia, Gujarat's drug regulator, said they would need to ascertain whether the drug was a fake copy of Avastin. (Editing by Krishna Das and Susan Fenton) By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund cut its global growth forecasts for the third time in less than a year on Tuesday, as new figures from Beijing showed that the Chinese economy grew at its slowest rate in a quarter of a century in 2015. To back its forecasts, the IMF cited a sharp slowdown in China trade and weak commodity prices that are hammering Brazil and other emerging markets. The Fund forecast that the world economy would grow at 3.4 percent in 2016 and 3.6 percent in 2017, both years down 0.2 percentage point from the previous estimates made last October. It said policymakers should consider ways to bolster short-term demand. The updated World Economic Outlook forecasts came as global financial markets have been roiled by worries over China's slowdown -- confirmed by official Chinese data on Tuesday -- and plummeting oil prices. The IMF maintained its previous China growth forecasts of 6.3 percent in 2016 and 6.0 percent in 2017, which represent sharp slowdowns from 2015. China reported that growth for 2015 hit 6.9 percent after a year in which the world's second biggest economy endured huge capital outflows, a slide in the currency and a summer stock market crash. The figures raised hopes that Beijing would bring in more stimulus policies, prompting a stock market rally. Concerns about Beijing's grip on economic policy have shot to the top of global investors' risk list for 2016 after falls in its stock markets and the yuan stoked worries that the economy may be rapidly deteriorating. The Fund said a steeper slowing of demand in China remained a risk to global growth and that weaker-than-expected Chinese imports and exports were weighing heavily on other emerging markets and commodity exporters. "We don't see a big change in the fundamentals in China compared to what we saw six months ago, but the markets are certainly very spooked by small events there that they find hard to interpret," IMF economic counsellor Maurice Obstfeld said in a videotaped statement. OVERREACTING He said global financial markets seemed to be overreacting to falling oil prices and the risk of a sharp downturn in China. Obstfeld also said it was critical that China is clear about its overall economic strategy, including its currency. "It's not a stretch to suggest that (markets) may be reacting very strongly to rather small bits of evidence in an environment of volatility and risk aversion," Obstfeld said at a conference. "The oil price puts stresses on oil exporters ... but there is a silver lining for consumers worldwide, so it's not an unmitigated negative." The IMF report said continued market upheaval could also help drag growth lower if it leads to major risk aversion and currency depreciations in emerging markets. Other risks included further dollar appreciation and an escalation of geopolitical tensions. The Fund said the outlook for an acceleration of U.S. output was dimming as dollar strength weighs on manufacturing and lower oil prices curtail energy investment. It now projects U.S. economic growth at 2.6 percent for both 2016 and 2017, down 0.2 percentage point in both years from the October forecast. In Europe, lower oil prices will help support private consumption, so the IMF said it added 0.1 percentage point to its 2016 euro area growth forecast, bringing it to 1.7 percent, where it will remain for 2017. Brazil will stay mired in recession in 2016, with output contracting 3.5 percent, a 2.5 percentage-point downward shift from the previous forecast, and there will be essentially no growth in 2017 as Latin America's largest economy struggles with lower Chinese demand. Obstfeld said the Fund was encouraging monetary policy to remain expansive in some countries, such as Japan and in Europe. "Where there is fiscal space, more infrastructure spending is certainly something that should be on the table," he added. (Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Giles Elgood) By Krishna N. Das NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is lifting a five-decade-old ban on a type of lentil that has been linked to nerve damage and paralysis, in a desperate attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cut legume imports and make the nation self sufficient in the edible seeds. Hit by back-to-back droughts for the first time in over three decades, India's lentil output has fallen and prices have nearly doubled. Now the government has cleared three varieties of the khesari lentil, which can grow in dry or wet conditions. But the opposition Congress party, which is trying to pressure Modi over continuing rural hardship, said the government was playing with the health of unsuspecting Indians by allowing the cultivation of khesari. The varieties developed by Indian scientists, however, contain a lesser amount of a neurotoxin that can damage nerve tissues and weaken the legs of both humans and animals than previous varieties, said Narendra Pratap Singh, director of the state-run Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR). "The government thought if in a reasonable quantity it can be consumed then why not allow it, particularly when there's a crisis and we're importing pulses," said Singh. Despite the ban placed on the lentil in 1961, khesari is still eaten in eastern India and neighbouring Bangladesh, mainly as a cheap source of protein for millions of poor people. "This is how the Modi government is tackling price rise - by lifting (the) ban on a pulse that's medically proven to cause paralysis," Congress party spokesman RPN Singh said on Twitter. The three varieties now allowed have been ready for the last 10 years and "various experiments on animals have shown there are no adverse long-term effects if consumption is in reasonable quantity," IIPR's Singh said. Every year Indians consume about 22 million tonnes of lentils used to make a thick stew called dal, commonly taken with rice or flat bread across South Asia. About a fifth of the volume is imported from countries like Canada, Australia and Myanmar, which grow the legumes mainly to sell to India. Modi wants India to be self sufficient in lentils and last month approved a scheme to encourage greater cultivation of the legumes. Higher incentives for water-intensive crops like wheat and rice have made India a big grains producer at the cost of other key crops like lentils and oilseeds. (Reporting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Tom Hogue) By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - Tehran-based e-commerce firm Takhfifan found it impossible to attract foreign investment when it launched in 2011 but it took only two days for a potential foreign investor to get in touch after sanctions on Iran were lifted. "When I was launching my company I talked to several foreign investors but none of them was interested in doing any business with Iran," the company's 32-year-old founder, Nazanin Daneshvar, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "There are now VCs (venture capital firms) that are ready to sign contracts with us." Daneshvar declined to name the European company that had expressed interest in her company but said a deal, if it went ahead, would be that firm's first investment in Iran. The United States, European Union and United Nations on Saturday lifted international sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear programme. The move has caused huge excitement in the community of dotcom entrepreneurs who set up online businesses in the Islamic Republic, some of which are growing rapidly, despite international isolation and a slumping economy. They could now face tougher competition as foreign companies, with deeper pockets and more sophisticated technology, enter Iran's market of almost 80 million people. But the Iranian ventures, which are believed to number in the dozens, also see new opportunities: Now that sanctions are no longer stifling the economy, they expect a consumer boom and some hope to obtain foreign partners and funding. Many say they do not fear foreign competition because they believe foreigners will need local assistance to negotiate obstacles such as Iran's complex bureaucracy, sometimes erratic Internet service and cultural differences. "Experience shows the international companies that tried to launch their business in Iran without the help of local entrepreneurs failed, or did not achieve what they expected," said Daneshvar. Also, some U.S. sanctions on Iran will remain, which could make American tech giants more wary of entering the country, even though the U.S. Treasury has said it will allow foreign subsidiaries of American firms to deal with Iran. Daneshvar founded Takhfifan - meaning "discounts" in Farsi -- after learning about the model used Groupon, a global e-commerce marketplace that connects millions of subscribers, when she was working in Germany as an information technology manager. Her company says it now has over 100 employees, more than 1 million active subscribers and contracts with 10,000 merchants in Tehran. START-UPS Many of the Iranian dotcoms resemble well-known U.S. tech firms, with adjustments to suit Iran's business conditions. For example, Takhfifan asks corporate clients to offer discounts to customers and charges a commission. There is also an Iranian version of online retailer Amazon, named Digikala, and a local incarnation of ride-hailing service Uber, named Snapp. "Iran's economic recovery could significantly boost our business. More money would only mean more consumers," said Ilia Vakili, 32, Snapp's chief technology officer, a graduate of Tehran's prestigious Shahid Beheshti University who began programming computers as a boy. "We are interested in meeting potential new partners and/or investors, in the local market or abroad." Founded in late 2014, the company says it has nearly 100 staff and tens of thousands of people use its homegrown app. Eventually, Snapp may seek to expand internationally, Vakili said, sounding like a Silicon Valley start-up investor as he discussed business metrics, the strength of his pricing algorithm and the need to maintain service quality. Hamid Mohammadi, 36, who founded Digikala eight years ago, said the end of sanctions could benefit his firm by making it easier for top foreign brands to sell their products in Iran. "Our main challenge during the sanctions was that the main brands were not directly present in Iran. The imports were taking place through non-transparent channels, and Digikala, as a retailer, couldn't create a successful partnership with international brands," he said. Some brands, especially South Korean ones such as Samsung and LG, eventually had success by establishing operations in Iran. "It was much easier to work with them compared to Apple, which despite high demand, could not provide a sustainable supply chain or customer service in Iran," Mohammedi said. That may now start to change. "I think after the lifting of sanctions the purchasing behaviour of the Iranian consumers will be more similar to the international market," he said. Digikala says it employs 900 people and processes 10,000 orders a day, but that with online shopping still accounting for less than 1 percent of retail sales in Iran, it has plenty of room to grow. Mohammadi said he would welcome investment in his firm by "strategic and credible" firms. International banks are expected to move into Iran only slowly, partly because of the risk of falling foul of the U.S. sanctions that are still in place. But Mohammadi said that when they did enter, credit-card use could take off, and this would revolutionise online shopping in Iran. "We see the lifting of sanctions more as an opportunity than as a threat. We are so established in Iran's e-commerce ecosystem that it would be very difficult for international companies to compete with us," he said. (Writing by Andrew Torchia, Editing by Timothy Heritage) TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and China are negotiating a resumption of a ministerial meeting focusing on economic affairs in Tokyo this month, which would be the first such meeting in five-and-half-years, the Sankei newspaper reported on Tuesday. Taro Aso, Japan's finance minister and deputy prime minister, and his Chinese counterpart as well as the foreign ministers of both countries will participate, the paper reported without citing sources. The expected meeting comes as worries over China's economic slowdown roil global financial markets. The agenda is likely to include bilateral coordination on economic, environmental and trade affairs, according to the paper. Japan's finance ministry was not immediately available to comment. The finance ministers are also expected to discuss whether to resume a bilateral currency swap arrangement between the Bank of Japan and the People's Bank of China, it said. The ministerial economic dialogue has been held roughly once a year until 2010 but has not been held since then, after territorial disputes strained bilateral relations. (Reporting by Leika Kihara and Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Shri Navaratnam) By Astrid Wendlandt and Silke Koltrowitz GENEVA (Reuters) - High-end watchmakers have signalled a shift in strategy with an expanded range of more affordable products to counter the most severe downturn the industry has faced since the 2008-09 financial crisis, executives at a watch fair in Geneva said. The industry is having to adapt to a market with fewer Russian, Middle Eastern and Chinese buyers than a year ago, executives said, feeling the combined effects of record low oil prices and signs of economic weakness in China. Cartier, Richemont's leading brand and main source of profit, is presenting a higher than usual number of models at more accessible prices at this week's Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the industry's first event of the year. Among them is Cartier's new Drive model, a steel-cased men's watch priced at a little more than 5,000 euros ($5,430). Previously, Cartier would only offer new models in gold and leather, with prices starting at more than 10,000 euros, before offering them in more affordable versions. Sister brand Piaget, the timepieces of which generally start no lower than 10,000 euros, launched a women's line starting at just over 7,000 euros. Richemont stablemate Montblanc, meanwhile, has invested in a wide range of lower-priced models. "There is a different price awareness among customers now ... and less price elasticity than there used to be," Piaget Chief Executive Philippe Leopold-Metzger told at the fair. "Times are difficult. The market has changed and, in terms of pricing, it has become much more competitive." Russian and Middle Eastern customers' purchasing power has been dented by the slide in oil prices. In China, the luxury sector's biggest growth engine, demand has slowed down partly because of a drop in the pace of economic growth and a government crackdown on gift-giving and ostentatious spending by civil servants. TOURISM TROUBLES Meanwhile, Hong Kong and the United States, two of the world's biggest luxury markets, have been hit by a sharp drop in Chinese tourist spending. There has been a gradual erosion in the industry's global growth since a peak reached at the end of 2012. Swiss watch exports dropped 3.3 percent in the 11 months to last November after two years of modest growth of close to 2 percent. The downturn has been less painful than in 2008 and 2009, when the Swiss watch industry lost more than 5,000 jobs, said Jean-Daniel Pasche, president of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, though he acknowledged the danger that market conditions could worsen. "Looking at this year, much will depend on how the geopolitical situation evolves," Pasche said. The luxury goods sector is very much tied to tourist flows, but the deadly attacks in Paris last November have deterred many from travelling to Europe, the traditional home market for high-end watches and jewellery. In recent months, several watch makers have cut jobs, such as Kering's recently acquired Ulysse Nardin and privately-owned Parimigiani and Christophe Claret. Piaget closed a boutique in Shanghai last month while Parmigiani said it would cut its number of sales points globally to about 250 from around 300 by the end of the year, including outlets in Russia and Turkey. Van Cleef & Arpels, one of the fastest-growing jewellery and watch brands within the Richemont group, said it had also felt a slowdown in Hong Kong, Macao and the United States. "We have been impacted like everybody else as the feeling of confidence has been shaken," Van Cleef & Arpels Chief Executive Nicolas Bos told . Van Cleef & Arpels is examining new growth opportunities in countries such as Thailand, where it just opened a shop, as well as in Australia and Canada. (Editing by David Goodman) By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rebounded on Tuesday, supported by strong Chinese fuel consumption and at least interrupting a slide to 2003 levels earlier in the week after the return of Iran to markets added to an already huge supply overhang. Traders said prices were supported by strong oil data from China, where preliminary oil demand for 2015 was at a record 10.32 million barrels per day, up 2.5 percent from 2014. Yet growth in China's 2016 oil consumption is seen lower as the world's second-largest economy slows further and the government reins in tax breaks on car purchases. Front-month Brent crude futures were trading at $29.42 per barrel at 0757 GMT, up 87 cents from their last settlement. U.S. crude futures rose 29 cents to $29.71 a barrel and extended its premium over Brent. The U.S. premium over Brent hit its highest level since 2010 on Monday as Iran's oil will be exported to Brent-priced Europe and Asia while regulations still restrict it from going to the United States. Overall prices fell to their lowest since 2003 on Monday as western sanctions against Iran were lifted. Tehran then ordered a sharp increase in output to take immediate advantage. "It is clear that investor sentiment is driving oil prices... Bearish bets are at their highest level since 1983, indicating heightened concerns around Iran oil flooding the market," ANZ bank analysts said in a note on Tuesday. Oil prices have fallen over 70 percent in the past 18 months as exporters around the world pump out over a million barrels of crude every day in excess of demand. Since January, the prospect of the lifting of sanctions on Iran accelerated the rout. Most analysts expect Iran's full return to oil markets to be relatively slow due to the need to overhaul its infrastructure following years of under-investment, but Iran is also estimated to have stored 12-14 million barrels of crude and 24 million barrels of condensates for immediate sale. Goldman Sachs said that Iran's production would rise by 285,000 barrels per day (bpd) year-on-year in 2016 while BMI Research said the rise would be by 400,000 bpd. In OPEC-member Venezuela, state-owned producer PDVSA requested partners to pay for naphtha imports, which it is contractually obliged to provide itself, to produce exportable crudes. (Additional reporting by Roslan Khasawneh; Editing by Miral Fahmy and Biju Dwarakanath) By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Tuesday as data showed Chinese oil demand probably hit a record high in 2015, but contracts remained near 12-year lows as the IEA said the market should stay oversupplied this year. Brent crude futures, the global benchmark, were up 45 cents at $29.00 a barrel by 1439 GMT. U.S. crude futures were down 39 cents at $29.03 a barrel after touching an intra-day high of $30.21. The U.S. contract did not settle on Monday, a public holiday in the U.S. market. "It seems to be a healthy upside correction in an otherwise downtrending market," said Tamas Varga, oil analyst at London brokerage PVM Oil Associates. Traders said prices drew support from strong oil demand in China. Preliminary calculations based on government figures showed record oil consumption of 10.32 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2015, up 2.5 percent from 2014, defying slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy. But oil prices remained near 12-year lows as a global glut was set to last until at least late 2016, according to the International Energy Agency, which advises industrialised countries on energy policy. The agency said oil prices could fall below current levels. "While the pace of stock building eases in the second half of the year as supply from non-OPEC producers falls, unless something changes, the oil market could drown in oversupply," the IEA said. Global oil demand fell to a one-year low in the fourth quarter of 2015, the IEA added, due to mild weather. "It's not looking good. There is no reason to believe why and how prices will recover by the end of 2017," Abhishek Deshpande, oil analyst at Natixis, told Global Oil Forum. The oversupply is set to worsen with the return of Iranian barrels to the market following the lifting of nuclear-related Western sanctions. Iran said it could increase oil output by 500,000 bpd and issued an order to start the ramp-up on Monday. Most analysts expect Iran's full return to oil markets to be relatively slow due to the need to overhaul its infrastructure following years of underinvestment, but the country is also estimated to have stored 12-14 million barrels of crude and 24 million barrels of condensates for immediate sale. China's CNOOC said it aimed to cut oil and gas production this year and expected output to rebound in 2018. (Additional reporting by Roslan Khasawneh and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by David Evans and Susan Fenton) By Roslan Khasawneh SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rebounded on Tuesday, supported by strong Chinese fuel consumption, halting a slide to 2003 levels earlier in the week after the return of Iran to markets added to an already huge supply overhang. Traders said prices were supported by strong oil data from China, where preliminary oil demand for 2015 was at a record 10.32 million barrels per day, up 2.5 percent from 2014. [nB9N0Y2008] Yet growth in China's 2016 oil consumption is seen lower as the world's second-largest economy slows further and the government reins in car purchase tax breaks that have so far propped up demand for gasoline-powered vehicles. Front-month Brent crude futures were trading at $29.25 per barrel at 0716 GMT, up 70 cents from their last settlement. U.S. crude futures also rose 24 cents to $29.66 a barrel and extended its premium over Brent. The U.S. premium over Brent hit its highest level since 2010 on Monday as Iran's oil will be exported to Brent-priced Europe and Asia while regulations still restrict it from going to the United States. Overall prices fell to their lowest since 2003 on Monday as western sanctions against Iran were lifted. Tehran then ordered a sharp increase in output to take immediate advantage. "It is clear that investor sentiment is driving oil prices... Bearish bets are at their highest level since 1983, indicating heightened concerns around Iran oil flooding the market," ANZ bank analysts said in a note on Tuesday. Oil prices have fallen over 70 percent in the past 18 months as exporters around the world pump out over a million barrels of crude every day in excess of demand. Since January, the prospect of the lifting of sanctions on Iran accelerated the rout. Most analysts expect Iran's full return to oil markets to be relatively slow due to the need to overhaul its infrastructure following years of under-investment, but Iran is also estimated to have stored 12-14 million barrels of crude and 24 million barrels of condensates for immediate sale. Goldman Sachs said that Iran's production would rise by 285,000 barrels per day (bpd) year-on-year in 2016 while BMI Research said the rise would be by 400,000 bpd. In OPEC-member Venezuela, state-owned producer PDVSA requested partners to pay for naphtha imports, which it is contractually obliged to provide itself, to produce exportable crudes. (Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein; Editing by Miral Fahmy and Biju Dwarakanath) By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil futures remained under pressure in early trading on Tuesday, following a slide that has seen prices fall by more than a quarter since the beginning of the year, as the full return of Iran to oil markets adds to an already huge supply overhang. Oil prices had briefly stabilised in the previous session, but only after hitting the lowest since 2003 as western sanctions against Iran were lifted, allowing the country with the world's fourth-largest oil and gas reserves to return in full to the market. Prices came under pressure on Tuesday morning as Iran ordered a sharp increase in oil output to take immediate advantage of the lifting of sanctions. "It is clear that investor sentiment is driving oil prices... Bearish bets are at their highest level since 1983, indicating heightened concerns around Iran oil flooding the market," ANZ bank said on Tuesday. Sanctions had cut Iran's oil exports by about 2 million bpd since their pre-sanctions 2011 peak, to little more than 1 million bpd. With the prospect of a lifting of sanctions becoming increasingly clear since the beginning of the year, a price rout that started in mid-2014 accelerated, pulling crude down over 70 percent in 18 months. U.S. crude futures were trading at $29.00 a barrel by 0105 GMT, down 42 cents from their last settlement. Front-month Brent crude futures, though up a notch just after opening Tuesday's trade, remained below $29 per barrel at $28.69 per barrel. "The run up to this weekend's announcement has likely contributed to the recent decline in oil prices," Goldman Sachs said. "We have been assuming that production will rise by 285,000 barrels per day year-on-year in 2016," it added. Most traders expect Iran's full return to oil markets to be relatively slow due to the need to overhaul its infrastructure, which is creaking from years of under investment under the sanctions. But they also say that the initial ramp-up could be fast because of large amounts of oil Iran has stored for immediate sale. This is estimated at 12 million barrels of crude and 24 million barrels of condensates. In OPEC-member Venezuela, there are signs that state-owned producer PDVSA is in dire straits over the oil price crash as it has requested partners to pay for naphtha imported to produce exportable crudes. PDVSA is responsible for providing the naphtha, or light crude, needed to dilute the extra heavy oil produced at the Orinoco Belt, according to contracts signed with foreign partners including Chevron, Spain's Repsol and India's ONGC. In other oil news, Japan's Cosmo Oil ordered a U.S. crude cargo, the first purchase by a Japanese buyer since the ending of a four-decade ban on most U.S. crude exports. (Editing by Ed Davies) By Laurence Frost and Gilles Guillaume PARIS (Reuters) - Renault said on Tuesday it planned a software upgrade to cut nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution from its diesel engines, which have come under fire for their relatively high emissions in the wake of the Volkswagen test-rigging scandal. Following VW's exposure last September for using software "defeat devices" to cheat U.S. regulatory tests, the French carmaker has drawn public and investor scrutiny over its own emissions performance. As of Monday's market close, Renault shares had fallen 14 percent since the Jan. 14 disclosure that investigators raided its offices this month over suspicions of emissions fraud - since roundly denied by company and government officials. At 1236 GMT, the stock was up 1.8 percent at 75.50 euros. Besides VW's outright cheating, the diesel scandal has heightened awareness of real-world NOx emissions by the broader auto industry far exceeding those measured in flawed European regulatory tests - with Renault often cited by campaigners as among the worst offenders. German green group DUH said in November that Renault's popular Espace minivan had released NOx emissions 25 times over EU limits during a Swiss study using driving styles that are more realistic than the EU test cycle. "We agree that our position is not satisfactory," Renault Chief Competitive Officer Thierry Bollore told reporters at the company's headquarters west of Paris, while disputing many of the reported measurements. "We are the first ones to admit that we have room for improvement." Testing by a French government-led commission established after the VW scandal has also found relatively high NOx emissions from Renault models, members have said. The French carmaker will detail the planned adjustments in March for vehicles with the latest Euro 6 generation of diesels, Bollore told reporters, and begin offering voluntary engine checks to owners four months later. Based on current production levels, the approximate number of vehicles eligible for checks could approach 700,000, Renault said, but the total ultimately affected and brought in to dealerships is bound to be much lower. No firm estimates have yet been made, the company added. Software tweaks can be "flashed" to a vehicle during a routine oil change or servicing visit, at minimal extra cost. Bollore, second-in-command to Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn, had already announced last month that Renault was stepping up investment to improve its NOx emissions performance. The carmaker has earmarked 50 million euros ($54 million) to upgrade its current diesels, while accelerating the 1.2 billion euro development of their next generation - dubbed Euro 6D - from five years to three. Renault's relatively poor record on NOx - blamed for a host of respiratory illnesses - contrasts sharply with its achievements in developing diesel and gasoline engines that achieve industry-leading levels of fuel economy, and accompanying low carbon dioxide emissions. Separately, Renault confirmed on Tuesday it was recalling more than 15,000 diesel versions of its Captur mini-SUV to correct an engine processor fault that disabled its exhaust after-treatment system, causing NOx levels to soar. The recall, announced by French Environment Minister Segolene Royal earlier in the day, was launched in November in response to problems detected last July, Bollore said. The official commission established by Royal is currently testing 100 car models from all major automotive brands to compare on-the-road emissions with regulatory test-bench scores as it looks for any evidence of more widespread test rigging. ($1 = 0.9203 euros) (Reporting by Laurence Frost; Editing by Mark Potter) By Himank Sharma MUMBAI (Reuters) - After pumping billions of dollars into internet start-ups in the last 24 months, global investors are cutting that flood back a trickle as dreams of huge online sales are clouded by soaring valuations and still-distant profits. Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi lines up a four-year, $1.5 billion government fund to help startups create jobs, entrepreneurs fear that may prove a drop in the ocean. Venture capitalists have already tightened purse strings as ripples from China's economic slowdown lap around the world. According to a new report by CB Insights and KPMG, venture capital investments in India's start-ups nearly halved to $1.5 billion in fourth-quarter 2015 from July-September. Faltering start-ups could mean India missing out on huge potential: Bank of America Merrill Lynch has forecast Indian e-commerce will surge to $220 billion by 2025 from about $11 billion last year. "While the first phase of funding was about investing in big markets...now investors want to look at how entrepreneurs manage their business and compete while investing," said Niren Shah, India head of Norwest Venture Partners, said. Modi's plan for newly launched companies includes tax breaks on their first three years of profits, as well as their investors. But most of tech startups make losses, not profits. They follow a discount-driven business model aimed at generating revenue from customers that buy and sell goods and services, touting growth in 'gross merchandise value' on their platforms as a metric to attract funding. Two of the country's best known e-commerce retailers - Flipkart and Snapdeal - have attracted big-name backers like Accel Partners, Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and Japan's SoftBank Group Corp, enthused by growth potential in a country where only 252 million of a population of 1.3 billion people have Internet access. Yet the pair have notched up huge losses as they compete for increasing sales through deep discounts, according to banking and industry sources. Flipkart and Snapdeal did not immediately respond to Reuters' emails seeking comment. "In the last few years, people were looking at gross merchandise value (when considering investment)," said Radhika Aggarwal, co-founder and chief business officer of online marketplace Shopclues.com. "I think that changed very quickly in the second half of last year." Shopclues.com raised funds last week from investors including Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and Tiger Global that valued the firm at more than $1.1 billion - helped by detailing plans to hit profitability by the first half of next year, Aggarwal said. In early warning signs for the start-up industry, firms from food delivery companies TinyOwl and Foodpanda to SoftBank-backed property firm Housing.com have either cut jobs or shrunk their services. At TinyOwl, last November around 20 employees even held their boss hostage for two days after it announced job cuts. "We are in the middle of this funding winter and global issues such as a slowdown in China could likely have a bigger impact this year," said Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of mobile wallet Paytm, backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (Writing by Sumeet Chatterjee; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) India's largest-ever steel export deal, struck with Iran in 2014 to allow it to buy the metal without violating Western sanctions that are now set to end, has become mired in a dispute that has seen no payments made or shipments delivered since last fall. The impasse underlines how Tehran is taking a more assertive posture in its dealings with trading partners as options open up for business and it looks to strike better deals. Iranian Gas Engineering & Development Company (IGEDC) has written to Indian state-trader STC India Ltd complaining that steel shipments have been irregular and far below terms set out in the $2.5 billion contract, according to a letter seen by Reuters. It also said in the letter, dated late last month, that it would like to deal directly with Essar Steel India Ltd, which was supplying the steel to STC for export, if the state trader did not restart regular shipments soon. "We strongly urge STC to either be more flexible to enable regular and faster shipments or allow the contract to be dealt directly between IGEDC and the manufacturer," it wrote. The complex arrangement was put in place to allow steel exports without violating sanctions that prevented private Indian companies from dealing directly with Iran. That is set to change, with Western sanctions expected to be lifted under a historic nuclear deal struck in July between Tehran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, giving Iran far more flexibility to pursue deals. A source familiar with the matter said steel exports had been halted since Iran stopped making payments in September. IGEDC's managing director's office did not return calls seeking comment. Essar Steel and STC did not have any immediate comment. STEEL DEAL Under sanctions, India has been one of the few countries willing to do business with Tehran. "When this steel export deal was done, Iran had virtually no choice than to accept it, as sanctions isolated it from the world financial system," said Robin Mills, chief executive of Dubai-based Qamar Energy. Mills said the end of sanctions would open a wider circle of trade partners for Iran, such as those from Europe and China. "So Iran would like to diversify and buy steel from other players instead of having a huge contract with India," he said. Iran expects the U.N. nuclear watchdog to confirm on Friday it has curtailed its nuclear programme, paving the way for the unfreezing of billions of dollars of assets and an end to bans that have crippled its oil exports. India is the top oil client of Iran after China, and Essar Oil, an affiliate of Essar Steel, is a key customer of the National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC). The three-year steel contract was struck in June 2014, after the Indian government, worried about its trade balance with Iran and looking to boost exports, directed trading firms STC and MMTC Ltd to help facilitate business for Indian companies. Indian refiners have been paying 45 percent of their oil dues to Iran in rupees. These rupee-funds are used by Tehran for importing goods, including steel, from New Delhi. BLAME GAME The steel deal ran into trouble in September, when Tehran failed to clear dues of about 4.5 billion rupees ($66.73 million) for steel exported to it by STC, the source familiar with the matter said. STC was supposed to supply 1 million tonnes of steel in the first year of the contract, which is for a total of 2.5 million tonnes of steel plate and coil over the three-year span. By September of last year, however, STC had supplied only about 450,000 tonnes of steel. In its Dec. 22 letter, IGEDC told STC that it needed to expedite supplies and make them regular. "Not only have the deliveries been irregular, we have not even received" the minimum quantity of 50,000 tonnes per month in most months, IGEDC wrote. The source said STC supplied the steel to Iran based on availability and demand from Tehran, which was why the shipments were far below the expected levels. STC has been regularly writing to IGEDC asking for payments and would restart supplies if Iran resumed them, the source said. The IDA have today released figures which show that more than one-in-five private sector jobs in the economy (direct and indirect employment), are as a result of IDA-supported Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Almost 19,000 jobs were created last year by IDA client companies in regions all over Ireland, with over 9,000 jobs created outside Dublin. Those counties that experienced the highest growth in 2015 included: Waterford, Limerick, Westmeath, Donegal, Louth and Galway. Those counties that did not grow in 2015 were Wicklow, Monaghan, Sligo, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Wexford. Source: www.businessworld.ie It was announced today that 40 million in European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant assistance has been put aside for local authorities for designated gateway and hub towns across Ireland. It is hoped that the scheme will enable investments in sustainable transport and urban regeneration measures in Irish urban centres to the tune of 127 million for the period 2014-2020. ERDF is providing 40 million to the projects, which are co-funded by the local authorities. The European Regional Development Fund aims to improve the urban environment and revitalise Irish urban areas. It makes capital funding available to tackle social, economic, environmental, climate and demographic challenges and to contribute to an improvement in the development potential of Irish urban centres. Projects that have been awarded funding are located in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Waterford, Ennis, Kilkenny, Mallow, Tralee, Wexford, Athlone, Dundalk, Galway, Letterkenny, Mullingar, Sligo and Tullamore. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly has today commented, "Strong urban centres enable their regions to realise their potential in attractiveness for business investment for Foreign Direct Investment for talent and for tourism and to create conducive and attractive locations for investment and for people to live and work in. "This investment in sustainable urban development recognises our cities and towns as the engines of the regional economy. This scheme will provide grant assistance to designated local authorities for urban capital projects." Source: www.businessworld.ie The National Archives of Ireland have launched the design and construction phases for the major 8 million expansion works which will begin at Bishop Street this year. The building development will improve the quality and quantity of storage available to the National Archives at its premises on Bishop Street. The facilities will be upgraded to state of the art archival storage meeting the BD 5454 benchmark standard for long term preservation. Approximately four million files, containing an estimated 100 million pages will be stored in the new Archives building once it is completed. The National Archives stores a huge range of public material, including Government papers, Census records and files dating from the revolutionary period, including Secret Polices files and compensation claims made after the 1916 Rising. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys launched the initiative at a special ceremony today. Director of the National Archives, John McDonough commented, "We very much appreciate the Minister taking the time to come to Bishop Street and launch the design phase of our new archives storage facilities. "The National Archives looks forward to working with the OPW and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to see the construction of all phases of this important milestone in developing capacity and capability in the National Archives." Source: www.businessworld.ie BISMARCK The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to review Arkansas ban on abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy, setting the stage for a decision as early as next week on North Dakotas petition for review of its six-week abortion ban that would be the strictest in the nation. North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem was reluctant to make any predictions on how justices will decide on the states petition filed in November. He noted there are differences between the two cases and he believes North Dakotas case had a better record. We always knew it was long shot, but well see, he said in a phone interview. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland declared the North Dakota law unconstitutional and permanently blocked it in April 2014. The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights and Bismarck attorney Thomas Dickson had challenged the law on behalf of the Red River Womens Clinic in Fargo, the states lone abortion provider. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Hovlands ruling in July. Supreme Court justices are scheduled to review the North Dakota case on Friday and decide as early as Monday whether to grant review. The law would make it a Class C felony for a doctor to perform an abortion if the fetus has a detectable heartbeat, which is at about six weeks of pregnancy. The Center for Reproductive Rights hailed Tuesdays Supreme Court decision to refuse a petition filed in September by Arkansas attorney general seeking review of that states blocked 12-week ban. The American Civil Liberties Union also had challenged the ban. Arkansas politicians cannot pick and choose which parts of the Constitution they want to uphold, center CEO and president Nancy Northup said in a news release. The Supreme Court has never wavered in affirming that every woman has a right to safely and legally end a pregnancy in the U.S. and this extreme abortion ban was a direct affront to that right. The Supreme Court previously refused to hear Arizonas case for its 20-week abortion ban in 2014. Both the Arkansas and North Dakota laws were passed in 2013 among a wave of anti-abortion legislation approved by lawmakers in several states. Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, had vetoed the measure, but both houses of the state Legislature voted to override his veto. A federal judge struck down the ban, and the appeals court upheld the ruling last May. The Supreme Court receives about 10,000 petitions each year but grants and hears oral arguments in only about 75 to 80 cases, according to its website. In November, justices agreed to hear arguments on a Texas law that requires abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Their ruling, which is expected by the end of this year, could affect a similar law in North Dakota, Stenehjem has said. Irish big data analytics company, Connectors Marketplace, have today announced the launch of their automated social media lead generation solution. The companys platform allows sales people, lead generators and marketers to identify and nurture high volumes of leads. It delivers a vast array of insights that enables sales teams deploy social selling to drive brand awareness, increase consideration levels and capture new business. Connectors Marketplace is headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin, and has an office in New York. CEO and founder at Connectors Marketplace, Kevin Neary commented, "We have built this actionable lead generation tool on the back of advanced data analytics research conducted in conjunction with a team of big data scientists at University College Dublin. "We have captured and analysed extensive business feedback on how companies want to access social profiles. We also understand how prospects engage across multiple social networks. He added, "The sales and marketing community requires a tool with the power to filter all social media clutter, tweets, posts, news, conversations and social media profiles to find new business opportunities. Source: www.businessworld.ie About us The probability of a global economic recession this year is as high as 20% in a worst case scenario, U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley said on Tuesday. Their economists said soft consumer demand in the United States and Japan and weakness in emerging markets due to worries over plunging oil and commodity prices and capital outflows from China were among the main risks. A global recession is loosely defined as growth below the roughly 2.5 percent needed for the world economy to keep up with an expanding population. "Two and a half percent seems to be the danger area for global recession, because historically that is the real GDP growth rate where you see GDP per capita go negative," said Elga Bartsch, Morgan Stanley's global co-head of economics. "Our base case is for a modest recovery to 3.3 percent. But the risks are skewed to the downside and appear to have risen recently." On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund cut its forecasts for global growth to 3.4 percent this year and 3.6 percent next, the 16th time it has done so in its last 21 World Economic Outlooks and WEO Updates. Official figures meanwhile showed China's economy grew at its slowest pace in quarter of a century last year. Earlier this week, economists at French bank Societe Generale assigned a 10 percent probability to the risk of a global recession. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie French carmaker Renault will recall more than 15,000 vehicles to make changes to their engines to bring them into line with emissions standards, Energy Minister Segolene Royal told RTL radio on Tuesday. The minister, responsible for the environment and sustainable development, repeated that Renault was not alone in exceeding emissions levels, although she did not name any other carmakers. "Renault has committed to recalling a certain number of vehicles, more than 15,000 vehicles, to check them and adjust them correctly so the filtration system works even when it is very hot or when it is below 17 degrees, because that's when the filtration system no longer worked," Royal said. She said the tests needed to be based on real driving conditions, whatever the outside temperature. She added: "To be fair to Renault...there are other brands that exceed the norms." She said the managers of these other carmakers had also accepted to come and give explanations before the commission set up by the government. Last week Renault said fraud investigators had inspected three of its sites to look into its vehicle emissions technology - news that wiped billions off its market value in an echo of the scandal engulfing German rival Volkswagen. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Twitter said on Tuesday its social network was suffering outages in several parts of the world and it was working to resolve the issues, which appear to be concentrated in Europe, according to external monitoring sources. Both Twitter web and mobile services suffered outages for at least an hour around 0900 GMT, with smartphone users receiving the warning: "Tweets aren't loading right now." "Some users are currently experiencing problems accessing Twitter," a statement on the company's Twitter status website reads. "We are aware of the issue and are working towards a resolution." A company spokeswoman had no further comment. By 1000 GMT, services for some affected users in Europe started to return, although access remained spotty. Outages were reported across Europe and appeared to be concentrated in Britain, France and Germany, according to DownDetector.uk, an Twitter monitoring service. Japan also reported outages but users in other Asian countries said Twitter service was operating normally. Users from Scandinavia to Spain to South Africa also reported outages. Some Twitter users in Europe were still able to publish, suggesting there was never a complete blackout in the region. "I'm reading hundreds of tweets, on Twitter, saying Twitter is down. This is like Inception," tweeted London-based James Martin who goes by the handle @pundamentalism, referring to the 2010 science fiction film in which a professional thief has the chance to have his criminal history erased. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie About us A new movie that touches upon the election prospects of one female candidate for president debuted last week. Will "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" provoke thousands of angry viewers to march on Hillary Clinton's home with torchlights and pitchforks? Doubtful. The film is somewhat oblique. Hillary Clinton's name is not mentioned. The infamous Susan Rice clips blaming the attack on a video do not appear (though the film does mention, slightly mordantly, that "press reports" are citing a video). Yet even for those coming to the question for the first time, the film very clearly conveys filmmaker Michael Bay's outrage that a tiny band of unbelievably brave Americans was left to fight off a company of al-Qaida-linked terrorists for, yes, 13 hours, while the vast land, sea and air resources of the U.S. military were not sent to their rescue. Recent history would suggest that "13 Hours" will be a commercial success. Hollywood's anti-war and anti-American films (there have been many) have had lukewarm ("Body of Lies") to dismal ("War, Inc.") receptions. But films portraying American courage and fortitude, especially "Lone Survivor" and "American Sniper," have been huge hits. As the subtitle suggests, "13 Hours" is the story of the tough men who fight our battles. They are portrayed lovingly in this film. They are men who adore their families, who have each other's backs, and who are careful about when and how they use the force they are so very skilled at deploying. Even after wave upon wave of brutal attacks, these former Navy SEALs don't fire reflexively when cars approach the compound or the annex in Benghazi; they wait until they see aggressive moves. That they risked and in some cases lost their lives was a matter of heroism, not duty. The CIA officer in charge countermanded their effort to leave the CIA annex and head to the consulate, a mile away, when it first came under attack. Twenty-five minutes later, half a dozen men disobeyed and headed to the consulate anyway. The scene there was harrowing. Smoke inhalation is a terrible death. But the night was young. Apparently, the al-Qaida-linked terrorists were well-briefed on the location of the secret CIA annex, and the fight continued when the contractors retreated to that location. The warriors took up positions on the roof, protecting the 26 people inside. There is the suggestion throughout the movie that some Libyans betrayed their American allies, while others proved reliable. Whether that is evidence of the treachery of the Middle East or just the nature of war is a matter for the viewer to decide. There are three questions about Benghazi that have never been satisfactorily answered by Clinton or the Obama administration. One: Why was security so inadequate? Two: Why was no military help dispatched as the battle unfolded? And three: Why did the administration lie to the American people about the nature of the attack, blaming an anti-Islam video rather than al-Qaida? This film focuses chiefly on No. 2 and rightly so, in my judgment. While the other questions are serious, for me, it has always been the failure to attempt a rescue of Americans under fire that was the most unforgivable and nearly inexplicable aspect of the story. The administration issued bland denials that any rescue was possible. Yet recently released emails, such as that from Jeremy Bash, aide to then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, to Clinton aides on Sept. 11, 2012, revealed the opposite: "After consulting with General Dempsey, General Ham and the Joint Staff, we have identified the forces that could move to Benghazi. They are spinning up as we speak." There were F-18s at the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Italy, about a one-hour flight from Benghazi. As Popular Mechanics explained: "Jet warplanes can do more than fight and frighten. They can look at the conditions below. Air Force and Navy warplanes are equipped with targeting systems that pilots use to launch precision strikes and assess the damage after they attack. ... F-18s have LITENING pods ... that can pick out individuals on the ground, day or night, and through clouds. The system can also see laser designators used by troops on the ground, and some reports ... claim the team at Benghazi had such a designator on the roof of the CIA safe house." For whatever reason, President Barack Obama was not moved enough by the plight of besieged Americans to send in the cavalry. That, more than the post-hoc confection about an anti-Islam Internet video, was the crime, and that is what "13 Hours" depicts unflinchingly. (Mona Charens syndicated column appears in the Tribune on Tuesdays.) Balkans and Beyond: who is hiding behind the project? Published on January 19, 2016 Story by Anthony Papadimitriu en es fr it de pl Our project Balkans & Beyond is currently in progress. Our multicultural team of journalists and photographers are currently on the ground to realise their feature reports. Before reading their articles, we suggest you to discover more about their history and experience. Kosovo Fisnik Dobreci was born in 1985 in Prishtina, Kosovo. He began his photography career in 2005 at the daily newspaper Express where he worked for almost five years. He worked at the Serbian minority weekly newspaper Glasnik from 2006 to 2007 and also became a Kosovan contributor for the London newspaper The Guardian. He participated in collective photography exhibitions in Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania, Slovakia, Croatia and America. In 2009, he was awarded with Gjon Mili award, international photography competition, organized in Prishtina. He is currently a freelance photographer, based in Ulcinj, Montenegro. Slovenia team Natasa Kramberger is a freelance author from Slovenia, based in Berlin. Born in 1983, she was a member of the last Tito-Pioneers generation in Slovenia. Natasa writes narrative reportages, essays and novels, is the author of three books, one of them the collection of reportages. Her first novel (2007) received the EU Prize for Literature, its been translated into 10 languages. In 2009, she established an eco-artistic NGO Zelena centrala in Slovenia, where she explores questions of social ecology; in 2014, she published a collection of reportages about Berlin, Havana and other places, Wall Less A newspaper tale on Berlin and other places, and founded another NGO in Berlin called Periskop. Mirza Ajnadzic started his career in 2009 on EFM student radio in Sarajevo. In 2010, he finished a course at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in Sarajevo and was involved in a project Tales from the Transition. His story about the Others, as an minority in BiH was awarded by the New Yorks Ground Reporting. He also collaborates as a screenwriter and documentary report author with the Foundation for Creative Development from Sarajevo. In 2012, he co-founded an NGO, Center for Cultural and Media Decontamination, focusing on educating youth in citizen journalism. In 2013, he directed his first documentary movie May 31st. Jelena Prtoric is a Croatian freelance journalist reporting (mostly) from South-East Europe. She holds a Masters degree in Journalism from Sciences Po journalism school in Paris, and has worked for various print, web and radio outlets in French, English and Croatian. When she is not writing, reading long-form journalism or translating graphic novels, she gets geeky with data and enjoys taking photos. Macedonia team Zaklina Hadzi-Zafirova lives in Skopje and has more than 15 years of experience in journalistic fields. She started her career at the Dnevnik newspaper before writing investigations, comments and analysis for the daily Utrinski vesnik. In 2006, she moved to London, as a fellow of the London Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). She is the co-founder and director of the Centre for investigative journalism SCOOP-Macedonia, a network sponsored by the Danish association of investigative journalism. In 2015, she received a prize for a story that looked at the impact of pollution on local cases of cancer and the authorities lenient attitude toward such polluters. Since 1999, Kosovar journalist, Muhamet Hajrullahu has worked for a number of Kosovo media outlets, including Kohavision, the national TV station, where he was a journalist and editor. He is now one of the two main presenters of the most popular and cutting-edge TV current affairs show in Kosovo, Jeta ne Kosove (Life in Kosovo). President of the Assembly of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), he used to produce TV documentaries and was news editor for Kokhavision (KTV), the national TV station in Prishtina. Serbia team Marina Lalovic is a Serbian journalist. She worked as a correspondent for a Serbian daily Politika and also for the Serbian radiotelevision B92. She is currently working at Rai (Italian national broadcasting Company), where she hosts Radio3Mondo, a radio show focusing on a news from around the world, international press review, stories, interviews and on-the-spot reporting including highlights. Marina also writes stories for a Serbian magazine Vreme and was one of the reporters of BABEL TV, a first Italian TV station completely dedicated to immigration issue in Italy. Jasmin Brutus is 34 years old documentary photographer who lives in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has worked as a photographer for a number of major domestic newspapers and magazines. His works appeared in Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Le Monde Diplomatique, Het Parool, Le Temps, Le Pelerin, Monocle just to name a few. He has received several grants including Ex-changes, sponsored by the German government and SEE New Perspectives supported by World Press Photo and Robert Bosch Stiftung. In 2014, he was chosen to take a part in a pilot project Young Filmmakers for Peace, for the goEast Film Festival Wiesbaden (Germany) and Robert Bosch Stiftung. Bosnia team Lana Pasic is currently based in Sarajevo and works as a development consultant and freelance writer. She is editor for Balkanalysis for her native Bosnia & Herzegovina and also a regular contributor to the Al Jazeera English Opinion section. Lana has worked in research and development, with Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Institute for Minority Rights at the European Academy (EURAC) in Bolzano, Italy and the Community Development Foundation Mozaik in Sarajevo. Lana has research experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, UK and Tanzania. Her areas of research expertise include international development, education, youth participation, peace and conflict studies, and international relations in the Western Balkans and sub-Saharan Africa. Nemanja Pancic is a founding member of the Kamerades photo collective. He was nominated for the Joop Swart Masterclass and participated in the SEE New Perspectives Masterclass for professional photographers from south-eastern Europe, a project from World Press Photo in partnership with the Robert Bosh Stiftung. Pancic is the winner of the Press Photo Serbia, 1st prize, Portrait story Bata Panta (2014); World Press Photo, 1st prize, Portraits Little Survivor; (2013); Serbian Press Photo special award, life photo story category for Najdan Circles (2011); Serbian Press Photo award, portrait category for Disconsolate Mother (2010); Serbian Press Photo award, sport photo story category for Fighting Spirit (2010); and the UNS (Serbian Journalist Association) Laza Kostic annual photography award, photo story for Baba Mondi (The one who opens the doors) (2010). Montenegro team Jelena Kulidzan was born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina and has lived in Podgorica since 1992. After her graduation in Political Science, she chose to be a TV journalist, reporting both in the country and abroad. First, she was reporter for prime time news for TV IN, a private local TV channel where she covered social, economic and political topics. Since 2009, she works as a reporter, an editor and the anchor of morning news for Vijesti TV, one of the most respected media in the country. She is also now co-editor and presenter of prime time news. In 2010, she received a Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence and was a scholar of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN). Tomislav Georgiev was born in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. In 1998, he started working professionally as a photo journalist in several student newspapers and continued working as a photo journalist and photo editor for Fokus weekly magazine. His work has been published in many prestigious newspapers: Le monde, Sunday Times, Financial Times etc. He has collaborated with the most famous world press agencies and he was UNICEF photographer for Macedonia in 2010. Being one of the most creative photographers in Macedonia his work has been commended many times, for example: SOROZ Foundation photo contest Second place. Grand Prize in photography for 2004 in Macedonia. Grant Award from Stability Pact for Macedonia. United Nations Award for photography in 2006. United Nations First Prize for 2008. United Nations First Prize for 2009. Croatia team Based in Zagreb, Barbara Matejcic is an awarded freelance Croatian journalist, editor and researcher focused on social affairs and human rights. She writes regularly for Croatian and international print and online media and produces radio features and documentaries. She has been collaborated with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network and Danish network for investigative journalism SCOOP. She was awarded as a best print journalist in 2013 in Croatia. Barbara was selected for several European fellowships and she currently works on her first non-fictional book about marginalised groups, soon to be published. Matic Zorman is a slovenian photojournalist, born in 1986. In 2008 he was invited to contribute news images to a variety of slovenian newspapers and magazines on a daily basis, which marked the beginning of his career. Since documenting aftermath of Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza for the first time in 2010, he has focused on unveiling and highlighting the humanitarian issues that remain hidden in one of the most reported conflicts. Matic is passionate about documentary projects and reporting of conflicts through a personal stories of those affected by it. In 2013 he was invited in roster of emerging talents by Reportage by Getty Images, in 2015 he at- tended noor-nikon Masterclass in belgrade. His work was published in The Washington Post, The Independent, National Geographic Slovenia and numerous other publications. --- The project Balkans & Beyond is financed by Allianz Kulturstiftung and Babel Deutschland with moral support from the Babel International network. Story by Anthony Papadimitriu Revoking nationality: What's the deal across Europe? Published on January 19, 2016 Story by cafebabel FR Translation by: Monica Biberson en fr it es de pl In the wake of terror attacks on their territory, the French government has proposed a constitutional bill which seeks to extend the state of emergency, as well as introducing a provision to strip dual-nationals of their French citizenship if found guilty of endangering the nation's fundamental interests. As the debate on the subject wages on, what is the situation in other European countries? In France, there is currently a tense debate on a sensitive and thorny subject: the decheance, or removal, of nationality. This topic has got everyone talking, but is nevertheless rarely completely understood. More than a century old, the proposed change to the laws of the French Republic were rejected several times, while the current debate focuses on reforms still under discussion. French, but not too French At present, only those who have acquired French nationality late in life can be stripped of it. According to Article 25 of the Civil Code, the removal of nationality can be justified in cases of a "conviction for a serious offence which endangers the fundamental interests of the nation or for an act of terrorism". On the 3rd of February, members of both the lower and upper houses of the French Parliament will debate reforming the Constitution, which could extend the possibility of stripping those born French citizens of their nationality. Initiated in the wake of the terror attacks of the 13th of November 2015, the so-called "national protection" constitutional bill includes a measure which allows "a person holding French nationality from birth as well as an additional nationality to be stripped of their French nationality". In other words, someone with dual-nationality. This could be a person who has acquired French nationality by getting married, by becoming naturalised, or who was born in France to foreign parents. In the eyes of many, whilst this is about "being able to decide to punish those who, through their actions, seek to destroy the social bond", this constitutional reform would in effect create two categories of French citizens. This is the reason why certain politicians are proposing to extend this measure to apply to all French citizens a removal of nationality for all. Why is this a problem? Under Article 15 of the Declaration of Human Rights, a national state is forbidden from rendering someone stateless. Though there are those who remind everyone else that the French Civil Code already provides the possibility of stripping someone of their French nationality. Patrick Weil a historian who specialises in immigration and citizenship issues reiterates that Article 23-7 from 1998 allows the removal of the French nationality from a dual-national "who behaves in the manner of a national of a foreign country". The friend of my enemy is my enemy As the French debate becomes more strident, how do other countries deal with revoking nationality? Under its constitution, Spain spares itself the trouble by providing, in a single sentence in Article 11, that no person who is Spanish at birth can be stripped of his or her nationality. Full stop. Article 34 of Poland's Constitution states the same thing. Except that another law provides that Polish citizens can lose their nationality should they make an application to that effect. It is then up to the President of the Republic to personally approve the application. Or not. Italian citizens can also willingly give up their citizenship if they hold one or several other nationalities. Article 14 of Law 91/92 even provides that if acquired before coming of age nationality can be dropped at any point after becoming an adult. However, Article 12 provides for the automatic loss of Italian nationality in the case of bi-nationals who are in complicity with an enemy state. Thus, Italian citizens can lose their nationality if they accept a public servant position in a foreign enemy state, or if they serve in the army of a country at war with Italy. In Germany we see the same conflict. In principle, the removal of nationality is forbidden by the Grundgesetz, whereby no German citizen can find himself or herself stateless. However, just like in Italy, the loss of nationality is provided in specific cases. If German citizens accept the nationality of a country other than an EU member state or Switzerland without first warning the German authorities they can lose their German citizenship. The same thing is true if they join a foreign armed group. Finally, nationality can be revoked if it was acquired on the basis of false information. This measure was enforced in 2009 in the case of a naturalised member of the Sauerlandgruppe terror group. In the 4 countries discussed above, very few legal measures concerning the removal of citizenship from those with dual-nationality are inscribed in a country's constitution. The nation that has gone furthest in this regard, even more so than France, is the United Kingdom. The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 provides that the Home Secretary can at any moment deprive a bi-national of his or her British citizenship; it is enough for the former to be "satisfied that deprivation is conducive to the public good". Since the enforcement of this law 17 people have been stripped of their nationality. Often linked to terrorist cases, this measure has most commonly been applied on the recommendation of MI5, the country's national security service. Story by cafebabel FR Translated from Decheance de nationalite en Europe : lembarras des choix Gov. Dennis Daugaard laid out a bold agenda last week that has the potential to positively impact the lives of tens of thousands of South Dakotans in the near future. The governors State of the State address that kicked off the 37-day legislative session included proposals to expand Medicaid to an estimated 50,000 state residents and give pay raises to an estimated 9,000 teachers, whose pay lags far behind those in every other state in the nation. The question now becomes whether the Republicans who control the Legislature will open their minds to these proposals and work to find solutions or will they oppose the initiatives strictly on ideological grounds. In other words, will the focus be on people or politics? Brian Gosch, of Rapid City, the majority leader of the state House, reacted to the governors proposal to raise the state sales tax by a half-cent for teacher pay by saying to do two tax increases in a row, back-to-back, is tough. Rep. Gosch is referring to an increase in gas and vehicle excise taxes and license plate fees that he helped engineer in a conference committee in the final hours of the 2015 legislative session. That plan also required counties to approve a wheel tax, which has ignited a firestorm of resistance in Pennington County. It is disappointing that rather than looking at the merits of the governors proposal, which also calls for property tax relief and numerous reforms to the system, that someone in a leadership position like Gosch wouldnt say he was willing to look at other ways to increase teacher pay if he thought a tax increase wouldn't get legislative support. We also hope lawmakers will seriously consider the governors plan to expand Medicaid to the working poor in this state. Daugaard and his staff have put considerable time and energy into a plan that would have Indian Health Service cover 100 percent of the costs of medical care for Native Americans, which cost the state $69 million in the last fiscal year. If the federal government accepts the governors proposal, it means the state will have more than enough money to cover the costs of Medicaid expansion, which not only benefits individuals but counties, jails, hospitals and nursing homes in the state. We also know some lawmakers are so ideologically opposed to anything related to President Barack Obama that they might not even consider the merits of the governor's proposal to expand Medicaid, an example of putting politics ahead of people. Daugaard deserves credit for showing the willingness to tackle tough issues like raising teacher pay and expanding Medicaid. The governor, his staff and the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Teachers and Students have worked many hours to create well-thought-out proposals when it would have been far easier to ignore them in the current political climate, which seems to discourage constructive discussions of important issues. Now, we expect our lawmakers to do the same. Study these proposals with an open mind rather than an eye to the next election or toward consolidating power in Pierre. Don't forget that you represent all the people, not just a political party. Rapid City (S.D.) Journal Q: Is cyber security a big threat to small businesses and how can I defend my business? A: Yes, small businesses are targets for cyber theft. Typically, about half of small businesses surveyed report being victims in the last year. That's up 44 percent in one year. Cyber criminals target small businesses because they usually have less secure digital systems. A common serious threat is theft of a small retailer's customer credit card numbers. That's typically done by sending malicious emails to business employees inducing employees to download malware that compromises the point of sale system. The business is responsible for such customer loss which last year averaged about $21,000 per theft. Another common theft is sending bogus emails pretending to be from the business owner or CEO authorizing an employee to make a payment to a designated bogus supplier, usually by wire transfer because it's hard to trace the party receiving the payment. The bogus email address is identical to the authentic email address except for an inconspicuous difference like an "i" instead of an authentic "L." Employees should confirm large payments with a phone call or face to face contact with the owner or CEO. There are many other security measures. Don't click on unknown links, attachments, photos, music or video in emails, smartphones, texts or websites. Keep computer operating systems and browsers up to date. Use anti-virus software and firewalls and update them automatically. Forbid employee personal use of business PCs. Use dedicated PCs for banking activity and don't allow Internet surfing or email activity. Never allow the same employee to reconcile accounts and make payments. Reconcile accounts daily and immediately report unauthorized activity to your bank. Regularly back up computer files to avoid lockout or wipe out by malware. Enable pop-up blockers because criminals use them to install malware. Keep current with news and alerts about cyber crime and risks. Consider cyber liability insurance. Alert employees about cyber crime techniques and red flags to look for. Website sources available for help include breachalarm.com, urlvoid.com, helmdalsecurity.com, fte.gov or fcc.gov. Banks are concerned about their business customer's cyber security. Ask you bank to help audit your system and procedures. Ralph Coker, a retired refinery manager, volunteers with the local chapter of SCORE, counselors to small businesses. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Steve W. Lowry, vice president of civil engineering firm HNTB Corp., delivers a presentation Tuesday on the Harbor Bridge project program to the Port of Corpus Christi Authority. SHARE Caller-Times file Port of Corpus Christi commissioners will get their first formal look at a plan to offer buyouts and relocation assistance to residents of Hillcrest. The historically black neighborhood lies in the path of where the Texas Department of Transportation intends to build a new Harbor Bridge. Related Coverage Energy Effects: Zahn will lead port commission By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times Tearing down and replacing Corpus Christi's iconic and aging Harbor Bridge will take roughly five years, a designer on the project said Tuesday. Demolition of the bridge, its approach spans and its highway embankment is projected to require 1,760 work days, said Steve W. Lowry, vice president of HNTB Corp. The architecture and civil engineering firm was hired to manage construction of the bridge for the Texas Department of Transportation. Lowry delivered the forecast during the Port of Corpus Christi commission's first regular meeting of 2016. The first stage of construction will be to build a cable-stayed bridge and interchange west of the current span. That process will take 1,500 work days, or roughly four years, Lowry said. Traffic will be allowed on the current bridge until the new span is complete. The bowstring span was constructed between 1956 and 1959 to replace a drawbridge. It connects the city's Northside with North Beach. State officials say it needs to be replaced for both safety reasons and to allow higher clearance for cargo vessels through the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. Residents of Hillcrest, one of the city's historically black communities, are expected to be most affected by construction. Last month, the port agreed to pay as much as $20 million to purchase properties in the neighborhood and relocate residents who are willing to move. That may not be enough for some residents, said Wendell Williams, who has lived in the neighborhood for most of his life. Many here in this section of town, that sits in the shadow of several refineries, are older, like his 83-year-old mother, and are unable to uproot themselves easily. "If they give you $50,000 or $60,000, but a house on the southside costs $200,000, where does that leave you?" asked Williams, 60. "I don't want to stop progress, but it has to be handled the right way." The port will be reimbursed by the transportation department for expenditures that exceed $20 million, said James Welder, the port's attorney. Port commissioners on Tuesday voted to advertise to hire a consulting to firm to act as a relocation specialist. State officials haven't yet set an exact date for ground breaking on the ambitious $1 billion project, but hope to start construction in either late spring or early summer. When completed, the new 1,655-foot Harbor Bridge will be the longest main span cable-stayed bridge in the United States and the third-longest in the world, behind the Skarnsund Bridge in Norway and the Panama Canal Crossing. According to HNTB's website, the Kansas City, Missouri-based company has helped guided several major arena and bridge projects, including the Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge in Kansas and the Huey P. Long Bridge in New Orleans. HNTB is the lead designer for the first phase of the $555 million Kosciuszko Bridge Project, which calls for replacement of a 76-year-old, high-traffic span that connects Brooklyn and Queens, New York. Presentation | US 181 Harbor Bridge Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam timeline Groundbreaking Late spring or early summer Major works, including construction of the cable-stayed bridge and interchange 1,500 work days, or 4.1 years Demolition of the existing Harbor Bridge, its approach spans and highway embankment 1,760 days, or 5.2 years* All capital work 1,885 days, or 5.5 years. *Includes removal of the existing bridge and approaches Source: HNTB Corp. in other business: The Port of Corpus Christi Commission also: Unanimously adopted a measure to prohibit people from carrying handguns into a room in which a port meeting is being held. Approved a lease agreement with Triple W. Farms for 105 acres in San Patricio County. The port bought the acreage, on the west side of U.S. Highway 181, near Voestalpine Texas, last year. Port officials say the arrangement allows Triple W. Farms to continue farming cotton, sorghum, corn and other crops because there are no immediate needs to develop the land. Read a resolution honoring Judy Hawley's service on the commission. A former teacher and state representative, she served on the board since 2004, the last two years as its chair. Honored William "Bill" Hennings III in a resolution. Hennings, 74, died last month of cancer. He began his service in city government as a building official in 1971 and became city manager in 1996. He retired in 1998 and worked as a consultant. Passed a resolution of appreciation for Foster Edwards, who recently retired after 6 years as president/CEO of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. Chris Ramirez Caller-Times file Port of Corpus Christi commissioners will get their first formal look at a plan to offer buyouts and relocation assistance to residents of Hillcrest. The historically black neighborhood lies in the path of where the Texas Department of Transportation intends to build a new Harbor Bridge. SHARE By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times The Port of Corpus Christi authority will examine a buyout and relocation program for residents living in the path of the new Harbor Bridge. The port authority's meeting on Tuesday will be its first regular meeting of 2016. Port commissioners will get their first formal look at a recently approved plan to offer buyouts and relocation assistance to residents of Hillcrest, one of Corpus Christi's historically black neighborhoods. Hillcrest is in the path of where the Texas Department of Transportation intends to build a new Harbor Bridge to replace the 1950s-era bowstring span that bridge that links the city's Northside with North Beach. The port is working with the City Council, the local housing authority and the transportation department to buy properties and move its residents if they volunteer to be relocated. The port agreed to pay as much as $20 million to purchase properties in Hillcrest, which is bounded by West Broadway Street, Floral Street, Martin Luther King Drive and the right of way of the proposed bridge. Port officials have said the money would come from its general funds budget and would not require raising tariffs or wharfage fees. The commission may take action on a formal request by port staff members to advertise for a consultant to help the port with the logistics of carrying out its part of the arrangement. Last week, the Federal Highway Administration signed a Record of Decision on the project, essentially clearing the way for construction to begin later this year. When that happens, the port authority will do so with at least one new member on the dais. In November, San Patricio County Commissioner Court selected Wes Hoskins, president of First Community Bank, to serve on the seven-member board. He will replace Commissioner Judy Hawley, who was required to step down because of term limits. Hawley had served on the commission for more than a decade, including the last two years as its chairwoman. Richard Valls will begin his first full term on the board; he was appointed in 2014, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Robert Kostelnik. It is anticipated that the board will reorganize to select a new chairperson. Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times The Port of Corpus Christi Authority's recent efforts to shore up the growing navigation district's infrastructure will be key to luring more commerce to the region, its new chairman said. Charles Zahn, 69, was elected by his commission peers Tuesday to head the commission. He spoke to the Caller-Times moments after Nueces County Judge Loyd Neal administered the oath of office to commission newcomer Wes Hoskins and to Richard Valls Jr., who begins his first full board term. Wayne Squires, the CEO/President of Orion Drilling Company who joined the commission last year, and was named vice chair. Barbara Canales, a commissioner since 2014, was appointed secretary. In November, San Patricio County Commissioner Court selected Wes Hoskins, president of First Community Bank, to serve on the board. He will replace longtime Commissioner Judy Hawley, who was required to step down because of term limits. Hawley had served on the commission for more than 11 years, including the last two years as chair. Valls was appointed in 2014, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Robert Kostelnik. Zahn, a lawyer from Port Aransas, has been a commissioner since 2012. He was reappointed in 2015. Zahn said the port needs to continue enhancing its infrastructure such as building new docks and expanding its railroad system if it is to keep attracting businesses from both the United States and other parts of the world. In April, the port authority issued $115 million in revenue bonds to both buy land and to help finance a variety of capital projects over the next decade in anticipation of greater vessel traffic. Zahn said the port isn't at risk of overbuilding at a time when oil prices have softened. "We're not going to undertake a project unless we believe it's going to enhance the revenue potential for the port," Zahn said. "I don't believe in 'build it, they'll come.' We'll have an absolute need for whatever capital projects we look at in the next fiscal year." Seven commissioners run the port authority. Each serves a three-year term for no pay. The Corpus Christi City Council and the Nueces County Commissioners Court each appoints three commissioners to the port authority, and one is appointed by the San Patricio County Commissioners Court. Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam Robert Jonathan Medina and Alyssa Marie Media SHARE Robert Jonathan Medina Alyssa Marie Media By Julie Garcia of the Caller-Times Two siblings are in jail after police said they pointed a gun at a man who confronted them for crashing into a fence. The 35-year-old man told police at 2:45 p.m. Monday, he saw an 18-year-old woman hit a fence at an apartment complex in the 3500 block of Cottonwood Street with her vehicle. The woman then went into an apartment, according to a Corpus Christi police news release. When the man went to the apartment to confront the woman about striking the fence, he told police the woman "pulled out a gun and began to make threats to him." When he did not leave, the woman's 20-year-old brother came to the door, grabbed the firearm and started threatening the man, police said. The man told police both siblings made threats to shoot him during the argument. A .40 caliber pistol was recovered as evidence, the release stated. Robert Jonathan Medina, 20, and Alyssa Marie Medina, 18, were arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Both remain in Nueces County Jail with bail set at $40,000 each. Twitter: @Caller_Jules Finding a viable solution to Fargos flood protection problem has been difficult since the FM Diversion Authority ruled out collaboration with others not fully supportive of the proposed plan. Last fall, abiding by Minnesota laws, the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District voted to approve only a portion of the DAs budget. This vote allowed funding for in-town projects, but put a hold on other diversion construction. In response, the DA, which requires budget approval from all entities, simply formed a separate North Dakota only authority and proceeded to pass the complete budget. Now, a meeting between the DA and North Dakotas congressional delegation led to the DA attempting to meet with upstream county commissioners and coalition leaders. To what end? With Minnesotas Department of Natural Resources reviewing comments on the Environmental Impact Study, the time for negotiations on the current project has passed. One 2016 DA goal is to mitigate not reduce damages to those upstream. Unwillingness of the DA to compromise forced an upstream joint authority to take legal action. With Sen. John Hoevens attempt at playing mediator between the DA and the MnDak Upstream Coalition, the DA, once again, offered the coalition a token seat on the board. Its too late for mediation. Hoeven referred to a rural conservation project which provides funds for water retention. Retention areas would help in reducing the flow of the Red River through Fargo. Oddly, the DA ruled out water retention as an option. Done deal. The DA should withdraw the project. Formation of an evidence-based alliance is needed to generate ideas geared toward innovative, effective, affordable, acceptable solutions. With compromise, Fargo could have the flood protection it needs and sooner. SHARE J. Fred Johnson Responsibility for success Today's socioeconomic battle is not so much between the haves and the have-nots as it is the struggle between the uber-haves and the have-less-and-less. So it will remain the obligation of those caught in the middle to take the time to care and vote in favor of a sustainable America. Currently, those surrogates of change in the political mire, most notably Bernie Sanders and his followers, truly believe waging war on the monied class is somehow heroic and worthwhile. These folks seem not to grasp the concept that our democracy any democracy is hard-wired to capitalism, and the creation of wealth that naturally follows. Capitalism, whether misunderstood or outright hated, is protected simply by the consequences of its destruction. It is not all that bad that people and corporations accumulate wealth, but what the 21st century is teaching us is that the responsibility and the necessity of sharing that wealth has been eroded by the selfishness dictated by today's market-based global economy. The most obvious example of the New Capitalism is the anti-Bernie, aka, Donald Trump. By no means a "self-made man," Trump is merely the self-anointed master of the art of the deal. He equates wealth with power, and power with righteousness, and righteousness with truth. In Trumpville, governance becomes the Divine Right of those with the most, and all those who do not agree must surely be morons. If, however unlikely, Trump manages to rally enough support to represent the Republican Party, either that party will disintegrate when the general election is lost, or the morons will have to learn to spell oligarchy, and be heirs to the obliteration of democracy. This election may well determine who truly believes in the necessity, and value, of a stable and thriving middle class. Because, it is the middle class which guarantees by its very existence that democracy survives, and that capitalism is not all that bad when wealth is responsibly spread out among all citizens not by largesse, not by expropriation, but by the simple willingness to accept responsibility for being successful. SHARE Maria E. Yrlas Valverde will serve constable office well In my humble opinion, Mr. Juan (Mike) Valverde who is my neighbor and is running for Nueces County Constable Precinct 1 here in Corpus Christi, is a very capable person to handle the job. Through our long family friendship, my family and I have learned to appreciate his sincerity as a neighbor and as a friend. Mr. Valverde does not speak favorably about the constable department where he presently works. Mainly that it has become less people friendly and does nothing to improve its image. There is much discontent among its employees. Mr. Valverde has been a law officer for more than 15 years and frankly speaks of his experience in law enforcement very intelligently. He is a retired U.S. Marine and is presently a member of the Nueces County Sheriff Officers' Association board. He is running for constable to bring integrity and trust to the office, and to improve transparency to the office and better relations with the public. He plans to also work out of the office and offer his availability to the community. There are many various groups in need of the constable's office. I will vote for Mr. Valverde. I urge you to vote for him and help bring a new vitality to the constable's office. You cannot have change without change. My Irish grandmother used to say there were three signs of madness. First was hairy palms (I am not claiming these signs are scientific in any way). Second was talking to yourself. And third was looking for the hairs on your palms. However, next time you see someone standing on a street corner apparently talking to themself, they are more likely to be in conversation with Apples Siri, Microsofts Cortana, Google Now, Baidus Duer,or Facebooks Mrather than exhibiting the second stage of madness as defined by my grandmother. Voice recognition is coming of age and it will completely change the way we interact with all the technology around us. From the beginning of the modern computing era in the 1950s, the idea of humans interfacing with technology through natural spoken language has been a key ambition. However, this ambition has long been frustrated. Despite computers outperforming humans in other complex tasks, quality and contextual speech interaction with technology has, until very very recently, proven difficult. In the last few years though, due to vastly improved computing power combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) deep learning algorithms and increased volumes of user data, speech recognition has come along in leaps and bounds. Google, Apple, Microsoft, Baidu, and Amazon are all investing heavily to improve web-wide voice search. Facebook has now entered the fray, launching Facebook Mits AI-powered personal assistant tool that sits inside its Messenger app. Google announced late last year that it has got its speech-recognition error rate down to just 8 percent. Compare that to 20 years ago, when Microsoft launched its first ever speech-recognition technology along with Windows 95, and the project lead stated the error rate was almost 100 percent. Mobile and 16- to 34-year-olds are leading the charge in using voice recognition, with only 13 percent claiming that they have not used the voice features on their device, and 50 percent saying the frequency of use is growing rapidly. According to comScore, 200 billion searches per month will be done with voice by 2020. Related: Why APAC marketers should note Google's first Vietnam ad The search giant's campaign, which focuses on voice-based search in Vietnamese, carries a message about how mobile interaction is evolving in many Asian nations. The really interesting development though, is how quickly speech recognition is moving into the technology in our homes, cars and everyday lives. Samsung now produces a Smart TV that is 100 percent voice controlled. No more looking for that remote: Switch it on and off, change channel, access apps and search the web all by voice. LG has a voice-controlled vacuum cleaner. Tell it to clean (and where) and off it goes. And the Vocca Light, this is a little piece of tech that allows any ordinary light bulb to be voice activated. More than this though, connective voice technology such as Homeywhich connects all your devices in your environment so you can manage them with the sound of your voice, allowing you to adjust your Facebook status, light switches, thermostats, and more from one placeis becoming readily available. Everyday technology with advanced natural speech interfaces will soon be ubiquitous, and many companies you currently interact with are driving forward this version of the future. For example, the new Apple TV rejects any apps whose core functionality does not support Siri, and lets not forget the very interesting Amazon Dash. This little gadget is for Amazons Fresh grocery service. It allows you to scan bar codes to replace products, but it also has a mini-microphone. Why scan, when you can just say milk, eggs, juice and it adds them to your grocery list, using historical preferences to determine selection? To me this is the most interesting proposition, the idea that any environmenthome, work, car, outdoorscould be populated with mini-microphones through which we interact with an invisible, omnipresent AI (or bundle of AIs) that assists us in our daily lives. This however, presumes that these microphones are in continuous listening mode, waiting for our interaction, but listening to our daily patterns and generating deep insight into who we are and how we like to live our lives, and possibly proactively responding to situations. That has dark overtones. I prefer to think the potential for voice is along the lines of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where the crew said computer (from any location) and generally then asked some pointless question about Klingons, black holes, Q or what was happening, and the benevolent AI would happily tell them the answer. Kristian Barnes IS CEO of Vizeum APAC FARGO -- Fariz Huseynov, who came to the United States to continue his study of finance in graduate school, landed his first faculty appointment at North Dakota State University. That was in 2009 during the severe recession. Huseynov, whose graduate studies took him to Indiana and Tennessee, is a native of Azerbaijan in southwestern Asia between Russia and Iran along the Caspian Sea. Since coming to NDSU, he has earned tenure, married, had a son and bought a house. "The American dream, we've kind of reached that," said Huseynov, an associate professor of finance who plans to apply for U.S. citizenship. A recent report by the North Dakota Census Office shows the state has almost 30,000 foreign-born residents, with 10,100 residing in Cass County, according to a 2014 estimate by the Census Bureau. Among those who have become naturalized citizens, 76 percent have doctoral degrees, the census report shows. "That's enormous," Kevin Iverson, manager of the North Dakota Census Office, said of the high proportion of naturalized citizens who have doctoral degrees. "I think we're picking up a lot of smart people." Non-U.S. born North Dakota residents participate in the labor force at a rate of 68 percent, essentially identical to the general population, Iverson said. "I think we're getting a pretty great deal," he said of foreign-born North Dakota residents. Since 2010, North Dakota has gained almost 6,000 international migrants. Foreign-born residents comprised 2.7 percent of the population in North Dakota, compared to 12.9 percent for the U.S., from 2009-13, according to the Census Bureau. The rate for Cass County was 5.4 percent, twice the state average. "These populations tend to be found more so in metropolitan areas," Iverson said, referring to immigrant pockets in North Dakota and elsewhere. The foreign-born population is diverse, economically and in other ways, he said. Although they are three times more likely than the general population to have a graduate or professional degree, they also are more than twice as likely to have less than a high school education, Iverson said. "They are more likely to show up in both the lowest and highest ranges of education and income," he said. Also, most foreign-born residents tend over time to become U.S. citizens, Iverson said. Naturalized citizens, he added, tend to be older, have higher incomes and higher education levels than foreign-born non-citizens. "This group appears to be living the American dream," Iverson said. "They come here, work hard and get ahead." It is not possible to track foreign-born residents who came as refugees using census data, he said. North Dakota's non-U.S. born population is 39 percent white, 31 percent Asian and 21 percent black, according to the North Dakota Census Office report. Of those who came to the U.S. since 2010, almost half are Asians, a figure that is much higher than the U.S. average, which is 25 percent. In the case of Huseynov, he left his native Azerbaijan for undergraduate studies in neighboring Turkey. He first came to the U.S. in 2004, when he started studying for a master's of business administration degree at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. He had a teaching assistantship as well as a research assistantship, and decided he might like an academic career, so earned a doctoral degree at the University of Memphis. NDSU offered a good position, with compensation that was "at the market level," Huseynov said. He visited the campus in November. "It was colder than I expected, but I like the people here," Huseynov said. "This is a good, balanced environment." He was pleased to see that the campus had a large contingent of faculty from abroad, and even had a staff member dedicated to helping international faculty. "People are friendly to international people here," he said. "Fargo and Cass County overall offered a lot." The company said the deal will allow brands to reach Line's user base in real-time, in a trusted environment that users tap into multiple times per day, adding that Line's policies ensure no fake accounts exist. GroupM said the "multifaceted" agreement commences immediately and is one of many new media partnerships it is establishing to support clients. Campaign Asia-Pacific has reached out to GroupM for additional details on the forms of advertising that will be available and what if anything the deal grants to GroupM on an exclusive basis. Clients look to us for the most innovative ways to reach their audiences across Asia Pacific, Mark Patterson, CEO of GroupM Asia Pacific said in a release. Line is one of the fastest-growing natively developed social-media platforms in Asia and is undeniably an important new vehicle for consumer engagement." GroupM's agencies are already including the platform in client media plans, and the company "engineered" the partnership to make Line"work harder for their brands. According to GroupM, the deal offers clients a competitive advantage through "efficient pricing, quick access to new advertising products and specialised training to support appropriate implementation based on unique platform characteristics and user preferences". Through this partnership with GroupM, we will connect even more brands with consumers, said Sintaro Tabata, senior vice president and head of corporate sales with Line. Training sessions will instruct marketers in the most effective tactics for Lines unique environment, Tabata added. Lines closed nature appeals to consumers who favour a more private social networking experience, and by connecting reliable brands with users in this implicitly trusted setting, GroupM and LINE will help our clients reach users in a fun, yet unobtrusive manner, Nick Bins, deputy head of trading with GroupM Asia Pacific, said in a release. | BY Ricki Green | Airbnb has today fired its first glitter cannon for this years world-famous Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival by announcing Drag Queen legend Verushka Darling as an Airbnb host. More than just a pretty face, Verushka Darling has been a respected icon of Sydneys drag scene for 20 years. She has produced and performed at some of Sydneys most legendary club nights and had her own TV show Verushkas Closet on MTV. The campaign called Host With Pride includes billboards across Sydney and a seven part video series of Darling showing the benefits of becoming an Airbnb host during the colour, fun and enjoyment of the Mardi Gras. The campaign is designed to provide locals with the ins and outs for becoming an Airbnb host as it follows Darling preparing her home for her guest. It will be seen across billboards, social media and other various channels. Says Sam McDonagh, country manager, Airbnb Australian: Were extremely proud to not only be major partner of this years Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras an incredible festival that celebrates community, diversity and belonging but to have Verushka Darling involved to tell the Airbnb story. The LGBT community around the world have been some of the first and most prolific users of Airbnb, hosting and travelling with pride, so were excited to support a community that has always embraced us. Says Darling: Im thrilled to be a host on Airbnb and Im excited about welcoming Sydneysiders into the Airbnb community. I look forward to providing them with my fabulous tips as I show them how Ive prepared my home for this years Mardi Gras festival. Says McDonagh: Sydney is one Airbnbs top ten global cities, with more than 17,000 local listings. Mardi Gras is our second busiest booking period in the year, with guests from around the world discovering and booking accommodation with locals so they can be a part of the celebrations. Its a credit to Sydney hospitality that demand was off the charts last year, and we expect this years festival period to be even bigger. Says Gavin McDonough, co-founder and creative director, Urban: Were thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with the Airbnb team on their Mardi Gras campaign in 2016. We think the irreverent way that we are able to bring the Airbnb message of Belong Anywhere together with the spirit of Mardi Gras stands to have real impact. Airbnbs inaugural Mardi Gras campaign in 2015 drew international acclaim, winning top honours at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Creative and Media Strategy Agency: Urban Planning & Strategy Director Jonas Katzellenbourg Creative Director Gavin McDonough Concept Art Director Iason Sarris Business Director Ryan McDonough Account Director Katie-Jane Michael Producer Jason Alexander Production Partner: Rawkus Director/Producer Rick Spence | BY Ricki Green | Today both Match Media and Bohemia have announced changes to their investment leadership. Daniel Cutrone (right) is joining Match from Initiative, and Theo Zisoglou has left Match to join Bohemia. Says John Preston (left), CEO and founder of Match: Daniel joins match as head of investment and will work with the team and management to evolve our trading position in the market. After a thorough talent review of the market Daniel stood out as our perfect match both culturally, for his breadth of experience as well as a passionate view on where the market is heading in the future. We are excited about bringing on new highly regarded talent to help our clients grow. Prior to joining Match Cutrone has been with IPG Media Brands for the past eleven years and most recently was Initiatives implementation and investment director in Sydney across all clients including Hyundai and Kia. Says Cutrone: I have been impressed by the work and reputation Match has held within the market over the past few years. After meeting John and the team I was really impressed with the vision of the agency. I am extremely excited about the role and looking forward to working with the entire team at Match. Says Preston: Theo joined us three and a half years ago at a time when we did not have trading in-house. Together we built our trading offering from scratch. Hes done a brilliant job and we want to thank him for delivering a strong trading position and more importantly a strong trading team; a perfect time to hand over the reins to Daniel. FARGO -- One of the big questions this election season is who will fill Jack Dalrymple's shoes as governor of North Dakota when the Republican's term expires after this year. Right up there is the question of who will get whose endorsement when it comes to Republican candidates. So far, three Republican hopefuls -- Fargo businessman and entrepreneur Doug Burgum, North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and state Rep. Rick Becker of Bismarck -- have announced they are running for governor. Some prominent North Dakota Republicans were asked whether they were prepared to say who they favor for governor and why. Here are the answers: Gov. Jack Dalrymple Dalrymple, who announced in August 2015 he would not run for re-election in 2016, provided the North Dakota Republican Party with a statement regarding his position on endorsements. In it, the governor made no specific endorsements, but said: "It's good news for North Dakota that the Republican Party has some great people who want to lead our state. Competition for the endorsement is healthy and gives us an opportunity to educate people about how Republicans have successfully moved North Dakota forward and why we want to keep a Republican in the governor's office." Former Gov. Ed Schafer The short answer: "I will not be endorsing anyone," Schafer said in a written statement. In the same statement, Schafer elaborated a bit: "Many people come to me and want to discuss running for various elected offices. I always spend some time with them to discuss the issues and my observations. "Because of that, it has been my policy since 1992 not to endorse a candidate until there is a nominated candidate for that position; it just doesn't seem fair for me to encourage people to run and then pick someone else to champion." U.S. Sen. and former Gov. John Hoeven Through a spokesman, Hoeven indicated he would not make an endorsement, saying it was up to Republicans to pick their candidate. U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer Attempts to reach Cramer for comment were unsuccessful. State Rep. and House Majority Leader Al Carlson "In my position, I have to work with whoever wins, so I'm going to sit on the sidelines and watch," Carlson said in a phone interview. "I'll obviously have an opinion and a vote," he said, "but as far as endorsing anybody, I'm not going to do it." In announcing his candidacy, Burgum said he has been a past convention delegate and honorary campaign committee chairman for Dalrymple and Hoeven. Burgum also said that before announcing his candidacy he spent time consulting with Dalrymple, Schafer and Hoeven. Stenehjem has been North Dakota's attorney general for the past 15 years. Before that, he served many years in the state Legislature from Grand Forks. Becker, a Mandan native, is owner of Becker Plastic Surgery. He is also a commercial real estate developer. Monday, January 18, 2016 at 8:42PM You may no longer need to leave your Google search results page to install apps on your Android device. A new feature in the Google app on Android will let you bypass Google Play Store for installing apps but youll still see the same app permissions and install popups youd find if you installed from the Play Store. These apps you can install will appear at the top of your search results with an Install button attached to it. Its not yet released to all Android users but Google seems to be widening the user base that can use the feature. At the moment, this feature is limited to the Google app and not on Chrome. Source: Android Police | Via: The Next Web WATFORD CITY A man wanted by the McKenzie County Sheriffs Office for his involvement in a weekend shooting said hes not armed or dangerous and he plans to turn himself in Tuesday. Authorities notified the public Monday about an arrest warrant issued for Kyle Richard Fuchs, 33, who investigators believe fired a gun during a fight early Saturday that sent a man to the hospital with a gunshot wound. The McKenzie County Sheriffs Office said Fuchs is possibly armed and should be considered extremely dangerous. Fuchs told Forum News Service late Monday he didnt know he shot someone or that police were looking for him until he saw the news coverage. Fuchs said he gave a woman a ride to a home south of Watford City early Saturday and encountered a woman who was being assaulted. Fuchs said he got his rifle and tried to intervene, firing a shot toward the ground as a show of force. I didnt mean for anybody to get hurt in this, Fuchs said. I was just trying to diffuse the situation, and it totally went the opposite. After firing the gun, Fuchs said he was beaten by two men and was briefly unconscious before he left the scene. The sheriffs office learned of the incident shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday when responding to a report of a gunshot wound at the McKenzie County hospital. Fuchs said he contacted a McKenzie County detective on Monday and he plans to turn himself in and give a full statement on Tuesday. Ive got to tell the authorities my side, Fuchs said. During the investigation, deputies also arrested Robert Gabler on suspicion of simple assault domestic violence and Jessica Allen on suspicion of hindering law enforcement. The public is encouraged to call the McKenzie County Sheriffs Office Investigations Division at (701) 444-3654 with information. Court records show Fuchs has no felony convictions in North Dakota. He has misdemeanor convictions including menacing, fleeing a police officer and discharging a firearm in city limits. Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 4:14PM We will donate $1 billion in cloud computing resources over the next 3 years to 70,000 non-profits and NGOs worldwide. - Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft On the softer side of technology news, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella just announced that Microsoft Philanthropies, with support from MSR and Business Development, will donate $1 billion in Microsoft cloud services to nonprofits and university researchers over the next three years, including serving 70,000 nonprofits with this technology in the same timeframe. "Philanthropy is a start," Nadella said in a blog post, "but to truly harness the public cloud for public good, businesses, governments and NGOs must come together with a shared vision and relentless passion to improve the human condition and drive new growth equally." Source: Microsoft Burch's error-prone ways surfaced during Katy Gallagher's term as chief minister. Among them, retweeting that Christopher Pyne was the c-word, unilaterally appointing a new director of the Multicultural Festival who ran a controversial Nazi strip tease act, They continued under Barr - quietly scrapping the $20 limit on pokies (which Barr forced her to reverse), failing to plan for massive traffic disruption during roadworks on Tharwa Drive, the fall-out from her son's involvement in Menslink school visits without a Working With Vulnerable People's card, heartbreaking abuse cases in disability houses and the autism cage scandal were all mistakes which called into question Burch's fundamental political judgment and the management of her directorates not to mention the efficiency and professionalism of her office. "We observed a female Rosenberg's monitor laying eggs in her excavation chamber in a termite mound. This particular mound is one that I have been watching for over a year, and we have evidence that it is at least the third season that it has been used. There has been no observable activity at this particular mound for nearly 12 months, until [Monday] when the excavation suddenly appeared, and on Monday evening when we visited and Rosie was in there. Peggy Rismiller's research on these goannas from Kangaroo Island talks of females going into a 'trance-like' state during egg-laying, and this was certainly observable, as you can see in the photo. Close to 750 health staffers will move to Woden. Currently ACT Health staff are located across 30 sites around Canberra, including the Callam Offices in Woden, three buildings in Moore Street and the former Curtin Primary School. Administrative and corporate staff based at the Canberra Hospital will also move While Anna has a fairly strong hunch that her application for one of 50 midwifery degree places at the University of Canberra has been successful having already passed the entry requirements the bulk of the 2016 undergraduate intake will need to log onto the UAC from 6pm to find confirmation of their acceptance in the main round. A February round will also be available for those who want to change their preferences. 25 years after Operation Desert Storm This is a victory for every country in the coalition, for the United Nations It is a victory for the rule of the law and for what is right. George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States In August 1990, the first major foreign crisis for the United States since the end of the Cold War presented itself when Saddam Hussein, former dictator of Iraq, ordered his army across the border into Kuwait. This was viewed as no ordinary act of aggression. Iraqs army was well-equipped; the U.S. had provided abundant military aid to Iraq during their eight-year war with Iran, giving Iraq one of the largest armies in the world at that time. Kuwait was a major supplier of oil to the U.S. An Iraq takeover would have presented an immediate threat to neighboring Saudi Arabia, another major exporter of oil. If Saudi Arabia fell to Hussein, Iraq would have controlled one-fifth of the world's oil supply. With many Americans turning their attention to the White House for a response to these acts of aggression, then President Bush stated those movements would not stand. In the final months of 1990, the U.S. aided in the defense of Saudi Arabia in a deployment known as Operation Desert Shield; upon request, the United Nations Security Council provided additional multilateral support. When all forces were in place, the U.S. issued an ultimatum to Hussein: leave Kuwait by Jan. 15, 1991 or face a full assault by multinational forces. Jan. 15 came and went with no response from Hussein; the following day, Desert Shield became Desert Storm. Bombing sorties pummeled Iraq's military targets for the next several weeks. On multiple days there were over 2,500 similar missions. Iraq responded by launching missiles at American military barracks in Saudi Arabia and Israel. Attacking Israel was done to persuade all the neighboring Arab nations to join Iraqs cause. After intense diplomatic pressure and negotiation, the Arab nations remained in opposition of Iraq. On Feb. 24, 1991, the ground war began. Although the bombings lasted for weeks, American ground troops declared Kuwait liberated just 100 hours after ground attacks were initiated. American soldiers moved fiercely through Kuwait and entered southern Iraq. This however posed a dilemma for the United States. The military objectives were complete, but Hussein was still ruling Iraq from Baghdad. President Bush feared allies would not support the occupation of Baghdad. Concerns were raised that if Hussein's regime were toppled, the entire nation could disintegrate into a civil war. Iraq ultimately agreed to terms for a ceasefire, and the conflict subsided. Regardless, Iraq had not left Kuwait unscathed. Millions of dollars in valuables were plundered by occupying troops. As Iraq retreated, they detonated explosives at many of Kuwait's oil reserves. The disaster to the environment grew as Iraq dumped oil into the Persian Gulf. The costs of the conflict were enormous and the casualties staggering. Although estimates of Iraqi deaths ranged in the hundreds of thousands, only 148 Americans were killed in the battle. This was primarily because of the technological advances of the U.S. With Jan. 16, 2016 marking the 25th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, leaders across the Department of Defense are working diligently to highlight and amplify the incredible bravery, commitment, and expertise of the Airmen who fought and directly supported the Persian Gulf War as part of the joint forces. Desert Storm marked the first conflict in history to make comprehensive use of stealth and space systems support capabilities against a modern, integrated air defense. The united coalition was made more combat lethal due to employment of space technology: weather satellites, US LANDSAT multi-spectral imagery satellites, GPS and early warning satellites. Additionally, space integration was vital to the coalition kill chain. The initial phase air campaign sought air superiority, utilizing more than 30 aircraft types flying more than 69,000 sorties, ultimately propelling the Air Force to gain and maintain air dominance. Allied aircraft took down more than 39 Iraqi aircraft in air-to-air combat, neutralizing more than 700 by damaging more than 375 of the 594 hardened aircraft shelters. Over 9,300 laser-guided bombs were dropped out of a total 220,000 bombs on enemy targets. Furthermore, American Air Forces aided in the transport of more than 130,000 passengers and 700,000 short tons of cargo shipped throughout January 1991 alone. Unique to Cannon, the EF-111A Raven on static display just outside Joe Cannon Estates was the model of aircraft to score the first air-to-air kill against Iraqi air forces during the opening assault of Desert Storm Jan. 17, 1991. More than 60,000 Airmen were deployed in support of Desert Shield and Desert Storm; over 48,000 Reserve Airmen were recalled to support home-station requirements providing critical assistance to state-side missions and those directly augmenting forward combat operations. The capability gap separating Americas Air Force from others is narrowing and requires modernization to maintain overarching advantages. The average age of an Air Force aircraft is 27 years, older than many of the pilots flying them today. The Air Force currently has 12 fleets of aircraft that quality for antique license plates in the state of Virginia. Desert Shield and Desert Storm are well behind the U.S.; however, emerging and highly-capable threats will continue to challenge the Air Forces current technological advantages, requiring continued investments in key modernization programs. That being said, the Air Force is focusing on capabilities, not platforms. Leaders want to preserve and enhance the overall agility and flexibility of the total Air Force. Lessons learned since this conflict demonstrate the lasting value of American airpower, the impact of revolutionary air and space technologies, the benefits of an integrated total force, and a compelling need to continue investing in and modernizing the Air Force to ensure strategic, operational and tactical level advantages in future conflicts. [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 Modified On Feb 08, 2016 06:32 PM By Konark for Jeep Grand Cherokee Update: American automaker Jeep has made its presence felt at the Indian auto Expo 2016 revealing three SUVs dubbed as Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and Jeep Grand Cherokee. All three of the variants would come to Indian market as CBU units whereas local assembly manufacturing of the SUVs will commence at the Ranjaaon Plant, Pune in 2017. Jeep Wrangler will go old school with a removable top and doors along with having a set of 17 inch alloy wheels. Check out more about Jeep cars at Auto Expo. Confirming its presence in India, American SUV brand Jeep made its official Indian website LIVE along with its other social media portals, in the second week of January. It is highly anticipated that the American carmaker will be showcasing/launching the Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee SRT and the Wrangler Unlimited at the upcoming Auto Expo 2016. The Grand Cherokee has been highly anticipated for the Indian market for quiet some time now, as for our market from a long time as it aligns perfectly with our big car mindset. This beast will most likely be powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine which will churn out 240 PS of power and will be paired to an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. The Grand Cherokee also has an Eco Mode which optimises the Grand Cherokees transmission shift schedule as well as throttle sensitivity to minimise fuel consumption. It also activates the Quadra-Lift air suspension system which can lower the car's body, further enhancing it's aerodynamics, for optimum fuel efficiency. Along with the Grand Cherokee, Jeep will also be launching its more powerful version, Cherokee SRT. The SUV gets a 6.4-litre Hemi V8 engine with 475bhp and 64.2kgm of torque, and can reach the 100 kmph mark in 5 seconds. It is expected to be priced around Rs 1.5 Cr and will compete against the BMW X5M. Watch Showcase Video of Jeep at Auto Expo Also Read: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and Grand Cherokee SRT Privately Unveiled before 2016 IAE Three college students who first met while attending a Catholic high school in Florida have launched a scholarship fund to help others experience faithful Catholic education at a Newman Guide college. As we went off to different colleges, we kept in touch and found time to catch up whenever we returned [] 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. Corporate leaders are working to find common ground with the Roman Catholic Church when it comes to ethics and global business. A recent conference in Rome brought together the Pope, Vatican leaders, and global business executives. The purpose was to improve the relations between the two groups after some of Pope Francis negative comments on finance and capitalism. Francis X. Rocca recently wrote about the meeting for the Wall Street Journal: At the two-day meeting organized by the Global Foundation, an Australian nonprofit that promotes dialogue among the business community, government and other civil society institutions, participants discussed issues such as how to foster broader job opportunities for young people and women and how to eradicate modern slavery. The conference was headlined by Cardinal George Pell, the Vaticans finance chief. Cardinal Pell is one of the few Vatican officials espousing pro-business sympathies that stand in contrast to those of Pope Francis, who has derided money as the dung of the devil and frequently excoriated the free-market system. Market economics have brought unprecedented prosperity and represent, despite their many faults and deficiencies, an extraordinary human achievement, Cardinal Pell told the 50-odd attendees, among them Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund; Dominic Barton, managing director of McKinsey & Co.; Mark Cutifani, CEO of Anglo American PLC; and Robert Thomson, CEO of News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal. Rocca notes that while Pope John Paul II gave qualified recognition of the virtues of entrepreneurship, Pope Francis has raised tensions between the Vatican and defenders of modern capitalism. He quotes Istituto Actons Kishore Jayabalan: The popes concern for the rights of workers is completely in line with Catholic social teaching, but it comes sometimes at the expense of the entrepreneurial side, said Kishore Jayabalan, a former Vatican staff member who now works for the Acton Institute, a free-market-oriented think tank. He provides the rhetoric and moral high ground for enemies of capitalism, for those who would take us back to a feudal and backward-looking society. Read Business leaders move to strengthen Vatican ties at the Wall Street Journal. Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) has released a notification on the recruitment happening. They are calling for the post of Clerks. To know more about eligibility, how to apply, selection procedure and important dates scroll down. Name of the post and Number of posts vacant at TMB Who is Eligible for Clerks Post Job Qualification: Candidates interested to apply for the above post must be qualified as per the organisations requirement. Qualification becomes mandatory to test the skills and their perseverance in doing a certain job. Candidates need to be Graduate or post graduate. If the candidates have engineering degree they need to posses 60% marks. If they are from any other degree the minimu marks scored by them is 55%. Age Limit Graduates: 24 years Post Graduate: 26 Years How to Apply for Clerks Post Job? Candidates who are interested to apply for the above mentioned jobs must see that they are eligible for this job. Once they find themselves eligible they can apply for this job online. Download the application from the official website and fill it according to instructions given. Do not forget to send the applications along with other necessary documents. This application should reach before the last submission date given below. Application Fees General & OBC : Rs. 300/- SC/ST: Rs.150/- Candidates can pay the amount through DD or Demand Draft in favor of "Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd." which should be payable at Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) or Tirunelveli. What are the Important Dates Associated with Clerks Post Job Opening Date of Online e-Application: 13 January 2016 The incident happened at Broadway Road and McClintock Drive at around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Jiang was driving west on Broadway Road, waiting at a red light to turn left onto McClintock, police said, when Davis rear-ended her. That crash was minor with no injures, said Officer Naomi Galbraith, a Tempe Police spokesperson. Jiang's passenger got out of the car to inspect the damage, Galbraith said. He saw Davis holding a gun and got back into the vehicle, Galbraith said. Davis then left her vehicle, walked up to the door of Jiang's car and fired, Galbraith said. It is not clear if Jiang tried to drive away upon seeing Davis, Galbraith said. But after being shot, Jiang passed out. Her car veered out of control into the intersection and struck an oncoming car. In Arizona, police have arrested a woman who shot and killed an Arizona State University student from China in a deadly road rage incident. Evidence suggests that she planned to commit a violent act.According to Tempe police, 32-year-old Holly Davis crashed into another vehicle at a busy intersection, then got out and fired into the other vehicle's driver side window several times, hitting 19-year-old Yue Jiang.Jiang lost consciousness, veered out of control and crashed into an oncoming car carrying a family of five, who were not seriously hurt. Jiang was taken to the hospital where she died.Davis fled the scene, but not before a witness got her license plate number, which police used to track her to her apartment. According to court documents, police found a note that was "consistent with defendant planning to engage in violence." Police also said that Davis suffers from depression and had previously "expressed a desire to be shot by law enforcement."Tempe police arrested Davis on suspicion of first-degree premeditated murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly contact with a deadly weapon and prohibited possession.Jiang was a sophomore undergraduate studying finance at ASU's WP Carey School of Business.More here: ASU student dies in Tempe road-rage shooting Believe it or not, when this mean-looking machine was launched back in the day by Ford together with Harley Davidson, it was the coolest thing in the truck world. To top it off, this particular example was the first one ever built, and it came with some bespoke traits commissioned by gearhead and car collector Jay Leno. A sports, high-powered F150 wasnt unheard of, especially as the American car manufacturer actually offered the SVT Lightning trim for the model in the early 1990s; even so, the affiliation with Harley Davidson together with Jay Lenos custom mods laid the foundation to a vehicle concept that lasted for 12 years. Nevertheless, this superb black unit remains a one-of-a-kind creation, partly due to its first-one-ever-built status, and partly because it was bought (and owned) by Jay Leno after he made a deal with Ford to make it a little bit more powerful. So, Ford obliged (who wouldnt?) and installed a supercharger on top of the 5.4-litre Triton V8, which made the car chug out around 360 horses. Mind you, Ford eventually began offering a supercharged variant for the Harley-Davidson enhanced version, but with a slightly larger pulley to reduce boost. That said, this truck featuring design elements available only for the Harley Davidson special edition, like the orange pin-striping and badging, and 20-inch styled chrome wheels remains a unique, powerful machine which can be considered a prototype. Furthermore, Jay Leno partnered up with Ford to offer the F150 for sale from his personal collection at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. The car is offered without reserve, with all proceeds to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. PHOTO GALLERY VIDEO Renault will recall 15,800 models of its Captur compact SUV, while also issuing a voluntary emissions system update for another 700,000 vehicles. The recall for the Captur will be limited to the 110PS 1.5-litre DCi 110 diesel models which are equipped with a faulty emission filter that turned on between 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit) and 35 degrees Celsius. The European tests are run between 20 to 30 degrees Celsius but the average real-world temperature in Paris is much lower, with average highs exceeding 17 degrees only between May and September. In addition, Renault will offer to the owners of 700,000 of its vehicles the option of an emission system update this summer. The French government initiated a probe last year in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal, looking for other companies that might have cheated on the said tests. The probe involved 100 randomly chosen models, with 25 of them being Renaults. The French Environment Minister Segolene Royal said that there are other brands also that exceeded the emissions limits, declining to name them. These brands have been asked to give an explanation to the ministry she added. The news that Renault will recall the Captur SUV came only one day after a report emerged saying that Mercedes, Ford and of course Renault are currently under investigation from the French government. PHOTO GALLERY Back in December, FCA challenged US high school students in grades 10 to 12 to imagine a Dodge SRT Hellcat from 2025, and today, it announced the winners. Four design studies made it to the final round, with the first place going to Ben Treinen from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, for his impressive and professional looking four-door render of a future SRT Hellcat. Second-place went to Harrison Kunselman of Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, Georgia, for his hyper-car-like proposal, while Hwanseong Jang of Bloomfield Hills High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan came in third with a similar concept, and Andrew Gombac of Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, finished fourth. The Drive for Design contest continues to be a great way for the FCA US Design team to connect with students that show an interest in art and design, commented Mark Trostle, Head of Dodge and SRT Design, FCA US LLC. We always look forward to seeing each students creative perspective and hope to inspire them to explore automotive design as a potential career. FCA will recognize and award all four winners with prizes, including Apple products, a three-week summer course at Detroits College for Creative Studies (CCS), three passes to the Detroit Autorama, a three-day/two-night stay in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and dinner with members of the FCA US Design team, during the 64th annual Meguiars Detroit Autorama at Cobo Center in Detroit. Photo Gallery Photo: Contributed The mediator involved in a wage dispute between Thompson Rivers University and its faculty association has imposed a media blackout on bargaining teams. The blackout is to assist negotiations, according to a short statement from Tom Friedman, president of the TRU Faculty Association. As a result, TRUFA will not be making any public announcements or providing any information to the media or the public, Friedman said. Members of the faculty association began limited work-to-rule job action last week, limiting communications between them and university administration. The association issued 72-hour strike notice on Jan. 11, although it was made clear at the time job action would not yet impact students. The current collective agreement for TRU faculty members expired in March 2014. The two sides have been in negotiations since February 2015. The TRU Faculty Association represents 650 instructors, researchers, librarians, counsellors, educational co-ordinators and learning specialists in Kamloops and Williams Lake. According to a posting on the university's website last week, TRU was offering the union a 5.5 per cent wage increase over the length of a five-year contract. The union was apparently seeking wage increases of 45.9 per cent. It has not specified a contract length. Grassland farming is not only the basis of organic farming, but the basis of all farming, and hence the basis of civilization itself. The reason for this bold proclamation is, first of all, based on the fact that there is far more land across North America (and throughout the world) that is not arable, which means it cannot support cultivation and the production of crops. This land will literally blow away in the wind if it is broken up (cultivated), which is exactly what happened to vast expanses of land in the United States and Canada back in the Dirty Thirties. So, our choices are either to set these vast expanses of land aside as the urban elite of pro-National-Park movement suggest or we can allow ruminants to graze it, thereby providing us with a sustainable food source. The problem with setting this land aside is that this turns out to be worse than breaking it up to plant crops. Because, unless grassland is grazed, it loses its symbiotic hold on the land and, pretty soon sometimes after only a few short years the grass goes to seed, dies, the seeds either blow away or are eaten by rodents and birds, and the land turns to dust. After all, keep in mind that the reason this land is not arable, and is classified as grassland, is because it is very light land. In other words, it is essentially dust being held together by grass. Contrary to what many conservationists believe, the more that ruminants graze grass, the stronger it becomes. As long as grazing is managed properly and there is no overgrazing, this agronomic activity build the strength of the soil that supports our grasslands, and ensures their longevity. If this was not the case, the buffalo would have destroyed the grasslands of the North-American Midwest thousands of years ago. Its the same as when conservationists try to preserve a forest. Unless a forest is occasionally burned to the ground (or harvested for lumber) it becomes an old-growth forest with no undergrowth, and hence no food for animals like squirrels, rabbits and mice; no grass for ruminants like deer, and hence no prey for predators or quarry for humans. This is why Indians used to burn down old forests. The lesson: theres no food in an old forest. Likewise, there is no food in an un-grazed or preserved grassland. In fact, preserving grassland is an agronomic and ecological oxymoron. The Sahara desert, its worth noting, was once one of the worlds largest grasslands until overgrazing led to its destruction. This was all purely natural. Humans were not involved. Likewise, there are areas of North America that used to be grassland, and again, before humans, were overgrazed through natural processes (perhaps due to a decades-long drought which forced ruminants to overgraze) and are now permanently condemned to be deserts. Thankfully, with well-informed humans involved, we can ensure that modern farming never harms our grasslands either by cultivating them, overgrazing them, or by attempting to preserve them. To do any of these things to our grasslands would be, in a word, irresponsible. Mischa Popoff Seven years ago, I moved to Kelowna from the United States and got involved with a syndicate of investors and businessmen with a view to investing in Kelowna and creating employment. One of the investments we looked at in great detail was the Fintry Queen, which we were going to buy and completely refurbish. It took about 18 months of red tape and multiple meetings with the City, Fire Dept. RCMP, Transport Canada and multiple other authorities who wanted a say if how it was to operate. In the end, the stumbling block was the B.C Liquor Control & Licensing Branch. In order to make the Fintry Queen economically viable, it was essential that we would be granted the liquor licenses necessary, but were told that we could not apply for the licenses until we actually owned the vessel. We were also informed that our application may not be successful despite being upstanding successful businessmen in the community. Needless to say, we were not going to pay $750,000 for a vessel that we could not sell alcohol on, so sadly, the deal fell through. Kelowna welcomes foreigners here with open arms, especially those interested in investing in start-up companies and creating employment. However, the sheer volume of red tape that is placed in the way of progress has resulted in us giving up on four additional business projects since the Fintry debacle. If progress is truly to happen, then bureaucracy needs to take a back seat and more support needs to be forthcoming from the City and authorities to ease up on regulations and by-laws. Mark Fry If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Police say a Moss Point man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a Pascagoula man. Multiple media outlets report 26-year-old Anton Marquis McWilliams was taken into custody on Saturday. He's charged with murder in the death of 43-year-old Dornelle Brown. Pascagoula police Capt. Shannon Bloom says officers were called to a report of shots fired at Willow Creek Apartment around 11:30 p.m. Friday. Bloom says officers found Brown lying between two apartment buildings. He died at the scene. Authorities say officers with the Pascagoula Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested McWilliams. He's being held at the Jackson County Adult Detention Center. It isn't immediately clear if he has an attorney. 0916speedingMH01 The Jackson County Board of Supervisors is supporting a bill which, if passed by the state legislature, would allow the Jackson County Sheriff's Department to utilize radar detection equipment. (Courtesy Photo) Sheriff Mike Ezell PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Jackson County supervisors adopted a resolution Tuesday which supports a local and private bill currently in the state legislature which, if passed, would allow the Jackson County Sheriff's Office to utilize radar detection equipment. According to supervisor Troy Ross, the logistics of having this passed has been tough. "You have a local, private bill in the house and in the Senate that will only impact the area asking for it, so if they approve of what we are asking for, it will only be in Jackson County." "We asked that our sheriff's department have the ability to run radar because accidents are worse typically in the county, with speeding being a big issue, so we support that, and we are asking the legislature for a local and private agreement with Jackson County so our sheriffs can run radar." Sheriff Mike Ezell said radar would be an essential tool for his department. "The radars will help us with some of the areas we have where we have had numerous reports of speeding and will help us detect folks who are speeding and driving recklessly," Ezell said. "Residents can rest assured knowing they will be used in a very professional manner and is just another tool to assist law enforcement in doing their jobs." Currently, there is only one other county who can utilize radar detection equipment, which supervisors said is either Lowndes or Lauderdale county. Currently, the only other agencies which can run radar are either municipal police departments -- which can only use them within city limits on city streets -- and the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The state legislature is expected to vote on the local and private bill during its current session. Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure. WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more. 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 Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions The Vineyard at Grandview A look at The Vineyard at Grandview before last year's Valentine's Day dinner. This year's is scheduled for Feb. 12. (Facebook) Pairing dinners slowly are becoming a staple for regional wineries, working with local caterers or restaurants to put together the event. Based on page views that I'm getting, interest seems to be increasing in the wine that's getting paired with a specific food. So here's a list of three upcoming pairing dinners that are scheduled over the next three weeks. I'm planning to do more of this throughout 2016. This Friday's event is sold out, but tickets remain for the other two mentioned here. Grande Rouge dinner; Jan. 22; The Vineyard at Grandview, Mt. Joy; sold out Grande Rouge is a new Bordeaux blend that will debut that night. It comes out to mark the Lancaster County winery's third anniversary, which it will celebrate this weekend. Salad course paired with PINOT GRIS: Field Greens with Sliced Pear Shaved Pecorino and Candied Pecans Pinot Gris Citrus Vinaigrette Rustic Baguette Loaves Entree paired with 2013 GRANDE ROUGE: Cote du Beouf Aged Prime Rib of Beef, Grande Rouge demi-glace Potato Gratin Roasted Carrot Dessert sampler paired with BLACK CHERRY Black Cherry Wine Dark Chocolate Truffle Spiced Black Forest Bombe Cranberry Fig Biscotti Winemaker's food and wine pairing; Jan. 26; Armstrong Valley Vineyard & Winery; Halifax, Dauphin County; a few tickets available at $45/person. Call 717.896.7700 for reservations. Winemaker Michael DeMartinis will be hosting the event; explaining the different nuances of wine & food, and discussing the food & wine selections with the participants. Uncommon Caterers will be preparing the food selections for the event. Guests will sample several wines from the barrel in the cellar from 6:30 to 7, accompanied by a choice of cheeses, then head to the enclosed patio for dinner. ESTATE CHARDONNAY paired with Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms w/baby portabellas stuffed with a delicious filling of artichoke hearts, fresh herbs and Asiago cheese. RIESLING paired with a Cajun Crab Cake with Creole Mustard. This spicy miniature crab cake served with a Creole honey mustard sauce. NOUVEAU ARMSTRONG paired with a Spicy Pork Tenderloin Crostini. This thinly sliced spiced pork tenderloin atop a slice of toasted French baguette finished with Dijon mustard, cranberry chutney, and crumbled bleu cheese. PINOT NOIR paired with Lamb Meatballs with Cucumber Sauce. It's a lightly seasoned meatball with a tangy cucumber sauce for dipping. CABERNET SAUVIGNON paired with Canapes of Beef with Tapenade Butter. Slices of tasted baguette smeared with olive tapenade butter and topped with thin slices of tender beef and baby arugula. ARMSTRONG RED paired with Pastries with Beef and Horseradish Cream. This puffed pastry is topped with sliced beef tenderloin, an herbed horseradish cream and cracked black pepper. CHA CHA (SPARKLING CHARDONNAY) paired with Brie & Cherry Pastry Cups. The puff pastry cups are filled with creamy brie cheese, cherry preserves and chopped pecans. Armstrong Valley also has scheduled its annual Valentine's Day dinner for Feb. 13. It includes appetizer, beef, chicken, or vegetarian meal, a glass of wine from the House Selected wine list, dessert, live music and dancing. $45/person Valentine's Day dinner; Feb. 12; The Vineyard at Grandview, Mt. Joy Lancaster County; Tickets are $94/per person inclusive of tax and gratuity; view the website or call the winery for more information. A five-course menu will that include a delicious dinner prepared by Rettews Catering paired with The Vineyard at Grandview's premium wines. Meet the winemaker and learn about each wine and food pairing. Seating will be in groups of 2, 4, 6 or 8 to allow for an intimate dinner for two a night out with friends. First course paired with 2013 RIESLING Spicy Tiger Prawn Pad Thai Salad Second course paired with 2013 CHARDONNAY Cream of Potato & Leek Soup with a Crispy Leek Garnish Third course paired with 2013 NORTON Black Pepper Spaetzle Duck Confit, Wild Mushroom, & Dried Cherry with Norton Demi Glace Fourth course paired with 2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON Roasted Pork Loin wrapped in Bacon with Creamy Grits & Roasted Brussel Sprouts and a Currant Glaze Dessert Sampler paired with Mom Kennel's BLACKBERRY WINE Pastry Chef's Selection of Handmade Petite Desserts Miniature Plum Blackberry Pie Berry Macaroon, White Chocolate Ganache Chocolate Berry Mousse Entremet It was a startling announcement: As of Dec. 1, 2015, the Brewers Association had counted 4,144 breweries in the United States, the most ever operating simultaneously in the history of the country. According to historians, the previous high-water mark of 4,131 was set in 1873. The new number includes giant Budweiser, artisan Dogfish Head and your neighborhood brewpub. Although beer industry observers have known this day was coming, the pace of growth was explosive: At the end of 2011, there were 2,033 breweries, or fewer than half as many as now. In 2005, there were only 1,447. And 25 years ago? The Brewers Association, a trade group for small and independent breweries, logged a mere 284 in 1990. Advertisement So this is a golden age for beer lovers. It is easier than ever to find a great IPA (the most popular craft beer style in America), stout or session ale at a bar or liquor store. Previously ignored styles such as gose and Berliner weisse have become trendy, while brewers have a free hand to experiment with Belgian IPAs or saisons packed with unusual herbs. On the other hand, the expanding market - at least two breweries open every day - has created a new set of problems for brewers. New arrivals, riding the craft beer wave, are finding it difficult to stand out. And it's not as if bars have doubled the number of their taps in the past five years. So not only do the new breweries need to squeeze past their rivals even to make it in front of consumers, but they might need to convince bars that they're more deserving of a chance than better-known beers from Lagunitas or Great Lakes. Advertisement We were better when we had less breweries, because we were focused more on quality. It's like real estate. Everybody jumps on when it's a bubble. Scot Blair, owner of San Diego's Hamilton's Tavern Graham MacDonald, the co-founder of Washington's new Handsome Beer, estimates that his beers have been sold at around 140 bars, restaurants and stores in the District and Maryland since last fall. Even so, he describes the process of getting into those establishments as "a bit of a challenge." "There's been a huge influx of breweries who've come to market in the last year," he says. "Only two or three years ago . . . it was easy to go in and say, 'Here's a new IPA, here's a new pale ale, here's a new stout.' But now it's not just the other new guys who are making the same thing; it's all the other established breweries." The sentiment is the same on the other side of the bar. "Picking the draft list has become exponentially harder than it was two or three years ago," says Jace Gonnerman, beer director for the District's Meridian Pint, Brookland Pint and Smoke and Barrel. "You have to balance styles, but how many spots do I have for national breweries? What local breweries do I want to focus on? "Every time a local brewery opens making really, really high-quality beer, it pushes a national brewery off. We keep a good mix of national breweries on, because people are looking for that. But you have to say no to people way more than you say yes." Even when they are given a chance, some small brewers have expressed frustration with the way beer bars order products. Instead of buying three kegs of a new beer and running through them all, as it might have done when local beers were a novelty, a bar tends to buy a keg and, once it's empty, fill the draft line with a competitor's product, and then another one, and so on, before rotating back to the first brewery's beer weeks or months later. Dave Delaplaine of Roofers Union in Adams Morgan, which regularly swaps beers on and off 16 of its 22 draft lines, defends the practice. "That's what the culture of the beer world is: In order to have really fun beers, these crazy one-offs, you have to change a lot," he says. "Breweries are approaching it as an art and want to try new things. I'd take that any day: That's what got people to try their beer in the first place." When brewer Jason zumBrunnen and his partners began planning Ratio Beerworks in Denver's River North district, they knew what they were up against. "I think we've had 10 breweries open in the neighborhood since 2010," zumBrunnen says. "Colorado is the forefront of craft beer in general. Making great beer is just the barrier to entry. Five years before us, opening a brewery was a very cool thing to do. The difference now is the amount of brands. There's a finite number of tap handles at Falling Rock or Euclid Hall," two Denver beer bars known for outstanding craft selections. Luke Stanton, 21, and Brennan Ewing, 22, enjoy brews at Realerevival Brewing on May 15 in Cambridge, MD. (Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post) Ratio's business plan didn't rely on getting beer bars to put their French-style saison and Scotch ale on tap. Instead, it called for 90 percent of all sales to take place onsite. The brewery built a modern-industrial taproom that encouraged lingering, and it made deals with local music promoters to host acoustic performances and meet-and-greets with bands. For outside the brewery, Ratio made arrangements with a handful of modern restaurants and beer bars, "not necessarily the fastest-moving accounts," zumBrunnen says, "but establishing the kinds of place we wanted to be in," so that customers at those places think, 'Oh, I've heard of them, I'll go check out the taproom.' " Advertisement RAR Brewing, which opened as a brewpub in Cambridge, Maryland, in the summer of 2013, took the opposite approach. It began distributing its beers around the Eastern Shore and eventually in the District and Baltimore last fall, and the citrusy Nanticoke Nectar IPA became a hit. "Nectar sold so well that (bars) believe in us," says co-founder Chris Brohawn, "and that gets our foot in the door" when they're trying to get bars to carry a saison or a seasonal beer. About 85 percent of the beer RAR makes leaves the premises. Still, with an increasing number of local breweries fighting for the same oxygen, Brohawn knows buzz can be fleeting. This year, RAR plans to stay in the spotlight by releasing limited-edition beers in cans at its brewpub "monthly, if not bi-weekly," Brohawn says. RAR has experimented with placing local radio and print ads, but he says the social-media buzz surrounding a beer release "increases the word-of-mouth tenfold." Many in the beer industry pin their hopes for small breweries on localization: the idea that consumers would rather drink beers made down the road than across the country. Lary Hoffman, who co-owns Galaxy Hut in Arlington and Spacebar in Falls Church with his wife, Erica, prefers to stock most of the taps with Virginia breweries, such as Blue Mountain, Champion and Three Notch'd. "You can get any style of beer locally now, and the quality is on par with the best beer in the world, so why not seek out the regional option?" he asks. A handful of national brands, including Bell's and Avery, show up on the 28 taps at Galaxy Hut and the 24 at Spacebar, but they're the exception. Customers would be angry "if our draft lineup looked like a Safeway shelf," Hoffman says. In national surveys conducted by the Brewers Association, 67 percent of craft beer drinkers said it was important to them that their beer be locally made, while 61 percent said it was important that the brewery was independent. Meanwhile, the craft category is growing faster than the total beer market, and in 2014 reached a double-digit (11 percent) share of the marketplace by volume. Those trends aren't lost on Terry Haley, vice president for marketing at World of Beer, which has 77 craft-focused locations along the Eastern Seaboard and throughout the South. Haley says his company tries to make sure local and craft regional beers are well represented among the roughly 50 taps found at each tavern, even though "there's definitely a point of emphasis to have what we call 'craft' beers across the major styles: Stone, Lagunitas; here in Tampa, Cigar City's Jai Alai (IPA). You have to have some of these standbys." Of the 50 drafts at World of Beer in Arlington last week, 12 were from the DMV. They included 3 Stars, Parkway, Oliver and Escutcheon, as well as the more widely distributed Devils Backbone and Flying Dog. Other World of Beer locations had a similar ratio: 14 of 46 drafts in Atlanta came from Georgia; Louisville's 50 taps included 11 Kentucky or Indiana beers. Advertisement Brewers Association economist Bart Watson called the number of brewery openings "pretty incredible," but he points out that America isn't exactly saturated with beer makers: In a 2014 article, he noted that the United States has fewer breweries per capita than the United Kingdom, Germany or Latvia. Last summer, after the number of breweries hit 4,000, Watson calculated that "there are also nearly 1,000 cities with a population of more than 10,000 that don't have a local brewery yet, and numerous neighborhoods in larger cities without a local brewpub or taproom." Other markets are hyper-competitive. Mike Sardina, president of the San Diego Brewers Guild, says that while there are at least 100 breweries in the county, there are also plenty of bars that will give a shot to newcomers. "But the beer has to be killer from a quality perspective, and the angle has to be that it's not just another pale ale," he says. "These bars support San Diego craft beer to a degree that they'll bring in any new beer, but if it's not up to par, it's tough to get a second chance." That law-of-the-jungle competitiveness will guide whether or not new breweries make it, says Scot Blair, owner of San Diego's Hamilton's Tavern, a fixture on national "Best Beer Bar" lists, and the Monkey Paw and South Park breweries, both of which have been honored at the Great American Beer Festival. "Local doesn't mean better," he says. "The emphasis has to be on making good beer. We have maybe 110 breweries in San Diego. We were better when we had less breweries, because we were focused more on quality. It's like real estate. Everybody jumps on when it's a bubble." Ten years ago, NPR opened a radio news segment with a few words about a man few knew. Mike Yurosek, a carrot farmer from California, had passed away earlier that year. The homage was short-it lasted no more than 30 seconds-but for many of those listening, it must have been eye-opening. "He actually invented these things," Stephen Miller, then an obituary writer with the New York Sun said, holding a bag of baby carrots. "Not many people know that baby carrots don't grow this way." Advertisement There are small carrots, which uppity restaurants serve as appetizers or alongside entrees, that sprout from the ground. But those look like miniature versions of the much larger vegetable. The smooth, snack-size tubes that have come to define carrot consumption in the United States are something different. They're milled, sculpted from the rough, soiled, mangled things we call carrots, and they serve as an example, though perhaps not a terribly grave one, of how disconnected we have all become from the production of our food. "The majority of consumers have no clue what they're eating or how it's produced," said David Just, a professor of behavioral economics at Cornell who studies consumer food choices. "There are so many people who honestly believe there are baby carrot farmers out there who grow these baby carrots that pop out of the ground and are perfectly convenient and smooth." Advertisement It's hard to understate the ingenuity of the baby carrot, one of the simplest and yet most influential innovations in vegetable history. The little carrot sculptures (or baby cut carrots, as they're sometimes called to clarify) not only revived a once struggling carrot industry, but they also helped both curb waste on the farm and sell the Vitamin A-filled vegetables at the supermarkets. The birth of the baby carrot The baby carrot, like so many inventions before it, was birthed by necessity. In the early 1980s, the carrot business was stagnant and wasteful. Growing seasons were long, and more than half of what farmers grew was ugly and unfit for grocery shelves. But in 1986, Yurosek, itching for a way to make use of all the misshapen carrots, tried something new. Instead of tossing them out, he carved them into something more palatable. At first, Yurosek used a potato peeler, which didn't quite work because the process was too laborious. But then he bought an industrial green-bean cutter. The machine cut the carrots into uniform 2-inch pieces, the standard baby carrot size that still persists today. When Mike Yurosek & Sons, Yurosek's now-defunct California company, delivered his next batch to Vons, a local grocery chain, he included a bag of the new creation. He suspected he was on to something, but hardly anticipated such an enthusiastic response. "I said, 'I'm sending you some carrots to see what you think,'" Yurosek recounted in a 2004 interview with USA Today. "Next day they called and said, 'We only want those.'" The carrot savior Advertisement Vons wasn't the only one impressed. Grocers, distributors, carrot buyers, and, most importantly, some of Yurosek's most formidable competition took notice. In the years that followed, baby carrots ballooned into big business, nudging the biggest carrot producers in the country to join in and feed the frenzy. "When we realized this wasn't a fad, this was real, everybody jumped on the bandwagon," Tim McCorkle, director of sales for Bolthouse Farms, one of the nation's leading carrot producers, recalled in a 1998 interview with the Chicago Sun Times. "This idea inverted the whole carrot-growing business." It also helped lift the industry out of a rut. In 1987, the year after Yurosek's discovery, carrot consumption jumped by almost 30 percent, according to data from the USDA. By 1997, the average American was eating roughly 14 pounds of carrots per year, 117 percent more than a decade earlier. The baby carrot doubled carrot consumption. Today, baby carrots dominate the carrot industry. The packaged orange snacks are now responsible for almost 70 percent of all carrot sales. A 2007 report by the USDA detailed many ways in which baby carrots have morphed the entire carrot landscape in the United States. "The development and rapid consumer acceptance of packaged fresh-cut carrot products during the 1990s has helped the carrot industry evolve from a supplier of low-value bulk products to marketer of relatively upscale value added products . . . fresh-cut carrot products have been the fastest growing segment of the carrot industry since the early 1990s. Within the $1.3 billion fresh-cut vegetable category, carrots accounts for the largest share (about half) of supermarket sales, followed distantly by potatoes, celery, and others." Advertisement A too perfect snack Of all the reasons for the rise of America's favorite carrot, there is likely nothing that has propelled baby carrots quite like their convenience. The quality was important to Americans in the 1980s, and it's even more precious now. As people have found themselves with less time to sit down at restaurants or even cook at home, convenience has guided all sorts of decisions about food, especially when there is an option that requires little more than opening a packet. "Baby carrots have transformed the way people think about carrots," said Just, the behavioral food economist. "The fact that you don't have to peel them, that it involves so little prep, is key." "Baby carrots are also small enough to fit in your mouth," he added. "They're bit-sized and ready to be eaten. They're easy." The fuzziness about the baby carrot's origins may have also helped their success. Advertisement Recent marketing efforts to further boost their popularity have positioned them as an alternative to junk food, rather than a different way to eat carrots. The packaging was changed to mirror that used for potato chips. "Eat 'Em Like Junk Food," the 2010 TV, print, and digital ads suggested, likening the vegetable vehicle to Doritos and other snack foods. The campaign was a hit, boosting sales by 13 percent, succeeding, at least in part, by further disassociating baby carrots from their parent. "This is a common theme now," said Just. "We are more and more disconnected from what we eat." The truth is that it probably doesn't matter all too much whether someone understands that the smooth little 2-inch carrot cut-outs they're devouring didn't grow in the ground. Just maintains that knowing this probably wouldn't change anyone's consumption patterns, save perhaps for a small group of hardcore naturalists, since the processing involved is comparatively minimal. But that doesn't forgive the disconnect. Baby carrots, the ones that don't grow in the ground, have done more than simply boost the sales of carrot producers around the country-they have turned the carrot industry into a much more efficient and much less wasteful endeavor. At a time when most ugly vegetables go to waste in the United States, ugly carrots are carved and sold at a premium. What's more, moving the peeling process to the factory has allowed the carrot industry to make use of the scraps that used to end up in people's trash bins. Advertisement "It's something pretty amazing about baby carrots that I'm sure people don't appreciate," Just lamented. "The same people probably think selecting only for regular carrots is more environmentally friendly." A contempt for Wall Street binds Republicans and Democrats, who otherwise agree upon little else. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP/Getty Images) Myrtle Beach, S.C. At the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition convention, the name "Barack Obama" drew immediate grimaces and groans. Only two other words came close to matching that reaction. Wall Street. Advertisement "If we go someplace and order dinner for $15, and we don't pay, we get a criminal record," said Sarah Pawlikowski, a tea party activist from Columbia. "Why is Wall Street treated any different?" "I think a lot of people should have gone to jail," said Cooper Wellons, a local land developer. "If I'd have done some of the things they did on Wall Street, I'd have gone to jail." Advertisement Eight years after the start of the Great Recession, and seven years since the Troubled Asset Relief Program was implemented, the anger at major financial institutions has only grown - in both parties. On the left, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is fending off the surprisingly potent populism of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and the accusation that she is Wall Street's candidate. On the right, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and New York developer Donald Trump have come to dominate the Republican field, and both have ties to Wall Street. Both are running as fast as their legs can carry them from the Wall Street brand. The polling on views of Wall Street suggests that Sanders, Cruz and Trump have the right strategy. In 2013, a Reuters-Ipsos poll of more than 1,400 Americans found that just 22 percent approved of TARP - years after the banks had been stabilized. Last year, when Lake Research Partners polled on behalf of the progressive Americans for Financial Reform, it found 70 percent agreeing with the statement that "most people on Wall Street would be willing to break the law if they believed they could make a lot of money and get away with it." That's how pop culture has remembered the crisis. "The Big Short," the new Oscar-nominated film adaptation of Michael Lewis's book, features scene after scene of hedge-fund managers marveling at the corruption of the banks. When one character naively assumes that the Wall Streeters behind the housing bubble will be punished, their banks broken into pieces, a narrator played by Ryan Gosling interrupts the scene, offering a sort of epilogue. "The banks took the money the American people gave them and used it to lobby the Congress to kill big reform," he says. "And then, America blamed immigrants and poor people." That despondent history of the crisis has taken hold on the left. That troubles former congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee co-wrote the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, often called Dodd-Frank. But he understands the anger. "It's because nobody went to jail," he said. "The big banks are still more powerful than people would like." The fractured politics of Wall Street were on display in South Carolina last week, as both parties' candidates descended for debates and campaign events. In Sunday evening's NBC-hosted debate, Sanders repeatedly warned that Clinton was too compromised to police the financial industry. Advertisement "Who is satisfied that millions of people have police records for possessing marijuana when the CEOs of Wall Street companies who destroyed our economy have no police records?" he asked. "Can you really reform Wall Street when they are spending millions and millions of dollars on campaign contributions and when they are providing speaker fees to individuals?" Clinton responded to that - including the direct reference to her paid speeches - by defending the Obama administration's record on financial reform. "I'm going to defend President Obama for taking on Wall Street," she said. Sanders has "criticized President Obama for taking donations from Wall Street, and President Obama has led our country out of the Great Recession." That argument has not quieted the Democratic Party's resurgent left. The run-up to 2016 produced plenty of articles about Wall Street's hopes for a Clinton restoration, and her past campaign donations from Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein have achieved mythic status. On the day of the debate, at a rally for Sanders, a retired Charleston paralegal named Michele Phillips explained that honest people could have seen the crisis coming. Sanders's tenacity on Wall Street reform was among the reasons she'd been drawn to him. "He's like a dog with a bone," she said. "He's not going to let the issue go." Sanders, who opposed both TARP and the 1999 Financial Services Act that deregulated the banks, has a record neither Clinton nor Republicans can mirror. But since the inception of the tea party in late 2008 and early 2009, the financial crisis has been blamed less on banks than a government that encouraged cronyism and rent-seeking. "Conservatives have told themselves a story about the financial crisis in which Wall Street is either an accomplice or a stooge of ACORN and the government," said Mike Konczal, a fellow at the progressive Roosevelt Institute. "It overlaps a little with what you'll hear from liberals, because part of their theory is that regulators were asleep at the wheel." Advertisement As Cruz stumped across South Carolina, he found his audiences receptive to a story about how Washington colluded with Wall Street. At a town hall meeting in Columbia, the state's Republican attorney general, Alan Wilson, introduced Cruz by insisting that "Dodd-Frank is to the financial industry what Obamacare is to the health-care industry," a popular conservative framing. "It's centralizing power in the federal government to unelected bureaucrats," Wilson said. "It's causing small banks to struggle against the Too Big to Fail banks." Republicans have argued for dismantling Dodd-Frank on that basis, though studies have found the argument wanting. Last month, a Government Accountability Office report requested by the party found that "residential mortgage loans as a fraction of assets have generally grown for banks of all sizes and for some smaller credit unions but have decreased for larger credit unions." But there's a gulf between what a report may say and what voters may feel. In his speech to the tea party convention, Cruz ran right through it. "You can't be tea party and at the same time have supported TARP," Cruz said. "You can't be tea party and support corporate welfare and cronyism. So, if you really want to know what kind of president someone is going to be, you can ask yourself, where did they stand on TARP and the stimulus and cronyism?" Cruz's rivals, led by Trump, have not rebutted that by defending TARP. They have highlighted Cruz's connection to Goldman Sachs. Two hours after Cruz left the stage, Trump reminded the crowd that Cruz had gotten a loan guarantee from Goldman during his 2012 Senate race. One day later, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) complemented Trump's defense of "New York values" by saying that Cruz wanted to vacuum up Wall Street cash without any of the consequences. Advertisement "Ted Cruz has no problem with New York values when he's collecting [money] from New York hedge funds," Christie said. "Then New York values are just great. Those people have great values, I'm sure, when they are writing him seven- and eight-figure checks. If he really has a problem with New York values, then he should return that money." Neither man pointed out that Cruz's wife, Heidi, worked for Goldman Sachs until her husband's campaign began. They hardly needed to. "Go back and look at where all the five or six last treasury secretaries worked. They were all at Goldman Sachs," said William Bowers, a tea party activist from Columbia. "That just jumps out and slaps you in the face on Christmas morning." That was not true, but it indicated just how much anger remained at the major financial institutions, even as they funded political campaigns. According to a late 2015 analysis from the Center for Responsive Politics, $5.9 million of Wall Street money made it into Clinton's campaign or super PAC. Cruz had received $12.5 million; the fading campaign of former Florida governor Jeb Bush, more than double that. But there is no upside in claiming support from Wall Street and nothing but upside in attacking it. Over the weekend, the conservative powerhouse American Crossroads debuted a new ad, aimed at Iowa Democrats, that warned them not to embrace Wall Street by supporting Clinton. "Hillary Clinton's gotten 54 times more money from Wall Street interests than from all of Iowa," intoned a narrator, over images of Manhattan and falling dollar bills. "Hillary rewarded Wall Street with the $700 billion bailout. Then, Wall Street made her a multimillionaire." Advertisement It sounded like a blast of economic populism. To Frank, it also sounded transparently ridiculous. "They are as eager to see Sanders nominated as I am to see Trump," he said. John Wagner in Charleston, S.C., contributed to this report. Struggling health insurer Land of Lincoln has dropped the University of Chicago's medical center from its coverage plan. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) Land of Lincoln Health, a struggling Chicago health insurer, will drop the University of Chicago's medical center and affiliated doctors from its insurance network March 1, an unexpected change that has upset some customers. The move comes after some customers bought coverage at the end of last year from Land of Lincoln because their University of Chicago doctors were in the network at the time. Members who want to keep their U. of C. physicians anyway will face higher out-of-pocket costs with Land of Lincoln. Advertisement Cheryl Mostowski of Algonquin accused Land of Lincoln of false advertising. She found out about the change when she saw her physician Jan. 7, a few weeks after she bought a Land of Lincoln policy. "I burst into tears," said Mostowski, 61, who sees specialists at the University of Chicago to treat her autoimmune disease. "They shouldn't be allowed to bait and switch." Advertisement The insurer notified University of Chicago Medicine of the decision late last month, said Ashley Heher, a spokeswoman at the health system. The decision affects Land of Lincoln's individual policies and some small-group plans. Open enrollment for individuals and families under the Affordable Care Act began Nov. 1. The deadline to buy coverage that started on the first of the year was Dec. 18. In an emailed statement to the Tribune, Land of Lincoln said the company "is proud to have one of the largest provider networks in the state. As with other insurance carriers, LLH reviews and adjusts its networks based on market changes to ensure our ability to provide members with access to affordable health insurance." Dennis O'Sullivan, a company spokesman, declined to elaborate on the decision to drop University of Chicago Medicine and why it came after open enrollment had started. He said he is not aware of other changes to the insurer's network. He did not know how many of its members see doctors affiliated with University of Chicago. "We certainly understand any frustration and want to help our members ensure they have adequate coverage for their needs," he said. The insurer's statement said members undergoing treatment may qualify for an extension of in-network coverage and are encouraged to contact the company to review their options. The network change comes amid a lot of questions about the future of Land of Lincoln and other federally funded insurance companies created under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. About half of the 23 carriers, known as Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans, or "co-ops," have collapsed. The nonprofit health plans were envisioned as a way to provide more competition, greater consumer choice and better coverage in states typically dominated by large commercial insurance companies. Advertisement Land of Lincoln and other surviving co-ops are struggling to deal with the loss of financial aid that was promised by the government to ease risks in the law's new competitive marketplaces for people who can't buy employer-sponsored insurance. The Illinois insurer has frozen enrollment in 2016 to help control costs and preserve capital. Land of Lincoln had about 54,000 members in 2015 and expects to end this year with 60,000 to 70,000. Mostowski said she had to find new insurance after Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois dropped her last year. She didn't have many insurance alternatives in the Illinois marketplace that included University of Chicago Medicine in their networks. Academic medical centers tend to be more expensive than other hospitals because they treat more medically complex conditions and also do research. Mostowski said she chose Land of Lincoln over a competitor because of its lower premium. She pays $665 a month, including a subsidy. She doesn't want to find new doctors and has already applied for patient financial aid from University of Chicago Medicine. "I have no idea how much it will cost to see my doctors when they are out of network," she said. asachdev@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @ameetsachdev DAVOS, Switzerland The world's political and business elite are being urged to do more than pay lip service to growing inequalities around the world as they head off for this week's World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. Two reports published Monday, from Oxfam and public relations firm Edelman, warned that the widening gap between the haves and have-nots since the global financial crisis is undermining a decades-long effort to reduce global poverty and fueling the rise of populist politicians. According to Oxfam, the scale of the problem is increasingly stark: just 62 people, it says, own the same wealth as half the planet. The compares with 388 people just five years ago, when the global economy was just emerging from its deepest recession since World War II. The theme of this year's Davos gathering is the "fourth industrial revolution" caused by fast and broad innovations in areas like robotics, driverless cars, 3-D printing and biotechnology. WEF founder Klaus Schwab, in an Associated Press interview in Davos, said it could widen the gap between rich and poor. "It's my biggest concern, because the fourth industrial revolution will even increase the inequality which we have," Schwab said, adding: "Those who are entrepreneurs, who have talents, will push innovation will gain from the revolution and those who are on the other side, particularly in service positions, will lose." While the wealth of the poorest half of the world's population more than 3.6 billion people has fallen by a trillion dollars, or 41 percent, since 2010, Oxfam said in its report that the wealth of the super-elite has risen by around half a trillion dollars. Though acknowledging that dealing with inequalities has become a part of discussions in Davos, Oxfam said it's time for leaders to do more than just acknowledge the problem, especially if they want to hit poverty-reduction targets. "It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the world's population owns no more than a few dozen super-rich people who could fit onto one bus," said Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam International Executive Director, who will again attend Davos, having co-chaired last year's event. Tax havens, she said, are at the core of the rigged system that allows big corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share of tax. "I challenge the governments, companies and elites at Davos to play their part in ending the era of tax havens, which is fuelling economic inequality and preventing hundreds of millions of people lifting themselves out of poverty," said Byanyima. "Multinational companies and wealthy elites are playing by different rules to everyone else, refusing to pay the taxes that society needs to function." Oxfam reckons around $7.6 trillion of individuals' wealth sits offshore, around 12 percent of the total, and that around $190 billion could be made available for poverty-fighting initiatives if tax were paid on that wealth. Closing the loopholes, which Oxfam says are used by nine out of ten of the WEF's sponsoring corporations, will help governments meet their goal of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030. Over the past few years, those voicing concerns over growing inequalities have increased. Even the International Monetary Fund has warned of the perils to growth stemming from this gap. According to Edelman, inequalities within society are already driving political change and that could put a break on economic potential. In its annual survey of trust levels around the world, it found the largest-ever gap between the views of highly educated people and those with fewer years of schooling, driven by a disparity in income. Edelman found general level of trust in institutions government, business, media and non-governmental organizations among college-educated people around the globe up 4 percentage points at 60 percent, its highest level in the survey's 16 year-history. For the wider public, Edelman's trust gauge was up 2 percentage points at 48 percent. It noted that the U.S. has the biggest disparity in trust within its population, followed by Britain and France. Edelman's online survey of 33,000 plus respondents in 28 countries, was conducted between Oct. 13 and Nov. 16, 2015. "We are now observing the inequality of trust around the world," said Richard Edelman, the president and CEO of Edelman. "This brings a number of potential consequences including the rise of populist politicians, the blocking of innovation and the onset of protectionism and nativism." Around the world, there's been a groundswell of support for what were previously considered fringe political leaders and parties. Edelman noted the rise of Donald Trump, who is in a seemingly strong position in the race to be the Republican Party's candidate in the presidential election this fall, the politics of many countries are in flux. Spain has seen the anti-austerity Podemos party perform strongly in last month's general election, while polls suggest that Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National in France, could be contesting the presidential runoff next year. Edelman said that following the global financial crisis and global recession, most of the income gains have gone to the better-off, who have also benefited from low mortgage rates and rising house prices. For those lower down the income scale, Edelman said the years since have been marked by a growing sense of insecurity and anger. Bad behavior by banks, politicians and even the likes of German car giant Volkswagen further eroded trust. "The trust of the mass population can no longer be taken for granted," said Edelman. Associated Press As the Obama years wind down and the election season heats up, Pearl Cleage's funny and cunning, if occasionally discursive, portrait of an earlier time in black political activism still feels timely. Best of all, "What I Learned in Paris," now in a local premiere with Congo Square Theatre, puts black women's voices and lives in politics front and center. These are not long-suffering helpmates. These are women fighting to understand their own hearts' desires. No more deferred dreams for them. It's 1973, and Maynard Jackson has just been elected mayor of Atlanta the first black man to head the government of a major Southern city. As the play opens at an after-hours victory party, Anne (Kristin Ellis), the wife of longtime Jackson associate J.P. (Darren Jones), tells her friends about a phone call she took from an imperious NBC reporter. He insisted on speaking to Jackson and upon being told repeatedly by Anne that the mayor-elect wasn't available at the moment, responded with "I'm tired of this. Let me talk to a man." Advertisement Men talking to men is usually the history of politics and political drama but Cleage, who has ably tackled the intersection of race and gender in plays such as "Flyin' West," wants to make sure that we hear what the trio of women at the heart of this five-character play have to say. In Daniel Bryant's nimble staging, they say it with gusto and charm. In addition to Ellis' Anne, there is also longtime political organizer Lena, played by Alexis J. Rogers as a delectable combination of Valerie Jarrett and classic cinematic wisecracker Thelma Ritter. And there is evergreen bohemian Evie (Shanesia Davis), J.P's first wife who blows back into town from San Francisco with her natural afro and bright caftans, determined to establish a salon for Atlanta's emerging black power players something she describes as a cross between Gertrude Stein and Madame C.J. Walker's house in Harlem during that African-American renaissance. The fact that she's buying a house in a white neighborhood for her "vanguard" experiment doesn't sit well with her ex. Advertisement J.P., on the short list for a plum job with the Jackson administration, has his own secret to deal with, and his friend John (Ronnel Taylor), has his own reasons for not wanting to help him out. But their hidden agendas are nothing compared to what Evie begins to unspool. "It's not a trick, dear it's an opportunity" she tells Lena over one of the many glasses of champagne consumed during the course of the play. Hints of the 1960s civil rights movement and the toll it took on women like Coretta Scott King and Myrlie Evers come through in Evie's reminiscences of her own fears of losing J.P. during those times. Young Anne, the first in her family to finish her schooling, wrestles with being the chosen partner of a powerful man like J.P. while longing for something else. What's a revolution worth if you can't love and be loved the way you want? All this plays out with whip-smart dialogue against the backdrop of Andrei Onegin's period-perfect set pale-brick walls and bright-orange sunburst wallpaper redolent of 1970s style. Not all the digressions add dramatic heft. Taylor's John in particular doesn't have much to do beyond befuddled comic foil. But as three women at the heart of Cleage's play draw closer together, we see that sisterhood isn't just powerful. It's essential to any movement worth fighting and any life worth living. "What I Learned in Paris" three stars When: Through Feb. 7 Where: Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes Tickets: $37 at 773-935-6875 or www.congosquaretheatre.org Advertisement Kerry Reid is a freelance critic. ctc-arts@tribpub.com Many of us have our particular examples of head-smacking Oscar nomination exclusions in front of and behind the camera. Last year it was certifiably ignorant for Ava DuVernay, director of "Selma," not to receive an Oscar nomination. This year it was certifiably ignorant for Ryan Coogler, director of "Creed," not to receive an Oscar nomination. It was certifiably ignorant for Michael B. Jordan, giving a sturdy, old-fashioned star performance, not to receive a best actor nod for "Creed." And while I have problems with "Straight Outta Compton," it sends an amusingly clueless message to nominate only white folks from "Compton" (for screenplay) and from "Creed" (Sylvester Stallone, a prime candidate for the best supporting actor prize). Chicago billionaire philanthropist Jennifer Pritzker has donated $2 million to a Canadian university to establish a chair of transgender studies, believed to be the only such research position in global academia. The funding for the University of Victoria in British Columbia comes from Pritzker's Tawani Foundation. Half of the money will support the chair position for five years, and the other half is pledged to match other donations to the program. Advertisement Aaron Devor, a sociology professor who has studied transgender issues for three decades, was named inaugural chair. "Far too many trans and gender-nonconforming people still live in poverty and fear," Devor said in a statement. "As the inaugural chair, I will act as a resource locally and internationally for those needing information for their own research or for policy development, as well as building linkages between community-based and academic scholars working in transgender studies." Advertisement Devor also is the founder of the university's Transgender Archives, launched in 2012, which houses publications and memorabilia detailing the history and work of notable transgender and gender-nonconforming activists. The Tawani Foundation, a supporter of military personnel and history, is led by Pritzker, who is transgender and a retired Army lieutenant colonel. Pritzker said she became aware of the university's archives and its studies on transgender people through her personal research. Pritzker added she also has her own collection of publications and materials on sexuality. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "The University of Victoria is a thriving institution with a long and highly respected history in Canada and no one else has established a chair that focuses on transgender studies exclusively," Pritzker said in an e-mail. "This looked like a good investment to bring enlightenment, knowledge and tools for society to better understand and deal with issues of human sexuality." Much transgender research throughout North America has been supported through philanthropy. Some of the first pushes for exploring transgender issues came through funding and support from the Erickson Educational Foundation, according to Devor. Reed Erickson, a transgender man, started the foundation in the early 1960s. Among other things, the organization sponsored the first symposiums of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, named for the doctor who worked with patients with gender dysphoria. That organization now is called the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Two other similar academic positions studying transgender issues have been established but are no longer active, according to university officials. Both were in the Netherlands. An endocrinologist was chair of transsexology at The Free University of Amsterdam for 20 years, and a psychologist was chair of gender development and psychopathology at the University of Utrecht Medical Centre for 10 years. "The chair in transgender studies sets (University of Victoria) apart," university President Jamie Cassels said in a statement. "I am proud of our campus community's commitment to diversity, as well as grateful to Dr. Devor, Lt. Col. Pritzker, the Tawani Foundation and all those who help us continually learn and grow in a welcoming environment that promotes the rights and affirms the dignity of all persons." cdrhodes@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @rhodes_dawn Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Martin Nesbitt, left, chairman of the Obama Foundation, announce on May 12, 2015, that Chicago will be the home of Obama's presidential library and museum. (Anthony Souffle / 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 Tuesday, Jan. 19, and public officials are heading back to work after government offices were closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Advertisement Earlier this month, City Treasurer Kurt Summers took to Facebook to laud a post that the Rev. Michael Pfleger had put up on the social media site blasting Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration. Was Summers' decision to draw attention to Pfleger's criticism a way for the treasurer to distance himself from the very mayor who appointed him to his current job? At the time, Summers' office did not grant requests for an interview. But after Summers hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. event Monday, the treasurer took questions. Summers' answers showed he's trying to walk a fine line between not criticizing the man who helped him get his political start while also reacting to the public outrage and displeasure with Emanuel's response to the Laquan McDonald shooting by police. Some background: Pfleger's original Facebook post came after the Chicago Tribune and others outlets reported on the Emanuel administratin's New Year's Eve document dump of emails related to the McDonald shooting. The emails illustrated how Emanuel's aides knew early on that the police shooting of the teen could present a problem and showed their scramble to handle the issue once it became a major crisis for the mayor. "Reading the reports in the papers on the emails is to say the least discouraging," Pfleger wrote. "It is clear that SPIN and COVER-UP were much more important than dealing with the murder of Laquan McDonald." White police Officer Jason Van Dyke has been charged with murder after shooting McDonald 16 times as the black teen armed with a knife walked in the middle of the street. But Van Dyke wasn't charged until 13 months after the shooting, and only after a judge ordered Emanuel to release a police dashboard camera video of the incident. In the treasurer's post, Summers applauded Pfleger for his "tremendous voice and timely message." "We need REAL #transparency and #accountability from our public servants: elected, appointed AND sworn," Summers wrote. "Not the typical cover and opaqueness that is created by media/political spin and self-perpetuating system of governance without public engagement or representation." Asked twice Monday if he believed Emanuel mishandled the McDonald case, Summers was careful not to mention the mayor. Instead, Summers generally criticized public officials for couching on issues, even as he didn't directly address the question about the mayor's decisions in the McDonald case. "I have concerns about the way that elected officials and politicians, in general, position information with spin and with couching and a way that's not the most transparent to the electorate and to the people that they serve. None of us are absolved in that," Summers said. "Fundamentally, this is bigger than one office and one person and one incident. It's pervasive, and it's a call for all of us to do better. It shouldn't be about spin, it should be about fact." In his post, Pfleger also called for the Independent Police Review Authority to be disbanded, for a new Police Board to be appointed and for the city to start from scratch on its union contract with police officers. Summers said he didn't agree with Pfleger on the need to dismantle IPRA or to change the Police Board, two panels that are both appointed by Emanuel. Emanuel appointed Summers as treasurer in fall 2014, which gave the ambitious politician a leg up in running unopposed for the office last February. Summers previously worked as a senior vice president at Grosvenor Capital Management, a firm run by Emanuel's No. 1 campaign donor and close friend Michael Sacks. Summers has been mentioned as a possible mayoral contender in 2019. On Monday, Summers held an event with several prominent African-American state lawmakers, aldermen and candidates for state's attorney and U.S. Senate to announce 11 financial literacy events across the city to help empower those who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods. McDonald's name was invoked by pastors who spoke at the event held at the Stone Temple Baptist Church in Lawndale, where Martin Luther King Jr. often preached during his time in Chicago. None of the several speakers, including Summers during his two turns at the microphone, mentioned Emanuel during the hourlong event. Asked afterward if Emanuel was invited, Summers said yes, but that the mayor had attended a different interfaith event at the same church earlier in the day. Emanuel had no events listed on his public schedule Monday, but the mayor did issue a news release late in the day calling for Stone Temple Baptist Church to be designated as an official Chicago landmark. (Bill Ruthhart) Advertisement What's on tap *Mayor Emanuel has no public events listed on his schedule. *Gov. Bruce Rauner will make a business announcement at a U.S. Bank branch in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood. *Chicago Police Board President Lori Lightfoot will speak at The City Club. Watch here. From the notebook *Emanuel ripped at MLK event: The holiday had many events tied to King's legacy, among them the Community Renewal Society's MLK Faith in Action Assembly at a Near West Side church. Mayor Rahm Emanuel was not on hand, but with the group proposing ways to deal with police misconduct in light of the Laquan McDonald shooting, he was very much on the minds of attendees. The Rev. Robert Biekman, of the Maple Park United Methodist Church, castigated Emanuel during remarks to the crowd of about a thousand. "Over the past year and a half, it has become apparent to most of us now that our mayor does not have what it takes and is not willing and has no desire to change the way and the system of policing in the city of Chicago," Biekman said. At one point, organizers set a large photo of the mayor on a chair at the front of the church while discussing the need for an independent auditor to handle police shooting investigations in Chicago. And TV screens around the church later flashed the question "Have Mayor Rahm Emanuel's actions shown black lives matter to him?" before cutting to footage of Emanuel saying "And the answer is no" in response to an unrelated question at a news conference. (John Byrne) *Durbin goes with Rotering in IL-10: Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has endorsed Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering over former U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider in the race for the Democratic nomination in the North Shore 10th Congressional District. Advertisement "Nancy combines fiscal responsibility with true progressive values," Durbin said in a statement. Rotering called Durbin a "role model" and "the epitome of a public servant for over 30 years." Durbin's endorsement, while significant, also shows the split among the Democratic establishment over the race. While he backs Rotering, Schneider has the backing of top House Democratic leadership, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Rotering and Schneider, of Deerfield, are battling for the right to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Dold of Kenilworth. (Rick Pearson) *Aldermen propose public campaign financing: Several Chicago aldermen are backing a public-funding system for city campaigns that's designed to limit the influence of money in politics, even though backers estimate it would cost the city about $8 million a year at a time when city finances are stressed. But the ordinance establishing the public-funding system has at least one influential backer, Ald. Michelle Harris, 8th, chairman of the Rules Committee. That means it's going to at least get a hearing. Advertisement Harris, who is not a member of either of the city's progressive caucuses, is backing it as she campaigns to unseat Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown in the March Democratic primary. In recent days, Harris also signed on to an ordinance that would give the city inspector general the power to investigate aldermen and their staff. Under the proposed system, the city would provide $6 for every $1 contribution of $175 or less raised in campaigns for aldermen and the citywide posts of clerk, treasurer and mayor. Candidates who take part would have to agree not to accept donations of more than $500. Although there would be no limits on how much a participating candidate could spend in an election, there would be a limit placed on how much public funding they could receive. The limit for aldermen would be $150,000. For clerk and treasurer, it would be $180,000, and for mayor it would be $3.6 million. Participating candidates also would be barred from spending public funds on certain expenses, like candidate petition challenges, gifts worth more than $50 and "personal grooming" costs like clothing and haircuts. The measure, modeled after similar systems in New York and Los Angeles, also is backed by Common Cause Illinois and the Reclaim Campaign. Ald. Joe Moore, 49th, backs the proposal, though he conceded there are potential loopholes. With no limits on spending, a candidate with an already flush campaign fund could take part and still have significant cash to spend on an election. And any candidate could choose not to participate. Advertisement And then there's the question of whether the city can afford the $8 million a year. Moore said some ideas, like increasing lobbyist registration fees and fines for campaign finance violations, are being explored to help fund the program. "This is money that's going to fund elections that will take out the influence of special interests and restore confidence and trust, and that is a cost that is well worth whatever price we'll have to pay," Moore said. (Hal Dardick) What we're writing *State's attorney candidates talk about police shooting cases at MLK forum. *Protesters arrested outside United HQ while pushing for higher wages at airports. What we're reading *Mmmm, beef Wellington. *Salopek visits world's loneliest cafes. Advertisement *Bill would tighten controls on government travel. Follow the money *Track campaign contribution reports in real time with this Tribune Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ILCampaignCash Beyond Chicago *Presidential race, Republican side: PAC supporting Bush delivers "The Jeb Story" documentary to donors and supporters in Iowa, NH. *Presidential race, Democratic side: Hillary Clinton offers lukewarm support of Emanuel on "Meet the Press." The Obama White House is working frantically to quell the political outrage among immigration rights advocates and Latino leaders who say they feel betrayed by a recent series of deportation raids launched by the administration against mostly women and children from Central America. While the raids continue with administration support, White House aides announced an expanded State Department partnership with the United Nations to resettle Central American refugees in the United States and elsewhere, and Vice President Joe Biden traveled to the region last week to meet with the presidents of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Advertisement "The goal of this effort is to provide a safe and legal alternative to the dangerous journey many are currently taking in the hands of human smugglers," White House spokesman Peter Boogaard said. "Expanding resettlement opportunities is a key part of our broader response to the situation" in the three nations. The administration's decision to launch the raids has reopened old wounds between the White House and many Latino communities, and it has compromised the president's efforts to create an election-year contrast with Republicans on immigration. Advertisement U.S. officials said the operations are aimed at sending a strong message of deterrence to Central American families and avoiding a repeat of the 2014 border crisis when an influx of tens of thousands of migrants from the region overwhelmed patrol stations on the Southwest border. But growing blowback from congressional Democrats and advocacy groups has put the White House on the defensive just 14 months after President Barack Obama sought to repair strained relations with Latino voters by taking unilateral steps to ease the deportation threat for those with deep ties to the United States. The centerpiece of that program - which would allow up to 5 million illegal immigrants to gain work permits without fear of being deported - has been suspended by a federal judge who is reviewing a lawsuit over its constitutionality. The White House has publicly supported the raids from the Department of Homeland Security, which this month apprehended 121 Central Americans with outstanding deportation orders in several states. In private meetings last week, DHS officials told immigrant rights advocates that they are considering expanding the raids to include minors who entered the country on their own, a move to further boost deterrence efforts, according to several people involved in the talks. Also reportedly under consideration for removal are Central Americans who failed to show up for their court hearings and have been ordered out of the country in absentia, those sources said. DHS officials declined to comment on the private meetings. Disappointed immigration reform advocates compared the current tactics to those employed by the George W. Bush administration, which ramped up raids on homes and workplaces in Bush's final years in office. They expressed bewilderment at the move in light of Obama's staunch defense of Muslim refugees fleeing civil war in Syria. The president harshly criticized the idea, advanced by some GOP presidential candidates, that the United States should temporarily ban Muslim refugees from entering the United States over fears of terrorism. Though relatively small in scale - 77 people have been deported - the DHS raids have gained resonance for their focus on women and children who have fled nations with soaring rates of gang violence, drug cartels and domestic abuse. "When President Obama stood up for the (Syrian) refugee program and stood up against the blanket racism directed at anyone who appeared to be Middle Eastern or Muslim, I think people were happy," said Paromita Shah, associate director off the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. "But they can't square it with what he is doing now. We're asking ourselves, 'Why are we here at this point? Why did he have to do this?' " A group of 140 House Democrats sent a letter to Obama demanding that he halt the operations, and the three major candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, including Hillary Clinton, have denounced the raids. At a demonstration outside the White House last week, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., joined protesters, including one who held up a news photograph from 2000 of a federal agent pointing a rifle at Elian Gonzalez, a 6-year-old from Cuba who was living in Miami. Advertisement Obama aides scrambled to tamp down the criticism from their traditional allies. A top White House lawyer met on the afternoon of Obama's State of the Union address last Tuesday with a half-dozen House Democrats, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Biden's meeting with the presidents of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras focused on $750 million in newly allocated developmental aid from the United States that had been promised after the 2014 border crisis. In an interview, a senior administration official blamed the public outcry on sensationalized news coverage and a climate of fear fostered by GOP campaign rhetoric. Leading Republican presidential candidates, including real estate magnate Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have pledged to deport all of the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants and build a wall to keep them out. "It's the combination of hysteria before anything happened and a moment when there's a lot of talk about deportation coming from folks in the political sphere," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because was not authorized to speak on the record. "It's an atmosphere of high emotion, and that emotion has been reflected in ways that are understandable. . . . But there's just a gulf between that conversation and the reality of the enforcement that has taken place." Immigrant rights groups have been skeptical of the Obama administration since deportations reached a record high of more than 400,000 per year by the end of his first term. Under pressure from Democrats to scale back, Obama moved to reshape immigration policies through executive action after Congress failed to pass a comprehensive border control bill in 2014. Days after the midterm elections, the president announced a new program to defer the deportations of up to 5 million illegal immigrants - most of them parents of U.S. citizens who have lived in the United States at least five years. At the same time, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said his agency would focus its enforcement operations on the highest priorities: convicted felons, people with terrorist ties and recent border-crossers who do not qualify for asylum protections. Advertisement White House officials pointed to the 231,000 deportations in 2015, the lowest level of Obama's tenure, as evidence that the administration is pursuing more humane policies. Each of the Central Americans apprehended this month had been ruled ineligible for asylum by an immigration judge and ordered deported, officials said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employed female agents to make arrests of female immigrants and limited the amount of tactical gear agents wore in order to minimize the anxiety in the community, the officials said. Advocates applauded the beefed-up refugee resettlement program announced by Secretary of State John Kerry last week. But they said its creation served to highlight the disconnect between the nature of the immigration flow from Central America and the raids aimed at helping staunch it. Unlike previous generations of illegal immigrants, who came across the Southwest border seeking economic opportunity, the newer migrants are fleeing violence and physical abuse. Furthermore, they contend that the administration's focus on deportations as a deterrence strategy has lost potency. The number of Central American families crossing the Southwest border tripled in the final three months of 2015 compared with a year earlier, and the number of unaccompanied minors doubled, according to federal statistics. "It seems that the fear in the community and the problems the raids have triggered far outweigh any perceived gains of deterrence," said Royce Murray, policy director at the National Immigrant Justice Center. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., while praising Kerry's refugee plan, called on the administration to "immediately halt domestic immigration raids that fast-track the deportations of the very same families we are hoping to aid." Advertisement For the immigrant communities, the raids have added to their frustration that Obama's deferred action program has been blocked for nearly a year by a federal court judge who is considering a lawsuit from Texas and 25 other states over its constitutionality. The administration has petitioned the Supreme Court to hear its appeal, and officials fear that a failure to enforce the deportation orders against the Central American families would undermine the case. The high court is expected to announce this week whether it will hear that case this spring. "Immigration enforcement is a fact of life," said the administration official who was not authorized to speak on the record. "This administration was the first to establish a set of priorities and the first to act on those priorities. Some of the very people who saluted the priorities when they were issued are now saying DHS should not execute on them." copyrighted Dredd Blog Dredd Blog Dredd Blog Dredd Blog Dredd Blog for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include --the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; --the nature of the copyrighted work; --the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; --and the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors All original material isby. You may quote or use the material so long as there is a link back tofor every post you use. This is, among other things, to verify that notext was changed. It must remain the same, no editing. Note thathas no commercial purpose. If it so happens thatmay quote copyrighted material from other writers, it is only." (17 U.S. Code 107) The fourth Democratic presidential debate -- and the last one before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary next month -- is in the books. The best and the worst from Sunday night are below. Winners * Bernie Sanders: Yes, Sanders has one volume: Shouting. And, yes, he got tripped up a few times during the debate on his voting record -- especially on guns. But, throughout the debate's first hour -- the hour when most people, especially on the east coast and in the midwest, were watching -- he was the prime mover in virtually every discussion from Wall Street reform to healthcare to climate change. He was on offense, accusing Hillary Clinton of half-measures and political caution at a moment when boldness is required. Advertisement Sanders held his own in the foreign policy focused second hour of the debate, something he had failed to do in debates past. And, he had one of his best moments of the debate at an unlikely time -- in response to a question about his criticism of Bill Clinton's behavior. Sanders turned the question into one focused on how the campaign he is running is about policy not personal differences -- to much applause. More than anything he said though, it was the passion and disruption that Sanders oozed from every pore over the two hours that should convince Democrats on the fence about the race into his camp. Sanders effectively positioned himself as the anti-status quo candidate in this race, a very good place to be in this electoral environment. Advertisement * Martin O'Malley: Early in the debate, I had the Maryland governor pegged for the "loser" category because he was doing the one thing I hate: Complaining about how little time you have to talk. The truth is that when one candidate is in the 50 in national polling, another is in the 40s and a third is in the, well, twos, the candidate in the twos shouldn't get as many questions. But, to O'Malley's credit, he turned the corner on getting ignored and by the end of the debate was downright likable. Will it change anything about his minuscule support in Iowa and New Hampshire? No. But kudos to him. He did well in an impossible situation. One other important note about O'Malley: He tipped the scales to Sanders during a pitched fight between the Vermont Senator and Clinton over Wall Street reform. O'Malley chimed in by bashing Clinton as a defender of the same old same old when it came to bank behavior -- doing Sanders a major favor in the process. * Rand Paul: The Kentucky Senator isn't going to be the Republican presidential nominee. But, he may have a future as a professional political tweeter. Paul's counter-programming of the Democratic debate via Twitter was sardonic and fun -- two things politics can always use more of. *President Obama: Clinton went out of her way, repeatedly, to praise what the current president had done in office -- from Obamacare to Iran and back. Sanders sought to downplay his differences with Obama by noting that "he and I are friends." Had O'Malley had time to talk, I am certain he would have praised Obama too. Losers * Hillary Clinton: The former Secretary of State was, as always, solid. And, at times -- like in her closing statement on the water in Flint, Michigan -- she was outstanding. Her knowledge -- both the depth and the breadth of it -- is on full display in these debate settings. So, why is she in the loser column? Because she did nothing in the debate to slow the momentum that Sanders is building in Iowa and New Hampshire. Aside from guns, where Clinton scored a clean hit on Sanders, she was unable to effectively cast him as a pie-in-the-sky idealist and herself as the only person who could truly fight -- and win -- for Democratic priorities. Advertisement Time and again, she found herself boxed into defending a status quo that the American public -- Democrats and Republicans alike -- are dissatisfied with. This tweet from the New York Times Nicholas Kristof perfectly captures that sentiment: Hillary Clinton is eminently knowledgeable, but she's in effect calling for continuity at a time when lots of people want discontinuity. The Clinton-as-cautious-pragmatist vs Sanders-as-idealist-fighter is not a good dynamic for the former Secretary of State. * Sunday night debates: Let's call the Democratic debate schedule what it is: ridiculous. A Saturday debate just before Christmas. A Sunday night debate just before a federal holiday. No debate from now until AFTER the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Seriously? Say what you will about the Republican National Committee's attempts to influence the debate calendar. It pales in comparison to the travesty the Democratic National Committee has made of its own debates. Period. Donald Trump wants to relive an Eisenhower-era mass deportation program, which loaded 1.3 million immigrants onto trains, buses and planes and deposited them deep in Mexicos interior. (Jae C. Hong / AP) Even Donald Trump isn't crass enough to say the name out loud. But as he campaigns for the GOP nomination for president, Trump continues to pitch an immigration enforcement plan modeled after a 1950s deportation program dubbed "Operation Wetback." The term is a derogatory reference to Mexicans crossing the Rio Grande, which forms almost two-thirds of the southern U.S. border. Advertisement Under the program launched by President Dwight Eisenhower, more than 1.3 million immigrants rounded up in the United States were loaded onto trains, buses and planes and deposited deep in Mexico's interior to prevent them from slipping back across the border. Many of them never saw their families again. Advertisement Trump surged in the polls last summer after he accused Mexico of pushing its "criminals, drug dealers and rapists" into the U.S. To keep them out, he says he'd build a giant border wall and send Mexico the bill. And he'd dispatch a "deportation force" to remove the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants who are already here. Trump doubled down on that plan over the weekend, hours after GOP rival Sen. Marco Rubio suggested on NBC's "Meet the Press" that immigrants who have committed no serious crimes should be allowed to stay. CNN's Jake Tapper challenged Trump about his enthusiasm for Eisenhower's program, pointing out that "a lot of people think that was a shameful chapter in American history." Trump replied that it was "a very effective chapter." The program was officially launched in 1954, amid familiar circumstances: poverty and lack of opportunity in Mexico vs. the unmet labor needs of U.S. agribusiness. Mexico's struggle to industrialize was threatened by the loss of cheap labor, as workers sought better-paying jobs north of the border with the encouragement of U.S. employers. Then as now, there were many barriers to legal migration. Under Mexican law, workers weren't allowed to leave their country unless they had a signed contract from a foreign employer, but U.S. law barred employers from offering contracts to workers who weren't already here. Immigration fees and literacy exams also were prohibitive. None of that was enough to stop Mexican workers from crossing the border illegally. In 1942, the two governments tried to get a handle on things by launching the Bracero program. Mexico agreed to allow limited numbers of laborers to cross the border to work. In return, the U.S. agreed to increase border security and step up deportations of Mexicans who arrived illegally. But supply and demand were still out of whack, and workers continued to enter the U.S. without permission. Those who were expelled often made it back so quickly that border guards started shaving their heads before deporting them so they'd be easier to recognize. Advertisement Frustrated by the continued loss of workers, Mexico threatened to suspend the stream of legal labor. So the two governments began cooperating in the mass relocations. U.S. Border Patrol agents swept through work sites and arrested those who didn't have papers. Some weren't given the chance to prove their citizenship or to collect their possessions. Packed into rail cars, planes, cargo ships and buses, they were hauled "waaaaaaaaaaaay south," as Trump describes it, to areas in need of cheap labor. There are no real figures for how many died in transit or after being abandoned without resources, but 88 died of heat stroke in a single disastrous transfer. Others were stranded without money or family in a strange place, with limited means to communicate with their families or make their way home. Some reportedly were forced to work without pay. Far to the north, workers continued to slip across the border. This had been going on for nearly a decade when the U.S. operation was officially announced in May 1954. Hundreds of border agents were deployed, temporary processing centers were set up, and more planes and buses were allocated. The raids or "mopping up" operations mostly targeted agricultural areas in the Southwest, but more than 20,000 industrial workers were rounded up in Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City. Advertisement The program claimed more than 1 million deportations in its first year and about 250,000 the next. Then the funding expired, and it was declared a success. "The border has been secured," the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service said in its annual report in 1955. That wasn't true, of course. Trump may be correct when he says that most of those dumped far south of the border "never came back," but it's not true that "everybody else left." American growers continued to encourage Mexican workers to cross into the country illegally, and they continued to come. The roundups stopped, but the U.S. maintained a ramped-up presence at the border. And there are now more than 11 million immigrants living here without permission. That's because the type and number of workers permitted under our broken system don't match up to our labor needs. It's an important piece of the immigration puzzle that Trump and others prefer to ignore. History tells us those workers will continue to come. They won't be deterred by mass deportations, a militarized border or a giant wall, and any serious candidate for president ought to offer Americans a better blueprint for immigration reform. That goes for Donald Trump and everyone else. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. What's the most clearly defining moment so far in the 2016 presidential race? My choice would be Republican candidate Ted Cruz's New Hampshire campaign stop last March where he demonstrated his ability to frighten small children. "The Obama-Clinton foreign policy of leading from behind," he preached passionately to a packed room assembled by the Strafford County Republican Committee. "The whole world's on fire!" Advertisement "The whole world's on fire?" asked a clearly concerned little girl who was sitting in the front row with her mother. The crowd chuckled. Cruz, without skipping a beat, solemnly approached the little girl and offered comfort. "The world is on fire. Yes!" he said. "But you know what? Your mommy's here and everyone's here to make sure that the world you grow up in is even better." Advertisement Sweet. The audience applauded and a tense moment for the child, identified by news reports as 3-year-old Julie Trant, with her mother, Michelle, was softened. Yay. Yet, looking back, this particular pre-campaign YouTube moment seems to have offered an amusing trigger warning: Campaign 2016 may not always be suitable for younger or more sensitive viewers. Or to put it more bluntly, be afraid. Very afraid. "If we must choose between them," wrote political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli, "it is far safer to be feared than loved." In that spirit, this year's front-runners in both parties seem to be telling us voters a simple message: Love me or hate me, but fear the possibility that I might lose. Fear works. As they showed in Thursday's GOP debate, Cruz's fellow Republican candidates weren't about to be outdone in their race to frighten the rest of us more than Cruz frightened the little girl in New Hampshire. Billionaire developer Donald Trump: "Our military is a disaster." Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush: "In this administration, every weapon system has been gutted; in this administration, the force levels are going down to a level where we can't even project force." Florida Sen. Marco Rubio: "Let me tell you, if we don't get this election right, there may be no turning back for America." Advertisement New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie: "We need to rebuild our military, and this president has let it diminish to a point where tin pot dictators like the mullahs in Iran are taking our Navy ships." Even as Christie spoke, it turned out, Iran was negotiating for the return of our ships and sailors which, after all, were mistakenly in Iranian waters. The GOP candidates also ignored how this country is, as President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address two nights earlier, "the most powerful nation on earth. Period. It's not even close. We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined." But don't let that make you feel good, say the Grand Old Party's contenders. For them Trump has set a paranoid pattern, offering fewer answers than scary questions: "There's something going on and it's bad," insisted Trump on the issue of terrorism. "And I'm saying we have to get to the bottom of it. That's all I'm saying. We need security." In other words, don't just stand there, panic! Advertisement Only Ohio Gov. John Kasich sounded more interested in discussing actual policy and offering some problem-solving ideas. But he's still in single digits in national polls. These days, fear rules. On the Democratic side, a different pattern shows itself. As Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has gained enough support to possibly beat Hillary Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire, Clinton's unspoken slogan has become "No more Ms. Nice Lady." In their final debate before the Iowa caucuses, she attacked Sanders mercilessly for of all things disloyalty to Obama. That's a smart move as they seek votes in South Carolina's primary, where Obama has 90 percent approval among Democrats. She accused Sanders of being soft on gun control, as she has done before. She also upped the ante almost beyond belief by accusing Sanders of disloyalty, even for his mild slight criticisms of Obama's policies. At the same time, she embraced Obama tightly enough to bring a side-eye of disapproval, I imagined, from the current first lady. Clinton has been called unlikable by some of her fellow Democrats. At this point, maybe she would rather be feared. Clarence Page, a member of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at chicagotribune.com/pagespage. Advertisement cpage@tribpub.com Twitter @cptime Kendall County wants to connect this end of Collins Road with Minkler Road. (Steve Lord / The Beacon-News) The Kendall County Board Tuesday took a step toward trying to develop another north-south road through the county. The board voted unanimously to hire WBK Engineering for the first phase of engineering work on the extension of Collins Road, which would tie together Grove, Collins and Minkler roads. Advertisement The contract with WBK is for $761,326, to engineer the about 1 miles of proposed road between the end of Collins at Big Heron Drive to where it would hit Minkler. The money would come from the county's transportation sales tax. Board member Dan Koukol, Highway Committee chairman, said the board has the money for engineering, although they are "not sure we can get money for the whole project." Advertisement "There is definitely a need for it," Koukol said. "I'd like to see this go forward." The money was available because Kendall got funding for another proposed north-south route through the county further west, Eldamain Road. The Kane-Kendall Council of Mayors approved about a $2.5 million federal grant for widening and improvements to Eldamain Road between Galena Road and the Menard's shipping center in Plano. Eldamain Road is the boundary between Yorkville and Plano and has long been identified as a north-south highway through the county. But that requires a bridge over the Fox River to complete a $40 million to $50 million project for which the county will need federal funding. County Board member Scott Gryder said because the county got the federal money for the improvements on Eldamain, "it freed up other money" for the Collins Road engineering. The projects are all part of the drive for the elusive north-south highway through Kendall basically a link between Interstate 88 on the north and Interstate 80 on the south. Right now, the only north-south road between the two interstates is Route 47, and slowly but surely, the state is widening that road. But another north-south route is needed to take pressure off Route 47, which still has a bottleneck down to two lanes between Sugar Grove and downtown Yorkville. Advertisement At one time, the Prairie Parkway was planned to be a link between I-88 and I-80. But that was only partially funded, and even that money now has been put toward other projects as the Prairie Parkway plan has faded away. Another north-south route that would have included Kendall, Will and DuPage counties, on the very eastern edge of Kendall, was the Wikaduke Trail. That was to be a number of roads, linked together as developments came in and the necessary new road was constructed. That project is not necessarily dead, but was put on hold as development came to a halt during the recession. Kendall's Highway Department recently discussed what appears to be possible economic activity at Ridge Road and Route 126 near Plainfield that could revitalize that section of Wikaduke. The board Tuesday also approved engineering for intersection improvements at Ridge and Holt roads that could tie in with Wikaduke, although that's not the reason the board took their action. Kendall Highway Director Fran Klaas said the immediate action is because there have been a lot of accidents at that intersection, and "it's time to figure out what we're going to do there." At one point, Kendall County approved a lot of land uses along Ridge, from I-80 to Midpoint Road, with the idea that development would come in and improve the road along the way.But that development never happened. Meanwhile, there is an industrial park there near Minooka that includes big facilities for Electrolux, which relocated there from Indiana, and Macy's. Advertisement "There's been a rash of accidents at Ridge and Holt, and we're not sure why," Klaas said. The board approved an engineering contract of $220,000 with Hutchinson Engineering Inc. for the intersection, which also would be paid from the transportation sales tax fund. slord@tribpub.com Dozens of firefighters battled a house fire in frigid temperatures Monday in Maple Park. Firemen responded at 12:50 p.m. to 45W825 Beith Road, where a fire started in a first-floor room and spread to a second-story bedroom, fire officials said. Advertisement Fire Chief Kevin Peterson of the Maple Park and Countryside Fire Protection District said there were no injuries in the fire, even though first responders were at risk of falling or slipping on ice while extinguishing the blaze. Peterson said the fire was called in by someone who had seen heavy smoke and flames coming from the south end of the structure. He said no residents were at home when the fire broke out. Advertisement "The firemen were iced up," Peterson said of the subzero wind chill Monday. National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Lenning at the Romeoville office reported the temperature in Maple Park at 3 p.m. was 5 degrees, but northwest winds produced a wind chill of 10 degrees below zero. "It was very cold, but we had fire department units from the surrounding area on the scene to switch out (the firemen working on putting out the fire)," the fire chief said Monday night. Firemen were relieved every half-hour to 40 minutes to give them a break from the bone-chilling cold. Peterson said firemen were able to contain the fire to an area on the first-floor and the second-floor room within the first couple of hours on the scene, but it took considerably longer to ensure there were no embers to reignite the fire. "We were out there chasing hot spots," Peterson said. "These are places where fire can get into void areas of a roof and attic we had to keep searching for them." Peterson said the blaze was attacked with fire hoses and a ladder truck. There are no fire hydrants in the area, so firemen had to transport water in with tenders. "We always had water on the scene when we needed it," he said. He said ambulances were on the scene for firefighters to rest in and get warm before heading out again. Advertisement Firefighters from Sycamore, Elburn, Burlington, Kaneville, Fox River, Cortland, Big Rock, Pingree Grove, Hinckley, Hampshire, DeKalb, Geneva, Kingston, Sugar Grove, Genoa, Malta and Waterman fire departments assisted on the scene. The Virgil Township Highway Department, Kane County Office of Emergency Management and Red Cross were on the scene as well. An estimated 42,000 gallons of water were used to put out the fire. Peterson said the house is uninhabitable. Damage was estimated at $100,000. Firemen remained on the scene until 6:30 p.m. Monday. The cause of the fire is under investigation but does not appear suspicious, fire officials said. Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News. An Oak Forest High graduate who went missing over the weekend was admitted Monday night to the emergency room at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, an emergency room employee said. Mark Bartishell, 32, was last seen just after midnight Friday at 4870 N. Broadway, according to his sister, Sandra, of Chicago's Mount Greenwood community. A hospital employee said he was admitted to the emergency room Monday night. Advertisement His condition was unclear. Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. UPDATED New acting U.S. Secretary of Education John King used his first major speech, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to call for continued attention to educational equity, even as states and school districts prepare for new flexibility on K-12 accountability. The Every Student Succeeds Act the latest iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Actseeks to restore major control over K-12 to states and place major restrictions on federal power when it comes to standards, testing, accountability and more. But King said Monday that the federal government retains key authority to ensure equity for all studentsand he expects to use it. ESSA presents a moment of both opportunity and moral responsibility, King said in a speech in Washington to the National Action Network, a civil rights organization founded by Rev. Al Sharpton. There has been much discussion of the new law placing much of the responsibility for students learning on states. ... There is a continued role in the new law for the federal government as a backstop to ensure educational quality for all children, a protector of our students civil rights, and I and my colleagues at the [Education] Department take that responsibility very seriously. He added that the new and larger role for states should be seen as a clarion call in the civil rights community. The acting secretary, who is half Black and half Puerto Rican and attended K-12 schools in New York, urged civil rights leaders to make their voices heard as states develop new systems for gauging student progress under the new law. He asked them to continue to fight for higher standards, and to give low-income and minority students to their fair share of effective teachers, as well as more wraparound services (such as extended learning time and school-based health clinics.) And he encouraged them to continue to work to end disparities in discipline practices that lead some schools to punish minority students more often or more harshly than others. Advocates should also push for greater access to early-childhood education, perhaps the single greatest no-brainer civic investment a community or state can make, King said. And King asked advocates to press school districts on integration, an issue on which his predecessor, Arne Duncan, wasnt as visible as some advocates would have liked. Research shows that one of the best things we can do for all childrenblack or white, rich or pooris give them a chance to attend strong, socioeconomically diverse schools, King said. We should support innovative, voluntary locally-driven efforts to promote socioeconomic diversity in schools. And King pressed civil rights advocates to weigh in on some of the weedybut importantdetails of ESSA implementation, including advising states on how to incorporate new indicators into their accountability systems. ESSA calls for states to pick a factor to consider alongside test scores and graduation rates that gets at school quality and students opportunity to learn, such as school climate, student engagement, or access to advanced coursework. That requirement could lead to greater equity of opportunity, including, for example, to more rigorous coursework in schools serving low-income students and minorities, King said, while also issuing a caution. The use of these kinds of new indicators of school success has tremendous potential to advance equity, but that will require the vigilance of parents, of educators, and of the civil rights community as each state creates its system of accountability, King said. Otherwise, these new indicators could serve to mask some of the equity and achievement gaps we are working so hard to close. To underline the imperative for action, King was expected to place ESSA in historical context, noting that the nation has made great strides in equity for all students since original ESEA law was passed in 1965, but still has a long ways to go. The national graduation rate hit an all-time high of 82 percent for the class of 2014, and gaps are closing between racial miniorities, students from low-income families, and their peers, the remarks state, although there needs to be a lot more action before educational opportunity is truly equal. In far too many schools, we still offer [some students] lessless access to the best teachers, less access to the most challenging courses, less access to art and music, and less access to the resources necessary to thrive, King said. He noted that the most affluent students are about six times more likely to graduate from college than low-income students, for example, and some folks predict a black male is more likely to go to prison than to get a bachelors degree. It seems that civil rights advocates are already poised to take King up on his suggestions. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, for example, is already working to give its coalition members a seat at the table as states develop their accountability plans . Its unclear how much of Kings role in pushing for equity will come from using the bully pulpit of his officeas he planned to do in the speechand how much will come from the process of regulating on ESSA and approving state systems. During a recent public meeting, advocates for state and district K-12 officials urged the department to use a light touch when it comes to regulating on the new law . And its unclear how the new restrictions on federal power in ESSA will play out . But it is clear from the speech where Kings heart is. Persistent opportunity gaps undermine equality, he said. As [civil rights activist] Julian Bond once said, Violence is black children going to school for 12 years and receiving six years of education. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . In an attempt to bolster the customization of lessons offered to individual students, one of the countrys largest and oldest online schools is partnering with Knewton, a prominent educational data-analytics company. Founded in 1997, the Florida Virtual School is defined as a public school district by state law. The system serves nearly 6,000 full time students, and over 200,000 part time studentsits enrollment having been helped by a state requirement that all public school students to take at least one online class. Florida Virtual School officials say their program has been attempting to incorporate personalized learning in lessons for years. But leaders of the school say they wanted a better understanding of how students interact with their software and what strategies could be employed by teachers and curriculum directors to more effectively reach students. After reviewing proposals from various bidders to provide the service, the Florida Virtual School chose Knewton to help curate the schools contentbeginning with the virtual providers geometry course. The goal is to personalize at a more sophisticated level, according to school curriculum director Jill Barnes, and offer course material in more granular pieces of content, making lessons more remix-able and offering teachers a wider array of tools. Education Weeks Ben Herold has reported extensively on Knewtons ambitious efforts to create digital learner profiles, and the promise and controversy surrounding the companys platform. Critics have questioned whether schools will end up putting too much faith in the analytics used by systems like Knewton, and if those systems are putting students in overly rigid, pre-existing categories, in an effort to tailor lessons based on data. Others worry about whether ambitious data-analytics platforms will sufficiently protect data privacy. Students enrolled in a Florida Virtual School course can set their own schedule, provided they make weekly academic progress. Rather than attending classes in a traditional, brick-and-mortar location, learning is done online. Teachers provide students with one-on-one help by phone, text, email and video-chat. Proponents of online learning say that it provides flexible and targeted academic options for students who struggle in a traditional school setting, and that students can obtain a curriculum tailored to a students pace of learning. Others are skeptical of the quality of many online programs. They point to critical studies of the performance of online charter schools and caution that too much emphasis on online learning at the expense of classroom time can hurt student outcomes. A spokesperson for the Florida Virtual School said its agreement with Knewton could pay the company more than $1.3 million over the next three years dependent upon the number of Knewton-powered courses FLVS decides to deliver and the number of students taking Knewton powered courses at FLVS. The school and company decided to begin by focusing on overhauling the virtual schools geometry course because of the large amount of content the school has accumulated in the subject, and the numerous opportunities it offers for formative assessmentsa key ingredient for Knewtons data-hungry algorithms. Barnes said that Knewton was chosen in part because their data-analytics services should integrate easily into Florida Virtual Schools online platform. Knewtons decision to sign the Student Privacy Pledge was also factor, she said. Despite her optimism, Barnes recognizes that learning goals are different in different subjects and that attempts to use data-analytics to personalize learning in a geometry class may not fit an English class. She emphasized that the school sees the partnership as one ingredient that goes into a successful learning experience. The partnership is intended to strengthen the arsenal of tools available to parents and teachers in their relationships with studentswhich Barnes says remains foundational to effective learning. The partnership in many ways reflects the growing interest in K-12 systems in personalized learning , a somewhat amorphous term widely used among vendors and educators today. Personalized learning is sometimes defined as efforts to allow schools to customize lessons to challenge students who are ready to move quickly through advanced material, or slow the pace for students who are struggling or prefer to move more methodically. See also: (Left to right) Public Works Director Mark Lymperopulos, Norridge Mayor James Chmura, and Public Works Department employee Joseph Spain at Village Hall on Jan. 13. (Joanna Skupien / Handout) The following items were discussed and/or action was taken at the Norridge Village Board meeting Wednesday, Jan. 13. Basilico Restaurant looks to expand Advertisement The Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to consider a request on Feb. 1 on behalf of Albert Bruno, owner of Basilico Ristorante, to rezone the east portion of the Cumberland Professional Center property at 4701 N. Cumberland Ave. The commercial retail building houses the restaurant along with a chiropractor, a DUI counseling center, an insurance company and a dental office. Bruno has asked the village to allow additional uses for the property, including new types of businesses and an expansion of his restaurant. Advertisement A permanent cosmetics company recently applied for a special use permit to open in the building. The Zoning Board of Appeals will consider that request March 7. The Village Board referred both requests to the zoning board during the Jan. 13 board meeting. Winners of holiday light contest announced There were no losers in the village of Norridge's 2015 holiday decorating contest: The only four families who entered their homes in the contest last month were named winners during the Jan. 13 Village Board meeting. Each year, the village challenges residents who decorate their homes for the holidays to submit photos of their holiday decor for a chance to win bragging rights as the best-decorated home in town. "We only had four people enter, so we awarded all four as winners," said Douglass Strempek, IT coordinator for the village. Strempek said the village would notify residents earlier next year in hopes of getting more entries. The winning families are the Kesseg family on the 8000 block of West Leland Avenue, the Szaflik family on the 4300 block of North Osceola Avenue, the Nowicka family on the 4400 block of North Oriole Avenue, and the Loftus family on the 8600 block of West Argyle Avenue. Advertisement Public works employees celebrate 25th year in Norridge Two longtime village employees were recognized by the Village Board for 25 years of service to the village. Director of Public Works Mark Lymperopulos and laborer/plumber Joseph Spain were honored by Mayor James Chmura at Village Hall on Jan. 13 in front of a room filled with supporters who helped celebrate the anniversary during a short reception held after the regular board meeting. Touting Lymperopulos and Spain for being dedicated to their jobs, Chmura praised their work clearing the streets during the winter and fixing water main breaks in a timely manner. "To me, we're the best village when it comes to snow removal and water main breaks," Chmura said. "I know people get a little aggravated when they get up in the morning and the water's off, but give these guys two hours and it's fixed." Contracts/payments approved Advertisement The village of Norridge entered into a one-year contract with ProShred Security of Tinley Park for paper shredding services through January 2017. Seven containers are set up around town where residents can safely dispose of paperwork with sensitive information. Under the contract approved during the Jan. 13 Village Board meeting, ProShred picks up the containers once every six weeks at a cost of $72 per pick-up, according to the village. The village renewed its current agreement with Municipal GIS Partners for an additional year at a cost of $39,156. The village renewed a $237,887 contract with Mesirow Financial Insurance Services of Chicago for an insurance policy covering village property, casualty and worker's compensation. An annual risk management fee of $15,600 was paid to Sam Jantelezio Insurance Consultants of Norridge. Village approves requests for disabled parking spots The Norridge Village Board approved two requests from residents for handicapped parking designations on residential streets. Advertisement The "disabled parking" signs will be installed on the 4100 block of North Odell Avenue and on the 4000 block of North Ozanam Avenue. New officer joins police department The Village Board accepted a recommendation from acting Police Chief David Disselhorst to hire Bartlomiej Borowiec as a full-time probationary police officer at a salary of $59,000. Next board meeting to be held in February The next Village Board meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 10 at Village Hall, 4000 N. Olcott Ave. Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. The winner of OPRF's 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest, freshman Morgan Varnado, reads his work to students during an assembly at the high school Jan. 15. (Jon Langham / Pioneer Press) When Morgan Varnado was looking for a song that celebrates diversity, his mother Tricia had what turned out to be an award-winning suggestion. Varnado, a freshman at Oak Park and River Forest High School, chose "Black Man" by Stevie Wonder as the inspiration to write his essay for a contest at the school. Advertisement "I had never heard the song before and looked up the lyrics online," Varnado said. "The song already touches on some things I wanted to write about and it definitely helped me in making the main points." This year's OPRF essay contest asked students to describe a song that they felt celebrated diversity. After winning first prize in the contest, Varnado read his essay to the entire student body during OPRF's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Assembly Jan. 15. Advertisement In his piece, Varnado wrote about the song touching on the lack of equality in the United States and the absence of people of color in history books. "At the end of the song, it transitions into a school setting where teachers are asking questions to students," Varnado said. "Asian, black, Native American, Hispanic people and more all contribute to making America great. All people deserve justice." Varnado compares the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin with the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, and spoke of the importance of continuing to work towards Dr. King's dream. "These cases show that history has repeated itself because we live in an unjust society," Varnado said. "In the song, Stevie Wonder says the world was made for all people. These ideas mirror the ideals that Dr. Martin Luther King held throughout his lifetime, that all people, no matter their differences, are equal. Even though America is closer to these ideals than when Martin Luther King Jr. was alive, we still have a long way to go." Science teacher and OPRF graduate John Costopoulos wrote a teacher's essay for the assembly, and spoke of King's bravery and role during the civil rights movement. "Dr. King said 'No matter where I go, I feel someone's got a gun pointed at me,'" Costopoulos read. "What bravery. He clearly knew the risks. He did not flinch, he did not hide and he did not retreat. Instead, day after day, he faced, head-on, a centuries-old onslaught of ignorance and bigotry. His actions served to form and inspire billions of people the world over." For the fourth year in a row, the high school and the Oak Park Regional Housing Center partnered to sponsor the contest. Sophomore Grace Johnson, who won the contest last year, took home second place, while junior Sydney Jackson was awarded third place. Each student finalist received a cash prize. Advertisement sschering@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @steveschering Two Park Ridge restaurants failed a routine health department inspection last year, while a third was hit with a fine for opening its doors without addressing a reported rodent problem, a city health officer said. A Park Ridge Herald-Advocate review of sanitation inspection scores for roughly 125 Park Ridge food service establishments shows failing grades were given to Eggsperience, 90 N. Northwest Highway, and to Affresco, 11 N. Northwest Highway, during 2015. Scores below 60 percent are considered failing. Advertisement The restaurants' scores were the result of alleged violations within multiple areas deemed critical by the inspectors, inspection reports indicate. These areas include the temperature of cooked or cooling foods, employee hygiene, sanitation of equipment, a proper hot water source, pest and rodent activity, the storage of toxic chemicals and cross contamination of foods, inspection reports indicate. Breakfast establishment Eggsperience received a score of 55 percent on Oct. 29, after an inspection noted improper food temperatures, the appearance of fruit flies in the kitchen and dry storage areas, and a lack of soap in the employee restroom, according to a sanitation report. An employee was also reportedly seen handling ready to eat toast with bare hands when tongs or gloves are required, the report said. Advertisement In May, the restaurant was ticketed and fined twice for improper food temperatures, according to documents provided by the city's Department of Environmental Health. On May 15, an inspection noted that cold cheese and tomatoes were 54 degrees and 51 degrees, respectively, when the temperature is required to be 41 degrees and below, according to Environmental Health Officer Tim Schwarz. A second follow-up visit on Nov. 16 noted that all critical violations had been corrected and the restaurant was told to continue with pest control practices, a report said. Eggsperience has failed inspections in 2010, 2011 and 2014, according to reports. In the spring 2011, the restaurant was fined $2,000 for alleged "repeated offenses" involving food safety and sanitation, Schwarz said at the time. A message left with Eggsperience owner Nick Sakoufakis was not returned Friday. Affresco, 11 N. Northwest Highway in Park Ridge. (Jennifer Johnson / Pioneer Press) Just down the block, Affresco, an Italian-American restaurant, received a 59 percent score during a Dec. 1 inspection, according to the report. Improper food temperatures, fruit flies visible in the kitchen and basement, a toxic spray bottle on a bar rack, a broken soap dispenser at an employee sink, and a lack of soap and paper towels at another employee sink were noted in the inspection report. Fruit flies were reportedly observed during a follow-up visit, but a second inspection on Dec. 29 noted that all violations had been corrected, according to reports. Sergio Lazzara, executive chef and owner of Affresco for the last nine years, said the violations were in large part the result of an inspection that occurred "after a busy rush" and are not an indication of how the restaurant normally operates. Advertisement "All these little things ended up giving us a very negative look," Lazzara told the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate. "It's not a true reflection of the restaurant. At any time, I'm very proud of bringing anybody into the restaurant. "I'm very proud of my kitchen, my dishwashing area," Lazzara added. "Every single area of the restaurant is immaculate." In May, the restaurant received an 83 percent score. Previous scores going back to 2012 ranged from a low of 33 percent to a high of 81 percent, according to inspection reports. Thai Golden Elephant, 712 Higgins Road in Park Ridge. (Jennifer Johnson / Pioneer Press) Thai Golden Elephant, 712 Higgins Road, did not fail either of its two inspections in 2015, but it was ordered closed in December after evidence of rat activity in the restaurant was discovered, Schwarz said. The restaurant, which received scores of 76 percent and 81 percent during 2015 inspections, was closed by the city on Dec. 8, but Schwarz said it reopened the following day without approval from health inspectors, which resulted in a $2,500 fine. Thai Golden Elephant remained closed until Dec. 15, Schwarz added. A phone call to Thai Golden Elephant seeking comment was not returned. Advertisement Mariano's, 1900 S. Cumberland Ave., scored 76 percent during a spring inspection and 83 percent during a summer inspection. Those scores were an improvement over two consecutive failing grades in 2014, but the grocery store ended 2015 with a 63 percent during a Dec. 15 inspection, according to a report. The sanitation report noted temperature problems at the hot food bar and in the deli, soiled floors in the deli and bakery, standing water in the meat and produce coolers, an inaccessible hand sink for employees at the juice bar and toxic spray bottles stored on a food preparation table. James Hyland, vice president of corporate communications for Roundy's Inc., the parent company of Mariano's, said a corrective plan of action was developed last year in response to the 2014 failing grades. "All deficiencies were corrected and a detailed plan for future monitoring was presented and approved by the city," Hyland wrote in an email to the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate, noting that the store passed the next two inspections. Store management and Roundy's food safety department will be presenting another correction plan to the city "in the near term," Hyland said. "We subscribe to very high standards for food safety and sanitation at Mariano's and any violation of those standards is unacceptable," he wrote. "We will take quick action to correct any deficiencies outlined in the report and continue to work closely with the city of Park Ridge until all violations have been resolved in order to ensure we continue to deliver the experience our customers have come to expect from Mariano's." Overall, the vast majority of Park Ridge food service establishments earned inspection scores above 70 percent, according to data provided by the city's department of environmental health. The average score for all establishments was 88.7 percent. Advertisement "They know we have high expectations," Schwarz said of business owners and managers. One of the best turn-arounds, Schwarz said, has been Wally's Gyros, which averaged a 91 percent in 2015. In 2012 and 2013, the restaurant, which is still under the same ownership, had an average score of 74 percent, reports showed. The 2014 average was 75 percent. Inspections are conducted one to three times per year at all restaurants, lunchrooms, grocery stores, convenience stores and public kitchens in the city. Eateries at greater risk for food-borne illness, based on the way food is prepared, are inspected three times per year. Most restaurants receive two to three inspections, while shops like Walgreens, WineStyles, and the city's two Shell gas stations, which sell largely prepackaged foods, are inspected once. "Residents should feel safe eating here," Schwarz said. "We might be known as being stricter than most municipalities, but we do it for a reason so that the food is safe." jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @Jen_Pioneer It can take years of effort for educators and researchers to identify an intervention that really, truly improves student achievement, so its a source of universal frustration that even the strongest, most promising effects tend to vanish after a few years. This week Inside School Research is looking at new research projects trying to understand what causes fade-out in education programs, to rethink how we evaluate the length of a programs benefits, and to identify the types of interventions that may have long-lasting effects for children. The Institute of Education Sciences today announced more than $26 million in grants to create a network of teams around the country focused on finding ways to stop preschool benefits from fading over the elementary grades. We believe these networks will lead to important advances in early-childhood education, said Thomas Brock, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Research, which is part of IES. The idea is for the network teams to develop a deeper understanding of problems and solutions surrounding the issue, and then share what they have learned with policymakers and practitioners to improve teaching and learning for all students. Six Early-Education Research Sites Tapped The Early Learning Network grantees will conduct a series of interconnected studies of fade-out of early-education benefits: The first group of studies will analyze interactions among state-, local-, and school-level policies and program decisions and how they affect the ways an intervention plays out in different classrooms and grades. Next, researchers will try to identify factors that seem to change how well classroom practices affect outcomes for children in different types of communities, such as in rural versus urban schools. Finally, the researchers will try to identify whether those factors lead to different effects in the short and long term, as well as whether they affect students transitions into school or between grades. All of the learning that we measure in our academic programs and research, they dont just stem from one experience or one setting, said Susan Sheridan, of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, who has a $2 million grant to lead the research network. Most prior longitudinal evaluations that have looked for potential causes of fading benefits have focused on whether a student in a program like Head Start continued to receive support over time, as he or she transitioned from year to year in school, Sheridan noted. But I think also important and much less studied are the continuities over place or space, across the different learning environments in which a student finds him- or herself, such as after-school activities, friend groups, or a students home environment, Sheridan said. One of the tantalizing questions is, how do these environments align, and does that alignment predict outcomes differentially? Within the research network, Sheridan also was awarded a $4.5 million grant to study early-learning policies and programs in Nebraska. JoAnn Hsueh, of MDRC, Laura Justice, of the Ohio State University , and Robert Pianta, of the University of Virginia, also received $4.5 million each to study Ohio, Boston, and Fairfax County, Va., public schools, respectively, and Margaret Burchinal, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, received $4 million to study early-education programs in rural North Carolina. Carol Connor, of the University of California, Irvine, also received $2 million to develop an observation system for studying early-childhood classrooms. Persistence Remains a Perennial Puzzle It makes sense to start with early-childhood education, which has proven particularly nettlesome for educators when it comes to holding onto immediate gains. Benefits found for the federal Head Start program, Tennessees voluntary prekindergarten , and even the famous Perry Preschool Project all showed significant early academic gains for students that regressed over the early elementary years. Perry Preschools academic gains dropped by more than half from age 5, shortly after students left the program, to age 8. Similarly, in a recent evaluation of Tennessees voluntary pre-K , economist Dale Farran of the Center on Children and Families, and Mark Lipsey, the director of Vanderbilt Universitys Peabody Research Institute, found that early benefits of the preschool reversed themselves by 3rd grade. The researchers noted that the virtual ink on our recently released report was barely dry before pre-K advocates were vigorously building a firebreak around these results .... But following a secondary study bolstering the evidence of fade-out, the researchers hypothesized that school districts may simply not have been following up on the hard-won growth of the students who attended preschool: There is some as yet poorly understood interaction between the pre-K experience and the experience the children have in subsequent grades that fails to carry forward the momentum they gained in pre-K. ...Rather than building enthusiasm for learning, confidence in their abilities, and a foundational understanding of literacy and math, the programs may only be teaching children how to behave in school, an enthusiasm that fades with repeated exposure. Comprehensive and highly regarded programs such as Perry and the Abecedarian programs followed their students for decadeslong enough so that so-called sleeper benefits emerged, such as participants having higher high school graduation rates and lower adult crime ratesbut it remains difficult to find the path through the fading early results to the later benefits. Its really nice that Abecedarian and Perry showed these later-emerging effects on life outcomes, but we dont have a great understanding of why, said Drew Bailey, an assistant education professor studying fade-out at the University of California, Irvine. Education researchers need to take a little bit more seriously what targets we should be aiming at. We say things like, math is important, everyone agrees; it predicts important life outcomes, and therefore, [they focus on] how can we best teach kids math. We go too quickly with that first part. Why did Perry [Preschool] result in important life outcomes? Was it because students knew more math, or their personalities changed, or Perry reduced some risks and improved opportunities at a critical time in their development? Its probably some combination of all that. Tomorrow well look at what we can learn from autopsies of interventions lost, and how it might change the way educators should think of success in evaluating programs. Related: Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist and his wife, Deborah, arrive at the Federal Courthouse in Hammond in September for their federal corruption trial. (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune) Former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist has reached a deal with federal attorneys to plead guilty in one criminal case and to stop fighting his conviction in another. According to a plea agreement filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Hammond, Soderquist admits he helped his stepdaughter, Miranda Brakley, hide that she stole more than $5,000 in court bond money from the city by helping her get a $15,000 loan from someone else. He faces up to five years in prison for pleading guilty to one count of acting as an accessory after the fact. Advertisement As part of the deal, Soderquist will drop his fight in a separate criminal case in which a federal jury convicted him in September of using money from his campaign fund and Lake Station's food pantry on dozens of gambling trips to Michigan. Soderquist and his wife, Deborah Soderquist, who was also convicted, had filed a motion for a new trial, arguing that U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano fell asleep at least twice during the two-week long trial. Advertisement Both Soderquists have agreed to drop that motion and waive all their appeal rights in that case. In return, federal attorneys are dropping all charges against Deborah Soderquist in the case involving her daughter, and they will recommend that Keith Soderquist serve his sentences in both cases concurrently. They will also recommend he serve the minimum of the recommended federal sentencing guideline range in the case involving Brakley and that he serve within the guideline range for the other case. The guideline range will be determined at the sentencing hearing. Brakley has also agreed to plead guilty to one count of theft from a program receiving federal funds. She faces up to 10 years in prison, although she could avoid jail time entirely. In return, the government will drop a second count of lying on her bankruptcy filing. The agreements for both Soderquists stipulate that all three defendants must abide by their agreement for the mayor and his wife to receive the benefits of their own agreements. Scott King, attorney for the Soderquists, said that the plea agreements came after concerns about the health of both Deborah Soderquist and Brakley. "We thought there was an opportunity at trial here," he said. "But both have health issues." The mayor was concerned and protective of them, King said. "Frankly I've got a great deal of respect for him," he said. Thomas Vanes, attorney for Brakley, declined to comment on the agreement. Advertisement A change of plea hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. The agreements appear to end the legal saga of the Soderquists. Trouble first became public when then-Mayor Soderquist and then-Lake Station City Judge Chris Anderson got into a public fight over Brakley in June 2012 after Anderson fired her from her job as a court clerk. Soderquist and the Lake Station City Council wrested control of all the court clerks from Anderson, placing them under the clerk-treasurer, but a Lake County judge later reversed the move after Anderson filed a lawsuit. The Indiana State Board of Accounts later reported Brakley never deposited about $16,000 of bond money into the court's bank account. She returned the money by December 2012, claiming she had mistakenly taken it with her other belongings when she was fired and that it had sat in her vehicle ever since. FBI agents would then raid City Hall in 2013, and federal attorneys filed charges against the Soderquists and Brakley in the spring of 2014. Keith Soderquist ended up losing to Anderson in the May 2015 Democratic mayoral primary. tauch@post-trib.com Xiao Gang, chairman of China's Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). [Xinhua] China's Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) Monday refuted a Reuters' report that Xiao Gang, chairman of CSRC, has offered to resign, and the commission said it has asked Reuters to make a correction. In a Reuters' report on Monday, the news service quoted unidentified sources as saying that the 57-year-old chairman tendered his resignation last week after his brainchild - a circuit breaker' mechanism to limit stock market losses - was blamed for exacerbating a sharp sell-off. Xiao delivered a lengthy speech at the authority's annual work meeting on Saturday in which he said the market rout since the summer had exposed many loopholes and deficiencies. In his speech, the chairman vowed that the regulator would learn from its past mistakes. The commission has come under growing criticism from investors for its handling of the stock market turmoil. China's A-share market plummeted at the start of the year after rebounding from a 34 percent loss in the summer. The benchmark index tumbled 18 percent in less than two weeks, closing in on the technical measure of a bear market (20 percent). You are here: Home Flash Israel and India agreed Monday to intensify cooperation in a broad range of fields including security and cyber, following a meeting between top Indian and Israeli politicians. "India attaches the highest importance to the full development of wide-ranging ties with Israel," India's External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, told the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement released by Netanyahu's office. Swaraj arrived in Israel on Sunday, following a one-day visit to Ramallah, where she met with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. She said that bilateral cooperation between Israel and India has developed well in several areas over the past two decades, "but the potential of our relations is much more." Netanyahu told her that Israel wanted "maximum cooperation with India, in all areas." They agreed to enhance cooperation in security and cyber, science and technology, research and innovation, and agriculture and water, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said. "They also discussed the intention to increase cooperation via the business sector in both countries," according to the office. Diplomatic relations between the two countries kicked off in 1951 after India agreed to acknowledge the newly-formed Jewish state. The relations have deepened over the past year, with several large weapons deals signed in 2015. Today, Israel is India's second-largest security supplier, according to official Indian figures. Flash China is ready to help supporting the development and diversification of the Algerian economy, Chinese Ambassador to Algeria Yang Guangyu said on Monday. "We are confident in the economic future and we are ready to support the strategy of economic diversification in Algeria," Yang Guangyu told a press conference at the embassy in Algiers. Algerian government is struggling to diversify the country's economy which is still dependent on oil revenues. Oil prices have witnessed spectacular drop, going from around 110 dollars a barrel in June 2014 to under 30 dollars, which forced the government to adopt an austerity plan, to counter the imminent financial crisis. The ambassador recalled the commitment of Chinese President Xi Jinping who announced at the China-Africa Summit held earlier in South Africa the financial support of up to 60 billion dollars for the next three years to support Sino-African economic cooperation projects. "China appreciates the efforts and measures taken by the Algerian authorities to improve the investment environment. We believe that we must try to go beyond simple trade to develop a genuine industrial partnership," the Chinese diplomat said. In terms of international trade, China was ranked Algeria's largest supplier in 2014 with 8.2 billion dollars, from a total of 58.3 billion dollars of imports bill, dethroning thus France for the second year in a row. Some 790 Chinese companies are operating in Algeria in the fields of public works and construction, in addition to energy and trade. More than 35,000 Chinese are working in this North African nation. Flash Somalia has vowed to step up efforts to eliminate Islamist group Al-Shabaab following last Friday's attack on an African Union (AU) army base in its southern Gedo region. Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke on Monday said the attacks by "remnants of Al-Shabaab" would not prevent the government from eradicating the group. "Evidently the terrorist group is faced with mounting pressure in their small hideaway pockets which is a result of the well planned military operations carried out by the Somali National Army and the AMISOM (AU Mission in Somalia) troops," Sharmake said in a statement issued in Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab claims to have killed 100 Kenyan soldiers and captured 12 others in the attack. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed his country lost soldiers but the exact number of casualties is not yet known. Thirty-four Kenyan soldiers injured in the attack have been flown home for treatment. "I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the families of the gallant soldiers who lost their lives, and to the people and government of Kenya," Sharmake said. He said the Somali and AU troops have intensified ground and air operations in El-Adde where the attack took place. The attack is described as the worst since Kenya sent its troops to battle Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia in 2011. Al-Shabaab usually exaggerates the death toll of their attacks, while AMISOM rarely gives the exact numbers. Flash Twenty-two victims of last Friday's attack on the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou have been identified, Burkina Faso's Interior Security Minister Simon Compaore said on Sunday. The victims include seven Burkinabes, four Canadians, three Ukrainians, two Swiss nationals, one American, one Dutch, one Libyan and one Portuguese, Campaore revealed. The attack carried out by Al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) left at least 29 people dead and 30 others injured. Security operation freed over 150 hostages and killed four attackers, according to the minister. He said of the killed assailants, two were light skinned and one was dark skinned. As well as the luxury hotel frequented by foreigners, a cafe and another nearby hotel were targeted. Campaore said the government had reinforced security across the country following the attack. He also urged the citizens not to verbally or physically attack people in Islamic dress. "Following the barbaric attack by the jihadists allied to the Al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), some angry civilians began attacking people with a long beard or those who had covered their heads with scarfs," Compaore said. He called on the public to "have confidence in the national authorities and to trust the defense and security forces were doing everything possible to secure the entire national territory." Eyewitnesses say the assailants were seen in a mosque behind the Splendid Hotel before the attack took place. AQIM claims it carried out the attack on a hotel in Bamako, capital of the neighbouring Mali, in November last year, killing 19 people. Are we about to see a long-awaited truce in the school lunch wars? The Senate agriculture committee is set to mark up a bill next week that would reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act, the federal law that includes guidelines for the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs. The last overhaul of the law, in 2010, authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set stricter standards for school meal programs. Those standardswhich required schools to serve more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and to limit calories, fats, and salthave been met with resistance from some who argue they are too restrictive and costly to implement. Among those groups is the School Nutrition Association, which has lobbied on behalf of its members to loosen the rules. But defenders of the standards, championed by first lady Michelle Obama, say they are necessary to curb rates of childhood obesity. Advocacy and industry groups alike have awaited text of the committees bill to see what kind of compromise (if any) would result from the multi-year food fight on Capitol Hill. While I dont have any draft language to share, the School Nutrition Association posted on its website today the outlines of a compromise it says will be included in the bill. Here are the details, according to the SNA: Salt School meal sodium restrictions are set to go into effect gradually , with Target II, the next phase, going into effect in 2017. But some school meal providers have said the rules make it difficult to cook palatable meals that appeal to students. Under the compromise, schools will have until 2019 to meet Target II restrictions, the SNA says. Whole Grains Cafeteria supervisors have said its difficult to meet current rules that require all grain products be whole-grain. Thats because its difficult to find products like pastas that are whole-grain, they said. Recognizing this, the USDA has offered some flexibility on the rule. Under the proposed compromise, only 80 percent of grain items offered would have to be whole-grain rich, the SNA says. Fruits and Vegetables The SNA has said some students dont eat the fresh fruits and vegetables schools are required to give them under the existing rules. This leads to an excess of plate waste, the organization said. Some have pushed to change the rules to require schools to offer the items but not to make students take them. That change isnt included in the compromise, SNA says. Rather, the bill would require federal agencies to clarify that things like sharing tablesthrough which students can offer food they dont want to their peersare safe. Some local health inspectors had questioned the practice, the SNA says. Competitive Foods Rules that went into effect in 2014 regulate, for the first time ever, the foods schools offer throughout the school day , even those that arent served on the lunch line. The rules apply to school fundraisers, vending machines, and items served on a la carte lines. (Bonus! Try my quiz to see if you can guess which foods are allowed in school vending machines under the rules.) Schools complained that the rules made students less likely to purchase a la carte foods, which they have long used to help balance their budgets. The compromise will form a working group that will examine the restrictions and recommend permissible foods for a la carte lines, the SNA says. Whats Not in the Compromise? An increase in reimbursements for school meals is not part of the agreement, SNA says: SNA had requested an increase in the federal reimbursement rate for school meals to help schools offset the higher cost of meeting new nutrition standards. When the regulations were released, USDA estimated increased food and labor costs under the new rules would amount to a 10 cent increase in the cost of preparing every lunch and 27 cent increase in the cost of preparing every breakfast. Congress provided schools an additional 6 cents for each lunch served, but no extra funding for breakfast. As a result, schools are financially struggling under the regulations, as indicated by a recent SNA survey." Photo: Leonardo Guerra, who works for a food vendor, holds a school lunch tray featuring his companys whole wheat tortillas at the School Nutrition Association conference in Boston earlier this month. The U.S. Department of Agricultures nutritional standards for schools, which took effect in 2012, require schools to serve more fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains and to limit calories, fat, and sodium in their federally subsidized meals.--Charles Krupa/AP Related reading on school lunches: Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox. Flash In the militancy-plagued Afghanistan, people from all walks of life have welcomed holding the second round of the four-nation talks on Afghan peace process to bring Taliban outfit into negotiating table and find political settlement to the country's protracted conflict. Aimed at working out a roadmap to find a political solution to lingering crisis in the country, the conference is attended by Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States of America opened in Kabul on Monday. "I am looking with optimism that the four-nation conference would eventually find ways for bringing Taliban and government to negotiating table and bring to end the conflict in Afghanistan," a Kabul resident, Ahmad Wali told Xinhua. "The reason that I am hopeful about the four-nation talks on Afghan peace process is participation of the representatives from China and United States of America," Wali said, adding that presence of China and U.S. can bolster the peace process and ultimately ushers to peace in the country. Even a street vendor, Abdul Karim, in talks with Xinhua expressed support to the four-nation talks and stated, "this time the conference for searching peace in Afghanistan is utterly different to the previous ones as China and America can serve as guarantors of peace in the country." Similarly, Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani in his opening remarks at the conference pointed out that Afghans are hopeful that the participation and involvement of the U.S. and China could take the talks into result-oriented one and eventually led to lasting peace in their war-torn country. Rabbani also called upon Taliban militants to join the peace process and said, "let us solve all the differences through negotiations." Taliban militants fighting the government to regain power, have yet to express readiness for joining the proposed peace talks. Meanwhile, Chairman Mushrano Jirga or Upper House of Afghan parliament, Fazal Hadi Muslimyar expressed support to the second round of the four-nation conference and told the upper house on Sunday with optimism that the quadrilateral meeting could find political solution to protracted crisis in the country. A senior member of the government-backed peace body the High Peace Council (HPC) Mohammad Ismeal Qasimyar, in talks with local media at the eve of talks on Sunday, expressed optimism over the four-nation meeting, saying there are considerable changes in Pakistan's behavior towards Afghanistan and that could help the talks to deliver. Families that live far from schools in Alaska are increasingly enrolling in distance-learning home-school programs , especially in the midst of winter when traveling to school can be challenging, according to a story by Alaskas Peninsula Clarion. The Interior Distance Education of Alaska (IDEA), a home-school program based out of the Galena City School District in west Alaska, has seen its statewide enrollment rise by about 5 percent each year for the past five years. There is no mandated curriculum, so parents can choose what to teach their children. Students are still required to take state assessments. Suzanne Alioto, a field representative for the program, told the Peninsula Clarion that the program eases travel challenges for rural students and also provides families with more control over education. Parents want a more active part in their childrens education, and at IDEA it is a public school but we are still giving parents all their rights and all their own curriculum they want to use, she said. Experts have called for a new model for the 62 percent of Alaskas schools that are rural, which is one of the highest percentages in the country . In 2014, Diane Hirshberg, director of the Center for Alaska Education Policy Research , said that Alaskas rural schools should create an engaging and hands-on Alaska specific curriculum. She also said that schools need to offer vocational, technical, and college prep programs to prepare students for post-high school opportunities, including such options as attending college or taking over a family business. More than 28 percent of students in Alaska attend rural schools. In the past few years, several small, rural schools in Alaska have closed due to shrinking enrollments, which means some students have to travel even longer distances to attend another school. Nationwide, rural students represent the highest percentage of the home-schooled population , although that number has decreased since 2007. In 2012, 3.6 percent of rural students were home-schooled, compared to 2.3 percent of students living in towns, and 1.6 percent of suburban students. In 2007, nearly 5 percent of rural students were home-schooled. Qian Renfeng wipes away tears on Dec 21, the day her conviction was overturned by the Yunnan Provincial High People's Court. The 30-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment 13 years ago after being wrongfully convicted of poisoning children. Photos provided to China Daily Changes to China's judicial system are designed to eradicate physical and psychological torture, coercion and other illegal methods of obtaining information and confessions. Cao Yin reports. For many women, their 20s are the best years of their lives, as they hold down a decent job, fall in love or help to raise a family. For Qian Renfeng, her 20s were a struggle; she spent the entire decade in prison, serving time for a crime she did not commit. "I lost my best years in prison, but thanks to efforts of my family members and lawyer, the slate was eventually wiped clean," said Qian, who was sentenced to life imprisonment when she was 17 after being wrongfully convicted of poisoning children. On Dec 21, her conviction was quashed by the Yunnan Provincial High People's Court, 13 years after she was jailed. The court described the case against Qian, now 30, as "flawed". Qian's case wasn't the only one to make headlines in December. Chen Man, who was given a suspended death sentence for murder and arson, stood trial a second time at a court in Hainan province in an attempt to prove his innocence after serving 16 years in jail. Chen's case is ongoing. Both said they had provided false confessions after being tortured during interrogation. According to Yuan Ningning, a legal researcher at Beijing Normal University, the use of torture was commonplace during interrogations in the 1980s and '90s, one of the main reasons for the high rate of miscarriages of justice during the closing decades of the last century. "At that time, the police had little awareness of human rights protection; they pursued a high clear-up rate, and their investigative skills were inadequate," Yuan said. He said violent interrogation has become rarer as China moves further along the road of rule of law, and the regulations to prevent coercion and torture have been strengthened since 2012, when the country's top leadership made revision of the legal process a top priority. Since then, a series of measures has been introduced to eradicate torture, such as stronger judicial interpretations of what constitutes admissible evidence and a stipulation that all interviews must be recorded in their entirety, he said. In 2014 alone, the revisions resulted in 778 convictions being overturned after evidence was ruled insufficient or inaccurate, according to a work report published by the Supreme People's Court, the nation's top court. He Jiahong, a law professor at Renmin University of China who specializes in the study of evidence and its collection, said special attention should be paid to new forms of psychological torture, and regulations should be drawn up to ban them. A train pulls into a station in Luoyang city, Henan province, June 30, 2015. [Photo / IC] China Railway International Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China Railway Corp Group, and a consortium of Indonesian state-owned companies, will start constructing a $5.5 billion high-speed railway line from Jakarta to Bandung on Thursday. The construction of Indonesia's first high-speed railway currently is awaiting the approval of its detailed engineering design and environmental impact analysis. China Railway Corp, the country's railway operator, said it will accelerate the pace of building both high-speed and regular railways in countries including Indonesia, Russia, the United States and Malaysia to compete with rivals from Japan, Germany and France. Sheng Guangzu, general manager of CRC, said the company will deploy more resources and manpower to construct big-ticket international projects such as the China-Laos railway, the China-Thailand railway, the Hungary-Serbia railway and a light rail project in Pakistan. "CRC will quicken the pace of promoting its railway standards abroad, cooperation of trans-shipment rail cargo and multi-model transportation services to develop international logistics markets, especially in markets along the Belt and Road Initiative," said Sheng. The initiative, proposed by China in 2013, is a trade and infrastructure network that includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The planned network connects Asia, Europe and Africa, and passes through more than 60 countries and regions. "Most of the countries on these trade routes, especially in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and East Europe, are planning to build new high-speed rail lines or upgrade their existing railway systems," said Zhao Jian, a professor of urban planning at Beijing Jiaotong University. Zhao said because of lower costs, these countries are keen to acquire infrastructure construction and technological support from China for daily operations, maintenance, training and other related services. China is in talks with more than 20 countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Kingdom and the US, on potential high-speed train projects. CRC and China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, the country's biggest trainmaker, is also preparing to build infrastructure facilities and export bullet trains for a high-speed rail project in Russia connecting Moscow and Kazan. The length of the line is expected to be about 770 kilometers and will run through seven Russian regions with a total population of more than 25 million. China exported railway equipment worth $4.36 billion in 2014, up 22.6 percent year-on-year, according to the General Administration of Customs. In addition, a high-speed railway project between Las Vegas and Los Angeles will be built by a joint venture formed by Chinese rail companies and XpressWest Enterprises, a US passenger rail service provider. Construction work between Nevada and California is expected to start as early as September this year, and the estimated investment for the project is $12.7 billion. In addition, a Chinese consortium led by the Third Railway Survey and Design Institute Group Corp was chosen to conduct the feasibility study on New Delhi-Mumbai rail project, a big step forward in the development of India's rail industry. China Securities Regulatory Commission Chairman Xiao Gang addresses the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong in this January 19, 2015 file picture. [Photo/Agencies] The current stock market volatility will challenge the Chinese regulator's ability to respond and implement reform, analysts said after the country's securities chief acknowledged deep flaws in the system. Xiao Gang, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, delivered a lengthy speech at the CSRC's annual work meeting on Saturday in which he said the market rout since the summer had exposed many loopholes and deficiencies. The "abnormal" volatility reflected the immaturity of the Chinese market and its investors, incomplete trading rules and an incompetent regulatory system, he said. The commission has come under growing criticism from investors for its handling of the stock market turmoil. The A-share market plummeted at the start of this year after rebounding from a 34 percent loss in the summer. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index tumbled 18 percent in less than two weeks, closing in on the technical measure of a bear market (20 percent). The controversial circuit breaker mechanism, which was suspended by the regulator just four days after its introduction, stoked further anger among investors, who said it heightened market volatility and aggravated the liquidity crunch. Analysts contacted by China Daily said Xiao's comments pointed to further reform efforts in the future to stabilize the stock market. In his speech, the chairman vowed that the regulator would learn from its past mistakes. However, this is unlikely to assuage investors' concerns in the short term, said Dong Dengxin, a finance researcher at Wuhan University of Science and Technology. "The ultimate question is how to restore the commission's role as a referee rather than a market player," he said. "That will involve reducing direct administrative intervention, and enhancing effective market oversight and regulation." A recent report by global ratings agency Moody's Investors Service Inc said the persistent volatility in the financial markets illustrates the scale of the reform challenge. "Coming soon after the stock market turmoil in mid-2015, this second episode suggests that China's authorities are finding it increasingly difficult to reconcile the tensions inherent in designing and implementing credible and effective reform measures while maintaining economic, financial and social stability," the report said. Xiao's speech also failed to calm the anxiety among retail investors, the dominant players in the A-share market. General dissatisfaction has also been highlighted by the fact that an investor from Zhejiang province, Xu Caiyuan, has filed a lawsuit against the securities commission at a court in Beijing, accusing the body of misconduct. Sinopec Group's international team work on a drilling rig in Sudan.[TONG JIANG / FOR CHINA DAILY] The year-end retreat by China Investment Corp, the country's sovereign wealth fund, from Canada's mining and oil-and-gas sectors, has raised concerns that past overseas investments of State-backed oil companies may prove duds, due to the prolonged slump in crude oil prices. After a string of bad investments overseas, CIC shifted its only office outside China from Toronto to New York at the end of 2015. The Toronto office used to manage CIC's investments in the energy sector. Since 2010, CIC invested about $1.9 billion in Canada's oil sands sector. Five years on, those investments are believed to have slipped into sharp losses. China's State-backed oil giants, including China National Offshore Oil Corporation, the country's largest offshore oil and gas producer, and Sinopec Group, Asia's largest oil refiner, too, have a large presence in Canada. But, they are reportedly either scaling back their operations or putting new investments on hold. Brion Energy, the Canadian unit of State-backed China National Petroleum Corp, also known as PetroChina, bought two oil sands projects in the MacKay River site and the Dover project for about $2.4 billion from Athabasca Oil Corp, a Canadian oil sands company. PetroChina needed to make an additional investment of about $1 billion as a result of an 18-month delay in the first phase of the MacKay River oil sands project. Chen Weidong, chief energy researcher of the CNOOC Energy Economics Institute, said high cost of early-stage exploration in unconventional fuels such as oil sands has contributed to the huge losses of Chinese companies' overseas assets. "Oil sands projects are generally more difficult and expensive to extract than conventional drilling, as it involves a mixture of sand and clay. So when the crude price kept falling, the cost of this process began to take its toll," he said. Late last year, a Toronto-Dominion Bank report said half of Canadian oil sands producers will be in deficit if the West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, a North American benchmark for crude oil price, kept falling under $44 a barrel. "Investors in the oil and gas industry need long-term positive cash flow in order to keep a certain scale of investment," Chen said. "At current crude prices, even well-established oil sands projects are struggling to make money." Other reasons include the misjudgment of the long-term trend of international crude prices and the government's push toward more energy resources in foreign countries, experts said. "Oil, as a source of fuel, is considered as a scarce resource in China, which relies heavily on oil imports. For this reason, the country is pushing oil companies to embark on huge overseas expansion plans to secure more resources," said Zhao Hongtu, a research professor at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, a government-backed think tank. Customers ride the Ferris wheel at the Toys R Us Times Square flagship store in New York.[Photo/Agencies] Toys R Us Inc, the leading toy and baby-products retailer, plans to double its number of stores in China to 200 within three years, in anticipation of a growth in business from the relaxation in the country's one-child policy. The company has opened 27 stores in China within the past year, after opening here in 2006. It now operates in 44 cities, with most new openings in smaller cities. "China has been one of the most important markets for our global expansion plans, and growth in the region is expected to continue with the planned opening of more than 30 new stores in 2016," said Monika Merz, its president, Asia Pacific. Talking at the opening of the company's 100th store in China, at the APM Shopping Mall in Beijing, Merz said the new direction would not necessarily focus on the number of new stores but on their quality, with an emphasis on educational toys. Andre Javes, its managing director in China and Southeast Asia, said interest in educational and learning toys is increasing at a faster pace in China than in other parts of the world. "Chinese parents realize that a toy is not just a reward. It has greater value including its benefits to their children's development of social skills." Despite the detrimental impact of e-commerce on bricks-and-mortar stores, Javes considers a retail brand's strengths lies in "a memorable shopping experience" being provided, which includes the combination of a wide assortment of products, exclusive items, fun store layouts, interactive in-store experiences, product displays and demonstrations. Also at the opening event, Dave Brandon, its chairman and CEO, said he considers Toys R Us' international expansion, particularly throughout China and Southeast Asia, as "an important part of our long-term growth strategy". Toys R Us formed a joint venture in 2011 with Fung Retailing Ltd, its long-term license partner in China and Southeast Asia, with the US toy giant holding the majority 70 percent stake. The following year it launched a store on the online platform Tmall.com and its own e-commerce website. China's traditional toys and games market more than doubled in value from 30.6 billion yuan ($4.65 billion) in 2008 to 67.5 billion yuan last year, and is projected to hit 86.4 billion yuan by 2017, according to Euromonitor International. Clover Wei, a senior associate at Euromonitor, said that traditional toys and games' sales growth contracted in 2014 from 2013 from 9.7 to 9 percent, which she blamed on the economic slowdown and the growing popularity of video games. Products that encouraged children to participate in outdoor activities, however, sold well in 2014, especially radio or remote-control toys and ride-on vehicles. "This is because parents are increasingly aware of the academic workload their children bear, and believe products that allow children to play outdoors can effectively relieve stress," said Wei. A stevedore works at Qingdao port in Shandong province, July 1, 2015. [Photo/IC] BEIJING - Despite downward growth pressure and recent financial market volatility, President Xi Jinping on Monday said that the country's long-term economic fundamentals remain sound. Xi made the remarks at a symposium attended by ministers and provincial officials, adding that the new normal would be the major characteristic of the economy during the 13th Five-year Plan period (2016-2020), and a necessary course the economy must go through to realize higher, more balanced development. Xi said that as the economy expands, the growth rate will moderate, thus, its structure must be adjusted while the engines of growth must be shifted. China's economy rose 6.9 percent in the third quarter of 2015, slowing slightly from 7 percent in the second quarter and its lowest quarterly growth since the global financial crisis. The economy has entered a new stage of slower but more resilient growth, which Xi calls the new normal. The essence of which is an improved economic structure that relies more on domestic consumption, the service sector and innovation. China is scheduled to release growth rates for the last quarter and the whole of 2015 on Tuesday. Xi said innovation should be made the pivot of economic development, which would help foster new engines of economic growth. He urged officials to stabilize short-term growth and plan for longer-term development, and coordinate development among different regions and the urban and rural areas. Supply-side structural reform will advance economic restructuring by means of reform measures, while reducing noneffective and low-end supply as well as expanding effective and medium-to-high-end supply to boost productivity, Xi said. A series of policy measures, especially those focusing on scientific and technological innovation, development of the real economy, and people's livelihoods, should be used to address the problems with the supply side of the economy, he added. Supply-side structural reform should focus on both supply and demand and facilitate the decisive role of the market in allocating resources, Xi said. It is crucial, Xi said, to cut overcapacity, promote industrial regrouping, reduce cost for enterprises, develop strategic emerging industries and the modern service sector, and increase the supply of public goods and services. Presiding over the symposium, Premier Li Keqiang said the economy faces increasing downward pressure amid complicated international conditions. Li called for a focus on the implementation of supply-side structural reform, identify fresh driving forces for development, and transform and upgrade traditional driving forces. Senior leaders Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli were also present at the symposium. Two YTO Express couriers cheer each other up before they go to work in Fuyang, Anhui province.[WANG BIAO / FOR CHINA DAILY] Company considering reverse merger with top garment manufacturer Dalian Dayang Trands Shanghai YTO Express (Logistics) Co Ltd, one of China's largest express delivery firms, is planning to be listed through a reverse merger with Dalian Dayang Trands Co Ltd, the top garment maker. In a statement released on Friday evening, Shanghai-listed Dayang Trands said it had reached initial agreement with YTO Express for a restructuring in which it will buy the delivery firm through the issuing of shares, as well as debt. YTO Express will eventually be owned by a new company, which will become a subsidiary of Dayang Trands, it said. A manager at the Shanghai courier's marketing department, who refused to be named, said YTO Express "is set to become a public company", although he refused to disclose any further details before the listing. YTO Express' Chairman Yu Weijiao first revealed to China Daily in October that he planned to take the firm public, without giving a timetable. Other companies from the sector have already made the move. STO Express Co Ltd listed on the A-share market in October through a reverse merger with IDC Fluid Control Co Ltd, a faucets and bathroom accessories manufacturer, becoming the nation's first listed express delivery operation. Founded in 1979, Dalian-headquartered Dayang Trands is engaged in the production and sales of mid- to high-end suits. Listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2000, it exported 6 million suits last year, and is believed to include billionaires such as Warren Buffett and Bill Gates among its customers. It suspended trading in its shares on Jan 12. It had been widely rumored YTO Express was looking to float, since May 2015 when Alibaba Group Holding Ltd announced a strategic investment in the firm, in partnership with Yunfeng Capital, a fund backed by Alibaba founder Jack Ma. In September, it bought 15 cargo aircraft from Boeing Co and after completing the stake sale in October, Alibaba took two seats on its board. Zhao Xiaomin, an expert on the express delivery industry, was quoted by Beijing Business Today as saying on Monday: "This year and next will be an important period for express delivery companies to be listed, and any that don't grasp the opportunity might be knocked out." According to the State Post Bureau, 27.5 billion packages are expected to be delivered across China this year, a 34 percent rise, but down on the 48 percent growth in 2015. Zhao said that as express-delivery growth slows, excess industry capacity might appear, and so seeking a stock market listing soon might help companies obtain a higher valuation as competition intensifies. Best Logistics Technology Co Ltd, another express delivery company, is also looking at fundraising via an IPO, worth about $700 million. Wang Ying contributed to this story. Asia Clean Capital Ltd (ACC), a renewable energy solutions provider, just announced a $40 million project finance facility from Goldman Sachs, a global investment bank. The financing facility will allow ACC to accelerate and expand the growth of its rooftop solar solutions nationwide, ACC said in an email statement on Friday. ACC's leading renewable energy solutions are focused on rooftop solar projects. The company invests 100 percent of the project costs and provides the design, engineering, equipment, government approvals, installation, and long-term maintenance of solar systems. All electricity produced through ACC's solar projects is then provided to clients at agreed rates lower than when purchased from the local power grid. ACC's project sites are typically large production facilities with electric demand from one to twenty megawatts. Goldman Sachs' financing facility will allow ACC to help multinational and leading domestic companies in the automotive, consumer goods, food & beverage, healthcare, manufacturing and technology industries to plan and execute solar programs. The investment from Goldman Sachs "signifies a substantial vote of confidence in the future of ACC and also in the fundamentals of the rooftop solar industry in China," said Thomas Lapham, CEO of ACC. "Goldman Sachs has a long-standing commitment to clean energy with a target to finance and invest $150 billion by 2025. Through this facility with Asia Clean Capital, we are able to help expand access to rooftop solar solutions and contribute to Chinas goals of accelerating renewable energy deployment," said Kyung-Ah Park, a managing director and head of the Environmental Markets Group at Goldman Sachs. Hiring demand among Chinese companies remains slow, according to a recruitment report released by global talent solutions company Hudson on Tuesday. Among 1,588 surveyed employers, 45 percent plan to add to their headcount in the first half of this year. Even though the number is slightly up from the 43 percent during the same period last year, it is still below 50 percent, which indicates relatively sluggish demand. Beijing and Shanghai are the two cities showing the highest intentions to hire. In both information technology and telecommunications show the strongest demand. At least 71 percent of IT&T employers in Shanghai said they would hire in the coming six months, while the number in Beijing is 63 percent. Despite uncertainty in the country's economy and stock market, banking and financial services show equally high hiring demand for the first half of 2016. Nearly 71 percent of banking and financial services employers in Shanghai said they have such plans. Guangzhou is second to Shanghai in this sector, with 62 percent of employers expressing a willingness to hire new staff in the first half. According to Bi Lin, general manager of Hudson Shanghai, a shift from employers looking to maintain headcount in the second half of 2015 to increasing headcount this year has been noticed. The main driver is the need of organizational growth, as 68 percent of employers named this as their No.1 reason for increasing headcount. "Employers should plan well by building a talent pipeline for critical roles to ensure they get the best talent in the market," she said. Shoppers select dried fruits at a super market in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Jan 19, 2016. [Photo/IC] One hundred major retail companies in China experienced a 0.1 percent decline in sales in 2015 compared to the previous year, marking the first negative growth since 2012, according to the China National Business Information Center. Online shopping totaled 3.8 trillion yuan (578 billon dollars), an increase of 37.2 percent compared to 2014, according to a report published by iResearch. Zhao Ping, an expert from the Advisory Committee of E-commerce of the Ministry of Commerce, said e-commerce companies are cooperating with the few competitive traditional retailers, grabbing more market share, which has put more pressure on other retail companies. As mobile Internet becomes increasingly popular, customers of traditional retailers such as the elderly have also begun to accept e-commerce platforms. Bi Guocai, president of Beijing Daoxiangcun Co. Ltd., said 85 outlets have worked with Baidu Takeaway and JD Delivery, the online shopping platform, and seen a 35 percent increase in the sales over e-commerce. BEIJING - China's retail sales of consumer goods performed well in December thanks to pro-consumption policies from the government, official data showed Tuesday. Retail sales, a key indicator of consumer spending, rose 11.1 percent year on year to 2.86 trillion yuan ($436 billion), according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The growth rate was still encouraging although slightly down from 11.2 percent in November. In 2015, retail sales grew 10.7 percent from a year earlier, slower than the 12-percent increase registered in 2014. Online sales remained strong last year, jumping 33.3 percent year on year to 3.88 trillion yuan. A signboard of Lufax is seen at the stand of Shanghai Lujiazui International Financial Asset Exchange Co (Lufax) during the 15th International Internet+ Finance Expo in Beijing, December 11, 2015. [Photo/IC] SHANGHAI - Lufax, the Internet financial arm of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company, is valued at $18.5 billion with a recent round of funding, becoming one of the world's most valuable financial technology startups, according to a company statement released on Monday. The new financing includes $924 million from series B investors and $292 million from its existing investors who had bought stakes in an initial funding round, according to the statement. The B round of financing was several times oversubscribed. Institutions from home and aboard participated, including the Bank of China Group Investment Limited and Guotai Junan (Hong Kong), it said. The initial public offering (IPO) of Lufax could take place as early as the second half of this year, said Lufax Chairman Gregory Gibb. "The IPO is still under assessment. Whether to list on a domestic or an overseas exchange is still in consideration," he said. As of December 2015, Lufax had 3.63 million active registered users with a total trading volume of more than 1.6 trillion yuan ($243.9 billion). Lufax, established in 2011 in Shanghai, serves as a trading platform for a wide variety of financial products involving institutional and individual investors, including wealth management products and peer-to-peer loans. A Chinese exchange student at Arizona State University was killed in an apparent road rage incident in Tempe, Arizona. The student, Yue Jiang, 19, died after being shot and her car subsequently crashed, police said. Holly Davis, 32, of Mesa, Arizona, has been charged with first-degree murder, Tempe Police Lieutenant Michael Poole said. Davis' vehicle was involved in a collision at an intersection on Jan 16. Davis allegedly got out of her car at a red light and fired several shots into the other vehicle, hitting Jiang several times, police said. ABC15 reported that Davis walked to the driver side of Jiang's vehicle and shot through the window. Jiang's male passenger and friend walked out of the Mercedes to assess the damage when he saw Davis with the gun, ABC15 reported. The suspect was identified after witnesses took down her license plate. Pooley says Jiang lost control of her vehicle, crashing into another car carrying a family of five. The family did not suffer serious injuries. Davis fled the scene but was later located. She was arrested on suspicion of first-degree premeditated murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly contact with a deadly weapon and prohibited possession. "Regarding yesterday's incident where ASU student Yue Jiang was killed, we just want to say that fellow students are being encouraged to talk with counselors, and that our thoughts and prayers are with the student's family," Jerry Gonzalez, an Arizona State spokesman, said in a statement. Five other people, three children, a pregnant woman and the male passenger in Jiangs car also were treated for injuries from the collision resulting from the shooting, according to azcentral.com. The incident started when two vehicles, one driven by Davis, the other by Jiang, collided near Broadway Road and McClintock Drive at about 3:40 pm, police said. After being hit, Jiang lost control of her car, which then struck a third vehicle carrying a family of five, including the pregnant woman and three children, Tempe police spokeswoman Officer Naomi Galbraith said. Police said Davis also pointed her gun at Jiang's passenger. Davis fled south on McClintock in a silver Volkswagen Passat, police said. According to police reports, she hid her car and her gun before returning to her apartment, where she took a shower and washed her clothes, azcentral.com reported. Davis had a previous conviction for resisting a lawful stop and fleeing in Missouri, according to arrest reports, and served three years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. The couple stands in front of a train of black horses in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality on their wedding day of March 7. [Photo/IC] A lecturer at Xidian University in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, has called on students in her female-only class to sign a pledge that they will not have sex before marriage. According to a student who took the optional course, only two students signed the card. The student, who didn't want to be named, was not comfortable saying whether she signed the promise. "The course was mainly about how to establish healthy concepts of relationships and marriage," she said. "It was open only to female students." She said the guarantee also included a promise that the students would not have extramarital sexual relations. The lecturer didn't force anyone to sign. However, many students still disliked being faced with such a promise. Li Yuan, a college student at another university in Xi'an, said the lecturer's behavior violated privacy, and she would never sign anything like that. Nevertheless, parents showed their understanding of the school and the teacher. Chen Jin, the mother of a college student, said that as a science and technology school Xidian University has many more male students than females, so it is understandable that the school wants to protect female students by strengthening moral education. "Both the school and teacher have good intentions. Even though the students who made the promises may not follow through, it is a good reminder," Chen said. Acting party head appointed after loss of leadership and legislative majority Huang Min-hui, acting chairwoman of Taiwan's Kuomintang party. CHINA DAILY Vowing to conduct a review and internal reform, Taiwan's former ruling Kuomintang party held an extraordinary congress on Monday to appoint Huang Min-hui acting chairwoman, following the resignation of KMT chairman Eric Chu after losing the island's leadership election on Saturday. Huang, the party's former vice-chairwoman, will temporarily take charge of party affairs till the KMT elects a new leader, the Ta Kung Pao newspaper reported on Monday. Chu was reported as saying at the meeting that only the sincere introspection and reform will help KMT to win back voters. He said he hoped the future KMT leader would lead the necessary reform, and that party comrades would unite their efforts to strive for a better future for the island province, the party and the people. Chu and People First Party Chairman James Soong were defeated in a three-way race. Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Ing-wen won the election with 56.1 percent of the vote and will take the office in May. In the legislative election, also held on Saturday, 68 of the 113 seats went to the DPP, 35 to the KMT and five to the New Power Party. The PFP got three seats, the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union one, and one went to an independent candidate. Soon after Tsai claimed victory in the election, making her the island's first female leader, Chu acknowledged failure, saying in a speech at KMT headquarters in Taipei that losing the leadership and the legislative majority was an unprecedented blow to the party. "This is the time to ask what should we do in the future?" he said. "We need to cultivate talent from the grass-root level, and let our future elites and leaders enter the government, enter the legislature through local elections. This is the only way forward." Former KMT spokesman Yang Wei-chung, who resigned on Saturday before the election results were in, appealed on Facebook on Monday to start the reform first by lowering the barrier for the party leadership election, letting more and younger people participate in the competition. Li Mi, Taiwan researcher and deputy director of the Shanghai Institute for Public Relation Studies, said the factors in the KMT's defeat include the economic decline and the government's poor handling of it, the power struggle and infighting in the party, and the failure to win over young voters. "More than 7.2 million people in Taiwan are between 20 and 40 years old. That group is big enough to change the political map," he said. "The biggest problem the KMT had was they didn't realize the situation." Zhu Songling, director of the Institute of Cross-Straits Relations at Beijing Union University, said the election result was due to the KMT's, not to a failure of cross-Straits relations, but the change might have ripple effects on the cross-Straits situation. SHENZHEN - Three more suspects implicated in the collapse of a construction waste pile that killed 69 people in Shenzhen last month were arrested on Monday, according to the local procuratorate. The suspects, who were not identified, were accused of failing to ensure safety management, which eventually led to the major accident, according to a statement from Bao'an District Procuratorate. So far 20 people have been arrested over the incident on Dec 20. Meanwhile, 12 other suspects are being investigated by local prosecutors for abuse of power and dereliction of duty, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Monday. The suspects include Deng Zhixiong, deputy director of Shenzhen Guangming New District Urban Management Bureau; Zeng Keting, deputy director of the Municipal Service Center; and Zheng Cunhui, engineer with Shenzhen Water and Soil Conservation Supervision and Monitoring Station, according to the statement. A total of 69 bodies have been recovered as of Friday, another eight people are still unaccounted for, the rescue headquarters said. The incident was the result of work safety mismanagement rather than geological causes, according to a State Council investigation. At $8.97 a head, vegetable climbs the food chain to favored status A type of "cabbage de terroir" now selling for 59 yuan ($8.97) a head in Qingdao, Shandong province, has quickly become a sought-after ingredient for home chefs here and abroad. As a staple in East China, nappa cabbage, or Chinese cabbage, usually equals inexpensive food, hence the expression, "as cheap as a cabbage". But the Jiaozhou nappa cabbage, with a long history of cultural significance, and grown by modern farmers with improved technology, classical music and elaborate care, is winning fans as a gourmet vegetable. Farmers in Jiaozhou, a county 50 kilometers northwest of downtown Qingdao, have grown the cabbage for hundreds of years. Many Chinese writers and artists have praised Jiaozhou cabbage in their work. Lu Xun, a Chinese writer and thinker active in the early 20th century, wrote in a famous story Mr Fujino that nappa cabbage tied with red ribbon, hanging upside-down in a vegetable store, was revered in the 1920s. It is also a favored vegetable of many politicians. Yuan Shikai, the formal president of the Republic of China in the 1910s, is said to have craved Jiaozhou cabbage. Mao Zedong, founding father of the People's Republic of China, presented 2,500 kilograms of Jiaozhou cabbage as a birthday gift to Soviet Union leader Josef Stalin in 1949. Although nappa cabbage is now widely grown in China, the Jiaozhou cabbage remains a distinctive regional product and is often exported to Japan and South Korea as an upscale ingredient. Sun Haitao, a chef, said there are more than 50 recipes involving Jiaozhou vegetables in Shandong cuisine. "Its crispy texture and fruit-like taste make it great for cold salad," Sun said. "When cooked, an umami taste is generated." Zhang Jubo, chairman of the Jiaozhou Cabbage Association, said that growing attention to food quality and safety has also helped the Jiaozhou cabbage gain popularity and a good price in the domestic market. "We grow it strictly in accordance with organic standards, with soybean cake and chicken manure instead of chemical fertilizers, and we never use pesticides," Zhang said. In addition, Jiaozhou farmers play classical music in the farm fields, which the growers insist helps the vegetables to grow "in a happy mood". Zhang also cited the level of selenium, a mineral with antioxidant properties, in Jiaozhou cabbage, saying it is helpful in preventing diseases of the heart and prostate. Apart from cabbage, Jiaozhou also boasts an award-winning pig species: the Licha black pig. "Stir-fried Jiaozhou cabbage with Licha pork as well as bean starch vermicelli is a real delicacy," Zhang said. xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn NANNING - Police in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region announced on Monday they had detained 30 suspects for manufacturing and selling explosive materials. The suspects were apprehended as part of an ongoing campaign that began in October and will last until February. About 1,000 kg of explosives, 2.68 tonnes materials for making explosives, 1,005 detonators, 3 guns and a 21-meter blasting fuse were seized, according to Liuzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau. The suspects are implicated in the sale and manufacturing of explosives and firearms in Guangxi and neighboring Guizhou Province. Twenty-seven are in criminal detention and three have been released on bail pending trial. Air pollution in China is a constant threat, and two US companies Microsoft and IBM are looking to use their technology expertise to provide air-quality forecasting. Yu Zheng, a researcher at Microsoft, told China Daily that technology companies like Microsoft "can leverage their computing infrastructures, data management, analytics tools and knowledge in data science to help forecast air pollution". Zheng said that Urban Computing, a Microsoft research theme that "aims to tackle urban challenges by using big data in cities" can "create solutions that improve the urban environment, human life quality and city operation systems". The applications range from transportation to the environment and the economy. Jin Dong, associate director of IBM's research division, told China Daily that sensor networks and advances in the Internet of Things technology have helped companies gather pollution data and weather conditions from a variety of sources, including weather and environmental monitors, satellites and even social media. "While other companies have a two- to three-day forecasting capability, IBM has leveraged cognitive computing technologies to develop a 10-day pollution trend forecast which is already available to its clients," Dong wrote. "Cognitive computing systems ingest, analyze and understand this data, identifying valuable correlations and providing actionable insight to those fighting air pollution," Dong wrote. "With machine learning, the systems self-configure and constantly improve creating unprecedented levels of accuracy." Last year, Microsoft and IBM both signed on to work with government clients on pollution-forecasting technologies. Microsoft has signed up to work with China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the environmental protection bureaus in Fujian province and Chengdu, Sichuan province. The company has also created a website called Urban Air and a smartphone app with a 48-hour air pollution forecast for cities across China. IBM's China Research lab launched its "Green Horizons" initiative in 2014. The company's first client was the city of Beijing's Environmental Protection Bureau, but IBM has also signed deals with the city of Baoding, Hebei province and the city of Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, which will serve as one of the host sites for the 2022 Winter Olympics alongside Beijing. "IBM has launched a multidisciplinary initiative to support China in delivering on its ambitious energy and environmental goals," Brad Gammons, general manager of IBM's Global Energy & Utilities Industry, told China Daily in an email. "The 10-year project sets out to leap beyond current global practices in three critical areas: air quality management, renewable energy forecasting and energy optimization for industry." Mourners place flowers at the site where Chinese student Jiang Yue was shot and killed in an apparent road rage incident on Jan 16 in Temple, Arizona. A memorial was held Monday afternoon at the location where more than 200 people, including the victim's fellow students, members of the Chinese community and local residents, gathered to mourn her death. [Photo courtesy of Kristine Liu / chinadaily.com.cn] Grief along with calls for self-defense were expressed on Monday at a memorial service for 19-year-old Jiang Yue, a Chinese exchange student who was shot and killed in a road confrontation in Arizona over the weekend. More than 200 people, including Jiang's fellow students, members of the Chinese community and local residents, gathered at the scene of the Jan 16 incident in Tempe. Jiang, a native of Chongqing, was a sophomore finance major at the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in Tempe. She was returning from a shopping trip with a friend when, after a minor traffic accident, she was subsequently shot by another driver. The suspect, Holly Davis, 32, of Mesa, Arizona, has been arrested on four charges, including first-degree murder and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person. Davis' Volkswagen Passat rear-ended Jiang's vehicle at a red light in an intersection, and she allegedly got out of her car and fired several shots into the other vehicle, hitting Jiang several times, Tempe police said. ABC15 reported that Davis walked to the driver side of Jiang's vehicle and shot through the window. Jiang's 21-year-old male passenger got out of the Mercedes to assess the damage when he saw Davis with the gun, ABC15 reported. Police says Jiang lost control of her vehicle after she was shot as she drove away, crashing into another car carrying a family of five. The family did not suffer serious injuries. The suspect was identified after witnesses got her license plate number. When officers interviewed Davis' boyfriend, he told them he and Davis had been drunk earlier in the day. Officers said in their arrest forms that Davis said she used Oxycodone, tucsonnewsnow.com reported. At Monday's service, mourners in black stood in silence around candles, flowers and hand-drawn pictures, with words in Chinese and English like "Rest in peace" and "Wish you a safe journey", placed on the ground on a sidewalk on Broadway Road near McClintock Drive. "She (the victim) was a nice and pretty girl. She also did well in school," said a classmate of Jiang's, who requested anonymity. "We were simply shocked at the terrible tragedy. She only started her new semester less than a week ago. We hope the suspect will be punished by law." The Chinese Students' Union at Arizona State has been in contact with Jiang's parents, who were on their way to Arizona, said the unnamed student, who organized an online group to provide assistance to Jiang's parents. Thirty-six suspects are held under escort by police at Xichang railway station, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province and then they are sent to prefecture's public security bureau on Monday. [Photo/CFP] Police rescued 15 babies and nabbed 78 suspects after they broke up a child-trafficking ring in East China's Shandong province who were suspected of kidnapping babies in Southwest China's Sichuan province and selling them to Shandong. The ring was organized by Hama Erji, a resident of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan province, the prefecture's police authority said. Thirty-six suspects are from the same region. The suspects sold the infants to people in Shandong province, according to the police authority. The ring was in the crosshairs of the Public Security Ministry in June last year and four investigative teams were dispatched to Shandong province where the ring was busted after two-month investigations, the police said. Blood samples from the babies were taken at the local police station on Monday morning for DNA comparison. The police are investigating the case. NANCHANG - Three students died and 19 others were injured as a man drove his car into a crowd on Tuesday morning in East China's Jiangxi province, government sources said on Tuesday afternoon. At around 7 am Tuesday, a white vehicle struck pedestrians on a road near a middle school in Fengxin county, according to witnesses. The injured have been rushed to hospitals. Among them, three are in serious condition. The 43-year-old driver has been held by police. Witnesses said he tried to commit suicide after the incident. Further investigation into the incident is under way. ZHENGZHOU - Police in the central Chinese province of Henan apprehended 114 suspected members of an organized cross-border drug syndicate. The police also seized 142 kilograms of heroin, methamphetamine and caffeine, one handgun, 15 bullets, two grenades, 21 vehicles and 12.3 million yuan ($1.86 million). Police noticed that a known drug user and dealer from Pingdingshan city frequently contacted a cell phone number registered in Southwest China's Yunnan province. They began to track his movements from May 2014. The investigation led to the recent raid. The syndicate smuggled drugs from abroad and sold them mostly in central China regions. The 19th Escort Fleet of the Chinese Navy evacuated 122 Chinese nationals, including seven women and one child, after arriving in the Gulf of Aden in Yemen, on March, 29 2015. [Photo by Xiong Libing/Asianewsphoto] China has more citizens living outside the country than any other nation in the world. With 50 million already residing abroad, this figure will increase in the coming years as more will head overseas for study, work or business. In 2013, more than 98 million people from mainland traveled abroad, and over 20,000 Chinese companies established their branches across the five continents. It is the duty of Chinese government to protect the overseas citizens and their properties and they have done a good job in that regard. China has attached great importance to the protection of overseas Chinese citizens. When Chinese leaders visit a country, they always meet the expatriates and pay close attention to their issues. For example, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech in front of the Chinese community when he visited the US on September, 2015. Moreover, consular services have improved gradually. In 2006, the Chinese Foreign Ministry established the Division of Consular Protection and the Center of Consular Protection was founded a year later. In September 2014, the Foreign Ministry established the Emergency Call Center of Global Consular Protection and Service, whose 24 hour-hotline, 12308, mainly serves overseas Chinese citizens and enterprises. Thanks to the care and attention from leaders of the Party and the State Council, the regulations and institutions of consular protection experienced great promotion. As a result, the Chinese government managed to protect Chinese citizens effectively and enjoyed great success and compliments. First, the action of protecting overseas Chinese citizens and their properties have been effectively carried out and the government has maintained the national interest and image in the meantime. In 2015, China successfully rescued around 20 kidnapped citizens abroad. As a developing country, Chinas international status and image have improved accordingly. Furthermore, the Chinese government has efficiently protected overseas citizens, showing Chinas powerful national capacity and enhancing the countrys international reputation. The success of the evacuations of Chinese nationals in Lebanon, Vietnam and Nepal all demonstrate the efficiency of Chinas government. Another example was the evacuation action carried out in Yemen in April 2015. Chinese government successfully negotiated with the government and the rebels-the Houthis. The Chinese frigates faced no obstacles in the 220-mile way to rescue, which shows that the Party and government are determined to shoulder responsibility. Last, the Chinese government has obtained rich experience in protecting overseas citizens and is gradually making progress in protecting overseas citizens in other countries. Thus, China has formed an image of a responsible power in the world and improved its soft power. In the evacuation operation in Yemen, 225 citizens from 10 countries, such as Pakistan, Ethiopia, Singapore, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Germany, Canada, UK, and Yemen, left the war zone through Chinese frigates. This is definitely a humanitarian rescue operation, adding to Chinas reputation as a responsible nation. Zeng Wangmei contributed to the story. The U-FLY Alliance, an airline network of independent low cost carriers (LCCs), launched in Hong Kong on Monday. Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn A new airline alliance of independent low cost carriers (LCCs), the U-FLY Alliance, launched in Hong Kong on Monday. By linking networks and combining alliance members product offerings,, the new airline network offers low-fare flights between 85 cities and 168 city pair destinations across Asia. The U-FLY Alliance comprises four LCCs: HK Express, Lucky Air, Urumqi Air and West Air. Travelers can obtain the latest news about the alliance and up-to-date route information at www.uflyalliance.com. "With the launch of the first LCC alliance in the world, we are entering into a new era of travel that speaks to what travelers really want: flexible and affordable routes that are also safe and secure," said Ma Zhimin, U-FLY Alliances board chairman. Ma said the alliance concentrates on the market in North Asia and will expand to other parts of the world, step by step. The alliance is also recruiting more members to increase its network. Ding Yongzheng, president of Lucky Air, said his airline plans to open more routes to Southeast Asia as the number of outbound Chinese travelers is increasing robustly and Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are hot destinations. The alliance has 67 carrier aircraft and 168 routes, with a target of 200 aircraft by the end of 2020. Two senior government officials accused of bribery, trading power for sex and other improper behavior have been expelled from the Communist Party of China and removed from their posts. Ai Baojun, former vice-mayor of Shanghai and a member of the Party's standing committee, was stripped off his Party membership and removed from his public posts for violating political disciplines, refusing to cooperate in an investigation, taking bribes and trading power for sex, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday. He was handed over to the law enforcement, the report said. Zhou Laizhen, former deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China and a member of the Party committee, was ousted from the Party and removed from his public posts on similar charges. He also was reported to have been handed over to law enforcement. Thirty-six suspects are held under escort by police at Xichang railway station, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province and then they are sent to prefecture's public security bureau on Monday. [Photo/CFP] Police in southwest China's Sichuan province rescued 15 infants, some sick with colds and pneumonia, after busting a major human-trafficking ring and arresting 78 people involved in supplying babies to wealthy buyers. The children, some only a few days old, were sent to Liangshan prefecture's welfare institute for care. While some were sick from their ordeal, most were in stable condition, the Sichuan Provincial Liangshan Prefecture Public Security Department reported on Tuesday. Authorities said some of the children had been abducted, while others had been sold to the traffickers by their poor parents. "We have taken the infants' blood samples and are prepared to compare them with the blood DNA kept in a national database to help them reunite with their natural parents," a police officer told China Daily. Police were first tipped to the traffickers last June, hearing about a criminal gang headed by a Yi villager in Liangshan prefecture who had organized family members, fellow villagers and friends to seek infants in the poverty-stricken Liangshan prefecture who could be sold in Shandong province. The gang members had "a strict management and assumed different tasks to form a complete supply chain, including trafficking infants, transporting, arranging for accommodations, as well as seeking the buyers", Liangshan police said. Due to the case's complexity, Sichuan police reported it to the Ministry of Public Security, which assumed supervision and asked Sichuan and Shandong police to create a special investigative team. After a two-month investigation in Shandong, the team conducted a joint action on Jan 15, arresting 66 suspects in Shandong and another 12 in Liangshan, Sichuan province. On Monday, the infants and 36 suspects were escorted aboard a train from Shandong to Liangshan. Authorities said some of the children had been abducted, while others had been sold to the traffickers by their poor, uneducated parents. "Poverty is often the motive behind the sale of children in China's remote and rural areas, including Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan," said Chen Shiqu, director of the anti human-trafficking department at the ministry. In such areas, some poor parents even "collude with the traffickers to sell their infants to earn money due to lack of education," Zhang Baoyan, founder of Baby Back Home, a website that helps parents track missing children, told China Daily in an earlier interview. Chen said childless couples in comparatively well-to-do provinces, including Guangdong, Fujian and Shandong often buy or "adopt" such children because they still believe in the importance of "carrying on the family line" and "having children to support them when they become old." "Children are not commodities, and they are banned from trafficking. We will adopt 'zero tolerance' toward such anti-social activities," Chen said. Seven bureau-level officials in Shanghai were investigated for embezzlement and bribery in 2015, a record for the city, an anti-graft watchdog announced on Tuesday. "The figure is a rise of 40 percent from that of 2014, and is quite eye-catching compared to the usually one or two in previous years," Ding Guping, director of the anti-corruption bureau at the Shanghai People's Procuratorate, told a news conference on Tuesday. The seven officials were among 428 civil servants and 363 corruption cases investigated by prosecuting agencies last year. In nearly 95 percent of the cases, the graft involved more than 50,000 yuan ($7,600), and in 88 cases, it was valued at more than 1 million yuan, the watchdog reported. "We received whistle-blowing reports for some of the cases and found clues for others from some incidents in news coverage," said Zheng Yongsheng, director of the Shanghai Anti-malfeasance Bureau under the procuratorate. Among those under investigation was Dai Haibo, former deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, who also served as executive deputy director of the administrative committee of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone from September 2013 through September 2014. He was accused of abusing his power between 1999 and 2012 to gain benefits for others in exchange for bribes. Feng Jun, former general manager of State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Co, was investigated after being accused of seeking profits for others by taking advantage of his position between 2003 and 2014, and requesting and taking bribes worth a total of 30 million yuan, including some requested and accepted by his wife. "The amount, including bribery and a huge amount of property and money for which he could not identify sources, added up to over 100 million yuan, which was a record high in Shanghai's anti-graft actions," Ding said. In May, Shanghai took the lead in banning the spouse and children of bureau-level officials from engaging in business. The rule was aimed at eliminating graft and building a clean government. Spouse of such officials are barred from going into business and their children and the spouses of their children are not allowed to start businesses in the geographic and professional sectors for which the official has jurisdiction. "All the seven cases are currently being investigated by the prosecuting agency or court. Court verdicts have not been released yet," Ding said. Another 112 people involved in 89 cases were also put under investigation last year for bribery, according to the anti-graft watchdog. The number of people involved saw a year-on-year increase of 40 percent. "When there are officials who accept bribery, there must be people at the other end that offer the bribery. We target both ends to clamp down on the source of corruption," Ding said. State security organs and public security departments have busted an illegal group which attempted to endanger China's national security in the name of defending human rights. Several suspects including a man from Sweden were detained, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday. Investigations showed that Peter Dahlin from Sweden and Wang Quanzhang, previously a lawyer at a law firm in Beijing, jointly established an agency called Joint Development Institute Limited in Hong Kong in August 2009. They carried out activities in China in the name of providing aid for those in need of help while defending rights, without registering and reporting to the Chinese government. In this way, they tried to avoid governmental supervision of their activities and their use of funds. Xinhua said Dahlin's group has been receiving financial support from seven overseas organizations. During the past several years, the group set up more than 10 so-called legal aid centers, trained several illegal lawyers without license and ignited petitioners' hatred toward the Chinese government. The group took advantage of these people to collect negative information about China in different fields and aspects. By distorting, exaggerating information and making up facts, the agency provided so-called "human right reports" to organizations overseas. Security departments said other suspects of the group detained, including a man surnamed Wang and a man surnamed Xing, confessed that Dahlin's group received a total 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) from overseas organizations, trying to discredit China and disturb the social order of the country. Dahlin was detained on Jan 3 and received residential surveillance. On Saturday, he was allowed to meet staff from the Swedish Embassy to China. The case remains under further investigation. Police in Sichuan province have cracked a major crime ring and arrested 78 suspected infant-traffickers, authorities said on Tuesday. They also rescued 15 abducted infants aged between several days and 1 year old, according to Liangshan Prefecture Public Security Department in Sichuan. The rescued infants have been sent to the Liangshan Prefecture Welfare Institute for temporary placement. Most of them are in stable condition, although some have pneumonia, colds and coughs. A police officer from the department, who did not wish to be named, said, We have taken the infants blood samples and are preparing to match them with the blood DNA kept in a national database to help them to be reunited with their biological parents. Police said that in June, the 78-strong gang, headed by a Tibetan villager in Liangshan, seized the infants and sent them to Shandong province to be trafficked. The gang included the villagers family members, fellow villagers and friends, according to police. The gang members were managed strictly and assumed different tasks, including trafficking infants, transportation, accommodation arrangements and seeking buyers, the police said. Provincial police reported the infants disappearance to the Ministry of Public Security, which took over supervision of the case and told Sichuan and Shandong police to set up a special investigation team. After a two-month investigation in Shandong, the team carried out a joint operation on Friday, making the arrests and smashing the trafficking ring. Police arrested 66 suspects in Shandong and another 12 in Liangshan. On Monday, four officers escorted 36 suspects from Liangshan among the 66 back to the prefecture from Shandong by train. They also returned the 15 abducted infants to Liangshan on the same train. Chen Shiqu, director of the Anti-Human-Trafficking Department under the ministrys Criminal Investigation Department, said, Poverty is often the motive behind selling children in Chinas remote and rural areas, including Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces. Children are not commodities, and trafficking them is illegal. We will adopt zero tolerance toward such anti-social activity, Chen added. According to Zhang Baoyan, the founder of Baby Back Home, a website that helps parents to track missing children, in remote areas poor couples depend solely on farming to make a living and support their families. Due to a lack of education, some even collude with traffickers to sell their infants to earn money. zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn Once a year, politicians, business gurus, journalists and celebrities from across the world gather at the annual "thought fair" in Davos, Switzerland. This year's annual winter meeting of the World Economic Forum will be held in Davos from Wednesday to Saturday. Because of the importance of the forum and the huge number of representatives, even some beds in Davos hospitals are said to be "rented out" to delegates during the annual forum. Given the mad rush, I've not been able to book a hotel room in Davos during any of the past six forums, and instead I have had to check into a hotel in a nearby town and commute for an hour by train to and from the forum venue every day. Nevertheless, the forum, thanks to the new ideas, trends, debates and conversations it generates, has been a regular feature on my calendar. Despite being a small country with a population of only about 8 million, Switzerland has occupied a prominent place in the world of economics and business. Now Davos has a sister gathering-Summer Davos held in Tianjin and Dalian in rotation-in addition to other important regional meetings in Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world. Allam Mahmoud. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Starting today, Egypt will welcome President Xi Jinping in his first visit to the region and to the country. This visit is of high significance for the two countries as this year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Egypt and China. The visit is of great significance in several aspects. For one, Egypt was the first Arab and African country to recognize the People's Republic of China in 1956. Since then, the two countries have worked closely together with full awareness of their backgrounds as lands of ancient civilizations that have left a rich heritage to the world. Another significance is that China and Egypt, as members of the developing world, both countries are striving to develop and to create a world order based on fair and just principles for all nations. The visit comes one year after China and Egypt agreed to establish a "comprehensive strategic partnership" in December 2014, which raised the level of cooperation between the two nations to the next level after the "strategic cooperation agreement" which was signed in 1999. Such strategic partnership is expected to represent a term of reference for the talks that will take place between the leaders of the two countries. The discussions will cover the bilateral, regional and international issues, including exchanging views on important issues such as threats and challenges facing world peace and security - problems like terrorism and nuclear proliferation, and the situation in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, Yemen, and the occupied Palestinian territories. China and Egypt, which are currently members of the United Nations Security Council, maintain close contacts on all such regional and international issues. Egypt was always interested in working hand-in-hand with China to achieve a win-win solutions on various economic issues for all stakeholders of these institutions: Egypt is a founding member of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) - which was inaugurated few days ago by President Xi in Beijing, Egypt is also involved in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) established 15 years ago, and have been present at the China Arab Cooperation Forum established in 2004. In all aspects, Egypt appreciates and supports China's role in leading initiatives to achieve these goals. The copy of a Magao Grottoes cave painting by Lei Xiufeng, among pieces on show at the ongoing exhibition Crossing Dunhuang in Beijing.[Photo provided to China Daily] The discovery of an important cache of Buddhist sutras in Dunhuang, in 1900 had a profound influence on Chinese fine arts in the 20th century. And since the 1930s, masses of Chinese artists have journeyed to Northwest China's Gansu province to be inspired by the magnificent cave art there. Among the most well-known of these artists is Zhang Daqian, whose Dunhuang-inspired ink paintings have sold for tens of millions of yuan at auctions. Even today, artists working in various mediums and using various experimental approaches still see a pilgrimage to Dunhuang as a must. Crossing Dunhuang, an exhibition at Beijing's Taimiao Ancestral Temple, takes visitors on a journey through the mystic grottoes on the ancient Silk Road. A juxtaposition of 300 fresco painting copies and contemporary art reflect the spiritual links among artists from different periods. The exhibition is comparable to Dunhuang: Songs of Living Beings, another show now underway at the Shanghai Himalayas Museum that runs through March. The display in Beijing opens with the Echo of Civilization exhibition series by Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts. Imitations of the cave paintings on show come from the collection of CAFA and the Dunhuang Academy China, the institution that focuses on Dunhuang. Among the artists whose works are on show is Chang Shuhong (1904-94). He graduated from the prestigious National School of Fine Arts in Paris, but sacrificed his potentially bright career prospects as he chose to protect Dunhuang's art. Chang arrived at the Mogao Grottoes in 1943 and became the founding member and the first director of the Dunhuang Academy China. Because of his lifelong devotion to Dunhuang's preservation, Chang is hailed as the "guardian of Dunhuang". Some of the other artists whose works are on display are modern masters who taught at CAFA - Ye Qianyu, Sun Zongwei and Wu Zuoren. China's younger generation is tasting the "forbidden fruit" of sexual intercourse at earlier ages compared with their predecessors, according to a report by Peking University's Center for Social Surveys that was released on Sunday. People younger than 20 had their first sex with a person of the opposite sex at age 17 on average, the report said. For those 35 or older, the average age for first sex was 22. The report was based on about 80,000 questionnaires collected across the Chinese mainland plus Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The average age for first heterosexual experience varied by region. Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao ranked youngest, with most respondents reporting their first sexual intercourse at age 19. On the mainland, people from metropolises such as Beijing, Guangzhou or Shanghai had sex first at a slightly older age - 20 on average - while respondents from other regions mostly tried sex at 22. "Love and sex are no longer taboo among the younger generation in China, thanks to the increased opening up of society," said Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociologist at Renmin University of China in Beijing. He said TV dramas and movies about love and sex have boomed in recent years, and young people have more ways to learn and understand love affairs through mass media. yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn Robert Goodwin (right), Executive Director of Mattel Children's Foundation and Shen Ying, Director of Academic Committee at Beijing Children's Hospital Group shake hands as they sign a contract of cooperation. [Photo provided to China Daily] Mattel Children's Foundation, a charitable arm of toymaker Mattel Inc, recently announced a three-year partnership with Beijing Children's Hospital Group to enhance access to healthcare services for children in the country. Through the partnership, the foundation will support treatment for underprivileged children with development impairments caused at birth. The foundation will also support the hospital and its sister concerns to create spaces on their premises for sick children to play, over the next three years. Mattel will supply toys and childhood development materials for the purpose. "For years, the Beijing Children's Hospital Group has supported the Chinese government's efforts to further healthcare reform and improve children's development. We are (now) excited to work with international companies like Mattel on this mission," Ni Xin, president, Beijing Children's Hospital Group, told reporters in Beijing on Friday. In 2013, the foundation and Beijing Children's Hospital, a group member, jointly conducted research to offer professional tips to Chinese parents on how to support the healthy development of their children. And building on that success, a medical exchange program was later launched between the hospital and Mattel Children's Hospital at University of California in Los Angeles. Related: Walnut producer promotes seasonal fitness "Corrupt spouse" has already become a noticeable phenomenon in a number of cases involving corrupted government officials. The spouses of officials found to be involved in corruption have often helped their partners take bribes, or take advantage of their spouses' positions to make illegal profits. For instance, it has been reported that the wife of the head of the department of land resources in North China's Shanxi province was deeply involved in his illegal activities. She took advantage of his position and received bribes for buying and selling official positions. The authorities have long been aware of the negative influence of corrupt officials' spouses, and have paid attention to the activities of officials' spouses as part of the anti-corruption campaign. According to media reports, Xiamen public security bureau in East China's Fujian province has arranged several newly promoted officials and their spouses to receive anti-corruption awareness education together. And the spouses of the officials said that they will supervise and help their partners remain honest and uncorrupted in their work. Meanwhile, Party discipline has been strengthened to prevent spouses from abusing their proximity and access to power. US Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a statement that sanctions will be lifted on Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna January 16, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] The united states and the European Union began lifting their economic sanctions they had imposed against Iran at the weekend. Beijing News praises their exemplary reconciliation, while calling for closer attention to the uncertainties they have injected into the Middle East situation. Of course, the US and the EU are unlikely to lift all their sanctions on Iran overnight, but their latest efforts to include the country in the West-led financial and political governance again after more than three decades, will not only serve as a tipping point in Washington-Teheran ties but also reshape the geopolitical order in the Middle East region. That the enduring Iranian nuclear issue has been settled via peaceful negotiations is indeed worth celebrating. A silver lining was observed after Hassan Rouhani became Iran's president in 2013, as he began to relinquish the hawkish stance of his predecessor and seek the resumption of nuclear talks. For countries such as Iran, which are highly dependent on external markets, economic sanctions, especially financial sanctions have very serious consequences. It is foreseeable that after the sanctions are lifted Iran will gradually revitalize and stabilize its economy and financial and monetary system. A prisoner swap between Iran and the US at the weekend has also helped thaw the tensions between them. In a nutshell, that the Iranian nuclear deal was reached and is being implemented as expected, enables Iran to reenter international economic and regional security affairs. This signals a fundamental change in the geosecurity structure of the Middle East. More importantly, the improving Washington-Teheran relationship is not only about the two countries; it will also readjust the US' relations with many Middle East countries, especially its traditional allies Saudi Arabia and Israel. A doctor removes glass from a victim's hand who is injured of a bus fire at the No.1 Hospital in Xiamen,Southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan 15, 2015.[Xinhua] The death of a scientist surnamed Yang, who was seven months pregnant, at Peking University Third Hospital on Jan 11 has drawn a lot of media attention because of the dispute that has erupted between prestigious national institutions. The Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where Yang worked, sent a letter to the hospital, which it said was at the request of Yang's family, calling for a "fair, transparent and thorough" investigation. The hospital responded by claiming dozens of relatives and friends of Yang assaulted medical staff and damaged hospital equipment after her death. The Chinese Medical Doctor Association then became involved saying the institute should educate its employees to follow the law. This unseemly war of words should end, and thorough investigations should be conducted to find out what really happened at the hospital. If the hospital's claims prove true, Yang's relatives and friends risk facing criminal charges. The amended Criminal Law came into effect on Nov 1, 2015, criminalizing acts that threaten the security of medical staff or disrupt the functioning of hospitals. If convicted, violators can be sentenced up to seven years in prison. At the same time, a transparent investigation by an independent authoritative medical arbitration organization ought to be initiated to find out if the hospital bears any responsibility for Yang's death. Whatever the results of these probes, people should not let their anger and frustration take the better of their senses if a patient dies in a hospital. Doctor-patient relations have been tense in recent years for various social reasons, and that makes a proper and timely clarification of what happened on that fateful day all the more important. Meanwhile, mechanisms for communication between doctors and patients should be upgraded to make them more effective. 'The Martian' turned out to be one of my favorite films of last year, but I certainly didn't expect it to be so going into my first viewing. While I had not read the Andy Weir novel upon which the movie is based (and still haven't), I was pretty wary about the fact that Ridley Scott had been picked to helm the picture. While I'd never question Mr. Scott's technical abilities as a filmmaker, I've been less than satisfied by most of the movies he's directed over the past 20 or so years. I mean you're talking to a guy who still doesn't understand all the fuss about Gladiator, which I still think is pretty mediocre. Well, color me amazed. Not only is 'The Martian' a tremendous achievement for Ridley Scott and all involved, but there's a sense of lightheartedness and fun here (among dire circumstances to be sure) that I don't think has been present in any of Ridley's prior movies. Yes, a lot of that no doubt is due to Weir's novel (and the screenplay by Drew Goddard), but Mr. Scott should get a lot of credit as well. I don't know if this is Ridley's best movie ever, but it's got a strong argument for being his most crowd-pleasing. The movie stars Matt Damon as astronaut Mark Watney, who gets stranded on the red planet when the remainder of the crew believing he is dead launches their rocket back towards Earth during a brutal Martian storm. Left behind, Watney must use his scientific knowledge to figure out a way to survive on Mars until a rescue mission can be mounted back at NASA. While most writers would have delved into the horrors of such a predicament, both Weir's book and Goodard's screenplay present Watney as a man of extreme exuberance. His intelligence is only matched by his sense of humor, and Damon is delightful in the role a performance that won him the Golden Globe and got him nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. But Watney's dilemma makes up for only half the drama here. Back on Earth, a NASA team led by Director Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) must decide what if anything to do about Watney. One of the first decisions is not to tell the returning crew from Mars about him, as it would only prove to distract them on their return back home. Even more though, Sanders is forced to juggle the desire to rescue Watney with the very real limitations of both the scientific logistics of rescuing him and the budgetary abilities of NASA to do so. In any other movie by any other team of filmmakers, it would have been very easy to turn Daniels' character into a bad guy...giving the audience someone to root against. But 'The Martian' smartly avoids any familiar Hollywood tropes here, allowing Sanders to be an extremely well-rounded and even sympathetic character that the audience can relate to, even if they don't always agree with the decisions he's making. About the only thing that does seem 'Hollywood' about 'The Martian' is the scene in which Watney's rescue is performed (I hope it's not a spoiler...but did you really think they weren't going to rescue him?). Again, not having read the book, I'm not sure if the depiction is accurate to the novel or exclusive to the screenplay, but there are a few too many things that have to go precisely right that result in a climax that seems as much good luck as it does scientific ingenuity, which slightly dampers the theme of human innovation that runs throughout the movie. It's a nitpick to be sure, but after all the movie had put these characters though, I think it would made for a more realistic ending if the filmmakers had just allowed the rescue plan to go off without a hitch. Again, it would have fit the anti-'Hollywood' feeling that so much of the movie had up until these final scenes. But let there be no doubts: 'The Martian' is a wonderful movie, and quite possibly the best movie to be set on Mars that has ever graced the silver screen (sorry, Total Recall!). It's certainly the kind of movie that holds up to repeat viewings and even more than that it's just so nice to see a film that embraces science the way this film does...proof that a movie can be both smart and an audience pleaser at the same time. The Blu-Ray: Vital Disc Stats 'The Martian' lands on Blu-ray in an eco-friendly keepcase, which houses the 50GB disc along with an insert containing a code for a digital copy of the movie (the flip side of which has an advertisement for Andy Weir's novel). A slipcover with artwork matching that of the keepcase's slick slides overtop. There are no front-loaded trailers on the Blu-ray. The main menu is designed to look like a computer readout screen that might be used in this movie, with a video montage of scenes from the film playing on it. Menu selections run across the bottom of the screen. In addition to this release, 20th Century Fox is also offering a 3D version (which includes the standard 2D and Digital HD copy), as well as including the movie as one of their first-ever 4k home video releases (which also comes with the standard 2D Blu-ray and a Digital HD copy, but not with the 3D Blu-ray). Although the packaging is labeled for Region A, the Blu-ray is actually region-free. A general view of the Arab foreign minister's meeting at the Arab League in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] President Xi Jinping begins a trip to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran on Tuesday. His trip shows China is committed to raising its relations with the three countries to a higher level and presents a golden opportunity for deeper reciprocal and pragmatic cooperation in a wide range of fields. During his visits, China is expected to boost interaction with the Middle East under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, deepen traditional energy cooperation and cultivate new growth points in areas such as infrastructure, trade and investment facilitation, nuclear energy and aerospace. Economically, the Middle East is the largest source of China's overseas energy supplies and occupies an important position in China's Belt and Road Initiative. On the security level, China counts on cooperation from Middle East countries to help it curtail terrorism, separatism and extremism. Given the significant clout of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran in the Middle East, building stronger ties with the three countries could propel China's overall strategy in the region, as it has both the will and capability to contribute to peace and development in the Middle East. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China is bound to play a role in the Middle East. Hence, the world will be paying close attention to how Xi espouses China's views on major issues in the Middle East and presents China's vision for defusing crises and rebuilding peace and stability in the region. Political unrest in some countries in the region, the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group and the latest skirmish between Saudi Arabia and Iran have added new uncertainties and complications to the region's overall environment. Over the years, China has maintained an objective and just stance in pushing parties in the region to resolve their differences in peace. China actively cooperated with other international players in the region until a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue was achieved last July. It has also remained consistent in pushing for talks and negotiations in Syria which has now been widely recognized by the international community as the right approach to solving the crisis in that country. We believe China's diplomatic vision and constructive role in the Middle East will help the region and the world better cope with the issues the region is facing today as well as usher in a better future for people in the region. A general view of the Arab foreign minister's meeting at the Arab League in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] The Middle East, a region of major strategic importance for China, is experiencing the most political and security volatility since World War II. It faces tensions and challenges of partition and dismantling plans, terrorism and sectarian militia, and collapse of states and deterioration of political institutions. Given these challenges, China must look with Confucius rationale at its role as an important player in the United Nations Security Council to shoulder responsibilities in areas beyond its boundaries that are suffering from the increased US involvement in East Asia and the implications of US attempts to implement its "pivot to Asia" strategy. By contrast, the Silk Road Economic Belt, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative which also includes the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, sees the Middle East as a necessary geographic bridge in China's official scheme, couched with a historical nostalgia to make China a world pivot at all levels. But this initiative, we believe, will face headwinds and is difficult to attain unless Beijing coherently involves itself in the region's affairs and looks deeply into its relationship with Saudi Arabia which has reliable strategic ties with China. Nevertheless, the challenge of terrorism dominating the region may also affect the Chinese project unless China coordinates its efforts with Saudi Arabia, with its longstanding experience in fighting terrorism at security and intellectual levels with strategies directed to combat the spread of extremist ideology that threatens countries in the region that have friendly relations with China. The role of China in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East, away from the interventions and military projects dreadfully dominating the region, is most welcome, particularly because Beijing has a project which is aimed at spreading prosperity and development in the region, unlike those with unknown objectives that foment violence and radicalism. Moreover, China's approval of and support for Security Council Resolution No 2216 under Chapter 7 on Yemen is part of its role to maintain peace through the UN. The Riyadh-Beijing relationship is of great importance for the Saudi leadership, which views the bilateral ties as distinctive and viable that is reflected in the trade volume of the two countries. But this is not enough for building a sustainable relationship between the two countries. Encouraging knowledge and expanding cultural exchanges are significant for enhancing strategic ties between the two countries and for refuting the mistaken views on the Sino-Saudi relationship created by some media outlets and research groups. Riyadh, on its part, does not want its relationship with Beijing to be that of oil dependence - oil should remain a subsidiary, not the major, factor in bilateral ties. Saudi Arabia aims to develop an economy based on knowledge and not only on oil. China is having an appreciable experience in this context and Saudi Arabia needs to utilize this experience. The region is dominated by volatile political and security situation and challenges difficult to overcome. This requires China to work more closely with friends who have influence in the world and a good reputation in the region and the Islamic world. The author is an editorial writer at Al Riyadh newspaper. A general view of Davos ahead of the Annual Meeting 2016 of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland January 18, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] Once a year, politicians, business gurus, journalists and celebrities from across the world gather at the annual "thought fair" in Davos, Switzerland. This year's annual winter meeting of the World Economic Forum will be held in Davos from Wednesday to Saturday. Because of the importance of the forum and the huge number of representatives, even some beds in Davos hospitals are said to be "rented out" to delegates during the annual forum. Given the mad rush, I've not been able to book a hotel room in Davos during any of the past six forums, and instead I have had to check into a hotel in a nearby town and commute for an hour by train to and from the forum venue every day. Nevertheless, the forum, thanks to the new ideas, trends, debates and conversations it generates, has been a regular feature on my calendar. Despite being a small country with a population of only about 8 million, Switzerland has occupied a prominent place in the world of economics and business. Now Davos has a sister gathering-Summer Davos held in Tianjin and Dalian in rotation-in addition to other important regional meetings in Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world. Apart from that, Geneva is the second headquarters of the United Nations and home to dozens of international organizations, including the World Trade Organization and World Health Organization. And all these have increased the soft power of Switzerland. By learning from Switzerland, China can shape its own soft power. In his New Year message, President Xi Jinping said the world is too big and the challenges too many, and China will adopt proactive approaches to embrace and tackle all of them. On these vows, Xi embarks on his first overseas tour of 2016 which will take him to Saudi Arab, Egypt and Iran and coincides with the Davos forum. And Xi's Middle East visit comes soon after the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank started operation on Saturday. Apart from Chinese politicians' continuous efforts to provide solutions for global problems, China is also trying to improve the capacity-building of its think tanks. And a group of 25 academic organizations were recently encouraged to come up with quality intellectual results. All these developments indicate China is keen on playing a proactive role to help provide solutions to global problems and make the world a better place. In this context, Switzerland offers at least two sets of references for China. First, China has to invest energy, time, patience and inputs to build platforms to come up with influential thoughts and ideas. And to make debates interesting and fruitful, the government, businesses, the media and the academia should play their respective roles. Businesses, for example, should fulfill their social responsibilities of offering financial support to build such platforms. The World Economic Forum reached its influential position because it has been developed for more than four decades. The China Development Forum, the Bo'ao Forum and the Summer Davos are held every March, April and September, but they only focus on China or regional agendas. But since the Chinese leadership aims to offer more global solutions to maintain peace and development across the world, China has to offer more platforms to produce thoughts that will have a global impact. Moreover, China should host more global and regional conferences. Geneva, apart from New York, is an excellent example for Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities to follow. In this regard, the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Secretariat and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's headquarters in Beijing, and the BRICS New Development Bank's headquarters in Shanghai are welcome developments, because they will help strengthen China's soft power. Still, China has to make more efforts to play the global role that matches its economic power. The author is China Daily chief correspondent in Brussels. fujing@chinadaily.com.cn The visit of President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt will mark a major boost to Beijing's engagement in a region riven by war and political unrest. China has historically been cautious about becoming embroiled in the politics of regions such as the Middle East, which lie beyond its immediate sphere of influence. It has pursued a firm anti-interventionist stance at the United Nations and other forums. Harvey Morris However, in the face of the destabilizing impact of the Syrian civil war and the rise of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), it has moved to the forefront of international efforts to resolve the conflict. Foreign Minister Wang Yi flew to New York for a one-day visit in mid-December specifically to participate in a rare unanimous vote of the United Nations Security Council that backed a roadmap for peace in Syria. His speech to the Council lamented a conflict that had brought ruin to a "time-honoured civilization" and displaced large numbers of its people. "What is worse," said Wang, "it has become a hotbed where radical ideas breed and spread as well as a playground for terrorists, posing a grave threat to the peace and security of the region and beyond." That amounted to a recognition that even China is not immune to the spillover of unrest in the Middle East. The previous month, President Xi made his first public reference to ISIS when he condemned the group's murder of Chinese captive Fan Jinghui. "Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity," Xi said in a statement issued at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila. "China resolutely opposes terrorism in any form and resolutely fights against violent, terrorist, criminal activities that challenge the bottom line of human civilization." Beijing's stance on Syria was spelled out in a joint statement issued this month following talks between Foreign Minister Wang and Philip Hammond, the visiting British foreign minister. The two sides agreed to "advance counter terrorism and a political settlement in parallel. Both our countries face threats from terrorism, and have a shared interest in defeating all terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq." President Xi's visit will nevertheless underline China's new readiness to become engaged in high-level diplomacy in a region in which the U.S., Russia and others are already active. His decision to visit Egypt is uncontroversial. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the Egyptian president, has made two visits to China since December 2014 during which a number of economic agreements were finalized. The focus will be on the Chinese leader's visits to Saudi Arabia and Iran, rival regional powers that are locked in a bitter dispute after Riyadh executed a senior Shia cleric and demonstrators in Tehran retaliated by storming the Saudi embassy. Xi can be expected, privately at least, to support the efforts of other world leaders to try to cool the hostility between the two sides at a time when consensus is required to confront ISIS. Foreign minister Wang assured the Security Council in December that "China neither has nor does it pursue self-serving interests on the Syrian issue." Beijing nevertheless has an interest in peace and stability in the Middle East. Chinese oil companies operate in potentially vulnerable areas of Iraq and also did so in Syria before the war there shut them down. China is also a major buyer of Saudi and Iranian oil, and Iran is currently pressing to increase its crude exports to China and elsewhere ahead of the lifting of international sanctions linked to its nuclear program. The author is a veteran correspondent with spells at Reuters, the Independent and Financial Times, and has extensive knowledge of the Middle East. He contributed this article for China Daily. The recently completed Hechi bronze drum was authenticated by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest at the Theatrical Stage Square in Yangshuo county, Guilin, Guangxi, on Jan 16. The size of the drum is 4.2 meters in diameter and 2.6 meters in height. With a weight of 7 tons, the drum took 20 workers in Huanjiang Maonan autonomous county, Hechi, more than six months to complete. It was designed by Wei Qichu and Wei Qican, two "representative inheritors" of Guangxi's intangible cultural heritage, "Zhuang ethnic group bronze drum casting technique". With both men having backgrounds as blacksmiths, the brothers started research and testing for the project in the 1990s and finally created the casting process for producing gigantic bronze drums, building on the heritage of the traditional manufacturing technique. The drum was customized by the Guilin Renhe Investment Company and will be placed permanently at the highest point of the Yangshuo Theatrical Stage. Tan Mian, chairman of Huanjiang county political consultative conference, said that Yangshuo is a famous tourism county and attracts thousands of tourists every year. It is the best place to show the bronze drum culture. The Wei Qichu and Wei Qican brothers felt some regret that the drum could not be displayed in Hechi. However, they both showed the willingness to produce an even bigger bronze drum in the future, to be placed in Hechi. As Hechi is the hometown of the bronze drum it is only fitting, said the brothers, but more time is needed to further develop their bronze casting skills. The bronze drum is a precious cultural heritage made by ethnic minority groups in Southwest China and the south of the Five Ridges in ancient times. It has a history of more than 2,000 years. At present, the existing bronze drums handed down from ancient times total about 2,400, with more than 1,400 in Hechi itself. The Wei brothers have produced more than 100,000 bronze drums over the years. The drums have been sold to places around the world such as France and Southeast Asia. Taxis block a main road in Budapest's city centre, Hungary, January 18, 2016. Taxi drivers were protesting against the online taxi-hailing service Uber, demanding authorities to ban the service, according to local media. [Photo/Agencies] BUDAPEST - Budapest taxi drivers blocked Budapest thoroughfares all day on Monday protesting against the ride sharing service Uber that can be hailed using a smartphone application. Organizers said on Facebook that about 140 vehicles took part in the protest and were demanding that Uber be banned in Hungary. The trigger for the demonstration was a government regulation setting taxi fees for traditional taxi companies, which are higher than Uber's. Janos Lazar, chief of the prime minister's office, told a news conference on Monday afternoon that the cabinet would discuss the taxi issue at its Wednesday meeting. Taxi representatives spent Monday negotiating with the National Transport Authority, the National Economy Ministry, that National Tax and Tariff Bureau and with Uber's offices. They also met with Budapest mayor Istvan Tarlos, but reported that they had made no headway and would continue the protest. The drivers argue that Uber is apparently exempted from rules taxi companies must abide by. Neither its vehicles nor its drivers are subjected to the scrutiny of official taxis, they say, meaning that neither their tires nor their drivers' health is monitored. In addition, Uber was banned from using the smartphone application by a government decree, but continues to use it anyway, they argue. It is not known if the taxis will continue the protest on Tuesday. Japanese Yasutaro Koide (C), 112, receives the Guinness World Records certificate as he is formally recognized as the world's oldest man, at a nursing home in Nagoya, central Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo August 21, 2015. [Photo/Agencies] TOKYO - The world's oldest man Yasutaro Koide died on Tuesday aged 112 years old at a hospital in Nagoya, central Japan. Koide, who was born in Fukui Prefecture on March 13, 1903 and worked as a tailor, was certified in August last year by the Guinness World Records as being the world's oldest man. The record-holding tailor finished his career after moving to work in Osaka, producing formal wear for special occasions. Local media quoted the granddaughter of the centenarian as saying that her grandfather was constantly at his sewing machine, hand-making a wide variety of clothes, from formal wear to underwear. "Not pushing oneself and being happy about everything," was Koide's secret to living a long life, he told reporters upon being awarded with the world record last year. Koide became the world's oldest man following the death of Sakari Momoi from Saitama Prefecture in July last year who was also 112 years old. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, relatives of Koide said he passed away following being admitted to a hospital in Nagoya for heart disease, having fallen ill a month earlier. The oldest man in Japan is now Masamitsu Yoshida who is 111 years old and lives in Tokyo. Mourners place flowers at the site where Chinese student Jiang Yue was shot and killed in an apparent road rage incident on Jan 16 in Temple, Arizona. A memorial was held Monday afternoon at the location where more than 200 people, including the victim's fellow students, members of the Chinese community and local residents, gathered to mourn her death. [Photo courtesy of Kristine Liu / chinadaily.com.cn] The Foreign Ministry is closely following the investigation into the death of a Chinese student shot in the United States, spokesman Hong Lei said on Tuesday. Jiang Yue, 19, was allegedly shot dead by Holly Davis, 32, in Tempe, Arizona, on Jan 16. Reports said Davis rear-ended Jiang's car when Jiang stopped at a red light, then walked up to Jiang's car and allegedly shot her. Jiang, badly injured, was transferred to a hospital where she was declared dead. Davis was arrested and has been booked on four felony charges, including first-degree premeditated murder", CBS News reported on Monday. The Chinese Consulate-General in Los Angeles said it contacted the police of Tempe, urging them to find out what has happened and hold the perpetrator accountable. It also said it dispatched staff members to the city on Tuesday, and has been in contact and offered condolences to Jiang's family members in China. The consulate and the Foreign Ministry will follow the progress of the case closely, and will provide necessary assistance for Jiang's family members when they travel to the US, Hong added. A civilian flight-tracking system the Philippines plans to install in the South China Sea is illegal, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. It also said Manila is igniting tension by accusing China of sending radio messages to Philippine commercial aircraft flying toward a Chinese island. "The allegations from the Philippines are intentionally flaring up regional tensions with unconcealed purpose," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said. "China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Zhongye Island. Any activities carried out by the Philippines on occupied Chinese territory are illegal," Hong said. Philippine officials said on Monday they had received two radio warnings identified as originating from the Chinese navy when they flew a plane close to a Chinese island in the South China Sea on Jan 6. The plane was actually flying toward another Chinese island, Zhongye Island. The Philippines illegally occupied some Chinese islands in the South China Sea, including Zhongye Island, in the 1970s. The Philippines also said on Monday that it would install a civilian flight-tracking system on Zhongye Island. The automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast machine, which identifies aircraft positions using satellite signals, will be operational by November, said Rodante Joya, acting director of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. Joya said the system was part of a broader $209 million effort to more than double the country's commercial flight radar coverage. Hong on Tuesday also rebuffed remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in an interview with the Financial Times about Japan's "concern" over China's construction on some of its islands in the South China Sea, and its attempt to explore oil and gas in the East China Sea. The spokesperson said such activities are all within areas of Chinese sovereignty. President Xi Jinping'sThe Governance of Chinain Chinese, Arabic and English is in the book exhibition in Cairo. China's leading foreign language press has put fixed bookshelves in bookstores in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates for its publications that have been translated into Arabic to help Arabic people get to know China. Jing Xiaomin, vice-president of China Intercontinental Press, made the announcement when the press launched Chinese Book Exhibition Week at the International Book Center in Cairo on Tuesday, one day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Egypt from Wednesday to Friday. Jing said there will be bookshelves in two bookstores in Egypt and one in the United Arab Emirates. Jiang Jianguo, minister of the State Council Information Office and Haytham Hajali, head of the Egyptian general book authority, cut a ribbon for the Chinese Book Exhibition Week. More than 100 readers and students participated in the ceremony. The exhibition includes more than 100 types of books on modern China, Chinese culture, children's books and Chinese classic literature. The Chinese, Arabic and English edition of Xi's bookThe Governance of Chinais also exhibited. Lord Dyson, the most senior civil judge in England and Wales, has ruled that Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act the law that lets the police detain anyone they like for six hours, without a warrant or access to legal advice, and compel them to answer questions violates the UK's international human rights obligations. More than 60,000 people are detained under Schedule 7 every year, most infamously David Miranda, Glenn Greenwald's partner David Miranda, who was held at Heathrow airport for nine hours in 2013 while carrying an encrypted set of Snowden leaks from Laura Poitras in Germany to Glenn Greenwal in Brazil. Miranda has been engaged in legal action against the UK government since then, and now has had justice. Dyson's ruling held that although the police had followed the law, the law itself was unjust, especially when used against journalists, issuing a rare "certificate of incompatibility" that invalidates the law when used against journalists. Parliament can re-establish the law by adding safeguards to it for protection of fundamental human rights, including "judicial or other independent and impartial scrutiny" of the stops, which would be limited to instances in which there was "some intent to cause a serious threat to public safety such as endangering life." The court specifically rejected the UK government's definition of terrorism, which amounted to "anything we don't like," especially publishing Snowden leaks. In response to the ruling, the Home Office said: "We have always been clear that David Miranda's examination by police under schedule 7 was lawful and proportionate. The court of appeal's judgment in this case supports the action taken by police to protect national security. "We also note the court's decision that schedule 7, as in force at the time of this incident, did not provide sufficient protection against the examination of journalistic material." Terrorism Act incompatible with human rights, court rules in David Miranda case [Owen Bowcott/The Guardian] President Xi Jinping left Beijing Tuesday morning to visit Middle East. He will elaborate on China's policies to boost peace and development in the Middle East during his first overseas trip of the year, which starts on Tuesday. This was disclosed at a media briefing in Beijing on Monday by Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Ming, who also said Xi will outline China's measures for pragmatic cooperation. Observers have voiced high hopes for the president's schedule, which is aimed at reinvigorating the conflict-plagued region, including his speech on Middle East policy and possible outcomes regarding China's Belt and Road Initiative. During his state visits to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran, Xi will also visit the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo and deliver a speech there, Zhang said. The trip, which covers the three major players in the region, was announced last week. This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt and of China-Arab ties. A joint statement on setting up a China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership will be issued during Xi's visit to the kingdom, Zhang said. Zhang also said major international and regional issues will be discussed during the visits to the three countries. Wu Sike, a former Chinese special envoy for Middle East affairs, said doubts had been raised over Xi's visit to the region, and his trip will show that China's policies toward the area "have been tested by time and the evolving situation". Wu said Xi's initiatives on co-building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road proposed in 2013 have received proactive responses from the region, including from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. Nourhan al-Sheikh, a professor of political sciences at Cairo University, told Xinhua News Agency, "Arab-Chinese ties are stable and far from any tensions, disagreements or contradictions in political positions." In a signed article published on Monday in the Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh, Xi said that it is hoped that Saudi Arabia will become "an important participant, builder and beneficiary of the Belt and Road". Li Shaoxian, a senior expert in Middle East studies at Ningxia University in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, said that Iran has been one of the "most honest supporters" of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the country is witnessing sanctions being lifted by the international community. "As it undertakes rebuilding, it expects international participation in its domestic economic development," Li said. Related: China reveals Xi's Mideast schedule BEIJING - As Chinese President Xi Jinping embarks on a trip set to open a new era of win-win cooperation between his country and the Middle East, the crisis-ridden region is presented with a golden opportunity to blaze a new trail out of its chronic turmoil. Throughout its history, the transcontinental patch of land has been blessed with, among many others, a geopolitically important location, unparalleled reserves of oil, and enormous cultural and religious diversity. Yet in modern times these natural blessings have largely failed to translate into real benefits for the people there. Rather, they have sadly been more like a curse trapping the region in development-handicapping insecurity and unrest. A culprit behind the curse is, as numerous observers both inside and outside the region have eloquently expounded, Western intervention, which is more than often gilded with such lofty slogans as democracy and human rights but adulterated with selfish agendas. The waves of turbulence and upheaval that swept West Asia and North Africa over recent years -- lauded in the West as various Color Revolutions or the Arab Spring -- serve as a sobering reminder. More than five years after the self-immolation of a young Tunisian vendor triggered the chain reaction, Western intervention has brought the region nothing but a toxic mixture of social disturbances, international conflicts, unprecedented refugee flows, bloody sectarian clashes and rampant terrorism. The tragedy -- more like an "Arab Winter" than spring -- stems from the West's attempt to manipulate local grassroots grievances for the purposes of exporting its own ideology and institutions and toppling the governments it loathes. That self-centered calculations have only served to further complicate the long-standing intricacies in the Middle East, exacerbate the deep-rooted suspicions among regional players and stoke tensions across the already tense region, at the dear cost of the well-being of the hundreds of millions of people living there. Meanwhile, it has become increasingly clear that the mess the West's meddling hands have created in the Middle East is further and further out of those very hands, as the West's "leadership" -- or, more accurately, manipulative power -- in the region has been on the wane together with its role as both moneybag and arsenal for its proxies. In order to walk out of the current quagmire, the Middle East does need help from the outside world. But Western-style intervention is no viable option; it is more of a mortal poison than of a magic potion. Instead, the international community should follow China's example and commit itself to constructive engagement in Middle East affairs on the basis of respecting state sovereignty and national realities, promoting inclusive dialogue and reconciliation, and pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation. While Western interventionists tend to focus on geopolitical gains, truly helpful partners should lay emphasis on economic development and the living conditions of the people, as the two factors lie at the root of most of the troubles besetting the region, including terrorism. More importantly, the endless shedding of blood and tears has fully demonstrated that foreign players should never take the liberty of imposing exotic governance systems and development paths upon Middle East nations. The fate of the Middle East should be in the hands of the people living there. And that applies to all countries and regions across the world. BEIJING - A new business hub widely known as Madinat al-Hareer, or Silk City, is expected to be completed by 2035 in northern Kuwait to serve as a new major stop on the ancient Silk Road trade route. Featuring a 1,001-meter tall skyscraper in its masterplan, the Silk City would be co-developed by Kuwaiti and Chinese enterprises under China's "Belt and Road" initiative. The 36-km Sheikh Jaber Causeway project linking the Silk City with Kuwait City is already under construction. China is also working closely with many other Middle East countries, such as Egypt, Qatar, and Oman, to speed up cooperation in infrastructure, manufacturing, among other fields. With substantive investment in capital, personnel, technology and experience, Chinese enterprises in the Middle East are playing an important role in sustaining and upgrading the regional economy and facilitating social stability in the often conflict-ridden region. NOT JUST OIL Energy cooperation has been an important part of China's economic interactions with the Middle East as about half of China's oil imports come from the region. But experts say that China's proposal of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road -- the "Belt and Road" initiative -- has provided a good opportunity to expand economic and trade cooperation between the two sides. "There is a large deficit in infrastructure in many Middle East countries, as a result of sanctions, economic difficulties or security problems," said Wu Bingbing, head of the Institute of Arabic-Islamic Culture Studies at Peking University. "And some countries need to accelerate industrial development in order to accommodate increasing population and labor surplus," he added. "These can be two areas where China's 'Belt and Road' initiative can meet the needs of Middle East countries." According to Li Guofu, director of Middle East studies at the China Institute of International Studies, the best part of the "Belt and Road" initiative is that it ties China's development with that of other countries. Mahmoud Allam, a former Egyptian ambassador to China, said the "Belt and Road" initiative has seen much acceptance and applause as it passes through Middle East countries. INFRASTRUCTURE "Infrastructure is greatly needed for economic and social development in the Middle East," said Wu Sike, China's former special envoy to the Middle East. "Chinese companies have been working with Arab countries in this area for a long time, accumulating a certain foundation." China's Arab Policy Paper released last week has listed traditional areas of railway, highway and seaports as well as aviation and satellites in infrastructure cooperation with the Middle East. Wu Bingbing highlighted railway construction as an example of China's cooperation with the Middle East. The second-stage construction of a high-speed railway from Ankara to Istanbul in Turkey is a landmark project, and the light rail project in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, has brought great convenience to pilgrims, he noted. In the future there is huge potential for Chinese companies in the region, with densely populated countries like Iran and Egypt in urgent need of more investment in infrastructure, he said. In August 2014, a 72-km expansion of the Suez Canal was approved by the Egyptian government to boost the country's ailing economy. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said that Chinese companies have great chances in the project. Ahmed Qandil, an expert in Asian affairs with the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Affairs, said that Middle East countries, especially Egypt, can benefit from China's progress in space studies. The two sides can work together in making satellites, building ground stations, as well as data processing, which will serve Egypt in its national developmental projects, he told Xinhua. JOBS Apart from infrastructure, production capacity cooperation could also become a highlight of bilateral cooperation under the "Belt and Road" initiative, which would add jobs, especially for young people. "The biggest problem for many countries in the Middle East is social problems such as unemployment, especially in Egypt, where there is a large population," said Li, director of Middle East studies. A key part of the Chinese initiative is the offering of infrastructure construction and experience, and that can bring good opportunities to young people, he told Xinhua. The same view was echoed by Qandil, who said the initiative can help a lot in reducing unemployment in the region. "Solving that social and economic problem could be direct via projects or indirect by pushing economic activity, and eventually increase economic growth, which will serve the interests of the people in general," he said. Wu Bingbing noted that countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Iraq and Iran have relatively abundant labor force, low labor cost and good education, providing good environment for developing the manufacturing sector. "For example, textiles, steel, cement, construction materials can be potential areas of production capacity cooperation with Egypt, and in Iran, the automobile and electricity sectors have great potential," he said. IS CHINA FREE RIDER? In response to Western accusations that China has been a "free rider" in the Middle East, experts say China's policy on the region is simply different from the West. "We focus on economy, trade and development, which help these countries to solve domestic and regional problems on their own," said Wu Bingbing. "But Western countries mainly care about political and security interests." China's continuous operation of its large-scale investment projects in Iraq, for example, helps increase government income and improve social stability, making it easier for security operations, said the expert. Even as the Islamic State wreaked havoc in Iraq in 2014, China did not stop its economic cooperation with the country, said Wu Sike. "The Iraqi government told me that China's role was extremely helpful for national stability." Wu Bingbing noted that each country has its unique role in the Middle East, and should play out its own advantages and stick to its own principles. According to Li, Western countries should be blamed for the chaotic situation in the Middle East. "The current turmoil in the Middle East is to a large extent due to the wrong policies by the West," said Li. "Calling China a free rider under such situation is bizarre and unacceptable." Allam said big differences exist between the Western countries and China with regard to policies on the Middle East. "The West always looks upon the Middle East with colonial and imperialism sight ... The West works on undermining the Middle East and spread chaos and difference, spread religious seditions to easily control its wealth," he told Xinhua. "However, the Chinese policy on the region is based on development, cooperation, building capabilities of the regional countries, defending the Middle East and African rights without internal intervention," he said. "The Chinese policies help push the train of development in the region, raise the living standards without depleting the region's resources or wealth," said the former ambassador. He hailed China as a model of responsible country that keeps balance in ties without interference. "Consequently the Middle East countries open its arms for cooperation with China instead of the West." President Xi Jinpings The Governance of China in Chinese, Arabic and English is in the exhibition. [Photo by Hou Liqiang/chinadaily.com.cn] China's leading foreign language press will include a special bookshelf for their Arabic publications in the Middle East to meet the need of Arabic people wanting to know more about China. Jing Xiaomin, vice president of China Intercontinental Press, announced the plan at the launch of a Chinese Book Exhibition Week in the International Book Center in Cairo on Tuesday, one day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's State visit to Egypt, which falls on Wednesday to Friday. Jing said they will have fixed bookshelf for Chinese books in two bookstores in Egypt and one in United Arab Emirates. Jiang Jianguo, minister of State Council Information Office and Haytham Hajali, head of the Egyptian general book authority cut the ribbon for the Chinese Book Exhibition Week. More than 100 readers and students participated in the launching ceremony. The exhibition includes more than 100 varieties books on national conditions of modern China, including Chinese cultural volumes, children's books, and Chinese classical literature. The Chinese, Arabic and English editions of President Xi Jinping's book, The Governance of China, is also being exhibited. BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping published a signed article titled "Let China-Arab Friendship Surge Forward like the Nile" on Egyptian newspaper Alahram on Tuesday ahead of his state visit to the country. The following is the English version of the article: Let China-Arab Friendship Surge Forward like the Nile By H. E. Xi Jinping President of the People's Republic of China At the invitation of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, I will pay a state visit to Egypt, my first to the Middle East and Arab countries as President of China and my first overseas visit in 2016. The purpose is to renew friendship, and discuss cooperation and development with Egyptian and Arab friends. I look forward to a trip of friendship, cooperation and mutual benefit. "Egypt is the gift of the Nile." When I first visited Egypt 16 years ago, I learned how people of ancient Egypt harnessed the Nile floods for agricultural production. I marveled at the Nile, mother of the Egyptian civilization, and was amazed by the wisdom and strength of the Egyptian people. Ever since then, the great Nile has been etched in my mind. Since late 2014, I have had two meetings with President al-Sisi in Beijing. Our agreement to elevate China-Egypt relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership led bilateral relations onto a fast track. President al-Sisis's trip to Beijing last September to attend commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World's Anti-fascist War was a just call made on behalf of the Arab world for upholding the victorious outcome of WWII and the post-war international order. Both China and Egypt are ancient civilization. Friendly exchanges between our peoples date back to antiquity. More than 2,000 years ago, the imperial court of China's Han Dynasty sent envoys to Alexandria. The ancient Silk Road was a bond linking up the two sides. In the modern times, the people of China and Egypt have stood together in the fight against colonialism and hegemony. Over six decades ago, Premier Zhou Enlai and President Gamal Abdel Nasser shook hands at Bandung, Indonesia. China and Egypt have since joined hands and embarked on a common cause to uphold the rights and interests of developing countries. Over the past six decades, China-Egypt relations have stood the test of changing international and regional landscapes and have moved forward steadily. The two sides have treated each other with mutual understanding, respect, trust and support, and have conducted fruitful cooperation. China supports the people of Egypt in making independent choices for the future of their own country. China supports the government of Egypt in restoring social stability and economic development. China supports Egypt in playing an active role in regional and international affairs. China will continue to view and develop its relations with Egypt from a strategic and long-term perspective. I and President al-Sisi will work together to comprehensively deepen the political trust and strategic cooperation between our two countries, so that China and Egypt will achieve common development and progress and China-Egypt relations, already a shining example of South-South cooperation, will continue to play its exemplary role. Egypt was the first Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with China. China's relations with Egypt marked the beginning of its relations with Arab countries and are indicative of the height and warmth of China-Arab relations. For over six decades, China-Arab friendship and cooperation have undergone historic transformation and we have gained much valuable experience. Despite changes in the international situation, the two sides respect and treat each other as equals, and have acted as each other's friend, brother and partner. We have a shared commitment to win-win cooperation and common development. However things may change, common interests and sustainable development have always been a common pursuit for both sides. We respect each other's social system and development path and have promoted dialogue among civilizations.China-Egypt interaction and cooperation over the years are guided by the principles of mutual trust, mutual assistance, mutual benefit and mutual prosperity. The two countries are indeed each other's good friend, good brother and good partner that can be counted on. In the past six decades, China-Arab relations have achieved comprehensive development and yielded fruitful results. The collective cooperation between China and Arab countries has been going on for 11 years. When I attended the opening ceremony of the sixth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in 2014, I put forward the strategic vision for China and Arab countries to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. A blueprint was drawn by both sides to develop China-Arab relations in the coming decade. China-Arab relations are now thriving. Eight Arab countries, namely Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Sudan, Jordan and Iraq, have established or elevated to strategic cooperative relations or partnerships with China. In 2014, trade between China and Arab countries exceeded 251.1 billion U.S. dollars. China imported 146 million tons of oil from Arab countries and was the second largest trading partner for Arab countries. Seven Arab countries became founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. In the past 60 years, China has provided Arab countries with a total of 25.4 billion RMB yuan in economic assistance, trained over 20,000 people in different professions and sent medical teams to eight Arab countries. Eleven Arab countries have become approved destinations for Chinese tourists. There are now 183 weekly flights between the two sides, and every year, 1.02 million people travel back and forth between China and Arab countries. As an Arab proverb says, "he who travels alone goes fast, but he who travels in company goes far." The Chinese people say that "more friends make the journey easier". Indeed, there are no better expressions to describe China and Arab countries that have been with each other all the time and shared weal and woe all along. The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes. Global challenges are increasing. Global economic recovery remains difficult. Regional turmoil continues to flare up and the threat of terrorism is notably on the rise. This has made it ever more urgent for a new type of international relations to be built that is geared toward win-win cooperation. China and Arab countries are both at a crucial stage of development. The Chinese people are striving for the realization of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the great renewal of the Chinese nation. The Arab people are exploring their own ways of reform and working hard for national rejuvenation. Such shared development mission and pursuit have brought us even more close to each other. Together, china and Arab countries account for one sixth of the total landmass and one fourth of the global population. This means huge potential and bright prospects for China-Arab cooperation. Looking ahead, we need to remain committed to promoting all-round cooperation and jointly developing the strategic and cooperative partnership between China and Arab countries. The two sides need to work together to pass on our traditional friendship to future generations and enable more people to benefit from our cooperation. China and Arab countries need to pursue independent paths of development. There is no panacea in the world, nor a universal model for development. Nobody understands the history and future of the Middle East better than the people of the region. Only by pursuing our own path can we broaden our journey and make it more durable. The aspiration of the Arab people for a better life not only provides the momentum for reform, it also lays the foundation for regional stability. China will continue to support Egypt and other Arab countries in pursuing development paths suited to their own national conditions and share development experience to jointly address the challenges of our times. China and Arab countries need to defend regional peace. The world could not be a tranquil place if there is instability in the Middle East. A study of history shows that force is never the right solution to problems, and the zero-sum or winner-takes-all logic is inconsistent with the call of the times. The surest way to finding the maximum common denominator between the interests of different parties is to seek consensus and be understanding and accommodative. As always, China will continue to support the Middle East peace process. China supports the establishment of an independent State of Palestine with full sovereignty based on the 1967 border and with East Jerusalem as capital. China will provide more public goods, and work with Egypt and other Arab countries to safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East. China and Arab countries need to carry out mutually beneficial cooperation. The Belt and Road Initiative is aimed at achieving true common prosperity instead of the mere satisfaction of self-interests. China has a big market, abundant capital, advanced technology and competitive industrial capacity; it is determined to achieve innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development. Arab countries are at a key stage in modernization and are focusing on achieving industrialization as a way to promote development, improve people's well-being and create more job opportunities. By jointly developing the Belt and Road Initiative, the two sides can link up our respective development strategies, deepen and expand cooperation in energy, trade and investment, infrastructure and high technology. China welcomes Egypt and other Arab countries to get on board the fast train of its development and hopes that our respective development and growth could be well aligned and mutually reinforcing. China and Arab countries need to advocate cultural diversity. The Chinese civilization and the Arab Islamic civilization are major civilizations of the world each with its unique features. We value and learn from each other. Such mutual learning, based on mutual respect and humility, sets a great example for exchange among different civilizations. China will work with Egypt and other Arab countries and make unremitting efforts to carry forward traditional cultures and uphold cultural diversity of our world. In a hymn to the Nile, ancient Egyptians sang:" Hail to thee, O Nile, who manifests thyself over this land." I am convinced that with our joint efforts, the friendship between China and Egypt and between China and Arab countries as a whole will surge forward like the Nile and bring us to our desired destination of national renewal. RIYADH -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia here on Tuesday, announced with his Saudi host that the two countries are to lift bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Xi arrived earlier Tuesday in the Arabian kingdom on the first leg of his three-country Middle East visit. Related: Full text of Chinese President's signed article on Saudi newspaper Be Good Partners for Common Development By H. E. Xi Jinping President of the People's Republic of China Published on Alriyadh of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is the first stop of my first overseas visit this year and also the first Arab country I will visit as President of the People's Republic of China. China sees Saudi Arabia as a brotherly state. An oil kingdom with huge oil and gas reserves, a country with time-honored history which is the birthplace of Islam, and the magnificent setting sun against the vast expanse of the desert: these are the images that Saudi Arabia brings to our mind. In 2008, I visited Saudi Arabia as Vice Chinese President, and I was greatly impressed by its prosperity and the hospitality of its people. Eight years on, at the invitation of His Majesty Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, I will once again set foot on this beautiful and rich land, and I will bring with me the Chinese people's friendship towards the Saudi Arabian people and their keen desire to grow friendly ties between our two countries. We Chinese often say that true friendship stands out in time of adversity. And people in Saudi Arabia also believe that "there is no greater virtue than extending a helping hand to those in need". In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Wenchuan of China's Sichuan Province in 2008, Saudi Arabia immediately provided over US$60 million of both cash and material assistance to China, the largest item of overseas assistance ever received by the Chinese government. This assistance provided by the Saudi Arabian government people, a vivid symbol of the China-Saudi Arabia friendship, deeply moved the Chinese people and will always be remembered by us. The peoples of China and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed friendly exchanges for centuries. Over 2000 years ago, numerous camel caravans from the two sides travelled along the ancient Silk Road. Diplomatic envoys from the Seljuk Empire visited China during the Tang Dynasty. Zheng He, China's Muslim navigator in the Ming Dynasty, travelled to Jeddah, Mecca and Medina, and he described them as paradises where people enjoyed peace and harmony. The interactions and mutual learning between the Chinese and Islamic civilizations are an important part in the history of inter-civilization exchanges. The establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Saudi Arabia in 1990 opened a new chapter in their relations. In particular, since the establishment of the strategic and friendly relationship between the two countries in 2008, China-Saudi Arabia relations have progressed by leaps and bounds, with enormous growth made in all-round corporation. For years, Saudi Arabia has been China's biggest global supplier of crude oil and its biggest trading partner in West Asia and Africa. In 2013, China became the biggest trading partner of Saudi Arabia for the first time. Two-way trade reached US$69.1 billion in 2014, growing by 230 times over that at the time of the establishment of diplomatic ties. Today, one in six barrels of crude oil China imports comes from Saudi Arabia, and one out of every seven Riyal Saudi Arabia earns from its exports comes from China. China and Saudi Arabia are also expanding the cooperation, with numerous cooperation projects being undertaken in infrastructure, investment, labor and agriculture. The light rail line constructed by a Chinese company in the sacred city of Mecca provides convenient travel services to Muslim pilgrims from around the world. Chinese companies have provided good telecommunication services for the pilgrimage for many years. Our scientific and research institutes successfully completed the genetic map for date palms, leading to increased yields, better strains and stronger capacity of pest resistance. China and Saudi Arabia enjoy increasingly close people-to-people exchanges. The Silk Road Treasure Boat Pavilion built by Saudi Arabia for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai was one of its most popular pavilions, and it still attracts numerous visitors today. In 2013, China attended the Jenadrivah Heritage and Culture Festival in Saudi Arabia as the country of honor, enabling Saudi visitors to intimately learn about a dynamic and innovative China that enjoys both a traditional cultural heritage and success of modern development. As a Chinese saying goes, "devoted friends afar are not kept apart by distance". The growing friendship and cooperation are bringing our two peoples closer than ever before. There is so much inspiration we can draw from the flourishing ties between China and Saudi Arabia: Mutual respect, mutual trust and equality are the solid foundation of the sound and steady growth of the bilateral relationship; tapping our respective strength for mutual benefit provides powerful impetus for our relationship to deliver long-term benefits to our two peoples; and openness and amity between our peoples are the inexhaustible source of strength for sustaining China-Saudi Arabia friendship A review of our respective progress in economic and social development shows that China and Saudi Arabia have so much in common: Both countries have followed development paths suited to their national conditions; both of us have achieved future-oriented sustainable economic development in diverse ways; and both countries have endeavored to improve our people's lives. Our highly compatible visions on development will greatly boost the growth of China-Saudi Arabia relations The Chinese people are making tireless efforts to realize the two "centenary goals", namely, to finish the building of a country of initial prosperity in all respects when the Communist Party of China celebrates its centenary in 2021 and turn China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious when the People's Republic celebrates its centenary in 2049. We are also endeavoring to achieve the Chinese dream of great national renewal. Saudi Arabia has started the implementation of a new five-year plan and vigorously pursued a strategy of diversified economic development to achieve all-round, balanced and coordinated development. Similar development aspirations, same development missions and converged development interests provide enduring impetus to the in-depth growth of China-Saudi Arabia relations. China and Saudi Arabia, both countries with important influence, will embrace a great historic opportunity of advancing their bilateral relations. By making this visit, I look forward to working together with the leaders of Saudi Arabia to elevate the bilateral relations, upgrade mutually beneficial cooperation and deliver more benefits to our two peoples. ---Let us forge a strategic partnership of mutual support, sincerity and mutual trust. We should bear in mind the strategic nature of China-Saudi Arabia relations and ensure their long-term and sound growth, form synergy between our respective development strategies, increase mutual understanding to and support each other on issues relating to our respective core interests and major concerns, and cement political mutual trust. ---Let us forge a win-win partnership of mutual benefit and common development. We should expand trade, build a long-term, stable China-Saudi Arabia community of energy corporation, enhance cooperation in infrastructure and investment, and prioritize three hi-tech sectors, namely, aerospace, peaceful use of nuclear energy and renewable energy, in our efforts to enrich practical cooperation. China welcomes Saudi Arabia's joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a prospective founding member; and we will work with Saudi Arabia to accelerate efforts to build the China-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Area. All those efforts will reinforce both our bilateral and multilateral cooperation and yield greater benefits to both countries. ---Let us forge a partnership of expanding cooperation and solitary. China will enhance cooperation with Saudi Arabia multilaterally to maintain regional peace and stability and promote common development. To advance regional connectivity and common development, China has launched the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road Initiative). We hope and trust that Saudi Arabia, located at the west crossroads of the Belt and Road, will become an important participant of, contributor to and beneficiary of this initiative. ---Let us forge a friendly partnership of frequent exchanges and mutual learning. Frequent exchanges will deepen friendship. China will step up exchange and cooperation with Saudi Arabia in areas such as education, media, think tanks and the youth and enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges and at various levels. I welcome more Saudi Arabians to visit China, and I am sure there is much you can do personally to contribute to China-Saudi Arabia friendship through these visits. Let us join hands to deliver an even brighter future for China-Saudi Arabia relations! President Xi Jinping is welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at a ceremony in Riyadh on Tuesday. Xi arrived in Saudi Arabia on the first stop of a three-nation tour of the Middle East. [Photo/Agencies] President Xi Jinping witnessed ties between China and Saudi Arabia lifted to a higher level on Tuesday by securing wide-ranging deals covering energy, industrial capacity cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative. The president arrived in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, at the start of a three-nation Middle East tour that will also take him to Egypt and Iran. It is his first visit to the region since he took office. Four Saudi fighter jets escorted the plane carrying Xi into Riyadh. Xi said Saudi Arabia is a major Arab country and Islamic power, and the two-way relationship has "achieved great leaps forward" in the past 26 years, greatly benefiting the two peoples. Xi and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on advancing the Belt and Road Initiative and production capacity cooperation. Other agreements were signed on energy, telecommunication and aviation. The two countries released a joint statement on forming a comprehensive strategic partnership and agreed to boost their joint development strategies. Annual trade between the nations reached $69.1 billion in 2014, about 230 times the figure in 1990, the year that diplomatic ties between Beijing and Riyadh were established. Ahead of his talks with the king, Xi received a ceremonial welcome at the Royal Court. His motorcade was escorted by mounted guards, and he inspected an honor guard of troops. Xi told the king that raising ties to a new level will "deepen bilateral strategic trust and lead the two countries to greater outcomes from mutually beneficial cooperation". The king said Saudi Arabia supports China's Belt and Road Initiative, and is ready to deepen cooperation in fields such as trade, investment, energy, education, and science and technology. After the talks, the king presented Xi with a King Abdul Aziz Medal. Saudi Arabia is China's largest crude oil supplier and largest trade partner in the West Asia and North Africa region. China is also among Saudi Arabia's top trading partners. Wu Bingbing, a professor of Middle East studies at Peking University, said the agreements signed on Tuesday "showcase the future pathways for Saudi Arabia to upgrade its industries", and will effectively serve the country's plan to diversify its economy. "As its consumption of crude oil surges, Saudi Arabia is seeking alternative energy sources such as nuclear and recyclable ones," Wu said. Luc Pauwels from Belgium's VRT News took his Vauxhall (GM) Opel Astra in for service, and a mechanic there disclosed that Vauxhall had asked him to flash the firmware of any diesel Opel Zafira to remove a defeat-device that caused it to emit 500% of the legal NOx limit an order that came down right after the Dieselgate scandal broke. Pauwels took multiple, unmodified Zefiras to mechanics, first testing them for NOx emissions. Before service, they emitted 5X the permitted NOx levels, afterward it dropped to level that complied with EU rules. One mechanic admitted he'd updated the firmware to change the pollution characteristics, while another denied it but in both cases, the cars' emissions were radically different before and after the service. GM denies any wrongdoing. VRT News has discovered that since November official Opel dealers have been modifying polluting software in one of the Opel models. This is the case with the Zafira-Tourer 2014 series with a 1.6 diesel engine. The software enhances the performance of the cars, but at the same time also increases nitrogen oxide emissions to levels several hundred percent above the permitted European norms. Dealers are now changing the packet in question making the cars less polluting. During our investigation we established that the reason for the upgrade was hidden from Zafira owners. The operation started shortly after the Dieselgate scandal erupted in Europe. (Reporter: Luc Pauwels. VRT's investigation was conducted with support from the Pascal Decroos Fund for Investigative Journalism.) Are Opel dealers modyfing the software of polluting Zafiras? [Flanders News] GM's Opel rejects Belgian emissions claim [FT] (Image: Opel Zafira Tourer 2.0 CDTI Innovation (C) , M93, CC-BY-SA) Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a powerful, corrupt Democratic Party official, the chair of the DNC who has tilted the rules to give the advantage to Hillary Clinton (Wasserman Schultz co-chaired the Clinton 2008 campaign), publicly threatened staffers who questioned her Clinton partisanship, voted against medical marijuana, co-sponsored SOPA, demanded the extradition and prosecution of Edward Snowden, takes massive corporate donations, and stands unopposed for the Democratic Party nomination in South Florida in every election except this one. After six terms in office, Wasserman Schultz has her first primary challenger, activist lawyer Tim Canova who worked with Occupy, fought the Drug War and private prisons, hates the TPP, and refuses to take big corporate donations for his campaign, financing solely on small-money donations. Wasserman Schultz has burned a lot of bridges in the Democratic Party and is ripe for toppling, and Canova sounds like just the fellow to do it someone with real credentials and real principles who stands for genuine reform. Glenn Greenwald conducted an interview with Canova, which goes into more detail about his campaign and his corrupt, long-serving crony-capitalist opponent: Across the board, whether it's the TPP or the drug war, she's taking a lot of corporate money, and she's been taking it for years. She talks the talk about campaign finance reform she will say she's for campaign finance reform but she's not walking the walk. She voted recently the way most of Congress did on this latest omnibus spending bill. There were a couple of terrible provisions that allowed dark money to remain in our politics. One provision that she voted for in this omnibus package was to prevent the Securities and Exchange Commission from writing rules for transparency to require corporations to disclose to their shareholders the extent of their campaign contributions; their political spending. Another ties the hands of the Internal Revenue Service from creating rules to curb special interest donors from forming these sham social welfare organizations that hide political spending. She's been raising corporate money for herself; she's been giving it away to other candidates. She is the quintessential corporate machine politician. She really is, across the board. And then it influences her votes. And it's not just TPP and the drug war, it's Wall Street issues, and this is really what I've been teaching and writing about for many years. Just in the past few months the past year or two she has voted to prevent the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to write rules to regulate payday lending, to prevent racial discrimination in car loans. In December 2014, she voted to eliminate the part of Dodd-Frank that had prevented big banks from using deposits to speculate in financial derivatives. So she doesn't have any real vision for public finance other than lining the pockets of her donors. Meet Debbie Wasserman Schultz's First-Ever Primary Challenger: Tim Canova [Glenn Greenwald/The Intercept] (Photo : Getty Images / Chris McGrath / Staff) Among those removed were qualifications for web advertising brokers, port cargo handling workers and baristas. Advertisement China has announced the removal of more than 272 vocational qualifications as well as additional certification requirements that were the norm since 2014. The removal is aimed towards supporting the creation of new businesses as well as to help bring forth new ideas from citizens within the coming years. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Among those removed were qualifications for web advertising brokers, port cargo handling workers and baristas. China's Qualifications and Certifications system were created in 1994 and was aimed towards the testing of the ability and knowledge of workers in order for them to engage in corresponding vocations. There were two types of qualification certification, namely job-access qualifications and assessed skill qualifications. These tests were administered by agencies that were authorized by the Chinese government to test citizen's competency. However, after 20 years of development, the vocational system has caused more problems than solutions. A lot of people, mainly foreigners, have also made illegal profit from vocational testing and training that were not authorized by the government. Some foreign immigrants put up vocational training schools that are aimed at training workers and other employees about other sectors through basic professional knowledge and certain skills that one needs in order to qualify for a specific job. Unfortunately, a lot of these so-called schools are not recognized by the government. China also plans to focus on enhancing job and skill supervision as well as formulating a new vocational qualification framework that is different from the previous one that was set in 1994. Advertisement TagsJobs, Job Application, Vocational Jobs, Vocation (Photo : Getty Images) As Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to embark on an unprecedented middle eastern tour, China has clarified that it would stay neutral in ongoing dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Advertisement China would stay completely neutral in current Saudi Arabia and Iran conflict, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming told reporters on Monday, as Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to embark on a unprecedented tour of Saudi Arabia and Iran this week. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "Regarding some of the region's problems, China has always taken a balanced and just position," Zhang said, when reporters quizzed him about existing tension between Riyadh and Tehran. "If the Middle East is not stable, I'm afraid the world can't be very peaceful. If a country or a region is not stable, it cannot realize development'.' Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iran have never enjoyed good relations, but ever since Tehran executed Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on Jan. 2, tension between two Middle Eastern countries has escalated to new level. So much so that both countries have completely cut off diplomatic ties. Given that China is immensely dependent on both Saudi Arabia and Iran for oil and natural gas needs, its decision to remain neutral was very much expected. Traditionally too, China has always remain detached from the Middle Eastern tension, especially with respect to Israel and Palestine problem. Political analysts believe that President Xi's upcoming Middle Eastern tour would not change China's detached policy towards Middle Eastern regional problems, but the Chinese leader is expected to seek for deeper economic and diplomatic ties - with oil and energy obviously being very high on president's agenda. Along with Saudi Arabia and Iran, Chinese President Xi will also visit Egypt, where he is expected to make a historic speech at the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo. Xi is also expected to meet Arab League's Secretary General Nabil Arabi in Egypt. Advertisement TagsChina and Saudi Arabia, China and Iran, Iran (Photo : Getty Images/Kyodo News/Yoshuke Mizuno) China's President Xi Jinping (R) has not wavered from his position that destabilizing North Korea would only create chaos in the region. Experts say Xi favors a measured diplomatic response to Pyongyang's latest nuclear weapons test. Advertisement China will continue to resist pressure from the US and others to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear weapons test, according to reports. The US and its allies in East Asia have stepped up calls for Beijing to cut oil supplies to North Korea and curtail Pyongyang's access to banks. The US wants China to impose crippling sanctions on its wayward neighbor as part of a larger international response to the North's nuclear weapons program. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement But Beijing officials close to China's President Xi Jinping have told the New York Times that the Chinese leader has not wavered from his view that destabilizing North Korea would only create chaos in the region. Experts say Xi is unlikely to change his position. "If North Korea becomes an enemy state, it would have plenty of ways to harm China," says Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing. "Beijing cannot afford to have North Korea become permanently hostile." This view is shared by Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, who says China would rather continue its relations with Pyongyang than risk regional instability. "A lot of people think China is the missing link, and if only it would get on board with sanctions, that North Korea would be compelled to give up its nuclear weapons," Glaser tells the Los Angeles Times. "The Chinese just don't look at it like that." The pressure nonetheless continues. South Korea's President Park Geun-hye -- who has formed close ties with Xi -- earlier called on China to match its stern words over North Korea's nuclear ambitions with "necessary measures." The US and South Korea are apparently working together to increase military pressure on Pyongyang. In a recent press conference, a South Korean defense ministry spokesman said the two countries are discussing the "deployment of additional strategic assets" to the Korean Peninsula. Some analysts have said that -- in military terminology -- the term "strategic assets" usually means nuclear weapons. "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," US Secretary of State John Kerry told the press recently. To further complicate matters, Chinese, American and South Korean officials say Xi's relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is fraught with distrust. The same officials insist that -- while the two leaders both hail from revolutionary families -- they have little else in common. "Xi comes from a very exacting training program where status comes from age," says former British diplomat Kerry Brown. "Here we have this guy [Kim] who is 33, who has been to Geneva for a couple of years, who has got no executive experience whatsoever, basically running this parasitical economy, which isn't functioning very well." The alleged animosity between the two heads of state is said to have started in 2013, after Kim oversaw his first nuclear test as North Korea's supreme leader. In a rare public rebuke apparently directed at Kim, Xi -- who had only months before assumed office as China's chief executive -- warned that no country should be allowed to throw the world into chaos for purely "selfish gain." While China is North Korea's only remaining major ally -- and Xi is by far the most-traveled president in the history of China -- he has never visited North Korea, nor has he ever hosted a visit by the North Korean leader. In what some claim is a clear indication of his disapproval of Kim's policies, Xi has instead chosen to cultivate better relations with Park, the South Korean president. China's chief executive flew to Seoul for a highly-publicized state visit in 2014. Advertisement TagsUS (Photo : Getty Images/Martin Simon - Pool) General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (L) of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) meets with US President Barrack Obama in Washington in the above photo taken in July 2015. Trong reportedly favors a conciliatory policy towards China. Advertisement The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) begins the process of choosing the party's new leaders during its 12th National Congress on Wednesday in Hanoi. The leadership transition -- which happens once every five years -- comes as Vietnam is in the midst of an increasingly bitter dispute with its old ally China. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Hanoi has for decades contested China's control over the Spratly and Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea. Tensions between the two old allies have resurfaced lately as China has taken a more muscular stance to its territorial claims over the areas. Just two weeks ago, the Vietnamese government expressed outrage over China's landing of civilian aircraft on Fiery Cross Reef, claiming it is "a serious infringement" of Vietnam's supposed sovereignty over the territory. "The Chinese side will not accept the unfounded accusation of the Vietnamese side," said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying in response to Hanoi's protestations. Speaking to Japan Times about the forthcoming CPV congress, Professor Zachary Abuza of the National War College in Washington said there have been vigorous discussions within the party about the future direction of Vietnam's relations with China. "There are debates over strategies on how to deal with Chinese aggression," said Abuza. "There are people in the party who are still fearful of antagonizing China." But the decades-long dispute with Beijing has seen Vietnam drift closer toward Washington, allowing Hanoi to form deeper military and economic ties with its former foe. Some analysts now claim that one of the major challenges for Vietnam's incoming Communist leadership is how far, and how fast, the country should improve ties with the US. "What is of utmost importance is that we have been transformed from former enemies to become friends, partners -- comprehensive partners," said CPV general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong during an official visit to Washington last July. "And I'm convinced that our relationship will continue to grow in the future." Commerce between the US and Vietnam fell to almost nothing after the collapse of diplomatic ties between the two nations in 1975. In the interlude, China and Vietnam built a cross-border trade now valued at around $67 billion, according to NBC News. But the military and political situation in Southeast Asia has shifted the disposition of diplomatic alliances in the region. In 2014, Washington announced that the US was lifting its weapons ban against Vietnam, and that it would spend nearly $20 billion to improve the country's maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Commercial exchanges between Vietnam and the US have also ballooned, rising in value to some $41 billion in 2015. And, in what many see as a definite indication of Vietnam's 'pivot to the West' policy, Hanoi and Washington are currently negotiating a defense deal that would allow US troops to travel to Cam Ranh Bay, a strategic naval hub just 600 kilometers south east of the disputed Paracel Islands. Two men are expected to figure prominently in the upcoming vote for leadership over the CPV. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who has in the past demonstrated a willingness to confront Beijing on its territorial claims, is running against incumbent general secretary Trong, who reportedly favors a conciliatory approach toward China. However, Raymond Burghardt, US ambassador to Vietnam from 2001 to 2004, believes the new leaders of the CPV will not -- at least for now -- veer too drastically to one side, whatever the outcome of this year's party congress. "I think they are very torn," Burghardt said of the CPV. "Part of it is the inherent Vietnamese cautiousness about how it positions itself within what they call the triangle -- the US, China and Vietnam." Advertisement TagsChina-Vietnam relations, US-China relations (Photo : YouTube Screenshot) Xiamen Customs have seized 14,000 pairs of counterfeited shoes worth USD 150,000; the fake products bear the logos of Nike, Adidas and Puma. Advertisement Customs officers in Xiamen, China, have seized over 14,000 pairs of counterfeited shoes that bear the logos of Nike, Adidas and Puma worth a street value of $15,000. According to the officers, the pairs of shoes were confiscated after a local trading enterprise failed to show its legal papers and certificates. The trademarks of Adidas, Nike and Puma were used on 8728, 5400 and 696 pairs of shoes, respectively. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The office of Xiamen Customs has already communicated with the three respective companies and they confirmed the infringement on Monday. The companies have reportedly applied for the government agency's protection of their intellectual property rights. All the fake products have been placed under the custody of the Customs department for investigation. With China becoming the world's workshop, most Chinese exports (70 percent) is made of manufactured commodities. According to US Customs, from 2008 to 2010, 87 percent of the fake commodities seized came from China. Last year, a team under the National Standing People's Committee released a report stating that in 2014, over 40 percent of the online goods sold in China were fake or of bad quality. Furthermore, customer complaints inceased by 356.6 percent (over 77,000) from 2013 to 2014. The Chinese government has vowed to tighten its security with regard to online trading as there are no existing laws on how buyers can avail compensations or how to put online vendors accountable. According to Charles Scholz, Asia director of Kroll Associates, a security consulting firm, Chinese counterfeiting has already cost international businesses approximately $20 billion annually in terms of lost profits. "In the case of one consumer goods manufacturer, as much as 70 percent of the goods on the market are counterfeits," he said. He further claimed that attempting to put an end to this practice may require some fundamental changes both in the society and economy. Advertisement Tagscounterfeit goods, Nike, Puma (Photo : Getty Images) Police saved 15 babies and arrested 78 suspected child traffickers after busting a child trafficking ring in Shandong province. Advertisement Chinese police officers have rescued 15 babies and arrested 78 suspected child traffickers after busting a child trafficking ring in Shandong province in eastern China. The kidnappers are suspected to have taken the babies from Sichuan province to sell them in Shandong province. Police authorities revealed that the ring was lead by a local resident of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture identified as Hama Erji. Out of the 78 suspects caught, 36 were from the same region. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement According to officials, the ring has been under investigation by the Public Security Ministry since June 2015. Four inspecting teams were dispatched to Shandong province where the ring was finally broken up after a 2-month long investigation. The rescued babies have undergone DNA testing. Their blood samples were obtained at a local police station on Monday. Currently, no further details about the case has been revealed, and law enforcement officers are conducting further investigations into the ring and their operations. A report published by CNN last year said some of these babies were infected with HIV/AIDS and some were suffering from malnutrition. The babies were reportedly sold from 50,000 to 80,000 yuan (USD $8,000 to $12,912), and boys are more expensive than girls. The abducted babies are usually placed inside a large handbag or suitcase when delivered to possible buyers. While waiting to be sold yet, they are reportedly fed with instant noodles and leftover vegetables. According to the director of the Anti-trafficking Office of the Ministry of Public Security, Chen Shiqu, different schemes are implemented with regard to child trafficking-related crimes. For instance, some rings of human traffickers send pregnant women to other cities to deliver their babies and sell them after birth, while other utilize abandoned factories as an underground delivery room. In China, child trafficking has become a major problem. Child traffickers selling more than three children under the Chinese law may be put behind bars for up to 10 years, while death sentence may be given in severe cases. Advertisement TagsHuman Trafficking, Human Rights, child-trafficking, Kidnapping (Photo : Reuters) Following the landslide win of Taiwan's pro-independence party, US officials have met with the newly-elected officials and conveyed the US support for President-elect Tsai Lng-wen. Advertisement An exchange of Taiwanese and United States diplomats after Taipei's recent elections has irked China, saying the US should not interfere with China's domestic affairs. In a statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Taiwan is an inseparable part of China and Taipei's affairs is definitely "China's domestic affairs." Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The statement was issued in response to a rapid exchange of diplomats from Taiwan and the United States after the recent elections which made pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen the island's next leader. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei asked the US not to interfere in any way with China's domestic affairs which includes Taiwan's affairs. He said that China is expecting the US to stick to the one-China policy as it promised and to not instigate actions that will push forward Taiwan's desire for independence. The spokesman said China is hoping that the US will do more positive actions that will help in developing and enhancing China-US relationship as well as the development of the cross-Straits relationship. Former US Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns and American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Ray Burghardt met the newly-elected officials of Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Monday following the party's big win in the recently concluded elections. The AIT serves as a de facto US Embassy in Taiwan with no formal diplomatic ties between the two sides. The two US diplomats relayed the "United States support for Taiwan's growth and prosperity" and reiterated concerns about cross-Strait peace and stability. Taiwan President-elect and DPP leader Tsai Lng-wen told the diplomats that it would shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in the region. In a statement, Tsai said she and her government would enhance the island's close relations with the United States. Reports indicate that a senior DPP official is slated to visit the United States - hinting at the DPP's acknowledgement of the importance of maintaining the relations between the island and its major ally as well as its major arms supplier. China has openly declared that Taiwan is a renegade province and it will not hesitate to use force should Taiwan pushes for independence. Advertisement TagsTaiwan Elections, President-elect Tsai Lng-wen, Cross-Strait relationship, Democratic Progressive Country (Photo : Tim Boyle/Getty Images) A flight student inspects a Cessna plane - the same kind of aircraft that Philippine Civil Aviation officials used to fly over the South China Sea recently. Advertisement Philippine officials flying close to a Chinese-made island near the disputed Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea said that they received warnings from the Chinese navy. Eric Apolonio, along with other officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, said they were on their way to the Philippine-occupied Thitu island on a Cessna airplane on Jan. 7 when a message received over an emergency radio frequency warned them, according to ABC News. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Foreign military aircraft, the warning said, this is the Chinese navy. You are threatening the security of our station. Apolonio and the others ignored the warning and continued their trip, which was aimed at conducting a survey for the installation of a $1 million satellite-based civil aviation safety equipment on the island. The equipment is required by the International Civil Aviation Organization to ensure the safety of commercial flights. After finishing the survey, the Filipino officials left in the plane and reportedly received the same warning. Apolonio told reporters that they were, in reality, apprehensive of the situation as they feared they could be shot while in flight. Hong Lei, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Apolonio's report is an intently treacherous exaggeration of situations currently happening in the region, adding that the Philippine aviation official was merely trying to scare people, according to Reuters. Hong said that the Philippines' occupation of eight islands including Thitu is illegal, explaining that China has sovereignty over the islands. He added that the Philippines will not succeed in its plots. So far, the Chinese Embassy in Manila has not released any statement about the situation. Asif Ahmad, the British ambassador to the Philippines, has responded by saying that Britain will oppose any attempt to restrict or hinder the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, the Guardian reported. If a British aircraft, civilian or military, was intercepted and not allowed to fly over a space which we regard as international, Ahmad said, we will not simply ignore it. China is claiming ownership over almost all of the South China Sea, which is believed to have vast oil and gas deposits. Other countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia have competing claims in the region. (Photo : Robert Daly/Flickr/CC) Pastro Saeed Abedini has been released from Iranian prison, and is on his way to US. Iranian American Pastor Saeed Abedini was released from an Iranian prison after being held for over three years, and is now undergoing medical examination in Germany at a US military camp, according to media reports. Pastor Abedini is a convert from Islam to Christianity and had refused to recant his Christian faith, and was imprisoned on charges of undermining national security through private religious gatherings in house churches since the early 2000s. Since his imprisonment, millions of people signed an online petition to secure release of the Pastor. "This has been an answer to prayer," said the pastor's wife Naghmeh Abedini of his release. "This is a critical time for me and my family. We look forward to Saeed's return and want to thank the millions of people who have stood with us in prayer during this most difficult time." Naghmeh further described the reaction when she broke the news to her children that their father was finally coming home. "They were just excited. They couldn't believe it," she said. His detention in the Iranian prison shed limelight on the state of persecuted Christians in the Middle East, and around the world. Evangelical activists had been rallying international and political support for his release, and tried to make it a part of nuclear deal with Iran. As the deal was signed, the Obama administration loosened some $100 billion of economic sanctions against Iran, and seven US prisoners were released in exchange for four Americans held in the Iranian prisons. President Obama welcomed the homecoming of the Americans from the Iranian jails, and said that this was a consequence of years of negotiations to release the prisoners. "Several Americans unjustly detained by Iran are finally coming home," he stated. "In some cases these Americans faced years of continued detention. And I've met with some of their families. I've seen their anguish, how they ache for their sons and husbands." "I gave these families my word - I made a vow - that we would do everything in our power to win the release of their loved ones. And we have been tireless," the president said, adding that the families "finally got the news that they were waiting for." press@cdaily.co.kr - Copyright , #SaeedAbedini Florida pastor remembers missionary killed by al-Qaeda in Burkina Faso Editorial Staff | 18 January, 2016 by Joni B. Hannigan HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Christian Examiner) Reacting with shock to the news that Michael Riddering and his wife Amy Boyle-Riddering perished in Burkina Faso at the hands of al-Qaeda radicals, South Florida pastor Martin Vargas told Christian Examiner the two men were "very good friends" and both had a strong conviction about reaching the lost. The attack in the country's capitol is said to be an indicator of a major escalation of Islamist militancy in West Africa. Vargas recalled a breakfast meeting at the International House of Pancakes in Hollywood where the Riddering family attended church prior to selling all of their property and leaving to run an orphanage and women's crisis center in Africa. "He met with me ... to share his heart to go to Burkina with his family, as a missionary," Vargas told the Examiner. "I encouraged him to go and to obey God's calling." The men had a history of working together and talking about life. Vargas said he and Riddering, 45, who owned a yacht outfitting company in Cooper City, Florida, won awards in the local "Candy Parade" in 2007 and 2008 for having the best decorated and illuminated boat. They also shared a passion for ministry. While Vargas, pastor of Real Church, or Iglesias Real, stayed in the Miami area to renovate a historic Hollywood theater from which he plans a church planting hub, Riddering went to Africa to minister with Sheltering Winds, a St. Louis-based mission organization dedicated to providing clean water and medical care to children and others, along with the message of salvation. Riddering blogged about the West Africa ministry. According to a report in the Orlando Sun Sentinel, Riddering was to meet with a group of 15 volunteers from West Pines Community Church in Pembroke Pines, Florida, when there was an attack on a hotel and cafe in Burkina's Faso's capitol. He was to have taken the group back to work at the orphanage and crisis center, but instead their Air France flight was rerouted and only later flew into Burkina Faso. Riddering was in the Cappuccino Cafe at the time of the attack. "Our church is heartbroken at the loss of our beloved friend and ministry partner Mike Riddering," said a pastor from the Pembroke Pines church, in a statement. "We are grateful that our team is safe, but are grieving with the Riddering family." Carol Boyle, Amy Riddering's mother, told the Sun Sentinal, she is unsure of when her daughter will return to the U.S. with the two children, ages 15 and 4, that they adopted in Burkina Faso. "Her faith is what is holding her up." At least 28 died in the attack in a siege that lasted more than 12 hours. Vargas said word of Riddering's death came as a shock to him and his family. "We lost a great man," the Hollywood pastor said. "But I am sure God has a plan." Religion is the number one topic on Facebook again 19 January, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , | NEW YORK (Christian Examiner) For all the talk that America is becoming a less religious nation, religion primarily as it relates to politics was again the most popular topic of discussion on Facebook as 2015 drew to a close. The Hill reports, based on data captured by Facebook from Dec. 13 to Jan. 12, that discussion of religion and its role in political issues surged on the world's most popular social media platform as primary contests heated up and the Republican candidates engaged each other in the debate season (including during last Thursday night's debate). Religious topics that garnered significant attention included the rise of the Islamic State, gun control and economic issues. The biggest winner, if success in politics is measured purely by how much a candidate is discussed, was Republican Donald Trump. According to Facebook, religious discussion increased as Trump called for a ban on the admission of all Muslims into the United States. "Trump remains the most talked-about candidate on Facebook by a wide margin. Almost 19 million people generated 105,140,000 interactions a mix shares, comments, likes and posts about the candidate in the month leading up to Tuesday. That's a decrease from the period leading up to December's debate, when 23.3 million people generated 115,930,000 interactions about Trump," The Hill reports. During the company's last measurement period, Republican Ben Carson was a hot topic after claiming he did not believe a Muslim should serve as president of the United States. While the measurements provided by Facebook do not assess whether religious commentaries related to candidates like Trump or Carson are favorable or unfavorable, they nonetheless expose the powerful tool Facebook has become in the global marketplace of ideas. Katie Harbath, Facebook's director of global politics and government outreach, told Vogue magazine in December that the U.S. presidential election received the most attention on the social media site in 2015, but other topics, such as the refugee crisis, ISIS, marriage equality and Black Lives Matter all topics with religious angles were close behind. "It's something I've seen evolve over the last five or six years," Harbath said. "People have gotten a lot more comfortable to post and have these discussions about politics." In 2014, rumors surfaced that Facebook itself had grown weary of religious discussions on its site after an article appeared in The National Report, in which Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was said to have been flooded with complaints from atheists about religious people using the social media site for less-than-"adult" discussions. According to the report, Zuckerberg then decided to ban talk of religion on the site. However, both Politifact and Snopes.com, the Internet myth busting site, reported that the rumors of a religion ban on Facebook were false. The National Report is a satirical newssite. SBC leader: Trump at Liberty a 'golden calf' 19 January, 2016 by Staff , | LYNCHBURG, Va. (Christian Examiner) Donald Trump was on the stump at the world's largest Christian University Monday, but his effort to convince the audience of his evangelical bona fides might have fallen short after the politician who claims Presbyterian lineage quoted from the book of "Two Corinthians." "Two Corinthians, 3:17, that's the whole ballgame," Trump said. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The flub drew a roll of chuckles from the student audience, as Christians generally refer to the book as "Second Corinthians." There were also a few gasps when Trump twice cursed during the address to the Christian students and faculty. One Southern Baptist leader was not amused. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission said Trump was forcing Christians to re-evaluate the difference between political power and the gospel, and the gospel was being drowned out by the candidate's message. In one posting on Twitter, Moore called Trump "a golden calf," an obvious reference to the idol the Israelites worshipped in the Book of Exodus. Trump's overall message, however, is one that resonated with the audience. He told the audience that Christianity is "under siege" and he, if elected, will "protect Christianity." Trump also praised the university's success, calling it a "really great rocket ship" that achieved greatness because people banded together to support it. "We have to band together; we have to do, really, in a really large version what they have done at Liberty. Because Liberty University has done that. You have banded together and you have created one of the great universities, colleges, anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world. ... Our country has to do that around Christianity," Trump said. The candidate then went on to extol the success he had in drawing large crowds as evidence of the "movement" taking place behind his candidacy. Trump is not the first political candidate to speak at the university. Republican candidates Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz also spoke previously at Liberty, with Cruz announcing his candidacy for president in his address. Democrat candidate Bernie Sanders also spoke to a full arena. Democrat frontrunner Hillary Clinton has not yet been scheduled to speak, but Trump said he wanted to send her a message when she does. "I know that maybe Hillary will be here and if she is you can play this back. We cannot have another four years of Barack Obama. We can't have another four years of Hillary Clinton," Trump said. Trump spoke of the readiness of the military, a lagging economy, taxes, and immigration. On the subject of immigration, Trump said he could build a wall on the southern U.S. border. "But it will have to be beautiful because, you know, one day they're going to call it 'Trump Wall,'" he said. Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. said in his introduction of Trump that Liberty "does not support or oppose candidates for public office, and Mr. Trump's appearance here should not be interpreted by any as an endorsement by Liberty." Falwell's introduction, however, was effusive of Trump's qualities, including his heart for philanthropy and his head for business. "In my opinion, Donald Trump lives a life of loving and helping others as Jesus taught in the Great Commandment," Falwell said. He also said he believed Trump would be free of influence from lobbyists and the donor class when president. "He cannot be bought; he's not a puppet on a string like many other candidates ... who have wealthy donors as their puppet masters," Falwell said, adding that his independence attracts many to him. During the address, Moore tweeted that Trump (and Liberty) were "trading the gospel of Jesus Christ for political power." Moore said that exchange was "not liberty but slavery." "This would be hilarious if it weren't so counter to the mission of the gospel of Jesus Christ," Moore also tweeted. "Evangelicals can love a golden calf, as long as Aaron promises to make Mexico pay for it." 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. In Korea, we can easily see the people who approach us with the magazines, The Watchtower and Awake. They are called Jehovah's Witnesses. Socially, the JWs are best known for their practices of refusing: (1) to serve in the military; (2) to salute the flag; (3) to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, or other holidays; and (4) to give or to accept blood transfusions. For this reason, they are seen as being an antisocial group in Korean society. Doctrinally, they denied the doctrine of the Trinity because the word Trinity does not even appear in the Bible. They believe that Jehovah is the only true God, the creator of all things, but Jesus was God's only direct creation, not part of the Trinity. In fact, the doctrine of the Trinity is closely related to the doctrine of two natures of Jesus Christ. If we confess that Jesus Christ is the same the substance of God, we also believe the Trinity. However, if we believe that Jesus Christ is inferior to God, we deny the Trinity. Thus, the questions raised here are: Is Jesus fully God, equal and one with the Father? Why is it so important? How do we prove it? Biblical Statements of Jesus Divine Nature: Who do people say that I am? (Mk 8:27) The proper answer of the question, 'Who is Jesus Christ?' is always founded upon the biblical representation of Jesus Christ. In the Bible, it is clear that Jesus is presented as one with the Father. Furthermore, Jesus is presented there as both human and divine. Christ reveals both the divine and human nature in so speaking and acting as God and as man. 1) The actions of Jesus reveal a divine identity. Through his actions, Jesus Christ shows his unique identity of being both human and divine. Jesus saw himself as one who had authority over the temple (Mk 11: 15-19), over the demons (Mk 1:27, 32-34), over sickness and diseases (Mk 1: 29-31). Also, we can see that Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytics, woman, and other people (Mk 2:7, 2:5). Jesus miracle-working activity we can see in the Bible is another way to show his identity (Jn 2:11).2) Who carried out these behaviors? Who has this authority? The answer is simple and clear. Only God can do this. Only God has the authority over all things. Only God can forgive the sins. Only God can perform this miracle. So, we should confess Jesus is both God and Human. 2) The words of Jesus reveal a divine identity. Another way Jesus disclosed his identity of both God and Human was through His speech. This is found in His use of Amen, which means I tell you. The Bible refers to this expression as the single word that revealed the Jesus identity of both God and Human. This sentence occurs as a divine declaration in Old Testament. In particular, the Gospel of John revealed Jesus divine nature by this expression, I am saying. In John, it can be found seven times (John 4: 26; 6:20; 8:24, 26,58; 13:19; 18:5,6,8). These seven occurrences of I am saying show that Jesus is the one who brings us the eternal. Who can give us eternal life? Only God can give us the eternal life. Thus, the series of saying reveals the unique identity of Jesus Christ being equal with God. 3) The cross and the resurrection of Jesus reveal a divine identity. In Isaiah 40-55 and Philippians 2, God reveals Himself in achieving for us the atonement in the self-sacrifice and self-humiliation of His Son on the cross. The nature of Gods love is revealed in Gods redemptive act in the incarnate and crucified Christ. The self-giving and self-sacrificial aspect of Gods nature is revealed in the suffering of the cross of Christ. Christ conquered death and was raised from the dead because he is God by nature, so that he can be grasped from the curse of Christ to the victory of Christ. Through Christ's victory over sin and death, Christ, at the same time, testifies that he is God by nature. Thus, the history of Jesus, his humiliation and his exaltation, is the unique act of Gods giving of himself, in which he demonstrates his deity to the world by accomplishing salvation for the world. Why is it so important that Jesus is fully God? The Christian doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ is often discussed in terms of "incarnation." Incarnation is a difficult yet important word, summarizing the basic Christian belief that Jesus Christ is both God and man. Far from being an optional extra, something which had accidentally been added and which now requires removal, this doctrine is an essential and integral part of the authentically Christian understanding of reality. Many heresies such as Jehovah Witness and Mormons which denied the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ appear to envisage their denying as establishing a new, more relevant and universal version of Christianity. Historically, Christianity has regarded the doctrines of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ as essential to its identity, and any attempt to eliminate or radically modify them would seem to lead to a version of Christianity which is not continuous with the historical forms it has taken in the course of its development. If the traditional historical framework is declared to be wrong, the consequences of this declaration for each and every aspect of Christian theology must be ascertained. Discard or radically modify the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation, and the idea that Jesus Christ is both God and Man becomes a dogmatic assertion without foundation, as assertion which many of more humanist inclinations would find offensive. It is perhaps significant that many critics of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ were themselves originally attracted to Christianity through precisely the theology they are now criticizing. And what, it must be asked in all seriousness, is the converting power of an incarnation-less Christianity? The faith that Jesus Christ is fully God is what kept and keeps Christianity growing and spreading. The sheer vitality, profundity and excitement of the Christian faith ultimately depend upon these. Furthermore, the Bible, especially the New Testament represents Christ as acting as and for God in every area of crucial relevance to His acting and speech. When we worship Jesus Christ, we worship God; when we know Christ, we know God; when we hear the promises of Christ, we hear the promises of God; when we encounter the risen Christ, we encounter none other than the living God. The idea that Jesus Christ is fully God is the climax of Christian reflection upon the mystery of Christ - the recognition that Jesus Christ reveals God; that he represents God; that he speaks as God and for God; that he acts as God and for God; that he is God. We are thus in a position to take the crucial step which underlies all Christian thinking on the incarnation - to say that, as Jesus Christ acts as God and for God in every context of importance, we should conclude that, for all intents and purposes, he is God. A further vital consideration concerns the whole doctrine of redemption, the fulcrum of the Christian faith. If God has not redeemed us through Jesus Christ, the entire gospel is false, and the Christian hope little more than a cruel illusion. The electrifying declaration that God has redeemed us through Jesus Christ has as its central presupposition that Jesus is God. In her essay ' Creed or Chaos'(1940), Dorothy L. Sayers wrote: The central dogma of the Incarnation is that by which relevance stands or falls. If Christ was only man, then He is entirely irrelevant to any thought about God; if He is only God, then He is entirely irrelevant to any experience of human life. It is, in the strictest sense, necessary to the salvation of relevance that a man should believe rightly the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ. According to the New Testament, it is Jesus who is the Savior. The New Testament texts making this suggestion would include Matthew 1:21 (which speaks of Jesus saving his people from their sins), Luke 2:11 (the famous Christmas message of the angels: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you), Acts 4:12 (which affirms that salvation comes through Jesus), Hebrews 2:10 (which calls Jesus the author of salvation). Therefore Jesus is fully God. (Athanasius argues that Jesus is God incarnate. The logic of his argument goes something like this: Only God can save. Jesus saves. Therefore Jesus is God.) Why is Christ as the fully God of such importance to the Christian faith here and now, and some twenty centuries after his death? The answer is clear and simple: Jesus Christs significance lay in his being God incarnate. Jesus Christ is fully God because He is our Savior -- and the Bible stands as witness. Reverend and Doctor Jin O. Jeong is an assistant pastor for Korean congregation at Zion Lutheran Church, Belleville, IL. He graduated from Luther University and received a Ph.D from Yonsei University. He was also a Research Fellow at Hebrew University and Visiting Scholar at Yale Divinity School. Tel: 618-920-9311 Email: jjeong@zionbelleville.org A Michigan dentist who played Christian music in her office and held morning prayer meetings with staff members is facing a lawsuit from four former employees alleging her actions were a form of religious discrimination. The ex-employees, Nancy Kordus, Sara Bambard, Tammy Kulis, and Kimberly Hinson, are suing Dr. Tina Marshall, and are seeking compensation for damages and lost income due to alleged religious discrimination. The employees either quit or were fired after objecting to religious practices. The plaintiffs say that Marshall started morning prayer meetings, which initially were optional, but later became mandatory. The former employees are also suing Dr. Craig Stasio, who is a leader of a local religious ministry and a registered chiropractor, for helping Marshall restructure her office and employees in 2015. Marshall's lawyers responded last November, and denied the allegations that she practiced religious discrimination at her office, the Washington Post reported. "None of the Plaintiffs were forced to discuss or disclose any religious practices of preference as part of their employment," Marshall's response stated. "It's never been mandatory. And it's never been more than just praying for a great day, that it runs smooth," she was quoted as saying by Clarkston News. "We believe that when the facts, and not baseless allegations, are presented to a jury, we will establish that this group of former disgruntled employees are simply looking to profit off of their own prejudices towards Dr. Marshall and her Christian faith. Dr. Marshall flatly denies engaging in any discriminatory employment practices," her lawyer Keith Jablonski told the Washington Post. However, Marshall's former employee Nancy Kordus had a different take on the situation. "We were all on edge. We were trying to be nice to the patients and do good dental work, but she kept forcing the music and her beliefs on us. Several patients questioned the music, and I turned it off and turned on the TV. So I was 'disobedient,'" Kordus said. Marshall said playing the music was something she wanted to do at her practice, and was not meant to influence or brainwash anybody. More importantly, it is soothing to many patients. Kordus further claimed in the complaint that Marshall wanted to play the music all the days of the week for the sake of her faith. "I told her I did not think it was right to play the music all the time, as we had a wide range of religious beliefs as patients. She told me 'you have to plant the seeds' and the music had to be played 24/7 even if no one was in the building 'to keep the demons out,'" Kordus alleged in a statement. But Marshall told the Clarkston News that the music was "just to keep God on your mind. It's just soothing to the spirit. I can't tell you how many patients I have come in and just make comments that it is so calm in here. They're like, 'I'm at a dentist office. This is weird.' And we just smile," she said. "My old staff was great. I wish they would have stayed and liked the music, but it was their choice," Marshall said. The case is being taken up by the Sixth Circuit Court of Oakland County, where a jury trial is expected to start this summer. Special journal looks at whether Muslims and Christians worship the same God, why it matters, and better questions to ask. | Image: MaryLB / iStock Heres What Evangelical Experts on Missions and Muslims Think ... Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God? Nearly two dozen evangelical experts on missions and Muslims have compiled their thoughts on how the answer affects Muslim missions, why its a bad question to begin with, and propose better questions to ask instead. A 32-page, special edition of the Occasional Bulletin from the Evangelical Missiological Society (EMS) seeks to constructively contribute to the highly publicized dispute over whether Wheaton College should discipline professor Larycia Hawkins for stating in a Facebook post that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. [Arab evangelical scholars weighed in last week.] Robert Priest, a mission and anthropology professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) and current EMS president, has watched with interest the unfolding Wheaton-Hawkins debate because, for evangelicals worldwide, what Wheaton does affects us all. As Ive observed the unfolding drama, Ive had concerns over the way Wheaton has framed the issues, over the repercussions of this for Christian witness, and over the failure to include missiologists and missionaries as interlocutors, wrote Priest. That is, for most evangelicals in America, our encounter with people who are Muslim is relatively recent, relatively superficial, and all-too-often infected by American culture-war impulses. The one category of American evangelical that has long nurtured close relationships with people who are Muslim is missionaries and mission professors (missiologists)many of them Wheaton graduates, he continued. However, these individuals, who represent the heart of evangelical gospel concern, and who represent ... Update (Feb. 15): In addition to still holding captive an 81-year-old Australian missionary in Burkina Faso, the African affiliate of al-Qaeda has confirmed that it also kidnapped a Swiss missionary in Mali last month. Beatrice Stockly is a Swiss nun who declared war against Islam in her attempt to Christianise Muslims, says an AQIM member in an eight-minute video. The conditions of her release include setting free AQIM fighters jailed in Mali and one of their leaders detained at the International Criminal Court at The Hague, reports World Watch Monitor. The most important condition: that Stockly not return to any Muslim land preaching Christianity. She was previously kidnapped by Islamist extremists in 2012, and returned to her home in Timbuktu despite the Swiss government warning her not to do so. ----- Update (Feb. 8): One of two missionaries kidnapped by Islamist extremists in Burkina Faso has finally been freed. Jocelyn Elliott, who was released last weekend after being held ... 1 2016 'Georgia March for Life' to Attract Thousands NORCROSS, Ga., Jan. 19, 2016 / The event, sponsored by Lilburn City Mayor and GRTL Government Affairs Administrator Johnny Crist will serve as guest emcee. The keynote address will be given by Chairman of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Committee and Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church, Mike Stone. The event will also feature Bound4Life, a ministry whose members silently stand in prayer before court houses and abortion clinics nationwide wearing "LIFE" tape across their mouths. A one-mile silent march through the streets of Atlanta will follow. Governor Nathan Deal has issued a proclamation declaring January 22nd "Respect for Human Life Day." "The assault on the sanctity of human life has reached new heights," explained GRTL Executive Director Zemula Fleck. "From the Planned Parenthood undercover videos to the case of Kenilissa Jones in Albany, Georgia last year, it's more evident now than ever that we need to advance personhood." Fleck stressed that respect for innocent human life goes far beyond efforts to end abortion. "We are deeply concerned about life-threatening issues such as euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide and numerous emerging technologies that distort and destroy human life," Fleck added. Georgia Right to Life promotes respect and effective legal protection for all innocent human life from earliest biological beginning through natural death. GRTL is one of a number of organizations that have adopted Personhood as the most effective pro-life strategy for the 21st century. Share Tweet Contact: Genevieve Wilson, Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) , 770-339-6880NORCROSS, Ga., Jan. 19, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Thousands of pro-life supporters are expected to take part this Friday in the annual Georgia March for Life in downtown Atlanta.The event, sponsored by Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) , will begin at 11 a.m. at Liberty Plazaacross from the State Capitolwith prayer and a worship service.Lilburn City Mayor and GRTL Government Affairs Administrator Johnny Crist will serve as guest emcee. The keynote address will be given by Chairman of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Committee and Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church, Mike Stone.The event will also feature Bound4Life, a ministry whose members silently stand in prayer before court houses and abortion clinics nationwide wearing "LIFE" tape across their mouths.A one-mile silent march through the streets of Atlanta will follow.Governor Nathan Deal has issued a proclamation declaring January 22nd "Respect for Human Life Day.""The assault on the sanctity of human life has reached new heights," explained GRTL Executive Director Zemula Fleck. "From the Planned Parenthood undercover videos to the case of Kenilissa Jones in Albany, Georgia last year, it's more evident now than ever that we need to advance personhood."Fleck stressed that respect for innocent human life goes far beyond efforts to end abortion."We are deeply concerned about life-threatening issues such as euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide and numerous emerging technologies that distort and destroy human life," Fleck added.Georgia Right to Life promotes respect and effective legal protection for all innocent human life from earliest biological beginning through natural death. GRTL is one of a number of organizations that have adopted Personhood as the most effective pro-life strategy for the 21st century. 11th Annual ProLifeCon to Feature Majority Whip Scalise, Sen. Ernst, Governor Brownback, David Daleiden Contact: J.P. Duffy or Alice Chao, 866-FRC-NEWS, 866-372-6397 WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) will host its 11th annual ProLifeCon Digital Action Summit on Friday, January 22nd, the day of the March for Life, commemorating the 43nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. ProLifeCon is the premier conference for the digital pro-life community. This year's conference will feature activists, experts and legislators who will inform audiences about ways to make a difference for the pro-life movement on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the rest of the online world. This year, FRC is honored to welcome Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Governor Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) to speak at ProLifeCon. David Daleiden will be awarded Digital Prolife Pioneer Award for his undercover work exposing Planned Parenthood's sale of aborted babies' parts. Confirmed speakers include: Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Majority Whip Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) Governor Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) David Daleiden, Founder, Center for Medical Progress Lila Rose, President, Live Action Jeanne Mancini, President, March for Life and former Director of FRC's Center for Human Dignity Kristan Hawkins, President, Students for Life of America John Flynn, CEO, Copley Advertising John-Henry Westen, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, LifeSiteNews Ryan Bomberger, Chief Creative Officer/Founder, The Radiance Foundation Matthew Fridg, Social Media Director, 3801 Lancaster Film Project Alison Howard, Director of Alliance Relations, Alliance Defending Freedom Arina Grossu, Director of the Center for Human Dignity, Family Research Council Brynne Krispin, Social Media Manager, Family Research Council Lisa Smiley, LisaSmiley.com Brandon Buell, 'Jaxon Strong' Facebook Community WHAT: ProLifeCon Digital Action Summit: The premier conference for the online pro-life community WHERE: In Person: Family Research Council Media Center, 801 G Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001; Online: frc.org/prolifecon WHEN: 8:30 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m. EST, Friday, January 22nd To request a media credential, please email media@frc.org A light breakfast will be served. A multbox will also be available. For more information, please see: frc.org/prolifecon UNC excavation crew in Galilee region of Israel uncover first known depictions of biblical heroines An excavation team in Israel has discovered the first known depiction of two biblical heroines from the Old Testament. World to reach 8 billion people in November, India to unseat China as most populous in 2023: UN By Nov. 15, the worlds population is projected to reach 8 billion, and by 2023, India is projected to surpass China as the worlds most populous country, according to a new report from the United Nations. Single, non-religious young adults are most unhappy Americans post-COVID-19: report Young adults under 35 who are single and non-religious report the highest levels of unhappiness since the COVID-19 pandemic began and since 1972, when the General Social Survey began measuring levels of happiness among Americans, a new analysis from the Institute of Family Studies suggests. 5 ways the Church can tackle gender inequality A new report from the Fawcett Society has revealed the state of the nation's attitudes towards gender equality and feminism. The report, which summarises the first stage of a poll of 8,000 people, reveals some perhaps surprising results, such as the fact that support for equality of opportunity increases with age: 78 per cent of those aged 18-34 support it, while 87 per cent of over 55s do. Despite a decade of higher profile feminist activism and an explosion in feminist consciousness among young people, the poll found that those under 35 are most likely to have negative ideas about equality. 17 per cent of men aged 24-35 said they felt they would 'lose out' if men and women were more equal, compared to just 7 per cent of men overall. And 20 per cent of men in this age group feel that 'women's equality has gone too far' compared to 13 per cent of men overall. Younger people are also less likely to agree that more work is needed to bring about equality something that could perhaps be down to the increased inequalities experienced by older women in the home, the workplace and in society. It might also have something to do with the increased visibility of feminist campaigns and some of their successes, which may well have helped to give the impression that 'the work is done'. It could have also helped fuel negative reactions, too, from those less sympathetic towards equality who have witnessed feminism receiving more attention. Worryingly, the survey revealed that there is stronger resistance to women's equality among those who make recruitment and interviewing decisions. This group are more than twice as likely (16 per cent) as the overall population (7 per cent) to be against equality of opportunity for the sexes. Within this group, men were most likely to be opposed, with 17 per cent of male recruitment decision makers being against equality of opportunity. Interestingly, women responsible for recruitment decisions were more likely than the general population to identify as feminists but also more likely to say they were opposed to feminism. 67 per cent of people surveyed were sympathetic towards feminism but only 9 per cent of women and 4 per cent of men said they would describe themselves as a feminist (rising to 19 per cent of women aged 18-24 and 13 per cent of women aged 25-34, showing that while this age group may be more sceptical about equality, they also identify more with feminism). The negative connotations of the word are still a huge barrier for many people: 26 per cent of those polled, when asked for the first word that came to mind when they heard the word 'feminist', volunteered a negative word, although a further 22 per cent used a positive word. While the Church has not always been a natural ally of the feminist movement, a commitment to equality and egalitarian theology remains important for some churches, campaigning groups and many Christian organisations. However it could be said that in some churches, an outward commitment to equality isn't necessarily reflected in appointments and attitudes something that needs work if, as 68 per cent of women polled believe, that more needs to be done to bring about equality. Bearing this in mind, here are some changes that can be made right now in the Church, to 'do more' and truly live out a commitment to equality. 1. Don't make gender equality a taboo subject While equality has been a hot topic in some denominations and groups of churches in recent years, it's still something that's pushed under the carpet by many others often never being discussed. This has a range of effects, from women feeling they can't voice concerns about inequality for fear they'll be seen as aggressive and unreasonable, to churches being ill-equipped to deal with issues like domestic abuse. My time at Christian events attended by young people has also taught me that when equality is hushed up, young women doubt their giftings and can seem more likely to defer to their male peers, often having been socialised into 'keeping quiet', not wanting to seem domineering or pushy. 2. Stamp out 'battle of the sexes' myths It's fascinating when people think that equality has 'gone too far'. Our attitude to power has given many people the idea that when women become more equal, men 'lose out' or have something 'taken away' from them. Of course, equality does mean ending problematic forms of male power so in a sense the idea of 'losing out' is true. But our job should be to paint a picture of world where equal value and opportunity is beneficial, not a slight against those who may be starting to notice a sudden lack of automatic advantage. Helpful teaching about power and an absence of reinforcing gender stereotypes is vital. 3. If you make decisions, check your attitudes Fawcett's research shows a resistance to equality among recruiters and decision-makers. We know that those in power are more likely to identify with and 'choose' those who are more like them, hence the enduring power of 'old boy networks'. We need to work to make sure that the situation in the Church is not the same, with people being valued for their skills regardless of whether or not they fit a particular mould or what gender they are and that decisions that promote inequality are not made simply in the interests of 'not rocking the boat'. 'Checking your attitude' is as much something to be considered for women in high profile positions too. Despite the gains of the feminist movement, not every woman in a position of power is a friend to other women. A key characteristic of a woman who is benefiting from equality must be that she's willing to help empower other women too. 4. Don't fuel unnecessary negativity about feminism A lot of people get really uncomfortable when the f-word is mentioned because they know what judgements others make. Don't be that person who makes jokes about feminists and sneers at their activism without taking time to understand what it's all about. Feminists have heard the tired jibes about ugly man-haters so many times that the most we can usually muster is an eye roll. But for other women, these words can stop them from identifying with any sort of need for equality, when it's something that most of them will come up against at some point in their lives. 5. Provide positive and empowering spaces for women Are your women's events reinforcing stereotypes or focusing on a narrow range of topics and 'issues' that might make women feel as if their place in the Church and society is limited? If so, it might be time for a rethink. The past few years have seen a bit of a backlash against women's ministries and events that feel as if they're reinforcing inequality, with some exciting initiatives springing up in response. Promote a culture of sisterhood, supporting each other, and celebrating people's gifts no matter what stage of life they're in. 7 familiar types of Pharisee Pharisees don't get a very good press in the New Testament. They are usually portrayed as Jesus' enemies, anxious to catch him out with a leading question or harsh attempt to put him down. That isn't a complete picture of them, by any means. They were a social and religious movement in the years before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. They studied the Scriptures intently and were deeply serious about their faith. Gamaliel, who spoke up in favour of the apostles in Acts 5, and Josephus the historian, were both Pharisees. After the fall of Jerusalem they were the ones who helped ensure the survival of the Jewish faith. In the New Testament, however, they are the ones who are too righteous for their own good. They can't bear to see the law of God infringed, even when it's for other people's good. But it's not only the New Testament that portrays them like that. In the Jewish Talmud (Sota 22b) they are divided into seven different types. These are: 1. The "shoulder" Pharisees, who wear their good actions on their shoulders for everyone to see. 2. The "wait-a-little" Pharisees who always find excuses for putting off a good deed. 3. The "bruised" Pharisees, who run into walls because they are so busy avoiding looking at women. 4. The "pestle" or hunched-over Pharisees, who walk bent over in pretended humility (think Dickens' Uriah Heep). 5. The "ever-reckoning" Pharisees, always weighing their good deeds against the bad. 6. The "fearful" Pharisees, who are are frightened of doing the wrong thing. But Christians who are inclined to look down on Pharisees because of how they're portrayed in the New Testament might like to pause for a moment. Some of these characteristics are uncomfortably close to home. We all know people probably in our own churches! who are like one or another of these. They are in every congregation, every denomination and in every religion; they are examples of what happens when faith goes bad, or when it's crippled or choked through bad teaching or bad experiences. We might even identify with some of these Pharisees ourselves. Finally, though, the Talmud speaks of: 7. The "God-loving" Pharisees, who really love God from their heart and take delight in his law. We are all tempted to spiritual error. But God calls us to trust him alone for our salvation and walk with him in confidence and hope. Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods Allah allows Muslim men to rape infidel women to 'humiliate them,' female Islamic scholar says Muslim men are allowed by Allah to rape non-Muslim or infidel women to "humiliate" them, according to a female Islamic scholar from the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. In a recent interview on Cairo television Professor Suad Saleh said rape is allowed in Islam during times of "legitimate war" between Muslims and their enemies, the Daily Express reported on Monday. The controversial Islamic scholar claimed that Allah has given Muslim men a "legitimate" way to have sexual relations with slave women. Saleh also alleged that slavery already existed even before Islam and that Islam only regulated the practice. She said slave women are those who have been captured as prisoners of war, adding that their Muslim captors have the right to own them. "In order to humiliate them, they become the property of the army commander, or of a Muslim, and he can have sex with them just like he has sex with his wives," Saleh said. Dr. Andrew Holt, professor of history at Florida State College, expressed dismay at the Islamic scholar's alleged comments, saying that Saleh's statements could be viewed as the Muslim world's approval of the enslavement and rape of Yazidi women by ISIS fighters and officials. Holt said he was surprised that such a detestable crime and human rights violation is sanctioned by a female professor from "Sunni Islam's most prestigious university" which is more than 1,000 years old. The anti-Islam Internet group Jihad Watch said Saleh's statements were based on the Quran. The group said the seizure of infidel girls and their use as sex slaves are all sanctioned in the Muslim holy book. Jihad Watch cited this Quranic as proof: "O Prophet! Lo! We have made lawful unto thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom thy right hand possesseth of those whom Allah hath given thee as spoils of war." The Qur'an says that a man may have sex with his wives and also with his slave girls, the group says. It cited this particular verse in the Quran: "The believers must (eventually) win through, those who humble themselves in their prayers; who avoid vain talk; who are active in deeds of charity; who abstain from sex, except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess, for (in their case) they are free from blame." (Qur'an 23:1-6) In May 2011, the Egyptian Sheikh Abu-Ishaq al-Huwayni declared that "we are in the era of jihad," which means that Muslims could take slaves "Jihad is only between Muslims and infidels. Spoils, slaves, and prisoners are only to be taken in war between Muslims and infidels. Muslims in the past conquered, invaded, and took over countries. This is agreed to by all scholarsthere is no disagreement on this from any of them, from the smallest to the largest, on the issue of taking spoils and prisoners. The prisoners and spoils are distributed among the fighters, which includes men, women, children, wealth, and so on," al-Huwayni said. "When a slave market is erected ... you go to the market, look at the sex-slave, and buy her. She becomes like your wife, (but) she doesn't need a (marriage) contract or a divorce like a free woman," the sheikh said. Banning the veil: A triumph for women's freedom or state interference with religion? Prime Minister David Cameron's remarks about Muslim women wearing full-face veils or niqabs have reignited issues of how religious conservatives integrate into wider British society. But what did he actually say, and how should we understand the issues? I heard something about 'British values' again... We will come to British values in a moment. But Mr Cameron said there were times when wearing the niqab was inappropriate and Muslim women would have to respect that. He gave the examples of court appearances, border controls and school uniforms. So no blanket ban? He specifically denied it, though some newspaper headlines today have suggested otherwise. We are not in France, where women have been banned from wearing the niqab since 2010. That seems quite reasonable. It's a free country, after all. Quite. Britain does not prescribe dress codes, though there are sometimes restrictions on wearing things in particular places. Some shopping centres and other areas have banned people wearing hoodies because they're associated with anti-social behaviour, for example. I bought a rather nice one at Greenbelt. Stay out of Sefton in Merseyside, then; it's clamping down on people like you. The comparison between niqabs and hoodies has something going for it, though. For some people, wearing a niqab is a sign that someone doesn't really fit into British society and might be a bit radical. Sorry, are we still talking about Greenbelt? Forget about Greenbelt. The PM's comments were in relation to Muslim women from conservative backgrounds who don't learn English and who don't leave the house without a male relative. He actually said some "are not allowed out of the house". That's terrible. But not very nuanced. The point is that he, like most other middle-class liberals, seems to have bought into the idea that women wear the niqab and stay at home because they are oppressed by the male members of their families, when what they'd really like to be doing is hitting nightclubs and dancing round their handbags. The handbag thing aside, aren't Muslim women a bit oppressed? We need to be careful about using "Muslim" too loosely. Not all Muslim cultures mandate men to exercise extreme control over women and most don't insist on the niqab. However, many immigrants from particular parts of Pakistan, for instance, import cultural assumptions about the place of women which are wildly divergent from our own, sometimes with tragic consequences like so-called "honour killings". Back to the nightclub thing, though? Some people argue that the niqab, and the all-enveloping burqa, are intrinsically patriarchal and oppressive. There is a strong argument for that, but it's also necessary to acknowledge that this isn't necessarily how they are seen by the women who wear them. They might resent it, but on the other hand they might freely choose this way of life as a manifestation of religious devotion and family solidarity. So no, they don't all want to join the happy hordes dancing around to the latest hits in Tiger Tiger. I don't either. One Direction aren't for everyone. But the point is that freedom of religion is freedom for all religions, not just ours. It can't be unconditional, but we should be very, very slow to infringe upon it in the name of community cohesion or national security. Things that look odd to the majority culture are very, very important to minorities and we should respect that. The PM is right to worry about people not integrating into British life, but there are different ways of doing that and we shouldn't expect everyone to behave like everyone else. There's nothing intrinsically un-British about wearing a niqab if that's what you choose to do. It's only un-British if someone makes you do it or, indeed, stops you doing it. Birmingham church leaders sign tea-drinking pledge to oppose anti-Islam march The Bishop of Birmingham is among those urging people who oppose anti-Islam group Pegida to share a cup of tea with someone from another ethnic, cultural or religious background. The "Hope not Hate" pledge is being organised to counter the next event of Pegida UK, the organisation that holds protests against what it describes as "mass immigration and Islamisation of the West" and is led by Tommy Robinson, formerly of the English Defence League. The march set to take place in Birmingham on Saturday, February 6 at midday is described by Pegida UK as a "peaceful, silent walk". The pledge states Birmingham has "a long and proud tradition" as a diverse and harmonious city. Birmingham's churches, mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras and temples, trade unions and community groups have a reputation for working tirelessly to help people in the city, whatever their faith or ethnic background. "The benefits of our diversity can be felt in every element of our city, and we celebrate the contribution of our teachers, healthcare workers, lawyers, business-owners, politicians, artists and poets (among many others) who come from a diverse range of backgrounds," the pledge states. Known historically as the "city of a thousand trades", people have always come from around the world to work in Birmingham, and still do to this day. "Unfortunately despite our proud history, we have been 'chosen' as the target for the British leg of a European 'day of action' targeting Muslim communities, taking place on 6 February," the pledge continues. When the English Defence League organised a march in Birmingham in 2013, more than 50 people were jailed for a total of more than 75 years, thousands of pounds of damage was done and 30 police officers were injured. "As proud people of Birmingham, we wish to declare that Pegida are not welcome and have nothing to offer our city --- apart from a huge bill for policing and the clear up operation after they have gone," the pledge states, urging supporters "to arrange to sit down and drink a cup of tea with someone from another community that we do not know well and explore what we have in common" and "take pictures together with people from different ethnic, cultural or religious backgrounds and post them with the slogan: 'We choose HOPE'." The Bishop of Birmingham David Urquhart is among the supporters of the pledge. It is also backed by the Bishop of Aston, Catholic church leaders, the chair of the Birmingham Methodist District and representatives of Birmingham mosques and synagogues as well as MPs from all parties. Labour MP Liam Byrne told the Birmingham Mail: "Brummies are proud of the diversity that makes our city great. So we're not going to let the far right march in here and spread their lies, fear and hatred. So we need everyone and anyone to sign Hope Not Hate's petition and sign it pronto." Christian Labour MPs lead debate against student cuts Christian MPs in the Labour party have called on the government to abandon plans to scrap maintenance grants for students from low-income families. Gordon Marsden, Labour's shadow universities minister and a Christian, warned not enough has been done to protect low-income families and the changes would damage social mobility. From this autumn onwards, the government will scrap maintenance grants which gave poorer students extra non-repayable support. This had the aim of removing financial barriers to further education. Under the new system, grants will be replaced by loans to be repaid once students have graduated and are earning 21,000 per year. The move marks the end of a gradual process which began decades ago of replacing university grants with loans. Students from the poorest backgrounds are now likely to leave university owing substantially more to the govt than their better off peers Gordon Marsden MP (@GordonMarsden) January 19, 2016 The Department for Education said the change would enable to government to lift the cap on student numbers and allow more young people, "particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds to go to university". The government also said they were increasing the amount students could borrow so "lack of finance should not be a barrier to participation". However Marsden, MP for Blackpool, said the the proposals would affect half a million students who currently receive grants and pointed to analysis which suggests "this change won't improve Government finances in the long-term". He accused the Conservatives of trying to "shut down discussions" and said it was a reversal of their previous position. "It represents a major departure and reversal of policy only four years after grants for students from disadvantaged backgrounds was hailed by Government as an essential element in their strategy for fairness and acceptance of the tripling of tuition fees," he wrote in an article for Politics Home. Fellow Christians in the Labour party tweeted their support today during a debate called by the opposition after the government tried to bring through the changes without a debate in the Commons. @kayscoresby I shall be opposing the Government's cuts Stephen Timms (@stephenctimms) January 19, 2016 I'm just voting against the government leaving poorer students with even greater student debts. Rachael Maskell MP (@RachaelMaskell) January 19, 2016 Today I will be voting with @UKLabour against Tory plans to scrap #studentgrants and lift the cap on tuition fees pic.twitter.com/IPr68lwxs5 Mary Creagh (@MaryCreaghMP) January 19, 2016 Labour's motion was defeated in a non-binding vote as thousands occupied Westminster bridge outside parliament to protest the changes. The National Union of Students said many students are already struggling to meet their living costs, such as accommodation, transport and food. The grants have been a "lifeline" for poorer students, and are "important for helping students not just get to university but also to stay there," said NUS president Megan Dunn. "They have a real sense of having had this snatched away from them," she added. Church of Ireland challenged by report on homosexuality Members of the Anglican Church of Ireland are being asked to consider whether the Church should change its mind on homosexuality as it has in the past on women, slavery, contraception and the remarriage of divorcees. A new Church of Ireland report, A Guide To The Conversation On Human Sexuality, asks whether the Church has imposed on its interpretation of scripture "an inadequate analysis of human sexuality". It also suggests that an "an idyllic vision of modern family life" might have been imposed. The report suggests that "the moral logic underpinning the negative portrayal of same-sex eroticism in Scripture does not directly address committed, loving, consecrated same-sex relationships today." The report also quotes St Paul in Galatians 3: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." It says: "As the Church has changed its views on slavery, women's ministry, remarriage of divorced persons in Church, contraception etc, can we welcome members of the LGBT community as full members of our Christian community?" The General Synod Select Committee on Issues of Human Sexuality in the Context of Christian Belief, which sat and heard evidence over more than two years, found that the witness from parents with children searching for their true sexual identity "was particularly powerful, indeed, almost overwhelming". All-Ireland Primate and Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Richard Clarke, said the report contained an enormous amount of advice: "We are encouraged to use the Scriptures reverently and humbly, and helped in finding ways in which we may do this. We are also given practical guidance on how to approach dialogue with those who hold different viewpoints from ours." Dean John Mann, chairman of the select committee, said: "There are conflicting views voiced in the guide, but there is also plenty of material to make the thinking person reflect, challenge preconceived notions, and give them a voice for their concerns, or the confidence to search out further guidance." Mann added that the committee viewed their role in the broadest of terms, as having a remit to discuss a range of issues concerning human sexuality. But they realised they had to focus on the "presenting issue" of samesex attraction. This was because this issue, beyond all others, "is what is divisive for the Church and causing most hurt and uncertainty amongst its members". The realised they should not fear "a potentially creative and transforming encounter with those with whom we differ," Mann said. The guide was launched yesterday in Dublin and in St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast, this afternoon. It comes the week after the leaders of the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion met in Canterbury in an attempt to avoid schism over the issue of homosexuality. The Primates agreed to take action against The Episcopal Church of the US by suspending its voting rights on some Anglican Communion committees. Dr Clarke said the actions taken, described by the Archbishop of Canterbury as "consequences" rather than sanctions, were the result of "a determination to walk together, albeit with some at a safe distance from one another." The Episcopal Church and the conservative Primates of the Global South have been at odds since the Americans consecrated an openly gay bishop in 2003. 'Honour God with your body': How misunderstanding the soul leads us into sin Anwar Ali chopped off his own hand after his imam accused him of blasphemy. It was all a ghastly mistake: the class had been asked to raise their hands if they didn't love Muhammad and he misheard. When the imam screamed "Blasphemer!" at him, Anwar took what he considered to be the appropriate action, and returned to the mosque later that day with his hand on a plate. It is desperately sad, not least because he appears to have the approval of his community. He will pay the price of a learned fanaticism for the rest of his life, and may come to regret it. Anwar Ali's treatment of his own body is an example of religion gone wrong. But seizing on him as as an example of the evils of Islam would be to ignore the parallels in some strands of Christianity and it stops us reflecting on how we go wrong, too. In the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5, Jesus says: "If your right eye causes your downfall, tear it out and fling it away; it is better for you to lose one part of your body than for the whole of it to be thrown into hell. If your right hand causes your downfall, cut it off and fling it away; it is better for you to lose one part of your body than for the whole of it to go to hell." Jesus' words have generally been spiritualised to mean that we should avoid things that tempt us. They have sometimes been taken entirely literally, though. The early Church father Origen is thought to have had himself castrasted to help him avoid sexual sin. Male members of the Russian Skoptsy sect, which began in Tsarist Russia and continued until at least the mid-20th century, amputated their genitals; women had their breasts removed. It is not known whether any of them remain. There is a long tradition in Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy of mortification of the flesh; punishing the body through beating, wearing hair-shirts (which might be made of the pelt of an animal with the hair on the inside, irritating the skin) or inflicting some other sort of pain or discomfort. The physical pain of the disciple mirrors the pain of Christ on the cross and leads to a closer identification with him. In the Philippines, Catholic devotees re-enact Christ's crucifixion quite literally: they have themselves nailed to crosses by other participants dressed as Roman soldiers. Most Christians today recoil from such demonstrations. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies." There is nothing honouring to God about damaging or destroying the bodies he has given us. But simply condemning this sort of thing lets us off the hook. At its root is an unChristian separation between the mind and the body that owes more to Greek philosophy than it does to the Bible. In this way of thinking, we "are" our souls, and we only inhabit our bodies. They are the flesh that veils the real "us". It's this kind of thinking that lets Anwar Ali cut off his hand and Filippino Catholic devotees abuse their bodies in a warped form of worship. But it's this that Paul has in his sights when he writes to the Corinthians as he does. They are not to imagine that what they do to their bodies, and with them, has nothing to do with their true selves. We can't assume that none of this applies to us. We all face temptations which arise from our being embodied creatures. We are tempted to eat too much, we face sexual temptation, or we are too lazy to get up in the morning. These are easy to see. But when we are tired we get irritable; when we are hungry we snap; when we are too hot or too cold we lose the ability to think straight. When we drink too much alcohol, all our behaviour is affected. Our physical condition affects how we feel and what we do. There's no hard and fast boundary between the physical and the spiritual. So perhaps the lesson to learn from poor Anwar Ali, and from Origen, the Skoptsy and St Thomas More, whose hair shirt is preserved at Syon Abbey, is that sin and temptation are not located outside ourselves in other people, demons, ideas or our own bodies they are part of being human. We should accept our humanity and ask God to purify it, not reject it and seek to destroy it. Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods Jakarta: Thousands of Muslims and Catholics unite to march against terror Muslims and Catholics united in Jakarta on Sunday to march through Indonesia's capital after suicide attacks killed seven and wounded 26 last week. Catholics joined thousands from the largest Muslim organisations in Indonesia to "oppose all forms of violence that goes against man". "We express deep condolences to the victims and condemn all forms of violence and terrorism. We pray and we work for the unity of Indonesia," said Father Alexius Andang Binawan, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Jakarta, according to ICN. Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Muslim group, was joined by 13 other Islamic organisations and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Indonesia. Several thousand demonstrators gathered in the main square in Indonesia's capital which is overlooked by both the Catholic cathedral and the Grand Mosque. "We are shocked but life in the capital continues normally," said Binawan, according to Fides. "As the government and public officials say, we have also told the faithful not to be overcome by the fear of terrorism. Terrorists want visibility and demonstrate the supposed weakness of the government. Indonesian people will respond in a united manner, with firmness and dignity, without fear". "Many religious leaders have condemned terrorism, stressing that it has nothing to do with religion and expresses strong hopes for unity," he added, speaking ahead of the march. "We will be in the street with Muslims and Christians and believers of all faiths to reaffirm the national motto 'unity in diversity', and to express our unity in opposing to all forms of violence that goes against man. As Christians we are next to all other citizens and will continue to pray for the victims and for a prosperous and peaceful future of our nation". Nicky Morgan launches 'educate against hate' in latest anti-extremism drive An "educate against hate" website was launched today as part of a renewed drive to protect children from "the spell of twisted ideologies". Nicky Morgan, the education secretary and a Christian, announced the launch alongside a crackdown on unregistered schools. The series of measures are designed to "protect children in and out of school", a statement from the Department of Education said, and follows concerns from Tory MPs that new measures will lead to Ofsted registering and inspecting Sunday schools. "We are determined to keep children safe in and out of school," said Morgan in her speech, made from Bethnal Green Academy, which was attended by three girls who ran away to join ISIS in Syria last February. "Today's announcement of resources and tougher powers to protect young, impressionable minds from radical views sends a clear message to extremists: our children are firmly out of your reach." This is "absolutely not about shutting down debate in schools," said the education secretary, or "wrapping young people in cotton wool". She acknowledged there must be a balance between combating extremism and allowing open debate. "That isn't easy, there's no hard and fast rule, age appropriateness matters, as do the motivations of the speakers," Morgan said. "It requires judgement but just as we must be absolutely clear that we should never give those who peddle extremist ideologies entry in to our schools or colleges, so too we must guard against inadvertently hiding young people from views which we simply think are wrong and disagree with." The announcement from the Department of Education comes the day after the Prime Minister said migrant women faced deportation if they did not learn English. The move is intended to prevent isolation in communities which, Cameron said, is a contributing factor towards extremism. The new website was founded "following Ofsted inspections of schools in Tower Hamlets and Birmingham last year", a statement read, where 15 unregistered, illegal schools were discovered. Pakistani boy chops off own hand after being accused of blasphemy A Pakistani boy chopped off his own hand in repentance after being falsely accused of blasphemy. Anwar Ali, aged 15, attended an evening prayer gathering last Friday at his local mosque in Khanqah, Pakistan, when the imam Shabir Ahmad asked for a show of hands of those who did not love the prophet Muhammad. Ali, the son of a poor labourer, mistook the instruction and thought the cleric had asked for those who did love the prophet, according to the New York Times. He immediately raised his hand and only realised his mistake when no one else followed, quickly putting his hand down. However at this point Ahmad had already started screaming "blasphemer!" at him. The boy fled and cut off his right hand, returning to the mosque with the freshly severed hand on a plate. Upon seeing what the boy had done, the mullah also fled, fearing retribution. He was quickly caught and locked up by police. However, local religious authorities protested his detention and Ahmed was released, only to be re-arrested after international coverage of the incident over the weekend. "There is no physical evidence against the cleric of involvement, but he has been charged for inciting and arousing the emotions of people to such a level that the boy did this act," said the district police chief, Faisal Rana. Anwar's family said the cleric had done nothing wrong and instead praised their son for his faithfulness. "We are lucky that we have this son who loves prophet Muhammad that much," said his father. "We will be rewarded by God for this in the eternal world." The teenager also defended the mullah and his self-amputation. "What I did was for love of the prophet Muhuammad," he said. Pakistan's notorious blasphemy laws have been widely condemned by human rights campaigners. The crime carries the death penalty and although few cases ever make it to court, the accusation frequently raises such strong emotions that it has led to mob lynchings and violence. Yesterday Pakistan lifted a three-year ban on YouTube which had been instilled because of anti-Islamic videos. The government announced Google had given it the right to block content it did not see as appropriate. Pope Francis faces traditionalist criticism over plans to commemorate Reformation Traditionalist Roman Catholics have hit back at the Vatican over plans for joint commemorations of the beginning of the Reformation next year. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church have issued joint guidelines for celebrating the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's 95 Theses in ecumenical services. Contained in a booklet entitled Common Prayer, the material includes prayers, suggestions for hymns and themes for sermons. The guidelines say services should stress thanksgiving, repentance and common commitment, with the main focus on Jesus. In a letter to Lutheran and Catholic leaders, LWF general secretary Rev Dr Martin Junge and the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Koch, say: "This common prayer marks a very special moment in our common journey from conflict to communion. We are grateful for being able to invite you to participate in this journey in witnessing to the grace of God in the world." However, according to the conservative Rorate Caeli website, the material gives far too much away to the Protestant side and has "dangerous implications". It criticises the support expressed by a Vatican spokesman last year for the renaming of a square in Rome in honour of Luther, and the publication in October last year of the Declaration on the Way: Church, Ministry and Eucharist document, which calls for "the expansion of opportunities for Lutherans and Catholics to receive Holy Communion together". It also refers to Pope Francis' visit to a Lutheran church in Rome where he appeared to give an ambiguous answer to a Lutheran woman who asked whether she could receive communion with her Catholic husband. Of Common Prayer, it says that it is "characterised by the dominance of Protestant material, and the one-sided praise for the Reformation while nothing at all is said about or taken from the distinctive elements of Catholic history, theology and heritage". It adds: "The troubles that came from the Reformation are thoroughly glossed over in the 'Repentance' section of the service that covers doctrinal disagreements and historical tragedies in banal generalities which equally blame Lutherans and Catholics. The overwhelming emphasis in this service is on what supposedly unites Catholics and Lutherans, while the doctrines that 'divide' us doctrines for which innumerable Catholic martyrs and confessors suffered, bled, fought and died are left unmentioned and abandoned." While the sense of new openness to other Christians in the Roman Catholic Church generated by Pope Francis' distinctive style and calls to unity has been widely welcomed, it has met solid resistance from many conservatives anxious that Catholic distinctives are being eroded. The Pope's enormous popularity outside the Church is not always matched by a similar warmth toward him inside it. Son of kidnapped Burkina Faso missionaries pleads for their release The son of kidnapped missionaries Ken and Jocelyn Elliott has pleaded for their release as the elderly couple's whereabouts remain unknown. Stephen Elliott and his two siblings grew up in northern Burkina Faso with their parents, who built and ran a hospital in the small northern town of Djibo. He pleaded with the kidnappers for the safe release of Ken and Jocelyn and thanked the Burkinabe people for their support. "On behalf of our family I wish to express our gratitude for the messages of encouragement we have been receiving from around Australia and abroad during this difficult time," he told The Australian. "Understandably we are deeply dismayed by this incident and sincerely hope that our parents are being treated kindly wherever they are," Elliott added. "We have been particularly heartened by the tremendous support of the Burkinabe people who clearly consider Ken and Jocelyn to be one of their own after all these years of providing surgical services to the region. We would urge the Burkinabe people to continue to show patience as they share in our feelings of loss at this time." "We also want to extend our sympathy to the victims of the recent tragedy in Ouagadougou and to the people of Burkina Faso as they mourn," he said. The Elliots were abducted following a terrorist attack on Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, last Friday that killed 28 people and injured 56. Locals in Djibo have started a Facebook page to share news and messages of support for the couple, who are in their 80s. They were abducted from their home next to the 120 bed hospital they had built brick by brick since they arrived in the 1970s. Although no group has claimed responsibility, it is suspected that they were kidnapped by the al-Qaeda-linked Emirate of the Sahara group. Dr Ken Elliott was the only surgeon at the hospital and frequently carried out up to 150 operations a month. "Our ultimate aim is to show the love of God and the goodness and power of Him through medicine," Dr Elliott previously said of his intentions in a YouTube video detailing their work. The elderly couple had been looking for a replacement to run the hospital but could not find one because, he suggested, qualified doctors wanted to be "where the jobs and the money are". Syrian Archbishop: Using hunger as a weapon of war is 'shameful' A Syrian Archbishop has condemned the use of hunger as a "weapon" in warfare. "Using hunger, and thirst, as a weapon of war is a crime, a shameful thing," Archbishop Mario Zenari, the apostolic nuncio to Syria, said. "I am surprised that the international media is just talking about it now," he told AsiaNews. "In some places, people have been dying of hunger for more than a year with lorries full of food, milk, and medicines, just waiting outside." Earlier this month, the besieged Syrian town of Madaya made headlines. Held by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, the population of around 30,000 people were starving and humanitarian aid was unable to reach those inside. Two towns in the northern province of Idlib, Foah and Kefraya, and the Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus are suffering from a similar plight. "This situation must be solved by eliminating the root cause of the conflict," Zenari said. The press must "pay more attention to the humanitarian question, a pressing issue that must be resolved today," he added. Up to 4.5 million people are living in disputed areas in Syria which are difficult for humanitarian agencies to access, including at least 400,000 in 15 places under siege, according to the United Nations. Despite admitting that there are logistical challenges, the archbishop said: "there are no excuses because there is food and medicines out there, as well as lorries, yet people are dying of hunger." Until a solution to the Syrian crisis is found, "internationally recognised human rights must be guaranteed and respected. The humanitarian problem, the use of hunger and thirst I would add is a crime, a shameful thing, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also pointed out." Residents of Yarmouk a refugee camp just seven miles from the capital are suffering on a similar scale to Madaya, and an attempt to evacuate the area two weeks ago was unsuccessful. Zenari commended the efforts of those "working to solve some risky situations", while emphasising that "the instrumental use of hunger and thirst is inadmissible." He praised the work of the United Nations, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Society, who "have been working steadily and quietly to broker deals to ensure the arrival of aid." UN report: Nearly 19,000 Iraqi civilians killed in under two years Almost 19,000 civilians were killed in Iraq between January 2014 and October 2015, according to a new United Nations report released on Tuesday. A further 36,245 civilians were wounded, the report said, branding these findings "obscene". A significant amount of the brutality has been attributed to ISIS. The militant group is responsible for acts that may "amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide", particularly against minorities, the report said. The UN also estimated that 3,500 people are "currently being held in slavery" by ISIS, which seized mainly Sunni-populated areas in the north and west of Iraq in 2014. "Those being held are predominantly women and children and come primarily from the Yazidi community," said the joint report by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN human rights office. "But a number are also from other ethnic and religious minority communities." Yazidism is an offshoot of Zoroastrianism, which blends ancient religious traditions with both Christianity and Islam. According to ISIS doctrine, they are "devil-worshippers", and members of the group have been systematically persecuted by militants. "They use civilians as shields. They use children in armed conflict, they also directly target civilian infrastructure and that can amount to war crimes but they can also constitute crimes against humanity," said Francesco Motta, director of the UN human rights office in Iraq. Motta said ISIS should face prosecution for international crimes, as the group is seeking to "basically eliminate, purge or destroy minority communities." Referring to the Yazidi population, who were "basically given the option by ISIL [an alternative name for ISIS] to convert or to be killed", he said the intent was clear: "the international crime of genocide." The report also detailed the horrific methods ISIS employ to torture and execute people, including shooting, beheading, bulldozing, burning alive and throwing people off buildings. Doctors, teachers and journalists who oppose their ideology have been "singled out and murdered". "We have a lot of information on the recruitment of children, children as young as nine, to train them sometimes to use them as suicide operatives in their operations, but also forcing them to give blood and also take armed combat roles in other parts where conflict is taking place," Motta said. According to the report, between 800 and 900 children in Mosul had been abducted for military and religious training. Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, was recaptured from Islamic State in late December, and the tide of fighting appears to have turned against the group. "We still have grave fears for civilians in areas under Daesh [ISIS] control as the armed forces and those supporting the government move closer to those areas," Motta said. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, warned that the civilian death toll may be much higher than the 18,802 recorded: "Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq," he said. "The figures capture those who were killed or maimed by overt violence, but countless others have died from the lack of access to basic food, water or medical care." Additional reporting by Reuters. Vatican vows to 'slave-proof' its supply chains The Vatican has promised to "slave-proof" its supply chains, with a commitment to guaranteeing that no forced labour is used. Cardinal George Pell, the Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, announced the Vatican's commitment at a meeting of The Global Foundation, an Australian organisation that brings together business and government leaders. "I am pleased to confirm that the Vatican itself will commit to slavery-proofing its own supply chains and I hope that today's announcement will serve as encouragement for others to follow suit," Pell told the gathering on Sunday. At the same meeting, the Consumer Goods Forum a collection of major companies such as Carrefour, Nestle and Hershey's committed to "strive to eradicate forced labour from our value chains." Pell admitted that because the Vatican is so small, its contribution to the development of slave-proof supply chains was unable to compare to the impact the Consumer Goods Forum could hope to have. The Vatican is just 44 hectares in size and has a total population of 842. Members of the Consumer Goods Forum are involved in annual deals worth 2.7 trillion Euros and employ 10 million workers globally. A group of environmental organizations, residents and businesses wants to protect the canopy of trees lining Yale Street in the Heights area. The Urban Forestry Committee of the Houston Heights Association teamed up with residents and businesses along Yale to petition the city to designate a two-mile stretch of the roadway as the Yale Green Corridor. Wal-Mart closures in Houston will cost 440 local jobs, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Tuesday. The commission released letters from the company, which on Friday announced it will close 269 stores in the U.S. and globally, outlining jobs cuts at specific locations. In Houston, the company is closing the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market at 2740 Gessner and the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 7075 FM 1960. Throughout Texas, 1,345 jobs will be lost at four Supercenters and five Neighborhood Markets, the letters show. Also closing in Texas are 20 Wal-Mart Express stores, each of which employs about 30 people. The Wal-Mart cutbacks will affect about 16,000 associates worldwide and roughly 10,000 in the U.S., the company said. On Tuesday, spokeswoman Anne Hatfield said laid-off employees will receive "top priority to transfer to any nearby store that has open positions." After the stores close later this month, she added, employees will be kept on the payroll through Feb. 10 or so to remove merchandise and fixtures. Employees not transferred will be paid for 60 more days after the merchandise and fixtures have been removed. Anyone who worked at Wal-Mart for at least one year will receive a severance package, which is one week's pay for every year they worked for the company. Hatfield also emphasized Wal-Mart's growth in Texas, where it opened 53 stores last year and plans to open about 25 stores this year. Last week, it opened Neighborhood Markets in Katy and League City. "We've been growing significantly in Texas," Hatfield said, "and we will continue to do so." Walmart is known as a store where you can buy just about everything. But take a look at the gallery above to see some of the items you can't get at the world's largest retailer. Glenn Frey, who co-founded The Eagles and with Don Henley became one of history's most successful songwriting teams with such hits as "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane," has died. Frey, who was 67, died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia, the band said on its website. He died on Monday in New York. He had fought the ailments for the past several weeks. "The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery," a statement on the band's website said. "Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide." Guitarist Frey and drummer Henley - who is from Gilmer - formed The Eagles in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, along with guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner. They would become a top act over the next decade, embodying the melodic California sound. An Eagles greatest hits collection from the mid-1970s and "Hotel California" are among the best-selling albums in history. Frey was born in Detroit and raised in its suburbs. His solo hits include "The Heat Is On" and "Smuggler's Blues." Frey was lead vocalist on The Eagles' breakthrough hit "Take It Easy," a song mostly written by Jackson Browne that came out in 1972. His other showcases included "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "Already Gone" and "New Kid in Town." The Eagles split up in 1980 but reunited in 1994 and were one of the world's most popular concert acts. The band, which for years was made up of Frey, Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, was supposed to have been honored at the Kennedy Center last month. But the appearance was postponed because of Frey's health problems. Frey, known for his oversize jaw, big grin and blunt personality, loved music, girls and the rock 'n' roll life. He would meet up with Henley, Meisner and Leadon while all were trying to catch on in the Los Angeles music scene, and for a time the four backed Linda Ronstadt. They also befriended such other Los Angeles-based musicians as Browne and J.D. Souther, who would collaborate on "New Kid in Town" and other Eagles songs. They harmonized memorably on stage and on record but fought often otherwise. Leadon and Meisner departed after run-ins with Frey, and guitarist Don Felder, who had joined the group in 1974, ended up in legal action with The Eagles. Frey and Henley also became estranged for years, their breach a key reason the band stayed apart in the 1980s. Henley had vowed The Eagles would reunite only when "hell freezes over," which became the name of the 1994 album they never imagined making. Much was made of the volatile nature of The Eagles. But when the band was in Houston for two Toyota Center shows in 2008, Henley told the Houston Chronicle, "The career of this band has been built on a foundation of solid musicianship, a respect for and devotion to the craft of songwriting, along with a strong work ethic and attention to detail in terms of live performance. We've never been particularly hip or trendy; didn't want to be. Fads come and go, but we're about music. If people want to sit on the sidelines and throw stones, let 'em. This house isn't made of glass." Despite the occasional discord, Henley said Frey was like a brother to him. "We were family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But, the bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that The Eagles were dissolved," Henley said in a statement. "Glenn was the one who started it all. He was the spark plug, the man with the plan. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and a work ethic that wouldn't quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial, generous, deeply talented and driven." Oh, good grief. "London Spy" has a promising title - must be a nifty spy story, eh? Well, it is a spy story, sort of, but hardly nifty: You'll spend five hours searching for a secret decoder device to figure out how so much promise could be so haphazardly executed. Is it entirely terrible? Not at all. But despite its occasional assets, its lapses and faults are frequent and maddening. The five-part miniseries, premiering on Thursday, stars Ben Whishaw ("The Hour") as Danny Holt, a young, gay warehouse worker who parties too much, almost certainly because he is a romantic at heart and looking to find true love. One morning, after a night of debauchery, Danny literally bumps into a handsome young man (Edward Holcroft, "Kingsmen: The Secret Service") out for a run on a London bridge. Their exchange is brief, but Danny is smitten. He returns to the bridge every morning at about the same time and eventually meets the young man again. He says his name is Alex. They spend time together, take things rather slowly but soon, and almost predictably enough, fall in love. More Information 'London Spy' When: 9 p.m. Thursdays Network: BBC America xx See More Collapse They are from different worlds, of course. Danny has been around several blocks in his young life. Alex is a cipher, with seemingly little life experience. Alex is polished, perfect, well mannered; Danny is a scruffy, blue-collar type. But, for a while, love seems to be conquering their differences, until Alex disappears without a trace and is eventually found dead. Was it murder? If so, who did it? And, more important, why? Danny is immediately a suspect, of course, but he is adamant about his innocence. He's not as much concerned about his own well-being as he is about finding out what really happened to Alex and who Alex may have been. Danny has an ally in Scottie (Jim Broadbent, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"), a retired British spy who, years earlier, was quietly taken out of the spy business and given a desk job after he was caught having a sexual liaison with another man. Scottie is more than half in love with Danny but sees his role as the younger man's protector. For his part, Danny relies on Scottie as something like a father figure. Like so many ungrateful children, Danny rarely thinks about Scottie's needs or emotions. Scottie is depressed. How do we know? Because he tells us in so many words, and those words are, "I am depressed." Writer-creator Tom Rob Smith ("Child 44") fashions Scottie as a cliche-ridden, self-loathing older gay man, dressed head to toe in tiresome stereotypes. But wait till you meet Mama. That would be Frances Turner (Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years"), Alex's ice-blooded mother, cut from the same cloth as Tennessee Williams' Violet Venable in "Suddenly Last Summer." She dresses all in black and gray, the creases of her mannish trousers perfectly straight, and blames Danny for her son's death. For much of the way, the only real suggestion there's a spy element in the story is provided by the title of the miniseries. Otherwise, it's an overheated melodrama or maybe a murder mystery. Scottie knows the spy game, and perhaps Alex was a spy, but does that mean everything else Danny thought he knew about him was false? Although Whishaw's performance is extraordinary, its glow is clouded by the messy, overwritten script and frequently untethered direction by Jacob Verbruggen ("Code 37"). One scene, in particular, illustrates how bilious the direction is at times. Danny decides to get an HIV test. The nurse explains the procedure, pricks his finger and disappears for a while to test the sample. Verbruggen's camera moves slowly around the room, from Danny, to the walls, to the telephone and back to Danny again. Minutes tick slowly by. The nurse returns with results and performs the same test again, and off we go again on the whirlwind tour of the room. The intent is clear: show us how the minutes feel like hours to Danny as he waits for the results. The problem, though, is that in execution, the minutes do feel like hours, artificially so, and instead of helping us empathize with Danny, we just find ourselves wondering if Verbruggen was guaranteed more money for dragging things out. That's only the most obvious excess, but there are plenty more, in the illogical, melodrama-drenched dialogue as well as the artsy direction. Whishaw may keep the human story from being swamped by bad writing and worse direction, but Rampling and Broadbent are doomed. Holcroft as Alex survives largely because his character is supposed to be a buttoned-up mystery, so he's spared having to spout the terrible dialogue. In the end, none of it makes a great deal of sense. And speaking of the end, let's just say that in addition to borrowing from Tennessee Williams, Tom Rob Smith makes a last-minute petty theft from the finales of all those Hope-Crosby "Road" pictures. In the case of "London Spy," the road is of the dead-end variety. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A police officer was shot and wounded while foiling an attempted robbery in northeast Houston, police said - just days after another Houston Police officer was shot and wounded while on duty. The incident occurred around 12:05 p.m., outside a Family Dollar on the corner of Van Zandt and Homestead, Houston Police Chief Charles A. McClelland said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, identifying the wounded officer as Jason Rhodes. The 32-year-old officer, assigned to Northeast Patrol, spotted two people about to enter the store with their heads covered, McClelland said. "It's pretty apparent from the evidence, more than likely this was going to be a robbery," he said, explaining that when Officer Rhodes intervened, the pair fled on foot. One of the individuals shot at him, hitting Rhodes in his left arm, McClelland said. Rhodes, a married, five-year-department veteran whose wife is expecting their second child, was rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital, before being treated and released later Tuesday afternoon. "He's in very good condition ... We expect him to make a full recovery," McClelland said. The shooting came just days after a 45-year-old Houston police officer was shot and wounded serving a search warrant in the Third Ward, and was at least the sixth in Texas since authorities began tracking that information last September. "These are the dangers that Houston Police officers face on a daily basis every time they get in that uniform," said Ray Hunt, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union. After the shooting, police quickly apprehended one "person of interest," and then spent several hours searching for the shooter. A source within the department said that around 3:25 p.m., police detained the suspected shooter "without incident." HPD spokesman Kese Smith confirmed a second individual had been detained but did not provide additional information. "Law enforcement has been criticized over the years, especially recently, over their behavior, but we've got to remember these men and women keep their community safe every single day and night," McClelland said, praising Rhodes for his quick thinking. Dale Lezon contributed. Police are searching for a suspect in the death of one of two men after they were burned at a home Monday in south Houston. The fire broke out about 11 a.m. at a two-story house in the 2200 block of Ewing near Almeda not far from Hermann Park, according to the Houston Fire Department. Leaders of the Bellaire Historical Society believe civic pride and sound decision-making are enhanced by understanding history, which is why they're committed to preserving Bellaire's heritage and enlisting others to join them. "If you know where your community has come from, and what it has been through, it can help you to avoid past mistakes. There is great benefit to understanding the legacy of your community. It provides a sense of identity. It makes us to realize what it cost to get what we have and makes us more likely to work to preserve it," said Lyn McBee, Bellaire Historical Society secretary. She has lived in the same location in Bellaire since 1966. She says Bellaire has a rich history. The Bellaire Historical Society has existed since 1974. Membership in the Society is open to the public. The group's website is bellairehistoricalsociety.org. More Information At a glance What: Bellaire Historical Society When: Meets the second Thursday monthly at 6:30 p.m. Where: Bellaire's CenterPoint Energy Community Center, 7001 5th St. Details: bellairehistoricalsociety.org, via email at info@bellairehistoricalsociety.org or by mail at Bellaire Historical Society, P.O. Box 854, Bellaire, Tx. 77402-0854. See More Collapse "Our job is to find, preserve and promote the artifacts, documents, testimonies and photos which contain our history," McBee said. The society has had numerous accomplishments, she said. In the early 1980s the Society worked with others to purchase and have transported a trolley car from Portugal. Bellaire founder William Baldwin implemented a trolley system to carry commuters into Houston and it ran from around 1910 to 1929, McBee said. That replica trolley car now sits at Bellaire Boulevard and South Rice Avenue in Paseo Park. The society has worked diligently in partnership with the University of North Texas and Rice University to digitize important area newspapers, such as the Bellaire Texan (1954 to 1990), along with thousands of documents donated by present and late Bellaire residents, McBee said. Among her favorite donations is an original manuscript of the book "As the Meadowlarks Sang," which is one of the few if only books that chronicles the early history of Bellaire. McBee hopes future projects of the society can include reprinting that book along with the circa 1958 "Bellaire Historical Cookbook," which contained recipes, photos and accounts of Bellaire's history. The society worked with others to create the "Bellaire Centennial Walk" which includes a pamphlet guided tour and markers indicating places of historical significance in Bellaire between 1908 and 2008. A PDF copy of the pamphlet is available at the society's website. The website also contains a listing of state historical markers located within Bellaire. The society meets monthly and invites speakers and presenters who can enhance awareness of Bellaire and Houston area history. "Many current Bellaire residents don't realize the courageous efforts which helped build Bellaire. Many colorful things have happened here," said society board member and program chair R.W. McKinney. He said the area has thrived despite events such as devastating hurricanes. He said most current residents are not aware the entire Bellaire area was once a simple prairie and later farming area and that what exists today is the result of the efforts of "pioneering people." McKinney serves as the resident historian for KHOU's "Great Day Houston" television program. He leads tours of Houston's historical sites and also works in public affairs and marketing. The Society will host Louise F. Aulbach and Linda C. Gorski, authors of the book, "History of Camp Logan: 1917-1919." Houston's Camp Logan, located in the area which now comprises Memorial Park, was the site of a mutiny by black United States Army infantrymen in 1917. The rioting claimed the lives of a number of soldiers and civilians and resulted in many executions and life sentences for the mutineers. In addition to providing speakers such as those mentioned, McKinney hopes the Society can re-engage with the youth of Bellaire by developing strategic partnerships with local high schools and middle schools and by conducting community service projects that involve teens. Inquiries about membership, programs or supporting the Bellaire Historical Society may be made at the group's website, This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Though it remains a place of worship for now, the building on South Mason Road shows signs of its new purpose - a venue that will bring musicals and other fine arts productions to Katy. The yard sign welcoming visitors to Family Life Assembly of God is still there, and Sunday services continue as the congregation plans a move to a new home. But as days have passed, an increasing number of theatrical lights have been mounted to the ceiling. Floor-length mirrors line a new dance hall in the connecting building. And what was a puny stage has been converted into one measuring 60 feet by 40 feet. The facility has transformed into the World Theater, which director Burton Wolfe believes will draw the area's diverse performing arts community together. More Information Want to go? What: World Theater's first audition, "Katy's Got Talent" with tryouts by age group When: 1 p.m. Jan. 30 Where: 1012 S. Mason Road Details: www.worldwidestage.org See More Collapse "We felt Katy was a place ready for this kind of venue," Wolfe said. "The arts right now are needed more than ever before and Katy is full of young and old people with talent." Wolfe created the theater with assistance from other Houston fine arts professionals to be a place where local talent could practice and perform. The theater will mainly operate with volunteer performers, with its open audition, "Katy's Got Talent," set for Jan. 30. The theater is headed by World Performances Inc., Wolfe's nonprofit corporation that aims to use shows to connect diverse communities and educate audiences about varying cultures. The group has sponsored several multicultural musicals and performs mostly around the Houston area. At the "Katy's Got Talent" show, theater directors and producers will evaluate local performers while helping to build a following for the theater. The initial closed-door audition, which begins at 1 p.m. at the theater, 1012 S. Mason Road, will feature performers classified by age group. Registration fees range from $20 to $80, depending on the number of performers in an act. The top prize is round-trip airfare to an Asian destination on Singapore Airlines. World Theater shows, Burton said, "will range greatly based on what performers we get. We can do Broadway shows like 'Annie' or we could do cultural shows featuring dances of different cultures. There's a lot of opportunity." Wolfe, who teaches speech and drama at Houston Community College, has written and directed several fine arts productions and has worked with well-known performers such as Audrey Hepburn and Julio Iglesias. Before creating the World Theater, Wolfe produced productions of Broadway favorites and multicultural and bilingual productions in Houston venues including the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Wolfe and his four-member production team purchased the church for more than $1 million using private loans and investors, he said. The church will continue operations there until its new facility on Roesner Road in south Katy is complete at the end of the year. Opening a fine arts venue anywhere is a gamble. But Wolfe's team believes the theater will flourish once the community is aware of the opportunities there, according to Lawrence Wong, director of operations. "Challenges (for us) are at every corner you turn at this point because it's new establishment; so we have to establish ourselves within the community," Wong said. "But we are trying to promote it, and what makes us special is that we are reaching out to the multicultural parts of the community. We might have shows featuring a Chinese performance, or a show about Latin culture - there's a show for everyone, and the best part is that it is put on by the community for the community." Ticket prices will range from about $30 to $50. The theater seats 300, but Wolfe hopes to increase that to about 600. The venue held a grand opening last week that included dancers from the J&H Dance School, a Chinese Dance Academy in Houston, and the Anjali Center for Performing Arts, a school for traditional Indian dance. Suburban arts facilities can sometimes be appreciated by the surrounding community simply because of convenience. In Pearland, for example, Mayor Tom Reid has advocated that his city develop quality-of-life components, such as a performing arts center. Katy has the same need and desire, said Ann Hodge, president/CEO of the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce. She believes the theater has a good chance of succeeding. "In 13 years working here, I've watched a lot of really great ideas emerge, and I think so often there are some pieces missing that complicate businesses from succeeding. But what we have here with the World Theater are two partners (Wolfe and Wong) that have a track record of running community theaters, and I think that enhances the ability for this theater to succeed," Hodge said. "I think it will create a needed dialogue of fine arts in the area." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate VATICAN CITY (AP) Vienna's cardinal said on Monday that he is in touch with a man condemned to die in Texas this week, and that Pope Francis is following the case, too. Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn told reporters at the Vatican that he has been in close touch with Richard Masterson, who is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday. He didn't elaborate on what kind of contact they had. Masterson was convicted of strangling a female impersonator in Houston in 2001. Attorneys for Masterson have contended his earlier lawyers were deficient and that his confession about the death of Darin Shane Honeycutt, who went by the stage name of Brandi Houston, was improper. Appeals have also argued that Masterson is innocent of the killing and that medical examiner testimony about the victim's death was misleading. The cardinal mentioned the case while speaking at the Vatican about church initiatives to promote mercy, a quality Francis has been stressing. "Richard has been waiting 12 years for his execution," Cardinal Schoenborn said. "It is frightening." He said that the pope has been informed about Masterson and is following the situation. During his papacy, Francis has reinforced earlier Vatican teaching that capital punishment cannot be justified. The cardinal noted that a group of Christians has been following the case. Their attention to Masterson and his family "is the witness of the closeness of Jesus to this man, who thus has the sweet experience of the merciful heart of Jesus," the cardinal said. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review Masterson's appeal. An appeals court late last week rejected appeals for Masterson. ___ This story has been corrected to say that the execution is slated for Wednesday, not Tuesday Speaking at the Vatican, Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said Wednesday's scheduled execution of Houston convicted killer Richard Masterson closely is being monitored by Pope Francis. Schoenborn said he has been in contact with Masterson, condemned for the 1991 strangulation-robbery of Darrin Honeycutt, but did not elaborate. His comments came as he spoke about initiatives to promote mercy. During his tenure, Pope Francis has stressed earlier church teachings which held that capital punishment cannot be justified. "Richard has been waiting 12 years for his execution," Schoenborn said, according to the Associated Press. "It is frightening." Masterson, 42, who in a recent interview disavowed religious beliefs, is scheduled to be the first of nine convicted killers to be executed in Texas during the first six months of 2016. He is represented by two legal teams -- one in Houston, the other in Washington, D.C. -- but thus far his appeals have not gained traction in the courts. At least three petitions are before the U.S. Supreme Court, asking judges to consider aspects of the case. Among issues is the constitutionality of a Texas law barring disclosure of information concerning formulation of the drug used in executions; the impact of a judge's failure to advise jurors that a defendant could be convicted of a lesser, non-capital charge in death penalty cases; and the impact of testimony in capital cases that wrongly identifies the victim's cause of death. In unsuccessful petitions to lower courts, Masterson's lawyers have argued that an expert review of Honeycutt's autopsy revealed that he could have died of a heart attack rather than strangulation. The lawyers also charged that counsel and judge in Masterson's first trial erred in not telling jurors he could be convicted of the non-capital offense of felony murder. In his recent interview, Masterson said he and Honeycutt engaged in sex after they met in a Montrose nightclub. Masterson said Honeycutt accidentally died after he applied pressure to the professional female impersonator's neck, a maneuver allegedly requested by Honeycutt to enhance his sexual pleasure. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Melissa Phillip | Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Melissa Phillip | Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Melissa Phillip | Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 5 of 5 The body of a missing boy was discovered Tuesday morning in a area near the 610 Loop in southeast Houston. The body was found about 9 a.m. in the 4900 block of Holmes Road near the South Loop East, according to the Houston Police Department. The U.S. State Department is renewing its warning to Americans headed to Mexico that they risk being murdered, carjacked or kidnapped by armed gangs in certain Mexican states. There were 100 U.S. citizens murdered in Mexico in 2014 and 81 the year before that. "Crime and violence are serious problems and can occur anywhere, and U.S. citizens have fallen victim to criminal activity, including homicide, gun battles, kidnapping, carjacking and highway robbery," notes the warning that was posted Tuesday. "While many of those killed in organized crime-related violence have themselves been involved in criminal activity, innocent persons have also been killed." The report also notes that Mexico has dedicated "substantial resources" to protecting visitors to major tourist destinations and that there is no evidence organized criminal groups target U.S. residents or visitors based on their nationality. "Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place in towns and cities in many parts of Mexico and have occurred in broad daylight on streets and in other public venues, such as restaurants and clubs," notes the warning. Criminal organizations have used stolen cars, buses and trucks to create roadblocks on major thoroughfares to block the access of military forces and police. "The location and timing of future armed engagements is unpredictable," it states. "We recommend that you defer travel to the areas specifically identified in this Travel Warning and exercise extreme caution when traveling throughout the other areas for which advisories are in effect." The warning for Mexico was last issued in May and includes state-by-state assessments of security conditions. The State Department currently has travel warnings for 37 countries. Given the United States and Mexico share a a 2,000-mile border, that Mexico greatly relies on U.S. tourists, and approximately $1.6 billion dollars in trade crosses that border each day, public discussion of the security situation there can be a sensitive topic. Mexico has been touchy about the issue and was embarrassed last year with the prison break of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, who fled via a tunnel dug beneath his cell. With his recent capture, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto took to Twitter to tell the world: "Mission Accomplished." Authorities there now want to speak with a Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo about how she and U.S. actor Sean Penn were able to visit with Guzman while he was on the run. Take a closer look at some of the new drug gangs that are plaguing Mexico in the gallery above. A woman is scheduled to plead guilty to her alleged role in putting underage girls to work as prostitutes at Houston brothel. Court papers filed against Maria "Merci" Gonzalez contend she was part of a sex-trafficking conspiracy from March 2012 to February 2013. in which the girls were coerced into having sex for money. Gonzales allegedly knew they were minors. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A court hearing on whether Ethan Couch should be tried as a juvenile or adult, scheduled for Tuesday, has apparently been postponed, according to news reports. Dallas Morning News reporter Naheed Rajwani posted a Twitter message on Tuesday, stating that the judge recessed the hearing because Tonya Couch, Ethan's mother and the parent overseeing his case, wasn't notified of the hearing. The case was scheduled for a hearing in the 323rd State District Court with Judge Timothy Menikos, who said one of Couch's parents needed to be notified for the hearing to take place. They could choose not to attend but needed to be notified, according to Rajwani's tweets. A courtroom employee said by phone Tuesday she could not comment on cases, and a spokeswoman for the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office did not immediately return a request for comment. MADD, which gathered signatures on a petition requesting the Couch case be transferred to an adult court, issued a statement on the postponement. "We're frustrated that the hearing on the prosecution's motion to transfer Ethan Couch from juvenile to adult court was delayed," the statement said. "Ethan Couch is no child and he shouldn't be treated as such. It's time for him to have to face consequences. However, the fight is not over. Already over 43,000 people lent their name to our petition demanding that this motion be granted...." Couch, 18, has been widely referred to as the "affluenza" teen, after a psychologist used the term in his defense during his juvenile court trial in four cases of intoxication manslaughter. He was 16 at the time of the June 2013 accident that left four people dead and nine injured. National outrage ensued when Couch was sentenced to 10 years probation and later when he and his mother fled the country to Mexico after video surfaced of him allegedly drinking at a party, violating his probation. His mother, Tonya Couch has been extradited to the United States and released on $75,000 bail. Ethan Couch, who requested a delay in deportation, remains in custody in Mexico. TURLOCK, Calif. (KCRA-TV) Three people were arrested in connection to a fight that broke out inside a Turlock Sikh temple. The arrests were made on Thursday and Friday. Sandeep Singh, 38, of Ceres, was taken into custody for assault with a deadly weapon after investigators talked to witnesses and reviewed cellphone video, the Turlock Police Department said. On Friday, Turlock police said two other people were arrested in connection to the temple brawl: Balwinder Kaur Bagri, 51, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and criminal conspiracy and Gurdev Singh, 47, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse. >> RELATED GALLERY: The most diverse religions in the US A fight involving 100 people broke out at the Sikh temple, located on 5th Street, Sunday afternoon. When officers arrived at the scene, they didn't see a fight but remained on scene because of heightened tension. The Sikh temple is currently in a leadership dispute that has caused tension among its members. A fight broke out again around 12:30 p.m. Inside, officers found several disturbances throughout the temple. Police said Bagri and others confronted two victims outside of the temple's restrooms and physically assaulted them. The victims suffered non-life threatening injuries that required medical treatment. Witnesses told police that Gurdev Singh grabbed a chimta, a musical instrument used to hit drums, and swung it towards a group of people, hitting two people. One person was hit in the head and another person was hit in the arm; both got treatment for non-life threatening injuries. With help from the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol and the Merced County Sheriff's Department, law enforcement was able to gain control of the situation. Several people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, but no one was arrested Sunday night, police said. The investigation into the brawl is ongoing. With Republican rivals Ted Cruz and Donald Trump vying for the same conservative voters ahead of the Iowa caucuses, a pro-Cruz Super PAC on Tuesday launched a radio ad showing the Manhattan real estate tycoon backing Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The ad comes as Cruz and Trump have been engaged in an intensifying war of words, spurred by Cruz's contention last week that Trump represents "New York values." "I think he's a smart guy that knows what's going on, really big league. And I think he's not going to want to destroy New York," Trump is heard saying of de Blasio in an October, 2013, radio interview during the city's mayoral election. The ad is going up on the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity shows in New York, according to a spokesman for the Courageous Conservatives PAC, a pro-Cruz group that paid for the spot. The group is also looking at running the ad in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire. The ad's narration takes aim at de Blasio's purportedly liberal agenda: "De Blasio ran on class warfare, sanctuary cities and ending stop-and-frisk. De Blasio sided with looters and cop-killers against the police, with teachers unions against schoolchildren, and with PC liberals to let the homeless run wild on city streets." "It's something that Donald Trump has to explain," said Courageous Conservatives strategist Rick Shaftan. "Bill de Blasio is beyond the pale. This would be like him endorsing [Democratic presidential candidate] Bernie Sanders." A spokesperson for Trump was not immediately available for comment. More recently, Trump called de Blasio "the worst mayor in the U.S." The mayor, for his part, called Trump a "blowhard." But the ad depicts a more charitable Trump seeming to give then candidate de Blasio the benefit of the doubt. "I feel pretty strongly that he'll end up being a good mayor, maybe a very good mayor," Trump said two years ago. The Super PAC attack comes as Trump and a host of other New York politicians have fired back at Cruz's "New York values" remark as an insult to a state that was attacked on 9/11. Las weekend, Cruz issued a mock apology to the "millions of New Yorkers who have been let down by liberal politicians in the state." The controversy has loomed over Cruz's current tour of New Hampshire, where he has been campaigning in close proximity to Trump, the current poll leader nationally and in the Granite State. Monday night, at a town hall in Whitefield, Cruz accused the former reality TV star of being a fake conservative. "The stakes are too high," he said. "We cannot get burned again." That came a day after Trump unloaded on Cruz in an interview on ABC's "This Week" Sunday. "Look, the truth is, he's a nasty guy," Trump said of their former truce. "He was so nice to me. I mean, I knew it. I was watching. I kept saying, 'Come on Ted. Let's go, okay.' But he's a nasty guy. Nobody likes him. Nobody in Congress likes him. Nobody likes him anywhere once they get to know him. He's a very - he's got an edge that's not good. You can't make deals with people like that and it's not a good thing. It's not a good thing for the country. Very nasty guy." Trump also made clear that he is not ceding the GOP's influential evangelical wing to Cruz, giving a speech Monday at Liberty University, the largest Christian college in the nation. He also told the Christian Broadcast Network that he would do more to protect evangelicals than Cruz, comparing himself to Ronald Reagan. "Ronald Reagan wasn't a totally, he didn't read the Bible every day, seven days a week," Trump said. "But, he was a great president. And he was a great president for Christianity. And frankly, I would say that I would be a far better leader. I will be much stronger on boarders. I will be much stronger in protecting the evangelicals. I'll be much, much stronger in protecting our country. And I think I'll be a much better person for evangelicals but also for everybody else." The Courageous Conservatives PAC is one of about a dozen pro-Cruz groups raising money for ads in the early voting states. With about $250,000 in fundraising, it is not one of the biggest players in the Cruz camp. But Shaftan said it is one of the most conservative. "Our job is to get to movement conservatives, the Tea Party, evangelicals, libertarians, to make the case for Ted Cruz," Shaftan said. "If we can get 100 percent of that vote, we can win, and that's what we're trying to do." Former Texas governor Rick Perry agrees with Ted Cruz on the true meaning of "New York values." During an interview with Iowa radio show Mickelson in the Morning, Perry said making fun of New York happens often - pointing to a 1993 Pace Picante Sauce commercial where a group of cowboys refused to eat picante sauce made in New York City. "Hey listen, we all make fun of New York, I mean, come on, 'New York City? Get a rope.' Remember that ad, for the picante sauce?" Perry said. Watch the ad below: The former Texas governor defended current Texas Senator Cruz by saying, "Mr. Trump took umbrage by Ted Cruz talking about New York values, and, you know, became very serious about - as we all were - what happened on September 11th of 2001. We were all New Yorkers that day - don't get confused with that - but you know, I would hope there's enough humor in that person [Trump] to understand that." READ ALSO: With Iowa Near, Cruz and Trump are Fighting Harder Than Ever Former presidential candidate Perry said Cruz was similarly mocking New York with his line that Trump embodies the values of New York. "So we have fun with that, and I think that's exactly what Senator Cruz was doing, talking about New York values, and I thought he did a good job of explaining that New York values are, you know, very liberal, particularly Manhattan," Perry said before adding that he felt Cruz won Thursday night's debate overall. Cruz has been steadily climbing in the polls, nearing Republican front-runner Donald Trump, and reports say that the real estate mogul feels the heat. RELATED: Trump says Cruz's Canadian birth could be 'very precarious' for GOP Trump has been taking aim at Cruz' Canadian birth in recent weeks and it became a major point of contention during the most recent GOP debate. "Ted Cruz was born in Canada and was a Canadian citizen until 15 months ago. Lawsuits have just been filed with more to follow. I told you so," Trump tweeted 48 hours after Thursday's GOP debate. Cruz's natural birth debate and Trump's "New York values" are among the many topics discussed that night. Click through the gallery to see the top one-liners from Thursday's GOP debate. Check out the Houston Chronicle's Cruz News each morning for fresh updates from the Houston-based presidential campaign of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. On the trail Polls put Ted Cruz almost 20 points behind his leading rival in New Hampshire which will host the nation's second primary caucus on Feb. 9. But the Texas senator is campaigning hard, aiming for a strong New Hampshire performance to preserve the momentum of an increasingly likely Iowa win. The effort defies some strategists' expectations that Cruz would write off the Granite State. Instead, he's hired 10 in-state staffers and opened a residence for volunteers. Even if Cruz can win the state, a strong showing after an Iowa win could be a springboard to a spate of early primary victories. But it's still in the air. Read the full story from the Houston Chronicle. Money flows A TV ad campaign will boost a pro-Cruz super PAC into the top tiers of spenders in the 2016 race, the Associated Press reports. Keep the Promise I, one of several super political action committees backing Cruz, will front $2.5 million to broadcast commercials on Iowa TV ahead of that state's February caucus. Super PACs account for the majority of election spending. Individuals and corporations are also free to fund super PACs without limits. Unlike political campaigns, they don't face spending regulations or disclosure requirements -- a system upheld by the 2010 Citizens United case in the U.S. Supreme Court. Consequently, it is nearly impossible to identify the sources of super PAC money. The TV ads will promote a message long-central to the Cruz campaign: that he fights establishment forces in both the Democratic and Republican parties. The new ads reflect a dramatic uptick in pro-Cruz spending. Early victory likely, still uncertain The most recent poll of Iowa Republicans names Ted Cruz the likely victor of that state's primary election. On Feb. 1, the Iowa caucus will cast the first vote for a presidential nominee, in a move sure to influence each state's vote thereafter. A win there would certainly boost Cruz's national numbers, where he lags Donald Trump by double digits, according to most polls. A Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll reported last week showed Cruz leading Trump within the poll's 4.4 point margin of error. The survey of 500 likely Republican caucus participants showed 22 percent support for Trump and 25 percent for Cruz. Days before, a Marist poll reported 28 percent support for Cruz in Iowa and 24 percent for Trump. A CNN poll of polls on Monday found no clear Iowa winner. National polls put Cruz around 20 percent and Trump around 33 percent. But those figures could shift with the results of the Iowa caucus. Extended family In his autobiography, Cruz writes that his mother's first marriage fell apart after the tragic death of the couple's infant. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram tracked down the ex-husband a Fort Worth native and long-time Londoner to ask how he felt about his ex-wife's son running for president. "I'll be darned," Alan Wilson told the Star-Telegram. "No kidding. That is [his ex-wife] Eleanor's son? I had no idea." Birther A federal judge will probably have to rule whether or not Cruz is eligible for the presidency. Most experts say he is, pointing out past candidates who've sought primary presidential nominations in spite of a foreign birth to American parents. But Donald Trump, who helped carry the "birther" concern into public debate, told ABC's This Week on Sunday that he might file a lawsuit challenging Cruz's eligibility on the basis of his Canadian birth. That follows a similar suit filed against Cruz by a Houston attorney. While it attracted widespread media attention, it is unlikely to go to trial. The attorney lacks standing, or legal imminence, to file the case. Trump does not, since he is competing with Cruz in the current race. Any suit he files will certainly be heard. However, a recent YouGov poll found the issue relatively inconsequential. When the pollsters asked 1,000 adults if they would consider voting for a U.S. citizen born outside the country, 56 percent said yes and 15 percent said no. An old feud Cruz started his freshman year at Princeton University disappointed with his assigned roommate, who he found unfriendly, he noted in his autobiography. It seems the two parted with mutual distaste. Now Craig Mazin, the former roommate, still devotes a solid chunk of his Twitter feed to his anti-Cruz sentiments, and as of Monday the tirade hadn't stopped. Mazin once told the Daily Beast he would "rather pick somebody from the phone book" than see Cruz become president. Here's how Cruz described the pair's relationship in his 2015 book: "Much to my dismay, my randomly assigned freshman year roommate a liberal student from New Jersey took an immediate dislike to me. I had never had a roommate before; my half sisters were much older than I, and so I was mostly raised an only child. I had hoped my roommate and I would be lifelong friends, but alas, he spent much of his time treating me with contempt." 'Audit the Ted' The fledgling presidential campaign of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul released a cartoon video short attacking Cruz for his reliance on Wall Street banks. Titled "Audit the Ted," the political ad features two crudely animated characters speaking in British-accented computer voices as they discuss the Cruz campaign in a forest setting. It raises issue with Cruz's undisclosed use of an almost $1 million loan from Goldman Sachs, and questions his support for an audit of the U.S. Federal Reserve bank. Or check out: Cruz News Monday The city of Houston launched a new web page Tuesday to track pothole repairs, part of the formal rollout of a new initiative to fix reported potholes by the next business day. The page allows users to track the number of potholes reported and repaired within the last year and view the outcome of recent pothole cases. It also describes what the city considers to be a pothole. An Austin-based watchdog group on Tuesday filed a federal complaint against Texas senator and presidential candidate Ted Cruz, requesting an investigation into undisclosed bank loans taken by his 2012 senate campaign. The left-leaning group Texans for Public Justice filed the complaint with the Federal Election Commission. THE LEAD: Debating debates Late Monday, we got word from the Republican National Committee that it had officially cut ties with NBC to host and broadcast its February debate at the University of Houston. They went with CNN instead, but we're still not sure where in Houston the debate will be held. It looks like the RNC went to great lengths to keep NBC-owned Telemundo in the mix, though, as well as right-leaning media organizations. At least Texas Republicans will still get to hear from candidates five days before Super Tuesday, on Feb. 25, which will be make or break time for several candidates. Good Tuesday morning, Takers. Tell us your hopes and dreams (and fears?) for a Trump-Palin 2016 ticket when you send tips and scoops to bobby.cervantes@chron.com or tweet me @bobbycervantes. -- Big dollars raised in some Bexar County legislative races, by the Express-News David Rauf.State Sen. Jose Menendez and state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, facing off in the March 1 primary for the Senate District 26 seat, are heading into the final six weeks of the election with fully-loaded war chests more than $700,000 combined. Menendez and Martinez Fischer, both Democrats, are the headline matchup in a series of competitive races Bexar County voters will decide in the coming weeks that will largely shape the local legislative delegation. -- Ted Cruz courts New Hampshire voters, by the Chronicles Brian Rosenthal in Plymouth, N.H. For months, Cruz has focused his campaign on Iowa, which votes first and is full of evangelical Christians and others who love the senators tea party brand of conservatism. But as he has gained steam in national polls, Cruz has redoubled his efforts in second-voting New Hampshire, which usually goes for more moderate Republicans and this year has been dominated by businessman Donald Trump. The thinking, Cruzs supporters say, is that a strong performance in the Granite State, even if an outright victory is unlikely, will preserve momentum that comes out of Iowa and provide a springboard to South Carolina and the rest of the race. -- 85R watch: Abbott wants broader state ban on Iran investments, by the Chronicles Mike Ward.In Israel as part of a trip abroad to encourage foreign trade and investment in the Lone Star State, Abbott told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will seek the passage of a law during the 2017 legislative session to prohibit all state agencies and local governments in Texas from investing in Iran and require existing investments to be divested. -- How Jeb! hopes to get a boost in Texas, by the San Antonio Express-News Peggy Fikac and Bill Lambrecht.As Jeb Bush continues to lag in the polls, his backers have mounted a Texas strategy, with nearly $5 million in reserved television airtime and an organization they say is extensive and months in the making. The time has been reserved in major media markets, including Houston and San Antonio. It's enough to buy at least 10,000 television advertising spots. -- New mega-donors join Empower Texans team, by Quorum Reports Scott Braddock. As political professionals of all kinds consultants, candidates, the lobby, and others pored over campaign finance reports this weekend, the filings that seemed to send shivers down the spines of some governing Republicans were those that show the billionaire Wilks Brothers have officially entered the battlefield of state-level campaigns. -- It may be time to resolve the meaning of natural born, by the NYTs Carl Hulse. The struggle over the 'natural born' provision has greater meaning as well. Interpreted at its narrowest, it would eliminate from the presidential pool tens of thousands of bona fide Americans who are no less citizens than their neighbors. They would be shut out purely by accident of birth abroad quite possibly because their parents were away serving the nations interests. So while Mr. Cruz or the next White House contender whose natural born credentials are questioned might not appreciate the attention, the plight could serve a purpose by finally delivering a legal answer that is long overdue. -- Coming attractions: Rumors abound that Sarah Palin will endorse Donald Trump during an Ames, Iowa, rally for the billionaire today. Ted Cruzs spokesman, Rick Tyler, responded this way to the speculation on CNN this morning: I think it [would] be a blow to Sarah Palin, because Sarah Palin has been a champion for the conservative cause, and if she was going to endorse Donald Trump, sadly, she would be endorsing someone whos held progressive views all their life on the sanctity of life, on marriage, on partial-birth abortion. >> READ Royal Massets obituary, per QR. Royal was proud that, as a young man, he had a revelation that the philosophy of liberalism was not the answer to effective governance. After the 1972 election, Royal began reading up on conservative philosophy and ultimately became a true believer and advocate for limited government and individual freedom. Services will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, January 22, 2016 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 5201 Convict Hill Rd., Austin, Texas 78749. Memorial donations may be made to a charity or Republican candidate of your choice. SPEED READ HD-118: Lujan draws national GOP support, Houston Chronicle Sylvester Turner departure provides two shots at filling seat, Quorum Report Race for Naishtats seat puts the progressive in Austin politics, Quorum Report Ramsey: For Texas officeholders, money is the best defense, Texas Tribune Abbott flew to Israel on Vegas billionaires plane, The Dallas Morning News Cruz joined fight for gun rights as political fortunes roses, Associated Press Heidi Nelson Cruz: A political spouse making sacrifices and courting donors, The New York Times Obama struggling with immigration rules and cruelties of deportation, The Washington Post Cruz: Trump is nothing like Reagan, The Washington Post State marks Confederate Heroes Day, Houston Chronicle Texas trailing Florida in Obamacare sign-ups, The Dallas Morning News Emmett to name replacement for El Franco Lee, Houston Chronicle Dallas pastor, Republican speakers unlikely allies in battling poverty, The Dallas Morning News Teacher groups trash new rules on evaluations post-NCLB, Quorum Report OPEC predicts cut in US production, Houston Chronicle Power line would run through part of Texas land preserve, Austin American-Statesman Cardinal: Popes following looming execution in Houston case, Associated Press QUOTE TO NOTE I like Donald Trump, I respect him personally, and in this campaign hes talked a lot about illegal immigration and amnesty. We were on the verge of losing this fight, and 12 million people here illegally would be granted amnesty. And yet when that fight was being fought, Donald was nowhere to be found. -- Ted Cruz told a crowd in Whitefield, New Hampshire, drawing the most explicit policy contrast with Donald Trump yet. MORE from Mondays event. RACE TO 2016 -- Cruz super PAC prepares for millions of dollars in TV ads, by the APs Julie Bykowicz . Keep the Promise I, one of more than half a dozen Cruz-themed super political action committees, placed new TV ads to begin airing Tuesday in Iowa, the first state up in the primary contest, spokeswoman Kristina Hernandez said Monday. The ad buy expands to third-to-vote South Carolina in a week, she said. -- Trump and Cruz continue their dominance in GOP field, by Politicos Nick Gass. Donald Trump's lead on Ted Cruz is showing no signs of abating nationally, according to the results of the latest NBC News/SurveyMonkey weekly tracking poll released Tuesday. Trump earned 38 percent, while the Texas senator finished in second with 21 percent. Behind the top two, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio earned 11 percent, followed by 8 percent for Ben Carson and no other candidate grabbing more than 4 percent support. -- How the media missed Bernie Sanders, by CNNs Dylan Byers. Now, with Sanders climbing in the polls two weeks before the Iowa caucuses and likely to maintain momentum after a strong debate performance on Sunday the mainstream media is racing to catch up to a phenomenon that has been abundantly clear to backers, donors and the progressive media for nine months. -- Why so many evangelicals have faith in Trump, by The Washington Posts Jenna Johnson and Sarah Pulliam Bailey. Its not that Trump is the most religious or pious of the candidates, Falwell said, although he described Trump as a servant leader who lives a life of helping others, as Jesus taught. Its that Trump is a savvy businessman who speaks the truth publicly, even if it is uncomfortable for people to hear, and who is not a puppet of major donors. 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. Employees at Eli Lilly and Co.s corporate headquarters need not hoof it to the nearest watering hole if they want to unwind with a beer after work. The pharmaceutical giant boasts its own bar and restaurant on its downtown campus, where workers can enjoy a glass of suds or wine any time after 4 p.m. without the inconvenience of leaving work. Called Reveli, short for revitalizing Eli Lilly, the gathering spot opened in 2012 amid troubling financial times for the corporation. But lately, more companies are following suit and allowing employees to imbibe in the office as the lines between work and social lives increasingly blend. Before Reveli, we had a zero-tolerance alcohol policy on site, said Steve Fry, Lillys senior vice president of human resources and diversity. But essentially, our employees are adults and we treat them like adults. So we changed our policy. Experts say the trend to loosen the rules serves as a morale booster while embracing the entrepreneurial spirit of rewarding long work days. Companies partaking run the gamut, from corporations like Lilly to smaller architectural and marketing firms, in addition to, of course, trendy software companies. There is a blur between social and business, but I think its also that cultural aspect, said Stephanie Fernhaber, an assistant professor of management in Butler Universitys entrepreneurship and innovation program. You hear about Google and about everyone trying to do different things to create that entrepreneurial culture. To be sure, offering alcohol at the workplace is becoming more common. The Wall Street Journal featured East Coast companies in a June 2013 story in which it said the keg is becoming the new water cooler. But adding alcohol as a perk also could pose liability risks for employers, said attorney Michael Blickman, a partner in Ice Miller LLPs labor and employment group. He encourages businesses considering the benefit to update company policies making it clear that consuming excessive amounts of alcohol is prohibited. Blickman said hes aware of the trend one that didnt exist even 10 years ago and noted that its caused few problems. In fact, the veteran attorney said he cant recall a single case in which a company faced legal ramifications for workplace drinking. Companies make decisions that they can trust their people, Blickman said. An employee would be committing career suicide if he or she got drunk at the worksite and then acted in a way that was irresponsible. At marketing firm Perq, which connects companies with consumers, a bar is smack dab in the middle of the office space, said the firms director of marketing, Muhammad Yasin. The company on Georgetown Road near West 71st Street built the bar two years ago, replacing a stocked mini-fridge. Four taps reserved for Indiana craft beers are open to the companys 75 employees. The young development firm of Loftus Robinson has hosted what it called Manhattan Fridays at its office in Broad Ripple where real estate professionals could network with one another. The firm, however, is moving downtown to the J.F. Wild building on East Market Street, a space it bought and is renovating. Loftus Robinsons office on the 12th floor the buildings highest should be finished next month. It will feature a 14-stool bar where employees can grab a beer or drink, firm partner Drew Loftus said. Fortunately, all of our employees are very responsible and wont allow it to negatively impact their duties, he said. But at the same time, we promote an enjoyable company culture. So its not unusual for employees to hang out after company hours. The North American Retail Hardware Association is considering whether to test the waters, too. The Indianapolis-based not-for-profit moved last year into a three-story structure at 136 N. Delaware St., across from the Gold Building, that it invested $4 million in. NRHA offers monthly classes and training seminars for its national membership of independent hardware stores and built a bar and kitchen on the first floor to host events. Now, NRHA President Bill Lee might open it up to employees during the workday. Its so new, we havent found our way through that, he said. We kind of envision it that way, but I dont know yet. Local architecture and design firm DkGr moved into new space last summer in Market Tower and also decided the timing seemed ideal to build out a bar. Like NRHA, it often entertains and even invites guests to gather in the office before every Indianapolis Colts home game. Having a bar became critical as part of DkGrs marketing functions, firm principal John Albrecht said. The firms 10 employees are welcome at the bar during normal business hours, but drinks mostly flow on Friday afternoons during end-of-week planning sessions. DkGr has designed office space for scores of clients, several of which wanted to include bars, Albrecht said. Among them: software firm Emarsys, venture studio High Alpha and digital consulting agency Studio Science. Its definitely a trend, Albrecht said. Lilly, founded not long after the Civil War, might seem stodgy, not trendsetting. But the company, before opening Reveli, was poised to lose patents on Zyprexa and Cymbalta two of its biggest-selling pharmaceuticals. We knew we would be going through maybe our most difficult financial period while we waited for our newer medicines to launch, Fry said. One of the things we knew we needed to do was revitalize our campus and make this a place where people really wanted to come and be engaged in the work we were doing. Now Fry might mingle with scientists discussing their diabetes research an opportunity not so easily afforded socially without Reveli. Workers in the past might have opted for the nearby Slippery Noodle Inn, a historic and popular downtown destination for sure but one where they also might run the risk of spilling sensitive company secrets. Youd go and there would be Lilly employees talking about their work, Fry said. Who might be at the next table listening? Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A San Francisco woman faces up to two years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines after pleading guilty to a federal charge that she didnt tell Louisiana regulators about asbestos in the Mississippi Queen steamboat before it was demolished. Chius company, Cheery Way Inc., faces up to five years probation and large fines. Chiu and Cheery Way agreed to plead guilty Wednesday to Clean Air Act violations after waiving indictment. Prosecutors filed evidence showing Chiu and Cheery Way knew the board contained asbestos but didnt tell a Pierre Part demolition contractor. Sentencing for Chiu and Cheery Way is set for May 18. Removal of asbestos is heavily regulated, in large part because exposure to asbestos fibers can cause respiratory problems and rare cancers. The 376-foot Mississippi Queen began plying the Mississippi River system in 1976. Once owned by the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. before its parent companys bankruptcy in 2001, the ship was bought by another company but taken out of service in 2007 with intentions to renovate it. When that didnt work out, the ship was sold for scrap to a California company owned by Chiu for $800,000 in October 2010, according to evidence prosecutors introduced in court. But The New Orleans Advocate reports that plan resulted in a state Department of Environmental Quality probe in May 2011 after an anonymous tip about possible asbestos-related work on the steamboat happening at Argosy Boat Co. in Pierre Part. Cheery Way had a company conduct tests and found asbestos in the ships walls and ceiling, according to the court documents, but didnt tell regulators or Argosy Boat. Prosecutors said the contractor, who they did not name but DEQ records show was Argosy Boat, had no prior asbestos abatement experience and was not a certified asbestos abatement contractor. Workers started demolition without being required to take safety precautions. Dave Reidt, owner of the now shuttered Argosy Boat, said the incident was his companys first job and cost him everything he had. He claimed prosecutors cleared him of criminal wrongdoing. Anna Christman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Orleans, would not directly comment on Reidts claim but noted that only Chiu and Cheery Way were named in the bill of information Dec. 4 bringing charges over the incident. Tim Beckstrom, DEQ spokesman, said the Mississippi Queen was sold for scrap. The company Chiu used to buy the steamboat paid $245,248 to remediate the demolition site in Pierre Part, prosecutors said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Inadequate safety policies and procedures were primarily to blame for a mining accident that killed a 26-year-old Idaho man operating a 20-ton mobile drill in an underground tunnel at a Nevada gold mine last summer, federal safety investigators have concluded. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration cited and fined Small Mine Development LLC more than $6,000 in the Aug. 3 death of Jason Potter of Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. He was struck and killed by part of a tool he was hauling to bore holes in solid rock walls so explosives can be loaded to reach gold ore at the SSX Mine near Elko, about 300 miles northeast of Reno. The accident occurred due to managements failure to ensure that loading and transporting of materials were done in a safe manner, the agency concluded. Officials for Small Mine Development LLC based in Boise, Idaho, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. The Elko Daily Free Press first reported the agencys conclusion on its website earlier Tuesday. Potter, whose job title was jumbo drill operator, was backing the 41-foot long, 41,900-pound piece of machinery up a 10 percent slope in the tunnel when a 13.5-foot long drill steel similar to a drill bit apparently ran into a wall and sprang back, striking and killing him, the federal mining agency said. His official cause of death was blunt-force trauma. The drill steel was loaded and transported in such a manner that it created a hazard to the jumbo drill operator by extending past the end of the jumbo drill approximately 2.5 feet, the agency said. Additionally, the drill steel was not secured in a manner that prevented (it) steel from sliding side to side causing it to strike the wall and then Potter. Evidence indicated Potter wasnt wearing a required seatbelt at the time of the accident, but federal mining agency concluded the root cause of the accident was managements policies and procedures were inadequate and failed to ensure that persons loaded and transported materials in a safe manner. Potter had four years of underground mine experience and had been at the SSX Mine for 42 weeks. The agency found his training records and documents complied with federal laws. As of Jan. 10, the company had paid all but about $900 of the $6,279 the federal mining agency proposed for 21 separate violations, the agencys website showed Tuesday. It wasnt clear whether the company is in the processing of paying that money or challenging some of the fines, Mine Safety and Health Administration spokeswoman Amy Louviere said in an email to The Associated Press. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 'American Masters' 30th Anniversary Season Starts With Look at Mike Nichols Coming to PBS January 29 is the first documentary about film director Mike Nichols. A part of the American Masters Series, Mike Nichols: American Masters was directed by Nichols' former comedy partner Elaine May and will feature new interviews with such Hollywood luminaries as Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, Paul Simon and others. It is the first episode in the special 30th anniversary of the PBS series. May and Nichols were a legendary comedy duo of the late 1950s and early 60s who helped revolutionize comedy, until Nichols walked away to pursue his passion of direction. The new start wouldn't stop Nichols. In fact, it would free him to realize his dream and he would blaze an artistic trail that would include, according to the press release, an Oscar, four Emmys, nine Tony and three BAFTAS among others. Film, TV and theater producer, Julian Schlossberg conducted a number of the interviews that help tell the story of the iconic director of such films as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe, Carnal Knowledge, and Closer. May and Schlossberg have a 40 + year history of working together and it shows in this loving tribute. Says executive producer of American Masters series Michael Kantor via the press release, "Elaine and Julian can joke about each other because they've known each other 40 years, and their work together has been so successful. What seems to unite them in both humor and friendship is a deep love and respect for Mike Nichols and his legacy. They are the perfect team for this documentary." Following the Nichols premiere episode, American Masters will turn its attention to B.B. King (Feb. 12), Carole King (Feb 19), Fats Domino (Feb.26), Loretta Lynn (March 4), Janis Joplin (May 3) and The Highwaymen (May 27). All to be look forward to. Be sure to check your local listings for times. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsAmerican Masters 30th Anniversary Season, Mike Nichols, Director Mike Nichols, Mike Nichols Documentary, Elaine May Documentary About Mike Nichols AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man admitted Tuesday to his role in an armed home invasion where he drove past the scene of the crime in a stolen car with his 16-year-old accomplice. Doriante Sutton, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary with a gun and robbery. Summit County Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands will sentence him March 2 after a full background check. Sutton faces from six to 14 years in prison. Sutton agreed to cooperate with prosecutors by taking a lie-detector test about the incident. He also agreed to testify against the co-defendant, whose case is in Summit County Juvenile Court. The cases stem from the robbery that about 5 a.m. Aug. 11 at the South Highland Avenue home of a 24-year-old woman. The duo broke into the house through a window. The 16-year-old put a gun to the woman's neck. He groped her at gunpoint while Sutton ransacked the apartment, police said. They forced the woman into the bathroom at gunpoint and demanded the security code for her bank card. The duo stole her television, computer, cellphone and 2004 Hyundai Elantra. Akron police were investigating the incident when Sutton and the teen drove by the apartment in the stolen car. They led police on a short car chase. Both jumped out of the car while it was still moving and ran from police. Man found dead in Akron parking lot A man was found dead early Tuesday in this parking lot in Akron. (Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com) AKRON, Ohio -- A man was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head early Tuesday in a parking lot in the Highland Square neighborhood. A woman discovered the body about 9 a.m. in the 200 block of Grove Street. The Summit County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide later in the day. The medical examiner is expected to release the man's name after his family is notified. Bobbi Brown, who lives across the street from the parking lot, discovered the body early Tuesday and called 911. She and her son, Matt Brown, heard a gunshot between midnight and 3 a.m. "I heard a gunshot last week but it turned out to be nothing," Matt Brown said. "I thought nothing of it last night." Both Matt and Bobbi Brown said they heard nothing following the single gunshot. Bobbi Brown left her house about 9 a.m. and saw the man's body face down in the parking lot. She initially thought the body was a mannequin. "His skin was rigid and I thought someone was playing a joke," she said. "I pulled in the driveway and got out. I saw the wound and the blood and I ran back to my car and called 911." Akron police arrived and investigated at the scene about three hours, neighbors said. Blood stained the pavement where the man's body lay. The lot is adjacent to a duplex tucked in a residential neighborhood. Some of the nearby homes were vacant but most have people living in them. Bobbi Brown said that she noticed arguments breaking out at a nearby home over the summer. Gunshots are not uncommon. She said she's heard two other gunshots in the neighborhood in the last two weeks. "It's pretty scary," she said. "I've never seen a dead body before. It kind of freaked me out." Avon police SUV.JPG Avon Police arrested the man on suspicion of robbery. (Patrick Cooley, cleveland.com) AVON, Ohio -- A Cleveland man is charged with strangling an employee of an Avon Walmart who confronted him after he was spotted stealing, police said. Brandon Buser, 20, of Cleveland is charged with robbery. His case was bound over to a Lorain County grand jury Tuesday, court records said. He has not entered a plea. Police received a report about 4 p.m. Jan. 12 that security guards were trying to detain a shoplifter at a Walmart on Chester Road, according to police records. The man tried to steal Turbotax software and radio equipment. The shoplifter fought with the guards before fleeing the store, and a guard told police that he tried to choke a store manager. The man was gone by the time officers arrived, but witnesses said he left in a black pickup. An officer pulled over a truck matching that description a short time later. They found Buser inside and took him into custody. BEREA, Ohio - An alphabet soup of college degrees doesn't make you smart," Dr. Julian M. Earls told a prayer breakfast service at Mount Zion Baptist Church on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. "If you have integrity, nothing else matters," said Earls, the former director of NASA Glenn Research Center and the holder of 11 university degrees plus seven honorary degrees. Earls was the first of 11 children in his family to go to college. His mother completed the seventh grade, his father the fourth. "They were not uneducated, they were self-educated," Earls said. "People like that brought us where we are." The Titanic was built by highly skilled engineers. Noah's ark was built by a layman. "We know how that one ended," Earls said. He encouraged everyone to speak up when they witness injustice - as Martin Luther King Jr. did. "You can't sit in silence when there are issues," Earls said. "A place in hell is reserved for those who remain silent or neutral in times of moral crisis." The key is to work together, he said. "We can make a difference one by one," Earls said, "but the power comes from joining together." It also takes persistence, he said. "Change is not difficult. Sustaining change is the challenge." "You can't save everyone, but don't get discouraged. You do what you can." Earls is currently the executive in residence at the Monte Ahuja College of Business at Cleveland State University. He also is president of Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio, which works with high school students. The prayer breakfast was the opening event in weeklong activities honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The 26th annual MLK Week is jointly sponsored by the City of Berea, Baldwin Wallace University and community organizations. On Tuesday, the keynote speaker will be the Rev. Marvin McMickle at 8 p.m. in Kleist Center for Art & Drama, 95 E. Bagley Road. That will be preceded by a gospel music concert at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, a reception at the Berea Branch Library will recognize students who have created artwork honoring Dr. King. On Thursday, there will be chapel services at 12:15 p.m. in Lindsay-Crossman Chapel, 56 Seminary St. For more information, visit www.bw.edu. BROOK PARK, Ohio -- The city's lawsuit to overturn a ballot ordinance on firefighting has been quashed. Judge Nancy McDonnell of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas recently ruled that the city lacked standing to sue the Committee to Secure Our Safety and three of its members, who petitioned for the ordinance. Voters last February overwhelmingly approved the measure, which reopened the Ruple Parkway fire station and required two firefighters there per shift. It also required five others a shift at the city's Holland Road station. What happens next? New Law Director Carol Horvath and a couple of the lawsuit's defendants declined to comment. Mayor Tom Coyne, who opposed the referendum, said he'd consider his options. During Horvath's winning campaign last fall against incumbent Law Director Neal Jamison, she said she hoped to settle the firefighting suit. Coyne said he might try to negotiate lower staffing levels with firefighters this spring. If Horvath declines to appeal the case, Coyne could ask City Council to hire outside lawyers for the job. Brook Park once had four fire stations and was down to two by 2014, when Coyne returned to office. That spring, he closed Ruple. That summer, he proposed two tax hikes, but voters trounced them. He went on to lay off about 19 employees, including five firefighters. After the ordinance passed, Coyne reopened the station and rehired two of the firefighters, but Jamison and co-counsels filed the suit. They said the ordinance violated the city charter and Ohio law by interfering with the mayor's authority and with contract matters. The fire union's contract calls for seven firefighters per shift citywide as long as Ruple remains open. Defense counsel Mark Guidetti countered that the ordinance did not conflict with the contract or anything else. Regardless, he argued that the city could not sue the petitioners or their committee. McConnell's brief ruling simply says, "The court need not address the merits of the plaintiff's claim as plaintiff lacks standing to bring this action." Ward 2 Councilman Jim Mencini said he hoped Judge McDonnell's ruling would end the dispute. "The judge spoke. I hope we can get past a lot of these petty politics. We need to get our landlords registered, our sidewalks taken care of, our buildings fixed," Mencini said. Councilwoman-at-Large Julie Ann McCormick said, "The voters made their choice. It's pretty clear now that the city was in the wrong in going after the residents." Coyne said voters shouldn't manage the city's operations on such details as staff levels. He blames the ordinance on Jim Astorino, new council president. Until his term expires in April, he is head of the Northern Ohio Fire Fighters, which represents Brook Park's local. Astorino declined this week to comment. During the past two years, he has said he did not sponsor the ballot ordinance, but he has spoken in its support. BROOK PARK, Ohio -- NASA Glenn Research Center was launched 75 years ago this month as the federal Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory. Since then and under several names, the center has become a mighty engine in itself. Glenn's researchers have done acclaimed work on propulsion, communications, safety and many other technologies crucial to flight. They've also reduced engine noise. But a former director thinks the center has been a little too hush-hush. "It's often been described as one of the best-kept secrets in Cleveland," says Larry Ross, who worked there from 1963 to 1995. "We at the center did a lousy job of promoting it." But area officials appreciate the world leadership in research and local leadership in economic development at Glenn, one of 10 NASA centers around the country. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur represents Glenn's 350-acre Lewis Field on Brookpark Road in Brook Park and its 6,400-acre Plum Brook Station testing grounds in Perkins Township, near Sandusky. Says Kaptur, "It would be almost impossible to overstate NASA Glenn's importance to northern Ohio. It is home to some of the world's top scientists and engineers who are doing path-breaking work [and] encouraging the private sector to take up these advances and turn them into business opportunities." Lewis Field is Brook Park's biggest employer. Says Mayor Tom Coyne, "Without it, we'd be bankrupt. My proudest accomplishment as mayor was getting NASA Glenn in the airport deal" -- a complex 2001 pact with Cleveland, which gained land for an expected runway but never built it. According to a report by the Center for Economic Opportunities at Cleveland State University, Glenn's $612.5 million budget in fiscal 2014 spurred $1.382 billion in business earnings statewide, including $1.253 billion in Northeast Ohio. Glenn now has 1,546 civil servants and 1,565 contract employees, but the report credited Glenn for another 3,500 regional jobs through grants, contracts and other arrangements. Beneficiaries include businesses, universities and the Cleveland Clinic, which works with Glenn and ZIN Technologies of Middleburg Heights to design fitness equipment for astronauts in flight. Glenn has also spun off technology for industry to use in computers, communications and much more. Glenn's staff is trying to make a little noise this year to celebrate its groundbreaking of Jan. 23, 1941. Here are some events planned for Glenn's 75th anniversary. VIPs will re-enact the groundbreaking on Monday, Jan. 25, with the original shovel. And the center will privately induct its second Hall of Fame class later this year. Public events will include free open houses: May 21 and 22 at Lewis Field and June 11 and 12 at Plum Brook Station. The times have not yet been announced. Glenn is publishing an anniversary book soon: "Bringing the Future Within Reach: Celebrating 75 Years of NASA Glenn Research Center." The book documents Glenn's many research specialties over those years. Among them are early jet engines and rockets; flight safety and fuel efficiency tested in premier icing and wind tunnels; liquid hydrogen fuel which, despite skeptics like aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun, helped the U.S. win the race to the moon; and electric propulsion, considered key to future space flight. In the book, center Director Jim Free says, "Almost every aircraft and spacecraft today contains Glenn technology." Glenn also helps educate the region. Its visitor center is part of the Great Lakes Science Center downtown, and the center runs several programs for area high schoolers. Cleveland gained the research center because of the region's strengths in aviation. As World War II approached, the then-National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) wanted to expand beyond its Langley Research Center in Virginia. Local leaders like Fred Crawford of TRW Automotive lobbied for a branch at the former site of the National Air Races at what was then Cleveland Municipal Airport, now Cleveland-Hopkins International. A search committee led by famed pilot Charles Lindbergh narrowly rejected Cleveland for what became the Ames Research Center in California before choosing Cleveland for the engine laboratory. The center broke ground in January, 1941, on the first of roughly 150 buildings at the main campus. Soon the lab began testing B-29s and other warplanes. In 1948, the local site became the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory to honor George Lewis, NACA's director of aeronautics. In 1958, fueled by the Soviet Union's Sputnik launch, NACA became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Cleveland center helped America win the space race, partly by training future astronauts like John Glenn in vehicles that spun and plunged. The center was renamed for him in 1999, after the former U.S. senator from Ohio returned to space. Since the moon conquest, NASA's budget has spun and sometimes plunged. Glenn has seemed particularly vulnerable at times for not launching flights like the Kennedy Space Center in Florida or commanding them like the Johnson Space Center in Houston. In the past two years, NASA has pressured all its centers to cut duplication. Just last month, Ohio lawmakers helped stop a Senate threat that might have cut more than $60 million from Glenn's current budget. Despite these constraints, Glenn scientists have won countless research awards, including Silver Snoopies from astronauts, more than 100 innovation awards from R&D Magazine, even an Emmy for broadcast technology. Julian Earls, who directed the center from 2003 to 2005, says, "I worked with the smartest people in the world." The center groomed many scientists from Greater Cleveland, including Director Free, and brought in others from around the country. Among them were directors Earls and Ross. In 2014, Glenn opened its first new building in decades: a glassy $29 million Mission Integration Center. Free expects about $255 million more in capital improvements over the next few years and sees them as signs of NASA's faith in Ohio. The center is currently improving solar electric propulsion and many other keys to NASA's drive for human flight to Mars and beyond. "The projects the agency is going to do need our technologies," says Free. "We have the know-how." Rep. Kaptur says Glenn has a strong future. "I look forward to many more years of extraordinary discovery and innovation that reaches out from NASA Glenn to better the lives of people in our communities." For a timeline of Glenn history, click here. For more about Glenn, see nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/history/index.html. . CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland native and Jones Day partner and "lifer" Heather Lennox has been named Partner-in-Charge of the storied Cleveland office, the first woman to serve in that role, the firm announced on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Lennox, a partner in the firm's Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice, now also oversees the global law firm's founding office and its fourth-largest in terms of headcount, after Washington, D.C., New York, and London. She assumed her new office on Jan. 1. She succeeds Christopher Kelly, who had been Partner-in-Charge of the Cleveland office since January 2012. Kelly has been promoted to Jones Day's executive-level Partnership Committee and will co-lead its Global Capital Markets Practice, the firm said. Lennox made headlines as one of three Jones Day lawyers who led the City of Detroit's high-profile exit from its $18 billion in debts in December 2014, the largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history. David Heiman, the Cleveland business restructuring and reorganization partner, headed the Jones Day's team along with Bruce Bennett of the Los Angeles office and Lennox of the Cleveland and New York offices, that returned the city to the mayor and his team. The American Lawyer named the three its "Dealmakers of the Year" in April 2015. "My client work's not going anywhere, but with respect to Cleveland, there'll be a lot more interfacing not only with with lawyers and staff in Cleveland, but also with the community," Lennox said. She has previously served on the boards of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and Providence House, and looks forward to taking a more active public role in her community. Lennox is the 13th woman to head one of Jones Day's 42 offices around the globe. The other 12 offices are in Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Dubai, Frankfurt, Houston, Madrid, Munich, Paris, San Diego, and Singapore. But the Cleveland Office is where Jones Day, now ranked among the world's 10 largest law firms, began. The firm traces its roots to the partnership in 1893 of Cleveland Judge Edwin J. Blandin and corporate lawyer William Lowe Rice in what was then the nation's 10th largest city. Until Stephen J. Brogan was named firmwide managing partner in 2002, all of his predecessors in that role came out of the Cleveland office. Jones Day regularly ranks among the world's best for client service, and provides "significant legal representation for almost half of the Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500 and the FT Global 500. Lennox grew up in Cleveland, graduated from Holy Name High School and John Carroll University, and received her juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. She went to work for Jones Day straight out of law school and never left. "I'm a 'lifer,'" she said. "I've been here for 23 years, and I can't imagine being at any other firm." She called being a Jones Day attorney both difficult and rewarding, because it requires both skills and a level of dedication beyond a 9-to-5 schedule, to what some spouses there jokingly refer to as "Jones Days, Nights and Weekends." "We're a global firm with global clients, and the Cleveland office doesn't just work for clients based in Cleveland," she said. "That does take a toll on your lifestyle, because clients require us to be available to them whenever they need us." Brogan promoted Lennox to her new role, as well as Kelly to Jones Day's Partnership Committee and co-head of its Global Capital Markets Practice. "She truly is a great person of integrity, really smart," Kelly said. "I would expect she's going to be a tremendous success. "Particularly in this community, it's a high-profile position, interfacing with clients and having ultimate responsibility for the Cleveland office." Federalcourthouse.jpg A former assistant U.S. attorney settled with the U.S. Justice Department over his 2009 firing. (Eric Heisig/cleveland.com) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A former Cleveland federal prosecutor will receive more than $1.8 million as part of a settlement of retaliation charges he brought against the U.S. Justice Department after being fired in 2009. Thomas Gruscinski, 54, also will be given a Justice Department job until he is eligible for full retirement in 2017, according to his attorney, J. Michael Hannon. "It's truly a shame that the U.S. Attorney's Office has been deprived of the services of one of the most popular assistants in the law enforcement community," Hannon said Monday. U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Mike Tobin declined to comment. The settlement, first reported in the National Law Journal, resolves complaints in which Gruscinski said he was retaliated against by two former U.S. attorneys for questioning the tactics of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent. One complaint went to the Merit Systems Protection Board, a Washington, D.C.-based quasi-judicial agency that seeks to protect federal employees from partisan retaliation. The board in December ruled that the Justice Department had improperly removed the security clearance of Gruscinski and ordered that he receive his job back with back pay. A separate federal lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C. alleged retaliation by then-U.S. Attorney Greg White and Bill Edwards, the acting top prosecutor once White was appointed as a magistrate judge, as well as fellow prosecutors and Justice Department employees. That lawsuit was dropped. Gruscinski was named as "John Doe" in the Merit Systems case and the lawsuit. Hannon confirmed his identity on Monday, because the cases were "settled favorably for him." According to Gruscinski, he was a whistleblower as far back as 2003, and complained to fellow prosecutors and Justice Department employees about the tactics of DEA agent Lee Lucas. Federal prosecutors in Cleveland later came under fire because they had brought cases based on the information of an informant and drug dealer who had framed his street competition during a large investigation in Mansfield. Lucas was accused of knowing about and trying to cover up the informant's misdeeds. A jury acquitted him of criminal charges in 2010. In August 2008, Guscinski, who has an anxiety disorder, was moved to the U.S. Attorney's Office's gun unit to work under a supervisor that he had previously complained about, according to his lawsuit. He requested a transfer, saying that he "feared that he would develop suicidal or homicidal ideation if he were reassigned" to the gun unit, according to the board's decision. After receiving the letter, the U.S. Attorney's Office told the Justice Department of Guscinski's anxiety and medical information, his lawsuit says. The Justice Department revoked his security clearance in September 2008, and he was fired in 2009. Gruscinski worked in several areas of the U.S. Attorney's Office, including the white-collar crime unit and the Strike Force, which handled the office's most complex and highest-profile cases, including those involving organized crime and public corruption. He now works as a business law and law enforcement instructor at Kent State University. 2015 Alternative Press Awards Show at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio Winning Album of the Year is the group Black Veil Brides, album titled "Black Veil Brides", at the Alternative Press Music Awards Show at Quicken Loans Arena on July 22, 2015, Cleveland, Ohio. (Chuck Crow) CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Alternative Press Music Awards have a new home for 2016. The show, which honors the hottest acts in alternative rock, pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore and other genres, has taken place in Cleveland the previous two years. However, the magnitude of the Republican National Convention prevented Cleveland-based Alternative Press Magazine from hosting its event locally in 2016. Thus, the APMAs will be held July 18 at Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus. The news comes courtesy of promotional materials released online by Alternative Press. "The first two APMAs took place in Cleveland, Ohio, and now we are moving into an even bigger location in the state capital of Columbus," the promotional materials say. "Created in partnership with the annual Vans Warped Tour, the even starts with a 2-hour-long red carpet pre-show followed by a 4-hour award ceremony, proceeded by a VIP artist/industry after party. The 2016 show is already set to surpass previous year's shows." The last two APMAs were held at Voinovich Park and The Q in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The shows featured headliners like Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Panic! at the Disco, Weezer and Twenty One Pilots. The 2016 APMAs will take place on the same day as the Republican National Convention. This past September, Mike Shea, CEO and publisher of Alternative Press, expressed concern that the awards show would have to venture outside of Cleveland. July's RNC, which could inject as much as $400 million into the local economy, has first rights to book events at 13 venues in Cleveland, leaving the APMAs out in the cold. Shea has said he would still like to move the ceremony back to Cleveland in the future. The 2016 APMAs will once again be sponsored by Journeys and work in partnership with the Vans Warped Tour, serving as a de facto tour-stop for the annual festival. Thus, you can expect the events' lineups, which have yet to be announced, to somewhat mirror each other. Alternative Press is also planning a three-day takeover of Columbus, with smaller events leading up to the big awards show. Last year's APMAs was a social media juggernaut. It generated more than 900 million impressions across sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat. The APMAs aired live on AXS TV, as was the case in 2014. Headliners for the 2016 APMAs will likely be announced in March. Tickets for the show at the Schottenstein Center could go on sale soon after. Check back for more details. ballot.jpg Euclid voters will decide in March whether to accept a charter amendment which will force council to meet monthly, or retain their two-month summer recess. (David I. Andersen, The Plain Dealer, File, 2004) EUCLID, Ohio - After a two-month debate, the city's charter review commission will leave it up to voters whether council must meet year-round or keep its two-month summer recess. According to the current city charter, City Council meets twice each month, with July and August off. But a charter amendment would require council to meet at least once each in July and August. Council will be able to choose its meeting date. In keeping with public meeting laws, council would need to notify the public of any new planned meetings. Charter Review Commission Chairman Jeff Beck brought the proposal to the commission in September, saying he had talked with councilmen who "preferred to meet year-round because city business continues all year long" and summer recesses cause "log jams" which could cause problems because items "sit too long" in committee before being acted upon. At question is whether council will agree. Commissioner Gwen Davis said she knows of several council members who will disagree with having to meet monthly throughout the year, but Beck said he had done his own survey and found everyone he talked to in favor of the move. Xiao Gang, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission Brent Lewin | Bloomberg | Getty Images Failed attempts to inject calm into agitated markets have not only hurt Beijing's credibility, they could result in a drastic overhaul of the way China governs financial and economic affairs. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the country's securities watchdog, has particularly come under fire for its handling of the crisis. At the weekend, CSRC head Xiao Gang listed a range of factors behind the ructions in stocks, including China's pool of inexperienced investors and inappropriate supervision mechanisms. The former Bank of China chairman has faced heavy criticism over the past year for failing to stop the market's steep run-up ahead of the trillion-dollar rout that began in mid-June. Xiao was also admonished for the agency's heavy-handed stabilization measures, such as a six-month ban on stock sales and a freeze on initial public offerings. It's unclear whether such orders were Xiao's brainchildren but it's looking increasingly likely that they will cost him his job. In fact, it was rumored that the 57-year-old tendered his resignation last week, but the CSRC has flatly denied it. Shortly after Reuters reported the news on Monday, its Weibo profileconsidered one of China's most popular foreign media accountswas censored out. "Rumors were flying that Xiao Gang would resign during the implementation of the new selloff-inducing circuit-breakers, and [Saturday's] transcript gives weight to the argument that he may eventually be stood down and scapegoated for China's mishandling of the markets," said Angus Nicholson, IG market strategist. Last August, speculation was rife that the ruling Communist Party had started looking for Xiao's replacement and just last week, state-owned media outlet The China Daily tweeted an unusually stinging condemnation of the CSRC. Translated in English, the post said "regulators should be more clear-headed: there are still loopholes in the system, there is still inadequacy in regulatory efforts, there are even crises faced by talents in the CSRC." "I frankly think Xiao Gang should go but, apparently, he is very close to [Chinese President] Xi Jinping. I am not sure whether this is why it is taking so long or, even worse, why he might stay with even greater power," noted Alicia Garcia Herrero, Asia Pacific chief economist at Natixis. It's not just Xiao headed for the exit doorthe entire CSRC could soon cease to exist. "There is talk that there will be some sort of superagency that will meld together the three agencies overlooking securities (CSRC), insurance (China Insurance Regulatory Commission) and banking (China Banking Regulatory Commission)," Nicholson explained. watch now Pakistan announced on Monday that it was restoring YouTube access in the country, after Google created a Pakistan-specific version of its video platform that allows authorities to censor content on the site. YouTube was blocked in Pakistan in 2012 after the posting of an inflammatory video, Innocence of Muslims, sparked violent protests across the Muslim world. The three-year ban has been one of the site's most high-profile outages, alongside its legal battles in Turkey. Pakistan's government on Monday ordered the country's telecom regulator to lift a ban on YouTube within 48 hours, a senior Pakistani official told the Financial Times. "We have reached an understanding with YouTube so that material considered offensive will not be shown in Pakistan," he said. ATLANTA John Lewis, 75, has been a Democratic member of the U.S. House for nearly three decades. But he became an American hero two decades earlier as an important ally of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights movement. At 23, he was the youngest person to address the crowds gathered for the 1963 March on Washington; two years later he was beaten bloody by Alabama law enforcement officers as he led a march for voting rights across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Ahead of the 2016 King holiday, I sat down with Lewis in his hometown of Atlanta, at Paschal's Restaurant, the original version of which was a key meeting place to plot strategy for leaders of the civil rights movement. What follows is a condensed, edited transcript of our conversation. John Harwood interviewing John Lewis in Paschal's Restaurant, Atlanta, GA on January 14, 2016. Mary Stevens | CNBC HARWOOD: Did Martin Luther King have a signature meal that he always ordered? LEWIS: Well, Dr. King loved Southern food. You had the fried chicken. You had the smothered chicken. You had barbecue, barbecued ribs. He was not just fixed on one. He loved all food. He loved to eat. I remember on one occasion when we were traveling through the South, leaving Atlanta by car to Montgomery, or to Birmingham, there would be a little restaurant. It was like a hole in the wall. And he said, "Let's stop and get something to eat. If we get arrested and go to jail, we will go on a full stomach." HARWOOD: People look at the old news footage Bloody Sunday, the March on Washington and everybody sees it in very clear black and white terms now. Right and wrong. Do you see the current chapter of the voting rights debate, which the president made reference to in his State of the Union, with the same black and white clarity? LEWIS: I do. Even today in places and they're not just in the American South, but in other parts of our country people don't want all these people participating. They don't want the low income people, they don't want students, people of color. In places like Pennsylvania, elected officials, are saying, "No, we have a voter ID now." You know, "We can win this election." We're losing at this moment. I think it's both race and pure politics, because if we open up the process and let everybody come in, the makeup for the Congress, state legislatures, would be altogether different. We shouldn't be afraid of the American people. We should embrace the changes for the future. HARWOOD: I went back and looked at your speech at the March on Washington. You were the youngest person to speak that day. You were talking about how the movement didn't really have a political party. We have much more clarity between the parties these days. We're much more polarized. Is that better? LEWIS: I'm not sure whether it's better or not. It's important that the Republican Party, like the Democratic Party, try to reach out. It's in the best interest of all of us. Because in the final analysis we're one people. We're one family. With the whole history in this country of slavery and segregation, if we get it right in America, we could be a real leader when it comes to issues of race and religion for the rest of the world. I think that's part of our calling. I think it's part of our mission. I don't think we should be quick to say everything is based on racism or racist feeling. Look at people as human beings. I just think we all should try to do the right thing and be kind to each other. Try to get along. Try to be a little more human. That's what I'm telling some of my friends, 'Just be human'. U.S. Rep. John Lewis HARWOOD: Another thing you said in your speech that I found really interesting you said that politicians live in a world defined by "immoral compromises." You can hear the exact same thing from members of the tea party today. Do you identify with how they feel? LEWIS: I understand their feeling, and I think we should recognize people's attitudes. But I don't agree with them. We come from two different worlds. I also remember when Pope Francis came and spoke to a joint session of the Congress. He said, "Engage in dialogue." And we must never, ever give up on anyone. We must continue to work and try to move toward what we called in the civil rights movement "the building of the beloved community." I think we will get there. HARWOOD: Tell me what you make, in this political season, of the rise of Donald Trump. Some people have made this argument that the closest analog to Trump we've seen is either somebody like Pat Buchanan, who ran 20 years ago, or even before that, George Wallace. Does that strike you as a reasonable comparison? LEWIS: I think it is a reasonable comparison. See, I don't think Wallace believed in all of the stuff he was preaching. I think Wallace said a lot of stuff just to get ahead. He used the tools of demagoguery around the issue of race and the federal government tellin' us what to do and how to do it. I don't think Trump really believes in all this stuff. But he thinks this would be his ticket to the White House. At least to get the Republican nomination for. I think it's ambition. I never called George Wallace a racist because I never believed that he believed in what he was preaching. But from time to time we have demagogues who emerge. For political reasons they use race, and class, and religion. It's not something in their spirit. It's not in their gut. It's not in their DNA. But they use it. HARWOOD: What do you make of the argument that there's too much emphasis in our country on political correctness and that people are too quick to use terms like racist? LEWIS: I don't think we should be quick to say everything is based on racism or racist feeling. Look at people as human beings. I just think we all should try to do the right thing and be kind to each other. Try to get along. Try to be a little more human. That's what I'm telling some of my friends, "Just be human." Many of my Republican friends fear where he can take them. They feel that it may mean the destruction of the Republican Party. U.S. Rep John Lewis on Donald Trump HARWOOD: When you talk to your friends in Congress who are Republicans, what sense do you think they have of Trump. LEWIS: Many of my Republican friends fear where he can take them. They feel that it may mean the destruction of the Republican Party. HARWOOD: We have a new speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, who is emphasizing a different set of issues. He had a summit on poverty. He said he wants to spend a lot of time reaching out to nontraditional constituencies. Do you think he's sincere? And do you think that he can be successful? LEWIS: I do think Paul Ryan is sincere. He is very smart. He was greatly influenced by the late Jack Kemp. He's a thinker, and I think he's gonna work very hard to try to bring us all together. It is my hope for the sake of the country and for the two party system that he's able to do it. I think this president can do business with Paul Ryan. I think members of the Democratic side of the aisle feel they can do business with him. They may not agree on everything, but I think there could be compromises. The election of Hillary Clinton as the first woman would go a long ways in moving us much farther down that road to creating an America, and maybe a world community, where we forget about not just race but also gender, and see people as people. U.S. Rep. John Lewis HARWOOD: I heard a young person, a 30-year-old woman, a couple months ago ask about Hillary Clinton. She said, "With the election of Barack Obama I know that there are now no more barriers in American politics. Does that, in some way, diminish the urgency among women, maybe particularly younger women, to try to break that barrier for Hillary Clinton? Doesn't seem to be the same electricity around that electing the first woman as there was around electing the first African-American." LEWIS: He did tear down the wall the big one. But it's still important that women be at the table, that women be in charge. Look at all the young girls, young women. For them to have a president, a madam president, that would say to young girls and say to young women, "if Hillary Clinton can do it, I can do it, too." Maybe they see something in Bernie Sanders that they cannot find, or see, in Hillary Clinton. But I think, just take the long, hard look. I think it's a must that we break the barrier. I think it's in the best interests of the psyche of young girls and young women. The election of Hillary Clinton as the first woman would go a long ways in moving us much farther down that road to creating an America, and maybe a world community, where we forget about not just race but also gender, and see people as people. The global art market is about to burst, experts say. After closely studying over a million auction records from the past four decades, researchers at the University of Luxembourg suggest the global art market is about to burst. The authors of the Luxembourg report conclude that conditions are ripe for a "severe correction," particularly in the post-war and contemporary, American, and Old Masters categories. Read More Monet. Monet. Monet. Money! The study, released earlier this month, indicates the bubble is in the "mania phase" of its formation, which started in late 2011. A similar warning was raised last February from renowned "Dr. Doom" economist, Nouriel Roubini. In a sent to his clients last Febriary, Roubini also warned the $70 billion art world was "ripe for overheating." "There is a lack of a fundamental pricing model for art. "This lack of a fundamental pricing model means that art is subject to fads, fashions, maniasand potentially bubbles. (Markets sometimes run into major challenges even when assets have fundamental pricing modelslet alone without them." Read More Super Bowl of art fairs Doom and gloom predictions aside, recent sales, including Christie's auction of Pablo Picasso's 1955 painting Les Femmes d'Alger for a record $179.4m, seem to indicate a rather robust art market still at play. In 2015, global art sales hit a record led by collectors in the U.S., Europe. Christie's and Sotheby's sold a collective $3.7 billion last year, with postwar and contemporary art comprising nearly 50 percent of all sales by value. Bomb or shooting threats led to partial evacuations or lockdowns for at least 11 New Jersey schools on Tuesday, NBC New York reported. The schools received threats from someone who claimed to have placed a bomb. Schools in Teaneck, Garfield, Tenafly, Clifton, Fair Lawn, Leonia, Bergenfield, Englewood, Hackensack, Sayreville and New Milford received warnings, according to NBC New York. By about 11 a.m. ET, officials said the Tenafly, Leonia, Bergenfield and Teaneck facilities posed no threat, NBC New York reported, citing a source. The other schools were expected to be cleared later in the day. The new defense was on display in Sunday night's Democratic debate when Bernie Sanders ripped Clinton for taking money for her campaign from big banks and getting "personal speaking fees from Goldman Sachs ." Hillary Clinton continues to struggle on the left with criticism that she is too close to Wall Street and would not do enough to rein in the nation's largest banks. And now she is rolling out a new defense, saying she is just like President Barack Obama , who took a lot of Wall Street money in 2008. Clinton fired back that there was "no daylight" between her and Sanders on regulating Wall Street, saying "there should be no bank too big to fail and no individual too powerful to jail." Then she pulled out the Obama card: "But where we disagree is the comments that Senator Sanders has made that don't just affect me, I can take that, but he's criticized President Obama for taking donations from Wall Street, and President Obama has led our country out of the great recession," Clinton said. "I'm going to defend President Obama for taking on Wall Street, taking on the financial industry and getting results." In some respects, it's a shrewd strategy. Obama's national poll numbers are terrible, but he is still very popular among activist Democrats likely to vote in primaries. He is especially popular with African-American Democrats who Clinton will need in large numbers when the nominating contest turns to South Carolina and other Southern states after Iowa and New Hampshire. If Clinton winds up losing Iowa and New Hampshire to Sanders a real possibility she will need a Southern fire wall to stop the Vermont senator's momentum. Casting Sanders as an Obama basher (even though he really isn't one) could certainly help Clinton roll up delegates after the first two nominating contests. Read More Civil rights icon: We must break barriers again in '16 But it could also backfire because it is far from a perfect comparison. While it is true that Obama took a lot of Wall Street cash in 2008 around $16 million, outpacing his GOP rival Sen. John McCain he has not taken millions of dollars in speaking fees from the likes of Goldman Sachs and others, as Clinton has. One Democratic operative working for a rival campaign emailed me regarding Clinton's latest attempt to beat back the Wall Street attack: "This is the sixth defense [Clinton] is trying out: An economic speech on capital gains will give me cover; Anyone who knows me knows I don't listen to donors; 9/11 endeared me to Wall Street; I went to Wall Street and told them to cut it out; I have a better plan than my opponents; President Obama took donations from Wall Street, too," this person said. "The problem is you can't really equate campaign contributions with personal income. There's quite a difference between receiving donations from Wall Street and personally profiting from it though she's done both." There is another problem with Clinton's "I'm just like Obama" defense on Wall Street: The president's record on dealing with the financial industry is not universally loved on the left. Many progressive Democrats remain both unsatisfied that the Dodd-Frank financial reform law did not do more to break up the biggest banks and outraged that no senior Wall Street executives were prosecuted following the financial crisis. A second Democratic operative not aligned with any campaign emailed: "When do you think the Wall Street-friendly Democratic elites that have dominated the party since the first Clinton Administration are going to accept the fact that the polling consistently shows Bernie doing better in a general election than their preferred pick? Will they stick with Clinton even if it means blowing a chance to win the real prize? Smart money parlay is on 'never' and 'yes,'" this person said. "Clinton is now clearly running on Obama's legacy. That may work in some policy areas (like guns), but this may backfire on Wall Street regulation. Rightly or wrongly, President Obama is still stained by the bailouts and the inexplicable failure to prosecute really any leading bank executives as part of the crisis." Clinton is moving on to the Obama defense in part because her "my plan is better" approach, while possibly correct, is a much tougher sell among liberals not especially interested in nuance when it comes to Wall Street reform. Clinton has argued that a blunt approach that would break up banks based mainly on size rather than risk would not make a great deal of sense. She would use a relatively complex set of proposals to rein in Wall Street rather than simply breaking up the biggest banks as Sanders has promised to do. watch now Whether you like it or not, artificial intelligence (AI) and robots are going to be a big part of the future workforce. Amid warnings about "killer robots" from the likes of Tesla boss Elon Musk and the way in which they could take over your job, businesses are bracing for changes to the workforce over the next few years. In a report published Monday, the World Economic Forum estimated that up to 5.1 million jobs could be lost over the next five years in the 15 global leading economies from disruptive labor market changes such as robots and artificial intelligence. These developments herald the so-called "fourth industrial revolution", according to WEF, and involves technologies that are "blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres". These will "fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another", Klaus Schwab, the WEF founder wrote ahead of the annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. But how exactly will the way we work and learn change? Education Reading, writing and arithmetic skills could change, meaning the focus of curricular could shift. "There will be a new kind of literacy and that is data literacy. Not just numeracy but looking at the world in terms of computational thinking, the notion we need to give people skills to understand what a world full of data will be about," Nigel Shadbolt, chairman of the Open Data Institute and member of the U.K. government's data policy group, told CNBC by phone. Shadbolt said that this doesn't mean everyone will need to code, but those that are "data illiterate" will be at a disadvantage when looking to find a job. Bottom line, the subjects your kids will be studying could be very different from what you studied. Working from home to working anywhere Everyone is used to the concept of working from home as connectivity improves. But according to one chief executive, the future worker will have more control over their schedule. Alain Dehaze, CEO of Adecco Group, wrote in an opinion piece on CNBC that the future will herald a new work-life balance in which a job is "no longer confined to traditional working hours or places, with employees taking total control over their schedules and environments". Dehaze added that the idea of bringing people from abroad to a company's headquarters could disappear. "Mobility no longer means just traditional expatriate placements, but moving jobs to where talented people are located," the Adecco boss wrote. New class of professional More business will come from the U.S. as it's still and attractive economy for investors, the chair of one of the world's largest law firms told CNBC. Despite "ups and downs" in the U.S. economy, countries from China to those in the European Union still find it an attractive place to invest, Eduardo Leite, the chairman of the executive committee at Baker & McKenzie said. "Higher business certainly is going to be in the US," Leite told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos. "The US economyis still the economy that is attracting a great deal of investments from China, from the Asian countries, it's still attractive to the European Union." When Connie Crawford's mother, Sue, became widowed in 1986, she was ready to have some help with her finances. "Then she started having some mild memory problems and I took over paying her bills," Connie Crawford, of Tucson, Arizona, recalled. Crawford, her brother and her sister found that their mother became confused about her bills, not remembering which ones she already paid and which ones were due. Medical bills were especially anxiety-producing. "If she got an [explanation of benefits] from the insurance company, she'd think it was a bill and pay it immediately," Crawford said. John Lund | Getty Images Sue Crawford is now 101, and Connie, 58, has taken on more financial responsibility over the years. As the ranks of seniors age, many are experiencing memory issues, leaving it unclear about how they will handle their finances or who will help them. By some estimates, between a quarter and half of the population has some symptoms of Alzheimer's by age 85. Experts expect the number of people with the disease to double by 2050. Who to count on? For the Crawford family, it was clear that Sue's three children would step in and take over the financial tasks that became too difficult for her. They had gotten all their paperwork in order durable powers of attorney, health-care proxy and properly titled bank accounts. And they did it well before their mother started having difficulty signing her name or reading financial documents. "I didn't have any trouble getting access to her money," Connie said. They also had many conversations about what kind of care she'd want when she was no longer able to care for herself. Sue now lives in a nursing facility. But it doesn't always go like this, noted Steve Starnes, a certified financial planner with Grand Wealth Management who specializes in planning for people with memory loss. "Money is an uncomfortable topic for parents and children," he said. "That's just a cultural aspect." There's denial on both sides. Elderly parents don't want to admit they're having problems, and adult children may have difficulty acknowledging that their parents need help. As a financial advisor, Starnes cannot bring in family members without his clients' consent. But he has helped to facilitate family meetings when clients have given him the go-ahead. "The best advice I can give in these conversations is to focus on the goal of helping Mom and Dad feel a sense of independence," he said. Getting your ducks in a row As soon as you recognize your parents are having memory issues, get yourself to an elder-law attorney's office to draft up a durable power of attorney that will allow you to make financial decisions on their behalf. Important, too, is a health-care proxy that names someone else as a medical decision maker if your parent is incapacitated. Without these documents, you'll be forced to petition the court to become your parent's legal guardian or the estate's conservator, a process that can take several months. "It's very hard to get an emergency hearing," noted Sanford Mall, an elder-law attorney in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Even with all the documents in place, it might still be hard to get some financial institutions to recognize them. "Powers of attorney are only as good as the third party that accepts it," he said. watch now For maximum flexibility, Mall suggests making the powers of attorney effective immediately. A springing power of attorney typically requires two doctors to certify the dementia diagnosis and can raise questions from banks. Jody King, vice president of Fiduciary Trust, meanwhile, recommends making a master list of every account with the contact's name and email. Make sure to include liabilities, too, such as a mortgage and credit cards. And don't forget about online accounts, whether financial or not. "You want to make sure that if a family member is searching for someone to contact, they have all the information they need," she said. Develop a care plan Because people can live with forms of Alzheimer's or dementia for so long, often in good physical condition, their care needs can change often. "If we're in the early stages of the disease, you want to make sure the individual is involved in the discussions of care so they can articulate what they want and don't want," King said. She encourages families to visit assisted-living and nursing facilities together to get an idea of the options. Caring for a person with dementia can be expensive. But many families make the mistake of getting too much care too soon, said Starnes. "I'd hate to waste the money to put someone in a nursing home with round-the-clock care early on," he said. "The reality is that most people will only need that level of service for a year or two." You can get a lot of value out of a long-term care insurance policy for dementia because of how long care is needed. That isn't always the case for illnesses that progress faster. But long-term care insurance policies can be expensive, and Starnes only recommends them for people with assets of more than $250,000. People with less are likely to qualify for Medicaid and can get their nursing-home care paid for. Those with assets of more than $1.5 million have enough resources to pay for care out of pocket, financial experts explain. Watching for abuses As dementia progresses, sufferers become more vulnerable to financial abuse. "Sometimes we will start to see a lot of payments going out to charities, and sometimes we will start to see family members, neighbors, friends asking for money," King said. Because the situation invites abuse or the appearance of abuse, elder-law attorney Mall recommends using trusts as the way to pay an elder's care. It's too hard for a person to act as a fiduciary otherwise, he said. watch now Martin Shkreli is just saying no to that "pharma bro" nickname and to his own criminal defense team. Shkreli, the controversial former pharmaceutical executive who is facing federal securities fraud charges, is looking to hire new defense attorneys for that case, according to a newly filed court document in New York City. And a judge on Tuesday afternoon gave him two weeks to do just that. Martin Shkreli departs U.S. Federal Court after an arraignment and his being charged on a federal indictment filed in Brooklyn on Dec. 17, 2015. Lucas Jackson | Reuters Shkreli's current lawyers revealed his intention in a letter Monday that asked Brooklyn federal court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto to postpone a hearing in the case that's currently scheduled for Wednesday. Shkreli, 32, is charged in that criminal case with looting the pharma firm Retrophin , which he previously ran, in order to pay off investors in his hedge fund, who were themselves allegedly defrauded. The pharma whiz kid, who denies the charges, currently is free on $5 million bond, which is secured by an E-Trade brokerage account that had $45 million in it as of Jan. 6. "Mr. Shkreli has indicated that he wishes to replace our firm as counsel and is in the process of retaining new counsel," his lawyers, Marcus Asner and Baruch Weiss of the firm Arnold & Porter, wrote the judge. "We respectfully request a two-week continuance of the scheduled conference so that Mr. Shkreli can finalize his engagement of new counsel and we can properly transition the matter to the new attorneys." The lawyers noted that, "The need to request an adjournment arose over the course of this holiday weekend." Shkreli's current lawyers did not say in the letter why he wants to replace them. "No comment," Shkreli wrote in an email when CNBC asked about the situation. His current lawyers have not responded to a request for comment. Matsumoto approved the request to a continuance, and set the next hearing for Feb. 3, according to a notification posted on the federal court system's website. Shkreli achieved widespread notoriety in September after his new company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, raised the price of a decades-old drug known as Daraprim by more than 5,000 percent. Daraprim, which is used to treat a parasitic condition seen in patients with HIV and in pregnant women, went from costing $13.50 per pill to $750 per pill, overnight. watch now Shkreli resigned as Turing's CEO on the heels of his arrest in mid-December on federal criminal charges which had nothing to do with the Daraprim price increase. He also was fired as chief executive of KaloBios Pharmaceuticals , a small company in which Shkreli last fall had acquired a large stake. Shkreli's unapologetic defense of the price hike last fall, his bombastic demeanor on Twitter and other social media, and his pugnacious response to critics had all earned him the sobriquet "pharma bro." In an interview with Fox 5 New York that ran this past weekend, Shkreli rejected that nickname, even as he admitted his antics had played a role in supporting its use. "I'm not a 'pharma bro,' right?" Shkreli told the TV station, according to an online story about the interview. Russia's economy is seen shrinking another 1 percent this year, but the head of the $10 billion Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) told CNBC the situation was under control. Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of RDIF since 2011, said that while Russia was in "crisis," due to the slump in oil prices and the international sanctions on the country, he remained optimistic and saw the situation as an opportunity to restructure. "It could have been much worse (the forecast decline); we believe it is sort of okay," Dmitriev told CNBC. He attributed around 80 percent of the economic decline to falling oil prices and 20 percent to sanctions. "Russia is dealing with this crisis; it is an opportunity for restructuring; it is an opportunity to reduce state involvement because of privatizations, so it is a situation that is controllable," the Ukrainian-born businessman told CNBC from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday. The Russian economy shrunk by a steep 3.7 percent last year, in part due to continued low oil prices and the hit from Western sanctions. On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its outlook for the Russian economy for 2016, forecasting contraction of 1 percent. Apple, Samsung and Sony are among major companies that are not doing their part to ensure child labor is not being used in the production of their products, said Amnesty International, in a report released Tuesday. The tech giants have failed to conduct enough checks to make sure children are not being used to mine the cobalt used for lithium-ion batteries, alleges the human-rights organization. In its report, "Exposed: Child labour behind smart phone and electric car batteries," on cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Amnesty International found children as young as seven mainly working in mines. The report documents how traders buy cobalt from areas where child labor is rife and sell it to Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese mineral giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd (Huayou Cobalt). Amnesty International's nine-month investigation describes how Huayou Cobalt and its subsidiary CDM process the cobalt before selling it to three battery component manufacturers in China and South Korea. In turn, they sell to battery makers who claim to supply technology and car companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Daimler and Volkswagen. Dozens of children told Amnesty International they worked for up to 12 hours a day in the mines, carrying heavy loads to earn between one and two dollars a day. "This is equatorial Africa and these children are facing very tough conditions, breaking rocks, exposed to cobalt dust, with no face mask, hats or gloves, no protective equipment. All the people we spoke to have complained about having health problems," said Mark Dummett, Amnesty International business and human rights researcher, in a telephone interview with CNBC. All the companies named in the Amnesty report said they had a zero-tolerance policy toward child labor, and released statements to Amnesty International denying the knowledge of use of children to manufacture their batteries. "There is a problem in the lack of transparency in supply chains," said Dummett, to CNBC. "We ask them [the companies] about whether they knew if the cobalt came from the DRC and none of the companies said they had in place adequate systems to trace this." "We think that in this day and age, consumers have an expectation for companies to know and show where the raw materials come [from]," added Dummett. watch now Unilever has warned the consumer goods giant preparing itself for tougher market conditions and high volatility in 2016 as it reported a better-than-expected 4 percent rise in underlying full-year sales on Tuesday. The Anglo-Dutch maker of Knorr soups, Dove soap and Lipton teas said core operating profit rose by 0.9 billion euros to 7.9 billion euros, broadly in line with analysts' expectations. Unilever CEO Paul Polman told CNBC that he was pleased with the results but highlighted the risk of emerging market (EM) currencies. "For EM we have to be worried about enormous swings in currencies, which will continue. That's really a reflection of continued capital outflow, low commodity prices and frankly, the lack of structural reform in many countries," said Polman. The Unilever CEO added that for the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise rates further any time soon would be a bad move. "I would say instead we need to have a little bit more courage to invest where we need to invest. "Although demand is weak, we need to stimulate demand and looking at emerging markets there is an enormous need for infrastructure," he said. Unilever on global growth Unilever is currently reviewing its cost and budgeting structure as it tries to protect margins from slowing global growth. Polman said China's full-year gross domestic product figure of 6.9 percent is relatively good but stressed that what counts is what will happen in 2016. For Europe he was less praiseworthy and called on politicians to take action. "I don't think markets in Europe will surprise to the upside. They will limp along with some deflation." UnitedHealth reported a 30 percent rise in quarterly revenue, helped by strength in its Optum pharmacy benefit management business. After the earnings announcement, the company's shares rose in premarket trading. (Get the latest quote here.) Net profit attributable to UnitedHealth shareholders fell to $1.22 billion, or $1.26 per share, from $1.51 billion, or $1.55 per share, a year earlier. The company posted adjusted earnings of $1.40 per share, down from $1.55 a share in the year-earlier period. Revenue rose to $43.60 billion from $33.43 billion. Analysts had expected the company to report earnings of $1.38 a share on $43.23 billion in revenue, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson Reuters. In November, the insurer warned investors it expects to see losses on its Obamacare health plans, an announcement that generated fresh debate about the legislation and its impact on insurers. It also said it would consider exiting the exchanges that sell the plans in 2017. Reuters contributed to this report. watch now watch now watch now watch now China announced Tuesday that its economy notched 6.9 percent growth in 2015 down from the prior year, but perfectly matching expectations. And yet commentary from around the world suggests almost no outside investor or economist believes Beijing's figures. Although there has never been definitive evidence that Chinese economic data is exaggerated, the widely-held theory says that China's National Bureau of Statistics will overstate growth in a stability-minded effort to hide the truth about a slowing economy. So instead of relying on government reports, China-watchers analyze other metrics for a more complete picture of the country's GDP. "Nobody knows for sure, but when we look at things that are harder numbers to fudge...our estimate is growth probably about 3.5 percent versus roughly 7," said Gary Shilling, president of economic research firm A. Gary Shilling and Co. STR | AFP | Getty Images The National Bureau of Statistics did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment on the allegations of inflated economic data, but there is a widespread perception that the department operates as a political messaging unit. "We watch (the official GDP announcement) as closely as we do in some sense out of a sense of obligation," said Donald Straszheim, head of China Research at Evercore ISI. "I wasn't expecting to learn a great deal last night when these numbers came out." Not only does China's NBS refuse to respond to inquiries, Straszheim said, but the statistics unit will announce only its total GDP growth figure not the components of that number. "If you don't have the components, how can you have a total? And if you have the components, which would add to the total, why are they not publicly available?" Straszheim asked. Strategies vary for divining China's actual GDP, with some economists parsing Beijing's reports for what they think are likely grains of truth, or even analyzing economic data from important trading partners like Australia. Commodity prices particularly copper, iron ore, and to some extent oil are another popular way of assessing Chinese growth. For his part, Shilling said his firm models China's possible GDP growth on measures of rail traffic, electricity consumption, coal consumption and debt. Billionaire distressed asset investor Wilbur Ross, meanwhile, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that he sees China's actual growth at about 4 percent on a similar basket of metrics. The "reason is that if you look at physical indicators rail car loadings, truck loadings, cement consumption, steel consumption, exports, natural gas consumption, electricity consumption none of those are consistent with 6.8 or 6.9," he explained. Straszheim said his group uses data from sources it regards as largely independent from government pressure, pointing to commodity consumption among other measures. But most of these indicators seek to measure the share of China's economy based on exporting, manufacturing, and capital investment and Beijing has made no secret that it sees the country shifting toward an increasingly service-oriented economy. That could, in turn, potentially make it even harder for investors to know the truth about China's GDP. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the growth in old China for the past year or so has been somewhere around zero it's nothing like 6.8 percent," Straszheim said, explaining that the "new" China of services and consumer spending is tough to measure in the absence of robust data from the private sector. Even international businesses operating in China find it difficult to assess the state of the Chinese economy, according to Roger Altman, founder of investment banking advisory firm Evercore Partners. "The business leaders I speak to invariably say 'I don't know whether China is growing at 4 percent, or 5 percent, or 6 percent. I really don't know despite having extensive business there,'" he told CNBC's "Squawk Box." Derek Scissors, a scholar for the American Enterprise Institute, pointed out that China's own official numbers seem to contradict one another. For example, China's Xinhua reported that November railways cargo fell 15.6 percent year on year, but the state statistics office said industrial production through the year was up 6.1 percent. "What? Did they just produce the goods and leave them on the factory floor and they never went anywhere?" Scissors asked. watch now The good times are over for the middle and eastern parts of the country with winter arriving fashionably late and very loudly this week, forecasters said Monday. An arctic air blast that showed up over the weekend was forecast to send temperatures plunging to dangerously low levels overnight Monday into Tuesday. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Minneapolis' low temperature Tuesday morning is expected to drop to 10 degrees below zero, and wind chills all the way down to minus-40 are forecast for parts of the Dakotas and other parts of Minnesota, the National Weather Service said early Monday evening. More from NBC News: 'Natural born' issue for Ted Cruz is not going away Does Bernie Sanders actually want to be president? Ice may have caused spectacular SpaceX explosion Volunteers of America Michigan added overflow beds Monday night at its shleter in Lansing, where temperatures were already in the single digits. "You've got to find a spot for everybody, because you can die tonight from exposure," Patrick Patterson, the organization's executive vice president, told NBC station WILX. "That's as simple as it gets. We're just trying to keep people safe tonight." At Bob Hamilton Plumbing & Heating in Kansas City, Missouri, "the phone has been ringing all day long," owner Bob Hamilton told NBC station KSHB. "It's not something that's going to go away, because the cold is here." Subfreezing temperatures will stretch all the way to the East Coast, where forecast low temperatures for Tuesday include 13 degrees in Boston, 18 in New York City and 12 in Washington, D.C. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy activated the state's severe cold weather protocol, mobilizing dozens of state agencies to respond to public safety and social services crises. Baltimore's health commissioner, meanwhile, issued a Code Blue alert opening shelters and the city's homeless services outreach network. Even a large part of north Florida was under a freeze warning overnight, with Jacksonville expecting a low of 28 degrees, while Raleigh, North Carolina, was expected to hit 16 and Memphis, Tennessee, was predicted to hit 17. And that's just the windup. A second, separate system will quickly move in at midweek, this one carrying a lot of atmospheric moisture that means "we'll certainly be anticipating plowable snow in the mid-Atlantic into the Northeast," said Danielle Banks, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel. The National Weather Service stressed that there's still "uncertainty given the fact that this is several days out," but it said conditions were shaping up for major winter storms in the Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City areas late Friday through Saturday. NWS tweet "I'm not ready at all," Megan O'Neill, who was shopping for supplies Monday in Lafayette Hill, outside Philadelphia, told NBC Philadelphia. "I would like the 60 degrees to continue for the rest of the winter." ITHACA, N.Y. James B. Watson has been named president of Schuyler Hospital in Montour Falls and VP of its parent, Ithacabased Cayuga Health System. Watson is the current president and chief operating officer of the Arnot Health-Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital in Bath. We are extremely fortunate to have Jim join Schuyler Hospital and the Cayuga Health System, John Rudd, president and CEO of the Cayuga Health System, said in a news release. He has extensive experience in the small hospital environment and he is highly respected in the field of health care administration. He brings an established track record of achievements in the development of successful affiliations and the integration of services among partner organizations. Under Watsons leadership as CEO, Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital developed a successful affiliation with Arnot Health, providing the residents of Steuben County with acute hospital care, outpatient services, and a 120-bed skilled nursing facility, according to the release. In addition to 30 years of experience in health-care management, Watson holds an MBA in health services from Union College. He has served on the Hospital Association of New York State board of directors and was president of the Rochester Regional Healthcare Association from 2012-2015. Watson will assume his new responsibilities at Schuyler Hospital and the Cayuga Health System in February. He replaces Andy Manzer, who will become executive VP and network chief operating officer at Bassett Health Care in Cooperstown. The Cayuga Health System (cayugamed.org) comprises Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca and Schuyler Hospital in Montour Falls, serving the central Finger Lakes Region. Contact the Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com SYRACUSE, N.Y. Cafe Kubal plans to open a new location in the upcoming Marriott Syracuse Downtown in late spring. It will have a storefront on South Warren Street, the Marriott said in a news release issued Tuesday. The release didnt provide any terms of the agreement between Cafe Kubal and Marriott Syracuse Downtown. Cafe Kubal is a Syracusebased wholesale coffee roaster that currently operates four retail locations in the Syracuse area. Marriott Syracuse Downtown is the new name of the former Hotel Syracuse, which is currently under renovation. It plans to open in June, according to its website. Matt Godard, owner of Cafe Kubal and a Central New York native, has seen the hotel go through many iterations over the years, he said in the Marriott release. The group that Ed Riley has put together is by far the most talented and skilled, said Godard. The heart of our city is truly coming back and I am honored to have been selected to partner with the hotel. The community vision of this project aligns with the values of my small business, and we look forward to working with the hotel to help them accomplish this vision. Paul McNeil, general manager of the Marriott Syracuse Downtown The culture that we are creating at this hotel is one of great community, which is a strong founding principle for both the Hotel Syracuse restoration team and the Crescent Hotels & Resorts property-management team, Paul McNeil, general manager of the Marriott Syracuse Downtown, said in the release. When I first started to get re-acclimated to the greater Syracuse area, I noticed pretty quickly that there is a strong presence of community-minded small businesses thriving here and I wanted this hotel to be a supporter of that. Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com Visit these 9 enduring favorites over Homecoming weekend Here are just nine of Columbia's true cultural and culinary institutions, all worth visiting this weekend. 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. SHARE Hiawatha Seiffert, "BC28-14-V2A," bicycle and machine chain (stainless steel). Douglas Harling, "800 Buddas," 22k gold, 14k gold pin mechanism and support, emerald beads, South Sea pearl. 2014. Ting-Chun Chen, "Visual Cues," copper, enamel. Siou-Yi Chen, "Flavour," fine silver, merbau. By Fredric Koeppel Two exhibitions at the National Ornamental Metal Museum demand different responses from viewers, and each should be seen for those diverse reactions. "Douglas Harling: Residence of the Heart," through March 6, offers only 13 small pieces, but each of a nature so exquisite that it feels as if the group indeed takes up residence in the heart, as well as in the mind and imagination. The "2015 Taiwan International Metal Crafts Competition: Oversea Traveling Exhibition," through March 13, astonishes with its incredible range of styles, techniques and ideas about metalcraft that gently nudge and often forcefully shove the boundaries of tradition. Work by 19 artists is included in "Taiwan 2015," as well as instructive pieces by the nine jurors. The much-awarded Harling is director of the Goldsmithing and Jewelry Arts Program at Flathead Valley Community College in Montana. He is known for employing the granulation method, an ancient goldsmithing technique that reached its highest point under the Etruscan culture in Italy some 2,500 years ago. The miniature pieces in this exhibition that illustrate the method are objects of stunning intricacy and beauty, both in bejeweled recent work like "Road Home" and "800 Buddhas," from 2014, sharing some of the opulence of Russian icons, and in examples from 1992 and '96, pure gold of tender delicacy and labyrinthine organic design, pins to be worn on the simplest garb. Also included in "Residence of the Heart" are three recent alms bowls made from fine silver, sterling and enamel (on the interior), manipulated and slightly crushed and then fired in a kiln. The result satiny smooth on the inside, rough and angular on the outside presents a contrast in texture but a confluence of intent: to hold in the hand an object designed to hold something else. Whereas Harling's work is restful and contemplative, "Taiwan 2015" utters its barbaric yawp in the form of restless variety and piquant ingenuity. Many of the pieces would not be out of place in contemporary art galleries in New York or Los Angeles that deal in sculpture of an abstract or ambiguous nature, that is, in which the viewer cannot be certain what medium was employed or what the cultural or artistic referents may be. In "Transformation of Pentagon and Hexagon Series 2," for instance, Dai Xiang (China) offers about 40 tiny, beguiling objects, made from silver, copper, brass, amber and enamel, that explore the limitless possibilities of the hexagonal hive. Hiawatha Seiffert (Germany) creates bowls or "bowls" from repurposed bicycle and machine chains. In "Forced," Chang Chan-Min (Taiwan) imitates the forms of paper box containers in nickel steel, allowing them to peel and rust in a statement about space, material culture and consumer practices. Yes, the exhibition includes more typical craft objects such as teapots, brooches, pendants and rings, but each of them renders a judgment on the function or indeed the existence of these types of goods. To be of use is not the higher goal here: but to be unique, to question formal constraints, to create their own otherworldly sense of beauty. January 18, 2016 - Traffic flows west on Poplar Ave. Monday afternoon as road work continues in East Memphis. Commissioner Heidi Shafer, chairwoman of the legislative affairs committee, said commissioners intend to ask the state for help to rework the Poplar corridor, making it more walkable and bikeable, and widening the bridge over Interstate 240. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal The Shelby County Commission will hold a special called meeting on Wednesday to approve the agenda it will send to the Tennessee legislature as it rushes to meet the deadline to file bills. The legislature this year moved up its filing deadline by about three weeks, said Commissioner Heidi Shafer, chairwoman of the legislative affairs agenda. The filing deadline, which was set last week, is Thursday. The filing deadline in 2015 was Feb. 12. The commission's legislative affairs committee is scheduled to vote on 16 resolutions that make up the commission's proposed legislative package at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday. The full commission will meet at 1:30 p.m. Both meetings are at the Vasco A. Smith Jr. County Administration Building, 160 N. Main. "Most resolutions are in support of bills that are out," Shafer said, although there may be caption bills filed as placeholders for resolutions that will need to be written into bills. Resolutions on education include: support of the Opportunity Scholarships voucher program; a three-year moratorium on the expansion the state's Achievement School District; full funding of the state's Basic Education Program; increased funding for prekindergarten education; and a "claw-back" mechanism for charters schools and ASD schools when performance levels drop below those recorded when the school was part of the local district. Other commission requests to the legislature include: opposition to the legalization of marijuana use; opposition to any legislation that eliminates training and certification requirements for open-carry handgun owners; support of legislation on blended sentencing that would allow some juvenile offenders to stay in juvenile detention until age 25; support of legislation for emergency and automatic orders of protection for domestic violence victims. Jan. 16, 2016 Citizens To Preserve Overton Park members (front, from left) Stacey Greenberg, Roy Barnes and Amy Stewart-Banbury carry trees for planting as they lead a New Orleans-style jazz funeral procession with music from The Mighty Souls Brass Band during the Take Back Our Greensward! demonstration at Overton Park. Hosted by CPOP, the observance was held in response to the removal of dozens of from the Overton Park Greensward by the Memphis Zoo, which uses the lawn for overflow parking. More than a hundred people attended the event, marching to the music, and replanting three new trees where the others were removed. (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal) By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal The Memphis Zoo's board of directors has voted "overwhelmingly" to authorize management to file a lawsuit over the zoo's controversial use of Overton Park for overflow parking. The 20-member board voted through email Friday, and while the exact tally wasn't available Monday night, Memphis Zoo board co-chairman Gene Holcomb said it was "overwhelmingly" in favor of filing the suit. "We are considering our options as to what our strategy should be, and that's one possibility," Holcomb said. "It gives management the opportunity to do this if legal counsel decides this is the right thing to do." However, Holcomb added, it's not a certainty that the suit will be filed. "I can't tell you when this might happen. It could happen very soon or it could not. It's just one of the options that's being considered," he said. This controversy began in earnest some months ago, when park users started making noise about the zoo's longtime practice of directing as many as 600 cars onto the greensward, the large grassy area near the center of Overton Park. Zoo officials say they need that area on peak attendance days to ensure they have enough parking for visitors. Park users as well as the Overton Park Conservancy have protested, arguing that the parking damages the greensward and unfairly limits other users. The controversy got a little nastier last week, when zoo officials removed more than two dozen trees from the greensward to accommodate more parking. That infuriated Conservancy representatives. A legal opinion issued late last month by City Council attorney Allan Wade affirmed the zoo's right to use a portion of the greensward under a 1994 operating agreement with the city and a master plan drafted during the 1980s. Holcomb said the lawsuit, which would be filed in Chancery Court, would essentially seek to affirm Wade's opinion. "Frankly, I just can't grasp why the zoo's become the bad guy in all this when we've (created) one of the best attractions in West Tennessee," Holcomb said. "It just seems clear to us that we have to provide our guests with affordable convenient parking, and this is the best route. We have this contractual right, we believe, to do this." Conservancy head Tina Sullivan disagrees with Wade's opinion. "The management agreement (between the city and the Conservancy) clearly defines the greensward as part of our jurisdiction," she said Monday night. "I think it's clear how the public feels about this issue and what the members of the public want to see happen. I feel confident that the park stakeholders are going to support us through all of this." Sullivan and Zoo President Chuck Brady are scheduled to meet with Mayor Jim Strickland at 11 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the matter. Also, the Conservancy plans to convene a team of architects, planners and engineers to look for solutions to the parking and traffic problems in Overton Park. The architectural firm of Looney Ricks Kiss, the planning company Alta Planning + Design and the engineering firm Kimley-Horn will conduct research, arrange for public engagement and make recommendations for dealing with traffic congestion and parking problems. Public meetings are tentatively set to begin in early February. Staff reporter Tom Charlier contributed to this story. SHARE The Commercial Appeal files When Mrs. Joe M. Russell of 1083 N. Avalon mounted this experimental engine of the Chrysler Corporation she found herself aboard a mechanical miracle with the power of 353 horses. The engine was part of the companys New Words in Engineering display which ran for 10 days at Ellis Auditorium in January 1953. Jan. 19 25 years ago: 1991 Even though no combat forces are sent directly from Memphis Naval Air Station at Millington to the Middle East, the base has played a vital role in Operation Desert Storm. The Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) at the base is responsible for providing almost all of the aviation technical training by the Navy. "Even though we are not sending personnel specifically to Operation Desert Storm, we are and will continue to send the best-trained mechanics and technicians to the fleet," said Capt. Tom Finta, NATTC commanding officer. 50 years ago: 1966 NASHVILLE The United States Bureau of Public Roads has approved location of Memphis' east-west expressway through Overton Park and state officials Tuesday were pressing the design stage of the link. "At this point," said State Highway Commissioner David Pack, "we consider it (the park location) to be final." The decision to route the expressway through the park was made over the protests of a group of Memphians who fear it will have an adverse effect on the parks' beauty. 75 years ago: 1941 Bobby Ruch, 1492 Vance, is the new Student Government president at Central High. Jane Biggers, Ed Boldt, Jane Waddell, Bill Howell, Thomas Tidwell, Frank Nazor, Vartanig Varian and George Battle are the other new officers. 100 years ago: 1916 The price of gasoline has aeroplaned to 19 cents a gallon for cash purchases and 20 cents a gallon for credit purchases, an increase of a cent a gallon in each category. This is the highest price recorded for gasoline in many years and automobile owners are beginning to feel the pinch. 125 years ago: 1891 ATLANTA Several hundred deluded Negroes have reached Atlanta bearing cards which read that the holder is entitled to go to Africa, via Savannah, for $1 a head. The villains who are perpetrating this scheme are hard to locate but they are demoralizing Negro labor. Delbert Hosemann SHARE By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal Mississippi should revamp its state election laws, including allowing online voter registration and a form of early voting as well as moving the presidential primary to coincide with most other Southern states, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann proposed Tuesday. Hosemann wants legislators to adopt the changes in time for Mississippi to move its primary to the first Tuesday in March starting with the 2020 presidential election. This year, Mississippi's primary is on March 8, a week later than Tennessee, Arkansas and other states participating in the "Super Tuesday" primary. Hosemann said the move would give Mississippi "a strong voice in choosing the presidential nominees." On the early version provision, which Hosemann calls "pre-election day voting," registered voters could cast a ballot up to three weeks before election day at their county courthouse. He said the change would provide a "no excuse" voting period to replace the state's current absentee voting system, which allows the elderly and those who say they will be away on election day to vote early. Hosemann said the current system forces people, in some cases, to lie about being out of town. " ... It is time to address outdated and inefficient election laws which have, in some cases, been on the books for decades," Hosemann said. "These proposals make it easier to cast your ballot, harder for someone to cheat the electorate and provide severe penalties for those who do." The online voter provision would allow residents with a Mississippi driver's license or state-issued identification card to register electronically. Hosemann said it would "bring Mississippi in line with over half the United States" in allowing online voter registration. Rounding out Hosemann's proposal are plans to update laws on election procedures and technology, and shortening from 10 days to 48 hours the length of time that political committees have to report their spending. He also wants candidates to give itemized listings of campaign expenses paid by credit card. Local political leaders, while not fully familiar Tuesday with Hosemann's proposal, responded favorably to the early voting provision if it encourages greater voter participation. Ellen Jernigan, chairman of the DeSoto County Republican Party, has some reservations about early voting but said Hosemann's version might be worth a try if it gets more people to the polls. Her counterpart with the county's Democratic Party was even more direct. "I think any form of early voting is a great idea if it gets more people to vote," DeSoto County Democratic Party Chairman Sam Williams said. Michael Smith, president and founder of the Desoto County African American History Symposium and a local political activist, noted that voter turnout in the last election was only about 11 percent among the county's roughly 97,000 registered voters. "It's a sad state of affairs when candidates raise money and do the work, and then we get such low turnouts," Smith said. "Before we institute any other changes, let's get the current system working." SHARE Of all the government agencies in Memphis and Shelby County that should want be as transparent as possible, it should be the Shelby County Election Commission. This is a body that has had trouble running elections without major gaffs and is a defendant in a lawsuit accusing administrators of not following proper procedures in tabulating ballots. The Republican-dominated commission has a creditability problem, and not just with Democrats. So, it is astonishing that anyone connected with the commission would suggest that the consideration of 44 candidates for former elections administrator Richard Holden's job would be closed to the public. But, that is what Steve Stamson, chairman of a five-member committee tasked with vetting the candidates, and who is an election commissioner, wants to do. And, when he was told Friday he could not legally close the meeting as long as two commissioners were present, and could not hold an unadvertised public meeting, the meeting was canceled. Stamson said he didn't want to deliberate publicly. The committee will make recommendations to the commission, which will then publicly deliberate on which candidate to hire. "I don't want to expose all this stuff to the public," Stamson said. Stamson has to be tone deaf to want to hide from public view a process that is crucial to making sure one of the most important rights guaranteed in American democracy the right to vote is conducted in a fair and efficient manner. Sadly, the commission's credibility has been damaged on that score. We do not want to dump on Holden, who resigned late last year, because running the election commission is a tough job. It is job some people felt was too tough for Holden to handle efficiently. Because the Election Commission is governed by politics, it is particularly important that every step of the process is conducted in the open to avoid any appearance that Holden's successor is hired not because he or she is competent to run a clean election (and we are not accusing anyone of being dishonest) but because they have solid GOP credentials. We are not naive. The party that controls the General Assembly gets to pick three of the five members of the commission, including the chairman. The commissioners hire the administrator, and it is a safe bet party politics factor into the hire. Republicans gained majorities in both the House and Senate for the first time since the post-Civil War era in the 2008 election. It is also disappointing that commission Chairman Robert Meyers supports closing the vetting process. Only two of the five members of the committee are election commission members. His preference, he said, was that one of the committee members be removed from the committee so that the meetings can be closed. That kind of trickery aside, there is a legitimate question about whether the state's Open Meetings law allows the committee, an extension of the election commission, to hold a closed meeting. It is mind-boggling and disappointing that an entity that has had so many issues would want to conduct any part of selecting a new administrator behind closed doors. The "stuff" that Stamson does not want to disclose to the public needs to be aired in the public arena to restore the commission's credibility to Democrats, Republicans and voters in Memphis and Shelby County. Why can't they understand why that is important? SHARE Tre Hargett By Tre Hargett During this legislative session, a bill sponsored by state Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, and Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, would allow the Division of Elections to implement online voter registration in Tennessee. I am supporting this legislation because I believe this makes government work better for our customer, the taxpayer. Implementing an online voter registration system would streamline the process of registering voters and improve accuracy and efficiency. This type of system would allow anyone with a Tennessee driver's license to register to vote online, where their information would be checked against the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security's (TDSHS) database, and at the same time securely obtaining an electronic signature already on file with the state. An online system would help ensure forms are filled out correctly and completely before being submitted to the county level. In addition, voter information would get to the local county offices more quickly. In our current system, applications have to be filled out, printed off and re-entered into a computer. That seems like the definition of a government bureaucracy that merely shuffles paperwork around. With an online system, we can eliminate the unnecessary repetition and reduce the risk of error. It would also allow election officials to spend their precious time on other election needs, especially leading up to an election. Online voter registration is an opportunity for us to meet customers, the taxpayers, where they are and provide them yet another way they can register to vote. People will have the ability to register from the comfort of their homes and even in the palm of their hands on mobile devices. This proposal is about making government work better for its constituents. This online system will also allow us to better reach the men and women serving overseas in the military, making it easier for those citizens abroad to register to vote while keeping information secure. Because I take election integrity very seriously, one of the biggest concerns I had when first considering this technology was security and the potential for voter fraud. However, because of the partnership with TDSHS and additional security measures, I believe we can ensure there are fewer errors and a more accurate record of voter rolls, actually reducing the risk of fraud. To this date, there have been no known reports of fraud or security breaches via online systems in other states. We can maintain the integrity of our election system, even decreasing the number of errors and potential for voter fraud. In an age of political polarization, Republicans and Democrats have been able to agree on this solution for better government. All across the political spectrum, online voter registration has been supported, including groups such as the Republican National Lawyers Association, the Council of State Governments, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Bipartisan Policy Center. The National Conference of State Legislatures has also touted how this initiative has received bipartisan support. Secretaries of state of all different political stripes have embraced this technology, and Tennessee should join them. Currently, 29 states, plus the District of Columbia, have online voter registration, with even more considering implementation. More than half of the United States has embraced this technology, after Arizona started the trend more than a decade ago. It is now Tennessee's time to demonstrate that our government can work better for the customer and bring voter registration into the 21st century. I invite you to join me in supporting online voter registration so we can make government more efficient and responsive to the needs of citizens. Tre Hargett is the Tennessee Secretary of State. SHARE By Henry Farrell Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox News's "The O'Reilly Factor," is threatening to flee the country if Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont the self-described democratic socialist who is running for the Democratic Party nomination is elected president. As quoted in the Huffington Post, O'Reilly said: "If Bernie Sanders gets elected president, I'm fleeing ... I'm going to Ireland. And they already know it ... I shouldn't say it publicly because that will get Sanders more votes," he said. "But I'm not going to pay 90 percent of my income to that guy. I'm sorry. I'm not doing it." O'Reilly is proud of his Irish ancestry (as a recent emigrant from Ireland and current U.S. citizen, I heartily approve of these sentiments). But he probably doesn't know very much about what Ireland is like these days. From the perspective of its Western European neighbors, Ireland is a small, market-friendly, right-of-center country. But from the perspective of American conservatism, Ireland looks like a hellhole of socialism. Can O'Reilly easily flee to Ireland? It may be tougher than he thinks. It would seem that O'Reilly's nearest Irish ancestor was his great-grandfather. This means that he misses the cut off for automatic Irish citizenship by one generation. If you have one Irish grandparent, you qualify for Irish citizenship but unless O'Reilly's grandparent or parent formally applied, he's out of luck. He does have a second possibility though: paying to become a citizen. Ireland, like many other countries, provides citizenship to individuals willing to invest or donate a large sum of money to the benefit of the Irish economy. Ireland is not a conservative paradise. Look at the taxes. What would O'Reilly get in return for his money? First off, a tax system that is not all that different from the U.S. tax system for top earners, and arguably a little less favorable. The effective top Irish income tax rate is a little over half of income. In the rather unlikely event that Sanders was elected president in a landslide of socialist enthusiasm, turning the Senate and the House socialist, and introducing punitive taxes to impoverish rich Fox News opinionators, O'Reilly would still be in trouble. Even if he lived in Ireland, he would have difficulty avoiding U.S. taxes unless he renounced his U.S. citizenship. The United States continues to regard U.S. expatriates as taxpayers no matter where they reside. Ireland and the United States have a double taxation treaty, to prevent people being taxed twice for the same income this might provide some loopholes for royalties and the like, but probably not enough to make an enormous difference. O'Reilly would likely find himself paying to support Sanders's socialist American utopia from overseas. Ireland has gun control. Serious gun control. Bill O'Reilly has strong views on his right to own guns to defend himself under the Second Amendment. "I have a right to protect myself, because there are crazed animals like the guy in Oregon ... There are people like that who will come after innocent people for no reason. And you are going to deny me protection? If I live out in a rural Oregon ... where the nearest cop is 40 miles away? I can't have a gun to protect my family?" The Irish attitude to guns will be a serious culture shock. First, he'll be far worse off than he would be in rural Oregon. While there will surely be cops closer than 40 miles away, those cops will almost certainly be unarmed. In Ireland, police carry arms only under special circumstances; most don't even have firearms training. Gun ownership is highly restricted. People must apply for a license to own a gun, and are likely to be refused under many circumstances. Furthermore, there are heavy restrictions on kinds of guns that they are allowed to own roughly speaking, guns for sport and hunting (sports pistols; shotguns; some kinds of rifles) are OK, but handguns of the kind that O'Reilly could use for "self-defense" are not, let alone automatic weapons. Gun rights are not a topic of political debate in Ireland; the most conservative party, now the majority party in the government, just introduced new restrictions with no significant public opposition. Ireland has socialized medicine. O'Reilly denounces Obamacare as "socialism" because it uses taxpayers' money to subsidize the poor. The Irish health care system does the same thing on a much larger scale, with a hospital system that is directly run by the government. In Ireland, hospital doctors are government employees (although many senior doctors earn substantial incomes on the side from private practice). Everyone in Ireland is entitled to free basic health care in hospitals, and low-income people get medical cards entitling them to free doctors' visits and many other services. This system is far from perfect, which means that many middle-class and upper-middle-class people supplement it with private health insurance (so that, for example, that they do not have to wait long times for some surgical procedures). Even so, it's socialized medicine on a scale that would be politically unthinkable in America. Ireland also has welfare benefits for the unemployed that are not notably generous by European standards, but are wildly permissive in comparison to their U.S. equivalents. There are other ways in which Ireland is more congenial to conservatives like O'Reilly. Most obviously, abortion is far more heavily curtailed in Ireland than the United States (although the conservative party leading government has promised to liberalize Ireland's abortion laws this year). Even though Ireland is a conservative country by West European standards, it's far, far to the left of U.S. conservative preferences on many key issues. If O'Reilly really thinks that Ireland is a good alternative to a Sanders-led America, it's probably because he's unfamiliar with what Ireland is really like as a country. If a putative Sanders administration were somehow able successfully to introduce Irish-style health care, an Irish-style welfare state and Irish-style gun control, it would be viewed by conservatives as a socialist revolution. Henry Farrell is associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. He wrote this for The Washington Post. SHARE By Michael Gerson WASHINGTON The outbreak of hostilities between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz may not be edifying, but it is clarifying. Cruz represents the arrival of tea party ideology at the presidential level. He espouses a "constitutionalism" that would disqualify much of modern government, and a belief that Republican elites are badly, even mainly, at fault for accommodating cultural and economic liberalism. Trump has adopted an ethno-nationalism in which the constraints of "political correctness" are lifted to express frankly nativist sentiments: that many illegal immigrants are criminals and rapists who threaten American jobs, and that Muslims are foreign, suspicious and potentially dangerous. These approaches can overlap, but they are not identical. Cruz is attacking Trump as a "fake conservative" on gun and property rights and as a New York liberal on cultural matters. For his part, Trump defends those portions of the welfare state that benefit the working class, opposing cuts in Social Security and an increase in the retirement age. Cruz is the conservative true believer. Trump is the wrecking ball of political convention. They are not only two strong personalities; they demonstrate two different tendencies within the right. Trump's attacks on Cruz have begun drawing both blood and protests from ideological conservatives. "Either cut the crap," warns radio host Mark Levin, "your accusations ... that Cruz is Canadian, a criminal, owned by the banks, etc. ... or you will lose lots and lots of conservatives." Levin and others registered no protest when Trump denigrated women, minorities and the disabled. Attacking a favored conservative is evidently a different matter. But this is Trump's greatest political talent exploiting weaknesses like a dentist probing and drilling the most sensitive spot. Trump's questions about Cruz's Canadian roots are not primarily about constitutional interpretation. The issue is simpler: Why would voters who support the forced expulsion of 11 million undocumented people want a president born north of the border? Trump's mention of undisclosed Wall Street contributions highlights the contrast between Cruz's outsider brand and insider resume. And Cruz's seriously Denmark-like proposal for a value-added tax as Marco Rubio pointed out in the recent Republican debate may be disqualifying for many economic conservatives. In a Trump-Cruz battle, I would not bet against Trump. Much of the Republican donor class is convinced that Cruz is the political equivalent of Barry Goldwater, in part because of his very conservative social views. A Trump-Clinton contest, however, is beginning to appear more winnable (particularly as Hillary Clinton appears more awkward and inept). "Donors," one leading Republican figure told me, "are trying hard to get comfortable with Trump." And Trump, without doubt, has improved his skills as a candidate. But here is the problem. Donors, analysts and media are naturally drawn to the horse-race aspect of politics: establishment vs. anti-establishment, insider vs. outsider. But Trump is proposing a massive ideological and moral revision of the Republican Party. Re-created in his image, it would be the anti-immigrant party; the party that blows up the global trading order; the party that undermines the principle of religious liberty; the party that encourages an ethnic basis for American identity and gives strength and momentum to prejudice. We are already seeing the disturbing normalization of policies and arguments that recently seemed unacceptable, even unsayable. Trump proposes the forced expulsion of 11 million people, or a ban on Muslim immigration, and there are a few days of outrage from responsible Republican leaders. But the proposals still lie on the table, eventually seeming regular and acceptable. But they are not acceptable. They are not normal. They are extreme, and obscene and immoral. The Republican nominee for the sake of his party and his conscience must draw these boundaries clearly. Ted Cruz is particularly ill-equipped to play this role. He is actually more of a demagogue than an ideologue. So he has changed his views on immigration to compete with Trump and raised the ante by promising that none of the deported 11 million will ever be allowed back in the country. Instead of demonstrating the humane instincts of his Christian faith a faith that motivated abolition and the struggle for civil rights Cruz is presenting the crueler version of a pipe dream. For Republicans, the only good outcome of Trump vs. Cruz is for both to lose. The future of the party as the carrier of a humane, inclusive conservatism now depends on some viable choice beyond them. Michael Gerson is a columnist for the Washington Post Writers Group. Contact him at michaelgerson@washpost.com. Select Commodity All Ajwan Alasande Gram Almond(Badam) Alsandikai Amaranthus Ambada Seed Amla(Nelli Kai) Amphophalus Antawala Anthorium Apple Apricot(Jardalu/Khumani) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar Dal(Tur Dal) Ashgourd Astera Avare Dal Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Balekai Bamboo Banana Banana - Green Barley (Jau) Bay leaf (Tejpatta) Beans Beaten Rice Beetroot Bengal Gram Dal (Chana Dal) Bengal Gram(Gram)(Whole) Ber(Zizyphus/Borehannu) Betal Leaves Bhindi(Ladies Finger) Bitter gourd Black Gram (Urd Beans)(Whole) Black Gram Dal (Urd Dal) Black pepper BOP Bottle gourd Bran Brinjal Broken Rice Broomstick(Flower Broom) Bull Bunch Beans Cabbage Calf Capsicum Cardamoms Carnation Carrot Cashewnuts Castor Seed Cauliflower Chapparad Avare Chennangi Dal Cherry Chikoos(Sapota) Chili Red Chilly Capsicum Chow Chow Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum(Loose) Cinamon(Dalchini) Cloves Cluster beans Cock Cocoa Coconut Coconut Oil Coconut Seed Coffee Colacasia Copra Coriander(Leaves) Corriander seed Cotton Cotton Seed Cow Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea(Veg) Cucumbar(Kheera) Cummin Seed(Jeera) Custard Apple (Sharifa) Dalda Dhaincha Drumstick Dry Chillies Dry Fodder Dry Grapes Duck Duster Beans Egg Elephant Yam (Suran) Field Pea Firewood Fish Foxtail Millet(Navane) French Beans (Frasbean) Galgal(Lemon) Garlic Ghee Gingelly Oil Ginger(Dry) Ginger(Green) Gladiolus Cut Flower Goat Gram Raw(Chholia) Gramflour Grapes Green Avare (W) Green Chilli Green Fodder Green Gram (Moong)(Whole) Green Gram Dal (Moong Dal) Green Peas Ground Nut Oil Ground Nut Seed Groundnut Groundnut (Split) Groundnut pods (raw) Guar Guar Seed(Cluster Beans Seed) Guava Gur(Jaggery) He Buffalo Hen Hippe Seed Honge seed Hybrid Cumbu Indian Beans (Seam) Indian Colza(Sarson) Isabgul (Psyllium) Jack Fruit Jaffri Jamun(Narale Hannu) Jarbara Jasmine Jowar(Sorghum) Jute Kabuli Chana(Chickpeas-White) Kacholam Kakada Kankambra Karamani Karbuja(Musk Melon) Kartali (Kantola) Khoya Kinnow Knool Khol Kodo Millet(Varagu) Kulthi(Horse Gram) Lak(Teora) Leafy Vegetable Lemon Lentil (Masur)(Whole) Lilly Lime Linseed Lint Litchi Little gourd (Kundru) Long Melon(Kakri) Lotus Lotus Sticks Lukad Mahedi Mahua Mahua Seed(Hippe seed) Maida Atta Maize Mango Mango (Raw-Ripe) Marasebu Marget Marigold(Calcutta) Marigold(loose) Mashrooms Masur Dal Mataki Methi Seeds Methi(Leaves) Millets Mint(Pudina) Moath Dal Mousambi(Sweet Lime) Mustard Mustard Oil Myrobolan(Harad) Neem Seed Niger Seed (Ramtil) Nutmeg Onion Onion Green Orange Orchid Ox Paddy(Dhan)(Basmati) Paddy(Dhan)(Common) Papaya Papaya (Raw) Patti Calcutta Peach Pear(Marasebu) Peas cod Peas Wet Peas(Dry) Pegeon Pea (Arhar Fali) Pepper garbled Pepper ungarbled Persimon(Japani Fal) Pigs Pineapple Plum Pointed gourd (Parval) Pomegranate Potato Pumpkin Raddish Ragi (Finger Millet) Raibel Rajgir Ram Rat Tail Radish (Mogari) Raya Resinwood Rice Ridge gourd(Tori) Ridgeguard(Tori) Rose(Local) Rose(Loose) Rose(Loose)) Round gourd Rubber Sabu Dan Sabu Dana Safflower Sajje Same/Savi Season Leaves Seemebadnekai Seetafal Seetapal Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) She Buffalo She Goat Sheep Snake gourd Snakeguard Soanf Soapnut(Antawala/Retha) Soji Soyabean Spinach Sponge gourd Squash(Chappal Kadoo) Sugar Sugarcane Sunflower Sunhemp Suram Surat Beans (Papadi) Suva (Dill Seed) Suvarna Gadde Sweet Potato Sweet Pumpkin T.V. Cumbu T.V. Cumbu Tamarind Fruit Tamarind Seed Tapioca Taramira Tender Coconut Thinai (Italian Millet) Thogrikai Thondekai Tinda Tobacco Tomato Toria Tube Rose(Double) Tube Rose(Loose) Tube Rose(Single) Turmeric Turmeric (raw) Turnip Walnut Water Melon Wheat Wheat Atta White Peas White Pumpkin Wood Yam Yam (Ratalu) Select State Select Market Bipartisan congressional legislation will be introduced to create a national commission on security and technology that addresses the growing concern over encryption technology used by terrorists. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Tex. plan to discuss their joint legislative proposal to create a Digital Security Commission later today, according to aides. McCaul is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee; Warner is a member of the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence, among other committees. A major focus of the commission will be encryption technology used in smartphone apps and elsewhere and how intelligence officials can legally monitor encrypted communications used by terrorists to plan attacks. Both lawmakers have written about how encryption poses a paradox for protecting both security and personal privacy. The idea for a Digital Security Commission stems from concerns voiced by the FBI and others after the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino last year. FBI Director James Comey told a Senate hearing in December that one of two terrorists killed in a May 3, 2015 attack in Garland, Texas had used encrypted messages 109 times before staging that attack. [ ALSO ON CSO: Obama advisers: Encryption backdoors would hurt cybersecurity, net infrastructure vendors ] Comey and lawmakers and even President Obama have repeatedly asked technology companies to voluntarily find ways to turn over to a judge any encrypted communications suspected of being terrorist related. Those requests have brought strong opposition from privacy advocates. Apple CEO Tim Cook, among others in the tech community, has openly defended personal privacy, noting that newer Apple iPhones protect personal data with encryption directly on the phones that can't be accessed by anybody but the user. The two lawmakers jointly penned an opinion piece for The Washington Post last month that outlined their intentions. "Because extremists are 'going dark,' law enforcement officials warn that we are 'going blind' in our efforts to track them," they wrote. They noted that ISIS has distributed a manual to followers that includes tips for concealing messages through end-to-end encryption, secure apps and other means. Similar tactics are used by drug traffickers and child predators, they said. But the lawmakers also admitted that encryption is also a "bedrock of global commerce and it has helped enhanced individual privacy immeasurably." They added: "Digital innovations present us with a paradox. We are no longer simply weighing the costs and benefits of 'privacy vs. 'security' but rather 'security vs. security.'" Mandating backdoor access to encrypted data would "weaken Internet privacy for everyone" and make "information systems more vulnerable to attack." McCaul and Warner want the new commission to include experts on all sides of the debate from technology, the legal world, academia and law enforcement. "This would not be a group of politicians debating one another," they wrote, but would be a body charged with developing "actionable recommendations that can protect privacy and public safety. "We must find more ways to stop terrorist attacks during the planning phase -- not while they are under way," they wrote. This story, "Congress eyes commission to tackle encryption debate" was originally published by Computerworld . Kishan Devani is a candidate for the London Assembly for the London Wide list. For a moment I would like you to imagine living in socialist London where unions call the shots, where a left-wing agenda permeates our institutions, where politicians like Ken Livingstone will be telling us how to live our lives, and where, more importantly, a tag team of Sadiq and Corbyn are running City Hall. The last permutation is for me the scariest thought, as all of the above could be how London is governed if the dangerous duo of chaos and incompetence are let into City Hall in May. Many wonder what will happen to London after Boris, given the fantastic job he has done in cementing Londons position as the greatest city on earth. Will it be left in the hands of a left-wing, anti-business mayor? Or will it go to the natural successor to Boris the man London needs, Zac Goldsmith? His commitment to small businesses in London is at the heart of the true localism he believes in. One of Goldsmiths pledges to small businesses is that if he is elected, he will deliver super-fast broadband across London through a new partnership between TfL and private developers. This is absolutely essential for the development of small businesses across our capital. It is said Zacs plans would help around 400,000 small businesses; this could be quite unprecedented. He will also commit to pressuring larger firms to ensure their payment terms are fair to smaller suppliers. Being independently minded, Zac has a proven track record in holding the Government and the powers that be to account. I am sure his lobbying of the national government to devolve skills funding to City Hall will also be something he is successful at achieving, which inevitably will be beneficial to small businesses. I have been privileged enough to accompany Zac to local businesses all over London, and recently to Willesden, in Brent. Brent electorally being a Labour stronghold, it was a pleasant surprise for us when we received a warm reception from local businesses for over two hours. Zac was welcomed with open arms, his innate concern for their businesses was self evident to all, whether it be in the local family-run Halal Meat Butchers or the Mediteranean/Turkish restaurant. He sat patiently, listening to their concerns and fears all of which had one thing in common the lack of support they are receiving from their Labour-run council with its anti-business policies. From parking to general neglect of their needs as small businesses, complaints about the inefficiency of the Labour-run council were at the heart of the discussions. They were satisfied by the end of our visit that Zac is the man that can crack Londons problems and be a strong voice for small businesses. What is always evident for me whenever I am with Zac is his passion to want to help everyone he meets, from all socio-economic backgrounds. What also strikes me is his ability to connect to all cultures and backgrounds. Coming from an ethnic minority myself I have witnessed first hand the respect Zac has within various communities; one such is the Hindu community, where he has been able to make a long lasting mark. His conviction politics and record of delivering allows him to stand above all of the other candidates, and I believe anyone who meets him will experience that themselves. The choice could not be clearer. An independent-minded, competent, humble, committed personality to enter City Hall to represent the views of millions of Londoners, or the chaotic, flip-flopping Corbyn/Sadiq alternative that could forever damage Londons standing in an ever-increasingly globalised world. We must all unite to stop the prospect of an anti-business, anti-localism mayor entering City Hall. Zac is the only man who can prevent that from happening. Kwasi Kwarteng: I am grateful, Sir David, to be called at this late stage of the debate. It has been interesting, with many sincerely held views. It is Martin Luther King day, and if he were here today, he would be surprised at some of the sugar-coated versions of American history on display. I am sorry to say that what Trump has proposed has been proposed many times in American legislation. The outright ban on people on the basis of race, colour or ethnicity has, regrettably, often happened in United States history. One need only look at the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which was on the statute book for 61 years and banned Chinese labourers from entering the United States. The Immigration Act of 1924 similarly banned Arabs and Asians and was changed only in 1952. So Martin Luther King would be surprised at theone might say politically correct, although I do not want to use that termsanitised version of American history and politics that we have heard today. In that light, Donald J. Tumps objectionable and hateful views have a history in the American political arena. They are not unusual or something he dreamed up in his head; they come from a long line of nativist legislation. We may object to that, decry it and say it is terrible, evil and bad, but those are not grounds for banning a presidential candidate from coming here. He said in his speech in South Carolina that his ban would be temporary, and he might note that the ban under the Chinese Exclusion Act was not temporary but lasted for 60 years and that the ban on Asians and Arabs under the immigration Acts was not temporary, but lasted 30 years. I am afraid to sayI am sure Martin Luther King would agree with methat American history is full of nativism. Donald Trump is part of a long tradition, but that does not mean we should ban him. All the arguments against the ban are valid. No one has said this, but if the United Kingdom banned Donald J. Trump from coming into Britain, it would be the biggest boost we could give to his campaign in America in terms of publicity and the patriotism of the United States, in not wishing other countries to try to shape or determine the outcome of its elections. It would be a spectacular own goal. I remember the Guardian attempt in 2004 to prevent George W. Bush from being re-elected in that campaign. I think a very misguided Guardian journalistI mean no slur on that paperhad a letter-writing campaign to the people in Ohio. They had identified that Ohio was a key swing state and they got some of their readers to write to individual electors in that state, urging them not to vote for George W. Bush. Members of the House will not be surprised to learn that George W. Bush carried Ohio and was indeed re-elected as President of the United States. That campaign was often cited as a way in which foreignerspeople trying to intervene in the election of another countrycould get things completely wrong, and the same thing Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: It is generous of the hon. Gentleman to give way; I am grateful. Does he not see the difference in this discussion? We are not seeking at all to influence what happens in the American presidential candidate elections or elections to follow. We are talking about what we can do here. We are talking about asking the Home Secretary to be consistent in her approachthe approach that we know she has used in relation to 84 other preachers. We are asking that those same rules be applied to Donald Trump in this country. We are talking about the United Kingdom, not anywhere else. Kwasi Kwarteng: I fully appreciate the hon. Ladys remarks. As far as she is concernedin her own mindthat is the case, but I am asking her to consider how the people of America would interpret a ban. They do not have the luxury of having her lucidity and understanding how our conventions and debates work. The headline Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way, because he makes my point for me. It is all very well to say, Let Donald Trump come here and have the discussion with us. He wishes to ban people such as meand the lucidity to which the hon. Gentleman refersfrom going to the United States of America to make the case for the Muslims of this country, who want to live in peace and harmony, who are not represented by Daesh. That is the point, and I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way and allowing me to make it. Kwasi Kwarteng: I fully appreciate the hon. Ladys remark, but as other people have observed, the answer to Donald Trumps ban is not to ban him. That does not make any sense to me, and I will explain why briefly. He is banning Muslims. In his own mind, he is saying that Muslims constitute a danger to the United States. That is what he thinks, and on those grounds he is banning them. We are doing the same thing if we ban him. We are saying that Donald Trump represents a danger to the United Kingdom, and on that ground we are banning him from coming. The implied logic is exactly the same. The circumstances are different, but the logical thought is exactly the same. Tulip Siddiq: I thoroughly disagree with the hon. Gentleman when he says that this is exactly the same. It is not exactly the same: Donald Trump has said that he wants to ban all Muslims because of their religion. That is 1.6 billion people who he wants to ban, because of their religion. The reason why some Members are asking for him to be banned is the rhetoric, the sentiment and the values that he has expressed. That is different from banning someone because of their religion. I hope that that point is clear to another Member who made the same point. Kwasi Kwarteng: I have been very generous with interventions, but I want to clarify that point. I do not have much time, but I repeat: the ground on which Donald Trump is banning Muslims is not their faith; it is because he believes that they constitute a danger to the United States. That is the ground[Interruption.] I am just explaining his logic; I do not agree with it. And I am saying that any case to ban Donald Trump would be on the basis that he is a danger to our civic safety. Logically, it is exactly the same. Edward Leigh: On the point about 1.6 billion Muslims, thank God there are not 1.6 billion Trumps. Kwasi Kwarteng: Yes, that would make our lives very difficult. This has been a very engaging and enlightening debate, but it is no good saying, Oh, hes got huge publicity at the moment, so any more wouldnt make any difference. He was well known at the beginning of his campaign, but we have seen that there has been a crescendo of excitement and interest in the campaign. The very fact of this debate, as someone observed, is generating and stoking that excitement. Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: rose Kwasi Kwarteng: I will not take any more interventions. I can see the hon. Lady itching in her seat, but I will resist that temptation. What I am saying is that we are simply adding fuel to this whole media circus, and that is playing exactly into Donald Trumps hands. A ban, if it happened, would be a headline throughout the world. It would simply reignite all the publicity that he generated with his outrageous policy and would exacerbate the situation. It would make it more likely that he would be the eventual victor in the Republican nomination fight, and he may wellwho knows?win the election in November. Then we would be in the absurd situation in which we would have banned the President of the United States from coming to Britain. That would be an insane situation to be in. People may say that he has no chance of becoming President, but look at the odds on Jeremy Corbyn becoming the Leader of the Opposition. I think that someone in EssexI am not sure whether it was in your constituency, Sir Davidmade 2,000, having put 10 on him at 200:1, and I can assure you that, as of today, the chances of Donald Trump becoming President are far greater than 200:1. SUBSCRIBE Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates straight in your inbox. Printer Friendly Version Rohith Vemula's Body Cremated Secretly By Countercurrents.org 19 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org The body of Rohith Vemula, one of the five rusticated students of Hyderabad Central University who committed suicide was secretly cremated by the police. Police informed the student community that his body will be cremated at a certain crematorium, and then his body was taken secretly to another crematorium at Amberpet and burnt it. None of his friends were present. His body was found hanging in a hostel room Sunday evening. Hundreds of students gathered around the hostel and prevented the police from removing the body. In morning hours of Monday, police brutally beat up around 100 students gathered around the hostel , arresting many of them and took away the body. After finishing the formalities the police secretly cremated Rohiths body. The whole process was directed by a local BJP leader. Chittibabu Padavala, a friend of Rohith, managed to get some photographs from the cremation ground and posted it on Facebook. His Facebook post said, As we know, for all the centrality the death has in Brahaminical culture, in fact, in its life itself, including in its festivities and humor, conducting the grave occassion of death decently is the last thing it does. It knows not the dignity even in death, particularly in the face of or wake of death. It is probably the most ineradicable aspect of their religious practice. That this shocking insensitivity, probably endless sadism was the work of public authorities and not religious institutions of precolonial times doesn't make such tricks any less brahmanical. It is the brahmanical mind-set that afflicts our institutions that make such things possible. From disposing the body of Rohith Vemula in secrecy and hurry, by misleading the grieving students and family members and other who might want to pay tributes to him one last time, what happiness can possibly be derived by anybody? Is it that the police and the Sangh biggies thought that it would create a law and order problem? Or they don't want to see a huge show of strength and solidarity for the 26-year, dead PhD scholar? One of the only (sometimes) useful thing Sanghis do, as opposed to their mostly harmful and ocassionally useless things is conducting funerals of unattended dead bodies. The police-Sanghi coordination here seems to to reverse the equation to get rid of the dead body of Rohith (comrade, you are scaring them even after death. probably more now) as if it was an unclaimed, unrecognized body remains of an unidentified dead to deprive you of a martyr's farewell. I cursed you upon hearing the news of your death, tried to tell myself defensively and dishonestly that it was your betrayal to the cause, to life and to me. It didn't work. I was wrong. You really scared them. It helps that they believe in ghosts. A spectre will haunt the Brahmanical Academia, the spectre of Rohith Vemula! The heroism, martyrdom, victimhood, sacrifice of yours they want to deprive you of will backfire. We will make your name, spirit, deeds, legacy, memory, ideals a permanent presence all around us. Your name will not be any indistinct trace that all erasures must leave behind, your name will be an evergrowing presence. Scarily spectral to them, progressively looming large inspiration for us. Ultimately all too real for all of us. Tweet WhatsApp Share Share on Tumblr Comments are moderated Parallel Standards Offer Way Out Of Violence By Kristin Christman 19 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org One step to a change in Mideast relations is a change in the U.S. mindset Ten thousand Americans are killed annually by drunk American drivers. Fourteen Americans were killed in December by two Muslims. So Donald Trump suggests banning alcohol? No; he wants to ban Muslim immigrants. And Muslims don't even drink. Candidates' tough talk is not about saving lives. It's about ignorance. ISIS and Al Qaeda adhere to hijacked forms of Islam which reject Islam's call for peaceful tolerance. Furthermore, the ability of ISIS to attract global followers doesn't even stem from its intolerant ideology, but rather from its determination to resist foreign and sectarian domination. It was the U.S. invasion of Iraq and anti-Sunni brutality of the U.S.- installed Shia government that led to ISIS' following, not its ideology. The issue isn't religion. It's domination. If the U.S. wants to ban something, it ought to ban U.S. invasions. The problem with the U.S. reaction to both 9/11 and ISIS is the U.S. belief in hammering out peace by controlling people. There has never been earnest effort at cooperative negotiation, as if this would be spineless appeasement or a pact with the devil. There has never been any reassurance on the part of the U.S. that it will discontinue its military, political, economic, and cultural intrusiveness in the Mideast. Many factors contribute to Middle Eastern violence; U.S. policy is only one factor. But instead of adding more killing to the killing in vain attempts to achieve physical control over people's minds, the most powerful step the U.S. can take is to change its own behavior to reduce tension within Middle Eastern minds. Imagine the tables turned. Would you feel safe with the FBI being supplied by Egypt with weapons to suppress American civilians, the U.S. military trained on Saudi bases in Texas, a popular president deposed by Iran, U.S. oil fields managed by Iraq, Afghanistan invading to construct pipelines, and ads and movies everywhere featuring Middle Eastern products and values? The U.S. seems to think the Mideast should take all this without complaint. We need to take leadership and make a proposal to Middle Eastern civilians, Al Qaeda and ISIS militants, and national leaders, while emphasizing that the proposal is made despite ISIS violence, not because of it. The proposal should describe U.S. unilateral actions but encourage the Mideast to adhere to parallel standards. Like this: "If you choose to kill, torture prisoners, assault women, inflict inhumane punishments, or promote terrorism, we won't support you. "But for our part, we're going to stop killing you, stop the invasions, night raids, bombs, drones, weapons shipments, and mistreatment of prisoners. "If you want to dominate other genders, religions, and nations, deprive people of rights, or conquer the world, we won't support you. "But we're going to stop dominating you. Any threat to freedom experienced by Americans from terrorists pales when compared to threats to freedom endured by Middle Eastern civilians as a result, in part, of 60 years of U.S. policy. Most Middle Eastern militants aren't fighting to trample our freedoms but to gain their own. "In various decades we've funded and armed several Middle Eastern leaders who've brutally crushed their people's freedoms. We'll discontinue this practice and stop CIA coups and regime changes of leaders who thwart U.S. government and business interests. "We won't make deals with one segment of your population while disregarding others. Instead of arming one side to fight another, we'll strive to resolve conflicts. And we'll respect humane governments, whether secular or religious, because both types are capable of kindness and cruelty, tolerance and intolerance. "If you want to support corruption, kidnapping for ransom, oil wealth hoarding, drug trading, or war lords who extort money from civilians, we won't support you. "But our foreign policy will no longer be driven by desires for wealth and possessions. There will be no more Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Carter, and Reagan doctrines that treat the Mideast like America's personal oil reservoir and provide for dirty deals, nor U.S. money and weapons to Middle Eastern security forces to suppress Islamists and other opponents of tyrants in exchange for U.S. access to tyrants' oil. "We'll renegotiate fair trade terms and provide investment and aid that benefit your poor more than our rich, with none of our typical military, political, or economic strings attached. "If you force people to convert, pressure women to conform to repressive dress codes or face a flogging, ignore women's intellect, scorn them as inferior, or make women the scapegoated, beat-up targets of males' tension, we won't support such un-Islamic behaviors. "But we'll take pressure off the Mideast to convert to Westernization, secularism, materialism, conspicuous sexuality, and capitalism. We'll stop inundating you with Western ads, movies, fashions, and luxuries and respect your aversion to bars, cinemas, and luxury hotels. "If you kill reporters, falsify news, and hijack Islam to preach violence, we won't support you. "But we'll quit the half-truths and aim for broad coverage of Middle Eastern and American perspectives on conflict and solutions. We'll clarify that peace and violence are parts of both Muslim and Christian history. And we'll correct false beliefs that violently spreading Christianity, Islam, and democracy is justified in the name of God, Allah, and Freedom. "Some choose a militant path in search of noble purpose, employment, adventure, or camaraderie. Let's channel these motives into non-violent, meaningful careers. Let's develop Islamic forms of recreation, playgrounds, outdoor adventure, and scenic parks. Let's make it our priority to help all people feel cherished." If we honestly address legitimate concerns motivating ISIS violence, can we attract away from ISIS those followers who don't admire brutality and intolerance? Can we prove to ISIS followers they can achieve just goals without violence? Will our unilateral actions serve as a powerful role model and ease the tension that breeds violence and extremism? Kristin Y. Christman has degrees from Dartmouth, Brown, and the University at Albany in Russian and public administration and is author of The Taxonomy of Peace. https://sites.google.com/site/paradigmforpeace This article was first published in the Albany Times Union on January 17, 2016. The Suppression And Silencing Of Rohith Vemula By Braj Ranjan Mani 19 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org In his short life, Rohith Vemula had faced and suffered many cruel slings and arrows of life. Yet he had a wide range of social, cultural and intellectual engagements that tell us about his restless energy, incendiary intellect, and a passion for transformative politics. In his death, he has left behind a grieving mother, a devastated family and a larger family of millions of enraged and empathetic Dalit-Bahujan, Leftist, Feminist and other activists who should now come together to fight a decisive battle against the ruling dark forces of caste, brahmanism and Hindutva. The death of Rohith Vemula brings us face to face with the horrible cruelty of caste and the absence of basic civic virtuesthe kind of virtues that make us human and civilized. This explains the nationwide and spontaneous outpouring of grief, rage and anger at the tragic end of Rohiths young and promising life. Of course, there were the Hindutva groups in league with the casteist university system (as the various news reports suggest) which made life suffocating for Rohith and other Ambedkarite students, but Rohiths decision to end his life, as his suicide letter makes clear, was also dictated by the larger oppressive socio-academic circumstances that variously smother the life and dreams of millions of young dalits. The society that forces an impassioned lover of life to take his life is a sick society. Yes, Rohith Vemula was a lover of life and a science enthusiast. All of his 26 years, right from his impoverished childhood, he waged a desperate but determined struggle for educating himself, and combined his personal struggle with the larger social fight for equality and justice. With the care of his courageous parents who brought up and supported him by labouring and tailoring, he came up to the level from where he cleared two Junior Research Fellowships and then succeeded, against the terrible bureaucratic and brahmanic odds, in getting admission for his PhD research in Science Technology and Society Studies at Hyderabad Central University. This was a brilliant achievement for a first-generation dalit student like Rohith, but he also had a range of other dreamspersonal as well as socialhe wanted to pursue. Rohiths poetic suicide letter and the bits and pieces of information (floating on the social media since his death) give us a glimpse into his incendiary mind and soul. As he himself says, he looked at the stars and he always dreamt to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan. He talks about his love of nature, but does not write about flora and fauna on this earth. Instead he twice mentions in his short letter his fascination with the stars in the sky. His alienation from the hierarchical social relationships and his resentment at the humiliating identity (that was thrust upon him) find unmistakable expression when he writes, Our feelings are second handed. Our love is constructed. Our beliefs coloured. Our originality valid through artificial art. It has become truly difficult to love without getting hurt. The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. I was always rushing. Desperate to start a life. All the while, some people, for them, life itself is curse. My birth is my fatal accident. In his short life, Rohith had faced and suffered many cruel slings and arrows of life. Yet he had a wide range of social, cultural and intellectual engagements that tell us about his restless energy, incendiary intellect, and a passion for transformative politics. Rohith had been associated with the Leftist SFI (Students Federation of India), which he had to forsake because of ill-treatment he got at the hands of some fellow comrades. Yes, he was influenced by Marxism. Later, he joined the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), with which he remained deeply attached till the last. He was a staunch Ambedkarite, and was popular among ASA members. He was an Ambedkarite and a Marxist. And he was keen to bring Muslim and Dalit students together to fight the oppressive forces of caste, class and communalism. He had participated in the protest against the controversial hanging of Yakub Menon last year. And he and his Ambedkarite associates incurred the wrath of the right-wing forces for supporting the film Muzaffarnagar Abhi Baqi Hai that exposes the sinister Hindutva politics. He had also participated in the beef festival last year. His main target was injustice in all its forms, and he wanted to dismantle the casteist mindset and brahmanical social order. For these activities, he and his friends became the eyesore for Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP-RSS. The ABVP accused the ASA of anti-national activities, and alleged that they have brought a culture of violence in the university campus. After this, a faulty investigation found five ASA students, including Rohith, guilty of the assaulting an ABVP leader for which they were suspended by the university administration last year. Later, on the same trumped-up charges, they were also thrown out of the hostel, and thus forced to live out in the open. The Dalit students were protesting against their university suspension and expulsion from hostel. All of them were traumatized, as they came from very poor socio-economic background. After the stipend was stopped, Rohiths poor family was struggling to support him. He had to borrow Rs. 40,000 from a friend to make ends meet. All this took a heavy toll on his life, and he went into depression. His unbearable pain can be gauged from an angry but poignant letter he wrote to the Vice-Chancellor in 2015 (just a month ago), sarcastically asking him to provide euthanasia facilities for Dalit students. But instead of providing a helping hand to the suffering Dalit students, the University authorities continued their witch-hunt against them. It was under such oppressive circumstances that Rohith decided to end his life. By not blaming anyone for causing his death, Rohith showed his astonishing magnanimity but this does not absolve those who directly or indirectly aggravated his melancholy and hopelessness. While the Hindutva forces and the university authorities directly harassed and hounded him and other Dalit scholars, all those who normalize the cruel discrimination of caste and brahmanic social order have also played a part in Rohiths death. After all, many Dalit students have been forced to commit suicide in Indian universities in recent years. Evidences of murderous examples suggest that the institutional discrimination is rife against Dalits, especially in higher centres of science, medicine and engineering. The expressed and unexpressed contents of Rohith Vemulas suicide letter leave little doubt that he was in love with life, nature, science and humanity. But the oppressive social reality and the discriminatory university broke his spirit and snuffed him out in the prime of his life. In his death, Rohith Vemula has left behind a grieving mother, a devastated family and a larger family of millions of enraged and empathetic Dalit-Bahujan, Leftist, Feminist and other activists who should now come together to fight a decisive battle against the ruling dark forces of caste, brahmanism and Hindutva. Braj Ranjan Mani is the author, most recently, of Knowledge and Power: A Discourse for Transformation (2014). His earlier and challenging work Debrahmanising History (2005) has undergone several reprints, and is available now in a thoroughly revised edition (2015). Something similar is happening right now with the fossil fuel industry. Even as the global warming crisis makes it clear that coal, natural gas, and oil are yesterday's energy, the momentum of two centuries of fossil fuel development means new projects keep emerging in a zombie-like fashion. W hen I was a kid, I was creepily fascinated by the wrongheaded idea, current in my grade school, that your hair and your fingernails kept growing after you died. The lesson seemed to be that it was hard to kill something off -- if it wanted to keep going. In fact, the climactic fight at the end of the fossil fuel era is already underway, even if it's happening almost in secret. That's because so much of the action isn't taking place in big, headline-grabbing climate change settings like the recent conference of 195 nations in Paris; it's taking place in hearing rooms and farmers' fields across this continent (and other continents, too). Local activists are making desperate stands to stop new fossil fuel projects, while the giant energy companies are making equally desperate attempts to build while they still can. Though such conflicts and protests are mostly too small and local to attract national media attention, the outcome of these thousands of fights will do much to determine whether we emerge from this century with a habitable planet. In fact, far more than any set of paper promises by politicians, they really are the battle for the future. Here's how Diane Leopold, president of the giant fracking company Dominion Energy, put it at a conference earlier this year: It may be the most challenging period in fossil fuel history, she said, because of an increase in high-intensity opposition to infrastructure projects that is becoming steadily louder, better-funded, and more sophisticated. Or, in the words of the head of the American Natural Gas Association, referring to the bitter struggle between activists and the Canadian tar sands industry over the building of the Keystone XL pipeline, Call it the Keystone-ization of every project that's out there. Pipelines, Pipelines, Everywhere I hesitate to even start listing them all, because I'm going to miss dozens, but here are some of the prospective pipelines people are currently fighting across North America: the Alberta Clipper and the Sandpiper pipelines in the upper Midwest, Enbridge Line 3, the Dakota Access, the Line 9 and Energy East pipelines in Ontario and environs, the Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipelines in British Columbia, the Pinon pipeline in Navajo Country, the Sabal Trail pipeline in Alabama and Georgia, the Appalachian Connector, the Vermont Gas pipeline down the western side of my own state, the Algonquin pipeline, the Constitution pipeline, the Spectra pipeline, and on and on. And it's not just pipelines, not by a long shot. I couldn't begin to start tallying up the number of proposed liquid natural gas terminals, prospective coal export facilities and new oil ports, fracking wells, and mountaintop removal coal sites where people are already waging serious trench warfare. As I write these words, brave activists are on trial for trying to block oil trains in the Pacific Northwest. In the Finger Lakes not a week goes by without mass arrests of local activists attempting to stop the building of a giant underground gas storage cavern. In California, it's frack wells in Kern County. As I said: endless. And endlessly resourceful, too. Everywhere the opposition is forced by statute to make its stand not on climate change arguments, but on old grounds. This pipeline will hurt water quality. That coal port will increase local pollution. The dust that flies off those coal trains will cause asthma. All the arguments are perfectly correct and accurate and by themselves enough to justify stopping many of these plans, but a far more important argument always lurks in the background: each of these new infrastructure projects is a way to extend the life of the fossil fuel era a few more disastrous decades. Here's the basic math: if you build a pipeline in 2016, the investment will be amortized for 40 years or more. It is designed to last -- to carry coal slurry or gas or oil -- well into the second half of the twenty-first century. It is, in other words, designed to do the very thing scientists insist we simply can't keep doing, and do it long past the point when physics swears we must stop. These projects are the result of several kinds of momentum. Because fossil fuel companies have made huge sums of money for so long, they have the political clout to keep politicians saying yes. Just a week after the Paris accords were signed, for instance, the well-paid American employees of those companies, otherwise known as senators and representatives, overturned a 40-year-old ban on U.S. oil exports, a gift that an ExxonMobil spokesman had asked for in the most explicit terms only a few weeks earlier. The sooner this happens, the better for us, he'd told theNew York Times, at the very moment when other journalists were breaking the story of that company's epic three-decade legacy of deceit, its attempt to suppress public knowledge of a globally warming planet that Exxon officials knew they were helping to create. That scandal didn't matter. The habit of giving in to Big Oil was just too strong. Driving a Stake Through a Fossil-Fueled World The money, however, is only part of it. There's also a sense in which the whole process is simply on autopilot. For many decades the economic health of the nation and access to fossil fuels were more or less synonymous. So it's no wonder that the laws, statutes, and regulations favor business-as-usual. The advent of the environmental movement in the 1970s and 1980s introduced a few new rules, but they were only designed to keep that business-as-usual from going disastrously, visibly wrong. You could drill and mine and pump, but you were supposed to prevent the really obvious pollution. No Deepwater Horizons. And so fossil fuel projects still get approved almost automatically, because there's no legal reason not to do so. In Australia, for instance, a new prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, replaced the climate-change-denying Tony Abbott. His minister for the environment, Greg Hunt, was a particular standout at the recent Paris talks, gassing on at great length about his deeply personal commitment to stopping climate change, calling the new pact the most important environmental agreement ever. A month earlier, though, he'd approved plans for the largest coal mine on Earth, demanding slight revisions to make sure that the habitat of the southern black-throated finch would not be destroyed. Campaigners had hung much of their argument against the mine on the bird's possible extinction, since given the way Australia's laws are written this was one of the few hooks they had. The fact that scientists have stated quite plainly that such coal must remain in the ground if the globe is to meet its temperature targets and prevent catastrophic environmental changes has no standing. It's the most important argument in the world, but no one in authority can officially hear it. It's not just Australia, of course. As 2016 began in my own Vermont -- as enlightened a patch of territory as you're likely to find -- the state's Public Service Board approved a big new gas pipeline. Under long-standing regulations, they said, it would be in the public interest, even though science has recently made it clear that the methane leaking from the fracked gas the pipeline will carry is worse than the burning of coal. Their decision came two weeks after the temperature in the city of Burlington hit 68 on Christmas eve, breaking the old record by, oh, 17 degrees. But it didn't matter. This zombie-like process is guaranteed to go on for years, even decades, as at every turn the fossil fuel industry fights the new laws and regulations that would be necessary, were agreements like the Paris accord to have any real teeth. The only way to short-circuit this process is to fight like hell, raising the political and economic price of new infrastructure to the point where politicians begin to balk. That's what happened with Keystone -- when enough voices were raised, the powers-that-be finally decided it wasn't worth it. And it's happening elsewhere, too. Other Canadian tar sands pipelines have also been blocked. Coal ports planned for the West Coast haven't been built. That Australian coal mine may have official approval, but almost every big bank in the world has balked at providing it the billions it would require. There's much more of this fight coming -- led, as usual, by indigenous groups, by farmers and ranchers, by people living on the front lines of both climate change and extractive industry. Increasingly they're being joined by climate scientists, faith communities, and students in last-ditch efforts to lock in fossil fuels. This will undoubtedly be a key battleground for the climate justice movement. In May, for instance, a vast coalition across six continents will engage in mass civil disobedience to keep it in the ground. And in a few places you can see more than just the opposition; you can see the next steps unfolding. Last fall, for instance, Portland, Oregon -- the scene of a memorable kayaktivist blockade to keep Shell's Arctic drilling rigs bottled up in port -- passed a remarkable resolution. No new fossil fuel infrastructure would be built in the city, its council and mayor declared. The law will almost certainly block a huge proposed propane export terminal, but far more important, it opens much wider the door to the future. If you can't do fossil fuel, after all, you have to do something else -- sun, wind, conservation. This has to be our response to the living-dead future that the fossil fuel industry and its allied politicians imagine for our beleaguered world: no new fossil fuel infrastructure. None. The climate math is just too obvious. This business of driving stakes through the heart of one project after another is exhausting. So many petitions, so many demonstrations, so many meetings. But at least for now, there's really no other way to kill a zombie. Bill McKibben is the founder of 350.org and Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College. He was the 2014 recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, often called the alternative Nobel Prize. His most recent book is Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist. Copyright 2016 Bill McKibben Valuing The Spirit Of Dissent In Academic Spaces By Students, Faculty And staff At National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore 19 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org The suspension of five Dalit students and the suicide of Rohith Vemula, a 2nd year PhD student have once again shaken up our perspective on democratic dissent in educational spaces. The undersigned students, faculty and staff at National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore strongly condemn the actions of the administration and authorities at University of Hyderabad that led to the unfortunate chain of events. Rohith was one of the activists who was engaged in an ongoing protest for 12 days against the insensitive treatment by the administration and university authorities. These students were expelled from their hostels and were denied entry into classrooms, library, and public places in the University, and barred from contesting in future student elections. As a response, they had initiated a hunger strike, continuing their protest and sit-in demonstrations in the open campus, against the atrocities by the administration. As has been pointed out by many, the ways in which students have been treated reflects the entrenched casteism of our centers of higher learning. Rohit's death is preceded by several suicides by Dalit scholars over the past decade. These suicides have to be understood in the context of systemic structural exclusions and discrimination within our universities. Rohith aspired to be a science writer. In his last letter, he writes of his birth as a ''fatal accident''. It is unfortunate that our educational spaces can kill marginalised students, and their dreams. The administration continued its callous attitude on the day after the tragic suicide, by lathi-charging students who had refused to move unless action was taken against those responsible for driving Rohith to take this step. We strongly feel that students protests and dissent should not be handled or suppressed in such a high handed manner. The University administration and concerned authorities responsible for the social boycott and exclusion of the students which eventually led to the suicide should be held accountable for their actions. It is unconscionable that the University administration feel compelled to hand out such retrograde and arbitrary punishments, especially under political pressure and charges of anti-national activities. Universities are spaces which students inhabit everyday and denying a possibility of dialogue with students can break the moral fabric of individuals. Suspension and expulsion, are not solutions or means to end discussions with the student body and these actions cannot be responses that the university administration and authorities offer for student protests on campus. It does not reflect the democratic attitude of an educational Institution. We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the incident at University of Hyderabad and demand the immediate revocation of the suspension order against the other students involved in the protest and a fair enquiry into the events leading up to the death of Rohith Vemula. This statement is in solidarity with the students and the larger public who are demanding justice and seeking spaces where dissent and protest are not treated as crimes. Signatures: Nimisha Agarwal Rolla Das Sumitra Sunder Venkata Rayudu Savitha Suresh Babu Anupama Mahajan Kishor Bhat (Alumni) Shreejata Gupta Shivali Tukdeo Indira Vijaysimha (Alumnae) Carol Upadhya Priya Gupta Rashmi M. Chetan Singai Krupa Rajangam Jafar. K (Alumni) Soundarya Iyer Shoibal Chakravarty Sanam Roohi Shatarupa Bhattacharyya Priyam Laxmi Borgohain Kaveri Ashok Mrunalini Deshpande Riffath Khaji Sruthi Raman Sharada Srinivasan Subir Rana Asmita Sengupta M. Mayilvaganan Sahana U. (alumna) Gagan Deep Kaur Trail Of Letters That Prove The Direct Involvement Of MHRD Under Smriti Irani In The Suicide Of Rohith Vemula By Countercurrents.org 19 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org Police in Hyderabad on Monday booked union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and three others for abetment of suicide and also for violations of the SC/ST Atrocities Act following the suicide of Rohith Vemula of the University of Hyderabad. University vice chancellor Appa Rao and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leaders Sushil Kumar and Vishnu have also been booked. The cases under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code and also the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act were filed in Gachibowli police station under Cyberabad police commissionerate limits. Does the issue end there? A trail of letters traded between Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) under cabinet minister Smriti Irani and University of Hyderabad (UoH) proves that there was a larger conspiracy that led to the expulsion of five Dalit scholars, which finally led to the suicide of Rohith Vemula on Sunday. These letters show that Smriti Irani also was in the know of things happening in UoH. These letters show that MHRD was working as a tool of ABVP and BJP. Facebook Page of Beef Janata Party put this in perspective Fake degree holder Smriti Irani's HRD ministry sent 5 letters in the gap of 6 weeks to pressurise the Hyderabad University to expel the 5 dalit students. Her 'under'secretaries sent letter after letter ordering for action against "anti-national elements" in the university. These letters led to the expulsion of the 5 students and the death of Rohith. The MHRD letters to HCU referred to a student as 'ABVP President' rather than by course, year, etc. As Shehla Rashid points out, this is a flagrant violation of norms - a case of the Modi Govt's MHRD openly acting as an RSS arm. And, the shameless woman has the gall to state on national television that her ministry has not intervened at all in the issue. What a lying piece of shit! She and labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya should be thrown out immediately. She should go back to her rightful place, inside the idiot box... 1) Letter dated 10th August, 2015, to Bandaru Dattatreya written by Nandanam Diwakar Vice President, BJP, Hyderabad. A Mere F.I.R Wont Bring Justice To Rohith Vemula Even In Death! By Samar 19 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org The tragic death of a young Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in the University of Hyderabad is not merely the death of an individual. The sordid saga behind what drove him to take this extreme step exposes all the pretensions of the republic and its institutions. It exposes how the regressive structure of caste mobilizes the entire system against the Dalits, the ex-untouchables, six decades after untouchability was abolished by the constitution. The facts that led to his suicide are horrible, to say the least. They indict many in powerful positions. Take for example, the intervention of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya with the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) that looks after higher education. Mr. Dattatreya had written to the Union Minister for MHRD Smriti Irani about how the University of Hyderabad had become a den of "casteist, extremist and anti-national politics." These are serious criminal charges under Indian jurisprudence. He sought action against the members of the Ambedkar Students Union (ASA), the organization Rohith belonged to. Mr. Dattatreya made special mention of an alleged assault on a leader of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, student wing of his party Bhartiya Janta Party, by ASA members, despite the proctorial investigation finding no substance in the accusation. The evidence Mr. Dattatreya offered for his charges was ASAs opposition to the execution of Yakub Memon, a terror convict. Ironically, taking that as evidence for being engaged in anti-national activities would turn many celebrated lawyers of India into anti-nationals for opposing the execution until the intervening night of the morning of his hanging. It would, also, perhaps make the Supreme Court of India anti-national for accepting the petition in an unprecedented 5 am hearing. The MHRD took up the matter despite this apparent absurdity. They sent 4 letters in three months, beginning September 2015, to the University of Hyderabad. They were seeking explanations and actions of anti-national activities being conducted in the university by ASA members. The administration of the University of Hyderabad repeatedly denied the charges. To quote P. Appa Rao, the Vice Chancellor. There were no anti-national activities on this campus and I can vouch for all my students and faculty. They have not and will not indulge in anti-national activities. The MHRD did not stop its relentless persecution of ASA members. It is alleged that this is what led to the suspension of the 5 students, including Rohith, from the university and their expulsion from the hostels. This action seems to have been taken because of pressure from both the ministers. Previously it had reversed an earlier revocation of the suspension of the students pending a fresh inquiry by a new committee. It was handed over, based on the recommendation on the old one-students accused to be biased against them. Suicides of Dalit students in premier educational institutions of India, is nothing new. Many studies have documented this fact. Yet, the brazenness with which this one seems to be forced onward is something never seen before and must be treated seriously. Rohith was not fighting an individual battle. He was part of a bigger struggle based on Ambedkarite values. He could laugh off injustices and trivialize them while fighting against them. His letter to the Vice- Chancellor on 18 December 2015 gave evidence to both his zest for life and his increasing loss of faith in the capacity of the administration to deliver justice to Dalit students. To quote the suggestions he offered to the VC. 1. Please serve 10 mg. Sodium Azide to all Dalit students at the time of admission with directions to use when they feel like reading Ambedkar. 2. Supply a nice rope to the rooms of all Dalit students from your companion, the great Chief Warden. No sane person can miss the hint of what was coming in these terse suggestions. The fact that the university went ahead with the decision of overturning its own decision and punishing them afresh makes them criminally negligent towards human life-if not outright criminally culpable. And yet, I am afraid to say, that a legal redress is almost an impossibility in this case, as in countless others of a similar nature. Take the fact, for instance, that Rohiths suicide note categorically exonerates all his enemies while taking all the blame for his suicide on his own. Take also the fact that Mr. Dattatreya, though evidently complicit in pushing Rohith into taking the extreme step did never mention him or any other ASA member individually. Further, he sought only an intervention from the MHRD to cleanse University of Hyderabad from anti-national activities. MHRD, too, on its part would come up with similar arguments. It would, most probably, argue that it merely took cognizance of the concerns of a local member of parliament and forwarded it to the university concerned despite the fact that it shot 4 letters in three months. The Vice Chancellor, on his part, would blame it all on the collective decision of the Executive Council while knowing well why the council reversed earlier decisions and went ahead with punishments. Bring in the battery of lawyers they would have to exploit these loopholes and the recipe for injustice to Rohith even in death would be complete. So what do we do? Where do we go from here? The answers to this questions are hard to come by but the way to redress to Rohith would open only in seeking those difficult answers. An easier said than one comes handy- a relentless, focussed socio-politico struggle for justice for Rohith on the sidelines of the legal battles waiting for us. A struggle that would require us to ensure that Rohiths harassers never forget him, that we go to their constituencies with his pictures, his life and message and tell the people what the perpetrators have done to him, perhaps the only way to break the cordon of impunity their positions of power provide them with. We would, however, need a dedicated campaign for that, a tough thing to sustain in a republic capable of offering a new injustice to outrage at every day. The need of the hour, perhaps, is to focus on one such outrage and get the perpetrators punished to create a deterrence. Otherwise, the powers that may know that fatigue sets in in any outrage after a while and they can keep going on inflicting insult to our injuries. Samar is Programme Coordinator - Right to Food Programme Asian Legal Resource Centre / Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong New Parliamentary Elections In Serbia For The Stable And Safe Road To The Future By Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirovic 19 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org Serbias PM AleksandarVucic informed the nation on December 17th, 2016 after the session of the General Board of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SPP) that Serbia will face in the spring 2016 all three-level elections at the same time: the extraordinary parliamentary, the local and Vojvodinas provincial. The purpose of the extraordinary parliamentary elections, according to the PM, is to obtain a full mandate for his SPP until 2020 in order to finish all designed progressive reforms in the country which is on the stable and safe road. However, the fundamental question is: what is the stable and safe road of the present-day Serbia? One can ask why A. Vucic opted for the extraordinary parliamentary elections if it is known that his party has controlling the parliament with an absolute majority in coalition with the Serbian Socialist Party (SSP) and there are no any serious tensions in the society or any significant opposition to his in fact personal and partys authoritarian regime? The answer can be only one and simple: it is de facto decision by the main sponsor and even establisher of the SPP the US embassy in Belgrade. A decade ago, the party was suddenly established by two top ex-radicals: AleksandarVucic a Secretary General and TomislavNikolic a vice-president of the Serbian Radical Party (SRP) which was in the 1990s in governmental and parliamentary coalition with Slobodan Milosevics SSP. From that time up to now the partys main political course is pro-western, with the cardinal aim for Serbia (without Kosovo) to become a full Member State of the European Union (EU) and of course of the NATO. The NATOs membership is, however, not openly advocated for the only reason not to alienate the ethnic Serbs from Serbia (as a majority of population) from the western course of the party and now the government. Nevertheless, it is quite clear that these two memberships have to go together and even that Serbia, like Macedonia or Montenegro, firstly has to join the NATO as the open doors for the EUs membership. The practical problem for both the US and the EU administrations is that overwhelming majority of the ethnic Serbs from Serbia oppose Serbias membership to the NATO. According to many investigations of the public opinion during the last decade, it is clear that absolute majority of Serbias citizens do not want to see their country as a NATOs member and even more, they will not support the EUs membership if the NATOs membership is a necessary condition. It is also clear that recognition of Kosovos independence has to be a crucial political condition for Serbias EUs membership that is scheduled by Brussels in 2020. As the western client state of Serbia already started on December 14th, 2015 the final phase of the negotiations with the EU, the very practical problem for the western bosses of quasi Serbias independence is how to avoid national dissatisfaction and even possible revolution when Serbia will finally recognize Kosovos independence? Obviously, Washington decided to make as stronger as position of the SPP in the parliament after the new elections hoping that the party will form the government without making any parliamentary coalition. The hope is a real and realistic having in mind at least three fundamental facts: 1. All Serbias mass media (excluding only part of the internet that is not making any serious influence to the electorate) is under a full Vucics control. 2. The citizens of Serbia, including primarily the ethnic Serbs, are during the last 15 years of democratic regimes quite enough bombed by the pro-western media controlled by the governments and the NGOs sector that the Uncle Sam can believe that their minds are already well prepared for the final decision to join the western train. 3. The Russian factor in Serbia, due to such media situation and governmental-NGOs anti-Russian propaganda, is already not serious obstacle for the realization of the crucial western political plans with this Balkan country (likewise with Macedonia and Montenegro). Obviously, Russia was and is the only great global power which historically was and still is protecting the national interests of Serbia and the Serbs in general and for that reason for Washington, Berlin and Brussels is clear that the Russian influence in the region, but above all among the Serbs, has to be as much as minimized in order to totally transform Serbia and Republic of Srpska into their classical 19th century oversea political, economic and financial colonies as it was already done with all ex-Socialist Central European nations who joined both the EU and the NATO.The western long-term designs with the Serbs are, as well as, clear: to dismiss Republic of Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina and to separate territories of Vojvodina and Raska (Sandzak in Turkish) from the rest of Serbia. In this case, Serbia will have state territory as it was between the Berlin Congress (1878) and the Balkan Wars (1912-1913). Unfortunately, with such post-2000 Serbias governments and Russian not proper political activity in the region such scenario is quite possible. The Uncle Sam is realistically expecting that coming Serbias extraordinary parliamentary elections are going to be won by its client Vucic's SPPdue to expected absence of approximately half of Serbias electorate and already enough pro-western and anti-Russian washed brains of the minority who will vote. In this case the SPP will form extremely stable government in the parliament with an absolute majority of the seats. The consequences are going to be drastic and even catastrophic for Serbias territorial integrity and national interest of the ethnic Serbs but for Russia as well, as the Russian influence in the region is going to be totally eliminated. Finally, a great part of guiltiness for such situation is on the Russian side itself as Russia simply left the Serbs on the western mercy in 2003 when the Russian peace-keeping troops left both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. It is not also understandable why Russia is not financing and politically supporting any serious pro-Russian political party or NGO in Serbia, or at least why such party and/or NGO (if exists) is not profoundly supported by Moscow as it is openly done by Washington, Brussels and Berlin with their own client political parties and NGOs sector. Vucics SPP is currently the most successful western financed and sponsored story in Serbia and Moscow very well know that partys official policy of and Europe and Russia is only a great bluff for the peoples masses especially at the time of electoral campaigns. The SPPs stable and safe road is a road to the NATO and the EU. But why Russia left Serbia to go on this road? Prof.Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirovic MykolasRomeris University Institute of Political Sciences Vilnius, Lithuania www.sotirovic.eu vladislav@sotirovic.eu The Day After By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich 19 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org Not the movie about a fictional war between NATO forces and the Warsaw Pact and a nuclear exchange between the United States and the former Soviet Union, but the Day After the Implementation Deal of the Iran Nuclear Deal. America was quick to acknowledge Irans commitment by imposing sanctions on it for its defense capabilities. If we all share a common dream of some balance in this world, which would hopefully lead to more security for all, here is what must happen. With the nuclear-related UNSC sanctions against Iran lifted, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SC)) must IMMEDIATELY include Iran in the SCO as a full member. Failing to do so would not bode well for the future of the region and the world. While some Iranian reformists have written that America needs Iran, the truth of the matter is a more just and balanced world needs Iran, foremost Russia and China. The United States has not abandoned its aspirations of becoming a global hegemon. The US has never sought peace. Peace and expansion/domination are incompatible. Only last month it was revealed that Pentagon was planning on more 'enduring bases' around the world's most volatile regions. In 1941, Isaiah Bowman, a key figure in the Council on Foreign Relations wrote: The measure of our victory will be the measure of our domination after victory." True to this, after the Cold War, Prominent Americans such as Wolfowitz and Rustow opined that it was important to contain Russia (the Heartland Defense Planning Guideline 1992, 1993). It was felt that the domination of the Heartland (Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia) would lead to the domination of the World. Events in the past several years confirm the implementation stages of the plan. As recently as April, 2015, during a speech at the Army War College Strategy Conference, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work elaborated on how the Pentagon plans to counter the three types of wars supposedly being waged by Iran, Russia, and China. These goals have been facilitated with the Nuclear Deal. Let us consider. The deal buys America time. Let us remember that the sanctions are suspended for 6 months with Obamas Executive Order. Under the Deal, the United States is required to take legislative action to remove the nuclear-related UNSC sanctions. In an election year and with the Republican majority House, it would be easier for pigs to fly. Let us also recall the budget bill signed into law by Obama awarded millions of Iranian funds to victims of 1983 Lebanon and the 1996 Kobar tower terrorism incidents. In addition, The Congressional Budget Office projects an additional $1.5 billion will go into the fund over the next decade from criminal and civil fines from pending cases regarding Iran sanctions violations. So what will America do with the time it bought (and not paid for!)? Irans strength has been its ability to retaliate to any attack by closing down the Strait of Hormuz. Given that 17 million barrels of oil a day, or 35% of the worlds seaborne oil exports go through the Strait of Hormuz, incidents in the Strait would be fatal for the world economy. Enter Nigeria (West Africa) and Yemen. In 1998, Clintons national security agenda made it clear that unhampered access to Nigerian oil and other vital resources was a key US policy. In early 2000s, Chatham House was one of the publications that determined African oil would be a good alternate to Persian Gulf oil IN CASE OF OIL DISRUPTION.This followed a strategy paper for US to move toward African oil. Push for African oil was on Dick Cheneys desk on May 31, 2000. In 2002, the Israeli based IASPS suggested America push toward African oil. In the same year Boko Haram was founded. In 2007, AFRICOM helped consolidate this push into the region. The 2011, a publication titled: Globalizing West African Oil: US energy security and the global economy outlined US positioning itself to use military force to ensure African oil continued to flow to the United States. This was but one strategy to supply oil in addition to or as an alternate to the passage of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Enter Yemen. To understand the geopolitics of the Saudi war against Yemen, it is imperative to read The Geopolitics Behind the War in Yemen: The Start of a New Front against Iran written by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya. Nazemroaya correctly states: [T] he US wants to make sure that it could control the Bab Al-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden, and the Socotra Islands. The Bab Al-Mandeb it is an important strategic chokepoint for international maritime trade and energy shipments that connects the Persian Gulf via the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea. It is just as important as the Suez Canal for the maritime shipping lanes and trade between Africa, Asia, and Europe. In 2012, several alternate routes to Strait of Hormuz were identified which at the time of the report were considered to be limited in capacity and more expensive. However, collectively, the West African oil and control of Bab Al-Mandeb would diminish the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz in case of war. A very important consideration is the stark fact that the fallout from bombing an operating uranium enrichment facility with several hundred kilograms of enriched uranium would create an environmental catastrophe that would dwarf all nuclear accidents to date killing millions of people. The Iran Nuclear Deal greatly reduces the scope of the ensuing disaster should such steps be taken. All this is of course speculation. There is no doubt that the primary goal of the United States is to install a Washington friendly compliant regime in Iran. But what if they fail? Has Washington spent billions of dollars to undermine and destroy the Iranian revolution, decades in demonizing the people only to change its mind? Isnt this the same scenario we hoped would be the outcome of the end of the Cold War only to learn that Washington continued a covert war against Russia? Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is an independent researcher and writer with a focus on US foreign policy. Rohith Dies And Multiple Issues Remain Unanswered And Unresolved By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava 19 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org Suicide of Rohith is conclusive evidence that in the country monopolistic cultural and hegemonistic ideas are being imposed by some people. Influential ones may be involved in the case of Rohith as FIR has been lodged against Central minister and the Vice Chancellor; is it solution? Perhaps not because there exists a clear discrimination against the SC and ST students. It is a difficult task for the SC and ST students to complete their course due to non cooperation by people at helm of affairs at different steps. When a central minister name is found involved in the suicide of Dalit scholar then the sad incident assumes much importance. If we look from pure political framework the inference is that BJP has shown double faces. At one side it wants to associate itself with Ambedkar and his legacy but on the other side its own ministers fall under doubt in the suicide case. This dichotomy reflects the real character of the ruling party. First the members of the party should be taught the values as how to respect the Dalit sentiments. In a democracy everyone has right to say what one feels and discussion can be initiated if the sayings are not illegal. If Rohith had his own viewpoints on certain issues then these were to be satisfied or diluted with the right logic rather pronouncing a subjective decisions on such students. We live in a country where youths are being encouraged in every field for achievements; every leader is proclaiming that India can reach on top and education will play a critical role in it but when issue of respecting the thoughts of others or respecting the dissent or empowering the students come up, then every leader takes a narrow approach. This is great dilemma of Indian politics. There was involvement of discriminatory policies against Rohith by the University administration. According to newspaper reports After the stipend was stopped, his family was struggling to support him. He borrowed Rs 40,000 from a friend and was living frugally. Almost every day, he used to say that his money was stuck, (and) While Rohith, Sankanna, D Prashanth, Vijay Kumar and Sesu Chemudugunta were suspended, ABVPs Kumar was let off with a warning. (The Indian Express, Jan 19, 2016) Indian politics have used the Dalit for votes but have never accepted them in the mainstream life. This is the major reason that suicides are done by the people from the lower castes. Union minister Dattatreya had written letter to the HRD ministry about these students in which he had taken a subjective view which was not the right approach. Sad is to mention that Dattatreya wrote to HRD Minister urging action and claiming that the Hyderabad University has in the recent past, become a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics (The Indian Express, Jan 19, 2016) The role of politicians in deciding the issue in highly personalized manner is highly unacceptable in a free, rule of law based nation. If anyone has any problem with anyone recourse to law is always available there but Indian politicians whatsoever are their affiliations, feel as sovereign. All the great men in the country always paid attention to the University education, even Ambedkar obtained the highest education; they thought universities as temple of learning where the mind is liberated , but Rohith is case in point where he was forced to end the life, when he analysed that he was being victimized with no solution left with. For him liberation of mind and thoughts were only invitation to a coercion which comes in different forms and these came in the form of expulsion. These leaders never know the trauma and labour a Phd scholar faces during the completion of the course. These leaders have attained higher political positions just by net working, sycophancy and manipulating the weaknesses of the common voters, the reality is that most of these cannot even qualify a good standard examination, leave alone to pass the Phd course and complete the studies with high quality efforts. The suicide also raises the issue of uni culturalism being imposed in the country. If you have singular identity of a particular religion and subscribe to a particular ideology, then you are a good individual. BJP has followed in the footsteps of Congress which on the other hand in the name of secularism just went for extreme appeasement and lost the electoral battle. Such hegemony of ideas by political parties needs to be taken note by the individuals quite carefully. The role of intellectuals become crucial in this matter. The suicide also highlights the functioning of the higher institutions in the country. Central universities are established with an act of the parliament and its faculties enjoy the privileged position, in state universities most of the faculties do not wish to visit their class rooms in a regular manner. The classes are not organized in the right manner. No new knowledge is imparted and students find no careers. The research production of state university teachers is almost un impactful and insignificant; Central Universities also lag at global level. Hence government should take a NET examination of the regular teachers at a gap of three years ; the failed ones should be removed from the jobs. There exists a truthful possibility that a large section of the teachers will find it hard to cross this examination. Hence the suicide of Rohith has multiple aspects. It is suggestive of the fact that Indian politics has moved away from the true values of existence. We must attempt to find out the deep malaise rooted in the mindset of the politicians, academicians, and policy makers; only when these are eliminated, the right policies can be framed. India is country with multiple identities and every individual may possess different cultures, identities and thoughts. None is so much powerful to destroy a multicultural individual. None can destroy it. No politician or University or its agencies and apparatus are powerful to do so. Suicide of Rohith should not go in vain and it must be allowed to start a decisive discussion which must focus on the issues raised. Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava is Assistant Professor, CSJM Kanpur University (affiliated College) and Vice Chairman CSSP, e mail-vpy1000@yahoo.co.in SHARE By Mark Wilson of the Courier and Press The father of a teenager killed in a March 2015 alleged drunken driving collision is suing police for reportedly being denied medical care while he was jailed on drunken driving charges of his own. Charles Brown, 41, filed the lawsuit against Evansville and "unnamed police officers" last week in Vanderburgh Superior Court. Brown's 15-year-old son, Logan Brown, was killed on March 14 when a car he was riding in was struck in a head-on collision on University Parkway. Two other teenagers in the car were injured. The other driver in that crash, Michael Gann, 39, is facing multiple drunken driving charges from the incident, including charges of causing Logan Brown's death. The lawsuit filed by Charles Brown last week stems from one of two drunk driving arrests he had in 2014. It alleges that lack of medical care caused Brown to suffer complications that could have been avoided. Brown was in the middle of a trial in misdemeanor court for March 2014 drunken driving charges, but it was halted when he was arrested on similar charges in a separate July 24, 2014, incident, according to court records. Charges in the July 2014 criminal case from which the lawsuit stemmed were dismissed in September 2015. Brown's attorney, Mark Phillips, said the dismissal was not related to the fact that Brown's son had died in a drunk driving crash six months earlier. "Logan Brown's death had nothing to do with anything involving his dad's cases," Phillips said. He said prosecutors agreed to dismiss the July 2014 charges because of evidence issues and because Brown accepted responsibility. Brown was eventually convicted in the March 2014 case after pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated endangering another person, a class A misdemeanor. "He was convicted of one DUI and another was dismissed because it would not have changed his sentence," said Whitney Riggs, spokeswoman for the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office. The lawsuit filed last week said Brown had four broken bones in his face, a concussion and a large cut on his face from the July accident. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and given a blood test. "Officers from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department/Evansville Police Department" came to the hospital and arrested Brown, the lawsuit said. He was then "put in the drunk tank where he remained for several days where he received no medical attention." The complaint said that Brown was eventually moved to the jail medical unit and given an antibiotic and ibuprofen, but that his face continued swelling until one eye was closed and the other almost closed. When released from jail five days after his arrest, Brown's eye "had to be lanced open to drain and to allow the tissue to regrow as it was beginning to die due to lack of circulation," the lawsuit said. Brown also suffered a torn rotator cuff that was not diagnosed at the hospital because he was unconscious "and no one at the jail listened to his complaints or allowed him to see a doctor," according to the complaint. Phillips said the timing of the lawsuit was dictated by the Indiana statute on the filing of such tort claims. State law gives people 180 days from an incident to file a notice of the lawsuit. The defendant then has 90 days to respond. There is then a two-year window to file an actual complaint. Phillips said Brown's complaint was filed after receiving no response to his notice. He said he had hoped to reach an agreement without having to file the complaint. According to an Evansville Police Department probable cause affidavit, Brown crashed his motorcycle after striking a curb near Franklin Street and Eleventh Avenue on July 24, 2014, while riding with a female passenger. Blood tests at Deaconess Hospital, where he was treated, indicated his blood alcohol level was 0.286 percent at the time, according to the affidavit. In the March 2014 arrest, police officers were at Brown's house investigating a report of a trailer coming off a truck and hitting a parked vehicle when police stopped Brown as he drove by on a motorcycle, according to an affidavit. Brown failed field sobriety tests and a breath test registered his blood alcohol level at 0.15 percent, according to the affidavit. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Julia Abuzahra (left) and Neveah Abel, both 10, take part in the University of Evansvilles annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day re-enactment of 1963s March on Washington Monday afternoon. More than 350 people took part in the march. SHARE DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Felip Cortez, a senior at the University of Evansville, posts some of the peace pledges participants in the schools annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march filled out on the stairwell in the Ridgway University Center Monday afternoon. What will you do for the next 40 days to celebrate peace? was printed on the sheets. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS More than 350 people took part in the annual University of Evansvilles Martin Luther King Jr. Day march along the streets of Evansville Monday afternoon. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS The re-enactment of the 1963 March on Washington, an annual event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the University of Evansville, wraps up on the schools campus Monday afternoon. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Both children and adults take part in the University of Evansvilles annual re-enactment of the 1963 March on Washington Monday afternoon. The march is held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day each year. By Susan Orr of the Courier and Press The University of Evansville observed Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in a very public way by inviting people to march through East Side neighborhood streets. But organizers also invited participants to observe the day individually by making personal pro-peace promises. UE's annual march is a symbolic re-enactment of 1963's March on Washington. King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech as part of that event. UE estimated that this year's event drew at least 360 people. The crowd included children, college students and adults. In a brief gathering before the march, UE Diversity and Equity Officer LaNeeca Williams challenged the group to honor King's legacy in their own ways. "Think about peace. Be about peace. And know what you're going to do about peace right now," Williams said. Participants began their march through the UE campus, traveling Walnut Street, Alvord Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue before returning to the school. Afterward, participants were invited to sign "peace pledges," or written promises to take a specific peace-promoting action for the next 40 days. Sophomore Kudzi Mandingwa, a Zimbabwe native, said his pledge would be to try and understand other people. "For people to be at peace, I feel like people should understand each other." People's values affect their actions, Mandingwa said, so to understand people's behavior you must first understand the values that drive them. "By understanding their values, you can begin to have respectful conversation." As an example, Mandingwa said, different cultures have different feelings about personal space and social touch. If people don't understand this, a person from a more demonstrative culture might make the mistake of thinking people from a more reserved culture are unfriendly. Sylvia DeVault, UE's director of alumni and parent relations, said her peace pledge was not to judge other people. She said she plans to share this message with her children, ages 11 and 14. "You don't know what other people experience, or what they've lived through. Try not to pass judgment or make an assumption about them," DeVault said. After people wrote down their peace pledges, the unsigned pledge cards were taped to the Ridgway University Center stairway. Some pledges focused on day-to-day living: "Be kind to ALL the girls on my floor" and "No negativity on social media." Others were more global: "Remember that a little patience, kindness and empathy go a long way." And "Live as Christ lived." UE's Martin Luther King Jr. activities also included a public talk Monday evening by the Rev. Terry Atwater, a UE graduate, engineer and minister. The school has other MLK Day activities continuing this week. Both are in Ridgway University Center's Eykamp Hall, Room 251. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, a screening of "3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets." The film is a documentary about Jordan Davis, who was fatally shot at a Florida gas station in 2012 in a dispute over loud music. At 4 p.m. Wednesday, a panel discussion about Indiana's "Stand your ground" law, which deals with the use of deadly force. For more information on these events, call (812) 488-2413. SHARE Len Wells / Special to the Courier & Press A Army honor guard transfers the flag-draped coffin of Sgt. Kenneth L. Cunningham into the Ingram Funeral Home in Albion, Ill. Sgt. Cunninghams casket will remain at the funeral home until Wednesday evening when it will be transferred to the Little Prairie Christian Church west of Albion for visitation. The funeral will be held on Thursday. Sgt. Cunninghams remains arrived at the airport in Louisville, Ky. Tuesday morning. The hearse carrying his casket was escorted from the airport to Albion by Indiana State Police and members of the Patriot Guard. Photo by JESSIE HIGGINS Sgt. Kenneth Cunningham will be laid to rest Thursday beside his mother and father, Arthur and Margaret Cunningham, at the Little Prairier Cemetery in Albion, IL. His mother held hope that her son would return home all her life. She died in April 2015. Five months later, the military found Kenneth. Photo by JESSIE HIGGINS The hearse carrying Sgt. Kenneth Cunningham's remains was welcomed to Albion, IL by a crowd of people Tuesday. By Jessie Higgins of the Courier and Press ALBION, Ill. An entire community gathered along the main street of Albion, Illinois, on Tuesday afternoon for a long overdue homecoming. More than 45 years after Sgt. Kenneth Cunningham left the little town to fight in the Vietnam War, he has come home. "We've waited so long," said Linda Stennett, her eyes brimming with tears. "We're a small town, we all knew him. We're all so happy he's finally home." Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of people lined the roads with flags and banners to honor the young man, who died so many years ago. Cunningham went missing in Vietnam in 1969. He was declared dead nearly 10 years later, but for decades no one knew his real fate. His mother, Margaret Cunningham, always hoped that her son would one day return home. She died in April 2015 at 96 years old. Five months later, the military found Kenneth. "This should have happened a long time ago," said Theresa Cunningham, Kenneth Cunningham's cousin through marriage. "This should have happened when Margaret was alive. She always had hope. But, when she passed away, I feel like he was there waiting for her." Those who knew her all said Margaret Cunningham would have been proud to see her son's homecoming. The crowd of people gathered in the bitter cold Tuesday afternoon children huddled together wrapped in blankets all waving their little American flags. Margaret "would be proud of Albion," said Kathy Barnett, Margaret's niece through marriage. Barnett stood beside her son Kenneth Barnett, who was named after Sgt. Kenneth Cunningham. "I remember, we were discussing names," Kathy Barnett said. "We were all sitting around the table talking about it, and Margaret was being really quiet. I kept wondering what she was thinking. And then she said, 'Why don't you name him Kenneth?' And I just thought, 'Yes. Why didn't I think of that?'" Kathy Barnett began to cry, as she looked first at her son, then around at the crowd of people. "This is pretty special," she whispered. Tuesday morning, Larry Eckhardt, "The Flag Man," and more than 200 local volunteers lined the route through Albion to the Little Prairie Cemetery with about 2,400 full size American flags. Members of the Alboin VFW handed out about 500 small flags. Sgt. Cunningham's remains arrived in Louisville on Tuesday morning, and the Patriot Guard escorted him home. Cunningham's funeral will begin 2 p.m. Thursday at the Little Prairie Christian Church west of Albion. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Wednesday at the church. The Ingram Funeral Home of Albion is in charge of the arrangements. "Everyone that I talk to say they got chills when they saw the flags, and the people," Stennett said. "It's hard to talk about without getting tears in your eyes. We're all so happy that now the family finally gets closure." SHARE By Richard Gootee of the Courier and Press Police identified a woman found dead at a Knox County truck stop early Tuesday morning as a Princeton, Indiana, resident. State police said a truck driver at the Decker Truck Stop just off U.S. 41 called 911 Tuesday morning to report a driver who was slumped over in her vehicle. Authorities identified the woman as Terri Anna Power, 53. No foul play is suspected in Power's death, police said, but an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. Power was pronounced dead at the scene. Power was supposed to travel from Princeton to Waterman, Illinois, on Monday morning to visit family, according to authorities. She never arrived and was reported missing hours before her body was discovered. Sgt. Todd Ringle, an Indiana State Police spokesman, said it has not yet been determined if the cold contributed to Power's death. SHARE By Zach Osowski INDIANAPOLIS Less than two months ago, House Speaker Brian Bosma was calling for prescription-only legislation for pseudoephedrine medication. Now it seems that call will go unanswered this session. Although several different bills attempting to change the way pseudoephedrine medications such as Sudafed were sold in order to cut down on meth production in Indiana, it seems only one option will be heard this year. Rep. Cindy Kirchhofer, R-Beech Grove, chairs the House Public Health Committee. She has limited the pseudoephedrine discussion to one bill, House Bill 1157, which will be heard on Wednesday. HB 1157 is authored by Rep. David Frizzell, R-Indianapolis, and would make it illegal for anyone convicted of a drug-related felony from buying pseudoephedrine medications. Currently, the NPLEx system, which limits how much medications a person can buy in a given month and year, does not have information on people with drug-related felonies. Frizzell's bill would require the Indiana State Police to put that information into the system, which would then generate a stop sale if a convicted drug felon attempted to buy pseudoephedrine. Kirchhofer said Friday there was not enough support for other bills to consider them. Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Mount Vernon, had authored one of those alternatives. Her bill would have allowed for a small amount of pseudoephedrine to be purchased in case of emergencies but any subsequent purchases would have required a prescription. Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, authored House Bill 1390, which would have made pseudoephedrine medication completely prescription-only. A day before Kirchhofer's announcement, Bosma said there were three or four bills he thought were worth talking about but said it was up to the committee to decide which idea was best. "There are three or four options that have been introduced, all worthy of discussion," Bosma said on Thursday. "I've told the chairman I have expectations that they come out with something." Similar legislation will be heard in a Senate committee Tuesday morning. Sen. Randy Head, R-Logansport, has authored Senate Bill 80, which would do the same things as Frizzell's bill and allow for pharmacist consultations to anyone trying to buy Sudafed or similar medications. SB 80 is expected to be the only bill heard on the topic of meth. SHARE David Qualkenbush Huntingburg, Indiana Every Democrat candidate currently on the campaign trail, especially Hillary (Clinton), constantly clings to a bogus narrative. In their progressive drive to reform the entire U.S. judicial system, the claim is that one in three black youths will end up in prison. But when we cut through all the political correctness haze and smoke, there's one simple glaring fact that even the most robust democrats are forgetting with this tainted claim. Black or white, the current residents of our prisons have one thing in common. Everyone in custody has committed a violation of an existing law. They have been through our judicial system set up by our constitution, and then properly sentenced into custody. So, now in addition, we're seeing these very same Democrat candidates have taken all black prisoners, both current and future, under their wing, along with all the Muslim hordes fleeing their own ISIS controlled country? Any attempt to halt this refugee flood until some sort of process for properly vetting those individuals is solidly rejected by every Democrat candidate. As for the high ratio of black prisoners, there's one very simple explanation, you do the crime you do the time. This is not complicated. David Qualkenbush Huntingburg, IN For many authors, a blog gives them the chance to interact with their readers directly. A good author blog must attract new visitors while maintaining a loyal readership, provide interesting content that fills a gap within the marketplace, and seamlessly transition into those who are buying your books. These are just some of the reasons authors can do well with a blog. The question is how can you improve your blog? In place of sharing your favorite diet tips, short stories and mysteries are among my top suggestions. Mystery blogging started out as a short form of blogging. Blogs revolving around crimes and criminal activities were all the rage before the Internet made it easy to bring this form of blogging to millions of new authors. If you have a story to tell, theres no better way than to tell it through writing. Mystery blogs provide authors with a quick way to share their stories with the world. Another author blog idea is to create a static website. There are several reasons to choose a static website for your blog. One reason is that search engines are always crawling the Internet. When using a static website, your site will be indexed much faster. Another reason to create a static website is that many Internet users prefer websites that are not linked to from other sites. Another benefit of blogging is that it allows you to get short ideas down on paper and test ideas on your readership. You can talk about all aspects of life from exercise, to pets, to cooking and beyond. One final reason to use a static website as an author blog is that its hard to update a blog using links. Blogging platforms such as WordPress allow updating of blogs without linking. Linking is the preferred method for authors because it improves the overall value of their books. Another great blogging platform for mystery authors is to utilize guest blogging. Most blogging platforms such as WordPress allow authors to place a link to their website in each of their posts. This provides mystery readers with a quick way to find out about new books by having the authors website link to their latest book marketing blog post. Guest blogging provides authors with another avenue to promote their books. As authors continue to realize the importance of blogging and publishing books online, many more authors will take advantage of blogging opportunities. Mystery bloggers have discovered that they can market their books and their authorship by utilizing a variety of blogging platforms. Creating a book-marketing blog is simple and can lead to increased book sales. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Charlize Theron lived in South Africa back when it was an actual sci-fi dystopia full of flame-throwing cars and guns under every pillow. Unfortunately, that also included the Theron family's shotgun, which Charlize's alcoholic father grabbed one day and fired at his wife and daughter. Her mother responded by pulling out her own handgun and serving her husband divorce papers from the law firm of Smith & Wesson. Ana Elisa Fuentes/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images Continue Reading Below Advertisement Just a little something for the paparazzi to keep in mind at all times. No surprise, then, that Theron left the country to pursue a career in modeling, before dropping it to pursue ballet professionally, and then eventually moving to LA to make it as an actress. She struggled financially at first, and would occasionally get support from her mother. But one day, when Theron went to withdraw that money, the bank told her that she couldn't access her own account. Frustrated, she began yelling at the teller. This temper tantrum caught the attention of a high-profile manager who happened to be there and decided, "People would pay to see this beautiful woman scream." And that was that. Warner Bros. Continue Reading Below Advertisement "OK, Charlize. Bank Of America has overdrawn your account for no reason and they won't give the money back. Action!" So if there's one lesson Reedus and Theron can teach us, it's this: Be beautiful and yell at everybody all the time. Abraham is a Mexican lawyer. When he isn't doing law stuff, he writes comedy! You can say hi to him on Twitter here, or visit his DeviantArt here. Tara doesn't have a backstory yet, but she hopes that when she gets one, there's a radioactive spider involved. You can tell her your insane backstory at teratomatara@gmail.com. Plenty of famous stars sort of lucked their way into the limelight. Like Pamela Anderson being seen on a jumbotron. Or Michael Clarke Duncan started out as Biggie Smalls' bodyguard. See those and more in 7 Celebrity Careers That Launched by Accident and 5 Celebrities You Didn't Know Ass-Kicked Their Way To Fame. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out 19 WTF Celebrity Cameos by Celebrities You Think You'd Recognize , and watch other videos you won't see on the site! Also, follow us on Facebook, because we like you so much, we put a camera in your house to make sure you're safe while you're asleep. "Many times, will want to bolt away. If she tries, the male dog can have a severely injured penis," says Gabriella. We'll pause here so you can imagine it. "So, we keep her calmed down and wait the 10 to 15 minutes until he can pull out. One pair we watched had the female suddenly sprint with the hapless male behind her. We were honestly afraid might be ripped out and, since then, we have taken to putting both on leashes so that never happens again." George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images Continue Reading Below Advertisement Representing one of the few times where BDSM increases sexual safety. It can get equally awkward with animals that refuse to have sex, though. "There was a spaniel about 10 years ago that was one of the best around and that made it to some prestigious national competitions," M. Kuhn explains. "He also had a rare color pattern, so the breeder got a lot of calls for breeding matches. But then, they found out something the first mating out -- he was gay." No matter what they did to entice him , he would only stick by a few of the other males in the kennel and, despite his excellent background and genes (and the owner not being a supporter of artificial insemination), never bred. "I should clarify: never bred with a female." Is the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, a RINO a revolutionary in name only? So they must be muttering around the barracks of the Iranian Republican Guard Corps today. For while American hawks are saying we gave away the store to Tehran, consider what ayatollah agreed to. Last week, he gave his blessing to the return of 10 U.S. sailors who intruded into Iranian waters within hours of capture. He turned loose four Americans convicted of spying. And he gave final approval to a nuclear deal that is a national humiliation. Ordered by the U.S. and Security Council to prove Iran was not lying when it said it had no nuclear weapons program an assertion supported by 16 U.S. intelligence agencies "with high confidence" in 2007 the ayatollah had to submit to the following demands: Decommission 12,000 Iranian centrifuges, including all the advanced ones at Fordow, ship out of the country 98 percent of its enriched uranium, remove the core of its heavy-water reactor in Arak and fill it with concrete, and allow U.N. inspectors to crawl all over Iran's nuclear facilities for years to come. Iran is being treated by the great powers like an ex-con on parole who must be monitored and fitted with an ankle bracelet. Why did the ayatollah capitulate to these demands? Comes the reply: To get $100 billion. But the money Iran is getting back belongs to Iran. It is not foreign aid. The funds had been frozen until Iran accepted our conditions. The sanctions worked. There is another reason Tehran may have submitted. When Iran said it did not have a nuclear bomb program, it was telling the truth. Indeed, it is Iran's accusers, many from the same crowd that misled and lied to us when they said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, whose credibility is in question today. Iran's accusers should produce their evidence, if any, that Iran had, or still has, a nuclear bomb program. Otherwise, they should shut up with the lying and goading the U.S. into another war that will leave us with another trillion-dollar debt, ashes in our mouths, and thousands more dead and wounded warriors. Yet, if Iran does not have a nuclear bomb program, we must ask: Why not? And the answer suggests itself: Because Iran concluded, years ago, that an atom bomb would make it less not more secure. For, as soon as Iran tested a bomb, a nuclear arms race would be on in the Mideast with Saudis, Turks and Egyptians all in competition. The Israelis would put their nuclear arsenal on a hair trigger. And most dangerous for Iran, she would find herself confronting the USA. Yet, no matter how much the mullahs may hate us, they are not stupid, and they know a war with America would leave their country, as it left Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, smashed and broken. Iraq is today splintered into Sunni, Shiite, Kurd and Arab. And Iran, after a war with the USA, could decompose into a tribalized land of warring Persians, Arabs, Baluch, Kurds and Azeris. Yet, if a war with America would be a disaster for Iran, detente with America might bring a time of peace that could enable this largest nation on the Persian Gulf, with 80 million people, and an ally now of its old rival Iraq, to achieve hegemony in the Gulf. Which brings us back to the ayatollah. From his actions, he appears to have blessed Iran's taking the same road on which Deng Xiaoping set out some four decades ago. After Mao's death, Deng found China with a backward economy in a booming world led by Reagan's America and a Japan on the march. To save Communism, Deng decided to embrace state capitalism. And as there is nothing new under the sun, Deng had a model. In 1921, in the wake of Russia's crushing defeat in the Great War and bloodletting in the Civil War between "Reds" and "Whites," Lenin saw his regime imperiled by a rising revolution against the Bolsheviks. He dumped "war Communism" for a New Economic Policy, opened Russia to Western investors, while assuring the comrades that the capitalists "will sell us the rope with which we will hang them." Similarly, Iran's regime seems to have concluded that the path to power and permanence of the regime lies not in conflict with the United States, but in avoiding conflict and taking the China road. President Hassan Rouhani, who also sees Iran's future as best assured by resolving the nuclear issue and reengaging with the West, described his triumph to the Iranian parliament: "All are happy except Zionists, warmongers, sowers of discord among Islamic nations and extremists in the U.S. The rest are happy." If this deal is truly in the interests of the United States and Iran, whose interests would be served by scuttling it? Who seeks to do so? And why would they want a return to confrontation and perhaps war? Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of the new book "The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority." To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Web page at www.creators.com. Telecommunication services provider Voiteck has paid a penalty of $10,200 following an issue of an infringement notice by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). ACCC issued the infringement notice because it had reasonable grounds to believe that Voiteck had made false or misleading representations to residents of Lifestyle SA retirement villages about their right to choose a telecommunications services provider. The problem started last June when Lifestyle SA had selected Voiteck as its preferred telecommunications provider. The next month, a letter was sent out by Voiteck to Lifestyle SA residents stating that it had been appointed as the chosen internet and telephone services provider. The letter also stated that Voiteck would become their billing provider and that it was migrating all residents to new call rates and internet services. ACCC acting chairman Michael Schaper said: In this case, the ACCC was concerned that Lifestyle SA residents were given misleading impression that they had no choice of internet and telephone services provider and were required to use Voiteck. In reality, they were free to choose any service provider. The payment of a penalty specified in an infringement notice is not an admission of a contravention of the Australian Consumer Law. However, the ACCC can issue an infringement notice when it has reasonable grounds to believe a person has contravened certain consumer protection laws. CRN tried contacting Voiteck for comments but they did not get back in time of writing. Voiteck is a South Australian headquartered IP telephony solutions provider, focused on providing Australian businesses with telephone solutions. Dicker Data has donated $100,000 to assist families and businesses devastated by the tornado that ripped through eastern Sydney last month. The Sydney suburb of Kurnell where Dicker Datas headquarters is located copped the full brunt of the extreme weather on 16 December. The IT distribution company managed to avoid serious damage in the 200km/h winds, but many other homes and businesses were not so fortunate. This is a small way in which were able to give back to the community we operate in, said Dicker Data chair and chief executive David Dicker. We hope that this donation goes a long way in helping the families and businesses in the area restore normality. Were also very thankful that all of our staff and our facility survived the event with no impact. The $100,000 contribution was poured into the Sutherland Shire Mayors Kurnell Disaster Appeal last Friday. We are especially grateful to Dicker Data for their kind donation, said Sutherland Shire mayor, councillor Carmelo Pesce. The disaster has left the Kurnell community with significant challenges, and they will need a lot of support to help them through this difficult time. Question: What do you do once you've created the last word in business ultraportables? One that's already dripping with features that professionals will love, to quote our review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. A laptop that packs immense power and a 14in screen into a chassis weighing a shade over 1kg. The answer, it turns out, is to kit it out with a stunning, eye-popping, attention-grabbing OLED screen. The best comparison I can think of to explain the difference between 14 inches of OLED beauty with even a top-notch IPS display is to imagine two paintings side by side: one watercolour, one pastels. Use whatever adjective you like - intense, rich, vibrant, bold - but the end result is that, afterwards, other screens just look a little bit drab. There is a battery hit. Lenovo says the new ThinkPad X1 Yoga lasts 11 hours with the IPS display, but only 9 hours with the OLED screen. You may also find that photos that look fine on a typical display suddenly look over-saturated on OLED technology (talking of which, you'll note that I haven't included a photo of the OLED display next to an IPS version; this wasn't for lack of trying, but the difference simply doesn't show in a photo). The other big change, as the name of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga indicates, is that the keyboard of Lenovo's flagship business ultraportable now flips around 360 degrees. So, you can use it in laptop mode, tent mode (like an inverted V), stand mode and as an absolutely enormous tablet. The keys retract into the base for this last mode, to make the rear feel flatter in the hand. When using a 14in tablet that weighs 1.27kg, however, I suspect most people will rest it on a table or their legs, perhaps scrawling notes during a meeting using the ever-so-clever Stylus Pen. This stows away inside the base of the Yoga, which is also how you charge it. Neat. Even better, if the battery starts to run low (after around two hours) then inserting it back into the slot for five seconds will inject 100 minutes' worth of charge. There are a couple of other less dramatic improvements to the X1 Yoga compared with the X1 Carbon of 2015. One of my favourites is a much smaller power supply (see the photo below) that can quick-charge the X1 to 80% within an hour. A fingerprint reader, which supports Windows Hello, is another nice touch. (Sorry.) There's also a myriad of ports, including three USB 3.0, a microSD slot and Lenovo's updated OneLink+ connector. To this, you can connect Lenovo's new compact docking station, which includes an Ethernet port and support for output to dual 4K displays. All those relatively small improvements apply to the updated Lenovo Carbon X1 too, and both machines share the same powerful internal components, including the latest Intel Skylake processors, right the way up to a Core i7 vPro. Even storage is given a juicy boost via a fast NVMe SSD. In short, this laptop can be as stunningly powerful as you want it to be. The X1 Yoga is due to ship later this month, but as ever with the ThinkPad X1 range, it won't be cheap. Prices for the IPS version will start at $1,449 - I don't have UK pricing yet - so this is very much a machine for the high-flying executive. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga specifications: Security News EiQ Networks Lands $9.55M In Series C Funding, Looks To Invest In Growing Channel Sarah Kuranda Share this EiQ Networks is the latest startup to benefit from a flow of funding entering the security industry, landing $9.55 million in Series C funding Tuesday that it says it will put toward growing its channel efforts around midmarket partners. The new funding, led by Arrowroot Capital, brings the company's total funds raised to around $30 million. Based in Boston, EiQ Networks offers a series of hybrid Software-as-a-Service security solutions aimed at helping midmarket customers get their security posture up to par with larger, better funded enterprises. The SaaS service includes critical security controls auditing, co-managed SIEM and log management, continuous vulnerability management, 24/7 security monitoring, incident analysis and remediation guidance, and compliance reporting. [Related: Raytheon|Websense Integrates Security Brands Into Single Platform, Relaunches Company As Forcepoint] Matt Tirman, president and CEO of Redhawk Network Security, a Bend, Ore.-based EiQ Networks partner, said the new funding round is a "validation" of the company's solution. Since Redhawk partnered with EiQ last fall, he said, the partnership has been extremely beneficial, and the latest round of funding is "gravy" on top of the vendor's momentum in the midmarket space. "As a partner, it definitely gets me excited," Tirman said. "It's validation of a product that we believe in and we're recommending to clients. That's huge." The latest round of funding will allow the company to ramp up its investments in sales and marketing, particularly toward its budding channel program, CEO Vijay Basani said in an interview with CRN. Those investments will prove key as EiQ Networks looks to continue its strong growth trajectory, having notched 178 percent year-over-year growth in 2015, Basani said. "We have very high expectations in terms of growth," Basani said. "We had phenomenal growth last year." For partners, Basani said, investments will take the form of partner marketing initiatives, as well as hiring more partner-focused employees and the development of partner and sales enablement tools. Basani said EiQ Networks sees the channel as a critical way of scaling the business, and will look to "get an increasingly large percentage of our sales from channel partners." "We are committed to investing in and developing the partner network," Basani said. "We want to find the right partners and we want to invest in them." The company has about 15 to 20 partners and is looking to recruit the right partners over the next few years, ultimately looking to have a few hundred partners that are the right fit for the technology, he said. Helping lead that investment is Dick Faulkner, vice president of worldwide sales, who joined the company last year from Hexis Cyber Solutions. He also has served as vice president of sales and operations at Sophos. What sets EiQ Networks apart in the market is its focus on bringing deep security expertise to the midmarket, Basani said. That deep expertise, with more than 70 engineers and more than 30 Security Operations Center team members, is a "huge advantage" for customers over competitors such as SecureWorks and Alert Logic, he said. "We are not only providing technology, but we are providing people, process and technology to elevate the midmarket customer's environment," Basani said. "We want to make it harder for the bad guys to break into our customers." The midmarket poses a huge greenfield opportunity for partners, Basani said, estimating that 70 percent of the market is untapped. Basani said midmarket customers are increasingly becoming the target of attacks, as they often work with larger enterprises with valuable information and generally don't have the budget to invest in security technologies to protect themselves against attackers. However, Basani said, midmarket companies are starting to pay attention and are starting to make budget-friendly investments in security technologies. "There is definitely increased awareness in the midmarket segment," Basani said. "They are realizing that they are being targeted and that they need to do something about it." PUBLISHED JAN. 19, 2016 Security News AlienVault Creates Channel Chief Position, Names Former Westcon, HP Exec To Role Sarah Kuranda Share this AlienVault is investing big in the channel, creating a new worldwide channel chief position and naming former Westcon and Hewlett-Packard executive Anthony D'Angelo to the role. D'Angelo joins the up-and-coming UTM and threat intelligence vendor with nearly 20 years of experience working with channel companies, joking to CRN that he "bleeds channel." He most recently served as vice president of global partner management and emerging technologies at Westcon, Tarrytown, N.Y., but also held a position as vice president of worldwide channel sales at Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, Calif., from 2009 to 2013. D'Angelo, whose appointment was unveiled Monday, said he knew San Mateo, Calif.-based AlienVault from his time at Westcon, where he was in charge of evaluating high-growth companies in the market that the selective distributor might be interested in partnering with. He said AlienVault had a strong growth record and brand name, which he said was reinforced when talking to management during the hiring process. [Related: AlienVault Lands $52 Million In Series E Funding To Drive Accelerated Growth] "Once I got a chance to interact with some of the folks, it was very clear that AlienVault is poised for aggressive growth, and the channel will be an essential part of that," D'Angelo said. "I loved the opportunity to join that and work on those goals." The creation of the new role of worldwide channel chief reinforces the company's commitment to the channel, which accounts for a significant portion of its go-to-market approach, D'Angelo said. Justin Endres, senior vice president, worldwide sales, agreed, saying in a statement that D'Angelo's appointment is a way to create more collaboration between AlienVault and its roughly 70 partners. "We view our partners as a critical extension to AlienVault and we are committed to their success," said Endres in the statement. "With Anthony's leadership, we can further increase our collaboration and help our network of partners grow their businesses at an accelerated rate." DAngelo officially started at the security company in December. He said his short-term goals include engaging with partners and learning what is working and what needs to be improved. That process is already well underway, he said. In the long term, D'Angelo said, partners can expect to see improvements to the partner program, an establishment of global distribution and a focus on quality partners. "I can't emphasize enough the commitment that AlienVault has for building a strong and profitable channel," D'Angelo said. "I'm confident that we're going to see a lot of new programs, but certainly we will be engaging more and more with our VARs and MSSPs." PUBLISHED JAN. 19, 2016 Expedition cruise line Australis has confirmed its intention to build a new ship to replace the Via Australis, which has been sold to Lindblad Expeditions and will leave the fleet in April. This will leave Australis with the 210-passenger Stella Australis, and the company has said it will add a second ship by the end of 2017. It will offer more cabins in a streamlined, modern vessel, comparable to the Stella Australis. The new ship should be completed by the end of 2017, said Australis in a prepared statement. The Stella Australis was built at the ASENAV shipyard in Chile. Jorge Rodriguez, North America market manager said: This represents a great opportunity for Australis to increase our offerings with a faster, leaner, and more modern ship, which will be similar to the Stella Australis, the ship we launched in 2010. The DDoS extortion criminal group, DD4BC, has been hunted ever since the groups formation in July 2014 by their victims and law enforcement. One of their first victims, Bitalo Bitcoin Exchange, issued a 100 bitcoin bounty in November 2014 for information on the full and proven identity of the perpetrators. Additionally, an international cooperation of law enforcement has been tracking the group for over a year and a half. DD4BCs luck finally ran out. On Jan. 12, Europol announced that one person has been arrested and another detained as part of Operation Pleiades, a cooperative investigation that included law enforcement agencies from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, the UK and Europol. [ ALSO ON CSO: Europol confirms raid against DDoS extortion ring DD4BC ] One would hope that the arrest would signal an end of DDoS extortion activity, but all signs point to a continuation of this type of behavior. The vast majority of victims do not pay the ransom and choose to wait it out or strengthen their countermeasures, but just enough websites pay the ransom to make it worthwhile for the attackers. Copycats have already sprung up with similar methods and objectives to DD4BC. DD4BCs (shorthand for DDoS 4 Bitcoin) methods were simple, but very effective: they would choose a victim, such as a financial institution or online gambling company, and launch a DDoS attack on the organizations website. The DDoS attack, in most cases, would render the website inoperable or slow for visitors. DD4BC would then email a ransom note demanding payment. The ransom notes typically had the same attributes: A claim that the current DDoS attack the victim is experiencing is caused by the author of the note A demand for payment in Bitcoin usually ranging from $500 to $25,000 when converted to USD A threat that if the ransom is not paid, attacks will increase in power and duration A promise that if the ransom is paid, DD4BC will leave the company alone forever There are not any public, confirmed cases of a company paying a ransom to DD4BC; after all, it could be very embarrassing and call the companys security posture into question, and encourage additional attacks from copycats. However, many ransom notes have been made public and it is possible to track the payment of Bitcoin due to the nature of the cryptocurrencys public ledger. Its not entirely conclusive, but there is strong evidence that many website operators paid the ransom, according to a 2015 report on DD4BC released by Arbor Networks. [ MORE ON CSO: Many ransomware victims plead with attackers ] Arbor Networks found that payments were regularly made to the Bitcoin wallets in the ransom notes; although small in monetary amount, they were steady enough to make the operation profitable. Considering that botnets that launch DDoS attacks can be leased very cheaply, the return on investment is attractive, even though the perpetrators are not likely to get rich. Organizations targeted in DDoS extortion attacks should never pay the extortionist... Roland Dobbins, principal engineer at Arbor Networks Copycats have already sprung up; one notable example is the Armada Collectives attack against ProtonMail in November 2015. Their methods and objectives are a near facsimile of DD4BCs and this attack is the only confirmed case of the victim paying the ransom. ProtonMail came under sustained DDoS attack and received a ransom note promising to stop if the company paid. The company did pay - but the attacks did not stop. This appears to be because ProtonMails woes were made public, which led to even more copycat attackers joining in, hoping to get paid also. What should a company do if they are attacked and receive a ransom note? Roland Dobbins, principal engineer at Arbor Networks explains, Organizations targeted in DDoS extortion attacks should never pay the extortionist - as we've seen on many occasions, the extortionist keeps coming back for additional payments, and others in the criminal underground will eventually hear that paying organizations are easy marks, as well, and they'll end up being constantly bombarded by DDoS attacks. It may be tempting to just pay the ransom, to get the attackers to move on or to buy time to strengthen defenses, but this is not a good strategy. Its best to build these type of attacks into risk models and incident response plans before they occur. Judging from headlines and recent data released by national moving companies, one might conclude that there is a bit of an exodus occurring in Connecticut with thousands leaving the state. But according to analysts on the ground, the facts behind the states immigration patterns paint a less bleak picture. This trend has been consistent for 20 years, said Joseph McGee, vice-president of public policy and programs with The Business Council of Fairfield County. We are a slow growth state, he said. When you look at the data more people are moving out of Connecticut than are moving in, but not by much. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2014, that state experienced a deficit of at least 14,000 people with more than 82,000 people moving to Connecticut from other states, but more than 96,000 residents moving out. Growth has indeed been slow. In the decades between 1970 and 2014 the state gained half a million residents, bring the current population to an estimated total of 3.5 million in July 2014, according to census data. The pace of growth has been far slower than the baby boomer eras of the 1950s and 60s, when the state gained an estimated 1 million residents. But dissecting the numbers, McGee and other analysts look to other factors such as Connecticuts aging population as well as inbound international migrations as caveats to the losses. International migration is very important to us, there is no question, people moving in from abroad is very critical to us maintaining our population, it offsets the out-migration, he said. Peter Gioia, vice president and an economist with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association pegs some of the losses on the states aging population. When people retire they dont want to shovel snow, so naturally from northeast states you get movement down south, he said. While census data shows that the largest segments of outbound migration over the last few years are among 18-34-year-olds, additional data suggest the well-known retirement state of Florida, one of seven states and the only on the East Coast with no personal income tax, is among top locations for Connecticut residents. One thing that hasnt been tracked and would be interesting to see is that more and more business people family business people, small business owners as they are approaching retirement age they are getting advice to go down south to avoid taxes, he said. We know that advisers and accountants are telling people to do this simply because Connecticut taxes for people who have means are way the heck too high. In 2014 New York, Massachusetts and Florida drew the most Connecticut residents, respectively, with nearly 13,000 Connecticut residents moving to Florida. As for those moving in from abroad and within the country, McGee notes a sizable portions of inbound migrants bring with them higher education degrees. According to census data, between 2010 and 2014 1.8 percent of the population 25 and over moved into Connecticut from another state - totaling 44,200 people. Out of that total, 24,000 of the movers had a bachelors degree or higher. It speaks to the jobs here jobs that require a high level of education, McGee said. Connecticut is a state where if you are smart you want to live here, we attract educated people. But both Gioia and McGee note that the true concern is not so much as who or how many are moving out of the state, but what those moving out are taking with them. There no is no story line that the moving vans are backed up, that is just not true and the data does not support that, McGee said. The key for us is are we losing people who are earning more than people coming in? This concern was specifically addressed by Jeff Klaus, the Connecticut regional president for Webster Bank at the Norwalk Chamber of Commerces 2016 economic forum. Between 2011 and 2013 27,000 people left Connecticut taking with them $3.8 billion in income, Klaus told a crowd of more than 100 people at the forum. It is not just a financial loss that is a concern, but also the intellectual deficit, said McGee. Between 2010 and 2014 population growth has begun to flatline, growing by approximately 19,000 people during that time. For the first time since 1991 the states population decreased an approximate drop of 3,000 people, according to census data. My own view is Connecticut needs to grow to 4 million over the next 5 years, said McGee. We need to grow at 100,000 a year and we need to step this up because we are seeing that we are not getting the labor force we need with the talent we need and we hear from our members consistently in the areas of engineer and digital information technology that we have a real gap in filling those jobs. We hear repeatedly that we do not have people in Connecticut with these skills and while our colleges are employing programs in these areas, it is not quick enough to fill the need. Reece Alvarez is a writer for the Fairfield County Business Journal. For more go to www.westfaironline.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT A former city cop who police said confessed to writing a phony racist letter is seeking probation. It was Clive Higgins in the spotlight Tuesday morning as he stood with his lawyer before state Superior Court Judge William Holden. Higgins, 50, a 13-year veteran of the police f orce who claims, according to the arrest warrant affidavit, he was ordered by a superior to write the letter, filed an application for accelerated rehabilitation, a pretrial program for nonviolent offenders. Charged with falsely reporting an incident, a misdemeanor, Higgins would not plead guilty to the charge but could get up to two years of probation if he is accepted into the program. Holden continued the case for a hearing Feb.11. Neither Higgins nor his lawyer, Frederick Paoletti, would comment as they left the Golden Hill Street courthouse. Last Feb. 9, Higgins, who had been found not guilty by a federal jury in the infamous Beardsley Park stomping case, reported he had found a racist letter in his mailbox in the Police Department. The letter, which was also disseminated about the department, was typed on city letterhead and made negative comments about African-American officers and complained Higgins, who is African-American, didnt belong on the police force. The discovery sparked calls for an investigation by the NAACP and national organizations of African-American police officers. The city called in the state police to investigate. State police said Higgins admitted he wrote the letter after they presented him with surveillance video that showed him typing the letter in the Police Department. Higgins looked at the photographs and began rubbing and shaking his head. Higgins then admitted that it was in fact the hate letter he claimed to have found in his mailbox, state police said. State police said Higgins told them he was ordered to write the letter by Lt. Lonnie Blackwell, president of the Bridgeport Guardians, an organization of minority police officers, to bring attention to the department with respect to ongoing racial complaints. Blackwell, who was head of the police academy, has been placed on administrative duty pending a hearing before Police Chief Joseph Gaudett. If youre looking to shake things up in the New Year, and particularly if the changes you want to make involve company culture and employee moral, creating a volunteer program is a great option. An employee volunteer program, sometimes called an EVP, is a newer option that companies are using as a way to create more of a well-rounded business. At first look, it may seem like a volunteer program is really for the individuals in your company, and while this is wonderful and usually enough of an incentive for a business, its also worth understanding that your company will also benefit as a whole for several reasons. Related: Getting Employees to Volunteer and Give It boosts employee moral . Knowing that you get a day off in the future to do something for the community or for a good cause can help keeping employees motivated at work and feel pride in their company. . Knowing that you get a day off in the future to do something for the community or for a good cause can help keeping employees motivated at work and feel pride in their company. It helps you create local connections . Making these connections can help get your company name out there to not only local organizations but also other members of the community who see the good youre doing or also work with the same organization. . Making these connections can help get your company name out there to not only local organizations but also other members of the community who see the good youre doing or also work with the same organization. You become a more desirable place to work . This is a big selling point for many employees who are looking for work-life balance. If your company offers this program, it shows that you value that, and youre a company with a well-rounded mission. . This is a big selling point for many employees who are looking for work-life balance. If your company offers this program, it shows that you value that, and youre a company with a well-rounded mission. It can help build your reputation . You should never volunteer just to make yourself look good, but its a definite side effect that doesnt hurt from a company perspective. Building your reputation both online and offline is only becoming more important in the New Year. . You should never volunteer just to make yourself look good, but its a definite side effect that doesnt hurt from a company perspective. Building your reputation both online and offline is only becoming more important in the New Year. Employees can develop new skills. Depending on the opportunity, employees may be put in teamwork positions or be asked to problem solve, design or run events, work with children, etc., all of which may help develop new skills for the employee. So incorporating a social mission into your company is great, but how do you get started? Its important to find the right volunteer opportunities, because one size doesnt fit all, so consider some of the tips and tactics below first before jumping into any programs. 1. Choose the right cause. Before you even begin looking for opportunities, think about what types of organizations you may want to get involved with. Consider the interests of your employees, and consider what might compliment your type of business -- for example, if you sell reading software to schools, you may want to volunteer somewhere in the school system. Its also important to consider the size of your business, because in some cases, splitting up your time into two organizations or having several choices may make the most sense. Of course thinking of these stipulations isnt mandatory, and in fact what you think you want may change once you get out there and start talking to people, but its good to give it some thought beforehand. This will help you be better prepared to ask questions as you look for opportunities. Related: How Your Business Can Build Lasting Partnerships With Nonprofits 2. Create objectives for the program. Before you talk with organizations, you should have an idea of what you want out of a partnership so that you can get right down to business. Think about what your objectives are for your program by asking several questions Do you want employees to complete a certain amount of hours or days, do you want them to finish a project, or is there another goal you have in mind? How long are you hoping to commit to a volunteer program? Will you give days off to employees who volunteer? Will it be mandatory for your staff to participate? If not, are you going to offer an incentive for participation? Do you want all of your employees volunteering together (for team-building purposes), or are you more interested in them finding opportunities that matter to them at a time that is convenient for them? Do you have a budget to spend on the right volunteer program or are you looking for something completely free? I highly recommend creating a committee to run the volunteer program in your business so that everything stays in order. Again, as you start looking, this may change, but its good to have these questions answered as soon as possible so you can find the right fit. 3. Go out and find opportunities. This is probably the most time-consuming part of creating a program, because you really have to go out of your way to talk with your community and find the right cause. There are three ways that seem to be the most popular for companies who are just getting started with a program Ask your employees if they have ideas . Youll likely find that someone on your staff is already working with a charity and can help give you that connection to the right people. . Youll likely find that someone on your staff is already working with a charity and can help give you that connection to the right people. Use an online volunteer website. There are lots of websites out there to help you find openings. A few include Idealist.org, VolunteerMatch.org and UnitedWay.org. There are lots of websites out there to help you find openings. A few include Idealist.org, VolunteerMatch.org and UnitedWay.org. Attend community events. Simply getting out there and going to events, even as an individual and not as a company representative, can help you find new causes. You can also ask those you meet at networking events about their experiences. Keep in mind that its not uncommon to have to try working with a few different organizations to find the right fit. For example, some companies will have a project you can sign up for once per year, and then the next year the project is with a different organization. In other instances, the company lets the employee choose their activity and then approves or disapproves their choice. To get even more advanced, there are tools out there that can help you manage your program and keep track of whether or not youre meeting your goals, who is getting involved, etc. You can learn more about a detailed program like this here. Do you have a volunteer program setup for your staff? What was your process in getting started, and have you seen any changes in your staffs motivation or culture? Let us know your thoughts and your experience in the comment section below. Related: Volunteer to Help Those in Need -- and Become a Better Entrepreneur Related: How to Find and Offer Volunteer Opportunities to Your Employees 8 Subtle but Practical Ways to Promote Yourself at Work 3 Ways to Build a Culture of Service at Your Startup Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HARTFORD A consumer group is calling Gov. Dannel P. Malloys $11 billion plan to widen Interstate 95 to ease congestion a boondoggle that will waste taxpayer money. The Connecticut Public Interest Research Group on Tuesday said money earmarked to widen I-95 would be better spent improving mass transportation, enhancing the Metro-North commuter railroad so it can handle more passengers and installing congestion tolling. Road widening does not address congestion, said Evan Preston, ConnPIRGs state director. As we make choices, investing in I-95 is the least effective way to increase our transportation system. But Joe Cutrufo, policy director for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, cited national studies which show widening projects actually increase congestion. Studies have shown when you widen a highway, you invite more traffic onto it, Cutrufo said. Connecticut could be a great place to get around via transit and better service on Metro-North. Judd Everhart, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, acknowledged wider highways attract more cars. But that doesnt mean you shouldnt do it, he said. More Information Money matters ConnPRIG's recommendations for spending transportation dollars: Increase Metro-North ridership and availability Invest in more buses and mass transportation modes Use congestion tolling Repair existing roads and bridges Build bicycle and pedestrian pathways See More Collapse Billions to widen Malloys $100 billion, 30-year plan to reform and upgrade Connecticuts bus, rail and highway system includes $11.4 billion to widen I-95 at choke points between Greenwich and New Haven. The plan would also spend $4.4 billion to widen Interstate 84 at key points between Danbury and Waterbury and $4.2 billion to widen I-95 east of New Haven. The governors 30-year, $100 billion plan is full of proposed investments in public transit, Everhart said. Connecticut has invested more than $2 billion in recent years to expand service and enhance stations and accompanying parking and support facilities. Devon Puglia, Malloys spokesman, cited a report by CDM Smith, the states transportation consultant, which concluded widening select portions of I-95 and I-84 will help the state grow. (The) projects have a positive return on investment and represent critical interventions to support the states economic future, CDM Smith concluded. They allow Connecticut to remain competitive as a business location site. Without these projects, the high costs of congestion would drive away a portion of the states business growth. CDM Smith added: The projects address severe congestion along key economic corridors and enable Connecticut to add roughly 5,800 jobs. The impacts will be spread widely across the states economy. State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, said many legislators have reservations about widening I-95 and other highways. The emphasis should be on mass transit, Steinberg said. It does not lead to reductions in congestion. It leads to more cars on the highway. Steinberg said electronic congestion tolling, which offers express lanes for rush hour travel in exchange for a small fee, better reduces congestion. Boondoggles State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton and a ranking member of the Transportation Committee, said she has reservations over the cost of Malloys transportation plan, but acknowledged I-95 needs to be widened. I would not dismiss widening I-95, Boucher said. Its a choke hold and its curvy. But Boucher said where the money will come from for Malloys transportation plan remains unclear, adding she opposes tolls or raising gas taxes and other fees to help cover costs. Im not saying its doable in my lifetime, Boucher said. We have another deficit and we are already in a hole. Lets be realistic. Its our bridges and rails. We have to fix whats broken now with the scarce money we have. ConnPIRG said Colorado is wasting $58 billion widening I-170 and North Carolina is needlessly spending $647 million to widen I-77. Milwaukee recently canceled a widening project after community advocates opposed it, the group noted. Several states are re-evaluating the wisdom of boondoggle highway projects, either shelving them entirely or forcing revisions to the projects, ConnPIRG said in a report on boondoggles. The report cited 12 highway projects across the country including Connecticut which exemplify the need for a fresh approach. America does not have the luxury of wasting tens of billions of dollars on new highways of questionable value, ConnPIRG said. State and federal decisionmakers should re-evaluate the need for the projects profiled in this report and others that no longer make sense in an era of changing transportation needs. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD Krystal Collins booming alto voice could be heard above the more muted sounds of those singing beside her. We shall overcome, she sang. We shall overcome. We shall overcome someday. For Collins, being an active participant in the citys annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day march and rally was important. Her 13-year-old daughter, Kasey Vaughn, needs to learn the importance of the work King did, Collins said. Im here because of what he stood for, she said. Theres still work that needs to be done. And to teach my daughter that peaceful marches work. That there is a better way to do things. Collins was among the more than 300 people who braved the low temperatures and took to the streets of the West Side and downtown Monday to celebrate the life of the man whose dream is still alive. At one point, near the corner of Atlantic Street and Tresser Boulevard, drivers sitting in their cars waiting for the marchers to pass by began honking their car horns to show support. Im out here because were all looking for change, said Verdell Johnson, 73, of Stamford. Were acknowledging that there has been change but we still have more to do. And until we arrive, well keep marching. State Reps. Terry Adams, D-146, and William Tong, D-147, and attorney Philip Berns were this years grand marshals. Adams said he was glad to see more young people at the event than in past years. There were well more than 50 teenagers in the rally at Bethel AME Church and many more joined the march afterward. Im here to show progress in my community, said Earl Williams, 18, a Stamford resident. He and his friend, James Woods, 19, of Trumbull, were attending the march for the first time. So many people dont realize it wasnt always like this, Woods said. We werent able to just do what we wanted to do. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the national celebration of Kings life and actions. Like Collins, Alicia McMillian and her husband, Lewis, felt it was important to participate and set an example for their daughter, 2-year-old Brianna, who could barely be seen under her large winter coat, hat and blanket. Youre never too young to start, McMillian said. Minutes earlier, Jack Bryant, president of the Stamford NAACP, had reminded the youth of the significance of Kings 1963 I have a dream speech by reading it in its entirety. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character, he recited. For Cheri Humphrey, 45, listening to the speech and participating in the march were reminders of the stories she heard from her grandmother, Rose, who marched on Washington in 1963, where King delivered his famous speech. If my grandmother Rose Humphrey could walk in 1963, then even with this cold Cheri Humphrey is going to make it, she said. And although Humphrey made it to the end, others were unable to continue and received a ride from a police officer to the Yerwood Center, the marchers final destination. There Kasey Vaughn, Collins daughter, sang the Negro National Anthem as part of the program that included speeches by Adam and Tong. Vaughn said she was grateful for what King stood for and what he did while alive. He means equality for all, she said. ktorres@scni.com; 203-964-2265 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Earths oceans are absorbing more heat from a warming world, and the pace of the temperature rise is increasing with each passing decade, researchers have discovered. In the past two decades alone, the oceans have taken up more than half the increase in heat created by the worlds outpouring of greenhouse gases during the entire industrial era, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reported Monday following a study of ocean temperature records dating back more than a century. Most of that heat has been absorbed in the upper 2,300 feet of the oceans, but an ever greater amount is reaching into deeper ocean levels a mile and more down, said Peter J. Gleckler, a Livermore physicist and climate scientist who led the research. Were now seeing that more and more of the heat from global warming is going into the deeper layers of the oceans, Gleckler said in a telephone interview. Several heat sources Among the warming influences carrying heat into the oceans are receding sea ice in the Arctic, melting glaciers over much of Greenland and collapsed ice shelves in Antarctica, the researchers said. The heat capacity of the ocean system is huge, said Paul J. Durack, a Livermore oceanographer on the research team. And that melting land-based ice adds to the total mass of the warming ocean. As the oceans absorb more heat they expand and become a major cause of the sea-level rise were already seeing. The researchers conceded in their report that the environmental effects of the increasing heat at deeper ocean levels are poorly understood, if at all. And as a physicist and climate modeler, Gleckler said in the interview that he cannot predict what those effects might be. Some data in the new research comes from computer models of the oceans response to the changing heat output generated by the worlds greenhouse gases. But much of it has come from an international project called Argo that is financed by more than 30 countries and has been gathering data over the past decade from an array of more than 4,000 robotic floats deployed in every ocean in the world. Far beneath the surface Each robot hovers at about 3,300 feet deep and periodically dives more than a mile down before surfacing to transmit temperatures, salinity and changing ocean currents to shore stations worldwide. Another climate research team led by Dean Roemmich at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla (San Diego County) has also used the Argo floats to study how heat produced on the Earths surface by greenhouse gases is absorbed into the oceans. Roemmichs group, separately from Glecklers team, has estimated from the data that the oceans heat may be increasing only by thousandths of a degree Fahrenheit per year, but that the warming signal extends down beyond 6,500 feet. It is most noticeable in the oceans of the Southern hemisphere, the researchers said. The oceans below that depth remain largely unknown, and the Argo floats cannot dive there, but scientists at the 30 nations including the United States that support the $25 million Argo project are already testing deeper floats that could sample temperature, salinity and ocean currents down to depths of more than 3 miles. Its already one of the great international successes in measuring the worlds climate system, Durack said. The Argo floats have been providing us with global heat coverage since 2005, and theyve greatly improved our confidence in the models weve been testing and using, Gleckler said. Voyages historical data Another valuable source of information on the heat of the oceans came to the Livermore researchers from the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger around the world from 1872 to 1876, before the industrial era. That epochal scientific expedition sailed nearly 80,000 miles, and its hundreds of thermometer records taken by sailors from the surface down to nearly 27,000 feet are part of the Gleckler groups report. The Gleckler teams report was published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, and the Roemmich groups report was published earlier in the same journal. The Livermore teams colleagues include Ronald J. Stouffer of Princeton University, Gregory C. Johnson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, and Chris E. Forest of Pennsylvania State University. David Perlman is the San Francisco Chronicles science editor. E-mail: dperlman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @daveperlman Double murder trial day 4: A star witness for the prosecution backed out in the courtroom State Board of Education lays down law on race, gender teachings School boards will have to follow new requirements for notifying parents about policies involving access to bathrooms and locker rooms. On the first day of class donat be surprised if your professor covers the syllabias grading scale and how to fight for your life if a fellow student should burst into the classroom with a gun. University of Memphis Campus Police and the FBI spoke to nearly 200 University of Memphis educators and administrators about how to plan for an active shooter scenario, during the Jan. 13 seminar held at the Rose Theatre. This comes after numerous questions from the student body and faculty about how the university will respond to a gunman on campus, said Bruce Harber, chief of campus police and assistant vice president for Administration. Jonathan A. Capriel Thirteen shootings on college campuses claimed 18 lives and injured at least 21 in 2015. Harber unveiled a plan to replace nearly all door locks on campus with dead bolts that can be locked from the inside without a key, a project that could cost up to $400,000 when you include replacing doors and door frames that canat support the locks. During winter break, university police checked every classroom and auditorium door on campus, Harber said. While buildings had doors that did lock, a few buildings had doors with disabled locks a likely done on purpose to meet fire code. Replacing the weakest doors and locks will be the top priority, Harber said. The project will begin in May with Patterson and Clement at the top of the list.A Growing concern in shooting preparedness is likely linked to what many feel was a wave of high profile shootings on college campusesA across the United States in 2015. Several of these incidents resulted in no injuries. However, the most deadly shooting a which took place in Umpqua Community College in Oregano a ended with nine killed, nine injured and the shooter committing suicide. Shootings on college campuses were one of theA least commonA last year, but U of M police and the FBI encouraged faculty to not only develop a plan for what to do in a mass shooting but to also share the plan with their students. Jonathan A. Capriel The average active shooter event lasts about 12 minutes, said Tom Hassell, special agent in the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force. And 43 percent of these shooting has ended before police arrive. Hassell spoke to nearly 200 U of M professors on how to prepare for a shooter on campus. The average active shooter event lasts about 12 minutes, said Tom Hassell, special agent in the FBIas Joint Terrorism Task Force. And 43 percent of these shooting has ended before police arrive. >>>Some U of M students want to be armed incase of a mass shooter, Read here<<< aFrom the time you dial 911 to when police arrive, you are on your own,a Hassell said. aShooters know they have limited time from the first moment they fire their first round. Having a plan ahead of time is very important, because under pressure you are not going to come up with a great idea.a Hassell emphasized the arun, hide, fighta method recommended by the Department of Homeland Security. He also showed the six-minute video during the seminar. Most campus doors swing into the hallway, not into the classroom, meaning that simply putting heavy furniture in front of a door is not enough to stop a shooter from entering. However, that does not mean the doors can not be barricaded. Tying a rope or cord to a doorknob and attaching it to a heavy object inside room can prevent or at least stall a gunman from entering. Derek Myers, director of police operations, said it is actually harder to pull a door open than pushing one open.A Run, hide and fight. This three-word strategy is a building block to stay safe in an active shooter event. The run, hide, fight plan is vital for survival during an active shooting situation, said assistant chief and director of police operations at the University of Memphis, Derek Myers. With the recent increase of school shootings, police services are studying preparedness on campus. Recently, the office circulated emails explaining what campus community members should do during an active shooter event. Familiarize yourself with the building you are in, the exits and the layout in the event an active shooter is on campus, Myers said. Police services recommends people to quickly determine the most possible way to protect their lives. Next, think quickly and plan an escape route. Run if there is a reasonable chance to escape. If running is too dangerous, hide in an area out of the active shooters view, and barricade or block the entry to the hiding area. Be prepared to mentally and physically fight. Use whatever weapon that is available to beat the shooter when lives are on the line. Online information is also available to students, faculty, and staff including, a three-minute Department of Homeland Security film on active shooters, and best practices during a crisis by the FBI. Brochures, and pamphlets are also online that can help in the case of a crisis. The Universitys police department also studies campus layouts and lighting to limit possible hiding places for shooters and monitors more than 700 cameras equipped with software for examining recordings of events or suspects. When emergencies do occur, TigerText alerts and emails notify students. An outdoor warning system also can broadcast emergency sirens and messages. We have an outstanding police service office, said Dr. Arant, chair of the department of journalism. Who notifies us of crime events and they are training our department staff again on campus safety for active shooters. Campus police participate in continuous training opportunities, including multi-agency exercises with the Memphis Police, and the FBI. The University has a Behavioral Intervention Team to work with students and staff who may be in crisis situations, which can help prevent a stress-related shooting. I am not fearful, because the University of Memphis has the lowest crime rate of any campus in Tennessee, and Resident Life gives us safety guidelines upon moving into the residence halls, said on-campus resident student Ashley Todd. BAILEY CLARK Many students believe that the passing of such legislation would pose a greater threat to students, and the only people that could handle active threats are campus police, according to the bill written by Faulk. College students in Texas will soon be allowed to bring their guns to class along with their books and pencils. Beginning on Aug. 1, a state law will admit licensed gun owners to carry a concealed firearm on to any public junior college in the state. This comes after a hail of media coverage on the mass shootings across the United States, some of which took place on college campuses. In response to the shootings, president Barack Obama made executive orders, which could increase regulation of gun sales in the country. While the state of Tennessee still prohibits firearms on campus, some students at the University of Memphis hope to change that. >>U of M to spend nearly $40,000 to reduce active shooter victims<< The group, Students for Concealed Carry at the University of Memphis, is trying to change the perception people have about students carrying guns on campus. Theyare also aiming to change state law by getting attention from state lawmakers, explained Stuart Dedmon, president of the organization. aI am in contact with state legislatures on a weekly basis,a Dedmon said. aI have the opportunity and privilege of meeting with representatives and senators on a weekly basis to draft new legislation to further the basic cause of SCC.a Tennessee requires background checks on the purchases of guns from licensed dealers. Because of the selfdefense law, Tennessee also allows for residents to carry a loaded handgun in their vehicle without a permit. In Texas, thereas a mixture of opinions on the campus gun laws. aAs a college student, I believe that I should be given the same responsibility as any adult citizen in regards to self-defense,a said Texas Christian University student, Kelsey Olohan. aNot only because of my age and standing with the law, but because the law would punish me the same way as any adult for any crimes committed.a According to the Texas Department of Public Safetyas aNew Laws for Handgun Licensing Program,a handguns must be concealed when carried on a college campus even with a license and if the gun is holstered. School administrators will be allowed to impose areasonable regulationsa on where and how the guns are carried on campus. Though carrying a concealed weapon will be legal on college campuses, the law states businesses can still prohibit guns on their property. University of Texas at Austin student Taylor Brown said he was not for the law passing. aAdding weapons into the mix of this emotionally charged atmosphere concerns me,a Brown said. aMost of the crime taking place around a college campus stems from emotional situations, such as date rape, theft, fighting and alcohol related crimes already. I really believe emotionally charged crimes will increase with guns.a It was in 1966 when Charles Whitman climbed to the top of the University of Texas Tower and shot 43 people, 14 of whom died. With campus carry being allowed in Texas, the mass murder of a66 is brought back up into the picture. aAllowing students to bring weapons to campus could lead to a similar incident,a Brown said. a(My school) has a population of about 50,000 students. There is a very high chance that not all of the 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 Advertisement Most brides wouldn't dream of letting their groom see them in their wedding dress before the big day, but in Asia, pre-wedding photography is hugely popular. Pre-wedding shoots see brides and grooms pose together in their wedding finery before walking down the aisle, to get perfect pictures, tailored to the couple's exact taste, which there may not be time for on the wedding day itself. Now couples in search of something extra special for their shoot are flocking to the UK to pose alongside famous landmarks or in renowned luxury hotels such as The Ritz in London. Scroll down for video Hong Kong couple Candy and Desmond chose Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as the backdrop for one of their pictures Sandy and Chris braved the winter chill to have their snaps taken on London's Oxford Street as black cabs and red buses whizzed past London-based photographer Janis Ratnieks specialises in pre-wedding photography in the UK and Europe. His blog details how he has clients regularly flying in from all over Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia, for one of his glamorous shoots, which have a starting price of 900. Janis told FEMAIL: 'Its mostly people who have some kind of a previous connection with UK that come here for a photoshoot. Most of them have studied here, or met each other here years ago.' One such couple are Jin and Xi who travelled from mainland China for a special photoshoot at The Ritz hotel in London. They can be seen posing beneath an ornate chandelier as Jin plants a kiss on the cheek of his wife-to-be. Tower Bridge is another popular spot for pre-wedding shoots. Elke and Chris live in Hong Kong, but wanted London's famous landmarks to feature in their pre-wedding pictures A close up of Jin in the sumptuous surroundings of The Ritz shows her striking off the shoulder wedding gown and bouquet of white roses. Photographer Janis helps brides to buy wedding dresses and source flowers when they arrive in London Lee gets in some practice for carrying his bride across the threshold. Although Athena is wearing a traditional lace wedding dress, the couple weren't yet married at the time of their photoshoot Another Asian couple, Athena and Lee, wanted a great outdoors theme for their shoot, so Janis snapped them against the dramatic backdrop of the white cliffs of Dover in Kent and posing on a motorbike at Mayfield Lavender Field in Surrey. 'We went for a photoshoot in a lavender field,' Janis said. 'Im not sure if thats the best location for trying out bikes, which the couple are obviously fans of, but still I loved the idea. 'The funny thing was that although we got the permission from the farm owners to ride a bike on their territory the police still came to monitor us!' 'As we had the shoot in Southern England, we decided to make a little loop, extend it for few hours and go to the beautiful white rocks on the Southern Coast.' Athena and Lee posed on a motorbike, looking over Mayfield Lavender Field, a 25 acre organic lavender farm in Surrey. Janis says that the shoot drew the attention of local police who didn't know quite what to make of it Some of Janis's subject change mutliple times during a shoot and wear casual clothes or glamorous gowns as well as traditional wedding attire. Athena changed into a red dress as the sun went down over the White Cliffs of Dover At the White Cliffs, Athena posed in a wedding dress as well as a red lace gown. 'Brides often change into two to three, sometimes more outfits per photoshoot,' Janis explained. 'I loved the red dress and the sunset. The tide was low, so we had a great reflecting background.' Bride-to-be Sandy and her husband Chris also had an outdoor shoot, although in a much more urban setting. The pair braved the cold for their shoot in February this year and can be seen kissing on a traffic island in the middle of Oxford street as buses and black cabs whizzed by. Couples give Janis an advance brief of the tourist attractions or landmarks they want to be part of their shoot. Adeline wears a mullet hem strapless wedding gown with diamante detailing as she and her fiance Vincent from Singapore take a spin on Boris Bikes in a London park. The couple travelled from Singapore for a shoot with photographer Janis Ratnieks Jin and Xi travelled all the way to London from China to have a pre-wedding photoshoot at The Ritz hotel in London's Mayfair with photographer Janis Ratnieks Athena and Lee, are pictured against the stunning backdrop of the white cliffs of Dover in Kent at their shoot which took place on Valentine's Day this year Popular choices include Big Ben and Tower Bridge, although some couples are happy with a mundane London street as long as there's a red bus in the background. Brides-to-be may choose to wear their real wedding dress, while others buy a second gown for the shoot or opt for more casual clothes. Janis also gives advice on London boutiques where brides can buy a wedding dress when they get to the UK if needs be. Two high-flying graduates working in finance quit their city jobs to follow their dreams of launching an activewear brand - and their efforts have paid off after they were named among Forbes' 30 under 30. Meg He, 28, who was was born in Beijing and raised between China and the UK, and Nina Faulhaber, also 28, who was born in Frankfurt, are best friends and the co-founders of ADAY, an e-commerce brand of stylish activewear for women on the go. Meg and Nina were so convinced that women's wardrobes should be as technical as their gym kit that they quit their jobs to create a brand that could be worn from the boardroom to the yoga studio. Meg He, 28, left, and Nina Faulhaber, right, also 28, are best friends and the co-founders of ADAY, an e-commerce brand of stylish activewear for women on the go (both women are modelling their garments) Speaking about their brand, which is made up of tops, leggings and jackets costing around 100, the duo said: 'Were smart, busy women with things to get done. We created ADAY because we wanted - no, needed - it...and we thought you might too. 'From sprinting to a meeting to a quick yoga class/cocktail hour/anywhere in between, our pieces won't hold you back. 'We started with the most technologically advanced fabrics. Then we got them made in the world's most innovative factories in the US, UK and Portugal.' The women, who met when working at Goldman Sachs, started working on ADAY in May 2014 and launched in June 2015. The brand is made up of tops, leggings and jackets costing around 100 that are designed for sprinting from a meeting to a quick yoga class, cocktail hour or anywhere in between Meg, left, and Nina, right, were so convinced that women's wardrobes should be as technical as their gym kit that they quit their jobs to create a brand that could be worn from the boardroom to the yoga studio Thinking strategically, in January 2015 they launched Wander - a digital guide to the wellness lifestyle. This, they say, allowed them to attract readers and build partnerships with complementary brands, from boutique fitness studios to social media influencers and their favourite coffee bars. 'It allowed them to understand what we were about - our voice was more sassy, passionate and a bit more intellectual than what existed already,' they told FEMAIL. They then created a pre-launch website, which allowed users to share ADAY with friends for rewards. Their investors include angel investors and funds with backgrounds in e-commerce who had started consumer brands, run fashion businesses and built high growth technology startups. Among them are Leslie Blodgett, ex-CEO & Chairman of Bare Escentuals, Venrex, a consumer fund who also invested in Charlotte Tilbury and JustEat, Nicolas Santi-Weil, Founding Partner of The Kooples and Executives from Google, Net-A-Porter, Goldman Sachs, CPP and Spotify. The women, who met when working at Goldman Sachs, launched their brand in June last year and it has already been worn by Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, right Indeed, the duo have all the makings of entrepreneurs; they both graduated from top universities and have held fast-paced jobs all over the world. Meg, who was born in Beijing and raised between China and the UK, holds a BA from the University of Oxford Merton College in Economics and Management and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Before launching ADAY, Meg worked in technology, venture capital and finance, working with Atomico in venture capital and at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division. If that wasn't enough, she also teaches yoga in her free time. Nina, meanwhile, was born in Frankfurt - where she was a competitive gymnast - and has lived in Montreal, Singapore, London and New York. The duo have all the makings of entrepreneurs; they both graduated from top universities and held fast-paced jobs all over the world. On top of that, they have a vested interested in athletics; Meg teaches yoga and Nina is a former gymnast She has a BSc from EBS Universitat Oestrich-Winkel and turned down an MBA offer from Harvard Business School to start ADAY. Nina knows what it takes to build a start-up, after working closely with fast growing startups, including Secret Escapes and Deliveroo. In just over six months, they've graced the pages of Vogue, been worn by Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o and been awarded the Forbes 30 Under 30 title in the Retail & E-commerce category as part of the 2016 class. Other customers include members of the House of Lords and foreign royal families, who discovered the brand through word of mouth referrals from friends to email newsletters. If you expect a dish you order at a restaurant to be prepared from scratch by chefs on site, then think again. A new Channel 4 show has revealed that many British high street chains are saving time and money by serving pre-prepared meals to diners. The dishes have either been made at centralised kitchens or by outside caterers and then delivered to the restaurant, sometimes days before. Scroll down for video Channel 4 found chains like Pizza Express (pictured the restaurant in St Christopher's Place, London) were not preparing all of their dishes on-site Pizza Express' lasagne, left, is made in Italy and shipped to the UK, while the dough, seen in their dough balls, right, is made in a central kitchen and distributed to outlets The ready-meals - which can be as simple as scrambled eggs - are then microwaved or heated and served up to customers. The practice means restaurants do not need as many highly-skilled chefs in their kitchens and they can churn out desserts in minutes that would otherwise have taken hours to prepare. One popular chain highlighted on Tricks Of The Restaurant Trade airing tonight is Pizza Express. The eatery revealed its lasagne is shipped in from Italy to be served in British restaurants, while its dough is mixed in a central bakery rather than individually prepared in kitchens. A spokesperson for the company confirmed this is the case to FEMAIL stating: 'Our dough recipe has remained the same for over 50 years and were dedicated to ensuring that its consistently of the highest quality. 'It is prepared in our bakery using the finest ingredients, including British flour, and then proved in our restaurants by our expert Pizzaiolos who stretch, toss and top each and every pizza to order. Simon Rimmer and Kate Quilton present Tricks Of The Restaurant Trade and questioned why some chains aren't more open about where they prepare meals 'This is all done in our fully open plan kitchens which allow our guests to see their food as its being prepared. 'One of our popular lasagne dishes is made to a special recipe by a family-run business in Italy, using quality ingredients.' Meanwhile, on the show, Channel 4 said Pizza Express' dessert menu includes a chocolate fudge cake baked on-site but their other puddings are supplied by outside caterer's Bidvest Food Service. The Pizza Express spokesperson said: 'Some of our desserts are also prepared this way and finished by hand in our restaurants. 'Just like our founder, we remain passionate about creating dishes that are delicious and innovative, and by nurturing relationships and having a rigorous development process in place, our customers can enjoy the same great quality in each and every restaurant, every time.' However, Pizza Express denied to FEMAIL that it uses Bidvest - but declined to share which companies it does use. Bidvest supplies a number of other British high street chains - providing everything from all-day breakfasts that just need to be microwaved and then served, to main meals and desserts. Kate, pictured standing up, hosted a dinner party for friends where she later admitted she had bought all the food from a catering company who supply some British high street restaurants. The food comes in bags and just needs to be microwaved to be served. Kate even served ready-made scrambled eggs for breakfast Bidvest would not confirm which other chains they supply telling Channel 4: 'We are silent partners to our customers and not wanting to highlight our services to consumers.' The show said it had an obligation to stop diners feeling misled over how their foods is prepared when they order at a restaurant. Presenter Kate Quilton said: 'The problem is there is a lack of openness in the industry about the fact some of them are ordering from catering companies. 'I feel cheated, if I go to a restaurant and I order a meal, I expect them to have made it.' Kate ordered some of the ready-meals from Bidvest to serve to her friends at a dinner party and they were shocked when she later admitted she hadn't made any of the food herself - and that the same thing could happen to them when they eat out. One of her friends admitted: 'When you eat out, you expect something that you wouldn't do for yourself at home.' Another friend was stunned when Kate revealed their breakfast the next morning was also ready and waiting in a bag to be microwaved in a trick also used by some chains. Simon visited Pete's Patisserie in East Midlands - a catering company which makes desserts served in Holiday Inn hotels Frankie & Benny's gets all its desserts, including its chocolate brownie, left, and apple pie right, from a caterer's rather than baking them to order in its restaurants 'Scrambled eggs? No!' said one of her friends of the ready-prepared breakfast. 'It takes two minutes to scramble an egg!' Another business which was open about how its food is prepared is healthy eating-chain Leon. It told Channel 4 that some of its dishes are made in a central kitchen and then delivered to each individual outlet. It stated: 'Dishes that are best made centrally are made centrally, such as complex and highly-skilled recipes where the flavour improves in the two to three days it takes to reach the restaurant.' Leon confirmed this with FEMAIL, with a spokesperson for the company stating: 'All of our recipes are developed by our CEO and co-founder John Vincent, co-founder Henry Dimbleby and Tom, our Head of Food. 'We also enlist the help and support of other chefs such as Kay Plunkett-Hogge and Jane Baxter with whom John and Henry have written two of our cookbooks. 'Dishes such as our Chicken, Lemon and Olive Tagine and our Thai Chicken curry (both developed by John and Kay) are made centrally and then sent to each restaurant. Kate met Andrew King, managing director at Funkin, who supplies pre-made cocktails in cartons to restaurants like Pizza Hut. All they need to do is add the alcohol to the mix 'This maximises the flavour and consistency across all restaurants. As any domestic cook knows, certain dishes such as stews and curries also develop a deeper and more complex flavour if prepared in advance.' Meanwhile, Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito confirmed on the show that it gets all its desserts from a caterer's called Brake's, who are also used by Garfunkels among other suppliers. Another popular caterer is Pete's Patisserie. It has a production line at its East Midlands base making desserts such as cheesecakes, apple pies and fruit crumbles which can then be delivered to clients around the country, rather than each pud being individually made in the restaurant kitchen after it has been ordered by a diner. Pete's Patisserie told Channel 4 that it supplies desserts to some Holiday Inn hotel restaurants and cakes for Thornton's. And it is not just food that can be ready-made for restaurant chains. Kate met Andrew King, managing director at Funkin, who said he supplies syrups, purees and pre-made mixers to many bars and restaurants on the high street, including Wetherspoons and Yates. Most recently he told how the company had supplied Pizza Hut with cocktail mixes in a carton with staff only needing to add alcohol before serving. Andrew King said Pizza Hut uses his pre-made mixes for their cocktails, pictured He explained: 'We take all the ingredients except the alcohol and mix them up in carton so any barman can make a cocktail irrespective of what skill they have.' When asked if he thought people buying a cocktail in a restaurant would be shocked to learn it came from a carton rather than being freshly prepared, he said: 'Provided it tastes great and it has the alcohol of choice and the fruit they want in it, I think they will be delighted.' Chef and restauranter Simon Rimmer, who co-presents Tricks Of The Restaurant Trade, said he understands why many chains use a central kitchen to produce their food so it can then be delivered to restaurants to be served. He said: 'As a chef I think there are many good reasons for using central kitchens, mainly for maintaining consistency and quality. But what I don't understand if why they are not more upfront with customers?' Peter Harden, co-founder Harden's Restaurant Guides, agreed that having food made elsewhere is understandable in order to run a profitable chain. He said: 'Even a very good kitchen may find there are certain components which are better made elsewhere and brought in. 'They could get better consistency, there is no reason for them to employ a certain grade chef other than for producing a certain grade dish. It is not necessarily a bad thing.' MailOnline has contacted Frankie & Benny's for comment. Pizza Express added: 'Our dough recipe ... is prepared in our bakery ... then proved in our restaurants. This is all done in our fully open plan kitchens which allow our guests to see their food as its being prepared 'One of our popular lasagne dishes is made to a special recipe by a family-run business in Italy, using quality ingredients. Some of our desserts are also prepared this way and finished by hand in our restaurants.' A Pizza Hut spokesman said: 'Our cocktails feature a range of flavours and ingredients. 'We use popular mixes such as Funkin as a basis for our cocktails but each undergoes its own twist with additional ingredients to create our own signature style.' Tricks Of The Restaurant Trade is on Channel 4 Tuesdays at 8pm Miss Universe Australia, Monika Radulovic, has publicly apologised after saying the top three contestants from the recent pageant, Miss Philippines, Miss USA and Miss Colombia, 'weren't very nice.' On Monday morning, Ms Radulovic appeared on Triple M's The Grill Team to talk about the controversial 2015 pageant and her time in Las Vegas. When asked about her relationship with the top three, she said 'they were okay.' 'I tried to be friends with everyone and I wanted to have a good time - those three were the only ones that weren't that nice to the other girls,' she said. Scroll down for video Truly sorry: Miss Universe Australia, Monika Radulovic, has publicly apologised after saying the top three contestants, Miss Philippines, Miss USA and Miss Colombia, 'weren't very nice' Misunderstood: 'I didn't mean they weren't nice girls, just that they were very focused on what they were doing,' she said 'But I think that is because they were under a lot of pressure from their countries.' On Tuesday morning, the 26-year-old model took to Instagram to clarify her opinion and apologise for anyone offended by her comments. 'I always strive to be the best, kindest person I can be. But what I said yesterday came out completely the wrong way and I want to sincerely apologise for that,' she wrote. The truth revealed: On Monday morning, Miss Universe Australia, Monika Radulovic, met with Triple M's The Grill Team to talk about the controversial 2015 pageant and her time in Las Vegas Controversy: In late December, the renowned event made headlines after, Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, was mistakenly crowned as the winner - the disheartened contestant later handing the crown over to the correct winner Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach 'I didn't mean they weren't nice girls, just that they were very focused on what they were doing. I just didn't get a chance to get to know them as much as you would have liked, and that is all that that I meant by it.' Some attacked Ms Radulovic after her comments, claiming she was a 'sore loser', while others quickly jumped to her defence. 'You are just a bad looser [sic]!' One follower wrote. Never forget: 'It still makes me cringe,' Ms Radulovic (second from left), who placed fourth, said 'Don't stress yourself out, we just can't please everyone but actually there's really nothing wrong with what you said. I met you personally in vegas and you are a very warm person and one of the best candidate i've met [sic],' argued another. 'I'm truly sorry if I've offended or upset anyone, that is the last thing I'd ever want to do. I will choose my words much more carefully from now on.' In late December, the renowned event made headlines after, Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, was mistakenly crowned as the winner - the disheartened contestant later handing the crown over to the correct winner Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach. 'It still makes me cringe,' Ms Radulovic, who placed fourth, said. 'They were okay': The 26-year-old said the top three (pictured) 'were the only ones that weren't that nice to the other girls' Locked up: Ms Radulovic said the contestants were 'locked inside planet Hollywood hotel' and couldn't leave their rooms without a supervisor Ms Radulovic said she got along with all the other contestants really well and named Miss Bahamas and Miss Jamaica as two of her favourites. The brunette beauty also revealed that while her experience was 'amazing', her time in Las Vegas wasn't a party like many had imagined. 'We were pretty much locked inside planet Hollywood hotel we couldnt leave the room without our supervisor,' she said. A busy 2016: In the four weeks since competing in the pageant, Ms Radulovic has been busy planning her year as Miss Universe Australia and taking part in countless interviews Excited: Ms Radulovic says she is 'open to any opportunity that comes my way' 'I had to wait every morning for breakfast to be taken downstairs... it was a little bit like the army...a bit campy.' 'But amazing.' In the four weeks since competing in the pageant, Ms Radulovic has been busy planning her year as Miss Universe Australia and says she is 'open to any opportunity that comes my way'. Loving the screen: 'I've just done two weeks with Sunrise weekend weather and that was incredible,' Ms Radulovic said, suggesting more television work is on the horizon 'I've just done two weeks with Sunrise weekend weather and that was incredible,' Ms Radulovic said, suggesting more television work is on the horizon. Ms Radulovic also touched on the recent controversial TV moment she shared with her colleague, Hamish McLachlan, who hugged her on air. 'Hamish is great we are colleagues...none of us had an idea anything was controversial,' she said. 'He didnt do anything wrong.' A YouTube comedian donned a hijab to pose as a Muslim woman on Tinder - before creating a near-identical profile as a Christian - to see how users' reactions to each profile differed. Canadian comedian Davison, who runs a YouTube channel for 'sexperiments' called LOLPervs, recently took to Tinder to create the near-identical profiles, both of which described a 27-year-old woman named Sara in the exact same way. However in one of the profile images Davison wore a hijab, while in the other, her head was uncovered. 'In this week's sexperiment, it's Muslim versus Christian on Tinder: Davison created two identical Tinder profiles of a 27-year-old woman named Sara, with the same bio of "faith" and same poses while dressing one in a hijab and one in secular, modest clothing,' explained the description for the video. Making a case: YouTube comedienne Davison, who runs the 'sexperiments' channel LOLPervs tried to show the differing treatment of Muslim and Christian women on Tinder by using a hijab Simple differences: The experiment saw Davison create two identical Tinder profiles with all the same details and name, but just with one including a set of photos of her wearing the hijab 'The test: how many matches does a woman dressed as a Muslim get compared to an implied Christian woman?' Although she didn't outline her specific religion in the profile for 'Muslim Sara', Davison assumed that her use of a floral scarf covering her head will be enough to get the message across. Similarly, she assumed that the simple statement of 'Faith' in English and French in the profile is enough to gather the conservatively-dressed 'Christian Sara' is, in fact, also religious. She opened up the preferences to men ages 18 to 40 and began attempting to make matches. Interestingly, many of the men recognized the fact that she had two profiles, with one even querying whether or not she was 'making an experiment', prompting Sara to note - with a hint of surprise in her voice - that a lot of male Tinder users pay a lot more attention to women's profiles than many might assume. After working through hundreds of swipes - 120 every 12 hours - and finding hundreds of matches, Davison found that 'Christian Sara' was the most popular of the two, despite initially noting that the 'interactions for both accounts were pretty standard' for the first 12 hours. 'Saturday night is when there started to be a wider discrepancy between the two Saras with 143 out of 240 matches for the Christian Sara versus only 100 out of 240 for the Muslim Sara,' she went on to explain. According to the last summary of matches Davison offers, 'Muslim Sara' had a match rate of 44.6 per cent, or 214 matches out of 480 attempts, while 'Christian Sara' boasted a success rate of 63.8 per cent, or 300 matches out of 480 attempts. Assuming: Davison figured that just by using the word 'Faith' in her profile and dressing conservatively, users would guess she is meant to be Christian Makeshift: The YouTuber's hijab was just a simple floral headscarf Taking note: Some of the men noticed that she had two profiles, with one even inferring that she must be conducting an experiment However, the 'Muslim Sara' got more 'Superlikes' - a feature that allows users to see that another user likes them before swiping either way - than 'Christian Sara'. Davison also admitted that she began being flooded with more and more messages on both accounts from eager admirers who were keen to know why 'Sara' had yet to respond to them. At that point however, Davison explained that 'everything fell apart' when she found her 'Muslim Sara' account had been 'blocked' on Tinder because too many people had reported the profile. So she sent a number of emails to Tinder to try and get it reactivated, even suggesting that it was because of her 'faith' that the account was 'under review' in the first place. 'My profile appears to be under review for being reported too many times (?),' she wrote in an email to the app's administrators, before adding that she is a 'real person' and including a link to a Facebook profile set up to go along with the account. 'Can you please remove the block. I am worried it is because of my faith.' The comedian stated that she doesn't believe she is the only person to suffer from what she she sees as some kind of discrimination on the app, explaining: 'Apparently it is not uncommon for people who do not conform to traditional gender identities to get their profiles flagged. 'I have no way of knowing if it's that users were angry because they saw I had two identical profiles, or if it had something to do with the fact that I was Muslim that I was banned, but I find it very interesting that until today, Tuesday, I have a fully functioning Christian Sara profile and a completely blocked Muslim profile.' Davison is far from the first person to don the hijab in the name of a social experiment, but critics of the practice compare it to donning blackface. Identical: Both of the Tinder profiles were for a 27-year-old woman in the Montreal area named Sara Shut down: After a few days, Davison found that her 'Muslim Sara' account had been shut down Clawing back: She attempted to reactivate the account but was told that her profile had been 'reported multiple times by other users' In an open letter written last month addressed to 'white girls wearing hijab as a social experiment', Chicago-based Muslim-Iranian writer Hoda Katebi wrote that 'my religion, my beliefs, my lifestyle, and the consequent oppression that I experience in the West is, not, a social experiment'. 'No matter how many times you wrap your headscarf, you still won't "experience" my life,' she said. 'It's only covering your ears from hearing our voices.' As for Davison's video, many of the people who commented on it called the experiment 'interesting', but not everyone was convinced by the comedian's methods. 'What's the point of doing this?' asked one frustrated viewer. 'Muslim women have already gone through enough and this is just so patronizing.' Another said: 'This is bulls***. I'm sure it'll get lots of views, but culturally, anthropologically and socially worthless. What I don't understand with this video is that why did you feel the need to explain to Muslim women what the experience of a Muslim woman is on Tinder?' one YouTube commenter wrote. 'Why did you feel that in order for people to understand anything that has to do with a marginalized group, it has to come from the mouth of a white person. Please stop whitesplaining.' In an interview with The Daily Dot, comedian and and co-founder and co-executive producer of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival Maysoon Zayid said of Davison's video: 'This is highly offensive.' There are countless men and women who swear by the restorative power of yoga. From easing sore muscles to increasing flexibility, so-called yogis the world over are happiest when waxing lyrical about the power of a little Namaste. But its not just people who love the relaxation that comes with a downward dog its actual dogs too. Doga is the latest canine exercise craze from the Far East, and a new world record for the biggest dog yoga class was unofficially set in Hong Kong on 17 January when 270 pairs of puppies and yogis practised finding a little inner peace. Scroll down for video Downward dog: A new world record has been unofficially set for the most amount of dogs doing yoga at once Namaste: Some 270 dogs and owners turned up to the pre-organised class in Hong Kong Tree pose: There are several poses adopted by dog and owner in the class, including the so-called 'tree pose' Health benefits: Doga is rumoured to help with doggy digestion, as well as having other health benefits The worlds biggest dog yoga class was led by renowned doga teacher and South African canine lover Suzette Ackermann. For half an hour, 270 owners practised by massaging, twisting and stretching their four-legged friends in to a variety of yoga poses, along with the odd bark here and there naturally. One participant, Susan Chan, joined the event with her dog Sunshine and said: I feel really, really good. Its kind of a really close relationship with my dog. I like it. Such doga sessions allow pups to work through poses including a series of stretches and massages that are believed to help their digestion. Fans of the classes include dog lovers in Hong Kong and the US and positions include The Tree, which is geared at stopping the dogs from wagging their tails. Devotees also claim it creates a level of canine camaraderie with your dog. World record: While the record has yet to be confirmed, it is expected to topple another attempt in San Diego Inner peace: In the class, the dogs and their owners practised a series of poses in the half-hour class Canine bond: As well as improving their health, the classes create an element of canine camaraderie 'It's fun, relaxing and great for the dogs' health as well as your own,' Ackermann told the Daily Mail Australia, who might sound barking, but has been co-ordinating such classes in Hong Kong since 2010. Of all the images of Lord Lucan, it is perhaps the most indelible. It was taken on the fugitive peers wedding day in 1963, as he emerged from Londons Holy Trinity Brompton church, his bride Veronica Duncans apprehensive face suggesting the turbulent marriage was doomed from the very start. Happily, when the Earls son and heir George Bingham wed last Thursday, his new wife was able to give us a far happier picture. Anne-Sofie, 37, known as Fie, beamed from ear to ear as she left St Georges Church in Hanover Square, London, with her new husband - Lord Lucan's son and heir George Bingham - following their wedding last week Anne-Sofie, 37, known as Fie, beamed from ear to ear as the couple left St Georges Church in Hanover Square. The pair, whose engagement was announced last August, were joined by their pages Oliver and Elliot, the grooms nephews, and Frida and Victoria, the brides niece and god-daughter. One fly in the ointment. Fie still cant call herself the Countess. Her husband has applied under the Presumption of Death Act to inherit the title of 8th Earl, although the case wont be heard in the High Court until next month at the earliest. Wedding day: George Bingham, his new wife Fie and (left to right) Oliver, Elliot, Frida and Victoria last Thursday This photo taken on Lord Lucans wedding day in 1963, as he emerged from Londons Holy Trinity Brompton church with his stony-faced bride Veronica Dunca suggested the marriage was doomed from the very start Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey, would be an influential addition to either campaign in the forthcoming EU referendum. The Tory peer tells me his endorsement is up for grabs but Fellowes wants to see Cameron return from his European negotiations with a substantial offer. Im not willing to give a view until I can absolutely see what the PM pulls out of his hat, he says. David Cameron has promised to win back a measure of self-direction. Lets see what he comes up with. How very magnanimous. Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons, whose marriage lasted five years, seem to think Bowies death is all about them. Man And Boy author Parsons writes: When my first marriage ended and I suddenly found myself a single father to a very young son, it felt as if there was only one person on the planet I could talk to David Bowie. And he taught me a valuable lesson. You should always marry your second wife first. Ouch! Meanwhile, commenting on one asinine claim that Bowies finest moment was teaming up with Mick Jagger to record Dancing In The Street, Burchill tartly remarks: Yes, and mine was marrying Tony Parsons. Sam Cam's mum shares anniversary snap online Sadly, the marriage between Samantha Camerons mother, Annabel Astor, and her father, Sir Reginald Sheffield, did not stand the test of time. However, last week, the 67-year-old matriarch who is the spitting image of her eldest daughter was keen to boast about a far more enduring matrimony with her second husband, William Astor. Samantha Camerons mother, Annabel Astor, celebrated the 40-year anniversary last week with her husband William Astor and posted this photo online, in which she stands next to him with a broad, beaming smile The pair celebrated their 40-year anniversary last week, and Annabel marked the occasion by posting this photo online, in which she stands next to William with a beaming smile. Congratulations came in thick and fast, including from the twice- married Duke of Marlborough, who noted: Wonderful 40 years for a wonderful couple . . . A lesson to us all. A new exhibition featuring rarely-seen portraits of Marilyn Monroe - including an intimate shot of her wearing just a silk bed sheet - is taking place in London. Having posed for thousands of photographs during her lifetime, the Hollywood starlet was no stranger to the glare of the camera lens. However, this set of candid images taken by Milton H. Greene and Douglas Kirkland, reveal another side to America's original sex symbol. They will be on show at The Little Black Gallery in Chelsea. Scroll down for video Marilyn Monroe giggles raucously at the camera as she lies on a bed, covering her modesty with a bed sheet in 'In Bed With Marilyn' takes in 1961 Taken in 1953 in LA, Marilyn dons a white shirt, capri trousers and striped sandals for 'The Rock Setting' New York-based photographer Greene began taken pictures at the early age of 14 and went on to have his work featured in Harper's Bazaar, Town & Country and Vogue. However, his most noted work is with Gentleman Prefer Blondes actress Marilyn. They met in 1953 on an assignment for Look Magazine before going on to form Marilyn Monroe productions together in 1956, creating movies 'Bus Stop' and 'The Prince and the Showgirl'. By the end of their four year relationship, he had photographed her in 52 different sittings producing over 5,000 images, some of which have never been published. Marilyn cuddles up to a fluffy friend in Milton H Greene's 'Marilyn Gies Oriental With Pekense Dog', taken in New York in 1955 The Hollywood starlet stares seductively at the camera lens in 'In Bed With Marilyn', taken in 1961 by Douglas Kirkland Milton H Greene's monchrome shot was take in New York in 1954 and called, 'As A Seductive Ballerina' Marilyn's softer, more playful side shines through in 'Scenck's House', taken in Los Angeles in 1953 Marilyn looks like the ultimate silver screen siren in 'Winsome in White Fur' taken in New York in 1955 Greene died in 1985. His son Joshua, 61, told Stella Magazine: They hit it off right from the start. He was really taken with her authenticity.' He added: 'Milton wanted Marilyn to step away from the dumb blonde thing, so he took a series of pictures of her in different characters, to show how versatile she could be.' Many advocates of Marilyn consider Greene's collaboration with her to be the best and most genuine. Iconic portraits see her dolled up like a ballerina in big white tutu, as well as lesser-know images of her wrapped up in a white fur coat and leather gloves, sitting on a porch step in fishnet tights and a green lace top, and cuddling up to a miniature dog. Canadian Douglas Kirkland was working as a staff photographer for American glossy Look in 1961, when he was commissioned to shoot Marilyn for its 25th anniversary issue. The 81-year-old told Stella: She was the biggest celebrity of the time. She took everybodys breath away. Photographer Milton H Greene called this snap, taken in New York in 1954, 'With A Sultry Stare' Marilyn wears fishnet tights and a green lace top in 'The Hooker Sitting', taken in Los Angeles in 1956 The blonde bombshell smiles while carrying a bunch of roses in Milton H Greene's 'The American Airline Sessions', taken in Los Angeles in 1956 Marilyn jokes around in 'Playing With A Red Veil', taken in New York in 1957 He was invited to her West Hollywood apartment where Marilyn instructed him that she needed 'a bed, Frank Sinatra records, Dom Perignon champagne and a white silk sheet'. She then went on to pose sensually in the bed, with only a sheet between her and the camera. The evening Kirkland spent with Marilyn 51 years ago was sensual, intimate, and spontaneous, and it produced the famous series, 'An Evening With Marilyn Monroe'. After the shoot, Marilyn invited the then 27-year-old photographer to lie in bed with her, where they chatted about their lives. According to Kirkland, the two of them shared a tension-filled shoot that helped create the stunning portraits. Thinking back on the evening today, he describes their time together as though they 'were in a beautiful dance', - with Marilyn leading. Marilyn, who was born Norma Jeane Mortenson, had roles in 23 films, which grossed a combined total of $200 million since her debut in 1950. She died in August 1962, at the age of 36 in what was an apparent suicide. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starring Marilyn Monroe by Milton H. Greene and Douglas Kirkland is at The Little Black Gallery, 13A Park Walk, Chelsea, London SW10 0AJ now until 27 February 2016. Photographer Milton H Greene called this snap of Marilyn, taken in New York in 1954, 'In A Black Derby and Not Much Else' It's the modern-day love story that will give all Beliebers and Directioners hope. A fan girl who showered her celebrity crush, Jake T. Austin, with tweets and Instagram comments has seen her wildest dreams comes true - after becoming the A-lister's girlfriend. Danielle Caesar, 22, from New York, has been a fan of Disney heartthrob Jake, 21, for five years and now she's bagged him as a boyfriend. Scroll down for video Fangirl Danielle Caesar has seen her wildest dreams come true after she starts dating her celebrity crush Jake T. Austin who shared a snap of them kissing with the caption: 'I'm crazy for her' Jake, who is famous for his role as Max Russo in Disneys Wizard of Waverly Place alongside best friend Selena Gomez, even shared a loved-up snap on his Instagram page to prove the romance. Taking to social media, Jake shared a picture of himself and Danielle locking lips. He captioned the snap, which he shared with his 1.3m followers: 'I'm crazy for her.' Danielle also posted the picture on her own Instagram account, which she has since made private, and captioned it: 'Every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favourite.' Instagram went into meltdown, with nearly 20,000 fangirls commenting. One wrote: 'She has been tweeting him for five years straight because she was a fangirl and she made it! She is his gf OMG!', another added: '@harrystyles please can this be us?'. Danielle Caesar, 22, from New York, left, has been a fan of Disney heartthrob Jake, 21, right, for five years and regularly tweeted him to let him know Danielle first met the star in Planet Hollywood, New York, and got a photo with him back in 2011 Jake, right, who is famous for his role as Max Russo in Disneys Wizard of Waverly Place alongside best friend Selena Gomez, left, and David Henrie, centre Danielle first tweeted her heartthrob in 2009, writing: 'You're amazing; sorry just thought you should know that :)' As the years went on, she bombarded him with more tweets, such as: 'Me & @jaketaustin are getting married. Shh he doesn't know it yet ;) yes I know I'm a freak :D', and 'I'm gonna deff try & meet youu this summer!! [sic]'. According to Capital FM, Danielle first tweeted her heartthrob in 2009, writing: 'You're amazing; sorry just thought you should know that :)' As the years went on, she bombarded him with more tweets, such as: 'Is it bad that I wanna kiss you right now? ughh you're so freaking hot', and 'I'm gonna deff try & meet youu this summer!! [sic]'. She made her dreams a reality in 2011 when she met the star in Planet Hollywood, New York, and got a photo with him. After that, Jake, who played Jesus Foster on ABC Familys The Fosters, began following her on Twitter and four years later they are an item. Other fangirls took inspiration from Danielle's story, hoping they would now have a chance with their celebrity crushes, Harry Styles or Justin Bieber One user wrote: 'All I can say is that she is goals she went from super fangirl to girlfriend in 5 years Congrats to you girl you are my inspiration [sic] The Twittersphere went into meltdown after the news broke, with many fangirls saying their love story gave them hope Jake has been acting since 2002 when he appeared in commercials and got his start in showbusiness in 2004, when, at the age of nine, he was cast as the voice of Dora's cousin Diego on the Nickelodeon series Dora The Explorer. He become a household name when he landed the role in 2007 as the youngest of three wizard siblings in the Wizards Of Waverly Place alongside Selena Gomez. He was part of the ensemble cast for four years and helped the show take home an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program in 2009. Jake also starred alongside Emma Roberts in Hotel For Dogs in 2009. Jake also stars as Jesus Foster on the family drama series The Fosters, alongside actresses Maia Mitchell and Teri Polo, which is produced by Jennifer Lopez and is about a same-sex couple and their children. He also landed a major voiceover role in 2011 as Fernando in hit films Rio and Rio 2, as well as starring in New Years Eve and Law and Order. He was named among Latino's Brightest Stars Under 25 by Latina magazine, has penned a screenplay called Kings of Suburbia and has presented an award at the Teen's Choice Awards. Jake, who splits his time between LA and New York depending on his work, also lends his support to various charities. MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Jake T. Austin and is awaiting comment. Jake, at the age of nine, was cast as the voice of Dora's cousin Diego on the Nickelodeon series Dora The Explorer, which cemented his status in Hollywood Jake regularly posts dapper snaps on his Instagram where his hundreds of thousands of fans compliment his good looks and sharp style He become a household name when he landed the role in 2007 as the youngest of three wizard siblings in the Wizards Of Waverly Place alongside Selena Gomez An advertising campaign for a burger restaurant telling vegans that 'resistance is futile' has been pulled after just two days following a stream of complaints. Gourmet Burger Kitchen targeted commuters with a series of posters on the London Underground encouraging them to give up their herbivorous ways and try their burgers. But after receiving a stream of complaints from disgruntled vegetarians and vegans, they have now been forced to take them down. Scroll down for video The restaurant chain targeted London commuters with a series of adverts encouraging them to give up their vegetarian ways and try their beef burgers, but they have since decided to pull them down following complaints Thousands of people took to Twitter to share their discontent at the adverts, with some professing 'insulting' and 'pathetically desperate'. The hashtag #GourmetMurderKitchen even began trending on Twitter. One poster read: 'You'll always remember when you gave up being a vegetarian.' Another said: 'Vegetarians - resistance is futile,' while one had a picture of a cow along with the tagline: 'They eat grass so you don't have to.' The popular chain, which launched in London in 2011 and now has over 60 restaurants across the UK, boasts a menu featuring 100% beef burgers but, ironically, they also serve up vegetarian options such as pan-fried bean patties and grilled pineapple burgers. However, people voicing their outrage on social media claimed the chain was making a 'joke' of vegetarianism and veganism. Animalista Untamed tweeted: 'Veganism is not a joke. Animals matter. Join us 2 demand #gourmetmurderkitchen.' One poster featured a picture of a cow with the tagline: 'They eat grass so you don't have to'. Tweeters have blasted the campaign 'outdated and highly offensive', forcing the restaurant campaign to remove the posters One tweeter, Animalista Untamed, blasted the ads as 'insulting', left, while Luna Unicorn Sminks called it 'really bad advertising', right, and vowed to ignore the restaurant chain, who have promised to pull the posters Harriet Layhe said: 'It seems veganism is on the rise when marketing takes a pathetically desperate turn for the crass #goodluckwiththat #gourmetmurderkitchen.' Luna Unicorn Sminks wrote: 'Cheers for making it even easier to ignore your food chain. Really bad advertising.' She shared an image of one of the advertisements, along with a parody image that read: 'We kill them so you don't have to.' Lizzy Maries vowed to avoid the chain altogether, saying: 'You'll always remember the day you boycott @gbkburgers #gourmetmurderkitchen. Fire your marketing agency.' And Jessica Chloe Young tweeeted: 'Making fun of vegetarians for not wanting to abuse animals is low.' After two days of complaints, the chain eventually decided to pull the offensive adverts. In a message on their Facebook page on Monday, they announced: 'We've been reading the reaction to our latest advertising campaign and needless to say, we're quite taken aback. The last thing we ever intended to do was offend or alienate vegetarians. 'The same vegetarians that we've looked after and fed since our very first restaurant. Our intentions were light-hearted and not meant to cause any offence, but clearly we have, and for that we apologise. 'While we've served beef at the core of our menu since 2001, we've always catered well to the veggies out there, and that's never going to change. 'So having read all your comments and messages, we've made the decision to take down some of the adverts. We'll still serve beef. We'll still serve veggie burgers. But hopefully we'll not tread on anyone's toes while doing it. Best, GBK.' However, not everyone was offended. One man wrote on their Facebook wall: 'Great advertising! Don't give into the whining grass munchers!' Jasmijn de Boo, CEO of The Vegan Society, said: 'What a wonderful example of the power of the people to change things. They spotted an injustice, and made their voices heard. GBK had no choice but to listen and react. 'The last thing we ever intended to do was offend or alienate vegtarians': Gourmet Burger Kitchen were forced to apologise via their Facebook page, though they insisted that their intentions were 'light-hearted' 'GBK has shown itself to be totally out of touch. These outdated and highly offensive ads were completely misjudged and smacked of both naivety and ignorance. Were they not aware of the growth of the vegan movement? 'If they wanted to bring in new custom to boost a slow January, they ought to have embraced Veganuary rather than alienate a growing section of society and offered some more vegan options. That's what their competitors, Handmade Burger Co, have done this month with enormous success. A mother-of-two who endured a violent eight-hour attack at the hands of her ex-partner has encouraged other women to 'not let the abusers win'. Courageous Zoe Dronfield, 39, from Coventry, has spoken out after her former on-off boyfriend Jason Smith tried to appeal his conviction on the basis she had been hypnotised before giving evidence in court. But judges at London's Appeal Court ruled that the conviction was safe, and 32-year-old thug Jason remains behind bars to see out his 10-year sentence. Zoe Dronfield, 39, from Coventry, has spoken out after her former on-off boyfriend Jason Smith tried to appeal his conviction on the basis she had been hypnotised before giving evidence in court Jason savagely injured Zoe. He stamped on her head and caused bleeding on the brain, cracked her cheekbone and stabbed her in the neck - just 1cm away from the jugular vein 'I was able to give evidence in court against Jason all thanks to the hypnotherapy,' she said. 'I want to show other women they can do the same we do not have to let abusers win.' Zoe met Jason on Facebook. They had mutual friends on the social media website and began sending messages to one another, before he showered her with compliments and offered to take her out. Jason acted like a true gentleman, taking to Zoe to expensive restaurants and hotels, and treating her like a princess. They were in a relationship for a year before he brutally assaulted her. The pair had spent the night of the attack talking before Jason fell asleep and Zoe went to bed. Zoe met Jason on Facebook. They had mutual friends on the social media website and began sending messages to one another, before he showered her with compliments and offered to take her out Recalling the terrifying incident, Zoe said: 'I was dying and pleaded with Jason to call an ambulance and eventually he did. He was on the phone for 13 minutes and when the ambulance and police arrived I was unconscious' Photographs of Zoe's injuries show the scars and stitching on her right arm, pictured left, and bruising on her torso, right Then, Jason savagely injured Zoe. He stamped on her head and caused bleeding on the brain, cracked her cheekbone and stabbed her in the neck - just 1cm away from the jugular vein. She has no recollection of the hours before the attack. 'I was dying and pleaded with Jason to call an ambulance and eventually he did,' she recalled. 'He was on the phone for 13 minutes and when the ambulance and police arrived I was unconscious. 'When I came round after being attacked to see Jason cutting his wrists and blood everywhere I was shocked. It was horrifying and I was confused.' Terrified Zoe was beaten so badly she passed out. Due to the severity of her injuries and the mental trauma caused she had to have hypnotherapy sessions with cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist David Kilmurry to help her remember what happened. 'After the attack I was a shell of my former self and I've never been so low in my life,' she said. 'Many women take their own lives after such events but I had to find a way to fight through it and that's why I wanted to get hypnotherapy - to build me back up mentally and fill in the blanks. 'I couldn't remember anything but thanks to the hypnotherapy I have been able to put my life back together and come back fighting.' Jason and Zoe pictured out for dinner together before the brutal attack took place Zoe, pictured after recovering from the attack, said: 'I couldn't remember anything but thanks to the hypnotherapy I have been able to put my life back together and come back fighting' Zoe said: 'After the attack I was a shell of my former self and I've never been so low in my life' Hypnotherapist David commented: 'It's been quite shocking - Zoe made an amazing recovery from devastating physical and psychological injuries to where she is now. 'Zoe has shown great dignity, having faced problem after problem ever since the assault - a heavyweight boxer would not suffer these injuries, and would not enter the ring if this was a real risk, and Zoe has been incredibly brave to go through this ordeal with such superhuman strength. 'I have worked with Zoe and I am proud to have helped her retrieve her memory and rebuild her confidence.' While Jason's lawyers agreed he faced a 'strong case', they argued that Zoe's evidence was crucial and the verdict 'might have been different' if they had been able to instruct an expert to give evidence relating to hypnosis. But during the Appeal Court hearing Mr Justice Dingemans, sitting with Lady Justice Sharp and Judge Julian Goose QC, said evidence of a witness who had undergone hypnosis was admissible in court, and details of the hypnosis had been given to the defence. Zoe and Jason pictured together in happier times before the assault took place Hypnotherapist David commented: 'It's been quite shocking - Zoe made an amazing recovery from devastating physical and psychological injuries to where she is now' He said there was 'no sensible complaint that there was failure to disclose material as soon as it became available'. He added: 'It was a matter for the defence to decide how to use the material. 'Whatever material had been deployed once that disclosure had been made could have made no conceivable difference to this case. 'It was an overwhelming case and, in our judgement, the conviction is safe.' Jason claimed he had acted in self-defence after she came at him with a blade - but a jury at Warwick Crown Court convicted him of causing grievous bodily harm with intent in December 2014. He was jailed for 10 years, and ordered to serve an additional four years on licence following his release because the judge considered him such a danger to the public. Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager took their adorable baby girls to a workout class during a Today show segment dedicated to helping busy moms incorporate exercise into their daily routines. And not only were they finding time to work out, but their precious tots looked like they were having a blast. Savannah, 44, and her one-year-old daughter Vale joined Jenna, 34, and her infant Poppy, who was born in August, at fitness guru Taryn Toomey's New York City studio last week where they did lifts, squats, and lunges while using their babies as resistance. However, on Tuesday's Today show segment it was revealed that they certainly had their hands filled as Savannah struggled to hold on to a squirming Vale and Poppy drooled in Jenna's eye. Scroll down for video Too cute! Savannah Gutherie (L), 44, took her one-year-old daughter Vale to work out with Jenna Bush Hager (R), 34, and her five-month-old infant Poppy for an adorable Today show segment about fitness for moms The class: Savannah and Jenna took their babies to at fitness guru Taryn Toomey's New York City studio Not always easy: Doing yoga poses with their daughters proved to be difficult for Savannah, who tried to hold on to her wiggling daughter 'Well, I have to say, working out with our babies was not that relaxing,' Jenna said of her and Savannah's fitness adventure. 'We like to work out together, and sometimes it is hard to bring on a baby.' Jenna, who also has a two-year-old daughter Mila with her husband Henry Hager, 37, admitted at the start of the segment that main reason for skipping the gym is that she has two children and feels 'tired all of the time'. However, she noted that she is dedicated to her health and wanted to find new ways to fit workouts into her busy schedule. Because she and Savannah already like to exercise together, they decided to meet with Taryn, a mother-of-two and the founder of 'the class', which attracts the likes of Naomi Watts and Christy Turlington. Savannah and Jenna were dressed in Spandex when they arrived at the group class, which required them to use their daughters as weights. Unsurprisingly, Jenna had an easier time working out with five-month-old Poppy than Savannah did with Vale, who was wiggling while her mom tried to hold her during an intense squat session. So precious: Both Poppy and Vale laughed and smiled during the fitness class with their moms Just like mom: Savannah couldn't help but smile as Vale tried to imitate her as she did leg lifts Extra shower: Poppy drooled in her mom's eye when Jenna was lifting her in the air to tone her arms A giggling Vale then went 'rogue' and started walking around the studio while her mom was on all fours and lifting her leg in the air. At one point Taryn started jumping up and down to amuse the toddler, whom she later picked up to give her mom a break. However, things weren't always so easy for Jenna either. While laying on her back and lifting Poppy up and down, Jenna got a hunk of drool in her eye. When Jenna asked Taryn what she would say to all of those mothers who are 'exhausted' and 'overwhelmed' and say they can't workout out, the trainer noted that saying all of those things make you believe you can't do it. Say hello! Before they started working out, Savannah and Jenna chatted with their children and Poppy told Vale 'hi' Get down: Savannah and Jenna can be squatting while holding their babies in front of them Going rogue: Unfortunately for Savannah, Vale wanted to walk around all over the workout studio Thanks for the lift: Savannah can be seen brushing Vale's hair after Taryn picked her up to give the little girl's mom a break 'You just have to start,' she advised. For those who can't fit a workout class into their daily schedules, Jenna also headed to New Jersey during Poppy's nap time to visit fitness blogger and mom Erin Whitehead of Fit Bottomed Mama, a website that shows mothers how to incorporate fitness into their daily lives. During her visit, Erin showed Jenna how to stand while folding the laundry so she has to squat every time she needs to pick up another piece of clothing from the basket. Erin noted that if you are really feeling it, you can even do a jump squat to up your cardio. Jenna admitted that she spends a great deal of time picking up toys, so Erin showed her how to do lunges while grabbing everything off of the floor. And fitness is fun for the whole family in Erin's house. Erin's young daughter told Jenna that she exercises with her mom every day. Proud teacher: Taryn shared this photo on her Instagram page, writing: 'Such a pleasure working out with @jennabhager & @savannahguthrie with their babies for the @todayshow today! [sic]' Tough cookies: Taryn said the two moms aren't afraid of squatting, doing push-ups or battling baby drool Make it work: Jenna also went to New Jersey to meet with Erin Whitehead of Fit Bottomed Mama. Erin can be seen showing Jenna how to do squats while folding the laundry Fitness plan: Erin's website shows mothers how to incorporate fitness into their daily lives by doing exercise moves like push-ups and squats whenever they get the chance 'The whole important thing is that when you are sitting home [or] if you are hanging out with your kids, there are things you can do [to workout],' Jenna explained to Today show anchor Matt Lauer. 'I could watch that story just to see Poppy and Vale,' Matt said of the workout segment. Savannah and Jenna both said they have dance parties with their kids and try to incorporate movement during their interactions with their daughters. 'I like to do lifts with Vale,' Savannah explained. 'I used to be able to do like 25 and now she is so heavy, I am like one.' Jenna admitted that was actually considering bring her eldest daughter Mila to their mommy and me workout session but thought better of it, noting it would have been a 'disaster'. Advertisement The world's most fashionable women, who have the uncanny ability to turn the sidewalks into a runway and the streets like a red carpet are being spotlighted in a new book which showcases the most unique and stand-out styles of women around the world. Photographer Giuseppe Santamaria has traveled across the globe in order to capture images of these women for his 'street style journal' Women In This Town, which shines a spotlight on the awesome fashion choices of everyday people. The Toronto-born Sydney resident captures these seriously chic moments in all manner of locales, from London to Paris to New York, and shares glimpses of his work on his website and Instagram page. Scroll down for video Style snaps: Photographer Giuseppe Santamaria's book Women In This Town captures street style from around the world, including in New York (left) and Madrid (right) Non-famous fashion: He doesn't stand outside fashion shows, but rather photographs every day women on the street in bustling cities like Madrid (right) When most people hear the term 'street style photographer', they think of fashion week, where paparazzi snap away at the outrageously-dressed women attending designer shows. Pictures of experimental fashion choices - think colorful fur, unexpected silhouettes, and impractically-high heels - come to mind. But that's not what Giuseppe is out to capture. Rather than taking pictures of mis-matched designer ensembles, cartoonishly whimsical prints, and miniskirts worn in freezing temperatures, Giuseppe seeks out women who seem to reflect their personalities in their outfits. Hold your head up: Giuseppe, who was born in Toronto, said it's the confidence of women like this one (in Melbourne) that catches his eye Age is just a number: He captures women both young and old, like these ladies in Tokyo Presence: He said that women, like this one in New York, can dress in a way that 'speaks volumes about who they are' No city limits: He snaps away at women in London (left), Melbourne (center) and Tokyo (right) 'I am looking to photograph the everyday woman whose dress sense is confident and speaks volumes about who they are,' he said. He finds these ladies around the world, in fashionable cities like New York, Paris, Tokyo, London, Madrid, and Melbourne. But they're certainly not all wearing pricey, or even particularly trendy, clothes. In New York, he captured a young woman in a message tee, chunky flatforms, and a purple fur coat. In Sydney, he spotted an older woman in a pleated dress, chunky grandma sweater, and flower-topped hat. In Tokyo, it was a woman in red, wide-leg pants and loafers that grabbed his attention. Individual: He isn't focused on capturing the most 'fashionable' women, but rather those who have unique persona style Mixing it up: Some women, like these two posing in Tokyo (left) and Paris (right) mix 'trendy' accents with more traditional pieces Quiet confidence: Giuseppe said he notices the way people carry themselves when they think no one is looking, like these women in Paris (right) and Madrid (left) 'The main thing that catches my eye when Im out taking photos is confidence,' he told Daily Mail Online. 'Its in how someone holds themselves when they think nobody is looking. If you got that, youll stand out on the street, even if youre not trying to.' In fact, he thinks staying clear of anything too trendy is the key to finding your own personal style. 'Dont follow the trends too much,' he added. 'If you do, have fun with them but add something unique to the look that expresses something about you. Keep it individual.' Plus-size model Tess Holliday has revealed that many of the scantily-clad photos she shares of herself on Instagram are actually fueled by the vitriol she faces from her critics The 30-year-old beauty admitted that she used fight back when she was attacked by online bullies, but she has since realized it is a waste of her time and energy. However, she has since found other ways to retaliate. 'When I'm having a bad day, that's when I usually take naked photos and post them online, which hasn't happened often because my mom moved in with us and she doesn't really appreciate that, that much. I don't know why,' Tess said with laugh after a recent panel chat on fat acceptance hosted by Refinery29.com. Role model: Tess Holliday can be seen posing in a black and tan checkered dress at a panel chat on fat acceptance hosted by Refinery29.com earlier this month Rising star: The size 22 model and social media phenom has been reveling in the mainstream since May 2014, when she donned a designer friend's black lace bodysuit to pose for People's 2015 body issue But Tess has managed to sneak in a few sultry photos, including a no-clothes-at-all booty shot with a graphic bubble reading 'oops' covering one exposed nipple. The image also shows off her arm tattoos, which portray the women she admires. There's Divine, Dolly Parton, Miss Piggy and Mae West, 'all strong outspoken women like myself,' she explained. Tess said nude picture was her most popular photo on Instagram, beating out her People cover, her H&M modeling campaign and news of her signing with Milk. 'Seems like the booty wins,' she joked in the comments, using her homegrown hashtag. The plus-size model and social media phenom who regularly shakes off haters has been reveling in the mainstream since May, when she donned a designer friend's black lace bodysuit to pose for People's 2015 body issue. Breaking barriers: The 30-year-old is the first woman of her size to size to land a contract with a prominent modeling agency. She can be seen posing next to her May 2015 People magazine cover 'It's been crazy,' Tessa said of the cover. 'My audience changed so much because it's a universal magazine. Everyone of all ages and backgrounds reads it and all of a sudden I was in every grocery store.' Behind the scenes, she found herself in flux, shedding unsupportive loved ones and making adjustments at home in Los Angeles. Tess, whose real name is Ryann Maegen Hoven, moved in both her disabled mother and her Australian fiance Nick Holliday. Meantime, her 10-year-old son Rilee is adjusting to mom's higher profile as well. 'When we're out in public people stop me. He rolls his eyes,' Tess said. 'He gets it, but it's still really weird for him. When he tells his friends, 'My mom's a model", they kind of pick on him a little.' Why? Because at 5-foot-5 and size 22, Tess doesn't fit the ultra-thin mold. Fat and proud, covered in colorful tattoos each with its own story of love and empowerment that's just fine with her. 'I feel like I'm learning who I am again because of the new media attention,' Tess said 'To people who had never heard the words "body positive", or who had never shopped at a plus-size clothing store and weren't plus-size themselves, it's been an adjustment for them, too.' Body confident: The ginger-haired beauty often shares photos of herself donning lingerie or nothing at all on her Instagram feed Getting cheeky: Tess, who can be seen taking a selfie in blue lace lingerie, revealed that one of her nude photos ended up being her most popular Instagram photo to date She's learned she can't educate all, including those who insist that her size compromises her health. And there are the usual trolls she's been dealing with for years on Instagram and elsewhere online, including Tumblr, the place where she grew her own hashtag rallying cry that lives on today: EffYourBeautyStandards. As the first model of her size and height to be signed by a prominent agency, Milk Management in London, Tess was thrust further into the role of body positive activist, this after several years of modeling to her credit. The burgeoning body positive movement has the usual growing pains and disagreements from within and without, including whether use of the word 'fat' is OK. As far as Tess is concerned, people should use the word or not use the word. Acceptance means acceptance at any size. Among other adjustments for Tess has come a new approach to handling haters. 'Before I would have just gone after somebody if they said something and attacked me,' she said. 'I'm not going to change their minds by one comment so why even bother? Why waste my energy? Keeping secrets: The rising star will launch her new clothing line in March, although she has yet to reveal where it will be sold Holiday fun: Tess, whose real name is Ryann Maegen Hoven, moved in both her disabled mother and her Australian fiance Nick Holliday Naysayers: Tess said she can't stand the scrutiny about her health as people insist that she can't be 5'5", a size 22, and healthy 'It's definitely been a learning curve. My fiance's had to snatch the phone out of my hand multiple times. He's like, "What are you doing?" He knows. I get this look on my face and he's, like, "Are you commenting back to people?"' Life wasn't always easy for Tess. As a child, she moved nearly 50 times before fifth grade at the behest of her father. Her parents divorced and she hasn't spoken to her dad in three years. She was bullied relentlessly as a kid because of her size and other issues, finally dropping out on the first day of 11th grade after receiving death threats. Tess earned her GED and continued to pursue her dreams of modeling while working as a bank teller in Laurel, Mississippi, where she moved with her mom after her mom was shot twice in the head by a boyfriend and was left partially paralyzed. 'I was bullied from fifth grade on,' she said. 'They started making fun of me because my mom was in a wheelchair, then they started making fun of me because I was poor and then it evolved to my size.' National appeal: Tess appeared in an ad for H&m wearing a red top and hot pink pants in September Loving couple: Tess, whose real name is Ryann Maegen Hoven, recently moved in with both her disabled mother and her Australian fiance Nick Holliday (pictured) Main men: Tess' fiance Nick can be seen posing with her 10-year-old son Rilee, who she gave birth to when she was 20 years old The Internet beckoned and she started posting pictures of herself, building a social media following over the last six or so years that led to modeling work and ultimately her breakthrough. One thing she hadn't anticipated was the intense scrutiny of her health. 'It was so frustrating because I felt like I had worked so hard to get to this point and then people were taking away what I did and making it about my health and my size. And they still do,' she said. 'I feel like it's important to talk about my health, which is fine, and my size because there are young girls who see someone like me and can validate their own existence.' As for what else is in story for Tess, there is her clothing line that launches in March, though she was tightlipped ahead of the formal announcement about where it will sell. Her goal, she offered, was to provide plus-size women clothes they could live in at a reasonable price without being beholden to shapewear. Theres an expectation for men to reach the finish line every time they have sex. But for some, it just isnt possible. They can achieve an erection and derive pleasure from intercourse. Yet, despite how much they may want to, they arent able to reach an orgasm. 'Delayed ejaculation' affects nearly eight per cent of men, according to sexual health expert Dr Tobias Kohler, of SIU HealthCare in Illinois. Men suffering delayed ejaculation can end up having sex for 20 minutes or longer without finishing often giving up only when they feel exhausted or embarrassed. Even though its fairly common, though, few men even know this disorder exists, Dr Kohler told Daily Mail Online. Scroll down for video Men's sexual health expert Dr Tobias Kohler, of SIU HealthCare in Illinois, revealed to Daily Mail Online the delayed ejaculation - which occurs when a man can get an erection but cannot achieve an orgasm - affects nearly eight per cent of men WHAT IS DELAYED EJACULATION? Most of the emphasis in the arena of mens sexual health is placed on erectile dysfunction. That condition entails an inability to achieve an erection long enough to complete sex. In fact, as many as 52 per cent of men are affected by erectile dysfunction, according to the Cleveland Clinic. As a result, people are much more comfortable talking about erectile dysfunction and seeking medical attention for it than they are with delayed ejaculation. Most of these guys that truly have [delayed ejaculation], their success rate is one in five theyll try to have sex five times and only be able to finish once Dr Tobias Kohler, of SIU HealthCare in Illinois Dr Kohler told Daily Mail Online: If youre having problems getting to that point consistently or if its taking you longer than you think it should, then you should be concerned and see somebody about it. Delayed ejaculation doesnt actually refer to a problem just with ejaculating. Instead, it refers to a problem reaching orgasm in general, he said. Men with the disorder can have sex and enjoy it, even without reaching completion just as a woman who cant orgasm would. But despite enjoying sex, not being able to orgasm often causes mental distress for men with the disorder. It can also cause distress for their partners, who may grow frustrated by the man's inability to orgasm during sex. Dr Kohler said: Most of these guys that truly have [delayed ejaculation], their success rate is one in five theyll try to have sex five times and only be able to finish once. WHAT CAUSES DELAYED EJACULATION? Delayed ejaculation can occur when a man who normally takes only three or four minutes to reach orgasm starts taking more than 15 minutes, according Dr Kohler. On the other hand, delayed ejaculation can also be a permanent condition that has affected a man since he began having sex. Scientists arent quite sure whey this occurs yet, though they believe mental issues, illnesses or drug interaction can cause the disorder. The exact causes for delayed ejaculation are unknown, though doctors believe it may be tied to mental health issues, illnesses such as diabetes or - most commonly - antidepressant use, according to Dr Kohler The doctor said: The most common cause of acquired delayed ejaculation is the use of antidepressants. Certain antidepressants produce excess levels of serotonin on the brain, which is bad for ejaculation. Dr Kohler added: The way the system is set up, that level is supposed to be low and not high. HOW IS DELAYED EJACULATION TREATED? The first thing a doctor will do is try to pinpoint the underlying reasons for a persons delayed ejaculation. Theyll ask about medications such as antidepressants. The only difference between men and women is that its a lot more obvious when a guy orgasms than when a girl does Dr Tobias Kohler, of SIU HealthCare in Illinois And if medication is the case, the doctor will adjust the dosage a man is taking. The doctor will also test for thyroid conditions, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and more just to rule out anything severe. But for most men, an identifiable cause for their disorder wont be found. Instead, delayed ejaculation may occur because of psychological conditions, such as depression. Furthermore, some men may have problems achieving orgasm if they are consumed by a fear of pregnancy, fear of intimacy or other anxieties. In those cases, a doctor will recommend the patient seek help from a sexual psychologist and counselor. Furthermore, delayed ejaculation can also occur in men who masturbate frequently and cant replicate the same sensation with partner sex. When a man sees a specialist about delayed ejaculation, the doctor will first rule out any illnesses, such as thyroid problems. Then, the doctor will switch up any medications the man may be on. If it's still an issue at that point, the doctor will refer the man to a mental health professional, Dr Kohler explained Dr Kohler said: Some of the guys cant orgasm because their partner cant produce the same pressure rhythm. A lot of times you have to do retraining of these guys to either discontinue masturbating as much or so that they dont do it in a way that is unusual or unlike what they would experience with their partner. WOMEN CAN SUFFER DELAYED ORGASMS TOO At the end of the day, even though men and women are wired differently, an inability to orgasm is very similar among the two sexes. Dr Kohler said: The only difference between men and women is that its a lot more obvious when a guy orgasms than when a girl does. The way the culture is set up is that its more of an expectation that a guy wouldnt have this problem, but maybe a woman would. And so, he said, nobody really talks about delayed ejaculation even though women's orgasm issues are commonly discussed in popular culture and women's health publications. For countless allergy sufferers, an autoinjector is a potential lifesaver. These are spring-loaded syringes that give a shot of adrenaline to stop a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylactic shock. This can cause a catastrophic drop in blood pressure and trigger a cardiac arrest, or the airways swell so much it can become hard to breathe. About 20 people in the UK die as a result each year. Adrenaline is thought to halt this process - how is not quite clear - and those with severe allergies are prescribed an autoinjector such as an EpiPen (there is a variety of brands), loaded with epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, to carry at all times. Adrenaline autoinjectors save the lives of allergy sufferers on a frequent basis but questions are now being raised as to whether the needles are long enough for people, and women in particular, who are overweight Yet questions are now being raised, particularly whether the needles are long enough for people, and women in particular, who are overweight, and also whether they provide enough adrenaline. The dose in an autoinjector is pre-measured; to use the device, the cap is removed and the end plunged into the skin, usually the thigh as, here, there is little chance of hitting bone or blood vessels. Around 250,000 people now carry autoinjectors, as allergy rates have risen in the UK. In order to work quickly enough, the needle needs to get the adrenaline into the muscle below the fat layer directly under the skin. Once its in the muscle, the adrenaline gets into the bloodstream, taking effect within five minutes. But levels of obesity have risen, too. The concern is that, in an overweight person, the needle will not get into the muscle but into the fat, where it would be absorbed very slowly, says Dr Robert Boyle, director of the paediatric research unit at Imperial College London and a childrens allergy specialist. A study published last year in the journal Allergy found that 68 per cent of those given an autoinjector had so much fat below their skin that the needle - which was 15.02 mm (the exposed length of needle varies slightly with the design) - couldnt reach the muscle. Last year, the European Medicines Agency carried out a review of autoinjectors - and one of their key concerns was needle length. And in 2014, the device watchdog in the UK, the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), looked into the problem on a coroners advice after a woman died despite using an autoinjector. Poppy Harvey, a young medical student from Woodbridge in Suffolk, had a severe allergy to egg and nuts. She had an anaphylactic reaction after eating a slice of cake. She used two EpiPens and called an ambulance, but fell into a coma and later died in hospital. The concern is that, in an overweight person, the needle will not get into the muscle but into the fat, where it would be absorbed very slowly The MHRA concluded that the data support the concern that the needle length on AAIs [autoinjectors] is too short to be sure that the dose of adrenaline is consistently delivered intramuscularly in all patients. This is a particular problem in females, where the skin-to-muscle distance is more frequently longer than the exposed length of the needles. The watchdog called for all needle lengths to be assessed. Some studies do suggest that it is not getting into the muscles in some circumstances, but often the studies are conducted using pork tissue - which is not the same as human tissue, says Dr Adam Fox, a paediatric allergy consultant at Guys and St Thomas Hospital, London. In some of his patients with a high BMI, he uses ultrasound to confirm the distance between the skin and the muscle and looks for an area with the smallest gap, advising the patient to inject there. But it is unrealistic to do this for every patient, he adds. However, Dr Boyle believes there are other questions that need to be asked - including whether the dose of adrenaline they provide is high enough. An injector is unlikely to be a life-saving device in every case, he says. If you are going to have a fatal reaction, you may need to have an incredibly large dose of adrenaline in order to make a difference - sometimes greater than that which is in an autoinjector. The recommended dose is 0.5 mg, but most autoinjectors contain a maximum 0.3 mg, although one, Emerade, does contain 0.5 mg. A study published last year in the journal Allergy found that 68 per cent of those given an autoinjector had so much fat below their skin that the needle - which was 15.02 mm - couldnt reach the muscle A study in 2006 found that about a third of people who died from an allergy to food had used the EpiPen promptly and as recommended. This may be because the adrenaline is going into fat - or that the dose is not enough. I dont think they are a total waste of time - adrenaline is a good treatment in general. But what matters is using the device and getting medical attention, which means larger doses of adrenaline, as soon as possible. The makers of EpiPen point out that the product information of autoinjectors has been updated, including a recommendation that patients should be prescribed two. However, using these devices as recommended seems to prove a problem for some. A U.S. study, published last year in the Annals of Allergy and Asthma and Immunology, found that correct use of autoinjectors was as low as 22 per cent. And when mothers of children with severe allergies used an autoinjector, fewer than half used it correctly, according to a 2015 study published in the journal Allergy. Despite having been shown how at a hospital allergy clinic, some tried to inject the wrong end into the leg, while others forgot to remove the safety cap. Dr Boyle, who conducted the study, recommended that parents request a practice trainer pen from their specialist or pharmacist, and called for devices to be made more user-friendly. Lynne Regent, of the Anaphylaxis Campaign, believes the devices are straightforward to use if the instructions are followed, although she admits the problem is that they are used in stressful situations, where someone may not think and react as normal. Women desperate to become mothers are being offered a more natural form of IVF for the first time. By allowing fertilisation to take place inside the womans body instead of in a test tube it is hoped the new method will lead to healthier babies. The technique could also boost success rates of fertility treatment potentially cutting the emotional and financial cost of the procedure. It involves using a device called the AneVivo, which allows an embryo to start life with natural nourishment from the womb. By allowing fertilisation to take place inside the womans body instead of in a test tube it is hoped the new method will lead to healthier babies (stock image) The process may prove popular with women keen to have a physical connection with their child from the outset as well as being more acceptable to the Catholic Church, which disapproves of conventional IVF because fertilisation takes place outside the body. Fertility doctor Nick Macklon, from the Complete Fertility Centre in Southampton, hopes the first British AneVivo baby will be born this year. He said: The introduction of this device signals a real breakthrough in IVF treatment as it enables women to care for an embryo in its earliest stages of development for the first time. During conventional IVF, the male sperm fertilises the female egg in a laboratory Petri dish. With AneVivo, the reproductive cells are instead put in a clear capsule smaller than a matchstick which is then placed painlessly in the womans womb where fertilisation occurs. The device, which is just 1cm long and 1cm wide, is studded with tiny holes which allow the wombs natural fluids to flow in and out. The proteins and hormones can then feed and nurture the early-stage embryo. It is removed a day later and the best embryos are chosen to be returned to the womans womb, in the hope of making her a mother. It is thought that using the bodys own nutrients to nourish the cells, rather than manmade concoctions in a lab, will improve the success of the process as well as boosting the health of any babies produced. Professor Macklon said: It could provide many potential health benefits for babies born following fertility treatment. IVF has been around for a long time and is very safe there are lots of healthy IVF babies. However, they tend to be born at a slightly lower weight and there is a suggestion that as they get older, they have slightly increased blood pressure. The idea is that if we can make the process as natural as possible, we will give the embryo the best start in life. The technique could also boost success rates of fertility treatment potentially cutting the emotional and financial cost of the procedure (stock image) We are trying to go back to nature as much as possible. The Swiss-made device is only available to private patients initially, and adds around 800 to the 4,000 cost of IVF. However, it is hoped that it will eventually become part of NHS treatment. Professor Macklon, who helped develop the device, added: This is a very significant moment in the advancement of British fertility treatment. We are all extremely excited to be able to offer patients the option of a more natural fertilisation process. However another fertility doctor who trialled an earlier version of the technique has urged caution around its use. Professor Simon Fishel, managing director of the CARE chain of fertility clinics, said: A lot of women will like it but whether it is better for the embryos and whether you get better results, we have no idea. Law and order problems are not a new phenomenon in Bihar. Successive governments have found it the most difficult issue to address over the years. The state was once referred to as the wild east because of the recurring incidents of crime ranging from massacres over caste to killing over abductions for ransom. Still, the crime graph in the past month has alarmed people simply because they did not expect it to happen during the tenure of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Family members of a Patna jewellery shop owner who was killed by criminals after an extortion demand Nitish has had an impeccable record on the law and order front so far. The crime rate declined remarkably after he took the reins of the state government in 2005 on account of a slew of measures he took. The Nitish government had set up speedy trials for long-standing cases pending against politicians with criminal antecedents, gave the state police a free hand, and generally avoided giving patronage to dons, who had been enjoying tacit immunity from the law till then. It was primarily because of Nitishs track record that Bihar was expected to remain peaceful during his present term as well. But a few recent incidents have raised apprehensions over the law and order situation. The horrific murder of two engineers of a private construction company over ransom demands in Darbhanga last month, and the killing of a jewellery shop owner in the heart of the state capital, came as a big shock since both incidents were said to be the fallout of extortion demands. The Darbhanga killings, in particular, exposed the failure of the state police. The company engaged in the construction of a highway in the north Bihar district had duly informed the police and sought security after its employees received a ransom demand from the gangsters. The security was subsequently provided to its workers, but it was inexplicably withdrawn by the local police shortly before the twin murder took place. In Patna, the police failed to keep tab on the activities of the absconding history-sheeters. The jeweller had been receiving ransom demands from the members of an old gang for quite some time, though he had never reported the matter to the police. This was reportedly known to all the people in the slain traders neighbourhood, but the intelligence network of the police apparently had no clue about it. These incidents have prompted the Opposition to throw the re-run-of-the-jungle-raj barbs against the Nitish government. Allegations are also flying thick and fast that the chief minister is under pressure from his powerful ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, whose 15-year-long reign between 1990 and 2005 is often referred to as a lawless regime. It is true that such incidents cannot be checked by the police without the cooperation of the public. But the state cops are often accused of not taking adequate confidence-building measures to win the trust of the people. Instances such as the withdrawal of security from the individuals under threat could hardly earn them the trust of the people. Nitish has reiterated that the rule of the law will continue to prevail under any circumstances. He has also stressed that he does not work under pressure, but he needs to deal with the prevailing situation with an iron hand - just the way he did in his previous two terms. His government must fix responsibility for any lapse on the part of the officials of the law-enforcement agencies. The Chief Minister has already talked tough to the state police brass and expressed his resolve time and again to maintain peace at all costs but he should not hesitate to take action against any laxity. It is good for him that he has got an opportunity to set things right at the very outset of his fresh tenure. Given his past, this should not be a difficult proposition for him. Nobody knows it better than him that Bihar can forge ahead on the development path only if it remains peaceful. A bad law and order situation will only push the state back into the dark days. A brave crusader against cancer Sneha was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and now runs a voluntary organisation A spirited young woman, with unstinting support from her husband, has been spearheading a campaign to create cancer awareness in Bihar. Sneha Routray, wife of IAS officer Ganga Kumar, was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. Her whole world came crashing down back then. I was only 32 years old at that time, she said. I lamented over why it had happened to me. But she decided to fight back instead of resigning herself to her fate. After her surgery and recovery, she has dedicated her life towards spreading awareness about cancer through her voluntary organisation called Grameen Sneh Foundation. With help from her husband, she recently organised a three-day health and wellness festival in Patna which was attended among others by cancer survivor and Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala. The aim of the festival was to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, undergo regular check-ups and make them understand that cure was possible if it was detected timely. Surprise inspection Bihar's deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav - the 26-year-old son of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi - recently visited a residential school for extremely backward class girls in Patna to assess its facilities. The school has been running in a two-storey building, owned by a government employee facing corruption charges, which had been confiscated a couple of years ago. Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav inspecting a residential school for extremely backward class girls in Patna But, as Tejashwi realised, the facilities for the students there left a lot to be desired. The students complained that they had to make chapattis for themselves and talked about the difficulties they faced during power cuts. During his inspection, Tejashwi tasted the food cooked for the students and directed the officials to improve all facilities at the school. At present, there are only 18 rooms and six toilets for the 245 students living in the building. The Ministry of New and Renewable energy (MNRE) is hoping to tackle indoor air pollution caused by conventional cooking methods in rural areas. The ministry has proposed to link biogas programmes with other developmental schemes under the Union Health Ministry at panchayat level, to help rural people adopt clean cooking solutions. The use of traditional chulahs or cook stoves results in indoor air pollution which has emerged as a leading cause of disease and death in India causing about 5,00,000 premature deaths annually. The use of traditional chulahs or cook stoves results in indoor air pollution, which can contribute to disease Nearly 150 million Indian households use biomass (firewood and agro waste) and cattle dung as primary cooking fuel. In order to improve access to clean cooking energy, MNRE is implementing Unnat Chulha Abhiyan program that seeks to move Indian households from traditional to modern cooking solutions by 2030, said Debasis Pal, deputy secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Only biomass-based cooking technology presently available that comes close to the World Health Organization (WHO) emission guidelines are forced draft pellet cook stoves. Additionally pellets can easily be produced out of renewable biomass (like crop residues, rice husk and saw dust) making the stoves climate neutral. Hence, the use of forced draft pellets stoves needs to be encouraged in order to reduce health hazards. However, adoption of clean energy stoves by rural households has primarily been hindered by low awareness levels and poor distribution channels, Pal added. Dealing with Pakistan is one of the most formidable challenges that has confronted Indian administrations over the last 30 years. Whether it was the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 1998 to 2004, or the Manmohan Singh regime for 10 years thereafter, relations with Pakistan have been the most insoluble conundrum that they have encountered. Expectations It was expected that the current NDA government led by Narendra Modi would employ a more muscular strategy in its relations with Pakistan. Narendra Modi with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. The two leaders have held positive meetings of late, and need to continue that progress despite recent terror attacks When it was in Opposition, the BJP had maintained that terror and talks cannot go together. It stressed that the government should not embark on any dialogue with Pakistan unless it was assured that Pakistan would abjure the use of terrorist groups aided and abetted by its army and ISI against India. Relations got off to a cautiously optimistic start with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif attending Modis swearing-in ceremony on May 26, 2014. However, it did not take long for relations to sour. Foreign secretary-level talks scheduled for August 2014 were called off at the last moment because of the meeting between Hurriyat leaders and the Pakistan high commissioner in Delhi. Since then it has been a roller-coaster ride for the two countries. A meeting between the two prime ministers in Ufa, Russia, was productive, but the backlash was so strong that the two NSAs could not meet. A short interaction between Modi and Sharif in Paris led to hurriedly arranged parleys between the NSAs and foreign secretaries of the two countries in Bangkok on December 6, 2015. This paved the way for External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs travel to Islamabad to participate in the Heart of Asia Conference on Afghanistan. In the meeting with Nawaz Sharif and Sartaj Aziz, it was decided to launch the comprehensive bilateral dialogue between the two countries. The end of 2015 witnessed the impromptu, goodwill stopover by Modi in Lahore on way back from Kabul for a two-hour tetea- tete with Sharif. It was decided that the two foreign secretaries would meet in Islamabad on January 15, 2016. Even before Modi had taken off from Lahore, analysts were predicting that the two countries should be prepared for a terror strike designed to derail the new-found bonhomie between them. This is exactly what transpired. Six terrorists from Jaish-e-Mohammed - with some possible support from sleeper cells in India - held security forces at Pathankot airbase at bay for three days from January 2. While PM Modis unexpected visit to Lahore was welcomed enthusiastically by most political parties, the terror attack was roundly condemned by all. Most of them charged that the government was clueless in dealing with Pakistan and had adopted a flip-flop approach ever since it came to power. Imprint Experts believe that the attack bears the unmistakable imprint of the ISI and groups like JeM that have been supported by ISI for operations against India. The Pakistan government has stated it will take action against perpetrators of the attack on the basis of evidence provided by India. It can only be hoped that Islamabad will not term the evidence provided as inadequate, as it had done in the case of 26/11 Mumbai attacks. India is again faced with the dilemma of constructing a suitable strategy to deal with Pakistan. It will need to finesse several strands of approaches that it has pursued in the past. First, there should be no suspension of talks between the two countries. The off again, on again approach regarding talks has not worked. In fact, talks should be used to force the Pakistani establishment to take action against perpetrators of such attacks. All evidence should be shared with Pakistan, as also with our international partners, to apply pressure on Islamabad. Response In addition, all terrorist actions as well as incursions across LoC, IB and violations of ceasefire by Pakistan-based elements, should be responded in a robust manner - in a place and timing of our choice. Only when India is able to inflict pain on the Pakistani establishment, including its army and intelligence agencies, for its terrorist actions, will there be a rethink on efficacy of such actions. In addition, India needs to actively and forcefully pursue its policy of reaching out to its major partners like the US, Russia, China, Japan, Iran, etc, to put pressure on Pakistan to keep its terrorist groups under check. India should focus on its own economic development and enhance its comprehensive national strength, including military prowess, infrastructure, etc. A multi-pronged, nimble-footed approach will need to be adopted by India to defeat the destructive designs of Pakistan. India will need to ensure that its foreign policy is not held hostage to its difficult relations with Pakistan. Steps taken by the government recently have been in the right direction. They need to be pursued with vigour and single-minded determination. The government plans to use space technology "extensively" to look for fresh springs or underground water reserves across a 15 lakh sq km area - equivalent to almost half the country. The current deposits are spread in about 9 lakh sq km. It also hopes to add 100 flood forecasting stations to the existing 176, generate data about 10 million hectares of flood-prone area already mapped, and look at an additional 5-10 lakh tonnes of fish production by identifying new territories. The government is set to roll out projects to forecast floods and drought After Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September called for more use of the digital and mapped information accessed by satellites, the government is set to roll out projects to forecast floods and drought, and action plans to reduce their impact. Indian states have been suffering from too much or too little rainfall. Top officials will meet experts from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for help in achieving the goals broadly outlined by Modi. Union water resources secretary Shashi Shekhar said:The meeting is likely to be held in Februarys second week. Thats when we draw up a timeline for the projects. Shekhar said monitoring water levels in dams in poor rainfall years will help fight potential drought spells by getting farmers to switch to less water-intensive crops. Also, monitoring of all 20 river basins and connected aquifers to know how exploited they are would aid in underground storage of water to be used in times of need, he said. At present, assessment of just two river basins (Brahmni-Baitarni and Godavari) has thrown up nearly 23 per cent additional water. There are other projects as well. One is to monitor 50 glacial lakes in the Himalayas to deal with situations like glacial lake outburst flood, feared to have taken place in Uttarakhands Kedarnath in 2013. There are about 100 key irrigation projects currently monitored. The Centre wants to add about 50 more to the tally. Space technology will also help prepare periodic water quality maps for the Gangas different stretches, and asses the health of river banks and floodplains. The idea also is to reduce casualties among the fisher folks. An estimated 100 fishermen per one lakh population die annually in accidents. A total of 325 Indian fishermen who strayed are in Bangladesh, Iran and Pakistan jails. Clear demarcation of international water boundaries and safe fishing zones would address parts of these problems, Shekhar said. We also want to set up a National Water Informatics Centre, linked to all central and state water-related data bases, Shekhar said. In case of a particular intensity of rainfall, officials would know in advance the levels up to which water would reach in times of floods. We can inform cities and villages in dangers of being flooded and to timely take people to safer areas, he said. Water expert Manoj Misra, however, has a word of caution. JP Nadda has been put in charge of the Kerala Assembly polls Ahead of an expected Cabinet reshuffle, some ministers have been out on party duties. They have been given additional charge of helping the prospects in the states where Assembly polls are due this year. Union minister JP Nadda has been put in charge of Kerala and Prakash Javadekar will look after affairs in Tamil Nadu. Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Piyush Goyal will be the joint in-charge in the two states. Award for most film-friendly state Taking a leaf out of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Make in India initiative, the information and broadcasting ministry has decided to introduce a new category in the National Film Award for the most film-friendly state. The new category will recognise the states and union territories where film production is facilitated. Information and Broadcasting secretary Sunil Arora said that the idea was to promote the countrys soft power and a film facilitation office will come up in the premises of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). IT institute to get PMs push PM Modi will inaugurate IIT Guwahati Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Assam on Tuesday where he will lay the foundation stone of the campus of Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati (IIITG). The PM will address students of IIT, IIITG and central technical institutions in North-East. The Assam Governor, CM and HRD minister Smriti Irani are expected to attend the function. Modi will also address a BJP youth programme and a public rally at Kokrajhar. Rajnath Singh to be NIA day chief guest The terror combat body, National Investigation Agency (NIA), is celebrating its raising day on Tuesday. While Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest at the special function being organised to mark the day, Army chief General Dalbir Singh will be the guest of honour. The agency is currently probing the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase. Rajiv Mehrishi faces panels ire A parliamentary standing panel on home affairs meeting on Pathankot attack was postponed as the home ministry sought some more time. Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, however, faced the panels ire for leaving its deliberations midway. The Delhi High Court has rejected the Delhi governments bid to interfere with the functioning of private schools in the name of nursery admissions, and struck down its decision to change the procedure. The HC also asked the government to set its own house in order before interfering in the functioning of private schools. A bench of Justice Manmohan said the government cannot take away the autonomy of private schools, especially by an office order which has not been passed under any statutory provision. Parents are having a tough time this year as changes in the nursery admission process have left them confused The Delhi government has been asked to file its reply to a petition filed by a private schools forum by January 25, and the court will take up the matter again on January 28. One major reason for all this (nursery admission chaos) is the poor state of public schools. No one is addressing that issue. Those people (government) who cant administer a public school are trying to take over admissions of private schools. Please set your house in order. Then there will be no reason for people to rush to private schools, Justice Manmohan said. The applications for nursery admissions are set to end on January 22 and the first list of candidates will come out on February 15. The courts observation will also remove ambiguity over the nursery admission process that loomed large after the Delhi governments order to end management quota. After the HC order, school principals said the admission process will remain the same as before. From the very beginning, we have been saying this that the government cannot take away our autonomy. We are already doing our bit of social responsibility by offering 25 per seats to economically weaker sections and not charging any fee. Rest has to be prerogative. The Delhi governments order was something that was supposed to be legally challenged, Springdales School principal Ameeta Wattal told Mail Today. The court also expressed doubts over the AAP government scrapping all 62 criteria, except for some like quotas for children whose parents were vegetarians, non-alcoholics or non-smokers. It said parents, as of now, can also apply as per the 62 criteria, but scrutiny of applications would be subject to final orders in the petitions by Forum for Promotion of Quality Education and Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools. The court has asked the private schools to continue with the admission process without any changes. All the schools will have to abide by the courts order and wait for the final decision on January 28, SK Bhattacharya, president of the Action Committee for Unaided Private Schools, told Mail Today. On January 6 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had called the management quota the breeding ground for biggest scandal in the education sector, and said his government will not be a mute spectator to it. The AAP government had also scrapped 62 arbitrary and discriminatory criteria listed by schools on their websites for admissions, but retained the 25 per cent quota for EWS. We are happy in both ways. The school management should have some rights regarding the admissions. We had already changed the criteria after the governments order, now we will again change it, Laxman Public School principal Usha Ram said. The pleas filed by school associations have sought the quashing of the AAP governments decision to scrap management and other quotas, except for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the citys private schools, saying the order is absolutely without jurisdiction and is thus liable to be quashed. During the hearing, the court also said that in its November 28, 2014 verdict scrapping the point system of nursery admissions devised by the Lt Governor for private unaided schools, it had told the government to amend the statute. But you do nothing and come out with another office order. Why do you (govt) do it at the last moment? it asked. Responding to this, the Delhi government said it had asked schools to upload the criteria by December 8 last year, but they did so by December-end. The admissions process this year has been giving a tough time to parents. The changes in the process and the new development have left many confused. Our concern is what about those 30 plus schools which have already changed the criteria midway after January 7. Even parents are confused which point system to be followed as many had converted major points into staff quota, Sumit Vohra, founder of admissionsnursery.com, told Mail Today. Schools can't keep admissions open indefinitely, court warns Sanskriti School cannot keep its admission process pending indefinitely, the Delhi High Court said on Monday. The school's plea against the quashing of the 60 per cent quota for wards of group-A government officials is still pending in the Supreme Court. You have to comply with the circulars of Department of Education (DoE). You cant keep it pending indefinitely, Justice Manmohan told the lawyer appearing for Sanskriti school. Sanskriti Schools special leave petition against the high courts November 2015 order scrapping its 60 per cent quota, is listed for hearing in the Supreme Court However, the court did not issue any directions on those lines and adjourned the matter to January 20 as the schools special leave petition against the high courts November 6, 2015 order scrapping its 60 per cent quota is listed for hearing in the apex court for Tuesday. Justice Manmohan asked the schools lawyer to inform the apex court about this petition as well. Meanwhile, the Delhi governments additional standing counsel Gautam Narayan told the court there cannot be any such quota and it has to go. Narayan also said the school cannot have its way and refused to put up the nursery admission criteria for academic session 2016-17 on their website. He said the school should comply with the DoEs circulars of December 8, 2015 and December 22, 2015 which mandate that the admission process should commence from January 1 and fix the last date for application as January 22. The January 6 order asks schools to develop and adopt criteria for admissions to the 75 per cent open seats to entry level classes for session 2016-17 which shall be well defined, non-discriminatory, unambiguous and transparent. However, respondent no.4 (Sanskriti) in sheer defiance of the circulars has not uploaded the admission criteria and points for admissions of open seats at entry level classes for the academic session 2016-17, a petition filed by a toddlers father, advocate Dheeraj Singh, has said. The Central government on January 7 told the Supreme Court that wards of government employees, other than Group-A central government officials, can also be provided admission under 60 per cent quota, which was earlier meant only for kids of this section in the prestigious Sanskriti School. The government and the school administration had sought an interim order allowing the institution to continue with the admission process under the old scheme till the matter was finally decided by the apex court. The long-neglected issue of disposing of dead bodies in the Ganga, a practice sanctioned by Hindu rituals, was brought to the notice of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday. Over 3,000 human bodies are immersed into the holy river just in Varanasi, every year, for salvation. These corpses float by as daily prayers, bathing, cooking and washing go on unabated on the river ghats. Rs 2,037 crore has been allocated to restore the Ganga under the Centres Namami Gange programme This puts innocent lives at risk besides creating a breeding ground for diseases and epidemic, it was pointed out to the environmental court. The judicial bench, headed by chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, called the practice unfortunate and also criticised the BJP-led central government saying: Your slogans are very contrary to your actions. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitious Namami Gange programme, Rs 2,037 crore have been allocated to bring the Ganga back to its pristine state. Modi himself has in the past picked up the shovel to clean the ghats of Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. Recently, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti had also inaugurated sewage treatment systems in Hapur district, Uttar Pradesh, to prevent the filth from being drained into the Ganga. The NGT also flayed the UP government for its negligence. The issue was brought up as part of the ongoing petition of Anil Kumar Singhal, a water quality expert. Singhal has prayed that Ramganga, a significant tributary of Ganga, be freed of waste emanating from brass factories along UPs Moradabad. His counsel, Gaurav Bansal, on Monday, submitted pictorial evidence to NGT of bloated corpses on the river and vultures feeding on them. He argued that Ganga cannot be clean until this practice is banned. Justice Kumar responded: It is really very unfortunate that such things are going on. Why dont you do something about this? He pulled up the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and also asked the UP government to deal with the issue expeditiously. Counsel Gaurav Bansal, said: We have found that no less than 3,000 human bodies and 6,000 animal carcasses are dumped into the Ganga each year. These may have died of dangerous diseases and obviously carry pathogens, bacteria and virus which are contaminating the river. Those who come in contact with the water can fall seriously ill. There are also various Supreme Court directions for municipal corporations to stop this practice, but nothing is being done on the ground, he said. Petitioner Anil Singhal has submitted various reports to the tribunal to prove that the river is highly polluted. The issue of dead bodies in Ganga last came into spotlight on January 14, 2015, when over 100 such corpses mysteriously washed up near Pariyar between Kanpur and Unnao. The district administration blamed it on the Hindu custom of not burning unmarried girls, children and people dying of snake bites. Seema Darshan is HRD Minister Smriti Iraani's brain child In an ambitious move to inspire young people to join the armed forces, the Ministry of Human Resource development (HRD) has initiated a pilot project to send some Class 11 boys and girls to the border and Line of Control (LoC) to spend time with the soldiers. The programme, to be launched on January 20, entails a group of 30 boys and girls from Kendriya Vidyalaya and Navodaya Vidyalaya travelling to Wagah Attari border and J&K's LoC to spend a week with the security forces. They will live with the army and the Border Security Force (BSF), see their lives, see the environment they operate in and under stand the prevailing security situation, Santosh Kumar Mall, Commissioner Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan told Mail Today. This is union HRD minister Smriti Iranis brain-child and the HRD ministry is working on the pilot project Seema Darshan along with the ministries of Defence and Home Affairs. The aim is to encourage future leaders of the country to be more aware of the environment. In case this pilot project is successful, then in future students will be taken to the Siachen Glacier, North Kashmir, eastern borders in Arunachal Pradesh and also on ships and the sea coast, sources said. Such an exposure will enable the students to get a feel of the conditions under which security personnel operate. This will also be a career guidance course for students, he added. In all, 16 Kendriya Vidyalaya students (eight boys and eight girls) and 14 Navodaya Vidyalaya students (seven boys and seven girls) from places like Manipur, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland will be taken to the Wagah Attari and Akhnoor and Jammu border. These 30 students on their return from this assignment will file an audio visual project report for their schoolmates. If this project is successful as anticipated, some physically fit and mentally robust students will also have an opportunity to visit the high altitude line of control in Kashmir and Nathu La in Sikkim, army sources said. A political blame game has started over the suicide of a Dalit scholar at Hyderabad University, with Rahul Gandhi demanding the sacking of the vice-chancellor and two Union ministers over the incident and the BJP asking him not to politicise the issue. Rahul, who dashed to the campus, faced the first salvo. Don't politicise this as Congress versus BJP. We are fighting only for justice for Rohith Vemula, a student told the Congress vice-president before he addressed the protesters. Indian Congress Party Vice President Rahul Gandhi speaks during a protest following the death of a student The V-C and the Union ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself, said Rahul. The Congress, which branded the BJP anti-Dalit, fielded Dalit leader and former Union minister Kumari Selja to target the government hours before Rahul joined the protesting students at the varsity. He met the family of the Dalit scholar and demanded the sacking of vice-chancellor Appa Rao, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, and HRD Minister Smriti Irani - without naming her. Dattatreya has been charged with abetting the suicide. AISA activists protest in New Delhi after Dalit student Rohit Vemula was found dead Just days ago, Irani had blamed Rahul for neglecting his parliamentary constituency Amethi in UP, and it was his turn for payback. Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot and BJP leader P Muralidhar Rao rejected Rahuls charge and alleged that Vemulas suicide has been made into a political issue by Congress, a section of the media, and some groups with vested interests. Suicide of Rohith Vemula has nothing to do with Dalit issues or rights just because he was a Dalit. It is merely politicising of the issue. Disciplinary action was taken against Rohith at the advice of the court and even a lenient stand was taken by university authorities by permitting him to enter the campus except the hostel, Rao said. Rahul Gandhis hurried visit to Hyderabad is unprincipled behaviour and it is unfortunate that a national political party stoops to such levels, he said. Rao cited a purported suicide note written by Vemula where he mentioned that he always had problems with himself. The BJP said that the Congress did a gross injustice to Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, but was now championing the cause of the community for political purposes. In Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai, students owing affiliation to various political parties protested against the suicide. Parties like the AIMIM, LJP and AAP also jumped into the fray. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AIMIM leader and MP Asaduddin Owaisi targeted the BJP over the suicide, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemn the incident. Even LJP leader Chirag Paswan, a BJP ally, said the matter should be probed by CBI. Sensing opportunity, TMC and BSP may also send teams to the campus. Student bodies like AISA, CYSS and NSUI protested at Delhis Jantar Mantar and outside the HRD ministry. The left is hoping the Congress doesn't ally with TMC Social gatherings, for instance wedding receptions, or for that matter birthday parties and memorial prayer services, in Lutyens Delhi are invariably power shows meant to demonstrate the clout of the host. The higher the number of politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, fixers and Bollywood stars who put in a fleeting appearance before moving on to the next show, the greater the clout of the host. Hence, there is little social chit-chat among the guests, apart from exchanging unfelt pleasantries. The arrivistes chase the rich and famous for a selfie, politicians and fixers use the crowd cover to fix deals, journalists strain their ears to pick up chatter or simply chat up those in the know, hoping to grab a story. All the while tens of scores of eyes shiftily dart around, trying to find a pretty face to pose with, a power daddy to cut a deal, a politician game for a gossip session. It was at one such gathering, ostensibly a wedding reception where the bride and the groom stood with plastic smiles on a red velvet-draped stage while the whos who of Indias movers and shakers hugged and air-kissed each other in a swirling mass of designer apparel, that I ran into an old friend, once a student leader and now a CPI(M) MP. Together we stood out like a pair of sore thumbs in our shabby clothes and scuffed shoes. So we fled to a corner of the sprawling lawn, and had a delightful adda over piping hot kebabs served by liveried waiters who would look suspiciously at us before proffering the platter. Clearly we did not belong, but neither did we care. To cut a long story short, he gave me a no-frills assessment of the coming assembly election in West Bengal. The essence of what he told me can be summed up in one sentence: On its own the Left did not have a ghost of a chance to win the election, but if the Congress were not to join hands with the Trinamool Congress, the result could be disastrous for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The CPI(M)s own assessment is that the TMCs assured vote-share at the moment hovers around 35 to 37 per cent. The bulk of this support comes from the states Muslim voters who, after a free run for five years with no attempt by the administration to halt the rising tide of Islamism, are unlikely to break with Mamata. A third of West Bengals voters are Muslims; in several constituencies they are way above the 33 per cent mark. If the CPI(M) MPs assessment is to be believed, the Hindu voter has begun to drift away from the TMC: how far is a question to which he had no answer. To win the election Mamata needs an additional 10-12 per cent votes, and that could be ensured if the Congress were to ally with the TMC. In 2011, they contested the Assembly election as allies, sweeping the polls with 48.54 per cent vote-share. The TMC won 184 seats, the Congress 42. The Left, with 41.12 per cent vote share, won 62 seats. In the Lok Sabha election of 2014, there was no TMC Congress alliance. With 39 per cent vote-share, the TMC won 34 seats. The Left, with 29 per cent vote share, got two seats. A resurgent BJPs 16 per cent vote-share did the Left in. It is anybodys guess as to where the BJP stands in West Bengal today. Between the summer of 2014 and that of 2016, the Modi wave has receded, though Narendra Modis popularity ratings could still be higher than others. In West Bengal, a listless state BJP leadership, widely perceived as compromised, has clearly failed to maintain the surge of 2014, leave alone add to it. Local elections have seen the party decimated, including in Asansol, one of the two constituencies where the BJP won in 2014. The Asansol MP, a minister in the Modi government, has been spotted singing at TMC events. If the BJP were to return to its pre-2014 vote-share, the 2011 election would become the benchmark for projecting 2016 results. In any event assembly polls follow a trajectory of their own, as Bihar (and before that Delhi) has shown. It is in this context that weaning the Congress away from the TMC becomes important for the CPI(M). This would explain Mohammed Salim, MP and Politburo member, calling on the Congress to go with the Left. That was further elaborated by former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee: Everyone has to stand up to the Trinamool. We are now asking the Congress too...Which side are you on? The answer cannot be an easy one. The Congress will be fighting the Left in Kerala where too, assembly election is due this year. Foes in Kerala cannot be allies in West Bengal. Thats a no-brainer. What the Marxists are really appealing for is that the Congress should not join hands with the TMC. Meanwhile, Mamata, who dumped the Congress soon after the 2011 election and gambled on a four-way vote split in 2014, has initiated a rapprochement with the Congress. Her personal relations with Congress president Sonia Gandhi are excellent. So are relations between Sonia Gandhi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. What happens next is Rahul Gandhis guess. Politics is a strange beast that devoured ideology long ago. Why else would the CPI(M) be knocking at the door of its Enemy Number One as a supplicant? In 1998 the CPI(M) had grandly declared: The Congress party has degenerated both politically and organisationally. It is a party in decline. The wheel turned half circle when the CPI(M) collaborated with the Congress during the UPA-I years. It has now turned full circle with an ideologically-bankrupt party pathetically appealing for help from a politically-bankrupt party. Politics is also a multiple-trick circus. We may yet witness two parties in terminal decline winning a three-legged race in West Bengal. After Bihar, everything is possible. India's security agencies are on the hunt for Syrians who arrived in India in 2015, overstayed their visas, and then went missing. While Indian agencies routinely track down overstaying foreigners, especially Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, this assumes significance as Syria is at the epicentre of ISIS-led terror. Some migrants from Syrias troubled neighbours Iraq and Turkey may have also overstayed, sources said. Central agencies have a list of almost 100 overstaying Syrians who arrived in India last year during the peak of the ISIS crisis in their country. Syria has been at the epicentre of the ISIS crisis. Around 100 Syrians are believed to have arrived in India in 2015, and overstayed after their visas expired. (File picture) While security sources said most of them had been traced because of quick action, Mail Today could not independently verify this. Most of them have been traced but details of a few Syrian nationals are still to be verified. Soon, we will submit our report, along with details of action taken, to the concerned authority, a top government official said, requesting anonymity. The Syrian nationals had shown various reasons like medical treatment, transit and tourism for visiting India. They got visas ranging from just a few days to a maximum of six months. Security agencies want to initiate deportation along with possible legal action. A list was given to various states including the Delhi police as several Syrians, including women and children, came to Delhi during this period. With the threat of ISIS or Islamic State lurking, the security establishment has been on alert. Officials following the developments said there was no specific input about their links with ISIS. Recently, Syrias Ambassador to India Riad Kamel Abbas reportedly said that some Syrian refugees had arrived in India and sought refugee status under the United Nations. Some of them may belong to terrorist organisations, he said, according to published reports. A communication sent to the Delhi Police by central agencies on the list of overstaying Syrian nationals requested that efforts be made to ascertain the presence of any of the above-mentioned individuals in Delhi and to consider legal measures. According to a senior government official, security agencies have prepared a list along with their arrival cards and details of their stay. Most of the Syrian nationals who have arrived in Delhi are young and arrived India on different dates. Some of them come as family for treatment and other came as tourists, an official said, requesting anonymity. According to the list, Syrian nationals arrived in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and other cities. In just over a month, Noida and east Delhi will be an easy ride for commuters from south Delhi with the opening of the loop connecting Barapullah Corridor with the DND flyway. But the slip road in the opposite direction - from Noida to Barapullah corridor - will continue to be a nightmare. A dispute between the Public Works Department (PWD) and residents of Siddhartha Extension over the construction of the loop has now reached the court, causing the inordinate delay in the project. Barapullah to Noida PWD flyover: Work was in progress in New Delhi on January 19, but a large part of the new road will be unfinished Work on the corridor had started on March 2013 and the deadline for completion was December 2015. But PWD officials said angry residents often resorted to vandalism, forcing them to seek police protection to carry out work, thereby delaying the project. A senior official associated with the project said the deadline remains uncertain. Delay in execution of the project will lead to cost escalation, but by how much cannot be ascertained right now as we do not know how long the project will get delayed. It depends on the court to decide the matter, he said. According to the PWD, the slip road leading to the DND flyway from the Barapullah elevated corridor will be ready by February. Commuters will have to travel nearly 2-km less as the corridor will allow them to directly get on to the DND flyway. At present, motorists coming from the Ashram side have to go past Sarai Kale Khan, take a U-turn from under the flyover near the Nizamuddin railway station, and drive back to the point of entry to Barapullah. This becomes a harrowing task for commuters as the stretch remains heavily congested at any point of the day. Work on the Noida to Barapullah corridor had originally started in March 2023. A case has been filed seeking a stay on the construction work. The situation gets worse during the morning and evening peak hours. An estimated 1.5 lakh commuters use this stretch daily. The existing phase-I of Barapullah elevated corridor connects Sarai Kale Khan with the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Phase-II will extend it to INA Market, and Phase-III will connect it all the way to Mayur Vihar. According to officials, the idea is to shrink travel time from east Delhi to the rest of the city. Officials say the traffic coming in from the elevated road will disperse in three directions - right towards Noida, left towards Akshardham, and straight towards Mayur Vihar. Residents of pockets B and C of Siddhartha Extension have been protesting against the construction of the loop as they say it obstructs their only access to the Ring Road. The ongoing construction angered them when they realised that instead of going straight the flyover will bend towards the right, disrupting locals access to the Ring Road. A case has also been filed in a court seeking stay on the construction work. The residents often resort to vandalism. At times, they remove the barricades and damage the lights on the construction site. We have restarted the work under police protection, a PWD engineer said. Delhi Police officials confirmed this. There have been protests by residents of Siddhartha Extension. We have deployed policemen to facilitate the construction work, said DCP (south east) MS Randhawa. Meanwhile, PWD claimed two loops connecting CGO complex with Lala Lajpat Rai Marg and Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium will also be opened by March this year. Phase-II to miss third deadline With nearly a third of the planned work still pending, the Barapullah corridor phase-II is all set to miss its third deadline. The Public Works Department (PWD) is yet to get clearance from Northern Railways to erect pillars at Sewa Nagar, which has stalled the construction work of the corridor extension from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to INA. PWD officials said the Northern Railways had initially denied permission to erect pillars over its land which forced the PWD to change the structural design. PWD engineers decided to increase the length of the span crossing over the railway tracks at Sewa Nagar. With nearly a third of the planned work still pending, the Barapullah corridor phase-II is all set to miss the third deadline However, after the PWD made changes, the railways allowed the PWD to use its land and asked it to revert to the original plan. Accordingly, the PWD has sought clearance from the railways. The PWD has sought clearance from Northern Railways. More than six months have elapsed, but there is no response from the railways, said a senior PWD officer. The revised plan, once approved, will be scrutinised by commissioner of railway safety following which the work can be started. The main extension of the Barapullah Corridor was expected to be commissioned by September 2015 which was later pushed down to December, but officials claimed the project may get delayed up to June 2016. Sources said the scrapping of JNNURM by the Narendra Modi government may add to the delay in completion of the project. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) won the 2011 assembly elections with the slogan Maa-Mati-Manush (Mother-Land-People). Keeping up with the tradition of catchy slogans, the TMC has now come up with Thandathanda cool-cool, abar jitbe Trinamool (Thanda-thanda cool-cool, Trinamool will win again in 2016) to woo West Bengal voters. Sources said the ruling party is all set to go door-to-door with this jingle ahead of the 2016 assembly polls. The TMC's 2011 slogan was a huge hit, with the party registering a landslide victory Like Maa-Mati-Manush, this slogan also has been coined by the West Bengal chief minister herself. The 2011 slogan was a huge hit, with the TMC registering a landslide victory, and the party is hoping for a similar run this year. Such slogans by Didi do wonders in election campaigns, especially in the rural belts. They may sound funny but they work for voters, a TMC activist said. On Tuesday, the CM also used another catchy line at a programme in Burdwan district. "Tata bye bye, kankal-er ar dekha nai (Tata bye-bye, there is no sign of skeletons. We have bid them adieu), Didi said at Mati Utsav 2016. Banerjee took a dig at two incidents of skeletons being dug up, literally and figuratively, in West Midnapores Keshpur-Garbeta area and the Singurs Nano factory unit respectively. These incidents had rocked Bengal during the erstwhile Left regime. In 2002, seven Trinamool activists were abducted by the then ruling CPI-M from Keshpur in west Midnapore. In June 2011, after the Trinamool came to power, the police dug up an area near CPI-M lawmaker Sushanta Ghoshs ancestral house at Benachapra near Garbeta following suspicions of bodies being buried there. Seven skeletons were found and Ghosh was sent to jail in connection with the murder of TMC activists. The second incident Mamata referred to in her slogan was about the Tata Motors Nano manufacturing unit in Singur. After violent agitations by farmers, backed by the TMC, Tata Motors finally decided to move their factory on October 2, 2008. Party insiders said Banerjee is going to reach out to people with her development agenda as the opposition is firming up protests against the state government for not attracting enough investments to Bengal. The Left Front, led by former CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, is also organising a grand rally from Hoogly's Singur to Shalboni in west Midnapore (two places where the CPI-M government wanted to set up big industries - Tata Motors' Nano factory and Jindal's steel plant respectively before 2011) demanding investments for development. Ironically, both the projects were scrapped during the Trinamool regime. Bengal BJP finds anti-TMC war cry By Siddhartha Rai in New Delhi The West Bengal BJP has finally found its war cry against the forces of Mamata Banerjee and the CPM, to be chanted across the electoral battleground in 2016: 34 becomes 39. The slogan rests on the BJP saying that after 34 years of the CPMs oppressive rule, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee just stepped into the formers shoes and extended oppression by five more years thus the 39. Actress-turned-BJP leader Rupa Ganguly and West Bengal state BJP president Dilip Ghosh at a rally in Malda Poriborton noi poton or Instead of change, degeneration is yet another to bolster the first slogan, and suggests that Banerjees regime did not bring about change but damaged West Bengal. The party will be running a Booth Chalo Abhiyan from February 11 to 20, to goad people to come out in large numbers and vote. Another campaign to be launched is the Booth Sammelan a booth level congregation to activate party workers, said West Bengal BJPs co-in-charge and national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh. The 18-month-old died of medical complications after being given an injection of antibiotics An ex-serviceman who operated a pharmacy store in Madikeri, a popular hill-station in Karnataka, has been arrested after he administered an antibiotics injection to an infant who later died of medical complications. Though he was not a qualified medical doctor by education, he was renowned in the region as military doctor, as became their messiah in times of distress by doubling up as a physician. The police exhumed the body of the 18-month-old infant for a detailed autopsy after the parents (who are illiterate agricultural workers) had buried their child. According to the police, Ganapathi, who operated the Deshik Medicals in Koppa near Madikeri in Kodagu district, was illegally prescribing and administering medicine to villagers in the region. Thus far, no-one had registered a police complaint against him. On January 3, when the infant Srujan developed fever, his parents (Mohan and Kokila) took him to the popular military doctor, who diagnosed the baby with viral fever. He administered injections on January 3, 5 and 7, but didnt inform the parents about the medication. On January 11, the baby died because of medical complications and the unsuspecting parents buried the body of the child. A few educated persons in the town informed the parents that Ganapathi was not a qualified doctor. Subsequently, the parents of the child approached the police seeking justice. Initially, Ganapathi pretended to be a qualified doctor but failed to provide any academic records. Consequently, the police arrested Ganapathi and subjected him to interrogation. Now, the police are ascertaining whether Ganapathi is a qualified pharmacist. He might have acquired basic knowledge in administering medicine. He managed to survive all these years by eluding the authorities concerned. He admitted to have administered antibiotics to the child without knowing the side effects. We are waiting for the autopsy report before proceeding against Ganapathi, the Kodagu district police said. The officials of the Department of Health & Family Welfare inspected the clinic operated by Ganapathi and declared it illegal. TV Actor Kiku Sharda, who mimicked a scene from a film starring Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh while performing in a popular comedy show, was arrested recently under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for outraging the religious feelings of his followers. With section 295A leaving a trail of such outrageous cases against actors, authors, academicians, cartoonists, artists and others crossing the line while purportedly exercising their freedom of speech and expression, there is a need for a re-look at the colonial-era provision inserted in the 1860 penal code in 1927. Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh recently objected to his depiction on a TV comedy show Arrested for mimicry: Actor Kiku Sharda was arrested twice over the Ram Rahim incident Though such a provision has its utility as a safety valve to preserve harmony in a multi-religious society by sanctioning penal action against those attempting to disturb the peace, the broad ambit of section 295A - which is non-bailable and does not recognise even truth as a defence - may have made it a powerful tool in the hands of the intolerant lot. With IPC having several other provisions to deal with those attempting to breach communal harmony, it may be wise to consider watering down or doing away with Section 295A altogether, particularly when unjustified invocation of the penal provision only sparks fears of aggravating communal tension. Section 295, which has been the Indian version of anti-blasphemy law since its introduction during the colonial rule, not only continues even after blasphemy being abolished in the UK but stands fortified with favourable precedents in the form of judicial decisions only making it a graver offence. While Section 295A is yet to ring the alarm bells despite having a chilling effect on freedom of speech and expression, the trial in the UK of the editor of Gay News on charge of blasphemous libel in 1977 - the first since 1922 - led to the abolition of the common law offence of blasphemy from the country. The law commission in the UK got down to review the law in wake of the Gay News case and came up with a report in 1985 recommending repeal of blasphemy, which was finally abolished in 2008. The law panel also explored introduction the offence of outraging religious feelings (like Section 295A) to fill in the vacuum but finally recommended against any such move. By the time the first case of blasphemy came in the UK after the insertion of Section 295A in the IPC, India had already put to trial a large number of cases. The law, which even hounded painters like MF Husain, further strengthened its grasp with a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court upholding its constitutional validity in 1957. Though Section 295A envisages malicious intent behind the offending act and the procedural law mandates the need for sanction from government for prosecution, the ineffectiveness of the safeguards can be gauged from the fact that they could not save even a stand-up comedian from arrest immediately after a complaint. Apart from the fact that Section 295A deters even honest attempts to fight against superstition and prejudices, the broad ambit of the offence had sometimes even put the government and courts in difficult situations. In the 1980s, the Kolkata High Court entertained and issued notice on a writ seeking forfeiture of all copies of the Quran as it allegedly insulted all religions except Islam and its publication therefore amounted to commission of offence under Section 295A. Though the court finally dismissed the petition filed by one Chandanmal Chopra, the arguments recorded in the May 1985 judgement shows that the government had to rely on provisions in the Constitution to escape the wide net of Section 295A. In fact, the UK law commission had rejected the proposal for adoption of a similar provision stressing that this possible offence, however drafted, would either be unavoidably wide or would raise substantial difficulties in practice. The law panel was right. Given the Indian experience, the wide ambit of Section 295A has not spared even pure artistic and literary expressions and has often startled even the votaries of the provision with unintended consequences. In an apt critique of Section 295A, noted historian David Nash said: The definition of religion was forced upon the ethnic and religious groups of India That the Code has survived owes more to the forbearance of such groups than to the utility of the law. He is probably right. It is on account of our tolerance that such an intolerant and restrictive law has survived for so long. HURDLES IN WAY OF RELIGIOUS REFORMS Pilgrims at the Sabarimala temple The Supreme Court is considering a challenge to an age-old tradition prohibiting entry of women in the menstrual age-group to Keralas Sabarimala temple. An observation by the division bench that entry could not be denied unless the temple management had the constitutional right to do so, has sparked hopes of reform through judicial intervention. But it may be too early to celebrate as the court has sometimes shown reluctance in playing any role in ushering religious reforms. Another division bench of the Supreme Court last year observed that it could not strike down religious customs even if they discriminated against women as the Constitution had specifically entrusted upon the executive the task of ushering in such reforms. Refusing to quash a custom denying women voting rights in the election of a temple priest, the court pointed out that religious beliefs, customs and practices based on religious faith and scriptures were protected by religious freedoms under Articles 25 and 26 and could be curtailed only by law. This line of thinking is supported by Article 25(2) which is reformist in nature, it added. Article 25(2) permits the state to make laws for providing for social welfare and reform or the throwing open of Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes and sections of Hindus. The Bombay High Courts suggestion to corporate houses, to spend their corporate social responsibility funds towards payment of hospital bills of patients who could not afford treatment, hit headlines recently. A matter of observation came during a hearing highlighting detention of two patients in a hospital over non-payment of bills. Can hospitals refuse to discharge a patient following a dispute over charges? It is an important question concerning the right of patients who may require further treatment in another hospital. Sher Shah era drain choked Sher Shah Suri was in power in the 16th century If civic amenities are a measure of development, Chhapra, a town in Bihar, may have moved backwards on the path of development. A petition by an NGO before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pointed out how the towns main drainage system (Khanua Nallah), which was allegedly built during the Sher Shah Suri regime, is being choked. On January 18, the NGT directed the state government and the Chhapra Nagar Parishad to respond by February 5 to the plea alleging the construction of a market over the Khanua Nallah. It is clear from the records that there is no proper sewage collection or treatment in Chhapra town and a market has been developed over the nallah and there is substantial degradation of environment, the tribunal said in its order. Creating a balance between the organisation and the government will be the main challenge for the Narendra Modi government in the next Cabinet reshuffle, which is expected to happen after the re-election of Amit Shah as the BJP president by the end of this month. Assembly elections in five states - West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Assam, where the party traditionally has little presence - and the Uttar Pradesh polls will have a major bearing on the exercise as the government is firm on its development agenda. Moreover, rising instances of rebellion within the party will also be a significant factor. The next Cabinet reshuffle is expected to happen after the re-election of Amit Shah (left) as BJP chief A party insider claimed that while the top ministries may be left untouched, some ministers could be deputed to organisational work. The performance of the ministries and ministers will be taken into account. Some ministers who underperformed might be sent to other ministries or they may also be shifted to the organisation, the party leader said. Party sources said the upcoming political battle in the Hindi heartland UP will have a serious imprint on the Cabinet rejig. The induction of more names from the poll-bound state will not come as a surprise. A Dalit face might also find a place in the Cabinet as the Dalit vote bank is significant for the party with an eye on UP polls. Currently, there are 14 ministers in the Cabinet from the state quota, of whom five are Union Cabinet ministers. The main agenda of the government is development and the party will continue to bank on the plank for the upcoming state elections. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated this in Assam on Tuesday: We have a three-point programme - development, development and development. All problems could be solved only through development. Keeping this in view, some ministries may also be reorganised for better governance and some of the better performers may get additional charge of related ministries. Moreover, party sources said PM Modi could cut down the number of ministers from Bihar following the partys defeat in the Assembly polls in November. For 14 years, Kashmirs Bilquees Manzoor has been searching for her father. That mission finally came to an end on Tuesday. As hundreds of people offered prayers for Manzoor Ahmad Dar at a government-run school in Rawalpora, his daughter Bilqees stood outside the school gate watching the last rites being performed without her fathers body. On the night of January 18, 2000, the Army took three people, including Manzoor Ahmad Dar, a chemist, from his home at Rawalpora. Two people were later set free. But the Army refused to admit custody of Manzoor. Bilquees Manzoor wants the Army officer accused of killing her father to face justice After massive protests in the area against his custodial disappearance, police filed an FIR under Section 364 (abduction) against the Armys 35 Rashtriya Rifles. Later during the investigation, the name of Major Kishore Malhotra (now brigadier) surfaced as an accused in the case. On November 26, 2015, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the custodial disappearance of Manzoor concluded that the chemist could have died in the custody of Armys 35 Rashtriya Rifles, led by Major Kishore Malhotra, after his arrest. The custodial disappearance took place nearly 14 years ago, which clearly indicates that the disappeared person could have died in custody of 35 RR and accordingly section 302 (murder) of RPC is invoked, reads the status report filed by the SIT in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The SIT has now approached the government to sanction prosecution against the accused Major, who has approached the Supreme Court (SC) against the SITs request. The funeral prayers mark the end of my long and painful wait, but my fight for justice continues. We want the army officer who killed my father punished. It was a hard decision for us as it was the first case among the disappeared to be offered funeral prayers, said Bilqees, who has grown up fighting the case. We appeal to the SC to dismiss the petition and to give me the details of my fathers burial site. Parvez Imroz, patron of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), said over 8,000 people had been subjected to enforced disappearance in Kashmir. French commission to test if emissions filter works outside the 20-30 degree official-test limits Renault will call back more than 15,000 diesel cars to check and potentially make tweaks to the engines so they meet emissions levels, it was confirmed on Tuesday. French energy minister, Segolene Royal, said the carmaker was recalling the cars due to a filtration system that might only work at optimal test temperatures during an interview on RTL radio. The manufacturer, which confirmed last week that three of its factories had been raided by investigators looking for emissions-test defeat devices similar to those being used by VW has yet again reiterated it has not cheated EU car tests. Renault recall: The French minister who announced the recall said there is 'no fraud at Renault' despite the 15,000 car call-back There has been no confirmation of which Renault models are affected. Royal told RTL: 'Renault has committed to recalling a certain number of vehicles, more than 15,000 vehicles, to check them and adjust them correctly so the filtration system works even when it is very hot or when it is below 17 degrees, because that's when the filtration system no longer worked.' The current European test procedure, the NEDC cycle, is conducted in a lab at controlled temperatures between 20 degrees and 30 degrees. According to Royal, the recalled Renault vehicles may not have been filtering emissions correctly outside of those temperature ranges. 'There is no fraud at Renault. Shareholders and employees should be reassured,' she also added. The minister, responsible for the environment and sustainable development, said Renault was not the only manufacturer to be going beyond the existing Euro 6 emissions limits, but failed to mention any other car firms. 'To be fair to Renault...there are other brands that exceed the norms,' she said. Her words came just days after it was revealed that an independent commissions set up by the French government searched three Renault premises a fortnight ago news that was leaked by the CGT Renault union last Thursday and confirmed by the carmaker later that day. But despite the investigation and forthcoming recall, Renault has reiterated that none of its cars use defeat devices like those found to be fitted to VW Group cars in September last year, designed to actively cheat official emissions tests. Renault is one of the car brands spearheading electric vehicle production. It currently has three zero-emissions electric vehicles on sale: the Twizy, Zoe and Kangoo Van In comments published by Sky News, Thierry Koskas, sales director at Renault, said: 'We are bit using any software other (fraudulent) methods. In test conditions, we respect emissions norms. 'But when we are no longer in test conditions, there is indeed a difference between real conditions and control conditions, that is a fact.' Renault released a statement following CGT's revelation last week, confirming it had been working with French government authorities that are currently retesting the emissions output of 100 different cars in France. The car firm said it is fully cooperating with the authorities and investigations to date had found 'no evidence of a defeat device equipping Renault vehicles', in a reference to a type of software programme Volkswagen was found to have used by U.S. investigators. Rival French group PSA Peugeot Citroen said its offices had not been searched and that emissions tests had indicated no anomalies last week. The date will be etched in George Osbornes memory. March 19, 2014, was the day he was hailed as the champion of savers after putting an end to years of rip-offs on private pensions. From that day on, anyone who had put money aside for their retirement would be able to take it and spend it as and when they wanted. It was the most brilliantly radical reform of private pensions for decades. The date will be etched in George Osbornes memory. March 19, 2014, was the day he was hailed as the champion of savers after putting an end to years of rip-offs on private pensions But for all the praise Mr Osborne received for this triumphant move, many savers harboured a nagging doubt. What was the catch? Were we really being allowed to get our savings back, no questions asked, from the insurance companies who had invested them on our behalf? Devastating On March 16 this year, when the Chancellor delivers his Budget, we may just discover that the trade-off for those pension freedoms is far more devastating than we could possibly have imagined. For contained in his red Budget box may be one of the most profoundly unConservative policies that a Tory Chancellor has ever delivered. The drumbeat in Whitehall is that Mr Osborne is planning to scrap the tax breaks given to middle-class savers when they put money into a pension. The government top-ups that reward prudence and self- reliance would be radically cut. Savings incentives for those strivers the politicians are always banging on about would vanish in an instant. It is a move that would easily trump the damage done by Gordon Browns infamous raid on dividend tax credits in 1997. On March 16 this year, when the Chancellor delivers his Budget, we may just discover that the trade-off for those pension freedoms is far more devastating than we could possibly have imagined When he put an end to tax relief on pension companys dividends, Brown stripped 118 billion from pensions over 17 years. It was a reckless move that destroyed Britains private sector final salary pension schemes, which until then had been the envy of the world. Yet over an equivalent period of time, the Treasury estimates that Osbornes raid could cost savers 159 billion. When he put an end to tax relief on pension companys dividends, Brown stripped 118 billion from pensions over 17 years The move would mean that a 40-year-old earning 50,000 a year would miss out on 175,000 by the time he reaches 65 a shattering blow. What Osborne has his sights on is tax relief on pension contributions first introduced by the Finance Act of 1921. The founding principle was that no one should pay tax on the earnings they put into an occupational pension scheme. Today, it means that a basic-rate taxpayer paying 20 pc income tax has their pension contribution topped up to 1 if they pay in 80p. The 20p they get back is the money theyve already paid in income tax on their earnings. A higher-rate taxpayer those earning more than 42,835 a year gets 40p back, and a top-rate taxpayer earning 150,000 or more gets 45p back. These huge tax incentives add to the value of a savers fund and help it to grow faster. The saver pays tax on their nest egg only when they take the money in retirement. The problem is that over the decades, pensions tax relief has become an increasing burden on the nations finances. It costs 34 billion a year to reward savers for their pension contributions. In exchange, the Treasury gets back just 13 billion in income tax from those who are drawing their pensions. Beyond this, though, is the question of who receives the tax breaks. Those earning more than 50,000 make up just 10 pc of the workforce but they benefit from nearly half of all the tax relief paid out. Outrage This eye-catching statistic has predictably caused outrage on the Left, who claim it is yet another example of how the wealthiest in society continue to be rewarded while the poorest are hit by austerity. And its one of the reasons the Chancellor is considering restricting the tax breaks on pensions to a flat rate of just 20 pc for everyone with the result that higher earners would get less. But this simplistic view fails to get to the heart of why higher earners get more tax relief in the first place and thats because they have paid more tax already. Quite simply, the more tax you pay, the more relief its possible to claim. But away from the numbers there are basic principles at stake. One of the reasons George Osborne won praise for his new pensions freedoms was because of the message he sent voters. One of the reasons George Osborne won praise for his new pensions freedoms was because of the message he sent voters. People who have worked hard and saved hard all their lives, and done the right thing, should be trusted with their own finances, he said. And thats precisely what we will now do. Trust the people People who have worked hard and saved hard all their lives, and done the right thing, should be trusted with their own finances, he said. And thats precisely what we will now do. Trust the people. When he announced the introduction of the flat-rate state pension from April 2016, he repeated this mantra. The state would provide a good, regular income for pensioners who had worked hard and paid their taxes, he said. It was a message that chimed with the most traditional of Tory values: that those who worked hard, didnt rely on the public coffers and took personal responsibility for their financial future would be rewarded. Any claim Mr Osborne has to such values will go up in flames if tax relief on pensions is cut. In fact, a closer examination of his time as Chancellor reveals that, when it comes to pensions, Mr Osborne has form. One of his first acts in Government was to cut the amount you can save each year in a pension from 255,000 to 50,000. He has since chopped that further to 40,000. One of his first acts in Government was to cut the amount you can save each year in a pension from 255,000 to 50,000. He has since chopped that further to 40,000 On top of this, Mr Osborne has hacked away at the amount you can save into a pension over a lifetime, reducing it steadily from 1.8 million to just 1 million in his last Budget. Though a pension pot of 1 million may sound like a lot, even with average financial growth, a 35-year-old woman who had so far saved 37,750 could hit the 1 million limit before she hits retirement age if 1,000 a month in total went into her pot every month from her and her employer. The Chancellors imposition of a lifetime allowance on pensions places a limit on aspiration and penalises those who have invested and saved wisely. With each passing day, Mr Osborne seems to behave like a man set on destroying the retirements of those who do well in the workplace. He either doesnt understand how pensions work or is banking on the fact that no one will realise the terrible harm he has done until he is long out of office. Whatever the truth, his policy seems decidedly unTory. Perhaps it is just that he has become detached from the needs of ordinary workers during his time in office. As the independently wealthy heir to a fabrics and wallpaper empire, Mr Osborne like the Prime Minister will never have to worry about whether he has set aside enough to ensure a good retirement. The Chancellors imposition of a lifetime allowance on pensions places a limit on aspiration and penalises those who have invested and saved wisely With his cosseted background, does the Chancellor truly appreciate that tax breaks on saving are a vital reward for those who scrimp and save for their retirement, despite having so many pressing commitments from the mortgage to childcare to helping to put children through university? The fact that hes also done away with child benefit for families where one earner makes more than 50,000 a year hasnt made it any easier. For it isnt just pensions: this Chancellor is squeezing the hard-working middle classes as never before. Extreme Those on low incomes benefit from the new Living Wage and an increase in the personal allowance, which means they can earn 10,600 before paying any income tax. Meanwhile, 1.5 million workers have been dragged into paying higher-rate tax. It means one in six workers pays 40p in the 1. And those middle-class savers who chose to prop up their flagging retirement income by investing in buy-to-let properties have also been hit by the Chancellor first, when he scrapped relief on mortgage interest for higher rate taxpayers and then when he announced an extra 3 pc stamp duty for property investors from this April. You would have thought the radical attack on pensions Mr Osborne is planning would be career suicide for a Tory Chancellor particularly one who has designs on being the next prime minister. But so extreme are the policies of the Labour Party that Mr Osborne is banking on middle-class voters having nowhere else to turn. ISIS militants who torture thousands in the name of Islam hide their victims from senior Muslim clerics who disapprove of their barbaric behaviour, it is claimed. Mohammed Saad, a Syrian activist who was imprisoned and tortured by the terrorist group, said extremists beat him regularly while holding him in jail but would hide him when clerics visited. He was hung by his arms and beaten regularly until an imam visited, when he would suddenly find himself locked away in a bathroom. He said the cleric had told the fighters running the prison that they shouldn't torture prisoners and that anyone held without charge must be released within 30 days. Once the coast was clear, the prisoners would be returned to their torment. Mohammed Saad (pictured), a Syrian activist who was imprisoned and tortured by ISIS, said extremists beat him regularly while holding him in jail but would hide him when disapproving senior Muslim clerics visited Speaking in Turkey, where he fled the radical organisation in October, he added: 'It's a criminal gang pretending to be a state. 'All this talk about applying Shariah and Islamic values is just propaganda, Daesh is about torture and killing,' he said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. Abu Manaf, a 44-year-old from Deir el-Zour, said some clerics challenged the group's enforcers over their wanton use of strict Shariah punishments like beheadings, stoning to death, flogging and cutting off limbs. More moderate clerics in ISIS argued that such punishments can only be implemented under specific conditions. They also complained about the jihadis' custom of displaying bodies of the beheaded in public as an example to others, violating Islamic tenets requiring the swift burial of the dead. 'Many of those moderate clerics disappear, are killed or jailed for crimes they did not commit,' said Abu Manaf, who left Deir el-Zour in November, then stayed in the group's de facto capital, Raqqa, for three weeks before he reached Turkey. Saad's account of his imprisonment in his home city of Deir el-Zour reflected the tensions between the fighters and some clerics. He was arrested because of his media activism, reporting on the anti-Assad opposition. ISIS suspected him of belonging to the rebel Free Syrian Army, which is fighting the extremists. The day the cleric came to inspect the prison - set up in a former police station - he heard the cleric asking the guards if the prisoners were getting enough food and water, and whether they were being beaten. On another occasion, a cleric and a judge visited and spoke to the prisoners in their cells. Saad said they told him to write on a piece of paper his name, why he'd been jailed and whether he had been tortured or made to confess under duress. He wrote that he had not been beaten, because he knew the guards would punish him if he said he had been. Syrian refugee Nayef says that justice under ISIS 'has been erratic'. He said: 'Gradually, things got worse' Demonstrators chant pro-ISIS slogans as they carry the group's flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, Iraq. Those who have fled the group's clutches have revealed more about their torture After five months in custody, Saad said he secured his release by agreeing to do media work for ISIS. For three months, he helped put together videos and other propaganda before escaping to Turkey. Syrians who have recently escaped ISIS' rule say public disillusionment is growing as the so-called state has failed to live up to its promises to install a utopian 'Islamic' rule of justice, equality and good governance. Instead, the group has come to resemble the dictatorial rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad that many Syrians had sought to shed, with a reliance on informers who have silenced a fearful populace. Rather than equality, society has seen the rise of a new elite class - the jihadi fighters - who enjoy special perks and favour in the courts, looking down on 'the commoners' and even ignoring the rulings of their own clerics. Despite the atrocities that made it notorious, ISIS had raised hopes among some fellow Sunnis when it overran their territories across parts of Syria and Iraq and declared a 'caliphate' in summer 2014. It presented itself as a contrast to Assad's rule, bringing justice through its extreme interpretation of Shariah and providing services to residents, including loans to farmers, water and electricity, and alms to the poor. Its propaganda machine promoting the dream of an Islamic caliphate helped attract jihadis from around the world. In Istanbul and several Turkish cities near the Syrian border, Associated Press spoke to more than a dozen Syrians who fled IS-controlled territory in recent months. Hossam (pictured above), a native of Aleppo, Syria, who lived in the ISIS-held state of Raqqa for six months before fleeing to Turkey, said ISIS members receive perks that sharply divide them from everyone else Most spoke on condition they be identified only by their first names or by the nicknames they use in their political activism for fear of ISIS reprisals against themselves or family. 'Daesh justice has been erratic,' said Nayef, who hails from ISIS-held eastern Syrian town of al-Shadadi and escaped to Turkey in November with his family, largely because of Russian airstrikes. 'They started off good and then, gradually, things got worse.' The group has recruited informers in the towns and cities it controls to look out for any sign of opposition. 'Like under the (Assad) regime, we were also afraid to talk against Daesh to anyone we don't fully trust,' said Fatimah, a 33-year-old whose hometown of Palmyra was taken over by ISIS early last year. She fled to Turkey in November with her husband and five children to escape Russian and Syrian airstrikes. ISIS has also become less able to provide public services, in large part because military reversals appear to have put strains on its finances. U.S. and Russian airstrikes have heavily hit its oil infrastructure a major source of funds. Over the past year, the group has lost 30 per cent of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria, according to the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition. Many of those interviewed said there are lengthier cut-offs of water and electricity in their towns and cities and prices for oil and gas have risen. Abu Salem, an activist from the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, said public acceptance of ISIS rule is eroding. 'It has made an enemy of almost everyone,' he said in the Turkish city of Reyhanli on the Syrian border. One sign of the distance between the claims and realities is a 12-page manifesto by ISIS detailing its judicial system. The document, a copy of which was obtained by AP, heavily emphasises justice and tolerance. A member of ISIS' vice police, known as 'Hisba', reads a verdict handed down by an Islamic court in Raqqa, Syria, sentencing many they accused of adultery to lashing. A Hisba member 'must be gentle and pleasant toward those he orders or reprimands, according to an ISIS document obtained by media in the region For example, it sets out the duties of the Hisba, the 'religious police' who ensure people adhere to the group's dress codes, strict separation of genders and other rules. A Hisba member 'must be gentle and pleasant toward those he orders or reprimands,' it says. 'He must be flexible and good mannered so that his influence is greater and the response (he gets) is stronger.' Yet, the escaped Syrians all complained of the brutal extremes that the Hisba resorts to. One woman who lived in Raqqa said that if a woman is considered to have violated the dress codes, the militants flog her husband, since he is seen as responsible for her. When her neighbour put out the garbage without being properly covered, she said, the woman's husband was whipped. Hossam, who owned a women's clothes shop in Raqqa, said ISIS members receive perks that sharply set them apart from everyone else. In many cases, young men join the group to escape poverty or protect themselves from ISIS excesses, he and others said. He insisted that his last name not be printed, fearing for his safety. 'Those who join Daesh receive a step up in the social ladder,' he told the AP in Istanbul. 'Daesh men drive luxury cars and eat at the best restaurants and whoever has a friend or a relative with Daesh has a better life.' One perk that ISIS members avail themselves of is the chance to marry local women. Several of the Syrians interviewed said families with daughters often came under pressure to marry them off to fighters, which has led many to smuggle daughters to Turkey. Khatar, a 26-year-old who spoke in Lesbos, Greece, making her way to Western Europe, said she has two younger sisters back in Raqqa, and jihadis 'have been knocking on our doors at least once a month to ask for their hands in marriage.' Her father lies to them and tells them he doesn't have unmarried daughters, 'but they keep coming back.' But some take the opportunity to marry an ISIS member because the benefits lift the whole family out of the 'al-awam' class. A Belgian man with 'direct links' to the Paris attackers who killed 130 people in a number of shootings and bombings in November, has been arrested in Morocco. Gelel Attar, a 26-year-old Belgian of Moroccan descent, had travelled to Syria with at least one of the Paris suicide bombers to link up with ISIS, the Interior Ministry said. While in Syria, Attar received military training and built relationships with several ISIS commanders, 'including the mastermind' of the Paris attacks; Abdelhamid Abaaoud. Arrested: Gelel Attar, a 26-year-old Belgian of Moroccan descent, has been arrested near Casablanca Belgian federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said Attar is a dual Belgian-Moroccan national previously convicted in Belgium of involvement with a terrorist group. Several of the Islamic extremists who targeted a Paris rock concert, stadium and cafes on November 13 had Moroccan origins and links to Belgium. The Moroccan ministry said in a statement that Attar was arrested Friday in the town of Mohammedia, near Casablanca, after travelling through Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. It said the suspect is under investigation. Like several of the Paris attackers, Attar lived in the Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, home to many immigrants of Moroccan descent. Last July, he was one of 30 people found guilty of involvement in an operation to recruit foreign fighters for Syria. Some were already in Syria when the trial took place - including Attar. Attar, who had spent time in Syria with ISIS had 'direct links' to some of the Paris attackers, who killed 130 people and injured 352 in a series of bombings and shootings on November 13 In July 2015, Attar was convicted of recruiting fighters for ISIS, alongside Paris 'ringleader' Abdelhamid Abaaoud, whom he had met in Syria, and Saint Denis suicide bomber Chakib Akrouh Attar was convicted in absentia of taking part in the activities of a terrorist group and sentenced to five years in prison. Also among the 30 were Abdelhamid Abaaoud, ringleader of the Paris attacks, and Chakib Akrouh, identified last week as the suicide bomber who blew himself up inside the suburban Paris home in which Abaaoud and his female cousin hid from police after the November attacks. Attar, also from Molenbeek, initially left Belgium for Syria on January 4, 2013 in the company of Akrouh, says Pieter Van Ostaeyen, who monitors the activities of Belgian jihadis and extremists. He reportedly returned to Belgium in May 2013, before travelling to Morocco. Despite being arrested there, he managed to return to Syria, Van Ostaeyen said. He said Attar also used the name Abou Ibrahim. Morocco has emerged as a key ally for European investigators trying to piece together the geography of the November attacks. The Iranian prisoner swap was nearly derailed at the last minute after relatives of journalist Jason Rezaian were held at a Tehran airport as the exchange was being finalized, it has emerged. A deal had been negotiated between Washington and Tehran for the swap, but, with just hours to go, Iranian authorities held his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and mother, Mary, in a separate room without telephones. They were only allowed to leave along with prisoners released in the exchange deal following pressure from US officials. A deal had been negotiated between Washington and Tehran for the release of Jason Rezaian (left), but, with just hours to go, Iranian authorities held his wife, Yeganeh Salehi (center left), and mother, Mary (center right), in a separate room without telephones. His brother Ali is pictured right The pair were eventually allowed to join Rezaian, an Iranian-American journalist, on the flight to Europe late on Sunday. The episode, which the New York Times said caused a 'flurry of diplomatic maneuvering', threatened the completion of the exchange deal. Rezaian's brother, Ali, said Iranian authorities 'continued to manipulate' the Washington Post reporter until the moment he was released with four other Americans in the prisoner swap over the weekend. 'The Iranians, as they have done all along, continued to manipulate them, continued to try and mess with them and prevented Yeggie from leaving for some period of time,' Ali Rezaian told CNN in an interview from outside a US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. 'The US stuck to its guns, they had said Yeggie had to come along with Jason and they got her out,' Ali Rezaian said. US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that a delay in the departure of the plane taking some of the detainees from Iran was partly due to a 'temporary misunderstanding' about whether Rezaian's mother, Mary, and his wife, who is also a journalist, were on the plane, as had been agreed. They were later confirmed as being on the plane. The Iranian prisoner swap was nearly derailed at the last minute after relatives of journalist Jason Rezaian (pictured) were held at a Tehran airport as the exchange was being finalized, it has emerged Rezaian and two other Iranian-Americans arrived on Sunday in Landstuhl where they were undergoing medical evaluations. The prisoner swap followed the lifting of most international sanctions against Iran under a deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program. Ali Rezaian said his brother had recounted to him some aspects of the 545 days he was held in Iranian custody after being accused of espionage. He said Iranian authorities grilled him about fellow journalists who cover the country. 'We talked about a couple of things - some folks here, Iranian folks - people that cover Iran. The only thing he said was, "I was interrogated about them,"' Ali Rezaian told CNN. Washington Post editors flew to Germany to meet with Rezaian, 39, who appeared in a photograph on the newspaper's website wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and jeans and said he was feeling fine. 'I want people to know that physically I'm feeling good,' the Post quoted Rezaian as saying. 'I know people are eager to hear from me but I want to process this for some time.' Saeed Abedini, 35, an Iranian-American pastor from Idaho was setting up an orphanage in Iran in 2012 when he was detained The Hekmati family and US Rep. Dan Kildee, meet with former Iran prisoner Amir Hekmati, second from right, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. From the left: brother-in-law Dr. Ramy Kurdi, sister Sarah Hekmati, Kildee, Amir Hekmati and sister Leila Hekmati Homecoming: Matthew Trevithick walks with his mother, Amelia Newcomb (L), as he arrives at Logan International Airport after being released by Iran following 40 days in Evin Prison Rezaian spent 49 days in solitary confinement before he was assigned a roommate in a 15ft by 20ft cell, one of his editors, Doug Jehl, told CNN after the meeting in Germany. He occupied his time by walking around an 8ft by 8ft concrete courtyard, reading fiction and looked forward to periodic visits from his wife and his mother. 'He wasn't sure until the plane took off that it was the end of his ordeal,' Jehl told CNN. Other Americans freed with Rezaian included Amir Hekmati, a former US Marine, who was detained while visiting family in Iran in August 2011, and who appeared smiling in a photograph taken in Germany on Monday. Also released was Saeed Abedini, 35, an Iranian-American pastor from Idaho who was setting up an orphanage in Iran in 2012 when he was detained. The fourth American freed was Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, who did not travel on the plane that departed Tehran on Sunday. The parents of a young woman who was killed in crash after the car she was a passenger in flipped and burst into flames said they have forgiven the driver. Natalie Cartledge, 21, became trapped in the burning vehicle after it hit a tree and was flung more than 100 metres down the country road in Collie, south of Perth, on May 16, 2015. This week her parents, Kimberley and Jesse Cartledge, wrote a reference of support which was read at the sentencing of Jeffrey Maurice Waiter, who was drink driving at the time of the crash. Scroll down for video Natalie Cartledge, 21, died last May after she and her friends went for a drunken joyride in Collie, south of Perth They described Waiter, a childhood friend of their daughter as a 'well-mannered boy' who is already paying 'the ultimate price' for his friend's death. 'As a family, we've forgiven him for his poor judgment on that night. 'Nobody is immune from bad decision-making or lapses in judgment,' the Cartledge's reference read in part, The West Australian reported. There were two other male passengers in the car the night Ms Cartledge died. The group had been drinking and decided to go out for a joyride at 3am. Mr Cartledge's parents said at the sentencing for the driver, Jeffrey Maurice Waiter, that they forgive their daughter's friend The young woman, pictured here with a friend, was trapped in the burning wreck of the car when it flipped after hitting a tree 'We feel strongly about helping them (the three boys in the car) mourn and for Jeffrey to know that we hold no blame,' Ms Carledge's grieving parents said. At Waiter's sentencing this week Judge Julie Wager said she accept that the 24-year-old had 'truly demonstrated remorse' and said it was important that Ms Cartledge's parents' statement was in the public forum. 'I can say at the outset ... that personal deterrence has already been met. Youre not going to do this again,' Judge Wagner said. Picture of the fish was prompted hundreds of A weird black fish that looks like a creature from another planet has surfaced in New Zealand. Pictures of the deep-sea fish were posted by Te Papa Museum's Facebook page on Friday after the fish was caught by Claudia and Glenys Howse in the Bay of Islands. 'This weird creature is likely to be a species of Frogfish, but we won't know until we have a chance to examine it closely!' Scroll down for video Pictures of the deep-sea fish were posted on Facebook on Friday morning by the Te Papa Museum, after the fish was sent in to be identified by Claudia and Glenys Howse Black frogfish: This weird creature is likely to be a species of Frogfish, but we won't know until we have a chance to examine it closely 'Frogfishes have the fastest bite of any vertebrate. Their mouths expands at the speed approaching a .22 rifle bullet - and that's in a medium 800x denser than air,' reads Te Papa Museum's post. According to the complete Australian fishing encyclopedia, frogfish are ambush predators and can eat almost anything that will fit into their large mouths. This includes other fish as well as crabs and shrimp. The photo stirred hundreds of bewildered comments from people, 'That looks like an alien!', 'Can you eat it?' asked one man. 'More like a frog-fish-bird!' Wrote Robyn Wendt, According to the complete Australian fishing encyclopedia, frogfish are ambush predators and can eat almost anything that will fit into their large mouths The photo stirred hundreds of bewildered comments from people, 'That looks like an alien!', 'Can you eat it?' asked one man The frog fish follows a string of rare and freakish fish that have also surfaced from Australian seas of late. Including a goblin shark in New South Wales and the frill-shark in Victoria, another rare and peculiar fish in South Australia. Garry Warrick, a professional fisherman from Barmera, told Daily Mail Australia he had never seen anything like it in 30 years of working in the area. It was very unusual. I have been fishing here for 30 years, and I have come across a few deformed fish, but never anything quite like this. The South Australian fisherman uncovered the double mouthed bream on Monday Gary Warrick said: the two mouths are actually joined together. The top one opens and closes while the bottom one stays closed' A group of fishermen got quite a shock when this pulled a terrifying prehistoric shark, known as the frill shark, from the water near Lakes Entrance in Victoria's east Another extremely rare shark species, the goblin shark, was also recently caught off the coast of New South Wales to the amazement of local fishermen In January, a group of fishermen pulled a terrifying prehistoric shark from the water near Lakes Entrance in Victoria's. The eel looking creature, known as a frilled shark, was dubbed for its six pairs of frill-like gills along with its dorsal fins, similar to the predatory fish. Earlier this month, an extremely rare species of shark considered a 'living dinosaur' was uncovered off the coast of New South Wales to the bewilderment of local fishermen. The species, known as a goblin shark, are incredibly elusive as they typically reside in waters near the ocean floor at around 1,200 metres deep. A newly discovered telegram from Emmeline Pankhurst to Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes shows the depth of the rift the British suffragette had with her youngest daughter, Adela. In the 26-word telegram, Mrs Pankhurst berates Adela for her opposition to World War I and compulsory conscription. 'I am ashamed of Adela and repudiate her wish you all success make any use of this,' Mrs Pankhurst wrote in the message sent on March 8, 1917. A newly discovered telegram (pictured) curated by the University of Melbourne Archives has shown the depth of the rift between British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter, Adela The telegram will be part of the upcoming exhibition, Somewhere in France, curated by the University of Melbourne Archives. Adela moved to Australia after her mother bought her a one-way ticket Down Under, fearing her daughter would publicly criticise the Women's Social and Political Union - the suffragette movement Mrs Pankhurst had started in Britain. The youngest Pankhurst had become increasingly concerned about the violence used by the suffragettes, much to the dismay of her mother and older sister, Christabel. Adela also had more than her fair share of her brushes with the law. In the telegram, after Adela (above she is speaking in Sydney) moved to Australia, Mrs Pankhurst's youngest daughter was staunch opposer of World War I and compulsory conscription Mrs Pankhurst had sent her daughter away from Britain by buying her a one-way ticket to Australia after she feared Adela would speak out publicly against her suffragette group, the Women's Social and Political Union The telegram from Mrs Pankhurst was sent on March 8, 1917 to then Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes (above) She was arrested for disrupting a meeting held by then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and found guilty of assaulting a policeman. Adela was sent to Strangeways prison for seven days. Undeterred, she continued her campaign against Churchill and was arrested in 1909 for throwing stones at a hall where he was due to speak. While in prison she went on hunger strike. Adela arrived in Melbourne in April 1914 and joined Victorias leading suffragist Vida Goldstein's organisation, the Women's Political Association, and later the Women's Peace Army. Just three years later, Adela started making waves when she joined Tom Mann's Victorian Socialist Party and spoke out publicly against the war and the Hughes government's move to introduce conscription. After moving to Melbourne in April 1914, Adela joined Victorias leading suffragist Vida Goldstein's organisation, the Women's Political Association. Above is poster of Adela back in Britain Here Adela's mother is flanked by police officers circa 1900s. The Pankhursts were vocal about women's rights and at times got themselves in trouble with authorities She also wrote pamphlets and plays condemning the war, much to the dismay of her mother who was a staunch supporter of the campaign. Mrs Pankhurst had even come to an agreement with the British government to stop her suffragette campaign and turned to recruiting men for the war. Women were a large part of the anti-conscription movement, which successfully brought about a no vote in two plebiscites carried out by the Hughes government in October 1916 and December 1917. Since her arrival in Australia, Adela's political beliefs became more conservative and she even sympathised with Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany during World War II. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, she was asked to resign from her role in the Australian Women's Guild of Empire. Adela (centre) is pictured here with her sisters, Sylvia (left) and Christabel (right) circa 1900s Mrs Pankhurst is seen here being jeered by a crowd in New York circa 1911 The following month she caused a stir when she and her husband, Tom, went on a goodwill mission to Japan. In March 1942, she was imprisoned for her pro-Japanese views. She was released after more than a year in custody, just before her husband's death in April 1943. Health Secretary pledged to reduce number of stillbirths by half by 2030 Croatia, Poland and Czech Republic have better stillbirth rates than the UK Study in The Lancet ranks Britain 21st out of 35 of the world's wealthy Britain's failure to provide proper care for pregnant women is contributing to the needless deaths of 720 babies a year, according to a major study. More than 2,200 families in the UK each year suffer the heartbreak of a stillbirth and one in three is avoidable. A study published in The Lancet last night ranks Britain 21st out of 35 of the worlds wealthy, developed nations for stillbirth rates. While many nations have cut their rates, Britain lags behind. In a league table of progress on the issue, the UK is placed a shocking 114th out of 164 countries for improvements over the past 15 years. More than 2,200 families in the UK each year suffer the heartbreak of a stillbirth and one in three is avoidable Janet Scott, of stillbirth charity Sands, said last night: Todays report is a reminder of the unacceptably slow progress we have made in reducing those deaths. A significant percentage of stillbirths have been shown to be avoidable with better care. Mistakes in care continue to be made while too many units fail to investigate babies deaths robustly, meaning opportunities to improve care and save lives are lost. Countries such as Croatia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have better stillbirth rates than the UK, according to the research, led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It analysed stillbirths that take place after 27 weeks in 168 countries. For every 1,000 babies born in Britain, 2.9 are stillborn more than twice the rate of 1.4 in Iceland, which has the best record in the world. Experts say no developed nation should have a stillbirth rate above two per 1,000 and calculate that every year 720 of Britains stillbirths should never happen. Study leader Professor Joy Lawn, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, lamented the rate of avoidable deaths. These babies should not be born in silence, their parents should not be grieving in silence, and the international community must break the silence. 'The message is loud and clear shockingly slow progress on stillbirths is unacceptable, she said. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt recently pledged to reduce the number of stillbirths in England by half by 2030. Many stillbirths are caused by problems with the placenta the lifeline providing the baby with oxygen and nourishment in the womb But an audit published in November reported that many of the deaths are down to basic gaps in monitoring and treatment. Alarmingly, the main recommendations in the report were the same as those made 15 years ago, when a previous audit of stillbirths was published. It found that national guidance for monitoring the baby was not followed in two thirds of cases. Many stillbirths are caused by problems with the placenta the lifeline providing the baby with oxygen and nourishment in the womb. If problems with the placenta are picked up through greater use of scans, doctors can intervene to save the childs life. In half of cases, there were missed opportunities to potentially save the baby with many womens concerns dismissed by medics. Dr David Richmond, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, described the findings as a wake-up call to governments worldwide. The Met Police's Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Steve Rodhouse, has been criticised over his letter to Lord Bramalls lawyer in which he said there was insufficient evidence to charge the ex-Army chief At Scotland Yard, he is becoming known as the man who finds it hard to say sorry. Even when there is clear evidence his force has mishandled a case, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse struggles to express regret. Twice in three months Mr Rodhouse has written grudging letters to innocent victims of the Mets shambolic 2million inquiry into alleged VIP abuse and murder, Operation Midland. Late last Friday, the 140,000 a year officer informed Lord Bramalls lawyer that there was insufficient evidence to charge the former head of the Army with paedophile offences. A better description, say legal sources, would have been no evidence. Mr Rodhouses letter announcing the end of the Bramall investigation sought to absolve Scotland Yard and blamed the media for his ten-month ordeal which included a breakfast-time raid on his home and an interview under caution. Cruelly, he left open the prospect of a further inquiry, should new information emerge. The tone of the letter, full of legal jargon and with no hint of regret, has infuriated Lord Bramalls supporters, who said that the Metropolitan Police should have been generous enough to say that it had not found a shred of evidence. They called for a proper apology and for the Met to admit its investigation, after uncorroborated allegations made by a suspected fantasist called Nick, had come to nothing. In October Mr Rodhouse sent a similarly mean-spirited letter when he belatedly wrote to Leon Brittans widow about the Mets handling of a false rape claim. Three years after a Labour activist with mental health problems accused Lord Brittan of raping her in 1967, Mr Rodhouse gold commander of Operation Midland told Lady Brittan the Met had found no evidence to charge the former Tory Home Secretary. He admitted the Met should have provided clarity at an earlier stage and apologised for any distress caused to Lady Brittan. But he went on to say that Lord Brittan might still have been charged, had he still been alive and further information emerged. As a result of the Mets delays, Lord Brittan died with the false rape allegations hanging over his head. Mr Rodhouse was previously in charge of the bungled Surrey Police inquiry into Jimmy Savile, allowing the child sex monster to escape justice before his death in 2011. In a 56-minute interview he fobbed off police with lies, bluster and legal threats. Britain's top policeman Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe (left) remained defiant last night in the face of intense pressure to say sorry to Lord Bramall (pictured right) over Scotland Yards bungled child sex probe At the start of the interview, the officers politely asked Savile whether it was OK to call him Jimmy and thanked him for kindly letting them use his office to conduct the interview. It comes as Britain's top policeman remained defiant last night in the face of intense pressure to say sorry to Lord Bramall over Scotland Yards bungled child sex probe. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe dug his heels in despite demands for an apology from senior figures in the police, politics and the military. The Met announced on Friday there was insufficient evidence to charge the 92-year-old former head of the Army with historical child sex abuse. As the clamour for an apology increased further last night, Sir Bernard refused to express any regret for dragging the Field Marshal into the controversial VIP paedophile investigation. As part of the probe the D-Day heros home was raided by 20 officers at breakfast time in the presence of his terminally ill wife. It followed hotly-contested allegations made by a suspected serial fantasist called Nick, who has also made triple murder claims against other VIPs. JARGON FILLED NON-APOLOGY The letter from Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse that ended Lord Bramalls ordeal sought to clear the Met of blame: The relevant evidential test is whether there is a realistic prospect of conviction based on an objective assessment of the evidence, including the impact of any defence and any other information that the suspect has put forward or on which he or she might rely. It means that an objective, impartial and reasonable jury or bench of magistrates or judge hearing a case alone, properly directed and acting in accordance with the law, is more likely than not to convict the defendant of the charge alleged. This is a different test from the one that the criminal courts themselves must apply. Only if the evidential test is met can the public interest in prosecuting the case be considered. In this particular case I have concluded that all reasonable enquiries have been made but that there is insufficient evidence to show that the Full Code Test can be met. As a result, unless further information arises, no action will be taken against Lord Bramall. Yours sincerely, Steve Rodhouse. Advertisement As Lord Bramalls lawyer confirmed the former Armed Forces chief had received no letter of regret from the Met, the respected former head of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Sir Hugh Orde, called on Sir Bernard to do the decent thing. In a rare intervention, he said: During my time as chief constable of Northern Ireland, we undertook a search of Stormont which on reflection was disproportionate. As leader of the organisation, I felt it was entirely appropriate to apologise for that. In my view, chief constables should reflect on such matters and say sorry where appropriate. From what I know, the Lord Bramall case fits into this category. David Cameron stopped short of ordering an apology. If authorities made mistakes they should feel big enough to give people some comfort afterwards, he said. London Mayor Boris Johnson went further, telling the The Daily Telegraph Lord Bramall deserved a full and heartfelt apology. Former Tory defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth called on Home Secretary Theresa May to hold an inquiry into police action over Lord Bramall. The Aldershot MP, who lives near the former Army chief, also demanded the unmasking of Nick, the man whose claims had triggered the investigation. I think we need to know what evidence Nick placed in front of the police, he said. The Home Secretary needs to hold an inquiry into this to find out how the police came to subject this man to such an ordeal. Sir Bernard should get out his pen and write a personal note to the man, apologising to the Field Marshal for the way in which he has been treated. He added: The idea that a Field Marshal could have been at a sex party on Remembrance Sunday when he was in uniform laying a wreath, it beggars belief. The police have suspended all judgment. The comments may embarrass Mrs May, who is poised to award Sir Bernard a contract extension. Senior military figures also called for an apology. Colonel Richard Kemp, commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said: I think the way it has been handled is disgraceful. Bernard Hogan-Howe himself should apologise and make it publicly clear there is no evidence to support these charges. Police need to learn from the lessons here and not repeat it. Sir Michael Graydon, former head of the RAF, said: What I found disturbing was the publicity and the way it was handled, apparently marching into somebodys home, spending hours turning things over left right and centre. I found it extraordinary to basically indicate early on that the evidence was credible and true. Lord Bramall in 2000 (left) and as a lieutenant, recieving his MC from Field Marshall Montgomery in 1945 (right) Lord Bramall (right) with the Queen at a parade marking the 50th anniversary of VJ Day in 1995 Speaking about the letter in which police announced they were dropping the Bramall case, he added: I think they [the Metropolitan Police] missed an opportunity in the letter to recognise it must have been distressing, and we deeply regret the stress it caused and we wouldnt have been where we are now. I think Bernard Hogan-Howe has some questions to answer about the sensitivity and skill of the operation. Tory MP Tim Loughton, a member of the Commons home affairs select committee, said: Given the high-profile nature of the case, the buck should stop with the commissioner and he needs to account for himself. The letter by the Met was mealy-mouthed. It doesnt say that Lord Bramall is innocent but that they cant find evidence which would stand up in court. MP Richard Drax, a former Army officer, said: If it is established that the police investigation was bungled or unprofessionally dealt with, then I would expect the police to apologise to this very distinguished soldier who has been through hell. Scotland Yard made its belated climbdown on the Bramall case following months of fears that the case against him built on the evidence of Nick was groundless. He had alleged that Britains most decorated living soldier abused him at a military base more than 30 years ago. Despite his claims not being corroborated, 20 officers raided Lord Bramalls home at breakfast time last March and spent ten hours rifling through his possessions as his terminally ill wife was shunted from room to room. Lord Bramalls solicitor Drew Pettifer confirmed last night that no apology had been received. Sick individuals and scum have left a 30-year-old thoroughbred horse with internal and external injuries after she was sexually assaulted using an unknown object. The awful injuries inflicted on Gemma, a retired showhorse, have left her owners Courtney Laskey and mother Donna disgusted at the act, warning others to be vigilant about animal abusers. The Laskeys said they found a major wound to the thoroughbred's 'private parts' when they returned home to their property last Thursday at Travellers Rest, south of Launceston in northern Tasmania. 30-year-old thoroughbred Gemma has been left with internal and external injuries after 'scum' and 'sick individuals' sexually assaulted her with an unknown object The awful injuries inflicted on Gemma, a retired showhorse, have left her owner 'disgusted at the act (pictured in 2014 on Ms Laskey's first ride after recovering from a broken leg) The 21-year-old daughter said she and her mother had found Gemma locked in a tiny waterless paddock on the back of our property which we hadnt used in over two years. Though we thought this strange, we brushed it off, she wrote in a Facebook post to warn neighbours of the attack. On closer inspection when feeding my others, I noticed a large amount of blood coming down between the ponys legs and to my horror I found a major wound in her private parts, the 21-year-old wrote the following day. We suspected that she has been abused by someone or something, as she has several cuts and lacerations both on the surface and penetrating her body, she said. 'I noticed a large amount of blood coming down between the ponys legs and to my horror I found a major wound in her private parts, the 21-year-old owner wrote on Facebook The first vet had to call another one because he had never seen anything like it, she told The Border Mail. It has been determined the injuries could not have been self-inflicted or inflicted by another animal. Gemma's injuries are now healing naturally, and Ms Laskey told Daily mail Australia the 30-year-old thoroughbred will make a full recovery. The injuries are now being left to heal naturally. What happened to my pony is truly awful, but I am so lucky that she will make a full recovery, she said. She said her main concern was to now raise awareness of animal cruelty and inform others about the potential dangers. The 21-year-old said her message was to warn others to take of their animals, children and themselves because there is some serious scum in this world. She said she was absolutely disgusted at what had happened to her defenceless, sweet animal. Ms Laskey had found the horse locked in a normally unused paddock at their property in Travellers Rest, south of Launceston, Tasmania. The pair are pictured around 10-years-ago, as Gemma was Ms Laskey's first competition horse Tasmanian Police and RSCPA Tasmania are believed to be investigating, while Ms Laskey said she has also informed the council. Ms Laskey is warning others about the 'serious scum in the world' However, I dont believe there is much anyone can do, she said. It had been reported that police were suggesting the injuries could have been the result of deer poachers under the influence of drugs. Tasmania Police could not confirm that suggestion to Daily Mail Australia, and Peter West, CEO of RSCPA Tasmania said he had never heard of such activity and thought speculation was unhelpful. 'It's a wide net to cast,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's certainly not something we take too much stock in.' Gemma was Ms Laskey's first competition horse, she said, whom she's had since she was about 10-years-old. A police chief has been demoted after an Australian bucks party was ordered to pay a $25,000 bribe to corrupt Bali officers for hiring a stripper. Ida Bagus Dedy Januartha, the ex-Kuta police chief, has been forced to apologise after the group of 16 men from Melbourne were allegedly assaulted by police and imprisoned for more than 24 hours. He was found guilty of violating the police code by an ethics court after taking a cut of the bribe and failing to adequately supervise his officers, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Security guards brandishing guns raided former model Mark Ipaviz's bucks dinner at a restaurant in Seminyak in June after the group decided to hire a stripper. Kuta police chief Ida Bagus Dedy Januarta (pictured) has been demoted after an Australian bucks party was ordered to pay a $25,000 bribe to corrupt Bali officers for hiring a stripper A group of 16 Australian men, including nightclub owner Nick Russian (left) Daniel Beckwith (centre) and Simon Phan (right), were assaulted and forced to pay a $25,000 bribe by security guards and police in Bali They stormed into the private dining room, where a stripper was performing, before using taser guns on the men and beating them with guns and bottles. After confiscating their phones and calling police, both officers and guards transported the group to a police station where they were forced to stay overnight and threatened with a 10-year jail term. The Bucks party, which included nightclub owner Nick Russian and celebrity hairdresser Joey Scandizzo, were then forced to pay a bribe. They were released after the bribe was paid, but missed their return flights to Melbourne. The buck's party was to celebrate the upcoming wedding of former model Mark Ipaviz and fiancee Amanda (pictured) The group of 16 men from Melbourne travelled to Bali for the buck's party, the wedding of Mr and Mrs Ipaviz took place a few weeks later (pictured on their wedding day) Police were interrogated after the Indonesian embassy in Australia reported a strong social media backlash. Some 12 Bali police officers including Januartha were implicated in the scandal. They were forced to stand for two hours in the sun and paraded in front of other colleagues as part of a humiliation process in September. Januartha was found guilty of breaching the police ethics code on January 5 and he has been ordered to apologise to Bali's police chief. He will be transferred to a different position in a lower rank for at least a year. A mother has confessed to being more than six times over the limit when she was caught drink-driving just moments after dropping her child off at school. Nichole Hammerstein, 36, had a blood-alcohol content of .305 when she was stopped by police in Renmark, South Australia, just after 9am on November 17, according to the Adelaide Advertiser. The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of driving with excess blood alcohol during an appearance in the Berri Magistrates' Court on Monday, the newspaper claimed. Nichole Hammerstein (pictured), 36, has confessed to being more than six times over the limit when she was caught drink-driving just moments after dropping her child off at school The blood-alcohol limit is 0.05 for a driver with their full licence. At a level of .305, Hammerstein would have likely had substantially less control over her movements and the car, while also experiencing a severe lack of balance, blurred vision and potential vomiting. The court was told Hammerstein had been drinking since lunchtime on the previous day, before she dropped her six-year-old off at school. Police prosecutor Sergeant Adrian Bellamy told the court the 36-year-old admitted to drinking one and a half bottles of wine and two tumblers of whiskey. However, Hammerstein did not think she was that significantly over the limit, her solicitor said. Hammerstein had a blood-alcohol content of .305 when she was stopped by police in Renmark, South Australia, just after 9am on November 17 last year (stock image) South Australia Police prosecutor Sergeant Adrian Bellamy told the court the 36-year-old admitted to drinking one and a half bottles of wine and two tumblers of whiskey (stock image) 'She didn't realise that she would be that far over,' Ryszard Duluk said, according to the Adelaide Advertsier, while also acknowledging his client had a drinking problem. Magistrate Stefan Metanomski said it was 'incomprehensible' the mother could drive her child to school while having such a high reading. Hammerstein argued a friend had been driving the car when the child was dropped off at school, but the Magistrate said the 36-year-old had still put the lives of other road users at risk. Hammerstein was fined $1100 and had her licence removed for two years. Baroness Altmann told MPs she did not have a magic pot of money for around half a million women born in the 1950s who have seen their pension age jump by as much as six years with little warning Women losing out on thousands of pounds because of the rising state pension age will get no help from the Government, the Pensions Minister said last night. Baroness Altmann told MPs she did not have a magic pot of money for around half a million women born in the 1950s who have seen their pension age jump by as much as six years with little warning. She said she had not found a way to provide so-called transitional arrangements to support women caught by the rise, despite MPs voting unanimously for the Government to provide support in a debate two weeks ago. The Minister was asked if she still believed the speed of change was harsher for women, as she said in 2011. She responded: Wherever you were going to draw a line when you were making a change there were people who were going to be on one side of it or the other. Campaigners said the Governments failure to fix a problem it created was callous and disappointing. The latest blow comes after a series of revelations exposing how ministers are raiding pensions in a bid to save money. Last week, official figures showed how half of people reaching state pension age in the next five years will not receive the full flat rate of 155.65 a week when the new state pension system launches in April. Workers who paid less National Insurance during their lifetime known as contracting out will get less. But MPs claimed thousands of people did not realise this because of bungled communication by the Department for Work and Pensions. It was also revealed that up to three-quarters of younger people will be worse off under the new system when they retire. Yesterday the Mail told how the Treasury is expected to cut tax relief on the pensions of middle class workers stripping up to a third from their future pension pots and leaving them thousands of pounds worse off. Last night, Baroness Altmann defended the Governments decision to raise the state pension age for women from 60 to 66 by October 2020 despite having spoken out against the plans in her previous role as head of over-50s group Saga. The rise was initially passed under Labour in 1995 but the Coalition voted to speed up the pace of change and bring forward the increases in 2011. Campaigners have accused ministers of raising the age too fast and failing to tell women affected about the changes. At a Work and Pensions Select Committee hearing, SNP MP Mhairi Black (pictured) said poor communication by the Government should have been taken into account and financial help given to those affected Speaking at a Work and Pensions Select Committee hearing yesterday, SNP MP Mhairi Black said poor communication by the Government should have been taken into account and financial help given to those affected. But the Pensions Minister said: I have been looking at whether we can do anything we havent found a way. Obviously I feel for these women. Baroness Altmann recommended that older people worried about not having enough state pension should keep working instead. Alan Higham, of independent advice site PensionsChamp.com, said: The Government has closed its mind on these ladies There have been failures to communicate the changes in 1995 to their pension, compounded by a further change in 2011 which gave women less than two years notice of losing six years pension worth close to 50,000. To ignore their plight entirely, displays a callousness unbecoming of a civilised country. The woman accused of impersonating a nurse at the hospice care facility where Bobbi Kristina Brown spent the final weeks of her life is behind bars. Taiwo Bolatito Sobamowo, 32, was booked into the Gwinnett County jail in Georgia on Sunday after being charged with financial identity fraud, false identification documents and four counts of practicing registered nursing without a license. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the charges are related to incidents which occurred between September 2014 and August 5 of last year, the same time Sobamowo spent working at Peachtree Christian Hospice. Bobbi Kristina was moved to the facility in Duluth on June 24 and passed away on July 26, six months after the 22-year-old was found face down and unresponsive in a tub at her townhouse. Scroll down for video Trouble: Taiwo Bolatito Sobamowo, 32, was booked into the Gwinnett County jail in Georgia on Sunday accused of faking her nursing credentials (left in mugshot on Sunday, right in October 31 mugshot) Tragedy: Sobamowo worked at Peachtree Christian Hospice in Duluth during the final month of Bobbi Kristina's life and was involved in her care (above with mother Whitney in 2011) Sobamowo was first arrested on October 31 last year in Raleigh, North Carolina after a warrant was issued by Forsyth County in Georgia accusing the woman of practicing as a registered professional nurse without a license along with other felony charges. 'Additional warrants were issued for Sobamowo which included felony Financial Identity Fraud and felony Forgery,' the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office said at that time. 'The investigation identified that Sobamowo was working as a registered nurse with a Georgia healthcare facility. Sobamowo had provided fraudulent credentials under a different name to gain employment.' Those charges were not related to Sobamowo's time at Peachtree though but rather a different facility where she had obtained a job. Shortly after her arrest it was revealed that Sobamowo had used another person's nursing license number to apply for a job in Washington DC in 2013, a plan that was foiled when a background check revealed there was a warrant out for her arrest. An alert was issued with her name and picture, but she still managed to get a job at Peachtree after this incident through a contractor who provided employees to the company. She was eventually fired however, after almost a year, when she could not provide proof of a nursing license. Missed it: An alert was issued with her name and picture after she tried to obtain a job with false credentials in 2013 (above), but she still managed to get a job at Peachtree after this incident through a contractor Good news: A police report said that while Sobamowo did care for Bobbi Kristina while she was in hospice, there was no indication or evidence that Bobbi Kristina's health or safety had been affected by the woman (Peachtree hospice above) Homestead Hospice and Palliative Care, the company which contracts nurses to work for Peachtree Christian, told Fox Atlanta at the time that they were 'shocked and dismayed that she had issued with her licensing' The company said Sobamowo was fired immediately after they found out about the con. Authorities in Duluth had to wait until Sobamowo's charges in Forsyth County had been settled before they could arrest her this weekend. A police report said that while Sobamowo did care for Bobbi Kristina while she was in hospice, there was no indication or evidence that Bobbi Kristina's health or safety had been affected by the woman. It was during this time too that a photo was leaked of Bobbi Kristina on her death bed. The person who took the photo remains a mystery, though police were certain Sobamowo was not trying to get close to the Brown family since she had been suspected of pulling this con at other medical centers in the past. Says Muslim men are stripping away rights of their wives and daughters Rochdale has a large Muslim population, and Im a Muslim woman. Yet at the height of the general election campaign last year I visited the town and, as I walked around with the standing MP in predominantly Muslim areas, I saw no one like me. There were many Muslim men but no women out and about. It was as if they had been spirited away in a spaceship. I went knocking on doors. The women were there, but they would not come out. Many, I believe, felt they had to stay indoors unless they were accompanied by a male member of their family. And most spoke little English. YASMIN ALIBHAI-BROWN: The Prime Minister has identified the right problem, but hes blaming the wrong people. It isnt the Muslim women who are the root of the problem (file image) This final point was thrown into sharp focus as the subject of a controversial national debate yesterday when David Cameron fired a broadside against British Muslim women, saying that 190,000 spoke little or no English, and that its up to ordinary Britons from all backgrounds to change our attitudes. We are racist to accept this, he says its the racism of low expectations. The Prime Minister has identified the right problem, but hes blaming the wrong people. It isnt the Muslim women who are the root of the problem, much less the British public. The problem is the Muslim menfolk who are gradually stripping away all the rights of their wives and daughters. It is also the politicians who collude in that Islamic misogyny and the oppression of women. Of course, as soon as Mr Cameron made his remarks, Muslim activists and some liberals were quick to dismiss them, implying that any criticism of British Muslim culture was tantamount to bigotry. But the fact is we do have a crisis in the Muslim culture and it is one thats reflected in this fact that so many Muslim women, some of whom have lived here for decades, cant speak English. This leads to a separation between cultures which is not at all healthy. In fact, I would go as far as to say that we are far less integrated now than British Muslims were in the Sixties and Seventies. If you want proof, watch East Is East, the comedy film written by Ayub Khan-Din and set in the early Seventies, about a Pakistani man married to an Irish Roman Catholic and running a chip shop in Manchester. Its sweet, hilarious, and quite unimaginable among todays British Muslims. Once there was a sense that working-class Britons of all religious and ethnic backgrounds could socialise together and even inter-marry, because they shared a common class identity. There was prejudice, of course, but there was also a sense that we were all thrown together in the same world, and that everyone was the same under the skin. During the Eighties, I used to teach women in the East End district of Tower Hamlets. I visited them in their homes, helping them with their English: mostly it was Muslim women from Somalia and Bangladesh, but sometimes I taught white Londoners, too, who had been utterly failed by the education system. Being able to speak English is absolutely crucial. Its the key to everything education, a degree, a career and all the other liberal, Western opportunities that are being denied to these women. They, and by extension their daughters, are kept captive by their inability to speak the language. Very often because of the attitudes of their menfolk, they are unable to understand what is on television and in the newspapers, so they are horribly cut off from wider British society unable to participate fully, and completely without hope of taking positions of influence, as academics, politicians, writers and so on. I persisted as a part-time teacher for several years more, because I could see how valuable my work was. I helped women integrate into their communities. But I go back to Tower Hamlets now and I dont recognise the place. The community projects are all gone, and the women wear full veils that make them look like angry bats. That encourages Islamophobia. Prime Minister David Cameron has identified the right problem, but hes blaming the wrong people. It isnt the Muslim women who are the root of the problem, much less the British public David Cameron is right to condemn petty hate crimes, such as what he calls the disgraceful pulling of womens headscarves in the street. But the veil shuts women off from the wider world, and can make them afraid to step outside. A white journalist friend was telling me about her shy, gentle neighbour, a Muslim woman who has recently moved from Bradford to West London but is now scared to go to her local supermarket because of the ugly looks her veil attracts. My friend despairs of what to do. She lives in a very friendly street, where children play together and street parties are a regular event. But the newcomers from Bradford refuse to mingle at all they ignore every invitation, and hold themselves aloof. This catastrophic divide in British society has come about because politicians allowed and even encouraged it. No wonder that, as the Prime Minister said yesterday, we now see school governors meetings where women have to sit out of sight in the corridor, and religious sharia councils forbid women to leave abusive marriages. Faith school King Fayed Academy opened in Acton, West London, close to Mrs Alibhai-Brown's home and the impact on the area was immediate. Residents began to see women in full veils where they never had before My question to David Cameron is: why do you blame women for being unable to speak English when you are still allowing single-sex faith schools to be built, where girls will be denied a real education? I have seen the rubbish girls are taught at Muslim faith schools lessons that last half a day, devoted to ritual washing before prayer. This should be done at home, not when pupils ought to be studying maths and science. A faith school opened in Acton, West London, close to my home the King Fayed Academy and its impact on the area was immediate and shocking. We began to see women in full veils where we never had before, and girls of three or four in headscarves. This is where segregation begins: not with the woman cooking chapatis in the home, but with the schools and mosques. Which is why it is important to encourage women to learn English it is a first step to integration. I admire the Canadian system, where language classes are provided free and the deal is simple: if you want to live in this country, you learn the language. For that matter, I think the same rule should apply to British expats in Spain and elsewhere. Learn the language why wouldnt you? But the answer to that question is ominous when applied to Muslim women. If 190,000 have not learned English, it is because their husbands, brothers and hard-line imams dont allow it. Research says workers check smartphones once every three minutes every day Intelligent people may struggle more in the workplace because they are easily distracted, research has found. Clever people tend to have difficulty prioritising ideas, meaning they can get flustered when they have several things to deal with at once. The rise of technology has made it more difficult for workers to stay focused, with the average person checking their emails as often as every two minutes. Nearly half of more than 10,000 workers surveyed in 17 countries said they struggled to concentrate in the office, according to research by workplace solutions company Steelcase. The average office worker has eight programme windows open on their computer at any one time and is distracted around once every three minutes, it found. Smartphones took up twice as much of workers' time in 2015 than they did in 2012, with most checking theirs around 200 times a day - or once every three minutes. Psychiatrist Dr Ned Hallowell said smarter people had difficulty prioritising because they tried to deal with each idea as it arose, leading to 'a feeling of inadequacy and inability to deal with the workload as a whole'. He said it meant some people, who were hired for their intelligence, failed to fulfil their own and their bosses' expectations. Bostjan Ljubic, of Steelcase, said: 'Employers are always on the lookout for the brightest people available, however the difficulty to withstand multiple tasks and distractions in the office affects smart people in the same way as everyone else, if not more. We want to attract the best people to help grow and shape the future of our company' Penguin says The publisher also has no requirements for A-levels or UCAS points Firm says there is no simple link between having degree and performance Job applicants to publisher Penguin Random House UK will no longer need to have a degree for the chance of a position, bosses announced yesterday. The move is part of a plan to diversify the companys workforce and attract people from more varied backgrounds, including those who did not go to university. The firm said there is a growing body of evidence suggesting there is no simple link between having a degree and performance in the workplace. The move is part of a plan to diversify the companys workforce and attract people from more varied backgrounds It said that it has removed the degree filter from all its UK job advertisements, job descriptions and recruitment systems with immediate effect. The publisher also has no requirements for A-levels or UCAS points, it said, and only certain professional qualifications will be required in some cases. It is just the latest in a string of high profile companies to do away with requirements for traditional qualifications. Companies are increasingly adopting measures to employ people from disadvantaged backgrounds, as students from private schools still dominate many top universities. There is also a shift towards valuing personal qualities and skills in addition to performance in exams, which employers say do not always equip students for work. Neil Morrison, group HR director, UK and international, said: We want to attract the best people to help grow and shape the future of our company, regardless of their background - and that means that we need to think and act differently. Simply, if youre talented and you have potential, we want to hear from you. This is the starting point for our concerted action to make publishing far, far more inclusive than it has been to date. Now, we need to be more visible to talented people across the UK. We believe this is critical to our future: to publish the best books that appeal to readers everywhere, we need to have people from different backgrounds with different perspectives and a workforce that truly reflects todays society. Last year, accountancy firm Ernst and Young announced it was to remove academic and education details, including degree classifications as well as school and university information, from its trainee application process and would decide who to interview based on candidates performance in online tests. Schools, courts and any other public institution which wants to ban Muslim women from wearing the veil can expect the full backing of the Government, David Cameron declared yesterday. The Prime Ministers intervention will be seen as an invitation for the likes of hospitals, town halls and police stations to impose controversial restrictions on wearing head coverings. MPs said it was a step forward in the often heated decade-long debate over whether Britain should ban face coverings in circumstances where people are in face-to-face contact with public bodies. Prime Minister David Camerons intervention will be seen as an invitation for the likes of hospitals, town halls and police stations to impose controversial restrictions on wearing head coverings Bans could apply to public-sector staff serving the public or women visiting state-run buildings. In recent years, there have been huge rows over whether the veil should be outlawed when people are in the dock at court, or children are attending school with their face covered. Detailing his latest integration strategy, the PM said he would not back a French-style outright ban on wearing the veil in public. But he did endorse local policies, when properly thought out, which would require people to show their face such as for border checks. Mr Cameron who yesterday also threatened to deport Muslim women who fail to learn English said: I think in our country people should be free to wear what they like, within limits live how they like, and all the rest of it. What does matter is if, for instance, a school has a uniform policy, sensitively put in place, and people want to flout that uniform policy, often for reasons that arent connected to religion, you should always come down on the side of the school. In 2006 the House of Lords ruled that banning Shabina Begum (pictured at the time) from wearing the jilbab, a long, flowing garment, at Denbigh High School in Luton did not breach her rights He added: When you are coming into contact with an institution or youre in court, or if you need to be able to see someones face at the border, then I will always back the authority and institution that have put in place proper and sensible rules. Tory MP Philip Hollobone, who used a Private Members Bill to attempt to ban the full-face veil in the last Parliament, welcomed the comments. He told the Mail: This is a step forward. I think there is significant public support for banning the veil where public-facing public services are involved, such as in schools, hospitals, police stations and town halls. Although there is no legal ban on any form of veil in the UK, the right to wear a veil may be restricted at work or in schools. This has been challenged in courts as discrimination on grounds of religion but a ban has been approved for schools and courts. In 2006, the House of Lords ruled that banning Shabina Begum, 17, from wearing the jilbab, a long, flowing garment, at Denbigh High School in Luton did not breach her rights. In 2014, a Muslim teenager was barred from a top state school in London for wearing a full-face veil. The unnamed girl quit Camden School for Girls after being told the covering went against its acceptable clothing policy. In a court case, defendant Rebekah Dawson was told in 2013 that she would have to take off her full-face veil if she gave evidence to her own trial for intimidating a witness. She declined to do so and was later jailed for six months after changing her plea to guilty. Border guards can ask a woman to remove her face veil, but this should normally be done in a private room by a female official. Last night a government spokesman said: We support the right of individual organisations such as schools, colleges and employers to restrict the wearing of face coverings if they feel they need to as a result of legitimate dress codes or for reasons of security, identification or health and safety. Where such legitimate reasons exist, lawful restrictions can already be imposed on wearing a veil under the appropriate circumstances. The Government does not support a general legal ban on the wearing of a veil in public. Schools still have to mend the lingering damage caused by the wholesale dumbing down of standards under previous Labour governments, the head of Ofsted has warned. Sir Michael Wilshaw claimed that botched reforms of the education system during the 1960s and 1970s continue to plague schools today, despite efforts by the Tories to toughen up standards. He said that while he would not be calling for the widespread return of grammar schools, he thought the comprehensive schooling system still has its problems. Sir Michael Wilshaw claimed that botched reforms of the education system during the 1960s and 1970s continue to plague schools today, despite Tory efforts to toughen up standards (file picture) Hitting out at the ideologues who believe that equality means one size fits all, he pointed out that not enough has been done over the years to stretch talented pupils in mainstream schools. He added: As a consequence, there was a wholesale dumbing down of standards. It meant aggressive anti-elitism. It meant glittering prizes for all, whether merited or not. It meant scorning attempts to celebrate excellence. It meant paying scant regard to literacy, numeracy and good behaviour. And it meant the erosion of headteachers authority by militant unionism. His speech to the think-tank CentreForum included anecdotes of failed initiatives he remembered from his teaching career. Sir Michael cited examples of schools in London where the teachers were more interested in ideological conformity than educational excellence. And he criticised programmes which encouraged independent learning at the childs own speed, which encrusted schools like useless barnacles. He added: Im pleased to say much of that nonsense has gone. There is now a growing awareness of the needs of different pupils. However, the one-size-fits-all approach still lets down far too many, particularly at both ends of the ability spectrum. The most able are not being stretched. The options for those who struggle are limited. And too few children have access to a curriculum that prepares them for the workplace. Comprehensives were championed by Labour in the 1960s, with grammars and secondary moderns put under pressure to convert. Sir Michael cited examples of schools in London where the teachers were more interested in ideological conformity than educational excellence (stock image) But critics said the new schools failed to stretch bright pupils and did not do enough to help those who were struggling. Sir Michael went on to say that it was important not to forget the written off and failed need the most help, and the responsibility to support them does not end when students do not achieve targets. And he suggested that other nations, such as Germany and Switzerland, have more flexible education systems. He also warned that too many students are being left behind at age 16 and disadvantaged because of uniformly weak careers guidance and poor preparation for the world of work. And his wide-ranging address rebuffed those who are currently calling for academies and free schools to be returned to local authority control. He insisted: The rot set in in large parts of our education system because local authorities allowed too many schools to decay over many years. Sir Michaels speech comes amid a continued push by the Government to encourage children to study traditional subjects, including English, maths, science, a foreign language and either history or geography up to GCSE. Ministers have argued that studying these subjects will give children a good grounding for their future. Discussing current attempts to try and improve standards in the countrys schools, a Department for Education spokesman said: We know young people benefit from studying a strong academic core of subjects up until the age of 16 which they can complement with additional arts subjects or vocational qualifications. A body has been found inside a drug paraphernalia store named Fetish that was gutted by an early morning fire. Firefighters were called to a fire at a business on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, in Melbourne's south, just before 4am on Tuesday. Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) crews arrived on the scene six minutes later and 30 firefighters, with breathing apparatus, spent an hour bringing the blaze under control. Scroll down for video A body has been found inside a drug paraphernalia store named Fetish that was gutted by an early morning fire in Melbourne's south Photographs of the aftermath of the fire show the front window display covered in shattered glass, burnt mannequins and broken furniture. Fetish is one of a number of alternative fashion shops among trendy Brunswick St's cafes and bars. Ratings on review site Yelp revealed the store sold drug paraphernalia, costumes, accessories and clothing - including Mexican wrestling masks and bongs. 'Fetish is a silly, stoner store filled with t-shirts for girls and boys, wigs and crazy sunnies. Oh, and a lot of bongs,' one reviewer wrote. Photographs of the aftermath of the fire show the front window display covered in shattered glass, burnt mannequins and broken furniture Fetish is one of a number of alternative fashion shops among trendy Brunswick St's cafes and bars Pictured above is the store before the blaze. In the window are Mexican wrestling masks and shishas As firefighters sifted through the debris, distraught neighbours congregated outside the store just before midday on Tuesday. They all wanted to know if the owner was alright. Next-door neighbour and friend Hiro said he and the owner often spent time together. 'I live upstairs. The owner is a hippy, older guy. We've hung out so many times,' he told AAP. 'I'm not sure if he's alive; I'm so worried.' Sam, who works across the road at the IGA, said the owner occasionally slept at the shop. A burnt mannequin hangs out of Fetish's front store window following the devastating blaze As firefighters sifted through the debris, distraught neighbours congregated outside the store just before midday on Tuesday Neighbours said the owner sometimes slept inside the store. But police say the body was yet to be identified Customers reported the store sold bongs, Mexican wrestling masks and other 'stoner' merchandise 'He's a very nice man - do you know what happened to him?' Sam asked. The fire is thought to have started at the back of the shop and the damage bill is expected to be upwards of $250,000. Arson and explosives investigators are investigating the fire. Extra firefighters were called to the scene and fire Commander Phil Rogan said the blaze did not spread to buildings next door. 'The fire started at the rear, and there's a substantial amount of damage at the back,' he told the ABC. 'The fire just moved forward through the shop and there's not a lot left, it's completely gutted from one end to the other.' Police said nearby residents were evacuated as the fire was being extinguished, and a crime scene was established with officers guarding the business until MFB investigators arrived. Police said 32-year-old Holly Davis has been booked on three charges including first-degree murder A suspect has been arrested in connection to a deadly Arizona road rage shooting that left a Chinese exchange student dead and led to a chain-reaction crash that injured five others. Tempe police Lt. Michael Pooley said on Sunday that 32-year-old Holly Davis has been booked on three charges including first-degree murder. Authorities uncovered a note 'consistent with defendant planning to engage in violence,' the Arizona Republic quoted booking documents as saying. Davis 'expressed a desire to be shot by law enforcement' earlier, the documents revealed, according to the newspaper. The 32-year-old woman has depression, the Arizona Republic reported. According to police, Davis' vehicle was involved in a collision at a busy intersection around 3.30pm on Saturday. She allegedly got out of her car and fired several shots into another vehicle, hitting the driver, student Yue Jiang several times. Pooley said the 19-year-old tried driving off but after being shot she lost control, crashing her vehicle into another car carrying a family of five, including a pregnant woman and three children. According to police, Davis' vehicle was involved in a collision at a busy intersection around 2.40pm on Saturday (scenes from the incident pictured) A makeshift memorial for Yue Jiang, which includes candles and flowers, is seen here Two cars pictured above following Saturday's incident. Davis allegedly got out of her car and fired several shots into another vehicle, hitting the driver, student Yue Jiang several times Davis has also been booked on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly contact with a deadly weapon and prohibited possession Davis is said to have also pointed her gun at the passenger in Jiang's car, who sustained minor injuries in the subsequent crash, according to The Arizona Republic. Jiang, an Arizona State University student, was taken to a hospital where she died. The family of five did not suffer serious injuries. Davis fled the scene in a silver Volkswagen Passat but was later taken into custody. She had reportedly hid her car and weapon before returning to her Mesa apartment where she showered and washed her clothes, The Arizona Republic reported. According to the police report, when police found Davis, she denied involvement and admitted to using Oxycodone, a controlled substance that can treat pain. She has since been booked on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly contact with a deadly weapon and prohibited possession, according to The Arizona Republic. Pooley said the 19-year-old tried driving off but after being shot she lost control, crashing her vehicle into another car carrying a family of five, including a pregnant woman and three children Onlookers and fire trucks are pictured at the scene. Jiang, an Arizona State University student, was taken to a hospital where she died. The family of five did not suffer serious injuries Cars above are being removed from the scene. Davis fled the scene in a silver Volkswagen Passat but was later taken into custody Arrests reports indicate that Davis had previously been convicted for resisting a lawful stop and fleeing in Missouri, and was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison. Arizona State University spokesman Jerry Gonzalez confirmed in a statement that Jiang was a student at the school and said their thoughts and prayers are with her family. 'Regarding yesterday's incident where ASU student Yue Jiang was killed, we just want to say that fellow students are being encouraged to talk with counselors, and that our thoughts and prayers are with the student's family,' Gonzalez said. Officers and police tape are pictured where the incident took place in Tempe. According to the police report, when police found Davis, she denied involvement and admitted to using Oxycodone the letter sent at 9am this Balinese cities could soon be targeted by the same terrorists responsible for the Jakarta blasts outside the Sarinah shopping mall in Indonesia's capital last week, according to reports. Indonesian police are investigating a threatening letter that was delivered to a local government office in the Balinese regency of Buleleng at 9am on Tuesday. The letter warns that the terror network is ready to blow up these cities in the name of Allah, according to Fairfax Media. Balinese cities, Denpasar and Singaraja could soon be targeted by the terrorists responsible for the Jakarta blasts outside the Sarinah shopping mall last week (pictured) Indonesian police (pictured in Jakarta) are now investigating a threatening letter that was delivered to a local government office in the Balinese regency of Buleleng The same terror network responsible for attacks in Jakarta last week has sent a letter to the Balinese government warning of impending attacks at popular tourists destinations It reads Our members are currently present in Denpasar and Singaraja. The letter also warned that the terror network would attack shopping centres, offices and tourism destinations. Buleleng police chief, Heri Heriyadi said the letter had been delivered to the local government office at Buleleng before 9am this morning. When the letter was opened by administration staff the situation turned quite chaotic, he said It was a threatening letter, one of our team was there, saw the letter and the ruckus, they immediately took the letter and witnesses to police station, so we can do an immediate follow up. Last week Islamic State claimed responsibility for gunfire and seven explosions that took place in central Jakarta, including one attack at a Starbucks near the United Nations building on Thursday that left eight dead, including four civilians. Rallies were held across Indonesia yesterday to condemn last weeks terror attack and in Indra Maya in West Java where a crowd of locals took to the streets. The Australian government website smarttraveller.com.au advises Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia, however the overall level of advice has not changed since the attacks. Last week Islamic State claimed responsibility for gunfire and seven explosions that took place in central Jakarta on Thursday that left eight dead, including four civilians (pictured) The letter sent to the Balinese Government (pictured) warns that the terror network is ready to blow up these cities in the name of Allah Creepy CCTV footage has been released showing a man who police believe groped two women inside the same clothing store after asking about sizes. Detectives said the man smiled at the two female staff members and ran away after assaulting them on consecutive nights at a shop in Melbournes CBD. He struck up a conversation with one of the women on December 18 before grabbing and sexually assaulting her. The offender then smiled at the woman before running from the store on Little Bourke Street at around 7pm, a spokesman for Victoria Police said. Scroll down for video Creepy CCTV footage has been released showing a man who police believe groped two women inside the same clothing store in Melbournes CBD after asking about sizes Detectives said the man smiled at the two female staff members after assaulting them on consecutive nights at a clothing shop Police believe the same man, who is described as being of Asian appearance, came to the store at around 7pm the following night and spoke to another female staff member. The man allegedly asked the woman for the price of some clothing behind her and then sexually assaulted her as she turned around to check the item. He again smiled at the victim before running away in an unknown direction. Police have released CCTV footage of a man they would like to speak to following the two sexual assaults. Police believe the same man, who is described as being of Asian appearance, came to the store at around 7pm the following night and spoke to another female staff member CCTV footage has been released showing the man wandering through the shop on Little Bourke Street In the video the man is seen wandering round the shop and picking up items of clothes. The man is believed to be in his early 30s, around 175cm tall and of slim build with a moustache and facial hair. He was wearing dark grey clothing and had a black satchel which he wore across his chest. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au Education Secretary Nicky Morgan Tuesday condemns universities for allowing terrorist apologists to peddle hatred on campus while restricting legitimate free speech. Announcing a series of moves designed to prevent children from being turned into fanatics, Mrs Morgan attacks groups like Cage which indoctrinate, instruct and inspire hate and try to close and narrow young minds. Cage, which infamously referred to Jihadi John as a beautiful young man, was exposed by the Mail earlier this month for targeting Muslims during at least 13 student events. It also attempted to use a primary school to host an event involving extremist speakers. Cage director Moazzam Begg: Encouraged students to sabotage anti-extremism programme Cage,was exposed by the Mail earlier this month for targeting Muslims during at least 13 student events. Mrs Morgan will say groups like Cage have no place in our campuses and certainly not in our schools as she announces a new crackdown on extremism in the education system designed to stop children falling under the spell of twisted ideologies. At the same time, she warns against a growing trend for limits on debate and free speech on university campuses. She will cite the case of feminist Germaine Greer, who came under pressure to withdraw from a speech at Cardiff University last year after a campaign calling for her to be banned over her controversial view on transsexuals. Ms Greer resisted and gave the speech, however. Speaking from Bethnal Green Academy in East London, from where four pupils went to join Islamic State last year, Mrs Morgan will pledge to root out those who peddle extremism in our schools. She will also: Announce plans for a list of missing children who disappear from school registers without being tracked by councils or head teachers; Launch a new website with advice for parents on how to spot if their son or daughter is turning into an extremist; Reveal a major escalation of Ofsted inspections into illegal madrassas teaching a narrow Islamic curriculum; Pledge to ensure teachers linked to the Trojan horse plot will be banned from the classroom. The Mail investigation found Cage representatives were being given unchallenged platforms at campuses across the country. Speakers such as Moazzam Begg were exposed for encouraging young Muslims to sabotage the governments anti-extremism programme, Prevent. But as well as indulging Islamist extremists, universities are also blocking legitimate forms of free speech, it emerged yesterday. A survey published in the Times found more than half of student unions or universities banning speakers, pressure groups or other forms of expression. Mrs Morgan will say it is wrong to protect young people from offence rather than from extremism, and say robust debate is needed to build resilience against extremism among the young. Cage infamously referred to Jihadi John (pictured) as a beautiful young man, Schools and universities need to be able to recognise the difference between a debate involving an academic controversialists like Germaine Greer and some of the events hosted by groups like CAGE, which have no place in our campuses and certainly not in our schools, she will say. It requires judgement - but just as we must be absolutely clear that we should never give those who peddle extremist ideologies entry in to our schools or colleges, so too we must guard against inadvertently hiding young people from views which we simply think are wrong and disagree with. She adds: I hold no truck with the move on some campuses to limit debate and ban those with offensive rather than extremist views. Far better I think to tackle Germaine Greers wrong-headed views about gender identity in open debate. Because its the resilience that young people develop through that challenge and debate which will be their best defence should they ever then find themselves confronted by the truly hateful views of extremist groups. The crackdown on illegal schools is a response to a warning from inspectors last year that children were at risk of being abused and radicalised in secret madrassas. An Ofsted inspection of schools in Tower Hamlets and Birmingham also revealed alarming numbers of pupils were falling off school admissions registers without the council or the school knowing where they went. The new website, Educate Against Hate, includes advice for parents on how to spot if their child is being turned into a fanatic, and for teachers to spot potential extremists in the classroom. It says children and young people who are argumentative or aggressive and who refuse to listen to alternative points of view could be turning to Islamist extremism, according to advice for parents on a new government website. The Two Ronnies enduring popularity is turning Ronnie Barkers sex offender son into one of Britains wealthiest ex-convicts. Adam Barker, who has gone to ground since his release from prison in 2013, has seen profits at the firm he part owns soar to 845,000. The company called Handles For Forks after one of his fathers classic sketches, Fork Handles manages royalties from Barkers legendary comedy career. Ronnie Barker's son Adam, who has gone to ground since his release from prison in 2013, has seen profits at the firm he part owns soar to 845,000. Pictured: Adam (left) with his parents Joy and Ronnie, who died in 2005 Profits increased by 343,000 in the year to June 30, 2015 a rise of 40 per cent. Adam, 47, owns a third share of the company with his sister Charlotte, 53, and brother Laurence, 56. A bit-part actor whose career highlights included walk-on roles in Monarch Of The Glen and the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, Adam served 13 weeks of a 12-month prison sentence for making indecent images of children. He pleaded guilty to 20 charges. The firm has assets of more than 1.2 million, which includes a bank balance of 197,252, according to abbreviated accounts filed at Companies House. As well as regular TV repeats of The Two Ronnies and Barkers hit sitcoms Open All Hours and Porridge, royalties from DVD sales keep the cash pouring into his estate. Adam went on the run in 2004 after he was arrested in 2003 when credit card payments for some of the 1,675 illegal images found on his computer, mostly of young boys, were traced to him. He reportedly left a note for his parents, which said: I wont be able to contact you for quite some time. He spent eight years in Hungary before finally returning to face justice. But, in the time he was on the run, both his father and his mother, Joy, died and he missed their funerals. After Barkers death, his comedy partner Ronnie Corbett said Adams absence had caused sadness of huge dimensions. Adam inherited 1.4 million after his parents deaths and, two years ago, received another windfall when he sold a house in Ealing, West London, for 550,000 more than five times what it had cost his father in 1991. Damian, Eton's model student Actor Damian Lewis appears to be embracing his public school background, having attended Eton He used to keep his Eton schooling a secret to avoid being typecast, but actor Damian Lewis now appears to be embracing his public school background. The former Homeland star arrived at the Critics Choice Awards in LA on Sunday in a bizarre knee-length suit jacket reminiscent of the tailcoats worn by Eton students. Perhaps Lewis, 44, who is said to be in the running for James Bond once Daniel Craig hangs up his bow tie, is trying to remind producers of his suitability. For like Lewis, 007 is said to be an Old Etonian though, according to Ian Fleming, he managed only two terms before being expelled. Martin Freeman in hospital trip From fighting goblins to putting up with snarky Sherlock Holmes, actor Martin Freeman would be forgiven for wanting to keep his work and home lives separate. Sadly, he had no such luck after a drama-filled weekend that saw him hospitalised in North London following an accident involving broken glass. Local A&E were fantastic. Efficient, kind, quick and thorough, says his partner, actress Amanda Abbington. The injury resulted in four stitches. Former Treasury minister Angela Knight struggled to impress MPs as she appeared before the Commons Treasury select committee recently to discuss her new sinecure, running the Office of Tax Simplification (a quango). Blase Knight mentioned that, at the Treasury, she had been in charge of open-ended investment companies, or Oeics. Given that she later led the British Bankers Association, speaking up for some of societys greediest porkers, wouldnt Oinks have been more appropriate? Dry-witted Radio 3 presenter Ian Skelly confidant of Prince Charles, among other things took a little swipe at one of his fellow BBC stations on Sunday morning. He was talking about the plague of piped music in public buildings and noted that one of his listeners refused to enter the BBCs Broadcasting House headquarters because it had BBC Radio 2 piped into the foyer. Serial killer Ivan Milat's younger brother Paul has gone on an expletive-riddled tirade defending why he would not pay rent after an alleged dispute over his tenancy. The remarkable outburst was captured by Channel 9s A Current Affair program after Mr Milat was confronted by their reporter Tim Arvier about the issue and who was soon visibly taken back by Mr Milats furious reaction. You just spat in my face, Mr Arvier said to Mr Milat at one stage. As if to justify his outrage Mr Milat replied: Im a Milat, so f*** off. Paul Milat (right) was outraged when he was accused of paying no rent for four months by A Current Affair reporter Tim Arvier (centre) and Mr Milats landlord, Mark Hess (centre) The program came about after Mr Milats landlord, Mark Hess, alleged he had not paid four months of rent to him, and that Mr Milat was now allegedly squatting on his premises in Queensland because he had not paid up his rent arrears. Mr Milat believed he had every right to act this way because of what his family had been through and the way theyve been treated since his notorious brothers murder spree. His older brother is Australias infamous backpacker killer Ivan Milat, who was found guilty of murdering seven backpackers in 1996. 'The world f****** owes me heaps. Because of the news and government in this f****** place. Its made it a nightmare for f****** me and I won't change my name because Im proud of my name,' he said. Im a Milat, so f*** off, was one of Mr Milat's response to the reporter and the landlord His older brother is Australias infamous backpacker killer Ivan Milat (pictured) Mr Milat believed he had every right to act this way because of what his family had been through It's been alleged that Paul Milat has not paid rent for four months for the home he's been renting (pictured) During the heated argument Mr Hess said that hed bring Mr Milat to court, but Mr Milat admitted this had been tried before on previous premises hed lived on and not paid any rent, and that it had taken eight months to get rid of him then. Mr Hess told ACA that at first he had 'just took him at his word' and given Mr Milat the benefit of the doubt. But now his trust had been betrayed after the two men had initially made a 'handshake agreement' and he was now four months behind on his rent. 'Are you some sort of grub? Are you Australian? Why dont you pay your rent?' Mr Hess asked. Milat's reply to the questions was: 'Im Australian.' Cherie Blairs law firm was paid nearly half a million pounds for legal advice by the government of Albania, it has emerged. Omnia Strategy earned a fee of 493,000 for acting as Albanias official adviser in a legal dispute with a British scanning company. The original contract with Omnia was for 378,000 but it was later increased by another 115,000. The award of the contract to Mrs Blairs company was controversial because of her husband Tonys role as an adviser to Albanias Socialist prime minister Edi Rama since September 2013. Albania asked Omnia to represent it in a legal dispute with Rapiscan, based in Redhill, Surrey, and chose Blair (pictured) to represent it The Albanian government hired Omnia in September 2014 in the dispute with Rapiscan, based in Redhill, Surrey. Rapiscan and another firm, S2 Albania, won a 15-year, 250million contract for a security system to be installed at Albanias borders. The deal was approved a month before Albanias elections in June 2013, but the new Socialist government tore it up when it came into power. Rapiscan and S2 Albania sued the Albanian government and the case went to the International Chamber of Commerce in Vienna. Albania asked Omnia to represent it and chose Mrs Blair who set up the firm in 2011. In April 2015, based on the advice of Omnia, the Albanian government settled the case. The fee the company was paid was revealed in treasury transactions published by the Albanian ministry of finance that were originally reported by Balkan Insight, an investigative news website. It said the original payment of 378,000 was paid on November 10 last year. The top-up of 115,000 was approved on December 28 and made public last week. Omnia was reportedly paid almost 400,000 for six months work in Kazakhstan for reviewing its bilateral investment treaties. Mrs Blair charged the Kazakh government 975 an hour for her fees, a reduction on her normal rate of 1,150. Mr Blair was branded disgraceful by Human Rights Watch for earning a reported 7million fee for giving advice to Kazakhstans president Nursultan Nazarbaye, including on how to spin the massacre of unarmed civilians by his regime. Lawyer says his co-accused, Armstrong Renata, delivered the fatal punch He is facing a charge of unlawful striking causing the death of Cole Miller One of the two men accused over the death of Cole Miller has applied for bail, claiming he did not deliver the fatal punch to the 18-year-old. Daniel Jermaine Lee Maxwell is facing a charge of unlawful striking causing the death of Mr Miller earlier this month. Magistrate Wendy Cull adjourned her decision until Tuesday afternoon after listening to submissions from Maxwell's lawyer, Michael Bosscher, at the Brisbane Magistrates Court. Scroll down for video Daniel Jermaine Lee Maxwell, one of the two men accused over the death of Cole Miller, has applied for bail and claimed he was not responsible for the 18-year-old's death Cole Miller, 18, died after a one-punch attack in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley earlier this month Mr Bosscher told the magistrate that, moments before the attack in Fortitude Valley, Maxwell had turned to his friends and said 'do you want to see something funny?'. He said Mr Maxwell then randomly selected nearby Mr Miller and challenged him to a fight, before throwing the first punches. 'There is no evidence at all to suggest he struck Mr Miller to the head,' Mr Bosscher said. 'There is clear evidence that Mr Miller was still standing, still conscious.' He claims it was co-accused Armstrong Renata, also 21, who delivered the fatal punch. 'It's clear that the punch from the co-accused to Mr Miller was the one that caused him to lose consciousness and cause his death.' Armstrong Renata, 21, had his charge upgraded to unlawful striking causing death, a day after teenager Cole Miller's life support was switched off. He added that the police case against Mr Maxwell was weak. Paramedics attend to the 18-year old man who was coward punched then left for dead on the floor It comes after Mr Bosscher revealed earlier this month his client was celebrating his birthday on the night of the attack. 'He's only a young man himself. It was his birthday on the evening in question,' said Mr Bosscher. 'He's devastated by what's occurred - he feels nothing but the greatest sympathy for the family of the victim. 'He has no friends or family really here in Australia - they're all in New Zealand.' 'He's very stressed, very anxious - he's never been in custody before so the watch-house is a pretty tough place,' defence lawyer Neil Lawler told reporters outside court. The random attack on Cole Miller happened at Chinatown Mall in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley 'I think it's safe to say it's a tragedy for all concerned,' Mr Lawler added. Police allege he punched Cole Miller in the back of the head in Fortitude Valley's Chinatown Mall, after co-accused Daniel Jermaine Lee Maxwell challenged Miller and his friend to a fight. The blow rendered him 'immediately unconscious', but Maxwell and Renata then fled the scene rather than trying to help, police claimed. Mr Miller, 18, an elite water polo player, died in hospital from massive head trauma on Monday January 3, a day after the alleged assault. Cole Miller was a Queensland under-20s water polo player and the younger brother of Australian representative Billy Miller (pictured) Police say they are reviewing the video as part of a formal investigation Daughter of woman in the video said police had the 'wrong' house Video of the incident has been viewed more than 500,000 times Police were called to the Brisbane home following reports of a disturbance A police union have defended a police officer who was filmed shoved a woman's throat four times during a domestic dispute call-out. Police say they are reviewing the video as part of a formal investigation, however the police union president told ABC News that the officer's response was justified given the circumstance. 'The police have acted entirely appropriately and I would have probably done the same,' said Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers. Scroll down for video Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers: 'The police have acted entirely appropriately and I would have probably done the same' 'What I will say is the police showed a lot of restraint, and the only thing I would have done differently is I would have arrested her well before they did. 'How many times does somebody have to be told to move back and let police deal with the arrest?' Asked Mr Leavers. The woman in the video, Natasha King, said police stormed into her home on Saturday and arrested her 16-year-old son. Footage of the incident has been viewed more than 500,000 times. 'I just couldn't believe that he was basically hitting me when they are against domestic violence with women or anybody,' she told NITV. 'It was a bit terrifying to see my son being hurt by them when I thought they were here to protect.' Police said they were called to the Zillmere home in Brisbane's north after reports of a 'very loud disturbance'. However Ms King's daughter Loanna, 17, said there was no disturbance or acts of domestic violence, which police also allege. 'About five police men busted through our door and grabbed my brother who they said was being arrested for domestic violence, but my mother kept yelling to check his record because it's clean and he is only 16,' Ms King told Daily Mail Australia. 'That's my son': A woman tells one of the officers that the man they are arresting is her son before a officer shouts 'get back' and shoves her neck 'In the video you can see them arresting my brother, but they also came into my room and tackled me to the ground and arrested me too. 'They dragged me out of the house and onto the street - I still have the scars on my legs from this,' said Ms King. The 50 second video shows Ms King's 16-year-old brother being pushed up against the wall in the house while he is being handcuffed. While Mother Natasha King tells one of the officers that he is her son before the officer shouts 'get back' and pushes her shoulder. The woman stands in the same position and screams 'that's my son' when the same officer shoves her by the throat with considerable force. Ms King said the entire family were handcuffed and put in police vehicles, while her two-year-old brother was left by himself in the home. The 50 second video shows a man being pushed up against the wall in the house while he is being handcuffed After being detained in police vehicles for twenty minutes, they were issued with court dates for obstructing police and released on to the street. 'I feel very disgusted and disgraced that police do this kind of job I'm very hurt and in so much pain. I just cant believe that's what the government is paying these cops to do,' said Ms King. The video was originally shared by National Indigenous Television journalist Danny Teece-Johnson, thousands of shocked social media users commented on the alleged 'police brutality' in the video. 'This is how deaths in custody start. We need to have a national discussion on how police engage with our mob. Is this an example of violence against women?' asked Danny Tee Jay Johnson. 'That is my son': The video has been viewed more than 256,000 times and shared by 6,500 people. Hundreds of shocked social media users commented on the alleged 'police brutality' in the video 'This is a disgusting display of violence against women, and a clear show of police bullying, how can Australia say it is against domestic violence when the police behave like this? This lady had every right to stand up, how many cops and their size against a boy and a small woman? sickening', wrote Lizzy Bette Callachor Another woman highlighted the reason why she thinks 'Aboriginal woman do not trust police'. 'I know not all Police Officers are like this dude, I even have good friends that are Police Officers in Brisbane. However, the good ones are few (and) far between. 'There is most certainly a police culture that is a 'do as I command or I'll lock your ass up'... Example of that here with the sister and her family!' Wrote Marlene Longbottom. Queensland police said they are yet to receive a formal complaint, however they will review all available evidence. Queensland police: 'This is a disgusting display of violence against women, and a clear show of police bullying, how can Australia say it is against domestic violence when the police behave like this?' A Nashville teacher has been arrested on charges of reckless endangerment after three children were found in the trunk of her car. Andria Desha James, 32, was found with three kids, ages nine and ten, in the trunk of her car, and six more of similar ages in the rear passenger seats. Police found out after receiving a call from a member of the public who noticed something amiss at a local gas station. Charged: Nashville-area school teacher Andria Desha James, 32, was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment Sunday It wasn't me: James said she only took the children to the store to get away from a dangerous situation, however police say surveillance video from store disputes her claims It isn't clear whether the children were harmed in any way, but there have been no reports of injuries or other physical trauma James told police she is a teacher at Alex Green Elementary which is part of is part of Nashville's public school system. Metro Nashville Public Schools spokesman Joe Bass told WBIR that James has been a part-time tutor at Alex Green Elementary since September. Bass said she will be placed on administrative leave as soon as district offices reopen Tuesday morning, as is standard procedure when an employee is arrested. A customer reportedly spotted James' car at a La Verge Speedway gas station on Sunday and called police Familiar face: James has been a tutor at the school part-time since September. She will now likely face disciplinary procedures According to police, a total of nine students were reportedly in Andria James' 2010 Chevy Malibu at the time. Three of the children were allegedly inside the trunk 'We are in contact with the authorities in Rutherford County and will cooperate fully with their investigation,' Bass said. 'Obviously, the acts she is accused of are completely inappropriate for an educator entrusted with caring for students, and we will take further disciplinary action if needed as more details come to light.' It's not clear why James had any children in her car in the first place but it is believed that they were James' students. Reached by WKRN Monday, James denied that she ever had kids in her trunk, but said the children were in her car because she was removing them from an unsafe situation. Parents were called to come and collect their kids. James was booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. She was released from jail on a $1,000 bond early Monday, according to jail records. A veterinarian is suing a truck company after she found the face of a man one of their vehicles had run over on the floor of a car wash. Kimberly Kriege, 45, from Livingston, Montana, has filed a suit against CRST Expedited, claiming she was severely traumatized and needed counselling after she found the body part in September 2013 after it had been dragged from the scene. Air Force veteran Elgie Bedford, 81, was the man knocked down and killed by one of the trucks as he made his way from Alaska to Texas to visit his grandchildren. He is believed to have been hit several times before 31-year-old Wryan Young, who is believed to have also run over him, drove to the Super Car Wash in Livingston in a bid to wash off the portion of his face. Kimberly Kriege, 45, from Livingston, Montana, is suing a truck company after she found part of 81-year-old Elgie Bedford's face on the floor of a car wash after one of their drivers ran him over. The veterinarian was left traumatized found the body part in September 2013 after it had been dragged from the scene Bedford, whose car had gone off the road, was walking along Interstate 90 near Big Timber when he was hit by a CRST truck driven by David Welk. Welk was found guilty in October 2014 of leaving the scene of an accident in connection with Bedford's death. He later received a six-year deferred prison sentence. 'Welk turned his semi-truck around and drove to the impact location, where he used a flashlight to observe objects lying on the highway,' Kriege says in the complaint seen by the Courthouse News Service. 'Welk told his co-worker that he saw clothing and a duffle bag when he actually saw Bedford's body.' Investigators believe Bedford's body had been struck by multiple vehicles before Montana Highway Patrol officers discovered it at about 7.30 am. Bedford, whose car had gone off the road, was walking along Interstate 90 near Big Timber when he was hit by a CRST truck driven by David Welk. Welk was found guilty in October 2014 of leaving the scene of an accident in connection with Bedford's death. He later received a six-year deferred prison sentence Young, from Oak Harbor, Washington, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and tampering with evidence. Her father, Westley Young, 50, who had been traveling with his daughter when she hit Bedford's body, was charged with tampering with evidence. Prosecutors in Sweet Grass and Park counties dismissed the charges against Wryan Young in late 2014, the Whidbey News-Times reported. During Welk's trial in October 2014, she told the court she believed she had run over a piece of tan cloth. A British sniper is being investigated for shooting an Iraqi who was about to fire a rocket grenade. The soldier accused because he gave no warning is one of hundreds to have received a letter from taxpayer-funded detectives. They are working for the Iraq Historical Allegations Team, which is investigating allegations of abuse by the British military. The unidentified snipers case was revealed yesterday by campaigners at the pressure group UK Veterans One Voice. The Iraqi was killed after threatening the soldiers base three times. A British sniper is being investigated for shooting an Iraqi who was about to fire a rocket grenade (file photo) Following Friday prayers, he took aim at the compound with a rocket-propelled grenade. A crowd egged him on and he fired but the range was too great. The following Friday he fired a second grenade, which hit the base but did not cause any casualties. A request to return fire with machine guns was refused for fear of killing bystanders. The following Thursday night a four-man patrol, including the sniper, was sent out from the base to head off a further assault. This ended with the insurgents death when he took aim for a third time. The account added: He had been hit by a veteran of long military service, a graduate of Army sniper school. No warning was required under the rules of engagement. A spokesman for UK Veterans told the Mail: It is a classic example of the Iraq Historical Allegations Team picking a guy who shouldnt be on the receiving end of it. It was a totally legitimate shot. Details of the probe came after it emerged the 57million IHAT squad is investigating more than 1,500 allegations of abuse and unlawful killing of civilians. As many as 280 soldiers have been hounded over the investigation and thousands more could be dragged before inquiries into incidents dating back a decade. Soldiers many of whom are suffering from stress trauma have faced up to five investigations into a single incident and have spoken of how they have been hung out to dry by the Army. The Defence Secretary said it was one of several options being looked at by officials to reduce the number of claims (file photo of British soldiers training in Basra, Iraq) Lawyers are also set to mount 1,100 compensation claims that could cost taxpayers tens of millions of pounds. There are fears the relentless witch-hunt against war heroes could lower morale and hamper recruitment. Yesterday Michael Fallon said military chiefs were examining plans to impose a time limit for claims to be brought against the Ministry of Defence. The Defence Secretary said it was one of several options being looked at by officials to reduce the number of claims. Women are charged up to twice as much as men for almost identical products on the sexist High Street, a study revealed. The review of hundreds of items found those targeted at women were almost exclusively more expensive than the male equivalent. Among the examples, Tesco was found to charge double the price for ten disposable razors with the only apparent difference being that they are pink. Women are charged up to twice as much as men for almost identical products on the sexist High Street, a study revealed Some types of childrens scooters at Argos are also 10 more expensive in pink than in red, while Levis 501 jeans for women are on average 46 per cent pricier than the mens version, at 80-100 compared to 42-80, according to the probe. Retail bosses could now face questions from MPs about the price gap, following the investigation by The Times newspaper. Maria Miller, who leads the women and equalities committee, said: It is unacceptable that women face higher costs for the same products. Retailers have got to explain why they do this. At a time when we should be moving towards a more de-gendered society, retailers are out of step with public opinion. Retailers also faced fierce criticism from campaigners. Sam Smethers from the Fawcett Society, a campaign group for womens rights, said: This investigation is really quite shocking. What we are seeing is a sexist surcharge. We need more gender-neutral options and an end to such rip-off practices. Costly: Levi's jeans for women are on average more than 40 per cent more expensive than the men's equivalent, while at Argos a red scooter is 10 cheaper than the same model in pink Rip-off? Boots sells Chanel Allure for women at 30 while the men's version is just 24; on Amazon's website generic Bic biros are 2 a pack or 50p each, while 'for her' pens cost 3 a pack, which is 60p each Out of hundreds of products examined, boys underpants were the only example where the male product was more expensive than the female. YOU DON'T NEED ANY MORE FURNITURE, SAYS... IKEA BOSS! With global annual sales of more than 19billion, demand for Ikeas flat pack products is buoyant. So it came as some surprise when the Swedish companys green guru suggested that our homes are so full of possessions that we have reached what he called peak home furnishings. Chief sustainability officer Steve Howard, who presented his view to a climate change conference in London, appears to be at odds with Ikeas plans to dramatically boost sales. Mr Howard said: In the West we have probably hit peak stuff. We talk about peak oil. Id say weve hit peak red meat, peak sugar, peak stuff, peak home furnishings. Mr Howard said Ikea is focusing more on products that help people to live more sustainably, such as solar panels, LED lighting and water-saving taps. We will be increasingly building a circular Ikea where you can repair and recycle products, he said. Advertisement On average, womens products were 37 per cent pricier than mens. The difference in razor costs was particularly noticeable, with womens costing 49 per cent more. Tesco sells five own-brand razors for women for 1, while men can get ten razors for the same price. Bic pens are also available in a for her range at 2.99 while a plain black ballpoint is just 1.98. At Boots, 100ml of Chanels Allure spray deodorant is 30 the homme version is just 23.50. And it seems Britain is not the only country where being female comes at a premium. A recent study by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs found that womens products cost on average 7 per cent more than mens. And a study from the state of California on the so-called pink tax found that women pay about $1,351 (950) more each year for similar goods and services. A Tesco spokesman said: We work hard to offer clear, fair and transparent pricing. A number of products for females have additional design and performance features. We continually review our pricing strategy. A Boots spokesman said: Our products are priced based on factors including formulation, ingredients and market comparison. Argos, Levis and Bic did not comment. A New Zealand flight attendant who was fired for repeated bad behaviour will remain grounded after losing an appeal to get her job back. Jennifer Kilpatrick, a former flight attendant with Air Zealand, had applied to the Employment Relations Authority to contest her sacking following a horror flight in March 2012. Ms Kilpatrick claimed she was fired unfairly, however Judge Mark Perkins threw out the appeal and said the former flight attendant attempted to give misleading evidence by 'deliberately misinterpreting questions to give vague answers', according to Stuff.co.nz. Jennifer Kilpatrick (pictured), a flight attendant who was fired for repeated bad behaviour, will remain grounded after losing an appeal to get her job back According to the news outlet, Ms Kilpatrick was accused of berating passengers, failing to carry out tasks during a flight and eating meat pies that should have been made available to customers on a return flight from Auckland to Rarotonga, Cook Islands. The Auckland woman was allegedly confronted by a male passenger over the incident, which prompted her to 'rudely berate' him for watching her eat. Another flight attendant on the trip told the tribunal they clashed with Ms Kilpatrick, saying she was seemingly in a bad mood from the start. Michelle Coyle said she approached Ms Kilpatrick during a pre-flight meeting and asked whether she preferred to be called 'Jen' or 'Jenny'. Ms Kilpatrick (pictured) was accused of berating passengers, failing to carry out tasks and eating meat pies that should have been made available to customers on a return flight from Auckland to Rarotonga The complaints discussed in Ms Kilpatrick's appeal allegedly took place on a return flight from Auckland to Rarotonga, Cook Islands 'Neither, I am neither of them and if you want to call me that I'm going home; it's over,' Ms Kilpatrick replied, according to Stuff NZ. Ms Coyle also said Ms Kilpatrick called other staff 'useless', and she stormed the flight deck to complain directly to pilots about others attendants on board. According to the hearing report, supervisors attempted to give Ms Kilpatrick a performance rating after the flight, however she rushed of the plane and said she was ill. Ms Kilpatrick allegedly told other Air New Zealand flight attendants there were 'useless' during the flight (stock image) She also then took extended sick leave and did not cooperate with Air New Zealand's attempts to get back to work, according to Stuff NZ. Disciplinary actions were then taken against Ms Kilpatrick, leading to her being fired. In a series of social media posts, Ms Kilpatrick claimed she was 'detained against her will' after the flight in question, and said she was left 'humiliated' and 'distressed' by the 'worst company in NZ'. Prior to the most recent rejection, Ms Kilpatrick also appealed to the Employment Court where she was also unsuccessful. A second Oxford college has launched a campaign to sever links with 19th century imperialist Cecil Rhodes. Students at Oriel College have already called for a statue of the colonialist to be torn down. Now undergraduates at University College have voted to change the name of its Rhodes computer room. Students at Oriel College have already called for a statue of the colonialist to be torn down College officials say they view the name as tribute to past Rhodes scholars who include former US president Bill Clinton and his daughter, Chelsea rather than Rhodes himself. However, they are expected to look into the demands made by members of the Junior Common Room, the body which represents students at University College, before making a decision. College bosses told The Times: The Junior Common Room and the college will consider together whether or not to rename the room for purposes of clarification later this term. A bitter row over the legacy of Rhodes has raged for months, with protesters calling the Oriel statue an open glorification of the racist and bloody project of British colonialism. Others argue that it is wrong to erase history. Professor Louise Richardson, the universitys new vice-chancellor, has said the statue should remain. Protestor Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh calling for the removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes which is in the front of Oriel College Oxford on January 6 The Oxford Union will tonight stage a debate over whether to break links with Rhodes and move the statue. The Rhodes Must Fall group, which describes itself as a movement for the decolonisation of the curriculum at the university, welcomed the debate, tweeting: Testament to how weve put issue top of the agenda. Chris Rock is reportedly under pressure to quit his job as host of the Academy Awards in response to the lack of diversity among this year's nominees. The comedian, who previously hosted the show in 2005, reacted almost immediately to the fact that all of the acting nominees were white after last week's announcement ceremony, writing on Twitter; 'The Oscars. The White BET Awards.' This is the second year in a row that all the acting nominees have been white, which is one of the reasons that some in Hollywood have decided to boycott the show, most notably director Spike Lee who received an honorary Oscar in November and was to be lauded at the ceremony. Jada Pinkett Smith also announced she would not be attending, though she and Lee did both show their support for Rock when they released statements about their decision. Also commenting on the situation was Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who said in a statement that changes were coming which would hopefully result in a more diverse group of nominees, and Academy members, in the years to come. Scroll down for video Problems: Chris Rock (above at a Knicks game on Monday) is reportedly being urged to step down as host of this year's Oscars by 'many leaders in the black community' Taking a stand: In response to the lack of diversity at this year's Oscar, both Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith (above in June) have announced they will be boycotting the ceremony Isaacs, who in addition to being president of the Academy is also one of the invite-only group's few non-white members, said in a statement on Monday; 'Id like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this years nominees. 'While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and its time for big changes. 'The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. 'In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond.' She then added; 'As many of you know we have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. 'But the change is not coming as fast as we would like. We need to do more, and better and more quickly.' Rock meanwhile is reportedly getting pressure to drop out according to some sources. 'Behind the scenes Chris is under extreme pressure to pull out. Many leaders in the black community think he would help progress be made if he quits his hosting job at the Oscars,' multiple sources told Naughty Gossip. 'Chris is listening to what they have to say, but thinks he will have a bigger impact by doing the show. He thinks it is easier to make a difference from the inside. Chris has already started to write white people jokes for the show.' Pinkett Smith revealed she would not be attending in a video posted to Facebook, but praised Rock in her speech, saying; 'Hey Chris I will not be at the Academy Awards and I will not be watching. 'But I cannot think of a better man to do the job in hand this year than you my friend. Good luck and to the rest of you, nothing but love, always.' Lee meanwhile revealed he would not be attending on Instagram, writing his message under a photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. He noted in that message that his decision was not meant to disrespect Rock. CHERYL BOONE ISAACS STATEMENT ON THIS YEAR'S OSCAR NOMINATIONS 'Id like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this years nominees. While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and its time for big changes. 'The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond. 'As many of you know we have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. But the change is not coming as fast as we would like. We need to do more, and better and more quickly. 'This isnt unprecedented for the Academy. In the 60s and 70s, it was about recruiting younger members to stay vital and relevant. 'In 2016, the mandate is inclusion in all of its facets: gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We recognize the very real concerns of our community, and I so appreciate all of you who have reached out to me in our effort to move forward together.' Advertisement Response: 'In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond,' said Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs Friends: Both Pinkett Smith and Lee (above on Monday) showed support for Rock in statements they released on Monday Idris Elba, who had won multiple critics awards and been nominated for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance in Beasts of No Nation was perhaps the most glaring omission, along with the lack of a Best Picture nomination for the critically and commercially successful N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton. The Academy also ignored the critically-lauded performances of promising newcomers such as transgender actress Mya Taylor for her work in Tangerine, Teyonah Parris in Lee's new film Chi-Raq and O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell who were the young stars of Compton. And the Creed team of star Michael B Jordan and director Ryan Cogler were shut out by the Academy yet again, the same group who showed them no love just two years ago for their work in the highly-praised Fruitvale Station. New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis pointed out what she believes to be the larger problem in an article this week, writing; 'I love that so many people are enraged at this years whiteout - anyone who yells at the Academy is a friend of mine - but I wish that this anger was being expressed 365 days a year and not when the nominations are announced.' She then added; 'The primary reason the Oscars are so white this year and most years is that the movie industry is overwhelmingly white. 'Thats infuriating, but thats not shocking, and it sure isnt news. And if that bothers people, then they need to start complaining loudly and perhaps even begin voting with their dollars. 'By, say, supporting movies with minorities and women. Because the only way the industry will change is if people give them hell.' And then there are others who feel that getting this upset about an awards show is a waste of time, most notably Janet Hubert, the actress who played Aunt Viv on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Tribute: Rock speaks during an event celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday Hubert filmed a scathing public response to Pinkett Smith's announcement that she would be boycotting the awards, despite having worked with her husband Will for years on the popular sitcom. In a video she too posted on Facebook, Hubert said; 'First of all, Miss Thing, begins Hubert, does your man not have a mouth of his own with which to speak? 'The second thing, girlfriend, theres a lot of sh*t going on in the world that you all dont seem to recognize. People are dying. 'Our boys are being shot left and right. People are starving. People are trying to pay bills. And youre talking about some f*****g actors and Oscars. It just aint that deep. 'And heres the other thing: For you to ask other actors, and other black actresses and actors, too, to jeopardize their career and their standing in a town that you know damn well you dont do that. And heres the other thing: They dont care. 'They dont care! And I find it ironic that somebody who has made their living, made their living and made millions and millions of dollars from the very people youre talking about boycotting just because you didnt get a nomination, just because you didnt win.' Hubert then when a step further and called out Will Smith by claiming he refused to negotiate for salary increases alongside the entire cast of Fresh Prince back in the day. 'Well karma must be a bitch, cause now here you are,' says Herbert. 'Here you are, youve had a few flops and you know there are those out there who really deserved a nod.' She then criticizes both his performance and accent in the film Concussion, which some pundits had thought might land him an Oscar nomination. A homeless man, who lead the double life of a pauper while having thousands of dollars in the bank, may have been attacked and killed after someone found out his secret. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that twice a week Reginald Mullaly would regularly go into the Reliance Credit Union in Bathurst's CBD and withdraw a few hundred dollars each time from the nearly $30,000 savings he had in his bank account. However, in September the 69-year-old's body was found in his makeshift shelter under the Denison Bridge. He had been brutally stabbed 11 times. Reginald Mullaly's body was found in his makeshift shelter under the Denison Bridge (pictured) in Bathurst in September Police described it as 'a cowardly attack on a vulnerable member of the community'. The police investigation in Mr Mullaly's is running along the lines that someone found out he had more money than he was letting on and that this may have been the motive for his vicious attack. Mr Mullaly would spend his money on pies at a local bakery, cans of beer and bread to feed the ducks that would be regularly seen on the banks of the Macquarie River in Barthurst. A friend Mr of Mullaly, Kerry Hodge. told The Sydney Morning Herald would speak to him often. Mr Mullaly (pictured) had nearly $30,000 savings in his bank account despite living as a pauper The 69-year-old would regularly go into the Reliance Credit Union in Bathurst to withdraw money from where he was living rough under Denison Bridge (pictured) 'With his little bag alongside him, he would have a bit of a beer hidden and he kept it so nobody could see his beer,' Mr Hodge said. 'But I knew and I didn't mind because he never, ever, ever, said anything to upset me. 'Then he would come along with bread and feed the little sparrows. Now that he is gone, I am feeding the sparrows for him.' People would demand money from Mr Mullaly, despite the fact he could be generous to people, Mr Hodge said. He had been brutally stabbed 11 times under Denison Bridge (pictured) where he'd been living rough A great-grandmother has been brutally attacked by a wild kangaroo, which slashed her arm open to the bone and has left her in fear of leaving the house. Townsville resident Beverley Basnett, 77, was left with blood pouring out of her arm after a huge kangaroo attacked her from behind while she walked her dog in far north Queensland last Friday. I didnt hear it coming but it hit me like a Mack Truck, Ms Basnett told Daily Mail Australia. I was standing still, just outside my gate with my little dog. Hes a tiny little dachshund and I was telling him he was a good boy. I didnt hear the kangaroo come up because I was talking to my dog. I felt two paws on each shoulder it pulled me back really hard which has hurt my neck. Townsville resident Beverley Basnett, 77, was left with blood pouring out of her arm when a huge kangaroo attacked her from behind while she was walking her dog Ms Basnett was standing in Macarthur Park at the time, just outside the gate (pictured) into the backyard of her Annandale home. This photo is taken from inside her Annandale home in far north Queensland Then it hit me and its back foot came up and ripped my left arm down to the bone. It also got my hip and tore my clothes, she said. I yelled so loudly that it got a jolly fright and went on its way. Ms Basnett was standing in Macarthur Park at the time, just outside the gate into the backyard of her Annandale home. She is urging people to be wary of the wild animals as they can be incredibly dangerous. Ms Basnett is also very grateful she wasnt with her young relatives at the time, as she is sure the attack could have been deadly for a child. I have three beautiful great grandchild and I take them for a walk outside the yard often. I will never do that again. Had the kangaroo attacked a child, theyd have no chance,' said Ms Basnett. I feel as if I dont want to go outside the gate. But I know I have to get over that eventually. They go into a mode of protection and when they do they get on their tail and make themselves taller, Ms Basnett said, saying she glanced at the kangaroo which was level with her and 'looked her in the eye' We have a beautiful park down there with beautiful roos hopping around. I thought maybe a stray dog was chasing it to make it angry, but there was nothing. Just this one rogue roo, she said. Fortunately, her husband was at home and rushed her to the medical centre to stitch her arm up. My husband was inside the house, but hes a very deaf man. I got the dog and walked inside with blood pouring out anywhere. I wrapped a towel around my arm and went to the doctors, she said. She received dissolving stitches as her arm had been ripped open so close to the bone. I have to go back everyday because Im still in a lot of pain, she said. Ms Basnett wants locals to be aware theres this fellow about, keep a wary eye out for him or her. They go into a mode of protection and when they do they get on their tail and make themselves taller, Ms Basnett said. When I glanced back he looked me right into my eyes. Im 52 and he was level with me, she said. I feel threatened. I was in the wrong place in the wrong time. It could be dangerous to someone. Just 100km separate buildings filled with powerful weapons and gun-toting ISIS terrorists from three young Australian children as they play in the mountainous foothills of Kurdistan in north Iraq. The youngest daughter of Tim and Sarah Buxton was just two months old when the family moved from Brisbane, Queensland, to North Iraq to work with refugees in the war-torn Middle East. The exact day the Buxtons and their three children all under the age of five landed in Iraq, ISIS launched an attack and invaded the north, a mere 30 minutes from the airport, Mr Buxton told the Daily Mail. Scroll down for video Tim Buxton (pictured right), his wife Sarah Buxton (left) and their three children moved from Brisbane to north Iraq in 2014 Their youngest daughter, seen on Mrs Buxton's hip, was just two months old when the family uprooted and moved to the Kurdish city of Soran (pictured) Mr Buxton said his children (pictured) have adapted to the community in the past 18 months even act like 'Kurdish kids' and sit on the floor with locals to eat While many would have immediately jumped on a return flight home, Mr Buxton said his family drove to Turkey and took some time to assess the damage as another 1.5 million refugees were forced to flee their homes and create an emergency evacuation plan. It was a time of real soul-searching, Mr Buxton said. This is the reason that God brought us here to help refugees and help the people who had no one there to help them. The exact day that the Buxton family (pictured) arrived in Iraq, ISIS invaded northern Iraq and they fled to Turkey for a few months Mr Buxton (pictured second from the left) attends a Kurdish wedding with his parents (outside left and right) Mr Buxton (pictured) said he has never felt unsafe while living in Kurdistan and that they are 'kind, welcoming people' In September they returned to Soran, a valley town completely enclosed by imposing mountains on the border of Kurdish territory in Iraq and Turkey. The tragedy is very confronting when youre there some of the families have lost daughters that were kidnapped by ISIS and have since been rescued, he said. Homes have been destroyed down to rubble and countless families were only given an hour's notice ISIS was invading their town and had to escape with whatever they could fit in their cars. More than a year after they settled in Soran, Mr Buxton, his wife, and their children have become a part of the community. Theyre little Kurdish kids at times, Mr Buxton said of his two daughters and son. They love to eat on the floor with the other families and they have won the hearts of so many people there, Mr Buxton said, adding that it is typical in Kurdish culture for people even strangers to pick up children and hug them and give them a kiss. Its not easy theyre away from their cousins and lots of kids but theres such a richness in life experience. This is the reason that God brought us here to help refugees and help the people who had no one there to help them The Buxton's have helped build six refugee camps in Soran, a valley town completely enclosed by imposing mountains on the boarder of Kurdish territory in Iraq and Turkey Mr Buxton (pictured) said he felt a calling from God to live in Iraq with his family and help the refugees after a trip to the war-town area in 2010 They would lay down their life for us we feel that safe, he said (pictured middle) The tragedy is very confronting when youre there some of the families have lost daughters that were kidnapped by ISIS and have since been rescued After a trip to Iraq with his church in 2010, Mr Buxton said he felt a calling to move to the troubled area and continue working with the families. His pregnant wife, Sarah, was not keen on the idea and initially said no when Mr Buxton asked her. I didnt push it, he said. The couple spent three years of praying and talking and after a family visit, they decided to make the move. Its not easy theyre away from their cousins and lots of kids but theres such a richness in life experience, he said of his children Mr Buxton (pictured) overlooks the rows of tents in the refugee camp The number of refugees grew by more than a million after ISIS attacked the Kurdish people I wish I could tell the whole world how amazingly wonder they are and how rich their lives are, how hospitable they are and how amazingly blessed we are to be among them as people the Kurdish people especially' Although they are Christians in a Muslim region that has been under internal and outside conflict for decades, Mr Buxton said they feel very safe. They would lay down their life for us - we feel that safe, he said. I wish I could tell the whole world how amazingly wonderful they are and how rich their lives are, how hospitable they are and how amazingly blessed we are to be among them as people the Kurdish people especially, he said. The Buxtons have helped hundreds of families by working to complete a community centre that is now used for a school and general community needs and helping build six refugee camps. Children colour during school at the refugee makeshift education centre (pictured) Man refugees lived in tents that only had a shelf life of six months and were beaten in the heat and snow (pictured) The refugee tents at the six refugee camps are being replaced by concrete homes with kitchens and bathrooms (pictured) Many of the refugees were living in tents that only had a six-month shelf live and most were destroyed during an October storm, he said. With the help of World Orphans the organisation that Mr Buxton works with the local mayor, builders and businessmen, many concrete homes with kitchens and bathrooms are being constructed for the refugees. Mr Buxton said he is not looking to convert members of the community to Christianity and their overall goal is to not hand out money and supplies, but to help the community get back on their feet by teaching vocational skills, furthering their education and improving their physical and mental health. The refugee community centre is used for numerous activities, including a school for children (pictured) Even though they knew the risks they stayed to help, family said Couple are reportedly from Perth and have lived in Africa since the 1970s Burkina Faso government says the pair were taken near the Mali border Hundreds of African students rally for Dr Ken Elliot and his wife Jocelyn This is the touching moment hundreds of African students from a small Burkina Faso town rallied in support of Australian hostages who were dragged from their beds by jihadists last week. Hundreds turned out at a rally in Djibo calling for Dr Ken Elliot, 80, and his wife Jocelyn to be freed from the clutches of al Qaeda-linked jihadists who took them hostage on Friday local time. Pictures showed the students brandishing cardboard signs reading 'Liber Eliot' and other expressions of sympathy and solidarity for the missing couple. Dr and Mrs Elliot are said to have 'dedicated their lives' to helping people in the province since moving to West Africa in 1972 and establishing a medical centre. Scroll down for video Hundreds of students from Dr Ken Elliot's town of Djibo assembled to show 'solidarity and sympathy' for the kidnapped Australian doctor and his wife A spokesman for the Elliot family told Daily Mail Australia several hundred students attended the rally, although he didn't know the exact number Pupils at the provincial high school in Djibo walked arm-in-arm together as they sent their message of peace Dr Ken Elliot, 80, and his wife Jocelyn are believed to have been kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists Dr Elliot was regarded as the 'Mother Theresa of Djibo' after he and his wife moved to West Africa in 1972 to open a medical centre The family of the elderly Australian couple said the pair 'dedicated their lives' to helping people A family spokesman has told Daily Mail Australia: 'Their commitment to the local people is reflected in the fact that they have continued there with only a few holidays since 1972. 'They are held in high esteem by the local people.' The couple's 'niece' told Daily Mail Australia she cannot 'understand how this can happen to people who've done nothing but good.' Elikia Johnson, who describes herself as the couple's niece although she's not biologically related to them, said Mr Elliot was regarded as the 'Mother Theresa of Djibo' after they moved there in 1972 to open a medical centre. 'People love them, people are here and they are praying for their safety. We're praying for the people who are doing this to change their minds,' Ms Johnson told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's terrifying, I can only imagine what's going on. 'Their house is so familiar I imagine what room they were in at the time, how they were taken, how they were forced to leave, what was yelled at them.' The Burkina government said the pair were kidnapped in Baraboule, near the west African country's borders with Niger and Mali. The Elliots moved to Djibo 43 years ago on a 'mission from God' to open the first medical centre in the region and Dr Elliot performs around 150 surgeries each month. Ms Johnson said Dr Elliot has worked overseas for over 40 years to help the disadvantaged and 'the village leaders put complete trust and faith in him.' Dr Ken Elliot (pictured) and his wife Jocelyn are allegedly the couple kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists Dr Elliot and his wife travelled to West Africa in 1972 and built the only hospital in Djibo Elikia Johnson, who describes herself as the couple's niece although not biologically related, said Mr Elliot was regarded as the 'Mother Theresa of Djibo' Ms Johnson (pictured) believes the couple have been taken as they were 'easy targets' and well known in the small community She said as soon as she heard the news two Australians had been taken, she knew it was them as they were the only Australians in the remote location 'Uncle Ken and Jocelyn have always stayed in Djibo,' Ms Johnson said. 'Their son David and his wife Julie live in Australia. They have an adopted son who was born in Ken's clinic.' Ms Johnson believes the couple have been taken as they were 'easy targets' and well known in the small community. 'I think it's likely he's been taken to give medical support to people on the terrorists' side. It's my instinct to think Ken would give support, as a medical doctor and a human, because he wants to show compassion, even to a person threatening him,' she said. 'I'm pretty sure they'd have taken him to Mali. It's hard for me to say this but in reality I don't think I'm going to be able to talk to them again, to ever say hello again.' News of the kidnapping came as a jihadist assault on an upmarket hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou left at least 26 people dead, including many foreigners. Burkina Faso's Communications Minister Remi Dandjinou said Saturday the couple were Australian nationals, correcting an earlier interior ministry statement identifying them as Austrian. A spokesman for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, Hamadou Ag Khallini, told AFP in a brief phone message that the couple were being held by jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked 'Emirate of the Sahara'. He said they were alive and more details would be released soon. There has been an outpouring of love and messages of support as people learn of the couple's kidnapping. There has been an outpouring of love and messages of support as people learn of the couple's kidnapping Dr Ken Elliot (pictured), 80, and his wife Jocelyn are believed to have been kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists The couple 'literally built the hospital with their own hands using Ken's farming skills' and work there together 'Terrorist if you knew that he is a man of God. Terrorist if you knew that he is a humanitarian who dedicated his life to servicing humanity If you knew that he is good and you are bad. Thais man has saved lives and brough hope to a lot of families. A lot of sick people are currently suffering in his hospital in Djibo. Terrorist if you knew you wouldn't dare,' wrote Hamidou Ouedraogo. 'We love you and we pray for you Dr Elliot that you will return safe and sold to the dear village that you saw be born! You've barely been gone a day and we already miss you, all the people of the town ask what this beautiful space in the heart of Djibo is worth without you,' Adama Barry. 'We are Elliot, you are etched in our heart, God will protect you.' 'God save this man who came to help the people in the name of God. I love this man, I saw him build his hospital himself, brick by brick God save the king to the happiness of the people and the sick,' wrote another. Mr and Mrs Elliot both grew up in rural Western Australia. In his early twenties, Dr Elliot worked with Freemantle Hospital and the Kalgoorlie based Royal Flying Doctor Service. The couple 'received a call from the Lord to open a Medical Ministry at Djibo with a particular view of reaching the Fulani people.' Together they 'literally built the hospital with their own hands using Ken's farming skills.' The hospital they built, the Centre Medico-Chirugicale de Djibo is still the only hospital in the region and has space for 120 patients. Jocelyn assists Dr Elliot with a portion of the Lab work. Dr Elliot is responsible for both the anaesthetics and surgical work during his surgeries. Dr Elliot (front) and his wife 'received a call from the Lord to open a Medical Ministry at Djibo with a particular view of reaching the Fulani people' The hospital is primarily surgical and must run on minimal resources, meaning the Elliots 'live very simply.' The couple return to Australia every five years for a number of months to maintain their Medicare coverage. A European diplomatic source confirmed they had received intelligence on Friday that a western couple had been kidnapped in Burkina Faso, without giving their nationality. 'According to our information, the kidnappers' objective is to take the hostages towards Mali,' the source added, declining to give further details. A military base in the same region was attacked by militants in August last year, with one Burkinabe policeman killed. The Emirate of the Sahara is a branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) operating in northern Mali, according to experts. AQIM has claimed responsibility for the hotel attack saying it was 'revenge against France and the disbelieving West', according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE. The attack and kidnapping will heighten concerns that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa, two months after a siege at a luxury hotel in Mali where 20 people were killed, again mostly foreigners. Ansar Dine is one of the jihadist groups that seized control of northern Mali in March and April 2012. An international military intervention, launched in January 2013, largely drove the Islamists out, but areas of the north remain beyond the control of Malian and international forces. Jihadist attacks have spread since the beginning of 2015 towards central and southern Mali. It was the dead of night when the car Taylor Norcross was riding in slammed into a 1,000lb moose. The animal ripped off the roof of the vehicle and hit the 27-year-old's head, causing her horrific injuries that left her inches from death. After two weeks, the mother-of-one woke up from her medically-induced coma in a Lewiston, Maine, hospital - but doctors feared the worst as she had nearly been declared brain dead. But two months later, she is making a recovery medical professionals and her family could only have dreamed of. Taylor Norcross spends time with her mother in her hospital room at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston after the car she was in slammed into a 1000lb moose in November The animal ripped off the roof of the vehicle and hit the 27-year-old's head, causing her horrific injuries that left her inches from death Two months after the accident that almost killed her, she is making a recovery medical professionals and her family could only have dreamed of In an interview with the Portland Press Herald, she revealed how she began writing, talking and walking shortly after regaining consciousness, and is even thinking about going to college in the near future. 'I definitely feel more like myself,' Norcross told the newspaper: 'I've been telling my friends, 'Taylor is back.' Norcross is a keen snowboarder, water-skier and surfer and has a a seven-year-old daughter who lives with her father in New Hampshire. She was in the passenger seat asleep alongside her fiance Frank Gatto when the moose jumped into the middle of the Maine Highway on November 4. Gatto wasn't hurt, but when Norcross didn't respond he called 911. Dr. David Burke, one of the Central Maine Medical Center doctors who treated her, compared the brain to Jell-O in a shoe box. The impact was like someone had violently shaken the box. He told the Press Herald: 'When she got here, we evaluated her brain function based on the Glasgow Coma Scale, which goes from 3 to 15, with a score of 3 being functionally brain-dead. She was a 4.' She had a diffuse axonal injury caused by blunt force trauma, and was at risk of dying. So doctors worked around the clock to stabilize her brain so she could recover. The car Norcross was sitting in was destroyed by the impact. It is now sitting in a scrap yard She has revealed how she began writing, talking and walking shortly after regaining consciousness, and is even thinking about going to college in the near future. She is pictured with fiance Frank Gatto who was driving the car when it hit the animal Dr. David Burke, one of the Central Maine Medical Center doctors who treated her (pictured in hospital), compared the brain to Jell-O in a shoe box. The impact was like someone had violently shaken the box When she woke up from the coma, the initial signs were not promising for Norcross. If a doctor shouted her name she would open her eyes but not respond. 'She had potentially a terrible prognosis, to be in a vegetative state, unable to interact with other people,' Burke added. Page Masse-Brown, her biological mother who stayed with her during her recovery at the hospital, said they were bracing for the worst. She said: 'When they told us she could be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life, we all had to collect ourselves.' In early December, she shocked visitors and friends with her response, which had previously been that bit more sluggish. Doctors feared she would be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life, but after waking up from a medically-induced coma, she began a speedy road to recovery After surviving the accident, Norcross believes she has been given a second chance and wants to relish it 'It was very dramatic,' Gatto said. 'It was like someone had flipped a switch. She pulled her tracheotomy out and was very confused and agitated. She started saying, 'Where am I? What happened?' ' Ever since she has gradually started returning to a normal life. She said: 'I washed the dishes the other day, and I did a great job,' she said, laughing. 'I didn't drop a single dish.' Norcross said she realizes she's been given a second chance at life, and she wants to relish it. Trader Joe's has issued a recall after learning bags of their cashews may contain salmonella. The popular grocery chain, which has almost 500 locations in the United States, released a statement on Monday notifying their shoppers that there was a possibility one batch of cashews could possibly have traces of the bacteria. They also announced that all cashews would be removed from their shelves while they looked into the matter for added safety. 'We have been alerted by our supplier of Trader Joes Raw Cashew Pieces (barcode number 00505154) that there is a possibility that one specific lot with the following code may be contaminated with Salmonella: BEST BEFORE 07.17.2016TF4,' they said in the statement on their website. 'The product was distributed ONLY to Trader Joes stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin.' Customers are asked to throw away any cashews that fit that description or return them to any Trader Joe's location for a full refund. Individuals with any questions or concerns can call Trader Joes Costumer Relations at (626) 599-3817. Trader Joe's swift action in this matter comes two years after an outbreak of salmonella was found in almond and peanut butter, resulting in a world-wide recall. In the end, there were over 40 reported cases of salmonella across 20 states. Another New Yorker has been slashed in the face with a knife in the third knife attack in as many weeks. Anthony Christopher-Smith, had just come off the subway and was walking along East 6th Street around 4:30 p.m on Sunday afternoon when he was pushed to the ground and knifed across his cheek by the attacker. The unprovoked attack left him partially paralyzed in the face and needing more than 150 stitches. Scroll down for video 30-year-old Anthony Christopher-Smith was walking down East 6th Street near Cooper Square with headphones on around 4:30 p.m. when he was knocked to the ground and slashed across the face His face was swollen from 8-hours of surgery and 150-stitches. It will be nine months before he can smile It wasn't until after he got up that Mr Smith realized he was bleeding and had been slashed with a knifefrom his ear to his jawline.The suspect, meanwhile, had run off. 'I'm realizing I'm gushing out blood and I'm trying not to panic,' he told NBC News after leaving Bellevue Hospital Monday night. 'I couldn't call 911 because there was so much blood everywhere. My hands were covered, my phone was covered.' 'I got a decent look, I've never seen the person before,' he said. 'He looked like he was of an Asian background, little guy, he looked like he had a blade in his hand.' After eight hours of surgery, doctors managed to patch up the Newark social worker's face although it remains partially paralyzed on the right side after several nerves were severed. Police are on the lookout for a suspect described as a 20 to 30-year-old Asian male, 5-feet 6-inches tall and weighing about 150-pounds. He was caught on several CCTV cameras at the time of the incident Two days after the slashing, Christopher-Smith emerged from Bellevue Hospital Monday night, pictured Doctors have said he should make a full recovery, but it will be between six and nine months before he is able to smile again. 'I hope somebody gets him,' he said to NBC4. 'He needs to be either in the psych ward or at Rikers, or somewhere, but you know, there's someone who's clearly deranged on the streets and I hope they get him.' Mr Smith says he couldn't understand why his assailant didn't try to rob him during the attack, instead just casually walking away. 'He just walked off. He was deranged,' he told the Daily News. Police released blurry pictures of the alleged slasher in an attempt to identify him. He was described as Asian, 20 to 30 years old, 5-feet-6 and 150 pounds, and last seen in a black jacket, black pants and brown boots. Victim: Nikki Pagliaro, 28, was just 20 yards from her front door on January 1 when she was approached by a man who said 'don't worry, I won't hurt you', when slashed her across the cheek. The suspect has been caught Amanda Morris was viciously slashed in the face on her daily commute to work in the Chelsea area of NY Mr Smith is the latest victim in the city to be slashed since the new year. Two weeks ago, a 28-year-old New York woman was slashed in the face on New Years day in the Bronx, and then another lady was attacked while walking to work in Chelsea. On both those occasions, a 41-year-old man was arrested and charged with the attack. He was also linked to several similar attacks across the city in recent months. Nicole Pagliaro, a 28-year-old graphic designer, believes she was the first of 41-year-old Kari Bazemore's two victims. Pagliaro was in her Bronx neighborhood after having dinner with her cousin and his girlfriend when she was attacked. Her attacker's family said that Bazemore's had a 15-year history of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and had been off his medication since last being released from psychiatric care. Nikki told Daily Mail Online: 'I know that the system is messed up. I really hope they start paying attention more to what happens when you don't deal with something straight away. I hope they can make an example out of this. 'He's not mentally stable and hasn't been for a very long time. I guess he did this to me but am I going to get angry about it? 'What's that going to do for me? I just want to get better and stay positive.' She continued: 'For now there is relief that he's not in my neighborhood but I'm concerned this could happen again. If it's not him it could be somebody else.' Caught: Police in New York City have arrested the man (right) responsible for slashing a 24-year-old woman's (left) face on Wednesday. He has been identified as 41-year-old Kari Bazemore The owner of a commercial real estate company and his wife have died in a plane crash. Donald L.Baker, 59, the principal of Larsen Baker, LLC, and Dawn Hunter, 55, were killed when their two engine jet went down in Cedar Fort, Utah, while they were heading home to Tucson, Arizona, from a conference. Witnesses heard a large boom then saw flames coming from the engine as the 1999 Cessna Citation 525 plummeted to the ground on Monday morning. Donald L.Baker, 59, the principal of Larsen Baker, LLC, and Dawn Hunter, 55, were killed when their two engine jet went down in Cedar Fort, Utah, while they were heading to Tucson, Arizona Baker, who according to records has had a pilot's license since 2008, had filed a flight plan to leave Salt Lake City International Airport. However the plane is believed to have suffered mechanical problems, and they even tried to turn back Debris was seen scattered around the destroyed fuselage in the middle of a snow-covered field as investigators gathered evidence at the crash site. Baker, who according to records has had a pilot's license since 2008, had filed a flight plan to leave Salt Lake City International Airport. However the plane is believed to have suffered mechanical problems, and they even tried to turn back. The pair, who are believed to have got engaged back in 2012, lived in a house worth $3.2million, according to public records. A real estate expert told Tuscon News Now Larsen Baker owns more than 2.5 million square feet of retail space in southern Arizona. They are in the process of adding another 500,000 to their portfolio. The couple (pictured outside a private plane in 2012) were prominent members of the Tucson community. Baker was a leading figure in the Tucson Hebrew Academy and on the board of directors of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Debris was seen scattered around the destroyed fuselage in the middle of a snow-covered field as investigators gathered evidence at the crash site Another piece of the plane is seen on the ground next to footsteps left by first responders Authorities stand by the site of the plane crash (seen bottom right corner), near Cedar Fort, Utah Baker was a leading figure in the Tucson Hebrew Academy and on the board of directors of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. Bruce Ash, a certified property manager at the Paul Ash Management company who had known Baker for 25 years told Tuscon News Now: 'Im just absolutely devastatedwe traveled together, we would have dinner once a month. Don was not the sort of person to take chances, he was a very, very careful pilot. Very fastidious at everything that he did, a very, very experienced flyer, Im just devastated. 'He was a very heavy hitter. Don was one of the biggest developers and operators certainly here in Arizona, very well respected by all of his peers and by all of his competitors. Everybody thought the world of Don Baker.' Hank Amos, president of Tucson Realty & Trust Co, told the Arizona Daily Star: 'Don was truly well-respected in the commercial real estate industry. He had an amazing run in Tucson, especially in retail. Its obviously a big loss.' Colleagues at Larsen Baker released a statement saying: 'Donald Bakers plane was involved in an accident near Salt Lake City, UT. Larsen Baker has not received any official confirmation from authorities. 'We are trying to digest this tragedy, and we ask for forbearance in this extremely trying time. A statement will be made later this week once more information is known.' Ambulances and fire trucks covered a road leading to the scene of the deadly crash on Monday According to the firm's website, Donald graduated with a bachelors degree in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Southern California. He then beban working as a contractor and broker. Donald has developed and constructed numerous commercial properties in Southern California and Southern Arizona. At the company he was responsible for the acquisition, development, construction and management of current and future properties. According to her LinkedIn, Dawn Hunter owned her own jewelry company, Nature Gems. A picture of the pair standing outside a private jet was posted to Mr Baker's Facebook in 2012. The St. Paul Police Department has put an officer on leave while it investigates allegations that he made a post on Facebook urging drivers to run over protesters who rallied against the police killings of two black men in the Twin Cities last year. The social media message said, 'Run them over,' and told people how to avoid being charged with a crime if they struck someone during the Martin Luther King Day march and rally on a bridge linking St. Paul and Minneapolis, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. The Pioneer Press posted a preview story about the protest on its Facebook page Friday night. The suspended officer allegedly posted a comment in reply, under a different name, that said: 'Run them over. Keep traffic flowing and don't slow down for any of these idiots who try and block the street.' The post gave advice for avoiding charges and said anyone hit who sued would probably lose a jury trial. Scroll down for video Dangerous: The St Paul Police Department is investigating whether an officer wrote a post on Facebook, encouraging others to hit protesters during a MLK-day march. Above, a screenshot of the alleged post Under fire: The man who reported the post to internal affairs says he has proof 'JM Roth' is Sgt Jeffrey M Rothecker. Rothecker's wife, according to public records, posted this picture of 'Jeff and I' to Facebook in 2010 Andrew Henderson, who runs the Minnesota Cop Block Facebook page, which focuses on police accountability, spotted the comment early Saturday and immediately reported it to police. The post has since been taken down, and the Facebook account set to private, but Henderson got a screenshot of the message before it was deleted. He then filed an internal affairs complaint Sunday and turned over the evidence he believed showed that the post really came from an officer named Sgt Jeffrey M. Rothecker. One piece of evidence, Henderson says, is that a woman who listed that she was married to JM Roth on Facebook has the last name Rothecker. And public records show that a woman with that same name is married to a Jeffrey M. Rothecker. The head of the internal affairs unit, Senior Cmdr. Shari Gray, told Fox 9 the department treated the post with 'grave concern' because of the scheduled protest. 'If we needed to change tactics or operational security on the event, we needed to do it,' Gray said. 'And then, two, make sure that if indeed this was one of our officers, that it's addressed quickly.' Black Lives Matter: The Monday march was organized in protest of the police killings of two local men, Jamar Clark and Marcus Golden Investigation: Above, the funeral procession for Clark in November. Representatives of the police union say the 24-year-old tried to take an officer's gun when he was shot. Other witnesses say he was in handcuffs when killed. The investigation into his death is ongoing, and the two officers involved placed on administrative leave Henderson met with Gray on Sunday about his complaint, as well as an internal affairs investigator, Sgt John Wuorinen, and recorded their conversation. In video of the meeting, Henderson says when he saw the comment he thought, 'You know, a police officer shouldn't be advising people to run over other people for just standing in the road. That's not reasonable to me. I don't know if that's reasonable to you.' Wuorinen responded, 'It wouldn't be reasonable to, I would think any person, any decent person.' Mayor Chris Coleman issued a statement saying he was 'outraged and disgusted' and had directed officials to investigate. 'There is no room in the St. Paul Police Department for employees who threaten members of the public. If the allegation is true, we will take the strongest possible action allowed under law,' Coleman said. An investigation has been started and the police department says if they find that an officer did make the comment, there will be 'swift, strong and decisive disciplinary action will be taken.' 'The statement (posted) is offensive, disappointing, concerning and does not reflect in any way - or align with - the views, values and practices of the St. Paul Police Department,' the department said. Chilling footage of the men was captured in a new Channel 4 documentary Shamsuddin said he was a Bake Off fan but claimed winner Nadiya was not a real Muslim The pair giggled and Haleema said, 'That's a HD quality bruv' Two henchmen of the ISIS militant branded Jihadi Sid have been caught on camera laughing as they watched men being murdered in a gruesome propaganda video while they ate in a London restaurant. Benefits claimant Mohammed Shamsuddin and London bus driver Abu Haleema, who now run the Islamist group formerly fronted by Abu Rumaysah, giggled as they watched the footage of men having their heads blown off and being drowned in a swimming pool. Shamsuddin exclaimed, The guy is foaming at his mouth, you know what I mean. Wow,' while Haleema added: Thats a HD quality bruv, 4k. Londoner Abu Rumaysah, 32, is suspected of being the masked fanatic waving a pistol at the camera in a gruesome IS propaganda video showing the murder of five men released this month. Scroll down for video Gruesome: Abu Rumaysah's friends Mohammed Shamsuddin, right, and Abu Haleema were filmed watching ISIS propaganda videos in a London restaurant Militant: Abu Rumaysah, pictured with a jihadist flag, claimed that Britain would be taken over by ISIS His two associates, who continue to preach and recruit in the UK, told a Channel 4 documentary that his legacy lives on here as they boasted that they are brainwashing youngsters with their deadly message. Asked for their reaction to the video while they ate at a restaurant in Harrow, North-West London, Haleema said: 'It's a deterrent, innit. If a spy knows he's going to die like that, the worst way of dying, he's not going to want to do it.' Shamsuddin laughed at the footage but also called it 'horrific', adding: 'It's a horrible way to die, there's no disputing that.' Despite his extreme views, Shamsuddin also admitted he was a fan of The Great British Bake Off - but added that he did not regard Nadiya Hussain, the most recent winner, to be a real Muslim. Before escaping to the Middle East while on bail two years ago, Rumaysah - a former bouncy castle salesman - was filmed denouncing the Queen and declaring that only Muslims should hold power in Britain. The extremist, who was born a Hindu named Siddhartha Dhar, was filmed at the start of 2014 in his messy lockup in Walthamstow, North London, which is strewn with IS paraphernalia and flags. He said: One day when the Shariah comes, you will see this black flag everywhere If you look at the way that society is moving on right now, you can see that its a very real, real possibility, the way Muslims are coming forward in this country. Friends: Mohammed Shamsuddin, left, and Abu Haleema, right, are now running Rumaysah's group in the UK Warning: The jihadist claimed that the British population was 'living in ignorance' Rumaysah, believed to be an associate of one of Lee Rigbys killers, added: We dont believe in sovereignty for the Queen, we dont believe that authority should be in the hands of the non-Muslims. The public in this country are living in ignorance. Their country is involved in war. Chilling: Rumaysah is believed to be the man featured in this ISIS propaganda video released early this month And if they choose to remain silent and have this indifferent approach, then it is not going to help them. One man died, in Woolwich, Lee Rigby, and the whole country went up in uproar, there are many Lee Rigbys in Muslim countries. And if these issues arent addresses we can expect more carnage in this country and more cycle of violence. A few months after being filmed in 2014, Rumaysah escaped the UK with his wife and four children after being bailed for terror offences. He later posted a picture online of him holding his baby while waving an AK-47. Abu Haleema, who has taken over Rumaysah's group in the UK, was previously accused of radicalising a schoolboy convicted of Remembrance Day beheading plot last year, and admitted in the documentary that he was in daily contact with the 14-year-old. He also described his plans to emulate IS executions in the UK by having homosexuals chucked off high buildings and adulterers stoned to death in a public square in Ealing, West London. He said large crowds would likely come out to watch the barbaric executions, explaining people like that kind of stuff innit. Haleema also blamed the Paris attacks on the French people, claiming: The chickens have come home to roost isnt it, so its something they brought upon themselves. This is what happens in war isnt it, obviously we dont condone the killing of innocents, but this is what happens in war. Haleema repeatedly posts internet videos denouncing British values which have won him a large following. He has previously worked as a bus driver, although it is not known if he still does so. Home: Abu Rumaysah, born Siddhartha Dhar, lived in Walthamstow before he travelled to Syria for jihad Family: He posed for a photograph with his young baby after arriving in Syria to live with ISIS He said: What Im saying in my videos, this is the basic message of Islam, and the aim of these videos is to radicalise people. Its to brainwash people, to clean their brain of the filth of the kuffar [non-believers]. And obviously if ISIS is calling to the same thing then thats just a coincidence. Shamsuddin admitted: Our message is deadly, we are calling for world domination, and for Shariah for the UK, and for that alone, our message is quite deadly. The 39-year-old father of five was brought up in North London by his Indian parents - his father was a restaurant chef - and studied at Southampton Solent University. Shamsuddin is said to have developed extremist views after he invited radical cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed to speak at the university's Islamic society, of which he was the head. Fan: Shamsuddin said he watched The Great British Bake Off but thought that winner Nadiya Hussain was not a real Muslim In September 2014, he was arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism and being a member of a banned group, but he was never charged. Haleema was last year banned from using Twitter and previously had his passport confiscated over fears he could travel to Syria, although he insisted he had done nothing wrong. His name came up in an unrelated terror trial recently, when a court heard that he had been unable to help another extremist make a video because he had to go to his local job centre. Director Jamie Roberts said he had 'chills' when he heard Rumaysahs voice in the recent IS propaganda video. After the video came out, he received a text from Shamsuddin with a link and the message: 'You may know the voice.' Mr Roberts said he thought much of Rumaysah's rhetoric was 'fantasy', adding: 'The black flag over Downing Street - I don't believe that's ever going to happen but someone might try and do it.' Dozens of migrants spotted walking through the snow in Macedonia towards a migrant camp in Serbia Advertisement Migrant children have been forced to brave temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius as dozens of migrants attempt to walk across the Balkans to claim asylum in western Europe. These men, women and children were spotted trudging through the snow in Macedonia in the hope of reaching the Serbian town of Miratovac close to the border. Many of the migrants are from Syria and Afghanistan and are heading towards a temporary migrant camp near the south Serbian city of Presevo. Unbearable pain: One young child struggles with the freezing temperatures as they are carried by a relative through the cold Horrific: Trudging through the snow: Many of the migrants have few possessions and are forced to carry their bags with them as they walk The route has been well-trodden by migrants heading in search of finding a new life in western Europe but the winter conditions have made things increasingly more difficult. Since November 2015, the route has become more restrictive, with many of the Eastern European countries only allowing Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi refugees to pass through. A new Amnesty International report has also warned that governments should be doing more to protect migrants, particularly women, from harassment. Female asylum seekers face physical assault and sexual harassment on their journeys through Europe, the London-based human rights group has warned. Amnesty International interviewed 40 migrant women and girls, all from Iraq or Syria, in Germany and Norway who had travelled to Greece and then across the Balkans. Freezing temperatures: Many of the migrants have little more than a single grey blanket to help them try to stay warm Standing guard: An armed security officer watches as migrants queue near one of the main checkpoints toward the town of Miratovac Struggling to survive: One man tries to pull a red wheelie suitcase along the bumpy frozen ground in Eastern Europe 'Many reported that in almost all of the countries they passed through, they experienced physical abuse and financial exploitation, being groped or pressured to have sex by smugglers, security staff or other refugees,' the report said. It said women and girls travelling alone or accompanied only by their children felt particularly under threat in camps in Hungary, Croatia and Greece where they had to sleep alongside men and sometimes had to share bathroom and shower facilities with them. 'If this humanitarian crisis was unfolding anywhere else in the world, we would expect immediate practical steps to be taken to protect groups most at risk of abuse,' said Tirana Hassan, Amnesty's crisis response director. A new Amnesty International report has warned that governments should be doing more to protect migrants, particularly women, from harassment Female asylum seekers face physical assault and sexual harassment on their journeys through Europe, the London-based human rights group has warned The report said women and girls travelling alone or accompanied only by their children felt particularly under threat in camps in Hungary, Croatia and Greece where they had to sleep alongside men and sometimes had to share bathroom and shower facilities with them 'At a minimum, this would include setting up single sex, well-lit toilet facilities and separate safe sleeping areas,' she said. One 22-year-old Iraqi woman told Amnesty that when she was in Germany, a uniformed security guard offered to give her some clothes in exchange for 'spending time alone' with him. A police report has revealed that cops once found the wife of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz with her head in hands beside a Texas expressway and was 'a danger to herself'. According to the 2005 report which DailyMail.com highlighted in June, Heidi Cruz, 43, had walked from her home after dinner on August 22.She then sat down beside N. Mopac and Enfield in Austin, at around 10pm. While Mrs Cruz has not spoken out publicly about the incident, an adviser to her senator husband said she had experienced 'a brief bout of depression' ten years ago in response to questions about the police report. A concerned passerby had made the call after spotting a woman in a pink shirt was just 'sitting in the area with her head in her hands.' Scroll down for video Family: Heidi Cruz married Republican presidential nominee in 2001 after they both campaigned for Bush Support: Mrs Cruz left her high-powered job at Goldman Sachs to join her husband on the campaign trail The police report , which was published heavily redacted, states that 'Cruz related to me that she had been particularly [BLANK], for the past three weeks, and was currently [BLANK] The police report, which was published heavily redacted, states that 'Cruz related to me that she had been particularly [BLANK], for the past three weeks, and was currently [BLANK]. It continues to say that she was not on any type of medication and had not been drinking, except for 'a couple of sips' of a margarita with dinner an hour earlier. After talking to Mrs Cruz police officer Joel Davidson, wrote in his report: 'I believed she was a danger to herself.' Campaign: It is thought her move from Washington to DC caused her depression as she struggled to adapt In comments made to BuzzFeed, Heidi Cruz's husband, Sen. Ted Cruz, released a statement about a period of their lives that the couple has not previously discussed in public. 'About a decade ago, when Mrs. Cruz returned from D.C. to Texas and faced a significant professional transition, she experienced a brief bout of depression,' said Jason Miller, an adviser to the senator in the statement. 'Like millions of Americans, she came through that struggle with prayer, Christian counseling, and the love and support of her husband and family.' Mrs Cruz, who is highly successful lawyer in her own right and served under Condoleeza Rice in the National Security Council, is said to not want to speak about her recovery as she doesn't want to show off her own happy ending, a source told BuzzFeed. The power couple married in 2001 after meeting while campaigning for George W. Bush in Texas. They have two daughters together and Mrs Cruz has left her high powered job at Goldman Sachs to join her husband on the campaign trail in his bid to become the Republican nominee for this year's presidential elections. The amount of trust British people have in the country's institution varies hugely according to their wealth, a new report has found. Well over half of high earners have faith in the government, businesses and the media and are optimistic about the future, the study says. But less than half of people in low income groups display the same level of trust in the UK's institutions, according to research by public relations firm Edelman. A new study has found a large gap in the trust in the Establishment between the better-off and worst-off The report states that the gap in trust between the well-off and the rest of society is growing, causing problems for those in power and companies. Ed Williams, Edelman UK's CEO, said: 'The Trust Tale of Two Britains, in terms that Dickens would understand, is that better-off Britons see it as almost the best of times; those who have suffered more through austerity see it as closer to being the worst of times.' More than 50% of the top-earning group felt that David Cameron's Conservative government are 'doing the right thing', compared to just 26% of the worst off. Experts say the study has big implications for governments and leaders like David Cameron Faith in businesses told a similar story, with 67% of the wealthiest people trusting companies, but just 35% of the poorest group sharing their faith. There is also a 12% gap in faith in the media between the highest and lowest earners. The report was published at the beginning of a week in which the global elite meet at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Experts are interested in trust politically as it gives pointers as to the health of a country's democracy. Economically, they say it is relevant as people who trust companies are more likely to spend money and recommend firms to their friends. Only 10% of low income households said they thought their standard of living would rise this year, compared to 90% of the best off who thought they would either maintain their wealth or get richer. The class divide also affects voting intention in the coming EU referendum, with 61% of the most well-off wanting to stay in the Union, compared to just 34% of the worst-off. Mr Williams added: 'To my mind, the gulf between the hopes and aspirations of the top and bottom of the social ladder should worry everyone in Britain. 'The expectations of the great are becoming fundamentally divorced from those of the least privileged. 'To close this trust gap, politicians and business leaders have to convince the people who are suffering most through austerity of their empathy and their good intent. She has been described as 'an effortless and sweet presence to be around' Her mother said Leila was shot in the chest, stomach, leg, arm and kidney She was having dinner at Splendid Hotel when jihadis stormed the building A 'talented and beautiful' photographer has become the latest victim of the Burkina Faso Cappuccino Cafe massacre, her family confirmed today. Paris born Leila Alaoui, 33, was having dinner in the Splendid Hotel restaurant on Friday night when four Al Qaeda gunmen stormed in and blasted her several times at close range. She spent four days fighting for her life hospital but died on Monday - taking the death toll from the attack to 30. Gone: French-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui (pictured), 33, was gunned down by Al Qaeda militants in the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Seige: The extremists set off a car bomb outside the hotel before storming the building, where they gunned down guests and took more than 100 people hostage Terror: Leila was eating in the hotel's Cappuccino Cafe restaurant (pictured) when she was shot in the chest, stomach, leg, arm and kidney Leila's mother Christine told of how she lost 'a lot of blood' from being shot in the chest, stomach, arm, leg and kidney. Christine told Le 360: 'Doctors detected a blood clot in her lungs which caused her a breathing complication.' She had a six-hour operation after which her condition was stable, raising, raising her mother's hopes that Leila would be well enough to be flown to France. But those hopes were dashed when she passed away last night. Friends paid tribute to the French-Moroccan photographer, whose pictures have been published in Vogue and the New York Times who described the 'immensely talented' photographer as a 'sweet presence to be around'. She had been in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, west Africa, on an assignment for Amnesty International. Battle: Leila (pictured) underwent a six hour long operation in hospital before dying from several heart attacks on Monday night Missed: Leila (pictured), whose pictures have appeared in Vogue and the New York Times, has been remembered by her friends and colleagues as a talented photographer and 'sweet presence to be around' Slain: American missionary Mike Riddering (left, with his wife Amy who confirmed his death) was also eating in the Cappuccino Cafe when he was shot and killed by the militants Murdered: Antonio De Oliveira Basto (left) and his colleague Eddie Touati (right) were both killed by terrorists at the Splendid Hotel Killed: Basto, Touatie and Arnaud Cazier (pictured), 41, were celebrating the end of their business trip and return to France when they were cut down by the terrorists' bullets Of his friend, British-Lebanese author Nasri Atallah wrote on her Facebook page: 'Her passing away robs the world of an immensely talented artist, who was an effortless and sweet presence to be around, and was always eager to help up-and-coming photographers and creatives.' Nasri said an exhibition called 'The Moroccans', in which Leila had travelled around the country taking portraits of people she met along the way, as 'one of the most striking works undertaken by any photographer'. Her passing away robs the world of an immensely talented artist, who was an effortless and sweet presence to be around, and was always eager to help up-and-coming photographers and creatives Nasri Atallah, author and Leila's friend Meanwhile blogger Zahra Hankir said: 'Her profound talent, warmth and boundless energy could not go unnoticed. And yet, she remained strikingly humble.' Leila's countryman Mouad El Harrami wrote: 'Such a loss to Morocco as well as to humanity, peace and art.' Born in Paris in 1982, she studied at the City University of New York (CUNY). She then spent time in Morocco and Lebanon, where she documented the lives and struggles of migrants who risked their lives by trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Survivors of Friday's told how gunmen targeted Westerners and executed those who looked European as they lay wounded and bloodied on the ground. A Slovenian woman who hid behind a bench to evade the attackers said at least two of them seemed to be targeting white guests. She said: 'I thought they might see my white feet and come and shoot me. They would come back and see if the white people were moving and then they would shoot them again. Horror: Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attack which left 30 dead Wreckage: Survivors told of how at least two of the attackers stalked the hotel looking for white guests to kill Blasted: The four attackers were shot dead in a siege by French and Burkina Faso's special forces the morning after the attack (pictured, the destruction outside the Splendid Hotel) Killers: Al Qaeda identified the attackers as (left to right) Al-Battar Al-Ansari, Abu Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Buqali and Fulani Response: French special forces take position in the surroundings of the Splendid hotel following an attack by Al Qaeda gunmen Treatment: French first responders tend to the wounds of one injured soldiers during the attack on the Splendid Hotel and Cappuccino Cafe 'My friend had a dead white person on top of her, bleeding onto her. But his body saved her.' 'They wanted to kill the maximum number of people and for them it wasn't a problem to die,' Burkina Faso anti-terrorism Commander Evrard Somda said of the attackers. The carnage began when the four militants dressed in fatigues and carrying automatic weapons set off a car bomb outside the hotel and stormed the building and taking more than 100 hostages. French special forces Burkina Faso police officers, surrounding the Splendid Hotel, went inside at 10pm on Friday. They wanted to kill the maximum number of people and for them it wasn't a problem to die Evrard Somda, Burkina Faso anti-terrorism Commander Inside, and with the ground floor on fire from the car bomb, troops went room by room freeing around 150 guests. At least one door was booby-trapped with a grenade and many guests refused to let them into their rooms, fearing it was part of a ploy to kill them. The insurgents fled but were located at the Bush Taxi restaurant, where they were gunned down by machine gun fired from armoured vehicle. Security minister Simon Compaore said: 'The intention was to hurt foreigners. It is a place where you find a lot of foreigners. That explains why they attacked it.' Six Canadians, one American, French, Dutch and Swiss were among 18 nationalities who died in the 15-hour killing spree. The youngest victim was nine. American missionary Mike Riddering, who worked for a domestic violence charity, was killed as he ate in the Cappuccino Cafe. Its Ukrainian owner Victoria Yankovska and her son, who has not been named, also died in the attack. Gun fight: Backed by French special forces wearing night vision goggles, around 60 Burkina Faso policeman began the raid on the hotel at around 10pm Friday night Mourning: Malian Prime Minister Modibo Keita (left) and Burkina Faso's Prime Minister Paul Kaba Thieba (centre) leave the site of the attack during a visit yesterday Colleagues Antonio De Oliveira Basto, Eddie Touati and Arnaud Cazier were all celebrating the end of their business trip and their imminent return to France when they were cut down by the terrorists' bullets. The four Al Qaeda militants were shot dead the morning after the attack. The terror group yesterday released photos of three of the four young extremists behind it. Police in Germany are hunting for a man sporting a Hitler moustache who attacked two Afghan refugees with a Nazi helmet before fleeing. The man verbally abused the pair before attacking them while they were sledding in the mountains of Altenberg, near the German border with the Czech Republic. After he struck them with the helmet, passersby intervened and he then performed a Hitler salute, police say. The pair of refugees were sledding in Altenberg (pictured), Germany, when they were attacked by the man sporting a Hitler moustache One of the victims, who were aged 21 and 26, needed to be hospitalised after the attack, Bild reported. The paper said the attacker was wearing light blue jeans and a khaki jacket, while he was aged between 25 and 30 and was bald. The incident arises amid high tensions across Germany following the New Year sex attacks in Cologne. The scale and nature of the crimes in Cologne, coupled with police descriptions of the perpetrators as being part of a large crowd of drunken men of 'Arab or North African' origin, has fanned the debate about Germany's approach to migration. Almost three weeks after the incident, 838 people have filed criminal complaints, including 497 women alleging sexual assault. Yesterday a 26-year-old Algerian man has become the first person arrested in connection with a string of sexual assaults. Prosecutors said the unidentified asylum-seeker was arrested at a refugee home in the nearby town of Kerpen over the weekend. He is accused of groping a woman and robbing her cellphone, prosecutor's office spokesman Ulrich Bremer told The Associated Press. Two other Algerian asylum-seekers, aged 22 and 24, were also arrested in Kerpen and the western city of Aachen, respectively, over the weekend, both for robbery, Bremer said. The number of people accused of committing crimes in Cologne at New Year's now stands at 21, of whom eight are in detention, he said. While the incidents were seized on by those in Germany who had already argued for stricter immigration rules, left-wing parties have also voiced concern. Firefighters were today battling to prevent a massive blaze destroying a 200million refurbishment at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. Flames and thick black smoke could be seen pouring out of the world-famous building, which is owned by billionaire businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed. The 86-year-old had spent at least 200million honouring the hotel founder's promise of offering guests 'all the refinement that a prince could desire in his own home'. The Ritz, in the Place Vendome, was the place Princess Diana set off from on her last fateful car journey, which ended in tragedy in the Pont d'Alma underpass on August 31, 1997. Scroll down for video Inferno: Thick black smoke pours from the roof of the Ritz hotel in Paris after fire broke out, threatening to destroy a 200million refurbishment at the world-famous building A firefighter on a platform prepares to reach the site of a fire at the landmark Ritz Hotel in Paris Diana died alongside Mr Al-Fayed's son, Dodi Al-Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul, who worked for the Ritz but had been drinking while on medication. The Ritz was due to re-open in March following a three-and-a-half-year restoration, offering 142 suites and rooms for a minimum 800 a night. Yvon Bot, spokesman for the Paris fire brigade, said: 'The fire took hold of the top floors of the building. 'We are trying to prevent it from spreading to the roof and other floors.' The Ritz was due to re-open in March following a three-and-a-half-year restoration, offering 142 suites and rooms for a minimum 800 a night French police officers stand guard next to fire trucks parked near the Ritz Hotel in Paris after a fire broke out at the landmark hotel where Princess Diana spent her final hours before her death in 1997 Firefighters work on extinguishing a fire at the Ritz Hotel in Paris after a blaze broke out on the top floor Captain Bot said 15 fire engines and 60 firefighters were at the scene, arriving soon after the alarm was raised at 7am. 'An evacuation took place,' another fire service source said. 'Only workmen were around the building. Police are warning people to stay away from the area until the fire is under control.' There were 1,200 workers on site every day to reach completion, with 550 hotel staff still on the payroll. The private mansion was opened as a hotel in 1889, by the Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz. Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed are seen inside the Ritz just minutes before they were killed in a car crash The private mansion was opened as a hotel in 1889 by the Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz and was the first to have en suite bathrooms and electricity in every room It was the first hotel to have en suite bathrooms and electricity in every room, and inspired Irving Berlin's 1929 song Putting On The Ritz. Coco Chanel lived in a suite that bears her name, collaborating with the occupying Nazis, who loved staying at the hotel between 1940 and 1944. In August 1944, the American author Ernest Hemingway arrived in Paris on a tank and boasted about 'liberating' the main bar in the hotel. 'When I dream of afterlife in heaven, the action always takes place in the Paris Ritz,' Hemingway wrote. The refurbishment came amid growing competition from high-end hotels in Paris, such as the Bristol and Crillon. Some celebrate on January 6, but Russians, who Orthodox Christians believe water is holy for the day, and take a dip in frozen lakes, rivers and ponds Day in honour of the baptism of Jesus Christ Advertisement Orthodox Christians in Russian and Ukraine are celebrating Epiphany Day by taking a very cold bath. As is tradition on the Christian holiday, believers plunge in icy water in holes cut through thick ice on rivers and ponds to cleanse themselves. In celebration of the baptism of Jesus Christ, water is deemed holy for Epiphany Day, and regardless of the weather, Orthodox Christians visit lakes, ponds and rivers. Scroll down for video Talk about a cold shower: Two young women plunge in icy water in the Dnipro River during celebrations of the Epiphany in Kiev, Ukraine Cleanse: A couple joins in the celebratory ice bath in the Dnipro, done in honour of the baptism of Jesus Christ Happy times: A young woman seems nothing but delighted after jumping in the frozen water in the river in Kiev In Ukraine, a group of young men and women could be seen taking the plunge in the Dnipro River dressed in bikinis and bathing shorts, despite the freezing temperatures in the air and the water. In Russia, thousands gathered across the country, despite some areas seeing temperatures near -30 degrees, to 'cleanse' themselves in the water on Epiphany day. Even those with no access to ponds and rivers found a way to go for a dip, with Russian Liberal Democratic Party Leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky leading the way in central Moscow's Revolution Square, where tubs had been filled with ice water to simulate a proper ice bath. It is a long-held tradition among Orthodox Christians to take a cold dip on Epiphany Day, but a majority, such as the Greeks, the Bulgarians and the Czech, celebrate the holiday on January 6. Russian and many Ukranians follow the Julian Calendar, celebrating on January 19, almost two weeks later. Leading the way: Russian Liberal Democratic Party Leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky takes a dip in a basin with cold water during celebrations of Orthodox Epiphany in Revolution Square, Moscow In and out: A man jumps into icy water during Epiphany celebration in the historic town of Pereslavl Zalessky, some 93 miles from Moscow A rescue worker controls Russian Orthodox believers swimming in the icy water on Epiphany at a pond in Krasnoye Selo outside St.Petersburg, Russia, where temperatures dipped to minus 16 Drop it like it's cold: A woman wearing a sequinned bikini top emerges after taking a dip in Siberia Chillaxing: A hole appears to have been cut up in a pond in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev for these two young swimmers Blessed bath: A man with his son plunges into ice-cold water of the Ob River in Novosibirsk, where the mercury dropped to -30 C Rescue workers control Russian Orthodox believers swimming in the icy water on Epiphany at a pond in Pushkin outside St.Petersburg Shock: A young boy taking a dip in Krasnoye Selo outside St.Petersburg is clearly feeling the freeze as he gets in the water When you don't have a river: A Russian woman takes a dip in a tub filled with ice water in central Moscow, where temperatures dropped to below minus 12 degrees Celsius A young woman is helped out of an icy bath near the village of Pokrovka, some 15 km from the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Teach 'em young: A small boy reacts in shock at the cold water as he is being pulled up from his Epiphany bath Quick dip: Temperatures dropped to around minus two Celsius in the Kyrgyz capital this morning Orthodox believers mark Epiphany on January 19 by immersing themselves in icy waters regardless of the weather INa nd out: A man walks out of the water bathing in the Tura River on Epiphany night Tyumen, Siberia Russian Christians, such as these men waiting in line to dive into the water of Tura River in Tyumen, Siberia celebrate Epiphany Day on January 19, as they follow the Julian Calendar A bit late? A man jumps into icy water during Epiphany celebrations in Pereslavl Zalessky, Russia, held nearly two weeks after similar celebrations by Christians who follow the Gregorian Calendar, and celebrate Epiphany on January 6 Brainfreeze: A Russian Orthodox believer bathes on Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino in Moscow, Russia Holy hell: In celebration of the baptism of Jesus Christ, water is deemed holy for Epiphany Day Three schoolgirls from East London who fled to Syria have lost touch with their families as they live in the 'hellishly dangerous' ISIS capital of Raqqa, it emerged today - prompting fears they could have been killed. Shamima Begum, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase ran away from home nearly a year ago after apparently becoming radicalised by extremists. A lawyer for their relatives revealed today that they have not been heard from for several weeks as ISIS territory has been bombarded by Western and Russian air strikes. Runaways: Schoolgirls Amira Abase, Kadiza Sultana and Shamima Begum have now lost contact with their families in London Solicitor Tasnime Akunjee said that communications in Raqqa, the town where ISIS is based, have become harder as the bombing campaign has intensified. 'They are in Raqqa, or were there certainly up until a few weeks ago,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He agreed it was a 'hellishly dangerous ' place and added 'contact has been lost with them for some weeks now, so to be honest we have no idea what their status is at the moment'. Mr Akunjee suggested that Western governments' attempts to cut off ISIS's links with the outside world had hampered the families' attempts to stay in touch with their daughters. 'When you have that warzone strategy in front of you, what can parents half-way across the world do to communicate with their children?', he said. Missing: Shamima Begum, left, and Amira Abase, right, ran away to Syria in February last year Contact: Kadiza Sultana, left, and her friends are stranded in war-torn Raqqa according to their lawyer Tasnime Akunjee, right The lawyer - who has represented a string of alleged extremists and called on Muslims not to co-operate with the police - was speaking after the announcement of a new Government anti-terror strategy. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan was visiting Bethnal Green Academy, where the missing girls were at school, to reveal the plans. A new website called Educate Against Hate will advise parents on how to tell if their children are at risk of being radicalised and flag up potentially worrying behaviour. Meanwhile, schools watchdog Sir Michael Wilshaw said that teachers should be free to ban girls from wearing face veils in class 'if it is stopping good communication'. Mr Akunjee said he was sceptical about the initiative and suggested that the existing counter-terror programme, Prevent, had 'collected criticism all along the route'. Danger: The three schoolgirls are living in ISIS-held territory in Syria (file photo) He added: 'I would agree that something needs to be done, surely. The difficulty is in trusting in a system that has continued to produce, frankly, no results, and indeed attract criticism from pretty much every source there possibly could be.' The lawyer, who works for a firm in Brentford, West London, once described Prevent as 'straightforward, paid-for spying on the community'. Shamima, 16, Kadiza, 17, and Amira, 16, went missing in February last year and were caught on camera flying from Gatwick to Istanbul. It emerged in July that at least two of the girls had married older men who were chosen for them by ISIS commanders. At the time Mr Akunjee suggested that the trio were 'starting to grow roots socially, and deep roots', meaning that they may never return to Britain. The girls' families blamed the police for failing to intervene and stop them travelling to Syria. A Labour MP who wants to ban Donald Trump from Britain was accused of 'stinking hypocrisy' today after saying the tycoon is more dangerous than despot Robert Mugabe. Jack Dromey believes the billionaire is a 'dangerous fool' whose views on Muslims would 'fuel the flames of terrorism' and spark violence if he was ever allowed to enter the UK. Today Mr Dromey said that Mr Trump is more dangerous that Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe - who the MP believes should be free to visit. Scroll down for video Comparison: Labour's Jack Dromey said Donald Trump, right in Virginia yesterday, is so dangerous to Britain he should be banned over any other world leader Row: Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan said that yesterday's Westminster debate on the issue was the result of 'our democratic process being hijacked on stinking hypocrisy' Appearing on Good Morning Britain the Birmingham MP was asked if he would ban King Salman of Saudi Arabia after his country beheaded 50 people last week, and said: 'No I wouldn't ban him'. Argument: Mr Dromey said the views and actions of some world leaders may 'stink' Mr Trump is more dangerous because his views could spark violence and terrorism When asked about Vladimir Putin, who has been called a 'ruthless dictator' by members of his party, he said: 'No I wouldn't (ban him) - his views on homosexuals stink. They stink.' And when asked about whether Britain should ban President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, Mr Dromey simply said: 'No'. On President Xi Jinping of China he said: 'The president of China has also got an appalling record on human rights' - but again said he wouldn't ban him. Explaining why Trump is the most dangerous he said: 'If you have this threat of terrorism and you have somebody by his actions is likely to encourage violence then he is not welcome in this country'. 'We are talking about terrorism in this country and someone who could inflame that'. Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan, who had asked him about each controversial world leader, said: 'We had to watch our democratic process in my view being hijacked in stinking hypocrisy yesterday. There's you telling the world that the person we need to ban is Donald Trump - a real estate magnet that is doing quite well in the US presidential race right? But you're prepared to let in Putin, King Salman of Saudi and the president of China even though by any yard stick they are clearly more dangerous than Donald Trump'. Mr Dromey was one of a number of MPs who yesterday called for the US presidential hopeful to be not be allowed 'within 1,000 miles of our shore' because of his views on Muslims. More than 570,000 people are calling for the billionaire to be barred from the UK after he said Britain has a 'massive Muslim problem' and police 'fear for their lives' in 'radicalised' areas. British Members of Parliament debated whether to turn away the tycoon, who also wants to stop Muslims entering America, but only the Home Secretary can put him on a banned list. Free to visit: Mr Dromey admitted he would not ban Mugabe, Putin, President Xi or King Salman of Saudi Arabia despite controversies about their views or actions More than 570,000 people have signed the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK, the most ever recorded on the government website Newport West MP Paul Flynn, who led the debate, spoke for the majority of MPs at the event when he said banning Mr Trump would only 'give him the role of martyrdom'. DROMEY ON WHY TRUMP IS WORSE THAN OTHER WORLD LEADERS Piers Morgan (PM): Okay look you're in the business of banning dangerous people who say dangerous things. so would you ban Vladamir Putin? Jack Dromey (JD): I'm a great believer of freedom of speech. His views on homosexuality stink. PM: Well you're not are you?...You wanted to ban him an then have a debate about banning someone for banning people so the whole thing looked to me completely farcical. My question was this, Vladamir Putin is by common consent a dangerous individual...yet we welcome him with open arms - would you ban Putin? JD: No I wouldn't. PM: King Salman of Saudi Arabia last week presided over 50 people having their heads chopped off last week - would you ban him? JD: No I wouldn't ban him - but it's utterly grotesque what he did. PM: The President of China, which has an appalling record of human rights. JD:The President of China, you're right, has an appalling record on human rights but we are talking about terrorism in this country'. PM: Would you ban Mugabe? JD: No Advertisement Mr Trump called the campaign to make him one of only 80 people banned from Britain 'an absurd waste of time' and blasted 'self-serving' MPs for failing to focus on the UK's real problems. Agreeing with him Andrew Percy, the Tory MP for Brigg and Goole, said the 'pointless' debate was 'utterly ridiculous' and was 'wasting taxpayers' money'. Fellow Tory Adam Holloway said the petition made Britain look 'totalitarian' and as a result: 'We should apologise to the people of the United States'. During the debate the majority of MPs said a ban would be wrong and said Mr Trump's offensive language about Muslims was all about getting publicity. Paul Flynn said when Britain turned away far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders in 2009 'his Islamophobia was multiplied 100-fold by the ban' and said the same would happen with Mr Trump. He added: 'Mr Trump would be able to say: 'Here are these foreigners interfering, telling us what to do'. Tory Tom Tugendhat said Mr Trump is 'crazy' but must not be banned while Lincolnshire Tory Victoria Atkins said the billionaire is a 'wazzock' - a British term for a stupid person - but should be free to visit. Only Home Secretary Theresa May has the power to ban him as a 'hate preacher' but the Government is unlikely to do so. Mr Trump today said the 'vast majority of British people' do not agree that he should be turned away at the border. Fighting back: Donald Trump, pictured in Virginia today, said the decision by MPs to debate whether he should be banned from Britain is 'absurd' and a 'waste of precious time' Message: Mr Trump turned on his critics and said that they were not being dishonest and says 'everyone is wise to what is happening' Muslim Labour MP Tulip Siddiq said the petition showed the British public was not apathetic when they hit on an issue they care about such as the 'poisonous, corrosive' Mr Trump 'He is interviewing for the most important job in the world. His words are not comical, his words are not funny. His words are poisonous.' She added: 'He should not be given a visa to come and visit our multicultural country that we are so proud of.' Tory Sir Edward Leigh said: 'I'm not sure he's going to be terribly worried about this debate. I oppose this ban I just think it gives Donald Trump publicity.' Philip Davies, another Conservative, said: 'Lots of my constituents would agree with Donald Trump, whether I like that or not. 'Do you think they should be expelled from the country or not?' MPs used the debate to invite Mr Trump to his constituency to meet British Muslims. Labour's Naz Shah who beat George Galloway in Bradford West said Mr Trump would 'want to ban me from America' but also opposed a ban because 'hatred breeds hate'. Ms Shah said Mr Trump would ban her from the US and then quoted a verse from the Koran. She added: 'If someone does bad, you should do good in return.' Advertisement These hungry eagles got into a bit of a scuffle when they both made a beeline for the same meal. The ravenous birds had been on the lookout for food when a fish dropped by a seagull fell into their laps - and they battled it out for the prize. The amazing shots show the two magnificent birds squaring up against each other, until one seems to get the upper hand - giving her rival a nasty shock and leaving her looking smug. The images were taken along the Mississippi River in Rock Island, Illinois, by wildlife photographer Brian MacKenzie. Brian, 43, said: 'It was a cold afternoon, the sun was bright and the eagles were quite active and looking for an easy meal. The fish on the ice was dropped by a passing seagull, and when they saw it the fight started. 'Eagle watching can be quite boring if they are just perched on a tree, but when they start "fishing" it gets really exciting. I travel over 100 miles to see these magnificent creatures, so I always make the most of my trips. 'When an eagle flies at you or flies over your head it is quite humbling - the birds are large, some having an eight foot wing span, and you realize very quickly where you rank in the scheme of things. 'I sometimes spend up to eight hours eagle watching next to the river - sometimes I lose feeling in my feet, but I refuse to give up. Rare shots always happen when you're not ready, and every now and then an incredible scene like this will come about. 'The adrenaline rush of seeing such large birds flying, fishing and fighting makes you forget about the cold. Seeing finished shots like this make it all worth it - there's nothing like that feeling. There is an indescribable feeling when an eagle looks at you and your eyes meet - they have such a dominant look about them, and that's what keeps drawing me back.' The eagles locked claws as they both swooped for the dropped fish. One eagle quickly got the upper hand leaving the other shocked. The stronger eagle appeared to kick the other into submission as it exerted its strength. Beat you: The eagles had spotted a fish dropped by a passing seagull and swooped to the ice to grab it. Wildlife photographer Brian MacKenzie spotted the eagles in Mississippi River in Rock Island, Illinois. He said the victorious eagle looked 'smug' after finishing its meal. PM is backed in call for 'sensible rules' on banning the veil in classrooms Warning comes on second day of Government crackdown on extremism Education Secretary says there are 'probably' tens rather than hundreds Nicky Morgan says there more data is needed to find out how many exist Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, pictured in Downing Street, warned about the impact of illegal schools in Britain as she launched the second day of the Government's counter extremism strategy Tens of illegal schools are operating in Britain, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan today warned on the second day of a government crackdown on extremism. Mrs Morgan is due to unveil a series of policies, including a website with advice on recognising when a teenager is drifting toward extreme ideas, adding to controversial measures unveiled by David Cameron yesterday. She also backed the right of schools to ban both teachers and pupils from wearing the veil - echoing remarks from the Prime Minister yesterday that public bodies such as courts should be allowed to tell people to show their face. The Prime Minister faced claims he was stigmatising Muslim women by announcing money to teach them English and suggesting people who come to Britain to marry could be deported if their language skills fail to progress. Mrs Morgan today warned there were schools operating underground - sparking concern about both the lessons being taught and the places where children are being sent. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We don't have full data because these schools, a lot of them are operating underground, they are operating without being registered. 'We know Ofsted have inspected schools in Birmingham before Christmas which were then shut down or stopped operating. 'We are certainly talking about more than one or two - we are probably talking about tens rather than hundreds but that's what we need to know and that's where we rely on the intelligence and working with local authorities and others to make sure children are not being educated in these illegal schools. 'It's not just about what they are taught but we are concerned about the conditions in which they are taught as well. 'That goes back to the whole regard we have for the welfare of children.' Mrs Morgan said uniform policy is 'very much up to schools' and head teachers have the right to decide if they want to ban the veil. Mr Cameron has also said he would back institutions that have 'sensible rules' over Muslims wearing full-face veils, but he ruled out a full public ban. Mrs Morgan said: 'The Prime Minister was absolutely right to say, and we have a very clear view in this country, we are not going to tell people what they can and they can't wear, that would cut across the values we are talking about that we want everybody to follow. 'But there are times, there are institutions and organisations where it is right - schools will be one of them - where the school leaders want to have a clear uniform policy they want everybody to observe and they may decide that point, that they don't want people to wear the full-face veil.' She added: 'It very much is up to the schools, schools will have a uniform policy. David Cameron yesterday visited the Makkah Masjid Mosque in Leeds yesterday, pictured, following the first round of announcements on English language teaching 'But there are certain things, particularly in relation to teachers who are teaching young children, particularly learning to read and to speak, where actually seeing the teacher's mouth is very, very important in understanding them.' Mrs Morgan said the rules should cover both teachers and pupils: 'I think it applies to both. Teachers are very much role models for their pupils.' Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw told BBC2's Newsnight he would back banning veils: 'The Prime Minister's view that we have got to make sure that our liberal values, our liberal West values, are protected, people need to listen to that. 'The Muslim community needs to listen to it as well. We have come a long way in our society to ensure that we have equality for women and that they are treated fairly. 'We mustn't go backwards.' Sir Michael Wilshaw, the head of school inspector Ofsted, has backed the right of schools to ban the veil Sir Michael said he backs individual schools choosing to stop Muslim girls wearing the veil, 'particularly if it is stopping good communication in the classroom and in the lecture hall'. He told the programme the veil is 'possibly' stopping teachers and pupils communicating well. 'My inspectors say on occasions they go into classrooms where they see there are problems about communications,' he said. Mr Cameron has ruled out the idea of imposing a French-style ban on full-face veils in public as part of a drive to build community integration and counter extremism. 'In our country people should be free to wear what they like,' he told the BBC on Monday. But the Prime Minister insisted he would support institutions that need to 'see someone's face'. He said: 'When you are coming into contact either with different institutions or, for instance, you are in court or you need to see someone's face at the border, then I would always back the authorities or the institutions that have put in place proper and sensible rules. 'Going for the French approach of banning an item of clothing, I do not think that's the way we do things in this country and I do not think that would help.' 'It's perfectly possible not to speak English': After David Cameron promises to boost English classes, claims emerge it's possible to live without the language in some parts of Britain Labour's Naz Shah, speaking in Parliament yesterday, said there were parts of Bradford people did not need to speak English A Labour MP today admitted there are parts of her Bradford constituency where people can get by without speaking a word of English. Naz Shah - who beat George Galloway in the race for a Commons seat last year - said the situation had changed since her parents arrived in Britain year ago. She told the Guardian: 'When my parents came over, my mum had to learn the basics in order to get by. 'Now, with the third and fourth generations, its perfectly possible to live a life where you never have to speak English because everyone in the shops and services where you live speak your language. 'Have we actually undone some of the good work that has been done in terms of integration?' Shiraz, a 32 year old in the city, told the paper it was now easy not to speak English. He said: 'My mum couldnt really speak English when we were growing up, but we learned watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air on TV. 'Now there are hundreds of channels and you can just watch Urdu TV the whole time.' David Cameron announced a series of policies yesterday to promote English lessons - including a 20million fund specifically to teach Muslim women the language. Mr Cameron said: 'This is about building a more integrated, cohesive, one nation country where there is genuine opportunity for people. 'Of course, if you don't speak the language your opportunities are very much reduced.' war for years and are one of the oldest leftist insurgent groups Advertisement The Colombian rebel group known as the FARC are well known for their secrecy and longstanding war with the government. Despite the signing of a historic ceasefire between President Juan Manuel Santos and one of FARC's top leaders, the guerrilla fighters still remain armed and living in the jungle. Rare access inside the camp in Antioquia has revealed what it is really like for the rebels living in the jungle and their thoughts about the future. Scroll down for video Juliana, a FARC rebel, sits alongside her boyfriend Alexis, in their makeshift tent in the jungle Rebel soldiers of the FARC work together in skinning the meat off a hog carcass in the northwest Andes One of the commanders, known only as Yira Castro reads from a 63-page sub-accord that was recently signed in Havana. Castro is a sort of mentor to other women rebels. She has spent much of the last three years with the talks in Havana, and her relative worldliness shows in her Cuban-inflected Spanish and new orange laptop. Listening attentively was Juliana, who joined the discussion after butchering a pig that would feed the camp for several days. Like many others, her path to the FARC was born as much from personal tragedy as political ideology. At age 16, after she says she was raped by her stepfather, she fled her impoverished home and followed in the footsteps of an uncle. Yira Castro, a kind of mentor to other women rebels, has spent much of the last three years with the talks in Havana, and her relative worldliness shows in her Cuban-inflected Spanish and new orange laptop Harrison, a FARC rebel soldier, drags the carcass of a roasted hog from a makeshift fire after singing off the animal's body hair These fighters sleep with their weapons, restrict all conversation at night and use assumed names to protect their identities Rare access inside the camp in Antioquia has revealed what it is really like for the rebels living in the jungle and their thoughts about the future Juliana said that if she hadn't taken up arms she would have liked to have studied computers. But now she hopes to serve the FARC even during peacetime: 'I want to prepare myself to get involved in politics and continue my association with the organization.' Amid the Spartan life of a guerrilla, she allows herself one small feminine indulgence: light-pink lipstick. Her companion, Alexis, spoke of what he sees as the banality of relationships in the outside world. 'In the FARC we never touch money. Everything is given to us, from medicine to cigarettes. That's why there is no dependency in which she expects me to provide for her,' Alexis said, taking Juliana's hand. 'Between us there is only love.' 'Politics is a lot tougher than war,' another commander, Anibal, observed from his hammock. 'You pay for a mistake on the battlefield with your life,' he said, swinging back and forth, 'but an error in the field of politics brings down an entire organization.' Like many others, Juliana's path to the FARC was born as much from personal tragedy as political ideology. At age 16, after she says she was raped by her stepfather, she fled her impoverished home and followed in the footsteps of an uncle. The rebel leader known as Juan Pablo, a FARC commander, has spent 25 years plotting ambushes and assembling land mines but has never been to the movies, driven a car or eaten in a restaurant A rebel soldier of the FARC, serves up a portion of rice, eggs, sausage and beans, for breakfast, at a hidden camp in Antioquia state Alexis, 24, trims the hair of Juan Pablo, who dreams of returning to the poor village where he left as a teenager. Juan hopes to run for mayor for his village For some of the FARC soldiers, war is all they really know. One of the rebel leaders has been fighting for 25 years and has never even driven a car. Juan Pablo, 41, a commander of the 36th Front of the FARC, has spent years plotting ambushes and assembling land mines but has never been to the movies or eaten in a restaurant. Now peace is within reach as talks between the guerrillas and the government near conclusion in Cuba, and for the first time the 41-year-old is thinking about a future outside this jungle hideout. His dream: to return to the poor village he left as a teenager and run for mayor. But transition to civilian life will come without his girlfriend and comrade-in-arms who was killed six months ago in an army raid, underscoring the toll still being exacted by Latin America's last major guerrilla conflict even as it winds down. 'This war is going to end without victors or vanquished but lots of suffering on both sides,' said Juan Pablo, the soft-smiling son of a street vendor. 'It's false to say we arrived defeated to the negotiating table. They dealt us some heavy blows, of course, but 51 years of war against an enemy backed by the most powerful army in the world (the U.S. army) has not made us cower, because the injustices that led us to take up arms are still occurring.' That mixture of pride and trepidation about the future is common among the FARC's roughly 7,000 fighters, many of whom, like Juan Pablo, come from poor rural upbringings and struggle to imagine life outside the highly regimented ranks of the guerrillas. Juan Pablo's girlfriend and comrade-in-arms was killed six months ago in an army raid. He has been fighting for the past 25 years Their wariness highlights one of the thorniest issues that negotiators must still work out: How and under whose auspices the FARC will demobilize, when experience has taught the rebels that politics can be just as perilous as war Decades of fighting between guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and the armed forces has, according to government figures, left a toll of more than 220,000 dead, some 40,000 disappeared and over 5 million driven from their homes - the largest displaced population of any country after Syria. These fighters sleep with their weapons, restrict all conversation at night and use assumed names to protect their identities. Once-a-day radio contact with other units happens via code, and lengthier missives are saved to thumb drives and transported through a network of human couriers. Their wariness highlights one of the thorniest issues that negotiators must still work out: How and under whose auspices the FARC will demobilize, when experience has taught the rebels that politics can be just as perilous as war. The guerrillas recall too well how during 1980s peace talks that ultimately failed, the FARC established a party known as the Patriotic Union as its political arm. While peace may be in the air, the rhetoric of conflict still remains hard to shed. As a confidence-building gesture, the FARC has renounced ransom kidnappings to fund its insurgency But prosecutors say they were actually planning to buy a gun Court hears two of the men exchanged messages over 'pair of trainers' The four - said to have been called Turnup Terror Squad - deny charges Two men at the centre of a plot to launch a drive-by terrorist attack used Nike trainers as code for buying a firearm, a court has heard. A gang of alleged extremists said to have called themselves the Turnup Terror Squad are accused of plotting to kill soldiers, police officers and civilians on the streets of London in a series of ISIS-inspired drive-by shootings on a moped. The Old Bailey was told that the men were put under surveillance by police as they exchanged messages using encrypted applications thought to have been sent to them from a contact in another country. Tarik Hassane (left) and Suhaid Majeed (right) exchanged coded messages as they plotted a drive-by terror attack, a court has heard Nyall Hamlett (left) and Nathan Cuffy (right) were said to be involved in the arms deal for a Baikal IZH pistol Tarik Hassane, said to be the group's ringleader, has asked his friend: 'Did you cop them creps?' and Suhaib Majeed told him: 'Nah, one guy is hooking me up.' Hassane commented: 'Yeah, the black Herraches sold out quick.' They discussed how long it would be before the 'creps' sold out and Majeed responded 'Say nuttin,' meaning everything was taken care of. Brian Altman QC, prosecuting said the word 'creps' might in other contexts be a reference to trainers and that 'Huaraches' were are a type of Nike trainers. But he added: 'This conversation, given its content and its clandestine nature, was not to do with the sourcing of a pair of Nike trainers that had sold out but the sourcing of a firearm, with 'creps' being their code word of choice for a gun.' Hassane, 22, from Ladbroke Grove, West London, who called himself 'The Surgeon', had images of the police station at Shepherd's Bush and the Parachute Regiment Territorial Army barracks in White City, were found on his iPad. (From left) Tarik Hassane, Suhaib Majeed, Nyall Hamlett, and Nathan Cuffy, pictured in a court sketch at the Old Bailey, deny conspiracy to murder and preparation of terrorist acts. The court heard today that Hassane and Majeed exchanged coded messages about 'buying trainers', said to be code for a gun Majeed, 21, a physics undergraduate at King's College, London, had allegedly helped him plan the attack and get hold of a handgun, which was thrown from Majeed's bedroom window when police raided the property. Two other men, Nyall Hamlett, 25, and Nathan Cuffy, 26, were said to be involved in the arms deal for a Baikal IZH 79-8 self-loading pistol, a silencer and seven 9mm cartridges in a magazine. Hassane was said to be asking whether Majeed had got hold of the gun and Majeed told him that one guy was sorting him out for a gun. When Hassane messaged him about black Huaraches selling out, that was said to be a reference to a type of gun they had wanted but had been sold, so they discussed the timetable for getting another. 'Hassane was clearly in a rush to secure it, because he told Majeed, who had told him it could be 'tomorrow or day' after: 'Preferably tomorrow if you can.' Two days later, on August 24 2014, Hassane asked, whether he had got the 'Herraches' and when Majeed said 'not yet', Hassane asked 'how long' because 'shops are getting sold out' and was told: 'I dno, hes probs tryna sort it.' Alleged ringleader Tarik Hassane (pictured, left), is alleged to have been part of terror gang. Suhaib Majeed (right) allegedly discussed radicalising his own sister Hassane, pictured during his school days, allegedly urged other group members to pledge allegiance to ISIS Hassane told him that he wanted them 'by the time i get there in a couple of days.' He was due to return to Britain from Morocco on August 27 and so he was allegedly telling Majeed he wanted the gun by then. He instructed Majeed to tell 'him' that if he did not have 'them' to go elsewhere 'because they get sold out quick' but Majeed assured him saying: 'He said he can do it'. Hassane, who was visiting family in Morocco, returned to Britain from Casablanca on August 27. A police surveillance team saw Majeed setting up his encrypted communications under a tree in Regents Park on September 1 last year, after a visit to London Central Mosque. Later checks on Majeed's computer showed that he was trying to download a programme called 'Mujahideen Secrets' described in court as a 'programme specifically designed to allow Islamic terrorists to exchange secret, encrypted, spy-proof messages with each other for the sole purpose of terrorism.' Prosecutor Brian Altman QC said of the encryption system: 'It suggests that direction and guidance was being given not only to Majeed but also, we suggest, to this UK-based attack planning, from abroad'. Mr Altman added: 'The prosecution says it is perfectly clear that Majeed had deliberately gone to a secluded area that evening to make the connection because he wished to avoid doing so from inside his home and in the midst of his family.' London location: Hassane allegedly identified Shepherd's Bush police station (pictured) as a possible target Surveillance images from the next day, September 3, showed Hassane meeting Hamlett, the alleged middle man, in Westbourne Park Road, at 11.26pm, not far from Hamlett's home. 'It is you may think clear from the activity that the plot was moving forwards apace, with Majeed progressing setting up his computer for secret communication and Hassane progressing the acquisition of the weapon,' Mr Altman said. Hassane left London for Khartoum, Sudan in the middle of the plot on September 5 but continued communicating with Majeed about getting the gun, the court heard. In one message he mocked the victims of ISIS executioner known as 'Jihadi John' writing 'FoleyinHell' and 'SotloffInHell'. The Parachute Regiment Territorial Army Barracks at White City in West London was also allegedly identified as a possible target Majeed tried to secretly communicate the phone number of a SIM card he had bought to use to communicate about the plot, it is claimed. But he misunderstood the basic secret code, inserting a '1' between numbers rather than adding a '1' to each digit to disguise the number, Mr Altman said. Eventually, Hassane had to remind him of the code, calling his pal a 'stupid piece of s***', the court heard. They also moved on to discuss buying a 'ped' [moped] and the risks of buying it from someone who insisted the log book was filled out and sent off to the DVLA. Hassane had spotted an advert on Gumtree for a local lettings agent in Shepherd's Bush for a garage to rent for 32 a week, half a mile from the Shepherd's Bush police station and about a mile from the Parachute Regiment TA centre that are said to be his targets. He said a man called Yasir Mahmoud would get him the 'p' meaning money- and that he could 'get the creps and put them in a bag' The court also heard the men were encouraged to carry out the horrific acts by an Islamic State fatwa. A 42-minute ISIS mission statement delivered by official spokesman Muhammed Al-Adnani urged those who had pledged allegiance to launch attacks in countries opposed to the brutal terror state. He encouraged all Muslims to kill 'disbelievers' in countries supporting American and French-backed military action against the group in Iraq 'in any manner'. The hate speech, released on YouTube on 21 September 2014, targeted soldiers, police, security and intelligence agents. Al-Adnani said if disbelievers could not be killed with an improvised explosive device (IED) or a bullet, then a 'rock should be used to smash his head or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over'. He continued: 'If you are unable to do so, then burn his home, car or business... If you are unable to do so, then spit in his face.' The prosecutor said: 'Although the plot was clearly in existence already, and would have proceeded without the fatwa, the prosecution suggests that the fatwa provided the plotters with further impetus coming from the IS leadership itself to progress it and to carry it out.' Just two days after the speech was released, on 23 September, it is alleged Hamlett met Cuffy to pick up the Baikal self-loading pistol, a magazine with ammunition and a silencer. Hassane, Majeed, Hamlett, and Cuffy, all from West London, deny conspiracy to murder and preparing acts of terrorism and the trial continues. Labour MP Naz Shah, pictured making her victory speech following the election, has said there are parts of her Bradford constituency where people can get by without speaking English A Labour MP today admitted there are parts of her Bradford constituency where people can get by without speaking a word of English. Naz Shah - who beat George Galloway in the race for a Commons seat last year - said the situation had changed since her parents arrived in Britain years ago. Ms Shah's comments come a day after Prime Minister David Cameron outlined plans to help people, particularly in isolated, segregated communities, to get access to English classes. Bradford West MP Ms Shah told the Guardian: 'When my parents came over, my mum had to learn the basics in order to get by. 'Now, with the third and fourth generations, it's perfectly possible to live a life where you never have to speak English because everyone in the shops and services where you live speaks your language.' She added: 'Have we actually undone some of the good work that has been done in terms of integration?' Ms Shah said a lack of English skills was a 'barrier' to integration with other communities and said sometimes it was the fault of men stopping their wives accessing classes. Shiraz, a 32 year old in the city, told the paper it was now easier not to speak English than when he grew up. He said: 'My mum couldn't really speak English when we were growing up, but we learned watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air on TV. 'Now there are hundreds of channels and you can just watch Urdu TV the whole time.' Sales assistant Shamsa Kanwal completes entire transactions at a fabric store in Urdu. She told the Guardian: 'I want this job because my English is not so good. Here I can speak my own language.' David Cameron announced a series of policies yesterday to promote English lessons - including a 20million fund specifically to teach Muslim women the language. Mr Cameron said: 'This is about building a more integrated, cohesive, one nation country where there is genuine opportunity for people. 'Of course, if you don't speak the language your opportunities are very much reduced.' Mr Cameron said the message to new arrivals to Britain was 'learning English is essential'. The Prime Minister said: 'I'm not blaming the people who can't speak English - some of these people have come to our country from quite patriarchal societies where perhaps the menfolk haven't wanted them to learn English, haven't wanted them to integrate. He continued: 'What we've found in some of the work we've done looking around our country - school governors meetings where the men sit in the meeting and the women have to sit outside. 'Women who aren't allowed to leave their home without a male relative - this is happening in our country and it's not acceptable. 'We should be proud of our values, our liberalism, our tolerance, our idea we want to build a genuine opportunity democracy. 'I think in many ways we are one of the most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracies anywhere in the world. 'But where there is segregation, it's holding people back, it's not in tune with British values and it needs to go.' Mr Cameron visited an English language class in Leeds yesterday following his announcement of new funding aimed specifically at migrant Muslim women who speak little English Ms Shah was critical of Mr Cameron's announcement yesterday but welcomed the Government's wider change on funding English classes - which had been cut in 2011. She said: 'Unfortunately the Prime Minister doesn't seem to learn from the past and language is very, very important. 'The fact is the issue of women and language, or barriers from access to services, isn't just a Muslim issue it's a wider issue of non-English speaking people. 'He shouldn't have addressed it in that way.' Former Conservative Party chairwoman Baroness Warsi criticised the presentation of the policy and questioned why English lessons were being presented in a counter extremism strategy. The Tory peer insisted this was less important than language skills are to getting a job and helping with homework. She tweeted: 'Why should it just be Muslim women who have the opportunity to learn English? Why not anyone who lives in the UK and can't speak English.' Illegal schools are operating underground in Britain, Education Secretary admits as she announces new measures on day two of the Government's anti-extremism strategy Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced new measures to counter extremism in schools Tens of illegal schools are operating in Britain, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan today warned on the second day of a government crackdown on extremism. Mrs Morgan is due to unveil a series of policies, including a website with advice on recognising when a teenager is drifting toward extreme ideas, adding to controversial measures unveiled by David Cameron yesterday. She also backed the right of schools to ban both teachers and pupils from wearing the veil - echoing remarks from the Prime Minister yesterday that public bodies such as courts should be allowed to tell people to show their face. The Prime Minister faced claims he was stigmatising Muslim women by announcing money to teach them English and suggesting people who come to Britain to marry could be deported if their language skills fail to progress. Mrs Morgan today warned there were schools operating underground - sparking concern about both the lessons being taught and the places where children are being sent. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We don't have full data because these schools, a lot of them are operating underground, they are operating without being registered. 'We know Ofsted have inspected schools in Birmingham before Christmas which were then shut down or stopped operating. 'We are certainly talking about more than one or two - we are probably talking about tens rather than hundreds but that's what we need to know and that's where we rely on the intelligence and working with local authorities and others to make sure children are not being educated in these illegal schools. 'It's not just about what they are taught but we are concerned about the conditions in which they are taught as well. Lord Janner escaped prosecution three times in 20 years despite credible evidence he sexually abused a string of children in care, it was revealed today. An independent inquiry by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques has found that the peer, who died in December, should have first been charged with child abuse in 1991. Police and the Crown Prosecution Service also bungled investigations in 2002 and 2007 when there was a 'realistic prospect' of convicting alleged paedophile Janner. Sir Richard found officers undermined one of Janner's alleged victims and in another 'remarkable' failure' failed to pass on allegations made by another boy about the MP for Leicester West. It was only last year, when he was 87 and suffering from severe dementia, that Lord Janner was charged with 22 sex offences but he died at Christmas and devastated victims saw their cases dropped. Findings: An independent inquiry has found that the peer, who died in December and pictured arriving home with daughter Marion in October, should have first been prosecuted in 1991 for attacking children in care Pressure: Lord Janner was only charged last year for sex offences dating back 50 years by the CPS, led by Alison Saunders, who admits the CPS and police made historic mistakes not to prosecute Janner Sir Richard's report, published today, found: In 1991 there was enough evidence to prosecute Lord Janner for indecent assault and buggery - but police and the CPS bungled the investigation In 2002, allegations of child abuse made against Lord Janner were not passed on by the police to the CPS There was also sufficient evidence to prosecute Janner in 2007 for indecent assault and buggery. He should have been arrested, interviewed and had home searched - but nothing happened CPS AND POLICE REJECTED THREE CHANCES TO PROSECUTE JANNER 1991: A complaint of sexual assaults by one individual who featured in the trial of paedophile care worker Frank Beck. The allegation, in essence, was one of grooming and sexual abuse of the alleged male victim between the ages of 13 and 15. The CPS decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. 2002: In an investigation named Operation Magnolia. Lord Janner was the subject of allegations as part of a probe into abuse children's home. The CPS says specific allegations relating to him were not referred to them and claim police chose not to pursue him. 2006: As part of a new sex abuse investigation, Operation Dauntless, an alleged victim made allegations of serious sexual offending around 1981 by three individuals including Lord Janner. The CPS decision in 2007 was again that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. Advertisement Sir Richard was asked to evaluate the handling of allegations of child abuse aimed at Janner, which were dismissed three times in the past 25 years. The claims against him first surfaced during an investigation into Frank Beck, a manager of Leicester children's homes who died in jail after being convicted of abusing boys in his care in 1991. A former resident of one home alleged he had a two-year sexual relationship with the MP when he was a teenager in the 1970s. He claimed that he was buggered against his will on five occasions by Janner in various hotels. The alleged victim later caused controversy when he aired the allegations in public while giving evidence at Beck's trial in 1991. MPs on all sides rallied around Lord Janner when he told the House of Commons the claims did not contain a 'shred of truth'. In his report Sir Richard slammed the CPS and police officers for failing to pursue Janner at the time. He said: 'I am satisfied that, in 1991, there was a sufficiency of evidence for a prosecution to be commenced against Janner for offences of indecent assault and buggery. 'The police investigation was incomplete and inadequate in 1991 and police officers failed to carry out enquiries advised by the CPS.' The CPS clerk who managed the 1991 case file admitted there was 'reticence on the part of the police' to fully probe whether the politician abused an underage boy hotels and at his home. As part of an 'inadequate' investigation police also ignored letters on Parliamentary paper between Janner and the boy found Beck's house. Sir Richard said they did not prove Janner was a child abuser but in them he sent 'his love' to the child, said he missed him and urged him to keep writing. Several witnesses placed the peer with the then 14-year-old at the Holiday Inn in Leicester, where the boy said he was abused, yet police and the CPS concluded there was not enough evidence. On one occasion the boy stole cash from Janner's wallet in an Aylesbury hotel while the MP admitted he was in the shower, suggesting they were sharing a bedroom. Officers investigating notorious paedophile Frank Beck, who was jailed for life for abusing children, accepted Janner's claims he did now know him. But alleged victims and others in care said that Janner was a regular in the children's homes Beck ran in Leicestershire and Beck referred to the peer as one alleged victim's 'pimp'. Probes: Greville Janner, left in 1974, served as an MP for decades and was investigated in 1991, 2002 and 2007. Janner was mentioned during the trial of paediophile Frank Beck, right, who died in jai Sir Richard found only 'extremely limited' inquiries were made at the children's homes where he lived. The alleged victim even went to a wedding with the peer's family, and it was only two decades later in 2014 that a subsequent police investigation found there was film footage of Complainant One at the event. The report found: 'I have concluded that the decision not to charge Janner in 1991 was wrong and that there was enough evidence against Janner, on December 4 1991, to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.' Evidence available at the time included the alleged victim's statements, as well as accounts from staff and residents at care homes and information from a social worker and social services records. The identity of the prosecutor who told police there was not enough evidence is not known. Allegations: Veteran peer Lord Janner (pictured in 2002) repeatedly denied claims he abused young boys at care homes but this was never tested in court A second alleged victim came forward in April 2000 when police in Leicester were investigating abuse in children's homes. He made a statement claiming he had been seriously sexually abused by Lord Janner, but this was not passed to the CPS in a file submitted in 2002, and no further action was taken. The report said Janner should have faced prosecution for two counts of buggery, one count of indecent assault and one count of gross indecency, as well as the 1991 claims, at this stage. Sir Richard said in 2002, when a fresh complaint was made against Janner, 'the failure to forward (the alleged victim's) statement to the CPS for charging advice is remarkable and merits investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. 'Had the statement been forwarded to the CPS, there was, in my judgement, a sufficiency of evidence to commence a prosecution against Janner, in 2002 on two victims. In 2007, a reviewing lawyer at the CPS, who had also advised in 1991 and 2002, said problems with the credibility of a third alleged victim, Complainant 3, again meant the peer could not be prosecuted. He told police he was abused by the Janner and Frank Beck pair as a child and said the MP had on one occasion: 'patted Beck on the back and said: "Well done, you groomed him well" - but Janner was never charged. Sir Richard said the third complaint, in 2007, was rejected by a lawyer in Leicester but he said he disagreed with the decision. There was also an eight-month delay between the police file being submitted and the charging decision being made. Sir Richard said: 'In my opinion there was sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction in 2007, and Janner should have been arrested and interviewed and his home searched. Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders was at the centre of a storm of controversy last year after originally deciding Lord Janner, who had dementia, should not be charged because of his ill health. That decision was overturned by an independent review last year. A special hearing known as a trial of the facts had been scheduled for this year, but last week the criminal case was formally dropped following Lord Janner's death. Mrs Saunders said today: 'The inquiry's findings that mistakes were made confirms my view that failings in the past by prosecutors and police meant that proceedings were not brought. 'It is a matter of sincere regret that on three occasions, opportunities to put the allegations against Lord Janner before a jury were not taken. 'It is important that we understand the steps which led to these decisions not to prosecute, and ensure that no such mistakes can be made again.' Alleged sex abuse victims of the late Lord Janner were devastated last week after the criminal case against him was dropped. He had been charged with 22 sexual offences dating back to the 1960s against nine alleged victims, who were mostly under 16 at the time. But legal proceedings were left in limbo when the 87-year-old Labour peer died on December 19, days after he was found unfit to stand trial. He had been suffering from dementia. Announcing the decision not to press ahead with a trial of facts scheduled for April, prosecutor Richard Whittam QC told the Old Bailey that more charges had been due to be brought. The Yahoo! boss Marissa Mayer told her staff there would by 'no layoffs this week' during a company meeting, it has been claimed. Mayer made the comments at an internal 'Friday FYI' gathering believed to have taken place at the firm's headquarters in Silicon Valley, California earlier this month. A source claimed the 40-year-old 'wasn't trying to be funny' as she told workers there would be no layoffs 'this week' - a remark which is said to have drawn nervous chuckles from those attending the meeting. Scroll down for video The Yahoo! boss Marissa Mayer (pictured) told her staff there would by 'no layoffs this week' during a company meeting, it has been claimed According to the New York Post, an 'insider' who did not want to be named revealed: 'She said there are going to be no layoffs "this week," and many of the employees laughed at her. This is the reason employee morale is so low.' Another source told the Post that news of the meeting, on January 8, has been widely discussed around Silicon Valley. A Yahoo! spokesman told the newspaper: 'We don't comment on rumors or speculation.' MailOnline has attempted to contact the company this morning. Just days before the meeting, a key investor in Yahoo demanded that the board of directors undertake a management change and warned it could push for a board shakeup if that did not happen. Activist hedge fund Starboard Value said investors appear to 'have lost all confidence in management and the board' after the company, led by Silicon Valley star Marissa Mayer, has failed to turn around Yahoo's struggling core Internet business. Mayer made the comments at an internal 'Friday FYI' gathering believed to have taken place at the firm's headquarters in Silicon Valley, California earlier this month In a letter to the board, Starboard said Yahoo needed to sell off the core business to other investors, but that so far the company has ignored expressions of interest from buyers. Last month SpringOwl, another sizeable Yahoo investor, demanded the company cut more than 80 percent of its workforce and replace chief executive Mayer. The criticisms come after Yahoo reversed course in early December and decided not to sell off its lucrative stake in China's Alibaba and instead spin off its core Internet business. Investors like Starboard point out that current market valuations of the company put the value of the core business at zero, and that selling it to investors would reap far more for investors than keeping the business. Kangaroo joeys with burned paws, possums with singed tails and birds suffering dehydration are among the animals that have been rushed into emergency care following raging bushfires. The blazes in the Yarloop area, south of Perth in Western Australia, last week destroyed 143 properties and also took their toll on the wildlife of the regional township. Pictures posted by the Waroona Veterinary Clinic show around-the-clock care for the animals, funded by donations given to the clinic by the public. Scroll down for video Severe bushfires across Western Australia, which have already claimed 143 properties - 128 of which were homes, has taken its toll on the surrounding wildlife of the Yarloop community Doctor Rebecca Flegg, one of the veterinarians to travel to Yarloop said the experience was 'emotional.' Especially when seeing defenseless animals with no idea what was happening The money has helped buy medical supplies in support of the clinic's staff, who have been caring for the traumatised animals. A young female joey with minor burns brought in by firefighters is expected to make a full recovery, but the same cannot be said for an alpaca found at a property at Cookernup. Wrapped with a green bandage around its neck the young alpaca died from its injuries caused by the fires. A young joey (pictured) brought in by firefighters will make a full recovery due to continuous efforts seen by staff at the clinic Burnt feet were seen throughout the clinic especially those of young joey's and kangaroos Facebook users commented their support and one said: 'So much devastation. Prayers for all injured wildlife livestock and family pets. Just prayers for everyone impacted by this inferno.' Another user said: 'Thank you to all the vets helping out our furry friends where would we be without them.' Doctor Rebecca Flegg, one of the veterinarians to travel to Yarloop to search for injured wildlife and livestock, told the ABC: 'We have seen joeys with badly burned feet, tails and paws, possums with burned tails and noses and birds that have either been hit by cars or dehydrated.' 'The animals have no idea what's going on, they've lost their homes in this too,' she added. All donations for the free care were made by community members who helped fund medical supplies for household pets, including a cat (pictured) who was found dehydrated, running a fever and had singed whiskers The young feline had severe burns to all four feet. The burns were so bad the skin was already coming off her foot pads. Vets cleaned, treated and bandaged up all four feet to protect them and gave her plenty of antibiotics The care of fire-affected animals can be exhausting and emotional but with a community willing to help behind them they will ensure their furry neighbours are safe said Dr Flegg. 'It's very sad that we can't save all of the animals, it's heartbreaking, but we're trying our best,' said Dr Flegg. 'We have had a real lack of sleep and have been working non-stop but everyone has banded together,' she added. The veterinarian's goal is to treat the animals and safely return them to the wild. The same could not be said for an alpaca found at a property at Cookernup (pictured) that was severely injured in the fires The young alpaca died from its injuries unable to be saved by Waroona Veterinary Clinic staff Burnt paws, ash covered joey's (pictured) with singed fur have been rushed to Veterinarians in the Yarloop area and received free medical care An update on the clinic's facebook said: 'Our Joeys are doing great. All the burnt tissue is slowly starting to slough away to reveal lovely pink tissue Two female joey's were seen to become life long friend after quickly bonding. The clinic has decided to keep them together as they will eventually join a local mob of kangaroos at a local release site Facebook users commented their support and one said: 'So much devastation. Prayers for all injured wildlife livestock and family pets. Just prayers for everyone impacted by this inferno' Staff at the clinic also saw a range of bird including - Magpies, Red tailed Black Cockatoos, Galahs (pictured) and a range of other animals including a dog with burnt paws, 100s of cattle and 2 adorable chickens Waroona Vets and staff have worked tirelessly since being let back into the area - to help local wildlife Donations of pet food and animal treats were made by community members to the clinic She has now had a new acid attack law named after her in Colombia , 35, had only met him twice, and never spoken to him before A Colombian woman who suffered burns on a quarter of her body in an evil acid attack two years ago, has managed to successfully campaign for a law targeting perpetrators of the crime Natalia Ponce de Leon, 35, had a litre of sulphuric acid thrown over her face and body by a man who she had never even spoken to while visiting her mother in Bogota, Colombia, in March 2014. After previously only appearing in public wearing a mask, she bravely bared her scars as she announced a new law that punishes perpetrators of acid attacks with up to 50 years in prison. Brave: Natalia Ponce de Leon, 35, had a whole litre of sulphuric acid poured over her face and body by an obsessed stalker who she had never even spoken to 'With this law, people will think twice before committing this act,' the businesswoman-turned-campaigner said during a ceremony at Narino Presidential Palace in Bogota on Monday The new law was spearheaded by - and named after - Ms Ponce de Leon, who was severely disfigured when a stalker hurled acid at her in 2014. Jonathan Vega had spent months stalking her, and despite the fact that Ms Ponce de Leon had only met him twice, and never spoken to him, he became obsessed with her. When he believed Ms Ponce was rejecting him, he decided to attack her. His attack was meticulously planned. He had bought the sulphuric acid eight weeks before and waited for his moment to strike. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos talks to Ms Ponce during a ceremony at Narino Presidential Palace in Bogota to announce the new law named after her which increases jail sentences for acid attackers Inspiration: The new law was spearheaded by - and named after - Ms Ponce de Leon, 35, Covered: Ms Ponce De Leon has undergone more than a dozen operations to restore her skin, and would previously only appear in public wearing a protective mask Ms Ponce de Leon was visiting her mother in Bogota when the doorman told her there was a man waiting for her in the lobby - Mr Vega. When the successful and beautiful businesswoman went down to see the visitor he threw a litre of pure sulphuric acid into her face. 'I don't remember the pain,' Ms Ponce de Leon said in an interview in September last year. 'But I remember not being able to see anything. Just grey. Everything went grey. I wasn't worried about my skin but I was terrified for my eyes. 'I was in the hospital shouting 'My eyes, my eyes, my eyes'. It was only later that I started to feel the pain.' A quarter of her body was covered in deep chemical burns. They scar her face, her stomach, her right arm, her left arm and her right thigh, and she had to stay in hospital for more than seven weeks to recover. In the wake of the attack, the 35-year-old has undergone about 15 operations to reconstruct her face using artificial skin from the Netherlands. Until now most Colombians convicted of acid attacks have received prison sentences of up to six years, and some criminals have been allowed to serve their sentences under house arrest. Attack: Ms Ponce De Leon's attacker had stalked her for months before he decided that she had to be punished for spurring his advances - despite never speaking to her After the attack, she was covered in burns on a quarter of her body, including her face, her stomach, her right arm, her left arm and her right thigh, and she had to stay in hospital for more than seven weeks to recover Campaign: Ms Ponce De Leon's case became well known in Colombia, and she now campaigns on behalf of acid and chemical attack victims The law, which came into force on Monday, defines acid attacks as a specific crime and increases the maximum sentence to 50 years in jail for convicted offenders. It also aims to ensure acid victims receive better state medical care. Although acid attacks are most common in South Asia, Colombia reported one of the highest rates per capita in the world in 2012. Since 2004, 526 women and 361 men have been attacked with acid across Colombia, according to the country's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Ponce said a key challenge is ensuring state health authorities provide the medical care acid attack victims are now entitled to under the new law. Victims often undergo months of reconstructive surgery and psychological therapy. 'We don't want to see more people destroyed,' Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said at the presidential palace when signing the law on Monday. Doctors and activists say many acid attacks are committed by jealous, vindictive husbands and boyfriends. They say Colombia's macho culture condones violence against women and blames them for it. Acid attacks survivors are often poor women with little education and a long history of domestic violence, women's rights groups say. About 1,500 acid attacks are reported globally each year, with women being the victims in 80 percent of cases, according to London-based charity Acid Survivors Trust International, which says the actual number is probably much higher since most victims are too scared to speak out. Michigan governor Rick Snyder has described the Flint water crisis as his own Hurricane Katrina after the National Guard is mobilised to hand out safe drinking water. The scandal was caused when officials in Flint decided to switch the city's water supply from the existing provider in Detroit to taking it directly from the Flint River in an effort to save money. However, the new supply corroded the pipes of the city's ageing water network and increased the level of deadly lead in the system. Scroll down for video Governor Rick Snyder, centre, has described the Flint water scandal as his own 'Hurricane Katrina' Hundreds of protesters, including film maker Michael Moore, pictured, right, were involved in a major demonstration calling for the resignation of Governor Snyder over his handling of the water scandal In April 2014 Governor Snyder authorised Flint to switch is water supply from Detroit to a cheaper source on the River Flint which had illegal levels of lead toxicity which can lead to a range of serious health plunging Governor Snyder admitted the situation in Flint was a 'disaster' and agreed with a description that it could be his Hurricane Katrina moment. In an interview with the National Journal, Snyder said: 'Its terrible to have the situation in Flint happen and Im responsible as the governor of the state. Within our team there were clearly things that shouldnt have happened and so you have to take responsibility for that and the real issue is, given that theyve happened, how to you address them and make sure it doesnt happen again.' He claimed: 'In hindsight, you can always say that there are other things that could have been done. The challenge in this particular case is that these issues tend to be very technical in terms of test procedures and whole protocols and things like thatand to put it in context, the people in this department failed in this particular case catastrophically in my view in some ways, but if you look at the backgrounds, these are people with scientific backgrounds, technical backgrounds that had been doing this for decades.' Instead of using a safe supply of water from Detroit, officials used the River Flint, pictured, Soon after the supply was switched the water changed colour leading to protests from residents Members of the Michigan Army National Guard, pictured, began giving residents bottles of water Officials tested the water quality in Flint which discovered the worrying levels of lead in the system Governor Snyder said he has no intention of resigning despite the ongoing scandal. He added: 'It makes you feel terrible. Its a terrible thing to happen. I spent most of my careerthats why went in to do this: to improve things, because I didnt think things were being done as well as they could be done.' As part of the response to the scandal, Michigan is already providing lead testing, filters, bottled water and other essentials in the city of 99,000. Some say customers shouldn't have to pay their water bills because the water is unsafe without filtering, but it's unclear if lawmakers will cover the expense. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton attacked Governor Snyder and his Republican administration for their handling of the situation. She said 'every single American should be outraged' by the scandal. She added: 'If the kids in a rich suburb of Detroit had been drinking contaminated water and being bathed in it, there would have been action.' Residents in Flint have called for Governor's Snyder's resignation, with others believe he should be arrested. Locals took to social media to post photographs of the city's contaminated water supply Michigan has switched the water supply in Flint back to the originally Detroit source Governor Snyder accused Mrs Clinton of attempting to capitalise on the scandal for her own electoral purposes. He told the Detroit News: 'We're going to keep working on putting solutions in place. And what I would say is: Politicizing the issue doesn't help matters. Let's focus in on the solution and how to deal with the damage that was done and help the citizens of Flint and make Flint a stronger community.' Senator Bernie Sanders, who is also running for the Democratic nomination, said Snyder's position was untenable. The crisis began in 2014 when a state-appointed emergency manager - appointed by the governor to administer the financially troubled city in place of the elected government - switched Flint from Detroit water to Flint River water to save money. The corrosive water caused lead to leach from old pipes. Flint returned to the Detroit system in October after elevated lead levels were discovered in children. But officials remain concerned that damaged pipes could continue to leach lead, which can cause behaviour problems and learning disabilities in children as well as kidney ailments in adults. Snyder declared a state of emergency in Flint earlier this month. President Obama signed an emergency declaration but did not authorise a state of emergency as this can only be granted in the case of natural disaster whereas this situation was caused by a policy decision Thousands of gallons of bottled water have been sent to Fint to ensure that all residents have a safe supply On Saturday, President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration but denied Snyder's request for a disaster declaration based on the legal requirement that such relief is intended for natural events, fires, floods or explosions. Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said Monday that she will travel Tuesday to Washington in hopes of securing a disaster declaration anyway, The Flint Journal reported. That declaration would provide more money and resources than the emergency declaration. Dozens of people protested outside Snyder's residence in downtown Ann Arbor on Monday afternoon, marching there from the nearby University of Michigan campus. They said he didn't act swiftly enough to help Flint residents and held signs calling for his dismissal and arrest. Among those protesting was film maker Michael Moore who is from Flint. Members of Michigan's National Guard have been called in to help volunteers pass out drinking water, testing kits, filters and other supplies to city residents, and the state said more Guard members arrived Monday to bring the total to 70. Polling research suggests a Labour leader of the Opposition has not been eight points behind this far after an election since the late 1940s. Jeremy Corbyn, pictured at an ice cream parlour on Sunday has made no progress with the public Jeremy Corbyn has made no progress with the wider public since his landslide victory in the race to be Labour leader, new polling research has revealed. The numbers are so bad for the Labour leader it proved impossible to identify a worse performing opposition figurehead for the party in the history of routine polling - which began in the late 1940s - this far from the last general election. Eight months into the first majority Tory government since 1996, an average of polls suggests Labour is eight points behind David Cameron's Conservatives. Pollsters have suggested even this rating could be optimistic given the huge errors made in surveys ahead of the general election. Some corrections to opinion poll methods have been made since every firm failed to spot the eventual Tory majority but there are fears polls still overstate Labour support. According to research published today, at this stage in the last parliament, Labour was ahead of the Tories by an average of five points. And eight months after losing the 1992 election, Labour had opened up a lead of 10 points. The last time the party was still polling behind the Conservatives this long after an election defeat was in 1988, when it trailed by five points. But it is impossible to find any record since the Second World War of a gap bigger than eight points at this stage in any electoral cycle. To add to Labour's woes, the party has failed to come first in any opinion poll published since the Tories won the general election in May 2015. Some pollsters have warned that Labour's current ratings may even be too high. Commenting on the latest poll from ICM, which shows the Tories on 40% and Labour on 35%. ICM director Martin Boon said: 'This may be overstating Labour strength. 35% is probably too high. We can see in the small print of this poll that we've still got too many respondents who recall voting Labour.' ICM has adjusted its methods since the general election in an attempt to better reflect the views of people who decline to reveal their intention. Labour's current poll deficit of eight points is not the biggest the party has experienced while in opposition. The Tories enjoyed a 10-point lead just 12 months after winning the 1959 election, for example. A gap of eight points has never opened up this quickly, however. It is also in stark contrast with how quickly Labour has bounced back following previous election defeats. In 1992 the party had overtaken the Conservatives within five months of losing the election, while in 2010 they had established a lead after seven months. And after losing the 1979 election, the party was back ahead of the Tories in the polls within just one month. An Afghan woman married off as a 15-year-old has had her nose cut off by her enraged husband using a pocket knife. Badly mutilated Reza Gul, 20, was rushed to hospital after the attack in the northwestern province of Faryab on Sunday after losing large amounts of blood. Her husband, Mohammad Khan, had recently returned from Iran and begun beating and torturing his wife, before also taking a second bride who was aged just seven, it was claimed. The incident highlights the endemic violence against women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline Taliban Islamist regime was ousted by a 2001 U.S.-led invasion. WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES Reza Gul (pictured), whose nose was sliced off by her husband, receives treatment at a hospital in the northern Afghan province of Faryab The 20-year-old, who was married off five years ago, lies on her hospital bed with her one-year-old child Ahmad Javed Bedar, a spokesperson for the region's governor, confirmed her husband Mohammad Khan had cut off her nose 'with a pocket knife'. He added she would need reconstructive surgery, which was not possible in the local government hospital. She will likely to be flown to Turkey for the treatment. Fawzia Salimi, a hospital director in Maymana, capital of Faryab province, said Khan had returned from Iran just three months ago. Since then he had repeatedly beaten and tortured his wife, while also taking another wife who was just seven years old, she said. Community elders and Taliban representatives in their village had tried mediating with the family to help sort out their problems, a traditional method of dealing with marital issues. Khan had now disappeared from the village, and local security forces including the intelligence agency and police were searching for him. Before cutting off his wife's nose, Khan had promised Taliban leaders in the village that he would stop harming Gul. Severing women's noses is not unheard of in Afghanistan and like most abuse probably happens more often than is publicly acknowledged. The disfigured woman's photograph was widely shared on social media, prompting calls for tough action against the husband. Kabul-based women's rights activist Alema said: 'Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned. 'Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women.' It was not immediately clear what prompted the husband to attack Gul, the mother of a one-year-old child who was married off five years ago as a teenager. Officials are trying to arrange to fly Gul to Turkey so she can undergo reconstructive surgery This shocking image, purporting to show Gul after the attack, was tweeted by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and caused outrage across the country Reports suggested he had fled to the Taliban, though a spokesperson for the group claimed they too were searching for him and would deal with him according to Islamic law if captured. The government has vowed to protect women's rights but that has not prevented deadly attacks. In November a young woman was stoned to death after being accused of adultery in the central province of Ghor. And last March a woman named Farkhunda was savagely beaten and set ablaze in central Kabul after being falsely accused of burning a Koran. The mob killing triggered angry protests nationwide and drew global attention to the treatment of Afghan women. In 2010, Time magazine put the photograph of a mutilated 18-year-old, Bibi Aisha, on its cover. Her nose was cut off by an abusive husband. The cover provoked a worldwide outpouring of sympathy for Aisha, who was taken to the United States where she was given a prosthetic nose. Heather Barr, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, said: 'Horrifying cases like this one happen all too often in Afghanistan. 'The level of impunity for violence against women encourages some men to continue to feel that women are their property and violence is their right.' The incident occurred in the country's Faryab Province, which is located on the border with Turkmenistan A journalist's partner was legally held at Heathrow under anti-terrorism laws because he was carrying documents from Edward Snowden that put lives at risk, the Court of Appeal ruled today. Judges found the 'stop power' used by police to detain David Miranda for nine hours was justified on the grounds the files he carried were a threat to national security. In August 2013 Mr Miranda was travelling from Berlin to Rio carrying 58,000 highly classified documents stolen by Snowden to give to his partner Glenn Greenwald, then a Guardian reporter. Police were waiting for him as he passed through Heathrow, stopped him and seized his possessions, which he claimed was illegal, breached his human rights and constituted 'psychological violence'. Last year the High Court flatly rejected his claim in a scathing ruling that the nine-hour detention had been unlawful - and his appeal was rejected by three judges today. Ruling: David Miranda (left) was lawfully held when he carried files from Snowden to his partner Glenn Greenwald, pictured together when he arrived in Rio after being held for nine hours in London But judges did admit that the UK Terrorism Act may be incompatible with the Human Rights Act and journalists require better protection from police - although this did not apply in this case. NO REASONABLE SUSPICION: THE TERRORISM ACT'S SCHEDULE 7 Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 allows police officers to stop, search, question and detain individuals travelling through a port, airport or border area. It is to determine whether that person is or has been involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Stopping an individual does not necessarily mean that the officer believes the person is a terrorist - in fact, it does not require any reasonable suspicion that they might be one. Detention is permitted for up to nine hours before an arrest or release must be made. But last month the Government said the maximum detention period would be lowered to six hours. An examining officer may require a person to answer questions or provide certain documents - and failure to do so may be considered an offence under the Act. Advertisement In August 2013, on the instructions of MI5, police stopped Mr Miranda at Heathrow, in transit from Germany to Brazil. A search carried out under anti-terror laws revealed he was carrying computer files for Mr Greenwald and he had items including his laptop, phone, memory cards and DVDs taken from him. Mr Miranda and Mr Greenwald claimed he had been carrying the documents for legitimate journalistic reasons and his detention was a breach of human rights and called it 'a message of intimidation'. Arriving at Rio de Janeiro Airport, Mr Miranda said: 'I remained in a room. There were six different agents coming and going. They asked questions about my entire life, about everything. 'They took my computer, video game, mobile phone, my memory card. Everything.' He was questioned and items in his possession were taken from him, including encrypted material derived from data obtained by Mr Snowden, Mr Miranda, who was carrying the material to assist Mr Greenwald in his journalistic work, claimed the acts of the police were unlawful, but the appeal court has ruled that they 'exercised the power for a permitted purpose'. Anger: Mr Miranda's detention was called 'a message of intimidation' by his partner Glenn, left, who said the data from Snowden was protected because it was for journalistic purposes Reaction: The couple both claimed today's ruling was in fact a victory, even though the police detention was lawful HOW IT WORKER SNOWDEN BECAME THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED MAN Edward Snowden became one of the worlds most wanted men in 2013 when stole classified documents from the U.S. National Security Agency. Snowden, who was a computer specialist at an intelligence centre in Hawaii, tricked colleagues into handing over passwords so he could copy up to 1.7million documents in one of the biggest leaks in US history. He also leaked details of attempts by state spy agencies including Britains GCHQ to view citizens private information. Snowden claimed internet history, emails, text messages, calls and passwords were harvested by spies. And he made the highly damaging claim revelation that the U.S. had hacked Chinese computers and the communications of allies such as Germany and France. The defence contractor claims he had to act because the US governments policies were a threat to democracy - but America consider him a traitor and he would face decades in jail if he ever returned. He fled justice in the US to Hong Kong, then Russia, where he was granted asylum. Snowden is now stranded in Moscow as a fugitive after America took away his passport. In the past, GCHQ agents could listen in as terrorists used email, in-game communication, social networking and chat-rooms to communicate. Snowden has revealed so much about how British spies work he has left the UK wide open to Al Qaeda attacks, it has been claimed Intelligence chiefs believe terrorists have changed their methods after the whistleblower exposed how GCHQ was listening in on them. Intelligence chiefs believe he is now a puppet' passing details of military capabilities, operations and tactics to Putin's henchmen, although he denies taking any classified material to Russia. Advertisement Master of the Rolls Lord Dyson, announcing the decision of the three-judge court, said of the police: 'They were entitled to consider that material in his possession might be released in circumstances falling within the definition of terrorism.' Lord Dyson, Lord Justice Richards and Lord Justice Floyd dismissed a further ground of appeal. Lord Dyson said: 'The court rejects Mr Miranda's argument that the use of the stop power against him was an unjustified and disproportionate interference with his right to freedom of expression despite the fact that this was a case involving an interference with press freedom.' The judge said 'compelling national security interests' outweighed Mr Miranda's rights under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights - the right to freedom of expression. Although the judges dismissed Mr Miranda's appeal on the issue of the legality of the police actions, they ruled in his favour on another ground by holding that the stop power, 'if used in respect of journalistic information or material', is incompatible with Article 10 because it is not 'prescribed by law'. That aspect of the court's ruling was hailed as a victory for press freedom. In court, Lord Dyson announced: 'The power is not subject to sufficient legal safeguards to avoid the risk that it will be exercised arbitrarily. The court therefore grants a certificate of incompatibility. 'It will be a matter for Parliament to decide how to provide such a safeguard. The most obvious safeguard would be some form of judicial or other independent and impartial scrutiny conducted in such a way as to protect the confidentiality in the material.' Rosie Brighouse, legal officer for Liberty, said after the ruling: 'This judgment is a major victory for the free press. Schedule 7 has been a blot on our legal landscape for years - breathtakingly broad and intrusive, ripe for discrimination, routinely misused. Its repeal is long overdue. A former fisherman has discovered a trench in the bottom of Loch Ness that makes it 900 feet deep, that would be big enough for the mythical monster to live in. Tourist sightseeing boat skipper Keith Stewart, 43, found the crevice around nine miles down the loch, south east of Inverness, using state of the art sonar equipment. His discovery raises questions as to how deep the world-famous loch really is, and given hope to monster fans that Nessie could be lurking down there with her whole family. Scroll down for video Former fisherman Keith Stewart, 43, has discovered this trench in the bottom of Loch Ness, that makes the water 900ft deep and would be big enough for the mythical monster to live in The most famous picture apparently of the Loch Ness Monster was taken in 1934 (above). However, it was later said to have been faked using a toy Britain's deepest loch is Loch Morar, allegedly home to another elusive 'water kelpie' Morag at 1017 feet, while Loch Ness, the second largest, was measured at 813 feet deep. Mr Stewart's sonar mapping of the trench however revealed that it could be 889 feet deep. Mr Stewart's colleagues at Jacobite Cruises, which operates sight seeing tours down Loch Ness from Inverness, have christened the trench 'Keith's Abyss', and he says it has whetted his appetite to look for more mysteries the huge water expanse may harbour. 'I wasn't really a believer of the monster beforehand,' he said. 'But two weeks ago, I got a sonar image of what looked like a long object with a hump lying at the bottom. It wasn't there when I scanned the loch bed later. Tourist sightseeing boat skipper Mr Stewart (pictured) found the crevice in the loch, around nine miles east of Inverness, using state of the art sonar equipment Mr Stewart on board his boat. His colleagues at Jacobite Cruises, which operates sight seeing tours down Loch Ness from Inverness, have christened the trench 'Keith's Abyss' 'That intrigued me and then I found this dark shape about half way between the Clansman Hotel and Drumnadrochit which transpired to be a crevice or trench. I measured it with our state of the art 3d equipment at 889 feet, which is 77 feet deeper than the previous recorded deepest point called Edwards' Deep. 'I don't yet know how long it is. But I have gone back several times over the abyss and I have verified my measurements. It gets deeper from 825 feet to the recorded depth.' Mr Stewart says he found the crevice just a few hundred yards offshore whereas previous sonar searches have concentrated on the middle of the loch. Mr Stewart (pictured) says he found the crevice just a few hundred yards offshore whereas previous sonar searches have concentrated on the middle of the loch 'Searches of the monster have also been in those areas as well as Urquhart Bay so maybe the local legends of underwater caves connecting Loch Ness to other lochs and perhaps even the waters of the east and west coast are true,' he said. 'Obviously it will need more research. But it is an intriguing prospect. It is possible that an underwater earthquake has opened this up in recent times because the Great Glen lies in a well known fault in the earth's crust and tremors have been felt along it.' Mr Stewart had previously used sonar equipment to map the depths of the world's seas, but started working at Loch Ness in March. 'I quit the open sea having been round the world and back using sonar equipment for years and decided to look for something more sedate,' he said. 'Being captain of the Jacobite vessel was something different and appealed to me. 'I started the job in March but now this discovery has made my job even more interesting.' Gary Campbell, president of Loch Ness Monster Fan Club and Registrar of Sightings said Mr Stewart's discovery could provide clues as to the whereabouts of the Loch's monster. 'This just adds another dimension,' he said. 'We thought the loch was 810 feet deep and just had a 20 foot diameter hole at the bottom. Now we've discovered a whole trench that makes the loch nearly 900 feet deep which is twice the depth of the North Sea. 'There could be more trenches which make it deeper. This looks like where Nessie and her whole family could really hide out and explain why they are rarely seen. 'Remember, Loch Ness is part of a huge earthquake fault line that runs from Canada to Norway. In 2013, there was a 2.4 magnitude quake in the loch - this was when Nessie disappeared for a whole year for the first time since 1925. It could be that this massive tremor opened up the trench giving the monster a new hiding place 'This now needs real research. No-one has done any real at the Loch for over 10 years. Lets get a submarine down to properly investigate the new monster trench. 'This summer we hope someone will come to the loch with the best detection sonar in the world down to the depths just to see what is really at the bottom of the loch.' Hollande's official spokesman said French need to learn to compromise President Francois Hollande's spokesman has been attacked by hordes of angry countrymen after saying the problem with French people is that they are 'never happy'. Stephane Le Foll made the comments in a radio interview on Monday, where he also said the French need to learn how to compromise. The Minister of Agriculture triggered a flood of complaints when he told listeners who had been moaning at new reforms: 'Have you heard of that it's possible to be content with life? Winter of our discontent: French Agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll said that the problem with French people is that they are 'never happy' 'I'm not saying be delighted with everything all the time, there is no point in that. 'But I am saying there is no point in being constantly unhappy and refusing to accept that from time to time we need to compromise between opposing interests, like those of workers and bosses, to move ahead.' The radio station France Info was later flooded with complaints from angry listeners who insisted they were 'not always miserable'. One phoned back to moan live on air: 'I am a lot happier when I am not listening to politicians lying their heads off.' Mr Le Foll's slur on the French character came after President Francois Hollande yesterday declared France was in a 'state of economic emergency' and promised to spend 1.5 billion pounds to try and reduce the country's high unemployment. Mr Hollande pledged huge spending on a package of measures to fight stubbornly high unemployment, as he declared that France was in a 'state of economic emergency' In a speech to business leaders, he said: 'These two billion euros will not be financed through extra taxes of any kind. They will be financed by savings.' Half of the money would be spent on training schemes aimed at slashing France's ten per cent unemployment, Mr Hollande said. Also under the new measures, companies employing fewer than 250 people will receive a 2,000-euro bonus for each new employee with a contract of more than six months, under certain conditions, the president pledged. A survey two years ago found that seven out of ten French people believed their nation was suffering from 'national depression' over their nose-diving economy. The nationwide misery was being caused by soaring unemployment, high taxes and a decline in the quality of healthcare, education and the welfare state, according to the study by pollsters Viavoice. A former Navy SEAL who claims he shot Osama bin Laden has allegedly turned over a photograph he took of the terror leader's corpse and is under investigation over his supposed business links to a military equipment supplier, sources claim. Matthew Bissonnette was under investigation for revealing classified information after writing a book about the Seal Team Six raid he was part of that killed the al-Qaeda mastermind. That probe grew after the retired special forces operative handed over a hard drive which contained an unauthorized picture of bin Laden's dead body to investigators, two sources familiar with the investigation told The Intercept. Officials from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) found documents suggesting Bissonnette had been working as a consultant for a company that was involved in the supply of military equipment to SEAL Team Six, the sources claimed. Scroll down for video Former Navy SEAL Matthew Bissonnette allegedly turned over a photograph of Osama bin Laden's corpse and is under investigation over his supposed business links to a military equipment supplier, sources claim Matthew Bissonnette was under investigation for revealing classified information after writing a book about the raid that killed bin Laden, but that probe is said to have grown Both people who spoke to The Intercept asked to remain anonymous because of the ongoing probe. Investigators are alleged to have found emails showing that Bissonnette's work as a consultant was going on while he was in active service. Federal officials were said to be looking into whether the former SEAL was doing business with companies that supply military gear to SEAL Team 6. One of the people familiar with the case said Bissonnette was involved in procurement so could have contacted suppliers without arousing suspicion. NCIS is reportedly investigating Element Group - a business the former soldier helped set up in Virginia Beach, where SEAL Team 6 is based - which has since shut down. Former SEALs, who spoke to The Intercept on condition of anonymity, said Element Group did business with at least one Defense Department contractor that sold equipment to Team Six. Bissonnette (believed to be pictured) is allegedly being investigated over his business links to military equipment suppliers Dead: Bissonnette claimed he shot bin Laden during the SEAL Team Six raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011 That contractor was said to be Atlantic Diving Supply (ADS). Its website says it provides equipment for homeland security operations, foreign militaries and governments. Among its arsenal of military gear are weapons, hazmat equipment, bomb disposal gear, knives and aerial and submarine drones. Federal investigators are reportedly looking into business deals between ADS and Element Group, with several hundred thousand dollars allegedly sent from the former to the latter. Bisonnette's book, under the pen name Mark Owen, was criticized by fellow SEALs who ascribe to an unwritten code of silence about operations Investigators want to know if Bissonnette was using his position to influence military contracts, according to two sources who spoke to The Intercept. 'Biss was part of the procurement process. It was natural for him to deal with companies making our gear,' one former Navy SEAL said. Bissonnette is said to have recruited four SEALs to work for Element Group, with one of them set to retire from the Navy as a result. The serviceman will be given an honorable discharge and will not face charges. Bissonnette wrote about the deadly raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011 that killed bin Laden in his book No Easy Day. Under the pen name Mark Owen, he claimed he shot the terror leader, however fellow former SEAL Team Six member Robert O'Neill has made similar claims. The book, which was published just months after Bissonnette left the Navy, was criticized by fellow SEALs who ascribe to an unwritten code of silence about operations. He admitted breaking rules which say the Pentagon should review any books former special ops soldiers write before publication, but claimed he was wrongly advised by an attorney, who he later sued. 'During [Bissonnette's] exit, we found out he had other companies and side deals going on. That's when Element Group shut down,' a former SEAL told The Intercept. Bissonnette's attorney Robert Luskin said the classified information investigation was closed last year, but refused to speak about allegations involving the bin Laden photograph or the supposed probe into the former serviceman's business ties. The authorities have sought to stop any photograph of bin Laden's body being made public for national security reasons. Mr Luskin added that his client gave millions of dollars in profits from No Easy Day to the Pentagon. Tony Abbott is expected to run again for his seat at the next election in a bid to regain Prime Ministership. Mr Abbott was reportedly coaxed by his former chief-of-staff Peta Credlin to recontest the seat of Warringah, in Sydney, and hopes to make a similar comeback to past Liberal leaders John Howard and Sir Robert Menzies. Mr Abbott is understood to be 'in mourning' over his leadership loss, but does not wish to accept a diplomatic posting as he is 'quite bitter and resentful,' according to The Daily Telegraph. Scroll down for video Tony Abbott (left) was reportedly coaxed by his former chief-of-staff Peta Credlin (right) to recontest the seat of Warringah and hopes to become Prime Minister for a second time One Liberal MP said it was difficult 'to find a (private sector) job for a former Prime Minister so young,' and therefore he had a chance at regaining a ministry job or even the top spot for a second time. A spokesman for Mr Abbott told the Sydney Morning Herald the former prime minister was 'still considering his future'. On being asked whether he had provided any form of advice to Mr Abbott, former Prime Minister John Howard told the Telegraph he 'didn't care' to comment. Pre-selections opened in the Liberal-held seats on Tuesday and Mr Abbott along with other MPs have until February 19 to make the decision on their future. Controversial Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop is also expected to contest her Mackellar seat in New South Wales at the next federal election. It is understood Mr Abbott (pictured main, in front of Ms Credlin) is 'in mourning,' over his leadership loss, but does not wish to accept a diplomatic posting as he is reportedly 'quite bitter and resentful' Mr Abbott hopes to make a similar comeback to past Liberal leaders John Howard (left) and Sir Robert Menzies (right) A spokesman for the 73-year-old confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald she would contest her seat. Ms Bishop resigned from her position in August amid growing controversy surrounding her use of parliamentary entitlements. This allegedly included spending more than $5,000 to charter a helicopter ride from Melbourne to Geelong so she could attend a Liberal Party fundraiser. Former federal Liberal leader John Hewson has strongly criticised Ms Bishop's decision to run again. 'You'll probably have to carry her out in a box,' he said, The ABC reported. 'She doesn't think she's done anything wrong, she doesn't see that she's been totally discredited or [will] probably go down in history as a poor minister and the most biased speaker of all time.' Controversial Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop (pictured) is also expected to contest her Mackellar seat in New South Wales at the next federal election A koala wearing green and gold sunglasses is set to send social media abuzz this Australia Day. Whether you're celebrating January 26 by swimming at the beach or firing up the barbecue - if it doesn't have an emoji, it didn't happen. And so it comes as no surprise that Twitter unveiled an exclusive Australia Day emoji of the country's iconic marsupial at a launch in Canberra on Tuesday ahead of the national holiday. Available for the first time ever, social media users can tweet using the hashtag #AustraliaDay to automatically generate an image of a koala wearing 'shades'. As Australians brace themselves ahead of the national holiday, Twitter has launched an exclusive emoji Twitter users have taken to the networking platform to express their thoughts on the stylish native animal In response to the latest emoji, social media users have taken to the networking platform to express their thoughts on the stylish native animal. Adam Spence has suggested the koala could be hiding a hangover behind a pair of sunglasses. 'The "official" Australia Day emoji has been launched in Canberra today... it's a Koala trying to hide a hangover.' Mr Spence joked. And so far, the emoji has been met with positive responses from the public as Australians brace themselves ahead of the public holiday. Sonia Morabito posted: 'What to name the new #australiaday emoji, my vote is Bruce!' Saskia Edwards wrote: 'Finally an emoji that articulates the essence of #AustraliaDay.' Camilla Hercus said: 'Because koalas are the cutest Aussie animal. #AustraliaDay.' And Callum Davidson tweeted: 'Staya Day emoji #AustraliaDay. What could be more patriotic that [sic] a koala with sunglasses.' Photographs and messages with the hashtag #AustraliaDay will be collected and displayed in a live exhibition at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra on January 26 The emoji has been met with positive responses as Australians brace themselves ahead of the public holiday The new Australia Day emoji was unveiled at a launch in Canberra on Tuesday ahead of the national holiday Meanwhile, photographs and messages with the hashtag #AustraliaDay will be collected and displayed in a live exhibition at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra on January 26. National Museum of Australia Director Dr Mathew Trinca, said the Tweets will be curated into a live digital exhibition highlighting the diverse ways in which Australians commemorate Australia Day. 'We encourage all Australians to share images of how they mark Australia Day 2016 to provide a permanent visual record of our cultural richness,' Dr Trinca said. 'These images will be stored in a time capsule at the National Museum in perpetuity.' Photographs and messages with the hashtag #AustraliaDay will be collected and displayed in a live exhibition at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra on January 26 Twitter users have taken to social media to test out the new stylish emoji, with some questioning its gender According to Twitter, there has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of #AustraliaDay mentions over the last two years. 'Many Australians will be out and about on 26 January, celebrating the day with friends and family,' Julie Inman Grant, Twitter Director of Public Policy, Australia SE Asia said. 'This is an opportunity for them to be part of a national digital snapshot that captures the great diversity of our nation and just how colourful Australia Day is. 'Whatever you're doing on Australia Day, snap a photo or shoot a video and Tweet it with the hashtag #AustraliaDay to generate the emoji and get your Tweets captured in the Twitter time capsule.' According to Twitter, there has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of #AustraliaDay mentions over the last two years An estimated 31,244 migrants have braved the deadly boat crossing over the Mediterranean Sea to Greece in the first 16 days of this year. The shocking statistic represents 21 times the number of migrants who crossed during the same period in January 2015, according to the International Organisation for Migration. It is expected that the number of new arrivals to Greece is likely to exceed the 853,650 migrants who crossed over to Greece by sea last year. An estimated 31,244 migrants have braved the deadly boat crossing over the Aegean Sea to Greece in the first 16 days of this year Almost half (48%) of the migrants who have made the journey are Syrian nationals, fleeing the longstanding war in their homeland. 607 migrants have been rescued off the Italian coast, with many of the migrants trying to make the sea voyage from Libya. The number of migrants heading to Italy has fallen since 2014, when 170,100 men, women and children managed to cross to Italy. In contrast to the large volume of Syrians crossing to Greece, many of the migrants hoping to reach Italy are African. Nigerian, Eritrean and Somali refugees make up most of the new arrivals. It is expected that the number of new arrivals to Greece is likely to exceed the 853,650 migrants who crossed over to Greece by sea last year The number of migrants heading to Italy has fallen since 2014, when 170,100 men, women and children managed to cross to Italy Children were coming ashore on the Greek island of Lesbos wearing only T-shirts and soaking wet after travelling on unseaworthy rubber dinghies, the charity Save the Children said in a statement Thousands of refugee children travelling along the migration route through Turkey and southeastern Europe are at risk from a sustained spell of freezing weather in the next two weeks, according to the United Nations. The U.N. weather agency said it forecast below-normal temperatures and heavy snowfall in the next two weeks in the eastern Balkan peninsula and the Middle East. 'Many children on the move do not have adequate clothing or access to the right nutrition,' said Christophe Boulierac, spokesman for the U.N. children's agency UNICEF. Asked if children could freeze to death, he told a news briefing: 'The risk is clearly very, very high.' Temperatures were forecast to drop to -20 degrees Celsius in Presevo in Serbia and -13 degrees on the Greek border with Macedonia 607 migrants have been rescued off the Italian coast, with many of the migrants trying to make the sea voyage from Libya The U.N. weather agency said it forecast below-normal temperatures and heavy snowfall in the next two weeks in the eastern Balkan peninsula, Turkey and the Middle East Children were coming ashore on the Greek island of Lesbos wearing only T-shirts and soaking wet after travelling on unseaworthy rubber dinghies, the charity Save the Children said in a statement. 'Aid workers at the border reception centre in Presevo say there is six inches of snow on the ground and children are arriving with blue lips, distressed and shaking from the cold,' it said. It said temperatures were forecast to drop to -20 degrees Celsius in Presevo in Serbia and -13 degrees on the Greek border with Macedonia. Last year children accounted for a quarter of the one million migrants and refugees arriving across the Mediterranean in Europe, Boulierac said. Guilty: NHS scientist Andong Ashu has been convicted of 11 counts of rape and sexual abuse A scientist who worked for the NHS after being granted asylum in Britain abused and rape a young girl while pretending to carry out a medical examination. Andong Ashu faces jail after he was convicted of repeatedly attacking his victim, starting from when she was just 11 years old. A court heard that he paid her to try and stop her speaking out, and said that no one would believe her if she revealed what he had done. Ashu, 45, was originally from Cameroon and travelled to Britain in 2002 before he settled in Manchester. Hull Crown Court heard that he obtained a university degree and started working in NHS laboratories as a scientist. He then abused his position in the health service to carry out bogus medical examinations on his 11-year-old victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons. Ashu attacked the girl in Hull and told her that if she told anyone what had happened they would not believe her because she was 'only a child'. He also paid her an occasional 10 or 20 in a further bid to ensure her silence. However, the victim eventually plucked up the courage to go to the police and expose Ashu as a sex attacker. After he pleaded not guilty, the young girl had to give evidence in court herself to ensure that her tormenter was convicted. Ashu was found guilty of four counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault following a trial which lasted five days. Trial: Ashu was found guilty after a trial at Hull Crown Court, pictured, where his victim gave evidence He collapsed against the front of the dock as the jury verdicts were read out and was assisted by a custody officer. The shamed scientist was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing, when he will face a lengthy prison term. Judge Jeremy Richardson QC thanked the jury for sitting through the 'very unpleasant' sex abuse trial. The reliance of the NHS on staff recruited from overseas has been controversial thanks to high-profile cases such as that of Victorino Chua, a Filipino nurse who murdered two patients at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport. Woolworths has said the hat has since been recalled from stores Australian supermarket chain Woolworths has been slammed for forgetting to put the country's most southern state on a hat being sold for Australia Day. Tasmanians have called the mistake 'offensive' and 'cruel' and were not impressed by the blatant exclusion from the map emblazoned with an Australian flag, reported Channel Seven News. The navy blue cap features the map of Australia, without Tasmania, a union jack and the southern cross embroidered on the front. Scroll down for video Major Australian supermarket chain, Woolworths, has been slammed for forgetting to put the countries most southern state on a hat merchandised for Australia Day The navy blue cap features the map of Australia, without Tasmania, a union jack and the southern cross embroidered on the front A Tasmanian resident told Channel Seven News that the island state 'should be on the map.' 'We're all one country aren't we?' she added. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Woolworths for comment. The supermarket chain told Channel Seven News in a statement that: 'Woolworths is aware of the issue and in the process of withdrawing the product from our supermarket shelves.' The supermarket chain said in a statement that: 'Woolworths is aware of the issue and in the process of withdrawing the product from our supermarket shelves' Social media users questioned the supermarkets ability to understand geography, one user said: 'Can you tell me if Tasmania is a part of Australia or not ... Obviously Tasmania is not by your Australian day hats' Social media users questioned the supermarkets ability to understand geography, one user commenting: 'Hey Woolworths can you tell me if Tasmania is a part of Australia or not ... Obviously Tasmania is not by your Australian day hats.' Posting a picture of a map of Australia to the Woolworths Facebook page, the post went on to say: 'Tisk Tisk Tisk here is a pic of Australia to help. Oh and look down there is TASMANIA ... phew I found it for you.' 'We aren't lost, that was,' added the Facebook user. This isn't the first time the southern most state has been excluded from the Australian map. Tasmania was not featured at all throughout Baz Luhrmann's movie Australia and didn't make the cut for his posters either This comes after Tasmania was left off swimsuits of athletes competing in the Commonwealth games in 2014 Tasmania was not featured at all throughout Baz Luhrmann's movie Australia and didn't make the cut for his posters either. This comes after Tasmania was left off swimsuits of athletes competing in the Commonwealth games in 2014. But this wasn't the first for the Commonwealth Games, when the state was missing from a giant map made by the athletes at the Brisbane opening ceremony in 1982. The 'forgotten state' has also missed its opportunity at snacks shaped like the country, such as Arnott's Australia Day crackers. Acting Tasmania Premier Bryan Green told The Daily Telegraph at the time: 'Some might say that's the way the cookie crumbles.' 'But it would have been nice to see Tasmania receive the recognition it deserves on such an important day,' he added. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump bounced back Monday night from an embarrassing mini-gaffe during a speech to evangelical students, telling a Christian TV interviewer that not even President Ronald Reagan was a nonstop Bible-thumper. 'Ronald Reagan wasn't totally you know, he didn't read the Bible every day, seven days a week. But he was a great president. And he was a great president for Christianity,' Trump told the Christian Broadcasting Network. The Donald also insisted he would be better for conservative Christians than Reagan was. 'I would be a far better leader. I'll be much stronger on borders. I'll be much stronger on protecting the evangelicals,' he said. Trump was digging out from under a botched citation of a New Testament verse Monday morning at Liberty University a moment that betrayed his lack of deep familiarity with the subject while reading a line from the Bible that prominently featured the word 'Liberty.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO RECOVER: Donald Trump told a Christian broadcaster that not even Ronald Reagan was a Biblical scholar, just a day after he botched an out-loud reading of a scripture citation THE DONALD DOES THE BIBLE: Trump pronounced the '2' in '2 Corinthians' as 'two' instead of 'second,' perhaps betraying his lack of familiarity with the routine of Bible study POUNCE: Marco Rubio's faith-based communications guru found the episode grating but fretted that 'it won't matter' in a year where Trump has weathered larger controversies NEW BOY BAND? Liberty University students (L-R) Austin Miller, James Ford, Jeremy Boyd, Josiah O'Boyle and Cody Hildebrand wore home made t-shirts spelling 'TRUMP' to a weekly convocation ceremony at the non-profit, private Christian college 'Two Corinthians, right?' Trump asked the crowd, bungling what Bible-studying Christians would read as 'Second Corinthians.' 'Two Corinthians [chapter] three, [verse] seventeen. Thats the whole ballgame,' he announced: 'Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.' Most modern translations of scripture render that last word as 'freedom,' but Trump was at Liberty University. He took his translation from the more ancient King James Bible. The pair of Corinthians books are the 'first' and 'second' letters St. Paul wrote to the early Christian community in Corinth, Greece, during the years after Jesus' crucifixion. Trump also told CBN that he believes Christianity is 'under siege' around the world. 'You look at Syria where theyre chopping heads off, specifically of Christians, and others. And Christianity is under siege,' he told interviewer David Brody. 'We have to band together,' Trump said. 'We have to become stronger as Christians because its very bad whats happening with respect to Christianity. Were not banded together properly.' 'We have to stick together whether its very, very serious things like whats happening over in the Middle East or things such as "Merry Christmas." You dont see it anymore in department stores. We have to get together and make sure its what we want.' Rival Republican campaigns pounced on Monday after the 'Two Corinthians' goof. EVANGELICAL BASE: Trump is battling with Ted Cruz and others for he heart and soul of faith-oriented voters on the GOP's right wing Brian Phillips, who runs rapid-response communications for Trump's principal challenger, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, tweeted quizzically within seconds: 'What is "Two Corinthians"?' Eric Teetsel, who is in charge of communicating with faith-based groups on behalf of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio another Trump rival was more pointed. '"Two" Corinthians... It won't matter. Nothing seems to matter,' Teetsel wrote on Twitter. If it matters, the Liberty students didn't let on. A few corrected Trump from the audience, where they sat for their weekly required 'convocation' exercises. (Trump's attendance figures set a new record.) Others laughed nervously. But moments later, Trump had them back on side. He had already pledged to be the kind of U.S. president who would govern with an eye toward defending religious liberty. 'We're going to protect Christianity,' he said, promising not to be 'politically correct.' 'We have to unify,' Trump said moments after his goof. 'We have to band together.' HILARITY: Journalists and commentators ripped into Trump for his New Testament goof At one point, an exultant Trump boomed his approval of 'such nice religious people' applauding him. 'I love it!' he gushed. BIG STAGE: Trump's speech set a new attendance record at Liberty, and was streamed to a larger audience online And he treated the students and faculty and an uncountable global audience watching on numerous video livestreams to his stock comparison of the Good Book to his own first best-seller. 'Who has read "The Art of the Deal" in this room?' Trump asked, drawing a smattering of applause. 'Everybody!' he joked, earning appreciative laughter. "The Bible blows them away. Theres nothing like it, the Bible. ... The Bible is the best.' University president Jerry Falwell Jr, whose 'moral majority' crusading father founded the school, heaped praise on Trump in a lengthy introduction, describing him as a charitable businessman who 'has stunned the political world by building an unlikely coalition that crosses all demographic boundaries of age, sex, race, religion and social classes, and all party lines.' 'Donald Trump is a breath of fresh air in a nation where the political establishment from both parties has betrayed their constituencies time and time again with broken promises and a continuation of the status quo,' said Falwell. Describing Liberty as a college on secure enough financial footing to be able to refuse donations that come with objectionable strings attached, he said Trump 'is the only candidate in this national election that can make that same claim.' 'He cannot be bought. He is not a puppet on a string like many other candidates who have wealthy donors as their puppet-masters. And that is a key reason why so many new voters are attracted to him.' EVERYONE'S A COMEDIAN: A Trump supporter showed off an 'Apprentice'-themed shirt before Monday's rally THE JOKES WRITE THEMSELVES: Trump may have a hard time living down the mispronunciation of a Biblical book that's a staple of protestant church services Toward the end of his speech, Trump referred to a pair of hobby-horse issues that are guaranteed crowd pleasers on the political right. 'Common Core, very bad,' Trump said, referring to the national education standards program. 'Second amendment, very good,' he added, making sure not to say 'Two Amendment.' The Donald's Biblical gaffe immediately recalled a moment in 2004 when Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, then the Democrats' presidential front-runner, erred in saying that the book of Job was his favorite in the New Testament. Job, as regular Sunday-schoolers know, is a book in the Hebrew Old Testament. Trump's misstep, while not as serious, drew howls on Twitter from journalists and other political insiders, including one who tweeted that '#TwoCorinthians sounds like it could be a great sitcom.' 'So.. Two Corinthians walk into a bar,' quipped another. 'Trump cites two Corinthians, says he made a solid real estate deal with both of them,' joked a third. Mr Duke's mutilated body was found with more that 20 cuts and punctures The pair had been drinking on Friday night when the fight broke out An Alabama man has been charged with killing his drinking buddy with a Civil War sword replica outside a mobile home in Mississippi. Stanley Pace, 47, allegedly chased his friend down the street armed with the sword before stabbing him friend to death after the two men fought on Friday night during a drinking session. Police say that Pace then dragged the mutilated body - that had more than 20 punctures and cuts - of his victim Ronnie Duke, 43, down the side of the road and covered it up. Charged: Stanley Pace, 47, has been charged with the murder of Ronnie Duke in Monroe County, Mississippi Stabbed: Police said Pace stabbed Mr Duke with a Civil War replica sword and then dragged his body down a steep embankment the next night (file photo) 'He went back the next night, got the body and took it to a garbage dump near Old Highway 6. 'There are no other suspects at this time,' Monroe's County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell told the Monroe Journal. County Coroner Alan Gurley said that Dukes body was found at 12.15pm on Monday down a steep embankment four miles north of Highway 278. The coroner added that Mr Duke sustained the stab wounds early on Saturday morning. Pace was reportedly placed under investigation after Mr Duke was reported missing on Sunday and was held at the Monroe County jail while waiting for arraignment. All the other Republican candidates are running 10 points or more behind Donald Trump and Ted Cruz as the two conservatives continue to have the national momentum less than two weeks before the Iowa caucuses. NBC News and SurveryMonkey's weekly tracking poll has Trump's support standing at 38 percent, while Cruz is receiving 21 percent. Rubio comes in next, at 11 percent, followed by Ben Carson at 8 percent. No other GOP candidate, nationally, has more than 4 percent support. Scroll down for video Donald Trump is way ahead of the pack, according to a new national survey conducted by NBC News and SurveyMonkey. Trump leads with 38 percent of those polled Donald Trump, on his way to Iowa today, took time to tweet the poll results, thanking supporters for the good news Texas Sen. Ted Cruz comes in a strong second, according to the new poll. While he stands at 21 percent, which is 17 points behind Trump, he's a good 10 points ahead of Marco Rubio, who's in third place nationally Trump tweeted a 'thank you' to supporters today for another good poll. The national numbers back up reporting from the Associated Press yesterday, which said that Iowa, where Cruz and Trump are neck-and-neck, and New Hampshire, where Trump is way ahead, are Trump's and Cruz's to lose. The AP reported that the GOP establishment has given up on the idea that one of their candidates will win one of the first two nominating contests. Establishment candidates like Rubio, but also Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, will need a second or third place win in Iowa or New Hampshire to keep the train rolling on the tracks. Especially the latter three, who aren't making much of a dent nationally. It would also be unprecedented in modern times for Republicans to nominate a candidate who didn't win Iowa or New Hampshire, which Cruz and Trump are likely to do, respectively. Since 1976, every Republican or Democratic nominee has won one of those two states, with one exception: Bill Clinton. But establishment Republicans are hoping for just that. They just need a few candidates to drop out first. 'We shouldn't have a whole lotta folks running,' Haley Barbour, the former governor of Mississippi, told the AP. 'The ones who don't do well need to get out of the stinkin' race.' The Associated Press reported that Iowa and New Hampshire, where this Cruz supporter has decorated her face, are Trump's and Cruz's to lose GOP party officials are hoping some of the worse-performing candidates will drop out after Iowa and New Hampshire and before South Carolina, giving voters a chance to coalesce around the strongest establishment voice. 'I don't know how they can convince themselves that they'll be able to go into South Carolina and get something going, having come in a distant third, fourth, fifth place in Iowa and New Hampshire,' Mike Dennehy, a New Hampshire Republican operative, told the Associated Press. 'Especially when you will have two candidates who have been very strong,' Dennehy continued, pointing at Trump and Cruz. Those aligned with the Bush and Kasich campaigns in New Hampshire have been trading calls to see if either candidate plans to drop out, the AP reported, but campaign officials in both camps said they're not being pressured by the party to exit the race before Granite State voters head to the polls. Today's poll was conducted online and 11,579 adults were surveyed, including 10,320 who say they are registered to vote. The poll also found that Democrat Hillary Clinton is leading her small pack, receiving 52 percent of the vote, to Bernie Sanders' 36 percent. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether or not President Barack Obama's executive orders shielding millions of illegal immigrants from deportation are legal, the justices said Tuesday. The Obama administration is already on the losing end of two federal court decisions including a 2-1 spanking by an appeals court panel. The White House needs the nation's highest court to resurrect a pair of 2014 unilateral actions it took with an eye toward sidestepping existing law. Texas is leading 26 states in challenging the immigration plans, which guarantee a pause in deportations of people brought to the U.S. illegally as children, and of many of their parents. Court-watchers expect the nine black-robed jurists to hear oral arguments in April and hand down a decision by the end of June. That would thrust the issue into the middle of an already chaotic presidential election year, potentially giving both major U.S. political parties an issue to rally around. Scroll down for video SHOWDOWN: The Supreme Court will decide this summer whether or not President Obama overstepped his authority by shielding millions of illegal immigrants from deportation over objections from Congress ANGRY: Immigrants rights protesters have backed the Obama administration's efforts to shield illegals from deportation Democrats will hope to generate sufficient outrage to drive Latinos to the polls in record numbers, while Republicans will continue to paint Obama as a lawless radical bent on changing America's makeup by fiat. The court case's central question is whether Obama exceeded his executive authority under the U.S. Constitution by effectively writing immigration law from his desk in the Oval office. The Constitution is silent on the government's power to restrict immigration, but gives Congress the exclusive power 'to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization' covering new citizens. The administration's executive orders were tailored to thread that needle, clearing a path for millions of illegal immigrants to remain in the United States while not putting them on a path to citizenship. If the court rules that the programs violate the Constitution, it could slow down a flood of illegal border crossings and give future presidents new confidence about sweeping initiatives to deport millions. If the White House prevails, though, it would only extend for seven months the window of opportunity Obama gave them. That's because the next president could rescind any existing executive orders with the stroke of a pen, even if they're legal. The Supreme Court case directly concerns only people affected by Obama's second executive order, called 'Deferred Action for Parents of Americans,' an indefinite deportation delay for illegal immigrants whose children were born inside the United States. But the earlier order, 'Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals' which has already granted legal papers and work permits to about 788,000 illegal immigrants could be unworkable if the latter one is struck down. The administration argues that Texas and the other states attached to its lawsuit don't have the right to challenge the plan in federal court. But lower courts decided that Texas does have the right, or standing, to sue because at least 500,000 people living in Texas would qualify for work permits and thus become eligible for driver licenses, the cost of which are subsidized by the state. 'Texas would incur millions of dollars in costs,' the state said in its brief to the Supreme Court. POLITICAL FOOTBALL: Democrats will generate outrage against Republicans if the court rules against the White House The future of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally has been much discussed by Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton has pledged to go further than Obama to protect large groups of immigrants from deportation. Republican candidate Donald Trump has proposed deporting all people who are living in the U.S. illegally, an idea embraced by some GOP candidates and dismissed by others. Obama said he was spurred to act on his own by Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration legislation. An earlier program that is not being challenged, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, shields immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. More than 720,000 young immigrants have been granted permission under that program to live and work legally in the United States. The White House also has shifted its enforcement actions to focus on criminals, those who pose a threat to national security or public safety, and recent border-crossers. The change means that people who are here illegally but who are not otherwise violating the law are less likely to face deportation. About 235,000 people were deported in the federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, according to the Department of Homeland Security. That was the smallest number since 2006 and a 42 percent drop since a record high of more than 409,000 in 2012. A militia leader involved in an armed standoff at an Oregon nature reserve between ranchers and federal authorities said the row has prompted social workers to take away his four foster children. Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum has fostered more than 50 boys in his ranch near Chino in Arizona over the past decade along with his wife Jeanette. However, when he joined the protest at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, officials in Arizona removed the boys, who were being cared for by his wife, from their ranch. Militia leaders Robert 'LaVoy Finicum, pictured, claims Arizona authorities have taken away his foster children Finicum, pictured, is among a group of armed man who have taken over a federal wildlife reserve in Oregon Finicum, right, claims he and his wife have successfully fostered more than 50 children over the past decade He claimed that many of the children he has helped over the past decade have been from mental hospitals, drug rehabilitation and group homes. He told Oregon Public Broadcasting: 'My ranch has been a great tool for these boysIt has done a lot of good.' He said the last of the children was removed from his ranch on January 9. He said: 'They didnt go out at the same time. One was there for a year, one of the boys was there six months, another eight months, and a month. I dont know where they ended up.' He claimed state officials were forced to act under pressure from the federal authorities. He added: 'They were ripped from my wife. We are very successful (foster parents). Our track records are good, its been a good relationship. (Federal authorities) must have gotten to the governor, who told the state to get them out of there.' The family received the children from Catholic Charities Community Services in Arizona. In 2009, the Finicums received $115,343 to care for foster children. The armed men have taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Headquarters in Harney County, Oregon Finicum, pictured, claims state officials were forced into acting after Federal authorities pressurised them Police in Oregon have arrested one of the men involved in a standoff after he drove a government-owned truck to a store in Burns. Kenneth Medenbach, 62, of Crescent was arrested by Oregon State Police for unauthorised use of a vehicle. He is accused of taking the truck which is believed to be owned by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The occupation started January 2 as a protest over two area ranchers who had been convicted of arson being returned to prison to serve longer sentences. Afterward, a group led by Ammon Bundy traveled to occupy the refuge to protest the ranchers' return to prison and demand that the 300-square-mile refuge be turned over to local control. Two grandparents and their two-year-old twin grandchildren have been killed in a fire that ripped through their home overnight, officials have said. Samson Omogbo, 63, and wife Caroline, 55, were found dead inside the house in Washington DC, while twins Anna and Israel Omijie were pulled out with critical injuries but died later in hospital. Officials said there were seven people in the home when the fire started at around 2am, including the mother of the twins, who escaped with non-life-threatening injuries by leaping from an upstairs window. Grandparents Samson Omogbo, 63, and wife Caroline, 55, died after a fire broke out at this rented property in Washingon DC at around 2am, fire crews said Twins Anna and Israel Omijie, two, were pulled from the blaze with severe injuries but later died in hospital. Their mother, who has not been named, survived by jumping from an upstairs window Two other people escaped from the property unharmed, Prince Georges County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor told the Washington Post. Bashoor said that the cause of the fire at the rented home was not believed to be suspicious, but added that investigations are still ongoing. Bashoor said there was no sign of a smoke detector inside the rented property and questioned whether it would have made the difference between life and death for those inside. Around 20 firefighters and medics were called to the property just after 2am to find members of the family in the street telling rescuers that people were still trapped inside. Fire chief Marc Bashoor said that the cause of the fire is not believed to be suspicious, adding that there was no smoke detector inside the property (pictured before the blaze) By that point flames were already visible in the first and second floors of the home, rescuers said. Bashoor said crews were 'aggressive' in battling the flames, but were hampered by overnight lows of 16F which caused ladders and hoses to freeze. Despite the difficulties, he said crews were able to reach those inside 'pretty quickly', but said their injuries were 'severe'. Damage to the property is estimated to be around $250,000, Bashoor added, with images showing the blown-out windows and severe smoke damage to the outside. North Korean scientists claims to have invented an alcoholic beverage that does not leave you with a hangover. Koryo Liquor is a spirit distilled from rice wine and fermented ginseng root, and despite an ABV of 43 per cent, is supposedly hangover free. North Korean media claims the 'brandy' is a result of several years work by state food scientists, adding that Koryo Liquor is 'highly appreciated by experts and lovers' Chin chin Kim! North Korean scientists claim to have distilled a spirit which does not cause hangovers Kim Jong-Un's state scientist' have reportedly been able to distil the miracle spirit by using rice rather than sugar during the fermentation process. 'Koryo Liquor, which is made of six-year-old Kaesong Koryo insam [ginseng], known as being highest in medicinal effect, and the scorched rice,' the Pyongyang Times reported. The 86-proof spirit is 'highly appreciated by experts and lovers as it is suave and causes no hangover,' according to the paper, referring to the beverage as 'the elixir of life'. However, unfortunately for Kim Jong-Un, the claims of a 'hangover free booze' has been widely ridiculed by experts. 'Overconsumption of any form of alcoholic beverage will cause a hangover,' drinks historian and Sipsmith's master distiller Jared Brown tells MailOnline. 'Studies have shown this can vary somewhat based on the congener (impurity) levels, but too many the night before will inevitably lead to pain on the morning after. ' Ginning at life: Koryo Liquor is distilled from rice wine and ginseng root, and despite an ABV of 43 per cent, is supposedly hangover free Bold claims: Makers of Kaesong Koryo Insam[ginseng] Liquor claims it has won prices world wide and is loved by drinkers all around the globe, despite the spirit not being available on international markets Kaesong Koryo Insam[ginseng] Liquor has been produced in North Korea for several years, and it would not be the first time it is connected to outlandish claims. The makers of the spirit - the state-run Taedonggang Foodstuff Factory - claim Koryo Liquor 'is good for health as it helps promote appetite, relieve fatigue speedily and give vigour.' The spirit's label goes on to add that Koryo Liquor 'won the world-wide recognition as a superior quality liquor at international commodity fairs held in Leipzig, Germany, Plovdiv, Bulgaria and other countries as well as liquor competitive exhibitions.' Strike comes after RAF drone used Brimstone missiles for the first time The US-led coalition has delivered another devastating blow against ISIS's grip in Iraq with a RAF drone killing several jihadis with a pinpoint strike on a key military building. Video footage from the drone has been released by the Ministry of Defence, with the grainy film showing the deadly impact of the direct hit. The drone strike took place near the Iraqi city of Samarra, where ISIS have been trying to gain ground in Iraq following the loss of Ramadi. Scroll down for video: Pinpoint accuracy: The drone footage shows how the RAF honed in on their target from a distance Devastating: The moment of impact as the building burst into flames after being hit by the missile Flying over the building, the drone can be seen firing off a single missile at the building. Upon impact, the building crumbles, causing a great plume of smoke to rise up from the damage. Little is left of the building as a large fireball erupts from the walled compound site in the Iraqi desert. The footage also shows several cars being destroyed in a RAF drone strike in Anbar province, according to the Daily Mirror. The news comes after an RAF aircraft carried out four missions against ISIS in Syria on 10 January, using hi-tech Brimstone missiles in the country for the first time. The attacks targeted an ISIS vehicle and tunnels near the town of Raqqa, as well as the Omar oilfield in the east of the country near the border with Iraq, said Downing Street. Hovering over head, the drone can be seen targeting a building near the Iraqi city of Samarra Immediate death: The drone's missile crashes into the building, exploding on impact The news comes after an RAF aircraft carried out four missions against ISIS in Syria on 10 January, using hi-tech Brimstone missiles in the country for the first time The attacks targeted an IS vehicle and tunnels near the town of Raqqa, as well as the Omar oilfield in the east of the country near the border with Iraq, said Downing Street Brimstone is a 'fire-and-forget' radar-guided precision weapon which can be used against moving targets. Prime Minister David Cameron described it as the kind of UK asset which would make a 'meaningful difference' to the coalition's battle against ISIS. The spokeswoman said that the choice of the Brimstone missile to target militants was an operational one. Britain's greater involvement in carrying out strikes in Syria and Iraq comes as Philip Hammond revealed that 600 Britons have been stopped from going to try to join ISIS and other jihadist groups. Some 800 have made it through since 2012, with half of them still thought to be inside the war-torn country, he said. 'Approximately 800 Brits have been to Syria, of whom half are still there. But on top of that 800, we have stopped another 600,' he said, on a visit to southern Turkey. Deadly: Exposed and out in the open, the vehicle stood little chance once the drone appeared in the sky No escape: The drone strike latches on to its target, which appears to have been given little in the way of cover Eradicated: Several jihadists are thought to have been killed in the pinpoint strike on the building The boss behind the reinvention of the new Top Gear series featuring Chris Evans has quit her role as controller of BBC Two and BBC Four, it was revealed today. Kim Shillinglaw, 47, is leaving and her post will be closed, with Charlotte Moore - who was behind the commissioning of The Great British Bake Off - becoming the new controller of BBC TV and iPlayer. The pair had vied to take control of the 1billion-plus budget for the broadcaster's main television channels. There had been claims that married mother-of-two Miss Shillinglaw had been meddling in the new series featuring Evans, after she had previously admitted she was 'terrified' at him taking the lead. Changes: Kim Shillinglaw (left) is leaving her post at the BBC and it will be closed, with Charlotte Moore (right) who is behind the commissioning of The Great British Bake Off - the new controller of BBC TV and iPlayer Chris Evans and The Stig: The BBC has insisted filming of the new series of the hit motoring show Top Gear is going ahead as planned, despite reports suggesting that it may not be ready for its launch in May Her departure comes as the BBC insisted filming of the new series of the hit motoring show is going ahead as planned, despite reports suggesting that it may not be ready for its launch in May. Miss Shillinglaw, who earns an annual salary of 227,800 at the corporation, said today: I wish the BBC, Mark [Linsey] and Charlotte every success with the many changes BBC TV needs to make. Ive loved modernising BBC Two and Four over the last two years but when you dont get the big job its time to move on. And Im looking forward to another big challenge. She will leave the BBC within the next six months, with the maximum redundancy payout of 150,000. She was tight-lipped about her next move, but sources said she had several job offers. As well as Miss Shillinglaw being tasked with the relaunch after Jeremy Clarkson left Top Gear, BBC Two also recently announced that Robot Wars would be returning after a 13-year absence. And speaking at a Bafta event in April last year, she was quoted by the Guardian as saying that BBC Two needed fresh ideas and renewal right across the landscape of the schedule. On paper, the two women have similar credentials: they were both born in 1969, studied history, and married men in their industry before settling in Shepherds Bush, West London. In reality, however, they cut very different figures. Miss Shillinglaw, 47, is the more divisive. She collects animal bones, wears leather jackets and speaks in plain English instead of BBC-speak, according to sources. She famously described her viewers as punks at heart, even though their average age is over 60. Shes brave, direct and insightful, said Jay Hunt, director of television at Channel 4. Miss Hunt, who was controller of BBC1 until 2010, added: I thought shed be a great channel controller one day. It seems a shame that we will now not get to see what she would have made of BBC2. Shes not had time to make her mark. New host: Evans (left) is taking over Top Gear from Jeremy Clarkson (right) whose job presenting the hit BBC motoring programme ended following a fracas with a producer However, others paint Miss Shillinglaw as a sharp-elbowed micro-manager, and blame her for the unravelling of Top Gear. Miss Shillinglaw was in charge of reinventing the show following Jeremy Clarksons departure, but insiders claim she has been meddling, sparking a series of bust-ups and prompting its production chief to quit. Miss Moore is a favourite of director-general Lord Tony Hall, partly thanks to the success of programmes such as Poldark and Great British Bake Off. Some tip her as a director-general the first woman in that role. However, friends say she is keen to return to programme-making at some point, rather than climbing relentlessly up the corporate ladder. The BBC will not disclose her new salary until later this year, but Lord Hall said the shake-up would help the corporation save money. When Miss Moore takes up her new post later this month, it will be the first time in 50 years that the BBC has not had controllers for its two main channels. Last August, Miss Shillinglaw said she was 'really excited' about the next series of the hit motoring show with Evans as host - which she added would be 'really different'. CV: KIM SHILLINGLAW Age : 47 Salary : 227,800 Personal life : Married to TV producer Steve Condie, 51, with two children Education : Holland Park Comprehensive in West London and Oxford University Current job : BBC Two and BBC Four controller, responsible for 'creative and strategic direction since April 2014 Previous role : BBC commissioning editor for science and natural history Former workplaces : Observer Films, ITV, Channel 4, BBC News, Newsnight Miss Shillinglaw, who was part of the team behind the first series of Horrible Histories, has also become known for Wolf Hall, Meet the Ukippers and the Great Pottery Throw Down. She has also been credited with pushing more edgy documentaries such as Britains Jihadi Brides and getting more science on BBC TV. But more controversially, she has also been working on the new Top Gear, amid claims by an insider that her 'reputation as a meddler' had seen her become a bit of a nightmare'. Miss Shillinglaw, who met her husband while working on Newsnight, is expected to consider where she will work next during her six-month notice period at the corporation. Advertisement CV: CHARLOTTE MOORE Age : 47 Job : BBC One controller, responsible for 'strategy' since June 2013 Salary : 264,000 (total remuneration 268,800) Personal life : Married with two children Education : Bristol University Previous role : Acting controller of BBC daytime television Former workplace s : IWC Media, Ideal World Productions, BBC Documentaries Mrs Moore held - and will still hold - one of the most important posts in British TV, and is now responsible for the 1billion budget for all the corporations TV channels. She is known for being the brains behind the commissioning of The Great British Bake Off, but also attracted scorn in 2014 for spending six nights at luxury Los Angeles hotel Sunset Marquis at a cost of almost 1,200. Mrs Moore was staying there for the LA Screenings where hundreds of top TV buyers from across the world arrive in California to watch the US networks' new shows and potentially buy the international rights to them. The corporation said at the time that 'value for money is always a priority'. Mrs Moore joined the BBC in 2006, having worked in independent production since the 1990s. Advertisement Speaking in front of an audience at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, the chief from West London also said that Clarkson's controversial departure from Top Gear was 'very, very sad'. When asked about the new series with Evans at the helm, Miss Shillinglaw said she was 'so excited and of course terrified', adding: 'You don't quite know what's going to happen next. Changes for the next series include the track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey being 'super-sized'. Miss Shillinglaw also said that she will always be 'fond' of Clarkson and his former co-stars James May and Richard Hammond, adding: 'For me, I think it was a very sad episode in lots of ways. Clarksons job presenting the show ended last year after he punched show producer Oisin Tymon. Clarkson is currently filming a new motoring show for Amazon Prime alongside May and Hammond. This week May accused the BBC of double standards after it aired a celebration of the years in which Clarkson fronted Top Gear only months after he was sacked. May said it was also unfair on Evans to air the two-part Christmas special. He told Radio Times: The BBC may have ruled me out, but I dont rule out the BBC. I was surprised they showed lots of Top Gear compilations over Christmas. I thought, Oh, so now theyre celebrating us, but I also thought its harsh on Chris Evans. Fresh material: Clarkson is currently filming a new motoring show for Amazon Prime alongside his former co-stars James May (left) and Richard Hammond (right) It was also claimed this week that the relaunch has stalled, but a BBC spokesman denied there were problems, insisting: Filming on Top Gear continues as planned and on schedule. Pictures published last weekend appeared to show Evans looking unwell, wearing a white helmet and holding his glasses as he was bent over on the track, watched by the show's crew. A report in The Sun claimed Evans felt ill after a fast drive in an Audi R8 V10 with his rumoured co-presenter Sabine Schmitz in California. Last week, former F1 driver David Coulthard was confirmed as a presenter for Channel 4's F1 coverage, ending speculation he had been set to join the BBC Two presenting team with Evans. When you dont get the big job its time to move on. And Im looking forward to another big challenge Kim Shillinglaw, controller of BBC One and Four In December, reports suggested motoring journalist Chris Harris would be joining the presenting line-up. There was also news of the exit of executive producer Lisa Clark. She said she was leaving Top Gear after five months on the show, insisting she was moving on to new projects, and adding: I'd like to wish production all the very best with the show. The BBC issued a statement thanking her for her incredible work for the last five months readying new Top Gear for its busy filming schedule in 2016 and planned return in May. At the Television Critics Association winter press tour in California last week, Evans admitted rebuilding the show, which makes 150million a year for the BBC, has been a baptism of fire. Meanwhile Mrs Moore, who currently earns 268,800 as the head of BBC One, will become the new controller of TV channels and iPlayer - a newly created role that is part of a wider reorganisation across the corporation. The role will see Mrs Moore - who brought Mary Berrys Bake Off to BBC One - take the creative, editorial and strategic lead for BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. She said: Im honoured to lead the BBCs channel portfolio into the future at such a significant time. The creative opportunities this new approach brings will ensure the BBC keeps pace with our rapidly changing media industry. It is more important than ever for audiences and programme makers that we have a clearly defined sense of purpose for each channel to ensure we deliver even higher quality and more distinctive content. She will now effectively be responsible for about 1billion of licence fee money decision-making, according to the Guardian. Mrs Moore will report to the acting director of television, Mark Linsey and will start her new remit on January 25. Mr Linsey said the role would allow her to take a view across channels to drive distinctiveness, quality and risk-taking even further, whilst offering a single point of contact for programme makers and ensuring audiences get the best programmes, however and wherever they choose to watch. During one of her earlier roles as the BBCs commissioning editor of documentaries, she was behind successful documentaries such as Terry Prachetts Choosing To Die - which dealt with assisted suicide. Banned: Lynda Howard has been given a restraining order which stops her seeing her son Martin Felton A middle-aged woman has been banned from contacting her adult son after she was accused of stalking him in the wake of a bitter divorce. Lynda Howard, 57, has been told she must not see her 24-year-old son Martin Felton after a court order was imposed. The mother was charged with stalking her son, but the charge was dismissed after she agreed to accept a restraining order. Guildford Crown Court heard that Mr Felton told his mother he did not want to see her again nearly a decade ago after she separated from his father. However, Howard continued to pester her son, who is believed to be a musician, despite being given a warning on a previous occasion. She turned up at his home, contacted him online, phoned his father's office and even turned up at a railway station in a bid to see him. Peter Pride, prosecuting, said: 'The case involves a sad breakdown of family history. The Crown says that, as per the complainant's statement, this has been going on since he was aged 15 years. 'It begins with a breakdown in the relationship between the defendant and her then-husband. As a knock-on effect there was a breakdown in the relationship between Ms Howard and her son. 'Thereafter there were efforts by the defendant mother to contact the son. He makes it perfectly clear he no longer wished to have contact with her. 'The defendant was given a warning by the police in Warwickshire and she was in breach of that following efforts by her to contact the complainant including on social media, attending his address and telephoning his father's work place. 'She also attended Esher train station in Surrey where there were short efforts to make contact with him and, the Crown says, with clear knowledge that those efforts were unwanted by the son. 'This has had a substantial and adverse effect on his day-to-day being.' Kevin Barry, defending, said that although Howard had begun trying to contact her son when he was 17, she had not pestered him in the past 16 months. Order: The restraining order was imposed by a judge sitting at Guildford Crown Court The mother, from Sevenoaks in Kent, was acquitted of stalking after accepting the restraining order as a way to end the long-running family feud. Judge Rajeev Shetty said that the order could be overturned in future if Mr Felton decides that he would like to see his mother. Speaking to Howard directly, he said: 'You have been acquitted of the charge, but I do make a restraining order which is agreed between the parties. 'It is truly sad to hear of such animosity between you and your son. What I can say is that he obviously feels any attempt to contact him or approach him is not good for his well-being. 'It is a very sad and desperate state of affairs, but your son is an adult and his wishes must be accepted by you. This may be hard for you to stomach. 'I am satisfied that there have been numerous persistent unreciprocated efforts by you to get back into his life and that must now stop. A homeless man who fundraisers paid for to stay in a hotel so he could have a 'nice, warm Christmas' has escaped with a fine after trashing the room and causing 1,000 worth of damage. Lewis Holley stayed at the Ibis Hotel in Crawley, West Sussex over the festive period thanks to Louise Elliott, 32, and her friend Becky Mcsorley, who launched a Facebook appeal to pay for him, his girlfriend Stacey and their dog Bonnie to stay in warmer surroundings. But the room was left in a 'total mess' at the end of their stay, with cigarette burns in the carpet, the window smashed and the TV ripped from the wall. It later emerged the couple had also tried to cut the 10-day stay short after just one night, asking staff if they could check out on Christmas Day and receive 576 in cash instead of the remaining nine nights. A court fined 43-year-old Lewis Holley, pictured here sleeping rough, a quarter of the cost of the damage caused to the hotel room Good deed: Louise Elliott, far right, and her friend Becky Mcsorley, far left, launched a Facebook campaign to pay for Lewis Holley and his girlfriend Stacey, pictured together centre, to stay at a hotel over Christmas Following a police investigation, Holley, of no fixed address, was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage to property. A 32-year-old woman from Crawley was also arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage to property, but released without charge. During a hearing at Crawley Magistrates' Court on Monday, the 43-year-old Holley plead guilty and was fined 120, including a 20 victim surcharge and 85 costs. After learning of the damage, Miss Elliott, who has five sons, took to Facebook to 'apologise to anyone that donated to help these people', adding 'to say I am disappointed is an understatement'. Miss Elliott, from Reigate, Surrey, said she and Miss Mcsorley decided to raise money for Mr Holley, known as Piper, after organising a collection of clothes to donate to homeless people in London. Friends and neighbours suggested raising money for a cause closer to home, and a number suggested helping 'Piper', a well-known figure in Crawley, because he was 'so nice'. Destroyed: It took hotel staff more than two hours to clear all of the rubbish from the hotel room after the stay Damage: The hotel room window was smashed during the 10-night stay and will now need to be replaced Miss Elliott said that when she first approached the couple they were overwhelmed by the offer, saying they were 'so grateful' and that it would be an 'amazing' opportunity. She posted an appeal on Facebook in the week before Christmas and within five days had raised 640. One woman donated 120 and two of Miss Elliott's children each put 10 of their birthday money towards the fund, determined to give back to others over Christmas. The money was far more than she had expected and was enough to pay for 10 nights in the hotel. 'When I went to tell them, they were over the moon,' Miss Elliott said. 'Stacey was crying she was so happy. And we all felt good.' She dropped the couple off at the hotel where another friend had organised a hamper for Mr Holley, Stacey and Bonnie to enjoy. She even included non-alcoholic wine as the couple said they didn't drink. Miss Elliott said: 'We felt really good. We thought we had done such a good thing because it was cold and it was rainy and they were sleeping in a tent.' Ripped from the wall: The couple pulled the TV from the hotel room wall, pictured, and cracked the screen Place to stay: Miss Elliott said she wanted the couple to have a 'nice, warm Christmas' at the hotel, pictured She started to think something was wrong when the couple texted her while she was on her way to collect them from the hotel on January 2. They said they had made their own way back into town but they were once again sleeping rough as 'someone had stolen their tent'. Wary they might want more money, Miss Elliott stayed away. It wasn't until January 5, when Miss Elliott was on holiday with her children in Disneyland Paris, that the hotel contacted her to tell her the couple had caused some 1,000 in damages. The window was badly cracked and has to be replaced, someone had tried to rip the TV off the wall and the carpet was so badly damaged it needs to be replaced. The mattress was also 'left in a state' and the couple had taken the duvet. It took two members of staff two hours to clear all the rubbish out of the room. Miss Elliott said: 'The hotel phoned and said "we just want you to know what happened. We are not chasing damages" and my heart just sank. 'I thought, "oh my God. What have they done? How could they do that?" It is just unreal.' Thoughtful: One of Miss Elliott's friends even prepared a hamper for the couple and their dog to enjoy Festive cheer: Food and drink was left for the couple in another act of kindness by Miss Elliott and her friends The neither of the mobile numbers Miss Elliott had for the couple worked but she encouraged the hotel to pursue the matter with the police. 'I just felt so angry and so bad for the hotel staff,' she added. Miss Elliott said that the experience has taught her 'you can't take anyone's word' and that 'she won't do anything like this again'. Adding it was worse because it was 'other people's money at such an important time of year'. She said: 'We feel like fools. It was the time of year for goodwill and generosity. 'So many kind people went out their way to try and do something nice at Christmas but it has turned into a nightmare. I am so sorry for the people who gave money.' Libyans forced to live under ISIS have told of their fear they will be wrongly convicted of sorcery in staged witchcraft trials and brutally beheaded. ISIS has become notorious for its sickening executions in Iraq and Syria of anyone performing what it believes to be 'black magic', an art condemned as questioning the existence of Allah. But the terror group's death squads are now meting out similar punishments across Libya after establishing a stronghold in Colonel Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte. One Libyan elder, who fled Sirte six months ago, told how his friend was executed simply for practising homeopathy and acupuncture. A man accused of sorcery is beheaded by an ISIS executioner near Benghazi in Libya in pictures released last year. Libyans forced to live under ISIS have told of their fear they will be wrongly convicted of sorcery in staged witchcraft trials since the terror group seized swathes of territory over the last year Haaji Mohammed showed The Daily Telegraph a video of two men being beheaded by an jihadi with a four-foot scimitar after being accused of sorcery. Referring to one of the victims, he said: 'I know that man personally. He is not a witch, he is just an alternative healer who does homeopathy and acupuncture. He was wrongly accused.' Mr Mohammed, whose son was killed fighting ISIS, is now living in the nearby Misrata along with 5,000 other Sirte residents. But the city is also under which is also under siege from the fanatics and he fears suffering a similar fate if he is captured. The media branch of ISIS has previously released images of several executions in Syria and Iraq of individuals found guilty of performing 'black magic.' Street performers, entertaining young children and passersby have been put to death for crimes of magic and sorcerers. Optical illusions and other basic magic tricks are considered strictly forbidden and a form of black magic, an art condemned as questioning the existence of Allah. Last year, ISIS's Libyan franchise, released their first images of a sorcerer being beheaded in the province of Barqah. Forced into wearing a grisly orange boiler suit, the man was forced to confess his alleged 'crimes' and accept his death sentence. One of the images released as evidence of his guilt included a manuscript, covered in hand written Arabic in blue ink. The document is alleged to be some sort of spell or proof of black magic. Capital punishment: Street performers, entertaining young children and passersby have been put to death for crimes of magic and sorcerers, an art condemned as questioning the existence of Allah ISIS also released photos of a magician being decapitated in the Iraqi province of Salahuddin. A close up image of the man's broken body shows a broken bag full of prayer beads lain near his body. ISIS claim the beads are trinkets and charms, a form of black magic condemned by the jihadi group as an act of blasphemy. The terror group has been able to capture swathes of territory in Libya in large part due the ongoing civil war which has left it with two opposing governments. But a Libyan unity government was finally formed today under a UN-brokered deal aimed at ending years of bloodshed, but it was unclear whether the leaders have wide support from the warring sides. World powers are appealing to the country's rival parliaments to back the new administration to end political paralysis that has provided fertile ground for jihadists and people-smugglers. But less than half of the members of the two parliaments signed up to the UN-sponsored agreement last month. The unity government, headed by businessman Fayez al-Sarraj, who was named prime minister-designate under the UN-sponsored accord, comprises 32 ministers, the administration announced on its Facebook page. 'I congratulate Libyan people & Presidency Council on formation of Govt. of National Accord,' UN envoy Martin Kobler wrote on Twitter. He urged the country's internationally recognised parliament, the House of Representatives, to 'promptly convene' and endorse the unity government. There was no immediate reaction from the country's two legislatures. Kobler, a veteran German diplomat, became UN special envoy for Libya in November, taking on his predecessor Bernardino Leon's task of brokering a unity government. Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Gaddafi. A militia alliance including Islamists overran Tripoli in August 2014, establishing its own government and parliament and causing the internationally recognised administration to flee to the country's remote east. German police are hunting for three veteran far-left militants for attacking money vans with machine guns and a grenade-launcher, apparently seeking to pay for their retirements on the run. Police found DNA matching that of the fugitives of the disbanded Red Army Faction (RAF) at the scene of a botched armed robbery last June, and prosecutors also linked the three to a similar attack last December. Two men and one woman have been wanted for decades as members of the anti-capitalist RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, which rocked Germany with a wave of bombings, killings and kidnappings targeting political and business leaders from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Police are hunting for three far left militants who are thought to have carried out the bungled raid on a security van in Germany and are members of the Red Army Faction. They are thought to be Burkhard Garweg, left, Ernst-Volker Wilhelm Staub, centre and Daniela Klette. The police have released images of how the three fugitives, who are now aged 47, 61 and 57, may look today The scene shortly after the Baader-Meinhof gang attacked the US Rhine Main airbase in August 1985 The three suspects - Ernst-Volker Staub, 61, Burkhard Garweg, 47, and Daniela Klette, 57 - were also chief suspects in a 1999 money transporter heist in the western city of Duisburg which netted more than one million Deutschmarks, or about 500,000 euros ($545,000). Last year, according to prosecutors, they were apparently at it again, starting with a failed robbery on June 6. In the attack, three masked assailants armed with two AK-47s and a grenade-launcher opened fire on a money van near the northern city of Bremen. Police said the attackers used a vehicle to block the security van that was carrying about one million euros and may have used a jamming device to disable the mobile phone communications of the two guards. The assailants fled without any cash when the security guards locked themselves inside the armoured vehicle, and no one was injured. The Red Army Faction (RAF), also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, rocked Germany with a wave of bombings, killings and kidnappings targeting political and business leaders from the 1970s to the early 1990s A wanted poster for several alleged members of the Baader-Meinhof gang, dated October 1993 'There is no evidence to suggest... a terrorist background,' said the Lower Saxony state prosecutors about the June attack. 'Rather it must be presumed the crime aimed to help finance their underground lives.' There was also 'suspicion because of fresh results of investigations' that the three were involved in a third attack on a cash transporter, last December 28 in the central city of Wolfsburg, said federal prosecutors in Karlsruhe. 'There are parallels in the execution of the crime and the evidence,' Wolfsburg prosecution spokesman Klaus Ziehe told AFP, adding that DNA checks were ongoing. The three are among a wider group of fugitives still on the run for membership of the RAF, which emerged out of the radicalised fringe of the 1960s student protest movement. The group, which had links to Middle Eastern militant organisations, declared itself disbanded in 1998. Deadly: Moments after a Baader-Meinhof gang terror attack, the burnt out remains of a car lie on the street The group, which had links to Middle Eastern militant organisations, declared itself disbanded in 1998 Staub, Garweg and Klette, alleged member's of the RAF's so-called 'third generation', have long been wanted as chief suspect in a 1993 explosives attack against a prison under construction in Hesse state. In the attack, five RAF members climbed the prison walls, tied up and took away the guards in a van, then returned to set off explosions that caused about 600,000 euros worth of property damage, said prosecutors. A film exploring disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner's 2013 bid for mayor of New York City and premiering Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival provides a remarkable, behind-the-scenes look at a creative and political gamble that badly backfired. The politician, who resigned from Congress in 2011 after revelations that he sent lewd text messages to women and was then hit with a second scandal during his New York mayoral run two years later, is shown as a panicked, erratic candidate who appears to have badly miscalculated the wisdom of allowing unfettered access. The 90-minute documentary - produced with Weiner's cooperation - also features his wife, Huma Abedin, a longtime top aide to current Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton. Abedin fares significantly better, demonstrating a 'steely calm' in the face of repeated indiscretions by her husband, according to The New York Times, which saw an exclusive preview. Scroll down for videos Huma Abedin and husband Anthony Weiner in New York last April Weiner in 2011 admitted sending inappropriate photos and text messages to as many as six women before and after his wedding to Abedin. He identified himself by the nickname 'Carlos Danger' Weiner arriving at Huff Post Live studios in New York in an undated photo According to a Times report on the film, Weiner 'provides an unfettered look at the implosion of Mr. Weiners mayoral campaign and a wrenching inside account of the couples interactions in the aftermath of his second explicit texting scandal'. The report describes several 'juicy moments' about Weiner in the film, including even a spur-of-the-moment escape from the rear of a McDonald's restaurant to avoid interacting with a woman with whom he had sent inappropriate texts. Abedin remains a close confidante of Clinton - who has endured her own share of humiliation over her husband's misconduct. The film captures Abedin at the height of her time as one of the top staffers at the State Department and before Clinton's presidential campaign. She is shown at a humiliating press conference standing alongside Weiner to say she has forgiven him but also as a brutally honest spouse at other times such as a moment in an elevator when she glances at Weiner and says, 'I'm not wild about those pants.' Abedin also comes across as a cold calculator at times. The film shows one moment when a young campaign staffer is about to leave the couple's New York apartment, only to have Abedin say, 'Just a quick optics thing? I assume those photographers are still outside. So, you will look happy?' At another moment, the Times report says, the couple is shown in a small office asking associates for campaign donations, with Abedin using a 'sweet voice' and asking, 'How was the engagement? I want all the details.' Minutes later, she hangs up and tells Weiner in a flat tone, 'His wife is going to max out, and hell try to raise another five.' Weiner appears enthusiastic for redemption - especially from Abedin. Asked at one point if Abedin wanted him to re-enter politics, Weiner says 'she did,' going on to explain, 'She was very eager to get her life back that I had taken from her,' referring to the first sexting scandal in 2011. Weiner exchanged a long series of texts with a woman named Sydney Leathers, who eventually went public with them A note Weiner sent to Leathers Weiner's texts to Leathers occurred after he resigned from Congress for a first instance of sending inappropriate messages The showing of the film at the Sundance this Sunday is bad timing for Clinton's campaign. especially on the heels of the release of 13 Hours, the Hollywood account of the Sept. 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. Clinton was secretary of state at the time - and Huma was at her side. GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump has been making hay on the campaign trail over Bill Clinton's sexual misconduct, and recently rented out a movie theater in Des Moines to show free screenings of the movie - a week and a half before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses. Hillary Clinton does not directly appear in the movie, only in news footage. But Abedin is front-and-center throughout the film, portrayed as the would-be savior for her husband's political prospects. Abedin has come under scrutiny from congressional Republicans over her actions at the State Department, ranging from questions about personal billing and vacation practices to her influence on the agency as well as the Clinton family's charity, the Clinton Foundation. Weiner is scheduled for release in movie theaters on May 20, as well as a television premiere on Showtime in October. According to the Times report, Abedin and Weiner have asked to see the movie before its release, but have been refused. Both Abedin and a Clinton campaign spokesperson declined to comment to the newspaper. The film was directed by a former Weiner chief of staff, Josh Kriegman, who led his district office in 2005 and 2006. Embarrassing for De Blasio who was ridiculed in scathing Uber ad campaigns over summer Mayor Bill de Blasio has buried his head in the sand after his $2 million investigation into Uber failed to prove his theory that the ride-sharing app has driven up congestion in New York City. The report, quietly released over the holiday weekend, is the climax of a bitter and public dispute between De Blasio and Uber over the mayor's attempt to put a cap on the number of drivers the company could license. De Blasio funneled thousands of dollars into the report in a desperate attempt to prove his theory that more Uber drivers meant more congestion in Manhattan. However, in an embarrassing own-goal for the beleaguered mayor, the report concluded Uber has nothing to do with the recent increase in traffic below 60th Street. Scroll down for video Mayor Bill de Blasio (pictured on a march on Martin Luther King Day) has buried his head in the sand after his $2 million Uber report failed to prove his theory that the app has driven up congestion in New York City In fact, investigators found road construction commissioned by De Blasio's city officials was the real cause of congestion, as well as a recent surge in Manhattan's population and the number of tourists that flock to Midtown. Uber, the report said, merely caters to increased demand as yellow taxi drivers appear to be avoiding the area. Burying the embarrassing result over the holiday weekend, De Blasio's office released a short statement saying he will work with city officials to draw up 'comprehensive proposals' for the taxi industry. De Blasio was the focus of a series of fierce ad campaigns Uber rolled out over summer, condemning his attempts to cap the number of drivers. In July, the firm debuted a new feature on their app titled 'DE BLASIO'. When selected, it brought up an extortionate wait time of 25 minutes, with the message: 'This is what Uber will look like in NYC if Mayor de Blasio's Uber cap bill passes.' De Blasio had proposed to cap the number of new drivers at 200 a year - less than the firm's weekly employment rate. According to Uber, 25,000 New Yorkers join the app every week. Their fleet dwarfs yellow taxis, with more than 15,000 vehicles compared to around 13,000. Usually wait times do not exceed 10 minutes, regardless of the rank of car. Users have five options of vehicle - from ride-sharing Uber Pool to luxury vehicle service Uber Black. There is also the option of Uber T, which hails a standard yellow cab. The report found Uber caters to demand as more tourists flock to Midtown and yellow taxis avoid the area In July, the firm debuted a new tab titled 'DE BLASIO'. When selected, it brought up an extortionate wait time of 25 minutes, with the words: 'This is what Uber will look like in NYC if Mayor de Blasio's Uber cap bill passes' The 'De Blasio' tab ranked below Uber T and Uber Pool. Bolstering their message, the firm also debuted a TV ad in July with emotional testimonies from drivers who say 'Uber is the best thing that has ever happened to me'. Finally, as the campaigns showed no sign of stopped, De Blasio agreed in July to delay a vote on the cap. He said he would commission a four-month investigation into the company's activities to prove his theory. The report was meant to be released in November. No reason was given for the delay. It was authored by the mayor's office, consulting firm McKinsey & Company and former New York City transport official Bruce Schaller. Critics also slammed the brevity of the 12-page report, despite taking $2 million and more than five months to complete. Transport analyst Charles Komanoff slammed 'unbelievably flimsy' report as he told the New York Times: 'It's as if the new Star Wars movie everyone was waiting for was just a two-minute animation.' THE REAL CAUSES OF CONGESTION ACCORDING TO NEW REPORT... The $2 million report Mayor Bill de Blasio commissioned to investigate ride-sharing app Uber concluded that congestion in Manhattan was in fact driven up by construction and more tourists: 'Reductions in vehicular speeds are driven primarily by increased freight movement, construction activity, and population growth Construction permits in the CBD [Central Business District] are up 6-7% since 2009 and pedestrian counts in the CBD are also up 18-24% since 2009.' Advertisement Described 'heartbreaking' moment they realized Robert had not been freed Revealed they knew nothing about prisoner swap until seeing it on TV Levinson was not among four Americans released by Iran on Saturday U.S. officials believe former FBI agent and CIA contractor Robert Levinson may no longer be in Iran, a White House spokesman said Tuesday, vowing that the U.S. would keep up the search for the former FBI agent who disappeared from an Iranian resort nearly nine years ago. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. has received assurance from the Iranian government it would search for Levinson. The commitment came amid broader negotiations over the return of several other Americans detained in Iran. 'We're going to hold the Iranians to that commitment,' Earnest told reporters at the White House. Robert Levinson disappeared from an Iranian resort on March 9, 2007, while in the country on an unauthorized mission for the CIA. It's unclear where he is. Iranian officials have said they don't know, but Levinson's family does not believe them. Earnest did not elaborate on the evidence putting Levinson outside of Iran. He acknowledged that if Levinson is no longer in the country, the Iran's cooperation in the search may be limited use. Scroll down for video Robert Levinson (pictured) went missing on the Iranian island of Kish in 2007 while investigating government corruption, and was last seen in April 2011 in this haunting series of images sent to his family Christine Levinson (center, alongside children Dan and Samantha), the wife of missing CIA spy Robert Levinson, has said she feels 'betrayed' by the Obama administration following last week's prisoner swap Today the Levinson family revealed that they were not told about the prisoner swap with Iran, and the fact that Robert would not be included, until the news broke on television Levinson's family say they feel 'betrayed' by the Obama administration following last week's prisoner swap. Christine Levinson, Robert's wife, told ABC News that her family were left 'devastated' after he was not included in the swap which saw five American hostages freed in exchange for seven Iranians. Christine also revealed that her family did not even learn that a swap was due to take place until it was reported on television, a moment she describes as 'heartbreaking'. She said: 'I thought after nine years that they [White House officials] would have enough respect for our family to at least tell us in advance that this is happening. 'It could have been five minutes, but to find out on the TV for the whole family was wrong. It was absolutely devastating. Im very disappointed. I feel extremely betrayed by them.' Christie said that she even spoke to Secretary of State John Kerry on the phone last week, but despite being responsible for brokering the deal, he said nothing. Following news of the swap being broadcast on television, Christie said she again called the White House, but was forced to wait hours for a call back. Eventually, she said Deputy National Security Advisor Lisa Monaco rang to apologize, saying that she had meant to tell her the news ahead of time and blaming the Iranians for reporting the swap ahead of schedule. The family added that they have been trying to schedule a meeting with high-level officials at the White House for six weeks, but have been relegated to making phone calls instead. On Sunday, Kerry tweeted that he 'will not rest' until the Levinson family is 'whole again', adding: 'Iran agreed to deepen our coordination as we work to locate Robert Levinson.' He told CNN that he feels 'horrible' for the Levinson family, saying it is 'very difficult' to see other Americans coming home and not have answers about their own relative. While it is suspected that Iran was behind Mr Levinson's disappearance, officials have repeatedly denied holding him, and claim not to know where he is President Obama also took time in his speech at the White House on Sunday to remember and ask for the release of Levinson. 'Even as we rejoice in the safe return of others, we will never forget about Bob,' President Barack Obama said as Iran released five American hostages as part of the historic deal. In discussing the release, President Barack Obama said the U.S. would continue working to find Levinson. But when asked by reporters whether Levinson was still alive, Secretary of State John Kerry said, 'We have no idea.' Writing for CNN Monday, Robert's daughter Sarah Moriarty added: 'We are thankful that the President mentioned my father in his speech on Sunday, but he has yet to reach out to my mom to tell her what "cooperating" means, or what he is doing next to get my dad home. 'We believe the U.S. government did not use the best leverage it ever had to demand that my dad be brought home.' Mr Levinson worked for 28 years in the DEA and FBI before retiring and setting up a private investigation firm which led him to become a CIA contractor In March last year, the FBI announced a reward of $5million for anyone with information 'leading directly to the safe location, recovery, and return of Mr. Levinson.' Levinson started his career in the DEA before joining the FBI's New York field office in 1978, investigating Mafia crime in the city and becoming known as an expert on the city's five families. From there, he transferred to the Miami office where he tracked Russian mobsters and gained a reputation for developing high-quality sources. In 1998 Levinson retired from the FBI and began a private investigation agency, which led to him becoming a contractor for the CIA. While he was only supposed to be producing academic reports for the agency, in reality he operated more like a spy, hopping around the globe and being reimbursed for travel, despite this being against agency guidelines. In 2007 he was gathering information on government corruption on Kish Island, where he met with Dawud Salahuddin, a fugitive wanted for the murder of an Iranian diplomat and another dissident killed in his home. According to the Washington Post, Levinson spoke with Salahuddin for several hours on March 8. The following day he checked out of his hotel, and has not been seen in the flesh since. While Iranian officials insist they are not holding Levinson and have no idea where he is, his family believe he is being held prisoner somewhere in the country. The last proof of life came between November 2010 and April 2011, when his wife and family were sent haunting video and images of him dressed in a Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuit. In both, Levinson appears gaunt with wild hair and a long, straggly grey beard. In the video footage he reveals he is being held by a 'group', while Arabic wedding music plays in the background. In the images, he is pictured holding a series of signs with taunting phrases written across them including 'I am here in Guantanamo do you know where it is?' and simply: 'Help me'. While U.S. investigators tried to trace the origin of the images and film, whoever sent them covered their tracks perfectly. Christine said that she had spoken on the phone with Secretary of State John Kerry in the week before the swap took place, and despite helping to broker the deal, he said nothing to her about it The Levinson family have accused Obama of wasting 'the best leverage it ever had' by not insisting that Robert was included in the prisoner swap that took place last week This raised suspicions that a government agency, such as Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, was behind Mr Levinson's disappearance, rather than a terrorist group. Indeed, diplomatic cables released as part of the Wikileaks disclosures reveal that U.S. authorities came to the same conclusions. U.S. operatives in Afghanistan managed to trace the cellphone used to send the photographs, officials said. But the owner had nothing to do with the photos, and the trail went cold. It was that way, too, with the hostage video the family received. It was sent from a cyber cafe in Pakistan in November 2010. On Saturday four American citizens - Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedin, and a fourth man, believed to be Nosratollah Khosrawi, were released from Iranian custody. At the same time, the U.S. agreed to release seven Iranians who were being held in America following arrests or convictions on charges relating to the sanctions. Since the swap Kerry (pictured on Saturday) has said he feels 'horrible' for the Levinson family, while adding that the U.S. government 'will not rest' until he is brought home Obama also addressed the Levinson family during his speech from the White House on Sunday, saying: 'Even as we rejoice in the safe return of others, we will never forget about Bob' Iranian state media named the men as Nader Modanlo, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahraman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Saboonchi. All of the men are joint U.S.-Iranian citizens with the exception of Golestaneh who studied in Vermont but never gained citizenship. Golestaneh was serving a jail sentence after admitting trying to steal millions of dollars of U.S. company software for the Iranian government. Modanlo, Ghahreman and Saboonchi were all serving sentences for illegally supplying Iran with technology in violation of the U.S. trade bans. Mechanic, Faridi and Afghahi, all of whom were arrested as part of the same alleged conspiracy, were also accused of violating the trade bans but were awaiting trial before being released. State media also claimed that 14 Iranians were taken off an Interpol wanted list. A fifth American - student and journalist Matthew Trevithick detained in Tehran last year while studying languages - was also freed, but this was unrelated to the prisoner swap. Four Americans, Including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, were released from Iranian custody as part of a prisoner swap in return for seven Iranians Former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abedini, who were being held in Iran accused of conspiring with a hostile country and subverting national security, were also freed today The men were released as both America and the European Union agreed to lift some sanctions on Iran after complying with international regulations on nuclear energy generation. Speaking after sanctions were dropped, Kerry said: 'Iran has undertaken significant steps that many, and I do mean many, people doubted would ever come to pass. 'And that should be recognized, even though the full measure of this achievement can only be realized by assuring continued full compliance in the coming years. 'Today marks the moment that the Iran nuclear agreement transitions from an ambitious set of promises on paper to measurable action in progress. Police in Arizona say they are investigating one of the worst cases of child abuse they have ever seen in which a 3-year-old malnourished girl was bound with duct tape, kept in a closet and allegedly offered for sex her caretaker. According to Mesa detectives, 30-year-old Francisco Rios-Covarrubias was arrested Monday, along with the girl's mother, 22-year-old Mayra Solis, who allegedly shaved her daughter's head to get money by claiming the toddler was suffering from cancer. The girl was hospitalized in a fair condition and placed in temporary state custody. Scroll down for video Sickening allegations: Francisco Rios-Covarrubias, 30 (left) is accused of keeping a 3-year-old girl in a closet with her limbs bound and offering her for sex to people. The girl's mother, Mayra Solis (rigth), allegedly shaved her daughter's head to get money by claiming the toddler was suffering from cancer Police arrested Rios-Covarrubias on suspicion of sex trafficking, kidnapping, sexual conduct with a minor and felony child abuse, while the girl's mother was arrested on suspicion of child abuse. During a press conference Tuesday, Mesa Police Chief John Meza said the alleged abuse was uncovered after they got a tip from a man who had communicated with Rios-Covarrubias online about arranging a sexual encounter. When the man arrived at the suspect's apartment in the area of Mesa Drive and Broadway, the 30-year-old allegedly said he could have sex with the three-year-old. The man became upset and left, but later returned to have consensual sex with Rios-Covarrubias. When police were summoned to Rios-Covarrubias home by the tipster, they say they found the toddler stuffed in a closet with her legs and arms bound with duct tape and her mouth taped shut. She was bundled inside a black bag, with only her shaved hair peeking out. The police chief said the child was so badly neglected and starved that she could not stand on her own, reported AZCentral. A physical examination conducted by doctors revealed that the 3-year-old was suffering from genital blistering and rash, and had multiple bruises and scrapes all over her emaciated body. House of horrors: Police in Mesa, Arizona, raided Rios-Covarrubias' home and found the toddler stuffed in a closet with her legs and arms bound with duct tape and her mouth taped shut Police said Rios-Covarrubias had been watching the child for Solis while she went to work at a Taco Bell for about a month, during which time she would sometimes see her only once a week. When questioned by police, Rios-Covarrubias said he hid the girl in the closet when he had his sexual partners over and whenever he went to work, leaving the girl alone for hours at a time. The 30-year-old did not admit to sexually abusing the girl, but police say they found evidence that the girl was raped, reported the station ABC15. The girls mother, Ms Solis, admitted to shaving her head to pass her off as a cancer patient so people would donate money towards her medical care. A teaching assistant collapsed and died from a blood clot caused by taking the contraceptive pill after an NHS hospital nurse sent her home with painkillers for her chest pains, an inquest has heard. Fallan Kurek, 21, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, had been gone to the minor injury unit at the town's Sir Robert Peel community hospital after complaining of chest pains and feeling breathless. But three days after she was sent home from the hospital on May 8 last year, she collapsed on the stairs at her home and went into cardiac arrest, turning blue as she struggled to breathe. She suffered brain damage and died on May 14 at Good Hope Hospital, in Sutton Coldfield. Teaching assistant Fallan Kurek, 21, (pictured left, and right with her mother Julie) collapsed and died from a blood clot caused by taking the contraceptive pill after an NHS hospital nurse sent her home with painkillers for her chest pains, an inquest heard In a narrative verdict, South Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh ruled that Ms Kurek died from a 'massive' pulmonary embolism after the side-effects of the pill were not effectively treated. The inquest in Cannock heard that it was likely that Ms Kurek was suffering from a blood clot on her lungs caused by a deep vein thrombosis at the time of the hospital visit, but nurse Stuart Lamb had diagnosed her pain as being muscular. Mr Lamb told the inquest that the patient had given him a three-day history of central chest pain which became worse following exertion. Blood pressure and other tests were then conducted, and Ms Kurek was also assessed using an ECG machine, leading to results within normal limits. Commenting on the care provided at the minor injuries unit, emergency consultant Dr James Crampton, who works in Burton-on-Trent, told the inquest that other than chest pain, the patient had no abnormal signs suggestive of a pulmonary embolism. Fallan's parents Julia and Brian Kurek (pictured left at the hearing today) said they were 'devastated by the loss of their daughter (right). The inquest in Cannock heard that it was likely that Ms Kurek was suffering from a blood clot on her lungs caused by a deep vein thrombosis Ms Kurek's stepfather Brian told the inquest that leg pain and the fact that she was taking the pill - to regulate heavy periods - had been mentioned to Mr Lamb during the hospital visit, but this was not followed up. The inquest heard Ms Kurek had been given prescriptions for the pill at her GP's surgery in October 2014, and January and March 2015. Mr Lamb denied this but text messages sent by Ms Kurek immediately after the assessment suggested the pill had been discussed, the coroner ruled. Texts sent from Ms Kurek on May 8, after seeing Mr Lamb, were read out to the court. One said: 'I was at my aunts' and I could hardly breath. I went to A and E and my heart's fine. 'They said I have got to rest and take pain killers. But I walk into the kitchen and I get pain so I can't walk anywhere lol.' Another to her mother Julia, 43, read: 'He asked about medication, but he said it wasn't the pill.' Giving evidence, Mr Kurek told the court the nurse had asked his daughter whether she was on any medication to which she replied 'Only the pill.' Fallan's aunt, Rebecca Loeve (right) gives a statement on behalf of the teaching assistant's family He added: 'It just seemed to be dismissed. 'He asked the question of calf pain to her and she mentioned pains in her chest and about fainting. 'She said: "I went to my mother's and I walked downstairs to go to the shops. I started getting severe breathlessness and I tried to get up the stairs but collapsed towards the top of the stairs". 'I said don't forget to tell him about the pain in your legs, and she said, "Oh yeah, I have got pain in my legs, I have put deep heat on them," and so on. 'He didn't do anything in response to her leg pain, didn't asked any questions.' But Mr Lamb said Ms Kurek had not mentioned she was on the contraceptive pill. 'The only reason I would write "nill" in that box for medication is if I was advised she was not on it,' he told the hearing. 'If I had not asked her the question it would have been left blank. 'On physical examination her chest was clear and there was palpable pain on her central chest. My conclusion was it was a muscular type of chest pain. 'I advised her to mobilise it and if she had any shortness of breath to dial 999, and to see her GP if it didn't go away.' Pritesh Rathod, representing the Kurek family, asked Mr Lamb: 'Looking back on it, do you think it was maybe appropriate that someone else should have assessed her? 'She said she was on the contraceptive pull didn't she? "Your response was: "It wouldn't be that". 'She said that she had suffered pain her calf, but you didn't follow this up.' Mr Lamb replied: 'I do not recall this, and I didn't make a note of it. On reflection moving forward, I would say it has changed my practice. 'If you're asking if I am not a doctor, then no, I am a nurse in a minor injuries unit.' Recording his findings, Mr Haigh said Ms Kurek suffered 'irrecoverable' brain damage by the time she arrived at Sutton Coldfield's Good Hope Hospital, where she died three days later. Fallan is pictured here as a young girl. Her GP told the inquest that she had been assessed before being given repeat prescriptions for the pill and her blood pressure and body mass index had been completely normal The coroner added that he did not consider a change in the brand of pill being taken by Ms Kurek to be a factor in her death. Addressing her attendance at the minor injuries unit, Mr Haigh added: 'Here there appears to be a direct conflict in the evidence that I have heard. 'Mr Lamb cannot recall any reference to the fact that she was taking the pill. The likelihood is, on the evidence I have heard, is that that was mentioned.' Ms Kurek's GP, Christopher Jones, told the inquest that she had been assessed before being given repeat prescriptions for the pill and her blood pressure and body mass index had been completely normal. 'She was assessed as being an extremely low risk,' the doctor told the inquest, which heard that contraceptive pills are issued with leaflets warning of a raised risk of deep vein thrombosis. Speaking on behalf of Ms Kurek's parents, Julia and Brian, and other relatives after the hearing, her aunt, Rebecca Loeve said: 'As a family we are devastated at the loss of our beloved Fallan at 21 years of age. 'It is clear from the evidence given at the inquest that when Fallan attended the Robert Peel minor injuries unit, the nurse did not further asses the risk of deep vein thrombosis. 'We love Fallan so much and we miss her desperately.' After the hearing Mr Kurek said: 'Minor injury units used to be staffed by doctors and they should be. 'They should have told her to go to A and E.' The NHS advises that the combined contraceptive pill - containing oestrogen - causes the blood to clot slightly more easily, leading to a slight increase in the risk of deep vein thrombosis. At least nine different schools in northern New Jersey were placed on lockdown Tuesday morning after receiving threats from someone claiming to have planted bombs and threatening mass shootings. Officials say the threats mostly came in via voicemail. All of the school's involved are located in Bergen County. Schools in Tenafly, Leonia, Bergenfield, and Teaneck were evacuated about 11:00 a.m., NBC reported, with the other five expected to soon also be cleared. Evacuations: Nine schools in New Jersey received bomb and shooting threats on Tuesday, leading to mass evacuations. Police are investigating the veracity of the threats Nine schools in New Jersey were evacuated or placed on lockdown on Tuesday after each received threats of bombs or mass shootings, police said The students were transported to other schools and other facilities, however the threats have stretched local law enforcement The other schools are in Garfield, Clifton, Lawn, Englewood and Hackensack. Four of the schools have been cleared of any danger. Police are now trying to determine what the connection is between the schools, if there is any. Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino told NJ.com that there is a chance the voicemails were automated. It appears police were first called to Clifton High School around 9 a.m., with the others quickly also reporting the threats. Fair Lawn High School and Leonia High School have also been evacuated. Schools in Tenafly, Leonia, Bergenfield, and Teaneck were evacuated about 11:00 a.m. and other schools are in Garfield, Clifton, Lawn, Englewood and Hackensack were poised to follow 'At this time, there is no indication of any validity to the threat,' Clifton police said in a statement to NBC. 'However, all precautions are being taken in order to ensure safety of the entire school district. 'Additional information will be made available as the investigation progresses.' Last month, 900 schools in Los Angeles were closed following an email threat. An eighth woman who was deceived into a relationship with an undercover police officer who posed as an eco warrior for eight years has won a High Court battle against Scotland Yard. Kate Wilson, who was involved with Mark Kennedy for two years, had made claims against London's Metropolitan Police for deceit, assault and battery, misfeasance in public office and negligence. The force withdrew its defence in her case on Friday - two months after seven other women who were tricked into relationships with Scotland Yard moles received an apology and huge payouts. Eighth woman: Kate Wilson (left, pictured today), who was involved with Mark Kennedy (right) for two years, had made claims against Scotland Yard for deceit, assault/battery, misfeasance in public office and negligence Ms Wilson's claim stated that supervising officers were negligent and had acted improperly in causing or allowing the relationship to happen. Today, she accused the force of withdrawing its defence in her case to avoid disclosure of documents relating to the undercover operations, at any cost. A judge-led public inquiry into undercover policing was launched last year. Ms Wilson said: The police had already unequivocally accepted that the relationships were wrong. It is now clear that wrongdoing goes far beyond the individual undercover officers. Scotland Yard Ms Wilson has accused the Metropolitan Police of withdrawing its defence in her case to avoid disclosure of documents relating to the undercover operations, at any cost Yet we are denied access to any information about the extent of the intrusion into our lives, who knew and how far up the hierarchy it went. Case: Ms Wilson's claim stated that supervising officers were negligent and had acted improperly The police's decision not to defend the claim is clearly motivated by a determination to avoid disclosure of documents relating to the undercover operations, at any cost. How many more women may have been affected by these abuses? How many more children may have been fathered by these undercover officers? It is clear the police are not going to come clean. The only way there can be real justice is if the (public) inquiry releases the cover names and opens the files so that these women can come forward themselves. Ms Wilson is expected to now be in line for a payout, although the amount is not yet clear. A Met Police spokesman told MailOnline today: 'At a case management conference at the High Court on Friday, January 15 in relation to an ongoing civil claim the MPS indicated that we did not intend to contest liability. No admissions were made. Judgement was therefore entered and directions were set to trial for the assessment of quantum.' Yesterday, another woman - known by the pseudonym Andrea - claimed she had been the victim of psychological torture while in a relationship with a police spy who used the cover name Carlo Neri. According to a joint investigation by the BBC's Newsnight Programme and the Guardian, Neri even proposed to her in 2003 - but ended the relationship the following year. A civil servant has been photographed walking into Downing Street with documents on show again - this time revealing details about an event on Syrian refugees due to take place in Davos. The new document, revealed as ministers arrived for today's cabinet meeting, discusses an hour long event scheduled to take place later this week. It appears to set out draft objectives for the event relating to economic activities for Syrian refugees in Jordan. The latest set of papers photographed in Downing Street related to a meeting due to be held at the Davos Summit about Syrian refugees in Jordan The document references a series of international firms - including Glaxo Smith Kline and Nestle. The gaffe is the latest in a long line of ministers and civil servants walking past photographers camped in Downing Street with papers on show. Perhaps the most famous example of all was Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Letwin being photographed disposing of papers in St James Park. It was reported last year a new sign had been put up just inside the famous No 10 door warning people Downing Street was a 'public highway' frequently inhabited by press photographers. As recently as last year, a 'sensitive' document about the possible privatisation of Channel 4 was snapped as an unnamed official arrived in Downing Street. The revelation of the document caused embarrassment for the Government after ministers have repeatedly denied it is being considered, makes the case for 'extracting greater public value' from the channel 'focusing on privatisation options in particular.' The document, dated 24 September, reads: 'In your recent meeting with Matt Hancock you agreed that work should proceed to examine the options for extracting greater public value from the Channel 4 Corporation (C4C), focusing on privatisation options in particular, whilst protecting its ability to deliver against its remit. 'This submission outlines the options we propose to exploreincluding a recommendation that you write to C4 requesting that they open their books'. The Liberal Democrat business secretary Vince Cable was caught with his papers on show in November 2010. Another gaffe under the coalition was Hugh Powell, the deputy national security adviser, being caught with papers relating to the conflict in Ukraine in 2014. Ex-Liberal Democrat business secretary was caught on the street with his papers on show, while in 2009 then housing minister Caroline Flint was pictured with a document revealing fears about the housing market Back in 2009, a photographer got lucky for a second time in 12 months with bungling official carrying their documents on show. Former Met Police assistant commissioner Bob Quick was snapped carrying documents into Number 10. A year earlier, then housing minister Caroline Flint was caught with documents revealing fears about falling house prices. Even the most senior ministers are not exempt - in 2004 then chancellor Gordon Brown got out of a car with handwritten notes fully on display for the waiting photographers. Press photographer Steve Back has repeatedly snapped the documents - despite warning ministers and officials to keep their papers covered up. Hugh Powell, the deputy national security adviser, was caught with papers about Ukraine in 2014, left, while in 2009 then Labour MP Mike O'Brien was photographed showing off notes on his way into the energy department Dana Olsen (pictured) donated her wedding reception to homeless Seattle families when her fiance called off the big day with just weeks to go A jilted bride-to-be selflessly donated her lavish reception to the homeless when her groom got cold feet weeks before their wedding. Dana Olsen was set to wed Brendan McCarthy on January 16 but when he called it off six weeks before the big day, it was too late to get a refund. Dana, who lives in California, and her mother Karen Olsen had spent most of 2015 planning the ceremony for their 250 guests in her native Seattles SoDo Park. A spokesman for the venue told Daily Mail Online that the space costs $6,200 to hire on a Saturday - but including staff, food and beverages, the cost would be at least $32,000 for that number of attendees. As Dana was unable to get their money back, she decided to hold the extravagant reception anyway for 150 homeless women and children from the city's Marys Place Shelter. And when others heard about Danas generosity, they joined in to make the night even more special. Some of the homeless women had their hair and makeup for the event done by Lauren Grinnell from Lalas Cuts and others donated dresses and jewelry. The guest enjoyed a night of great food in the stunning venue and were entertained by a live band. Scroll down for video Dana (pictured left) and Brendan McCarthy were set to wed on January 16 but he canceled the wedding with six weeks to go, meaning she was unable to get a refund on the venue, band or caterer Understandably, Dana decided not to attend the event but was delighted that she was able to help homeless have a great night even if she couldnt. Ahead of Saturdays event, she told KING5: I love that hopefully a lot of people will have a really fun night. I mean, if we cant have a good night, I hope that they have a great time. Her mother Karen did attend the event, and told KOMO: She just wanted to marry the guy she loved, and thats not happening. And if she cant have that, she is very happy to share it with someone else. Dana met her ex-fiance a decade ago in high school in Seattle. McCarthy is a scriptwriter who boasted on Twitter that he wrote an episode for Netflixs Frankie and Grace. According to his IMDb profile, it is his only writing credit. They started dating after reconnecting when they both moved to Southern California. They fell in love and moved in together. A year ago, he proposed but then changed his mind last month. Shes still not sure why. Dana and her mother Karen Olsen had spent most of 2015 planning the ceremony for their 250 guests in her native Seattles SoDo Park (pictured) I wish I knew more myself, she told Kiro7s Monique Ming Laven. I just wanted to marry him. I didnt care about the wedding stuff. But incredibly, when Dana realized her wedding would not be happening, her first thoughts were not about herself. Pretty much immediately I thought about the fact that my family had paid for almost the entire wedding, and I knew we wouldnt be able to get most of it back, she told KING5. So after the shock of what had happened wore off, I started to think about what to do. It just felt really terrible and wasteful and awful to just have all that money and this beautiful event that wasnt going to happen. I just couldnt stand the thought of it being wasted. Although Dana does wish it had been her wedding over the weekend, she has no regrets about the vow she has taken instead. I wish it were going to be my wedding, she said, but if Im going to have a really bad weekend, at least I want to help someone else have a really good day. Sarah Palin joined Donald Trump on the campaign trail this evening in Iowa after offering him her endorsement earlier in the day, calling him a 'rogue' candidate who is 'beholden to no one but we the people. The one-time vice presidential candidate said a Trump presidency would mean 'no more pussyfootin' around.' 'Our troops deserve the best, you deserve the best,' she said at Trump's Ames, Iowa, rally tonight. 'He's from private sector, not a politician. Can I get a Hallelujah?' Palin, whose son Track is a veteran, told the troops to 'hang in there, help in on the way,' and asked her audience, 'Are you ready for a commander in chief who will let warriors do their job and go kick ISIS' a**?' Trump spoke before Palin, but took the mic one last time after her remarks to say, 'We're gonna give 'em hell.' She spoke just hours after it was revealed her son Track was arrested for allegedly punching his girlfriend. Scroll down for video Sarah Palin joined Donald Trump on the campaign trail this evening in Iowa after offering him her endorsement earlier in the day, calling him a 'rogue' candidate who is 'beholden to no one but we the people 'Our troops deserve the best, you deserve the best,' she said at Trump's Ames, Iowa, rally tonight. 'He's from private sector, not a politician. Can I get a Hallelujah? In a one sentence statement, Palin said she was 'proud to endorse Donald J Trump'. She elaborated on it during her appearance with Trump tonight. Palin, whose son Track is a veteran, told the troops to 'hang in there, help in on the way,' and asked her audience, 'Are you ready for a commander in chief who will let warriors do their job and go kick ISIS' a**?' Trump said he's known the Palins for a long time. Sarah Palin is a 'special, special person,' he said as he introduced her. 'I was so honored' Before the event Palin released a statement cementing her support for Trump after eagle-eyed politicos discovered a private jet log of a plan flying between Palin's Alaska hometown to Trump's latest two campaign stops. In a one sentence statement, Palin said she was 'proud to endorse Donald J Trump'. She elaborated on it during her appearance with Trump tonight. 'When asked why I would jump in, and do a primary...stirring it up a little bit maybe,' she said, 'and choose one' candidate over the others, including two senators that she endorsed in their Senate race, 'I was warned left and right, you are gonna get so clobbered inthe press, you are just gonna get beat up, chewed up and spit out.' Palin said her first thought was, 'And?' The press has been doing that to her since 2008 when she was announced as the GOP's vice presidential nominee. 'And like you all, I'm still standing, ' she said. Trump reaches out to one of his highest-profile supporters Palin as she walks on stage in Iowa The pair lean in for a kiss ahead of her speech, hours after it was revealed her son Track was arrested and accused of domestic violence against his girlfriend Palin gave a little smirk to the crowd as she shook Trumps hand - forming an allegiance that will carry until the first votes are cast in Iowa 'So those of us who have kind of gone through the ringer as Mr. Trump has....you're putting your efforts, you are putting reputations on the line, putting relationships on the line because you are ready to do the right thing for this country. 'Because you are ready to Make America Great Again!' she said, borrowing Trump's slogan. 'I am here because like you, I know that it is now or never,' she said. 'I am in it to win it.' As Palin finished the line an unfriendly audience member shouted, 'You guys are a joke!' and was promptly escorted out. Early on in Trump's remarks he was also interrupted. A group of protesters clashed with his supporters after he accused Jeb Bush of being 'very weak on illegal immigration.' Before the event, Trump's campaign blasted an announcement telling attendees that 'while they certainly have the right to free speech, this is a private event paid for by Mr. Trump.' Instead, he has provided a 'safe protest area' outside the venue, the announcement said. 'If a protester starts demonstrating in the area around you, please do not touch or harm the protester. This is a peaceful rally,' the notice said. 'In order to notify the law enforcement officers of the location of the protester, please hold a rally sign over your head and start chanting, Trump, Trump, Trump.' EVIDENCE: A Challenger CL-60 aircraft flew on Monday from Anchorage, Alaska to Des Moines, Iowa and then on to Tulsa, Oklahoma, giving reporters a clue about who the 'big' endorsement was coming from When the time came to put the instructions to practice, though, Trump's supporters shouted, 'USA, USA, USA.' As the protesters were led out, Trump said, 'I have to be careful. If I'm too rough, they say, he was too rough. Then when I'm moderate and nice, they were saying, what happened to Trump? He's not tough enough. TRACK PALIN ARREST Track Palin was arrested shortly after 10 pm on Monday when a police investigation found that he 'committed a domestic violence assault on a female, interfered with her ability to report a crime of domestic violence, and possessed a firearm while intoxicated.' Track 'allegedly punched his girlfriend in the eye, kicked her in the knee and then held an AR-15 assault rifle near his head.' The female victim, 22, had 'bruising and swelling around her left eye' and claimed that Track threw her phone down the driveway when she tried to call police. This all happened at Sarah's Wasilla home according to court documents, and Track had a 0.189 blood alcohol level according to police. 'Upon contacting Palin, he was uncooperative, belligerent, and evasive with my initial line of questions,' wrote investigator Andrew Kappler in his criminal complaint. 'Due to Palins escalating hostility, the unknown whereabouts of the 911 caller, and officer safety, Palin was placed into handcuffs.' Track posted $1,500 bail on Tuesday afternoon and is due in court on February 19. Advertisement 'So, you can't win with these people,' he said. 'The one good thing is they always show the crowd. That's the only way they show how big our crowds are.' As he made way for Palin, whom he said was a 'very special person.' 'This is a person who I've known for a long time, that I've respected for so long, an incredible person, an incredible family, and somebody that, when I hear that she was going to endorse me, I was so honored. 'You have no idea how honored,' he said. In his statement on the endorsement released just before the rally Trump also said he was 'greatly honored by Sarah's endorsement'. He added that she was a 'friend and a high-quality person whom I have great respect for'. He went on to say he was 'proud to have her support.' By the time Palin confirmed the endorsement today, it wasn't exactly a secret that she would be joining him on the campaign trail tonight and backing his bid for the presidency. This morning he told a reporter who asked is she was the mystery guest, 'I am a big fan of Sarah Palin.' The Republican candidate has been hinting at a 'big' endorsement over the past few days. 'Thatll be a very big event,' he teased this morning. 'I think youll be very impressed.' Hours before Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton won a major endorsement of her own - the Human Rights Campaign America's most powerful gay rights lobby group. 'Too many LGBT Americans still face discrimination in employment, in housing, in education, in health care because of who they are or who they love,' Clinton said in a statement Tuesday. News organizations guessed that Palin was Trump's mysterious backer after private flight logs showed a Challenger CL-60 jet flying from Anchorage, Alaska, to Des Moines, Iowa, yesterday, then on to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Trump has an event on Wednesday. That suggested the Trump campaign ferried Palin to Iowa before continuing on to Tulsa to prepare for The Donald's next stop. She is now likely to fly from Iowa to Oklahoma with The Donald in his personal jet tomorrow morning after he finishes a two-day swing through Iowa. Trump accepted an endorsement from the late actor John Wayne's daughter Aissa today. Palin then put out a statement also backing his bid The Challenger jet would then be waiting on the tarmac to take her home. Palin's endorsement of Trump is a blow to Ted Cruz, a darling of the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party. He's suggested that Trump isn't a genuine conservative like him and changes his positions for political expediency. At the Trump rally Palin mocked the claim, taking aim at moderates in the Republican Party who have lobbed it at Trump and said, 'Oh my goodness gracious, what the heck would the establishment know about conservatism?' 'And now some of them even whisperin' that they're willing to throw in for Hillary over Trump because they cant afford to see the status quo go,' she claimed. 'Otherwise they won't be able to be slurpin' off the gravy train that's been feeding them all these years.' She said above the cheers - 'They dont want him to win!' The same voices in the Republican Party attacking Trump as too liberal wrote a 'blank check to fund Obamacare' and are turning the nation's 'safety nets into hammocks,' Palin proclaimed. 'Now they're concerned about this ideological purity? Give me a break. Who are they to say that?' Trump is the only one taking on issues in the country that must be addressed, she said. 'The rest of some of the establishment candidates wanted to duck and hide. They've been wearing this political correctness kind of like asuicide vest.' Earlier in the day a spokesman for Cruz said he'd be 'deeply disappointed' if Palin truly did joined forces with the Republican White House candidate and fired a warning shot in her direction. 'I think it'd be a blow to Sarah Palin, because Sarah Palin has been a champion for the conservative cause, and if she was going to endorse Donald Trump, sadly, she would be endorsing someone who's held progressive views all their life on the sanctity of life, on marriage, on partial-birth abortion,' spokesman Rick Tyler said on CNN. Palin's daughter Bristol swiftly responded with a post on her blog titled with the header "Is THIS Why People Dont like Cruz?' Bristol claimed not to know if her mom was endorsing Trump - 'Ive been too busy with diapers to delve too much into politics these days,' she wrote. 'But the rumors were enough to cause staffers from Ted Cruzs office to slam my mom.' WATCH OUT: A spokesman for Ted Cruz said today that he'd be 'deeply disappointed' if Palin joined forces with Trump then fired a warning shot in her direction. 'I think it'd be a blow to Sarah Palin,' he said 'Heres the thing, Sen. Cruz. My mom has consistently supported you and encouraged you. Youve been a great advocate for conservative causes, and shes stood by you when others havent,' Bristol said. The Cruz campaign's spin on the rumored endorsement and it's 'negative knee-jerk reaction, makes me hope my mom does endorse Trump,' she said. 'Cruzs flip-flop, turning against my mom whos done nothing but support and help him when others sure didnt, shows hes a typical politician. How rude to that hes setting up a false narrative about her!' 'America doesnt need that. We need someone who has a vision for economic prosperity, who wont let us get kicked around in the world, and who will fight for our future.' Palin's daughter Bristol swiftly responded with a post on her blog titled with the header "Is THIS Why People Dont like Cruz?' He called a truce on Twitter afterward In the past, Sarah Palin has had a good relationship with Ted Cruz, saying in December that she liked both the Texas senator and Donald Trump In her admonishment Bristol said she 'didnt go to Harvard Law School,' like Cruz, 'but I know this: You can like two people in a race, but there will only be one president.' 'The audacity to suggest that because she chooses one over the other will somehow damage her just shows arrogance,' she said. 'Youve also said, She can pick winners! I hope youre right, and that she endorses Donald Trump today for President.' Cruz soon called a truce. 'I love @SarahPalinUSA Without her support, I wouldn't be in the Senate. Regardless of what she does in 2016, I will always be a big fan,' he wrote on Twitter. The Trump campaign used Cruz's quote in the press release announcing the Palin endorsement and tacked on another Cruz comment that Bristol brought up earlier: 'she can pick winners.' The Texas senator dished out the compliment in 2013 at the Conservative Political Action Conference a few months after his election to the U.S. Senate. \ 'Sarah Palin jumped in early and supported Rand Paul, she supported Marco Rubio, she supported Tim Scott, she supported Pat Toomey, she supported Nikki Haley, and this past election cycle there were three Republicans who won new seats, Deb Fischer, Jeff Flake and myself. She supported all three of us,' Cruz said, according to Buzzfeed. MEANWHILE IN CHAPPAQUA: Hillary Clinton received a big-ticket endorsement on Tuesday from the Human Rights Campaign, America's most powerful gay rights organization Trump's campaign played up Palin's luck at picking winners and suggested 'her endorsement is amongst the most sought after and influential amongst Republicans,' the release said. The Democratic National Committee, on the other hand, mocked the endorsement reminding reporters that 'the politician who said she could see Russia from her house endorsed the candidate who the British Parliament considered barring from their country.' The Democrats also pointed out that Palin was 'all for' profiling Muslims, while Trump had announced his controversial plan to ban all non-American Muslims from entering the United States for a time. 'Even with a record number of candidates and internal calls to become more inclusive as a party, Donald Trump and Sarah Palin remain two of the GOP's most influential leaders,' said DNC National Press Secretary Mark Paustenback in a statement. 'Their divisive rhetoric is now peddled by everyone from Ted Cruz to Marco Rubio,' Paustenbach continued. 'Americans deserve better than what Trump and Palin have to offer, but it seems like the other Republican candidates would rather follow in their footsteps,' the press secretary added. Trump spent the morning in Winterset at an event at the birthplace of Western film legend John Wayne, where he received an endorsement from the late actor's daughter Aissa. 'America needs help, and we need a strong leader,' she said as she introduced Trump. 'Someone with courage, someone that's strong, like John Wayne. And I'll tell you what, if John Wayne were around, he'd be standing right here instead of me.' Trump told her, 'John Wayne would be very, very proud of you right now ... I think.' He laughed before adding that he might actually say, 'What are you doing?' 'I met him one time and it made such a big impression,' Trump said, recalling a conversation he had with Wayne near the end of his life. 'I was such a fan of John Wayne, and the one meeting I had with him was just an amazing meeting,' he said of the actor. 'He was just an incredible guy.' Wayne, he said, was one of the greats. 'Who do we have that is bigger than life today?' Trump asked. 'I won't use some of the the names of the actors but it's not the same thing, not the same thing.' Yesterday, Trump revealed that the 'big' announcement his campaign had been touting was actually an endorsement after saying at the same event, 'I've never been a huge fan of endorsements.' Yet he said he's taking two today, one from the Wayne family and one later in the college town of Ames from Palin. SARAH'S CHARIOT? A Challenger CL-60 like this one flew yesterday from Anchorage to Des Moines 'It's going to be a lot of fun. ... Something big is going to happen,' he said yesterday of the Ames event. This morning he told reporters that they'd be very 'impressed' with his special guest. 'I think it could very well, you know, result in votes.' Before now, Palin has mostly stayed out of the 2016 fray and has had complimentary things to say about both Trump and Ted Cruz. She refused to take a side in December during an event CNN hosted alongside the GOP debate in Las Vegas and said if the candidates were 'smart' they wouldn't seek her approval. 'It's not always helpful to have my endorsement,' she said. She told CNN's Jake Tapper, 'I'm not going to pick one right now, but what a nice problem to have if it came down to Cruz and Trump.' 'That's a good problem for voters to have, because we know that, as you say, they are both strong and very decisive and someone who would take the initiative. That is what we need today, and both of those candidates would fit that bill.' THE BIG PLANE: Trump owns this Boeing 757 and uses it to fly from state to state as he campaigns Trump has said he'd 'love' to have Palin in his administration. 'She really is somebody who knows what's happening and she's a special person,' he said of the ex-Alaskan governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee over the summer. Later, Palin came to Trump's defense when he confused two terrorist groups, Hamas and Hezbollah. Hamas is based out of Palestine and Hezbollah operates out of Lebanon. Palin said at the time, 'I think I'd rather have a president who is tough and puts America first than can win a game of trivial pursuit.' Furthermore, she said, 'I don't think the public gives a flying flip if somebody knows who, today, is a specific leader of a specific region or a religion or anything.' Trump will speak at a nearby energy forum this afternoon then finish big in Ames with a rally at Iowa State University. This morning in Winterset he took questions from reporters about his get out the vote operation in Iowa and 'temperament' after Cruz suggested this week that Trump might fly off the handle on Twitter if he were president. 'I think the American people want a steady hand at the helm. They want someone they know and trust. They don't want to wake up every day wondering if the latest polls might set off the commander in chief into a frenzy of tweets,' Cruz told NPR on Monday. Today Trump turned the argument back around on the United State senator and said, 'Ted has got a rough temperament, You cant call people liars on the Senate floor when they are your leaders. Not a good thing to do if you want to curry favor and get the positive votes later on own.' 'Ted is worried about his temperament,' he said. 'He's gotta be careful because his temperament has been questioned a lot.' Trump also said that following his last debate performance, even the 'serious establishment types' in the Republican Party who have been bemoaning his candidacy are taking notice of his winning campaign. Two people have been killed and another 18 injured after a Greyhound bus flipped on its side in California after the bus driver allegedly fell asleep during a rainy morning rush hour. The bus had been traveling north on Highway 101 at around 6.40am when it flipped and landed across the central crash barrier near San Jose, the San Jose Fire Department said. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene while another eight were taken to hospital including the driver who suffered minor injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol. Two people have been killed and another 18 wounded after a Greyhound bus traveling from Los Angeles to Oakland, California, overturned during rush-hour traffic near San Jose Fire Capt. Christopher Salcido confirmed that five people suffered moderate injuries, while another 13 had minor wounds, including the driver who was taken to a nearby hospital A passenger, who spoke to KTVU anonymously, accused the bus driver of falling asleep and said the vehicle was weaving back and forth before the accident. He said: 'The bus driver fell asleep, he really did. About five miles ago he pulled over to catch himself but he did not have enough energy to continue.' Fire Capt. Christopher Salcido said that, among the injured, five people suffered moderate wounds while another 13 had minor injuries. Authorities said the cause of the accident was still under investigation, but confirmed that no other vehicles were involved. According to this passenger, who has not been named, the driver fell asleep at the wheel and even stopped the bus shortly before the accident in order to collect himself Authorities say they are still investigating the cause of the accident this morning, but have confirmed that no other vehicles were involved The bus was carrying 20 people, including the driver, at the time of the crash and had been heading from Los Angeles to Oakland with planned stops in San Jose and San Francisco. The accident snarled a morning commute already slowed by rain, backing up northbound Highway 101 for several miles. Highway patrol officers have estimated that it will take until around 4pm to reopen all the lanes. The accident occurred at around 6.40am in the northbound carpool lane of Highway 101 near San Jose during traffic caused by the heavy rain European Council president Donald Tusk has said he will unveil a 'concrete proposal' for Britain European Council president Donald Tusk yesterday announced he will unveil a concrete proposal for a deal on David Camerons renegotiation of Britains membership of the European Union within weeks. The former Polish prime minister fuelled speculation that an agreement has already been cooked up behind closed doors with his remark days after European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he was quite sure a deal would be found next month. In a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mr Tusk said he would do everything in my power to find a satisfactory solution for Britain as well as the 27 other member states. Mr Tusk, who chairs the European Council summits of all 28 EU leaders, told MEPs: As of today the result of the referendum is more unpredictable than ever before. Time is of essence here. And this is why I will work hard to strike a deal in February. It will not be easy but it is still possible. He added: We agreed to work together to find solutions in all four baskets raised by Prime Minister Cameron: relations with the euro area, sovereignty, competitiveness and on benefits and free movement. Hard work on all these baskets is progressing and as we speak my people are working with the Commission to bring us closer to the solution. In the run-up to the February European Council, I will table a concrete proposal for a deal with the UK to all EU leaders. Mr Tusk is expected to unveil his proposals for a deal by the start of the second week of February. During the debate in the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, warned Eurosceptics want to return to your British Empire that no longer exists. The former Belgian prime minister told Mr Tusk that he should concentrate on solving the migrant crisis, rather than Mr Camerons demands for reform of the EU. Instead of a summit on the Brexit on 18 February, Mr Tusk should lock up the heads of state and government until they decide how to tackle the refugee crisis, he said. Advertisement Albanian officials have jailed 10 men from the same village who are accused of being part of a Mafia gang that controlled a 6billion drugs trade into Europe. The men are part of a group of 30 arrested after 800 armed police backed up by helicopters and armored personnel carriers stormed into the Albanian village of Lazarat. They raided the village in order to destroy a cannabis-producing empire but were met with resistance from the gangsters armed with grenades, RPGs and machine guns. The ten men from the same village have been jailed for running the criminal enterprise from the Albania village of Lazarat Pictured are some of the 100 tonnes of marijuana plants found growing in the lawless village of Lazarat, Albania The town is known as Albania and Europe's cannabis capital - pictured are marijuana plants being cultivated The village contained incredible amounts of the drug - much of which were burned. Here are some the sackfuls of the drug found Police seized more than 100 tonnes of marijuana and burned over half a million drug plants Incredibly, police seized 102 tonnes of marijuana and destroyed over half a million marijuana plants. The cannabis they torched left a cloud of smoke so thick it obscured local buildings. In its 2015 report, the U.S. government-funded NGO Freedom House noted that Lazarat was at the heart of producing marijuana in Europe and valued at 4billion in 2013. This is the equivalent to nearly half of Albania's GDP and makes it Europe's biggest illegal cultivator of marijuana. To protect their turf, narcotics barons had turned the area around Lazarat into a no-go zone and with millions available to grease the right pockets, the region was generating hundreds of tonnes of marijuana annually, with residents even using private planes to distribute their drugs. But Lazarat came onto the radar of western drug officials in 2012 after two Dutch motorbike tourists travelling through Albania were stunned to see thousands of cannabis plants lining the roadside. The video they made went viral, prompting embarrassing questions to be laid at the feet of Albanian officials, who finally decided to tackle the problem with EU backing in 2014. The 10 who were jailed by the Serious Crimes Court in Tirana include alleged ringleader of the gang Gate Mahmutaj, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for taking part in the armed resistance against police. His deputy Arjan Basha was sentenced to 17 years in prison, also for armed resistance. Lazarat locals Ramadan Basha and Engliend Aliko were given 12 years, Matias Bocia and Altea Haska were sentenced to 11 years each, and seven years was given to Klajdi Karemani, Lorenc Bregu and Vandam Mahmutaj, the son of Gate Mahmutaj. Police investigators work through the boxes of rocket propelled grenades and explosives found inside the tiny village Other weapons found in Lazarat, nicknamed Europe's 'capital of cannabis', included these assault rifles Pictured hidden among the shrubs in the town are rocket propelled grenades which were shot at police during the raid Weapons and ammunition, such as these pictured, were used by the criminal gang to defend their drug stash Weapons and clips of ammunition lie scattered across the grass in the aftermath of the gun battle last year More bags of bullets, pictured with police forensic tickets on them, lie dumped inside plastic bags A row of guns confiscated by 800 special forces members during the daring raid sit leaning against a wall Grenades were also stashed by the gangsters, ten of whom have been jailed by Albanian authorities The only defendant who was sentenced to two years was the teenager Drini Aliko. All 10 had denied the charges but were found guilty after a three-hour deliberation by judges. After the raids, cannabis production was decimated in Lazarat but according to police it has since sprang up again in neighbouring villages, and in other more remote regions in the country. Also, there have been allegations after the arrest of the Mafia ringleaders that ISIS has been moving in to take over the operation. Not just drugs, but also arms smuggling and trafficking in women have all been targeted by the jihadists. Earlier this week local MP Tritan Shehu, who is a member of the opposition Democratic Party of Albania, said: 'I was among the first that raised the voice and warned about the ISIS recruitment, and the relation between crime and terrorism. 'And we as Albania must make a big effort against this reality, we must be prepared, and strong in the battle against this phenomena.' Security experts have warned that although less than in the past, the amount of cannabis being produced in Albania is still substantial, with much of it ending up in the UK. A fleet of expensive Mercedes and Hummers, thought to have been used by the gangsters, sit side-by-side in a compound in the town The raid last year was conducted by more than 800 police officers (pictured) and members of the country's special forces Three members of the Albanian special forces stand guard next to an armored personnel carrier in the hours following the raid A group of police patrol the streets of Lazarat, which became famous for its drug economy after a tourists' video went viral in 2012 A police officer stands guard next to a machine gun believed to have been confiscated during the massive raid Robin Zebaida, 51, was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct after groping the teen at his St John's Wood flat A renowned concert pianist has been banned from teaching for life for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old while French-kissing her mother. Robin Zebaida, 51, was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that my bring the profession into disrepute after groping the girl at his flat in St John's Wood, northwest London. A disciplinary committee at the National College for Teaching and Leadership said an 'aggravating factor' was the girl's age at the time 'namely just over the age of 15'. The Oxford-educated classical pianist had taught part-time at the prestigious London Oratory School where Tony Blair's sons went to school. The teenager had accompanied Zebaida and her mum on a restaurant date when the Royal College of Music graduate fondled her chest, thigh and bottom as they sat on a sofa while simultaneously kissing her mum. Zebaida told the hearing he wanted to 'put' the girl and her mother on a train after dinner. But the woman had left her bag at his flat so they ended up staying the night. Panel chair Carter said: 'Mr Zebaida offered Pupil A soft drinks, however her mother indicated she was happy for Pupil A to drink alcohol. 'Mr Zebaida accepts it was inappropriate for him to have provided alcohol to Pupil A against his better judgment.' The girl's mother, a widow, had romantically pursued Zebaida after meeting him on a Mediterranean cruise, sending him boxes of chocolates and arranging dates in London. The love-struck woman joined the pianist and her daughter on the two-seater sofa in his flat. His arms went around both their shoulders when, without the mother realising, Zebaida began stroking the girl under her top as music played in the background. The woman told the jury: 'We sat on the sofa and he put some music on and we had some alcoholic drinks. My daughter had one or two vodka miniatures and I think he had some whiskey. Zebaida told the hearing he wanted to 'put' the girl and her mother on a train after dinner. But the woman had left her bag at his flat in St John's Wood, north-west London, so they ended up staying the night. The Oxford-educated classical pianist had taught part-time at the prestigious London Oratory School (pictured) where Tony Blair's sons went to school. Prosecutor Mark Gadsden said: 'He started kissing the mother, smooching as the daughter described it, French-kissing. 'He had an arm around each of us and he kissed me, which turned into a french kiss. It was a bit of a surprise. He had an arm around my waist and an arm around my daughter's back and French kissed me several times within bouts of conversation. The court was told that the teenager had reluctantly shared the sofa-bed with her mother, who added: 'She was uncomfortable with Robin and she wanted to leave.' Prosecutor Mark Gadsden said: 'He started kissing the mother, smooching as the daughter described it, French-kissing. 'The daughter then lay on the floor, complaining of the effects of the alcohol the defendant plied them both with, she had been drinking miniatures, and consumed more than the adults.' Mr Gadsden added: 'He coaxed her back on to the couch and caressed her thigh and bottom in a slow and deliberate way. He also kissed her on the neck and she felt unable to stop it happening. The teenager had accompanied Zebaida and her mum on a restaurant date when the Royal College of Music graduate fondled her chest, thigh and bottom as they sat on a sofa while simultaneously kissing her mum. The date at an Iranian restaurant had been the fourth involving both the girl and her mother, with the group having previously met at the Steinway studios, where Zebaida was practising, and at the Imperial War Museum. The girl, identified as Pupil A, had never been taught by him, but Mr Carter said he had 'failed to observe proper and appropriate boundaries' and 'take into account her safety and well being.' Zebaida, who also has a diploma in physiology and massage, was prohibited from teaching indefinitely in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England. He was given a conditional discharge lasting two years and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register after being found guilty of sexual assault by a jury in November, 2013. He was also ordered to pay a 15 victim surcharge. Zebaida, who denied the charge, said he had to turn down performance work worth up to 20,000 because of the allegations made against him. The mother said the pair had left early in the morning, despite the defendant encouraging them to stay. She told the court: 'He said we should stay longer and began cuddling me and started undoing my bra.' The girl, whose brother and father were killed in a car crash, later shared her experience with a counsellor three months later, resulting in Zebaida's arrest. NCT decision maker Jayne Millions ruled that Zebaida would not be able to apply to teach again. Dead: One of Britain's most notorious paedophiles, Robin Hollyson (pictured), has been found hanged in prison. The IT expert was serving a 24-year jail term One of Britain's most notorious paedophiles - who was part of a gang that raped drugged babies and toddlers and streamed the abuse on the internet - has been found hanged in prison. Robin Hollyson, 31, was three months into a 24-year jail term. He admitted to raping a baby from the age of three months and filmed himself doing it in what the judge called one of the most horrific abuse cases on record. Hollyson, from Luton, Bedfordshire, who changed his name to James King after his conviction, was found unresponsive in his cell at HMP Bristol on Friday and died in hospital two days later. It has been revealed that the IT expert was previously on suicide watch but was taken off it. He was part of a paedophile ring of seven men who were jailed for a total of 78 years at Bristol Crown Court last September. Judge Julian Lambert told John Denham, Matthew Lisk, Adam Toms, Christopher Knight, David Harsley and Matthew Stansfield they were 'evil beyond rational understanding'. He added: 'In the worst nightmare, from the very deepest recesses of the mind, at the darkest hour of the night, few can have imagined the terrifying depravity which you men admit.' The paedophile gang broadcast live online video of their abuse of drugged babies and toddlers. Branded monsters in disguise, the gang groomed mothers some while they were pregnant to gain unsupervised access to their children. Last year a jury was told that the evidence they would hear would take you into a world you wish did not exist. Three of the gang were registered sex offenders after being convicted of possessing child abuse images and police have faced questions about what steps were being taken to monitor them. The paedophiles exploited women in their own social circles to achieve access to children they could abuse. In some cases, they contacted other members of the gang who would drive long distances to join in. He was part of a paedophile ring of seven men who were jailed for a total of 78 years at Bristol Crown Court last September. The gang included John Denham (left), Matthew Stansfield (middle) and Matthew Lisk (right) David Harsley (left), Christopher Knight (centre) and Adam Toms (right) were also part of the paedophile ring One offender got up at 4am to cross the country to abuse a child before driving home and making it to work on time. One baby was raped and sexually abused by three of the gang members over a period of nine months. The others watched on live internet feeds. A second victim, a four-year-old boy, was forced to watch as one of them committed sex acts and others watched from a hotel room. The gang photographed one of the victims holding a piece of paper with the password necessary to access the online broadcast. Far from using hidden networks or specialist software, police discovered the men often used popular internet services such as Skype, Bristol Crown Court heard last year. Hanged: Hollyson, 31, was three months into a 24-year jail term when he was found unresponsive in his cell Paedophile: It has been revealed the IT expert (pictured) was previously on suicide watch but was taken off it Vile: Hollyson was part of a gang that broadcast live online video of their abuse of drugged babies and toddlers The gang also used online business conferencing software as a way of exchanging images without physically downloading them to their computers. Officers believe the abuse was shared with more than 80 other paedophiles around the world in this way. Network members greeted each other with the words paed and paedo as they arranged meetings and boasted of their attacks. They also used a term investigators had not come across before, nep, which referred to nepiophile, someone sexually attracted to babies and toddlers. 'From the very deepest recesses of the mind, at the darkest hour of the night, few can have imagined the terrifying depravity which you men admit Judge Julian Lambert Last September Hollyson received a 24-year prison sentence plus an extension of eight years on licence while Toms was jailed for 12 years plus an extension of four years on licence. Knight was jailed for 18 years plus an extension of six years on licence and Stansfield received a 10-year prison sentence plus an extension of four years on licence. Denham was jailed for eight years plus an extension of four years on licence. Lisk was jailed for four years plus an extension of three years on licence and Harsley was sentenced to two years in prison. Today HMP Bristol said: 'HMP Bristol prisoner James King was found unresponsive in his cell on Friday. 'Prison staff attempted CPR and paramedics attended, but he died in hospital on Sunday. 'As with all deaths in custody, the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation.' Children's pastor Timothy Storey, 35, from south east London, is accused of raping two vulnerable teenage girls after grooming them on Facebook A children's pastor raped two vulnerable teenage girls after grooming them on Facebook, a court heard today. Timothy Storey, 35, allegedly led a 'double life' expounding Christian values of abstinence at St Michael's Church in Victoria, central London, while targeting young girls from the congregation. Storey began his 'incremental, insidious' grooming by sending the girls flattering messages on Facebook, jurors at Woolwich Crown Court heard. He allegedly sent explicit sexual content including photographs of his penis and his manipulation of the women was so powerful one of them described him as 'more influential than God', jurors were told. Storey is said to have bullied girls when they didn't submit to his demands, telling one she 'wasn't worth wasting a condom on'. Both alleged victims heard that Storey had been sending other girls sexual messages while he worked as a youth leader, but felt unable to reveal the full extent of his abuse, it is said. They only contacted the police when they read a Daily Mail article about Storey's convictions for other sexual offences against children under 16, jurors heard. It detailed how the former Oxford theology student was convicted of seven counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity and two counts of making indecent images of a child in May 2014. The women, who cannot be named, had already reported Storey to the Church of England, but nothing seemed to be done, the court heard. When the first alleged victim - now 25 - told Reverend Jeremy Crossley about the abuse, she said he didn't appear to be taking notes, and said that they had to think about Storey's 'welfare and needs', it is claimed. Rev Crossley told her that Storey was staying at his house and that they 'had to look after him', the court was told. The second alleged victim, now 24, was sent a letter of apology from Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, and told her complaint was being dealt with by a Church of England safeguarding officer. Storey was removed from his training post but 'little else was done', jurors were told. Timothy Storey, 35, allegedly led a 'double life' expounding Christian values of abstinence at St Michael's Church in Victoria, central London (pictured above), while targeting young girls from the congregation Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters said Storey's behaviour illustrated his 'entrenched manipulation of young females to engage in sexual activity for his own gratification'. 'The defendant befriended the girls,' said Miss Llewellyn-Waters. 'After gaining their confidence and trust, he made contact with them and groomed them to form inappropriate relationships with him before manipulating them into sexual activity.' Jurors heard Storey met the first victim at St Michael's Church in Victoria in 2002 when she was 13 years old, and 'manipulated her to feel affection for him'. Miss Llewellyn-Waters said: 'She details her confusion as he taught her at church where she was told there was to be no sexual relations before marriage. 'She felt that the defendant lived a double life: the secret, inappropriate behaviour as opposed to the morally upright, virtuous Church youth leader.' Storey, 35, of Peckham, southeast London, denies three counts of rape and one of sexual assault The first alleged victim claims Storey began sending her sexual messages when she was 16 and later made her pleasure him at a youth room in the church. He then forced himself on her when she was 17 as she took shelter from heavy rain at his parents' house, the court heard. 'She was soaked to the skin,' said Miss Llewellyn-Waters. 'She could see the defendant's facial expression had changed and he appeared to be aroused.' She added: 'She felt she had no choice but to submit.' Storey then told her to leave, saying he was going to order a Chinese takeaway and watch a film, it is said. He later tried to initiate a threesome with the girl and her 14-year-old sister, pleasuring himself as he forced her to describe the lewd scene, it is claimed. Storey's second alleged victim first met him as a child as she attended a summer camp. He first contacted her on Facebook when she was 16, saying she looked 'beautiful'. She is said to have been raped twice aged 16 after he secretly took her to a concert in Birmingham, where he plied here with up to 15 shots of alcohol in June 2008. After the gig, he forced himself on the girl at his student accommodation in Oxford, where he was studying to become a vicar, the court heard. 'She describes it as the most awful experience,' said Miss Lewellyn-Waters. 'She heard a knock at the door and prayed for matters to stop. 'However, when the defendant opened the door, there was no one there. 'She cried during the night. She did not know how to get to the station and felt helpless.' Storey, of Peckham, southeast London, denies three counts of rape and one of sexual assault. He is accused of raping and sexually assaulting the first woman and raping the second woman twice. Storey gave a prepared statement in July 2014 saying he had only engaged in consensual sexual activity with the women. The father accused of taking part in a mass church beating that killed one of his sons and injured another rejected a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for at least 18 years. Bruce Leonard, 65, appeared in the Oneida County Courthouse in upstate New York Tuesday in an orange prison jumpsuit and wrist and ankle shackles to turn down the plea agreement. The 13 felony charges he is facing include murder, gang assault and kidnapping in the October 11, 2015, attack at the Word of Life Church in Chadwicks, a small town about 100 miles west of Albany. Bruce Leonard is accused of joining his wife and seven other church members in the beating death of his son Lucas Leonard, 19. Scroll down for video Rejection: Bruce Leonard, 65, rejected a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for at least 18 years in connection to the death of one of his sons and injury to another during a mass church beating Mother's guilty plea: Deborah Leonard, 59, seen here in court in October, pleaded guilty last year to charges of first- and -second-degree assault in an attack on her sons that left one of them dead Another son, Christopher Leonard, 17, survived the attack but was hospitalized for blunt-force injuries suffered during a so-called counseling session that lasted more than 10 hours. Their mother, Deborah Leonard, 59, pleaded guilty last month to first- and second-degree assault charges in exchange for her testimony against her husband and the seven others - including church pastor Tiffanie Irwin - in the fatal attack. During testimony last October at a hearing, Christopher Leonard described his father attacking him and Lucas with his fists as well as with a black extension cord used as a whip. Christopher said he and his brother were assaulted because Lucas intended to leave the church. Tragic: Brothers Lucas Leonard, 19 (left) and Christopher Leonard, 17 (right), were members of the Word of Life Christian Church. Lucas was beaten to death, allegedly by his parents, while Christopher was hospitalized Christopher Leonard, 17, sustained injuries during a counseling session turned violent at Word of Life Church while his brother, Lucas Leonard, died from injuries related to the violent counseling session The other defendants all rejected the same plea deal as Bruce Leonard. They include pastor Irwin, 29; her mother, Traci Irwin, 49; her brothers Joseph Irwin, 26, and Daniel Irwin, 24; Linda Morey, 54; her son David Morey, 26; and Sarah Ferguson, 33, a half-sister of the victims. Deborah Leonard was due to be sentenced on February 1 but Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said he has asked for an adjournment for that date and was unable to say when she would appear for sentencing. McNamara said there will be at least two trials for Bruce Leonard that will take place because of legal reasons for the father. 'Legally there's a reason why there will have to be at least two trials,' he told the Utica Observer-Dispatch. Crime scene: This is the former school building owned by the Word of Life Christian Church where Lucas Leonard was beaten to death Home: This was where the Leonard family lived before the death of Lucas and the arrest of his parents 'The judge will have to take a look at all the legal reasons for why there should be two or more. 'At this point we concede there would have to be at least two trials. (Bruce Leonard) will have to be tried separately from a lot of his co-defendants.' McNamara would not elaborate as to why he would have to be separated from the large number of co-defendants in the case. According to the Observer-Dispatch, prior court testimony from two of the co-defendants made allegations into the father's level of involvement during the horrific beatings. Bruce Leonard's next court appearance is set for February 26. Parents at a primary school in Yeovil, Somerset, have received a telling-off for sending their children to class 'in a pretty shocking state'. A letter sent home to parents by St Michael's Academy condemned the 'parenting skills' of some families and said there was no excuse for the appearance of their children. Some youngsters arrived at school 'dirty, unkempt and not in appropriate school uniform, if in any uniform at all', according to the news bulletin, which is also on the school's website. Judith Barrett (pictured), headteacher at St Michael's Academy in Yeovil, lambasted lazy parents who stay in bed and leave their dirty, unkempt children to find their way to lessons in a pretty shocking state Some parents were even accused of not bothering to get out of bed to see their children going to the school (pictured) It is understood the letter was sent home with children on Monday after teachers noticed the 'shocking state' of some pupils. Many pupils are even getting themselves up in the morning and in to school while their parents stay in bed. 'In a country where there is plentiful running water and washing machines, and shops like Tesco offering entire school uniforms for 10, it is a pretty poor indictment of the parenting skills of some of our families,' the note concludes. The school for seven to 11-year-olds currently has around 220 pupils and was rated 'good' in the last Ofsted report in 2013. The headteacher is Judith Barrett. It is understood the letter was sent home with children on Monday after teachers noticed the 'shocking state' of some pupils. Bernie Sanders wants universal health care and a number of other programs that are politically aligned with his democratic socialist ideology and he's going to pay for them by raising taxes. The Washington Examiner conducted an analysis and found that Sanders' plans will mean approximately $19.6 trillion in new taxes over the next decade. Sanders, the Examiner found, will raise taxes by 47 percent over the current levels. Scroll down for video He's a taxman? A Washington Examiner analysis of Bernie Sanders economic agenda has found that Americans could see $19.6 trillion in new taxes over 10 years Bernie Sanders wants to implement a government-funded health care plan, which would account for $14 trillion of the $19.6 trillion figure The biggest need for new revenue would come from Sanders' single-payer health care plan. And the bulk of additional new taxes would pay for it. Of the $19.6 trillion figure, $14 trillion would come from the health care plan. Employers would be taxed at 6.2 percent to pay for the new federally-run Medicare-for-all system. This would bring in $6.3 trillion, the Examiner's Philip Klein estimated, while warning this tax could be passed onto employees. The Vermont senator, who is giving Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton a run for her money in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, has said that the savings will more than make up for paying the tax. In essence, Sanders argues that the government-run system will be easier on the pocketbooks of American employees, compared to the current amounts pulled out of their paychecks when they pay their portion of the private insurance bill. Another $3.1 trillion over 10 years would come from ending the tax free status of employer health insurance. Sanders has said that with universal health care this tax break will be moot and he'll be able to raise $310 billion a year from it. Bernie Sanders has argued that average Americans would end up paying less for health care under a national insurance plan, compared to using private insurance as they do now Many of Bernie Sanders' new taxes hit those making more than $250,000 a year. He plans to use the new taxes to implement a Medicare-for-all program and more He also plans to tax individuals for health care a 2.2 percent tax that would add $2.1 trillion to the pot over 10 years. The senator also wants to pay for healthcare by raising the marginal income tax rate. He's create a top tax bracket for those earning more than $250,000 a year, taxing them at 52 percent. This would bring in about $1.1 trillion over a decade. Capital gains taxes would be hiked as well, to pay for health care, bringing in $92 billion a year, or $920 billion over 10 years. The estate tax, or the death tax as it's preferably called by Republicans, would be raised in several ways, according to the Examiner, which could generate another $243 billion to go toward health care. One-percenters would also be hit as Sanders scrapped tax deductions households making more than $250,000 can take. The Examiner figures that's another $150 billion that could go toward Medicare-for-all over 10 years. Moving on from health care, the Democratic challenger wants to tax speculation on Wall Street, bringing in $3 trillion over 10 years, in order to pay for his plan to offer free tuition to students attending public colleges and universities. Klein warned that this figure doesn't account for the 'depressed economic activity' that could occur when the tax is levied against traders. Those making more than $250,000 a year will be expected to pay more into Social Security, as a way to expand the system with $1.2 trillion forecasted to be gained in 10 years. Infrastructure spending would be paid for by taxing offshore corporate income, which could bring in $1 trillion over 10 years. Sanders' plan for mandatory family leave would be paid for by increasing the payroll tax by 0.4 percent, split between employers and workers. This could bring in $319 billion over a decade, the Examiner found. Alternative energy subsidies would be paid for by taxing oil companies bringing in $135 billion over a decade. Finally Sanders' youth jobs program would be paid for by taxing financial firms for the carried interest they earn. Those taxes could bring in 15.6 billion by 2027. The Mexican actress who helped broker a meeting between drug lord El Chapo and Sean Penn is now being investigated for possible money laundering, authorities have revealed. Kate del Castillo, the soap star who swapped romantic texts with Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman while he was on the run last year, is thought to have taken funds from him to start a tequila business. Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said in an interview with daily newspaper El Universal that 'there are indications' she may have used money from El Chapo to finance her Honor tequila brand. Scroll down for video Actress Cate del Castillo is being investigated for money laundering after Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said there are 'indications' that El Chapo funneled money into her tequila business Del Castillo, who made headlines after it was revealed she brokered a meeting between El Chapo and Sean Penn, is preparing to launch her Honor branded tequila in America this year However, he cautioned that investigations are still ongoing and added that there is no 'legal certainty' that a crime has been committed. Del Castillo hasn't replied to requests for comment. On Twitter, she said last week that many people are making up 'items they think will make good stories.' Del Castillo caught media attention this month after it was revealed she had arranged a meeting between Mexico's most wanted man and U.S. actor Sean Penn for Rolling Stone magazine. That meeting is what ultimately led authorities to El Chapo, who had been on the run since escaping the maximum security Altiplano jail through an underground tunnel in July last year. Castillo became close friends with Mexico's most wanted man after exchanging romantic texts in which the pair professed their love for one another Authorities say they are also investigating that meeting to establish whether Del Castillo made use of El Chapo's money a second time. Gomez added: 'We have to make sure who provided the airplane, who paid for it, all of the logistics of the trip.' However, he added that neither Del Castillo nor Penn were under investigation for the meeting itself. Del Castillo's tequila boasts of being 'mild with a long finish that leaves a slightly spicy taste which invites you to taste again', on its website. Describing the drink, the site adds: 'With a strong personality and living life to the fullest, you are now looking for balance. 'On occasions you have lived extremes but now you want real experiences with friends. It is the foundation of all of our Honor family of tequilas. 'It represents the struggle we all live, and the balance that we pursue day after day.' The drink is being offered for pre-sale to those living in South America, and is due for launch in the U.S. this year in California, Texas and Illinois. Since Del Castillo's role in the interview was unearthed, a series of texts she exchanged with El Chapo were made public. In them the Sinaloa Cartel kingpin, who calls himself Papa, gushed that she is 'beautiful', 'the best in the world', and said 'I will care for you more than I care for my own eyes'. The twice-divorced actress responded: 'It makes me so emotional to hear you say that, no one has ever cared for me, thank you!' Later, while discussing a meeting, El Chapo says: 'If you bring wine Ill try it - I like tequila and Bucana but Ill try the tequila that you bring, and champagne. 'As Ive told you Im not a drinker but I will because you being here will be so beautiful, Im very excited to meet you and come to be great friends. 'Youre the best in the world. Were going to be very good friends. You will agree by the time youre heading home. I wish it could be sooner.' Del Castillo was also saved into his cell phone under the name Guapa - meaning beautiful. Authorities say Del Castillo's meeting with El Chapo is also under investigation to see whether she profited from the Sinaloa Cartel kingpin's billion-dollar drug empire Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman has been pictured back behind bars inside the Altiplano jail for the first time today - the same prison he has broken out of twice before Speaking again about meeting one another, Del Castillo wrote: 'Thanks to you Im going to finally meet you, and I cant describe how excited I am. Thank you for your trust. 'I have been trying to get together a team of people who are truly respected in Hollywood. I want you to hear what they have to say. 'But aside from our project, I'm so excited to be able to see you with my own eyes, in person. THANK YOU. 'All I care about is that you feel ok with everything, regardless of any promises, and that you tell me exactly what you think after our meeting. 'I suppose I will receive instructions so I know where to go and all the details.' El Chapo replies: 'Go to Sinaloa. Believe me, everything will be ok, I wouldnt have invited you otherwise. 'Ill look after you, youll see when you get here, and we drink tequila together. As I told you, Im not a drinker, but Ill drink with you to celebrate being with you. 'Thank you for being such a great person. You are so beautiful in every way.' Kate responds: 'I'm telling you, I feel safe for the first time in my life. 'Ill tell you my story when we have time to chat, but for some reason I feel safe and I know you know who I am, not as an actress or a celebrity but as a woman, a person.' El Chapo became Mexico's most wanted man after building a multi-billion dollar drug empire in the Sinaloa region, in the west of the country. El Chapo befriended Del Castillo after escaping Altiplano in July last year before his text exchanges with her ultimately lead authorities to recapture him earlier this month El Chapo is expected to be extradited to the U.S. to face trial and ultimately imprisonment, though he may stay in Mexico for months during his appeals process, so his jail is now being guarded by tanks In 1993 he was arrested and thrown into the Altiplano jail for the first time, before escaping in 2001 when he bribed guards with a reported $2.5million to turn a blind eye as he was wheeled out in a laundry basket. He evaded the authorities for the next 13 years until he was rearrested in February 2014 while laying low at a hotel with his wife and children. Just five months later he was a free man once again after henchmen tunneled underneath the Altiplano jail and into the shower of El Chapo's cell, while the guards apparently turned a blind eye. It took authorities until earlier this month to apprehend him for the third time, before placing him back inside the same jail he escaped from twice before. Mexican officials have conceded the need to extradite El Chapo to the U.S. so he can be tried and imprisoned there, though it is feared the appeals process could take months. heel from his eye but did not lose eyesight A student who stabbed a man in the eye with a Christian Louboutin stiletto heel leaving him with serious injuries has walked free from court. Shadiya Omar, 22, of Whalley Range, attacked Justin Lloyd, also 22, after he began arguing with her friend as they both waited for a taxi home after a night out in Manchester city centre. Manchester Crown Court heard Mr Lloyd, from Blackley approached Omar's friend outside the Mercure Hotel in Piccadilly Gardens on October 18, 2014. Scroll down for video Student Shadiya Omar, 22, (pictured left) of Whalley Range, attacked Justin Lloyd, also 22, (right, following the incident) after he began arguing with her friend as they waited for a taxi home after a night out in Manchester He offered the woman a crisp but she knocked them out of his hand, so he attempted to pour the packet over her head. The court heard Omar reacted by rushing to her friend's aid and struck Mr Lloyd in the eye with the designer shoe. Prosecuting, Jonathan Savage, said: 'He was then struck a single blow to the left eye with an object. 'His next reaction was feeling that he has been hit in the eye and feeling a long object in front of his left eye, he had to pull it out.' The court heard there was a dispute between the women and Mr Lloyd's group of friends as she attempted to get in a black cab. Police arrived to the scene and Omar was arrested in a room at the Mercure Hotel where her boyfriend had been staying. Mr Lloyd was treated at Manchester Royal Infirmary and later the Manchester Eye Hospital for injuries to his left eye. He was left suffering with bruising, cuts and bleeding to the lower lid, cuts to the upper lid and a fracture to the eye orbit. A victim impact statement read out in court said Mr Lloyd was forced to quit work as a labourer and has become self-conscious about his scarred eye The court heard miraculously he did not lose his eyesight, but still suffers with stabbing pains and the psychological after effects. A victim impact statement read out in court said he was forced to quit work as a labourer and has become conscious of his scarred eye. Mr Savage said: 'Looking in the mirror every day, he would be constantly having a reminder of the pain he has been suffering.' Defending, David Morton, said Omar, who pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, had only removed her shoes because they were hurting and was not intending to use them as a weapon. He told the court she was only brandishing the heel to stop Mr Lloyd hassling her friend, with no motive to actually strike him in the eye. He said: 'She acted using excessive self defence, describing the group as intimidating very tall young men who were clearly aware of their level of intoxication.' Judge Lindsey Kushner QC sentenced Omar to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. Omar must also complete six months of unpaid community work and supervision, as well as pay a 100 victim surcharge fee. Defending, David Morton, said Omar, who pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, was only brandishing the heel to stop Mr Lloyd hassling her friend, with no motive to actually strike him in the eye Judge Kushner said: 'I know a shoe is a vicious weapon and you do know now clearly the heel is. 'I accept it was a moment of spontaneity - a spontaneous reaction. It was in a situation of hassling and ostentatious behaviour, as far as your friend was concerned persistent irritation.' After the case Mr Lloyd said he was enjoying his first ever night out in Manchester city centre for a friend's 21st birthday when the attack took place. The 22-year-old said he was only joking with the girls when he went to offer his crisps. After the incident he spent 30 hours in hospital as his eye was stitched up, fearing he would lose his sight. Mr Lloyd said: 'I felt something in my eye, I felt the stiletto in my eye. I was worried I would lose my sight, at the time I couldn't tell I could just see blood coming out of my eye. It was blurred and even now it is not 100 per cent. It went pitch black. A victim impact statement read out in court said following the incident Mr Lloyd was forced to quit work as a labourer and has become self-conscious about his scarred eye 'It was weird when I felt it in my eye, I was just in shock.' Since the attack he said he has lost his confidence and no longer wants to socialise with friends. Mr Lloyd, who is a labourer, has also struggled to find permanent work as his eyesight problems make it difficult to work on a building site. He said he believes Omar was just sticking up for her friend, but said it was a 'crazy' way to react. Mr Lloyd said: 'It is just lucky I have got my eyesight to be honest. 'I am not happy about the sentence. It is quite shocking what she did. 'What she has done, it is a crazy thing, it is scary. She was looking at me, not realising - no remorse.' 'At least it is done and I can get on with my life now.' His mother Paula Jacobs, 51, said it has been a struggle financially supporting the family on one wage as well as helping her son through the psychological effects. She said: 'Since the case my son has gone antisocial. He doesn't go to social events. 'My happy-go-lucky lad cheeky chappy boy is now just sitting in his bedroom depressed.' Mrs Jacobs added she was grateful for the support of Greater Manchester Police throughout the court procedure and is seeking help with counsellors for her son. The Boston campus of the is going tobacco free, banning smoking, vaporizers and e-cigarettes from school grounds. UMass Boston announced the ban, which is effective immediately, on Tuesday. The ban includes all outdoor spaces on the campus, including parking lots, and applies to students, staff and visitors. Smoking was already banned inside the schools' facilities. The Boston campus (pictured) of the University of Massachusetts is going tobacco free, banning smoking, vaporizers and e-cigarettes from school grounds The ban includes all outdoor spaces on the campus, including parking lots, and applies to students, staff and visitors. Smoking was already banned inside the schools' facilities (pictured is a file photo from UC Berkeley) Boston is the last of the five schools in the University of Massachusetts system to implement the smoke-free ban. The UMass Medical School led the way as early as 2008 with its Tobacco Free Initiative and was followed in 2013 by UMass Amherst. UMass Lowell banned smoking from its campus in September 2014 and UMass Darmouth went tobacco-free in July 2015. Robert Pomales, the executive director of University Health Services at UMass Boston, believes the ban will help everyone on campus smoke less in their lives. 'At colleges where bans are in place, more people quit smoking and fewer begin,' he told The Boston Globe. Massachusetts isn't the only state that's kicking out cigarettes and the like from it's schools. UCLA led the way for the entire 10-campus University of California system to become smoke and tobacco-free as of January 2014. There were campus-wide protests when the University of Southern Maine (pictured) announced a tobacco ban in 2012, but nearly four years later the number of smoke-free colleges across the nation has nearly doubled And this month Kevin McCarty, a Democrat in the California State Assembly, introduced a bill that would ban both cigarettes and vaping from California State University campuses as well as community colleges. Currently only six of the 23 CSU campuses are smoking-free, although a system-wide ban is in the works, according to The Sacramento Bee. Iowa and Arkansas have taken their bans one step further, making all public and private schools in both states smoke-free by law. The rise in smoke-free campuses has sharply increased in the last few years. There are currently at least 1,475 college campuses that are smoke free, and 1,128 of them are also tobacco-free, according to the Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. Three U.S. citizens who disappeared in Baghdad last week were kidnapped by an Iran-backed Shia militia, Iraqi and American intelligence sources have confirmed. Gunmen from the militia, which has not been named, seized the men from an apartment in the Dora neighborhood in southeastern Baghdad on Sunday. While Iran is thought to support to the organization behind the kidnapping, there is no reason to believe Tehran ordered the men to be taken or that they are being held there, officials added. Three Americans working for a defense contractor in Baghdad, Iraq, were kidnapped from this apartment on Sunday by an Iran-backed Shia militia, security sources have said According to Reuters, one of the Iraqi intelligence sources said: 'They were abducted because they are Americans, not for personal or financial reasons.' The three men are employed by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp, one of the world's largest defense contractors. Corporation is working in Iraq under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with the matter. The Iraqi government has struggled to rein in the Shia militias, many of which fought the U.S. military following the 2003 invasion and have previously been accused of killing and abducting American nationals. Baghdad-based analyst Hisham al-Hashemi, who advises the government, said the kidnappings were meant to embarrass and weaken Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is trying to balance his country's relations with rival powers Iran and the United States. 'The militias are resentful of the success of the army in Ramadi which was achieved with the support of the U.S.-led coalition and without their involvement,' he said. Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province and formerly home to half a million people, was recaptured from majority-Sunni Islamic State forces late last year. Shia militias were kept out of the battle against Islamic State in Ramadi for fear of aggravating sectarian tensions among the Sunni population in the western city. The men were snatched from the Dora district (pictured) to put pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, sources said, thought there is no indication that the operation was ordered by Tehran Baghdad touted the military's advance there last month, with backing from coalition airstrikes, as evidence of a resurgent army after it collapsed in 2014. The State Department said on Sunday it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate Americans reported missing, without confirming they had been kidnapped. Asked about the kidnapping at the daily U.S. State Department news briefing on Tuesday, spokesman John Kirby said only: 'The picture is becoming a little bit more clear in terms of what might have happened.' Kirby declined to say whether Secretary of State John Kerry had contacted Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif about the kidnapping. Hostility between Tehran and Washington has eased in recent months with the lifting of crippling economic sanctions against Iran in return for compliance with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions and a recent prisoner swap. An up-and-coming rapper who has been in jail for over a year on drugs and weapons charges wore a pair of nearly $500 sneakers in court on Tuesday, as his lawyer again fought with a judge to lower the price of his bail. Ackquille Pollard, who uses the rap name Bobby Shmurda, was arrested in December 2014, and at the time the judge set bail at $2million. In court on Tuesday, Shmurda's attorney Alex Spiro attempted to convince the judge that the bail price should be lowered, saying the initial $20million estimate of the rapper's wealth was a gross exaggeration, TMZ reports. Instead, Spiro says Shmurda's real fortune is closer to $427,000 and that bail should be set closer to $50,000 to $100,000. Scroll down for video Ackquille Pollar, the rapper better known as Bobby Shmurda, appeared in New York City court on Tuesday for a bail hearing Shmurda's lawyer asked that bail be lowered from $2million to between $50,000 and $100,000 - saying Shmurda's wealth had originally been exaggerated Meanwhile, Shmurda made the strange decision to wear a $450 pair of patent-leather Bally brand-name shoes Over the past year, his family has tried and failed at least seven times to post his bail, due to the very-high price. But the judge did not agree, saying he has seen 'no substantive change' in Shmurda and is 'satisfied that the case is extraordinarily serious'. And that decision may be in part due to Shmurda's strange decision to wear a pair of sneakers only a wealthy man could afford to the hearing. The red patent leather shoes by Swiss fashion brand Bally that Shmurda was seen wearing in court on Tuesday sell for $450 dollars at Saks Fifth Avenue. The case has also become more serious since Shmurda was hit with additional charges of conspiracy to commit murder, when a woman believed to be his girlfriend was caught trying to sneak a 'sharpened metal object' to him while in lock up. His next court date is scheduled for February 22. Shmurda leans over to listen to his lawyer Alex Shapiro at the Tuesday bail hearing in New York. The judge declined the request to lower the rapper's bail The Brooklyn-born rapper is best known for the hit song 'Hot Boy.' He also put out a music video that popularized a dance craze called the 'Shmoney dance,' and reportedly signed a lucrative record deal with Epic Records. Police arrested Shmurda on conspiracy, reckless endangerment and gun possession on December 17, 2014 after he left a recording studio near Radio City Music Hall. Police found two handguns and a small amount of crack cocaine in a car in which he was riding, authorities said. An indictment naming Shmurda charges more than 15 defendants with a variety of crimes including murder, attempted murder, assault and drug dealing. The gang's gun play left one rival dead, injured an innocent bystander sitting on folding chair outside a Brooklyn home and caused pandemonium outside a nightclub in Miami Beach, Florida, authorities said. Police seized 21 guns during the investigation. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Brooklyn-born rapper is best known for the hit song 'Hot Boy.' He also put out a music video that popularized a dance craze called the 'Shmoney dance,' and reportedly signed a lucrative record deal with Epic Records. Pictured above performing in New York City on December 12, 2014 The case carries some 'deeply disturbing themes: The gang members' enthrallment with guns, and a cavalier disregard for human life,' Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said at a news conference last year. The hip-hop artist's songs and videos were 'almost like a real-life document of what they were doing on the street,' added James Essig, head of a New York Police Department unit that made the arrests. The court papers allege that Shmurda fired a gun toward a crowd of people outside a barbershop in Brooklyn earlier this year. They also say he was present last year during a confrontation between rival drug gangs outside a Brooklyn courthouse where shots were fired. The evidence includes several recorded phone conversations, including some between Shmurda and gang members serving time on Rikers Island, the indictment says. The gang used code words, referring to firearms as 'tone,' ''socks' or 'CDs,' narcotics as 'crills,' and shootings as 'sun tans,' it says. During a conversation on April 28, Shmurda bragged, 'I am two socks Bobby right now,' the indictment says. Another defendant commented, 'Bobby out here with two CDs on him like in the wild wild west or something.' A 'Hot Boy' video posted on YouTube in August has been viewed tens of millions of times, and Shmurda performed the song for a national television audience on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' the same month he was arrested. 'My music is straight facts,' Shmurda told New York Magazine. 'There are a lot of gangsters in my 'hood.' Archaeologists have begun excavations at a mysterious site on Honduras' Caribbean coast that may be the legendary lost city of Ciudad Blanca or White City. So far about five dozen stone and ceramic fragments and other artifacts have been unearthed in the jungle-covered Mosquito region, according to local officials. Among the artifacts that have been discovered are a stunning vessel with vulture-shaped handles, a tray with a jaguar's head made from clay and a stone-made throne carved with another jaguar. The site was found last year by a National Geographic team, who unearthed the mounds of white rubble in the shape of a monkey's skull that experts believe to be thousands of years old Among the artifacts that have been discovered is a stunning vessel with vulture-shaped handles (pictured) Also unearthed was a tray with a jaguar's head made from clay, possibly part of a ceremonial temple (pictured) They are possibly part of a ceremonial temple. Other pieces bore decorations that appear to represent humans, jaguars, buzzards, lizards and birds. The ruins, which appear to date to between 1,000 and 1,500 AD, do not appear to be Mayan, the culture that dominated other sites in the region. 'It is a new culture, or a different culture,' Virgilio Paredes, the director of the Honduras' Institute of Anthropology and Colorado, said. The city's name is believed to be derived from the white limestone rock in the area and after ancient texts described ivory temples filled with treasures. Western explorers first made reference to it from conquistador Hernando Cortes to King Charles V of Spain in 1526. One adventurer, Theodore Morde, suggested in 1940 that the city was in fact known as the White City of the Monkey God, and saw an ancient civilization worship a giant simian deity, symbolised by a statue. Morde, writing of his adventures in US magazine The American Weekly, said that local tribes people told him of the monkey worshiping civilization and went on with even more outlandish suggestions that a monkey from the city the city kidnapped a local woman and bred half-human, half-chimp children. The children were then hunted for revenge. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez visited the site and said in a statement 'We are blessed to be alive at such a special time in Honduran history.' 'This discovery has created a lot of excitement because of its significance for Honduras and the world,' Hernandez said. Honduras' Minister of Science, Ramon Espinoza, said 'there will be further research to gather more data, because there is no other site in central America with a lost civilization.' The area is inhabited by the Pech and Payas indigenous groups, who long spoke of such a site. The first written reference came in 1544, in a document written by Spanish Bishop Cristobal de Pedraza. The rumored site had supposedly been located and lost between the 1500s and the 1800s. Researchers detected the current excavation site in 2012. The site was found last year by a National Geographic team, who unearthed the mounds of white rubble in the shape of a monkey's skull that experts believe to be thousands of years old. Archaeologists have begun excavations on the site on Wednesday, January 13 The National Geographic's Douglas Preston wrote: 'The tops of 52 artifacts were peeking from the earth. Many more evidently lie below ground, with possible burials. They include stone ceremonial seats (called metates) and finely carved vessels decorated with snakes, zoomorphic figures, and vultures. 'The most striking object emerging from the ground is the head of what Fisher speculated might be 'a were-jaguar,' possibly depicting a shaman in a transformed, spirit state. 'Alternatively, the artifact might be related to ritualized ball games that were a feature of pre-Columbian life in Mesoamerica.' The first mention of the city came in Hernando Cortes' fifth letter to King Charles V of Spain in 1926, when he wrote that it will 'exceed Mexico in riches'. Historians believe, based on his description, that the city was in the region of Mosquitia - which was then, and remains now, impenetrably dangerous. 'I have trustworthy reports of very extensive and rich provinces,' he wrote, 'and of powerful chiefs ruling over them, and of one in particular, called Hueitapalan, and in another dialect Xucutaco, about which I possessed information six years since, having all this time made inquiries about it, and ascertained that it lies eight or ten days' march from that town of Trujillo, or rather between fifty and sixty leagues. Tens of millions of Americans from Washington to Boston and the Ohio Valley could be walloped by an end-of-the-week snowstorm, meteorologists say. Although it's still early, all computer forecast models see a windy, strong slow-moving storm. The big questions are where and how much. Most experts envisage at least a foot of snow if not more. 'There's going to be a big storm. Somebody's going to get walloped,' said Victor Gensini, a meteorology professor at College of DuPage outside of Chicago, which should be spared. 'It does look like it's going to be a doozy.' Scroll down for videos Tens of millions of Americans from Washington to Boston and the Ohio Valley could be walloped by an end-of-the-week snowstorm that could see two feet of snow in some areas, meteorologists say. Pictured: Friday A snowstorm is set to hit the Northeast on Friday, potentially shutting down highways and airports Forecasters say the storm, or a blizzard, will intensify on Saturday bringing the first big snow of the year According to The Weather Channel , it has all the hallmarks of developing into one of the most intense storms seen in the region since 2003 Rich Otto, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center outside of Washington, said some major cities will likely see a foot or more of snow. Other meteorologists talked about 18 inches, two feet and more. Gensini said the heavy snow is likely because the system will be slow moving. Forecasters see Saturday as the worst day in the East. Early Tuesday, the Weather Prediction Center said the storm could be historic, but Otto said that may have been going a bit too far. 'Things will change; that's a guarantee,' Otto said. 'Nothing ever stays the same with these forecasts.' Otto said an upper-level disturbance in the air is moving from the Pacific to the Rockies to the southern plains. It should pass over Texas, hit the Ohio Valley, join with other unstable air and become a nor'easter Friday evening over the Mid Atlantic, moving up the coast on Saturday. 'Since the storm is arriving on a southern track, impacts will include Kentucky, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Northern Virginia into D.C., then Philly,' said meteorologist Ryan Maue of the private WeatherBell Analytics. Then once it gets up north, expect strong winds gusting easily to 50 to 60 mph beach erosion, and storm surge in the New Jersey area, Maue said. And with high tides, coastal cities are warned there is a strong chance of flooding. According to The Weather Channel, it has all the hallmarks of developing into one of the most intense storms seen in the region since 2003. It is not yet clear which parts of the region will get the brunt of the storm, but densely-populated cities including New York and Washington, D.C. - which have been relatively snow-free this winter - are likely to be hit. The first snowflakes fell in New York on Sunday after a remarkably mild Christmas in the Northeast. But this week weather experts predict a wave of icy temperatures will sweep across the coast, bringing up to two feet of snow. And in an interview with Slate, Paul Kocin, the meteorologist who wrote the textbook on snowstorm ranking systems, described this impending snowstorm as 'textbook'. If it reaches its full potential, the storm could develop into a blizzard with severe thunder and lightning that could shut down airports and highways. 'If it reaches its full potential, it would be a bad storm,' AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines told the New York Post. 'I don't know if there would be 18 inches out of it, but I guess it could certainly be a foot.' At its earliest snowfall will begin during the Friday morning commute, however it may not start until Saturday. Kines added: 'If you had travel plans for Friday or Saturday, I would certainly be concerned.' Initially, forecasters predicted limited snow showers and squalls would hit New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania as the cold blast sweeps down from Canada. But with a storm simultaneously sweeping in from California, it now looks set to be more intense. Forecast maps show how the storm will sweep in through northern California, dip down towards the Gulf of Mexico, then sweep back up before hurtling towards the East Coast. Paul Kocin, the meteorologist who wrote the textbook on snowstorm ranking systems, described this impending snowstorm as 'textbook'. Pictured: A man walks over Lake Mendota in Madison, Wis, on Tuesday Snow coats Central Park in New York City on Tuesday days before the real snowstorm is set to hit Linda Weber walks with her two dogs, Norah and Mynah, on Tuesday in Hunting Valley, Ohio A woman jogs on a trail at the South Chagrin Reservation on Tuesday in Solon, Ohio Ice forms along the Chicago lakefront as frigid temperatures continue through the the Upper Midwest, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) The deep freeze will last two to three days in most places, with subzero temperatures in eastern North Dakota, Minnesota and northeastern Iowa. Temperatures will drop 10 to 20 degrees below normal on Monday and Tuesday in much of the eastern US, with subfreezing temperatures predicted in Washington, D.C, according to Accuweather. The Southeast will feel the chill too, with Raleigh, North Carolina expected to reach below mid-30 degree temperatures. El Nino brought about a mild winter at the beginning, but a blast of dangerously cold temperatures moved east across the Northern Plains and Great Lakes on Sunday. Temperatures bottomed out at 36 degrees below in Fosston in northwest Minnesota. It was so cold in western Minnesota that traffic lights went dark Sunday morning in Montevideo when a transformer blew, and in northern Minnesota, one homeowner's bid to thaw pipes caused a fire that led to $37,000 in damage, WDIO-TV reported. Meanwhile, parts of Illinois were in the single digits Monday, the second day with such frigid air. It was the same in southern Indiana, where officials trying to stem the spread of a bird flu virus in turkey farms ran into problems when a hose that sprayed a poultry-suffocating foam froze. Many cities sought to ensure no one succumbed to the cold. The Indianapolis Star reported that the state Department of Homeland Security would send anyone needing shelter from the weather Sunday and Monday to a Salvation Army facility. But in Wisconsin, authorities said a 21-year-old woman likely died of exposure to subzero temperatures in Milwaukee; medical examiners said she was apparently intoxicated when she left a house party. Surveillance video showed she collapsed outside of a residence and a passer-by found her. Snow accompanied the drop in temperatures in northern and western Michigan, where up to 16 inches of snow fell over 24 hours in Honor and Traverse City received 10 inches. A march in honor of Martin Luther King Day was canceled in Grand Rapids because of road conditions. Some reprieve from the cold is expected in the Midwest later in the week, with Chicago expecting to jump into the comparatively balmy 30s by Thursday. But the sub-freezing temperatures were moving eastward, the National Weather Service said, taking aim at the Ohio Valley and areas of the Appalachians. This is a map showing how the storm will sweep in through northern California, dip down towards the Gulf of Mexico, then sweep back up before hurtling towards the East Coast Simultaneously, a cold blast will push down from Canada, and a moist flow will push up from Mexico When all the elements meet on the East Coast, it will have the potential to cause major disruptions Dangerously cold conditions will impact the northern Plains and the upper Mississippi Valley. Wind chill warnings are in place for North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, Minnesota, northern Iowa and northwest Wisconsin. Rain and thunderstorms will develop across the Southeast and the southern Mid-Atlantic, while a mixture of rain and snow affects the southern Appalachians. Flash flood watches are also in place for northwest California and southwest Oregon. Snow showers will also impact the northern Sierra Nevada, the Cascades and the northern Rockies. Florida will also be hit by the cold air, adding to the severe weather that has already sparked a pair of tornadoes that killed a couple and injured their son and four grandchildren. South Florida will experience upper 30 degree temperatures on Monday and Tuesday night. Newman has been suspended by Mount Sinai Hospital in New York while investigations are underway She claims he fondled her breasts when she came with a heavy head cold for consultation Today a second woman has come forward to accuse Newman of sexual abuse in alleged incident in September The emergency doctor and Iraq War veteran has now surrendered to NYPD and been taken into custody Police seeking court order for sample of his DNA to see if it matches semen victim says she wiped off fondled the 29-year-old who was on morphine and ejaculated on her after masturbating A high-profile New York doctor has been charged with sexual abusing a female patient after sedating her with morphine. Dr. David Newman, 45 - an emergency physician at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan - surrendered to the NYPD today after allegations that he masturbated onto the 29-year-old. Now a second woman, 22, has come forward to claim that the doctor groped her during a consultation last September. Scroll down for video Dr. David Newman, the prominent Mount Sinai emergency room physician accused of ejaculating on a sedated patient, has turned himself in to Special Victims Unit detectives today (pictured) The patient claimed she went to Mount Sinai suffering from a severe head cold where Newman had then fondled her breast, the source told The New York Daily News. Newman, who has now been taken into custody, is charged with assault, two counts of sexual abuse and facilitating a sexual offense in the first reported case. The New York Daily News reported the 29-year-old alleged victim arrived at the hospital on January 11, at around 10.30 p.m. with shoulder pain and was taken into a private room. Nurses gave her two pain pills and a shot for inflammation. When the pain persisted, she was administered morphine. The newspaper reported, quoting sources, that the patient took off her top and bra and got into a gown for an X-ray, but kept her pants on. Scene: The woman arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital on Monday night complaining of shoulder pain, and was allegedly assaulted by the doctor who treated her She was still wearing the gown when Dr. Newman entered the room. 'I'm going to give you a shot of morphine,' the doctor told her, according to the sources. The woman said she had already been given morphine, but then felt a burning sensation in her arm. Dr. Newman then began examining her. When the patient complained of chest pain, Dr. Newman allegedly fondled her breasts. The doctor then moved her bed away from the wall and positioned himself with his back toward the patient, The Daily News reported. The woman is then said to have heard the sounds of someone masturbating, before feeling a liquid substance hit her face. Throughout the alleged incident the patient said she was incapacitated by the morphine, sources said. When she awoke the woman says she used a hospital gown to wipe semen from her face and chest. Authorities are now seeking a court order for a sample of Newman's DNA to compare it with evidence taken from the gown. Dr. David Newman (pictured) is accused of sexually assaulting a patient on Monday. Today a second victim came forward alleging sexual abuse last September Newmans face have nothing away as he walked past reporters to surrender to the NYPD Special Victims Squad in Harlem. Mount Sinai Hospital, in New York City, confirmed that they have suspended the doctor while investigations were underway. A spokesman told ABC 7: 'The physician has been suspended from Mount Sinai pending the outcome of the investigation, and we continue to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities. 'He has not provided care to patients at Mount Sinai since the investigation began. 'We take the nature of these allegations very seriously and continue to conduct our own extensive internal inquiry. The health and safety of our patients are our primary concern. Since this is a police matter, we cannot provide further details.' The doctor is an Iraq War veteran who served as a major in the U.S. Army Reserves. In 2005, he was deployed to Iraq where he received an Army Commendation Medal. He has also released a book about the disconnect between doctors and patients called Hippocrates Shadow: Secrets from the House of Medicine. Return: Defector Son Ok-soon is reported to have returned to North Korea from China, and shredded the pages of her anti-regime book North Korea is claiming that a defector who fled the country 16 years ago has returned because of the nations free health services and lack of taxes. Son Ok-soon, a human rights activist and the author of a book written against the regime, is said to have been filmed in an interview tearing up the pages of the book. State media outlet Uriminzokkiri reported that the 20-minute video shows the woman expressing her admiration for the North Korean system. As well as allegedly expressing her regret about defecting, she also praises the nation's health services and tax systems. Watching through the television, I realised that my fatherland changed remarkably in the past 10 years, the woman in the video says. I became speechless to hear that the county provided luxury houses at Mirae Scientists Street. This is impossible to imagine in other countries. The woman is pictured in tears at the start of the interview, as she begins shredding her book. Meanwhile, the voiceover says: Her mindset was distorted by our enemies [sic] vile propaganda. But because she has finally realised and understood our partys political policies for socialism and the people of the DPRK, she is now ripping up the book that brought disgrace upon her. Watching through the television, I realised that my fatherland changed remarkably in the past 10 years. Human rights activist and author Son Ok-soon after she allegedly returned to North Korea It continues: Look, with her own hands she is ripping off all the pages, written by enemies who convinced her to betray her country. Now she has left behind her past darkness. This will be a turning point in her life. Watching this viewers will be surprised to see her confession and the waves of shock that follow. She says that she does not regret her actions, as even a flawless life can be helped to a better life with the help of your country. Son published Longing for Light under the name of Esther Joo, in 2012. It describes her experience of North Koreas famine, fleeing to China and her subsequent arrest by Chinese police. In October, a North Korean defector gave a rare glimpse into the reality of Kim Jong-uns regime. Apology: State media outlet Uriminzokkiri reported that the 20-minute video shows the woman expressing her admiration for the North Korean system. A voiceover explains Son Ok-soon's situation as she cries while destroying her book Allegation: Son published Longing for Light under the name of Esther Joo, in 2012. It describes her experience of North Koreas famine, fleeing to China and her subsequent arrest by Chinese police Disgrace: As well as allegedly expressing her regret about defecting, she also praises the nation's health services and tax systems Speaking from the South Korean capital of Seoul, the former soldier described witnessing regular public executions. The defector, whose identity has been kept secret to protect his family, revealed that people have no option but to show public support for Kim Jong-un. If you dont clap, if you nod off, youre marked as not following Kim Jong-uns doctrine, he told Sky News. You have to do it because you dont want to die. You chant Long live and clap because you dont want to die. The defector, who served in the North Korean military for 20 years, said his first attempt to escape led to him being imprisoned and beaten for 15 days. Alexis Arquette is lashing out at Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in a Facebook post the day after the latter announced she was boycotting the Oscars. 'When Jada comes out as Gay and her beard husband admits his first marriage ended when she walked in to him **** servicing his Sugar Daddy Benny Medina ..then I will listen to them,' writes Arquette. The transgender actress later added in the comment section: '"She" being his FIRST wife. Paid off, silent.' Will's first marriage to Sheree Zampino ended in divorce in 1995 and he married Jada two years later. Medina is a powerful Hollywood manager who has worked with stars including Jennifer Lopez and Tyra Banks. Scroll down for videos Vicious: Alexis Arquette lashed out at Will and Jada Pinkett Smith on Facebook Tuesday (above earlier this month) after the latter announced she was boycotting the Oscars Born Robert Arquette, Alexis transitioned publicly to Alexis and even made a documentary about the experience. She is known for roles like that of a drag queen in the Adam Sandler film The Wedding Singer and the fact she is part of a dynasty - her sisters are Patricia and Rosanna and her brother is David - all actors Allegation: Arquette claims Will's 'first marriage ended when she walked in to him bu** servicing his Sugar Daddy Benny Medina' Arquette, whose sister Patricia won an Academy Award in 2014 for her performance in Boyhood, went on to write in her post; 'Will threw a fit on the set of Six Degrees of Separation when he was required by the scene to kiss Anthony Rapp. 'He persuaded the director to shoot the back of his head in frame. Blocking the non existent lip lock entirely. 'F*** him. Gays have enemies. They lurk in gilded closets. Outing is healthy. You are either with or against us. You decide. Today.' Arquette later revealed in a comment on the post that she had audition for Rapp's role in the film, noting that 'it would have been a different story on set' if she had been in the movie. She also said of her decision to speak out; 'I used to think Michelangelo Signorile was wrong for outing. I'm completely for it now. Too many bullied teens dead.' Signorile is a gay activist who has long been credited as a pioneer in outing celebrities and other famous individuals, most notably being the first to report that David Geffen and Liz Smith were homosexuals. He also outed billionaire Malcom Forbes soon after his death. Will and Jada have yet to respond to the allegations and either Arquette or Facebook removed her post on Tuesday evening. Big claim: Will's first marriage to Sheree Zampino ended in divorce in 1995 and he married Jada two years later (Will and Medina above in 2008) Manager to the stars: Medina is a powerful Hollywood manager who has worked with stars including Jennifer Lopez and Tyra Banks (above at the 2015 Tony Awards with Lopez) Jada said on Monday in a video posted to her Facebook that she was boycotting the Oscars over a lack of diversity among the nominees. Janet Hubert, the actress who played the original Aunt Viv on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, attacked Jada on Facebook soon after, going after Will as well for his actions against her years ago. Hubert filmed a scathing public response to Pinkett Smith's announcement that she would be boycotting the awards, despite having worked with her husband Will for years on the popular sitcom. In a video she too posted on Facebook, Hubert said; 'First of all, Miss Thing, begins Hubert, does your man not have a mouth of his own with which to speak? 'The second thing, girlfriend, theres a lot of s**t going on in the world that you all dont seem to recognize. People are dying. 'Our boys are being shot left and right. People are starving. People are trying to pay bills. And youre talking about some f*****g actors and Oscars. It just aint that deep. 'And heres the other thing: For you to ask other actors, and other black actresses and actors, too, to jeopardize their career and their standing in a town that you know damn well you dont do that. And heres the other thing: They dont care. 'They dont care! And I find it ironic that somebody who has made their living, made their living and made millions and millions of dollars from the very people youre talking about boycotting just because you didnt get a nomination, just because you didnt win.' Hubert then when a step further and called out Will Smith by claiming he refused to negotiate for salary increases alongside the entire cast of Fresh Prince back in the day. 'Well karma must be a bitch, cause now here you are,' says Herbert. 'Here you are, youve had a few flops and you know there are those out there who really deserved a nod.' She then criticised both his performance and accent in the film Concussion, which some pundits had thought might land him an Oscar nomination. ISIS has confirmed the death of British fighter 'Jihadi John', in a bizarre obituary that praises him as an 'honourable brother' and highlights his 'sincerity, ambition and enthusiasm'. The obituary, published in ISIS' online magazine Dabiq, said that he was killed in a drone strike in their Syrian stronghold of Raqqa in November after appearing 'unintelligent' to avoid MI5. And they praise him for allowing an injured jihadi to 'use' a female sex slave he had been given as a gift. Born Mohammed Emwazi, he was known as the balaclava-clad executioner who appeared in a string of videos showing the beheadings of Western hostages. The group said the 27-year-old was killed on November 12 'as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqqa, destroying the car and killing him instantly'. ISIS has confirmed the death of British fighter 'Jihadi John', saying that he was killed in a drone strike in their Syrian stronghold of Raqqa in November On his last attempt to leave the UK for Kuwait, Emwazi was stopped at the airport and kept for questioning by MI5, the obituary claims. It says he presented himself as unintelligent, as was his method when dealing with intelligence agencies The US military had said at the time that it was 'reasonably certain' he had been killed in the strike. The obituary, naming him Abu Muharib al-Muhajir, claims he was originally from the northeast of the Arabian Peninsula, while his mother originated from Yemen. It continues: At a young age, the honorouable brother travelled with his family to London. This would become a place he grew to hate along with its kafir [non-Muslim] people, whose customs were far-removed from the praiseworthy values he was much accustomed to. It was through the mercy and blessings of Allah that Abu Muharib attained the gift of a sound aqidah [creed] and correct manhaj [methodology] despite residing in one of the centres of kufr [non-belief] and despite the increased presence of deviants calling to the gates of Jahannam [hell].' The obituary, naming him Abu Muharib al-Muhajir, claims he was originally from the northeast of the Arabian Peninsula, while his mother originated from Yemen This annotated image posted online by anti-ISIS activists Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently claims to show where Emwazi is believed to have been killed (circled), just yards from the group's headquarters in Raqqa Emwazi was refused permission to travel in early 2013, and at that point he disappeared. Investigators believe that it was then that he travelled to Syria to join the terror group. The obituary boasts that he escaped to join ISIS in Syria right under the nose of the much-overrated MI5 British intelligence agency. It continues: Depending upon Allah alone for success, [Emwazi] with his companion embarked on a long and strenuous journey that totalled approximately two months and involved trekking the mountain ranges of Europe and its marshy farmlands, sneaking across borders and being detained by the authorities of various nations on at least two occasions. The 27-year-old was killed on November 12 'as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqqa, destroying the car and killing him instantly', according to the terror group It later adds: It was [Emwazis] sincerity, ambition and enthusiasm to work and tire himself for Allahs sake that granted him prominence, as he grew to be loved and respected by many. Dabiq claimed that Emwazi displayed his 'kindness and generosity' by giving away a female sex slave he had received as a gift to an unmarried injured ISIS fighter. Emwazi first came to the worlds attention when he appeared, dressed all in black and wearing a balaclava that covered everything but his eyes, in a video in which he brutally executed American journalist James Foley. Videos showing the beheadings of U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and the American aid worker Peter Kassig followed. HOW PILOTS SITTING IN NEVADA 'EVAPORATED' JIHADI JOHN IN SYRIA The United States deployed Reaper drones carrying Hellfire missiles in August to Incirlik Air Force Base in Southern Turkey. The base, which is just outside the town of Adana is only 30 miles from the Sryian frontier and 200 miles from the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa. The Reaper drones are controlled by US Air Force pilots in Creech Air Force Base outside Las Vegas in Nevada more than 7,000 miles from the conflict zone. The unmanned aircraft are controlled via satellites, which stream real-time pictures back to the pilot in the United States. According to the US Department of Defence, the MQ-9 Reaper drone 'is designed to execute time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision'. Pentagon Press secretary Peter Cook said: 'US forces conducted an air strike in Raqqa, Syria, on November 12, 2015 targeting Mohamed Emwazi, also known as 'Jihadi John' (file photo) It has a range of about 1,150 miles and can fly at 230mph up to a height of approximately 50,000 feet. The aircraft has the ability to linger over its target for up to 24 hours. It can carry AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II and GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack munitions. The killer has been a priority target for both British and American authorities who have been intercepting thousands of phone calls, emails and other electronic communications in a bid to identify his location. Once he was spotted entering his car in the ISIS stronghold of Al-Raqqa, a decision was made to target him with a 44,000 Hellfire missile which vaporised him moments later. Advertisement A school board has been left outraged after a union representative tweeted that an elementary school teacher 'looked like a penis'. The vulgar tweet was posted on January 12 as teachers and officials met for a board meeting at Parkland Elementary School in Douglas County, Colorado. The post from Douglas County Federation of Teachers' (DCFT) official Twitter account said: 'DAC meeting. [Teacher's name] looks like a penis. And that's not a compliment #douchebag' DCFT has insisted its Twitter was hacked and has since deleted the tweet and its entire account. Scroll down for video A school board has been left outraged after a union representative tweeted that an elementary school teacher 'looked like a penis' - however the teachers' union claims their Twitter account was hacked 'DCF Twitter was hacked. We couldnt see the tweet that was sent because it was under media (not visible to us). As soon as the tweet was brought to our attention, we deactivated the account,' a spokesman for the union said. Douglas County School District Board of Educators president Meghann Silverthorn, who was in the room with the teacher who was named in the tweet, does not believe the union was hacked. 'The text of the tweet was an account of what was happening at that meeting,' she told KDVR. 'If you're thinking about what hackers do, you had to be physically present in the room to know what was happening in that meeting.' In a letter sent to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Ms Silverthorn said the DCFT was 'asserting the Weiner defense' - a reference to former New York congressman Anthony Weiner who denied sending pictures of his penis to women on Twitter, saying he was hacked. 'The DCFT has asserted the Weiner defense against their behavior, which is that they are the victim of a Twitter account hack,' Ms Silverthon wrote. Douglas County School District Board of Educators president Meghann Silverthorn, who was in the room with the teacher who was named in the tweet, does not believe the union was hacked Ms Silverthorn also said the 'vicious smear' was a 'despicable attack on a dedicated classroom teacher'. She went on to demand that the AFT sack all of its representatives on the DCFT for the 'act of unprofessionalism and failure of leadership'. AFT president Randi Weingarten responded on Monday, saying she will review whether or not the union sent the 'penis' tweet. Two California firefighters pulled their truck over in order to give a homeless man a pair of shoes after spotting him walking down a highway barefoot. The firefighters from Riverside were driving back to the station from training last week when they saw the elderly man walking very slowly on the side of a highway overpass. They pulled their truck around and firefighter David Gilstrap gave the homeless man his tennis shoes while Captain Rob Gabler helped the man put them on. California firefighter David Gilstrap and Captain Rob Gabler pulled over in order to give a homeless elderly man a pair of shoes after spotting him walking barefoot down a highway last week. Above Gabler helps him put on the shoes The touching moment was captured on camera and was shared on the City of Riverside Fire Department's Facebook page. 'Just another great example of the City of Riverside Fire Department helping our members of the community,' the fire department wrote in the Facebook post on Thursday describing the kind act. Bruce Vanderhorst, the fire department's Chief Public Information Officer, told ABC News that the firefighters also offered the man water and access to the city's homeless services. Vanderhorst added that they are proud of the work they do and are there to help whenever they can. 'We're very proud of the work we do building our community relations and we're here to help in any way we can whenever those opportunities present themselves.' On Facebook, people praised the firefighters for their generous act. 'God bless the firefighters who are always available when needed. Riverside can't say the words thank you enough,' Minnie King wrote in the comments. Gilstrap gave the homeless man his tennis shoes while Captain Rob Gabler helped the man put them on. They also offered the man water and access to the city's homeless services Another person wrote saying that this was a reminder that there are still good people in the world. 'God Bless those Firemen and God Bless the homeless man. There are still kind people in this world. We should all follow in their footsteps and try to help others in this New Year,' Laura Moss-Frusher wrote. Another woman shared the same sentiment and said the firefighters' good deed should be an example of something everyone can do. An elephant village in Thailand has been thrust into the spotlight after footage began circulating of a handler threatening to punch a calf. Australian tourist Charley Costin was filming her partner Dani Tawha feeding the baby elephant when a young attendant storms into view and raises his fist to the animal, which cowers back in fright. The handler then grabs the elephant's ear, causing it to yelp out in pain at which point the employee smiles, appearing to enjoy abusing the young animal. The shocking vision has sparked international outage as well as calls from animal rights groups for action to be taken against Damnoen Saduak Elephant Village. Scroll down for video The baby elephant cowers back in fright after the young handler threatens it with his fist, before he grabs the calf by its ear, causing it to yelp out in pain Ms Costin, who lives in the Gold Coast in Queensland, told Daily Mail Australia her tourist guide dropped them at the park for an unplanned stop-off. 'We did not pay a cent to this company, besides 100baht to buy bananas to feed the beautiful baby elephant,' she said. The couple were filming themselves feeding 'Tukky' the three-year-old calf in its small enclosure when the handler launched into the shot. 'The young boy storms in through my filming, threatening the elephant with a punch then grabs his ear and scrunched it up, causing that heartbreaking cry and kneel down the elephant does.' 'The boy then proceeds to pull on his ear and kick his foot then chain him up.' Ms Costin can then be heard scolding the staff member in the footage, which has amassed nearly half a million views on Facebook as well as international outrage. 'I was in absolute disgust. I stopped filming and continued to question him and tell this little insignificant bully of a boy to stop.'. Ms Costin said in a follow-up post that animal rights groups were now seeking to take appropriate action against the facility. Charley Costin was filming her partner Dani Tawha feeding the baby elephant when the employee began abusing the animal Ms Costin can be heard scolding the employee and said she was in 'absolute disgust' She said in a follow-up post that animal rights groups were now seeking to take appropriate action against the facility 'I have goosebumps of happiness. Elephant Freedom Fighters and animal rights have taken action and this little guy will hopefully be making his way to a sanctuary as well as the abuser being fired!' she wrote on Monday. Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation are reportedly investigating the incident and planning to present their findings with the Thai Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals However local media have reported the handler was only suspended and the owner of the village even defended his employee, who did not 'land a punch' on the elephant, reports Coconuts Bangkok. Thailand has come under fire in the past for its treatment of elephants, with some enclosures inflicting physical pain or using weapons to beat the animals into obedience. The Gold Coast woman and her partner Dani Tawha were dropped at the elephant village for an unplanned stop-off with her tour guide He allegedly punched his girlfriend, 22, in the eye and kicked her in the knee during a fight Dark: Track Palin (pictured above in September 2008) was arrested on Monday after allegedly hitting his girlfriend and threatening to shoot himself Sarah Palin's oldest son was arrested on Monday night after he allegedly punched his 22-year-old girlfriend in the face during a drunken argument and threatened to shoot himself in the head with an assault rifle. Track Palin, 26, an Iraq combat veteran, was taken into custody by police in Wasilla, Alaska at 10pm after officers arrived at the Palin family home and found his girlfriend cowering under a bed. According to the unidentified woman, an intoxicated Track attacked her and pointed an AR-15 rifle at his own head as they argued over her ex-boyfriend and screamed he was going to shoot himself, shouting, 'do you think I'm a p---y? and 'do you think I won't do it?' This latest chapter in the Palin family saga was all the more embarrassing for the former Alaskan governor as it overshadowed her endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The police report from Wasilla, Alaska describes a shambolic scene when police arrived and found the female victim with 'bruising and swelling around her left eye' claiming that Track had thrown her phone away when she tried to call 911. This all happened at Sarah's Wasilla home according to court documents, and Track had a 0.189 blood alcohol level according to police. 'I observed that the male had a visible injury to his right eye and the area around his eye,' Officer Andrew Kappler wrote Scroll down for video Showtime: Despite Track's arrest, Palin endorsed Donald Trump Tuesday night in Iowa (above) Allegations: An investigation found he 'committed a domestic violence assault on a female and interfered with her ability to report a crime of domestic violence' 'His eyes were bloodshot and I detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and person. Upon contacting Palin, he was uncooperative, belligerent, and evasive with my initial line of questions.' Officers tried to ask the veteran why 911 was dialled by the woman and where she was. 'Palin stated that he didn't know where she was and denied that there was a firearm involved, but did state that there were several spread throughout the residence,' Kappler wrote in his report. 'Due to Palin's escalating hostility, the unknown whereabouts of the female 911 caller, and Officer safety, Palin was placed into handcuffs.' Timing: This arrest came the night before his mother very publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president (above with Bristol Palin, her the boyfriend Levi Johnston, Willow, Piper, Todd, Trig and Sarah Palin) It was then that officers went into Sarah Palin's family home and discovered the girl under the bed, crying and hiding. 'She and her boyfriend of one year, Track Palin, left a different residence together and were arguing the whole way home,' Kappler wrote. 'Once they got to his home they argued in the car, then in the driveway. They were screaming and he was calling her names.' The woman told police that while she had not yet called 911, she had lied to Track and said she had to scare him off. Apparently this did not work. 'Palin approached (his girlfriend) and struck her on the left side of her head near her eye with a closed fist,' wrote Kappler in the report. The argument got out of control and Track allegedly reached for his AR-15 rifle and began threatening suicide. Track's girlfriend ran out of the house after the young man started 'holding onto a gun, yelling 'do you think I'm a p---y?' and 'do you think I won't do it?' '(She) stated Palin 'cocked the gun' and was holding the rifle out next to him with his right hand near the trigger and his left hand near the barrel, with the barrel just away from his face pointed to the side,' states the detailed police report. '(She) was concerned that he would shoot himself and ran outside and around the house. She didn't see where Palin went, so she went inside and up the stairs, where she hid under a bed.' Police reported that (she) had bruising around her left eye and appeared to have an injury on her knee. Track told police the argument began after he learned she had been speaking with an ex-boyfriend. The two had been to dinner and then visited his sister Bristol's home earlier in the night before the argument began at his mother Sarah's home. He also claims that the woman elbowed him during the fight, but she was not arrested or charged with any crime. Gawker was the first to report the news of Track's arrest, which came the night before his mother very publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president. She did not mention her son's legal troubles during her speech. The Wasilla Police Department said in a statement; 'Palin was arrested and charges of assault in the fourth degree (domestic violence), interfering with a domestic violence report, and misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree were forwarded to the District Attorney's Office.' Palin family attorney John Tiemessen declined to comment Tuesday on the matter but did say that respect for the family's privacy is appreciated 'as Track receives the help that he and many of our returning veterans need.' Track posted $1,500 bail and is due in court on February 19. Track, 26, was married in May 2011 but divorced a little over a year later. He and his ex-wife Britta Hanson have a daughter Kyla who was born three months after their wedding. Hanson told Radar Online she was not involved in Monday night's incident or even aware of what happened between Track and the unknown woman. She also said of her ex; 'We are on speaking terms. We have a cordial relationship about our daughter. That is as far as it goes.' Track and the rest of his family had a run in with police a little over a year ago in September 2014 when a fight broke out at a party in Wasilla. Track also reportedly broke a rib in the incident, and during his interview with cops spelled his last name wrong at one point. Using the military alphabet he told officers it was spelled, 'Papa, Alfa, Lima, India, Mike, Oscar.' China aims to increase its captive giant panda population to 500 by 2020, with firm breeding programmes in place Advertisement An adorable baby panda cub melted the hearts of thousands as he peeked out of his container to say 'hello' to his fans during his first public appearance at a local zoo in China on Sunday. The cub was placed on the lawn in a blue plastic container by breeders at the sanctuary in Chongqing city in the south-west of the country, according to a report on People's Daily Online. Initially deeply shy, he was mobbed by cooing visitors who watched him attempt to stand up several times and fail before being carted back to his enclosure to be with his mother Yaya, aged 16. Hello there! The panda cub makes his eagerly-awaited first appearance sanctuary in Chongqing city in the south-west of China In fighting shape: The bear was born on August 30 last year and is not thought to have any health concerns, but is a little timid as a baby Bashful: Although initially deeply shy, the panda baby was mobbed by cooing visitors who watched him attempt to stand up several times The perfectly timed photographs show the young bear interacting happily with zoo staff as well as his mother, barely filling the small plastic box he was being transported in. Eager wildlife fans queued around the block to see the 'debut' of the tiny bear on Sunday, following his story since he was born on August 30 last year. The name of the young panda, which currently weighs just 20 lbs, is to be announced in February according to the zoo. King of the hill: Remarkable photographs appeared to catch the bear waving to his assembled crowd as he perched regally in his blue box Star of the show: Fans of the creatures queued up for hours to take a glimpse at the young creature, who was born on August 30 last year Small but perfectly formed: The bear, who has 5 sisters, currently weighs just 20 lbs and fits in his blue plastic container with relative ease Precious: China's Forestry Administration recently confirmed that the country now has 422 giant pandas in captivity with 88% surviving Yaya gave birth to a litter of five pandas overall, of which the new cub is the first male and the remaining four females. China's State Forestry Administration recently confirmed that the country now has 422 giant pandas bred and living in captivity with a survival rate of about 88 percent. The country aims to increase its captive giant panda population to 500 by 2020, with a series of breeding programmes currently in the works. One of the boys: The baby's mother Yaya, aged 16, gave birth to five pandas overall, of which the new cub is the first male A rare celestial show will appear in pre-dawn skies this week. For the first time in 11 years, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible at the same time in the sky. All five planets will can be seen just before dawn at 6.50am ET on Wednesday, January 20. Hold your arm up straight from the moon to the horizon and the five planets should fall along that line. Scroll down for video Four morning planets from east to west: Venus, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter. Mercury will join this group on January 20, The green line highlights the ecliptic Earths orbital plane projected onto the dome of sky HOW TO SEE THE CELESTIAL SHOW All five planets will can be seen just before dawn at 6.50am ET on Wednesday, January 20. From around the world, Jupiter will be the first planet to appear in the evening to the east. Next will be Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury which rise overnight and early morning. Hold your arm up in a straight line from the moon to the horizon, and the five planets should line up on that line. You won't need a telescope, as all the planets will be visible with the naked eye. Advertisement If you look up, from left to right in a diagonal line you will see Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. The stars Antares and Spica will also be visible in the same patch of sky. Uranus and Neptune are the only two planets that won't be on show. From around the world, Jupiter will be the first planet to appear in the evening to the east. Next will be Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury which rise overnight and early morning. Mercury will be low in the east-southeastern morning sky, at around eight degrees to the lower left of Venus. If poor weather conditions get in your way, these five planets will be visible each day before dawn through February 20. 'We expect people from both Earth's Northern and Southern Hemispheres to see Mercury with relative ease by around January 25,' wrote EarthSky.org. 'Mercury will be at its best in the morning sky for several weeks, centered around February 7, 2016. 'At this juncture, Mercury rises about 80 minutes before the sun at mid-northern latitudes. 'At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, Mercury rises a whopping two hours (120 minutes) before sunrise.' The stars Antares (shown) and Spica will also be visible in the same patch of sky. Uranus and Neptune are the only two planets that won't be on show. Mid-northern latitudes in Europe and Asia will see the moon somewhat offset in relation to the planets during February, according to EarthSky.org Spica, a star in the constellation Virgo, is shown here in relation to the moon and Jupiter. The green line on the above chart depicts the ecliptic path of the sun, moon and planets across the skys dome You won't need a telescope, as all the planets will be visible with the naked eye. But EarthSky.org recommends using binoculars to see them more clearly. Venus will be the brightest object in the sky behind the moon and the sun and you can see it by looking southeast. The five planets will also be visible in the evening from August 13 to 19 this year, according to EarthSky.org. But Mercury and Venus will be low in the west at dusk and not that easy to spot. This means the southern hemisphere will have the advantage for spotting all five planets in the August evening sky. Dr Alan Duffy, research fellow at Swinburne University in Melbourne, told the Australian Geographic that this rare alignment is 'essentially a quirk' of the universe. All five visible planets to happen to line up is 'something well worth seeing,' he said. A host of stargazing apps, such as Exoplanet, SkEye, and PlanetDroid, could help you find the best place to see the planets in your region. Rolling ocean waves and the low rumble of a distant thunder storm are known to put a person to sleep, but have you ever wondered why these sounds are so calming? In part, it is because the brain interprets these sounds as 'non-threats,' according to an associate professor from Pennsylvania State University, and it can use them to block out other, more alarming noises. While a shrill sound can jolt you out of a deep sleep, the pattering of raindrops in a quiet forest will exist peacefully in the background. A playlist that features a summer rainstorm or a babbling brook might mask an external 'acoustic insult,' like a housemate flushing the toilet in a nearby part of the house, the study found WHY WATER SOUNDS ARE CALMING Abrupt sounds will trigger an evolutionary response to sudden noises, the brain's 'threat activated vigilance system.' This will wake a person up. The calming water sounds of a sleep-track work on this idea, creating non-threatening sounds that gradually vary in volume to prevent startling a person awake. These calming sounds can also block out noises that the brain would interpret as threats. A playlist that features a summer rainstorm or a babbling brook might mask an external 'acoustic insult,' like a housemate flushing the toilet in a nearby part of the house. Advertisement A 2012 study by Orfeu Buxton, an associate professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, examined the distinctions between the sounds of abrupt threats and gradual non-threats, according to Live Science. In a hospital setting, alarms played as low as 40 decibels, roughly the volume of a whisper, were found to awaken participants from shallow sleep 90 per cent of the time. For people in deep sleep, this volume would wake up them half the time. Louder, gradually approaching sounds like helicopters and traffic reached 70 decibels, but did not wake the participants as often as sounds that came out of nowhere, like a ringing phone. This is because abrupt sounds will trigger an evolutionary response to sudden noises. 'We're mammals, but we're specifically primates,' Buxton told Live Science. 'Primates will call to alert their troop about threats,' or 'a scream might be someone in the tribe being eaten.' The brain's 'threat activated vigilance system,' Live Science explains, wakes a person up when these noises are detected. The calming water sounds of a sleep-track work on this idea, gradually varying in volume to prevent the noise from startling a person awake. Rolling ocean waves are known to put a person to sleep, but have you ever wondered why these sounds are so calming? The brain interprets these sounds as 'non-threats,' according to an associate professor from Pennsylvania State University, and it can use them to block out other, more alarming noises 'These slow, whooshing noises are the sounds of non-threats, which is why they work to calm people,' Buxton, told Live Science. 'It's like they're saying: 'Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry.' 'The type of noise defines if you will wake up or not, controlling for the volume, because the noise information is processed by our brain differently,' Buxton told Live Science. These calming sounds can also block out noises that the brain would interpret as threats. A playlist that features a summer rainstorm or a babbling brook might mask an external 'acoustic insult,' like a housemate flushing the toilet in a nearby part of the house, Buxton explained. While the researcher says apps can be helpful to channel these sounds, Buxton also warned against reliance on mobile devices for a more restful sleep, as notifications can be disruptive. They found that the number of 'mildly harmful' mutations per individual increases with distance from Southern Africa, where humans originated It was a key moment that allowed our species to spread around the world from their humble beginnings in Africa. But the migration of our ancestors from the African continent around 50,000 years ago also made us far more sickly, a new study has claimed. Researchers say 'mildly harmful' mutations became more common in the small groups of intrepid migrants as they moved into new areas and they still affect people today. Some 50,000 years ago, modern humans left Africa, travelling first to Asia and then further east, crossing the Bering Strait, and colonising the Americas. Now experts have said that 'mildly harmful' mutations became more common among small groups of migrants. A map showing their movements is shown above They say the further people are from South Africa, the more of these mutations appear in their DNA. Homo sapiens are thought to have first appeared in Africa around 150,000 years ago. Some 100,000 years later, small numbers left their homeland travelling first to Asia and then further east, crossing the Bering Strait, and colonising the Americas. An international team of researchers led by the University of Berne, Switzerland, predicted that if modern humans migrated in small groups, then the populations that broke off from their original African family would progressively accumulate slightly harmful mutations. This accumulation of genetic changes, known as a 'mutation load', in a modern population should allow the scientists to measure the distance covered by a group since it left Africa. Researchers say the 'mildly harmful' mutations became more common among small groups of intrepid homo sapien migrants - and these mutations still affect people today, with more mutations evident in groups the further they are from South Africa. This illustration shows evolution from Australopithecus to humans (right) For example, an individual from Mexico should be carrying more harmful genetic variants than someone from Africa. ISRAELI SKULL MAY EVIDENCE MIGRATION FROM AFRICA Long ago, humans left their evolutionary cradle in Africa and passed through the Middle East on their way to Europe. In January last year, scientists found the first fossil remains that appear to document that journey - a partial skull from an Israeli cave. The skull dates from around 55,000 years ago, fitting into the period when scientists had thought the migrants inhabited the area. And details of its anatomy resemble ancient skulls from Europe, Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University in Israel said. The skull, which lacks facial features and its base, was found in Manot Cave in the Galilee region of northern Israel. The migrants are called modern humans because of their anatomy. The earliest remains of modern humans in Europe date to about 45,000 years ago. Advertisement To test their idea, the team used next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to sequence variants in the standard genetic code of seven populations within and outside Africa. These populations include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Algeria, Pakistan, Cambodia, Siberia and Mexico. They then simulated the spatial distribution of mutations to find that the number of slightly harmful mutations per individual increases with distance from Southern Africa, which is consistent with an expansion of humans from that region. The team believes the main reason for a higher load of harmful mutations in populations that settled down further away from Africa is that natural selection, which normally weeds out traits that are harmful, is not very powerful in small populations. This is because harmful mutations were purged less efficiently in small pioneer tribes than in larger populations. The study notes: 'Whereas previous comparisons between African and non-African diversity attributed the observed increased proportion of deleterious [harmful] variants in non-Africans to the OOA [Out of Africa] bottleneck, our study shows that a single bottleneck is not sufficient to reproduce the gradient we observe in the number of deleterious alleles per individual with distance from Africa.' There findings suggest that current human populations spread around the world may also not be the result of a single migration out of Africa, but several made by small groups of people. Natural selection also had less time to act in populations that had broken away from their African homeland and settled far later, they said. The team used next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to sequence variants in the standard genetic code of seven populations within and outside Africa. These populations include: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Algeria, Pakistan, Cambodia, Siberia (stock image left) and Mexico (stock image right). The team simulated the spatial distribution of mutations to find that the number of slightly harmful mutations per individual increases with distance from Southern Africa, which is consistent with an expansion of humans from that region. The location of the population samples is shown on the map above 'We find that mildly deleterious [harmful] mutations have evolved as if they were neutral during the out-of-Africa expansion, which lasted probably for more than a thousand generations,' said one of the main authors Stephan Peischl of the University of Berne. 'Contrastingly, very harmful mutations are found at similar frequencies in all individuals of the world, as if there was a maximum threshold any individual can stand.' The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is significant because these mutations still affect the health and fitness of people today. Laurent Excoffier, also from the University of Berne, added: 'It's quite amazing that 50,000 year-old migrations still leave a mark on current human genetic diversity, but to be able to see this you need a huge amount of data in many populations from different continents. 'Only five years ago, this would not have been possible.' They may have unknowingly been cobalt from mines that use child labour Technology giants Apple, Samsung and Sony have been accused of failing to ensure the materials used in their products do not come from mines that exploit child labour. Amnesty International and African Resources Watch (Afrewatch) has accused the companies of lax oversight of their supplies of cobalt from mines in Democratic Republic of Congo. Cobalt is used in rechargable batteries found in many laptops, mobile phones and electric vehicles. A report by Amnesty International and African Resources Watch has accused 16 technology companies of failing to ensure materials used in their products do not come from mines that exploit chlid labour. It claims cobalt from a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (pictured) may end up in their products A report produced by the campaign groups says consumer products sold around the world could contain traces of the metal from informal Congolese mines, without technology companies knowing. In response, Apple said it had a zero tolerance policy towards child labour and was evaluating ways to improve its identification of labour and environmental risks. WHAT THE COMPANIES SAY Researchers behind the Amnesty International and Afrewatch report contacted each of the companies it claims are supplied with batteries that may contain cobalt from Huayou Cobalt or CDM. These are the reponses they provided and are published in the report: Sony said: 'We take this issue seriously and have been conducting a fact-finding process. 'So far, we could not find obvious results that our products contain the cobalt originated from Katanga in the DRC.' Samsung SDI stated it does not do direct business with CDM or Huayou Cobalt and neither company are in its supply chain. 'In reality, it is very hard to trace the source of the mineral due to the suppliers' nondisclosure of information and the complexity of the supply chains. 'Therefore it is impossible for us to determine whether the cobalt supplied to Samsung SDI comes from DRC Katanga's mines.' Apple said it was 'currently evaluating dozens of different materials, including cobalt, in order to identify labour and environmental risks as well as opportunities for Apple to bring about effective, scalable and sustainable change.' HP said: 'As of now we have not found any linkage between our products and the DRC mine. If a linkage is found, we will take steps to address the risks you have raised.' Advertisement Samsung SDI said it conducted written evaluations and on-site inspections of all suppliers to certify compliance with human rights, labour, ethics, environment and health standards. The report, titled 'This is what we die for: Human Rights Abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo power the global trade in cobalt', examines the supply chain of cobalt from the country. It describes how traders buy cobalt from areas where child labour is rife and sell it to a local subsidiary of of Chinese mineral conglomerate Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt. The report identified children as young as 12-years-old were working underground digging up the metal in the mine. The researchers claim to have identified 16 multinational consumer electronics companies that are clients of Asian battery manufacturers that acquire cobalt from the Chinese firm. Once processed, the cobalt is sold to battery component manufacturers in China and South Korea, which supply the multinationals. 'It is a major paradox of the digital era that some of the world's richest, most innovative companies are able to market incredibly sophisticated devices without being required to show where they source raw materials for their components,' Afrewatch executive director Emmanuel Umpula said. The report was based on research in Congo's mining heartland and singled out a smelter in southern Congo owned by Congo Dongfang Mining International (CDM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese mineral giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd. The report alleged that CDM did not check the source of the cobalt it purchased from local buying houses, leading to a 'high risk' that it came from mines where children and other workers were exposed to hazardous conditions. The report attempts to trace how cobalt moves around the world in the global supply chain (illustrated) The researchers interviewed 17 children at five mines where they said children as young as seven scavenged for rocks containing cobalt. The authors of the report said they saw workers from the mines queuing to sell cobalt to buying houses that claimed to sell to CDM. Huayou Cobalt is the largest cobalt chemicals producer in China and sold almost $235 million of the metal in 2013, according to the report. Once smelted, the cobalt is exported to China before being sold to battery manufacturers who claim to supply top-end electronics companies including Apple, Samsung, Sony and 13 others, the report said. Researchers behind the report claim to have traced cobalt produced by Congo Dongfang Mining International (CDM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese mineral giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd. It alleges that 16 multinational companies acquire cobalt from the Chinese firm (a potential supply chain is illustrated) In a written response quoted in the report, Huayou Cobalt said it had 'reasonably presumed that the behaviours of suppliers comply with relevant regulations of the DRC and taken the corresponding social responsibilities'. A woman who answered the phone at Huayou Cobalt and identified herself as Ms Yang told Reuters the information in the report was not true as far as she knew but added that she was not very familiar with CDM's operations. The report also said none of the 16 companies linked to the CDM smelter provided enough detail to researchers to independently verify the origins of the cobalt used in their products. Only one acknowledged the link with the smelter plant. Reuters could not independently verify any link between the companies and the smelter plant. Samsung told Amnesty it was very hard to trace the source of the cobalt due to non-disclosure by suppliers and the complexity of supply chains. The company that CDM or Huayou Cobalt were in its supply chain. Congo's supply of the metals such as tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold has been under scrutiny since 2010, when laws in the United States required US-listed companies to ensure their supply chain was free from these so-called 'conflict minerals'. But cobalt has received scant regulatory attention, although strifetorn Congo is the source of more than half of global supply. Amnesty and Afrewatch said they hoped the research will trigger action. Mark Dummett, business and human rights researcher at Amnesty International, said: 'Millions of people enjoy the benefits of new technologies but rarely ask how they are made. 'It is high time the big brands took some responsibility for the mining of the raw materials that make their lucrative products.' Imagine storing your entire music collection in a house plant or the entire works of Shakespeare in an area of shrubbery. Scientists are developing a new technique for using seeds and plants as data repositories by encoding information into their DNA. They have already incorporated a simple message into the DNA of a plant, but they now hope to expand the idea to store large amounts of information. Scroll down for video The idea of plants as biological hard drives might sound far-fetched, but scientists are eyeing seeds and plants as potential data repositories of the future, by storing data in their DNA. Stock image illustrates binary data stored in a DNA double helix In the age of information, we are facing a storage crisis as we produce and record vast amounts of data each day. All of this digital data is stored in servers, such as Google's huge server farms in Finland and Iowa. But the data degrades over time, the more it is accessed, meaning it has to be copied to a new disc periodically, meaning more space and resources. Karin Ljubic Fister, a researcher at University Medical Centre Maribor, Slovenia, believes the solution to this may be to store information as binary code in the DNA of plants. According to the researchers, the study was the first demonstration of storing data in the DNA of a multicellular organism She envisions a green future for data storage, in which entire libraries worth of information could be stored in a single tree. It is a very literal take on the concept of the 'tree of knowledge'. As part of a proof of concept study, researchers in Slovenia transformed binary data coding for a simple message into the DNA of a plant. STORING DATA IN DNA DNA is being explored as a storage medium Researchers in Slovenia conducted a proof of concept study, to store data in the DNA of a plant. They transferred the '1's and '0's of binary into the four bases of DNA: A, G, T and C. A was 00; C was 10; G was 01; and T was 11. The stretch of synthetic DNA was assembled letter by letter, and then bacteria were used to transfer it to tobacco plants. Through this process, the synthetic DNA, containing the coded sequence, was incorporated into the plant's own DNA. New plants were grown containing the modified DNA in every cell of the plant. They propose that immense amounts of information can be stored within the DNA of plants and seeds. DNA was extracted from the new plants and sequenced. When translated back to binary it contained the original message. Advertisement Karin Ljubic Fister, a researcher at University Medical Centre Maribor, Slovenia, and one of the researchers working on the project, has a very literal take on 'the tree of knowledge'. Speaking at the Falling Walls lab in Berlin in 2015, the researcher presented their findings from their proof-of-concept study. She told the audience: 'One simple tree could provide all of the educational data anywhere in the world. And of course, all of the large data centres in the world could be potentially replaced by this technology.' In a recent interview with New Scientist, Mrs Fister explained the group's green vision for future data storage: 'Imagine walking through a park that is actually a library, every plant, flower and shrub full of archived information. 'You sit down on a bench, touch your handheld DNA reader to a leaf and listen to the Rolling Stones directly from it, or choose a novel or watch a documentary amid the greenery.' By switching the four-letter code of life into the '1's and '0's of binary, Fister proposes that immense amounts of information can be stored within the DNA of plants and seeds. Explaining the technical aspects of the approach, she said: 'A computer program is basically a sequence of 0s and 1s, so we transformed this into the four DNA 'letters' A, G, C and T by turning 00 into A, 10 into C, 01 into G and 11 into T.' Once they had assembled the stretch of synthetic DNA, assembling it letter by letter, they used bacteria to transfer it to tobacco plants. Through this process, the synthetic DNA, containing the coded sequence, was incorporated into the plant's own DNA. Modified tobacco plants were grown containing the coded message, integrated within their own DNA, so every cell in the plant contained the information. Stock image of tobacco plants Mrs Fister and her husband Iztok encoded a 'Hello World' computer programme into the DNA of the tobacco plant seeds using a piece of circular DNA called a plasmid. Modified plants were grown containing the coded message, integrated within their own DNA, so every cell in the plant contained the information. To access the information, DNA was extracted from a cutting of the plant and sequenced using existing DNA analysis methods. When the encoded program was reconstructed from seedlings, the message 'Hello World' appeared on the screen with 100 per cent accuracy, she said in a recent blog post on the work. To access information, DNA is extracted from the plant and sequenced using existing DNA analysis methods. When the sequence of DNA bases is translated back into binary, it would show the original data. Stock image of DNA sequence analysis According to Fister, the study was the first demonstration of storing data in the DNA of a multicellular organism. However, one of the drawbacks is that the system is currently 'read only', with changes to information requiring a whole new plant. But in future, advances in gene editing technology could make fine editing possible, by pinpointing and substituting individual letters. The potential advantages are in the huge storage capability of DNA, after all, each cell in the human body contains the entire set of instructions for making a human packaged into bundles of DNA. 'One single box of seeds could store practically all the archives that are currently in the world,' she told the audience in Berlin. Speaking at the Falling Walls lab in Berlin in 2015, Karin Ljubic Fister, a researcher at University Medical Centre Maribor, presented findings from a concept study. Her group transformed binary data coding for a simple message into the DNA of a plant If these biological hard drives were stored in a secure location, such as the 'Doomsday' seed vault in the Norwegian Arctic, they could last for thousands of years. The benefits are clear, as DNA is incredibly durable and can store immense amounts of information compared to hardware. Some comparison estimate that one gram of DNA could store the equivalent of 14,000 Blu-ray discs. However, DNA is not immune to degradation. If the DNA library was stored near a source of ionizing radiation, such as X-rays and far UV light, it could be degraded over time. In addition, the biological tools used by life to read and repair DNA can read the code incorrectly, or introduce errors when repairing or copying it. If historical records were stored in plant DNA, errors could creep into the code over time as the plant cells repair their DNA. Ultimately, this could mean plants end up unconsciously rewriting human history. It is a 'near certainty' that a major technological disaster will threaten humanity in the next 1,000 to 10,000 years. This is according to physicist Stephen Hawking who claims science will likely bring about 'new ways things can go wrong' for human survival. But the University of Cambridge professor added that a disaster on Earth will not spell the end of humanity as long as humans find a way to spread out into space. Scroll down for video It is a 'near certainty' that a major technological disaster will threaten humanity in the next 1,000 to 10,000 years. This is according to physicist Stephen Hawking who claims science will likely bring about 'new ways things can go wrong' for human survival Hawking made the comments while recording the BBC's annual Reith Lectures on January 7. The lecture explore research into black holes, and his warning was made during questions fielded by audience members. When asked how the world will end, Hawking said that increasingly, most of the threats humanity faces come from progress in technology. The scientist, who turned 74 this month, says they include nuclear war, catastrophic global warming and genetically engineered viruses. 'We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we must recognise the dangers and control them,' he said, speaking to Radio Times ahead of the lecture. To get away from these threats, humankind will have to colonise other planets, which Hawking believes will take more than a century. The scientist, who turned 74 this month, says they include nuclear war, catastrophic global warming (left) and genetically engineered viruses (the Ebola virus is shown on the right) 'We will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period,' Hawking said. He has previously singled out the risk of artificial intelligence (AI) becoming powerful enough to cause the downfall of humanity. In July, Professor Hawking and Tesla founder Elon Musk led 1,000 robotics experts in an open letter warning that 'Autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow' And the physicist claims that if AI doesn't conquer humanity, an advanced alien civilisation may do so instead. 'If aliens visit us, the outcome could be much like when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans,' Professor Hawking said in an interview last year. THE $100 MILLION HUNT FOR ALIEN LIFE BACKED BY STEPHEN HAWKING A search for intelligent alien life using two of the world's most powerful telescopes has been launched by leading scientists including Professor Stephen Hawking. The telescopes will scour one million of the closest stars to Earth for faint signals thrown out into space by intelligent life beyond our own world. Scientists taking part in the $100 million (64 million) initiative will also scan the very centre of our galaxy along with 100 of the closest galaxies for low power radio transmissions. In a second initiative, an international competition will be held to generate messages representing humanity and planet Earth, which may one day be sent to alien civilisations. The new search for intelligent life, which promises to cover 10 times more of the sky than previous attempts, is backed by Russian billionaire entrepreneur Yuri Milner, who set up the Breakthrough Prize for scientific endeavours. The attempt to find signs of alien life, which has been named the Breakthrough Listen Initiative, will draw on the expertise of leading scientists, physicists and astronomers. Professor Hawking, who has in the past said there is certainly alien life out there but has warned humanity against trying to contact them, was among those to back the project. Advertisement 'Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach,' Hawking told El Pais. Hawking is currently heading up a major search for intelligent alien life using two of the world's most powerful telescopes. 'To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational,' said Hawking.' When asked for advice for young scientists during the latest lecture, Hawking said they should retain a sense of wonder about 'our vast and complex' universe. Last year, Professor Hawking and Tesla founder Elon Musk led 1,000 robotics experts in an open letter warning that 'Autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow'. The scenario has been likened to the film The Terminator 'From my own perspective, it has been a glorious time to be alive and doing research in theoretical physics. 'There is nothing like the Eureka moment of discovering something that no one knew before.' But he also said that future generations of scientists need to help the wider public understand exactly how technology is transforming the world. 'It's important to ensure that these changes are heading in the right directions,' he said. 'In a democratic society, this means that everyone needs to have a basic understanding of science to make informed decisions about the future. 'So communicate plainly what you are trying to do in science, and who knows, you might even end up understanding it yourself.' Russian space bosses developed plans to blow up asteroids heading for Earth with nuclear weapons, it has been revealed. The project, funded by the European Commission, was part of a program called NEOShield to look at ways of dealing with a killer asteroid headed for Earth. It would impact the asteroid in deep space, creating a jet-thrust effect which would alter its orbit, deflecting it away from earth. Scroll down for video The project, funded by the European Commission, was part of a program called NEOShield to look at ways of dealing with a killer asteroid headed for Earth. THE ASTEROID THREAT Small space rocks rain down on Earth constantly, with most disintegrating as they blaze through the atmosphere. About 65 million years ago, an asteroid or comet roughly six miles (10 km) in diameter crashed into what is now Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, triggering global climate changes that killed off the dinosaurs along with about 75 percent of life that existed at the time, scientists say. More recently, a 65-foot-wide (20 m) asteroid broke apart over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013, shattering windows and damaging buildings. More than 1,000 people were injured by flying debris. NASA is working to map potentially dangerous asteroids and comets that pass within 30 million miles (48 million km) of Earth. Advertisement 'Work was distributed among various participants from different countries and organisations, and work on deflecting dangerous space objects with nuclear explosions was conducted by Russia' between 2012 and 2015, the Central Scientific Research Institute of Machine Building, part of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, said in a press release, according to the Telegraph. The stationing and use of nuclear weapons in space is banned under the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 - although Roscosmos believed it would be lifted if their weapon was ever needed. 'If the asteroid threat becomes a matter of serious damage or even the very existence of life on Earth, that ban would naturally be lifted,' it claimed. A strike from a mid to large sized asteroid or comet would have catastrophic effects around the world; it's widely thought that a comet strike spurred the extinction of the dinosaurs. The Telegraph said the team concluded that the safest method would be to carry out the detonation while the asteroid was still in deep space, and the aim would be to alter the object's course and direct it away from the Earth, rather than to destroy it. The project's site describes the plan as 'possibly the most effective yet controversial method of deflecting the largest asteroids that could hit our planet. 'This technique requires the use of a nuclear explosive close to an asteroid. 'The blast causes the outer layers of the asteroid to evaporate, acting just like rocket fuel, pushing the asteroid away from Earth. 'This is very different to the usual picture used in Hollywood of asteroids being blown up. Its thought to be a much safer and more effective way of safeguarding the Earth.' Small space rocks rain down on Earth constantly, with most disintegrating as they blaze through the atmosphere. About 65 million years ago, an asteroid or comet roughly six miles (10 km) in diameter crashed into what is now Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, triggering global climate changes that killed off the dinosaurs along with about 75 percent of life that existed at the time, scientists say. More recently, a 65-foot-wide (20 m) asteroid broke apart over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013, shattering windows and damaging buildings. More than 1,000 people were injured by flying debris. Bombs were one option NEOShield researchers looked into. NASA'S ASTEROID OFFICE Nasa's new program will face the threat of deadly near-Earth objects head on. Washington based Planetary Defense Coordination Office will spearhead the ongoing search for asteroids and comets passing near Earth's orbit, and will work with disaster relief agencies to develop emergency response plans. The space agency says there are no known threats to date, but near approaches in the recent past are reminders of the potential hazards. A strike from a mid to large sized asteroid or comet would have catastrophic effects around the world; it's widely thought that a comet strike spurred the extinction of the dinosaurs. Advertisement Other proposals include a 'kinetic impactor,' which would attempt to alter an asteroid's course by crashing a spacecraft into it, and a 'gravity tractor,' which would use the small gravitational attraction between an asteroid and a nearby spacecraft to nudge it onto a different orbit. The revelations came as Russia announced plans to establish an early warning centre to scan the skies for potentially dangerous objects on a collision course with earth, just says after Nasa announced a similar office. The 'space barrier' project would use four observation satellites - two in geostationary orbit around the earth and two following the Earth's obit around the sun - to scan space for any sizeable asteroid that could present a threat to the planet. 'It's a unique concept and may be the most effective for proactive detection of dangerous celestial bodies 30 days or more prior to their entry into the Earth's atmosphere,' the Institute said. NEOShield brought together 11 research institutions, including Queen's University Belfast and the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey. A three-year follow up program, called NEOShield-2, was launched in March 2015. 'As many scientific researches highlight it, impacts of near-Earth objects (NEOs) have contributed to mass extinctions and evolution,' the project's website states. 'Moreover it is a proven fact that NEOs will continue to hit the Earth at irregular intervals in the future, with the potential for catastrophic damage to life and property. The latest self-defense weapon from Taser can immobilize an attacker from 15 feet away, and will fit into a purse or discreet holster. Taser Pulse is designed for citizen use; the less-lethal weapon is 'easy to use' and can take a person down for 30 seconds, giving you enough time to run away. With a sleeker build, the company claims the Pulse is a 'discreet carry device' with the most effective stopping power available. The latest self-defense weapon from Taser can immobilize an attacker from 15 feet away, and will fit into a purse or discreet holster. Taser Pulse is designed for citizen use; the less-lethal weapon is 'easy to use' and can take a person down for 30 seconds, giving you enough time to run away WHERE YOU CAN BUY IT Some states have restrictions against civilian ownership of Tasers, including: DC, HI, MA, NJ, NY, RI, along with certain cities and counties. CT, IL, MI, and WI are legal with certain restrictions and requirements. Other states require background checks before purchasing a Taser, including: CA, FL, ID, IL, NV, and VA and the city of New Orleans. The Taser Pulse can now be pre-ordered from the website, but the company will conduct background checks before shipping to certain locations. Advertisement The new Taser is now available for pre-order at $400. It is five and one-quarter inches long, four-and-a-half inches tall, and just over one inch wide, with shaved safety levers that won't snag on clothing. 'We removed many of the industrial features required for law enforcement use such as data logs, pulse logging and charge metering, live displays and the Taser Cam interface, while using our patented Shaped Pulse (TM) electrical waveform to create the smallest, easily concealable form factor at an affordable price point,' said Mike Gish, Vice President of Taser Weapon Strategy. 'Despite an introductory price as low as $399, we haven't sacrificed the effective knock-down power,' concluded Gish. The pistol shaped weapon has laser assisted targeting and an LED flashlight to help a person 'identify friend or foe.' After firing the weapon in a self-defense situation, the company says a person should put the gun down, and run away while the attacker is immobilized. They will even replace the Pulse after it's been used and left at the scene, as a part of the 'Safe Escape' program. According to Taser CEO, Rick Smith, the design is unique in its size and capabilities. With a sleeker build, the company claims the Pulse is a discreet carry device with the most effective stopping power available. The new Taser is now available for pre-order at $400. It is five and one-quarter inches long, four-and-a-half inches tall, and just over one inch wide, with shaved safety levers to prevent snagging The pistol shaped weapon has laser assisted targeting and an LED flashlight to help a person 'identify friend or foe.' After firing the weapon in a self-defense situation, the company says a person should put the gun down, and run away while the attacker is immobilized 'The Taser Pulse conducted electrical weapon is the first of its kind: a discreet carry, sub-compact self-defense weapon and our first updated consumer model since 2007,' said Taser International CEO and founder Rick Smith. 'The debut of the Taser Pulse is a recommitment to our company's core mission to protect life and help citizens who want to safely protect their families. 'This high-tech, easy-to-use weapon is built for concealed carry but packs the same knock-down punch that has become the standard for law enforcement around the world. 'We encourage all Americans to have a safety plan and the Taser Pulse should be part of that discussion.' The company will even replace the Pulse after it's been used and left at the scene, as a part of the 'Safe Escape' program. The weapon can be pre-ordered directly from Taser's website, but the company warns some cities and states may require a background check before they will send the product out The Taser Pulse has brightly-coloured yellow accents to easily identify it as a less-lethal weapon, and comes with two live cartridges along with a conductive target, for practice, and a protective soft cover. The weapon can be pre-ordered directly from Taser's website, but the company warns some cities and states may require a background check before they will send the product out. For the first time, researchers have been able to directly estimate the Anglo-Saxon ancestry of the British population from ancient skeletons. Human remains excavated from burial sites near Cambridge provided the material for the first whole-genome sequences of ancient British DNA. Using a new analysis method to compare these ancient genomes with modern-day sequences, researchers have estimated that approximately a third of British ancestors were Anglo-Saxon immigrants. An Anglo-Saxon woman is carefully excavated from a fifth and sixth century burial ground in Oakington. DNA from Cambridgeshire archaeological sites were sequenced to reveal Anglo-Saxon immigration history in England. WHAT THEY FOUND Modern British and continental European genomes from the UK10K project and the 1000 Genomes Project were compared with the genomes from the ancient skeletons. Researchers discovered that the Anglo-Saxon immigrants were genetically very similar to modern Dutch and Danish, and that they contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England, and 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish. The Anglo-Saxons first settled in the South East of England so this pattern is consistent with their migration pattern. Advertisement According to historical accounts and archaeology, the Anglo-Saxons migrated to Britain from continental Europe from the 5th Century AD. They brought with them a new culture, social structure and language. Recently excavated skeletons dating to the late Iron Age and from the Anglo-Saxon period gave researchers the opportunity to solve this question with genomics. 'By sequencing the DNA from ten skeletons from the late Iron Age and the Anglo-Saxon period, we obtained the first complete ancient genomes from Great Britain,' said Dr Stephan Schiffels, first author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridgeshire and the Max Plank Institute in Germany. 'Comparing these ancient genomes with sequences of hundreds of modern European genomes, we estimate that 38% of the ancestors of the English were Anglo-Saxons. 'This is the first direct estimate of the impact of immigration into Britain from the 5th to 7th Centuries AD and the traces left in modern England.' It is nearly 13 centuries since the English nation first appeared in the historical record thanks to the Venerable Bede, the monk who chronicled how the Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain and became Christian. This triple burial from Oakington Cambridgeshire included metal and amber grave goods with continental European characteristics. DNA of ten samples from Oakington and from nearby sites were sequenced to reveal Anglo-Saxon immigration history in England. Previous DNA studies have relied entirely on modern DNA and suggested anything between 10% and 95% contribution to the population. One such study suggested that Anglo Saxons didn't mix with the native population, staying segregated. However, this newly published study uses ancient genetic information and disproves the earlier idea, showing just how integrated the people of Britain were. The ancient skeletons from Cambridgeshire were carbon dated, proving they were from the late Iron Age (approximately 50BC) and from the Anglo-Saxon era (around 500-700 AD). THE GLADIATORS OF YORK: FURTHER INSIGHT INTO BRITAIN'S HISTORY In a seperate study, also published in Nature Communications, Prof Dan Bradley from Trinity College Dublin and colleagues analysed the genomes of nine individuals from Roman-era York. They found that six of the individuals - presumably indigenous Britons - were similar to the modern Welsh, but different from populations living in Yorkshire today. However, one of the individuals had genetic affinities with people from North Africa and the Middle East, providing evidence of long-scale migration in Roman times. The Roman-age skeletons from Driffield Terrace laid out in York's Guildhall. Archaeologists have speculated that the skeletons belonged to gladiators, although they could also have been soldiers or criminals. Several suffered perimortem decapitation and were all of a similar age under 45 years old. Their skulls were buried with the body, although not positioned consistently some were on the chest, some within the legs, and others at the feet. Although examining the skeletons revealed much about the life they lived including childhood deprivation and injuries consistent with battle trauma it was not until pioneering genomic analysis by a team from Trinity College Dublin, that archaeologists could start to piece together the origins of the men. From the skeletons of more than 80 individuals, Dr Gundula Muldner of the University of Reading, Dr Janet Montgomery of the University of Durham and Malin Holst and Anwen Caffel of York Osteoarchaeology selected seven for whole genome analyses. 'Archaeology and osteoarchaeology can tell us a certain amount about the skeletons, but this new The skull of one of the Roman-age skeletons discovered at Driffield Terrace in York. genomic and isotopic research can not only tell us about the body we see, but about its origins, and that is a huge step forward in understanding populations, migration patterns and how people moved around the ancient world,' says Christine McDonnell, Head of Curatorial and Archive Services for York Archaeological Trust. 'This hugely exciting, pioneering work will become the new standard for understanding the origins of skeletons in the future, and as the field grows, and costs of undertaking this kind of investigation fall, we'll may able to refine our knowledge of exactly where the bodies were born to a much smaller region. Advertisement Complete genome sequences were then obtained for selected DNA samples to determine the genetic make-up of these Iron Age Britons and Anglo-Saxons. 'Combining archaeological findings with DNA data gives us much more information about the early Anglo-Saxon lives. Genome sequences from four individuals from a cemetery in Oakington indicated that, genetically, two were migrant Anglo-Saxons, one was a native, and one was a mixture of both. The archaeological evidence shows that these individuals were treated the same way in death, and proves they were all well integrated into the Oakington Anglo-Saxon Community despite their different biological heritage.' said Dr Duncan Sayer, archaeologist and author on the paper from University of Central Lancashire. BEDE, THE BRILLIANT MONK WHO GAVE THE ENGLISH AN IDENTITY An Anglo Saxon Chieftain Bede (c. 673-735) was a monk from the North of England who composed the first ever history of the English, just over a century after the coming of Christianity had brought literacy to the Anglo-Saxons. He was born in the Newcastle area and stayed there nearly all of his life, brought up from boyhood in the great monastery at Jarrow. Despite his limited experience of the world beyond his church walls, Bede was extremely well read, versed in a Latin culture which connected him to the rest of Europe, and he wrote a total of 30 books including biblical commentaries and theological treatises. He is best known for his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, an account of the coming of the Anglo-Saxons to England and the subsequent spread of Christianity. The great work is not only the first known book to treat the English then divided among several different kingdoms as a single unified group, but it also pioneered the practice of counting dates from the birth of Christ, as we still do today. Bede later known as 'the Venerable' died shortly after reciting an Old English poem, and his grave is now in Durham Cathedral. Advertisement Modern British and continental European genomes from the UK10K project and the 1000 Genomes Project were compared with the genomes from the ancient skeletons. Researchers discovered that the Anglo-Saxon immigrants were genetically very similar to modern Dutch and Danish, and that they contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England, and 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish. The Anglo-Saxons first settled in the South East of England so this pattern is consistent with their migration pattern. HOW THEY DID IT The genomes of northern European populations are similar and it is difficult to accurately distinguish between them. To help solve this problem, the study developed a sensitive new method, called rarecoal, which could identify subtle genetic traces in individuals, using rare genetic variants identified in hundreds of present-day people. Earlier methods of mapping ancient DNA looked at common genetic variants from the very distant past, which are present in most people. The new rarecoal method did exactly the opposite, allowing researchers to map more recent events and unravel very closely related populations. 'We wanted to determine where ancient DNA samples would fit with respect to a modern population model and to map individuals into that model. 'This study, using whole-genome sequencing, allowed us to assign DNA ancestry at extremely high resolution and accurately estimate the Anglo-Saxon mixture fraction for each individual,' said Richard Durbin, senior author at the Sanger Institute. 'More full genome sequences and further improvements in methodology will allow us to resolve migrations in even more detail in the future.' Advertisement Tour: This map shows the various locations in England and Scotland where Anglo-Saxon sites dating back to the eighth century can still be visited It is nearly 13 centuries since the English nation first appeared in the historical record thanks to the Venerable Bede, the monk who chronicled how the Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain and became Christian. The country has changed almost unimaginably since then, with waves of migration, war and industrial development remaking the landscape. Researchers studying a mass grave in York believed to contain Roman Gladiators have found that its inhabitants travelled further than expected. They found that six of the individuals - presumably indigenous Britons - were similar to the modern Welsh, but different from populations living in Yorkshire today. However, one of the individuals had genetic affinities with people from North Africa and the Middle East, providing evidence of long-scale migration in Roman times. The Roman-age skeletons from Driffield Terrace laid out in York's Guildhall. WHO WHERE THEY? The Roman skeletons sampled were all male, under 45 years old and most had evidence of decapitation. They were taller than average for Roman Britain and displayed evidence of significant trauma potentially related to interpersonal violence. All but one would have had brown eyes and black or brown hair but one had distinctive blue eyes and blond hair similar to the single AngloSaxon individual. The demographic profile of the York skeletons resembles the population structure in a Roman burial ground believed to be for gladiators at Ephesus. But the evidence could also fit with a military context - the Roman army had a minimum recruitment height and fallen soldiers would match the age profile of the York cemetery. Advertisement The new findings suggest that the Roman Empire's genetic impact on Britain may not have been as large as researchers had thought. Prof Dan Bradley from Trinity College Dublin and colleagues analysed the genomes of nine individuals from Roman-era York. Archaeologists have speculated that the skeletons belonged to gladiators, although they could also have been soldiers or criminals. Several suffered perimortem decapitation and were all of a similar age under 45 years old. Their skulls were buried with the body, although not positioned consistently some were on the chest, some within the legs, and others at the feet. Although examining the skeletons revealed much about the life they lived including childhood deprivation and injuries consistent with battle trauma it was not until pioneering genomic analysis by a team from Trinity College Dublin, that archaeologists could start to piece together the origins of the men. From the skeletons of more than 80 individuals, Dr Gundula Muldner of the University of Reading, Dr Janet Montgomery of the University of Durham and Malin Holst and Anwen Caffel of York Osteoarchaeology selected seven for whole genome analyses. 'Archaeology and osteoarchaeology can tell us a certain amount about the skeletons, but this new genomic and isotopic research can not only tell us about the body we see, but about its origins, and that is a huge step forward in understanding populations, migration patterns and how people moved around the ancient world,' said Christine McDonnell, Head of Curatorial and Archive Services for York Archaeological Trust. 'This hugely exciting, pioneering work will become the new standard for understanding the origins of skeletons in the future, and as the field grows, and costs of undertaking this kind of investigation fall, we'll may able to refine our knowledge of exactly where the bodies were born to a much smaller region. The skull of one of the Roman-age skeletons discovered at Driffield Terrace in York. The Roman skeletons sampled were all male, under 45 years old and most had evidence of decapitation. They were taller than average for Roman Britain and displayed evidence of significant trauma potentially related to interpersonal violence. All but one would have had brown eyes and black or brown hair but one had distinctive blue eyes and blond hair similar to the single Anglo Saxon individual. The demographic profile of the York skeletons resembles the population structure in a Roman burial ground believed to be for gladiators at Ephesus. But the evidence could also fit with a military context - the Roman army had a minimum recruitment height and fallen soldiers would match the age profile of the York cemetery. This first genomic analysis of ancient Britons was performed in Trinity College Dublin. THE GLADIATOR'S CEMETERY From 2004-5 researchers excavated eighty burials at Driffield Terrace in York. This site was part of a large cemetery on the outskirts of the Roman town of Eboracum, across the river from the legionary fortress. The burials displayed evidence that so intrigued the archaeologists that further investigation was needed. The male skeletons displayed deliberate trauma, interesting pathology and peri-mortem decapitation. Many of the skeletons showed signs of healed injuries. One had even been bitten by a large predator, perhaps a lion or bear. Strangest of all, about half were decapitated at or just after death and buried with their detached heads. Advertisement Professor Dan Bradley of the Molecular Population Genetics Laboratory said: 'Whichever the identity of the enigmatic headless Romans from York, our sample of the genomes of seven of them, when combined with isotopic evidence, indicate six to be of British origin and one to have origins in the Middle East. 'It confirms the cosmopolitan character of the Roman Empire even at its most northerly extent.' Rui Martiniano who undertook the analysis said: 'This is the first refined genomic evidence for farreaching ancient mobility and also the first snapshot of British genomes in the early centuries AD, indicating continuity with an Iron Age sample before the migrations of the Anglo-Saxon period.' A Premier League footballer was 'driving like a lunatic' when he smashed into another car in his 200,000 Lamborghini last night, a witness has claimed. West Ham United's Diafra Sakho apparently struck a Mini then crashed through a garden wall while trying to take a corner in Hornchurch, Essex. The owner of the house where the crash took place around 9pm slammed the Senegalese footballer as 'a rich boy with a toy he can't control'. Sources close to the player insisted that the incident was simply an accident. Scroll down for video Smash: Diafra Sakho crashed into a garden wall outside a house in Hornchurch, Essex last night Damage: The footballer's 200,000 Lamborghini supercar was seriously damaged in the accident Removed: The car was soon towed away by a removal firm in the wake of the crash The right-hand side door of a nearby Mini was badly damaged and its airbag had deployed after the car was struck by Sakho No one was hurt in the accident although Sakho's Lamorghini Huracan appeared to be written off. The homeowner said he was watching television when he heard the West Ham player speeding up and down the road, adding: 'He's come along there, he's hit a woman in a car. 'He's done his car completely, he's done her car. He's done my wall, the trees - my car is all scratched to pieces as well.' Sakho hit the wall with such force that bricks went flying through the air and damaged the roof of the man's BMW, he claimed. Aftermath: Part of the wall was completely demolished by the collision with Sakho's car Repair: The accident came after Sakho was driving around Hornchurch Pictured is the supercar which crashed into Sophie Engstrom's house and car. The image shows the airbag inflated inside and damage to the front of Sakho's car 'He was driving up and down like a lunatic,' the witness - who did not want to be named - said today. 'We could hear it from inside. It's quite an affluent area so there are lots of sports cars around here. 'At around nine o'clock last night we heard it going up the road, it was unmistakeable - it's a racing car isn't it? 'We heard it accelerate and then just heard a big bang, like an explosion and a thud - that's when I walked out. Lucky there was no one about. Lucky no one was hurt.' He said that he and his daughter recognised Sakho immediately because they both follow West Ham, adding: 'He's just a footballer who can't drive a car. He's got a toy that he can't control. 'They earn a lot of money and I don't begrudge them the money but if he wants to drive like that he should be on a racing track.' Diafra Sakho appeared to crash his Lamborghini into a Mini Cooper and a garden wall on Monday night The West Ham striker shared photos of his supercar valued at around 200,000 on Snapchat A source close to Sakho told MailOnline that the star 'lost control on a corner'. The Metropolitan Police said they received reports of the crash last night, but did not attend or launch an investigation because there were no injuries and no one filed an official complaint. The 26-year-old reassured Hammers fans that he was unscathed after the incident posting on Snapchat: 'sorry for the scare guys, im ok, thank God #life'. He also took to Twitter to say: 'Thank you for the messages. Was involved in a small car accident this evening. Thankfully no one was hurt.' The supercar was removed from the scene of the incident within a few hours. Sakho hasn't appeared for West Ham after suffering a thigh injury in a 1-1 draw with West Brom in November The controversial striker clashed with Tottenham defender Kyle Walker during a recent London derby The 26-year-old striker as scored five goals in 14 appearances this season, including in a 3-0 win at Liverpool Sophie Engstrom, who claims to be a fashion design student on her Twitter profile, shared pictures of the incident on the social media site, saying that Sakho had crashed into her house and vehicle. Engstrom tweeted pictures of the incident and said: 'Great night when Sakho drives into your house & car.' She shared a picture of the Senegalese striker appearing to walk away from her with the caption: 'Thanks mate.' She also retweeted her friend Annie Pollock, who wrote: 'Even funnier Sophie works for West Ham.' The Senegalese striker has recently stepped up his training in the gym as he looks to make a first-team return Sakho had shared photos of his top-of-the-range Lamborghini Huracan on his Snapchat account only two weeks ago. Sakho is no stranger to controversy after he was arrested on August 6, 2015, on suspicion of common assault, criminal damage and malicious communication towards his girlfriend. He was bailed until late September, but arrested again on August 23 on suspicion of threatening to kill and witness intimidation, before being bailed without charge two days later. He denied all wrongdoing and was cleared after a police investigation in November. Sakho posed for a photograph with his idol and former Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba Sakho shared a photo of his holiday to New York during the Premier League close-season period The 26-year-old often shares photos of his eccentric dress sense on his Instagram profile Sakho was sidelined for three months on November 29 with a thigh injury, but the 26-year-old is nearing a full recovery. He suffered the problem in the Hammers' 1-1 home draw with West Bromwich Albion and he was forced to undergo surgery. In an Instagram video uploaded on January 7, the Senegal international showed himself proving his fitness in the gym. Alongside the caption, 'Training hard to return faster and stronger than ever,' Sakho posted the clip of himself performing a stability ball knee tuck push-up compound exercise. Advertisement Vladimir Barbu is only four years old, but chances are this adventurous youngster has seen more of the world than many adults. That's thanks to his parents revving up the itinerary for their summer holiday last year and taking him on a four-month adventure through 41 European countries covering 17,000 miles - in a trusty sidecar. A 2014 Ural Ranger model fondly nicknamed Zair. And the photographs look incredible. Instead of a normal summer holiday last year, the Barbu family decided to embark on a four-month adventure through 41 countries - and the photographs look incredible Forget planes or boats, the trio travelled in their trusty 2014 Ural Ranger sidecar, fondly nicknamed Zair Fun in the sun: Photographer Mihai Barbu pictured with his girlfriend Oana and son Vladimir in the Sahara desert in Merzouga, Morocco The four-month adventure took the trio from Romania covering 17,398 miles in total. Here is a map of their route around Europe In total, the Romanian family - Mihai Barbu, 36, his girlfriend Oana and Vladimir - covered 17,398 miles during their trip, taking in sights like stunning snow-capped peaks in Switzerland and taking part in activities such as camel riding in the Moroccan desert. The trip was supposed to be to just a handful of countries - a 'warm-up tour' for a bigger adventure. The Family never imagined their expedition would end up as long or exciting as it was. 'Vladimir was very happy,' photographer Mihai Barbu, 36, said to MailOnline Travel. 'I don't think there's one single child on this world that would not love riding in a sidecar.' One of the many exciting experiences Vladimir had was camel-riding in Merzouga, Morocco. Although the trip was supposed to be a 'warm-up tour' around Europe - for a bigger trip at a later date - the family never imagined their expedition would end up as long or exciting as it was The family gaze down on a spectacularly blue river in Montenegro, with green hills flanking it on both sides Water baby: Vladimir and his adventurous parents enjoy swimming in the sea in Greece The Barbu family pose on the vibrantly coloured streets of the blue city of Chefchouaen, Morocco To keep costs down, the Barbu family camped in camp sites or in the wild, checked into cheap hotels, or stayed with friends. And other nights were spent sleeping under the stars in Morocco on a hotel roof. By day, little Vladimir can be seen exploring spectacular mosques, playing with monkeys and gazing down on spellbinding mountain valleys. Vladimir's parents were determined to give him a summer he would never forget, and had many incredible moments on the road Treasured memories: Vladimir kisses Oana in the Blue Mosque's yard in Istanbul, Turkey A night under the stars: Among their many sleeping options was the chance to stay on a hotel rooftop in Morocco Time for a sunbathe: Mihai captured the moment the travellers took a break in a parking lot in Greece 'In my opinion, motorcycles are the only option when it comes to travel and seeing the world,' photographer Mihai Barbu, who forked out 10,660 for the unusual mode of transport, told MailOnline Travel. 'With cars and planes you don't get to experience that much. You don't get to feel warm when it's hot and wet when it's raining.' For Mihai, exploring new destinations by road felt fairly familiar. 'In 2009 I did a solo trip to Mongolia, on a BMW F650GS Dakar,' he said. 'I love motorcycles, I used to own two bikes, and when Vladimir came into our lives I had to buy a third one, with three seats. 'We bought the bike with the only wish that it would keep us away from home for as long as possible.' To keep costs down, the Barbu family camped in camp sites or in the wild, checked into cheap hotels, or stayed with friends Taking to the water: Vladimir splashes around during a swim in Austria, and was captured by his photographer dad Love in the Lofoten Islands in Norway: The family played on beach during their epic four-month expedition Getting up early, the family were able to witness a spectacular sunrise in Spain over the rolling countryside The fun trio pose next to some brightly coloured doors in Porto in Portugal When reminiscing about the trip, Mihai said it felt like a dream. 'I often look at the pictures and wonder if it's really us that did that,' he said. 'I can't say we have any future plans to hitting the road, but we dream a lot.' For highlights from their trip and Mihai's photographic work, see his Instragram page. COUNTRIES VISITED ON THE GIANT SUMMER ADVENTURE Romania Scotland Ireland Spain Portugal Morocco Andorra Monaco Italy San Marino Switzerland Liechtenstein Slovenia France Hungary Slovakia Austria Czech Republic Germany Poland Lithuania Latvia Estonia Finland Norway Sweden Denmark Luxembourg Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Kosovo Serbia Albania Macedonia Greece Turkey Bulgaria Netherlands Belgium England Advertisement Making friends along the journey: The four-year-old had the chance to play with some wild monkeys in Morocco The family transported all of their belongings and tent on the back of their side car, which cost around 10,660 to buy. Pictured is Stelvio Pass (Italy) Pictured is the last time the family would use their tent in Greece, and it couldn't have been better weather for it Do look down: The family pulled over to take in this incredible view of Monaco and its ocean setting A moment of still: Instead of watching TV and playing video games, Vladimir got to experience sights such as Sedlo Pass, Montenegro Matching outfits: Vladimir and his mother wear the same green jacket on the ferry from Tallin in Estonia to Helsinki in Finland As well as spellbinding natural landscapes, there were also opportunities to see some historic wonders. Pictured is Doonagore Castle in Ireland Windy: The explorers braved going up on the deck during their ferry ride from Morocco to Spain The family got to spend their summer close to nature, camping in the wild to keep the costs of their holiday low While most of the weather looks idyllic, the family also had to battle through a sand storm in the Sahara desert A man was thrown off of a plane after being found to be so drunk that he was not even able to speak. The Mumbai-bound passenger, who was travelling with his wife, boarded the IndiGo flight at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Sunday. However, he was escorted off for disruptive behaviour before the plane had left the gate. The intoxicated Mumbai-bound passenger boarded the IndiGo plane at Indira Gandhi International Airport After being removed, along with his partner, the man was placed on a later flight departing on Monday - after he had sobered up, One India reported. Speaking to MailOnline Travel, an Indigo Airlines spokesperson said: 'IndiGo confirms offloading a passenger from flight 6E 155 en-route to Mumbai from Delhi on safety and security grounds. 'The passenger was in an inebriated state. He was not able to talk and was accompanied by his wife. 'Keeping in mind the safety of the aircraft and fellow passengers, the airline decided to offload both passengers and re-accommodate them on a flight departing the next afternoon.' After being removed, along with his partner, the man was placed on a later flight departing from Delhi (above) on Monday after he had sobered up The incident followed another case of a person being offloaded from a passenger plane at Delhi airport for disruptive behaviour. Last week, MailOnline Travel reported on a male plane passenger being arrested by police after he allegedly molested a woman sitting next to him mid-flight. The shocking incident is alleged to have happened on an IndiGo Airlines flight en-route from Delhi to Kolkata in India. A British Airways plane was forced to request priority landing at Heathrow Airport when the pilot discovered a problem in one of the engines. The Airbus A321 was arriving in London from Amman in Jordan when the pilot notified Air Traffic Control (ATC) of the issue. Emergency vehicles were scrambled to the runway and the aircraft made a safe landing. The British Airways plane developed an issue with the hydraulics in one of the engines A video was shared on Youtube that shows the plane coming into land, and also includes the conversation between the BA pilot and ATC. It is believed the plane developed an issue with the hydraulics in one of the engines on Sunday and after landing the plane had to be inspected by engineers. A spokesperson for British Airways told MailOnline Travel: 'Our flight from Amman landed safely at Heathrow after our highly experienced flight crew requested a priority landing due to a minor technical fault. 'Our flight crew are highly trained to deal with this sort of eventuality and will always err on the side of caution.' The Airbus A321 made a smooth approach and landing at Heathrow Airport on Sunday BA confirmed the 'highly experienced flight crew requested a priority landing due to a minor technical fault' A minor incident also occurred on a British Airways plane at Heathrow in December. A holidaymaker had to be taken to hospital after being seriously injured when he was hit on the head by a passenger's bag that fell from an overhead locker as the BA flight he was on prepared for take-off. The man was struck in the head by the hand luggage as the British Airways flight prepared to depart Heathrow Airport for Bangkok in Thailand. It's been a difficult time for Sam Reece, as his girlfriend Stephanie Davis becomes increasingly close to her co-star Jeremy McConnell in the Celebrity Big Brother house. And now a friend of the model has told MailOnline that, despite a seemingly stoic front, Sam is actually struggling coming to terms with her actions on national TV. 'Sam's very upset. He's heartbroken and devastated. He can't quite believe what he's been watching on Celebrity Big Brother,' the insider confessed. Scroll down for video 'He's heartbroken and devastated': Sam Reece is really struggling to come to terms wtih seeing girlfriend Stephanie Davis' apparent romance with Jeremy McConnell heating up in the Celebrity Big Brother house 'He didn't expect in a million years to see what's been happening with Stephanie. 'When he said goodbye to her going into the house, he thought this was just going to be a wonderful experience for her, but he's just really shocked now.' While it isn't known if he is going to stick by her when she leaves the house, he previously caused a stir when he announced he wouldn't be supporting her on Twitter for the duration of the programme. There were claims made that Sam - who began dating Stephanie last spring after his failed attempt to find love on Channel 4 show First Dates - had dumped her, but these were later denied. See more from the CBB house as Stephanie's romance with with Jeremy heats up 'I can't even remember what his voice sounds like': Stephanie's shockingly candid confession came as she revealed that following just 12 days in the house she was beginning to forget about Sam 'I love you': On Sunday's episode of Celebrity Big Brother former Hollyoaks star Stephanie, confessed her 'love' for Jeremy in the cold light of day A source exclusively told MailOnline that the pair remain together, saying, 'Steph and Sam are one of the strongest couples going. It would take far more than this for them to split up. 'Their relationship is so strong and they trust each other implicitly, it is hard with Stephanie being away but Sam is waiting for her when she comes out.' The insider went on to reveal that Sam is used to Stephanie's 'very tactile' nature and isn't worried about her crossing the line and cheating on him, but has nevertheless decided to take a break from Twitter to avoid viewers' comments about his girlfriend. 'The amount of social media interaction Sam has been seeing has meant he has decided to step away from Twitter for the time being. He knows their relationship is strong and that there is nothing to worry about', the source said. 'It's only been 10 days, of course you're going to say that': Trying to keep his distance didn't work for Jeremy, as the tattooed heartthrob soon slid into bed with Steph - pulling the covers up over their heads 'Stephanie is naturally a very tactile person and is very loving, warm and affectionate. Sam knows this is in her nature and it is why he is not worried about the rumours circulating.' However, this was prior to the 22-year-old brunette - who has a matching wrist tattoo with Sam - confessing her love for Mr Ireland contestant Jeremy in recent days, and him reiterating the sentiment. The handsome 23-year-old has, nevertheless, tried several times to brush Steph off and he's previously called their very close union - which has seen them in bed together and kissing, among other things - 'disrespectful'. On Monday night's episode, the pair are seen getting intimate in a whole new way as they brush each other's teeth simultaneously. Getting intimate: On Monday night's episode of the Channel 5 show, the apparently smitten pair were seen brushing each other's teeth Mutual cleaning? The bizarre display is the latest in a long line of clinches between the 22-year-old ex soap actress and the 23-year-old Mr Ireland contestant And, if reactions outside of the house have been strong, it's fair to say Stephanie and Jeremy's dalliance has caused a downright stir inside, as the housemates have been divided by their actions. In particular, Gemma Collins was astonished when she caught them in bed together, shouting at the ex soap star and telling her: 'It's so wrong what you're doing, you've got a boyfriend. 'I think you're acting like an absolute disgrace,' she added. The two had an explosive row and Stephanie threatened to punch the former TOWIE star, something Big Brother later gave her a warning for before sending her off to a spare room to spend the night in isolation as punishment. Defiant: Although Sam has previously denied he has split from Stephanie, a friend has now told MailOnline that he's incredibly 'shocked' Can they make it? The handsome model has been dating Stephanie since last spring, after his failed attempt to find love on Channel 4's First Dates Public statement: Sam publicly withdrew his support for his partner online, following her close clinches with the Irish model She was then seen having a spectacular hissy fit while in the room by herself, yelling: 'I'm not staying now, let me out now. 'I've opened up my heart and now you're f***ing me over. I'm not jeopardising my life and my relationship for this show! 'She's [Gemma's] a bully. She's a thousand times taller than me, and she looks down on me like an ant.' War: Stephanie and Jeremy's actions have caused absolute uproar inside the CBB, mainly with Gemma Collins, who has been seen feuding with the brunette Fighting talk: Stephanie hit back at the ex-TOWIE star, and threatened to punch her - Big Brother later reprimanded her for her threats Meanwhile, as these scenes aired on Sunday night's episode, Sam showed he was back on social media and shared a brooding selfie, not mentioning the goings-on in the house with his girlfriend of a year. The black and white photo showed the handsome hunk seemingly in bed and showing off his tattoos, along with which he wrote, 'Bed,' with a 'Zzz' emoji tagged on to the end. The revelation about Sam's true feelings about his girlfriend come as he was also forced to deny a shocking claim that he was physically violent to her in their relationship. Defiant: Following Sunday night's damning episode, Sam seemingly ignored his girlfriend's romantic actions as he shared a brooding shirtless selfie Reality TV star Chelsey Harwood, who knows Stephanie on a social and professional level, tweeted: 'Im not a huge fan of cheats but also not of men who hit women @SamReece have you or have you not hit @Stephdavis77 before #womanbeater.' She later added: 'If @bbuk put @SamReece in the house i would be worried for @Stephdavis77 safety.' But these allegations have been vehemently denied, as a spokesperson for Sam told MailOnline: 'Sam denies ever hitting Stephanie. Sam was not aware of Chelsey Harwood or her accusations towards him until contacted earlier but categorically denies them.' She's just finished filming her first Hollywood film - and if Samara Weaving's latest shoot is anything to go by, her face is made for the big screen. The 23-year-old actress shows off her model good looks in a series of head-shots for cosmetic and beauty website Byrdie. Trying out an array of new make-up trends, Samara - best known for her role as Indi Walker in hit soap Home And Away - is at her stunning best in the new shoot. Scroll down for video Flawless: Former Home and Away star Samara Weaving has posed up for beauty site Byrdie, and shows off her model good looks in a number of make-up trends In one shot she showcases the 'tequila sunrise-inspired eyes' look, where her blue eyes are played up with bright orange and pink eyeshadow. Samara's lips are complimented with a soft pink gloss and her foundation is kept light in order to show off her freckles. Her hair is pulled back off her face with a serum, giving her an edgy on-trend look. Picture perfect: Another look she displayed was 'mahogany red lips,' where her pout was finished with a dramatic crimson lipstick, and her eyelids coloured with bronze and gold highlighter She also stuns in a white high-neck dress and looks radiant with a soft golden tan. In another image she displays dramatic crimson lipstick, while her eyelids coloured with bronze and gold highlighter. Her hair is slicked into a middle part and low ponytail and she wears a green high-neck dress and red dangling earrings. Seeing red! Her hair is slicked into a middle part and low ponytail, and she wears a green high-neck dress and red dangling earrings The niece of Hollywood star Hugo Weaving can also be seen showing off the charcoal underliner trend, with her light blue eyes emphasised with dark liner and eye shadow. Her hair is worn out and over her shoulders and finished with soft waves, while soft pink lipstick and a sparkly Bec and Bridge long sleeve dress provide a splash of colour. In another image, she displays the shimmery blue liner look complete with light eye shadow. Here, her hair is swept to the side in a messy bun and she wears a red Ellery dress. A more dramatic look: The niece of Hollywood star Hugo Weaving can also be seen showing off the 'charcoal underliner' trend, with her light blue eyes emphasised with dark liner and eye shadow Stunning: In another image, she displays the 'shimmery blue liner' look complete with light eye shadow The model also wore a 'gold everything' look and had her locks pulled up off her face into a high bun, and wore touches of bronzer and gold eye shadow. In the shot, she shows off her side profile looking off camera, holding her hands to her neck. Her arms are laden with chunky bracelets and she wears a navy Bec and Bridge top. Samara was styled by Amanda Stavropoulos, while Georgia Hall Anthony Nader for Oribe took care of make-up and hair respectively. The videographer on the day was Ken Butti. Samara told the publication about her own beauty regime and her life, and said everyday she goes light on the face paint. Shining bright! The model also wore a 'gold everything' look and had her locks pulled up off her face into a high bun, and wore touches of bronzer and gold eye shadow 'I dont like to wear a lot of makeup because my skin is quite sensitive,' she said, adding she is 'prone to breakouts' so wears a light cream during the day as part of her look. The rising face also named the actresses she aspires to be like in Hollywood, where she is based. 'Lately, Ive really been admiring younger female actors like Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastaintheyre women who are taking on really interesting roles.' 'Theyre not being stereotyped in a certain way, and theyre giving it their all and doing really well.' Samara has just wrapped filming the horror flick The Babysitter, which stars the likes of Bella Thorne. It is directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol, who is best known for The Charlies Angels films and launching the careers of the likes of Mischa Barton and Rachel Bilson. It is one of Australia's most iconic magazines and culturally significant titles. But amid speculation that CLEO is set to close after 44 years, recently married Phoebe Burgess has bid it farewell. The 26-year-old, who as a writer was a frequent contributor to the publication, took to Instagram on Monday night to share some highlights of her time at the magazine. Farewell to an icon: Phoebe Burges (nee Hooke) reflected on her time as a writer at CLEO magazine on Monday amid rumours the publication will close after 44 years The wife of rugby star Sam Burgess posted a collage of six articles from her 'Lunching With...' series, which she says on her blog as 'the highlight of my time at CLEO'. In the caption she wrote: 'CLEO closing after 44 years...If the reports are true, I can only be grateful I was lucky enough to; work, laugh and learn at such an iconic title.' She produced work for the glossy for two years, and in addition to 'Lunching With...' she interviewed celebrities including Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron and model Bambi Northwood-Blyth. Emotional farewell: The 26-year-old wrote for the publication for two years, with 'the highlight' being her 'Lunch With...' series of interviews Media darling: Phoebe got her start in the media as a producer for the morning show Sunrise Cutting edge: The magazine was well-loved for its edgy and at times controversial content News of the magazine's apparent closure broke last week, with News Corp reporting that editor Lucy Cousins and staff would be told of the closure on Friday. But a Bauer spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the reports were 'pure speculation'. 'The publisher is on holiday at the moment. He's not in the country. I've got no further comment and nothing is being issued today,' he said. In the 12 months leading up to September 2015, the publication's readership had declined by 16 per cent, according to Roy Morgan research. Iconic: Ita Buttrose, the magazine's founding editor, said the publication had 'lost its way' Cleo's first edition was published in November 1972 and was started up by veteran journalist Ita Buttrose at the helm with the late media mogul, Kerry Packer. The veteran journalist told The Australian that due to outsourcing articles from overseas, the publication had 'lost its way' and its local edge. 'One of the reasons Cleo has been successful, in my view, is that it's always had a sense of humour. Its Australianness has been the point of difference. I think if you lose that, you lose your audience.' She's the surgically-enhanced reality TV star who notably underwent a Bangkok boob last year to achieve ample DD-cup breasts. But the ex-Big Brother contestant decided to put her other famous asset on display this week - showing off her incredibly pert bottom on social media. The 21-year-old Gold Coast blonde posted the cheeky bikini snap to her 252,000 followers on image-sharing website Instagram on Monday night. Scroll down for video Booty: Former Big Brother star Skye Wheatley, 21, displayed her pert bottom and slim waist in this cheeky Instagram snap, which she shared with her 252,000 followers on Monday night In the image the sun-kissed beauty poses against the edge of a swimming pool while showing off her curves in a mismatched orange and white bikini. She rounded off her sexy, beach-inspired look with a pair of stylish, dark sunglasses and tied her hair up in a bun. Skye, from Labrador in Queensland, was busy promoting a range of vegan coconut oils for skin, which she claims lets her 'brown naturally'. Body beautiful: The 21-year-old later shared another snap of her enhanced cleavage and flat stomach Endorsement: Skye, a former barista from Labrador, Queensland, previously posted this busty snap on social media, advertising a tea detox brand, while wearing an upside-down bikini top to maximise her cleavage Gym bunny: Skye regularly flaunts her surgically-enhanced DD cup size curves on her social media accounts She later uploaded a second photograph of herself in the same outfit to the delight of admirers, showing off her flat stomach and enhanced chest as she cooled off in the water. This is the latest in a series of beauty and fitness advertisements posted to the top-heavy TV star's social media account in recent months. However most of her fans seemed more interested in ogling Skye's ultra-curvy, tanned body than paying attention to the product she was selling. One particularly eager follower replied: 'Stick a fork in me... I'm cooked', while another remarked: 'Look it's made my day'. Mirror selfie: In recent months, Skye has been posting endorsements on her Instagram regularly - but it would seem her fans' eyes are often drawn elsewhere besides the product Another wanted to know how Skye managed to keep such a trim-looking figure, asking: 'Your body is amazing!! Do you use a waist trainer?? If so which one?' This comes a week after she posted yet another endorsement on her Instagram while detoxing to shed the festive kilograms. In the picture posted last Tuesday, Skye sits uncomfortably on the edge of the wooden outdoor table while glaring down at her cup of non-laxative detox tea. Risque: Skye and her boyfriend Cameron McCristal, 20, posed fully naked in a social media photo from last year while promoting a coffee-based body scrub The buxom Big Brother babe drew attention to her busty assets by wearing her multi-coloured bikini top the wrong way around which allowed her to display maximum cleavage. She finished off her skimpy outfit by wearing a short, white denim skirt that appeared to hang loosely around her super-trim waist. Back in December, Skye posted perhaps her most risque product endorsement yet. Happy couple: Skye displays her ample cleavage in a photo with electrical engineer Cameron, whom she met through friends during a night out last year near his home in Brisbane While promoting a coffee-based body scrub on Instagram last year, Skye posed completely nude with her 20-year old boyfriend Cameron McCristal. In the snap she presses her naked body against the hunk, who clasps his hands around her pert buttocks while smiling at the camera. The couple first met through friends last year during a night out near the electrical engineer's home in Brisbane, Skye claims. She previously told Daily Mail Australia: 'He's so kind and looks after me, he really makes me laugh... he pretty much laughed me into bed.' 'I like him not just because he's funny, but because he's patient, kind and good to me. They spent New Year holidaying with pals, including Rita Ora, in Miami. And Daisy Lowe, 26, and Thomas Cohen, 25, are reportedly closer than ever after the fun-filled trip to the party hotspot. A source told the Daily Mirror that things were starting to look up for rocker Thomas following the tragic death of his wife Peaches Geldof two years ago. Scroll down for video Bonding: Daisy Lowe, 26, and Thomas Cohen, 25, are reportedly closer than ever after a fun-filled trip to Miami with pals to ring in the New Year 'He is still so young, yet he has been bringing up two children on his own,' said the source. 'He has known Daisy for years, but they are a lot closer since the holiday in Miami. Its been great for Thomass friends to see him looking happy again.' MailOnline has contacted representatives for Thomas Cohen and Daisy Lowe and is awaiting comment. It has undoubtedly been a tough couple of years for the father of three-year-old Astala and two-year-old Phaedra. Tragic: Thomas has two sons with Peaches Geldof, who tragically lost her life in April 2014 Following Peaches' drug-related death in April 2014, the British musician and his young sons moved in with his parents Susan and Keith in East London. Along with getting support from his own parents, Thomas has remained close to Peaches' father Bob Geldof. And in the intervening time he has been pictured spending quality time with his father-in-law and Peaches' sisters on numerous occasions. Meanwhile, Peaches' longtime friend Daisy, opened up about her death in an interview with InStyle magazine. Model behind: Thomas set tongues wagging during the trip to Miami when appeared in two suggestive Instagram snaps, including one that appears to include Daisy's derriere 'I think about her a lot. She's very missed. Very loved,' Daisy said. 'And I hope that she's happy happy up there. It's funny, I end up kind of talking to her a bit. I keep I still think I see her, or songs will come on and I will go, "I swear that you just put that on."' Daisy is close with Peaches' sister Pixie, who also joined her in Miami, and the three of them often spent time together thanks to their close showbiz circle and at various fashion events. Thomas set tongues wagging during the festive trip when he appeared in two suggestive Instagram snaps. In one, the former S.C.U.M rocker reclined next to a bath in his suite in Soho Beach House while a woman stuck her pert behind into the shot. A source later told MailOnline that the derriere in question belonged to model Daisy. Pucker up: In the second image Thomas planted a kiss on the lips of a mystery person just out of shot The daughter of rockers Pearl Lowe and Gavin Rossdale has been single since her split with Ronnie Wood's son Tyrone in November. In the second image Thomas planted a kiss on the lips of a mystery person just out of shot. Tom's trip with his late wife's sister and her showbiz pals comes just months after he caused a stir by embracing Peaches' and Pixie's younger half-sibling Tiger Lily in the surf on holiday in the South of France. Any suggestion of anything more platonic occurring between the pair was shrugged by a close pal of the Geldofs, who insisted they were like brother and sister and had found comfort in their friendship. She's best known for being one half of the judging panel on The Great British Bake Off, for for winning over the nation with her kind but firm appraisals of various soggy bottomed pastries. But Mary Berry almost added to her fame levels, as she has revealed she was offered a place on Strictly Come Dancing, but turned it down. The 80-year-old celebrity chef and TV favourite revealed in an interview with Radio Times that she enjoys watching the show, but would actually take part. Scroll down for video No chance of a dance: Mary Berry reveals she turned down the chance to appear on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing When asked what the last programme was that she turned down, she confessed it was the popular BBC One programme, which was recently won by Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani. 'I do enjoy watching it but I wouldn't do it myself. My husband and children would kill me,' she admitted. 'I have two left feet and would make a terrible fool of myself.' She also revealed that appearing on The Graham Norton Show alongside Australian A-lister Hugh Jackman left her starstruck. 'My husband and children would kill me!' The 80-year-old claimed she has 'two left feet', and would never stand a chance on the popular show (pictured, the latest series' winners Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani) She said: 'He is lovely, and so tall.' Mary also opened up about her most embarrassing moment on TV, which she claimed was during an appearance on Pointless Celebrities with her Bake Off co-star Paul Hollywood. 'He knew everything about music, sport, everything. I knew nothing. But at the end they asked something about horse racing and I gave the name of Red Rum, which was the only horse I knew. And it was correct and we won it, so I did redeem myself,' she explained. As we know and love her: Mary is best known for appearing as a judge along with Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bake Off, with Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc as the presenters Back soon: The star is set to appear in a new BBC Two show titled Mary Berry's Foolproof Cooking However, although Mary won't be taking to the dancefloor as she has completely written off strictly, the veteran baking guru will be back on TV screens soon as she fronts a new BBC Two show titled Mary Berry's Foolproof Cooking. The six-part series will see her sharing her secrets and recipes, one of which is her 'essential foolproof baking tip'. 'The most important thing is to weigh accurately,' she told Radio Times. 'Also, people often use the wrong-sized tin and get a thin cake.' She also advised not to use low-fat spreads because 'they are full of water. Always use a baking spread'. Read more in this weeks Radio Times, on sale from Tuesday 19 January 2016. His cool wit and wry demeanour during his performances on the big screen have earned him critcal acclaim in a career that has spanned six decades. But Sir Michael Caine has revealed that without the support of his second wife Shakira Baksh, he wouldn't have been able to cope with the stresses a life pursuing acting thrust on him. Speaking candidly about his career and personal life, the 82-year-old told the Radio Times: 'Without her I would have been dead long ago. I would have probably drunk myself to death.' Scroll down for video 'Without her I would have been dead long ago': Sir Michael Caine has revealed that without the support of his second wife Shakira Baksh, he wouldn't have been able to cope with the stress of acting Speaking about his 68-year-old wife, the Batman star revealed that following the breakdown of his first marriage and his unhealthy lifestyle, Shakira provided a calming influence in his life. 'I was a bit of a p*** artist when I was younger, I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day and I was smoking too, several packs a day.' Explaining his it was 'stress' surrounding his career that drove him to an unhealthy lifestyle, he credited his wife's approach to life as his saving grace. 'Meeting Shakira calmed me down,' he explained. 'And shes not the little wife; she runs the whole business side of my life. Shes my right-hand man, my confidante.' 'Meeting Shakira calmed me down': Speaking about his wife, 68, the Batman actor revealed that following the breakdown of his first marriage and his unhealthy lifestyle, Shakira provided a calming influence in his life And if there was any doubt to her status as his rock, he added: 'I tell her everything. I was famous when I met her, but I couldnt have got this far without her. She is the most important person in my life.' The couple married in 1973 following the Sir Michael's split form his first wife, Patricia Haines, whom he divorced in 1962. Michael and Shakira have one daughter together, Natasha, 43, who also has a half-sister in Dominique, 63 - Michael's eldest daughter from his relationship with Patricia. And while the Italian Job star, a self-confessed 'family man', might be forgiven for wanting to spend time with his two grandsons, aged five and six, he is yet to step out of the limelight. Following a resurgence in the early 2000's with a second Academy Award win for his role in The Cider House Rules, Sir Michael enjoyed global success in Christopher Nolan's Batman: The Dark Knight trilogy - playing Alfred, Bruce Wayne's faithful butler. And having been part of the film industry since 1950, he has no plans to give up on acting yet, and is currently hot on the promotional trail for the Oscar-nominated, Youth. Playing a retired orchestra conductor, Sir Michael's character Fred Ballinger is enjoying a holiday with his daughter and film director best friend in the Alps when receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform at Prince Phillips' birthday. Starring opposite Harvey Keitel, who plays director, Mick Boyle, the film sees Fred struggles with the decision to come out of retirement, and play the biggest show of his life. Sir Michael's interview can be read in its entirety in this week's Radio Times, on sale from Tuesday 19 January 2016. Kate Hudson and Jack Black certainly knew how to liven up their latest red carpet event. The duo showed their goofy side as they arrived at the Shanghai premiere of Kung Fu Panda 3 on Monday. Kate, 36, looked stunning in a lilac strapless jumpsuit with thigh-high slit as she made her appearance. Having fun with it! Kate Hudson and Jack Black knew just how to work the red carpet on Monday as they made an appearance at the Shanghai premiere of Kung Fu Panda 3 The Almost Famous star donned nude heels and wore her blonde locks poker straight. While her ensemble was the height of sophistication, Kate's mood was fun and playful as she strut down the red carpet pouting alongside her comedic co-star Black, 46. Black suited up with a grey tie and checked button-up shirt underneath and showed off a neatly trimmed moustache. The duo larked about and threw out some Kung Fu moves as they posed for photos together. When Kate got a little chilly, her co-star was a true gent and offered the actress his jacket to keep her shoulders warm. See more of the latest news, pictures and video updates on Kate Hudson Poised: The duo managed to be serious for a moment as they posed for photos at the Shanghai New World hotel So chic: The 36-year-old actress wore a strapless lilac jumpsuit with thigh-high slit Hey there! The comedian gave fans and reporters high-fives as he strolled down the red carpet Over the weekend the actress attended the Hollywood premiere of the flick with her sons Bingham and Ryder. Twelve-year-old Ryder's father is the Oscar nominee's ex-husband Chris Robinson, while four-year-old Bingham's father is her ex-fiance Matthew Bellamy. It was reported in September that Hudson would be replacing Aussie comedian Rebel Wilson to voice a new character in the children's favourite. Wilson was due to voice Mei Mei, a crazy ribbon-dancing panda (the movie series' first female panda lead) who is romantically obsessed with Po (Black). Hollywood beauty: The mother-of-two showed off her slender physique in the number and wore her blonde locks poker straight They got some skills! The duo showed off their Kung Fu moves The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that an extension to the production schedule forced Wilson to bow out. The previously completed scenes were then re-animated to reflect Hudson's take on the character. Out in theatres on January 29, the movie follows Po (Black) as he reunites with his biological father (Bryan Cranston) and works to train a village of pandas to fight against an evil ancient spirit named Kai (J.K. Simmons) who is terrorizing China. What a gent: Black handed his jacket to Kate to keep out the chill All hope of a Friends reunion has finally been quashed. First the cast denied a rumored reunion, which was to take place during a tribute to Jimmy Burrows, and now show co-creator Marta Kauffman has put the final nail in the coffin. The 59-year-old writer and producer, who co-created the sitcom with David Crane, has confirmed that there will never be a Friends reunion movie either. Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman says there will never be a Friends reunion movie (pictured in May 2012) 'For me, why go back to that territory again? she told Us Weekly. 'That was about a certain time in your life, and I had just left [the] Friends time of my life. This is about the time of my life I'm looking toward.' 'I will say there will never be a Friends reunion movie,' she added. First there was the blow that Matthew Perry would not be part of the long-awaited special Friends episode. No reunion: David Schwimmer has denied that his Friends character Ross Gellar will reunite with pals Chandler Bing, Rachel Green, Phoebe Bouffay, Monica Gellar and Joey Tribbiani for a special episode Not happening: (Clockwise from L) Matt Le Blanc as Joey, Lisa Kudrow as Pheobe, David Schwimmer as Ross, Matthew Perry as Chandler, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, and Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica are not getting back together And then David Schwimmer denied any existence of a so-called 'reunion' for Ross Gellar and pals Chandler Bing, Rachel Green, Phoebe Bouffay, Monica Gellar and Joey Tribbiani. Correcting one reporter who asked about the exciting event, which was revealed last week, the 49-year-old explained that the actors are planning an NBC tribute, which will also include the stars of Frasier and Cheers. He said: 'There's no Friends reunion. It's a tribute to Jimmy Burrows who we love and I'm just thrilled to be a part of it. 'As many of us that can be there will be there and the casts of so many shows are going to try to be thereFrasier, Cheers, Will and Grace, it goes on. Taxi. 'This man is an incredible director who helped define situation comedy in this country in the last 40 years so I love him and I'm excited to be there.' Burrows served as a director for the Nineties sitcom throughout its 10-year run, with other TV projects also including 3rd Rock from the Sun, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory during his expansive career. Paying tribute: David revealed other actors including that of Cheers and Fraiser will unite to pay tribute to NBC director James Burrows, pictured in LA in February 2014, and his work in television Following the news that Chandler actor Matthew would not be taking part in the tribute, which will reunite stars Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, David did express his deep disappointment. 'I wish I could say it was going to be a reunion. [It's a] 5/6 reunion,' David told E! News this week, adding: 'Sure I'm sad, but I'm happy for him, he's doing a play in London and it's thrilling. I did one there and it was fantastic.' Just last Wednesday, fans of the sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004 were reacting with great excitement when a network executive suggested that Perry along with his co-stars would be back together. The TV event would have marked the first time that the famous six-piece had been reunited on television for 12 years. 'It's not the reunion everyone is hoping for': Matthew Perry will introduce the Friends special from London 'The other five are going to be on this special': Perry will be absent from the tribute for Jim Burrows but Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox will be in attendance But Matthew broke the news during filming for The Graham Norton show in the British capital late last week, confirming that it would be a documentary and not an episode. He said: 'It's not the reunion everyone is hoping for, they are celebrating Jim Burrows who was a director of Friends. 'The other five [Friends] are going to be on this special and I am going to introduce them from London. I'm doing the play here so I can't be there.' Perry is due to make his West End debut in his own play The End Of Longing on February 2 at the Playhouse Theatre. 'I can't be there': NBC execs had hinted on Wednesday that the six stars might reunite for the televised tribute to their former sitcom director however Perry will be in London performing in the West End 'I knew it would be a success': Matthew admitted he had no idea Friends would become such a phenomenon Good company: Matthew joins Miriam Margolyes, Gemma Arterton and Jack Savoretti on The Graham Norton Show on BBC One, 15th January at 10.35pm A gathering of sorts: Five out of the six Friends will be appearing together in LA for the special tribute to Burrows which is set to air on February 21 Iconic: The sitcom ran from 1994 to 2004 on NBC and was a huge ratings winner, turning its previously unknown cast into A-list stars While talking to Norton, Matthew admitted that although he was confident Friends would not flop, he had no idea it would become such a phenomenon. The 46-year-old asserted: 'I knew it would be a success and that we had something special, but I didnt know the giant hit it would become.' However it seems not everyone got the memo about Perry's unavailability for the NBC special which is set to air on February 21. As keen Le Blanc retweeted the news of a Friends reunion, writing 'Should be a fun time!', and his tweet was later retweeted on Kudrow's official Twitter feed. Beloved: Fans watched as the characters evolved over the course of a decade on television Didn't get the memo: LeBlanc and Kudrow both seemingly endorsed the notion of a Friends reunion. After LeBlanc tweeted 'Should be a good time!' Then Kudrow retweeted it Excitement in the air: LeBlanc and Kudrow were clearly looking forward to the reunion The fan favourite show lasted a decade and chronicled the lives of a group of tight-knit friends living in New York City. But over the years, the stars have made no secret of why they are no longer interested in revisiting their characters or even reconnecting. Cox recounted the obstacles she was often up against when trying to reunite her co-stars just for dinner during an interview on The Late Show With David Letterman in 2014. 'Let me tell you something,' she said. 'There's six friends and I've been trying to put together a cast dinner for 10 years. It doesn't happen!' 'I can get the girls to come, maybe Matthew Perry. Matt LeBlanc canceled last time right at the last minute. Schwimmer lives here [in New York City], so it's just not gonna happen.' Co-stars: Jennifer Aniston, pictured in Los Angeles in August, starred as Rachel, while David Schwimmer, pictured in New York in December, portrayed Ross Not so fast: Courteney Cox, who starred as Monica on the sitcom, has described the the obstacles she encountered when trying to reconnect with her former co-stars. She's pictured in Los Angeles in November Kudrow has cited her age as the primary reason she isn't interested in reprising her Friends role. 'I'm too old,' she told HuffPost Live in 2013. 'I wouldn't even have an interest in seeing what those people are doing 10 years later as parents that have to be responsible. It would be so different that it wouldn't be Friends anymore.' LeBlanc also believes the magic of Friends would be lost now that the characters are older. 'Friends was about a finite period of time in your life, like after college and before your life really gets started. That's sort of where you're away from home and you're away from college, and your friends are your family,' he said onThe Meredith Viera Show. 'Once that's over, nobody wants to see Joey at his prostate exam,' he joked. They seemingly confirmed their partnership is more than platonic with a cosy Instagram selfie uploaded on his account last week. And Georgia My Foote and her new boyfriend Giovanni Pernice made their public debut as a couple as they headed to the show's live tour rehearsals in Birmingham on Tuesday morning. The former Coronation Street actress and the professional dancer looked smug as they were pictured leaving their hotel en route to join their celebrity and professional co-stars. Scroll down for video Out and proud: Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice stepped out together for the first time since confirming their romance last week as they led the Strictly stars to tour rehearsals in Birmingham on Tuesday morning Georgia, 24, was a vision of casual style as she slipped her petite pins into a pair of black and white marble-print leggings. She teamed her favourite workout pants with a padded and hooded black coat and a pair of bright white Nike trainers. The brunette star added a touch of femininity to her look as she styled her long glossy tresses into French plaits. See the latest on Georgia May Foote and her reported romance with her Strictly partner Met her match: Georgia, 24, and Giovanni, 25, looked smug as they headed to join their Strictly Come Dancing co-stars Sartorially-in-sync: The soap actress and the professional dancer both applied a monochrome colour theme to their looks His and hers: The former Coronation Street star and the Italian ballroom master both favoured a variation of black padded jackets Keeping their distance: The partnered pair appeared to be keeping their romance on the down-low as they both walked with their hands in their pockets Their biggest fan: The couple were given quite the fright as prankster Gleb Savchenko jumped in the middle of them and the trio were seen laughing as they walked along arm-in-arm Georgia and Giovanni appeared to have made a conscious effort to complement each other's outfits as the Italian too favoured a black padded jacket. He teamed his variation with a pair of elasticated-hem tracksuit bottoms and some two-tone trainers. While his girlfriend bared her flawless skin in all its fresh-faced glory, Giovanni afforded himself a method of disguise in the form of a pair of wayfarer sunglasses. The couple were given quite the fright as prankster Gleb Savchenko jumped in the middle of them and the trio were seen laughing as they walked along arm-in-arm. All the Gs: Georgia and Giovanni were in high spirits as they larked around with Gleb The reigning champ: Strictly's latest winner Jay McGuiness cut a chilly figure as he headed to the rehearsal venue Boys will be boys: Jay, 25, was accompanied by male professional Aljaz Skorjanec and the boys were seen laughing Not quite shorts weather: The Wanted singer looked chilly as he chose to wear shorts and no coat Significant other: Jay's on-screen partner Aliona Vilani looked fresh-faced as she rocked up alone Strictly's 2015 champ Jay McGuiness was also spotted arriving to the rehearsal venue but rather than accompany his on-screen partner Aliona Vilani there, he turned up with male professional Aljaz Skorjanec. Aliona, 31, looked fresh-faced and pumped for the day ahead as she rocked up alone. Frankie Bridge appeared equally psyched to be returning to the dance studio after a year-long break. The Saturdays singer wrapped up warm in a tailored black coat which she teamed with a printed scarf, jeggings and adidas trainers. Frankie, 27, sported a full face of day-appropriate make-up with bronze tones flushing her naturally-flawless complexion. Welcome return: Frankie Bridge looked thrilled to be returning to the dance studio, a year on from being crowned the runner-up of the 2015 SCD series Couples who dance together..: Karen and Kevin Clifton - one of the few Strictly couples to defy the infamous relationship curse - arrived together Fail-safe style: Helen George favoured her favourite rehearsal get-up - black and white leggings, statement pink fur coat and rose-gold shell-toe trainers Journalist off-duty: Anita Rani sported Dr Martens, skinny jeans, plaid shirt and longline parker coat He spent nine years of his life immersed in the Kardashian way of life so it's little wonder elements of their style have rubbed off on Scott Disick. The former partner of Kourtney Kardashian once again showcased his endless collection of outwear as he was spotted leaving The Nice Guy, with Chris Brown, dressed in a statement parka coat on Tuesday. Scott, 32, appeared to have looked to his former mother-in-law Kris Jenner for inspiration as the cosy cover-up featured a thick fur lining. Scroll down for video The big fur-eeze: Scott Disick wrapped up warm in a statement parka coat as he left The Nice Guy with Chris Brown in the early hours of Tuesday morning The father-of-three looked steady on his feet as he made a dignified exit from the Hollywood haunt in the early hours of the morning. Scott teamed the Arctic-inspired number with a plain black T-shirt and a pair of faded grey skinny jeans. A pair of camel suede ankle boots and plenty of facial fur completed his look. See the latest news, pictures and video updates on Scott Disck and other KUWTK stars Battling the elements: Scott, 32, looked dressed for an Arctic expedition in the insulating number Hitching a ride: The former partner of Kourtney Kardashian was picked up from the popular Los Angeles venue by rapper Chris Brown Cleaning up his act: Scott looked far from intoxicated as he made a dignified exit Although it is not clear whether the duo partied inside the famous venue together, Scott was seen hitching a ride home - or to the next party destination - from rapper Chris. The Fine by Me hit-maker sat in the driver's seat of his custom-made vehicle while the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star rode shotgun. Earlier this month, the self-proclaimed 'Lord' splashed out $5.96million on a luxurious new bachelor pad in Los Angeles, situated close to Kourtney's home. Street-style icon: The father-of-three teamed his fur-lined parka with a plain black T-shirt, grey-wash denim jeans and camel suede boots Riding shot gun: The Forever on the Dancefloor hit-maker sat behind the wheel while the KUWTK star jumped in the front next to him Boys will be boys: Earlier this month, the self-proclaimed 'Lord' splashed out $5.96million on a luxurious new bachelor pad in Los Angeles, situated close to Kourtney's home With seven bedrooms and as many bathrooms, there will be more than enough room for his three young children - Mason, six, Penelope, three and 13-month-old baby son Reign - to stay over as he and his former partner have agreed to co-parent. Meanwhile, the reality star is said to have moved on from his ex-girlfriend following reports he has gone on a series of dates with young Swedish model Lina Sandberg. 'He's seen her a few times in Los Angeles and thinks she's really hot,' a source told Us Weekly. 'He's definitely interested and seeing where it goes.' Scott has neither confirmed or denied the romance rumours. Giorgio Armani may have been showcasing his latest designs on the runway. But the celeb audience of the designer's Milan Men's Fashion Week show on Tuesday were also dressed to impress. Former Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens was suited and booted for the FROW, while Hollywood's Russell Crowe also showed off his suave sense of style at the fashion week calendar highlight. Scroll down for video Dapper duo: Dan Stevens and Russell Crowe showed off their sense of style as they arrived for the Armani Milan Men's Fashion Week show on Tuesday Dan, 33, looked dapper in a double breasted grey blazer layered over a black shirt and purple tie. The actor slicked his dark blonde locks into a side-swept quiff and sported some facial hair for the stylish event. Russell, 51, meanwhile wrapped up warm for the chilly temperatures in a black overcoat over a pale blue shirt, finishing off his winter look with leather gloves and sunglasses. Suited and booted: Dan, 33, looked dapper in a double breasted grey blazer layered over a black shirt and purple tie, and finished off with black trousers and smart brogues Cool: Russell, 51, meanwhile wrapped up warm for the chilly temperatures in a black overcoat over a pale blue shirt, finishing off his winter look with leather gloves and sunglasses Suave: The Hollywood star was very much the stylish gent as he posed outside the fashion week venue The actor was seen catching up with Giorgio Armani after enjoying the show with the designer's niece Roberta, who heads up public relations for the brand. Russell is long-time friends with the Armani family, even asking Giorgio to design the uniforms for the Australian rugby team he co-owns, The Rabbitohs. Dan meanwhile was announced as the face of Armanis made-to-measure service last year. Family friend: The actor arrived with the designer's niece Roberta, who heads up public relations for the brand Congrats! Russell was seen catching up with Giorgio Armani after his show In demand: Ex Downton Abbey star Dan is enjoying a break from his blossoming big screen career, having recently completed work on the upcoming science fiction thriller Colossal, which also stars Anne Hathaway He's got style: Dan was announced as the face of Armanis made-to-measure service last year Huge fan: Russell is long-time friends with the Armani family, even asking Giorgio to design the uniforms for the Australian rugby team he co-owns, The Rabbitohs Prime position: Russell took his seat in the coveted front row Mixing in stylish circles: Russell posed for a photo with Italian designer Marta Ferri Star trio: Russell and Dan met up with Chinese actor and singer Chen Kun inside The Brit actor is enjoying a break from his blossoming big screen career, having recently completed work on the upcoming science fiction thriller Colossal, which also stars Anne Hathaway. The TV-turned-big-screen star was previously best known as Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey until he met his demise during one of the most memorable Christmas episodes of the drama. His character was married to Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and died in a car accident on the day that their first child was born. Dan is also due to appear in Disney's latest live-action remake Beauty And The Beast alongside Emma Watson and Ewan McGregor, taking on the central role of the Beast. Model looks: Armani posed with his runway stars after another successful fashion week Ode to an icon: Giorgio opened his Emporio Armani show with a salute to David Bowie, playing a recording of the late singer live in concert before the models walked the runway Wrapped up: The celeb-favourite designer sent statement cosy coats down the catwalk for his Autumn Winter 2016 collection She put on a brave face as she amped up the glamour to be by her best pal's side at her raucous hen do over the weekend. But Cheryl Fernandez-Versini reportedly became overwhelmed with emotion as she listened to guests talk about former bandmate Kimberley Walsh's love story. Kimberley gathered her gal pals to celebrate her last days of singledom as she prepares to walk down the aisle with former Triple 8 band member Justin Scott, who she has dated for over a decade. Scroll down for video Overcome: Cheryl Fernandez-Versini reportedly became overwhelmed with emotion as she listened to guests talk about former bandmate Kimberley Walsh's love story with fiance Justin Scott at her hen do over the weekend At the animal-print themed 'Last Wild Night' bash, Kimberley's sister Sally and actress friend Amy Nuttall spoke about how in love the couple have been since day one. According to Hello! magazine, which covered the party, Kimberly and Cheryl 'could be seen dabbing their eyes' as they listened to a poetic fairytale written by the bride-to-be's sibling and looked at photos documenting their relationship. Kimberley even admitted to the magazine that she wouldn't be able to look at Cheryl when she acts as bridesmaid on her big day, as she'll break down in front of the altar. She said: 'I used to be good at keeping up an icy exterior but since I had (16-month-old son) Bobby, I'm so much more emotional. I'm slightly worried about the wedding to be honest. See more of the latest news and updates on Cheryl Fernandez-Versini's reported divorce Moved: Cheryl and bride-to-be Kimberley were seen 'dabbing their eyes' as they listened to a sweet poem about her romance read out by her sister Sally Love story: Kimberley has been with former Triple 8 band member Justin Scott for over a decade and share a son, Bobby. They are set to tie the knot later this year 'A few happy tears are fine, but I don't want to spend the whole day sobbing, so I'm going to have to be careful about even looking at Cheryl and my sisters, because they'll definitely cry and that will set me off.' The night out came as Cheryl moves to end her second marriage. She has reportedly filed divorce papers to make her split from Jean-Bernard legal. The pair wed in July 2014 after dating for just three months. She was previously married to Ashley Cole between 2006 and 2010 until they separated amid claims he had cheated. She recently graced the cover of Playboy magazine for the 14th time, wearing nothing but a gold necklace. But former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson opted for a more demure approach as she jetted in to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris ahead of her appearance in the French National Assembly on Tuesday. The actress, 48, kept her assets hidden as she slipped into an elegant cream coat, which she teamed with flat ballet pumps. Scroll down for video Demure: Pamela Anderson opted for a more demure approach as she jetted in to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris ahead of her appearance in the French National Assembly on Tuesday Wearing her platinum blonde locks scraped back from her face in a loose up-do, the star injected a touch of A-list glamour to her jet-set look with dark shades and an oversized handbag. Pamela's chic coat has become one of her go-to cold-weather pieces, and has been a part of her wardrobe since October 2014. That month she was snapped wearing it when she landed at Stockholm Airport ahead of a series of appearances in the country, including the opening of a club in the Swedish village of Sandviken. She wrapped up in the coat again last November after landing at Los Angeles International Airport, following a trip to Dublin to appear on the Ray D'Arcy Show. Elegant: The actress, 48, kept her assets hidden as she slipped into an elegant cream coat, which she teamed with flat ballet pumps Pamela, who now runs an organisation that advocates for animal and environmental rights, was in Paris to attend a session in the French Parliament to support proposed legislation that would outlaw the force-feeding of ducks and geese, a method used in the production of foie gras. The star's appearance follows an invitation from the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, an animal welfare organisation which Pamela has supported in the past. On Saturday, The Pamela Anderson Foundation posted a black-and-white selfie of Pamela to its Instagram account. Jet-set style: Wearing her platinum blonde locks scraped back from her face in a loose-up to, the star injected a touch of A-list glamour to her jet-set look with dark shades and an oversized handbag The caption, written in two languages, suggested that she was already fired up about her imminent Parliamentary visit and eager to make some waves. It read: 'Pourquoi le Foie Gras? (Why Foie Gras?) Pourquoi Cette Misere? (Why Such Misery?).' Pamela, who previously stripped burlesque-style for a PETA video, has been focusing heavily on her foundation over the past two years. Besides making charitable donations, she has written letters to world leaders including Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama and spoken out against whaling and fur farming. Favourite number: Pamela's chic coat has become one of her go-to cold-weather pieces, and has been a part of her wardrobe since October 2014 Travelling the King's Road these days can be dangerous. Which is perhaps why Peter Dinklage opted for public transport on Monday. The Game Of Thrones star was spotted trying to keep a low profile as he rode the subway through New York City. Scroll down for video Black brother? Peter Dinklage was spotted riding the subway with his scooter in New York City on Sunday The 46-year-old as almost as well disguised as a Faceless Man, wrapped up from head-to-toe against that chilly north wind, with just his face and his fingertips peeking out. His face wasn't left exposed to the elements either, his bushy moustache and beard defending against the stark cold. With the recent vacancy of the Lord Commander's position, the man who plays Tyrion Lannister almost looked like he was on his way to apply for a job at The Wall, garbed completely in black: black boots, black jeans, black body-warmer, black hoodie, with its black hood pulled up over his black beanie. The HBO star was completely engrossed in his phone as he texted his way from Brooklyn, those fingerless gloves proving an Impishly clever forethought. At his right hand was the actor's transport modus operandi, his trusty scooter - which he also prefers in black. See more of the latest news and pictures of the Game of Thrones stars Coming soon: Dinklage returns to his two-time Emmy-winning role on April 24, when season six of Game Of Thrones debuts. Dinklage returns to his two-time Emmy-winning role on April 24, when season six of Game Of Thrones debuts. With his character finally linking up with Emila Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen, fans eagerly await both their return to the tumultuous lands of Westeros. But the big question plaguing followers is the definitive fate of Kit Harington's John Snow, who was seen getting betrayed and stabbed in the closing shots of season five. Speaking on the red carpet of the London Film Critics Circle Awards on Sunday night Maisie Williams - who plays Snow's little sister Arya - gave the biggest hint yet that the character will be back, in some form or other 'Its a great twist,' she said, 'but I cant say hes going to be alive.' She is set to return to the dance floor a year after her turn on Strictly during the show's nationwide tour. And pop star Frankie Bridge looked thrilled to be back in the spangles as she headed to rehearsals on Monday. The Saturdays singer has joined the 2015 alumni on the trek as she was pregnant when she was supposed to take to the road following her longlasting stint on the 2014 run. Scroll down for video Frankie Bridge looked thrilled to be back on the floor as she headed to rehearsals for the Strictly Come Dancing tour on Monday The mum-of-two - who gave birth to a second son, Carter, in August - wrapped up against the cold as she attended a run-through with Call The Midwife's Helen George, one of the frontrunners during the most recent series of the show. She wore Lycra gear under a winter coat and chic scarf, while Helen opted for a workout clothes and a playful pink faux fur jacket. They left their hotel in Birmingham to meet their professional dance partners, who will put them through their paces once again when the tour kicks off in the city on Friday. Frankie said: 'I was so disappointed not to be able to perform in this years Strictly Tour, as Id been so looking forward to continuing my Strictly journey. See more of the latest news and updates on the Strictly Come Dancing stars Saturday night fever! The Saturdays singer has joined the 2015 alumni on the trek, including Helen George, as she was pregnant when she was supposed to take to the road following her longlasting stint on the 2014 run Warming up: The mum-of-two - who gave birth to a second son, Carter, in August - wrapped up against the cold as she attended a run-through in Birmingham Dancing round their bags: She wore Lycra gear under a winter coat and chic scarf, while Helen opted for a workout clothes and a playful pink faux fur jacket - and both sported huge blue bags Girls just wanna have fun: The Calling The Midwife actress looked in high spirits as she prepared to get back onstage in front of fans 'But following the birth of my son in August, Im thrilled to have been asked to join the 2016 tour. 'It will be great to get my dancing shoes back on and be part of the Strictly family again. Roll on January!' Alongside Frankie and Helen, this year's winner Jay McGuiness will pull back on his dancing shoes, as will Georgia May Foote, who is rumoured to be dating her partner on the show, Giovanni Pernice. Anita Rani, Ainsley Harriott and EastEnders' Jake Wood will also perform for fans across the country. Judges Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood will also appear to dish out their criticisms, while Great British Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc will stand in for Darcey Bussell. EastEnders viewers are gearing up for what's set to be some explosive scenes as Peggy Mitchell actress Barbara Windsor will bid a final farewell to her much-loved character this spring. And while it's been confirmed the Mitchell matriarch will lose her cancer battle, the funeral could see the whole family reuniting, with Danniella Westbrook reprising her role as her daughter Sam as producers 'aren't ruling anyone out'. The Celebrity Big Brother star is being lined up to make a shock return to the long-running BBC One soap later this year - six years after she last quit - according to the Daily Mirror. Scroll down for video Blast from the past: Danniella Westbrook is rumoured to be returning to EastEnders as Sam Mitchell in time for mother Peggy's funeral following her stint on Celebrity Big Brother It's thought show bosses and script writers are keen to reunite the whole Mitchell clan to lay iconic character Peggy to rest as her body succumbs to cancer in the coming months. A source told the newspaper: 'Now the news is out about Barbara and Ross' return writers can start to plot the finer details but nothing has been decided yet.' They added the family's much-loved greyhound Frieda won't be making an appearance. Must-watch television: It's thought show bosses and script writers are keen to reunite the whole Mitchell clan to lay iconic character Peggy to rest as her body succumbs to cancer in the coming months A spokesperson for EastEnders told MailOnline: 'Peggy's final episodes are still being finalised so it is too early to say if any other characters from the Mitchell family will be returning. We have not ruled out anyone at this stage.' MailOnline has contacted Danniella's management for comment. Danniella, 42, first arrived in Walford in 1990 before she quit three years later due to personal troubles. Where it all began: Danniella first arrived to Albert Square as Sam in 1990. She went on to have a troubled relationship and subsequent marriage with Walford heartthrob Ricky Butcher She returned to Albert Square in 1995 and left again in 1996, before popping back in 1999 and waving goodbye in 2000. The former I'm A Celebrity contestant then made a fleeting visit in 2009 when her alter-ego returned to Walford from Spain using a fake passport but she was forced to leave again in 2010 when Sam was arrested. The role of the flighty beauty was also played by Kim Medcalf from 2002 until 2005, but it's not known which actress bosses are keen to sign up for the forthcoming emotional episodes. Meanwhile, as Barbara prepares to shoot her final ever scenes for the show, she will be joined by some familiar faces as Ross Kemp has confirmed he is reprising his role of Peggy's eldest son Grant Mitchell. The bad boy's reappearance in Walford will also see him reunited with his brother Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) as they gather around their mum for the final hours of her life. 'I am really looking forward to going back to EastEnders and filming what are set to be some classic EastEnders episodes,' he commented. Madonna was reportedly two and a half hours late to her Nashville concert, days after fiercely denying reports she was drunk during her Louisville concert. Country star Reba McEntire was among the fans who were kept waiting for hours, and the country star was not impressed, posting photos of the empty stage to Instagram on Monday. 'At the Madonna concert. She's not on yet...really?' Reba captioned the first of three photos as she waited at Bridgestone Arena. Scroll down for video In charge: Madonna plays the guitar and smiles at the crowd during her Nashville show on Monday Waiting: Reba McEntire posted this photo as she waited for Madonna's Nashville show to begin. 'She's not on yet...really?' wrote the country star The image shows the darkened arena, with what appears to be the opening act under the spotlight. And hour later, Reba shared a photo of the still-empty stage, which was draped with a large red Madonna backdrop. A large crowd is seen milling around the runway, waiting for the 57-year-old pop legend to take the stage. 'We're here!! Where is she???' wrote the 60-year-old Fancy singer. Empty stage: 'We're here!!! Where is she???' Reba captioned this photo from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Monday as the crowd waited 2.5 hours for Madonna Not impressed: Reba McEntire, pictured left, said the Material Girl finally took the stage at 10.31pm. It comes as the singer battles for custody of her son Rocco, 15, pictured with his father Guy Ritchie, right Reba later posted the same photo again, captioning it: 'She came on at 10.31.' The concert was scheduled to begin at 8pm. The delay comes just three days after Madonna was forced to deny claims she was drunk on stage in Kentucky. The Material Girl strongly denied she had been drunk while performing. She was also three hours late to that show. 'Madonna was very drunk,' a fan told TMZ, which reports another fan said she was 'a lil drunk but funny.' Madonna seemed to pour fuel on the fire when she posted a photo of herself laying on the Louisville stage, joking: 'Working on my stand up laying down.' However, she later fiercely denied that she had been drinking in a lengthy Instagram post. The Queen of Pop blasted critics as 'sexist' for the rumors, and insisted she never drinks before a performance. 'For those people who like to believe all they read i never drink and perform!!!' she wrote. 'My show is 2 hours and 15 minutes of non stop singing and dancing. Performance: Madonna performs her Rebel Heart Tour at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Monday. She left fans waiting for two and a half hours Dispute: The singer posted this photo of herself on stage in Nashville, calling it 'The Royal March', she failed to acknowledge the delay which angered her fans 'In Louisville I made a joke about doing a stand comedy act dressed as a clown and being able to drink alcohol.' She added: 'Its so very interesting how society continues to not only treat me in a totally sexist way (if i a were a man no one would have said a thing) and also continue to take everything i say literally! 'Thats what happens when people don't read books and get all information from TMZ.' The star has had a difficult start to 2016 and is in a prolonged custody battle with her ex-husband British director Guy Ritchie, 47 over their 15-year-old son Rocco. The teenager had been traveling with Madonna on her international Rebel Heart Tour, but left in December to go live with his father in London. Big crowd: The pop star shared this photo of the concert as she thanked the crowd, although she didn't mention her late arrival time. 'Nashville was lit! Thank you,' she wrote 'Sexist': Madonna took to Instagram to fiercely deny claims she was drunk during her Kentucky show Madonna appeared in court in New York on December 23 after Rocco refused to come home for the holidays, and the judge ordered him to return to his mother so she and Guy could work out custody. However, Rocco has so far refused to return to the US. The singer made no mention of the Nashville delay as she shared two photos to Instagram. 'Nashville was lit! Thank you,' she captioned a photo of herself on the big screen, hovering over the audience and runway. Thomas Cohen has announced the release of his first solo material. The 25-year-old has written and recorded Bloom Forever, an album he first began working on in 2012, two years before his wife Peaches Cohen tragically died. The former frontman of the band S.C.U.M. completed the deeply personal record last year, with the title track written about the birth of his second son. Scroll down for video Making his return to music: Thomas Cohen, the widower of Peaches Geldof, has announced the release of his first solo material - an album entitled Bloom Forever Released through Stolen Recordings, the album cover was shared on the independent record label's Twitter account on Tuesday. The striking artwork shows Thomas dressed in a colourful jacket teamed with aviator shades as he stares unsmiling at the camera. According to Roughtrade.com the album, which will be released on May 6th, is 'a chronologically ordered document of the songs Cohen wrote between 2012 and 2015.' Thomas stopped work on the record when Peaches suddenly died in 2014, with the musician now a doting single father of the couple's two boys Phaedra and Astala. Personal: The former frontman of the band S.C.U.M. first began working on the album in 2012, two years before his wife Peaches Cohen tragically died The musician, whose band split in 2011, relocated to Iceland for a period last year to finish his first solo record, a deeply emotional time. 'I would hate for somebody to listen to the record and just think about me, you know? That's not why you really make music. You're making music for somebody else to emotionally respond to,' he has said of his finished collection. Thomas recently returned from a new year's break to Miami with his friends and Pixie Geldof, Peaches' younger sister, who the musician has remained close to since his wife's death. Letting his feelings out: The musician relocated to Iceland for a period last year to finish his first solo record, a deeply emotional time. The title track was written on the day he and Peaches welcomed their second son The trip has sparked rumours that Thomas has also been getting closer to Daisy Lowe, a close friend of his late wife. A source told the Daily Mirror that things were starting to look up for rocker Thomas following the tragic death of his wife two years ago. Speaking about the father-of-two, the source revealed: 'He is still so young, yet he has been bringing up two children on his own. He has known Daisy for years, but they are a lot closer since the holiday in Miami. It's been great for Thomas's friends to see him looking happy again.' MailOnline is yet to receive comment from representatives acting on behalf of Thomas Cohen and Daisy Lowe. She's been keeping a low profile since welcoming a baby boy named Noah in November. And Karolina Kurkova enjoyed a well-earned break from her motherhood duties as she attended a IWC Schaffhausen luxury watch event at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Czech supermodel pulled out all the stops to look her best at the event, donning not one, but two seriously sexy looks. Scroll down for video Classic elegance: Supermodel Karolina Kurkova kept her look simple and sophisticated at the IWC Schaffhausen luxury watch event at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday Upping the glamour: Later in the evening, Karolina changed into a chic velvet dress complete with a rock 'n' roll tie knotted around her neck to attend the IWC Gala Karolina first showed off her amazing post-baby body in an elegant black lace Bambah dress, featuring a flattering off-the-shoulders neckline and caped sleeves. The dress, worn belted at the waist, boasted a sheer bottom section, offering a glimpse of her slender legs through the lace material. The blonde beauty - who was joined by her husband Archie Drury - completed her ensemble with thin strappy heels and a 90s style choker necklace. But she certainly saved the best for last, emerging later in the evening for the star-studded IWC gala in a dramatic, menswear style outfit. Seriously slick: The new mother looked absolutely incredible in her plunging dress, worn with a blazer draped over her shoulders and layered silver necklaces Wow: Carolina wore her blonde locks pulled back in a ponytail with tendrils framing her face Leggy: The statuesque stunner made the most of her legs thanks to a classic side split The star looked absolutely incredible in a plunging velvet dress, boasting a leg-flashing side split. She accessoried with a tie and layered silver necklaces, wearing a blazer draped over her shoulders. Clearing having a blast at the bash, she posted on Twitter: 'Great time learning about @iwcwatches special relationship with flying.' Karolina has largely been keeping a low profile since welcoming her second child with husband Archie. Retro vibe: The 31-year-old star - who welcomed a second child in November - dressed up her first look of the day with a 90s style choker necklace Happy couple: Karolina attended alongside her husband of six years, Archie Drury Flying high: Karolina, who was attending the Pilot's Watches Novelties launch, tweeted, 'Great time learning about @iwcwatches special relationship with flying' Strike a pose: The Czech beauty showed off her natural photogenic abilities as she posed up a storm Taking a break: The new mother did her bit to promote the brand after lying low for several weeks following the birth of her son Noah The couple - who tied the knot in 2009 - are also parents to six-year-old son Tobin Jack. Karolina and Archie confirmed the arrival of little Noah via a statement released to Just Jared on November 12. 'Karolina has given birth to a healthy, beautiful baby boy with her husband, Archie Drury. The baby joins hisolder brother Tobin who is ecstatic over the family's new addition. Mommy and baby are doing well,' it read. Stunning: Karolina looked incredible in her off-the-shoulders dress with its see-through lace material Smiles all around: Archie and Karolina are also parents to six-year-old son Tobin Jack Show of support: Karolina caught up with IWC Schaffhausen CEO Georges Kern Waltzing along: The pair put on an animated display as they celebrated the luxury watch launch She recently posed up a storm in nothing but a gold necklace for Playboy's final 'nude' issue. But Pamela Anderson was all business when it came to her appearance at the French National Assembly, in Paris on Tuesday. Addressing the members of the country's government at the Palais Bourbon, the 48-year-old star unleashed a stylishly serious look, as she stepped out in a semi-sheer blouse and pencil skirt. Scroll down for video Serious style@ Pamela Anderson was all business when it came to her appearance at the French National Assembly, in Paris on Tuesday The former Baywatch star channelled a glamorous yet suitably smart look for her appearance at the famous building in support of legislation to outlaw the force-feeding of ducks and geese. Opting for a stylish yet slightly risque-twist on business attire, the Playboy favourite donned a semi-sheer black blouse, which featured a gold spotted pattern. Preserving her modesty in her see-through top, Pamela's garment featured to black square patches to save the actress any unfortuante wardrobe malfunctions. She means business: Addressing the members of the country's government at the Palais Bourbon, the 48-year-old star unleashed a stylishly serious look, as she stepped out in a semi-sheer blouse and pencil skirt Sheer sass: Opting for a stylish yet slightly risque-twist on business attire, the Playboy favourite donned a semi-sheer black blouse, which featured a gold spotted pattern Sticking to her smart yet sassy sartorial theme, the mother-of-two highlighted her famous figure by slipping into a fitted black pencil skirt. But clearly prepared for the changeable European climate, she made sure to add a seasonably sensible dash to her outfit with a stone mac. Rounding off her wardrobe, Pamela wore a pair of towering peep-toe stilettos, which stuck to the theme of her outfit whilst also accentuating her natural assets and gym-honed figure. Risque? Preserving her modesty in her see-through top, Pamela's garment featured to black square patches to save the actress any unfortuante wardrobe malfunctions Form-flaunting fashion: Sticking to her smart yet sassy sartorial theme, the mother-of-two highlighted her famous figure by slipping into a fitted black pencil skirt Putting her best foot forward: Rounding off her wardrobe, Pamela wore a pair of towering peep-toe stilettos, which stuck to the theme of her outfit whilst also accentuating her natural assets and gym-honed figure Wearing her mane of blonde hair in a perfectly coiffed up do, the star used a flesh-toned palette of make-up, while she highlighted her eyes with mascara and plumped her lips up with a slick of pink lip-gloss. The Canadian-born star, who has set up her own organisation, The Pamela Anderson Foundation, which advocates animal and environmental rights, gave attended a session of the Lower House of the French Assembly. Pamela was in Paris to support proposed legislation that would outlaw the force-feeding of certain water fowl, which is a method used in the production of country's famous export foie gras. In a blog post on her organisation's website, the star makes her feelings very clear about the dish, calling it a 'diseased liver' and labelling the whole nature of the food as 'demonic'. A page on the RSPCA's website states: 'Foie gras means "fatty liver", a product produced from the livers of force-fed ducks or geese and used to produce foodstuffs such as pate de foie gras.' Perfectly preened: Wearing her blonde hair in a perfectly coiffed up do, the star used a flesh-toned palette of make-up, while she highlighted her eyes with mascara and plumped her lips up with a slick of pink lip-gloss George Clooney offered his two cents on the #OscarsSoWhite debate following the Academy's decision to nominate all-white acting nominees for the second year in a row. 'All of a sudden, you feel like we're moving in the wrong direction,' the 54-year-old Hollywood veteran told Variety on Tuesday. 'There were nominations left off the table.' The two-time Oscar winner said this year's snubs include Will Smith in Concussion, Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation, as well as Creed and Straight Outta Compton for best picture. However John SIngleton - who was the first ever African American to be nominated for best director - for 1991's Boyz n the Hood - said he wasn't bothered about the lack of nominations for non-whites this year. Scroll down for video 'I think that African Americans have a real fair point': George Clooney addressed the #OscarsSoWhite debate following the Academy's white-dominated nominees (pictured September 30) John Singleton says 'there are only so many slots' Singleton, whos currently directing an episode of FXs upcoming People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, implied the nominees depended more on eligibility than race. 'Theres only so many slots' he told Variety. 'There are a couple of movies that may have (warranted attention) but Its all subjective. Its almost like the lottery.' This year the only black projects nominated - What Happened, Miss Simone? for documentary and Straight Outta Compton for screenplay - also have all-white nominees. Clooney said: 'I think that African Americans have a real fair point that the industry isn't representing them well enough. I think that's absolutely true. 'If you think back 10 years ago, the Academy was doing a better job. Think about how many more African Americans were nominated.' See the latest George Clooney updates as he weighs in on the #OscarsSoWhite debate 'There were nominations left off the table': The two-time Oscar winner listed snubs Will Smith in Concussion (pictured), Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation, as well as Creed and Straight Outta Compton for best picture 'We're moving in the wrong direction': In fact, the only black projects nominated - What Happened, Miss Simone? for documentary and Straight Outta Compton (pictured) for screenplay - also have all-white nominees Clooney continued: 'I think that African Americans have a real fair point that the industry isn't representing them well enough. I think that's absolutely true' (Beasts of No Nation's Idris Elba) In 2005, Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) were champs; and in 2007, Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) scored Oscar gold 'For Hispanics, it's even worse. We need to get better at this. We used to be better at it,' said George, failing to shout out Asian Americans and Native Americans. 'There should be more opportunity than that. There should be 20 or 30 or 40 films of the quality that people would consider for the Oscars.' Clooney continued: 'If you think back 10 years ago, the Academy was doing a better job. Think about how many more African Americans were nominated' (Morgan Freeman in 2005) 'We need to get better at this. We used to be better at it': In 2005, Jamie Foxx (L) and Morgan Freeman were champs; and in 2007, Forest Whitaker (M) and Jennifer Hudson (R) scored Oscar gold This year's ceremony boasts a black producer (Reginald Hudlin), host (Chris Rock), and president (Cheryl Boone Isaacs) - who issued a statement saying she was 'frustrated about the lack of inclusion.' Honorary Oscar winner Spike Lee and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith will be boycotting the ABC awards show, which airs February 28. It's not surprising that the Tomorrowland actor - whose wife Amal is a human rights lawyer - protested since he has strong political ambitions. George said: 'There should be more opportunity than that. There should be 20 or 30 or 40 films of the quality that people would consider for the Oscars' (Creed's Michael B. Jordan and nominee Sylvester Stallone) Surreal: This year's ceremony boasts a black producer (Reginald Hudlin), host (Chris Rock), and president (Cheryl Boone Isaacs) - who issued a statement saying she was 'frustrated about the lack of inclusion' 'For Hispanics, it's even worse': Honorary Oscar winner Spike Lee (pictured November 15) and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith will be boycotting the ABC awards show, which airs February 28 In the past, Clooney has used his celebrity to advocate for the Darfur conflict, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2004 tsunami, and 9/11 victims. The Very Murray Christmas star will next play Baird Whitlock in Hail, Caesar! - his fourth collaboration with the Coen Brothers. The fifties Hollywood comedy - also starring Channing Tatum, Josh Brolin, and Scarlett Johansson - hits US theaters February 5 and UK theaters March 4. Running for office? It's not surprising that the Tomorrowland actor - whose wife Amal is a human rights lawyer - protested since he has strong political ambitions (pictured October 26) Hollywood heartthrob: The Very Murray Christmas star will next play Baird Whitlock in Hail, Caesar! - his fourth collaboration with the Coen Brothers Most people are focused on his impending battle for the Best Actor award at the 88th Academy Awards. But Leonardo DiCaprio was delighted to be honoured with a Crystal Award at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, in Davos, Switzerland. Taking to the stage to give a passionate speech regarding climate change, the actor, 41, cut a calm and humble figure as he continues to weather the media storm surrounding Rihanna and himself. Scroll down for video Eco champion: Leonardo DiCaprio was delighted to be honoured with a Crystal Award at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, in Davos, Switzerland Attending the high-profile meeting of environmentally minded leaders, The Revenant star was honoured for his work against the climate crisis. Taking to the stage the Award-winning A-Lister launched into a passionate speech about the greed of big companies. He explained to the gathered crowd: 'We simply cannot allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil and gas industries to determine the future of humanity.' Before adding: 'Enough is enough. You know better. The world knows better. History will place the blame for this devastation squarely at their feet.' Brushing aside rumours: Taking to the stage to give a passionate speech regarding climate change, the actor, 41, cut a calm and humble figure as he continued to weather the media storm regarding Rihanna and himself 'We simply cannot allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil and gas industries to determine the future of humanity': Attending the high-profile event, the star was honoured for his work against the climate crisis Donning a charcoal two-piece suit, shirt and tie, The Wolf Of Wall Street actor showcased his impeccable sartorial taste. Wearing his blonde hair slicked back off of his face, the actor added a rugged edge to his look with a smattering of stubble. The Voice UK's Will.I.Am was also in attendance at the event, who also collected a Crystal Award. Happy to be a part of the cause: Taking to the stage the Award-winning A-Lister launched into a passionate speech about the greed of big companies Dapper gent: Donning a charcoal two-piece suit, shirt and tie, The Wolf Of Wall Street actor showcased his impeccable sartorial taste Leonardo's appearance at the events comes just days after the global rumour mill went into meltdown, as pictures of the actor appearing to kiss pop princess Rihanna emerged. Becoming the focus of a bidding war, the images - taken in a Paris nightclub on Sunday - are still yet to see the light of day thanks to French law. Acting with speed, Leonardo's lawyers sent out a warning saying he objected to the images being published and that he had a right to privacy under French law. Slick and suited: Wearing his blonde hair slicked back off of his face, the actor added a rugged edge to his look with a smattering of stubble Also honoured: The Voice UK's Will.I.Am was also in attendance at the event, who also collected a Crystal Award Another acting recipient: Chinese actress Yao Chen ( pictured with Leonardo) was also honoured with an award Media law expert Keith Mathieson, from the legal firm RPC, said French law allows for greater privacy restrictions than in the UK. However, he said UK law already prevents intrusive pictures of people in private activities from being published. Mr Mathieson explained the Hollywood star was likely to be arguing that he had a reasonable expectation of privacy while he was in the nightclub. Another media law expert, Gavin Millar QC, from the legal firm Matrix, explained that complainants can sue in France if a picture is taken in the country and then published in other EU countries. 'The problem comes when the pictures is telling you something about a person's private life,' he told MailOnline. She spent the past week sunning herself in the Maldives. And, although Millie Mackintosh is now back at home in the UK, she's clearly missing her idyllic island getaway. The 26-year-old shared a video - taken during her tropical jaunt - on her Instagram page on Tuesday, showing her impressive figure while completing a workout in the sunshine. Scroll down for video Work it! Millie Mackintosh showed off her enviable slim frame as she pulled off a flawless pike move using TRX cables while on her Maldives getaway In the clip, which showcases her iron-like core strength, the former Made In Chelsea star uses a TRX suspension cable connected to a tree to move her body back and forward. Wearing nothing but a pair of tiny black hotpants and a neon orange crop top, her exercise-honed lean legs and trim stomach are well and truly the focus of the clip. She proves she's a real fitness fanatic as she raises her derriere up and down using her core and arms while doing the gym bunny's favourite pike move. Letting her fans know it was a throwback video from her recent getaway, she wrote wistfully: 'Today's work out did not look like this! #holidayblues #trx #pike.' 'Holiday blues!' As she showed off her fantastic form in the throwback video on Instagram, she let her fans know her workout on Tuesday wasn't in quite an idyllic location Unimpressed: The reality star, 26, also posted a make-up free selfie to her Instagram page, joking that she was grumpy at the prospect of having to leave her girlie retreat Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa on Monday Millie returned from the Maldives on Monday after spending a week in the picturesque location with a friend. And, as she prepared to make her way back to the UK, she shared a gorgeous make-up free selfie on her timeline, revealing her lightly-tanned skin and fresh holiday glow. Along with the grumpy but still pretty picture, she commented: 'My face at having to leave the most beautiful island I've ever seen! Thank you for a magical week @shangrilamaldives - blog post coming soon.' This came after another sad goodbye photograph, showing her smouldering as she reclined in a hammock over crystal-clear turquoise water. One last snap: Millie treated her Instagram followers to one last Maldives holiday snap as she showcased her incredible figure in a plunging, semi-sheer swimsuit while lounging in a hammock Gazing out into the distance with her eyes sheltered behind dark sunglasses and showing off her fantastic figure in a sheer black swimsuit, the former reality star put on a leggy display in her sexy one-piece. Already lamenting the prospect of heading home, she wrote alongside the snap: 'Trying to blend in.. Don't want to leave!' All aboard! The former Made In Chelsea star flaunted her washboard abs in a white bikini and blue sarong as she enjoyed a paddleboarding session on Sunday On Sunday, the fashion designer flaunted her washboard abs in a white bikini and blue sarong as she enjoyed a paddleboarding session. Holding her oar directly above her whilst her other hand rested on her forehead, the full extent of her gym-honed physique was on display as she flaunted her toned legs and defined arms. Proving that you can exercise at any time and in any location, the brunette beauty also put on an energetic display on her idyllic break, performing a series of kick outs against a palm tree. Balancing on her hands, the star - who is married to Professor Green - completed an impressive set of ab exercises. No excuses: Proving that you can exercise at any time and in any location, the brunette beauty put on an energetic display on her idyllic break, performing a series of kick outs against a palm tree Outside gym: Balancing on her hands, the star - who is married to Professor Green - completed an impressive set of ab exercises. She captioned the video: 'Taking your moves with me wherever I go @russellsbc' No boys allowed! The socialite has spent the last week apart from her husband of two years, enjoying a girls break in the sun whilst the rapper - real name Stephen Manderson - continues to work in London Selfie queen! Since checking in to the Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa on Monday, Millie has posted no less than 32 photos and videos on her Instagram page, including several stunning bikini shots Concerned: Poking fun at the pretty star, Radio 1 DJ Greg James took to Twitter to make a joke about Mille's constant photograph uploads 'Taking your moves with me wherever I go @russellsbc,' she captioned the video, referring to her trainer. The socialite has spent the last week apart from her husband of two years, enjoying a girls break in the sun whilst the rapper - real name Stephen Manderson - continues to work in London. But the 32-year-old hasn't had to worry about what his wife has been getting up to without him, as she's been constantly documenting her trip through a series of snaps on social media. Since checking in to the Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa a week ago on Monday, Millie has posted no less than 32 photos and videos on her Instagram page. Poking fun at the pretty star, Radio 1 DJ Greg James took to Twitter to make a joke about the constant uploads. Thoroughly Motivated Millie: The Made In Chelsea star has continued to work out and eat healthily on holiday What a view! Millie proved hard work pays off as she posted an earlier envy-inducing snap of her toned bikini body to Instagram on Friday, whilst protecting herself from the sun with a towel around her head Directing his attention at the Monster hitmaker, he posted: 'Alright @professorgreen, is Millie still having fun on holiday? It's just we haven't had a photo for over 2 hours and I'm getting worried'. Luckily the fashion designer saw the funny side, retweeting the post as well as another from a fan that read: 'Unfollowing @millsmackintosh on Instagram until she's back from holiday.' Meanwhile, Stephen decided to share his own selfie on Instagram on Friday, although it was slightly less glamorous than his wife's. Partially submerged in the bath, the Lip Sync Battle UK host pulled his teeth over his his gums and flared his nostrils in the hilarious snap. Stunning: Stephen also decided to share his own selfie on Instagram on Friday, although it was slightly less glamorous than his wife's. The Lip Sync Battle host pulled his teeth over his his gums in the hilarious snap Japan rejoices as boyband SMAP averts split Fans of Japanese boyband SMAP breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday at the news the middle-aged heartthrobs were staying together, after their agent said they were mulling a breakup. The news of the possible disbandment last week shook Japan, where groups such as SMAP -- tightly controlled by their managers -- are wildly popular and often stay together for decades. Devastated fans on social media had called on each other to "protect" SMAP members by buying their old hit songs, in the hope it would avert a split. Japanese boy band SMAP members (from L) Masahiro Nakai, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Shingo Katori, Goro Inagaki and Takuya Kimura, seen in Tokyo, in December 2015 - (Jiji Press/AFP/File) Those wishes came true late Monday when the band -- which has been together since 1988 and whose members now range in age from 38 to 43 -- carved out time on their weekly television show to apologise for causing anxiety and pledge to remain an item. Wearing black suits, the five members bowed deeply before each offered short remarks. Takuya Kimura, the most popular member and a veritable megastar in Japan, explained they hastily arranged for live speeches to be injected into their taped variety show "SMAPxSMAP", acknowledging that the group had been on the verge of a "midair breakup". Member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, said: "I am relieved that we five are again together right here." The group's troubles were reportedly sparked by infighting between the agent in charge of SMAP and other top managers at Johnny & Associates, the powerful talent agency that gave birth to SMAP and numerous other boybands. Media reports of the intra-agency feud and possible break-up prompted an emotional outcry in Japan and other parts of Asia. Japanese Twitter was flooded by fans during and immediately after the live announcement. The apology "shows how tough it is to be a SMAP member," read one tweet Tuesday. "Anyway, I am glad they did not break up because I've been a fan for a long time." The news dominated media on Tuesday. "SMAP to go on," read a headline on the front page of the mass-circulation Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. The news even managed to infiltrate the halls of Japan's parliament, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was asked for his reaction by an opposition lawmaker during budget committee deliberations. "Similar to the world of politics, there must be many challenges for one group to last so long," Abe responded. "It is good that they will stay together, as it meets the wishes of their fans." SMAP, which cryptically stands for "Sports Music Assemble People", started out as a fresh-faced boy band backed by the powerful Johnny's agency. Despite sometimes obvious musical shortcomings -- saccharine numbers sung slightly tunelessly while bandmembers offer basic dance moves -- they remain at the top of the industry. They retain an enormous fan base among women in their 40s who came of age as the band hit the big time, and who remain the core viewers for the formulaic television dramas starring various members of the quintet. Vietnam on the boil ahead of communist leadership change From Soviet-style letters of denunciation to outlandish rumours of a coup, Hanoi is abuzz with political gossip ahead of a key leadership change this week that has plunged the ruling communist elite into turmoil. Politics in authoritarian Vietnam rarely attracts public attention. The communists have run the unified country as a one-party state since decades of war ended in 1975. But in the internet age, bitter factional infighting has transformed the customarily staid Communist Party Congress, which opens on Thursday in Hanoi, into political theatre. Workers place flowers as they set up decorations at the My Dinh National Convention Center, the main venue of the upcoming Vietnam Communist Party's 12th National Congress, in Hanoi, on January 18, 2016 Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP) Leaks and counter-leaks of internal memos, letters of denunciation and detailed responses are circulating online. State media has urged people not to read such "poison," but many have made up their own minds. "I don't trust the system. It's all bureaucracy, corruption, fights for power," party member and high-ranking state employee, Nguyen Minh, 45, told AFP. Minh, who AFP has not fully identified, said she had grown wealthy from her position but now felt trapped. She said she was tired of enduring endless discussion of the congress at work. She admits she's sent her daughter overseas for education -- and would accept her choosing not to return. "Capitalism is better than socialism... Here we are living in a cage, it's difficult to inhale fresh air," she said. At the week-long meeting starting Thursday, the country's top three jobs -- Party General Secretary, President, Prime Minister -- are up for grabs, with all incumbents technically due to retire. Normally, a deal is agreed months in advance. Analysts say the delay this year highlights a struggle between the party's traditional old guard and a more modern breed of politician, embodied by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. - 'Who the hell knows' - Dung, a pro-western reformer who presided over Vietnam joining the WTO and the US-led Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, and has been outspoken over Vietnam's maritime dispute with China, was tipped by analysts to move up to the powerful party leader position. But the incumbent, Nguyen Phu Trong, seen as more a conservative apparatchik and closer to Beijing, has been manoeuvering to stay on and install allies in top posts. A political survivor, Dung has weathered corruption allegations, attempts to unseat him, and the failure of the state-owned enterprise system that he championed after becoming premier in 2006. With a powerful network of allies, he could yet emerge as party secretary, said Jonathan London, a Vietnam expert at City University of Hong Kong. "Certainly his candidacy appears to be on the ropes but who the hell knows? He could yet mount a comeback... unlike China, the party congress in Vietnam is not entirely scripted," he said. Neither side will dramatically change course on key issues such as the dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea as Vietnam is a large country ruled "by committee," London said. But a Hanoi-based diplomat warned a win for Trong's faction could skewer badly needed economic reforms by bumping competent and less dogmatic politicians to the sidelines. With a youthful population of some 90 million in need of jobs -- and an economy growing at some seven percent a year -- this could be the difference between cashing in on tremendous potential or "muddling through" for another five years, they said. - 'It's a joke' - While the party is busy arguing over changes at the top, dissident Le Cong Dinh said that as far as the country's youth is concerned they might as well be rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic. "Only intellectuals care about these matters. The majority do not," said Dinh, a lawyer who is currently under house arrest. Most young people "want more radical political change so they can have better lives", said army general and lifelong party member Nguyen Trong Vinh. This is highly unlikely for now as the party will unite in a bid "to preserve the Communist 'house' despite factional struggles," he added. For many, fed up with pervasive corruption, economic mismanagement, and draconian persecution of regime critics, the party congress is a waste of time and money. "It's a joke. Whoever becomes party leader, prime minister, president -- it's no change for the country, they're all the same," said war veteran Tran Tu Luc, who has been following the process closely. The 72-year-old has been a party member for forty years but said he has lost faith in the communist system, which he felt was "destroying" his country. "I'm so disappointed," he said, adding he stopped going to party meetings in his neighbourhood as he was fed up with "cliches and bullshit arguments." Workers set up posters and decorations at the My Dinh National Convention Center, the main venue of the upcoming Vietnam Communist Party's 12th National Congress, in Hanoi, on January 18, 2016 Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP) A Vietnamese street barber is seen servicing a customer at a park in central Hanoi Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP) Iran's supreme leader Khamenei warns against US 'deceit' Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Tuesday against American "deceit", just days after the end of sanctions under a nuclear deal that the central bank said would unblock $32 billion. The remarks underscored the still-strained relations between Tehran and Washington, which unveiled new missile-linked sanctions against Iran on Sunday almost as soon as the nuclear-related measures were scrapped. In his first comments since the atomic agreement was implemented at the weekend, Khamenei told President Hassan Rouhani in a letter to "guard against deceit and violations of arrogant states particularly the United States". In his first comments since the atomic agreement at the weekend, Iran's supreme leader Khamenei (pictured) told President Rouhani to "guard against deceit and violations of arrogant states particularly the United States" Rouhani wrote to Khamenei on Monday to provide an update after the UN atomic watchdog declared Saturday that Iran had met conditions stipulated in the nuclear deal. "We have to watch if the other parties fulfil their commitments," the supreme leader wrote in response. Washington cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 1979, when its embassy in Tehran was stormed by students, months after the Islamic revolution, leading to a 444-day hostage crisis. Khamenei has never endorsed repairing relations with the US and has largely followed a similar tack to Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who dubbed America the "Great Satan". - Recession and unemployment - Opening up to the world cannot completely fix the economy, Rouhani said Tuesday in a televised speech, warning the "difficult road has just begun". "Today is just the start for an innocent human who was kept chained unjustly by the hands and feet for 12 years," said the president. "Sanctions are gone but there is a long way between sanctions and development," he said, speaking to an economics conference in Tehran. "Today, our main problem is unemployment and recession, the lack of a booming economy and many structural and economic deficiencies." British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated Rouhani on the nuclear deal during a "warm" telephone conversation on Tuesday, the premier's spokeswoman said. "They talked about paving the way for developing stronger economic cooperation" including opportunities that could arise in areas like banking and technology, she said. Iran hopes that steps to ease its isolation, including the re-admission of its banks to the SWIFT system of international transactions, will inject new vigour into the economy. The central bank said that $28 billion (25.8 billion euros) of the unfrozen funds would go to it and $4 billion "will be transferred to the state treasury as the share of the government". The assets, which had been held in foreign banks, will be kept "in centralised and safe accounts" abroad, central bank chief Valiollah Seif was quoted by state television as saying, adding that the money could be used to pay for imports. Iran's economy suffered greatly under the international sanctions that since 2006 targeted the Islamic republic's nuclear programme and financial systems. Under the previous hardline government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, inflation topped 40 percent. But moderate Rouhani, whose election in 2013 heralded more than two years of nuclear negotiations with world powers, managed to curb inflation to 13 percent. - Foreign investment - Iran needs annual foreign investment of $30-$50 billion to reach an eight percent growth target and cash in on sanctions relief, the president said Sunday. "Untapped potential in many industries indicates that domestic demand alone cannot drive the economy" towards that goal, he said, signalling a shift in policy. Iran announced a major boost of 500,000 barrels per day in oil production on Monday -- a move Tehran had long planned for once its nuclear deal with world powers took effect. The next budget starting in March is based on a projected oil price of $40 per barrel price and exports of 2.25 million barrels per day. Iran, a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), now produces 2.8 million barrels of oil per day and exports just over one million barrels. Low oil prices and years of US and European Union sanctions that barred much of Iran's foreign oil sales hammered its income from crude. But despite global prices falling below $30, Iran intends to increase production to recoup lost market share. A picture from the office of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shows him delivering a speech on January 19, 2016 in Tehran 30 years of sanctions against Iran Alain Bommenel (AFP) Iranians withdraw money from an ATM machine at a Bank Sepah in the capital Tehran on January 19, 2016 Atta Kenare (AFP) Head of the Central Bank of Iran, Valiollah Seif (R), talks with the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation (IAEO) Ali Akbar Salehi before a press conference by the Iranian president in Tehran on January 17, 2016 Atta Kenare (AFP/File) Yoghurt king rallies corporate world to help refugees Yoghurt empire founder Hamdi Ulukaya rallied the corporate world to aid refugees Tuesday, as the world's rich and powerful gathered in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Davos to discuss how to resolve some of the world's greatest challenges. Ulukaya, a 43-year-old Turkish Kurd who moved to the United States as a student in 1994 and made a fortune there with his Greek-style Chobani yoghurts, said governments and other organisations could not resolve the global refugee crisis without the corporate world's help. On the opening day of a five-day gathering in Davos, the Tent Foundation, which he set up to aid refugees, launched a so-called global pledge for companies to give money or jobs to refugees, with early sign-ups including Airbnb, the IKEA Foundation, LinkedIn, MasterCard, and UPS. Turkish Kurd Hamdi Ulukaya moved to the United States as a student in 1994 and made a fortune there with his Greek-style Chobani yoghurts Don Emmert (AFP/File) The foundation aims to sign up 100 partners by mid-2016. "If we're going to give hope and opportunity to the more than 60 million refugees around the world, it must come from more than just governments and NGOs," Ulukaya said. "Businesses and innovators have a critical role to play," he added. "The refugee crisis is not only unprecedented in scale, it is a humanitarian challenge that is dynamic and ever-evolving, with wide-ranging implications for refugees, host communities and the global community." European Union nations are struggling to come up with a clear plan to cope with the arrival of more than a million refugees and migrants last year, in the worst migration crisis to hit the continent since World War II. Many of them are Syrians fleeing the brutal civil war that has seen the country's neighbours take in millions of refugees since it broke out in 2011. Turkey and Lebanon host the highest numbers of Syrian refugees, with 2.2 million living in Turkish territories and just over one million in Lebanon. Chinese president in Saudi Arabia to bolster ties Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the first stop on a trip to raise the economic giant's political profile in a troubled Middle East. Xi, making his first presidential visit to the region, will also travel to Egypt and Iran during his five-day tour. State television showed Xi meeting with King Salman and the official Saudi Press Agency said the monarch held a luncheon banquet in his honour. Saudi King Salman bin Abdelaziz (L) escorts Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival in Riyadh in a photo provided by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on January 19, 2016 The two sides signed 14 agreements and memoranda of understanding, many of them on economic issues. One dealt with establishing a mechanism for consultations on fighting "terrorism," while another foresaw cooperation on building a nuclear reactor, SPA said. "Since China and Saudi Arabia forged diplomatic ties 26 years ago, our relationship has developed by leaps and bounds, with mutual political trust deepening continuously and rich results in cooperation in various fields," Xi said in written remarks, cited by China's official Xinhua news agency. Xi said he foresaw a fruitful visit "conducive to lifting our cooperation in various fields to a new level and to elevating the collective cooperation between China and GCC nations." He was referring to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to which Saudi Arabia belongs. On Wednesday, Xi is to join Salman for a ceremony to inaugurate an energy research centre in Riyadh. And they will also open, remotely from the capital, a refinery on the kingdom's Gulf coast. The refinery is a joint venture between state-owned Saudi Aramco and China Petrochemical Corp. Red flags of China are flying in central Riyadh for the high-profile visit, to which the Arab News daily devoted a 10-page special supplement. Tensions between regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a new high this month when Riyadh and a number of its Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. They acted after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the kingdom's January 2 execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. He was among 47 people put to death in a single day for "terrorism". Most of those executed were Sunnis. - Seeking stability - "The kingdom and China both work towards world stability, peace and security. And the kingdom appreciates your efforts towards this," Salman told Xi, according to SPA. Both Saudi Arabia and China maintain tight control on civil society and have been criticised by rights activists. Xi arrived three days after a historic international deal lifted sanctions on Iran in return for a scaling back of its nuclear capabilities. China and five other world powers helped broker that agreement. But Riyadh fears it will further embolden Iran, which it accuses of interference in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere. Last week a Chinese diplomat urged "calm and restraint" between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but the foreign ministry in Riyadh late Tuesday issued a 58-point complaint accusing Iran of "sedition, unrest and chaos" over nearly four decades. "Clearly now there are tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, so he (Xi) will be going there in the role of persuader," Zhu Feng, professor at Peking University's School of International Studies, told AFP before the visit. "China will try and do what it can, but it still won't play a main role." In the past month, Beijing hosted high-level members from both the Syrian regime and its opposition. China has consistently urged a "political solution" to the Syrian war, despite being seen as sympathetic to President Bashar al-Assad. Iran is one of Assad's main allies while Saudi Arabia backs rebel forces. In December Riyadh hosted an unprecedented meeting of the Syrian opposition aiming for unity before peace negotiations sought with Assad's regime. The United Nations hopes those talks will begin in Geneva on January 25. "China is the biggest importer of Middle Eastern oil," Zhu said. "So stability in the Middle East is what China would most like to see." Riyadh has been deepening ties with major powers beyond its traditional ally Washington, which it sees as insufficiently engaged, particularly in the face of alleged Iranian interference. Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao visited the kingdom in 2009. 'Staggering' death toll for Iraqi civilians since 2014: UN The number of civilians killed in violence in Iraq over the past two years is "staggering", the United Nations said Tuesday, with at least 18,802 people killed and another 36,245 injured. The figures count only documented casualties from January 1, 2014 through October 31, 2015, and the actual numbers of people killed and maimed are likely far higher, according to a new report by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the UN human rights agency. "These are the minimum figures ... in terms of the impact of the violence on civilians," UNAMI chief Francesco Motta told reporters in Geneva by phone from Iraq, adding that the report authors used "very high standards for verification." Iraqi mourners carry a coffin on December 19, 2015 during a funeral in Najaf Haidar Hamdani (AFP/File) UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein meanwhile said that the toll only counted people killed in violence and did not take into account those who perished from the broader impact of conflict. "Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq," Zeid said in a statement. "The figures capture those who were killed or maimed by overt violence, but countless others have died from the lack of access to basic food, water or medical care." Some 3.2 million people have been internally displaced in Iraq since the beginning of 2014, including more than one million school-aged children, according to the UN. "Many displaced persons are living in under-resourced locations in poor conditions, and are subject to violence and abuse," the report said. "The violence suffered by civilians in Iraq remains staggering." - 'Crimes against humanity' - The dramatic upsurge in violence and in the numbers of people fleeing their homes came with the rise of the Islamic State (IS) group, which in 2014 declared a "caliphate" in a large swath of territory stretching across the Iraqi-Syrian border. Tuesday's report accused IS of "systematic and widespread violence and abuses of international human rights law and humanitarian law." The UN also documented violations and abuses carried out by Iraqi security forces and associated militia and other groups, including killings and abductions. But the report gave particular attention to the atrocities committed by IS jihadists, detailing "numerous examples of killings ... in gruesome public spectacles, including by shooting, beheading, bulldozing, burning alive and throwing people off the top of buildings." It also condemned reports of IS murdering child soldiers who tried to flee. In one incident, on August 14, IS members allegedly killed 18 minors for having run away from fighting on the frontline, following a ruling from an IS self-appointed court, the report said. It also said IS in May had used child soldiers to execute 15 of its fighters who had lost or retreated from battles. Jihadists meanwhile continue "to subject women and children to sexual violence, particularly in the form of sexual slavery," it said, adding that it believed around 3,500 people were currently being held in IS slavery. "These acts may, in some instances, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide," according to the report, which was based largely on witness and victim testimony. The experts said numerous mass graves had been discovered in Iraq, including several in areas that had been liberated from IS control, each containing the remains of dozens of people. Some of the mass graves found meanwhile date back to the rule of Saddam Hussein. The largest, found in Basra, contained the remains of 377 people, including women and children, killed during the 1991 Shiite uprising against the long-time Iraqi dictator. An Iraqi militiaman at a camp for internally displaced people holds a rocket propelled grenade launcher while sitting near children on December 16, 2015 in Nukhaib Mohammed Sawaf (AFP/File) US Supreme Court to review Obama orders on immigrant deportations The US Supreme Court said Tuesday it will review whether President Barack Obama has the authority to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. The politically charged case -- which comes in an election year -- stems from the administration's appeal of lower court rulings that blocked Obama's efforts to reform immigration policy through executive orders. More than four million people in the country illegally whose children are legal residents stand to benefit from the president's orders, which would allow them to stay and work in the United States while their legal status is being resolved. Immigration activists celebrate outside the White House on November 20, 2014 in Washington, DC after US President Barack Obama addressed the nation on his immigration plan Brendan Smialowski (AFP/File) Determined to circumvent Congress, after it failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform, Obama announced the measures in November 2014. The executive action set off a storm in the US Congress, denounced by Republicans as an abuse of power and tantamount to "amnesty." Governors of 26 Republican-led states challenged the orders as exceeding the president's executive powers, and federal courts in Texas and Louisiana put them on hold. The top US court has not scheduled oral arguments in the case, but it is expected to render a decision by mid-June, with the US election season in full swing and less than a month before the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions. Immigration has dominated the race for the Republican presidential nomination since frontrunner Donald Trump launched his campaign with accusations that Mexico was sending drug dealers and "rapists" to the United States. The mere fact that the conservative-leaning court has decided to take up the case is seen as a victory for Obama, which argues that immigration policy is the purview of the federal government and that the measures it took do not violate federal law. "Like millions of families across this country -- immigrants who want to be held accountable, to work on the books, to pay taxes, and to contribute to our society openly and honestly -- we are pleased that the Supreme Court has decided to review the immigration case," said Brandi Hoffine, a White House spokeswoman. "The policies will make our communities safer. They will make our economy stronger. And they are consistent with the actions taken by presidents of both parties, the laws passed by Congress, and the decisions of the Supreme Court. "We are confident that the policies will be upheld as lawful," she said. - Separation of powers - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, however, said the Supreme Court's decision to review the case meant it "recognizes the importance of the separation of powers." "As federal courts have already ruled three times, there are limits to the president's authority, and those limits enacted by Congress were exceeded when the president unilaterally sought to grant 'lawful presence' to more than four million unauthorized aliens who are in this country unlawfully," Paxton said in a statement. Among Texas's complaints is the additional cost to the states of issuing driver's licenses to all those given quasi-legal status if the administration's policy is upheld. The court decision to review the case was welcomed by Democrats and pro-immigrant lobbying groups, who expressed confidence that the administration's position would be upheld. "If Republicans are truly interested in fixing our broken immigration system, they should work with Democrats to pass legislation that would render the president's executive actions unnecessary," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. Todd Schulte, the president of the tech industry-funded lobbying group FWD.us, called the review "a promising step in the right direction." Unfreezing the presidential orders would allow "millions of immigrants to come out of the shadows and positively contribute to our economy, and to our communities," he said. The outcome of the case also could have a bearing on the 2016 elections if it motivates Hispanics, the largest US minority, to go to the polls in November. In 2012, they voted overwhelmingly for Obama. Even as Trump has made immigrant-bashing a hallmark of his campaign, other Republicans have argued that the party must attract Hispanics to grow. It's a sometimes thorny issue for Democrats as well. Under pressure from critics, the government in December stepped up deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records. Rights groups and witnesses, however, said raids also targeted immigrants, including families with children, who had arrived from Central America to flee violence in their homeland. Obama allies -- like Reid and Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton -- sharply criticized the raids, insisting the Central American immigrants should have been treated as refugees, not as economic immigrants. US President Barack Obama signs two Presidential Memoranda associated with his Executive Actions on immigration in his office on board Air Force One in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 21, 2014 Jim Watson (AFP/File) Israel arrests Palestinian teen for woman's fatal stabbing Israel on Tuesday arrested a Palestinian teen accused of stabbing a Jewish woman to death in the occupied West Bank and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to demolish his home after the attack provoked Israeli outrage. Sunday's killing and another stabbing of a pregnant woman inside an Israeli settlement on Monday further boosted tensions after months of unrest, raising fears of an escalation in violence as well as a harsh Israeli crackdown on Palestinians. Most of the previous knife attacks occurred in public places, including checkpoints and junctions. Israeli military policemen stand guard on January 18, 2016 at the main entrance of the Otniel Jewish settlement near the flashpoint city of Hebron in the southern West Bank following a stabbing attack Hazem Bader (AFP) Sunday's incident saw the woman stabbed to death at her home in the Otniel settlement while some of her children were in the house. Even after the arrest was announced, Palestinian workers were being temporarily barred from Israeli settlements in the West Bank as part of security measures. The family of arrested 15-year-old Murad Ideis said the raid occurred around 2:00 am at their home in the Palestinian village of Beit Amra near Otniel. Brief video footage of the raid distributed by the Israeli military showed forces arriving at a home in darkness before entering and advancing into a bedroom, where it appears two people are sleeping. The footage ends there. Ideis's father defended his son, saying such an attack would be out of character. "His life is only school and home," Badr Ideis told AFP at his home. "I don't believe this. I know my son. Even if he tells me 'dad I did it,' I won't believe it. I won't believe a 15-year-old-ignorant kid. How could he do this?" - Controversial demolitions - Netanyahu, during a visit to Otniel and facing pressure over a wave of Palestinian attacks, pledged to destroy the house where the suspect lives with his family. Israel regularly demolishes the homes of alleged attackers in what it describes as a deterrent. Rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment, with families forced to suffer for the acts of relatives. Netanyahu again accused Palestinian leaders of stirring up violence. "The hatred that caused this murder has an address," he said. "It is the incitement campaign led by the Palestinian Authority and other elements such as the Islamic Movement and Hamas, and it is about time the international community stopped their hypocrisy and called things by their names." A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted in October, and many of the assailants have been young people, including teenagers. Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, as well as by Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the fractured Palestinian leadership. Israel says incitement by Palestinian officials and news media has been a main cause of the violence. In Sunday's attack, the Israeli army initially said the assailant broke into the home of Dafna Meir, a 38-year-old nurse and mother of six, and stabbed her to death. Israeli media have since quoted witnesses saying she was stabbed at the entrance to the house as she painted the doorframe. None of her children was hurt. - 'Concerned and perplexed' - Hours later on Monday, a new knife attack on a street in another West Bank settlement wounded a 30-year-old pregnant woman. The 17-year-old Palestinian assailant was shot by security personnel and taken to hospital in severe condition after the attack in Tekoa, south of Jerusalem. Israeli military chief of staff Gadi Eizenkot told a security conference on Monday that there had been no advance warning for the dozens of stabbings, making it difficult for security forces to counter them, local media reported. At the same time, he spoke of seeking to avoid a harsh crackdown, such as new restrictions on Palestinian workers, that could push more Palestinians toward violence. "It would be a bitter mistake to impose curfews and closures," he said. "That would work against Israeli interests." US ambassador Dan Shapiro on Monday condemned the stabbings as "barbaric acts of terrorism," but also questioned Israel's policies concerning settlements in the West Bank. The settlements are seen as major stumbling blocks toward peace efforts since they are built on land the Palestinians view as part of their future state. "We are concerned and perplexed by Israel's strategy on settlements," Shapiro told the security conference in Tel Aviv. "This government and previous Israeli governments have repeatedly expressed support for a negotiated settlement that would involve mutual recognition and separation. "Yet separation will become more and more difficult" if Israel continues to expand settlements, he said. Natan, the husband of Dafna Meir, and her son speak during her funeral ceremony in the Jewish settlement of Otniel near the flashpoint city of Hebron in the southern West Bank on January 18, 2016 Menahem Kahana (AFP) Afghans revolted after man cuts off wife's nose A photograph of an Afghan woman whose nose was sliced off by her husband in a fit of rage has sparked revulsion across the country, with activists demanding punishment for the "barbaric act". Reza Gul, 20, was rushed to hospital after she was attacked with a pocket knife on Sunday by her husband who is said to be on the run. "My husband (Mohammad Khan) tied up my hands and cut off my nose," Gul told AFP in a frail voice from her hospital bed, with a white bandage on her face. Reza Gul -- whose nose was sliced off by her husband -- receives treatment at a hospital in the northern Afghan province of Faryab, on January 19, 2016 Hasan Sirdash (AFP) "He tortured me a lot," she added, with her one-year-old baby wailing by her side. The incident highlights the endemic violence against women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline Taliban Islamist regime was ousted in a 2001 US-led invasion. "Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned," Kabul-based women's rights activist Alema told AFP. "Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women," added Alema, who goes by one name. The disfigured woman's photograph was widely shared on social media, prompting calls for tough action against the husband following the attack in Ghormach district in the northwestern province of Faryab. Local officials said Gul would need reconstructive surgery, which was not possible in the local government hospital. Gul, who was married off five years ago as a teenager, said she suffered regular physical abuse from her husband, forcing her to flee to her parents' home in a Taliban-controlled area. While there, she said, the insurgents mediated in her case, making her husband, an unemployed man, to swear by the Koran that he would not hurt her again. But soon after she returned to him, he sliced off her nose. "Gul's village is under Taliban control... but the police are trying to chase her husband," Faryab police chief Sayed Aqa Andarabi told AFP. The Afghan government has vowed to protect women's rights but that has not prevented violent attacks. "Horrifying cases like this one happen all too often in Afghanistan," Heather Barr, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, told AFP. "The level of impunity for violence against women encourages some men to continue to feel that women are their property and violence is their right." In November a young woman was stoned to death after being accused of adultery in the central province of Ghor. And last March a woman named Farkhunda was savagely beaten and set ablaze in central Kabul after being falsely accused of burning a Koran. The mob killing triggered angry nationwide protests and drew global attention to the treatment of Afghan women. In 2010, Time magazine put the photograph of a mutilated 18-year-old, Bibi Aisha, on its cover. Her nose was cut off by an abusive husband. The cover provoked a worldwide outpouring of sympathy for Aisha, who was taken to the United States where she was given a prosthetic nose. New Jersey schools briefly evacuated over bomb threats US authorities on Tuesday briefly evacuated nine schools in New Jersey after receiving anonymous bomb and shooting threats, authorities said. The schools affected were in Bergen County in the northeastern part of the state, across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Students were evacuated in the morning but were authorized to return to class by early afternoon. Police in the town of Clifton said "numerous school districts in the area" had received a bomb threat by voice mail early Tuesday. Police in the town of Clifton, New Jersey said "numerous school districts in the area" had received a bomb threat by voice mail Frederic J. Brown (AFP/File) Police were dispatched to Clifton High School but found "no credibility to these threats" although "precautions are still being taken throughout the district in response to the situation," it said in a statement on Facebook. The message was apparently recorded overnight and "indicated a non-specific threat to the school district involving the placement of a bomb in one of the schools, as well as a secondary threat of a 'mass shooting,'" police wrote. The schools evacuated are located in Bergenfield, Englewood, Fair Lawn, Garfield, Hackensack, Leonia, Tenafly and Teaneck, said the spokesman for Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino. In November 2014, a series of bomb threats forced the evacuation of seven schools in the same county. Investigators found nothing. Last month, Los Angeles shut down the second-largest school district in the United States, keeping 640,000 students at home following an emailed threat that was later deemed not credible. Tributes pour in after photographer Alaoui's death in Burkina Faso Tributes poured in Tuesday following the death of a Franco-Moroccan photographer, the 30th and latest victim of a bloody attack by Al-Qaeda gunmen on a top Burkina Faso hotel. Leila Alaoui, 33, whose pictures featured in the New York Times and Vogue magazine, and whose latest Paris art show wound up at the weekend, died of a heart attack shortly before her evacuation after being shot twice in the leg and thorax. In France, where she was born, President Francois Hollande paid his respects while parliament observed a minute of silence for those shot Friday by six gunmen who targeted a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners in the heart of Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou. This photo taken at the end of 2011 and obtained on January 19, 2016, courtesy of a friend, shows French Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui in Marrakesh Alaoui, who lived and worked in Beirut and Marrakesh, was on assignment there for Amnesty International to shoot pictures on women's rights when she and her driver were hit by bullets in the attack claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), as they sat in their car opposite the four-star Splendid Hotel targeted by the gunmen. "It is with great sadness that Amnesty International has learned of the tragic death of photographer Leila Alaoui and driver Mahamadi Ouedraogo as a result of the Al-Qaeda attack," the rights group said in a statement. Ouagadougou "was not considered to be a high risk destination and Leila was being supported by colleagues from our national office ... and accompanied by Mahamadi," the rights group said. A former student of City University in New York, Alaoui's works, combining documentary and aesthetic aspects, had been shown on the global art circuit since 2009, including at Paris' prestigious Arab World Institute and Art Dubai. Her latest show at Paris' European Photography House featured portraits of Moroccan men and women in traditional clothes, the result of what she said was "a road trip across rural Morocco" using a mobile studio to preserve "a visual archive of Morocco's traditions and aesthetic universe". Other work centred on migrants and refugees, and in 2013 she organised a photo workshop for young refugees in Rabat with the help of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. US won't offer financial aid to Puerto Rico: official The Obama administration will not offer financial assistance to Puerto Rico, a senior Treasury official emphasized Tuesday on the eve of Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew's visit to the struggling territory. The official reiterated President Barack Obama's position on the debt crisis in Puerto Rico, saying the federal government would not offer a transfer of funds or assume liability for Puerto Rico, which is weighed down by about $70 billion in debt and a decade of recession. The administration is seeking tools for restructuring the debt of the Caribbean island under an independent authority, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The federal government will not offer a transfer of funds or assume liability for Puerto Rico, which is weighed down by about $70 billion in debt and a decade of recession Spencer Platt (Getty/AFP/File) It has been trying to convince the Republican-controlled Congress to pass bankruptcy legislation allowing Puerto Rico to restructure its debt, as is authorized for US cities and states. The territory began to default on its debt this month. The Treasury official also noted that Paul Ryan, speaker of the US House of Representatives, had pledged a solution would be found in the coming months. A new hearing on Puerto Rico's crisis, focused on the need for a financial stability and economic growth authority, is scheduled on January 26 in the House. Lawmakers held six hearings on the island's woes in 2015. Lew will make a one-day visit to Puerto Rico on Wednesday to discuss the situation with top government officials and company and union leaders. The official said the Treasury secretary will gather direct information on the impact of the debt crisis on businesses and the population, highlighting that some 3,000 Puerto Ricans leave the embattled island each week for the United States. Lew, in a letter to House Speaker Ryan last Friday, urged Congress to pass legislation to allow the island of 3.5 million Americans to restructure its debt, warning it was already amid "an economic collapse." He called on Congress to pass legislation for Obama to sign into law before the end of March. Chinese nanny admits killing baby's parents in grisly case A Chinese nanny admitted in a Paris court Tuesday to killing and dismembering the parents of a baby who had died in her care, in a gruesome case worthy of a horror movie. "It's true, I killed them, and I will regret it for the rest of my life," the diminutive Hui Zhang, 34, said at the start of the hearing. Hui said she merely acted in self-defence as the furious parents of the dead newborn attacked her and her boyfriend with a butcher's knife. The first floor of the apartment lived in by the two victims Ying Wang and Liangsi Xui Her boyfriend and co-accused Te Lu, also 34, denied helping Hui kill the couple. "I was sucked into a whirlwind of nightmares but I am innocent," he told the court. The case first came to light in June 2012 after two joggers came upon a leg, cut off at the ankle, in the Vincennes forest on the edge of the French capital. Several days later, a guide dog found a human torso in the same area, but the hunt for further remains was fruitless. Police knew the victims were Asian and initially thought the murders could be the work of the Chinese mafia, or of Luka Rocco Magnotta, a Canadian convicted of killing and dismembering a Chinese student who spent time in Paris. But before the bodies could even be identified, Hui and Te turned themselves in. Hui told police she had been babysitting a two-month-old baby who died in his sleep. She and her partner decided to offer the child's parents money to try to get them not to report the boy's death. They invited the parents to their home, but said their plans quickly went awry faced with the fury of the grieving couple. - 'Self-defence'- "My client maintains she was acting in self-defence," said the nanny's lawyer Alexis Guedj. A lawyer for the family of the child's mother, Chloe Arnoux, argued that the defendants prepared for the meeting by equipping themselves with the sharp weapons. She said Hui "was not able to tell them to their faces that their child was dead, so she brought the baby's body into the sitting room." Hui then chopped up the two bodies in the bathroom with an electric saw, using the washing machine to cover the noise. She then wrapped the body parts in rubbish bags and scrubbed her apartment clean. A reconstitution of the crime scene showed that Hui, despite her small size, could drag the two bodies and lift them into the bathtub. Te confirmed her version of events. He said he fell unconscious during the fight and remained so while Hui cut up the bodies. "He was violently hit, it has been medically recorded," said Te's lawyer Eric Dupond-Moretti, arguing that his client was not complicit in the murder. When he came to he helped her get rid of the remains, transporting them "by foot or public transport", said a policeman. After the couple turned themselves in, they directed police to the locations of more body parts around the forest. However they did not find the baby's body, which Hui said she had thrown in rubbish bins along with some of the other remains. Police say there were no indications that Hui and Te, who arrived in France in 2004, were predisposed to this sort of grisly crime. Hui has been described by investigators as a highly intelligent and forceful character. Witnesses say she was the dominant partner in her relationship with Te, who was a business advisor. After the murders, they went to China and closed their bank accounts in France, but returned soon after. They say they had always intended to return, but police claim they were worried about facing the death penalty in China. The trial will continue until Friday. French lawyer Chloe Arnoux, lawyer for the plaintiffs in the trial of a Chinese couple accused of having killed the parents of a baby that had died in the babysitter's care, addresses the media on January 19, 2016 at a Paris courthouse Stephane De Sakutin (AFP) Ethiopians, Somalis flooding into Yemen despite conflict: UN Nearly 100,000 Ethiopians and Somalis last year travelled by boat to Yemen despite the conflict raging there, the UN said Tuesday, warning about the dangers of the journey. "Clearly it's extremely dangerous, both for the journey and for what they meet inside Yemen," UN refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards told AFP. His warning came less than two weeks after 36 people drowned trying to reach Yemen on January 8. Somali refugees at a UNHCR camp in Kharaz, 170 kms west of the Red Sea port of Aden in Yemen Khaled Fazaa (AFP/File) Ninety-five people meanwhile were reported drowned trying to make the journey last year, making it the second deadliest year recorded to date on that route, Edwards said. The high death toll reflects the large numbers still trying to reach Yemen, even as the country has collapsed into a brutal civil war. According to the latest UNHCR data, 92,446 people arrived in Yemen by boat last year -- a full two-thirds of them since the conflict in the country escalated dramatically in March. That marks one of the highest annual totals in more than a decade, UNHCR said. Nearly 90 percent of the arrivals, 82,268, were from Ethiopia, while the remainder were Somalis, it added. Edwards described the figures as "disturbing", lamenting that "people still seem to be uninformed about the severity of the situation in Yemen." Some 6,000 people -- around half of them civilians -- have been killed in Yemen since conflict there escalated last March with the start of a Saudi-led bombing campaign against rebels, according to UN numbers. More than 2.5 million others have become internally displaced and another 168,000 have fled Yemen since March, the UN said. Edwards said smugglers were clearly organising the boatloads of people headed to the war-torn country and suggested the information they had and were sharing about the situation on the ground was not completely accurate. "People continue to arrive despite unprecedented escalated internal conflict in Yemen, and tragically more people continue to lose their lives trying to cross the sea in overcrowded, unseaworthy boats," Edwards told reporters in Geneva. In the incident on January 8, 106 people had been on a boat heading for Yemen when it ran into difficulties, Edwards said, quoting information from Somaliland authorities. US official heads to Africa on anti-poaching campaign US Interior Secretary Sally Jewell heads to Africa on Wednesday to denounce the trafficking of wild animals, on the rise over the past five years. "We are part of the problem, and we want to be part of the solution," Jewell said on the eve of her departure for Gabon. "Much of the demand is overseas but a lot of it comes to the USA and involves US citizens." Two elephants are pictured in the Kruger National Park near Nelspruit, South Africa on February 6, 2013 Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File) Jewell, who will also visit Kenya and South Africa, said a record number of elephants were killed in Africa between 2011 and 2014. "Every 15 minutes, an elephant is killed for its ivory," she added, explaining that 100,000 of the animals, including elephant calves, had been killed during that period. Last year, the conservation chief traveled to Vietnam and China, the world's biggest consumer of ivory, the prized material from animal tusks and teeth. In order to stress the problem of poaching, a prized source of income for armed groups, US authorities organized in June the destruction of nearly a ton of confiscated ivory objects in New York's heavily-trafficked Times Square. "The only ivory that has value is the ivory that is on a live elephant," Jewell said. She recalled a disturbing visit to a Colorado warehouse where she saw tiger rugs, coffee tables with elephant feet and others items confiscated by the authorities. And Jewell also condemned trophy hunting, after a July scandal saw an American dentist kill a prized lion in Zimbabwe. There are restrictions on the importation of trophies, for which hunters must sometimes spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is only allowed from "countries that are in fact putting the money... directly into communities to enable those communities to support conservation measures for the species," Jewell explained. Jewell, who spoke with several African officials about animal trafficking during Paris climate talks late last year, is due to continue those discussions during her upcoming visit. Yemen PM says confronting jihadists 'inevitable' Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah said on Tuesday that confronting jihadists in government-controlled regions of the war-torn country was inevitable in the future. Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group are both active in Yemen, but so far the Yemeni government and its allies have concentrated on battling Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels. Eliminating the extremism of the jihadist groups will not be resolved though dialogue, Bahah told reporters in Abu Dhabi. Yemen's Prime Minister Khaled Bahah speaks during a press conference on January 19, 2016 in UAE capital Abu Dhabi "A confrontation is inevitable, whether it takes place today or tomorrow," he said. "Today we are facing various forms of terrorism aimed at shedding blood, killing innocent people, destroying cities... and endangering liberated regions" of the country, Bahah added. The Saudi-led coalition supporting the government with air strikes and ground troops has so far not targeted the jihadists even though Al-Qaeda seized the southeastern port city of Mukalla in April. Loyalist forces have regained control since July of five provinces including the government's temporary capital Aden. But the government faces a growing jihadist presence in the city where there have been several attacks and assassinations targeting officials. "The presence of these groups has hampered efforts to rebuild liberated" towns destroyed by months of deadly fighting between rebels and loyalists, said Bahah who himself escaped a bombing claimed by IS in Aden last year. Bahah, who is also vice president, insisted that his government hoped to return to Sanaa "peacefully... through political consultations." He did not give a date for the postponed next round of UN-brokered peace talks between the government and the insurgents. The Yemeni government sat down with the rebels and their allies last month in Switzerland for six days of talks that ended without a major breakthrough. Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi said Saturday that the talks, initially scheduled to start on January 14, had been pushed back until January 20 or 23 Riyadh-based Syrians must decide on peace delegation: Saudi A Riyadh-based Syrian opposition group must control delegates to planned peace talks with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Tuesday. The comments by Adel al-Jubeir came after the United Nations on Monday said it was waiting for regional powers leading the Syria peace process to agree on participants for the negotiations. Talks are planned to start in Geneva next Monday. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (L) and his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir give a joint press conference on January 19, 2016 in the capital Riyadh Fayez Nureldine (AFP) The High Committee formed after an unprecedented meeting last December in the Saudi capital "is the concerned body, and nobody else can impose on them who should represent them" in negotiations with Assad's regime, Jubeir said at a joint news conference with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius. The 17 countries pushing for a peace deal for war-ravaged Syria, including the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, have struggled to agree on the list of opposition delegates. Russia and Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival, are the main supporters of Assad. Moscow wants participation by the moderate opposition that is closer to the president. After months of effort, Riyadh in December succeeded in bringing together about 100 representatives of the main Syrian political opposition and armed factions. They agreed to negotiate with the regime but insisted Assad step down at the start of any political transition. The Islamic State jihadist group, which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, and the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front were excluded from the Riyadh meeting. Kurdish fighters were also left out. A recently formed secular Kurdish-Arab alliance, the Syrian Democratic Council, demanded last week that it get its own seat at the talks. SDC leader Haytham Mannaa said he would not want to be grouped with the Riyadh body. The Riyadh gathering came after diplomats from the 17 countries agreed in Vienna on a roadmap for Syria, with peace talks, a transitional government and then elections. Fabius said "the success of the conference in Riyadh should be respected". After meeting King Salman, he also called for a "de-escalation" of tensions in the region, where relations between Riyadh and Tehran reached a new low this month. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the kingdom's January 2 execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is to visit Paris next week, Fabius said, after arriving in Saudi Arabia from Abu Dhabi where he attended the World Future Energy Summit on Monday. His visit came in the context of "close and continuous dialogue" between Paris and Riyadh, a French statement said. IS halves its jihadists' monthly salaries: monitor The Islamic State jihadist group has announced plans to halve the monthly salaries of its members in Syria and Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Tuesday. The Britain-based monitoring group, which relies on a network of activists, medics, and fighters across Syria, published what it said was an IS statement announcing the cuts. "Because of the exceptional circumstances that the Islamic State is passing through, a decision was taken to cut the salaries of the mujahedeen in half," the Arabic statement said. The Islamic State group has declared a self-styled "caliphate" across swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria "No one will be exempt from this decision no matter his position, but the distribution of food assistance will continue twice a month as usual," it said. IS has declared a self-styled "caliphate" across swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, imposing its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. According to Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman, the salary cuts meant Syrian IS fighters would see their salaries drop to about $200 from $400 per month. Foreign fighters, who were paid double the Syrian militants, would have their monthly income reduced to $400, Abdel Rahman told AFP. The jihadist group strives to show that it operates a full-fledged state, with government institutions, hospitals, and schools. The financial strain could be a result of intensified air strikes on its oil infrastructure in Syria and Iraq. Saudi accuses Iran of sowing 'sedition, unrest, chaos' Saudi Arabia on Tuesday accused Iran of a nearly four-decade record of "sedition, unrest and chaos," as the international community tried to calm tensions between the regional rivals. Tensions between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and predominantly Shiite Iran reached a new high this month when Riyadh and a number of its Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. They acted after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the kingdom's January 2 execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Iranian protesters set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran during a demonstration against the execution of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi authorities, on January 2, 2016 Mohammadreza Nadimi (ISNA/AFP/File) "Since the Iranian revolution in 1979, Iran has established a record of spreading sedition, unrest and chaos in the region," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted an unnamed senior foreign ministry official as saying. "During the same period, the kingdom has maintained a policy of restraint in spite of having suffered -- as have neighbouring countries -- the consequences of Iran's continued aggressive policies." The official said Iranian policy was based primarily on the idea of exporting revolution. "Iran recruits militias in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen", the official said, further accusing Iran of supporting "terrorism" and carrying out assassinations. SPA published a 58-point "fact sheet", prepared by the foreign ministry, "to illustrate Iran's aggressive policies" and to refute "the persistent lies" from Tehran, including an article by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in The New York Times last week. Zarif said Saudi Arabia had devoted itself to trying to stop Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and blocked attempts at dialogue in the Middle East. "Some in Riyadh not only continue to impede normalisation but are determined to drag the entire region into confrontation," Zarif wrote, arguing that the Sunni-ruled kingdom was "driven by fear that its contrived Iranophobia was crumbling". "Saudi Arabia seems to fear that the removal of the smoke screen of the nuclear issue will expose the real global threat: its active sponsorship of violent extremism." - Calls for calm - Over the weekend, a historic international deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in return for a scaling back of its nuclear capabilities. Six major world powers including China helped broker that agreement. But Riyadh fears it will further embolden Iran, which it accuses of interference in countries including Yemen and Syria, where Riyadh and Tehran support opposite sides in civil wars. China's President Xi Jinping was in Riyadh on Tuesday, ahead of a visit to Iran, after a Chinese diplomat last week urged "calm and restraint" between Iran and Saudi Arabia. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, also in Riyadh on Tuesday, was another voice calling for "de-escalation". On Monday Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed "deep concern" to Saudi King Salman over escalating tensions between the kingdom and Iran. On Tuesday, Sharif continued his efforts to defuse tensions, in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. After Zarif's article, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir also took to The New York Times, making on Tuesday similar points to those issued by the unnamed official on SPA. "Superficially, Iran may appear to have changed" because of the nuclear deal, Jubeir said in the newspaper. "The real question is whether Iran wants to live by the rules of the international system, or remain a revolutionary state committed to expansion and to defiance of international law," Jubeir wrote. "We have yet to see that." Saudi Shiite men hold signs bearing portraits of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr during a protest on January 8, 2016 in the eastern coastal city of Qatif Pakistan PM in Iran aiming to defuse tensions with Saudis Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Tuesday with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani for talks aimed at easing tensions between regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia. Sharif flew into the predominantly Shiite Islamic republic of Iran from Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, where on Monday he expressed "deep concern" to King Salman over the diplomatic crisis. "We wish to develop our relations and are opposed to any tension, as long as the rights of Muslims and the people of the region are respected and that the rules of diplomacy and politeness are respected," Rouhani told him, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency. A picture provided by the office of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shows him (R) meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Tehran on January 19, 2016 Sharif, according to a statement from the Iranian presidency, said that Pakistan "always strives to... diminish tensions between Muslim nations". He added that those behind "terrorism and extremism" take advantage of tensions between Muslim countries. Saudi Arabia and a number of its Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early January, sending already tense relations between the rival nations to a new low. Riyadh reacted after protesters burned Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom on January 2 executed Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. He was among 47 people put to death in a single day for "terrorism". Most of those executed were Sunnis. 'Thousands' of civilians may be affected by new Darfur clashes: UN Thousands of civilians in a remote area of Sudan's war-hit Darfur could be affected by fresh fighting between rebel and government forces nearby, the United Nations said on Tuesday amid ongoing clashes. Government troops and rebels have been battling around the mountainous Jebel Marra area straddling Central, South and North Darfur states that is seen as a stronghold for insurgents battling President Omar al-Bashir since 2003. "Thousands of people live in this remote part of Darfur, and the protection of men, women and children is a top priority amid the chaos of fighting which could lead to widespread displacement of entire communities," said Ivo Freijsen, the Sudan head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). A handout picture from UNAMID shows Sudanese children in the village of Jawa in East Jebel Marra on March 18, 2011 Albert Gonzalez Farran (UNAMID/AFP/File) "The impact on civilians of the ongoing hostilities that are being reported in the Jebel Marra between government and rebel forces can only be of paramount concern to the humanitarian community here," he said in a statement. The clashes come despite Bashir -- who is wanted on war crimes charges related to Darfur -- announcing a one-month extension to a ceasefire he declared in September covering Darfur as well as the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, where he faces separate insurgencies. The UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said in a statement on Tuesday it "is still receiving reports of continued fighting between both parties in Central Darfur". "The fighting allegedly resulted in an undetermined number of casualties on both sides," it said, adding that it had also received reports that houses had been destroyed in the clashes. It said it had also received reports that government aircraft had dropped bombs north of a UNAMID base in the Jebel Marra town of Nertiti on Saturday and Sunday "leading to undetermined casualties". The Sudanese military did not immediately comment on the latest clashes. Jebel Marra has been quiet in recent months, but last year it was the scene of fierce fighting between government forces and the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW). The SLA-AW is one of the groups that rebelled against Bashir's Arab-dominated government nearly 13 years ago, complaining that the western region was being marginalised. Bashir unleashed warplanes, ground forces and allied militia to crush the insurgents and was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2009 for alleged war crimes in the region. More than 300,000 people have been killed in the fighting since 2003, and there are some 2.5 million people displaced by the fighting living in Darfur, according to the UN. After year leading fight, Afghan forces see 'mixed' results A year after officially taking over the fight against Taliban and other insurgent forces in Afghanistan, local security troops have scored only "mixed results," a US general said Tuesday. Despite billions of dollars in training, donated equipment and assistance over more than a decade, Afghan troops still are having trouble in many situations, said Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner, a top spokesman for the US military in Afghanistan. "Our assessment of their performance in 2015 is that they had mixed results," Shoffner told Pentagon reporters in a video call. Afghan National Army soldiers arrive for an operation near the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif on January 4, 2016 Farshad Usyan (AFP/File) Thirteen years after a US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan with the goal of toppling the Taliban and smashing Al-Qaeda, local Afghan forces began leading the fight at the start of 2015, with thousands of Western troops remaining in a "train, advise and assist" role. Shoffner said the Afghans had done "fairly well" whenever they conducted planned operations, but they performed poorly in response to crisis situations. "It required more time to get forces in position, and then it required more time to stabilize the situation," he said. "That remains one of their weaknesses and one of the areas they're going to have to continue to focus on into 2016," he added. Still, he noted Afghan special forces troops had become "increasingly capable" and cited two raids where they performed "flawlessly." Last year saw several brazen Taliban attacks, including the lightning takeover of Kunduz in September. Afghan forces quickly pushed them back in a counterattack supported by US and other Western troops. Today, the Taliban maintain control in nine out of 404 Afghan districts and "have influence" over about 17 others, Shoffner said. Further, he warned the so-called Islamic State is now "operationally emergent" in Afghanistan. The jihadists have in recent months been expanding their area of operations beyond Iraq and Syria and launched attacks in several countries including Libya and Afghanistan. Shoffner said IS fighters were trying to establish a base in Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border. "We have seen Daesh in other parts of the country," he added, using an Arabic acronym for the IS group. "What we've seen ... are small pockets that mainly consist of low-level recruiting and propaganda; we haven't seen it organized. We're not seeing a significant amount of money coming into Afghanistan to support Daesh." - Intractable corruption - Adding to the Afghan forces' woes is a corrupt chain of command in some units and an overall shortage of about 25,000 recruits needed to fill the ranks of the Afghan national army and national police force. Many troops simply quit or decide not to re-enlist, Shoffner said -- often because they aren't even getting paid. "If they can address the attrition issue, that's getting the leadership to make sure that soldiers are paid, that they're fed and that they get their proper leave and they're treated properly, that'll go a long way to retaining the soldiers that they have," he said. Shoffner noted the Afghan air force last week took delivery of the first four of 20 A-29 Super Tucano close air support aircraft it ordered. "This will be a significant increase in their capability to provide their own close air support," he said. Afghan security forces inspect the scene after a suicide car bomb attack that targeted the district government compound in Sorkh Rud district of Nangarhar province on December 7, 2015 Noorullah Shirzada (AFP/File) Josep Lluis Sert was dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design for 16 years beginning in 1953 and a principal at a Cambridge-based architecture firm. During that time, the Barcelona-born Sert, who died in 1983 at age 80, designed several buildings around Cambridge and Boston, painting, as Ted Widmer reminds us in the Globe, "an impressive canvas across the region." We can start in Cambridge with Sert's own house at 64 Francis Avenue, pictured above. The architect himself described the design "as a bridge between the Tigris and Charles ... It has two sides, like a reversible raincoat. The exterior is red brick and features a wooden fence, and are the most common materials in the city. The interior, however, is completely white. Before deciding on a house with a yard of a single plant studied various types. One journalist wanted to know what style of house believed to be mine, and I replied: 'Write, "Ranch house Pompeian!"'" __ The Harvard Science Center, on the school's main campus, went up in the early 1970s with a Sert design meant deliberately to stamp it as a modernist departure from all the more classical, Georgian architecture at Harvard. Yet, it wasn't all sharp angles and starkness, like, say, Sert's mentor, Le Corbusier. As the New York Times noted upon the architect's death, "Sert buildings tended to combine a certain rigorous, geometric modernism with an air of casualness." __ Another Harvard commission, Sert's design for the Center for the Study of World Religions looks like something straight out of the Mediterranean coastline. No surprise, really, given the Catalan behind them, according to Widmer in the Globe: "Deep inside [his] structures, with their alternating window sizes and their effort to make concrete come alive with color and balconies, it is still possible to see the face of a fearless view of the future coming with great speed out of Barcelona a century ago." __ The Mugar Memorial Library on Boston University's main campus in western Back Bay opened in 1966, and it highlights all of the above re: Sert's approach to design. Note the windows in particular, and the varying dimensions of each level. __ Harvard's former Holyoke Center (now called the Smith Center) went up in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The 10-story, H-shaped student union was Sert's first major project in the area. It is slated for a major renovation over the next two years. __ Around the same time as the Holyoke one, Sert executed a similar design for the George Sherman Union at Boston University. __ Perhaps Sert's most well-known work in Cambridge and Boston (and certainly his biggest), the three-spire Peabody Terrace complex of graduate-student housing went up at Harvard in the mid-1960s. The towers were an attempt to, as Sert described it, "bring the color and life of the Mediterranean" to the banks of the Charles. Did they, though? As Widmer notes, "[T]here was not much color in his tall gray slabs. ... To be fair, the huge buildings were filled with small, human touches, visible if you lived there attractive woodwork, well-designed play areas for children, small convenience stores, a post office." Sert's modernist reach may have very well exceeded his grasp with Peabody Terrace, and, as Widmer also notes, it wasn't long before the architect split for his native Spain and his prominence declined locally. How a Mediterranean Humanist Lost His Way in Boston's Skyline [Globe] What is in store for Obama after the White House? In one year, Barack Obama will leave 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. So what will life be like for America's first black president after two terms at the White House? Former presidents rarely remain in Washington after living and working in the US capital's oldest public building. Jimmy Carter headed home to Georgia, and Ronald Reagan went back to California. President Barack Obama (L) and first lady Michelle, pictured on June 26, 2015, have yet to say where they will live after they move out of the White House Molly Riley (AFP/File) Bill Clinton built a new life in New York, where he created his foundation and where his wife Hillary -- the Democratic front-runner vying to succeed Obama -- launched her political career as a senator. No one yet knows where the Obamas will head on January 20, 2017, when the next president is sworn in on Capitol Hill. Every time someone close to them shows interest in a lavish property in Palm Springs or Honolulu, the press speculates about a veiled investment for the First Couple. But so far, no dice. Nothing concrete has emerged. The Obamas are attached to Chicago -- the president launched his political career there as a community organizer and celebrated his landmark 2008 election win. Obama's presidential library and foundation will also be based in the Windy City. "All the strands of my life came together and I really became a man when I moved to Chicago," Obama said last year when he made the announcement about the library site. "That's where I met my wife. That's where my children were born," he explained. But so far, there is no clear sign that Chicago is the family's next destination. "Chicago probably seems a bit too small for them now," said Peter Slevin, a professor at Northwestern University in the Chicago suburbs and the author of "Michelle Obama: A Life." The only hint given by the US president? He has said that family will be his priority. "They -- and Michelle -- have made a lot of sacrifices on behalf of my cockamamie ideas, the running for office and things," Obama told ABC in 2013, referring to his daughters. In early 2017, Malia -- the Obamas' older daughter -- will be at university. Sasha, now at the private Sidwell Friends school in Washington, will have more than half of her high school studies ahead of her. - Perhaps the Big Apple? - Slevin says that like Clinton, Obama could settle down in the Big Apple. "Their friends are expecting the Obamas to live in Washington and then surely move to New York," he told AFP. "New York has much to offer them at a time when they would like to be a bit more anonymous than it is possible to be in Chicago." Michelle Obama, a trained lawyer, has repeatedly rejected the idea that she would enter politics as Clinton did following her eight years as first lady. "There are three things that are certain in life: death, taxes and Michelle is not running for president," Barack Obama said a few weeks ago. One thing is for sure: money will not be an issue. Obama, who enjoys writing, is expected to focus on the traditional -- and lucrative -- art of writing his autobiography in his post-presidency. "Memoirs have always been an acceptable means of making money and cashing in on the presidency," says historian Mark Updegrove, who is the director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. Well-paid speaking engagements -- at home and abroad -- should pour in. "The question is how much you want to commercialize having been the commander-in-chief," adds Updegrove, the author of "Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House." - Charity work? High court? - Obama has said he hopes to work with minority youths in tough neighborhoods -- where the dropout rate, unemployment and incarceration rates are higher than elsewhere -- to give real meaning to the phrase "equal opportunity." While some former presidents of the White House have faded into the background, others have made a significant mark during their so-called second act. John Quincy Adams, who left office in 1829 after failing to win re-election, returned to Congress where he stayed until the end of his life, using his gift for soaring oratory to make the case against slavery. William Howard Taft, who was president from 1909-1913, then became the chief justice of the US Supreme Court. Could Obama -- a former president of the Harvard Law Review who will be 55 years old as he starts his post-White House life -- be tempted by the high court? "I think being a justice is a little bit too monastic for me," he told The New Yorker in October 2014. "Particularly after having spent six years and what will be eight years in this bubble, I think I need to get outside a little bit more." The example of the two Democratic presidents before him -- Carter and Clinton, who both launched foundations that are respected beyond America's borders -- could serve as a guide for Obama. Persistent rumors also suggest he could be interested in teaching courses at Columbia University in New York, where he studied in the early 1980s. "I love teaching. I miss the classroom and engaging with students," he told The New Yorker. For Updegrove, recent history shows that a president's "Second Act" can also help make his time at the White House look better in retrospect. "I do think you can burnish your legacy by focusing on the things you most want to be remembered for," he said. US president Barack Obama, daughters Malia (L) and Sasha (2nd R) and First Lady Michelle Obama return to The White House in Washington DC, January 3, 2016 after vacationing in Hawaii Chris Kleponis (AFP/File) Barack Obama, pictured on October 18, 2006, signing a copy of his book "Audacity of Hope," is expected to write his autobiography in his post-presidency Tim Boyle (Getty/AFP/File) A volunteer for Ben Carson's presidential campaign died Tuesday after being hospitalized with injuries suffered in a car accident in western Iowa that hurt three other campaign workers. Carson was in South Carolina at the time of the Tuesday morning accident and suspended his campaign events. An official for a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, said the Carson campaign volunteer, 25-year-old Braden Joplin, died late Tuesday afternoon, Carson's campaign confirmed. Scroll down for video Ben Carson tweeted this photo of himself with victim Braden Joplin, with the message: 'Rest In Peace' The van (pictured after the crash) flipped on a patch of ice near Atlantic, Iowa, on Tuesday and was rammed by another vehicle Campaign spokesman Jason Osborne said the crash occurred when a van carrying three Carson volunteers and a paid staffer flipped onto its side on an icy road and was hit by another vehicle. The others in the van were treated at a hospital in Atlantic, Iowa. Carson posted a picture of himself and Joplin on Twitter Tuesday night, writing: 'Rest In Peace Braden Joplin. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.' Other presidential candidates from both parties, including Republican Jeb Bush and Democrat Martin O'Malley, also offered condolences on Twitter. And Democratic contender Bernie Sanders paid tribute at the beginning of a rally in Iowa City, Iowa. 'I have a lot of respect for any young person who gets involved in the political process,' Sanders said. 'Our hearts go out to the family of the young man.' Carson, a former neurosurgeon, said he was suspending campaign activities while he traveled to Omaha to be with the volunteer's family. Before Joplin died, Carson said he had spoken with the family, as well as Joplin's attending physician, and asked for 'people to join him in prayer for all the individuals and families involved'. Joplin was a student at Texas Tech University who had been in Iowa volunteering for the Carson for a 'significant amount of time,' his campaign told CBS. The break in Carson's campaigning comes at a crucial period for the 12 remaining Republican hopefuls hoping to make an impression at the caucus in Iowa two weeks from today. Many of them are barnstorming Iowa in harsh winter weather as they seek to secure support in the run-up to the February 1 Iowa caucuses, the first votes in the presidential nomination process. Braden Joplin, 25, (pictured campaigning) was taken to a trauma center after the crash Dr Carson announced that he was suspending campaigning hile he traveled to Omaha to be with Joplin's family, as three others were treated for minor injuries Joplin was a student at Texas Tech University who had been in Iowa volunteering for the Carson for a 'significant amount of time,' his campaign said today The break in campaigning for Carson comes just two weeks out from the first Republican caucus which is due to take place on February 1st, with the former neurosurgeon currently polling in fourth place According to CNN's poll of polls released yesterday, Cruz is still edging ahead with 27 per cent of the vote, though hard at his heels is national frontrunner Donald Trump with 25 per cent. Marco Rubio finds himself in third position with 14 per cent, while Carson - once considered Trump's biggest threat at this election - finds himself in a distant fourth with 10 per cent. All other candidates are polling at five per cent or less, according to CNN averages. While Carson and Rubio's support in Iowa holds steady nationally - with 10 per cent and 12 per cent respectively - Trump leads Cruz by a wide margin. The Donald's lead stands at 14 percentage points, with the billionaire businessman capturing 34 per cent support nationwide, compared to Cruz's 20 per cent. IS confirms death of 'Jihadi John' in Syria drone strike The Islamic State group confirmed Tuesday the death of British extremist "Jihadi John", saying he was killed in a drone strike in their Syrian stronghold of Raqa in November. Born Mohammed Emwazi, he was known as the executioner of the jihadist group appearing masked in a string of videos showing the beheadings of Western hostages. In its online magazine Dabiq, the group said Emwazi was killed on November 12 "as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqa, destroying the car and killing him instantly". "Jihadi John" was known as the executioner of the Islamic State group appearing masked in a string of videos showing the beheadings of Western hostages The US military had said at the time that it was "reasonably certain" he had been killed in the strike. IS described Emwazi as a "martyr" and prayed to "Allah... to envelop him with His mercy and enter him into the highest levels of al-Firdaws (paradise)". Dabiq devoted an article to Emwazi, describing him as an "honourable brother" known for his "mercy and generosity" who once gave away a concubine as a gift "to an unmarried injured brother". The world knew him as a ruthless executioner who spoke English with a British accent and he was dubbed "Jihadi John" after hostages nicknamed a group of IS guards The Beatles. He first appeared in a video in August 2014 showing the beheading of James Foley, a 40-year-old American freelance journalist captured in Syria in 2012. Foley is seen kneeling on the ground, dressed in an orange outfit resembling those worn by prisoners held at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Emwazi is dressed entirely in black. - 'Human animal' - The Pentagon has said Emwazi participated in videos showing the murders of Foley and fellow US journalist Steven Sotloff, US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and a number of other hostages. Emwazi was last seen in the video showing Goto's execution in January. On November 13, the US military said it was "reasonably certain" Emwazi, 27, was killed in a drone attack in Syria while he was being driven in a car. He was targeted in a combined British-US operation the previous day in Raqa, de facto capital of IS in war-torn Syria. Intelligence sources had been tracking Emwazi "for some time," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said at the time. "This guy was a human animal, and killing him probably makes the world a little bit better place," he added. Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron had said if confirmed, Emwazi's death would be "a strike at the heart" of the IS group. A London computer programmer, Emwazi was born in Kuwait to a stateless family of Iraqi origin. His parents moved to Britain in 1993 after their hopes of obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship were quashed. Emwazi was six years old when his family moved to London. He grew up in North Kensington, a leafy middle-class area where a network of Islamist extremists was uncovered in recent years. US warns 'lot of work' to keep Syria talks on track The United States admitted Tuesday that a lot of work remains to ensure that Syrian peace talks go ahead next week as planned. Washington is pushing the participants in the UN-led dialogue to keep up their momentum, despite divisions over who will get to represent opposition forces. But, one day before Secretary of State John Kerry was to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the State Department accepted timing was tight. Members of the Syrian pro-government forces pose for a picture in a destroyed building in the strategic town of Salma, in the coastal Latakia province, on January 15, 2016 Youssef Karwashan (AFP/File) "The secretary will certainly talk about Syria and our ongoing efforts to get a political transition in place with Foreign Minister Lavrov," spokesman John Kirby said. "It is still our desire to see this meeting occur on the 25th," he said, adding that Kerry is also in close touch with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura. Earlier, a UN spokesman confirmed that de Mistura has yet to issue formal invitations to the dialogue, due to begin on Monday in Geneva. The UN urged regional powers spearheading the peace process to agree on who will represent the Syrian rebels and Bashar al-Assad's regime. But Kirby insisted that, while the countries of the International Syrian Support Group remain fully behind the process, the United Nations is in the lead. "We're not unmindful of the fact that there still remain differences of opinion, and that this is a complicated process," Kirby said. "And that there is still quite a bit of work that needs to be done to get the meeting to occur." Kerry is to meet Lavrov on Wednesday in Zurich. Canadian Pacific Railway urges US probe into merger opponents Canadian Pacific Railway said Tuesday it has asked the US justice department to investigate its rivals for seeking to block its proposed acquisition of American railway Norfolk Southern, calling their tactics anti-competitive. In a letter made public, CP asked for a review of "recent actions by a number of major US railroads who have stated publicly that they are organizing a collective campaign" against the merger. It called the move by "a number of large" rivals to try to block a new entrant in the US market and protect their business "unprecedented" and their collective efforts to sway customers, the media, and others to their point of view "illegal because it is anti-competitive." Canadian Pacific Railway offered to buy Norfolk Southern for $28 billion but the offer was rejected Luke Sharrett (Getty/AFP/File) The letter and supporting documents mention only two firms, CSX and Union Pacific, as hostile to a CP-Norfolk merger. CP in November offered to buy Norfolk for $28 billion but the offer was rejected. It has insisted that the merger would enhance competition in the railway industry. The merger of the two companies would create a pan-North American railway that proponents said would help to alleviate freight bottlenecks, notably at a Chicago rail hub. Opponents fear it will lead to rising freight costs. Sudan says will not allow IS to use its territory: media The head of Sudan's powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) vowed Islamic State group jihadists would not be allowed to use the country to cross into Libya, a media source reported Tuesday. "Sudan will not be a crossing for Daesh and extremists," said NISS chief Mohamed Atta al-Mawla Abbas according to the Sudan Media Centre (SMC). Daesh is one of the names used for Islamic State, which is also called ISIL. "We will not tolerate any organised or cross-border crime Sudanese territory is used in," he said. An image from Islamist media outlet Welayat Tarablos on February 18, 2015 allegedly shows members of the Islamic State group parading in a street in Libya's coastal city of Sirte The SMC, seen as close to the security forces, said he was speaking at the graduation of new members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a controversial counter-insurgency unit. There have been reports in Khartoum-based media that young Sudanese have travelled to Libya to fight with radical Islamist groups, with some reported to have been killed. Last year students from a private university in Khartoum travelled to Turkey, from where they are believed to have joined the IS group in Syria. Some of the students held western passports. The security chief also repeated claims from Khartoum that rebels battling government forces in Sudan's western Darfur region have been fighting in Libya. "For the Libyan state, we want security and stability and peace and we do not want insurgents going to Libya and coming back and sabotaging peace in Darfur," he told the graduating RSF troops. RSF forces sent to crush rebels in Darfur and the southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan states have been accused of rights abuses, which the government has denied. Jeb Bush slams 'trash-talking' Trump on New York campaign trail Languishing Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush took a swipe at frontrunner Donald Trump in the billionaire's home town Tuesday, accusing him of "talking trash" and saying he would be demolished in a general election. "I'm the only guy confronting this," the former governor of Florida, the son and brother of two former presidents, told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. "Because people are anxious about their future they've latched onto the large personality on the stage, but the reality is he's not a serious candidate and he'll get wiped out in the general election." Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations on January 19, 2016 in New York City Andrew Burton (Getty/AFP) He made the remarks while discussing foreign policy challenges at the Council's imposing Manhattan premises, less than a mile from Trump's business headquarters on Fifth Avenue. Bush launched his bid for the White House as presumed Republican favorite but has seen his poll numbers sink to single digits as the bombastic Trump has sucked the oxygen out of his campaign. Bush, who has often clashed with Trump at debates, took his rival to task for appearing confused when asked last month about US nuclear capability and for favoring a 45 percent tax on all imports from China. "There's the lack of seriousness at least by the frontrunning candidate that I wouldn't know what his policies are, but when he doesn't know what the nuclear triad is, that's cause for pause, I think," Bush said. "That's not laughable. Someone who proposes a 45 percent tariff across the board on China -- that is not a serious proposal, it's basically the advocacy of a global depression that will wipe out the middle class in this country and see retaliation that will wreak havoc," he added. "The first objective of the president of the United States needs to be to keep us safe and you can't keep us safe by talking trash without backing it up with serious plans." Kidnapped Australian doctor's patients turn to Facebook A remote, rural Burkina Faso community has turned to Facebook to seek the release of an elderly Australian doctor kidnapped with his wife at the weekend by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists. The dusty town of Djibo in the far north of Burkina Faso not far from Mali opened a Facebook page following the capture of "the doctor of the poor", Dr Ken Elliot, and his wife Jocelyn, on the night of January 15-16. The elderly couple from Perth have spent some 40 years running a 120-bed clinic, the only medical facility in the region. The dusty town of Djibo in the far north of Burkina Faso opened a Facebook page following the capture of Dr Ken Elliot, and his wife on the night of January 15-16, 2016 Loic Venance (AFP/File) A Facebook message posted Tuesday by the people of Djibo said "the patients of the hospital of Dr. Elliot, distressed at the kidnapping and in view of the duration of his detention, envisages public demonstrations." "We are calling upon all of the citizens and governments of the international community ... to undertake actions necessary for the liberation of Dr #Elliot," it added. The message came a day after hundreds of students in khaki uniforms with hand-printed cardboard placards reading "Free Elliot" turned out in the town with their teachers. "Our small voices are crying our pain along with the dozens of sick people I've seen leaving the clinic these last three days," said a post by Adama Dicko. "I'm sure you've already looked after a relative of the people who kidnapped you," he added. The page titled "Djibo backs Dr Ken Elliot", featuring photos of the white-haired and bearded doctor at work in the clinic, already has 4,200 followers, with messages largely from the medic's Burkinabe friends but also from his family and other Australians. A former Australian hostage who spent 15 months in Somalia, Nigel Brennan, had a message of hope. "Something like 96 percent of people come out alive," he said. "Very few people die in captivity." The whereabouts of the West Australian couple in their 80s who moved to Burkina Faso in 1972 remain unknown. The Burkina government has said the pair were kidnapped in Baraboule, near the west African country's borders with Niger and Mali. News of the kidnapping came at the weekend as a jihadist assault on an upmarket hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou left at least 30 people dead, including many foreigners. A spokesman for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, Hamadou Ag Khallini, told AFP in a brief phone message that the couple were being held by jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked "Emirate of the Sahara". He said they were alive and more details would be released soon. Retired US Navy SEAL had Bin Laden corpse photo: media A former US Navy SEAL kept an unauthorized photo of Osama Bin Laden's corpse on a computer that he turned over to investigators, a US news site reported Tuesday. The discovery came after Matthew Bissonnette, who shot Bin Laden in the infamous 2011 raid on the Al-Qaeda leader's compound in Pakistan, gave investigators a copy of his hard drive. He had been under investigation for allegedly revealing classified information in his book about the incident, "No Easy Day." Matt Bissonnette had been under investigation for allegedly revealing classified information in his book about the killing of Osama Bin Laden, "No Easy Day" Spencer Platt (Getty/AFP/File) Bissonnette gave investigators his hard drive as part of a deal to avoid prosecution over the material, two people familiar with the deal told The Intercept. On it, they found the Bin Laden photo and documents detailing Bissonnette's work as a consultant while also serving with the SEAL Team 6, the Intercept reported. The US government has never released images of bin Laden's body and says the Al-Qaeda leader was buried at sea shortly after the raid. President Barack Obama has cited national security risks and said the United States should not brandish "trophies" of its victory. Robert Luskin, an attorney for Bissonnette, told The Intercept his client had previously been under investigation, but the Department of Justice closed that probe in August. Luskin said he brokered a deal in 2014 for Bissonnette to give the US government some of his millions of dollars in book profits. He did not comment on the purported photo, or whether an investigation remained open. Aside from the image, some of the records found on Bissonnette's computer were not part of the non-prosecution deal, so led to a widening probe being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, The Intercept reported. Investigators have started looking into Bissonnette's business deals, and whether he inappropriately used his SEAL connections to help in ventures with military equipment-supply firms, The Intercept wrote. Princess charms pope as Monaco royals make Vatican visit VATICAN CITY (AP) Princess Charlene has charmed Pope Francis during a private call on the pontiff at the Vatican alongside her husband, Prince Albert II of Monaco. Francis was smiling as Charlene knelt before him, grasped the pope's right hand and kissed it Monday. Both the princess and the pope were in white. Charlene wore a simple, elegantly tailored off-white coat, white gloves and beige high-heeled pumps, while Francis wore his usual gown. Pope Francis meet with Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II of Monaco during a private audience at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. (Filippo Monteforte/Pool photo via AP) The couple didn't bring their 13-month old twins, Gabriella and Jacques, but Francis said: "I will pray especially for your children." The prince, who has a farm, presented the pontiff with a basket of fruit and vegetables and a basket of cheese. He also gave Francis a copy of a special edition, printed in the tiny Mediterranean principality, of the papal encyclical, which stresses people's duty to save the Earth's environment. "You know it," Albert, said, jokingly The pope quipped back: "I think I've read it.'" Albert has created a foundation to protect the environment and encourage sustainable development. The Vatican's description of the royals' visit said that conversation covered matters of "common interest," including the environment, humanitarian aid and human development. Francis considers care for the environment a moral imperative. Francis chatted for 20 minutes with the couple on a busy morning that included meetings with a Lutheran delegation from Finland and with the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde. Princess Charlene of Monaco leaves with Prince Albert II of Monaco at the end of a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Princess Charlene of Monaco walks past Swiss guards as she arrives with Prince Albert II of Monaco to attend a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Princess Charlene of Monaco waves to journalists as she leaves with Prince Albert II of Monaco at the end of a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II of Monaco during a private audience at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. (Filippo Monteforte/Pool photo via AP) Pope Francis meets with Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II of Monaco during a private audience at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. (Filippo Monteforte/Pool photo via AP) Pope Francis meet with Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II of Monaco during a private audience at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. (Filippo Monteforte/Pool photo via AP) Princess Charlene of Monaco walks past Swiss guards as she arrives with Prince Albert II of Monaco to attend a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Bowalley Road Rules The blogosphere tends to be a very noisy, and all-too-often a very abusive, place. I intend Bowalley Road to be a much quieter, and certainly a more respectful, place. So, if you wish your comments to survive the moderation process, you will have to follow the Bowalley Road Rules. These are based on two very simple principles: Courtesy and Respect. Comments which are defamatory, vituperative, snide or hurtful will be removed, and the commentators responsible permanently banned. Anonymous comments will not be published. Real names are preferred. If this is not possible, however, commentators are asked to use a consistent pseudonym. Comments which are thoughtful, witty, creative and stimulating will be most welcome, becoming a permanent part of the Bowalley Road discourse. However, I do add this warning. If the blog seems in danger of being over-run by the usual far-Right suspects, I reserve the right to simply disable the Comments function, and will keep it that way until the perpetrators find somewhere more appropriate to vent their collective spleen. Confederate flag's removal turns King Day into celebration COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) For the first time in 17 years, civil rights leaders gathered at the South Carolina Statehouse to pay homage to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. without the Confederate flag casting a long shadow over them. The rebel banner was taken down over the summer after police said a young white man shot nine black church members to death during a Bible study in Charleston. The young man posted photos online showing him carrying the Confederate battle flag flown by forces supporting the secessionist, pro-slavery Southern states during the American Civil War. Following the massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Republican Gov. Nikki Haley reversed course and made it a priority for lawmakers to pass legislation to remove the flag from the Statehouse grounds. Cal Murrell, otherwise known as "The Happy Preacher," shouts out during during the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church where King preached, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman) "Isn't this a great day? It's so nice to be standing here and not looking at that flag," said Ezell Pittman, who had attended most of the King Day anti-flag rallies since they started in 2000. "I always had faith it would come down. I hate it took what it did, but was real happy to see it go." Across the country, the 30th anniversary of the holiday to honor the civil rights leader assassinated in 1968, was remembered in different ways. In Michigan, people delivered bottled water to residents of Flint amid the city's drinking water crisis. In Atlanta, an overflow crowd listened as to the U.S. housing secretary talk about the 50th anniversary of King's visit to Chicago to launch a campaign for fair housing. In Minnesota, a rally against police brutality was planned. Lonnie Randolph, president of the South Carolina chapter of the NAACP, a leading civil rights group, said the flag's removal was tangible evidence the state cares about civil rights when pushed hard enough. But he warned there would be other fights ahead. "I promise you, the people that gather in this building your building will do something this year to cause us to return to insure freedom, justice and equality is made possible for all people," Randolph said, motioning toward the capitol behind him. Randolph promised to keep coming to the Statehouse until King's dream is fully realized in a state where there are wide gaps in education achievement between school districts in rich, white communities and poorer, black ones, and where the governor and Republican-dominated Legislature have refused to take federal money to expand health care coverage to more lower-income residents. About 1,000 people gathered at the Statehouse on a clear, cold day, drawn in part by appearances by all three main Democratic presidential candidates former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Sanders reminded the crowd King was a dynamic leader who wanted to help the poor. O'Malley said King would be ashamed his county has made it harder to vote and easier to buy a gun. Only Clinton dealt directly with the flag. She credited Haley and the Republicans with working with the NAACP after the church shooting and choosing King's legacy over hatred. "We couldn't celebrate him and the Confederacy. We had to choose," Clinton said. "And South Carolina made the right choice." In the U.S., President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama followed the King Day theme of community service by planting vegetable seeds at a District of Columbia elementary school to honor the civil rights leader and celebrate Mrs. Obama's anti-childhood obesity initiative. They also stuffed bags with books for needy children along with young people who participate in a White House mentoring program and volunteers from the AmeriCorps national service program. Elsewhere, an overflow crowd showed up at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where King once preached, to celebrate his legacy at an annual commemorative service. It capped more than a week of events under the theme: "Remember! Celebrate! Act! King's Legacy of Freedom for Our World." While people have been distracted by TV reality shows and music "that tears down instead of uplifts," many injustices have occurred and "we're about to create right here in this civilized society the wild, wild west with guns," said King's daughter, the Rev. Bernice King. "Y'all, we can't keep being distracted, because if you're not careful, we're about to allow a reality show host to bully himself into becoming president of the United States of America," she said, in a reference to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump. U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro told the church audience that King moved into a Chicago apartment on the city's west side 50 years ago and described seeing "a daily battle against depression and hopelessness" as babies were attacked by rats and children wore clothes too thin to protect against the Midwest winter. "You see, Dr. King knew that housing was more than about just bricks and mortar," Castro said. In Minneapolis, activists braved frigid temperatures as they marched onto a Mississippi River bridge that connects Minneapolis and St. Paul to protest the deaths of two black men shot by police last year in the Twin Cities. In California, protesters from a Black Lives Matter offshoot group shut down one side of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge when they stopped vehicles in the westbound lanes and chained themselves and the cars together to form a line across the bridge. The Black Lives Matter movement emerged in response to incidents in which police killed unarmed blacks in Ferguson, Missouri, New York and elsewhere. ___ Associated Press writer Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed to this report. Attendees hold a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. during the King Day at the Dome event, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt) The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., speaks at the King holiday commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church where King preached, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during the King Day at the Dome event celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr., Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton looks on during the King Day at the Dome event celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr., Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt) Doris Gray sits with a program during the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church where King preached, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, who sang 'Take It Easy,' dies NEW YORK (AP) Glenn Frey, a rock 'n' roll rebel from Detroit who journeyed West, co-founded the Eagles and with Don Henley formed one of history's most successful songwriting teams with such hits as "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane," has died. Frey, 67, died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia, the band said on its website. He died Monday in New York. He had fought the ailments for the past several weeks, the band said. "Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide," a statement on the band's website said. FILE - In this March 20, 2010 file photo, Glenn Frey of the Eagles performs at Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XVI in Phoenix, Arizona. The Eagles said band founder Frey died Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in New York after battling multiple ailments. He was 67. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso, File) Frey's health problems, including diverticulitis, dated to the 1980s. He would blame in part his years of "burgers and beer and blow and broads" and later became a fitness advocate. Guitarist Frey and drummer Henley formed the Eagles in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, along with guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner. They embodied for many listeners the melodic Los Angeles sound despite having no native Californians in the group. Critics often dismissed them as slick and unadventurous, but their blend of mellow ballads and macho rockers, and of pop and folk and country, gave them broad appeal. An Eagles greatest-hits collection and "Hotel California," both released in the 1970s, have sold more than 20 million copies each and are among the best-selling albums of modern times. The band's total album sales top 100 million copies. The Eagles' many hit singles include "The Best of My Love," ''Desperado," ''One of These Nights" and "The Long Run." The impulsive Frey and the more cerebral Henley shared songwriting and singing duties, with Frey's drawling tenor featured on "Heartache Tonight," ''Already Gone" and the group's breakthrough hit, "Take it Easy." Henley said crossing paths with Frey in 1970 "changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet." Their popularity well outlasted their breakup in 1980 and the 14-year hiatus that followed. Their records remained consistent sellers, and they were a top touring act over the last 20 years even though Frey and Henley were the only remaining original members. They were joined on stage by guitarist Joe Walsh, who replaced Leadon in the mid-1970s, and bassist Timothy B. Schmit, who stepped in after Meisner quit in 1977. Guitarist Don Felder was added in 1974 but was fired in 2001 amid disputes over money. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and was supposed to have been honored at the Kennedy Center last month, but the appearance was postponed because of Frey's health. Its six Grammys include Record of the Year for "Hotel California" and best country performance by a vocal duo or group for "How Long," from the 2007 album "Long Road Out of Eden," another No. 1 seller. Frey had success as a solo artist, with songs including "The One You Love" and "You Belong to the City," and careers in movies and television. He appeared on episodes of "Miami Vice" and "Nash Bridges," both featuring his friend Don Johnson, and appeared in the film "Jerry McGuire," directed by Cameron Crowe, who had befriended him after he interviewed the Eagles for Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970s. Frey's "The Heat Is On" was a hit from the "Beverly Hills Cop" soundtrack, and his "Smuggler's Blues" inspired a "Miami Vice" episode. Frey, known for his oversized jaw, big grin and wavy dark hair, loved music, girls and the rock 'n' roll life. He was playing in bands as a teenager, with fellow Detroit musician Bob Seger among his early friends, and would meet up with Henley, Meisner and Leadon while all were trying to catch on in the Los Angeles music scene. For a time the four backed Linda Ronstadt. Anyone around them at the time knew they were determined to make it and make it big. The Eagles' personnel, sound and direction would change often in the '70s as they adapted to the changes of the decade itself. "Take it Easy," released in 1972, defined their early image as mellow, country-influenced musicians, but they soon desired a harder, more straightforward rock sound. They added Felder, whose work was featured on "Already Gone" and other uptempo songs. When a frustrated Leadon, a bluegrass picker, quit in 1975, they brought in Walsh, one of music's wildest and loudest performers. "Hotel California" was their creative peak, the title song a long and intricate rocker that captured the decadence of mid-'70s Los Angeles as unforgettably as "Take it Easy" stood for a more laid-back time. It was the ultimate collaboration between Henley and Frey, with Henley singing lead and sketching the story of the hotel where "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave" and Frey filling such conversational touches as "livin' it up at the Hotel California." Frey sang lead on "New Kid in Town" and picked up on an expression, uttered by his drug dealer, that became an Eagles song and popular catchphrase, "Life in the Fast Lane." The bandmates harmonized memorably on stage and on record but fought often otherwise. Felder would remember first playing with them and wondering even then if they would break up. Leadon and Meisner departed after run-ins with Frey. The band's initial breakup in 1980 happened after Felder and Frey nearly came to blows after a concert in Long Beach, California. They would ruefully call the show "Long Night at Wrong Beach." Frey and Henley also became estranged for years, their breach a key reason the band stayed apart in the 1980s. Henley had vowed the Eagles would reunite only when "hell freezes over," which became the name of the 1994 album they had never imagined making. "The bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles were dissolved," Henley said Monday. "Glenn was the one who started it all. He was the spark plug, the man with the plan. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and a work ethic that wouldn't quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial, generous, deeply talented and driven." ___ AP Music writer Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report. FILE - In this June 30, 2009, file photo, Glenn Frey, of the the Eagles, performs at Belfast's Odyssey Arena in Northern Ireland. Frey, who co-founded the Eagles and with Don Henley became one of history's most successful songwriting teams with such hits as "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane," has died at age 67. He died Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File) FILE - In this May 7, 2012, photo photo, musician Glenn Frey smiles in New York. Frey, who co-founded the Eagles and with Don Henley became one of history's most successful songwriting teams with such hits as "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane," has died at age 67. He died Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/John Carucci, File) Man arrested in fatal stabbing with replica Civil War sword SPLUNGE, Miss. (AP) Authorities have arrested an Alabama man accused of fatally stabbing another man with a replica Civil War sword after a fight at a mobile home in Mississippi. Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (http://bit.ly/20akpjT ) that 47-year-old Stanley Pace of Pale City, Alabama, chased 43-year-old Ronnie Max Duke of Amory down a street before stabbing him approximately 20 times with the sword late Friday night. Cantrell said investigators arrested Pace on a murder charge Sunday after Duke was reported missing. Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley said Duke's body was recovered Monday afternoon. Cantrell said Pace had hidden Duke's body beside the road before moving it to a garbage dump. Pace was being held at the Monroe County jail pending his arraignment. It was not known whether he had a lawyer. ___ Max & Erma's closes 13 restaurants in the Midwest NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Restaurant chain Max & Erma's is closing 13 Midwest locations as it streamlines operations and deals with underperforming outlets. The owner, Nashville, Tennessee-based American Blue Ribbon Holdings, says senior managers went to the restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana on Monday morning to deliver the news. The chain's website listed 51 locations in 10 states. The restaurants serve burgers and beer. The first one opened in 1972 in Columbus, Ohio. The chain filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009. American Blue Ribbon bought it the next year. Study questions link between teen pot smoking and IQ decline NEW YORK (AP) A new analysis is challenging the idea that smoking marijuana during adolescence can lead to declines in intelligence. Instead, the new study says, pot smoking may be merely a symptom of something else that's really responsible for a brainpower effect seen in some previous research. It's not clear what that other factor is, said Joshua Isen, an author of the analysis. But an adolescent at risk for smoking pot "is probably going to show this IQ drop regardless of whether he or she is actually smoking marijuana," said Isen, a lecturer in psychology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2012, file photo, a person holds a freshly-rolled marijuana joint just after midnight at the Space Needle in Seattle. A new analysis released Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, is challenging the idea that smoking marijuana during adolescence can lead to declines in intelligence. Instead, the new study says, pot smoking may be merely a symptom of some other problem that is really responsible for a brainpower effect seen in some previous research. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) The study was released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Some prior research has led to suggestions that the developing adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable to harm from marijuana. Studying the topic is difficult because children can't ethically be randomly chosen to either take illicit drugs or abstain for years so that their outcomes can be compared. Scientists have to assess what people do on their own. For the new work, the researchers examined data that had been collected for two big U.S. studies of twins. They focused on 3,066 participants who were given a battery of intelligence tests at ages 9 to 12 before any of them had used marijuana and again at ages 17 to 20. They tracked changes in the test scores and studied whether those trajectories were worse for marijuana users than for non-users. Most tests revealed no difference between the two groups, but users did fare more poorly than abstainers in tests of vocabulary and general knowledge. If smoking pot harmed test scores, the researchers reasoned, people who'd smoked more pot should show poorer trends than those who'd smoked less. But that's not what the data revealed. Among users, those who'd smoked more than 30 times or used it daily for more than a six-month stretch didn't do worse. The study also looked at 290 pairs of twins in which one had used marijuana and the other had not. The members of each pair had grown up together and 137 sets were identical twins so they shared the same DNA. Again, the pot users did not fare worse than their abstaining twin siblings. So, the researchers concluded, pot smoking itself does not appear responsible for declines in test scores. Isen noted, however, that the work says nothing about other potential harmful consequences of smoking marijuana in adolescence. Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said that while the study has some limitations, it is important and deserves to be followed up with more research. She noted the government has already launched a project to follow about 10,000 children over time to assess the impact of marijuana and other drug use. A prominent 2012 study had indicated long-term IQ harm from pot smoking in teenagers. An author of that research said the new work does not conflict with her finding. Terrie Moffitt of Duke University said her study dealt with marijuana use that was far more serious and longer-lasting than the levels reported in the new work. ___ Online: Journal: http://www.pnas.org ___ Utah officer was paying off cancer bills when he was killed SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The veteran Utah police officer who was shot to death over the weekend was working overtime to pay for his cancer treatments when he encountered a fugitive who went missing from a drug rehab center for parolees, officials said. Unified police officer Douglas Scott Barney, 44, had been on the force 18 years when he encountered Cory Lee Henderson, 31, Sunday morning in a residential area near a church in the suburb of Holladay, about 8 miles southeast of downtown Salt Lake City. Authorities say the incident began with a car crash involving Henderson and a woman in a BMW, when the two walked away from the wreck. Barney found Henderson nearby and the officer was shot in the head. Barney died hours later at a hospital. Police talk at the scene of an officer-involved shooting, in Holladay, Utah, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Utah police officer Douglas Barney was killed Sunday, after he was shot by a suspect who was later killed by police. (Scott Sommerdorf/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) DESERET NEWS OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT Other officers responded and exchanged gunfire with Henderson, who died at the scene. Officer Jon Richey, 51, was shot once by a bullet that went through both legs. His condition was upgraded Monday to fair after he had emergency surgery. Unified police Detective Chuck Malm said Richey is expected to make a full recovery. Police said they were still searching for the woman who was with Henderson at the time of the crash and on Monday had no updates on the case. The fatal police shooting is among the first on-duty officer deaths in the country for 2016 and the first ever for the Unified Police Department since it formed in 2010 to serve communities in the Salt Lake City area. Barney, a married father of three teenagers, had volunteered to work overtime Sunday to help pay for his medical treatments after surviving bladder cancer, the Deseret News reported. The Barney family declined to comment Monday. "His family has dealt with the possibility that they could lose their dad for 12 years, and he was in remission again and doing well," said unified police Lt. Lex Bell. "He was back to his old self, his color was good, and he was laughing and slapping you on the back again. And then they lose him to a bullet." Bell, who was Barney's partner in the 2000s after both graduated from the police academy, told the Deseret News that Barney was a "boisterous, funny, caring, big old teddy bear of a man." He became a police officer after working at the Salt Lake County Jail because Barney wanted to help people and loved children. Barney was serving as a school resource officer at Eisenhower Junior High School in Taylorsville when his cancer returned. Students in 2010 organized a dodgeball tournament to raise money for his treatment, which they called "Battle for Barney." "I've always known these kids were great kids," Barney said in a KSL-TV story about the fundraiser. "They're watching over me." Meanwhile, court records show Henderson was a troubled man with a history of drug abuse. Henderson had multiple firearms and drug-related charges and had been sentenced to both federal and state prisons. Most recently, he had served 14 months after being convicted of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, and he was paroled in April 2015. His sentenced was shortened for the completion of a drug treatment program. "Everything followed according to the guidelines, but it certainly is tragic that he decided to do this," Greg Johnson, spokesman for the Utah Board of Pardons, said to the Salt Lake Tribune. Henderson violated the conditions of his parole and a warrant was issued for his arrest in June. He was arrested and went back to prison in October. Last month, he was ordered to a state-run parolee drug treatment center while court proceedings on new federal firearms allegations were pending. Within days, Henderson disappeared from the rehab facility, which allows parolees to make visits to school, work or to see family. A warrant had been out for his arrest since Dec. 21. Henderson's mother and 18-year-old brother were also arrested on misdemeanor charges. Malm, of the Unified police, said the family members drove into the crime scene after Henderson was killed. The mother was not booked and the brother has since bailed out of jail. The brother, Jaiden Snyder, was held for misdemeanor assault on police, disorderly conduct, interfering, failure to stop and threats of violence after punching an officer in the face and attempting to head-butt another, officials said. Snyder couldn't be reached for comment and it was unclear if he has an attorney. Police talk at the scene of an officer-involved shooting, in Holladay, Utah, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Utah police officer Douglas Barney was killed Sunday, after he was shot by a suspect who was later killed by police. (Scott Sommerdorf/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) DESERET NEWS OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT As Iowa looms, GOP wonders: Does Trump have fans, or voters? WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) It's the No. 1 question headed into the primary season: Does Donald Trump merely have fans, or does the national front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination have voters who will mobilize come caucus day? The definitive answer won't arrive until first-to-vote Iowa heads to the polls on Feb. 1, but interviews with dozens of voters, political operatives, party leaders and campaign volunteers in the past week paint a mixed picture of Trump's efforts to make sure they do. Even some of the billionaire real-estate mogul's most ardent backers wonder whether the political novice has the kind of ground game needed to ensure supporters especially those new to taking part in a caucus can navigate a process that isn't as easy as casting a ballot. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump talks with supporters before meeting with volunteers at the local Pizza Ranch restaurant, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, in Waukee, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) But many believe that even if Trump is falling short when it comes to building a get-out-the-vote effort, his supporters are so enthusiastic it won't much matter. "I have a feeling we're going to actually do better than the polls are saying because there's a movement," Trump told supporters in suburban Des Moines last week, dismissing suggestions the thousands who pack his rallies won't make it out on caucus night. Questions about Trump's turnout effort are magnified by his place alongside Texas Sen. Ted Cruz atop preference polls in Iowa. Republican leaders in the state largely agree that Cruz has the most powerful get-out-the-vote operation among the GOP candidates for president complete with an army of out-of-state volunteers housed in dormitories. Those same observers were mixed when describing what Trump has put together. "Normally, I at least know the county chairs and I see some organization," said Gwen Ecklund, chair of the Republican Party in Crawford County, who said Trump staffers weren't doing as much as other campaigns. Dozens of people interviewed by The Associated Press at Trump rallies across the state say that while his team is active online, they have had relatively little personal contact from the campaign. Many said they had yet to receive a phone call or a campaign mailing. None reported a knock on the door. "That's a precarious model," Paul Tewes, who organized then-Sen. Barack Obama's successful 2008 campaign in Iowa, said of a campaign that relies on emails and phone calls alone. The issue, Tewes explained, is that Iowa doesn't make its presidential choice with a primary. Ballots aren't cast at polling stations open from dawn to dusk. Instead, a caucus requires voters to show up at a designated place at a designated hour, at night in winter, to listen to speeches and eventually express support for their favored candidate in a Byzantine voting process. "It's a much higher hurdle than voting in a (traditional) election," Tewes said. Yet Trump's campaign has, so far, defied all those who doubt it. His team in Iowa is led by Chuck Laudner, a highly respected political operative who ran 2012 caucus winner Rick Santorum's Iowa operation. They have diligently built a voter database using the information entered when fans sign up online to attend his events, where Trump staffers canvass the crowd seeking commitments and answering questions. "I believe that the Trump campaign is one of the best staffed organizations in the state," said Jamie Johnson, a GOP strategist who also worked for Santorum in 2012. "Anyone that thinks Donald Trump is just winging it in Iowa is dead wrong." Laudner declined to discuss the campaign's efforts at length, but said at a pre-Christmas rally, "We have counties where we have more committed caucus goers than total turnout four years ago." Trump's campaign is holding unadvertised caucus training sessions, including one last week at a Pizza Ranch restaurant in outside Des Moines, which drew about a dozen people for a two-hour long presentation on how to use the campaign's "Ground Game 2" smartphone app. Larry Weigel, an accountant who attended the session, said he'd already called 60 people and lined up commitments from seven of the 25 people he was aiming to get to caucus for Trump. "You feel it," he said of the campaign's momentum. Still, others aren't quite sure. Derrell Peters drove about 50 miles from Eldora to Cedar Falls last week to see Trump in person, stood in line outside of a college gymnasium in the cold more than three hours before Trump took the stage, and even attended a caucus training session organized by his local Republican Party. But despite the time he's already invested, he said he was having second thoughts spending any more on Trump. "I thought, if this is what it is, I really ain't too sure about it," said Peters, 65. "I might stay home." ___ Associated Press writer Catherine Lucey contributed to this report. ___ Follow Jill Colvin on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/colvinj MLK Day protesters block 1 span of SF-Oakland Bay Bridge SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A group of demonstrators caused the shutdown of one direction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in a police-brutality protest tied to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Members of the group stopped vehicles in all the westbound lanes at about 4 p.m. Monday. They chained themselves and the cars together to form a line across the bridge and laid signs reading "BLACK HEALTH MATTERS" across the roadway. Traffic was blocked for travelers heading into San Francisco as the holiday weekend was ending. Detained: California Highway Patrol officer detained 25 protesters on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge About 30 minutes later, California Highway Patrol officers pulled protesters from cars and pulled their cars out of lanes. Traffic soon began slowly moving again. The CHP says 25 people were arrested. Mia Birdsong, a spokeswoman for the protesters, tells the San Francisco Chronicle they were from a group called Black.Seed, an offshoot of the Black Lives Matter movement. ___ This story has been corrected to say the protesters were not from Black Lives Matter, but an offshoot group. Deep in Colombian jungle, peace looms at rebel hideout IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHWEST COLOMBIA (AP) The rebel leader known as Juan Pablo carries with him a new telescopic assault rifle and a heavy heart. As a commander of the 36th Front of the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, one of the most active units in a half-century of bloodshed, the paunch-bellied warrior has spent 25 years plotting ambushes and assembling land mines but has never been to the movies, driven a car or eaten in a restaurant. Now peace is within reach as talks between the guerrillas and the government near conclusion in Cuba, and for the first time the 41-year-old is thinking about a future outside this jungle hideout. His dream: to return to the poor village he left as a teenager and run for mayor. But transition to civilian life will come without his girlfriend and comrade-in-arms who was killed six months ago in an army raid, underscoring the toll still being exacted by Latin America's last major guerrilla conflict even as it winds down. In this Jan. 6, 2016 photo, Juan Pablo, center, a commander of the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, walks with his comrades in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. As a commander of the 36th Front, one of the most militarily-active in a half century of warfare, the 41-year-old is capable of reciting verbatim passages from Fidel Castro's speeches even though he's never been to the movies, driven a car or eaten in a restaurant. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) "This war is going to end without victors or vanquished but lots of suffering on both sides," said Juan Pablo, the soft-smiling son of a street vendor. "It's false to say we arrived defeated to the negotiating table. They dealt us some heavy blows, of course, but 51 years of war against an enemy backed by the most powerful army in the world (the U.S. army) has not made us cower, because the injustices that led us to take up arms are still occurring." That mixture of pride and trepidation about the future is common among the FARC's roughly 7,000 fighters, many of whom, like Juan Pablo, come from poor rural upbringings and struggle to imagine life outside the highly regimented ranks of the guerrillas. The Associated Press made a rare, three-day visit to a secret FARC camp in Antioquia state in early January to see how the region's oldest leftist insurgency is preparing for a peace that looks more tantalizingly close than ever. AP journalists were directed to a remote meeting point and then escorted on an hours-long trek to the jungle site. The FARC insisted that the camp's location not be revealed to protect the lives of its fighters. Decades of fighting between guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and the armed forces has, according to government figures, left a toll of more than 220,000 dead, some 40,000 disappeared and over 5 million driven from their homes the largest displaced population of any country after Syria. But after President Juan Manuel Santos traveled to Cuba in September and shook the hand of the FARC's top commander, both sides feel confident enough to predict a final deal as early as March. On Tuesday, both sides announced from Cuba that they would request the United Nations prepare a 12-month mission made up of unarmed Latin American observers to monitor adherence to an eventual ceasefire and rebel disarmament. If peace deal arrives, this generation of FARC guerrillas would be the first to abandon its stated aim of overthrowing the government and instead fight for their ideals at the ballot box. At the makeshift camp that was temporarily home to 22 rank-and-file fighters, four commanders and two dogs, the day starts at around 4:30 a.m. With the moon still hanging on the horizon, the jungle comes to life to the sound of metal pots clanging as breakfast is prepared, rain falling on giant fronds and rubber boots sloshing through the mud. Thanks to a unilateral FARC cease-fire, it has been months since gunshots rang out in this remote corner of the Andes where the rebels share the dense forest with venomous snakes, 20 kinds of exotic frogs and South America's only bear species. Still, the rebels show no sign of letting down their guard after a decade-old government offensive that more than halved their troop strength. They sleep with their weapons, restrict all conversation at night and use assumed names to protect their identities. Once-a-day radio contact with other units happens via code, and lengthier missives are saved to thumb drives and transported through a network of human couriers. Fresh in everyone's mind is the 2011 death of the FARC commander known as Alfonso Cano, hunted down and killed by the Colombian army thanks to a cellphone intercept. Their wariness highlights one of the thorniest issues that negotiators must still work out: How and under whose auspices the FARC will demobilize, when experience has taught the rebels that politics can be just as perilous as war. The guerrillas recall too well how during 1980s peace talks that ultimately failed, the FARC established a party known as the Patriotic Union as its political arm. In just a few years, more than 3,000 leftist activists, rebel sympathizers and two presidential candidates were gunned down by paramilitaries, often in cahoots with state security forces. It became a cautionary tale in a country plagued by political violence since its independence from Spain. "We learned a lot from that experience, but who says the only way to practice politics is in Congress?" said Leonidas, another commander. "One thing is clear: In this new phase the FARC is not going to demobilize, we are going to mobilize" politically. He said that activism would mostly involve work on behalf of the rural poor, a reflection of the FARC's 1960s origins as a self-defense force formed to protect farmer-run "independent republics" from the military. While peace may be in the air, the rhetoric of conflict is hard to shed. Rebels call superiors "comrades" and deserters "traitors," and harangues about "oligarchs" and the U.S. "empire" oppressing working-class Colombians are a daily trope. Forget cheap romance novels or literary classics; the only reading material at the camp includes volumes like the collected speeches of Fidel Castro, biographies of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara and journalistic accounts of paramilitary land grabs. Juan Pablo, for one, is capable of reciting verbatim from Castro's speeches. But if the FARC can appear stuck in an ideological time warp, the rebels say the group rescued them from poverty, taught them to read and provided a "family" and sense of belonging. In hours of conversation during the AP visit, none showed any outward sign of discontent or criticized the peace process. They also tried to downplay the FARC's deep involvement in drugs a lucrative trade that could prove a powerful economic incentive to remain armed, especially for midlevel commanders. Families living in the remote valleys that the 36th Front lords over acknowledge paying a war tax to protect their coca plantings, but the rebels say they will help develop alternative crops if an accord is reached. As a confidence-building gesture, the FARC has renounced ransom kidnappings to fund its insurgency. And while abuses such as recruitment of minors and civilian massacres will be judged by special peace tribunals, the rebels note that human rights groups blame the paramilitaries for most of the killings during the conflict. Even as the camp maintains a wartime footing, the guerrillas have begun holding twice-a-day peace assemblies. On a recent day the first one, before breakfast, was led by Yira Castro, a commander whose nom de guerre honors a noted Colombian communist. Under the shade of a tree, she read from a 63-page sub-accord that was recently signed in Havana. Castro, a sort of mentor to other women rebels, has spent much of the last three years with the talks in Havana, and her relative worldliness shows in her Cuban-inflected Spanish and new orange laptop. Listening attentively was Juliana, who joined the discussion after butchering a pig that would feed the camp for several days. Like many others, her path to the FARC was born as much from personal tragedy as political ideology. At age 16, after she says she was raped by her stepfather, she fled her impoverished home and followed in the footsteps of an uncle. Juliana said that if she hadn't taken up arms she would have liked to have studied computers. But now she hopes to serve the FARC even during peacetime: "I want to prepare myself to get involved in politics and continue my association with the organization." Amid the Spartan life of a guerrilla, she allows herself one small feminine indulgence: light-pink lipstick. Her companion, Alexis, spoke of what he sees as the banality of relationships in the outside world. "In the FARC we never touch money. Everything is given to us, from medicine to cigarettes. That's why there is no dependency in which she expects me to provide for her," Alexis said, taking Juliana's hand. "Between us there is only love." Talk came to an abrupt halt as an unfamiliar airplane flew overhead a second time, setting nerves on edge. "Politics is a lot tougher than war," another commander, Anibal, observed from his hammock. "You pay for a mistake on the battlefield with your life," he said, swinging back and forth, "but an error in the field of politics brings down an entire organization." ___ Jacobo Garcia is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jacobogg His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/jacobo-garcia In this Jan. 6, 2016 photo, Juliana, a 20-year-old rebel fighter for the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rests from a trek in the northwest Andes of Colombia, in Antioquia state. Like many of her comrades in arms, her path to the FARC was born as much from personal tragedy as political ideology. In her case, she fled an impoverished home at age 16 and followed in the footsteps of an uncle after being raped by her stepfather. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, rebel fighters for the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, bathe in a creek near their hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. The rebel fighters share all facilities on equal terms. Many of them are couples and share sleeping quarters. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, the weapon of a rebel fighter for the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, hangs from a branch serving as a makeshift clothesline, near a rebel camp, in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. Well lay aside our weapons, like the accord says, but never hand them over, says Juan Pablo, a commander of the 36th Front. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 5, 2016 photo, Alexis, a 24-year-old rebel fighter, trims the hair of Juan Pablo, a commander of the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, at their camp, hidden in the northwest Andes of Colombia, in Antioquia state. Now, after 25 years plotting ambushes and assembling land mines, peace is within reach and for the first time Juan Pablo is thinking about his own future outside this jungle hideout. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, Yira Castro, a mid-level commander for the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, looks up from her laptop at a hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. After three decades in the jungle her loyalty is absolute, she says that if peace does arrive the first thing shell do is take a trip alone with her boyfriend, a fellow rebel. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, Harrison, a rebel soldier of the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, drags the carcass of a hog to an open fire, for singeing to remove body hair, in their hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. The animal will be enough to feed the 26 members of the group for several days. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, rebel soldiers of the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, work together to flay the skin of a hog carcass, near their hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. Many of the FARCs roughly 7,000 fighters come from the most-modest of campesino upbringings and struggle to imagine themselves outside regimented camp life. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, a rebel soldier of the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, serves up a portion of rice, eggs, sausage and beans, for breakfast, at a hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. If the FARC seems at times stuck in a time warp, rebels share an enormous gratitude to the insurgency for rescuing them from poverty, providing them with a family and sense of belonging. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, Juliana, a rebel soldier of the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, sits her with boyfriend Alexis, in their makeshift tent, inside their hidden camp in Antioquia, Colombia. Inside the guerrilla we dont touch money, everything is given to us, from medicine to cigarettes. Thats why theres no dependency in which she expects me to provide for her as is common in Latin America, explains Alexis. Between us theres just love. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 5, 2016 photo, Marcela, a rebel soldier of the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, stands at the edge of a brook where she is preparing to bathe, near the guerrilla's group hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. The rebels inhabit an impenetrable forest with South Americas only bear, venomous snakes and 20 species of exotic frogs. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, Yira Castro, a mid-level commander for the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, rubs moisturizing creme on her face, in a hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. Castro is a sort-of den mother to other female rebels who in the FARC have found a sense of empowerment they say is lacking in macho Colombian society. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 3, 2016 photo, with the aid of head lamps, rebel fighters for the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, prepare a breakfast of rice, beans, sausages and coffee, in their hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. The day begins around 4:30 a.m. inside the temporary camp, home to 22 rank and file fighters, 4 commanders and 2 dogs. All rank and file are expected to share in kitchen patrol. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 5, 2016 photo, Cindy, a rebel fighter for the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, wraps her gun in a mesh fabric, after a routine cleaning, as protection from humidity and rain, in a hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. Cindy is a field medic and she joined the guerrilla group when she was 18-years-old. "If there is peace with the government, we will have to take up politics, teach the people and later reunite with family after so many years." she said. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, Oscar, a rebel soldier for the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, mends a pair of pants while his "socia" Gisell rests in a hammock, in a hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. Inside the rebel organization, the idea of "socia" arose because the man cannot offer material wealth, so the girlfriends of the male rebels are referred to as a "socia" or partner. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) In this Jan. 6, 2016 photo, Juan Pablo, a commander of the 36th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, works on his laptop, next to his girlfriend, 25-year-old rebel fighter Tania, at a hidden camp in Antioquia state, in the northwest Andes of Colombia. Tania says, "If we sign the peace accords with the government, I would like to have two kids with Juan Pablo, study odontology and serve to the poor with my work." (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) Assad's battlefield gains cast cloud on upcoming Syria talks BEIRUT (AP) Syrian peace talks due next week are looking increasingly moot as a string of recent battlefield victories by government troops have bolstered President Bashar Assad's hand and plunged the rebels into disarray. The government's advances add to the obstacles that have scuttled chances of halting at least anytime soon the five-year civil war that has killed a quarter of a million people, displaced half the country and enabled the radical Islamic State group to seize a third of Syria's territory. A proxy war on the ground between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, disorganization among the rebels after a top commander and several other local leaders were killed, rigid and disparate U.S. and Russian positions regarding Assad's future, and a spat over which groups will be invited to the negotiating table have all added to the conflagration. FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2014, file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, speaks with United Nations envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura in Damascus, Syria. Syrian peace talks scheduled to begin in a week are looking increasingly moot as regional tensions boil over and a string of battlefield victories by government troops further bolster the hand of President Bashar Assad, plunging the rebels into disarray. (SANA via AP, File) "I don't think we should expect any major results," said Fawaz Gerges, professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics. "Assad really believes that time is on his side, that he is winning, that the opposition is in tatters." The Jan. 25 talks in Geneva are meant to start a political process to end the conflict that started in 2011 as a largely peaceful uprising against Assad's rule but escalated into an all-out war after a harsh state crackdown. The plan calls for cease-fires in parallel to the talks, a new constitution and elections in a year and a half. On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged countries supporting opposing sides in the Syrian conflict to redouble efforts to reach agreement on a list of opposition groups that are to be invited to the talks. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the United Nations is focusing on starting the talks on Jan. 25, but he said it can't send out invitations until the key countries agree on a list of opposition invitees. He hinted the talks could be delayed, telling reporters they would be notified "as soon as we can" if there is any "slippage" in the date. The fighting in Syria intensified since Russia intervened militarily with airstrikes last September, ostensibly to target Islamic State militants and other extremists. But the airstrikes helped Assad push back rebels on several fronts and capture dozens of villages in the north and west. In November, government troops broke a three-year siege of the Kweiras air base in the northern province of Aleppo, and in December they captured another air base, Marj al-Sultan, in an opposition stronghold near the capital, Damascus. Allied fighters from the Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group, as well as Iranian military advisers and pro-government militias, have helped the army take several areas in and around Latakia province, the heartland of Assad's minority Alawite sect, which dominates the military and government. The latest victory came last week with the capture of the town of Salma, one of the most significant government advances since the Russian air campaign began. Overlooking the coast, it is only 12 kilometers (seven miles) from the border with Turkey, a key supporter of rebels in the area. "The Syrian army has shifted from a defensive mode to offense," said Gerges. "Before the Russian intervention the army was bleeding, it was desperately trying to maintain its position, but now it has achieved major tactical gains on many fronts." This does not bode well for the Geneva talks, as neither side will be interested in making compromises while the front lines are in a state of flux, Gerges added. Damascus officials have indicated lately that Syria's future will be decided on the battlefield, and have repeatedly said the rebels whom they refer to as "terrorists" should not expect to gain anything from the talks that they could not achieve on the ground. Meanwhile, relations have been deteriorating between the two main players backing opposite sides Saudi Arabia and Iran. The kingdom's execution earlier this month of a Shiite cleric who had criticized the ruling family brought a wave of recriminations from Tehran. Protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, prompting Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties. That escalation has undermined hopes that arose at the United Nations in December, when a resolution established a new "road map" set to begin with the Geneva talks. The Saudis and the Iranians are already facing off in Yemen, where the kingdom is fighting Shiite rebels who are supported by Tehran. Riyadh is highly skeptical of the nuclear deal with Iran and wary of the billions of dollars that will fill Tehran's coffers now that international sanctions have been lifted. "The Saudis are in a very confrontational mood, and that's not just with regard to Syria but also in Yemen," said Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Middle East Policy. While Syrian opposition factions outside the country say they hope to see some confidence-building measures by Assad before the Geneva talks, dozens of insurgent groups within Syria said last week they wouldn't attend at all unless humanitarian access was granted to areas under siege and prisoners were released. "The regime is trying to achieve as much as possible on the ground before the peace talks, which will be hollow," said Zakaria Ahmad, a spokesman for a moderate rebel faction operating near the Turkish border. It remains unclear which rebel groups will be invited to join the talks. Russia and Syria want to bar many moderate Islamic groups which are backed by the Saudis, who will insist on giving them a place at the table. Meanwhile, top international players the United States and Russia disagree on the basic issue of whether Assad should be allowed to stay on and run in presidential elections or if he should step down as part of the transition. The Saudis and much of the West are adamant that he should leave, while Iran and Russia say his fate should be decided in elections. "As long as the basic question of Assad's future is not resolved there will be no elections it's the central issue," said Rami Khouri of the American University of Beirut's Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs. ___ Associated Press writer Zeina Karam contributed to this report. __ Follow Brian Rohan on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/brian_rohan FILE - This Tuesday, Jan 12, 2016, file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian government troops and allied militiamen walk inside the key town of Salma in Latakia province, Syria. Syrian peace talks scheduled to begin in a week are looking increasingly moot as regional tensions boil over and a string of battlefield victories by government troops further bolster the hand of President Bashar Assad, plunging the rebels into disarray. (SANA via AP, File) FILE - This Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian government troops walk inside the Kweiras air base, east of Aleppo, Syria. Syrian peace talks scheduled to begin in a week are looking increasingly moot as regional tensions boil over and a string of battlefield victories by government troops further bolster the hand of President Bashar Assad, plunging the rebels into disarray. (SANA via AP, File) Dubai tower blaze shows risks in common building material DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Within minutes, the revelry of New Year's Eve in Dubai turned to horror as those gathered for fireworks downtown watched flames race up the side of one of the glistening city's most prominent luxury hotels. But the fire at the 63-story The Address Downtown Dubai wasn't the first, second or even third blaze to spread swiftly along the exterior of skyscrapers that have risen from the desert at a torrid pace in and around Dubai over the past two decades. It was at least the eighth such fire in the Emirates alone, and similar blazes have struck major cities across the world, killing dozens of people, according to an Associated Press survey. In this Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016 photo, the burned hulk of The Address Downtown is seen in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Skyscraper fires like the blaze that struck the 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Years Eve, swiftly turning it into a towering inferno, are not that rare. The New Year's Eve tower fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) The reason, building and safety experts say, is the material used for the buildings' sidings, called aluminum composite panel cladding. While types of cladding can be made with fire-resistant material, experts say those that have caught fire in Dubai and elsewhere weren't designed to meet stricter safety standards and often were put onto buildings without any breaks to slow or halt a possible blaze. While new regulations are now in place for construction in Dubai and other cities, experts acknowledge they have no idea how many skyscrapers have the potentially combustible paneling and are at risk of similar fast-moving fires. "It's like a wildfire going up the sides of the building," said Thom Bohlen, chief technical officer at the Middle East Center for Sustainable Development in Dubai. "It's very difficult to control and it's very fast. It happens extremely fast." Cladding came into vogue over a decade ago, as Dubai's building boom was well underway. Developers use it because it offers a modern finish to buildings, allows dust to wash off during rains, and is relatively simple and cheap to install. Dubai has since burgeoned into a cosmopolitan business hub of more than 2 million people. As in other Emirati cities, foreign residents far outnumber the local population. Expatriate professionals in particular are drawn to the ear-popping apartments the city's hundreds of high-rises offer, and skyscraper hotels accommodate millions of guests each year. The city-state aims to attract 20 million visitors annually by the time it hosts the World Expo in 2020. That means the risk of high-rise fires touches people from all over the world. Typically, the cladding is a half-millimeter (0.02-inch) thick piece of aluminum attached to a foam core that is sandwiched to another similar skin. The panels are then affixed to the side of a building, one piece after another. The biggest problem lies with panel cores that are all or mostly polyethylene, a common type of plastic, said Andy Dean, the Mideast head of facades at the engineering consultancy WSP Global. "The ones with 100-percent polyethylene core can burn quiet readily," Dean said. "Some of the older, even fire-rated materials, still have quite a lot of polymer in them." The panels themselves don't spark the fires, and the risks can be lessened if they are installed with breaks between them to curb a fire's spread. The panels' flammability can be significantly reduced by replacing some of the plastic inside the panels with material that doesn't burn so easily. However, when installed uninterrupted row after row, more flammable types of cladding provide a straight line of kindling up the side of a tower. That was the case in 2012 when a spate of fires struck Dubai and the neighboring emirate of Sharjah. Blaze after blaze, though some ignited differently, behaved the same way: fire rushed up and down the sides of the buildings, fueled by the external panels. The day after an April 2012 fire at a 40-story building in Sharjah, Dubai issued new building regulations barring the use of cladding constructed with flammable material. Officials elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates followed suit, though by that time, the building boom had subsided in the wake of a global recession. But the rules did not call for retrofitting buildings with flammable cladding already installed nor is there any clear idea of how many of these buildings stand in Dubai or the UAE's other six emirates. Local experts have suggested as many as 70 percent of the towers in the Dubai may contain the material, though they acknowledge the figure is only an estimate as there are apparently no official records. "There's an exposure because there's a lot of them and unfortunately they don't come with an 'X' on the building to know which ones they are," said Sami Sayegh, global property executive in the Middle East and North Africa for insurance giant American International Group, Inc. Emaar Properties, which developed The Address Downtown and nearby properties including the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, said authorities are still investigating the New Year's Eve fire. It has hired an outside contractor to assess and restore the damaged tower, and it plans to reopen the hotel, based on orders from Dubai's ruler himself. It has not released specific details about the type of cladding used. However, The National, a state-owned newspaper in Abu Dhabi, has reported that the cladding used on The Address Downtown was the fire-prone type seen in other blazes. Lt. Col. Jamal Ahmed Ibrahim, director of preventive safety for Dubai Civil Defense, said authorities take the issue of cladding fires seriously and are committed to "finding solutions and stopping these accidents from happening." A nationwide survey of existing buildings has been ordered in the wake of The Address fire, and additional guidelines will be put in place in March to ensure new buildings are constructed to a higher standard, he said. However, Ibrahim insisted that the type of cladding that was involved in previous tower fires appears to have been used on only a small number of all buildings in the emirate a figure he suggested could be as little as 5 percent. But he acknowledged that officials don't know how many buildings are at risk. "Without (doing) the survey or something, we can't say the number exactly," he said. The problem is not Dubai's alone cladding fires have struck elsewhere in the world. In 2010, a similar fire at a Shanghai high-rise killed at least 58 people. An apartment fire in May in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, killed 16. Another dramatic blaze hit Beijing's TV Cultural Center in February 2009, killing a firefighter. All bore similarities to the Dubai fires, with flames racing up the sides of the building, and experts attributed each fire's speed to the cladding. Peter Rau, the chief officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Melbourne, Australia, knows firsthand how dangerous such fires can be. In November 2014, a fire erupted at a 23-story apartment building in Melbourne and raced up more than 20 stories in just six minutes as flaming debris rained down below. While no one was injured, the fast-moving blaze did millions of dollars' worth of damage to the building. In the aftermath of the blaze, fire officials discovered some 170 other buildings in the Melbourne area had similar, flammable siding, Rau said. "You know you've only got to step back a little bit further and say: 'What does it mean for Australia and what does it mean (when) you're talking to me from Dubai?'" Rau said. "This is a significant issue worldwide, I would suggest... There is no question this is a game changer." ___ Follow Adam Schreck and Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/adamschreck and www.twitter.com/jongambrellap . ___ This story corrects the number of buildings with flammable siding to 170 in the Melbourne area. FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2016 file photo, smoke billows from the 63-story The Address Downtown skyscraper near the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The New Year's Eve tower fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File) FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, file photo, a fire burns at the 63-story The Address Downtown in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The New Year's Eve tower fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File) FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 file photo, a fire burns at The Address Downtown skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The New Year's Eve tower fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File) FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2016 file photo, smoke billows from at the 63-story The Address Downtown skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The New Year's Eve tower fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File) FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2015 file photo, a helicopter hovers over a skyscraper which caught fire in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo, File) FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2015 file photo, a security guard takes a selfie on the roof top of a 60-floor tower as the early morning fog partially shrouds the skyscrapers of the Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers districts of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Skyscraper fires like the blaze that struck the 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Years Eve, 2016, swiftly turning it into a towering inferno, are not that rare. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File) FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2015 file photo, a helicopter hovers over a skyscraper which caught fire in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Skyscraper fires like the blaze that struck a 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Years Eve, 2016, swiftly turning it into a towering inferno, are not that rare. The fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo, File) FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2010 file photo, Chinese motorists pass by an apartment building under renovation which was damaged by a fire that killed at least 58 people in the downtown area of Shanghai, east China. Skyscraper fires like the blaze that struck a 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Years Eve, 2016, swiftly turning it into a towering inferno, are not that rare. The fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/File) In this Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 photo, Lt. Col. Jamal Ahmed Ibrahim, director of preventive safety for Dubai Civil Defense, speaks to The Associated Press in an interview about recent tower fires. Skyscraper fires like the blaze that struck a 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Years Eve, swiftly turning it into a towering inferno, are not that rare. Ibrahim said authorities take the issue of cladding fires seriously and are committed to finding solutions and stopping these accidents from happening. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2012 file photo, flames engulf a portion of Tamweel residential tower at Jumeirah Lakes Towers, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Skyscraper fires like the blaze that struck a 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Years Eve, 2016, swiftly turning it into a towering inferno, are not that rare. The fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/Kaveh Kashani, File) FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 file photo, a fire burns at the 63-story The Address Downtown skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Skyscraper fires like the blaze that struck the high-rise in Dubai on New Years Eve, 2016, swiftly turning it into a towering inferno, are not that rare. The fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File) FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2012 file photo, a woman takes photo of Tamweel residential tower as flames engulf a portion of the building at Jumeirah Lakes Towers, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Skyscraper fires like the blaze that struck a 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Years Eve, 2016, swiftly turning it into a towering inferno, are not that rare. The fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/Kaveh Kashani, File) In this Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016 photo, the burned hulk of The Address Downtown is seen in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Skyscraper fires like the blaze that struck the 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Years Eve, 2016, swiftly turning it into a towering inferno, are not that rare. The fire in Dubai has raised new issues about the safety of exterior sidings put on high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Fundraising 'do not call'? Florida lawmaker swears it off WASHINGTON (AP) Florida Rep. David Jolly promises not to ask for money. The Republican, who is running in one of the year's most competitive and expensive Senate races, says that as of this month he personally has sworn off fundraising. He's leaving that duty to his professional campaign fundraisers, vowing not to spend a single second of his own time wooing donors. The unusual proclamation is born out of frustration, he says. For two years, he has seen firsthand how the chore of buck-raking has overtaken the business of legislating. FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2015 file photo, Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla. speaks to reporters in St. Petersburg, Fla. Jolly says that as of this month, he personally has sworn off fundraising. Hes leaving that duty to his professional campaign fundraisers, vowing not to spend a single second of his own time wooing donors. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) "You come to Washington thinking you can change the system, and then all of a sudden you get hijacked by the system," said Jolly, who was elected to the House two years ago. In effect, Jolly is adopting the playbook of popular presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders hoping to tap voter anger about money in politics even if it means handicapping his own fundraising potential. Trump, a billionaire who can afford to finance his own Republican presidential bid, has called political fundraising a "broken system." Sanders, meanwhile, has made getting big money out of politics a platform of his Democratic campaign. Both have won plaudits from voters who see them as speaking the truth. There are signs that tactic is trickling down the ballot, with talk in Congress of a "campaign finance caucus" that can devote time to the issue. The federal lawmakers speaking out against money in politics sound a bit self-loathing as they do so. Earlier this month, New York Rep. Steve Israel, a Democrat, wrote in a New York Times column that his upcoming retirement makes him feel "liberated from a fundraising regime that's never been more dangerous to our democracy." By his calculation, he'd spent more than 4,200 hours on it over a decade and a half. Reps. John Sarbanes, D-Md., and Walter Jones, R-N.C., share almost no policy objectives save for campaign finance reform. They'd both like to see congressional races funded by taxpayer rather than donor money, and their legislative proposal to achieve that goal has gone precisely nowhere in its years of existence. "I'm trying to be part of the solution, but I tell people all of the time, 'I'm part of the problem,' " Jones said. Jones said Trump and Sanders have correctly identified money in politics as an issue that resonates with voters. "The frustration is deep," he said. "Most people understand that money does drive Washington. It's getting worse." Jolly's self-imposed personal fundraising ban comes as he faces a competitive Republican primary in August and, if he succeeds, a tough general election fight in November for the open Senate seat now held by GOP presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio. He described how his plan would work in an interview with The Associated Press. He won't make phone calls to donors, sign his name to any fundraising requests or hold meetings to ask for money all things that typically define a good portion of a candidate's day. What's more, he's not fundraising for anyone else, including the Republican Party, which helped elect him to office in the first place. Leo Govoni, the finance co-chairman of Jolly's Senate campaign, said that although the candidate's decision to take himself out of fundraising makes his own job tougher, it's worth it. "David gets it that people are fed up with lawmakers raising money instead of working," Govoni said. "It takes courage to buck the system, and I think that will resonate with voters. I personally think this could be a movement." On Tuesday, Jolly plans to introduce a bill that would make his voluntary abstention the law of the land for all members of Congress. He's hopeful, but not optimistic, that it'll catch on. It's based loosely on bans that many states have on state legislators and judges raising money while they're working. "We have a part-time Congress in a full-time world," he said. And that's because of fundraising. A few years ago, a PowerPoint presentation to incoming lawmakers by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recommended that they devote four hours every day to calling for donations. Another hour, the party group said, should be spent on "strategic outreach," such as meeting potential donors. Things are about as bleak on the Republican side, Jones and Jolly said. But Jolly said he owes his congressional seat to the Republican Party and outside groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They spent millions as did the Democratic Party and their outside groups in a hard-fought 2014 battle. When he arrived in Congress, he felt a debt of gratitude, and though he was surprised by the amount of time he was asked to raise money for his future elections and the party, he didn't much care for it. "There's a quiet anger that develops when you are continually being told to do something you don't want to do," he said. ___ Obama touts Australia's contribution to Islamic State fight WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama on Tuesday thanked Australia for its "steadfast" alliance and key contributions in the fight against Islamic State group, as he welcomed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the White House for his first visit to Washington since taking office in September. Opening a meeting in the Oval Office, Obama said the leaders planned to discuss the anti-Islamic State operation, as well as broader counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The president noted Australia is a key contributor to the coalition, with the second-largest force of ground troops in Iraq behind the United States. "They have been a consistent and extraordinarily effective member of the coalition," Obama said. FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2015, file photo, Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull speaks during a news conference in Berlin. President Barack Obama and Turnbull are meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, for talks covering the fight against the Islamic State group, a 12-nation Pacific Rim trade agreement and other issues. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File) Australia has said it is among 40 countries being pressed by the U.S. to boost their military contributions in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State after the deadly terrorist attack in Paris in November. But Australia told the U.S. that its commitment would remain largely unchanged. Australia has six jet fighters based in Dubai flying missions against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. It also has soldiers in non-combat roles in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Turnbull said his visit had included productive meetings with Defense Secretary Ash Carter. He said he looked forward to working more closely with U.S. intelligence officials on counterterrorism efforts aimed at curbing the Islamic State's recruitment and communications online. Turnbull also praised Obama's work on securing the nuclear agreement with Iran. "That is a formidable effort, a great example of leadership on the part of the United States," he said. "In that very difficult part of the world, which we'll discuss shortly and in much more detail, that is going to be a very important step forward in ensuring stability." Obama and Turnbull first met on sidelines of an economic summit in Manila in November. Obama said after that meeting that they had discussed the fight against extremism, as well as the need to increase international pressure on the Islamic State group. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Turnbull met Monday at the Pentagon. They reviewed recent developments in Iraq and Syria, and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. ___ Search suspended for Marines missing after helicopters crash KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (AP) Officials Tuesday suspended their massive search for 12 Marines who were aboard two helicopters that crashed off Hawaii last week. The around-the-clock effort failed to locate any sign of the 12 service members despite five days of searching by several agencies. Officials said at a late afternoon news conference that the search would be suspended at sundown and the Marine Corps would transition to "recovery and salvage" efforts. A memorial is tentatively planned for Friday at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay. This Friday, Jan. 15, 2016 photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps shows a Marine Officer attached to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 uses binoculars to search for debris of a helicopter mishap in Haliewa Beach Park, Hawaii. Rescuers battled winds of up to 23 mph and waves up to 30 feet as they searched for 12 Marines who are missing after two helicopters they were in crashed off the Hawaiian island of Oahu.(Cpl. Ricky S. Gomez/U.S. Marine Corps via AP) "The decision to suspend the search without finding survivors is particularly difficult," said Capt. James Jenkins, chief of staff and acting commander of the Coast Guard 14th District in Honolulu. The search began late Thursday when a civilian on a beach reported seeing the helicopters flying and then a fireball. The Marines were alerted when the CH-53E helicopters carrying six crew members each failed to return to their base at Kaneohe Bay following a nighttime training mission. Hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter and C-130 airplane spotted debris 2 1/2 miles off of Oahu. The crash was near the north shore, but the search area spanned from the western coast of Oahu to the northeast corner of the island. The transport helicopters were part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Known as Super Stallions, they are the U.S. military's largest helicopter, capable of carrying a light armored vehicle, 16 tons of cargo or a team of combat-equipped Marines, according to a Marine Corps website. The Coast Guard initially reported that the choppers had collided, but the Marines said later it wasn't yet known if there was a collision. The cause remains under investigation. The Marine Corps will strive to "discover all of the facts" surrounding the crash, said Brig. Gen. Russell Sanborn, commanding general of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. They will continue the recovery of any debris and "any other remains that may discovered," he said, "so that we can give closure to those families that are still out there that still want that final piece of the puzzle." All four life rafts from the helicopters were found but they were empty. There was no indication anyone had been on any of the rafts, based on their condition and the lack of any personal effects, the Coast Guard said. High surf complicated the mission for rescuers during the initial days of the search. A green laser near Haleiwa Beach Park struck a Coast Guard plane Saturday night, forcing crew members to alter search patterns. Authorities searched for survivors around the clock. The Coast Guard assumes the best-case scenario when considering how long someone in the right equipment and right conditions could survive, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers said. "We err on the side of caution because the last thing that anybody wants is to suspend the search when there's still a possibility of finding somebody," she said Monday. Aircrews wear personal flotation devices with their flight suits and get additional training on top of survival swimming training, the Marines said. People have been found days or even weeks after getting lost at sea, Mooers said. The missing crew members are: Maj. Shawn M. Campbell, 41, College Station, Texas. Capt. Brian T. Kennedy, 31, Philadelphia. Capt. Kevin T. Roche, 30, St. Louis. Capt. Steven R. Torbert, 29, Florence, Alabama. Sgt. Dillon J. Semolina, 24, Chaska, Minnesota. Sgt. Adam C. Schoeller, 25, Gardners, Pennsylvania. Sgt. Jeffrey A. Sempler, 22, Woodruff, South Carolina. Sgt. William J. Turner, 25, Florala, Alabama. Cpl. Matthew R. Drown, 23, Spring, Texas. Cpl. Thomas J. Jardas, 22, Fort Myers, Florida. Cpl. Christopher J. Orlando, 23, Hingham, Massachusetts. Lance Cpl. Ty L. Hart, 21, Aumsville, Oregon. ___ Kelleher reported from Honolulu. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed to this report. Russians celebrate Epiphany by diving into freezing waters MOSCOW (AP) Thousands of Russians have taken a dip in the icy waters to celebrate Epiphany, a major holiday in Orthodox Christianity marking the birth and baptism of Jesus. Water blessed by a priest on the Epiphany week in Orthodox tradition is considered holy and pure, and bathing is believed to have healing powers. In Moscow, authorities set up 60 official bathing sites for believers for the Monday night, from open air pools to holes in the ponds. Temperatures in Moscow were minus 10 Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight. A Russian Orthodox believer bathes in the icy water on Epiphany at the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery in Rostov, northeast from Moscow, Russia, early Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is considered holy and pure until next year's celebration, and is believed to have special powers of protection and healing. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) For some Russians this holiday season, Epiphany bathing was a more relaxed experience. The defense ministry on Monday night organized celebrations for the troops serving at Russia's military base in Syria by putting up an inflated rubber pool. A Russian Orthodox believer bathes in the icy water on Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino near TV Tower in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is considered holy and pure until next year's celebration, and is believed to have special powers of protection and healing. The Russian Orthodox Church follows the old Julian calendar, according to which Epiphany falls on Jan. 19. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr) Russian Orthodox believers bathe in ice water in a pond to mark Epiphany outside Simferopol, Crimea, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is considered holy and pure until next year's celebration, and is believed to have special powers of protection and healing. The Russian Orthodox Church follows the old Julian calendar, according to which Epiphany falls on Jan. 19. (AP Photo/Alexander Polegenko) A rescue worker controls Russian Orthodox believers swimming in the icy water on Epiphany at a pond in Krasnoye Selo outside St.Petersburg, Russia, early Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. The temperature in Krasnoye Selo is minus 16 Celsius (6.8 Fahrenheit). Thousands of Russian Orthodox Church followers plunged into icy rivers and ponds across the country to mark Epiphany, cleansing themselves with water deemed holy for the day. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is considered holy and pure until next year's celebration, and is believed to have special powers of protection and healing.(AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) Idris Elba: Lack of diversity is not just a US problem LONDON (AP) A lack of diversity in films and television is not just an American problem, according to actor Idris Elba. Hollywood's Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is facing boycott calls and promising change after nominating an all-white roster of performers for the Oscars for the second year running. Elba, the London-born star of "The Wire" and "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" told an audience at Parliament that Britain was successful, diverse and multicultural but "you wouldn't know it if you turned on the TV." FILE - In this Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013 file photo, British actor Idris Elba who plays Nelson Mandela in the movie "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom", poses for photographers in London. In a speech Monday Jan. 18, 2016 told an audience at Parliament that Britain was successful, diverse and multicultural but a lack of diversity in films and television is not just an American problem. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File) In a speech Monday, Elba said British broadcasting needed to overhaul the way it worked, asking questions such as: "Are black people normally playing petty criminals? Are women always the love interest or talking about men? Are gay people always stereotyped? Are disabled people ever seen at all?" "Let's just get more professional about this whole area," Elba said. "Our economy depends on it. Our future actually depends on it." China accuses detained Swede of endangering state security BEIJING (AP) A Swedish co-founder of a human rights group in China was detained because he is suspected of funding activities that endanger state security, Chinese state media said Tuesday. The official Xinhua News Agency said Peter Dahlin collected negative information about China and trained unlicensed lawyers to stir up hostility toward the government. It said he has apologized. "I was engaged in activities in violation of Chinese law while in China and hurt the Chinese government and Chinese people," Xinhua quoted him as saying. "For this, I offer deep apologies." Dahlin's group, the China Urgent Action Working Group, says he was detained on Jan. 3 on his way to Beijing's main airport, where he planned to fly to Thailand. His detention came amid a crackdown on rights lawyers who have sought to hold the government accountable and protect civic rights. Beijing says the lawyers engaged in improper activism that placed undue pressure on local courts. The crackdown has drawn criticism from foreign law groups and governments, which have urged Beijing to abide by its promise to rule by law. Xinhua said Dahlin worked with a lawyer from a Beijing law firm to set up an institute in Hong Kong, but that it operated without permission in mainland China. It said the group accepted foreign funding to set up legal aid stations, and it trained and funded some lawyers and petitioners who in turn provided negative information about China. By intervening in some sensitive cases with trained personnel, Dahlin's group exacerbated conflicts that were not initially serious, encouraged the public to confront the government, and tried to create mass incidents, Xinhua said. China has a huge number of petitioners who have unresolved complaints against local governments, often involving land seizures. Dahlin's group says it has been working since 2009 to help advance the rule of law by organizing training programs by lawyers for rights defenders focusing on land rights and administrative law. It also releases practical guides on the Chinese legal system. It says it "has only ever advocated nonviolent, informed reliance on Chinese law," and that Dahlin was "arbitrarily detained on spurious accusations." The Latest: Sweden, Morocco deal on rejected asylum minors BRUSSELS (AP) The latest news on the influx of asylum-seekers and other migrants in Europe. All times local: 7:40 p.m. Sweden says it has reached a deal with Morocco on returning unaccompanied minors who don't qualify for asylum and often end up living on the streets. A migrants rides with his bicycle in the Calais refugee camp, northern France Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. The bulldozers were used to clear a 100-meter-long strip of land between the camp and the highway. Up to 6,000 people were staying there in the fall, though the number has decreased recently. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler) Swedish officials say there are hundreds of homeless Moroccan boys in Stockholm and other cities who often get mixed up in crime and drugs. The Swedes have long urged Morocco to take them back. On Tuesday, the government said it's reached a deal with the North African country. The Swedish Justice Ministry said a committee with officials from both countries would be set up to make it easier to identify the boys and send them back. The announcement comes four days after the Swedish government decided not to recognize a disputed territory in Western Sahara as an independent republic. ___ 7:25 p.m. Authorities are shrinking the huge migrant camp in Calais, in northern France, pushing tent dwellers back 100 meters (110 yards) to distance them from the road leading to the port, a jumping off point to sneak to Britain. Bulldozers moved in this week to clean the terrain after hundreds of migrants began moving deeper into the squalid camp. The move continued on Tuesday. The prefecture has proposed giving those displaced priority in new containers opened a week ago to shelter up to 1,500 migrants. More than 4,200 are staying in Calais. Migrants recently began blocking the port road or throwing stones to slow traffic to try to slip into trucks headed to the Calais port. Some fear the camp will eventually be razed to rid Calais of migrants. ___ 6:40 p.m. Hungary's prime minister says Europe's security is falling apart amid the migrant crisis. Viktor Orban said Tuesday that the question is not whether European countries are turning against each other, like during World War II, but whether there will be a Europe at all and what kind of continent future generations will inherit. Speaking at a commemoration of the expulsion of around 230,000 ethnic Germans in 1946-1948 in retribution for Germany's role in World War II, Orban said that "we can see with our own eyes how Europe's security is disintegrating and its lifestyle based on Christian values is endangered." Orban, adamantly opposed to the settlement of Muslims migrants, asked God for "enough strength to validate outside Europe, as well, the right to stay in one's homeland." ___ 4:55 p.m. Germany's foreign minister says there's no easy solution to the migrant crisis that saw a million-strong influx of people to Europe last year. Frank-Walter Steinmeier says closing borders as some countries have done won't prevent people from trying to enter Europe. Steinmeier said Tuesday that the root causes driving people to flee their homes, such as conflicts in the Middle East, need to be tackled. He said Turkey's cooperation is also key, since the country is an important transit point for migrants on the way to Europe. He urged European countries to make good on their pledge of 3 billion euros in financial assistance to Turkey. Steinmeier says North African states must also take back failed asylum-seekers, as western Balkan nations already do. ___ 4 p.m. European Council President Donald Tusk says the EU has just two months to sort out its migration policy or face the possible collapse of Europe's passport-free travel area. Tusk told EU lawmakers on Tuesday that "we have no more than 2 months to get things under control." He said a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on March 17-18 "will be the last moment to see if our strategy works." Tusk said that "if it doesn't, we will face grave consequences such as the collapse of Schengen," the 26-nation zone in Europe where people can travel without ID checks. The EU spent most of 2015 devising policies to cope with the arrival of more than 1 million people fleeing conflict or poverty, but few are having a real impact. ___ 3:55 p.m. A group of migrants whose asylum applications are deemed groundless and who face deportation to Russia from where they entered Norway are opposing their extradition. Norwegian police say they plan to return the roughly 5,500 people who rode across the border at Storskog in Norway's remote Arctic region on bicycles from Russia. The crossing is closed to pedestrians. Norway considers Russia a safe country from where one can't seek asylum. Local broadcaster NRK said Tuesday up to 50 people who face deportation had disappeared from an asylum center. There were scattered reports of hunger striking migrants and others refusing to board buses taking them to Russia despite below-freezing temperatures. Last year, Norway returned 371 people from mainly Afghanistan, Syria, Nepal and Pakistan via Storskog. ___ 3:35 p.m. The U.N. refugee agency is warning that aid groups face a massive challenge to help up to 1.5 million civilians in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul under the control of the Islamic State group. UNHCR Baghdad representative Bruno Geddo said Tuesday that "the mother of all battles is going to be in Mosul." He said before talks in Brussels with European officials that the Iraqi city is contaminated with mines and booby-traps, and that this will hamper any efforts to provide relief. But Geddo said problems are likely to start first in Fallujah, western Iraq, where some 200,000 civilians are living and IS has been operating. He warned that many Iraqis remain determined to leave, saying that "when you flee for your life there is no amount of discouragement that can make you go back." ___ 3:30 p.m. Austria's interior ministry says the country will tighten entry requirements later this week for migrants by only letting in those seeking asylum in Austria or neighboring Germany. Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck said Tuesday the restriction will be implemented as of Friday. As of then, migrants coming in can do so only at the main Spielfeld crossing with Slovenia. With most migrants who enter Austria already planning to stay there or to proceed to Germany, it is unclear whether the restriction will greatly reduce the flow. Austria already re-imposed controls in September on its border to Slovenia, from where migrants have been entering since Hungary sealed its borders in the summer to those heading westward toward prosperous EU countries. But the move may mean a greater police and military presence. ___ 3:15 p.m. The four Central European members of the European Union have reconfirmed their fierce opposition to a plan to redistribute 120,000 asylum-seekers among the bloc's 28 nations and called for the strict control and registration of all refugees on the external border of the EU visa-free Schengen zone. Representatives of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, who form an informal grouping known as the Visegrad Four or V4, say they are united against the plan. Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec, who hosted Tuesday's meeting says: "The V4 countries still reject the system of compulsory quotas for relocation." Slovakia and Hungary have already legally challenged the system. In another disagreement with Brussels, the four also refused a recent EU proposal to tighten the gun-control rules following the Paris attacks. ___ 3 p.m. Officials from Slovenia and Serbia have warned that if Austria scales down the influx of refugees into the country that would cause a domino effect and tensions down the so-called Balkan migrant corridor. Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec and Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic called Tuesday for a joint EU-backed plan to manage the crisis before an expected surge in the number of Europe-bound migrants in spring. Erjavec says "we can expect some states to introduce stricter controls on their borders, which means countries in the western Balkans could become a pocket." Erjavec says Austria has announced new measures for this week. Dacic says migrants won't be allowed to return to Serbia if turned back elsewhere. He warns of a "collapse" if case of a Balkan bottleneck. A burnt tent stands in the Calais refugee camp, northern France Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. The bulldozers were used to clear a 100-meter-long strip of land between the camp and the highway. Up to 6,000 people were staying there in the fall, though the number has decreased recently. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler) Migrants carrying their belongings walk from the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, Serbia, on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. Bracing cold temperatures 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) Migrants walks in the Calais refugee camp, northern France Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. Bulldozers were used to clear a 100-meter-long strip of land between the camp and the highway. Up to 6,000 people were staying there in the fall, though the number has decreased recently. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler) Migrants walk with their belongings from the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, Serbia, on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. Bracing cold temperatures 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) Czech Republic's Interior Minister Milan Chovanec, left, talks to his Slovakian counterpart Robert Kalinak, right, during a press conference after the Visegrad Group meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) High court rejects Arizona sheriff's appeal over immigration WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from an Arizona sheriff seeking to halt President Barack Obama's plan to spare millions of people from deportation. The justices on Tuesday let stand a lower court ruling that said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio had no legal basis to challenge the program. Arpaio claimed the program would let more immigrants enter the country illegally, creating a burden on law enforcement from increased crime. A federal judge said Arpaio's complaints were speculative. The federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., agreed. Insurance customers begin new year with delays Thousands of health insurance consumers around the country have started the new year dealing with missing ID cards, billing errors and other problems tied to an enrollment surge at the end of 2015. Brokers and insurers in several states told The Associated Press that they've been inundated with complaints about these issues from customers with individual plans and those with coverage through small businesses. Insurance provider Health Care Service Corp., for instance, has been dealing with delays for about 10,000 companies, while billing errors caused bank overdrafts for 3,200 individual customers of a North Carolina insurer. These delays mean that some customers may have to pay for care up front or wait for their insurance cards to arrive before scheduling a doctor's appointment, even though many have technically been covered since Jan. 1. Chris Rogers, right, talks to Epilepsy Foundation Navigator Barbara Meneses as Rogers prepares to enroll for health care coverage, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. Thousands of health insurance consumers around the country have started the new year dealing with missing ID cards, billing errors and other problems tied to an enrollment surge at the end of 2015. Brokers and insurers in several states told The Associated Press that theyve been inundated with complaints about these issues from customers with individual plans and those with coverage through small businesses. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) "I've been in the health insurance business 20 plus years, and I've never seen anything like this," said Dallas-based broker Tanya Boyd, who estimates that hundreds of customers have complained about delays in receiving their insurance cards or a confirmation of coverage. The delays are due in part to more customers than expected shopping for coverage late last year after carriers ended plans in some markets, leaving thousands to find new ones. And a last-minute enrollment deadline extension from the federal government gave people two more days to sign up. An expansion of the Affordable Care Act's mandate that employers cover their workers also may have contributed to the rush. It's unclear how many people have had trouble so far this year. To be sure, a certain amount of problems can crop up at the start of every year, after insurers wrap up a busy holiday season clogged with enrollment periods for several types of insurance. But brokers say this year has been exceptional. Boyd, the Dallas broker, said her market was swamped after Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas stopped offering a popular plan that covered about 400,000 people with a wide network of providers. Boyd helped client Bridget Eyler find another plan with a narrower network of providers after the insurer mistakenly enrolled her in a plan she didn't choose. But Eyler, an attorney from the Dallas suburb of Coppell, says she wasn't officially in the system until a few days ago and still has no documents proving she's insured. Changing federal deadlines also contributed to the problem in some markets. Consumers who wanted coverage that started Jan. 1 originally had to sign up by Dec. 15. But HealthCare.gov, the federal website that handles applications for coverage from ACA exchanges in most states, announced Dec. 15 that it would extend the deadline two days due to heavy demand. That gave Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina a rush of last-minute business as it was transitioning to a new customer service system. The company said in a statement that it had planned for a 40 percent increase in customer service calls this year but was hit with a 500-percent jump. That "strained our systems beyond the extra capacity we had planned for this busy time of year," CEO Brad Wilson wrote in a recent blog post. The insurer had some delays in delivering insurance cards to some customers and took too much money from the bank accounts of 3,200 customers. The company said Friday it had reversed a vast majority of the bank account overdrafts, and nearly all of its customers have received their cards. For its part, Health Care Service Corp. had resolved by late last week about half of the roughly 10,000 delayed applications it was dealing with for new small business coverage. Spokesman Greg Thompson said the insurer, which operates Blue Cross-Blue Shield plans in five states and covers about 16 million people, is working to process the remaining applications as quickly as possible. Applications for that coverage quadrupled and slowed the insurer's processing. Thompson said the company doesn't know how many people were affected or why they saw an application spike. He said an expansion of the ACA's employer coverage mandate may have contributed. This year, the law started requiring small businesses with 50 to 99 employees to provide coverage for their workers. Last year, that requirement extended only to companies with 100 employees or more. In California, insurance broker Craig Gussin said only about half of the 150 clients he helped enroll in small business health coverage that started Jan. 1 have received insurance ID cards. He said every insurer he deals with has been slowed by a rush of companies seeking new coverage at the end of 2015 because they faced big premium hikes from older plans. "Every agent I talk to it's the same horror story... there's just incredible backlog," the San Diego-based agent said. Brokers say most remaining problems should be resolved by the end of the month. But some confusion or delays may return in future years because many shoppers tend to buy coverage at the last minute, and then they don't have to make a payment until after coverage starts. These factors can delay the delivery of cards or confirmation of coverage. While insurers and brokers sort out remaining complications, Michael MacGregor will wait to see if a recent doctor's visit is billed to his new plan, the old one or both. The 53-year-old Cape Coral, Florida, accountant and his wife switched in November to a new plan offered by the same insurer, Florida Blue. But their insurer automatically renewed them in their old plan, even though they had paid for the new one. Florida Blue says a high volume of customers, caused partially by competitors leaving its market, has created some enrollment problems this year. Meanwhile, the couple wound up receiving six insurance cards for the two plans plus another two that were meant for a total stranger who lives 30 miles away. ___ EU plans to collect fingerprints of convicted foreigners BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union wants to collect fingerprints and information about all foreigners convicted of crimes in the 28-nation bloc to help fight terrorism and cross-border crime. EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said Tuesday that "by including fingerprints of non-EU citizens we will have a strong tool to tackle the use of false identities." The data would be stored on the criminal records computer ECRIS, which gives judges and prosecutors access to suspects' backgrounds. Currently, information about convicted foreigners is kept only in national records. Authorities have to request it individually. Convicted EU citizens are on the ECRIS database, but their fingerprints are not stored. NY man goes on trial in chain-reaction crash that killed cop MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) A man driving home from New York City after a night of drinking set off a sequence of crashes that resulted in a police officer's death and should be held criminally responsible for it, prosecutors said Tuesday at his trial. Officer James Olivieri was killed by another man's SUV while maneuvering through wreckage on the Long Island Expressway. Although the defendant, James Ryan, wasn't actually the driver who struck the officer in October 2012, he created the situation that led to the accident, Nassau County Assistant District Attorney Michael Bushwack told jurors in his opening statement. In this Oct. 19, 2012, photo, James Ryan, of Oakdale, N.Y., is escorted from Nassau County Police headquarters, in Mineola, N.Y., after his arrest on drunken driving charges. Prosecutors say that it was Ryans accident that initiated a series of events that brought Nassau County Police Officer Joseph Olivieri to the scene: resulting in the officers death. Olivieri was killed by an SUV that collided with the wreckage from Ryans accident. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday via AP) NYC LOCALS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT "He forged a link in the chain of causes that killed Officer Olivieri," Bushwack said. "Officer Olivieri died protecting the person whose recklessness killed him." Defense attorney Zeena Abdi argued, however, that the SUV driver who actually struck the police officer and who was never charged is the one responsible. "This case is a stretch," Abdi said. "It is a tragic case, but it is a stretch. The fact that he was drinking does not mean he caused Officer Olivieri's death." Ryan's trial on aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, drunken driving and other charges began Tuesday following years of vigorous court battles. Ryan, a 28-year-old part-time student, could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. According to prosecutors, Ryan's Toyota first hit a BMW on the expressway shortly before 5 a.m., stopped 1,500 feet down the road in the high-occupancy lane and then was hit by another car. A few minutes later, an SUV driver apparently did not see Ryan's vehicle, which had been turned sideways from the earlier crashes, and smashed into Ryan's car before hitting Olivieri. Ryan allegedly had been drinking in a Manhattan bar and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.13, which is higher than the state's 0.08 threshold, according to court documents. Bushwack said Ryan's actions "caused chaos on the expressway that night." A state judge initially dismissed the charges, finding Olivieri's death was "solely attributable" to the SUV driver. A state appeals court later reinstated the charges, saying it was "reasonably foreseeable that the defendant's conduct would cause collisions and that the police would respond and be required to be in the roadway, where they would be exposed to the potentially lethal danger presented by fast-moving traffic." Joseph McCormack, an adjunct law professor at St. John's University who serves as the New York state traffic safety resource prosecutor, says prosecutors are employing the legal principle of "causation/foreseeability," in which suspects are charged in events that are foreseeable results of their actions. In one such case from 1994, a New York City man was convicted of murder in the death of an officer who was had been chasing after him in a robbery investigation and fatally fell through a skylight. US attorney general 'appalled' at Ohio officer's slaying COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says she is "appalled and deeply saddened" by the killing of an Ohio policeman by a man who's accused of targeting an officer. In a statement Tuesday, the nation's top enforcement officer expressed sadness at the death of Danville Officer Thomas Cottrell Sunday night, as well as the recent shootings of officers in Utah and Philadelphia. She says they are reminders of the dangerous nature of the job. Thirty-two-year-old Herschel Ray Jones is being held in the Sunday night slaying of Cottrell in the village 60 miles northeast of Columbus. Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville says an autopsy was being performed Tuesday. In tight Democratic race, O'Malley's Iowa support matters DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) In Iowa's leadoff presidential caucuses, longshot Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley could finally be a player. That's probably not because of any hidden depths of support for the low-polling former Maryland governor. Rather, the quirks of the Iowa process mean that candidates must have a minimum level of support in each of the state's nearly 1,700 voting precincts. If O'Malley backers can't reach the threshold, they will have to select another candidate. That second-choice support may matter to Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders if their contest is at tight Feb. 1 as polls now suggest. FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley rolls up his shirt sleeve while he speaks in Charleston, S.C. In Iowas leadoff presidential caucuses, OMalley could finally be a player. Thats probably not because of any hidden depths of support for the low-polling former Maryland governor. Rather, the quirks of the Iowa process mean that candidates must have a minimum level of support in each of the states nearly 1,700 voting precincts. If OMalley backers cant reach the threshold they will have to select another candidate. (AP Photo/Mic Smith, File) "If the race is tied, if it actually is that close, then on caucus night, the O'Malley folks can be absolutely critical on who the winner is," said Norm Sterzenbach, a former Iowa Democratic Party executive director. "They can have an impact if they lean en masse." The latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll found Clinton with 42 percent, Sanders with 40 percent and O'Malley with just 4 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers. The poll, conducted between Jan. 7 and 10, had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, suggesting it could be a toss-up between the former secretary of state and the Vermont senator. O'Malley has campaigned aggressively in Iowa. He's racked up endorsements from county and local officials and has some well-regarded activists and paid staffers. But he has failed to catch on with most Democrats. "We need to beat expectations here," he said, adding that his people have been told their goal is "to get viable." He said he is not encouraging his supporters to go with one candidate or the other if his numbers are lacking. Given how local the caucus meetings are, O'Malley certainly could make the cut in some areas and not others. The Democratic caucuses require participants to gather in schools and churches, then form groups of candidate supporters. Supporters of candidates who don't reach a certain level of support typically 15 percent must disperse, giving others a chance to argue for their support. Candidates then are awarded delegates based on their support. "The way the math is set up, two or three people in a smaller precinct could make a lot of impact," said Paul Tewes, a Democratic consultant who served as Barack Obama's Iowa director in 2008. Republican caucuses use a more straightforward process, though the same attendance rules apply. The viability requirements can lead to some interesting horse-trading leading up to and during the caucuses. In 2004, for example, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich struck a deal in the days before the caucuses. Each encouraged his supporters to go to the other candidate if he could not reach the necessary number. Edwards ultimately surprised many with a second-place finish, while Kucinich was a distant fifth. "I saw it with my own eyes," said Brad Anderson, a Democratic operative who has backed Clinton. "Kucinich was not viable and the Kucinich people walked over to the Edwards camp, as if on cue. That was an alliance that didn't really even take shape until the last few days." Compared with 2004 or 2008, which both featured large fields, this three-person race presents fewer opportunities for negotiation. So far, no formal deals have been announced. The O'Malley supporters would have more sway over the race if they were unified with one candidate, but where they would go is not clear. Another possibility is that one leading campaign might seek to share supporters with O'Malley to help him reach the minimum so that his people don't back the other option. Both campaigns have been training the volunteers who will try to rally support on Election Night. Clinton supporters think they could appeal to those seeking a more establishment leader, while Sanders' backers think his liberal message will resonate. "It will probably come down to whichever campaign does a better job of reaching out to those O'Malley folks," said Pat Rynard, a former Democratic operative who runs Iowa Starting Line, a Democratic-leaning news site. The Polk County Democratic chairman, Tom Henderson, an O'Malley supporter, noted that O'Malley was a Clinton backer in 2008. He stressed that he did not speak for the campaign, but said an arrangement with Clinton might make sense. But he said any deal would have to "cut both ways." That could mean that Clinton supporters would help O'Malley reach viability in some locations where he was close, if she had already received the maximum number of delegates. But Brian Gerjets, co-chairman of Sioux County Democrats, who has endorsed O'Malley, said he would "probably stand up, tentatively in the Bernie camp if push comes to shove.... Both the governor and Bernie have been talking minimum-wage hikes." Democratic presidential candidate, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speaks at the NBC, YouTube Democratic presidential debate at the Gaillard Center, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Cruz backers: Should he temper conservatism with moderation? WHITEFIELD, New Hampshire (AP) Ted Cruz says he is the first true conservative running for president since Ronald Reagan and that will carry him to the Republican nomination come July. But as he campaigns through New Hampshire, which tends to favor more moderate Republicans, many undecided voters and even some of his supporters say the Texas senator needs to broaden his appeal to mainstream conservatives. The balancing act of wooing moderate Republicans while staying true to his unwavering conservative political brand presents a dilemma. Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks during a campaign stop at the Freedom Country Store, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in Freedom, N.H. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Cruz doesn't always present a hard edge; he rose to prominence nationally after reading Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" during a filibuster of President Obama's health care law. But if he changes too much, he risks losing the ideological consistency and reputation for challenging both Democrats and Republicans that have come to define him. In an interview with The Associated Press on his campaign bus, Cruz rejected the idea that he needs to shift gears. "People are tired of campaign conservatives," Cruz said as the bus rolled north toward the small town of Whitefield. "They're tired of empty rhetoric. They want a consistent conservative someone they know and trust." He said that evangelical Christians, many of whom sat out presidential elections in 2008 and 2012, could help catapult him to victory. So could "Reagan Democrats," whom he defines as blue collar workers, union members and gun owners living mainly in the Midwest and through the Northeast. Many in the Republican Party view Reagan as the model commander in chief. Cruz has often said that, like Reagan, he will bypass Congress, including lawmakers in his own party, if members try to impede his ability to serve the American people. That "Reaganite" approach, he says, is how Reagan clinched the Republican nomination in 1980 and how he wants to do it now. "In 1980, as a 9-year-old boy, I was cheering loudly for Ronald Reagan in that primary watching those debates as a kid," he said. "The Republican Party has never once nominated a Reaganite for office since 1984." Guy Eaton, a 57-year-old letter carrier, came to see Cruz on Monday in Washington, New Hampshire, a hilly resort town of about 1,000 people that was incorporated in 1776. Eaton said Cruz needs to broaden his appeal. "If he's going to be president, he has to represent the whole country, not just one portion of the Republican Party," Eaton said. John Oliver is one of Cruz's staunchest backers. He made "Cruz for President" bumper stickers on his own way back in 2013. But he, too, wants to see some changes. "He needs to become more positive, not so angry," said Oliver, a 43-year-old retired member of the U.S. Navy who drove more than two hours from his home in Vermont to see Cruz at Lindy's Diner in Keene. Not so angry? Cruz himself has raised questions about rival Donald Trump's temperament, and Trump responded in kind Tuesday when asked about it in Winterset, Iowa. "When you talk about temperament, Ted has got a rough temperament," Trump told reporters. "You can't call people liars on the Senate floor when they're your leader. ... I haven't talked about his temperament, but he's got to be careful because his temperament is, you know, has been questioned a lot." Back in New Hampshire at Lindy's an obligatory stop for presidential candidates, payment is cash only, the specials include apple crisp and split pea soup, and decorations include a model of the bus from the 1950s TV show "The Honeymooners." As a longtime Cruz watcher and supporter, Navy retiree Oliver is hoping Cruz can tweak his sometimes divisive message to bring along other Republicans more reticent to embrace him. "I think he can," said Oliver, who has tattoos of a bald eagle and American flag on his forearms. "I think it's built into his campaign to do that. The guy started out in the single digits. As it moves along, he's going to broaden and open it up." But Cruz backer Harry Price, a New Jersey firefighter who drove five hours to see the candidate in New Hampshire, doesn't want his man to give an inch. Bushy mustache draped over his mouth, Price described Cruz as a principled politician who understands how the Washington establishment works and can "blow the whole place up." "I love that," Price said inside the Keene diner. "His message is very clear, very simple, well thought out." But Cheryl Charron, an undecided New Hampshire voter, said she wanted to see more out of Cruz. "He needs to appeal to a broader audience," the 57-year-old Charron said, sitting in a booth at Lindy's as she waited with her college-aged daughter for Cruz to arrive. She praised Cruz as someone who "sticks to his convictions" but said she wasn't sold fully on him just yet. But some of his supporters believe Cruz should stay on message for now, and consider modifying his strategy if he wins the nomination. ___ Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed from Winterset, 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 . A cat named Hemi, who vanished without a trace in 2011 and reappeared just as mysteriously last week, will soon make a jet flight halfway across the country to rejoin the family that never stopped missing him. 'It's pretty crazy,' said Jennifer Connell, who adopted Hemi in 2009 in North Carolina, but now lives in Bismarck, North Dakota. Hemi was a kitten when Jennifer and her Marine husband, Robert, found him curled up on their car's engine block at their home in Havelock near Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station. They weren't going to keep him, but then they fell in love with the gray kitten with an unusual curl at the tips of his ears. His time under the car's hood won him the name Hemi. Hemi, an American Curl mix, has spent the last four years wandering Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Cherry Point, N.C., but thanks to a microchip, his owners have been tracked down to their current home in North Dakota Last week, a woman called the Craven County, North Carolina, animal shelter about a cat that was hanging around her house. Shelter staff found a microchip on Hemi and called the number But when Robert Connell deployed in 2011, and his wife and their two children moved to base housing at Cherry Point, Hemi disappeared. 'He kept looking for my husband and couldn't find him,' Jennifer Connell said. 'And one day, he got out, and we were never able to find him.' She called the shelter daily to see if Hemi turned up, and returned to their old home several times a week to look for the cat. 'He was my husband's cat,' she said. 'And I had to tell him Hemi ran away.' In 2013, Connell left the Marines for a job as a train engineer, and the family moved to Bismarck, still heartbroken about Hemi. Then last week, a woman called the Craven County, North Carolina, animal shelter about a cat that was hanging around her house. Shelter staff found a microchip on Hemi and called the number. Craven County Animal Control Supervisor Trinity Smith cuddles with Hemi in New Bern, North Carolina No one but Hemi knows where he's been since 2011, and Hemi isn't saying 'Are you missing Hemi?' animal control supervisor Trinity Smith recalls asking Jennifer Connell. 'She cried when we called her.' No one but Hemi knows where he's been since 2011, and Hemi isn't saying. The Connells' former baby sitter, who now works for an airline, plans to pick up Hemi on Monday and fly with him on Wednesday, Jan. 27, to Bismarck, Connell said. The family has set up an account to raise money to pay for Hemi's portion of the flight and to reimburse the friend for associated costs. Any extra money will be donated to the Craven County animal shelter, Connell said. In the meantime, a veterinarian will check out Hemi for free and make sure he has a clean bill of health before he flies, Smith said. 'Getting Hemi home is our operation,' Smith said. 'We're happy that we can reunite a much-loved cat with a very deserving family.' As for Robert Connell, 'he's trilled he's getting his cat back,' his wife said. 'He can't believe it.' Kerry set to meet Russian FM amid concerns over Syria talks WASHINGTON (AP) Secretary of State John Kerry is hoping to move aside obstacles that threaten to delay the start of peace talks to end Syria's war, seeking compromise with Russia's foreign minister on which Syrian opposition groups should be eligible to participate. Kerry left Tuesday for Switzerland to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Zurich. After attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kerry will head to Riyadh to discuss the same issue with top Saudi officials. Last weekend he was in Austria sealing the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal with Iran. Russia and Iran, which back Syrian President Bashar Assad, have severe differences with Saudi Arabia, other Arab states, the United States and Europe over which opposition groups should be considered terrorists and not allowed to be part of an 18-month political transition process that the U.N. has endorsed. One dispute is over the groups Ahrar-as-Sham and Jaish al-Islam, which Russia and Syria consider "terrorists" but Saudi Arabia, the United States and others view as legitimate opposition groups. The dispute is threatening to delay the planned Jan. 25 start of U.N.-meditated peace talks. "We're not unmindful of the fact that there still remains differences of opinion, and that this is a complicated process and that there is still quite a bit of work that needs to be done to get the meeting to occur," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday. "But it's our hope that this can continue to move forward, and that we can have this meeting on the 25th." On Monday, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urged countries supporting opposing sides in the Syrian conflict to redouble efforts to reach agreement on the list of eligible opposition groups. Ban's appeal came as the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, briefed the Security Council on his efforts to get the talks started and the leaders of Russia and Qatar met in Moscow to try to narrow their differences. U.N. officials say they remain focused on starting the talks on Jan. 25 as planned, but they say they can't send out invitations until the key countries agree on an opposition list and have hinted at a possible delay. In Washington, U.S. officials echoed those sentiments on Tuesday. One official said the talks had not yet been delayed, but that it was possible they could slip by a week or more. In Moscow, meanwhile, a top Russian diplomat said he hoped the Lavrov-Kerry meeting on Wednesday would produce an agreement on the list. The conflict in Syria, which began nearly five years ago with protests against Assad, has morphed into an all-out war that has killed more than 250,000 people. The push for negotiations to end the conflict has accelerated with an estimated 4 million Syrians fleeing the country, overwhelming its neighbors and heading to Europe and the plight of some 400,000 people trapped in besieged areas where an unknown number have starved to death. Uruguay farmers protest to demand Venezuela payments MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) Hundreds of farmers have taken to the streets in Uruguay to demand their government force payment of debts they say they're owed by Venezuela. The demonstrators say Venezuela now owes about $100 million for shipments made under a deal between the two governments. Protest organizer Marcos Algorta says that if Venezuela won't pay, his own government should do so. Ruben Dario Sanchez, drives his tractor and drinks mate, a traditional South American caffeine-rich infused drink, as he joins a blockade of the main highway, during a dairy producers' protest against the price increases in public services utilities and a demand for the payment of unpaid bills from exports to Venezuela, in Libertad, Uruguay, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. Sanchez is also holding an Uruguayan flag in his hand. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico) Venezuela's economy depends heavily on petroleum and it's been slammed by the sharp fall in world oil prices. The demonstration in the town of Libertad also was meant to demand lower electricity and fuel rates. Dairy producers block a main highway as they protest against the price increases in public services utilities and demanding the payment of unpaid bills from exports to Venezuela, in Libertad, Uruguay, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. The demonstrators blocked most of the main routes in the country as way to pressure the government into listening to their demands. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico) Tunisia clashes over jobs lead to curfew in western city TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) Tunisia has declared a curfew in the western city after clashes between police and more than 1,000 young protesters demonstrating for jobs. The interior ministry says the clashes in Kasserine on Tuesday left 20 protesters injured as well as three police. Tensions have risen in Kasserine since Sunday when an unemployed youth killed himself by scaling an electricity transmission tower to protest his rejection for a government job. Carson campaign volunteer dies after car accident in Iowa OMAHA, Neb. (AP) A volunteer for Ben Carson's presidential campaign died Tuesday after being hospitalized with injuries suffered in a car accident in western Iowa that hurt three other campaign workers. Carson was in South Carolina at the time of the Tuesday morning accident and suspended his campaign events. An official for a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, said the Carson campaign volunteer, 25-year-old Braden Joplin, died late Tuesday afternoon. FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2015 file photo, Republican Presidential candidate, Dr. Ben Carson speaks to the media before a town hall event at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C. A volunteer for Carson's presidential campaign died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, after being hospitalized with injuries suffered in a car accident in western Iowa that hurt three other campaign workers. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt) Campaign spokesman Jason Osborne said the crash occurred when a van carrying three Carson volunteers and a paid staffer flipped onto its side on an icy road and was hit by another vehicle. The others in the van were treated at a hospital in Atlantic, Iowa. Carson posted a picture of himself and Joplin on Twitter Tuesday night, writing: "Rest In Peace Braden Joplin. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family." In a statement released by his campaign, Carson wrote: "One of the precious few joys of campaigning is the privilege of meeting bright young men and women who are so enthusiastic about their country that they will freely give of their time and energy to work on its behalf. America lost one of those bright young men today." Chris Cook, spokesman for Texas Tech University, said the death of Braden Joplin, who attended the university in Lubbock, was a great loss. "The loss of life, especially one of our own, is always tragic. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Braden during this difficult time." Other presidential candidates from both parties, including Republican Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz and Democrat Martin O'Malley, also offered condolences on Twitter. And Democratic contender Bernie Sanders paid tribute at the beginning of a rally in Iowa City, Iowa. Carter: US looking to coalition for more trainers for Iraq PARIS (AP) Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that he wants coalition and other Arab countries to "greatly" increase the number of trainers they provide for Iraqi security forces and police, and said the U.S. will also look at boosting its numbers. Speaking to reporters as he traveled to Paris for a meeting with several, mainly European, defense ministers, Carter said the U.S. is open to doing more when there is an opportunity "to make a difference." "I think we're certainly open to that," Carter said when asked if the U.S. would consider providing more trainers. But he added that other countries can also provide more training so "there's no reason why the United States should do all of that." He said the special commando force that the U.S. deployed to Iraq has not yet started operations, which are expected to include direct action and intelligence gathering missions. The approximately 200 special operations forces have been sent to Iraq to better capitalize on intelligence and put more pressure on the Islamic State. The U.S. has more than 3,300 troops in Iraq. Carter is in Paris to meet with a handful of key coalition countries battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria as they map out plans for the coming year's fight. He and defense leaders from France, Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom will gather Wednesday and Carter has said he won't hesitate to challenge them to do more in the fight. U.S. military leaders believe that the coalition is gaining ground on IS. And they are hoping that the six core nations can reach out to other countries to encourage them to contribute to the operations to capitalize on the progress. While European nations have been heavily involved, the coalition would like to see more direct military contributions both equipment and training from Arab and Asian countries. Arab nations joined the coalition's airstrike campaign early on, but their participation has waned a bit over time, particularly as the fight between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed rebels in Yemen has increased. No Arab country was invited to the meeting, but Carter said he talks with Arab leaders frequently. There also are concerns that IS is winning the propaganda war, and meetings like this are aimed, in part, at eroding that effort and getting out the message that the militants are losing ground. Carter and his defense counterparts are also expected to talk about plans to retake key cities in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. has a plan to help Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces retake Mosul in northern Iraq and to assist the Syrian moderate forces oust Islamic State militants from the group's power center in Raqqa, Syria. The U.S. has already requested special operations forces, fighter jet and reconnaissance aircraft, weapons and munitions, training and other combat support. But the key needs are trainers and surveillance assets, such as drones. Iraqi security forces, which waged a long battle to retake Ramadi, need increased training on niche capabilities, including how to counter improvised explosive devices. While in Paris, Carter also will meet with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The U.S. has been forging a closer military and intelligence relationship with France, particularly in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris last year. Part of the conversation may involve the weekend attack at a hotel in the West Africa nation of Burkina Faso. At least 30 people were killed in the attack, and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility. White House says ex-FBI agent may no longer be in Iran WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. officials believe Robert Levinson may no longer be in Iran, a White House spokesman said Tuesday, vowing that the U.S. would keep up the search for the former FBI agent who disappeared from an Iranian resort nearly nine years ago. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. has received assurance from the Iranian government it would search for Levinson. The commitment came amid broader negotiations over the return of several other Americans detained in Iran. "We're going to hold the Iranians to that commitment," Earnest told reporters at the White House. Christine Levinson, center, wife of Robert Levinson, and her children, Dan and Samantha Levinson, talk to reporters in New York, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. The relatives of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran almost nine years ago, said Monday they're happy for the families of prisoners released from Iranian custody over the weekend but wished government officials had warned them he would not be among them. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Levinson's relatives said Monday they're happy for the families of prisoners released from Iranian custody but wished government officials had warned them he would not be among them. "We had to learn it from the TV ourselves, and that's very disappointing and heartbreaking," said Robert Levinson's wife, Christine. Robert Levinson disappeared from an Iranian resort on March 9, 2007, while in the country on an unauthorized mission for the CIA. It's unclear where he is. Iranian officials have said they don't know, but Levinson's family does not believe them. Earnest did not elaborate on the evidence putting Levinson outside of Iran. He acknowledged that if Levinson is no longer in the country, the Iran's cooperation in the search may be limited use. His son, Dan Levinson, told The Associated Press that it felt like "once again, he's been left behind" and that the US can't give up on bringing his father back. Iran released four American prisoners over the weekend in exchange for the U.S. pardoning or dropping charges against seven Iranians. A fifth American was also released separately. In discussing the release, President Barack Obama said the U.S. would continue working to find Levinson. But when asked by reporters whether Levinson was still alive, Secretary of State John Kerry said, "We have no idea." Levinson's family insists he is still alive, even with health issues including diabetes, gout and high blood pressure. They last got some visual record of him in video and photos that were sent about five years ago. "The people who are working on the case directly, they have told us there is no evidence to suggest my dad is not alive," Dan Levinson said. "We're not going to give up because obviously we're doing everything we can," he said. "We need to make sure his country is doing the same." The family plans to mark Levinson's upcoming birthday, which falls on March 10 the day after the anniversary of his disappearance. It's part of the way they've tried to cope with his absence. Christine Levinson, right, wife of Robert Levinson, and her daughter Samantha Levinson talk to reporters in New York, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. The relatives of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran almost nine years ago, said Monday they're happy for the families of prisoners released from Iranian custody over the weekend but wished government officials had warned them he would not be among them. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Dan Levinson, son of Robert Levinson, talks to reporters in New York, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. The relatives of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran almost nine years ago, said Monday they're happy for the families of prisoners released from Iranian custody over the weekend but wished government officials had warned them he would not be among them. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Christine Levinson, center, wife of Robert Levinson, and her children, Dan and Samantha Levinson, talk to reporters in New York, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. The relatives of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran almost nine years ago, said Monday they're happy for the families of prisoners released from Iranian custody over the weekend but wished government officials had warned them he would not be among them. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Christine Levinson, center, wife of Robert Levinson, and her children, Dan and Samantha Levinson, talk to reporters in New York, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. The relatives of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran almost nine years ago, said Monday they're happy for the families of prisoners released from Iranian custody over the weekend but wished government officials had warned them he would not be among them. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) 2 NC sheriff's deputies shoot, kill man wielding knife STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) North Carolina authorities say two sheriff's deputies shot and killed a man who came at them with a knife after they attempted to serve him an eviction notice. Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell told news media outlets that two deputies were serving the notice on Tuesday in Statesville. Campbell said when they knocked on the door, they saw the man inside brandishing a large knife. The sheriff said the man lunged at the deputies with the knife, and both deputies fired their weapons. NY man indicted on weapons, ammo charges in traffic stop MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) A New York man accused of posing as a federal air marshal after being pulled over with an assault weapon, ammunition and body armor in his car has been charged with weapons possession and other crimes. Investigators say Mark Vicars produced a fake shield and credential when he was stopped on Dec. 3. Prosecutors say he had another 8,300 rounds of ammunition and other weapons in his Syosset (sy-AH'-seht) home. Vicars pleaded not guilty Tuesday to weapons possession, criminal impersonation and other charges. A judge set bail at $750,000 or $500,000 bond. In besieged Syrian city, hungry residents sell gold for food BEIRUT (AP) In Syria's eastern city of Deir el-Zour, supplies are running so short that desperate residents are selling their gold, valuables and even their homes for food or an exit permit allowing them to escape a siege by both government troops and Islamic State militants. The extremists have blockaded government-held areas of the city for over a year, and some of its 200,000 residents are slowly starving while troops and militias supporting President Bashar Assad exploit their suffering. While international attention was focused recently on Madaya a rebel-held town surrounded by pro-Assad troops near the capital of Damascus the United Nations and aid agencies say another catastrophe is unfolding in Deir el-Zour. This picture released on July 13, 2015 by the Rased News Network, a Facebook page affiliated with Islamic State militants, shows Islamic State militants firing weapons during a battle against Syrian government forces, in Deir el-Zour province, Syria. In the besieged eastern city of Deir el-Zour, supplies are running so short that people are selling their gold and other property for food or an exit permit allowing them to escape both the government and Islamic State militants who rule the region of Syria. (Rased News Network via AP) The civil war has transformed a once oil-rich city into a place where even something as simple as making tea is a struggle, according to residents who have fled, because of severe shortages of food, water and fuel. Many people live on bread and water and there are long waits for both. Taps are shut off for days at a time, and the water that flows out for only a few hours is brackish. The city hasn't had electricity for over 10 months, with little fuel available for generators and water pumps. The U.N. warned last week that living conditions have deteriorated significantly in Deir el-Zour. Students are frequently absent from school because of malnutrition. The only remaining civilian hospital needs drugs and other supplies, as well as staff. Unverified reports cited up to 20 malnutrition deaths, the U.N. said in its report. But Ali al-Rahbi, spokesman for the Justice for Life Observatory for Deir el-Zour, said his group documented 27 deaths. The Islamic State group surrounds Deir el-Zour and won't let people and supplies in by land; the Syrian government, which controls part of the city and its airport, won't allow supplies to be brought in by air or let its people out. The city, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) northeast of Damascus, is divided roughly along the Euphrates River, with the Islamic State group on the eastern side and the Syrian government on the western side, although IS controls some territory on the western bank as well. Deir el-Zour is the largest of about 15 besieged communities in Syria, cutting off about 400,000 people from aid. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said both the Syrian government and the rebels are committing war crimes by deliberately starving civilians. Reports of starvation in Madaya prompted an international outcry, and two aid convoys last week delivered humanitarian aid to civilians there. So far, no such aid is forthcoming to Deir el-Zour. The city recently has been the focus of renewed efforts by Islamic State militants to retake it. An offensive over the weekend captured new areas from government forces, killing over 250 troops and civilians, and capturing hundreds. The offensive "is putting thousands of people in the line of fire," said U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. How the city came to be under such a punishing siege from both sides only makes sense in the perverse circumstances of Syria's civil war, now in its fifth year. Deir el-Zour lies near the Iraqi border, deep in Islamic State territory, but the government has been able to defend its military airport on the outskirts, allowing it to maintain its city's fortifications. It also controls four large neighborhoods that are home to many internally displaced people, including women and children. Because the airport is so close to the front line, only helicopters have been able to land there since September, the U.N.'s Haq said. The government troops in the city are regularly reinforced and supported by Russian and Syrian air power. Rather than fight them, the IS militants imposed a blockade in January 2015. Residents say the siege grew worse in March when the government stopped anyone from leaving Deir el-Zour without permission. IS has prevented people from entering government-held areas, but a few months ago, it began allowing people to leave for other IS-held areas, although it subjected them to interrogation and harassment and in some cases, it confiscated their documents. The extremists then closed that window, banning anyone from leaving. Residents say the government has its own reasons for maintaining the siege-within-a-siege and carefully controlling the flow of goods and people through the military airport: The residents have effectively become human shields against an IS attack. In addition, the government can extract money from them by raising the price of food or taking huge bribes in return for permits to leave. Many residents wonder if an IS takeover would bring much-needed supplies of food. "My father told me exactly, 'My beard is long now, and my stomach is empty. Let them (the militants) in if it is going to let food into the city,'" said Karam Alhamad, a Deir el-Zour native who escaped in September but left his parents behind. It took him six months to find someone who could arrange his exit permit. But Haq said that following the IS attacks on Sunday, the U.N. has received credible reports of the "execution and abduction/detention of civilians," including those believed to have been smuggling in food. International organizations have been able to fly in only a limited amount of aid through the military airport, where it passed through government hands before reaching the population, if at all. Any aid typically goes to army officers and their allies, who resell it on the black market, al-Rahbi said by phone from Turkey. "The regime is operating a war economy and allows its officers to control humanitarian aid to the city," he added. Last week, Russia dropped 22 metric tons of relief supplies into Deir el-Zour, but activists said government-affiliated vehicles immediately moved in. Alhamad said security forces collected all the supplies to sell them at the market for the prices they wanted. A resident who identified himself as Bahaa said he lost more than 14 kilograms (33 pounds) during 11 months in the city and escaped in November to Gazientep in southern Turkey weighing only 55 kilograms (121 pounds). "My health now is much better than it was, but I'm still suffering psychologically. A lot," he said by phone. The man, who did not give his real name because he feared for reprisals against relatives left behind, said he paid 250,000 Syrian pounds (over $600) in bribes to receive permission to fly out. It was too expensive to bring his whole family. "We sold our gold" to raise the money for the bribes, he said. "Other families have sold their homes." Bahaa's house is on the IS-held side of the city. When the militants took over, the family fled to the government-held side, where they rented an apartment. "We don't know what has happened to our home," he said. A resident named Mustafa, who also spoke on condition his full name not be revealed for fear of reprisals, said he managed to flee in October to the Islamic State group's de facto capital of Raqqa, then made it to Turkey. From there, he took the perilous sea route to Europe and has resettled in Austria. "I thank God every day that I was able to get out," Mustafa said, adding that his three children fell ill and one began refusing food and drink. "I couldn't bear it any longer. There was no one to help. No doctors, no medicine, no nothing." Mustafa said he sold his apartment "and bribed so many people, I forgot how many." ___ Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. FILE - This picture released on July 13, 2015 by the Rased News Network, a Facebook page affiliated with Islamic State militants, shows an Islamic State militant sniper in position during a battle against Syrian government forces, in Deir el-Zour province, Syria. In the besieged eastern city of Deir el-Zour, supplies are running so short that people are selling their gold and other property for food or an exit permit allowing them to escape both the government and Islamic State militants who rule the region of Syria. (Rased News Network via AP) FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, file photo, a convoy of trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies are seen heading to the besieged town of Madaya, some 24 kilometers in southwest Damascus, Syria, for distribution as part of a large-scale U.N.-sponsored aid operation in the war-ravaged country. In the besieged eastern city of Deir el-Zour, supplies are running so short that people are selling their gold and other property for food or an exit permit allowing them to escape both the government and Islamic State militants who rule the region of Syria. (AP Photo) Calls for boycott over diversity throw Oscars into turmoil NEW YORK (AP) Growing calls for a boycott of the Academy Awards over the lack of diversity among this year's Oscar nominees are forcing stars to choose sides and threatening to throw the movie industry's biggest night of the year into turmoil. The backlash over the second straight year of all-white acting nominees is also putting heavy pressure on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to diversify its overwhelmingly white male membership. The furor grew on Tuesday when the Rev. Al Sharpton said he would lead a campaign encouraging people not to watch the Feb. 28 telecast. On Monday, Spike Lee, this year's Oscar honoree for lifetime achievement, and Jada Pinkett Smith announced they will boycott the ceremony in protest. In a Thursday, June 25, 2015 file photo, Jada Pinkett-Smith arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Magic Mike XXL" at the TCL Chinese Theatre. Calls for a boycott of the Academy Awards are growing over the Oscars second straight year of mostly white nominees, as Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith each said Monday, Jan. 17, 2016, that they will not attend this years ceremony. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP, File) Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who has led efforts to diversify the academy, responded late Monday evening with a forceful statement saying that those previous measures weren't enough. Isaacs, the academy's first African American president, said that "it's time for big changes" and that she will review membership recruiting to bring about "much-need diversity" in the academy's ranks. At a Los Angeles gala honoring Boone Isaacs on Monday night, actor David Oyelowo who was famously snubbed last year for his performance as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in "Selma" expressed frustration with the academy. "This institution doesn't reflect its president and it doesn't reflect this room," Oyelowo said. "I am an academy member and it doesn't reflect me and it doesn't reflect this nation." Other stars began weighing in. George Clooney, in comments to Variety, said that after earlier progress by the industry, "you feel like we're moving in the wrong direction." He noted that movies like "Creed," ''Straight Outta Compton," ''Beasts of No Nation" and "Concussion" may have deserved more attention from the academy. "But honestly, there should be more opportunity than that," Clooney said. "There should be 20 or 30 or 40 films of the quality that people would consider for the Oscars. By the way, we're talking about African Americans. For Hispanics, it's even worse. We need to get better at this. We used to be better at it." A 2012 Los Angeles Times study found that the academy was 94 percent white and 77 percent male. UCLA's latest annual Hollywood Diversity Report concluded that women and minorities are substantially underrepresented in front of and behind the camera, even while audiences show a strong desire for films with diverse casts. Hispanics and African Americans go to the movies more often than whites do. UCLA surveyed film and TV executives and found that 96 percent are white. In his comments Monday, Lee said the Oscars' problems ultimately reside with "the gate keepers" who have the power to green-light projects. Isaacs enlisted Chris Rock, who famously called Hollywood "a white industry" a year ago, as host of this year's ceremony. The backlash all but ensures Rock's opening monologue will, for many, be the most anticipated event of the show. Last year's broadcast, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, was also boycotted by some viewers because of the all-white slate of acting nominees. Ratings dipped to a six-year low for ABC. Some on Tuesday put pressure on Rock to join the boycott. The rapper 50 Cent urged on Instagram: "Chris, please do not do the Oscars awards. You mean a lot man, don't do it." A representative for Rock didn't immediately respond to an email. One person emphatically not on board with the boycott was actress Janet Hubert, who starred with Will Smith on the '90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." In a video posted on Facebook, she lambasted Pinkett Smith for asking actors to jeopardize their career for an insubstantial cause. "There's a lot of s--- going on the world that you all don't seem to recognize," said Hubert. "People are dying. Our boys are being shot left and right. People are starving. People are trying to pay bills. And you're taking about some motherf------ actors and Oscars. It just ain't that deep." Just how much more Boone Isaacs can do to promote diversity at the academy, where membership is for life, remains to be seen. In November, she launched a five-year initiative to encourage more diversity in Hollywood, called A2020. But Boone Isaacs noted there is some precedent for more drastic steps. In the late '60s, for example, academy president Gregory Peck tried to inject more youth by stripping many older members no longer working in the industry of the right to vote. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP In this Monday, Jan. 18, 2016 photo, Comedian Chris Rock speaks during an event celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Riverside Church in New York. Rock, who is scheduled to host the Oscars Feb. 28, has unveiled a new promotion for the broadcast, calling the ceremony "The White BET Awards." (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Manufacturer stands by policy on Muslim prayer breaks MILWAUKEE (AP) An American-Islamic civil liberties group is asking a Wisconsin manufacturer to back away from a policy that doesn't allow an extra break for prayer for Muslim employees. Ariens Co., however, said Tuesday that it can handle the matter internally and that it's not interested in negotiating through the Council for America-Islamic Relations. The friction comes after 53 workers left their jobs in protest after the company decided to enforce a policy of two 10-minute breaks per work shift. The workers, all of whom are of Somali descent, who joined the company last summer through an employment services contractor in Green Bay. Ariens which is based in Brillion, about 90 miles north of Milwaukee initially had allowed the newly hired Muslim employees to leave their work stations a third time to accommodate Muslim prayers. But CEO Dan Ariens said the prayer breaks were disrupting production at the lawn mower and snow blower manufacturer, which employs about 2,000 people, nearly half of them in Brillion. He said the best solution was to schedule break time and "stay within the policy of two, 10-minute breaks." CAIR is asking the company to revert to its previous policy until a resolution can be reached. Jaylani Hussein, of CAIR in Minneapolis, said that the two scheduled break times don't line up with Islamic prayer times, which is why the workers need a third break. He also said that the company accommodates other short breaks, including people stepping away to use the restroom. "It seems like a crackdown on Muslims wherever they are," he said. CAIR also has been involved in discussions with Cargill, one of the largest beef producers in North America, over Muslim prayer accommodations at a meat processing plant in Colorado. The company has recently changed a policy to allow fired workers to reapply for their jobs in 30 days, rather than six months. The prayer policy, however, still hasn't been resolved, CAIR said in a release. Ariens says it has had longstanding religious accommodations for Muslim workers, including a prayer room. Ariens said the two-break policy isn't new and that it was discussed during employee orientation. He said none of the workers have been fired and that he also wants to find a resolution that will allow them all to come back to their jobs without hindering production. He said the employees are valuable and would need to be replaced if they left. Ariens said the company's position is reasonable and legally sound. He said that if the prayer breaks were only five minutes each and his supervisors tell him they're often longer then it would cost the company about $1 million annually. Hussein said if the company maintains its position, he will take the issue to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "The law is clear on this subject: They had been accommodated before," he said, "so it's much more difficult to say they are no longer covered." ___ Sponsor of anti-gay marriage bill is undaunted by $8.5B cost NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Tennessee lawmaker whose bill would bar the state from following the U.S. Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling says he's undeterred by a projected loss of $8.5 billion in federal funds if the Legislature enacts the measure. State Rep. Mark Pody said at a rally at the state Capitol on Tuesday that the proposal he has dubbed the "Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act" is worth any cost and the Lebanon Republican disputed the estimated loss of federal funds. The proposal is scheduled for its first hearing in a House subcommittee on Wednesday afternoon. Pody urged supporters to contact the five members of the panel to persuade them not to kill the bill. State Rep. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, speaks at a rally at the state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in support of his proposal to exclude Tennessee from the U.S. Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling. Pody said he was undeterred by a projected loss of $8.5 billion in federal funds if the Legislature enacts the measure. At left is state Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) State Rep. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, speaks at a rally at the state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in support of his proposal to exclude Tennessee from the U.S. Supreme Courts gay marriage ruling. Pody said he was undeterred by a projected loss of $8.5 billion in federal funds if the Legislature enacts the measure. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) Supporters of a bill seeking to exclude Tennessee from the U.S. Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling attend a rally at the state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. State Rep. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, the Tennessee lawmaker who introduced a bill seeking to bar the state from following the Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling, said he was undeterred by a projected loss of $8.5 billion in federal funds if the Legislature enacts the measure. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) Clinton gets endorsement from largest US gay organization WASHINGTON (AP) Democrat Hillary Clinton's received an endorsement Tuesday for her White House bid by the largest U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. But the campaign of her main rival, Bernie Sanders, disputed the group's decision, pointing to the senator's record on gay rights. The Human Rights Campaign announced its endorsement for the Democratic front-runner, which she is expected to accept at an event in Iowa next Sunday ahead of the state's leadoff Feb. 1 caucus, the start of a process to choose its delegates for the presidential nominating convention. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, right, poses for a photograph after speaking at a town hall at the Toledo Civic Center in Toledo, Iowa, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) The organization's board of directors, comprised of 32 community leaders nationwide, voted to endorse Clinton, the group said in a statement outlining plans to mobilize its 1.5 million members on her behalf and get them to vote. "Too many LGBT Americans still face discrimination in employment, in housing, in education, in health care because of who they are or who they love," Clinton said in a statement Tuesday. "The stakes in this election couldn't be higher." Clinton's views on gay marriage have evolved over time. She opposed gay marriage as first lady, New York senator and as a 2008 presidential candidate but backed it in 2013 after leaving the State Department. She has maintained strong political ties to members of the gay community, who point to her record on gay rights as secretary of state. Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said the Human Rights Campaign endorsement had to have been "based on something other than the facts and the record. No candidate for president has ever had a better record on gay rights than Bernie." He noted Sanders had voted against the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 and supported by Hillary Clinton at the time. Following the Supreme Court's ruling last year legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, many in the LGBT community have feared the decision could be reversed if a conservative president is elected. "All the progress we have made as a nation on LGBT equality and all the progress we have yet to make is at stake in November," said Chad Griffin, president of Human Rights Campaign. ___ Brazil may negotiate settlement with mining company SAO PAULO (AP) Brazil's solicitor general says authorities may negotiate a settlement with the company involved in two dam collapses at an iron ore mine that unleashed a wave of mud that killed 17 people. Solicitor General Luis Inacio Adams told reporters the government would seek 20 billion reals ($5billion) in damages from mining company Samarco, which is co-owned by Brazil's Vale and BHP Billiton of Australia. He made his remarks Monday night. The negotiations will address social, environmental and economic problems caused by the bursts, the attorney-general said. Amnesty International calls for Argentine activist's release BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) Amnesty International is asking authorities to release activist Milagro Sala even as the government of the province where she is held has expanded the case against her. Sala is the head of Argentina's Tupac Amaru social movement and won a seat last year on the regional parliament of the Mercosur group of South American nations. The international rights organization says Sala was arrested Saturday and accused of "inciting criminal acts and riots" in connection with a protest she led against authorities. The Jujuy province government on Tuesday broadened the claims against her, saying her movement had "embezzled in public funds." A woman holds a sign that reads in Spanish "freedom to Milagro," during a demonstration at Plaza de Mayo square in support of Milagro Sala in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Sala, the leader of a social movement aligned with the former government of Cristina Fernandez in Jujuy province, has been under arrest since Jan. 16 for incitement to commit crimes and public disturbance," according to the prosecutor. Critics say Sala is a political prisoner put behind bars for mobilizing against the local government. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano) Sala has denied the accusations. Amnesty International said Tuesday that Sala's detention violates the right to demonstrate in Argentina. Activists sing the Argentine national anthem during a demonstration at Plaza de Mayo square in support of Milagro Sala in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Sala, the leader of a social movement aligned with the former government of Cristina Fernandez in Jujuy province, has been under arrest since Jan. 16 for incitement to commit crimes and public disturbance," according to the prosecutor. Critics say Sala is a political prisoner put behind bars for mobilizing against the local government.(AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano) A $1,600 Yorkshire terrier that was stolen from a Florida pet store and traded for crack cocaine has been found safe. Largo police said video surveillance at the store All About Puppies captured a man stuffing the 9-week-old puppy down his sweater and leaving on January 12. A tip led detectives to 38-year-old Wayne Junior Barfield, who was arrested last Friday and charged with grand theft, failure to appear on a charge of no valid drivers license, and resisting an officer without violence. Doggone! Wayne Junior Barfield (left) has been charged with grand theft for allegedly swiping a $1,600 Yorkshire terrier puppy (right) from a Florida pet store and trading it for crack Puppy heist: The pooch was stolen on January 12 from All About Puppies, a popular pet store in St Petersburg, Florida Say, 'Cheese'! A surveillance camera caught the alleged dog-napper stuffing the tiny 2-pound pooch down his sweater and walking away A press release put out by law enforcement says Barfield traded the 2-pound pooch for crack and cash at a shopping plaza in St. Petersburg. When questioned by police about the dog's whereabouts, Barfield reportedly admitted to giving it to someone, but he would not tell them who that person was. Luckily for the owners of All About Puppies, the Yorkie was micro-chipped. On Wednesday morning, they got a call from an animal hospital in St Petersburg saying the pooch has been found. Bridget Royal, a manager at the pet store, told Tampa Bay Times the tiny Yorkie is sick, but she is expected to recover. Royal said that a couple had purchased the stolen pup at some point over the past week, but on Saturday she fell ill and her new owners took her to the St Petersburg veterinary clinic for treatment. A staffer at the hospital recognized the Yorkie from news reports and checked her microchip number, which returned a match. Royal recalled that on the day of the dog's abduction, Wayne Barfield came by the store and was asking about the pooch. Furry find: More than a week after the theft, the Yorkie turned up at a veterinary clinic. A couple who had bought the pet took her in for treatment after she got sick The manager answered his questions and moved on to another customer, after which Barfield left. A short time later, store employees noticed that the pricey pooch was nowhere to be found. All About Puppies was offering a $1,000 reward for the Yorkie's safe return. Barfield was being held on more than $5,300 bail. Conservation groups demand end to refuge occupation PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) With the armed takeover of a national wildlife refuge in southeastern Oregon in its third week, Ammon Bundy and his group are still trying to muster up broad community support so far without much luck. Bundy has drawn a lot of attention to the dissatisfaction of ranchers and local townsfolk with federal land-use policies in the West. But the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has also begun to result in pushback from others who use public lands birders, hunters and hikers, among others. Here are some things to know about how conservation groups are trying to rally public pressure on Bundy to leave, and what Bundy is doing to try to win more sympathizers. Demonstrators, including environmentalists, bird watchers and sportsmen, gather in front the Statehouse to protest against the recent occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon by group of armed activists, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in Boise, Idaho. More than 100 protesters gathered calling for the arrest and prosecution of the group for taking over public land. (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi) GROWING PUSHBACK AGAINST THE OCCUPATION On Tuesday, several hundred people rallied in Portland about 300 miles north of the remote refuge in southeastern Oregon to demand Bundy end the occupation and to point out that federal management makes it possible for all kinds of people to enjoy public lands. Protesters chanted "Birds, Not Bullies," a reference to the Malheur refuge's creation in 1908 as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds. The rally was organized by Oregon Wild, Portland Audubon and the Center for Biological Diversity. "This occupation represents a threat to public lands," said Bob Sallinger with the Audubon Society. "These are not political statements. These are crimes." In Boise, more than 100 people attended a similar protest Tuesday in front of the Idaho Capitol. Ann Finley, a member of the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, said that the refuge is a special place. "I love our free lands, and we're out here today stepping out and saying those lands should remain public," Finley said. Conservation groups have also shown up at the refuge itself to demand that Bundy and his followers leave, and last weekend got into a shouting match with Bundy's group. BUNDY'S COMMUNITY OUTREACH Bundy has had trouble winning many friends who aren't militants, or even finding a place where he could spell out his views to people living near the refuge. His plans to hold a community meeting at the local fairground tanked when Harney County said he couldn't hold it there. Still, Bundy isn't giving up. On Monday night, Bundy held a meeting at a hot springs resort near Crane, Oregon, where he tried to persuade 30 or so ranchers to stop paying the federal government to graze their cattle on public lands. It does not appear he persuaded many to follow his advice. WILL PUSHBACK BY CONSERVATION GROUPS HAVE ANY IMPACT? Bundy's most fervent supporters those holed up inside headquarters of the wildlife refuge continue to be militants from outside Oregon. Bundy has demanded federal lands in Harney County be handed over to locals. While many local residents want Bundy and his group to leave, they also back his views on federal land policies. Bundy's game plan may be to continue to try to win local support and to draw as much attention as possible to his complaints against the federal government. The small, armed group Bundy leads has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands. Bundy has repeatedly told reporters 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. At a Tuesday news conference, Bundy said "we're not going anywhere" until his group gets its goals accomplished. WHAT'S LAW ENFORCEMENT DOING ABOUT THIS? The situation at the refuge is being carefully monitored by FBI agents sent to the area, by Oregon State Police and by the local sheriff. Last week, the first arrest related to the occupation came when a militant driving a vehicle belonging to the refuge drove 30 miles into Burns to buy groceries. He was arrested on probable cause for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Bundy's group has been using federal vehicles on the refuge. If they drive them off the refuge, they can probably count on being arrested. ___ AP reporters Gosia Wozniacka in Portland and Kimberlee Kruesi in Boise contributed to this report. Gene Bray shows off his bullhorn in front the Statehouse during a protest against the recent occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon by group of armed activists, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in Boise, Idaho. More than 100 protesters, including environmentalists, bird watchers and sportsmen gathered calling for the arrest and prosecution for taking over public land. (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi) Demonstrators, including environmentalists, bird watchers and sportsmen, gather in front the Statehouse to protest against the recent occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon by group of armed activists, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in Boise, Idaho. More than 100 protesters gathered calling for the arrest and prosecution of the group for taking over public land. (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi) Gene Bray, left, shows off his bullhorn in front the Statehouse during a protest against the recent occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon by group of armed activists, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in Boise, Idaho. More than 100 protesters, including environmentalists, bird watchers and sportsmen gathered calling for the arrest and prosecution for taking over public land. (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi) Residents protest the occupation of a national refuge Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 in southeastern Oregon. The protesters chanted "Birds not Bullies" and said the government should arrest occupiers. (AP Photo/Gosia Wozniacka) Residents protest the occupation of a national refuge Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 in southeastern Oregon. The protesters chanted "Birds not Bullies" and said the government should arrest occupiers. (AP Photo/Gosia Wozniacka) Residents protest the occupation of a national refuge Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 in southeastern Oregon. The protesters chanted "Birds not Bullies" and said the government should arrest occupiers. (AP Photo/Gosia Wozniacka) Portland, Ore., residents protest the occupation of a national refuge, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 in southeastern Oregon. The protesters chanted "Birds not Bullies" and said the government should arrest occupiers. (AP Photo/Gosia Wozniacka) This photo taken on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 in Portland, Oregon, shows a sign held at a rally protesting the occupation of a national refuge in southeastern Oregon. The protesters chanted "Birds not Bullies" and said the government should arrest occupiers. (AP Photo/Gosia Wozniacka) As the world struggles to contain the spread of the 'brain-shrinking' Zika virus, and scientists work on a vaccine, a British biotech firm has suggested an alternative way to curb the disease. Oxitech has been genetically modifying mosquitoes in its lab in Oxford that have been engineered in such a way that means their offspring die before reaching maturity. Scientists are now planning to release these bugs in Brazil, and potentially other problem areas, in the hope that if the males breed with enough females, the populations will, in theory, be wiped out. Oxitech has been genetically modifying mosquitoes in its lab in Oxford that have been engineered in such a way that means their offspring die before reaching maturity. Scientists are now planning to release these bugs in Brazil in the hope that if the males breed with enough females, the populations will, in theory, be wiped out Brazil is the latest country to approve the use of these engineered bugs. The South American nation has been scrambling to contain the spread of Zika, which has been linked to a recent surge in birth defects including microcephaly - a rare condition in which newborns have smaller than normal heads and their brains do not develop properly. In a statement, Oxitec said tests that began in April 2015 have shown that the release of genetically modified sterile male mosquitoes succeeded in reducing a variety of disease-transmitting mosquito larvae by 82 per cent by year's end in a neighborhood of the city of Piracicaba. Piracicaba's city health department confirmed the tests and results. In a statement, Oxitec said tests that began in April 2015 have shown that the release of genetically modified sterile male mosquitoes succeeded in reducing a variety of disease-transmitting mosquito larvae by 82% by year's end in the city of Piracicaba. Piracicaba's city health department confirmed the tests and results The Zika virus was first discovered in a monkey in Uganda in 1947 - its name comes from the forest where it was first discovered. The World Health Organisation said Zika is rapidly spreading in the Americas because it is new to the region, people aren't immune to it, and the mosquito that carries it is just about everywhere The Aedes aegypti mosquito (pictured) is responsible for spreading Zika. It also transmits dengue fever and chikungunya. The genetically modified, male mosquitoes themselves don't spread disease because only the females bite THE GENETICALLY MODIFIED SOLUTION TO THE ZIKA VIRUS The GM mosquito was created by Oxford-based firm Oxitec. The Oxitec insect can be used to control the Zika mosquito, Aedes aegypti and is a strain of the wild species that contains two additional genes. The Oxitec males, which can't bite, are released to seek out and mate with the wild females. Their offspring inherit the additional genes and die before becoming functional adults. They also inherit a marker that is visible under a special light, making monitoring in the field simple and helping ensure that dengue mosquito control programmes succeed. In several trials, successive releases of the Oxitec males have been shown to reduce substantially the wild population of dengue mosquitoes in the treated area. Advertisement The Aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for spreading Zika. It also transmits dengue fever and chikungunya. The genetically modified, male mosquitoes themselves don't spread disease because only the females bite. Joseph Conlon, a technical adviser for the American Mosquito Control Association, called the results 'novel and potentially efficacious.' Conlon said the procedure is not 100 per cent effective, but if it is allowed to proceed to full measure, it will 'reduce the mosquito population below disease transmission levels with minimal effect on the environment.' He added that the Aedes aegypti 'are notoriously difficult to control by conventional spray methods such as truck or aerial sprays.' The Brazilian army has been helping in efforts to control the mosquito population by eliminating standing water. Most of the 3,530 babies the Health Ministry said have been born with microcephaly in the country since October have been concentrated in the country's poorest regions, such as the northeast. But worries about Zika have prompted residents in wealthier cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to stock up on mosquito repellent. Fewer than 150 cases of microcephaly were seen in all of 2014. In Brazil, there has been mounting evidence linking Zika infection in pregnant women to a rare birth defect called microcephaly, in which a newborn's head is smaller than normal (spictured) and the brain may not have developed properly. Brazilian officials noticed a spike in cases of microcephaly in tandem with the outbreak But what exactly is Zika and what are the risks of travelling to the affected area? Here, we reveal everything you need to know about the virus... WHAT IS ZIKA? The Zika (ZEE'-ka) virus was first discovered in a monkey in Uganda in 1947 - its name comes from the Zika forest where it was first discovered. It is native mainly to tropical Africa, with outbreaks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. It appeared in Brazil last year and has since been seen in many Latin American countries and Caribbean islands. HOW IS IT SPREAD? It is transmitted through bites from the same kind of mosquitoes that can spread other tropical diseases, like dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. It is not known to spread from person to person. Investigators, though, are exploring the possibility that the virus can be passed on through sex - it was found in one man's semen in Tahiti and there's been another report of possible spread of the virus through sex. An Aedes Aegypti mosquito on human skin in a lab in Cali, Colombia. Scientists there are studying the genetics and biology of this mosquito, which transmits the Zika virus The World Health Organisation says Zika is rapidly spreading in the Americas because it is new to the region and people are not immune to it. Furthermore, the Aedes aegypti mosquito (pictured) that carries it is just extremely widespread The World Health Organisation says Zika is rapidly spreading in the Americas because it is new to the region, people aren't immune to it, and the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries it is just about everywhere - including along the southern United States. Canada and Chile are the only places without this mosquito. ARE THERE SYMPTOMS? Experts think most people infected with Zika virus don't get sick. And those that do usually develop mild symptoms - fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes - which usually last no more than a week. There is no specific medicine and there hasn't been a vaccine developed for it, which is the case for some other tropical illnesses that cause periodic outbreaks. GLAXO CONSIDERING USING VACCINE TECHNOLOGY FOR ZIKA GlaxoSmithKline Plc is concluding feasibility studies evaluating whether its vaccine technology is suitable for the Zika virus, a spokeswoman has confirmed. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which typically causes mild fevers and rashes, although about 80 percent of those infected show no symptoms. 'We're concluding our feasibility studies as quickly as we can to see if our vaccine technology platforms might be suitable for working on Zika,' a Glaxo spokeswoman said in an email. She declined to provide details but added that vaccine development typically takes 10 to 15 years. Advertisement WHY IS IT A CONCERN NOW? In Brazil, there has been mounting evidence linking Zika infection in pregnant women to a rare birth defect called microcephaly, in which a newborn's head is smaller than normal and the brain may not have developed properly. Brazilian health officials last October noticed a spike in cases of microcephaly in tandem with the Zika outbreak. The connection to Zika is still being investigated, and officials note there are many causes of the condition. Nearly 4,000 cases have been recorded. Meanwhile, doctors have noted increased reports of a nerve condition called Guillain-Barre that can cause paralysis. But the link to the Zika virus is not clear; other infections can spark the problem, including dengue fever. CAN THE SPREAD BE STOPPED? Individuals can protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellents, and wearing long sleeves and long pants - especially during daylight, when the mosquitoes tend to be most active, health officials say. Eliminating breeding spots and controlling mosquito populations can help prevent the spread of the virus. HAVE THERE BEEN CASES IN THE US? Yes, but in tourists. Since 2007 there have been more than two dozen cases diagnosed in the US all travellers who are believed to have caught it overseas. (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have each had a recent case that didn't involve a traveler.) There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which typically causes mild fevers and rashes, although about 80 per cent of those infected show no symptoms 21 COUNTRIES THAT ARE AFFECTED The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued initial travel warnings to pregnant women last week, adding eight more places to the list on Friday. The warnings now extend to: Central and South America: Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela Caribbean: Barbados, Saint Martin, Haiti, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe Oceania: Samoa Africa: Cape Verde Advertisement The kind of mosquito that spreads Zika is found along the southern states, so experts think it's likely the pests may end up spreading the virus there. But officials also have said Zika infections probably won't be a big problem in the US for a number of reasons, including the more common use of air conditioning and door and window screens. Recent U.S. outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya - carried by the same mosquito - suggest any Zika outbreaks may be relatively small, said Dr. Lyle Petersen of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WHAT ARE THE TRAVEL ADVISORIES? US health officials recommend that pregnant women should consider postponing trips to 22 destinations. Latin America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela. In the Caribbean: Barbados, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Martin and Puerto Rico. Also, Cape Verde, off the coast of western Africa; and Samoa in the South Pacific. In Brazil, most of the mothers who had babies with microcephaly were apparently infected during the first trimester, but there is some evidence the birth defect can occur later in the pregnancy, CDC officials say. Questions remain as Baltimore police roll out body cameras BALTIMORE (AP) As the Baltimore Police Department prepares to equip 3,000 officers with body-worn cameras amid increasing scrutiny of police interactions with the public, questions remain about how the footage will be handled and who will have access to it. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Kevin Davis announced Tuesday that officers soon will be outfitted with Taser International's Axon body cameras, one of three types of cameras tested during a two-month pilot program that began in October and involved 155 officers from three districts. Davis said officers rated the cameras they tested and shared overwhelmingly positive feedback with supervisors about their experiences. Officers gave the Taser camera the highest scores in terms of usability, he said, adding that officers gave "zero" negative feedback about the value of the body camera program, which will require officers to record interactions with civilians after announcing that they're filming. Officers will be responsible for turning on their cameras when they respond to a scene and are permitted to turn off the camera at the request of civilians they're interacting with. Davis said the officers involved in the pilot program found that the presence of the camera helped defuse tense situations that otherwise could have escalated. "The interactions are less confrontational when everyone realizes and when I say everyone, I'm including the cops in this when there's a camera on the scene," Davis said Tuesday. "It makes our interactions with each other that much better. And police officers say they're really happy that it reveals the entire story." But as departments strive for transparency amid proliferation of citizen-shot video footage, much is still unknown about Baltimore's body camera program. Earlier this month, Davis announced that the department intends to open to the public administrative hearings for officers accused of misconduct by broadcasting the meetings via a closed-circuit video feed to a secure room inside police headquarters where members of the public can observe the proceedings. But Davis said Tuesday the department, the eighth largest in the nation, has not yet solidified a system of how the body camera footage will be reviewed and released to the public. Whether such footage will be subject to the Maryland Public Information Act is unclear. "It's like building an airplane in midair, because it's so new to our profession," Davis said. "We do want to get it right, we do want to comply with the law, but we also want to be thoughtful and careful along the way." Davis added that the department will keep any videos involved in investigations for four years. "We want to ensure there is supervisory access. We want to ensure that internal affairs has access. We want to ensure that our partners in the state's attorney's office has access to cases that land on their desk. We're working out the access." The price proposal from Taser will be unsealed at a Board of Estimates meeting Wednesday. The exact amount that will be allocated for the program will likely be negotiated. Taser provides body cameras for 95 percent of the country's departments that use them, including Los Angeles, Cleveland and Forth Worth, according to the firm's website. Duckworth to challenge Kirk on national security issues CHICAGO (AP) Fighting to hold on to his political career, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk turned a recent Republican luncheon into a crash course on the Islamic State group, complete with a map of Syria he brought with him to western Illinois. He pointed out Russian maneuvers and ISIS territory, called for more U.S. air strikes and touted his efforts to keep extremists from entering the U.S. as refugees. "I want you to send a national security hawk to the Senate," the former Navy intelligence officer told the crowd. Like other Republicans up for election nationwide, Kirk is making national security a prime focus of his bid for a second term. It's a strategy that has historically worked well for the GOP, particularly at times when voters are on edge about the country's safety, as many are now. FILE - In this June 9, 2014 file photo, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk R-Ill., speaks in his office in Chicago. Kirk is making national security a prime focus of his bid for a second term. Its a strategy that has historically worked well for the GOP, particularly at times when voters are on edge about the countrys safety, as many are now. He faces Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth in the November election. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File) But Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth could flip the script if the two candidates face off, as expected, in November. A former Army helicopter pilot, Duckworth lost both legs when the Blackhawk she was co-piloting was shot down in Iraq in 2004. She later was awarded the Purple Heart. Democrats nationally see Duckworth as one of their best chances to win a seat this fall in the U.S. Senate, where the party needs to pick up four seats to regain control if a Democrat wins the race for president. Duckworth not only neutralizes Kirk on national security issues, they say, she one-ups him. "We're eager to have this debate," said Duckworth spokesman Matt McGrath, adding that Kirk has been wrong on critical foreign policy and national security questions, "often with disastrous results." Kirk campaign manager Kevin Artl said the former congressman is proud of his record, from his 23-year career with the Navy to his work in the U.S. House and Senate, where he's been one of the staunchest opponents of Iran. "Sen. Kirk has demonstrated his leadership on national security," Artl said. "It creates a critical debate on who has the right vision and strategy for this unique time that we're in." Kirk and Duckworth are considered the heavy favorites to win their respective primaries, due to both strong name recognition and substantial fundraising advantages. Duckworth faces state Sen. Napoleon Harris, who played seven seasons in the NFL, and former federal prosecutor and Chicago Urban League CEO Andrea Zopp in the March 15 Democratic primary. Businessman James Marter, who says he's more conservative than Kirk, is challenging him for the GOP nomination. Voter Mike Bigger, a Republican who helped organize the Kirk event in the 6,000-resident Stark County, called Duckworth a "war hero" and predicted she'll be a formidable candidate. But he said on issues such as admitting Syrian refugees, he feels more comfortable with Kirk. "There's just so much going on and it's such a volatile world," Bigger said. "Even in the small rural areas like Stark County, people are very mindful of that." While Kirk has looked more like a Democrat on many issues he opposed a GOP effort to defund Planned Parenthood and has been honored by the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence there are clear differences between the two candidates on national security issues, including how to handle the refugee crisis. Kirk has called for a "pause" in admitting Syrian refugees until the administration "can guarantee with 100 percent assurance" they aren't ISIS members or sympathizers. He wants the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to certify an individual poses no threat to the U.S., hasn't posted pro-terrorist messages on social media and hasn't helped any terrorist organization before they could enter the country. Duckworth, meanwhile, has called for accepting 200,000 refugees, including 100,000 from Syria far more than the number supported by President Obama. Kirk has called her position extreme, even compared with other Democrats. At the recent lunch presentation, he said it was the equivalent of giving ISIS an "air force" to invade the U.S. Duckworth says it's Kirk who's putting the country at risk by using rhetoric that will lead more Syrians to become radicalized against the U.S., and that the vast majority of refugees are fleeing ISIS. "ISIS is a real threat. They must be destroyed and we need to commit to destroying them," she said. "We need to make sure that in responding to ISIS and standing with our allies that we also make sure we look out for the best interests of the human condition." This story has been corrected to show that Duckworth has called for admitting 200,000 refugees, including 100,000 from Syria, not 200,000 Syrian refugees. Follow Sara Burnett on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sara_burnett Bereaved mothers urge PM to stop 'vicious' legal claims against British troops The mothers of four soldiers killed in action have urged David Cameron to put a stop to "vicious" legal claims against British troops. Members of the armed forces are being "thrown to the wolves", the bereaved women said, describing the lawsuits as "outrageous" and "ridiculous". In a letter addressed directly to the Prime Minister and published in The Sun newspaper, they called for a halt to what they said was an "immoral witch hunt". Sergeant Gareth Thursby died in 2012 after being shot by a rogue Afghan policeman It emerged earlier this month that Iraq War veterans could face prosecution for crimes including murder, as Britain's six-year military mission there is probed. The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat), a Government-established criminal investigation into murder, abuse and torture claims, had a workload of 1,515 possible victims by September, of whom 280 are alleged to have been unlawfully killed. Carol Valentine, Helen Perry, Hazel Hunt and Caroline Whitaker all lost their sons - aged between 21 and 29 - during the conflict in Afghanistan. The women said their sons died bravely serving their country, but added that they were now shocked to see other soldiers being subjected to legal action for doing the same. In the letter, they say: "The lawyers are trying to use Human Rights loopholes to persecute our own soldiers, but where are the human rights of our troops? We believe it is your job, Prime Minister, to defend their honour and protect them by ceasing these vicious legal actions." They claim lawsuits now could affect troops on the front line who have to make split-second decisions, and described morale in what they said was once the "finest military organisation in the world" as being at an all-time low. They said they would go so far as to say their sons may have died in vain, and would advise young people not to sign up to join the forces "because they are treated so shoddily". Ms Whitaker's son Sergeant Gareth Thursby died in 2012 after being shot by a rogue Afghan policeman in Helmand Province alongside his 18-year-old comrade Thomas Wroe. She said that, while she had been devastated by her son's murder, she had not pursued his killer. She asked: "How can we support sending our troops anywhere when we are bombarded with reports of immoral lawyers seeking to exploit the perils of war by turning on those who protect our country? "Do you see us asking David Cameron or lawyers to take out a prosecution against the Afghan Police for murdering my son and his comrade?" The letter calls on Mr Cameron to "do the right thing". It says: "Show us you care by stopping these persecutions because to honour the fallen, you have to support the living." A British Army sniper is reportedly being investigated by Ihat over the shooting of an Iraqi about to fire a grenade at a base. The Sun claimed the soldier's actions were being probed because he did not shout a warning before opening fire. Child radicalisation methods 'similar to sexual grooming' Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has likened methods used by extremists to radicalise British schoolchildren to sexual grooming. Speaking at the launch of a new website designed to offer information and support to families and schools of pupils vulnerable to extremism, she said the threat posed by radicalisation was unlike "any we have faced before". Ms Morgan added that terrorist organisations often target "less resilient" children in the same way paedophiles do. Nicky Morgan said the move is part of a new raft of measures aimed at keeping children safe from 'the spell of twisted ideologies' She said: "Schools worry about the welfare and safety of children day in and day out, whether it's sexual exploitation, drugs, online abuse. "Some children can be generally less resilient to these sorts of pressures because of things like self-esteem and confidence issues." The website, Educate Against Hate, is part of a new raft of measures aimed at helping those looking after young people to recognise and deal with signs that the children in their care are being targeted by extremist groups. Ms Morgan launched the site, which has pages specifically dedicated to teachers and family members, during an event on Tuesday morning at Bethnal Green Academy in east London. The school has recently been a centre of concern about the issue after the disappearance of female pupils Shamima Begum, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, who were feared to have travelled to Syria last year. Speaking at the event, Peter Wanless, CEO of the child protection charity NSPCC, also highlighted that the radicalisation of children is a "real issue" that school staff are "grappling with, and that extremists who try to recruit vulnerable children use the "tried and tested techniques" often used by criminals for sexual exploitation. Ms Morgan said: "We are dealing with an enemy determined to take away our future by targeting our next generation. They are putting poison in the minds and hatred in the hearts of our most vulnerable young people." She emphasised the role of education and said that it was crucial to allow open debate rather than shielding children from differing world views. She said: "Teachers need to continue to do what they do every day to broaden horizons and ensure young people leave school well-rounded. They need to have the tools and arguments needed to challenge extremism. "We must not wrap them in cotton wool and hide them from the views that we feel are wrong. It is not about shutting down debate but reinvigorating it, while we root out those seeking to peddle extremism." The website will be continuously updated to provide the most current information and links to further support services. It has been developed with specialist contributions from a number of charities, including the NSPCC and Childnet. Last month, it was revealed that schools are to be told to set filters and monitor pupils' internet access, amid growing concerns that some youngsters are at risk of being targeted by extremist groups, as well as a number of high-profile cases involving schoolchildren travelling, or attempting to travel, to Syria. On top of this, Ms Morgan said Educate Against Hate will provide an "invaluable" resource and encouraged schools to use it in parents' evenings to "remind" some parents of the consequences of radicalisation, and how to spot "warning signs". As well as the website, the Department for Education will introduce stronger powers for Ofsted to investigate and prosecute unregistered, illegal schools. Tributes pour in after Eagles star Glenn Frey dies aged 67 Tributes have been paid to Eagles frontman Glenn Frey after he died at the age of 67. He died in New York from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, colitis and pneumonia, the band announced on Monday. Frey and bandmate Don Henley became one of history's most successful songwriting teams with such hits as Hotel California and Life In The Fast Lane. Eagles singer-songwriter Glenn Frey, who has died aged 67 (AP) The duo formed the Eagles in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, together with guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner. "Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community and millions of fans worldwide," a statement on the band's website said. Sir Elton John said he was "in shock" and told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I didn't know he was sick. "I found out on the way here that he died and it's, you know, I don't know what's going on at the moment. It's not good." Tributes poured in on social media, with One Direction star Niall Horan tweeting lyrics from the band's single No More Cloudy Days. He posted: "These cloudy days, make you wanna cry. It breaks your heart when someone leaves and you don't know why." Comedian and actor Steve Martin wrote: "MT: Shocker. My friend from the early days, and important member of Eagles, has died. We loved you, Glenn Frey." Henley said crossing paths with Frey in 1970 "changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet". The Eagles Greatest Hits collection and Hotel California sold more than 20 million copies each and are among the best-selling albums of modern times. The band's total album sales top 100 million. The band broke up in 1980, with Frey and Henley also becoming estranged for years. Henley had vowed the Eagles would reunite only when "hell freezes over", which became the name of the 1994 album when they re-formed. 1,000 charge per non-EU skilled migrant worker proposed Companies would be forced to pay an annual charge of 1,000 for every skilled worker they employ from outside Europe under proposals from the Government's official migration advisers. Ministers were urged to raise the minimum salary threshold from 20,800 a year to 30,000 for the main route used by non-EU migrants coming to Britain for work. In another significant finding, a major report by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) suggested that any undercutting of domestic employees by staff arriving under the Tier 2 skilled worker scheme is "largely confined" to the public sector. The study claimed that the money raised could to towards skills training for British workers It also called for rules on transfers within companies to be tightened amid indications the route was being used to bring over migrants to service third-party contracts rather than highly specialised senior personnel. The MAC was asked to investigate possible changes to Tier 2 visa requirements for skilled employees from outside the European Economic Area last year to address concerns about the rising number of migrants in the route and the reliance on them to fill shortages in the labour market. When applicants' family members and all avenues of the system are included, experts say the route accounts for an in-flow of 151,000 people to Britain a year. Indications suggest that raising salary thresholds would mean 27,600 fewer individuals would come to the country, or around 18% of the total, and this would be higher if the levy proposal is accepted, the MAC estimated, although it said it was impossible to be definitive because the impact will depend on how firms respond. The committee said it "strongly" supports the introduction of an Immigration Skills Charge, arguing an upfront annual levy of 1,000 per Tier 2 migrant could provide 250 million for skills funding each year. Professor Sir David Metcalf, chairman of the MAC, said: "Raising the cost of employing skilled migrants via higher pay thresholds, and the introduction of an Immigration Skills Charge, should lead to greater investment in UK employees and reduce the use of migrant labour." Under Tier 2, skilled workers must currently have a job with an annual salary of at least 20,800. The MAC said that raising this to 30,000 would better represent the current degree-level skill requirement for Tier 2. The report also examined how salaries paid to non-EU skilled staff compare with the UK workforce and found that generally Tier 2 migrants were paid more, supporting the view that those in the route bring "scarce skills". However, it said some occupations in which Tier 2 migrants are paid substantially less than native workers in similar roles and these were "predominantly" in public sector occupations. It estimated that on average, Tier 2 doctors and nurses are paid 6,000 less a year than their native peers, while secondary school teachers earn 2,000 less annually. The report said: "If any undercutting is taking place under Tier 2, it appears to be largely confined to the public sector." It also called for an overhaul of the intra-company transfer route which allows multinational companies to move key personnel from overseas branches to the UK for temporary periods. The conventional use of the route, where small numbers of highly skilled specialist staff are brought to Britain, delivers "significant benefits" but it was also increasingly being used for third-party contracts, particularly in the IT sector, the report found. Indian IT workers were said to comprise more than 90% of such migrants. The MAC said third-party contracting should become a separate route, with the salary threshold raised from 24,800 to 41,500 to act as an "effective proxy" for senior managers and specialists. It also recommended extending the qualifying period to be eligible for intra-company transfers from 12 months to 2 years. The Institute of Directors urged the government to reject the proposals, saying they will "hurt thousands of individual firms". Director General Simon Walker added: "T his will send a message around the world that the UK is no longer open to international talent." People with Alzheimers disease are helping with a ground-breaking government-funded trial but with new sites recently opened in the South West more people are being asked to take part in the study led by academics from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Queens University Belfast and University College London, and hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust. The research study, known as RADAR (Reducing pathology in Alzheimers Disease through Angiotensin taRgeting) is investigating if a drug normally used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) has additional properties that could slow down the progression of Alzheimers disease (AD) in people with and without hypertension. RADAR is a multi-centre clinical trial that will investigate if losartan, a blood pressure drug that first became available in 1995, can complement current treatments for AD. The researchers believe losartan can slow down the progression of AD by improving brain blood flow and altering chemical pathways that cause brain cell damage, brain shrinkage and memory problems in AD. As part of the Prime Ministers Challenge on Dementia, funding of nearly 2 million was awarded by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme, an MRC and NIHR partnership. RADAR is hoping to recruit approximately 230 participants, together with a similar number of carers, from across the UK including sites in the South West (SW) based in Bristol, Cheltenham, Exeter and Torbay, which will be supported by the clinical research networks (CRN) CRN: West of England and CRN: SW Peninsula. The RADAR study is a double-blinded placebo-controlled randomised trial, meaning that some participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the study drug or a placebo but nobody (including doctors and nurses involved) will know until the study is analysed as a whole who received which. This is one of the most powerful study designs available. People with Alzheimers disease who have high or normal blood pressure can take part if they meet certain eligibility criteria and RADAR will use brain imaging to measure whether losartan reduces the rate of brain shrinkage that is known to occur in AD. It will also be using what are standard questionnaires on memory performance and quality of life important indicators of whether the drug might be helpful. Professor Pat Kehoe, Gestetner Professor of Translational Dementia Research in the School of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bristol, who is leading the trial, said: It is our delight to be able to extend the study to provide opportunities for patients and their carers in the South West to be able to take part in this UK-based trial, whose participation will be instrumental in helping to test if losartan will be a future treatment for Alzheimers disease. Dr Stephen Pearson, Consultant in Dementia Research, who is supporting the two Devon sites at Torbay and Exeter that will be complementing the Bristol and Cheltenham sites, added: We are absolutely delighted to be able to offer people with Alzheimers disease based locally this opportunity to take part in this important study. Regretfully there are only a limited number of places we can offer to potential participants so we hope people will be getting in touch to find out more. If you, or you know of someone, who might be interested in participating in the study, please contact your nearest SW centre: Bristol, tel: 0117 414 8238; Cheltenham, tel: 01452 894048; Exeter and Torbay, tel: 01803 656619. Members of the public interested in other research opportunities in relation to Alzheimers disease or other forms of dementia can register with the new Join Dementia Research initiative, hosted by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). The Join Dementia Research service allows anyone with and without dementia to sign up using basic demographic and health information and be matched to dementia research studies in their area. Research teams can then approach potential volunteers about their particular study and the volunteer can decide whether to take part on a case-by-case basis. Half of record Lotto jackpot still remains unclaimed The winner of the remaining 33 million half of the UK's biggest-ever Lotto jackpot has still not come forward, well over a week after the headline-grabbing draw. A Camelot spokeswoman confirmed no one had yet lodged a claim for the money, but added: "We've had people come forward in the second week - that's not uncommon - but we have no update as yet." Camelot will release information about where the ticket was bought, probably after this weekend but within 25 days of the draw, in an effort to jog memories and unite the life-changing prize with its owner. David and Carol Martin won the other half of the record Lotto jackpot However, as early as last week, a Camelot spokesman said it was "highly unusual" that no one had come forward following the level of hype and excitement around this particular draw. The clock is ticking, as the winner has 180 days from the date of the draw to claim the prize. If it remains unclaimed, the 33 million will go to National Lottery projects. David and Carol Martin, both 54, from Hawick in the Scottish Borders, celebrated winning the other half of the jackpot amid a flurry of media attention last week. The couple's win has also catapulted them to the top of the Lotto rich list. As well as unveiling details of some initial spending plans, and their hopes for an early retirement, they hinted they may look to help some of those affected by the floods which hit the UK recently. Nacho Monreal signs new Arsenal deal Nacho Monreal has committed his future to Arsenal after signing a new long-term deal with the club. Monreal, who joined the Gunners in January 2013, has been in impressive form this season and has featured in all of the club's Barclays Premier League matches. The 29-year old defender said : "I'm really happy because my intention was to keep playing for Arsenal. I feel really good playing here." Nacho Monreal has signed a new Arsenal contract Monreal, who arrived from Malaga for a reported 10million, has won successive FA Cups with Arsene Wenger's side and usurped Kieran Gibbs from the left-back spot. The Spaniard added: "I have a good relationship with my team-mates and we keep improving year after year. I wanted to stay here and I could extend my contract. I would like to play here for many more years. "The trust of the Arsenal fans is really important for us because they are helping us in every moment as we are fighting to win the Premier League. "I met the boss three years ago and I have a really good relationship with him and I'm really happy with him. For these reasons I extended my contract. "I'm very happy with my performances this season. At the beginning it was difficult because I was a new signing and I didn't speak English. "But now I feel more comfortable with my team-mates and with everything in general so that has helped me to play better because I have more confidence in myself." Arsenal manager Wenger hailed Monreal's impact following his arrival from La Liga three years ago. "He is a very important player at the club because he can play left-back and centre back," said Wenger, whose Arsenal side sit at the top of the Premier League. "He has the consistency in his performances that is requested at the top level. "Overall, his attitude has been absolutely fantastic on a daily basis since he arrived here. He's 100 per cent committed and I think as well he has always improved since he has arrived and has shown that in many big games as well. "He's calm, focused and dedicated. He's well-accepted and loved by his partners. He has the modest approach of a player who wants to give his best to the team. Everybody senses that and that's why I think it's important for the club to have that stability. "Everyone in the Premier League would say that he has become a very strong player. Arsenal are gifted at the moment, I must say, with two top-class left backs. We have many young players. They need to be surrounded by experienced players, especially at the back. NHS patients offered chance to visit France for treatment NHS patients will be able to travel to France for routine treatment under plans criticised as a "gimmick" by opponents. Managers have signed contracts for patients in parts of Kent to be treated at two hospitals in Calais and Le Touquet, possibly by the end of April. The NHS will foot the cost of treatment for procedures including orthopaedics, ear nose and throat and cataract surgery - but patients will have to pay for their own travel costs. Some NHS patients in Kent are being offered the choice to be treated in France Providers will give 24-hour access by phone to a member of the hospital surgical team for 14 days as part of the procurement plan. And follow-up appointments will be either by telephone or video technology such as Skype, or patients will travel back to France to see their consultant. But union officials said it was "an admission of failure" by the NHS, and they scoffed at claims that the scheme was to broaden healthcare choice for patients. The plans were revealed by the NHS South Kent Coast Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which controls 253 million and covers Dover, Deal and the Shepway district. Hazel Carpenter, of the NHS South Kent Coast CCG, said: "Our patient representatives have been to France, as well as CCG GP representatives and tested the practicalities, ensuring that the scheme is viable. "Feedback has been very positive, and the French providers have listened, improving signage, for example. And the hospitals have already ensured that staff have excellent English language skills." Simon Bolton, of Unison, said the scheme was a "gimmick" to cover up NHS failings. He said: "It's an admission of failure and instead of trying to own up and deal with it, they've come up with this. "I dare say if you go to France you will get decent treatment but if you need a hip operation, for example, how are you going to travel 22 miles? Who's going to visit you? "Having failed to commission and plan care in Kent properly, they are now saying, 'Well you can go to France'. It's a gimmick and it's to cover their own backs." NHS officials said patients cannot be forced to travel to France for their treatment, insisting that the option was an "additional choice of healthcare". They have denied it was happening because local NHS hospitals were struggling to cope with the numbers of patients they were being asked to treat. And officials sought to ease any concerns about patient confidentiality, saying the standards for managing and storing patient records will be same as for UK hospitals. Under EU rules on procurement law, healthcare providers from other EU countries are entitled to apply to be accredited. Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It is astonishing that the authorities are delivering this news without any sign of embarrassment. "Whatever the problems facing the local hospitals, outsourcing our healthcare needs across the Channel cannot be a serious or a sustainable solution. Libya turmoil 'due to West's failure to act forcefully after fall of Gaddafi' Libya has been left in a "terrible state" because the West failed to take "forceful" action in the aftermath of the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, MPs have been told. Britain knew that weapons were being transported out of the collapsing state but was unable to act because it did not have boots on the ground, the Foreign Affairs Committee heard. Rapid elections paved the way for the success of radical Islamists, the hearing with Liam Fox and Lord Hague was told. Lord Hague and Liam Fox appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee France was described as the driving force for military intervention, with former president Nicolas Sarkozy "very determined" from the outset. Former defence secretary Dr Fox told the committee he had concerns in the months after the death of the dictator about how plans on the ground to create a new government were progressing, as well as what measures were being put in place to control Libya's weaponry and how rebel factions would be reconciled. Britain knew stockpiles of weapons were being transported out of the country but could not stop the convoys because they may have included civilians, he told the committee. "It was, and is, always an unavoidable consequence of not having ground forces that you can have leakage of weapons of that nature," he said. "It was seen as a risk, but an unavoidable one unless we were going to put forces on the ground that could stop and search these convoys." French warplanes carried out s orties within hours of an agreement on intervention. Asked if France had "jumped the gun and didn't tell us", Dr Fox said he "was not" aware of anyone in government who knew about the impending air strikes. Conservative John Baron suggested the French had been keen to get involved militarily because they wanted to show off their hardware to increase weapons sales. "I think it is unfair to categorise it in that way," Dr Fox replied. He suggested the "keenness" at the top of the French government to be at the forefront was aimed at showing the country was a "serious player" following the "reticence" of the US to become involved. "I think that would probably be a better motivation than simply defence sales," he added. Dr Fox said there had been "no appetite" in the military for action and suggested there would have been no conflict if Gaddafi had "pulled back". The peer and the MP both denied that the campaign had been about deposing Gaddafi. "There was no plan for regime change," Dr Fox said. Lord Hague told MPs that transition had been too quick and rapid elections meant senior figures in the transitional government "disappeared" too quickly. He conceded "certainly there was a success for radical Islamist candidates" in the poll. The former foreign secretary said United Nations assistance was "not prescriptive enough" and the organisation had failed to be "forceful" in implementing plans for crucial areas such as policing. "One of the lessons of this is not that there was a lack of planning, but that transition takes a lot longer," he added. Lord Hague said: "It is in a terrible state." No serial killer in Manchester waterway deaths - police Police have admitted some people have been pushed into Manchester's waterways, but deny there is a serial killer at large. Over the last six years 85 people, mostly men, have died in the city's waterways, and 28 deaths remain unexplained. The figures, made public in January last year, have prompted claims that there is a serial killer dubbed "The Pusher" in the city. The Manchester Ship Canal beneath the city's Beetham Tower skyscraper Detective Superintendent Peter Marsh, of the major incident team, said in a statement released in response to the serial killer rumours that each death has been fully investigated. He said: "The purpose of our investigation is to identify if there is anything criminal that has happened to the individual. In the case of someone that goes into a canal or water - have they been pushed, have they been assaulted, have they been robbed? "Some of these have been as a result of people being pushed and robbed, and people have been arrested and prosecuted." During a Channel 4 documentary, Greater Manchester Police reveal one particularly problematic 400-metre stretch of underground canal. With four deaths in the area in the last six years, and a further five in the locks either side, officers said the incidents have been put down to drunk individuals falling in and robberies going wrong. Every time a body is pulled from the waterways in Manchester, rumours of The Pusher resurface - something the police have repeatedly denied. Mr Marsh said the force has a high detection rate for murders and manslaughters and any new evidence presented to them will be investigated, but there is "no evidence to support" the serial killer theory. "If a person has pushed someone into a canal and we have been able to investigate it, that person has been traced, they have been interviewed - and on one such occasion one of these individuals has been interviewed, CPS have offered no charges because of the circumstances around it and no prosecution has ensued," he said in the statement. During the hour-long documentary, he said he and other officers have reviewed the deaths. He said: "The reason we have looked at these is to give the families more reassurance that there is no evidence to support the theory there is a serial killer at large. "Most of those bodies, there is a definitive explanation behind it. Some people have gone swimming, we have got people seen staggering home, walking along the canal and falling in." In a statement at the end of the programme, Greater Manchester Police said: "Each death has been subject to significant investigation and independently scrutinised by the coroner. There have been no verdicts of unlawful killing in these cases." Former inmate Lord Hanningfield calls for more prisoner education A peer told the Lords about his own experiences in jail as he called for better education for prisoners. Lord Hanningfield said with half the prison population illiterate, greater priority needed to be given to teaching inmates to read and write. The non-affiliated peer said most prisoners had no idea what the House of Lords was, and one fellow inmate assumed all members had a castle. Lord Hanningfield was sentenced to nine months in prison in 2011 Lord Hanningfield was sentenced to nine months in prison in 2011 after being found guilty of nearly 14,000 worth of expenses fraud. He served a quarter of the sentence in jail. Opening a debate on what measures the Government was taking to improve education in jail, Lord Hanningfield told fellow peers: "I think you are all aware that I have been in prison myself. "When I was first sent to prison, after I got over the terrible shock of it, I thought I had better try and do something with myself, and so I spent a lot of time researching and talking to fellow inmates about how they got there. "And I found that so many, particularly of the of the young ones, were really unable to read or write, and the illiteracy amount in prisons is over 50%, I have since been told. Education in prison needs to be brought-up the agenda enormously. Education is right at the bottom of the profile in prisons now." The peer said one fellow inmate assumed he had a castle and asked if he could use it for a rave. "I found it very difficult, as you might imagine, in my initial days in prison. It's quite difficult for me to talk about it now. I really found it quite extraordinary, for example, general knowledge is very absent in a lot of prisoners. "Hardly anyone had ever heard of the House of Lords, and I am not really quite surprised at that. So many people, for example, asked me where it was and, what did it do? "And someone imagined that every Lord has a castle, because someone asked me if they could borrow my castle for a rave later on. "Some of these people are rather intelligent and they could have a much better future if we could only do more for them, and we need to think how we can do more, both in education and training in prison," he said. The Bishop of Peterborough, the Right Rev Donald Allister, called for reform, saying: "We talk about a patient-centred NHS, what about a prisoner-centred prison service?" Government whip Baroness Evans of Bowes Park thanked Lord Hanningfield for talking about his experiences as she insisted "education must be at the heart of our prison system if we are to rehabilitate effectively". Don't link extremism to lack of English, Muslim groups tell UK PM Cameron By Magdalena Mis LONDON, Jan 18 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - British Muslim groups accused Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday of demonising their communities by saying that Muslim women needed to learn English to reduce the risk of extremism. Cameron said some migrants to Britain who cannot pass an English test within 2-1/2 years of arriving may not be allowed to stay, a move aimed at fostering greater integration by Muslim women. He said while there was no direct causal link between poor English language skills and extremism, those who were not able to integrate into British society were at risk of being more susceptible to extremist ideologies. "The statements from this government regarding Muslims continue to further demonise and marginalise the Muslim community and are counter-productive," the Muslim Women's Council said in a statement. "Whilst we welcome the additional funding pledged today by the Prime Minister for English language support for Muslim women, we do not agree with the assertion that there is a link between a lack of English and extremism." Cameron said there were 190,000 British Muslim women who spoke little or no English and Britain needed to take on the "backward attitudes" of some men whom he said exerted damaging control over their wives, sisters and daughters. The government will invest 20 million pounds ($28 million) in English classes for women in isolated communities, and from October this year will begin testing those who have come to Britain on a spousal visa to check if their language skills have improved. Shuja Shafi, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain said Cameron's efforts will "fall at the first hurdle" if he were to link language skills and better integration to security, and to single out Muslim women. "Muslims are only one third of the minority population. Reports suggest a significant proportion of immigrants from Eastern Europe struggle with English," Shafi said in a statement. Faeeza Vaid, executive director of the charity Muslim Women's Network UK, said it wasn't just a lack of language skills preventing the full integration of Muslim women. "We have broader societal issues of institutional patriarchy, discrimination and Islamophobia and all of those systems also need to be challenged," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. Australian leader urges China to avoid great power conflict trap WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on China on Monday to avoid actions in pursuit of territorial claims in Asia that could make conflict with the United States more likely. Speaking in Washington ahead of a meeting with President Barack Obama on Tuesday, Turnbull said Chinese President Xi Jinping had spoken of his desire to avoid the so-called Thucydides Trap - an academic theory that sees a risk of rivalry between a rising and an established power turning to conflict. "If avoiding the Thucydides Trap is a core objective of China's strategy, as President Xi insists it is, then we would hope that China's actions will be carefully calculated to make conflict less likely not more," Turnbull told the Center for Strategic and International studies think tank. He said China should be seeking to reassure neighbors and build confidence about its intentions. "The legitimacy of claims to reefs and shoals should be a secondary consideration when that objective is focused on," Turnbull said, referring to China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, where Beijing has been building artificial islands to extend its reach. Turnbull said rival claims should be settled under international law and referred to a case the Philippines has brought in the arbitration court in The Hague over its competing claims with China. Turnbull, who has a tricky balancing act to maintain between China as Australia's largest trading partner and the United States as Canberra's main security ally, said a strong and enduring U.S. presence was needed in Asia to ensure the region's unprecedented economic growth continued. In announcing Turnbull's visit earlier this month, the White House said Obama and the Australian leader were expected to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal awaiting ratification and the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, in which both countries are engaged. EU team visits Thailand to assess fishing industry cleanup By Pracha Hariraksapitak BANGKOK, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A European Union delegation that is visiting Thailand to weigh its progress in battling illegal and unregulated fishing will not make a decision this week on whether to ban Thai seafood products, the government said on Tuesday. Thailand, the world's third-largest exporter of seafood, faces the risk of the ban after the European Union gave it a "yellow card" in April for failing to clamp down on problems in its fishing industry. An EU dialogue mission to assess progress is set for Thursday and Friday but a technical team has already arrived, the government said. The team is monitoring Thailand's progress after it set up a centre last year to combat illegal fishing, said Vice Admiral Jumpol Lumpiganon, a spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy. "Once they are satisfied they will go back and make a decision," he said, adding that there was no timeframe for the decision. The technical team would conduct random checks until the rest of the EU officials arrived on Wednesday, he said. Last week the government said Thailand had completed "70 percent of the task" set out by the EU, after having registered most of its fishing vessels and caught groups suspected of human trafficking in the fishing sector. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said Thailand had introduced new laws to avert an EU ban. "There has been huge progress, because we have solved many problems in terms of the law, and its application," he told reporters. "Whether they are satisfied or not we will have to see, we've done our utmost." Romania - Factors to watch on Jan 19 BUCHAREST, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Tuesday. DEBT TENDER Romania sold a planned 800 million lei ($192.30 million) worth of one-year treasury bills on Monday, with the average accepted yield at 0.82 percent, central bank data showed. Debt managers last tendered the paper in December at an average yield of 0.97 percent. STOCKS The Bucharest Stock Exchange's blue chip index extended losses from the previous session on Monday, falling to its lowest level since March 2014, Reuters data showed. CEE MARKETS Polish government debt yields rose as high as junk-rated Hungary's and the zloty touched a four-year low against the euro on Monday, after Standard and Poor's downgraded Poland's debt late on Friday. ] For the long-term Romanian diary, click on For emerging markets economic events, click on For an index of all diaries, click on Foreword to Media Tides on Kerala Coast Teacher seeks V.S. Achuthanandan's intervention to end harassment by partymen Heading home after Ebola, Ivorian refugees in Liberia bear scars of war By Kieran Guilbert BAHN REFUGEE CAMP, Liberia, Jan 19 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Y amthe Lambert's eyes fill with tears as he recalls searching for his wife and six children while masses of people fled their homes in fear at the height of Ivory Coast's 2011 civil war. The 63-year-old, who was working as a miner away from his home city of Guiglo when the conflict erupted, rushed home to search for his family as the country descended into chaos, but instead found his house and car set ablaze. "I was too late, they had already gone," he said, sitting inside his home at Bahn refugee camp in northeast Liberia, a vast tract dotted with trees and clay-brick houses some 50 km (30 miles) from the Ivory Coast border. Lambert was among more than 200,000 Ivorians who fled to Liberia after a disputed presidential election in November 2010 plunged Ivory Coast into its second civil war in a decade. Having crossed the border to Liberia alone in 2011, Lambert feared he would never see his family again. But when an aid worker who moved from Bahn to another camp spotted a boy that resembled Lambert and discovered that it was his son, the family were reunited - after three years apart. "When my family arrived at Bahn, we embraced tightly for 20 minutes without letting go - we couldn't let go," Lambert said. Now, five years after the civil war forced them to seek refuge in Liberia, and a year-and-a-half after their hopes of heading home were crushed by the world's worst Ebola outbreak, Lambert and his family are preparing to go home. Most of the Ivorians who sought refuge in Liberia started heading home a year after the 2011 conflict. But some 35,000 refugees who remained were left in limbo when the spread of Ebola caused Liberia to shut its borders to curb the outbreak. With the epidemic under control, and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor as the border remains closed, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has restarted a drive to take refugees home and help to rebuild their lives. Several convoys carrying hundreds of people have crossed the border since December, and with almost a third of the refugees having expressed a desire to go home as soon as possible, thousands more are set to follow in the coming months. "We are desperate to go back - to have a real home, and a real life," said Lambert, squeezing his wife's hand tightly. SCARRED BY VIOLENCE On the outskirts of Bahn, one of three camps hosting Ivorian refugees in Liberia, several women sift through a wheelbarrow piled high with clothes, picking out tops, skirts and shoes. Nearby, a group of men in brightly coloured shirts huddle in the shade to avoid the midday sun as they discuss their futures. "Many people have been eager to go back since December, but there are also a lot waiting to hear what life is like for those who return before making a decision," said Augustus Taylor from the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission. Many refugees bear the scars of the abuse and violence they witnessed and suffered, and some are unsure if they will or can ever go back. Mother-of-five Theodile Goun fixes her eyes on the ground as she explains how she was forced to strip naked by armed rebels loyal to Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara and threatened with rape in front of her children. "My youngest girl is traumatised and often has flashbacks - screaming for her brother who died after being shot in the leg." While some of Bahn's 5,000 refugees refer to the camp as a big family, tensions have flared between supporters of Ouattara and those loyal to former leader Laurent Gbagbo. Gbagbo's refusal to accept Ouattara's win in 2010 sparked the brief conflict that killed around 3,000 people, and refugee Richard Gouanoun said his status as a former member of Gbagbo's Ivorian Popular Front party had made him a target in the camp. He said he was arrested and detained for weeks after pro-Ouattara refugees accused him of training other refugees in the camp to carry out attacks in Ivory Coast. "There is no way I can ever go back to my country, it would be too dangerous. But I don't feel safe in the camp either, we are too close to Ivory Coast here," 44-year-old Gouanoun said. STRUGGLE TO ADAPT While grateful for the shelter and security provided by the camp, many refugees have struggled to adapt to life in Bahn - frustrated by limited food rations and lack of opportunities. "It isn't easy being in a remote area, with no power, living in darkness - it is a far cry from Abidjan," said Philochard Gonto, 30, who is impatient to return home to finish his degree in Ivory Coast's main city. Monthly rice rations have been cut by almost half as funding has dried up, and those picking up the sacks are subdued as they balance them on their heads or bundle them into wheelbarrows. The UNHCR has provided training to teach skills such as soap making, hairdressing and tailoring, but only a few refugees have been given such opportunities, said mother-of-four Veh Elisee. The lack of secondary education in Bahn camp means that children also have little to do, leading to a number of young girls falling pregnant, according to the 33-year old Ivorian. "There are 12-year-olds having sex and children of their own because their is nothing to occupy them... what can you do if your child meets a boy who promises her a few dollars for sex?" While education and work in Bahn may be limited, the UNHCR is giving grants and food rations to refugees heading home, who will also receive help to reclaim their land and go to school. Strolling through the camp with his wife and children as the sun sinks behind the lush, green landscape, Lambert admits to worries about what might await his family in Ivory Coast. But he smiles as he talks about the prospect of a better life back home for his children. Poland - Factors to Watch Jan 19 Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour): CENTRAL BANK The Polish central bank and one of its rate-setters said on Monday that eastern Europe's largest economy and its currency had strong fundamentals, moving to calm markets after Standard & Poor's (S&P) unexpected move to cut Poland's credit rating. S&P The independence of Poland's central bank could be next at risk from government intervention, said a Standard & Poor analyst, another concern about a new administration which has been accused of taking more control of the judiciary and media. BANKS Polish banks may be able to spread losses linked to looming Swiss franc mortgage conversions over time, the finance ministry said on Monday, after a draft FX loan bill sent the shares of Warsaw-listed lenders to multi-year lows. Polish banking shares fell again on Monday on concerns about the cost of looming Swiss franc mortgage conversions and a new bank tax, but losses were capped by growing expectations the mortgage plan will have to be watered down. ENERGY Polish state-owned utilities Energa and PGNiG plan takeovers of heat and electricity producers, with French EDF's planned Polish spin-off on top of the target list, daily Puls Biznesu reported. PZU Michal Krupinski, Poland's former deputy treasury minister and director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, is the most likely candidate to take over as head of Eastern Europe's largest insurer, the state-run PZU, daily Puls Biznesu reported. PZU's new supervisory board meets on Tuesday to pick the company's new management. RETIREMENT AGE Poland's labour minister, Elzbieta Rafalska, told daily Rzeczpospolita that retirement age may not be lowered this year. PKN Poland's largest oil refiner may not alter its strategy under the new management, with the state-run company still putting focus on increasing sales and looking for upstream takeovers, daily Parkiet reported. ****Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.**** PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Jan 19 SOFIA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. -- Bulgaria's prosecutor's office charged nationalist Attack leader Volen Siderov and his fellow party member Desislav Chukolov with hooliganism. The two lawmakers are accused of hooliganism for their attack on an alcohol and tobacco store in Sofia in October last year (Trud, 24 Chasa, Standart). -- Classes were suspended in 544 schools across Bulgaria due to bad weather conditions, the education ministry said (Trud, 24 Chasa, Monitor, Telegraf, Duma). -- Radan Kanev, the leader of the right-wing Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party called on Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov to order an immediate investigation into the tender for the construction of Hemus motorway PRESS DIGEST - Portugal - Jan 19 LISBON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Following are some of the main stories in Portuguese newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. * European Commission wants Portugal to cut deficit below 2.8 pct sought by government this year (Publico) * Precarious jobs without firm contracts rise to pre-crisis levels (Diario de Noticias) * Investors wary of Portugal as banking sector debt yields jump following Novo Banco move (Jornal de Negocios) Indonesia looks to stop militants overseas from returning home By Aubrey Belford JAKARTA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo is considering a regulation that would prohibit Indonesians from joining radical groups overseas, in an effort to prevent a deadlier attack than last week's militant assault on Jakarta. At a meeting on Tuesday at the palace, top political and security officials agreed to review anti-terrorism laws, which currently allow Indonesians to freely return home after fighting with Islamic State in Syria. Security forces fear that returning jihadis could launch a much more calculated attack than the amateurish assault militants launched on Thursday using two pistols and eleven low-yield homemade bombs. Eight people were killed in the attack, including the four attackers. "We've agreed to review the terrorism law to focus on prevention," parliamentary speaker Zulkifli Hasan told Reuters. "Currently there is nothing in the law covering training. There is also nothing currently covering people going overseas (to join radical groups) and returning. This needs to be broadened." Proposed revisions would also tighten prison sentences for terrorism offences, he said. Widodo said discussions on the new regulation, which would be a stop-gap measure until parliament can revise its anti-terrorism law, were still at "an early stage". "This is very pressing. Many people have left for Syria or returned," he said, but did not say when a decision would be made. Roughly 500 Indonesians are believed by authorities to have travelled to the Middle East to join Islamic State. About 100 are believed to have returned, most of whom did not see frontline combat. Indonesian Police Chief Badrodin Haiti told Reuters in an interview Monday that the country was bracing for the return of these more experienced fighters, who may be capable of carrying out far more sophisticated operations than last week's attack, which was hampered by poor training and weapons. Thursday's bombings and shootings in the heart of Jakarta were the first attack in Indonesia attributed to Islamic State. The last major militant attacks in the country were in 2009, when suicide bombers struck two luxury hotels in the city. Even if the new revisions are imposed, Indonesia would still have weaker anti-terrorism laws than some of its neighbours. South Korea union group pulls out from labour reform pact SEOUL, Jan 19 (Reuters) - South Korea's largest labour union grouping withdrew on Tuesday from a labour reform agreement, a setback for President Park Geun-hye's ambitious reform drive just a few months ahead of parliamentary elections. Park has made the reform of South Korea's rigid labour practices one of the key goals of her government, to help revive Asia's fourth-largest economy in the face of an extended slump in exports and slowing population growth. "The FKTU will no longer participate in the tripartite commission as agreements made there are not abided by," Kim Dong-man, president of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) which has a million members, told a news conference. He criticised the government for breaching an agreement reached in September by representatives of business, labour and the government, referring to the government's bid to revise labour laws without full negotiations with the labour unions. The government's proposed reforms aim to make hiring and firing easier and allow individual negotiations between employer and employee on working conditions. These changes currently require consent from the labour union. In principle, the government could still push ahead with its attempt to enforce reform measures requiring no law revisions despite the federation's pullout but such a move could turn public opinion against the government just ahead of the polls. Labor Minister Lee Ki-kweon told a separate news conference later on Tuesday that the government was open to more negotiations with labour but added it could not wait forever. South Koreans will vote in April to elect all 300 members of the single-chamber National Assembly, in which 53 percent of seats are now held by the ruling party. Guinea Bissau government in disarray as spending plan under threat BISSAU, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Fifteen former members of Guinea Bissau's leading party joined the opposition on Monday, handing Prime Minister Carlos Correia's opponents a majority in parliament and vowing to block his spending plan, a move which would bring down his government. The 15 members of parliament were expelled from the ruling PAIGC party last week after they opposed Correia's latest plan in late December, saying they did not approve of his government. It is the latest threat to a fragile democracy in Guinea Bissau, which has not had a democratically elected leader serve a full term since independence from Portugal in 1974, and has suffered nine coups or attempted coups since 1980. The country named three governments between August and October. Members of the leading party, including Parliament Speaker Cipriano Cassama, left the National Assembly on Monday, leaving Alberto Nambeia, chairman of the PRS opposition party and vice president of the National Assembly, to continue proceedings. Cassama condemned the opposition party's actions. "I declare null and void all decisions emanating from the parliamentary majority that I regard as illegal," he told a news conference late on Monday. If parliament fails for a second time to approve Correia's agenda, which includes spending on roads, electricity, health and education, the constitution requires that the government be dismissed. With the 15 ex-members of the leading party, the 41-strong PRS party now has a majority in the 102-member parliament. Members said they would not approve the spending plan because of concerns that the money would not be spent wisely. Indonesia looks to stop militants overseas from returning home By Aubrey Belford JAKARTA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo is considering a regulation that would prohibit Indonesians from joining radical groups overseas, in an effort to prevent a deadlier attack than last week's militant assault on Jakarta. At a meeting on Tuesday at the palace, top political and security officials agreed to review anti-terrorism laws, which currently allow Indonesians to freely return home after fighting with Islamic State in Syria. Security forces fear that returning jihadis could launch a much more calculated attack than the amateurish assault militants launched on Thursday using two pistols and eleven low-yield homemade bombs. Eight people were killed in the attack, including the four attackers. "We've agreed to review the terrorism law to focus on prevention," parliamentary speaker Zulkifli Hasan told Reuters. "Currently there is nothing in the law covering training. There is also nothing currently covering people going overseas (to join radical groups) and returning. This needs to be broadened." Proposed revisions would also tighten prison sentences for terrorism offences, he said. Chief security minister Luhut Pandjaitan told reporters the new regulation would allow suspects to be temporarily detained. "The point is to give police the authority to preemptively and temporarily detain (a suspect) while they get information to prevent future incidents," Pandjaitan said, adding the detention could last up to two weeks. Widodo said discussions on the new regulation, which would be a stop-gap measure until parliament can revise its anti-terrorism law, were still at "an early stage". "This is very pressing. Many people have left for Syria or returned," he said, but did not say when a decision would be made. Roughly 500 Indonesians are believed by authorities to have travelled to the Middle East to join Islamic State. About 100 are believed to have returned, most of whom did not see frontline combat. Indonesian Police Chief Badrodin Haiti told Reuters in an interview Monday that the country was bracing for the return of these more experienced fighters, who may be capable of carrying out far more sophisticated operations than last week's attack, which was hampered by poor training and weapons. Thursday's bombings and shootings in the heart of Jakarta were the first attack in Indonesia attributed to Islamic State. The last major militant attacks in the country were in 2009, when suicide bombers struck two luxury hotels in the city. Even if the new revisions are imposed, Indonesia would still have weaker anti-terrorism laws than some of its neighbours. Germany sees Iran as key to stabilizing Middle East By Joseph Nasr and Paul Carrel BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Germany wants to work with Iran to help calm regional conflicts now that the Islamic Republic is emerging from international isolation and also prevent tension escalating with regional rival Saudi Arabia, Germany's foreign minister said on Tuesday. Iran emerged from years of being considered a pariah state at the weekend after the United States, European Union and United Nations lifted sanctions linked to its nuclear programme under an international deal which involved Germany. Iran was the key to stabilising the Middle East, referring to conflicts in Syria and Yemen, the minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said. "We need Iran to calm the conflicts and re-establish stability in this crisis-hit region. And I hope Iran is ready for this," Steinmeier told foreign journalists. Steinmeier said calming the war in Syria was central to solving Europe's refugee crisis, which has prompted deep divisions within the EU on how to share the burden of accommodating the influx. Gulf Arab neighbours, including Saudi Arabia, accuse Iran of backing rebels in Yemen and pro-government militias in Syria. A mostly Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched a military offensive against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in March. Tensions rose further this month when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric, prompting an angry reaction from Shi-ite Iran. Steinmeier said these tensions would not disappear soon but it was possible to build trust between the two regional rivals. "Neighbourly tensions, like those between Saudi Arabia and Iran, will not turn into friendship overnight," he said. "In a first step, a lot would be achieved if both sides brought the current situation under control, not let it escalate, and talked to each other," he said. "I am very confident that this new beginning of German-Iranian relations will be filled with substance," Steinmeier told foreign journalists in Berlin. Europe turns to Morocco in Paris attacks investigation By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Philip Blenkinsop AIT OURIR, Morocco, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A few weeks before she was killed in a raid by French special forces beside the suspected ringleader of last November's Paris attacks, Hasna Ait Boulahcen packed her bags and said her last farewells to relatives in Morocco. The 26-year-old Parisian's almost two-month-long trip to her father's home town of Ait Ourir proved to be one of the last stops on her journey from fun-loving party girl to devout Muslim - and possibly Islamist militant. Conversations with relatives and family friends shed light not only on her transformation but also on the role of Moroccan intelligence in helping services in France and Belgium trying to counter the threats of Islamist militant attacks. Ait Boulahcen's stay in Ait Ourir from early August until late September is now part of the investigation into the attacks which killed 130 people and were claimed by Islamic State, and has increasingly drawn in Morocco's intelligence services. On Nov. 18, five days after the Paris attacks, she and her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud were killed in a barrage of bullets when special services opened fire on the apartment she had led him to in the French capital, possibly as a hideout. Morocco provided the tip-off that enabled French police to locate Abaaoud, has been holding Abaaoud's brother Yassine since October and has issued an arrest warrant for Salah Abdeslam, who is suspected of taking part in the attacks and is on the run. A week after the attacks, French President Francois Hollande received King Mohammed of Morocco in Paris to thank him for Rabat's "efficient help". On Nov. 23, after it became clear some of the attackers had planned the attacks from Brussels and were of Moroccan origin, Rabat said Belgium's King Philippe had also called King Mohammed to enlist the help of the North African country's intelligence. "We are exchanging information with them on a very professional and very good level," said Alain Winants, who was head of Belgium's intelligence service from 2006 to 2014 and is now Advocate General at Belgium's Supreme Court. Morocco said on Monday authorities have arrested a Belgian national of local origin directly linked to the Paris attackers. Identified only by his initials, the suspect fought in Syria with al-Nusra before joining Islamic State, the interior ministry said. Security has been tightened in Ait Ourir, a dusty potato-growing town in central Morocco where Ait Boulahcen's father Mohammad has a modest concrete home. Relatives and neighbours told Reuters they had been questioned by police, who kept a close watch on the town from cars parked on many street corners. The Moroccan authorities have not said what their inquiries have thrown up but a relative in Ait Ourir told Reuters that Ait Boulahcen was accompanied by one of her brothers when she arrived in early August and the other brother joined them later. She was stopped at the airport when she flew in, one of her uncles said, but was allowed to enter the country when her father and an uncle gave the authorities their addresses. It was not clear why she was stopped or whether she was on any security watch list. Police did not comment. BIG CHANGE Ait Boulahcen, her brothers and a sister were born in France to their father's second Moroccan wife after his first marriage, which produced two daughters and a son, broke down. He returned to Morocco from France when his second marriage also collapsed. Relatives and neighbours saw a huge change in Ait Boulahcen this summer. She had ditched the modern clothes she wore during her first visit to see her father in 2013 and now had on the full face veil favoured by more conservative Muslim women. "We had problems with her when she came the first time because she used to smoke and drink, and in our town it is shameful for a girl to act like that. She was so happy when she said she'd changed and was a good Muslim now," an uncle said. "She said she wanted to come back and get Moroccan identity papers and a passport," he said, without making clear how far she had got. He and other family members said they believed Abaaoud had exploited his cousin's naivete and led her astray. How close they were is unclear but Ait Boulahcen's half-sister, Nezha, said they had not discussed Abaaoud during her stay. Ait Boulahcen unwittingly led police to Abaaoud by speaking to him on her mobile phone, which was tapped as part of a drugs investigation. Police then saw her meet Abaaoud and lead him to the apartment where they and a third suspect were killed. French police located Abaaoud after they received a tip-off from Morocco that he may still be in France and honed in on Ait Boulahcen. Until then they thought he had fled the country. It is not clear why Abaaoud's younger brother Yassine has been held since landing in Morocco in October. Their father, Omar Abaaoud, declined comment. LONG HISTORY OF COOPERATION European intelligence has cooperated with Rabat since guest workers from Morocco began arriving in the 1960s because monitoring them was impossible without knowledge of their culture and languages, Moroccan Darija and Amazigh, experts say. Morocco has stepped up its tracking of militant cells since Islamist attackers killed 17 people in Marrakesh in 2011. "Morocco has shown itself to be extremely reactive in passing on crucial information that has prevented terrorist attacks and whose value has been appreciated by countries targeted, ranging from France to Spain and the United States," said Moroccan scholar El Mostafa Rezrazi, author of a book on security cooperation between Morocco and Europe. A Moroccan security source said the foreign intelligence service DGED (Direction generale des etudes et de la documentation) has "operations" in Belgium but did not confirm estimates by experts that it has about 150 "contacts" there. Cooperation almost broke down in 2008 when Belgium asked the DGED to pull out three officers who had not kept it informed about their actions, and Rabat pulled out all of its agents. "That didn't last long because, with 600,000 Moroccans in Belgium, neither the Moroccan service nor the Belgian service could stay in a situation where there was no contact," said Winants, the former Belgian intelligence chief. "I went very rapidly to see my counterparts in Morocco and we started again on a new basis." CRITICISM BY RIGHTS GROUPS Cooperation between France and Morocco also dates back many years although relations were strained in 2014 when French authorities sought to question Abdellatif Hammouchi, the head of Morocco's domestic intelligence, over torture allegations. This led to Morocco suspending cooperation agreements with France, despite concerns in Paris that Moroccans and French of Moroccan origin were heading to Syria to train as jihadists. The two countries resumed cooperation in January 2015, after Islamist gunmen killed 12 people in an attack on the offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Moroccan officials estimate that 2,000 Moroccan fighters have joined armed groups in Syria and Iraq, including Islamic State and the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, and about 200 have been jailed on their return home. But Morocco's experience of battling militancy dates back at least to the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan war, when hundreds of Moroccans went to Afghanistan to fight Soviet forces. A number of militants from Morocco or of Moroccan origin were arrested over the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and were linked to other attacks such as suicide bombings that killed 33 people and 12 attackers in Casablanca in 2003 and the Madrid bombings that killed 191 people in 2004. The DGST domestic intelligence (Direction generale de la surveillance du territoire) has been accused by Moroccan and international human rights organisations of torturing suspects, including on behalf of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency during President George W. Bush's "war on terror". Morocco has denied the charges. ($1 = 0.9200 euros) Ivory Coast "surprised" by Burkina warrant against parliament head By Joe Bavier ABIDJAN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's government said late on Monday it was "surprised" that neighbouring Burkina Faso had issued an arrest warrant for the speaker of the Ivorian parliament, charging that he sought to back a coup against Burkina Faso's transitional government. In a statement from the office of the president, Ivory Coast called for the matter to be resolved through diplomatic channels. Burkina authorities issued the international warrant last week, based on an audio recording of a conversation allegedly between the speaker, Guillaume Soro, and Djibril Bassole, a political ally of Burkina Faso's deposed long-time ruler, Blaise Compaore. On the recording, which was posted on the Internet last year, two men discuss ways to support a coup then under way against Burkina Faso's interim government. The coup, led by Compaore's former spy chief, Gilbert Diendere, briefly seized power from Michel Kafando, the interim president. Kafando was guiding Burkino Faso's transition to democracy after popular protests forced out Compaore, who appeared to be manoeuvring to remain in power. The warrant against Soro, an ex-rebel leader turned politician, has fuelled tensions between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, which share a history of close, if often fraught, economic and political ties. "The Presidency of ... Ivory Coast is surprised that this document, which targets the president of the second institution of the Republic of Ivory Coast, was issued with disregard for rules and customs," read a statement. The warrant, which was seen by Reuters, stated that Soro was charged with criminal association, complicity in treason and complicity in an attack on state security. Both Diendere and Bassole are already in custody in Burkina Faso. Soro has declined to comment on the warrant. "Ivory Coast reaffirms its firm will to resolve this question through diplomatic channels, respecting our treaties, in order to avoid any disagreements between our two states," the statement said. Soro and his New Forces rebels controlled northern Ivory Coast for eight years after a 2002 civil war. Allies of then- Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo accused Compaore of supporting the rebellion, a charge denied at the time by Burkina's authorities. The rebels backed Ouattara's claim to leadership during a second war in 2011 after Gbagbo refused to recognise his election defeat. As speaker, Soro would take over from Ouattara if the president were to die in office. Compaore has lived mainly in Ivory Coast since the protests in October 2014 forced him to flee Burkina Faso. A warrant for his arrest was issued by Burkina Faso last month. Ivorian authorities have yet to comment publicly on that case . Refugees in Malawi face food aid cuts amid funding drought By Megan Rowling BARCELONA, Jan 19 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Food supplies for thousands of African refugees at a camp in central Malawi are running out fast, U.N. agencies warned on Tuesday, appealing for urgent funds to provide full rations for the coming year. The World Food Programme (WFP) said a lack of money had forced it to reduce food aid at Dzaleka camp in the last six months. Refugees are receiving only three of five planned foods - pulses, vegetable oil and maize - at half the amount they should get. The camp's more than 23,500 refugees, mostly from the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions, have access to only 40 percent of the daily recommended minimum of calories. Without more funding, maize stocks are set to run out in mid-February, while vegetable oil, pulses and a nutrition-enhanced corn soya flour will likely be depleted by May, said the WFP and U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) in an appeal for an additional $2 million. "The situation is becoming dire," Monique Ekoko, UNHCR's representative for Malawi, said in a statement. "Many of the most vulnerable, including children, the chronically ill, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and the elderly are at the brink of malnutrition." When rations are cut, the camp environment becomes less safe for women and girls, the agencies said. A survey found that lack of food was a key driver of sexual and gender-based violence among the refugees, they added. Malawi's Commissioner for Refugees, Bestone Chisamile, said the country would meet its international obligations to refugees, but needed support from WFP and UNHCR to do so. "That is why we're appealing to the international community to provide the necessary funding so that refugee families in Malawi do not go to bed hungry," said Chisamile. REGIONAL HUNGER THREAT On Monday, WFP said Malawi was the southern African country hit hardest by last year's poor rains. As crops have failed, 2.8 million people there need food aid out of an estimated 14 million facing hunger in the region. The price of maize - the staple for most of the region - is 73 percent higher in Malawi than the three-year average for this time of year, due to drought on the heels of floods, WFP noted. Prolonged dry spells in southern Africa, made worse this season by the El Nino phenomenon bringing extreme weather around the world, mean the window for planting cereals is closing fast or has already shut in some countries, the agency said. "I'm particularly concerned that smallholders won't be able to harvest enough crops to feed their own families through the year, let alone to sell what little they can in order to cover school fees and other household needs," said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin who has just visited drought-prone southern Zambia. WFP said it wanted to expand food and cash-based assistance in the worst-affected southern African countries until the April harvest. Ex-Red Army Faction members carried out failed robbery - German prosecutors By Joseph Nasr BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Three members of the defunct radical leftist Red Army Faction carried out a failed armed robbery last year to finance their life on the run, German prosecutors believe. The two men and one woman have been in hiding since the group disbanded in 1998 after decades of violence against businessmen and government officials. They were identified through DNA tests carried out on a car abandoned after the attempt last June to steal 1 million euros ($1.09 million) from an armoured vehicle in a town near the northern city of Bremen, the prosecutor general's office said in a statement. A product of the radical anti-establishment student politics of the 1960s and the anti-Vietnam war movement, the Red Army Faction killed an estimated 34 people between 1970, when it was founded, and 1991. The group's campaign of terror peaked in 1977 when it kidnapped and killed industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer, filming him during his captivity. Prosecutors identified the three members wanted for the robbery attempt as Ernst-Volker Staub, 61, Burkhard Garweg, 47, and Daniela Marie-Luise Klette. They are also suspected of involvement in an attack on a prison near Frankfurt in 1993, and stealing 1 million Deutsche marks (now 511,000 euros) from an armoured car in July 1999. Prosecutors believe Klette took part in a shooting at the U.S. embassy in Bonn in 1991 and a failed car bombing of a Deutsche Bank building a year earlier. Hunger expected to fall in Somalia in 2016 despite El Nino By Katy Migiro NAIROBI, Jan 19 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Hunger and malnutrition are expected to fall in Somalia this year despite flooding and drought caused by El Nino and thousands of new arrivals from Yemen and Kenya, the United Nations said on Tuesday. But one in two people still need aid in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation. More than 300,000 children under five are acutely malnourished, 56,000 of whom face death if not treated. Appealing for $885 million in aid, Peter de Clerq, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, said agencies aimed to reduce the number of people requiring food aid to 3.2 million from 4.9 million and cut malnutrition rates. Somalia has been mired in conflict since civil war broke out in 1991. Islamist militant group al Shabaab has waged a decade-long insurgency against the Somali government, which is supported by African Union troops. Fighting, combined with attacks on aid workers and a history of aid being manipulated for political gain, means Somalia is one of the toughest countries for relief agencies to operate in. Famine in 2011 - caused by failed rains, conflict and a ban on food aid deliveries to territory held by al Shabaab - killed some 260,000 people. But aid agencies expect better functioning markets and improved security in some areas this year will help to end hunger for hundreds of thousands of Somalis. "With adequate support, we can reduce deaths," de Clerq said in a statement. Humanitarian demands have also been stretched by the arrival of 30,000 Somalis who were refugees in neighbouring Kenya and Yemen, as well as Yemeni refugees fleeing war in their country. In addition, some 145,000 people have been hit in recent months by the El Nino weather phenomenon which triggered flooding and droughts across Somalia, the U.N. said. The African Union peacekeeping force working with Somalia's military has made significant gains against al Shabaab in recent years, pushing the militants out of strategic towns in south-central Somalia. They still control some rural areas and frequently launch attacks. On Sunday, al Shabaab said it had killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers, who are part of the African Union force, during an attack on military bases. Kenya did not confirm the casualties. UK should tighten rules for non-EU skilled migrants - government advisers LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Britain should make it harder for companies to hire skilled workers from outside the European Union in order to boost the pay and training of local workers, advisers to the government said, prompting protests from employers groups. The minimum salary for workers hired under the so-called Tier 2 visa programme should be gradually raised by almost 50 percent to 30,000 pounds ($42,477) a year, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended on Tuesday. The MAC also said companies should pay a new charge for hiring workers under the programme and the government should tighten the rules that allow companies to bring in non-EU workers who work for them in other countries in the bloc. Immigration has become one of the most contentious issues in British politics. Prime Minister David Cameron wants to cut net migration overall to the tens of thousands, a target which has proven far out of reach in recent years as workers from EU countries have flocked to take jobs in Britain's growing economy. The Tier 2 visa programme accounts for only a small chunk of migration -- Britain issued 15,000 general Tier 2 visas in 2014 and allowed 36,500 intra-company transfers -- but businesses say it is essential for their ability to find skilled workers. MAC chairman David Metcalf also recognised that Tier 2 workers raised tax revenues for the government. "But this should be balanced against their potential impact on the welfare of existing UK residents," he said. Employers groups complained that the proposed changes would curb the ability of firms to grow, especially smaller ones. "Global businesses have an expectation that they are able to move talent globally," Tim Thomas, head of employment and skills at EEF, a manufacturers' organisation, said. "Restricting this reduces their ability to win and meet orders and subsequently damage their competitiveness. It also sends a signal to the rest of the world that UK is not an attractive place to invest and do business." Natural-born mess: What would it take to kick Ted Cruz off the ballot? By Derek Muller Jan 19 (Reuters) - Donald Trump has resuscitated questions regarding Texas Senator Ted Cruz's eligibility to serve as president of the United States. Cruz was born in Canada to a Cuban father and an American mother. A recent Trump tweet succinctly pressed the issue: "Sadly, there is no way that Ted Cruz can continue running in the Republican primary unless he can erase doubt on eligibility. Dems will sue." The U.S. Constitution requires that the president be a "natural-born citizen" of the United States. Though many contend that being born to an American mother is sufficient, others say only those born on U.S. soil are eligible. What would a legal challenge to Cruz's eligibility look like? It's far more complicated than you might think because it depends on how each state handles his access to the ballot. New Hampshire's Ballot Law Commission, for example, has already said that Cruz is eligible - at least until a court says otherwise. Scenario A: Could someone sue to try to keep Cruz off the ballot? Such challenges are unlikely to succeed. A plaintiff must have standing to sue and must show a specific injury rather than a generalized grievance. Voters can't just complain that someone, somewhere is violating a law - they have to identify an actual harm. Most challenges to candidates' eligibility end here. Federal courts, for example, threw out dozens of birther challenges to Barack Obama's eligibility in 2008 and 2012 because voters sued and failed to identify a concrete injury. So, the courts never had to rule that Obama was actually born in Hawaii. State courts are not bound by the federal standards and have heard challenges from such voters. But these claims often fail because states are not required to look at a candidate's qualifications. New Hampshire is an outlier: Many states don't look at whether a candidate is eligible to be president before placing him or her on the ballot. They accept the paperwork - and happily accept the filing fee - then list the candidate on the ballot. Socialist Workers Party candidate Roger Calero, for example, appeared on several ballots around the country in 2004 and again in 2008 - despite being a Nicaraguan citizen. Other challenges fail because courts defer to the political process. In a presidential election, one court concluded in a challenge to Obama's eligibility, it is first left to presidential electors to determine eligibility, and then to Congress when it counts the votes. In addition, candidates may lose elections, which would negate any need for a court to interfere. Some courts, reluctant to intervene, move particularly slowly and let the election process work itself out. Scenario B: But what if a state kept Cruz off the primary ballot? What if an election official decided that state law permitted only natural-born citizens to appear on the ballot and concluded that Cruz was ineligible, and thus removed him from the ballot? Or what if a state secretary of state decided to reject votes cast for Cruz in a primary election? Cruz would presumably sue - and he would certainly have standing. A court may choose to drag its feet and hope that the political process would work itself out. Perhaps, Cruz would drop out of the race before a court reached a decision. But denying voters the chance to vote for an eligible candidate, or refusing to count ballots cast for a candidate, would be a serious harm, and a court would likely weigh in. A court might simply avoid the harder issue of defining "natural-born citizen" and find reasons to allow him on the ballot. It might conclude that no state law authorizes an election official to scrutinize a candidate's eligibility, as occurred in some challenges to Obama's eligibility. Or a court might conclude that a political primary is not binding on the Republican National Convention - since a brokered convention could sort out any prospective nominees' eligibility questions. A court might also say that this is simply a primary race, not the presidential election itself. So any decisions about his eligibility would be premature. Accordingly, even if a state left Cruz off the ballot, there are many possible avenues by which a court might order him back on the ballot without addressing whether or not he is a natural-born citizen. Scenario C: But what if a court does weigh in on Cruz's eligibility? Unlikely as it might seem, given the many contingencies outlined above, it remains a distinct possibility with a less-than-certain outcome. Two major positions stand out in the effort to define "natural-born citizen." Some have argued that the term can only mean a person born within the United States. They cite early British practice before the American Revolution as the principle codified in the text of the Constitution. Others - more persuasively, in my view - argue that Congress, like the British parliament at the time of the founding fathers, has the power to define who is a natural- born citizen at birth. British and early U.S. practices help demonstrate this understanding. In 1952, Congress enacted a law granting citizenship to anyone born to an American mother who met a few conditions of domicile in the United States. Cruz is a citizen under that law. And whether he is natural-born turns on whether Congress has the power to declare him natural-born. How a court resolves this debate is highly uncertain. As courts have generally shied away from resolving disputes about candidate qualifications, judicial involvement here would be truly unprecedented. Scenario D: Even after all this, there remains one still more potential outcome: a brokered convention. Trump, or some other candidate, might choose to challenge Cruz's eligibility at the Republican National Convention. Challenges to delegates pledged to support Cruz would claim that such delegates could not vote for an unqualified candidate. And the Republican National Committee would have to sift through these contests, potentially leading to a brokered convention in which no single candidate earned a majority of the delegates' votes on the first ballot. Taiwan party official says transparent China relations a priority By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A senior official of Taiwan's independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party said on Tuesday it would propose legislation to have greater transparency in relations with mainland China, which he said will be a priority for the recently victorious party. "We will, in a new session of the legislature, put forward the Cross-Strait Agreement Oversight legislation as a priority to highlight our interest in peaceful and stable relations with China," Joseph Wu, the DPP's secretary general, said in a speech at a Washington think tank. Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party won a victory in both presidential and parliamentary elections last week, in what could usher in a new round of instability with China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own. She risks antagonizing China if she attempts to forcefully assert Taiwan's sovereignty and reverses eight years of warming China ties under incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou of the Nationalists. Wu said in order for people in Taiwan to understand any engagement with mainland China, "we need to handle it in a more transparent way and we also need to have some guiding principles or rules and norms." China has deployed more than 1,000 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles as well as cruise missiles in coastal areas facing the Taiwan Strait, according to Taiwan's defense ministry. Wu added that building trust between mainland China and Taiwan would be a "step by step" process. In an interview with Reuters later, Wu said the DPP would "find a mechanism" to work with Taiwan's Nationalists "on some pressing issues" but did not plan to create a shadow cabinet before Tsai is sworn in on May 20. "We want to ensure that the transition is a smooth one, we want to work with the outgoing government so that the political conditions can be stable in Taiwan," Wu said. 'ENCOURAGEMENT' FROM U.S. Wu said the party was keen on expanding relations with the United States, including potentially joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. It looks for Washington to encourage Beijing to work with Taiwan. "That kind of encouragement is going to be very helpful. It helped before and I think it should help (again)," he said. Dealing with Pakistan is one of the most formidable challenges that has confronted Indian administrations over the last 30 years. Whether it was the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 1998 to 2004 or the Manmohan Singh regime for ten years thereafter, relations with Pakistan have been the most insoluble conundrum that they have encountered. Expectations It was expected that the current NDA government led by Narendra Modi would employ a more muscular strategy in its relations with Pakistan. When it was in the Opposition, the BJP had maintained that terror and talks cannot go together. It stressed that the government should not embark on any dialogue with Pakistan unless it was assured that Pakistan would abjure use of terrorist groups aided and abetted by its army and the ISI against India. Relations took off to a cautiously optimistic start with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif attending Modi's swearing-in ceremony on May 26, 2014. It, however, did not take long for relations to sour. Foreign secretary-level talks scheduled for August 2014 were called off at the last moment because of the meeting between Hurriyat leaders and the Pakistan high commissioner in Delhi. Since then it has been a roller coaster ride for the two countries. Meeting between the two prime ministers in Ufa, Russia, was productive, but the backlash was so strong that the two NSAs could not meet. A short interaction between Modi and Sharif in Paris led to hurriedly arranged parleys between NSAs and foreign secretaries of the two countries in Bangkok on December 6, 2015. This paved the way for external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's travel to Islamabad to participate in the Heart of Asia Conference on Afghanistan. In the meeting with Nawaz Sharif and Sartaj Aziz, it was decided to launch the "comprehensive bilateral dialogue" between the two countries. End of 2015 witnessed the impromptu, goodwill stopover by Modi in Lahore on way back from Kabul for a two-hour tete-a-tete with Sharif. It was decided that the two foreign secretaries would meet in Islamabad on January 15, 2016. Even before Modi had taken off from Lahore, analysts were predicting that the two countries should be prepared for a terror strike designed to derail the new-found bonhomie between them. This is exactly what transpired. Six terrorists from Jaish-e-Mohammed with some possible support from sleeper cells in India held security forces at Pathankot airbase at bay for three days from January 2. While PM Modi's unexpected visit to Lahore was welcomed enthusiastically by most political parties, the terror attack was roundly condemned by all - most of them charged that the government was clueless in dealing with Pakistan and had adopted a flip-flop approach ever since it came to power. Imprint Experts believe that the attack bears unmistakable imprint of involvement of ISI and groups like JeM that have been supported by the ISI for operations against India. The Pakistan government has stated it will take action against perpetrators of the attack on the basis of evidence provided by India. It can only be hoped that Islamabad will not term the evidence provided as "inadequate", as it had done in the case of 26/11 Mumbai attacks. India is again faced with the dilemma of constructing a suitable strategy to deal with Pakistan. It will need to finesse several strands of approaches that it has pursued in the past. First, there should be no suspension of talks between the two countries. The off-again-on-again approach regarding talks has not worked. In fact, talks should be used to force the Pakistan establishment to take action against perpetrators of such attacks. All evidences should be shared with Pakistan as also with our international partners to apply pressure on Islamabad. Response In addition, all terrorist actions as well as incursions across the LoC, IB and violations of ceasefire by Pakistan-based elements, should be responded in a robust manner - in a place and timing of our choice. Only when India is able to inflict pain on the Pakistani establishment, including its army and intelligence agencies, for its terrorist actions, will there be a rethink on efficacy of such actions. In addition, India needs to actively and forcefully pursue its policy of reaching out to its major partners like the US, Russia, China, Japan, Iran, etc, to put pressure on Pakistan to keep its terrorist groups under check. India needs to focus on its own economic development and enhance its comprehensive national strength, including military prowess, infrastructure, etc. A multi-pronged, nimble-footed approach will need to be adopted by India to defeat the destructive designs of Pakistan. India will need to ensure that its foreign policy is not held hostage to its difficult relations with Pakistan. Steps taken by the government recently have been in the right direction. They need to be pursued with vigour and single-minded determination. RICHMOND Want to know who gave your state delegate or senator money just before the legislative session started? Tough luck. Like they do every year, Virginia lawmakers kept busy raising money from the businesses and trade associations that try to influence the laws they pass donations that won't be made public until long after the 2016 session is over. State law forbids legislators from fundraising during the session, a restriction that leads to a flurry of receptions and fundraisers in the run up to it. This year there were nearly 50 fundraisers scheduled for the first two weeks in January, including 20 on the two days before the session started Wednesday, according to a public calendar of political fundraisers kept by Richmond lobbyist David Bailey. Only large donations to certain campaign committees have to be reported shortly after they are given. Most campaign finance reports won't be due until this summer, meaning large sums of cash raised in the lead up to session won't be made public for months. But it's likely the amounts are significant. From 2007 to 2015, lawmakers have raised about $2.5 million each January in the days before the session starts, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of campaign finance data provided by the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan money-in-politics tracker. The total includes donations by lawmakers to other lawmakers as well as money raised for inaugural committees after statewide elections . Dale Eisman, a senior writer at the good government group Common Cause, said there should be increased reporting of contributions around the legislative session like there is near the end of a political campaign because the timing of the contributions matter. "Everybody's nicer to grandma around Christmastime," Eisman said. More than half the states place some kind of limits on fundraising during session, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Those states vary in terms of reporting requirements. Lawmakers in Maryland, for instance, will have to report what they raised pre-session this year a week after their session starts. Depending on the year, it can be up to a year before pre-session fundraising has to be reported in Minnesota. Most states that limit donations during sessions place limits on who can give and how large those donations can be, but Virginia has one of the least restrictive campaign finance systems in the country. Lawmakers have long defended Virginia's largely unregulated campaign finance system by saying the state has strict disclosure requirements. In Virginia, the lion's share of giving in the days leading up to the session comes from corporate interests with traditionally close ties to the legislature, with some giving as much as $100,000 each year just before the session starts. The biggest donors include energy giant Dominion Resources Inc., lobbying powerhouse McGuireWoods, Verizon, title loan company LoanMax and the Virginia Bankers Association. Some major donors give the bulk of their donations in pre-session days. The personal injury law firm Allen Allen Allen & Allen, for example, gave Virginia politicians $151,000 in 2014, with 75 percent of that doled out in the days before session. Representatives from the law firm did not respond to requests for comment. Del. Todd Gilbert, the point man for House Republicans on ethics issues, said he hosts a fundraiser just before the session because it's convenient to do so and "the pressure to raise money is constant." Gilbert said he'd be open to having more stricter disclosure requirements for pre-session donations, but he said lawmakers are still trying to figure out the nuances of the ethics law they passed last year and aren't eager to pass additional laws. Much of the corporate money is focused on legislative leadership in both chambers, who in the past have raised more than six figures in a pre-session fundraiser. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Dick Saslaw, for example, raised $125,000 in the days leading up to the last session for his personal campaign account, with virtually all of it coming from corporate donors that try to influence legislation. He also controls the Senate Democratic Caucus committee, which raised $55,000 from corporate donors in the days before the 2015 session. Saslaw said he didn't think voters were ill-served by not knowing who was giving him money until after the session was over. "As long as they know before they have to cast a vote, that's all that counts," he said. "That's all that counts." On the first observance of the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as a federal holiday 30 years ago, President Ronald Reagan said it was a time for rejoicing and reflecting. We rejoice because, in his short life, Dr. King, by his preaching, his example, and his leadership, helped to move us closer to the ideals on which America was founded. We reflect on his words and his works, Reagan said. We still rejoice and reflect on the life of the Baptist minister and civil rights icon who was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the age of 39. He would have turned 87 on Jan. 15. But our troubled times demand more. People gather for prayer breakfasts and worship services, read Kings writings and tell his stories to younger generations and listen to choirs and panel discussions of Kings legacy. Some will emulate Kings struggle by marching in Black Lives Matter protests. The holiday also inspires volunteering. President Bill Clinton signed the King Holiday and Service Act, establishing the holiday as a national day of service, in 1994. Hundreds of thousands of Americans, starting with President Barack Obama and his family, joined in the day of service, picking up the baton handed to us by past generations and carrying forward their efforts, Obama said last year. In his final State of the Union address, Obama said he is inspired by the voices that help us see ourselves not, first and foremost, as black or white ... but as Americans first, bound by a common creed. Voices Dr. King believed would have the final word voices of unarmed truth and unconditional love. We hear precious little about unconditional love in politics, but King said in his 1964 speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize: I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. Obama said the voices of truth and love dont get a lot of attention; they dont seek a lot of fanfare; but theyre busy doing the work this country needs doing. After 30 years, most people may not remember that Congress dithered for 15 years before enacting the holiday. Congress finally passed the bill and Reagan signed it in 1983, effective in 1986. Some states dragged their feet even longer on adopting a state holiday for King. The last was New Hampshire in 1999. Even today, the holiday remains contentious in a few states. Three states Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi celebrate the birthdays of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and King on the same day. The joint holiday once may have seemed a pragmatic compromise but now is cringe-worthy, especially as Southern states have reconsidered or removed vestiges of their Confederate past. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, told reporters Jan. 6 that he hoped the legislature will separate the King and Lee birthdays. An effort to do so last year failed. Virginia separated King from Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson in 2000 and now has a state holiday honoring the Confederates on the Friday before the King holiday on the third Monday in January. Richmond, Lynchburg, Bristol and several other cities in Virginia no longer observe the Lee-Jackson holiday. Alabama still has three state holidays honoring Confederate heroes. Besides the King-Lee holiday, Confederate Memorial Day is April 25 and Jefferson Davis birthday is June 6. Alabama is the only state with a holiday honoring the president of the Confederacy. And the King holiday can be fraught with peril for politicians. Then-Sen. Hillary Clinton got in hot water in 2006 when she said at an MLK holiday event in Harlem that the GOP-led House of Representatives has been run like a plantation and you know what Im talking about. Republicans insisted they were not racist. A Democratic senator from Illinois named Barack Obama defended Clinton. As people drive to their volunteer service on Kings birthday, some will travel on a street named for him. About 900 boulevards, avenues, streets and courts in the United States are named for the civil rights leader, most in the Southeast. Naming those streets often has been political, says Derek Alderman, geography professor at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, who has studied the issue since the 1990s. Ironically, many streets named for the champion of justice and equality political and financial are in blighted and segregated communities. They serve as a graphic reminder of the civil rights struggles that remain three decades after the first national holiday for Kings birthday. Marsha Mercer writes from Washington. Contact her at marsha.mercer@yahoo.com. Rep. Dave Brat, R-Richmond, reacted strongly to recent news of a Northern Virginia man allegedly attempting to travel from the Richmond Airport to Syria to join the Islamic State. "Jihadists - right here in Richmond," Brat posted on his Facebook page Sunday. The Seventh District Congressman said, "The facts are undeniable; terrorists are here, and they are looking to take advantage of every vulnerability in our system here on American soil," said Brat, mentioning last week's news of an Iraqi refugee accused of being an ISIS sympathizer planning to set off bombs at two Houston malls. "We cannot afford to be politically correct when it comes to radical ideologies that want to attack us. Anyone from the radical jihad camp of Islam should not be al lowed anywhere near the homeland. Period," Brat said. "Our current system is not sufficient. Our border is not secure. The threat is real. Political correctness cannot keep us safe." Brat is a cosponsor of Texas Rep. Brian Babin's bill to suspend America's refugee resettlement program "until a thorough review of its economic and national security concerns can be addressed," according to the congressman. Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, was arrested Friday at Richmond International Airport. Officials said his ultimate destination was Syria. Officials also arrested Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, 25, who they say drove Farrokh to Richmond. Both men are from Woodbridge. Farrokh, a U.S. citizen born in Pennsylvania, has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Elhassan, a legal permanent U.S. resident originally from Sudan, has been charged with helping Farrokh. The Associated Press reported court documents filed in the case show Farrokh asked for help getting to Syria from a person who he didn't know was an informant for the FBI. He later met with two other FBI informants he believed were people who could help him join the Islamic State group. Farrokh made plans to travel from Richmond to Chicago and from there to Jordan, where he was told he would be met by a contact. Farrokh cleared security, and the FBI arrested him as he approached his departure gate, according to court documents. Dalhousie students Sandra Chukwu and Jordan Reynolds both developed an interest in science at a young age really young. Sandra, a fourth-year Math and Chemistry major from Nigeria, says she used to count things by herself as a toddler and became a bit of a whiz in math class at school. It likely didnt hurt that her father, an engineer, used to hammer home the importance of math and science to her almost daily. Jordan, a third-year Biology student, remembers being four years old and collecting insects with her older sister to examine under a microscope their mother left kicking around the house. Her sisters interest in science continued to rub off on her as the years passed. Were five years apart, but I would always try to do her science homework, even when she was in high school and when she got into university, says Jordan, who is from Barrie, Ont. Ive always kind of looked up to her as a role model. Forging connections Since coming to Dal, both Jordan and Sandra have stepped up to be role models in their own way as volunteers with the universitys local chapter of Lets Talk Science (LTS), headquartered in the Faculty of Science. LTS is a national outreach group that creates and delivers unique learning workshops that engage children, youth and educators in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Jordan and Sandra started out as volunteers with the Dal contingent and have since become co-coordinators of the local chapter, soliciting interest in the program from schoolteachers across Nova Scotia, recruiting volunteers in the Faculty of Science and helping plan some larger-scale events that bring students to Dals Halifax and Truro campuses to learn. Volunteers help run hands-on workshops at schools and community centres across the province. One workshop called Feast for the Senses teaches children in kindergarten and first grade how animals use their senses to locate food, while another called The Sciences of Flight teaches kids in grades nine through 12 about how air travel works. Forensics, DNA, and weather are among the other topics covered in workshops. Each year, the group hosts the Lets Talk Science challenge, a three-part quiz show/ingenuity test for children in grades six through eight. Theyve already signed up close to 100 kids (close to capacity) for this springs event, which happens May 3 in the University Club hall. This year, the group will also be hosting an ocean symposium for high school students that will include lectures from professors about oceanography, a tour of Dals marine labs and even a squid dissection. Getting engaged Jordan says the key to engaging children in the activities is to get to the hands-on part right away. Giving a long introduction or rigidly sticking to a lesson plan tends to backfire, she says. Most important of all, though, is being enthusiastic. You have to be as enthused if not more enthused than they are, she says, explaining that she usually shows up to workshops in a lab coat. When the kids walk in they get so excited. Its like theres a scientist in the room. Given that many of the activities are based on using props and materials to illustrate topics, it usually doesnt take long for kids to get interested. Sandra recalls the time a young girl got upset and started crying because she thought one of the props involved in an activity belonged to her mother. The child calmed down once her teacher came over, though, and as the activity got underway she started trying to open some of the bottles on the table. She was just very, very curious, which is something we look for in kids who are more science-inclined. I told the teacher, This girls going to be a scientist one day, says Sandra, who hopes her own passion for science leads to medical school in the Caribbean after she graduates. Every experience ends up being unique in its own way, but the underlying goal remains the same: To inspire more kids to take an interest in studying and potentially pursing a career in science or technology. Thats what Dal really projected to me during my orientation week, so since then Ive always carried that with me, says Jordan, who also carries a goal to work in animal conservation in Africa post-graduation. I guess when I am presenting thats what I want to do is inspire them. Want to get involved as a volunteer with Let's Talk Science? Contact Jordan or Sandra at lts@dal.ca for more details. The Hague: Outspoken far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders on Monday called for all Islamic male refugees to be locked up in their asylum centres, saying women needed to be protected on the streets. He made the comments in a new video for his Freedom Party (PVV) in the wake of a series of New Year's Eve sexual offences in Cologne, Germany. As the refugee issue polarises the Netherlands, the PVV is riding high in opinion polls suggesting if elections were held now it would win the largest number of seats in the Dutch parliament. Denouncing the attacks in Germany in which hundreds of women were groped and robbed by a throng of mostly Arab and North African men, Wilders said it was "sexual terrorism, sexual jihad." In the video released in both Dutch and English, he repeated calls for the Netherlands to close its borders to all "asylum-seekers from Islamic countries." "But as long as this doesn't happen, as long as our women are in danger from the Islamic testosterone bombs, I propose that we lock the male asylum seekers up in the asylum centres." As Europe grapples with the worst migrant crisis since World War II, the Netherlands took in a record number of asylum-seekers in 2015, receiving more than 54,000 by the end of November. The next parliamentary elections are not due until 2017. But the latest polls collated by the Dutch public broadcaster NOS on January 9 said the PVV would grab some 36 seats in the 150-seat Lower House if they were held now. That would be the party's best showing ever, and well up from the 12 seats it currently enjoys, giving it the upper hand in trying to form a coalition government. Wilders's views have already proved controversial. He is expected to go on trial in March for inciting racial hatred after pledging in local elections that he would ensure there will be "fewer Moroccans" in the country. In another provocative move, the PVV is planning to hand out fake pepper spray to some women at a weekend rally planned in the town of Spijkenisse on Saturday. Carrying pepper spray is illegal in the Netherlands, but Wilders has said it should be legalised. In Gilgit-Baltistan 72 terrorists were arrested while no arrest was made in Pakistan Administrated Kashmir. (Photo: AFP) Islamabad: Pakistani Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) have arrested 2,533 terrorists across Pakistan over the last two years, the interior ministry said. The major arrests during the period were made in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces where the number of such arrests was 1068 and 897 terrorists respectively. The province-wise updates issued by ministry in a report said in Balochistan 193 terrorists were arrested during last two years, in Punjab 55, in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 42 and the number of arrested terrorists was 206 in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). In Gilgit-Baltistan 72 terrorists were arrested while no arrest was made in Pakistan Administrated Kashmir. Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi earned the wrath of Parliamentarians on Monday as he left a Standing Committee meeting midway citing prior engagements, prompting walk out by two Trinamool Congress MPs. The meeting was called in the afternoon to hear the home secretary on the recent disaster in Chennai caused by torrential rainfall and consequent flooding. The deliberations started with the presentation of Mehrishi on the issue, which lasted for about 30 minutes. Soon after his presentation was through, sources said, Mehrishi passed on a chit to Congress MP P Bhattacharya, the Chairman of Standing Committee on Home Affairs, informing him that he has to leave as he has an important meeting scheduled. As he was leaving, MPs in the panel objected to his behaviour and questioned it. MPs like CPMs Sitaram Yechury, CPIs D Raja, Congresss K Rahman Khan and Trinamool Congresss Derek OBrien objected to Mehrishi leaving the meeting without waiting to respond to their queries. Mehrishi was criticised earlier also for not attending the Parliamentary panel meeting. Sources said MPs were upset, as they wanted to seek clarifications from him on the steps taken by the ministry to provide relief as well as the lacune in their efforts. OBrien was vocal against Mehrishis absence and he along with his party colleague Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar walked out of the meeting. DH New Service Seventeen-year-old Arjun fought off a leopard with just a stick when the big cat pounced on his mother while she was feeding the cattle in their home in the mountains of Tehri Garhwal. Selected for the prestigious Sanjay Chopra Award for bravery, Arjun beams with confidence and wants to join the Army. Around 7 pm, I was studying in my room, when I heard my mothers shriek coming from outside. I instinctively picked up a stick lying behind the door and ran towards the noise. I saw outside a fully grown leopard standing on top of my unconscious mother, Arjun said on Monday. I first hit the stick on the ground to attract the attention of the animal towards me, and then hit it repeatedly, making it run away from the spot, Arjun added. Equally courageous is the story of Shivansh. But, unlike Arjun, he cant collect the award himself. He lost his life while saving one of his friends from drowning in river Saryu in Faizabad. Recalling the incident, Shivanshs mother choked with emotion as she couldnt decide whether to cry or feel proud for her elder son, posthumously selected for National Bravery Awards. My son used to go to a swimming pool those days, and was a very good swimmer. One day, the pool organisers told him and his friends that the pool was closed. So he, along with his friends, decided to go to Saryu river for swimming, said Neelam Singh. They went to an island on a boat, and then decided to have a competition in which they all had to swim back to the shore, she narrated. As they were swimming, Shivansh saw one of his friends struggling to stay afloat. He moved towards him and started to pull him along. In the process, the boy got saved but Shivansh couldnt make it, Neelam said. According to her, about 250 people watching from a safe distance a child drowning while saving someone elses life. But no one dared to save him. Twenty-three brave children from different parts of the country attended an event organised by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) on Monday to announce the names of the 25 children selected for the National Bravery Awards 2015. Out of them, two were chosen posthumously. These bravehearts will receive their awards from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 24. National Bravery Awards are given annually to children for acts of bravery against all odds. Instituted in 1957, the awards consist of five categories Bharat Award, Sanjay Chopra Award, Geeta Chopra Award, Bapu Gaidhani Award and the general National Bravery Awards. This year, Gaurav Kawduji (posthumously) has been selected for Bharat Award, Arjun Singh for Sanjay Chopra Award, Ramdinthara, Rakeshbhai Shanbhai Patel and Aromal for Bapu Gaidhani Award, and 20 other children for the general National Bravery Awards. Amid Delhi governments claims of inadequate security provided to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi on Monday said the allegations were misconceived and unfounded. Bassi also met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and submitted a report over Sundays ink-throwing incident. The woman who threw the ink was on Monday remanded to policecustody for a day. On Sunday, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had blamed police after a woman threw ink in Kejriwal at north Delhis Chhatrasal Stadium. Any such allegations are misconceived and unfounded. I want to make it clear that necessary arrangements were made at the venue and there was no lapse in security, Bassi told media. Bassi said the woman has been arrested and a probe is underway. When asked about Kejriwal's security, Bassi did not share details and maintained that adequate security has always been in place and it shall continue to be so. According to police, law and order arrangements were made for Chhatrasal Stadium as per the practice for Chief Minister functions. In fact enhanced police deployment was made for law and order maintenance in view of the large crowd expected to attend the function, said Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deepak Mishra. The deployment included a company of Delhi Armed Police and police personnel from local police. As far as personal security of the CM is concerned, adequate cover is provided by Delhi Police which includes escort, pilot and PSOs (personal security officers), Mishra added. Police said that a team of security unit had also performed anti-sabotage check before the function and the team was at the stadium at the time of incident. On Monday, the accused in the case, 26-year-old Bhavna Arora, was sent to a day in police custody. She claims to be the in-charge of the Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena. Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Kumar gave the order after police produced her before Rohini District Courts. In closed-door proceedings, police told the court that Bhavnas custody was required to unearth the truth behind the incident and to probe whether she conspired with other party workers. Bhavna is a resident of Rama Vihar in outer Delhis Rohini. She faces charges under sections 186 (obstructing public servant) and 353 (assault) of the Indian Penal Code. Police custody The advocate appearing for Arora in the metropolitan magistrate Sunil Kumars court opposed the polices custody plea and sought bail for the accused, reports PTI. The counsel claimed that the offence committed by Arora was not serious and being a woman, she should be released. Arora had thrown ink on Kejriwal when he was addressing a thanksgiving rally at Chhatrasal Stadium here on Sunday following the success of his governments odd-even experiment, prompting angry reaction from the AAP government which termed the incident as a part of BJP conspiracy. Parents seeking admission for their wards in nursery classes can now fill forms according to the former criteria and point system set by schools with the Delhi High Court on Monday reserving its judgement on the plea against scrapping of management quota by Delhi government. The High Court issued a notice to the government, asking reasons behind scrapping of the quota. After the governments decision, while some schools like Indraprastha International School, Sachdeva Global School, and P P International had changed their criteria and scrapped management quota, some others had stopped the process for few days. However, with the court clarifying that parents can apply as per the old criteria, schools are bringing back the management quota, which they had, earlier, done away with. For example, Indarprastha International, which was one of the schools which complied with the governments directive, on its website, again notified 20 per cent management quota on Monday. Others are also planning to invite applications and review them on the basis of the former criteria. Parents have got a relief from confusion over whether they should continue filling the forms or not. Some schools like Salwan Public in Mayur Vihar had stopped the process after the governments decision, but now they are accepting forms, said Ritu Walia, a parent. There have been arguments in the court and while an interim stay has not been given, the court appears to be inclined in favour of schools. Earlier, there was confusion whether parents should fill the forms or not, but, now at least that ambiguity is no more there. The process would be carried on in the same manner, said Ameeta Wulla Muttal, Principal of Springdales School, Pusa Road. S K Bhattacharya, President of Action Committee for Unaided Private Schools, which had filed the petition in the court, said that the court has permitted schools to proceed as per criteria adopted and there is no question of removing the management quota. A final order in this connection is reserved for January 28. However, the experts warn that schools which were following discriminatory practices will get autonomy after the order. Some schools had given a staff quota, besides reserving points for staff children. This is discriminatory. I would like to appeal to the government and Honourable High Court that if schools are found reserving points and quota in the same category, there should be a stringent action against them, said social activist Sumit Vohra, also the founder of admissionsnursery.com. However, the school associations say that any discrimination would be checked and an advisory has already been issued to these institutions to do away with discriminatory points. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday described the suicide of the Hyderabad Dalit student as "murder of democracy, social justice and equality". "It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice and equality. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji should sack ministers and apologise to the nation," Kejriwal said in a tweet. "(The) Modi government (is) constitutionally duty bound to uplift Dalits. Instead, Modi ji's ministers got five Dalit students ostracised and suspended." Rohith Vemula, a second-year research scholar of science, technology and society studies department at the University of Hyderabad, was found hanging from the ceiling of a room in the New Research Scholars' Hostel late on Sunday. He was one of the five Dalit students suspended and expelled from the hostel for staging a protest on the campus for the past 15 days. India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Israel and always offers a safe and secure home to the Jewish people, said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "India attaches the highest importance to full development of wide-ranging ties with Israel," she said on Monday as she met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the second day of her visit to Israel. "Our bilateral cooperation has developed well in a number of areas over the past two decades. But the potential of our relationship is much more," Sushma Swaraj, who is on her first visit to West Asia as external affairs minister, said. Stating that she was looking forward to her meetings with the Israeli leadership, she said she hoped to "discuss the entire spectrum of our bilateral relationship". "I also hope to get an assessment of the situation in the region and explore areas where we can cooperate in addressing common challenges," she said. Welcoming the Indian minister, Netanyahu, who is also Israel's foreign minister, said that India and Israel were intensifying cooperation in a number of fields. "In the fields of science and technology, cyber, defence and agriculture, we want to do more," he said. He said that Sushma Swaraj's visit has provided a special opportunity for the foreign ministries of both the countries to discuss various challenges and opportunities. He said that though India and Israel shared very old civilisations. "The future belongs to those who innovate. Israel and India are at the cutting edge of so many areas of innovation," the Israeli prime minister said. "By working together we can do a lot more for our peoples and for the world," he said, adding that Israel admired and viewed India as a great friend. Sushma Swaraj, who is being accompanied by the Secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry, Anil Wadhwa, and a number of other senior officials of the ministry, then held delegation level talks with Netanyahu. Following this, she called on Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. "All in a morning's work. After meeting PM @netanyahu, EAM calls on @PresidentRuvi of Israel at the President's House," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted. Sushma Swaraj also held delegation-level talks with Israel's Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Yuval Steinitz and Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Ahead of the Indian minister's visit, Israeli Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said at a media briefing in New Delhi that Israel and India would collaborate in the areas of agriculture and water management. Stating that Israel had faced the problem of water scarcity, he said that his country would collaborate with the Indian private sector on this and was in close contact with India's water resources and Ganga rejuvenation ministry. He also said defence cooperation was "the central pillar of our relationship". He said Israeli defence manufacturing companies were "open and flexible" to the idea of 'Make in India'. Carmon said India-Israel defence ties have gone way beyond a buyer and seller relationship and now it was about joint research and development. On Monday, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely and former Israeli foreign minister and chair of the India-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group Tzipi Livni also called on Sushma Swaraj. Later in the evening, addressing a community event, the visiting Indian minister said that India has always offered the Jewish people a safe and secure home. "India has always offered the Jewish people a safe and secure home for many centuries," Sushma Swaraj said while addressing the Indian community and the Friends of India. She congratulated the Indian caregivers for performing commendable service away from their homes. There are at least 80,000 Jews of Indian origin in Israel, most of whom are now Israeli passport holders, according to Indian embassy figures. There are at least 10,000 Indian citizens in Israel, of whom at least 8,000 are care-givers while the others are diamond traders, IT professionals, students and unskilled workers. The visiting Indian minister started the day by paying homage at Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, located near Jerusalem. Sushma Swaraj's visit to Israel comes after the visit of President Pranab Mukherjee in October last year, the first ever by an Indian head of state. On Sunday, Sushma Swaraj went to Ramallah on the first leg of her West Asian visit and held bilateral discussions with her Palestinian counterpart Riyad Al Maliki and called on President Mahmoud Abbas. Going on the offensive on the dalit student's suicide case in Hyderabad, Congress today demanded that HRD Minister Smriti Irani should be removed along with Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, against whom a FIR has been lodged. Party spokesperson Kumari Selja told reporters here that both Irani and Dattatreya should resign or else Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take action against the two by sacking them. She said that the HRD Minister has "misguided" the whole country as she had written a number of letters on the issue and that Dattatreya was "against dalit students in order to promote ABVP". "There is much more than what meets the eye. The Prime Minister must speak out on the matter and take action against the ministers," she said as Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi left Delhi to visit Hyderabad Central University (HCU) to meet the students after a dalit scholar allegedly committed suicide sparking massive protests. "The Prime Minister should break his silence. This is not the first time that BJP ministers have worked against the interest of the dalits. There are several others who have spoken ill of the dalits. And hence, the entire BJP, the Prime Minister are in the docks," Selja said. The body of the dalit research scholar was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room, which sparked massive protests. Dattatreya and the university Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in the FIR over the alleged suicide of the student. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". The deceased student, Rohit Vemula, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in a case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Selja said that facts available in the public domain "unequivocally establish" that Dattatreya, BJP MLA Ramachandra Rao and ABVP activists were "squarely responsible for deliberately orchestrating circumstances leading to tragic suicide of Vemula". "This horrific incident is part of the Modi government's unabated agenda to undermine the rights of the deprived and underprivileged, particularly the Scheduled Castes and other backward classes, which has manifested itself in last 19 months," she said. The alleged suicide of the 25-year-old dalit was not an "isolated incident but a sinister culmination of social boycott of dalits in the university campus and passing of derogatory remarks against dalits by ABVP activists," she said. "This seething contempt against the dalit community was done with the active abetment of the university authorities," she said. Selja said that while the five dalit Ph.D. research scholars of the university were suspended in August last year, a probe by 'Proctorial Board' of the varsity had given a clean chit to Rohit and his colleagues. "Despite a clean chit, they were hounded, persecuted and humiliated at the instance of Dattatreya, the BJP MLA and ABVP activists, which finally led to them being debarred from using the campus and being evicted from hostel premises. "Even the letter dated 18th December, 2015 calling upon the vice chancellor and placing facts of systematic dalit persecution fell on deaf ears. Further information in public domain now shockingly suggests that even the HRD Ministry wrote four letters to the university demanding action against the five dalit Ph.D. research scholars," she said. Selja said that Congress once again condemns the "anti-dalit mindset" of BJP-RSS and demands immediate sacking of Dattatreya as also an inquiry through a sitting high court judge into the entire sordid episode examining the role of the Union minister, the MLA, ABVP activists, the vice-chancellor as also the HRD Ministry. "The Modi government has become a habitual offender in trampling upon the rights of the dalits and the poor. Be it the statement of RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat calling for a review of reservation or shameless comment passed by Union Minister V K Singh comparing dalit children to dogs, a deep rooted prejudice is writ large," she said. Selja said, "This anti-dalit mindset of the Modi government has extended to widespread cuts in welfare schemes for Scheduled Castes. In Union Budget 2015-16 alone, the Modi government imposed a cut of Rs 19,734 crore in Scheduled Caste Sub Plan reducing it from Rs 50,548 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 30,850 crore in 2015-16. "Even, funds in the critical 'Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme' for SC/ST have been reduced by Rs 305.78 crore in 2015-16," she added. The suspension of five dalit students and the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad had its echoes in Punes Film and Technical Institute of India where students went on a hunger strike. "(The students) have been viciously targeted by the UoH administration and the right wing groups on a false complaint filed by Susheel Kumar, the president of ABVP, UoH, alleging he was attacked by 30 ASA students, the FTII Students Association (FSA) said. Bigger picture We recognise that this incident should be seen in the light of things happening all across the country in recent times. Minority communities are being attacked, voices of dissent are being curtailed and Brahmanical ideology is being imposed on plural cultural and educational spaces, an FSA spokesperson said, condemning the police attack on students in Hyderabad. We hold the Brahmanical administrationof UoH, Bandaru Dattatreya, BJP MP and Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Smriti Irani, the minister of HRD, Sushil Kumar, ABVP president of UoH, Appa Rao Podile, VC of UoH and Prof Alok Pandey, the chief proctor who ordered for the suspension, responsible for the institutional murder of Rohith Vemula, the spokesperson said and called for an independent probe into the incident. 26 years after Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the Valley, their heart wrenching and poignant tales of persecution, struggle and plight speak of wounds that are yet to heal and a yearning to return to a peaceful co-existence with their Muslim neighbours. "A Long Dream of Home: The Persecution, Exodus and Exile of Kashmiri Pandits," -- a collection of first hand narratives of "never told before" stories by several generations of those evicted from their own state-- was unveiled here last evening. At the launch, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah said, "Don't wait till the last guns stop firing. Come home!". The Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of their homeland in 1990 to live in exile and 26 years since then governments at both central and state levels have changed, and myriad policies have also been formulated but "the rhetoric remains unchanged", said Varad Sharma, who along with Siddharth Gigoo edited the tome published by Bloomsbury. There have been several attempts in the past to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley by proposing the erection of townships but that, Gigoo said , "will not be home. It will be nothing less than a house arrest." According to Gigoo, Sharma and other contributers to the book, the Pandits essentially want "justice", which means getting back their way of life - a peaceful co-existence with their neighbours, i.e. the Kashmiri Muslims and more importantly, no threat to their lives. Sharma suggests a "dialogue" to restore peace in the Valley. According to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, the major impediment in the rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits lies in the fear of losing their lives and homes all over again. "Kashmiri Pandits will find reconciliation very difficult because they have gone through a deep sense of hurt and betrayal," Tharoor said. Despite assurances by authorities about "reduced militancy" in the state, Tharoor pointed out that the Pandits continue to reel under the post traumatic effect of their ouster that followed a massive devastation of property and loss of lives. "Even though Farooq has his heart at the right place but even he cannot guarantee the security and nobody wants to be the guinea pig," Tharoor said. The narratives of friendship and love in the book act as evidence that the exodus has not made the Pandits bitter towards their Muslim counterparts who they admit had suffered too. In an anecdote, Gigoo mentioned the kindheartedness of a Muslim cab driver in curfew ridden Jammu who offered to take him home to his ailing grandmother when everybody else had refused. The driver also declined to take any money from him. Even though his grandmother passed away by the time he reached, Gigoo said he still remembers the stranger's act of kindness. "Kashmir is still surviving because of such instances of humanity," Gigoo said. According to the authors the exodus in the Valley , has often been compared to the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. The only difference, they say, essentially was that the Partition did not leave those who had left their homes behind with any hope for returning. "Pakistan became a different country so, there was no hope of going back, but there is a constant noise of hope here," he said. Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Australian Open first round after a five-set thriller against Fernando Verdasco Tuesday, increasing fears about his ability to add to his 14 Grand Slam titles. In only his second first-round loss at a major tournament, the oft-injured 29-year-old fought for four hours, 41 minutes before the inspired Verdasco won 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2. It was one of the worst ever Grand Slam performances for Nadal, who also lost in the 2013 Wimbledon first round and has not won a major title since the 2014 French Open. "It's tough, but at the same time, I know I did everything that I can to be ready for it," Nadal said. "Was not my day. Let's keep going. That's the only thing. "There is no more thing to do than keep practising hard, keep practising the same way that I was doing the last four, five months." Nadal can at least take heart that the Australian Open has historically been his toughest Grand Slam tournament, with his only win coming against Roger Federer in 2009. That year, he fought off Verdasco in another five-set epic which clocked in at five hours, 14 minutes -- the second longest match in tournament history -- in the semi-finals. But the following year, he limped out of his 2010 quarter-final with Andy Murray during the third set with a knee injury. In 2011, Nadal was troubled by a thigh injury as he went down in straight sets in the quarter-finals to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer. Three years later Nadal was hit by a back problem when he lost to Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka in the final and last year he was bounced out by Tomas Berdych in straight sets in the quarters. On Tuesday, Verdasco looked headed for the exit when he trailed 0-2 early in the fifth set, only to reel off six straight games to snatch only his third victory in 17 encounters with Nadal. Verdasco, the world number 45, was on fire with his thumping forehand, hitting 41 forehand winners among a total of 90 outright winners. His all-or-nothing approach was shown by his 91 unforced errors as he trailed Nadal by two sets to one in an awesome hitting display on Rod Laver Arena. "I think today's match was kind of like very similar in terms of the (2009) semi, going to a fifth set," Verdasco said. "Of course at the beginning of the fifth I was thinking about that semi-final. I didn't want to lose and after that break, I started playing really good, hitting very hard serve, forehand, and not making many mistakes. "So I was very happy with the way that I finished the match." Verdasco broke Nadal's serve five times, while losing his service on six occasions in the battle of the left-handers. His reward is a second round clash with Israel's Dudi Sela. The HRD Ministry today rejected allegations that it had put any pressure on the University of Hyderabad in the matter relating to the suspension of a dalit student, who committed suicide on Sunday. After it emerged that the Ministry had sent five letters including four reminders to the University regarding the August 17, 2015 letter written by Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, it said it was only following the procedures. "It would be wrong to say that the Ministry has put any pressure on the Hyderbad University. The Ministry had only followed the procedure as per the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure. "According to the procedure, if there is a VIP reference, it has to be acknowledged in 15 days and another 15 days may be taken to reply to it. Since no response was coming from the University, the Ministry had to send reminders," HRD Ministry spokesperson Ghanshyam Goel said. Seeking to justify the Ministry's action, officials said that even in Cabinet meetings the Ministry is supposed to provide all details about pending assurances, VIP references, grievances etc. According to sources, the Ministry had sent its first letter on September 3, 2015 to the University, and reminders were later sent on September 24, October 6, October 20 and November 19. Officials said that the University finally replied on the matter on January 7. Dattatreya had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani after a clash between two student groups in the campus in which an ABVP leader Susheel Kumar was attacked. Rohith Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the University in August last year over the alleged assault case. They were also kept out of the hostel. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme step taken by Rohith was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, following his letter to Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". Rohith was found hanging at the Central University's hostel room in the campus on Sunday, triggering protests from fellow students this morning. Actor Kabir Bedi has lashed out at daughter Pooja Bedi for calling his newly married wife "wicked and evil", saying he is "deeply disappointed" with the comments. Bedi, who tied the knot for the fourth time with Parveen Dusanj on his 70th birthday, took to Twitter to share his displeasure over the unwelcoming remarks made by Pooja. "DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED by venomous comments by my daughter Pooja against @parveendusanj just after we married. NO excuse for bad behaviour (sic)," he wrote. Pooja, who is the daughter of Bedi and his first wife Protima, was not happy with the marriage. "Every fairy tale has a wicked witch or an evil step~mother! Mine just arrived! @iKabirBedi just married @parveendusanj," she had tweeted on January 17 immediately after the wedding. She later deleted the tweet and wished her father the best for his fourth marriage. "Deleted the last tweet on my dad @iKabirBedi 4th marriage. Lets keep things positive. I Wish him the best!," she posted recently but Bedi is in no mood to let bygones be bygones. Bedi's first marriage was to model-turned-Odissi dancer Protima, with whom he had two children Pooja and Siddharth. He later married British-born fashion designer Susan Humphreys and the couple had son Adam. Bedi divorced Humphreys and tied the knot with TV and radio presenter Nikki Bedi. They had no children and divorced in 2005. Bedi and daughter Pooja have been estranged for over a year. Pooja had apparently asked father Kabir and his partner Parveen to move out of the house that she said belonged to her mother, Protima. To solve the problem of traffic jams at the city's 14 busy intersections, Kanpur police today launched "Selfie with Traffic" campaign under which the police station incharge of these areas will have to ensure there is no jam during the peak hours. Under the initiative, for next 15 days, the Station House Officers (SHO) of the respective police stations, under which the 14 busy intersections fall, will have to upload selfies of traffic at the crossings on the helpline Facebook page of IG Kanpur Zone -'ek number bharose ka'. "We need smart policing on all busy crossings to tackle the problem traffic jams," said IG Kanpur Zone, Ashutosh Pandey. People can also upload selfies of traffic jams on the page along with time and place, following which action would be taken against the concerned SHO for failing to clear the traffic jam. Pandey had sought suggestions from the people on the helpline to solve the problem of traffic snarls. "Following which, 14 most busy crossings, prone to heavy traffic jams, were identified and the campaign was launched today," he said. Police station incharges of these areas will have to upload selfies about the traffic situation at the crossings, falling under their jurisdiction, between 10 AM and 11 AM, 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM and 6 PM and 8 PM. The officers will have to personally monitor the jam situation and make efforts to end it as soon as possible. Strict action will be taken against any SHO if any negligence on part of any official is found, the IG said. Apart from this, Pandey has also asked the police inspectors to send him the selfies about the situation of traffic jam when the schools and colleges get over, so that students don't have to suffer. He has asked the students to click a selfie if they witness heavy jam in any area so that proper action could be taken. A Delhi court today sent a woman, accused of throwing ink at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here, to 14-day judicial custody. Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Kumar remanded Bhavna Arora to judicial custody after the investigating agency said she was not required for further custodial interrogation. Arora, was produced before the court on completion of one-day police custody, had thrown ink at Kejriwal at a rally after the completion of government's odd-even car rationing experiment. The probe agency said the attack on the Chief Minister was "attack on the democracy" and the woman should be sent to jail so that in future people who indulge in such activities get a "lesson" and do not get publicity. "It was a government function and the attack was made during a rally. Ink was thrown at the Chief Minister. It could have been anything, acid also. "Such acts have been a routine process. There are people who indulge in activities like throwing ink and shoes. It's time to teach them lesson to those who opt such path to garner publicity," the police said. The advocate appearing for Arora opposed the police's submissions and sought bail for the accused. "There is no previous record of crime. She has been falsely implicated in the case. Nothing has been recovered during the investigation and the probe is complete...She is entitled to bail being a woman," Arora'a lawyer said. The court, however, dismissed the bail plea moved by Arora and sent her to judicial custody. Arora had thrown ink on Kejriwal when he was addressing the 'thanksgiving' rally at Chhatrasal Stadium here, prompting angry reaction from AAP government which termed the incident as a "BJP conspiracy". The woman, who claimed to be a member of the Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, a splinter group of Delhi's ruling AAP, was later whisked away by police and questioned at the Model Town police station. Arora has claimed she had "proof in the form of a CD" on the CNG scam. A resident of Rama Vihar in outer Delhi's Rohini sub-city, she was booked for alleged offences under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the IPC. The suicide by a dalit student of Hyderabad University today snowballed into a major issue with BJP's rivals wading into it and demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, accusing them of being responsible for the death. As Congress mounted the demand for the sacking of the HRD and Labour Ministers, Rahul Gandhi led the multi-party charge attacking them and the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao saying "The VC and the Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Though he did not name Irani, who had just over the week attacked Rahul in his constituency Amethi of failing youths there, the reference was obvious to her against the backdrop of ministry's action which is blamed for the suicide by Rohith Vemula, a dalit research scholar, on Sunday night. Protests escalated in Hyderabad and cities across the country including in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Student organisations including the pro-Left AISA and AAP-backed CYSS and Congress' NSUI held protests in Jantar Mantar and the HRD ministry in the capital demanding the sacking of the ministers and strong action against the VC. Various political parties and leaders have blamed Labour Minister Dattatreya's letter of Aug 17 last year to Irani seeking action against the "anti national activities" of a students union and the alleged assault of an ABVP leader and a series of five communications from the HRD Ministry between Sept 3 and Nov 19 demanding follow up action for the suicide. The HRD ministry, however, today rejected allegations that it had put any pressure on the University relating to either suspension of Rohith or keeping him out of the hostel. The communications, it maintained, was not aimed at putting pressure but was in compliance with the standard protocol adopted in accordance with the Central Secretariat Manual of Procedure whenever a "VIP Reference" is received. Ministry officials said the two-member committee of HRD officials have met people concerned in Hyderabad today and their fact-finding report is expected to be ready after their return tomorrow. After the high-profile visit of Rahul to the campus, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi also went there and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not saying sorry over the incident. "It does not need even 140 characters," he said in an apparent reference to the Prime Minister's penchant for tweeting on issues. He alleged that there has been social discrimination that had led to the suicide. Gandhi flew into Hyderabad from Delhi in the morning and drove straight from the airport to the University campus where he addressed the agitating students. He alleged that the institution instead of operating fairly has used its power to "crush" the freedom of students to express. "The Vice Chancellor and the Minister in Delhi have have not acted fairly. What is the result. The result is that the youth, who came here to improve the country, to learn and to express himself was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. "Certainly he has committed suicide but conditions for his suicide were created by the Vice Chancellor, the minister and the institution," he told the students, one of whom said before his speech that they did not want any politicising of the issue. He demanded "strictest punishment" for Vice-Chancellor and the minister holding them "responsible" for the death of the research scholar. After meeting the students, Gandhi upped the ante against Irani and Dattatreya and the Vice Chancellor, by observing in a tweet: The VC and Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Union Labour Minister Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The Congress Vice President said there is "no question of the Vice Chancellor remaining" on merit and criticised him severely for not even meeting the mother of the deceased. "There are certain people responsible for it. Vice Chancellor is among them. The minister is among them," Gandhi said insisting that whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in strictest terms. In a series of other tweets, Gandhi said, "Any student can come to the University- whether he belongs to any caste or religion. He should feel that I can say what I want to say. The idea of a University is that young people can come and share their thoughts." "These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus. Met students of the Ambedkar Students Association, Hyderabad University," he said in the other tweets. Earlier, accompanied by senior Telangana Congress leaders, Gandhi paid tributes to Vemula by garlanding a memorial "stupa" put up in the university. He also spent some time with family members of Vemula and consoled them. More. On its part, the BJP accused Gandhi of politicising and insisted that it had nothing to do with the victim being from the depressed community. Party general secretary P Muralidhar Rao, who hails from Telangana, accused Gandhi of "unprincipled" behaviour, saying that the same Congress which had "harassed" dalit icon B R Ambedkar "all his life" was now trying to project itself as champion of Dalit cause. He alleged that Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula's suicide has been made into political issue by "Congress, section of media and some groups with vested interests". In a series of tweets, he said, "Suicide of Rohith Vemula has nothing to do with dalit issues or rights just because he was a dalit. It is merely politicising of the issue." "Disciplinary action was taken against Rohith on the advice of the court and even a lenient stand was taken by University authorities by permitting him to enter the campus except the hostel," he said. "Rahul Gandhi's hurried visit to Hyderabad is an unprincipled behaviour and it is unfortunate that a national political party stoops to such levels. A two-member Trinamool Congress delegation led by party MP and national spokesperson Derek O'Brien will also visit Hyderabad to express solidarity with the agitating students. "We have spoken to the students and they said it will be a nice gesture if you come and express solidarity with us", O'Brien here said. "I have listened to their account regrading the incident. We will reach Hyderabad this evening", he said, adding another member of the delegation is party MP Pratima Mondol. Senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan of the Samajwadi Party held the Central government responsible for the suicide and sought President Pranab Mukherji's intervention in the matter. "The student's suicide note raises suspicion...the party heading the government at the Centre and its affiliated organisations are responsible for it...these parties are anti-Dalit and anti-minorities and do not want them (students) to study and come on par with others," Khan said in a statement here. Lending his voice to the criticism of the Centre, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded that Modi sack Irani and Dattatreya and apologise to the nation over the suicide. He questioned the ministers' "interference" in the internal affairs of the institution. Terming it as a "murder" of democracy, social justice and equality, Kejriwal said the incident, which sparked massive protests across the country, has shaken the "collective conscience" of the entire nation. The HRD ministry had written as many as five letters to Hyderabad University on Labour Minister Bandaru Dattareya's complaint regarding "anti national activities" on the campus and the "violent attack" on an ABVP leader but maintained it was standard procedure on such "VIP references". Questions have been raised about the HRD ministry's five letters, which have been blamed as one of the major reasons for the suicide of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student, which has snowballed into a massive political row. HRD officials however claimed that after Dattatreya, MP from Secunderabad, wrote the letter on August 17 last year, the ministry only followed the standard practice by writing to the University on September 3, seeking the "issues raised by the MoS may be examined and facts intimated." "It would be wrong to say that the Ministry has put any pressure on the Hyderabad University. The Ministry had only followed the procedure as per the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure. "According to the procedure, if there is a VIP reference, it has to be acknowledged in 15 days and another 15 days may be taken to reply to it. Since no response was coming from the University, the Ministry had to send reminders," HRD Ministry spokesperson Ghanshyam Goel said. After its first letter, the ministry sent four reminders on - September 24, October 6, October 20 and November 19 last year, to the University seeking facts expeditiously so that it could respond to the Minister of State Dattatreya. HRD officials said the University finally provided a reply only on January 7, this year. An official said not only are the ministries supposed to reply in a time bound manner to VIP reference, but even in Cabinet meetings, the number of pending references, greivances, assurances etc has to be shared which makes it important that these are pursued. HRD minister Smriti Irani, who today visited Assam and accompanied the Prime Minister to IIIT Guwahati, had yesterday said the government neither intervenes in functioning of the university nor does it have administrative control over it. Three of the HRD ministry's letters were written to the University VC, while two were addressed to the Registrar. In the letter written on October 20, the VC was asked to look into the "facts personally and get the facts provided at the earliest". HRD officials also said the two-member fact-finding panel comprising its officers Shakila T Shamsu and Surat Singh, is expected to be back tomorrow and that they are waiting for it to file its report. Insisting that the ministry had given no directions to the University, HRD officials said on the night of August 3 last year, a group of students suspected to be belonging to Ambedkar Students Association allegedly attacked Susheel Kumar, the then President of ABVP on the campus and the Proctorial Board of the University enquired into the matter. It was the Executive council of the University that then approved the expulsion of five students including Rohith, they said. An Executive Sub-Committee, which included a senior Dalit faculty member and was headed by the senior-most professor, was subsequently constituted to go into the matter and it upheld the recommendation. However, later at a meeting of the Executive council, a lenient view was taken as expulsion would have deprived the students of the chance to continue pursuing their doctorate and it was decided to permit them into their departments, library and academic meetings but not in hostel, administration and other public places. The decision was challenged by the students in the court. Three of the students also started protest by sleeping in the open, the sources added. They also said the Dean Students Welfare had regularly counselled the students to have patience to wait for the court's verdict, while the Vice Chancellor had also discussed the issue with them. Terming Pakistan as a "den" of terrorism, Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh today hoped Islamabad will take take action against the masterminds of the Pathankot air base attack and made it clear that the Pakistani investigating team will not be allowed inside the air base. "It is hoped that Pakistan will take action because the voices emerging from there indicate that they might do something this time," he said adding that this could also be because of international pressure. He called Pakistan a "den" (adda) of terrorism and said "it is the responsibility of the entire world to end terrorism there and it is a good thing that they are putting pressure." Singh was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an NCC event here. Asked whether Pakistani investigators will be allowed inside the Pathankot air base, Singh said "our Minister" has said that they cannot be allowed to get inside. He was apparently referring to reported comments of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Jaipur that the Pakistani Special Investigating Team (SIT), during its visit to India, will not be allowed inside the air base. Earlier, Singh visited NCC Republic Day Camp-2016 being conducted at the Garrison Parade Ground here today. Lauding the role of the cadets, Singh has said that the premiere agency is the mentor of the youth. He appreciated its commitment to grooming of future leaders of the country. He said he was proud of NCC having entered Limca Book of Records for the largest yoga performance by 9.5 lakh cadets at multiple venues on the International Day of Yoga. Anaemia remains widespread in the country as more than half of the children in 10 out of 15 states are still anaemic, the latest national health survey released by the Union Health Ministry today said. The first phase of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) for 2015-16 which covered 13 states and two UTs also revealed that more than half of women were also found to be anaemic in eleven states and UTs. However on other parameters, the Union Health Ministry asserted that the findings revealed "promising" improvements in maternal and child health and nutrition. The first phase of the survey included Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and two Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry. "Anaemia has also declined but still remains widespread. More than half of children are anaemic in ten of the 15 States and UTs. Similarly, more than half of women are anaemic in eleven states/UTs. "Over-nutrition continues to be a health issue for adults. At least 3 in 10 women are overweight or obese in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu," the survey said. Noting that poor nutrition is less common than reported in the last round of the survey, it said that fewer children under five years of age are now found to be stunted, showing intake of improved nutrition. "In nine states/UTs, less than one-third of children are found too short for their age. While this reveals a distinct improvement since the previous survey, it is found that in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya more than 40 per cent of children are stunted. Wasting is still very high by international standards in all of the states and UTs," the survey said. Data collection for the second phase states and UTs is currently ongoing. The 2015-16 NFHS-4 is the fourth in a series of national surveys. For states like Haryana, the sex ratio of the total population (females per 1,000 males) was 876 which was a decline from the last survey where it stood at 897. The survey also showed that women in the first phase states and UTs are having fewer children. "The total fertility rates or the average number of children per woman, range from 1.2 in Sikkim to 3.4 in Bihar. All first phase states/UTs except Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya have either achieved or maintained replacement level of fertility- a major achievement in the past decade," it said. The NFHS-4 said that married women are less likely to be using modern family planning in eight of the first phase states/UTs and there has been any increase in the use of modern family planning methods only in the States of Meghalaya, Haryana, and West Bengal. The decline, it said is highest in Goa followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Despite the decline, about half or more married women are using modern family planning in eight of the 15 states/UTs, it said. The NFHS-4 results show that in 15 states/UTs fewer children are dying in infancy and early childhood. "After the last round of NFHS in 2005-06, infant mortality has declined in all first phase states/UTs for which trend data are available. All 15 states/UTs have rates below 51 deaths per 1,000 live births, although there is considerable variation among the states/UTs. "Infant mortality rates range from a low of 10 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to a high of 51 deaths per 1000 live births in Madhya Pradesh," it said. Noting that better care for women during pregnancy and childbirth contributes to reduction of maternal deaths and improved child survival, the latest survey said that almost all mothers have received antenatal care for their most recent pregnancy and increasing numbers of women are receiving the recommended four or more visits by the service providers. "More and more women now give birth in health care facilities and rates have more than doubled in some states in the last decade. "More than nine in ten recent births took place in health care facilities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, providing safer environments for mothers and new-borns," it said. The survey said that full immunisation coverage among children age 12-23 months varies widely in the first phase states and UTs. "At least six out of ten children have received full immunisation in 12 of the 15 states and UTs. In Goa, West Bengal, Sikkim and Puducherry more than four-fifths of the children have been fully immunised. "Since the last round of NFHS, the coverage of full immunisation among children has increased substantially," it said. Noting that Indian families in the first phase households are more inclined to use improved water and sanitation facilities, the survey said that over two-thirds of households in every state and UT have access to an improved source of drinking water. Also more than 90 percent households have access to an improved source of drinking water in nine of the 15 states/UTs. "More than 50 percent of households have access to improved sanitation facilities in all first phase except Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. "Use of clean cooking fuel, which reduces the risk of respiratory illness and pollution, varies widely among the first phase states/UTs, ranging from only about 18 per cent of households in Bihar to more than 70 percent of households in Tamil Nadu and more than 80 per cent of households in Puducherry and Goa," it said. NFHS-4 is the first of the NFHS series that collects data in each of India's 29 States and all 7 Union Territories and for the first time, will provide estimates of most indicators at the district level for all 640 districts of the country included in the 2011 Census. In NFHS-4, women aged 15-49 years and men aged 15-54 years are interviewed. When the survey is completed throughout the country, approximately 570,000 households would be covered for information. Protests over the alleged suicide by a Dalit research scholar escalated in Hyderabad and Delhi today and also spread to other cities including Pune, Chennai and Gandhinagar with the incident being described as an "institutional murder". The activists of TJYF (Telengana Jagruti Youth Front), a cultural outfit headed by TRS MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha, raised slogans outside the house of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya at Ram Nagar in Hyderabad and blamed him for the death of PhD scholar Rohit Vemula from Hyderabad Central University, who was found hanging in his hostel room on Sunday. Holding placards, the protestors demanded that the minister, who has been booked in the case, should resign immediately. "Thirty seven of the protesters were taken into preventive custody when they held a dharna near the Union Minister's house," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) V B Kamalasan Reddy said. On the university campus, scores of students, who intensified their protests, demanded that Dattatreya, BJP MLC Ramchander Rao, university's Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders, against whom cases were registered for abetting suicide of Rohit, be jailed. Raising slogans like "We want justice", they held Dattatreya and others responsible for Rohits death and took out a rally on the campus. Telangana BJP spokesperson Prakash Reddy faced the wrath of agitating students at the HCU when he was leaving the campus after participating in a TV debate. A group of students rushed to Reddy's car and raised slogans against Dattatreya and HRD Minister Smriti Irani and his party. A window of Reddy's car was broken during the protests. In the national capital, youth wings of various parties including AAP and Congress took to streets demanding resignation of Irani and Dattatreya. While protesters from Congress affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) marched to HRD ministry shouting slogans against the government, those from AAP's Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The students of prestigious Film and Television Institute of India(FTII) in Pune sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institute's gate in "solidarity" with the protesting students in Hyderabad. "We feel that the unfortunate incident like death of Rohit Vemula is an institutional murder," said a students' body representative Yashaswi Mishra. Protests were held by workers of Congress and Left parties in Chennai where members of the Scheduled Caste wing of TNCC led by K Selvaperunthagai tried to picket the Shastri Bhavan here, which houses a number of central government offices. About 65 Congress workers were detained, police said. In Gujarat, around 50 dalit students of Central University of Gujarat (CUG) held a peaceful protest in Gandhinagar while in Punjab, the activists of Punjab Ambedkar Sena Moolnivasi took out a protest march in Phagwara and burnt effigy of Irani and demanded sacking of Dattatreya over the suicide. The landslide victory of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwans presidential and parliamentary elections has put Sino-Taiwan relations on an uncertain course. The outcome of the two elections is historic; Tsai Ing-wens victory in the presidential election makes her Taiwans first-ever woman president. As for the general election, her DPP won 68 of the 113 seats up for grabs compared with 35 won by the ruling Kuomintang (KMT). This is the first time since the end of the Chinese Civil War that the pro-China KMT has lost its grip over parliament. The DPP is likely to interpret the massive mandate it received in the just-concluded elections as support for its pro-independence policies. This could spur it to adopt confrontationist positions on its relations with China, stirring up cross-strait tensions. This would be unfortunate as relations between Taiwan and China have improved significantly over the past decade when the two sides signed 23 agreements. And in a historic first, Taiwans President Ma Ying-jeou met Chinas President Xi Jinping in Singapore in November. The DPP must read the message of the mandate carefully. While the people of Taiwan are indeed apprehensive over excessive proximity to Beijing, their vote for the DPP cannot be interpreted as an anti-China vote. Economic problems, especially stagnating incomes and surging housing prices during Mas rule was an important reason for voters moving away from the KMT. This together with infighting in the KMT cost the party dearly in the elections. Thus, the DPPs victory was not so much the outcome of a surge in anti-China feeling as it was a vote for change and economic prosperity. The DPP should therefore avoid unnecessarily needling Beijing. The last time the DPP controlled the presidency (2000-08) was a period of much unrest in cross-strait relations. However, President-elect Tsai is a cautious politician. Hence, her victory and the DPPs coming stint at the helm will not necessarily be volatile. The two sides can avoid turbulent relations by drawing on the benefits of cooperation. The DPP should leverage close relations with China to revitalise the stagnant Taiwanese economy which grew at barely 1 per cent in 2015. As for China, it needs to wake up to the fact that Taiwans youth do not see themselves as Chinese but as Taiwanese and that its sabre-rattling only deepens their desperation for distance from China. The attack that killed four civilians and four terrorists in central Jakarta on last Thursday may be a harbinger of more violence to come. It certainly suggests that IS, which claimed responsibility, has already transformed the terrorism threat in Indonesia, after years of mostly foiled plots. Indonesia, the country with the worlds largest Muslim population, has a tiny jihadist movement relative to its size. Many factors have kept radicalism in check: a stable, democratic government, little internal conflict, peaceful neighbours and tolerance for advocates of Islamic law. It also has an effective counterterrorism police unit, set up after the 2002 Bali bombings. The Bali bombings, which killed more than 200 people, marked the high point of terrorist capacity in Indonesia. The bombers were from Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), trained on the Afghan-Pakistani border and funded by Al Qaeda. Although those attacks were carried out in the name of the global jihad, most JI members like many other local extremist groups were focused on avenging the deaths of Muslims in Christian-Muslim fighting in two areas of eastern Indonesia, Maluku and Poso. The groups involved in that struggle in the late 1990s and early 2000s laid the basis for the extensive network of jihadist cells that exists in Indonesia today. With the arrests that followed the Bali attacks and the end of local wars, the jihadist movement weakened and fragmented. But it did not disappear. By the mid-2000s, JI decided violence was largely counterproductive and redirected its efforts toward rebuilding its membership through religious outreach and education. Other extremist groups, some of them splinters from JI, remained committed to jihad, but they lacked JIs training regimen, indoctrination process and discipline. From 2010 until last week, out of dozens of attempted bomb attacks in Indonesia, not one bomb worked as intended, and three suicide attacks killed only the attackers themselves. But then IS emerged, and suddenly there was the potential for Indonesian extremists to go to Syria and get military training, combat experience, ideological indoctrination and international contacts. What had become a low-level threat became more serious again. Thursdays attacks were reportedly organised and funded by Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian computer expert said to be in Syria. Last August, three men were arrested in Solo, in central Java, for planning to bomb a police post, a church and a Chinese temple on Naims instructions. (The temple was targeted as retaliation for Buddhist violence against Muslims in Myanmar.) In December, four more of Naims men were picked up for plotting attacks against senior police officials and Shiite institutions. Even as terrorist activity has picked up in the last year, Indonesia has been shielded from its effects by the incompetence of would-be attackers, as well as police vigilance. In 2015, the total death toll from terrorism was just eight people; in 2014, it was four. The terrorists of the Solo plot, for example, apparently couldnt figure out the right chemicals to make explosives. Last Thursdays attacks could have been much deadlier had the perpetrators been better trained. This weakness could lead Naim or other terrorists in the Middle East to send operatives back to Indonesia to instruct local extremists. And if the Jakarta attack did not cause the mass casualties its organisers were hoping for, the saturation news coverage it generated may turn that near-failure into a success of sorts, and encourage more attacks. Other IS sympathisers in Indonesia may want to strike in the hope of attracting similar attention. The rivalry between the two men who are said to be vying for the leadership of Indonesian fighters in Syria, Bahrumsyah and Abu Jandal, could blow back to Indonesia in the form of lethal competition among their supporters. The need for more preventive measures has therefore become pressing. One necessity is plugging the holes in Indonesias anti-terrorism law, which at present does not ban membership in IS or similar organisations, or participation in terrorist-training camps abroad. Even when the Indonesian police know that individuals are actively recruiting for ISIS, they have few legal tools to stop them. Supervision of convicted terrorists Another necessary step is to improve supervision and post-release monitoring of convicted terrorists. Pro-IS networks are able to disseminate information and contacts in Indonesian prisons, in part because almost every inmate has ready access to a smartphone. At any one time, some 300 individuals are either in prison or police custody awaiting trial on terrorism charges many of them still in regular communication with peers on the outside. Dozens are released every year after serving their sentences, and the state authorities do not monitor them afterward. The government must also develop a program for deportees who have been returned to Indonesia. So far some 200 Indonesians who tried to join IS have been sent back by Turkish authorities, some 60 per cent of them women and minors, and if there ever was a target population for a deradicalization programme, this is it. These people, often especially the women, have proved their determination to go to Syria or Iraq, and they may try to do so again. Their whereabouts are known, at least for the moment, and many need assistance because they sold everything before leaving. Garbage menace is increasing in and around Chelavara waterfalls in Nariyandada Gram Panchayat jurisdiction here. Visitors, who come to visit the famed waterfalls, throw plastic covers and other waste materials here and there. As a result, garbage is piling up with each passing day. The Gram Panchayat administration had earlier constructed a gate to collect toll from tourist vehicles going to the waterfalls. A time schedule was also fixed for tourist visits. But the system was cancelled following objections sometime ago. Since then, the tourists have been visiting the place as and when they like and are throwing waster materials. The Tourism Department has not prescribed any fee for the visitors and the area continues to be deprived basic facilities. Many locals said the department has not initiated steps to neither repair the road leading to the waterfalls nor provide tourist-friendly facilities here. An amount of Rs 3.2 crore, sanctioned for maintenance of roads from Cheyyande to Chelavara waterfalls, remains unused the condition of the road from the parking area up to the waterfalls is pathetic as well as dangerous. The visitors and locals said the Tourism Department should construct steps up to the waterfalls from the parking lot and also place dustbins in the area for proper disposal of waste. Also, it should put up boards to provide information on the tourist spot to the visitors. Warning signboards, suggesting tourists not to get into deep waters must be erected, they said. The villagers complained that some miscreants, who are visiting the spot for fun, are polluting the surroundings. There is no proper monitoring, collection of waste, including discarded bottles, they claimed and urged the officials to act immediately. They also said cooking food on rocks above the waterfalls should also be stopped. The local administration and the Tourism Department should take steps to stop the pollution in the area, the villagers added. In a rare gesture of generosity, an entire family of 80 members in Virar in Palghar district on the outskirts of Mumbai have pledged their organs for donation after death. The Lopes familyoriginally hailing from Agashi in Mumbais northern suburbssaid they were inspired by a lecture on how such donations can save lives. It was decided that everyone from the oldest to the youngest would pledge their organs to give hope and life to the needy. On January 10, as the family marked the 25th death anniversary of its patriarch Bascao Dinya Lopes who died aged 79 in 1991, they listened to a lecture on organ donation held at a hall in Vasai-Virar region. We realised donating organs is for a cause, 60-year-old Elias Lopes, who lives with his 82-year-old father Bavtis, said. The family was inspired by the lecture delivered by Purshottam Patil-Pawar, chief trustee of Bapusaheb Patil-Pawar Charitable Trust that runs the NGO Dehmukti Mission to promote organ donation. One of them approached Patil-Pawar to gain clarity on the concept of donation. They had initial apprehensions, Patil-Pawar told Deccan Herald. But once I explained the idea in detail, the whole family agreed. While the familys oldest person of 82 signed-up, it said even the school-goers would agree for organ donation once they attain the legal age of 18. There were several doubts and myths (about organ donation), Elvis Lopes, one of the members, told Deccan Herald. Once they are cleared, we decided that the entire family should sign-up. Members of the family, who total to about 100, are involved in various professions. Some of them live outside of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. A Mumbai court on Tuesday allowed the CBI to interrogate underworld don Chhota Rajan in connection with the killing of journalist-writer Jyotirmoy Dey. Rajan, a former key aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested at Bali airport on October 25 after he arrived from Australia, and was later deported to India. Since his deportation, he has been lodged in the high-security Tihar Jail. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, including the J Dey murder case. Through video conferencing, Rajan was produced before Additional Sessions Judge A L Pansare, who presides over special court set up under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The gangster told the court that he has received a copy of the charge sheet and needs to go through it. I am kept in a high security cell and only taken out once in a week and need 15 days to a month for scanning the charge sheet and engaging a lawyer in Mumbai, Rajan told the court. His lawyer Anshuman Sinha was present in the court. Dey, 56, the editor (investigations) of Mid-Day was shot dead on June 11, 2011, at Powai here at the behest of Rajan, who was allegedly instigated by Vora, the then deputy bureau chief of the Mumbai edition of The Asian Age. Initially 10 persons were arrested and chargesheeted. Vora was arrested on November 25, 2011, and subsequently another charge sheet was filed. Of the total 11 accused were chargesheeted. Senior Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh, who was abducted by terrorists and later released, on Tuesday underwent a lie detector test in connection with the Pathankot terror case in which his statements are still not trusted by investigators. The polygraph test came after five days of questioning by the NIA. On Monday, a Delhi court had given the NIA the permission to carry out the test. The examination came after the NIA felt there were inconsistencies in his statements before the Punjab Police and the NIA with regard to the version of his abduction by terrorists and subsequent release. Sources said the lie detector test has not concluded on Tuesday and that it would continue on Wednesday. A team of experts from the Central Forensic and Scientific Laboratory is conducting the test. Investigators hope that the test would help them ascertain the sequence of events that took place after he was kidnapped on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 by terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed. Asked whether they consider him a suspect or a witness, a senior official said they are treating him as a suspect as of now and the onus is on him to prove otherwise. Investigators have doubts over Singhs version that he was abducted by terrorists who carried out the Pathankot air base attack and later released. They suspect Singh is part of a smugglers network and inadvertently helped terrorists enter India without knowing their real intentions. Singh has also not been able to provide convincing reasons for his visit to a shrine near the Indo-Pak border in Punjab, his abduction by terrorists and reason for maintaining four mobile numbers. Pakistan is likely to delay the visit of its Special Investigation Team (AIT) to India to probe the terror attack on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab. Islamabad is learnt to have conveyed to New Delhi that it would rather wait for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India to conclude the probe, before sending its own team. Pakistan apparently decided to delay the visit of its investigators to India after New Delhi made it clear that they would not be given access to the scene of crime the IAF base at Pathankot in Punjab. Indian officials in touch with Pakistan government said that the investigators from the neighbouring country were now expected to visit New Delhi only after conclusion of the probe by the NIA. They would hold meetings with the NIA investigators and explore ways for cooperation to bring to justice the plotters of the attack in Pakistan, apart from exchanging information and evidence. Prime Minister Narendra Modis National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is in touch with his counterpart Naseer Khan Janjua to finalise the Terms of Reference of Pakistani probe teams visit to India. We hope that Pakistan will probe, may be because of pressure on it from the international community. The SIT (from Pakistan), however, will not be allowed to enter the airbase, Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State for Defence, said on Tuesday. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, too, last Saturday indicated New Delhis reluctance to allow the Pakistani SIT to visit the military facility in Pathankot, ostensibly because it was a forward airbase, where the IAF had stationed its strategic assets. Islamabad earlier told New Delhi that its probe team should ideally be allowed to visit the scene of crime as it is necessary for building up a strong case in the court against the Jaish-e-Mohammed operatives, who were arrested in Pakistan in connection with the terror strike on the airbase in India. New Delhi last week agreed to host the Pakistani SIT and welcomed Islamabads crackdown on JeM terror plotters in the neighbouring country. In a stinging criticism of the countrys security apparatus, Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra on Monday said Pathankot attack could have been prevented if infiltration routes on the not well-guarded International Border (IB) were plugged after a proper follow-up into recent terror strikes. Delivering the R V Raju Memorial Lecture on the occasion of the seventh NIA Foundation Day, Vohra also appeared critical of the Border Security Forces role on Indo-Pak borders as well as Punjab governments reluctance to hand over the July 2015 Dinanagar terror case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). States and political fraternity should dispel all political differences over counter-terror investigations and be forthcoming in cooperation with Central agencies in such sensitive crimes, Vohra said in his address National Security Management: Some Concerns, in the presence of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Vohra, who was also Union home secretary, felt that around half a dozen terror attacks that took place since September 2013 should have been followed up properly. In these attacks, terrorists sneaked into India through International Border on Jammu and Punjab sectors. If Dinanagar attack was investigated by the NIA, infiltration gaps would have been plugged and Pathankot would not have happened. I am sure it would have been almost impossible because we would have been able to know the routes taken by the terror groups to infiltrate the IB. I also hold very strongly that IB is not well-guarded, he said. Concerned that coalition politics is creating trouble in taking action, he said the Union Home Ministry is now sending only advisories that are different from directives. The Kolkata Police after being accused of complacency in apprehending the driver of the Audi SUV car that killed air force officer Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud on January 13,managed to apprehend most of the key players within 48 hours. The third arrest in the case was made on Tuesday morning with police picking up Johnny, another witness in the hit-and-run case. Johnny, arrested from Kolkata on Tuesday early morning, was produced at a city court later in the day, along with Shahnawaz Khan alias Sanu. The latter was arrested from Delhi on Sunday and brought to the city on a two days transit remand. Both Johnny and Sanu will be interrogated individually to reconstruct the chain of events. They will also be questioned face-to-face with Taushif Sohrab alias Sambia, prime accused in the case. Johnny has posted a video on YouTube stating his side of the story. Johnny was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday from the city. Both Johnny and Sanu were presented before a court where were are seeking their custody, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Debasish Boral told reporters. Sambia, younger son of Trinamool leader Mohammad Sohrab, is accused of breaking through police barricades and hitting the 21-year-old air force officer before abandoning his car and fleeing the scene. Sources said, Sanu and Johnny have both corroborated Sambias statement before the police that he left his friends in a huff after an argument with them in his SUV on the morning of January 13. Sanu claimed in an earlier questioning that he and Johnny followed Sambia in another car, with Johnny on the drivers seat, but turned away from Red Road after noticing the barricades. Johnny stated in his video that their car was stopped by the police from entering Red Road, which was closed to civilian traffic for Republic Day parade rehearsals. It was only in the morning we found out all this has happened. We also came to know the police are looking for us, he said in the video. While Sambia, charged with murder and criminal conspiracy, was arrested from Kolkata on Saturday night, a manhunt is still on for his father, Sohrab, and elder brother Ambia. Protests against the death of 26-year-old Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula intensified at the University of Hyderabad here on Tuesday. While the four other Dalit students who were expelled from the hostel continued their struggle for the 16th day by sleeping outside, many students joined in the three-day old relay hunger strike next to the Velivada (Dalit Ghetto) erected by Rohith and others. We will continue to boycott classes till the culprits are punished, said one of the students. Tougher charges The students have been demanding cases under SC/ST Atrocities Act against Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, vice-chancellor Apparao, proctorial committee chairperson Alok Pandey, ABVP campus unit president Susheel Kumar and BJP MLC Ramachandra Rao. They are demanding Rs 5 cr compensation for Rohiths family, job for one person from the immediate family at the campus, revoking the rustication order on four students and false cases filed on student leaders. The students who found support from their counterparts from Osmania University organised several rallies throughout the day. The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, which invited Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to address the gathering, tried to distance itself from political parties. The student leaders urged student speakers not to politicise the issue and only speak about the Dalit cause and the sinister plans of Brahminical forces trying to keep Dalits and minorities away from higher education. The two-member HRD Ministry committee, comprising OSD Shakila T Shamsu and Deputy Secretary Surat Singh, have commenced their fact-finding mission on the campus on Tuesday. The committee members spoke with non-teaching and teaching staff of the university and sought details of the incidents that led to the suspension of five students. We are here to hear from you and not address you, Shakila told the students that met her. She said that the committee will receive written complaints or facts about the incident till 7pm on Tuesday as they have to get back to Delhi and submit their report. National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairman P L Punia was also present at the proceedings and told reporters that the commission would take up the issue seriously. Snowballing protest over Hyderabad Dalit student's suicide posed fresh political challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with union minister Bandaru Dattatreyas name figuring in the FIR. It also provided fresh fodder to the Opposition to put the centre on the mat ahead of Budget session of Parliament. The incident also generated heat within the BJP given that party national executive member Sanjay Paswan took on his own government, warning it to be ready to face revolt and reactions if it failed to view seriously student Rohit Vemula suicide case. The stake holders of power politics must take serious note of Rohit Vemula episode or be ready to face wrath, revenge, revolt, reactions, the BJP Dalit leader and former union minister tweeted. Paswan also led the Scheduled Caste wing of the party in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. When asked to comment on Paswans critique, a BJP leader explained that the party has already acted on the episode by condemning the suicide and HRD ministry has constituted a team to probe Vemulas suicide. What has irked the Opposition was the Central governments alleged intervention in student politics of Hyderabad Central University as they claimed that action against Vemula was taken after HRD ministry egged on the university over a letter from union minister Dattatreya, who is also the local MP from Secunderabad. BJP general secretary Shrikant Sharma, however, denied any link between HRD ministrys communication to the university and action against Vemula. He said that the university took action against the research scholar before Smriti Iranis ministry forwarded Dattatreyas letter for a response. Hindi poet Ashok Vajpeyi on Tuesday announced his decision to return the D Litt degree conferred on him by the Hyderabad Central University in protest against what he described as anti-Dalit attitude that drove a PhD research student to suicide. As the furore over Rohith Vemulas suicide continued, a group of over 130 scholars, most of who are faculties in higher educational institutions in the UK, the US and Germany, denounced the university administration for taking action against Vemula under political pressure in an open letter posted on a news website. These scholars also demanded a fair investigation into the case and immediate reinstatement of other four Dalit students facing expulsion. Atmosphere of intolerance not only seems to be continuing, but rising. Incidents like Malda, replay of Muzaffarnagar, and now the university showing anti-Dalit attitude. So, I am returning the honour they bestowed on me. I dont think I can associate with the university, Vajpeyi told a news agency. He had returned Sahitya Akademi Award in protest against the murder of writer and rationalist Kalburgi. We of the global scholarly community make an urgent appeal that justice be done in the most recent case of caste discrimination in Indian higher education, that of the University of Hyderabads prejudicial suspension of five young Dalit men pursuing PhDs. Godrej Group has increased its footprint in the lifestyle vertical by acquiring a 51 per cent stake in India Circus, a venture by Krsnaa Mehta, for an undisclosed sum. India Circus Retail offers contemporary and affordable home decor and personal accessories. With this merger, the Godrej group aims to strengthen India Circus market position as a lifestyle brand. India Circus will continue to retain its identity and brand name under Godrej. Krsnaa Mehta will be responsible for design, and Godrej will be responsible for efficiencies in operations and marketing of the business. Furthermore, India Circus employees have been retained, as the group believes that talent is an important asset of this lifestyle brand, Godrej Group said. In the coming years, Godrej will continue to expand its portfolio in the lifestyle segment by investing in existing lifestyle brands and by creating its own. On the other hand, with this merger, India Circus expects its market revenue to grow by 500 per cent over the next two years. With this partnership, we are looking forward to strengthen our lifestyle footprint and also compliment our existing lifestyle brands like Godrej Interio. The acquisition of India Circus is one of the steps towards building a robust lifestyle vertical, Godrej and Boyce head, strategy and innovation, Navroze Godrej said. I am confident that with Godrej, this brand can make it to the next level and soon be available not only in India but all over the world, he added. In addition to its online presence and the existing shop format, India Circus will now have its presence in over 50 Godrej Interio retail outlets across 20 cities. Worried about the image of the state ahead of the Invest Karnataka 2016, Industries Minister R V Deshpande on Tuesday invited companies to partner with the government instead of indulging in blame game. He was interacting at the Invest Karnataka meet of which Deccan Herald managed to get exclusive inputs. The meet was organised by the IT department where IT honchos reiterated concerns about poor infrastructure and need to expedite Metro and other infrastructure works to ease traffic. Are these concerns not there in London or New York? Concerns are there in every country, he said, recalling the slow traffic in New York when he last visited. Asking industries to take pride in Bengaluru, Deshpande said people have not invested here to favour the government. Why are you here? You are not here to do favour to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, me or IT Minister S R Patil. You are here because you know that there is an excellent ecosystem and skilled manpower, he said. He also appealed to companies not to go to media to launch a whispering campaign that they are moving out of Bengaluru. I only request you that if you want to say something, we are available 24X7. Please come and meet us. But dont go to press and say this industry is going, that industry is going. No industry will go... This kind of whispering campaign will damage the reputation of the state and the country, he said. We have tried to involve Industry in solving problems. Issues will be there and problems will crop up in future also. In the next few months to one year we will address your concerns. We will not leave any stone unturned to see that infrastructure is created, he said, reiterating that the government is concerned about the issues raised by industry. Admitting that infrastructure has not developed at the same speed at which industries and investment came, the Minister said that both industry and government were responsible for this. I am more concerned about what happens to the common man than to Industry. Children are not able to reach school in time because of the traffic, he said, referring to the traffic woes raised by companies. Bengaluru Development Minister K J George and IT Minister Patil also assured the industry captains and associations that the government was aware of their problems and had already initiated steps to address them. Even as the CBSE has stated that it is open to Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) candidates appearing for the IIT-JEE entrance test, these candidates have no hope of appearing for the States Common Entrance Test (CET). The Karnataka Examinations Authority has not permitted them to apply for CET 2016. Earlier, after a section of the parents approached the High Court in this regard, the Court, on August 27, 2015, had directed that these students be allowed to write the entrance test. Deccan Herald had reported this on August 29, 2015. However, KEA officials claimed that they were unaware of any such directions. KEA Administrative Officer Gangadhariah said, We had sent a request for amendment of CET Rules to the government almost two years ago. No decision has been taken. As for the High Court directions, if parents concerned show us a copy of it, we will look into it. If there is such an order from the High Court, we will definitely seek the governments permission to obey the order. He added that as of now, according to CET Rules, only Indian citizens can appear for the exam and there was no provision for OCI candidates. Our first question while applying is whether the candidate is a citizen of India, he said. Students keen This leaves the candidates with the option of either applying for a seat under the management quota or going for Comedk seats which are far more expensive compared to government seats. Chithra Prasad, whose daughter will appear for her Class 12 exam this year, is one of the affected parents. Her daughter has studied from kindergarten to class 12 in the state and the parent opined that they should not be discriminated against when it came to CET. We moved back from the US in 2002. We are tax payers in both countries. The Centre's provisions specify that OCI candidates are eligible for education here. I believe it is time the government took a serious look into the issue. 'State dragging its feet' Meanwhile, parents alleged that KEA officials were misguiding people. Sreedhara R, one of the petitioners said, We have met the Education Minister and the Principal Secretary and explained the issue. While Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have changed the provisions, Karnataka is dragging its feet. We will approach the Court again. The KEA was also supposed to reply to the High Court's notice, which it hasn't. Reiterating that the east-west corridor of Namma Metro would be ready by March 2016, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director P S Kharola said he was aware of missed deadlines. At a presentation to the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) on Tuesday, Kharola made it clear that Phase 1 and the east-west corridor underground line would be ready by March. We are targetting February-end. I understand we are missing deadlines, but I also understand its not an easy job. Of the 42 km, 27 km is in running. Our biggest hurdle is we have to build the metro in a living city. The problems we are facing in Chickpet are mind-boggling. We have to use explosives, cutting machines and the like, Kharola said. Presently, 97 per cent of the work is complete in Phase 1 while work on Phase 2 has begun. Discussions have begun on Phase 3. Reach 4 and 4A will be commissioned in June, while Reach 1, 3, 3A and 3B have been commissioned. The Majestic interchange will be able to handle 20,000 people at once. The diameter of the dome is 90 metres and will have 35 escalators. Electrical work is now in progress. The east-west station is 16 metres deep, while the north-south one is 25 metres deep. Finance was initially a big problem but it no longer is, Kharola said and added that talks were on for cheaper, long-term and soft loans for the Rs 26,000 crore Phase 2 for which the government and the BMRCL will raise upto Rs 12,000 crore, while banks and other financial institutions would chip in with the rest. No litigation Phase 2 work has begun with demolition of structures. There has been no litigation between Mysore Road station and Kengeri. We are readying compensation for the Baiyappanahalli and Whitefield line too where acquisition has begun, the official said. Beginning Wednesday, the City traffic police will crack the whip against pillion riders who do not wear helmets. The police decided to enforce the rule from January 20 after conducting campaigns for about two weeks to create awareness about the Supreme Court order and the importance of both the rider and the pillion wearing helmets. The rule also applies to children aged 12 years and above. The enforcement will begin on Wednesday and the police will act against violators, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M A Saleem told Deccan Herald. Joint teams Joint teams of the Transport department and the traffic police department have been formed to check violations, he added. Section 129 of the Motor Vehicle Act-1988 empowers the police to book riders for helmet-less riding. The police will impose a penalty of Rs 100 for the first offence, Rs 300 for the second and will recommend suspension of driving licence for the third offence. If a pillion rider fails to wear helmet, the two-wheeler rider will be penalised for the violation, the police said. The police said about 800 riders or pillion riders were killed in accidents in the City in the past four years and about 4,000 were injured. In these accidents, about 90 per cent of them were not wearing any type of headgear. The State government introduced the rule after the Supreme Court Committee of Road Safety directed six states, including Karnataka, in August last year to make helmets mandatory for pillion riders. Helmet for pillion riders is mandatory in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Kerala. Snaking through Bengalurus high-traffic roads, businessman Jayashankar Anand drives far away from his workplace on Commercial Street in search of a parking space every day. In a similar quest, Abrar Ahmed Khan, who works for a private firm in Indiranagar, makes it a point to reach office early, hoping to find an empty parking spot in the basement. Software professional Vikranth Moily makes sure there is parking space before he drives for lunch or dinner at the weekend. I use public transport to reach my workplace and drive my car only at the weekend. I can afford to drive my car only if I can get space to park it, he said. Likewise, there are hundreds of motorists who find parking their vehicles in the little available space more challenging than driving through the congested roads. With more of one-ways, circling in and out of the Central Business District (CBD) in the desperate search for lawful parking space is not something new to most Bengalureans. Bhavya Bhat from Koramangala points to another aspect: most commercial establishment in Bengaluru do not provide for parking space for customers. Why cant the civic body ensure commercial establishments have parking space before it issues them occupancy certificate, she asked. In proposal stage With a vehicle population of almost 60 lakhs, Bengalurus roads are increasingly narrowing in the absence of proper parking space. But instead of solving the perennial problem, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) seems content with sitting on projects. Many of the projects are in the proposal stage. A top traffic police officer said that they had identified 13 places as potential parking lots considering the demand and availability of BBMP land. But the Palike is yet to respond, he said. BBMP Chief Engineer (Projects) S Somashekhar told Deccan Herald the Palike had started constructing a multi-level car parking (MLCP) at the Freedom Park for 500 cars and an equal number of two-wheelers at Rs 74 crore, which would ease traffic in Gandhinagar. Similar MLCPs have been built on JC Road, KG Road and Garuda Mall. We have sought the approval of the State government to construct another MLCP in Gandhi Bazaar. This will take a few years, he said. Basavaraj Kabade, Executive Engineer of Traffic Engineering Cell (BBMP), said that the Palike had chosen 56 roads to systemise on-street parking through the pay and park facility. It will take a month to get approval from the BBMP council and the State government, he said. The haphazard and unauthorised parking inside Cubbon Park, mainly by lawyers and their clients, is inconveniencing visitors to Bengalurus prime lung space. Lawyers started parking their vehicles inside Cubbon Park on Monday after the parking lot in the magistrate court complex on Nrupathunga Road was closed for civil work. The Horticulture Department, which maintains Cubbon Park, protested the move. Mahantesh Murgod, deputy director, Cubbon Park, said the Advocates Association had ignored its advice not to park vehicles everywhere in the lung space. The Advocates Association had written to us six months ago requesting parking space inside Cubbon Park. We told them that there are five designated places which can be used and if these get full, they will have to look for alternatives. But this advice was ignored and vehicles were parked everywhere, including on the lawn, he told Deccan Herald. The five designated parking spaces inside Cubbon Park are: next to State Central Library, Ringed Circle, near High Court, Press Club of Bangalore Road and behind Venkatappa Art Gallery. Two-wheelers and four-wheelers are charged Rs 10 and Rs 20 respectively for a day. These places together can accommodate around 200 cars and 1,000 two-wheelers. But on Tuesday, the number of vehicles parked inside the park went up to 4,000, leaving visitors worried. The Horticulture Department closed the Hudson Circle gate of Cubbon Park to restrict the entry of vehicles, further inconveniencing regular visitors. The department has warned of closing the entrance in the coming days if the mad rush continues. Murgod said they had suggested alternatives such as Kanteerava Stadium, YMCA ground, State police headquarters and public parking space on KG Road. The department held a high-level meeting with the Advocates Association on Tuesday. Based on its request, the department is searching for alternative places but this will take a couple of days, he added. S Umesh, president of Cubbon Park Walkers Association who is also an advocate, urged the department to be strict and not permit parking. The Parks, Playgrounds and Open Spaces [Preservation and Regulation] Act, 1985, must not be violated. There are several alternatives but people dont use them as they will have to pay, he said. On average, 1,000 two-wheelers and 200 cars belonging to lawyers and their clients can be parked on the magistrate court premises. But if the whole rush is allowed inside Cubbon park, visitors will suffer, said a parking attendant in Cubbon Park. While visitors pay for parking, most advocates dont bother. Allowing this will cause permanent damage to the eco-system, he added. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced that the State government had decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda as a government event every year to ensure that his message is spread to the youths in the right manner. Some vested interests have been misinterpreting the messages of Swami Vivekananda, especially among the youth, the chief minister said in his inaugural address at a programme organised by the government at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and National Youth Week. To free Swami Vivekananda from their clutches and spread his messages in the right manner, the government will celebrate the birth anniversary in a bigger and more meaningful way from next year, he said. India is blessed with a young population and around 40 per cent of the population comprises youths, the highest in the world, the chief minister said. Inculcating Vivekanandas values among the youth in the right way will help reduce discrimination, Siddaramaiah said. Earlier, he released booklets and brochures on Swami Vivekananda which have been brought out by the department of information and public relations. Students from various colleges in the City and around 6,000 NSS volunteers attended the programme. A 30-minute ballet depicting Vivekanandas life and works was staged by the members of Vivekananda Kala Kendra. Popular folk and traditional art forms such as Dollu Kunitha, Nandi Kolu Kunitha lent variety to the event. Youths performed to the rhythmic beats of the folk arts. The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday asked the State government why wont they disband the BBMP and appoint an administrator, if the Palike cannot manage its own accounts. While hearing the PIL filed by Namma Bengaluru Foundation seeking directions to conduct a comprehensive financial audit of BBMP from 2011 till 2015, a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath made these observations. During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel said that many BBMP officials have created their personal bank accounts to collect property taxes, and in many accounts the opening and the closing balances have not been mentioned. The audit report stated that the BBMP was operating more than 600 bank accounts, there was a need to maintain a cash book for each bank account, but cash book was not maintained as prescribed. Being the IT Capital of India, Bengaluru has not been chosen for the Smart City project on account of these shortcomings in governance and the various scams reported in the BBMP and other urban local bodies. In the previous audit report, the discrepancies in the functioning of the BBMP was mentioned but the Palike officials have failed to take action and rectify the problems, the counsel said. The petitioner has stated that the engineer-in-chief of the Palike has repeatedly failed to get the accounts audited since 2010-2011. The petitioner has sought appropriate legal action, including criminal prosecution against errant officials, whose actions have resulted in non-conduct of financial audit of the BBMP. The petitioner has also sought directions to Comptroller and Auditor General to conduct the audit of BBMP accounts. The bench ordered notice to the government and directed it to file its objections and adjourned the hearing till January 27. The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB), recorded a 25.2 pc growth in overall air traffic, serving over 18 million passengers in 2015. Domestic passenger traffic grew by 27.4 per cent compared to 2014, while international passenger numbers rose by 15.8 per cent in comparison to the previous years traffic. The annual traffic report released here on Tuesday by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) also showed a 12.7 per cent increase in Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) with an average of 404 ATMs per day. Domestic ATMs increased by 13.6% and clocked a total of 1,25,481 movements in 2015 while international ATMs rose to 21,986, the report said. Last financial year, KIAB had clocked 15 million passengers marking the airports graduation to the mid-sized airport category (15 to 25 million passenger airports) within seven years of commencing operations. The airport has emerged as the countrys third largest. Three new international flights, Nepal Airlines, Thai Air Asia and Kuwait Airways commenced operations from KIAB in September. Malaysia Cargo and Ethiopian Cargo flew in later. New domestic routes added in 2015 included Jodhpur, Madurai, Rajkot and Cuddapah, while the international routes saw San Francisco, Kathmandu, Kuwait and Addis Ababa (Cargo) services implemented from Bengaluru. Among the new domestic airlines that began operations from KIAB last year were Air Pegasus, Vistara and TruJet. Cargo recorded an increase of 5.4 per cent in 2015 to reach a total volume of 287,198 metric tonnes. Voice portal Airport and flight-related information of airlines operating at KIAB could now be accessed through a custom-developed voice portal and Interactive Voice Response System. This facility, introduced last year, is available by dialing the toll free number 1800 425 4425. Passengers could also post their feedback or complaint on the WhatsApp number +91 888 499 8888 for instant response. This service is available 24/7. Airport hotel In December, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces commenced operations of the Taj Bangalore at the KIAB. The Taj Bangalore hotel has 154 rooms, 12 luxury suites and a presidential suite, besides 25,000 sqft of banqueting space. The BWSSB is able to treat only 16 per cent of the total sewage water produced in the City, while 42 per cent enters lakes. The reason behind this is that the Citys sewage network is not well connected to the 14 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) due to corroded sanitary lines. These plants have a capacity to treat up to 720 million litres per day, but only 40 per cent of Bengalurus houses are connected to the sewage network. Of this, the BWSSB is treating only 16 per cent of the sewage water because of old sanitary lines, said Rajesh Shah of Peer Water Exchange, a Bengaluru-based NGO. If I pour a tanker full of water at the beginning of the line, only a bucket of water will reach the STP, he said. Besides, these STPs too are not able to treat water up to the mark, he added. At the end, there is no difference, as the treated water gets contaminated after it is sent to the lake, he said. Former BWSSB Chief Engineer Thippeswamy said the Board should make efforts to ensure that all the households are connected to the sewage network. Almost 35 per cent of the sewage runs in storm water drains. There is no storm water drain that is free from sewage. Hence, the Board should work on war footing to rectify this issue of connecting households to the sewage lines and sewage network to the STPs, he said. Shah said the Board, which collects sanitary charges from Bengaluru residents, should make public on its website the quantity of sewage water treated daily and the expenditure for its treatment. Hundreds of crores of rupees is spent either for setting up STPs as well as its Operation and Maintenance (O&M). However, little do we know about what actually is being executed, he said. Environment Support Group co-ordinator Leo Saldanha doubts the efficiency of the STPs, going by the colour of the treated water released into lakes. However, when contacted, Ramakrishna S M, BWSSB Chief Engineer (Wastewater Management) said the Board has rectified the issues related to the STPs and that all of them are functional. All the 14 STPs are able to treat about 85 per cent of sewage and we will try to achieve better results in the future, he said. But official data shows that two STPs in Vrishabhavathi Valley as well as one STP each in Yelahanka, Kadabeesanhalli and Cubbon Park are treating only about half their capacity. The Jakkur, KR Puram, Lalbagh and Kempambudhi STPs showed cent results. 18 January 2016 (UN) With 14 million people facing hunger in southern Africa as the El Nino weather pattern, the worst in over three decades, exacerbates drought, the United Nations World Food Programme ( WFP ) warned today that it faces critical funding challenges in scaling up food and cash-based aid. The number of people without enough food could rise significantly over coming months as the region moves deeper into the so-called lean season, the period before the April harvest when food and cash stocks become increasingly depleted, WFP said in a news release . Particularly vulnerable are smallholder farmers who account for most agricultural production. The cyclical El Nino pattern of devastating droughts on some regions and catastrophic floods in others that can affect tens of millions of people around the globe, is already leading to even worse drought across southern Africa, affecting this years crops. With little or no rain falling in many areas and the window for the planting of cereals closing fast or already closed in some countries, the outlook is alarming. Driving through southern Zambia, I saw fields of crops severely stressed from lack of water and met farmers who are struggling to cope with a second season of erratic rains, WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said at the end of a visit to drought-prone southern Zambia. Zambia is one of the biggest breadbaskets in the region and whats happening there gives serious cause for concern not only for Zambia itself but all countries in the region. Worst affected by last years poor rains are Malawi with 2.8 million people facing hunger, Madagascar with nearly 1.9 million, and Zimbabwe with 1.5 million and last years harvest reduced by half compared to the previous year due to massive crop failure. In Lesotho, the Government has declared a drought emergency and some 650,000 people, a third of the population, do not have enough food. As elsewhere, water is in extremely short supply for both crops and livestock. Also causing concern are Angola, Mozambique and Swaziland. Food prices across southern Africa have been rising due to reduced production and availability. The price of maize, the staple for most of the region, is 73 per cent higher in Malawi than the three-year average for this time of year. Im particularly concerned that smallholders wont be able to harvest enough crops to feed their own families through the year, let alone to sell what little they can in order to cover school fees and other household needs, Ms. Cousin said. WFP is working with Governments, regional organizations and other partners on contingency, preparedness to secure food supplies and protect peoples livelihoods. WFP assessment analysts estimate that more than 40 million rural and 9 million urban people in the region live in geographic zones that are highly exposed to the fall-out from El Nino. South Africa, the major breadbasket of the region, has indicated that this El Nino-induced drought is the worst the country has suffered in more than half a century. One particularly worrying symptom of southern Africas vulnerability to food and nutrition security is the alarming rate of chronic malnutrition. Levels of stunting among children in Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia are among the worst in the world. This affects childrens physical growth, cognitive development, as well as their future health and productivity. Funding shortfall threatens UN efforts to counter El Nino-exacerbated drought in southern Africa JOHANNESBURG, 18 January 2016 (WFP) The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is increasingly concerned about food security in southern Africa where an estimated 14 million people are facing hunger following prolonged dry spells that led to a poor harvest last year. The El Nino global weather event, which is leading to even worse drought across the region, is already affecting this years crop. With little or no rain falling in many areas and the window for the planting of cereals closing fast or already closed in some countries, the outlook is alarming. The number of people without enough food could rise significantly over coming months as the region moves deeper into the so-called lean season, the period before the April harvest when food and cash stocks become increasingly depleted. Particularly vulnerable are smallholder farmers who account for most agricultural production. Driving through southern Zambia, I saw fields of crops severely stressed from lack of water and met farmers who are struggling to cope with a second season of erratic rains, said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin who just concluded a visit to drought-prone southern Zambia. Zambia is one of the biggest breadbaskets in the region and whats happening there gives serious cause for concern not only for Zambia itself but all countries in the region. Worst affected in the region by last years poor rains are Malawi (2.8 million people facing hunger), Madagascar (nearly 1.9 million people) and Zimbabwe (1.5 million) where last years harvest was reduced by half compared to the previous year because of massive crop failure. In Lesotho, the government last month declared a drought emergency and some 650,000 people one third of the population do not have enough food. In Lesotho as elsewhere, water is in extremely short supply for both crops and livestock. Also causing concern are Angola, Mozambique and Swaziland. Food prices across southern Africa have been rising due to reduced production and availability. The price of maize the staple for most of the region is 73 percent higher in Malawi than the three-year average for this time of year. Im particularly concerned that smallholders wont be able to harvest enough crops to feed their own families through the year, let alone to sell what little they can in order to cover school fees and other household needs, said Cousin. WFP is looking to scale up its lean season food and cash-based assistance programmes in the worst-hit countries but faces critical funding challenges. At the same time, WFP is working with governments, regional organizations and other partners on contingency, preparedness and response plans to secure food supplies and protect peoples livelihoods. Central to WFPs role is its use of innovative mobile technology to monitor food security, food prices and trade flows. WFPs food security assessment analysts estimate that more than 40 million rural and 9 million urban people in the region live in geographic zones that are highly exposed to the fall-out from El Nino, the strongest such weather event for more than three decades. South Africa, the major breadbasket of the region, has indicated that this El Nino-induced drought is the worst the country has suffered in more than half a century. One particularly worrying symptom of southern Africas vulnerability to food and nutrition security is the alarming rate of chronic malnutrition. Levels of stunting among children in Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia are among the worst in the world. This affects childrens physical growth, cognitive development, as well as their future health and productivity. # # # WFP is the worlds largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries. Follow us on Twitter @wfp_media and visit our website wfp.org For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org): David Orr, WFP/Johannesburg, Tel. +27 11 517 1577, Mob. +27 82 908 1417 Jane Howard, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06 65132321, Mob. +39 346 7600521 Gregory Barrow, WFP/London, Tel. +44 20 72409001, Mob. +44 7968 008474 Bettina Luescher, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41 22 917 8564, Mob. + 41-79-842-8057 Gerald Bourke, WFP/New York, Tel. +1-646-5566909, Mob. +1-646 525 9982 By James Paton 18 January 2016 (Bloomberg) The Australian mining town of Broken Hill is preparing for a future that doesnt depend on silver and zinc, but theres one resource it wont be able to live without: water. The prospect of that commodity running out has sparked concern in the remote community more than 1,110 kilometers (680 miles) west of Sydney. The city of 19,000 people exhausted its supply of water that can be treated conventionally, forcing it this month to turn on a desalination plant to process the salty remains. Water flowing into the Menindee Lakes, the citys key source, is at a record low amid an El Nino-induced drought. Broken Hills plight underscores the vulnerability of Australia, the worlds driest inhabited continent, and the investment needed to secure water for Outback communities. Federal and state governments are committing billions of dollars to water security, as researchers predict southern Australia will experience more frequent and severe droughts. Well see a lot more communities struggle with water, Wincen Cuy, Broken Hills mayor, said in his office last month. Without water, nothing happens. From an economic prosperity point of view, its exceptionally important. [] When filled to capacity by the nearby Darling River, the Menindee Lakes hold more than three times as much water as Sydney Harbor, and are a popular spot for sailing, swimming and fishing. Today, theyre almost depleted. Holiday homes lining the biggest of the lakes at Sunset Strip overlook a barren expanse of dead trees and sand. Its a sad situation, said retiree John Hall, a local who once worked for the areas water board. Peoples livelihoods are in jeopardy. Broken Hill is relying on a desalination plant installed more than a decade ago, but not needed until now, to make the lake systems brackish dregs drinkable. The plant, recently expanded to cater for the current demand, will extend the citys supplies for another year. After that, Broken Hill will be able to rely on groundwater until 2019, while the New South Wales government studies long-term options, including pipelines to secure water. The state government has committed about A$500 million to finding a solution for Broken Hill, part of a broader program to improve regional water supplies. Critics have blamed Broken Hills predicament on mismanagement of the lake system and an expansion of irrigation, said Hanlon, the state government water official. But fundamentally its drought, he said. [more] By Kurtis Alexander 18 January 2016 (TNS) The clouds over the Sierra foothills were a welcome sight for Phil Desatoff. As general manager of the Consolidated Irrigation District, which serves parts of Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties in the Central Valley, his job is to supply river water from the mountains to about 5,000 farmers, something he hasnt done much of lately owing to the historic drought. But as El Nino asserts itself, Desatoff has what at first glance seems like a head-scratching plan for the wet weather. Instead of steering Sierra flows through ditches and canals to crops like oranges, grapes and almonds, Desatoff plans to move water onto bare earth in this case, a neatly graded 60-acre bowl of sand 15 miles east of Fresno. Bucking the belief that dams are the only way to capture water, the irrigation district lets the precious liquid soak in at percolation sites so it stores in the ground. The agency introduced these recharge ponds to the region in the 1920s, and today is leading a popular charge. [] Recharge programs have generally been very successful, said Abdul Khan, supervising engineer for the California Department of Water Resources, who monitors the health of the states aquifers. The problem, he said, is there just isnt enough recharge to make up for groundwater depletion. In some parts of the Central Valley, water tables have fallen 50 feet or more in the past five years, prompting wells to stop producing and even land to sink, dragging down roads and bridges. The collapsed aquifers in many cases cant be resurrected to store water or at least store as much as they did in the past. If we continue the way we are doing things right now without changing course, this depletion will be a catastrophe in the sense that we will have areas completely out of water and experience serious subsidence and serious water quality degradation, Khan said. [more] Peter Clarke, EETimes 1/18/2016 04:10 PM EST PARISNXP is set to extend the use of 28nm fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) process technology down to its low-power LPC microcontrollers, according to Goeff Lees, newly installed as general manager of MCU business at NXP Semiconductors NV. Lees was speaking at an event to intended to emphasize that the enlarged NXP, after its merger with Freescale, is well place to offer processers, security and software for the Internet of Things in all of its various vertical applications, whether in the consumer, industrial, medical or automotives sectors. Click here to read more ... Discover Iceland's best attractions, landmarks and spots that you'd be mad to miss, even if you're a local Whether you are visiting for the first time or coming back for a special occasion, you'll discover unforgettable landmarks and exciting things to do. There are Iceland attractions waiting for you around every corner... You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site. by Kathleen Gilbert BEIJING, September 7, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) Escaped Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng is leading international opponents of forced abortion in calling upon the worlds largest company to end compliance with the Chinas one-child policy. Family planning police have targeted employees (569) Sign up below to have the hottest Catholic news delivered to your email daily! Close Sign up below to have the hottest Catholic news delivered to your email daily! Church Militant, we need to band together to protect our religious liberties and win the culture war! The BlackBerry PRIV, a BB device running on Android, is set to launch in India on January 28. BlackBerry PRIV is the first Android smartphone made by the company, which lost its market share to the astronomical growth of Android and iOS devices. Now, owing to Android's high adoption rate and in a push to revive sales, BlackBerry has come out with the PRIV smartphone. Here are 5 key features of the BlackBerry PRIV that are reason enough for all the hype surrounding the device. BlackBerry Hub: The BlackBerry Hub is a smart inbox that manages all your communications a single hub. It lets users compose email messages and social posts, or respond directly to messages and calendar invitations. It also has a snooze option, a file manager, and a smart contact management system on board. The BlackBerry Hub is a smart inbox that manages all your communications a single hub. It lets users compose email messages and social posts, or respond directly to messages and calendar invitations. It also has a snooze option, a file manager, and a smart contact management system on board. DTEK: The BlackBerry PRIV comes pre-loaded with DTEK, a security monitor designed to automatically monitor apps and processes in real time. DTEK then provides a security rating to the phone and adds an extra layer of protection, when it comes to unsafe apps. DTEK also notifies users whenever an app accesses sensitive functions like location, pictures, camera etc. The BlackBerry PRIV comes pre-loaded with DTEK, a security monitor designed to automatically monitor apps and processes in real time. DTEK then provides a security rating to the phone and adds an extra layer of protection, when it comes to unsafe apps. DTEK also notifies users whenever an app accesses sensitive functions like location, pictures, camera etc. Dual-curved Quad HD screen: Ths Priv comes with a display that is slightly curved on both edges, similar to the Samsgung Galaxy S6 Edge+. It works on a 2560 x 1440p resolution and has a pixel density of 540ppi, making for sharp images. Ths Priv comes with a display that is slightly curved on both edges, similar to the Samsgung Galaxy S6 Edge+. It works on a 2560 x 1440p resolution and has a pixel density of 540ppi, making for sharp images. Touch enabled physical keyboard with smart slide: Yes, BlackBerry has retained the old flavour of the physical keyboard. Although the phone also sports a touch keyboard on display, the physical QWERTY keyboard is a BB classic. Yes, BlackBerry has retained the old flavour of the physical keyboard. Although the phone also sports a touch keyboard on display, the physical QWERTY keyboard is a BB classic. 18MP camera with OIS and Dual-flash: The PRIVs camera went through DxOs image quality tests achieving an overall score of 82. This score was higher than those of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Google Nexus 6 and Experia Z3 Plus. The PRIVs camera went through DxOs image quality tests achieving an overall score of 82. This score was higher than those of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Google Nexus 6 and Experia Z3 Plus. Strong tech specs: When it comes to specifications, the BlackBerry PRIV scores many plus points with a Snapdragon 808 CPU, 3GB RAM, expandable storage upto 2TB, 3410 mAh battery, accelerometer, altimeter, gyro sensor, proximity sensor and BlackBerry's natural sound alogoritm. So yes, the BlackBerry PRIV does look like one exciting smartphone, but it all depends on how the company prices the device in India. Last year, four units of the BlackBerry Priv were imported to India for 'testing and evaluation'. Unit prices on Zaubas import listing has stated the price at Rs. 50,635. This falls in tandem with BlackBerry CEO John Chens words, stating that the BlackBerry PRIV will be one pricey device. The PRIV costs Rs. 53,900 for an import unit on ebay India, but its actual price in the US is $699 (Rs. 47,214). Back in 2014, BlackBerry CEO John Chen was quoted saying, "If I cannot make money on handsets, I will not be in the handset business." Then again, in October 2015, at the Code Mobile Conference in California, Chen finally put a timeline to the rumours and said that if the handset business does not generate enough money, the company will take the call of exiting it in a year's time. But, rumour has it that BlackBerry is working on another Android smartphone currently, and the company is set to release the same this year. How the BlackBerry PRIV will fare in India, is a question which will soon answer itself. Let us know what you think of the BlackBerry PRIV and that if you will choose it over the Apple's and Samsung's of the world. Cairn Energy said it remains fully funded from existing financial resources to deliver its exploration and appraisal programme, and the group is confident that its tax dispute with India will be resolved. The oil and gas exploration company said group net cash at the end of December was $603m (422m), while forecast development expenditure for 2016 and 2017, taking the UK development projects through to cash flow generation, is $492m. Cairn said much of its spending would be focused on Senegal projects. The company said it was working closely with the government there and joint venture partners, operating a multi-well evaluation programme consisting of appraisal and exploration drilling in 2016. In addition, Cairn said it was pleased with the positive flow tests on the SNE-2 appraisal well confirming the commercial deliverability of the discovery. Chief executive Simon Thomson said further appraisal activity this year will test the overall scale and extent of the resource base in Senegal, which should lead to a revision of the resource estimates. He added that drilling operations on the next appraisal well, SNE-3, are now underway. As regards the tax dispute, it said proceedings against the government of India under the UK-India Investment Treaty seeking resolution have now formally begun following the agreement between the two parties on the appointment of a panel of three international arbitrators. CLS Holdings has purchased two office blocks in London and the South East for 10.6m. The FTSE 250 company announced the deals on Tuesday, and said the acquisitions present good refurbishment and repositioning opportunities for CLS's core asset management business." One Elmfield Park in Bromley was purchased for 4.5m, with the 24,092 square feet property already leased out until July. Once the leases expire, the company plans to refurbish the building before re-launching it in 2017. It said the area is expected to see rental value growth in the short to medium term due to transport links to London Victoria, ongoing investment into the town centre, and a recent reduction in office supply. In Surrey, the company also acquired Cassini Court and Pascal Place at Randalls Research Park in Leatherhead for 6.1m. The company will undertake a modernisation programme, allowing the it to re-let the 28,122 square feet of office space later in the year. CLS Holdings executive chairman Sten Mortstedt said the properties further bolster the companys core London and South East portfolio. [They] are another example of CLS Holdings' commitment to identifying opportunities that allow the Group to exploit its extensive asset management credentials. Jersey-based real estate investment company LXB Retail Properties said it had exchanged contracts with South African retail group Pep & Co to let a 10,000 sq ft unit at Neats Court retail park on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Pep & Co, a new entrant to the UK retail market run by ex-Asda chief executive Andy Bond and backed by South African billionaire Chriso Wiese, has acquired about 50 stores across the country in the past 12 months. LXB, which focuses on edge of town and out of town retail assets, said the letting is subject to certain planning and other obligations which are expected to be satisfied in the first quarter of 2016. Following the completion of this letting, the group will have a final unit of 5,000 sq ft of completed floorspace remaining and a pre-let with a national retailer is in solicitors' hands for this unit, LXB added. Neats Court is a 20 acre freehold development site forming part of a wider mixed-use regeneration scheme. Shares in Ocado were flying on Tuesday morning as rumours of a bid from Amazon resurfaced. The US internet retail giant was reported to be working on a potential approach for the FTSE 250 online grocer as part of its Amazon Pantry and Amazon Fresh plans for food deliveries in the UK, according to the Daily Mail, resuscitating a rumour that had also emerged earlier in the month. Ocados chief executive, Tim Steiner, has previously stated his enthusiasm to join forces with cash-rich Amazon. Rumblings last year about Amazon's entry into the UK online grocery market have seen Ocado become the second most shorted stock in the FTSE and knocked its shares from 450p last summer to a year's intra-day low below 240p on Monday. Shares in Ocado were up 18% to 287.2p by mid-morning on Tuesday. In November, Amazon launched its Pantry service in Britain, offering customers a range of around 4,000 grocery and household products, but excluding fresh food. The following month, Amazon's UK boss Christopher North revealed plans to ramp up the e-tailer's UK grocery offering in 2016, with thousands of extra products added. He told the Guardian newspaper that if Pantry proves a success it would be likely to lead to the expansion of the Amazon Fresh service into the UK, which had only so far been launched in certain cities in the US. North said: When we believe we have got the offer right, and the economics, we will roll it out internationally. If the rumours were true, Amazon may have its eye on Ocado for its skills in warehouse automation, with two of the largest automated grocery fulfilment centres in the world, although the London-listed company would be happy to provide this expertise as a service. In an interview with ComputerworldUK last year, Ocados CTO Paul Clarke said that when it comes to food, Ocado has more automation in its warehouses than even Amazon, processing over 150,000 orders a week. There is nobody, as far as we know, anywhere in the world, with our level of automation when it comes to these grocery fulfilment centres, he said. However, despite much big talk from the company about partnerships with multiple overseas retailers for the company's highly regarded Smart Platform technology, with Steiner targeting the signing a first agreement "during 2015", the lack of anything concrete has undermined confidence in the stock. Agatha Christie is one of the most successful novelists of all time. Her works, which include 66 novels and 154 short stories, specialise in thrilling whodunit mysteries, and indeed, aside from Arthur Conan Doyle, its difficult to think of a single person more influential over that paticular genre. Agatha Christies: The ABC Murders is a point-and-click style adventure game, featuring the famous Belgium detective Hercule Poirot, doing his thing with his little grey cells (Christie fans will understand that one) as he hunts down the elusive ABC serial killer. The ABC murders follow Poirot, joined by Arthur Hastings, as they investigate a series of murders corresponding to letters of the alphabet. The first victim, Alice Ascher who lives in Andover, is hit in the head with a blunt object. The preview doesnt offer much beyond that, but its the start of what seems like a very clever murder mystery. In terms of gameplay, ABC takes the conversations, a staple aspect of the point-and-click adventure game, and adjusts them to fit the crime genre. During conversations, words appear behind the characters acting as a form of a deception test. If the accused seems sincere about their grief, then I was less likely to assume that they were the murderer. Likewise, when a seemingly innocent character begins to act suspicious, thats when I changed my approach. Theres also a great deal of observational skills needed to piece together the sequence of events leading up to the murder. In addition to observing the environment, such as the neat stack of newspapers in the corner indicating no signs of a struggle, or the punnet of strawberries that places the neighbour green grocer at the scene of the crime, Poirots observation skills are employed in reading body language. Deducing that the person youre talking to sincere or nervous, changes the conversation options available. It was also great to bring back the need to use a pen and paper to help me get through some puzzles. One memorable moment saw investigating a cash register to find a passcode, which when entered as a price into the register, revealed a hidden compartment. If anything, what excites me the most is how Im more interested in Agatha Christies work beyond the ABC murders, and this was only a preview demo. Its a really great feeling when a game can draw you into an already well established universe, but to create a game that tells the original story, it is even better for someone like me. For those who have already read or watched the original story, the ability to step into Poirots shoes would be a welcomed addition for many fans. Theres also enough exploration of the point-and-click genre to encourage all players who enjoy storytelling and the thrill of finding out who the murderer is. Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders will be released in late February 2016 on PS4, Xbox One and PC. Sam M. Contributor Dracunculiasis or Guinea Worm Disease Published: 2016-01-18 - Updated: 2021-07-03 Author: Thomas C. Weiss | Contact: Disabled World (Disabled-World.com) Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A Jump to: Main Digest | Publications Synopsis: Information regarding Guinea worm disease, a condition caused by a parasitic worm that migrates through subcutaneous tissues causing severe pain. People who are infected attempt to relieve the burning sensation by immersing the infected portion of their body in local water sources, often times ponds of water. Temporary disability might leave many people unable to leave their beds for a month either during or after the emergence of the worm, some that usually happens during the peak agricultural activities and when labor is in high demand. advertisements Main Digest Guinea worm disease is caused by the parasitic worm, 'Dracunculus medinensis,' or, 'Guinea-worm.' The worm is the biggest of the tissue parasites which affect people. The adult female, which carries approximately three million embryos, can measure 600-800 mm in length and two mm in diameter. The parasite migrates through a person's subcutaneous tissues causing severe pain, particularly when it occurs in a person's joints. The worm eventually emerges, from the person's feet in most instances, causing intensely painful oedema, a blister and an ulcer accompanied by nausea, fever and vomiting. People who are infected attempt to relieve the burning sensation by immersing the infected portion of their body in local water sources, often times ponds of water. Doing so also induces a contraction of the female worm at the base of the ulcer, causing the sudden expulsion of hundreds of thousands of first stage larvae into the water. The larvae move actively in the water where they may live for a few days. For additional development, the larvae need to be ingested by suitable species of voracious predatory crustacean, Cyclops or water fleas which measure 1-2 mm and widely abundant around the world. In the Cyclops, larvae develop to infective third-stage in 14 days at 26C. When someone drinks contaminated water from ponds or shallow open wells, the Cyclops is dissolved by the gastric acid of the stomach and the larvae are released and migrate through the person's intestinal wall. After 100 days, the male and female meet and then mate. The male becomes encapsulated and dies in the tissues, while the female moves down the person's muscle planes. After around a year of the infection, the female worm emerges often from the person's feet, releasing thousands of larvae and repeating the guinea worm life cycle. There is no drug available to either prevent or heal this parasitic disease, exclusively associated with drinking water that is contaminated. Dracunculiasis is; however, fairly easy to eliminate and eventually eradicate. Guinea worm disease is rarely fatal. Frequently, the person remains ill for several months, mainly because: Accidental rupture of the worm in the tissue spaces might result in serious allergic reactions. The migration and emergence of the worms happen in portions of the body which are sensitive, at times the articular spaces may lead to permanent disability. The emergence of the worm, at times several, is accompanied by painful oedema, intense generalized pruritus, ulceration and blistering of the area from which the guinea worm emerges. Ulcers caused by the emergence of the guinea worm invariably develop secondary bacterial infections which exacerbate pain and inflammation, resulting in temporary disability ranging from a few weeks to several months. Temporary disability might leave many people unable to leave their beds for a month either during or after the emergence of the worm, some that usually happens during the peak agricultural activities and when labor is in high demand. The epidemiology of the disease is largely determined by the use of open stagnant water sources such as ponds, or shallow or steep wells. Man-made ponds are the primary source of transmission. Guinea worm disease is seasonal, happening with two broad patterns found in endemic areas of Africa, depending upon climatic factors. In the, 'Sahelian,' zone transmission usually happens in the rainy season from May to August. In the humid Savanna and forest zone, the peak occurs during the dry season from September to January. There are; however, local variations in these patterns. Additional risk factors are infection and mobility having occurred in the prior year. Guinea worm disease is a vulnerable one; people alone are responsible for maintaining its fragile transmission cycle. It is possible to permanently curtail transmission through application of the measures below: Treatment of Unsafe Water Sources: Treatment of unsafe water sources with, 'temephos,' to kill the Cyclops. Ensuring Access to Safe Water: Ensuring access to safe drinking water and converting unsafe sources of water to safe ones. Effective Surveillance: Effective surveillance to detect all instances within 24 hours of worm emergence and containment of all instances. Health Education/Social Mobilization: Health education and social mobilization to encourage affected communities to adopt healthy drinking water behaviors. The Construction of Copings: The construction of copings around well heads, or the installation of boreholes with hand pumps, which would prevent not only Dracunculiasis, but also diarrheal diseases. Regular and Systematic Filtering of Water: Regular and systematic filtering of drinking water from ponds and shallow, unprotected wells or from surface water. Finely-meshed cloth or a filter made from a 0.15 mm nylon mesh is all that is required to filter the Cyclops from drinking water. If the measures above are implemented by village communities, the ultimate goal of eradicating guinea worm disease will be achieved. From recent reports, the world is a mere two years away from eradicating the guinea worm, in part thanks to former President Jimmy Carter. Author Credentials: Thomas C. Weiss is a researcher and editor for Disabled World. Thomas attended college and university courses earning a Masters, Bachelors and two Associate degrees, as well as pursing Disability Studies. As a Nursing Assistant Thomas has assisted people from a variety of racial, religious, gender, class, and age groups by providing care for people with all forms of disabilities from Multiple Sclerosis to Parkinson's; para and quadriplegia to Spina Bifida. Disabled World is an independent disability community established in 2004 to provide disability news and information to people with disabilities, seniors, their family and/or carers. See our homepage for informative news, reviews, sports, stories and how-tos. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or learn more about Disabled World on our about us page. advertisements Disabled World provides general information only. The materials presented are never meant to substitute for professional medical care by a qualified practitioner, nor should they be construed as such. Financial support is derived from advertisements or referral programs, where indicated. Any 3rd party offering or advertising does not constitute an endorsement. Cite This Page (APA): Thomas C. Weiss. (2016, January 18). Dracunculiasis or Guinea Worm Disease. Disabled World. Retrieved October 19, 2022 from www.disabled-world.com/health/gwd.php Permalink: Dracunculiasis or Guinea Worm Disease Democrat Nan Whaley pins campaign to unseat Gov. DeWine on abortion Democrat Nan Whaley is pinning her campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Gov. Mike DeWine on one issue: abortion. Miners defiant over ban on dredging in streams, tell Oregon to drop dead' Wild-salmon advocates say suction dredging damages spawning grounds and rearing habitat. By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune MEDFORD, Ore. The head of the Galice Mining District says some miners are violating a new state ban on suction-dredge mining, telling the state of Oregon to drop dead while the two sides square off in a federal court case. Rick Barclay, the mining district's president, told the Mail Tribune he knows of about a dozen suction dredgers now defying the five-year dredging moratorium that went into effect Jan. 2, claiming federal mining laws trump state regulations. Barclay said the miners are working claims on federal lands in Rogue River Basin tributary streams that flow seasonally in winter, making winter the only time they can work enough to keep their claims for precious metals, mainly gold. We prefer to think of it as the great American tradition of civil disobedience, Barclay said last week. Those are federal claims mined under federal law. The state can drop dead. Barclay declined to name the miners or the streams they are dredging. He said the district intends to inform state officials that federal law grants the district the authority to regulate mining within its boundaries, which encompass Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties. We're basically saying we can do what we want. Take us to court to see if we can't, Barclay said. If they discover where (miners are) working, they can do whatever they want to do, he said. Oregon State police Sgt. Jim Collom said last week his agency has not received any complaints of active dredging in the Rogue Basin. Collom said he has briefed Fish and Wildlife Division troopers on the moratorium, which bans all suction dredge mining in Oregon through 2021 after the 2015 Oregon Legislature failed to hammer out new dredging rules in wild salmon habitat. Collom said he would not like to see a repeat of last summer, when armed Oath Keepers stood guard over mining equipment at a Galice-area mine co-owned by Barclay during a dispute with the federal Bureau of Land Management over its operations. The Oath Keepers eventually dispersed after a standoff that never was, but the miners' dispute with the BLM remains unresolved. That would be our first choice, not to have those guys involved, Collom said. Whatever it is, there needs to be a peaceful resolution. Suction-dredge mining employs a floating vacuum to suck gravel from a stream bottom. Materials vacuumed by the dredge then go through a sluice to allow miners to strain out gold and other heavy metals, while sand, silt and other fine materials are discharged into the water. Wild-salmon advocates say the process damages spawning grounds and rearing habitat. Miners have argued that current laws already protect salmon and their habitat, and they have argued that no peer-reviewed study on suction dredging proves it ruins salmon habitat. Barclay is one of several miners who filed suit in federal court in October, seeking a judge to declare the state moratorium pre-empted by federal law. After a flurry of court filings, oral arguments were scheduled for Feb. 18 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke at U.S. District Court in Medford. In 2013, the Legislature passed a law that severely restricted dredging by cutting and capping the number of dredging permits offered annually in Oregon, and limited some of the times, locations and manner for how dredgers operate. It was designed to protect wild salmon and their habitats and reduce conflicts with riverside landowners and users. The law was written to sunset at the end of 2015 to give the Legislature time to grapple with permanent rules, which never materialized. The moratorium as written is to remain in effect until 2021. As the moratorium loomed last fall, state Sen. Alan Bates, D-Medford, said he intended to introduce a bill in February that would create long-term dredging restrictions and lift the moratorium. Bates said last week that he now does not plan to seek a lift to the moratorium and instead has drafted a new bill that would extend the dredging moratorium beyond wild salmon habitat to include wild bull trout and lamprey streams. If the bill passes, state agencies likely would need about two years to draft the actual rules that he intends to regulate dredging in Oregon from 2022 and beyond once the moratorium elapses, Bates said. Right now, the best thing to do is leave the moratorium in place, write the regs and push it through, Bates told the Mail Tribune. We really have gems of rivers in our state, Bates said. A lot of people want to close (dredging) down completely, but I'm not. This is going to be a huge step in the right direction. Barclay said if Clarke rules in miners' favor in the federal suit, then Bates is S.O.L. I don't care what Mr. Bates wants to do, Barclay said. Miners are going to mine. Before the moratorium, the dredging season in Oregon differed between rivers and followed the legal summer in-water work period to protect wild salmon eggs and young fry in the gravels. Barclay said current dredgers are working claims on intermittent streams that don't flow during the summer period, and federal mining laws require they work their claims to keep them. That's why they feel they have a defense, Barclay said. Below: Wednesday began with an update on the work being done by the Internet Infrastructure Coalition , delivered by Executive Director Christian Dawson and Membership Director Hilary van der Meulen . The 2016 NamesCon conference completed a remarkable four-day run Wednesday (January 13) at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas (You will find photos & highlights from day 1 here , day 2 here and day 3 here ). It was the biggest show in domain industry history with some 1,200 attendees coming in from around the world for the 3rd annual event. The record-breaking meeting was orchestrated by NamesCon Co-Founders Richard Lau and Jothan Frakes , and fellow producers James Morfopoulos and Terri Potratz . They and an energetic NamesCon staff kept the ambitious content-rich agenda running like Swiss clockwork throughout the week. Unlike the many conferences that have preceded it, meals have never come with the NamesCon ticket price (a key reason why their tickets have remained so affordable). NamesCon organizers understood that the primary reason people come is to network , so their emphasis has been on doing everything they can to make sure cost doesn't keep people from coming. In my daily posts from last week's NamesCon conference at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas I tried, as much as possible, to give you a sense of what goes on each day and night at the big event (photos & highlights from the record breaking 2016 conference are at these links: Day 1 , Day 2 , Day 3 and Day 4 ). However, there was another important aspect of show week that, even though it wasn't on the official agenda, was a big part of the overall NamesCon experience. History has been created when India's light combat aircraft (LCA), Tejas, touched foreign soil for the first time landing at Sakhir Airbase in Bahrain. Tejas, indigenously designed and developed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), for the first time flew into foreign airspace to participate in the Bahrain International Airshow-2016 during 21 to 23 January 2016. In addition to Tejas, DRDO is also showcasing other indigenously developed defence systems to display the nation's prowess in the area of advanced defence technologies with the aim of exploring the potential for export of defence systems and equipment. Tejas, the first India-made aircraft to be shown at a foreign air show, is likely to be matched against Pakistan's JF-17 Thunder fighter produced with Chinese help. JF-17 Thunder is a third-generation fighter co-produced by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra, and China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation. It has been in service since 2010, with the PAC rolling out the 16th of its 50 Block-2 aircraft to complete the PAF's fourth JF-17 squadron last month. LCA Tejas, development of which started in 1984, has not been inducted into the IAF yet. Test pilots have done more than 3,000 flights on the fighter, which still awaits IAF's final operational clearance. The IAF has ordered six squadrons (120 aircraft) of Tejas Mark-1A but there is no certainty over the induction schedule. Tejas and JF-17, however, have been designed very differently. Tejas was meant as the next generation fighter and there is a lot of great technology on the Tejas, such as the Israeli HMD. For Pakistan, the JF-17 is meant to replace its old fleet of Mirage III and Chengdu J-7 fighters, which it has done.'' With India's exports continuing to fall for the thirteenth successive month, the commerce ministry has sought the help of embassies in non-English speaking countries to alert smaller, less prominenet exporters in India on the business opportunities in those countries. Embassies in countries like China and South Korea now upload business information on a portal maintained by exporters body, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). This is needed as business opportunities in non-English speaking countries are made public through the local media, most of which go unnoticed by exporters in India. While large companies with a presence or liaison offices in such countries are able to tap business opportunities there, most exporters in India have no access to such information. This denies these exporters a level playing field, the commerce ministry feels. The commerce department through Indian embassies in South Korea and China, has now started an exercise of translating such advertisements and uploading them on a portal maintained by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). ''China box and Korea box have been created on the portal. Inquiries are beginning to pick up,'' a Business Standard report quoted Rita Teaotia, secretary, commerce, as saying. Besides export opportunities, the embassies also will be informing about offers of business partnerships, Teaotia said. Meanwhile, India's trade deficit for the nine months ended 31 December 2015 stood at $99.21 billion, despite lower imports and a fall in the country's merchandise exports. The trade deficit for April-December 2015-16, estimated at $99.208 billion, was, however, lower than the deficit of $111.69 billion during April-December 2014-15. India has the maximum trade deficit with China with the total India-China trade in 2015 standing at $71.64 billion, up from $70.59 billion in 2014. China's exports to India increased to $58.25 billion, while India's export to China declined to $13.38 billion in 2015 from $16.4 billion in 2014. In the case of South Korea, the bilateral trade grew to $18 billion during 2014-15, with India's exports rising nine per cent to $4.6 billion. Information on the latest and live tender and business enquiries with contact details are available on the home page of indiantradeportal.in. Reports said, the South Korea box had about a dozen inquiries, including inquiries seeking to import Indian peanuts and another for activated carbon. In the China box, however, there aren't any entries but officials said the number was likely to pick up as the concept gains ground. Acorda Therapeutics to buy Finland's Biotie Therapies for $363 mn US biotechnology company Acorda Therapeutics Inc. today struck a deal to buy Finland's Biotie Therapies for $363 million in cash in order to expand its pipeline in Parkinson's disease therapies. Under the terms of the friendly deal, Acorda is offering to pay 23.5680 per ADS in cash, or the equivalent of $25.60 per ADS based on an exchange rate of 1.0864 US dollars to euros, which values Biotie at approximately $363 million. Acorda said that it has availed of $135 million in financing through equity private placement and asset-based loan facility to fund the transaction. The acquisition will give Acorda the global rights to Phase 3 Parkinson's disease treatment and additional clinical-stage assets and make it a leader in Parkinson's disease therapeutic development. Acorda will obtain worldwide rights to tozadenant, an oral adenosine A2a receptor antagonist currently in Phase 3 development in Parkinson's disease. In a Phase 2b clinical trial, tozadenant reduced average daily OFF time as an adjunct to treatment regimens including levodopa/carbidopa. Acorda will also obtain global rights to SYN120, an oral, 5-HT6/5-HT2A dual receptor antagonist for Parkinson's-related dementia, in Phase 2 development with support from the Michael J Fox Foundation. ''Our acquisition of Biotie positions Acorda as a leader in Parkinson's disease therapeutic development, with three clinical-stage compounds that have the potential to improve the lives of people with Parkinson's. Tozadenant, Biotie's most advanced clinical program, is a promising therapy being developed to reduce daily OFF time,'' said Ron Cohen, M.D., Acorda's president and CEO. ''Tozadenant is a compelling opportunity with potential market exclusivity to 2030. The Phase 2 data were highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful. We are targeting an NDA filing by the end of 2018,'' he added. Turku, Finland-based Biotie Therapies is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapeutics for central nervous system disorders. Its pipeline includes drugs for unmet medical needs in Parkinson's disease and related dementia, other neurodegenerative indications and primary sclerosing cholangitis, an orphan fibrotic liver disease. In addition, Biotie has developed a product for alcohol dependence that is being commercialized by Lundbeck and is a source of further potential milestone payments and ongoing royalties. Following the close of the acquisition, Acorda plans to maintain the San Francisco office of Biotie and retain its employees. Founded in 1995, New York-based Acorda is a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies for neurological disorders. Acorda has a pipeline of novel neurological therapies addressing a range of disorders, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, post-stroke walking deficits, epilepsy and migraine. Home Four wheelers South Korea To File Criminal Case Against VW & Audi Chief oi-Rajkamal The Diesel Gate emission scandal continues to haunt Volkswagen as South Korea's Environment Ministry is planning to file a criminal case against the local Chief of Volkswagen and Audi. The South Korean Ministry has decided to take such a step because Volkswagen, the German carmaker has failed to address elements required under the country's environmental law, under a recall plan that was submitted on Jan 6, 2016. The criminal complaint will be against Johannes Thammer, the Managing Director of Audi Volkswagen, Korea. In November 2015, South Korea conducted its own emission test for cars made by Volkswagen and Audi, and fined the carmaker $ 11.7 million and also ordered a recall of 1,25,552 vehicles. A small stone plaque on Clanbrassil Street, above the passers-by eye line, commemorates a momentous moment in Dundalks history. One spark was lit in 1910 when a small group of local men dared to defy the assembled might of the British military and RIC in Dundalk Square, who were about to proclaim of the accession of King George V to the throne. The little band of Dundalk men stood with a small green flag within the protective precinct of the Maid of Eireann statue, the memorial to the Fenian Rising of 1798. While assembled British military and RIC intoned God Save The King, the band of Dundalk men replied with a rousing rendition of God Save Ireland. The Sheriff read the riot act to quell them, but to no avail. They proudly stood on the private property of the flag stones around the Maid of Eireann statue and raised the green flag on top. At first, the Irish Volunteers only numbered 13 members. Many Dundalk men, believing the British promise of Home Rule, went off to fight in World War 1 on the British side answering Redmonds call. Paddy Hughes was the driving force of the Irish Volunteers in Dundalk. Famous speakers, such as Countess Markiewicz and Major John MacBride, came to Dundalk to give speeches. The Irish Volunteers began to grow. Arthur Greene and Peter Kieran were detailed to manufacture ammunition in the John Boyle OReilly Hall in the lead up to Easter Week which was procured by another Volunteer, Sean MacEntee. This untold story of war participation is related in the video, Dundalk 1916 Rises, filmed and directed by Marcus Howard. Donal OHannigan who was Commandant of the Louth volunteers, was given the plan by Patrick Pearse in St. Endas. He was to mobilise the volunteers in the area at the Hill of Tara in Meath on Sunday where he was to read out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic for historical reasons. This carefully constructed plan by Sean MacDermott was kept in a safe in Dawson Street. Pearse also instructed that they were to march to Blanchardstown to meet up with the Dunboyne men and to seize the railway at Blanchardstown and cut the line there to prevent British artillery coming from Athlone. They were to form a flank with the Fingal and Kildare men in order to form a ring around Dublin City which was twofold in its aim. One, to prevent reinforcements from the British side entering the City. This ring had a second purpose, to provide an evacuation route out of Dublin City for the Irish Volunteers which was relayed to OHannigan by Pearse. Rising on Paddy Hughes broke the news to Sean McEntee that word had come that the Rising was on. In the film, Dundalk 1916 Rises, the little plaque on Clanbrassil Street begins the story of the brave men of Dundalk who mobilised for the Easter Rising with few arms, lots of enthusiasm and a great store of courage. Despite Eoin MacNeills countermanding order to call off the Rising, the Dundalk men steadfastly proceeded on their journey, unlike many others throughout Ireland. Back in Dundalk James McGuill and Sean McEntee sought proof of Eoin MacNeills signature on the countermanding order. It turned out to be real. The question of getting the dispatch to the Volunteers made every moment important. Over forty Dundalk men met another 50 men at The Workhouse on the Ardee road. In a flurry of activity, OHannigan attempted to seek clarification on whether the Rising was definitely going ahead or not by sending a number of dispatches to Dublin. According to James Judge Dunne 97 men left Workhouse Hill. On reaching Slane, the Volunteers were accompanied by 60 RIC men. The Volunteers and the RIC then occupied opposite ends of the bridge at Slane. Suddenly Sean MacEntee arrived at Lurgangreen with news from Pearse, Dublin is in arms, you will carry out your original instructions. The Dundalk men immediately swung into action, arresting two of the RIC men who were trailing them. Meanwhile, they carried onto Castlebellingham. Word eventually came that the Rising was on and they began to commandeer cars. According to Donal OHannigans Witness Statement No.161 I had about 28 men at the timeI organised these in two squads and on the double employed one squad to the south of our position and one to the north. This was to surround the RIC I then declared to all present, including the RIC., that a Republic had been proclaimed. The RIC surrendered but Sergeant Wymes refused to surrender documents. OHannigan threatened him with a revolver. Wymes produced notes on all the Volunteers movements. Eighteen officers, five cars and their drivers were taken prisoner from Fairyhouse Races. They proceeded in a convoy to Castlebellingham on their way to Slane stopping for provisions. The RIC men in the local Castlebellingham Police Station, they came out to see what was happening, so they were approached by MacEntee who told the two RIC men to stand alonside the railing. Shortly afterwards Constable Magee arrived on bicycle and he was asked to dismount and they searched him and there was a dispatch taken from him. Soon after another car arrived and it was Lieutenant Dunville who did not want to come out of the car. There was a bit of aggression shown by him. They told him he would be shot if he did not stand along the railings so he did so. Then Sean MacEntee decided it was time to leave the village and he told Paddy McHugh to make sure that the RIC men and Captain Dunville remained at the railings. When the cars were leaving the village it was thought that Captain Dunville made a move to get an arm. There was a fire shot by Paddy McHugh but Paddy often claimed that a second shot went out that evening but nobody claimed responsibility for the other shooting. Charles McGee fell, he said Oh my arm Ive been shot in the arm. He fell and Captain Dunville he was also shot. A doctor came to the village, Dr OHagan and it was clear to him Charles McGee was in difficulty. Charles McGee was taken to the old Louth Hospital at 7.30 and he died at 9.30 that evening According to Madge Boyle, grand niece of Charles McGee who features in the film. According to Hugh Kearneys Witness statement no.260 Major Dunville had been paticuarly cross and had attempted to take a rifle from one of the Volunteers and in the melee Major Dunville got shot but not seriously. Dispatches OHannigan continued sending dispatches for orders. Peter Clifford met James Connolly in the GPO who declared upon hearing their exploits the brave men of Louth. Due to British cordons it was too difficult for him to get back to the men. Similarly OHannigan and his men had to stop at Tyrellstown House for the same reason. The Meath men now met up with the Louth men and they proceeded to Tyrellstown House. In the meantime Sean MacEntee had become disconnected from the group and made his way to the GPO where he took part in the ORahilly charge down Moore Street. The heavy gunfire coming from the City could be clearly heard from Tyrellstown House. Donal OHannigan went on to find Thomas Ashe while the rest of the Volunteers stayed in the house awaiting orders to proceed. Ashe had arranged to meet on Saturday but had been arrested. Word came that a battalion of Lancers with two field pieces were going to surround them and if the Volunteers did not surrender they had orders to shell the place. OHannigan announced a demobilisation. The Lancers arrived within an hour of the Volunteers evacuating Tyrellstown House. The military were advancing on their present position. The Volunteers decided to stand their ground but they passed by. They were only 13 men left from the original 90 by the time they demobilised because word had been brought that Dublin had surrendered. Arthur Greene recalled we all felt disappointed. They oiled and buried their ammunition and returned to Dundalk. 30 were arrested and marched to the jail and were sent by strong military escort to Richmond Barracks in Dublin where they were tried and several were interred in Frongoch, Wales. This is the story commemorated by the little plaque in Clanbrassil Street in Dundalk. FUNKY Feet dance group have been nominated for several awards at the inaugural Dance Honours event, Irelands first dance awards ceremony. FUNKY Feet dance group have been nominated for several awards at the inaugural Dance Honours event, Irelands first dance awards ceremony. The group have been nominated in several categories including Best Dance School 2011, Best Stage Production for Living the Dream and The Achievement Abroad category. Also, two of their teachers, Stacey Murnaghan and Kerrie Milne, have been nominated for the Best Dance Teacher 2011 award. We are over-the-moon at getting the nominations, says Director and teacher at Funky Feet, Stacey Murnaghan. We wont find out if we have actually won anything until the night itself, so it will be a nervous wait. We didnt expect to get nominated so it was a great surprise for everyone. We only told the kids a few weeks backs, just after they had come back from a two week break following our last big show, Living the Dream. The awards cermony takes place at the OReilly Theatre in Dublin in November. Unfortunately for the hard working dance group , there will have to split their forces on the night, as they have been asked to perform at the Showbiz Kidz competition, which happens to fall the very same night at the Grand Canal Theatre. We have been asked to perform a section of our last show, Living the Dream, so a group will go to that, while another group will go to the awards. The Grand Canal Theatre is really out of this world so the group that go there will be in for a treat, as will the group going to the awards ceremony. The awards are a really big achievement for the kids and are a result of all the hard work that they have put in. Its a wonderful achievement just to get nominated but we are all hoping that we can scoop an award or two. When writing the answer to the question about the erection the '98 Monument at the Courthouse Square known as the 'Maid of Erin', I recall that something which I had written in these notes about a feature of it was not correct! It was about damage that had been caused to one of the provincial shields around the base. If you examine the monument closely, you will see that a large piece of stone behind the Ulster crest has been knocked off. When I was a child, I recall that crest was missing entirely and that there was a piece of metal sticking out where it had been attached. I had written that my mother, who had a greater interest in Irish history than many women of her day, had once told me that this crest had been knocked off by Anti-Partionists some time after the Border was established. Maybe she did say that, or maybe I just imagined it, but it just could not have been true! You see that bit of stone was missing long before the Border with the Six Counties was established. When the present Ulster shield was replaced I am not sure but it could have had something to do with the celebration of An Tostal in the 1950s or with the 1966 celebrations of the 1916 Rising. The date of the replacement does not really matter but what surprised me was the that it was missing in an old picture of the Sinn Fein demonstration around the monument in May 1912 at the Proclamation of George V as King of Ireland! I have seen several photographs of this event but this was one which was published recently which includes a small black dog standing with one of the protesters. The truth of this defilement of the 'Maid' was further clarified when I re-read something in Victor Whitmarshs pictorial album 'Old Dundalk', in which he wrote 'Someone tried to blow up the monument in 1901'. Also included by him is a photograph of the Square, devoid of trees, which he says was taken 'in about 1904' and showing the Ulster crest missing. Now why would anyone try to blow up the '98 monument in 1901 when I had believed that Dundalk was a fairly quiet place to live? It has occurred to me that it might have been the work of Loyalists who were, even then, agitating against the Home Rule Bill going through Westminster. There was an Anti-Home Rule meeting held by Loyalists in the Market House which was greatly objected to by the Editor of the Dundalk Democrat, but that, I think, occurred in about 1914. Or could it have been the action of somebody protesting against the accession of King Edward V11 in that year? You see a lot of local people were very annoyed by his taking a Coronation Oath which described the Catholic religion as 'idolatrous' which caused big protest demonstration in Dundalk. If so, why take it out on the 'Maid'? Anyway the 'Maid' survived all the troubles and is now Dundalk's most loved monument! Maybe some of my readers, with a better knowledge of local history than I, will be able inform us about what exactly was going on! The Ulster Unionist Party went through the farce of moving on Monday that the Compulsory Attentation Bill be extended to Ireland. They knew that feeling against compulsion is quite as strong amongst their own Unionist supporters in Ulster and especially in the agricultural districts as in the Nationalist provinces. But they desired to show that they and their followers men who two years ago were vowing armed resistance to the operation of an Act passed by the Imperial Parliament and signed by the King, and who declared that they would welcome a landing by the Kaiser as an alternative to Home Rule were now burning to be compelled to fight the Germans. The pretence is that Ulster only is loyal. But that pretence imposes on no sensible man. Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connaught have rallied to the defence of of our rights and liberties, and their sons are fighting shoulder to shoulder against a common enemy. They have given freely, and will give, the men necessary to form and maintain the Irish Regiments. Ulster as well as the other provinces is against compulsion. There is no merit in being compelled to join the army ; and Sir John Lonsdale's declaration that he would feel ashamed if this were not done is absurd. The only cause for shame would arise if it were necessary to use compulsion. Mr. Redmond put the Irish case against conscription eloquently, temperately and convincingly. We reprint in another column, the concluding portion of the speech that killed any prospect there was that the Ulster men's amendment might be carried. Mr. Bonar Law, speaking for the cabinet, admitted the strength of the case against applying compulsion to Ireland and generously praised the services of the Irish soldiers in the war. It was no small thing, he said it was indeed a great thing that for the first time in history, the representatives of Ireland were on the side of the side of Great Britain in this war. The deeds of the Irish Soldiers, he added, would have a more lasting effect in producing a better feeling between the two countries than a whole generation of ordinary life. This from the late leader of the Unionist party is a very notable declaration. Sir Edward Carson, in advising his friends to withdraw the amendment, declared that they could not get the inclusion of Ireland without the assent of Nationalist members. In other words, he admitted that if the fatal step of endeavouring to force compulsion upon people who are willing to do all that is asked of them of them has not been taken, it is the Irish Party that has prevented it. This may be noted by some of the critics of the party at home. The party has acted with prudence and true patriotism all through this critics, pursuing in spite of factious criticism the only policy (that Ireland could, in honour, follow and the only policy that can assure the lasting success of the Irish cause: Their defeat of the attempt to impose compulsion on Ireland is not only in consonance with Irish sentiment, but, its calculated to ensure the success of voluntary recruiting in Ireland. We do not for a moment believe that the Irish regiments that have gone to the front will be allowed to languish for want of the support that generous, high-spirited, young Irishmen are called upon to give, Coercion is abhorrent to Irishmen: but they are neither fools nor cowards. They know that it is Ireland's interest that this war should be speedily ended by the victory of the Allies and they are not afraid to play their part in the bringing about that end. Republicans across the state and even across the country are working diligently to make sure that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder doesnt take the fall for his administrations role in the poisoning of Flints drinking water. Michelle Malkin and the Hot Air blog are both of examples of conservative, corporatist water-carriers who want the country to blame the U.S. EPA for the failures of Gov. Snyder. UPDATE: The conservative site The Federalist has an op-ed this morning that also attempts to exonerate Gov. Snyder. You can read Dennis Sanders revisionist history piece titled Hillary Clinton Cant Blame Michigans Governor For Flints Water HERE. But the fact is that the buck stops at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) who signed off on the inadequate water treatment plans submitted by Flint officials. DEQ was headed up at the time by Dan Wyant. Wyant was appointed to chair what Rick Snyder called the Quality of Life group, three state agencies that includes the DEQ, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. His qualifications for being the top official of DEQ which is responsible for our states water resources (including drinking water)? He has a a bachelors degree in food systems management from Michigan State University and an MBA from American University in Washington, D.C. Given his paltry resume when it comes to water systems and their protection, its little wonder that he was so clearly over his head when it came to dealing with Flints situation. The Republican who wrote Michigans odious and undemocratic Emergency Manager law, State House Representative Al Pscholka, made it clear that Flint is getting no help from the state so long as he has anything to say about it: We have to look and have the best science and see what we can do to fix things, Pscholka said. Im already receiving Christmas lists from Flint elected officials. Thats not going to solve this issue. He says the state shares only some of the blame for the water woes, because it was the city that opted to pull its water from the Flint River as part of a long-term plan to hook into a new pipeline system from Lake Huron. This was a local decision to take themselves off the Detroit system and join this pipeline, and thats what started this whole series of events, Pscholka said. Except, of course, this is a total rewriting of history. As Dayne Walling told me in my interview with him, the decision to use the Flint River following Emergency Manager Darnell Earleys choice not to pay for Detroit water after they jacked up their prices under the watchful eye of Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr was made entirely by the state-appointed overseers running Flint, not Flints elected officials: it had the City paying for Detroit Water and Sewerage Department until the switch was made. There was no discussion of the river as an interim source. City Council and I pledged our support. It went all the way up to the governor who supported the City going to the Karegnondi Water Authority based on all the financial and environmental analyses that had been done. [] Darnell Earley has been commenting on what happened six and seven months before he was appointed and the fact of the matter is that the resolution was only for the permanent supply and the financial projection which was to make sure youre comparing apples to apples,[] [Once switch was made], the City relied on assurances from the Department of Environmental Quality that we were meeting the standards, we were complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Lead and Copper Rule when, in fact, it wasnt. You had a problem you didnt know about because the testing wasnt being done properly. Yeah. Exactly. And the corrosion control, the additional corrosion control should have been required to be in place from the very beginnging. So, the State was not prepared to implement the Emergency Managers proposal for the City to go to the Flint River. Michigan Radios Lindsey Smith confirms this in her most-excellent reporting this week: Heres whats true about what the governors press folks are saying. Yes, Flint had an interest in joining the new Karegnondi Water Authority before Governor Rick Snyder was in office. Yes, Flint City Council voted on March 25, 2013 to join the Karegnondi Water Authority. This is why I wrote Once it was clear Flint could save millions of dollars a year with the new system, Flint got on board. But the governors press folks are either sorely misinformed or willfully blind to what happened after that vote. Months and months after dealing with us reporters picking apart this decision, they still dont get it. Im not breaking any news here. They should know this stuff by now. Nowhere in that vote or other votes did Flint City Council say, We support getting water from the Flint River. Yes, there was one councilman who did openly support that. But as a board, that vote never happened. Flint leaders never made that call (not that they had the authority to make such a call at that time anyway.) Some state officials continue to confuse Flints vote to join the Karegnondi Water Authority with the state appointed emergency managers decision to temporarily switch to the Flint River. As part of this blame the EPA, not Rick Snyder effort, Gov. Snyder is now working double time to prove that hes the victim here, a sympathetic person who has taken responsibility for what happened. In an interview with Ron Fournier, Snyder says that the Flint Water Crisis is his Katrina. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder conceded Monday that his administrations handling of the Flint water crisis is a stain on his legacy, reflects poorly on his leadership, and is aptly compared to President Bushs mishandling of Hurricane Katrina. Its a disaster, he said when asked about the comparison some critics have made to the 2005 natural disaster in New Orleans that became a symbol of government mismanagementcity, state, and federal. Its clearly a negative on what weve accomplished since Ive been governor. The article is topped by a photo of the governor looking like hes ready to cry. Yesterday, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley gave an MLK Day speech at the Greater Lansing Area Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission Luncheon but didnt utter one syllable about the crisis in Flint or his administrations part in it. For their part, the EPA is denying any responsibility: Speaking to reporters after an event at a Washington soup kitchen, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy defended the federal governments response. EPA did its job but clearly the outcome was not what anyone would have wanted. So were going to work with the state, were going to work with Flint. Were going to take care of the problem, McCarthy told reporters. We know Flint is a situation that never should have happened. She said EPA has established a task force of experts and is conducting an audit of the Michigan Department of Environmental Qualitys water program to make sure whatever improvements need to be made get made and get done quickly. As my friend Bill W. pointed out to me in an email, when the EPA directly regulates a state, Republicans are quick to call them things like jack-booted thugs engaging in outrageous government overreach. However, when they follow protocols that limit their ability to act, they are called slackers and held responsible for anything that goes wrong. With a huge rally planned in front of Lansing City Hall this evening starting at 5 p.m., just prior to Gov. Snyders State of the State Address, Republicans are trying desperately to do something to deflect blame from them and the tragic outcome of their promotion of Emergency Management in Michigan which has led to Flints drinking water being poisoned. So, during their protest rally, they have started a bottled water collection for the residents of Flint: Well be on the steps of the Michigan Capitol building from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, collecting bottled water for Flint Posted by Michigan Republican Party on Monday, January 18, 2016 They clearly want to be able to portray themselves as doing something while the protestors just want to point fingers. It would be interesting to watch their collection to see how long Mitt Romneys niece, Michigan Republican Party Chair Ronna Romney, stands in the frigid cold collecting water bottles. My guess is not long at all. Pity their poor interns and staffers What needs to happen is for the Emergency Manager Law to be repealed and for the Republican-dominated state legislature to start doing whats needed to fix this problem and to make reparations to people of Flint. The ACLUs Kary Moss is calling for the Emergency Manager law to be repealed. So is 2014 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer who has six other recommendations, as well: Waiving his offices FOIA exemption and releasing all documents on the water crisis. Refunding Flint water bills for the entire period the water is contaminated, and providing free cartridge replacements for water filters. Firing Darnell Earley, who currently serves as emergency manager for Detroit Public Schools. Repealing the emergency manager law. Pledging to replace all lead pipelines in Flint by the end of next year and statewide by the end of this decade. Committing long-term funding for the collaboration between Michigan State University and Hurley Medical Center led by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha to mitigate developmental challenges faced by children who were poisoned by lead-tainted water. Hiring 100 new special education teachers for the Flint School District. What Flint needs now are answers and long-term solutions. The governor should immediately take bold action to protect the people of Flint and start repairing the damage he caused by: Please join the protest rally this afternoon. Anne and I will be there covering it for Eclectablog and well have photos and commentary on Twitter followed by a post after the event. RSVP and learn more at the events Facebook page HERE. Speakers at the event will include: Melissa Mays , Flint resident, founder of Water You Fighting For , Flint resident, founder of Water You Fighting For Nayyirah Shariff , Flint resident, Flint Democracy Defense League , Flint resident, Flint Democracy Defense League Cindy Estrada , Vice President of the UAW , Vice President of the UAW Mark Schauer , former MI Congressman and Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate , former MI Congressman and Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Lonnie Scott , Executive Director of Progress Michigan , Executive Director of Progress Michigan Curt Guyette , Investigative Reporter with the ACLU of Michigan , Investigative Reporter with the ACLU of Michigan Cheryl Weston , RN at McLaren Lapeer and Board Member of the Michigan Nurses Association , RN at McLaren Lapeer and Board Member of the Michigan Nurses Association Steve Dawes, UAW Region 1C Assistant Director Check the Facebook page for information on buses running from various communities to Lansing to take people to the rally. In Washtenaw County, the Washtenaw County Democratic Party and Ann Arbor Democratic Party have organized a car pool with cars leaving at 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. Click HERE if you can drive others or if you need a ride. [Graphical meme by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog] How something so right had to go so wrong The last time Republicans won a presidential election it was 2004. George W. Bush prevailed by trumpeting his ability to keep us safe, despite the 9/11 attacks and the failing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while his domestic agenda revolved around supporting traditional marriage and immigration reform. Deep in his campaign literature, youd find he was also proposing privatizing Social Security, but it didnt figure heavily in the campaign. Today, twelve years later, thrice-married Donald Trump is the Republican frontrunner. His opposition to immigration reform, in general, and Mexico, Mexicans, and China, in specific, defines his campaign. He touts his opposition to the war in Iraq (after it started) and promises to preserve Social Security and Medicare (though his $11 trillion in proposed tax breaks would likely make that impossible). How did conservatives end up with a candidate who is almost an exact negative image of its last winning standard-bearer? Sure, the utter collapse of George W. Bush in his second term provides much of the answer. But E.J. Dionnes new book Why the Right Went Wrong: Conservatism From Goldwater to the Tea Party and Beyond makes the case that some sort of crackup on the right was inevitable the culmination of decades of the rise of a movement that transformed American politics while failing to live up to its most fundamental promise to shrink government. In many ways, Dionne argues, 2004 was the peak and the breaking point of the Goldwaterism Republicans first embraced in 1964. The polarities of the party had completely switched, with Republicans sweeping the South and Democrats dominating the old GOP stronghold of New England. Even more remarkably, working class Americans whod thrived under New Deal policies had completely embraced the right-wing ethos of gutting government in favor of an economy guided by the infallible wisdom of the market/your boss boss boss. The GOP bought the message, but the messengers kept letting them down, Dionne explains: Again and again, conservatives were promised that this election victory, and then the next, and then the next, would finally rout the statists and return the nation to the smaller government they were certain our Founders had in mind. And again and again, conservatives were disappointed. Neither Nixon nor Reagan nor either President Bush could fulfill a promise that, in truth, most Americans did not want kept. After the victory of 2004 was followed by the resounding defeats of 2006 and 2008, the party abandoned many, if not all, of its pretensions to the middle and became the party Barry Goldwater conservatives had always hoped it would be. The robust infrastructure and savvy machinations of the big business-financed right-wing conspiracy had built a party that could dominate Congress and state legislatures but begins each presidential election with two guns pointed at its feet. Dionnes book is both piercing narrative and an artful warning about how how the inability of the right to evolve threatens our democracy. He traces far rights climb from the sirens call of Goldwaters Conscience of a Conservative to dog-whistled appeals of Nixon and Reagan to the modern battle between Reformicons and the nativist/ authoritarian urges that are testing the bounds of the party. The book ends by asking the crucial question of our time: Whats so conservative about a party of radicals who want to shred the advances of the last century? The great reckoning long predicted for the Republican Party now seems more possible than ever, given the demographic walls that are being built around its ideology. But Dionne also slips in a subtle warning for liberals. The frustration that threatens the alliance of the conservative and libertarian strains who built the modern Republican ideology is finding its voice in a candidate who seems to be parody of a modern conservatism with his pretensions to piety layered over his bellicose, authoritarian lust to stomp on enemies. Much has been made of the theory that missing white votes cost Mitt Romney the 2012 election. Ted Cruz seems to think the solution to finding them is running a candidacy that matches everything liberals hate about the right. But the theorys author, Sean Trende, makes the case that the right needs to find new ways to win over white voters a traditional Republican could never avow. Dionne quotes Trende, The GOP would have to be more America first on trade, immigration and foreign policy; less pro-Wall Street and big business in its rhetoric; more Main Street/populist on economics. And it would have to be all these things without losing evangelicals and the Chamber of Commerce backing that has made the modern GOP possible. And theres a simple way to do that pretend to love a Bible that youve obviously never read and promise massive tax breaks. When Donald Trump ran for president, he campaigned as if he had read Trendes analysis, Dionne writes. While conservatism is a true religion for many, Trump is helping to reveal that Republicanism is a reluctant marriage of those who care about projecting their religious vision onto others, those who think tax cuts are a religion, and those who just want to dominate losers. The question is are there are still enough white voters and black voters whod vote for a birther to make it work. You can see E.J. Dionne talk about Why the Right Went Wrong at the following dates: 2/24 Louisville/ Kentucky Author Forum in conversation with James Fallows 2/25 Chicago/ Union League Club 2/25 Chicago/ Public Library 2/26 Madison/ Public Library in conversation with Ruth Coniff of The Progressive 3/22 Minneapolis/ University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs 3/22 Minneapolis/Westminster Town Hall 4/13 Iowa/ Iowa State University Privacy advocates from around the globe have taken heart from reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook pushed hard against the Obama administrations efforts to reach a compromise on encryption during a recent meeting with several leading technology companies. Cook earlier this month joined a delegation of social media and technology leaders in a meeting with top national security, law enforcement and White House insiders to discuss ways to work together to prevent terrorist organizations like ISIS from using social media to recruit and spread propaganda. Counter ISIS The meeting was part of the Obama administrations wider effort to counterbalance ISIS social media strategy to inspire lone wolf attacks like the recent mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, and to thwart its use of social media to spread its terrorist ideology and in some cases, communicate with field operators. Investigators have been exploring the role such communications might have played in last falls horrific attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people and injured more than 380. Cook reportedly took advantage of the meeting to lash out at administration officials who were calling for a way to grant law enforcement officials limited, backdoor access to computer systems, demanding that the White House come out in favor of unbreakable encryption instead. Apple and Cook have been very strong on this issue, said Andrew Crocker, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I think its heartfelt on Cooks part he says he believes privacy is a human right, and Apple has introduced a number of features that support privacy and security, he told the E-Commerce Times. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey, and John Carlin, assistant attorney general for national security were in attendance at the meeting. Other attendees reportedly included Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and NSA Director Michael Rogers, as well as James Clapper, director of national intelligence, and Denis McDonough, White House chief of staff. In addition to Cook, there were executives representing a large number of technology companies, including Facebook, Dropbox, Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Twitter and Cloudfare. Just before the meeting, the Obama administration announced plans for task force that would coordinate the federal response to ISIS propaganda, which has been blamed for triggering lone wolf attacks in the U.S. and Australia. A Philadelphia police officer last week was gunned down in an attack that authorities have linked to ISIS inspiration. Privacy, Security Backlash Despite those concerns, any compromise to commercial encryption systems is untenable to staunch privacy and security advocates. It would endanger the rights of anyone using those systems and the very security of those systems, they argue, because sophisticated cyberthieves and others could exploit the backdoors left open for law enforcement. When it comes to encryption, there simply is not a balance between privacy and national security, said Andrea Castillo, program manager for the Technology Policy Program at George Mason Universitys Mercatus Center. Weak encryption means weak national security, since antagonistic groups can exploit vulnerabilities and do harm to the U.S. The challenge for law enforcement officials is to do better with the considerable information and processes already at their disposal, she told the E-Commerce Times. There is no possibility of a controlled government backdoor, as the biggest issue is who gets to decide which government gets the access, noted Ian Trump, security lead at Logic Now. The focus on granting some kind of open door to government misses the point, he told the E-Commerce Times, because terrorists use other tools such as vehicles, IT devices and weapons to carry out their acts. The government may want to consider taking the vendors to court in an effort to hold them liable for allowing their devices to fall into the hands of terrorists, Trump said. If governments insisted on corporations doing a better job of vetting their customers, he suggested, then the issue of needing backdoors into encryption becomes mute. The DoJ declined to comment, and Apple did not respond to our request to comment for this story. Apple on Wednesday announced that customers spent a record US$1.1 billion on apps and in-app purchases during the holidays. Jan. 1 was the App Stores best day ever, with consumers spending about $144 million, the company said. Since 2008, the store has generated close to $40 billion in revenue for developers. Consumers spent more than $20 billion on App Store purchases last year, Apple reported. On the back of the App Stores success, Apple has created more than 1.9 million jobs in the U.S., it said The company previously reported creating 1.4 million jobs in China and 1.2 million in Europe related to the App Store and the iOS economy. Behind the Numbers The numbers reflect the social change that Apple brought about with the introduction of the iPhone and its relationship and support of app developers worldwide, saidRitch Blasi, president of MediaRitch. Apple changed the mobile industry when it introduced the iPhone by putting full computing power in the palms of users, he told the E-Commerce Times. Apple continues to excel in creating a complete user experience, notes Jim McGregor, principal analyst for Tirias Research. And its not just the devices, he told the E-Commerce Times. Apple has recognized that its the content, the applications. The content is the most valuable part of our industry. Its what drives our industry. With the right amount of money, it isnt hard to stamp a brand on a cheap piece of electronics. The differentiation between technology companies comes from software and applications, according to McGregor. Thats where the value is, he said. Thats where the differentiation is. And thats where Apple has always exceeded everyone else in the industry. Bigger Picture The sheer volume of revenue generated over the holidays continued the monumental growth the iOS ecosystem has seen, stated Josh Crandall, CEO and co-founder ofNetpop Research. And with the record-breaking sales for iPhone devices, you expect to see an uptick in app sales, he told the E-Commerce Times. Whats also fascinating is the growing number of people who have become addicted to their mobile devices, Crandall noted. The trend the were seeing emerge is the dislocation of media consumption from the living room into ones pocket, he said. I anticipate that sales will continue to increase in 2016. And in addition to record-breaking sales from Apples App Store, I anticipate that well see Google Play sales increasing as well. Developers are working on artificial intelligence and deep learning, according to Tirias McGregor. Everything that were doing is all centered around creating intelligence from and for the devices were using, he said. So as we move forward, a lot of that is going to be about creating intelligence on these devices and in the cloud. Apple has leveraged such intelligence and held developers to high standards. Apple changed the way people work and play and now has everyone living in an app world, said MediaRitchs Blasi. What apps have done for our personal lives will soon become the norm for business as well. When Amazon launched Prime Day six months ago, skeptics came out in force to criticize what they considered Jeff Bezos desperate ploy to add members to a club that appeared to be peaking in a saturated domestic market. Gimmick or not, Prime Day worked. Amazon sold more than 34.4 million items across eight countries where Prime was offered. The company topped 2014 Black Friday totals and forced Walmart and other retailers to respond. Amazon subsequently released a third-quarter earnings report that backed up its initial sales figures with profits that defied just about all prior estimates. Prime Position Our focus is to continue to add even more value to this membership for Prime members, said Amazon spokesperson Ana Rigby. That includes our steady investment in building out our fulfillment center network in order to get items closer to customers, [and] get more items in-stock and delivered as quickly as possible, she told the E-Commerce Times. Despite all the new members Prime Day reaped, the company still saw a strong growth potential for its Prime program, CFO Brian Olsavsky told analysts during the companys Q3 earnings call in October. It also saw a strong business case for Prime Now, which offers customers one-hour delivery on certain items. Amazon was making serious efforts to ramp up its ability to fulfill that demand without spiking operating costs too high, he added. We think its an interesting part of the selection offer for Prime, and its in many ways something that we can do that others cant, he said, because its a natural evolution of our 20-year effort to grow our fulfillment center network and our scale, quite frankly, makes it possible to even offer this to customers. Amazon took several bold steps last year to create some space between itself and a growing number of companies aiming to chip away at Amazon Primes mounting influence in the e-commerce space. The company reported record-breaking sales and member enrollment during the holiday shopping season, with more than 3 million new members signing up for the US$99 per year Prime program during the third week of December. Amazon set a single-day record on Christmas Eve, with the most-ever deliveries. It shipped more than 200 million items for free during the holiday period. Amazon has been selective about releasing figures related to Amazon Prime. However, the program had an estimated 47 million members who spent an average of $1,200 per person, compared to non-Prime shoppers roughly $600 average, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners reported in October. Amazon uses Prime as a way of improving loyalty in an environment in which customers can easily switch among e-commerce retailers, said CIRP cofounder Michael Levin. Prime overcomes a number of barriers that consumers have about e-commerce, including paying for shipping, waiting for goods, and processing returns, he told the E-Commerce Times. Taking On the Giant One challenge is that Amazon may be losing money on Prime. Its regarded as the biggest contributor to Amazons shipping costs, noted Nikki Baird, managing partner of RSR Research. Even though Prime customers buy more a lot more it isnt enough at Amazons prices to offset the cost of two-day shipping, she told the E-Commerce Times. Its understandable that other retailers want the same level of brand loyalty that Prime membership provides for Amazon, said Baird, but I would have to seriously question their sanity if they think that its a profitable way to compete, because all indicators are that its not. For one select group of retailers, the most direct competition for Amazon Prime is Shoprunner, backed by Kynetic, Alibaba and American Express. The service, which is free for some American Express cardholders, costs US$8.95 per month, or $79 a year for other consumers. It provides two-day free shipping, free return shipping and exclusive member discounts. Like Amazon Prime, consumers can try out the service for 30 days for free. Shoprunner serves as an e-commerce engine for brands including Cole Haan, Tommy Hilfiger and Rafaella. Legacy Struggles Sears and Kmart, which have struggled to fend off competition from rival department stores like Target and Kohls, have been working to reinvent their traditional retail model with the Shop Your Way program, designed to maximize sales among their most frequent customers. It offers free two-day shipping, rewards points, and exclusive discounts through Shop Your Way Max, which provides upgraded benefits for a $39 annual fee. Sears continues to find new ways to integrate in-store and online shopping by enhancing mobile and online technologies to create new conveniences for Shop Your Way members, said Leena Munjal, SVP of customer experience and integrated retail at Sears Holdings. The company has worked to integrate its existing department stores and outlets with mobile by offering a service that lets customers pick up, return and exchange purchases while remaining in their vehicles for no extra charge, with a guarantee that the process will take no more than five minutes to complete. Target Takes Aim Target, which is widely considered one of Amazons leading competitors, does not have a paid loyalty program like Amazon Prime or Shop Your Way. However, it does offer special benefits through its Red Card customer loyalty program. Target is focused on providing guests the ability to shop on demand anywhere, anytime in stores, online and mobile, said company spokesperson Jamie Bastian. The program offers 5 percent discounts to all cardholders, free shipping on Target.com purchases, and an extra 30 days for shipping returns. Currently, about 25 percent of Target stores ship Target.com orders, Bastian told the E-Commerce Times. Target also offers a number of programs to make mobile shopping easier for customers. It has offered in-store order pickup since September 2014 in Minneapolis, and it later rolled out the service nationwide. About 80 percent of all pickup orders are available within an hour, Bastian said. Guests also can use the Ship to Store option to get an item on Target.com that is not sold in stores. Target in 2013 began collaborating with Facebook to offer a program called Cartwheel, which is available via an app. Customers get personally targeted coupons and special discounts that can be shared with friends on Facebook. The app has 20 million authenticated users, according to Target. The company is currently offering Instacart grocery service in San Francisco, Minneapolis and Chicago, Bastian said. The pilot program began in September in select Minneapolis area neighborhoods and western suburbs. Target delivers groceries ordered on Target.com within two hours. Target in 2014 began partnering with a Bay area startup called Curbside.com to offer merchandise pickup in select stores in Chicago, the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, and all San Francisco-area stores, Bastian said. Nipping at Heels Several e-commerce competitors and startups have attempted to disrupt Amazon Primes dominant position. Jet.com originally launched with much fanfare as an e-commerce site that offered similar shipping perks to Amazon.com for a smaller membership fee. However, it later decided to change its model, replacing the $50 membership fee program with a more traditional site that reportedly will subsidize member discounts through sales commissions. eBay in September launched a program called eBay Plus in Germany, where customers get free expedited shipping and free returns for an annual fee of about $22. The company plans to expand the service to provide exclusive discounts and promotions as well. The program also will allow consumers to sell on the site without fees. eBay has indicated that it may expand to other countries, but it hasnt announced any specific plans. Theres been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth about the Sisyphean task of protecting privacy in the Digital Age, but that hasnt stopped innovators from searching for ways to preserve it. One of the latest ideas to emerge in the field is Privacy as a Service. As with many emerging technologies, the definition of PaaS (which undoubtedly will be confused with Platform as a Service) is in flux. TheDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency sees PaaS as a way to share data safely while preserving privacy. To that end, DARPA has launched its Brandeis program, which aims to develop tools and techniques for building systems that limit the use of private data for an intended purpose and no other. Currently, most consumers do not have effective mechanisms to protect their own data, and the people with whom we share data are often not effective at providing adequate protection, DARPA Program Manager John Launchbury said. The goal of the Brandeis program is to break the tension between maintaining privacy and being able to tap into the huge value of data, he continued. Rather than having to balance these public goods, Brandeis aims to build a third option, enabling safe and predictable sharing of data while reliably preserving privacy. Owner Determines Use For example, DARPA last month awarded a US$6.3 million contract toGalois for development of the companys Jana program as a PaaS pilot. Jana is a multidisciplinary collaboration among Galois, the University of Bristol, Rutgers University and George Mason University that aims to provide a practical implementation of private data as a service, which would allow data to be protected against misuse while retaining its utility to analysts, the company said. Contributed data always is encrypted, even before it leaves its owners possession, Galois said. Query results are limited by how much data the owner is willing to reveal, to whom and when. Dispel, which recently emerged from stealth mode, has another view of PaaS. Metadata Vulnerable One of the barriers to good privacy is the use of static infrastructure to protect data, according to Dispel CEO Ethan Schmertzler. Even when data traveling on a network is encrypted, its metadata data that identifies characteristics about the encrypted data is not. That, combined with the fact that the datas entrance and exit points can be predicted in a static infrastructure, puts the privacy of the datas owner at risk. If you have enough metadata, you dont need the content of whats sent, Schmertzler told TechNewsWorld. Metadata protection is something that really hasnt been able to be produced. VPNs [virtual private networks] dont protect you because someone can watch the entry points and exit points because theyre static, fixed targets, he said. Tor is no better because youre handing your information, along with your metadata, off to strangers, most of whom at this point are government agencies or bad actors, Schmertzler added. Hiding in Plain Sight What Dispel does is make it difficult for an attacker to capture metadata at the entrance and exit points of a transmission. Without both sets of metadata, compromising a data owners privacy becomes very challenging. We let people hide in plain sight, Schmertzler said. Dispel does that by building an ephemeral network. It dynamically sets ups virtual machines with cloud providers around the world. Because those machines are changing constantly, it prevents attackers from identifying where people are coming in and out of Dispels network. As a result, we protect metadata and we also have two layers of encryption on top of that to keep all the data secure, Schmertzler added. In addition to its invisible connections product, Dispel also offers invisible computers to its customers. Those computers are virtual desktops running on Dispels infrastructure. Theyre completely sandboxed so malware can never touch a users computer, and theyre easily accessible through the Chrome or Firefox Web browsers. What the invisible computers achieve for you is virtual air-gap computing, Schmertzler said, so you can do your work on them through your browser and when youre done, we destroy the infrastructure so theres nothing left behind. Enterprise Appeal While DARPA sees Privacy as a Service as a technology for everyone, Dispels model may gain the most traction in the immediate future. I am not sure my crystal ball is any clearer than that of anyone else. However, I suspect Privacy as a Service will appeal mostly to business users, primarily small to medium-size businesses who have a need for privacy insurance agents, investment professionals, accounting firms, income tax preparers, lawyers, some medical professionals and more, saidPrivacy Blog author Dick Eastman. Larger corporations that have their own IT department will invent their own solutions, he told TechNewsWorld. Private individuals also have a need for privacy services, but most of them dont realize that yet, Eastman continued. As privacy issues grow and the popular media publishes more and more stories about privacy and especially about privacy breaches, they will eventually realize the need, he said. But that wont happen this year. PrivaTegritys Compromise Online anonymity pioneerDavid Chaum last week aired an intriguing compromise to the impasse between strong encryption advocates and law enforcement at the Real World Crypto Conference at Stanford University. Not only does the scheme call for an elaborate workflow for scrambling data, it also includes a way to crack the systems encryption to fight evildoers. The system called PrivaTegrity is built on nine servers located around the world. When PrivaTegrity is installed on an endpoint, the app establishes a series of keys with each server. The keys are used to encrypt the messages the device sends. Encrypted messages are sent to all nine servers. As a server receives them, it divides out its secret key and multiplies the data by a random number. After that, the messages are sent through the servers a second time. This time theyre mixed together in batches, the order of the messages in the batches is randomized, and then the messages are multiplied by another random number. Then the messages are passed through the server network once again, the random numbers are divided out and replaced with keys unique to the recipient of a message, who uses them to decrypt the message. Everyone Not Happy While PrivaTegrity goes to great lengths to protect data passing through it, it also includes a way to decrypt that data without its owners permission. Such a move, though, would require the cooperation of all nine server administrators. Its like a backdoor with nine different padlocks on it, Chaum told Wired magazine. The inclusion of a backdoor of any kind isnt likely to win favor with the advocates of strong encryption, and the need to receive approval from nine authorities in various parts of the globe to access that backdoor isnt likely to win rave notices from law enforcement either. (The FBI, through spokesperson Chris Allen, declined to comment on Chaums proposal for this column.) When Chaum says this is going to end the crypto wars, its like ending it with a total victory for one side, said Yorgen Edholm, CEO ofAccellion. This scheme would make it much harder for even the NSA to crack information, he told TechNewsWorld. This doesnt solve the problem people would like it to solve, Edholm added. Its not going to make the good guys happy and the bad guys unhappy. Its a total win for the privacy people, and law enforcement will be unhappy. Breach Diary Jan. 4. Law firm Mintz Levin reports a Massachusetts Superior Court judge has allowed patients to sue a medical center for money damages based solely on exposure of health information in a data breach. Jan. 5. The Federal Trade Commission announces that Henry Schein Practice Solutions will pay $250,000 to settle FTC charges that it falsely advertised the strength of encryption it uses to protect patient data. Jan. 4. The Dutch executive cabinet issues a strong statement against weakening encryption to aid law enforcement and intelligence agency investigations. Jan. 5. The Regional Income Tax Agency of Ohio reveals that personal information of as many as 50,000 people in Ohio is at risk after discovering that a DVD containing municipal tax documents filed on or before 2012 was missing. Jan. 5. Cloud hosting service Linode resets all customer passwords after discovering unauthorized logins on three accounts. The service has been under constant DDoS attack since Dec. 24. Jan. 5. Canadian Rear Adm. John Newton says an incident in which a civilian employee uploaded more than 1,000 secret documents to an unclassified network does not pose a threat to military intelligence. Jan. 5. A new administrative staff is appointed at Hellgate High School in Missoula, Montana, after email containing sensitive academic, medical, disciplinary and criminal information about hundreds of students accidentally was sent to 28 parents. Jan. 6. Uber Technologies agrees to pay $20,000 and adopt tougher controls on how it handles sensitive data to settle an investigation of its privacy practices by the New York attorney general. The probe was launched after Uber reported a 2014 data breach that exposed data on 50,000 of its drivers. Jan. 7. Time Warner Cable reports as many as 320,000 of its customers may have had their email and passwords stolen. The company says its systems werent breached and that information was gathered from customers themselves or third parties storing Time Warner data. Jan. 7. Etihad Airways announces its investigating a reported data breach of its systems in which the personal information of 7,000 customers was stolen. Jan. 7. iSight Partners, a threat intelligence company, claims Russian hacking group Sandworm was behind a cyberattack in Ukraine in December that cut off power to 80,000 electric customers for six hours. Jan. 8. Finland announces it will extradite to the United States Maxim Senakh, a Russian citizen who is accused in Minnesota of infecting computer servers with malware, resulting in criminal gains worth millions of dollars. Upcoming Security Events Blog Archive June 2021 (1) May 2021 (77) April 2021 (77) March 2021 (82) February 2021 (68) January 2021 (64) December 2020 (67) November 2020 (66) October 2020 (66) September 2020 (67) August 2020 (74) July 2020 (83) June 2020 (92) May 2020 (86) April 2020 (104) March 2020 (105) February 2020 (74) January 2020 (75) December 2019 (75) November 2019 (70) October 2019 (89) September 2019 (69) August 2019 (81) July 2019 (77) June 2019 (73) May 2019 (110) April 2019 (110) March 2019 (102) February 2019 (85) January 2019 (123) December 2018 (116) November 2018 (112) October 2018 (121) September 2018 (107) August 2018 (150) July 2018 (163) June 2018 (190) May 2018 (145) April 2018 (112) March 2018 (124) February 2018 (113) January 2018 (164) December 2017 (150) November 2017 (144) October 2017 (169) September 2017 (171) August 2017 (135) July 2017 (131) June 2017 (147) May 2017 (160) April 2017 (138) March 2017 (156) February 2017 (143) January 2017 (203) December 2016 (208) November 2016 (185) October 2016 (173) September 2016 (194) August 2016 (232) July 2016 (225) June 2016 (238) May 2016 (231) April 2016 (215) March 2016 (246) February 2016 (226) January 2016 (252) December 2015 (230) November 2015 (250) October 2015 (234) September 2015 (222) August 2015 (253) July 2015 (275) June 2015 (279) May 2015 (223) April 2015 (226) March 2015 (243) February 2015 (258) January 2015 (281) December 2014 (292) November 2014 (296) October 2014 (413) September 2014 (472) August 2014 (506) July 2014 (483) June 2014 (488) May 2014 (512) April 2014 (497) March 2014 (531) February 2014 (482) January 2014 (535) December 2013 (482) November 2013 (441) October 2013 (416) September 2013 (491) August 2013 (521) July 2013 (491) June 2013 (470) May 2013 (457) April 2013 (426) March 2013 (420) February 2013 (414) January 2013 (489) December 2012 (433) November 2012 (504) October 2012 (469) September 2012 (430) August 2012 (427) July 2012 (360) June 2012 (336) May 2012 (362) April 2012 (322) March 2012 (263) February 2012 (224) January 2012 (291) December 2011 (295) November 2011 (325) October 2011 (330) September 2011 (319) August 2011 (333) July 2011 (318) June 2011 (387) May 2011 (373) April 2011 (389) March 2011 (375) February 2011 (335) January 2011 (400) December 2010 (445) November 2010 (395) October 2010 (312) September 2010 (262) August 2010 (277) July 2010 (323) June 2010 (386) May 2010 (360) April 2010 (333) March 2010 (351) February 2010 (336) January 2010 (384) December 2009 (353) November 2009 (300) October 2009 (308) September 2009 (350) August 2009 (298) July 2009 (255) June 2009 (203) May 2009 (193) April 2009 (186) March 2009 (197) February 2009 (173) January 2009 (148) December 2008 (181) November 2008 (197) October 2008 (236) September 2008 (304) August 2008 (314) July 2008 (273) June 2008 (27) May 2008 (1) April 2008 (6) October 2007 (1) May 2007 (1) April 2007 (6) March 2007 (2) February 2007 (1) October 2006 (1) September 2006 (1) August 2006 (4) July 2006 (4) June 2006 (1) July 2005 (1) May 2005 (2) March 2005 (1) June 2004 (2) May 2004 (1) April 2004 (4) March 2004 (2) February 2004 (2) July 2003 (2) June 2003 (5) (Jeep) Jeep recently unveiled the 2016 Cherokee Overland during the 2016 New England International Auto Show. The Cherokee Overland is the newest premium model in the company's mid-size SUV lineup. It comes with a sophisticated design and comes standard with more premium features. Though the Cherokee Overland model is more luxurious, it still retains Jeep's signature off-road capabilities. "The new Cherokee Overland model is a direct response to consumers looking for benchmark 4x4 capability that only Jeep can offer, in a stunning, more luxurious package loaded with premium amenities," said Mike Manley, Head of the Jeep brand. According to Jeep, the Cherokee SUV has had a 23 percent increase in sales last 2015. Now, with the addition of a new premium model, the brand is expecting to attract more customers. The Overland premium model joins four other models in the Cherokee lineup Sport, Latitude, Limited and Trailhawk. In terms of design, the 2016 Cherokee Overland comes with a monochromatic exterior color scheme that blends together the front fascia, chin extension, door cladding and wheel arches. The front fascia comes with a bright chrome-trimmed grille and standard HID bi-xenon headlights. The SUV also comes with new 18-inch polished aluminum wheels. There is also an Overland badge on the lifgate. Inspired by the Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland model, the Cherokee Overland now comes with more premium features including a leather-wrapped instrument panel, power front seats with four-way lumbar support, ventilation and heating, a new steering wheel with a wood trim, Nappa leather seats and Berber floor mats. The 2016 Cherokee Overland also comes standard with the Alpine premium audio system, the Uconnect infotainment system with an 8.4-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth, navigation and HD Radio. Standard driver aids include the power liftgate, blind spot monitoring, rear crosspath detection and Parksense rear backup assist system. The premium SUV also comes with the Jeep Active Drive II 4x4 system and the Selec-Terrain traction control system. These allow drivers to choose on- or off-road settings for an optimal driving experience and performance. For more additional features, Jeep is offering the Heavy Duty Protection package for a more powerful powertrain and the Technology package for additional safety features. The 2016 Jeep Cherokee Overland will arrive at showrooms this spring 2016. Price starts at $34,695 with an additional $995 charge for destination. (Image: Neresheim Abbey website) The quiet 11th-century Neresheim Abbey in southern Germany has swept into the spotlight after the discovery of "unaccounted-for millions" in its possession, raising questions about its origin. Father Albert Knebel revealed that he had discovered a "fortune" amounting to $5 million in the estate left by the late Abbot Norbert Stoffels, Britain's Independent newspaper reported. Stoffels was Nereseheim's "guiding spiritual light" from 1977 until his death in 2012. Knebel admitted that the money was neither registered on the abbey's accounts or to anyone in the administration. Abbey staff also know nothing about its existence. The money is a mystery as no one can explain if it was a money-laundering operation and what it may have helped to finance. "Our foremost concern is to find out where this money comes from," Knebel said in a statement. State prosecutors in northern Germany say they have opened an investigation expressing suspicion that the cash may have come from a money laundering operation. A spokesman for the prosecutor's office said the case faced legal complications because the prosecutors were involved in a dispute with a lawyer who had laid claim to part of the "unaccounted-for millions." Neresheim Abbey said that the lawyer tried to claim part of the money through the courts. "So far he has been unable to provide legally binding documents which could justify his claims," explained Knebel. He stressed that he and his fellow monks are not interested in the money as it was never included in the abbey's finances. The money scandal that hit Neresheim Abbey is a new twist for Germany's Catholic Church. Early this year, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the so-called "Bishop of Bling," was forced to resign after spending $47 million to renovate his official residence. Christian Weisner, spokesperson for the "We Are Church," said the German Catholic Church needs deal seriously with the controversies it is facing, or it will continue to find its 23 million followers diminishing. (Photo: Peter Kenny / Ecumenical News) As a country known globally for industries such as watchmaking and banking Switzerland has faced accusations of allowing itself to be used for money laundering due to iit secrecy laws for lenders. Before politicians and business leaders gather in Davos from Jan. 20 to 23 for the World Economic Forum, Christian Aid questioned whether Switzerland is an appropriate host country saying it is a haven for "dirty" money from poor countries. The claim that Switzerland is used for money laundering through its banks has been strongly rejected by the Swiss Bankers Association. "Its role in helping the wealthy and powerful evade hundreds of millions of pounds of tax was exposed last year (2015) in the SwissLeaks scandal, when details of the HSBC Swiss bank accounts of 106,000 clients across 203 countries were leaked to the media," said Christian Aid. Joseph Stead, Christian Aid's Senior Adviser on Economic Justice, "The WEF claims it is 'committed to improving the state of the world,'" noting it means taking a serious approach to financial probity. "With so many of the most powerful politicians and businessmen in one place, they could make the Swiss agree to clean up their act," said Stead. "Otherwise the question remains why continue to hold such a prestigious conference in a country that effectively encourages crime?" UK-based Christian Aid cited a new Oxfam report cites which estimates that worldwide, rich individuals have placed a total of $7.6 trillion in offshore accounts. It said the Oxfam report states that as much as 30 per cent of all African financial wealth is thought to be held offshore. Christian Aid said SwissLeaks showed that secret bank accounts in Switzerland itself were being used to drain poor countries of staggering sums of money, much of it illegally through tax evasion and corruption. "The outrage prompted by SwissLeaks forced Switzerland to agree to tell fellow rich countries about their citizens' Swiss accounts," said Stead. "But it has done no such thing for poor countries, where people are dying for want of basic public services." 'DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HARDEST HIT' Developing countries were hardest hit by HSBC's Swiss bank, relative to the size of their economies, according to Swissleaksreviewed.org - an analysis of the data by Christian Aid and the Financial Transparency Coalition found. Stead said, "While people from developing countries had smaller absolute amounts in HSBC Switzerland accounts, their countries lost more than rich ones, relative to the size of their economies. This is cash they can't afford to lose." Claude-Alain Margelisch, CEO of the Swiss Bankers Association told international journalists in Geneva on Jan 12 that it is a myth that Switzerland makes it easy for criminals to launder money. "Switzerland very actively fights against cross-border financial crimes such as money laundering and the financing of terrorism. "Our country has a broad legal foundation with which to prevent unlawfully acquired assets from entering Switzerland, for example the Swiss Criminal Code or the Federal Act on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. "In addition to this are the ordinances of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, as well as the banks' self-regulation rules," he said. "These are also of a binding nature for the banks, and compliance is monitored. As a result of these laws, the banks are, for example, obliged to always identify their contracting partner and to determine the beneficial owner of the assets." He said banks are obliged to report every suspicious transaction to the Money Laundering Reporting Office and in suspicious cases, to immediately freeze the account in question. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)The logo of the Vatican Bank, known in Italian as 'Istituto per le Opere di Religione'. VATICAN CITY, May 19 (Reuters) - Reports of suspicious financial transactions at the Vatican leapt to 202 in 2013 from six the previous year, its Financial Information Authority (AIF) said on Monday, attributing the rise to keener vigilance prompted by reforms at the scandal-ridden Vatican Bank. Since 2010, the Vatican has been enacting new legislation to bring its bank, the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), in line with international standards on financial transparency money laundering. The AIF said the bulk of the Suspicious Transaction Reports (STR) it had received involved the bank, but declined to give specific numbers or percentages. Only five were considered serious enough to be referred to the Vatican's prosecutor. "We are not perfect yet, we are not super-good yet," Rene Bruelhart, the Swiss lawyer who heads the AIF, told a news conference. "We are more than satisfied that the direction we are going is good but there is still quite a bit of way to go". A report last December by Moneyval, a monitoring committee of the Council of Europe, said the Vatican had enacted significant reforms but must still exercise more oversight over its bank. Bruelhart said his department had carried out an on-site inspection of the IOR this year to make sure that anti-money laundering procedures had taken root. Pope Francis, who has said Vatican finances must be transparent in order for the Church to have credibility, decided against closing the IOR on condition that reforms continued. ILLEGITIMATE ACCOUNTS Bruelhart said the bank had made "substantial progress" in investigating client relationships and closing the accounts of clients who were not entitled to them. Only Vatican employees, religious institutions, orders of priests and nuns and Catholic charities are allowed to have accounts at the bank. But investigators have found that a number were being used by outsiders or that legitimate account holders were handling money for third parties. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, a former senior Vatican accountant who had close ties to the IOR, is currently on trial accused of plotting to smuggle millions of dollars into Italyfrom Switzerland in a scheme to help rich friends avoid taxes. Scarano has also been indicted on separate charges of laundering millions of euros through the IOR. Paolo Cipriani and Massimo Tulli, the IOR's director and deputy director, who resigned last July after Scarano's arrest, have been ordered to stand trial on charges of violating anti-money laundering norms. Bruelhart said the AIF had opened an "autonomous investigation" of the case and was cooperating with Italian authorities. Of the 202 reports of suspicious transactions passed to the AIF, Bruelhart said many "did not have enough meat on the bone" to continue being scrutinised and others were still being examined. Bruelhart said the Vatican was increasing its cooperation with other countries, notably on fighting money laundering. He said the AIF had made 28 requests to foreign authorities for information on suspected financial crime in 2013, up from only one in 2012, and had itself received 53 such requests, up from three. The number of teachers leaving the profession has increased as student enrolment around the nation soars, raising concerns Australia could be facing a teacher shortage.A report by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has found that between 30-50% of teachers leave their profession after the first five years.The number of school students is set to increase 26% nationally by 2022, requiring either more teachers or larger class sizes to cope with the surging enrolments.However, if the teacher-student ratio continues to fall, Australia could face a teacher shortage, posing complications for the Federal Governments innovation agenda.The ACER report estimated that by 2020, an extra 92,000 primary school kids will flow into NSW schools, while Queensland and Victoria were expected to take in more than 100,000 students over the same time.So what can be done? While there have been calls for teachers to be given a pay rise and decreased workloads, is teacher retention really that simple?Dr Merryn McKinnon, a lecturer at the Australian National University (ANU), told The Educator that finding a solution to this issue is complex, but a review of wages and workloads was a good starting point."There isn't a single, simple solution to encourage teachers to stay in the profession. It needs to start with looking at their wages and workloads and not continually asking them to do more with less, she said.Then once teachers are in the classroom we need to provide them with support, in the form of mentors and greater flexibility in their timetable and scheduling, to allow them the opportunity to innovate and try new teaching approaches.McKinnon said all the best professional development in the world won't be effective unless teachers are supported to implement the teaching practices that they have been specifically trained to do.Looking after our teachers is an investment in the education and development of our next generations. It needs a whole of system approach, not just band-aids here and there."NSW Principals Council (NSWPC) president, Lila Mularczyk told The Educator it was pivotal that teachers in their first few years of teaching received adequate and quality support, guidance, mentoring and induction.NSW has led the nation thought the Great Teaching Inspired Learning (GTIL) framework and the professional development plans. Newly appointed teachers receive significant mentoring and release time in their first two years, she said.This is complemented by the individual professional development plans of every educator in a public school.Dr Phillip Riley, director of the Australian Principal Health and Wellbeing Survey at Monash University , said a lack of job security in teaching contracts in Australia is an important factor that is often overlooked in the debate over teacher attrition.Mularczyk agreed that this was important for individual teachers and for the schools longer term planning.This of course is another reason why a bipartisan commitment to the Gonski recommendations in real terms is of the utmost importance for all students in schools, Mularczyk said. Students at Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School walk past a makeshift sidewalk memorial where a 16-year-old boy was gunned down on a Sunday afternoon last fall as they start each day. In October, the school excused students early one day so they wouldnt get caught up in gang-related tensions that flair up on whats known as hood day, 5th grade teacher Raquel Williams said. Some of these kids have PTSD, she said. This is their reality. The school sits at the well-known intersection of 103rd and Grape streets, squarely in Watts, a poor neighborhood in south Los Angeles that is densely packed with poor households and public-housing projects that are known for violence and gang activity. Children who live in neighborhoods such as Watts cant help but bring their trauma with them to the classroom , where it often manifests itself in the form of behavioral problems, unruliness, or a sense of disengagement from academic work, child-well-being advocates say. Thats why schools like Joyner Elementary have taken extra steps to ensure students feel supported and connected to adults and have replaced traditional forms of discipline, including suspensions, with approaches that teach students how to talk through problems with their peers. School Climate Factor To position such efforts as a priority in their schools, Los Angeles and the five other districts organized under the California Office for Reforming Education, or CORE, are including school climate as a measure in their first-of-its-kind local accountability system. On a national level, such measures may also be included in state accountability systems under a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that was signed into law by President Barack Obama in December. Through surveys of parents, staff, and students, schools in the CORE districts will gauge whether children feel safe in schoolemotionally and physically. Starting in the 2016-17 school year, those measures, along with gauges of suspension rates and students social and emotional skills, will make up 40 percent of a schools score on an index the districts have partnered to create. The work builds on existing state-level initiatives to measure and monitor school climate in California. School leaders in the districts say the new measures may also help draw attention to the success of efforts already underway. Traditional accountability models, centered on standardized-test scores, overlook the barriers some schools must address before they can engage students in academic work, they say. Children dont care to learn until they learn that you care, Joyner Elementary Principal Akida Kissane-Long said, quoting an oft-repeated phrase that has come to define the work that staff members are doing to turn around the Watts school. That work includes clearly defined behavior expectations for students and staff and the use of what is known as restorative circles to build support and trust in classrooms. Throughout the CORE districts, many schools, even those with students from higher-income households, are utilizing similar tactics. On a Monday in November, Williams 5th grade class quickly formed a misshapen oval of chairs at her command. Im just gonna stand back and watch the magic happen, she said. Sitting in the circle with her teacher, a girl led her classmates in a breathing exercise, instructing them to place their hands palms-up on their knees. When we inhale, we inhale positive, she said. And when we exhale, we exhale the bad things. Negative thoughts, several classmates interrupted in unison. From a piece of royal-blue fabric spread out in the center of the circle, students picked up talking pieces"small toys and objects theyd brought to represent themselvesand passed them around the circle as they answered questions from Williams. What is something theyve said or done that made someone happy? Whats something theyve done that made someone hurt? How could they set an intention to fix it? Still excitable from celebrating Halloween over the weekend, students shared about the candy they had collected and the haunted houses theyd visited with family. A Place to Talk Such conversations may seem frivolous to some, but learning the ordinary things about each others lives makes it easier to talk about more difficult things, students said. Once, while talking about where they like to play, a girl said she doesnt like to go outside because of gangs in the alley outside her home. Joyner Elementary started its school turnaround and school climate work under the supervision of the nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools in 2010. In the time since, suspension rates have dropped from 15 percent of students to 1 percent of students in 2013-14. During that period, California also passed a state law that restricted the use of suspensions for broad infractions like defiance. There are some critics of initiatives to rethink discipline by capping or eliminating suspensions. Some Los Angeles teachers have said the district has changed its policies too quickly, without giving them the training and resources to implement alternative forms of discipline. Although students at Joyner can still be quite challenging, Williams said she has seen the effects of the work in her classroom. Last year, when her students were in 4th grade, one of their teachers had to be replaced midyear after she left because of the stress of classroom management. This year, Williams says she hasnt made one office referral. Once, when a conflict emerged in the classroom, an unprompted student stopped her classmates and asked them to take a deep breath. Inhale positive, exhale negative, she said. Theres so much chaos happening in this community, Williams said. They really do need that moment. State education agenciesoften dismissed as poorly organized and thinly staffed clearinghousesare about to get a big infusion of responsibility and authority with the recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act. But it remains to be seen if those departments, most of which were hollowed out by staff and budget cuts during the recession, are up to the job. Under ESSA, the long-delayed revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, state departments will be charged with more of the hands-on work in a variety of policy areas where the federal government increasingly called the shots in recent years. Some of the most important areas are holding schools accountable for overall quality, coming up with a way to evaluate teachers, and improving student outcomes. Its like the dog that chases the car, said Patrick Murphy, a senior fellow and director of research at the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan think tank, who has studied state education departments. This is what the state agencies wanted, to figure it out for themselves. ... If they drop the ball, he said, somebody has to come and make them do it right again. During the height of the recession, between 2007 and 2009, more than half the countrys state education agencies, according to the Center on Education Policy, underwent downsizing of some degree, while still being asked to follow NCLB mandates and collect data and test scores for millions of students, intervene in low-performing schools, and roll out teacher-evaluation systems. The results, in some cases, included data breaches, sparse professional development, and inadequate communication about changes that confused parents. The agencies work was complicated over the past decade or so by policies initiated under the No Child Left Behind Act, the previous version of the ESEA. By 2006, at least 42 state commissioners said they were ill-prepared to administer the law. Many attribute the backlash to the NCLB law and the Common Core State Standards to the clumsy rollout of the initiatives by state departments. What weve learned is that federal policy only goes as far as states are able to implement it, said Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitchell D. Chester. Heavy Lift With the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act, state departments of education are set to take on a bigger role in key areasand many will do so after having laid off employees in recent years. Here are some places where those agencies capacity may be put to the test: Academic Standards ESSA requires that standards remain challenging. At least 16 states are reviewing their standards, and that number could grow this year as more legislatures debate repeal of the Common Core State Standards. Accountability In creating their own accountability systems under ESSA, states will have to factor in achievement gaps between various groups of students, English-language proficiency, test scores and an indicator of their choice. They will still need to identify and monitor intervention for schools that academically fall into the bottom 5 percent of the states schools. Teacher Quality ESSA no longer requires states to incorporate test scores into teacher evaluations, as did waivers under the No Child Left Behind Act, and many are now expected to consider revising their evaluation systems. States also must continue to assure the equitable distribution of effective teachers. Testing States must still conduct an annual test for students in grades 3 through 8 and test high school students at least once, though they can create their own opt-out laws and decide what happens to schools that dont meet their goals. Title I Funding With School Improvement Grants gone as a separate program under the new law, states will have more flexibility in how they spend Title I money, or set money aside to assist low-income students. States can now spend up to 7 percent of their Title I funds on school turnaround, up from 4 percent. Source: Education Week Now, state education departments are looking to shift their roles from being primarily compliance officers to taking greater initiative on innovation, while at the same time providing technical and strategic support. Minnesota is restructuring its department, the schools chief of Kentucky is convening statewide task forces to build consensus, and advocacy organizations are ramping up training. Under ESSA, which goes into full effect in the 2017-18 school year, states will need to come up with accountability plans and submit them to the federal Education Department. And theyll still have to test students in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. But state departments will be given wide latitude in how they test students, and how they use the results of those tests, and other indicators, to hold schools and teachers accountable and how they work to close achievement gaps between student groups. Many school district leaders and their advocates also are pushing for state agency leaders to be more closely vetted and want them to listen more to local voices. Sometimes, they forget about what its like to be in the classroom, said Gregory Hutchings, the superintendent of Ohios Shaker Heights City School District, who has organized a task force to help that states department of education shape policy. They make decisions that make administrators jobs harder, rather than serving in a more supportive role. State education agencies vary both in size and in approach to policy in key areas. Tennessees department of education, for example, has taken over chronically underperforming schools, while Californias leaves school turnarounds up to districts. Some state chiefs have come up with catchy themes and taken bold stances on initiatives such as allowing for more school choice or closing achievement gaps. As their jobs have become more political, the average tenure of state chiefs, many of whom make just half what urban superintendents make, is just 3.2 years. Thats been a hindrance to implementation, said Kathy Cox, who served as the state schools superintendent in Georgia between 2003 and 2010 and now helps state departments implement policy as the CEO of the Delivery Institute. Its really hard work, and it hurts when theres that constant churn of leaders, Cox said. You get into inertia. It gives people a sense of, Lets just not do anything. We dont know what direction were going to be pointed in next. Staffing Squeeze Several state superintendents said their staffing levels have not changed since the recession, despite budget surpluses. On average, more than half their agency budgets still comes from federal coffers, experts observe. That will create problems as state legislatures begin enacting their own programs prompted by ESSA to improve schools and attract teachers. Its the shift back to, yes, youre in the drivers seat, Cox said. But youre the one paying for the gas. Youve got to fill the tank. Brenda Cassellius, the Minnesota education commissioner, said while that state expects a budget surplus of $1.9 billion this year, the education departments staffing level will likely remain at 500 employees, about half of whom are tasked with monitoring federal programs. That leaves less than 200 employees to do the work for 1 million kids, 200 school districts, and 165 charter schools, she said. I have one math specialist and one reading specialist and one person working on standards. Theres not been a huge push or political appetite for a larger state government. Cassellius has invested in regional centers to help educators exchange ideas and resources. Ive tried to support schools and work alongside them, rather than take a more top-down approach, she said. ESSA provides for state education departments to use up to 7 percent of their federal Title I money for administrative fees, but most of that money will be geared to oversight of programs for students with special needs and poor students. Murphy, the researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California, said the cuts in recent years have led to agency staff members working on initiatives in which they have little experience. Andy Baxter, the vice president for education effectiveness for the Southern Regional Education Board who has studied the rollout of teacher-evaluation systems, said agency leaders have faced challenges in building consensus. Departments struggled to create systems that teachers and principals feel like they own and believe in, Baxter said. The people at the states want to be collaborative, but they are on incredibly tight timelines. ... Youve got thousands of teachers scattered across 500 different districts across a state. How do you create something collaboratively? Its really hard to do. Vision vs. Implementation In interviews, state schools chiefs and those who work closely with them described weeks-long road trips across their states attempting to both get input from parents, teachers, and principals on education policy, and to better understand problems and hurdles that came up during waivers from the NCLB law. No education reform has ever failed in vision, said Stephen L. Pruitt, Kentuckys commissioner of education. It fails in implementation. If you have vision in where you want to go, but dont have people to share that vision, the implementation fails. As states roles change, the federal Education Department will be pressured to shift to be more supportive. When Deborah S. Delisle worked there as the assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education, from 2012 to 2015, she quickly realized that states needed a different type of help than they were getting. She developed an office of state support that helped state department officials navigate the federal bureaucracy. Delisle, who now heads the education organization ASCD, said state agencies vary widely in size, resources, and the amount of state funding they receive. We wanted to work strategically to make sure they understand the rules and regulations, she said. The federal Education Department in recent weeks has put out guidance to help state departments better understand the new law, specifically in the areas of school improvement and assessments, said Dorie Nolt, a department spokeswoman. Carissa Moffat Miller, a deputy executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, said state agencies biggest challenge this year will be to pace themselves. Theres a real sense of urgency for immediate change, Miller said. They cant let that override the need for long-term meaningful change. Score-report delays, technical glitches, and changes to the ACT, the SAT, and the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test are adding angst to an already stressful college-search process for some high school students around the country this school year. Testing companies customer-service centers and online discussion boards for school counselors have been buzzing because of a series of problems in recent months with tests from the College Board and ACT Inc. Its been really frustratingall the changes hitting all at once, said J. Gavin Bradley, the director of college counseling at Pace Academy, an independent K-12 school in Atlanta. College counselors are on the frontlines having to try and manage and explain all these changes while things are not going well. Officials at the two testing organizations are assuring the public that despite some setbacks, the new products and systems being launched will eventually help students better prepare for college and help counselors improve guidance. Among those changes is ACTs new enhanced writing test. About half the 370,000 test-takers completed the optional essay at the first administration on Sept. 12. Rather than giving students one overall score, the new test is scored by two raters who evaluate each essay on four domains. The process took longer than anticipated, said Paul Weeks, a senior vice president for client relations with the Iowa City, Iowa-based company. Those waiting for writing scores eventually received them by the end of Octoberwithin the projected five- to eight-week windowbut later than ACT had hoped and tight for students staring at a Nov. 1 early-admission or scholarship deadline, said Weeks. Response and Consequences We know we caused some anxiety out there, said Weeks. We took it very seriously and notified colleges and universities and the recipients of the scores, and we got alerts out to the secondary space. One of Bradleys seniors, for example, missed out on being considered for early-action admissions at one college because of delayed ACT scores and now must wait for a later admission decision. The kid had done everything right, the college was holding the file and reached a point where they had to make a decision, Bradley said. Many colleges were accommodating of the delays, extending deadlines and accepting fax copies or screen shots of scores until the official ones arrived. Processes have been established to prevent such delays in the future, and scores were delivered on time for October and December ACT tests, said Weeks. The College Board also experienced technical snafus with its SAT and PSAT tests. In October, a new electronic SAT-score reporting system that is meant to provide more feedback on student performance ran into delays. The priority was to get scores first to students and colleges and then to high schools, said Stacy Caldwell, the vice president of college-readiness assessments for the College Board, based in New York City. She said scores from the November and December SAT were delivered to colleges on time, and high schools should receive the electronic SAT scores by the end of January. We both understand the frustration and appreciate the patience of the counselors as we work through these changes, said Caldwell, who said the delays stemmed from technical and data problems. Concerned about the problems so far, some counselors are steering students away from taking the redesigned SAT when it debuts in the spring. But Caldwell said the systems are in place to deliver scores for the March SAT by May. At the University of Houston, students who saw that their requested SAT or ACT scores had not arrived on campus and then contacted the admissions office were granted extra time to meet the Dec. 1 merit-scholarship deadline. It caused a tremendous amount of anxiety for our families, said Jeffrey Fuller, the director of admissions there. He added that the greater concern is the larger number of students who may not have stepped forward about delay issues and missed out on the opportunity. Jim Rawlins, the director of admissions at the University of Oregon, also provided some latitude for students who had late scores and were applying for early action by Nov. 1. We knew about it in advance, watched the impact, and were able to make sure it didnt hurt students, he said. Rocky PSAT Rollout Scores for more than 4 million students who took the College Boards new Preliminary SAT/NMSQT exam in October were similarly delayed. The results were promised for December, but made available online Jan. 6 to schools and Jan. 7 to students. Then, some counselors had trouble opening the massive file report, and students were confused about the need for an access code to learn their scores. Deb Donley, a school counselor at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill., said because the test was new, counselors needed more time to get familiar with the new PSAT scores before having to help students interpret them. College Board officials said the organization posted help resources for educators online and is trying to respond to concerns. Caldwell noted that in the six days after scores were made available 1 million high school students accessed their scores online. She said the expanded, interactive portal will be a richer resource for students trying to improve their college-readiness skills. While the testing companies are trying to answer questions, they are not likely to disclose their behind-the-scenes troubles, said Joyce Smith, the chief executive officer of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. But counselors are feeling pressure from families for more information on results and delays. We cant make these groups do anything, except be aware there are problems and be as responsive as possible, she said. Educators in Flint, Mich., have long taught students buffeted by the pressures of poverty and urban blight. Now, theyre facing a new crisis: toxic tap water. City and school officials are dealing with the fallout of a contaminated-water crisis, after it was discovered several months ago that hundreds of children in the financially strapped city have high levels of lead in their blood, in part because of the states decision to switch Flints water supply. Over the weekend, President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency in the city, which frees up as much as $5 million in federal aid to help with the public health crisis. And amid growing calls for his resignation, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder apologized for the crisis in his State of the State speech Tuesday night, pledging to fix the problem and telling Flint residents, You did not create this crisis and you do not deserve this. The Republican governor also said his office would release emails related to the water crisis, a demand that many watchdog groups have been making. The manmade catastrophe started nearly two years ago, while the city was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager. Thats when officials decided to save money by switching its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, a tributary with water so corrosive that General Motors didnt want it used at its engine plant in the city. The cost-cutting move introduced lead and iron into the water. In the time since the switch, the percentage of infants and children with elevated blood-lead concentrations that can cause permanent IQ loss and developmental delays has doubled, rising to nearly 5 percent, according to researchers and local health officials. This school year, water from faucets and drinking fountains at four city schools have tested above the federal limits for lead content. One of those schools tested at more than six times the federal limit. The city ended its use of the contaminated Flint River for drinking water in the fall, but concerns remain because the old pipes and service lines that supply the citys water still release lead. Months after the water crisis emerged, the 5,500-student district is still supplying students and staff members with bottled water in an effort to reduce their exposure. In light of what high levels of lead can do to our childrens cognitive and emotional well-being, we clearly need a long-term solution to ensure our children have access to clean, safe drinking water, first-year schools Superintendent Bilal Tawwab said last fall. Mayor Karen Weaver estimates that it could cost upwards of $1 billion to repair the citys lead-damaged infrastructure. The human cost for the citys families is already steep. The lead poisoning could have lifelong consequences. Research has tied high levels of lead in blood to learning disabilities, poor classroom performance, impaired growth, and even hearing loss. Numerous studies detail the significant negative effects of lead toxicity on learning and educational attainment, and the associated costs, including the rise in special education services for developmentally delayed students. It is impossible, at this point, to forecast how it will impact us, our schools and our children, but there is no question we will be challenged to pull together, Tawwab wrote to district parents earlier this month. Guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last April indicates that children with disabilities or brain trauma benefit from early-childhood-education programs such as Head Start, but found no large-scale studies that specifically examine the impact of educational interventions on cognitive or behavioral outcomes for children with lead exposure. Most students with lead poisoning arent identified until early-elementary school, and by then, schools are often unprepared to deal with the issues and skyrocketing special education costs, said Sue Gunderson, the executive director of Community Lead Education and Reduction Corps, or CLEARCorps, a national nonprofit group. You want to get out ahead of this early and find out whos been exposed, Gunderson said. But there arent any cookie-cutter solutions. Its different for every kid. Devastating Impact Fallout from the lead contamination of Flints drinking water has been widespread. Gov. Snyder, a Republican, has publicly apologized for the states role in the catastrophe and declared a state of emergency in Flint and surrounding areas because of ongoing health and safety issues. The state has offered to conduct additional water testing at all the city schools, including charter and private schools. The director of the states Department of Environmental Quality and the agencys lead spokesman recently resigned. And the U.S. attorneys office and the Environmental Protection Agency are investigating the matter. None of that has satisfied residents and child advocates, many of whom have called for Snyders resignation. The children of Flint will need more than new declarations of emergency, state-level resignations, and public apologies to help reverse the damage that has been done to their young bodies and developing brains, wrote Matt Gillard, the CEO of Michigans Children, a statewide advocacy group that focuses on reducing disparities in child outcomes, in an opinion piece in The Flint Journal. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician at Hurley Medical Center, which serves many of the citys poorest families, found elevated levels of lead in her patients blood, triggering more screenings in recent months and drawing public attention to the problem. State and city officials initially dismissed her findings. For some, the debacle also raises concerns about which children are most likely to be exposed. According to the CDC, black children are three times more likely than white children to have elevated levels of lead in their bloodand Flints students are overwhelmingly black and from low-income homes. Flint is home to some of the states lowest-performing school systems. Among the worst is Eisenhower Elementary School, one of the buildings where elevated lead levels were discovered. Lead exposure is nothing new for Flint, a city long plagued by environmental-health issues. Many homes in the Rust Belt city are laced with lead paint. Dust and paint chips from the highly toxic metal pose an increased health risk for learning disabilities, central nervous system damage, and other harmful health effects. Lead-based paint has been a problem for Flint, for Michigan, and for poor families for a long time, said Ann Richards, a senior communications officer for the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The impact of the problem has just exploded, but theres always been a problem with lead poisoning and poor kids. The Flint-based philanthropy contributed more than $4.1 million to help reconnect the city to Lake Huron water and to help provide free water filters to Flint residents. School, municipal, and philanthropic leaders have already begun talks about long-term education interventions to address the needs of the lead-poisoned children. We literally are still getting our hands around this problem, Richards said. Reporting by The Flint Journal and other news organizations revealed that the city brushed off federal requirements for water testing. Lax state oversight may have led the city and state to underestimate the extent of the contaminated-water crisis for months. Marc Edwards, an environmental-engineering professor at Virginia Tech University and a national expert on water treatment, leads a team of researchers studying the citys water. Edwards says it is still not safe to drink. Mitigating the Problem There are actions that can help mitigate the lead exposure such as proper nutrition and early-childhood education. But thats difficult in a city with scarce resources. Dr. Hanna-Attisha will head up a team of epidemiologists, educators, and nutrition specialists to help mitigate the developmental and behavioral challenges faced by the children poisoned by lead-tainted water. The school system and city faced myriad challenges well before the water crisis. Once a manufacturing hub flush with auto-industry jobs, the city has suffered significant job losses and dimming prospects for its young people for decades. Districtwide, nearly a quarter of its students drop out of high school before graduating, and poverty is pervasive. More than 80 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, an indicator of poverty in K-12 education. Overall, student enrollment in Flints public school district has declined 75 percent in the past 20 years as families fled the city in search of other options. The lead poisoning matter has only complicated matters in the troubled district. This is definitely something thats keeping me up at night, Superintendent Tawwab said in an interview. Its a question of how we best prepare ourselves to meet the needs of all our children. I do believe we can work our way through this. A EUR 160m loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) will help to finance the construction of a 33 km motorway section in Southern Germany. Connecting Pastetten and Heldenstein, the section will be part of the A94 project which, once finished, will improve the traffic flow between the Bavarian capital Munich and the Austrian city of Linz. The 4-lane motorway section will be built on the basis of a public-private partnership between the Free State of Bavaria, represented by the Autobahndirektion Sudbayern, and a consortium of three experienced contractors: BAM, Eiffage and Berger Bau. The consortium, which will receive EIB financing amounting to roughly 50% of the long-term funding requirement, is responsible not only for designing and building the motorway but also for operating and maintaining it. The maintenance and operation of two adjacent stretches, totalling 44 km, are also part of the 30-year contract. For the Free State of Bavaria this project and procurement structure has the advantage of being more reliable in terms of timing and final costs. The construction is scheduled to start in the coming months and should be completed in the second half of 2019. Supporting sustainable roads is one of the goals of the EU bank, said Ambroise Fayolle, the EIB Vice-President responsible for lending in Germany and Austria. We are glad to be a partner in this project, as it will facilitate transport in major industrial regions of two countries. By shortening the distance on this important European East-West connection, the motorway between Pastetten and Heldenstein will make it easier for companies in Germany and Austria to do business and safer for everybody to get from A to B." Smart money Smart meters are also the subject of the biggest loan the European Investment Bank signed under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) last year. With the backing of EFSI, the European Investment Bank will loan about EUR 500 million to a EUR 1.4 billion smart meters project managed by Calvin Capital, a British company that finances and manages the installation of new meters on behalf of energy suppliers. Overall EFSI aims to generate EUR 315 billion in new investment by 2018 with initial money from the EIB and the European Commission. As part of the Investment Plan for Europe, one of EFSIs aims is for the EIB to fund innovative projectsto demonstrate the Banks level of comfort with the risks and thus to encourage private investors to join in. In the case of the smart meters loan, the EIB had to take into account a familiar factor in the British energy market that nonetheless presented a challenge in pricing the deal. When a British utility installs a smart meter, the consumer is essentially under no obligation to keep an account with that utility for the long term. Any time after a new smart meter is installed, the customer may decide to move to another energy supplier and the utility might find it difficult to recover the cost of its investment in the meter. Calvin Capital is accustomed to handling customer churn, as this phenomenon is known. After all, Calvin has financed the purchase and installation of over six million metersincluding more than one million smart meterssince 2002. This single EFSI deal covers a further seven million smart meters. The model the company chose in the EIB deal takes the impact of churn away from the energy supplier. Instead of the utility company owning the meter and consequently having to deal with customers switching, Calvin owns the meter. With the EIBs support, the Manchester-based company provides a solution that works regardless of the supplier the consumer choses. By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Aukkarapon Niyomyat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's prosecutor has charged the local unit of Philip Morris International of under-reporting the value of imported cigarettes, which led to tax revenue losses of about 20 billion baht ($551.27 million), the attorney-general said. The case involves cigarettes imported by Philip Morris Thailand from the Philippines between 2003 and 2007, the prosecutor told reporters. In addition to the company, seven Thais were also charged, as well as four foreigners who were outside the country, they added. A court will hear the case on April 25. If convicted, the company will have to pay 80 billion baht in damages, and each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison. Philip Morris Thailand said the charges were unjust. "Not only are these charges wholly without merit ... they also call into question Thailand's commitment to fairness, transparency and rule of law," branch manager Troy Modlin said in a statement. A 2010 ruling by the World Trade Organization said that Thailand had no grounds to reject the import price of cigarettes from the Philippines, and Thailand has previously lost a case over the issue. The Philippines has complained that a series of domestic taxation and customs valuation by Thailand that started in 2006 had undermined the competitiveness of its cigarettes against those produced by the state-controlled Thailand Tobacco Monopoly. (Editing by Miral Fahmy) By Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament suspended its meeting on Tuesday amid protests by Sunni Muslim MPs over violence that targeted their community in eastern Iraq and left dozens killed in apparent retaliation for anti-Shi'ite bombings claimed by Islamic State. A statement by Sunni lawmakers urged Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to disband and disarm the Shi'ite militias which they accuse of being behind the latest attacks that targeted the town of Muqdadiya. Raad al-Dahlaki and Nahida al-Daini, two Sunni MPs from Diyala province where Muqdadiya is located, said 43 people have been killed over the past week in the town and nine mosques were fire bombed. Salah Muzahim, another MP, said the toll was over 40 dead. Rising sectarian violence would represent a further challenge to Abadi, a moderate Shi'ite who is trying to reconcile the Sunnis and win them over to fight Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni group which declared a caliphate in 2014 over large, mainly Sunni Muslim swathes of Iraq and Syria. "The Iraqi Forces Coalition... as the representative of the Sunni component in Iraq, announces... its members' boycott of the next two sessions of parliament and government in condemnation of what is happening in Muqdadiya," said a statement read by MP Ahmed Masari, referring to attacks on residents in the town 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad. "We demand the dissolution and disarmament of the (Shi'ite) militias," the statement said. Lawmakers met briefly on Tuesday and decided to adjourn until Thursday. Iraq's Interior Ministry has not published a toll for Sunni casualties in Muqdadiya and the neighbouring villages in Diyala province. The ministry's spokesman was not available to give details on the latest upsurge in violence. Badr Organization, the Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia which is dominant in Diyala, said the casualty figures quoted by the Sunni MPs were incorrect. "Yes, there are people killed but this number is exaggerated," Mohammed Naji, an aide to Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri, told Reuters. He described the attacks on Sunni mosques as violations by people who want to stir up sectarian tension in Diyala, which lies between Baghdad and the Iranian border, and has a mixed population of Shi'ites and Sunnis. Shi'ite militiamen deployed in Muqdadiya after two blasts killed 23 people in a coffee shop where they usually meet. Islamic State claimed the attacks, saying they targeted Shi'ites. The level of violence in Muqdadiya has receded but tension remains as the town is still under the control of Shi'ite militiamen, MPs Dahlaki and Daini said. Badr Organisation has established itself as the ascendant militia in the region since rolling back Islamic State's advance in 2014. Amiri last week expressed regret over the sectarian violence and offered to rebuild the destroyed Sunni mosques. Many Sunnis fled their homes there when Badr advanced to roll back Islamic State. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, Saif Hameed and Stephen Kalin; Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Samia Nakhoul and Dominic Evans) By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pledged on Tuesday to increase cooperation on counterterrorism and the fight against Islamic State. Obama praised Australia for its support in Afghanistan and thanked the prime minister for his country's troops' sacrifices around the world. "We're going to talk about how we can strengthen our cooperation both in Syria and Iraq, the state of affairs in Afghanistan, but also countering violent extremism globally," Obama told reporters in the Oval Office at the start of the meeting. "Australia will be a very important partner in that process," he said. Turnbull said it was critical to improve efforts to fight Islamic State. "We have to constantly lift our game in the way we engage with and tackle these extremists, particularly ISIL - but there are many others - as they operate in the cyber sphere," he said, referring to Islamic State with an acronym. "Archaic and barbaric though they may be, their use regrettably of the Internet is very sophisticated. And so I?m pleased that we're going to be working on even closer collaboration there." The two leaders also discussed their backing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. "It is going to be good for our economy. It is going to be good for our workers and our businesses, and it reaffirms that in order for us to thrive in the 21st century ... it's important for us to be making the rules in this region, and that's exactly what TPP does," Obama said. Turnbull congratulated Obama on the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Tom Brown) Brasilia, Jan 19 (EFE).- Mining giants Vale and BHP Billiton have informed the Brazilian government of their willingness to cover the cost of cleaning up the Doce River, which was polluted by a massive tailings dam collapse last year. The companies, which own mining company Samarco as a 50-50 joint venture, expressed their interest in reaching a "transparent" legal settlement, Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira said Monday at a press conference. Brazil's government has sued Rio de Janeiro-based Vale and Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton for the 20-billion-reais ($5-billion) cost of remediating the damage to the Doce River basin. That waterway's ecosystem was affected by an avalanche of 62 million cubic meters (2.2 billion cubic feet) of mud and wastewater triggered by the Nov. 5 collapse of two tailings dams at a Samarco mining complex outside Mariana, a city in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. But a Brazilian government attorney, Luis Inacio Adams, said Monday that that figure was merely an estimate and that the amount of the settlement reached with the companies could be lower or even higher. Last week, the Federal Police said it would file charges for environmental crimes against Samarco, Vale and BHP, as well as seven of those companies' executives, who could face up to five years in prison. Considered the biggest mining spill worldwide in recent decades, the avalanche flooded seven hamlets and killed 17 people, while two others remain missing. It polluted a 650-kilometer (400-mile) stretch of the Doce River, one of the largest in southeastern Brazil, and also affected a portion of the Atlantic coast. Separately, the government on Monday gave all mining companies operating in Brazil 15 days to present information about their contingency plans in the event of an emergency. The National Mineral Production Department said any mine that failed to present its contingency plans or submit reports vouching for the stability of its dams would be shuttered. Port-au-Prince, Jan 18 (EFE).- Violence returned Monday to various cities in Haiti, including this capital, where thousands of people demonstrated against the government and the presidential runoff set for six days from now. Some of the protesters in Port-au-Prince threw stones at vehicles and buildings, burned tires and blocked several main streets with rocks. The demonstration was called by the political opposition to protest the fraud they say was rampant in two elections in 2015. The first round of the presidential vote was held on Oct. 25 and ruling-party candidate Jovenel Moise and opposition figure Jude Celestin were declared to be the top vote-getters. Celestin had said on numerous occasions that he would not take part in a runoff, and he has now informed the Provisional Election Council - or CEP - that he has officially withdrawn from the race. The protest in the capital came just hours after unknown vandals burned several election offices. During the march, protesters called for a "revolution" to oust President Michel Martelly, who must leave office on Feb. 7, the first day of carnival. Assad Volcy, the head of the Pitit Dessalines opposition party, issued a call to the public "to protest all over the country." "The CEP has to leave so that a transitional government may organize free and democratic elections," Volcy told the media. Meanwhile, Moise urged Haitians to turn out in large numbers to vote. Two of the CEP's nine members have resigned in recent days and another was suspended for allegedly accepting a bribe. An independent commission determined that there were "serious" irregularities during the initial vote in October. Fetterman 'recovering well' from life-threatening stroke, doctor says John Fetterman on Wednesday released an updated medical report that says he is recovering well from his May stroke. 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 Re: How do I get used to this place? Quote: UKGirl Believe me all ye of little faith! A good restaurant in Horgen quoted that figure for a 1 person Indian delivery Quote: peternieder Every complaint is reasonable, and the only way to be satisfied is to either leave or adjust. Some adjust quickly, some over years. But, I think much depends on what you were coming from. And the happiest immigrants (from any country to any country), and those who can cope best with making the necessary adjustments, and doing so as quickly as possible, seem to be those who arrive absolutely certain that many aspects of dailty life are going to be very different Here from how they were back There. If that is one's basic starting point, then every new hurdle, every new strangeness doesn't necessarily strike one down in shock, because it already has a mental address: it belongs in the box called "another one of those things that work differently Here, and which I'll have to learn about, and cope with". Taxes on garbage bags? Huh? Never heard of that before... oh, yes, it must be one of those "Different Here from There" things. Quiet hours over lunchtime? What?! Oh, I get it, that's another of the "D H f T" things. They don't speak my mother tongue to me? Oh, yes, that's right, the language Here is different from back There. I agree that some of the particular differences can be confusing or annoying in very specific ways, yet it seems to be that a basic expectation that many things will, necessarily, work differently in this country/canton/new building, etc., can be a big help in coping. Oh, now I see. The high costs were probably, I guess, more for the delivery than for the take-away food itself. After all, that restaurant in Horgen, if it is good, will have been paying the delivery person an hourly wage, plus their social security contributions, and accident insurance. And if you placed the order after regular business hours, perhaps also a "night surcharge" on top of the hourly wage. You'd probably have been charged much less if you, yourself, had taken the food away, literally.Yes, definitely what you were coming from, what you left behind, and also what your hopes were. It seems to me the most miserable newbies (from any country to any country) seem to be those who expect/hope/wish/assume that things Here ought to work just the way they used to back There. And they are bound to stub their toes painfully when things don't conform to such assumptions.And the happiest immigrants (from any country to any country), and those who can cope best with making the necessary adjustments, and doing so as quickly as possible, seem to be those who arrivethat many aspects of dailty life are going to be very different Here from how they were back There. If that is one's basic starting point, then every new hurdle, every new strangeness doesn't necessarily strike one down in shock, because it already has a mental address: it belongs in the box called "another one of those things that work differently Here, and which I'll have to learn about, and cope with".Taxes on garbage bags? Huh? Never heard of that before... oh, yes, it must be one of those "Different Here from There" things.Quiet hours over lunchtime? What?! Oh, I get it, that's another of the "D H f T" things.They don't speak my mother tongue to me? Oh, yes, that's right, the language Here is different from back There.I agree that some of the particular differences can be confusing or annoying in very specific ways, yet it seems to be that a basic expectation that many things will, necessarily, work differently in this country/canton/new building, etc., can be a big help in coping. Re: China, India, U.S. and future of global economy Quote: AmericanGotWorkVisa Came across some interesting estimates. By 2050, the largest economies will be China, the United States and India in that order The next 6 or 7 will be from today's developing nations, BUT Chinas per capita income will be only 37 percent of the US level, and Indias just 11 percent, at market exchange rates. http://www.yaleglobal.yale.edu/conte...oblems-part-ii How will the world work like this. You will continue to have the super rich in Europe and North America, but increasingly powerful militaries and aggregate wealth in the "developing world"...which will have real power in international institutions. hmmm.... I still don't see mass immigration from Western nations to Asia, as the economic incentive for most people is not there, besides specialized business folks. I imagine also the cultural center of gravity will shift a bit, as Westerns selling their cultural narrative will start to increasingly loose appeal to Asian urban elites who are increasingly nationalistic, self-ware, looking for their own stories, and have the money to back them up globally. The Indian and Chinese movie industries will only increase. Hollywood will still be a major player I suspect due to the universality of many movies of many generic urban movies that come out (action, slap-stick comedy, etc). I don't even want to start speculating about security/military changes, they are coming, as each nation is already trying to carve out a sphere of influence...China in the South and East china Seas...India in the Indian Ocean and the surrounding nations, etc. There are also territorial issues to be resolved between India and China, the question of Pakistan, competition in South East Asia, etc. As far as india goes, its impossible to do business there. Just bringing in $1m worth of roughs takes 3 weeks to process because of graph and paper work. Takes 2 days in Antwerp or SA. Buying a house in India is bullshiitt as well. You spend 18 months bartering (they keep raising the price when you finally agree on their original price) and then they simply take your bid to the bank, use it as a mark to market and borrow against it. My former boss has been trying to buy a beach front hotel in Goa for the last 7 years!!!!! Doesnt matter how much money you throw at these guys. India has more potential than China, but both pale in comparison to the West for atleast the next 30 years. At that depends on how they deal with both countries running out of water in the next decade.....! Good luck to them both. Some other useful reading..... http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Powers-...17/ref=lh_ni_t http://www.amazon.com/Next-100-Years...9031374&sr=1-1 You already know my stance on the whole China hysteria AGWV. They will grow old before they grow rich.As far as india goes, its impossible to do business there. Just bringing in $1m worth of roughs takes 3 weeks to process because of graph and paper work. Takes 2 days in Antwerp or SA. Buying a house in India is bullshiitt as well. You spend 18 months bartering (they keep raising the price when you finally agree on their original price) and then they simply take your bid to the bank, use it as a mark to market and borrow against it. My former boss has been trying to buy a beach front hotel in Goa for the last 7 years!!!!! Doesnt matter how much money you throw at these guys. India has more potential than China, but both pale in comparison to the West for atleast the next 30 years. At that depends on how they deal with both countries running out of water in the next decade.....! Good luck to them both.Some other useful reading..... Re: It's official: The Swiss don't want any new friends Home Satire 95 % of Brit Expats Sent Back to UK for Failing Language Test January 18th, 2016 Joe Mellor Satire 0 comments The biggest movement of migrants since the Second World War began today, as countries across the world demanded UK expats had to speak the language of their chosen country, or they had to leave and most failed. Foreign officials have said the test wasnt even that rigorous. You only had to know how to say Two Beers Please No Yes and Do you have real brown sauce? but almost one hundred per cent flunked it. A Foreign Office Spokesman said: We dont know how to cope with the influx, even some Brits in Australia failed the test, as they didnt add mate to the end of the brown sauce question. Steve Tate, 35, who was packing up his belongings in Alicante said: I was just about to learn the Spanish for two beers but I just couldnt find the time, Ive only been here eight years. I did integrate though, I went to the Black Lion pub, with Stevie, Gaz and Larry everyday. I remember that day we ate squid, it was rank though, never again. Shelia Predegast, 45, who lives in Albufeira, was seething after being told she had to leave, telling customs officials, I didnt want to learn Spanish anyway. Hard to make friends with people who don't understand you and can't talk to you eitherJanuary 18th, 2016The biggest movement of migrants since the Second World War began today, as countries across the world demanded UK expats had to speak the language of their chosen country, or they had to leave and most failed.Foreign officials have said the test wasnt even that rigorous. You only had to know how to say Two Beers Please No Yes and Do you have real brown sauce? but almost one hundred per cent flunked it.A Foreign Office Spokesman said: We dont know how to cope with the influx, even some Brits in Australia failed the test, as they didnt add mate to the end of the brown sauce question.Steve Tate, 35, who was packing up his belongings in Alicante said: I was just about to learn the Spanish for two beers but I just couldnt find the time, Ive only been here eight years. I did integrate though, I went to the Black Lion pub, with Stevie, Gaz and Larry everyday. I remember that day we ate squid, it was rank though, never again.Shelia Predegast, 45, who lives in Albufeira, was seething after being told she had to leave, telling customs officials, I didnt want to learn Spanish anyway. The 2015 Just For Laughs Festival special will air tonight on The CW--find out when to watch it. Howie Mandel hosts the Just For Laughs Festival, which will be broadcast starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. The special airs for an hour and a half. "Recorded at the biggest comedy event in the world, the 2015 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, and hosted by Howie Mandel, this primetime special showcases performances from Jeff Ross, Pete Holmes, Jim Breuer, Fortune Feimster, Vladimir Caamano and Marina Franklin," says The CW. "Additionally, the special includes comedians remembering some of their favorite moments from the festival over the past 30 years, featuring Joan Rivers, Jon Stewart, and Eddie Izzard." Many clips from Just For Laughs are available on CW Seed, which you can find here. Watch The 2015 Just For Laughs Festival Special On The CW The CW does not currently have an official live streaming service, so the only legal option is to watch the Just For Laughs special on the network starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT. It remains to be seen if the special will be uploaded online after the airing. Keep Up With The 2015 Just For Laughs Festival Special Via Social Media If you want to tweet along with others who are watching the 2015 Just For Laughs Festival special, use the hashtag #JustForLaughs. Two health service providers recently acknowledged data breaches affecting thousands of clients. Blue Shield of California says the personal information of almost 21,000 people who enrolled in coverage between October 2013 and December 2015 may have been exposed as a result of a data breach at a third-party vendor, the Orange County Register reports. That breach, according to Blue Shields notification letter [PDF], happened between September and December of 2015 and was the result of log-in credentials for certain Blue Shield customer service representatives being misused. A recent Ping Identity survey of more than 1,000 U.S. enterprise employees found that almost half admitted reusing passwords for work-related accounts, and almost two third admitted doing so for personal accounts. According to Blue Shield, the information potentially exposed includes names, addresses, birthdates and Social Security numbers. All those affected are being offered a free one-year membership in Experians ProtectMyID Alert service. And Montanas New West Health Services, a health plan offering Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement Plans, recently announced that an unencrypted laptop containing past and current New West customer information was stolen from an off-site location. New West worked with Navigant to determine what data may have been on the laptop, and determined that it held customer names, addresses, and in some cases, drivers license numbers, Social Security numbers or Medicare claim numbers. It may also have held payment information, including bank account or credit card information, as well as some health information, including birthdates, medical history and condition, diagnosis and/or prescription information. According to Montana Public Radio, 25,000 customers are affected. All those whose Social Security numbers may have been exposed are being offered one free year of credit monitoring and identity protection services. Moving forward, we are committed to taking steps to prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future, New West said in a statement. These steps include installing additional security on all company laptops, enhancing education for our employees, and strengthening our data security policies and practices. In similar breaches disclosed last week, a USB drive stolen from New Yorks St. Lukes Cornwall Hospital exposed 29,156 patients personal health information (PHI), a missing storage device at Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital may have exposed 29,324 patients data, and a laptop stolen from Texas HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital exposed 1,359 patients information, including Social Security numbers. According to Verizon Enterprise Solutions inaugural Protected Health Information Data Breach Report, 90 percent of industries have experienced a data breach that exposed PHI and according to the 2015 KPMG Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey, 81 percent of healthcare organizations have been breached in the past two years. The vulnerability of patient data at the nations health plans and approximately 5,000 hospitals is on the rise and health care executives are struggling to safeguard patient records, Michael Ebert, leader in KPMGs Healthcare & Life Sciences Cyber Practice, said in a statement. Patient records are far more valuable than credit card information for people who plan to commit fraud, since the personal information cannot be easily changed. Recent eSecurity Planet have looked at ways of improving security when working with third-party vendors and offered six tips for stronger encryption. For promoting a diverse Ph.D.-level workforce in the field of chemistry, Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire, Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success and retired Assistant Vice Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry at Louisiana State University, will receive the Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. McGuire previously received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring during a 2007 White House Oval Office ceremony. At Louisiana State University (LSU), Dr. McGuire mentored 32 African-American doctoral students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, AAAS noted. She mentored another nine African Americans at the bachelor's level who went on to earn Ph.D. degrees at other institutions. Her career, spanning more than 40 years, has encompassed teaching chemistry as well as work in the area of learning and teaching support. The author of Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation (Stylus Publishing), Dr. McGuire spent eleven years at Cornell University, where she received the coveted Clark Distinguished Teaching Award. She joined LSU in 1999, and has delivered her widely acclaimed faculty-development workshops on teaching students how to learn at more than 200 institutions in 40 states and seven countries. In a nomination letter sent to AAAS, Dr. McGuire's LSU colleague, Dr. Isiah M. Warner, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, lauded her "truly exceptional mentoring ability," which he likened to "magic." Dr. McGuire's strategy for helping students improve their academic performance involves teaching them about cognitive science and the learning process, and then "empowering them with the confidence to aggressively attack their learning obstacles," said Dr. Warner, who also serves as LSU's Boyd Professor, Philip W. West Professor of Analytical and Environment Chemistry, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. He was so inspired by Dr. McGuire's approach, in fact, that he designed the LSU HHMI Professors Program, which now trains students to serve as mentors so that they can help others achieve academic success, too. Three other colleagues as well as five of Dr. McGuire's former students submitted letters of support for her Lifetime Mentor Award. One of those former students, Dr. Algernon Kelley, now a lecturer at State University of New York at Brockport and an adjunct Chemistry Instructor at Monroe Community College, recounted how he had struggled with his graduate studies. As a student with dyslexia who lost his mother a year before graduate school, Dr. Kelley said that he was skeptical of his chances for success. Yet, Dr. McGuire helped him pass five cumulative exams in one year, in part by teaching him to learn actively, rather than by simply memorizing facts, and by sharing with him the Study Cycle method pioneered by Dr. Frank L. Christ and adapted by LSU's Center for Academic Success. Dr. Kelley has since used the Study Cycle method with his own students to help them achieve academic success. "I am forever grateful to have had the wonderful opportunity to be mentored by someone who is truly dedicated to student success as Dr. Saundra McGuire," he wrote in his letter of support. Other former students of Dr. McGuire are now working as researchers, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty members at institutions such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the California Institute of Technology, and the Virginia Military Institute. In 2012, Dr. McGuire was elected a fellow of The Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA), and in 2011, she was elected a Fellow of AAAS. In 2010, she was elected a Fellow of the American Chemical society. She received her bachelor's degree in Chemistry, magna cum laude, from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. in 1970, and her Master's degree in Chemical Education from Cornell University in 1971. Dr. McGuire earned her Ph.D. degree in Chemical Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1983. Her many other honors and awards have included the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, and the 2002 Dr. Henry C. McBay Outstanding Chemical Educator Award, from the same organization. She is married to Dr. Stephen C. McGuire, a professor of physics at Southern University. They are the parents of Dr. Carla McGuire Davis and Dr. Stephanie McGuire. The AAAS Lifetime Mentor Award honors AAAS members who have mentored significant numbers of underrepresented students pursuing Ph.D.'s in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and/or those who have changed the climate of a department, institution, or field to significantly increase the diversity of students pursuing Ph.D.'s in STEM fields. Nominees must also demonstrate scholarship, activism, and community building, and have more than 25 years of mentoring experience. The award includes a $5,000 prize, a commemorative plaque, and complimentary registration to the AAAS Annual Meeting, as well as reimbursement for reasonable travel and hotel expenses to attend the meeting. Dr. McGuire will receive the 2015 AAAS Lifetime Mentor Award during the 182nd AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., 11-15 February 2016. The AAAS Awards Ceremony and Reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, February 12, in Palladian Ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel. ### The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science as well as Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, and Science Advances, a new digital, open access journal. AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, http://www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS. For more information on AAAS awards, see http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/awards/. AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society, dedicated to"Advancing science Serving society" The American College of Cardiology has launched a cardiovascular disease education and awareness program in China to prepare physicians and hospital systems for a nationwide health care shift that supports heart disease prevention and optimal patient care. "Heart disease education and awareness can help our fellow cardiologists and cardiac care team members in China better understand the latest heart disease diagnosis, management and treatment tools available to them," said ACC President Kim Allan Williams, M.D., FACC. "Through this program we'll be able to work together to better implement international treatment guidelines for at-risk patients and improve patient outcomes throughout China." The American College of Cardiology is partnering with the Chinese Society of Cardiology as it implements this groundbreaking initiative. "We are excited for the opportunity to collaborate with the American College of Cardiology on this important cardiovascular disease prevention program," said Huo Yong, M.D., FACC, former President of the Chinese Society of Cardiology. "I am confident that this program will contribute to our national call to action to address the increase in cardiovascular disease in China, work with multiple stakeholders to spread awareness of prevention strategies, and continue our efforts to 'bend the curve' in cardiovascular disease rates." China has made significant strides in recent years diagnosing and treating patients with cardiovascular disease, though challenges remain in providing preventative care to patients at high risk of developing chronic cardiovascular conditions. Government agencies responsible for health care implementation in China have established over 5,000 community health centers to remove some of the burden from hospitals and fill patients' needs for more preventative care. Several of the large hospitals in the country are now affiliating with these community health centers in the hopes of encouraging their patients to take advantage of their services, especially for heart disease prevention. But with this shift in health care thinking comes an urgent need to educate Chinese physicians and hospital systems in the latest heart disease prevention methods. The ACC is addressing this need by establishing a comprehensive cardiovascular curriculum to provide education and awareness to physicians throughout the country. The program will include: A webinar series broadcast from prominent hospitals in China to be shown to a network of cardiologists and other cardiac caregivers in nearly 200 hospitals throughout the country. Topic-based interactive online education of cardiologists and cardiac care team members delivered through WeChat, one of the most widely used social media platforms in China. Educational and risk assessment tools delivered to physicians through WeChat. The program is supported by Pfizer. "Pfizer has a strong commitment to helping to decrease the burden of cardiovascular disease, one of the leading causes of death globally," said Salomon Azoulay, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Global Established Pharma, Pfizer Inc. "We are proud to partner with the American College of Cardiology and the Chinese Society of Cardiology to ensure that high-quality medical education is available to clinicians to support cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, address patient health needs and ultimately improve patient outcomes." ### The American College of Cardiology is a 49,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more information, visit acc.org. The very first experimental observations of knots in quantum matter have just been reported in Nature Physics by scientists at Aalto University (Finland) and Amherst College (USA). The scientists created knotted solitary waves, or knot solitons, in the quantum-mechanical field describing a gas of superfluid atoms, also known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. In contrast to knotted ropes, the created quantum knots exist in a field that assumes a certain direction at every point of space. The field segregates into an infinite number of linked rings, each with its own field direction. The resulting structure is topologically stable as it cannot be separated without breaking the rings. In other words, one cannot untie the knot within the superfluid unless one destroys the state of the quantum matter. To make this discovery we exposed a Rubidium condensate to rapid changes of a specifically tailored magnetic field, tying the knot in less than a thousandth of a second. After we learned how to tie the first quantum knot, we have become rather good at it. Thus far, we have tied several hundred such knots, says Professor David Hall, Amherst College. The scientists tied the knot by squeezing the structure into the condensate from its outskirts. This required them to initialize the quantum field to point in a particular direction, after which they suddenly changed the applied magnetic field to bring an isolated null point, at which the magnetic field vanishes, into the center of the cloud. Then they just waited for less than a millisecond for the magnetic field to do its trick and tie the knot. For decades, physicists have been theoretically predicting that it should be possible to have knots in quantum fields, but nobody else has been able to make one. Now that we have seen these exotic beasts, we are really excited to study their peculiar properties. Importantly, our discovery connects to a diverse set of research fields including cosmology, fusion power, and quantum computers, says research group leader Mikko Mottonen, Aalto University. Knots have been used and appreciated by human civilizations for thousands of years. For example, they have enabled great seafaring expeditions and inspired intricate designs and patterns. The ancient Inca civilization used a system of knots known as quipu to store information. In modern times, knots have been thought to play important roles in the quantum-mechanical foundations of nature, although they have thus far remained unseen in quantum dynamics. In everyday life, knots are typically tied on ropes or strings with two ends. However, these kinds of knots are not what mathematicians call topologically stable since they can be untied without cutting the rope. In stable knots, the ends of the ropes are glued together. Such knots can be relocated within the rope but cannot be untied without scissors. Mathematically speaking, the created quantum knot realizes a mapping referred to as Hopf fibration that was discovered by Heinz Hopf in 1931. The Hopf fibration is still widely studied in physics and mathematics. Now it has been experimentally demonstrated for the first time in a quantum field. This is the beginning of the story of quantum knots. It would be great to see even more sophisticated quantum knots to appear such as those with knotted cores. Also it would be important to create these knots in conditions where the state of the quantum matter would be inherently stable. Such system would allow for detailed studies of the stability of the knot itself, says Mikko Mottonen. ### The research article (This article should be credited as the source of stories covered.) D. S. Hall, M. W. Ray, K. Tiurev, E. Ruokokoski, A. H. Gheorghe, and M. Mottonen "Tying Quantum Knots" Nature Physics, DOI: 10.1038/NPHYS3624 Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphys3624 (The submitted version of the manuscript is openly available at http://arxiv.org/abs/1512.08981) Video and images https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFIAINR6rTY http://materialbank.aalto.fi:80/public/95cc3f59c88F.aspx Contact details Mikko Mottonen Docent, Professor mikko.mottonen@aalto.fi 358-50-594-0950 (Time zone: GMT +2) Aalto University and University of Jyvaskyla http://physics.aalto.fi/en/groups/qcd/ Mikko Mottonen is the leader of the theoretical and computational part of the research. Theoretical insight and computational modelling was very important for the success of the creation of the knots. The modelling was carried out using the facilities at CSC -- IT Center for Science Ltd and at Aalto University (Aalto Science-IT project). David S. Hall, Professor Amherst College mailto:dshall@amherst.edu 1-413-542-2072 (Time zone: GMT -5) http://www3.amherst.edu/~halllab/ David S. Hall is the leader of the experimental part of the research. The quantum knots were created in the Physics Laboratories at Amherst College, United States of America. Funding This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. PHY-1205822, the Academy of Finland (grant nos. 251748, 284621, 135794, and 272806), Finnish Doctoral Programme in Computational Sciences, and the Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Tuesday, Jan 19th, 2016, Cleveland: A committee of national experts, led by a Cleveland Clinic researcher, has established first-of-its-kind guidelines to promote more accurate and individualized cancer predictions, guiding more precise treatment and leading to improved patient survival rates and outcomes. These new guidelines are changing the traditional approach of cancer staging methods for cancer treatment. The new risk calculators - which will complement the existing staging system - will enable physicians to more accurately and precisely determine the best treatment for individual patients. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), which is responsible for periodically evaluating and updating the cancer stages, has acknowledged that cancer stages are imperfect, and it is committed to enhancing the system with more prognostic, statistically based risk calculators in 2016. In preparation for these changes, the AJCC invited a group of top healthcare statistical experts from across the country to form the Precision Medicine Core (PMC). Led by Michael Kattan, Ph.D., MBA, chair of Cleveland Clinic's Department of Quantitative Health Sciences at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute, the group discussed characteristics necessary for developing a quality risk model in cancer patients. The emphasis centered on performance metrics, implementation clarity, and clinical relevance. "This represents a new paradigm shift for the future of cancer treatments," Kattan said. The new guidelines will be published in the highly esteemed journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians on Tuesday, January 19th, 2016. The Precision Medicine Core (PMC) was tasked with developing a criteria checklist to evaluate possible cancer risk calculators and determine which calculators will be endorsed by AJCC. The group identified 13 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria for AJCC risk model endorsement in cancer. The following cancers will be the first to be evaluated for existing prediction models: breast, colon, prostate, lung, melanoma, and head and neck cancer, with the goal being to comprehensively include all cancers in the future. The PMC consists of researchers from Cleveland Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Stanford University, UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Sage Bionetworks, Queen's University, University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Arizona State University. The formulas must predict overall survival or death from a particular type of cancer and have to pass all 16 criteria. "Our checklist should open the door to a wave of statistical prediction models that get used clinically across many different cancers," said Kattan, a pioneer in the development of cancer risk calculators called nomograms. "It could potentially be applied outside cancer as well - anywhere statistical prediction models are being considered for widespread usage." The current cancer staging system (stages I-IV), otherwise known as TNM, has been used for decades and is a simple way to universally assess cancer progression in patients around the world. However, many believe that the system is outdated, lumping all cancer patients into 4 stages, which do not account for individual differences in risk factors--such as genetics, age, gender, and lifestyle. As a result, a patient who is, for example, a "bad" stage 3, might be undertreated for a cancer that is likely to metastasize. On the other hand, a "good" stage 3 patient might receive more aggressive treatment than is necessary, which can lead to toxic side effects on the heart, kidneys or other organs. Now that the guidelines have been established, researchers across the world will be invited to submit their cancer risk formulas for review by AJCC, with the potential of changing the face of cancer treatment for millions of people worldwide. "When the models get into physicians' hands, the way patients are treated and managed and counseled will be forever changed for the better," Kattan said. "This is truly a great example of how precision medicine will help cancer patients in the not so distant future." The next step will be distribution of this checklist, as well as the process, to authors of prediction models. They will then be invited to submit their models for consideration. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2016 there will be an estimated 1,685,210 new cancer cases diagnosed and 595,690 cancer deaths in the U.S. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the U.S., exceeded only by heart disease, and accounts for nearly 1 out of every 4 deaths. ### About Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S.News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. More than 3,000 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. The Cleveland Clinic health system includes a main campus near downtown Cleveland, eight community hospitals, more than 75 Northern Ohio outpatient locations, including 16 full-service Family Health Centers, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and, scheduled to begin seeing patients in 2015, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2012, there were 5.1 million outpatient visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 157,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 130 countries. Visit us at http://www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at http://www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. About the Lerner Research Institute The Lerner Research Institute (LRI) is home to Cleveland Clinic's laboratory, translational and clinical research. Its mission is to promote human health by investigating in the laboratory and the clinic the causes of disease and discovering novel approaches to prevention and treatments; to train the next generation of biomedical researchers; and to foster productive collaborations with those providing clinical care. In 2014, LRI researchers published nearly 600 articles in high-impact biomedical journals (top 10% of all biomedical journals). LRI's total annual research expenditure was $255 million in 2014 (with $98 million in competitive federal funding). More than 2,000 people (including approximately 175 principal investigators, 200 postdoctoral fellows, and about 170 graduate students) in 13 departments work in research programs focusing on cardiovascular, cancer, neurologic, musculoskeletal, allergic and immunologic, eye, metabolic, and infectious diseases. The LRI has more than 700,000 square feet of lab, office, and scientific core services space. LRI faculty oversee the curriculum and teach students enrolled in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) of Case Western Reserve University - training the next generation of physician-scientists. Institute faculty also participate in multiple doctoral programs, including the Molecular Medicine PhD Program, which integrates traditional graduate training with an emphasis on human diseases. The LRI is a significant source of commercial property, generating 66 invention disclosures, 4 licenses, and 50 patents in 2014. Editor's Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request. LIVERMORE, California -- Lawrence Livermore scientists, working with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and university colleagues, have found that half of the global ocean heat content increase since 1865 has occurred over the past two decades. "In recent decades the ocean has continued to warm substantially, and with time the warming signal is reaching deeper into the ocean," said LLNL scientist Peter Gleckler, lead author of a paper published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Changes in ocean heat storage are important because the ocean absorbs more than 90 percent of the Earth's excess heat increase that is associated with global warming. The observed ocean and atmosphere warming is a result of continuing greenhouse gas emissions. Quantifying how much heat is accumulating in the Earth system is critical to improving the understanding of climate change already under way and to better assess how much more to expect in decades and centuries to come. It is vital to improving projections of how much and how fast the Earth will warm and seas rise in the future. Increases in upper ocean temperatures since the 1970s are well documented and associated with greenhouse gas emissions. By including measurements from a 19th century oceanographic expedition and recent changes in the deeper ocean, the study indicates that half of the accumulated heat during the industrial era has occurred in recent decades, with about a third residing in the deeper oceans. The team analyzed a diverse set of ocean temperature observations and a large suite of climate models. Scientists have measured ocean temperatures in a variety of ways over time, from lowering pairs of minimum-maximum thermometers to different depths on lines dangled overboard during the H.M.S. Challenger 1872-1876 expedition, to highly accurate modern instruments used on a global array of robotic profiling floats (called Argo) that "phone home" the data using satellites, starting around 1999. This study found that estimates of ocean warming over a range of times and depths agree well with results from the latest generation of climate models, building confidence that the climate models are providing useful information. "The year-round, global distribution of ocean temperature data collected by Argo has been key in improving our estimates of ocean warming and assessing climate models," notes LLNL oceanographer Paul Durack. While Argo only samples the upper half of the ocean volume, pilot arrays of new "Deep Argo" floats that sample to the ocean floor are being deployed. This vast ocean volume in the deeper half is only measured infrequently by research vessels. Those deep data also show warming, even in the bottom layers of the ocean in recent decades. "Given the importance of the ocean warming signal for understanding our changing climate, it is high time to measure the global ocean systematically from the surface to the ocean floor," said NOAA oceanographer Gregory Johnson. ### Other authors include NOAA climate modeler Ronald Stouffer and Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Chris Forest. The study was conducted as part of the Climate Research Program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory through the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison, which is funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Science through the Office of Biological and Environmental Research's Regional and Global Climate Modeling Program. The NOAA contribution was supported by NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Work at Penn State was partially supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research and by the National Science Foundation through the Network for Sustainable Climate Risk Management (SCRiM). Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory provides solutions to our nation's most important national security challenges through innovative science, engineering and technology. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. BETHESDA, MD - The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce that Nancy Kleckner, PhD (Harvard University), has been awarded the Society's Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal for lifetime achievement in the field of genetics. The award recognizes Dr. Kleckner's many significant contributions to our understanding of chromosomes and the mechanisms of inheritance. "Nancy has made major contributions both to understanding how chromosomes work and to developing transformative methodology that has changed the way that others do science and the types of molecular and cellular events that can be observed and measured," said Anne Villeneuve, PhD, Professor of Developmental Biology and Genetics at Stanford University. Dr. Kleckner has made seminal achievements in several different research areas, including bacterial transposition, chromosome organization, and meiosis. She has repeatedly combined traditional genetic approaches with molecular biology, microscopy, physics, and modeling--unprecedented applications of these methods at the time, but which have now become commonplace. Indeed, she is widely recognized as one of the leaders in bringing meiosis research into the modern era. Notably, her lab played a key role in elucidating the mechanism that initiates meiotic recombination, has helped to decipher the "strand gymnastics" of recombination, and is beginning to provide insight into the enigmatic phenomenon of crossover interference. In addition to her many scientific achievements, Dr. Kleckner is also recognized as a mentor to many graduate students and postdocs who have, themselves, become research leaders in their own fields. She creates an environment where trainees are encouraged to take on challenging, but potentially transformative, projects and to reach beyond conventional thinking. Scott Keeney, a former postdoc with Dr. Kleckner who is now an HHMI Investigator and Member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, described her "trademark features: exceptional insight into complex biological problems; incisive and often highly innovative approaches; fearless attack on intellectual challenges few if any others could tackle; and rigorous experimentation." Dr. Kleckner has also provided leadership within the community including service on the GSA Board of Directors and on the editorial boards of various scientific journals, including the GSA journal GENETICS. She helped establish the Gordon Research Conference on Meiosis, the Woods Hole Workshop on Site-Specific Recombination and Transposition, and the Keystone Symposium on Bacterial Chromosomes. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, and the American Academy of Microbiology. In 1990, she received the GSA Medal for her early contributions to the field. The Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal is awarded to an individual GSA member for lifetime achievement in the field of genetics. It recognizes the full body of work of an exceptional geneticist. The Medal was established by GSA in 1981 and named in honor of Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945), who won the Nobel Prize in 1933 for his studies of Drosophila chromosomes and their role in heredity. The award will be presented to Dr. Kleckner at The Allied Genetics Conference, July 13-17, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. ### To learn more about the GSA awards, and to view a list of previous recipients, please see http://www.genetics-gsa.org/awards. About the Genetics Society of America (GSA) Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is the professional scientific society for genetics researchers and educators. The Society's more than 5,500 members worldwide work to deepen our understanding of the living world by advancing the field of genetics, from the molecular to the population level. GSA promotes research and fosters communication through a number of GSA-sponsored conferences, including regular meetings that focus on particular model organisms. GSA publishes two peer-reviewed, peer-edited scholarly journals: GENETICS, which has published high quality original research across the breadth of the field since 1916, and G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, an open-access journal launched in 2011 to disseminate high quality foundational research in genetics and genomics. The Society also has a deep commitment to education and fostering the next generation of scholars in the field. For more information about GSA, please visit http://www.genetics-gsa.org. Georgia State University's School of Public Health has received a grant of more than $867,000 from Pfizer Inc. to continue working with Chinese health officials to implement tobacco control programs in five major cities in China. China produces more tobacco and has more smokers than any country in the world. The grant supports ongoing work with officials to develop policies and programs to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke, encourage smokers to quit and prevent women, children and young adults from starting smoking. The project is led by principal investigator Dr. Michael Eriksen, dean of the School of Public Health; Pam Redmon, executive director of the China Tobacco Control Partnership and administrative director of the School of Public Health's Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science; and Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, vice president for global health at Emory University and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Five Chinese cities were chosen for the effort based on their leaders' readiness to support tobacco control efforts and the presence of public health organizations positioned to lead programs in their communities. They are Chongqing (with a population of 33 million), Chengdu, Wuhan, Xi'an (famous for its terracotta army) and Xiamen. Together, the five partner cities have a population of more than 69 million people. "China's cities have a unique opportunity to lead from the 'bottom up' to change tobacco use social norms," Redmon said. "In fact, they may be the driving force in changing the landscape of smoking and curbing the tobacco epidemic in China." As China's population continues to become more urbanized, the role of cities will only grow, Eriksen noted. "The idea is to shift the social norms in China, to make smoking less socially acceptable," Eriksen said. "Eventually, that will lead to more Chinese smokers wanting to quit, and fewer people taking up the habit. Targeting cities for these effort allows us to have the greatest impact on the largest number of people." The ongoing project, Diffusion of Tobacco Control Fundamentals to Other Large Chinese Cities, also includes partnerships with China's National Health and Family Planning Commission (formerly the Ministry of Health), ThinkTank Research Center for Health Development, a nongovernmental group based in Beijing, and the China CDC. This is the second year of funding from Pfizer to support the work in China. Last year, the company granted nearly $850,000 to the School of Public Health to fund the first year of the three-year project. ### WASHINGTON (January 18, 2016) - Two Georgetown University professors say a section of the recently passed Congressional spending bill effectively undermines science and the health of women. At issue is the FY 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2019), passed in December, in which Congress requires private insurers to follow "outdated scientific guidance" for breast cancer screening coverage, say Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, and Kenneth Lin, MD, MPH. Their JAMA Viewpoint, "A Public Health Framework for Screening Mammography: Evidence-Based Versus Politically Mandated Care," was published online today. Last week (Jan. 11), after a rigorous review of scientific evidence, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended, as it did in 2009, mammography screening every other year for average-risk women beginning at age 50. There was no screening recommendation for women younger than 50. In 2002, the Task Force had recommended screening every one to two years beginning at 40. Under the Affordable Care Act, private insurers are required to follow the recommendations of the Task Force, which is comprised of independent, volunteer experts. However, language in the recent spending bill overrides the ACA by directing insurers to follow the 2002 recommendations for mammography screening. "The Task Force reviewed thousands of research studies over the past decade. Yet legislators with no medical or scientific education decided that the rigorous work carried out by the Task Force was all wrong, and that they have better advice for women. Congress is sowing public distrust in the integrity of science," says Gostin, Georgetown University Law Professor and faculty director of its O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. "By insisting on referring to the 2002 recommendations, Congress is in fact making a scientific judgment," says Lin, a family medicine physician at Georgetown University School of Medicine and an expert on cancer screening in the primary care setting. "This action strikes at the Task Force's credibility by saying it was right 2002, but was wrong in 2009 and is wrong now." Prior to the ACA, insurers had discretion to determine what screening, counseling and vaccinations to cover. Under the ACA, insurers provide cost-free access to preventive services based on modern evidence of effectiveness, as determined by groups such as the Task Force. But when Congress required insurance coverage to link to "outdated public health guidance, it was making a scientific judgment for which it is distinctly unqualified," Lin and Gostin write. "The public's health is best served when women's personal decisions about screening are informed by evidence rather than political considerations," they write. "Rather than benefiting women, political interference with science can discourage shared decision-making, increase harms from screening, and foster public doubt about the value and integrity of science." ### The O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University is the premier center for health law, scholarship, and policy. Its mission is to contribute to a more powerful and deeper understanding of the multiple ways in which law can be used to improve the public's health, using objective evidence as a measure. The O'Neill Institute seeks to advance scholarship, science, research, and teaching that will encourage key decision-makers in the public, private, and civil society to employ the law as a positive tool for enabling more people in the United States and throughout the world to lead healthier lives. About Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization, which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health. More than 2.6 million stillbirths continue to occur globally every year with very slow progress made to tackle this 'silent problem', according to new research published in The Lancet. Despite significant reductions in the number of maternal and child deaths, there has been little change in the number of stillbirths (in the third trimester of pregnancy) [1] even though the majority are preventable. Half of all stillbirths occur during labour and birth, usually after a full nine month pregnancy, and the research highlights that most of these 1.3 million deaths could be prevented with improved quality of care. Globally, 98% of all stillbirths occur in low- and middle-income countries. At the current rate of progress, it will be more than 160 years before a pregnant woman in Africa has the same chance of her baby being born alive as a woman in a high-income country today. However, the problem also remains significant in high-income countries where the number of stillbirths is now often higher than infant deaths. The Ending Preventable Stillbirth research series states the annual rate of reduction for stillbirths is 2.0%, much slower than progress made for maternal (3.0%) and child deaths (4.5%).[2] It also reveals the hidden consequences of stillbirth, with more than 4.2 million women living with symptoms of depression, often for years, in addition to economic loss for families and nations. Series co-lead, Professor Joy Lawn from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: "We must give a voice to the mothers of 7,200 babies stillborn around the world every day. There is a common misperception that many of the deaths are inevitable, but our research shows most stillbirths are preventable. Half of the 2.6 million annual deaths could be prevented with improved care for women and babies during labour and childbirth, and additionally, many more lives could be saved with effective care during pregnancy. We already know which existing interventions save lives. These babies should not be born in silence, their parents should not be grieving in silence, and the international community must break the silence as they have done for maternal and child deaths. The message is loud and clear - shockingly slow progress on stillbirths is unacceptable." New estimates of stillbirth rates for 195 countries[3] developed by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine with the World Health Organization and UNICEF reveal huge inequalities around the world. Ten countries account for two-thirds of stillbirths [4] with India having the highest number, estimated at 592,100 in 2015. The highest rates are in Pakistan (43.1 per 1,000 total births) and in Nigeria (42.9). The lowest rates are in Iceland (1.3), Denmark (1.7), Finland (1.7) and the Netherlands (1.8). Netherlands is also making the fastest progress, reducing stillbirths by 6.8% per year. The United States is one of the slowest progressing countries with a reduction of 0.4% per year. In every region around the world there are countries that are outperforming their neighbours, for example Rwanda is the fastest progressing country in Africa (annual rate of reduction of 2.9%) demonstrating that most stillbirths are preventable and progress is achievable.[5] UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said: "Childbirth is one of the most risky moments of life for both mothers and babies. We must make a global push to eliminate the tragedy of the millions of mostly preventable stillbirth deaths that occur every year. That is why a focus on a continuum of care, from family planning through pregnancy to birth and beyond into childhood and adolescence, is a key element of the Every Woman Every Child movement and the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health." The new research includes the first global analysis of risk factors associated with stillbirth,[6] underlining that many deaths can be prevented by: Treating infections during pregnancy - 8.0% of all stillbirths are attributable to malaria, increasing to 20.0% in sub-Saharan Africa, and 7.7% of all stillbirths are associated with syphilis, increasing to 11.2% in sub-Saharan Africa. Tackling the global epidemics of obesity and non-communicable diseases, notably diabetes and hypertension - at least 10% of all stillbirths are linked to each of these conditions. Strengthening access to and quality of family planning services - especially for older and very young women, who are at higher risk of stillbirth. Addressing inequalities - in high-income countries, women in the most disadvantaged communities face at least double the risk of stillbirth. The research also highlights the underappreciated psychological, social and economic impacts of stillbirth on parents, families, caregivers, and countries. New estimates suggest at least 4.2 million women around the world are living with symptoms of depression due to stillbirth, suffering psychological distress, stigma and social isolation, as well as increased risk of family breakdown, and even abuse and violence. Christina Sapulaye from Malawi, who experienced a stillbirth last year, said: "It was a very painful situation to me and I never knew what to do... I am being stigmatised by my own people and was divorced due to the stillbirth, and now I am by myself with my little kids."[7] Fathers also commonly report suppressing their grief, and almost half of 3,503 parents surveyed in high-income countries felt society wanted them to forget their stillborn baby and try to have another child.[8] The economic impact of stillbirth for families ranges from funeral costs for their baby to loss of earnings due to time off work, with data suggesting 10% of bereaved parents remain off work for six months. The direct financial cost of stillbirth care is 10-70% greater than for a live birth, with additional costs to governments due to reduced productivity of grieving parents and increased welfare costs. Dr Alexander Heazell, Series co-author from the Tommy's Stillbirth Research Centre at St Mary's Hospital, University of Manchester, said: "The consequences of stillbirth have been hugely underestimated. Our research suggests that grief and symptoms of depression after stillbirth often endure for many years. It is vital we, as carers, see the loss through the eyes of those parents affected to provide sensitive and respectful bereavement care. We know that something as simple as supporting parents to see and hold their baby and providing bereavement support can reduce the long-term negative impact of stillbirth. Dealing with stillbirth can also have a psychological impact on health workers; consequently, better training and provision of support for those looking after affected families should also be a priority." While there is currently significant investment in care and research for babies after they are born, the research calls for more focus on the baby before birth, with increased funding that reflects the scale of 2.6 million deaths a year. They argue that high-quality care during pregnancy and labour would result in a quadruple return on investment by saving lives of mothers and newborns, preventing stillbirths, and also improving child development. Series co-lead, Vicki Flenady, Associate Professor from the Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, said: "There is a huge variation in progress on stillbirths, even in high-income countries, from rates of 1.3 to 8.8 stillbirths per 1,000 total births, with stigma, taboo and fatalism still a reality. All countries should implement and respond to high quality national audits of these deaths, which will lead to improvements in quality of care. This has been the case in the Netherlands, which has had the steepest reduction in stillbirth rates. If every high-income country achieved stillbirth rates of 2 or less, like the best performing countries, then nearly 20,000 stillbirths could have been prevented in 2015." The Ending Preventable Stillbirth Series was developed by 216 experts from more than 100 organisations in 43 countries and comprises five papers. The research provides compelling evidence of the preventability of most stillbirths, forming the basis for action from parents, health care professionals, and politicians. It follows the research group's 2011 series on stillbirths also published in The Lancet.[9] ### For more information, to arrange interviews with key spokespeople, and for case studies, please contact the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine press office on press@lshtm.ac.uk or +44(0)2079272802. Series papers available once the embargo lifts at http://www.thelancet.com/series/ending-preventable-stillbirths Paper 1: Fren JF, Friberg IK, Lawn JE, et al, for The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series study group. Stillbirths: progress and unfinished business. Lancet 2016; 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00818-1 Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series study group. Stillbirths: progress and unfinished business. Lancet 2016; 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00818-1 Paper 2: Lawn JE, Blencowe H, Waiswa P, et al, for The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series study group with The Lancet Stillbirth Epidemiology investigator group. Stillbirths: rates, risk factors, and acceleration towards 2030. Lancet 2016; 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00837-5. Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series study group with Stillbirth Epidemiology investigator group. Stillbirths: rates, risk factors, and acceleration towards 2030. Lancet 2016; 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00837-5. Paper 3: Heazell AE, Siassakos D, Blencowe H, et al, for The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series study group, with The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths investigator group. Stillbirths: economic and psychosocial consequences. Lancet 2016; 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00836-3 Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series study group, with Ending Preventable Stillbirths investigator group. Stillbirths: economic and psychosocial consequences. Lancet 2016; 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00836-3 Paper 4: Flenady V, Wojcieszek AM, Middleton P, et al, for The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths study group and The Lancet Stillbirths in High-Income Countries Investigator Group. Stillbirths: recall to action in high-income countries. Lancet 2016; 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01020-X. Ending Preventable Stillbirths study group and Stillbirths in High-Income Countries Investigator Group. Stillbirths: recall to action in high-income countries. Lancet 2016; 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01020-X. Paper 5: de Bernis L, Kinney MV, Stones W, et al, for The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series study group with The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series Advisory Group. Stillbirths: ending preventable deaths by 2030. Lancet 2016; 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00954-X [1] In the Series, stillbirth refers to all pregnancy losses after 22 weeks of pregnancy. For the comparable national estimates of stillbirth in the series, the researchers used the World Health Organization's definition of stillbirth, which is a foetal death after 28 weeks of pregnancy. Some countries, especially high income, have their own definition of stillbirth, which in all cases is a lower gestational age eg 20 or 22 weeks and so using these definitions the numbers of stillbirths would be higher. The excel data sheet also shows some of these differing definitions. The 2011 Lancet Stillbirth Series used either the definition of a birthweight of at least 1000 g or a gestational age of at least 28 weeks. [2] Average annual rate of reduction 2000-2015 for stillbirth is 2%, maternal mortality is 3% and post-neonatal mortality of children under-five years is 4.5%. [3] Globally there were 18.4 stillbirths per 1,000 total births in 2015, compared with 24.7 stillbirths in 2000. Therefore the Every Newborn Action Plan (http://www.everynewborn.org/every-newborn-action-plan/) target of 12 or fewer stillbirths per 1,000 in every country will not be met by 2030 unless at least 56 countries double their rate of progress. [4] India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Tanzania, Niger. [5] Progress in Rwanda is attributed to increased coverage of care and more midwives. [6] Risk factors are not mutually exclusive and might coincide in same woman, so sum exceeds 100%. [7] Christina's interview is available in b-roll and in a short video at: http://bit.ly/1ZtFglx [8] A survey of 3,503 bereaved parents in high-income countries found that 43% felt their community believed they should try to forget their stillborn baby and have another child. [9] The Lancet Stillbirth Series 2011: http://www.thelancet.com/series/stillbirth The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series study group: Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia), Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Oslo, Norway), Save the Children (Edgemead, South Africa), UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (UK), University of Manchester (UK), International Stillbirth Alliance (NJ, USA). The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series Advisory Group: Era en Abril (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Griffith University (Gold Coast, QLD, Australia), The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Canada), University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada), Grand Challenges Canada (Toronto, Canada), Paris Descartes University (France), Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (Chandigarh, India), International Confederation of Midwives (The Hague, Netherlands), University of Groningen (Groningen, Netherlands), Wellbeing Foundation (Lagos, Nigeria), University of Pretoria (South Africa), Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (Geneva, Switzerland), Department of Reproductive Health and Research, WHO (Geneva, Switzerland), Well Being Foundation Africa (London, UK), Department for International Development (London, UK), Children's Investment Fund Foundation (London, UK), University of Central Lancashire (Preston, UK), Family Care International (New York, USA), Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University (USA), UNICEF Headquarters (New York, USA), Columbia University (New York, USA), Every Woman Every Child (New York, USA), Maternal Health Task Force, Harvard University (Boston, USA), White Ribbon Alliance (Washington, DC, USA), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Seattle, USA), Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (Seattle, USA), University of Utah Health Sciences Center (Salt Lake City, USA), University of St Andrews (UK), US Agency for International Development (Washington, DC, USA), Save the Children and Saving Newborn Lives (Washington, DC, USA), St Raphael of St Francis Hospital, Nsambya (Kampala, Uganda). It took Jackie Goordial over 1000 Petri dishes before she was ready to accept what she was seeing. Or not seeing. Goordial, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University has spent the past four years looking for signs of active microbial life in permafrost soil taken from one of the coldest, oldest and driest places on Earth: in University Valley, located in the high elevation McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, where extremely cold and dry conditions have persisted for over 150,000 years. The reason that scientists are looking for life in this area is that it is thought to be the place on Earth that most closely resembles the permafrost found in the northern polar region of Mars at the Phoenix landing site. "I've been trying to cheer her up by telling her that not finding life is important too," says Lyle Whyte, Goordial's supervisor. "Going into the study, we were sure that we would detect a functioning and viable microbial ecosystem in the permafrost soils of University Valley as we and others have done in Arctic and Antarctic permafrost, including in other sites at lower elevations in Antarctica. It is hard for both of us to believe that we may have reached a cold and arid threshold where even microbial life cannot actively exist." Drilling for microbes in Antarctica What brought the researchers to University Valley was a NASA ASTEP (astrobiology science and technology for exploring planets) project to test the IceBite auger, a permafrost drill designed to drill into Martian permafrost. The average daily air temperature in the Antarctic summer of 2013, when Goordial collected the permafrost samples which she tested both on the spot and later in the lab, was ? 14 C and it never rose above 0 C, making the permafrost difficult to drill. The McGill team analyzed samples from two permafrost boreholes which reached a depth of just 42 cm and 55 cms below the surface. This may not sound like a lot, but drilling into permafrost to get soil samples for testing is very difficult. "Anytime you drill into frozen ground and it has some ice in it the drilling process creates friction which melts the ice. The hole will refreeze within seconds if the drilling is interrupted, freezing the drill bit into the hole" says Whyte." I remember drilling in the Arctic and losing a drill bit in one of the holes we had made, just because it froze into the ice before we could get it out." "Previous studies in the lower dry valleys of Antarctica and in subglacial lakes were giving us the impression that microbial life was rich in the cold regions. But this is finally Mars!" says Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research Centre. "University Valley has the coldest driest soil we can find on Earth. And life is really having a hard time of it there. This is certainly the training ground for the search for evidence of life on Mars and an extremely important result for NASA's astrobiology effort." All the tests came out negative The research team carried out a variety of tests, both in the field (where they failed to find evidence of carbon dioxide or methane - a gas used by all living things - in the soil) and then back in the lab at McGill in Montreal. They sent soil samples for DNA testing, looking for matches with particular genes known to be found in microbes and fungi; they tried to stimulate microbial growth on a wide variety of substances and then count the cells produced; and they used highly sensitive radiorespiration activity assays, which involve feeding the soil microorganisms a food source which has been labelled with radioactive carbon, which can then be used to detect if the microorganisms are active. The tests failed to show any signs of active life. "We couldn't detect any microbial activity within these samples," says Whyte. "Any, very limited traces we were able to find of microbial life in these samples are most likely the remnants of microbes that are dormant or are slowly dying off. Given the continuous dryness and subfreezing temperatures, and the lack of available water, even in summer, it is unlikely that any microbial communities can grow in these soils." Goordial adds, "We don't know if there is activity beyond our limits of detection. All we can say for sure is that after using all the current methods of testing available to us, the samples are unlike any other permafrost we have encountered to date on Earth" Implications for the search for life on Mars "If conditions are too cold and dry to support active microbial life on an analogous climate on Earth, then the colder dryer conditions in the near surface permafrost on Mars are unlikely to contain life." Says Whyte. "Additionally, if we cannot detect activity on Earth, in an environment which is teeming with microorganisms, it will be extremely unlikely and difficult to detect such activity on Mars." On a positive note however, the researchers add that this suggests that any microorganisms that may be transported to Mars from Earth by mistake are unlikely to be able to survive on the Martian surface, something that is of current concern for planetary protection. ### The research was funded by NASA ASTEP program, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grant Program, and NSERC and CREATE Canadian Astrobiology Training Program (CATP). To read "Nearing the cold-arid limits of microbial life in permafrost of an upper dry valley, Antarctica" by Jacqueline Goordial et al in The ISME Journal: 10.1038/ismej.2015.239 Experts who are willing to comment on the research: Corien Bakermans, Dept. of Microbiology, Pennsylvania State University cub21@psu.edu Alberto G. Fairen, Dept. of Planetology and Habitability, Centro de Astrobiologia (NASA Astrobiology Institute associate), Visiting Scientist at the Department of Astronomy, Cornell University agfairen@cab.inta-csic.es Victor Parro, Dept. of Planetology and Habitability Centro de Astrobiologia (NASA Astrobiology Institute associate) parrogv@cab.inta-csic.es Contacts: Jackie Goordial, Post-doctoral fellow, Dept. of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University Jacqueline.Goordial@mail.mcgill.ca, 514-398-7823 (English interviews) Prof. Lyle Whyte, Dept. of Natural Resource Science & McGill Space Institute, McGill University Lyle.whyte@mcgill.ca, 514-398-7889 (English and French interviews) Chris McKay, Planetary Scientist, Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, chris.mckay@nasa.gov Katherine Gombay, Media Relations, McGill University Katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca, 514-398-2189 The first study to evaluate the biodiversity of arthropods in U.S. homes finds that humans share their houses with any of more than 500 different kinds of arthropods - at least on a short-term basis. Arthropods are invertebrate animals with exoskeletons, segmented bodies and jointed limbs, such as insects, spiders, mites and centipedes. "This was exploratory work to help us get an understanding of which arthropods are found in our homes," says Matt Bertone, an entomologist at North Carolina State University and lead author of a paper describing the work. "Nobody had done an exhaustive inventory like this one, and we found that our homes host far more biodiversity than most people would expect." The work was done by researchers at NC State, the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Under an initiative called the "Arthropods of Our Homes," the researchers visited 50 free-standing houses within 30 miles of Raleigh, North Carolina, between May and October of 2012. Going room by room, the research team collected all of the arthropods it could find, both living and dead. Across all 50 homes, the researchers identified no fewer than 579 different morphospecies of arthropod from 304 different families. Individual homes had, on average, about 100 morphospecies (between 32 and 211) and between 24 and 128 distinct families. The most commonly collected groups of arthropods in the homes were flies, spiders, beetles, ants and book lice. The term morphospecies is used to characterize animal types that are readily separable by morphological differences that are obvious to individuals without extensive taxonomic training. "While we collected a remarkable diversity of these creatures, we don't want people to get the impression that all of these species are actually living in everyone's homes," Bertone says. "Many of the arthropods we found had clearly wandered in from outdoors, been brought in on cut flowers or were otherwise accidentally introduced. Because they're not equipped to live in our homes, they usually die pretty quickly." For example, researchers found gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) in all 50 homes. But these millimeter-long flies feed on outdoor plants and can't survive indoors. "The vast majority of the arthropods we found in homes were not pest species," Bertone says. "They were either peaceful cohabitants - like the cobweb spiders (Theridiidae) found in 65 percent of all rooms sampled - or accidental visitors, like midges and leafhoppers (Cicadellidae)." One of the findings that surprised researchers was that only five of the 554 rooms they sampled did not contain any arthropod specimens. "We think our homes are sterile environments, but they're not," Bertone says. "We share our space with many different species, most of which are benign. The fact that you don't know they're there only highlights how little we interact with them." The research will likely open the door to new lines of scientific inquiry. "This is only a first glimpse into the species that live in our homes, and more work needs to be done to flesh this picture out," says Michelle Trautwein, the Schlinger Chair of Dipterology at CAS and co-author of the paper. "But these insights give us the opportunity delve down into some exciting scientific questions. Now that we have a better idea of which species are most common in homes, we can focus on studying them. "Do they provide important services that we don't know about in the ecosystems of our homes? Do any host microbial organisms that affect our health, for good or bad? And we can also begin to explore their traits to see if they share evolutionary characteristics that have made them better suited to live with humans," Trautwein says. "We also plan to assess how a home's structure, its outdoor environment, and the behavior of its human residents influences the biodiversity of arthropods in the home," Bertone says. ### The paper, "Arthropods of the great indoors: characterizing diversity inside urban and suburban homes," will be published at 6 a.m. EST on Jan. 19 in the journal PeerJ. The paper was co-authored by Keith Bayless and Rob Dunn of NC State; Misha Leong of CAS; and Tara Malow of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grants 1257960 and 0953350. Making water more available in New York City public schools through self-serve water dispensers in cafeterias resulted in small -- but statistically significant -- declines in students' weight, according to new findings. The study, publishing January 19 in the online issue of JAMA Pediatrics, was conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy, and the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. The research team reports on analysis of more than one million students in 1,227 elementary and middle schools across the city. The paper, which compares students in schools with and without the water dispensers, called "water jets," is the first to establish a link between the program and weight loss. "This study demonstrates that doing something as simple as providing free and readily available water to students may have positive impacts on their overall health, particularly weight management," says study senior investigator Brian Elbel, PhD, MPH, an associate professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone and NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. "Our findings suggest that this relatively low-cost intervention is, in fact, working." In 2009, New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Department of Education began introducing water jets -- large, clear electronically powered jugs with a push lever for dispensing water -- into schools. Each water jet costs about $1,000. About 40 percent of schools received a water jet over the course of the study period: the academic school years 2008-9 through 2012-13. Using height and weight data collected annually by schools to assess the fitness level of students, the investigators compared BMI and overweight status for all students before and after the introduction of water jets. Their results showed positive change: Students at schools that had water jets for at least three months saw a reduction in standardized body mass index (zBMI) of .025 for boys and .022 for girls, compared to students at schools without water jets. Adoption of water jets also was associated with a .9 percentage point reduction in the likelihood of being overweight for boys and a .6 percentage point reduction for girls. The authors conclude that easy access to water during lunch may lead kids to substitute it for caloric beverages like chocolate milk, juice and soda. (NOTE: New York City public schools stopped allowing the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages before the study period, but students can still bring them from outside). A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Public Health by Dr. Elbel and other colleagues found that water consumption increased three-fold just three months after schools introduced water jets. In addition, between the 2008-2013 academic years, milk purchases dropped at water jet schools by about 12 half-pint cartons per student per year, the new study found. "Decreasing the amount of caloric beverages consumed and simultaneously increasing water consumption is important to promote children's health and decrease the prevalence of childhood obesity," said Amy Ellen Schwartz, PhD, Director of the NYU Institute for Education and Social Policy and Daniel Patrick Moynihan Chair in Public Affairs at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. "Schools are a natural setting for such interventions." Just under 40 percent of children are overweight or obese in New York City. In addition to installing water jets in schools, the city has enacted policies to combat obesity and support child health including improving nutrition standards, expanding fruit and vegetable offerings, removing soda from vending machines and replacing whole milk with low-fat milk. ### Funding for the study was provided by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award 1R01HD070739. In addition to Drs. Elbel and Schwartz, study authors include Michele Leardo, MA; and Siddhartha Aneja, MPA at the NYU Institute for Education and Social Policy. The Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Medical Center unites the fields of medicine and public health to improve the health of populations in New York City and around the globe and to educate students to become leaders in healthcare delivery, health policy, and public health. Partnering with colleagues at NYU Langone, NYU Lutheran, Bellevue Hospital, and diverse community and private sector organizations, the Department conducts basic and applied research to improve the quality and effectiveness of healthcare and to prevent and better manage disease. Trained in diverse disciplines, the Department's more than 70 core faculty and 200 dedicated staff specialize in research areas including: healthcare delivery science, health economics and policy, epidemiology, biostatistics, medical ethics, early childhood development, community health and health equity, decision science, and tobacco, alcohol, and drug use prevention and treatment. Its funders include the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the New York State Department of Health, the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, please visit: http://www.med.nyu.edu/pophealth, and watch a video about our work http://bit.ly/1Uzs4om. FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. - In fairytales, it's usually the damsel who is in distress. When it comes to the marine world, however, it seems it's the damsel that can cause some distress. Damselfish are some of the most beautiful fishes in the ocean, and that's why they are so attractive to those who want a saltwater aquarium in their home or place of business. But there's a bit of a concern when it comes to one damselfish species - it is starting to pop up in a part of the ocean where it doesn't really belong. "While you wouldn't immediately think of the regal damsel as a dangerous fish, the fact is they are now in places where they are not native and they're spreading, which makes them potentially an invasive species," said Matthew Johnston, Ph.D., a marine researcher at Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. "They may not be as impactful as say the lionfish has been, but these fish can also have a negative impact on their new habitats - it could throw the ecosystem out of natural balance." Johnston is part of the group of researchers working out of NSU's Guy Harvey Research Institute. An author of many scientific studies, Johnston's research has provided fundamental insight into the spread and impact of invasive species, including the lionfish, in western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico marine waters. The fish in question is the diminutive, non-native regal damselfish (Neopomacentrus cyanomos), which was recently discovered inhabiting coral reefs near Veracruz, Mexico. While it's not exactly a "fish out of water," given its native waters are the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific, clearly this fish is a bit out of its normal neighborhood. The proliferation of these fish in non-native waters, and the fact that the invasion risk posed by this fish hadn't been fully assessed, Johnston set about creating a forecast to see just how impactful this damselfish could be to the area. Johnston and Lad Akins of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation used computer simulation to forecast the spread of this tiny fish from where they were first found near Veracruz, Mexico. In their model, Johnston and Akins factored in oceanic water flow, the tolerances known to the damselfish in the ocean environment and their reproductive strategies - all of which have a direct impact on how fast they can spread. The good news is that they anticipate most of the Gulf of Mexico won't see this fish swimming in their waters anytime soon. The bad news is that reefs in the southern Gulf of Mexico are likely to see a lot more of them. Johnston said there's a couple of ways a non-native species like this damselfish could get into new waters. One could simply be people getting rid of their fish tanks and literally dumping the fish into the ocean or canals that feed into the ocean. Another scenario could be that large ships that navigate the open oceans accidentally "sucked" these fish into their ballast tanks and then when arriving in other areas, discharged them into the new waters as they emptied their ballast tanks. "The discovery of the regal damsel in Mexico highlights that we need to be very careful not to let our pets escape or release them into the wild," Johnston said. "This fish is just one of at least 40 marine aquarium fish that have been documented in the tropical Atlantic. You don't have to be an apex predator, have huge teeth or venomous spines to be a negative force on a reef - you just have to be where you're really not supposed to be and compete for the reef's limited resources." The research paper was published in the journal Marine Biology. Please visit the USGS-NAS to learn more about the regal damselfish and other invasive species in our marine waters. ### About Matthew Johnston, Ph.D. Matthew Johnston, Ph.D., is a research scientist at NSU's Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. He received his Ph.D. in Marine Biology/Oceanography from NSU in 2015. Johnston's research focuses on agent-based computer models that couple biological traits of marine invasive species - such as their breeding strategy - with physical ocean characteristics in their introduced environment - such as water circulation - in order to produce invasion forecasts. Johnston has modeled marine invasive species such as the lionfish, panther grouper, regal damselfish, bluestripe snapper and black sun coral in the Mediterranean Sea, Hawaii, the Gulf of Mexico, tropical Pacific and throughout the Caribbean. Continued work focuses on understanding the biophysical interactions that that drive marine and terrestrial invasions globally. Be sure to sign up for NSU's RSS feed so you don't miss any of our news releases, guest editorials and other announcements. Please sign up HERE. About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 24,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie's Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education's criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit http://www.nova.edu for more information. About NSU's Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography: The college provides high-quality undergraduate and graduate (master's and doctoral degrees and certificates) education programs in a broad range of disciplines, including marine sciences, mathematics, biophysics, and chemistry. Researchers carry out innovative basic and applied marine research programs in coral reef biology, ecology, and geology; fish biology, ecology, and conservation; shark and billfish ecology; fisheries science; deep-sea organismal biology and ecology; invertebrate and vertebrate genomics, genetics, molecular ecology, and evolution; microbiology; biodiversity; observation and modeling of large-scale ocean circulation, coastal dynamics, and ocean atmosphere coupling; benthic habitat mapping; biodiversity; histology; and calcification. The college's newest building is the state-of-the-art Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, an 86,000-square-foot structure filled with laboratories, offices, seminar rooms, an auditorium and indoor and outdoor running sea water facilities. Please visit cnso.nova.edu for more information. WASHINGTON (January 19, 2016) -- The debate over physician-assisted death (PAD) appears to be at a turning point, with a significant number of state legislatures across the country considering PAD, say two Georgetown University scholars, but, they caution, social and ethical safeguards are needed. In a JAMA Viewpoint published online today, Lawrence O. Gostin and Anna E. Roberts of Georgetown's O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, examine state laws surrounding physician-assisted death, their constitutionality, the practice of "death with dignity," its impact on public opinion, and the potential for abuse of legalized physician assisted suicide. In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could not prohibit physicians from prescribing controlled drugs to assist patient deaths if authorized under state law. This ruling led to numerous states permitting PAD including Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont and California. Decades of research have focused on whether physician assisted death has been misused and whether gaps exist in legislative safeguards. "There are multiple concerns with physicians assisting patients to die: incompatibility with the physician's role as a healer, devaluation of human life, coercion of vulnerable individuals (e.g., the poor and disabled), and the risk that PAD will be used beyond a narrow group of terminally ill individuals," write Gostin and Roberts. "...PAD is a deeply personal choice. The question is whether more states will authorize the practice and, if so, what safeguards will be put in place to ensure the practice is not misused and remains consistent with prevailing social and ethical thought," they write. ### Read the full Viewpoint "Physician-Assisted Dying: A Turning Point?" at JAMA.com. Gostin is University Professor at Georgetown University and faculty director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. Roberts is a law fellow at the Institute. The O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University is the premier center for health law, scholarship, and policy. Its mission is to contribute to a more powerful and deeper understanding of the multiple ways in which law can be used to improve the public's health, using objective evidence as a measure. The O'Neill Institute seeks to advance scholarship, science, research, and teaching that will encourage key decision-makers in the public, private, and civil society to employ the law as a positive tool for enabling more people in the United States and throughout the world to lead healthier lives. In one of the first tests of its kind, researchers use networks of camera traps to chart wildlife population changes, and find species faring well Arlington, Va., USA (January 19, 2016) - Biodiversity in tropical forest protected areas may be faring better than previously thought, according to a study publishing in the Open Access journal PLOS Biology on January 19th. The study, "Standardized Assessment of Biodiversity Trends in Tropical Forest Protected Areas: The End is Not in Sight," was based on data gathered by researchers with the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network (TEAM). Started in 2002 by Conservation International (CI), TEAM grew to a coalition in 2009 that includes CI, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. TEAM researchers monitored 244 species of ground-dwelling mammals and birds in 15 protected areas spanning tropical regions in Central and South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. They analyzed more than 2.5 million pictures captured by more than 1,000 camera traps and found that 17% of the animal populations they monitor increased in number while 22% remained constant and 22% decreased. The Wildlife Picture Index Analytics System was developed in partnership with Hewlett Packard Company. The results of this study verify the effectiveness of protected areas. Overall, the number and distribution of species in these areas did not decline during the timeframe of the study, strongly suggesting that biodiversity did not decline overall, despite other reports of intense species decline in tropical forest protected areas. "At a time when environmental concerns are taking center stage, these results show that protected areas play an important role in maintaining biodiversity," said Jorge Ahumada, executive director of the TEAM Network and a co-author of the study. "Our study reflects a more optimistic outlook about the effectiveness of protected areas. For the first time we are not relying on disparate data sources, but rather using primary data collected in a standardized way across a range of protected areas throughout the world. With this data we have created a public resource that can be used by governments or others in the conservation community to inform decisions." Researchers caution that wildlife losses could still be occurring in the protected areas that were studied. They observed declines in numerous populations and many other populations were not captured often enough on camera to make an informative assessment. This research does not speak for unprotected tropical forest areas, which may have higher rates of species decline due to differences in management and may be threatened by increased pressure from humans. Forests in the tropics and beyond provide many critical ecosystem services for people, including providing food and fresh water; oxygen via their metabolic process; and absorption of carbon from the atmosphere. The species these forests contain also provide important ecosystem services like seed dispersal, pollination and invasive species control, and help to support an intricate food web. Loss of species in forests can jeopardize the important ecosystem services that 1.6 billion people globally rely upon. "Species loss is especially high in tropical regions where most species live and where biodiversity threats are severe," said Lydia Beaudrot, a professor at the University of Michigan and a co-author of the study. "Protected areas, such as national parks, are the cornerstone of species conservation, but whether protected areas really sustain animal populations and prevent extinction has been debated. This is particularly true for tropical areas, which are oftentimes understudied and for which there is a lack of high-quality data." The data from the study is already being used to inform management of the protected areas that TEAM monitors. In Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, TEAM researchers identified a decline in the area occupied by the African golden cat, recognized as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Park managers noticed that these locations were heavily trafficked by eco-tourists and so redirected travelers to alternate trails. Since these management actions went into effect, there has been an increase in sightings of the African golden cat. Monitoring animal populations and species diversity using TEAM's standardized methods provides a first look at overall forest health and how the species in those forests are faring. The Wildlife Monitoring Solution developed by the TEAM Network enables scientists across the world to study rare species across large areas of forest of 100 km2 or more. TEAM hopes to extend this standardized approach to other geographic areas as a solution to measure changes in on-the-ground biodiversity and ecosystem health outcomes. Started in 2002 by Conservation International (CI), TEAM - the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network - grew to a coalition in 2009 that includes CI, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Wildlife Conservation Society. TEAM has collected and made publicly available more than 2.5 million photos from camera traps in tropical forests across the planet. With support from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, formerly Hewlett Packard Company, the TEAM Network is now able to analyze this global data set in near real-time and provide data-driven insights for improving natural resource management. ### Please mention PLOS Biology as the source for this article and include the links below in your coverage to take readers to the online, open access articles. All works published in PLOS Biology are open access, which means that everything is immediately and freely available. Use this URL in your coverage to provide readers access to the paper upon publication: http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002357 Contact: Chase Martin, Media Coordinator, Conservation International Office +1 703 341 2823/ mobile +1 678 983 5837/ email cmartin@conservation.org Photographs for media use: https://ci.tandemvault.com/lightboxes/0nmvf8xTK?t=MMIxo5fca Citation: Beaudrot L, Ahumada JA, O'Brien T, Alvarez-Loayza P, Boekee K, Campos-Arceiz A, et al. (2016) Standardized Assessment of Biodiversity Trends in Tropical Forest Protected Areas: The End Is Not in Sight. PLoS Biol 14(1): e1002357. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002357 Funding: This study was funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Northrop Grumman Foundation and other donors. The Living Progress Program at Hewlett Packard in partnership with Conservation International contributed funding to enable the bulk of the occupancy modeling and generation of the Wildlife Picture Index through software development and hardware in kind donations. DE and AK from Hewlett Packard contributed to the manuscript by providing descriptions of the software and hardware used for the analysis. Apart from this the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. The present snout moth list contains a ten-percent increase in the number of species since 1983. For the last thirty-three years snout moth specialists in the United States and Canada have been describing species new to science and recording species new to these two countries. Scientists have also published studies resulting in major changes to the classification above the species level, for example by studying snout moth "ears" (tympanal organs) and utilizing genes to study their relationships. This check list was compiled over a three-year period by Dr. Brian Scholtens and Dr. M. Alma Solis. Brian Scholtens is a professor at the College of Charleston, South Carolina, and M. Alma Solis is a research entomologist at the Agriculture Research Service's Systematic Entomology Laboratory, and curator of the U.S. National Pyraloidea Collection located at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. Their results have been published in the open-access journal ZooKeys. "A check list is one of the most important pieces of research, with many applications," says Dr. Solis. "Knowing the fauna of a geographic area makes it possible to track species and, in this case, potential invasive species. The caterpillars of snout moths are economically important worldwide as pests of planted crops for food or biofuel, of forest trees, and of stored products such as wheat and nuts." "Many species, for example, the stored product pests, occur worldwide, but others, such as pest species of grasses including corn, can be restricted or only exist in certain geographic areas," the scientist further explains. "It is important to be able to recognize as soon as possible that a particular species is not native to the United States or Canada." Scientists use Latin scientific names as "unique tags" to communicate about the morphological or molecular identity and habits of a species. One of the functions of taxonomists is to determine if a species is new or if it has already been described. Historically, confusion is created when the same species is described more than once (called a synonym) in other parts of the world. A regional check list such as this one and a worldwide check list can work together to reinforce precision in the definition and communication about species, especially decreasing confusion about synonyms. Most worldwide check lists exist as online databases that can be updated. Dr. Solis said that they had cited new discoveries relevant to the North American snout moth fauna found in GLOBIZ, or the Global Information System on Pyraloidea, an electronic list of over 15,500 snout moth species names for which she is a collaborator. ### Original source: Scholtens, B. & M. A. Solis. 2015. Annotated check list of the Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera) of America North of Mexico. Zookeys.535:1-1136. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.535.6086. Additional contact: Dr. Brian Scholtens Phone: 843-953-8081 Email: Scholtensb@cofc.edu HOUSTON - (Jan. 19, 2016) - Rice University scientists have developed a tool to speed the design of molecular diagnostics that depend on the specific recognition of pathogen DNA and RNA. The Rice lab of bioengineer David Zhang introduced a method that cuts the time required to analyze the thermal behaviors of DNA and RNA strands from months to hours. The open-access method described this week in Nature Communications will help scientists build a universal database of biophysical properties of genetic molecules. Typically, to study the behavior of a particular DNA sequence - for example, one that is specific to a virus -- researchers would heat and cool the molecules to observe their fluorescence at different temperatures. This technique is known as a melting curve analysis. Using rules of thumb, researchers would then guess the DNA's properties at temperatures other than the one measured. However, such approaches are inaccurate because the way a DNA molecule behaves at 75 degrees Celsius is a poor predictor of how it behaves at 37 C, Zhang said. "Our goal is to build a database of good DNA and RNA thermodynamic parameters. Melt curves done in the '80s and '90s are too crude," he said. "Unfortunately, that's what people in diagnostic and life-sciences research use today because there's been no better method. "Our main innovation is that we have developed a way to measure exact thermodynamics at the temperatures and other conditions we care about. We are studying DNA 'in the wild' rather than observing DNA molecules that have been locked up in an overheated cage." Animals in the wild are hard to study because they can take a long time to come into a camera's field of view. The same observational challenge applies to the study of DNA in its native conditions, Zhang said. "Typically, it would take months of observing until a researcher is able to find the true state of the DNA, and that's too long to wait," he said. "We have developed a system that helps us quickly zoom in on the DNA molecules being studied. Typically, because we are speeding the reaction up 10,000- or even 100,000-fold, we only have to wait a couple of hours to do our analysis." Zhang said that while their technique is more labor-intensive than a melting curve, it generates far more accurate results, as proven by the hundreds of molecules his lab has already analyzed. The errors that the research team has encountered are roughly tenfold lower than previous methods; this allows for more accurate rational design of DNA diagnostic reagents. A high-resolution melt experiment would have to be repeated dozens of times to generate an average result with close to the same precision, he said, but even that would not mitigate errors from testing under unrealistic conditions. The Rice method is the first for which Zhang's lab will not seek a patent. "This is something I feel is beneficial to the entire world," he said. "I want people to use this so we can build thermodynamic databases together. We've basically started the process of forming the database, but we're nowhere near the end." ### Co-authors of the paper are postdoctoral researcher Chunyan Wang and graduate student Jin Bae, both at Rice. Zhang is an assistant professor of bioengineering. Rice University, the Welch Foundation and the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas supported the research. David Ruth 713-348-6327 david@rice.edu Mike Williams 713-348-6728 mikewilliams@rice.edu Read the abstract at http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160114/ncomms10319/full/ncomms10319.html This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu/2016/01/19/new-tool-puts-accurate-dna-analysis-in-fast-lane/ Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews Related Materials: Nucleic Acid Bioengineering Lab: http://nablab.rice.edu Rice University Department of Bioengineering: http://bioe.rice.edu Images for download: http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/1221_DNA-1-WEB.jpg The Rice University lab of bioengineer David Zhang has created a new tool to analyze DNA "in the wild" that could save researchers months of toil. The goal is to build a comprehensive database of the thermal behaviors of DNA and RNA strands. (Credit: Cindy Thaung/Rice University) http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/1221_DNA-2-WEB.jpg David Zhang (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) 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 here. Only a few mammals and some birds are as long-lived as humans, and many of these species share interesting characteristics in how they age. A new paper in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology explores lifetime reproductive patterns in African elephants. Led by Phyllis Lee of the University of Stirling in the UK, the study analysed data from 834 female elephants in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. This population has been continuously monitored since 1972, and data collected on more than 3000 elephants since the study began. This paper analyses 42 years of data on females who survived to be at least nine years old. For long-lived species such as humans, chimpanzees, whales and some birds, longer survival is associated with higher reproductive rates and a loss in fertility only at an extremely old age. Prolonged post-reproductive lifespans may mean potential advantages for both the surviving individuals and their offspring; post-reproductive longevity thus remains a question of major theoretical interest. Elephant life histories are slow; a 22 month gestation period is followed by 12 months lactational anestrus, and calves suckle until their next sibling is born. Most females in this study gave birth by the age of 14, and as for other species, early starters have higher rates of reproduction. Most Amboseli females survived into their late thirties, while ten per cent lived into their sixties. According to Lee, elephants exhibit the classical mammalian pattern of a decline in reproductive rate after age 49, followed by up to sixteen years of post-reproductive survival. This classic life history phenomenon - the selective disappearance of less productive individuals - has not been demonstrated for such a long-lived animal before. Calf survival goes hand-in-hand with maternal experience and environmental conditions in the calf's first year of life, but is not directly related to the mother's age. First-born calves, those born during a drought and male offspring are more likely to die earlier than others. Even the oldest mothers (aged over 50) raised offspring successfully, although, like the mothers of sons, older mothers have slightly longer intervals between births. "The new and exciting part of our study is the strong effect females have on the reproduction of daughters and granddaughters in their family" says Lee. "Daughters of long-lived mothers lived longer themselves and had higher reproductive rates". In some large families, three generations of mother-daughter pairs reproduced simultaneously. Only ten of the 281 mothers monitored ceased reproduction towards the end of their lives. So while elephant calves clearly get a major survival and reproductive benefit from having a living grandmother, the females do not exhibit classical forms of menopause - or cessation of reproduction long before death - seen in whales and humans, despite having an average of a 16-year period between when a long-lived female's reproductive rate declines and her own death. Lee et al. argue that elephant reproduction is a function of a long-lived mother within a successful family context. The social dimension of grandmothering, such as environmental or social knowledge, appears to be a more important benefit in these female-led families than does a female trading off her own reproduction against that of her daughters, as is typically seen in humans. ### Reference: Lee, P.C. et al (2015). The reproductive advantages of a long life: longevity and senescence in wild female African elephants, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, DOI 10.1007/s00265-015-2051-5 LA JOLLA--(January 19, 2016) Agricultural grafting dates back nearly 3,000 years. By trial and error, people from ancient China to ancient Greece realized that joining a cut branch from one plant onto the stalk of another could improve the quality of crops. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute and Cambridge University have used this ancient practice, combined with modern genetic research, to show that grafted plants can share epigenetic traits, according to a new paper published the week of January 18, 2016 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Grafting is something done often in the commercial world, and yet, we really don't completely understand the consequences for the two plants," says Joseph Ecker, one of the senior authors of the paper and director of Salk's Genomic Analysis Laboratory. "Our study showed genetic information is actually flowing from one plant to the other. That's the surprise to me." That genetic information shared between plants isn't DNA--the two grafted plants keep their original genomes--but epigenetic information is being communicated within the plant. In epigenetics, chemical markers act on existing genes in a plant or animal's DNA to turn genes on or off. Epigenetics can determine whether a cell becomes muscle cell or a skin cell and determine how a plant reacts to different soils, climates and disease. "In the future, this research might allow growers to exploit epigenetic information to improve crops and yields," says Mathew Lewsey, one of the first authors of the paper and a Salk research associate. To track the flow of epigenetic information, the Salk and Cambridge teams focused on tiny molecules called small RNAs, or sRNAs. There are various types of epigenetic processes, but sRNAs contribute to a gene silencing process called DNA methylation. In DNA methylation, molecular markers bind along the top of DNA to block the cell's machinery from reading or expressing the genes under the molecular markers. Previous studies by the Cambridge members of this research group have shown that sRNAs can move across grafted plants from the shoots to the roots. So the researchers designed a grafting experiment with three variations of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress). Two varieties were wild-type thale cress, while the third variety was a mutant bred to lack sRNAs of any kind. After performing each graft, the researchers analyzed shoot and root tissue to look for changes in DNA methylation along the plants' different genomes. They also confirmed whether the sRNAs were moving from the wild-type plants into the mutant variety that lacked sRNAs. "This set-up allowed us to observe something quite unique: they were actually transmitting the epigenetic equivalent of alleles, called epialleles," says Lewsey. An allele is a gene that is shared within a species, but may differ from individual to individual, such as the allele for developing Huntington's disease. In this case, the researchers were searching for sites along the epigenome of the plants that were alleles altered by the epigenetic process. In other words: epialleles. "Because the two wild-type plants varied in their epigenetics along their genomes, we could observe how grafting a shoot onto roots can actually transmit epialleles from one plant to another," says Lewsey. David Baulcombe, a senior author on the paper, acknowledges that the new findings were not totally unexpected. Previous smaller scale work had indicated that sRNAs could move and mediate epigenetic change in the recipient tissue. "What was unexpected, however, was the scale of the changes due to the mobile RNA," says Baulcombe, of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Thousands of sites along the thale cress genome were silenced by sRNAs. By examining the location of these epialleles, the researchers could start to find clues to their purpose. The epialleles observed in the experiment were often silencing areas of the genome called transposable elements, or transposons. Transposons make up part of the so-called dark DNA, or the vast portion of a genome that does not code for genes. Originally called "jumping genes," transposons can move from up and down the genome to influence the expression of genes nearby. Many of the transposons targeted by the sRNAs in the experiment were very close in location to active genes. Despite this silencing of transposons, there were only small changes in gene expression between the wild-type plants and the mutant plant that lacked sRNAs. "We think this is because of the compact nature of the A. thaliana genome," says Lewsey. "It's likely that moving to a species with a larger genome and transposons that are more active will show more of a difference." Thanks to new gene editing tools, it will be possible to run similar grafting experiments with the more complicated genomes of popular crops. "In other plants with more complex genomes, these effects are going to be magnified by many hundred-fold," says Ecker, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation investigator. Baulcombe agrees that the epigenetic effects of the mobile RNA are likely to be much greater with crop plants than in the models species used in the present work. The two research groups are now planning an extended collaboration to explore these effects in tomatoes and other crops. "There are already thousands of other epigenetic differences between the roots and the shoots of a single plants--and two grafted plants are also genetically different," says Ecker. "So creating that epiallele difference in the roots is something really new for the plant." ### Lewsey and Thomas J. Hardcastle of the University of Cambridge contributed equally to the paper. Other authors of the work were Charles Melnyk and Attila Molnar of the University of Cambridge; and Adrian Valli, Mark A. Urich and Joseph R. Nery of the Salk Institute. Funding for the work was provided by the EU Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Clare College Junior Research Fellowship, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the European Union Collaborative Project Grant ANEAS and a European Research Council Advanced Investigator Grant. About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is one of the world's preeminent basic research institutions, where internationally renowned faculty probes fundamental life science questions in a unique, collaborative and creative environment. Focused both on discovery and on mentoring future generations of researchers, Salk scientists make groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of cancer, aging, Alzheimer's, diabetes and infectious diseases by studying neuroscience, genetics, cell and plant biology and related disciplines. Faculty achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including Nobel Prizes and memberships in the National Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1960 by polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk, MD, the Institute is an independent nonprofit organization and architectural landmark. This news release is available in Spanish. The bush dog is one of the most enigmatic of the world's canid species, seldom seen throughout its range in Central and South America. New data from photos taken by automated camera traps in remote areas in Panama, along with other sightings, show the species to be widespread in the country. The new study, co-authored by Smithsonian Research Associate Ricardo Moreno, will assist conservation planning for this near-threatened species. "Our group of biologists from Yaguara Panama and collaborators are working on an article about big mammals using camera trapping data that spans Panama from the Costa Rican border to the Colombian border," Moreno said. "The bush dog is one of the rarest species that we photograph." Bush dogs, Speothos venaticus, are short-legged and stubby, standing only about a foot tall at the shoulder. They live mainly in tropical forests but have also been recorded in fragmented and altered habitats. Hunting in packs of up to 10 animals, bush dogs give high-pitched whines to maintain contact and yap like puppies when they chase their prey. They feed mostly on large forest rodents like agoutis and pacas, but at one site in Brazil, they mainly ate armadillos. Fierce for their size, a pack of six once was seen chasing a tapir, an animal almost 20 times a bush dog's weight. Although active by day, bush dogs are remarkably hard to see and are very rarely reported even where they are known to occur. Digital camera traps, which take pictures automatically when their infrared sensors detect an animal's body heat, are used in many wildlife studies. Camera traps were set out as part of surveys for other mammals, including jaguars. The cameras fortuitously snapped photos of bush dogs at four sites ranging from Cerro Pirre near the Colombian border in eastern Panama, to Santa Fe National Park in the western part of the country. To give some idea of the difficulty of studying the species, photos were obtained on only 11 occasions out of more than almost 32,000 camera-days (the number of cameras multiplied by the number of days they were in operation). The article reports bush dog sightings from five additional sites, including Fortuna west of Santa Fe, showing the species is found in suitable habitat nearly throughout Panama. Panama is the only country in Central America where the species is known to occur, aside from a few unconfirmed sightings in easternmost Costa Rica near the Panamanian border. "We think that it will soon cross the border into Costa Rica," Moreno said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has estimated that bush dog populations have declined by up to 25 percent in the past 12 years, and has classified it as "near-threatened" globally. Unlike other some other carnivores in Panama, such as jaguar, puma and coyote, bush dogs do not appear to be directly persecuted by humans. The main threats are habitat loss and encroachment--15 percent of Panama's forests were lost between 1990 and 2010. Bush dogs have very large home ranges for animals of their size, as much as 270 square miles, and they may require large tracts of forest to survive. Other threats include reduction of the abundance of their prey from hunting by humans and exposure to diseases carried by dogs used by hunters. ### This study was conducted with permission and logistical support from Panama's Ministry of the Environment. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Website: http://www.stri.si.edu. Promo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9JDSIwBegk. Meyer, N., Moreno, R., Valdes, S., Mendez-Carvajal, P., Brown, E. and Ortega, J. 2015. New records of bush dog in Panama. Canid Biology & Conservation. 18(10): 36-40. A new paradigm for the development of photo-bioelectrochemical cells has been reported in the journal Nature Energy by researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in Israel, and the University of Bochum, in Germany. The design of photo-bioelectrochemical cells based on native photosynthetic reaction is attracting substantial recent interest as a means for the conversion of solar light energy into electrical power. In the natural photosynthetic apparatus, photosynthetic reaction is coupled to biocatalytic transformations leading to CO2 fixation and O2 evolution. Although significant progress has been achieved in the integration of native photosystems with electrodes for light-to-electrical energy conversion, the conjugation of the photosystems to enzymes to yield photo-bioelectrocatalytic solar cells remains a challenge. Now, researchers report on the construction of photo-bioelectrochemical cells using the native photosynthetic reaction and the enzymes glucose oxidase or glucose dehydrogenase. The system consists of modified integrated electrodes that include the natural photosynthetic reaction center, known as photosystem I, conjugated to the enzymes glucose oxidase or glucose dehydrogenase. The native proteins are electrically wired by means of chemical electron transfer mediators. Photoirradiation of the electrodes leads to the generation of electrical power, while oxidizing the glucose substrate acting as a fuel. The system provides a model to harness the native photosynthetic apparatus for the conversion of solar light energy into electrical power, using biomass substrates as fuels. In contrast to numerous bioelectrochemical systems using electrical power to oxidize glucose, the present study introduces the implementation of the native photosystem to produce electrical power using light as the energy source. The novel photo-bioelectrochemical cells point to a new method to photonically drive biocatalytic fuel cells while generating electrical power from solar energy. Prof. Itamar Willner, at the Hebrew University's Institute of Chemistry, said: "The study results provide a general approach to assemble photo-bioelectrochemical solar cells with wide implications for solar energy conversion, bioelectrocatalysis and sensing." ### The research was headed at the Hebrew University by Prof. Itamar Willner, Institute of Chemistry and Minerva Center for Biohybrid Complex Systems, in collaboration with Prof. Rachel Nechushtai, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences and Minerva Center for Biohybrid Complex Systems; and at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, by Prof. Wolfgang Schuhmann, Analytical Chemistry, Center for Electrochemical Sciences (CES). The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is Israel's leading academic and research institution, producing one-third of all civilian research in Israel. For more information, visit http://new.huji.ac.il/en. The first international comparative study of end-of-life care practices finds that the United States actually has the lowest proportion of deaths in the hospital and the lowest number of days in the hospital in the last 6 months of life among seven developed countries. The study appears in the January 19 issue of JAMA. Using data from 2010-2012, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and colleagues examined patterns of care, health care utilization, and expenditures among patients dying in seven developed countries: Belgium, Canada, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United States. The researchers used administrative and registry data from 2010, and included decedents older than 65 years who died with cancer. In the U.S. 22.2 percent and in Netherlands 29.4 percent of cancer patients died in the hospital, which is in accordance with most patients' wishes. By comparison, in Belgium and Canada over 50 percent of patients died in the hospital, while in England, Norway, and Germany over 38 percent of patients died in the hospital. Two decades ago, the majority of deaths due to terminal illness were reported to occur in the hospital. More than a quarter of the Medicare budget is devoted to the care of beneficiaries who die in that year. Other developed nations spend less than the United States on health care, a finding some attribute to lower-intensity care at the end of life. The United States performs poorly in other aspects of end-of-life care, especially related to high technology interventions. Over 40 percent of patients who die with cancer are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in the last 6 months of life, which is more than twice any other country in the study. Similarly, 38.7 percent of American patients dying with cancer received at least one chemotherapy episode in the last 6 months of life, more than any other country in the study. In the last 180 days of life, average per capita hospital expenditures were higher in Canada (U.S. $21,840), Norway (U.S. $19,783), and the United States (U.S. $18,500), intermediate in Germany (U.S. $16,221) and Belgium (U.S. $15,699), and lower in the Netherlands (U.S. $10,936) and England (U.S. $9,342). Analyses that included decedents of any age, decedents older than 65 years with lung cancer, and decedents older than 65 years in the United States and Germany from 2012, showed similar results, suggesting that the differences observed were driven more by end-of-life care practices and organization rather than differences in cohort identification. The authors write that the lower rates of acute care hospital admissions, length of stay, and in-hospital deaths in the United States and the Netherlands suggest that end-of-life care can evolve to reflect patient preferences and goals about site of death irrespective of health system. "In the early 1980s, more than 70 percent of U.S. cancer patients died in hospital. Over the last 30 years, recognition of preferences for home-based end-of-life care and patients' rights to refuse medical interventions and economic pressures to lower end-of-life costs and expand hospice use have all played an important role in advancing end-of-life care. Yet excessive utilization of high-intensity care near the end of life, particularly in the United States relative to other developed countries, underscores the need for continued progress to improve end-of-life care practices." ### (doi:10.1001/jama.2015.18603; Available pre-embargo to the media at http:/media.jamanetwork.com) Editor's Note: This study was partially supported by the Commonwealth Fund and the National Institute on Aging and National Cancer Institute. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc. The availability of relatively low-cost 'water jet' machines, which chill and oxygenate the water, was associated with decreased student weight and fewer half-pints of milk purchased per student, according to an article published online by JAMA Pediatrics. In 2009, the New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department of Education launched an intervention to increase lunchtime access to drinking water by putting "water jets" in school cafeterias. Water jets are electrically cooled, large, clear jugs that dispense water quickly and cost about $1,000 per machine. Brian Elbel, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the New York University School of Medicine, and coauthors examined the effect of the water jet initiative on student body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity. Milk purchases were examined as a potential mechanism for the weight outcomes. The study included 1,227 New York public elementary and middle schools and their more than 1 million students. Among the 1,227 schools, 483 received a water jet (39.3 percent) and 744 (60.7 percent) did not. Water jets were associated with a decrease in standardized BMI (0.025 reduction) and a decrease in the likelihood of being overweight (0.9 percentage point reduction) and the likelihood of obesity for boys (0.5 percentage point reduction). For girls, water jets were associated with a decrease in standardized BMI (0.022 reduction) and a decrease in the likelihood of being overweight for girls (0.6 percentage point reduction). Water jets also were associated with a decrease in the amount of half-pints of milk purchased by students (a decrease of 12.3 per student per year), according to the results. The study has limitations, including the use of administrative data on water jet delivery so use in the cafeteria was not observed and a lack of data on milk consumption. "Results from this study show an association between a relatively low-cost water availability intervention and decreased student weight. Additional research is needed to examine potential mechanisms for decreased student weight, including reduced milk taking, as well as assessing impacts on longer-term outcomes. Water jets could be an important part of the toolkit for obesity reduction techniques at the school setting," the study concludes. ### . Published online Jan. 19, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.3778. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com .) Editor's Note: This project was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Please see article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, etc. Editorial: Power of a Simple Intervention to Improve Student "Sometimes, a very simple intervention can have a powerful effect. The study by Schwartz and colleagues in this issue of JAMA Pediatrics adds to a growing body of evidence supporting the importance of providing drinking water access in schools. In this study, the findings demonstrate that water access in schools can promote healthy weight outcomes among students," write Lindsey Turner, Ph.D., of Boise State University, Idaho, and Erin Hager, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, in a related editorial. (JAMA Pediatr. Published online Jan. 19, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.3798. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.) Editor's Note: Please see article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, etc. Media Advisory: To contact corresponding author Brian Elbel, Ph.D., M.P.H., call Jim Mandler at 212-404-3525 or email Jim.mandler@nyumc.org. To contact editorial corresponding author Lindsey Turner, Ph.D., call Brady W Moore at 208-426-1586 or email bradywmoore@boisestate.edu. A breakthrough in the transformation of human cells by an international team led by researchers at the University of Bristol could open the door to a new range of treatments for a variety of medical conditions. Their paper, published today in Nature Genetics, demonstrates the creation of a system that predicts how to create any human cell type from another cell type directly, without the need for experimental trial and error. Julian Gough, professor of bioinformatics at the University of Bristol, said: 'The barrier to progress in this field is the very limited types of cells scientists are able to produce. Our system, Mogrify, is a bioinformatics resource that will allow experimental biologists to bypass the need to create stem cells.' Pluripotent stem cells - or cells that have not yet 'decided' what to become - can be used to treat many different medical conditions and diseases. The first human artificial pluripotent stem cells were created by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka in 2007, through a process of educated trial and error that took a long time. In the nine years since, scientists have only been able to discover further conversions for human cells a handful of times. Professor Gough said: 'Mogrify predicts how to create any human cell type from any other cell type directly. With Professor Jose Polo at Monash University in Australia, we tested it on two new human cell conversions, and succeeded first time for both. The speed with which this was achieved suggests Mogrify will enable the creation of a great number of human cell types in the lab.' 'The ability to produce numerous types of human cells will lead directly to tissue therapies of all kinds, to treat conditions from arthritis to macular degeneration, to heart disease. The fuller understanding, at the molecular level of cell production leading on from this, may allow us to grow whole organs from somebody's own cells. 'This represents a significant breakthrough in regenerative medicine, and paves the way for life-changing medical advances within a few years from now, and the possibility in the longer term of improving the quality of longer lives, as well as making them longer.' To achieve this game-changing result, Professor Gough worked with then-PhD student Dr Owen Rackham (who now works at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore) for five years to develop a computational algorithm to predict the cellular factors for cell conversions. The algorithm was conceived from data collected as a part of the FANTOM international consortium (based at RIKEN, Japan) of which Professor Gough is a long time member. The algorithm, called Mogrify, has been made available online for other researchers and scientists, so that the field may advance rapidly. ### The research team comprised collaborators from Bristol, Australia, Singapore, and Japan. Paper: 'Mogrify: An Atlas for Direct Reprogramming Between Human Cell Types' by Rackham et al in Nature Genetics. Countries drastically underreport the number of fish caught worldwide, according to a new study, and the numbers obscure a significant decline in the total catch . The new estimate, released today in Nature Communications, puts the annual global catch at roughly 109 million metric tons, about 30 per cent higher than the 77 million officially reported in 2010 by more than 200 countries and territories. This means that 32 million metric tons of fish goes unreported every year, more than the weight of the entire population of the United States. Researchers led by the Sea Around Us, a research initiative at the University of British Columbia supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Vulcan Inc., attribute the discrepancy to the fact that most countries focus their data collection efforts on industrial fishing and largely exclude difficult-to-track categories such as artisanal, subsistence, and illegal fishing, as well as discarded fish. "The world is withdrawing from a joint bank account of fish without knowing what has been withdrawn or the remaining balance," said UBC professor Daniel Pauly, a lead author of the study and principal investigator of the Sea Around Us. "Better estimating the amount we're taking out can help ensure there is enough fish to sustain us in the future." Accurate catch information is critical for helping fisheries officials and managers understand the health of fish populations and inform fishing policies such as catch quotas and seasonal or area restrictions. For the Nature Communications study, Pauly, his co-author Dirk Zeller, and hundreds of their colleagues around the world reviewed catch and related data from more than 200 countries and territories. Using a method called catch reconstruction, they compared official data submitted to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with estimates obtained from a broad range of sources, including academic literature, industrial fishing statistics, local fisheries experts, fisheries law enforcement, human population, and other records such as documentation of fish catch by tourists. "This groundbreaking study confirms that we are taking far more fish from our oceans than the official data suggest," said Joshua S. Reichert, executive vice president and head of environment initiatives for Pew. "It's no longer acceptable to mark down artisanal, subsistence, or bycatch catch data as a zero in the official record books. "These new estimates provide countries with more accurate assessments of catch levels than we have ever had," said Reichert, "along with a far more nuanced portrait of the amount of fish that are being removed from the world's oceans each year." "Data are integral to maintaining global fisheries," said Raechel Waters, senior program officer for ocean health for Vulcan Inc. "Without an accurate understanding of fish catch, we risk underreporting or misreporting, which can handicap countries in their efforts to implement effective fisheries policy and management measures. "This is particularly important for countries that do not have the resources to conduct comprehensive fishery assessments," said Waters. ### Video https://youtu.be/YRtqt4CCe7s The Sea Around Us is a research initiative at The University of British Columbia that assesses the impact of fisheries on the marine ecosystems of the world, and offers mitigating solutions to a range of stakeholders. The project was initiated in collaboration with The Pew Charitable Trusts in 1999, and in 2014, the Sea Around Us also began a collaboration with Vulcan Inc to provide African and Asian countries with more accurate and comprehensive fisheries data. Contacts: David Geselbracht Sea Around Us Tel: +1 604-240-2579 Email: d.geselbracht@oceans.ubc.ca Heather Amos University of British Columbia Tel: +1 604-822-3213 ; cell: +1 604-828-3867 Email: heather.amos@ubc.ca Rachel Brittin The Pew Charitable Trusts Tel: +1 202-286-4149 Email: rbrittin@pewtrusts.org A recent study from the University of Helsinki shows that the social gazing behavior of domestic dogs resembles that of humans: dogs view facial expressions systematically, preferring eyes. In addition, the facial expression alters their viewing behavior, especially in the face of threat. The study was published in the science journal PLOS ONE 13.1.2016. Threatening faces evoke unique responses in dogs The study utilized eye gaze tracking to demonstrate how dogs view the emotional expressions of dog and human faces. Dogs looked first at the eye region and generally examined eyes longer than nose or mouth areas. Species-specific characteristics of certain expressions attracted their attention, for example the mouths of threatening dogs. However, dogs appeared to base their perception of facial expressions on the whole face. Threatening faces evoked attentional bias, which may be based on an evolutionary adaptive mechanism: the sensitivity to detect and avoid threats represents a survival advantage. Interestingly, dogs' viewing behavior was dependent on the depicted species: threatening conspecifics' faces evoked longer looking but threatening human faces instead an avoidance response. Threatening signals carrying different biological validity are most likely processed via distinctive neurocognitive pathways. "The tolerant behavior strategy of dogs toward humans may partially explain the results. Domestication may have equipped dogs with a sensitivity to detect the threat signals of humans and respond them with pronounced appeasement signals", says researcher Sanni Somppi from the University of Helsinki. Results provide support for Darwin's views of animal emotions This is the first evidence of emotion-related gaze patterns in non-primates. Already 150 years ago Charles Darwin proposed that the analogies in the form and function of human and non-human animal emotional expressions suggest shared evolutionary roots. Recent findings provide modern scientific support for Darwin's old argument. Exploring canine mind with dog-friendly methods A total of 31 dogs of 13 different breeds attended the study. Prior the experiment the dogs were clicker-trained to stay still in front of a monitor without being commanded or restrained. Due to positive training approach, dogs were highly motivated to perform the task. ### The study is part of the collaboration project of Faculties of Veterinary Medicine and Behavioural Science, University of Helsinki and Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University. Previously, the research group of professor Outi Vainio from the University of Helsinki has discovered that socially informative objects in images, as personally familiar faces and social interaction, attract dogs' attention. Researchers at the University of Hawai'i - Manoa (UHM) developed an array of highly innovative experiments to allow scientists to safely test first-aid measures used for box jellyfish stings - from folk tales, like urine, to state-of-the-art technologies developed for the military. The power of this new array approach, published this week in the journal Toxins, is in its ability to rigorously assess the effectiveness of various treatments on inhibiting tentacle firing and venom toxicity - two aspects of a sting that affect the severity of a person's reaction. Box jellyfish are among the deadliest creatures on Earth, and are responsible for more deaths than shark attacks annually. Despite the danger posed by these gelatinous invertebrates, scientists and medical professionals still do not agree on the best way to treat and manage jellyfish stings. "Authoritative web articles are constantly bombarding the public with unvalidated and frankly bad advice for how to treat a jelly sting," said Dr. Angel Yanagihara, lead author of the paper and assistant research professor at the UHM Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) and John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). "I really worry that emergency responders and public health decision makers might rely on these unscientific articles. It's not too strong to point out that in some cases, ignorance can cost lives." The results from Yanagihara and team's rigorous testing demonstrate that tried-and-true methods, including vinegar and hot water immersion, really do work on Hawaiian box jellyfish (Alatina alata) stings. Further, the study shows that a new therapeutic, Sting No MoreTM, developed by Yanagihara with Department of Defense funding, inhibits the venom directly. Yanagihara, aided by Dr. Christie Wilcox, a postdoctoral fellow at JABSOM, set out to test which first-aid measures actually help reduce the venom delivered when a tentacle stings or lessen the harm caused by venom that has been injected. But because box jelly stings can be life threatening, experimentation on people was out of the question. "What we needed were innovative models which would allow us to test how different options might affect the severity of a sting without putting anyone at risk," Yanagihara said. "So we designed a set of experiments using live, stinging tentacles and live human red blood cells which allowed us to pit first-aid measures against one another." The ultimate test compared the effects of treatments in a living sting model comprised of human red blood cells suspended in an agarose gel and covered with lanolin-rubbed sterile porcine intestine, which was used as a mock skin. The researchers found that the most effective treatments were Sting No More products and hot water, with Sting No More shown to work faster and better than hot water, according to the data. "People think ice will help because jelly stings burn and ice is cold," said Wilcox. "But research to date has shown that all marine venoms are highly heat sensitive. Dozens of studies, including our recent work, have shown that hot water immersion leads to better outcomes than ice." Wilcox hopes that the new experimental models will allow for more rigorous testing of first-aid measures for venomous stings from other species of Cnidaria. "The science to date has been scattered and disorganized," she said. "We strived to design methods that were straightforward and inexpensive, so that others can use them easily. The field has suffered from a lack of standardized, rigorous and reproducible models. Our paper outlines a way to change that." While the current study only tested first-aid measures using the Hawaiian box jelly, the researchers said they are working on seeing how treatments work for stings from other common Hawaiian species, including the Portuguese Man O' War which wash ashore on leeward shores during strong winds. And, they hope that they won't be the only ones testing treatments with their experimental array. ### Sting No More (Alatalab Solutions, LLC) was developed under a Department of Defense grant that aimed to rapidly and effectively treat stings in US Special Operations Command combat divers. With the intention of supporting the development of technologies and therapies of benefit to people, the funding required a commercialization plan for resulting products. All testing of the new commercial product, in the current study was performed under an approved University of Hawai'i Conflict of Interest plan. This product demonstrates the strongly pro-innovation culture at UH dedicated to bringing to the public sector technologies that have been developed with federal and state research dollars. Link to video and sound: http://bit.ly/1J7MB30 (note: can only be opened on a professional editing system) Jellyfish toxins VNR broll 0:00 - 0:18, 3 video clips: Angel at microscope 0:18 - 0:42 , 4 video clips: Angel at computer with jellyfish video 0:42 - 0:52, 2 video clips: Angel at desk with cream 0:52 - 0:56, Sting No More products 0:56 - 1:18, 4 video clips: ocean night research 1:18 - 1:30, 2 video clips: jellyfish in the ocean Sound: Angel Yanagihara, Researcher, UH Manoa 1:31 - 1:52: We've developed a model when we apply the tentacle to our little slab of blood agarose with the skin on it, it spontaneously stings that skin just indecipherably different from the sting of a human being. So, this is the first time a model has been developed with what we consider to be all these ideal attributes. 1:53 - 2:13: So what works? Vinegar we've found is absolute, robust and solid reproducible way to inactivate tentacles and the stinging cells that have been discharged but are left on the skin. So we recommend that as a first course - douse the area with vinegar. Simulations of Hurricane Sandy with warmer ocean temperatures resulted in storms more than twice as destructive Hurricane Sandy became the second costliest hurricane to hit the United States when it blew ashore in October 2012, killing 159 people and inflicting $71 billion in damage. Informally known as a "superstorm" after it made landfall, Sandy was so destructive largely because of its unusual size and track. After moving north from the tropical waters where it spawned, Sandy turned out to sea before hooking back west, growing in size and crashing head-on into the East Coast, gaining strength when it merged with an eastbound mid-latitude storm. A new study led by the University of Maryland's Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) suggests that a warmer Atlantic Ocean could substantially boost the destructive power of a future superstorm like Sandy. The researchers used a numerical model to simulate the weather patterns that created Sandy, with one key difference: a much warmer sea surface temperature, as would be expected in a world with twice as much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This simulated warmer ocean generated storms that were 50 to 160 percent more destructive than Sandy. The results appear online January 19, 2016 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. "This kind of experiment is not necessarily a realistic simulation, but it is along a similar path that the future climate might expect to evolve," said William Lau, a research scientist at ESSIC and senior scientist emeritus at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Lau added that sea surface temperatures could reach such elevated levels within the next 50 to 100 years. In the model scenarios, the pool of warm water (greater than 82 degrees Fahrenheit) in the tropical Atlantic grew to twice its actual size. The larger warm pool gave the simulated hurricanes more time to grow before they encountered colder water or land. In the five simulations conducted by Lau and his colleagues at NASA Goddard, two hurricanes followed the same track as Sandy, hooking westward and merging with the mid-latitude storm as they hit the coast. Because of their longer exposure to the large warm pool, their winds had 50 to 80 percent more destructive power, and they brought 30 to 50 percent more heavy rain. "We expected the storm would definitely get stronger because of much warmer sea surface temperature," Lau said. Each of the other three hurricanes followed a surprising and even more destructive course. In these simulations, the hurricane grew so strong that it followed a different track and didn't collide with the mid-latitude storm. Instead, the hurricane went farther east into the open ocean before turning westward. Next, the hurricane and the mid-latitude storm rotated counterclockwise around their combined center of mass--a phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara effect. As the mid-latitude storm rotated east, the Sandy-like storm gained strength from the Fujiwhara effect and swung westward, making landfall between Maine and Nova Scotia. "These events are somewhat rare in occurrence, but they do exist in nature," Lau said. "While they're turning about each other, they interact. One just took the energy from the other." As a result, the three Fujiwhara-enhanced hurricanes' destructive power peaked at 100 to 160 percent higher than Sandy, and brought as much as 180 percent more rain. And while they made landfall farther north, Lau said, their impacts could be farther-reaching and more devastating than Sandy. "Because the size of the storm is so large, it could affect the entire Atlantic coast, not just where it makes landfall," he predicted. "The rainfall itself is probably way out in the ocean, but the storm surge would be catastrophic." Lau said the usual approach to simulating a storm in a warmer climate would be to impose a prescribed sea surface temperature, and then adjust the atmospheric conditions such as air temperature, moisture and winds. The model would then be run many times, making adjustments each time in hopes of creating a Sandy-like storm. But this approach is tedious and does not guarantee meaningful results, Lau explained. "When confronted with the question whether or not global warming contributed to Sandy, many scientists would just throw their hands up and say, 'We cannot address the question of how hurricanes will behave in a future climate because the myriad factors affecting storm behaviors are too complex and impossible to simulate'," Lau said. "This is the first time it was done by using known atmospheric initial conditions that gave rise to Sandy, and simply changing one important variable--in this case, the ocean temperature." By using this approach, Lau and colleagues created an informative--if only plausible--scenario that could help to understand how storms might behave in a future warmer climate. Lau noted that Sandy was most likely a "perfect storm" brought about by a series of improbable coincidences. As such, it's hard to make any definite conclusions about whether and how global warming contributed to Sandy and other recent destructive storms, he said. "However, studies like ours can help provide informative answers to the more tractable question of how a perfect storm like Sandy would behave under warmer ocean temperatures," Lau said. "It's a very important line of investigation for better understanding the future of our planet." ### The research paper, "What would happen to Superstorm Sandy under the influence of a substantially warmer Atlantic Ocean?" William Lau, Jainn-Jong Shi, Wei-Kuo Tao, and Kyu-Myong Kim, was published online January 19, 2016 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. This work was supported by NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (Award No. 4331620). The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations. Writer: Nate Rabner Media Relations Contact: Matthew Wright, 301-405-9267, mewright@umd.edu University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences 2300 Symons Hall College Park, MD 20742 http://www.cmns.umd.edu @UMDscience About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 7,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $150 million. In 2014, product returns totaled about $280 million across all U.S. retailers. New research from UT Dallas examined existing studies on return policies to quantify the policies' effect on consumers' purchase and return behavior. UT Dallas doctoral candidate Ryan Freling, who is studying marketing in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, conducted the meta-analysis with UT Arlington associate professor of marketing Dr. Narayan Janakiraman and doctoral candidate Holly Syrdal. The study recently was published online in the Journal of Retailing. The meta-analysis is the first attempt to understand the return policy literature quantitatively and prove that lenient policies positively affect purchase and return decisions, Freling said. "In general, firms use return policies to increase purchases but don't want to increase returns, which are costly. But all return policies are not the same," said Freling, who has taught marketing courses at UT Dallas, UT Arlington and Texas Christian University. The researchers collected and sifted through dozens of research papers that examined purchases, returns or both. They eventually focused on 21 papers from fields including economics, marketing, decision science, consumer psychology and operations research. The study challenges the underlying assumption that all return policies affect purchases and returns in a similar manner. It suggests that this is not the case, as retailers tend to impose restrictions to dissuade returns or offer leniency to encourage purchases by manipulating five return policy elements: time, money, effort, scope and exchange. Overall, lenient return policies led to increased purchases, the study found. The researchers also found a positive effect -- smaller, but still significant -- of policy leniency on returns. For example, leniency in scope increased returns. "In the pre-purchase stage, consumers might think about the costs and benefits of making a purchase," Freling said. "If the return policy is lenient in scope -- if a sale item can be returned -- a consumer might say, 'Oh this is on sale. It seems like a good value. I'll buy it, and if it's not the right color or fit, I'll return it.'" Freling said the study shows that return policy leniency should depend on the retailer's objectives. If a retailer wants to stimulate purchases, offering more lenient monetary policies and low-effort policies may be effective. If a retailer wishes to curb returns, longer deadlines to make a return would be more effective. The study found that leniency in time reduced return rates. Freling said a possible explanation is the endowment effect, which suggests that the longer consumers possess a product, the more attached to it they become and less likely they are to return it. "The cost of dealing with returns affects the bottom line," he said. "You want to look at the different dimensions of a return policy, because you may be able to manipulate the policy to achieve your goals." With online sales becoming a more important aspect of the retail industry -- it totaled $2.72 billion on Black Friday last year, up 14 percent from 2014 -- Freling said future research should investigate the impact of return policies on e-commerce. Return Policy Factors The researchers classify return policy leniency as varying along five elements. Time: Retailers commonly specify deadlines in their return policies (e.g., a 30-day policy, a 90-day policy). Policies that provide a longer length of time to return products are more lenient. Monetary: Lenient return policies allow for a full refund of the amount paid for the product, while strict policies allow for only a portion of the purchase price to be refunded. Effort: Some retailers create "hassles" for customers returning products (e.g., requiring the original receipt, tags or product packaging be retained). Return policies requiring less effort from consumers are more lenient. Scope: Stores limit items they consider "return-worthy." For example, products purchased on sale may not be eligible for return. Policies with a greater scope of "return-worthy" items are more lenient. Exchange: While some retailers offer cash refunds, others offer store credit or product exchange for the returned item. Return policies that allow cash refunds are more lenient. ### This news release is available in Spanish. It has been proven that the countries with high capital depreciation have in the long term a high growth rate. A UPV/EHU researcher has built an economic model that takes this positive correlation into consideration. Her research has been published in the journal Economic Modelling. The standard economic models used to analyse economic growth as well as fluctuations fail to reflect the evolution in capital depreciation properly. For this very reason, "traditional models regard this depreciation as constant," explained Ilaski Baranano, a researcher in the department of the Fundamentals of Economic Analysis I. In other words, they consider that all the machinery, technology, buildings, workshops, scientific equipment and everything else end up obsolete in a constant way and at a constant pace in all countries. Nevertheless, "the data obtained in different countries show that the capital depreciation rate changes over time", she added. What is more, the researcher has observed in the research conducted with a researcher at the Pablo de Olavide University that a positive correlation exists between capital depreciation and growth rate in 101 countries. There is a correlation but no causality. Baranano explained that "the existence of a positive correlation between both variables does not mean that one is the cause of the other. The relation between the two variables is positive, nothing more". Likewise, the standard models assume that the growth rate of a country's GDP trend is fixed. Baranano confirms that this assumption is also wrong and that the trend varies depending on economic fluctuations. Therefore, "when the economic fluctuations are favourable, productivity in the country receives a boost and, as a result, GDP grows in a constant way". Baranano has explored the possible theoretical explanation that could account for the correlation existing between the long-term growth rate, the level of persistence and capital depreciation. To do this, she has put forward a simple economic model in which economic growth coincides with economic fluctuations and depreciation is linked to obsolescence. So the countries that achieve significant improvements in the productivity of the investment sector will see a significant growth rate in their GDP due to the boosting of capital accumulation. What is more, this technological advance causes the capital depreciation rate to be higher as a result of the obsolescence. "The theoretical forecasts obtained in this model coincide with the correlations observed in the data, which gives the model credibility," concluded the researcher. A tool designed to obtain theoretical forecasts The model put forward is straightforward and easy to use. However, it does not include all the factors that affect real economies. For example, capital is not a homogeneous variable, it consists of various components but in this model is has been regarded as a single variable. As it is a model that reflects the empirical evidence linked to persistence, the long-term growth rate and the loss of capital value "can therefore be used to forecast the effect that may be brought to bear by economic policies on growth and GDP in the long term, as the latter have a direct influence on the investment sector and technological advances facilitate the improving of productivity and, as a result, growth in GDP," explained the researcher. Baranano is planning to work on adjusting the model. "In our model we have established capital as a homogeneous variable and we know it is not like that. So we want to differentiate between the different types of capital (in other words, buildings, machinery, scientific equipment, transport equipment, etc.), and after analysing each one separately, we want to see what weight each one has in depreciation." ### Bibliographical references I. Baranano, D. Romero-Avila: "Long-term growth and persistence with obsolescence", Economic Modelling, Volume 51, December 2015, Pages 328-339. doi:10.1016/j.econmod.2015.08.014 A newly published book focused on promoting research and conservation methods and strategies for the African forest elephant arrives at a crucial time for this species, which is being decimated by poaching, habitat loss, and other threats, according to authors from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other organizations. The new book--titled "Studying Forest Elephants"--provides scientists, wildlife managers, park rangers, and government officials with a "How To" manual for initiating studies on the needs of forest elephants and detecting threats to their existence. "Since 2002, more than 65 percent of the world's forest elephants have been wiped out, almost exclusively by poaching," said Dr. Thomas Breuer, WCS scientist and co-editor. "We implore all scientists interested in saving this animal to build on the lessons presented here to ensure a future for these magnificent rainforest giants." "Forest elephants are key architects of the ecosystems they inhabit, and we still have much to learn about them at a time when they are disappearing," said Vicki Fishlock, editor and resident scientist for the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. "The best observation conditions for studying elephants are at forest clearings, or bais, where elephants maintain their social relationships and obtain minerals. Unfortunately, this is also where they are most vulnerable to poachers." The book is written by the leading experts in several disciplines, and begins with a history of bai research in the region, reviews our current knowledge about forest elephants and identifies important areas for further study. Subsequent chapters provide guidance on how to identify study sites and establish the necessary infrastructure, and then expand into detailed areas of study including census methods, behavior, genetics and acoustic monitoring. Protecting forest elephants requires cooperation between all agencies. The book covers assessment of wildlife and human activity, advice on organizing protection activities and a monitoring framework for assessing threats to populations. It also provides guidance on how to disseminate information to guide conservation actions. "We want to guide conservation scientists how to understand the needs of forest elephants, without compromising elephant safety. Careful, noninvasive studies can provide the information to improve elephant protection in a rapidly changing world," said WCS Conservation Scientist Dr. Fiona Maisels, one of the book's authors. Subsidized copies of the book will be available to conservation professionals in range states, and can be obtained by contacting the editors. The authors of "Studying Forest Elephants" are: Vicki Fishlock of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants (vfishlock@elephanttrust.org); Thomas Breuer of the Wildlife Conservation Society (tbreuer@wcs.org); Steve Blake of Washington University in St. Louis, USA ; Nicolas Bout of Aweley, Wildlife and People; Lori Eggert of the University of Missouri, USA; Bernard Fouda of World Wildlife Fund; Kelly Greenway of the University of Kent, UK; Clement Inkamba-Nkulu of the Wildlife Conservation Society; Fiona Maisels of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Stirling, UK; Franck Barrel Mavinga of the Wildlife Conservation Society; Julia Metsio Sienne (Carl von Ossietzky University, Germany); Ludovic Momont (Natural History Museum, Paris, France); Brice Mowawa of the Congolese Ministere de L'Economie Forestiere et du Developpement Durable; Stephanie Schuttler of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, USA; Andrea Turkalo of the Wildlife Conservation Society; George Wittemyer of Colorado State University, USA; and Peter H. Wrege of Cornell University, USA. ### The book was the product of a workshop funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The book's publication was supported by Rettet die Elefanten Afrikas e.V., Neuer Sportverlag, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and msk media Werbeagentur. Link to Purchase Book (text on purchase page is in German--the book text is written in English): http://www.reaev.de/shop/schreibtisch-buecher-bilder--multimedia/buecher/elefanten-buecher/studying-forest-elephants.php Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world's oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242. 96 Elephants WCS is leading global efforts to save Africa's elephants and end the current poaching and ivory trafficking crisis. In September 2013, WCS launched its 96 Elephants campaign to amplify and support the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) "Partnership to Save Africa's Elephants" by stopping the killing, stopping the trafficking, and stopping the demand. The WCS campaign focuses on: securing effective moratoria on sales of ivory; bolstering elephant protection; and educating the public about the link between ivory consumption and the elephant poaching crisis. http://www.96elephants.org How did some of the world's most valuable and influential companies, such as Google, Facebook, and Uber survive and thrive in their make-or-break early years? They did it only through the backing of angels. Angel investment is early-stage private investment that has high risks. "Angel investors" provide small amounts of capital ($100,000-$3,000,000) to early stage, high-risk ventures. In recent years, they have not only grown in numbers and sophistication, they have garnered the attention of larger investors and governments throughout the world who are interested in the phenomenal power of start-ups to bring innovative products to consumers, create jobs and economic value, and sustain macroeconomic growth. Angels Without Borders: Trends and Policies Shaping Angel Investment Worldwide is a geographical narrative at heart. It covers angel investing activities in a diverse array of economies--small and large, developing and advanced, and those with high-tech and traditional sectors. Angel investing is not "going global"; it is there already. It simply has not garnered the recognition it deserves. Angel investors play an extremely important role in a country's entrepreneurial economy and innovation. Since angel investors invest in early stage, especially seed stage ventures, they usually face much higher risks. Angel investors are indispensable players in a country's start-up ecosystem. At the same time, angel investing is, by definition, a high-risk activity. Therefore, the angel investment ecosystem usually needs some support from the public sector. To encourage angel investment and other early stage investments, some governments have set up favourable policies to promote angel investments. One of the exceptional contributions of this book is that it allows readers to compare the policies of various nations. Angels Without Borders has two parts. In Part One, experienced angel investors canvass their investment principles and practices, and they discuss trends shaping the angel investment movement, such as crowdfunding, impact investing and angel investing by and for women. In Part Two, angel investment leaders and experts from 26 countries and regions from all six continents -- including both developed and developing economies-- examine how policies and programs are supporting angel investing activities within their nations. The book draws on more than two dozen nations to examine this trend from a global perspective. It is meant to serve as a field guide and a very useful reference for anyone who is interested in learning about the angel investment movement. It hopes to benefit angel investors, policymakers and entrepreneurs. More importantly, the book aspires to connect angels from countries all over the world with each other, so they will have an opportunity to share experiences and learn from each others' efforts to promote angel investing. Angels Without Borders retails for US$38/25 (paperback) and US$68/45 (hardback). To know more about the book, visit http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/9881?utm_source=eureka_alert&utm_medium=press_release&utm_campaign=eureka_9881. Should you require a review copy or would like to interview the authors, please contact Ms Amanda Yun at Tel: (65) 64665775, Ext. 446 or Email: heyun@wspc.com.sg ### About the editors John May is the Managing Partner of the New Vantage Group, which has organized five angel investing organizations in the Washington, D.C. area since 1999, placing funds into more than 75 companies. He is the co-author of two books on angel investing, Every Business Needs an Angel and State of the Art: An Executive Briefing on Cutting Edge Practices in American Angel Investing. May is Chair-Emeritus of the Angel Capital Association and Co-chairman of the Global Business Angel Network. He is a lead instructor for the "Power of Angel Investing" seminar produced by the Angel Resource Institute and supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a Batten Fellow at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and a Managing Director of Seraphim, a UK-based venture capital fund. May served on the board of directors of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association, the trade association for the venture capital industry in the Mid-Atlantic region. May began his work in angel investing when he co-founded the Investors' Circle, a network of over 200 investors who use private capital to fund businesses that address social and environmental issues. May also co-founded The Dinner Club, an investment group of 60 Washington, D.C. angels who collectively invest in regional early stage ventures. Washingtonian Magazine named May one of its 100 Tech Titans of DC. At the Angel Capital Association Summit in San Francisco, CA on May 6, 2010, May was awarded the 2010 Hans Severiens Award for the contributions to the angel investing industry. Manhong Mannie Liu is Chairman of National Venture Capital Research Committee at The Chinese Society for Management Modernization; Director, Venture Capital Research Group at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Research Center on Fictitious Economy and Data Science (FEDS); Professor, Renmin University of China; Board Member, China Venture Capital Research Institute; Editor in Chief, China Venture Capital Journal; Vice Dean, Beijing EDUI Technology Research Institute; Founder and Honorary Chair of China Business Angels Association; Vice Chair, Ecological Development Union International; Board member, World Business Angels Association; and Board Director, Chief Group Hong Kong. Professor Liu has several publications on angel investing, her book Angel Investment and Private Capital, (2003, in Chinese) is considered the first book in this field in China. Professor Liu received her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1994, prior to her joining the faculty at Renmin University, she has also worked as research faculty at Harvard University. Her most recent publications include: "Angel Investment in China: Theory and Practice," (in Chinese) Feb. 2015; Renewable Energy in China: Towards a Green Economy (3 volumes), (Hardcover, English) Enrich Professional Publishing, Oct. 2013; China Venture Capital: 20 years of History (Chinese), China Development Publishing, Nov. 2011; Green Economy and its Implementation in China (English) Enrich Professional Publishing, Singapore, May 2011; Venture Capital (Chinese) University of International Business and Economics Press, May 2011; New China Business Strategies: Chinese and American Companies As Global Partners (Hardcover, English), co-authored with John Miligan-Whyte, Specialist Press International, Aug 2009; Start-ups Financing Guidance: Angel Investment (Chinese) Economic Management Publishing, Dec. 2009. Professor Liu is considered one of the pioneers in China's venture capital research field. Her book Venture Capital: Innovation and Finance (in Chinese, Renmin University Press, 1998) was one of the books to introduce the concept of venture capital to China, and it served as a guide for many Chinese first-generation venture capitalists. About the Associate Editors Krista Tuomi is a professor in the International Economic Policy program at the School of International Service, American University, Washington DC. Her recent research has focused on best practices in the start-up investment climate, particularly on policies related to angel investing and seed financing. Joseph O'Keefe is senior advisor to the president and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the development finance institution of the U.S. government. Previously, he was the head of corporate relations for the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group. About World Scientific Publishing Co. World Scientific Publishing is a leading independent publisher of books and journals for the scholarly, research, professional and educational communities. The company publishes about 600 books annually and about 130 journals in various fields. World Scientific collaborates with prestigious organizations like the Nobel Foundation, US National Academies Press, as well as its subsidiary, the Imperial College Press, amongst others, to bring high quality academic and professional content to researchers and academics worldwide. To find out more about World Scientific, please visit http://www.worldscientific.com. For more information, contact Amanda Yun at heyun@wspc.com.sg Enjoying a cold beer, French cafe-style. Photo: Marko8904 While you may think of France as a place for only wine lovers, beer drinkers can be seen sipping away on just about any terrasse you come across in Paris. Available pretty much everywhere, beer is just as popular to drink as wine at a cafe or bar. But the typical beer experience in France is a bit different from the one in North America or the UK, ranging from how pints are typically ordered and served to the types of popular beers on tap. Read on for the basics on what to expect when ordering a round in the City of Light Tips for ordering French beer 1. Small or large? In France, you dont just get to choose the type of beer you want, but also the size of the glass. Your bartender will ask you if you want un demi (a half-pint that costs about 3 to 4), or une pinte (a pint that costs 6-8). The demi almost always costs half what the pint costs. If youre not a big drinker, or simply want to pace yourself, the demi can make a good option, but the pint might save you a bit if you plan on drinking more than one demi. 2. Beer always comes with a glass If you order a bottled beer, the bartender or server will always give you a glass to pour your drink into, whether you asked for one or not. This small cultural difference between France and the United States shocked an older French acquaintance of mine on a trip to Louisiana when, after ordering a bottled beer in New Orleans, the bartender just plonked down the bottle and left. You always serve it with a glass, he said to me, sighing, because, its just, thats just what you do. 3. Cost depends on your seat While the cost of beer in anglophone countries only depends on the beer type youve ordered, in France, the cost can also depend on where you decide to sit. If you choose a seat at the bar, your drink will cost about 1 cheaper than if you decide to sit at a table. And in some establishments, such as posh restaurants on the Champs-Elysees, your drinks will cost a few euros more if you sit outside. So when going for a drink, just keep in mind that if you find a great seat, you might be paying a bit extra for the privilege of being there. 4. Keep an eye out for happy hours A welcome relief in one of the most expensive cities in the world, happy hours offer discounts on drinks in many bars and pubs around town. Establishments offering a happy hour usually advertise that fact on a chalkboard or easel just next to their entrances, making them easy to spot. 5. Would you like syrup with that? In France, sugary fruit syrups are not just for lattes. The French are known for mixing a variety of syrups with their beer. Popular offerings include peach, strawberry, lemon, ginger, black currant and mint. You can also order a beer with a shot of grenadine just ask for un tango. It costs about .20 to .50 extra to get a shot of syrup. 6. Picon mixes in citrus Typical of the Paris region and in much of northern France, picon is an aperitif made from fresh oranges and distilled alcohol. It is also commonly mixed with beer. Ask for une picon biere at a bar and youll get a sweet drink with a hint of citrus. It will only cost you about .50 to 1.50 extra. 7. Panache mixes in lemonade Called the panache, this drink is half beer, half carbonated lemonade. A variation, called the Biere Monaco, is the same thing but with a shot of grenadine included. If you find yourself sitting on a terrace on a hot summer day, this mixture can be a really refreshing relief from the heat. 8. So, whats on tap? If you check the tap at just about any bar, cafe, bistro or restaurant in Paris, youll almost always find the following: Kronenbourg 1664: A light, crisp lager produced in Alsace. Grimbergen: From the Flanders region of Belgium, this brand makes a wide variety of popular ales and wheat beers. Pelforth: A brewery which makes a famously light pale ale of the same name, produced in the northern French region of Nord de Pas Calais. Other beers that make frequent appearances include the Belgian wheat beer brand Leffe, the Belgian pilsner Stella Artois, and Dutch lagers Heineken and Grolsch. 9. Christmas beers Some breweries whip up a batch of warming, hoppy specialty beers for Christmas, known as les bieres de noel. Brasserie Schutzenberger and Meteor, two brewers from Alsace, produce popular bieres de noel that can be found in bars and in supermarkets come December. 10. Traditional French beer from the Calais region Known as biere de garde, these amber or gold-colored brews generally have a malty taste and have high alcohol content. Some well-known biere de garde brewers in France include Trois Monts, Jenlain and Brasserie Castelain. While not found quite as often on tap in Paris, they can be picked up at most supermarkets or in specialty beer or wine stores. Bonus Cheapo Tip: If you want to do a beer tasting in your hotel room, however, this would be the cheapest way, with a 75 cl bottle of most domestic beers costing less than 3 at the supermarket. Sante! Take action now: Contact United Methodist officials and urge them to overturn their ban on Discovery Institute. Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors so says the motto of the United Methodist Church (UMC), to which we both belong. Given that, the UMC should be the most welcoming of churches. You would expect them to welcome, for example, a fresh perspective on the relationship of faith and science, including the scientific evidence for intelligent design observed in the natural world. If that is what you expect, however, you would be wrong. As others have detailed here at Evolution News, a request by Discovery Institute simply to have an information table at the upcoming quadrennial General Conference was denied on the grounds that our advocacy of ID is in violation of the UMCs 2008 statement on Evolution and Intelligent Design. The statement says as follows: WHEREAS, The United Methodist Church has for many years supported the separation of church and State ( 164C, Book of Discipline, 2004, p. 119); Therefore, be it resolved, that the General Conference of The United Methodist Church go on record as opposing the introduction of any faith-based theories such as Creationism or Intelligent Design into the science curriculum of our public schools. Regular readers of ENV will readily see that, in banning us on these grounds, the UMC relied upon gross misinformation. For one thing, the church treats ID and creationism as equivalent, a falsehood weve addressed many times here over the years. More to the point, Discovery Institute has consistently opposed pushing ID, not to mention creationism, into public schools. And intelligent design is not faith-based, it is entirely science-based. With all this in mind, and making our relevant positions clear in an exchange of correspondence with church officials, Discovery Institute naturally appealed the initial decision. However, this was to no avail. Our appeal was rejected on the additional grounds that somehow what we advocate at Discovery Institute contradicts the statements on Social Principles in the Book of Discipline. Speaking as United Methodists who also advocate for intelligent design and are associated with Discovery Institute, we find the reasons behind the decision flimsy, flawed, and hypocritical. The statement referenced above is clearly not predicated on the facts. ID is a scientific proposition based upon inference and abductive reasoning, seeking to identify specific markers of intelligent cause in natural systems. While we recognize there are potential theological implications of this, just as there are for Darwinian theory with its denial of lifes design, the science of ID makes no theological claims whatsoever. As for the United Methodist Book of Discipline, it states under Social Principles: The Natural World: We recognize science as a legitimate interpretation of Gods natural world. We affirm the validity of the claims of science in describing the natural world and in determining what is scientific. We preclude science from making authoritative claims about theological issues and theology from making authoritative claims about scientific issues. We find that sciences descriptions of cosmological, geological, and biological evolution are not in conflict with theology. Note the sentence: We preclude science from making authoritative claims about theological issues and theology from making authoritative claims about scientific issues. Yet in denying Discovery Institute a place in the exhibit hall, the UMC violates this very principle. They are, as a church, making a claim about what is and is not scientific. What sciences description of biological evolution should be is precisely the question that scientists, including those affiliated with Discovery Institute, address. Intelligent design, like Darwinian natural selection, is a proposed scientific description or explanation of how life evolves. Theology is, correctly, precluded from rendering a judgment on that question. It is difficult to see how the Commission on the General Conference of the UMC can justify their decision to exclude us, based as it is on a combination of misinformation and misapplied teaching. Its a sad state of affairs for a denomination, our own, that proclaims its devotion to Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors. What a shame that no one in the decision process found it in his heart to open his mind and open the door to fresh thoughts about science. Image credit: tatomm / Dollar Photo Club. Take action now: Contact United Methodist officials and urge them to overturn their ban on Discovery Institute. Decades ago, an iconic New York subway ad series featured a variety of people of diverse ethnicities (Asian, Native American, African-American, etc.) smiling as they enjoyed a sandwich on rye bread. The caption: You Dont Have to Be Jewish to Love Levys Real Jewish Rye Bread. I am not a Methodist, nor a Christian, but I too protest the ban placed by the United Methodist Church (UMC) on a mere information table a humble information table! if that table represents anything to do with Discovery Institute or intelligent design. You dont have to be Methodist to love free speech real unimpeded inquiry! As John West points out, the UMC has every legal right to ban from its upcoming General Conference any organization or idea it finds objectionable. Religious liberty demands that. But a moral right? The churchs motto is Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. Certainly, arbitrarily shutting down consideration or discussion of science pointing to design in nature is not evidence of an open heart, mind, or door. Quite the opposite. And yes, arbitrary is the right word to describe the UMCs decision. Review John Wests background account of our negotiations with church officials as well as the record of correspondence itself. We were offered a series of increasingly obscure, ill-informed rationales for the ban. It was clear that the church hierarchy simply did not want to allow anything to do with ID at their meeting, and would offer any excuse for excluding us. As our friend David Limbaugh tweets, this is in keeping with the way his church often does things: I attend a Methodist church. The hierarchy is often nothing to be proud of. https://t.co/yLzMV8PupP David Limbaugh (@DavidLimbaugh) January 18, 2016 The whole business is deplorable for a couple of reasons. First, the issue of whether biology and cosmology give evidence for design could not so you would think be more crucial for any person of faith. Intelligent design is a scientific program that does not address claims of theology, but surely no coherent account of Judeo-Christian belief can sidestep the question of design. Second, and despite what I just said, it is the habit of many religious groups and religious leaders, Christian and Jewish, simply to avert the eyes from the debate about lifes origins. Worse, they condemn those who seek to weigh the evidence of design objectively. And worse even than that, they accept and thus confirm and promote false claims about us. Thus the initial reason offered by the UMC for banning Discovery Institute was that, supposedly, we run afoul of a 2008 church resolution opposing the introduction of any faith-based theories such as Creationism or Intelligent Design into the science curriculum of our public schools. The idea that Discovery Institute seeks to insert ID into public schools is a slander concocted by our critics. We have been absolutely clear on that over the years. The notion that ID is faith-based is, likewise, absurd. Arguments for ID make no reference to God, the Bible, theology, nothing. They rely exclusively on inference from science. They can be fairly evaluated by anyone, theist or atheist. Though at first glance whats at stake here is no more than, as I noted, an exhibitor table at a church conference, really it is something much greater. I have found in the context of my own (Jewish) faith community that many leaders share a constitutional weakness for avoiding controversy, not least where prestige secular academic culture threatens to get into the fight. The last thing they want is to attract the wrath of the professors and on a subject to which they havent given due study. Its the role of thoughtful laypeople, however, to provide a robust counterweight by protesting institutional fear, complacence, and frankly quite often, dishonesty. We can and should give our leaders a little bit of spine when they seem to lack it. So I invite all readers, whether Christian or Jewish or neither, to send a message to the United Methodist Church. You dont have to be Methodist! In fact, since considerations of prestige in the eyes of the world account for many of the failures of our leaders in matters like this, you might wish to say up front that you write as an outsider to the church who feels disappointed to see United Methodists conceding to materialism on a question vital not only to them but to all human beings. Please take a moment and urge UMC officials to rescind the ban on intelligent design. We have provided a quick and easy way to do it, right here. Image: Rye bread, by Rainer Zenz [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Get the pick of the week's best stories and fascinating features direct to your inbox every Saturday and Sunday morning in our exclusive Weekender newsletter With five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, The Big Short is set to draw a crowd when it hits UK cinemas on Friday, January 22. The critically acclaimed film an adaptation of Michael Lewiss excellent book of the same name stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt. It tells the true story of various people in America who predicted the financial crash of 2007-08 and made huge amounts of money as a result. But many viewers may be unaware of the small but crucial part played in those real life events by a Wetherspoon pub in Exmouth or, more precisely, its free wi-fi. Among those who realised before most experts that the ticking time bomb of subprime mortgages threatened to bring down some of the biggest US banks, sending shock waves through the global economy, were the founders of Cornwall Capital. Predicting that the giant bundles of dodgy loans held by Bear Stearns would turn bad, the inexperienced hedge fund managers bought up lots of obscure insurance policies known as credit default swaps effectively a massive bet against the banks. As panic began to sweep the banks when they finally woke up to the looming crisis, Cornwall Capital suddenly had to sell these policies in a hurry, as Lewis explains: One thing was clear: Their long-shot bet was no longer a long shot. Their Wall Street dealers had always told them that theyd never be able to get out of these obscure credit default swaps, but the market was panicking, and seemed eager to buy insurance on anything related to subprime mortgage bonds. The calculation had changed: For the first time, Cornwall stood to lose quite a bit of money if something happened that caused the market to rebound if, say, the US government stepped in and guaranteed all the subprime mortgages. And of course if Bear Stearns went down, theyd lose it all. The only person at the firm with the know-how to complete the trades was Ben Hockett a retired banker who becomes the character Ben Rickert in the film, played by Brad Pitt. Unfortunately, at the critical time in August 2007 he was on holiday in Devon with his wifes family. And so it was, writes Lewis, that Ben Hockett found himself sitting in a pub called The Powder Monkey, in the city of Exmouth, in the county of Devon, England, seeking a buyer of $205 million in credit default swaps on the double-A tranches of mezzanine subprime CDOs. The Powder Monkey had the towns lone reliable wireless internet connection, and none of the enthusiastic British drinkers seemed to mind, or even notice, the American in the corner table bashing on his Bloomberg machine and talking into his cell phone from two in the afternoon until eleven at night. Hockett spent four days at the pub negotiating with increasingly frantic buyers at Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and UBS in New York. We had positions that were being valued by Bear Stearns at six hundred grand that went to six million the next day, recalled one of his colleagues. By 11pm on Thursday, August 9, he was finished becoming probably the only person to have made millions of dollars using the wi-fi at the popular town centre pub. Cornwall Capital, started four and a half years earlier with $110,000, had just netted, from a million-dollar bet, more than $80 million, writes Lewis. They had not been the chumps at the table. The long shot had paid 80:1. And no one at The Powder Monkey ever asked Ben what he was up to. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate President Barack Obamas initiative to protect about 5 million immigrants from deportation and provide them work permits stalled for almost a year by adverse federal court rulings will get a U.S. Supreme court review. The court is expected to hear the case in April with a decision possible by June. A ruling favorable to the administration would allow it to begin implementing the program before Obama leaves office and in the midst of an election year. A Texas-led lawsuit has blocked the plan from taking effect. It asserts that Obama overstepped his authority when he bypassed Congress to change the nations immigration laws. At the center of the legal challenge is the expanded deferred action program, announced Nov. 20, 2014, that would shield more young immigrants and millions of undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents from deportation. The 26 mostly Republican attorneys general who sued the administration on behalf of their states argue the policy, if implemented, would unfairly burden them with the costs of schools, health care and law enforcement. The changes could have far-reaching implications for Texas, where nearly 1.5 million undocumented immigrants live, according to the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute. The Supreme Court said in its decision accepting the case that it wanted to receive more briefing on the argument that the Presidents plan breaches his duty to enforce the immigration laws of the United States and detain or deport individuals without legal status here, said Denise Gilman, who directs the University of Texas Law School Immigration Clinic. The lower courts relied on very questionable reasoning in halting the implementation of the program. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, was created in 2012 to allow some undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children to remain here with work permits for two years. The expanded program for young immigrants was to take effect last February, while the adult program was scheduled to begin in May of this year. But U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville blocked the plan on the eve of implementation while he considered the constitutional claims of the lawsuit. In a subsequent ruling, Hanen found the administration had violated the Administrative Procedures Act by circumventing public hearings in the federal rule-making process when it announced plans to expand the deferred action program. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Hanens injunction in November. Now the Supreme Court will decide whether the injunction stays in place, and if the plaintiff states would be harmed by the program. Even if the injunction is lifted and the program goes forward, the lawsuit could still return to federal court in Brownsville. Though Texas had urged the high court not to consider the appeal, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday its decision to review it recognizes the importance of the separation of powers. As federal courts have already ruled three times, there are limits to the Presidents authority, and those limits enacted by Congress were exceeded when the President unilaterally sought to grant lawful presence to more than 4 million unauthorized aliens who are in this country unlawfully, Paxton wrote in a statement. He cannot unilaterally rewrite congressional laws and circumvent the peoples representatives. But some immigration law practitioners predicted a result favorable to those who would benefit from the presidents plan, given the courts current makeup and the high courts track record in cases regarding presidential powers. Personally, I think for those who advocate for the interests of future immigrants in this country, it probably bodes well, said San Antonio immigration lawyer Simon Azar-Farr. It is my sense that the Supreme Court will likely reverse the decision by the 5th Circuit and continue on its historic path of expanding presidential powers. Javier Gamboa, a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party and himself a beneficiary of the DACA program, said Democrats weres confident the Supreme Court will stand on the right side of history and rule in favor of keeping families together. anelsen@express-news.net Twitter: @amnelsen DALTON, Ohio The new produce safety rules that farmers and the produce industry have been talking about for years will finally go into effect Jan. 26. And even though some producers will be exempt, and others will generally have at least two years to comply, the rules are already a priority issue for growers. The rules were one of the main topics at this years Mid-Ohio Growers Meeting in Dalton, Jan. 14-15. The Food and Drug Administration announced the final rule in November. It sets science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing and holding of fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption. The main tenants of the new rule pertain to water quality and testing, adding amendments to soil, sprouts, domestic and wild animals, worker training, and the maintenance of equipment, tools and buildings. The Food Safety and Modernization Act is touching virtually every part of our food system here in the United States, said Emily Adams, OSU Extension educator from Coshocton County. Exemptions apply Farmers who produce less than $25,000 a year in produce crops will be exempt, according to FDA. And the rule does not apply to produce that is cooked, or not consumed raw. Very small businesses (those with more than $25,000 but no more than $250,000 in average annual produce sales) will have four years to comply. Small businesses (those with more than $250,000 but no more than $500,000 in average annual produce sales ) will have three years, and all other farms will have two years to comply. They (FDA) understand, from a compliance standpoint, that it takes time, said Adams. How much time you get depends on how big you are. Local enforcement Terri Gerhardt, chief of food safety at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, said, like farmers, she is still studying the new rule and everything thats included. Gerhardt said ODA plans to adopt and enforce the new produce safety rules in compliance with FDA, and that ODA will be your primary point of contact. She said the compliance time gives farmers and inspectors time to educate themselves about whats at stake, and prepare for the new rules. This is new for everybody, Gerhardt said, adding that ODA plans to work with OSU Extension, to help educate farmers in advance. She reminded producers, however, that they still need to be following the Good Agricultural Practices of growing and handling produce, even before their compliance dates kick in. Farm animals Of particular concern to farmers at the Mid-Ohio meeting, most who were Amish, is the rules treatment of farm animals and wildlife. The rule treats grazing and work animals the same as wildlife. It states that Farmers are required to take all measures reasonably necessary to identify and not harvest produce that is likely to be contaminated. But it also states that farms are not required to exclude animals from outdoor growing areas, destroy animal habitat, or clear borders around growing or drainage areas. Gerhardt said FDA lists the goal, but gives farmers some flexibility to decide how they accomplish the goal. The main thing, she said, is using common sense, and keeping manure and contaminants away from food products. Clean water Another topic for farmers is ensuring the water they use whether during the growth of the plant, or after harvest is tested and free of contaminants. Adams said producers need to take a minimum of 20 water samples, over a two- to four-year period, to establish a baseline analysis. These initial samples will tell producers if there is a problem, and what they need to do to bring their water into compliance. Lindsey Hoover, OSUs food safety program coordinator, said the presence of generic E. coli does not necessarily mean the water is contaminated. However, the higher amount of generic E. coli that your test results show, the greater chance that you have a pathogenic E. coli. Water used for post-harvest activities, or direct contact with edible produce must have no detectable generic E. coli, and water used during the growing process must fall within the acceptable levels of generic E. coli, established by FDA. Related: HARRISBURG, Pa. When you talk about the Pennsylvania Farm Show, there are two things people really love the animals and the food, said Nell Abom, public relations representative for several Pennsylvania Farm Show vendors. With the 100th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Farm Show this year, the PA Preferred Food Court introduced new items like fish nachos, mushroom burgers and even chocolate covered bacon. Mushrooms Highlighting old favorites, the breaded mushrooms returned to the Pennsylvania Mushroom Growers booth for the 38th year. Dale and Cyndy Dinsmore, of Franklin County, come every year to get their mushroom fix. They are wonderful, the Dinsmores agreed. But I need just one more to be sure, added Dale, as he sampled some of the breaded mushrooms. The Dinsmores always purchase a few extra to take back home. This year, a new mushroom blend burger was sold at the Farm Show and was a hit, according to Gail Ferranto, president of Buona Foods and representing Pennsylvanias mushroom farmers. The trend is to blend, she said. The burger consists of 70 percent ground meat (in this case, red meat) and 30 percent mushrooms. The blend is a new cooking concept that can be used to incorporate mushrooms into any dish. Mushrooms are also high in B vitamins, antioxidants, selenium and potassium, explained Ferranto. The burger is an American classic so the burger is just something we had to offer at this years farm show, said Ferranto. Aquaculture PennAg Industries gave a shout out to the fish industry by representing producers with two different options of fish nachos. Both served on a corn tortilla and bed of nacho chips, customers could choose from the herb crusted tilapia or the Pennsylvania trout. Both options were topped with fresh cabbage slaw, pickled onions and a lime crema. The fish nachos are swimming out of the building, joked Mindy Fleetwood, assistant vice president, PennAg Industries. PennAg also introduced a salty, sweet combination chocolate covered bacon, which consisted of a thick slice of Hatfield bacon, dipped in milk chocolate and drizzled in white chocolate. Fleetwood said they had no idea how popular the bacon would be when they sold out more than 1,100 pieces during the first two days of the farm show. But we were back in business by Monday morning, she said. Another staple of the PennAg food both, pulled pork, returned with new barbecue sauce options. PennAg released a set of special Pennsylvania Farm Show barbecue sauces in spicy and original flavors. Milkshake madness Many would find it difficult to walk out of the Farm Show without purchasing a milkshake from the Pennsylvania Dairymens Association. One of the highlights of the show was the unveiling of a new milkshake flavor in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Farm Show. The traditional chocolate and vanilla shakes were joined by strawberries and cream this year. The milkshakes are our most popular product, said Dave Smith, executive director of the Pennsylvania Dairymens Association. The dairymens booth is set up to serve around 500,000 people and uses approximately 18,000 gallons of milk during the nine-day show, said Smith. To give you an idea of how much milk that is, the average dairy herd here in Pennsylvania is about 80 cows. If they are an average producing herd, it would take the herd 24 days to have enough milk for our milkshakes, said Smith. Deep fried mozzarella cubes are also a popular product at the dairymens booth. They consist of four deep fried cheese cubes on a skewer. Smith said the booth will go through about three and a half tons of cheese during the week. Making connections The farmer-driven, association food booths link consumers back to the producers. There is a disconnect from people and the farm, said Abom. The Pennsylvania Farm Show is place where consumers can make direct connections between their food and the producers all under one roof. Just how much food was sold The terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso at the Splendid Hotel and the recent carnage in Mali at the Radisson are about more than terrorism they are also reminders of the grave consequences of state institutions weakened by the effects of engrained and deep seeded corruption. While Director of Investigations at the Global Fund and Head of the UN Anti-Corruption Task Force, I spent months in Burkina Faso and in Mali, staying at and visiting the hotels which are the sites of both attacks, investigating government corruption and focusing on vendor fraud, bribery of senior government officials and tainted procurements of goods and services in the health sector. I became familiar with both countries as well as their governments during my many visits as well as the sites of the recent carnage. As I reported in a recent post for the FCPA Blog, my three-plus year Global Fund OIG investigation of a $25 million contract for long lasting insecticidal nets (commonly referred to bednets) with the Inspector General of USAID gave rise to the recent indictment of Malamine Ouedraogo by the United States Attorneys Office in the Southern District of New York last month. While not charged in the indictment, our investigation had identified that the bednet contract had been steered by a relative of the former President to a vendor in China that assumed the identify of a co-bidder, Tana Netting, and then manufactured the nets in Tanas name, copying their packaging and logo, but failing to properly complete the construction by adding the necessary medicine and mosquito repellant on to the netting material effectively rendering the two million nets distributed throughout the country to its populace of little practical use. The corruption put the population of the country of Burkina Faso at risk of malaria. Likewise, in Mali, literally dozens of vendors presented fake invoices to trigger millions of dollars in payments for services never rendered, and some senior government officials helped facilitate the scheme and benefited from kickbacks and other fee payments charged to the donor programs. While 16 lower level vendors were ultimately arrested in Mali as a result of our investigation, the government refused to continue the investigation and cooperate with us as the evidence trail led deeper and higher into the Ministry. The 16 lower level individuals were quietly let out of prison once we left the country and the press articles and focus subsided. The recent terrorist attacks in both countries, while certainly much more devastating in terms of the consequences are not unrelated to the incidents of corruption that were identified in my investigations. State institutions weakened by corruption can lead to a diminished capacity to address and respond to other risks, such as terrorism. Corruption signals more than a lack of integrity in government it can mean a focus diverted away from security and stability. When Boards of Directors meet to discuss the acceptable levels of corruption in high risk/low integrity regions and whether to do business there, they might also consider factoring into the equation the consequences of weakened state institutions, and the other potential significant fallout that can be a by product of persistent corruption and a determined lack of accountability. * * * By coincidence, I spoke with Richard Bistrong a couple of days before the Burkina Faso terror attack, about corruption there. Heres an eight-minute clip from that conversation. ______ Robert M. Appleton is a partner in Day Pitney LLP, based in the firms New York office. His practice focuses on FCPA matters, economic and financial sanctions, and compliance issues. In 2005, he served as former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volckers Special Counsel in the Independent Iraqi Oil for Food investigation. In 2008, Appleton was selected by the U.N. Secretary General to serve as Chairman of the United Nations Procurement Task Force. He was Director of Investigations and Senior Legal Counsel at the Global Fund from 2010-2014. He also served as a supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney, in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, for more than 13 years. He can be contacted here. The Treasury Departments Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has the power to punish compliance officers and other individuals for their companys anti-money laundering control failures under the Bank Secrecy Act, a U.S. District Court in Minnesota ruled last week. The case involved a $1 million fine FinCEN imposed in December 2014 against the former chief compliance officer of MoneyGram, Thomas Haider. FinCEN said then that Haider failed to ensure that MoneyGram complied with the anti-money laundering provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act. Haider didnt file suspicious activity reports on agents he knew or suspected were engaged in fraud, money laundering, or other criminal activity, FinCEN said. And he failed to perform adequate due diligence or audits or terminate known high-risk agents. His lawyers argued that the Bank Secrecy Act didnt allow individuals to be held responsible for corporate AML failures. They also said FinCENs actions violated Haiders due process rights. But federal judge David Doty cited language in the Bank Secrecy Act allowing penalties against a partner, director, officer, or employee. The plain language of the statute provides that a civil penalty may be imposed on corporate officers and employees like Haider, who was responsible for designing and overseeing MoneyGrams AML program, Judge Doty said. In a 2012 federal settlement, Dallas-based MoneyGram paid $100 million to compensate fraud victims. Scammers told victims theyd won the lottery or been hired for a secret shoppers program. Others were duped to believe theyd been approved for a guaranteed loan or had won a cash prize. The fraudsters convinced victims to use MoneyGrams transfer system to send them up front taxes, customs duties, or processing fees. Many victims were elderly. The government said Haider could have stopped the fraud. He ran MoneyGrams compliance program and anti-fraud department from 2003 to 2008. In late 2014, FinCEN filed a complaint with the U.S. Attorney for Manhattan to enforce the $1 million penalty and to bar Haider from working in the financial industry. The case was transferred to Minneapolis, where Haider moved to dismiss the DOJs enforcement action. One of Haiders lawyers, Ian Comisky, said in 2014 that FinCENs action was overreaching. While the current government mantra is for heightened individual responsibility, this is the wrong case to try to establish this principle. But FinCEN director Jennifer Shasky Calvery called Haiders AML failures an affront to his peers and to his profession. With his willful violations, she said, he created an environment where fraud and money laundering thrived and dirty money rampaged through the very system he was charged with protecting. ____ Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. He can be contacted here. Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner will star in 'Wind River'. Elizabeth Olsen Olsen and Renner previously teamed up for Marvel Studios movie 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' and will be seen together in the upcoming 'Captain America: Civil War' and they are now set reunite for the crime drama, written-and-directed by 'Sicario' writer Taylor Sheridan. Olsen will portray an FBI agent who travels to Utah to investigate the murder of a girl who has frozen to death and who is discovered by Cory (Renner), a hunter and ranger for the Fish and Game government department. Dealing with grief following the death of his teenage daughter, Cory helps the rookie agent navigate the hostile and unfamiliar terrain of the Utah wilderness. It will be Sheridan's directorial debut and the movie is due to start filming in Park City, USA, in March. Peter Berg and Matthew George will co-produce the film. Olsen's other work includes the 2014 reboot of 'Godzilla' and 'Silent House' and she will be seen next on screen playing Hank Williams' wife Audrey Mae in the Sony Pictures biopic 'I Saw The Light', to be released on March 25. Renner is currently shooting sci-fi movie 'Story of Your Life'. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the government had always extended its support to the RMG sector and expected garment factory owners to help complete the work on Garment Village at Gazaria in Munshiganj for further development of the country 's RMG industry."Our government has allocated a land for setting up the Garment Village at Gazaria...necessary work is underway to develop the village and it could be completed speedily if you take some initiatives and spend some money. But, you're close-fisted and try to save money and that's the problem," she told a delegation of newly elected leaders of the Bangladesh Manufacturers and Garment Exporters Association (BGMEA) led by its President Md Siddiqur Rahman. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the government had always extended its support to the RMG sector and expected garment factory owners# Sheikh Hasina said all facilities are being ensured from gas supply to communications to establish the Garment Village. "There'll be no problem at the village if you start spending money and relocating your factories there," the UNB news agency reported.Businessmen will have to come forward to solve problems on their own, she said stressing the importance of reducing dependence on the government.The Prime Minister also urged private banks to take necessary measures to bring down high lending rates and said the nationalised banks are providing loans at a relatively lower rate of interest.She stressed the need for ensuring welfare of the workers by the industry owners as they are contributing towards making country's economy stronger.Assuring full support of her government to the textile industry, the Prime Minister called on readymade garment manufacturers and exporters to explore newer markets across the world to boost to the country's exports and strengthen the national economy.The Awami League government does not want to do business and is working to enhance and promote business activities to put the national economy a stronger footing, Shiekh Hasina told the delegation.She said her government wanted to play the role of a regulator and facilitator and it does not want to do business, she told the delegation and stressed upon businessmen to reduce their dependence on government. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk - India American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology giant Monsanto Company announced plans to construct a new state-of-the-art cotton seed processing facility in Lubbock, Texas in co-operation with the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA).The construction of the new facility is expected to begin in March and be completed in the second half of 2017. The new Lubbock site would involve a capital investment of $140 million and is expected to employ 40 full-time personnel, the company said in a press release. American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology giant Monsanto Company announced plans to construct a new state-of-the-art cotton# It would be Monsanto's primary US hub for all commercial cotton seed processing operations to include cleaning, treating and bagging of cotton seed while existing processing facilities will transition to support storage and warehousing, pre-commercial operations and research in various parts of the Cotton Belt, it said.Advanced technology at the new hub facility in Lubbock will allow for better data capture, and automating processes will improve both our manufacturing effectiveness and the safety of our personnel, said Dave Penn, Cotton Manufacturing Lead at Monsanto. This creates value that we can pass on to our customers. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk - India As Vietnam prepares to sign the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, economists in the Southeast Asian country have said that signing free trade agreements with big partners including the US, Japan, the European Union would help Vietnam to expand its trade relations across the globe, boost exports and enhance its participation regional value chains and service development.Addressing a seminar on Vietnam's Socio economy in 2015 and Opportunity Challenges in Hanoi recently, Nguyen Quynh Nga, Deputy Head of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was expected to be signed on February 4, 2016, in New Zealand, and Vietnamese agencies concerned were preparing a document for the occasion, the Voice of Vietnam has reported. As Vietnam prepares to sign the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, economists in the Southeast Asian country have said that signing# Although Vietnam has renewed its economic mechanism, boosted renovation and improved the business climate with a view to attracting more foreign investors, Nga said challenges such as huge import bills and competition from foreign service and goods, and poor high-tech quality remained.All sectors such as textiles, fisheries, infrastructure, and logistics, apart from real estate, steel and timber products, and drugs would benefit from the TPP, noted.Can Van Luc, Director of BIDV Training School at the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) said adding that Vietnam would enjoy many benefits from the TPP once it comes into effect after two years. He said Vietnam and neighbouring Cambodia stood to gain as the largest beneficiaries after the establishment of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. Vietnam's GDP could grow a further 3.5 per cent thanks to the AEC while the World Bank has forecast 10 per cent economic growth after it joins the TPP.Projecting a brighter economic outlook for 2016, Trung Thanh, Associate Professor of the National Economic University said Vietnam's economy will continue to recover as the world economy bounces back stronger than before in which foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an important role.With the world economic growth showing signs of improvement, especially in the US, Vietnam will be able participate better in the global value chain and receive numerous opportunities from the free trade agreements to increase exports and attract more investment capital, Thanh said.He, however, pointed out that, Vietnam lacked a long-term motivation for growth, and it needed to renew its growth model and restructure the economy by focussing on important industries. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk - India According to USDA's latest report cotton spinning in Vietnam has more than tripled in the last four years, with total cotton use forecast to reach 5.1 million bales in 2015/16.During this period, Vietnam accounted for half of the total world growth in cotton demand, with rising yarn exports being the main source of this rapid expansion in mill use. According to USDA's latest report, cotton spinning in Vietnam has more than tripled in the last four years, with total cotton use forecast to reach# Net yarn exports increased at an annual rate of over 40 per cent between 2011/2012 and 2015/2016, with China being the largest market for Vietnam yarn exports accounting for 80-90 per cent of all yarn exports.This growth is paralleled by a large rise in Chinese investment in yarn spinning in Vietnam, alongside wholesale relocations of some firms, USDA said.The key driver of this trend has been China's domestic cotton policy which has elevated the internal price of cotton enough to render many spinning operations unprofitable, the US agricultural body explained.At the same time, cotton consumption for Vietnam's domestic yarn utilisation has also shown impressive growth, more than doubling since 2011/2012.Thus, even as more yarn is being exported to China, Vietnam's role further up the textile value chain is also growing, USDA observed.For 2015/16, USDA expects world production to lower substantially, mostly due to changes in Pakistan, India, and China and consumption is forecast to be marginally lower.US production and use have also been lowered slightly, while ending stocks have been raised, but the US season-average farm price is projected unchanged at 59 cents per pound.For the week ending December 31, accumulated exports for all cotton rose to 2.44 million running bales versus 2.53 million last year, while outstanding sales rose to 2.53 million versus 5.83 million last year. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Behold Fast and Furious Fans! One of the lead actors from the movie, Vin Diesel shared the first poster of Fast 8 on his Instagram. Vin refrained form adding any caption and just shared the image with his fans. The poster looks absolutely kickass! Courtesy: Daily Mail The poster features the New York Skyline at dawn and reads, 'new roads ahead.' It also gives away the month of release, which is April 2017. Fast 8 will be the first movie in the series fully made since the death of the actor Paul Walker. Paul Walker passed in a car crash while filming Fast and Furious 7. Nothing about the plot of the movie is revealed by the actor or Universal studios. One of Universal spokesperson said, 'Universal Pictures is currently in the process of 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.' NBC Universal vice-chairman Ron Meyer had previously said that the movie would have flashback scenes featuring Walker. Fast 8 is said to directed by Gary Gray. Furious 7 went onto become one of the highest grossing films of 2015. It grossed 41.5 billion at the worldwide box office and was the sixth highest grossing movie ever! Vin Diesel, who considers Paul Walker his brother, had a break down while accepting his award for the movie Furious 7 during the Golden Globes 2016. He teared up remembering Paul. Previously Vin Diesel had said, 'Paul Walker used to say that eight was guaranteed. And in some ways, when your brother guarantees something, you sometimes feel like you have to make sure it comes to pass.' 'So if fate has it, F8...if fate has it, then you'll get this when you hear about it. Seven was for Paul, eight is from Paul.' He continued. Actors Protest Against All White Oscars 2016 Nominations, Boycott The Academy Awards Asin Thottumkal, who started her acting career down South, tied the knot today at a church in Delhi. The Ghajini actress married Rahul Sharma, the co-founder of Micromax Informatics Limited and its CEO. The wedding took place in a grand yet personalized manner as only 50 important guests were invited. Surprisingly, the marriage seems to have taken place without any prominent Kollywood celebrities. Click on the slides below for wedding photos Wedding Invitation This is the invitation that was sent out to 200 odd people ahead of the actress' wedding. The First Invitation This is the first invitation that was sent to Akshay Kumar. "Happy to receive the 1st wedding card of 2 of my close friends, Rahul & Asin. Wishing you both happiness always", Akshay wrote on his Twitter page. The Venue This is the venue where Asin tied the knot with Rahul Sharma earlier in the day. The private reception will happen on Saturday as mentioned earlier. The All Important Dias The Hindu wedding will witness the arrival of many influential people from across India. Expect some powerful business magnates to attend the ceremony. And They Lived Happily Ever After..... Asin's wedding has been a story straight out of a fairy tale. The talented actress will be hoping and praying for a similar tale post her marriage as well. Did Asin just ignore her friends from Tamil film industry? Well, ironically Akshay Kumar, who will soon be making his Tamil debut through Rajinikanth's 2.0 (Enthiran 2), was honoured with the first invitation and rightly so. As it turns out, apart from introducing Asin to her then future husband, Akshay was also instrumental in kindling the romance between Asin and Rahul. "Don't laugh, but we were playing hide and seek, and I made the two of them hide together in one cupboard. That is how it started and it is so nice that they are getting married now." Akshay has said. As reported earlier, Asin will also have a marriage that follows the Hindu customs. While only 50 were invited to the wedding that took place at the church, 200 guests are expected to attend the Hindu based ceremony. Though it is not known if any actor or actress from the South Indian film industry had been invited to this particular wedding, it will be interesting to see if any prominent Tamil personality, other than Prabhu Deva, who is more into Hindi films of late, makes it to the gathering. The newly married couple will also throw a lavish party on 23rd January (Saturday) at a farmhouse, owned by Rahul Sharma, according to a report. Asin, who made her debut through a Malayalam flick titled Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka in the year 2001, went on to act in Telugu and Tamil films. She was considered as the reigning queen of Tamil film industry for a very long time, before making her Hindi debut in Aamir Khan's Ghajini, the remake of a superhit Tamil flick of the same name, starring Suriya. Photo Credit: Bombay Times Also Read: Kathakali Movie Review & Rating: A Decent Thriller Chinese peer-to-peer lender Lufax will use its newly raised $1.2 billion of additional funding not just to boost its lending capacity but also to connect more online investors with offline services, ahead of a planned initial public offering that could fetch more than $5 billion. In an exclusive interview with FinanceAsia on Tuesday, Lufax chief executive officer Gregory Gibb said the Shanghai-based company has massive scope to tap into the aspirations and wealth of China's rising middle-class. With Chinese investors increasingly scanning overseas and domestic markets bedevilled by low-yielding deposits, volatile shares, and risky trust or wealth management products, the market clearly needs more investment options. The big opportunity for Lufax, Gibb said, is to offer these in a highly bespoke way. You have to be almost like an Amazon with a recommendation-driven platform, matching each individuals investment experience and their risk appetite said Gibb on the sidelines of the Asian Financial Forum conference in Hong Kong. The biggest challenge is to create a risk profile for every individual and shortlist the right products out of hundreds of thousands for them. You cant be the Yellow Pages of investments, the former partner at McKinsey said. The strategy at Lufax, which is short for Shanghai Lujiazui International Financial Asset Exchange Co. Ltd. and is backed by Ping An Insurance Group, underscores its ambition to expand its client base by leveraging off its parent's one million-strong labour force and its wide range of institutional and individual investors. Online-to-offline is a hot spot in China as technology companies try to monetise the online traffic from their various businesses, from taxi-hailing apps to group-buying websites, and more consumers grow accustomed to using their phones to transfer money. The Chinese O2O market grew by 80% year on year to Rmb304.9 billion ($46.4 billion) in the first six months of 2015, according to Chinas Ministry of Commerce. Bank of Communications forecasts that the O2O market will grow another 58% to Rmb660 billion in 2016 as Chinese consumers increasingly shop with their mobile devices and pick up their deliveries at home. The competition amongst technology companies is also growing. Alibaba and its financial affiliate Ant Financial said in July that they will each put Rmb3 billion into a O2O joint venture called Koubei.com, which is focused on food delivery services and aims to facilitate more transactions using Ant Financials Alipay, a PayPal-like payment system. Boosting its existing 2,000 domestic mutual funds on its various platforms, Gibb said Lufax is in talk with international fund management firms like Fidelity and BlackRock to offer overseas products to Chinese investors. Putting everything (i.e. the cross-border settlement, multi-currency conversion, and investor identication process) in place to do it on an online platform while preserving an easy customer experience is a big deal, said Gibb, who expects the loan sales agent and online borrowers will drive its offline traffic. For most ordinary investors in China investing overseas is not an easy task as Beijing has a tight control of the capital account, which covers cross-border money flows for financial transactions. The Chinese government is keen to avoid rapid money moving in and out of the country, as it wants to manage the value of the Chinese currency and ensure its exporters are competitive in foreign markets. 2016 IPO The planned listing of Lufax later this year is set to break the hiatus in Chinese technology listings after Alibabas $25 billion IPO in September 2014. A dual listing in domestic and international markets remains possible but the destination has not yet been finalised. Gibb said the company's valuation had been little affected by the recent machinations of the secondary market as investors are confident in their business model and growth trajectory. Thanks to a strong support from our parent company Ping An, we think our ability to source investment products and assets from other financial institutions is a key differentiator for us among other fintech companies since it has helped us to build a solid open platform, extending our first P2P product four years ago, Gibb said. Ping An products represent up to 40% of Lufax's entire offering last year, down from 50% in 2014, suggesting that Lufax wants to grow its product line by adding other banks and insurance companies. Based on its series-B round of funding completed in December Lufax is now valued at $18.5 billion, up from $10 billion in March last year. The company is well-funded and unlikely to seek another round of private funding before its IPO, according to Gibb. Ping An Group, the country's second-largest insurer by premiums, owns about 43% of Lufax following the second stake sale, down from 47.49% previously. At the end of 2015, Lufax had more than 3.6 million active users and handled more than Rmb 1.6 trillion worth of transactions on its various platforms. It is quoted in mainland Chinese reports saying that its full-year 2016 revenue is expected to jump to $3.1 billion, up from $706 million in 2015, while its annual loss will narrow to $68 million this year from last years $415 million. The company reportedly also said that it expects to make an annual profit of $1.55 billion in 2017. A few months after he became the sixth Cetera Financial Group executive to exit the firm in the past year, Steve Dunlap has a new job. As the latest president and COO of web-based wealth management platform provider FolioDynamix, one of his customers will be Cetera. With the move, Dunlap returns to his earlier passion for working in smaller technology firms. "I'm very excited about getting back to my roots here in the entrepreneurial world," Dunlap says. Before leaving Cetera, Dunlap had served as CEO of Tower Square Investment Management, Cetera's asset management arm. He had also served as Cetera's wealth management chief. BREWING PLAN B Three years ago, Dunlap had moved his family to Los Angeles from the East Coast to join Cetera. It seemed like a great move at the time. After Nicholas Schorsch's firm RCS Capital Group bought Cetera in 2014, it became the second-largest independent broker-dealer in the country, in terms of advisor count. But RCS Capital shares collapsed in 2015 after an accounting scandal at another Schorsch firm, American Realty Capital Properties, and Dunlap lost his job. RCS Capital stock has since been delisted and the company has filed for bankruptcy. Read more: Cetera Quietly Dumps Head of Wealth Management Throughout the turmoil and even before, Dunlap says he had been talking to Joseph Mrak, the FolioDynamix CEO, about working together one day. They initially met in 2009 when Dunlap selected Folio to provide the integrated wealth management platform for Pershing Managed Investments. At the time, Dunlap was president of Pershing, the managed investments division of BNY Mellon. "I made the decision to bring Folio in" to Pershing, Dunlap says. "We did a complete survey of every solution in the marketplace and went deep on every one and FolioDynamix won that beauty contest. I know the company, I know the people, I know the product, I know the space." Dunlap comes to FolioDynamix as its competition in the rebalancing software space has transformed. It's main competitor now is Envestnet, which bought out rival Tamarac in 2012 for $54 million. Dunlap has long enjoyed working with new companies. Earlier in his career, Dunlap created and built the venture-funded startup AnnuityNet. AnnuityNet later became Finetre Corporation and was acquired by Ebix. SOURED ON CORPORATE AMERICA? Asked whether he's soured on corporate America after his roller coaster ride at Cetera, Dunlap says that, although he's discovered he's a better fit at smaller firms, the answer is no. "By any estimation it was a fantastic experience. I have all the respect in the world for the Cetera of 2013 and the Cetera in 2016," he says. He'll be able to talk to large clients with new understanding and authority, he says. "You are on the inside seeing how big companies work and you go, 'Oh, that's why that happened,'" he says. With that in mind, he's looking forward to being part of his new firm's evolution. "As a customer, I was always outspoken about what they should do to take the product to the next level," Dunlap says. "Now I kind of get to go and put my money where my mouth is." Read more: Chinese technology and investment group Cocoon Networks is launching a 500 million ($720 million) London-based venture capital fund aimed at investing in UK and European tech startups. Cocoon Networks, which has the backing of China Equity Group, one of the first investors in to Baidu, China's answer to Google, and Hanxin Capital, which specialises in cloud computing and bio tech investments, will look to invest in tech companies whose products and services show promise and potential for growth in the Chinese market. The fund will look to invest in tech companies across a wide range of sectors including fintech, biotech, medical devices and the UK's creative tech industries, like fashion-tech. Companies looking to expand into China will also be offered assistance in navigating Chinese legislation and practical help about doing business there. As part of a wider investment, Cocoon Networks, in partnership with University College London, is also setting up the capital's biggest incubator space, in order to provide the best environment for growing tech startups. John Zai, Founder and CEO, Cocoon Networks said: "The fund will provide capital to help the development of some excellent technology and innovative projects in London and the UK. "The fund and incubator programme will bring awareness for more Chinese investors to get into London's booming technology sector. It will also help many companies grow and expand into China." Gordon Innes, CEO London Partners, The Mayor of London's promotional and economic development company, said: "This is a significant vote of confidence in the global nature of London's tech sector and will deliver significant investment into some of the capital's brightest and best startups. "London is experiencing unprecedented growth in its technology sector, and there is a wealth of opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors to get a foothold in the UK and the rest of Europe." The incubator, a 70,000 sq ft building is situated in the heart of London's Tech City close to Moorgate, Liverpool St, and Old Street stations. Cocoon says it will not only be an incubating space for technology companies but it will also work with some of London's world class universities to attract talent, offer accelerator programmes and co-working spaces. The incubator will work with startups to take products from the concept phase and test them in a real environment Cocoon's own digital testing labs before going live on the public market. Cocoon says this testing and support infrastructure enables startups to compete on a level playing field with larger companies. The announcement by Cocoon Networks came as London Partners said that it was on course to secure record investment from Chinese companies in London this financial year. Over the last nine months 28 Chinese companies, worth 23 million ($33m) to the city's economy, have already pledged to set up in London, with that figure expected to rise to nearer 40 by the end of March 2016. The previous best year for Chinese investment in London was in 2011/12 when 30 Chinese companies came to the city. Boosted by the visit of President Xi Jinping to the UK last year and the Chinese government's drive to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, London is already the most popular city in Europe for Chinese foreign direct investment. Chinese companies and venture capital funds are now being encouraged to look at London as the next big tech investment, as the city has grown to become Europe's biggest tech hub. London has welcomed many Chinese technology companies including Huawei Technologies, Alibaba, gaming giant Rekoo, Cheetah Mobile and Deyatech, a company offering enterprise content management for businesses. One of the biggest Chinese investments in to a London technology company last year was 23 million ($34 million) by Beijing Kunlun Tech Co in to Lendinvest, the world's largest peer to peer marketplace for mortgages, having financed over 300m of mortgages in its first two years. Li Cha, Founder and Managing Partner, iStart Ventures LLC, added: "The Chinese economy is vastly in need of innovation which comes from either competition in the domestic market or from international inspiration. In this respect, London is a good source of international trends and aspiration in technology and cultural creativity. Chinese investors have started exploring opportunities outside of China, in order to grab hold of global cutting edge technology as well as to diversify their portfolios. In light of this, London serves as the best hub in Europe." The UK tech sector has experienced rapid growth since British Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor of London Boris Johnson launched the Tech City initiative in 2010. Figures released last week show that in 2015 venture capital investment in to Britain's technology sector reached a record high with London-based companies securing around 62% of the 2.5 billion ($3.6bn) raised by UK firms in 2015. Gavin Poole, CEO, Here East added: "At Here East we see first-hand that London is brimming with a huge range of exciting tech start-ups -from the birth and rapid growth of makers redefining product development in sectors including fintech and biotech, to data-led consumer software businesses. Investment from China and other countries is crucial to improving the access to funding and infrastructure that will help these start-ups to scale quickly, benefitting all partners. In an increasingly globalised world, sharing innovation and collaborating across continents is vital to maximising the economic and creative output of start-up communities worldwide." ENDS Notes for Editors London Partners London Partners is the official promotional company for London funded by the Mayor of London and a network of commercial partners. We provide bespoke advice based around business drivers to help companies make better informed decisions more quickly. Working with a network of over 1,000 partners, we provide investors with the information they need to take advantage of London's opportunities from day one. We have offices and representatives based around the world. Cocoon Networks Cocoon Networks is Europe's first international start-up ecosystem to be backed by Chinese capital. Its aims to create the best possible environment for nurturing great innovation, investment, passion, expertise, talent, teamwork, and genius. Backed by two of the most influential private equity firms in China, Hanxin Capital and China Equity Group, Cocoon Networks is dedicated to delivering excellence in innovation by bringing together the Chinese and European start-up communities. The group consists of various business including incubator, accelerator, venture capital &fund management and Intellectual property management. iStart Ventures LLC iStart VC focuses on discovering and investing in startup companies at seed stages, which is also how the name iStart originated. iStart provides capital and mentoring support to passionate startup founders, alone with their journey from 0 to 1,until becoming market leaders. From iStart campus, emerges numerous shining stars such as ZFATech,31huiyi,Yummy Express, eleme, HunterOn, Bobo, Trend Data, Surong360, wolongge, LeisureLife, Genowise, etc. Together with young startup founders, iStart rocks the world. Here East Here East is London's home for making, located in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. It is a dedicated place for individuals and companies who embrace and pioneer technology, share expertise and are creating the products of tomorrow. It is a unique campus where creative businesses growing in scale join businesses of scale growing in creativity. It is designed as a place for start-up, entrepreneurial businesses to co-exist and collaborate with global, established businesses and support genuine product innovation. Here East provides over one million square feet of dedicated and versatile spaces for creative and digital companies. It combines unparalleled infrastructure with a unique environment to facilitate collaboration and the exchange of ideas. Here East includes shared workspaces and public areas to foster a tight community, alongside a shared yard with space for discussion and events, a landscaped canal side and artisan cafes, shops and restaurants. Here East is being developed by iCITY, a company owned by clients of Delancey, a specialist real estate investment and advisory company. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160118005564/en/ Contacts: London Partners Ben Pattie press@londonandpartners.com +44 (0)20 7234 5710 NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - January 18, 2016) - The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) has long provided a forum for the apartment industry's leaders to discuss insights and drive innovation. It has also represented the industry as a whole and allowed it to speak with a unified voice. One of their most important events, the NMHC Apartment Strategies Outlook Conference is set to take place on January 19 at the Hilton Bonnet Creek/Waldorf Astoria in Florida. As a leader in the industry and the real estate world in general, Boris Mizhen is proud to be attending the conference and looks forward to sharing his ideas and gaining valuable knowledge from his colleagues. While his entrepreneurship spans many fields and industries, Boris Mizhen has shown an admiration for and interest in real estate, paying particular attention to multifamily housing. The innovative marketing services he developed early in his career have been instrumental to his success in the real estate world, and has used his talents to improve the quality of housing for thousands of people from varying economic backgrounds. He has also actively pursued the discovery of new strategies and kept a close watch on promising trends within the industry, taking direction from inspirations such as Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. Last year, decisions such as making a considerable investment in a new mobile app that could have an incredible impact on the real estate industry showed his dedication to further innovation. Mizhen believes that the NMHC Apartment Strategies Outlook Conference is the perfect symposium in which to meet like-minded individuals and organizations who are similarly driven to maximize the success of multifamily real estate. The NMHC Apartment Strategies Outlook Conference takes place just before Council's annual meeting, ensuring that the greatest minds in the apartment industry will be present. It is an excellent opportunity for all who are involved, connected to or simply interested in the field, as unlike the NMHC members-only annual meeting, the conference is open to the public. It will be a full day of networking and panels, featuring the industry's most respected leaders as keynote speakers and moderators. Discussions of trends, statistics and new developments will help illuminate what we can expect to see from the industry and the economy in 2016. Boris Mizhen is a New York-based entrepreneur that has proven himself as one of the country's leading property developers, business strategists and investors. His career in real estate was achieved when he demonstrated to be one of the most innovative online marketers in the world. He owns and manages dozens of successful properties across the North Eastern United States, and is continuously looking for new ways to advance the workings of the real estate industry. His passion for buying and improving housing for people of differing economic backgrounds parallels his love for charitable work, including the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven and Chabad of the Shoreline, whose festival they have acted as the primary sponsors for a decade. Boris Mizhen - Property Developer and Philanthropist: http://borismizhennews.com Boris Mizhen -- Generously Donates to the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/boris-mizhen-generously-donates-jewish-000443932.html Boris Mizhen -- Highly Admires Business Instinct of Bill Gates: http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Boris+Mizhen+--+Highly+Admires+Business+Instinct+of+Bill+Gates/11188255.html Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1/19/11G079246/Images/Boris_Mizhen_--_Proud_To_Attend_NMHC_Apartment_Str-efe363383838a8f3a8a032e20a0797cd.jpg Contact Information: Boris Mizhen www.borismizhennews.com boris@borismizhennews.com CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar weakened against the other major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday. The Australian dollar fell to a 4-day low of 0.9945 against the Canadian dollar, from yesterday's closing value of 0.9993. Against the U.S. dollar, the yen and the euro, the aussie dropped to 0.6839, 80.19 and 1.5943 from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.6865, 80.51 and 1.5861, respectively. If the aussie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 0.98 against the loonie, 0.67 against the greenback, 79.00 against the yen and 1.61 against the euro. 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 (dpa-AFX) - CSX Corp. (CSX) said that it is consolidating its operations administration from 10 divisions to 9 divisions and closing administrative offices at Huntington, West Virginia. Huntington Division administrative responsibilities will be reassigned to five adjoining divisions: Atlanta, Baltimore, Florence, Great Lakes and Louisville. CSX stated that it will continue to run trains over the territory, and its yards and other facilities in the Huntington region - including the Huntington locomotive shop - will continue operations. The company remains committed to the Huntington community, which has played a vital role in railroading and American commerce since its namesake Collis P. Huntington completed the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1873. The 121 management and union employees who currently report to the Huntington Division offices will remain employed in the area supporting the transition of administrative responsibilities over the next several months. At the conclusion of the transition period, the timing of which may vary by role, many employees will be given an opportunity to fill positions in other areas of the network. CSX noted that it remains firmly committed to providing safe, reliable rail service to customers throughout the region. 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 New Zealand dollar weakened against the other major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday. The NZ dollar fell to 0.6415 against the U.S. dollar, 75.27 against the yen and 1.6985 against the euro, from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.6448, 75.64 and 1.6869, respectively. Against the Australian dollar, the kiwi edged down to 1.0681 from an early 4-day high of 1.0627. If the kiwi extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 0.63 against the greenback, 74.00 against the yen, 1.74 against the euro and 1.08 against the aussie. 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. Airbnb, IKEA Foundation, LinkedIn, MasterCard, UPS andWestern Unionamong inaugural partners In addition, announces Tent Challenge to award up to 20 rapid-impact grants for innovative approaches to helping refugees DAVOS-KLOSTERS, Switzerland, Jan. 19,2016 /PRNewswire/ --The Tent Foundation, established by Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of global food-company Chobani, LLC, announced today it is convening a group of leading global companies to focus their resources on addressing and solving the refugee crisis. Among the inaugural partners to the commitment are Airbnb, IKEA Foundation, LinkedIn, MasterCard, UPS and Western Union, with a plan to unveil up to 100 partners by mid-2016. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160116/322916LOGO In conjunction with the Pledge, Tent is also announcing that it plans to award up to 20 rapid-impact grants totaling at least US$1 million to groups and individuals addressing the growing refugee crisis across Europe, the Middle East and beyond. "If we're going to give hope and opportunity to the more than 60 million refugees around the world, it must come from more than just governments and NGOs," said Ulukaya. "Businesses and innovators have a critical role to play, and I'm so proud that some of the largest organizations in the world have joined us on our mission to rethink how we're addressing this crisis. This is more than aid. This is a commitment to invest in building our global capacity for meaningful, humanitarian change." Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation, added: "I look forward to working in partnership with the Tent Foundation to nurture and leverage the skills and resources of an ever-growing number of companies responding to the refugee crisis. In signing the Tent Pledge, we are also committing to encourage fellow business leaders to do more to respond." Antonio Guterres, former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, also added: "It is inspiring to see the private sector taking the lead in empowering innovators to achieve their fullest potential in assisting refugees. I look forward to seeing Tent and its partners speed up the time it takes for UNHCR to intervene, not only in immediate relief, but by also supporting long-term capacity-building, policies and attitudes that benefit refugees as well as host countries." In partnership with governments and humanitarian agencies, the Tent Foundation aims to end the challenges faced by the 60 million people displaced worldwide. By applying an entrepreneurial mindset to the refugee challenge and catalyzing cross-sector innovation, Tent is encouraging the private sector to harness and mobilize its ingenuity, resources and enterprising spirit to strengthen the humanitarian response system and help end the refugee crisis. About the Tent Pledge Through the Tent Pledge, business leaders around the world are committing to continue measurable actions that leverage their resources to elevate the lives of refugees and their host communities through one or more of the following activities: Direct giving or provision of services and in-kind materials - such as relief goods, logistical and legal services and internet access - that humanitarian experts have identified as most needed in camps, crisis zones and temporary or resettled communities. and in-kind materials - such as relief goods, logistical and legal services and internet access - that humanitarian experts have identified as most needed in camps, crisis zones and temporary or resettled communities. Generating employment opportunities for refugees, including skills and language training for refugees and at-risk host communities. for refugees, including skills and language training for refugees and at-risk host communities. Shaping supply chains by incentivizing partners to source products and services from companies that employ refugees and their host communities, or support refugee causes. The first signatories of the Tent Pledge represent a spectrum of industries and regions and will be formally unveiled at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting on 20 January, 2016. About the Tent Challenge In an effort to spur innovation and scale groundbreaking solutions, the Tent Challenge aims to quickly disburse funding to groups on the frontlines of the crisisand those whoare working to inform policy and improved public understanding of refugees. Tent will award up to $50,000 rapid-impact grants to groups and individuals addressing the following areas: Immediate relief operations; Innovations in relief work with future potential to be taken to greater scale, including innovations in refugee processing; Efforts to improve livelihoods for refugees, the displaced and their surrounding communities; Original analysis or research that will shape more effective policies related to forced displacement; and, Creative efforts to foster an improved public understanding of refugees and the internally displaced. Successful projects will be considered for further funding to be brought to scale. Tent is evaluating applications submitted on www.tent.org on a rolling basis. About The Tent Foundation The Tent Foundation seeks to improve the lives and livelihoods of the 60 million people who have been forcibly displaced around the globe. The Tent Foundation does this by funding direct assistance, investing in innovation, and promoting policies and partnerships to help the displaced realize their full potential. The Tent foundation was established by Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder and CEO of yogurt company Chobani and an active donor to humanitarian organizations. Mr. Ulukaya launched the Tent Foundation to aid refugees and to end displacement everywhere. In 2015, he became an Eminent Advocate for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and joined the giving pledge, committing the majority of his wealth to ending this humanitarian crisis. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tent-foundation-announces-global-pledge-for-companies-to-help-solve-international-refugee-crisis-300205959.html Second consecutive year that Milliman has won this award DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, was named the Service Provider of the Year at the Middle East Insurance Review's Middle East Industry Awards 2015, which were held in November. This is the second consecutive year that Milliman has won this award. Middle East Insurance Review is a monthly publication that aims to meet the information needs of insurance practitioners in the Middle East and North Africa region and the global takaful industry. Significant regulatory changes are occurring in the Middle East, and Milliman has educated and will continue to educate the industry through a series of workshops, collaborating with others in the industry. "We are delighted to have been recognised for our overall excellence for the second year in a row," said Safder Jaffer, Managing Director, Dubai office. "The fact that Milliman has been recognised shows that actuaries are making a difference to the value proposition of the insurance and reinsurance industry in the region. And we will enhance our service proposition by focusing on developing talent within client companies as we continue to provide innovative solutions." For more information about the awards, please visit: http://www.meinsurancereview.com/meirawards/. About Milliman Milliman is among the world's largest providers of actuarial and related products and services. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, property & casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services, and employee benefits. Milliman is a global firm of more than 3,000 employees, with over 55 total offices operating in all major markets across Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. For more than 60 years, an attention to rigorous standards of professional excellence, peer review, and objectivity has made Milliman the leading independent actuarial firm. For further information, visit www.milliman.com. CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen drifted lower against its major rivals in late Asian deals on Tuesday. The yen fell to 4-day lows of 117.83 against the greenback, 168.26 against the pound, 128.20 against the euro and 116.95 against the franc, from its prior highs of 117.23, 166.94, 127.73 and 116.58, respectively. The yen hit 4-day lows of 81.45 against the aussie, 76.11 against the kiwi and 81.46 against the loonie, reversing from its early highs of 80.19, 75.27 and 80.54, respectively. If the yen extends slide, it may locate support around 120.00 against the greenback, 170.00 against the pound, 130.00 against the euro, 118.00 against the franc, 83.00 against the aussie, 77.00 against the kiwi and 82.5 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. DRESDEN, Germany, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Heliatek will use the unique platform of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, which is taking place in Davos-Klosters from January 20-23, 2016, to present its disruptive technology of organic solar films. Thibaud Le Seguillon, Heliatek's CEO, will interact with a network of global leaders from across business, government, international organizations, academia and civil society, focused on shaping the global industry agendas. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150804/254469 ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160115/322863 ) "We will use this great opportunity of the Annual Meeting to present our de-centralized, de-carbonized, solar energy harvesting technology. It is highly disruptive to the current energy model of large, polluting, CO 2 emitting electricity producers by offering clean, local energy generation. Our HeliaFilms form an intricate part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," states Thibaud Le Seguillon. Heliatek was recognized last year as one of the World Economic Forum's "Technology Pioneers", and was the only German start-up amongst the selection of 49 companies from 10 countries. The Dresden-based company develops and manufactures electricity-producing HeliaFilm, an ultra-lightweight, flexible, solar film that is less than 1 mm thick. Heliatek is a leader in the field of Organic Electronics Energy and holds the world record for an organic solar cell with an efficiency of 12%. It also won the Renewable Energy Design Award 2015 at the Elektra European Electronics Industry Awards. After the successful market entry of HeliaFilm integrated with building materials such as glass and concrete, the company entered the PVC membrane segment with a renowned partner. Heliatek continues its worldwide roll out with global industry partners this year. Carrying out this strategy, HeliaFilm is the core part of a large project in Singapore, which provides a test-bed platform for new sustainable, urban-fit technologies. The solar film will be implemented on steel and glass using various versions of transparencies and colors. About Heliatek: Through both its leading edge material development and its proven capability for volume manufacturing, Heliatek is the first company to begin commercialization of large area, OPV solar film. About the World Economic Forum: The WEF is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation in the spirit of global citizenship. http://www.weforum.org More information on past Technology Pioneers winners can be found at http://www.weforum.org/communities/technology-pioneer Contact: Cornelia Jahnel / Heliatek GmbH / Treidlerstrasse 3, 01139 Dresden Tel: +49-351-213034-421 cornelia.jahnel@heliatek.com; http://www.heliatek.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 3:15 am ET Tuesday, the Federal Statistical Office releases Swiss producer and import prices for December. Prices are forecast to drop 5.4 percent year-over-year in December following a 5.5 percent fall in November. Ahead of the data, the Swiss franc showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the franc rose against the yen and the euro, it fell against the U.S. dollar and the pound. As of 3:10 am ET, the Swiss franc was trading at 1.0942 against the euro, 1.4384 against the pound, 1.0065 against the U.S. dollar and 117.14 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. LONDON, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- British holidaymakers believe a warm welcome from the locals is the key to a great holiday abroad, according to new research released today by the Croatian National Tourist Board. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323404-INFO ) More than 85 per cent of those surveyed rated friendly locals as the most important factor for a perfect getaway. Next on the holiday wish list for cost-conscious Brits is value for money, while quality time with family and friends completes the top three. Surprisingly, sunny weather only made sixth place. The full top 10 list is: A friendly welcome from local people Value for money Quality time with family/friends New experiences Good food Sunny weather Good hotel facilities Range of activities to keep everyone entertained Being understood by local people Internet access and mobile phone coverage The research, commissioned by the Croatian Tourist Board, surveyed 11,000 adults across 11 countries and identified seven different types of holiday-maker. The majority of Brits (20%) opt to 'Go Native' on holiday, living like the locals and seeking new experiences. The next most popular British holiday type is the 'Culture Vulture', (18%) and only 1 in 8 Brits describe themselves as a typical 'Beach Bunny', reflecting the growing trend for a more authentic holiday experience. It appears Brits have the most in common with the Dutch, who also like to explore the local history and culture when abroad, valuing local culture above modern comforts. The most family orientated holidaymakers are the Polish, who favour holidays secure destinations. In contrast, the French are most likely to seek holidays where they can be 'Young and Free'. As for the most romantic travellers? That would the Austrians, Swiss and Swedish, who are most likely to be found on a romantic and secluded getaway. Ivona Grgan, spokesperson, for the Croatian National Tourist Board said: "For most people holidays are a well-earned treat, but with so many different types of holidays and places to visit in the world it's really important that people think about what for them, will make the perfect break away. Luckily, here in Croatia we have something to suit all traveller tastes." A quiz has been set up for travellers wanting to find out what sort of holiday would be best for them: http://croatia.hr/en-GB YOKNEAM, Israel, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- - The controllable, fully visible TIGERTRIEVER is designed to treat ischemic stroke patients Rapid Medical, a company focused on the development of neurovascular interventional devices, announced today that the first patient has been treated with its CE marked TIGERTRIEVER revascularization device. The TIGERTRIEVER uses Rapid Medical's unique and proprietary technology enabling the first fully-visible, controllable stentriever that can be adjusted by the physician to perfectly fit the dimensions of blocked blood vessels that cause acute ischemic stroke. "I am very pleased with the results and performance of the device," said Prof. Rene Chapot, MD, Head of the Neuroradiology Department at Alfried Krupp Hospital in Essen, Germany. "The TIGERTRIEVER's unique braiding and adjustability allowed me to safely secure the blood clot during its retrieval and achieve complete recanalization in one attempt. The TIGERTRIEVER has vast clinical potential and I am very happy to be the first physician using this breakthrough device." The TIGERTRIEVER makes use of Rapid Medical's proprietary technology platform based on more than 7 years of experience in controllable and visible advanced braided stent design to accomplish both excellent continuous adjustability and high radial force. "Our mission is to build safe and effective neurovascular medical devices that are beneficial to patients and meet physicians' needs," said Ronen Eckhouse, CEO. "We are very excited with the clinical feedback we are receiving for the TIGERTRIEVER and with these initial results. We believe the TIGERTRIEVER is poised to become the leading device for ischemic stroke intervention." Rapid Medical plans to launch the TIGERTRIEVER inEuropeduring Q2 2016. About Rapid Medical Rapid Medical is developing game-changing devices for endovascular treatments. Rapid Medical is the maker of Comaneci, the first-ever controllable aneurysm neck-bridging device, and Pele, a large lumen distal access catheter. TIGERTRIEVER, Comaneci, and Pele are CE marked for use in Europe. More information is available at http://www.rapid-medical.com Contact: Ronen Eckhouse, CEO Rapid Medical ronen@rapid-medical.com +972-72-2503331 GALWAY, Ireland, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A must for companies wanting to select or upgrade system ERP HEADtoHEAD' event offers a unique opportunity to see 11 leading ERP products pitted against each other over two days. The event is taking place on March 2nd/3rd in Reading, UK. Having successfully run the ERP HEADtoHEAD' in Ireland for the past four years, Lumenia Consulting, Europe's leading ERP consultants are launching it in the UK. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160118/322966 ) If you are planning to upgrade or replace your ERP system, then this is the event for you. It is an ideal opportunity for senior finance or IT executives and members of their ERP selection teams to efficiently review the leading ERP products and to learn how to manage their selection process so that risk is reduced and benefits are maximised. Attendees will gain knowledge over the two days of the event that might otherwise take months of planning and meetings to achieve. "If you are budgeting for or about to start an ERP software replacement or upgrade project this event should not be missed. It is a unique opportunity to compare some of the leading ERP products based on a defined script, not a series of generic sales presentations. Selecting the right ERP software can radically increase the efficiency of your business. However implementing the wrong system can have serious consequences," commented Sean Jackson, Managing Director of Lumenia Consulting. Products from leading ERP vendors, including Oracle, Microsoft, Epicor, IFS, QAD, Sage, Intact, Unit4 and Infor will be demonstrated. In addition, each vendor will have an individual demonstration stand, where specific project requirements can be discussed in between presentations. Demonstrations will be based on defined high-level Scripts covering Manufacturing, Service or Cloud. Delegates have the option to attend on one day and review three products or attend for two days and review six. The event will also provide opportunities to network and compare experiences with other organisations also planning to implement ERP. Special discounts apply for early bird bookings and for more than two attendees registering per company. http://www.erpheadtohead.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Switzerland's producer and import prices continued its downward trend in December, the Federal Statistical Office showed Tuesday. Producer and import prices declined 5.5 percent year-on-year, the same rate of decline as seen in November. Producer and import prices have been falling since October 2013. Economists had forecast producer and import prices to drop 5.4 percent in December. On a monthly basis, the index slid 0.4 percent reversing November's 0.4 percent increase. This was the first fall in three months. Prices were expected to drop 0.2 percent in December. Producer prices decreased 0.3 percent on a monthly basis, taking the annual decline to 3.6 percent. At the same time, imports prices fell 0.8 percent from November and sharply by 9.7 percent from last year. In 2015, overall producer and import prices declined 5.4 percent after falling 1.1 percent in 2014. 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. SINGAPORE and SEATTLE, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A standard for sewage treatment plants is to improve the sanitation situation in developing countries. The international technical services group TUV SUD has been awarded a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to assess facilities aimed at 1,000 to 100,000 people. The project started in November 2015 and is designed for a term ofseven months. Over one-third of the global population do not have access to functioning sanitation facilities and sewage disposal. This lack of sanitation adversely affects social and economic development in the countries concerned and is also a source of significant environmental pollution. One challenge is the treatment of sludge that even if collected in conventional pit latrines or sewage tanks often there is a lack of proper disposal. "Sustainable improvement of this situation requires innovative technologies that support decentralized solutions for sanitation facilities and wastewater treatment", says Dr Andreas Hauser, Director of Water Services at TUV SUD. The Omni Processor concept for example, might convert faecal sludge and possibly other solid organic wastes into beneficial outputs such as biomass for generating electricity, potable or drinking and non-potable water for irrigation or other purposes and ash without any negative impact on the environment. TUV SUD will examine and evaluate the various requirements and possibly relevant standards for decentralized, community scale faecal sludge treatment solutions that would generate valuable resources such as drinking water or water for irrigation, fertiliser and biomass for energy production. This work is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Systems of this size offer cost-effective operation and are therefore also a feasible business model", explains Dr Hauser. The TUV SUD expert believes that in addition to certain technical requirements, further critical criteria for these technologies to prevail and spread throughout the world will also include factors such as operation and maintenance, occupational health and safety, emission values and guidelines for quality management systems. Furthermore, the certification bodies in developing countries must be provided with the expertise and know-how to perform testing and certification of complex machinery that directly affect human health and the environment. Applying their interdisciplinary know-how and international experience, TUV SUD's experts contribute significantly to ensuring the safety and reliability of innovative technologies and solutions for various sectors. The Water Services - Sanitation team provides services to support governments, developing organisations, investors and the manufacturers and owners of plants and facilities. Further information is available on the Internet at http://www.tuv-sud.com/activity/focus-topics/water-services/sanitation. Note for editorial staff: The high-resolution photo of Dr Andreas Hauser can be downloaded from www.tuv-sud.com/pressphotos. (main category: "Media Photos"). The year 2016 marks the 150th anniversary of TUV SUD - a premium quality, safety, and sustainability solutions provider that specialises in testing, inspection, auditing, certification, training, and knowledge services. Since 1866, the company has remained committed to its founding principle of protecting people, property and the environment from technology-related risks. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, TUV SUD is represented in more than 800 locations worldwide. TUV SUD operates globally with a team of more than 22,000 multi-disciplinary experts recognised as specialists in their respective fields. By combining impartial expertise with invaluable insights, the company adds tangible value to businesses, consumers and the environment. The aim of TUV SUD is to support customers with a comprehensive suite of services worldwide to increase efficiency, reduce costs and manage risk. Today, it continues to play a pivotal role as a future-oriented company shaping industry "next practice". Media Relations: Dr. Thomas Oberst TUV SUD AG Corporate Communications Westendstrasse 199, 80686 Munich Tel. +49(0)-89/5791-2372 Fax +49(0)-89/5791-2269 E-mail thomas.oberst@tuev-sud.de www.tuv-sud.de BALI, INDONESIA, Jan 19, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - Bali's Association of Travel Bureaus (Asita Bali) is optimistic in witnessing a surge in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Bali in 2016. Direct flights from Chinese cities to Bali Island could help increase the number of Chinese tourist arrivals, Chairman of Asita Bali I Ketut Ardana stated here, Monday. On January 12, 2016, Garuda Indonesia launched a direct flight connecting Shanghai in China with Denpasar in Bali Island. "Recently, additional flights have been started to Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzou," he added. With a population of over a billion people, China contributes at least 100 million tourists making overseas trips a year. The number of Chinese tourist arrivals in Bali has increased significantly over the past few years, placing China as the second-largest tourist contributor, after Australia. From January to November 2015, Bali received 642 thousand Chinese tourists, up 19 percent from 539,371 tourists recorded in the same period in 2014. Bali has set a target to attract 4.2 million foreign tourists in 2016, a slight increase from four million in 2015. In the meantime, the nation's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia recently opened a new route to China between Denpasar in Bali and Shanghai. Earlier, Garuda had already operated regular flights on the Denpasar-Beijing and Denpasar-Guangzhou routes. Commercial Director of Garuda Indonesia Handayani noted in a statement on Thursday that China had been one of the priority areas for the airline's international flights aimed at facilitating tourists from the world's most populous country. The number of Chinese visitors to Indonesia has increased year on year, up 25 percent in the first eight months of 2015. Garuda Indonesia serves the Denpasar-Shanghai route thrice a week on every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday using the A330-300 aircraft, with a seating capacity of 360 passengers. --Antara. Copyright 2016 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de PUNE, India, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Ambient Assisted Living and Smart Home Market by Product, Services, Assisted Living, Product (Safety & Security, Communication, Medical Assistive, Mobility, Telemonitoring, Compensatory Impairment) and Region - Global Trend & Forecast to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, the ambient assisted living market is expected to reach USD 3.96 Billion by 2020. Browse 80 market Tables and 96 Figures spread through 197 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Ambient Assisted Living and Smart Home Market". http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/ambient-assisted-living-smart-home-market-95414042.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. The smart home market is estimated to grow from USD 25.38 Billion in 2015 to USD 56.18 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 17.2% between 2015 and 2020.Increasing safety and security concerns, rising demands for energy savings, and low carbon emission-oriented solutions along with the interplay of wireless technology, mobility, IoT, and digital living are expected to drive the smart home market. Aging population is increasing in many developed countries, thus creating the demand for assisted living products. Therefore, the AAL market is expected to gain traction in the next five years; it is estimated to grow from USD 1.44 Billion in 2015 to USD 3.96 Billion by 2020. Security and access control solutions to play a key role in the smart home market Security and access control is expected to hold the largest share and lead the smart home market between 2015 and 2020, due to increase in the crime rate, remote monitoring mobile devices, and growing consumer awareness. Energy management systems and security & access control markets are expected to grow at high growth rates between 2015 and 2020. Medical assistive products and telemonitoring/telemedicines segments expected to play a vital role in coming years Safety and security is expected to hold the largest share of the ambient assisted living market. Medical assistive products and telemonitoring/telemedicine segments are expected to exhibit high growth rate between 2015 and 2020, in the ambient assisted living market. Increasing aging population, life expectancy, and chronic diseases are likely to drive the AAL market. North America expected to hold the largest market share, APAC to witness fastest growth in the smart home market North America is expected to hold the largest share and lead the smart home market between 2015 and 2020, due to presence of a large number of players and increasing demands for energy-efficient and enhanced security products. APAC offers potential growth opportunities because of rapid technological advancements and construction activities observed in the APAC region. Major players in the market include Honeywell International, Inc. (U.S.), Siemens AG (Germany), Schneider Electric S.E. (France), Ingersoll Rand Plc. (Ireland), Legrand SA (France), ABB Group (Switzerland), Medic4all group (Switzerland), Tunstall Healthcare Ltd (U.K.), Chubb Community Care (U.K.), Televic N.V. (Belgium), Telbios (Italy), Vitaphone GmbH (Germany), GETEMED AG (Germany), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), CareTech AB (Sweden), Assisted Living Technologies, Inc. (U.S.) and others. Ask PDF Brochure @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=95414042 The scope of the report covers detailed information regarding major factors influencing the growth of the smart home and ambient assisted living market such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. A detailed analysis of the key players has been done to provide insights into their business overview, products and services, key strategies, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, agreements, collaborations, and recent developments associated with the market. Browse Related Reports Home Automation and Control Market by Lighting Control (Occupancy Sensors, Relays, Transmitters), Security & Access Control (Video Surveillance, Biometric), HVAC Control (Heating & Cooling Coils, Pumps & Fans, Sensors), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/home-automation-control-systems-market-469.html Building Automation & Controls Market by Product Segment (Lighting control, HVAC control, Security & Access control), Application Vertical (Residential, Commercial, and Industrial), and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, and ROW) - Global Forecast to 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/building-automation-control-systems-market-408.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 info graphics 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/electronics-and-semiconductors A Global Dialogue and Cyber Breach Prevention Mindset Are Key to the Fourth Industrial Revolution SANTA CLARA, California, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW), the next-generation security company, today announced that several executives, including Chief Executive Officer Mark McLaughlin and Vice Chairman and Japan Chief Security Officer William Saito, will attend the 46th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, taking place from 20 to 23 January. Logo -http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150527/218856LOGO With the theme of "Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution", this year's meeting is set to have cybersecurity at its core. As this new industrial revolution explodes with innovation, making lives more connected and business more efficient, trust plays a key role in the continuation of our digital way of life.Diminished trust, as a result of frequent security breaches, and consumers' concerns about their data will hinder the progress and innovation driving this fast-paced, interconnected world. Pivotal to addressing this is the global dialogue about navigating the digital future and how, by adopting a cyber breach prevention-oriented mindset, it is possible to shift the tide against cyber adversaries. QUOTE: "In order to maintain trust in our digital age, we have to gain cost leverage in the cyber battle by increasing the difficulty of attacks at every point in their lifecycle through next-generation technology, faster intelligence and human coordination, and with smarter public policy. This requires us to elevate the conversation in security beyond just a technology arms race to a discussion on how we, as a global community, plan to secure our digital realm. Palo Alto Networks is honored to be a part of driving this important conversation at Davos this year." - Mark McLaughlin , chief executive officer, Palo Alto Networks - , chief executive officer, Palo Alto Networks "The cybersecurity issue continues to weigh heavily on the shoulders of businesses and governments around the world.A key element in being able to alleviate this growing pressure and put an end to the incoming tide of cyberbreaches is the progression of an international debate around a truly global problem. The World Economic Forum plays a valuable role in bringing together those who must be part of the solution." - William H. Saito , vice chairman and Japan chief security officer, Palo Alto Networks For more on cybersecurity and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, visit: Blog - Protecting Our Digital Way of Life: Thoughts heading into the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos "Navigating the Digital Age: The Definitive Cybersecurity Guide for Directors and Officers" - book published jointly by Palo Alto Networks and the New York Stock Exchange SecurityRoundtable.org - community designed to share best practices, use cases, and expert advice to guide executives on managing cybersecurity risks ABOUT PALO ALTO NETWORKS Palo Alto Networks is the next-generation security company, leading a new era in cybersecurity by safely enabling applications and preventing cyber breaches for tens of thousands of organizations worldwide. Built with an innovative approach and highly differentiated cyberthreat prevention capabilities, our game-changing security platform delivers security far superior to legacy or point products, safely enables daily business operations, and protects an organization's most valuable assets. Find out more at www.paloaltonetworks.com. Palo Alto Networks and the Palo Alto Networks logo are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- Increasing corporate tax rates results in lower average wages for workers, finds a new study, released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. Corporate income taxes are ultimately paid for by individuals either as workers through lower wages, consumers through higher prices or shareholders through lower returns on investments including RRSPs. The study, The Effect of Corporate Income and Payroll Taxes on the Wages of Canadian Workers, uses data from Statistics Canada for the period between 1998 and 2013 and looks only at the impact on wages. "There's a long-held misperception that an increase in corporate taxes has no effect on the pocketbook of average Canadians. In reality, all Canadians pay the cost of higher business taxes including workers through lower wages," said Charles Lammam, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute. The study finds that, after controlling for other factors (such as a worker's age, education, occupation, and industry), a one per cent increase in the corporate income tax rate reduces the average hourly wage rate of Canadian workers by between 0.15 and 0.24 per cent in the following year. For example, if the 2012 average combined federal-provincial corporate income-tax rate (27.3 per cent) was increased by one-percentage point (to 28.3 per cent), the average national hourly wage would decrease between $0.13 and $0.20, which translates into a reduction of $254 to $390 in a worker's annual wage. This decrease in wages occurs through adjustments to the level, or more likely the growth rate, of wages. Over the longer term, higher corporate taxes reduce investment, hindering productivity growth, which ultimately impedes growth in wages and the standard of living of workers more broadly. "While it may seem counter-intuitive to many people, ultimately only people can pay taxes. In the case of corporate taxes, a significant part of the burden falls on workers through lower wages," Lammam said. The study also examines the effect of an increase in the employer portion of payroll taxes-contributions made on behalf of employees to such government programs as CPP and EI. For every one per cent increase in the employer portion of the combined federal-provincial payroll tax, wages decrease between 0.03 per cent and 0.14 per cent in the following year. In dollar terms, this suggests that a one percentage point increase in the 2012 average combined payroll tax rate (10.5 per cent) would result in lower annual wages of between $137 and $605. "For the past 15 years, federal and provincial governments across the country have recognized the advantages of lowering corporate taxes. Unfortunately, we're starting to see a reversal as some provincial governments have increased corporate tax rates in recent years," Lammam said. "Governments must realize that if they choose to increase business taxes, ordinary Canadians will incur the cost, in part through lower wages." Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter / Become a fan 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 CONTACT: For interviews with Charles Lammam, please contact: Aanand Radia, Media Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute (416) 363-6575 ext. 238 aanand.radia@fraserinstitute.org @FraserInstitute Tinubu Square, a leading developer of SaaS platform solutions and credit risk management analytics for credit insurers and corporations, has signed a 10-year contract with Export Development Canada (EDC). The company is also confirming its ambitions in North America with the opening of a new office in Montreal. Tinubu Square is working with EDC to design, build and implement a modern, integrated web platform that will provide Canadian exporters 24/7-access to simple credit insurance solutions. EDC insurance protects exporters against payment defaults and allows them to offer more flexible payment options to buyers. Credit insurance allows exporters to grow in new markets with confidence and improves their access to working capital. Tinubu Square recently provided EDC with the necessary platform to introduce two new products. "Trade Protect" is EDC's first online credit insurance solution designed specifically for small businesses. "Trade Partner Insurance" is a reinsurance solution offered by EDC to private credit insurers to help them strengthen their support of Canadian exporters. Established for several years now in North America, and boosted by its recently-opened offices in New York and Montreal, Tinubu Square continues its expansion into North America with the signature of a large-scale partnership with EDC, Canada's export credit agency. EDC is Canada's official export credit agency and offers financing, insurance, performance bonding and other financial services to Canadian exporters and investors in nearly 180 markets worldwide. "Canadian exporters are looking to new markets in more challenging times, and EDC is shifting the way it does business to meet their needs for simpler, faster and more predictable services. With this new platform, our vision is to make it easier for exporters, particularly small businesses, to take advantage of our global credit management expertise, as well as our improved range of credit insurance solutions," says Clive Witter, Senior Vice-President, Insurance, EDC. "Launching Trade Protect and Trade Partner Insurance with Tinubu Square and seeing the great feedback we're receiving already is a very encouraging sign for the future of our programs. This platform is dramatically improving the way that we serve our customers." He said. Jerome Peze, Chairman and founder of Tinubu Squarecommented: "Signing this partnership with EDC consolidates our development strategy in North America and validates the relevance of our expertise. We consider EDC's confidence in us as proof of our value and recognition from a benchmark institutional player. Our new Montreal office allows us to work closely with EDC and increase the momentum of our development in the North American market which offers attractive potential for our solutions." About Tinubu Square A fintech innovation flagship for 15 years, Tinubu Square is the leading European expert in trade credit risk management. Thanks to a high-level knowledge of credit risk, Tinubu enables organizations across the world to significantly reduce their risk, financial, operational and technical costs with best-in-class SaaS solutions and services. With its innovative technological approach, Tinubu Square provides IT solutions and services to different businesses including multinational corporations, credit insurers and receivables financing. About EDC EDC is Canada's export credit agency, providing advice and financial services for Canadian exporters and investors. Operating on commercial principles, EDC has a partnership-preferred philosophy to collaborate with private-sector financial institutions to share risk and create greater capacity for Canadian trade transactions. EDC is committed to Corporate Social Responsibility, and it takes into account the environmental and social impacts of its transactions. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005905/en/ Contacts: Ascendant Communications Julie Kirby Mobile: +44 (0) 7956 955625 Email: jkirby@ascendcomms.net LONDON, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Angelus, the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of the risks from 'legal highs', has said drugs education is now "at risk" status. The law banning the supply and sale of 'legal highs' will soon be in place. But tomorrow in Parliament the Government will instruct its MPs to vote down improvements in drug education. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140722/697697-a ) Angelus has welcomed the publication of the Psychoactive Substances Bill. It is anticipated these measures will disrupt the NPS market considerably and reduce harms. Angelus has also made clear the law alone would not work; proper drugs education is vital to alert young people of the risks of taking 'legal highs'. The Report and Third Stages of the Psychoactive Substances Bill will be debated in Parliament tomorrow. There are several amendments to the new law, which would strengthen the provision of drugs education but are likely to be voted against by the Government. Angelus supports the legislation as a marked improvement over the easy availability of NPS. However, the Government appears to have no intention of allocating any budget to public awareness of legal highs around the Bill and more generally in schools. It is the responsibility of Departments to ensure young people are informed of the harms of 'legal highs' and from April, purchasing them from a foreign website could incur a prison sentence of up to seven years. Angelus supports a much greater commitment from central and local Government, schools and universities, to give the education which young people need to stay safe from these unpredictable substances. Chief Executive of Angelus, Jan King said, "Most parents would expect schools to at least be teaching their children the basics about drugs. The sad truth is they aren't. The world of drugs in Britain has just undergone a revolution and schools are lagging behind on knowledge. Drugs education has reached "at risk" status. The Government has a responsibility, on grounds of public safety, to help schools get this vital information out to the children. "The opportunities on drug awareness arising from the new law on 'legal highs' should not be squandered by such penny-pinching. A little information can be a lifesaver. Young people need to be taught about the risks, and how to stay safe." Notes to editors: DUBLIN, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/sfhtcv/industrial) has announced the addition of the "Industrial Gases-Glass Industry Market by Type, Glass Type, Transportation Mode, Function - Forecast to 2020" report to their offering. This industry projects that the market for industrial gases in the glass industry is to grow from USD 2.57 Billion in 2015 to USD 3.49 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 6.29%. The market for industrial gases in the glass industry is growing, courtesy of increasing applications of glass in the construction sector, growth in the glass packaging industry, and rising demand for energy-efficient glass production techniques. Growing demand from the automotive industry also provides an opportunity to the market to further grow, especially in the emerging Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions. The industrial gases market in the glass industry is segmented on the basis of type, glass type, function, transportation mode, and region. On the basis of type, the hydrogen segment held the largest market share, in terms of value, while oxygen was the most widely used industrial gas, in terms of volume. The container glass segment accounted for the largest share of the market, in terms of both, volume and value, among all glass types. The transportation mode segment was dominated by the cylinder & packaged gas distribution segment. In terms of function, the market is segmented into forming & melting, atmospheric control, finishing & polishing, and others. The forming & melting function segment is projected to grow at the highest rate, during the forecast period. On the basis of key regions, the market for industrial gases in the glass industry is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW). The Asia-Pacific region held the largest share among all regions in 2014. This is mainly due to emerging economies in China and India, coupled with growing applications of glass in the construction and automotive industries. Mergers & acquisitions was the major strategy adopted by most players in the market. Companies such as Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (U.S.), The Linde Group (Germany), Praxair, Inc. (U.S.), Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (Japan), Air Liquide SA (France), Gulf Cryo (Bahrain), HyGear (The Netherlands), Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (Japan), SIG Gases Berhad (Malaysia), and Messer Group GmbH (Germany) were the key players who adopted this strategy to increase the reach of their offerings, improve their production capacity, and establish focus on core operations. Companies aim to serve the market efficiently by investing in manufacturing facilities and acquiring distribution centers in the fast-growing regions. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/sfhtcv/industrial Media Contact: Laura Wood, +353-1-481-1716, press@researchandmarkets.net XUZHOU, China, Jan. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Global construction and mining equipment manufacturer XCMG is hosting five international apprentices for a one-week trip in XCMG's headquarter from January 18 to 24 in Xuzhou, China. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323410 The global program launched in November, 2015 received a total of 3,129 applications from 54 countries around the world. After several rounds of selection, five winners were announced - Jose Alessandro Silva Costa from Brazil, Bogdan Butyrev from Russia, Russell Jennings from the United States, Sharon Maingi from Kenya and Laiq Shah from Pakistan. "This is XCMG's first time bringing global apprentices to China for an immersive experience, offering them the opportunity to learn about XCMG while encouraging the communication and exchange in construction machinery industry at the same time," said Xu Xiaohui, General Manager Assistant of XCMG. A highlight of the cross-cultural and -business communication is that the five apprentices come from very different backgrounds. One of the winners, the 42-year-old Butyrev, now works as director of business development of Asia Pacific region at New Technologies in Transportation (NTT) and has strong interests in construction machinery: "I love the feeling of changing the world and making that a bit better using those huge machines." The apprentices will join XCMG employees for a comprehensive journey through different departments, labs and factories. During the week, five XCMG employees including research technician, product designer, division manager, sales executive and heavy equipment operator will guide the apprentices in a series of activities such as operating excavator, visiting crane assembly factory and Asia's largest vibration and noise lab among others. "XCMG is a huge name in construction industry. I, as an engineer, have always been impressed by the ingenuity of XCMG products and the scale of its production. I'm sure I'll learn a lot by looking at this construction industry giant from inside," said Laiq Shah, a 24-year-old student majoring in construction machinery. The apprentices will not only see XCMG's technology and products, but also the company's history and culture through day-to-day operations. "Education has always been one of XCMG's key missions and we are dedicated to cultivating innovative talents, in the meantime we also hope to introduce Chinese culture to our international apprentices," said Wangmin, CEO of XCMG. For more information, please visit: www.xcmg.com, or XCMG pages on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- Kirkland Lake Gold Inc., ("KL Gold" or the "Company")(TSX: KGI) an operating and exploration gold company, provides additional results from its regional exploration program on its wholly owned property in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The Company commenced a targeting program to test for mineralization on the north side of the Amalgamated Break and the possible easterly extension of the South Mine Complex ("SMC") across a previously untested trend of approximately 1,500 metres in strike length. Highlights (Phase 1a): AB-15-92 29.5 grams per tonne ("g/t") over Intersected visible gold and 0.3 metres; tellurides at the -5,850 foot 0.86 ounces per ton ("opt") over elevation, approximately 730 1.0 feet metres east of the New South Zone (the southeastern portion of the SMC). AB-15-106 28.1 g/t over 0.6 metres; 0.82 opt Intersected visible gold at over 2.0 feet the -6,060 foot elevation. 17.8 g/t over 0.4 metres; 0.52 opt over 1.2 feet AB-15-129 10.6 g/t over 0.7 metres; 0.31 opt Intersected visible gold at over 2.4 feet the -5,945 foot elevation. Mr. George Ogilvie, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented, "We are pleased to see these latest holes in this 2015 program continuing to return promising results, with mineralization encountered in each hole. While still early days, these results are very encouraging and as such, we have increased our budget for this target in 2016 upwards to $7.5 million. We strongly believe that investing in our organic growth opportunities now will allow us to realize our medium to longer-term growth prospects. "As part of the Phase 2 program in 2016, we will look to target the Main Break at depth and conduct infill drilling by wedging off the initial holes. We will provide an update from the two remaining holes currently in progress and as we receive results from Phase 2." Phase 1a Drilling Program These additional results are part of a nine (9) hole, approximately 15,000 metre (50,000 foot) drill program designed to follow up on the initial four holes commenced in the summer of 2015 (see News Release dated November 3, 2015). Two of these holes, commenced in 2015, and are still in progress. Drill holes AB-15-91, AB-15-92 and AB-15-106 (previously reported in the Company's News Release dated November 3, 2015) have now been completed along with two additional drill holes, AB-15-129 and AB-15-131B. All five drill holes were successful in intersecting mineralization within the target area and all but one drill hole intersected visible gold and/or tellurides. In addition to the previously reported results, drill hole AB-15-91 intersected a weakly altered zone with irregular quartz stringers and visible gold and returned 5.5 g/t (0.16 opt) over a core length of 3.0 metres (9.9 feet) at a down hole depth of 1,996 metres (6,548 feet). Drill hole AB-15-92 intersected quartz veining with visible gold and tellurides and returned 29.5 g/t (0.86 opt) over a core length of 0.3 metres (1.0 feet) at a down hole depth of 1,830 metres (6,003 feet). This intersection is the most easterly gold and telluride bearing intersection to date within the deep mineralized horizon that has been defined by this drill program and now has a strike length of approximately 500 metres (1,620 feet). This intersection is also approximately 730 metres (2,400 feet) east of the SMC as defined by underground drilling, although any relationship to the SMC mineralization is unknown at this time. Drill hole AB-15-106 intersected mineralized quartz veining and returned 28.1 g/t (0.82 opt) over a core length of 0.6 metres (2.0 feet) at a down hole depth of 1,859 metres (6,099 feet). Drill hole AB-15-106 also intersected quartz veining with visible gold and returned 17.8 g/t (0.52 opt) over a core length of 0.4 metres (1.2 feet) at a down hole depth of 1,912 metres (6,274 feet). Drill hole AB-15-129 intersected quartz veining with visible gold and tellurides and returned 10.6 g/t (0.31 opt) over a core length of 0.7 metres (2.4 feet) at a down hole depth of 1,873 metres (6,146 feet). Drill hole AB-15-131B intersected strongly altered mineralized quartz veining and returned 7.9 g/t (0.23 opt) over a core length of 0.5 metres (1.5 feet) at a down hole depth of 1,850 metres (6,071 feet). At the time of this release, not all assay values for drill holes AB-15-129 and AB-15-131B have been returned. The intersections in the drilling programs described herein are between 400 metres (1,300 feet) and 520 metres (1,700 feet) south of the Main Break and do not appear to be related. The following figures may be viewed at the Company's website at www.klgold.com. Figure 1 - long section looking north, showing the location of the regional drilling program relative to the SMC and the historical mines: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1039916Image1.jpg Figure 2 - Cross section looking east, showing the results of the regional drilling completed to date: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1039916Image2.jpg Figure 3 - detailed plan view showing the results of the regional drilling completed to date: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1039916Image3.jpg The following table summarizes the latest surface drilling results and previously released results in metric values: REGIONAL SURFACE DRILL PROGRAM - Metric Table ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CORE DRILL DIP AZIMUTH FROM TO LENGTH(ii) ASSAY HOLE (degrees) (degrees) (m) (m) (m) (g/t)(iii) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 12(i)(1) -80 324 96.3 97.2 0.9 5.8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -79 344 1,761.0 1,761.3 0.3 4.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 1,770.1 1,770.4 0.3 11.7, VG, TELL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 1,891.9 1,897.8 5.9 1.4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -79 349 1,952.2 1,956.7 4.4 2.1, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -79 354 2,010.2 2,010.8 0.6 6.9, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 23(i)(1) -79 330 542.4 543.0 0.6 24.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 1,100.1 1,100.8 0.7 3,241.4, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Including 1,100.1 1,100.4 0.3 1,413.9, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Including 1,100.4 1,100.8 0.4 4,646.7, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 1,390.7 1,391.7 1.0 7.5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 1,835.5 1,835.8 0.3 11.7, VG, TELL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 33(i)(1) -76 322 205.7 206.7 1.0 6.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 745.9 746.4 0.5 7.9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 809.6 810.2 0.6 8.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 53(i)(1) -77 334 1,560.5 1,561.0 0.5 12.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 66(i)(1) - - - NSV ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 76(i)(1) - - - NSV ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 91(i)(2) -78 332 791.6 792.0 0.4 5.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -77 339 1,764.4 1,765.2 0.98 646.3, VG TELL ------------ ------------------------------------------- 1,783.2, VG, Including 1,764.4 1,764.7 0.3 TELL ------------ ------------------------------------------- And 1,769.0 1,769.3 0.3 89.5, VG, TELL ------------ ------------------------------------------- And 1,772.0 1,772.4 0.4 7.5, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -77 341 1,994.5 1,997.5 3.0 5.5, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 92(i)(2) -80 325 1,819.9 1,820.4 0.5 23.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 1,829.6 1,829.9 0.3 29.5, VG, TELL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15-106 -77 325 570.6 574.1 3.5 2.4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 717.0 717.9 0.9 4.5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 1,834.0 1,836.4 2.4 2.1, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 1,858.7 1,859.3 0.6 28.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Including 1,859.0 1,859.3 0.3 48.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Including 1,862.3 1,862.9 0.6 9.6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 1,912.3 1,912.7 0.4 17.8, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 129(i)(2) -80 325 1,872.9 1,873.6 0.7 10.6, VG, TELL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 131B(i)(2) -80 327 1,850.1 1,850.6 0.5 7.9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i)(1) Previously released hole. (i)(2)Assay values were incomplete at time of previous release. (ii) True widths are unknown at this time. (iii) Assays presented are uncut as not enough information is available to determine a cutting factor. VG = Visible Gold; Tell = Tellurides. The following table summarizes the latest surface drilling results and previously released results in imperial values: REGIONAL SURFACE DRILL PROGRAM - Imperial Table ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CORE DRILL DIP AZIMUTH FROM TO LENGTH(ii) ASSAY HOLE (degrees) (degrees) (feet) (feet) (feet) (opt)(iii) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 12(i)(1) -80 324 316.0 319.0 3.0 0.17 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -79 344 5,777.7 5,778.7 1.0 0.12 ------------- ------------------------------------------- 0.34, VG, And 5,807.4 5,808.4 1.0 TELL ------------- ------------------------------------------- And 6,207.0 6,226.3 19.3 0.04 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -79 349 6,405.0 6,419.5 14.5 0.06, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -79 354 6,595.2 6,597.2 2.0 0.20, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 23(i)(1) -79 330 1,779.5 1,781.5 2.0 0.71 ------------- ------------------------------------------- And 3,609.3 3,611.6 2.3 94.54, VG ------------- ------------------------------------------- Including 3,609.3 3,610.3 1.0 41.24, VG ------------- ------------------------------------------- Including 3,610.3 3,611.6 1.3 135.53, VG ------------- ------------------------------------------- And 4,562.8 4,565.8 3.0 0.22 ------------- ------------------------------------------- 0.34, VG, And 6,022.0 6,023.0 1.0 TELL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 33(i)(1) -79 322 675.0 678.0 3.0 0.18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -76 324 2,447.3 2,448.8 1.5 0.23 ------------- ------------------------------------------- And 2,656.2 2,658.0 1.8 0.24 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 53(i)(1) -77 334 5,119.6 5,121.3 1.7 0.36 ------------- ------------------------------------------- AB-15- 66(i)(1) - - - NSV ------------- ------------------------------------------- AB-15- 76(i)(1) - - - NSV ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 91(i)(2) -78 332 2,597.0 2,598.4 1.4 0.15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18.85, VG, And -77 339 5,788.6 5,791.4 2.8 TELL ------------- ------------------------------------------- 52.01, VG, Including 5,788.6 5,789.6 1.0 TELL ------------- ------------------------------------------- 2.61, VG, And 5,803.8 5,804.8 1.0 TELL ------------- ------------------------------------------- And 5,813.6 5,814.8 1.2 0.22, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -77 341 6,543.5 6,553.4 9.9 0.16, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 92(i)(2) -80 325 5,970.7 5,972.3 1.6 0.68 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.86, VG, And 6,002.7 6,003.7 1.0 TELL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 106(i)(2) -77 325 1,872.2 1,883.5 11.3 0.07 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And -75 323 2,352.3 2,355.3 3.0 0.13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 6,017.0 6,025.0 8.0 0.06, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 6,098.0 6,100.0 2.0 0.82 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Including 6,099.0 6,100.0 1.0 1.41 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Including 6,110.0 6,112.0 2.0 0.28 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 6,274.0 6,275.2 1.2 0.52, VG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 0.31, VG, 129(i)(2) -80 325 6,144.7 6,147.2 2.4 TELL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB-15- 131B(i)(2) -80 327 6,070.0 6,071.5 1.5 0.23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i)(1) Previously released hole. (i)(2 )Assay values were incomplete at time of previous release. (ii) True widths are unknown at this time. (iii) Assays presented are uncut as not enough information is available to determine a cutting factor. VG = Visible Gold; Tell = Tellurides. Qualified Person The results of the Company's underground diamond drilling program have been reviewed, verified (including sampling, analytical and test data) and compiled by the Company's geological staff under the supervision of Mr. Stewart Carmichael, P.Geo., Manager of Exploration. Mr. Carmichael is the 'qualified person' for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, of the Canadian Securities Administrators, and has reviewed and approved this news release. As the Manager of Exploration, Mr. Carmichael is not considered independent. QA/QC Controls The Company has implemented a quality assurance and control (QA/QC) program to ensure sampling and analysis of all exploration work is conducted in accordance with the best possible practices. The drill core is sawn in half with one half of the core samples shipped to Swastika Laboratories in Swastika, Ontario. The other half of the core is retained for future assay verification. Other QA/QC includes the insertion of blanks, and the regular re-assaying of pulps and rejects at alternate certified labs. Gold analysis is conducted by fire assay using atomic absorption or gravimetric finish. The laboratory re-assays at least 10% of all samples and additional checks may be run on anomalous values. Readers are cautioned that the potential quantity and grade set out above is conceptual in nature and that there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. As well, the very high grade assay results are not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted in the system. About the Company Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. is a gold producer with assets in Kirkland Lake, Northeastern Ontario. Current gold production is in excess of 150,000 ounces per year and is expected to grow to over 180,000 ounces per year in the next three years as exploration and development work continue. The exploration program is aimed at maintaining a property wide reserve and resource base sufficient to sustain a mine life of more than ten years, with the current mine life estimated at between ten to fourteen years of production in a high grade gold camp. The Company is committed to building a sustainable mining company that is recognized as a safe and responsible gold producer. Kirkland Lake Gold plans to evolve into an intermediate gold mining company centered in the historically robust Kirkland Lake gold camp, while evaluating opportunities for growth in other safe mining jurisdictions. The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This Press Release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to the future business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made such as, without limitation, opinion, assumptions and estimates of management regarding the Company's business, including but not limited to; the 2016 exploration budget for the regional drilling program and the results and timing thereof, and the potential expansion or extension of the SMC. Such opinions, assumptions and estimates, are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the Company's expectations in connection with the projects and exploration programs being met, the impact of general business and economic conditions, global liquidity and credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future conditions, fluctuating gold prices, currency exchange rates (such as the Canadian dollar versus the United States Dollar), possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in accounting policies, changes in the Company's corporate mineral reserves and resources, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, changes in project development, construction, production and commissioning time frames, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, higher prices for fuel, power, labour and other consumables contributing to higher costs and general risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, unexpected changes in mine life, seasonality and unanticipated weather changes, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, permitting time lines, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims, and limitations on insurance, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis and Annual Information Form for the year ended April 30, 2015, and the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the interim period ended October 31, 2015, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law. Contacts: Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. Toll Free: 1-866-384-2924 Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. George Ogilvie, P.Eng Chief Executive Officer +1 416-840-7884 gogilvie@klgold.com Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. Suzette N. Ramcharan, CPIR Director of Investor Relations Direct: +1 647-361-0200 or Mobile: +1 647-284-5315 sramcharan@klgold.com www.klgold.com LISBON (dpa-AFX) - Portugal's producer prices continued to decline in December, though at a slower pace than in the previous month, figures from Statistics Portugal showed Tuesday. The producer price index fell 2.6 percent year-over-year in December, following a 3.4 percent decrease in November. Energy prices alone plunged 9.1 percent in December from a year ago and prices in the manufacturing sector slipped by 3.0 percent. Excluding the grouping of the energy, the measure dropped by 0.3 percent. In the three months ended December, producer prices dipped 3.3 percent annually, the same rate of decline as in the previous quarter. In the whole year 2015, the average decrease in the overall index was 3.0 percent compared with a 1.2 percent drop in 2014. On a monthly basis, producer prices slid 1.1 percent in December, much faster than the 0.1 percent slight fall in the preceding month. 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. NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- The Imperative Fund, a company which focuses on Sustainable Community Development, is redefining Impact Investing with a model that can lift communities out of poverty in 5 years or less while generating market competitive returns, today announced that in collaboration with researchers at Columbia University, it has developed a mathematical framework that optimizes poverty elimination and investor returns. This framework, developed by Imperative in conjunction with faculty and graduate students at Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, will start being implemented in January 2016 in Escarcega, the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico with a population of 2,000. Through its investment framework, Imperative aspires to become the leading fund working on bringing communities out of poverty, without being dependent on local, central or federal government support. Furthermore, Imperative envisions becoming an outsourcing alternative for governments as they strive to provide access to all goods and services required to mobilize a community to its next level of social, economic and environmental sustainability. By harnessing today's financial and technological innovations within an open market economy, Imperative's framework eliminates the association between low-income and poverty. CEO and co-founder Camilo Galvis says: "We are very excited to have developed a rigorous mathematical model to optimally guide our investment process. Following this breakthrough, we are now focused on the successful implementation of our first project in Mexico in 2016. By lifting an entire community out of poverty and generating competitive returns on investment, we would then be set to move on to replicate this work at a much larger scale and under the guidance of a model that aims to tackle poverty elimination and social mobility at an industrial pace, in those communities that can benefit from our approach." The Imperative Fund and its investment by-laws: The Imperative Fund selectively chooses social enterprises with expertise in different social and environmental areas, and bundles them together to deliver a holistic service tailored to the needs of an individual community. This work is performed by committing to 6 specific by-laws that serve as ground rules for its work and are also embedded in its investment model. Although an investment committee ensures that all investment funds closely follow Imperative's by-laws, to minimize human error, the Imperative Fund worked on developing a mathematical model that provides an optimal solution to the best use of funds to eliminate poverty while maximizing returns. This model was translated into an algorithm for continuous implementation. Co-founder Angelica Fuentes says: "Our goal is to provide innovative and efficient solutions to reduce poverty in developing countries. I feel excited and proud to be part of this project. The Imperative Fund will foster economic, social and institutional transformation towards sustainable development. We will continue our efforts to implement this model around Latin America and prove that it is possible to bring communities out of poverty in 5 years or less, while generating market competitive returns." Mathematical model and algorithm: Based on 5 years of field work, within 6 months the Imperative Fund together with faculty and graduate students at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at Columbia University, designed a mathematical framework that ensures the best allocation of capital and the best combination of services that maximizes the number of individuals brought out of poverty, while also maximizing the return on any invested capital for this purpose. The mathematical model has been translated into an algorithm that can compute this allocation efficiently and accurately. The final version of this solution will be ready to use by the Fund during the 2nd Quarter of 2016. For media inquiries and for more information about how to participate with the Pilot Sustainable Community Development (SCD) project or future projects, please contact Matthew Bird at - matt.bird@1800pr.com / support@1800pr.com About CEO and co-founder Camilo Galvis Camilo Galvis is the CEO of Imperative Advisors, LLC and the Director of the Angelica Fuentes Foundation, a NYC based non-for-profit focused on women economic empowerment and gender equality in the Americas. Mr. Galvis has also been serving as a researcher at Columbia University in New York City. About co-founder Angelica Fuentes Angelica Fuentes is one of Latin America's most prominent businesswomen and committed philanthropist, having served as CEO of a global nutrition company, an international cosmetics brand, and a major natural gas distributor. She currently co-chairs the Mexico Gender Parity Taskforce, a World Economic Forum initiative; she serves on Secretary Clinton's International Council on Women's Business Leadership; is member of the Private Sector Leadership Advisory Council of UN Women and is a Global Advocate for the Girl Up Campaign, a United Nations Foundation program. The research team behind the mathematical framework Soulaymane Kachani, Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and Senior Vice Dean of Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, and candidates for the Master of Science in Management Science and Engineering Ali Youssef, Shouryadipta Sarkar, Umair Mesiya, Bill (Chenze) Bao, Sunny Agarwal, Ankit Manoj Jain, WeijiaHuang, Jiaming Liu joined Imperative's co-founders Angelica Fuentes and Camilo Galvis, and COO Rodrigo Bravo in the development of the framework. About The Imperative Fund The Imperative Fund works on sustainably lifting communities out of poverty, in 5 years or less, while recovering 100% of the invested funds and generating market competitive returns. In implementing its model, Imperative aspires to become the most efficient Fund/Company working to bring communities out of poverty, without being dependent on local, central or federal government support. Furthermore, Imperative envisions becoming an outsourcing alternative for governments in their strive to provide access to all the goods and services required to mobilize a community to its next level of social and economic development and environmental sustainability. By harnessing today's financial and technological innovation within an open market economy, Imperative's framework eliminates the association between low-income and poverty. Through a private fund investment strategy built on rigorous by-laws, algorithmic computation and Asociological analysis, Imperative bundles social enterprises to deliver a suite of goods and services tailored to the needs of each community. For more information, please visit: www.imperativefund.com PR and Media Contact Matthew BIRD President 1-800-PublicRelations, Inc. Direct: 646.401.4499 Main: 800.782.6185 Email: matt.bird@1800pr.com www.1800pr.com OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Canadian property owner Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (BAM, BAM-A.TO), on behalf of a real estate fund managed by Brookfield, said the fund has made a proposal to acquire the common shares of Rouse Properties, Inc. (RSE) for $17.00 in cash per share. 'Our offer provides an attractive opportunity for Rouse shareholders to realize a significant premium to recent public market pricing,' said Brian Kingston, CEO of Brookfield Property Group. As part of the transaction, Brookfield Property Partners L.P. (BPY_UN.TO, BPY) would retain the Rouse shares that it currently owns. Rouse Properties owns and manages regional malls in the United States. The proposed price represents a 26 percent premium to the closing price of Rouse shares on January 15, 2016. 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. Polaris Wireless (Polaris), the global leader in high-accuracy, software-based wireless location solutions, today announced that it has prevailed in a patent dispute filed by TruePosition, Inc. (TruePosition), a subsidiary of Liberty Broadband Corporation, against Polaris. On December 15, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington D.C. affirmed Polaris' wins at the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) and District Court. All asserted claims were found to be invalid. Since June 2012, Polaris Wireless, Inc. has been defending a lawsuit brought by TruePosition alleging that Polaris' products infringe their patent number 7,783,299. From the outset of the litigation, Polaris Wireless has maintained that its Altus technology is fundamentally different from the hardware-based technology developed and patented by TruePosition in the early 2000s. Polaris Wireless has also maintained that the asserted TruePosition patent was not valid. On August 26th, 2014 the Delaware District Court found claims 113 and 114 invalid, and on November 3rd, 2014 the USPTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Board concluded that Claims 111-114 of the TruePosition patent were invalid. The appellate court affirmed those decisions on December 15, 2015. Polaris' President and CEO Manlio Allegra stated: "We are pleased with the Court's decision that affirms our position that patent claims asserted by TruePosition were invalid and not infringed. Our goal at Polaris Wireless is to serve our customers in the public safety, national security and location-based services markets by delivering best-in-class products using innovative and cutting edge technology. We sincerely thank our 50 global customers for their continued support through this process." About Polaris Wireless Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. and Zug, Switzerland, Polaris Wireless is the global leader in providing high- accuracy, software-based wireless location solutions to wireless operators, law enforcement government agencies and location-based application companies. Since 2003, Polaris Wireless has successfully completed 50 global deployments for location surveillance and LBS in EMEA and Asia, and for FCC E911 Phase II and Internet of Things (IoT) requirements in the US. The company also has offices in Dubai, U.A.E. and Bangalore, India and multiple sales and support centers around the world. For more information about Polaris Wireless, please visit http://www.polariswireless.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005736/en/ Contacts: Interprose Becky Obbema, +1 408-778-2024 becky.obbema[at]interprosepr.com PUNE, India, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide Radiology Oncology surgical robot markets are poised to achieve significant growth as next generation systems provide a way to improve traditional open surgery and use radiology for cancer surgery. New systems pinpoint the delivery of radiation precisely, eliminating the radiological overdosing that has been such a problem previously, limiting the quantity of radiation that can be delivered. Complete report on radiology oncology surgical robots market spread across 557 pages, analyzing 3 major companies and providing 82 tables and figures is now available at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/radiology-oncology-surgical-robots-market-shares-strategies-and-forecasts-worldwide-2016-to-2022-market-report.html. Radiology Oncology surgical robot device markets at $4 billion in 2015 are anticipated to reach $7.3 billion by 2022 as next generation devices, systems, and instruments are introduced to manage cancer surgery through radiation excision that eliminates open cutting in the body. Patients tolerate the surgery well, walking out of the hospital after the procedure no longer bothered by healing or infection from an incision. Companies Profiled include Varian, Elekta and Accuray, Best Theratronics, Ltd, Brainlab AG, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and ViewRay. The radiation oncology market is growing globally due to a number of factors centered around the aging of the population and the benefits accrued from new technology. The number of new cancer cases diagnosed annually is projected to increase from 14.9 million in 2015 to 20 million by 2025. The increase in new cases is due to a steadily aging population. Both developed and developing countries have aging populations. Technology advances improve the precision and applicability of radiotherapy and radiosurgery. Expanding uses of radiotherapy and radiosurgery equipment occur because the units are able to treat a broader range of cases. Advances in hardware and software are creating a market for replacing an aging installed base. New designs are able to deliver higher standards of care. Order a copy of Radiology Oncology Surgical Robots Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2016 to 2022 report @ http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/contacts/purchase?rname=454116. Technology advances lead to improvements in patient care. The availability of advanced, automated and efficient clinical tools in radiation therapy has brought more precise forms of radiotherapy treatment (IMRT, IGRT, VMAT, SRS, SBRT, brachytherapy and proton therapy). Technology includes the EDGE' and Truebeam', and the Accuray TomoTherapy H Series and CyberKnife M6 platforms that enable treatments that reduce treatment times and increase patient throughput . 9,000 additional treatment machines will be required by 2020 in developing countries. China, India and Brazil are estimated to require over 3,800, 1,200 and 400 additional machines. Demand in emerging markets, coupled with ever increasing incidences of cancer, represent additional drivers for continued growth. Radiology oncology surgical robot market driving forces relate to an opportunity to achieve change in medical practice regarding the treatment of cancer. Change would lead to utilization of stereotactic body radiosurgery more regularly as an alternative to surgery or other treatments. Radiosurgery is poised to revolutionize the treatment of cancer by eradicating tumors while not harming surrounding healthy tissue. The Varian, Elekta, and Accuray radiology oncology surgical devices offer robust clinical treatment capabilities. Flexibility of the Accuray InCise' Multileaf Collimator and robotic delivery permit treatment of tumors previously thought untreatable. With radiosurgery and SBRT cancer can be treated efficiently and effectively. The device offers accuracy. Existing open brain and abdominal cancer surgery can be replaced in large part during the forecast period by robotic radiological oncology surgery. Radiologic robotic surgical approaches complement existing open surgery techniques, but will replace them as more physicians and surgeons become skilled in manipulating the x-ray devices. Soon, all oncology surgery will be considered in the context of what part of the oncology procedure will be undertaken with at least some aspects of robotic radiologic surgery replacing or complementing open cancer surgery. Another related report is Abdominal Surgical Robots Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2015 to 2021; the 2015 study has 416 pages, 176 tables and figures. Abdominal surgical robot device markets at $2.2 billion in 2014 are anticipated to reach $10.5 billion by 2021 as next generation devices, systems, and instruments are introduced to manage surgery through small ports in the body instead of large open wounds. Access the complete report at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/abdominal-surgical-robots-market-shares-strategies-and-forecasts-worldwide-2015-to-2021-market-report.html. Explore more reports on surgical equipments market at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/reports/life-sciences/medical-devices/surgical-equipment . About Us: RnRMarketResearch.com is your single source for all market research needs. Our database includes 500,000+ market research reports from over 100+ leading global publishers & in-depth market research studies of over 5000 micro markets. With comprehensive information about the publishers and the industries for which they publish market research reports, we help you in your purchase decision by mapping your information needs with our huge collection of reports. Contact: Ritesh Tiwari UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune - 411013 Maharashtra, India. Tel: +1-888-391-5441 sales@rnrmarketresearch.com Connect with Us: G+ / Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/104156468549256253075/posts Twitter: https://twitter.com/RnRMR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/RnR-Market-Research/413488545356345 SASKATOON (dpa-AFX) - Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (POT, POT.TO) Tuesday announced that it will indefinitely suspend its Picadilly, New Brunswick potash operations. Further, the company plans job cuts of around 420-430 people in New Brunswick. The major crop nutrient company said it plans to retain around 35 employees at Picadilly to keep the operation in care-and-maintenance mode. PotashCorp President and Chief Executive Officer Jochen Tilk said, 'This is a very difficult day for our employees and our company,... while these are important steps in running a sustainable business and positioning the company to best meet the needs of its many stakeholders over the long term, such decisions are never easy.' To reduce the impact to jobs, the company will have more than 100 open positions for New Brunswick employees to join its Saskatchewan operations, along with relocation assistance. PotashCorp will establish a C$5 million community investment fund to help employees and local residents. Through the optimization of production, PotashCorp expects to increase its competitiveness and reduce cost of goods sold by $40-$50 million in 2016, although this will be partially offset by severance and transition costs. The Picadilly mine will be placed in care-and-maintenance mode at an estimated annual cost of $20 million in 2016 and $15 million in subsequent years. Should the company decide to resume operations at Picadilly, it would require a period of about one year. Severance and transition costs for the suspension of potash operations are expected to approximate $35 million and will be reflected in first quarter 2016 earnings. 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. SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- Today CloudPassage announced the addition of three executives to the CloudPassage senior management team as the company continues to grow quickly in the emerging cloud workload security market. Chief Product Officer (CPO) Ram Krishnan will oversee product direction and product marketing; Executive Vice President of Sales Mark Stephenson will drive worldwide sales; and Executive Vice President of Engineering Sohail Parekh will guide engineering. All three executives report directly to CEO Robert Thomas. "CloudPassage is growing fast and the appointments of Ram, Mark and Sohail will enable us to scale quickly in this emerging market," said Robert Thomas, CEO, CloudPassage. "Ram is that rare strategic business executive who brings to the table deep technical understanding, proven market experience and demonstrated success in scaling companies. Mark is a sales leader who has a successful track record scaling sales organizations in high-growth emerging enterprise markets. Sohail is an engineering leader who has repeatedly delivered critical business value. The addition of these executives speaks volumes about our prospects for growth in 2016 and for our future long-term success." Software veteran Ram Krishnan brings extensive experience in product strategy and business execution from nimble start-ups to global corporations. As general manager for Hewlett Packard's $900 million Applications Lifecycle Management business unit, he drove growth into mobile, agile and cloud applications. At Symantec, Krishnan successfully expanded the company's risk and compliance offering from tactical compliance tool to strategic IT risk management, delivering rapidly on product vision and exceeding business goals. As senior vice president of products and marketing at GuardianEdge, he played a key role in transforming the company from niche player into Gartner market leader in under three years, which was instrumental to their acquisition. "As enterprises increasingly leverage cloud infrastructure to power their transformation to agile IT, their security strategy needs to evolve as well," said Krishnan. "CloudPassage's automated, scalable, on-demand security platform provides innovative solutions for organizations to address their security and compliance concerns in an agile and flexible manner." Accomplished sales leader Mark Stephenson brings enterprise solution selling experience and CXO partnering expertise to CloudPassage. He most recently led sales in the Western Region for $8 billion global data center solutions provider, Digital Realty Trust. Prior to that, Stephenson built Hewlett Packard's networking salesforce and grew the company's core routing and switching business. At Cisco, he led and developed a senior team of 45 enterprise account managers to grow Cisco's business within key healthcare, high-tech, financial and retail accounts. Prior to Cisco, Stephenson drove 300 percent revenue growth in two years for Giantloop Networks, a data center networking consulting and managed services company. "We are at the ground floor of a massive transformation as agile IT models like cloud computing deliver incredible speed, flexibility and agility to businesses in all industries," said Stephenson. "CloudPassage has a remarkable security platform that enables this transformation by solving critical problems that result from this transformation." Sohail Parekh brings a unique ability to deliver market leading products on time, with high quality, that sets up companies in emerging markets for high growth. At Infoblox, Parekh helped Infoblox grow by discovering and investing in Security and Analytics market adjacencies where Infoblox could introduce new capabilities. He transformed engineering into an innovative, dependable and global team and scaled it from 70 to 300. He created multi-product focus areas and established a novel outsourcing model to achieve a more efficient and productive cost/talent mix. "From the beginning, CloudPassage took a holistic approach to security by creating a security and compliance automation platform purpose-built to deliver a broad range of controls in any application hosting environment, at any scale, on demand," said Parekh. "It's extraordinary to have such an opportunity to innovate and expand on such a well-designed platform." All three executives have already started their tenure with CloudPassage. About CloudPassage CloudPassage Halo is the world's leading agile security platform that provides instant visibility and continuous protection for servers in any combination of data centers, private clouds and public clouds. The Halo platform is delivered as a service, so it deploys in minutes and scales on-demand. Halo uses minimal system resources; so layered security can be deployed where it counts, right at every workload - servers, instances and containers. Leading enterprises like Citrix, Salesforce.com and Adobe use CloudPassage today to enhance their security and compliance posture, while at the same time enabling business agility. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, CloudPassage is backed by Benchmark Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Meritech Capital Partners, Tenaya Capital, Shasta Ventures, Musea Ventures and other leading investors. For more information, visit www.cloudpassage.com. CloudPassage and Halo are registered trademarks of CloudPassage, Inc. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2951376 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2951379 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2951382 Public Availability begins February 23 Afilias, a leading domain registry operator,today announces that the Sunrise Period for the new "dot PET" or .PET top level domain is now open for eligible trademark holders only. .PET is the best Internet address for pet-related products and services as well as pet lovers everywhere. .PET LAUNCH DATES: Sunrise: Today through February 23, 2016, registration of .PET domains is limited strictly to eligible trademark holders. To apply, please visit a sunrise authorized registrar. Open Registration: Begins February 23, 2016. For more information about the .PET domain and registration schedule details, please visit www.get.pet. .PET domains instantly convey to pet lovers that a site is all about pets, pet products and/or pet services. .PET is unrestricted, so it's easy to get, easy to remember and ideal for marketing pet related items. Pet industry companies, veterinarians, breeders, animal rescues, pet owners, pet-owner focused markets like pet daycares and resorts will all benefit from the .PET TLD. The love of domesticated pets is nothing new; dogs have been "man's best friend" for over 12,000 years! But in recent years, the pet industry has morphed from necessities like pet food to a vast array of goods and services ranging from clothing ensembles to daycares and even pet spas. In fact, pet lovers are estimated to have spent a whopping $61 billion dollars in 2015 in the US alone on everything from vet visits to specialized pet-friendly nail polishes. ".PET is the perfect choice for the pet lover and pet industry participants, and all those seeking to reach both," said Roland LaPlante, chief marketing officer of Afilias. ".PET is designed to help pet lovers more easily find pet-related products and services on the Internet. It even works for sites dedicated to the pet itself (e.g. grumpycat.pet)! It also makes a great choice for rescues, shelters, clubs, associations and pet lovers of all kinds." About Afilias Afilias is the world's second largest domain registry, with millions of domain names under management. Afilias powers a wide variety of top-level domains, including TLDs for countries, cities, brands, communities and generic terms. Afilias' specialized technology makes Internet addresses more accessible and useful through a broad range of applications, including Internet domain registry services, managed DNS, and mobile Web services. For more information on Afilias services, visit www.afilias.info. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005485/en/ Contacts: Afilias Alan Wallace, +1-215-706-5716 awallace@afilias.info DUBLIN, OH--(Marketwired - January 19, 2016) - Epcon Communities Franchising Inc. (Epcon) celebrates two important milestones in 2016: 20 years of franchising anchored on a rock-solid foundation of 30 years of homebuilding experience. These significant achievements will be celebrated at Epcon's flagship national conference to be held in Columbus, Ohio, February 8-10. Laying the foundation The 38th largest home builder in the U.S. ("2014 Builder 100," BuilderMagazine, May 2015), Epcon and its Franchise Builders have sold more than 28,000 homes in the United States by focusing on an underserved niche: luxury, low-maintenance, ranch-style homes for consumers looking to downsize from their existing home. Co-owners Ed Bacome and Phil Fankhauser started Epcon in 1986 to build homes that would better meet the needs of home buyers in search of a beautiful single-story home at an affordable price. Demand was explosive, which inspired the pair to begin franchising their building plans and management systems to other builders. Today, the corporate entity is building Epcon Communities in Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina, and working with Franchise Builders to help them develop Epcon Communities throughout the United States. Building momentum Epcon has developed communities across the country -- more than 350 in 28 states -- and it is now poised to meet an exponential increase in demand for low-maintenance housing. There is a huge mismatch between supply and demand for low-maintenance housing according to a 2015 research report by Metrostudy, a Hanley Wood company. Where is that market demand coming from? The short answer: 75.4 million Baby Boomers. Metrostudy predicts that over half of the new homes bought through 2020 will be sold to consumers aged 55+. Numbers to consider: Baby Boomers are doing better financially than other generations. According to a Nielsen study they constitute 41% of Mass Affluents, who are defined as households with liquid assets, excluding real estate, between $250K and $1 million. Nailing the sweet spot People in a variety of life stages are attracted to homes that work around their active social lifestyles. They may want to spend more time with family and friends, pursue travel and hobbies, or start a new business -- they are no longer interested in spending their free time pushing a lawnmower or doing outside home and yard maintenance. In other words, they're looking for an Epcon home. Epcon's time-tested home models have won satisfied customers for thirty years and Franchise Builders have taken advantage of this popularity by delivering exactly the kinds of lifestyle condominium homes that appeal to these buyers. Epcon's building plans are designed to offer luxury touches while making the best use of space. Living space flows gracefully throughout the open floor plans, and natural light streams through windows that often face private courtyards designed for outdoor entertaining and relaxation. The planning that yields these floor plans is impeccable, and that same level of care is reflected in the systems and tools that are available to Franchise Builders. Epcon's proven systems and efficient model layout plans deliver an unprecedented speed to market. Franchise Builders can take a home from "shovel-ready" to complete in 90-120 days. This means builders can potentially realize revenue faster and reinvest very efficiently. Sustainable growth The number of 55+ adults in the United States is expected to hit 100 million by 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2030, there will be approximately 132 million Americans age 50 or older. Crunching the numbers, it is clear that the demand for the kind of low-maintenance, active-lifestyle housing that Epcon delivers is expected to increase sharply over the near and immediate long-term. "Over the past 30 years, we've mastered the concept of low-maintenance, lifestyle housing down to a science," says Tim Rini, Vice President of Franchising, "Population demographics indicate that we're just now at the tip of the iceberg in terms of demand. As we celebrate these important milestones in Epcon's history, we're ready to meet this underserved market with fast-to-market, winning home solutions for our Franchise Builders." Learn more about Epcon Communities Franchising For in-depth details about the Epcon franchise opportunity, visit www.epconfranchising.com. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1/14/11G078904/Images/NEW0596-2f40527e935781b495b6be656f23e9e1.jpg Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1/14/11G078904/Images/image003-0aad64d8d7c382d28ff801cbddca3675.jpg Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1/14/11G078904/Images/image005-60e06d8493e28b46b1600f8a393ad363.jpg Embedded Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvugaVjDl3c Contact Jason Coffee Business Development Manager 855-746-8988 jcoffee@epconcommunities.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- Pasinex Resources Limited (CSE: PSE)(FRANKFURT: PNX) (the "Company" or "Pasinex") is pleased to announce the appointment of Cindy Davis as Chief Financial Officer and Jo-Anne Archibald as Corporate Secretary, both effective January 1, 2016. Cindy Davis, CPA, CA is a Senior Financial Analyst at Marrelli Support Services Inc. where she provides accounting, regulatory compliance, and management advisory services to numerous issuers on the TSX, TSX Venture Exchange and other Canadian and US exchanges. Previously, Mrs. Davis worked at a public accounting firm focused on small and medium businesses for five years. Mrs. Davis holds a Bachelor of Science degree specializing in Accounting and Economics. Jo-Anne Archibald is the President of DSA Corporate Services Inc., and has over thirty years of corporate secretarial, investor relations and marketing experience. Previously, Jo-Anne was Senior Vice President at TMX Equicom. She has an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University and is also a Fellow (FCIS) of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA). Ms. Archibald has advised numerous publically traded companies on corporate secretarial procedures. Steve Williams, CEO of Pasinex Resources welcomes Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Archibald to the Company. "Our year is off to a good start with the appointment of these two highly qualified professionals. We see them as a tremendous resource and look forward to learning from their small cap company experience." About Pasinex Pasinex Resources Limited (CSE: PSE)(FRANKFURT: PNX) is a base-metal and precious-metal focused Company with a goal to build a mid-tier international mining company. The Company's initial priority is to build a prospective portfolio of base-metal opportunities in Turkey. The Company has a strong technical management team with many years of experience in mineral exploration and mining project development. The focus of Pasinex is to build a mid-tier zinc company based on their Turkey zinc projects. The Pinargozu mine is included in the 50-50 company, Horzum Arama Isletme AS (Horzum AS), which is a corporate joint venture between Pasinex and Turkish mining house, Akmetal Madencilik San ve Tic. AS (Akmetal AS). Akmetal A.S is one of Turkey's largest family-owned conglomerates with the past-producing Horzum zinc Mine nearby. Visit our web site at: www.pasinex.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors PASINEX RESOURCES LTD. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Contacts: Pasinex Resources Limited Steve Williams President / CEO 416.861.9659 / 705.292.8116 info@pasinex.com Cathy Hume CHF Investor Relations 416.868.1079 ext. 231 cathy@chfir.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 19, 2016) - Pasinex Resources Limited (CSE: PSE) (FSE: PNX) (the "Company" or "Pasinex") is pleased to announce the appointment of Cindy Davis as Chief Financial Officer and Jo-Anne Archibald as Corporate Secretary, both effective January 1, 2016. Cindy Davis, CPA, CA is a Senior Financial Analyst at Marrelli Support Services Inc. where she provides accounting, regulatory compliance, and management advisory services to numerous issuers on the TSX, TSX Venture Exchange and other Canadian and US exchanges. Previously, Mrs. Davis worked at a public accounting firm focused on small and medium businesses for five years. Mrs. Davis holds a Bachelor of Science degree specializing in Accounting and Economics. Jo-Anne Archibald is the President of DSA Corporate Services Inc., and has over thirty years of corporate secretarial, investor relations and marketing experience. Previously, Jo-Anne was Senior Vice President at TMX Equicom. She has an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University and is also a Fellow (FCIS) of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA). Ms. Archibald has advised numerous publically traded companies on corporate secretarial procedures. Steve Williams, CEO of Pasinex Resources welcomes Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Archibald to the Company. "Our year is off to a good start with the appointment of these two highly qualified professionals. We see them as a tremendous resource and look forward to learning from their small cap company experience." About Pasinex Pasinex Resources Limited (CSE: PSE) (FSE: PNX) is a base-metal and precious-metal focused Company with a goal to build a mid-tier international mining company. The Company's initial priority is to build a prospective portfolio of base-metal opportunities in Turkey. The Company has a strong technical management team with many years of experience in mineral exploration and mining project development. The focus of Pasinex is to build a mid-tier zinc company based on their Turkey zinc projects. The Pinargozu mine is i ncluded in the 50-50 company, Horzum Arama Isletme AS (Horzum AS), which is a corporate joint venture between Pasinex and Turkish mining house, Akmetal Madencilik San ve Tic. AS (Akmetal AS). Akmetal A.S is one of Turkey's largest family-owned conglomerates with the past-producing Horzum zinc Mine nearby. Visit our web site at: www.pasinex.com On Behalf of the Board of Directors PASINEX RESOURCES LTD. Steve Williams Cathy Hume President/CEO CHF Investor Relations Phone: 416.861.9659 / 705.292.8116 Phone: 416.868.1079 ext. 231 Email: info@pasinex.com Email: cathy@chfir.com DETROIT, MI -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- An estimated 50 to 80 thousand people in Michigan have autism spectrum disorder, including nearly 16,000 children enrolled in Michigan schools. On January 24, 2016, Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley will be a featured guest on MI Healthy Mind, a 30-minute program that talks openly about matters related to mental health, and airs each Sunday at noon on TV 20 Detroit. Lt. Gov. Calley will talk about autism spectrum disorder and what Michigan is doing to help families with access to services. As a strong advocate for mental health in Michigan, Lt. Gov. Calley will share his family's experience with autism spectrum disorder, commonly known as autism. Joining him will be Dr. Colleen Allen, president and CEO of the Autism Alliance of Michigan. Together, they helped to implement autism insurance reform legislation to provide expanded services for people with autism. Dr. Allen will also describe a new program, MiNavigator, which includes both direct consultation and case management by autism professionals and a web-based, adjunct tool, to assist families in navigating the maze of service and support options available in Michigan. Later in the program, MI Healthy Mind hosts Elizabeth Atkins and Michael Hunter will talk with Kristin Rohrbeck, director of OUCARES, which provides a variety of outreach programs for the Oakland University Center for Autism, and serves approximately 2,500 people of all ages each year. Rohrbeck will be accompanied by Sean Rosen, who participated in OUCARES employable computer skills training program and now works as a paid intern for OUCARES. "Although autism is a topic that has gained a lot of media attention, there is still so much to learn about this disorder and how it impacts families in Michigan," said Millie Elston, executive producer of Relativity Communications, producers of MI Healthy Mind. "We are honored to have Lt. Governor Calley and these distinguished guests on our show to talk about the many facets of autism and resources available in our state to help people live to their highest potential." Sponsored by Team Wellness Center, MI Healthy Mind invites viewers to submit mental health and wellness topics of interest to Listening@MIHealthyMind.com. For more information about opportunities for guest appearances and advertising, visit www.MiHealthyMind.com. About Relativity Communications Relativity Communications is a woman-owned production company with offices in Plymouth, Michigan, specializing in locally focused programming. Relativity is committed to providing high quality content for Michigan viewing audiences. For more information, call 734-667-4425. About Team Wellness Center Team Wellness Center provides comprehensive behavioral services and physical care for individuals with severe and chronic mental illness in southeastern Michigan. The Center's clinics in Southgate and Detroit's Eastern Market offer psychiatry, primary care, social work, housing and employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, faith-based treatment, and more. All mental health care services, programs and groups are provided using the person- centered planning process with individualized treatment plans available for both short- and long-term mental health problems. Established in 2002, Team Wellness Center is an accredited provider of the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation (CARF) since 2003. For more information, visit www.TeamWellnessCenter.com or call 313-396-5300. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2951193 Media Contact: Millie Elston Relativity Communications 313-520-1751 Email Contact Margaret Blohm, APR Partner, Studio 313 LLC Margaux & Associates, LLC 313-406-3467 Email Contact Point Roberts, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - January 19, 2016) - Starflick.com Inc. (OTC Pink: STFK) is pleased to notify shareholders of the acquisition of a networking portal for professionals in the music, film and performance industry. The transaction between Starflick.com and the sellers, Avatele Group Inc, Yvoty Informatics, and Akivuni Development, is effective immediately. The transaction is in restricted shares of company stock valued at over $7,500,000 as of close of business Friday. The networking portal, currently named Yinfomatics, supports both free and paid membership, granting differential access and control features. There are forums for general conversation as well as dedicated pages to list products and services. This includes but is not limited to Job Openings, Casting Calls, Stage Set Rentals, Equipment for Sale, Personals, and Services such as lessons, promotions and resumes. 22 cities have been chosen as initial servicing locations, including New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Tokyo, Paris and Sydney. Additional locations will be added, with an emphasis on China which we feel is tremendously underserved. Users have the option of listing locally (default), nation-wide or globally. The portal contains mapping and directions software, allowing the user to quickly determine the location of the product or service. Security includes both encryption and confirmation requests for posts. The portal supports both sponsored advertising, as well as featured listings for additional company income. The China specific portal will include general business listings as well as a paid business directory, which the company feels will be a significant portion of revenue. Member only forums include General and Global Topics, Immigrant's Life, Overseas Students, Work, Finance, Politics, Relationships and any other topic as requested by members. In addition, paid members have access to a Wordpress multi-user blog system. Bloggers will share advertising revenue generated by their blogs, making it an attractive addition to the membership. Starflick.com CEO Zoltan Nagy stated, "We are excited about this acquisition. The prospect of bringing together a community of dedicated performers, artists, directors, producers and other industry professionals is a perfect match for our company. We have identified several underserved locations and have dedicated time and energy to those areas, as they will provide Starflick.com with strong growth." Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements about our business or financial condition and prospects that reflect our assumptions and beliefs based on information currently available. We can give no assurance that the expectations indicated by such forward-looking statements will be realized. There may be other risks and circumstances that we are unable to predict. When used in this news release, words such as "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although there may be certain forward-looking statements not accompanied by such expressions. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including risks discussed in the company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors other than as required under the securities laws. The Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements. Contact Info 1361 Peltier Drive Point Roberts, WA 98281 Website: http://www.starflick.com Phone: (403) 397-3035 Email: support@starflick.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- Kilo Goldmines Ltd. ("Kilo" or "KGL" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: KGL) (FRANKFURT: 02K) and Randgold Resources (DRC) Limited ("Randgold") are pleased to announce that they have signed a definitive agreement for a joint venture ("JV") on Kilo Goldmines' Somituri licences located in Democratic Republic of Congo ("DRC"). The purpose of the JV is to conduct exploration on the licenced properties to evaluate possible development and mining of the licences, and to operate future mines thereon, if appropriate. Randgold will obtain incremental ownership through financing of exploration, based on milestone events, commencing with establishment of a pre-feasibility study. Randgold will manage exploration activities, and a joint venture committee with representation from both parties will direct the project. Randgold will manage and fund all exploration of the permit areas until the completion of a pre-feasibility study. Once the Joint Venture has determined to move ahead with a full feasibility study, a special purpose vehicle ("SPV") would be created to hold the specific discovery areas. Subject to the DRC's carried interest, Randgold would retain 65% of the SPV with KGL's DRC 71.25% subsidiary, KGL-Somituri SARL, holding the balance of 35%. Randgold can earn an additional 5% on completion of a bankable feasibility study should KGL choose not to co-fund the feasibility study. KGL will be required, from the completion of a feasibility study, to fund its pro-rata share of the SPV in order to maintain its interest or be diluted. The agreement is subject to due diligence by Randgold and any necessary regulatory and shareholder approvals. Six Permis d'Exploitation ("PE"), or Exploitation Licences, comprise the Randgold/KGL JV, namely PE 137, PE 138, PE 140, PE 9691, PE 9692, and PE 9695, totalling 361km2. These licences cover prospective Archaen (Kibalian) terrain within the Ngayu greenstone belt in the North-East DRC. To date KGL has conducted exploration on PE 9691 and has established an estimated NI 43-101 Inferred Mineral Resource of 20.78 Mt at a grade of 2.5 g/t Au for 1.675 million ounces of gold. The licenses have numerous gold occurrences. David Netherway, Chairman of Kilo Goldmines, commented: "Kilo Goldmines is very pleased to continue our partnership with Randgold, which commenced in 2012 with entry into a joint venture on the Isiro licenses in the DRC. We look forward to continuing this cordial relationship on the Somituri licenses." Mark Bristow, CEO of Randgold commented: "This agreement, along with our other JVs in the area which include the existing JV with KGL on the Isiro properties, brings our landholding in the Ngayu belt to over 3 300km2. Furthermore, this agreement highlights Randgold's commitment to greenfields exploration and our long term strategy in North East DRC. Randgold explores for world-class gold deposits with the potential to deliver 3Moz with a 20% IRR at a US$1 000/oz gold price. We believe North East DRC is one of the few areas in Africa where this potential remains unexplored." QUALIFIED PERSON Howard Fall, B.Sc., PhD, MAusIMM, QP (Geo) is the 'qualified person' (as such term is defined under National Instrument 43-101) of Kilo and has reviewed the scientific and technical information contained in this release. About Kilo Kilo Goldmines Ltd. is a Canadian gold exploration company that is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol 'KGL' and on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol '02K'. The Company holds about 2,417 square kilometres of prospective Archaean Kibalian greenstone in the Kilo-Moto area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kilo currently has two projects: -- the Somituri project comprising six contiguous licences covering 361km2 -- the Isiro project, comprising twelve licences covering 2056 km2 Further information on the projects may be found on the Company's website, www.kilogoldmines.com About Randgold Randgold operates five gold mines: Morila, Loulo, and Gounkoto in Mali, Tongon in Cote d'Ivoire and Kibali in DRC. The Massawa project in Senegal is at feasibility stage and exploration programmes are underway in Cote d'Ivoire, DRC, Mali, and Senegal. 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. Contacts: Philip Gibbs Interim CEO +1 416 360 3406 philip.gibbs@kilogoldmines.com www.kilogoldmines.com NEUSTADT AN DER AISCH, Germany, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Online printer announces record year - investments worth several million euros made Client base of Onlineprinters GmbH grows to reach more than half a million customers The online print provider produced more than 2.1 billion printed products in the record year of 2015 Several million euros invested in production and infrastructure drupa 2016: promising, new stimuli expected The Onlineprinters GmbH print shop, now in its eleventh year of business, continues to grow dynamically. The company, which operates 15 international online shops under the brand name of Onlineprinters, has acquired a significant number of new customers and was pleased to welcome its 500,000th customer in December 2015. Staff increased to reach 600 employees over the year. In 2015, the company produced more than 2.1 billion printed products in total. Onlineprinters invested several million euros into infrastructure, printers and processing machinery throughout the record year. With more than 110 offset printers, Onlineprinters remains the largest print company in Europe that prints in 3b format. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323474 ) Flourishing business model The Germany-based company is one of the biggest online printers in Europe and was one of the first to provide online printing services. Unlike all other large online printers, the company has evolved from a classic print shop. The business model combines industry and e-commerce: Customers can order their bespoke printings over the Internet in a fast and simple process, and the orders are subsequently forwarded to the company's in-house production department. Production uses so-called gang run forms for collective printing of jobs from multiple customers using one printing plate. This approach minimises costs and is more eco-friendly. The Onlineprinters product range comprises more than 1,400 printed products from business cards, stationery and flyers to catalogues, brochures and large-format advertising systems. A trend towards small runs Online printing has made custom printings accessible to a wide group of consumers with industrial-scale production providing already small print runs at low prices. Compared to the previous year, Onlineprinters' orders for up to 100 copies rose by more than a fifth. The same was seen for single-copy orders. The latter trend can be put down to the rapid development in the field of large-format products. Customers are highly interested in outdoor advertising products such as advertising tarpaulins, advertising signs and flags that can be ordered to centimetre specifications from Onlineprinters. Onlineprinters in the drupa year 2016 Onlineprinters will keep to its previous annual objectives also for 2016: The goal is to reach a two-digit growth rate. As a consequence, more investments will be made in printing and processing technology. "We have identified potential in particular in the B2B business and in international markets," says CEO Dr. Michael Fries. Walter Meyer, the company's founder and COO, anticipates continued growth in the area of large-format printing: "The trend towards large-format outdoor advertising will intensify in 2016. This is because online printing has made these products affordable and ordering only takes a couple of minutes." Moreover, Onlineprinters expects important stimuli from this year's print media fair, the drupa. "Topics such as process improvements in further processing and high-volume digital printing in high quality are interesting and present excellent opportunities for industrial job printing. This will open up new offers and products in online printing," Fries says with optimism. Video "Look behind the scenes of a leading online printing company": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWWiPcVE5P8 About Onlineprinters GmbH Onlineprinters GmbH is one of Europe's leading online print providers. In line with the motto "Printings simply ordered online" the company sells printed products to 500,000 customers in 30 European countries through its 15 web shops. Internationally, the company is known under the brand name "Onlineprinters"; in Germany it operates under the name "diedruckerei.de". The product range comprises 1,400 printed products from business cards, stationery and flyers to catalogues, brochures and large-format advertising systems. The formula to successfully producing customised prints in terms of Industry 4.0 rests on three pillars: online sales, fully integrated production from ordering to shipping and gang run printing. The latter uses so-called combined forms to collectively produce print jobs which minimises costs and reduces the environmental impact. Selected products allow customers to choose the option of same day printing (produced on the same working day), overnight delivery, climate neutral production and custom size specification. Onlineprinters GmbH employs a staff of 600 and produces over two billion printings per year. - Cross reference: Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) - XI'AN SHAANXI, CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- KWG Resources Inc. (CSE: KWG) (FRANKFURT: KW6) ("KWG") and China Railway First Survey & Design Institute Group Co., Ltd. ("FSDI") have signed a Memorandum of Understanding today setting out the terms for mutually proceeding with a feasibility study for the design and financing of a railroad. The parties have agreed that a delegation of FSDI professionals will travel to Ontario for initial consultations prior to mid-March 2016. The Memorandum of Understanding was facilitated by Golden Share Mining Corporation (TSX VENTURE: GSH), KWG's agent in China. KWG has engaged Intercedent Limited, of China and Canada, to advise globally on the transaction. The right-of-way staked and assessed by KWG subsidiary Canada Chrome Corporation will provide the alignment for the route. The First Nations whose traditional territories are traversed by the route will first be consulted to insure that their interests are accommodated, prior to further definitive agreements being undertaken by the parties. About FSDI: Established in 1953, China Railway First Survey & Design Institute Group Co., Ltd. ("FSDI") holds 26 national Grade-A complex qualification certificates for engineering survey, design, supervision and consultation. Over the past 60 years since establishment, FSDI has led the design and construction of over 48,000 km of railways represented by western China's railway network, and undertaken over 5,000 km of high-speed railways which have been in operation or are under construction in China. FSDI has undertaken rail transit projects in over 30 cities of China, fully covering the whole process or industrial chain of planning, design, consultation, supervision, EPC and general property development of means of transport such as subway, light rail and tramcar. It has also undertaken railway, highway and subway consultation and design projects measuring a total of over 2,000 kilometers in over 40 countries. FSDI's complete survey & design technologies have been up to domestic or world advanced standards in fields such as mountain railways, plateau permafrost railways, desert railways, electrified railways, super long tunnels, large railway hubs or marshalling stations, wireless train control, command scheduling systems, and large interchange engineering. About KWG: KWG has a 30% interest in the Big Daddy chromite deposit and the right to earn 80% of the Black Horse chromite where resources are being defined. KWG also owns 100% of CCC which has staked claims and conducted a surveying and soil testing program, originally for the engineering and construction of a railroad to the Ring of Fire from Aroland, Ontario. KWG subsequently acquired intellectual property interests, including a method for the direct reduction of chromite to metalized iron and chrome using natural gas. The Company is prosecuting patent applications for both the direct reduction method and for a method of producing high purity chromium metal by continuous smelting. Shares issued and outstanding: 871,418,968 Contacts: Bruce Hodgman Vice-President 416-642-3575 info@kwgresources.com BOCA RATON, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- Global Boatworks Holdings Inc., a Florida corporation, announced today that the Company's ticker symbol "GBBT" was provided by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"). About Global Boatworks Holdings Inc. Global Boatworks builds and sells top of the line "Luxury Floating Vessels" to the southeastern United States. Global will market their vessels through real estate brokers, yacht brokers, International Boat Shows, trade shows, door-to-door and word of mouth. Global Boatworks will provide buyers with available docking, finance options, and insurance companies. Global will also offer the ability for purchasers to plan custom vessels to fit their lifestyle. Brenda Hamilton, a securities attorney with Hamilton & Associates Law Group, P.A. of Boca Raton, Florida assisted Global Boatworks as its going public attorney for the Company's Form 211 and its ticker symbol assignment. Company Contact: Global Boatworks Holdings, Inc. Bob Rowe 2637 Atlantic Blvd. #134 Pompano Beach, FL 33062 Telephone 954-934-9400 www.globalboatworks.globalHamilton & Associates Law Group, P.A.Brenda HamiltonAttorney101 Plaza Real South, Suite 202 NBoca Raton, FL 33432Tel: (561) 416-8956Fax: (561) 416-2855www.securitieslawyer101.com Youth, Women, Refugees, Religious Leaders and Media are key beneficiaries VIENNA, Jan. 19,2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vienna-based International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will cooperate to promote intercommunal peace in communities hosting large numbers of refugees, and to address vulnerabilities resulting from the crisis in the Arab States region including Iraq and Syria. To help communities build resilience to conflict, the collaboration will strengthen influencers in communities, such as women, youth, religious leaders and the media. The cooperation will also develop education curricula that promote values of peace, acceptance and equality. KAICIID and the UNDP will collaborate towards building platforms for dialogue to enhance the constructive role that religious leaders play in promoting social cohesion. KAICIID Deputy Secretary General for External Relations, Alvaro Albacete, and Sima Bahous, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States, UNDP, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the KAICIID headquarters in Vienna, Austria, to formalise the cooperation between the two intergovernmental organisations. Deputy Secretary General Albacete said: "The Arab region is enduring an unprecedented period of crisis, which threatens to undermine the religious pluralism that have defined these societies for so long. The international community needs to act. Religious leaders have always played an important role in communities: in many parts of the world they are leaders in providing development assistance and promoting social cohesion. We look forward to working with UNDP to help religious leaders, and other leaders in communities, like women and young people, to promote social cohesion." Ms Bahous said: "Diversity and co-existence have been hallmarks of the civilization of the Arab States region, and indeed this has been among our greatest strengths. There is an urgent need across our region to reinforce our embrace of diversity, and move towards increased resilience forged on the bedrock of social peace. Working together, UNDP and KAICIID aim to make a major contribution towards this important objective." In the framework of its "United Against Violence in the Name of Religion" initiative, KAICIID is working with the Regional Bureau for the Arab States, UNDP, on a regional project, "Promoting Social Cohesion in the Arab Region (PSCAR)", to map social cohesion in the region, and to evaluate the impact of peacebuilding, resilience and conflict prevention programs. In addition, with the UNDP office in Iraq, KAICIID is working on "Support for Social Cohesion in Iraq (SSCI)", aimed at identifying and empowering agents for social cohesion. In particular religious leaders will be empowered to contribute to building peace in fragile societies. ABOUT KAICIID KAICIID is an intergovernmental organization that promotes dialogue to build peace in conflict areas. It does this by enhancing understanding and cooperation between people of different cultures and followers of different religions. The Centre was founded by Austria, Saudi Arabia and Spain, with the Holy See as Founding Observer. Its Board of Directors comprises prominent representatives from five major world religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism). The Board designs and supervises the Centre's programs. ABOUT UNDP UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, UNDP is the lead agency of the United Nations in the fight against poverty and inequality, and in support of inclusive and peaceful societies, offering global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- When Members of Provincial Parliament travel to Ottawa on January 22 for pre-budget consultations, they will be met with community protests over austerity cuts and privatization. The Ontario Federation of Labour and the Ontario Common Front will be joining the Ontario Health Coalition in Ottawa to protest the deep cuts to Ontario hospitals and social programs. "Here in Ottawa, we are seeing the effects of austerity in every community. Hospital cuts, hydro privatization, mounting student debt, precarious jobs and Canada's lowest social program funding are taking their toll in every neighbourhood," said Patty Coates, Secretary-Treasurer of the Ontario Federation of Labour. "Ontarians are calling on the Wynne Government to abandon her austerity agenda and lay out a plan for restoring public services, growing our economy, expanding Ontario's revenue base and lifting standards for everyone. The next Ontario budget shouldn't be constrained by government cuts, it should create an Ontario in which everyone prospers." "Nine consecutive years of real-dollar cuts have plunged Ontario to the bottom of the country in hospital funding. Patients are being left on stretchers in hallways, surgeries are being cancelled and vital health services are being privatized, subject to user fees, or moved out of town," said Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition. "It is beyond time that these devastating hospital cuts be stopped. The Ontario government must restore our public hospital funding to at least the average of all the other provinces in Canada." Patients, workers, students, seniors and anti-poverty activists will rally outside the Ottawa consultations of the Ontario Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. WHAT: Community protest of Ottawa Pre-Budget Consultation WHERE: Ottawa Marriott Hotel, 100 Kent St. N, Ottawa WHEN: Noon on Fri. Jan. 22, 2016 SPEAKERS WILL INCLUDE: -- Patty Coates, Secretary-Treasurer, Ontario Federation of Labour -- Al Dupuis, Co-Chair, Ottawa Health Coalition -- Sean McKenny, President, Ottawa & District Labour Council -- Mary Catherine McCarthy, patient experience -- Dave Lundy, OPSEU for Keep Hydro Public -- Nancy Parker, patient experience -- Patients will share experiences with hospital cuts and privatization Similar protests will take place at every pre-budget consultation in Ontario. For more information, visit: http://ofl.ca/index.php/rallyagainstausterity The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter. Ontario Health Coalition represents more than 400 member organizations and a network of Local Health Coalitions and individual members. For information, visit http://www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca and follow @OntarioHealthC on Facebook and Twitter. Contacts: Joel Duff OFL Communications Director 416-707-0349 (cell) jduff@ofl.ca ENG/FRENCH More than 25% of jobs in U.S. left open after 60 days, 1 out of 5 in Germany and Canada Many roles aren't seeing high enough wages to lure workers; in-demand positions lack qualified applicants The U.S., Germany, and Canada lead a new ranking of labor market tightness among 12 major economies as a combination of low wages and a lack of skilled workers has left many jobs unfilled, according to a new global report by job site Indeed. More than one quarter of jobs in the U.S. are still open after 60 days, and in Germany and Canada it's about one-fifth of jobs, as these developed markets work to move from economic recovery to expansion. "The mismatch between employers and job seekers is weighing on productivity, partially explaining a missing spark from the global recovery thus far," said Indeed Chief Economist Tara Sinclair, author of the report titled Labor Market Outlook 2016: Uncovering the Causes of Global Jobs Mismatch. "There is still time for these markets to hire workers and boost growth, but it will take increased wages along with skilled workers taking in-demand roles, two areas that have underperformed throughout the recovery." The types of roles that are open range from cashier to sales manager to aerospace engineer, which if unfilled will continue to make it harder to increase what have been below average global productivity rates, according to the report. "While it's important to have strong employer demand for roles, it should be matched with productivity and wage growth," Sinclair said. "Job openings in themselves are a good sign for the economy, but if they're not filled it is a missed opportunity for employers, job seekers, and the economy." Jobs in information technology and higher-skilled healthcare positions are going empty due to a lack of interested job seekers with the appropriate skill sets, according to the report. Even though these jobs pay higher salaries, there has not been a strong enough push by job seekers to gain the necessary education and experience for these roles, along with a lack of worker training from employers, Sinclair said. Jobs that do not require advanced degrees are going unfilled in large part due to relatively low wages that aren't tempting people into the workforce, according to the report. "Since there is less interest in these jobs in developed economies, it's up to employers to entice workers with higher wages or more flexibility, and many just haven't been willing to do that as the economic recovery has struggled to get back to boom times," Sinclair said. Read more about the labor mismatch and other global trends in our latest Hiring Lab research report: indeed.com/hiringlab. Percent of jobs open on Indeed after 60 days by country 1. United States 25.84% 2. Germany 20.00% 3. Canada 18.70% 4. France 16.07% 5. United Kingdom 13.09% 6. Australia 11.66% 7. Japan 11.12% 8. India 10.22% 9. Italy 9.28% 10. Brazil 7.2% 11. Russia 1.84% 12. China 1.42% About the Hiring Lab The Hiring Lab is Indeed's proprietary research arm focused on examining emerging employment trends. Labor Market Outlook 2016: Uncovering the Causes of Global Jobs Mismatch is the sixth Hiring Lab report issued by Indeed. Previous reports include: Beyond the Talent Shortage: How Tech Candidates Search for Jobs (September 2015) The Talent Driven Economy: Emerging Interests of Today's Job Seeker (May 2015) Three Generations of Talent: Who's Searching for Jobs Today (December 2014) Where People Search for Jobs: Cross-Border Labor Mobility Report (July 2014) What Job Seekers Want: Occupation Satisfaction Desirability Report (March 2014) About Indeed More people find jobs on Indeed than anywhere else. Indeed is the #1 job site in the world and allows job seekers to search millions of jobs on the web or mobile in over 50 countries and 28 languages. More than 180 million people each month search for jobs, post resumes, and research companies on Indeed, and Indeed is the #1 source of external hires for thousands of companies (sources: SilkRoad iCIMS). For more information, visit indeed.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119006301/en/ Contacts: Indeed Alex Ortolani, +1-917-618-0709 PR Manager aortolani@indeed.com ABI Research Forecasts Continued, Steady Growth for Both the Toy/Hobbyist and Prosumer UAV Sectors OYSTER BAY, New York, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The consumer drone market continues to exhibit dramatic growth as users look to use them to enrich their pastimes and activities. ABI Research, the leader in technology market intelligence, predicts more than 90 million consumer UAVs will ship during 2025, up from 4.9 million in 2014 with a CAGR of 30.4% over the same period. Consumer drone revenues in 2025 are forecast to reach $4.6 billion. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151014/276887LOGO According to research findings, toy/hobbyist drone shipments accounted for 30% of consumer UAV revenue in 2014, while the prosumer segment captured 69%. ABI Research anticipates that toy/hobbyist UAV revenue will surpass prosumer UAV revenue beginning in 2017, and will account for more than two-thirds of the $4.6 billion consumer drone market in 2025. "For the study period, the overwhelming majority of consumer UAVs shipped will be toy/hobbyist UAVs, followed by prosumer UAVs, while kits and custom UAVs will remain a small market," says Phil Solis, Research Director at ABI Research. "Overall, growth in the consumer drone sector will remain strong, spurred by the creation of new use cases and the adoption of the technological advancements generated by well-funded market leaders such as DJI, 3DR, Parrot, and Yuneec, among others." Additionally, the report finds that as the complexity of technology in the toy/hobbyist segment continues to increase, consumer UAVs with at least one camera can expect higher shipments than those without any cameras from 2019 onward. These cameras will not be limited to taking pictures and video, but will also be utilized for machine-vision applications, such as motion tracking, obstacle avoidance and other advanced functionalities. "It will be interesting to watch what happens as consumer UAV technology continues to evolve," concludes Solis. "The future challenge will lie in finding ways to keep the products interesting. By transforming consumer UAVs into flying smartphone-like platforms, product vendors will be able to add innovative technological functionality into the devices with an eye on more open application development to enable innovative use cases. This will enable products to hold consumers' interest longer, increase product value, and expand product lifespan." These findings are part of ABI Research's Consumer Robotics Service (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/service/consumer-robotics/), which includes research reports, market data, insights and competitive assessments. About ABI Research For more than 25 years, ABI Research has stood at the forefront of technology market intelligence, partnering with innovative business leaders to implement informed, transformative technology decisions. The company employs a global team of senior analysts to provide comprehensive research and consulting services through deep quantitative forecasts, qualitative analyses and teardown services. An industry pioneer, ABI Research is proactive in its approach, frequently uncovering ground-breaking business cycles ahead of the curve and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. In all, the company covers more than 60 services, spanning 11 technology sectors. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com. Contact Info: Christine Gallen Tel: +1.516.624.2542 pr@abiresearch.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- Loncor Resources Inc. (TSX: LN) announces that its subsidiary, Loncor Resources Congo SARL ("Loncor"), has entered into a joint venture agreement (the "Agreement") with Randgold Resources (DRC) Limited ("Randgold"). The Agreement provides for a joint venture (the "Joint Venture") between Loncor and Randgold covering all of the exploration permit areas comprising Loncor's Ngayu project, other than certain parcels of land surrounding and including the Makapela and Yindi prospects which are retained by Loncor and do not form part of the Joint Venture. Randgold shall have certain preemptive rights over these two areas. Randgold will manage and fund all exploration of the permit areas until the completion of a pre-feasibility study on any gold discovery meeting the investment criteria of Randgold. Once the Joint Venture has determined to move ahead with a full feasibility study, a special purpose vehicle ("SPV") would be created to hold the specific discovery areas. Subject to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's free carried interest requirements, Randgold would retain 65% of the SPV with Loncor holding the balance of 35%. Loncor will be required, from that point forward, to fund its pro-rata share of the SPV in order to maintain its 35% interest or be diluted. The closing of the Agreement, which is expected to occur by February 28, 2016, is subject to certain closing conditions customary for transactions of this nature. Loncor Resources Inc. (the "Company") is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on two projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC") - the Ngayu and North Kivu projects. The Company owns exploration permits covering 2,077 km2 of the Ngayu Archaean greenstone belt in Orientale province in the northeast DRC and is its main focus. The Company also controls exploration permits covering an area of 13,210 km2 in North Kivu province. Both areas have historic gold production. Additional information with respect to the Company's projects can be found on the Company's web site at www.loncor.com. Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information. All statements, other than statements 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 future exploration by the Joint Venture and potential gold discoveries) are forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, risks related to the exploration stage of the Company's properties, the possibility that future exploration or development results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, changes in world gold markets or equity markets, political developments in the DRC, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, gold recoveries being less than those indicated by the metallurgical testwork carried out to date (there can be no assurance that gold recoveries in small scale laboratory tests will be duplicated in large tests under on-site conditions or during production), the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological data and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's annual report on Form 20-F dated March 31, 2015 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is provided and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein. For further information, please visit our website at www.loncor.com. Contacts: Loncor Resources Inc. Arnold T. Kondrat President & CEO + 1 (416) 366 2221 or + 1 (800) 714 7938 www.loncor.com NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - January 19, 2016) - marcus evans will host the 10 th Capital Allocation & Stress Testing Conference on July 27-28, 2016 in NYC. The 10 th edition will address the streamlining and strengthening of model risk processes, data collection and quality, capital planning, and minimizing risk for resource optimization that will provide greater returns over time. Additionally, practitioners will share relevant techniques for refining data validation while right-sizing capital to fulfill new requirements and accomplish measurable improvements to operational performance. 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. 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. DUBLIN, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/td7zm7/global_3d) has announced the addition of the "Global 3D Printing Healthcare Market Estimation and Forecast, 2016-2022" report to their offering. The 3D printing market revenue in healthcare application is expected to cross $3.89 billion mark by 2022, at an estimated CAGR of 21.9%, calculated between 2016 and 2022. The healthcare industry is experiencing a revolutionary change due to technological advancements in the 3D printing technological framework. 3D printing in terms of bio-printing, medical & dental implants, ortho-implants and prosthetics among others is pushing the healthcare 3D printing industry to the next level. The different materials such as metal, metal alloys, plastics, and ceramics among others are helping the 3D printing technology to easily integrate with the human body. The leading brands in the 3D printing industry are strategically focusing on the healthcare industry by increased number of launches, mergers & acquisitions, collaborations, and expansions into new geographies. The different applications analyzed in the report are prosthetics, bio-printing, dental, medical implants, and hearing & audibility aid, among others, wherein bio-printing and prosthetics application is the fastest growing owing to its greater deal of importance in healthcare industry. While medical and dental implants has the largest share in the market in terms of both value and volume. The materials that are used in 3D printing healthcare market are expected to grow to $1.10 billion by 2022 at an estimated CAGR of 28.7%, between 2016 and 2022. The different materials that are driving the growth of the market are metal & metal alloys, polymers, and ceramics. The report also qualitatively details the analysis of different technologies that are used in the healthcare 3D printing such as SLS, EBM, and photo-polymerization. The report analyzes the healthcare 3D printing market by different geographies such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America; wherein each region is further segmented into different countries. North America has the highest share in terms of revenue and volume of 3D printers in healthcare industry whereas the Asia-Pacific region is expected to show fastest growth rate by 2022, followed by Europe. The report profiles 10 major players such as 3D Systems, Arcam AB, Renishaw PLC., EoS GmBH, EnvisionTec, Stratasys, Luxexcel, Organovo, and Voxeljet; whereas profiles other players such as GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare, Stryker, Bego Medical, Hitachi Medical, Philips Healthcare, Trumpf, Optomec, and 3T RPD. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/td7zm7/global_3d Media Contact: Laura Wood, +353-1-481-1716, press@researchandmarkets.net SYLVANIA, OH -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- Root Inc., the strategy execution consulting company, today announced Dave Willis has joined the company as a managing director. His primary focus is on formalizing and expanding Root's consulting practice in the retail, hospitality, and health care sectors. Most recently Willis was the vice president, health systems strategy, at The Advisory Board Company, a research, technology, and consulting firm serving a global network of leaders in organizations across health care and higher education. Here, Willis was responsible for advising C-level executives at large health systems in the U.S., U.K., Western Europe, and Australia/New Zealand on issues ranging from strategy to population health and the patient experience. Prior to his tenure at The Advisory Board Company, Willis was vice president at Infohrm, the global leader in workforce planning, reporting, and analytics, and a managing director at Corporate Executive Board, a best practice insight and technology company. "Dave is a proven strategic thinker and a respected leader with deep expertise that spans industries and corporate functions. These attributes will directly benefit Root's existing and prospective clients," said Rich Berens, president at Root Inc. "Dave's extensive experience allows us to further live our purpose to invigorate the power of human beings to make a difference by delivering breakthrough solutions to our clients. He is a valuable addition to our leadership team." "I could not be more excited to join the team at Root," said Willis. "They have an unparalleled track record in helping large and mid-size organizations drive -- and sustain -- meaningful change. For ten years I have had opportunities to witness firsthand the power of the Root model in creating deep alignment that accelerates strategy execution. I am looking forward to helping the team continue their growth and success." Willis attended Carnegie Mellon University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and went on to receive his MBA from Yale University. About Root Inc. Root is a strategy execution company that helps organizations engage their people as the catalyst and driver for change. Root does this by connecting people with complex strategies using creative and visual methods, transformative insights, and consulting know-how on strategy deployment and sustainment. With more than 25 years of capabilities developed from partnering with the world's largest businesses, Root has created a proven framework that consistently achieves clarity, ownership, and results. Based in Sylvania, Ohio, Root has been recognized as a Great Place to Work eight times. Visit www.rootinc.com for more information and follow Root on Twitter: @therootinc. Note: Root is a registered trademark of Root Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. WALL TOWNSHIP, NJ -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 --Coates International, Ltd. (OTC PINK: COTE) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mr. Jack Perkowski, Director of the Company, has returned to China last week and notified the Company that two air-cooled engines from an engine manufacturer in China are being shipped this Friday via air freight to Coates' headquarters for retrofitting with the Coates patented CSRV system. This is in connection with a manufacturing license transaction being overseen by Mr. Perkowski, Company Director. The technology required to retrofit these engine types is less complicated, enabling the retrofitting with the Coates patented CSRV system to be accomplished in a shorter period of time. The Company's President and CEO, Mr. George J. Coates, comments: "It is a pleasure to work with our Director, Jack Perkowski. He is a very valuable asset to the Company who brings us his extensive and widely recognized experience in conducting business in China. He has already proven that with his experience, our business pursuits in China are moving along more expeditiously and smoothly. This business transaction is a Manufacturing License for the Coates patented CSRV technology for smaller air-cooled engines. We are informed that the licensee is a China-based manufacturing company that produces millions of these engines annually. This is a new and separate business opportunity for us in China. "The Company continues to make progress with many of the business opportunities it is currently pursuing. We anticipate that we will be transitioning to operating activities on one or more of these business arrangements this year." There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in any of its endeavors. Safe Harbor Statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our public filings with the SEC may be viewed and printed on the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Contact Information: Coates International, Ltd. Phone: 732-449-7717 Fax: 732-449-0764 www.coatesengine.com www.mostadvancedengine.com The global industrial tapes market is expected to reach nearly USD 63 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of more than 6% between 2016 and 2020. Technavio covers the market outlook and growth prospects of the industrial tapesmarket for 2016-2020. Based on product type platform, the market is divided into the following segments: adhesive transfer tape, single-sided tape, double-sided tape, cloth tape, foam tape, foil tape, paper tape, plastic tape, rubber tape, tape fasteners, and specialty tape. The global industrial tapes market is segmented into the following four regions: APAC North America Europe ROW APAC: Largest industrial tapes market With a market share of more than 48%, APAC leads the global industrial tapes market as of 2015, with China dominating the market, representing 60-70% of the total market share. APAC is expected to be the fastest growing market for industrial tapes during the forecast period due to continuous expansion in countries such as China, India, and Indonesia. Although healthcare and hygiene tapes are currently less intensively used in developing economies, the medical tape sector is growing on account of population size and enhancing healthcare infrastructures. Making up 70% of regional tape sales, carton sealing tapes will remain a strong segment, due to the rising demand for packaged goods, connected to climbing income per capita. The industrial tapes market in Japan is expected to decline during the forecast period because many automakers are shifting their production to Thailand, Malaysia, and other Asian locations. Ask for a sample of this report: http://goo.gl/CXH7nG The major vendors in the global industrial tapes market are: 3M Merck Group Ashland Sika Eastman 3M, Ashland, and Eastman are US-based companies, while Sika is a Switzerland-based company and Merck is a Germany-based company. The other prominent vendors in the market are Achem Technology, Adchem, Adhesive Applications, Adhesives Research, Advanced Flexible Composites, Avery Dennison, Berry Plastics, Chomerics, Coating and Converting Technologies, CTT, DeWAL Industries, Essentra Specialty Tapes, FLEXcon, Intertape Polymer Group, Lamart Corporation, MACtac, Microseal Industries, Navilux, Necal, PPI Adhesive Products, Scapa Group, Shurtape Technologies, Syntac Coated Products, and TaraTape. Factors fuelling growth in North America: Demand for specialty and double-sided tapes North America is the second largest market for industrial tapes, growing at a CAGR of more than 3%. The US accounts for the majority of the demand in this region. The demand for special industrial tapes is expected to grow faster compared to commodity industrial tapes because of expansion in the manufacturing and construction industries in North America. As the use of industrial tapes is no longer restricted to traditional forms, advances in technology and innovation have resulted in the emergence of several new products. Industrial tapes market in Europe: Western Europe is expected to maintain its competitive edge in specialty tapes Technavio's market research analysts expect this market to witness a modest growth rate during the forecast period. The majority of the growth is derived from Eastern Europe because of its expanding manufacturing industry. The vendors in this geography, owing to the demand from consumers, are opting for environmentally friendly adhesives over solvent-based adhesives. The industrial tape market in Italy witnessed the largest demand in 2015 and is expected to maintain this position in the coming years. In terms of demand, Germany accounts for the largest market share, followed by France, Italy, the UK, and Spain. Technavio's analysts expect this market to grow steadily over the next five years. They further analyse and attribute the growth rate to an increase in demand and the consumption of specialty industrial tapes in Western Europe as it has the required technology that is lacking in other parts of the world. Browse Related Reports: Global Specialty Pressure Sensitive Tapes Market 2015-2019 Global Pressure-Sensitive Tapes Market 2015-2019 Global Warning Labels and Stickers Market 2016-2020 Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005829/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida US: +1 630 333 9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 Media Marketing Executive www.technavio.com PUNE, India, January 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Radio Modem Market for ITS Application by Frequency Band (License Free, UHF, Wi-Fi, VHF), Communication Channel (Point to Multi-Point, Point to Point), Operating Range (Short, Long), Application and Geography - Global Forecast to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global radio modem market for ITS application is estimated at USD 105.1 Million in 2015, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% from 2015 to 2020, to reach USD 160.8 Million. Browse 46 market data Tables with 38 Figures spread through 111 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Radio Modem Market for ITS Application". http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/radio-modem-market-47105297.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. Intelligent transportation systems have been constantly evolving over the decades due to rapid technological advancements. ITS encompass a broad range of wireless and wireline communications-based information and electronics technologies. ITS technology-based systems are intended to facilitate the realization of optimized, efficient, smooth, and comfortable transport systems to improve traffic flow and reduce bottlenecks of traffic congestion. These systems integrate modern information and communication technology into existing transportation systems. Cost efficiency and reliability will drive the radio modem market growth The demand for radio modems in ITS is increasing because radio modems require minimal infrastructure for facilitating communication and ensuring delivery of data, voice, and video in the most cost-effective and reliable manner. Radio modems are also useful in data communication within a large geographic area, where wired data communication is not viable due to high costs involved. Radio modems are also required to facilitate ITS for implementing wireless networks that are cost-effective and flexible. Government and defense vertical contributes maximum market share The government & defense vertical is expected to contribute the largest market share to the radio modem market. Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector is expected to grow with the highest rate from 2015 to 2020, in the radio modem market for ITS application. The market is also projected to witness growth in healthcare and IT & telecom sectors during the forecast period. The regulatory-driven activities and initiatives taken by the government of the U.S. and Canada have enabled the ITS market for advanced traffic management system applications in North America to be the highest revenue generator as of 2015. Some of the major organizations such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), ITS America, and others are focusing towards new research & development initiatives in the field of ITS. North America expected to contribute the largest market share, APAC to grow the fastest North America is expected to have the largest market share and dominate the market from 2015 to 2020. The U.S. is the major driving factor for the growth of this regional market. Use of four wheeler and heavy vehicles is very high in North America. Thus, the requirement of an effective transportation system is very high in North American countries. In 2014, North America ranked first in the deployment of various ITS systems such as advanced transportation management system, advanced traveler information system, ITS-enabled pricing system, and commercial vehicle operation, among others. APAC is the fastest-growing market in terms of deployment of intelligent transportation systems. Factors such as economic growth, rising incomes, and growth of population in urban areas, are expected to cause alterations with respect to transport issues. Ask PDF Brochure @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=47105297 Some of the key players in the radio modem market for ITS application covered in this report are Adeunis RF (France), Arada Systems, Inc. (U.S.), ATIM Radiocommunications (France), Autotalks Ltd. (Israel), B&B Electronics Manufacturing Co. (U.S.), Campbell Scientific Inc. (U.S.), Cohda Wireless (Australia), Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Austria), Motorola Solutions, Inc. (U.S.) Q Free ASA (Norway), Satel Oy (Finland), Schneider Electric SE (France), Wood & Douglas Limited (U.K.), among others. The scope of the report covers detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the radio modem market for ITS application such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. A detailed analysis of the key industry players has been done to provide insights into their business overview, products and services, key strategies, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, agreements, collaborations, and recent developments associated with the radio modem market for ITS application. Browse Related Reports Intelligent Transportation System Market by Component (Interface Board, Sensor, Surveillance Camera and Others), System (ATMS, ATIS, ITS-Enable Transportation Pricing System, APTS, and CVO), Application, and Geography - Analysis & Forecast to 2015 - 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/intelligent-transport-systems-its-market-764.html IoT Market in Intelligent Transportation Systems by Components (Semiconductor, Wireless, and Others), Products, Software & Services, Verticals (Road, Rail, Air, and Maritime), Solutions, Applications, and Geography - Analysis & Forecast to 2014 - 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/iot-in-transportation-market-48213177.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 info graphics 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/electronics-and-semiconductors SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- ChatWork, Asia's leading business chat platform, today announced that it secured $12.5M in Series B funding from JAFCO and other investors to further enhance the product and spur additional use in the U.S., Europe and Latin America. ChatWork helps teams within 86,000 companies from 204 countries and regions increase engagement and work better together without depending on email. "We are proud to make one of our biggest investments by JAFCO SV4, our latest flagship fund, in ChatWork," said Keisuke Miyoshi, a board member of JAFCO Co. Ltd., the largest and most prestigious venture capital firm in Japan. "Given ChatWork's proven success, we believe they are uniquely positioned to accelerate their global expansion and further innovate business chat for the future of work." With ChatWork, coworkers and outside clients, freelancers and business partners benefit from this faster, more modern way of working that allows them to meet on common ground, bond over a shared coffee cup emoji and become stronger teams. The daily onslaught of email is replaced by real-time chat messages. Back-to-back meetings are eliminated by having quick video chats. Buried file attachments and sticky note to-dos become contextually organized by project or topic. "ChatWork transforms the way colleagues work together with an all-in-one app designed for speed, collaboration and teamwork, without all the usual drama," said ChatWork CEO and Founder Toshi Yamamoto. "As businesses expand globally, teams need to work together across different locations, time zones, cultures, languages and generations. With our Series B funding, we're excited to accelerate our market growth in the U.S. and Western countries and help businesses build a more humanized work culture and excel in our global economy." About ChatWork: ChatWork is a group chat app that helps over 86,000 companies across 204 countries and regions communicate, collaborate and increase productivity. The platform, available in five languages, includes secure messaging, video chat, task management and file sharing functionality. Founded in 2011, ChatWork is Asia's No. 1 business chat app and is based in Osaka, Japan with employees located in Asia and the U.S. For more information, visit www.chatwork.com, the ChatWork Blog and follow ChatWork on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Tweet: Chat App @Chatwork_en raises $12.5M Series B to help teams succeed in global economy: bit.ly/CW_Funding Media Contact: Brook Terran Blast PR for ChatWork Email Contact 805-570-3309 MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - January 19, 2016) - Customers are happiest when they are in control of their energy use and in communication with their utility. However, utilities are struggling to engage with their customers in real time through the customers preferred communication channels. Enabling utilities to interact with their customers through online self services, mobile and social networks is crucial. By empowering customers to interact with their energy providers, utilities can achieve greater program participation, stay ahead of the curve and provide a better customer experience. With the evolution of new technologies, it is crucial for utilities to better understand their customer base to meet expectations in this new environment and deliver enhanced value for customers and utilities. Tanya, Division Head, Consumer Services at Washington Gas, recently spoke with marcus evans about topics to be discussed at the upcoming Utility Customer Engagement Conference: What are the benefits to implementing a cross departmental approach to customer experience? TH: A consistent, cross-functional approach to Washington Gas customer experience is critical as every organization has an influence on the customer. We strive for continuous improvement of the customer experience and have high expectations for this key success factor, one that depends on a unified approach across the company and contributions from every function. As a natural gas utility, safety is a constant presence in our culture. Each organization has safety objectives and every meeting starts with a "safety minute" on the agenda. In a similar way, we are creating a culture that places this same focus on and accountability for customer experience. How does your company communicate with customers to learn their perceptions and preferences? TH: We engage our customers in formal and informal ways. For example, we do spot surveys at all customer interaction points to gain real-time feedback on customer experience. These spot surveys immediately follow customer interaction with our call center employees, field personnel, web site and automated voice response system. Washington Gas also conducts special focus groups for specific initiatives so we can factor in customer requirements and preferences. We conducted a focus group, for example, as part of a recent invoice re-design initiative. We also participate in industry-wide surveys, such as an annual J.D. Power natural gas utility customer satisfaction report. The insights gained through these interactions inform a variety of improvements, including the online experience, community engagement, billing practices and call center processes. Creative Engagement Approaches: Digital, Virtual, In-Person. Do you prefer one over the other? And why? TH: Our business and the diverse customer base we serve require that we engage our customers effectively across digital, virtual and face-to-face mediums. We serve a growing number of millennials, for instance, who expect a robust online experience in their interaction with Washington Gas. We recently introduced an interactive project map that keeps customers informed about pipeline maintenance, construction and other projects underway in our service territory, allowing them to anticipate potential street closures and to learn about projects they observe in their neighborhood. Given the nature of our business, however, virtual and in-person engagement are just as important. The safety culture we have established extends to customers and communities as we constantly strive to build public awareness for natural gas safety. We do this in many ways, including interaction between our field personnel and customers, participation in a wide range of community forums, advertising and emergency call center support. In a similar way, we use multiple engagement channels to educate our customer base about energy efficiency and the unique benefits of natural gas. What technology does your group use to overcome resource constraints? TH: We are currently in the process of deploying a new enterprise resource planning platform that will sharpen visibility and insight into utility operations and help us identify new opportunities to elevate the customer experience. The new SAP platform will help consolidate our view of the customer experience and provide enhanced account management, more self-service options, and improved appointment scheduling. Washington Gas will also gain new operational efficiencies, such as workforce optimization, that translate into greater customer satisfaction. Join Tanya at the Utility Customer Engagement Conference, February 24-25, 2016 in Miami, FL. View the conference agenda to check out Tanya's case study topic. For more information, please contact Tyler Kelch, Digital Marketing Manager, marcus evans at 312.894.6310 or Tylerke@marcusevansch.com. About marcus evans Marcus evans conferences annually produce over 2,000 high quality events designed to provide key strategic business information, best practice and networking opportunities for senior industry decision-makers. Our global reach is utilized to attract over 30,000 speakers annually; ensuring niche focused subject matter presented directly by practitioners and a diversity of information to assist our clients in adopting best practice in all business disciplines. Tyler Kelch Digital Marketing Manager marcus evans 312.894.6310 Tylerke@marcusevansch.com AS Pro Kapital Grupp informs that it has prolonged the redemption date of 378 070 "Pro Kapital Grupp convertible bond PKG2 20.01.2014" (hereinafter referred to as Convertible Bonds PKG2) by 2 years and the new redemption date is 20.01.2018 (hereinafter referred to as the redemption date). AS Pro Kapital Grupp will redeem 4 234 Convertible Bonds PKG2 with issue price of 11 855,20 EUR. All holders of Convertible Bonds PKG2 agreed with AS Pro Kapital Grupp proposal to prolong the redemption date of the convertible bonds, one investor agreed to prolong the redemption date in regards to some of the bonds held by the investor, expressing the wish for 4 234 Convertible Bonds PKG2 to be redeemed and the redemption date of the rest of the holding to be prolonged. On 19.01.2016 AS Pro Kapital Grupp has submitted the Estonian Central Register of Securities the application to change the redemption date and the total issue amount of Convertible Bonds PKG2. In total convertible bonds were prolonged with total issue price of 1 058 596 EUR and convertible bonds with total issue price of 11 855,20 EUR will be redeemed. The convertible bonds bear an annual interest of 7% and give the holders of the convertible bonds the right to exchange one convertible bond for one shares of AS Pro Kapital Grupp. The issue price of each convertible bond is 2,80 euro's. In order to subscribe for the shares of AS Pro Kapital Grupp and exchange the bonds, the bondholder must submit an application to the Company at least 10 (ten) Business Days before the Exchange Date. The Exchange Date shall be each Business Day (a day other than (a) a Saturday, (b) a Sunday, (c) Estonian national holiday, (d) public holiday or (e) another day when the registrar of the Register does not register securities) until the expiration date of the Bond, i.e. until the date of its redemption. Allan Remmelkoor Member of the Management Board Tel.: +372 6144 920 Email: prokapital@prokapital.ee Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/19/16 -- Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE MKT: GORO) (the "Company") today announced high-grade drill results targeting the northeast extensions of its Arista deposit, with drill intercepts including 5.55 meters grading 14.20 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, including 2.52 meters grading 28.63 g/t gold in the Viridiana vein. In addition, the Company announces discovering a new vein named Marena, intercepting 3.34 meters grading 12.05 g/t gold and 3.31 meters grading 5.44 g/t gold. Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and exploration in Nevada, USA. The Company has returned over $108 million to shareholders in monthly dividends since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010, and offers shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. The Company continues to drill both infill and step-out holes testing the mineralized vein extensions at its producing Arista mine. The Arista is a high-grade polymetallic (gold, silver and base metal) epithermal vein deposit with multiple parallel en echelon veins. While testing the extensions of the Viridiana vein (previously announced in April 2015), the Company discovered an additional high-grade vein to the northeast called Marena. Hole 515093 intercepted high-grade mineralization at Viridiana with 5.55 meters grading 14.20 g/t gold and 43 g/t silver, including 2.52 meters grading 28.63 g/t gold and 85 g/t silver. Hole 515100 intercepted the new Marena vein with 3.34 meters grading 12.05 g/t gold, 150 g/t silver, 0.74% copper, 7.62% lead and 24.40% zinc, including 0.74 meters grading 37.50 g/t gold, 178 g/t silver, 1.54% copper, 12.65% lead and 30.45% zinc (see drill summary table below). Both Viridiana and Marena remain open on strike and at depth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISTA DRILL RESULTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hole # Angle Vein From Interval Au Ag Cu Pb Zn ------ ------------------------------------------------------ deg Meters Meters g/t g/t % % % ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 515091 -21 Vein 3 47.38 3.41 1.55 152 0.52 2.54 11.85 ------------------------------------------------------ Incl. 47.38 1.75 2.62 211 0.72 3.46 17.22 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 515093 -47 Viridiana 70.98 0.27 0.45 166 0.1 5.72 13.8 ------------------------------------------------------ 145.54 5.55 14.2 43 0.05 0.14 0.34 ------------------------------------------------------ Incl. 145.54 2.52 28.63 85 0.08 0.16 0.39 ------------------------------------------------------ 149.2 0.14 10.85 7 0.02 0.09 0.1 ------------------------------------------------------ 150.62 0.47 9.85 12 0.01 0.09 0.29 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Marena 158.82 0.91 0.39 31 0.4 0.74 29.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 515096 -18 Viridiana 92.75 0.43 0.45 160 0.07 3.39 22.6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 515100 -20 Marena 108.53 3.34 12.05 150 0.74 7.62 24.4 ------------------------------------------------------ Incl. 109.24 1.89 6.09 138 0.51 7.53 30.01 ------------------------------------------------------ Incl. 111.13 0.74 37.5 178 1.54 12.65 30.45 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 515102 -41 Vein 3 71.35 1.25 2.99 233 0.2 4.34 21.7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 515108 -32 Marena 112.24 3.31 5.44 59 0.74 3.07 7.23 ------------------------------------------------------ Incl. 114.49 0.33 16.3 203 1.19 14.7 18.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assays by ALS Chemex, Vancouver, BC Canada. Meters Down Hole, Not true width. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It is not only exciting to drill additional high-grade mineralization within Arista's known veins, but also impressive to discover another new high-grade vein while testing the margins of this deposit," commented Gold Resource Corporation's Vice President of Exploration, Mr. Barry Devlin. "The multiple veins that make up the Arista deposit exhibit unique mineralization, as we see in Viridiana's high-grade gold component and Marena's polymetallic composition including a high-grade zinc phase. I believe the potential exists to discover additional high-grade veins at Arista with future drill programs testing the margins of this expanding deposit." "Barry and our exploration team continue to do an excellent job expanding and delineating the Arista deposit vein system," stated Gold Resource Corporation's CEO and President, Mr. Jason Reid. "After six years of mining Arista, it is still very exciting to see new high-grade en echelon gold vein discoveries and continued intercepts of high grade mineralization in step-outs to known veins. The Arista mine remains our exploration focus as seen in these drill results expanding veins to the northeast, as well as Arista's heavily mineralized Switchback veins much farther to the north and east. We believe the Arista deposit continues to demonstrate it is part of a powerful mineralized system." About GRC: Gold Resource Corporation is a mining company focused on production and pursuing development of gold and silver projects that feature low operating costs and produce high returns on capital. The Company has 100% interest in six potential high-grade gold and silver properties at its producing Oaxaca, Mexico Mining Unit and exploration properties at its Nevada, USA, Mining Unit. The Company has 54,266,706 shares outstanding, no warrants, no long term debt and has returned over $108 million back to shareholders since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010. Gold Resource Corporation offers shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. For more information, please visit GRC's website, located at www.Goldresourcecorp.com and read the Company's 10-K for an understanding of the risk factors involved. Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding Gold Resource Corporation's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to Gold Resource Corporation on the date of this press release, and the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the Company's 10-K filed with the SEC. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2951820 Gold Resource Corporation Corporate Development Greg Patterson 303-320-7708 www.Goldresourcecorp.com According to the latest market study released by Technavio on theglobal PLM market in the automotive sector, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% from 2016 to 2020. The research report is titled "Global PLM in the Automotive Sector 2016-2020" and provides an in-depth analysis of both revenue and emerging market trends. The research report also includes up to date analysis and forecast estimates for various market segments and all geographical regions. Request Sample Report: http://goo.gl/2EAOJU The report states that the automotive industry is being driven by increased demand for highly efficient vehicles. Some of the major factors shaping the automotive industry are: Increased need for fuel-efficient automobiles due to rise in fuel prices Stringency of environmental laws and emissions standards from various governments such as in the EU Increase in global demand for small and light vehicles Growing safety requirements and increased demand for electronics and embedded software content in vehicles The global PLM market in the automotive industry is segmented into seven products: cPDM CAD EDA NC FEA CFD DM In terms of CAGR from 2015 to 2020, the CFD and FEA segments have the fastest growth rates, followed by EDA and, the market leader cPDM. Vendors like ANSYS, Mentor Graphics, EXA, and ESI have recently entered into strategic partnerships with different CFD support platform providers, which is driving the growth of the CFD market. High research and development investments by automobile manufacturers to develop new and innovative products in the market is also providing a driving force in the growth of the global CFD market in the automotive industry. The cPDM segment is the market's largest, generating revenue of over USD 3 billion in 2015 and is expected to exceed USD 5 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 10%. cPDM plays a major role in meeting the needs of the automotive industry to comply with requirements imposed by governments. "cPDM software solutions are a strategic business approach, applying a consistent set of business solutions that collaboratively provide effective and efficient methods for managing the functions of PLM," said Technavio PLMresearch analyst Arjun Das. "They help with product data management, collaborative product visualization, collaborative product commerce, effective integration of cPDM with enterprise applications, and SRM." CAD is the market's second largest segment and generated revenue of nearly USD 3 billion in 2015 and is expected to increase over USD 600 million by 2020 growing at a CAGR of 5%. The market is driven by the presence of large international vendors: Autodesk, Dassault Systemes SA, PTC, and Siemens PLM Software but also has the presence of local vendors such as Graebert, one of the leading custom CAD solution providers in Germany. The company's product portfolio includes ARES Commander, DWG-compatible CAD software, and ARES Touch. Browse Related Reports: Global CAD Market for VARs 2015-2019 Global EDA Market in the Automotive Industry 2015-2019 Global CFD Market in the Industrial Machinery Sector 2015-2019 Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119006092/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 630-333-9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com media@technavio.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 19, 2016) - Avalon Rare Metals Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQX: AVLNF) ("Avalon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will hold its Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders (the "Meeting") at 4:30 pm EST on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, at the Toronto Board of Trade, Room A/B/C/D, located at 1 First Canadian Place, Toronto, Ontario. At the Meeting, shareholders will be asked to approve a special resolution authorizing the Company to effect a change of name from "Avalon Rare Metals Inc." to "Avalon Advanced Materials Inc." Avalon deems that the current Company name fails to adequately convey the Company's diversified specialty metals and minerals asset base. The Company is not exclusively focused on rare earths and current activities are now focused on its other advanced materials assets, notably lithium and tin-indium. The proposed name of "Avalon Advanced Materials Inc." is better suited to current Company activity. Please see Avalon's Information Circular for further information on this and other matters to be acted upon at the Meeting. Avalon's Information Circular, 2015 President's Message, Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2015 are available online at the following locations: on the Company's transfer agent's website at https://noticeinsite.tmxequity.com/AvalonRareMetalsASM2016/ https://noticeinsite.tmxequity.com/AvalonRareMetalsASM2016/ on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com on the Company's web site at http://www.avalonraremetals.com/investors/regulatory_filings/ Avalon has implemented the Notice and Access Provisions of NI 54-101, an environmentally friendly alternative that will reduce paper, printing and mailing costs associated with the dissemination of annual information to approximately 20,000 shareholders. Non-registered shareholders will receive paper copies of the Notice of Meeting and Form of Proxy in the usual manner, as well as a notice document which contains information on how to obtain electronic or paper copies of the rest of the meeting materials in advance of the Meeting. Due to certain requirements of the, the Company has sent a paper copy of all of the above materials directly to registered shareholders. About Avalon Rare Metals Inc. Avalon Rare Metals Inc. is a Canadian mineral development company specializing in niche market metals and minerals with growing demand in new technology. The Company has three advanced stage projects, all 100%-owned, providing investors with exposure to lithium, tin and indium, as well as rare earth elements, tantalum, niobium, and zirconium. Avalon is currently focusing on its Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora, ON and its East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project, Yarmouth, NS. Social responsibility and environmental stewardship are corporate cornerstones. For questions and feedback, please e-mail the Company at ir@avalonraremetals.com, or phone Don Bubar, President & CEO at 416-364-4938. This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to the date of the upcoming Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "potential", "scheduled", "anticipates", "continues", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "targeted", "planned", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" or "will not be" taken, reached or result, "will occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Avalon to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. Although Avalon has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to market conditions, and the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses as well as those risk factors set out in the Company's current Annual Information Form, Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure documents available under the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such forward-looking statements have been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Avalon does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Cocoon Networks, a Chinese technology and investment group, is launching a 500m (approx. $720m) London, UK-based venture capital fund aimed at investing in UK and European tech startups. Cocoon Networks, which has the backing of China Equity Group, one of the first investors in to Baidu, and Hanxin Capital, which specializes in cloud computing and bio tech investments, will invest in tech companies whose products and services show promise and potential for growth in the Chinese market. The fund will look to invest in tech companies across a wide range of sectors including fintech, biotech, medical devices and the UKs creative tech industries, like fashion-tech. Companies looking to expand into China will also be offered assistance in navigating Chinese legislation and practical support about doing business there. As part of a wider investment, Cocoon Networks, in partnership with University College London, is also setting up a a 70,000 sq ft incubator space in the City. The building is situated in the heart of Londons Tech City close to Moorgate, Liverpool St, and Old Street stations. The incubator will work with startups to take products from the concept phase and test them in a real environment before going live on the public market. FinSMEs 19/01/2016 Press Release London & Partners: Chinese investment firm to launch 500 million London-based fund to invest in European tech startups January 18, 2016 07:01 PM Eastern Standard Time LONDON Chinese technology and investment group Cocoon Networks is launching a 500 million ($720 million) London-based venture capital fund aimed at investing in UK and European tech startups. Cocoon Networks, which has the backing of China Equity Group, one of the first investors in to Baidu, Chinas answer to Google, and Hanxin Capital, which specialises in cloud computing and bio tech investments, will look to invest in tech companies whose products and services show promise and potential for growth in the Chinese market. The fund will look to invest in tech companies across a wide range of sectors including fintech, biotech, medical devices and the UKs creative tech industries, like fashion-tech. Companies looking to expand into China will also be offered assistance in navigating Chinese legislation and practical help about doing business there. As part of a wider investment, Cocoon Networks, in partnership with University College London, is also setting up the capitals biggest incubator space, in order to provide the best environment for growing tech startups. John Zai, Founder and CEO, Cocoon Networks said: The fund will provide capital to help the development of some excellent technology and innovative projects in London and the UK. The fund and incubator programme will bring awareness for more Chinese investors to get into Londons booming technology sector. It will also help many companies grow and expand into China. Gordon Innes, CEO London & Partners, The Mayor of Londons promotional and economic development company, said: This is a significant vote of confidence in the global nature of Londons tech sector and will deliver significant investment into some of the capitals brightest and best startups. London is experiencing unprecedented growth in its technology sector, and there is a wealth of opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors to get a foothold in the UK and the rest of Europe. The incubator, a 70,000 sq ft building is situated in the heart of Londons Tech City close to Moorgate, Liverpool St, and Old Street stations. Cocoon says it will not only be an incubating space for technology companies but it will also work with some of Londons world class universities to attract talent, offer accelerator programmes and co-working spaces. The incubator will work with startups to take products from the concept phase and test them in a real environment Cocoons own digital testing labs before going live on the public market. Cocoon says this testing and support infrastructure enables startups to compete on a level playing field with larger companies. The announcement by Cocoon Networks came as London & Partners said that it was on course to secure record investment from Chinese companies in London this financial year. Over the last nine months 28 Chinese companies, worth 23 million ($33m) to the citys economy, have already pledged to set up in London, with that figure expected to rise to nearer 40 by the end of March 2016. The previous best year for Chinese investment in London was in 2011/12 when 30 Chinese companies came to the city. Boosted by the visit of President Xi Jinping to the UK last year and the Chinese governments drive to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, London is already the most popular city in Europe for Chinese foreign direct investment. Chinese companies and venture capital funds are now being encouraged to look at London as the next big tech investment, as the city has grown to become Europes biggest tech hub. London has welcomed many Chinese technology companies including Huawei Technologies, Alibaba, gaming giant Rekoo, Cheetah Mobile and Deyatech, a company offering enterprise content management for businesses. One of the biggest Chinese investments in to a London technology company last year was 23 million ($34 million) by Beijing Kunlun Tech Co in to Lendinvest, the worlds largest peer to peer marketplace for mortgages, having financed over 300m of mortgages in its first two years. Li Cha, Founder and Managing Partner, iStart Ventures LLC, added: The Chinese economy is vastly in need of innovation which comes from either competition in the domestic market or from international inspiration. In this respect, London is a good source of international trends and aspiration in technology and cultural creativity. Chinese investors have started exploring opportunities outside of China, in order to grab hold of global cutting edge technology as well as to diversify their portfolios. In light of this, London serves as the best hub in Europe. The UK tech sector has experienced rapid growth since British Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor of London Boris Johnson launched the Tech City initiative in 2010. Figures released last week show that in 2015 venture capital investment in to Britains technology sector reached a record high with London-based companies securing around 62% of the 2.5 billion ($3.6bn) raised by UK firms in 2015. Gavin Poole, CEO, Here East added: At Here East we see first-hand that London is brimming with a huge range of exciting tech start-ups from the birth and rapid growth of makers redefining product development in sectors including fintech and biotech, to data-led consumer software businesses. Investment from China and other countries is crucial to improving the access to funding and infrastructure that will help these start-ups to scale quickly, benefitting all partners. In an increasingly globalised world, sharing innovation and collaborating across continents is vital to maximising the economic and creative output of start-up communities worldwide. ENDS Notes for Editors London & Partners London & Partners is the official promotional company for London funded by the Mayor of London and a network of commercial partners. We provide bespoke advice based around business drivers to help companies make better informed decisions more quickly. Working with a network of over 1,000 partners, we provide investors with the information they need to take advantage of Londons opportunities from day one. We have offices and representatives based around the world. Cocoon Networks Cocoon Networks is Europes first international start-up ecosystem to be backed by Chinese capital. Its aims to create the best possible environment for nurturing great innovation, investment, passion, expertise, talent, teamwork, and genius. Backed by two of the most influential private equity firms in China, Hanxin Capital and China Equity Group, Cocoon Networks is dedicated to delivering excellence in innovation by bringing together the Chinese and European start-up communities. The group consists of various business including incubator, accelerator, venture capital &fund management and Intellectual property management. iStart Ventures LLC iStart VC focuses on discovering and investing in startup companies at seed stages, which is also how the name iStart originated. iStart provides capital and mentoring support to passionate startup founders, alone with their journey from 0 to 1,until becoming market leaders. From iStart campus, emerges numerous shining stars such as ZFATech,31huiyi,Yummy Express, eleme, HunterOn, Bobo, Trend Data, Surong360, wolongge, LeisureLife, Genowise, etc. Together with young startup founders, iStart rocks the world. Here East Here East is Londons home for making, located in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. It is a dedicated place for individuals and companies who embrace and pioneer technology, share expertise and are creating the products of tomorrow. It is a unique campus where creative businesses growing in scale join businesses of scale growing in creativity. It is designed as a place for start-up, entrepreneurial businesses to co-exist and collaborate with global, established businesses and support genuine product innovation. Here East provides over one million square feet of dedicated and versatile spaces for creative and digital companies. It combines unparalleled infrastructure with a unique environment to facilitate collaboration and the exchange of ideas. Here East includes shared workspaces and public areas to foster a tight community, alongside a shared yard with space for discussion and events, a landscaped canal side and artisan cafes, shops and restaurants. Here East is being developed by iCITY, a company owned by clients of Delancey, a specialist real estate investment and advisory company. Foresight Group, a UK independent infrastructure and private equity investment manager, has held a 38m first close of a new regional fund. The Foresight Regional Investment Fund, which focuses on investing in SMEs in the North West of England, North East Wales and South Yorkshire, aims to hold a final close of 60m. Limited Partners included the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, South Yorkshire Pensions Authority and Clwyd Pension Fund. The vehicle targets investments of up to 5m into targeting established, profitable businesses with strong management teams across a broad variety of sectors. It has a flexible investment mandate in terms of deal type, investing in MBOs, MBIs, Equity Release and Growth Capital transactions. Led by Russell Healey, Partner, Head of Private Equity, James Livingston, Partner, and Mark Burrows, Head of Institutional Capital, Foresight has over 1.8 billion of assets under management across a number of funds, including Listed Vehicles, Limited Partnerships, Enterprise Investment Schemes (EISs) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs). FinSMEs 19/01/2016 Solovis, a Dallas, Texas- and Charlottesville, Virginia-based multi-asset class portfolio management and reporting solution, raised $3.25m in equity financing. The round was led by Edison Partners with participation from MissionOG, OCA Ventures, Timberline Venture Partners, Northwestern University, and technology entrepreneur Jeremie Bacon. The company intends to use the funds to support growth and drive product innovation. Led by Josh Smith, CEO and co-founder, Solovis provides a foundations, endowments, pensions, OCIOs and family offices with multi-asset class portfolio management and reporting solution that generates detailed, transparent reports in real-time. The platform can analyze and model data across multiple portfolios, relationships and pools of capital then deliver automated, consolidated reports that empower investors spanning their front to back office. FinSMEs 19/01/2016 The ONE Music Group, a San Francisco, CA-based creator of musical instruments incorporating digital technology, closed a $10m Series B funding round. Backers included world-renowned concert pianist Lang Lang (recognized as one of TIME magazines 100 Most Influential People of the Year) Sequoia Capital, ZhenFund, and Ideabulb Ventures. The investment of Lang Lang in the company is part of a broader partnership under which The ONE Smart Piano will be one of only two piano brands the pianisty will use. Through his nonprofit, called 101 Pianists, Lang aims to make piano and music education more enjoyable and accessible for children. The company will use the funds to advance The Piano Classroom Project, a program dedicated to helping teachers cater to more students in each class at a more affordable rate. Founded in 2013 by Ben Ye, The ONE Music Group is a manufacturer of musical instruments incorporating digital technology that aims to make learning to play faster and more enjoyable. The ONE Smart Piano is an Apple MFi-certified smart piano that combines a full-sized piano with a dedicated iOS app. Available for $1,499 at select retailers, The ONE Smart Piano can teach anyone to start playing their first piece within their first lesson. The ONE Light is a portable keyboard that offers the same features as the smart piano, but with 61 backlit keys and the option to be battery-powered. It is available for $299. To date, the company has sold more than 50,000 pianos worldwide. FinSMEs 19/01/2016 (For the list of 2015's top contenders for the Best Film, click here) So here it is, (oh how I love saying these three words) on popular demand, my list of Best Hindi Films of 2015. The Winner: Dum Laga Ke Haisha Imagine a sensible film steeped in common-sense messaging sans sermons. Imagine a romantic drama in which the heroine is overweight yet the director views her through a lens that can see beyond her girth. Imagine such a film being light-footed rather than heavy and dull. Imagine that film being made by a production house that is as commercially inclined as they get. You dont have to trouble your imagination if you have seen Yash Raj Films Dum Laga Ke Haisha (DLKH), writer-director Sharat Katariyas sweetly low-key film set in the Haridwar of 1995. DLKH is about a boy with low self-esteem and no achievements (Ayushmann Khurrana) who is compelled by his family to marry a smart, feisty, educated girl (Bhumi Pednekar) despite his objections to her plus-sized physique. Bhumi Pednekar was the find of 2015. Impressive though he was in his debut Hindi film Vicky Donor in 2012, Ayushmann truly arrived as an actor with this one, completely losing his own personality in his character. Together with one of the best supporting casts of the year, the two youngsters delivered an appealing coming-of-age love story far removed from the high decibel levels Bollywood too often resorts to in its bid to attract mass audiences. Anu Maliks gentle tunes for DLKH are perfectly suited to the overall tone of the film, none more so than the prettily melodious 'Moh moh ke dhaage'. When lyricist Varun Grover writes Tu din sa hai, main raat / Aa na dono mill jaayein shaamon ki tarah (You are like the day and I the night / Come, let us meet as they do in the evening) you could almost read this blossoming love as a metaphor for the increasing melting of boundaries between what is deemed mainstream and art cinema by one of Indias largest film industries. DLKH is not just enjoyable and well made, it is one of many turning points for Hindi cinema witnessed in 2015. First Runner-up: Talvar Recounting a real-life crime in a feature film is never easy. When the case is as recent and as controversial as the Aarushi Talwar-Hemraj murder, it is a massive challenge. Director Meghna Gulzar is clearly up to the task in Talvar, a fictionalised, documentary-like feature about the double homicide committed in 2008. Irrfan Khan headlines the films talented cast relating the botched-up probe into one of 21st century Indias most high-profile criminal cases. Although Talvar narrates various versions of the killings and the investigation from differing viewpoints, painting the parents innocent and guilty by turns, it has its own stance too: that the messed-up Indian criminal justice system can be vindictive towards citizens to cover up its own inadequacies, that the polices pre-historic social prejudices colour their work, that the financial and cultural chasm separating co-existing socio-economic classes has volcanic implications, and that when it is at its worst, the news media can destroy lives. Despite its evident position on these issues, Talvar remains firmly focused on facts. In a cinematic landscape now used to Ram Gopal Varma and Anurag Kashyaps more dramatic gangster flicks, Meghnas choice of storytelling style makes this a landmark crime film. Second Runner-up: Drishyam If you thought as I did that it would not be possible to improve upon director Jeethu Josephs Malayalam film Drishyam (2013), you thought wrong. The Hindi retelling by Nishikant Kamat is as suspenseful as the original, yet minor tweaks make it an interesting, thoughtful remake. This is the story of a crime and its incredible cover-up. The author of that brilliance is a small-time businessman in small-town Goa, protecting his family when their relatively uneventful life takes a dramatic turn. His combatant in the case is the states Inspector General of Police (Tabu). Even given the traditional patriarchal set-up in both films, with the male protagonist as protector-provider and his spouse as stay-at-home mother, the Hindi version still manages to be less socially conformist than the first film. The noticeably lower age difference between the lead couple here (Ajay Devgn and Shriya Saran) in contrast with Mohanlal and Meena in the Malayalam film and the slightly less conservative conversations between them, makes this a nuanced adaptation rather than a carbon copy. Ajay wisely chose to play the central character as a more stoic fellow than Mohanlal did, thus pre-empting acting comparisons with a stalwart. None of this, of course, would matter to those who have only seen the Hindi Drishyam, which stands tall even when it stands alone. In the universe of thrillers, this film is uncommon in the way it builds up a sense of urgency despite its unhurried pace. Good and evil are not black and white notions here. And in the end, the mystery lies not in whodunnit (we already know that) but in how and if they will get away with it, because it gets us to care. Third Runner-up: NH10 Anushka Sharma broke new ground by turning producer with NH10. She is not the first, but she is among the few female producers in this country. When the moneybags are almost all men, the male gaze is bound to dominate a nations cinema. If more such enterprising women emerge across states, in time more meaty roles for Indian actresses will follow. This milestone, however, is not what recommends director Navdeep Singhs NH10. What marks it out cinematically is its grippingly told saga of civilisational clashes between adjacent worlds whose inhabitants are often oblivious to even disinterested in each others existence. Anushka in this film plays a city-bred professional living in the city of Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi located in Haryana. Tragedy comes visiting when she and her husband (Neil Bhoopalam) stray into rural Haryana. What follows is a petrifying mix of extreme gender biases, caste prejudice and violence. NH10 is filled with fine actors, but the discovery of the film is Darshan Kumaars versatility. In his turn as a murderous villain here, it is hard to spot the soft-spoken husband from 2014s Priyanka Chopra-starrer Mary Kom. Actress Anushka is already doing well for herself in Bollywood. What a splendid start this is though for producer Anushka. GENEVA High-end watchmakers have signalled a shift in strategy with an expanded range of more affordable products to counter the most severe downturn the industry has faced since the 2008-09 financial crisis, executives at a watch fair in Geneva said. The industry is having to adapt to a market with fewer Russian, Middle Eastern and Chinese buyers than a year ago, executives said, feeling the combined effects of record low oil prices and signs of economic weakness in China. Cartier, Richemont's leading brand and main source of profit, is presenting a higher than usual number of models at more accessible prices at this week's Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the industry's first event of the year. Among them is Cartier's new Drive model, a steel-cased men's watch priced at a little more than 5,000 euros ($5,430). Previously, Cartier would only offer new models in gold and leather, with prices starting at more than 10,000 euros, before offering them in more affordable versions. Sister brand Piaget, the timepieces of which generally start no lower than 10,000 euros, launched a women's line starting at just over 7,000 euros. Richemont stablemate Montblanc, meanwhile, has invested in a wide range of lower-priced models. "There is a different price awareness among customers now ... and less price elasticity than there used to be," Piaget Chief Executive Philippe Leopold-Metzger told Reuters at the fair. "Times are difficult. The market has changed and, in terms of pricing, it has become much more competitive." Russian and Middle Eastern customers' purchasing power has been dented by the slide in oil prices. In China, the luxury sector's biggest growth engine, demand has slowed down partly because of a drop in the pace of economic growth and a government crackdown on gift-giving and ostentatious spending by civil servants. TOURISM TROUBLES Meanwhile, Hong Kong and the United States, two of the world's biggest luxury markets, have been hit by a sharp drop in Chinese tourist spending. There has been a gradual erosion in the industry's global growth since a peak reached at the end of 2012. Swiss watch exports dropped 3.3 percent in the 11 months to last November after two years of modest growth of close to 2 percent. The downturn has been less painful than in 2008 and 2009, when the Swiss watch industry lost more than 5,000 jobs, said Jean-Daniel Pasche, president of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, though he acknowledged the danger that market conditions could worsen. "Looking at this year, much will depend on how the geopolitical situation evolves," Pasche said. The luxury goods sector is very much tied to tourist flows, but the deadly attacks in Paris last November have deterred many from travelling to Europe, the traditional home market for high-end watches and jewellery. In recent months, several watch makers have cut jobs, such as Kering's recently acquired Ulysse Nardin and privately-owned Parimigiani and Christophe Claret. Piaget closed a boutique in Shanghai last month while Parmigiani said it would cut its number of sales points globally to about 250 from around 300 by the end of the year, including outlets in Russia and Turkey. Van Cleef & Arpels, one of the fastest-growing jewellery and watch brands within the Richemont group, said it had also felt a slowdown in Hong Kong, Macao and the United States. "We have been impacted like everybody else as the feeling of confidence has been shaken," Van Cleef & Arpels Chief Executive Nicolas Bos told Reuters. Van Cleef & Arpels is examining new growth opportunities in countries such as Thailand, where it just opened a shop, as well as in Australia and Canada. (Editing by David Goodman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Two teenage girls from rural India, lured by traffickers with promises of marriage and a good life in the city, were rescued from brothels in Delhi at the weekend, a senior police official said on Monday, adding that a search was on for a third girl. North Delhi's Deputy Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma said the three girls -- aged between 16 and 17 -- were brought from West Bengal to Delhi, where they were held and repeatedly raped by several men for a month. "The three youths got in touch with the girls through social networking sites and then through phone calls and convinced them of marriage," Verma told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "On December 13, they took them first to Mumbai where one of the girls was sexually assaulted by two of the youths, and then they were brought to Delhi where they were sold to brothels." Verma said one of the girls, who was confined to a brothel in north Delhi's Majnu-ka-tilla area, managed to escape on Saturday and was "in a bad condition" on the street when she was approached by a policeman to whom she recounted her ordeal. The police raided the brothel and another one in the city's red light district of Garstin Bastion Road, popularly known as G.B. Road, where they found the second girl. Two women who were running the brothels have been arrested, but the three alleged traffickers named as Raj, Victor and Suraj have fled, with one of them taking the third girl, police said. A search is underway to find the suspects and the missing girl, said Verma, adding that charges filed against the two women and three men included rape, abduction and confinement. "The West Bengal police has been informed and they are travelling to Delhi. They will take the girls, who are currently in a children's home, back to their families," he said. Almost 36 million people are enslaved worldwide -- trafficked into brothels, forced into manual labour, victims of debt bondage or even born into servitude, says the 2014 Global Slavery Index. Almost half - 16 million - are in India. Many are from poor rural regions and are lured with the promise good jobs or marriage, but end up sold into domestic work, prostitution, or industries such as brick kilns or textile units. In most cases, they are unpaid or held in debt bondage. Some go missing, with their families unable to trace them. (Reporting by Nita Bhalla, Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. We are bombarded by advertisements of fairness creams, soaps and face wash on a daily basis. It's everywhere on television, billboards and in print. Given the Indian obsession with white skin, the manufacturers and advertisers are even successful in selling these products and tap a solid profit. These products do not work and we all know that. But while many of us cringe and sometimes even snigger at them, hardly anyone speaks against them. This is where K Chaathu comes in. We should all thank this sculptor from Kerala. After using a soap which promised him 'fair skin', Chaathu took the brand and its ambassador actor Mammootty to court as he did not get the desired result. According to The Huffington Post, the sculptor will get a compensation of Rs 30,000 from Indulekha after Chaathu took the matter to a consumer court. He had told PTI that he had been using the Indulekha white soap, endorsed by Mammootty for one year but was "disappointed" with the results. Chaathu had approached a consumer court in Wayanad earlier last year, claiming a total compensation of Rs 50,000 from the actor and the manufacturer after the "fairness soap" failed to produce the desired results. PTI had reported that the case was taken up in court in September 2015. "I have been using the soap for the past one year. But the promised results have not yet been seen. A person of Mammootty's stature, who has lot of influence, should not have cheated the people", Chaathu had told PTI. IBNLive reports that the tagline of Indulekha soap, "Soundaryam ningale thedi varum (Beauty will come in search of you)," was questioned by the court and the company chose to pay the compensation instead of fighting the case. Here's the advertisement for the soap: With inputs from PTI Fresh round of protests erupted on the campus of University of Hyderabad on Tuesday over Rohith Vemula's suicide in the hostel as members of a social outfit tried to hold a demonstration outside the residence of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya. Dattatreya has been accused in the suicide case. On 30 January, Vemula would have turned 27 but Vemula hanged himself after he was suspended from the college after a political dispute. On Tuesday, students gathered in the administrative block of the university and shouted slogans, seeking 'justice' for the dalit student. Police said the situation was peaceful. Actors, journalists and politicians came out in support of the Vemula, who was active in student politics, but had grown increasingly silent after the disciplinary action was initiated against him by the university. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of various student groups said Rohith was highly depressed due to suspension and expulsion from the hostel. On his Twitter handle, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that it wasn't a suicide but a murder. It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation(2/2) Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 19, 2016 It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation(2/2) Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 19, 2016 The Death of Rohit Vemula should shake the confidence of people in Modi Govt if doesn't then WHAT will .... Remember Youth 60% of our Popul Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 19, 2016 We simply can't brush away the ugly truth of socio-economic and political inequities associated with identity. #RohithVemula Gul Panag (@GulPanag) January 18, 2016 Rohit Vemula's letter is enough to bring anyone to tears. RIP #HyderabadUniversity Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) January 18, 2016 Sad to hear about the suicide incidence of a bright and promising student #RohitVemula from #HyderabadUniversity. Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) January 18, 2016 Attacking the BJP-led government over the alleged suicide of a dalit scholar in Hyderabad, Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Tuesday charged that vice chancellors have been handpicked by the BJP-RSS and asked student wings to come together to fight the "communal forces". "This is only a beginning. Vice-Chancellors have been handpicked by BJP-RSS. They would be interested to promote ABVP rather than Academics. All Student Wings must come together to fight communal forces on the Campus", the party general secretary said in a series of tweets. He alleged that the suicide by Rohith Vemula reflected the mindset of the BJP against dalits. "Dalit students were protesting against an abusive posting against dalit students on social media by a ABVP activist. Even after they were found not guilty by the Enquiry Committee...Partisan attitude of VC and Minister Bandaru Dattatreya led to expulsion of Dalit Students," Singh, who is in charge of party affairs in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, said. Speaking to reporters on the University campus, Congress MP V Hanumantha Rao alleged that university Vice Chancellor Appa Rao was responsible for the suicide of the student, and demanded his suspension. He further alleged that a "social boycott" was imposed on the students (who were suspended earlier), including the dalit research scholar who allegedly committed suicide. Congress leaders D Sridhar Babu, G Vinod and others visited the university campus today and spoke to the students. Reacting to the untimely end of Vemula, Congress spokesman R P N Singh on Monday had said, "An FIR has been registered against the Union Minister and the letter written by him prima facie amounts to abetment of suicide, Congress demands that Dattatreya resigns with immediate effect, failing which the Prime Minister should sack him." He also alleged that the suicide by the Dalit research scholar amid circumstances "deliberately orchestrated by Dattatreya, Union HRD Ministry and their cohorts of ABVP" is another manifestation of the "anti-Dalit agenda and mindset" of the government and its "controller"-RSS. "Dalits are being discriminated in the University and the Vice Chancellor has been the main person behind the suicide of a dalit student. We demand that action should be taken against him and a CBI probe should be ordered into the incident," YSRT Congress leader Nalla Suryaprakash told PTI on Tuesday. Accused Dattatreya had said on Monday, "Anti-social, anti-national activities were going on in the university. ABVP activists were beaten up. At that time ABVP gave a representation. I forwarded the representation to the Ministry (of HRD). I don't know what action they did. BJP or I have nothing to do with the incident..." The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". Rohit Vemula was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. With inputs from agencies New Delhi: Pathankot terror strike could have been prevented if lessons were learnt from previous terror strikes with a main focus on securing country's international border with Pakistan which is not yet "well guarded", Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra said in New Delhi on Tuesday. Speaking about the recent infiltrations by terror groups through International Border (IB), including the recent attack on Pathankot air base, Vohra said BSF with its limited capacities cannot guard the borders which is a long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometers including the Punjab IB. The Governor who was here to deliver a key note address on seventh National Investigation Agency (NIA) day, noted that the five-six terror attacks which took place from September 2013 onwards via Kathua through the IB, part of which falls in Jammu and Kashmir, should have been followed up as closely as the Pathankot attack. He said that the attack on Dina Nagar police station in Gurdaspur could have been avoided, if the previous terror attacks were subjected to a tight investigation. "...and if Dinanagar would have been properly investigated, Pathankot, I am sure would have been almost impossible because we would have been able to know the routes taken by the terror groups to infiltrate the IB. I also hold very strongly that IB is not well guarded," Vohra, who has been the Governor of the border state for last eight years, said. The Governor, who has also served as Union Home and Defence Secretary besides Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister in 1997, maintained that he had informed the centre about it. "I think there are issues...but we need to do much more. BSF, with its present capacities, cannot safeguard IB which is long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometres almost including the border in Punjab. It is a difficult area and we need to look at that," Vohra reiterated. He was replying to a question over the reluctance of state governments in handing over terror cases to central probe agencies. Punjab government had refused to hand over the Dina Nagar police station attack probe to NIA. The July 2015 terror attack on a police station in Dina Nagar in Gurdaspur district of Punjab resulted in 10 deaths, including that of three terrorists. Superintendent of Police Baljeet Singh was also killed in the attack. PTI Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who visited the University of Hyderabad in the wake of the alleged suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, on Tuesday said that it was the institution which had used "its power to crush" him. He also said that the University's vice-chancellor had no right to continue in office and the vice-president called for his resignation. "The idea of a University is that young people from the country can come here and express whatever is in their heart," said the Congress vice-president adding, "whether their ideas are interesting, not interesting, smart, not smart students must feel that this is an institution where they can say whatever they want to without being punished." "The idea of university is knowledge and when you try to impose on youngsters one idea, you cause tremendous pain to the passion that the person has," he said. "The institution, instead of operating fairly, has used its power to crush the students," he added. Rohith Vemula was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. His alleged suicide on Sunday led to protests all over the country, with activists of a local outfit demonstrating outside the residence of Dattatreya, who has been accused in the case, demanding his immediate resignation. Rahul met with the family of Rohith and told the gathering that the vice-chancellor and the minister in Delhi have not acted fairly. "What is the result? The result is that this youngster, who came here to improve this country, who came here to learn, was put in so much pain that he had no other option but to kill himself." He further said that the conditions for Vemula's suicide had been created by the vice-chancellor and Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya. "I agree with the students that he (Vemula) committed suicide but the conditions for his suicide were created by the V-C and the mkinister," he said. Rahul Gandhi also alleged that the V-C did not have the basic courtesy to meet Rohith's mother. "When the student of a university dies, the men in charge of the university have to show bare minimum respect and courtesy of meeting the deceased's family." He also said that the V-C not meeting Vemula's family members was "an insult not only to this country, but also every single student and teacher in this institution." Rahul seconded the demands raised by the students and added one more demand of his own. "Students have asked for two things: first point is that a loss has been caused to the family. So compensation has to be paid to Rohith's family. Compensation does not only mean financial compensation but also respect. This boy was going to give them a future," he said. "Secondly, there are certain people who are responsible for this boy's death. Whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in the strictest manner possible," said Rahul. Making his third demand, Rahul said, "I have come here for Rohith. But Rohith is not alone. In every university in India, this is happening. It is very important that we carry this flag forward and create legislation that gives certain rights to every single student." He said his third demand of creating this legislation was to "not allow government to impose on institutions". "Give Indian students minimum rights. I have come here not as a politician but as a young person who feels what you are going through," Rahul told the gathering. "I don't appreciate that we don't have the courage to allow students to express what they want," he said, adding that we should aim to "build an Indian where every single person can stand up and proudly say, 'this is what I believe.'" Earlier, the activists of TJYF (Telengana Jagruti Youth Front), a cultural outfit headed by TRS MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha, raised slogans outside the house of Dattatreya at Ram Nagar in Hyderabad and blamed him for the death of PhD scholar Vemula. On the University campus, scores of students, who intensified their protests, demanded that Dattatreya, BJP MLC Ramchander Rao, University's vice-chancellor P Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders, against whom cases were registered for abetting suicide of Rohit, be jailed. Resignation of the vice-chancellor, immediate revocation of suspension of the four students by the university, employment to a member of Rohit's family, an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh were among the other demands made by the agitators. A group of students was also trying to install a memorial for the deceased student, Rohit, on the campus. (With inputs from PTI) New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged suicide by a Dalit student in Hyderabad, demanding that he should sack the Union Minister accused in the matter and also apologise to the nation. "Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modiji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised n suspended," he said in a tweet. "It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation," the Delhi Chief Minister said. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the student. Rohit Vemula, the dead student, was among five research scholars who were suspended by the varsity in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a ABVP leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Rohit was found hanging in the hostel room located on the varsity campus on 17 January. PTI Hyderabad Central University (HCU), which is known not only for its world-class education, but even for allowing the free flow of a liberal thought process across its sprawling campus, is now in the dock for imperialist views and pursuing religious fundamentalism on the sly. The university is specially veering towards the brahminical thought process, as alleged by Dalit Stree Shakti fact-finding committee, which came up with its report on the suicide of Rohit Vemula, especially after the current vice-chancellor Podile Appa Rao assumed charge in September 2015. Most students other than those owing allegiance to the ABVP at least, strongly feel so, at least. In light of the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula and his eclectic treatise-like final letter, several angles into the circumstance leading to the suicide have emerged, along with the allied aspects of social engineering and rights of students belonging to oppressed classes by different stakeholders in the system of education. There is a strong undercurrent of a vertical divide on the lines of class/religion, on the campus. Although it is not very conspicuous as of now, Abu Saleh, an English research-scholar, said that the split isnt unrecognisable either. Prof Lakshminarayana, head of the professors association, said there have been instances when such a divide was felt on the campus, but these were always around causes and issues. But after Appa Rao took over the reins, Lakshminarayana has observed that politics have crept into the university. Rao has succumbed to the influence of the BJP, which pursues a peculiar concept of nationalism through which it sieves Muslims, Christians, Dalits and other sections out of the mainstream. This pernicious policy on the campus must be dealt with firmly. Venkatesh Chowhan, vice-president of the Solidarity JAC for Social Justice, said Appa Rao has asked them why they are unnecessarily provoking ABVP activists. Chowhan also alleged that Rao is openly pursuing the ideals of the BJP and the RSS without caring for the fact that he is heading one of the most prestigious Indian educational institutions. After the suspension of five Dalit students following a letter from Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya who acted on a representation by ABVP leader Sushil, all they sought was an enquiry into the incident. The rest is history. Another instance of imposing the political ideology is the scuttling of beef consumption. The annual university festival, Sukoon, had a beef stall for the first time in 2006. After some initial resistance, the university authorities allowed the beef stall become a regular feature at the festival. However, in the wake of a controversy over the beef festival on the Osmania University campus a couple of months ago, HCU authorities also instructed their students not to consume beef on the campus, and issued a letter to that effect. This is seen as a clear indication of an authoritarian approach laced with a fundamentalist approach on the part of the vice-chancellor, said Chowhan. The university strangely began celebrating the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, an icon the BJP idolises, as ekta diwas. This was never the case earlier. Dalit students have aired their concerns about this, alleging that it is nothing but pursuing BJP ideals. A two-day celebration of Vivekanand Jayanthi is yet another move in that direction, said Sunkanna, another Dalit student who was among the five expelled students. Furthermore, new rules have come in place on the campus to restrict movement of students beyond 9 pm. The university is planning to end the academic semester by 10 April, so as to avoid the celebration of Ambedkar Jayanthi, says Chowhan. He points this out as an aberration, because semesters usually run until 10 May. Chowhan recalled that Rao had rusticated 10 Dalit students when he was chief warden in 2002, and is now taking advantage of the political situation in the country and vitiating the democratic atmosphere on the campus. Sunkanna recalled the suicides of two Dalit students a couple of years ago, the subsequent agitation and how the then V-C had convinced them and made sure the protest was called off. He narrated the sequence of events that led to the suspension of the five Dalit students, including Rohith after the Facebook posts by Sushil, the public interest litigation filed by his mother Vinaya in the Hyderabad High Court, and the eventual action taken against the students. Abu Saleh has another interesting point to make: Rohith had not been receiving his JRF scholarship for five months and had raised a loan of Rs 40,000. He was grappling with major financial constraints. The orders on the change of convocation robes including the traditional dhoti and angavastram in the attire have been cancelled after protests. But they too have created an inconvenient situation on the campus, says Saleh. While social media activists have reacted sharply to the suicide of Rohith with numerous posts on Facebook and Twitter condemning the actions of the university authorities and the V-C, another section of students has strongly rallied behind Rao. They listed 14 points that precipitated matters on the campus and held the suspended students responsible for the turn of events. Hyderabad: Fresh protests erupted on the University of Hyderabad campus today over the alleged suicide by a Dalit scholar even as members of a social outfit tried to hold a demonstration outside the residence of Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been accused in the suicide case. Students gathered in the administrative block of the university and shouted slogans, seeking 'justice' for the Dalit student. The police said the situation was peaceful. "Just a small group of students gathered and shouted slogans. Situation is peaceful here," Gachibowli police inspector J Ramesh Kumar said. Some activists belonging to Telangana Jagruthi, a social and cultural outfit led by TRS MP K Kavitha, tried to hold a protest outside the residence of Dattatreya here this morning, demanding his resignation. However, police prevented their bid and took them into custody, a police official said. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, is expected to visit the university today. According to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Gandhi would spend some time interacting with students over the issue. "He will come here in a special flight at around noon. He will directly go the university and interact with students on the issue of suicide," Bhatti told PTI. The university campus yesterday witnessed widespread protests after Dalit student Rohit Vemula's body was found hanging in a hostel room on Sunday. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the Dalit student. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". Rohit Vemula was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. Speaking to reporters on the University campus, Congress MP V Hanumantha Rao alleged that university vice-chancellor Appa Rao was responsible for the suicide of the student, and demanded his suspension. He further alleged that a "social boycott" was imposed on the students (who were suspended earlier), including the Dalit research scholar who allegedly committed suicide. Congress leaders D Sridhar Babu, G Vinod and others visited the university campus today and spoke to the students. Meanwhile, a group of students were trying to instal a memorial for the deceased student on campus. PTI New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday accused Rahul Gandhi of politicising the suicide of a Dalit student at Hyderabad Central University after the Congress leader visited the protest-hit campus, and insisted that the issue had nothing to do with the victim being from a particular community. BJP general secretary P Muralidhar Rao attacked Rahul Gandhi for "unprincipled" behaviour, saying that the same Congress which had "harassed" Dalit leader B R Ambedkar "all his life" was now trying to project itself as champion of Dalit cause. He alleged that Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula's suicide has been made into political issue by "Congress, sections of the media and some groups with vested interests". Rao, in a series of tweets, said, "Suicide of Rohith Vemula has nothing to do with Dalit issues or rights just because he was a Dalit. It is merely politicising of the issue." "Disciplinary action was taken against Rohith at the advice of the court and even a lenient stand was taken by university authorities by permitting him to enter the campus except the hostel," he said. "Rahul Gandhi's hurried visit to Hyderabad is unprincipled behaviour and it is unfortunate that a national political party stoops to such levels." "The Congress did gross injustice to Dr B R Ambedkar and harassed him all his life. Now Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh championing Dalit cause!!," he said. Rao also hit out at the Delhi chief minister, saying, "Arvind Kejriwal, like always, is trying to fish in troubled waters in the politicized issue of Rohit Vemula suicide!" He has even gone to the extent of demanding apology from the PM, the BJP leader said. Defending the action against the student, Rao said, "The context of the clash between student groups was Rohith's stand in support of terrorism, including that against the hanging of Yakub Memon." The BJP leader, who hails from Telangana, said Rohith's suicide note is self revealing. "Connecting with incidents related to his ideological adversaries is baseless and orchestrated," he said. Rao had on Monday said that linking Dalit aspect to Hyderabad student death is "objectionable" and it is an "orchestrated campaign to malign the BJP". Rahul Gandhi, who visited the University campus in Hyderabad, alleged that the Vice Chancellor and Union Ministers have not acted fairly in the case and demanded "strictest" punishment for those responsible for the student's death. "This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself...But when you impose ideas on youngsters, and want only those ideas, then tragedies take place. "Every student can come to the university- whether he belongs to any caste or religion. He should feel that I can say what I want to say," he said in a series of tweets. "The idea of a university is that young people can come and share their thoughts," he said, adding, "These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus." He also met students of the Ambedkar Students Association. PTI Ever since it came to power, the BJP has been desperate to saffronise universities and academic institutions and prop up its students' wing in campus politics through subterfuge and political muscle. The ignominy of finding Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya among those accused of abetting Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide is yet another reminder of the BJP's futile pursuit. Though a million motives can be attributed to Vemula's decision to end his life, nobody can dispute that his problems began with the ideological tiff with the ABVP. In all likelihood, the rivalry among students would have remained confined to the campus, and could even have been resolved, had Dattatreya who had no business meddling in student politics not intervened and written a letter to the Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani that resulted in Vemula's expulsion and subsequent suicide. As The Indian Express pointed out, from July, the university stopped paying Vemula his monthly stipend of Rs 25,000 (excluding HRA). On 17 August, Dattatreya wrote to the HRD minister urging action and claiming that the Hyderabad University has in the recent past, become a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. After a series of flip-flops, Vemula and four others were suspended in September. On 17 December, the decision was upheld. On 3 January, after the sanction was confirmed, the five moved out of their hostel rooms to a tent they set up inside the campus and began a relay hunger protest. Protests, scuffles, ideological debates are part of a healthy democracy. Every day we see hundreds of protests around us by ordinary citizens and political parties. In how many of these cases are protesters expelled, externed, victimised, suspended from work, barred from studying or treated like pariahs? But, Vemula, like German student Sophie Scholl, who was executed in 1943 by the Nazis for distributing anti-war leaflets, was thrown out of the campus for participating in political demonstrations and protests. He ended up paying for campus activism with his life. Now that Hyderabad and Telangana are boiling with rage, and the political heat is rising in Delhi against Dattatreya, the BJP has another problem of its own making on its hands. The current controversy in Hyderabad is the latest among a series of unfortunate incidents triggered by the BJP's interference in the academia with the aim of influencing the ideology of intellectuals of the future. In May 2015, well-known scholar Ramachandra Guha had argued the Union HRD ministry was bleeding academia to death with 1,000 cuts. He had listed a series of appointments by the HRD ministry in Indian varsities and educational institutions with the explicit aim of packing them with parivar loyalists, party stooges and Hindutva hardliners. Since then, the saffronisation agenda has gathered momentum. A few months ago, the BJP had floated the name of right-wing leader Subramanian Swamy for the role of vice-chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University. Many suspected the ploy was a trial balloon for testing the reaction to the idea of a planting a Parivar loyalist at the helm of the premier institute that is considered a bastion of Left-leaning students. The current VC of JNU is set to retire soon and efforts are on to find his replacement. Swamy has since dropped out of the race. The search committee, according to reports, has identified four candidates as possible replacements. But there is growing speculation that the NDA government may reject all these names since the shortlisted members are not aligned with the BJP a factor that is now considered vital for appointments to such posts. Last week, the Centre triggered yet another controversy when it told the Supreme Court last week that it was contemplating a review of its earlier decision to support the minority status given to Aligarh Muslim University. Obviously, by trying to tinker with the status of the university, the BJP is trying to play to its Hindutva galleries. Before that, in October, HRD minister Smriti Irani decided to discontinue the non-National Eligibility Test fellowship scheme, incurring the wrath of students and the hashtag #OccupyUniversity. As part of the scheme, the UGC was providing financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per month for 18 months to MPhil students and Rs 8,000 per month for four years to PhD students. This was limited to research scholars of Central universities (see more here). The decision to scrap the fellowship was taken immediately after the minister's meeting with leaders of the ABVP, ostensibly to implement it in state varsities. But the real purpose was to ensure the government did not end up supporting research that doesn't suit the Saffron Parivar's ideology. The Parivar's desperation to influence the academic debate and institutions is understandable. Unless scholars and youth are aligned with its ideology and politics, the Parivar's dream of imposing its vision of cultural nationalism on the country will remain just a pipe dream. So, it wants to ensure two things: Influence of right-wing scholars in academic institutions and the hegemony of the ABVP in youth politics. India's cultural diversity, complicated caste dynamics Hyderabad is a case in point and liberal ethos will never permit the dominance of any single ideology. In the end, the BJP, or anyone else who wishes to impose a particular narrative, will be frustrated because Indians will listen to multiple, even competing, narratives, thoughts and voices and then choose what they find acceptable. Also, since the purpose of education is to liberate the mind, rid it of dogmas and irrational beliefs, the BJP is pursuing a self-defeating objective. The faster it realises the futility of interference in academic institutions, the better it would be for Indian campuses, scholars and the BJP. To begin with, it can learn from Vemula's death. Left alone, this Dalit son of a poor mother who stitches clothes for a living, would have, in time, left the University of Hyderabad in search of a career, or, as he wrote in his suicide note, to become a writer like Carl Sagan. While on the campus, he may have at best inspired a few followers with his Left-leaning, liberal ideas and movement for the dignity for Dalits. But in trying to silence his voice, make him kow-tow to its ideology, the Parivar has turned Vemula into a symbol of resistance against the saffron agenda. In death, Vemula will be a bigger adversary for his ideological opponents than in life. In the world of realpolitik where relationships are made and unmade based on political expediency, Sambia Sohrab found out the hard way that spoils of power and flashy lifestyle that he took for granted are as fickle as English weather. Accused by the police of being the man behind the wheel of the Audi that broke through several police guardrails and allegedly mowed down IAF Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud on 13 January during the rehearsal for the Republic Day parade, a wary Sambia appeared disjointed when produced before the acting chief metropolitan magistrate at Bankshall court in Kolkata on Monday. His demeanour betrayed anxiety and befuddlement, almost as if he still wasn't sure whether it was really happening to him. His bail plea was rejected, he was charged with murder along with other serious offences and remanded in police custody for 14 days. After a four-day game of hide-and-seek during which a lookout notice was issued against his name, the Kolkata Police finally arrested him on Saturday night from near his in-laws' place at Beckbagan (or did he surrender as the BJP and Congress are claiming?). Sambia's friend Sk Sanu, grandson of Bowbazar blast convict Rashid Khan, was subsequently picked up from Delhi on Monday morning while another friend Johnnie is still on the run. All three were allegedly in the SUV that besides taking the life of Corporal Gaud, also injured a female military personnel from the Army's marching contingent, said the police. Given local Trinamool leader Mohammad Sohrab's power and pelf, if Sambia, the younger son, is still confused how his world came crashing down like a pack of cards since that fateful Wednesday, he has not understood the first lesson of political patronage. Nothing is forever. Ask Madan Mitra. Once Mamata Banerjee's trusted lieutenant, the hugely influential and networked former transport minister has been cooling his heels in jail after being arrested by the CBI for his alleged complicity in the Saradha chit fund scam. The chief minister had initially stood firmly behind her minister, launching a blistering attack against the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre and accused it of a "political vendetta". "It is a conspiracy, a very dirty conspiracy, I ask the prime minister to put me in jail first... Situation in India is like Emergency now, new battle has begun. We accept your challenge, my government condemns Madan Mitra's arrest in the strictest of terms," she had said in December 2014. But around a year later as Madan, stripped of ministership, continues to languish behind bars, Mamata underwent an apparent U-turn, announcing in a rally in Amta, Howrah: "Byakti chor hoy, kintu dol chor hoy na (Individuals can be thieves, but a party cannot be a thief)." She added, "If money lands illegally in a leader's hands, he and he alone is guilty of theft. The party won't take responsibility for personal corruption." The Sohrabs' rise to prominence is a fascinating yet not unheard-of tale. Mohammad Sohrabs father sold tender coconuts at Mechchua in Kolkata. From a fruit-trader, Sohrab rose up the ranks quickly and is said to be heading a mafia that rigs prices of fruit. Apart from controlling the Mechchua fruit market, he apparently has interests in real estate, nursing homes, hotels and is allegedly involved in hawala and drug rackets. For someone who declared his total assets to be around Rs 76 lakh in the affidavit filed while contesting unsuccessfully on a JD (U) ticket in the 2011 Assembly polls, Sohrab's garage now has a clutch of top-line imported luxury wheels including Mercedes, BMW, Land Rover, Hummer and even a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. Younger son and prime accused Sambia, though, reportedly doesn't share his elder brother's car fetish. His Facebook profile lists him as the proprietor of Amby International and the director of Aafreen group of companies. He's also a part of his family construction business and apparently visits China quite often. With money, comes power. Sohrab senior, an ex-RJD MLA, crossed over into the Trinamool Bhavan in 2013 at the behest of the then general secretary Mukul Roy. Sambia's marriage on 5 January this year was apparently attended by top political leaders and even some Kolkata Police officers. But Sambia committed two costly, unpardonable crimes. One was his doing, the other was an unhappy aligning of the stars. After a night of pub-hopping with friends and an alcohol-fuelled speed rush, Sambia ran over an IAF officer. The Army wasn't going to take it lightly. It also guaranteed immediate and sustained media attention. With each passing day of non-arrests, the Kolkata Police came under huge pressure. The IAF made no bones about the fact that it was unhappy with the pace of the probe. Defence spokesperson Wing commander SS Birdi told CNN-IBN on Friday: Theres a set of people with vested interest who do not want the investigation to proceed. Second, the incident happened close on the heels of Kaliachak violence in Malda for which the Mamata government had copped a lot of flak. Accused of soft-pedalling on the culprits in Kaliachak because they were Muslims, and keen to avoid to any further controversy ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in April-May, Mamata took no chances. Right from the first day when Abhimanyu Gaud was killed, the chief minister visited the hospital and called for "exemplary punishment". From being a local Trinamool leader, Mohammad Sohrab quickly reverted to just a "fruit trader" and a "minor political activist" as the ruling Trinamool Congress desperately tried to preempt criticisms from rival parties and the media. Even as local newspapers and TV channels flashed pictures of Mohammad Sohrab riding the campaign jeep of victorious mayoral candidate Sovan Chatterjee or sharing the stage with other TMC candidates, the ruling party issued a statement: "The owner of the car, reported to be driving it at the time of the incident, has no connection with Trinamool Congress. Neither the alleged driver of the car nor his father have ever attended formal, committee or organisational meetings of Trinamool Congress. Neither of them has ever been appointed to a post, or got a letter to this effect, from the party. We have nothing to do with them and have never had anything to do with them..." The law will take its own course, say TMC leaders as Sambia faces punishment for his crime. If only it were the norm, not an exception in West Bengal. Irony commits a million suicides every time Arvind Kejriwal speaks or tweets. The Delhi chief minister has turned into a skillful exponent of selective amnesia, exclusive outrage and about turns. Such is his penchant for quickly forgetting his own words and deeds that it is a miracle that Kejriwal has not yet been recommended him for a role in a sequel of Ghajini or Memento. On Tuesday, Kejriwal added another opportunistic hyperbole to his already impressive list when he called Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide a murder and blamed, like always, Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the tragedy on the Hyderabad campus. Its not suicide. Its murder. Its murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation, the Delhi CM tweeted early on Tuesday. His 'suicide-not-murder' routine is almost an encore of the AAP's theatrics after the death of a girl during an anti-encroachment drive by the Railways in Delhi's Shakoor Basti in 2015, which, again, was blamed on Modi and his government. Compare the Delhi CM's outrage and Sunny Deolesque pronouncement of tabadtod (instant) verdict with his reaction to the suicide of Rajasthan farmer Gajendra Chauhan at an AAP rally in August 2015. When the farmer hanged himself in full view of Kejriwal & Co, did the Delhi CM break into a bout of self-flagellation, blaming himself for the 'murder', hanging his head in apologetic shame? No, Kejriwal instead belted out a rousing speech in the backdrop of the dangling corpse. Later, he ordered a magisterial enquiry into the death in a bid to deflect the blame to Delhi police and the Centre's policies. This is not to argue that Kejriwal was responsible for Chauhan's suicide. By all indications, the farmer's death was an accident and at best Kejriwal could have been accused of insensitivity for continuing with his rally in spite of the tragic incident. And it is poetic justice for those who had wanted Kejriwal's head to roll then to be standing in the dock for Rohith's death now. But, Kejriwal's instant verdict on Modi and his government reeks of hypocrisy and opportunism, two traits that are turning into synonyms for AAP brand of politics. Consider for instance the breast-beating within the AAP after a woman threw ink at the Delhi CM. Attacking, humiliating anybody is a reprehensible act and deserves condemnation and punishment. As senior journalist Shekhar Gupta tweeted, ink/shoe throwing is the acid attack of public life. And tougher laws are needed to deter thugs and vandals from perpetrating such violence. But, the AAP should have looked at its own glass house before casting stones at others. After all, wasn't it the AAP that made such vandalism politically rewarding when it gave Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha tickets to journalist Jarnail Singh, whose only claim to fame was arguably his act of throwing a shoe at former home minister P Chidambaram? Mr Kejriwal, you can't run with ink throwers and hunt with shoe hurlers without exposing yourself as a Janus-faced politician with multiple ideologies and philosophies that sway with the political wind. It is true that most politicians wear several masks and are masters of multiplespeak. But, the flaws that could be easily forgiven and ignored in others look ugly on Kejriwal because he professes to own the high moral ground and claims to be holier-than-thou. It is a pity that Kejriwal routinely hangs his own own image on the long rope of opportunism and hypocrisy. Kabul, Afghanistan: A photograph of an Afghan woman whose nose was sliced off by her husband in a fit of rage has sparked online anger, with activists demanding punishment for what one called a "barbaric act". Reza Gul, 20, was rushed to hospital after the attack in Ghormach district in the northwestern province of Faryab on Sunday. Her husband is said to have fled to a Taliban-controlled area. "Mohammad Khan (the husband) cut off Reza Gul's nose with a pocket knife," Faryab governor's spokesman Ahmad Javed Bedar told AFP. The incident highlights the endemic violence against women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline Taliban Islamist regime was ousted by a 2001 US-led invasion. "Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned," Kabul-based women's rights activist Alema told AFP. "Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women," added Alema, who goes by one name. The disfigured woman's photograph was widely shared on social media, prompting calls for tough action against the husband. Bedar said Gul would need reconstructive surgery, which was not possible in the local government hospital. It was not immediately clear what prompted the husband to attack Gul, the mother of a one-year-old child who was married off five years ago as a teenager. Bedar said Khan, an unemployed man, had recently returned from neighbouring Iran and may have joined the Taliban after fleeing home following the attack. The government has vowed to protect women's rights but that has not prevented deadly attacks. In November a young woman was stoned to death after being accused of adultery in the central province of Ghor. And last March a woman named Farkhunda was savagely beaten and set ablaze in central Kabul after being falsely accused of burning a Koran. The mob killing triggered angry protests nationwide and drew global attention to the treatment of Afghan women. In 2010, Time magazine put the photograph of a mutilated 18-year-old, Bibi Aisha, on its cover. Her nose was cut off by an abusive husband. The cover provoked a worldwide outpouring of sympathy for Aisha, who was taken to the United States where she was given a prosthetic nose. AFP WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD Three U.S. citizens who disappeared last week in Baghdad were kidnapped and are being held by an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, two Iraqi intelligence and two U.S. government sources said on Tuesday.Unknown gunmen seized the three on Friday from a private residence in the southeastern Dora district of Baghdad, Iraqi officials say. They are the first Americans to be abducted in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011. The U.S. sources said Washington had no reason to believe Tehran was involved in the kidnapping and did not believe the trio were being held in Iran, which borders Iraq. "They were abducted because they are Americans, not for personal or financial reasons," one of the Iraqi sources in Baghdad said. The three men are employed by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp, under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with the matter. The Iraqi government has struggled to rein in the Shi'ite militias, many of which fought the U.S. military following the 2003 invasion and have previously been accused of killing and abducting American nationals. Baghdad-based analyst Hisham al-Hashemi, who advises the government, said the kidnappings were meant to embarrass and weaken Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is trying to balance his country's relations with rival powers Iran and the United States. "The militias are resentful of the success of the army in Ramadi which was achieved with the support of the U.S.-led coalition and without their involvement," he said. SECTARIAN TENSIONS Shi'ite militias were kept out of the battle against Islamic State in Ramadi for fear of aggravating sectarian tensions among the Sunni population in the western city. Baghdad touted the military's advance there last month, with backing from coalition airstrikes, as evidence of a resurgent army after it collapsed in 2014. The State Department said on Sunday it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate Americans reported missing, without confirming they had been kidnapped. Asked about the kidnapping at the daily U.S. State Department news briefing on Tuesday, spokesman John Kirby said: "The picture is becoming a little bit more clear in terms of what might have happened." He provided no details. Kirby declined to say whether Secretary of State John Kerry had contacted Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif about the kidnapping. Hostility between Tehran and Washington has eased in recent months with the lifting of crippling economic sanctions against Iran in return for compliance with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions and a recent prisoner swap. However, the United States imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals on Sunday for supplying Iran's ballistic missile programme. (Additional reporting by Mohammed Zargham in Washington and Maher Chmaytelli in Baghdad; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Gareth Jones) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Seema Guha External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has began the new year with a visit to Palestine and Israel, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the region later in the year. Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to travel to Israel. Swarajs visit will lay the initial groundwork for the prime ministerial visit. Though the ruling BJP-led coalition shares a special warmth with Israel, the government has continued the Congress policy of walking the tightrope between Palestine and Israel. Much like what the Americans and other Western leaders did in the past with India and Pakistan. A trip to India also included a visit to Pakistan. Similarly every Indian leader makes it a point to visit both Israel and Palestine. President Pranab Mukherjee did the same last October. In fact the President spent a night in Ramallah. Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, the strong pro-Israel lobby in India is hoping that the government will shed the UPAs inhibitions and make a paradigm shift in Indias West Asia policy and veer decidedly towards Tel Aviv. The fact that India abstained from voting against a UN Human Rights Council resolution in July 2015 reinforced this belief, with many saying that the change had begun. Analysts concluded that this was a shift away from New Delhis traditional pro-Palestine stand, and the beginning of a more BJP oriented foreign policy. They forgot that in July 2014, when the new government was already in place, India had voted against Israel and in favour of the UNHRC resolution for an international inquiry report into the Gaza violence. A total of 2,300 people had been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza campaign. The external affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup had brushed off suggestions of any change in policy: "there is no change in New Delhi's long-standing position on support to the Palestinian cause". He explained that the reference to the International Criminal Court(ICC), had persuaded New Delhi to abstain. India is not a signatory to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, which has the mandate to try war crimes. "In the past also, whenever a Human Rights Council resolution made a direct reference to the ICC, as happened in the Resolutions on Syria and North Korea, our general approach had been to abstain." It is perhaps true that given a choice, the current government would go all out in support of Israel. BJP as a party had always believed in a strong nationalist government, which punishes every attack against Israel with tremendous fire power. This is exactly what hardliners within the party would like India to behave with terror attacks from Pakistan soil. While in opposition this was the BJPs grouse against the Manmohan Singh government, when they ridiculed him for his weak-kneed approach to Pakistan. However in government, and after the Pathankot attack, the BJP-led coalition is behaving with much more responsibility. The other factor is that despite Israels tough stand towards Palestine, attacks continue. It is not that the Palestinians have cowed under the massive fire power of Israel. So despite the Modi administrations affinity towards Israel, and the PMs special equation with Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, New Delhi refuses to completely tilt towards Israel. This is because international diplomacy is much more than pandering to anti-Muslim sentiments favoured by elements within the larger Sangh Parivar and personal or party preferences are secondary when in government. National interest takes prededence to all other considerations. India has traditionally backed the Palestinian cause, and had voted against the division of Palestine at the UN in 1947, but over the years the strong pro-Palestine stand was diluted as ties with Israel went on a fast track. Israel, with its cutting edge technology, and its sophisticated defence production base has become a major supplier of military hardware to India. The upgrading of diplomatic ties with Israel was done by Congress prime minister PV Narasimha Rao in 1992. Since then there has been no looking back, and despite maintaining ties with Palestine, New Delhis relationship with Tel Aviv has flourished under both the BJP and the Congress. Yet hopes that India under the BJP government would re-calibrate its ties with Palestine has not happened. It is unlikely to do so, because Indias interests remain closely interwined with the Gulf states. Over five million Indian work out of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and other Gulf Co-operation Countries. The workers send back valuable foreign exchange to the tune of over $38 billion annually. The remittances help to fuel the economy of states like Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. New Delhi certainly does not wish to jeorpardize these gains. India is also strengthening ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf neighbours in recent years. It is no longer simply a question of buying oil from the region. There is much greater emphasis on doing business in the Gulf countries. Indian companies are also investing in the Gulf region. GCC exports to India have grown at an annual rate of 43 percent over the last decade, the highest rate with any major trade partner, making up 11 percent of the total GCC exports. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and UAE make up the Gulf Cooperation Countries, which are developing at a rapid pace and business with all these countries is expanding. In the near future India is unlikely to change its policy towards Palestine despite a multi-faceted and fast growing ties with Israel. Sushma Swarajs visit to both countries reiterated the point again. With a set of international nuclear sanctions on Iran being lifted, India will be able to resume its unrestricted import of oil from the Persian Gulf nation. State-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC) in New Delhi told IANS that the possibility of freely importing oil from Iran, to be paid for now in US dollars, comes at a time when global prices are expected to plunge further with Iranian oil adding to the supply glut. Iran is expected to increase its export of 1.1 million barrels of oil per day by 500,000 soon, followed by a further 500,000 bpd thereafter. The lifting of sanctions came after US Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement confirming the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that Iran "has fully implemented its required commitments". Meanwhile, on Sunday itself, the United States on Sunday imposed a different set of sanctions over Iran's ballistic missile testing even as President Barack Obama hailed the release of five Americans from Tehran's custody and the implementation of a nuclear deal he hopes will stand among his lasting foreign policy achievements. Obama pledged to counter vigorously Iran's "destabilizing behavior" across the Mideast even while the US engages with the Islamic Republic. After the Americans had been freed, Obama announced economic sanctions against 11 individuals and entities as a result of a ballistic missile launch in October. "We're not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners," Obama said. Meanwhile, on Sunday itself, with a different set of international nuclear sanctions on Iran being lifted, India will be able to resume its unrestricted import of oil from the Persian Gulf nation. On the other hand, with the new sanctions announcement, Obama also sought to counter criticism from Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates that his actions had appeased a nation that has aided the spread of Islamic extremism. "It reflects a pattern we've seen in the Obama administration over and over again of negotiating with terrorists and making deals and trades that endanger US safety and security," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a leading Republican presidential contender, said on Fox News Sunday. "Our enemies now know that if you can capture an American, you can get something meaningful in exchange for it," another Republican candidate, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, said on NBC's Meet the Press. But Obama said he decided "that a strong confident America could advance our national security by engaging directly with the Iranian government." Democratic lawmakers who supported the agreement applauded the sanctions announced Sunday. Five Democratic senators said in a joint letter to Obama that failure to impose the restrictions could encourage Tehran to violate international obligations with impunity. The Obama administration worked for nearly 14 months behind the scenes to negotiate the prisoner trade. Iran also agreed to work to locate American Robert Levinson, who vanished during a trip to Iran in 2007. In a reciprocal move, Obama said that six Iranian-Americans and one Iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial in the U.S. were being granted clemency. He emphasized that they were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses. "They're civilians, and their release is a one-time gesture to Iran given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play," Obama said. Obama said the US and Iran had also resolved a longstanding dispute over money Iran used to buy military equipment from the U.S. before the two countries broke ties. Iran will get more than $400 million, plus $1.3 billion in interest. The White House said its lawyers assessed that the U.S. could have faced a "significantly higher judgment" if the case continued. "There was no benefit to the US is dragging this out," Obama said. Obama used his Sunday morning statement from the White House to speak directly to the Iranian people: "We have a rare chance to pursue a new path a different, better future that delivers progress for both our peoples and the wider world." Obama said Iran has a vibrant culture that has so much to contribute to the world in commerce, science and the arts, but "your government's threats and actions to destabilize your region have isolated Iran from much of the world." The Obama administration said it was prepared to test whether additional cooperation with Iran was possible, most notably in resolving the civil war in Syria. White House officials said during a briefing held after the president's address that Iran could play a significant role in resolving the Syrian civil war, but profound differences exist. They said Iran needs to understand the fighting won't be resolved as long as Syrian President Bashar Assad remains in power. The officials said they know Iran is not going to dramatically change its actions in the next year or two. "If Iran does act in a more constructive fashion, it would be a positive development in resolving difficult issues," the White House officials said. "If they don't, we will continue to enforce our sanctions and continue to have very strong differences." With inputs from agencies New York: A Sikh man along with his four friends, who were kicked out from an American Airlines flight because their appearance made the captain uneasy has filed a $9 million lawsuit against the airline. Shan Anand, a Sikh, along with three other friends- Faimul Alam besides a Bangladeshi Muslim and an Arab Muslim all young US citizens, were ordered off the flight 44718 from Toronto to New York last month based upon their perceived race, colour and ethnicity, CNN reported on Tuesday. The Bangladeshi Muslim and Arab Muslim were identified only by their initials W.H. and M.K. Anand and Alam switched seats with strangers after boarding, so they could sit next to W.H. and M.K. Several minutes later, a white woman flight attendant asked W.H. to get off the plane, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday in Brooklyn Federal Court. When they asked the flight crew why they were being removed, the flight attendant told them to exit "peacefully" and "demanded" they return to the gate and await further directions, the lawsuit said. "It basically made me feel like a criminal," W.H. said, adding: "It was like I was put on a pedestal where everyone is pointing at you. I was frightened that they were frightened." It was only after the plane took off that an airline agent told the men "they could not board because the crew members, and specifically the captain, felt uneasy and uncomfortable with their presence on the flight and as such, refused to fly unless they were removed from the flight," the report said. The flight took off, leaving the four men behind. "They said it was protocol," said Anand. PTI The United Nations' internal justice system has cleared a whistleblower who leaked information to French authorities in 2014. The information was related to a UN investigation into accusations that French soldiers in Central African Republic had sexually abused some children they were sent to protect. UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Monday that the Office of Internal Oversight Services had written to Anders Kompass "and they've confirmed that the cases against him are now closed." I feel relief and some sadness. It is still a mystery why most of the UN leadership decided to do this to me when they knew very well how badly the UN was handling these types of cases and they knew there was a big gap in terms of under reporting of these kind of cases," Kompass said in an interview with the Guardian. He added how important the fact was for him that others, especially the younger staff, saw that he was vindicated, "otherwise the message was: If you try to do something similar to what Anders has done these will be the consequences. UN officials had accused Kompass, a Swede who was the operations director for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, of breaching policy by not redacting the children's names. He was suspended in April 2015 and reinstated a month later by the UN Dispute Tribunal, but he still faced an internal investigation. Last month, Kompass was exonerated by an independent panel appointed to review the UN's handling of allegations of child sexual abuse by French soldiers in Central African Republic. The panel, led by Canadian judge Marie Deschamps, said the United Nations' "gross institutional failure" to act on allegations that French and other peacekeepers sexually abused children in Central African Republic led to even more assaults. It dismissed the argument that Kompass had breached UN policy, finding instead that the former head of the UN internal watchdog, Carmen La Pointe, abused her authority in improperly opening an investigation of Kompass in response to the "single-minded determination" of the UN human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein. If the concerns about redacting the names and protecting the children from possible reprisals were real, the panel said, the UN would have acted to offer protection. "Instead, no one took any steps whatsoever to locate the children," it said. Haq, the UN spokesman, told reporters when asked about Kompass' exoneration and whistleblowers, that "we continue to see what we can learn from this and how we can do better." "The secretary-general believes that all staff should be encouraged to come forward," he said. The fact that Kompass was cleared by the internal justice system "is a sign that we hope staff take to heart, that the internal justice system does, in fact, work." France is still investigating the allegations against its soldiers. New allegations of alleged sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers in the impoverished and violence-torn Central African Republic continue to surface, the latest earlier this month involving four underage girls which the UN is investigating. With inputs from AP Norway: "She kissed him -- it's an invitation to have sex." The asylum seeker's answer hangs in the air. The instructor's smile falters, and an explanation is required. In Norway, migrants are being given courses to prevent violence against women, especially rape, and to teach them how to interpret customs in a country that may seem surprisingly liberal to them. The courses were introduced several years ago, but have become particularly topical after complaints of mass sexual assault on New Year's Eve in the German city of Cologne, by a crowd of mostly Arab and North African men. This particular morning at the Ha reception centre in southwestern Norway, a dozen Syrian and Sudanese asylum seekers fidget in their seats in a small room as their group discussion starts. The curtains are drawn and a space heater blasts out hot air to heat up the room, but the participants keep their jackets on. "The idea behind this course is to talk about risk situations that can arise when it comes to rapes and sexual assaults," the group's leader Linda Hagen says,kicking off the class in Norwegian, with an interpreter translating to Arabic. "We need your help so that we can together detect these situations." What is the difference between love and sex? What do these pictures of women projected on a screen bring to mind, one with bare shoulders and the other veiled? Can the use of violence be legitimate? How do you know if a woman is consenting to sex? Cultural misunderstandings The participants brainstorm scenarios where cultural differences may cause misunderstandings. Little by little, they warm up and begin to speak. "If she wants come to my place, that means she's consenting," says one Syrian. "But if she's drunk, how can I be sure that she wants to sleep with me?" asks a Sudanese man. "If she says no, I don't do anything against her will," insists a third. Those attending all seem to agree the course is useful. "For me, I have no problem because my city is an open city and my sister, my mum, they're very similar to (the women) here," a 42-year-old Syrian tells AFP, asking to use the pseudonym Mikael Homsen. "But I have friends, they come from a different culture, from a strict family. For them, any part a woman shows (is) a sign she wants to have sex," he says. The need for the course -- which is organised by Hero, a private company that runs 40 percent of Norway's reception centres -- is exemplified when a video normally shown to secondary school students is screened. In the clip, a party is in full swing. Two teens are making eyes at each other and they kiss. The boy pulls the girl, visibly tipsy, upstairs to a room and locks the door behind them. He becomes increasingly physical with her, despite the signs of resistance she is displaying. "No means no," concludes the video. But the video meets with a range of reactions from the participants. "He tricked her but the girl should also have been clear and said no and not gone upstairs with him," says one. "If a girl kisses me, I figure she wants to sleep with me," says another. Linda Hagen intervenes, explaining: "In Norway, it's quite common to hug, to entwine, to dance very closely without it necessarily leading to a sexual encounter." "Everyone is in agreement that rape is bad," she later tells AFP. "But there are all these grey zones, these situations that are a little difficult to grasp... The problem can arise with any of us." 'Arena for dialogue' Hero launched its course after a series of rapes committed by foreigners in the southwestern town of Stavanger between 2009 and 2011. "We invite the residents, both women and men, to have a dialogue about cultural norms and to take responsibility if they see something," says Hero's director Tor Brekke. "It's not a magic formula, it's just mostly about making an arena for dialogue." The Cologne incidents are on everybody's mind: 766 police reports filed, including 497 for sexual assault, which police have blamed on Arab and North African men. "In my opinion it's not men who did that. They're animals. They're sick people," says Sulaiman Adel, a 42-year-old Syrian. "We want German authorities to say who exactly did this, and not just say they're asylum seekers," adds Shero Demir, a 35-year-old also from Syria. "They have to be expelled immediately to the country they're from. They can't live here." AFP Peshawar: A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle struck a crowded police checkpoint on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing 11 people, a local official said. Another 21 people were wounded in the blast, which took place on a road leading to neighboring Afghanistan, police official Iqbal Khan said. Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, a stronghold of the Taliban and other Islamic militants. Khan said the dead include four police and seven civilians, including two children and a local journalist, Mahboob Shah Afridi, who was president of Tribal Union of Journalists in the neighboring Khyber region. No one has claimed the attack, which took place as a local police chief arrived at the checkpoint. Nisar Khan, who was waiting to cross the road, said the checkpoint was choked with traffic at the time of the attack. He said the huge blast left vehicles in flames and that he saw wounded people in pools of blood crying out for help. Militant violence has declined since Pakistan launched a wide-ranging military offensive in North Waziristan, a tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, in the summer of 2014. But the Taliban have still managed to carry out major attacks, including an assault on an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 that killed over 150 people, mostly children. AP ADEN Two people were killed in eastern Yemen on Tuesday in what local residents said was probably an attack by a U.S. drone on al Qaeda members, and Saudi-led coalition warships appeared to be preparing to move against a port held by militants. Residents said a pilotless plane struck a car travelling on the outskirts of Sayoun, the second largest city in Hadramout province, on Tuesday evening. The strike blew the car apart and its occupants were burned beyond recognition. The United States has acknowledged using drones but declines to comment on specific attacks. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken advantage of a conflict pitting Houthi militiamen against forces loyal to Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to grab territory and operate more openly. The United States has mounted its own campaign against the Islamist militants The group operates across Yemen and controls the Hadramout provincial capital, Mukalla, which it seized in April last year, soon after the Iranian-allied Houthis forced Hadi to flee the southern port city of Aden for Saudi Arabia. Hadi returned to Aden after the Saudi-led coalition ejected the Houthis. In the city of Mukalla, workers and officials at the local port said that warships from the Saudi-led coalition had ordered all unregistered ships to leave the facility immediately in what appears an attempt to move against Islamist militants who control the provincial capital's harbour. Last week, a drone strike killed three suspected al Qaeda militants travelling in a car in central Yemen. (Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. London: UK Prime Minister David Cameron has backed a ban on face-covering veils such as burqas in schools, courts and at border check points in the country but said he will not go as far as what France did to impose a blanket ban. "When you're coming into contact with an institution, or you're in court, or if you need to be able to see someone's face at the border, then I will always back the authority and institution that have put in place proper and sensible rules," Cameron said. It comes as the UK prepare to announce a series of measures designed to stop British Muslims becoming radicalised and traveling to the Middle East to join terrorist groups like the Islamic State. "What does matter is if, for instance, a school has a uniform policy, sensitively put in place and all the rest of it, and people want to flout that uniform policy, often for reasons that aren't connected to religion, you should always come down on the side of the school," he was quoted as saying by BBC Radio Four. Cameron, 49, however, rejected the idea of a blanket ban on burqas and other religious headgear, along the lines of the ban imposed in France since 2010. "Going for the more sort of French approach of banning an item of clothing, I don't think that's the way we do things in this country and I don't think that would help," he said. Cameron's comments came on the day he unveiled plans for tougher new English language requirements to prevent segregation of members of the Muslim community. New rules will mean that from October this year migrants coming to the UK on a five-year spousal visa with poor or no English skills will have to take a test after two and a half years to show they are making efforts to improve their English. France introduced a controversial ban on wearing the full face veil in public in 2010, triggering concerns from rights groups. PTI The first trailer has arrived online for director Roel Reines upcoming historical drama Admiral. The film tells the story of 17th-century Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter and stars Charles Dance, Rutger Hauer and Frank Lammers. Check it out below after the official synopsis Wars are fought by many, history is made by few. Michiel de Ruyter (1607-1676) was one of the largest and passionate innovators in combat engineering and therefore he became a naval hero in Holland. As the deeply torn Netherlands is attacked from all sides and on the verge of civil war, one man tries to fight for the interests of the country: Michiel de Ruyter. But in the eyes of those in power, his successes make him too popular and Michiel was sent on a deadly mission https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0LGAWxlR5U&feature=youtu.be Admiral is set for release on February 11th in the States. https://youtu.be/vDx6g5ua25E?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng A US court has banned Samsung from selling a bunch of smartphones that were found to be infringing on Apples utility patents. The ban covers the implementation of features such as slide-to-unlock and auto word correction capabilities in some of Samsungs earlier phones. Samsung smartphones that are now banned in the US include the Galaxy Nexus, the original Galaxy Note and the Note 2, the Galaxy S2, the Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, the Stratosphere, and the Samsung Galaxy S3. The court has also banned from sale software or code capable of implementing any Infringing Feature, and/or any feature not more than colorably different therefrom. The patent dispute that goes back to 2014 when the jury discoverd that a couple of Samsungs smartphones infringe at least two out of three Apple utility patents that include quick links, slide-to-unlock, and automatic word correction. The court had received an appeal from Apple asking to ban all the Samsung phones that used those patents, but the appeal was ruled out in August 2014 on the grounds that the monetary damages were enough to cover the damage done to Apple. via Apple will be increasing the price of products in its App Store in some countries to changes in the exchange rates. The changes have been notified by Apple to developers in an email. The change will affect both the price of apps as well as in-app purchases. The countries affected by the change are Canada, Israel, Singapore, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and South Africa. Customers who have in-app subscriptions in Russia and South Africa will also have to resubscribe, but the subscriptions will not be affected for Canada, New Zealand, Mexico and Singapore. Israel wont be affect since automatically renewable in-app purchase subscriptions are not supported. This isnt the first time that a similar price increase has affected the App Store as there were increases in the pricing back in 2014 for Indonesia, Turkey, South Africa. On the other hand, Israel and New Zealand prices decreased back in 2014. The updated pricing will reflect in the App Store within 72 hours. Source After performing Step 1 of their turnaround game plan (which was to give away free food), Chipotle is ready to take the next step. The food chain is closing down all of their stores on February 8 to hold a national staff meeting on food safety. The company's 1,900 restaurants are expected to take part of the said meeting. "We are hosting a national team meeting to thank our employees for their hard work through this difficult time, discuss some of the food safety changes we are implementing, and answer questions from employees," Chipotle spokesperson told ThinkProgress in an email. Once a stock market favorite, Chipotle's stock was at a high of about $750 per share. After the almost year-long health scares, it plummeted to as low as $428 a share - a 42% drop. The problem began last August after a score of customers in Minnesota were infected with Salmonella and about 100 people were struck by norovirus in Southern California. It continued with an E. coli outbreak in October and November that affected 53 people in nine different states. Last December, the chain encountered two more outbreaks, affecting 140 students at a Boston college with norovirus, plus another E. coli incidence downing five more people in three states. "E. Coli is a gut bacteria that lives in mammals' intestines, and food borne infections are usually linked back to an animal source, either domestic or wild, but has also been traced to humans. To cause illness, the bacteria contaminates the food - meat, dairy, or produce - but isn't inactivated through cooking," said Robert Buchanan, a University of Maryland, College Park professor and director of the college's Center for Food Safety and Security Systems. In an attempt to win back regular customers, Chipotle has doubled the amount of free food that each location can give away to its clientele. The embattled company's CEO Steve Ells made a statement earlier this week, saying that he was "hopeful" the Centers for Disease Control would soon declare that the outbreaks were over. "We know that Chipotle is as safe as it's ever been before," he said on Jan. 13 at a meeting in Orlando. Chipotle has not yet elaborated on what food safety techniques will be implemented or stressed. Below a bust designed by Margaret Sanders, in Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville lies Colonel Sanders, most commonly known as the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. As for his contribution to the world, it is stated on his grave as "Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken Empire." Born in 1890, in Indiana, Sanders was forced to become the cook of the house when his father died while he was young, leaving his mother to support him and his two siblings. Later on, Sanders often told his story about his first baked bread. He started looking for a job at ten, and moved from job to job to sustain his family. For the next thirty years, Sanders tried every opportunity which came in front of him, and his career included working as a fireman, ferryboat operator, and even as an army man. In 1930, Sanders owned a gas company in Corbin, Kentucky and he along with his family stayed at the back. To ease off boredom, and sway them from the poor standards of living, every Sunday Sanders cooked a variety of dishes including steak, country ham and fried chicken. When travelers at the gas station started asking Sanders for recommendation, Sanders realized his potential for extra earnings where he served hungry travelers his family's dinners. Sanders called his foods "Sunday Dinner, Seven Days a Week", and all his dishes were famous, especially the fried chicken. Soon Sanders fame spread and the Governor of Kentucky, Ruby Laffon gave Sanders the honorary title of Colonel to recognize his contribution to the cuisines of the state. In the early 1950s, Sanders, in his mid 60s drove around the country trying to sell his "11 secret herbs and spices" recipes to restaurants and asking a nickel for each sale. In 1952, he cracked his first deal with Peter Harmon, the owner of Do Drop Inn located in Salt Lake City. By 1959, Sanders made great progress in his business, made approximately 200 deals, and finally sold his company "Kentucky Fried Chicken" in 1964 for two million dollars. Sanders always wore his white suit and black string bowtie, until his death in 1980, but was dissatisfied with the taste of the chicken and gravy. Could it be we're missing out a lot on the less-than-original chicken and gravy we're eating today? Shareholders of Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG -1.09%) caught a break last week. The stock moved 15% higher on the week, rising as the stock market in general was selling off. It didn't seem as if it would work out that way when the week began. The stock dipped below $400 in intraday trading on Tuesday, the first time we've seen that happen since the summer of 2013. That was before the stock experienced back-to-back days of 6% gains on Wednesday and Thursday, following that up with a nearly 5% pop on Friday. Last week's pop and the prior week's 14% slide find the stock essentially back to where it was when the year began, but it's not as if we can say that it's been marching in place. We know why the stock got clobbered during the first trading week of 2016. The toll of the widely publicized norovirus and E.coli outbreaks proved to be too much to its once-sterling reputation. The "food with integrity" company announced on Jan. 6 that comps for the holiday quarter would decline 14.6% since the prior year, a sharp downward revision from its warning a month earlier that comparable-restaurant sales would clock in with a decrease of 8% to 11%. We also know why the stock got a boost last week. Chipotle had a highly anticipated presentation at the annual ICR Conference in Orlando last week, announcing there that it plans to shut down its restaurants for a few hours on Feb. 8 for an all-staff meeting to cover food safety and changes to its operating procedures. The market's swinging high and low here, but investors need to sift through the volatility. The big drop two weeks ago and the big pop last week were overreactions. No one should've been surprised by Chipotle's abysmal quarter. It was on Dec. 4 that it guided the market to brace for an 8% to 11% dip in comps, but it was clear that Chipotle's problems were mounting as the quarter came to a close. Besides, as brutal as a 14.6% plunge in comps for a company that has done nothing but post positive results as a public company, it is being pitted against a 16.1% surge a year earlier and a 9.3% spike the holiday quarter before that. There's also not a lot to get excited about last week's development. Closing all of its restaurants until 3 p.m. local time on Feb. 8 is mostly lip service. It doesn't have to do that to get its message across, and given the high employee turnover in the dining industry, it won't be long before your burrito is being rolled by an assembly line that wasn't there that day. Last week's pop was mostly a sigh of relief for a former market darling that had given up too much ground before that. It kicked off last week trading 46% lower than its all-time peak this past summer. The bounce was natural after the wave of selling, and it will take more than just an all-staff meeting to woo customers back. Things will be great for shareholders when patrons do come back, but just saying that you want to reduce the risk of another outbreak to "near zero" and missing out on a day's lunch traffic isn't going to be enough. It's the first step. There will have to be many more steps in the future. In a bid to rejuvenate its pipeline and dodge what's left of the patent cliff, Pfizer (PFE -2.22%) is about to make the biggest M&A deal in healthcare history. The acquisition of Ireland-based Allergan (AGN)for $160 billion is slated to close in the second half of 2016. Assuming it goes through, the deal will make Pfizer the world's biggest drugmaker in terms of revenue. So what's ahead for investors? Is Pfizer about to turn a corner, which would make its cheap P/E ratio and solid dividend an appealing reason to jump in and hold it for the next ten years? Or will the synergies and efficiencies that come with mergers fuel short-term growth, to the detriment of the kind of sustained R&D that leads to the development of new drugs? Predictably, the CEO's of both Pfizer and Allergan have said that the benefits of the merger are "underappreciated." In particular, they point to the combined drug pipeline and potential blockbusters for schizophrenia and depression. In fact, speaking at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on January 12, Allergan's Brent Saunders said , "This [deal] isn't about cost-cutting. This is about leadership and growth." He added that the companies have "lots of new drugs" they plan to launch in the next few years. For his part, Pfizer's CEO Ian Read has said the tie-up will produce more medicines and boost revenue, not just slash jobs and other costs. Still, despite a flurry of acquisitions in the past decade, Pfizer hasn't managed to keep up with its peers or the S&P 500. The company notched only a 5.2% average annual total return for investors in the past ten years. Compare that to a 7% average annual total return for major drug manufacturers, or the S&P 500's average annual total return of 6.43% for the same decade. With a company as huge as Pfizer, sorting out its future is not child's play. But in a bid to help investors, we asked The Motley Fool's healthcare contributors to provide their thoughts on what could lie ahead. Todd Campbell: Patent expirations will reshape the revenue and profit mix of Pfizer in the coming decade. Because 90% of drugs entering human clinical trials are destined for the dustbin, rather than pharmacy shelves, projecting a decade out is admittedly a bit of a guessing game. That said, Pfizer has proven it can withstand major revenue shocks tied to the loss of patent protection. Despite losing patent protection on the $13-billion-per-year Lipitor in 2011, which led to a drop in Pfizer's total sales of more than 20%, Pfizer's shares are still trading near 10-year highs! Therefore, investors may want to give the company the benefit of the doubt in being able to overcome its current patent risk, which is arguably far less worrisome than it was five years ago. Most of Pfizer's top-sellers will see their patents expire by 2025, but none of those drugs account for more of the company's total quarterly revenue than Lipitor did in 2010. In fact, among drugs losing patent protection during this period, only Lyrica represents more than 10% of Pfizer's quarterly sales (Prevnar's patent expires in 2026). Because Pfizer's patent risk appears manageable and the company is bulking up its revenue and pipeline through acquisitions (something that should continue given its robust cash flows), I imagine Pfizer will be bigger and more profitable ten years from now than it is today. If so, then it wouldn't shock me if its shares were among big pharma's best performers over the coming decade. Keith Speights: Could Pfizer become "Biosimilars 'R Us" in the next decade? While the thought of the big drugmaker changing its name might be silly, the underlying idea isn't too far-fetched. Pfizer's late-stage pipeline includes five biosimilars for several of the most successful drugs on the market: Humira, Avastin, Remicade, Rituxan/MabThera, and Herceptin. Assuming the Allergan merger closes successfully, other biosimilars could be added to the mix. The global biosimilar market is expected to be around $20 billion by 2020. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, with more big-dollar biologics losing patent protection in subsequent years. Pfizer appears to be positioned to capture a nice chunk of that market. The company certainly possesses the expertise and manufacturing capabilities to tackle the complexities involved with making biosimilar products. While I don't expect the lion's share of Pfizer's revenue to stem from biosimilars 10 years from now, it's likely that they will make up a significant part of the company's portfolio by then. Cheryl Swanson: Pfizer has said it expects a small lift to its earnings in 2018, from the purchase of Allergan, a boost of 10% in 2019, and a high-teens percentage boost in 2020. I don't see it. In fact, I'm in the class of those skeptics company executives said "underappreciate" the drug pipeline of the two companies. Why? Because Pfizer's track record in R&D is woefully unimpressive. For example, Pfizer's cancer drug sales bring in barely 4% of its $50 billion annual revenue. Despite all the money Pfizer has poured into oncology, it lags well behind competing cancer powerhouses. Leadership in cancer is rapidly turning to new treatments, and Pfizer likes to brag about its immuno-oncology candidates. In that, they are much like the parent who brags about their kids until everyone's eye glaze over. Here's the reality: Pfizer's immuno-oncology drugs are all in Phase I, or even earlier, stages of development. The solitary exception is Pfizer's checkpoint inhibitor avelumab, which it developed in partnership with Merck. Avelumab is unlikely to win approval until next year. Meanwhile, Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb have already debuted potent drugs in that area. I'm not convinced Pfizer will end the next decade with a victory lap. While the company leads the M&A pack by a country mile, an over-reliance on M&A almost always damages a company's R&D capability. Pfizer's acquisition of Wyeth is the perfect example. R&D was cut in half, from close to $12 billion between the two companies, to $6.5 billion after the merger. And in a research intensive field like pharma, where new drugs are what fuels the future, that's deadly. Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) has always been a bit of an oddity among its cable and Internet rivals. The company is a relatively small player, with under 3 million pay-television customers and a similar amount who buy broadband Internet, according to Leichtman Research Group (LRG). But because those users are concentrated in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, it is often seen as a bigger player than it actually is. Now, with the company having reached agreement to be acquired by French telecom giant Altice for $10 billion, or $39.40 a share, it looks as if it could become a major player. Including debt, the deal is for $17.7 billion. If the deal moves forward -- and that is not a certainty -- it could power the new Cablevision to its best year ever. Cablevision has held its own The biggest challenge for Cablevision has been competing in a space against much bigger competitors. It's not so much the traditional cable players that are its rivals, because those entities mostly stick to their own territories, but Cablevision does compete with Verizon (VZ -1.35%) and AT&T (T -0.39%). That competition should get more intense now that AT&T-owned DirecTV giving it more options to attract customers. Even though it's dwarfed in cable subscribers by AT&T (about 26 million when you add in DirecTV), according to LRG and still much smaller than Verizon (5.8 million), Cablevision has remained a strong player. In Q3, the company saw revenue decrease slightly by 0.8%, but it also had its strongest third quarter when it came to adding customers since 2012. But, despite these relatively strong results, Cablevision operates in a consolidating industry where bigger has generally proven to be better. The Altice deal, while it's not as straightforward a benefit as AT&T buying DirecTV, should give it more resources to compete. It all hangs on the deal If the deal passes than Cablevision, in becoming part of a bigger company, may have its best year ever. The problem is that the deal may not survive regulatory scrutiny. Both New York City and New York state have expressed reservations about whether the deal benefits the public, The Wall Street Journal. This doubt has caused the spread between the company's share price and the acquisition price to grow. As of Jan. 18, when stock markets were closed because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, it stood at $30.95, well below the $39.40 price Altice is paying. "The spread has widened in large part because people have become increasingly concerned that neither the city nor the state will find that the transaction is in the public interest, or alternatively, they'll demand so much in terms of givebacks that ultimately the deal won't be palatable to Altice," Craig Moffett, analyst at MoffettNathanson LLC, told the Journal. The big concern, which New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's top legal counsel, Maya Wiley, shared with the paper, is that Altice has said the deal will result in $900 million in savings because of synergies and efficiencies. "Altice is talking about $900 million in synergies. Well, what's getting cut?" Wiley asked. "How's that going to impact the economy of New York and quality of services? We certainly are not afraid to disapprove a transaction." It will probably still pass While both New York City and New York state will shake their sabers and demand certain concessions, it's hard to argue that the deal should not move forward. Cablevision is a small player competing against giants, and getting bigger will ultimately benefit the company. The city and the state should make sure those benefits are extended to the cable and Internet companies' customers. But ultimately, after it gets some concessions from the new, larger company, the deal should proceed. It's not that Cablevision needs it to hold its own with AT&T and Verizon, but it certainly makes it easier and allows for more investment and innovation. This will certainly be good for Cablevision shareholders, and ultimately it will make the company stronger. The cable and Internet industries simply require a level of investment that's easier to make when amortized over a larger company. Getting bigger is a key survival strategy in the current market, and should this deal pass, Cablevision will probably have its best year ever. "But the build schedule is on a critical path - it needs to pass all the FIA safety tests and be ready for the first test, which was also brought forward. In that situation, you can't just re-plan, you need to do something different." "Our entire build programme wasn't lined up for that!" McLaren's operations director Simon Roberts told the team's website. "So we knew we had a problem to solve. In terms of our design and engineering capacity, it's a relatively straightforward re-planning exercise - there's less time to get the work done, so everyone works a bit harder. A change to the provisional calendar was the source of the difficulties, with the Australian season opener moving three weeks forward to its now-confirmed date of March 20 - leaving McLaren (and no doubt a number of their rivals) scrambling to adjust their schedule. Roberts explained that the only solution was for some staff to sacrifice their winter break. "In simple terms, we put about eight shifts of work back into the programme over a five-day period - a fantastic effort. In total, there were about 110 people involved and we looked after our Christmas workers with a competitive package. "We had a really good response, and people seemed to enjoy it too it was a bit weird, not having all the time off, but there was a good spirit in the place. Everyone knew why they were doing it, and it really cleared the decks. "Most pleasingly, it meant that, once we came back in the New Year, we were back on schedule and it felt like the programme had always been phased that way. It was an incredible effort." McLaren announced on Monday that their 2016 car, the MP4-31, will be revealed on February 21, the day before the first test begins in Barcelona. Sauber, meanwhile, confirmed that their new car will not be ready until the second pre-season test, also in Barcelona, on March 1-4. The team will therefore run last year's car, but in 2016 branding, at the first session. 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. Ready. Set. File! That's the word from the IRS, which now is accepting all tax returns. Taxpayers, return preparers and the IRS all breathed a sigh of relief last December. Congress renewed expired tax laws before the very end of 2015 and didn't make any major changes to the laws. That meant that the IRS wasn't forced to reprogram its computer systems to handle the crush of individual tax returns, which the agency estimates will exceed 150 million. And that also means the 2016 filing season starts on time, on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Free File also open In addition to now accepting paper and electronically filed returns, the IRS has opened the e-door to its Free File option. This online, no-cost tax return preparation and electronic filing option started accepting returns from qualifying taxpayers a bit early, on Jan. 15. As in prior years, Free File is open to taxpayers whose income meets the eligibility limit. This filing season, more taxpayers should be able to use the free online filing option. The income eligibility limit has been increased to $62,000. That's $2,000 more than last year. Free File 2016 basics You can file your 2015 tax return through Free File if your adjusted gross income is $62,000 or less. The income cutoff applies regardless of your filing status. Free File is for individual, not business, tax returns. However, a sole proprietor who files Schedule C with Form 1040 can use Free File. Some participating Free File vendors also offer free state tax return preparation and e-file. Some Free File companies offer free electronic extensions. But remember, you still must pay any taxes due by the April 18 deadline or you'll be charged interest and possibly penalties on any tax you owe. You do not download anything. All of the software, which is encrypted to protect privacy, remains at the Free File company website you select, and your return is filed from there. Access Free File by going to IRS.gov and clicking on the Free File icon. Beware of offers by outside websites to take you to the Free File website, as they could be scams operated by identity thieves. The Free File program is a partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, a group of tax preparation software manufacturers. For the past few years, more than a dozen companies have participated in the annual free filing program. Free File was created in 2003 as a way to get more people to e-file. Its target is taxpayers who might otherwise not e-file because they don't want or can't afford to pay the cost of the computer filing programs or professional tax help. Other qualifications The key Free File qualification factor is the income level of $62,000 this year. That amount applies to all taxpayers, regardless of filing status. Participating tax software companies also can establish other eligibility requirements. Some may limit usage of their programs based on geographic location, military service or other criteria. To determine which software best fits your filing needs, the Free File website includes an online search tool to help you select one of the participating Free File companies. Fillable forms available The IRS says Free File is available to 70% of taxpayers. But if you are among the 30% making too much money to use the service, you still might be able to file your taxes at no cost. Free File offers any taxpayer, regardless of income, the option to use online fillable forms to do their taxes. These are the most commonly used tax forms. You can open them on your computer and enter your tax information. Once you're finished, you can file the fillable forms for free. The fillable forms offer only basic calculations of what's entered on the form. And you must figure out what goes on the form without the online prompting found in software. Also, the information is not automatically transferred to associated forms. That means you must, for example, manually enter your itemized deductions total from Schedule A to the appropriate line on Form 1040. Still, taxpayers who don't qualify for full-fledged Free File but who have relatively simple filing needs and don't want to buy tax software might find fillable forms a welcome alternative. Free File contributions to e-filing Last year, almost 129 million tax returns were filed electronically, according to IRS data complete through Nov. 20, 2015. That represents an increase of more than 2% in e-filed returns over the previous year. The sector that showed the most growth last year, according to IRS statistics, was tax returns prepared and filed by taxpayers on their own. More than 46 million returns have been filed through the Free File program since it began in 2003. "We would love to have more," says Tim Hugo, executive director of the Clifton, Virginia-based Free File Alliance, but he points to the program's overall contribution to e-filing. "We get people in the door for e-filing, people who've never e-filed before," says Hugo. "They may go to a commercial product later on, but they will continue to e-file. We are very pleased with that." Hugo says the program also has evolved to meet taxpayer needs. "We look at Free File as a 3-legged stool," he says. "There is the traditional Free File, fillable forms and VITA providing services to every income." Working with VITA The filing needs of lower-income taxpayers are addressed through Free File's continuing partnership with the federal Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, popularly known as VITA. VITA tax-filing clinics are set up each year in public places -- from libraries to community centers to shopping malls. Its volunteers provide free filing assistance to low- and moderate-income taxpayers who might not be able to afford tax software or professional filing help. This filing season, the services of IRS-certified VITA volunteers are available to people who make $54,000 or less. "You can do your return there or partially do your return and, if you need help, ask a VITA volunteer," says Hugo. "This helps some of those who are most in need of tax help." State free filing In addition, 20-plus states and the District of Columbia also participate in a similar free filing program. In those jurisdictions, some VITA and Tax Counseling for the Elderly, or TCE, sites are making Free File available to eligible taxpayers. IRS-certified volunteers staff these filing programs to help taxpayers complete and e-file their returns. You can find a self-help VITA or TCE location at the IRS website by searching for "VITA." If you prefer, call toll-free at (800) 906-9887 for VITA location information or (888) 227-7669 to find a local TCE site. Copyright 2016, Bankrate Inc. A California teen died suddenly January 13, after collapsing while playing on the field during P.E. class. Lizbeth Perez, 13, a 7th-grader at Luiseno Elementary School in Temecula, Calif., died immediately, despite emergency resuscitation efforts by teachers and paramedics, CBSLA.com reported. Perez had already overcome health challenges in her short life, after a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy disease of the heart muscle as an infant and a heart transplant at age 2. According to her parents, their big-hearted daughter was ready to go when she collapsed. For the last couple of weeks, she wanted to hug mom and say, Mom, I want to go home. And mom [said], You are home, Lizbeths father, Jorge Perez, told the news channel. Lizbeth wanted three things in life, her mother said: to travel, to rescue dogs and help homeless veterans. The teen played clarinet and was known to break into spontaneous dance, according to the familys GoFundMe page, created to assist in memorial expenses. Lizbeth leaves behind two younger brothers. She was always making peace and loving each other and making sure that people was OK, Erica Perez said of her daughter. Her school will host a celebration of Lizbeths life on Saturday. A Michigan family whose daughter was placed on life support after suffering toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is working to warn others about the condition that almost killed her. Rylie Whitten, 15, complained to her parents about feeling ill Jan. 4, and was kept home from school for two days before her symptoms worsened, WZZM 13 reported. She was lying in bed, Nate Whitten, Rylies father, told WZZM 13. All of a sudden, she was moaning. This is not Rylie at all. She was taken to an emergency room near her familys home in Greenville, where meningitis and the flu were ruled out. Probably within 10 to 15 minutes of blood work, we found out Aero Med has been dispatched to Greenville and she will be transported, Nate told WZZM 13. Riley was taken to Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital in Grand Rapids where doctors determined her cardiovascular system and lungs were failing. She was put on life support, which she currently is being slowly taken off of, and doctors informed her family she had a severe infection that led to TSS. The syndrome can be caused by the misuse of tampons, wherein a tampon may be left in for a number of hours or days. The number of hours you have a tampon in and the number of days youve used tampons is associated with increased risk, Dr. Daliya Khuon, an infectious disease specialist at Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital told WZZM 13. Khuon said in the U.S. the syndrome affects one in 100,000 women. The community has rallied around the Whitten family, posting pictures of Rylie and holding candlelight vigils at the towns church. The Whittens say the support is helping them fight for Rylies recovery, and also inspiring them to educate others about TSS. I do not wish this on anyone in the world, Nate told WZZM 13. If we could do something somehow, Rylie would want to do that to get this out there. A new study suggests a protective advantage to estrogen, the quintessential female hormone that naturally circulates in womens bodies, as it was proven to dramatically reduce the amount of flu virus that replicated in infected cells from women. In addition, artificial forms given for hormone replacement therapy and estrogen-like chemicals found in the environment were also found to have the same effect on cells in women, but not in men. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health collected cells from the nasal passage from both female and male volunteers, according to a press release. Cells in the nasal passage are typically the first to be infected with the flu. They then exposed the cells to different types of estrogens, including normal levels of naturally occurring estrogen, different types of selective estrogen receptor modulators including synthetic estrogen-like chemicals used for hormone replacement therapy and infertility treatment, and an estrogen-like chemical found in many plastics. According to the press release, researchers then exposed cells to the influenza A virus. Tests showed that female cells that received estrogen had nearly 1,000-fold less viral replications, compared to those that hadnt been exposed to the hormones. Researchers also noted that the hormones behind the reduction act on estrogen receptor beta, one of two types of receptors for estrogen inside cells. Study leader Sabra Klein said in the press release that even though men produce estrogen, their cells have fewer receptors for the hormone, which may be why estrogen did not have the same protective effects against flu virus replication in men. Researchers sought a mechanism behind estrogens protective effect and found that binding to estrogen receptor beta decreased the activity of more than 30 genes involved in cell metabolism, slowing the metabolic activity of the cells and potentially preventing them from manufacturing viral particles. Klein noted in the press release that since hormone levels cycle in pre-menopausal women, its unlikely theres a population-wide effect in protecting this group against the flu. But, the new findings suggest that hormones that women may already be taking for contraception, hormone replacement therapy, infertility treatments or other medical uses can play a role in reducing infection. If women are taking estrogen-like hormones for other reasons, an added benefit might be less susceptibility to influenza during the flu season, Klein said in the release. However, she doesnt recommend women seek hormone therapies for this purpose, as other side effects could include increased risk of cancer. Being on hormone replacement therapy could be one way to mitigate the severity of this disease, which is exciting, simple and cheap, Klein said. While the decision to take hormone therapy should always depend on a patients history and include discussion with their care providers, our study shows another potential benefit to this hormone. Researchers noted that elderly women might benefit most from the findings, as the population is most susceptible to influenza. The study was published in the American Journal of Physiology Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, We just shared the latest polls from Iowa showing 43-percent of likely voters in the February caucuses say they would use the word "socialist" to describe themselves. Keep in mind, this wasn't whether they would consider voting for a socialist or if they sympathized with socialism. This was whether they consider "themselves" to be a socialist. Big distinction--the American dream has nothing to do with socialism. It has to do with working hard - believing in yourself, and becoming the best you can be. It doesn't mean having others who've done that, take care of you. Hey, I love Sweden. Beautiful country. Where my people came from. But I couldn't disagree more with the socialism that's alive and well there. That's what's always made America different. Check out the top trending questions on Google during the Democratic debate last night. The top one for Clinton, will Hillary Clinton get prosecuted? Not good news for her. Then this one for Sanders, why is Bernie Sanders so popular? So what do you think? I hope its easily explained as an anti-establishment movement maybe similar to the Donald Trump phenomenon on the other side. But if it's really that more and more Americans are turning to socialism as the answer -- this will no longer be the America we know and love. Tuesday the Georgia Supreme Court convened to discuss a lawsuit that came about following the wrongful death of a dachshund named Lola in an Atlanta-area kennel. At the center of this debate is the question: What is a dogs life worth? Officials at the kennel argue the dog is property and has no value and Lolas owner even says that the kennel views the dog like a toaster, that once it breaks you throw it away and get a new one. The starkness of this position is shocking considering that most dog owners will tell you their pup is priceless, adding immeasurable enjoyment, depth, and meaning to their lives. Moreover, as were learning, dogs have the ability not only to improve our lives, but to save them. Did you know that a wet nose and a wagging tail could be a powerful tool in the fight against cancer? American Humane Association researchers are now in the middle of a full clinical trial of the innovative Canines and Childhood Cancer study, which seeks to measure the impact of therapy dogs on kids with cancer and their families. The promising preliminary results from the studys pilot phase reveal that dogs might be the key to shorter, happier hospital visits, and fewer invasive procedures for kids battling for their lives. But dogs are not just important in the fight against one dreaded disease, they can have a measurable impact on health care costs across the board. Recently, the Humane Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation reported that pets can save Americans billions in medical costs nearly $12 billion to be precise because their research shows dog owners generally need fewer physician visits and fewer obesity treatments than the non-dog owning population. Beyond the question of what a dogs life is worth, consider the question of what is the cost of a human life? What about 150-200 human lives? Thats the number of brave service members each military working dog and contract working dog is estimated to save thanks to their powerful noses capable of sniffing out IEDs and deadly hidden weapons caches. Ask anyone who has ever served alongside one of these four-legged heroes on the hot desert sands of Iraq and Afghanistan and they will tell you how grateful they are to have these K-9 Battle Buddies there. But war dogs are not only important when on patrol, but back on base where they play an important role as therapy dogs for our active duty heroes, helping to comfort them during difficult times. When those brave service members do come home, many have difficulty reentering the lives they once left behind. We now know that service dogs can have a life-saving effect on people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. Veterans with service dogs report improved sleep, fewer startle responses, and a decrease in the need for prescribed pain medication. Take, for example Captain Jason Haag, USMC (Ret.). Just a few years ago, Jason was on a staggering 32 different medications, and he had also turned to alcohol to help him cope, shutting himself off from his wife, children, and the outside world. Help finally came to him in the form of service dog Axel, who quite literally saved his life, marriage, and relationship with his kids. Axels calming presence is virtually the only medicine Jason needs. Unlike a kitchen appliance, its impossible and immoral to put a price tag on our best friends, who give us their companionship and unconditional love, and when called upon, even save our lives. All eyes will be on the Supreme Court in the months ahead as the Justices decide to tackle a landmark case involving the separation of powers. The Obama administration has asked the high court to take a case in which a federal appeals court declared that President Obamas immigration plan was unconstitutional and unlawful. Now, the Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in. I reported last fall that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit concluded that President Obamas actions constituted an unlawful overreach an unconstitutional power play. The appeals court determined that President Obamas actions were manifestly contrary to congressionally enacted immigration law. In other words, the appeals court correctly concluded that Congress makes the laws not the president. We have been involved in this issue from the very start. During the legal course of this case, weve represented 113 Members of Congress25 U.S. Senators and 88 members of the House of Representatives. We also represented nearly 220,000 Americans in its briefs. And in 2014, I testified before the House Judiciary Committee providing detailed evidence as to why President Obamas actions violate the separation of powers. The arguments that succeeded in blocking the implementation of President Obamas action then are the very arguments that should succeed at the Supreme Court. The constitutional system is simple. Congress makes the laws. The president enforces the laws. And the courts interpret the laws. President Obama simply cant use his unelected bureaucratic agencies to rewrite our nations laws when Congress chooses not to do so themselves. This responsibility resides with Congress, not the president. We will be filing an amicus brief at the Supreme Court again, representing members of Congress and thousands of Americans. Our position from the beginning has been very clear: President Obama is not a king and impatient presidents dont get to change the law. This executive overreach is both unlawful and unconstitutional. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will uphold the appeals court decision and put a stop to the impermissible overreach that has become the hallmark of this president. There were no votes cast, no startling changes in polls, no fatal gaffes. Yet last week brought something new and crucial to the often-chaotic presidential campaign: clarity. On national security and the fight against radical Islam, assumed differences were flushed into the open between President Obama and the Republican field. For Democrats, clarity comes with the evidence that Hillary Clinton is having serious trouble making the sale. The week started with a petulant Obama using a State of the Union lecture to come clean about his casual view of terrorism. After years of failing to persuade Americans he is serious about combating jihadists, we now know why: He confessed that hes not all that worried about Islamic State or any other terror group. He scoffed at over-the-top claims that this is World War III and insisted that masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks and twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages . . . do not threaten our national existence. To continue reading Michael Goodwin's column in the New York Post, click here. Editor's note: The following column first appeared in The Hill newspaper and on TheHill.com. If you ask me, President Obama is being way too hard on himself. Its one of the few regrets of my presidency, that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better, the president said during his final State of the Union address last week. He added, a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide. While Im all for humility, the president is not to blame for the rancor and polarization that have characterized his presidency. It was Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) who famously declared that his number one goal was to make Obama a one-term president. Obama is not responsible for the unprecedented obstructionism employed by McConnells Senate Republicans to block nearly all of his nominees and proposals. He has not even used executive action to get around Congress as extensively as did Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush. But his critics deride him as a constitutional outlaw. Similarly, ObamaCare is based on Republican proposals such as the health care plan Mitt Romney put in place as governor of Massachusetts. How is Obama to blame for Congressional Republicans stopping cap-and-trade proposals to reduce air pollution when the idea originated with them? Despite all this, the president seemed willing to take responsibility for polls showing a high percentage of Americans think the country is going in the wrong direction, and are angry at him and Washington. But he won the White House twice and his approval rating, despite the non-stop attacks, is about 44 percent. The GOP-led Congress has an approval rating of around 13 percent. So who is dragging down the country? The calls for the GOP majority in Congress to block Obama at every turn are rooted in paranoid, arguably racist, fringes of the electorate. Has Mr. Obama always confronted a ceiling in how widely he would be loved or even accepted because he is the nations first African-American president?, Wall Street Journal columnist Gerald F. Seib wondered last week. Good question. Lets not forget that the current front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, Donald Trump, made his name among Republicans back in 2011 by talking up conspiracy theories about the presidents birth certificate. Last September, a PPP poll found that 61 percent of Trump supporters believe Obama was born in another country and 44 percent of all Republicans hold to the same misconception. A CNN poll found that 43 percent of Republicans believe the president is a Muslim, not a Christian. These are the same Republicans who desperately tried to cripple Obama in the 2008 election for being too close to his Christian minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Again, how was Obama supposed to bridge that divide? Just last week at the GOP debate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie spoke with open disdain of the first black president, fondly anticipating a time when we are going to kick your rear end out of the White House. Who could forget South Carolina GOP Rep. Joe Wilson screaming You lie! at Obama? How about Georgia Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R), who in fall 2008 described Obama, then the Democratic nominee for president, as uppity? How would Lincoln or Roosevelt have dealt with racist nonsense on this scale? Two weeks out from the Iowa caucuses, the Republican Party has officially entered its winter of discontent and they have only themselves to blame. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican, was strikingly honest when she took a not-so-subtle shot at Trump in her response to the State of the Union. During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation," she said. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference. In a subsequent interview, Haley said Trump contributed to irresponsible talk. Trump blasted back saying that Haley was weak on illegal immigration. Conservative writer Ann Coulter, a fervent Trump supporter, tweeted that Trump should deport Haley when he becomes president. Last week in this column, I referenced an NBC News /Esquire/Survey Monkey poll showing political rage among white Republicans, particularly white Republican women, at a fever pitch. Sixty-one percent of Republicans said they had grown angrier over current events as compared to 42 percent of Democrats. Even Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who owes his Speakership to the angry Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus who ousted his predecessor, former-Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), is wary of the discontent coming from his party these days. The GOP is in a debate with itself," Ryan said recently, advising the party to do a better job of appealing to people who feel the country is more polarized and more bitter. But as the leader of the Republican House, he took no responsibility for his party stirring the bitter brew. Peggy Noonan, the Wall Street Journal columnist, recently wrote there is chaos in the GOP because the base is in a jumble. And now the country is in a jumble because the GOP is in a jumble. Democracy breaks down when one of the two political parties refuses to compromise or respect the twice-elected president, and throws a temper tantrum when its members dont get their way. This isnt President Obamas fault. It isnt even really the fault of the Donald Trump and all his imitators running for the partys nomination. It is the fault of the leaders of the Republican Party who have let anger and extreme voices define their party. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson canceled the remainder of his campaign events Tuesday after a fatal car crash involving staff and volunteers. According to the campaign, a van carrying three volunteers and a campaign staff member slid on an icy Iowa road and flipped on its side near Atlantic, Iowa. It was then hit by another vehicle. One volunteer, 25-year-old Braden Joplin, was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Obama, Neb. where he died Tuesday around 4:30 p.m., according to a statement from the campaign. "Carson plans to meet with Joplin's family members once he arrives in Omaha later this evening to offer his condolences," the campaign said. Three of the other passengers in the van are being examined at Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, Iowa, Carsons campaign said in a written statement. The accident comes less than two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, where Carson is polling fourth behind Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, according to polling data from RealClearPolitics. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz launched one of his toughest attacks yet against fellow contender Donald Trump in New Hampshire Monday night, accusing the billionaire real estate developer of being "nowhere to be found" during the debate in Congress over whether to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants. "If you didn't stand up and fight amnesty, when the stakes were live or die, do we lose this permanently or do we win, I would suggest as voters you have reasons to doubt the credibility of the promises of a political candidate who discovers the issue after he announces for president," the Texas senator said at a town hall meeting in Whitefield. Trump has become a figure of controversy throughout the campaign for his various immigration proposals, which have included deportation of all illegal immigrants, an end to birthright citizenship and a call to bar all Muslims from entering the United States after last month's San Bernardino terror attack. Cruz also questioned whether Trump is a true conservative, noting donations he's made to Democrats over the years, including $50,000 in 2010 to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama. And Cruz rejected Trump's self-comparison to Ronald Reagan, saying he was "pretty sure" Reagan never supported or made large donations to Democrats. Cruz also attacked Trump for his past use of eminent domain. Trump became embroiled in controversy in the 1990s when he attempted to use eminent domain to remove an elderly woman from her New Jersey home in order to build a new casino property. "Donald Trump has said he thinks eminent domain is fantastic and he supports using government power to seize private peoples homes to give them to giant corporations to say hypothetically build a casino, Cruz said. "We have an obligation to protect the rights of Americans and private property is central to the rights of Americans." The war of words between Cruz and Trump has intensified in recent days, with Trump going on the offensive over Cruz's eligibility to be on the ballot given his Canadian birth and for Cruz's failure to disclose loans received from Citibank and Goldman Sachs for his 2012 Senate race. Trump on Sunday called Cruz a "nasty guy" whom no one likes. Cruz tried to turn the insult into a joke on social media Monday, posting a link to the video of Janet Jackson's hit song "Nasty." "Donald seems to be a little rattled," Cruz told reporters before a town hall in Washington, New Hampshire. "For whatever reason he is very, very dismayed. I guess as conservatives continue to unite behind our campaign, as his poll numbers continue to go down, he's a little testier." Trump, who was also campaigning in New Hampshire Monday, had no direct response to his rival's accusations. Polls show Cruz and Trump locked in a tight race in Iowa, but Trump is polling considerably better in New Hampshire. Cruz embarked on a five-day swing through the Granite State this week as his numbers began to show new strength. "The American people want a steady hand at the helm," Cruz told The Associated Press in an interview on his campaign bus Monday. "They don't want, I believe, a commander in chief who wakes up obsessed with the latest polls and driven to issue a frenzy of tweets. Instead, they want a principled, steady, conservative leader who will do everything necessary to protect this nation and keep America safe." Fox News' Dan Gallo and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Dozens of former federal prosecutors and senior government officials Tuesday threw their weight behind a a push for a criminal justice reform bill that would reduce mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses. The letter sent to Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Harry Reid, and signed by 67 former federal prosecutors and senior government officials, offers its support for the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015. Click here to read the letter. The letter argues the law is good for federal law enforcement and public safety and will more effectively ensure that justice shall be done. The bill reduces mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses, while increasing them for certain violent offenses such as domestic violence and terrorism. It also places an emphasis on prisoner rehabilitation programs and gives government agencies tools to reduce recidivism and help prisoners re-enter society. The legislation has found support from high-level Democrats and Republicans. President Obama has offered his support for the legislation in the past, and at last weeks State of the Union mentioned criminal justice reform briefly, saying, "I hope we can work together on bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform." The letter says the bill places a new focus on rehabilitation and correction and amends sentencing policies that it says produced unintended consequences and created imbalance in the scales of justice. In conclusion, we endorse this bill because it makes some of the most needed improvements to the front and back ends of the federal criminal justice system, the letter says. EXCLUSIVE: Hillary Clinton's emails on her unsecured, homebrew server contained intelligence from the U.S. government's most secretive and highly classified programs, according to an unclassified letter from a top inspector general to senior lawmakers. Fox News exclusively obtained the unclassified letter, sent Jan. 14 from Intelligence Community Inspector General I. Charles McCullough III. It laid out the findings of a recent comprehensive review by intelligence agencies that identified "several dozen" additional classified emails -- including specific intelligence known as "special access programs" (SAP). That indicates a level of classification beyond even top secret, the label previously given to two emails found on her server, and brings even more scrutiny to the presidential candidates handling of the governments closely held secrets. To date, I have received two sworn declarations from one [intelligence community] element. These declarations cover several dozen emails containing classified information determined by the IC element to be at the confidential, secret, and top secret/sap levels, said the IG letter to lawmakers with oversight of the intelligence community and State Department. According to the declarant, these documents contain information derived from classified IC element sources. Intelligence from a "special access program, or SAP, is even more sensitive than that designated as "top secret" as were two emails identified last summer in a random sample pulled from Clinton's private server she used as secretary of state. Access to a SAP is restricted to those with a "need-to-know" because exposure of the intelligence would likely reveal the source, putting a method of intelligence collection -- or a human asset -- at risk. Currently, some 1,340 emails designated classified have been found on Clintons server, though the Democratic presidential candidate insists the information was not classified at the time. There is absolutely no way that one could not recognize SAP material, a former senior law enforcement with decades of experience investigating violations of SAP procedures told Fox News. It is the most sensitive of the sensitive. In a statement, Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said, "This is the same interagency dispute that has been playing out for months, and it does not change the fact that these emails were not classified at the time they were sent or received. It is alarming that the intelligence community IG, working with Republicans in Congress, continues to selectively leak materials in order to resurface the same allegations and try to hurt Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. "The Justice Department's inquiry should be allowed to proceed without any further interference." Executive Order 13526 -- called "Classified National Security Information" and signed Dec. 29, 2009 -- sets out the legal framework for establishing special access programs. The order says the programs can only be authorized by the president, "the Secretaries of State, Defense, Energy, and Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and the Director of National Intelligence, or the principal deputy of each." The programs are created when "the vulnerability of, or threat to, specific information is exceptional, and the number of persons who ordinarily will have access will be reasonably small and commensurate with the objective of providing enhanced protection for the information involved," it states. According to court documents, former CIA Director David Petraeus was prosecuted for sharing intelligence from special access programs with his biographer and mistress Paula Broadwell. At the heart of his prosecution was a non-disclosure agreement where Petraeus agreed to protect these closely held government programs, with the understanding unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized retention or negligent handling could cause irreparable injury to the United States or be used to advantage by a foreign nation. Clinton signed an identical non-disclosure agreement Jan. 22, 2009. Fox News is told that the recent IG letter was sent to the leadership of the House and Senate intelligence committees and leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and State Department inspector general. Representatives for the ODNI and intelligence community inspector general had no comment. In a statement, State Department spokesman John Kirby said, The State Department is focused on and committed to releasing former Secretary Clintons emails in a manner that protects sensitive information. No one takes this more seriously than we do. The intelligence community IG was responding in his message to a November letter from the Republican chairmen of the Senate intelligence and foreign relations committees that questioned the State Department email review process after it was wrongly reported the intelligence community was retreating from the top secret designation. As Fox News first reported, those two emails were top secret when they hit the server, and it is now considered a settled matter. The intelligence agencies now have their own reviewers embedded at the State Department as part of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The reviewers are identifying intelligence of a potentially classified nature, and referring it to the relevant intelligence agency for further review. There is no formal appeals process for classification, and the agency that generates the intelligence has final say. The State Department only has control over the fraction of emails that pertain to their own intelligence. While the State Department and Clinton campaign have said the emails in questions were retroactively classified or upgraded to justify the more than 1,300 classified emails on her server those terms are meaningless under federal law. The former federal law enforcement official said the finding in the January IG letter represents a potential violation of USC 18 Section 793, gross negligence in the handling of secure information under the Espionage Act. A Washington state lawmaker has apologized after asking a group of high-school students if they were virgins. Republican state Rep. Mary Dye met Monday with approximately half a dozen Eastern Washington high-school students as part of Planned Parenthoods annual Teen Lobbying Day, the Seattle Times reported. The students were advocating for legislation that expanded insurance coverage for birth control. At the meeting, Dye asked if the students were virgins and suggested one of them was not, according to the students. After she made the statement about virginity, all of my teens looked at me, Rachel Todd, an education specialist for Planned Parenthood who was accompanying the students, told The Times. And I said, You dont have to answer that. You dont have to answer that. A Republican spokesman confirmed that Dye asked about virginity, and the lawmaker later apologized, saying while she appreciated their time, she told them she did not support their cause. Following a conversation they initiated on birth control for teenagers, I talked about the empowerment of women and making good choices opinions shaped by my mother and being a mother of three daughters, she said in a statement. In hindsight, a few of the thoughts I shared, while well-intended, may have come across as more motherly than what they would expect from their state representative, Dye said. If anything I said offended them or made them feel uncomfortable, I apologize. Click for more from The Seattle Times. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is reportedly considering retroactively demoting retired General David Petraeus, amid a crackdown on generals who engage in misconduct. The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that the Pentagon is in the process of considering the move against Petraeus, who admitted giving classified information to his mistress and biographer before he retired. The decision now rests with Carter, who is said to be mulling overruling a prior Army recommendation that the general should not be demoted. "The secretary is considering going in a different direction, a defense official told The Daily Beast, adding that Carter wants to send a message of consistency in his treatment of senior officers who engage in misconduct. The official said Carter wants to send a message that even officers of Petraeus reputation are not immune to punishment. In November, Carter removed his senior military aide, Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis, for personal misconduct. The case is currently with the Pentagon's inspector general. "The Department of the Army is still in the process of providing the Secretary with information relevant to former Secretary McHugh's recommendation, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told Fox News, referring to former Army Secretary John McHugh who recommended that Pertraeus not be demoted. Once the Secretary has an opportunity to consider this information, he will make his decision about next steps, if any, in this matter, Cook said. Petraeus was sentenced to two years of probation in April, and given a $100,000 fine for giving Paula Broadwell, with whom he was also having an affair, classified material while she was working on the book about him. The scandal destroyed the four-star generals reputation, who had led U.S. forces both in Afghanistan and Iraq. With a Ph.D. and a reputation as a thoughtful strategist, Petraeus was brought in by President George W. Bush to command multinational forces in Iraq in 2007, a period when the war began to turn in favor of the U.S. Petraeus' command coincided with the "surge" of American forces in Iraq and a plan to pay Sunni militias to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq. He resigned from his post as head of CIA in 2012. Fox News Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Former vice-presidential nominee and governor of Alaska Sarah Palin made her first foray into the 2016 presidential race Tuesday by announcing she is endorsing Donald Trump. "I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President of the United States of America," Palin said in a statement from the Trump campaign announcing the endorsement. She later appeared alongside Trump at a campaign event at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa Youre putting relationships on the line for this country because youre willing to make America great again, she said at the rally. I am here because like you, I know its now or never. Im in it to win it because we believe in America, she added. Trump told supporters he was greatly honored to receive Palins support. Shes the woman that from day one I said I needed to get her support, he said. Palin, who became a symbol of the Tea Party movement following the 2008 presidential election, is the highest-profile backer for a Republican contender so far in the race. In her endorsement speech, Palin praised Trump for bringing up controversial issues to create a good, heated primary, while taking aim at what she called establishment candidates in the race. Theyve been wearing political correctness kind of like a suicide vest, she said. The endorsement comes less than two weeks ahead of the critical lead-off Iowa caucus, where Trump is locked in a dead heat with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. In the statement announcing the endorsement, Trump's campaign described Palin as a conservative who "helped launch the careers of several key future leaders of the Republican Party and conservative movement." The statement also quoted Cruz as once saying he "would not be in the United States Senate were it not for Gov. Sarah Palin...She can pick winners." Campaigning in New Hampshire, Tuesday, Cruz responded to Palin's endorsement of Trump, saying "regardless of what Sarah intends to do in 2016, I will remain a big, big fan of Sarah Palin." Trump's national political director Michael Glassner previously worked with Palin, who was a virtual newcomer to the national political arena when McCain named her as his running mate. Palin is expected to join Trump on Wednesday for campaign events in Norwalk, Iowa and Tulsa, Okla. Even with a record number of candidates and internal calls to become more inclusive as a party, Donald Trump and Sarah Palin remain two of the GOPs most influential leaders," Mark Paustenbach, Democratic National Committee Press secretary, said in a statement responding to the endorsement. "Their divisive rhetoric is now peddled by everyone from Ted Cruz to Marco Rubio. Americans deserve better than what Trump and Palin have to offer, but it seems like the other Republican candidates would rather follow in their footsteps, the statement continued. Palin's endorsement was not the only one Trump received Tuesday. While campaigning at Iowa's John Wayne Birthplace Museum, he received an endorsement from the western film actors daughter, Aissa Wayne. Wayne said the country needs a strong and courageous leader like her father, and that he would be offering his endorsement if he were still alive. Trump said he was a big fan of Wayne and that the actor represented strength and power which, he said, the American people are looking for. The Associated Press contributed to this report. While other families were looking forward to the holidays, Rachel Clinger was awaiting news of her husband, who had disappeared a week before Christmas from his New Jersey military base. The wait did not last long -- Marine Sgt. Tristan Clingers body was found days later. Clinger, she said, had battled depression but feared he would be discharged if he got help. He is not the only one. Experts who work with both active-duty military and veterans say the stigma of mental illness -- whether combat stress, depression, anxiety or substance abuse -- continues to be an impediment to treatment, often leading to tragic consequences. With over 2.5 million men and women having served in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade, plus thousands more currently stationed overseas, experts say its more critical than ever to make sure those who need it find a pathway out of despair. We had six suicide calls into our office in one day -- one day, said Paul Rieckoff, founder and head of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the largest service organization focused solely on the recent generation of vets. Hes been working diligently for over a decade to connect them with available services and lobbying on the Hill for better access to care. I think we have made some headway, but there is a long way to go and at the end of the day, there is still stigma and fear of being labeled a broken, damaged veteran, he told FoxNews.com. He believes the problem is worse than assumed, particularly among young veterans. The most frequently used statistic -- 22 veterans committing suicide a day -- is based on older numbers, and does not take into account veterans who fall through the cracks, he said. Its much higher. ... We think we are losing a lot of young people, Rieckoff said. Case in point: The suicide of Tyler Schlagel, 29, a former Marine corporal, on Dec. 9 was the 14th in his military unit since the group returned from Afghanistan in 2008. According to a recent report, even more have attempted suicide, one three days after Schlagels death. No one knew how badly he was suffering, even his closest friends and family. They set up all these hotlines and things for guys to get help, David Gwinn, a Navy corpsman who served with Schlagel and had survived his own suicide attempts twice, told The New York Times. But what do you do when most of the guys dont want help? Stigma can manifest itself in different ways, said Dr. Wendy Tenhula, national mental health director for the integrated VA/DoD mental health program. Servicemembers and veterans fear there will be professional and social repercussions for seeking help. They dont trust medications or therapy or both. They are embarrassed, and chafe against being seen as or being labeled as weak or incompetent or dangerous, she said. Sometimes the stigma is so internalized the individual refuses to see they need help. Many self-medicate with alcohol and drugs; they withdraw, and avoid contact. The resistance to getting help takes many forms but it comes down to this -- it hurts, and they dont know how to come in and get that help and to sit with that hurt, said Dr. Tracy Stecker, a research health scientist at the VA in Charleston, S.C., who engages in mental health outreach. According to figures provided to FoxNews.com, nearly 1 million active-duty servicemembers were diagnosed with at least one mental disorder between 2000 and 2011, and the numbers increased as the wars wore on. From 1998 to 2011, 2,990 servicemembers took their own lives while on active-duty. But like Sgt. Clinger, whose funeral services were held in Ohio on Jan. 8, the majority (55 percent) of victims were never deployed overseas, suggesting mental health in the military is more than just a combat-related issue. Clingers death is under investigation. Starting in 2008, the Defense Department has waged a multi-pronged war against stigma, in a bid to reach more people. Rules were changed: the military began embedding mental health providers in units, and took the mental health question off of the questionnaire for security clearances. They launched an anti-stigma campaign called Real Warriors. Real Battles. Real Strength to convey that emotional struggles following wartime service are common, and not an indicator of weakness. They invested in research and outreach. Most servicemembers who seek and receive psychological health support improve and remain on active duty. Because getting help often leads to a full recovery, seeking mental health care is not a career ender, Navy Capt. Anthony Arita, director of the Deployment Health Clinical Center at the DOD, said in a statement. That said, he acknowledged not all servicemembers and veterans who need treatment receive it, due to a variety of barriers and challenges, including stigma. Meanwhile, the VA has embarked on a similar outreach campaign, including the Veterans Crisis Hotline, which took over 2 million calls since its inception in 2007. In 2011, the VA launched an interactive website called Make the Connection to help vets, families and communities with resources and strategies for self-diagnosis and accessing treatment. According to the VA, more than 1.5 million vets sought help for PTSD and other mental health problems in fiscal 2014, including over 536,000 for substance abuse, and 535,000 for PTSD (of those, over 141,000 were recent veterans). Something we do know is that more and more veterans are coming to the VA for mental health care, said Tenhula. We cant point for sure to a reduction in stigma, but we do know that more veterans are seeking care and more veterans are reaching out and helping each other. A widow in Canada has won her battle with Apple after the tech giant demanded that she get a court order to obtain her deceased husbands Apple ID password. CBC reports that 72-year-old Peggy Bush ran into difficulties getting the password from Apple after losing her husband David to lung cancer in August. Bush wanted to retrieve her husbands password so that she could play games on an iPad she knew the iPads login, but not the Apple ID password. From Apple, I couldnt even get a silly little password, it just seems nonsense, she told CBC. Her daughter, Donna Bush, contacted Apple to ask if it could help retrieve the password or reset the account. After multiple phone calls over two months, Donna provided Apple with the serial numbers for her parents iPad and Apple computer, her father's will that left everything to Peggy, and a notarized death certificate. However, she was told by Apple that she would need a court order, CBC reports. Related: Facebook lets users select a legacy contact to manage their digital afterlife After CBCs Go Public program contacted Apple, the tech giant reached out to the Bush family and apologized for what it described as a "misunderstanding. Apple is reportedly working with the family to solve the problem without a court order. Dealing with a deceased persons digital assets is a growing problem, according to Gerry Beyer, the Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law at Texas Tech University School of Law. Its huge, this is one of the hottest issues in estate planning and administration today, he told FoxNews.com. I have dozens of anecdotal stories of similar problems in the U.S. this is a type of property that, 20 years ago, wasnt an issue. Beyer explained that U.S. states are trying to find a way for people to access a deceased persons account without violating federal law. Theres legislation being proposed in dozens of states to assist with this problem things are getting better very slowly, but very few states have laws in place on this issue. The law professor advises people to find out whether service providers have a way of naming a person who can access digital assets in the event of someones death. Additionally, he advocates backing up important items from the cloud onto some form of tangible media that, if necessary, can be given to someone. Beyer also suggests creating a comprehensive inventory of accounts and passwords. Its scary, but you have got to do it, he said. You have got to be extremely careful what you do with it. Last year Facebook announced that it is letting users select a legacy contact who can manage their account on the social media site when they pass away. Questions about the so-called digital afterlife have swirled since the rise of social media. In 2013, Google became one of the first major Internet companies to allow users to select digital heirs to services such as Gmail and cloud storage, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple has not yet responded to a request for comment on this story from FoxNews.com. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers A homeless man suspected of killing a shelter worker and wounding another a day after he was evicted has surrendered to police. The suspect, 32-year-old John Brock, had been taken by police to a hospital Saturday after he was thrown out of the shelter for being intoxicated and breaking curfew. He returned early Sunday and shot two employees he had targeted, Homicide Capt. James Clark said Monday. Edward Barksdale, 43, died after being shot five times, including once in the head, while Edward Barham, 26, was in stable condition Monday after being shot in the hip. The shooting occurred at the Station House Homeless Facility in North Philadelphia, which is run by an organization called SELF Inc., led by former Mayor W. Wilson Goode. "I don't think you could have found more dedicated employees, more concerned employees, more compassionate and passionate employees," said Goode, who served as Philadelphia mayor from 1984 to 1992. He vowed to evaluate security procedures to ensure the safety of both employees and residents. Brock had been staying at the shelter for the past 10 weeks before returning for the night intoxicated at 1 a.m. Saturday, police said. He was taken to Episcopal Hospital for evaluation, but returned at about 3 a.m. Sunday, demanding access to the room where his belongings were stored. He was told the employees working at the time did not have access to it. Brock left the facility but returned a short time later with a weapon, police said. They did not immediately know where he got it. Officials continued Monday to urge the city's homeless to seek out shelter given frigid temperatures. Brock, who has numerous prior arrests, surrendered late Monday afternoon at police headquarters, Officer Tanya Little said. Charges against him were pending. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf. A snowboarder at Colorado's Aspen Highlands resort said he wasn't really sure why a skier tossed him off a chairlift Sunday, sending him face-first into a pile of snow nearly 25 feet below. "I honestly thought I was dead," Seth Beckton told the Aspen Times after his fall. Remarkably, he said he wasn't hurt. It apparently started with a comment Beckton made about the powder that day. He said the unnamed skier seemed to take offense, asking him, "Are you laughing at me?" Beckton replied, "kind of... yes?" That's when he said the skier either pushed or pulled him from the chair, saying, "Well is this funny?" Beckton, 28, claims the skier was wearing a silver helmet and goggles obscuring his face, along with a burgundy and tan jacket with grey pants. The Pitkin County Sheriffs Office was investigating, Deputy Alex Burchetta told the Times. He said Beckton should file a report. Gov. Chris Christie has decided not act on a bill that would have boosted New Jersey's smoking age to 21, keeping the age to buy tobacco products at 19. The bill would have fined retailers up to $1,000 if they sold cigarettes or other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to anyone 20 years old or younger. Underage smokers would have gone unpunished. A statement from the Republican governor's office does not mention the smoking bill but blames the Legislature for sending more than 100 bills to him at the same time "praying for them to be rubber stamped." Hawaii recently became the first state to raise its smoking age to 21, and similar measures have been introduced in eight other states. Federal lawmakers have also proposed a nationwide smoking age of 21. Georgia's Supreme Court tackled an unusual question Tuesday: What's the value of a dog? Bob and Elizabeth Monyak's 8-year-old dachshund, Lola, died of kidney failure in 2013. The family accuses the Barking Hound Village kennel in the Atlanta area of giving the dog the wrong medicine, which ultimately killed Lola. Officials at the kennel deny they did anything wrong. But they also argue that pets are property, and because the Monyaks paid nothing for Lola when they rescued her from a shelter, the dog essentially had no value, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The Monyaks say it's pretty clear their dog wasn't worthless. They say they paid nearly $70,000 in an effort to save Lola's life, including costly dialysis and other veterinary bills, and they're hoping to recover that amount. Speaking to the newspaper, Elizabeth Monyak said the kennel was trying to argue that "a dog is like a toaster... when you break it, you throw it away and get a new one." She went on to say, "A dog is indeed property under the law, but its a different kind of property." An attorney for Barking Hound Village, Joel McKie, told the Journal-Constitution, "We are certainly sympathetic to the [Monyaks] for the loss of their beloved dog, Lola." But in court documents, the company wrote, "The purchase price of the dachshund was zero dollars, the rescue dog never generated revenue and nothing occurred during the Monyaks ownership of the dog that would have increased her market value." The Monyaks said that soon after picking up Lola from the kennel in June 2012, the dog had lost its appetite, which was unusual for her. They said within days, a vet diagnosed her with kidney failure and said she'd apparently overdosed on Rimadyl, a pain reliever he'd not prescribed. Months later, after a series of treatment attempts, Lola died. The family claims the kennel destroyed evidence its workers gave the dog the wrong medicine, then tried to cover it up, accusations Barking Hound Village denies. But if the court orders the company to pay the family, the exact amount could be open to debate. "Everyone knows dogs are family and more than mere property," Stephen Wells, executive director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, said in a statement. "Courts across the nation are recognizing that beloved family members like Lola have intrinsic value -- and when they are injured or killed by negligence, that value must be reflected in the damages their families are entitled to by law." The court was expected to issue a ruling by this summer. Chisholm Trail Cowboy Church of Duncan, Oklahoma, will hold its fourth annual "Open Team Roping" fundraising competition next month and is expected to draw hundreds of teams to the event. Amy Linn Miller, spokeswoman for Chisholm Trail, explained to The Christian Post the origins of their annual roping competition and silent auction. "This team roping and auction started as a fundraiser for our church building. We were building our current building without taking out a loan. We moved into that building in December of 2014. We have now out grown this building," said Miller. "We are using the money raised from this event to purchase and build classrooms. This event will be held for one day [Feb. 20 at the Stephens County Expo Center.] We combine the team roping and auction along with calf dummy roping to provide activities for the whole family." In past years, the roping and auction event has drawn a sizable group. In 2015, approximately 300 teams entered the roping contest. Read the Original Story from ChristianPost.com New York's pedicab operators say they were the unwitting victims of some political horse trading. In an angry protest Tuesday, the city's bicycle taxi drivers charged that their most lucrative routes pedaling tourists through Central Park were outlawed without their knowledge as part of the city's deal to overhaul the popular horse carriage industry. "This is pretty outrageous, and totally unwarranted," said Robert Tipton, whose company, called Mr. Rickshaw, operates 29 pedicabs. "It's a concession to the carriage-horse industry, with the city saying, we're going to reduce your numbers, but in return, we're going to hurt your competition." The plan was announced over the weekend by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who took office vowing to ban horse carriages from Manhattan on the grounds that they were inhumane. His proposal would reduce the number of carriages operating in the park and eventually bar them from Manhattan streets, but it would also protect their turf. Public funds would be used to move the steeds to a refurbished stable within the park and shut down the current private stables on Manhattan's West Side. But in exchange for slimming down their carriage fleets, the mayor also offered the horsemen an effective monopoly over the southern end of Central Park by barring pedicabs from operating south of 85th Street. The deal, which must still be approved by City Council, would restrict the operations of pedicabs starting in June. Tipton said 60 percent of all pedicab business is in the section of the park where the rides will now be banned. "The city is creating a monopoly, where the only option is to take a carriage," said Tipton. On Tuesday, the protesting pedicab drivers many of whom are recent immigrants from West Africa, Tajikistan, Russia and other countries issued a statement saying de Blasio wants "to exile us out of Central Park without discussing it with us first." Questioned on Monday about why the deal on carriage horses included restrictions on pedicab drivers, de Blasio told journalists that "we had to make an adjustment in terms of the pedicabs for balance, and I think it's a fair outcome." The negotiations that led to the deal were between the city and a Teamsters union local representing carriage horse drivers. The pedicab industry wasn't part of those talks, drivers said. Animal welfare activists say the horses are in danger during daily walks between the park and four private stables. They have also lodged many complaints about the lack of outdoor areas for the horses to graze and relax between work shifts a problem that wouldn't be solved by relocating the horses to the park stable. The compromise deal would reduce the number of steeds from about 180 to 95, operating from new stables built in the park by October 2018, with room for 68 carriages and 75 horses. The remaining horses rotate on furloughs outside the city. Steven Geary, one of about 350 licensed pedicab drivers in the city, said he would lose more than half his income without the Central Park rides. He and fellow drivers will still be allowed to roll through the rest of Manhattan, but the tourist experience there is less than ideal, Geary said. "We get stuck in midtown traffic, with car drivers screaming at you because we're not allowed to use bicycle lanes," he said. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church has declared that the denomination will not cease its support for gay marriage despite its three-year suspension by the Anglican Communion last week. "They heard from me directly that that's not something that we're considering," Bishop Michael Curry told The Associated Press on Friday, talking about the sanctions imposed on the denomination after its leaders refused support the biblical definition of marriage. "They basically understand we made our decision, and this is who we are, and we're committed to being a house of prayer for all." At the same time, however, Curry said he wants to continue working toward Anglican unity despite the different points of view on the divisive issue. "We are loyal members of the Anglican Communion, but we need to say we must find a better way," Curry said. "I really believe it's part of our vocation." Leaders representing the worldwide Anglican body announced on Thursday that they are suspending The Episcopal Church, due to its vote in 2015 to authorize same-sex marriage ceremonies in church. The Primates explained their decision in a statement: "The traditional doctrine of the Church in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds marriage as between a man and a woman in faithful, lifelong union. The majority of those gathered reaffirm this teaching. "Recent developments in The Episcopal Church with respect to a change in their Canon on marriage represent a fundamental departure from the faith and teaching held by the majority of our provinces on the doctrine of marriage. Possible developments in other provinces could further exacerbate this situation," they added. Read the Original Story from ChristianPost.com The sister of a man fatally shot by a University of Cincinnati police officer who pulled him over for lacking a front license plate said she hopes a $5.3 million settlement will help prevent another family from losing a loved one. The settlement with the university, which was announced Monday, gives the family of Samuel DuBose $4.85 million and promises free undergraduate tuition for his 12 children. It also provides for a memorial commemorating DuBose, an apology from the university and the family's involvement in a community advisory committee on police reform. DuBose's sister, Terina Allen, said the monetary aspects of the settlement are secondary to overhauling the university police department. "Ultimately, Sam's death will serve a reminder of just how final it is to pull a gun. And hopefully officers will think twice about pulling a gun," said Allen, who spoke on behalf of the family. "I hope people will obey police officers' orders, but in the end they can't be judge, jury and executioner." DuBose, 43, was shot and killed behind the wheel of his car on July 19 after Officer Ray Tensing stopped him near campus for missing a front license plate, which is required by Ohio law. Tensing was charged with murder and pleaded not guilty. University President Santa Ono said he wanted to express the university community's "deepest sadness and regrets at the heartbreaking loss" of DuBose's life. "This agreement is also part of the healing process not only for the family but also for our university and Cincinnati communities," he said in a statement. Tensing said that after he stopped the car, DuBose refused to provide a driver's license and get out. A struggle ensued as DuBose tried to drive away, and Tensing said he fired because he feared being dragged under the car, said his attorney, Stewart Matthews. A hearing to set a trial date has been scheduled for Feb. 11, Matthews said. He declined to comment on the specifics of the settlement other than to characterize it as "negative." He said the settlement will be an issue once it comes time to question potential jurors. "Their knowledge of the settlement is one aspect that could affect their ability to be fair and impartial, and you try to find that out," he said. The shooting occurred during heightened scrutiny across the United States of police treatment of blacks, after a string of police-inflicted deaths including in Ferguson, Missouri, and Chicago sparked sometimes-violent protests over the past year and a half. DuBose, who was unarmed, was black, and Tensing is white. Civil rights attorney Mark O'Mara, representing DuBose's family, said the incident can be a springboard to improving relations between police and the community. "We have to have a discourse on how do we make our cops better cops," O'Mara said. "And the flipside to that coin is, we have to figure out how to better interact with cops." Allen said the family is glad the university "acknowledged responsibility that they know they did something wrong." She said the existence of footage from Tensing's body camera was the only thing to rebut claims by the police that DuBose was aggressive during the car stop. "Video didn't stop him from shooting his head off," she said, "but the video camera did serve as vindication that my brother was not a violent person." Several Massachusetts schools received bomb threats Tuesday, the third time in less than a week the regions schools were targeted with threats. Arlington High School and Groton Middle School were evacuated Tuesday after separate threats, FOX25 reported. Arlington students were initially told to shelter in place; however, students were ultimately dismissed just after 10 a.m. The threat is not thought to be credible, Arlington police said. Plymouth South Middle School, Taunton public schools and Newton North High School received threats on Monday. Boston College High School, Arlington Catholic High School, The Saint Agnes School, The Abigail Adams and Maria Weston Chapman middle schools, Bourne High School, Quabbin Regional High School, Falmouth High School and Mashpee Middle-High School each received phoned-in threats on Friday. Authorities found no explosive devices at any of the schools, The Boston Globe reported. The calls on Friday were automated phone messages warning of a bomb detonation in the very near future, according to The Globe. Similar calls had been received in Maryland, authorities said. [Investigators] dont take these threats lightly, Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio told The Globe in an email. Per state law, bomb threats to schools are not merely charged as a general threat to commit a crime or as annoying and harassing phone calls. Rather, the relevant statue has very severe potential penalties if an individual is found guilty of such a crime. Angry alumni at a prestigious Ohio college have had enough of what they consider anti-Semitism on campus, and have demanded the school put a stop to it. Some 200 Oberlin College graduates signed an open letter to the northern Ohio school, blasting what they called a hostile environment for Jewish students and faculty on campus. The critics charged that the Boycott, Divest from, and Sanction Israel movement on campus has morphed into raw racism. "Several student organizations at Oberlin have assumed the role as the mouthpiece of the BDS movement, which claims to be a defender of Palestinian rights, but whose inflammatory language falsely portraying Israel as an illegitimate, colonialist and murderous regime demonstrates that its primary goal is to demonize the Jewish state," reads part of the letter. It goes on to state that the campus BDS advocates send an implicit message to Jewish classmates to either forfeit your allegiance to Israel and join us, or we will brand you as an enemy of justice and complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people. Students are being personally attacked for their beliefs.This is quite different from a disagreement over ideas. Melissa Landa The drafting of the letter was spearheaded by Melissa Landa, an instructor at the University of Maryland and graduate of Oberlin. Landa told FoxNews.com her group wants a task force formed to address anti-Semitism on campus carried out under the guise of pro-Palestinian activism. The school's graduates include actor and writer Lena Dunham, conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, actor Ed Helms and novelist and playright Eric Bogosian. While current students can speak to the atmosphere on campus, alumni have an investment in the future of the college," Landa said, adding that Oberlin President Marvin Krislov will meet with the group Jan. 26 to discuss the ongoing issue. Members of Oberlin Students for a Free Palestine issued a statement rejecting the charge that members are anti-Semitic. "We reject the idea that support for the Palestinian cause is anti-Semitic, read the statement. Criticism of Israel may challenge the political opinions of some students, but that is not a threat to their safety. We will continue to confront the realities of the occupation on our campus." Oberlin College officials did not immediately return requests for comment. Over the past several years, Oberlin has had a slew of issues concerning Anti-Israel activism, according to legal blog, Legal Insurrection. Most recently, there is even a belief among some that BDS activists have attempted to co-opt the Black Lives Matter movement on campus. This past November, the Oberlin Black Student Union brought forth a petition regarding what they referred to as the cultural appropriation of ethnic foods and cultural insensitivity in the dining hall. Among the list of 50 different demands was that the school divest from Israel. The 14-page list of demands was endorsed by Oberlin Students for a Free Palestine. Anti-Semitism is on the rise on campuses across the country, often driven by BDS activists, said Brett Cohen, executive director of campus affairs for StandWithUs, an international education organization that attempts to ensure that the Israeli side of the debate is heard. There is a direct correlation between efforts to boycott and divest from Israel on campus and increased hate crimes against Jews, including swastikas painted on Jewish centers and fraternities, Jewish students being harassed and intimidated, and several cases of outright violence, Cohen said. The pseudo-academic delegitimizaton of Israel fuels this fire, and has created a situation where some pro-Israel students are afraid to voice their opinions in the classroom. An Arkansas teenager caught on video walking up to his teacher in class and blowing cigar smoke in his face now faces a harassment charge against him, local news agencies reported Monday. The video emerged in December, apparently showing North Little Rock High School student Christopher Dunn slowly standing up, taking a drag from the cigar and blowing smoke in the face of science teacher Robert Holley. Investigators say the 18-year-old actually blew smoke three separate times, Fox 16 reports. It all started when the teenager refused to finish an exam in the hallway, police say. They add that the teacher started writing up the student when they confronted each other face-to-face. A campus supervisor pulled Dunn from the room as the teen said, "I'll be back," according to police. Click for more from Fox 16. A Texas inmate scheduled to be executed this week for killing a female impersonator 15 years ago insists the death was an accident during sex and has made multiple appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jurors at his trial, though, were convinced that Richard Masterson intentionally strangled 35-year-old Darin Shane Honeycutt, stole his car and fled to Florida before being arrested with another stolen car. Masterson, 43, is set for lethal injection Wednesday evening for Honeycutt's slaying. He would be the first person put to death this year in Texas, which carries out more executions than any other state. Its 13 lethal injections last year accounted for almost half of the 28 executions nationwide. Lawyers for Masterson had multiple appeals pending at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, after failing in lower Texas and federal courts to block his execution. Attorneys argued that Honeycutt's death was accidental or the result of a heart attack, that a Harris County medical examiner with questionable credentials was wrong to tell jurors it was a strangulation, that Masterson's earlier lawyers failed to discover the information and that his prolonged drug use and then withdrawal while in jail contributed to his "suicide by confession" when he spoke with police. His lawyers also contend that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied Masterson his rights to due process and access to the courts by refusing their challenge to a new Texas law that keeps secret the identity of the provider of pentobarbital that Texas prison officials use for lethal injections. Lawyers for the state argued that Masterson's attorneys offered no scientific evidence about Honeycutt's death that hadn't been previously raised and rejected, including at Masterson's trial. According to court filings, Masterson confessed to police, told a brother he killed Honeycutt and wrote to Texas' then-Attorney General Greg Abbott in 2012 acknowledging the slaying. "I meant to kill him," Masterson wrote to Abbott, who is now Texas' governor. "It was no accident." Earlier this month, however, Masterson told the Houston Chronicle from death row that while he accepted responsibility for Honeycutt's death, "I never admitted I murdered anybody." Masterson had a long drug history and criminal record beginning at age 15. Court documents show he ignored advice from lawyers at his 2002 trial and insisted on testifying. He told jurors he met Honeycutt, who used the stage name Brandi Houston, at a bar and they went to Honeycutt's Houston apartment, where Masterson said the chokehold was part of an autoerotic sex act. Honeycutt's body was found Jan. 27, 2001, after friends became worried when he failed to show up for work. Evidence showed Masterson had taken Honeycutt's car and dumped it in Emerson, Georgia. He was caught more than a week later at a Belleview, Florida, trailer park with another stolen car. The owner of that car testified about meeting Masterson in a Tampa bar frequented by gay men and told of a similar attack where he was choked unconscious by Masterson and robbed. In his testimony, Masterson told jurors he was a future danger an element they had to consider when deliberating whether a death sentence was appropriate. "Everyone has to live and die by their own actions," Masterson said. Jurors sent him to death row. His case has recently drawn the attention of Pope Francis, who has reinforced the Catholic Church's opposition to capital punishment. Tech giants Apple, Samsung and Sony are among the firms that may be using minerals mined by African children as young as 7 in their products, Amnesty International announced Tuesday. The human rights organization, in a report into cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reported finding young children toiling away at mines to extract a vital component of lithium-ion batteries. The country produces at least half of the worlds cobalt and miners working to extract it face long-term health problems, Amnesty said, according to the BBC. At least 80 cobalt miners have died underground in the DRC between September 2014 and December 2015, the report states, and UNICEF estimates that there are around 40,000 children working in such mines. In its investigation, Amnesty singled out a smelter in Congo owned by Congo Dongfang Mining International, a subsidiary of Chinese mineral giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd., the largest cobalt chemicals producer in China. The report claims that Congo Dongfang Mining International did not check the sources of the cobalt it purchased from buying houses, leading to a "high risk" that it came from mines filled with child laborers, according to Reuters. After being smelted, the cobalt is sent to China and then sold off to battery manufacturers who claim to supply top-end electronics companies, the report said. Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt told Amnesty that it had "reasonably presumed that the behaviors of suppliers comply with relevant regulations of the DRC and taken the corresponding social responsibilities." Apple, in response to the report, told the BBC, "underage labor is never tolerated in our supply chain and we are proud to have led the industry in pioneering new safeguards. We are currently evaluating dozens of different materials, including cobalt, in order to identify labor and environmental risks as well as opportunities for Apple to bring about effective, scalable and sustainable change, it said. Samsung said it had a "zero tolerance policy" for child labor and any contracts with suppliers who use child labor will be immediately terminated. Sony stated that it is working with the suppliers to address issues related to human rights and labor conditions at the production sites, as well as in the procurement of minerals and other raw materials. The family of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran nine years ago, slammed the Obama administration Monday for not informing them that their relative was not included in a prisoner exchange announced over the weekend. "We had to learn it from the TV ourselves, and that's very disappointing and heartbreaking," Robert Levinson's wife, Christine, told the Associated Press. She used stronger language in another interview, telling ABC News that she felt "extremely betrayed" by the White House. Christine Levinson told ABC that she had tried unsucessfully to meet face-to-face with adminstration officials for the past six weeks. Hours after the prisoner exchange was announced Saturday, she said Deputy National Security Adviser Lisa Monaco called to apologize, claiming the White House had meant to inform her before the news broke, but the Iranian government had leaked the word early. Robert Levinson disappeared from an Iranian resort on March 9, 2007, while in the country on an unauthorized mission for the CIA. It's unclear where he is; Iranian officials have said they don't know but Levinson's family does not believe them. Levinson's son Dan told The Associated Press that it felt like "once again, he's been left behind" and that the U.S. can't give up on bringing his father back. The Levinson family has expressed happiness for the families of the four American prisoners released by Iran in exchange for the U.S. pardoning or dropping charges against seven Iranians. A fifth American was also released separately. In discussing the release, President Obama said the U.S. would continue working to find Levinson. But when asked by reporters whether Levinson was still alive, Secretary of State John Kerry said, "We have no idea." Levinson's family insists he is still alive, even with health issues including diabetes, gout and high blood pressure. They last got some visual record of him in video and photos that were sent about five years ago. I have been held here for 3 1/2 years, Levinson says in the video. I am not in good health. "The people who are working on the case directly, they have told us there is no evidence to suggest my dad is not alive," Dan Levinson said. "We're not going to give up because obviously we're doing everything we can," he said. "We need to make sure his country is doing the same." The family plans to mark Levinson's upcoming birthday, which falls on March 10 the day after the anniversary of his disappearance. It's part of the way they've tried to cope with his absence. "We talk about him all the time," Christine Levinson said. They've also tried to make his presence real for the three grandchildren he's never met, teaching them a song Levinson came up with when his children were small. "If you talk to the grandchildren, they all know how to sing the baby song," she said. Levinson's family worries about what Levinson's ordeal has done to a man who loved making friends and meeting people. "I hope that he hasn't lost hope," Christine Levinson said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Amir Hekmati, one of the Americans freed from Iran in a prisoner swap, said Tuesday he couldn't wait to return to his home in Michigan. "I feel alive for the first time," the 32-year-old retired Marine told reporters outside a hospital in Germany, one day after an emotional reunion there with his family. Even his final few moments in Iran were tense. Hekmati claimed nobody inside the Swiss government plane celebrated until it left Iranian airspace. Then, "champagne corks were popped." He added, "I feel extremely blessed." Hekmati, Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and pastor Saeed Abedini arrived late Sunday at the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for treatment. A fourth American released in exchange for the U.S. pardoning or dropping charges against seven Iranians opted to stay in Iran, and a fifth American was released separately. Hekmati was detained in August 2011 on espionage charges. Hekmati says he went to Iran to visit family and spend time with his ailing grandmother. After his arrest, family members say they were told to keep the matter quiet. He was convicted of spying and sentenced to death in 2012. After a higher court ordered a retrial, he was sentenced in 2014 to 10 years on a lesser charge. Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat from Michigan, said he had a steak dinner Monday night with Hekmati as well as Hekmati's two sisters and brother, and that he seemed in "pretty good spirits" for someone who had been incarcerated for so long. "We talked a bit about his experience, but I think he was just appreciating his freedom and trying to enjoy it as much as he could," Kildee said. Hekmati was born in Arizona and raised in Michigan. His family is in the Flint area. He and his family deny any wrongdoing, and say his imprisonment included physical and mental torture and long periods of solitary confinement in a tiny cell. Kildee said he looked forward to talking more with Hekmati about his experience in the coming months but did already learn some details. "We talked about a few of the aspects of his incarceration, (he) described the prison conditions as being bleak as we know them to be by reputation, described the fact that he had been told he was going to be released on several occasions, so even when this moment came he wasn't sure it was really true until he was at the airport," he said. "In some ways that was another way to sort of provide psychological torture -- to continue to torment him with his release." The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced Tuesday its building two new nuclear power plants, the countrys news agency FARS reports. The organization also said Tuesday its looking to construct two smaller plants in conjunction with China. Last month, Iran declared plans to build similar nuclear plants with Russia, FARS adds. The announcements come three days after the Obama administration declared the official implementation of a landmark nuclear deal with Iran following a U.N. report that Iran had fully complied in scaling back its nuclear program. Under the nuclear deal, Iran admitted to cap its nuclear activities in exchange for lifted sanctions. The West had long suspected Iran was using its nuclear program as a cover to build a bomb. Iran denied the accusation. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's top decision maker, has praised Iran's negotiators while continuing to express deep mistrust of the United States. Just hours before the deal's implementation, four Americans imprisoned in Iran were freed in exchange for the release of seven Iranians. Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi, were flown to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany to be evaluated. A fifth American, student Matthew Trevithnick, was also released. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Sunni lawmaker says the community's ministers and lawmakers are boycotting Cabinet meetings and parliament sessions to protest attacks on Sunni mosques last week. Raad al-Dahlaki says Sunnis will only boycott Tuesday's sessions, demanding government action against the perpetrators. The announcement Tuesday comes after angry Shiite mobs attacked several Sunni mosques and businesses in the majority Shiite town of Muqdadiyah. Those attacks came after twin suicide attacks on a cafe in Muqdadiyah frequented by Shiite militiamen killed at least 24 people and wounded 52. The bombings were later claimed by the Islamic State group. At least one Sunni imam was killed in the ensuing backlash against Sunni mosques and businesses in the town, about 60 miles (90 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad. For the first time, a propaganda magazine for the Islamic State terror group included an admission that the notorious militant known as "Jihadi John" was dead. It appears in the latest edition of the magazine Dabiq. U.S. officials had previously said an airstrike killed him in Syria in November. The magazine reports "Jihadi John," otherwise known as Mohammed Emwazi, was born in Kuwait and traveled to the United Kingdom when he was young. He had figured prominently in a string of ISIS beheading videos, but analysts said he eventually became an outcast as U.S. and British intelligence teams devoted more time and resources to finding him. "His harshness towards the kuffar (disbelievers) was manifested through deeds that enraged all the nations, religions, and factions of kufr, the entire world bearing witness to this," the Dabiq article said, according to a translation provided by SITE. Data curated by FindTheData Army Col. Steve Warren, a U.S. military spokesman, said in November that the Army was "reasonably certain" that a drone strike in Syria had killed Emwazi, who spoke in beheading videos with a British accent as he wielded a knife. Separately, a U.S. official said three drones two U.S. and one British targeted the vehicle in which Emwazi was believed to be traveling in Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate in northern Syria. The official said the U.S. drone fired a Hellfire missile that struck the vehicle. The day after the Pentagon announced the airstrike, terrorists launched the Nov. 13 massacre in Paris, killing more than 100 people. Analysts said it did not appear that the attacks were retribution for the strike against Emwazi. "Jihadi John" appeared in videos posted online by the Islamic State starting in August 2014 that depicted the beheadings of U.S. journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. Sotloff's mother, Shirley Sotloff, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she hadn't heard about the IS announcement but assumed Emwazi was dead following the Army's announcement last fall. "It's good," she said. "I'm glad that he's gone, but it doesn't bring back my son." Jodi Perras, a spokeswoman for the Kassig family in Indianapolis, said they had no comment on the news about Jihadi John. In the gruesome videos, a tall masked figure clad in black and speaking in a British accent typically began with a political rant taunting the West and a kneeling hostage clad in an orange prison-style jumpsuit before him, then ended it holding an oversize knife in his hand with the headless victim lying before him in the sand. The videos don't make clear if he carried out the actual killings. He also appeared as a narrator in videos of other beheadings, including the mass killing of captive Syrian government soldiers. Emwazi was believed to be in his mid-20s when he was killed. He had been described by a former hostage as a psychopath who enjoyed threatening his Western captives. Spanish journalist Javier Espinosa, who was held by the IS in Syria for more than six months after his abduction in September 2013, said Emwazi would explain precisely how the militants would carry out a beheading. The hostages nicknamed three British-sounding captors "the Beatles," with "Jihadi John" a reference to JohnLennon, Espinosa said. Emwazi was born in Kuwait and spent part of his childhood in the poor Taima area of Jahra before moving to Britain as a boy, according to news reports quoting Syrian activists who knew the family. He attended state schools in London, then studied computer science at the University of Westminster before leaving for Syria in 2013. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The ISIS terror group has conscripted approximately 3,500 Iraqis into slavery from the start of 2014 until Oct. 31 of last year, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday. The report said that most of that number was comprised of women and children from the Yazidi religious minority captured in the summer of 2014 and forced into sexual slavery. It said another 800 to 900 children were abducted from Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, for religious and military training. It also said a number of ISIS child soldiers were killed by the extremists when they tried to flee fighting in the western Anbar province. The report called the civilian death toll "staggering", with at least at least 18,802 Iraqis killed and another 36,245 wounded. It also detailed the various methods ISIS has employed to kill its enemies, including public beheadings, running people over with bulldozers, burning them alive and throwing them off buildings. Such acts are "systematic and widespread ... abuses of international human rights law and humanitarian law," the report said. "These acts may, in some instances, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide." Iraqi forces have advanced against ISIS on a number of fronts in recent months and driven them out of the western city of Ramadi. But U.N. envoy Jan Kubis said in a statement that "despite their steady losses to pro-government forces, the scourge of ISIS continues to kill, maim and displace Iraqi civilians in the thousands and to cause untold suffering." U.N. human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein said the civilian death toll may be considerably higher. "Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq," he said in a statement. ISIS swept across northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014 and still controls much of Iraq and neighboring Syria. It has set up a self-styled caliphate in the territories under its control, which it governs with a harsh and violent interpretation of Islamic law. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The imam of a mosque in Pakistan has been arrested and accused of inciting violence after he allegedly made a false charge of blasphemy against a 15-year-old boy, who proceeded to cut off his hand in response to the claim. The New York Times reported that the boy, who it identified as Anwar Ali, was attending an evening prayer gathering at the mosque in the village of Khanqah, southwest of Lahore, on the night of Jan. 10. At one point, the imam, identified as Shabir Ahmed, asked those in attendance who did not love the Muslim prophet Muhammad to raise their hands. Authorities said Ali misheard the question and raised his hand, believing that Ahmed had asked who did love Muhammad. According to an account published in the Dawn newspaper, the imam pointed at Ali and said he was a "blasphemer who was liable to be killed." The Times reported that many in the crowd, taking their cues from Ahmed, yelled at Ali, "Don't you love your prophet?" as he fled the mosque. According to the paper, the boy went home, cut off his right hand with a scythe, and presented it to the imam. Despite the imam's arrest, the boy and his family maintain that the religious leader is blameless. "We are lucky that we have this son who loves Prophet Muhammad that much," the boy's father told The Times. "We will be rewarded by God for this in the eternal world." Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, where such allegations have been known to result in mob violence and lynchings. Click for more from The New York Times. U.S. warplanes destroyed a large Islamic State bank in Mosul late Monday night the second time in the last week the military has targeted an ISIS finance center holding significant cash reserves, a senior defense official tells Fox News. An estimated $45 million in U.S. dollars and Iraqi dinars were located in the ISIS storage facility destroyed Monday in Iraq's second largest city, according to officials. Early reports indicate the collective strikes on the two sites are "crushing" ISIS, according to the senior defense official. It has been reported that ISIS salaries to its fighters and civil servants have been significantly reduced as a result of the strikes. The latest comes a week after another U.S. airstrike destroyed an ISIS building in Mosul housing an estimated $90 million in cash. Around 2,000 ISIS fighters occupy the 1.5-million Sunni-majority city of Mosul, according to estimates from the Iraqi military. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said recently he wants Mosul retaken by the end of 2016 and ISIS destroyed. Iraqi military officials hope to start a ground offensive beginning in the spring. In the past weeks, the U.S.-led air campaign has increased its airstrikes in and around Mosul, the largest ISIS stronghold in Iraq. In November, Highway 47 connecting Mosul to ISIS's de-facto capital of Raqqa, Syria was cut off after the Iraqi city of Sinjar was retaken by Kurdish forces aided by U.S. airpower. But ISIS has made gains in recent days in eastern Syria, according to reports. The White House said Tuesday the U.S. was "in touch" with Iraqi officials over the American contractors reported kidnapped from an apartment in Baghdad over the weekend. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest wouldn't elaborate. State Department spokesman John Kirby added, "without getting into details, I can tell you, the picture is becoming a little bit more clear in terms of what might have happened here. And we're working, again, very hard to try to resolve this." An Iranian-backed militia is suspected of kidnapping the three men, a U.S. official tells Fox News. The State Department and FBI are leading the investigation. Speaking to The Washington Post, a police major general described the building as a brothel, but other officials denied it. Witnesses said men in uniform carried out the kidnapping in broad daylight Saturday, 100 yards from a police station. "Gunmen in military uniforms came in five or six SUVs, they entered the building and then left almost immediately," said Mohammad Jabar, 35, who runs a shop down the street from the three-story apartment building where the Americans had been invited by their Iraqi interpreter. "A few hours later we heard that three foreigners had been kidnapped by these gunmen," Jaber said. The three were abducted in Dora, a mixed neighborhood that is home to both Shiites and Sunnis. However, they were then taken to Sadr City, a vast and densely populated Shiite district to the east, and there "all communication ceased," an Iraqi intelligence official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. A similar scene unfolded in September, when masked men in military uniforms abducted 18 Turkish workers from a construction site in a Shiite neighborhood. A hostage video later showed the men standing before a banner that read "Death Squads" and "Oh, Hussein," a Shiite religious slogan. The workers were released later that month. In December, gunmen driving SUVs raided a remote camp for falconry hunting in Iraq's overwhelmingly Shiite south, kidnapping 26 Qataris, who are still being held. Iraq's Interior Ministry said at the time that the abduction was "to achieve political and media goals," without providing further details. Baghdad authorities said in a statement that the three Americans were kidnapped from a "suspicious apartment" without elaborating, and have provided no other details. The kidnapping of the Americans comes at a time of deteriorating security in and around the Iraqi capital after months of relative calm. Last week two Iraqi journalists were killed within sight of a police checkpoint in Diyala province north of Baghdad. The scale and sophistication of the recent kidnappings of foreigners suggest those responsible are operating with some degree of impunity, said Nathaniel Rabkin, managing editor of Inside Iraqi Politics, a political risk assessment newsletter. "You kidnap 26 Qataris out in the desert, that's not like four or five yahoos out in the south. ... That's a pretty well-run operation. It must be some relatively established group that did it," he said. The only groups operating in Iraq with those capabilities, Rabkin said, are the country's powerful Shiite militias. Shiite militias have played a key role in battling the Islamic State group, filling a vacuum left by the collapse of the Iraqi security forces in the summer of 2014 and proving to be some of the most effective anti-IS forces on the ground in Iraq. The government-allied militias are now officially sanctioned and known as the Popular Mobilization Committees. But many trace their roots to the armed groups that battled U.S. troops after the 2003 invasion and kidnapped and killed Sunnis at the height of Iraq's sectarian bloodletting in 2006 and 2007. Rights groups have accused them of kidnapping and in some cases killing Sunni civilians since they rearmed in 2014, charges denied by militia leaders. Although the militias are fighting on the same side as the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, many remain staunchly anti-American. When the Pentagon announced an increase in the number of U.S. special forces in Iraq last month, the spokesman for one militia vowed to attack them. "Any such American force will become a primary target for our group. We fought them before and we are ready to resume fighting," said Jafar Hussaini, spokesman for the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, one of the most powerful Shiite militias. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Anago Cleaning Systems Recognized For 9 Consecutive Years Of Outstanding Franchisee Satisfaction Industry-Leading Commercial Cleaning Franchise Receives Another Prestigious Award as a Top Franchise January 19, 2016 // Franchising.com // Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Anago Cleaning Systems (Anago), a leading commercial cleaning franchise with 37 Master Franchises throughout the U.S. and internationally, today announced its top 50 ranking in Franchise Business Review's 2016 Franchise Satisfaction Awards (FBR50) for the ninth straight year. Among the most important factors to consider before investing in a franchise is the satisfaction levels of current franchisees the true franchise experts, says Michelle Rowan, President of Franchise Business Review. The research conducted by Franchise Business Review provides prospective franchisees with this information. It also shows franchisors where they are doing well and where improvements can be made, information they use to strengthen their systems. This prestigious award is a testament to Anago's motto - "Our Mission: Our Franchisees. Their Success. Since its inception in 1989, Anago has assisted individuals in realizing their dream of business ownership. Today, the company has grown to 37 Master Franchise locations, with over 2,400 Unit Franchisees nationwide. As further verification to its success over the past year, Anago was ranked 39th on Entrepreneur Magazines 2016 Franchise 500 list, up over 40 spots from their previous ranking. For Denver Master Franchise Owner Fred Ingham, the solid support system and wealth of expertise attracted him to Anago. Ingham, who boasts over 18 years of sales and marketing experience explained, Anago goes above and beyond what similar franchisors offer in terms of business strategy, updated technology, and industry experience. The training and support from the corporate office and other Master Franchise Owners is truly unmatched. As the brand continues to grow and expand across the U.S., Anago is seeking Master Franchise Owners with sales and marketing experience to join its recession-resistant concept. Master Franchise Owners have the potential to create many small businesses within their community through the Unit Franchise concept. The Unit focuses their business on cleaning office buildings, retail stores, manufacturing facilities, and just about any other commercial property. The Master Franchisees handle the administrative tasks, including everything from finding clients and coordinating cleaning contracts to billing and collections. Anago plans to expand its master franchise territories into additional markets around the United States, including Chicago, Houston, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut as well as internationally. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Anago, contact Judy Walker, Vice President of Marketing for Anago, at 800-213-5857 or judy@anagocleaning.com or visit www.AnagoMasters.com. About Anago Cleaning Systems Anago Cleaning Systems is a commercial cleaning franchise system supporting over 35 Master Franchises and 2,400 Unit Franchisees in the U.S. and internationally. After years of refining procedures and creating duplicable systems created in his large commercial cleaning service, David Povlitz founded Anago in 1989 to help other entrepreneurs open their cleaning businesses. Today, its program sets the standard worldwide in commercial cleaning. Anago was ranked the 10th fastest-growing franchise in 2013 and #39 on the Franchise 500 by Entrepreneur magazine in 2015 and 2013, and ranked by Franchise Business Review as one of the best franchises in franchisee satisfaction. Inc. Magazine has also listed Anago as one of the top privately-held companies in the U.S. For further information, visit its website or www.AnagoMasters.com. SOURCE Anago Cleaning Systems Media Contact: Erin Baker Director Of Public Relations Nymbus Public Relations (954) 732-6053 Erin@nymbuspr.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Coverall North America, Inc. Experiences System-Wide Growth in 2015 January 19, 2016 // Franchising.com // Coverall North America, Inc., a leading franchisor of commercial cleaning businesses, today announced hundreds of new Franchised Businesses joined the Coverall System in 2015 as the Coverall brand expanded, especially in California, Florida, Hawaii, Ohioand Texas, and in the Canadian provinces. "It has been an incredible year for Coverall as we have met and exceeded our goals for system-wide growth," said Rick Ascolese, Coverall President and CEO. "Over the last 30 years, Coverall has established itself as one of the leading brands in the franchised commercial cleaning industry. In 2016, we will continue our focus on supporting our franchisees and helping them develop their businesses through our local Support Centers. Our whole system is built around a passion for helping entrepreneurs start their own businesses through a Coverall franchise." Several of Coverall's 35 Support Centers relocated to new facilities to better accommodate and position themselves conveniently for franchisees, including locations in Long Island, N.Y., Omaha, Neb., Ft. Myers, Fla., Metairie, La. and Dayton, Ohio. In addition, new Coverall Master Franchisee-owned Support Centers opened in Chattanooga, Tenn. and Mobile, Ala., continuing brand expansion into new markets. Coverall North America, Inc. also increased its employee ranks to help support Coverall franchisees in its markets and continues to offer career opportunities in sales, field operations and administration. Coverall North America, Inc. attributed much of its success this year to outstanding Franchised Business Owners who make the decision to independently own and operate a franchised business and are ambassadors for the Coverall brand. Jeremiah Bates, owner of Emerald Cleaning Service LLC in the Pittsburgh area, Benit Gotah and Ablavi Anoumou, owners of Adi-Got Brothers Services LLC in the Charlotte area, and Hebert Ospina, owner of Hebert Enterprises Corp. in the South Florida area, have all been named Franchised Business Owners of the Year. "These outstanding Franchised Businesses of the Year demonstrate exceptional service delivery and great relationships with their customers," said Ascolese. "We are extremely proud of their achievements and honored that they chose to be part of the Coverall System." Coverall is a leader in the franchising industry. Guided by a strong value system based on Integrity, Mutual Respect, Honesty, Trust and Team, Coverall has built a servant-leadership system with its Franchised Businesses as top priority. Each year the largest Coverall Franchised Business of the Year receives national recognition together with similarly selected franchisees of the year in other systems at the International Franchise Association's Franchise Action Network Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. Those interested in exploring Coverall franchised business opportunities may visit Coverall's all-new website at www.coverall.com/franchise-opportunities. Coverall North America, Inc. and its Master Franchisees license and support more than 8,000 independently owned and operated franchised commercial cleaning businesses worldwide under the Coverall name and system. About Coverall North America, Inc. Since its inception in 1985, Coverall North America, Inc. has grown into a leading franchised brand, licensing thousands of entrepreneurs to operate independent commercial cleaning businesses using the Coverall brand and system. February 26, 2015, marked the company's 30th year in business, a milestone anniversary celebrated across the entire Coverall Franchise System. In 2008, Coverall launched its proprietary Health-Based Cleaning System Program and in 2014, introduced the Coverall Core 4Process, demonstrating its dedication to continuous innovation and leadership on behalf of its franchisees. Coverall's unique system combines advanced cleaning technologies and tools, hospital-grade disinfectants, professional training programs, business support services, and a passion for healthy cleaning to do one thing: help our franchised businesses remove the maximum amount of dirt and germs as efficiently as possible for their customers. System-wide, more than 8,000 Franchised Businesses provide Coverall Program services across 90 markets to over 40,000 customers. For more information, visit www.coverall.com. SOURCE Coverall North America, Inc. Media Contact: Jessi Nunez Fish Consulting (954) 893-9150 JNunez@fish-consulting.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Decorating Den Interiors Honors 2015's Top Design Businesses January 19, 2016 // Franchising.com // Easton, Md. - Decorating Den Interiors, North Americas largest home furnishings and interior design franchise company, named its Chairmans Circle award winners for being in the top five-percent in sales in 2015. The Chairmans Circle awards are the first we announce each year, says Jim Bugg, Jr., president and CEO. This recognition was started by James S. Bugg, Sr., who died last year. He had served as company chairman since 1984, and was a member of the International Franchise Associations Hall of Fame. He oversaw the companys growth from practically all its franchisees being homebased to its current makeup in which nearly all of its larger units are based in outside studio/offices with a team of decorators and other support staff. Remarkably, three of these high achievers have been in business less than two years, said Bugg. Diane Schaefer and Linda Coin each purchased existing businesses and grew them significantly and quickly to become first-time Chairmans Circle award level. Charla Traugott and Jill Schuey had started a design business after both working in furniture store sales, but converted to a Decorating Den Interiors franchise and quickly reaped the benefits of our business model. Sandy Kozar and Kathie Golson achieved their first-time Chairman's Circle status with 33-percent and 30-percent growth, respectively, over their previous year's sales, noted Bugg. Our companys wide-spread geographic presence is highlighted by these distinguished owners, Bugg emphasized. These top franchises operate in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and Canada. Chairmans Circle achievers were: (* indicates first time achieving Chairmans Circle) Lisa Landry, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Arlington, Texas Catherine Pulcine, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Barbara Elliott and Jennifer Ward Woods, owners of Decorating Den Interiors of Stone Mountain, Ga. Nola Shivers, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Springfield, Mo. Charla Traugott and Jill Shuey, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Montgomery, Texas * Jeanette Turk, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Baton Rouge, La. Claudia Leah, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Naples, Fla. Diane Schaefer, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Venice, Fla.* Bonnie Pressley, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Fort Worth, Texas Linda Coin, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Sanibel, Fla. * Kathie Golson, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Orlando, Fla. * Sandy Kozar, owner of Decorating Den Interiors of Knoxville, Tenn.* Decorating Den Interiors, which was founded in 1969, has franchises throughout the U.S. and Canada is ranked in Entrepreneur magazines top 500 franchises. Its online resource for exploring business ownership is www.interiordecoratingcareer.com. SOURCE Decorating Den Interiors Contact: Ross Feltz Public Relations Counsel C: 814-323-8526 O: 814-336-3000 Rfeltz@decoratingden.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Jackson, Tenn., Husband-Wife Team Bringing First Huddle House Restaurant To Jackson As Part Of Revitalization Effort January 19, 2016 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA Jackson, Tenn., residents Donald and Kimberly Lloyd are combining the dream of owning their own restaurant with a desire to contribute to the ongoing effort to rebuild a part of their community devastated by a tornado. The Lloyds recently signed a franchisee agreement that will bring the first Huddle House restaurant to the East Jackson community. In 2003, a series of devastating tornadoes ripped through downtown Jackson and the East Jackson community, leaving behind extensive damage and destruction, including 11 deaths. Despite the combined efforts of the Urban Land Institute and the City of Jackson, rebuilding the community has been no easy task, but the Lloyds say they are committed to doing what they can to revitalize the area. Following the storms, the city and the Urban Land Institute developed a plan to rebuild the devastated areas and to formulate a new vision, said Lloyd, whose restaurant is scheduled to open later this year at 1118 Whitehall Street. Kim and I are proud to be a part of that vision by building a new Huddle House Restaurant in East Jackson. A U.S. Navy Desert Shield/Desert Storm Veteran before becoming Vice President of Physician Services at Magnolia Regional Health Center, Donald took a severance buyout in 2015 and decided to invest in a business. Donald and Kimberly, a registered nurse at Jackson General Hospital, began researching restaurant franchises. From the first time they visited Huddle House, the Lloyds knew they wanted their own restaurant known for serving Any Meal. Any Time. Jackson has a strong sense of community, which makes it a perfect location for Huddle House, said Christina Chambers, Vice President of Franchise Development for Huddle House. We expect residents of all ages to quickly embrace the restaurant as a gathering place where they can enjoy great food with family and friends at any time of the day. Don and Kimberly are also committed to building a second Huddle House in Henderson, Tennessee, in the very near future. About Huddle House Huddle House now has well over 400 restaurants open or under development in 21 states and this will be the first in Jackson. Typically open 24-hours, Huddle House serves breakfast, lunch and dinner all day. The menu features Southern-inspired home-style food, including signature Big House breakfasts, crispy hash browns, creamy grits, golden waffles and fluffy omelets, all made to order. Other favorites include Big Bold Burgers, Big House sandwich platters, and a variety of home-style dinners like country fried steak with green beans and marinated grilled chicken with sweet potato fries. The core values on which Huddle House was founded serving freshly prepared, quality home-style food in a warm friendly environment that brings the community together are as true today as they were more than 50 years ago. More information about Huddle House franchise opportunities is available at huddlehousefranchising.com or by calling 877-990-0505. SOURCE Huddle House Media Contact: Sara Zangani BizCom Associates (214) 306-7420 sara@bizcompr.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Jersey Mike's Subs Opens First Matawan Location Operating Partner Celebrates With Free Sub Fundraiser January 19, 2016 // Franchising.com // Matawan, NJ - Jersey Mikes Subs, known for its fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs, opened in Matawan on January 13. Operating partner Chris Sutton held a grand opening and free sub fundraiser from Wednesday, January 13 to Sunday, January 17 to support Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District. The new restaurant, located at 251 Main Street, circulated 7,500 coupons throughout the community offering a free regular sub for a minimum $2 donation to Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District. The Jersey Mikes brand has always been a staple in southern Monmouth County and we are looking forward to introducing it to the Matawan community, said Sutton. Jersey Mikes has always been about supporting the local community and we have chosen to partner with the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District as our grand opening charity partner. With our opening we look forward to serving authentic sub sandwiches and getting to know the customers in the Matawan area. Sutton is an exemplary Jersey Mikes operating partner who shares the companys commitment to quality products and exceptional customer service, and who is dedicated to giving back to the local community. Since 2010, Jersey Mikes locations throughout the country have raised nearly $14 million for worthy local charities and have distributed more than 1.5 million free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes. In 2015, the companys 5th Annual Jersey Mikes Month of Giving in March raised more than $3 million for 150 local charities throughout the country. About Jersey Mikes Started in 1956, Jersey Mikes now has 1,500 restaurants open and under development nationwide. In 2015, for the second year in a row, the company was named the #1 fastest growing chain in the Nations Restaurant News Top 100, and continues to win best sub awards in virtually every market it enters. The growth is fueled by passionate Jersey Mikes fans who crave their subs made Mikes Way with the freshest vegetables onions, lettuce and tomatoes topped off with an exquisite zing of the juice red wine vinegar and olive oil blended to perfection. Jersey Mikes premium meats and cheeses are sliced on the spot, piled high on in-store baked bread and served up with a helping of neighborly banter from a dedicated and high-energy team. The restaurants hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. You can contact this location directly at (732) 970-4422. SOURCE Jersey Mikes ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus McAlister's Deli "Lite Choose Two" Offers Healthier Menu Options Under 600 Calories Award-Winning Fast Casual Restaurant Offers Healthier Meal Options to Help Keep Those New Year's Resolutions January 19, 2016 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA - McAlister's Deli, a leading fast casual chain, is highlighting its "Lite Choose Two" menu offering again with a wide variety of options all under 600 calories to help stay on track in the New Year. Guests can choose from more than 250 pairings of two portion entrees such as a half sandwich, salad, spud and cup of soup. This year's choices feature the all-new Southwest Vegetable Soup, a vegetarian option including tomatoes, onions, black beans, roasted corn combined with the right amount of cumin and coriander - perfect for a cold winter day. McAlister's "Lite Choose Two" menu combines favorite low-calorie options from the existing menu to create lighter, pre-portioned meals starting at just 460 calories. Some of the highlighted features include the following: Southwest Turkey Melt & Southwest Vegetable Soup (500 calories) Smoky Pepper Jack Turkey Griller & Fire Roasted Vegetable Soup (460 calories) Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap & Fire Roasted Vegetable Soup (470 calories) Harvest Chicken Salad Sandwich & Tomato Bisque (510 calories) Justaspud & Chicken Tortilla Soup (510 calories) McAlister's Club & Southwest Vegetable Soup (540 calories) Memphian & Savannah Chopped Salad (570 calories) "The new year brings a new mentality for health-conscious guests who are looking for lighter, better-for-you meal options but we don't believe you need to sacrifice taste to stick with your health goals," said Robert Dimson, Director of Marketing for McAlister's Deli. "McAlister's takes pride in keeping flavorful ingredients in each of our Lite Choose Two menu options while allowing guests to feel good about their ordering choices that are all under 600 calories." 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 Atlanta. For more information, visit www.mcalistersdeli.com. About FOCUS Brands Inc. Atlanta-based FOCUS Brands Inc. is the franchisor and operator of over 4,000 ice cream shoppes, bakeries, restaurants and cafes in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 60 foreign countries under the brand names Carvel, Cinnabon, Schlotzsky's, Moe's Southwest Grill, Auntie Anne's and McAlister's Deli, as well as Seattle's Best Coffee on certain military bases and in certain international markets. Please visit www.focusbrands.com to learn more. SOURCE McAlister's Media Contact: Brianna Chavez For McAlisters Deli 310-496-4463 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Real Property Management Predicts Positive Outlook for Landlords in 2016 Leading Property Management Franchise Analyzes Year Ahead for Rental Property Investors January 19, 2016 // Franchising.com // SALT LAKE CITY Real Property Management, the nations leading property management organization, expects a positive year for landlords and property investors expecting to buy and hold single-family rental units. The organization analyzed a variety of market conditions that could affect the health of the rental industry through 2016. We know that many consumers including families, millennials and boomers still view renting homes as not only more financially appropriate, but more conducive to their desire for a flexible lifestyle, said Bob Pifke, CMO of Property Management Business Solutions, LLC. The market conditions that have made single-family home investments attractive will continue, and while 2016 may not be dazzling, it should not disappoint. The Real Property Management organization identified the following trends and expectations for investors in the coming year: Profitable rental properties will shrink for investors Markets that contained distressed housing have largely recovered: new and existing supply of homes is down to 5.7 months, and the supply of single family homes is down to 5.2 months both the lowest rates the industry has seen in years. Foreclosures have also dropped to 470,000, a 24.3 percent decline since last year, according to CoreLogic. Markets that contained distressed housing have largely recovered: new and existing supply of homes is down to 5.7 months, and the supply of single family homes is down to 5.2 months both the lowest rates the industry has seen in years. Foreclosures have also dropped to 470,000, a 24.3 percent decline since last year, according to CoreLogic. Household formation will rise A significant share of new households will be rentals because of increased preferences for flexibility and demonstrated unwillingness to purchase a home, especially among Millennials. A significant share of new households will be rentals because of increased preferences for flexibility and demonstrated unwillingness to purchase a home, especially among Millennials. Market conditions to get tighter Vacancy rates were 5.12 percent for a 3-bedroom single family home through the fourth quarter of 2015, a glaring difference from 10.7 percent in 2009. In 2016, vacancy rates will start to stabilize, but may continue to decline slightly as rental supply works to meet demand, putting added pressure on rental rates. Vacancy rates were 5.12 percent for a 3-bedroom single family home through the fourth quarter of 2015, a glaring difference from 10.7 percent in 2009. In 2016, vacancy rates will start to stabilize, but may continue to decline slightly as rental supply works to meet demand, putting added pressure on rental rates. Rental rates outpace inflation Investors will benefit from improving economic conditions including stable employment rates, flat wage growth, and higher interest rates. The dip in the number of Americans owning homes translates to an increase in demand for rental homes, which is a promising point for investors. The average rental rate for a 3-bedroom single family home in the United States was $1,353 in December 2015, up 3.1 percent year-over-year according to RentRange. Further demonstrating the strength of the home rental market, the Real Property Management brand added thousands of new properties nationwide last year as landlords sought the companys help in overseeing the day-to-day management of their investment properties. The Real Property Management brand is the leading property management franchise in the nation with more than 270 offices in 44 states. The company specializes in managing single-family homes, townhomes, condos, multiplexes and small apartment buildings. Its services include finding and screening tenants, completing the lease agreements, collecting rent, arranging for any necessary repairs, and processing evictions when necessary. Real Property Management offices also manage the legal compliance for local, state and federal real estate law. About Real Property Management Real Property Management is a franchise organization owned by Property Management Business Solutions, LLC, a privately held corporation based in Utah. With over 25 years of industry expertise, Real Property Management offices provide full-service residential property management for thousands of investors and rental home owners from more than 270 independently owned and operated locations throughout the United States and Canada. For more information about Real Property Management, property management services or franchising opportunities, visit http://www.realpropertymgt.com/ or www.propertymanagementfranchise.com/. SOURCE Real Property Management Media Contact: Kayla Atwell Account Executive Fishman Public Relations Katwell@fishmanpr.com (o) 847.945.1300, Ext. 235 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Russos New York Pizzeria Opens in Katy Authentic New York-style Pizza Arrives in the Firethorne Community January 19, 2016 // Franchising.com // KATY, Texas Mangiamo, Katy! The most authentic Texas-based Italian eatery has just opened. One of Katys most highly anticipated restaurant openings of 2016, Russos New York Pizzeria is now open. Local residents, commuters and visitors can now savor the tastes, aromas and unmistakable ambiance of an authentic New York-style pizzeria. The well-known, chef driven, fast casual Italian restaurant franchise, that brings to life old-world charm and hospitality is open at 1708 Spring Green Blvd, #180 in the Kroeger Marketplace Plaza, which is situated in the attractive Firethorne community. Residents, the workforce and visitors to town are getting a true slice of New York in Katy, said Eduardo Haas, local resident and entrepreneur, who is opening the restaurant along with his wife, Jessica. Our menu consists of traditional Italian pizza, calzones and pasta dishes, created by Chef Anthony Russo, and all made with fresh ingredients. We are truly excited to share Chef Russos creations with the community in Katy. Russos New York Pizzeria in Katy is open for lunch and dinner with an extensive catering menu available. The traditional and inviting restaurant features a full menu of authentic New York-style pizza and Italian dishes. The restaurant blends the freshness of fine ingredients with the magic created around a handcrafted Italian meal. Opening our third location in Katy is a momentous occasion for Russos New York Pizzeria, said Chef Russo, the creative culinary genius behind the brand who also serves as its CEO. We couldnt be happier that Eduardo and Jessica are carrying on the Russos family tradition and expanding into the Firethorne community. Russos New York Pizzeria and its traditional Italian recipes trace their origins to a tight-knit family where the kitchen was the center of activity. Along with its sister brand, Russos Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen, Russos New York Pizzeria has garnered a cult-like following for its truly authentic and delicious Italian dishes made from the freshest ingredients, and its New York-style pizza. The restaurants blend premium recipes with the freshest ingredients that are all natural with no preservatives, no additives and zero trans-fats. Chef Russos family promise, If it isnt fresh, dont serve it! is the mantra of each and every franchisee who has been certified and mastered the Russos brand operating criteria. Complete Russos New York Pizzeria menu options are available at www.nypizzeria.com. About Russos Restaurants Russos Restaurants is a 46-location national and international franchisor of the fast casual and casual dining brands Russos New York Pizzeria and Russos Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen. Based in Houston, Russos Restaurants is composed of a mix of corporate and franchised locations across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida and Hawaii. Russos has entered international markets as well, with locations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. There are an additional 29-plus units in development both in the United States and internationally. Chef Anthony Russo has created his concepts from years of applying his unique, family recipes featuring New York-style pizza, along with a broad variety of handcrafted pasta creations, calzones, salads, sandwiches, soups and desserts, reflecting his commitment to his New York roots where food and family come first. To learn more about Russos franchise development opportunities, visit www.nypizzeria.com. For International development, contact our international franchise development manager, Suzanne Boyadjian at suzanne@nypizzeria.com or for the U.S. contact Jim Carr, director of franchise development, at j.carr@nypizzeria.com or by phone at (832) 980-6407. SOURCE Russos Restaurants Media Contact: Jamie Izaks All Points Public Relations (847) 897-7480 jizaks@allpointspr.com ### Add to Request List Added Request Information Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Across the country, the 30th anniversary of the holiday to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was remembered in different ways. In Michigan, people delivered bottled water to residents of Flint amid the citys drinking water crisis. In Atlanta, an overflow crowd listened as to the nations housing secretary talk about the 50th anniversary of Kings visit to Chicago to launch a campaign for fair housing. In Minnesota, a rally against police brutality was planned. In the nations capital, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama followed the King Day theme of community service by planting vegetable seeds at a District of Columbia elementary school to honor the civil rights leader and celebrate Mrs. Obamas anti-childhood obesity initiative. They also stuffed bags with books for needy children along with young people who participate in a White House mentoring program and volunteers from the AmeriCorps national service program. Elsewhere, an overflow crowd showed up at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to celebrate its former pastors legacy at an annual commemorative service. It capped more than a week of events under the theme: Remember! Celebrate! Act! Kings Legacy of Freedom for Our World. While people have been distracted by TV reality shows and music that tears down instead of uplifts, many injustices have occurred and were about to create right here in this civilized society the wild, wild west with guns, said Kings daughter, the Rev. Bernice King. U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro told the church audience that King moved into a Chicago apartment on the citys west side 50 years ago and described seeing a daily battle against depression and hopelessness as babies were attacked by rats and children wore clothes too thin to protect against the Midwest winter. You see, Dr. King knew that housing was more than about just bricks and mortar, Castro said. Why dont we all hear better? Rabinowitch frames his interest in this neural flip-flopping with a simple question: When blind people, for instance, hear better, you can ask yourself, why dont [the sighted] hear better in the first place? Why do we have to be blind in order to hear better? he said. Its hard to understand without looking into the details. Studies in humans and other mammals can spot the different areas of the brain that switch on or off when senses are lost or boosted, but they often cant go into more depth than that. Studying simpler animals like C. elegans allow researchers to pinpoint the exact cells and even the molecules involved. To study how well the worms smell, Rabinowitch placed tiny amounts of different chemicals that smell like yummy worm treats near the animals and watched their behavior. (To Rabinowitch, they smell like rotten fruit, marzipan or butter.) Worms with super-smell start moving toward the chemical even when only tiny amounts of it are present; normal worms need more scent to respond. Of the different scents, Rabinowitch said the marzipan odor is his favorite and the worms love it too. I like to hang out with the worms and smell the marzipan, he said. Rabinowitch and his colleagues found that the neurons that respond to touch actively keep smell neurons in check in worms with normal senses. When those touch neurons become inactive, the smell neurons ramp up, uninhibited. So it could be that none of our senses are working to their full potential. The team also pinpointed the molecular messenger that conveys signals from touch cells to smell cells, telling the latter to tone down. This type of molecule, known as a neuropeptide, could play a role in humans too, Rabinowitch said. This type of cross-sensory mediation may be advantageous, the researchers speculated. It does make sense that there is a kind of preference for diversity of information than volume of information, Rabinowitch said, but he emphasized that the brains predilection for many different, quieter signals over one strong input is as yet hypothetical. Evolution may have selected for a sensory system with some space to flex, Bai said. You dont want to always work at your extreme. The system will break that way, he said. You build stability by allowing room for change. When you lose one sense and the others compensate, thats the stability built in. However, even in the simple worm, sensory plasticity is still a complex picture. The researchers also found that the worms lacking the sense of gentle touch have reduced abilities in some other senses, like feeling touch on their nose, a sense controlled by a different set of neurons than overall gentle touch. The scientists dont yet understand why some senses are dampened while others are boosted. The nitty gritty There are parallels between microscopic worms that cant feel their surroundings and blind humans, the researchers said. C. elegans worms do not have eyes, relying primarily on body touch to get around. They dont need sight in their natural environment, living in dark, gritty soil or rotting fruit where they wouldnt be able to see far anyway, Bai said. Humans are vision-dominant, but the worm is touch-dominant. Thats their eye, he said. They just have an eye all over their body. These findings make new predictions about how human senses could work, Rabinowitch said. Nobodys yet looked at whether neurons for one sense affect other sensory circuits in people or other mammals. But based on their study, Rabinowitch thinks it could be happening. In their worm study, the researchers found just a single touch neuron and single smell neuron involved in the sensory interaction. The smell cell that gets downregulated by the touch neuron is one of the first in the scent-sensing pathway. So its possible that, for example, vision neurons in sighted humans inhibit some of the very first neurons in the complex highway of nerves that conveys sound information from ear to brain. Even if its not the very first line of sensation somewhere thats very primary in the whole chain of processing could be a good place to look, Rabinowitch said. Join the conversation. Talk about this story on Facebook. 9/11 Hero, Ray Pfeifer, Honored for Efforts to Reauthorize the Zadroga Act Ray Pfeifer, a retired New York City firefighter and 9/11 hero who fought tirelessly to reauthorize the Zadroga Act, despite being seriously sick himself, was presented a key to the City. The newly reauthorized Zadroga Act will provide permanent healthcare to sick and injured responders. -- Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm that has spent many years fighting to ensure that the first responders and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks are never forgotten, applauds retired firefighter Ray Pfeifer for both his heroism and his dedication to reauthorizing the Zadroga Act. PIX11 reports that Mr. Pfeifer was presented with a key to New York City for his efforts. After helping clean up the World Trade Center site for eight months, he developed stage four cancer and now must use a wheelchair. Still, Mr. Pfeifer made over one-dozen trips to Washington, DC to push for Zadroga reauthorization, always deferring from the spotlight, stating, "I don't know why I'm here. I ... everybody did something. I want to be up there with the guys on the back step." "That wheelchair became a sword," said 9/11 responder and advocate John Feal. "That wheelchair was symbolic of those who were home who could not be there in DC to fight with us," Mr. Feal added, according to PIX11. The Zadroga Act was first passed in 2010. The Act reopened the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) and established the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, which provides medical treatment and monitoring to sick responders and survivors. Congress recently voted to reauthorize the Act and, on December 18, 2015, President Obama signed the bill into law, which reauthorized the Act. The WTC Health Program is extended for another 75 years to 2090 with $3.5 billion in funding to monitor and care for 73,000 responders and survivors. The VCF was set to expire October 1, 2016 and is extended for another five years to 2021 with $4.6 billion in funding. "The firm applauds this honor being awarded to Ray Pfeifer, who is a truly selfless hero," said Matthew J. McCauley, Senior Litigation Counsel at Parker Waichman. "After sacrificing his health for our country, he never stopped fighting for his fellow responders." Parker Waichman has consistently stood alongside responders, survivors, and advocates in the continuous fight to reauthorize the Act. The firm took part in lobbying efforts and trips to the nation's capital, often along with the firm's clients--other responders and survivors--, as well as taking part in numerous delegations and rallies. The firm remains dedicated to fighting for the rights of responders and survivors. The firm continues its efforts to safeguard these heroes and ensure that all of the deserved Zadroga Act compensation is received. To determine eligibility for compensation under the Act, or for assistance with a claim, please visit Parker Waichman's website or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636). For more information about us, please visit http://www.yourlawyer.com/new-york Contact Info: Name: Parker Waichman Organization: Parker Waichman LLP Address: 59 Maiden Lane 6th Floor New York, NY 10038 Phone: 212-267- 6700 Release ID: 101505 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) Zadroga Act Should Cover Responders Suffering from Nerve Damage Doctors, responders, and 9/11 terrorist attack advocates are calling for neuropathy, or nerve damage, to be added to the list of conditions eligible for coverage under the Zadroga Act. A recent study reveals the neuropathy rate is 15 times higher among 9/11 responders. -- Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm that has spent many years fighting to ensure that the first responders and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks are never forgotten, calls for neuropathy, more commonly referred to as nerve damage, to be eligible for coverage under the Zadroga Act. CBS New York reports that doctors at a Long Island, New York hospital are pushing to expand the Zadroga Act in light of a new study that found that 9/11 responders suffer from higher rates of neuropathy. The study, conducted by doctors at Long Island's Winthrop University Hospital and published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, showed that rates of neuropathy were 15 times higher than normal in 9/11 responders. Dr. Marc Wilkenfeld, who led the study, said "We were able to get a hold of some of the World Trade Center dust and do an experiment; a direct application of the dust to animal nerves," in an interview with 1010 WINS, according to CBS New York. "And we found that it a[e]ffected nerve transmission, which went along with the patients' symptoms that we were seeing." Don Miller, an iron worker who suffers from neuropathy, told WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs. "The pain I'm sitting with right now in my legs is almost unbearable," he said, according to CBS New York. Miller was one of the earliest responders who helped with rescue and recovery following the 9/11 attacks. CBS New York also shared the story of Kenny Anderson, a 9/11 responder and retired New York Police Department (NYPD) detective. Mr. Anderson suffers from nerve damage in his feet that confines him to a wheelchair. "I get shooting pains that will make me jump and exclaim some things that my mother wouldn't be proud of," he said. Congress recently voted to reauthorize the Act and, on December 18, 2015, President Obama signed the bill into law, which reauthorized the Act. The WTC Health Program is extended for another 75 years to 2090 with $3.5 billion in funding to monitor and care for 73,000 responders and survivors. The VCF was set to expire October 1, 2016 and is extended for another five years to 2021 with $4.6 billion in funding. Parker Waichman comments that many responders suffer from 9/11-related conditions, some of which are not available for coverage under the Zadroga Act. "The firm supports adding neuropathy to the list of conditions eligible for coverage," said Matthew J. McCauley, Senior Litigation Counsel at Parker Waichman and a former NYPD first responder who was also present at the press conference alongside John Feal of the FealGood foundation and many of his other fellow first responders. "These responders are in excruciating pain due to their service, and they deserve to have the benefits that go along with having these conditions recognized under the Zadroga Act." "So cancer wasn't initially covered, then that was covered. And then prostate cancer wasn't covered, and then that was added," said Wilkenfeld, according to CBS New York. "So right now, neuropathy is not covered, and we feel that the scientific evidence is showing that it is related to World Trade Center dust exposure and it should be covered by the program." "Now that we got this bill passed, we have 75 years to get it right. We have 75 years to make sure that illnesses like neuropathy get added, so men and women get treated," said 9/11 advocate and responder John Feal, president and founder of the advocacy group, FealGood Foundation. Parker Waichman actively worked toward the 2010 passage of the Zadroga Act, including taking part in lobbying efforts and trips to the nation's capital, often along with the firm's clients--other responders and survivors. The firm continued to fight for permanent extension of the Act, taking part in numerous, ongoing lobbying efforts and being part of delegations and rallies. The firm continues to fight alongside Ground Zero first responders, survivors, and advocates, to help efforts to safeguard these heroes and ensure that all deserved Zadroga Act compensation is received. To determine eligibility for compensation under the Act, or for assistance with a claim, please visit Parker Waichman's website or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636). For more information about us, please visit http://www.yourlawyer.com/new-york Contact Info: Name: Parker Waichman Organization: Parker Waichman LLP Address: 59 Maiden Lane 6th Floor New York, NY 10038 Phone: 212-267- 6700 Release ID: 101504 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 Announces The Hire Of Two New Associate Lawyers Under 2016 Expansion Caramanna, Friedberg LLP is becoming bigger and more influential within the Toronto legal community, and has headhunted two new highly regarded associates to join its legal team. Toronto, ON -- January 19, 2016 (FPRC) -- Legal defence is a human right and a good criminal defence is especially essential when the stakes are high. Unfortunately, not all legal counsel are created equal and so individuals must go out of their way to seek the top counsel available. Caramanna, Friedberg LLP is a leading criminal defence firm in Toronto and they have started 2016 with two new hires, Brendan Gould and Jason Au. Brendan Gould B.B.A., M.B.A., J.D. obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Alberta in 2014, and was called to the bar in Ontario in 2015. 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 LLP as an associate. He has experience conducting trials and dealing with matters in both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice. He is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Criminal Lawyers Association. Jason Au B.A. (Hons), J.D. obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from Queen's University Faculty of Law in 2014 and was called to the Bar in Ontario in 2015. 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 is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Criminal Lawyers' Association and the Toronto Lawyers' Association. A list of some of the firm's reported cases is available directly from their website, as is a list of their areas of practice, so individuals can understand the full reach and reputation of this dynamic firm. A spokesperson for Caramanna, Friedberg LLP explained, "We are thrilled to be able to introduce these two superb lawyers to the broader team and we are sure they will each excel in this new environment, with access to high profile cases that will suit their detailed, zealous and comprehensive approach to legal counsel. We welcome both Brendan and Jason, and look forward to placing them with clients very soon." About Caramanna, Friedberg LLP Caramanna, Friedberg LLP is a leading criminal defence law firm located in Toronto, Ontario. The firm provides expert legal advice and protects the rights of individuals facing criminal and quasi-criminal charges in the Ontario courts. Skilful representation is provided from the earliest stages of the criminal process through to trial, with an emphasis on client service, professionalism, and zealous advocacy. For more information please visit: http://www.cflaw.ca/ Send an email to Matthew Friedberg of r 416.924.5969 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) MacDonald Turkey Point Marina To Host 16th Annual Charity Fishing Tournament MacDonald Turkey Point Marina is hosting a charity live release Bass fishing tournament in support of the Childrens Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre, in London, Ontario. Turkey Point, ON -- January 19, 2016 (FPRC) -- Fishing is one of the most popular pastimes in Canada, thanks to its plentiful fish and beautiful great lakes. Lake Erie is home to some of the best bass fishing in the world, and MacDonald Turkey Point Marina is the largest freshwater marina in Canada, located on its edge. Every year they host a charity live release bass fishing tournament, and is this year celebrating its 16th tournament, in support of the London Health Sciences Centre Children's Hospital. This non-profit tournament is sure attract some serious fisherman, as 90% money goes back to the anglers in prizes, with 10% going to the children's hospital. The Children's Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre, in London, Ontario is a world-class hospital with the latest technology and the best specialists, scientists and health professionals in Canada. As such, its operating costs are significant, and the donations from the tournament are always gratefully received. The fishermen taking part in the tournament have the opportunity to fish for some of the biggest and best Bass anywhere in Canada, and the Marina prides itself in the beautifully preserved natural wilderness it has become a part of. A spokesperson for MacDonald Turkey Point Marina explained, "We are thrilled to be able to hold our sixteenth tournament in support of such a great cause, and we know that the work done at the LHSC Children's Hospital is invaluable, so any small contribution we can make will be the least we can do to support their tireless work looking after vulnerable children. The tournament itself is an exciting opportunity for the fishermen of London, Ontario to make their best efforts known, and full results will be posted on our Facebook Page so individuals will have full bragging rights to their best catches." About MacDonald Turkey Point Marina MacDonald Turkey Point Marina is Canada's largest freshwater marina. With over 850 slips for dockage, a 4 lane launch-ramp, 12 nozzle gas dock and a restaurant, they serve thousands of customers every week. MacDonald Turkey Point Marina is located on the north shore of Lake Erie, and is located on 83 acres of beautiful grassed land, in walking distance to the public beach. For more information please visit: http://macdonaldmarine.com/ Send an email to Danny MacDonald of r 5194266795 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) "Visual Impact Productions Launches Website and Lands Presidential Campaign Contract To Provide Screens " Visual Impact Productions has launched a website after five years in business, and has landed a contract to provide LED screens for the upcoming presidential political campaigns. San Diego, CA -- January 19, 2016 (FPRC) -- Large live events are an amazing experience because they provide what sitting at home watching a screen cannot: atmosphere. However, live events do have a downside compared to screens, in that those far from the focal point of the event often struggle to see what's happening. Visual Impact Productions enables live events to have the best of both worlds, with large format LED screens available to ensure everyone gets a front row seat, no matter where they are. After five years in business, they have launched a website, and immediately landed a contract to provide the screens for the upcoming presidential campaigns. Thanks to their years in business, they have been able to develop a national infrastructure that offers LED screens in all fifty states, making them a perfect candidate to cover the electoral rallies that will fill events spaces throughout the country. The launch of the website enabled them to be seen. The website has a simple and responsive design that enables the site to load seamlessly on any device, and includes a full accounting of their services and credentials, as well as photos and videos of their screens in action at high profile events. The site is also fully optimized for their industry, so organic searches can discover them via Google, including those made by the Republican and Democrat party organizers. A spokesperson for Visual Impact Productions explained, "Visual Impact Production is thrilled to be able to launch our website and impressed beyond belief that the launch would so quickly result in one of our largest ever contracts, helping to support candidates on the campaign trail with large format LED screens that will ensure all their supporters will be furnished with a great view of their stump speeches, ensuring they can reach out and connect to their audiences as never before." About Visual Impact Productions Visual Impact rent top-of-the-line LED displays giving users the ability to make any venue into a great huge arena. With LED display screen rentals everyone who attends an event will get a "front row" seat. Whatever is happening on stage can be visible from every angle which will help event participants fully enjoy their experience. For more information please visit: http://www.leddisplayrentals.net Send an email to Carlos Blount of r (888) 435-4501 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Free Webinar 'How To Be An Actor Without A Day Job' Re-released Actors interested in learning more about how to quit their day jobs and become full-time actors can access a free webinar on the No More Waiters website: http://www.NoMoreWaiters.com/Free. -- No More Waiters re-released their most popular webinar called "How I Finally Got An Agent, Quit My Day Job, and Became An Actor Full-Time!" and for a limited time, Actors can view the webinar for free at http://www.NoMoreWaiters.com/Free. Actors interested in learning more about how to quit their day jobs and becoming full-time actors can access this free webinar by part-time blogger, full-time actor Bones Rodriguez. The accompanying free ebook is titled "How I Finally Got An Agent, Quit My Day Job, and Became A Full-Time Actor" and they can both be accessed for free on the No More Waiters website: http://www.NoMoreWaiters.com/Free. "There are two kinds of actors: those who bring the check to the table, and those who get the check in the mail" says Rodriguez, "Which do you want to be?". A full-time New York actor, his career has consisted of very little television and film acting, but between the New York stage, live improvisation, and dozens of commercials, he has been a successful actor for over a decade. Without ever having a day job. In addition to answering questions about how to pay for life while pursuing an acting career, the webinar also covers finding an agent, and viewing an acting career as a business. One of the most surprising facts explored during the No More Waiters presentation is that by being free of a day job, it's easier to get an agent, find acting auditions, and get acting work, a fact that few actors are aware of. It's a well-known idea that actors are always looking for ways to make money, but Rodriguez insists that "waiting tables, walking dogs, and watching babies", and other survival jobs for actors are inferior ways to get money. Instead, the webinar consists of ways to make money for actors that do not force trading time, like affiliate marketing, blogging, publishing, and other internet-leveraged opportunities. This kind of work doesn't get in the way of getting agency work, acting auditions or becoming an actor. When making money without a day job, it's easier to become an actor. The full agenda of this informative webinar for actors also includes: -Bones Rodriguez's path from "Sad regionals to SAG residuals" -How to stop trading time for money, how to find agents, and how to be a full-time actor. -How To Become Free From The "Starving Artist" Mindset and Take Control Of The Artist Life.. For more information and to register for free access to the full book and video, interested Actors can visit the website at http://www.NoMoreWaiters.com/Free. For more information about us, please visit http://www.NoMoreWaiters.com/Free Contact Info: Name: John Rodriguez Organization: http://www.NoMoreWaiters.com Address: 50 West 97th Street Phone: 9174507925 Release ID: 101430 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) Shuttercraft Chelmsford Proudly Announces The Company's Official Grand Opening Plantation shutters are becoming more popular. See how Shuttercraft Chelmsford's grand opening gives homeowners greater access to these window treatments at http://www.shuttercraft-chelmsford.co.uk/. -- Increasingly one of the UK's most popular forms of window covering, window shutters - otherwise known as plantation blinds - add an air of class to any home or business. Having a local company who understands a client's needs is important, and for this reason Shuttercraft Chelmsford is pleased to announce that they are now operational throughout Essex. Franchise manager Trevor Siederer and his dedicated team of shutter specialists can advise clients on the best types of window treatments perfectly suited to properties in Chelmsford, Braintree, or Epping. Clients can visit www.shuttercraft-chelmsford.co.uk/ to learn more about how to take advantage of these services. In addition to having several towns, Essex is also known for quaint villages like Great Baddow, that have characterful property types perfect for the plantation shutter treatment. Shuttercraft Chelmsford fits only the finest wooden, MDF and ABS shutters from S:CRAFT, one of the UK's leading industry specialists. Not only do they look stunning, they also provide a number of benefits that families have come to expect. Made-to-measure wooden window shutters offer a range of advantages from thermal insulation to external noise reduction, which makes them perfectly suited to life in modern Britain. In busy Essex towns such as Harlow and Sawbridgeworth, sounds from local traffic can be a real issue, and noise reduction is a great benefit. Regardless of the style of living space or work environment, the design of shutters also makes them incredibly easy to maintain. Instead of expensive dry cleaning often required with curtains, cleaning is cost-free, reduced to just a simple wipe from a damp cloth. With additional benefits such as privacy from overlooking properties and great light control, there really is no better option than internal window shutters. This is why we are delighted that Shuttercraft Chelmsford will be able to provide expert advice, installations, and free consultations for residents and business owners in the Essex area. Those who have questions or would like to inquire about getting the perfect window shutters installed in their home should log on to http://www.shuttercraft-chelmsford.co.uk/. Whether a contemporary apartment or traditional townhouse, hardwood shutters add to the charm, giving a unique look that will help a client's property stand out from the crowd. Whilst suited to most rooms - even those with unusually-shaped bay windows - wood is not suitable for humid areas, such as kitchens and bathrooms. This is why at Shuttercraft Chelmsford a 100% waterproof range of high quality ABS plastic shutters is on offer, for this very reason. A wide selection of colours, stains, sizes and shapes makes shutters a superb match for almost every type of existing decor. At Shuttercraft Chelmsford, not only is the installation service exceptional, so too is the customer care, both before and after purchase. Consultations and advice on all window shutters is offered completely free of charge or obligation, so hidden costs need not be a worry for a client's home improvement project. Visit www.shuttercraft-chelmsford.co.uk to book a free survey today and find out how Trevor and his team can help spruce up any client's home in 2016. About Shuttercraft Chelmsford: Shuttercraft Chelmsford specializes in the installation of made-to-measure window shutters. The team at Shuttercraft Chelmsford operates with a deep understanding of window shutters. All the staff at Shuttercraft Chelmsford are fully trained to the highest level, to provide customers with only the very best shutters at great prices. All our window shutters are manufactured by S:CRAFT, one of the leading UK companies, ensuring only the finest quality materials are used and that plantation shutters are produced to the highest possible standards. For more information about us, please visit http://www.shuttercraft-chelmsford.co.uk/ Contact Info: Name: Trevor Siederer Organization: Shuttercraft Chelmsford Phone: +44 1245 898 680 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/shuttercraft-chelmsford-proudly-announces-the-companys-official-grand-opening/101104 Release ID: 101104 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) S:CRAFT Announces The Return Of Their Love Shutters Offer Shutters are quickly becoming the window covering of choice throughout the UK. See how S:CRAFT's Love Shutters sale is helping homeowners get them at the best price at http://www.s-craft.co.uk. -- Interior window shutters, also known as plantation shutters, are increasingly becoming the window covering of choice throughout the UK. This is due to their aesthetic appeal and the wide variety of apertures they suit. Unlike traditional coverings like curtains, window shutters are on-trend and often used by interior designers to treat awkwardly shaped windows found in properties such as barn conversions. It is with this trend in mind that S:CRAFT is announcing that their Love Shutters sale is back again for 2016. The sale includes a massive selection of shutter colour, size, and shape options. Consumers can expect the Love Shutters sale to run through Valentine's Day and can take advantage of the UK's most comprehensive range of premium-quality window shutters at www.s-craft.co.uk/. Marcus Scott, a spokesperson for the S:CRAFT brand, stated "Whether the property is a traditional terrace or a modern apartment, hardwood shutters help to provide character, giving a unique look often seen in home design magazines. With up to massive discounts our entire range, there has never been a better time to invest in some highly-stylised made-to-measure window treatments. Now through February 14th, 2016, we are offering the opportunity for homeowners to bring a new level of style and class to their homes. They can visit our website at www.s-craft.co.uk to see all the ways our shutters can enhance their homes." As Scott continues, "S:CRAFT shutters are manufactured to the highest possible standards in state-of-the-art production facilities. We use wood that has been kiln dried twice to help prevent bowing and warping, and it is these techniques which guarantee a superior product. Irrespective of which shutter style a homeowner chooses, all of our products offer the same unique benefits, including outstanding natural light and thermal control, excellent privacy options, made-to-measure fitting, and superior noise reduction. In addition, S:CRAFT shutters are hygienic and easy to clean and can be used as room dividers or patio doors as well." "We want homeowners to love their home, and S:CRAFT shutters can help make that happen. Our plantation shutters are second to none in transforming any living space. With such great prices on all of our shutters, we encourage homeowners to go to our website at http://www.s-craft.co.uk to find their local stockist today. Our expert fitters provide free consultations, surveys and quotes on all our S:CRAFT branded plantation shutters, making sure that homeowners love every installation." About S:CRAFT: S:CRAFT has become the renowned name in the U.K. supplying premium grade plantation shutters to customers through their network of national stockists and high street retailers. Their stunning range of made-to-measure plantation blinds are engineered to the highest possible standards, manufactured in state-of-the art production facilities and produced from some of the finest grade raw materials. From their fantastic entry level MDF solution to their range-topping certified white teak that comes from a sustainable plantation with a traceable full custody chain, S:CRAFT is dedicated to supplying only the very highest quality plantation shutters that are built to last and bring customers many years of enjoyment. For more information about us, please visit http://www.s-craft.co.uk Contact Info: Name: Marcus Scott Organization: S:CRAFT Phone: +44 (0) 1962 794 530 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/scraft-announces-the-return-of-their-love-shutters-offer/101347 Release ID: 101347 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) Amazon Curated Jewellery Collection & SmartWatches Website Launched Newly launched web store QT Accessories, specializing in fine and fashion jewellery and watches, has revealed its early top selling products as the Amazon curated jewellery collection in the women's category, and the Smartwatches by various manufacturers in the men's category. -- New online jewellery store, QT Accessories, featuring a selection of men's and women's jewellery and watches says already its best-selling products are Smart Watches from various manufacturers and jewellery from the Amazon curated collection. More information and complete product portfolio can be viewed on the website: http://qtaccessories.com. QT Accessories features a range of fine and fashion jewellery for men and women, with a significant portion of its jewellery selection coming from Amazon's curated collection. Amazon selects pieces that comprise of precious metals, precious and semi-precious gemstones. It only sources its jewellery pieces from suppliers that offer conflict-free compliance, or certification by gemological authorities such as IGI, GIA or AGS. All Amazon collection pieces are also inspected by its own staff gemologist for added assurance. QT Accessories says the range sells well because of the product quality and also the fairness in price. Other jewellery offered to QT Accessories online customers include original, hand-made, fairtrade artisanal pieces, filigree designs and Swarovski crystals in the form of pendants, earrings and bracelets. The mens' jewellery collection includes a big range of wedding bands. The most popular selling items on the website however are watches. The best selling women's watches are the Michael Kors brand, whilst the most popular mens' watches are the Smartwatches. The QT Accessories men's Smartwatch range is more substantial than the women's, reflecting the popularity of the product. The men's Smartwatch range includes those by the following manufacturers: Apple, Motorola, LG and Samsung. The selection of watches is arranged to appeal to both practical buyers and to buyers looking for something special for themselves or as a very special gift for a loved one. Both the jewelry and the watches make perfect gifts for anniversaries, birthdays or special occasions. QT Accessories online jewellery and watch store provide currency calculators in British Pounds, Euros and US and Canadian Dollars. It provides verified secure checkout and a range of payments options: Shopify Secure, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal and Cirrus. The company also provides a 100 percent money-back guarantee on every product sold. For more information about us, please visit http://qtaccessories.com Contact Info: Name: Penny Coggins Organization: QTaccessories Address: 4 Smith Street, Swandlincote, United Kingdom Phone: 1283210772 Release ID: 101556 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 closure of Legal & Generals flagship office in Kingswood will create a 21m black hole in Surreys economy, the Unite union has argued. Protesting Unite members are to present an independent impact report to the L&G board at the companys headquarters in London today (19 January). The union has commissioned the independent local impact assessment, which analyses the cost of closing the Kingswood site in terms of lost wages, the knock-on impact to local business, and the increase in welfare support for those made redundant. Ian Methven, Unite regional officer, said: Our independent report reveals that L&G are prepared to rip a 21 million black hole in to the local economy, a bitter reward for the seventy years that Kingswood has provided a home for the company to prosper. This dispute is a damning example of how a company can completely squander its relationship with both staff and the community in pursuit of meagre savings, he said. We are calling on the Legal & General board recognise their social responsibility and to work with Unite to consider all options for keeping Kingswood open. After considering a variety of scenarios, the report revealed that the total cost of closure in terms of lost wages and increases in welfare payments would be 36m, while the knock-on impact on the local economy was found to be over 21m. An L&G spokesman said: We are surprised and disappointed by the actions of central Unite, especially as only 15 per cent of Kingswood employees voted to take any sort of industrial action, short of a strike. Kingswood Unite representatives have negotiated terms to allow every employee to follow their job, with relocation expenses and allowances, should Kingswood close, and their roles move to Hove or Cardiff. If Kingswood employees are unable to move to new locations, or be redeployed, severance packages have been agreed with the local Unite representatives. Going forward, we hope central Unite will listen to their local members and work with their local Unite officials to get the best outcome for their members, should the site close. Todays protest outside L&G headquarters follows a 67 per cent vote in support of industrial action by L&G members in Kingswood, following L&Gs decision to close the profitable Kingswood site in next year. Unite has been campaigning since September to keep the site open. In response L&G have sought to postpone the closure and have offered staff the option of relocation to sites across the country. katherine.denham@ft.com An investment trust chaired by Lord Rothschild is one of a number of companies which have been reclassified by the Association of Investment Companies into its new Flexible Investment sector. RIT Capital Partners, one of the UKs largest investment trusts which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, with net assets of 281m and a market capitalisation of around 2.4bn, has been reclassified into the AICs Flexible Investment sector. The AIC launched its investment company sector, Flexible Investment, last month to help IFAs find and compare multi-asset trusts more easily. As part of the launch, which incorporates companies whose policy allows them to invest in a range of asset types, the AIC has published profiles of the companies, together with performance tables. Companies to be reclassified in the Flexible Investment sector:- BACIT BlackRock Income Strategies Trust Capital Gearing Trust Henderson Alternative Strategies Trust INVESCO Perpetual Select Balanced Risk Miton Worldwide Growth Investment Trust New Star Investment Trust Personal Assets Trust RIT Capital Partners Ruffer Investment Company Ian Sayers, chief executive at the AIC, said: The investment company sector has always housed a diverse range of sectors and investment strategies. One unifying theme in the Flexible Investment sector is the companies investment policies, which allow them to invest in a range of asset classes. Interestingly, in the Flexible Investment sector, each company stands out for a different style and strategy and they are by no means a homogenous group. Some of these companies have been following their strategy for decades, whereas others have recently followed this approach. We hope investors and advisers will find the new sector classification useful and can easily compare the different strategies and styles in more detail. According to AIC, companies in the new sector include BlackRock Income Strategies which embraced multi-asset investment last year after a 100-year history, while other companies, including Personal Assets Trust, Capital Gearing and Ruffer Investment Company, have a capital preservation strategy. Henderson Alternative Strategies, on the other hand, targets specialist funds including hedge funds and private equity, while Miton Global Opportunities principally invests in closed ended funds, and Invesco Perpetual Select Balanced Risk focuses on balancing exposure between debt securities, equities and commodities. Lord Rothschild and his family are the largest shareholders at RIT Capital Partners with a holding of 21 per cent. Darius McDermott, managing director of Chelsea Financial Services, said: There is always going to be the odd fund that doesnt meet a narrower sector definition. Flexible Investment is a home for funds that dont meet the narrower fund classification. If in this sector it does allow the flexibility to have a more varied asset allocation. The Investment Association (IA) has said there could be massive disruption among asset management firms should the UK vote to leave the European Union. Speaking before a Treasury Select Committee hearing, IA interim chief executive Guy Sears said a departure would give rise to significant changes and disruptions for fund groups. Mr Sears was responding to questions from MPs over the stance the investment industry was taking on the UKs forthcoming referendum on EU membership, and the potential impact of a Brexit. Taking as a model the existing relationship between the EU and third party countries such as Switzerland, Mr Sears said there was a potential for massive disruption. Firms wanting to offer services to European clients would need to show equivalence between UK and European regulations in the event of a Brexit, he said. He added that UK-based Ucits funds would cease to be deemed as such should the UK leave the EU. Instead, they would be deemed alternative investment funds and subject to more onerous third-country distribution arrangements. The interim CEO was also questioned as to whether the UK industry, which manages around 37 per cent of EU assets under management, would be affected by no longer contributing to EU regulatory developments. Mr Sears said: Given regulation dictates your access to markets, being subjected to regulation you had no part of would be less than optimal. But Mr Sears frustrated committee chair and Conservative MP Andrew Tyrie over the IAs stance on EU membership, saying the trade body would not take a position itself. We can only represent the things we look at, and we look at the technical and regulatory issues should we come out. Whether the businesses benefit or do not depends on what they do, he said. It is unlikely as a trade association that we would make that assessment [on whether to stay in or leave]. John Barrass, deputy chief of the Wealth Management Association (WMA), echoed these comments, saying the organisation had similarly not made such an assessment. But he added: we are having a debate with member firms...but do not have a conclusion. Two men have been jailed for trafficking two people from Lithuania and forcing them to work in farm produce processing plants for as little as 20 over four months. Konstantin Sasmurin, 34, and Linus Tatautus, 31, of Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk, were each jailed for three-and-a-half years at Kings Lynn Crown Court. In a statement, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) said the victims had been preyed upon and exploited by two men who were driven solely by financial greed. See also: Poultry workers to sue worst ever UK gangmaster The court heard they had been transported to Cobholm in Great Yarmouth from Lithuania by minibus in July 2013 with the promise of work, accommodation and food. But the house was in poor condition with mouldy walls and no beds. The workers were given only small amounts of food each week, which would often run out leaving them hungry for days. The victims were taken to a vegetable processing factory in Suffolk for work and Mr Sasmurin told them to put false address details on application forms and to include his contact details as their own. He also made them give his bank details for wage payments under the understanding the money would be passed on to the victims, which never happened. After four weeks without being paid, the victims were taken to a poultry plant in Suffolk. Both victims were paid a total of 20 between them for all their work from July to October 2013. They were told they owed money for accommodation, transport, electricity, taxes and interest. When they were rescued, the victims were wearing the same clothes they had worn for the previous four months. They told police they had been threatened not to tell anyone about their situation and feared being fed to the crabs. Those two workers were extremely vulnerable they were preyed upon and exploited by perpetrators who showed not a care for their welfare and were driven solely by financial greed Dave Powell, Gangmasters Licensing Authority Mr Sasmurin and Mr Tatautas pleaded guilty to trafficking people to the UK for the purpose of labour exploitation and also money laundering offences. Both men have been referred into the National Referral Mechanism, a framework for identifying and helping victims of human trafficking or modern slavery. Detective Sergeant Mark Scott, of Norfolk Constabulary, said: This case is another example that modern-day slavery is real and is happening around us. It must not be tolerated. GLA investigating officer Dave Powell said: Those two workers were extremely vulnerable they were preyed upon and exploited by perpetrators who showed not a care for their welfare and were driven solely by financial greed. State Sen. Sara Gelser will be on hand for a forum on paid sick leave at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe. Gelser, who is in her first term representing Senate District 8, hopes to address questions from employers and citizens at the event. Representatives of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry also will be on hand at the free event. Effective January 1, 2015 all Oregonians employed by a company with 10 or more workers is entitled to earn up to 40 hours a year of paid sick leave. Employees accrue sick time at a rate of one hour per every 30 hours worked, or one and one-third hours for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year. Accumulated leave may be taken after the employee has worked for an employer for 90 days. Companies that already have a policy that allows at least 40 hours a year of leave will be considered compliant with the law. Im proud that so many Oregon workers now have access to paid leave when they need to care for themselves or a loved one, said Gelser. Many employers in my community have questions about how to comply with the law, and this forum is intended to offer needed information specific to the needs of Albany, Corvallis and Philomath. A common theme among the speakers at Oregon State Universitys annual Peace Breakfast in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. was that his vision of equality has not yet been achieved locally or nationally. But OSUs President Edward Ray said during the Monday event that he and the university are taking new steps to help promote equity and inclusivity on campus, specifically through the creation of two new offices on campus focused on the issues. Ray said that the university will detail its plans to create an Office of Institutional Diversity and an Office of Equal Access and Opportunity on Tuesday. Ray said starting Feb. 1 the university will move current administrators into interim roles running the new offices while it launches national searches to hire new directors for the offices. Ray said those directors will report directly to him. Ray added that he will also be holding quarterly town hall meetings to give students, staff and faculty a chance to raise issues with him directly. The move is part of Rays response to a November Students of Color Speak Out event at which around 20 students spoke about their experiences of racism on campus before an audience of around 500. During his speech at the Peace Breakfast, which had approximately 300 attendees, Ray reiterated his commitment to making OSU a safe and equitable environment for students of color. We will act to achieve meaningful results as soon as possible, he said. Angelo Gomez, OSUs executive director for Equity and Inclusion, also referenced the "Speak Out" event, and the stream of anonymous racist messages posted to an OSU video stream of the event. He said OSU needed to seek out different voices in its leadership and faculty to help make students of color feel safer and more supported. He added that opening up equitable education to everyone was the reason why land grant colleges like OSU were created. Land-grant universities were designed to democratize education and make it available to everyone, Gomez said. Jeff Chang, the executive director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University and the events guest speaker, congratulated the OSU students whod spoken out at the November event and Ray for their efforts to improve equity at OSU. What we are all looking for is leadership and I think we see that here, Chang said. In his address, he spoke about the Black Lives Matter movement and how more Americans are concerned about racial issues than at any point since the Los Angeles riots in 1992. He also referenced the political climate and how politicians like Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Ben Carson have used divisive rhetoric to rise to the top of the polls. He described their rhetoric as a shock doctrine that benefits the elite by conflating peoples fears of the future with fears of the "other." King's dream feels further than ever. Politics feels broken, Chang said. However, he praised student protesters and called for them to continue to work to bring about equity and inclusivity. In a way, thats what the student protests are about, the things that have not changed yet, he said. Interview with Carol Kloeppel : "A door opener into life here in Bonn" Carol Kloeppel about Bonn , Facebook groups for international people and about the new service GA-English. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Bonn likes to call itself an international city. Is it? Carol Kloeppel: Yes! People from all around the world live here in Bonn. Alone the United Nations has 18 agencies or programs here, and there are about 150 NGOs. Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Post DHL also have international employees, amd the University has many international students. And lets not forget Ford, Toyota, Shell, General Electric, Federal Express, and organizations like OCCAR, EASA or the Paralympic Committee - they are all here in Bonn or the surrounding region. Employees of some firms like to settle with their families in Bonn, even if their job is in Cologne. There are also two international schools here, IBIS and BIS. Bonn International School alone has 780 kids from 74 countries. What is missing for English speakers who live in Bonn? Are there any particular areas where it is lacking? Kloeppel: I find Bonners to be very helpful and friendly, and many of them go the extra mile to try and understand those who are German beginners. But I have also come to the conclusion that newcomers to Bonn dont have enough possibilities to find out what is going on in the communities where they live. Communication about news and events here is often passed on through informal means such as Facebook groups, school or church. There are families who come here with a limited amount of time due to work contracts that only run a few years. They want to get connected right away and make the best use of their time here. They want to experience typical German cultural events such as the Christmas Markets, St. Martins processions, Rhine in Flammen and other happenings. How many international English speakers are we talking about? Kloeppel: Good question! I belong to many different Facebook groups for international people in Bonn. Altogether there are more than 10,000 people in these groups. Add to that, the United Nations alone employs more than 1,000 people. My guess is that the number of international, English speaking citizens in Bonn is in the five digits. How is the communication between the steadfast Bonners who have been here a long time and the newcomers? Kloeppel: Bonn citizens who have lived here a long time try hard to communicate as best they can with people from other countries. Many are very proud of their city, and very generous when it comes to showing people and sharing with people from other countries their hometown of Bonn. By the way, I also find important that people who are foreign guests in Bonn should also try to learn the German language and culture. It was only when when I learned the German language that I felt truly comfortable here. New Years Eve suspect : First suspect arrested in Cologne sexual assaults Cologne A 26-year-old Algerian man is the first suspect to be arrested in connection with the sexual assaults that took place in Cologne on New Years Eve. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken A 26-year-old Algerian man has been arrested in connection with the sexual assaults that took place in Cologne on New Years Eve. Cologne prosecutor Ulrich Bremer says the man is accused of sexual assault and stealing a cell phone. Other men have been arrested for charges including theft and possession of stolen goods but he is the first to be arrested in connection with sexual offenses. Eurowings : Lufthansa: Task force for Eurowings Eurowings is a low-cost airline and subsidiary of Lufthansa. Foto: dpa Cologne After problems with substantial delays in long distance flights, Lufthansa has established a task force to get subsidiary airline Eurowings back on the clock. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Lufthansa has created a task force to reduce the drastic number of delays in Eurowings long distance flights. Eurowings is a low-cost airline and subsidiary of Lufthansa. Chairman and CEO Karl Ulrich told the Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger that they will do everything they can to correct the problems. 13 percent of the long distance flights had delays of more than 3 hours. In the past week, a Eurowings flight from Cuba landed in Cologne with a 68-hour delay. Passengers were reimbursed 600 euros and given a flight coupon in the amount of 250 euros. Protest at a Troisdorf shelter : Refugees end hunger strike Foto: Hans-J. Wimmeroth Troisdorf Refugees at a Troisdorf shelter have ended what they signalized to be a hunger strike. They were protesting the length of their asylum process. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Refugees being housed at the Pastor-Bohm-Haus in Troisdorf have ended their protest which they had signaled to involve a hunger strike. On Friday, they had gathered at a pavilion, holding a sign that read No eat not food until interview to protest against too long of an asylum process. City speaker Bettina Plugge said the group was no longer gathered and it was not clear if it really had been a hunger strike. According to Plugge, the welfare bureau had information that food had definitely been consumed. About 30 to 40 refugees at the shelter, most of them men and most from Syria had been acting on their frustration over the asylum process. Some of them have been in Germany for months but are not allowed to work while seeking asylum. According to Plugge, the welfare bureau is at the shelter every day to explain to the refugees that the city has no influence over their asylum process. The Federal Bureau of Migration is responsible for processing asylum requests and they are overloaded due to the huge influx of refugees. Swimming pool : Swimming pool ban on male refugees to be lifted Wednesday Bornheim Bornheim city officials will lift the ban implemented last week which barred male refugees from entering the swimming pool facilities there. Social workers have held discussions. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken City officials have decided to lift the ban on male refugees who were barred last week from the Bornheim swimming pool facility. The move was made in response to womens complaints of being harassed verbally and with obscene gestures by young male refugees. The men are thought to live in refugee housing in the area. Social workers have conducted intensive discussions with refugees about the incidents, and their feedback is one of the reasons why officials decided to lift the ban. A growing number of incidents had already been occurring since September. There had also been complaints from female refugees in city shelters. In a written explanation, officials said that part of their purpose in implementing the ban was to promote reflection and discussion on the role of women and men in German society. It was important to emphasize that women and men are seen as equals and women are to be treated with respect. bayonel3 at 19-01-2016 12:12 PM (6 years ago) (m) Some members of the Association of Nigerian Writers (ANA) are engaged in a sex predation scandal. According to reports, some female members of the organisation accuse a poet, Chijioke Amu-Nnadi of behaving inappropriately towards them at the 2014 Writivism Literary Festival. Some members of the Association of Nigerian Writers (ANA) are engaged in a sex predation scandal. According to reports, some female members of the organisation accuse a poet, Chijioke Amu-Nnadi of behaving inappropriately towards them at the 2014 Writivism Literary Festival. One of the accusers, Mary Ajayi wrote a blog post titled "Of Kisses, of segxwal Predators, of Chijioke Amu-Nnadi" for 9ja feminista on Monday, January 18, 2016. Following these revelation, prominent writers like Ikhide Ikheloa and Okey Ndibe have taken to Facebook to express their concern and outrage over the allegations. Tuesday morning, Amu-Nnadi has posted an apology on his Facebook page. He doesnt admit to any specific allegation or address any particular accuser. With sincerity I accept responsibility for the hurt a writers excesses have caused you all, he wrote. He tagged the Denja Abdullahi, the president of ANA and Ikheloa in his post. Read the full story of Mary Ajayi and her encounter with him below One of the accusers, Mary Ajayi wrote a blog post titled "Of Kisses, of segxwal Predators, of Chijioke Amu-Nnadi" for 9ja feminista on Monday, January 18, 2016. Following these revelation, prominent writers like Ikhide Ikheloa and Okey Ndibe have taken to Facebook to express their concern and outrage over the allegations. Tuesday morning, Amu-Nnadi has posted an apology on his Facebook page. He doesnt admit to any specific allegation or address any particular accuser., he wrote. He tagged the Denja Abdullahi, the president of ANA and Ikheloa in his post.Read the full story of Mary Ajayi and her encounter with him below Quote Kisses, of segxwal Predators, of Chijioke Amu-Nnadi Mine didnt start with poetry. I didnt know him beyond his name, his posts, on Facebook. I was in Uganda for 2014 Writivism Literary Festival as the festivals blog editor; he was there too, as a guest to hold a masterclass on poetry. He checked in at midnight with Sadiq Dzukogi. I was working at a section of Ministers Village the hotel we were lodged- dining hall when he arrived. Mukoma wa Thiongo, Pa Ikhide, and Aaron Bady had arrived not long before and Id gone to the reception to greet them so when Ssekandi the festivals official chauffeur pulled into the driveway, I went out to see who else had come in. As I greeted him and introduced myself, he hugged me. Then one of the minders and I accompanied them upstairs to settle in. After we found their rooms, we all made to leave. I was going back to the ground floor to continue work; he offered to see me off a bit. When we got to the first floor (his room was on the third), we stopped to wrap up our chit chat. I didnt see what happened next coming. It just did. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. I didnt know what to do. I wasnt even processing. I just said, Goodnight, turned around and walked back to where I was working. As I sat, it began to hit me. Chijioke-Amunnadi kissed me. He kissed mehekissed me? He phyuking kissed me? Irritation. Anger. This was the man I had never interacted with personally, not even on Facebook. We had just met and hed kissed me. I didnt even know him! As I processed, I began to calm myself. I had work to do, Bwesigye Bwa Mwesigire and the Writivism team did not bring me to Uganda so I could spend time sorting feelings at Minister's Village hotel. As I continued working, he came downstairs to give me an autographed copy of his book. I thanked him and kept working. The next days at Uganda found me avoiding him and getting irritated when he tried to come close or call me daughter. My roommate, Nneoma, knew my irritation for the man. One night, he asked us to move into his room which was bigger than ours so he could move into ours, because a friend had come in and needed somewhere to stay. I disagreed but Nneoma calmed me and said it was just for the night. When we got to his room, he looked around and said it was big enough and we all could share. We disagreed. Adeola would later see the massive doze of attitude I dished him regularly. And even the night she and Nneoma asked me to go with them for a dinner that Chijioke ended paying for, I had mental workings to do and ensured nothing drew he and I close. .I have heard things. I dont know Chijioke. I dont know him at all. Perhaps kissing me without so much as a simple by-your-leave, may not count much in the scope of all thats been blowing up for days but I heard the old man has been saying the girls he tried things with seduced him, they were cheapI hope he hasnt mentioned my name because the result will take the host of heaven to settle. My blood is that hot. There are a few more things to say about my encounter with this man. I hosted a project on 10 October 2015 for World Mental Health Day at University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Some of you may know about it. The Curator of the project invited Chijioke to perform as we were interpreting mental health issues through art. I had given the Curator sole right to decide on who got invited, so I chose to let things slide. In the course of planning, we ran short of funds and she turned to Chijioke for help. He did. She was one of his daughters but as Ill later discover, one of the few daughters he hadnt tried to touch Yet. He gave a total of about 35,000 naira towards the event. I thanked him. And I kept him far. But the old man still did not know his place and went on to attempt something with our Welfare Coordinator. He wanted to kiss her; he wanted to give her head. I wasnt there when he said those things but she came back from performing her official duties and told me this. It is important to mention the money part because I heard he said these girls the ones hes tried things with were after his money. Post Reply I scour the world wide web to bring you interesting stories from around the globe. +2348055557203 Posted: at 19-01-2016 12:12 PM (6 years ago) | Hero clarajancita at 19-01-2016 02:38 PM (6 years ago) (f) Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today Tuesday January 19th in Abu Dhabi signed six agreements to enhance bilateral relations between them. Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today Tuesday January 19th in Abu Dhabi signed six agreements to enhance bilateral relations between them. According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Femi Adesina, the signing of the agreements on trade, finance and judicial matters was witnessed by Pres. Buhari and the Crown Prince of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Nigeria's Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and the UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Obaid Attayar signed the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement, while the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah signed the Agreement on Trade Promotion and Protection with the UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs. The Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, Sultan Bin Saeed Albadi signed the Judicial Agreements on Extradition, Transfer of Sentenced Persons, Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal Matters, and Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal and Commercial Matters, which includes the recovery and repatriation of stolen wealth. At a reception after the signing of the agreements, President Buhari reiterated his commitment to fighting corruption and restoring Nigeria's dignity in the comity of nations. The President also urged all Islamic countries to support the fight against terrorism in Nigeria and denounce the atrocities of Boko Haram as un-Islamic and against the teachings of the Holy Prophet. In his remarks, Crown Prince Zayed Al Nahyan said that the relationship between Nigeria and the UAE will be strengthened by President Buhari's visit and the signing of the agreements. According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Femi Adesina, the signing of the agreements on trade, finance and judicial matters was witnessed by Pres. Buhari and the Crown Prince of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.Nigeria's Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and the UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Obaid Attayar signed the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement, while the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah signed the Agreement on Trade Promotion and Protection with the UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs.The Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, Sultan Bin Saeed Albadi signed the Judicial Agreements on Extradition, Transfer of Sentenced Persons, Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal Matters, and Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal and Commercial Matters, which includes the recovery and repatriation of stolen wealth.At a reception after the signing of the agreements, President Buhari reiterated his commitment to fighting corruption and restoring Nigeria's dignity in the comity of nations.The President also urged all Islamic countries to support the fight against terrorism in Nigeria and denounce the atrocities of Boko Haram as un-Islamic and against the teachings of the Holy Prophet.In his remarks, Crown Prince Zayed Al Nahyan said that the relationship between Nigeria and the UAE will be strengthened by President Buhari's visit and the signing of the agreements. Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 19-01-2016 02:38 PM (6 years ago) | Hero WhatsApp to go "free" globally News oi -GizBot Bureau Popular messaging app WhatsApp today said it will stop charging USD 1 per year subscription fee to go completely free for its users across the world. The service, which claims to have over a billion users globally, also said it will not introduce any third-party ads for monetisation. "Nearly a billion people around the world today rely on WhatsApp to stay in touch with their friends and family... WhatsApp will no longer charge subscription fees," WhatsApp said on its official blog. SEE ALSO: Apple Watch 2 Launch Delayed: Is It Worth Waiting? It further said that while it has asked some of its users to pay a fee for using WhatsApp after their first year, but "as we've grown, we've found that this approach hasn't worked well". Interestingly, WhatsApp did not charge users for using the service in India, which is one of the biggest markets for the service. The company, which was acquired by Facebook for USD 19 billion in 2014, said it was going to experiment with new models to stay ad-free. "...over the next several weeks, we'll remove fees from the different versions of our app and WhatsApp will no longer charge you for our service," it said. The company said starting this year, it will test tools which will allow its users to communicate with businesses and organisations through its platform. "That could mean communicating with your bank about whether a recent transaction was fraudulent, or with an airline about a delayed flight. SEE ALSO: 10 Common Problems Of Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus And How To Fix Them "We all get these messages elsewhere today through text messages and phone calls so we want to test new tools to make this easier to do on WhatsApp, while still giving you an experience without third-party ads and spam," it added. 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 Coalition Strikes ISIL Targets in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, January 18, 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 Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Syria: -- Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL underground facility. -- Near Al Hasakah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL building and wounded an ISIL fighter. -- Near Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL mortar system. -- Near Manbij, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed seven ISIL vehicles and wounded five ISIL fighters. -- Near Mar'a, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and an ISIL headquarters building. Strikes in Iraq Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 25 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Kisik, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position. -- Near Mosul, 10 strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units, an ISIL communications facility, and an ISIL-used culvert and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL assembly areas, two ISIL weapons caches, and an ISIL excavator. -- Near Ramadi, eight strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL tactical vehicle, an ISIL command and control node, an ISIL building, cratered two ISIL-used roads, and denied ISIL access to terrain. -- Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle. -- Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck two ISIL-used culverts and denied ISIL access to terrain. 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, the region, 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 that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ex-Tamil Tigers go jobless in Sri Lanka By Amantha Perera VALLIPURAM, Sri Lanka, 18 January 2016 (IRIN) - Almost seven years after the end of Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war, the majority of former Tamil Tiger rebels are struggling to find jobs despite billions of dollars of extra investment in their regions. Sivalingam Ruvendradass, who spent three years in a government "rehabilitation" programme, which is compulsory for former Tamil Tigers and provides them with education and vocational training, now looks back at wartime with some fondness. "Then at least I was getting something from the Tigers," he told IRIN. Despite his training in carpentry, steady work was impossible to find when Ruvendradass returned home to Vallipuram, a village near the Tigers' former political and administrative centre of Kilinochchi. "There are new highways, new railroads, new electricity and phone lines, but no jobs," said the father-of-three, who makes a living by rearing chickens and doing odd jobs. Billions invested This wasn't how it was supposed to be. The previous government under Mahinda Rajapaksa poured $3.5 billion into Northern Province alone, most of it into large infrastructure projects like roads, railways and electricity, according to the Central Bank. The spending was meant to promote reconciliation through economic development in the war-torn region. 'It would show our resolve for co-existence," said former president Rajapaksa in a 2011 speech inaugurating the construction of a new railway line to the north. "What we are attempting now is to breathe new life into the heart of the nation, to start the journey that would unite the entire nation." Analysts say the government programmes to develop the war zone have largely failed to stimulate the job market. That's because most of the money has gone toward infrastructure projects, while neglecting employment generation initiatives such as tax breaks to encourage factories to move into the area, and moves to boost business development like low interest loans and training. "I have always maintained that the focus needs to be on promoting private enterprises within the region supporting small and medium entrepreneurs there (to) grow through finance, technology and market access," said Anushka Wijesinha, chief economist at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Central Bank figures show that between 2010 and 2012, when the large construction projects were at a peak in the former war zone, only 5.8 percent (24,303) of the 422,111 jobs created nationally were in Northern Province. Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, who heads the Point Pedro Institute of Development, a research institute in the northern city of Jaffna, criticised the former government for employing mostly military personnel as labour in public projects. The strategy "deprived jobs for local people, especially youths," he said. Jobless former fighters There are around 12,000 former combatants, mostly in the Northern Province, who have been released after undergoing rehabilitation programmes, according to the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation. Only around 3,000 have gained permanent employment, most in the civil defence force under the police department. Two of the worst hit districts during the conflict, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi in the Northern Province, have been plagued by high unemployment since the fighting ended in 2009. Kilinochchi suffers from the highest national unemployment rate at 7.6 percent, compared to the national average of 4.3 percent, according to national the Department of Census and Statistics. Officially, the unemployment rate is 5.3 percent in Northern Province and 4.9 percent in Eastern Province, another former Tamil Tiger heartland that is struggling to recover from the war. True unemployment rates in both provinces are likely far higher. Even the department itself warns that the numbers are untrustworthy. "These figures are to be treated with caution as the corresponding CV (coefficient of variation) values are high," it said in a labour force survey published last September. Economists also point out that the department uses a very low threshold to tabulate the employment rate. Anyone working at least one hour during the week in which the survey was conducted is considered to be employed. "Such a low threshold gives an artificially higher employment rate which is deceptive," Sarvananthan said. "Moreover, unpaid family labour is considered employed, which also overestimates the employed population." What next? Experts agree that promoting the development of small and medium-sized businesses is key to creating jobs in the former conflict zone. "The real game changer will be bringing in substantial new private investment into these regions," said Wijesinha of the Chamber of Commerce. The new government of President Maithripala Sirisena, which took power a year ago, is promising programmes to stimulate employment, although it has yet to launch any. 'We want make the North and East part of a larger national development programme," government spokesman Rajitha Senarathana told IRIN. "We want to attract foreign investment while providing livelihoods training. There are also plans to provide loans and other assistance with donor funding.' Ruvendradass hopes the government will launch programmes to specifically create jobs for those who fought in the war. Former Tamil Tigers like him find it extra hard to gain employment. "We carry a certain stigma," he said. ap/jf/ag Theme (s): Conflict, 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 NATO Secretary General discusses Warsaw Summit with Polish President NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 18 Jan. 2016 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Polish President Andrzej Duda met on Monday, 18 January 2016, to discuss preparations for the Warsaw Summit. Mr. Stoltenberg thanked Poland for its continued commitment to Euro-Atlantic security - including through its contributions to the Readiness Action Plan, Alliance-led missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo, and defence capacity building for NATO partners, including Ukraine. The Secretary General praised Poland's practical and political commitments to the Alliance. He underscored that Poland plays a significant part in NATO's command structure, supporting operations planning and exercises. Poland hosts the Multinational Corps Headquarters in Szczecin and one of the existing Force Integration Units. Poland also hosts the Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz. Mr. Stoltenberg noted Poland's contributions to Baltic air policing and maritime patrols, as well as to the NATO Response Force and NATO exercises. The Secretary General also highlighted that Poland has raised its defence spending to two per cent of GDP. "There is a lot of Poland in NATO and a lot of NATO in Poland," Mr. Stoltenberg said. He underlined that a significant number of Allied exercises have taken place in Poland and this spring, NATO will break ground for a key site in Poland for NATO's Ballistic Missile Defence. The Secretary General noted that preparations for the Warsaw Summit are well on track. He added that the Summit is a key milestone for the adaptation of the Alliance and must ensure that the Alliance remains committed to the values on which it was founded: democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. He stressed that "these values are a vital source of our unity. And unity is our greatest strength." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Over $9 billion stolen in Nigeria in seven years: Minister Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 9:40PM Fifty-five Nigerians, including former ministers, governors, business leaders and public officials, have stolen nine billion dollars in public funds in seven years, the information minister claims. Addressing reporters at a Monday press conference in the Nigerian capital Abuja, Lai Mohammed said that the money was stolen between 2006 and 2013, without identifying the accused. The looted funds could have built 36 hospitals or educated 4,000 children through university, Mohammed said. 'The situation is dire and the time to act is now,' he noted. The minister also appealed to Nigerians to join the fight against corruption that is crippling Africa's biggest economy, population and oil producer. 'If we don't kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria,' he stressed. According to Mohammed, the stolen money included USD 2.1 billion meant to buy weapons to fight the Boko Haram terrorist group but instead was diverted to the election campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan lost the March 2015 presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari, the incumbent, who has promised to halt corruption and end the Boko Haram militancy. The Takfiri group has killed some 20,000 people in Nigeria and hundreds of others in neighboring Cameroon, Niger and Chad since the beginning of its campaign of terror in 2009. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Dozens killed as Saudis pound police offices in Yemeni capital Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:8PM Dozens of people have been killed in a series of air raids by Saudi Arabia on police buildings in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a as well as other areas across the war-torn Arab state. Medical sources and police said on Monday that the overnight air strikes hit a local police building and the headquarters of the traffic police in the Yemeni capital, killing at least 26 people and injuring scores more. Saudi fighter jets also targeted several locations in the southern province of Ta'izz, with reports suggesting that three civilians were killed in an air raid on a house in Dhubab district. Similar assaults were also reported on schools in the same area, with no immediate account available on the potential casualties. Saudis also targeted a livestock unit in the northwestern coastal province of Hudaydah, inflicting heavy losses on the facility, which was described by the local sources as one of the biggest producers of dairy products in Yemen. Yemen's al-Masirah TV said Saudi warplanes also carried out attacks in the western province of Amran, while residential areas also came under attack in the northern province of Jawf. Saudi Arabia says its military campaign, which started on March 26, is meant to undermine the Ansarlluah movement and restore power to the fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. Yemenis say, however, that the attacks are aimed at destroying Yemen's wealth and fragile infrastructure. More than 7,500 people have been killed in more than nine months of incessant air strikes, while millions more are reported to have been stranded across the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Three Turkish police killed in PKK roadside bomb attack in Sirnak Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:40AM At least three Turkish policemen have been killed and four others wounded in a bomb explosion that ripped through their armored military vehicle in the country's restive southeastern province of Sirnak. Security sources, who asked not to be named, said on Monday that the incident took place in the town of Idil near the border with conflict-stricken Syria at 11:30 p.m. local time (2130 GMT) on Sunday as a police convoy was passing near the municipality building. The sources blamed members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for the attack. PKK terrorists simultaneously launched an attack on a local military base, prompting officials to demand reinforcements from the town of Cizre, located about 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) southeast of the capital, Ankara. There were no reports of casualties. Separately, PKK militants fired a rocket at a police armored vehicle in the city of Diyarbakir, situated 676 kilometers (420 miles) east of Ankara, at around 00:30 a.m. on Monday (2230 GMT Sunday). The projectile missed the car and hit a transformer instead, triggering a blast that cut off power supplies in the area Over dozen PKK militants slain in southeast Turkey Meanwhile, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on Sunday that security forces had shot and killed a dozen PKK militants during heavy fighting in Cizre. Later in the day, PKK militants launched an attack on the Sur district of Diyarbakr Province, leaving a Turkish soldier dead. On Saturday, a 35-year-old police officer, identified as Ali Bulduk, succumbed to the gunshot wounds he had sustained during fierce clashes with PKK militants in the same district. Ankara has been engaged in a large-scale campaign against the PKK in its southern border region in the past few months. The Turkish military has also been conducting offensives against the positions of the group in northern Iraq. The operations began in the wake of a deadly July bombing in the southern Turkish town of Suruc. More than 30 people died in the attack, which the Turkish government blamed on Daesh Takfiri terrorist group. After the bombing, the PKK militants, who accuse the government in Ankara of supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of attacks against Turkish police and security forces, prompting the Turkish military operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemeni forces target Saudi mercenaries with ballistic missile Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 8:27AM Yemeni army troopers, backed by fighters from the allied popular committees, have reportedly carried out a missile attack against a hideout of Saudi foreign mercenaries in Yemen's central province of Ma'rib. A military source, requesting anonymity, said Yemeni forces launched an OTR-21 Tochka tactical ballistic missile at the al-Bairaq base late on Sunday, killing an unspecified number of Saudi and Emirati soldiers as well as members of Academi, the American security services training company, formerly known as Blackwater, Arabic-language al-Masirah satellite television network reported. The source added that the command center of the Saudi-led forces and several reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in the attack. On Sunday, Saudi fighter jets continued their aerial campaign against Yemen, pounding the Rashid industrial complex and a pharmaceutical company in the capital, Sana'a. There were no immediate reports on the extent of the damage caused and possible casualties. Furthermore, Saudi warplanes struck several airstrikes against Hamzah military base in the central Yemeni province of Ibb, but no words of fatalities were available. Saudi military aircraft also bombarded the road linking Ma'rib Province to the northern province of al-Jawf, located approximately 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of the capital, on a number of occasions. Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March. The Saudi military strikes were launched to supposedly undermine the Ansarullah movement and bring fugitive former President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi back to power. More than 7,500 people have been killed and over 14,000 others injured since March. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In Latest Salvo, Kadyrov Ally Threatens To Sic Attack Dog On Russian Opposition January 18, 2016 by Tom Balmforth MOSCOW -- Internet posts featuring photos of pets are usually well-meant. This one was not. A close ally of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov fired a fresh salvo in a chilling confrontation with Russian liberals when he posted a menacing picture of the Kremlin-backed regional leader with a slavering dog named Tarzan straining on a leash. Chechen parliament speaker Magomed Daudov, who had called the opponents of President Vladimir Putin "traitors" and a "fifth column" on January 16, said on Instagram on January 17 that the big dog's "fangs are itching" to get at opposition figures he suggested were American stooges. "This again is Tarzan...Our old friend," Daudov wrote above a picture of Kadyrov restraining a lunging Caucasian Shepherd dog. "Tarzan just hates dogs of foreign stripes...Especially American ones." With its threatening and vulgar language, the post was seen by critics of Kadyrov as the latest evidence that he and his lieutenants are increasingly out of control and must be reined in by Putin, who has relied on the former separatist fighter for years to keep a lid on restive Chechnya. It came days after a lawmaker in Siberia was forced to apologize after calling Kadyrov a "disgrace" to Russia. In the post, Daudov singled out prominent Russian liberal opposition politicians, activists, and journalists by giving them nicknames inspired by dog breeds. Those targeted included Igor Kalypin, head of the Committee to Prevent Torture; Aleksei Veneditkov, editor in chief of radio station Ekho Moskvy; human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov; and opposition activist Ilya Yashin. Daudov wrote of "pekingese 'Kalyapa,' who defends the rights of those who tell on the Pitbull, dachshund 'Venya' with the barking throat and loud 'Echo,' the Moscow thoroughbred Ponomarwho lives in a trash can not far from the Russian State Duma, the pooch 'Yashka' who creates discomfort with his stench in the very center of the capital." "In general our friend doesn't like these dogs, mainly because they remind him of wanton bitches," he wrote. Some people singled out by Daudov reacted with humor. State Duma deputy Dmitry Gudkov, the only liberal opposition politician in Russia's parliament, hit back with a Twitter post featuring a photo of his far more friendly looking dog. "ToDaudov. I've seen your Tarzan. This is my Tibetan mastiff, Elman. He's a pet, not a political argument,' he wrote. Yashin posted a photo of his cat. Kremlin foes and rights activists have long voiced concern that Kadyrov has violated the Russian Constitution and ruled Chechnya though fear and abuse since Putin put him in place in 2007. Tensions between Kadyrov and Russian liberals have escalated since the February 2015 slaying of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, which many critics of the Chechen strongman suspect he was behind. Kadyrov denies involvement, and efforts by relatives and associates of Nemtsov to have him questioned have been thwarted. Critics say Kadyrov enjoys wide-ranging impunity in return for unwavering expressions of loyalty to Putin and iron rule in Chechnya, the site of two devastating post-Soviet separatist wars and a continuing Islamist insurgency. The latest hostilities began on January 12, when Kadyrov called members of the opposition "enemies of the people and traitors" and said they should be tried and sentenced. "Nothing is holy to them," he said in comments carried by the Chechen government website. The statement prompted Konstantin Senchenko, a local legislator in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, to call Kadyrov a "disgrace" to Russia in a blistering attack on Facebook. The next day, however, Senchenko issued a groveling apology to the Chechen leader -- and later said he had received oblique but clear warnings that he could suffer the same fate as Nemtsov. Stepping up the rhetoric further, Adam Delimkhanov, a State Duma deputy and right-hand man of Kadyrov, condemned what he called the opposition 'fifth column' for 'rocking the political and social situation" at a bad time. Russia's economy has been hit hard by low world oil prices and Western sanctions over its interference in Ukraine. Daudov on January 16 then called for the closure of Internet TV station Dozhd and Ekho Moskvy, saying they constitute the "headquarters of the fifth column." It prompted Ekho Moskvy presenter Matvei Ganapolsky on January 17 to write an open letter to Putin asking him to intervene, saying staff at the radio station face an "open threat to their lives." "Do you want a Charlie Hebdo?" Ganapolsky asked, referring to the deadly attack on the French satirical magazine in January 2015. "Do you want this? Probably not. But maybe you do. And if you don't -- then why aren't you reacting?" A Moscow-based group called the Congress of the Intelligentsia is petitioning for Kadyrov to be sacked, while St. Petersburg city councilor Maksim Reznik on January 18 formally appealed to prosecutors to check Kadyrov's statements for "extremism." Russian media outlet RBC quoted Nikolai Svanidze, a member of the Kremlin's human rights council, as saying he believes the spate of provocative statements from Chechnya are Kadyrov's 'own personal initiative.' He said that Kadyrov probably feels emboldened because the investigation into Nemtsov's killing has not shown considerable progress or gone deeper than the five low-level Chechens who have been charged. But other Russians suspect that many of Kadyrov's actions and words are coordinated with the Kremlin. Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/chechnya-kadyrov-instagram- threats-attack-dog-russian-opposition/27494978.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 NATO Presence in Poland to Grow After Alliance's Warsaw Summit Sputnik News 17:38 18.01.2016(updated 18:12 18.01.2016) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO will increase its military presence in Poland. BRUSSELS (Sputnik) NATO's military presence in Poland will increase after the alliance's summit in Warsaw in July, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday. 'NATO now has persistent military presence in the region of which Poland is part. I trust that after the Warsaw summit we will see more NATO in Poland than ever before,' Stoltenberg told reporters after meeting Polish President Andrzej Duda. Earlier in January, the Polish leadership expressed hope that the upcoming summit would provide opportunity for NATO troops' permanent deployment in Eastern Europe. Stoltenberg also stressed that NATO will begin setting up military infrastructure for the alliance's missile defense system in Poland in spring 2016. 'This spring we will break ground for a key site in Poland for NATO's ballistic missile defense,' Stoltenberg said. 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. 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 referendum on the status of the peninsula and blamed Moscow for violating Ukraine's territorial integrity by 'annexing' the region. Over 95 percent of Crimeans voted to secede from Ukraine and rejoin Russia in the referendum. 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 Update: air strikes in Iraq and Syria 18 January 2016 British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh Latest update Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq have suffered further losses from successful Royal Air Force air strikes. On Wednesday 13 January, Typhoon FRG4s provided Iraqi ground forces with close air support as they continue to eliminate terrorist positions in and around Ramadi and conducted two successful attacks with Paveway IV guided bombs on Daesh machine-gun teams. Further north, south-west of Sinjar, Tornado GR4s supported operations by the Kurdish peshmerga and used a Paveway to destroy a machine-gun position which had opened fire on the troops. The following day, Typhoons were again in action over Ramadi, where they delivered three Paveway IV attacks on a group of Daesh fighters preparing for an assault, a firing position and a mortar team. Tornados patrolled east of Mosul, where they used a pair of Paveways to attack a mortar position and an armed pick-up truck. Typhoons operated in the same area that night, and successfully bombed three buildings in a terrorist-held compound. On Friday 15 January, Tornado GR4s struck a Daesh barracks near Raqqa, with two Paveway IVs, also destroying one of their vehicles parked close by. GR4s conducted two successful attacks with Brimstone missiles on Sunday 17 January, destroying a vehicle near Tabbaqah, west of Raqqa, in Syria and a terrorist supply truck south of Sinjar in Iraq. Throughout these missions, the Tornados and Typhoons were supported as is normal by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, whilst RAF Reaper and Sentinel continued to conduct invaluable surveillance missions against terrorist targets. On the ground, British military instructors continue their efforts as part of the coalition training teams helping build the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces to enable them to build on their recent successes against Daesh. Previous air strikes 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. 3 January: 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. Daesh terrorists have suffered further losses following intensive Royal Air Force strikes as part of the coalition's air campaign over Iraq and Syria. 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. 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. 6 January: Following their loss of control of key areas in Ramadi, Daesh extremists attempted to mount attacks against Iraqi ground forces near Haditha. Coalition aircraft provided extensive close air support to Iraqi troops, and a pair of RAF Tornado GR4s used two Paveway IV bombs in attacks on with an Iraqi terrorists who were engaged in close combat unit. The Typhoons then flew south to Ramadi, where operations continued as the Iraqis sought to eliminate those Daesh positions that remain in the city. Working closely with other coalition aircraft, the Typhoons conducted four Paveway attacks, destroying two machine-gun positions and two armoured personnel carriers. In northern Iraq, Tornado GR4s supported Kurdish forces; south of Sinjar, a Paveway IV destroyed a terrorist team manning rocket launchers, while near Mosul, three fighting positions and three accommodation blocks used by Daesh were destroyed by six Paveways. Later in the day, Typhoons were once again over Ramadi, where they struck two terrorist positions, including a heavy machine-gun team that was firing on Iraqi troops. 7 January: Operations over Ramadi continued with Typhoons delivering six successful Paveway IV attacks on Daesh positions, including two more machine-gun teams. In the north, the Tornados were likewise again patrolling over Mosul and Kisik, and these missions used Paveways against a group of extremists and a rocket position. 8 January: Tornado GR4s conducted two more Paveway attacks near Mosul, striking rocket and machine-gun teams. 10 January: The focus turned to a series of targets inside Syria. Near Raqqa, a pair of Tornados bombed a pair of Daesh-held buildings, one of which was a confirmed command and control centre, and used a Brimstone missile to destroy a supply truck. A second pair of GR4s dropped four Paveway IVs on a tunnel complex, again near Raqqa, whilst a Reaper engaged a terrorist position with a Hellfire missile. During the evening, a further Tornado flight and a Reaper used a combination of Brimstone and Hellfire missiles to attack a number of mobile cranes brought in by Daesh to attempt to repair the severe damage inflicted by previous RAF and coalition air strikes on the Omar oil field. 11 January: A milestone was passed on Monday morning when an RAF Reaper flew the 1,000th sortie by the type since they were committed to operations against Daesh in October 2014. Iraqi ground forces have made repeated successful advances against the Daesh terrorist network, with recent major successes at Sinjar and Ramadi. Mosul remains the largest Iraqi town held by the terrorists, and they have concentrated much of their command and control functions within the city. Patient intelligence assessment allowed a walled compound in the northern part of Mosul to be identified as a major headquarters of the Daesh security organisation, which is responsible for terrorising the civilian population and indeed demoralised elements of their own membership into compliance, and is thus associated with many of the terrorists' worst atrocities inside Syria and Iraq. Very careful planning allowed three key targets within the compound to be identified, and an attack carefully planned to minimise any risks to civilians in Mosul. 11 January: RAF aircraft have also continued very active air operations against Daesh targets inside Syria. A Reaper identified a terrorist check point one of the methods used by Daesh to attempt to impose their will on the civilian population and successfully attacked it using a Hellfire missile. 12 January: Reapers maintained surveillance over the oilfields in eastern Syria which have been targeted by coalition air strikes, including by the RAF, to deny Daesh the ability to use the oil to finance their operations. The Reapers identified a mechanical excavator which was being used to attempt repairs, and an oil pump which had evidently been brought back on line, and destroyed both with Hellfire missiles. In north-eastern Syria, Tornado GR4s meanwhile patrolled in the area of Al Hasakah, where they used Paveway IVs to strike two Daesh-held strongpoints. While other coalition aircraft conducted a series of strikes on a range of other key Daesh targets within Mosul, Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Akrotiri, supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, used Paveway IV guided bombs to attack the security headquarters compound, and initial analysis indicates that the attack was a success. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Progress Reported in Four-way Afghan Peace Talks by Ayesha Tanzeem, Ayaz Gul January 18, 2016 Afghanistan on Monday hosted a meeting of delegates from the United States, China and Pakistan on how to initiate direct peace talks between Afghan government and Taliban representatives. A joint statement issued after the meeting in Kabul of the so-called Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) said, "The group discussed and made progress on a roadmap towards initiating peace talks with Taliban groups that reflects the shared commitments of the QCG member countries." The roadmap, it added, aims to set specific measures that are necessary for creating a conducive environment for the commencement of Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace talks to reduce and ultimately end "the senseless violence" and establish lasting peace in Afghanistan. The four-nation contact group has agreed to hold its next meeting in Islamabad on February 6. Monday's was the second meeting of the QCG formed to help bring an end to the war in Afghanistan after Islamabad hosted initial discussions last week. "the QCG called on all Taliban groups to enter into early talks with the Afghan government to resolve all differences politically in accordance with the will and aspirations of the entire Afghan nation and the desire and support of the QCG member countries for lasting peace in Afghanistan," according to the joint statement The statement went on to assert that participants indicated their commitment to "a robust effort" to eliminate all forms of terrorist groups, regardless of their national origin, operating in their respective territories. Member countries agreed that friendly, mutually respectful and cooperative relations among the member states of QCG are necessary to create an enabling environment for the peace process in Afghanistan. Earlier in his inaugural remarks to the meeting, Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani emphasized the need for "red lines" for an effective road map to peace in Afghanistan. Hinting at the need for reduction in violence in Afghanistan by the Taliban groups, Rabbani reiterated that the Afghan public would not support an "open-ended process without tangible results." 'Call for peace' Rabbani also called on all Taliban groups to "accept our call for peace through dialogue." So far none of the Taliban groups has indicated a willingness to engage in the process. An earlier round of peace talks with the Taliban in July stalled after indicationst that its leader, Mullah Omar, had died. Their new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, faced internal challenges to his authority, leading to an increase in violence in Afghanistan. The Afghan government expects Pakistan to use its influence with Taliban groups, whose leaders are reportedly in Pakistan, to bring the level of violence down, and to use force against groups that refuse to come to the table for negotiations. Pakistan says its influence with the Taliban is "limited" and the use of force would be counterproductive until all other measures have been exhausted. "Threat of the use of military action against irreconcilables [those unwilling to talk] cannot precede the offer of talks to all the groups and their response to such offers," said Sartaj Aziz, adviser to Pakistan's prime minister on foreign affairs, in his opening statement to the first QCG meeting. Trust deficit The presence of the United States and China in the process is supposed to help with the trust deficit between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban, however, controls more territory today in Afghanistan than it did anytime after it was ousted from power in 2001. This makes it more difficult to persuade the Taliban to enter peace negotiations with an Afghan government that seems to be on the defensive. Messages left by Taliban leaders on their websites or social media accounts had called last week's QCG meeting "useless." On the eve of the latest round of discussions, the Taliban accused the U.S. of derailing peace efforts by re-engaging combat troops in Helmand. Taliban demands The Taliban also insisted that nothing less than the withdrawal of all foreign forces and implementation of Sharia, or Islamic law, will be acceptable to it. The Taliban also has recently started calling President Ashraf Ghani's government a "stooge" of the U.S. This is a return to the Taliban's position during the time of former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and can be termed a hardening of its stance against the current government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afghan Parliamentary Polls Set for October 15 by Ayaz Gul January 18, 2016 Afghanistan's top election official says postponed parliamentary polls will be held in October, promising mistakes of the bitterly disputed 2014 presidential vote would not be repeated. Independent Election Commission Chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani announced Monday in Kabul the panel has made "all technical" preparations to ensure "fully transparent" parliamentary and district council elections on October 15. The Afghan parliament's five-year term expired last June, but security fears and political squabbling on election reforms to ensure a fair vote prevented the IEC from holding elections to choose a new legislative assembly. The crisis prompted President Ashraf Ghani to extend the parliament's mandate, through decree, until a vote could be held. The move drew severe criticism, with many Afghans questioning its legality. Nuristani said the IEC needed $67 million to cover expenses and ensure the timely holding of the elections, urging the government to make the necessary budget available and provide security for candidates, election staff and ballot boxes. The 2014 presidential vote was marred by widespread accusations of fraud, in which both Ghani and his election rival Abdullah Abdullah claimed victory. U.S. intervention ended months of deadlock and negotiated a deal under which the election rivals agreed to form the so-called national unity government, with Abdullah becoming the chief executive officer, a post created under the deal. Ghani and Abdullah also agreed on electoral reforms as a condition for future elections, but both have made little if no progress, with persisting differences over the appointment of the head of the reform commission. The political wrangling also forced international donors to cut funding for Afghanistan to undertake electoral reforms. Addressing Cabinet members in Kabul shortly after the IEC announcement, Abdullah reiterated his demand for holding the future elections under a new election commission. Electoral reform is an important issue, he said, but "Afghans remain concerned about the flawed management of the previous elections." Without the new parliament and district councils in place, the unity government will not be able to convene a constitutional grand assembly or loya jirga, which alone is authorized to amend the constitution and give legal cover to the office of the Afghan chief executive and its actions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Military Releases Account of Iran's Detention of US Sailors by VOA News January 18, 2016 The U.S. military has released its first official account of Iran's 15-hour detention of 10 U.S. sailors whose boats had strayed into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf last week. A U.S. Central Command statement said the two Navy vessels were scheduled to meet up with a U.S. Coast Guard boat in international waters for refueling but deviated from their planned course on the way. 'The command investigation will determine what caused the change in course and why the RCBs (U.S. Navy boats) entered into Iranian territorial waters in the vicinity of Farsi Island,' the statement said. The sailors were traveling through the Persian Gulf from Kuwait toward Bahrain when U.S. controllers lost contact with them Tuesday. One of the boats 'had indications of a mechanical issue in a diesel engine,' and both vessels stopped, CENTCOM said. 'This stop occurred in Iranian territorial waters, although it's not clear the crew was aware of their exact location. While the RCBs were stopped and the crew was attempting to evaluate the mechanical issue, Iranian boats approached the vessels.' The sailors were later detained. 'At gunpoint, the RCBs were escorted to a small port facility on Farsi Island where the U.S. sailors disembarked and were detained for approximately 15 hours. At this point there are no indications that the sailors were physically harmed during their detainment,' CENTCOM said. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who spoke to his Iranian counterpart several times over the incident, said the swift release of the sailors was a success for diplomacy. At the same time, Kerry says the pictures of 10 American sailors being detained by Iran last week left him extremely upset and frustrated. Kerry told CNN television Monday that he thought Iran's treatment of the sailors was inappropriate, and that he immediately let Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif know how he felt. But Kerry praised Zarif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for 'responding promptly' to the situation, saying that what could have been a very dangerous major hostage crisis just a few years ago was resolved quickly because of diplomacy. Kerry answered critics of U.S. policy toward Iran by saying it is far more dangerous not to negotiate with Tehran. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi-led Airstrike on Sana'a Police Kills 26 by VOA News January 18, 2016 Saudi-led airstrikes killed at least 26 people at a police facility in Yemen's capital overnight, adding to a death toll of nearly 6,000 people since Riyadh began its military campaign against the Houthi militia that controls Sana'a. The attack on police headquarters wounded dozens more people, many of them police officers. Rescue efforts were under way for survivors trapped under the debris of the building. On Sunday, a Saudi coalition airstrike killed an independent reporter for Voice of America and the humanitarian news agency, IRIN. Almigdad Mojalli was the sixth journalist killed in Yemen since January 2015. 'Almigdad Mojalli was a committed and talented journalist who made the ultimate sacrifice to report on the difficult, but important, stories coming out of Yemen,' said John Lansing, the director of the Broadcasting Board of Governors - the parent organization of the Voice of America. 'He dedicated his life to reporting on humanitarian crises, and we extend our condolences to his family,' Lansing said. The U.S. State Department also expressed condolences to Mojalli's family and said it is still in the process of gathering information about the circumstances of his death. Since October, Mojalli had been reporting for VOA on the human impact of the war and the economic crisis in Yemen. He was in an area outside of rebel-held Sana'a on Sunday morning when he was killed in the Saudi-led coalition airstrike. Houthi rebels overran the capital in late 2014, triggering the resignation of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi in January 2015 and subsequent exile to Riyadh. Leading a regional coalition, Saudi Arabia has carried out an air campaign against the Houthis since March. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Somali General: Kenyans Were Warned of Al-Shabab Attack by Harun Maruf January 18, 2016 A Kenyan army unit reportedly decimated in an attack by al-Shabab militants last Friday had received warning of the assault, according to a Somali general. The commander of Somali troops in the Gedo region, General Abbas Ibrahim Gurey, tells VOA's Somali service that the unit's commander was given word of a possible attack hours before the first bullet was fired. 'It was information we knew, the information was received, and they were ready for it,' Gurey said in a telephone interview Sunday. The Gedo region's deputy governor has said the attack killed at least 40 Kenyan soldiers stationed at an African Union base in El-Adde, a town in southern Somalia, near the border with Kenya. Kenyan soldiers have been in Somalia since 2011, helping the AU mission, known as AMISOM, fight al-Shabab. Kenyan officials are investigating what happened in Friday's attack. A Somali official says initial warning came from civilians who saw al-Shabab massing men in the area for days. "They [Shabab] often sneaked into the town at night and they were well aware of the AU base," said a journalist in the region who asked not to be named for security reasons. The attack had all the hallmarks of recent major al-Shabab operations a suicide explosion at the gate followed by hundreds of heavily armed militants storming the base from different directions. Al-Shabab had already done this twice before - first in Leego town on June 25 in which 54 Burundians were killed, and again on September 1 when 19 Ugandan troops were killed. Al-Shabab says it killed more than 100 Kenyan troops in El-Adde. Neither AMISOM nor the Kenyan government has released a death toll, but the Kenyan secretary of defense said the soldiers affected by the attacked are "a company size force.' Military experts define a company as having between 80 and 200 soldiers, still a small number to withstand several hundred heavily armed militants charging forward. Former Somail army colonel Mohamed Ibrahim Guber says AMISOM's strategy of establishing bases across southern Somalia has "failed.' "These attacks show AU troops are not forging relationship with locals," he said. He says this is putting them at a disadvantage because they are unable to get information about potential attacks from al-Shabab. Paul D. Williams is an associate professor of international affairs at The George Washington University in Washington and has written about the African Union Mission in Somalia. He agrees that after three successive catastrophic attacks, AMISOM faces "difficult choices.' "First, can AMISOM adequately defend all of its current bases, including those in the newly recovered settlements?' he asked. 'Second, with the Somali National Army and federal government largely failing to provide the necessary stabilization programs in the recovered settlements, AMISOM must decide where to retain its forces and where to pull back.' He says these brazen attacks on military garrisons have forced the AU to give up about two dozen towns; a move which he says "angered many locals in settlements where AMISOM forces have arrived but then subsequently vacated." "AMISOM must find a way to significantly degrade al-Shabab's combat capabilities and separate the militants from the local population rather than focus on taking more and more territory," he said. AMISOM is vowing that the El-Adde attack won't derail its mission in Somalia. Our resolve can only be rejuvenated, to fight on until Somalia is freed of all elements of terror," according to Ambassador Francisco Madeira, who serves as the special representative to the chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia. Guber, however, says the key lesson from the El-Adde attack is examining the relationship between the locals and AMISOM forces, with a view toward building a local military force that shoulders the security operations. Colonel Guber says AMISOM and the international community must train and equip the Somali army and let it do the counterterrorism work in its own country. "That is what I would do if I were the AMISOM commander.' NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Burundi Opposition Leader Still Hopeful for Peaceful Settlement by James Butty January 18, 2016 The exiled leader of the Opposition Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) said efforts toward a peaceful resolution of the Burundian crisis are not dead because the Burundian people want peace. Peace talks that were scheduled to resume on January sixth in Uganda's capital, Kampala, did not take place because the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza said it would not negotiate with certain opposition figures it considers as "coup plotters" or "sponsors of acts of terrorism." But FRODEBU leader Jean Minani said the president has said 'the peace process can't be dead because all Burundians expect to have peace. So, if the current government of Nkurunziza doesn't want to negotiate, they will be forced to go into negotiation, he said." Peace negotiations Minani said Nkurunziza has probably forgotten that peace negotiations are usually between enemies and not friends. He denied that some members of the opposition and civil society are seeking the violent overthrow of the government. "When Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza negotiated on behalf of the CNDD-FDD (Burundi's ruling party) there was a comment like this. But we accepted to negotiate with him. He knows that if you have to negotiate, you don't negotiate with your friend; you negotiate with your enemies. It is because he has nothing to say to the people," Minani said. This came after the U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein warned last week that the Burundian crisis was increasingly taking on an ethnic dimension similar to the situation that preceded the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed about 800,000 people. The UN said cases of sexual violence by Burundian security forces were 'deeply worrying.' At least 13 cases of sexual violence against women by security forces have been documented in the last month in the country, as well as a sharp increase in enforced disappearances and torture cases. Opposition areas Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the attacks were largely concentrated in neighborhoods perceived as supporting the opposition. Minani said Nkurunziza does not want to negotiate because he knows he's the cause of the crisis the country is experiencing today. "Nkurunziza is the cause of the crisis of Burundi. He's afraid to come with all the people, with the international community to talk with us because there's nothing to talk about. He can't come to talk with us because he knows he has nothing to talk about," Minani said. Burundi's foreign minister Alain Nyamitwe told VOA last month his government is fighting against "terrorists" some of whom were using grenades to kill innocent civilians. "Let me first of all say that it is unfortunate that people have died in that incident. But let me ask the question what would be the response of any police force wherever in the world when they are attacked by armed people who are using hand grenades sometimes, even rocket-propelled grenades, and sometimes even AK-47,' Nyamitwe said. 'How do you respond to such fire? Is it by saying come and kill us, or by using fire because fire begets fire?" he added. The Burundian crisis began last April after Nkurunziza's decision to seek a controversial third five-year term, something the U.S. and Nkurunziza's opponents say violates the constitution and a peace deal that brought the Burundi civil war to an end after the loss of 300,000 lives. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nigeria's Opposition Won't Defend Spokesman in Corruption Allegations by James Butty January 18, 2016 A spokesman for Nigeria's main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) is denying the party has thrown its national publicity secretary under the bus in the face of President Muhammadu Buhari's war on corruption. Two weeks ago, Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested and charged PDP national spokesman Olisa Metuh with seven counts of corruption. Metuh is accused of receiving about $2 million (400 million naira) from what a court called "illegal activity" of former National Security Adviser Mohammed Sambo Dasuki and then depositing the money into his personal bank account. The money was reportedly destined for the fight against Boko Haram. Metuh claims the money was intended for political activities of the then-ruling PDP. Deny responsibility But Abdullahi Jalo, deputy PDP national spokesman, said the party cannot take responsibility for the allegations against Metuh and others because the money they are accused of taking was never deposited into an official PDP bank account, but rather into their personal bank accounts. "Let us call a spade a spade,' Jalo said. 'There is money allocated to purchase arms to fight Boko Haram, which is an act of the National Assembly, and then instead of the money to be used properly, there is an allegation by EFCC that out of this money Olisa Metuh has collected 400 million naira, our former PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Tony Anenih has collected 252 million naira. 'So there is a lot of money collected indiscriminately without the party knowing," he said. Jalo said the public must separate the company Destra Investment Limited, for which Metuh allegedly collected the money, from the PDP, which is a political party. "PDP has no hand as a party; it has not sent Olisa or any other person to go and collect money on its behalf because PDP is a political party. It doesn't do contracts. If any money is to be given to PDP, it must go into the account of the PDP," Jalo said. Anti-corruption move The Buhari administration has vowed to reduce corruption in Nigeria by recovering "stolen" government money. It has denied that its anti-corruption effort is a witch-hunt of former aides of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Metuh last Wednesday asked the court to begin his trial or release him from EFCC custody. The court rejected his request for a speedy hearing. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Department of Defense Press Operations News Release No. NR-021-16 January 19, 2016 Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus Names Virginia-Class Submarine Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus hosted a ship-naming ceremony today in Salt Lake City, Utah, to announce that SSN 801, a Virginia-class attack submarine, will bear the name USS Utah. The submarine will be named to honor the history its namesake state has with the Navy. Utah was home to the Naval Supply Depot Clearfield, which by the end of World War II was the world's largest naval supply. It boasted approximately 16 million total square feet and employed nearly 8,000 civilian employees. It was responsible for buying and selling ship equipment and supplies and for managing the movement of personnel for three West Coast ports that attended to the Pacific Fleet. In addition, the depot distributed automotive and other material for selected activities in three naval districts stretching from North Dakota to Texas. The future USS Utah will be the second naval vessel to bear the name; the first, a battleship designated BB-31, was commissioned in 1911 and had a long, honorable time in service. The early part of BB-31's career was spent conducting gunnery and torpedo defense exercises. In 1914, BB-31 became involved in the Mexican Civil War when it assisted in transporting Mexican refugees to Tampico. Following this mission, it was charged with searching for SS Ypiranga, the German ship that was carrying munitions for the Mexican dictator Victoriano Huerta. After this search proved unfruitful, BB-31's battalion spent the next two months fighting in Vera Cruz. Seven men from her battalion earned Medals of Honor as a result of their actions during this time. Shortly thereafter, BB-31 returned to conducting battle exercises in the Caribbean until the outbreak of World War I. During this time, BB-31 had the opportunity to act as both the flagship for Battleship Division 6, operating out of Ireland, and later, was part of the honor escort for George Washington during its time transporting President Woodrow Wilson to France. In 1929, it was BB-31's opportunity to have high-ranking officials on her decks when she transported President-elect Herbert Hoover and his official party to Rio de Janeiro. Two years after this honorable voyage, BB-31 was converted to a mobile target. This allowed it to be controlled by radio gear. It then spent the next nine years training naval aviators in dive, torpedo and high level bombings. While conducting anti-gunnery exercises in Pearl Harbor, BB-31 was struck by a torpedo and capsized during the initial stages of the Japanese attack. She was struck from the Navy record on Nov. 13, 1944 and received a battle star for her service in World War I. Virginia-class attack submarines provide the Navy with the capabilities required to maintain the nation's undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. They have enhanced stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements that will enable them to meet the Navy's multi-mission requirements. These submarines have the capability to attack targets ashore with highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert, long-term surveillance of land areas, littoral waters or other sea-based forces. Other missions include anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare; mine delivery and minefield mapping. They are also designed for special forces delivery and support. Each Virginia-class submarine is 7,800-tons and 377 feet in length, has a beam of 34 feet, and can operate at more than 25 knots submerged. They are designed with a reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship, reducing lifecycle costs while increasing underway time. The submarine will be built under a unique teaming agreement between General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division wherein both companies build certain portions of each submarine and then alternate deliveries. Utah will be delivered by GDEB located in Groton, Connecticut. http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/643520/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Uganda's Karamoja faces drought emergency By Samuel Okiror KAMPALA, 19 January 2016 (IRIN) - At least 640,000 people in Uganda's northeastern Karamoja region more than half its population are facing food shortages as a result of a drought-affected harvest. Scaled-up food assistance for the semi-arid region will be needed in 31 out of 52 sub-counties over the next three months, according to a recent joint government and UN World Food Programme report highlighting conditions. These households were "found to be heavily dependent on WFP assistance and coping by migrating to the green belts of the region, felling trees for firewood/charcoal and reducing the number of times and amounts of food eaten in a day," it said. This is the traditional lean season when food stocks are supposed to tide families over until the new harvest in March. But with little left in people's stores, or money in their pockets, they are struggling. The latest assessment by the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network found that stores from last season's below-average harvest were exhausted by early December. "With the depletion of food stocks, some households in [five out of seven] districts have moved from stressed to crisis in December," said FEWS NET. In two districts Moroto and Kaabong one fifth of all people are currently in "crisis", and will remain so until March. A "crisis" classification means households are missing meals or just meeting their minimum food needs through a fire sale of their animals a "negative coping strategy" that drives families deeper into poverty. "The situation is really bad. The government and WFP are not doing much on the ground to rescue and save the lives of the people. The assistance so far is not enough," Samson Lokeris, chair of the Karamoja Parliamentary Group, told IRIN. "[The poor] are surviving on eating residue [left after the brewing of beer] and going for wild fruits," he said. "If there is no immediate intervention, we are going to experience several deaths in the region due to starvation and hunger. We need immediate attention from [the] government and WFP." Karamoja has the worst human development indicators in the country. The semi-nomadic pastoralist region is increasingly prone to climate extremes, experiencing a four-year stretch of "dry spells" beginning in 2006. There were local media reports of hunger-related deaths as a result of last year's drought. Aid response "The government is aware and acting to address the deteriorating situation," Musa Ecweru, Uganda's state minister for relief and disaster preparedness, told IRIN. "We are making interventions and responding to the crisis by sending emergency relief food." WFP began scaling up its assistance to the region in December.An estimated 300,000 people will be helped with additional food distributions, or provided with a bigger basket of food items under an asset-support programme. "In addition, using funds contributed earlier by the UK, WFP will provide a ration of cereals, pulses, and oil to 67,500 people in households with children, pregnant women and new mothers affected by acute malnutrition," Michael Dunford, WFP country director, told IRIN. WFP will also continue to provide free school meals to all schools in the region. Is it enough? The extent of Karamoja's poverty is underlined by its malnutrition rates. A WFP and UNICEF survey in June found Global Acute Malnutrition at critical levels in four districts, with the worst figures in Moroto and Napack, at 18.3 percent and 16.2 percent respectively. The emergency threshold is 15 percent. But why are Karamoja's problems so entrenched? WFP provided emergency food aid annually to the region for more than 40 years until 2012, when it scaled back its operation to provide more targeted, voucher, and cash-based assistance. The shift away from dependency-generating food relief was in line with the government's Karamoja Action Plan for Food Security (KAPFS) and the World Bank-funded Northern Uganda Social Action Fund. The strategy identified the centuries-old tradition of pastoralism as the problem behind the region's underdevelopment, and sought to prioritise crop farming and settlements so that services could be brought to the people and new jobs encouraged. But in a 2010 report, researcher Simon Levine noted: "Development policy which favours encouraging settlement is, perversely, creating artificial disaster emergencies or artificial droughts; because it creates a situation where households can no longer survive independently when the rains are poor, which did not exist when households could survive from their livestock." Policy muddle? The government's $35 million five-year-long KAPFS is widely seen as a failure in building resilience or sustainable livelihoods especially when confronted by a drying climate. Alternative opportunities like small-scale mining have proven highly exploitative, according to a Human Rights Watch report. "Agriculture on the side of crop farming cannot be relied upon since most agricultural systems of crop farming in Karamoja are rain-fed. [The] Karamoja problem can only be solved by restocking the region with livestock, according to the ecological demands of the region," said Pius Loupa, a project officer on conservation agriculture from the Dodoth Agro-pastoralists Development Organisation, in Kaabong District. "The government should accept Karamoja as a pastoralist community, thereby formulating pastoralist and agro-pastoralist policies. Forcing people onto agriculture will never succeed." The extent of that failure is the increasing calls for WFP to abandon targeted feeding and return to generalised food hand-outs in response to the current crisis. "We call on WFP to change its policy and feed all the people in Karamoja. We need to save lives. If it doesn't change people are going to starve and die. It shouldn't be helping only lactating mothers, elderly, and children alone, ignoring the rest of the people who are starving," said Lokeris, the parliamentary group chair. "People can't afford to buy food in the markets because of the high prices. The situation has forced people to move to Sudan and Kenya to look for food and pasture for their animals." so/oa/ag Theme (s): Aid Policy, East African Food Crisis, Food Security, Natural Disasters, 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 Saudi airstrikes kill 14 Yemeni civilians Iran Press TV Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:43AM New airstrikes by Saudi Arabia against Yemen have killed at least 14 civilians, mostly women and children, local media report. Yemen's al-Masira television channel said in a news flash that the fatalities were caused on Monday night when Saudi warplanes bombarded the Maran district in Yemen's Sa'ada Province. At least five people were also wounded in the raids. Meanwhile, counteroffensives by the Yemeni army and allied forces hitting targets within Saudi Arabia have thwarted military attempts by the kingdom to advance inside Yemen, the Yemeni army says. 'Great victories are being achieved by the heroes of the army and Popular Committees within the Saudi territory,' Yemen's army spokesman Brigadier General Sharaf Luqman told Yemen news agency (SABA) on Monday. He said photos from the scene of clashes showed Saudi forces had suffered high losses. 'Crimes committed by Saudi Arabia against the Yemeni people and the continued and systematic destruction of Yemen's infrastructure reflect the inability of the aggressors to make any gains on the ground,' he added. On Monday, a military source said the Yemeni army and Houthi fighters had thwarted an attempt by Saudi mercenaries to advance on the al-Omari camp in Ta'izz Province and killed or and injured an unspecified number of them. They also gained control of the strategic mountain of al-Kola in the Yemeni province of Ma'rib after fierce clashes with mercenaries and Saudi-backed militants, leaving a number of them dead and injured. Yemeni forces also captured five mercenaries, including an Ethiopian national, during the clashes. Several key hills in Ma'rib were also taken by the Yemeni forces. More than 7,500 people have been killed and over 14,000 others injured since Saudi strikes began in Yemen. The Saudi war has also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Anti-Terror Operation in Turkish City of Silopi Nears Completion Sputnik News 16:44 19.01.2016 Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkish prime minister, said that operation in Silopi in the Sirnal province is almost completed, but a curfew will be still in the place in town. ANKARA (Sputnik) A counterterrorism operation in the Turkish city of Silopi in the southeastern Sirnak province has nearly been completed, the country's prime minister said Tuesday. In December 2015, the Turkish authorities declared a curfew in a number of southeastern regions, including in the city of Sirnak, where armed clashes between Ankara forces and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters have been ongoing. 'Operation in Silopi is almost completed. All neighborhoods, streets of the city have been cleared [of militants]. A curfew will be still in place for some time until we are sure the residents' security is guaranteed,' Ahmet Davutoglu said at a press conference broadcast by the Turkish NTV channel. The security situation in Turkey deteriorated following a suicide bombing in the Turkish border city of Suruc on July 20 and a spate of police killings in southeastern Turkey, for which the PKK claimed responsibility. The PKK was founded in the late 1970s. The group is considered to be a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and NATO. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Not on the Guest List? Canada Snubbed by Anti-Daesh Coalition Sputnik News 14:24 19.01.2016(updated 15:05 19.01.2016) Canada has reportedly not been invited to a meeting of the US-led anti-Daesh coalition, which is due to be held in Paris later this week. Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan hasn't received an invitation to the anti-Daesh coalition gathering scheduled for Wednesday in Paris, according to the Canadian news network CBC. Taking part in the meeting will be the Defense Ministers of Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States. The future of the fight against Daesh is set to be high on its agenda. CBC quoted Omar Alghabra, parliamentary secretary to the Canadian Foreign Minister, as saying that 'not being invited didn't come as a surprise' given that the forthcoming meeting will be a 'spontaneous' event. He said that the seven-strong group meets regularly, regardless of Canada and that the only difference this time is that the countries will meet at the ministerial level. CBC also pointed to the fact that there was no mention of Canada during US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's speech last week, when he said that the six other nations invited to the Paris meeting are 'playing a significant role' in the fight against Daesh. CBC also cited several Canadian defense experts as saying that they see their country not being invited to the Paris gathering as a 'snub.' For example, Dave Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute said that 'not being invited means that Canada is left out of critical conversations,' according to CBC. 'We'll quite literally not be at the table, as the other significant members of the coalition are sitting around, making the decisions about how the mission evolves,' he said. Daesh, also known as the Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS), is now believed to be a major threat to global security. In the past three years, the terrorists have managed to capture large territories in Iraq and Syria, and they are also trying to spread their influence in North Africa, especially Libya. According to various estimates, Daesh, which reportedly numbers up to 200,000 militants, currently controls about 90,000 square kilometers of territory. The government forces of Syria and Iraq, as well as the US-led international coalition, the Kurds and the Lebanese Shiite militia are all fighting the group. Adding to the Syrian Army's anti-Daesh effort is Russia's air campaign, which was launched on September 30, when more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 jets, commenced precision airstrikes on Daesh and al-Nusra Front targets in Syria at the behest of the country's President Bashar Assad. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemeni Army Claims Hundreds of Saudi Vehicles, Numerous Aircraft Destroyed Sputnik News 13:06 19.01.2016(updated 13:58 19.01.2016) Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Sharaf Ghalib Luqman said that Yemen's armed forces have destroyed dozens of tanks, hundreds of armored vehicles, as well as numerous military aircraft belonging to the Saudi-led coalition since the beginning of its military intervention. CAIRO (Sputnik) Yemen's armed forces have destroyed dozens of tanks, hundreds of armored vehicles, as well as numerous military aircraft belonging to the Saudi-led coalition since the beginning of its military intervention, army spokesman Brig. Gen. Sharaf Ghalib Luqman said Tuesday. 'Dozens of tanks and hundreds of armored vehicles were burned, some of them became our trophies and are now being used,' Luqman told RIA Novosti. 'We have shot down ten Apache attack helicopters, three F-16 fighter jets and a lot of drones,' he added. Sharaf Luqman represents Yemeni loyalists of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh who are fighting alongside Houthis against the supporters of internationally-recognized President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. Since early 2015, Yemen has been locked in a military conflict between the Houthis, the country's main opposition faction, and pro-government forces. Last March, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states began airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen at the request of Hadi. The rising death toll among the civilian population prompted the United Nations to mediate a ceasefire between the Saudi coalition and the Houthis in December for the time of the intra-Yemeni talks in Geneva, although hostilities continued. On Tuesday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon again urged all parties in Yemen as well as regional powers to commit to a comprehensive ceasefire to resume the delayed peace talks. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cameroon's Muslims and Christians Unite Against Boko Haram by Moki Edwin Kindzeka January 19, 2016 Cameroon Christians have started guarding mosques during prayer sessions and Muslims are also guarding churches after five attacks on mosques by suspected Boko Haram fighters. The fifth mosque was attacked by a teenage male suicide bomber near the central African nation's border with Nigeria on Monday. Boko Haram is now attacking not only churches, schools and markets, but mosques, making Cameroonians more united to fight what they call a common enemy. At a recent morning prayer call in the central mosque at Mozogo, located on Cameroon's border with Nigeria, the faithful assembled while members of the local vigilante committee kept guard to ensure no stranger is given access. Christian vigilante Among the vigilantes is Jacques Mabali, 55, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon. Mabali said he responded to the call of his church's hierarchy to protect the Muslim faithful when they gather for their religious obligations. He said he is carrying out a social activity for the well-being of his country, that it is his duty as a Christian to defend his country from violence. Ibrahim Moctar, a Muslim youth leader in Mozogo, said they reciprocate for neighboring churches, because the insurgents have attacked Christians as well. Moctar said he not only prays for God to save Cameroon from the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, but to end terrorism. He said some of his family members are Christians and others, like him, are Muslims. The Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram has been active in Cameroon for three years, looting, killing, and burning schools, markets and churches. To assist government The vigilante groups were created to assist the government against increasing attacks by Boko Haram, which even began using female suicide bombers early last year. In December 2015, suspected members of Boko Haram, which said it was attacking Cameroon to create an Islamist state, started attacking mosques. Governor Midjiyawa Bakari of far north Cameroon congratulated Christians and Muslims for working together to protect the country from the terrorist group and urged others in the country to follow the example. Bakari said he visited areas in Mayo Tsanaga, on Cameroon's border with Nigeria, where Muslims and Christians have taken to guarding each other during prayer services. He said this relationship is helpful in assisting Cameroon and Nigerian soldiers as they fight the Boko Haram insurgency. He said it makes Cameroon an example of inter-religious tolerance. Cameroon believes the militants have resorted to attacking mosques because they have come under attack because Cameroon and Nigerian troops have raided Boko Haram strongholds, which has limited their ability to stage attacks. Of Cameroon's 23.7 million people, 40 percent are Christians, 20 percent Muslims ,and the rest hold indigenous beliefs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN: Thousands of Newly Displaced in Niger in Need of Shelter, Water by Lisa Schlein January 19, 2016 The U.N. refugee agency reports tens of thousands of newly displaced people in Niger are in desperate need of international assistance. The UNHCR says about 100,000 people have fled in recent weeks from attacks launched by Nigerian Boko Haram insurgents. The UNHCR says aid agencies are struggling to help the newly displaced who are living in makeshift shelters along the volatile Niger, Nigeria border. Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the UNHCR, tells VOA the people are a mix of internally displaced from Niger, some of whom have been forced to flee several times, and Nigerian refugees. He says they are scattered along one of the most difficult and remote areas in that part of West Africa. "People are spread out over a wide area,' said Edwards. 'This is contributing to the difficulties in reaching them. There are no camps as such there. It is, as I said, a spontaneous settlement environment. Security is certainly a problem and this is something we are talking to the authorities about ... So far, the military authorities have not been able to provide protection across this wide area. That is something that has to be looked at." Edwards describes the situation as very serious. He says there are acute shortages of adequate shelter and non-food items for the displaced. He adds there also is an acute shortage of money. He notes the UNHCR has received less than half of the $51 million it needs to run its Niger operation. "UNHCR is redirecting available resources to try and meet the needs that we are seeing there,' said Edwards. 'We are calling on donors for extra help to support the vulnerable population. Local officials expect more people to flee the volatile border area when the dry season returns, which I understand is at the end of February typically and when Nigerian military operations resume in the area." Edwards says newly arrived families have few sanitation facilities and have to walk long distances to fetch water. He says the medical charity Doctors Without Borders is providing health care and sanitation, but it too is strapped for funds. He says many children are unable to attend school. For now, he notes, the World Food Program has enough supplies on hand to meet food demands. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nigeria Corruption Nigeria's vice president said on May 03, 2016 that the previous government stole some $15 billion of public money through fraudulent arms deals. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said the money was lost to "corrupt practices in... security equipment spending" during the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan. The vice president, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said: When you look at the sheer amount of money that have been embezzled, the sheer amount of money lost from any of these various cases of corruption, you will find that far too much has been lost. ... It was discovered a few days ago that the total amount of money lost just to corruption in the provision of security equipments in the military is closer to $15 billion. The $2.1 billion that has been linked to former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, is just one transaction out of the $15 billion arms deal fraud. The majority of the companies involved in the arms deal are owned by serving military officers. They registered these companies using the names of their cronies. A 13-man committee was inaugurated on 31 August 2015 on full audit of the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date. The presidents media aide Femi Adesina noted that "troops fighting the insurgency in the North East were in desperate need of platforms, military equipment and ammunition. Had the funds siphoned to these non performing companies been properly used for the purpose they were meant for, thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided." On November 18, 2015 Nigeria's president ordered the arrest of a former national security adviser who was accused of stealing billions of dollars meant to buy weapons for the fight against Boko Haram militants. Police surrounded the house of Sambo Dasuki in the capital, Abuja, and refused to let him leave, despite a judge's ruling that Dasuki can go abroad for medical treatment. Dasuki was the national security adviser to former president Goodluck Jonathan, who current President Muhammadu Buhari defeated in the March elections. The government said 17 November 2015 that between 2012 and 2015, Dasuki awarded fake contracts worth more than $2 billion for fighter jets, helicopters, bombs and ammunition that were never supplied to the Nigerian Air Force. It said his office also awarded $2.4 billion in "failed contracts." Interestingly, it was noted that the amount of foreign currency spent on failed contracts was more than double the $1bn loan that the National Assembly approved for borrowing to fight the insurgency in the North East. The Report notes that contracts for purchase of 4 Alpha Jets, 12 helicopters, bombs & ammunition, awarded by former NSA Dasuki, were fictitious. Probes conducted by the National Assembly into various cases of crude theft, pipeline vandalism, misappropriation, Joint Venture agreements, missing crude revenue in Nigerias corruption-tainted oil and gas sector from 1999-2014, revealed that about $15bn was lost to fraud while a whopping $6.8bn subsidy went unaccounted for. A total of 18 probes were carried out by different legislative committees. This information is contained in a study released by the the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS). According to study, released to the public on 20 October 2015, the period under review, also witnessed the alleged missing n500bn sure-p claims for oil subsidy for a period of time. Furthermore, about $16bn could not be accounted for in the power sector while about N2trillion was not remitted by the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Nigeria is not the only nation consistently ranked high on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index; however the reach of Nigeria's fraud peddlers exceeds that of most other nations. There are numerous accounts of retirees and even churches losing many thousands of dollars when Internet users respond to these fraudulent requests. Those who try to obtain someone else's money are as criminal as those who initiate the scam. Many people who use the Internet have received solicitations to claim foreign funds abandoned in some foreign bank account. These schemes, known to insiders as 419 Scams after the provision in the Nigerian law outlawing them but more generally simply as Nigeria Scams, are among the issues often cited by those who know little else about Nigeria. The penchant for cold cash was widespread. Procurement contracts in particular were notorious for graft. The bigger the project, and the longer it takes to complete, the greater the opportunity to divert cash. Thus big projects in Nigeria routinely take far longer than planned and cost far more than originally budgeted. The Nigerian Government has made an effort to address this problem. At the heart of corruption in Nigeria, however, are those who wield government authority. According to a report done by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2005, the country's excessive government stole or misused about $400 billion during the last four decades of the 20th century. That amount is about equal to all of the aid given to Africa by Western donors during the same period of time. One of the earliest government scams was the cement scandal of the early 1960s in which a grand public housing plan was announced where vast quantities of cement were purchased from foreign contractors, but far more cement was ordered than was needed. Overloaded Nigerian ports saw ships loaded with cement backed up for miles out to sea. Corrupt officials made profits, however, from selling cement import licenses. But the promised housing was never constructed on the scale that had been envisioned. Another 1960s scandal involved an aluminum smelter that was supposed to be part of the industrialization of Nigeria. Unfortunately, corrupt manipulators drove the cost of the smelter up to $2.4 billion, which was 60 to 100 percent higher than comparable plants elsewhere in the developed world. Once completed, the smelter never operated above a fraction of its capacity. More recently, in 2003, a commission of inquiry was appointed to investigate the collapse of Nigerian Airways. That commission found that former top airline officials, Federal cabinet members and high-ranking civil servants were to blame for the nation's airlines collapse through waste and misappropriation of funds. One of the hallmarks of Nigerian corruption is that top officials most responsible for the looting of public enterprises are almost never punished for their crimes or forced to return the funds that they have stolen. Even President Obasanjo, who is seen as a campaigner for transparency, has failed to bring to justice the many corrupt officials who have yet to answer for their crimes. Corruption in Nigeria squanders the vast resources available to this nation and has been a factor in the country's brain drain as well. Tens of thousands of Nigerian professionals have immigrated to America and other developed countries, where they can operate in environments in which those who loot their companies or steal government funds can expect prosecution. After failing to successfully tackle corruption with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, the Nigerian Government in 2003 created the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Its initially limited mandate which focused on 419 fraud and other business crime now appears to include government corruption as well. Government actions in pursuit of greater transparency seem to indicate a renewed commitment to attacking high-level corruption. In December 2003, several prominent cabinet members were removed, and former ranking members of the ruling party were arrested, following investigation into the questionable national ID card scheme that year. Fraud in programs designed to develop the oil-rich Niger delta region have left its residents bitter and frustrated and lacking in faith in reforms offered by their government. Every oil company official kidnapped or killed and every pipeline ruptured threatens global energy supplies and drives up the price of oil worldwide. The audit of Nigeria's oil industry as part of its commitment to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is a good sign that the Nigerian government realizes that accountability must be established. Over a period of about 18 months some $20 billion in oil revenues had gone missing from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a state-owned firm that manages the governments shares in oil companies and pays subsidies for fuel imports. Even murkier are losses of crude oil being pumped out of the country. Oil theft, which is euphemistically known as bunkering, is thought to account for anything from 100,000 to 500,000 barrels of oil a day, syphoned off from pipelines or illegally pumped. At the inception of the administration President Musa Yar Adua vowed to frontally fight corruption in the polity. Some critics have even accused the administration of insincerity in its battle against graft. One of the anti- corruption agencies which Yar Adua inherited is the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ICPC headed by Justice Emmanuel Ayoola. For the retired Supreme Court judge the nation should fight absence of integrity rather than corruption. "What we need to do is to erase the popular mentality that some people are untouchable. Once we are able to do that, we will get a cleaner society. But the thing is to educate the people, change their attitude and remove the big-man / small-man-mentality." The cost of all this graft vastly exceeds the actual amounts stolen. Investors are reluctant to put money into a country if they cannot be sure that contracts will be honoured. Local businesses deliberately stay small, hoping to stay beneath officialdoms radar. Citizens are generally loth to pay taxes because they assume the money will be stolen. Billions of dollars in state spending are wasted on useless projects. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Morocco: Belgian Suspect Tied to Paris Attackers Arrested by VOA News January 18, 2016 Moroccan officials say they have arrested a Belgian suspect linked to attackers that killed 130 people in Paris in November. Morocco's Interior Ministry said in a statement that the man was arrested Monday near Casablanca and had 'direct links with some' of the attackers. Islamic State claimed the coordinated bombings and shootings on November 13 that killed scores of civilians at several Paris locations. French and Belgian security officials traced some of the attackers to Paris and Brussels. At least two suspects linked to the attacks, Salah Abdeslam and Mohamed Abrini, are on the run; nine more were killed in the attacks and subsequent security operations. Abdeslam was born in Belgium and is of Moroccan and French heritage. Moroccan authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in December. French police allege security camera footage shows Abrini at a gas station with Salah Abdeslam two days before the attacks, driving a car that would later be used by the assailants. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indonesia president seeks terror law review Iran Press TV Tue Jan 19, 2016 2:8PM Indonesia is considering a regulation that would prohibit its citizens from joining the ranks of Takfiri terrorist groups operating in conflict-ridden Iraq and Syria. President Joko Widodo, addressing a high-level security meeting on Tuesday, called for amendments to the country's anti-terrorism law after Daesh-linked attackers struck last week at the heart of Jakarta, the capital of the most populated Muslim country, killing eight. The president highlighted the urgency of the adoption of a clear policy and laws banning the return of militants from conflict regions. Senior officials in Jakarta believe that roughly 500 Indonesians have traveled to the Middle East region to join the Takfiri Daesh terrorists and other militant groups. Nearly 100 are believed to have returned to the Southeast Asian country in recent months. Responding to the president's call, Indonesia's parliamentary speaker Zulkifli Hasan said planned amendments to the law are likely to be approved by lawmakers as all major political factions have voiced support for the proposals. 'We've agreed to review the terrorism law to focus on prevention,' Hasan said, adding, 'Currently there is nothing in the law covering training. There is also nothing currently covering people going overseas (to join radical groups) and returning. This needs to be broadened.' The parliamentary speaker added that prison sentences are to be toughened for terrorism-related offences. Indonesia's law enforcement agencies argue that current laws to combat militancy, put in place in 2003, are inadequate. Indonesian national police chief Badrodin earlier admitted that security forces have limited power to confront militancy. "We can detect, but we can't take action before any crime is committed. That is the weakness of our regulations. For example, if there are those who came back home from Syria after joining IS (Daesh), there is no proof of their crime and we can't take action against them." In December last year, the intelligence consultancy, Soufan Group, said in a report that between 27,000 and 31,000 foreigners from some 86 countries had joined Daesh in Iraq and Syria. Daesh terrorists have repeatedly called on the group's members to carry out attacks in their home countries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indonesian Police Receive Terrorist Threat Targeting Bali by Brian Padden January 19, 2016 In Indonesia there are growing concerns that more deadly attacks could follow last week' bombings in Jakarta by Islamist militants. Bali police Tuesday say they received an anonymous letter warning that the resort Island will be the next target for a terrorist assault. 'The letter was sent by an anonymous individual to Buleleng district, and the police are still conducting an investigation, and trying to find out who sent the letter. But again, I urge people in Bali not to be afraid, but they should stay alert,' said Bali Police Chief Sugeng Priyanto. Authorities say they've increased security at shopping malls and other locations that draw crowds in Bali. In 2002, the popular resort island was targeted by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an Indonesia-based terrorist group with links to al-Qaida. The bombing of a club in Bali killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. The Bali bombing severely hurt Indonesia's tourism industry, and began a decade of deadly plots in Indonesia carried out by Southeast Asian militants affiliated with al-Qaida. Indonesia successfully combated the JI related terrorist threat through police action, intelligence operations and high profile criminal prosecutions. However, after last week's attack in the center of Jakarta that killed eight people, including four militants, Indonesian security forces are raising concerns that more and deadlier attacks could follow, carried out by groups inspired by Islamic State. The Jakarta attack was the first of its kind in Southeast Asia to be attributed to Syria-based militant Islamists. Authorities say about 500 Indonesians have travelled to the Middle East to join the extremist group. About 100 are believed to have returned, although experts say only about 15 have combat experience. Jakarta back to normal So far the renewed threat of terrorism has not instilled any widespread sense of panic or fear amongst Indonesians. Life in Jakarta has quickly returned to normal, less than a week after the deadly attacks. On Tuesday the Starbucks coffee shop that was bombed remained closed and boarded up for repairs, but the memorial of flowers had been removed. Other shops have reopened and traffic at the busy intersection was congested as usual. 'Ojek' hero The "ojek" motorcycle taxi drivers were again gathered at the intersection where the attack took place, waiting for their next fares. One of the "ojek" drivers back at work is Muhamad Yunus, who has received widespread praise for the selfless courage he exhibited during the attack. The militant attackers last Thursday (January 14) set off two bombs, the first at the Starbucks and the second at a police traffic station in the middle of the intersection, near Jakarta's oldest department store, Sarinah. After the second explosion Yunus rushed to the police station to help the wounded even though the assailants were shooting at anyone in the area. He said he found a woman whose legs were severely injured and brought her to safety, away from the firefight. "I got that woman and I told her, don't cry. Please be strong. Be strong. Please don't be sad," Yunus said. Yunus said he found out later that the woman and her nephew were stopped by the police for a traffic violation at the time of the blast. Her nephew died in the explosion. Kami tidak takut After the Jakarta attack there have been demonstrations by Indonesian Muslims to denounce terrorism and call for the government to eradicate radical militants and supporters of Islamic State in the country. Indonesians also have started to use hashtags like 'PrayforJakarta' and 'Kamitidaktakut' or 'Wearenotafraid' in English, on social media. Yunus's act of heroism has been held up as an example of Indonesia's resolve to stand up against terrorism. "I am not afraid. We won't be scared any more," he said. Dismantling terror networks Meanwhile Indonesian authorities have promised to intensify their efforts to monitor radical networks in the country. Police believe the alleged mastermind of the Jakarta attack, an Indonesian fighting with Islamic State in Syria called Bahrun Naim, used social media to communicate his radical ideas to followers in Indonesia. In December police say they successfully disrupted plans by militants to launch a string of deadly attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations, as well as against the country's Shia Muslim minority. Prior to last week, the last major attack in the world's most populous Muslim nation was the twin bombing of luxury hotels in Jakarta in 2009. Ade Irma in Jakarta contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese navy ships start Sri Lanka tour People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:38, January 18, 2016 COLOMBO, Jan. 17 -- The 21st Chinese naval escort taskforce, comprising the guided-missile frigates Liuzhou, Sanya and the comprehensive supply ship Qinghaihu, arrived here on Sunday for a five-day visit. The Sri Lankan Navy held a welcoming ceremony for the visiting Chinese naval taskforce, attended by Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang and over a hundred Chinese officials and merchants. After the ceremony, the three Chinese naval ships were open to the public visit. The 21st Chinese naval escort taskforce departed from the Gulf of Aden on Jan. 3, after completing its four- month merchant ships escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somali coast. Colombo is the second leg of the Asia visit of the taskforce, following Karachi, Pakistan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese President Xi arrives in Saudi Arabia as part of Mideast tour Iran Press TV Tue Jan 19, 2016 6:33PM Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Saudi Arabia on the first leg of his five-day Middle East tour seeking to bolster relations with major countries in the region. Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud greeted the Chinese delegation on their arrival on Tuesday. Saudi state television reported that President Xi and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud were holding talks. "Since China and Saudi Arabia forged diplomatic ties 26 years ago, our relationship has developed by leaps and bounds, with mutual political trust deepening continuously and rich results in cooperation in various fields,' China's official Xinhua news agency cited Xi as saying in written remarks. The visit is expected to be 'conducive to lifting our cooperation in various fields to a new level and to elevating the collective cooperation between China and [P]GCC nations,' the Chinese president said in reference to the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council. On Wednesday, Xi will accompany King Salman to inaugurate an energy research center in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The two officials will later open a refinery, which is a joint venture between the state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco and China Petrochemical Corporation. After his visit to Saudi Arabia, the Chinese head of state will travel to Egypt, where he will meet with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. He will also deliver a speech at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League on China's Mideast policies. Following the upcoming visit to Egypt, Xi will travel to the Iranian capital, Tehran, where he will meet Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and other senior officials. The tour comes more than two weeks after Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran following the execution by the Riyadh regime of prominent cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 other people. The Saudi regime cut ties after protests outside its embassy and consulate in Iran where the buildings were attacked. Iranian officials condemned the incidents at the Saudi diplomatic missions and more than 150 people have been detained. Several countries, including China, Pakistan and Russia, have expressed readiness to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran says it will not allow Saudi Arabia's provocations to adversely affect ongoing efforts aimed at resolving the crisis in Syria and Yemen. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address K-Pop & Balloons: North, South Korea Engage in New Round of Propaganda War Sputnik News 20:13 18.01.2016 Despite the official end of psychological warfare between North Korea and South Korea, officials in Seoul say the north continues sending propaganda leaflets into the South via balloons. Officials say the North has sent about 1 million pro-Pyongyang leaflets carried by balloons into the South. These efforts come after North Korea detonated a weapon it claims to have been a hydrogen bomb earlier this month. South Korea's Defense Ministry claims the North has been sending its balloons on a near-daily basis since the test. In response to the test, the South revamped its efforts to broadcast anti-Pyongyang propaganda and K-Pop songs via loudspeakers at the border, in an effort to demoralize North Korean soldiers and civilians' support of the dictator Kim Jong-un. The two parties officially agreed to end psychological warfare in 2004 to reduce tensions. South Korean activists, however, have been known to send leaflets promoting anti-government propaganda into the North Although several analysts doubt North Korea detonated a hydrogen bomb on Jan. 6, they are confident the North tested a nuclear device which enhances their capabilities of developing a nuclear arsenal. In response to the test, the United Nations Security Council pledged to pursue tougher sanctions on Pyongyang. However, it's unclear whether China will jump on board. China, which is North Korea's most important ally, is a permanent member of the Security Council with power to veto resolutions. North Korea and South Korea have been engaging in Cold-War-style standoff since their war in the 1950s ended via an armistice rather than an official peace treaty. The two technically remain at war, and a force of more than 28,500 American troops is stationed in South Korea as a deterrent. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Inside North Korea's Secret Drone Ops Sputnik News 19:04 18.01.2016(updated 19:14 18.01.2016) North Korea has been honing its drone system for over 25 years, developing advanced drones believed to be capable of both airstrikes and deep infiltration. Here's how they did it. North Korea's latest drone incursion into South Korean airspace over the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) again shed light on the country's extensive drone program, which could create a new wildcard in the two sides' 52-year standoff. Drone incursions from the North have created doubts as to whether South Korea can defend its airspace. North Korea is believed to possess around 300 drones according to South Korean military figures, some of which are capable of carrying out 'suicide' airstrikes as well as reconnaissance. Alongside nuclear weapons and missiles possessed by or stationed on both sides, North Korean drones could provide Pyongyang with both artillery targeting intelligence and the ability to eliminate South Korean high-value targets without the use of more risky direct assassination. How It All Began According to defense researcher Joseph Bermudez, North Korea acquired its first unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from China between 1988 and 1990. The development began at around the same time as South Korea's defense ministry announced that it sought to build a UAV fleet. By late 1993, North Korea is said to have begun producing its own analogues of the Chinese Xian ASN-104 UAV, initially called the Panghyon ('Fender'). A later model based on the more advanced ASN-105, presumably called Panghyon-2 is also believed to be produced. By 1994 North Korea gained access to the Syrian military's Tu-143 Reys reconnaissance UAVs, which are powered by a turbojet engine. North Korea is alleged to have weaponized the drone, making it capable of carrying nuclear or biological weapons. The same year, North Korea bought 10 export variant Pchela-1T ('Bee') drones from Russia's Kulon Scientific Research Institute. The Pchela-1T was presumably exported as the Shmel-1 ('Bumblebee') base variant earlier developed by Yakovlev Design Bureau, and had television controls, but was incapable of flying at night. North Korea also expressed interest in purchasing more Pchela drones during Kim Jong Il's visit to Russia in 2001. At around the same time, the institute developed the Pchela-1IK, which had infrared controls, making it capable of flying at night. Active Deployment In 2005, South Korean intelligence came to possess a detailed North Korean plan of action in case of war. The plans showed that North Korea would direct its military from deep underground bunkers, making decisions based on intelligence from spy satellites and UAVs. At the time, South Korea reacted to the idea that the North would have sufficient UAVs with skepticism, but admitted that work in the direction was probably underway. South Korea first learned of UAV use by the North in 2010, when it detected an unidentified UAV on the border over the Yellow Sea. The UAV was apparently evaluating North Korean artillery exercises and monitoring the reaction of a nearby South Korean unit. South Korea's military at the time believed the drone to be a Tu-143 or its derivative. In February 2012, a military source told Yonhap News that North Korea was developing a strike drone based on the US-made MQM-107 Streaker drone, purchased from a Middle Eastern country, believed to be either Syria or Egypt. The drone was then shown during a North Korean military parade in March 2012 (seen above on a ZiL-130 truck chassis). In 2013, stills on North Korean television showed the drones being used in a military exercise: The stills showed three UAVs taking off, with some exploding in mid-air to destroy an aerial target, while others attack a target on a mountainside. Modern Warfare South Korea only rang the alarm bells in April 2014, when three 'mini-UAVs' were found in South Korea, apparently sent in from North Korea. The UAVs were programmed with GPS coordinates to take photographs of strategic installations in South Korea, including the presidential administration in Seoul, and likely crashed after running out of fuel. Examination of the drones showed them to be modifications of Chinese-made Sky-09 and UV10 drones, the use of which by North Korea was previously unknown to South Korean intelligence. It was later found that the drone was previously seen in photographs of Kim Jong Un visiting an air force base in March 2013. The finding led South Korean officials to assume that multiple successful drone flights were already made over South Korea without being noticed. South Korea deployed a radar system to detect low-flying drones after the discovery, believed to be operational in late 2015. South Korean forces failed to intercept the drones the first two times North Korean UAVs were detected flying over the DMZ by the system between August 22 and August 24, 2015. The South Korean forces were more effective in deterring the drone in the latest incident on January 13. Ground troops fired warning shots with small arms, while audio systems sounded a warning to the other side of the DMZ, leading the drone to retreat back to North Korean territory. Such a system is no guarantee, however, as it would require significant troop concentrations along every part of the DMZ. Other aspects of the North Korean drone program, such as launch sites and possible radar evasion capabilities remain unknown. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Germany hints at possible troop deployment to Libya Iran Press TV Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:25AM Germany's defense minister says she does not rule out dispatching military forces to violence-wracked Libya, without clarifying the nature of the potential deployment. When asked in a Sunday interview with Bild newspaper about reports on Berlin's plans for troop deployment to Libya, Ursula von der Leyen said "Germany will not be able to evade responsibility for contributing its share." She stopped short of giving details on the nature of such a possible deployment, but made clear that implementing law and order in the North African country was an important goal for Berlin. The German minister also voiced concern over increasing terror attacks by Daesh terrorists in Libya and said the recent advances by the Takfiri terror group could unleash a new wave of refugees to Europe, which is already suffering from an unprecedented refugee influx. Earlier this month, a report by Germany's Der Spiegel daily revealed that Berlin planned to dispatch a military contingent to a location near Libya with the alleged mission of training the African country's army. Der Spiegel said the so-called training mission would be based in Tunisia due to the security situation in Libya, which is in chaos four years after dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled and later killed in October 2011. Since then, armed groups and regional factions have been fighting for power. The internationally-recognized government, based in Tobruk, eastern Libya, has been vying to recapture the capital, Tripoli, from the militants of the Libya Dawn movement. Takfiri groups, including Daesh terrorists, are also operating in Libya. There are fears of a spillover of violence into Europe. Berlin also has a presence on battlegrounds in Iraq and Syria, where the administration of Chancellor Angela Merkel is contributing more and more forces and weaponry to the US-led coalition purportedly targeting Daesh positions. On January 6, Berlin decided to deploy an additional 550 troops to missions against militants in Mali and Iraq. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The War Jets With a Fear of the Dark: German Tornados Grounded at Night Sputnik News 18:35 19.01.2016(updated 18:40 19.01.2016) Germany's Tornado multirole aircraft are not capable of reconnaissance missions at night because their cockpit lighting is too bright after an update, a military source told German newspaper Das Bild. Germany's Tornado multirole aircraft are not able to carry out anti-terror missions at night because of an update to the plane's instruments, Germany's Das Bild reported. 'We are working on a timely solution,' a military spokesperson confirmed. According to the report, the problem was caused by the latest ASSTA 3 upgrade of the Tornado's electronic systems, which have made the cockpit lighting too bright for pilots to be able to see the ground clearly. The Tornado multirole aircraft first entered service in 1980 and can be used as a strike aircraft or for reconnaissance missions. Tornadoes won't fly at night against ISIS,' Das Bild reported. The Bundeswehr, which is providing six Tornado jets for reconnaissance missions against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, expects a new software fix to solve the problem by the end of January. Germany's Tagesschau news program reported that the reconnaissance missions in Syria pose a particular difficulty for the Tornado pilots. The Tornados do not receive information from the ground about the proximity of other aircraft, meaning that the pilots have to detect potential dangers themselves. At the beginning of January four Tornados flew from Germany to NATO's Incirlik air base in Turkey before starting anti-Daesh reconnaissance missions in Iraq and Syria. In mid-January they were joined by another two German Tornados, and the aircraft are to gradually increase their number of missions over Iraq and Syria from an initial twice daily. The German government decided to provide the Tornados, an F124 Sachsen class air-defense frigate, an Airbus aerial refueling tanker aircraft and up to 1,200 troops in support roles for the US-led coalition carrying out airstrikes on terrorists in Iraq and Syria in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks in November. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hague Claims Tribunal Settlement Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC January 17, 2016 The United States and Iran today have settled a long outstanding claim at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in the Hague. This specific claim was in the amount of a $400 million Trust Fund used by Iran to purchase military equipment from the United States prior to the break in diplomatic ties. In 1981, with the reaching of the Algiers Accords and the creation of the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal, Iran filed a claim for these funds, tying them up in litigation at the Tribunal. This is the latest of a series of important settlements reached over the past 35 years at the Hague Tribunal. In constructive bilateral discussions, we arrived at a fair settlement to this claim, which due to litigation risk, remains in the best interests of the United States. Iran will receive the balance of $400 million in the Trust Fund, as well as a roughly $1.3 billion compromise on the interest. Iran's recovery was fixed at a reasonable rate of interest and therefore Iran is unable to pursue a bigger Tribunal award against us, preventing U.S. taxpayers from being obligated to a larger amount of money. All of the approximately 4,700 private U.S. claims filed against the Government of Iran at the Tribunal were resolved during the first 20 years of the Tribunal, resulting in payments of more than $2.5 billion in awards to U.S. nationals and companies through that process. There are still outstanding Tribunal claims, mostly by Iran against the U.S. We will continue efforts to address these claims appropriately. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Amano: Implementation of JCPOA vital for IAEA IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Jan 18, IRNA -- Visiting Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano said here on Monday that the UN nuclear watchdog attaches great importance to implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) . Amano made the remarks while responding to IRNA question at a press conference following his meeting with Head of Atomic Energy Agency of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi. He added this trend has just started and future developments need time. Amano also described his meeting with Salehi as fruitful, reiterating that he would hold talks with President Hassan Rouhani today evening. Amano reiterated that Iran and IAEA have agreed to reinforce cooperation in future. Amano arrived in Tehran on Monday to hold talks with the Iranian officials on strengthening of relations between Iran and the IAEA. The IAEA chief on Saturday (Jan 16, 2016) released a report on nuclear verification in Iran. Then, the US and the European Union lifted anti-Iran sanctions and the implementation of the July 14 nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) started. 9060**1771 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address JCPOA implementation, political victory for Iran: Rouhani ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Mon 18 Jan 2016 - 08:44 TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani hailed the implementation of the nuclear agreement between the country and the P5+1 group of countries, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as a political victory for the Iranians. "Today is the day of the victory of the people of Iran on the political arena," Rouhani said in a televised address on Sunday, adding, "As of today, it is clear that our country has a big power called the power of diplomacy." "Many did not believe in this power," he added. "They did not believe that our politicians and diplomats are able to sit at negotiating table with the most adept negotiators from world powers and conduct negotiations and defend the rights of their nation and their country." Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany finalized the JCPOA in Vienna on July 14, 2015. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini announced the implementation of JCPOA during a joint press conference in the Austrian capital on Saturday. Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also said on the same day that Iran had taken the "necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of" JCPOA. "Today is a historic day and an exceptional one in the political and economic history of the people of Iran," said Rouhani. "After 12 years of steadfastness and resistance as well as patience and sacrifice and also martyrdom of a number of nuclear (scientists) and on the back of indefatigable efforts of our nuclear scientists, diplomats, politicians, lawyers as well as the economic officials of the country, today, we are at a turning point," he added. The president noted that the JCPOA implementation proved that 'we can interact with the world in the interest of our nation' without harming others' interests. "The people of Iran proved that constructive interaction is the true and right way," he said. "From today on, Iran's nuclear program will not, under false pretexts, be considered as a threat to peace and security for the world and the region," Rouhani said, adding, "Now the nuclear program is being regarded as a plan for scientific, technological, business, and economic interaction and cooperation." "Iran's nuclear program will be a means of new technology on the path of progress of the nation and stability and regional security." Rouhani also said in the light of the new development, Iran expects its economy to grow by as much as five percent in the next year. The president said, however, that the countryneeds to see an eight-percent economic growth rate. To that end, he added, Iran needs 'cutting-edge technologies' and 'foreign investment.' "Today, it has turned out that the win-win policy is an accurate one. For those, who thought that either you need to cheat others or you will be cheated, it turned out that it is possible to speak to the world, to have dialog with the world and to reach an agreement that could be in the interests of the peoples of the region and the world," said the Iranian chief executive, adding that the nuclear deal can be used as a model to resolve regional issues. Rouhani stressed, "We would not taste the sweet taste of this great victory without the instructions and guidelines of the great Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and without the protection provided for this people by the religious jurisprudence." Rouhani also expressed hope that Saudi Arabia would reconsider its hostile policy vis-a-vis Iran, adding that Riyadh is going down 'a wrong path.' "I hope that the new rulers in Saudi Arabia ... reconsider their behavior in the interest of the region and their own people," he said, adding that the kingdom itself is the source of its problems with Iran. The president, however, added, "Our administration, our people will not accept undiplomatic behavior and if necessary, we will give a firm response to certain behaviors." Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3 following demonstrations held in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad by angry protesters censuring the Al Saud family for the killing of top cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. "Saudi Arabia's problem emanates from inside Saudi Arabia," Rouhani said. "Regarding the Mina incident, the reaction of Saudi Arabia and its approaches did not fall within moral and diplomatic norms," saying Riyadh did not offer an apology to the nations, which had lost their people in the disaster. Two large masses of pilgrims converged at a crossroads in Mina, near the holy Saudi city of Mecca, during Hajj rituals on September 24, causing a human crush. Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed in the incident, but Iranian officials say about 4,700 people, over 460 of which were Iranians, lost their lives in the tragedy. Riyadh's behavior toward the people of the region "is not the right one," Rouhani also noted, citing the kingdom's continuing massacre of Yemenis in a military aggression it launched against the impoverished nation last March. "Saudi Arabia started on the wrong path on its own. We hope it will not continue treading on that pathI hope that the new rulers in Saudi Arabia have already learnt the lesson and reconsider their behavior in the interest of the region and their own people." End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IAEA chief arrives in Iran after JCPOA implementation ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Mon 18 Jan 2016 - 08:34 TEHRAN (ISNA)- The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, arrived in Tehran on his first visit after the beginning of the implementation of the landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries. The IAEA chief arrived in the Iranian capital early on Monday, a day after Iran and the P5+1 group of countries started implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Amano is scheduled to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi. Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the AEOI, said on Sunday that Amano's visit comes at the invitation of Iran, adding that the IAEA chief is expected to discuss with Iranian officials ways to speed up the implementation of the JCPOA. "In the JCPOA, the implementation process is estimated to be eight years but we want to accomplish this sooner and this is doable through cooperation between Iran and the IAEA," Kamalvanid added. Kamalvandi stressed that Amano will not visit any nuclear site in Iran. On Sunday, the IAEA confirmed that Iran had remained committed to its nuclear agreement with the P5+1 with Amano announcing that Iran had taken the "necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)." The announcement was made after 'inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal)... to enable Implementation Day to occur,' he said in a statement. The certification by the UN nuclear agency paves the way for the JCPOA to go into effect. Soon after, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini read out a joint statement in the Austrian capital, Vienna, announcing that the JCPOA had indeed come into force. According to the statement, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the UN Security Council and the US are lifted. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany finalized the JCPOA in Vienna, on July 14, 2015. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rouhani outlines JCPOA achievements ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Mon 18 Jan 2016 - 13:32 TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani outlined 11 achievements obtained following implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in a letter to Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei. 1. Strategic demand of Iranian nation to certify its irrefutable right on peaceful nuclear program came true and Iran's nuclear program with trade and industrial aspects was recognized and respected by the world. 2. Enrichment will continue as the most sensitive and most important part of Iran's nuclear program and Iran would be one of the international fuel producers. 3. Arak Heavy Water Research Reactor would be an advanced and modern research reactor with high international standards within global cooperation framework. 4. Iran's strategic uranium stockpile increased considerably after the Islamic Revolution with arrival of over 200 tons of yellow cake in Iran. 5. Iran joined few countries exporting enriched uranium and heavy water. 6. Iran can cooperate in establishing nuclear power plants as well as reactors for research, fuel production, advanced research and development, nuclear fusion, nuclear medicine, safety, water-sweetening and protecting environment. 7. 6 anti-Iranian resolutions of the 7th Charter of the UN were annulled. Only 2231 Resolution is valid which will be canceled after 10 years automatically. 8. 12 resolutions and 5 decisions of the Board of Directors of the IAEA were canceled. Only 2015/70 Resolution is valid which is monitoring the JCPOA implementation. 9. UNSC, EU and US sanctions on financial transactions, banking, swift, investment, insurance services, exports credit, oil, gas, petrochemistry, shipping, ports, gold trade, cars and airplanes were eased which paved the way for Iran's use of exports market and access to international capital market. 10. Iran's frozen assets were released which makes investment and creating job opportunities in Iran. 11. The JCPOA implementation caused failure of ill-wishers of Islam and Iran which were after creating a wrong and horrifying image of the Islamic Revolution and showed the peace-seeking nature of Iran in international scene. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IAEA duty-bound to help Iran nuclear progress: Rouhani Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:46PM Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says the UN nuclear agency is duty-bound to support the Islamic Republic's measures to expand its peaceful nuclear technology. Rouhani made the remarks in a meeting with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano in Tehran on Monday as part of his first visit after the beginning of the implementation of a landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached last July. "As a committed member of the IAEA, the Islamic Republic of Iran expects to be an active member in the international scene in the peaceful and modern technologies of the nuclear industry and [expects] the agency to support such presence," Rouhani said. "The IAEA along with the duty of monitoring and supervising activities, should also fulfill its other duties and legal responsibilities, particularly in the field of transferring advanced peaceful nuclear technology and treat its members equally in such sectors," the Iranian president added. He added that the settlement of issues pertaining to Iran's nuclear program is among important examples in the history of modern diplomacy. The president said Iran would continue its cooperation with the IAEA and reaffirmed Tehran's commitment to its obligations under the JCPOA as long as the P5+1 countries honor their part of the agreement. On Saturday, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany started to implement the nuclear agreement that they reached in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on July 14, 2015. After the JCPOA went into effect, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the United Nations Security Council and the United States were lifted. Iran in return has put some limitations on its nuclear activities. The JCPOA was signed following two and a half years of intensive talks between Iran and the P5+1. 'IAEA impartial, apolitical on JCPOA' The IAEA chief, for his part, hailed the implementation of the JCPOA as an important event and said the agency is committed to pursuing a legal, impartial and apolitical approach on the agreement's execution. Amano expressed the IAEA's willingness to boost its cooperation with Iran in a bid to further build confidence. He said the IAEA is responsible for helping the development of peaceful nuclear technologies and the transfer of modern technologies from developed countries to developing states. Iran and the six global powers started putting into effect the JCPOA on the same day that the IAEA chief said the Islamic Republic had taken the "necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of" the nuclear agreement. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address JCPOA implementation big step in right direction: EU Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:41PM European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says the implementation of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries was a "big step in the right direction" for the Middle East. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany started on Saturday to implement the nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that they reached in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on July 14, 2015. "Nothing is automatic, but I'm sure that what we have done on Saturday in Vienna is a big, important step in the right direction for the region," Mogherini said upon her arrival in Brussels on Monday to attend the first meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council in 2016. She added that the JCPOA implementation proved that even the most difficult relations can come to positive results through dialog, diplomacy and cooperation. "This is true also for the actors in the region," Mogherini pointed out. She emphasized that peace cannot be achieved "soon and easily" just as the nuclear agreement "did not come soon and easily. But it came in the end." After the JCPOA went into effect, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the UN Security Council and the US were lifted. Iran in return has put some limitations on its nuclear activities. The JCPOA was signed following two and a half years of intensive talks between Iran and the P5+1. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran-IAEA cooperation enters new phase: Salehi Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 2:21PM Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic's cooperation with the UN nuclear agency has entered a new phase. Salehi made the remarks in a joint press conference with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano, in Tehran on Monday as part of his first visit after the beginning of the implementation of a landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Salehi said Amano's visit sends 'many messages.' "Through [Amano's] visit [to Tehran], we will witness the opening of a new chapter in cooperation between Iran and the agency. We want to make up for the 10-12-year lost opportunities in relations with the agency," Salehi said. He added that the IAEA chief is visiting Tehran at a time when "there is no longer such an issue as the fabricated nuclear dossier of the Islamic Republic of Iran." The AEOI head noted that during his talks with Amano, the sides had worked on a roadmap for fresh cooperation after the JCPOA implementation. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Saturday read out a joint statement in the Austrian capital, Vienna, announcing that the JCPOA had indeed come into force. According to the statement, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the UN Security Council and the US are lifted. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany finalized the JCPOA in Vienna, on July 14, 2015. Additional Protocol implementation vital: Amano Amano, for his part, said Iran and the IAEA agreed to strengthen cooperation after the JCPOA implementation. He stressed the importance of making constant efforts in the future and said it is very important to implement the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Tehran has agreed to provisionally apply the Additional Protocol as a confidence-building gesture under the country's nuclear deal with the P5+1. Amano said Iran and IAEA must continue impartial and non-political efforts. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani told reporters on Sunday that Tehran will continue to implement the additional protocol voluntarily. The protocol gives vast access to the IAEA inspectors to Iran's nuclear sites with no or a short notice. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran gives order for 500,000 bpd rise in oil production Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 12:25PM Managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company says the Oil Ministry has been ordered to raise the country's daily oil production by 500,000 barrels following announcement of the removal of international sanctions against Iran. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Iran's First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri on Monday, Roknoddin Javadi said, "Following the removal of sanctions, Iran is ready to increase its crude output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd), and the order to do this was notified [to Iran's Oil Ministry] today." The development came two days after Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, announced during a joint press conference in Vienna on Saturday the beginning of the implementation of a nuclear deal reached by Iran and six world powers in the Austrian capital, Vienna, last July. The announcement came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released its latest report confirming Tehran's compliance with its commitment as per the nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 'As Iran has fulfilled its commitments, today, multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program are lifted in accordance. All sides remain firmly convinced that this historic deal is both strong and fair, and that it meets the requirements of all," said a joint statement read out by Zarif and Mogherini. The statement added, 'UN sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme are lifted. United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), which endorsed the JCPOA, will from now onwards, together with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), be the sole international legal framework related to Iran's nuclear activities, terminating provisions of resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2007), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008), 1929 (2010) and 2224 (2015).' Political issues influencing oil prices Javadi told reporters that the most important problem currently facing the global oil market is a surplus supply of two million barrels per day, which has led to drastic reduction in global oil prices. "Of course, political issues and decisions made by big countries and some major members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-member producers were also influential in reducing oil prices," he said. Javadi, who is also a deputy to Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh, stated that if oil production is to be reduced, the reduction must be enforced by all producers in a proportional way. "If Iran does not increase its oil output, neighboring countries may raise their crude production within the next six months to one year, thus taking Iran's share" of the market, the official said. Iran to reclaim its oil market share Elsewhere in his interview, the Iranian deputy oil minister emphasized that the Islamic Republic is bent on reclaiming its share of the global oil markets after which OPEC members and non-member producers can made decision to reduce their production commensurate with the situation in the market. "Most analysts believe that if oil supply continues in the present manner, oil prices will remain at the current level, at least, for a year to come unless major oil producers prefer their national interests over temporary revenues," he added. Javadi stated that at the peak of its production, Iran's share from the global markets stands at four percent, saying, "This figure is not high in comparison with a country, which accounts for 10-15 percent of the market share. Therefore, the oil market must be managed through a consensual and wise decision." Javadi's remarks echoed earlier remarks by Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh, who told reporters last November that the country will not leave its share in the global oil market to any other country once sanctions against the Islamic Republic's energy sector are removed. Taking part in a press conference to explain Iran's oil policy in post-sanctions era, Zanganeh emphasized, "Iran under no condition will give up its share of the oil market to others and will not ask for anybody's permission for increasing its crude oil exports." Consensus needed to manage oil market Managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company stressed that in order to manage the chaotic situation in the oil market, oil producers will have to reach a consensus on this issue. "I think they will have to reach a consensus," the Iranian official said, adding, "Those rich countries that were deceived by this game and reduced the oil price are now facing crisis." "Therefore, they have to strive toward improvement of [global] oil prices, which we hope this would happen and price would start to rise toward the end of the [current] Christian year," he noted. For over a year now, the global oil prices have been under downward pressure as a result of supply glut, which has caused prices to fall from highs of above USD 100 a barrel in mid-2014 to below USD 30 a barrel in recent days. On Friday, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in February fell to USD 33.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), the lowest since February 2004. In London, North Sea Brent crude for delivery in February closed at USD 33.55 a barrel, down 20 cents from Thursday's settlement. Saudi Arabia has been widely blamed for the plummeting oil prices as Riyadh has adamantly refused to cut its crude output in a bid to drive other oil market players, including US shale producers, out of the market. During its meeting last month, OPEC, which has 13 members including Saudi Arabia and Iran, decided not to slash its high output levels despite drastic fall in global oil prices. OPEC argued that the decision was made in a bid to maintain oil market share in the face of competition from North American shale oil output. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran warns of reciprocation over JCPOA breach Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 11:0AM Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic will respond in kind if the P5+1 group fails to fulfill its commitments under a landmark nuclear agreement clinched in July 2015. In a letter to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Monday, Rouhani stressed that his administration will keep a watchful eye on the opposite side's compliance with its commitments stipulated in the agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to "foil enemies' attempts to take advantage of the agreement to infiltrate" the country. "The administration is determined to precisely and seriously monitor the fulfillment of the opposite side's commitments and will, through prudent realism and far from any extreme optimism, take reciprocal measures in case of any renege on promises," Rouhani said. The Iranian president expressed gratitude to the Leader for his support during the nuclear negotiations and enumerated the achievements that the JCPOA has brought for the Islamic Republic. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini read out a joint statement in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Saturday, announcing that the JCPOA had indeed come into force. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany had finalized the JCPOA in Vienna on July 14, 2015. Rouhani underlined that the Iranian nation's right to peaceful nuclear technology has been restored and that the world has recognized Tehran's nuclear program on an industrial scale. The letter also reads that under the JCPOA, Iran will continue uranium enrichment as "the most sensitive and important part" of its nuclear program. The Arak heavy water reactor will also be modernized through international cooperation, the letter said. Rouhani also said that the nuclear agreement thwarted efforts by enemies of Iran to depict a "false" image of Islamic Revolution. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sanctions removal must be carried out precisely: Iran FM Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 8:58AM Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the termination of sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program must be carried out in strict accordance with the nuclear agreement reached between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries. In a Sunday meeting with the visiting President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies, Mars Di Bartolomeo, in Tehran, Zarif expressed hope that "the issue of the removal of sanctions [against Iran] would be carried out strictly" in line with the nuclear agreement. On Saturday, Zarif and Federica Mogherini, the European Union foreign policy chief, read out a joint statement in the Austrian capital, Vienna, announcing that the JCPOA had indeed come into force. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany had finalized the JCPOA in Vienna on July 14, 2015. In his meeting with Di Bartolomeo, Zarif also emphasized the need for promotion of relations between Iran and Luxembourg, calling for the setting up of joint ventures between the two countries. Touching upon the crisis in Syria, Zarif said only "political and peaceful" means can settle the crisis in the Arab country. "Unlike others, the Islamic Republic of Iran doesn't want those countries which can contribute to the peaceful settlement of the conflict [in Syria] to be marginalized in the peace process in Syria," he said. Di Bartolomeo, for his part, called for the expansion of all-out cooperation between Tehran and Luxembourg City. The comments come as diplomatic efforts are underway at the international level to help resolve the deadly turmoil in Syria which has claimed over 260,000 lives since 2011. Three rounds of UN-backed negotiations have so far been held in Vienna and New York on the situation in Syria since last October. A fourth session is also scheduled to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in late January. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran nuclear agreement proves power of dialog: President Rouhani Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:55AM Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says that Tehran's nuclear agreement with the six world countries proves that complicated issues can be settled through negotiations. In a Sunday meeting with the visiting President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies, Mars Di Bartolomeo, in Tehran, Rouhani described the Iranian nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as a "great achievement" for diplomacy. "The message of the agreement was that complicated issues can be solved through dialog," said the Iranian president. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini read out a joint statement in the Austrian capital, Vienna, announcing that the JCPOA had indeed come into force. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany had finalized the JCPOA in Vienna on July 14, 2015. Rouhani said that the implementation of the JCPOA has paved the ground for Iran and Luxembourg to expand their relations. The Iranian president further pointed to terrorism as a serious threat to the world, calling for unity to counter the scourge. He expressed the Islamic Republic's readiness to cooperate with the world countries, including Luxembourg, in the settlement of key regional issues. For his part, Di Bartolomeo called for the enhancement of bilateral ties between Tehran and Luxembourg City. He also congratulated Iran on the nuclear talks and the beginning of the implementation of the JCPOA, saying the agreement will help the promotion of peace and stability in the world. Only dialog can solve Mideast crises: Velayati Di Bartolomeo also held a meeting with Ali-Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on international affairs, on Sunday, during which the two officials underlined the need for a ceasefire as well as talks between warring parties to end the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Velayati said "all have come to the conclusion that the crises in Syria, Yemen and Iraq have no military solution and the only way to end the conflicts, particularly in Syria, is dialog among involved parties." Di Bartolomeo, for his part, called for the cooperation of all countries in the world to combat terrorism. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran will continue to upgrade missile might: Foreign ministry Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:46AM Iran's Foreign Ministry says the country will continue to enhance its missile capabilities in defiance of the 'destructive' fresh US sanctions over the Islamic Republic's missile program. Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a statement, which was read out by its spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari during his weekly press briefing on Monday, in reaction to the recent move by the United States to announce new sanctions against Iran for its ballistic missile program, saying Tehran will firmly respond to such "propaganda measures." "We will respond to such propaganda stunts and disruptive measures by more robustly pursuing our lawful missile program and promoting our defense capabilities and national security," the statement said. The US Department of the Treasury said in a statement on Sunday that it has imposed new sanctions on several individuals and firms over Iran's ballistic missile program, claiming that the program "poses a significant threat to regional and global security." The statement said five Iranian citizens and a network of companies based in the United Arab Emirates and China were added to a US blacklist. On October 11, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired its first guided ballistic missile dubbed Emad. Washington slammed the test, claiming the projectile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. It vowed to respond with more sanctions. On July 20, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2231, which bars Iran from developing missiles "designed to carry nuclear warheads." The statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Iran's missiles serve defensive and deterrent purposes and have not been designed to carry nuclear warheads. "The Iranian missile program has by no means been designed to carry nuclear weapons and is not in contravention of any international principle," it said. The statement said the US has been selling tens of billions of dollars of weaponry to countries in the region, adding that the weapons are being used against the people in Palestine, Lebanon and recently in Yemen. 'The invention of excuses by the US against Iran's defensive and deterrent missile program ... is bereft of any legal and moral legitimacy,' the foreign ministry said. Zarif, Kerry talks within JCPOA framework Elsewhere in his press conference, the Iranian official further said that any telephone conversation between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Foreign Secretary John Kerry is limited to the nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "The constant calls between the two countries' [foreign] ministers during the whole process of the JCPOA talks until the starting point of its implementation were made to follow up on the details [of the agreement]," he said. On Saturday, Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini read out a joint statement in the Austrian capital, Vienna, announcing that the JCPOA had indeed come into force. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany had finalized the JCPOA in Vienna, on July 14, 2015. As part of the JCPOA, the nuclear-related sanctions against Iran are removed while some restrictions are placed on Iran's nuclear program. Jaberi Ansari said that the structure of anti-Iran sanctions has collapsed and it is impossible to build up a new sanctions regime against Iran. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran: New U.S. Sanctions Over Missile Tests 'Illegitimate' January 18, 2016 by RFE/RL Tehran has denounced new U.S. sanctions imposed over Iran's ballistic-missile program, claiming that the sanctions 'have no legal or moral legitimacy' because of Washington's arms sales to other countries in the Middle East. A day after Washington and the European Union lifted economic sanctions under a nuclear deal with Tehran, the United States on January 17 announced fresh sanctions against Iranian companies and individuals linked to Iran's missile program. Sanctions were imposed against five Iranian nationals and a network of companies based in the United Arab Emirates and China, the U.S. Treasury Department announced in a statement. Those sanctions came in response to Iranian ballistic-missile tests in October and November that United Nations experts determined were in violation of a 2010 UN Security Council resolution banning Iran from launches capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Adam Szubin, acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said that 'Iran's ballistic-missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions.' In remarks shortly before the U.S. announcement, Iranian President Hassan Rohani said that any new sanctions would be 'met by an appropriate response.' Earlier in the day Rohani hailed the lifting of international sanctions on his country, saying a nuclear deal with world powers opened 'new windows' for Tehran's engagement with the world. Rohani told parliament on January 17 that the deal was also a 'turning point' for Iran's economy, adding that the energy-rich country needed to be less reliant on oil revenues. Secretary of State John Kerry announced on January 17 that the United States and Iran had also settled a long-standing dispute over $400 million dating back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the end of diplomatic ties. The United States will repay Iran the $400 million debt and $1.3 billion in interest. The money was part of a trust fund that was once used by Iran to buy military equipment from the United States and is separate from the tens of billions of dollars in frozen foreign accounts that Iran can now access. On January 16, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that Iran had kept its nuclear promises under its July agreement with six world powers -- triggering the end of nuclear-related sanctions. But Washington says the issue of Iran's missile tests is separate from the nuclear accord. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and Press TV Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-reaction- us-missile-sanctions/27493943.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 Tehran Will Continue Increasing Missile Potential Despite New US Sanctions Sputnik News 10:43 18.01.2016(updated 12:05 18.01.2016) According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tehran will continue to expand its missile potential regardless of new US sanctions imposed against Iran. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Tehran will continue to expand its missile potential regardless of new US sanctions imposed against Iran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hussein Jaber Ansari was quoted by Iran's Press TV as saying Monday. The US Department of Treasury earlier extended its sanctions list to include six additional Iranians and a Chinese national, as well as two companies from the United Arab Emirates and one from China for their alleged participation in Iran's missile program. Ansari refuted US accusations that Iran's ballistic missile program was illegal and described fresh sanctions as lacking legal and moral legitimacy. 'Iran's missile program has never been designed for carrying nuclear weapons and does not run counter to any international basis,' Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said. Ansari lashed out at the United States, in return, for selling tens of billions dollars' worth of weapons to Iran's rivals in the region every year that, he said, were used in war crimes against people in Palestine, Lebanon and Yemen. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rafsanjani: Dynamic post-JCPOA era begins for economic blossoming IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Jan 19, IRNA -- Chairman of the Expediency Council said on Tuesday that a dynamic era has begun in Iran in post-JCPOA era for blossoming economy and Iran is ready for comprehensive cooperation with all world countries. Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani made the remark in a Tuesday evening meeting with the visiting Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Kazimir and his accompanying delegation. Rafsanjani said that Iran is ready for comprehensive cooperation and positive, constructive interactions with various countries, including Slovakia. The Slovak official said in the meeting that Bratislava is interested in comprehensive cooperation with Tehran, especially in academic, cultural, exchange of students and professors, oil, gas, environment protection, and renewable energies. 'Iranian friendship with Slovakia is longstanding and Iran is more than ever interested in getting acquainted with the various cultures of your ancient land,' he said. 2329**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Amano: Iran discharges obligations to JCPOA, UN resolutions IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Vienna, Jan 19, IRNA -- IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano on Tuesday thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran, G5+1 and IAEA Board of Governors for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Following talks with Iranian officials, Amano said that IAEA is currently mulling to establish a bureau to monitor observing IAEA Safeguards Agreement and sound implementation of the JCPOA. IAEA inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures required under the JCPOA for the Implementation Day, Amano said. On establishment of the IAEA bureau in Tehran, he said IAEA is to carry out new round of works based on the JCPOA and UNSC resolutions. IAEA is expected to verify and monitor Iran's nuclear-related commitments under the agreement, as requested by the UN Security Council and authorized by the IAEA Board of Governors, Amano said. IAEA has gone a long way from the beginning of the year 2003 and has made extensive efforts, he said adding that IAEA is to do its utmost to carry out mission based on the JCPOA. Iran is expected to respect commitments to its pledges with regards to clause 3.1 of the IAEA Safeguards Agreement, he said. In line with its commitments, Iran will provisionally implement the Additional Protocol to Non-Proliferation Treaty. Together with other nuclear-related measures under the JCPOA, this increases the Agency's ability to monitor Iranian nuclear activities and to verify that they are peaceful, Amano said. Iranian officials have underlined that after implementation of the JCPOA, they will remain committed to their pledges, he said. 1430**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President: Implementation of JCPOA just a beginning IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Jan 19, IRNA -- President said on Tuesday that Implementation of Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) is just a beginning for Iran's economy and there is a long way to go forward with economic development. Speaking in an economic forum, he pointed to the rivalry between members of P5+1 and differences among them and said it is dfficuld for a developing country to sit down with six countries which suppose themselves as world powers and try to convince all of them on one subject. He expressed his regret over certain Muslim and neighboring states that he said spent money to prevent success of nuclear talks. President also thanked the Supreme Leader for his support and praised Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi and Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan for paving the way for success of talks. IAEA Board of Governors closed Iran's PMD case and declared that it has no evidence of Iran's deviation from peaceful purposes, Rouhani lauded as a good result for Iran. The President said there is a long distance between the post sanction era and emerging as a new economic power but under the guidelines of Leader and people's support, government is committed to reach this goal. He called boost of economy and resolution of economic problems including unemployment according to the Resistance Economy as a national goal. Rouhani urged both private and government sectors to absorb 50 billion dollars of foreign investment as a pre-condition to realization of 8 percent economic growth. On Saturday (Jan 16), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini read out a joint statement in the Austrian capital, Vienna, announcing that the JCPOA had come into force. According to the statement, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the UN Security Council and the US are lifted. The announcement was made hours after the IAEA chief confirmed in a report that Iran has remained committed to the nuclear agreement with the world powers. Yukiya Amano said in the report that Iran had taken the necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of the JCPOA. The report was made after 'inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal) ... to enable Implementation Day to occur,' Amano said in a statement on January 16. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany finalized the JCPOA in Vienna, on July 14, 2015. 9191**1771 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address JCPOA implementation two-way street: Iran envoy Iran Press TV Tue Jan 19, 2016 2:51PM A senior Iranian diplomat has reaffirmed the country's commitment to its obligations under a nuclear agreement reached with six world powers, saying the deal is a "two way street." The charge d'affaires at Iran's permanent UN mission in Vienna, Assadollah Eshraq Jahromi, made the remarks in an address before the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors in Vienna on Tuesday. "The implementation of Iran's nuclear-related commitments should be reciprocated by other parties as well, in order to guarantee the success of this momentous deal," Jahromi said. On Saturday, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany started to implement the nuclear agreement they had reached in July 2015. After the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) went into effect, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the United Nations Security Council and the United States were lifted. Iran in return has put some limitations on its nuclear activities. Jahromi added that the two sides should keep in mind that the JCPOA implementation is a 'two-way street' and as such the agreement could be sustainable. He said Iran will proceed with its peaceful nuclear program including its enrichment activities consistent with its own plan as agreed in the JCPOA, and will work closely with its counterparts to ensure that the agreement will 'endure the test of time and achieve all its objectives.' The Iranian diplomat emphasized that this commitment is based on the P5+1 countries' assurances that they will cooperate with Iran in its peaceful nuclear program in line with their commitments under the JCPOA. He said Iran will cooperate with the IAEA in accordance with the terms of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which allows for snap inspection of nuclear facilities. The Iranian diplomat also called on the IAEA to prevent any intelligence leaks. "The Agency should, at the same time, exercise utmost vigilance to ensure full protection of all confidential information coming to its knowledge through the implementation of Additional Protocol by Iran," Jahromi pointed out. He said the IAEA's 'fair, professional and impartial role' is crucial in the JCPOA implementation, adding that the UN nuclear agency should seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. JCPOA implementation, new phase in Iran-IAEA ties: Amano Addressing the Board of Governors on Tuesday, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said the JCPOA implementation marks the beginning of a new phase in relations between Iran and the agency. "A lot of work has gone into getting us here. Equal effort will be required in the future to implement the JCPOA. The IAEA is fully committed to playing its part," the UN nuclear agency's chief added. Amano also noted that he plans to establish an Office in the Department of Safeguards to take charge of the IAEA safeguards, verification and monitoring activities in Iran. Following the board of governors meeting and in response to a Press TV question concerning future technical cooperation between Iran and the agency, Amano said, "In the past, because of the UN Security Council resolutions, it was not possible to undertake cooperation in certain areas and the areas were limited." "Now, we can expand the scope of cooperation and one of the priorities is the area of safety of nuclear activities. This is a very important area and we are ready to consider it," he added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address JCPOA must speed up economic development: President Rouhani Iran Press TV Tue Jan 19, 2016 11:25AM Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for increased efforts to achieve a flourishing economy after the recent lifting of anti-Iran sanctions as part of a nuclear agreement with the six major world powers. Addressing hundreds of Iranian entrepreneurs in Tehran on Tuesday, Rouhani stressed the need for "collective efforts" as well as the participation of Iranian youths to help develop the country's economy. Pointing to the removal of unjust sanctions, which had negatively affected economy over the past decade, the Iranian president said the country could soon return to economic boom. He said Iran could soon start to vie against major economies by availing itself of the opportunities created after the implementation of the nuclear agreement reached with the P5+1 Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany last July. The agreement dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) went into force on Saturday. A day later, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the UN Security Council, and the United States were lifted. Iran in return has put some limitations on its nuclear activities. Rouhani further said "the JCPOA is the start of speedy economic progress in the country," adding, "Today, our main challenge is complete elimination of the [economic] downturn, [achieving] economic prosperity, and creating employment." "Sanctions are gone, [now] we should travel the path towards developing and building Iran together," added the Iranian chief executive. 'Obstacle-ridden path to agreement' Rouhani also enumerated some of the obstacles in the way of the diplomatic efforts that led to the JCPOA's conclusion and implementation and said "it was not easy to achieve success in a complex issue, which had been devised by [the global] arrogance and Zionism" to pile pressure on the Islamic Republic. Many sought to sabotage the nuclear negotiations with Iran and conspired to cause a slump in global oil prices to that end, but they failed to do so, he added. "Radicals in Washington and New York were always trying to prevent this day from being recorded in history." "Some went to the United Nations, spoke at the General Assembly, showed [the picture] of a bomb to the representatives of world nations, and said 'do not trust Iran," he said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brandishing such picture at the assembly in 2012 to demonstrate, what he referred to as, Iran's nuclear capacity. Angered by the diplomatic process over the Iranian nuclear file, the Israeli regime had been lobbying intensely to stop the agreement that ended more than a decade of standoff between the West and Tehran. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran to receive more than $32bn of unblocked assets: CBI Iran Press TV Tue Jan 19, 2016 10:3AM The governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has announced that Tehran will access more than $32 billion of unfrozen assets after sanctions removal. CBI chief Valiollah Seif said Monday that $28 billion of the assets would go to the central bank and $4 billion will be transferred to the state treasury as the share of the government. Iranian media reports also quoted Seif as saying that CBI has ordered the transfer of part of Iranian assets from Japan to Germany. He said the unfreezing of assets after the implementation of Iran's nuclear agreement with six world powers on Saturday also helped lower the costs of transfer by 10 to 15 percent. The implementation of the agreement and the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions over its nuclear program was announced after the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the Islamic Republic has remained committed to the nuclear agreement finalized in Vienna, on July 14, 2015, between Tehran and the United States, Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany. Iran Forex CBI governor noted Tuesday that a single foreign exchange system will be introduced in the country within six months. Iran's national currency, the rial, has been traditionally traded at two rates one being traded by CBI and the other one set by money changers. The Iranian rial depreciated against the US dollar after the closing days of 2011 when Washington and its allies started imposing anti-Iran sanctions. SWIFT Banking Seif also made reference to Iranian banks' bid to rejoin the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), noting that the system has been restored as all the preliminary measures to reconnect to SWIFT were already taken. He further spoke of the opening of some one thousand LCs (Letters of Credit) at Iranian banks. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran to Check If US Missile Program Sanctions Contradict Nuclear Deal Sputnik News 19:51 19.01.2016 Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi said that any possible mechanism for responding to violations of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action like new sanctions against Iranin entities would be adopted after the supervisory team had submitted its report on the matter. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The US sanctions imposed on Iran over its missile program will be assessed to see if they contradict Tehran's nuclear deal with six international negotiators, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi said Tuesday. On Sunday, the US Treasury Department sanctioned 11 entities and individuals, including six Iranians and one Chinese citizen, over their involvement in procurement on behalf of Iran's ballistic missile program. US President Barack Obama said that Washington intended to further sanction Tehran, if Iran continues to implement its ballistic missile program. 'We are watching any US violation of its commitments or its full abidance by them and the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] Supervisory Team is constantly watching and surveying all related issues,' Ravanchi said, as quoted by the IRNA news agency. Ravanchi added that any possible mechanism for responding to such violations would be adopted after the supervisory team had submitted its report on the matter. On July 14, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries comprising Russia, the United States, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany, signed the JCPOA. The agreement guarantees the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. On Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified Iran's compliance with the terms of the JCPOA. The confirmation led to the easing of UN, EU and US sanctions against the country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi Kurds find new mass grave containing 50 bodies in Sinjar Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 2:38AM Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have found a mass grave in the country's northwestern town of Sinjar, over two months after retaking the town from the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group. "We have found a new mass grave in Sinjar. The mass grave is in an area called Zlelia, between the cement manufacture and the center of the city," said Qasim Shesho, an Izadi Peshmerga commander, adding that the grave might contain some 40 to 50 bodies. According to the mayor of Sinjar, Mahma Khalil, the mass grave also includes bodies of children and women. Early in December, the United Nations human rights agency said that "gross human rights violations" were committed by Daesh in the town, adding that civilians had been kidnapped, burnt and beheaded by the Takfiri militants there. Around 20 mass graves have so far been discovered in and around Sinjar, containing bodies of hundreds of people. Back in August 2014, Daesh militants overran Sinjar, killing, raping, and enslaving large numbers of Izadi Kurds. The town was later recaptured on November 13, 2015, during a two-day operation by Iraqi Peshmerga forces and Izadi fighters. The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by violence ever since Daesh began an offensive in the Arab country in June 2014. The terrorists have committed crimes against all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Izadi Kurds and others in the two countries. Army soldiers and Popular Mobilization Units are seeking to take back militant-held regions in joint operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN says Daesh killed 19k Iraqi civilians in about 2 years Iran Press TV Tue Jan 19, 2016 1:30PM The Daesh Takfiri terrorists have killed nearly 19,000 civilians and wounded more than 36,000 others in Iraq in about two years, a report says. According to a report released by the United Nations on Tuesday, from January 1, 2014, to October 31, 2015, at least 18,802 people were killed and 36,245 were injured in acts of terror carried out by Daesh. The civilian death toll in Iraq is "staggering," the UN report stated. It documented various methods the terrorists had employed against Iraqis, including public decapitations, running people over with bulldozers, burning them alive and throwing them off buildings. Such acts are "systematic and widespread... abuses of international human rights law and humanitarian law," the report said. "These acts may, in some instances, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide." According to UN documents, Daesh had also carried out numerous other atrocities including a wide range of human rights abuses such as enslaving some 3,500 people, mainly women and children from the Izadi community, kidnapped in the summer of 2014, who were frequently coerced into becoming sex slaves for the militants. The report documented that another 800 to 900 children were abducted from homes in Iraq's second largest city of Mosul to be trained in religious and military occupations. A number of child soldiers conscripted by Daesh were killed by the terrorists when they tried to flee fighting in the western province of Anbar, according to the report. Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has said the civilian death toll may be considerably higher than what is documented in the report. "Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq." Daesh took control of Mosul and some other parts of northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014. The Iraqi army, joined by popular fighters, has been engaged in operations to push out the terrorists from the areas they have under control. The liberation of the cities of Ramadi and Tikrit are some of the prominent achievements of the army over the past few months. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address As Libyan parties delay naming unity government, UN urges steps to end political divisions 18 January 2016 The United Nations in Libya has expressed regret over the decision of the country's Presidency Council to postpone the formation of a national unity government for 48 hours beyond the deadline set by a UN-facilitated political agreement, emphasizing that all efforts to combat and eliminate these terrorist groups must be led by the Libyan State. "Libya is a critical juncture. Determination to start a new chapter must be accompanied by immediate steps to end political divisiveness and address the numerous security, humanitarian and economic challenges," the UN Support Mission (UNSMIL) said in a statement issued late Sunday. "The formation of a Government of National Accord (GNA) enjoying the support of the Libyans is but the first step," added the Mission. The UN mission called on all relevant political and security stakeholders to hold Libya's national interests above all else. "No effort must be spared nor any opportunity missed to utilize the window of opportunity that Libya has to halt any further expansion by terrorist groups represented in Da'esh, Ansar Al-Sharia and Al-Qaida," the statement read. The boldness with which terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), had launched their latest string of attacks on key oil installations in Sidra, Ras Lanuf and Benghazi was a potent reminder of the need to forge a united front to contain and eliminate the growing danger, said UNSMIL. "The GNA must lead the collective efforts of the army and its leaderships alongside other security institutions and their leaderships, in the fight against terrorism. Likewise, it is vital that the GNA also avail itself of armed formations currently engaged in the fight against Da'esh and other terrorist groups," the statement continued. UNSMIL underscored that to defeat the terrorist groups, the GNA must prioritize training, arming and equipping the army and police institutions. "Only a collective effort by all patriotic Libyans will save Libya from the scourge of terrorism," exhorted the UN mission. "Leadership, courage and determination are now needed to send a strong and clear message to the Libyan people that Libya has taken its first step towards peace, security and prosperity." In cooperation with the international community, UNSMIL stands committed to working closely with the GNA to ensure that the necessary support and assistance is provided to the legitimate Libyan authorities, including through a review of the current arms embargo on Libya. The UN mission urged the Presidency Council to adhere to the new target date it had set itself and emphasised the need for all concerned parties to respect LPA timelines. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Libya's Warring Factions To Create Unity Government by Ken Bredemeier January 19, 2016 Libya's warring factions have agreed to create a unity government, hoping to end the fighting and chaos that has engulfed the country since the overthrow of strongman Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The United Nations mediated the agreement at a conference in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, but it remains unclear whether it will draw wide support to end the bloodshed in Libya. There was no immediate reaction from the country's two legislatures, the internationally recognized government that operates out of Tobruk in eastern Libya and an Islamist-backed government in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini called for quick ratfication of the unity government. 'Libya is at a critical juncture,' she said, 'and it is crucial that all key political and security actors uphold the interests of their country and its people above all others. 'Only a united Libyan government, supported by all its citizens, will be able to end political divisions, defeat terrorism, and address the numerous security, humanitarian and economic challenges the country faces.' If the rival governments agree to join forces in the coming days, Fayez Sarraj, a lawmaker in the eastern parliament, is set to become the Libyan prime minister. The power-sharing deal comes as Islamic State militants are gaining a new foothold in Libya, aiming to take control of the country's oil terminals and fields, Libya's key source of wealth. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan test-fires air-launched cruise missile Iran Press TV Tue Jan 19, 2016 6:48PM Pakistan successfully test-fires a locally developed "state-of-the-art" air-launched cruise missile. "The state of the art Ra'ad ALCM (air-launched cruise missile) is equipped with highly advanced guidance and navigation system that ensures engagement of targets with pinpoint accuracy," the Pakistani military said in a statement on Tuesday. The first of such missile was test-fired in August 2007. The military said the newer version of the Ra'ad missile can reach targets distancing 350 kilometers (218 miles) from it launcher. The missile is capable of hitting fixed enemy installations, such as radar posts, command nodes and stationary surface-to-air missile launchers, at stand-off range. The missile can also be armed with a nuclear warhead. The recent missile test is the latest in a series of tests conducted by Pakistan and its arch-rival India since both demonstrated their nuclear weapons capability in 1998. On December 30, 2015, India test-fired its Barak-8 missile system. The long-range surface-to-air missile is reportedly capable of countering air attacks from long distances. The system includes a radar for detection, tracking and missile guidance and was jointly developed by India and the Israeli regime. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Seoul: N. Korea Has Dropped 1 Million Propaganda Leaflets by VOA News January 18, 2016 North Korea launched about 1 million leaflets by balloon into South Korea in an escalating propaganda battle after the North's nuclear test earlier this month, Seoul officials said Monday. North Korea claimed to test a hydrogen bomb on January 6, although many foreign governments and analysts remain skeptical about the claim. While avoiding direct military confrontation that could easily escalate into a hot war, both the North and South resumed psychological war games and tactical maneuvers to demonstrate military readiness and resolve. Days after the test, South Korea began blasting anti-Pyongyang broadcasts and K-pop songs at its loudspeaker sites along the heavily militarized border. North Korea responded by restarting its own border broadcasts and floating the balloons over the border carrying anti-South leaflets, Seoul officials said. Reached Seoul South Korea's defense ministry said the North's leaflets were being air-dropped on a near-daily basis and the leaflets have reached as far as Seoul, which is about 60 kilometers from the border. Seoul believes its propaganda broadcasts help to demoralize frontline troops and residents near the border. There are doubts the North Korean leaflets will have any impact on the public in the more affluent South. In August 2015, after the two Koreas reached a settlement to cease such Cold War provocations, Seoul prevented activists from using the balloon technique. The agreement, reached to prevent a land-mine incident from escalating into a wider conflict, also brought the two Koreas together to host a reunion for families that had long been separated by the division of the country after World War II. South Korea, the U.S. and other countries are pushing hard to get North Korea punished over its fourth nuclear test. The two Koreas share the world's most heavily fortified border since their war in the early 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are deployed in South Korea as deterrence against North Korea. Brian Padden in Seoul contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In U.S. Money-Laundering Case, Shades Of Russian Corruption January 18, 2016 by Mike Eckel WASHINGTON -- At first glance, it's a case that could easily be misconstrued as a humdrum allegation of ill-gotten foreign money being laundered through dealings in American real estate. Peel away a couple layers of The United States Of America vs. Prevezon Holdings Ltd., however, and you'll find all the makings of a modern international spy thriller. The mind-boggling case currently making its way through U.S. District Court in Manhattan centers on money, power, and strange plot twists. The most eye-opening particulars of the case, however, aren't even officially on the docket: an audacious $230 million tax-fraud scheme, allegedly carried out with the complicity of Russian government officials, followed by the posthumous conviction of whistle-blowing tax auditor and the trial in absentia of a crusading British-American financier. But when U.S. vs. Prevezon opens as a 'civil-asset forfeiture trial' on January 27, it will be the first case stemming from the original tax-fraud scheme -- which unfolded eight years ago in Russia -- to make it to trial in U.S. courts. That means there may be more plot twists to come. Shell Game The skirmishing between lawyers and prosecutors -- documented in a case file totaling more than 14,000 pages -- provides a rare glimpse into the universe of international money laundering. Perhaps more revealing, however, is the window it offers into corruption in Russian society -- possibly at the highest levels. 'The total scale, the full scale, of these crimes that were happening in Russia for a number of years is incomprehensible because we don't have any idea,' said Andrei Illarionov, who served as President Vladimir Putin's top economic adviser between 2000 and 2005. How long the graft went on, how many companies were involved, and the amount that was stolen is simply unknown, Illarionov told RFE/RL. The Prevezon case concerns about $14 million in Manhattan real estate, along with cash deposited in a Dutch bank, that was ordered seized by U.S. prosecutors after the case was initiated in 2013. Lawyers with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York allege in court filings that Prevezon, a Cypriot-registered company, and its primary beneficiary, a Russian named Denis Katsyv, received some of that tax-fraud money and used to it buy the properties. According to filings, U.S. investigators have traced those funds through banks and shell companies in Moldova and elsewhere back to the 2007 scheme that involved shell companies filing sham lawsuits in Russian courts, then using court judgments to claim tax refunds in Russia. Law And Orders Enter a man who legally isn't a defendant in the complaint, but is for all practical purposes central to the case's entire odyssey: William Browder and his company, Hermitage Capital Management, which was once the largest portfolio investor in Russia. Authorities in Moscow allege the British-American financier was, in fact, the mastermind behind the original fraud. A Russian court convicted him in absentia of tax evasion in 2013, years after he had been denied reentry after leaving Russia, and have repeatedly sought an international arrest warrant for him. Browder and his allies not only dispute the Russian charges, they say their investigation shows Russian law-enforcement and tax officials were complicit in the tax fraud. Moreover, an accountant who advised Browder and blew the whistle on the scheme, Sergei Magnitsky, ended up being arrested and died in 2009 in a notorious Moscow prison after being denied medical care. Browder, who has been deposed once already as a witness in the Prevezon case, declined to comment to RFE/RL for this story. But court filings show Katsyv's defense lawyers, from the U.S. law firm BakerHostetler, trying to make Browder central to the case. 'Prevezon and its owner Denis Katsyv are nothing but collateral damage to Browder's flight from justice and the [U.S.] Government's irresponsible failure to investigate,' defense lawyers said in a motion filed October 17. As a BakerHostetler lawyer, Mark Cymriot, put it in a November 9 pretrial hearing: 'Hermitage is central to everything.' Conflicted Defense? The trial had been scheduled to start January 6 but was thrown into turmoil when Hermitage's lawyers, with backing from U.S. prosecutors, persuaded U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa to take BakerHostetler off the case. They argued that since BakerHostetler worked for Hermitage during the initial stages of the tax-fraud investigation eight years ago, there was a conflict of interest. 'BakerHostetler is directly attacking Hermitage, making the same accusations of fraud against Hermitage and Browder that Hermitage previously hired them to refute,' Hermitage lawyer Jacob Buchdahl said in a December 15 motion. On January 8, however, Griesa reversed his decision and restored BakerHostetler as defense counsel. Trial proceedings are now set to begin January 27, although Hermitage lawyers are still trying to get BakerHostetler thrown off the case. Katsyv, whose father is the former top transportation official for the Moscow region, has denied accusations that he received laundered funds. He does not face criminal charges in the United States, or for that matter in Russia, as he pointed out in a February 2014 affidavit. For its part, the Russian government has convicted two people of involvement in the original fraud; one is identified by the U.S. filings as a known swindler. No government officials have been charged, however, and Russian officials have rebuffed further attempts by U.S. prosecutors to follow up Prevezon allegations. In a letter filed with the court on December 8, Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office said it 'does not possess documents requested by the U.S. Department of Justice that could confirm the information contained in the complaint on the existence of machinations and the participation of Prevezon Holdings in the laundering of criminal proceeds.' To many observers, Russian inability to corroborate some of the details of the U.S. allegations, a good portion of which are derived from Browder's investigations, suggests a cover-up. Russian authorities 'could have done the right thing, which is they could have gotten to the bottom of the [fraud] allegation," said David Kramer, a former State Department official who oversaw Europe and Eurasia. 'They could have pursued a real investigation. They obviously chose not to do that because they were afraid of where it might lead to.' Magnitsky's death led Browder and allies to lobby the U.S. Congress to pass a 2012 law in his name, slapping sanctions on 18 Russian citizens allegedly involved in the fraud and Magnitsky's death. At least four on the list are officials with the Interior Ministry or the Tax Inspectorate. The list was later amended to include other officials the United States deemed complicit in human rights abuses, bringing the total to 34. Browder looms large elsewhere for Russian officials. In December, Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika accused him of being behind a damning documentary produced by anticorruption crusader Aleksei Navalny that accused Chaika's sons of involvement in various criminal projects. The prosecutor also indicated that the Prevezon proceedings were being followed closely in Moscow. 'We are watching this process from the side with interest,' Chaika told the Russian newspaper Kommersant. A breathless investigation broadcast in December on the state-controlled channel NTV painted a portrait of Browder as a nefarious public-relations genius funding not only the Chaika film but other opposition politicians. Follow The Money The fact that U.S. prosecutors are pursuing the case as a 'civil-asset forfeiture' rather than a criminal case has itself raised some questions from legal observers. Civil cases carry a lower burden of proof for evidence, said Steven Kessler, a New York lawyer and expert on civil-asset forfeitures. That may indicate the government is seeking to turn up leads to build a fuller criminal case, or it could indicate the case against Prevezon is weak. The U.S. Attorney's Office did not respond to voice mails seeking comment. Illarionov, who is now a vocal critic of the Kremlin, said the Russian government's actions, both regarding the original 2007 fraud and the Prevezon money-laundering case, indicates that the fraud was more extensive and involved senior officials. For example, the speed with which the tax refunds were processed in 2008 (in one case, in just one day) and the multimillion-dollar size of the refunds, Illarionov said, showed complicity of senior officials in the Russian Finance Ministry. 'I can tell you as a person working with the Russian government, it could not happen without direct order from the very highest level of the Russian Ministry of Finance,' he said. 'It's just impossible. They don't have this sort of money.' The Finance Ministry did not respond to questions submitted by RFE/RL in time for publication. With reporting from Carl Schreck Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/us-money-laundering- case-russian-corruption-browder-magnitsky- prevezon-katsyv/27494612.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 Modern Military Hardware to Total 70% in Russian Southern District in 2016 Sputnik News 21:19 18.01.2016 About 1,200 units of modern and modernized weapons and military hardware are expected to be delivered to the Russian Southern Military District forces, according to Commander of the Southern Military District Col. Gen. Alexander Galkin. ROSTOV-ON-DON (Sputnik) The share of modern weapons and military hardware in the Russian Southern Military District will amount to 70 percent in 2016, Commander of the Southern Military District Col. Gen. Alexander Galkin said Monday. According to Galkin, the share of modern hardware currently totals 60 percent. 'About 1,200 units of modern and modernized weapons and military hardware are expected to be delivered to the district's forces in 2016, which will raise the share of modern arms units up to 70 percent,' Galkin said at a briefing. According to the commander, over 1,100 units of different military hardware were delivered to the Southern Military District forces in 2015. In particular, the Land Force received over 110 tanks and armored combat vehicles, over 150 units of artillery equipment, about 200 units of communication engineering equipment and over 550 multipurpose vehicles. Missile troops received an Iskander-M ballistic missile system, artillery troops received several Tornado-G multiple launch rocket systems and self-propelled howitzers Msta-S. Over 60 Su-34 bombers and modern attack helicopters Mi-28N, Mi-35M and Ka-52 were delivered to aviation regiments. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Hopes Easing of Tehran Sanctions Will Boost Helicopter Sales to Iran Sputnik News 18:02 18.01.2016(updated 19:04 18.01.2016) For Russian Helicopters company, the end of sanctions against Tehran means an opportunity to supply Iran with new military helicopters and after-sales services, according to the Russian state technology company Rostec. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The lifting of international sanctions against Tehran will allow Russia to provide Iran with new helicopters and improve after-sales maintenance, the Russian state technology company Rostec said Monday. Nuclear sanctions were scrapped after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed last week that Iran had abided by the deal reached with six world powers in July 2015. This has restored Iran's access to world markets. 'For Russian Helicopters company, the end of sanctions means an opportunity to supply Iran with new (military) helicopters and after-sales services,' Rostec told RIA Novosti. Russian Helicopters is a leading helicopter design and manufacturing company, which is part of the Rostec umbrella organization. In December 2015, Russian Helicopters agreed with Iran Helicopter Support and Renewal Company (IHSRC) to improve after-sales maintenance of Russian Mi-8/17 choppers at IHSRC facilities in Iran. They also discussed outlooks for Iranian purchases of more Mi-8/17s, as well as Ka-32A11BC and Ka-226T helicopters. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IS to withdraw from southern Damascus within 72 hours People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 18:17, January 18, 2016 DAMASCUS, Jan. 18 -- The Islamic State (IS) militant group and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front are expected to withdraw from areas under their control in south of the capital Damascus within 72 hours, local al-Watan newspaper reported on Monday. The IS and Nusra will pull out of the areas of the Palestinian camp of Yarmouk, and the adjacent districts of Hajar al-Aswad, said the newspaper. It added that local militants from the aforementioned areas will fill the void after the withdrawal of the hardline groups. Al Watan didn't give details about the destination of the IS and Nusra, but previous reports said those groups will head to the northwestern province of Idlib, a stronghold of the Nusra Front, and the al-Raqqa province, the de facto capital of the IS in northern Syria. Several truces and evacuation of rebels have taken place recently in Syria, particularly around Damascus, in the latest effort by the government to clear the vicinity of the capital from insurgent groups. The government concludes such truces by laying tight siege on rebel-held areas to force the rebels to abandon their positions under negotiated deals, largely mediated by the UN. Attacks are still taking place near Damascus. Al-Watan said Monday that the Syrian army foiled an attack by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and likeminded groups in the town of Kharabo in eastern countryside of Damascus. The paper added several soldiers died in the attack. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria liberates more areas near Dayr al-Zawr Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 1:47PM The Syrian army and allied volunteer fighters have made fresh gains against militants in a key village in the country's east, securing areas in an area that recently saw the massacre of hundreds of people at the hands of Daesh terrorists. Syria's official news agency (SANA) said on Monday that the armed forces managed to retake control of a major neighborhood in the al-Bghailiye village, north of the city of Dayr al-Zawr. Syrian forces pushed back militants from the al-Ruwad area, the highest point in Bghailiye, according to the report. The operation came just two days after Daesh militants blitzed the village and killed more than 300 people, most of them women and elderly people. The terrorists also kidnapped 400 people, mostly women and children, in Bghailiye late last week. Military sources said Syrian army had begun a demining operation in the areas they recaptured from the militants in Bghailiye to facilitate the return of residents. SANA said Syrian forces also inched closer on militants in the western countryside of Dayr al-Zawr, regaining control of the al-Hissan, al-Gneineh and Ayash villages. Clashes also erupted inside Dayr al-Zawr, with reports saying many terrorists were killed by the Syrian forces as they tried to infiltrate the neighborhood of al-Rashediyeh. Dayr al-Zawr has been effectively under siege by Daesh militants since early 2015, when the militants launched an offensive, capturing the historical city of Palmyra in Homs Province, then cutting off the remaining supply line to the city. Elsewhere in northern Syria, pro-government forces managed to destroy a major tunnel used by the militants in Salah-Eddin neighborhood in the city of Aleppo. SANA said losses were also inflicted on militants in the southern province of Dara'a, where four vehicles and two mortar launchers belonging to the terrorists were destroyed. Syrian forces have recently been making back-to-back advances with the support of fighters from the Lebanon resistance movement Hezbollah and Russian airstrikes. Over 260,000 people have reportedly been killed in Syria since foreign-backed militancy erupted in the country in March 2011. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Sharply deteriorating conditions' in besieged areas of Syria, UN aid agencies report 18 January 2016 United Nations humanitarian agencies expressed concern today that an estimated 200,000 people are facing "sharply deteriorating conditions" in the besieged western side of Deir-Ez-Zor city in Syria, while the top UN relief official stressed that the world body continues to act "impartially, neutrally and independently" to reach people in need throughout the country. "Residents need immediate and urgent humanitarian assistance, particularly food, nutrition and health supplies, and there are reports of severe cases of malnutrition and deaths due to starvation," UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York. While Government stocks reportedly continue to provide bread in Deir-Ez-Zor, there are very few supplies given limited humanitarian or commercial access to the area. "Approval has been secured for an emergency inter-agency United Nations airlift to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to the area," noted Mr. Haq. "However, fierce clashes in the vicinity of the military airport have prevented the operation from proceeding," he added. The UN is also reporting that its agencies, along with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent, are on their way to take food, fuel and health supplies to Zabadani, while nutrition and health teams began conducting field assessments in Madaya and Zabadani. This is the third humanitarian convoy delivering aid to Madaya, Foah and Kafraya, and the first for Zabadani this month. Meanwhile, in an open letter to Syrian civil society, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, said he is "angry and frustrated about the situation in besieged areas in Syria and the terrifying toll it is having on its children, women and men." He stressed that humanitarian staff work tirelessly every day to bring life-saving assistance to people affected by the conflict, often at great cost, noting that more than 80 humanitarian workers have been killed and many others remain missing. "The Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, his team, the United Nations and its partners have taken serious and repeated risks to reach people in need, in some cases coming under direct fire from parties to the conflict or suffering the ultimate price, selflessly serving others," Mr. O'Brien stated. "This has not and will not, however, deter them from their mission." Underlining that he supports "all initiatives that can bring the violence to an end and help the UN and its partners on the ground reach people in need," Mr. O'Brien said he can assure that "the UN is neither too close to any party nor acting in such a way to encourage the use of siege tactics." "It is our duty to act impartially, neutrally and independently, and to have contact with all parties to negotiate unimpeded and safe access to those who are vulnerable and in need, regardless of how or why their need arises," he insisted. "But let me be clear, only a political solution for peace and the respect for international humanitarian law by all parties will make the biggest difference for Syrians seeking assistance and for humanitarian organisations the ability to provide it," he concluded. Over 100,000 Syrians in Madaya, Biqin, Foah, Kafraya and Al Waer have recently received assistance, including food and medicine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Contradictions in Syrian Conflict Seen in Battle for Aleppo Countryside by Jamie Dettmer January 18, 2016 A monthslong struggle for control of the northern Aleppo countryside between Syrian insurgent factions and Islamic State militants is at a stalemate, partly because Western and Gulf-backed rebel militias are being forced to reinforce south of Syria's onetime commercial capital to combat Russian-backed Syrian army and Lebanese Shi'ite forces, admit insurgent commanders and fighters. The impasse risks forcing the hand of Kurdish-led forces east of the Euphrates, encouraging them to cross the river en masse and finish the job the Western and Gulf-backed Free Syrian Army seems incapable of completing ridding the northern Aleppo countryside of IS. That would exacerbate disagreements within the U.S.-led international coalition. Turkey has threatened dire consequences, if the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces move further west. The emboldened Syrian army backed by fighters from the radical Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah have made some inroads albeit slowly south and east of Aleppo and they have made advances in the coastal province of Latakia. "The Russian air campaign enabled additional battlefield gains by the Syrian regime from January 8 to January 14," according to Genevieve Casagrande of the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., that monitors the military campaigns in the Levant. Regained control Over the weekend, regime forces regained control over the village of al-Ajozeyye in Aleppo's eastern countryside. And army spokesmen also claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on what they termed "terrorists" in al-Mansoura village and Khirbet Hazmar west of Aleppo. The struggle in the northern Aleppo countryside adjacent to the border with Turkey is a key one and has become more complex with each passing month featuring on the ground regime forces, insurgents seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad, IS and, in the air, Syrian, Russian and U.S.-led coalition warplanes. Rival ground forces sometimes are able to take advantage in skirmishes of airstrikes launched by their foes. With a dizzying array of vying armed groups, jihadists and Syrian government-aligned forces battling each other in multiple micro-conflicts, friend can become foe, and foe can turn into a temporary ally with alarming speed depending on where clashes are occurring. Dizzying array of armed groups Certainly in the battles and skirmishes around Aleppo, Syria's largest city and onetime commercial capital, the struggle is getting messier by the day. Rebel commanders loudly accuse Damascus and Moscow of helping the Islamic State terror group with airstrikes on anti-Assad rebels. They are slower to admit, though, that in parts of the eastern Aleppo countryside Russian airstrikes on IS inadvertently have helped the anti-Assad rebels. Both anti-Assad rebels and the government, when it serves tactical military purposes, take advantage of the terror group's presence on the battlefield, if only indirectly, in their battles against each other. In the northern Aleppo countryside, Islamic State fighters have been opportunistically leveraging Russia's air campaign to press offensives on the rebel-held towns of Marea, Tal Rifat and Azaz. "After Russian airstrikes they mount attacks on us," says Abdul Rahman, a commander with the Ahfad Omer battalion, part of the larger First Brigade, a U.S.-backed secular militia. But as the battles in the northern Aleppo countryside see-saw and stalemate the control of villages can change hands day by day the chances increase of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces being tempted to intervene. Dam seized In December the SDF seized the October Dam on the Euphrates River, giving them access to the Aleppo countryside. Some forces crossed west of the river a red line for Ankara who fears the Kurds are intent on expanding their territory along the border to link up separated mainly Kurdish cantons. For face-saving purposes, the Turks accepted that the SDF fighters who actually crossed were Arabs and Turkmen and not Kurds, prompting some observers to argue that the Turkish authorities were now prepared to accept the inevitable. But Turkish officials have told VOA that is not so and that an en masse trespass by Kurdish fighters linked to Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) would invite Turkish retaliation. "Both Ankara and the Kurds rank each other far higher than Assad or the Islamic State on their respective lists of evils for urgent destruction," argues Aron Lund, who writes the Syria in Crisis report for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a US think tank. For the U.S., Syrian Kurdish fighters have proven to be most effective allies against the Islamic State. At the moment Turkey may stay its hand as Ankara has realized belatedly "its need for Western support and the costs of playing spoiler," according to Lund. But "these contradictions threaten to rip apart the United States' Syrian alliance network, undermining its policy to pressure both Assad and the Islamic State," he maintains. The contradictions were apparent Sunday night when Islamic factions favored by Gulf countries clashed with SDF forces around Malkiya village in Aleppo's northern countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in London that relies on information from a network of political activists. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan will maintain close ties with the U.S.: president-elect ROC Central News Agency 2016/01/18 16:08:12 Taipei, Jan. 18 (CNA) President-elect Tsai Ing-wen () said Monday that her administration will maintain close, friendly relations with the United States and promote cooperation with the United States in all areas, especially in the economic and industrial realms. Tsai made the remarks when she met with William Burns, a former U.S. deputy secretary of state, at the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP's) headquarters. In a statement after the one-hour meeting, the DPP said Burns congratulated Tsai on her victory in the presidential election and on the DPP winning an absolute majority in the legislative elections. Burns said the United States looks forward to a smooth transition to the new administration and hopes for further cooperation and exchanges with the new administration. Tsai thanked the U.S. government for sending a well-respected seasoned diplomat to Taiwan. Burns is currently president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank. On regional issues, Tsai said she will shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace and stability. Burns also met on Monday with President Ma Ying-jeou () and Eric Chu (), the Kuomintang chairman and its presidential candidate who was defeated in Saturday's election. The U.S. is sending envoys to Taiwan and China following Taiwan's national elections to reiterate its interest in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. State Department announced Thursday that Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Beijing Jan. 20-21 as part of a trip to Asia. While in Beijing, he will hold talks with Zhang Zhijun (), head of the Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council and China's top official responsible for relations with Taiwan. (By Sophia Yeh and Lilian Wu) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Premier resigns despite president's objection ROC Central News Agency 2016/01/18 15:17:12 Taipei, Jan. 18 (CNA) The fate of the Cabinet headed by Premier Mao Chi-kuo () appeared to be in limbo on Monday when he announced it was resigning en masse even though President Ma Ying-jeou () said earlier in the day that he would not accept the resignation for now. Mao walked out of a special Cabinet meeting without taking questions. Vice Premier Simon Chang () explained that Mao will take some time off, leaving Chang as head of the Cabinet and other ministers in their posts for the time being until the president decides whether or not to accept the Cabinet's resignation. Ma said he still hoped that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will agree to form a new Cabinet after its victory in Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections on Saturday and would not approve the resignation of the current Cabinet in the meantime. Before Mao convened the special Cabinet meeting, Ma went to the premier's residence but did not find him there. The president left after asking Mao's wife to convey a message asking the premier to stay on. (By Tai Ya-chen and Jay Chen) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beijing Calls on US to Stick to 'One-China Policy' Regarding Taiwan Issue Sputnik News 15:43 18.01.2016 Chinese Foreign Ministry urges the US side to adhere to one-China policy, not to interfere in China's internal affairs, to oppose Taiwan independence and to do more for the development of US-China relations, according to ministry's spokesperson Hong Lei. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Beijing calls on Washington to stick to 'one-China policy,' opposing Taiwan independence, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Monday. Last week, US officials confirmed media reports that former Deputy State Secretary William Burns would visit Taipei to meet Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou. 'Taiwan is an integral part of China. We urge the US side to adhere to one-China policy, not to interfere in China's internal affairs, to oppose Taiwan independence and to do more for the development of US-China relations and the peaceful development between the two coasts of the Taiwan Strait, and not the other way round,' Hong said at a press briefing. Taiwan became self-governed in the 1940s after a civil war but China still considers it part of its territory. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey opposition leader grilled for calling Erdogan 'tinpot dictator' Iran Press TV Mon Jan 18, 2016 2:52PM Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation against leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kilicdaroglu, after he called President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "tinpot dictator." The chief prosecutor's office in Ankara launched the probe against Kilicdaroglu on charges of "openly insulting the president," the official Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. Kilicdaroglu, who was speaking out against the president at a CHP congress over the weekend, slammed Erdogan over the detention of Turkish academics last week for filling a petition in condemnation of Ankara's military crackdown in the Kurdish-dominated southeast. "Academics who express their opinion are being detained, one by one, because of a tinpot dictator," Kilicdaroglu had told the meeting, saying in an address to Erdogan, "How dare you send police to these peoples' doors and have them detained." "Tell us, tinpot dictator, what do honor and pride mean to you? Either you maintain your impartiality and get respect or I will remind you every day what honor and pride mean," he added. Meanwhile, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag criticized Kilicdaroglu for the comments against the president, writing on Twitter, "Only those who lack intelligence, knowledge, and morality can insult others like that under the disguise of freedom of expression." Erdogan, himself, has separately filed a civil lawsuit against Kilicdaroglu, seeking 100,000 Turkish Liras ($33,300) in compensation for "slander" from the CHP leader, the private NTV channel said. Erdogan had in June last year filed another lawsuit against Kilicdaroglu for "slander" after the opposition leader said the president's vast palace in Ankara had gold-plated toilet seats. Concerns have mounted in recent months over freedom of expression in Turkey, in particular over the spiraling numbers of Turks being taken to court on charges of insulting Erdogan, who is accused by his opponents of promoting authoritarianism. Prosecutors on Thursday began a large investigation into over 1,200 academics for engaging in "terrorist propaganda" by signing a petition, urging Ankara to halt "its deliberate massacres" in the Kurdish-majority region. On Friday Turkish police detained at least 18 of them, sparking fresh international concerns over restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey. The developments come as the Turkish army has been engaged in large-scale offensives against militants of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in southeastern regions since last July. The renewed violence shattered a fragile two-and-a-half-year ceasefire between the two sides. The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey said recently that as many as 162 civilians have been killed in the restive regions placed under a government-imposed curfew since August 2015. The PKK, seeking autonomy in Turkey's southeast, launched its militancy against Turkey in 1984. So far, more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey to Build Second Foreign Military Base in Somalia Sputnik News 12:42 19.01.2016(updated 12:59 19.01.2016) Turkey will build the military center in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu that will be capable of training more than 1,500 local troops to boost security in Horn of Africa. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Turkey is poised to build a second foreign military base to assist security forces in Somalia in their fight against the Al-Shabaab militant group, Turkish media reported Tuesday. The move comes less than a month after Turkey said it had reached a deal with Qatar to set up its first military base abroad. A military source told Turkey's Daily Sabah newspaper that the military center in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu will be capable of training more than 1,500 local troops to boost security in Horn of Africa. Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, has been staging attacks in Somalia in an attempt to create an Islamic state ruled by strict Sharia law. The group is notorious for committing gun and suicide attacks both in Somalia and in neighboring Kenya. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defence Secretary announces more support to Ukraine Armed Forces 18 January 2016 The Defence Secretary has today announced the UK will gift around 500,000 worth of first aid kits to the Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF). The first aid kits announced by Michael Fallon will help the UAF to meet an urgent need for life-saving equipment. Delivered at the request of the Ukrainian government, this package comprises individual first aid kits that will help the UAF treat casualties who have been injured as they continue to respond to separatist aggression in East Ukraine. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: 'We are committed to helping Ukraine defend its territorial integrity and this builds on packages of support and training we have already provided. It will help the UAF treat casualties, strengthen their defensive capability and build their resilience.' The UK has already gifted over 1million worth of non-lethal equipment, including helmets, night-vision goggles and global positioning systems. Cold weather protective clothing and field tents will also be delivered in the coming weeks. The gifting of equipment is in addition to training being provided by the UK Armed Forces to the UAF in areas such as medical skills, logistics, infantry and intelligence capacity building. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CALGARY, Jan. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd. (CLC TSX; "Connacher" or the "Company") announces that in light of exceptionally low commodity prices, the Company plans to further reduce production at Great Divide. Average production for the month of January is expected to be 7,000 to 8,000 barrels per day. February and March production is expected to be 3,000 to 4,000 barrels per day. Both plants at Great Divide will remain operating the majority of this time and equipment maintenance is ongoing. Based on field estimates, Connacher's Great Divide production for Q4 2015 averaged approximately 13,900 barrels per day. Connacher ended the year with a $47.2 million cash position and plans to actively maximize liquidity through this challenging environment. About Connacher Connacher is a Calgary-based in-situ oil sands developer, producer and marketer of bitumen. The Company holds a 100 percent interest in approximately 440 million barrels of proved and probable bitumen reserves and operates two steam assisted gravity drainage facilities located on the Company's Great Divide oil sands leases near Fort McMurray, Alberta. For more information about Connacher please visit www.connacheroil.com. Forward Looking Information Forward looking information is based on management's expectations regarding the Company's future financial position, the Company's future growth, results of operations and production, future commodity prices and foreign exchange rates, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), plans for and results of drilling activity, environmental matters, business prospects and opportunities and future economic conditions. Forward looking information involves significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to: the risks associated with the oil and gas industry (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates, the uncertainty of geological interpretations, the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks), risk of commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, risks associated with the impact of general economic conditions, risks and uncertainties associated with maintaining the necessary regulatory approvals and securing the financing to proceed with the operation and continued expansion of the Great Divide oil sands project. In addition, reported average production levels may not be reflective of sustainable production rates and future production rates may differ materially from the production rates reflected in this press release due to, among other factors, difficulties or interruptions encountered during the production of bitumen. Additional risks and uncertainties affecting Connacher and its business and affairs are described in further detail in Connacher's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2014. Although Connacher believes that the expectations in such forward looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations shall prove to be correct. The forward looking information included in this press release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward looking information included herein is made as of the date of this press release and Connacher assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. SOURCE Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd. Highlights: 3.1m @ 5 g/t Gold & 42.0 g/t Silver within 19.8m @ 1.7 g/t Gold & 12 g/t Silver (99m @ 0.6 g/t Au and 4 g/t Silver) VANCOUVER, Jan. 19, 2016 /CNW/ - Corvus Gold Inc. ("Corvus" or the "Company") - (TSX: KOR, OTCQX: CORVF) announces its most recent intercepts from the newly discovered NW Sierra Blanca Zone which appears to be analogues to the high-grade YellowJacket Deposit located 700 metres to the west (Table 1). The new high-grade intercept of 3.1 metres of 5 grams per tonne (g/t) Au and 42.0 g/t Ag within a broader 99 metres of 0.64 g/t Au and 4.1 g/t Ag is approximately 100 metres North of the initial discovery of the NW Sierra Blanca Zone (NR15-15, Nov 3, 2015). This is a high priority target area for follow-up drilling in the 2016 drill program. This new shallow zone of gold and silver mineralization trends to the NNE along the margin of the previously defined Sierra Blanca Deposit and now has a direct intrusive association which we believe increases the systems potential. To date all the of the holes drilled under the shallow pediment cover to the west of the Sierra Blanca Deposit have intersected thick zones of low-grade mineralization with several intervals of +1 g/t gold. We believe these features indicate potential for a large new deposit adjacent to the existing pit design (Figure 1). Jeffrey Pontius Corvus Gold CEO states "The continued positive results from the new NW Sierra Blanca discovery are encouraging and indicate we may be onto a new gold and silver deposit in the District. Further, this new discovery is on the margin of the currently designed pit which was subject to the preliminary economic assessment (PEA) we released last June. As we advance our District-wide exploration of this new Nevada gold-silver discovery we are continually impressed with the size and quality of the system." Table 1: Follow-up Results from NW Sierra Blanca Zone (Reported drill intercepts are not true widths. At this time, there is insufficient data with respect to the shape of the mineralization to calculate its true orientation in space.) From (m) To (m) Length (m)* Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) NB-15-279 86.87 184.4 97.53 0.34 1.19 AZ 085 incl 102.11 103.63 1.52 1.12 2.57 dip -55 incl 123.44 124.97 1.52 1.18 0.96 NB-15-280 85.34 86.87 1.52 0.44 0.20 AZ 085 dip -55 163.07 166.12 3.05 0.18 0.17 187.45 198.12 10.67 0.15 0.05 NB-15-281 134.11 137.16 3.05 0.37 0.33 AZ 085 dip-50 160.02 163.07 3.05 0.13 0.31 167.64 175.26 7.62 0.13 0.82 181.36 196.6 15.24 0.13 0.48 205.74 228.98 23.24 0.28 0.53 NB-15-282 64.01 163.07 99.06 0.64 4.08 including 79.25 99.06 19.81 1.69 12.33 including 88.77 83.82 3.05 4.97 42.0 AZ 090 dip -50 167.64 202.69 35.05 0.16 0.61 Previously releases NW Sierra Blanca/Rhyolite Zone Results (shown on Figure 1 map) From (m) To (m) Length (m)* Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) NB-15-267 77.72 82.3 4.58 0.147 0.35 Azi 300 Incl -55 99.06 108.2 9.14 0.346 1.02 112.78 323.08 210.31 0.472 1.41 including vein/sw 173.74 184.4 10.66 3.471 3.59 including vein/sw 210.31 211.84 1.52 1.01 1.37 including vein/sw 225.55 227.08 1.52 1.09 2.76 NB-15-268 39.62 48.77 9.15 0.27 0.45 AZ 090 dip -50 53.34 96.01 42.67 0.45 0.61 including 86.87 88.39 1.52 1.15 1.51 108.2 112.78 4.58 0.21 0.04 NB-15-269 13.72 19.81 6.09 0.64 0.77 AZ 090 dip -55 54.86 62.48 7.62 0.37 1.1 92.96 112.78 19.82 1.28 1.8 167.64 172.21 4.57 0.23 0.5 NB-15-270 45.72 54.86 9.14 0.35 0.58 AZ 090 dip -60 82.3 109.73 27.43 0.43 1.47 including 85.34 86.86 1.52 1.05 1.02 118.87 144.78 25.91 0.29 0.59 * Mineralized thickness calculated @ 0.10 g/t Au cutoff with internal vein/stockwork intervals calculated @ 1.0 g/t Au cutoff New NW Sierra Blanca Zone The new NW Sierra Blanca Zone is covered by a thin (<20m) veneer of post-mineral, gravel and volcanic rocks counselling it from earlier detection. The zone appears to be dominated by two structural zones, the north-south NW Sierra Blanca Zone and the NE trending Rhyolite Zone. The high-grade intercept in hole NB-15-282 is hosted by a highly altered dacitic dike within the Sierra Blanca Tuff. The dike is interpreted to occupy a major structural conduit within the larger Sierra Blanca mineralized system. Follow-up drilling will be conducted to determine the orientation and size of the high-grade system. This new intrusion related gold discovery and the many broad surrounding intercepts suggests good potential for the Sierra Blanca/Yellowjacket system to expand to the west and northwest under the shallow pediment cover which could significantly expand the current deposit. About the North Bullfrog Project, Nevada Corvus controls 100% of its North Bullfrog Project, which covers approximately 72 km in southern Nevada. The property package is made up of a number of private mineral leases of patented federal mining claims and 865 federal unpatented mining claims. The project has excellent infrastructure, being adjacent to a major highway and power corridor as well as a large water right. The North Bullfrog project includes numerous prospective gold targets at various stages of exploration with four having NI 43-101 mineral resources (Sierra Blanca, Jolly Jane, Mayflower and YellowJacket). The project contains a measured mineral resource of 3.86 Mt at an average grade of 2.55 g/t gold and 19.70 g/t silver, containing 316.5k ounces of gold and 2,445k ounces of silver, an indicated mineral resource of 1.81 Mt at an average grade of 1.53 g/t gold, and 10.20 g/t silver, containing 89.1k ounces of gold and 593.6k ounces of silver and an inferred resource of 1.48 Mt at an average grade of 0.83 g/t gold and 4.26 g/t silver, containing 39.5k ounces of gold and 202.7k ounces of silver for oxide mill processing. The mineral resource for the mill process was defined by WhittleTM optimization using all cost and recovery data and a breakeven cut-off grade of 0.52 g/t gold. In addition, the project contains a measured mineral resource of 0.3 Mt at an average grade of 0.25 g/t gold and 2.76 g/t silver, containing 2.4k ounces of gold and 26.6k ounces of silver, an indicated mineral resource of 22.86 Mt at an average grade of 0.30 g/t gold and 0.43 g/t silver, containing 220.5k ounces of gold and 316.1k ounces of silver and an inferred mineral resource of 176.3 Mt at an average grade of 0.19 g/t gold and 0.67 g/t silver, containing 1,077.4k ounces of gold and 3,799.2k ounces of silver for oxide, heap leach processing. The mineral resource for heap leach processing was defined by WhittleTM optimization using all cost and recovery data and a breakeven cut-off grade of 0.15 g/t. Qualified Person and Quality Control/Quality Assurance Jeffrey A. Pontius (CPG 11044), a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Pontius is not independent of Corvus, as he is the CEO & President and holds common shares and incentive stock options. Carl E. Brechtel, (Nevada PE 008744 and Registered Member 353000 of SME), a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has coordinated execution of the work outlined in this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Brechtel is not independent of Corvus, as he is the COO and holds common shares and incentive stock options. The work program at North Bullfrog was designed and supervised by Mark Reischman, Corvus Gold's Nevada Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project log and track all samples prior to sealing and shipping. Quality control is monitored by the insertion of blind certified standard reference materials and blanks into each sample shipment. All resource sample shipments are sealed and shipped to ALS Chemex in Reno, Nevada, for preparation and then on to ALS Chemex in Reno, Nevada, or Vancouver, B.C., for assaying. ALS Chemex's quality system complies with the requirements for the International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:1999. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks, reference material and replicate samples. Finally, representative blind duplicate samples are forwarded to ALS Chemex and an ISO compliant third party laboratory for additional quality control. For additional information on the North Bullfrog project, including information relating to exploration, data verification and the mineral resource estimates, see "Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for Combined Mill and Heap Leach Processing at the North Bullfrog Project, Bullfrog Mining District, NYE County, Nevada" dated June 16, 2015, which is available under Corvus Gold's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. About Corvus Gold Inc. Corvus Gold Inc. is a North American gold exploration and development company, focused on its near-term gold-silver mining project at North Bullfrog, Nevada. In addition the Company controls a number of other North American exploration properties representing a spectrum of gold, silver and copper projects. Corvus is committed to building shareholder value through new discoveries and the expansion of those discoveries to maximize share price leverage in a recovering gold and silver market. On behalf of Corvus Gold Inc. (signed) Jeffrey A. Pontius Jeffrey A. Pontius, Chief Executive Officer Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential for new deposits and expected increases in a systems potential; anticipated content, commencement and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the potential to develop multiple YellowJacket style high-grade zones, the Company's belief that the parameters used in the WhittleTM pit optimization process are realistic and reasonable, the potential to discover additional high grade veins or additional deposits, the potential to expand the existing estimated resource at the North Bullfrog project, the potential for any mining or production at North Bullfrog, the potential for the Company to secure or receive any royalties in the future, business and financing plans and business trends, are forward-looking statements. Information concerning mineral resource estimates may be deemed to be forward-looking statements in that it reflects a prediction of the mineralization that would be encountered if a mineral deposit were developed and mined. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, the Company's inability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's 2013 Annual Information Form and latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and the Company's most recent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings in Canada may be accessed via www.sedar.com and filings with the SEC may be accessed via www.sec.gov and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. Cautionary Note Regarding References to Resources and Reserves National Instrument 43 101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource estimates contained in or incorporated by reference in this press release have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") Standards on Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council on November 14, 2004 (the "CIM Standards") as they may be amended from time to time by the CIM. United States investors are cautioned that the requirements and terminology of NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards differ significantly from the requirements and terminology of the SEC set forth in the SEC's Industry Guide 7 ("SEC Industry Guide 7"). Accordingly, the Company's disclosures regarding mineralization may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by companies subject to SEC Industry Guide 7. Without limiting the foregoing, while the terms "mineral resources", "inferred mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "measured mineral resources" are recognized and required by NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards, they are not recognized by the SEC and are not permitted to be used in documents filed with the SEC by companies subject to SEC Industry Guide 7. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability, and US investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a mineral resource will ever be converted into reserves. Further, inferred resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined legally or economically. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of the inferred resources will ever be upgraded to a higher resource category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of a feasibility study or prefeasibility study, except in rare cases. The SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant "reserves" as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit amounts. The term "contained ounces" is not permitted under the rules of SEC Industry Guide 7. In addition, the NI 43-101 and CIM Standards definition of a "reserve" differs from the definition in SEC Industry Guide 7. In SEC Industry Guide 7, a mineral reserve is defined as a part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time the mineral reserve determination is made, and a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves, the three-year historical price is used in any reserve or cash flow analysis of designated reserves and the primary environmental analysis or report must be filed with the appropriate governmental authority. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our latest reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. You can review and obtain copies of these filings at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. U.S. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any defined resource will ever be converted into SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant reserves. This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States. SOURCE Corvus Gold Inc. NANAIMO, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan 19, 2016) - Troymet Exploration Corp. (TSX VENTURE:TYE) ("Troymet" or the "Company") is pleased to update progress on its Wildcat gold-silver project in Juab County, Utah, where the Company has identified important drill targets in the highly prospective Core Target Area (Figure 1). Troymet's 2015 exploration program employed new exploration and targeting concepts which resulted in the identification of important new drill targets in previously unrecognized settings. Detailed geological mapping, geochemistry and geophysics identified the potential structural controls of a large area of gold-in-rock chip mineralization as well as new drill targets in the Core Target Area. Kieran Downes, President and CEO of Troymet, comments: "The Core Target Area encompasses drill targets with high precious metals discovery potential. We are anxious to drill these targets." The Core Target Area encompasses a significant structural intersection on the Joy Fault where a step-over/ramp structure places Paleozoic carbonate rocks against Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Thomas caldera. Re-logging of drill-chips from the only hole collared in volcanic rocks in the area identified a possible volcano-structural depression and/or vent complex with possible tectonic and hydrothermal breccias. This structural depression and possible vent complex likely helped generate and focus the hydrothermal system in the step-over structure near the volcanic-sedimentary contact. The prominent magnetic lows that characterize this area strongly indicate pervasive alteration and demagnetization (Figure 2). Troymet completed detailed bi-directional magnetic and EM surveys of this area in 2015. Processing of the magnetic data, which included advanced SI grid-based processing techniques and the use of directional filters, first and second vertical derivatives, tilt images, and high-pass filters, identified a number of concealed structures consistent with a step-over/relay ramp structure along the Joy Fault. The step-over/ramp structure occurs near the focal point of a radial set of mineralized jasperoids with gold concentrations ranging from near zero up to 301 ppm, and also at the focal point of project-scale geochemical vectors. This structural setting is the focus of a 2 km long rock chip geochemical zoning pattern where gold progressively increases towards the Joy Fault (Figure 3 & Figure 4). The pattern includes proximal bismuth, copper and silver and peripheral lead, tellurium and arsenic relative to the Joy Fault. Further confirming this pattern, principal component analysis shows that factor 2 scores, mapping a precious-metals related assemblage, progressively increase in strength as the Joy Fault is approached (Figure 5). This points to the metal-bearing hydrothermal system being located in the structurally complex area where magnetics strongly indicate pervasive alteration and demagnetization. A fence of two holes drilled in 1990, at the extreme north end of the step-over, intersected 7.6 metres of 0.56 g/t Au and 3.0 metres of 0.43 g/t Au in the shallow hole. The undercut hole intersected 22.9 metres of 1.27 g/t gold. As well, the High Grade hill discovery occurs in the Core Target Area (news release of November 17, 2015). Troymet plans to drill test a number of attractive targets in this area which it believes have a high discovery potential for high-grade gold and silver mineralization in veins, stockworks, breccias and bulk-tonnage deposits along the Joy Fault and structural/stratigraphic targets in Cambrian carbonate rocks. Website Links: Figure 1: Geology Map Figure 2: Core Target Area Structure Figure 3: Gold in Rock Chips Figure 4: Tellurium in Rock Chips Figure 5: Principal Component Analysis-Factor 2 Troymet's rock and soil samples are analyzed by ALS Global in Reno, Nevada, an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited facility. Qualified Persons All technical data, as disclosed in this press release, has been verified by the Company's qualified persons Kieran Downes, Ph.D. P.Geo., and Mark Coolbaugh, Ph.D., CPG. Both are Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Booth #531 - Vancouver Resource Investment Conference 2016 Troymet will be attending the Vancouver Resources Investment Conference on January 24-25, 2016. About Troymet Exploration Corp. Troymet Exploration Corp. is a junior exploration company with a solid treasury and with projects in British Columbia (Redhill and Golden Eagle), Manitoba (McClarty Lake) and Utah (Wildcat). Troymet operates the Wildcat, Redhill and Golden Eagle projects. HudBay Minerals Inc. is the operator of the McClarty Lake joint venture and must contribute $1,151,052 in joint venture expenditures before Troymet is required to fund its participating interest. Troymet retains a 2% net smelter returns royalty (NSR) on the Key property, British Columbia, which was sold to New Gold Inc. in 2013. TROYMET EXPLORATION CORP. Kieran Downes, Ph.D., P.Geo., President, CEO & Director Website: www.troymet.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 news release. This news release may contain certain forward-looking information. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and such information involves various risks and uncertainties. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information in respect of: the Wildcat Project, including the exploration potential and analogous deposit potential of the Wildcat Project; future data analysis, sampling plans and exploration plans on the Wildcat Project; and exploration targets and the potential of such exploration targets. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. This forward-looking information reflects Troymet's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Troymet and on assumptions Troymet believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the current share price of Troymet's common shares and the ability to raise future equity financing, if needed, at prices acceptable to Troymet; Troymet's current and initial understanding and analysis of the Wildcat Project; the ability of Troymet to discover viable exploration targets and the results of exploration on the Wildcat Project; Troymet's general and administrative costs remaining constant; and the market acceptance of Troymet's business strategy. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Troymet to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the early stage development of Troymet and its projects, and in particular, the Wildcat Project; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; capital market conditions and market prices for securities, junior market securities and mining exploration company securities; commodity prices; the actual results of current exploration and development or operational activities; competition; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; accidents and other risks inherent in the mining industry; lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting Troymet; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. A description of other assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information and a description of other risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in Troymet's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Troymet does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. THUNDER BAY, ON, Jan. 19, 2016 /CNW/ - Wolfden Resources Corp. (WLF: TSX-V) ("Wolfden" or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional assay results from diamond drilling on the Company's 100%-owned Rice Island property (the "Property"), located approximately 10 kilometres southeast of the Town on Snow Lake in west-central Manitoba. The drilling continues to confirm the potential of the Rice Island deposit with every drill hole completed to date by the Company since the inception of the project (19 drill holes in all), intersecting semi-massive and massive sulphides containing high-grade nickel and copper mineralization. (See news releases dated October 26, 2015, November 17, 2015 and December 16, 2015 for details of prior drill results.) Rice Island Drill Results: Drill holes RI-15-16 through RI-15-19 were step-out holes intended to expand on the limits of known mineralization at the Main Zone. Each of the holes intersected the Main Zone highlighted by drill intersections of 1.23% nickel and 0.67% copper over 10.20 metres in hole RI-15-18 and 1.34% Ni and 1.06% copper over 5.70 metres in hole RI-15-16. Summary drill results for all 4 of the recently completed drill holes are documented in the table below. Hole No. Coordinates Dip Azimuth (degrees) From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Ni (%) Cu (%) Comments RI-15-16 440921, 6074876 -90 NA 259.30 322.30 63.00 0.56 0.45 inc. 316.60 322.30 5.70 1.34 1.06 Main Zone & inc. 318.00 320.60 2.60 2.04 1.60 RI-15-17 440966, 6074848 -90 NA 285.40 326.70 41.30 0.54 0.47 inc. 322.90 326.70 3.80 1.57 1.84 Main Zone RI-15-18 440890, 6074878 -90 NA 225.90 264.20 38.30 0.59 0.35 inc. 245.60 255.80 10.20 1.22 0.67 Main Zone & inc. 246.60 248.50 1.90 3.34 1.43 RI-15-19 440929, 6074908 -60 302 135.10 141.40 6.30 0.44 0.26 inc. 140.00 140.70 0.70 2.05 0.45 Main Zone Note 1: True widths are estimated at 70-90% of core width Note 2: Sample analyses performed by Actlabs Ltd. of Thunder Bay, Ontario utilizing the 4 Acid ICP-OES method; a 0.25 g sample is digested with hydrofluoric acid followed by a mixture of nitric and perchloric acid; the sample is then dried and brought back into solution using aqua regia; the sample is then analyzed using Agilent 735 ICP instrumentation The Main zone comprises semi-massive to massive pyrrhotite, pendlandite and chalcopyrite hosted within gabbro-norite situated at the base of a gabbro intrusion underlain by sedimentary rocks. The Main zone is overlain by a broader zone of disseminated and blebby nickel-copper sulphide mineralization as documented in the table above. Large-Loop EM Results: Prior to year-end 2015, a large-loop electromagnetic survey (LLEM) was completed in the locale of the Rice Island deposit in efforts to delineate potential satellite, parallel or deeper deposits outside of the known Main Zone of nickel-copper mineralization. The LLEM provides greater depth penetration and anomaly resolution than does the airborne VTEM survey, where-in a previous survey completed by Wolfden, had defined a conductor in the immediate locale of the Rice Island deposit. Modeling of the LLEM survey data revealed two (2) late and mid-time electromagnetic responses representing strong conductors located below and immediately to the west of the Rice Island deposit. These targets will be immediate priorities upon the resumption of diamond drilling in the winter of 2016, in efforts to discover additional zones of mineralization. In addition to the strong conductors a larger, weak to moderate conductor was delineated, also located to the west of the Rice Island deposit. Additional drilling efforts in the coming weeks will also focus on expanding the New Lower Zone (NLZ), discovered in December of 2015 (see Wolfden news release dated December 16, 2015). Drilling completed on the NLZ returned intercepts of 1.14% nickel and 0.70% copper over 14.10 metres (RI-15-13) as well as 1.07% nickel and 0.83% copper over 6.1 metres (RI-15-14). Drilling will also be undertaken at a high-priority target situated 5 kilometres northeast of the Rice Island deposit, comprising a coincident conductor and magnetic high defined by the airborne VTEM survey. This VTEM anomaly has a similar geophysical signature to that of the Rice Island nickel-copper deposit. In other news, Wolfden announces that George Topping, CEO, is no longer with the Company. Donald Hoy, President and a director of Wolfden will assume the vacant position in the role of President and Acting Chief Executive Officer. ABOUT WOLFDEN RESOURCES: Wolfden is a mineral exploration company that recently acquired the Rice Island and Nickel Island properties in Manitoba. Manitoba is ranked #2 in Canada and #4 in the world as the most favourable jurisdiction to conduct mining and exploration (Fraser Institute (2014-2015).The Company also holds a dominant, 24,000 hectare, land position in the heart of the Bathurst Mining Camp in New Brunswick and a 100% interest in the Clarence Stream gold-antimony property in southern New Brunswick that hosts a significant 43-101 mineral resource. The technical information in this news release has been prepared and approved by Donald Hoy, P. Geo., President and a director of the Company. My Hoy is also a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. This press release contains forward-looking information (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation) that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information includes statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance of the Company, and include, without limitation, statements relating to plans and results of exploration and the magnitude and quality of the property. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information in this news release, including without limitation, the following risks and uncertainties; (i) risks inherent in the mining industry; (ii) regulatory and environmental risks; (iii) results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; (iv) risks relating to the estimation of mineral resources; (v) stock market volatility and capital market fluctuations; and (vi) general market and industry conditions. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. This forward-looking information is based on estimates and opinions of management on the date hereof and is expressly qualified by this notice. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward looking information or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such information unless required by applicable law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the accuracy and adequacy of this news release. SOURCE Wolfden Resources Corp. Turkish delight: Stanbuli is based on the casual eateries of Istanbul. Photo: Cole Bennetts Address 135 Enmore Road Enmore, New South Wales 2042 View map Opening hours Dinner Wed-Sun from 6pm; lunch Sun from noon Features Accepts bookings, Bar, Licensed, Long lunch, Romance-first date Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Chef Ibrahim Kasif Payments eftpos, AMEX, Visa, Mastercard Phone 02 8624 3132 The old Marie-Louise Hair Salon hasn't seen such sharp hairstyles since its heyday in the 1950s. With its original Barbie-doll pink-and-blue facade still intact, it forms the secret portal to the new Stanbuli on Enmore Road. Step through and you land in a different world and a different century. But the hair? It's as important now as it was at the height of the perm and the ducktail. On my first visit to the Turkish-inspired diner, the entire nattily coiffed staff of Chippendale's LP's Quality Meats was in. Tonight, it's the yeasty boys from Young Henry's brewery, Anthony Puharich of Victor Churchill, Morgan McGlone of Belle's Hot Chicken, and Monty Koludrovic of Icebergs adding to the glamour. Not to mention the on-the-ball staff girls with ponytails, boys with quiffs doing the geek-chic thing with white shirts, bow ties and high-waisted trousers. Go-to dish: Midye dolma (stuffed mussels) are filled with peppery rice. Photo: Cole Bennetts But then, why the surprise? Co-owners of Argentinian rockabilly grill, Porteno, Joe Valore and Elvis Abrahanowicz, are partners here, along with former Porteno senior chef Ibrahim Kasif, whose dream it was to open a Turkish meyhane based on the casual eateries of Istanbul. So you can sit at the raki-lined marble bar downstairs and pretend you're on holidays while admiring the geometric blue floor tiles, dark bentwood stools, coffee trays and framed Turkish prints, or book a table upstairs in the dining room proper. The first dish to land midye dolme, or rice-stuffed mussels ($3 each) is one of Istanbul's favourite street food snacks, familiar to anyone who has braved the crowds of Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue, where they are sold by vendors on every corner. Here, the cold, plump mussels are bulging with peppery rice; the half-shells sheathed in their opposing shell, to use as a spoon. Get two or three apiece. The balik ekmek fish sandwich is served in a soft bun, with pickled turnips. Photo: Cole Bennetts Kasif is keen to sidestep Turkish cliches, so there are no mixed dips or shish kebab skewers. There is, however, balik ekmek ($10), the famous fish sandwich traditionally sold at open-air waterside fish cafes near Istanbul's Galata Bridge. With its soft bun, lightly pan-fried mackerel and luridly crimson pickled turnips, it's fresher and more delicate than the Turkish version with its overcooked fish (sadly often frozen mackerel from Norway). Another local fave is the shepherd's salad ($14) of diced tomato, onion and radish with purslane. It's the sort of dish that goes with everything else you order, especially the gutsier dishes off the height-adjustable charcoal grill, from gnarly, blackened octopus tentacles with a side of rich taramasalata ($30), to seftali ($30), lamb and beef kofta served with a divine parsley yoghurt and pickled green chillies that curl up like sultan's slippers. There's some twistiness, of course. The rich tarator that comes with the crusty fried calamari ($18) is sweet with hazelnuts rather than walnuts, and poached lamb brain salad ($15) un-photogenic, but strangely refreshing, like cold brain custard comes with pickles, charred olives and purslane yoghurt. Bread is baby-soft, cake-like door-stopper slices, scented with cloves, and desserts are simple; milk pudding, say, topped with watermelon granita ($14). Shepherd's salad: diced tomato, onion and radish with purslane. Photo: Cole Bennetts To drink, perhaps a glass of Yeni triple-distilled Raki Ala ($10) made milky with a dash of water, a chilled Efes beer ($8); or a rich, red, plummy 2013 Sevilen Guney ($12/$55) from Turkey's kalecik karasi grape. It's a winning combination, packaging Ibrahim Kasir's smallish but straight-up Turkish delights with Sarah Doyle's beautifully styled nostalgic interior detail; all within a business model based on collaboration, authenticity, good manners, modern attitude and excellent hair. THE LOW-DOWN Best bit Turkish food with Enmore attitude. Worst bit Getting a seat. Go-to-dish Midye dolma: stuffed mussels with fragrant spiced rice, $3 each Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system. http://stanbuli.com.au/ Luke Nguyen at a Vietnamese market. Photo: Supplied Spending 24 hours with Luke Nguyen in Ho Chi Minh City means going off the beaten track to sample the best traditional dishes the city has on offer. Ho Chi Minh is a city that almost vibrates. It's humid, hot and humming from the moment it wakes up to the moment it, well, never really goes to sleep. It's a place that's at odds with itself. Buildings in various states of decrepitude are thrown into sharp relief against the gleaming Rodeo Drive-esque facades of Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Prada. Where the frenetic energy of a city is balanced by locals who amble head-on into a sea of motorbikes, taking their own sweet time. And the traffic just moves around those pedestrians like a big, smoggy school of fish. It's a city that chef/author/television star Luke Nguyen is intimately familiar with, and passionate about. This is his heritage, his history. And he's all about preserving the food culture, from the street up. Breakfast adventuring "I'm going to take you somewhere you would never go," says Luke Nguyen over a Vietnamese coffee that heart-starting mix of condensed milk and filter coffee that feels like adrenalin and tastes like type 2 diabetes. We're heading to Cau Ong Lanh, the market in Old Saigon where Nguyen's parents first met. Even today, Nguyen has a lot of relatives who still work here. "Every visit is a big family reunion." The market is a warren of tiny shops, most of them run from the downstairs living areas of apartment buildings where families and extended family live and work simultaneously. Some shops do mixed business soaps, sandals, detergent, conical straw hats. Many others have very specific stocks in trade. There's the gent who sells at least eight types of dried shrimp, ranging in quality and size. A lady sits in her ground-floor lounge room with three woks in front of her, stir-frying fresh prawns with cured pork and sugar, ready to sell down the road. Fighting cocks pace under big chicken wire cloches as rangy-looking dogs look on hungrily. Otherwise, it's all produce. Rice bags are piled high, mountains of green herbs many of which never appear on Vietnamese menus in Australia are waiting to be sorted and sold. Sadly, this is also a dying market. The young and upwardly mobile don't really want to shop like this any more they want convenience. "The attitude amongst next-gen Vietnamese is 'Why sweat eating on the side of the road when you can be shopping in airconditioning?'," says Nguyen, adding that many malls in Saigon offer easy, convenient versions of what you find on the backs of motorcycles and in alleyways like the ones we're visiting today. "They say this will all be gone in the next couple of years." What would a place like Ho Chi Minh be without street vendors? How would you get your durian if you couldn't stop a woman on the back of a motorcycle to cut it up for you to eat on the spot? What of your broken rice with thin fillets of pork cooked over hot coals on the footpath, finished with a fried egg? Your bread rolls filled with pate, mayonnaise, pork floss and lurid macaroni? Street-side eating takes place at tiny plastic chairs pulled up to low tables. Photo: Christian Berg School lunching Advertisement During his time working on MasterChef Vietnam, Nguyen found there was a surprising lack of culinary knowledge and skill being passed down. "Two-minute noodles and fried eggs are about the extent of the repertoire of young Vietnamese kids these days." So he started Grain, Ho Chi Minh's only professional cooking school. "It's kind of a speakeasy cooking school," he says as we make our way up three flights of stairs in what looks like an abandoned office block. And then all at once, you're in a large, warehouse-style space of polished concrete and wood, where fresh produce is waiting to be made into tasty snacks. The classes here focus on flavour and technique, why dishes work and what they mean. There's even a fish sauce tasting. Because, says Nguyen, "fish sauce is as important to Vietnamese cooking as olive oil is to the Italians". Street touring Nguyen gets stopped on the street a lot. But not, he says, because of MasterChef Vietnam, or SBS's Luke Nguyen's Vietnam or any of the other cooking programs he's starred in. No, he reckons it's because he bears a passing resemblance to his mate Dustin Nguyen Johnny Depp's sidekick from the original 21 Jump Street. "It happens all the time," he says, as we're stopped by a weasel coffee vendor at the Ben Thanh a massive indoor market built by French colonialists in 1901 that sells food and trinkets, taxidermy (my kingdom for a framed vampire bat) and tea. At a wet market out the back, buckets of snails, pipis and shellfish are on show alongside live soft-shell crabs blinking away, their soft, leathery carapaces gently bound. A young Vietnamese man stirs caramel to be made into coconut candies. Photo: Myffy Rigby Pancake breaking Banh Xeo Muoi Xiem bridges the divide between street and restaurant food extremely comfortably. It's still interesting stuff that doesn't require cutlery, but there are also cold 333s on hand, and sweet mercy, seats. Outside, there's a series of burners covered in battered, blackened woks. This is where they make those coconut pancakes, dotted with pieces of roast pork and cooked prawns or mixed mushrooms and hearts of palm. They come to the table all crisped up and lacy edged, served with sawtooth, fish mint, Vietnamese mint, perilla and lettuce and the ubiquitous nuoc cham, for dipping. High drinking Now, while first impulse might be to hole up in a shady, dark bar and escape the heat, there really is something to be said for the unadulterated glitz of Saigon's rooftop bars. It's an acute snapshot of the other side of the city one where the money flows as free as the bottle service Belvedere. Glow Skybar is a brilliant case in point with some stellar views of the city. But if you want to pretend to be Graham Greene, you'll want the Hotel Majestic, with panoramic views of the Mekong where you can imagine yourself in a rumpled linen suit, a panama hat and a battered Moleskine. Midnight feasting It truly is a city that never stops moving. A midnight feast sees us taking up most of the footpath outside Mai Xuan Canh where Nguyen orders duck tongues two ways grilled over charcoal and braised in a whole lot of chilli and chicken feet, flattened out and grilled in a sticky sweet glaze. They're all at once gelatinous and smoky and sweet. While we're sitting outside on those tiny plastic stools that have your knees knocking you in the chin if you're over five feet, Nguyen's wife leans over and buys a serve of boiled quail eggs from a passing street vendor, some green mango from another, and a bag of longans from yet another. "Just a small snack while we're here." Sunrise shopping So there really is a take-a-wrong-turn-and-you'll-miss-it side to Saigon that requires some commitment to get to know. Co Giang Street is definitely one of those places. Getting there at 6am guarantees seeing the market at its peak, the sun rising over piles of fresh seafood, raw meats and fruits. A cock fight is happening on the footpath where two guys in nothing but stubbies throw down small notes as the two roosters maul each other. The market is mostly fresh produce. Street food vendors sell Chinese-style doughnuts, Vietnamese sandwiches of roast pork and really good pate, coriander and heaps of chilli and soy on a roll with just the right amount of chew. Little buckets hold fresh fish and crabs. By 7am, it's all sold and packed away like it never happened. And really, that's kind of the beauty of it. Banh Xeo Muoi Xiem 190 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Ben Thanh Intersection of Le Loi, Ham Nghi, Tran Hung Dao avenues and Le Lai Street Cau Ong Lanh Market Ben Chuong Street, Ben Nghe Canal Glow Skybar Rooftop, President Place, 93 Nguyen Du Grain by Luke Cooking Studio, level 3, 71-75 Hai Ba Trung Hotel Majestic 1 Dong Khoi Street, Ben Nghe Canal Mai Xuan Canh 57 Nguyen Du, Ben Nghe Canal Good Food travelled as a guest of APT Season two of Luke Nguyen's Greater Mekong will air on the Food Network at 7pm weekdays from February 8 to coincide with Lunar New Year. Book to travel on the 13-day Vietnam and Cambodia Highlights tour, departing July 2016 onwards from $5345 a person twin share and experience a special degustation dinner with matching wine designed by APT Asia ambassador Luke Nguyen. Guests may also choose to join a special cooking class at Nguyen's newly opened Grain cooking school in Saigon. On board the RV AmaLotus, enjoy his welcome dinner or sample his new Indochine private restaurant. Details: APT, phone 1300 196 420, or see aptouring.com.au. SHARE By Fran Kritz Will Roberto be able to carry the heavy boxes his job requires if he donates a kidney to his brother, Jorge? How will his family pay their bills if Roberto has to take several weeks off from work to recover from the surgery? Will Mama consider a kidney donation from her daughter, Carla, or turn her down, worried the procedure will keep Carla from having another baby? These two telenovela plots have gripped some viewers in the past few months. But don't expect to see the Spanish-language dramas on a network or streaming service. They're customized for Informate, a new bilingual website, Informate, dedicated to using culturally familiar methods to educate Latinos about options for living kidney donation. The marketing strategy is intended to address a growing need among Latinos. Kidney failure in this population has increased by more than 70 percent since 2000, and more than 23,000 Latinos are on the kidney transplant list, according to federal statistics. But too often, researchers and doctors said, families are not aware of the transplant regimen involving a live donor and have unfounded fears about what could happen if they volunteer to offer a kidney to a relative or friend. "Right now, Latino patients often don't learn about live kidney donation until they are in crisis, and that is a bad time to be learning about something complex and somewhat foreign to their culture," said Junichiro Sageshima, a transplant surgeon at the University of California, Davis. Twenty percent of U.S. kidney disease patients on the current United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) transplant waiting list are Latino, but in California that rate rises to 40 percent, about the same as the percentage of Latinos in the state, said Charlene Zettel, CEO of Donate Life California, the parent organization of Living Donation California, a San Diego-based nonprofit that offers referrals and resources for living kidney donations. While researchers aren't fully sure why Latinos are so severely affected by kidney disease, rates of high blood pressure and diabetes are also elevated among Latinos, and both conditions are key contributing factors. In addition, large numbers of Latinos lack health coverage, which can prevent getting timely care and can aggravate chronic diseases. Yet Latinos are less than half as likely as non-Latino whites to get a transplanted kidney from a live donor. That's an important distinction because almost 6,000 kidney transplants annually are from live donors, close to a third of all kidney transplants, according to UNOS. Part of that discrepancy is because of cultural concerns about transplants and especially about live donor kidney transplants, researchers say. Elisa Gordon, an associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University who led the development and testing of Informate, said many Latino families are afraid that donation can decrease virility and fertility. Other concerns are that the Catholic Church opposes it or that becoming a donor could trigger a report to immigration officials. None of those are true. In addition, many Latinos worry about related costs and don't know that insurance generally covers most of the expenses for both the donor and recipient. Informate deals with all those issues. Besides the telenovelas, the site includes quizzes and games to help dispel cultural and religious myths and video testimonials in English and Spanish from donors and recipients. It also has information on financial issues and links to help patients find transplant centers. Dr. Elena Rios, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association in Washington, D.C., said the telenovelas are an especially important feature of the site because they are "familiar." Many Latino families watch television together, so the stories are likely to generate conversation, she said. Zettel said her group has added a link to Informate on the site's resources page. "We've long needed more targeted information health care professionals can use to better inform their Latino patients about live kidney donation," she said. SHARE Reiter was found dead in Coleman County on Monday. Brownwood case probed as murder By Michael Kelly Authorities are now investigating the recent death of a Brownwood woman as murder and have executed a search warrant for a house on San Angelo's east side. The body of Michele Reiter, a 38-year-old retail clerk in Brownwood, was discovered in Coleman County on Monday, two weeks after she had been reported missing by co-workers. In a search warrant affidavit sworn the day after Reiter's body was found, a Texas Ranger sought to search a house and vehicles in the 1500 block of Preusser Street in San Angelo for evidence in Reiter's murder, naming her former cohabitant, Lanny Marvin Bush, and Cindy Barrow, who the affidavit says "is in a romantic relationship" with Bush, as the occupants of the house. Barrow, 50, told investigators Sept. 19 that Bush had been living with her for about two weeks, the affidavit said. Bush, whose public records show the same address in Brownwood as Reiter, was arrested in San Angelo following Reiter's disappearance on allegations that he had created a false identity on Facebook, a third-degree felony. Bush "acknowledged establishing the Facebook page under the persona of 'Rocky Switzer' with intent to harm Michele Reiter," the affidavit stated. Reiter was arrested Aug. 28 in Brownwood and charged with assault causing injury. According to a complaint released by the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office, the assault involved Bush. Reiter was released the same day on $2,500 bond. Bush admitted meeting Reiter twice on the day before she was reported missing, claimed to have had "a form of sexual intercourse" with her and admitted to having her cellphone after the time she was reported missing and to having used it to send text messages pretending to be Reiter, the affidavit stated. Bush has previously denied having anything to do with Reiter's disappearance. The affidavit said a 1997 Ford pickup already had been taken from the Preusser Street house. Bush had identified himself as the owner of the truck, but it was last registered in Reiter's name, the affidavit said. Among items of potential evidence being sought in the affidavit were trace evidence including blood, hair, tissue, fibers, glass particles, gunpowder residue, ammunition and ammunition casings, firearms, other weapons of any kind, and a shovel. The affidavit said Reiter's body had been discovered "in a shallow, clandestine type grave." A shovel with a broken handle was seen in the bed of the pickup. Also found in the truck was a receipt from a store in Brownwood bearing the number of a credit-debit card belonging to Cindy Barrow. The receipt was dated Sept. 10, the last day Michele Reiter was seen alive, and authorities determined the card had been used by Bush to purchase ammunition from a Brownwood sporting goods store, the affidavit said. In seeking the search warrant, the Ranger stated: " ... the Affiant knows semi-automatic firearms function by ejecting spent ammunition casings before chambering a live round of ammunition and those spent ammunition casings may and can be inside the vehicle. The Affiant knows when a firearm is fired from a vehicle, explosive gases from the discharged firearm may and can adhere to the interior passenger compartment of a vehicle ... the Affiant knows that high velocity blood spatter, medium velocity blood spatter and body tissue may be present in the area where a bullet could be sustained." Bush, 53, remained in the Tom Green County Jail Friday afternoon, charged with parole violation and online impersonation. His bond was set at $20,000. Public records show a string of criminal convictions for offenses that included burglary, motor vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, possession of a firearm by a felon and reckless driving. Bush spent time in the 1970s and 1980s in the Huntsville prison, and he has been on probation most of his life since then. The most recent offense ? reckless driving, a Class B misdemeanor ? dates from September 2005. Investigators named in the affidavit are Texas Rangers Nick Hanna and Danny Crawford, Tom Green County Sheriff's Deputy Billy Bloom, and the Brownwood Police Department. Michael Murray, district attorney for the 35th Judicial District, which includes Brownwood, could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon. The search warrant affidavits may be viewed by clicking the link below. SHARE By Monique Ching Pros and cons for having an elected versus an appointed police chief were the focal point of this weeks Charter Review Committee meeting. One thing I dont like about the elected chief is youre limited to somebody who lives in San Angelo, said Floyd Crider, committee member, during Wednesdays meeting. You can find some people that are highly qualified in places outside San Angelo. ... Theres assistant chiefs in other places that, you know, you might want to look at but you cant because they dont live here. Vice Chair Harry Thomas said that under Section 60 and 61 of the city charter, any San Angelo resident who holds a bachelors degree can run for police chief as long as he or she obtains initial peace officer training within two years, as stipulated by Section 96.641 of the Texas Education Code. San Angelo is the largest U.S. city that still elects its police chief, said Police Chief Tim Vasquez. Why would we allow someone that doesnt have qualifications to run for chief of police to run for chief of police? Vasquez said. Its a problem. You should have some type of law enforcement experience. But San Angelo officials have brought the elected chief issue before voters in 11 of 15 charter reviews, some members said, and residents never have voted to switch to an appointed police chief system. An appointed police chief would be selected by and answer to San Angelos city manager, who answers to the City Council. There are a lot of people that dont trust the council, said Jon Mark Hogg, a member of the committee. You can have a crappy appointed chief just like (an elected one). But you can remove them a lot quicker, Vasquez said. Another issue with having an elected chief, said committee member Jim Turner, was brought up by San Angelo police officers during the previous charter review in 2007. It creates a lot of morale problems, Turner said. Every four years theyre picking sides. Vasquez agreed, saying elections could hinder police productivity and in turn affect local residents. We really sell ourselves short by not seriously considering an appointed position, Vasquez said. We have this oasis we all love, but we have to come to this realization: were a large city with a small-town atmosphere. ... Im not saying thats the answer, Im saying we need to seriously consider it. The next police chief election is in May 2016 and the term of office is four years. Vasquez would serve out his term before his successor is appointed if the city charter is changed this November. Tim is not going to be the police chief forever and ever, Thomas said. Why not lay the groundwork for his successor to be the best we can get? At Wednesdays meeting, the committee also discussed the proposal or bidding process for contracts and professional services, as well as referendum and recall of ordinances and resolutions. The Charter Review Committee is looking at San Angelos governing document and picking areas that need to be updated or revised. It aims to put those changes before voters in the November election ballot. The committees meetings are open to the public. The next meeting will be held April 1 at the second floor conference room of City Hall, 72 W. College Avenue. All meeting agendas, minutes and information about the committee is posted at: bit.ly/1GKT9lT. To view the City Charter/Code of Ordinances, visit: costatx.us/government/code-of-ordinances. Graphic Illustration SHARE Here are two unfortunate things we know: 1. Jails and prisons are where too many people with mental illness are receiving, or rather not receiving, treatment. 2. A jail cell is unlikely to be a place of healing. Here's one more thing we're starting to realize: There's a better way. Not only are some of our most vulnerable Texans better served if they can be diverted from jails, the state's bottom line will benefit as well. It's less expensive, more efficient and more humane to treat mental illness like it's not a crime. In Texas, as in the rest of the nation, our communities don't have the capacity to meet the demand for mental health services for all those in need, leaving jails and prisons to serve as de facto asylums. This leads to a vicious cycle in which people with mental illness are re-traumatized, released, and then re-incarcerated. Consider Harris County. According to an article in The Texas Tribune, the county "has a list of about 900 people who were in and out of jail at least five times in 2011 and 2012. Some had 30 or more visits, the sheriff said. From that list, 538 had been diagnosed with mental health issues that required treatment." This is bad math from almost every direction. Community-based professionals and institutions whose priority is mental health are better equipped to provide care than institutions that exist primarily to incarcerate. Imprisonment can compound the trauma that many people with mental illness have already suffered. It's more expensive to imprison someone than to treat that person. And it distracts from the core mission of law enforcement and correctional officers when they're asked to act as social service providers of last resort. They are not trained or funded to properly provide the care needed. Without question, some people with mental illness need to be incarcerated. But for low-level nonviolent offenders, we should look to measures that can divert people from jails and into community-based mental health treatment programs. The sequential intercept model is a good example and highlights how this process of diversion can happen at every point along the criminal justice continuum from the moment the 911 call is placed all the way to re-entry into the community after incarceration. What's required are common-sense reforms such as targeted training for police and 911 dispatchers, screening for behavioral health conditions at the early stages of the process, and improved coordination between the justice system and social service agencies in advance of re-entry. For example, re-entry peer support, in which a recently released person is paired with a trained mentor who's been through the same experience, has been tested in Pennsylvania with promising results. The legislature approved up to $1 million in funding last session for two pilot sites in Texas. Scaling of such a program, if the pilots prove successful, could make an enormous difference. We should take these steps because it's not only the right thing to do, but because the time is right. The evidence base for diversion programs has matured to the point where we can have confidence that the money will be well spent. Law enforcement officials across the country are coming together in support of such measures. And advocates, experts and policymakers are recognizing that systemic change is needed to address systemic problems. It's time for more Texas lawmakers to get on board. Crisis can create opportunity. In the case of our mental health system, the current host of problems creates fertile conditions for the kind of creative problem solving and collaboration that can make "jail diversion" more than a trendy phrase. We all know the way we've been doing things isn't working. And we're beginning to realize there's a better way. What better time than now to do what we know is right and make our nation a healthier, more compassionate and more sensible place for all its people. Octavio Martinez Jr. is the executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at the University of Texas at Austin. Lynda Frost is the director of planning and programs for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at the University of Texas at Austin. To OUR Gourmet Retailer Readers While Gourmet Retailer no longer exists as a separate print publication and website, Progressive Grocer will continue to feature new content about boutique retailing in our ongoing coverage of Independent Grocers. Please update your Gourmet Retailer bookmark and check our Independent Grocers topic page regularly for updates and fresh content. -- The Progressive Grocer Team When Tameika Isaac Devine was elected to the city council in Columbia, South Carolina, the city already had a long history of programs designed to help residents afford homeownership through subsidized, low-interest loans.When the market crashed, and residents began facing foreclosure and bankruptcy, it wasnt just the citys history of subsidizing homeownership that critics called into question.The more Devine talked to her constituents, the more she knew the city had skipped some steps as it steered residents towards home ownership.We pushed it so much, Devine said. People werent ready and went into it for independence, because thats how we build wealth in this country, but they didnt have other pieces of the puzzle. So we started looking at what else we could do to address those other pieces.Columbia has now joined dozens of other cities across the country that are taking a more active role in figuring out ways to promote and support the financial stability of their residents.Its a different approach from traditional economic development efforts, which have focused on ways to subsidize and support businesses in hopes that they would eventually generate more jobs for residents and more tax receipts for cities.Now, some cities are supplementing that approach with one thats intended to help residents more directly.Cities are offering financial literacy workshops, building relationships between residents and banks, subsidizing low-income residents savings accounts, and squeezing payday lenders through zoning changes. Essentially, cities are deciding they need to do something more than just provide a business-friendly climate.In a report urging more cities to get involved in the financial lives of their low-income residents, the National League of Cities, a D.C. association representing municipal governments, argued that cities have no choice but to intervene where state and federal governments wont.Nearly half of employers dont offer health insurance, the NLC report said, and more than half of employees dont have retirement accounts either. More than 40 percent of all households have virtually no savings. More than a quarter of residents dont have a solid relationship with a bank.Sixty-five percent of the 118 cities the NLC surveyed said have some form of a financial inclusion program in place.Yet, while this group of local innovators is forging a path, the nationwide adoption of these ideas cannot happen without the engagement of many more cities, reads an NLC report outlining first steps cities can take.Often, that begins with education and awareness. Thats what happened in Nashville.The city partnered with the local United Way, and together they won a three-year, $16.2 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to build city-staffed centers for one-on-one financial counseling for local residents. In 2013, Denver, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Lansing, Mich. won the same grant.Erik Cole, a former Nashville city councilman and now director of the citys Office of Economic Opportunity and Empowerment, said the most appealing element of Financial Empowerment Center model was relationship building. Workers continually interact with the same clients.That, over time, drives real outcomes, Cole said. It was appealing, and it worked.The Nashville program has assisted 3,000 residents with 8,700 separate counseling sessions, reducing debt among program participants by $1.5 million and increased their savings by $400,000, Cole said.Nashville just elected a new mayor, and the initial grant from Bloomberg has now expired. But the program is expected to continue moving forward. It has half of its needed funding for the next year, and Cole is talking to banks and local nonprofits in hopes of securing the other half. He says hes confident theyll raise the money.Under a new mayor, the work expanded rather than contracted, Cole said, referring to newly elected Mayor Megan Barry. Hes now been put in charge of not just the Financial Empowerment Centers, but also workforce development, affordable housing, and potentially youth employment programs.The capacity is there now, he said.In Columbia, S.C., the city has launched a program known as Individual Development Accounts. Under the program, available to low-income residents, the city offers a three-to-one match for individuals who create bank accounts .Columbia just finished a year-long pilot of Bank On, a program that targets residents who have never had a relationship with a bank, or did so only to see it end badly. Residents go through a financial education process with the city or a partner agency and connect with banks to establish checking and savings accounts.Were jumping on the bandwagon, because its been so successful in other cities, said Devine, the Columbia councilwoman.She said the citys efforts havent hit much opposition, even though one might assume critics would complain about the city government becoming involved in personal finances.You have naysayers, but its people who dont understand the gravity of the problem, she said.Columbia learned about Bank On from Savannah, Georgias successful program. But the whole trend started with San Francisco, which launched its program in 2006. In its first six years, it helped open more than 70,000 bank accounts for residents.Bank On Central Texas, serving the greater Austin area, has opened more than 6,000 accounts and is estimated to have saved residents $2.4 million in fees that would have otherwise been paid to payday lending and check cashing facilities. Nearly 70 cities have adopted Bank On programs, according to NLC, including Houston, Boston, Los Angeles, and others.Thats not the only way cities are combatting payday lenders. The NLC even encourages cities to use its land-use authority to actively discourage the businesses.Dallas, for instance, is using zoning tools to discourage the shops from opening. It prevents payday lenders from opening within certain distances of homes and freeways; prevents two payday lenders from opening near each other; allows payday lenders only in freestanding buildings as opposed to strips centers; and requires special permits for their operation.The programs arent without precedent. Indeed, one of the most critical role of cities is in supporting their most financially vulnerable residents though housing assistance and jobs training programs.But the next generation of programs early-stage financial education are intended to augment those efforts.Devine said Columbia is now applying for an NLC grant that would allow it to deploy software that tracks how these types of programs support each other. It could also potentially help the city understand how individual residents move up the financial ladder with each program.We want to understand how these programs are connected, she said. We want one umbrella of financial inclusion. Illinois 695.png West Virginia 696.png Connecticut 699.png Mississippi 700.png Maine and Vermont 698.png New Mexico State Population Data Most states are gaining residents, but a few have lost population in recent years. None are seeing major losses, but it looks as if some states' populations will continue to stagnate or slowly decline in the years to come.The latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates indicate that the nations overall population grew by about 2.5 million over the 12-month period ending last July.The reason some states are experiencing population loss vary. Some have weak economies and are losing workers who seek opportunities elsewhere. In others, growth is held back by an aging population.Here's a closer look at the states that lost population last year and whats behind their declines:A growing number of people are choosing to leave the Land of Lincoln. Illinois lost an estimated 22,194 residents in 2015, by far the largest decline of any state.The losses, which accelerated from 2014, are partly driven by the states economy and a labor market thats weaker than most other states. Fred Giertz, a University of Illinois economist, said he suspects some job seekers are opting to retire early and move to warmer climates. Much of the states economy, outside of the Chicago metro area, is tied to either manufacturing or agriculture -- two sectors that arent generating many jobs.Chicago has fairly good prospects, said Giertz. Downstate Illinois is more like the rest of the Midwest and is declining.Illinois net migration rate (-5.2 per 1,000 population) was lower than all other states, with the exception of Alaska.One might be tempted to link the population losses to the states fiscal woes . Giertz, however, said he doesnt think that its leading residents to move out -- at least not yet.West Virginias population has remained relatively flat for decades, and that isnt likely to change anytime soon.The state fared better economically than most of the country during the Great Recession, enjoying small population gains as a result. More recently, though, the state has recorded slight declines in each of the past three years. Last year, West Virginia suffered the largest year-over-year percentage loss (-0.25 percent) of any state.One major driver of that decline has been the states hard-hit coal mining industry. An expanding natural gas sector has helped, but job creation hasnt met expectations or offset coal mining losses, said Christiadi, a West Virginia University demographer and economist who goes by one name.Economic opportunities and wages are frequently more attractive elsewhere, prompting workers to leave, said Christiadi. A net total of more than 27,000 people (up from 17,000 in 2013) migrated out-of-state each of the past two years.Compounding matters is the fact that the states population is one of the nations oldest. West Virginia and Maine were the only two states where deaths exceeded births last year, according to Census estimates.Hoping to get more jobs from the mining and natural gas industry is just not that reliable, said Christiadi. Unless the economy picks up the pace, I expect to see gradual population losses continue.A sluggish economy has played a large role in holding back Connecticut, which experienced slight population losses each of the past two years.Domestic migration losses have accelerated, with the state losing a net total of about 27,000 residents each of the past two years -- up from 17,000 in 2013 and 19,000 in 2012.Fred Carstensen, an economics and finance professor at the University of Connecticut, attributed the uptick to a lag effect from mostly long-term unemployed workers choosing to leave the state for job opportunities. It took people a while to get their arms around the reality that things were not going back for them, he said.Many relocated workers are likely young professionals who either cant land their first jobs in Connecticut or leave the state for promotions.Downsizing in the pharmaceutical industry, along with casinos facing more out-of-state competition, have hammered parts of the state. The southwestern region has generally fared better, but General Electric announced last week that it plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from Fairfield County to Boston.Carstensen said the state has experienced practically no economic growth over the past 25 years. The best were doing is treading water, he said. Were not creating new activity.Mississippis population totals also appear to be trending in the wrong direction. The size of the states gains had been shrinking each of the past few years, before registering a slight drop in 2015.The primary cause of the states stagnant population is the growing number of residents who are moving elsewhere. Mississippi suffered the fourth steepest loss in terms of total net migration (-3.2 persons per 1,000 residents) of any state between 2014 and 2015. Natural change from childbirths offset most of the losses.By comparison, neighboring Alabama (+12,568), Arkansas (+11,369) and Louisiana (+21,734) registered annual population increases more in line with the rest of the country.Maine and Vermont face similar demographic challenges. The two northeastern states have the nations two oldest populations in terms of median age, so theyre not seeing many births. At the same time, their residents are moving to other states as well.Vermont recorded a year-over-year net loss of 2,223; Maine lost an estimated 1,718 residents to other states. And while other states offset domestic population losses with increases in international migration, Maine and Vermont havent seen the same influx of the foreign born.After growing over several decades, both states are now experiencing only slight fluctuations, with population changes of generally fewer than 1,000 residents each year. In the coming years, their population growth will likely remain stagnant.New Mexico also lost population -- an estimated 458 residents -- essentially unchanged from 2014. California Highway Patrol officers arrested 25 demonstrators after the group used the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday to chain themselves and their vehicles across all five westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge, bringing traffic to a standstill as they demanded racial equity.The activists froze traffic for about 30 minutes before they were arrested on suspicion of public nuisance, unlawful assembly and obstructing free passage, CHP Officer Vu Williams said.The protesters apparently drove onto the bridge in five cars shortly before 4 p.m., stopping near the new eastern span tower -- one in each of the five lanes. They stepped out on Interstate 80, just east of Yerba Buena Island, and strung chain through each of the cars and across the lanes, forcing traffic to back up well into the MacArthur Maze in the East Bay.CHP officers used bolt cutters to cut the chains, Williams said.Police began arresting the protesters, who were placed in zip-tie handcuffs and moved to the shoulder of the highway so that lanes could be reopened."There was no force used; everyone cooperated," Williams said. "The fortunate thing was today was a public holiday, so traffic wasn't as bad as it could have been."The protest group, an offshoot of the Black Lives Matter movement, is "a black queer liberation collective" that calls itself Black.Seed, Mia Birdsong, a spokeswoman for the group, said."This action in particular was really about taking a strong, courageous stand in solidarity with MLK," Birdsong said.The activists align themselves with the Anti-Police Terror Project, and their display came with a set of demands, including the resignation of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and immediate terminations of San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr and Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent. They also demanded an end to city funding of police and called for city investment in affordable housing to keep "black, brown and indigenous" people in San Francisco and Oakland.Protesters had planned to stay chained to the structure for 96 minutes to represent the 96 hours of direct action protests that took place in Oakland over the weekend. After 30 minutes, three lanes were opened, but the traffic jam continued into the early evening.Drivers sat on top of their cars, took selfies and popped out their sunroofs as traffic reached a standstill. A number of people stopped at the toll plaza to use the restroom.Chris Day, driving to his home in Redwood City with two friends in the car, looked at a traffic app that said it would take two hours and 39 minutes to cross the bridge, a likely overestimation."I feel like whatever they're protesting, I want to be against it right now," he said. "People have the right to protest, but they don't have the right to block traffic. What if someone has a job interview or an important appointment?"For Robert Holtz of Ripon (San Joaquin County), the delay was standing in the way of him getting to a memorial service."They could put their energies into a lot more useful venues than sitting on a bridge making everyone suffer," Holtz said.The action occurred just after the California Highway Patrol had shut down the eastbound Interstate 80 Powell Street off-ramp in Emeryville during a separate Monday demonstration that began in Oakland and moved into Emeryville.Chanting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, police brutality's got to go," and "Black lives matter," the diverse crowd of activists marched peacefully all day along the East Bay streets, expressing outrage over what they called the unfair treatment of blacks at the hands of law enforcement."We're just trying to make the change we can and take it a day at a time," said Nkei Oruche, marching with her husband and two children.In the year since the last Martin Luther King Jr. Day, much has happened. In April, riots broke out in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who suffered a fatal spine injury during an arrest.In June, the black community decried an act of domestic terrorism after a white man gunned down nine black parishioners in Charleston, S.C., inside of a church, an act police continue to investigate as a hate crime.In August, authorities called a state of emergency in Ferguson, Mo., as officers arrested enraged protesters fighting against what they called racial bias a year after the shooting death of Michael Brown."I'm just here as a black person representing my family," Oruche, one of the Oakland marchers, said. "It's important to start from an early age and let my kids know what's important."Victor Guendulain of San Jose held up a sign that read "migrant workers for black resistance" as he walked to "draw attention to the issues that black folks are going through and make the connection to migrant workers who face similar police repression and intimidation." (TNS) LAWRENCE It operates a bustling headquarters in a downtown office building, where it has recruited what it says are dozens of volunteers, printed T-shirts and placards, acquired a cell phone account, published a full-page newspaper ad and conducted a petition drive that collected more than 8,000 signatures.But there's one thing the Foundation for Transparency in Government hasn't done. Six months after it organized to recall Mayor Daniel Rivera, the organization has not filed financial disclosure forms with the state, in apparent violation of campaign finance laws intended to ensure transparency.The laws require such organizations to name a treasurer, open a bank account and report their fundraising and expenses to the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance on the 5th and 20th of every month. The Foundation has not done so.In addition, the organization has been operating for several months without charge out of a building at 33 Franklin St. owned by Gino Mills LLC, a real estate holding company, where it shares a second-floor suite with RM Technologies Inc., a construction demolition company.State campaign finance laws prohibit corporations from contributing to political action committees. The prohibition extends to in-kind contributions of goods and services, which includes the use of telephones, computers, fax machines and other office equipment and furnishings of the type Gino MIlls and RM Technologies are providing free to the recall campaign, along with the office space itself and utilities such as the electricity that is keeping the lights on for the recall.Office space in downtown Lawrence rents for between $6 and $8 a square foot per year, according to Michael Sullivan, a former mayor now involved in real estate in Lawrence. The second floor at 33 Franklin St. is 3,151 square feet, so the monthly rent for the space would be between $1,575 and $2,100, using Sullivan's figures.Rafael Danielito Guzman, who owns RM Technologies and is part owner of Gino Mills, and Louis Farrah, the lawyer for the recall, said the laws don't apply to the Foundation for Transparency in Government because the organization is only a loose group of volunteers and not a political action committee.State law defines a PAC as any group that raises and spends money including in-kind contributions to promote a candidate or a ballot referendum such as a recall.If a group pools resources for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election of a candidate, then the group is a political committee and must organize with OCPF, said Jason Tait, a spokesman for the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance. "Recall efforts are, generally, included."Tait emphasized that he was speaking generally and would not comment on the operations of Foundation for Transparency in Government.In 2014, a similar group that led the successful recall of Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan organized as a PAC, named a treasurer, opened a bank account and filed disclosure reports with OCPF. The group reported raising $7,918 and spending $7,718, its reports show."We felt it was in the best interests of the recall" to organize as a PAC and file regular financial disclosures with the state, said Robert Camara, a former firefighter who served as chairman of the Fall River recall group, called Citizens Alliance for Accountability in Government. "There was going to be enough difficulty with the recall, with all the attempts at spinning everyone's positions, without injecting financial improprieties into the equation. The last thing we needed was to have any gray areas. We accounted for every single penny."Guzman and Farrah said OCPF's definition of a PAC doesn't fit their organization, but were not specific about why. Farrah said he is volunteering his legal work to the Foundation; OCPF does not require candidates or PACs to disclose work by volunteers.It's a group of people who have a grievance against an incumbent mayor, and now has a grievance against the Board of Registrars, Farrah said, referring to the city agency that struck 3,070 names from recall petitions that the foundation submitted last month, leaving it 655 names short of the 5,645 needed to force a recall referendum. Most of the signatures were struck because the addresses next to them did not match those on file with the city's Election Division.I spoke to another lawyer, more experienced than me (in campaign finance law), Farrah said, but would not name the lawyer. He said this citizen group doesn't fall within the gamut of being a political action committee.Guzman used similar language to wave off the suggestion that Foundation for Transparency in Government is operating as a PAC and so should be publicly disclosing its fundraising and spending and its officers.I'm part of a group of citizens, not any political action committee, committed to recalling the mayor, said Guzman, whose request to build a parking garage on a city-owned lot was denied by Rivera. I'm not part of any PAC, and I don't want to be a PAC.In December, the Foundation purchased a full-page ad in Rumbo, a Spanish-and-English-language newspaper published in Lawrence, thanking those who signed its recall petitions and criticizing Rivera for posting their names on the Internet. Preparing for an upcoming hearing where it hopes to revive its recall effort by restoring at least 655 of the 3,070 names that the Board of Registrars struck from its petitions, the foundation asked in the ad that those who signed its petitions to verify their signatures by calling a Sprint cell phone number that is answered by a recording in Spanish only.Rumbo's publisher, Dalia Diaz, said the ad was placed by Guzman and costs $1,200. She said she has not been paid.Guzman said the Foundation will do fundraising to pay for the ad. Fundraising for a political objective is a fundamental function of a PAC.At some point, we'll get together, Guzman said. Everyone will put in $50, $100. We'll eventually pay.The Foundation for Transparency in Government recently joined forces with a second campaign to recall Rivera, which has until Jan. 23 to submit its petitions to the city. The second recall group, which calls itself Citizens for Justice in Lawrence, also is operating out of Guzman's suite of offices on Franklin Street, where it is coordinating its work with the first recall campaign.Citizens for Justice in Lawrence also has not filed financial disclosure forms with the state, named a treasurer or opened a bank account. But like the first recall group, it is receiving in-kind contributions of office space, equipment, furnishings and utilities from Guzman's corporations.Its leader, Jennifer Lopez, did not return a phone call.Rivera would not comment for this story. (TNS) -- Unsuspecting tourists, parents coming to town for ship homecomings and even some pizza delivery drivers could start having trouble getting onto military bases.Residents of five states and a U.S. territory no longer can use drivers licenses to gain access to military installations because they dont comply with Department of Homeland Security regulations. Licenses from another three territories similarly could be deemed unacceptable any day.That also could happen to Virginians and residents of 25 other states within the next year if federal officials dont approve efforts to comply with the REAL ID Act.Im extraordinarily concerned, said Jennifer Hurst-Wender, director of museum operations for Preservation Virginia. The group manages the 18th-century Cape Henry Lighthouse on Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach thats open to the public.Attendance at the lighthouse has declined over the years as base security increased, including checking IDs, inspecting vehicles and requiring proof of insurance. About 56,000 visitors came to the lighthouse last year, down from about 80,000 in 2002. She said she was unaware of the changes that require an alternate form of ID such as a passport for residents of noncompliant states until contacted by The Virginian-Pilot.This is scary, she said.Congress passed the lawin 2005 to keep fraudulent IDs out of the hands of would-be terrorists . The act requires states to incorporate anti-counterfeit technology in their drivers licenses, verify applicants identities and conduct background checks for employees involved in issuing the documents.The REAL ID Act is best known for its requirement that states have compliant IDs in order for their residents to use them to board a commercial flight. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson this month pushed back to 2018 the deadline for states to comply, with extensions ending in 2020. The District of Columbia and 22 states already are in compliance.But since Jan. 10, military installations have turned away visitors with licenses from Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Minnesota and American Samoa unless they have an escort, a military ID or another form of secure identification, such as a passport, as part of REAL IDs phased implementation. Licenses from Washington state already were unacceptable unless they were enhanced with features that allow travelers back into the U.S. from Canada without passports.The general public isnt allowed to just drive onto a military base, but there routinely are scenarios where invited visitors and workers can enter an installation for events such as a change of command or ships homecoming that can draw thousands who are on a list for admittance.The state ID card or state driver license is going to be problematic, said Milt Hemmingsen, regional deputy security director for Norfolk-based Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, which oversees Navy facilities in 20 states. At least for the first visit, they might need a passport to gain access.Virginia, 25 other states and Puerto Rico are not in compliance with the REAL ID Act but were given extensions until Oct. 10{%%note} {/%%note}. New Hampshire is the only state whose extension expires June 1, while extensions for the Virgin Islands, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands go through at least Jan 10.The extensions were granted to states that showed they were making efforts toward compliance, according to Homeland Security.An Oct. 14 letter from the DHS to Virginias DMV commissioner says Virginia meets more than two dozen of REAL IDs requirements but fails in another nine areas. That includes committing to mark compliant identification cards and licenses with a DHS-approved stamp.The document says Virginia already has submitted proposals to address the other issues, which involve providing satisfactory evidence of an applicants Social Security number, how the state permits online renewal of its licenses and how copies of application documents are retained. Last spring, Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Maine Gov. Paul LePage sent a letter decrying the regulations . The governors submitted six pages of concerns with their recommendations on how to address them.Virginia has one of the nations most secure credentials, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Brandy Brubaker said in an email. Because of that, we have proposed several alternative processes to meet the intent and spirit of REAL ID regulations and are awaiting feedback from DHS. We are confident that DHS will agree that Virginias drivers license issuance process exceeds REAL ID regulations and that the 2018 enforcement phase will have no impact on Virginians.Unless the DHS approves Virginias proposals, another popular tourist attraction also could be off-limits to locals without alternate forms of ID. Each year, about 44,000 visitors from all 50 states take a guided bus tour of Norfolk Naval Station. The tours are promoted on the homepage of the citys tourism website.The acts effect on military bases has drawn little attention, even leaving the Marine Corps scrambling to comply.Until our policies are updated, current access control measures remain in place, Marine Corps Installations command spokesman Rex A. Runyon said in an email.A Facebook post Tuesday about the restrictions on Fort Lee near Petersburg drew questions from several people who have access to the base, including one woman whose mother already was in town from Minnesota and unaware of the change. In that scenario, base officials said, security personnel can make decisions on a case-by-case basis and entry could be allowed after a background check.A lot of the things would be case-by-case basis, based upon what the local commander had decided orwhat their policy would be, said Nate Allen, a spokesman for the Army Installation Management Command in San Antonio. In one way, shape or form, were finding ways to be compliant with the law. In most cases on a day-to-day basis, if a person is not able to provide a REAL ID-compliant form of identification, theyre not going to be granted access to the installation unless they are able to have a chaperone .The Navy also doesnt have a blanket rule covering access for those with noncompliant IDs, Hemmingsen said. For example, he said, security staff at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach wouldnt keep people from attending itsannual air show if theyre from a noncompliant state. He said security doesnt check every attendees ID because other security precautions are in place, which he declined to detail. The Navy said nearly 300,000 people attended last years show.In most other situations, visitors from noncompliant states will need a passport or other form of ID to get credentials to come on base. That includes pizza delivery drivers, taxi drivers and contractors working on an installation. Hemmingsen said Lyft and Uber drivers havent been authorized to pick up passengers on the regions military installations.Hemmingsen said if someone is escorted onto a base, their ID shouldnt be an issue, althoughsecurity conditions can change from day to day. Security officials dont always check the IDs of escorted passengers, but he said if installations are operating under a 100 percent ID check, the passengers state ID would need to be from a compliant state.We have different levels of force protection conditions. Not all of these are always true at all levels, Hemmingsen said. Theres not a general rule that this always fits. Though the truth may be in numbers, uncovering that truth often can be a matter of interpretation as is often the case for those swimming in the murky waters of city budgets. There are terms to define, foggy correlations tying income to expenditures, and a near innumerable array of lists and spreadsheets, categories and subcategories.This confusion was enough to drive Chris Bullock toward entrepreneurship. In 2015, he founded ClearGov , a financial transparency platform to decipher city budgets with interactive infographics. Bullock launched the venture after co-founding the legal analytics and benchmarking company Sky Analytics, acquired by Huron Consulting Group in 2015. As a serial entrepreneur, Bullock said his new startup is mostly self-funded, but also has gained support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundations Prototype Fund.Ambitions are to architect a national network of cities, selling governments premium management options while offering citizens unfettered access to civic finance and comparison tools to benchmark cities against similar towns. At present, ClearGov covers the entire states of California, Massachusetts and New York.In an interview with, Bullock gives details about ClearGovs beginnings and next steps for the startup.ClearGov was conceived around a very simple question: How are my property taxes being put to use? After digging into my towns Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) [a set of government budgetary statements], I realized that their financials were difficult to understand and lacked any comparative context. For instance, at the time, my local town government was proposing a ballot to take on debt to build a new elementary school. The first questions that came to my mind were, How much are we spending on education as a town already? and, Are we spending too much or too little compared to similar towns?I also wondered, How much debt does our town have now compared to other towns? and, Is it responsible for the town to take on more debt? ClearGov was founded to provide answers to questions like these to the average citizen via easy-to-understand infographics that offer comparative context through benchmarking.The foundation of ClearGov is built on open data provided by state entities. Weve created more than 3,000 municipal transparency pages using open data for every city and town in Massachusetts, New York and California. The drawback of open data is that it is generally a couple years old and does not provide the granularity that citizens may be seeking. As such, ClearGov allows municipalities to claim their city or towns page and upgrade the information presented to be more recent and much more granular. Municipalities may also add details on other funds and add commentary to every metric to help better tell their financial story. Additionally, we will work with municipalities to embed ClearGov infographics into their citys website for a more cohesive user experience.: While other startups provide platforms for municipal financial transparency, ClearGov takes a unique approach. First, our market approach has been to build a resource for taxpayers, so ClearGov offers value regardless of a municipalitys involvement. Second, our design leverages the simplicity and power of infographics to help municipalities tell their financial story in a manner that is more easily consumable by average citizens. And lastly, ClearGov is the only platform to offer municipal benchmarking on its public-facing website. We believe benchmarking transforms financial data into actionable intelligence not only for residents, but also for internal stakeholders.ClearGov recently launched our Premier platform, which allows municipalities to leverage ClearGov as their financial transparency platform. Premier clients can update their ClearGov page with more recent and detailed financial information, as well as offer commentary on each metric to better tell their financial story. You can see a great example of a Premier municipality in Easton, Mass. My background has been in B2B software for the last 15 years, so I am accustomed to long sales cycles. I would actually say that local government sales cycles are shorter than selling software to Fortune 500 companies that have large procurement and legal departments to wade through. While long sales cycles do present some challenges, they also present an opportunity to build long-lasting customer relationships that are difficult to unseat.With regard to jurisdictions that are leery of working with startups, we simply move on to other jurisdictions. In the beginning stages of any market, your company must identify the early adopters. There are 89,000 municipalities in the U.S., so there is a rich pool of prospective clients to find the early adopters. Leery jurisdictions will eventually catch on and become your best customers. (TNS) -- Tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Hewlett Packard Enterprise have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Samsung's appeal of its patent loss to Apple over the copying of iPhone technology.In "friend-of-the-court" briefs made public on Monday, the companies warned the high court that the outcome against Samsung -- which already has had to cut a check to Apple for more than $500 million for patent violations and faces the potential for more penalties -- "will lead to absurd results and have a devastating impact on companies" because of the long-term impact on how patent law is applied to technology products such as smartphones.Samsung in December asked the Supreme Court to hear its appeal, giving the nation's high court an opportunity to weigh in on perhaps the most high-profile tech showdown in recent memory.The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals last year rejected Samsung's arguments in a ruling largely backing Apple -- leaving the Supreme Court as the only legal option left for Samsung to try to overturn the adverse jury verdict. Samsung maintains that a three-judge Federal Circuit panel erred when it left intact a jury's 2012 verdict that the South Korean tech giant's smartphones and tablets infringed Apple's design patents.That part of the verdict -- which has been pared from an original judgment of $1 billion -- accounts for the $548 million in damages Samsung still had to pay Apple from their first trial. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh rebuffed Samsung's effort to stall paying Apple until the Supreme Court appeal is resolved, forcing the South Korean tech giant to provide the money to Apple in December.Samsung appealed a San Jose jury's August 2012 verdict that it violated Apple's patent or trademark rights in 23 products, such as the Galaxy S2 smartphone, as well as about $930 million in damages awarded to the iPhone maker. The case, known as "Apple I," was the first of two trials between the feuding tech titans. Another federal jury later found Samsung copied iPhone technology in more recent products but awarded $120 million in damages, a fraction of what Apple sought. That case also has been appealed to the Federal Circuit, which recently heard arguments and is expected to rule sometime this spring.Meanwhile, in addition to the tech companies, Samsung has enlisted support from various groups hoping the Supreme Court will clarify the patent issues in the showdown with Apple. Many of those same companies sided with Samsung in the Federal Circuit, which nevertheless sided with Apple.In one brief joined by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, groups backing Samsung warned the Supreme Court that the verdict, if allowed to stand, "opens the door to a new species of abusive patent litigation."Apple has repeatedly argued that the courts have gotten it right in the case, saying it provided clear evidence that Samsung blatantly copied iPhone and iPad technology in the development of its smartphones and tablets.The Supreme Court is likely to decide whether to take the case before its term ends in June. (TNS) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is working to put together a sizable stash of cash to replace his offices flawed criminal-background-check system.DeWines office is awaiting the submission of bids by contractors by Feb. 17 to replace both the hardware and software of the antiquated system operated by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.Officials are working with the Office of Budget and Management to seek funding from lawmakers in the capital appropriations bill to be introduced later this year, said DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney.DeWines office is not estimating the cost of bringing a new background-check system online, but officials have conceded it will be expensive. The office hired a consultant for $474,224 last year to help plan the replacement system.WBNS-TV (Channel 10) and The Dispatch reported last year that the system had incorrectly informed some employers that some criminals had clean records , while other convictions did not reach the system for months.The existing criminal-background system has been denounced by DeWine employees as cobbled together and running on borrowed time in emails.Another problem surfaced last summer when it was discovered that hundreds of teachers, foster parents and others apparently escaped detection of their criminal charges when the system did not trigger arrest alerts to employers and officials.While bid documents estimate the new system will not go live for 18 to 36 months after contracts are awarded about July 1, DeWine wants the upgraded technology as soon as possible, Tierney said.While they will merge in one system, two contracts will be awarded one for the criminal-history system and another for the fingerprint-identification system. Ohio uses fingerprints to search for criminal convictions.BCI runs more than 1.3 million background checks a year for public and private employers and provides the criminal-history information used by police officers statewide.Efforts also are underway to upgrade the submission of conviction information by Ohio courts. As Rhode Island's first chief innovation officer, Richard Culatta is approaching the position a bit differently than other state innovation officers. For starters, his office is based out of Rhode Island College, where he plans to collaborate with faculty and students, and tap into a research community that shares goals common to government.Culatta was appointed to the position by Gov. Gina Raimondo Jan. 11."I'm really interested in partnering in new ways. I found that to be very effective at the federal government," Culatta said of his time as an advisor with the U.S. Department of Education. "I think there are a lot of problems that aren't easily solved by government alone, or by the public sector or foundations alone. And so I think the best solutions happen when we connect across those lines."Talking about collaboration is one thing, but establishing his office at the university is proof of commitment, Culatta said. His office hasn't yet set an agenda, having been active less than a week, but one project he is fairly certain they will pursue is building an innovation cohort to encourage a culture of innovation."We are going to be looking at how can we help encourage people who are already in government and doing innovative things to really have the support that they need to continue to try out new and more effective approaches," Culatta said. "We will be pulling individuals from each of the agencies to come participate as a group to share approaches that work, and also to connect with other people at other agencies who have found solutions to get things done that they may not know about. Sort of like accelerating sharing of innovative approaches across the agencies."Culatta said he hopes to expand this model beyond Rhode Island to include innovators around the nation, pointing to his office's Twitter and Facebook pages as a starting point for idea sharing."We want people to engage and connect with us," he said. "When I was with the federal government, we would find a solution to something ... and then we'd go to another agency and they'd say, 'Ah, we're really struggling with this problem,' and we were like, 'We solved that a year ago,' but there was no connection."Past projects of Culatta's include Education Datapalooza , a recurring event designed to share ideas, bridge institutions and highlight work in open data. Culatta also led the Future Ready District Pledge , a nationwide commitment taken by more than 2,000 superintendents to prepare their schools for the future by using new technologies. He's promoted the use of cost-saving, open educational materials and encouraged governments to procure from smaller companies for savings, both during his time at the Presidential Innovation Fellows program."Our team really built a whole bunch of new ways to just get things done," he said. "And so I think those are levers I have learned are very effective and I'm looking forward to applying those in my new role and discovering more I'm sure."Culatta is also now a design resident at human-centered design firm IDEO."One of the things that is always very frustrating for me is that most of our processes are designed around things that are most convenient for government and not around what is most convenient for citizens," he said. "So I'd love to think about how we can shift that a bit."Culatta said he also plans to work with a group called The Collaborative, a Rhode Island-based collaboration between the state's 11 colleges and universities. Instead of competing for funding, they've made a commitment to cooperate, he said."That's a big deal," he said. "For someone not familiar with the higher ed system, that may seem kind of obvious, but I don't know anywhere else where that's happened."Like many states, Rhode Island struggles to maintain its bridges and roads. Maybe, he said, the top minds at his states learning and research institutions can work together to change that. Christian Horner claims he encouraged Mercedes to sign Lewis Hamilton when the now triple world champion was on the market back in 2012. Horner told the British magazine F1 Racing that Hamilton, who has dominated F1 with Mercedes for the past two seasons, was actually more keen to move to Red Bull. "He was desperate to drive for the team," said the Red Bull team boss. "But there was no way we could accommodate him while Sebastian (Vettel) was with us." So Horner says he encouraged Mercedes to sign Hamilton instead, to replace Michael Schumacher as the great seven time world champion returned to retirement. "McLaren had been very competitive in 2011 and 2012 and I thought it would probably be better for us for him (Hamilton) to be at Mercedes rather than McLaren. "So I encouraged Niki Lauda to sign him to weaken McLaren -- not envisaging that Mercedes would become the absolute powerhouse they are today," added Horner. (GMM) IT Serve Alliance signs MOUs with State of AP in CII Summit USA, January 15th 2016: ITServe Alliance is an association of IT Services organizations. The alliance is dedicated to providing its member organizations with a platform to collaborate and initiate measures that would contribute to protecting their interests and ensuring collective success. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh presents the 22nd edition of the Partnership Summit from 10 - 12 January 2016 at APIIC Ground, Harbour Park, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. ITServe members were invited by state of Andhra Pradesh to open offices and offered excellent benefits under new IT Policy. Some of the benefits include 50% of rent subsidy, new hire incentives, power subsidy, registration fee waiver etc. ITServe members from Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Tampa, Hyderabad & Vizag attended Partnership Summit in Vizag. Fifty member companies signed MOUs with state in presence of IT Minister Palle Raghunath Reddy and Honorable Chief Minister Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu garu. ITServe member firms will be investing 92 crores and occupy 200,000 sq ft office space in Vijayawada and Vizag while creating 2000 jobs. ITServe member firms formed a group and have plans to build a prestigious Dallas Technology Centre with 192 crore investment in Rishikonda. Dallas Technology Center will be occupied by IntelliSoft Technologies, Primus, Corpus, Jasper, Kairos Technologies, Voxai Solutions & Qatalys. ITServe appreciate efforts of Dr. Ravi Kumar Vemuru, Advisor, NRT Affairs & Investments for state of Andhra Pradesh. Speaking on this occasion, Satish Manduva, Founding President, IT Serve Alliance said, IT Serves focus has been to work with Government and bring best benefits to companies and raise any issues. We have been successful to coordinate with Government in crossing hurdles like non-availability of immediate rentable space, transportation & skilled workforce. I am thankful to all ITServe members ho flew to Vizag to participate in the summit as well to those who signed MOUs in short amount of time. This will definitely be a great step ahead for all of us. President of IT Serve Sashi Devireddy said, We are thankful to AP government for their support in extending benefits, we are also working with Telangana Government to provide similar benefits in Hyderabad. Talking about skilled workforce, Sudhakar Pennam Ex-President of ITServe said We gave proposal to government of Andhra Pradesh to train graduates during their final year engineering, this will help to build skilled resource pool available for those firms starting offices in Andhra Pradesh. IT Serve summit attendance was coordinated by Kumar Kukunuru - Treasurer (ITServe Alliance), Ravi Varre - Chapter President (Houston Chapter), Ramesh Thumu - Chicago ITServe Core Committee member, Venkat Gottipati - Director (Chapter Relations) & Ram Gottimukkala, heading Vizag ITServe chapter. Firms signed MOUs at Vizag Partnership Summit: IntelliSoft Technologies, Techgene Solutions, Kairos Technologies, Epace Technologies, Thoughtwave Software, Voxai Solutions, TekEnergy USA, Camelot Systems, Deegit, Libsys Inc, AKT Inc, Horizon Technologies, American TekVision, Invologix, Astra Tech, Sritek, Navitas, Globus IT, W3Global, Tekpros, Amzur Technologies, Smart MBBS, Primus, Veritis, Sapid, Adept, Aegis, Lorhan Corp, Raiser Technologies, Qatalys, Mergen IT, Shinewell, Premier IT, Surya Systems, Centarurus Tech, Zuven Technologies, Paramount, IndSoft, Anveta, IntelliAsia & others. ITServe Alliance members across United States with members conducts monthly meetings to network collaborate & exchange ideas for a mutually beneficial relationship. To know more and enroll for the membership with ITServe visit http://www.itserve.org Or E-mail: [email protected] Press note released by: IndianClicks, LLC Sankranti Touch with Telugu Dishes at Godavari Restaurants USA, January 15th 2016: Think Sankranthi and think the ultimate revelry back home filling those moments of nostalgia, soaked in festive spirit, sizzling with fun and accomplished with sumptuous spread with mouthwatering dishes. The harvest carnival of Telugus undoubtedly marks the brightest beginning of the year with family camaraderie culminating in fun and food for three continuous days. Thousands of miles, Godavari Group of restaurants, which has been tickling the Telugu taste buds across the United States, brings the exquisitely flavored and delicious Sankranti to the Telugus in the country. The restaurant chain, which is emerging as the fastest growing South Indian food chain in the US, is offering authentic Sankranti dishes on the Weekend Buffet to herald and celebrate Sankranti with gaiety. This along with Sankranti celebrations, Rangoli colours and competitions will bring the native touch during Bhogi and Sankranti days. From authentic sea food to affable sweetmeats, from timeless country chicken to fusion rice and bread dishes, Godavari restaurants welcomes one and all to the gutsy gastronomic indulgence. The one teaser stroke that shakes our spirits as we think Andhra food is the spice that is omnipresent in diverse offerings, whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian, from the Delta or the plateau. One cannot expect the Sankranti spread to be complete without the spicy touch. Godavari brings with the authentic Andhra Buffet, the red-hot range of Pandem Kodi Iguru, Palletooru Veta Mamsam Koora and more. This will be thoroughly complemented by more docile yet delectable "Godavari" Koramenu Biryani from the marine depths, specially picked, treated and garnished with the desi touch. After the tryst with the terrific feast, the sweets section waits to cool and calm you down with the sigh of wow. Ariselu specially made of ghee, Poornalu and lot more are set to endear the sweet tooth. As part of the festivities, Godavari is also inviting interested ladies for participating in the traditional Rangoli in front of all the Godavari location entrances to celebrate culture and tradition. Godavari restaurants chain is emerging as the fastest growing South Indian Chain with new locations opening up in Edison, Maryland, Denver, Virginia shortly. The current locations in Woburn, Raleigh, NY and Chicago have surpassed their own expectations on the popularity chart, pulling patrons of food to come and experience the South Indian cuisine. This weekend buffet is a welcome to the parched Telugu tongues craving for Sankranti celebrations with food and fun. Thanks & Hope you all avail and enjoy our services. www.Godavarius.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 269-267-0304 CONTACT: KOUSHIK KOGANTI Press note released by: IndianClicks, LLC Separate Land For Telangana In Tirumala? After signing an agreement with the Kerala authorities for the construction of a lodging facility exclusively for devotees from Telangana, the TRS government is now considering the same in Tirumala. An IAS officer has been sent to check on the facilities being offered to Telangana devotees by the TTD. Till now, there has been no such distinction in the temple town. Everyone considered themselves to be equal there, Telugu people. But such a move might accentuate the differences between the peoples of the two regions which would not be in the best interests of anybody except politicians. Tirumala is visited by devotees from all over the world. If TRS is given any special identity there, requests are inevitably bound to follow from the rest of the nation. Movie Schedule Clashes With GHMC The shooting of Pawan Kalyans Sardar Gabbar Singh is going on in Hyderabad. A holiday has been given for the unit for the Sankranthi festival after which the shooting will resume. The schedule of the shoot will collide with the GHMC polls and it is unlikely that Pawan Kalyan will campaign for the TDP-BJP combine. Only a direct order from Chandrababu will probably make him do it. Pawan campaigning for the TDP will definitely work out to Naidus advantage because it will be the star actor who will take any pot shots at the TRS and KCR. Any brickbats in return will be directed at Pawan and not the TDP or Naidu. Thus Naidus new found bonhomie with KCR will be intact. There will be no section 8 in Hyderabad and the Revanth Reddy case will be put to rest forever. Balayya Admits To Illegal Constructions! Senior actor and Telugu Desam Party MLA from Hindupur Nandamuri Balakrishna has admitted, albeit indirectly, that the buildings in Basavarama Tarakam Cancer Hospitals at Banjara Hills are illegal construtions. Balayya is the chairman of the NTR Memoral Trust, which owns the cancer hospital. He met Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday at the latters camp office and requested him to regularise the unauthorized constructions of the hospital building under Building Regularization Scheme (BRS). Reacting positively, the Chief Minister said the Telangana State government will act liberally towards Cancer Hospital, which was extending services to the cancer patients with service motto. The Chief Minister suggested to Balakrishna to concentrate on providing facilities to the attendants coming along with patients. He also advised Balakrishna to set up shelters for them to sleep in night and arrange bathrooms to change their dresses. KCR made it clear that his government would extend full cooperation to the Hospital authorities. He also said the government will see that all facilities could be established in all hospitals across the city. The Chief Minister revealed that he would conduct a meeting with owners of all Hospitals in this regard. On the occasion, Balakrishna requested KCR to watch his latest film Dictator for which the Chief Minister said OK. Balakrishna also revealed to the Chief Minister that he was going to introduce his son Mokshgna in his 100th film that should be a sequel to Adithya 369 when KCR asked Balakrishna about his 100th film. Dalit student's suicide: Rahul scores a point by visiting UoH! Even while stating that he had not come to University of Hyderabad campus to politicise the suicide of dalit Ph.D student Vemula Rohith, the AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi blamed Union minister of HRD Smriti Irani, union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya and UoH vice chancellor Appa Rao for the students suicide in the campus. Rahul Gandhi who made a flash visit to UoH campus on Tuesday to meet students and inquire about the suicide incident, spent over two hours in the campus. He extended complete support to the agitation programmes taken up by the students on the campus demanding punishment to those responsible for Rohiths suicide. Rahul consoled mother and family members of Rohith. Accompanied by Congress leaders Digvijay Singh, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Shabbir Ali, Geetha Reddy among other, Rahul first visited the venue on the campus where four suspended dalit students were on relay hunger strike for the last 15 days. Rohith, who was the fifth students to be suspended, was also part of the strike for 10 days before he committed suicide on Sunday evening. While Rahul was about to address the students, a student urged him Don't politicise this as Congress versus BJP. We are fighting only for justice for Rohith Vemula." Though Gandhi did not made a direct attack on Hindutva forces or NDA government or PM Narendra Modi on this issue, he stated that the Vice Chancellor of the Hyderabad Central University and "the Minister in Delhi" (Smriti Irani) and Bandaru Dattatreya must be held accountable for the suicide of Mr Vermula. "This youngster came (here) to improve this country, who came to learn, to express himself... but he was put in so much pain, that he had no other option but to kill himself," Mr Gandhi declared. "He has committed suicide, but the condition for his suicide was created by the Vice Chancellor, the minister in Delhi, and the institution," he alleged. Two weeks before his death, Mr Vermula, a Dalit student, was forbidden from using the library, hostel and other facilities at his college, though he was allowed to attend classes. The penalty was imposed on him and four other students, all members of the Ambedkar Student's Association, for allegedly beating up the leader of the ABVP, the youth wing of the BJP. A complaint about that assault was sent in August last year by union minister Bandaru Dattareya to the Education Ministry. Between September and mid-November, a series of emails and letters from Ms Irani's department asked the Vice Chancellor of the university to furnish an explanation. This pressure, the opposition Congress has alleged, moved university officials to act against Mr Vermula and the others, though an initial inquiry had exonerated them of any wrong-doing. Rahul said the vice chancellor, Appa Rao, has shown neither "the dignity or decency" to visit Mr Vermula's family, an omission he pegged as "an insult to every student." Rahul added that the universities should be centres for freedom of expression and ideas but sadly they were becoming centres of suppression. Rahul supported the students demand for payment of compensation of Rs 5 crore to Rohiths family. He offered any assistance to students and Rohiths family in future saying that, My doors will always be open for you to extend whatever help possible. Is Dattatreya On His Way Out Of Union Cabinet? Protests over the suicide of a Dalit student in Hyderabad spread to other cities in Tuesday as opposition parties mounted pressure on the BJP-led NDA government to sack Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya for allegedly driving the scholar to end his life. Police have booked Dattaterya, the vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad Appa Rao and two members of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for abetment of suicide by 26-year-old Rohith Vemula, who was among the five research scholars suspended by the university and also one of the accused in a case of assault on a student leader. The five were suspended, allegedly after Dattaterya wrote a letter to HRD minister Smriti Irani describing the university as a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. An umbrella organisation of student groups launched an indefinite strike at the university seeking the vice-chancellors resignation, escalating their protests over the suicide. Arpita, a leader of the students joint action committee (JAC) who uses only one name, said they will not allow classes to run till vice-chancellor steps down. The JAC is also likely to meet with the two-member committee formed by the HRD ministry to probe the death. The panel is expected to reach the varsity on Tuesday afternoon. Dozens of activists of the Telangana Jagruti Yuva Morcha, considered the cultural wing of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), held a demonstration outside the residence of Dattatreya in Ramnagar in Hyderabad. Sources said the protestors were arrested and shifted to Musheerabad police station. In Pune, the students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institutes gate, expressing solidarity with students protesting over the alleged suicide. The hunger strike started with eight students and slowly other students too are joining the protest, FTII Students Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu said. We feel that the unfortunate incidentis an institutional murder. The very ideology that led to this devastating tragedy has to be fought across. We stand together with the students community fighting for quality of education, beyond caste, class and biases, said Yashaswi Mishra, member of another students body. In Mumbai, students held a protest outside the office of Mumbai University in Kalina area to condemn the Dalit students death. The students wing of NCP also held protests at various places in Maharashtra while in Delhi, the NSUI and the Aam Aadmi Party also planned protests outside the ministry of human resources and Jantar Mantar respectively. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also travelled to Hyderabad and met protesting students at the university while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Trinamool Congress and CPI (M) announced separate fact-finding teams to the city. Gandhi was also likely to meet Rohiths mother, who joined protesters at the varsity entrance demanding the resignation of the VC. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, accompanying Gandhi to Hyderabad, charged that vice-chancellors have been handpicked by the BJP-RSS and asked student wings to come together to fight the communal forces. In a statement in New Delhi, the Congress demanded that HRD minister Smriti Irani should be also removed along with Dattatreya over the suicide. The BJP, however, rubbished the criticism and attacked the Congress for politicizing. Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday accused the grand old party of aggravating the already tense situation. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress think they can simply condemn everything. They are rubbing salt instead of soothing the wounds in the matter and I vehemently condemn that, Naqvi said. The BJP mounted a spirited defence of Dattatreya, describing him as a leader who has been fighting all his life for the rights of Dalits and backwards and he is compassionate towards them. KCR Ignored His Political Guru! Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao might have named his son as K Taraka Rama Rao, after the great actor and former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao, but he seems to have forgotten the latters death anniversary completely. On the occasion of NTRs 20th death anniversary, the TRS government had completely forgot to make minimum arrangements at NTR Samadhi at Necklace Road for paying tributes to the departed leader. Leave alone observing the death anniversary officially, KCR did not even ask the officials to decorate the premises and clean it up. So, when the TDP leaders including AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and NTRs sons and daughters came there to pay respects, it was all dirty. Naturally, it hurt the TDP leaders and NTR fans. Actor and MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna openly expressed his anguish at this ill-treatment. Speaking to the media at NTR trust bhavan here on Monday, partys Telangana working president A Revanth Reddy said, There were two personalities whom we should remember their services to the nation. The first one was Dr Ambedkar, who authored Indian Constitution and gave a direction to the country and second one is late NTR, who was known as Messiah of Dalits and downtrodden sections." "It was unfortunate that the Telangana State government has not come forward to celebrate 20th vardhanti of NTR, who protected the self-respect of Telugu people, Revanth Reddy said. Another TDP senior leader Motkupally Narasimhulu, who was also present, said it was NTR who gave political life to K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is now the Chief Minister of Telangana State. He said generally the State governments celebrate birth and death anniversaries of late Chief Ministers and other great personalities. But KCR has forgotten the idea, which was an affront to Telugu people for not celebrating NTR vardhanti officially, he said. Both the TDP leaders criticized TRS government for its inaction and alleged that the State government even did not give permission to celebrate the NTR vardhanti. They demanded that KCR apologize publicly for not celebrating the NTR vardhanti officially. TDP Terrorizing Opposition Parties! The YSR Congress Party on Monday alleged that the ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh was terrorizing the leaders of the Opposition parties using its power in a bid to continue its anarchy in the State. Party spokesman Vasireddy Padma said TDP president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was trying to unleash a reign of terror against the Opposition parties because he was feeling insecure because of his governments failure in running administration. The arrest of YSR Congress party MP from Rajampet P Mithun Reddy and other MLAs for protesting against the arrest showed the vindictive attitude of the State Government with a political agenda, she alleged. However, when Government Whip Chintamaneni Prabhakar assaulted a woman official in full view, there was no case and the Chief Minister told the lady officer to be in her limits which only encouraged the TDP leader to use filthy language against the Anganwadi women workers who are on strike. Even in the Assembly when YSR Congress MLA R K Roja raised the call money-sex racket issue, she was suspended for one year, which is unprecedented. In both these issues, the TDP Government has only resorted to terrorise the people to cover up the failures, she said. What Are Your Priorities? Hyderabad: KCR might be good at stoking public emotions but is a pretty poor administrator yet to prove himself. He boasts of Telangana being the only surplus state in the nation after Gujarat. Yet, when it comes to payment of dues to poor folks, he turns a blind eye to them. The contract and outsourcing employees working under the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare Department have not been getting their salaries for the past one year as the government has not released funds for the same. The total arrears to be paid to thee employees amounts to Rs 3.5 crore. Now KCR has ample money for his Chandi Yagams and for Sania Mirza. Yet, he does not have the money to pay these people what is rightfully theirs. With hatred as his investment, KCR is now leading a lavish life shuttling between his farm house and the camp house. But how does he expect the people to survive without being paid for a year. They have families to feed and umpteen numbers of problems. Are you getting your priorities right, KCR? In a statement, Opel noted that: As highlighted many times in recent months, we reaffirm that we do not deploy any software that recognizes if the car is undergoing an exhaust emissions test. In addition, Opel announced in December that the company is voluntarily taking the next step to meet future emissions guidelines, both on CO 2 and NO x . From mid-summer 2016, and in addition to the official fuel consumption and CO2 information, fuel consumption figures recorded under the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Vehicles Test Procedure) cycle will also be published. Parliaments Environment Committee argues that MEPs should veto plans to relax the limits because this would undermine the enforcement of existing EU standards. The European Parliament will vote at the next plenary session on a proposal to veto a draft decision to raise diesel car emission limits for NO x by up to 110% when the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test procedure is introduced. Some Members called on the European Commission to put forward a revised proposal, as well as plans for a stronger type-approval system for vehicles in the EU. Others stressed the need to put the Real Drive Emissions test procedure into effect quickly, in order to bring down emission levels. In her concluding remarks, internal market Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said that vetoing the proposed measures would only prolong today's unsatisfactory car testing regime. As part of a package to introduce the long-awaited RDE test procedure, endorsed by EU member states in the Technical Committee for Motor Vehicles (TCMV) on 28 October, the European Commission proposed to raise car NO x emission limits by up to 110%. The second RDE package, approved by the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV) on 28 October, seeks to establish quantitative RDE requirements to limit the tailpipe emissions of light passenger and commercial (Euro 6) vehicles. The proposed requirements are to be introduced in two steps: As a first step, car manufacturers would have to bring down the discrepancy to a conformity factor of a maximum of 2.1 (110%) for new models by September 2017 (and for new vehicles by September 2019); As a second step, this discrepancy would be brought down to a factor of 1.5 (50%), taking account of technical margins of error, by January 2020 for all new models (and by January 2021 for all new cars). A conformity factor for the number of particles (PN) remains to be determined. Background. The European Commission has been working to tighten up both actual NO x emissions limits and the testing procedures. NO x emissions limits for diesel vehicles have been tightened as follows (all application dates to new emission type approvals, application to all new vehicles always 1 year later): January 2000: 500 mg/km (Euro3) January 2005: 250 mg/km (Euro 4) September 2009: 180 mg/km (Euro 5) September 2014: 80 mg/km (Euro 6) According to Commission data, currently produced Euro 6 diesel cars exceed the NO x limit 4-5 times (400%) on average in real driving conditions compared to laboratory testing. The RDE procedure will complement the laboratory-based procedure to check that the NO x emission levelsand at a later stage also particle numbers (PN)measured during the laboratory test are confirmed in real driving conditions. The car under test will be driven outside and on a real road according to random acceleration and deceleration patterns. The pollutant emissions will be measured by portable emission measuring systems (PEMS) that will be attached to the car. RDE testing will reduce the currently observed differences between emissions measured in the laboratory, and those measured on road under real-world conditions, and to a great extent limit the risk of cheating with a defeat device. Westport Innovations Inc. received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the dedicated compressed natural gas (CNG) and bi-fuel CNG Westport WiNG Power System models of the Ford 5.0L F-150 trucks for Model Year (MY) 2016. This marks the first time that Ford has offered gaseous prep in the 5.0L F-150the best selling vehicle in both the United States and Canada. The F-150 5.0L is the only half-ton pickup in the market with CNG and LPG capable engines offered by an original equipment manufacturer. As well as achieving EPA certification for the dedicated CNG and Bi-Fuel CNG models, Westport has already received EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification on a number of other MY 2016 vehicles, including the F-250/350 6.2L in both bi-fuel (EPA) and dedicated (EPA and CARB); the F-450/550 6.8L in dedicated CNG (EPA); and the E-450 6.8L in dedicated CNG (EPA). Westport also has pending certifications for the F-150 dedicated CNG (CARB); F-150 dedicated LPG (EPA and CARB); Transit Van/Wagon 3.7L dedicated CNG (EPA and CARB); and the E-450 dedicated CNG (CARB). The F-150 is available with a 2016 MY 5.0L V8 package and a 17 gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) or 23 GGE tank. The CNG model features two in-bed tank package options on both the dedicated and bi-fuel vehicles, with underbody option on dedicated for greater flexibility, and the LPG has underbody tank packages to preserve bed space. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Connecticuts governor warned Monday that if lawmakers want to keep the next General Electric from fleeing the state, they need to stop hamstringing him from making long-term fixes to the budget, public sector pensions and transportation. Dannel P. Malloy said Republicans and fellow Democrats need put an end to partisan sniping over GEs defection to Massachusetts and come together to make the state a more competitive place to do business. What we know is that Connecticut needs to be in a state of change, Malloy told Hearst Connecticut Media in an exclusive interview. This is not a time for anyone to fingerpoint. Maligned for his economic policies, which critics say drove GE away, Malloy pushed back against the narrative that his administration has balked at the kind of wholesale changes that companies want to see from the state. The problem, he said, is getting the Legislature to buy into key initiatives, such as a $100 billion transportation improvement program and repairing one of the most insolvent public pension systems in the nation. There have been enough warnings about waking up, Malloy said. What we need to get is everybody pulling in the same direction, rather than simply waking up. Its a commitment to getting the fiscal house in order. The blunt approach by Malloy likely foreshadows his upcoming State of the State address, which he will deliver to a joint session of the General Assembly Feb. 3 in Hartford. It will be the first time that lawmakers will gather since GE announced last week that it is moving its headquarters from Fairfield to Boston. Both Republicans and Democrats appreciated Malloys message of bipartisanship, but they cast doubts about his ability to find harmony in an election year for the Legislature. House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said the loss of GE is a stinging indictment of the policies of Democrats, who control the governors office and both legislative chambers. Does the state have to fall into Long Island Sound for them to say, Aha, maybe something is wrong here? Klarides said. The top Democrats in the House and Senate accused Republicans Monday of politicizing GEs decision to leave one that the company revealed last week that it had been contemplating for three years. When it comes to the issue specifically of GE, theres no question that we need to stop the recriminations and, I told you sos, but getting into a posture where we are constantly evaluating our competitive position as a state, said House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden. Both Sharkey and Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, have downplayed the role that taxes played in GEs decision, which they have said was precipitated by $145 million in incentives from Massachusetts and a desire to be in an urban setting with nearby Harvard and M.I.T. I dont think it was a major determinant at all, given the overall tax climate in Massachusetts and Boston being very similar to ours, Looney said. Boston is unique. It was not Massachusetts that stole GE. It was Boston. Republicans characterized their Democratic counterparts as delusional and unwilling to make the tough changes that Malloy has been advocating for as governor. The governors got to get those guys in line first, said Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven. Democrats contend that Republicans walked out of deficit-mitigation negotiations at the end of 2015 and have obstructed major economic development projects under Malloy, including the $1 billion Jackson Laboratory bio-science initiative. They have really not been supportive of things to help Connecticut compete, Looney said. Republicans say they walked out because Democrats refused to consider reining in state employee overtime, pension and health care costs. Malloy, who earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from Boston College, said lawmakers must recognize that the competition for business isnt just a domestic one. Clearly, the political leaders, Democrats and Republicans, need to learn the lessons of what a long-term reinvention strategy needs to look like, Malloy said. neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy Well. Its been a while since someone released a truly gonzo, headline-worthy stunt food. Thankfully, here comes McDonalds Japan, the same brain trust that pioneered such groundbreaking culinary innovations as the avocado McMuffin and food filled with human teeth. Today, the world learns that the company will release its latest French fry innovation in the form of McChoco Potatoes on January 26. The dish, if you want to call it that, takes the chains French fries the one thing that even some McHaters agree it does right and drizzles them, questionably, in white milk chocolate and chocolate with cacao flavor, a.k.a. chocolate with chocolate flavor. (Lets call it, generously, an homage to the chocolate-dipped fries previously unveiled by another Japanese chain, Lotteria.) Alas, theres a slim chance that anyone actually thought this one through, but it still sounds like it has more potential than the chains attempts at luxury burgers. For those outside Japan, of course, youre going to have to hack this thing. You can just keep dipping your fries in your chocolate milkshake and get roughly the same result, or you can start smuggling your own chocolate sauce into shops to see how it goes. [McDonalds] Vaucluse. Photo: Tirzah Brott/New York Magazine Ever since their improbable alliance several years ago, the talented pasta savant from Wisconsin Michael White and his partner, the former Merrill Lynch executive Ahmass Fakahany, have been veritable poster boys for the perils of restaurant-empire building. After opening their grand Italian seafood palace Marea six years ago, theyve expanded their operations (15 and counting) in a helter-skelter fashion all over the map (Hong Kong; Istanbul; New Brunswick, New Jersey). Theyve stretched Whites Italian expertise to the breaking point (none of their new Italian projects has approached Mareas success) and dabbled in genres too far removed from it (a London steakhouse, a doomed neighborhood bar in Tribeca, a midwestern-style-pizza joint). Along the way, theyve railed publicly at their critics and tended to sacrifice quality for quantity, the way aggressive, fast-moving restaurant chains are prone to do. The latest addition to the rapidly expanding Altamarea Group portfolio is called Vaucluse, and when you walk through the door, you get the sinking feeling that youve seen this particular movie before. The theme is classic French cooking, after all, and what does Michael White know about la grande cuisine? The menu is filled with a mishmash of familiar trophy dishes (filet de veau Rossini, sole meuniere, an elaborate caviar service), and the location, on the corner of Park Avenue and 63rd Street, is ground zero for Altamareas caviar-and-truffles clientele. Like at many of its sister establishments, the rooms at Vaucluse (a front dining room, a long bar for the sipping of trophy wines, a back-room Siberia) are colored in neutral tones of caramel and gray, and if you squint your eyes on a dark evening, it feels a little like youre afloat in the stateroom of an expensive, somewhat blandly appointed cruise ship. Tartare de boeuf with capers and cornichons. Photo: Tirzah Brott/New York Magazine But as dinner unfolded, I found myself enjoying my time aboard the good ship Vaucluse more and more. This was thanks in part to the presence, on several visits, of my parents, who, like many of their distinguished uptown neighbors whove been filling the joint night after night, appreciated the kinds of things they dont often find when their fatso critic son takes them out to other fashionable places around town. These quaint, slightly dated touches include white linen on the tables, generally attentive service, and a noise level that, in my fathers words, doesnt make it feel like Im eating dinner in the middle of a train station. My fathers mood was further improved by the classic Hors dOeuvres section of the menu, chocked with familiar delicacies like beef tartare (rosy, hand cut, and dotted with capers), smooth rounds of foie gras terrine, and an excellent slice of pate en croute stuffed with nuggets of duck and pork and seized in a cool gelee. The newly trim White is a constant presence in the dining rooms, drifting among the tables, dispensing pleasantries like a ships captain in his neatly pressed whites, and the large, state-of-the-art kitchen is staffed by members of the Altamarea A-team, including his trusted lieutenant Jared Gadbaw, who also opened Marea. The other starters we sampled included a slightly limp helping of cold lobster (garnished, according to ancient tradition, with a mound of recently unrefrigerated celeriac) and a strange rendition of escargots a la bourguignonne, plated over red rice with bits of feta cheese on top. But if rubbery snails over rice isnt your thing, fans of the chefs Italian cooking can take refuge in a selection of pricey Housemade Artisan Pastas like tangles of fresh tagliatelle smothered in mushrooms and duck confit, bowls of orecchiette topped with fresh tomatoes, and a plump lobster raviolo served in a thin, slightly disappointing shellfish bisque. Canard a lorange. Photo: Tirzah Brott/New York Magazine A few of the bigger-ticket dishes at Vaucluse are on the thin side, too, although dont tell that to my father, who took one bite of his fat pink cotelette de porc entree, put down his fork, and declared, This is possibly the best pork chop in the entire world. My discerning mother made similar polite noises about the aforementioned sole meuniere, which was professionally prepared but, at $64, cost roughly $7 per bite. My helping of poulet roti grand-mere was a slightly better deal but lacked any sense of grandmotherly love, and so did the lamb duo, which managed to be both overcooked (the shoulder) and overrare (the rack of ribs). If you have the resources, the center-cut rib-eye entrecote is a safer bet (served with a stack of frites and a choice of four classic French sauces), and so is the duck a lorange for two, which the kitchen plates Peking duck style, in delicately crisped lozenge-size bites. Like many restaurant empires, the Altamarea Group comprises one or two flagship establishments that feel permanent and rooted in place (Marea, Osteria Morini) and many others that appear to have landed randomly, and somewhat less permanently (on East Village street corners, in a Hong Kong retail mall, etc.), from outer space. With its nostalgic menu, its posh location, and its built-in clientele, Vaucluse feels to me like a more permanent addition to the portfolio. There are regular blue-plate specials for every night of the week (Tuesday is cassoulet night) and a sturdy, French-accented chef burger (garnished with Dijonnaise and tomato jam), and if you go at lunchtime, when the peaceful rooms fill with sunlight bouncing in from the taxis running up and down Park Avenue outside, my father suggests the fluffy, lardon-dotted quiche du jour, followed by one of the recognizable, old-fashioned pastries for dessert, like the lemon tart, or the Paris-Brest, which is shaped like a ring in the classic style and plated, a little radically, with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Terrine de foie gras with winter-fruit confiture. Photo: Tirzah Brott/New York Magazine Tarte Vaucluse: cocoa sable, toasted-hazelnut dacquoise, chocolate cremeux, and Chantilly. Photo: Tirzah Brott/New York Magazine Rating: 2 stars Vaucluse 100 E. 63rd St., at Park Ave.; 646-869-2300; vauclusenyc.com Open: Daily for dinner; lunch Monday to Friday; Sunday brunch. Prices: Appetizers, $17 to $29; entrees, $24 to $64. Ideal Meal: Pate en croute, duck a lorange for two, lemon tart. Note: The good news: There are 25 Champagnes to choose from on the elaborate, French-centric list. The less good news: Only four of them cost less than $100. Scratchpad: One star for the service and the ideal location and another for Chef Whites stolid rendition of the old French canon. *This article appears in the January 25, 2016 issue of New York Magazine. Co-owners Rita Sodi and Jody Williams. Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine Jody Williams and Rita Sodi recently signed the lease on a 350-square-foot space next door to their Tuscan trattoria, Via Carota, but the co-chefs arent describing the new property as an expansion. Were just sort of spreading out, says Williams, who nevertheless has big plans for the smallish annex. The new addition will give the partners a bit of breathing room for their growing wine collection, and allow them to explore less strictly restaurant-y pursuits. Williams wants to collaborate with friends on cookbook signings and local-distillery pop-ups, serve the Italian snacks called cicchetti, and open a small shop for prepared foods and condiments. She envisions an antique fridge stocked with crocks of housemade brandade and walnut pesto, the lasagna thats a specialty of the house at Sodis nearby I Sodi, and preordered set dinners to pick up and take home. Come five oclock, they might bring in a table from next door for quasi-private dining. But nothing is definite yet. We have to see how it feels, says Williams. The plan is to open the new space this spring, and to officially launch Via Carota breakfast at the same time. Best Buy looks like its trying to get rid of its Moto X inventory. It is offering the 2nd generation Moto X 16GB in Black for $242.99 before sales tax. This price should last until Saturday, as any changes to Best Buys pricing are usually made overnight for Sunday. Good luck finding any in-store though, as the store pick up option is not available through the website. You may be able to find one if you call your local store. Though, you are more likely to not find one. B&H Photography also has the 2nd generation Moto G on its website going for $99.99 before taxes and includes a free Belkin Charger Dock. B&Hs website even lets you choose between the worldwide variant and the US variant which only differ in cellular bands. The Moto X 2nd gen. features a 5.2 inch AMOLED 1080p screen with a Snapdragon 801 processor. It has a 2300 mAh battery, 13 MP rear-facing camera, and Motorolas own Moto Display which pulsates notifications on the actual screen. Note that the Moto X does not have a microSD card slot, so youll be stuck with only 16GB of internal storage. Motorola only decided to include a microSD card on the 3rd generation of its X line. The Moto G 2nd gen. features a 5 inch 720p LCD screen and an 8MP rear camera. Motorolas Moto G was among the best performing smartphones in sales numbers around the globe. Motorola made some great hardware and hope that Lenovo has plans to keep it that way. Source 1 (BBY) | Source 2 (B&H) | Via LG is apparently going to unveil the G5 at MWC next month, ahead of its usual schedule for G-series smartphone launches. The company is said to finally be ready to tackle its Korean competitor Samsung head-on. Samsung will be revealing the Galaxy S7 at MWC, and so LG wants its G5 to directly compete with that. To ensure the G5's success, LG has been rumored to have significantly altered the design when compared to past G-series devices, including the G4 from last year. And now a leaked diagram for the G5 confirms just that. As you can see, the G5 is probably going with a fully metallic build, given the cutouts on the back. It will also have its volume buttons on the side, something that hasn't been seen in the G line since the Optimus G from 2012. On the other hand, the power button stays on the back, underneath the camera, yet this time around it will come with a built-in fingerprint scanner. A single speaker is on the bottom side of the device, while the 3.5 mm headset jack is up top. The G5's dimensions will allegedly be 149.4 x 73.9 x 8.2 mm. These make it taller yet narrower than its predecessor. Past rumors have talked about it featuring a 5.6-inch QHD touchscreen, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC at the helm, a 20 MP rear camera, and an 8 MP selfie snapper. Source 1 (in Hebrew) Source 2 Sony to bring the Xperia M5 to Europe in February Sony announced the Xperia M5 back in the August, 2015, but it's yet to bring it to Europe. Things are about to change, as the company has expressed its plans to launch its latest midranger there next month. The Xperia M5 product page is live on Sony Poland and Sony Netherlands websites. Furthermore, T-Mobile Netherlands is offering the device on-preorder for 439.95 SIM-free. Shipping will start on February 2. For the price you get a 5" 1080p IPS display, a MediaTek Helio X10 chipset with a 2GHz octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 2,600mAh battery. At the back, there's a 21.5MP camera with an Exmor RS sensor boasting 0.25-second Hybrid Autofocus. Expect more information on pricing and availability in due time as the Xperia M5 becomes widely available. Source Source(2) | Via Haiti - FLASH : A Haitian killed by a Dominican military patrol Monday, a Haitian was killed when a Dominican military patrol opened fire on a vehicle carrying a group of supposedly undocumented persons from Haiti, according to the first statements of the Dominican military authorities. Clerius Filemon, 33, of Haitian origin died and another immigrant was injured in the shooting, which occurred near the town of Guayubin, 250 kilometers northwest of Santo Domingo. According to the military statement, members of a military patrol in charge of monitoring the border road with Haiti to prevent the entry of illegal Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic, would have fired on the vehicle after the driver refused to stop to be controlled. Major General of the Army Jose Matos told the press that he had ordered an investigation to determine the exact circumstances in which the incident occurred and determine responsibilities. SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Electoral Zapping... 3 electoral offices burnt, 3 others attacked According to police sources, many unknown set fire on the evening of January 17 to 18 to 3 electoral offices in the North "Unidentified people set fire to 3 electoral offices in Limbe, Grande Riviere du Nord and Milot," the three offices burned were not completely destroyed thanks to the quick response of witnesses who extinguished the flames. At least three other offices were attacked with stones and other objects. No suspects have been arrested. Gerardo de Icaza, the Mission Director of the Electoral Observation of the Organization of American States (OAS-EOM), said "The EOM-OAS deplores and condemns the acts of violence against the CEP, which occurred last night in 3 BEC of North. Violence, in all its forms has no place in a democracy. The EOM urges players to reject and to act calmly." New chicanery in the Protestant community While Haiti's Protestant Community proposed Pastor Lucien Metedieu https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16340-haiti-flash-the-protestant-community-proposes-a-new-electoral-adviser.html as a substitute to Vijonet Demero to the CEP, the Protestant Federation of Haiti (FPH) categorically denies this decision. FPH claims to have not chosen a person yet to represent the Protestant sector in the CEP, it continues its work of mediation with the various protagonists. The decision to appoint a new member will be made based on the evolution of the process of dialogue that has recently begun. Electoral violence in Port-au-Prince On Monday, thousands of people, responding to the call of the opposition (G8 mobilization table), protested violently in the center of Port-au-Prince against the holding of the second round of presidential elections they consider fraudulent in advance. The demonstrators opposed to the Martelly government, have blocked some of the main streets of downtown with stones and barricades of burning tires, while throwing stones and other objects on private vehicles, causing significant damage. The demonstration, which has reached the vicinity of the Parliament, was strongly framed by the police. Another day of protest is planned for this Tuesday. 6 of the 10 Haitian observation organizations desist In a letter addressed to the President of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), the Collective of December 4 announced its refusal to participate as an observer in the elections of Sunday, January 24 estimating inadequate the electoral context. Note that a set of national observation organizations in Haiti namely : the Conseil dObservation Electorale (CNO), the Conseil Haitien des Acteurs non Etatiques (CONHANE), the Reseau National de Defense des Droits Humains (RNDDH) gathered around the Coalition of Electoral Observation ; the Plateforme des Organisations Haitiennes des Droits Humains (POHDH) and the Commission Episcopale Nationale Justice et Paix also announced that they do not observe the elections scheduled January 24, 2016, "that the CEP wants to pass for elections." Bringing the total to 6 of 10 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16339-haiti-news-electoral-zapping.html the number of accredited Haitian organizations, refusing to carry out their mission on 24 January. The Adviser Joseph Jacceus remain in function but The adviser Jacceus Joseph, informs Pierre-Louis Opont, the President of the Provisional Electoral Council that "Following our conversation [...] around my possible participation in the electoral process and after discussions with some organizations of human rights sector, I decide not to take part to the preparations for the January 24, 2016," adding that until a final decision I "would reply negatively to requests by the Council on the deployment of my team on the ground as part of the electoral process." HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2016/01/18 | Source "I've only come halfway". Advertisement The response for "SORI: Voice from the Heart" is good. But actor Lee Sung-min says that's not enough. We met the actor in a cafe in Seoul on the 18th. He was nervous. We figured he was just being modest but he even said he couldn't sleep with the movie being released on the 27th. This is the attitude we might expect from an actor who has had experience in theater and dramas. Lee starred in his first leading role in the movie "SORI: Voice from the Heart". He risked everything in the name of Lee Sung-min for the first time in 30 years of his acting career. "I am anxious to see what the audience says. I've had others to rely on or to share this pressure with before but not this time". He said that being the 'one top' was what made him so nervous. "I am the first one in the cast and I was the first to be cast for the movie. I was nervous to see who would come aboard with me. I was grateful when Kim Hee-joon came along". "I experienced the pressure any leading actor would feel for the first time". He is grateful to Lee Hanee and Jeon Hye-jin too. Lee Sung-min's role in "SORI: Voice from the Heart" isn't a small one. He plays the father who searches for his missing daughter. He is key. However, everyone trusts in Lee Sung-min. He uses the emotions of 'fatherly love' to make everyone cry. His co-star was not a human, but a robot. A satellite robot named Sori (Shim Eun-kyung) appears in front of him while he's searching for his missing daughter. Sori has the ability to remember every sound in the world and to track down anyone using their voice. The man who has lost his daughter goes on a quest with the robot to find her. Were there any difficulties in working with a robot? Lee Sung-min answered, "It was fine. I couldn't have asked for more". It must not have been easy timing things to a robot but it was a controllable one so it wasn't too hard. It was actually better than working with a human. The problem was emotion. A blunt Kyeongsang-do man and a humane robot may seem like an awkward team but they had chemistry. Lee Sung-min picks the scene where Hae-gwan reunites with Sori as the most touching one. "I nearly cried when I reunited with Sori in the ice cream parlor". Lee Sung-min is reputable for his performance but he's always nervous when it comes to that subject. He spoke about his limits as an actor too. About his standards of choosing work, he said, "I decide my roles according to my ability to handle it". "I used to think why people could only do that much when I was younger but now that I'm older I think, 'how do they do that?' I also think someone else would have been better in my role". He chose Oh Dal-soo's Old Man Ma from "The Servant" and Seong-gi by Ryu Seung-ryong in the movie "Everything about my Wife". "They are very appealing characters. But I wouldn't have been able to do them". "I can't be the bad guy either. I need to get rid of the compassion inside me first". "Actors and actresses have something that only they know and that is to be able to tell the difference between knowing what I can and cannot do as I grow older. Being able to do that proves you are a true actor". He seemed to be modest when he said he wasn't sure about playing the bad guy role. "I still want to try though. I want to try being the bad guy if I get the chance". Meanwhile, Lee Sung-min expressed his love for his junior high school daughter. "We get along well. We joke around in the house and cuddle sometimes". He said his daughter told him not to talk about her during interviews but he couldn't help it if he was asked questions about her. Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news Login Sign Up New Ad-free Subscriber Login Email Password Password Username Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password. Stay logged in Help Published on 2016/01/18 | Source Hallyu star Lee Min-ho met 4 thousand Korea, Chinese and Japanese fans at his first talk show ever. Advertisement "Mizno World" was held for 150 minutes at the Kyeonghee University on the 16th. The concert was sold out a minute after tickets were released. Lee Min-ho sang a couple of his songs for his fans and looked back in his past using key words with them. He also spoke about a time he had to spend a year in the hospital due to an accident in 2006. Lee Min-ho is holding another "Mizno World" in Japan on the 25th. the nature of the comments made and the intention behind them; when the comments were made; who had access to view the comments; the extent to which an individual or company is identified in the comment; the provisions of any company code of conduct; contract of employment and any company guidelines. use of social media in government sectors has come under the microscope after the Twitter account of the Australian navys most senior Muslim officer, Mona Shindy, was shut down after publishing her personal political views.HC Online sat down with McDonald Murholme Senior Associate Andrew Jewell to discuss freedom of expression and social media policies in the military environment.In Australia you are entitled to express your political opinion publicly, however there may be different rules that apply to the military and some government sectors, Jewell says.It may seem strange to some that Shindy was punished for her political opinion given the protections of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), Jewell says.However, he says it is important to note that these protections may not apply in the same way to senior Government or military officials, as political comments by government or military officials may be considered misconduct that is not inconsistent with the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).Jewell says the following elements should be taken into account before taking disciplinary action against an employee who has made comments on social media:Australian law recognises the freedom of information, opinion and expression, however employees may face consequences for any comments made that may be considered unlawful.Companies are concerned with the prevalence of social media and its 24/7 nature and thus may include social media guidelines in an employees contract or company code of conduct, Mr Jewell says.Setting maximum privacy settings on social media pages may be insufficient to prevent disciplinary action, as there is no recognised right to privacy in Australian law.Jewell says employees may still face consequences for comments made outside of work hours, or outside of the workplace or seemingly in a private setting.He says the public sector is in a unique position as the sheer size of government organisations means it is more difficult to implement a social media policy that covers all situations.Smaller private organisations are better equipped to consider the effect of social media on their business and better equipped to more rapidly respond due to a smaller management team and less red-tape.He says government organisations are more likely to lag behind private sector companies in terms of modern social media policies and usage of social media in the workplace. Indeed, a spokesman for Defence told Fairfax Media that the use of social media by the navy was "continuing to develop".He advises companies and government agencies to frequently revise their social media policies and educate employees on their rights and responsibilities when using social media. By Jess Lyons After a yearlong tour in Kuwait, the soldiers of the North Carolina National Guard 1450th Transportation Company celebrated their homecoming event as they returned to the open arms of family and friends on Jan. 12 at the National Guard Armory in Charlotte. Families waited in anxious anticipation as they received updates of the soldiers travel status throughout the day. After one final dismissal, the soldiers were reunited with their loved ones. A video from the homecoming published by WBTV News shows a reunion of relieved family members and elated soldiers. Sgt. Juwan Benjamin was reunited with his two daughters, the youngest of which turned two during his yearlong tour. Like the other soldiers, Benjamin said hes ready to be home. Watch WBTVs video recapping the homecoming event to see more reactions from soldiers and their families. The company, based in Lenoir, returned from Operation Resolute Support, a mission that was primarily focused on transportation, convoy support and training the local authorities to step in after the U.S. soldiers left. Roughly 160 soldiers make up the company, and they hail from Watauga, Ashe and Caldwell counties. Operation Resolute Support was the first tour for more than 60 percent of the soldiers in the 1450th. In the past, the company has completed tours in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 1450th has now deployed on overseas missions for nearly 13 consecutive years. Visit the NCNG on Facebook for more information and announcements related to tours and other efforts. See more photos on the NCNGs Flickr account. WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket A small group of passionate paddlers took an ambitious dream and made it reality. Their determination, organization, and patience created a unique opportunity for Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) to purchase a 2.3-acre river access area on the Watauga River at Guy Ford Road in Sugar Grove. Blue Ridge Conservancy was able to complete the purchase, below appraised value, through strategic partnerships and community support. The property is located between two existing river access sites; one known as Watauga Gorge Park, owned by Watauga County, and the other at Tester Road, owned by American Whitewater, a non-profit organization conserving and restoring Americas whitewater resources. The Guy Ford Road Access advances BRCs mission of protecting and expanding public recreational access to land and water resources in Northwest North Carolina, said Blue Ridge Conservancys Executive Director, Walter Clark. We received a tremendous amount of support from partnering organizations, volunteers, and donors who all have a personal connection and love for the Watauga River. These passionate supporters are dedicated to see the river remain accessible for everyone who enjoys canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and swimming, said Blue Ridge Conservancys Director of Land Protection and Stewardship, Eric Hiegl. The Guy Ford River Access is part of the 21 mile Watauga River Paddle Trail, which traverses through Valle Crucis, a National Rural Historic District, and continues into Tennessee. Local businesses, tourists and citizens currently use Guy Ford Road as a river access point. The property will be enrolled in the Public Fishing Access Program managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. We were pleased to be able to help with funding for the purchase of the Guy Ford Road property. This river access point is another fantastic addition to the existing paddle trail access points in the Boone area, including the Watauga Gorge access, the Pine Run access, the Green Valley access and others, said Wright Tilley, Executive Director of the Watauga Tourism Development Authority. Successful planning and fundraising efforts were attributed to the projects enthusiastic and collaborative partnerships. Financial support for the acquisition includes the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority, Tennessee Valley Authority and 140 private donors. Protecting and enhancing public lands and waterways takes partnerships and public engagement and Tennessee Valley Authority is proud to be a part of this partnership with the Blue Ridge Conservancy and Watauga County to increase access to a beautiful section of the Watauga River, said TVA Director of Natural Resources, Bucky Edmondson. The river access site will serve as a put-in for the Watauga Gorge with class IV-V rapids, as well as a take out for Section III, consisting of class II-III rapids beginning at the Upper Gorge Park. These sections of river draw paddlers from all over the Southeast. In addition, this property will provide river access for fishing, swimming, picnicking, and other activities for residents and visitors alike. The Watauga County Board of Commissioners is excited to see Blue Ridge Conservancys success in acquiring the Guy Ford River property, said Deron Geouque, Watauga County Manager. The property will serve to enhance the outdoor recreational opportunities available to residents and visitors of the High Country area. The addition of this property will complement the Watauga Gorge paddle access already established and heavily used. The Board looks forward to working with the Blue Ridge Conservancy in making this property one of the premier access points to the Watauga River. The local community and dedicated organizations will manage the access point for the benefit of tourist based river activities and community members. Future plans for this access point include parking, signage, information kiosks, and support facilities as outlined in the Watauga County Recreation Plan. If we want to continue to enjoy these experiences, the preservation of beautiful, wild, untamed, natural areas like the Watauga River Basin must be a priority, not just in our thoughts, but in our actions, said Edgar Peck, lead volunteer and Physical Education Activity Director at Appalachian State University. About Blue Ridge Conservancy BRC is a private, non-profit, non-governmental organization incorporated in North Carolina. BRC has protected over 18,800 acres in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey Counties. In addition to protecting working farmland, BRCs efforts have resulted in the creation of state natural areas like Beech Creek Bog, Bear Paw State Natural Area and Bullhead Mountain. We continue to help Elk Knob State park expand its borders and established Pond Mountain Game Land in Ashe County. More information about Blue Ridge Conservancy is available at www.blueridgeconservancy.org. Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket Editors Note: This is the second part in a series regarding mixed-use projects and the market for commercial space and student housing in Boone. Part 1: Mixed-Use Building in Boone, The Trend Begins Around Inception of 2030 Plan By Jesse Wood A surplus of commercial space already exists in Boone and these vacant spaces arent going away anytime soon especially considering the mixed-use developments that are currently being constructed or planned in Boone. A mixed-use development usually consists of commercial space on street level and apartments above. As the ending in the first part of this series stated, developers are struggling to rent out commercial space (which they didnt want to build to begin with) that exists underneath apartment complexes (which they really wanted to build). The towns Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) requires mixed-use development for apartment complexes in the towns business districts. This regulation was enacted in 2010 because the majority of the Boone Town Council felt apartments were taking up prime commercial space. Then in 2013, the Boone Town Council enacted supplemental standards to the towns multi-family housing regulations in the UDO for all zoning areas, including R-3 multi-family districts. These new standards featured an exemption for mixed-use projects under condition B-3 district rezoning. These 2013 amendments under section 15:10 of the UDO allow for only two unrelated people to live within a unit in new developments. Any unit with more than two bedrooms requires a master suite bedroom that is at least 25 percent larger than other bedrooms. Other changes include required garages or carports and 50 square feet of storage space, a 0.5 ratio of outdoor livability space and limiting parking spaces to two per unit. The new standards, however, can be avoided through an exemption under conditional B-3 district rezoning. The approved exemption would allow for the new standards to be bypassed in mixed-use projects so long as either, the commercial properties are built in the first phase of construction; no more than one-third of the multi-family units are built prior to completion of all commercial buildings; or the developer offers financial commitments in advance to finish all the residential and commercial properties, HCPress.com previously reported. But even this exemption was met with criticism. See developer Phil Templetons letter withdrawing his $19 million offer for the old Watauga High School property in May 2013. Templeton was also entangled in an eight-year lawsuit with the Town of Boone over a proposed medical clinic on State Farm Road. Apartments Subsidizing Commercial Space James Milner, CCIM, president and owner of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate, said that the apartments are essentially subsidizing the commercial space in these mixed-use developments. It is my observation that the residential component of these mixed-use developments carries the operational costs of these projects and so the commercial space can remain vacant with little impact to the developer. We are seeing the true economic impact of what developers are doing in order to bypass particular sections of the Town of Boone Unified Development Ordinance. Milner said in a prepared statement, referring to the multi-family housing regulations enacted in 2013. It is a simple economic lesson of supply and demand. As the market gets flooded with new supply, whether it be Highland Crossing, Winkler Square or The Standard (existing or in construction projects) and demand is low, the only component that can be used to correct the situation is price. This is not giving consideration to future projects within the Town of Boone to include Riverwalk, Shadowline, the Marketplace project in downtown and MET Holdings project which will only more so flood the market with supply. While local tenants would like to see prices fall to more reasonable rates these commercial spaces in these types of mixed-use developments are merely added income to the developer. Therefore, in order for these spaces to be occupied the rental rates and terms will need to be lower or more favorable, respectively. Milner mentioned that excessive land prices are partly to blame. While not a mixed-use project, the recent sale of the old Kmart property along Blowing Rock Road depicts how expensive land is in Boone. Publix recently purchased the 6.52 acre property for $10.5 million, which equals $1,610,429 per acre. Commercial land prices along Blowing Rock Road are at an all-time high. Developers are trying to maximize the utility of the land and the income that they can generate from it. With the current affordable housing regulations that dictate all multi-family development, developers are choosing to utilize the mixed-use standards instead, Milner said. Thus why we are seeing a new wave of mixed use development within the Town of Boone. Milner also mentioned that what is happening today is reminiscent of speculative building practices unlike what, he said, happens in larger metropolitan areas, where developers obtain commitments from tenants or users that want to lease or operate the buildings before they are actually built. The barrier to entry in the Town of Boone is already high enough. It is time that policies are revisited so that commercial development can fall in line with not only what will work but also what the town wants, said Milner, who wants to see the town utilize incentives with developers rather than mandates. Unintended Consequences Owner of Templeton Tours and son of Phil Templeton of Templeton Properties, Jeff Templeton attributes the current state of student housing in the Town of Boone (huge complexes along the highways such as The Standard and the commercial vacancies underneath these mixed-use projects) partly to the steepslope and viewshed ordinances the Boone Town Council passed in 2006 and mixed-use regulations in 2010. The Boone Town Council passed these regulations after the Villages at Meadowview was constructed on the hillside above Walmart. According to the town, these regulations were adopted for safety and aesthetic reasons. Here is a prepared statement from Templeton: The saying a camel is a horse designed by a committee is perhaps the best way to describe the current development environment in the town of Boone. The trend of mixed-use multi-family housing projects being developed in commercial districts around town is the result of years of reactionary regulations. The issue began in 2005 when the town council issued a moratorium on Multi-Family Housing in an attempt to prevent the development of additional student housing projects on the hillsides of Boone. An unintended consequence of the resulting regulations, known as Viewshed & Steepslope, was to alter the supply of multi-family zoned property in town. With demand still strong from the growth of ASU, multi-family projects began showing up on commercial parcels along the business corridors of town. In reaction to this trend, the Town Council passed yet another moratorium on Multi-Family Housing projects in May of 2010. This time the resulting regulations, known as Sec. 179 Mixed Use Districts Established, required mixed-use developments in business districts to provide street level commercial space. This too has had unintended consequences. Properties that should have been developed with banks, hotels, and restaurants, have instead been developed as mixed-use projects with ground floor commercial space. Lacking sufficient parking, the inability to offer a drive-thru, and limited functionality, many of these commercial spaces have remained unoccupied for years. So when driving by these new student housing projects with their empty street level commercial spaces, please resist the urge to blame the developers, and instead direct your attention to the party responsible for the design of this camel, the Boone Town Council. Preserving Commercial Space & Boones Environment from Apartments There probably doesnt exist a better example that highlights reasoning for the Boone Town Council to do something about the development of apartment complexes in town than the old Daniel Boone Hotel which today is nothing but apartment complexes in the heart of downtown. When the Daniel Boone Hotel was demolished in 1984, downtown Boone wasnt a thriving business district. In the early-to-mid 80s, businesses along King Street, such as Belks, left for the Boone Mall that opened in 1983 and the Mast General Store had yet to open at the corner of King and Depot streets. The economic situation got to the point that parking meters in the downtown district were removed to compete with the new mall. The hotel was nearly 60 years old at the time of the demolition, and it was torn down to make way for the Daniel Boone Condos, which exist today, beside the Jones House and across the street from the old Appalachian Theatre. Though there wasnt a big business need to preserve commercial space at the old hotel site back then, can you imagine what a commercial not to mention historical asset that site would currently be to the downtown area if it was a mixed-use development with shops level with King Street and perhaps a portion of Grand Boulevard? I think everyone is kicking themselves because the town didnt make an effort to save that property and turn it into a small indoor mall, said one local business owner recently. Pilar Fotta, the towns downtown development coordinator, said as much in 2011 before the town acquired the old Appalachian Theatre in a bankruptcy auction: We would hate to see its fate be the same as the old Daniel Boone Hotel, which was once located right across the street. Its with a long-term perspective in mind that Councilwoman Lynne Mason, who has served on the Boone Town Council since 2001, reflects on these laws regulating student housing in Boone. For example, regarding the ordinance requiring mixed-use projects in business districts, Mason said: We need to protect spaces for businesses. They may not be there today, but we are thinking about the future of Boone. If everything is residential space, there will be no space for new businesses or for business expansion and growth in the community. Mason noted that as the community grows, there will be a need for different services, retailers and business applications along the major corridors. There is a real strong reason why we want to have mixed-use, Mason said. The mixed-use model allows residential while preserving business space. As for the multi-family housing standards adopted in 2013, Mason said that these standards came about after the realization that the town was lacking housing options. She mentioned that the thinking was that the apartments with four bedrooms and four bathrooms would be difficult to repurpose or reuse once student housing is overbuilt in town. Most single individuals and even families couldnt afford the rents these three and four bedroom units were charging, Mason said. It was an attempt to level the playing field and to make sure diverse housing was offered. Student housing may be more profitable for developers, but Mason said its not the only housing option needed in the Town of Boone. Several years ago, she said her in-laws moved to Boone and had trouble finding a place to live. What they didnt have are options for good rental housing, Mason said, adding that apartments designed for students arent fit for the retired, disabled and elderly as well as families. As the High Country continues to be a hub for healthcare in Northwestern North Carolina, Mason said that she hopes we see more housing options for those that retired, disabled or elderly. As for Templetons argument that the 2006 steep slope and viewshed ordinances correlate to huge complexes like The Standard being built near McDonalds, Mason said that was bound to happen. I think we knew in order to preserve hillsides and mountains, that would mean allowing for higher density development, Mason said. I think we need to wait and see how The Standard project turns out. When HCpress.com published an artist rendering of the finished design, it went viral with people both astounded at the size of the five-story project and ready for something else besides run-down and condemned hotels. Mason noted that the developers of the project did a beautiful job daylighting the stream and that a trade off of having this big development where it is located would mean less traffic congestion. And she noted that this is more preferable than having a development like The Cottages, which is located in the countys jurisdiction off of N.C. 105, where there is not infrastructure such as public water and sewer to support a big development. Mason noted that the The Standard project is consistent with the 2030 plan, which has broad community participation and support. The Boone Town Council adopted the Boone 2030 plan in the fall of 2009 and cites pedestrian-friendly, higher-density, mixed-use development among future planning priorities Mason said shes willing to take a look back and see if the 2030 plan spurred hoped-for development achievements. If it didnt, she said that she would be willing to make modifications if they will retain or improve the communitys character going forward. Realtor Offers Four Reasons for Commercial Space Vacancies Todd Rice, co-owner of Blue Ridge Realty & Investments, offered four reasons why there are vacant commercial properties in Boone. While some have been critical of the town, Todd Rice simply said, the towns been great to work with on his projects and said he didnt attribute commercial vacancies to any of the towns ordinances. Rices first reason is that the property owner didnt hire a licensed realtor. No. 2 is the old adage, location, location, location. But, Rice said, this can be solved by lowering the price. His third reason is the space isnt finished in a manner that potential leasers are looking for. Rice mentioned that some leasers dont want the place finished prior to leasing because they might want to customize the space or vice versa. A lot of folks might want something more than a dry shell. The leases are structured in a way that if a tenant leases a dry shell, its less per month and the onus is on them to build out as they see fit, Rice said. If the onus is on the property owner to build it out, then the leases are more expensive. And the fourth and final reason, Rice offered is price. The pricing is too high, Rice said. It goes back to supply and demand. Editors Note: In upcoming parts to this series, High Country Press will explore the demand for student housing in Boone, ASU growth trends and also whether or not the multi-family housing regulations initially recommended by the Affordable Housing Task Force are actually affordable. Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket Being a female can be complicated enough between hormones and juggling everything modern women do. So if youre New York (HedgeCo.net) The December results for the Credit Suisse Hedge Fund index were released last week and the 2015 numbers for the index werent down as much as some other hedge fund indices. For the month of December, the broad-based index was down 0.85% and that took the annual performance for 2015 down to a loss of 0.71%. As for specific strategies, the best performing strategy in December was dedicated short bias with a gain of 4.8% and the second best performing strategy was equity market neutral with a gain of 1.6%. Global macro strategies were the worst performers in December with a loss of -2.05%. For the entirety of 2015, event driven strategies had the worst performance with a loss of 6.29%. More specifically, distressed strategies and multi-strategy event driven funds performed poorly with losses of 5.3% and 6.67%, respectively. As for the top performing strategy for 2015, that honor belongs to the multi-strategy group with a gain of 3.84% followed closely by the equity long/short group with a gain of 3.55%. In all, of the ten categories of strategies, seven of the ten finished in the black in 2015. Rick Pendergraft Research Analyst HedgeCoVest The public debate often concentrates on major, macro-level issues. Building a better Finland and a more equal society is based largely on ordinary good behaviour and the courage to speak out and take action. Let's make Finland a country with a zero tolerance on sexual harassment, the ministers write in a guest contribution to Kaleva. Petteri Orpo (NCP), the Minister of the Interior, and Juha Rehula (Centre), the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services, are calling for a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment in Finland. The sexual harassment of women has according to them become too widespread a problem in Finland. It is unfortunately a subject that is kept under wraps too often, they state. Orpo and Rehula are particularly concerned about the fact that over 60 per cent of eight and ninth-grade girls and nearly 50 per cent of boys have, according to a student health survey carried out in 2013, experienced occasional or repeated sexual harassment. It should be absolutely clear that no kind of sexual harassment is tolerable in an equal society not at workplaces, at schools, on the web, in nightclubs, on the streets. Authorities, bystanders and victims all have to firmly say no to [harassment]. They also have to say yes to equality, bodily integrity and safety, they state. Finland should according to the ministers take resolute action to tackle the situation. Orpo and Rehula consider it important to communicate and make sure that sexual harassment is never without its consequences. They also point out that no more than 1,000 rapes a year are reported to law enforcement authorities, although studies of female victimology suggest that up to 15,000 women are forced to sexual acts every year. The ministers demand that both reception centres and the providers of integration services place further attention on gender training. It has to be made clear to everyone entering Finland that both men and women enjoy full bodily integrity under all circumstances and that violating the legislation is not without its consequences. New cases of group harassment will be addressed with all possible means, they promise. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi Jussi Niinisto (PS), the Minister of Defence, has declined to elaborate on why he expects the integration of male asylum seekers from the Middle East to prove a particular challenge for Finland. He was asked about the matter in an interview on MTV3 after writing on his blog that it is apparent that the integration of successful asylum seekers, especially men from the Middle East, will not be an easy task for Finland. Minna Arve has announced her decision to step down as the party secretary of the National Coalition (NCP) to take the reins of the Turku Chamber of Commerce. I have been privileged to develop and reform the greatest popular movement in Finland while becoming acquainted with its representatives from all over Finland, she states in a bulletin published on the website of the NCP. It was recently confirmed that a citizens' initiative drawn up by Vayrynen to organise a referendum on the eurozone membership has received the required 50,000 statements of support. Paavo Vayrynen (Centre), a Member of the European Parliament, has urged the Government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) to initiate a process to leave the eurozone in an interview with YLE. Vayrynen, however, told the national broadcasting company that he is no longer in favour of holding the referendum and that the primary objective of the initiative was to encourage Finland to withdraw from the monetary union. The referendum would take years, he explained. We have no time to waste, with the economy being in as bad a shape as it is and with the euro area moving rapidly towards a debt union and federation. Vayrynen, an honorary chairperson of the Centre Party, believes the decision to withdraw from the monetary union should be made similarly to the decision to join the union in 1998 by submitting a statement on the membership to the Parliament. The Government is under the constitution allowed to submit reports or statements to the Parliament on matters related to national governance or international relations. The Members of the Parliament, in turn, have the option of putting forward a vote of no confidence in the Government during the ensuing debate. We should leave the euro area on the basis of a statement and only hold a referendum if we wanted to re-join the euro, Vayrynen told YLE. He also acknowledged that his proposal is unlikely to receive much support in the current Parliament. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Petteri Paalasmaa / Uusi Suomi Source: Uusi Suomi Garda at the scene in Ardclough where human remains were found in the Grand Canal last Saturday. Gardai are investigating whether a man whose headless body was discovered in the Grand Canal was attacked at a house party. A source also disclosed that an eastern European woman arrived at a garda station in south Dublin city on Saturday afternoon in a "highly distressed state". It is believed this is being linked to the murder investigation. The body, believed to be that of a man of eastern European origin, was found wrapped in plastic in a suitcase near Ardclough Bridge, Co Kildare, shortly after 3.30pm on Saturday. The victim's head, hands and feet had been cut off in an attempt to prevent gardai from identifying the victim. However, detectives have been able to determine that the victim was in his early 20s. Mutilated Sources have revealed that one of the lines of inquiry gardai are following is that the victim was killed on Thursday night at "a house party that got out of control". The killer or killers then mutilated the body in a grisly attempt to prevent identification. As dozens of gardai assisted by the Water Unit and the Garda Dog Unit continued to search for the missing head and limbs, sources said detectives were "making progress" in learning the circumstances of the man's death. "Gardai have worked tirelessly in attempting to determine what exactly led to the grotesque manner in which the man died," they said. "A theory that is being looked at is that the victim became involved in an altercation at a house party with a man known to him on either late Thursday night or the early hours of Friday morning. "The situation got out of hand and the man was attacked and suffered fatal injuries. "His body was then disposed off in the Grand Canal in what must be described as a callous manner." Gardai have taken more than 80 witness statements from members of the public who were in the vicinity of where the body was found, and investigating officers have appealed for anyone with information to contact Leixlip Garda Station. A post-mortem examination was carried out by Deputy State Pathologist Michael Curtis at Naas General Hospital over the weekend, but the results have so far proved inconclusive. However, it did determine the victim did not suffer wounds to the torso. "We're asking for the support of people who were away for the weekend, who may have returned to their premises or property and found a room disturbed or equipment moved, even an effort to clean up a room," said Supt Wall. "An employer or employee may have seen something that doesn't fit with normal working environment." Supt Wall also outlined the number of agencies involved in the investigation of what he called a "very horrific crime". "The Missing Persons Investigation Bureau is involved, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation is also involved as well as our divisional crime units," he said. "The Garda Dog Unit is also carrying out searches along the canal, and we have had the full support of national units since early on Saturday." Taoiseach Enda Kenny has slammed the garda watchdog for snooping on journalists' phone records. Mr Kenny's stinging rebuke has piled pressure on the scandal-ridden Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC). It emerged last week that GSOC accessed the phone records of two journalists, including the Herald's chief reporter Conor Feehan. Yesterday, the Taoiseach responded to the scandal for the first time. "Clearly the fundamental principle of journalistic sources being confidential is very important in a democracy," he said. GSOC's snooping came about following a complaint by a friend of the late model Katy French about alleged garda leaks. But the Taoiseach said there was a difference between "this kind of incident and one where national security might arise, so the minister will respond appropriately and quickly in this regard". Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald is now facing growing pressure to act before the election to change the legislation that allows the garda watchdog to review the phone records of journalists. Tanaiste Joan Burton said it "goes without saying that the protection of journalism sources is of critical and primary importance, and the Government will address that". It is understood the Labour Party favours a system similar to the UK whereby each application for accessing data on a journalist's phone usage would be examined by an independent judge. GSOC has repeatedly failed to explain why it authorised investigators to obtain the records of at least two journalists. Last night, a spokesperson for GSOC refused to comment on the Taoiseach's criticism. Reporter Conor Feehan pointed out that it took five days for both the Taoiseach and Tanaiste to comment. "The reaction of Enda Kenny and Joan Burton - together with comments on Saturday by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald calling for the laws that allow GSOC such powers to be reviewed - show a fundamental lack of faith in GSOC, an organisation that blunders from one debacle to the next with barely a pause for breath. Target "A question that needs to be asked now is if this watchdog needs a watchdog of its own - is it fit for purpose in the first place? Despite the fact that their responses have come this late they are, however, welcome," he added. "The accessing of private phone records is not just a matter that journalists need to be wary of. Everybody could potentially be a target of such snooping under the current laws as they stand. "Anybody acting as whistleblower could find themselves under the spotlight of investigators determined to root them out." It's understood that Minister Fitzgerald will seek approval from Cabinet today to appoint an "eminent person" from the legal profession to review the laws. This person will be tasked with reviewing international best practice and looking at the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011, which GSOC has relied on when accessing phone records of journalists. "The review will only look at the section as it relates to journalists so it will be completed as soon as possible. It will not be a drawn out process," a source said. However, any legislative changes that might be recommended by the review are highly unlikely to be drafted before the General Election. At the weekend, Ms Fitzgerald proposed a "scoping exercise" within her department but the Taoiseach and Tanaiste both inserted a new urgency into the debate yesterday. "Minister Fitzgerald is looking at this on the basis of the protection of the sources of information for journalists in a free world, in a free press," Mr Kenny added. "Fundamentally, I think that where issues like this are concerned that it would be appropriate that the legislation be reformed to reflect that." The National Union of Journalists said that Ms Fitzgerald should immediately look at drafting legislative changes in order to adequately address the situation before the current government is dissolved. The organisation added that international best practice is based on the European Convention of Human Right, which recognises the right to freedom of expression. Fatal "It's very naive to imagine this would be a priority of the incoming Dail," Irish Secretary of the NUJ Seamus Dooley said. The complaints body was at the centre of major political upheaval two years ago when it claimed gardai were bugging its offices. Additionally, last summer it emerged that a garda in Donegal who took his own life had been the subject of a GSOC investigation following a fatal traffic accident - but was not told that he had been cleared of any wrongdoing before he ended his life. In a letter to his wife, Sergeant Michael Galvin of Ballyshannon Garda Station in Co Donegal said he could not take the pressure of the GSOC investigation which had left him feeling like a criminal. Call it detox and retox: Around the country, yogis are jumping up from savasana and hopping onto a barstool as yoga classes are making their way into breweries. While the teaching is traditional, the classes tend to attract newbies, especially men, says Beth Cosi, found of Bendy Brewski in Charleston, South Carolina and Memphis. "We get the men in the door mostly because it's in a brewery and they get a beer afterward. That's the carrot. A lot of them come with girlfriends, wives, sisters," Cosi said. Her $15 classes are 45 minutes, compared to a typical 90-minute class. The room isn't heated to near 100-degree temperature and the partnering breweries typically offer a tour of the facility after or the chance to drink a flight of several beers. "They both lead to relaxation. And they both have a little bit of a social aspect, you know. And it's a very relaxing place to do yoga. So, you know, very unpretentious," Jason Crafts, 43-year-old IT project manager, said after a recent class at Raleigh Brewing Co. in Raleigh, North Carolina. While traditional yoga tends to encourage a navel-gazing focus on oneself, individual breathing and controlling one's thoughts, the yoga beer classes are all about community. "This gives you the opportunity to come to your mat, to connect with yourself ... and then to socialize after class and get to know people," said Mikki Trowbridge, whose free classes in the Salem, Oregon area draw between 75 and 150 people two or three times a month. Trowbridge's business plan wasn't calculated. She and her husband just liked a strong, sweaty yoga class and a nice craft beer and figured they weren't alone. "(Beer) is part of our culture here. We have breweries everywhere and so breweries are where we gather for social time," she said. The trend has caught on quickly with yoga-beer partnerships throughout Florida, New York and California. Cosi has been mentoring yoga teachers across the country looking to host beer yoga events. Beer maker Dogfish Head created a Namaste beer, Belgian-style white with dried organic orange flesh and fresh-cut lemongrass; and Lululemon, the athletic apparel line, partnered with Stanley Park Brewing on a limited-edition style with Chinook and Lemondrop hops. The classes also offer a friendlier environment than yoga studios where many run out after namaste without talking to anyone. "There's a lot of (single) people that come in with the goal of talking to someone new and they already know they have beer and yoga in common," said Melissa Klimo-Major, who started teaching yoga classes in breweries around Cleveland in 2014. Trowbridge and Klimt drew notable crowds after hosting two beer yoga events in New York City over the summer. The duo, who met on Instagram, is taking their business on the road with a west coast tour planned for the spring and several Midwest stops over the summer. Breweries say the collaborations are also offering up a bonus for them. "The majority of our yogis are usually girls and the majority of people in the brewery are men so it's kind of helped crossed that chasm of getting girls into craft beer," said Chris Gove president of the SaltWater Brewery in Delray Beach. __ Allen G. Breed contributed to this report in Raleigh, North Carolina. The body of Danville Officer Thomas Cottrell was found behind the village's municipal building late Sunday night, about 20 minutes after the ex-girlfriend of Herschel Ray Jones called police, Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer said. "Yes, I'm in danger," the woman told a dispatcher at 11:20 p.m. in a 911 call obtained Monday by The Columbus Dispatch. "But the cops in Danville are in danger, too. My ex-boyfriend's out in camo looking to kill a cop." The woman said Jones had already threated to kill her, and that he was armed. The sheriff said dispatchers tried to make contact with Cottrell after receiving the tip, but couldn't reach him. Deputies then searched the village, about 60 miles northeast of Columbus, and found Cottrell's body. His service weapon and cruiser were missing. Jones was spotted around 1:30 a.m. running from a home. He was taken into custody following a short foot chase. Officials have not said how Cottrell died. But Chief Jim Gilbert, the chief deputy of the Franklin County Sheriff's office, tweeted early Monday: "Prayers for Ohio's first fallen officer for 2016 a Danville PD Officer was shot/killed this evening in Knox County." The Columbus Dispatch reported Cottrell, 34, was an auxiliary officer in Danville, who mainly worked on the weekends. He was hired by the police department a few months ago. His full-time job was a mixer driver for Ellis Brothers Concrete in nearby Mount Vernon. He enjoyed community policing, said Chief Clifford Bigler, of the Utica Police Department, where Cottrell worked from April 2013 until August. The newspaper said Cottrell had three daughters and was engaged to a local school nurse. The man accused of killing him had a lengthy criminal history and in one case tried to claim he was legally insane, according to court records. Knox County court records showed Jones, 32, had multiple convictions for breaking and entering, burglary, receiving stolen property and carrying a concealed weapon dating back to 2001. In a 2011 case, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity before changing his plea to guilty. Ohio prison records showed Jones served nearly four years for the 2011 convictions on charges of receiving stolen property and possession of chemicals for manufacture of drugs. He was released last April. Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville said he expected a murder charge to be filed against Jones, but he didn't know how soon that could happen. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was still collecting evidence Monday, and Cottrell was scheduled for an autopsy Tuesday in nearby Licking County. Jones was being held Monday for violating the conditions of his release from prison last year. McConville said that's enough to hold him until he's formally charged. Calls to numbers listed to Jones or family members in Knox County rang unanswered or were not in service Monday. Danville Mayor Robert Dile told The Columbus Dispatch that it a "terrible, terrible tragedy." "This wasn't a gun battle or robbery. This was what seemed to be a calculated thing, and he didn't have a chance to respond," Dile said. BRISTOL, Tenn. A bill introduced by a senator from northwest Tennessee might make Virginia the first state ever to be kicked off the Volunteer states hand gun carry reciprocity list. In the wake of the Virginia attorney generals announcement that Virginia will no longer recognize concealed carry handgun permits from Tennessee and 24 other states, Tennessee Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon, has introduced a bill that if approved would prohibit a person with a permit from Virginia or any state refusing Tennessees permit from carrying a handgun in Tennessee. Currently, Tennessees gun law recognizes all other states resident and non-resident gun permits. A call to Stevens office was not returned Monday. But Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, has already said that if Virginia enforces the denied reciprocity on gun permits, he will do everything he can to ensure that Tennessee no longer recognizes Virginia permits. Tennessee Rep. Jon Lundburg, R-Bristol, is hoping his fellow lawmakers reconsider such action. Calling the bill by Stevens a knee-jerk reaction to the Virginia attorney generals Dec. 22 announcement, Lundburg said Monday that lawmakers need to consider protecting individuals rights to carry guns. Most people who carry firearms are disappointed in the Virginia attorney generals decision, Lundburg said. It was my hope that we would not infringe upon the rights of Virginians who legally carry in Tennessee. I hope we dont take action on this, because frankly I think its what the attorney general would like to see done to keep people from carrying handguns and thats wrong on so many different levels. Ramsey initially posted his position on Facebook shortly after the announcement from Virginias attorney general, Democrat Mark Herring. Ramsey called Virginias decision a blatant attack on the gun rights of permit holders in Tennessee and 24 other states. Ramsey also said in the Dec. 22 post that the Tennessee General Assembly will have to re-evaluate the states recognition of Virginia permits. Herrings office has said his staff is merely enforcing a 2013 Virginia law that requires the denial of permits from states that have weaker permitting laws than Virginia. As of Feb. 1, permit holders from those 25 states, including Tennessee and the two other border states of Kentucky and North Carolina, will no longer be able to legally carry a concealed weapon in Virginia. Virginia Sen. Bill Carrico, R-Galax, learning of the Tennessee bill Monday, said he understands Tennessee lawmakers desire to respond in kind to Virginia. "Attorney General Herring's actions are a slap in the face to the law-abiding citizens of Tennessee and two dozen other states, Carrico said Monday. His unprovoked attack on Second Amendment rights will have negative consequences as our citizens travel outside the Commonwealth and for visitors traveling to Virginia." Carrico also encouraged Tennessee lawmakers to first give Virginia a chance to address the issue. "Attorney General Herring's actions are not representative of the long-lasting relationship Southwest Virginia has shared with our friends and neighbors in Tennessee, Carrico said. I deeply regret the situation this has created for the citizens in both states." U.S. Reps. Phil Roe, R-Johnson City, in Tennessee and Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, in Virginia also plan to address the reciprocity agreements. The two have scheduled a joint news conference on the subject for today at the Bristol Train Station. Game on! IU to resume series with Kentucky starting in 2025-26. Kentucky coach John Calipari confirmed at SEC media day the two schools have agreed in principle to restart their annual regular-season series. SEOUL -- North Korea has flown nearly 1 million propaganda leaflets by balloon over the heavily fortified border with South Korea, in an escalation of psychological warfare on the Korean peninsula after the Pyongyang regime's fourth nuclear test earlier this month. The leaflets -- a response to South Korea's broadcasts of South Korean pop music and anti-Pyongyang rhetoric over the border -- are falling in some parts of Seoul and north of the South Korean capital, Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min Seok said Monday. The pamphlets criticize Park Geun Hye, praise North Korea's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, and call for loyalty to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Tensions remain high along the border as South Korea, the U.S. and Japan seek China's support for a United Nations Security Council resolution to punish North Korea with additional sanctions for the nuclear test. China, a veto- wielding member of the council, has called for a return to disarmament talks to address the impasse. Last week, South Korean troops fired warning shots at a drone approaching the military demarcation line. South Korea is also considering setting up giant electronic displays in addition to existing loudspeakers to reinforce its psychological message. The loudspeakers began blaring K-pop and messages critical of the Kim regime on Jan. 8. South Korea previously restarted propaganda broadcasts in August last year, prompting North Korea to put its troops on a war footing. An agreement between their senior officials defused the tensions, prompting South Korea to turn off its speakers. Set up at about 10 sites along the demilitarized zone, the speakers play songs by artists such as girl group Apink and folk singer Lee Ae Ran. They also include recordings of casual conversations to discussions about the importance of human rights and the lives of South Korea's middle class. In October 2014, North Korea shot at balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets, and it has threatened artillery attacks against activists flying such materials over the border. Pakistans discomfiture at being caught in the row between Saudi Arabia and Iran is evident in the back-to-back visits to the two countries by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief Gen Raheel Sharif, an initiative described as a mediation effort aimed at reducing tensions. Islamabad has publicly expressed deep concern at the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Prime Minister Sharif, during a meeting with King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Monday, sought the resolution of differences through peaceful means in the larger interest of the Ummah or Muslim brotherhood. A recent assertion by army chief Sharif that any threat to Saudi Arabias territorial integrity would evoke a strong response from Pakistan was interpreted by some in Islamabad as a veiled warning to Iran. But the Foreign Office was quick to explain that Islamabad wants enhance its relations with Tehran. Despite such public expressions, the Pakistani civil and military leaderships main concern is the possible fallout of the diplomatic spat on the countrys growing Shia-Sunni divide. Though Saudi Arabia is one of Pakistans closest allies, charities and religious organisations based in the kingdom have for long funded Sunni extremist and terrorist groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. On the other hand, Pakistans Shias, who make up 20% of the countrys population of 180 million, have often looked to Iran for spiritual leadership and support. There have even been whispers that Iran backed some Shia militias that were created in Pakistan in past decades in response to repeated attacks by Sunni organisations. And one of the reasons that Islamabad decided in 2009 to give near-provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan was the growing influence of Iran among the regions sizeable Shia population. Besides Islamabads recent discomfort at being included in an anti-terror coalition formed by the Saudis, the countrys leadership does not want Pakistan to become the battlefield for a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran. This is the prime reason behind the visits by the Prime Minister and the army chief to Saudi Arabia and Iran on Monday and Tuesday. Observers say the Saudi-Iran spat and ongoing efforts to revive peace talks with the Afghan Taliban have become so important that Pakistans probe into the Pathankot terror attack was relegated to the sidelines once Islamabad and New Delhi agreed to postpone and not call off a planned meeting of the foreign secretaries. Despite the Pakistani leaderships assertion that the visits to Riyadh and Tehran are aimed at reducing tensions, some in Islamabad arent convinced. I personally dont see any sincerity in the move. How can someone who has openly taken sides and threatened the other side of a strong response act as a neutral arbitrator? Baqir Sajjad Syed, the diplomatic correspondent of the Dawn newspaper, told Hindustan Times. This is a political ploy to divide the anti-Saudi camp at home and prepare the grounds for overt cooperation with the kingdom. (The views expressed by the writer are personal. He tweets as @rezhasan) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The role played by Union ministers in events leading to his suicide will feed the view that the BJP is reflexively still an anti-Dalit party. The Narendra Modi government has lately been subjecting itself to self-inflicted wounds. Last month, the CBI thoughtlessly raided the office of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, a ploy that instantly backfired. Next, the NDA was embarrassed about mishandling the Pathankot terrorist attack and had to witness well-regarded analysts point to serious flaws in the counterterrorist operation. Now the BJP is contending with the fallout of the suicide of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) who was pursuing his PhD in Life Sciences. Vemulas monthly stipend of Rs 25,000 was stopped in July and he was suspended in December along with four other students following an altercation with an ABVP leader. The course of events in recent months saw Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya write to the ministry of human resource development in August about casteist, extremist and anti-national politics in the university, sparking accusations of abetment to suicide. Read | Dalit scholar suicide: Pressure mounts on Centre to sack Dattatreya There have been protests in several cities. The BJP will hope the Vemula moment will pass but there are several reasons why his death will haunt the party politically. For one, Vemulas memory will endure. Not merely for the political circumstances around his death, but partly because he wrote a moving, eloquent farewell note, which may in time be considered a classic in its genre and emerge as a powerful rhetorical, socialising instrument for Dalits and the wider Left. Rohith wanted to be a writer of science, like Carl Sagan. And write he certainly could, doing all the things masters of the craft ask us to do: Write short sentences. Use active voice. Animate the text with verbs. Let every paragraph have a purpose, however small. Speak from experience. Deploy a lot of soul. He wrote: I loved people without knowing that people have long since divorced from nature. Our feelings are second handed. Our love is constructed. Our beliefs colo(u)red. Our originality valid through artificial art. It has become truly difficult to love without getting hurt. The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of star dust. In (e)very field, in studies, in streets, in politics, and in dying and living. Police use water cannons to disperse students during a protest against the HRD?ministry in New Delhi on Monday over the suicide of a PhD scholar Rohith Vemula at Hyderabad Central University. (PTI) Vemulas note not only powerfully represents the alienation Dalits experience but his death sows fresh doubts about the BJPs ability to cultivate and consolidate a pan-India vote that cuts across communities. The ruling party has been trying to overcome its Brahmin-Bania origins, it rallied around an OBC Prime Minister who projects himself as a moderniser capable of delivering economic growth to all Indians, transcending caste differences. Read | Bandaru Dattatreya: A Telangana leader in a crisis of his own making? Vemulas death complicates that narrative. The spectacle of Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya lobbying the HRD ministry through a letter, accusing a student association bearing Ambedkars name of indulging in anti-national politics makes it very easy for others to represent the BJP as (still) a reflexively anti-Dalit party. That Smriti Iranis HRD ministry sent four letters to the university (after Dattatreyas letter) seeking a response about issues raised by him, makes it quite difficult to give this episode a different spin. Opposition parties on Tuesday mounted pressure on the BJP-led NDA government to sack Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya. (PTI) The BJP may not consider the situation to be entirely dire. It has after all developed goodwill among Dalits and Adivasis, particularly in rural areas, through Hindu nationalist groups that use a raft of development initiatives, not unlike Christian missions, to recruit marginal groups to their cause (with some of them even going on to participate in anti-Muslim violence). But Vemulas death will add to the anti-BJP sentiment on urban campuses which its leaders care about, worried as they are about opinions circulating on social media. The BJP needs a damage-control strategy and has to keep a few things in mind as it plots the way forward. First, realise the import of Vemulas death across the country, as it extends well beyond the campus of the HCU. Political parties will take advantage of the partys discomfort. The alacrity with which the Telangana government filed a case against Dattatreya suggests that it perceives its turf as being threatened by the BJP as well. The BJP is nursing ambitions in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and is hoping to capitalise on dissatisfaction with TDPs Chandrababu Naidu. That will also be affected as Dalits are an important swing vote in the state. Read | Dalit scholar suicide: Students launch strike, seek VCs ouster In addition, this controversy will aid the Dalit-Muslim consolidation in Uttar Pradesh which Mayawati is trying to bring about again for the 2017 assembly elections. Dalits also constitute 31 percent of the population in Punjab that also goes to polls next year. Voter preference are governed by factors, including those beyond caste but sensational events like this make it more challenging to secure support among marginalised groups. Note how Lalu Yadav managed to exploit RSS chief Mohan Bhagwats statement on reservations in last years Bihar election. Two, understand that the reputation of MHRD stands further diminished. Acting on tip-offs about alleged anti-national activities just because students protested the execution of Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon betrays a complete misunderstanding of the purpose of universities that they ought to be democratic spaces where contrarian perspectives must thrive for democracys sake and the advancement of knowledge. It is worth recalling that many liberals denounced the hanging of Memon and hence the student groups activism on that score comes nowhere close to being seditious. Read | Union min Dattatreya charged for Dalit scholar suicide, probe ordered Three, the BJP is likely to dig its heels and stand by Irani and Dattatreya even as they face calls for resignation. Be that as it may, it can aim to contain the damage by exerting its influence on the ABVP. The ABVP thrives in universities by articulating a form of muscular nationalism that emphasises unity and social solidarity. It also purveys anti-minority rhetoric and manifestly opposes leftist views and liberal forms of cultural expression. It has papered over the difficulty of diverse base of support by piggybacking on the Modi brand. Now it needs to give careful thought about how it handles the aftermath of this incident as it will shape campus politics and politics further afield. It needs to display contrition about Vemula; failing to do so will make it appear as a sectarian organisation and that too will hurt the BJP over time. It is fairly clear that the party will endure the effects of Vemulas death long after it stops dominating the news. The writer tweets as @SushilAaron. Views expressed in the write-up are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The filing of an FIR against actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui at Versova police station in Mumbai for allegedly molesting a woman on Sunday and a counter FIR by his wife have once again highlighted the misuse of laws on rape and molestation in India. The fact that FIRs were filed following alterations between the two sides over parking only corroborate the widely held view on misuse of laws that were enacted primarily to protect women. Its nobodys case that India is safe for women. In fact, one woman is raped every 30 minutes. In 2014, 36,735 rape cases were registered in the country. The number of molestation cases is much higher. A change in rape laws in 2013 has expanded the definition of rape leading to further increase in reported cases. Over 3.3 lakh incidents against women are reported every year making it difficult for women to roam freely even in upwardly mobile urban middle class settings. Unfortunately, the laws meant to protect women from sexual crimes and harassment are being misused to harass men, often at the instance of other men. This makes the job of policemen difficult. Misuse of laws is not a new phenomenon. The anti-dowry law was misused to the extent that Parliamentary Standing committees, the Law Commission of India and many activists demanded a change to check its frequent misuse. Unwed sisters of accused men were deliberately named in the FIR by the victim to harass her in-laws family. Ailing and bedridden men and women in their eighties and nineties were seen in courts defending themselves against fake dowry charges. Despite its rampant misuse, successive governments and the political class didnt do much except making some statements. Finally, the Supreme Court intervened and through a series of judgments judicially and judiciously amended the anti-dowry law to make it immune to misuse. A similar intervention is needed to check the misuse of anti-rape/molestation laws. Often rape cases are filed against men following failed relationships. This has to be treated as a different crime as the physical relationship is with consent. This is all the more important because the new anti-rape law enacted in 2013 after the December 16 gang rape case is much harsher. Advocate Shilpi Jain, who has represented many rape victims in high profile cases, said, The new rape law treats womens testimony as the final truth. Its setting a dangerous trend where an accused is irrevocably indefensible and might be convicted regardless of what the truth might have been. Society and lawmakers need to think about it. Chinas recent acknowledgement that it is establishing its first overseas military base in the Indian Ocean rim nation of Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa, represents a transformative moment in its quest for supremacy at sea. With Chinese submarines now making regular forays into Indias maritime backyard right under the nose of its Andaman & Nicobar Command, New Delhi must now face up to a new threat from the south. Chinas growing interest in the Indian Ocean the bridge between Asia and Europe draws strength from its aggressive push for dominance in the adjacent South China Sea. Without incurring any international costs, it belligerently continues to push its borders far out into international waters in a way that no power has done before. Its modus operandi to extend its frontiers in the South China Sea involves creating artificial islands and claiming sovereignty over them and their surrounding waters. In just a little over two years, it has built seven islands in its attempt to annex a strategically crucial corridor through which half of the worlds annual merchant fleet tonnage passes. For India, still grappling to deal with the trans-Himalayan threat following Chinas gobbling up of buffer Tibet, the rise of a Chinese oceanic threat signifies a transformative change in its security calculus. By building military facilities on the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands, China is positioning itself at the mouth of the Indian Ocean. A Beijing-based defence website, Sina Military Network, last year claimed, even if implausibly, that 10 Chinese attack submarines could blockade Indias eastern and western coastlines. Make no mistake: Chinas rapidly growing submarine fleet is suited not for Southeast Asias shallow sea basin but for the Indian Oceans deep, warm waters. This explains why China is setting up a naval hub in Djibouti, building a naval base at Gwadar, and wanting access to port facilities around India, like it has secured in Sri Lanka. Chinas consolidation of power in the South China Sea will have a direct bearing on Indias interests in its own maritime backyard. With New Delhi slow to add teeth to its Andaman & Nicobar Command, Beijing is assiduously chipping away at Indias natural-geographic advantage. The longer-term strategic risk for India is that China, in partnership with its close ally Pakistan, could encircle it on land and at sea. After covertly transferring nuclear-weapon, missile and, most recently, drone technologies to Pakistan, China has publicised a deal to more than double the size of that countrys submarine force by selling eight subs to it. More broadly, the South China Sea has become critical to the contest for influence in the Indian Ocean and the larger Indo-Pacific region. Beijing views the South China Sea as a testing ground for changing the Asian maritime map. The world has been astounded by the speed and scale of Chinas creation of islands and military infrastructure in the South China Sea. Yet the international response to Chinas expansions hasnt gone beyond rhetoric. For example, the US, even at the risk of handing Beijing a fait accompli, has done little to challenge Chinas expanding frontiers, focusing its concern just on safeguarding the freedom of navigation through the South China Sea. As in the Himalayas and the East China Sea, the US has refused to take sides in the South China Sea in the territorial disputes between China and its neighbours. Asean disunity has also aided Beijings aggression. Let us be clear: The South China Sea has emerged as the symbolic centre of the international maritime challenges of the 21st century. The region is important for India and even distant countries because what happens there will impinge on the Asian power equilibrium and international maritime security. Indian Ocean security is linked to the South China Sea, which, Chinese vice-admiral Yuan Yubai claimed in September, belongs to China. In fact, developments in the South China Sea carry the potential of upending even the current international liberal order by permitting brute power to trump rules. The South China Seas centrality to the international maritime order should induce like-minded states to work closely together to positively shape developments there, including by ensuring that continued unilateralism is not cost-free. In fact, the US-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, signed a year ago, and the Pentagons subsequent Asia-Pacific Maritime Strategy emphasise greater maritime cooperation among democratic powers. Chinas neighbours, however, bear the main responsibility. India, for its part, is working to revitalise relationships with Indian Ocean Rim states. It has also stepped up its military diplomacy and is doling out billions of dollars in credit to key littoral states, including in East Africa. But with accidents and project delays blunting its naval power, India needs to speed up its naval modernisation. Trade through the Indian Ocean accounts for half of Indias GDP and the bulk of its energy supplies, underscoring the imperative for India to strengthen its naval capabilities on a priority basis. If Asean states and regional powers like Japan and India do not evolve a common strategy to deal with the South China Sea dispute within an Asian framework, the issue will be left to China and the US to address through a great-power modus vivendi, sidelining the interests of the smaller disputants. A unified strategy must give meaning to the recent appeal to all countries by Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe, the Indian and Japanese prime ministers, to avoid unilateral actions, given the critical importance of the sea lanes in the South China Sea for the Indo-Pacific region. Failure to evolve a common strategy could create a systemic risk to Asian strategic stability, besides opening the path for China to gain a firm strategic foothold in the Indian Ocean and encircle India. Brahma Chellaney is professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research The views expressed are personal Post-liberalisation, the nature of education and the scale of universities in India have undergone a major transformation. It was a time when global players were commoditising education and beginning to interfere in the principle of access to education as a fundamental right for the citizens. On the one hand, the quality of education being offered in governmental institutions was declining, and on the other hand, there was a rise in the number of private higher education institutions in India. The government believed that the move would help in providing education to more people, enhance their knowledge base, equity, development, etc. But it had failed to realise that the hiked entrance fees would bar many students from entering these institutions. Now, there are fewer state or central universities offering quality education, promoting research and research scholars with a subsidised amount of entrance/annual fees. A student pursuing an MPhil or a PhD reaches an age where he/she doesnt want to be dependent on their family for funds. In the case of students belonging to economically backward communities, it becomes even more difficult to pursue education if there is no viable subsistence. This is particularly true in the case of women. In such a situation, it becomes the duty of the government to provide them assistance by educating them and giving them equal employment opportunities and wages. In research universities, students are not merely consumers, they are doing value addition to the existing knowledge pool of society and deserve to get assistance from the government to pursue their research interests and produce relevant output. Research scholars are demanding a rise in the current scholarship fund from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 a month for MPhil students and from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 a month for PhD students as they too have to come to terms with the rising prices of essential commodities and for many these scholarships are the only means of livelihood. Here, one needs to realise why one should opt for higher education. Is it possible to survive on ones own when the government decides to scrap the existing fellowships and later make them available for only those who fall under a specific merit or economic criterion? The other question is: How to define this economic and merit criterion for a student who has already cracked the entrance exam. The merit criterion is, in fact, narrowing the scope of fellowships to exclude many to opt for higher education. Universities are meant to be socially inclusive. But the criterion is dividing the students by increasing the spirit of competition and decreasing their friendly exchanges. And we are left as computerised robots and not thinking individuals. The Occupy UGC protest is a fight to save higher education in the country. In times of a global ideological and financial crisis, education seems to be the easiest target for cutting funds. Instead, it should be priority for any government and must get the highest budgetary allocation. Our education system is at stake. People who can afford go to foreign universities and those who do not have the time or money can decide between petty jobs and poor education. Twinkle Siwach is a PhD scholar, Media Studies, JNU. The views expressed are personal. The Lord Ayyappa Temple Management Committee in Bhopal has announced a cash reward to anyone who gives clues about the stolen 400-kg bronze temple lamp after the police failed to crack the case even after 10 days of jaw-dropping theft. The unique bronze lamp, which was donated by a devotee, cost Rs4 lakh and was mounted on a 100-kg bronze pillar on the temple campus located in the BHEL area of the state capital. But, what surprised everybody was the way the heavy lamp was unbolted from its base and carried away in the wee hours of January 9. Following this the state home minister Babulal Gaur himself visited the temple and assured devotees that the police would do their best to recover the lamp and arrest the thieves. However, after the police failed to get any clues about the lamp, the temple management on Tuesday announced a cash award to anybody who gave clue about the lamp. Temple management committee president SA Pillai said that the lamp was donated by one PV Pillai about three years ago. This is a special lamp which was made by the craftsmen in Kerala. From Kerala it was brought to Bhopal on a truck. We are wondering how it could be stolen. It cant be stolen without using a small crane or a vehicle. We suspect a vehicle entered the temple premises and the thieves stole it, he said. Pillai said that the nine-step bronze pillar and the lamp together weighed around 500 kilogrammes. The thieves knew how to remove it. They unscrewed it from the base. So it is possible that people who stole it, knew it could be unscrewed, he said. The temple guard gave inconsistent statements to the police, he said. However, the police were yet to get the clues. Govindpura police station sub-inspector (SI) Prahlad Marskoli said the guard was cooking up stories to divert attention that he was sleeping when the theft took place. He doesnt want the temple committee to know that he was sleeping during night when he should have been guarding the temple premises, he said. Marskoli said they had received some inputs from their informer that some stolen stuff had reached Anna Nagar in Bhopal. We conducted searches there but couldnt find it. We are working on some leads. The lamp has been stolen probably by bringing a vehicle inside the temple premises and then putting the four quintal lamp onto the vehicle. We will try our best to recover it as soon as possible and arrest the thieves, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by a 42-year-old man near the famous Bhojpur temple in Bhopal on Sunday. Police have arrested the accused, who has confessed his crime. In other incidents in the state, two minors were gangraped in Bhind and Gwalior district, while in Barwani district a teacher of a private school was arrested for allegedly sodomising his two Class 9 students . In the Bhojpur rape-cum murder, the accused (name withheld) worked as a guard at the farms of the victims father for last five years. On Sunday, he allegedly lured the girl with sweets and took her to the jungle near the famous temple, where he raped her. The accused later strangled the girl and left her body in the jungle. A native of Jhabua, the accused was well acquainted with the family of the victim and came to their house at a time when the girls parents were not present, police said. The girl and her two-year-old brother were in the house with their grandmother when the guard came and took the minor outside with a promise to buy her sweets, police said. When the girl did not return home till late in the evening, her parents informed the police, who rounded up the guard as he was last seen with the girl. The accused confessed that he had raped and murdered the child during interrogation. Police have recovered the body and sent it for postmortem. A case has also been registered against the accused. The state has seen a rise in the number of crimes against women in the last one month. On December 31, a 17-year-old was raped at a Ratibad farmhouse, on the outskirts of Bhopal, and her 16-year-old cousin molested by two of her neighbours. In another incident, an 18-year-old woman was kidnapped, gangraped and assaulted in Bhind on December 30. The victim was raped by two men in a jungle throughout the night and her private parts burnt with acid. Both the accused were residents of the same village. Minor kidnapped, gangraped in Bhind A 14-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and gangraped by two men at Tula ka Pura in Bhind district, police said on Monday. The accused, both residents of the same village, raped the girl repeatedly and were also planning to take her to some other place, they said. On January 16 evening, the two men kidnapped the victim when she went to fetch fodder. They raped the girl and abandoned her on seeing some villagers approach. The girl managed to reach home the next afternoon and thereafter a case was lodged against the two accused, identified as Dinesh Baghel and Bunty Baghel. A case on charges of rape has been registered against the duo who are absconding, SDOP Avnish Bansal said. In other incident, a 12-year-old girl, a resident of Birla Nagar area in Gwalior district, was waylaid by a man and raped when she was returning home with her uncle. Police have arrested the accused, a school bus driver Ajay, while his accomplice is on the run. The main accused, who was hiding on the path, caught the girl and raped her, while his accomplice overpowered her uncle, police said. Police have registered case against both. School teacher arrested for sodomising two Class 9 boys in Barwani A teacher of a private school was arrested for allegedly sodomising his two Class 9 students at Khetiya in Barwani district on Monday. The school management has also terminated the service of the accused. According to the police, Dinesh Mali, an English teacher at Gurukul English Medium School, in Barwani, gave private tuitions to the two victims at his home. He sodomised the two boys a fortnight ago by luring them with good marks. Mali allegedly had also threatened to fail the boys in the examination if he revealed the matter to anyone. On Sunday the victims opened up about the sexual assault to their parents, who lodged a police complaint on Sunday night. Mali was arrested under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (intercourse against the order of nature) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) on Monday and sent to judicial custody. All in a month December 31: A 17-year-old was raped at a Ratibad farmhouse, on the outskirts of Bhopal, and her 16-year-old cousin molested by two of her neighbours December 30: An 18-year-old woman was kidnapped and gangraped in Bhind. The accused burnt her private parts with acid December 29: A 28-year-old woman was raped inside a vehicle by an Ola Cab driver. The woman had lodged a complaint at Koh-e-Fiza police station on January 1 and the accused was arrested on the next evening December 22: A 14-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped and set ablaze at a village in Panna. The victim sustained 80% burns and died at a Rewa hospital while undergoing treatment. December 21: A 20-year-old woman, a resident of Gohad, was kidnapped and gangraped by two men for at least six days when she had gone to the market to bring medicine for her ailing father. Nanhe Singh had seen his 14-year-old daughter last around 15 months back when the sprightly little girl had left for school. The Class 9 student at a village in Jabalpur had gone missing mysteriously ever since and the hapless father is still struggling to lodge a missing complaint with the local police. Singh, a resident of the remote Jhunjh village in the tribal-dominated Kundam block of Jabalpur, told HT that his daughter went missing on October 7, 2014. We (Singh and his wife) work as agricultural farms as labourers in a neighbouring village. When we returned from work that day we found that our minor daughter, Chamna Bai, had not returned from school. We were told that she was last seen with a woman of our village, Singh told HT. Singh also went to his daughters school in the neighbouring village where teachers told him that the girl had not come to school that day. Later Singh along with the village sarpanch approached the police to lodge a missing complaint. Whenever I visited the local police station the cops tell me that they will call me after tracing my daughter. More than a year has passed like this, the forlorn father said. Mansukh Paraste, husband of village sarpanch, Mohubai Paraste, of village Dadargawan, informed that Singh searched for his daughter on his own for a few months, but had to discontinue as money dried out. On January 13, Jabalpur district panchayat member and ex-MLA, NL Dhurve, had raised the issue of the missing tribal girl at the district planning committee meet, but still FIR was not registered in the matter. I even made representation to the superintendent of police two days back for action in the matter, he told HT. When contacted, additional superintendent of police (South), Karthikeyan Krishnamurthy, only said: I will look into the matter as to how and why FIR was not registered in the case. Jhunjh village comes under village panchayat Dadargawan. Jhunjh is located over 70 kilometres from Jabalpur. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Translating real incidents to reel is always a tough job. Filmmaker Raja Krishna Menon couldnt agree more. Menon, who started his research in 2005, finally managed to piece the script together and now, Airlift, starring Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur, is set to release. Read: Airlift teaser: Akshay Kumars Argo act is gripping While Akshay came into the picture much later, the filmmaker does agree that he turned out to be the perfect choice to play a Kuwait-based Indian businessman during the time that Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. My producers were talking to Akshay for some other film that didnt work out for whatever reasons. Luckily for me, most people I narrated the script to were instantly hooked on to the story within a minute. Akshay happened to hear the script and demanded to know why this role wasnt being offered to him. Akshay embodies the character of the leading man perfectly. He is self-made, disciplined and has that gravitas. People want to follow Akshay Kumar and that was something my character needed. He was the perfect choice for the role, Menon explains. Watch the Airlift trailer here The fact that Menon hails from Kerela also helped him in his research as most Malayalis were affected by the Gulf war. The maximum number of Indians trapped there were from Kerela. We knew at least someone or the other who was working in Gulf. I have been lucky enough to meet people who have told me their first-person account stories. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, people were rendered homeless and it was the Indian government that took the responsibility of evacuating Indians stuck there. This is the biggest-ever evacuation to be carried out by a country and it was upsetting that no one seemed to know about it. Had this been America, there would have been 50 movies made on it so I took it upon myself to tell this glorious story to the world, he signs off. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor Asin Thottumkal and Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma tied the knot in a twin wedding ceremony on Tuesday: A Christian ceremony in the morning was followed by Hindu pheras in the evening. A private post-wedding party will take place on Wednesday. The morning wedding was a private event at Dusit Devarana, a resort hotel near Delhi, with only 50 people, family and close friends attending. It was followed by a vegetarian lunch at the hotels Chinese restaurant. Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who is in the Capital to promote his upcoming film Airlift, attended the events as the best man. Akshay was also the person who introduced Asin to Rahul. Delhi-based music group Elohim Worship performed at the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding. Everyone looked amazing. It was Asins idea to have a Catholic wedding. We all are very happy, said a close relative of Rahul. Everything went great at the wedding. We played 2-3 songs. Asin looked beautiful in her white gown. We had a rehearsal yesterday, said a band member. The evening ceremony started at 6.30pm and got over at 8:30pm. The venue of the wedding, hotel Dusit Devarana had tight security and only those who had the wedding invite were allowed inside the hotel. Mediapersons who had gathered outside the gate were told that the couple wanted a private wedding and thus no one from the press would be allowed inside. Among the guests were Rahul and Asins close friends and relatives. The only person from the film fraternity was Akshay Kumar, who came in at 8:15 pm in a black tuxedo. Asin, who had worn a Vera Wang gown for the church wedding, wore a Sabyasachi lehenga for the Hindu wedding. It was an outdoor ceremony, with the mandap being erected atop a water body. While initially the plan was to serve dinner outside, it finally happened indoors because of the cold. Indian cuisine was served and the menu was strictly vegetarian. Exclusive: It's official that Asin have already married @rahulsharma today morning in a Christian wedding ceremony pic.twitter.com/hC0SahPQOe Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 19, 2016 In an Instagram picture she posted earlier, Asin had mentioned that Akshay was to be the best man at her wedding. The best man at the wedding obviously gets the first card of the Wedding reception @Akshaykumar #ARwedding #MumbaiMainInvite #Bestiegetsfirstdibs A photo posted by Asin Thottumkal (@simply.asin) on Jan 9, 2016 at 11:29am PST The couple will host a reception in Mumbai on January 23, which will be attended by Bollywood stars. The Wedding invite A photo posted by Asin Thottumkal (@simply.asin) on Jan 17, 2016 at 8:46am PST A source further says: Both the ceremonies are private. While around 50 guests were invited for the Christian wedding, the Hindu ceremony will be attended by 200 guests. In all likelihood, there will also be a private house party next day at Rahuls farmhouse at Sonali Farms, West End Greens. This is the hotel (@DusitDevarana ) where #Asin will be getting married to @rahulsharma on 19th January pic.twitter.com/YflpXwIKR3 Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 17, 2016 A special 10-tier vanilla-flavoured cake was designed for the occasion. The menu of the events will be strictly vegetarian. (With inputs from PTI) Read: Yes, I fixed Asins marriage with Rahul, says Akshay January is generally the favourite month for filmmakers to venture into the Capital for shooting their films, however it doesnt seem to be so this year. The cost of shooting in Delhi has gone up. New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has doubled their rates. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) used to charge Rs 5000 per hour, this is proposed to go up to Rs 50,000 and for premium locations like Humayuns Tomb and Qutub Minar this will increase to Rs 100,000 and police security has gone up by 300%. While a few big ticket films are still being shot, small films prefer to stay away from the city. Line producer Shailendra Kaushik says the number of film shoots in Delhi has considerably decreased this year. January is a very busy time for us, but no films are being shot right now. It has become very expensive and while films that star Salman and Aamir Khan wont get affected, producers of smaller films are looking for other places to shoot, he says. Salman Khan in the India Gate area, shooting for Bodyguard. (HT Photo) Another line-producer Ravi Sarin adds, ASI and NDMC have increased their rates to allow for film shoots. As of now, the only films planned for this year include Dangal, Sultan, Half Girlfriend, Sarabjit, Changez and a film starring Sridevi. Filmmaker Omung Kumar, who will be shooting in Delhi for his biopic Sarabjit, says that as his story has scenes which are based in Delhi, he doesnt have an option. There are people who have been telling me about how the fee to shoot in Delhi has increased and about how it will cost me a lot. I am yet to negotiate on the prices. But I have to shoot in Delhi as part of the story is based there. We will be shooting at India Gate, Red Fort and outside the PMs office, he says. Read: Shah Rukh Khan shoots for Fan in Delhi Producer Boney Kapoor, wholl also be shooting in Delhi, says that while he will be in a better position to talk of the increase in expenses after shooting, he has been expecting high rates. Delhis more than just NDMC and ASI, there are other places to shoot as well, he says. Actress Kangana Ranaut intends to write a book on her struggles in her life, which includes the period before she came to the film industry as well as her stint in it. The way I dealt with my failures has been very heavy and I would like to write a book about that, how success will never teach you anything said Kangana at the launch of journalist Barkha Dutts book The Unquiet India. Kangana confessed about being physically abused by an industry celebrity and how she is fighting back physically and legally. (The man) who must have been my fathers age...he hit me so hard. I fell on my head on the floor. It started to bleed...and I picked up my sandal and hit his head hard and he started to bleed, the actor told Dutt at the event. Read: My contemporaries planted stories against me, says Kangana She went on to say, I struggled so much that I couldnt believe I had so much strength that either I died or I kill you. And then I went to the cops and lodged an FIR against this man. But that day, I really saw myself as who I always thought I was... Im actually a born fighter. The actor said the event turned her into a badass and she learnt there is no free lunch. She said that before success with films like Tanu Weds Manu, she was seen as a loser, Ive been through struggle for 10 years, and I think thats what shaped me up as a person today. I dont know how much a success people see me as - that is very external aspect of ones growth - but I think Im a very successful person on a very personal level. And when you lose something or face failure, its about how you deal with it and not lose your self-respect and self-worth. Kangana also feels that this kind of prominence given to success and winning, creates a feeling where a rejection is hard for people to accept. She believes thats the reason violence against women happen, having seen her sister Rangoli suffering an acid attack. Ten years of humiliation, rejection, embarrassment couldve made me believe what the whole world thought about me - like if they thought about me as a loser, but I didnt think of myself as that or as what the world or my parents thought of me. Thats why I could do what I did in my life... Not just in India but all over the world, winning and success in so overrated, she added. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2015one of the key elements of the Prime Ministers ambitious Start Up India scheme, is likely to face further delay in getting approval from both Houses of Parliament. The new bankruptcy law seeks to create a unified framework for early resolution of insolvency and bankruptcy cases in the country. The Joint Committee of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, which met on Tuesday, saw an overwhelming number of members opposing a quick review of the bill. Congress Anand Sharma and KC Venugopal, BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, AIADMKs P Venugopal and Trianamools Kalyan Banerjee were among those who said that the panel would not be able to submit its report by the first week of the budget session as there are more than 250 clauses in the bill. Just three days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken about the need to pass the bill to allow smooth closure for failed startup ventures. Modi had also spoken about the hurdles in Parliament for passing the legislation. You should campaign in the social media to ask political parties to allow passage of key bills. The land bill is also pending before a joint committee as Opposition parties are not on the same board with the government. This bill is also heading in the same direction, another leader said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Indias tax system is soft on the countrys super-rich with the wealthiest class of people paying far lesser levies than they ought to, economist and MIT Professor Abhijit Banerjee has said. Banerjees comments, made during a free-wheeling chat with HT journalists, comes ahead of the NDA governments second full budget next month amid demands from business leaders to lower corporate income tax rates and continue with the layers of exemptions that reduces the effective taxes that companies pay. Nobody talks of wealth taxation, death duties, Banerjee, the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said. We dont talk of taxing the rich in any form, its all about lower taxeswe are still talking about cutting corporate taxes. Our corporate taxes are not high, they are low. Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan also made similar comments over the weekend asking the central bank employees to show no leniency towards rich wrong-doers. No one wants to go after the rich and well-connected wrong-doer, which means they get away with even more. If we are to have strong sustainable growth, this culture of impunity should stop, Rajan, known for not mincing words, said in a message to the RBI employees. Read: When RBI guv bares teeth, it shows the manager behind the economist Banerjee, author of the highly acclaimed book Poor Economics, said it was absolutely essential to bring down the high levels of bad loans in Indian banks. One area where we absolutely need to do something is the banking sector, Banerjee said, cautioning against rising default rates among big corporations. It is like giving large gifts to large people, Banerjee, who was named one of Foreign Policy magazines top 100 global thinkers in 2011, said. The Indian banking sector has been beset with non-performing assets, loans that have turned bad, which have risen due to slow growth and delays in project implementation. For 39 listed banks, gross non-performing assets rose 26.87% to Rs 3.4 lakh crore for the quarter-ended September 2015 from Rs 2.68 lakh crore in the same quarter last year. The MIT Professor said the world now agreed about the role of redistributive policies, which pro-market policy-makers often slam as mere doles for freeloaders. Banerjee, who has done pioneering work in the area of poverty, said he did not worry about welfare falling off the political map. There is a consensus for redistribution at the bottom end, he said. He was rather worried about the inadequately taxed rich and growing inequality. The Delhi government may soon appoint 10 volunteer tough guys to protect chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and avert incidents such as the one where a woman threw ink at him on Sunday. The CM has a history of being heckled in public and says he does not like to be protected by the city police, his party having gone to the extent of terming the ink attack a rehearsal for an assassination attempt. The government is planning to train 10 well-built young men from the civil defence wing to guard Kejriwal and be part of his security entourage when he travels out of Delhi. Unlike Delhi police, the wing falls under the state government. Read: Ink attack on Kejriwal rehearsal to kill him, alleges AAP leader For the past three years, Aam Aadmi Party volunteers have been protecting Kejriwal during public gatherings. After he became CM, Delhi police personnel became part of his security but party volunteers continued to be core members of the security cover, a party official said on Tuesday. We are making these volunteers part of civil defence so that they get the basic training. A Delhi government spokesperson said there was no plan to hire civil defence guards in the near future and so far one party volunteer has been recruited through civil defence but his paperwork is yet to be completed. Currently, AAP volunteers provide security to Kejriwal and his vehicle is also driven by a party worker. Delhi police say they provide Kejriwal Z-plus security with more than 50 personnel, including trained armed commandos, protecting him. Watch: Bassi refutes AAPs security lapse claim The party has alleged that Kejriwal was not given security during his recent visit to Punjab. Again, on Sunday, the party said there werent enough policemen around when Kejriwal addressed a gathering at Chattarsal Stadium and the ink incident happened. Commissioner of Police, BS Bassi, said, We do not have any objections if they want to appoint bouncers. They can appoint as many bouncers as far as they act under law. The honourable CM has the right to defend himself. Asked if Kejriwal is more vulnerable to attacks as he prefers going for some meetings without his security personnel, Bassi said, When he decides to move without the security after making suitable record of the decision, then the staff abides by his wishes. Read: CNG scam behind odd-even plan, alleges woman who threw ink at Kejriwal There are about 18,000 civil defence guards deployed on buses and at hospitals and even to manage traffic in Delhi. Wardens of the civil defence wing have been asked to train 10 young volunteers to protect the chief minister. Civil defence guards paid Rs 600 a day are trained in medical aid, disaster management and attack prevention. This government is giving more importance to civil defence and will use them for womens security too. Already there are 10 volunteers deployed in the CMs office and more will be placed soon, considering the growing threat, a party functionary said. Civil defence guards will not be armed but can prevent ink attacks and stop people from getting too close to the CM. Read: Ink attack: Kejriwal has maximum security cover, say police SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Gurgaon may rate the highest in Haryana when it comes to literacy, but the district surprisingly depicts a near-abysmal child sex ratio when compared to its counterparts. According to data released by the state government two days ago, the situation has gone from bad to worse over the last few years. Contributing to the shock value is the fact that Gurgaon often referred to as Indias fastest growing city reported worse sex ratio at birth (852) than predominantly rural and less literate districts such as Mewat (913) and Sirsa (914) in 2015. The 2011 census states that while the literacy rate of Gurgaon was 84.7%, the highest in Haryana, it was 54.08 % and 68.82 % at Mewat and Sirsa respectively. During the official release of the state-wide sex ratio figures in Chandigarh on January 16, where chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar praised health department authorities for effecting an upward trend in sex ratio for the first time in ten years, scant notice was paid to the fact that Gurgaon had not shown any improvement in this regard over the previous year in absolute terms. The number of females in Gurgaon was 852 (to 1,000 males) in 2015 as well as 2014, ranking above just two other districts Rewari (826) and Mohindergarh (818) in the state. As per the same data, the districts sex ratio had fared better at 857 in 2013. While Gurgaon trumped five other districts in 2014 despite reflecting the same figures, it had done better than 10 others the previous year. The female sex ratio count stood at 840, 850 and 841 in 2012, 2011 and 2010 respectively. So, does this data belie the conventional notion that education creates social progress? Some experts couldnt agree more. Rich people often try to determine the gender of the child. In order to restrict the family due to professional reasons, some working couples often opt for sex selective abortion, said a doctor at a private hospital on the condition of anonymity. However, Gurgaon chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Ramesh Dhankar had a different take on the issue. Though we have come a long way, the problem persists to an extent. We crossed 940 in December last year, which is an achievement. Sex-determination tests are not carried out in Gurgaon. People get it done in the bordering states, he said. District health officials said the authorities have been conducting raids in accordance with the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act-1994 in order to check the rising number of illegal prenatal sex determination cases. We conducted nine raids from July last year till date across Gurgaon district. Of these, six raids turned out to be successful, and the culprits were apprehended, said Dr Saryu Sharma, deputy civil surgeon, Gurgaon general hospital (erstwhile civil hospital). So, why does the region suffer from an abysmal child sex ratio? Cities like Gurgaon will always be worse that Muslim-dominated Mewat, where people do not opt for abortion due to religious reasons, Sharma replied. According to Dhankar, migration of males to Gurgaon is also responsible for the districts poor sex ratio. Every year, Gurgaon sees a major influx of male professionals whose families are settled outside the state. This is another reason why the sex ratio in corporate cities is low, the CMO said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday dealt the first hammer blow to start the dismantling of the controversial BRT corridor in south Delhi. Built in 2008 ahead of the Commonwealth Games at a cost of Rs 180 crore, the corridor was aimed at prioritising public transport buses. But poor implementation and planning triggered massive traffic jams and a public outcry. Demolishing the corridor was among the poll promises of the Aam Aadmi Party. The 5.8-km-corridor between Moolchand and Ambedkar Nagar will be completely demolished by February. Accompanied by his cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain, Sisodia took a dig at L-G Najeeb Jung and the Centre. They will keep on troubling us, we will keep on working. L-G might even declare this demolition null and void, he said. Starting the process at the Pushp Vihar footover bridge, Sisodia said the government will ensure the work does not cause inconvenience to the public. It (BRT) was a good system but required proper planning... I think this is for the first time that a road is being broken and public is celebrating, said Satyendar Jain. He said the government was marking dedicated bus lanes across the city. Whoever tries to block the bus lanes, will be challaned Rs 2,000, said Jain. Sisodia said earlier an amount of Rs 50 crore was quoted for dismantling the corridor. Now it has come to `3.15 crore. The relocation of services such as water pipeline and wires would cost an additional Rs 2-3 crore. The government had cleared Rs 11 crore for the entire process from dismantling to re-carpeting the stretch. The corridor witnesses the movement of about 1.2 lakh vehicle during weekdays and 80,000-90,000 vehicles during weekend. The Delhi Police have rejected charges of lapses in security to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal as misconceived and unfounded. Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi met Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday and submitted a detailed report in the wake of a woman throwing ink at Kejriwal at the Chattrasal Stadium during an event on Sunday. Sources said the report states that Kejriwal had been given Z-plus security and clarified that anti-sabotage checks were done at the stadium before the event. It said around 250 police personnel were deployed on security duty at the event, organised by the Delhi government to thank Delhiites for the success of the odd-even rule. Sources said the report quotes instances when Kejriwal himself had asked his security staff to leave him alone, which according to the report could prove to be dangerous. Quoting an instance, the report mentioned that on January 15, the CM went to Orana Farm House,NH-8, to attend the wedding of an MLAs son at 9pm along with his security staff. At 10.30 pm, he asked his security staff to return to his house saying that he would return on his own. In another instance on January 4, Kejriwal left his residence around 9 pm with AAP leader Ashutosh and asked his security to stay back. He reportedly returned after an hour. Soon after the ink attack, the AAP government charged the BJP and Delhi Police of a conspiracy and deputy CM Manish Sisodia slammed the Delhi Police, calling the incident a major security lapse. Bhavna Arora, who claimed to be the in-charge of the Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, threw ink at Kejriwal at a public rally on Sunday. Arora, a resident of Rama Vihar in outer Delhis Rohini, was arrested after seeking permission from a duty magistrate in view of the protocol to arrest a woman post sunset. Faster. Better. Cheaper. The magic three words that are seen as a sign of strength in business seem to have entered the lexicon of moribund agricultural insurance in India with the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana approved by the cabinet last week. The scheme, which subsumes two current ones, has many ingredients that look promising. However, given the size of Indias farm sector, in which an estimated 119 million cultivators battle the elements in a monsoon-dependent economy, we have to see how it fares at the ground level. True to his style, Prime Minister Narendra Modis scheme will bring in smartphones to capture and upload crop-cutting data to estimate losses, involve private insurance companies and use the increasingly popular direct benefit transfer (DBT) method to put money directly into the accounts of suffering farmers. That is good news in a land that has seen farmer suicides and agrarian distress. One hopes all this will cut down insurance frauds. Packaging apart, the real benefits lie in increased risk-sharing by the government. The scheme, which kicks off with the next summer crop, is expected to cover half of Indias cropped area over the next three years, more than double the current level (Indias cropped area is now about 195 million hectares). Budgetary allocation to subsidise crop insurance will be increased to Rs 7,750 crore in 2018-19 from Rs 2,823 crore in the current year. There is no cap on the subsidy on premiums, which has hitherto restricted compensation to a fraction of incurred losses. Farmers will now pay only 2% of the insured amount against the current 2.5-3.5% for kharif (summer) crops and continue to pay 1.5% for rabi (winter) crops. In sum, the new scheme aims for higher subsidies, wider coverage and efficient delivery. But some issues may loom on risk measurement in an activity that is vulnerable to climate change, a new global threat. Also, more subsidies essentially put the tab on the taxpayers account. Can we look at adding some of Indias famous expertise in information technology and the emerging field of analytics to sharpen risk measurement? Mr Modis gambit to woo farmers as vital state elections loom could also do with more of his love for technology. The Delhi government has informed the Supreme Court that it wants to end the elitist approach of schools in admitting children at the nursery level. Opposing a petition from Sanskriti School, which sought the apex courts nod to revive its reservation policy for the children of Group A category central government bureaucrats, the Arvind Kejriwal government said on Tuesday that children from all backgrounds must get the opportunity to be educated. Sanskriti school reserves as much as 60% of its seats for the wards of Group category bureaucrats. The Delhi high court had quashed the reservation policy last month, stating that it catered to the elite group. The court also held that the school received government grants from the state exchequer. Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade told the Supreme Court that Sanskriti was legally obliged to follow the governments January 6 notification that struck down 62 criteria for admissions, including the management quota. The notification has been challenged before the Delhi high court. The school is not exempted from that notification. Just like any other private school, it is bound to admit students as per the office order, the counsel said, adding that the Delhi government was a regulator and the schools were its instruments for implementing the state education policy. Read more: Centre moves SC against HC order on Sanskriti School Meanwhile, a bench headed by justice AR Dave posted the hearing of the school as well as the Centres petitions against the high court verdict to Thursday. On its request, the court also extended Sanskriti Schools deadline for admitting students from January 22 to 30. The court said a larger bench of three judges will hear the matter because Sanskriti had raised a constitutional issue of whether a private society governing a school can be termed as a state. If declared a state, it would be subject to higher public accountability. Poor parents applying for nursery admission in schools run by the municipal corporations in the city are having a tough time. While some schools are telling the parents applying under the Economically Weaker Section/Disadvantaged (EWS/ DG) category to apply online as mandated by the Delhi government, others are turning applicants away saying admissions would take place in April. These problems have been reported from schools in Rohini, Yamuna Vihar, Seelampur and Patparganj. I had gone to the school near my house and they told me to apply online. However, when I went and checked online, the schools cannot be found. I am really worried what to do, said Shikha Sharma, who lives in a slum at Yamuna Vihar. She had gone to fill the form for her daughter. The Directorate of Education (DoE) circular mentioned that under EWS admission schedule, the schools up to elementary level recognised by DoE under RTE Act, 2009, schools up to primary level recognised by local authorities and schools up to primary level recognised by DoE under RTE Act, 2009 and which are now regulated by local authorities will not be a part of the online admission process. Another parent, Bun ty Kumar, who lives in Amar Jyoti Colony, Rohini, who had gone to an MCD school, was told that admissions will take place in April. Though these schools were asked to follow the offline process, the schools had to stick to the general nursery admission schedule as per the government notification. Municipal officials, however, asserted that the schools will have to follow the Delhi government norms. The DoE is a regulatory authority and gover ns all schools in the city, whether it be recognized by DoE, or MCD or NDMC. The schools cannot turn away parents they will have to follow the rule, said Harsh Malhotra, Mayor, East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). Read more: Improve your schools first: HC to AAP govt in nursery case SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The stage is set for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande who will be in Gurgaon to jointly lay the foundation of Interim Secretariat of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on January 25. Given the high-profile visit, falling on the eve of the Republic Day, the city police and the administration authorities are taking no chances and have tightened security. The event will be attended by senior ministers apart from delegates from India and France. Elaborate security arrangements would be in place for the day given the sensitivity of the visit, said a district administration official after attending a meeting of the police, administration and other authorities. The Secretariat will be established on the National Institute of Solar Energy campus, in Gwal Pahari area of the city on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road. While the area, the official said, would be fortified a day or two before the scheduled event, the vicinity will remain a high-security zone. Officials said public movement would also be prohibited near the venue a day before the event. A control room would be set up at the venue and the Gurgaon police will take over the security charge a day or two before the event, the official said. The International Solar Alliance, comprising nearly 120 countries, was launched in Paris in the presence of both Modi and Hollande during the UN climate summit on November 30 last year. Hollande will be the chief guest at this years Republic Day function in Delhi. The Prime Minister is likely to receive Hollande in Chandigarh on January 24, the first day of his visit. The Gurgaon police has busted a gang involved in stealing precious idols from Jain temples across the country, including the city. Some of the stolen ashtadhatu (alloy of eight metals) idols are believed to be more than a century old and worth crores of rupees in the international grey market, the police said. Three persons, including a Ghaziabad-based scrap dealer, were held on Monday. Two of the arrested gang members were identified as Sagar Choudhary and Saiful, both from West Bengal. The scrap dealer from Ghaziabad has been identified as Mohhamad Irsad. He had bought a stolen silver umbrella from the accused for Rs. 50,000. The police said it is a seven-member gang and five of the members, including the mastermind, are still at large, the police said on Tuesday. The absconding members are from Bangladesh. As many as 25 Lord Mahavir idols, believed to be worth a total of Rs. 4 crore, have been recovered from Ghaziabad and Faridabad on information given by the arrested persons. The gang had stolen 46 idols from a Jain temple at Seikhopur in Gurgaon in December 2014, the police said. Their latest heist was at a Jain temple in Sikar, Rajasthan, on December 15, 2015, the police said. According to the police, the two gang members were arrested by the Sikar police investigating the December 15 theft. During interrogation, the accused revealed the names of the other gang members. They also confessed that it was their gang that had carried out the December 2014 heist in Gurgaon. The Rajasthan police informed their counterparts in Gurgaon who brought the accused to Gurgaon on production remand, the police said. Based on their interrogation, the Gurgaon police then carried out raids in Ghaziabad and Faridabad and recovered stolen idols. According to the police, a total of 46 idols, nine silver umbrellas and six charan padukas were stolen from the Seikhopur temple. The donation box of the temple was also broken and Rs. 25,000 was stolen from it. The police said the priest of the temple had told them that he had noticed the theft only on December 30. The priest had lodged a complaint at the Kherki Daula police station. According to him, the stolen idols were made of ashtadhatu and were 6 to 10 inches tall. Police officials said it appeared that the accused had stolen the idols when the priest was not at the temple as there were signs of forced entry into the shrine. Immediately after the theft was reported at the Gurgaon temple, police commissioner had formed a special investigation team for the probe. The force had also announced a reward of Rs. 1 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of the accused in the case. Talking about the development, Gurgaon police commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk said, This was a major challenge for the Gurgaon police as the scale of the crime was huge. We used both technology and human intelligence for the case and also coordinated with the Rajasthan police to crack the case. The remaining members of the gang will be arrested soon. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Transformers (2007) Director Michael Bay Cast Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson Rotten Tomatoes rating 57% A movie of epically assaultive noise and nonsense. - Manohla Dargis The New York Times Transformers may be the most spectacularly stupid film ever made - Tom Long Detroit News Michael Bay doesnt merely pander to the lowest common denominator, he redefines it by lowering it. - Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress So why defend Transformers? The movie made lots of people very rich. It sparked off no pun intended a huge franchise, ignited careers (including Shia LaBeoufs), probably earned even more in merchandise sales, and nudged director Michael Bays - ahem - transformation into a proper egotistic maniac along by another movie. Heres the problem: Transformers is a movie that deserves more than just and this was the best it could muster begrudging appreciation. It deserves more than an obligatory thumbs-up for its special effects or a reluctant dismissal as a guilty pleasure. It is much more than that. It is a monumental example of the kind of film it is. Heres why. THE CHARACTERS The main reason why Transformers is such a great movie is not the nifty effects or the brilliant action. Most people found the humans in the film a distraction. They wanted giant robot mayhem, which, make no mistake, they get in a loud 30 minute chunk towards the end. But why does everyone ignore the humans? You may be surprised, but if you look closely, Transformers is hardly the action spectacle its pretending to be. It is, in its heart of hearts, a touching coming of age love story in the style of John Hughes and Steven Spielberg. There is more to Transformers than meets the eye. (DreamWorks LLC/Paramount) A Mary Sue, or Gary Stu for males, is a character thats often described as one who saves the day through unrealistic abilities. Sam Witwicky aka Username LadiesMan217 is hardly that. Shia LaBeouf plays Sam like a real teenage boy, with real problems and real parents and real goals. He has no special abilities, and is armed, like Harry Potter, with only the greatest qualities any hero could ask for: Loyalty and courage. Read: A beginners guide to the inspired lunacy of Shia LaBeouf And most of it is thanks to LaBeouf, who has the comedic chops (I take PayPal. Cold hard cash works too.), and can bring the dramatic heft when he wants to as well. The best example being the scene when he entices Megan Foxs Mikaela Banes to join him for an adventure much like Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise with the expertly delivered 50 years from now when youre looking back on your life dont you want to be able to say you had the courage to get in the car? Quite the quotable line, wouldnt you say? I drive you shoot. (DreamWorks LLC/Paramount) We all know action movies are guilty of short-changing their female characters but Transformers breaks all those molds too. Observe Mikaela Banes. Not once is she the damsel in distress. Not once does she have to be saved - in fact shes the one whos usually coming to Sams rescue - adding to the realism of his character while at the same time enhancing her own. Shes the one who refuses to take a direct order from Josh Duhamel to back down in the climactic battle. Shes the one who straps Bumblebee to the back of the truck and blows Decepticons to kingdom come. If you still have doubts as to how completely badass she is, look no further than one of the first lines she has in the entire movie: Oh God, I cant even tell you how much Im not your little bunny. A heros only as good as the villain they say, and Megatron makes for an unusually unique one. His motivations are murky, but his presence more than makes up for it. Like Hannibal Lecter, he has minimal screen time. Believe it or not, he speaks his first line (I am Megatron!) with only another 30 odd minutes of the movie remaining. But yet you still remember him, dont you? MICHAEL BAY Transformers was as sacred for the 80s kids as Star Wars was to the previous decade and not everyone was psyched about Michael Bay taking the reins to their childhood. Transformers may not be his best work, but it certainly comes in the top two. How many directors do you know who can juggle half-a-dozen large-scale actions scenes at once? His sweeping and swooning camera is as unmistakably his as a bloody Mexican standoff in a Tarantino movie. Bayhem. (DreamWorks LLC/Paramount) Despite the bombastic nature of his filmmaking, Bay has an ironically small-scale attention to detail. His gift for constructing scenes and unmatched ability to create momentum out of thin air is incredible. Just take a look at that final act. For more than an hour and a half, Bay had been focusing on the characters, developing the plot. We dont even see the Autobots until an hour has already passed. He pays equal attention to each of the three major plots, working at them like a master, enticing us with the possibility of a convergence, which, when it finally happens, is one of the most rewarding moments of the film. Wed been waiting for all these characters to join forces because lets face it: Theres nothing greater than an on-screen team up. STRAY OBSERVATIONS Listen to Steve Jablonskys Arrival to Earth here Bigger directors have failed to create a relationship that can even come close to that of Sam and Bumblebee, and theyre dealing with humans. In Bumblebee, Bay has managed to create this generations R2. And how about that spine-tingling score by Steve Jablonskly? Not only is it a great piece of film music, but even after 20 goes, it still has the power to send chills up and down your body. The Spielberg effect. (DreamWorks LLC/Paramount) You cant deny Spielbergs influence here (he is an executive producer after all). From the anamorphic lens flares that his other disciple JJ Abrams loves so much to that warm old trope of children finding an alien in their backyard; the aura of Speilberg is there for all to experience. Michael Bay may not be as delicate in his storytelling as him, but the hearts all there. That seatbelt thing was a smooth move. (DreamWorks LLC/Paramount) The main problem with Transformers is that it has been eaten alive by the crappiness of its own sequels. The whole series has blended into one. The undoubtedly atrocious Revenge of the Fallen and Age of Extinction (Dark of the Moon was really good) have consumed the original into their metallic cesspool. But Transformers is still a special movie. It will always remind us, no matter how many horrible sequels Michael Bay churns out, that we are a primitive and violent race, a young species with much to learn. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @NaaharRohan For the first time in 25 years, a family of a missing man, who is among thousands of those who allegedly disappeared in security forces custody, has accepted that he is dead. The family of Manzoor Ahmad Dar, a chemist of Srinagar who allegedly disappeared in army custody 14-year-ago, offered his funeral prayers on Tuesday after, police suggested that the victim could have died in custody of Armys 35 Rashtriya Rifles, led by Major Kishore Malhotra. In a much surcharged atmosphere, Dars male relatives, neighbours and hundreds of residents converged in the ground of a high school at Rawalpora area of the city to offer funeral prayers in absentia. The women relatives watched the funeral from a distance. The human rights groups here say that the whereabouts of over 8,000 people of Kashmir are unknown after they were picked up by different security agencies in the past 25 years of conflict. The government, on various occasions, has come out with different figures. In 2012, the government informed the legislative assembly that 2,305 persons have been declared missing. Every month, the relatives of these missing persons, under the banner of Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), assemble in a park demanding their (who went missing) whereabouts. They have not been ready to accept that their relatives may have died even after a human right body Coalition of Civil Society , revealed that over 2,700 unmarked and mass graves are present across north Kashmir. The APDP had demanded DNA tests of persons lying dead in these unmarked graves. Dars 28-year-old daughter Bilqees Manzoor said it took her family about two months to decide about his fathers funeral, after police submitted a report in court on November 26, 2015 suggesting he (Dar) might have been killed and his body disposed of. (Waseem Andrabi/HT Photo) This is for the first time that a family has accepted that their missing relative is dead, without even getting his body or any such sort of informing. Dars 28-year-old daughter Bilqees Manzoor said it took her family about two months to decide about his fathers funeral, after police submitted a report in court on November 26, 2015 suggesting he (Dar) might have been killed and his body disposed of. Since the report came, we all have been crying. It was never easy for us to arrive at this conclusion, she said. Bilqees, however, vowed to keep searching for his fathers grave. This is not the end of our struggle. I will keep searching because we dont have his body or a grave. We only know that he is no more, she said. The special investigation team (SIT) of police, which was investigating the case, has invoked murder and kidnapping charges against Major Malhotra in the court. An arrest warrant has also been issued against him. Police has also approached the central government for grant of sanction for prosecution of the accused army officer. Major Malhotra, who is reportedly a brigadier now, has filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against the arrest warrant, the hearing of which was on Tuesday. A three years old child was killed and four others injured in blast at the Diphu town in Assam Karbi Anglong district on Tuesday afternoon. Condition of two of the four injured was stated as critical and sent to Gauhati Medical College hospital. The blast occurred on the day when PM Modi was addressing a rally in Guwahati. Police said that the blast took place at a dump of scraped material near which a group of children was playing. The blast took place when a group of children was playing with plastic dolls. We have started investigation, said a police official. The deceased was identified as Tuhina Begum. It was in August last year that Bandaru Dattatreya wrote a letter to human resources development minister Smriti Irani that University of Hyderabad has become a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. Six months later, the Union minister of state with independent charge has landed in, perhaps, the biggest crisis of his political career following the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, one of the five students suspended allegedly after his letter. The police have booked him, the vice-chancellor of the university and two leaders of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for abetment of suicide and also for violation of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act. Dattatreya, 68, who represents the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency in Hyderabad, is the sole BJP MP and only representative in the Union cabinet from Telangana. Popular as Datanna among his supporters, Dattatreya comes from a modest background and is known for his simplicity, soft-spoken and down-to-earth nature. However, all those adjectives are unlikely to cut ice with opposition parties baying for his blood. Nor will his defence that he had no knowledge of what action was taken against the students. I have nothing to with this incident (suicide) or suspension of students, he said as the controversy erupted. The BJP too has defended Dattatreya with the partys state spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao saying the central minster was in no way responsible for the suicide. Dattatreya has not been named in the suicide note, he said and party alleged that the ruling TRS was trying to play politics over the incident in view of the forthcoming elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. The backward class leader holds the labour and employment portfolio in the Modi cabinet, inducted into the ministry after he was elected to the Lok Sabha for the fourth time after a gap of 10 years. He was earlier elected from the constituency in 1991, 1998 and 1999. A veteran but low-profile BJP leader, he had earlier served as a minister of state in the Atal Behari Vajpayee cabinet between 1999 and 2004. He held portfolios of urban development, poverty alleviation and railways. A science graduate, Dattatreya joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1965 and served as a pracharak from 1968 to 1989. He was the state joint secretary of Loka Sangarsha Samiti (Jayaprakash Narayan movement) and was jailed during the Emergency. He joined the BJP in 1980 and held various positions before becoming president of the Andhra Pradesh unit of the party in 1997. Read More: Not suicide, its murder: Kejriwal attacks Modi on Dalit student death Dalit scholar suicide: Students launch strike, seek VCs ouster The BJP harked back to the days of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in a bid to deepen ties with regional ally Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), which mostly comprises of former rebels. Vajpayee had first brought the BPF onboard the BJP-led NDA in 2003, the year when the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) was formed. But financial considerations made the BPF drift towards the Congress after the NDA lost the Lok Sabha polls in 2004. Letting bygones be bygones, the BJP and the BPF once again are coming together in a bid to win the assembly elections scheduled in April-May. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pinned his hopes on the alliance while addressing a BPF rally at Bodofa Nwgwr near Kokrajhar town in western Assam. Kokrajhar, 236 km west of Guwahati, is the headquarters of the BTC and is the BPFs domain. Bodofa Nwgwr is named after popular Bodo leader Upendra Nath Brahma who was given the moniker Bodofa, which means Father of Bodos. But while Modi shared his vision of a better future, local leaders and commoners recalled the time when Vajpayees intervention saw the BTC upgraded to a Sixth Schedule area. People cannot forget Vajpayeeji, who gave the people of Bodoland the respect they deserved, said former minister and BJPs campaign head Himanta Biswa Sarma. The throwback to the Vajpayee days engaged the crowd at Bodofa Nwgwr as Modis arrival from Gangtok was delayed by almost an hour. Modi, who donned a Gorkha cap in Gangtok, was seen sporting a traditional white-and-red Assamese gamosa around his neck as he alighted from an IAF chopper at Bodofa Nwgwr. BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary, who has been heading the council for 12 years now, greeted him with a yellow arnai a traditional Bodo scarf at the helipad. On stage, the yellow arnai was replaced with a lilac one. Mohilary briefly recalled the support the BTC had received from the BJP during its fledgling days, while underscoring the lack of development during the UPA reign. We hope Modiji will help us solve many problems these include the issue of militancy (United Liberation Front of Asom and National Democratic Front of Bodoland), granting of ST status for Adivasi and Koch-Rajbongshi communities, and adequate relief for the victims of riots between 2008 and 2014, he said. The BTC chief also assured Modi that the BJP-BPF alliance would deliver results in Assam. We will teach the Congress a lesson this time. We will win 100%, he said. The BPF has 12 seats that it is expected to retain. The BTC and adjoining areas have another half a dozen seats which could see the BJP through. Under the circumstances, the BPFs support is of paramount importance for the BJP, which has conceded that its hopes of winning 84 of the 126 assembly seats in Assam were unrealistic. A party or coalition needs at least 64 seats to form a government. In 2006, the Congress had won 53 seats, and an alliance with the BPF that year had helped it reach the magic number. Congress leaders in the poll-bound West Bengal are mounting pressure on the partys central leadership, including president Sonia Gandhi, to form an alliance with the Communist party CPI(M) to take on the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the upcoming Assembly elections. With almost the entire Bengal CPI(M) leadership asking the Congress to join a grand alliance against TMC, a sizeable section of the states Congress Committee (PCC) leaders has been urging the partys central leadership to at least go in for a seat adjustment, if not a formal electoral alliance, and are hoping for a decision soon. It however remains to be seen if the Left, an estranged friend of the UPA-I, can become an electoral ally in Bengal in the coming Assembly polls, especially considering the two forces will be contesting each other in Kerala. More importantly, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee maintains a friendly relation with the Congress and its regional allies the Janata Dal United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Two weeks after sending Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi a letter and a 27-page document containing a projection of possible poll results in case of an alliance, PCC general secretary and spokesperson Prof. Omprakash Mishra sent another letter to 10 Janpath on January 14 stating that PCC president Adhir Chaudhury had given a call for unity of all secular and democratic forces against the Trinamool and BJP in Bengal. While Mishras first letter merely summarized the figure crunching and predicted 161 seats for a Congress-Left alliance and only 126 for Trinamool (out of 294 seats in Bengal Assembly), the second letter squarely sought an expeditious decision in favour of a tie-up with the Left Front. Mishra has predicted that if Congress and the Left forged an alliance there would be a shift of at least 40 per cent in the BJP vote bank and these votes would go to the alliance, taking it ahead of the Trinamool in as many as 161 Assembly segments. I have said time and again that our workers and supporters do not want an alliance with Trinamool. But it is the Congress president who will take the decision, Chaudhury told Hindustan Times. Former PCC presidents Somen Mitra and Pradip Bhattacharya also reflected the growing sentiment that Congress must join forces in order to survive in Bengal. We fought the Left in the past but today we face a bigger threat, Mitra said at a public meeting on Saturday. In Delhi to meet central leaders including CP Joshi, AICC general secretary in charge of West Bengal, former PCC president Pradip Bhattacharjee said, We contested the last few election on our own and suffered badly in Bengal. To recover our position we must get into a seat adjustment with another party. The Congress high command will take a call after hearing us out. However, former PCC president Manas Bhuniya has spoken out against the call for an alliance. We have experienced the outcome of alliances with the CPI(M) as well as Trinamool. Congress can and should fight alone because as a national party we have certain principles, Bhuniya told HT. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi got down to the business of christening flowers during his two-day trip to the Northeast, and part of his itinerary was unveiling three locally developed orchid varieties at a flower show in Gangtok, Sikkim. Soon after the event on Monday, the Prime Ministers Twitter account promptly announced the names of the flowers Cymbidium Sardar and Lycaste Deendayal. Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling had the honour of naming the third Cymbidium Namo, after the Prime Minister himself. PM named two Orchid varieties developed in Sikkim Cymbidium Sardar & Lycaste Deendayal. Sikkim CM named the 3rd one Cymbidium Namo. PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 18, 2016 It didnt take long for the ever-vigilant social media to take note of this development. Some pointed out that this wasnt the first time a flower had been named after a political leader referring to Kimjongilia, a flower named after late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Others used the newly christened flowers to pick on the Prime Ministers frequent trips abroad. Sources say that 'Cymbidium Namo' variety of Orchid will be exported out of country & won't be available in India ;) https://t.co/tzQd6ZgmOC Tathagat Khandelwal (@IAmTathagat) January 18, 2016 The witticisms didnt stop there. @sidin What happens if the orchids turn out to be not saffron? Jayaditya (@jayaditya) January 18, 2016 Kejriwal's housekeeping staff: Sir, which flower should i get for the flower vase?Kejriwal: Anything other than Cymbidium Namo ?? Rajesh (@RJKO78) January 18, 2016 And the fourth one should be Cymbidium Amit Supariam Shah https://t.co/RFQAn5Teik Bemused (@make_itpossible) January 18, 2016 Modiji is like, you made me sell my favourite monogrammed suit. Now this is my revenge. Cymbidium Namo. https://t.co/RA4gNY4spX ?????? ! (@Vairagyai) January 18, 2016 Some said this development was reminiscent of the time former UP chief minister Mayawati erected statues of herself across the state, costing the exchequer crores of rupees. I was good with Sardar and Deendayal, but Cymbidium Namo is a bit like Mayawati erecting her own statues. https://t.co/K06lWW6Iv7 Ajeet Bharti (@ajeetbharti) January 18, 2016 Rejecting Congress demand for resignation of Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide of a dalit student at Hyderabad Central University, BJP on Tuesday accused its vice-president Rahul Gandhi of politicising the death. Attacking Congress for taking the political discourse to such a low that it was doing politics over a students death, BJP insisted there was no link between Rohith Vemulas suicide and the Hyderabad Central Universitys action against him and other students on a complaint against them. Defending Dattatreya and Irani, partys national secretary Shrikant Sharma said the former had merely forwarded a complaint about the alleged anti-national activity of some students on the campus to the HRD Minister, who in turn referred it to the institution for appropriate action. He noted the disciplinary action against Vemula and another student was taken by the university even before the Ministrys communication to it in this regard. It is unfortunate that Rahul Gandhi is doing politics over suicide. Congress has stooped to such a low that it is doing politics over the death of a student. We reject any such demand (of resignation) outright, Sharma, accompanied by another party secretary Sidharth Nath Singh, told reporters. They noted that the HRD Ministry had already sent a committee to inquire about the incident and it will soon submit its report. Earlier, BJP general secretary P Muralidhar Rao alleged that Vemulas suicide has been made into a political issue by Congress, a section of media and some groups with vested interests. Rao, in a series of tweets, said, Suicide of Rohith Vemula has nothing to do with Dalit issues or rights just because he was a Dalit. It is merely politicising of the issue. Disciplinary action was taken against Rohith at the advice of the court and even a lenient stand was taken by University authorities by permitting him to enter the campus except the hostel, he said. Rahul Gandhis hurried visit to Hyderabad is an unprincipled behaviour and it is unfortunate that a national political party stoops to such levels. Congress did gross injustice to Dr B R Ambedkar and harassed him all his life. Now Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh championing Dalit cause! he said. The BJP leader, who hails from Telangana, said the students suicide note is self-revealing. Connecting with incidents related to his ideological adversaries is baseless and orchestrated, he said. Taking a dig at Gandhi, Sharma said he was a part-time and non-serious politician. Opposition parties demanded the resignations of central ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya on Tuesday for allegedly driving a Dalit scholar in Hyderabad to suicide, as rivals closed ranks to attack the NDA government over the issue that has sparked a huge political storm. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited the University of Hyderabad where Rohith Vermula was found hanging on Sunday, while parties like the BSP, Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and even NDA-constituent LJP were preparing to send fact-finding teams. Police booked Dattatreya, the vice-chancellor of the university and two members of the right-wing students group ABVP for abetting the suicide of the 26-year-old student, who was among five research scholars suspended by the institution and was also accused of assaulting a student leader. The five were allegedly suspended after Dattatreya last year wrote to HRD minister Irani describing the university as a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. Irani came under opposition fire after the emergence of five letters written by the HRD ministry to the university, seeking a response to Dattatreyas complaint against the alleged attack on an ABVP activist. As students protests spread to other campuses, including in Maharashtra and Delhi, the ruling BJP rubbished the opposition charges and rejected the resignation demands. Read | Dattatreya created conditions for Dalit students suicide: Rahul Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi accused the Congress of aggravating the tense situation. BJP general secretary Muralidhar Rao said in a Facebook post the suicide case has now been made into a political issue by Congress, media and some other political and non-political groups. As it is clearly evident from his suicide note, Rohith was in conflict with himself. The context of the clash between student groups was Rohiths stand in support of terrorism, including that against hanging of Yakub Memon, said Rao. Sources said the home ministry had asked the Telangana government for a report on the incident and its expected to arrive on Wednesday. A dog carries a placard during a protest over the death of Rohith Vemula, in Bengaluru. (PTI Photo) What has happened is unsettling. Students are the future of our country and it is condemnable a student has to take such a step because he was being discriminated. This is the 21st century and if a student takes such a step because he is a Dalit, then it is a matter of great concern, LJPs Chirag Paswan told ANI. A senior BJP functionary told HT there were concerns in the party that the incident may have a bearing on its prospects in five states going to polls around April-May, especially Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It has also given more ammunition to opposition parties to target the government in the upcoming budget session of Parliament. Its not suicide. Its murder. Its murder of democracy, social justice and equality. (PM Narendra) Modi ji should sack ministers and apologize to the nation Modi government (is) constitutionally duty bound to uplift Dalits. Instead, Modi jis ministers got five Dalit students ostracised and suspended (sic), Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted. An umbrella organisation of student groups launched an indefinite strike at the University of Hyderabad, seeking the V-Cs resignation, while author Ashok Vajpeyi announced he would return the DLitt honour conferred on him by the institution. Addressing students at the university, Rahul Gandhi said the conditions for the suicide were created by Dattatreya, the vice-chancellor and the institute and demanded strictest punishment for those responsible for his death. He said failure to ensure justice for the research scholar will be an insult to him, to every student and teacher in this institute. Rahul, who also met Rohiths mother, exhorted students to carry forward this fight to ensure the minimum rights to every citizen of this institute and the country. I request the BJP not to play dangerous political games with students, RJD chief Lalu Prasad said in a tweet, adding that the BJP and RSS casteist agenda led to Rohiths death. Congress leader Kumari Selja demanded that Dattatreya and Irani should resign or they be sacked by the PM. The BJP and RSS are trying to inflict this dangerous discrimination in higher education institutes and encroach on the fundamental rights of students. It is time the PM speaks up and assure Dalits, said CPI(M)s Mohammed Salim. Read | Union min Dattatreya charged for Dalit scholar suicide, probe ordered We will closely monitor Rohith Vemulas suicide probe: SC panel chief Noted writer Ashok Vajpeyi has decided to return the D Lit given to him by Hyderabad University in protest against the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. A dalit student, Rohith Vemula, who wanted to be a writer was driven to commit suicide due to anti-dalit and intolerance of dissent shown. I have decided to return the award in protest against university authorities, (who were) presumably acting under political pressure, Vajpeyi told PTI. The former Lalit Kala Akademi chairman, who was awarded D.Litt (Doctor of Letters, honoris causa) by the Central University of Hyderabad few years ago, said the institution has acted against human dignity and knowledge. Rohith Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the University in August last year over the alleged assault case. They were also kept out of the hostel. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme step taken by Rohith was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, following his letter to Irani, seeking action against their anti-national acts. Rohith was found hanging at the Central Universitys hostel room in the campus on Sunday, triggering protests from fellow students this morning. Read | Rohith Vemulas memory will endure and damage the BJP Police have booked Dattaterya, the vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad Appa Rao and two members of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for abetment of suicide by 26-year-old Rohith Vemula, who was among the five research scholars suspended by the university and also one of the accused in a case of assault on a student leader. An umbrella organisation of student groups launched an indefinite strike at the university, seeking the vice-chancellors resignation, escalating their protests over the suicide. Protests over the suicide spread to cities other than Hyderabad on Tuesday as opposition parties mounted pressure on the BJP-led NDA government to sack Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya for allegedly driving the scholar to end his life. Vajpeyi was among the first to return his Sahitya Akademi award to the government, criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking up against various incidents of violence against writers and activists. A total of 39 writers had returned their awards protesting against the Akademis alleged silence on the murder of fellow writer and Sahitya Akademi board member MM Kalburgi as well as against the growing communal atmosphere following the Dadri lynching incident. (With inputs from agencies) Read |Dattatreya created conditions for Dalit students suicide: Rahu A Mumbai-bound passenger booked to travel on board an IndiGo Airlines flight on Sunday was offloaded at Delhi airport after flight attendants suspected him to be drunk. This was the third case of a person being offloaded from a domestic flight on grounds of disruptive behaviour in less than a week. An Indigo Airlines spokesperson confir med the incident. IndiGo confirms offloading a passenger from flight 6E 155 enroute to Mumbai from Delhi on January 17 on safety and security grounds. The passenger was in an inebriated state. He was not able to talk and was accompanied by his wife. Keeping in mind the safety of the aircraft and fellow passengers, the airline decided to offload both passengers and re-accommodate them on a flight departing the next afternoon, said the spokesperson. Demands for stringent safety rules to combat fliers rage have surfaced more than once in the last decade. Although the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has mooted some stern steps against such fliers, they are yet to come into effect. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi was kicking off the BJPs poll campaign in Assam on Tuesday, hoping to cash in on a new-found political alliance in the Northeastern state the party is hoping to wrest from Congress. Election for Assams 126-member assembly is scheduled in April-May along with four other states and the BJP is making a serious effort to grab power from the Congress which has ruled the state for 15 consecutive years. Modi is scheduled to attend a meeting of the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) at Kokrajhar, 236 km west of Guwahati, where he is expected to announce a Rs 2,000-cr development package for the Bodoland Territorial Council. BPF, a Congress ally till recently, has been ruling the council since 2003 but more importantly for the BJP, the tribal party has gone unchallenged in at least 12 assembly seats since the 2006 polls. We have great expectations from the PM after our party sealed an alliance with the BJP at Amit Shahs residence yesterday (Sunday) night, former minister and senior BPF leader Pramila Rani Brahma told HT. The alliance has energised our campaign to retain the seats besides working out a plan to accommodate the BJP in areas where the BPF has considerable hold, she said. Former Congress health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, now the BJPs poll campaign manager, said the political understanding with BPF has instilled confidence that the alliance will sweep the assembly election. The BPF, incidentally, was an NDA constituent before Sarma weaned it away ahead of the 2006 assembly polls. The BPF won 11 seats that year while the BJP won only five seats. The Congress landslide victory in 2011 made the BPF reduntant. The latter broke off the alliance in 2014, indicating that it was gravitating back to the BJP. While the BJP was upbeat about the alliance, chief minister Tarun Gogoi tried to rub it in. I have never seen a PM attending a meeting of a different political party. We had an alliance with BPF, but I as a CM did not need to attend its political meeting. This gives the impression that Modi and BJP are nervous and not at all confident of winning the election, he said. The Congress has also plastered the state with cartoons ridiculing Modi ahead of his trip, upping the ante in high-stakes battle for both parties. Aahise sapunor sadagor gagan fola bhashonere pratisruti diboloitenga aam punor besiboloi? taunted one of the posters bearing a caricature of Modi. These Assamese phrases translate into: The dream merchant is coming to pierce the sky with lofty promiseswill he sell you sour mangoes again? Himanta Biswa Sarma described it as cheap campaign and said the Congress has brought in a new culture of abuse. Buoyed by its 2014 Lok Sabha election performance it won seven of 14 constituencies the BJP had earlier set its sights on winning 84 seats in Assam. But the electoral loss in Bihar made it set a more realistic target with help from like-minded parties. The PMs programme on Tuesday also includes a Yuva Mahashakti Samaroh aimed at mustering support from voters aged 18-39 years, a sizeable force likely to be a deciding factor in the election. Modiji is expected to reach out to the youths of Assam and the rest of the northeast with his plans and schemes such as Startup India aimed at enterprising young people, a BJP spokesperson said. The PM would also be interacting with students of IIT, NIT and other central institutes at IIT Guwahati later in the day. Read: Congress launches cartoon blitzkrieg to take on PM Modi in Assam The late implementation of the Supreme Court ruling banning manual scavenging has resulted in yet another tragedy with four people dying after inhaling poisonous gases when they were working in drainage pits and sewage tank of a private hotel chain at Karapakkam near Thoraipakkam in South Chennai on Tuesday morning. The four were hired by the private hotel chain to clean its sewage tanks and pits. Kancheepuram District administration officials denied any responsibility saying that it was the hotel that had hired the four labourers, and not the state. An investigation is underway, but so far no arrests have been made. The fire department personnel had taken out the four bodies and they will be sent to the government hospital at Royapetta for a post mortem examination. The practice of manual scavenging is officially banned, but it is still frequently practiced. The Supreme Court had in a 2014 direction ordered all state governments to ban manual scavenging. So far nearly 200 people have lost their lives when cleaning sewage pits and drainage systems in Tamil Nadu. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Hundreds of students are angrily protesting the death of a Dalit student who, along with four others, was barred from using some facilities at his university in Hyderabad. The protesters accused Hyderabad Universitys vice chancellor along with a government minister of unfairly demanding punishment for the five lower-caste students after they clashed last year with a group of students supporting the governing Hindu nationalist party. Police are investigating whether the officials had any role in the 26-year-old students death, which they say was a suicide. While several students were seen protesting outside Mumbai University on Tuesday morning, FTII students in Pune began a one-day hunger striket o express solidarity with students of Hyderabad University. Dalit Scholar suicide case: Students protest outside university of Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/VMpfOgEHvn ANI (@ANI_news) January 19, 2016 Fresh protests in Mumbai with students demanding the resignation of minister of state for labour and employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Sushil Kumar. (ANI) Police use water canon to disperse members of various student organisations during a protest in front of HRD ministry office at Shashtri Bhawan, demanding to sack the vice chancellor of Hyderabad Central University. (Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times) Fresh protests erupted on the University of Hyderabad campus over the suicide of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar even as members of a social outfit tried to hold a demonstration outside the residence of Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been accused in the suicide case. (Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times) Police detain girl students during a protest against the ministry of human resource development in New Delhi over the suicide of a PhD scholar Rohith Vemula at University of Hyderabad. (PTI) Union human resource and development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani had on Monday refused any intervention by the government in the suicide of the Dalit scholar as several groups demonstrated outside her ministry to vent their ire over the incident. (PTI) Students staging a protest over the death of Rohith Vemula, a doctorate student at the Hyderabad Central University who was found hanging in a hostel room, in Hyderabad on Monday. (PTI) Police detained eight students overnight Tuesday following day-long protests on Monday. The students of the University of Hyderabad also protest in the campus demanding action against vice-chancellor Appa Rao, minister of state for labour and employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Sushil Kumar. (PTI) Police detain a girl student during a protest against the ministry of human resource development in New Delhi. (PTI) The suicide has triggered protests from students even as Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the VC were named in an FIR in this regard. ( Hindustan Times) India is behaving like China in going after foreign aid and advocacy groups such as Greenpeace, top MIT economist Abhijit Banerjee has said, calling New Delhis fears unfounded and rooted in paranoia. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has cracked down on about 9,000 NGOs that receive foreign funding, saying these groups had either violated foreign exchange rules or are running campaigns inimical to the countrys financial health. Civil society groups such as Greenpeace, which has run afoul of the authorities, have accused the government of trying to shut out dissent. This is largely a spurious fear that this (advocacy) is being manipulated from somewhere else, advocacy manipulated from Washington or London thats being used as the intellectual excuse, Banerjee said. We are imitating China. Most other countries are much less hostile to aid. Cracking down on foreign aid agencies is not a recent phenomenon. During the previous UPA regime of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, organizations like Department of International Development the official aid agency of the UK government had to face the brunt of such scrutiny. It seems this is foreign ministry paranoia of a certain kind which has no basis in our political economy Greenpeaces message we dont want to hear, but there are 20 other groups with the same message and we can domestically produce it. There is just no reason to think we can control it, but we can absorb all of them. Following the ink attack on Delhi Chief Minister on Arvind Kejriwal at Chatrasal stadium , the Aam Aadmi Party believes the entire episode was part of a much larger conspiracy to murder the CM. Aap log iss baat ka intazaar kar rahein hai ki Arvindji ka katl ho jaye?... Bada rehearsal kiya ja raha hai. Test kiya ja raha hai (Are you guys are waiting for Arvind Kejriwal to be killed?... Big rehearsals are taking place, tests are being conducted), AAP leader Ashutosh said on Tuesday. He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is answerable as the police is working under him. Delhi Police is not concerned about the safety of Arvind Kejriwal. There may be conspiracy to kill him and this is not the first time when Kejriwal is being attacked, Ashutosh while addressing media on Tuesday. Moreover, with reports emerging that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals PA had asked police personnel to step down from the dais a short while before ink was thrown at him, AAP also said that it is the duty of the security personnel to offer complete security cover to the Chief Minister irrespective of what anyone says. AAP leader and former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti squarely blamed the police for ink attack on Kejriwal and said that they had failed in their duty. One thing is clear that security officials were not present there when the incident took place. We do not know that on whose instructions they were not there. It is very surprising that they (police), who do not listen to even Kejriwal, listened to his PA, Bharti was quoted as saying by ANI. Meanwhile, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi on Monday rubbished AAPs accusation that he was part of a conspiracy behind the ink attack and said that there was no security lapse. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had alleged that the ink attack on Kejriwal was orchestrated by none other but the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre. Sisodia also claimed that the BJP scripted the attack on Kejriwal with the help of Delhi Police, which work under the Centre. Sisodia termed the attack as major security lapse and alleged that the conspirators could also kill AAP leaders and Cabinet Ministers. The incident took place at an event when Kejriwal was expressing his gratitude to the people of Delhi for making the odd-even formula a success. The woman Bhavna Arora, who belongs to the Aam Aadmi Sena, rushed close to the dais and threw ink at Kejriwal. She was immediately detained by the police. Virtually kicking off the BJPs election campaign in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday came down heavily on the Congress and his predecessor Manmohan Singh for failing the state. A state that gave a PM for 10 years should have been problem-free. But Assam is drowned in problems, Modi said while addressing a rally of the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), a regional party with which the BJP forged an electoral alliance on Sunday. Modi was referring to Singh, a Rajya Sabha member from Assam since 1991. The election to Assams 126-member assembly is scheduled in April-May. The Congress has failed to provide any solution to problems despite ruling Assam for 15 years, 10 of them under a PM from the state. They did not work for 15 years but expect me to do all the work in 15 months. Isnt that a bit too much? Modi asked a sizeable crowd at Bodofa Nwjwr near Kokrajhar town, 236 km west of Guwahati. The PM began his address by greeting the crowd in the Bodo language and apologising for the delay in his arrival from Sikkims capital Gangtok. Sorry to keep you waiting, but I havent been late enough for you to be deprived of development and your rights. He said his visit to Kokrajhar headquarters of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) was inspired by the renewal of the BJPs friendship with the BPF. The BPF was an ally of the NDA since the creation of the BTC in 2003, but it befriended the Congress to rule Assam together from 2006 to 2014. Hagrama Mohilary (BPF chief) and other leaders came to my house a few days ago and they poured their hearts out seeking a development package. We will show we have a big heart in providing what you deserve, just as you have a big heart in taking us along, the PM said. Modi also took a dig at chief minister Tarun Gogoi for lampooning him with a series of posters. A person who should have been explaining his failures during 15 years of reign is asking questions. The Congress, he said, has only made false promises. The only thing it has managed to do is betray you. Modi asserted that the Northeast had a special place in his heart, and it was the reason why central ministers and officials were sent to the region regularly to monitor how money meant for development of the region was spent. I have a three-point agenda development, development and development. Our focus is on Act East, to integrate this region in the development journey. And to ensure development, we are building roads, railways and waterways, he said. But, he pointed out, funds need to reach the right places. In this context, he cited former PM Rajiv Gandhi. Rajivji said only 15 paise out of every rupee released by Delhi reaches a village. The Congress knows because it ruled for 60 years. And I am told the money budgeted for BTC goes somewhere else. Do you know where it goes? he said. The PM concluded his address by insisting his government was going in the right direction with issues such as granting ST status to six communities in Assam and providing a R1,000-crore development package for the BTC. He also outlined a slew of projects for improving connectivity in the Northeast. The BPF has been ruling the council since 2003. More importantly for the BJP, the tribal party has gone unchallenged in at least 12 assembly seats since the 2006 assembly polls. The BPF won 11 seats in 2006, exactly the number the 53-seat Congress needed to rule for the second successive term. The Congresss landslide victory in 2011 made the BPF redundant. The latter broke the alliance in 2014, indicating it was gravitating back to the BJP. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A total of 35 operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), including its founder Masood Azhar, have been detained by Pakistani authorities but there has been no other progress in the investigation into the Pathankot attack, sources said on Tuesday. Police officials said that apart from raids conducted last week on seminaries in Punjab, no more action has been taken by authorities to extend their sweep to other provinces where the JeM is active. Officials also said they were told not to go after JeM seminaries in Sindh and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. No charge-sheet has been framed so far and those who have been detained will have to be released within 60 days if prosecutors do not come up with evidence against the JeM operatives, sources said. The Inter-Services Intelligence agency appears to have taken a step back after initially handling the detentions. This is being seen by some as a clear indicator that the detained people will be released soon. The JeM operatives were held by counter-terrorism police and intelligence agencies following Islamabads commitment to nab perpetrators of the attack on the Indian airbase. There is also confusion over who has custody of Azhar and whether he has actually been arrested. India has accused Azhar of masterminding the Pathankot attack, which resulted in the death of seven Indian security personnel before the six attackers were killed. Rana Sanauallah, the law minister of Punjab province and a top leader of the PML-N, has only said that Azhar is in protective custody. Though Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered to send a special investigation team to Pathankot to gather evidence a move welcomed by New Delhi it is now becoming increasingly clear that the Pakistani side has slowed down its action against the JeM. This became evident after January 14, when the two sides announced that a planned meeting between the foreign secretaries would be postponed. Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikars remarks this week about not allowing Pakistani investigators into the Pathankot airbase was seen as the last straw by the Pakistani side. We extended a hand of cooperation but India did not reciprocate, said a foreign office official who asked not to be named. During a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief Gen Raheel Sharif before their visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran, the civil and military establishment reportedly decided to adopt a wait and watch approach. The JeM is emerging as the new Jamaat-ud-Dawah, journalist Amir Ahmad said during a TV talk show on Wednesday. Ahmad said that like the JuD, the JeM operates freely in parts of Pakistan. And like the leaders of the JuD, we will see the leaders of the JeM being freed by courts as the Sharif government struggles to find evidence, he added. The larger picture, observers said, reflects the tussle between the military and the civilian government. Sources close to Prime Minister Sharif said he is upset over the manner in which the army supported the JeMs operations. Its deja vu for him. Musharraf did the same thing in Kargil, said analyst Hamid Mir. He quoted sources in the Prime Ministers house as saying that the Pathankot incident has been a source of embarrassment for Sharif but he has decided not to react in the manner he did with former dictator Pervez Musharraf after the Kargil conflict in 1999. Read | Pak militants attacked Pathankot airbase, Jaish operative tells HT Pathankot attack: Pak to make info public after JIT probe Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal renewed his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, asking him to apologise over the suicide of a Dalit research scholar at the University of Hyderabad. Its not suicide. Its murder. Its murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation, the Delhi CM tweeted early on Tuesday. Rohith Vemula, a Ph D student, committed suicide by hanging himself in a hostel room on Sunday, triggering massive protests by students who alleged that he took the extreme step because of discrimination and social boycott. Rohith and four other students were subjected to boycott by the authorities of the university, the students said. Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modi jis ministers got five dalit students ostracised n suspended, Kejriwal added. The five students of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) were suspended and later expelled from hostel following a clash with leaders of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). ASA alleged that the action was taken against them after Union minister for labour Bandaru Dattatreya wrote a letter to Union minister for Human Resources Development Smriti Irani. Md. Salim, politburo member of the CPI(M) told Hindustan Times Modi must speak up and announce what he plans to do to stop such discrimination against Dalit students at institutes of higher education. We have seen how Dalits are discriminated in villages, schools and other places. But the BJP and the RSS are trying to inflict this dangerous discrimination even in higher education institutes and encroach on the fundamental rights of students. It is time the PM must speak up and assure the Dalits. why is he still maintaining silence? Salim said. The party is likely to send a high-level delegation to the university soon, he said. The police on Monday booked a case against Dattatreya, vice-chancellor Appa Rao and two BJP leaders for abetment of suicide and violation of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act. A two-member team will arrive in Hyderabad to probe the incident. Read: Fresh protests erupt in Hyderabad over Dalit scholars suicide Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday accused the centre government of not doing much for return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley. Much was expected of the current government where all others were accused of paying only lip service but nothing changed, Omar wrote on Twitter on the 26th anniversary of exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley. Much was expected of the current government where all others were accused of paying only lip service but nothing changed #KPExodusDay Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) January 19, 2016 He said another year has passed with no progress in bringing back the displaced Kashmiri Pandits. Words sound even more hollow. All we can do is recommit ourselves to do what we can to keep the spirit of Kashmiriyat alive in the hope that Kashmir will be complete soon, he added. The working president of National Conference said he knows the fear of not seeing his home again as his family had left Kashmir in similar circumstances. My family left under somewhat similar circumstances so I know the fear of not seeing home again, though mine was short lived, he said. Protests over the suicide of a Dalit student in Hyderabad spread to other cities in Tuesday as opposition parties mounted pressure on the BJP-led NDA government to sack Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya for allegedly driving the scholar to end his life. Police have booked Dattaterya, the vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad Appa Rao and two members of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for abetment of suicide by 26-year-old Rohith Vemula, who was among the five research scholars suspended by the university and also one of the accused in a case of assault on a student leader. The five were suspended, allegedly after Dattaterya wrote a letter to HRD minister Smriti Irani describing the university as a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. An umbrella organisation of student groups launched an indefinite strike at the university seeking the vice-chancellors resignation, escalating their protests over the suicide. Watch: Protests outside Dattatreyas residence Arpita, a leader of the students joint action committee (JAC) who uses only one name, said they will not allow classes to run till vice-chancellor steps down. The JAC is also likely to meet with the two-member committee formed by the HRD ministry to probe the death. The panel is expected to reach the varsity on Tuesday afternoon. Dozens of activists of the Telangana Jagruti Yuva Morcha, considered the cultural wing of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), held a demonstration outside the residence of Dattatreya in Ramnagar in Hyderabad. Sources said the protestors were arrested and shifted to Musheerabad police station. In Pune, the students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institutes gate, expressing solidarity with students protesting over the alleged suicide. Read: Bandaru Dattatreya: A Telangana leader in a crisis of his own making? The hunger strike started with eight students and slowly other students too are joining the protest, FTII Students Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu said. We feel that the unfortunate incidentis an institutional murder. The very ideology that led to this devastating tragedy has to be fought across. We stand together with the students community fighting for quality of education, beyond caste, class and biases, said Yashaswi Mishra, member of another students body. In Mumbai, students held a protest outside the office of Mumbai University in Kalina area to condemn the Dalit students death. The students wing of NCP also held protests at various places in Maharashtra while in Delhi, the NSUI and the Aam Aadmi Party also planned protests outside the ministry of human resources and Jantar Mantar respectively. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also travelled to Hyderabad and met protesting students at the university while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Trinamool Congress and CPI (M) announced separate fact-finding teams to the city. Met students of the Ambedkar Students Association, Hyderabad University pic.twitter.com/YgbPAPrUVN Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 19, 2016 These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 19, 2016 Gandhi was also likely to meet Rohiths mother, who joined protesters at the varsity entrance demanding the resignation of the VC. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, accompanying Gandhi to Hyderabad, charged that vice-chancellors have been handpicked by the BJP-RSS and asked student wings to come together to fight the communal forces. In a statement in New Delhi, the Congress demanded that HRD minister Smriti Irani should be also removed along with Dattatreya over the suicide. Party spokesperson Kumari Selja said the HRD minister has misguided the whole country as she had written a number of letters on the issue and that Dattatreya was against Dalit students in order to promote the ABVP. Be it the statement of RSS sarsanghchalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat, calling for a review of reservation or shameless comment passed by Union minister VK Singh comparing Dalit children to dogs, a deep-rooted prejudice is writ large, the former UPA minister said. Read: Dalit scholar suicide: Students launch strike, seek VCs ouster Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who described the death of the student as murder, also asked the Prime Minister to sack the ministers and apologise to the nation. Md Salim, politburo member of the CPI(M) told Hindustan Times that Modi must speak up and announce what he plans to do to stop such discrimination against Dalit students at institutes of higher education. We have seen how Dalits are discriminated in villages, schools and other places. But the BJP and the RSS are trying to inflict this dangerous discrimination even in higher education institutes and encroach on the fundamental rights of students, Salim said. The BJP, however, rubbished the criticism and attacked the Congress for politicizing. Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday accused the grand old party of aggravating the already tense situation. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress think they can simply condemn everything. They are rubbing salt instead of soothing the wounds in the matter and I vehemently condemn that, Naqvi said. The BJP mounted a spirited defence of Dattatreya, describing him as a leader who has been fighting all his life for the rights of Dalits and backwards and he is compassionate towards them. (with inputs from agencies.) Minister of state (MoS) for defence Rao Inderjeet Singh on Tuesday said that Pakistan special investigation team (SIT) wont be allowed to visit the Pathankot airbase. We hope that Pakistan will probe, may be because of international pressure. The whole nation is irritated with terrorism. So, its the responsibility of the nation to finish it, however, the SIT will not be allowed to enter the airbase, Singh told the media in Delhi. Earlier, India had welcomed the steps taken by Pakistan to investigate the antecedents of the terror strike in Pathankot allegedly by the the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and pledged to extend all help to the formers special investigation team when it arrives in India. We welcome the statement issued by the government of Pakistan on Monday on the investigation into the Pathankot terror attack. The statement conveys that considerable progress has been made in the investigations being carried out against terrorist elements linked to the Pathankot incident, ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. Pathankot terror strike could have been prevented if lessons had been learnt from previous such attacks with focus on securing the countrys border with Pakistan which is not yet well guarded, Jammu and Kashmir governor N N Vohra said here on Tuesday. Speaking about the infiltrations by terror groups through international border (IB), including the recent attack on Pathankot air base, Vohra said BSF with its limited capacities cannot guard the IB (in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab) which is a long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometers. The governor who was here to deliver a key note address on seventh National Investigation Agency (NIA) day, noted that the five-six terror attacks which took place from September 2013 onwards via Kathua through the IB, part of which falls in Jammu and Kashmir, should have been followed up as closely as the Pathankot attack. He said that the attack on Dina Nagar police station in Gurdaspur could have been avoided, if the previous terror attacks were subjected to a tight investigation. ...and if Dinanagar would have been properly investigated, Pathankot, I am sure would have been almost impossible because we would have been able to know the routes taken by the terror groups to infiltrate the IB. I also hold very strongly that IB is not well guarded, Vohra, who has been the Governor of the border state for last eight years,said. The Governor, who has also served as Union Home andDefence Secretary besides Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister in 1997, maintained that he had informed the centre about it. I think there are issues...but we need to do much more. BSF, with its present capacities, cannot safeguard IB which is long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometres almost including the border in Punjab. It is a difficult area and we need to look at that, Vohra reiterated. He was replying to a question over the reluctance of state governments in handing over terror cases to central probe agencies. Punjab government had refused to hand over the Dina Nagar police station attack probe to NIA. The July 2015 terror attack on a police station in Dinanagar in Gurdaspur district of Punjab resulted in 10 deaths, including that of three terrorists. Superintendent of police Baljeet Singh was also killed in the attack. An umbrella organisation of student groups launched an indefinite strike at the University of Hyderabad seeking the vice-chancellors resignation as protests over the suicide by Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula continued for the second day on Tuesday. Activists also demonstrated outside the residence of Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been charged by police along with the VC and two members of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Arpita, a leader of the students joint action committee (JAC) who uses only one name, said they will not allow classes to run till vice-chancellor Appa Rao steps down. The JAC is also likely to meet with the two-member committee formed by the HRD ministry to probe the death. The panel is expected to reach the varsity on Tuesday afternoon. The JAC has termed the suicide an institutional murder. Read | Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya charged for Dalit scholar suicide, probe ordered On Tuesday morning, dozens of activists of the Telangana Jagruti Yuva Morcha, considered the cultural wing of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), held a demonstration outside the residence of Dattatreya in Ramnagar in Hyderabad. TV footage showed some of the activists being dragged away by police. Sources said the protestors have been arrested and shifted to Musheerabad police station. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also headed for Hyderabad on Tuesday to express solidarity with Dalit students, five of whom were suspended allegedly after Dattatreya wrote to Union human resources development minister Smriti Irani describing the university a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. Congress sources said that besides addressing students at the varsity, Gandhi will also meet Rohiths mother Radhika. Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modi ji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised n suspended(1/2) Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 19, 2016 It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation(2/2) Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 19, 2016 Read | Not suicide, its murder: Kejriwal attacks Modi on Dalit students death The visit by Gandhi, who will be accompanied by senior party leader Digvijaya Singh, is seen as an attempt by the Congress to mount pressure on the BJP-led NDA government over the incident after police charged Dattatreya with abetment of Rohiths suicide. The party has accused the BJP dispensation of having an anti-Dalit agenda and mindset and said the death of the scholar was deliberately orchestrated by Dattatreya, HRD ministry and their cohorts of ABVP. Students protesting over the death of Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the Hyderabad Central University who was found hanging in a hostel room on Sunday. (PTI) Anger and tension continued to simmer at the varsity a day after hundreds of students clashed with security personnel over the death of Rohith while authorities clamped prohibitory orders. Rohiths mother also sat on a dharna on the campus along with several students and Dalit leaders, saying she wouldnt move until vice-chancellor Appa Rao explained the reasons behind suspending her son. Read | Dalit scholars suicide takes political colour, pressure mounts on government What has come under sharp criticism is the suspension of the students and their social boycott on the campus after intervention by the central minister, though the students were let off with a warning by two proctorial board committees, which also did not find any evidence of ABVP leader Sushil Kumar being beaten up by ASA students. Balladeer Vimalakka demanded immediate resignation of the vice-chancellor. This is not the first suicide by a Dalit student here. Twelve students have ended their lives due to the harassment by university authorities, she said. Read | Death as a Dalit: What Rohith Vemulas suicide tells about India Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the conditions for Dalit student Rohith Vemulas suicide were created by Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, the Hyderabad university vice-chancellor and the institute and demanded strictest punishment for those responsible for his death. Addressing students at the varsity after speaking to the protesters, Gandhi also that said failure to ensure justice for the research scholar will be an insult to him, to every student and teacher in this institute. This youngster who came here to learn, to develop, to change this country, was left with no option but to kill himself, Gandhi said, adding that failing to provide him justice will be failing to show him respect. Gandhi also targeted the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre saying that no amount of compensation, which is likely to be given to Rohiths family, can match the fact that he was the hope of his family, of his friends. And to those who were responsible for his death, since youve removed him, give his family the future that he would have given them. Gandhi added. The Congress leader, who also met Rohiths mother, exhorted the students to carry forward this fight to ensure the minimum rights to every citizen of this institute and the country. I come here not as a politician but as a citizen. And Im going to make sure that we fight for him and make sure he gets justice, Gandhi said. Police have booked Dattaterya, the vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad and two members of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of abetment of suicide by the 26-year-old student, who was among five research scholars suspended by the university and also one of the accused in a case of assault on a student leader. The five were allegedly suspended after Dattaterya wrote to HRD minister Smriti Irani describing the university as a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. Read More: Dalit scholar suicide: Pressure mounts on Centre to sack Dattatreya Bandaru Dattatreya: A Telangana leader in a crisis of his own making? Dont play games with students: Who said what on Rohith Vemulas death The Dalit student whose suicide has generated political waves was a brilliant man. His letter to Prof Appa Rao, the newly appointed vice-chancellor of the university who was once believed to be anti-Dalit by the government, shows that at the time of his suicide, he was angry, upset and depressed. In his letter to the VC, written on December 18, 2015, Rohith Vemula had said, Give us poison or long ropes to hang ourselves. His suicide note was far more gracious he blamed no one but himself to have been born in such a society. Even in his final moments, Vemula made a major point. The institutions of higher education in India do not allow the Dalits to study and live with dignity. Obviously, what shocked him most was the letter of labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya that characterised his organisation the Ambedkar Student Association (ASA) as anti-national, casteist and extremist. Rohith Vemulas memory will endure and damage the BJP It was on the basis of this letter that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) requested action against the five Dalit students who had allegedly organised a film show on the Muzaffarnagar communal riots and also held a discussion on Yakub Memons hanging. Let us not forget it was just an academic discussion. Yet, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) first disrupted that meeting and then set the political machinery in motion alleging an attack by the Dalit students on one of their activists. Pressure mounts on Modi government to sack Dattatreya for Rohiths suicide Since the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) stormed into power in 2014, this was the fourth major assault on Dalit rights and dignity in the country. First, the ban on the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle of IIT Madras, then the burning alive of Dalit children in Haryana and, finally, general VK Singh allegedly referring to them as animals. Now, it is Rohiths death and Dattatreya and the HRD ministrys perceived involvement in it. The fact that the University of Hyderabad administration took action after the MHRD letter has raised questions on the autonomy of central universities and universities in general. Students shout slogans and burn an effigy of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya during a protest against the suicide of Rohith Vemula at Jantar Mantar. (Arun Sharma/ HT Photo Hindustan Times) If vice-chancellors had a free hand to deal, without external pressure, with campus issues impartially, universities would not have become the den of suicides and violence that they are today. In the absence of such autonomy, there will be many more Rohiths. Unfortunately, however, ever since the BJP came to power, political interference in learning institutions has seen an exponential increase. Earlier, universities were the privilege of the upper castes, but the reservation system has changed all that for the better. Non-political student organisations with modern ideologies today trump traditional, conservative groups like the ABVP in both talent and modern thinking the creativity and dynamism of the ASA is just one example. These small but effective student groups do not need guidance from a political party to take up contentious issues such as the beef ban or to write a new cultural idiom. Rohith was a by-product of this new cultural idiom. And, he gave up his life to spread the message that such discrimination and social boycott of Dalits/tribals can no longer be tolerated. (Kancha Ilaiah is the author of Why I am Not a Hindu and the director of Alberuni Centre for the study of social exclusion and Inclusive policy at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad.) (The views expressed in this article are personal.) The suspected influenza A H1N1, also known as Swine Flu, cases have begun to surface in Ghaziabad district, with a 47-year-old woman dying of health complications at a private hospital on Monday afternoon. District chief medical officer (CMO) said that 2-3 more suspected cases of the viral infection have been reported in the district so far. The hospital authorities at Yashoda Hospital at Nehru Nagar in Ghaziabad said that the woman tested positive for Swine Flu and succumbed on Monday afternoon. She arrived with complications of breathlessness, restlessness and other Swine Flu symptom, and died a day later. SheHer swab sample tested positive for the H1N1 virus. We have sent her samples to the health department, said Dr Sangeeta Sharma, chief medical superintendent at Yashoda Hospital. She added that they also have one more patient, a 64-year-old male, admitted in the hospital, who is also a suspected Swine Flu case. The patient is reported to have arrived from Bareilly. CMO Dr Ajay Agarwal on Tuesday said that he will get the death case of the woman inquired through further tests. I will have to confirm whether the hospital has sent us the samples or not. The city has 2-3 more cases are reported so far. With several suspected cases coming to light, district health department claims that they have sufficient stock of the anti-viral medicine, Oseltamivir, which is used to treat Swine Flu cases, stored at the centralized medical store at Sanjay Nagar hospital. We have stocked up nearly 1500 capsules each of 75mg, 45mg and 30mg as stock available at the store. Nearly 1000 of syrups are also available for treatment of children, district malaria officer (DMO) GK Mishra said. However, the earlier direction of decentralizing the testing facilities to primary health centers and community health centers has not taken shape so far. Under the directions, the the Primary Health Centres (PHC) and Community Health Centres (CHC) at Modi Nagar, Loni, Murad Nagar, Dasna and Bhojpur were to have Swine Flu testing kits available for testing of suspected samples. The testing kits are not available at PHC and CHC so far. We are awaiting patients to turn up and will immediately send the kits. The directions were issued in December, 2015, DMO said. The testing facilities were ordered to be decentralized in December, 2015, for the benefit of patients living in far flung areas, so that they get the facility at their door step. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A third arrest was made on Tuesday morning in the Kolkata hit-and-run case where a 21-year old IAF corporal was killed after being run over by an SUV. Johnny, a friend of prime accused Sambia Sohrab, was arrested at Ekbalpore near the Kolkata port area by the anti-rowdy squad of the Kolkata police. The shocking incident occurred on January 13 when an Audi SUV rammed through police barricades, ultimately striking corporal Abhimanyu Gaud on Red Road that was cordoned off for the Republic Day parade. Prime accused Sambia Sohrab son of former RJD MLA Mohammed Sohrab is believed to have been behind the wheel of the car but police are yet to determine what actually happened that night. Initial findings indicate that Sambia had consumed alcohol at two locations before driving onto Red Road. Police have so far made three arrests Sambia Sohrab, his associate Shanu and Johnny all of who are suspected to have been in the vehicle at the time of the crime. However, co-accused Shanu and Johnny claim they were in a separate vehicle that was trailing the SUV. Police will likely interrogate the three separately and then cross-examine them together to determine what actually happened that night. Murder charges will be slapped on the driver of the SUV as directed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Johnny will be produced in court on Tuesday along with Shanu who was picked up from Delhi on Monday night, police officials said. Sambia was arrested from Kolkata on Saturday night and has been remanded to 14 days in police custody by a city court. After the incident, Sambia was found absconding along with his father and brother Ambia Sohrab, both of whom are yet to be traced. Mohammed Sohrab, a Trinamool Congress leader, won the 2006 assembly election on a RJD ticket. A Sikh man along with his three friends, who were kicked out from an American Airlines flight because their appearance made the captain uneasy has filed a $9 million lawsuit against the airline. Shan Anand, a Sikh, along with three other friends - Faimul Alam besides a Bangladeshi Muslim and an Arab Muslim all young US citizens, were ordered off the flight 44718 from Toronto to New York last month based upon their perceived race, colour and ethnicity, CNN reported on Tuesday. The Bangladeshi Muslim and Arab Muslim were identified only by their initials W.H. and M.K. Anand and Alam switched seats with strangers after boarding, so they could sit next to W.H. and M.K. Several minutes later, a white woman flight attendant asked W.H. to get off the plane, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Brooklyn Federal Court on Monday. When they asked the flight crew why they were being removed, the flight attendant told them to exit peacefully and demanded they return to the gate and await further directions, the lawsuit said. It basically made me feel like a criminal, W.H. said, adding: It was like I was put on a pedestal where everyone is pointing at you. I was frightened that they were frightened. It was only after the plane took off that an airline agent told the men they could not board because the crew members, and specifically the captain, felt uneasy and uncomfortable with their presence on the flight and as such, refused to fly unless they were removed from the flight, the report said. The flight took off, leaving the four men behind. They said it was protocol, said Anand. In a joint operation with central intelligence agencies and Uttarakhand Police, Delhi Police special cell have arrested a suspected militant and detained his three accomplices from Mangaur area near Roorkee in Uttarakhand on Tuesday night. The suspects are said to be associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Pakistan based terror outfit allegedly involved in Pathankot terror strikes. Sources in Special Cell said that one of the suspected militant has been identified as Akhlaq and he has been placed under arrest. The suspects are being questioned for a probable strike in Ardh Kumbh being held in Haridawar. The sleuths are also interrogating them in connection with the Pathankot terror attack where a group of Pakistani militants attacked Air Force station. All the four are being brought to Delhi and will be produced before the concerned court on Wednesday. Senior special cell officials refused to comment on the entire operations, though they did not deny the arrest as well. Officials said the teams were conducting raids in Uttarakhand for arrest of more suspects. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes expressed its disappointment on Tuesday with the pace of a probe into the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad that has snowballed into a massive political controversy. Speaking to HT, commission chairman PL Punia said the agency will also keep a close watch on the investigations progress and will not hesitate to summon officials to ensure a quick and fair inquiry. The suicide of Vemula, a research student at the University of Hyderabad, has triggered nationwide outrage with two central ministers, Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, facing allegations that pressure exerted by them may have pushed the Dalit scholar into taking his own life. Hours before our team arrived at Hyderabad, police actually sprung into action. I had already summoned the police commissioner in Hyderabad and conveyed our disappointment, said Punia. He also pointed out that police had ignored previous complaints filed by Vemula and his friends. Read: Dalit scholar suicide: Students launch strike, seek VCs ouster Observers also pointed out that the scholars suicide is likely to be the first major case to be tried under the recently revamped Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2015. The new law categorically states that social or economic boycott of Dalits or tribals is a punishable offence which can invite a jail term of up to five years. The students clearly faced social boycott and discrimination. They were barred from entering common areas, said Punia. Read: Rohith Vemulas memory will endure and damage the BJP The legislation, passed by both Houses barely a month ago in the previous Parliament session, also deems an offender someone who gives false or frivolous information to any public servant and thereby causes such public servant to use his lawful power to the injury or annoyance of a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe. Students protesting over the death of Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the Hyderabad Central University who was found hanging in a hostel room on Sunday. (PTI Photo) Police have booked Dattaterya, vice-chancellor Appa Rao and two members of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for abetment of suicide by 26-year-old Vemula, who was among five research scholars suspended by the university and also an accused in a case of assault on a student leader. Punia also raised questions on how a person can be punished after being exonerated twice on the basis of the same set of complaints. We have also spoken to people and they have revealed many facts. We have to also see if probe agencies take cognizance of those facts as well, he said. Read: Dalit scholar suicide: Pressure mounts on Centre to sack Dattatreya Bandaru Dattatreya: A Telangana leader in a crisis of his own making? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Delhi court on Tuesday denied bail to 26-year-old Bhavna Arora, who threw ink on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday and sent her to judicial custody for 14 days. Police told the court they were charging her with obstruction of justice and assault and added that they wanted to do a strict crackdown on such publicity stunts. During the closed-door proceedings, police said it needed to ascertain the real motive behind Aroras ink attack, sources told HT. Read more: No faith in Delhi cops, Kejriwal goes scouting for well-built men The incident took place at north Delhis Chhatrasal Stadium on Sunday, where Kejriwal and others had gathered to celebrate the success of the odd-even road rationing experiment. Arora had claimed that she threw ink on Kejriwal because she had proof that the AAP had issued CNG stickers during the scheme to non-CNG vehicles. She added that the same was done for two-wheelers and the party had made a lot of money out of it. At the venue, reportedly after identifying herself as the Punjab unit chief of the Aam Aadmi Sena, a splinter group that actively fights against the AAP in the state, Arora said, I have a CD and some documents that would expose the governments involvement in the CNG scam. I will submit them in the court. The matter should be properly investigated. She added that she had tried to meet the CM and Delhi transport minister Gopal Rai, but they didnt agree to meet her. To check telecom network quality and improvement in call drop problem, communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad himself conducted drive tests in Indore on Monday. Prasad, along with BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava, moved in the city for about an hour with laptop and other equipment to check the network quality. The exercise is designed to convey a message to the entire department that I can do it personally to see it for myself the condition. Even the CMD was there with me, for about an hour, I moved in the main city ... the whole idea is to ensure greater connectivity, professionalism and monitoring. Naturally when the Minister and the CMD are doing, it sends a message down below, Prasad told PTI. The minister said in the main city, the network quality was remarkably good. Asked if such kind of drive tests will also be conducted in Delhi, Mumbai and other metro cities, the minister said, I have already told CMD of MTNL and other chief general managers in respective BSNL areas that you must also visit the entire field and personally see how the network is working. Shrivastava said BSNL will put up 200 more mobile towers in Indore city and its outskirts to improve call quality. The network in the main city was good but on the outskirts, a need was felt to put up more towers, so we will be adding 200 towers, Shrivastava said. Prasad had said that call drops are coming down 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. Prasad wants collegium to study intel before elevating judges Union minister for communications and information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad has expressed hope that the collegium system of appointing judges will take into account the adverse reports against members of the judiciary before elevating them as judges. Responding to a question on how much weightage the present or proposed system of judges appointment will give to adverse intelligence reports about them, the former law minister said, I hope collegium will address it. Prasad made the remark while addressing a press conference in the city on the second day of his two-day visit to the state on Monday. In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court had in October last year declared as unconstitutional the law brought by the NDA government to replace the over two-decade-old collegium system of judges appointing judges in the higher judiciary. In December, law minister D V Sadananda Gowda wrote to chief ministers of all states seeking their views on ways to improve the collegium system, days after the apex court left it to the government to draft the memorandum of procedure (MoP) in consultation with states and high courts. On the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Prasad said the Centre wanted to wait till the Supreme Court gave its verdict on the matter. Commenting on Bihars law and order situation, he said the government was concerned about it. Its unfortunate. It is worrying, said Prasad, who is from Bihar. When asked how serious was the Centre towards maintaining the security of individual and national data, especially when several private companies had become net service providers, Prasad said the central government would keep tabs on such firms to avoid any untoward situation. To another query, he denied that mobile towers caused cancers in living beings. The Bombay high court on Tuesday rapped the state government for going slow on demolishing illegal shrines constructed after September 2009 across Maharashtra. The division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice CV Bhadang said that the state government will not be able to meet the deadline of May 6, 2016, if it went slowly in demolishing unauthorised structures. The judges were irked to note that though the demolition drive for pulling down 1,743 illegal shrines 862 located within limits of municipal corporations across Maharashtra and 881 outside the civic limits had started after Diwali, only 28 structures located within municipal corporation limits and 41 structures outside the municipal limits had been razed. Perusal of the data submitted by the state government clearly indicates that it will be difficult for the government to meet the deadline of May 6, 2016, the judges observed in their order and directed the principal secretary, home department to file a report of the demolition work done by February 15. The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by city NGO, Janhit Manch seeking a direction to the authorities to demolish illegal shrines across the state. Acting on the PIL, the court had earlier directed the government to submit a time-bound schedule for demolition of the illegal shrines. Domestic travellers taking an Indigo flight will have to leave even earlier to catch their flights for the rest of the month as the airline on Tuesday advanced the closing time for its check-in counters for the month. The carrier, which caters to about 40% of domestic fliers, has advanced the check-in time by 15 minutes owing to stringent security checks in the run up to Republic Day. The new check-in time, which came into effect on Tuesday, will last until January 31. Keeping in mind the security alert for Republic Day, there is congestion in the security hold area, hence IndiGo has notified its passengers about the change in the closure of check-in-counters to 60 minutes from 45 minutes. This is one way to ensure that flight delays are minimised, said an Indigo spokesperson. According to the rules laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), domestic airlines close check-in counters 45 minutes prior to take-off time. Last week, however, Air India also asked its passengers to turn up early at airports. While the national carrier did not make any changes in the closing time of its check-in counters, it asked domestic passengers to reach the airport three hours before the departure time. Air India accords utmost importance to the safety and security of its passengers and equipment. In view of the recent security alert, passengers and baggage may have to undergo more stringent checks at airports. To avoid any delays to the flight departures, Air India has requested passengers to report at the counter well in time for check-in, read a statement issued by the airline. Air India flies around 16% of all domestic travellers. With Indigo advancing its check-in deadline, too, more than half of all domestic passengers will have to report early at airports. All Indian airports went on high alert soon after the terror attack at Pathankot Air Force Station on January 2. According to directives issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the number of armed jawans posted at watch towers ahead of airport entry gates was increased. The advisory also directed airlines security personnel to randomly frisk passengers before boarding the aircraft- described as secondary ladder checks. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Activities which damage the environment are likely to be regulated at Aarey Milk Colony, one of the citys green lungs. On Tuesday, the Union environment ministry told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that Aarey forms an ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The ministry will now communicate its decision to the Supreme Court. As per the proposal approved by the ministry, the extent of eco-sensitive zone is up to 4 kilometres from the boundary of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The eco-sensitive zone is spread over an area of 6110.629 hectares, stated the affidavit submitted by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The affidavit filed before the western bench of Justice UD Salvi and judicial member Ajay Deshpande read, The parameters are in the final stage of examination before they are filed before the Supreme Court for its approval. Once the approval is obtained, then a decision to apply these parameters in the context of the Aarey land could be taken up. The ministrys decision to declare Aarey as an ecologically sensitive zone got a push after NGOs Vanashakti and Aarey Conservation Group filed a petition in August, seeking protection for the area and keeping it as a no-development zone. The NGOs made the move after Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) decided to construct 16 stabling lines for the Metro rail project in 10 hectares of land. In 2013, the Supreme Court had issued an ultimatum to the state governments that a 10-km buffer zone be demarcated around all national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. On November 4 last year, the Maharashtra government submitted a proposal to the environment ministry to include Aarey as an ESZ. Environmentalists said that declaring Aarey as an ESZ would mean no environmentally damaging activities can be carried out and the area would boost eco-tourism. Aarey has not yet been declared as eco-sensitive zone, said Ashwini Bhide, managing director, MMRC. Even if Aarey gets the ESZ tag, carrying out construction of the metro depot is not prohibited. We only need to take permission from the tree authority for cutting trees, for which we have already applied. However, it is on hold due to NGTs interim order. It is the MMRCs responsibility to see that open spaces and green zones of Mumbai are maintained and the Aarey landscape is protected as it has a rich biodiversity, said Stalin Dayanand, director of Vanashakti, said Stalin Dayanand, director of Vanashakti. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai police have been conducting combing operations through the city to identify six men who were spotted paragliding last week close to Mumbais coast, putting security agencies on high alert. A Pawan Hans helicopter pilot had apparently spotted six men about 2 nautical miles from the Mumbai coast near J W Mariott Hotel in Juhu on January 13. The issue takes significance as the intelligence bureau had alerted state police agencies across the country in 2010 of a possible aerial attack by militants using paragliders. As per an order released by the Mumbai police in November 2015, paragliding is banned in the city. A manhunt was launched for the six persons, and the Santacruz police station which took cognizance of the report, conducted a combing operation around the area. Police officials however said nothing has been determined yet. A senior crime branch officer, requesting anonymity said, We have been combing the area to figure out who was flying the paragliders, and if any such event was organized in the area. We are also checking hotels and lodges across the city to identify if any suspicious person has checked in the last five days. An official of the Mumbai police said the possibility of the sighting being that of balloon or kite was not ruled out as January 13 was around the Makar Sankranti festival during which kites are flown. According to the information provided by Captain R S Nandal to Santacruz police station, he spotted six white and blue coloured paragliders about 1000 to 1600 feet above ground level when he was flying his helicopter at 9:10 am. Following the captains report, senior police inspector Shantanu Pawar alerted all security agencies including the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), crime branch, special branch and the Mumbai polices control room. Additional Director General of police (Anti-terrorism Squad) Vivek Phansalkar told HT that the Juhu ATS unit had thoroughly investigated the matter and the possibility of something suspicious is remote. The nearest paragliding centre is near Kamshet, Pune, but they had not sent any paragliders to Mumbai on January 13, he added. We are still looking into the matter, Phansalkar said. The intelligence bureau had in 2010 learnt that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had procured 50 paragliders from Europe, and was training in Pakistan to launch an aerial attack, information that was corroborated by Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal after his arrest in 2012. In the interrogation, Jundal said that he had seen about 150 paragliders packed and kept in a room which the LeT described as Jumbo Room in Karachi, and that the terrorist outfit had plans of attacks using both the aerial and sea routes. Also Read: Mumbai Police has no clue about suspicious paragliders SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The municipalities in Kotkpaura, Jaitu and Farikdot have failed to construct walled garbage collection points. No effort is being made in this regard even when the Swachh Bharat campaign is going on throughout the country. Heaps of household garbage can be seen anywhere and everywhere with animals rummaging through the waste. The private firms hired to collect garbage from households in the said towns dump it on roadsides, making it difficult to pass by. Stray animals scatter the waste on to the roads and drains get blocked. Residents living in areas where such dumps exist are the worst sufferers. The garbage dumps on roadsides are an eyesore as well as a health hazard. Garbage dumped on Saturday is not cleared on Monday. In Kotkapura, garbage dumps are in close proximity to Chahal market, government senior secondary school for girls, powercom office and old grain market. There was proposal to collect dry and wet waste in separate bins, but that is not being done. The municipality has failed to live u to the expectations of the people, said Rajinder Singh Jassal, a resident of Kotapura. Interestingly, angry residents have written abusive slogans against the civic body at many garbage dumping points. Outside a government primary school in Jiwan Nagar, the locals fenced the dumping area and planted saplings to not let garbage dumped there. Similar modus operandi was adopted by the district institute of education and training in Faridkot to get rid of the waste dump. Work on walled dumping points started in Faridkot, but the project is incomplete. The situation has turned worse as the company hired to collect garbage has stopped doing so four days ago, said Aman Warring, a resident of Harindra Nagar, Faridkot. Situation is no better in Jaitu town. There are garbage dumps outside schools, markets and government offices and no one bothers, said Rakesh Kumar Ghokha, president of Market Sudhar Committee, Jaitu. Mountain of garbage can be seen at the Kotkapura municipal committees dumping site on Muktsar road. Civic body officials claim that despite their efforts, people are not ready to give land for garbage dump. When contacted, Faridkot DC Malwinder Singh Jaggi said he would get it checked and take measures to solve the problems. Four suspects in the killing of Dalit children in Faridabad were granted bail by a special CBI court as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to file a chargesheet against 12 accused within the mandatory 90-day period. On October 20, 2015, two children, a nine-month-old girl and two-and-half-year-old boy, were burnt to death in Sunpedh. As per the complaint of Jitender Kumar, the victims father, the police arrested Sanjay, Dharam Singh, Kartar Singh and Balwant Singh the same day. Later, eight more people were arrested. They are also expected to get bail in the absence of a chargesheet. The four accused who were granted bail had told the court that the CBI had failed to file a chargesheet within the stipulated time and they should be given bail under section 167 (2) of CrPC. According to section 167 (2) of CrPC, the detention of an accused cannot exceed 90 days in a case of murder. The accused have been maintaining that they were framed as they were witnesses in the murder of three Rajput men by 11 Dalits. Earlier the CBI court had allowed the investigating agencies plea to conduct a polygraph test on all the accused. However, the accused demanded that the same test should be conducted on complainant Kumar and his wife Rekha too. Tension prevailed in the area as members of a Hindu outfit and followers of Dera Sacha Sauda clashed as the Hindu leaders tried to burn an effigy of the dera head for allegedly hurting their religious sentiments, near the railway station here on Tuesday afternoon. Hindu organisation leaders alleged that the dera followers tried to run them over. In the incident, Rohit Sawney, president of Hindu Shakti Morcha, allegedly suffered injuries on his leg. Sawney has filed a police complaint against the dera followers. Sawney claimed that the dera head had hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus by dressing like Lord Vishnu, so they staged a protest against the dera head and planned to burn his effigy. When we were carrying out the protest, dera followers arrived on the scene in an SUV and threatened us with dire consequences. When we resisted, they tried to run us over. In the attempt, my leg was hurt as they crushed my foot under the car, Sawney claimed. The accused called some dera followers who were watching a film of the dera head in the nearby multiplex and threatened us. When we called the police, they fled the spot after threatening us. They also snatched the effigy from us, he added. The Hindu organisation has filed a complaint with the Division No 1 police. Sub-inspector Balkar Singh, additional SHO, said Sawney had filed a complaint against the dera followers and the police would take appropriate action after investigating the matter. He said the police did not receive any complaint from the dera followers. Meanwhile, members of the district committee of the dera, Harish Kumar Shanta and Sandeep Insan, said the picture of the dera head that had gone viral was from a music album released in 2009; and a few people had been making an issue out of it. They said the dera head was wearing the attire according to the demand of the scene and was not dressed as Lord Vishnu. They said some people wanted to breach peace in Punjab and police should take stern action against them. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Tuesday left for the US to undergo prostate treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The treatment and health evaluation will be followed by a month-long rest period starting January end, said the spiritual leaders private office, in a statement issued here. Sikyong (Tibetan political leader) Lobsang Sangay and officials of the government-in-exile bid adieu to the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate at the Dharamshala airport. Replying to the media queries, the Dalai Lama said there was no major health issue, but he was having problem in the right eye. You can touch my face and see theres no problem, he said in a lighter vein, adding that he had been going to Mayo Clinic for regular health evaluation and doctors there had advised him for precautions in certain things. I would probably return in the second week of March, he added. He is also scheduled to attend a scientists meet at Wisconsin University. In September last year, the Dalai Lama had cancelled his programme to the US after doctors at Mayo Clinic advised him rest. The families of the victims of the Abohar gruesome incident on Tuesday told the Punjab and Haryana high court that liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda had a motive behind the killing. Appearing for the families of deceased Bhim Sain and injured Gurjant Singh, senior advocate Anupam Gupta opposed Dodas anticipatory bail plea, alleging that through the killing, Doda wanted to send out a message to his former and current employees that any defiance would not be tolerated. Gupta also accused the police of inaction, informing the court that the police did not act as Doda was an influential man with connections at the top. He also produced photographs in which Doda could be seen with top state politicians. Local station house officer Harinder Singh Chameli enjoyed Dodas hospitality for four months, so how could they (police) arrest him and name him in the FIR, Gupta claimed before the court. Earlier, the state government also opposed Dodas anticipatory bail plea telling the court that main accused Harpreet had revealed Dodas involvement. The state government also argued that a day before the incident, a phone conversation took place between Harpreet and Amit, Dodas nephew, who accompanied him in Delhi. Another conversation on the same number is recorded an hour before the incident on December 11 last year. Earlier, appearing for Doda, senior advocate RS Rai questioned the credibility of complainant Ranjit Singh, brother of Gurjant Singh, besides questioning as to why he had taken Bhim Sain to a private hospital in Amritsar and not to the medical college in Faridkot. After hearing the arguments, the high court bench of justice MMS Bedi reserved the order. The court was hearing a petition filed by Doda seeking the anticipatory bail in the Abohar murder case. Providing relief to the kin of a 56-year-old accident victim, the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Chandigarh, has directed the owner, driver and insurer of the car to pay a compensation of Rs 32 lakh. Dalip Kumar Maggo, who was working in the office of the directorate of census operations, Haryana, at Sector 19A, was killed after a rashly driven Tata Indica Vista car (CH-04-K-1697) hit his scooter (CH-03-F-9342) from the rear near the Sector 44-45 light point on February 4 last year. Maggo was rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, where doctors declared him brought dead. A first information report (FIR) was registered by Maggos son-in-law Aseem Bansal, a witness in the case. The tribunal pronounced the order following a complaint by the victims wife, Neelam Maggo, a resident of Sector 49A, and his daughters Smriti and Preeti who had sought Rs 50 lakh compensation from the car driver, Jagdeep Singh, a resident of Palsora, general manager of Allahabad Bank, Sector 17 (owner of the car), and Sector 5-based Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Limited. Bansal had claimed that after the accident, he arranged a vehicle to rush his father-in-law to the hospital and he chased the vehicle involved in the accident. Supporting the contention of the eyewitness, the tribunal granted the relief of Rs 32.38 lakh to the claimants. The car driver, however, said he was falsely implicated in the case. He said charges of rash and negligent driving were not proved from the statement of the witness. Refuting Bansals claims, bank officials said it could not be expected as being a relative of the deceased, he was required to take Maggo to the hospital, but he followed the vehicle. However, the tribunal observed that Bansal had given a natural version and his confidence could not be shaken during his crossexamination. If the statement of the witness is found trustworthy, then it can be relied upon and cannot be discarded merely on the ground that he was an interested witness. Its the joint liability of the respondents, including the insurance company, to make the payment, reads the tribunal order. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Just after completing her engineering in computer science, a 22-year-old woman is all set to work as the Shekhpura village sarpanch. Daughter of the Hisar deputy superintendent of police (DSP, headquarters), Pooja was elected to the post in the Hansi-I block of Hisar district on Sunday. Talking with HT, Pooja said: I never thought that I will become the sarpanch of the village just after completing my studies. I am really happy that villagers gave me a chance. I will try my best to work for the welfare of the village. It was when Pooja returned home after completing her engineering at Bahal in Bhiwani district that her family told her that her name is being suggested for the post of sarpanch. She went on to defeat the other contender, Sandeep, by 238 votes on Sunday. Poojas father, Bhagwan Dass, said he was very happy that the villagers decided to select his daughter the sarpanch. Although I unable to give enough time to my family, I am sure Pooja will work for the chhattis biradari (36 communities) of the village. As sarpanch, Pooja plans to focus on girl education. Equipping government schools in village with new technology will be my first priority. I will convince every girl in the village to go to school. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nearly two months after three pregnant women died over three consecutive days (November 30, December 1 and December 2) at the Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) complex on the premises of the Ludhiana civil hospital, the state health departments inquiry report has failed to list the cause of the deaths. The report has also steered clear of fixing responsibility on any doctor or staff of the hospital. Relatives of the women had alleged that the deaths were caused due to the negligence of the staff and the doctors as proper medicines and injections were mot administered. The report submitted by a panel of three senior doctors to health and family welfare principal secretary Vini Mahajan has suggested that government hospitals across the state follow a standard procedure in the treatment of pregnant women. The report has been forwarded to the health director to take preventive measures so that such deaths are avoided. The report suggests measures to improve health services after an exhaustive study of MCH, Ludhiana. As per the report, there was no negligence from doctors, said Mahajan. Some of the suggestions listed in the report are high-quality medicines to be used during pregnancy and post-operative procedures; increased frequency of check-ups of pregnant women; increased sanitation at maternity wards and immediate referral to bigger hospitals in case of deterioration in condition. Interestingly, after the deaths, officials had sent 13 samples of almost all medicines, used earlier at the hospital, for lab tests to Chandigarh. The reports that were made available suggested that the drug was of poor quality. Questions were raised only on oxytocin used to increase the labour pain among pregnant women. A woman, Sujata (22), had died on November 30 at the Christian Medical College and Hospital after she was referred to it from the MCH due to her deteriorating condition. Another woman, Hira Moti, had died on December 1. Her death sparked a protest by her family. Next day, another woman, Amrita (23) too had lost her life. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Punjab government has told the Punjab and Haryana high court that there is a need to set up a separate national council for yoga and naturopathy at the central government level. Director, research and medical education, Punjab, Manjit Kaur Mohi in an affidavit before the high court said that either by a statute or by an executive order such a council should be set up and it could be followed by similar councils in states and union territories. Hence, appropriate direction should be issued to the Centre in this regard, the government has told the high court. The submissions were made during the resumed hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking judicial intervention in the Indian system of medicine, especially in the field of yoga and naturopathy, because there was no board or law to regulate education in these systems. The petitioner, advocate RS Dhull, had stated that due to lapses and loopholes in the system, not only the system of yoga and naturopathy was dying, but also lives of hundreds of innocent patients were being risked due to incompetent doctors. According to the Act, all travel agents must be registered; though an unconfirmed count puts the number of travel agents in the state at around 20,000, the number of those registered with the government is less than 200; which means majority of them are illegal The Panama boat tragedy in which at least 20 Punjabi youth travelling illegally to the US are feared drowned has brought the focus on the state governments shoddy implementation of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act, 2012. The Act that regulates the working of immigration and travel agents in the state remains a paper tiger, used merely to scare travel agents than take any real action against them. The Act provides for the registration of every travel agent in the state with the competent authority, which is the deputy commissioner. Though an unconfirmed count puts the number of travel and immigration agents in Punjab at around 20,000 churning a business of Rs 1,500 crore, the number of agents registered with the government is less than 200. Since the last date for registration of agents with the government was June 30, 2015, majority of travel agents operating in Punjab are illegal. However, action against them is almost non-existent. Other than a handful of districts, where police initiated action against the immigration agents, thousands of fly-by-night operators continue to charge lakhs from youth desperate to settle abroad, smuggling them through dangerous routes. The slipshod implementation of the Act is borne out by the fact that after it was passed by the Assembly in 2012 the state home department took almost eight months to compile its rules, which were finally notified in August 2013. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal directed deputy commissioners to begin the process of registering travel agents and complete the process by October 31. The date was extended by a month, and again by another month. The Act was then challenged in the Punjab and Haryana high court by a set of travel agents, but despite the court implicitly stating that there was no stay on the operation of the Act, the registration process across Punjab virtually came to a halt. Amendments introduced Following a series of meetings between an association of travel agents and the deputy chief minister in January 2014, a host of amendments, all loaded in favour of travel agents, were introduced, diluting the original Act. Besides a change in the name of the Act from the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act to the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act, the amendments included a change in the manner complaints against travel agents are processed and reduction in penalties applicable in case of non-compliance or breach of the conditions of the Act. The process of amending the Act took another eight months and the final notification of the amended rules was issued in September 2014. However, despite the Act that was acceptable to travel agents, the registration process failed to pick up. In April 2015, the high court dismissed the petition challenging the Act, following which fresh petitions were filed by agents in May questioning the jurisdiction of the Punjab government in enacting the Act. While admitting these petitions, it was again made clear by the high court that there was no stay on the implementation of the Act. The new last date for registration was then set as June 30, 2015, and despite a lapse of seven months, the government remains completely ineffective in closing down the shops of the illegally operating agents. A letter from the home department of October 7, 2015, to all deputy commissioners and SSPs in the state, instructing closure of unregistered agents, did not yield any result. Why travel agents do not want to register *Payment of licence fee of Rs 1 lakh for travel agency older than 5 years and Rs 25,000 for others *Half-yearly details of clients and fee charged has to be given to DC *Punishment in case of an illegal activity is imprisonment up to seven years with fine *Any proven fraud may result in cancellation, barring of firms operations *The agent should have no criminal record *Police verification of all information *Minimum size of office laid down *Renewal of registration every five years *Administrations consent for seminars and advertisements Who come under the ambit of the Act *Travel agents/consultants *Ticketing agents *Immigration agents/consultants *IELTS centres District-wise number of registered agents* Amritsar: 4; 115 applications pending Barnala: 14 Bathinda: 7 Gurdaspur: 14 Rupnagar: 25 SAS Nagar: 32; 110 applications pending Faridkot: 2 Kapurthala: 64 applications pending Fatehgarh Sahib: 3 applications pending Tarn Taran: 10 Jalandhar: 2; 417 applications pending Nawanshahr: 33; 56 applications pending Hoshiarpur: 71 applications pending Patiala: 19; 38 applications pending (*based on information available with the home department. Districts not listed have not sent their information) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A four-member police team headed by Patiala Range deputy inspector general Balkar Singh Sidhu will leave for the Portugese capital of Lisbon, most probably by Thursday, to seek custody of fugitive Khalistani terrorist Paramjeet Singh alias Pamma (42). He had been detained in a Portugese hotel on December 17 and later arrested by the Interpol on a request by the Indian government. The Punjab government formed the team for the visit in consultation with the ministry of external affairs that recently confirmed Indias position on Pammas extradition. Mohali superintendent of police Ashish Kapoor, Rajpura DSP RS Sohal and Patiala crime branch inspector Bikramjit Singh Brar are other members of the team. Sidhu told HT that all evidence will be presented before a local court through an attorney to seek Pammas custody. The attorney is to be provided to us by Indian government. We are quite sure that we will get his custody, he said. As part of the dossier to be presented by the team, the Indian authorities will assure the court that Pamma will not be awarded the death penalty if found guilty in any Indian court, sources said, adding that Pamma was most likely to produced before a local court in Patiala if the team manages to get his custody. Pamma is wanted in at least murder two cases in Patiala with the police claiming that they have enough evidence to prove that he was mastermind of the 2009 killing of Rulda Singh, head of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, a Punjab-based wing RSS wing. Pamma is also believed to be a key conspirator of 2010 high-velocity twin bomb blasts in Patiala and Ambala. Pamma also remained mentor of Goldyalso wanted in Rulda Singhs killing and already arrested from Malaysiaand was the main link with Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Jagtar Singh Tara. Meanwhile, Sikh bodies based in the UK and USA have been making efforts to prevent the extradition of Pamma to India. One such organisation, Sikhs for Justice, has also been providing legal assistance. As per media reports, Portugese extradition lawyer Manuel Luis Ferreira has been hired to represent Pamma in court. The Hisar deputy commissioner (DC) on Monday claimed before the Punjab and Haryana high court that there was no social boycott of Dalits by the dominant community in Bhagana village of Hisar district. In his report submitted to the high court (HC), DC Chander Shekhar Khare stated that almost all families reported to have left the village were in fact residing there. Allegations leveled by the samiti (petitioner) that there was a social boycott is false and frivolous. Actually, there was no social boycott of the Dalits by the dominant community, which is evident from the fact that around 1,600 Dalits are living in the village in peace and harmony,Khare claimed in the report, which was sought by the HC after earlier reports of the state government were disputed by the petitioners. The submissions were made during the hearing of a petition filed by Ambedkar Welfare Samiti, Bhagana, wherein it was alleged that Dalits were unable to go back to their villages owing to threats from dominant castes. The HC was approached in 2014 seeking security and investigation into the criminal cases registered on account of the gangrape of four minor Dalit girls on March 23, 2014. Around 90 families had reportedly left the village on the night of March 25 due to lack of security. In August 2015, nearly 100 Dalit families of the village had embraced Islam at a function held in Delhi. The families cited injustice for the conversions. The DC has told the HC that almost all the families exercised their right to franchise during the recent panchayat elections. Khare has also cited reports of various local officers to substantiate his claims. It has been stated that as per the district food and supply controller (DFSC) report about these 233 families, only 25 were not taking their ration from the local depot holder. Another report on record is that of the Hisar district programme officer (DPO), who has stated that except 25 families all other are residing in the village. In his report, the district revenue officer (DRO) has stated that out of these 233 families, 24 were not found to be residing in the village and one family had left the village prior to this incident. The report of electricity department stated that 134 families had regular connections, electric meters of 59 families were out of order and 99 families had no regular connection. The matter will come up for further hearing in the court on February 25. Punjab Congress will launch agitation in every assembly constituency for protection of Dalits rights. This was announced by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi, who along with a delegation of Congress MPs and MLAs, submitted a memorandum to Punjab governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, pointing out the alleged discrimination being meted out to the Dalits at every level in the Akali Dal-BJP regime. Even as the Dalits constitute about 35% of the population in the state, their condition has become miserable and they are denied benefits of various central and state government schemes meant exclusively for them. A dignified life which is their basic right is persistently being disregarded because of sordid misdoings and bad intentions of the present regime, Channi said in a statement. He said the funds allocated under special component plan must be released without any delay. Channi said of the total share of 29% in the funds, only 14.92% was being spent for welfare of the scheduled castes. The memorandum listed recent cases of atrocities against Dalits such as killing of 27-year-old Bhim Tank at the farm house of Abohars Akali Shiv Lal Doda, who is still at large. The delegation included Rajya Sabha MP Ambika Soni, who is also chairperson of party campaign committee, Lok Sabha MP Santokh Singh and about two-dozen MLAs. Amarpreet Singh Lally, president Punjab Youth Congress, was also part of the delegation. Jharkhand is set to get its first rescue and rehabilitation centre for smuggled tortoises in Dumkas Massanjore dam to protect their dwindling population from further damage. Frequent seizures of turtles and tortoises have prompted the state forest department to find a suitable haven to protect the endangered species from further exploitation. In different operations across four districts - Dumka, Giridih, Sahibganj and Dhanbad - in the state, the police have recovered more than 3,000 tortoises in the past one year alone. The most recent seizure was made on January 11 in Dumka district where the police seized more than 2,600 tortoises from smugglers, who were on their way to West Bengal. The shelled reptiles were later released in the Massanjore dam but the very next day some 800 tortoises died and washed ashore, possibly due to mishandling during transportation by smugglers. We are consulting wildlife experts to select a safe zone in the dam that could be developed as a turtle breeding or conservation centre to increase their population, conservator of forest (CF), Dumka-circle MK Singh said. READ : 800 rescued tortoises released in Massanjore dam die Massanjore, a 155-feet-high dam constructed with Canadian aid in 1955, is built on the Mayurakshi River, which originates from Deoghar and meets Hooghly in West Bengal. Though the tortoise is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, their numbers have been dwindling in Indian rivers - a major cause for concern for wildlife activists. Regional in-charge of Zoological Survey of India Gopal Sharma said, The population of tortoise is dwindling fast from rivers due to rampant smuggling. Turtles are natural scavengers and they help clean organic pollution from the river. If they disappear, pollution will rise further in rivers. The northeast districts are particularly affected by the problem, with smugglers and poachers using safe routes here to enter West Bengal. The forest department confirmed that the maximum number of seizures came from areas between Dhanbad and Dumka, and that a majority of the vehicles were on their way from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal. Dumka CF MK Singh said they were in touch with forest officials in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to crack the whip on such operations. According to wildlife experts, tortoises are reared in large numbers in the Ganga and its tributaries in Uttar Pradesh, from where they are smuggled to Bangladesh. Jharkhand wildlife board member DS Srivastava said, The turtles are picked up from Uttar Pradesh and sent to Malda in West Bengal through Jharkhand, from where these creatures are secretly sent to Bangladesh or consumed locally. Some of the smuggled reptiles also find their way to Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asian countries in the form of food or ornamental items. The price of such contraband can range from `1,000 to `20,000 per kg in the international market. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nurses at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) reuse syringes, exposing patients to the risk of infections, an internal inspection found. The hospitals internal inspection team on Monday found a dozen syringes allegedly reused on patients at the medicine ward of Jharkhands premier state-run medical institution. I was shocked to find used syringes kept at bedside tables and tucked under newspapers or above switch boards. The nurses were taken aback by the surprise inspection. They were speechless, said RIMS matron Vijaya Lakshmi, who led the two-member team after complaints reached her office on Friday. Patients complained that the nurses administered injections with the same syringe without sterilisation several times a day. Showing the team four syringes, a patient Vikas Singh said, Nurses asked us to keep the syringes. They told us not to dispose them. I had no idea they had put my ailing mother at risk. Reena Devi, another patient, said as the matron pulled a used syringe from under a newspaper, How will I know that a syringe has to be used once? I kept it because nurses asked me to. The hospital matron passed a diktat of cutting salaries if nurses were caught reusing syringes. Some junior nurses grilled at the spot said they handed over the syringes to the patients for disposal. However, according to World Health Organisation and bio-medical disposal norms, syringes once used must be instantly burned in the syringe crusher and those disposed in specially marked bins must be sent to the shredder at a bio-medical disposal plant Director-in-chief Indian Public Health Services Dr Sumant Mishra said, There is a risk of Hepatitis B and also HIV spreading through reuse, apart from infections like tetanus. In the hospital all syringes are for one-time (use and dispose) use, while smart syringes that lock after use are used in large scale immunisation rounds. Last year there were two cases, in July and September, where nurses in four wards at RIMS where caught reusing syringes several times. Three cases each were also reported in 2013 and 2014. In 2013 WHO estimated that two-thirds of 600 crore injections used in India every year are unsafe. It is unclear why nurses indulge in the malpractice. Syringes are supplied by the hospital. And there are clear instructions they should be destroyed in the WHO provided injection crusher after using once, said Lakshmi. A senior RIMS official said there was a racket of selling fresh syringes to retail outlets. But the matron said, I am unaware of such a racket. The RIMS administration has given assurances of forming a committee to look into the matter. RIMS director BL Sherwal said, It is a shameful if it is happening. I will speak to all heads of departments to check the practice. It can lead to a host of infections. He said there was no dearth of syringes at hospitals. The major focus of corporates today is to diversify teams across levels to acquire access to a bigger talent pool. What matters is a high-performing, inclusive workforce where age, gender, race, physical disability, ethnicity, and even sexual orientation do not matter. What is needed is a great leader who is communicative, confident, assertive and has the ability to take quick decisions to drive businesses. Taking all of the above into account, what then is an employees take on diversity at the workplace? Would one prefer working with a male manager or female manager or not really bother about who one works with? A Shine.com survey titled Male vs Female Mana g er threw up some interesting insights. When asked if they preferred to work with a male or a female manager, more than half (53%) said that gender did not really matter to them. Only 27% found it easy to work with male bosses and 20% felt that women employees were more comfortable working with women bosses. As many as 73% survey participants said that the personality of the leader was more important than his or her gender. (Shutterstock) Over 1,500 employees were interviewed for the Shine.com survey from across India. They were represented from all sectors and had work experience ranging from 0 to 20 years. As many as 73% survey participants said that the personality of the leader was more important than his or her gender. It did not matter to them if their team head was a woman or a man. Only 19% said that the personality of a leader was not important to them and the remaining 8% were unsure. Even where performance was concerned, 64% said that their bosss gender did not affect the way they performed at work. Only 20% said that they were able to communicate better, engage and work freely with a female boss and 16% added that they were unable to express themselves at times and felt that their women supervisors were bossy. When asked if a male boss was better at employee engagement than a female head, 44% said that their managers gender did not impact them. About 30% felt female bosses were better at employee engagement and possessed the ability to communicate better with them and encourage them to improve their performance. As many as 26% were of the view that male bosses were better because of their ability to lead and manage. Read: Seven myths about working women that need to be busted Where assessment was concerned, 63% employees were of the view that their appraisals or salaries were by no means dependent on their managers gender. Only 20% felt that male bosses were more practical and assessed their work fairly when it came to appraisals and salary hikes. Seventeen per cent said that female bosses promoted better pay equality between men and women. The fact that there are hardly any differences between men and women leaders was also highlighted in a study by Pew Research Centre titled What Makes a Good Leader and Does Gender Matter? Chief leadership qualities, regardless of gender, were honesty, intelligence, organisational skills and faster decision-making. This report said that both men and women were effective spokespersons for their organisations. No data existed to prove that a woman could not work as well as a man, could not mentor others; or was not willing to take risks. Larger gender gaps, however, emerged when it came to traits such as compassion, innovation and ambition, according to Pew Research. As many as 66% women said being compassionate was absolutely essential in a leader compared to 47% men. Some 61% considered innovation to be important compared to 51% men. Women (57%) were also more likely than men (48%) to say that ambition was an essential for leaders. About 63% millennial women and 61% Gen X women thought ambition was an essential leadership trait. A photograph of an Afghan woman whose nose was sliced off by her husband in a fit of rage has sparked widespread outrage, with activists demanding punishment for the barbaric act. Reza Gul, 20, was admitted to a hospital after the attack in Ghormach district in the northwestern province of Faryab on Sunday. Her husband is said to have fled to a Taliban-controlled area. Mohammad Khan (the husband) cut off Reza Guls nose with a pocket knife, Faryab governors spokesperson Ahmad Javed Bedar told AFP. The incident highlights the endemic violence against women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline Taliban Islamist regime was ousted in a 2001 US-led invasion. Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned, Kabul-based womens rights activist Alema told AFP. Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women, added Alema, who goes by one name. The disfigured womans photograph was widely shared on social media, prompting calls for tough action against the husband. Bedar said Gul would need reconstructive surgery, which was not possible in the local government hospital. It was not immediately clear what prompted the husband to attack Gul, the mother of a one-year-old child who was married off five years ago as a teenager. Bedar said Khan, an unemployed man, had recently returned from neighbouring Iran and may have joined the Taliban after fleeing home following the attack. The government has vowed to protect womens rights but that has not prevented violent attacks. Horrifying cases like this one happen all too often in Afghanistan, Heather Barr, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, told AFP. The level of impunity for violence against women encourages some men to continue to feel that women are their property and violence is their right. In November a young woman was stoned to death after being accused of adultery in the central province of Ghor. And last March a woman named Farkhunda was savagely beaten and set ablaze in central Kabul after being falsely accused of burning a Koran. The mob killing triggered angry nationwide protests and drew global attention to the treatment of Afghan women. In 2010, Time magazine put the photograph of a mutilated 18-year-old, Bibi Aisha, on its cover. Her nose was cut off by an abusive husband. The cover provoked a worldwide outpouring of sympathy for Aisha, who was taken to the United States where she was given a prosthetic nose. US presidential candidate Donald Trump was dubbed a buffoon, demagogue and wazzock by British MPs for his controversial views on Muslims, but a lively debate in parliament ended with a consensus not to ban him from entering the country. The debate was prompted by more than half a million people signing a petition seeking to ban Trumps entry into Britain. Among the most forceful MPs favouring such a ban were those from Scotland, where Trump has large investments. We do not need a crystal ball to recognise that the person we are dealing with is not only a successful businessman, but a buffoon, and he has the dangerous capability of saying the most obscene or insensitive things to attract attention, said Gavin Robinson. Read: My Muslim friends think ban idea is fantastic: Donald Trump According to Alex Chalk, buffoonery should be met not with the blunt instrument of a ban, but with the classic British response of ridicule. Victoria Atkins described Trumps policy to close borders, if he is elected president, as bonkers. She added: If he met one or two of my constituents in one of the many excellent pubs in my constituency, they may well tell him that he is a wazzock for dealing with the issue in that way. The word wazzock is an insult used to refer to a daft or annoying person. Tulip Siddiq called Trump a poisonous, corrosive man and said: We are not talking about just any man. This is a man with an extremely high profile who has been involved in the American show-business industry for yearsa man who is now interviewing for the most important job in the world. His words are not comical. His words are not funny. His words are poisonous and risk inflaming tensions between vulnerable communities. Read: Trump says Christianity under siege, courts evangelicals in speech Speaking for the government, minister James Brokenshire said: The government have a long-standing policy of not routinely commenting on those who are being considered for exclusion for sound legal reasons, and I will maintain that position this evening. However, what I can say is that the US remains our most important bilateral partner. He added: It is in the UKs interest that we engage all presidential candidates Democratic and Republican even though we may disagree profoundly on important issues. Where there are clear differences of opinion, the most effective way to influence our American partners is through a frank and open exchange of views in taking on those arguments. Todays robust debate has provided a platform to do just that. Brokenshire reiterated comments by Prime Minister David Cameron and chancellor George Osborne that Trumps comments were nonsense but the best way to defeat them was to engage in a debate and make it clear that his views are not welcome. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dresden police are searching for a man - described as sporting a Hitler mustache and wearing a Nazi-style helmet emblazoned with a swastika - who assaulted an Afghan immigrant on a sledding hill in eastern Germany. Police said Tuesday the man approached two Afghan men, aged 21 and 26, on Saturday in Geising, south of Dresden. Witnesses say the attacker insulted them, and then hit the younger man on the head, knocking him to the ground. After passers-by intervened, police say the man showed the stiff-armed Nazi salute, then fled the scene. The man, who is being sought on charges of assault and the display of banned symbols, is described as strongly built, about 25-30 years old, with a shaved head. Police are appealing to the public for any information. Islamic State (IS) troopers are facing a 50% cut in salaries as the US-led coalition continues to target the militant states revenue pools including oil fields, supply lines and cast stores. According to a report by the Independent, a document released by the IS treasury in its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa cites exceptional circumstances as the reason. The US-led attack that has been ongoing since October as a part of Operation Tidal Wave II appears to be having its desired effect as the document from the Bayt Mal al-Muslimeen cites the Koran to discuss jihad of wealth and jihad of the soul, according to a translation by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a research fellow at the Middle East Forum. So on account of the exceptional circumstances the Islamic State is facing, it has been decided to reduce the salaries that are paid to all mujahideen by half, and it is not allowed for anyone to be exempted from this decision, whatever his position, the order reads, according to the Independent. Let it be known that work will continue to distribute provisions twice every month as usual. These reports, however, could not be independently verified by HT. American officials, who refer to the IS as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), in November claimed their operations were significantly damaging the groups funds and vowed to step up the attack. US planes apparently hit a cash distribution centre on January 11, with footage showing clouds of money at the point of impact. British jets targeted IS Omar oilfield when their operations extended into Syria in December, with follow up attacks on the subsequent repairs. General Lloyd Austin, head of the US Central Command, told CNN it deprived the group of millions of dollars. Combined with all of the other strikes that weve done on Isils gas and oil production and distribution capabilities and strikes against his economic infrastructure and the various sources of revenue, you can bet that Isis is feeling the strain on his checkbook, he added. Isil needs those funds to pay their fighters, to recruit new fighters and to conduct their various maligned activities. Monitoring groups said 40 civilians were killed including eight children -- pointing to either the coalition attack or Russia. The US however admitted to killing at least eight civilians in air strikes in Syria and Iraq in 2015. An estimated 3,500 people, mainly women and children, are believed to be held as slaves in Iraq by Islamic State militants who impose a harsh rule marked by gruesome public executions, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The militant group, which also controls large parts of neighbouring Syria, has committed widespread abuses that may in some instances, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide, the report said. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN human rights office estimated that 3,500 people were currently being held in slavery by ISIL. Those being held are predominantly women and children and come primarily from the Yezidi community, but a number are also from other ethnic and religious minority communities, said the joint report issued in Geneva. The report also tallies the staggering toll on civilians over the past two years, documenting 18,802 deaths, the wounding of over 36,000 people and the displacement of 3.2 million inside the country, including more than a million children of school age. Killings by shooting, beheading and burning alive are detailed, as well as cases of people being thrown off the top of buildings. Pakistan on Tuesday tested the Raad air-launched cruise missile with the range of 350km, with the military saying the weapon would give it strategic standoff capability on land and at sea. A statement from the militarys media arm described the test as successful. It said the missile is equipped with an advanced guidance and navigation system that ensures engagement of targets with pinpoint accuracy. The terrain hugging low level flight manoeuvres enable it to avoid detection and engagement by contemporary air defence systems, the statement added. The military did not say where the test was conducted. Lt Gen Mazhar Jamil, the head of the Strategic Plans Division, which manages the countrys nuclear arsenal, described the test as a major step towards complementing Pakistans deterrence capability. Achievement of this milestone will surely enhance strategic stability and contribute to peace in the region, he said. The family of Samuel DuBose, the man who was fatally shot by a University of Cincinnati police officer, and the University of Cincinnati have reached a $5.3 million settlement, consisting of two parts: $4.85 million to be paid up front, and a free undergraduate education for DuBose's 12 surviving children, valued at $500,000, according to a statement from the DuBose family. In addition to monetary fees, UC President Santa Ono will issue a public apology to the family for DuBose's death, while UC itself will work with the family to erect a memorial for DuBose on campus and send an invitation to the family to participate in the Community Advisory Committee meetings, a focal point for community input on police reform, according to Cincinnati radio station WVXU. The full family statement reads in part: "Jan 16, 2016, Cincinnati, Ohio. The family of Samuel DuBose has settled its claims with the University of Cincinnati. Mr. DuBose was shot and killed during a traffic stop by University of Cincinnati Police Department (UCPD) Officer Ray Tensing on July 19, 2015. After his death, the family and University of Cincinnati officials have met regularly to address areas of concern and work cooperatively toward rebuilding trust between the UCPD and the local Black community," according to NBC's Cincinnati affiliate WLWT-TV. DuBose died after he was shot in the head by officer Ray Tensing during a traffic stop a few blocks away from campus on July 19, 2015. The shooting sparked controversy not just because it was another incident in which a white cop killed an "unarmed black man" but also because of the nature of the shooting and the differing accounts associated with it. At the time, Tensing alleged the shooting was justified because DuBose had tried to run him over. He stated as much in a call with the dispatcher shortly after the shooting, saying, "I'm not injured. I almost got ran over by the car. He took off on me. I discharged one round, struck the man in the head." A police incident report only added to his claim and reads in part: "Officer Tensing stated that he almost was run over by the driver of the Honda Accord and was forced to shoot the driver with his duty weapon." It continues, "Officer Tensing stated that he fired a single shot. Officer Tensing repeated that he was being dragged by the vehicle and had to fire his weapon." However, a bodycam video revealed that Tesing's account of the event was inaccurate. It showed that while there was a brief struggle, allegedly caused by DuBose reaching for his seatbelt, DuBose was shot almost immediately. Prosecutors and others who viewed the video likened it to an execution. Tensing was placed on administrative leave and has been charged with murder, but a court date hasn't been set. In the meantime, Tensing's lawyer, Stewart Mathews, has asked that the trial be moved to another county due to fears of a biased jury. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Prominent U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm Inc., has collaborated with China's People's Government of Guizhou Province in a $280 million joint venture, as the chipmaker attempts to expand its reach and develop chips for server systems, according to Market Watch. Analysts see Qualcomm's collaboration with the provincial Chinese government as a sign of the U.S. firm's determination to diversify its range, expanding from mobile chips into the server chips market. The venture, dubbed Guizhou Huaxintong Semi-Conductor Technology, would be owned by both Qualcomm and the provincial government of Guizhou, with 55 percent of the company belonging to the local government's investment arm and 45 percent belonging to the American firm, reports PC World. Derek Aberle, president of Qualcomm, is optimistic about the partnership. "The actions announced today are important steps for Qualcomm as we deepen our level of cooperation with, and investment in, China. We have worked actively with our partners in China for more than 20 years; however, the strategic cooperation with Guizhou represents a significant increase in our collaboration in China," he said. With the partnership of Qualcomm and the new entity's engineers, Guizhou Huaxintong Semi-Conductor Technology would be going head to head with Intel in the arena of server chips, which Intel currently dominates, according to Tech Times. The partnership with the Guizhou government is not the first time that Qualcomm has partnered with a Chinese entity. Previously, the U.S. firm has collaborated with Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, a firm headquartered in Shanghai, for the creation of its iconic Snapdragon mobile processors. For more Business News, click here. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A legal fight is ongoing over the legal validity of certain actions that several employers have taken in respect of the health insurance coverage of employees. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has challenged in court actions by certain employers in respect of certain specific conditions of wellness programs meant for employees. Wellness programs are programs that employers have employees enlist in - that allow employers to decide on specific health coverage cost issues. They do this by having employees undergo specific health tests and then tailor insurance coverage for their employee-pools accordingly, according to The Huffington Post. Employers claim that these programs encourage employees to cultivate health habits that would promote their health and productivity - and discourage them from adopting health practices that would be certain to lead to claims on their healthcare insurance coverage. Smoking could be an example. An employee that smokes carries specific health risks as a consequence of that, and will in all likelihood make claims arising from health complications based on his or her smoking habit. According to employers, several employees reportedly gave up smoking once they realized that the smoking behavior was a cost that they could not afford in this circumstance, according to Bloomberg. In one recent case involving a Wisconsin company, Flambeau. The employer cancelled the health insurance coverage of an employee as the employee was not willing to undergo employer-sponsored health assessment and biometric screening. The EEOC challenged this action in court saying that this action infringed the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits the obtaining of personal health information and subjecting people to medical exams, according to JD Supra Business Advisor However, the Court held that this action of Flambeau did not infringe the Americans with Disabilities Act. EEOC is now preparing to appeal this matter. "This is like turning 'voluntariness' on its head," Samuel Bagenstos, a professor at the University of Michigan said. "[I]t would make it all but impossible to enforce the voluntariness requirement for requests for medical information. In that sense that is probably the wrong reading of the statute," according to Bloomberg. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A Palm Beach County, Fla., woman got quite the shock when she spotted a 5-foot shark in her friend's condo's swimming pool, according to CBS News. The shark almost died as a result of the incident. Nicole Bonk was visiting friends at the Mariner's Cay condo when she saw the blacktip shark, which had been dumped in the pool as a prank by a pair of teenage boys, according to the San Francisco Gate. She told reporters that the creature still had hooks in its mouth at the time. "These two kids, they came back from fishing and threw this half-dead creature into the pool as a prank," said Bonk, according to the San Francisco Gate. "They left the shark in the pool to die. I think they're terrible children because it's animal cruelty." Bonk and her husband pulled the shark out of the pool and released it into the Intracoastal Waterway, according to the San Francisco Gate. Bonk's husband held the shark by the tail in the water in an attempt to try and flush out some of the chlorine-filled pool water, but officials believe that its exposure to chlorine probably killed it shortly afterwards, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Video surveillance cameras surround the pool area and the incident is currently under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Blacktip sharks are common in the area and have been known to bite humans in murky water. They are classed as "near threatened" on the IUCN Red List because of their preference for shallow and inshore waters, making them highly sensitive to human-induced habitat alteration and fishing pressures. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An agreement has been reached between carriage drivers and the City Council that will see horse-drawn carriages remain a part of New York City, but limiting operations to solely within Central Park, according to New York Daily News. Horses will be kept in a new in-park stable to be built by Oct. 1, 2018, and will be reduced in numbers from 180 to 95, according to the Associated Press. The new agreement will also prevent horses from travelling outside of the confines of Central Park except for when going to and from their stables, according to New York Daily News. The decision comes after animal rights advocates have condemned the longstanding New York attraction, claiming that keeping horses in central Manhattan is a cruel practice and a form of animal abuse, according to CNN. Mayor Bill de Blasio promised to put an end to the carriage rides when he took office two years ago and has since suggested the use of electric antique cars that are driven by the same drivers as an alternative, according to CNN. The horses currently live in private stables on Manhattan's West Side, but the new agreement means that animals not currently at work must be on furlough outside of the city, according to ABC7 New York. The horses will also not be allowed to work for more than 9 hours in any given 24-hour period, starting Dec. 1, according to the Associated Press. While an improvement on current conditions, some have criticized the mayor for not going far enough to carry through on his promise to end the rides. Elizabeth Forel of the Coalition to Ban Horse Drawn Carriages questioned the decision to house the horses on public land and stated that she remains opposed to any solutions that don't advocate for a full ban on horse-drawn carriages, according to the Associated Press. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Humberto Moreira, former leader of Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and erstwhile ally of current president, Enrique Pena Nieto, was arrested on arrival at Spain's Madrid airport on Friday. He will be held as authorities investigate alleged corruption charges related to financial crimes. The arrest was ordered by Spain's National Court on suspicion of money laundering, embezzlement, bribery and criminal association, according to Vice. The court's statement said that Moreira held "at least three bank accounts under his name in Spain," which had "received money transfers and cash payments" amounting to more than 200,000 (EUR) while living in Barcelona, the Associated Press explained on Friday. In the statement, Judge Jose de la Mata said that intercepted conversations involving Moreira reveal that his explanations that the money came from routine operations of two Mexican companies he owns, Unipolares and Espectacular del Norte y Negocios, were inadequate, according to the Wall Street Journal. Moreira served as Coahuila's governor from 2005 until 2011. In 2012, before ending his term, he resigned as leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party when it was revealed that the states' debt had risen from $27 million to $3 billion under his watch, according to the Associated Press. In 2014, Moreira was accused of money laundering and embezzlement in a U.S. court following an investigation conducted by two journalists. While Moreira has denied the accusations, in 2014, his former finance secretary pleaded guilty in Texas to money laundering, and Jorge Torres Lopez, who replaced Moreira as interim governor, is also wanted in the U.S. on suspicion of embezzlement, Vice explains. Moreira has been living in Barcelona since the death of his son, Jose Eduardo, in 2012. He has claimed that his son's death was ordered by Mexico's violent Zetas drug cartel, as the Wall Street Journal explains. The court says that Moreira has three days to appeal its ruling, as the Latin Correspondent reports. He could face up to six years in prison. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. It is feared that concern about the Zika virus could imperil some parts of Brazil's tourism, sport and cultural sectors. There are at least two events scheduled for the next few months that are expected to bring in a large number of foreign tourists. The first is the annual Carnival event, and the second is the Olympic Games scheduled for August, according to The Guardian. Carnival has been on Brazil's tourism map and calendar for many years now. Last year, the event brought in nearly 1.5 million tourists from outside of Brazil. This year, organizers expect at least that many people to attend the event, if not more. And reports about reservations in area hotels (that host the large number of tourists during Carnival) suggest that at least as many people that came last year may come this year as well. What's more, no large-scale cancellations were taking place as many people had feared, according to The Rio Times. The Olympic Games are scheduled to be held in Rio de Janeiro, and an estimated 500,000 tourists are expected to travel to watch the event. Brazilian officials say that August is a month that is not very supportive of mosquito reproduction and mosquito populations do not flourish during this month. Also, many cities are now seeing mosquito-eradication measures being executed. Zika is spread by mosquitoes, as previously reported by HNGN. Brazil's health officials warn people traveling to Brazil and those planning to stay there to ensure that they bring insect repellents and other aids (such as mosquito nets or liquid or solid repellants) to fight mosquito bites while in Brazil. They also recommend that people wear long sleeves to ensure their arms don't get bitten. In particular, though, they have a specific warning for pregnant women wanting to visit Brazil. They recommend that pregnant women should consult their doctors and discuss their proposed travel before deciding on their Brazil travel plans, according to Reuters. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New Jersey EMS official: Captain, Eskil "Scott" Danielson died of a heart attack just hours after he responded to a car accident call which involved his own 19-year-old daughter, Alycia Danielson. Scott Danielson, who served his New Jersey community as a civil servant for over thirty years, responded to the call just after 3:30 p.m on Saturday afternoon and while he was on his way to the scene he was informed by his daughter of her involvement in the accident. After he helped treat his daughter, and the other occupant of the other vehicle, Scott Danielson drove to Newton Medical Center to check on her, according to Inside Edition. While Danielson was in the waiting room he complained of back pains and suffered a massive heart attack. He was airlifted just after 4:30 p.m to nearby Morristown Medical Center. At 8:30 p.m however, he was pronounced dead. "They were hoping to do a medical procedure, but ultimately his heart wasn't strong enough anymore." Scott Danielson's brother, Eric Danielson, told Inside Edition. Danielson's daughter was released from hospital that same day after being treated for minor injuries. Alycia Danielson posted a message to her father on Facebook, the New York Daily News reports. The heartwrenching message reads: "I love you so much, daddy. I'll take good care of mom, I promise. Please watch over us." Danielson also leaves behind his wife Tammy and his two other children, 28-year-old Aaron, a member of the U.S air force, and 21-year-old Amanda. Eskil "Scott" Danielson was 49-years-old. Calling hours will take place on Wednesday, January 20 from 2 p.m to 4 p.m and from 6 p.m to 9 p.m in Hackettstown NJ at the Cochran funeral home, according to the New Jersey Herald; and a funeral service will be held on Thursday January 21 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Lakeland Emergency Squad. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump compared himself on Monday to Ronald Reagan and said that he would be a much better candidate for evangelical Christians than 2016 rival Ted Cruz - an apparent move to pull the Texas senator's base to his camp of supporters. "Well, number one, and there are lots of ways of looking at it, but beyond all else, Ronald Reagan wasnt a totally - he didnt read the Bible every day, seven days a week. But, he was a great president. And he was a great president for Christianity," Trump told CBN News' "The Brody File" on Monday when asked how he would appeal to evangelicals and still differentiate himself from Cruz. He added: "And frankly, I would say that I would be a far better leader. I will be much stronger on borders. I will be much stronger in protecting the evangelicals. Ill be much, much stronger in protecting our country. And I think Ill be a much better person for evangelicals but also for everybody else." Earlier in the day, Trump spoke to 13,000 people at Liberty University, the evangelical Christian college founded by Jerry Falwell, where he pitched himself as a protector of Christianity and evangelical Christians, in particular. Were going to go right through the whole group, and I think we can do something really special. And were going to protect Christianity. And I can say that. I dont have to be politically correct. Were going to protect it, Trump said, according to Yahoo! News. I hear this is a major theme right here." Jerry Fallwell Jr., appeared to give his blessing to Trump, although the university cannot, by law, endorse candidates. "Donald Trump is a breath of fresh air," Falwell said, according to CNN, adding, "the American public is finally ready to elect a candidate who is not a career politician but rather who has succeeded in real life." For his part, Cruz, who has held the support of evangelical Christians, hit Trump over his new-found conservatism. "I'm pretty sure that Ronald Reagan didn't write checks and support Democratic politicians," Cruz told reporters in New Hampshire, according to Politico. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Fench carmaker Groupe Renault has announced that it plans to recall 15,800 vehicles due to a pollution filter that isn't working correctly, Bloomberg reports. The vehicle affected by the recall is the Captur SUV. Production for these cars began in July, the filter problem being found in September, and it was addressed and fixed. The recall for these cars began in December. Earlier this week, French investigators went into Renault's headquarters outside of Paris on suspicion of fraud, according to the Verge. Many carmakers have recently been installing software that allows them to effectively cheat on their emissions tests, and authorities believed Renault to be doing the same. The French carmaker later released a press release stating that officials couldn't find any evidence of a device, but that they still had to fix their systems as they weren't adhering to emissions standards. "Renault has committed to recalling a certain number of vehicles, more than 15,000 vehicles, to check them and adjust them correctly so the filtration system works even when it is very hot or when it is below 17 degrees, because that's when the filtration system no longer worked," said French Energy Minister Segolene Royal after the raid by French authorities, Reuters reports. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made good of his promise to demolish the home of the Palestinian youth who is accused of stabbing a Jewish woman to death. Hours after his pronouncement, Israeli troops levelled the house of suspected terrorist Morad Bader Abdullah Adais. The move is part of the Israeli policy of destroying the homes of terrorists as a form of deterrent. "The hatred that caused this murder has an address," Netanyahu said in an earlier Al Arabiya report. "We are going to destroy the terrorist's house." Netanyahu also vowed to revoke the work permits of Adais' family when he visited Otniel, the scene of the attack. Adais is alleged to have stabbed Dafna Meir at her home in front of three of her six children. The eldest child gave the security forces the description of the attacker, which led to Adais' capture at Beit Amra, 3 km away from Othniel, the Times of Israel reported. Adais' relatives maintain that he is innocent. "Dozens of soldiers came at 2:00 a.m. to the family home, searching it extensively and arresting him," Khader Adeesh said in the Hurriyet Daily News report. "He was not involved. He has no relationship with this attack. He is a young boy and couldn't do that." Palestinian knife attacks have escalated in Israel since October, which some blame on the Palestinian frustration on the peace process and the West Bank settlement. Hours after the Othniel attack, a pregnant woman was also stabbed in Tekoa, south of Jerusalem. Her 17-year old attacker was shot by security forces, Al Arabiya reported. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ariens Manufacturing, a manufacturing company in Brillon, Wis., is under fire after it abruptly changed its prayer-on-the-job policy for Muslim employees, affecting more than 50, many of whom now say they are out of a job. Prior to the change, which was put into effect last Thursday, Muslim employees were allowed to take five minute breaks from the production line two times per shift in order to fulfill two of the five prayers their faith requires per day. Those who prayed ensured that another employee covered for them, reported NBC's North Carolina affiliate WNCN-TV. However, now Ariens requires its Muslim employees to pray during lunch breaks. "We are asking employees to pray during scheduled breaks in designated prayer rooms," the company said in a statement. "Our manufacturing environment does not allow for unscheduled breaks in production." The problem, however, is that according to their faith, Muslims aren't allowed meal times since they don't align with the proper times for invocation. "If someone tells you, 'You pray on your break,' and the break time is not the prayer time? It will be impossible to pray," one employee, Masjid Imam Hasan Abdi, argued, according to Sportact. "We pray by the time. So they say, 'If you don't pray at the break time,' they give us this [unemployment] paper to just leave," another employee, Ibrahim Mehemmed, added. Some employees argue that the change was due to the San Bernardino and Paris attacks perpetrated by Muslim radicals and inspired by ISIS, and hadn't been an issue before then. "I have been 35 years in America and I've never heard of a company that is not allowing its employees to pray five minutes. It is absolutely discrimination on its face," said Adan Hurr. "Allow me to pray so that I can go back to work and do what I love to do, which is working for Ariens. But we are not allowed to do that. Yesterday what happened was just a travesty," he added, according to ABC's Green Bay affiliate WBAY-TV. Only 10 of the 53 employees affected by the policy will stay while the rest will work elsewhere, and while Ariens says that employees who are offended by the change can come back if they so choose, the company adds it is fine either way. "We are open to any of the employees returning to work under the new policy or will look for openings in shifts that do not coincide with prayer time," read a statement from Ariens. "We respect their faith, and we respect their decision regardless of their choice to return to work or not." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apple's headquarters in Cork, Ireland, was evacuated on Monday morning after a number of threatening emails were allegedly received by the tech giant. As a result of the possible danger, about 4,000 employees from three different offices in the area were temporarily evacuated, according to The Irish Independent. Apple's offices on Lavitts Quay and Hollyhill, as well as the Model Farm Road site, were allegedly evacuated as a safety precaution. After the employees were successfully evacuated, authorities proceeded to search the facilities. Despite the search, however, a spokesperson from the Garda Siochana said that bomb disposal units from the army have not been deployed to the scene, reports The Register. "We're assisting in searches with security teams from the facility as a result of a security alert," the spokesperson said. Authorities were ultimately unable to find any suspicious items or devices within the premises of Apple's offices. The alert, which was issued at about 9 a.m., was finally lifted about midday, with workers being allowed inside the facilities once more, according to The Telegraph. The Cork site is Apple's base of operations in Europe. Employing about 5,000 staff across its offices in the area, the Cork site also builds iMac computer units. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Embattled carmaker Volkswagen said that it will be recalling about 614 Skoda Superb III vehicles that were sold in Russia since 2015. The recall, as stated by the Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology on Monday, aims to address an inherent technical fault in the vehicles' components, according to Reuters. The Superb III vehicles were allegedly connected to the cars' T2a connector, which might cause a variety of electronic malfunctions, such as starting the car, opening the trunk lid and the operation of the indicator lights. Once the cars have been recalled, the installation of the T2a connector will be analyzed intensively. Owners of the vehicles need not worry, however, as any problems that would come out of the cars' analysis would be fixed free of charge, reports TASS News. The recall of Skoda Superb III vehicles is not the only issue Volkswagen is contending with, as Skoda cars are among the vehicles which are suspected of having defeat devices installed. A defeat device is a software program designed to lower the vehicle's actual emissions when it is being tested, as HNGN previously reported. In Taiwan alone, vehicles across Volkswagen's numerous brands are set to be recalled in the coming months, with most of the cars fitted with 2.0- and 1.6-liter engines set to be fixed within the year, according to Focus Taiwan. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Moroccan Interior Ministry officials reported Monday that a Belgian man believed to be have links to ISIS, as well as having a "direct relationship" to those who carried out the Paris attacks on Nov.13, was arrested by police in the country's port city of Mohammedia. The man, identified by French and Moroccan authorities as 26-year-old Gelel Attar, a dual Belgian-Moroccan national previously convicted in absentia by Belgium of involvement with a terrorist group, reported Sky News. He had reportedly traveled to Syria with Chakib Akrouh, one of the Paris suicide bombers, where he received military training and built relationships with ISIS field commanders, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged mastermind of the Paris attacks. Attar was reportedly arrested Friday after travelling through Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, reported the International Business Times. His arrest is the 11th to be made in connection to the attacks. The other 10 are: Ayoub B., arrested during a police raid on a house in Molenbeek and charged with "terrorist murder" and participation in the activities of a terrorist organization; Abdoullah C., believed to have been in contact with Hasna Ait Boulahcen, who died in a police raid in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Nov. 18; Mohamed Amri and Hamza Attou, accused of being Salah Abdeslam's getaway drivers; Abraimi Lazez and Ali Oulkadi, accused of helping Abdeslam after the attacks; Abdellah Chouaa, a suspected associate of Abdeslam; Mohamed Bakkali, resident of a house in the Belgian town of Auvelais that may have been used as a hide-out; Two men, identified only as Samir Z. and Pierre N., who are believed to have been friends of Bilal Hadfi, another one of the attackers. As of Monday, Attar was being held in Sale, close to the Moroccan capital, Rabat, but Belgium has yet to say for sure whether he will be extradited, according to CNN. "There is an international arrest warrant," said Erik Van Der Sypt, spokesman for the Federal Prosecutor in Belgium. "Normally Morocco does not extradite its own nationals. So we will see. We don't know yet." News of this comes as authorities have made a variety of new discoveries related to the Paris attacks, including the discovery of a bomb-making factory and safe house. However, the global manhunt for Salah Abdeslam, 26, believed to be the only direct participant in the attack who is still alive, rages on. He's been reported to have travelled to various locations since he was officially named as a suspect, and most recently it's been believed he's either in Morocco or Syria. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT rights group in the U.S., has endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House, saying she is the best choice to advance its message in November. "All the progress we have made as a nation on LGBT equality - and all the progress we have yet to make - is at stake in November. In most states, LGBT people are still at risk of being fired, evicted or denied services simply because of who they are," HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement. "Today, 63 percent of LGBT Americans report having experienced such discrimination, and we are seeing other troubling trends, from the onslaught of state and local anti-LGBT measures to the national scourge of anti-transgender violence to backsliding on HIV/AIDS prevention and youth homelessness." He continued, saying that GOP candidates "repeatedly threaten to block our progress, and to revoke, repeal, and overturn the gains we've made during President Obama's two terms." "While they fight to take us backwards, Hillary Clinton is fighting to advance LGBT equality across our nation and throughout the world," Griffin added. "We are proud to endorse Hillary Clinton for president, and believe that she is the champion we can count on in November - and every day she occupies the Oval Office." Clinton has come a long way since the last time she ran for office in 2008. At the time, she opposed the concept of gay marriage but supported the idea of civil unions. She later changed her view in 2013, saying she openly supported same-sex marriage, and then again in 2015 when she said it was a constitutional right, according to CNN. This change in stance led to a testy exchange with NPR's Terry Gross, who questioned Clinton about her new viewpoint. In response, Clinton said change was inevitable and that "we have all evolved." Nonetheless, given her involvement with the group since 2013 when she openly expressed support for gay marriage, saying homosexuals are "full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship," the endorsement is a victory for Clinton which guarantees her support from a key portion of the Democratic demographic. Clinton is slated to accept the nomination next Sunday, Jan. 24, at an event in Des Moines, Iowa, with Griffin and the organization's members and supporters. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The U.S. Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will rule on the constitutionality of President Obama's plan to shield over 4 million illegal immigrants from deportation. Obama announced in 2014 that he intended to use executive action to provide amnesty to millions of immigrants in the country illegally, but 26 states, mainly led by Republicans, quickly challenged the legality of the plan. A federal judge temporarily blocked the initiative in February 2015, and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the injunction in November, saying the administration's failure to first seek public comment was a breach of proper procedures, reported The Wall Street Journal. The administration then filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, asking it to immediately review the case, and the court said Tuesday that it will hear arguments on the issue in April and likely decide by the end of June. The court's decision to examine the case was heralded by Republicans, including Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, who praised the court for taking on the issue, according to FOX News. The administration will argue three main points: the states don't have the legal standing to challenge the policy in federal court, the government followed appropriate procedure in implementing the executive actions and federal law grants the administration broad discretion on how to enforce immigration laws, according to CBS News. The justices said in their order Tuesday that they will also decide whether Obama's actions violated the constitutional provision requiring the president to "take care that the Laws be faithfully executed," essentially meaning that they will determine whether current law prohibits Obama from using executive action to enforce broad immigration laws, according to Politico. If the court rules in favor of the Obama administration, the president could start granting amnesty during his final months in office, a move that would surely escalate debate in a presidential contest already heavily focused on immigration. Under the executive actions, immigrant adults in the country illegally would be allowed to stay if they have children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, according to NBC News. Upon passing a background check, registering with the government and submitting biometric data, they would be allowed to apply for a three-year work permit. If the Supreme Court rules against the White House, court battles will likely stall the programs implementation for the foreseeable future. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The three U.S. nationals who went missing in Baghdad were reportedly kidnapped and are being held by an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, Iraqi intelligence and U.S. government sources said Tuesday, noting that they believe Iran wasn't involved in the kidnapping, nor do they believe they are being held there. "They were abducted because they are Americans, not for personal or financial reasons," one of the Iraqi intelligence sources in Baghdad said, according to Reuters. News of the kidnapping broke Sunday after the Arab news channel, al-Arabiya, citing its own sources, reported that three Americans had been abducted by militias in Baghdad as they were on their way to Baghdad International Airport. The next day, a security official clarified the situation, saying that the three were kidnapped from a "suspicious apartment," using language that implied the apartment, was in fact, a brothel, according to AFP. The kidnapping marked just the latest in a string of foreigner kidnappings in Iraq in recent years. However, victims of such abductions are usually Qataris and Turks, with Iraqis suffering the most from kidnappers seeking ransoms or to settle scores. It had been years since a U.S. citizen has been abducted in Iraq. Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi condemned the kidnapping, saying it would harm the country's relations with other states. "The kidnapping of the Americans citizens, and before them the Qatari hunters, whose fates are still unknown, undoubtedly indicate the growing activities of the organized gangs in Iraq," he said, according to The New York Times. "This will affect the relations of Iraq with its neighbors, and friendly and allied countries." In the meantime, the State Department said it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate the missing Americans. "We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals," the statement said. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. As the hospitality industry is growing, not only in size, but also in terms of sophistication and expectations of return on investment (ROI), the scene has shifted from the more traditional dominance of independent privately owned small outlets to larger multinationals and multiple brand affiliations. Where it used to be a matter of small owner-run outlets operating in the same fashion for generations, it is now an industry where investors seek return on their invested capital, and the larger hospitality corporations now count as important and influential companies in most countries Basically, revenue management means to dynamically adjust your hotel rates based upon demand and occupancy. In other words, it means to sell at a higher price when most of your rooms are sold and the demand is still high. And vice versa. This task involves some monitoring and analysis, a bit of predicting and requires some skills that improve with practice. Revenue management is also referred to as yield management or dynamic pricing, recently even as one to one pricing. While some big hotel chains or franchise enterprises may have the opportunity to hire a skilled and experienced revenue manager, or even a whole team, many smaller and independent properties need to assign this job to an existing employee. Usually, this is the general or the front office manager, or probably the head of sales where such position is available. The person in question has to quickly develop the skills for the task and start delivering results. At the same time, there are still hotel managers and owners that do not understand or underestimate the importance of revenue management and how it can affect the business. We live in the era of online sales, OTAs, meta search and increasing last-minute bookings, where the time period between making the reservation and the real stay is constantly shrinking. These factors all result in more dynamic occupancy rates and the emerging necessity to closely monitor the trends and adjust the pricing policy accordingly in order to get the most from each deal. The volume of missed revenue that the absence of revenue management might cause will probably transcend your worst assumptions. The good news is that the task does not need to be so complex and hard to accomplish. Today, independent hotels have access to more tools boosting revenue than ever! However, a certain amount of know-how is needed to truly leverage revenue opportunities (such as distribution channels, social media, technology) for independent hotels, since they refer to lack of resources and a limited budget to invest in high-end technology as major challenges associated with revenue management. The range of hotel management structures vary from complete independence with a private chain code to GDS/Internet Technology connectivity with a generic chain code to soft branded representation with CRS technology and a branded chain code to "hard brands" that provide technology and also manage hotel operations. Independent hotels may combat budget and resources constraints by choosing a "soft brand" that provides technology and resource savings through economies of scale, yet allowing independent management and identity. Most of China's luxury hotels are owned by foreign companies and managed by famous international hotel chains. They generally adopt identical revenue management systems developed by the chains. Such systems are applied internally and exclusively, sharing information and customer resources among all the members of the chain. In general, they are effectively applied and are highly advanced. Moreover, most of China's state-owned hotels are relatively small and medium sized hotels. Their older management ideas and low-level information systems result in the following barriers against China's hotels implementing revenue management systems. In the past, revenue management was a practice that only high-end, luxury properties implemented for two major reasons: first, it was hugely cost prohibitive, and second, it required the hotel to hire a revenue manager to execute the processes (or oversee the revenue management system RMS). Only properties with large budgets both for revenue management and personnel could actually afford to use revenue management to price their properties, leaving smaller, boutique properties struggling to keep up But that was yesterday and today, lots of things have changed. Today, revenue management is a practice that all properties should be using to improve their occupancy, ADR and RevPAR no matter their budget, number of staff, star rating and property status (branded vs. independent). Ahmed Mahmoud Revenue Your Hotel View source For some luxury hoteliers, the idea of mobile technology in hospitality is fraught. When customer service is understood as face-to-face interaction, the introduction of mobile technology is seen as an ill-suited replacement, an encroach on the time-honored traditions of hospitality. And when construed as such, there is also research that backs up these misgivings. A recent study by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration shows that using automation - in this case self-serve check-in technology - as a replacement for in-person customer service "can impede development of employee-guest rapport and lead to lower service evaluations." Yet, we would like to offer another definition for customer service, one for which mobile technology is far more compatible. Instead of defining customer service as face to face interaction, we posit it's simply about choice. In this vein, offering guests the choice of mobile technology is just good customer service. Indeed, as the Cornell report's authors concede, guests do actually prefer automated check-in technology when the staff is nearby. The answer then, is not mobile technology as a substitute for your hotel staff, but rather as a most valuable complement - enhancing the ability for your staff to further service their guests. Just as Apple used mobile technology to redefine the notion of customer service in retail (check-out anywhere without waiting in line), and Uber used mobile technology to transform the meaning of customer service in transportation (pre-paid travel at the push of a button), mobile technology can similarly improve the provision of customer service in hospitality. Implementing mobile technology at your hotel doesn't mean changing the fundamentals of hospitality. Instead it lets you continue to deliver exceptional service, but now with more efficiency. As we discuss below, mobile technology helps leverage your staff to provide better customer service in four important ways: through mobility, through automation, by breaking down barriers and by giving control to your guests. 1. Mobility Mobile technology is, just as the name suggests, mobile. When the desktop system was the de facto computing device it made sense to give your staff desktop computers and place them both behind a desk in your hotel lobby. But just as hardware has shifted from fixed to mobile, your staff can shift from fixed in place to mobile as well. Giving your staff tablets and other mobile devices means they're able to provide services to your guests from not just behind a desk, but from anywhere and everywhere on property. So-called "desk extension" software and apps, like ALICE, take advantage of this new paradigm and return the essential element of mobility back to hospitality. In addition to extending the reach of your staff on-site, mobile technology also lets staff and guests interact off-site. Guests can use your hotel's mobile services, like apps and texting, on their own mobile devices to converse with the hotel when they're off-property, as well as both before and after their stay. The result is increased guest satisfaction, loyalty and revenue. 2. Automation Every day, your staff complete many of the same routine tasks: checking people in and out, handover reporting, night audit batch, and room assignments and mini bar tracking, just to name a few. While these tasks are all essential for the day to day operation of the hotel, they take up time your staff could be spending with your guests providing more memorable customer service experiences. By using technology to automate check-in, for example, a front desk staff member is now able to greet the guest the moment they enter the hotel as well as service more immediate requests (including, of course, check-in, if the guest prefers not to do it themselves). Another way to use technology for automation is in the mobile delivery of service, such as the mobile delivery of newspapers. Offering newspaper delivery via mobile devices not only removes the need for staff to hand-deliver the newspaper every morning, but may improve the overall guest experience by providing a wider variety of newspapers and magazines - and in more languages - than traditionally available. Augmentation by automation also extends behind the scenes, where much staff time is spent in dispatching requests between and within departments. When staff submit guest requests into a cross-department, integrated management tool like ALICE, it means requests don't have to be repeated multiple times, followed up on, or lost in the shuffle between shifts. The time your staff saves by not being on the phone or radio-ing between departments is more time your staff can spend interacting with guests and providing the kinds of high-touch guest experiences that cannot be automated. As Matthew Upchurch, CEO of luxury travel company Virtuoso, likes to say, "Automate the predictable, so you can humanize the exceptional." 3. Breaking Down Barriers Technology can augment your staff by helping to break down common barriers to customer service, such as language translation. For hotels, language barriers provide unique challenges to customer service. Even the most multilingual of staff can't hope to meet the 'round the clock needs of each and every guests without a technological assist. David Topolewski, CEO of Qooco points to the impact technology can have on improving customer service in staff language training via mobile learning. He writes, "It is impossible to separate language with service, and a high level of proficiency is needed especially when dealing with tired, jet-lagged and hungry guests Today, smartphones have become so sophisticated and ubiquitous that they offer one of the most efficient means of training for large numbers of employees anywhere, anytime, allowing learning to be conducted during a lunch break, or on the way to work." And mobile training, he adds, "has been proven to provide better results than traditional classroom-based learning." Technology can also provide a valuable stopgap when mobile training isn't an option or doesn't suffice. Translation tools, like ALICE, can provide real-time sentence-based language translation between guests and staff, as well as between the staff themselves, and instantly augment the proficiencies of your staff to elevate the customer service they provide. 4. Giving Control to Guests Increasing mobile device penetration amongst travelers and attendant changes in travel behavior and preferences are well documented. Earlier this year, Marriott VP Matthew Carroll credited the increasingly connected traveler and the corresponding shift in guest expectations for the addition of a mobile request feature to the hotel chain's mobile app. Explained Carroll: "Some 75% of people travel with one or more devices and the percentage is higher for younger travelers. We know today's travelers want a mobile experience built around their changing needs and desire to communicate on their terms." Studies confirm the desire for travelers to retain greater control of their stay through mobile. A 2015 survey from The Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University, for example, asked participants how interested they would be in using their mobile devices to do things that may not be currently available via mobile at their hotel. The researchers found guests generally wanted greater automation of a wide variety of procedures and interactions, such as, (in descending order), receiving a notification on their device when their room is ready, requesting hotel amenities, checking in and out of the hotel, and ordering room service. Participants were also interested in looking at more information about their hotels, including upgrading a room before checking in, requesting reservations for on- and off-site restaurants, or having the valet retrieve the car. Offering on-demand services to your guests via mobile doesn't replace the customer service traditionally provided by your staff, but instead satisfies an expanded definition of customer service now grounded by the conveniences of the instant gratification economy. When Fashion's Collective founder Elizabeth Cannon writes about the falling customer service standards of the world's most luxurious fashion brands, she could just as well be commenting on the state of customer service today in hospitality. Says Cannon: "No one in luxury really likes to discuss customer service because the assumption is always that, as a luxury brand, there is an innate high degree of service." She continues, "The problem is not that luxury has neglected service, rather [luxury brands] have neglected the fact convenience is a measure of service and that customers now expect convenience across a multitude of experiences. After all, time is the biggest luxury of all in our modern world. As customers, we seek experiences that make us feel we are using the commodity of time in the ways possible." She concludes, "The expectation of a luxury customer will be that a premium brand will at least meet the new standards, if not exceed them." If customer service is about meeting the needs of your guest, then giving control to your guests via mobile request provides a baseline of customer service that your guests have come to expect from their everyday lives. Your staff's expertise in customer service then becomes a most valuable complement to these mobile tools, by providing guests with the kind of superior customer service experiences guests don't experience in their day-to-day. About ALICE ALICE is the leading all-in-one hospitality operations platform that enables hotel staff to do their most impactful work. Task management, real-time communication, and operational analytics reduce the complexity and chaos of hotel operations providing the transparency and flexibility needed to run efficiently. Founded in 2013, ALICE works with more than 2,500 hotels and tens of thousands of hotel staff across many of the world's leading brands, including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Graduate Hotels, and Grupo Posadas. ALICE won 7 HotelTechAwards in 2022: winner of Best Concierge Software & Best Housekeeping Software; finalist for its Guest Messaging, Maintenance, and Staff Collaboration Tools; Top 10 People's Choice; and Top 10 Best Places to Work in Hotel Technology for the fifth straight year. https://www.aliceplatform.com/. Michael Frenkel For ALICE ALICE As China's global influence continues to grow, the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan is more important than ever, and tourism can make an important positive contribution according to Dr Mimi Li and Shanzhui Qui of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and co-authors. In a recent study that elicited the views of mainland Chinese tourists to Taiwan, the researchers show that the increase in tourism between the two places has already had a positive influence on the "long-term peace-building effort" and that it will "facilitate political reconciliation and mutual recognition" in the future. The researchers set the scene for their study by explaining that for more than three decades following the political division of China in 1949, tourism between China and Taiwan was non-existent "as a result of military confrontation". Although the restrictions were partially lifted in 1979, the number of mainland Chinese visitors allowed to enter Taiwan remained strictly limited and visits were only allowed for specific purposes, such as visiting family. It was almost another three decades before citizens were permitted to travel freely between the mainland and Taiwan for tourism and business purposes. According to the researchers, the "remarkable increase" in tourism since Taiwan eased the restrictions on mainland Chinese visitors in 2008 represents a "significant milestone" in cross-Strait relations. They explain that tourism between politically divided states can be regarded as a "peace-keeping mechanism" that can enhance mutual understanding, ease tension and suspicion, reduce political distrust and promote peace. Although there are still some political and social barriers between the mainland and Taiwan, and the attitudes of the two governments towards tourism still differ, the researchers suggest that it would now be "difficult to reverse" the growing number of travellers between them. They were thus interested in discovering how tourists perceive the opening up of the tourism sector and its potential influence on bilateral relations between China and Taiwan. To provide a framework for their investigation, the researchers considered the effects of cross-Strait tourism in terms of a "two-track diplomacy system", in which the first track represents official government-to-government diplomacy and the second track represents unofficial, people-to-people diplomacy, including tourism. The second type of diplomacy, they argue, can complement and support track-one diplomacy by "improving mutual understanding and urging compromise between governments". To assess the "peace-building function and political effect" of cross-Strait tourism, the researchers conducted a survey of package-group tourists from mainland China returning from visits to Taiwan. The objectives were to explore mainland Chinese tourists' perceptions of cross-Strait development "in terms of the economic, political, cultural, and social impacts of tourism openness on cross-Strait relations" and determine which socio-demographic characteristics influence mainland Chinese support for cross-Strait tourism. The researchers also wanted to discover the "potential effects of tourism openness on bilateral relations across the Taiwan Strait and the possible reunification of Taiwan and mainland China". Of the 504 surveyed tourists, just over half were female, and more than 70% were over 35 years old. More than half had a college level of education and almost 30% had university degrees. Just over 20% were retired, around 40% had incomes of less than RMB3,000 per month, and only around 12.5% earned more than RMB8,000 per month. The tourists who responded to the survey held positive views about the opening up of tourism between mainland China and Taiwan. Indeed, the researchers found that the Chinese tourists were highly supportive of tourism development and generally perceived it as beneficial for improving relations between the two places. The impact of cross-Strait tourism on society and culture was regarded as the "most positive and substantial" of the impacts considered. Tourism gives people on both sides of the Strait a chance to learn more about each other's cultures, which the researchers write facilitates "cultural communication" and enhances "mutual understanding and trust". The views expressed by the mainland Chinese participants support the notion that tourism can potentially "relieve tension and promote peace" by enhancing communication, trust and recognition between the citizens of "two previously hostile regions". In political and economic terms, the mainland Chinese tourists perceived tourism as generating a considerable positive effect on "relieving tension, facilitating reunification, and improving the economic and political status" of the two regions. Nevertheless, the benefits were not perceived as equal for both sides. The economic benefits, for instance, were perceived as greater for Taiwan than for mainland China. The benefits for the international political status of the two regions were not perceived to be as high as the benefits in other areas. The researchers were also interested in whether opinions differed according to socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, income and education. Although there were virtually no differences in the views expressed by men and women, there were considerable differences between the views of people of different ages, income groups and levels of education. Those with incomes of less than RMB3,000, for instance, tended to express more positive views of cross-Strait tourism than those with higher incomes. Similarly, those with lower levels of education were more optimistic about the benefits, particularly the political and economic benefits, of tourism than those with higher levels of education. The researchers argue that people who are more educated tend to become "more rational and mature" in their understanding of political and economic issues, and thus are "more conservative" in assessing the contribution of tourism. Because the different generations of a country have distinct values, attitudes and behaviour towards political, economic and sociocultural issues, the researchers were interested in whether perceptions towards cross-Strait tourism differed among mainland Chinese tourists of different ages. They discovered that those aged over 55 were much more positive in their views of the benefits of tourism, particularly the political effects. The researchers explain that the early education of this generation in mainland China was "dominated by political and ideological campaigns" and people of this age also experienced the most hostile relations between the two regions, along with the complete ban on cross-Strait tourism. Such experiences have made this generation much more "sensitive to Taiwan and reunification issues", and consequently they "strongly support peace and communication" between mainland China and Taiwan. This is in contrast to the opinions of the younger tourists, who expressed more negative views about the potential effects of tourism. The researchers caution that as this younger generation ages, there may be a decrease in the level of support for or optimism about unification. Relations between mainland China and Taiwan have improved through the efforts of track-one diplomacy, argue the researchers, yet this would not have been possible without the support of track-two diplomacy, including tourism, in "promoting peace and reconciliation" and "facilitating the reunification" of the divided state. The researchers conclude that with the generally positive attitudes expressed by the tourists in their study, there will be further increases in the number of visitors to and from Taiwan, which will lead to a "deepening of social and cultural exchange and integration". Nevertheless, they urge that Chinese government should consider the opinions of the younger generation, the middle class and the more highly educated if it "wants to continue using tourism as its political tool". Qiu, Shangzhi, Li, Mimi, Huang, Zhuowei and Dang, Ning. (2015). Impact of Tourism Openness Across the Taiwan Strait: Perspective of Mainland Chinese Tourists. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 20(1), 76-93. About PolyU's School of Hotel and Tourism Management For over 40 years, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has refined a distinctive vision of hospitality and tourism education and become a world-leading hotel and tourism school. Ranked No. 1 in the world in the "Hospitality and Tourism Management" category in ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022 for the sixth consecutive year, placed No. 1 globally in the "Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services" category in the University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2020/2021 for four years in a row, rated No. 1 in the world in the "Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism" subject area by the CWUR Rankings by Subject 2017, and ranked No. 1 in Asia in the "Hospitality and Leisure Management" subject area in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 for the sixth consecutive year, the SHTM is a symbol of excellence in the field, exemplifying its motto of Leading Hospitality and Tourism. The School is driven by the need to serve its industry and academic communities through the advancement of education and dissemination of knowledge. With a strong international team of over 80 faculty members from diverse cultural backgrounds, the SHTM offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate degrees to doctoral degrees. Through Hotel ICON, the School's groundbreaking teaching and research hotel and a vital aspect of its paradigm-shifting approach to hospitality and tourism education, the SHTM is advancing teaching, learning and research, inspiring a new generation of passionate, pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry. Pauline Ngan Marketing Manager +852 3400 2634 Hong Kong Poly Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO of HMH- Hospitality Management Holdings addressed the Global Hospitality Summit in Dubai with a special presentation on 'Reshaping Luxury Hospitality to Welcome & Win Over New Generation of Guests'. Organised by Marcus Evans from 18-19 January, the two-day premium forum was attended by leading hotel experts and developers who exchanged key business insights from the industry. In his presentation, stressing on 'new luxury being all about simplicity' Laurent said, "New generation of luxury travellers simply desire an elevated experience and one that makes them feel good. They seek a hotel that is steeped in simplicity, refinement, sophistication, good taste and restraint, but is at the same time, just as striking and glamorous. The next generation of wealthy travelers want a room experience closer to home. Therefore, hotels would have to rethink luxury. Moving away from glitz Luxury hotels would need to focus on creating casual, individual atmospheres that are far removed from the standard hotel ambiance". Commenting on the luxury hotel sector in the Middle East Laurent stated, "Over the past decade, the Middle East has established itself as the next frontier in luxury travel for the affluent. Marrying innovation with tradition, the region continues to grow as a top luxury destination with 44% of its existing inventory of hotels in luxury and upper upscale category. There are 694 hotels with 188,817 rooms in the Middle East and Africa development pipeline - majority of which will open before 2020. Therefore, when it comes to luxury everyone knows the stakes are huge. Like all hoteliers, we at HMH have been pondering over 'What will it take to lure new generation of luxury travelers?' given 40% of our existing inventory of hotels is in luxury segment." Laurent believes 'bling' will not be enough to please new generation of luxury travellers. He stressed, "People are moving away from the bling factor. A pillow menu, gold-plated bathroom fixtures and plush rooms will not be able to woo the next generation of the world's wealthiest clientele. Their expectations are different and much harder to please. The new generation has grown up in the age of technology, social media, instant access, the proliferation of global consumer brands, affluence and conspicuous consumption - hence they crave an alternative to traditional luxury hotels. Therefore, it is time for our industry to evolve and adapt". According to Laurent intuitive technology designed to anticipate the needs and desires of guests will play a key role in delivering new levels of service. Technology is a huge priority for next generation travelers as it continues to change the rules of our industry like never before. Hotels will also have to know more about their customers. And concierge services will have to advance to new levels, delivering on the demands of guests long before they arrive. Most importantly people will continue to be the asset of luxury and therefore service and staff training will be more than ever critical for our industry". The global luxury hospitality sector is valued at an estimated $164.4 billion and is expected to increase to $195.27 billion by 2021.Luxury travelers are growing at an unprecedented rate. By 2022, there will be 4,076 billionaires in the world. The number of super rich people valued at more than $30m in the Middle East will soar to more than 7,300, including 203 billionaires, by 2022.The number of HNWIs in the Middle East will grow by 58 percent between 2012 and 2022, faster than the global average of 50% but well behind the emerging economic regions of Asia (88%), Latin America (88%) and Africa (69%). About HMH Founded in 2003 in Dubai, HMH Hospitality Management Holdings is a fully-integrated hotel management company that prides itself on being the first hotel chain in the Middle East to offer halal-friendly, alcohol-free safe environment. It provides hotel owners and developers a broad spectrum of comprehensive management solutions with five distinct, yet complementary, hotel brands catering to varied market segments from budget to luxury. These include The Ajman Palace Hotel, Coral Hotels & Resorts, Corp Hotels, EWA Hotel Apartments and ECOS Hotels. Through its dynamic operation and strategic expansion in the Middle East and North Africa, HMH has been successful in unlocking a world of opportunities while creating value for its stakeholders, associates, staff members and customers. Its existing portfolio features superb properties located in some of the most desirable destinations across the MENA region, as well as a healthy pipeline of hotels under development. For more information about HMH please visit http://www.hmhhotelgroup.com Hina Bakht MPJ (Marketing Pro-Junction) +971 50 6975146 HMH It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore). Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net. Go back to home Black Sabbath are set to release a new eight track record that will only be available to fans that attend shows on their upcoming tour The band are set to release a new album that will only be available to fans that attend shows on the bands upcoming final tour called The End Tour. The news comes as a relief to fans that thought they would not be seeing any new material from the band. Front man Ozzy Osbourne said in an interview back in October that band had 'opted out' of recording any new material and 13 would be their final record. The new album isn't an entirely new effort; the eight-track collection will feature four new tunes, with the rest made up by live recordings. The new tracks were penned before going into the studio to record 13, which scored the band their first ever No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and also saw them grab a Grammy. Advertisement Speaking about the new record, Geezer Butler said: We thought wed put out an album of 13 songs, but when we were in the studio we wrote another three songs, which brought it up to 16 and then we left it to Rick Rubin to pick which songs would go on the album, and to give it some light and shade he picked the eight songs that were on the 13 album. Black Sabbath kick off their farewell tour in North America on January 20, before heading to Australia and New Zealand. They then hit a hectic European schedule before jetting back for a string of dates in North America to finish up. Stars will abstain from Hollywood's biggest night due to a lack of diversity among nominees Controversy was sparked yesterday as two prominent figures in Hollywood, director Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith, announced via their social media that they will be boycotting this years Oscars. They cited a lack of ethnic diversity among the nominees for the second year running as the reason behind their stance. In a video posted on her Facebook page, Pinkett Smith argued Begging for acknowledgement or even asking for acknowledgement diminishes dignity and diminishes power. And we are a dignified people. Lee, known for his activist take directing films which tackle injustices against the African American community, also posted on his Instagram account: For too many years when the Oscar nominations are revealed, my office phone rings off the hood with the media asking me about the lack of African-Americans and this year was no different. My wife, Mrs. Tonya Lewis Lee and I will not be attending the Oscar Ceremony this coming February. Many were surprised this year when Will Smith - Jada's other half - and Michael B. Jordan went without recognition for their performances in Concussion and Creed respectively. There is no denying the facts: since its establishment in 1929, the Academy has given out over 2071 awards, just 31 of which have gone to people of colour. In the last two years, not one African American has even been nominated in the four top acting categories. The Academys president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, a woman of colour herself, has addressed the issue, saying: I am heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and its time for big changes. We need to do more, and better and more quickly. For the year of 2016 its a little too late. With #OscarsSoWhite now trending on Twitter, host Chris Rock will now have a lot riding on his shoulders and it will be interesting to see how he deals with the issue and to see if anyone joins Lee and Pinkett Smith in their boycott of films biggest awards night. Steve Albini to deliver keynote address at next month's events More speakers have been added to a major music conference set for Belfast next month, including a man who's played a signifiant role in some of the biggest albums of the past 30 years. The acclaimed engineer, musician and producer Steve Albini - who's worked with Nirvana, Pixies, Manic Street Preachers and a host of other music royalty throughout his career - will deliver the keynote address at Output Belfast, an event to inspire all those working in the music industry here. Given that it's set to be his only speaking engagement in Europe this year - and given that he has a knack for delivering a speech worth remembering - it should be a fascinating discussion. He joins a lineup which also includes HP fave David Lyttle and Bry, with panel discussions and workshops also playing a major role. Around 350 local artists, businesses and students are expected to attend the event, which will aim to highlight the key role that music plays within Northern Irelands buoyant creative sector, while drawing attention to the challenges it faces. Organised by Belfast City Council in partnership Generator NI, Output Belfast takes place at The MAC on February 18; further information is available at the website, [link]outputbelfast.com[/link]. 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. 4 Resources to Help You Understand Corporate Structures Posted by Anica Oaks on Tuesday, 01-19-2016 5:10 pm Currently 4.5/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 4.5 from 2 votes Understanding corporate structures is a basic part of every professionals' business acumen. Below introduces four resources to help you understand corporate structures. Business RoundtableBusiness Roundtable (BRT) is an exclusive association of leading chief executive officers of major U.S. companies. Their goals are to improve public policies for businesses and stimulate the U.S. economy. In fact, their aggregate revenue amount is almost eight trillion dollars and they represent almost 16 million employees. Business Roundtable offers instructional videos that interactively explain the basics of corporate structures. They also offer additional learning topics and resources.The IRSWhile most individuals dread contact with the IRS, their website actually offers valuable resources for people who wish to learn about corporate structures. Their website provides overviews of basic corporate structures, such as sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, S Corporations and limited liabi... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Booming of Online Gaming Posted by hemraj chorotiya on Tuesday, 01-19-2016 5:50 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes The idea behind this Panda update was that search results would be improved to include more authoritative and relevant websites. Ultimately, creating a higher quality for Google users as they pull up results using Google's search engine. Since the initial launch, Google has remained busy with the implementation of several more updates in an attempt to further improve the quality of search results. It has been 11 days since Matt Cutts, Google Principal Engineer, made the announcement on Twitter that the roll out of Google's Panda Algorithm version 4.0 was official in the United States. Panda is Google's weapon aimed at destroying (removing) all of the garbage content, or the low quality stuff that shows up in the Google search engine's search results. I have been monitoring many websites and doing a little bit of research these past 11 days since May 20th, and have come to the conclusion that Panda 4.0 has had a negative effect on a lot of websites whose' webmasters were practicing blac... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile THis is a big announcement Posted by Press Releases on Tuesday, 01-19-2016 9:30 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes Kronos Incorporated today announced a new software development relationship with Google for Work to integrate Google Apps for Work with the Kronos Workforce Ready cloud suite for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). News Facts . Combining the power of Google Apps for Work with leading HR and workforce management solutions from Kronos helps SMBs manage their workforces with innovative, intuitive, and familiar cloud and mobile tools to boost productivity, increase employee engagement, and improve workplace efficiency. . Google for Work and Kronos customers will be able to seamlessly integrate Google Apps with Workforce Ready to enhance mobile, collaboration, data collection, storage, and reporting capabilities with tools their employees use every day such as Gmail, Drive, Sheets, Forms, Sites, and Calendar. . Planned initial integrations with Workforce Ready and Google Apps for Work include: . Google Calendar Employee work schedules created in Work... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Pre-employment tests can help you hire terrific employees when you use custom-tailored benchmark scores for each job in your organization. Best Method to get Custom-Tailored Benchmark Pre-Employment Test Scores The best way to customize pre-employment tests is to have your companys best superstar employees in each job take the tests.The typical test scores that your best employees get, in each job, should be the benchmark test scores for that job in your organization. Doing this is called a benchmarking study or concurrent validity study. Then, when the pre-employment tests are taken by job applicants, you immediately see if the applicants scores are the same or different from your companys benchmark test scores for that job. For example, lets say you want to hire great sales representatives. First, you test your very best sales representatives. Such superstar sales representativesare both (A) highly productive and (B) low-turnover. Then, you use your best sales representatives typical scores as benchmarks. If an applicant scored the same as your best sales representatives, then that person is worth spending your time for an interview and to consider possibly hiring. However, if an applicant gets test scores different from benchmark scores for your companys sales representatives, then you probably want to (a) stop considering that applicant and (b) find a better applicant! Refuse to use Two St... I. FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT PROTECTIONS FOR LGBT INDIVIDUALS A. Title VII Affords Some Implicit Protection To LGBT Employees Currently, no federal law explicitly prohibits discrimination against LGBT individuals. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits hiring or employment discrimination on the basis of the employees race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, but does not mention sexual orientation, much less gender identity or expression. Attempts to amend Title VII or to enact new, freestanding federal legislation to prohibit discrimination due to sexual orientation go back almost thirty years. The first such attempt to add the phrase affectional or sexual preference was made in 1975. To date, however, all such legislative attempts have been unsuccessful. No bill specifically prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity/expression has been introduced on the federal level. Relying in part on this history of unsuccessful legislative attempts to amend Title VII, federal courts have uniformly held that Title VII did not prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Early court decisions also held that transgender people were not entitled to protection from employment discrimination under Title VII. More recently, however, a new line of cases, based on intervening U.S. Supreme Court decisions, may provide protection for LGBT people in some situations. Essentially, the rule is: if an employer acts upon stereotypes about sexual roles in making employment decisions, or allows the use of these stereotypes in the creation of a hostile or abusive work environment, then the employer opens itself up to liability under Title VII's prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex. DeSantis v. Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co., 608 F.2d 327 (9th Cir. 1979) is the leading early case concerning the rights of lesbian and gay people under Title VII. The appeal in DeSantis consisted of three consolidated cases, all involving gay or lesbian plaintiffs who were seeking employment discrimination protection under Title VII. The plaintiffs presented two primary arguments as to why they were entitled to protection under Title VII. First, they argued that Title VII should be interpreted to cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and, second, that Title VII should be interpreted to encompass discrimination directed at a male employee because he is perceived to be effeminate. The court rejected both arguments, concluding that Congress intended to cover only traditional notions of sex, which did not, in the courts view, include either discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or discrimination because of effeminacy. Courts followed a similar line of thinking in holding that transsexual people were excluded from protection under Title VII. For example, in Ulane v. Eastern Airlines, Inc., 742 F.2d 1081 (7th Cir. 1984), the Seventh Circuit rejected a Title VII claim brought by a transsexual employee who had been employed as a commercial airline pilot. After the employee transitioned from male to female, she was fired. The district court ruled in favor of the plaintiff. The district court held that, although Title VII did not prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual preference, and therefore did not provide protection for lesbian and gay employees, it did provide protection for people such as the plaintiff because while the term sex does not comprehend sexual preference, . . . it does comprehend sexual identity. The Seventh Circuit reversed this decision, holding that Congress intended only to prohibit discrimination against women because they are women and men because they are men. Recent cases have held that LGBT people may be entitled to protection under Title VII in some circumstances. In Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, 490 U.S. 228 (1989), the Supreme Court held that Title VII was not limited to discrimination on the basis of ones biological status as a man or a woman but instead prohibits the entire spectrum of discrimination on the basis of sex, including discrimination on the basis of gender stereotypes. In Price Waterhouse, plaintiff Ann Hopkins was denied a partnership at an accounting firm because she was deemed to be insufficiently feminine. To improve her chances for partnership, Hopkins was told she should walk more femininely, talk more femininely, dress more femininely, wear make-up, have her hair styled, and wear jewelry. The employer argued that Title VII did not prohibit discrimination based on gender stereotypes. The Supreme Court disagreed. As for the legal relevance of sex stereotyping, we are beyond the day when an employer could evaluate employees by assuming or insisting that they matched the stereotype associated with their group, for in forbidding employers to discriminate against individuals because of their sex, Congress intended to strike at the entire spectrum of disparate treatment of men and women resulting from sex stereotypes. Gender stereotyping claims under Price Waterhouse have certainly been extended to men and, to some extent, LGBT individuals. For example, the Third Circuit recently found that harassment based on a mans failure to conform to a traditionally masculine gender role can support a claim for sex discrimination. In Prowel v. Wise Business Forms, the Court found that calling the plaintiff Rosebud, ridiculing the effeminate way he filed his nails and crossed his legs, and placing a feathered pink tiara at his workstation could all support a finding of harassment because of sex. These facts could support a finding that plaintiff was harassed because he did not conform to the employers vision of how a man should look, speak, and act (e.g., gender stereotypes). Nine years after Price Waterhouse, in Oncale v. Sundowner, 523 U.S. 75 (1998), the Supreme Court removed another barrier when it held that a plaintiff could state a Title VII claim where sexual harassment was perpetrated by a person of the same sex. Based on these Supreme Court decisions, courts across the country have held that LGBT people may be entitled to protection under Title VII. For example, in Heller v. Columbia Edgewater Country Club, 195 F. Supp. 2d 1212 (D. Or. 2002), the district court denied summary judgment for an employer in a Title VII suit brought by a lesbian employee. The plaintiff presented evidence that throughout her employment, her female supervisor made disparaging and harassing comments based on gender stereotypes, including: Oh, I thought you were a man, Do you wear the dick in the relationship? and, I thought you wore the pants. In ruling in favor of the employee, the court relied upon a recent Ninth Circuit case Nicholas v. Azteca Restaurant Enterprises, Inc., 256 F.3d 864 (9th Cir. 2001) abrogating its earlier decision in DeSantis and holding that a male employee is entitled to redress under Title VII if he can prove that he was discriminated against for failing to comport with stereotypical notions of how men should appear and behave. Similarly, in Rene v. MGM Grand Hotel, Inc., 305 F.3d 1061 (9th Cir. 2002), the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals revived a Title VII claim brought by a gay male plaintiff who had presented evidence that his former coworkers taunted him by calling him feminine names and endearments, and ridiculed him for walking in a feminine manner. B. EEOCs Recent Expansion Of Title VII To Transgender Employees With respect to transgender people, courts have similarly held that if a transgender person is targeted for failing to conform to stereotypes about how men and women are expected to appear and behave, they may be protected under Title VII. In Schwenk v. Hartford, 204 F.3d 1187 (9th Cir. 2000), the plaintiff was a transgender prisoner who sued under the Gender Motivated Violence Act after being assaulted by a guard. The guard argued that sex discrimination laws do not protect transgender people. The Ninth Circuit rejected this argument, holding that the initial judicial approach has been overruled by the logic and language of Price Waterhouse. The court concluded that [d]iscrimination because one fails to act in the way expected of a man or a woman is forbidden under Title VII, and that a transgender person who is targeted on this basis is entitled to protection. On April 20, 2012, the EEOC ruled that transgender individuals are protected from discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) in Macy v. Holder. Charging Party Mia Macy was a police detective who was denied a position by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Macy initially had interviewed over the telephone for a position with ATF and presented herself as a man. The interviewer told her that she had the position barring any issues with her background check. While the background check was pending, Macy notified the agency contractor who was responsible for filling the position at the ATF that she was undergoing a change from a male to a female. A few days later, ATF informed Macy that the position was no longer available because of federal budget reductions. Macy later learned ATF hired another person for the position and there was never a budget reduction that affected the position. Macy filed an internal EEO complaint with the ATF, which held that it could not process her claim. Macy then appealed to the EEOC on the basis of her sex, gender identity (transgender woman) and on the basis of sex stereotyping. In analyzing the issue of whether Macy had a valid claim, the EEOC reviewed Supreme Court precedent that allows for an employee to bring a Title VII gender discrimination claim where the individual does not fit a particular gender stereotype. The EEOC concluded that intentional discrimination against a transgender individual because that person is transgender is, by definition, discrimination based on ... sex, and such discrimination therefore violates Title VII. On the heels of its decision in Macy v. Holder, the EEOC has publicly stated that it will vigorously pursue transgender and sexual orientation discrimination charges, not only by allowing charging parties to submit such charges, but also investigating the charges, finding cause against employers it deems to have engaged in such discrimination, and filing suit against employers with respect to such charges. This objective is contained in the EEOCs Strategic Enforcement Plan for Fiscal Years 2012-2016. Employers should, therefore, be aware of the EEOCs new emphasis on gender-stereotyping cases especially where they include transgender employees and train its workforce that harassment and discrimination against any persons, even LGBT employees, will not be tolerated. C. ADA/Rehabilitation Act Since the 1990s, both the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) have explicitly excluded homosexuality, bisexuality, transvestism, transsexualism, gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments, and other sexual behavior disorders from the definition of impairment and disability. State disability laws vary widely, and courts will most likely not interpret there to be any protections for transgender individuals unless the statute is broadly worded and does not have a requirement that the disability must substantially affect the plaintiffs major life functions or activities. As such, employers should be cautious not to use the term accommodation or interactive process when addressing health conditions specific to gender identity and sexual orientation. D. FMLA Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), an employee is entitled to leave to care for a spouse, child or parent with a serious health condition. Under federal law, a spouse does not currently include a same sex spouse or partner. State same sex marriage or civil union laws cannot be used to define a spouse under FMLA, but could be used to determine eligibility for parental or family leave under state law, if such a law exists. As described below, the Supreme Courts decision striking down DOMA likely will have further FMLA implications. Leave to care for children in a same-sex relationship, however, may be covered. In September 2010, the Department of Labor (DOL) released a new administrator interpretation clarifying the circumstances in which an employee may take leave to care for a child for whom they have no legal standing as a parent. The ruling expanded (or at least clarified) LGBT employees FMLA rights as it pertains to parental relationships. The FMLA has historically allowed employees to take leave to care for a child for whom they stand in loco parentis, or in the place of a parent. In general, in loco parentis status arises when a person assumes the obligations of a parental relationship without going through the formalities of a legal adoption. The key is the employee's intent to assume the status of a parent, which can be inferred from her actions with regard to the child. Determining whether an employee stands in loco parentis to a child requires consideration of multiple factors, including: the child's age; the degree to which the child is dependent on the employee seeking leave; the amount of support provided, if any; and the extent to which the employee exercises the duties commonly associated with parenthood. The new administrators guidance provides a more detailed discussion of how to determine whether an employee satisfies in loco parentis standards. As it relates to same-sex partners, the administrators interpretation specifically says employees may take leave when a same-sex partner gives birth or adopts a child. The interpretation also makes clear that an employee may be in loco parentis to a child as soon as the child is born to or adopted by a same-sex partner. The administrator interpretation ensures that employees in these situations are allowed to take the same bonding period (e.g., up to 12 weeks of leave) as other parents of a newborn or newly adopted child. Although the FMLA regulations allow employers to require documentation of a family relationship, the regulations do not specifically address the type of documentation that may be required to establish an in loco parentis relationship. The administrator interpretation appears to state that employers may require no more than a simple written statement that the requisite family relationship exists, but employers should be cautious to require only that information/ documentation required of other employees. Finally, possible FMLA protection may be afforded to LGBT individuals with gender identity disorder, gender dysphoria or those who are transitioning. While there is no regulatory guidance on whether the gender reassignment process is covered by FMLA, plaintiffs have asserted that gender reassignment qualifies as a serious health condition under FMLA, thus entitling them to leave in accordance with that Act. The exclusion of gender identity from the defined disabilities under the ADA or Rehabilitation Act appears not to preclude claims for medical leave under FMLA. E. ENDA The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), H.R. 3017, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009. ENDA has been repeatedly reintroduced in Congress and it is anticipated that ENDA will be reintroduced in the 113th Congress, especially since the legislation has the strong backing of President Obama. If enacted, the current version of ENDA, which closely tracks Title VII, would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity nationwide, including actions taken against an individual based on the actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of a person with whom the individual associates or has associated. II. STATE AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYMENT PROTECTIONS FOR LGBT Twenty-one states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Seventeen of these states, including California, and the District of Columbia have laws which prohibit employment discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. For example, Californias Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. FEHA expressly prohibits discrimination against any person because of his or her sexual orientation, which means heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality. In addition, FEHA prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, which is defined to include transsexuals. Some states also afford leave to same-sex partners under family and medical leave laws. For instance, under New Yorks Marriage Equality Act, employees in New York in same-sex relationships now qualify for some types of family and medical leave. Municipal ordinances or local laws in twenty-six states may also protect LGBT employees, as well as gender identity or gender expression in the workplace. LGBT protections in the workplace exist in cities such as Phoenix, Tucson, Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas, El Paso, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Nashville, New Orleans and Seattle, amongst others. By registering for this webcast you will receive email communications and notifications from the sponsor(s). n Walters, co-founder and director of alternative recruitment solution firm, virtualRPO, says that four key trends will drive developments for HR and recruitment professionals in 2016.Traditionally, contractors and freelancers have always been the domain of creative industries. However, increasingly, professional services are also embracing the business benefits that contractors can deliver.By the end of 2017, 45% of the global workforce will be made up of contingent workers. This marks a seismic shift in the way we work and its a global trend that is slowly but surely emerging here in New Zealand.No longer seen as a 'stop gap' between roles, we'll start to see an increase in people choosing to make a career out of contract work. For HR professionals and recruiters in particular, the concept of a job for life is gone, and in its place workers are opting to shape their career around variety and flexibility.A lift in contractors also presents several benefits for employers; businesses can ensure they have the right level of resource for key projects or periods, without the need to increase their permanent headcount. The trick is ensuring that contractors are viewed and treated as part of the permanent team, so wed encourage any savvy businesses that are making use of the contingent workforce to heed this advice.2016 will see the continued shortage of talent in key areas such as technology, engineering, construction and digital. Theres an undeniable shortage in talent for those sectors, but as a rule, employers have been slow to employ overseas workers to fill the gap.Too many businesses have a preference for only recruiting Kiwis. This mentality isnt sustainable because without looking further ashore, we simply wont find the talent to meet our business needs.When an employer says they want a Kiwi to do a job, they underestimate just how culturally diverse New Zealand, and Auckland in particular is. Walk up Queen St and you will quickly see what an international city and country we live in. Net migration shows that the influx of returning Kiwis and new residents also brings with it good skills and international experience, so its high time Kiwi employers start to embrace the opportunities a global workforce present.Despite a general reluctance from many Kiwi businesses to embrace diversity and overseas workers, some iconic employers are bucking that trend.In a bid to enhance the diversity of their teams and mitigate discrimination bias, we've seen at least two large, iconic Kiwi employers adopt a hiring policy of having anonymized CVs in 2015.It's a bold move, but blanking out information such as name, age, place of education, and any other identifying factors that could lead to hiring prejudice will lead to more diverse teams that are reflective of the melting pot business is conducted within.While we are still a long way off from complete diversity throughout all businesses, there is certainly more diversity in top leadership teams, which contributes to the increase were seeing in diversity initiatives.In the next 12 months, well see at least one more household name corporate also roll out anonymised CVs. Id expect that more businesses will follow suit in the months and years to come.Some may say this is political correctness gone mad, but well soon see the companies that adopt these tactics see the benefits of their approach.The recruitment sector is increasingly about recruiters being specialists in their fields, and the depth of their connections as opposed to breadth only.Due to the fact that candidates are increasingly findable through channels such as LinkedIn, industry knowledge and depth of connections are critical attributes for recruiters. Just because the majority of professionals are on LinkedIn doesnt mean you can meet them all and assess their suitability for a role.When you are finding and extracting someone from a business for a new role, in depth industry knowledge becomes even more important. To identify and then engage a potential candidate and bring them to the table when theyre already happy in their current role can be a challenge without specialist knowledge.The recruitment sector is evolving in its tools. The recent arrival of new entrant, Career One, brings a third job board player into the traditionally two-horse race between Seek and Trade Me jobs. Already popular in Australia, Career One takes a more employer-brand centric approach to job boards, as opposed to the job-centric model weve seen for so long.The employer brand is a key trend across the HR and recruitment market, so in 2016 well see a shift in the employer brand being put at the front as opposed to talking about specific jobs.These are exciting and disruptive times, so wed encourage employers large and small to embrace the changes afield and think more strategically about how you will staff your business in 2016 and beyond. Getty Images/iStockphoto Downtown Calgary and Edmonton residents currently lack access to healthy food, says a study out of the University of Alberta (U of A). "Many residents seek opportunities to shop on foot and increasingly, many inner-city residents do not have access to cars. As a result, conveniently located grocery stores have become increasingly important," reads the study's introduction. Advertisement And such stores are few and far between for the car-less downtown dwellers of Alberta's major cities, it said. A "food desert" is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an area with poor access to healthy, affordable food. Studies have pegged areas as "food deserts" when they have fewer than three square feet of grocery retail per capita. Four to five square feet are considered "desirable." Advertisement Numbers contained in the U of A study indicate that there are only 3.33 square feet of grocery store per capita in Calgary's downtown. In downtown Edmonton, the number is 2.69 square feet per capita. "Edmonton, in my opinion, currently doesnt have a healthy downtown." The study noted that for a grocery store to be "walkable," it shouldn't be further than 500 metres away from a resident's home. In that light, it honed in on five, 500-metre radiuses in downtown Calgary and four in Edmonton. The area around Calgary's 11th Avenue SW and 4th Street SW has 10,948 people and no grocery store. Meanwhile, Edmonton's Jasper Avenue and 114 Street area is home to 11,336 people. And again, no grocery store. 'Food deserts' Downtown Calgary has four grocery stores in total, with four more planned. Two of the planned stores, Loblaws and Urban Fare, have signed leases to locate there. Downtown Edmonton fares even worse, with only three grocery stores. Four more grocery stores have been proposed there. Advertisement Both cities are a far cry from Vancouver, which has 19 stores to help 126,000 residents access healthy groceries, the study noted. A healthy downtown and a healthy downtown population make a healthy city. Edmonton, in my opinion, currently doesnt have a healthy downtown, study co-author Craig Patterson told The Edmonton Sun. Why Alberta? Alberta's situation is unique, said co-author Kyle Murray. Albertans living downtown tend to drive to the suburbs to shop at big-box stores, Murray told CBC News. Those that don't end up paying more money, he said. The study said Calgary's downtown could use at least five more grocery stores, while downtown Edmonton has room for four. Advertisement However, not all experts agree with the study's proposals. This is a fun exercise in nice to have rather than an examination of what is actually market feasible, which requires a far more nuanced examination of resident income levels, local consumer behaviours, traffic patterns and so on," Ian Meredith, a business consultant with Altus Group, told the Calgary Herald. Also on HuffPost: He may want to be the next Conservative leader, but the welcome mat out is not out for television personality Kevin OLeary, says one of the partys longest-serving MPs. OLeary is bad news and an undesirable candidate to replace Stephen Harper as leader, Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai told The Huffington Post Canada Monday. Advertisement Deepak Obhrai says Kevin O'Leary doesn't have the "foggiest idea" what the Tories are about. (Photo: Getty/CP) Obhrai, who was first elected in 1997, is the dean of the Conservative caucus. He said his party was built on grassroot support and has gone through a tremendous amount of rebuilding since the Reform party split from the Progressive Conservatives, the Canadian Alliance was formed and then merged with the PCs to form the current Conservative party in 2003. I never saw this guy [OLeary] anywhere. Anywhere. At any of these functions. As a matter of fact, I havent heard from him in those 18 years, and now we have a celebrity trying to run. Well, he doesnt have the foggiest idea what this party is all about, Obhrai told HuffPost. Advertisement OLeary is a celebrity businessman and a frequent contributor on business programs and popular television shows, such as ABC's Shark Tank. He was also featured on CBC-TV's Dragon's Den. Last week, OLeary mused publicly about running for the Tory leadership. He talked to current interim leader Rona Ambrose about a potential bid. Monday, a new poll among likely Tory supporters had him neck-and-neck against former longtime MP and Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay as the preferred candidate. MacKay left politics before the last election, saying he wanted to spend more time with his young family. He has yet to state officially whether he plans to run. "We do not want another celebrity running around for our party. OLeary has economic expertise because he is a rich businessman, but more is required in a leader, Obhrai said. Its also about health care and senior issues and other important issues, such as foreign affairs. This guy doesn't have any of those things. We do not want another celebrity running around for our party. Obhrai compared OLearys possible run to that of former Ontario MP Belinda Stronach, the daughter of billionaire Frank Stronach who lost her bid for the Tory leadership, became an MP, and eventually joined the Liberals when prime minister Paul Martin offered her a cabinet seat to help save his minority government. Advertisement Belinda is a good example of someone coming from outside, look what the consequences were. She crossed the floor. He talks nonsense. Obhrai suggested there is no groundswell of support for OLeary and that longstanding Conservatives have a better sense of how the party should position itself in the future than the celebrity capitalist. He talks nonsense. Last week, OLeary made headlines after telling a radio program he was ready to invest a million dollars in Albertas oil patch if NDP Premier Rachel Notley resigned and handed the province over to someone he deemed more qualified to lead the provinces troubled economy. He forgot one thing, Obhrai noted. Rachel Notley was democratically elected by the people of Alberta. He suggested that O'Leary believed Albertans could be bought for a million bucks. He doesnt respect the democratic will of the people. What the hell? Im sorry, but that doesnt go well with us. Advertisement Deepak Obhrai also says former Toronto city councillor Doug Ford is the "wrong candidate" for the job. (Photo: CP) He is welcome to run nobody can stop him from running but hes not right, Obhrai added, declaring that OLeary is too divisive and doesnt even speak French. He just comes as a TV personality and thinks he can take over the party. Absolutely not. That is not going to be the way it is going to be. We dont need a so-called White Knight. Obhrai said he also thinks former Toronto city councillor and mayoral candidate Doug Ford is the wrong candidate. He tweeted that Ford, who also let his name float as a potential candidate was not suitable for the Conservative Party of Canada. Advertisement Im leader of the Conservative caucus, and Im speaking my mind. Ive been in this party for 18 years, and I have been through a lot of leadership races, Obhrai told HuffPost. I want to see a candidate who is intelligent, who is thoughtful and who has the ability to attract a majority of Conservative Canadians from coast to coast. Ambrose told CTVs Power Play that she thought the members were smart enough to decide for themselves whether O'Leary should be leader. We welcome people from outside the party and inside the party. It will make it all the more exciting. We have really common-sense grassroots members that are activists in this party, and theyll make the right decision, she said barely able to hide her smile after host Don Martin described OLeary as someone who shoots from the lip without any sign of political correctness. Still, she said, she welcomes anyone who believes in free enterprise, low taxes and balanced budgets to join the race. Advertisement We welcome people from outside the party and inside the party. It will make it all the more exciting. Also on HuffPost Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose kicked off a cross-Canada tour Monday by taking aim at the Liberal governments grasp on the economy, and mocking the American medias keen interest in the prime minister. Addressing a luncheon crowd in Toronto, Ambrose referenced a recent New York Times article titled, With the Rise of Justin Trudeau, Canada Is Suddenly Hip? using the feature to make a point that having a cool prime minister doesnt keep debt at bay. Advertisement And not just that were hip, she said, alluding to the Times piece. We want to hip, but we dont want to be broke. Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose answers questions at the Canadian Club in Toronto on Jan. 18, 2015. (Photo: @RonaAmbrose/Twitter) Ambrose added that she has reached out to Trudeau to meet and discuss the rapidly deteriorating economic situation, saying the Liberal cabinet ministers are a very new and untested group of people at the helm. We need a plan. We really need a plan on the economy, Ambrose said. She also took a swipe at the prime minister for the tabloid coverage surrounding his family trip to a small Caribbean island over the Christmas holidays. Advertisement I mentioned at the beginning its exciting times in politics, but thats not just because Justin Trudeaus on TMZ. The speech comes amid a tanking Canadian dollar and sliding oil prices trends Ambrose used to blast the Liberals campaign promise to limit deficits to a modest $10 billion annually. We have to worry about the amount of debt we leave to the next generation. Rona Ambrose In November, the Liberals were scrutinized by opposing parties and accused of breaking an election promise after Finance Minister Bill Morneau forecasted a $3-billion deficit by the end of 2015 after the previous Conservative government predicted a $2.3-billion surplus. We have to worry about the amount of debt we leave to the next generation, Ambrose told the Toronto crowd. The interim leader is scheduled to speak in Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Calgary later this week. Trudeau confident about Liberal budget Speaking in New Brunswick Monday, Trudeau ducked questions about the possibility of the countrys deficit exceeding the aforementioned $10 billion during his first year in office. Advertisement I have instructed Bill (Morneau) to put forward a strong budget that reflects the needs of Canadians and the needs of the Canadian economy, focused on growth while remaining fiscally responsible, the prime minister said, adding he has every confidence in the world thats exactly what [the government is] going to deliver. Trudeau made the comments at a seaside resort where hes meeting his cabinet for a three-day retreat to discuss Canadas current economy, as well as its short and long-term trajectory. Earlier in the day, Ambrose released an open letter to Trudeau, citing great concern over the country's economy. ... There is no clarity on the limit of spending being considered by your government as it prepares to bring in a budget, she wrote. Ambrose extended an offer to the prime minister to work with his government, ending the letter with the hope Trudeau will consider this request in the spirit in which it is made." Advertisement With files from The Canadian Press Also on HuffPost: OTTAWA Thomas Mulcair faced the national media Monday, hoping to make his case for why he deserves to stay on as party leader as calls for him to step aside mount. Advertisement NDP Leader Tom Mulcair speaks to supporters, Monday, Oct. 19, 2015 in Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz/CP) Mulcair said he was energized after the Christmas break and excited to get back to work with his colleagues fighting against inequality and injustice. He laid out the NDPs latest call to arms, the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, a massive free-trade deal among Pacific nations that the Liberal government appears poised to sign, but which, Mulcair suggests, threatens thousands of good jobs in Canada. Despite wanting to talk about the TPP, the NDP leader faced a barrage of questions over his own leadership after he led the party from first place in polls at the beginning of the campaign in August to a crushing third-place finish that saw half of his caucus members lose their seats, taking the NDP from 103 seats in the 2011 election to 44 seats in 2015. It wasnt there for us this time, Mulcair told reporters in explaining the Oct. 19 result. As a team, we havent been to the finals very often, and I can tell you that we learned a lot. Next time, well be there to get the cup. In April, Mulcair faces a leadership vote at the partys national convention in Edmonton. He told reporters that he needs 50 per cent plus one vote to avoid a leadership race and that he hopes to get more than that much more than that but he refused to set a floor and say how much support he wants in order to remain the party leader. Advertisement I know that that support can be there. I sense it is there, but Im not taking anything for granted. Its up to the members to decide that, he told HuffPost when asked for his desired support base. I dont take anything for granted. Im humbled, before the membership and the extraordinary wave of good ideas that have come forward since the election to correct what they see as being problems. Im also determined, very proud to lead this party, and Im going to go before the membership without presuming anything and ask for their support, and it has to be, of course, beyond 50 per cent. What about 60 per cent? Mulcair wouldnt say. I know that that support can be there. I sense it is there, but Im not taking anything for granted. Mulcair said he will continue to work with the parliamentary caucus, plans to meet party officials this weekend and will likely head to a riding in Manitoba to meet with grassroots members. First, however, Mulcair will meet with his MPs Tuesday for a two-day caucus retreat in Montebello, Que., before the House of Commons returns next week. Advertisement Mulcair urged to take responsibility for NDP's defeat During his press conference, the NDP leader struck a more pensive tone than he has in the past several weeks and months, when he has mostly played down the NDPs stunning defeat. After the election, he blamed the niqab issue for the partys loss of support in Quebec despite the Liberals holding the same position. To the party faithful in Vancouver in November, he praised the partys election result in the province and reminded volunteers that the party had its second best showing ever. Since then, several high profile New Democrats have suggested their leader is dreaming in technicolour if he believes he can stay on to fight the next election in 2019. They had hoped Mulcair would take responsibility for some of the NDP campaigns worst strategic mistakes, pointing to the call for a balanced budget in the midst of a technical recession. So far, Mulcair hasnt. I shared the sadness and the disappointment of many people. But now, Im encouraged by what I see across the country. On Monday, he declined to give a straight answer about whether he believes the federal government should bring in a balanced budget and if he thinks deficits, right now, are necessary because of the declining loonie and the massive drop in oil prices. It was left up to an aide to explain the party leaders position. Advertisement The night of the election, Mulcair said: I shared the sadness and the disappointment of many people. But now, Im encouraged by what I see across the country. He never thought of resigning. Not once, he said. Its not in my nature. Toronto MPP calls for new federal leader The voices who have spoken out against Mulcair have mostly been disgruntled, defeated MPs, speaking confidentially, who felt they had lost through no fault of their own having raised more money and identified more supporters than ever but because of a badly run national campaign. The most vocal New Democrat willing to speak on-the-record has been Cheri DiNovo, an MPP for Torontos ParkdaleHigh Park where the former incumbent MP Peggy Nash also lost her seat. NDP Leader Tom Mulcair holds a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Jan 18, 2016. (CP/Sean Kilpatrick) Hes got to go, DiNovo told the Toronto Stars Thomas Walkom earlier this month. Monday, DiNovo told The Huffington Post Canada that she doubts Mulcair can stay and that, at a bare minimum, he should want support for his leadership to be in the high 70s. Advertisement Fifty plus one is absurd; its absurd to me, she said, laughing. Even in the 70s. For an incumbent leader, you want incredible support behind you, thats what you need. In 2009, the partys former leader, Jack Layton, received 89.25 per cent of support. The federal election was a disaster for the NDP, DiNovo said. Whether or not it was Mulcairs ideas or those of advisers to call for fiscal discipline during a technical recession or rid the party of its socialist label, he agreed to it, she said. The end result was he said yes to that, and we need a leader who second-guesses those folks if that is the direction they are taking us. They need to hear directly that it wasnt their fault that we lost. NDP donors and volunteers, those who gave their time and money, deserve to hear him and the central campaign take responsibility, she added. They need to hear directly that it wasnt their fault that we lost. I need to hear him and I think many of us do look at what was said, things like balanced budgets, etc. He needs to take responsibility. The idea of running another campaign with somebody who has lost 50 per cent of our seats doesnt seem like a realistic option to me. It really doesnt. DiNovo said she has always admired Mulcair for his intellectual abilities and his help for the Quebec breakthrough. But the party should focused now on deep soul-searching and not be consumed with or scared about the idea of finding a new leader. Advertisement The reality is there cannot be another potential leader until space is made for them. Its not just about Mulcair or his capabilities, DiNovo added. Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo says the federal NDP need a new leader. (Photo: CP) It really needs to be not about him right now, quite frankly. It really needs to be about the needs I would say even greater than the NDP, [of] democratic socialism and that movement in Canada that we need to be the party that represents that. We need to look at how we do things, how we do politics, what kind of politics we represent, who our base is. We need to do all of that work, she said, referring to how the federal Liberals successfully addressed the same sort of considerations after their disastrous showing in the 2011 election. Weve got four years. But can Mulcair stay on as leader while the NDP finds itself? Im really dubious that that is a possibility, that we can go forward as a party, you know four years from now with the same leader from this last disastrous election, Im really dubious about that absolutely. If a leader loses half of the seats in the party and struggles to keep his own, that leader is in trouble and should be in trouble, and thats really all Im saying, the Ontario MPP added. The fact that we continue to deny the obvious seems to me really bizarre and doesnt help. Advertisement NDP Leader Tom Mulcair holds a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Jan 18, 2016. (CP/Sean Kilpatrick) I'm not alone, DiNovo added. Im expressing what I am hearing from a lot of people who seem to not want to speak out. Shes speaking out, she said, because she thinks its her duty to tell the truth and, because she isnt tied to the federal party, she doesnt have to support him and the party cant fire her. Only the electorate can do that, and Im responsible ultimately to them, and that is who I am listening to and that is who I am speaking for. Advertisement Even if Mulcair manages to remain leader after the April convention, DiNovo warned, it doesnt necessarily mean that he will be the leader at the time of the next campaign either. The NDP asks its members every two years whether they want a leadership race, which means if Mulcair stays on in 2016, he could still be ousted in 2018. At the end of the day, he stands for that campaign in the imagination of the Canadian public, and that is a real problem. Also on HuffPost Economists at two Metro Vancouver universities have joined forces and called for a tax on vacant properties in an effort to make B.C. housing more affordable. The group, led by Tsur Somerville, Thomas Davidoff, and Joshua Gottlieb, is proposing a 1.5-per-cent tax on people who own vacant properties or those who have "limited participation in the Canadian economy," said a news release from the University of British Columbia (UBC). The tax, proposed in partnership with Simon Fraser University, would work like this: someone who owns a $1-million home would have to shell out $15,000, if the house was sitting empty. Advertisement That money would go into a B.C. Housing Affordability Fund (BCHAF), which would dole out cash to Canadian taxpayers in lump-sum amounts. The economists believe the proposal could raise as much as $90 million in the City of Vancouver every year. "We are certain the sum would actually be much higher as current systems for data collection don't provide a full picture of vacancy rates," Davidoff, one of the UBC economists, said in a statement Monday. Advertisement But the BCHAF could help with that too it would give both the federal and provincial government a "much more accurate picture of homes left vacant and property owners who do not or have not paid their share of Canadian taxes," he said. Municipalities could opt in to the BCHAF, with revenues benefitting taxpayers in their communities. The program would make participating cities "less attractive to investors hoping to invest in real estate without paying taxes," said a policy proposal. "By raising the cost of holding a property vacant, BCHAF would also provide investors with an incentive to rent our currently vacant properties to B.C. residents," it added. Several exemptions would apply. The owner of a $1-million home who paid $15,000 in income taxes the equivalent of the proposed tax wouldn't have to contribute to the BCHAF. Advertisement There would also be an exception for those who rent their units, and those who lived in their houses for several years. Foreign investment debate The proposal comes amid concerns that foreign investors are driving up real estate prices in Vancouver. "The goal is to support those living in parts of the province that have seen skyrocketing real estate prices, while also making our local markets less attractive to investors who wish to avoid taxation or park cash," Davidoff, one of the UBC economists, said in a statement. The provincial NDP expressed their support for the idea in a statement on Monday. "I hear on a daily basis how hard it is for people in the Lower Mainland and across the province to find affordable housing, even something as simple as a new family trying to find a two-bedroom apartment to rent," housing critic David Eby said. Advertisement Additional taxes proposed in the past It's not the first time someone has proposed a tax as a way to address housing affordability in the province. Last year, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson proposed a speculation tax that would curb the "quick resale or 'flipping' of new housing" in the city. That proposal came after Vancouver condo marketer Bob Rennie floated a similar idea. B.C. Premier Christy Clark shot Robertson's suggestion down, saying there wasn't much data showing that foreign investors were making housing less affordable, The Vancouver Sun reported. The mayor reiterated his call for a speculation tax after BC Assessment released the province's property values earlier this month. Advertisement Also on HuffPost: Suspended Sen. Patrick Brazeau is in critical but stable condition after being taken to hospital Monday night with serious injuries. A spokeswoman for the Hull Hospital confirmed to the National Post on Tuesday that Brazeau was found injured at his home and is recovering from surgery. Advertisement Genevieve Cote told the Post that Brazeau arrived at the hospital shortly after 1 a.m. on Tuesday and underwent surgery, which "went well," she said. Cote did not say what kind of operation he had or why he needed it. Quebec provincial police confirmed to Global News that they assisted paramedics called to a home in Mayo, Que. northeast of Gatineau, around 10 p.m. on Monday. Brazeau was transported from his home to a hospital in Buckingham, Que. and then later transferred to one in Gatineau, according to CBC News. According to Le Journal de Montreal, criminal activity is not believed to be a factor. Brazeau was granted an unconditional discharge after pleading guilty to assault and cocaine charges last year. He is currently on leave from the Senate with reduced pay. Advertisement He faces fraud and breach of trust charges based on his Senate living expenses. His trial is scheduled to take place in March. With files from The Canadian Press Also On HuffPost: Victor Rayes via Getty Images Young woman at home doing yoga Thanks to the Edmonton Humane Society, animal-loving local yogis can now destress with a new series of cat yoga classes. "What do cats and yogis have in common? They both love to stretch!" reads a description about its "Cats On Your Mats" classes on the humane society's website. Advertisement The classes give yogis the chance to exercise and meet some of the society's felines up for adoption every week. The idea to pair adoptable cats and yoga was inspired by Vancouver's Stretch Yoga, who were the first to hold a "Cats On Your Mats" event last year. All eight cats at the studio were adopted after the first class, according to Stretch Yoga's owners Emmanuelle Rousseau and Boyd Thomson. Advertisement It was quite amazing most of the people that came to that class had never done cat yoga before, Rousseau told The Georgia Straight. A lot of people come because they either cant have a cat of their own, or theyre interested in getting one. Karen Meurer, a humane society spokesperson, said the classes are designed with both humans and cats in mind. People get to exercise and meet prospective cats up for adoption and the felines get time to socialize, according to Metro News. The classes are being taught by Charlene Bergenstrom, a Hatha yoga instructor based out of Stony Plain, Alta. Hatha classes are designed for beginners, and each cat yoga class is one hour long which includes 15 minutes to meditate, relax and visit with kitties. Advertisement Classes are held every Saturday morning at the Edmonton Humane Society and cost $20 to attend. Each class accepts up to 21 yogis, but the society warns they usually sell out, so it's important to register in advance. "Just bring your own mat and we'll supply the cat, no worries," Meurer said, in an interview with CBC News. Advertisement Also on HuffPost: Conservatives have accused the defence minister of "misleading" Canadians last week on the real reason Canada won't participate in a meeting of countries fighting against ISIS. On Monday, it was revealed that Canada was not invited to take part in a conference in Paris Wednesday between U.S. Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter and his counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, Australia, the U.K., and Netherlands. Advertisement Conservatives argue the apparent snub is related to the Liberal government's pledge to end CF-18 airstrikes against ISIS. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan denied there was any kind of slight Tuesday, saying the Paris meeting is just one of many on the topic. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan meets the interior minister of the Kurdish Regional Government in Irbil, Iraq. (Photo: Seivan M.Salim/AP Photo) Advertisement But key Tory critics are zeroing in on comments made by Sajjan earlier to support a claim he wasn't forthright with Canadians. Last Thursday, Sajjan appeared on CBC's "Power and Politics," where host Rosemary Barton asked him if he was planning to attend the Paris conference. "No, I will not be attending," he said, adding that "multiple meetings" with NATO partners are also coming up. "But if France, Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the U.K., the U.S secretary of defence is going to be there next week and you want to be a meaningful contributor to the coalition, should you not be at that meeting?" Barton pressed. Again, Sajjan said there would be other chances to meet with allies in the near future. "You don't see the need to be at that particular meeting?" the host asked. "No," Sajjan replied. Watch the exchange around the 4:27 mark: Advertisement On Tuesday, Tory defence critic James Bezan and associate critic Pierre Paul-Hus released a statement calling Sajjan out for not divulging that Canada wasn't asked to attend in the first place. "It turns out the real reason he isn't going to the meeting is that according to media reports, Canada has not been invited. Minister Sajjan's excuse was not just misleading and evasive, it was patently false," the statement reads. "For a government which talks about openness and transparency, this is extremely disconcerting." The release notes that former foreign affairs minister Rob Nicholson co-hosted a meeting with his counterparts on the ISIS fight in July. Tories argue that Canada is being "deliberately excluded" from talks just six months later. "For a government which talks about openness and transparency, this is extremely disconcerting." "Once again, this development demonstrates that the Liberal Party's policy on fighting ISIS is incoherent, and the decision to withdraw Canada's CF-18s is seen by our allies as stepping back, rather than standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them." Interim Tory Leader Rona Ambrose told reporters in Manitoba Tuesday that Canada cannot expect to be "invited to the table" unless it is a full partner in the fight against ISIS. Advertisement Sajjan: Canadians 'can call bullshit very quickly' The Huffington Post Canada has reached out to Sajjan for comment, but it's a safe bet the accusations won't sit well with the former lieutenant-colonel and Vancouver police detective. Sajjan told HuffPost last month that being honest with Canadians is an important part of his new role, saying "you'll never get caught in a lie" if you always tell the truth. "I think, Canadians, if you are honest with them, they will understand things," he said. "Whether it is giving them bad news or good news we can trust Canadians. They are smart enough they can call bullshit very quickly." With files from The Canadian Press ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Harjit Sajjan: Canada's 'Badass' Defence Minister See Gallery Advertisement The world has hit peak home furnishings, according to an Ikea executive. But the worlds largest furniture retailer remains adamant its part of the solution, rather than the problem. Steve Howard, head of sustainability with the Swedish company, told audience members at a Guardian Live event in London last week that mass consumption has been the culprit behind other peak crises in past decades. Advertisement If we look at a global basis, in the West we probably hit peak oil. Id say weve hit peak red meat, peak sugar, peak stuff peak home furnishings, Howard said, joking, It doesnt sound quite so threatening. Customers wait in line to checkout at an Ikea store in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., on Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Howard joined other sustainability experts for a debate oriented around business specifically if companies are still in denial about the realities of climate change. He spoke about the impact of the COP21 Paris climate talks on the business community. Advertisement Paris was the beginning of a turning point, he said. We have an incredible opportunity to seize the moment, lets reinvent our business models and create sustainable abundance. Breathtakingly cheap energy prices coming Despite the suggestion that the company's customers are particularly culpable in the peak stuff situation, Howard said Ikea is moving ahead on the right side of history by reshaping its business practices to be more environmentally-friendly on an international scale. The company has pledged that by 2020, its stores will be powered by renewable energy owned and operated by the company. Ikea Canada made headlines after it purchased a 20-turbine wind farm in Pincher Creek, Alta. in 2013. Last year, the company became the first major Canadian retailer to phase out the sale of incandescent lights, replacing stock with only LED bulbs. Advertisement We will be increasingly building a circular Ikea where you can repair and recycle products. Looking at an international level, Howard added that in 20 years, he predicts energy prices to be breathtakingly cheap so its imperative companies work on creating reality-based winning narratives to encourage business practices that produce green abundance. And for a company that prints a catalog distributed twice as widely as the Bible, that kind of change begins by transforming its own business practices and products it offers to customers. According to The Guardian, the company introduced a series of environmental policies last year to help its mandate to lower water consumption, promote energy efficiency, and sustainable product development. We will be increasingly building a circular Ikea where you can repair and recycle products, he said. Also on HuffPost: BC Gov/Flickr A Vancouver police officer found guilty of assault is being honoured for saving a tourist's life. Const. Ismail Bhabha will be receiving a Chief Constable's Commendation Award for rescuing an elderly man and his dog from a sinking car last year, the department announced on Tuesday. In October, a German tourist, 81, accidentally drove his car off the Vanier park boat launch. A witness saw the accident and called 911. Advertisement Bhabha and Const. Nicholas Wong arrived, jumped into the freezing water, and swam to the partially sunken car. Bhabha smashed the back window and threw his police baton inside where he guessed the man would be. The tourist was able to grab the baton and the two officers pulled him safely to shore. Officer punched cyclist Bhahba was convicted of assault for punching a cyclist in the face in 2013. He was later given a condition discharge and sentenced to community service. Vancouver police Chief Adam Palmer later defended the "highly regarded" officer. "People may make a mistake on a certain day, but I don't think they should be judged for their entire career on just one thing." The province also commended Bhabha in November 2015 for the same rescue at the Police Honours Night, which recognizes outstanding officers in B.C. Advertisement UPDATE 1/21/2016: Telecom firm netTalk says thousands of Canadians who lost their phone numbers in a dispute with another telecom have regained their service. "We are very pleased to announce that, effective immediately, all netTALK Canada telephone numbers and services are live and fully functioning," netTalk said in a statement emailed Wednesday night. Advertisement The company said it would be in touch with its customers to compensate them for the inconvenience. Original story follows below. A billing dispute between two telecom companies has resulted in thousands of Canadians losing their phone numbers, but the companies involved say they are working to return those numbers to their owners. Customers of phone-service upstart netTalk found that they were unable to receive incoming calls, with callers being told that the number they are calling is no longer in service. Customers could still make outbound calls. Ottawa resident and netTalk customer Sharon Henderson said she discovered she had lost her number on Friday, less than a month after she signed up with the startup phone service that offers 10Gb of data for $40 a month. I want consumers to be wary, because theyre still selling the netTalk service, she said, referring to the fact the companys website is evidently accepting new customers. Advertisement Henderson said it appeared that Florida-based netTalk had removed its Canadian contact information from its site. She is calling on the CRTC, Canadas telecom regulator, to put pressure on netTalk to resolve the issue and return customers phone numbers to them. @netTALK@iristel@CRTCeng Your petty dispute has jeopardized the safety of my family - I want my phone number reactivated immediately. Smitty (@racheryn) January 19, 2016 At the heart of the matter is a dispute between netTalk and Iristel, the company netTalk contracted to provide phone numbers in Canada. Unfortunately, disputes have arisen with Iristel, and we received notice from counsel representing Iristel demanding we make arrangements to port all Canadian phone numbers to another carrier, netTalk said on its Facebook page. According to Iristel, the dispute in question is that netTalk hasnt paid its bill to Iristel in two years. The company says its owed up to $2 million. It says 75,000 Canadians have been affected by the dispute. Advertisement We apologize for this and we do not feel comfortable putting Canadian consumers in the middle, but we ran out of options and had no other choice, Iristel senior VP Maged Bishara said in a statement. Were working with the CRTC to ensure customers can get their phone numbers back and also to ensure netTalk cannot do this again in Canada. In a statement emailed to Huffington Post Canada, netTalk COO Nick Kyriakides said the issue of whether netTalk owes that money "is being disputed and currently being litigated. ... We plan to continue offering netTALK service in Canada." He disputed Iristel's claim of 75,000 affected customers, saying there were only 27,000 "This is a prime example of the trumped up, egregious, and fictitious over-charges we have been subjected [to] and are currently challenging in the courts," he wrote. @ProjectMngr_YYZ#CRTC is aware of @netTALK issue and is in contact with the relevant service providers concerning customer numbers. CRTCeng (@CRTCeng) January 19, 2016 Advertisement The Huffington Post Canada has reached out to the CRTC for comment, and will update this story as warranted. NetTalk said it arranged to port the numbers to another carrier, but the new contractor, Primus, was unable to take control of the numbers when it tried. Iristel finally relented early yesterday and agreed to reactivate your numbers rather than holding them hostage in their dispute with us," netTalk told customers Tuesday in a Facebook update. "However, since agreeing, Iristel thus far have failed to reactivate the numbers." For her part, Henderson says she will likely switch providers, no matter the outcome. "In retrospect, I should have tested it out first," before porting the number, she said. Note:This story has been upated from its original version, to reflect comments from netTalk. Also on HuffPost Fruiticana/Facebook On Tony Singh's second day in Canada, his new neighbour invited the 10-year-old and his family who had come as refugees over for dinner. Now, 40 years later, the Surrey, B.C. businessman is paying that single act of kindness forward by promising free groceries to 500 Syrian refugees. Advertisement The simple gesture had such a profound impact on me and my life, Singh said in a statement Monday. It showed me what it means to be Canadian. I wanted to pass on that same special feeling to these Syrian Refugees arriving in Canada, Singh said. The businessman is founder and president of Fruiticana, a Surrey-based company established in 1994. I am sure many of these refugees, especially the children, will go on to make many positive contributions to Canada in the future. The deliveries of free groceries continue a promise made by Singh last year to help refugee families resettling in Surrey. Advertisement Over 17,000 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada as of Tuesday. The federal government has pledged to resettle 25,000 people as permanent residents by the end of February. Singh, who will deliver his latest bundle of groceries on Thursday, said hes hopeful his simple action will serve as a positive example for newcomers. I am sure many of these refugees, especially the children, will go on to make many positive contributions to Canada in the future." Also on HuffPost: MoMo Productions via Getty Images woman using smartphone on couch Bell went first, and the others quickly followed. All three of Canadas largest wireless companies have announced price hikes within days of each other, blaming among other things the falling Canadian dollar. The latest to announce price hikes is Telus, which raised its Smartphone and Premium Smartphone voice plans by $5 a month, matching the increases in some plan prices at Bell and Rogers. Advertisement Like Bell and Rogers, Telus also hiked prices for BYOD customers those who bring their own phone instead of buying it from the wireless provider. (See price highlights below.) The hikes don't affect prices in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where prices are lower "due to increased competition from regional incumbents Videotron, SaskTel and MTS, respectively," the MobileSyrup blog reports. This comparison of wireless prices from 2014 shows prices are lower where there is a fourth major player. (Note: These are not current prices.) Canada's Unfair Wireless Prices (2014) See Gallery Advertisement In an internal document obtained by MobileSyrup, Telus blames economic and market conditions for the price hike. A company spokesperson speaking to the Globe and Mail was more specific, citing the weak Canadian dollar and the annual multibillion-dollar investments required to keep up with the growing demand for wireless data. Bell, too, pointed the finger at the falling loonie, telling the Globe it faces a significant increase in costs due to the weakened dollar. Market analysts say the wireless providers are looking to increase their revenue at a time when demand for wireless services is beginning to level off. Market analysis firm IDC last month predicted a 7.5-per-cent decline in smartphone sales in Canada this year, the first time sales have ever declined. Desjardins analyst Maher Yaghi said in a note last month that the telcos are feeling the pressure from the economic slowdown in Canada due to the oil slump. Advertisement If the economic impact on the sector becomes more acute than currently anticipated, this could act as a significant headwind for wireless incumbents in Canada, he wrote. Telecom revenue as a % of Canada's economy RBC Dominion Securities analyst Drew McReynolds told the Globe the telcos are trying to make up for lost revenue following the transition to two-year contracts. The telcos responded to the CRTCs ban on three-year contracts by raising comparable prices, giving them a revenue boost. But that effect has now worn off, and the telcos are trying to ensure they dont see less revenue per user in the future. The price hikes lower the risk that telcos will see less revenue per user, McReynolds said. Highlights of the big threes wireless price hikes: Bell $5/month hike to Lite and Plus plans BYOD plan up $10/month, to $50 Lowest price plan (300 local minutes) to be discontinued Rogers $5/month hike to Share Everything plans $10 to $15 hike to No Tab plans $20 discount for BYOD ends; new $10 BYOD discount on Share Everything plans Telus Smartphone/Premium Smartphone plans up by $5/month BYOD plan up $10/month, to $50 $20/500 Mb shared data plan discontinued Koodo (Telus flanker brand) Nick Dolding via Getty Images Mixed feelings, split personalities and bipolar. Why paint yourself with the either/or, black-or-white binary system of gender, when instead you could be a vibrant mosaic of masculine and feminine attributes? By letting go of stereotypes and celebrating individuals with a mix of traditional gender characteristics, you'll create more opportunities for yourself and others. Imagine if boys could be soft and caring without feeling shame, while girls could be tough and forceful without facing criticism. Imagine women routinely ascending to the top ranks of STEM jobs (science, technology, engineering and math) and men embracing HEAL jobs (health, education, administration and literacy) without judgment. We'd all have so much more freedom and so many more options. Advertisement According to research results published by Tel Aviv University in 2015, we now have empirical evidence that this is the way it should be. There are not male and female brains, and it is time to quit routinely classifying based on gender. Everyone is different, and in the same way as there are not just two types of brains; there are not just two types of people. Each of our individual, distinguishing characteristics covers a vast spectrum. The authors of the study analyzed MRIs of more than 1,400 human brains and found an extensive overlap between distributions of females and males for all gray matter, white matter and connections assessed. Furthermore, they said that brains with features that are consistently at one end of the "maleness-femaleness" continuum are rare. Rather, most brains are composed of a unique mosaic of features. Recently deceased artist, musician, film star and fashion icon David Bowie led the way on this, defying all categories. He was at first considered gay, then bisexual and finally heterosexual when he married twice and fathered two children. For this he was called a chameleon and is recognized as one of the great innovators of our time. If he had allowed himself to be pigeonholed into a traditional gender role, I dare say he would never have created such a totally unique and game-changing legacy. The fact that he freely roamed the spectrum was the source of his genius. Advertisement For most of us, the labels will not be that extreme, nor the innovations that worldly. However, with proof that the biology of our brains does not support putting boys and girls into two separate camps, we can now accept that it has no influence on our characteristics, career choices or behaviours. Thus, we have an unprecedented opportunity to give up cultural expectations of what it means to be male or female and increase our options. "Faulty beliefs about innate gender differences have provided an excuse to preserve the status quo, and this has been to society's detriment. " Readjusting our thinking will make it possible to drop deeply entrenched stereotypes. Faulty beliefs about innate gender differences have provided an excuse to preserve the status quo, and this has been to society's detriment. Men no longer have to be breadwinners and can adapt to a modern family, providing childcare and collaborating with women who earn the bulk of the income. Better yet, we can give up any stigma surrounding these new roles. With more gender symmetry we can reduce unconscious bias that prohibits people from expressing characteristics typically thought to be the prerogative of the opposite gender. Women will no longer face backlash when they deliver an opinion in a way that isn't adorable. Men will be able to tear up and express emotion publicly without being considered weak. Women will be free to promote their strengths without being considered arrogant, and men can ask for directions without being considered wimps. In my own way, I am someone who always sought to paint with a broader gender palette. As a preschooler I remember a business client of my father's admiring my self-sufficiency, saying that I would thrive even living in a dank alleyway. Advertisement While he found that admirable, I remember my Grade 4 teacher finding those same characteristics extremely objectionable. I talked too much and had too many opinions that didn't fit the good-little-girl stereotype. My mother, who intuitively understood the mosaic, made lots of trips to the school to reinforce that my individuality wasn't to be squashed. Later, in my corporate career, I worked with a man who was so kind and sensitive we nicknamed him the "Alan Alda of PotashCorp." While it was all in good humour, he was a true mosaic before his time. Trained as an engineer, he exhibited many masculine characteristics such as being action-oriented and focused on outcome, yet he managed all relationships within his jurisdiction especially well. I don't dispute that there are masculine and feminine archetypes and that there is value in preserving them. Not only have they been well-established throughout history and across cultural institutions, they also demonstrate a wide palette of attributes for each of us to choose every day. What I object to is the idea that men must exhibit masculine characteristics and women feminine ones. Furthermore, if we could release the stereotypes affirming that men should be choosing certain careers based on masculine behaviours (and similarly for women), we could eliminate much unconscious bias as well. By bringing our beliefs in line with our brain biology, we can get out of either/or, black-and-white thinking. We can express ourselves with a wide palette of colours and live as individuals with a mix of gender characteristics. This will open our world and make more options available to us. Everyone will benefit! Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Dirima via Getty Images Sad woman with cold or flu blowing her nose with a tissue under autumn rain. Brunette female sneezing and wearing warm clothes against cold weather. Illness, depression and allergy concept. News of the upcoming flu season includes an unsettling statistic: as of early November only 39 per cent of the U.S. population had gotten a flu vaccine, according to the Center for Disease Control. One reason is that flu season has been relatively mild so far this year, but that's likely to change. An annual research project forecasts that flu season is likely to peak in February, as the temperature drops and the air becomes more cold and dry. How can we protect ourselves from this inevitable onslaught of flu and colds? One proven, natural way is with regular doses of elderberry, a fruit known for its health-giving and preventative powers since ancient times. Advertisement Recent studies have confirmed that elderberry can bolster immunity, counter flu and cold symptoms, and is particularly beneficial when dealing with respiratory infections. While synthetic pharmaceuticals focus on dealing with infections after they have developed -- and may have negative side effects as well -- elderberry has natural stopping power. The fruit's potency lies in the pigments that give the berry its nearly black color. The darker the color, the richer the pigments, scientists have found -- which means that these dark fruits -- particularly in the European Haschberg variety of black elderberry -- are filled with natural healing power. Formed in groups of molecular chains known as anthocyanins, these pigments have been found to be capable of preventing viruses from reproducing and infecting new cells. They also kill many of the bacteria that cause chest and respiratory infections. A recent two-year study conducted in Australia (soon to be published) found that extract from the European elder (Sambucus nigra L.) also shortened the duration of cold and flu symptoms. When a group of long-distance air travelers were divided into two groups, with one (154 people) taking a placebo and the other (158 people) taking a propriety elderberry extract, the group given elderberry showed far better results. After taking daily doses of 600 to 900 milligrams of elderberry extract for 15 days, they showed half the rate of respiratory infection, reported being sick for only half as long, and had symptoms that were half as severe as those who did not take the extract. Moreover, they also reported better health overall. Advertisement The study's findings verified with modern science what centuries of healing traditions have long understood about elderberry's impact on colds and flu. But the Australian study was also noteworthy as it factored in the atmosphere of airplanes -- cold, and dry. The same environment has been shown to play a role in our vulnerability to colds and flu as well. It turns out that the colder and drier the air, the more susceptible we are to respiratory infections. As we come into contact with cold air -- whether by breathing it in or via skin contact -- our core temperature is reduced. As a result, the blood vessels in the protective mucous tissues of our respiratory system constrict -- and that makes it more difficult for the immune system to respond to invading bacteria and viruses. A recent study also found that cool, dry air also allows cold and influenza viruses to survive longer outside the body than they do during summery conditions. An apt example is found in a simple sneeze. One sneeze produces about 40,000 droplets of mucous, which exit the mouth and nose at 62 miles an hour and can travel a distance of 52 feet. A virus contained in droplets can survive for up to 24 hours if it lands on a hard surface in a cold and dry environment with an ambient temperature of about 41 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity between 35 to 50 per cent. In these conditions, the rate in which colds and influenza are passed from one individual to another thus increases significantly. Given these findings, seeking natural preventatives and health-boosting options seems more pertinent than ever. And given that there are up to five million cases of severe respiratory illness in the world in a given year, according to the World Health Organization, it may be a good time to turn to nature's pharmacy. So the next time you hear a sneeze (or a cough) nearby, consider adding elderberry to your medicine cabinet, and you'll be well prepared for the coming season. Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Design Pics / Richard Wear via Getty Images Bison At Waterton National Park With Mountains In The Background No one was expecting 2015 to be a special year for nature conservation. As we started the year, it seemed Canadians were mostly focused on the economy, security and health care. Yet when we reflect on the year that was, it's clear the unexpected happened. Could 2015 have marked an unexpected global turning point for nature conservation? Here are 10 Canadian stories of nature conservation from 2015 that should give us all evidence of hope. Advertisement 10. Signs of recovery for species at risk In 2015, signs emerged suggesting Atlantic cod are starting to recover on Canada's East Coast. Humpback whale numbers are growing in the waters off British Columbia. An initiative was launched to return plains bison to the valley lands of Banff National Park. The small white lady's-slipper, a delicate orchid that lives in southern Manitoba and southern Ontario, was down-listed in 2015 thanks in part to habitat conservation and management by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in the tall grass prairie region. 9. A new national park in Canada's High Arctic Canada's 45th national park, Qausuittuq National Park, is located on northwest Bathurst Island in Nunavut. At over 11,000 square kilometres of Arctic lands and waters, Qausuittuq National Park is larger than the country of Jamaica. The new park protects key wildlife habitat for many Arctic species, including muskox, caribou, polar bear, narwhal and nesting colonies of waterfowl and seabirds. 8. Nova Scotia leads the way in new protected areas Late in 2015 the Nova Scotia government announced the establishment of 100 new protected areas. Several of these new protected areas build on places protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, including Dochertys Brook, Economy Point, Port L'Hebert and Quinns Meadow. Advertisement 7. Linking nature and people Although the connection between nature conservation and human well-being has long been recognized, the United Nations reaffirmed the link when it released 17 Goals to Transform Our World. The goals set an agenda for sustainable development in the next 15 years, including halting the loss of biodiversity and increasing the protection of our oceans. In addition, Canada's Ecofiscal Commission and The Natural Step continue to integrate the environment and economy. Near the end of the year, TD Bank and the Nature Conservancy of Canada released a report on the natural capital values of protected forests, showing that in addition to protecting nature, they also provide value to Canadians by cleaning water and capturing carbon. 6. Nunavut establishes a Conservation Data Centre Canada's coverage of Conservation Data Centres (CDCs) was completed in 2015, with Nunavut joining the CDC network. CDCs provide critical information that helps organizations such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada target conservation activities on the species and habitats that are at greatest risk. NCC has actively supported the establishment of CDCs across Canada since 1988. The addition of the Nunavut CDC is critical for Canadian conservation. Nunavut covers over one-fifth of Canada and includes some of the most pristine ecosystems left in the world. Advertisement 5. A plan to protect Canada's oceans and coasts Canada has the longest coastline in the world, yet as a marine nation, we are behind most of the world in conserving our oceans, with only one percent in protected areas. The last year witnessed many milestones in ocean conservation in other parts of the world. Chili created the largest marine protected area in the Americas, and New Zealand announced the establishment of the 620,000-square-kilometre Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary. In September 2015, the federal government announced that Canada will meet international commitments to 10 per cent of our oceans by 2020. 4. Manitoba Creates New Protected Areas Manitoba has continued to implement its Protected Areas Initiative, with the announcement of new protected areas in 2015. With these additions, 11 per cent of Manitoba is now protected. The new 14,500-hectare Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park and 8,400-hectare Kinwow Bay Provincial Park, both on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, protect important fish habitats, wetlands and forests. Several of these new protected areas are within important natural areas where the Nature Conservancy of Canada is working, such as the Whitemouth River Watershed. Advertisement 3. Protecting Newfoundland and Labrador In July 2015 it was announced that Canada would establish another massive protected area in Labrador, the Akamai-uapishku -- KakKasuak -- Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve. This 10,700-square-kilometre national park reserve includes mountain tundra, coasts, boreal forests, islands and wild rivers The biodiversity and protected areas of Newfoundland and Labrador are featured in the online nature atlas developed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland. 2. New initiatives to protect the Great Lakes and Lake Winnipeg Canada is defined by freshwater. We have more lakes than all other countries combined, and 13 of the world's 30 largest lakes. Unfortunately many of our large lakes are facing a barrage of threats, including non-point source pollution, habitat loss and invasive species. In November 2015, Ontario passed the Great Lakes Protection Act, which will support efforts to reduce harmful algal bloom caused by pollution, prevent the loss of wetlands and initiate conservation actions in geographically focused areas. The Province of Manitoba has responded to the threat of invasive zebra mussels in Lake Winnipeg by increasing efforts to limit their spread. 1. A global framework to manage climate change The impacts of climate change that are already being observed in Canada include rapid warming of the Arctic and extreme weather events in southern regions of the country. The 2015 Conference of the Parties provides an important leap forward in managing our carbon pollution. The agreement affirms the important role that nature has in reducing greenhouse gases and helping communities adapt to climate change impacts. The Paris Agreement moves us closer than we've ever been in collectively managing the health of our planet. Advertisement In editorials that appeared across the country, the Nature Conservancy of Canada's President and CEO, John Lounds, highlighted the importance of conservation in our efforts to manage climate change. More work to be done After years of steady, but slow, steps in nature conservation, our collective stride seems to have lengthened in 2015. We still need to act on commitments to create more terrestrial and marine protected areas. We still have Canadian species that are at risk of disappearing. We still have parks and protected areas that need to be buffered and better connected. There is still much work to be done if we want to create a Canada with healthy lands and waters that we can pass on to our children and grandchildren. The progress of 2015 should give us hope that this is achievable. This article originally appeared in Land Lines, the blog of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Yellow Dog Productions via Getty Images doctor in radiology lab Buried among a spate of bad news announcements that the B.C. government released over the Christmas holidays was an update on a province-wide system for peer reviews of medical scans. The system was to have been operational by 2014, but still isn't in place at three of five health authorities and won't be until mid-2016 at the earliest. Advertisement Its implementation is being overseen by the Physician Quality Assurance Steering Committee (PQASC), established in 2012 in response to Dr. Douglas Cochrane's 2011 investigation into a series of botched CT scan readings. While there's a sense of import to the committee's work, there doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency. In 2014, B.C.'s then-auditor general, Russ Jones, noted that PQASC's "progress has been slow due to a variety of factors including the challenge of obtaining consensus with the many different entities involved, the significant cultural shift that is required to implement the initiatives, and the lack of clarity about roles and responsibilites." There was a toll to the CT scandal: three deaths, nine patients harmed and a second bout of stress for thousands of affected patients. Advertisement But that tally only takes into account the review period, as set out in the government's terms of reference. Unlike similar inquires in other provinces, the government kept a tight rein on Cochrane's investigation. Four radiologists -- out of 287 licensed in B.C. -- were the focus. Even then it was limited to part of their diagnostic work: In the case of one radiologist, 18 months of CT, X-rays and mammogram scans; in the case of another, 16 months; a third, seven months; and for the fourth, only three months. Fourteen thousand scans were re-read in the investigation. A similar investigation two years earlier in Saskatchewan reviewed 70,000 studies of a single radiologist going back three years. Advertisement Another investigation in New Brunswick conducted at the same time reviewed 30,000 tests performed by one radiologist going back to 2006. Released 30 days after Cochrane's appointment, the first section of his two-part report was accompanied by a news release headlined "Report finds all B.C. radiologists licensed appropriately." Which isn't the same as practising appropriately. From the second part of his report, released six months later: "The radiologist was therefore practising medicine beyond the scope allowed by his medical license." In January 2012, the radiologist -- Dr. Mansukhlal Mavji Parmar -- was reprimanded by the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons and ordered to pay $2,000 in costs. He relinquished his license to practise in B.C. Another radiologist admitted that he "lacked experience working in a digital world" and hadn't learned these skills prior to coming to Canada. Advertisement According to Cochrane, the College "was not aware of the deficiency in the radiologist's basic education/experience." The four radiologists were not named in Cochrane's report. Other provinces who undertook comparable investigations named names. Since 2010, only two radiologists have been reprimanded by the College: Parmar and Dr. Charles William Gervais, a member of the 1981 inaugural graduating class at St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada. Before practising in B.C., he worked as a radiologist in Windsor, Ontario. In 2014, he was reprimanded by the College for practising "outside the scope of his recent experience by performing a limited number of CT studies during two short appointments (in 2010)." In B.C., the College only posts reprimands. Dr. Parmar's was 242 words, Dr. Gervais' 93 words. A 2010 disciplinary action against a Saskatchewan radiologist was accompanied by a 38-page competency hearing report and a six-page decision. Advertisement Four years after the fact, a restriction "not to practise CT without the prior consent of the College" was placed on Gervais' license. The same restriction was added to his Ontario license, information he didn't share with the Arizona State Medical Board, where he's licensed in allopathic medicine. The Arizona board learned of the Ontario restriction from an action report generated by the Federation of State Medical Boards last year. After a disciplinary finding this past August -- which Gervais did not contest -- the same restriction is now on his license in Arizona. Today, he is licensed to practise radiology at the B.C. Women's Hospital in Vancouver. As then-CEO of Vancouver Coastal, Dr. David Ostrow, said in 2011: "The ball was dropped in a whole bunch of places." Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Thomas Barwick via Getty Images Steel worker preparing to move sheet of steel with crane As the crisis in Canada's steel industry deepens, tens of thousands of working families and pensioners grow increasingly anxious for support from their political leaders. These families and pensioners are now being joined by their fellow citizens, community groups, labour and municipal leaders in mobilizing to bring attention to the steel crisis and urge our federal and provincial governments to act now -- before it's too late. Advertisement Unless our governments take decisive, meaningful action, not only will the livelihoods of so many be jeopardized, we could soon witness the irrevocable loss of a cornerstone of the 21st-century manufacturing economy that Canada needs. Steel manufacturing in Canada is a $14-billion-per-year industry that currently supports 20,000 direct jobs, with another 100,000 indirect jobs tied to the sector. Tens of thousands of steel industry retirees rely on the continued viability of their pension plans for a dignified retirement and protection from dire poverty. Communities across the country depend on tax revenues and economic spinoffs generated by the steel sector to support local businesses and to fund our hospitals, schools and other essential public services. The crisis stems from a worldwide collapse in steel prices, struggling energy and resource sectors and the massive dumping of illegally subsidized steel from China and other jurisdictions with poor environmental, safety and labour standards. Advertisement We know that the steel and resource sectors are cyclical in nature and there will eventually be a turnaround in the economic conditions currently crippling Canada's steelmakers. Canada needs a strong, domestic steel industry to provide our manufacturing sector with the steel to build cars, buses, trains, wind turbines, energy projects and all manner of infrastructure development essential for a strong, modern economy. In fact, our new federal government plans to invest $60 billion on infrastructure in the next 10 years alone. Provincial and municipal governments will add significantly to those investments. In the meantime, our governments must recognize that our steel manufacturing capacity can simply be moved out of the country, possibly never to return. It is critical for our governments to support this key, strategic industry that is so vital to our communities and our country's economic future. As the crisis worsens, time is of the essence. Advertisement Other major producers, including Tenaris Steel and Evraz North America, have resorted to layoffs in an attempt to stay afloat. Canada's steel industry is a technically skilled, value-added, state-of-the-art sector. It produces some of the highest grades of steel products anywhere in the world. But even sophisticated operations are at risk in the current crisis, exacerbated by massive dumping of subsidized foreign steel. The United Steelworkers knows that it makes good economic sense for our governments to support and invest in a viable Canadian steel industry. We're calling on our political leaders to champion a Steel Industry Action Plan, to help the industry restructure and enhance its ability to compete for the long term. This plan must include measures to counter foreign dumping and other unfair trade practices, short-term loans to help domestic producers weather the crisis, investments in research and development, workforce training and support for pensions and benefits for retirees. Advertisement Every day, more and more Canadians are recognizing what's at stake. Thousands of concerned citizens from across Ontario and beyond are expected to attend a massive rally on January 30 in Hamilton, to demand action from our governments. The loss of domestic steel production would have enormous, long-term effects for industry-dependent communities across the country. Our governments have a duty to work with industry, labour and community leaders on a proactive strategy to ensure the viability and sustainability of a Canadian steel sector. The livelihoods of tens of thousands of Canadian workers and pensioners, their communities and our country's economic prosperity depend on it. Marty Warren is the United Steelworkers Director for Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images Activists, celebrating US President Barack Obama's blocking of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, rally in front of the White House in Washington, DC on November 6, 2015. US President Barack Obama blocked the Keystone XL oil pipeline that Canada sought to build into the United States, ruling it would harm the fight against climate change. AFP PHOTO/MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) TransCanada is demonstrating beautifully why there is so much opposition against trade agreements such as CETA (Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) and the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). The Calgary-based company recently filed a US$15 billion NAFTA challenge after U.S. President Barack Obama's rejected the pipeline. This is under the NAFTAs Chapter 11 investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions which allows corporations to sue government over policy decisions that may affect their profits. Keystone XL would have produced 110 million tons of greenhouse gasses per year. Advertisement Last week, Globe and Mail columnist Barrie McKenna slammed the Council of Canadians opposition to ISDS: "It took barely a nanosecond for anti-trade activists to decry what they say is the real meaning of TransCanada Corp.s multibillion-dollar Keystone XL pipeline lawsuit. ...The Council of Canadians quickly [complained] that trade agreements enable companies such as TransCanada to thwart the democratic will of Americans to manage their environment and economy. Wrong. If there is a lesson in the Keystone saga, it is that Canadians should be thankful that NAFTA, the Canada-EU free-trade deal [CETA] and the TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership] give companies a tool to fight mistreatment at the hands of other governments." In a letter to the editor published today, I respond. Here is the full letter that the Globe and Mail did not publish: In his Jan. 9 column, Barrie McKenna characterizes TransCanadas NAFTA lawsuit about the failed Keystone XL pipeline as a righteous fight against injustices toward foreign investors. Advertisement He questions the instantaneous opposition from the Council of Canadians and other groups to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), the provisions in some trade agreements that let foreign corporations challenge everything from environmental legislation to health regulations. He portrays TransCanadas fight as a David-versus-Goliath battle against an unjust U.S. government. In his analysis, the real victims are foreign investors, stymied by arbitrary foreign governments. ISDS enables Canadian companies to get fair treatment, he suggests. But the actual track record of ISDS shows otherwise. For starters, its usually American corporate behemoths suing the Canadian government for local or provincial policies. Newfoundland and Labrador used to have an economic development plan requiring oil companies to contribute to petroleum research. Investment arbiters ruled that requirement hindered profit-making, and Canada paid $17.3 million. Quebec put a moratorium on oil and gas exploration on the St. Lawrence River to prevent hydraulic fracturing (fracking), a controversial extraction technique banned in France and other jurisdictions. As a result, the Canadian government was sued for $250 million by a company headquartered in Calgary but registered in Delaware. Advertisement In Digby, Nova Scotia, a picturesque fishing town near the Bay of Fundy, a joint federal-provincial panel rejected a quarry after an exhaustive environmental review. The Canadian government paid the price: Bilcon, the U.S. company behind the project, won an ISDS lawsuit. True, ISDS mechanisms cannot rewrite legislation, but they pose severe threats. Governments will hesitate to enact legislation that creates a risk of millions or billions of dollars in ISDS lawsuits. This creates a serious chill effect. It does not even take an actual ISDS challenge to change policy, according to a study by Osgoode Hall legal scholar Gus Van Harten. In interviews he held with Ontario policymakers, he was told that policy decisions are delayed or shelved because of potential lawsuits. One lawyer reported that legislation is reviewed to see if it is compatible with trade agreements. He says Chapter 11 of NAFTA, outlining ISDS, is the one that really bites. Another policy official said, You dont have to be even threatened before it [ISDS] is a factor in your decision-making process. In the end, policymaking in the public interest is curtailed by ISDS. Canada has been subject to 35 NAFTA claims, with 63 per cent of them challenging environmental protection or resource management measures. As the most-sued developed country in the world under ISDS, Canada faces $2.6 billion in ISDS claims. And while trade agreements give foreign companies binding protection against environmental and social legislation, human rights and our environment enjoy no such protections. There is no independent international arbitration tribunal that can award billions in the event of massive environmental destruction, human rights abuses or labour violations. Trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement largely amount to relinquishing more and more of our national policy space to international rules that favour corporations. Advertisement If Keystone XL were built, it would produce 110 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, which is incompatible with effective U.S. action to cut climate pollution. With Canada bearing the brunt of Chapter 11 challenges under NAFTA, we might feel righteous about trying to get our own back through TransCanada. But if our home-grown champion wins, the loser isnt the big bad Americans; its our environment, and the right of governments to protect it for their citizens. scanrail via Getty Images Scenic summer view of Nyhavn pier with color buildings, ships, yachts and other boats in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark Bernie Sanders would like the United States to model itself after Denmark. Not the real Denmark, mind you, but a romanticized version of what its government does, and of how well it does it. As Danish Prime Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen himself put it, in reaction to this fictionalized vision of his country: "I would like to make one thing clear. Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy. Denmark is a market economy." Advertisement Admittedly, it is a market economy with high taxes and an extensive welfare state. But it wasn't always so--and it might not stay that way for very much longer. First, a bit of history. Denmark did not become wealthy through redistribution alone, obviously. In fact, as Otto Brns-Petersen of Denmark's Center for Political Studies recently explained, it got rich under a taxation and spending regime not that different from that of the big bad United States. Danish tax levels only took off starting in the mid-1960s--and the country's process of catching up to US wealth levels soon after came to a halt. In other words, Denmark became rich first, and only then ratcheted up its tax rates. Next, some perspective. Denmark still qualifies as a market economy today despite its high taxes and large welfare state for a number of important reasons. As Brns-Petersen points out, property rights are well-protected, the currency is sound, international trade is relatively free, and the regulation of business, labour, and credit is light. There are few restrictions on hiring and firing, there's no legislated minimum wage, and taxpayers are not called upon to bail out their banks. For these kinds of reasons, Denmark scores quite well when it comes to overall economic freedom: 22nd on the Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom of the World report, and 11th on the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom. It ranks even higher on the World Bank's "Doing Business" list, coming in at number 3. Advertisement Finally, Denmark's welfare state is more of a rickety derelict than a solid structure. Successive governments have had to repeatedly reform the system, scaling back its benefits. British journalist Michael Booth, who has lived in Scandinavia for over a decade and written a book about his experience there, says that the quality of the free education and health care Danes receive is far from great. Their PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) educational rankings are just average, they have the lowest life expectancy in the EU aside from former communist countries, and the highest rates of death from cancer in the world. Booth also says there is a broad consensus that the Danish welfare state remains unsustainable, despite the many reforms of recent decades. "The Danes' dirty secret is that its public sector has been propped up by--now dwindling--oil revenues." Steve Russell via Getty Images DARLINGTON, ON- DECEMBER 16: The turbines in the Power House are also colour coded. Darlington Nuclear Power Plant is currently ramping up to do a decade long refit of all four reactors. Ontario Power Generation has also built a mock up of a reactor so that crews can practice leading up to the refit. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) Would you renovate your house without comparing costs and design/build options? Would you use outdated technology instead of modern building practices? For most people, the answer is no. However, for the Ontario Liberals when it comes to rebuilding the Darlington Nuclear Station, the answer is yes, absolutely. The Liberals are betting $13 billion of your dollars on this rebuild -- more, with the inevitable cost overruns. It is so risky that no private company will fully insure nuclear plants, and it prompted Standard & Poor's to downgrade Ontario Power Generation's credit rating in 2012. Advertisement At the same time, the government is refusing to conduct an independent, public review of costs and alternatives to nuclear. This is irresponsible and especially outrageous given the nuclear industry has never completed a project on time or within budget. In fact, since Ontario's previous nuclear projects have gone over budget by around 2.5 times estimated costs, the Darlington black hole could reach $32 billion. Even if you support nuclear expansion, you want to be sure the government has made the right decision. We've seen too much of our money wasted on various energy fiascos from bad government decisions behind closed doors and buried in deleted emails. Finding financially and environmentally sustainable ways to meet our energy needs is not rocket science -- it's the due diligence we should expect from government. So, what are the Liberals trying to hide by avoiding public accountability? It could be the swanky $100,000 fundraising dinners with the nuclear lobby, or the industry's expensive ad campaign coupled with an inability to say no to vested interests instead of fully embracing new technologies. It could also be a strategy to pivot from opposition criticism of the ill planned roll-out of renewables and the Hydro One sell off. Whatever the reason, the Liberals are failing to capitalize on economic opportunities for Ontario. This means we risk missing out on the global renewable energy revolution. Investors and countries are acting now to take advantage of dramatically falling prices for renewable energy. Advertisement Around the world we're seeing big investments in renewable energy that are providing economic benefits, especially in job creation. U.S. wind energy now costs less than a third of the estimated price of power from a rebuilt Darlington. Wind power supplied 97 per cent of the electricity needs of Scottish homes in 2015, on the way to 100 per cent renewables by 2020. The average price of wind power in the U.S. hit all time lows in 2014 with an average price of just 2.35/kWh. The cost of solar is plummeting, with U.S. solar energy already equal to or less than the low-end estimate for power from a rebuilt Darlington. In the fall of last year alone, utility scale solar prices fell by 17 per cent. Warren Buffett -- that radical Wall Street environmentalist -- signed a record low power purchase agreement to supply solar power for 3.87/kWh. The average price of solar in the U.S. is now 7.2/kWh and falling. It's true that with the decline of the loonie, we may not be able to enjoy low U.S. prices for anything. But there already are lower cost Canadian options for electricity. The cheapest kilowatt is the one that you save. Commercial energy efficiency costs around 1.5/kWh while residential efficiency averages 3.5/kWh. Ontario could import excess Quebec water power for 6/kWh and wind power for 6.3/kWh. All of these options are less expensive than the best case estimate for a rebuilt Darlington. Advertisement Around the world we're seeing big investments in renewable energy that are providing economic benefits, especially in job creation. Global clean energy investment hit a record U.S. $329 Billion in 2015. The U.S. solar industry now employs over 209,000 workers. This is 77 per cent more jobs in solar than the U.S. coal mining industry and more workers than the oil and gas industry as well. Even with huge government support for fossil fuels, more Canadians work in clean energy than in the oil sands -- a shift that happened even before the bottom dropped out of the price of oil. For every dollar invested in renewable energy, three times more jobs are created than the same dollar spent in the fossil fuel or nuclear sectors. Yes, nuclear will create some jobs. But these jobs displace jobs in energy conservation and renewables. Plus it costs millions to create even a single job in the nuclear industry. A study by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance shows that every permanent job at a rebuilt Darlington Nuclear Plant will cost taxpayers somewhere between $5.8 and $14.4 million per job. At a time when communities around the world are enjoying the economic and environmental benefits of a clean energy economy, the Liberals plan to lock Ontario into a nuclear money pit that historically has led to debt retirement charges, rising electricity rates, and a massive and growing unfunded nuclear waste problem that we have no idea how to solve. When the technology now exists to decentralize and democratize energy through community power, why would Ontario choose this path? The Liberal plan is reckless and irresponsible. The timing of the Darlington announcement on the same day as the Premier announced her intention to call a by-election in nearby Whitby-Oshawa reeks of political manipulation. As in the case of the gas plant scandal, the Liberals seem to base energy policy on what works for the Liberal party, not the people of Ontario. Advertisement Ontario needs to hit the pause button on the Liberal's nuclear nightmare and conduct an independent public review of nuclear costs and alternatives. The risks are too high to move forward blindly. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Dave Benett via Getty Images UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 03: Pop Legend David Bowie In Concert, At The Hammersmith Appollo, In London, Pic Shows: David Bowie (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images) Like so many others, I was saddened to learn about the death of David Bowie. When we lose someone, it makes you realize how much you value that voice until it's gone. I grew up listening to Bowie's music and found myself in the days following his death turning back to those old, familiar songs. I think that many others had the same idea. It seemed that everywhere I went, I would hear Bowie's music. I think we all needed to hear his voice again. Advertisement Although a private man who preferred to let his music speak for itself, Bowie had a huge impact on fashion, culture, society and, of course, music. Here's just a few of my favourite Bowie songs and lyrics. Many of these songs were written more than 40 years ago, but it's amazing how the melodies and words are still relevant today. Rebel Rebel (1974) "You got your mother in a whirl She's not sure if you're a boy or a girl." Long before we started talking about gender identity, transsexual and transgender issues, Bowie experimented with his stage personas and was often noted for his androgynous, glam rock looks. He seemed to comfortably bridge and blend the gap between male and female, no doubt inspiring many people to accept and even celebrate their uniqueness. Heroes (1977) "I, I will be king And you, you will be queen Though nothing will drive them away We can beat them, just for one day We can be Heroes, just for one day." Co-written in Berlin with Brian Eno, Bowie performed the song in 1987 at the Berlin Wall with thousands of fans listening on the east and west side of the wall. He said it was one of the most emotional performances he'd ever done and is attributed as being a catalyst for the eventual tearing down of the Berlin Wall. In another equally emotional performance, Bowie performed the song at the benefit concert, The Concert for New York City, mere weeks after the September 11 attacks. "Heroes" has become an anthem for healing and hope and is a song I often go to when I need inspiration. Changes (1971) "Strange fascination, fascinating me Changes are taking the pace I'm going through." I love this song, speaking to Bowie's unapologetic willingness to experiment with musical and fashion styles. He was the king of reinvention and inspires us to not be afraid to take chances and make changes in our lives. Advertisement These are just three songs from an impressive career that spanned 50 years and 26 albums. Trying to define his impact on music, I think Bowie said it best in the song "Young Americans." "Ain't there one damn song that can make me break down and cry?" You said it. Music taps into our emotional core. When we learned of your passing, you did make us cry, Mr. Bowie. But your music also softened our grief and reminded us of the huge catalogue of great music you left. Your songs will continue to break down barriers and influence and shape us. What's your favourite Bowie song or lyric? Tweet me @NatashaNKPR or comment below! Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Kagenmi via Getty Images Flags from Iran and Canada flying side by side for important talks. As international sanctions against Iran were lifted over the weekend and as U.S.-Iranian relations dominated the headlines, Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion implied on the sidelines of a Cabinet-level retreat that the government is considering dropping its sanctions against Iran, a move that would align Canada with its closest international partners. That the government recognizes the economic and strategic disadvantages associated with its inherited Iran policy is a major step toward constructive re-engagement with Tehran. What is certain is that in pursuit of Canadian national interests, the government is best served by pursuing diplomacy with Iran or risk being left behind as its G7 and NATO partners forge ahead in a new era of relations with Tehran. As the world's leaders gather in Davos, Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum this week, there is no better time than the present to begin the re-engagement process, assuming it has not already begun. Advertisement In his comments to the press, Foreign Minister Dion highlighted the futility of maintaining Canada's sanctions as other countries begin to remove them. He noted the economic disadvantages to Canadian business interests of not only maintaining Canada's sanctions but delaying their removal as it gives other countries a head start in their pursuit of economic opportunities with Iran. As Canada's economy looks to expand and diversify amid a sinking loonie, falling oil prices, and uncertainty in the stock markets, Iran represents a large and untapped market where Canadian firms can compete in Iran's aviation, infrastructure, petrochemical, agricultural, medical and technological sectors, to name but a few. Economic interests aside, the power of diplomacy with Tehran was in full showcase this past week between Canada's closest ally, the United States, and Iran. Through diplomacy, American sailors were returned swiftly and safely, the prisoner swap brought home prisoners of conscience, a 35-year-old financial dispute was resolved and implementation of the nuclear deal began. The next test will be peace talks later this month to settle the Syrian civil war; a forum that does not include Canada despite its contribution to the fight against the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). Re-engaging Iran can also position Canada down the road to work towards bridging divides that exist between Iran and others in the region. As Canada works towards reclaiming its place on the world stage in keeping with the prime minister's "we're back" policy, it cannot ignore Iran's strategic importance. If Canada can maintain relations with Saudi Arabia, a country that does not share values or strategic interests with Canada and which is losing its economic appeal due to a staggering budget deficit, then surely Ottawa can look to work with Iran on issues of common cause. In echoing Stephen Kinzer who recently wrote about why Iran makes more long-term sense as a U.S. partner ahead of Saudi Arabia: "Countries should fulfill two qualifications to become U.S. partners. Their interests should roughly coincide with ours, and their societies should look something like our own. On both counts, Iran comes out ahead." The same logic should apply to Canada. Both Canada and Iran are battling Wahhabi extremists in Iraq and in Syria and Iran's highly secular society is closer to Canada's than Saudi society. Advertisement While hardliners within Iran's political establishment will likely look to embarrass President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and continue to stand in the way of improved human rights conditions inside Iran, the Rouhani administration is steadily empowering itself to improve conditions for those under political and social duress. In this respect, Canadian engagement with the Rouhani administration will contribute to this effort by adding to their political capital, even if slightly. Re-engaging Iran can also position Canada down the road to work towards bridging divides that exist between Iran and others in the region. To be sure, the benefits of re-engaging Iran are plentiful and have been previously described here. Re-engagement would not mean that Canada would strategically recalibrate towards Tehran, but it would help encourage a regional balance of power between the key players in a region desperate for stability. In keeping within the spirit of the World Economic Forum of pursuing collaborative approaches to global issues, should an occasion arise on the margins in Davos for Canadian and Iranian delegations to interact, the opportunity should be seized. It would be another win for diplomacy. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Historic Iran Deal See Gallery "I wonder?" said this tourist after a three week visit. Yangon seemed like many other Asian cities. Busy, crowded, bustling. But it was different. I didn't know why then... but I do now. This was Myanmar, or as J. Peterman said in an episode of Seinfeld - "It will always be Burma to me." As we learned, it is a country of thousands of temples and pagodas, men wearing the skirt-like longyi, and women's faces covered in the traditional thanakha, a mix of sandalwood resin and oil which serves as decoration and sunblock. Lots of cars, but just as many trishaws and, in the rural areas, a buffalo and cart will serve as a taxi. It felt different. No Starbucks or McDonalds. The one newly opened KFC, right beside a Buddhist temple, seemed soooo out of place. The local food was fresh, flavourful and fun. Advertisement But mostly, it was the people. More later. Myanmar is a country in transition. And be forewarned - I may recommend you pack your carry-on and visit before we help it 'develop'. But first, some background. GUNS AND FREEDOM? The third Anglo-Burmese War resulted in the annexation of Burma by the British in 1885. The Brits took opium, teak and jade and introduced afternoon tea and colonial buildings that still stand. The country didn't flourish, but was stable. In 1942 a man named Aung San wanted the Brits out. He spied on the British and soon the Japanese had control of the country. But the independence Aung San thought Burma would gain didn't happen. He then offered the same help to the British, and by 1945 the Japanese were gone. Independence arrived on January 4th, 1948 with a 21 gun salute from the HMS Birmingham. The Union of Burma was now independent, but not united. Advertisement Aung San was now the father of independence, and of a little girl, Aung San Suu Kyi. He wanted democracy and independence for her and Burma, but in the first meeting of their fledgling parliament, gunmen broke in and killed Aung San and many of his comrades. The lights on Burma were turned off. For the next 65 years military governments ran the country with that proverbial iron fist, affirming Burma as one of the poorest countries in the world. Burma, re-named 'Myanmar' by the military govt., was accused of the international community of egregious human rights. There was, and continues to be, anti-Christian and Muslim violence in the north, though we didn't see any of it. Ethnic groups continue to fight the military for independence. But every person we met wants peace and democracy, and think the answer to their hopes and dreams lives at 51 University Avenue, Yangon. THE LADY. Aung San Suu Kyi was living in Britain in1988 with her academic husband and two boys when the call came to come home as her mother was near death. The leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) had one chance to convince her, the daughter of Aung San, that she was the one who could bring democracy to Myanmar. She decided to stay, guaranteeing she would seldom see her husband or sons for the next 20 years. "It's hate that is the problem, not violence" said Suu Kyi. "Violence is simply a symptom of hate." The military started throwing democracy supporters in jail, including Ma Thanegi, Suu Kyi's personal assistant, who I met at the Stand Hotel. She wrote in her book 'Nor Iron Bars a Cage' that "three years is nothing when compared to the time served by other women. It was not bad for me. I had no husband or children to fret over." Advertisement Suu Kyi, whose name means "A strange collection of bright victories", began two decades of house arrest. The military didn't want her free, building support for democracy. They called her 'that troublemaker' and 'that woman'. The people called her "The Lady". Suu Kyi pushed on, winning the 1990 election, which the military threw out as 'undemocratic'. The NLD didn't register for the 2010 elections, but Suu Kyi continued to speak while under house arrest about education, democracy and human rights to the hundreds of citizens that would gather on the other side of her home's gate each morning... all under the noses of military guards. "If you want democracy, you'll have to work for it" said Suu Kyi. And they worked. On November 8, 2015, 25 million cast their votes. The NLD swept 390 of 491 seats in both houses of parliament. The military are guaranteed 25% of the seats. On February 1, 2016, parliament will open and the NLD will need a President. But it won't be Suu Kyi because of a change in the constitution by the previous military govt. A President can't have non-Burmese family members. Suu Kyi has two British sons. Aung Sang Suu Kyi is now a bona fide rock star in Myanmar. Her picture hangs in homes, hotels, factories and restaurants. Everyone hopes 'The Lady' will bring democracy and peace. THE FUTURE Advertisement On our 40 km bike ride from Aung Ban to Inle Lake, we saw a country-side rich with colours of a variety of crops... each of them harvested twice a year. With a population of 51 million, Myanmar is rich in human and natural resources. There's a young labour force and an economy growing at 6.6% pa. The election isn't a panacea; institutions like education are weak on the ground. Ma Thanegi told me that even now with an elected govt. "We must not expect miracles". She said "The West can help with capital, but we really need educational training that is effective and suited to our needs." The people were the warmest we've ever experienced in Asia. This is a Buddhist country, and although there is still ethnic conflict, we didn't see it. We only experienced a gentle, humourous, inquisitive, polite, respectful people. The Buddhist trait of compassion seemed to infuse all communication. We were always greeted with a warm smile. "Burma is quite unlike any place you know" said Rudyard Kipling. But today it's a country going through an uncertain era. Will they get it right? I hope so. So, if you can, pack a small bag and we'll meet you at our favourite bamboo-walled restaurant on Ngapali beach. All photography by Robb Lucy. His images of Myanmar can be found here. Lucy is also the author of "Legacies aren't just for dead people." Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Ruskpp via Getty Images Canada and Iran A little over three years ago, the Harper government closed the Canadian embassy in Tehran -- a move which former Canadian ambassador to Iran, James George, described as "stupid." Weighing the pros and cons of this decision in retrospect, Ambassador George's assertion seems largely accurate: Canada has simply not gained much as a result of this course of action. The new, less hard-line liberal government of Prime Minister Trudeau has signaled that it is willing to re-opening the embassy again, but has yet to announce any such plans. Although we were never really an influential actor inside Iran, by shutting our embassy's doors we have effectively lost the little leverage and means of communication we had with a pivotal player in the Middle East. A functioning embassy -- a nation's eyes and ears -- would allow Canada to directly and independently assess the complicated political scene in Iran better, becoming less reliant on our allies when it comes to our understanding and engagement with the Middle East. In fact, Canadian and Iranian interests in the region overlap on numerous fronts (e.g. the fight against ISIS). Advertisement Such ground presence would further permit Ottawa to possibly negotiate the release of Canadian prisoners inside Iran (e.g. Saeed Malekpour). The United States actually just achieved something of the like under the (unofficial) umbrella of the nuclear negotiations. Additionally, diplomatic relations with Iran will allow the Canadian government to play a more constructive role when it comes to pressuring for human rights reforms. Iran has a terrible human rights track record, similar to many other countries in the Middle East. The establishment of an embassy would permit Canada to potentially hit two birds with one stone: satisfying national interests in the region while bolstering its international image as a champion of civil liberties. Politics aside, Canada may stand to benefit economically from restarting relations as well. From energy to mining to agriculture, a boost in Canadian-Iranian trade would be profitable for both countries. Iran recently announced ambitious plans to attract foreign capital over the coming years in both energy and mining, two areas which Canadian companies are global leaders in. The reserves of the latter are said to be almost as extensive as its hydrocarbon ones, an estimated $700 billion in value. Unsurprisingly, however, their developments (similar to the Iranian oil fields) have been largely inefficient and inadequate due to dated technology and lack of expertise -- enter Canada. Over the past few months numerous European, Chinese, and Russian delegations have already visited Iran to boost trade ties and capitalise on its market of 75 million (see here and here). Companies like the likes of Airbus, Total, and British Petroleum are either on the verge of or have already made deals with Tehran. Even American companies like Apple, General Electric, Hewlett Packard, and Boeing may enter in the near future. For instance, Apple and Hewlett Packard have already been in touch with Iranian distributors, hoping to get a head start if unilateral American sanctions are lifted. Perhaps it would be wise for Canada to re-consider standing on the sidelines in the upcoming year and re-engage with Iran like much else of the world. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Historic Iran Deal See Gallery ASSOCIATED PRESS President Barack Obama speaks during a town hall at McKinley Senior High School in Baton Rouge, La., Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016. After giving his State of the Union address, the president is traveling to tout progress and goals in his final year in office. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) If youre running for election these days, its all the rage to talk about income inequality -- from Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus pledged tax hikes on the richest one per cent, to U.S. presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton wanting the rich to pay their fair share, to U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns admiration of Marx. It's not just the Council of Canadians talking. Its the OECD, the IMF, and even articles inItalian Vogue magazine about Thomas Piketty, economist and income inequality guru. Recently, Oxfam said that the worlds richest 62 people, most living in the U.S., own as much wealth as half of the population. Advertisement Last week, in his State of the Union address, U.S. President Barack Obama made a passionate plea for the 99 per cent, saying that, after years now of record corporate profits, working families wont get more opportunity or bigger paycheques just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at everybody elses expense. (Applause.) . Food stamp recipients did not cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did. (Applause.) He also argued that globalization was eroding workers rights and concentrating economic benefits at the top, that it is now harder for people to pull themselves out of poverty. And then, in the same breath, he flogs the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Approve this agreement. Give us the tools to enforce it. It's the right thing to do," he says. Come again? The very globalization that is hindering Obamas beloved Main Street while bolstering Wall Street is exemplified by trade agreements such as the TPP. Advertisement A study from Tufts University issued this month showed that the TPP is not the economic panacea proclaimed by the free trade gospel movement. Yes, there will be economic growth in countries signing the TPP, but this growth will be negligible. In Canada, it is projected to be 0.28 per cent over 10 years. And the risks are significant. A loss of 58,000 jobs in Canada and greater inequality due to labours reduced share of the gains achieved under the agreement will reinforce the very inequality that Obama wants to resolve. This study is based on the United Nations economic model. The World Bank, no shirker in backing free trade agreements, uses another model. But its premise, assuming that there is full employment, is wrong. Even with that context, however, the World Bank study still only projects a growth of less than one per cent for Canadas economy by 2030. "What trade agreements are really doing is fixing the rules of international trade. Rules, in themselves, are not bad things. But these rules are far from innocent. But growth is good, right? Well all have good jobs, a Prada handbag and a new car. But growth doesnt necessarily mean the average Canadian is better off. Many economists are pointing to the phenomenon of economic growth with stagnant job growth. As one writer wrote in the Guardian, In the last 35 years, the world has experienced the fastest economic growth in human history. Yet, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), unemployment went up. Advertisement Maude Barlow, chair of the Council of Canadians, explains eloquently how Canadas income distribution before the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement resembled that of an egg, with a healthy middle class. It has since hollowed out in the middle. If we look at the economy like a pie with workers getting a certain portion and corporations another portion, in the four decades before NAFTA, workers were getting more of the pie. Since NAFTA, workers have been getting a smaller portion, according to Bruce Campbell of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. In particular, people without college educations see declines in their incomes. Joseph Stiglitz, the American economist and Nobel laureate, says in the New York Times, The argument was always that the winners could compensate the losers. But the winners never do. And that becomes particularly relevant when we have a society with as much inequality as we have today. There is also the myth that somehow trade deals will open markets, that signing a trade agreement means well soon be selling more car parts to Japan, and wheat to Malaysia for example. David Hamilton, an economist in the officer of Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette, crunched the numbers. Free trade agreements have been proliferating but, in some cases, have exacerbated trade deficits. They have not created trade surpluses. Jim Stanford, senior economist with the Unifor trade union, writes: These FTAs will have zero immediate impact on key indicators like employment, investment and exports (and their long-run impact, likely negative in my view, won't be dramatic in any event). But signing FTAs is a high-profile symbolic act, which makes the government seem competent and globally engaged (especially when cheered on by the breathless boosterism of most of the media). Advertisement Trade agreements are also seen as lowering tariffs. But the World Bank says tariffs amongst TPP countries are already low. The goal is to go after non-tariff barriers. These take many forms, but can affect areas such as government procurement, regulations, policies and supports that a country may institute. Out of the 30 chapters in the TPP, only two truly focus on tariff elimination, while six deal with traditional trade issues. So, what trade agreements are really doing is fixing the rules of international trade. Rules, in themselves, are not bad things. But these rules are far from innocent. The TPP is the new corporate rulebook, and it is eroding our public policy space to benefit the world's plutocrats. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Tabercil Canada's blues crusader Paul James is a national treasure, and were it not for the shifting, sliding, finicky tides of the music business -- he'd be known around the world -- after all, he's toured in bands throughout the world, and Bob Dylan once told him if he moved to L.A., he'd make the big time. But who knows how the musical gods choose the shapeshifters and shamans who make the big time, and those who may be lesser known, but still get to live blissfully as full time musicians? I just hope James feels like a million bucks after the Paul James Band's 65th Birthday show at the Phoenix Concert Hall in Toronto Saturday night because it was a million dollar bash! Advertisement With the devastating news in music that started off the planetary month of January -- Bowie's passing made planet earth blue -- but there is something we can do -- get out there and support and play with the musicians in our towns. On stage, as James was just about to introduce his harmonica player... he began, "Put your hands together for the famous..." but before he got to finish someone yelled... "ALMOST Famous!" to which James replied, "No, no, that's me, I'm almost famous!" A few songs later, James introduced Susan Chater, or "Sweet Sue" as he called her, (who capably played percussion on a few songs including James's Hey Rosita), he threw his arms around her, thanked her -- the two of them looking like a couple of rock n' roll love birds. Who needs fame when you've got love? And besides, seeing the Toronto born, Paul James Vigna is just as exciting as getting to see any of the big blues guys. The club was packed up to the second floor balcony, and it was delightful to see more than a few older white haired men and women bopping along with every other age and race on the dance floor. James was born to be on stage, playing that guitar... strutting the Chuck Berry Duck Walk, and spinning round with his trusty Gibson, and/or Fender, or whatever guitar he chooses to bring along for the ride. Advertisement At 65, James defies his age, looking more like a 50s icon (he says Willy got him slicking his hair back). He lets his guitar do most of the talking, singing even, or more like wailing and moaning, tantalizing and provoking -- he and it are one -- and certainly on fire -- flipped over on his back, up in the air, down low, or by his side, it's cliche but I just can't help myself because it's true -- he plays that thing like he's a-ringing'-a-bell -- go, go! James has played with many of the greats -- Bob Dylan, Bo Diddley, Willy DeVille, Edgar Winter, John Lee Hooker, Ronnie Hawkins -- the list is very long. No doubt having to ignore Dylan's advice to move to L.A. because of family issues was painful and probably intercepted some of the magical pixie dust from the music gods -- not to mention the business power of the L.A. music scene, but like a staunch, no nonsense bluesman standing at the crossroads, you get the feeling James has always known which way to go -- hard knocks and luck besides. I remember meeting James in the early 80s when we both played at the Hotel Isabella in Toronto (long before its renovation), I was playing 'downstairs' Paul was 'up stairs' (for obvious reasons) -- it was a regular hang out at the time for Jeff Healey -- I can still see Healey sitting at the bar -- he had such a gentle aura. Now I am certain that Paul James doesn't remember meeting me, but I've never forgotten meeting him. He was bashful and sweet... in an utterly modish way -- a seasoned pro, without guile. Over the years I've briefly met a lot of guitar players and musicians with similar demeanours, players like Mink DeVille, Nils Lofgren, Ringo Starr, Clarence Clemmons, Rick Danko -- sweet souls, with a certain kindness -- things those who knew Bowie say he had in abundance -- writer Bill Flanagan called him, "gracious, witty, generous." CBC's Laurie Brown called him, "Kind." And Emm Gryner said he was, "Gracious to people from all walks of life." Advertisement I set out to write a story about Paul James that seemed to so easily mesh with the impact Bowie's passing had on me (and millions of others); and while sadly I know known of these musicians personally, I have been, and continue to be, impacted by their music. It's always about the music; and while musicians and music lovers may be from, and in, different orbits, through the years -- as Bowie so brilliantly taught us, we're all from the same intergalactic family. It's clear that the Juno and Maple Blues Award winner Paul James is in it for the love and lure of music's promises -- its healing, and most of all its satisfaction... that is, when the stars align in his corner of the universe. Kismet can be so sweet. Paul James thanked everybody for "48 beautiful years in the music business." Thank YOU, Paul! -- And here's to 48 more! Welsh actor Michael Sheen has warned of the devastating impact job losses will have on his hometown of Port Talbot following the announcement on Monday that the Indian-owned steel company Tata will axe 750 workers from its production plant in South Wales. "It's a very frightening time for the town," he told BBC 2's Newsnight, demanding the Government "be honest" about whether it was letting the industry "die by stealth." Advertisement "The Government says that they are doing everything they can to help it but their actions and their words don't really fit together," he added. "If the government does think there is no way to support the steel industry then they need to very quickly put in place support for the communities that are being affected. In response, Industry Minister Anna Soubry insisted the government was committed to UK steel production. Ive visited Port Talbot, she said, and what came across was the level of honesty and realism among the men, I think they do get it they really understand the crisis the steel industry is in." You might understand that youre drowning but that doesnt mean you dont want a helping hand to stop yourself from drowning, Sheen shot back. Advertisement Alongside the cuts in Port Talbot, a further 300 jobs are to go at steel mills in Llanwern, Trostre, Corby and Hartlepool, sparking further scrutiny of the governments handling of the crisis. A staggering 5,000 job losses have beset Britains once thriving steel industry since last summer, a consequence of high energy costs and cheap Chinese imports. On Monday the chief executive of Tata Steel's European operations said "tough actions" were required due to market pressures. Labour and the unions attacked the government for doing "too little, too late," however Prime Minister David Cameron blamed a worldwide surplus of steel for the industry crisis. "I want to have a strong British steel industry at the heart of our important manufacturing base," he said on Monday, noting government action on energy prices and procurement rules. However, Roy Rickhuss, leader of the Community union, bemoaned Tory inaction, warning that Cameron should be tougher on Chinese imports to ensure he doesnt preside over a complete unraveling of the industry. "Everyone in the industry is clear that unfairly traded Chinese steel is the biggest contributor to the UK steel crisis and yet the Prime Minister and his Government are cheerleading for China in Europe. You can't wring your hands over steel job losses and then shake hands with the Chinese government over cosy trade deals." Advertisement Portsmouth, St John, Dominica, Caribbean Richard Cummins via Getty Images Immigration officials have been trying to expose couples they believe are entering sham marriages by asking bizarre questions about lingerie colour and bra sizes, it has been revealed A review into the welfare of immigration by detainees commissioned by home secretary Theresa May found the number of people held should be reduced "boldly and without delay". Advertisement The author of the review Stephen Shaw, the former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, found that a large number of detainees were being held on suspicion of being involved in sham marriages. Having spoken to detainees he said: "The questions they said they had been asked by caseworkers to ascertain whether their marriage was a sham included their knowledge of their wife National Insurance number, the colour of her underwear, and her bra size. Shaw added: "If this was indeed the case it was questionable whether such questions were either appropriate or reliable. Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman and former Scottish secretary said: "The government must build on the work the Liberal Democrats did in Coalition to crack down on sham marriages, but if their idea of doing this is going around asking potential suspects if they know their wives bra size or what colour underwear she wears then I suspect that they'll end up catching very few people trying to play the system and just a lot of bewildered men who haven't the faintest." Advertisement MI5 has been named Britain's most gay-friendly employer by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans charity Stonewall. The Security Service - one of the most secretive in the world - ranks best amongst a list of 100 employers, all rated by staff for their culture, diversity and inclusion in one of the UK's largest annual employment surveys. The service's foreign counterpart, MI6, is ranked 36 on the list. Other entries in the Workplace Equality Index include six banking firms, including Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, and 14 local authorities, including the London Boroughs of Islington, and Tower Hamlets. Advertisement The Security Service, MI5, is ranked best in Stonewall's 2016's list The Royal Navy, the Army, and six police forces also feature, while the National Assembly of Wales came third with the Welsh Government ranked joint 17th. The index has now entered its 12th year. Stonewall received 400 entries from individual organisations, and surveyed over 60,000 staff. Andrew Parker, Director-General, MI5, said that the recognition reflects the desire to hire those with required skills, regardless of sexuality. Advertisement Lloyds Banking Group came second in the list The chief spook said: "Diversity is vital for MI5, not just because its right that we represent the communities we serve, but because we rely on the skills of the most talented people whoever they are, and wherever they may be. "This accolade from Stonewall is a great acknowledgment of the continued progress we have made over recent years in ensuring we draw on the widest possible pool of talent in our vital work." Ruth Hunt, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: "MI5 have made fantastic strides in creating an inclusive workplace, and have now appeared on the Stonewall Top 100 Employers list since 2012. This is an amazing achievement and demonstrates just how seriously diversity and inclusion is taken. "Id also like to thank all of those organisations that took part in Stonewalls 2016 Workplace Equality Index, and congratulate our Top 100 and award winners. Were thrilled to see such a commitment to lesbian, gay, bi and trans colleagues, but we also know that there is still lots to do." Advertisement Top 100 Employers List 2016 1MI5 2Lloyds Banking Group 3National Assembly for Wales 4B3Living 5Pinsent Masons 5Tower Hamlets Homes 7Leicestershire County Council 8Metropolitan 9Clifford Chance 10Royal Navy 11Baker & McKenzie 11PwC 13Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service 13Victim Support 15Newcastle City Council 15Suffolk Constabulary 17Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer 17Leicestershire Police 17Welsh Government 20Cardiff University 20Creative Skillset 22Circle Housing Group 22Norton Rose Fulbright 22Sussex Police 25Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service 25Herbert Smith Freehills 25Northumberland County Council 28Birmingham City Council 29Golden Jubilee Foundation 30Essex Community Rehabilitation Company 30London Borough of Tower Hamlets 32Norfolk Constabulary 32Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 32Royal Bank of Scotland Group 32The Army 36MI6 36Office for National Statistics 36Swansea University 36Your Homes Newcastle 40Financial Conduct Authority 41J.P. Morgan 41Sheffield City Council 43BP 44KPMG 44Teesside University 46Aviva 46Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust 46London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 46North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 50Cardiff & Vale University Health Board 50Touchstone 50University of Birmingham 53University of Essex 53University of Manchester 55Core Assets Group 56DWF 57Hogan Lovells 58De Montfort University 58St Andrew's Healthcare 60Bury Council 61Land Registry 61University of Sheffield 61York St John University 64L&Q 64Leeds Beckett University 64Nottinghamshire County Council 64Nottinghamshire Police 68EDF Energy 69The Riverside Group 70HSBC Bank 71West Midlands Police 72Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board 72Environment Agency 72Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 72Reed Smith 72St Mungo's 72The Co-operative Group 78Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council 78Suffolk County Council 80CMS Cameron McKenna 80University of Greenwich 82Southend-on-Sea Borough Council 83ASDA 83Police Scotland 85Carmarthenshire County Council 86Barnardo's 86Eversheds 86Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 89Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service 90Bank of America Merrill Lynch 91National Crime Agency 92London South Bank University 93Macquarie 93Medway Council 93Vision West Nottinghamshire College 96London Borough of Islington 97Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 97Dentons 97Nottingham City Council 100Citi 100Fujitsu A British Member of Parliament took a shovel to Donald Trump on Monday, excoriating the corrosive Republican frontrunner during a debate on banning the tycoon from Britain over his racist views. Tulip Siddiq, who represents the Labour Party in the constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn, argued that Trump should not be allowed the enter the UK due to his violent ideology, Advertisement The debate was sparked by an online petition signed my more than half-a-million people calling for his barring from British soil. Arguing that Trump would be endangering British Muslims if he was allowed into the country, the MP said: This online petition signed by nearly 600,000 people shows that when people feel a sense of justice, when people feel we need to stop a poisonous, corrosive man from entering our country, they will act in good conscience. His words are not comical, his words are not funny, his words are poisonous, she added. They risk inflaming tension between vulnerable communities. Advertisement Noting that US bloggers Pamela Geller and Robert Specer had been banned from entering the UK in 2013, Siddiq pointed out Trumps views were strikingly similar. It was Donald Trump, dont forget, who ran a dog-whistle campaign against Barack Obamas birth certificate to find out whether the president of America was really American. Can you imagine in the mother of parliaments if my colleagues started to question ethnic and minority MPs about whether they were really British? She continued. Siddiq also reminded her colleagues that Trumps bigotry extends to women, who he has called fat pigs, slobs, dogs, and disgusting animals, while suggesting that evidence existed linking Trumps rhetoric with violence against Muslims in the United States. Hate crime is being inflamed and stoked by the words that Donald Trump is using, she reflected. There is a very real correlation between the words that Donald Trump is using and the increase in hate crime. I draw the line at freedom of speech when it actually imports violent ideology, which is what I feel is happening. Advertisement Ahead of the debate, a members of Trump's team called the MPs "ridiculous" and said he was considering pulling 700 million of investment from Scotland. A New Yorker is facing jail time after tagging her former sister-in-law in a Facebook post, calling her stupid. Maria Gonzalez's tag violated a protection order forbidding her to contact Maribel Calderon, according to CNET. Advertisement Her post reportedly had the words: "You and your family are sad...You guys have to come stronger than that!! I'm way over you guys but I guess not in ya agenda." New York Post reported that while Gonzalez's lawyer maintained that the order did not specifically mention Facebook, the judge said: The order of protection prohibited the defendant from contacting the protected party by electronic or any other means. Advertisement Lawyers commenting on the significance of the case explained that most social media posts can be used against you in court. Abdullah Kurdi, 40, father of Syrian boys Aylan, 3, and Galip, 5, who were washed up drowned on a beach near Turkish resort of Bodrum on Wednesday, cries as he waits for the delivery of their bodies outside a morgue in Mugla, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015.(AP Photo/Mehmet Can Meral) Mehmet Can Meral/AP The father of drowned Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi has told how he wept upon seeing a cartoon that mocked up his son as one of the migrant sex attackers in Cologne. Abdullah Kurdi, whose son made front pages around the world when he died trying to reach Greece from Turkey last year, said the boy's remaining family were "still in shock" after Charlie Hebdo printed the controversial image. Advertisement Editors at the French magazine had depicted 3-year-old Alan as a grown man chasing a woman, his arms outstretched towards her bottom. In the top left-hand corner was a sketch of the iconic image splashed by hundreds of media organisations, captioned: "Migrants". "What would have happened to little Alan when he grew up?" editors mused. "He'd have groped women's arses in Germany." Advertisement The offending cartoon Speaking of the moment he first saw how his son had been depicted, Abdullah said: "When I saw the picture, I cried." "My family is still in shock." He also told AFP that the cartoon in French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was "inhuman and immoral" and as bad as the actions of the "war criminals and terrorists" who have caused widespread death and displacement in Syria and elsewhere. The magazine declined to comment, the news agency said. It comes after Charlie Hebdo released their one-year anniversary in memory of the 11 staff killed by so-called Islamic State supporters in January 2015. The woman who electrified the tax credits cuts debate with an emotional appeal on the BBCs Question Time has joined Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell at a meeting of the leftwing campaign group Momentum. HuffPost UK can reveal that former Tory voter Michelle Dorrell attended the sold-out event in Ramsgate, staged by the newly-formed Thanet Momentum branch tonight. Advertisement Ms Dorrell became an internet sensation and darling of the Labour party last year when she lambasted George Osbornes planned cuts to tax credits, yelling shame on you! at Cabinet Minister Amber Rudd. Watch: Tory voter's emotional speech slating Govt for cutting her tax credits. To Amber Rudd "Shame on you!" #bbcqtpic.twitter.com/leUo9SdmUZ Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) October 15, 2015 Her tearful intervention, explaining the impact the cuts would have on her and her young children, was seen by many MPs as proof that the Chancellor had failed to cut through with his message that the cuts were needed. In one of the biggest U-turns of this Parliament, Mr Osborne abandoned his plans following a House of Lords defeat. Advertisement Ms Dorrell told BBC1s Question Time in October: I voted for Conservatives originally, because I thought you were going to be the better chance for me and my children. You're about to cut tax credits after promising you wouldnt,. "I work bloody hard for my money. To provide for my children to give them everything they've got - and you're going to take it away from me and them. "I can hardly afford the rent I've got to pay, I can hardly afford the bills I've got to do, and you're going to take more than me. Shame on you! In a sign that she is now attracted to Jeremy Corbyns anti-austerity message - and that he can attract crucial Tory switchers to Labour in key marginals - Ms Dorrell appeared at the Momentum event to meet Mr McDonnell. Advertisement Ms Dorrell, a single mum of four, is a self-employed beautician who runs a nail bar from her front room in Folkestone. She left school 16 and worked in call centres until she was aged 31. But she spent 18 months on unemployment benefits after separating from her husband. Ms Dorrell has said in the past that she likes Jeremy Corbyn. She told the Telegraph last year: He will divide opinions up and down the country. But he is bringing back the democratic process where everyone has different opinions. He is listening to the people." John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor The Shadow Chancellor visited Thanet as Labour tries to resurrect its fortunes in Kent, where key marginals are needed to defeat the Tories in any general election. Advertisement "Thanet epitomises the enduring poverty and inequality which bedevils large parts of the UK. When Labour regains power we must turn things round, Mr McDonnell recently told Thanets local paper. A key electoral test in the area comes this Thursday in a by-election in Newington ward. UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who lost his battle to win the Parliamentary seat last year, was in Thanet this week to rally support for his party's candidate ahead. Thanet Momentum was launched only last November and is seen as a good example of the way in which grassroots campaigners are trying to reinvigorate Labour. The national Momentum group has been accused by some MPs of being a means for former left-wing members and hard-left infiltrators to get back control of the party. Deputy leader Tom Watson has called them a 'rabble' and former shadow minister Michael Dugher has accused some in the group of using intimidatory tactics against MPs who voted to bomb ISIL in Syria. Advertisement It was reported today that Momentum's controversial leading light Jon Lansman is being challenged by younger members who want a fresh approach. After Ms Dorrell's plea on Question Time, she won plaudits from hundreds on social media. I actually feel sick to my stomach to be a member of the Conservative Party tonight over #taxcredits. That lady spoke for millions #bbcqt Charlie Evans (@Chevans93) October 15, 2015 Govt, shame on you indeed. That woman in the audience represents too many people across UK who will suffer from Tax credit cuts #bbcqt I'm a JSA claimant (@imajsaclaimant) October 15, 2015 But some on the Left - including some supporters of Momentum - were quick to attack her for having voted Tory in the first place. If you're on tax credits and voted Tory, you get what you deserve #bbcqt Viv Savage (@Viv_Savage_CFC) October 15, 2015 Advertisement Corbyn supporters Billy Bragg and Owen Jones leapt to her defence and denounced those who had attacked her. Those showing no sympathy for the betrayed Tory voter sound like Tories themselves. Leftists need to be talking to her, not condemning. Billy Bragg (@billybragg) October 15, 2015 The member of Parliament for Bradford West has invited Donald Trump to visit her constituency during a debate over whether the Republican presidential candidate should be banned from entering the UK. Naz Shah, a British Muslim, rejected the idea of banning the Republican from the country and said she thinks she would "have a proper laugh with him." Advertisement The Labour MP was speaking at a debate after an online petition to ban him from the UK gathered over 570,000 signatures, surpassing the 100,000 required to trigger a debate in Parliament. Naz Shah says Donald Trump should visit Bradford Shah said: "I, as a Member of Parliament for Bradford West, would give an open invitation to Donald Trump to visit my constituency. "And the reason I'd give him an open invitation to visit my constituency is I'd take him to the synagogue, I'd take him to the church, I'd take him to the mosques, I'd invite him for a curry - we are curry capital of Britain." Advertisement Later speaking to the Independent the MP said: "Id have a proper laugh with him. I think Id probably crack a few jokes about what Trump means to the British people. I think Id challenge him." The petition was launched after Trump made a number of anti-Muslim remarks and said the people of faith should be banned from entering the US. In the aftermath of the comments Home Secretary Theresa May said the reports were divisive, unhelpful and wrong. During the colourful debate some MPs - drawn mainly from the Labour Party and Scottish National Party - likened Trump to a hate preacher whilst others argued a ban would only serve to fuel to the media circus and would be a headline around the world. Advertisement Conservative MP Victoria Atkins said his plan to close the US borders was bonkers, before reaching for a British colloquialism. She told MPs: If he met one or two of my constituents in one of the many excellent pubs in my constituency then they may well tell him he is a wazzock for dealing with this issue in this way. Ahead of the debate, Team Trump labelled the MPs "ridiculous" and said he was considering pulling 700 million of investment from Scotland, and took a jab at falling oil prices damaging the economy. Shah's call for Trump to visit Bradford comes at a time when nearly one quarter of the city's population (24.7%) are Muslim. The Yorkshire city has a history of race tensions - especially with those who are anti-Muslim - riots in 2001 put the race tension in the spotlight. Advertisement Gucci have just unleashed their spring/summer 2016 campaign directed by Glen Luchford. The film was shot in Berlin, with scenes captured at dawn on the rooftop of the Maritim Hotel, a cover of Q Lazzarus' 'Goodbye Horses' playing in the background. (For those who can't remember, it's the song from 'Silence of the Lambs' where Buffalo Bill dances around in a wig made from a scalped head.) Advertisement But it all looks a bit familiar... Note, the famous scene from the 1981 film 'Christiane F' showing a group of friends running away from the police in Berlin's Europa Center to the soundtrack of David Bowie's 'Heroes'. It's not uncommon for brands to make overt references in their advertisements, and Gucci even admits to "taking inspiration from the visual language and aesthetic of German 80s pop culture" - but the problem is with the context. Gucci said they used the setting of Berlin to "provide a raw backdrop to a carefree and hedonistic tale". Advertisement "There was a decadence to the spirit of this period that Gucci has echoed in its clothing and accessories for the season," they added. It just seems the fashion house forgot that 'Christiane F' was a true story about a 14-year-old heroin addict and prostitute. Based on the autobiographical book 'Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo' (We Children of Bahnhof Zoo), the film documents the drug scene in west Berlin in the 1970s. Left: A scene from 'Christiane F', Right: An image from the Gucci SS16 campaign In the Uli Edel directed film, Christiane F and her barely teenage friends are seen injecting heroin, losing consciousness in filthy public lavatories, re-filling syringes from toilet bowls and selling their bodies for sex at Bahnhof Zoo (the Berlin train station notorious for prostitutes and junkies). Advertisement With more of Britain's youth trying drugs than in any other European country today, and heroin use surging in the US, Gucci's use of the word "hedonism" to describe its images could well be deemed irresponsible. Gucci told HuffPost UK Style that it doesn't have "any additional comments" about whether the campaign was based on 'Christiane F', but it's hard not to draw comparisons - from the settings to the lookalike casting. Society's obsession with the bronzed, glossy limbs of Victoria's Secret models and 1980s supermodel statistics of model-of-the-moment Gigi Hadid suggest we've moved away from the 'heroin chic' look. But it seems the 90s are still giving us a hangover, with brands like Nasty Gal and Saint Laurent looking to self-admitted heroin addict Courtney Love's grunge phase - the height of her addiction - for inspiration. Marques Almeida also drew on the deathly ill look for their autumn/winter 2015 show at last year's London Fashion Week. Advertisement Is Gucci simply paying homage to a cult classic, or exploiting the story of a young girl's tragic life to sell clothing? Let us know what you think in the comments. The Rooftop Scene The Bathroom Scene Advertisement The Bus Stop Scene Filming Inside Bahnhof Zoo Two Afghan men were attacked in Germany by a man wearing a Hitler moustasche and a steel helmet, who gave the Nazi salute after the attack. The men, aged 21 and 26, were on a hill popular for sledding in the Ore Mountains in Altenberg, in east Germany, on Sunday morning when the attack took place. "It was only when passersby intervened that he let go of the victim and left," a police spokesman told German tabloid Bild, adding the culprit had given the Nazi salute at one point. Advertisement People sledding in Altenberg (file picture) The 21-year-old was injured and required medical treatment, the paper reported. Police in Dresden said they were investigating the man for aggravated assault and the unconstitutional symbols. Nazi symbols and gestures are specifically banned in Germany. Under Angela Merkel's leadership, Germany has welcomed hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees amid the biggest movement of people since The Second World War, which has inflamed the country's far right. Germany's warm reception to refugees has been marred recently by the organised sex assaults in Cologne on New Year's Eve, which are now believed to be the work of migrants. Police said the 1,000 attackers were "mainly of North Africa and Arab origin". Advertisement The lawyer of the three British schoolgirls who fled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State has spoken out about their safety, claiming that their chances of coming home is "vanishingly small". Speaking to LBC's Tom Swarbrick, Muhammed Akunjee said "they assume they can get a ticket and come home, once they get there lets say they change their mind, [they can't] and they're posed with the problem of being brutalised to death". Advertisement To which Swarbrick asked: "So effectively they're being held hostage there?" "It's a one-way trap", Akunjee replied. The three Muslim schoolgirls who fled to join the so-called Islamic State in 2015 Amira Abase, 15, Shamima Begum, 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, from the Bethnal Green Academy left home in February 2015 to join IS. In July 2015, two of the teenagers told their families that they had been married and confirmed they were living in the war-torn country. One phoned and another used a social media platform. Their families were said be be distraught at the news and have been clinging to the hope their daughters would want to come home. Advertisement The schoolgirls said that they had been separated and have been living apart for several weeks, in and around Raqqa, Syria an IS stronghold. The sister of Siddhartha Dhar, the man suspected of being in the most recent IS videos, is giving evidence in Parliament this morning and Akunjee cast doubt over his involvement. He added: "Siddhartha Dhar is not Jihadi John number two to my knowledge. "The fellow who is billed as Jihadi John number two has one eye disproportionately larger than the other. Siddhartha Dhar is not disadvantaged genetically in that way." He revealed communication with the girls in Raqqa has been lost following the bombing campaign by Russia and the US led coalition. Advertisement His comments come as a website is being launched to give parents and teachers advice on keeping children out the reach of extremists and their "poisonous propaganda". A woman suffering from a potentially life-threatening illness claims she was misdiagnosed for 12 years by doctors who thought she had depression and anxiety. Vanessa Boyd, 28, saw at least 30 different health professionals from age 16 with a number of different symptoms including vertigo, dizziness, fatigue, insomnia, blurred vision, bleeding from the ear and numbness. She claims she was told she had generalised anxiety disorder and depression. It wasn't until she researched the symptoms of Lyme disease and requested a private test for the tick-borne illness that she was diagnosed with it in July 2015. Advertisement Following further tests, Vanessa discovered she had late-stage Lyme disease in September last year, was given a month of treatment and told the NHS could manage her symptoms. Vanessa said: "Current treatment in the UK for late stage Lyme disease is outdated and known not to work in its later stages. "I had the 'gold standard' treatment in the UK in 2015 with no sustained improvement to my health. "My prognosis, had I stayed here, was to become increasingly disabled with time." Advertisement Vanessa made the decision to leave her family and friends in the UK and travel to America with her partner Laura Wake, 34, where she has paid 60,000 for a nine-month course of private treatment. Her father, Roy Boyd, 69, is preparing to sell his house to help fund his daughter's treatment. Vanessa, who is now based in America until next September, said: "One of the worse parts of this whole process is that Lyme disease is entirely treatable if caught early. "The NHS website says the disease can be treated effectively if detected early on. "I went to my GP with a rash all over my legs and under one arm when I was 16. This was misdiagnosed as impetigo and there followed 12 long years of serious symptoms being misdiagnosed and overlooked." Around 10 weeks after Vanessa went to her GP with a rash, she was admitted to A&E with a severe headache and this was believed to be viral meningitis - a diagnosis Vanessa was unaware had even been given until she requested her medical records in 2014. Advertisement She said: "What we now believe is that that was actually Lyme meningitis which is when the disease moves into the brain. "I was sent home with no treatment and no follow-up." At 21 years old, Vanessa began showing neurological symptoms including conscious seizures, shortness of breath and palpitations and she now knows she was going through progressive brain damage. At age 22, her left ear went numb for three months and no explanation was given. Around the same time, Vanessa, from Dronfield, Derbys., underwent a brain scan that showed signs of brain damage. She said: "At the time of that brain scan, my GP told me that I was most likely born with the brain damage. "But I now know that I had a brain scan at the age of 16 that showed no brain damage and my GP would have had access to this in my medical records." Advertisement In 2014, Vanessa's symptoms worsened and she started to suffer from full body convulsions, head throw backs and tremors - all signs of problems in the brain. Vanessa, a civil engineer, said: "The GP was taking my complaints on a symptom-by-symptom basis. "When I started to deteriorate, they should have looked at all of my symptoms together. "In 2015, I was seeing a neurologist, cardiologist, ENT specialist, ophthalmologists and I was deteriorating quickly. If they had put it all together, they might have realised what the problem was." As a result of the damage already done to her brain, Vanessa has had to give up work, can't watch TV or look at computer screens and can no longer be in busy, visually stimulating environments. She said: "The impact on my life has been catastrophic. I've lost my social life. I had to get a boat to the USA as I can no longer fly due to the inflammation around my brain. Advertisement "I can't have hot baths because my body can no longer regulate its temperature and I suffer from sleep apnea which means my brain forgets to tell my lungs when I'm asleep so I'm periodically woken up gasping for air. "I can't drive because I get vertigo and my memory has become very poor." Vanessa added: "All of these symptoms as they began to appear were passed off as anxiety problems. "I was told my difficulties driving were due to anxiety, the seizures I had and my shortness of breath and palpitations were panic attacks. "What is more likely is that I was suffering from inflammation around the brain." At first, Vanessa fought against the idea of anxiety and depression but the more she was told that was what it was, the more she began to believe it. She said: "When my GP diagnosed me with generalised anxiety disorder, the first thing I said to them was that I'm not an anxious person - depression didn't make any sense to me. "But I was told that that was the problem and I started to believe it. "I went through everything to try to solve that diagnosis - I took antidepressants, I went for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and I even paid for a hypnotherapist because I wanted to be able to fly. Advertisement "I was referred to the mental health services in hospital and I went to one session but throughout the time I was there I knew that wasn't what was wrong with me." Vanessa stayed with her GP surgery up until 2013 but saw a number of different doctors within the same practice who continued to diagnose her with the same thing. Vanessa added: "I gave my all to get better when I thought I had depression but I couldn't get better because it wasn't the right diagnosis. "Because I was told I was depressed, I tried to force myself to do more things - I completed my civil engineering degree part-time while I worked and tried to carry on as much as normal. Advertisement "But actually, I was living in hell and having symptoms of a very serious disease all by myself because I felt too embarrassed to admit to anyone that I was suffering from depression. "I lived a normal life right up until 2014 when I began to seriously deteriorate and things got really bad. "I thought I was going mad at the time. Over night my vision changed and I couldn't see anything. "I got a sudden onset of numbness and my new GP referred me to a neurologist and asked me to keep in touch with them - they knew that there was something else wrong." Now in America, Vanessa feels like she has a final chance to get her life back. She said: "I am being treated to cure the actual disease and not just with symptom management. "The specialist, Dr Jemsek, has told me it is time to fight for my life but he anticipates a favourable response to treatment in my case." Story continues below slideshow: Facts About Lyme Disease See gallery Advertisement Vanessa's partner of eight years, Laura, has given up her job as a university lecturer to travel out to America to be with her and has been trained to administer her medication. Laura said: "Vanessa has had to fight for treatment and testing at a time when she is so ill she often can't see or feel the ground under her feet. "We have met some good doctors in the UK more recently, but the ones who have dismissed, missed, and overlooked such serious symptoms are a real danger to people with diseases that are under the skin. "I've already had to watch Vanessa deteriorate over the last seven years but I'm lucky that Vanessa trusted her own body, never gave up and is determined to get better." Vanessa thinks that more should be done to look out for Lyme disease by GPs. She said: "It took me 12 years to see an infectious disease specialist - that is outrageous. "GPs should be on the look out for the early signs of Lyme disease, when it can be stopped in its tracks, so that other people don't end up like me. "It simply isn't good enough to say, 'there is nothing more I can do for you' when there are cases of later stage disease recovery in the US. If it can happen for one, it should happen for all." Advertisement 'Making A Murderer' may well be set for a second series. READ MORE: The gripping documentary enthralled millions with the tale of convicted killer Steven Avery, who was jailed for life without parole in 2007 for the murder of Teresa Halbach following a previously overturned conviction for sexual assault. Advertisement Yet the filmmakers behind 'Murderer' have admitted they've recorded calls with Avery in the past month with a view to using them in future episodes. 'Making A Murderer' chronicles the case of Steven Avery, pictured at his 2007 trial Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi confirmed they were gathering new material while appearing at a television industry panel. Ricciardi said: "I think today marks four weeks since the series launched and what weve managed to do in the past four weeks is have several phone calls with Steven Avery which we have recorded with an eye toward including them in future episodes. Advertisement "We have not returned to Wisconsin in the past four weeks." Demos added: "As we said before, in relation to this story, this story is ongoing, these cases are open. Its real-life so you dont know whats going to happen. "We are readyif there are significant developments, we will be there. And we are looking at other stories, as well." Meanwhile Netflix chief Ted Sarandos told Hollywood bible Variety: "The story is still unfolding, so well certainly take a look at it." Though he cautioned that no new series has yet been commissioned. It comes as emerging evidence has thrown the case of Avery - and the Netflix documentary - into new light. Advertisement Police have said a Channel 4 TV documentary to air on Tuesday examining whether a serial killer is responsible for dozens of deaths near a Manchester canal is "upsetting" for the families involved, noting there is "absolutely no evidence" to support the myth. More than 80 bodies - almost all of them men - have been pulled from canals and waterways in Manchester between 2008-2014. The cause of death in the majority of cases has been established, but 28 deaths are still classified as "unexplained". Following a Freedom of Information request by a reporter concerning the deaths, the statistics were provided to professor Craig Jackson, head of psychology at Birmingham City University, who police said he "was led to believe the deaths had all occurred in the city centre, rather than the whole (greater Manchester) county". Advertisement A Channel 4 documentary is investigating whether deaths in Manchester waterways are the work of a serial killer Jackson suggested the deaths had "all the hallmarks of foul play", which led to media reports in January 2015 that a "serial killer was at large". The killer was later dubbed "the pusher". Jackson said: What is important, is to recognise the very real concerns of dozens of individuals who have this week contacted me to give details about some of the deaths involved, including relatives of some of the deceased, and the genuinely alarming number of bodies found. Advertisement It is unlikely that such a high number of cases are the result of just accidents or suicides as canals are not popular suicide spots, especially for men." Jackson later withdrew his remarks in a statement released by Greater Manchester Police after being called for a meeting with Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson. However, a handful of cases have now been re-examined by Channel 4. In its documentary, titled 'Manchester's Serial Killer?', former senior detective Tony Blockley examines evidence purporting to support the allegation that the same person is responsible for a catalogue of killings. His probe focuses on the deaths of three men: Souvik Pal, 18, and 21-year-olds David Plunkett and Nathan Tomlinson. Detective Superintendent Peter Marsh said there was "absolutely no evidence" to support the claims a serial killer was involved in the deaths Advertisement In a video statement on Tuesday Greater Manchester Police sought to dismiss the persistent serial killer theory. Police said all of the deaths had been "fully investigated" to determine if "anything criminal has happened". Detective superintendent Peter Marsh said in some cases it had been determined that people had been pushed into the canal and robbed, and as a result the perpetrators had been arrested and prosecuted. However, he said there was "no evidence to indicate a killer or canal pusher is responsible". Jackson added that the re-examination of the serial killer theory was "upsetting" for those who had lost family members to accidents involving the canal or waterways. He said: "They've gone through the inquest process, the coroners have been supportive in their review and investigation. What they have said is that if anybody had any evidence to support that a person has died... a criminal matter... assaulted... if there is evidence they should bring it back to the coroner, bring it back to the police to be investigated." Jackson said police had a "very high detection rate" for homicides and manslaughters. He said in one of the cases "an individual" had been spoken to, "but due to the circumstances around it" no charges were laid. Advertisement Despite reassurances from police, some of the families that spoke to Channel 4 believe a serial killer could be at large, or that their love-ones deaths may have been suspicious. One such family is that of Souvik Pal who was found dead in the Bridgewater Canal three weeks after he had been ejected from a New Years Eve party at the Warehouse Project dance night in Trafford Park in 2013. Pal was seen walking away from the venue with a mystery man. CCTV footage showed two men then crossing a canal bridge before one tried to climb up a railing. The CCTV only shows one coming back but neither of the figures has ever been identified. Coroner Joanne Kearsley has previously said of the case: Despite extensive investigation it can not be ascertained where or how (Pal) he entered the water. According to the Mirror the teenager's father, Santanu, told the documentary: "It needs to be investigated to find out if there is really a serial killer in this case. "There must be involvement of a third party. That could be a straight case or that could be a serial killer." The parents of Plunkett - who was found dead in Manchester Ship Canal in 2012 - also dismissed police claims their sons death was an accident. They say they heard "screaming and howling" in the last phone call he made before his death. And the mother of Tomlinson - found dead in the River Irwell in 2011, two months after a Christmas night - also believes his death was suspicious as his coat, phone, passport and wallet were missing. She said: "I have always thought Nathan's death was suspicious. "There were a lot of flaws in the investigation and the police were slow at the start." The winner of the remaining 33 million half of the UK's biggest-ever Lotto jackpot has still not come forward, well over a week after the headline-grabbing draw. A Camelot spokeswoman confirmed no one had yet lodged a claim for the money, but added: "We've had people come forward in the second week that's not uncommon but we have no update as yet." Advertisement The lottery operators will release information about where the winning ticket was bought, probably after this weekend but within 25 days of the draw, in an effort to jog memories and unite the life-changing prize with its owner. However, as early as last week, a Camelot spokesman said it was "highly unusual" that no one had come forward following the level of hype and excitement around this particular draw. Story continues below 8 Tmes Winning The Lottery Ruined Someone's Life See gallery The clock is ticking, as the winner has 180 days from the date of the draw to claim the prize. If it remains unclaimed, the 33 million will go to National Lottery projects. David and Carol Martin, both 54, from Hawick in the Scottish Borders, celebrated winning the other half of the jackpot amid a flurry of media attention last week. Advertisement David and Carol Martin celebrating with their new fortune The couple's win has also catapulted them to the top of the Lotto rich list. As well as unveiling details of some initial spending plans, and their hopes for an early retirement, they hinted they may look to help some of those affected by the floods which hit the UK recently. Mr Martin said: "We don't have all the answers yet but we'd like to help our closest friends and family, and there are charities which are important to us too. The winning numbers were 26, 27, 46, 47, 52 and 58. The total jackpot of just over 66 million was the result of 14 rollovers. "Parts of our community have also been hit by flooding and we know lots of people who have struggled in recent times, so there's a lot for us to work out, but it's a nice problem to have." Advertisement Though they were not personally flooded, the care home Mr Martin's employers work for works for had to be evacuated. Mr Martin works for a provider of specialist equipment to the disabled and elderly and Mrs Martin works for a local Boots. The sister of so called Islamic State convert dubbed the "new Jihadi John" has pledged to not give up hope he can be rehabilitated, under direct and blunt questioning by MPs. Konika Dhar's older brother Siddhartha Dhar is the prime suspect in the hunt to establish the identity of the British-accented, hooded executioner in the latest IS video, which was released earlier this month and shows a hooded man shooting people accused of being enemy spies. Advertisement Siddhartha Dhar, who became known as Abu Rumyasah after converting from Hinduism to Islam, fled to Syria in 2014 with his wife and children and then tweeted mocking remarks about the security services. He appeared on national television endorsing the ideals of IS and left the country after being arrested and having his passport confiscated. The man in the IS video (above) and Dhar appearing on the BBC in 2014 (below) Advertisement Appearing shaken before parliament's Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday, his 29-year-old sister Konika said she would not "give up all hope" on her 32-year-old brother. "Most of all, families shouldn't give up all hope because that's when it's doomed and there's no going back," she said. "The mistake any family member can make is giving up on their loved one... giving up on the hope they might return to a normal state." She said she had not seen her brother in over a year and had not lived with him in close to a decade. She drew a distinction between Siddhartha Dhar, whom she knew as "Sid" growing up, and Rumyasah, the man her brother became, whom she believes was "brainwashed" and influenced by the "wrong crowd". Ms Dhar mulled many of the MPs' direct questions carefully before answering, sometimes saying she was unwilling to answer. The hearing was streamed live and broadcast on the major news channels. Advertisement Konika Dhar before the committee In a particularly difficult exchange, MP Nusrat Ghani listed the crimes of IS, including "enslavement, beheadings" and asked whether she thought her brother took part in such horrors. "This is what Daesh [IS] does," she said. Ghani began to describe a specific case where a 12-year-old girl was raped and had to stop to fight back tears. "These are the activities your brother's engaged in. Do you still believe he's a good man?" "I don't want to believe he is involved in those things [beheadings and enslavement]," Ms Dhar said. "That's because he's my brother. I grew up with a different person." "I'd like to believe my brother wasn't involved in that," she added, saying she prioritised her brother's actions over those of IS. "I want to know what he's involved in. I'm sorry if that sounds selfish." Ghani asked if she still wanted to her brother to come home. Ms Dhar said this might be a "little bit wishful". Advertisement She added: "I don't want to give up on him. That's the mistake many families can make. I said I wanted him home because I am determined to have him return home to the person I remember. If that can't be done that's just something I'll have to accept. I believe I haven't reached that point yet." When asked if she could imagine ever enjoying Sunday lunch with him again, she said: "I would be appalled if... This is so hard." Committee chair Keith Vaz told her she could not answer a question if she found it uncomfortable but she said: "I would like to get it right, what I'm saying. I don't want to my message to be misinformed. After a pause, she said: "I don't know what to say. I honestly would like to see him home. I think I've accepted the reality that he won't now. I'd like to consider other options, whether he can live somewhere else peacefully." She was praised for her calm, thoughtful demeanour during the session. Amazingly thoughtful & measured thoughts from @konikadhar at Westminster extremism hearing. Must be so hard to discuss family. Very brave. Jane Renton (@rentonifyable) January 19, 2016 Advertisement Gosh I feel bad for Konika Dhar, having to answer these questions and it's live on TV. So difficult! brenda vallely (@missvallu) January 19, 2016 Later, Labour MP Chuka Umunna asked Ms Dhar if she felt "responsible" for what happened to her brother. She said: "I feel a sense of guilt. I've lost my brother, why could I not stop it? He's a part of me. "I feel as though, there's an obligation on my part as a younger sister to make sure he's ok and if he's not ok then I must've failed him somehow, that's how I feel." Mr Dhar was nicknamed the new "Jihadi John" in reference to Mohammed Emwazi, the previous masked killer who was killed in a drone strike in November. Advertisement Before he fled for Syria, Mr Dhar was interviewed for a documentary The Jihadis Next Door, to be broadcast this evening on Channel 4. George Osborne has been accused of making fun of mental health issues after he accused John McDonnell of having "lost his marbles". Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, the chancellor had a dig at Labour's shadow chancellor "If I could gently suggest he might want to change his own economic policy," he said. Advertisement "In the last week he has called for the return of flying pickets, he wants to ban companies paying dividends and he wants to spend billions of pounds on nuclear missile submarines without any nuclear missiles." Osborne added: "Today he says he is going to tour the country with former greek finance minister Mr Varoufakis to educate us all about economics. The one thing theyve got in common is theyve both lost their marbles." Labour MP Kate Osamor used a point of order to ask the Speaker, John Bercow, to reprimand Osborne for the joke. "He used the term 'has he lost his marbles' which I feel was very unparliamentary. Osamor, who was recently appointed a shadow equalities minister by Jeremy Corbyn, added: "Also I would like to say this comment comes in the week when the government has been exposed as leaving mental health services underfunded. What the chancellor has said goes to the heart of their callous attitude towards vulnerable people." Advertisement Bercow said Osborne's joke had not been unparliamentary and appeared to be made in a "jocular" spirit. However he added: "We all have to weigh our words carefully and think of the possible implications of language chosen." Temporary waiting staff in the Houses of Parliament are missing out on tips paid to them by politicians on debit and credit cards. Workers in Parliament's four full-service dining rooms have not been receiving gratuity payments made on cards after Labour's Catherine West found that tips were only given to full-time staff. As many of those waiting in Parliament are on temporary agency contracts, dozens of workers are going without extra cash. Advertisement Four dining rooms at Parliament employee temporary staff The Hornsey and Wood Green MP told the Evening Standard: "Its only fair that people in front line jobs like waiting on tables in restaurants receive tips. "I was surprised to learn that this is not always the case in the House of Commons restaurants." Some 13,000 people have passes granting them access to the parliamentary estate and there are around 12 eating and drinking establishments across both houses. A spokesperson for the Houses of Parliament told HuffPost UK in statement that "current payroll administrative arrangements" make it difficult to pay tips made by card to non-permanent staff employed by agencies. Advertisement They continued: "The House of Commons Catering Department will be looking at the existing system as part of their business plan for the year to see if improvements can be made." Cote had its tipping policy exposed by the Evening Standard It comes as the government continues to investigate claims made around the practice of tipping in the service industry following high-profile exposures of underhanded tactics at some of Britain's biggest restaurant chains. A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: The Government is committed to delivering fairness for everyone including waiting staff who work hard for their tips. "Last year we ran a call for evidence on tipping practices, which received more than 200 responses. We are currently analysing the results of this and will respond in due course. Advertisement A prankster caused alarm on the London Underground on Monday after dressing as a suicide bomber in a stunt British Transport Police branded "insensitive" and "crass" in light of recent terrorist attacks across the world. In an image captured by Alec Wilson, three people are pictured in police costumes, while a fourth is dressed in camouflage fatigues, with a large rucksack and a fake bomb on his chest. Wilson, 29, spotted the group boarding the train at Fulham Broadway station around 7pm. He told the Evening Standard that the man in camouflage had a "little man bag on his front, like a camera bag, and it had a 'detonation' cord. Advertisement A prankster entered the London Underground dressed as a suicide bomber in a stunt which has been branded as "sick" Wilson, from Fulham, said those on the carriage soon realised it was a "sick" joke. He tweeted a picture of the scenes, calling the group "dicks" and saying he hoped they would "get shot by the actual police". Wilson told the newspaper: I realised his weapon was plastic and that he was walking towards the police man with a feather boa in his hat. Advertisement Once I realised it was a joke I thought it was sick. I thought if hes the first one walking through a turnstile and a police officer calls it in, theyll be pointing automatic weapons at him. Four or five men, thought to be in their late 20s or early 30s, accompanied the fake suicide bomber, dressed as police officers. Several women were also said to be among the group. Alec Wilson's tweet about the incident Wilson told the Evening Standard that he thought the costume was "inappropriate". He said: "People dress up as Nazis, thats offensive, but its not something that might get you shot. The incident comes six months after the 10th anniversary of London's 7/7 bombings, which included three attacks on the underground. Advertisement The British Transport Police said officers were aware of the incident even though commuters didnt report it. A spokeswoman said: It is insensitive and crass behaviour in the light of recent terrorist attacks across the world and the threat to the UK currently at severe." It is important for everyone to remember the need to be responsible and considerate to fellow passengers while making your journey. We would always encourage anyone to report anything they think is suspicious or which makes them uncomfortable to us, to allow us to establish if any further action is needed. Social media users were quick to condemn the stunt. What absolute twats: Panic on Tube after commuter dressed up as a suicide bomber' https://t.co/6FJ5LrDF8u via @MailOnline kelly rose bradford (@kellyrose) January 19, 2016 Advertisement Three members of a disbanded German terrorist group responsible for kidnappings, assassinations and bombings across the country for three decades, have been linked to the botched robbery of an armoured car near Bremen last summer. According to German public broadcaster NDR, DNA matching that of Daniela Klette, Ernst-Volker Wilhelm Staub and Burkhard Garweg was found in the getaway cars used in the crime, which took place on 6 June last year. The trio have remained at large since the group, the Red Army Faction, disbanded in 1998. Police were said to have confirmed the details to the DPA news agency on Tuesday, but are yet to comment on the case. Advertisement The DNA of Red Army Faction members, Burkhard Garweg, left, Ernst-Volker Wihelm Staub and Daniela Klette has been linked to a botched robbery near Bremen In the robbery, three masked assailants blocked the armoured car into a parking lot. One opened fire on the vehicle, but the group were unable to get inside, the Guardian reported. DNA evidence has also linked Klette and Staub to a similar armoured car robbery in 1999, according to NDR. Advertisement The Red Army Faction has also been known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang. The militant far-left group was found in 1970 by German dissidents including Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof. One murder spree linked to the group involved an incident on 5 September 1977, when a woman with a pushchair stepped out in front of a car on a Cologne street. The car, which contained one of West Germany's most powerful industrialists, Hanns Martin Schleyer, was forced to brake. The woman with the pushchair then pulled out two machine guns, and her accomplices, bundled Schleyer into a car. His bodyguards were killed at the scene, and one month later his body was found in the boot of a car. Schleyer is one of more than 30 people believed to have been killed by the group, who were denounced by their critics as murderous nihilists, with no political goals. Just two months before it was due to reopen after a three year refurbishment costing 200 million (151m), the Ritz hotel in Paris has suffered from a serious fire. Fire crews were called to the iconic hotel on Tuesday morning and around 15 fire engines attended the scene. Advertisement No injures are reported from the incident. According to the Independent, initial reports suggested that the whole top floor of the building, owned by Mohamed al-Fayed, had been destroyed. Fire crews at the scene in Paris Captain Yvon Bot, a spokesperson for the fire service, said: "The fire started on the seventh floor of the. No members of the public were present and there are no victims. "Our concern is to stop the fire spreading to the entire floor and the roof. Around 200 workers were evacuated from the building, the Telegraph reported. Advertisement Initial reports claimed the whole top level of the hotel had been destroyed The hotel has been undergoing a 200 million refurbishment The Place Vendome area of the city was blocked off during the morning rush hour while fire crews worked to contain the blaze. The Ritz has been closed for major refurbishments but was due to reopen in March. The British anti-terrorism law used to seize journalistic material about Edward Snowden's surveillance revelations breaches human rights law, a judge has said in a landmark case. Lord Dyson's judgment relates to the detention of David Miranda, the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald who reported on the Snowden story. He was stopped at Heathrow in 2013, held for nine hours and had electronic devices carrying encrypted data confiscated. Advertisement Though the judge decided that the stop of Miranda had been lawful, he said on Tuesday that the power under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act to stop people entering Britain at ports and seize data and documents lacked safeguards to prevent its arbitrary use against journalists. He also rejected an earlier court's ruling that the threatened disclosure of the information Miranda was carrying met the legal definition of terrorism. Miranda tweeted "journalism isn't terrorism" in response to the news. Thrilled with the court ruling! My purpose was to show UK's terrorism law violates press freedoms. And journalism isn't "terrorism." We won! David Miranda (@davidmirandario) January 19, 2016 Human rights group Liberty, which brought the case before the court, called the judgment "landmark" and a "major victory for the free press". Advertisement Rosie Brighouse, Legal Officer for Liberty, said: Schedule 7 has been a blot on our legal landscape for years breathtakingly broad and intrusive, ripe for discrimination, routinely misused. Its repeal is long overdue. It is also a timely reminder of how crucial the Human Rights Act is for protecting journalists rights. Once again it has come to the rescue of press freedom in the face of arbitrary abuse of power by the State. When Miranda was stopped, he was questioned without a lawyer. He was helping the work of Greenwald, who had recently written several stories about the Snowden surveillance revelations for The Guardian. Greenwald tweeted it was a "big win", highlighting a section of the judgment that said the law "breached the basic rights of journalists". Key points from the UK court of appeals ruling in @davidmirandario case pic.twitter.com/Xm3pSZpAL1 Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 19, 2016 Advertisement "If journalists and their sources can have no expectation of confidentiality, they may decide against providing information on sensitive matters of public interest. That is why the confidentiality of such information is so important," Lord Dyson said. He added parliament had to provide a safeguard against its arbitrary use and the most obvious form would be "some form of judicial or other independent and impartial scrutiny conducted in such a way as to protect the confidentiality in the material". The court issued a declaration of incompatibility, which leaves it to Parliament to decide how to change the law so that it is compatible with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights Act, which protects freedom of expression. The convention is enforceable before UK courts thanks to the Human Rights Act. David Miranda (left) with Glenn Greenwald (right) The security services told the police terrorism powers could be used because the information Miranda was covering was to be disclosed so as to "to influence a government, and is made for the purpose of promoting a political or ideological cause". Advertisement Students blocked Westminster Bridge on Tuesday afternoon in protest at the government's decision to axe maintenance grants, on the same day Labour MPs took the floor in the Commons to debate the issue. The move to axe the grant, which will affect around half a million of England's poorest students, was met with anger when it was announced in George Osborne's Summer budget. However the news the proposal would not even be debated in the Commons, and instead would be passed by just 18 MPs in a "third delegated legislation committee" proved even more unpopular. In the wake of the news, the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) group, organised a demonstration outside Westminster to demand a reversal of the "disgraceful attack on working class students". Advertisement Students currently staging a sit-down protest on Westminster bridge against grant cuts #ldn#freeeducation ... https://t.co/btTU0qrk51 James Cropper (@JamesCropper95) January 19, 2016 HAPPENING NOW: students block Westminster Bridge against the Tories' scrapping of maintenance grants #GrantsNotDebtpic.twitter.com/lPtv4ML3qC Student Assembly (@TheStudentAssem) January 19, 2016 Students are blocking Westminster bridge "if you force us into debt, this is what you're gonna get" #GrantsNotDebtpic.twitter.com/wE8t92CGgy Shelly Asquith (@ShellyAsquith) January 19, 2016 MPs are currently voting removal as students on #GrantsNotDebt block #Westminster Bridge pic.twitter.com/4WPt58ofVr PHA Public Affairs (@PHAPolitical) January 19, 2016 Advertisement In a blog on HuffPost UK, student Hope Worsdale, a member of NCAFC, wrote: "The scrapping of maintenance grants will force the most disadvantaged students into thousands of pounds worth of extra debt in comparison to their peers, as a result placing a disproportionately high financial burden on those who can least afford it. "But what so many students have found shocking about the cutting of grants, is the fact that it is such an unashamed and direct attack on working class students. This decision sends young people the clear message: if you're from a low-income family, you will be singled out and made to pay for it." The protest was co-ordinated to coincide with the Labour Party's opposition day debate, which called on the government to abandon its plan to scrap the grants. Shockingly bad logic from nick boles on student maintenance grants - kicking away ladder to those from poorest backgrounds #studentgrants stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) January 19, 2016 Gordon Marsden MP, the shadow universities minister who tabled the debate, told MPs: "The government [has] ducked and dived to avoid further debate on this. Advertisement "We have brought this debate today to hold them to account. "The government has refused to bring the changes to the floor but preferred to sneak them through where it could be debated and voted on by a handful of MPs. "The government has shied away from the light of debate,e challenge and scrutiny on this issue and has chosen to use a small group of MPs in the hope no-one would notice. "It was only when the NUS raised the alarm about the process and threatened a judicial review - that [it] slipped out. These students will graduate with substantially more debts than their better-off peers." During the debate, Nick Boles, minister for business and skills, invoked the ire of the NUS and several MPs, after accusing the union of being "shroud wavers" - a term used for those who exploit "sad events or figures" to draw attention to issues or to gain a political advantage. Typical Tory behaviour as @NickBolesMP refers to the @nusuk as the National Union of Shroud-wavers... #studentgrantspic.twitter.com/YpKmH2oyyC Meanwhile In Scotia (@MeanwhileScotia) January 19, 2016 Advertisement @NickBolesMP you're just a guy who wants this country to be more alienating and hopeless for young ppl. I'm sure history will be kind to you John Edwards (@jrsacksblues) January 19, 2016 Can't believe he just called @nusuk shroudwavers, whilst apparently defending students right to education. #sorrywut#GrantsNotDebt Hannah Mullarky (@Mullarkyyx) January 19, 2016 An outrageous slur on the NUS by Nick Boles by referring them to them as the National Union of Shroud Wavers. Chris Stephens MP (@ChrisStephens) January 19, 2016 Megan Dunn, president of the NUS, said the grants had been a "lifeline" for poorer students. "They have a real sense of having had this snatched away from them," she said, of the students starting university this September. Jo Johnson defended axing the grants, which will be replaced with loans, saying: "This government is extending the benefits of higher education to more students than ever before. Advertisement "These were not sneaked in. They were included in the Chancellor's summer speech." I guess this is ever more relevant now they've cut support for more students #GrantsNotDebtpic.twitter.com/PkHBiNOZMD Louis Minogue-Corps (@louis80) January 19, 2016 Regarding the protest, a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "Police were aware of a protest due to be held in Parliament Square from 12:30hrs on Tuesday, 19 January. "At approximately 13:15hrs, the group headed towards Westminster Bridge where they entered the carriageway. The bridge remains closed southbound. "Officers are in attendance and are speaking with the protestors. If Alejandro G Inarritu is feeling overwhelmed by the possibility of achieving the almost impossible feat of taking home two Best Director Oscars home in a row, hes doing a good job of hiding it. My father always warned me about success, he tells HuffPostUK. He said its like taking medicine, its important to gargle and enjoy it, but its equally important to spit. You have to remember both parts. The time for gargling is surely upon us, with the Mexican directors film The Revanant the frontrunner for this years Awards, with Golden Globes already in the bag, and 12 Oscar nominations to boot. For Inarritu, last years winner with Birdman, its basically a chance to exhale after what could conservatively be described as a gruelling production in the wilderness of Canada and Argentina, as he battled with the elements to bring the 19th century real life story of huntsman Hugh Glass to the screen. Advertisement Alejandro Inarritu has steered Leonardo DiCaprio to one of his greatest ever performances in 'The Revenant' It would be a lie if I told you that there werent many moments in the making of this film, that challenged me so deeply, logistically, creatively, viscerally, emotionally, that you find yourself with a lot of questions and very few answers, he says frankly, and you have to surrender to that and let the process get you to someplace, a place you could never have planned. You have to remind yourself that there is no failure in expression. In life, there are two approaches, love or fear, they are the only ruling emotions in the world, and you have to choose one. Advertisement He shrugs. But those are the films that I like, not those pre-designed. Not a product designed by committee, but a completely other animal. Always there were these questions, is there a way out? Yes, every day. We could have failed absolutely, miserably, because we took every risk, but here we are. We are indeed, with a bleak but beautiful tale, and a leading man with, quite possibly, his best ever chance of finally taking home his long-expected Academy Award. Will this be remembered as the film that finally brought Mr DiCaprio of age? I think he has been a man all his life, says his director. It was a great opportunity for him to explore in another mode from where he has gone before, with very little dialogue, with his body language and his eyes to be the main storytellers. He had to deal with long takes, wide exposure, precise choreography, a whole new craft. Inarritu doesnt exaggerate. There is very little dialogue in the 150-minute epic, as DiCaprios character struggles back from the dead physically, spiritually after he has been betrayed by his fellow hunters and left for dead. Its a role a million miles away from the lude-fuelled dialogue of Wolf of Wall Street. So how did his director knew Leo had it in him to roar so quietly? Three reasons, apparently. Advertisement His body of work, his refusal to sell out to franchises or cheesy films, speaks highly of his ethic to me, starts Inarritu. Then talking to him, realising he was prepared to go on the same journey as me, or even further if needs be. Finally, I need to find an emotional baggage, an interior life which, the only way to find it, as with everybody, is to look into his eyes. An actor can have information, skills, craft, but there is something about someones eyes that tell you the rest. Its hard to articulate, but you know. Despite its very singular setting of the wild frontier, Inarritu is clear there is a timeless and universal truth to the story hes brought to screen, a tale of tribalism, misunderstanding between communities, blindness to sameness, differences representing threat. Unfortunately, there are those who want to keep that going on. How we relate to ourselves, to others and to nature, everything is for greed and for profit, and profit is god, and once you believe that you can justify anything, he reflects. Advertisement Who am I to give a moral message? I dont consider myself any better than anybody else, we are all dark and light, very complex beings, Im just saying that films can be useful to bring some questions to be considered, although I dont have the answer. At best, I can hopefully encourage a bit more reflection, and then if we go away and think, hopefully we can all shape a little better understanding of what we are. Police have released CCTV images of two people they want to speak to in connection with a hate crime against a mosque in Bristol. Bacon sandwiches were thrown at the door and worshippers were verbally abused in an attack that was described by the city's mayor as "vile". The police said: "Were releasing CCTV images to try and identify two people we want to speak to about a hate crime incident at Green Street mosque in Totterdown yesterday [Sunday] afternoon. Advertisement The Bristol Jamia Mosque was the first of its kind to be built in Bristol "At about 12.50pm, bacon was thrown at the mosque, racial abuse was shouted and a St Georges flag was left at the scene. "We believe two men and two women were involved in the incident." The man identified by police Locals tried to intervene and remove the flag which was emblazoned with "No mosques". Images of one man and one women have been released. Advertisement An image of the woman police are seeking Rizwan Ahmed, chaplain at the University of Bristol told the BBC he was "shell-shocked" by the attack. He added: "What's shocking is the bravado and the way it was done - it's quite scary and will upset a lot of people from the community." Chief Inspector Kevan Rowlands said: "Behaviour of this kind is totally unacceptable. "Our communities have the right to live and worship peacefully without fear of being targeted for their race or religion. "We take all hate crime incidents extremely seriously and we are working closely with the mosque to ensure the offenders are held to account for their abhorrent actions. . A Tory MP caught colleagues in parliament off guard on Monday evening by expressing surprise at the popularity of S&M. During a Commons debate on the environment, former cabinet minister Peter Lilley said he was "puzzled" at why the green lobby was committed to "perverse policies". Advertisement "I found a possible hint of an explanation, when someone mentioned to me, Madam Deputy Speaker, a book that I am sure that, like me, you have not read but have heard about called 'Forty Shades of Grey'. It is apparently a mildly pornographic," he said. Tory Graham Stuart pointed out the book was called 'Fifty Shades of Grey' not 'Forty'. One guffawing MP shouted across at Stuart that "he would know". And another yelled out that perhaps the downgrading of the book from fifty to forty was a result of "Tory cuts". Advertisement Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in the film version of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Lilley, 72, insisted he did not know the name of the book because he had not gone anywhere near it. "Have I any higher bids? I have not read it; I have not even read the title of it," he claimed. "However, the surprising popularity of that book demonstrated that sadomasochism, or the infliction of pain and the submission to pain, are far more widespread tastes than we had previously thought. "It seems to me that in the political sphere there is a similar belief that it would be popular to inflict pain or submit to pain by green policies. We might say that what we are suffering from in this country is 'Fifty shades of green'. "The trouble is that Members who are committed to this doctrine measure the success of their policies not by what they will achieve, but by what they will cost, and not by how effectively they will reach a given destination, but by how onerous are the burdens they can place on Britain, British households and British business. Lilley added: "That pain is very significant." What do John McDonnell and Yanis Varoufakis have in common according to George Osborne? "Theyve both lost their marbles." Speaking in the Commons today, the chancellor could not resist taking a pop at Labour's shadow chancellor. "If I could gently suggest he might want to change his own economic policy, since in the last week he has called for the return of flying pickets, he wants to ban companies paying dividends and he wants to spend billions of pounds on nuclear missile submarines without any nuclear missiles," he said. Advertisement Osborne added: "Today he says he is going to tour the country with former greek finance minister Mr Varoufakis to educate us all about economics. The one thing theyve got in common is theyve both lost their marbles." Osborne bids farewell to Varoufakis after a meeting at 11 Downing Street in London on February 2, 2015 Greece has been fighting to get the British Museum to return the Elgin Marbles to Athens. The location of the Parthenon sculptures has been a source of tension between Greece and the UK for decades. Advertisement Today The Huffington Post UK revealed the woman who electrified the tax credits cuts debate with an emotional appeal on the BBCs Question Time will also join McDonnell at a meeting of the leftwing campaign group Momentum. No woman should have to prove she was raped to be able to claim child tax credits. It's a dramatic statement, and it's one that has raised many questions, so perhaps it's best to go back to the start. Hidden away on page 88 of George Osborne's Budget in July was a small, almost innocuous sentence, which related to the Government's plan to restrict the child element of tax credits and Universal Credit to the first two children: "The Department of Work and Pensions and HMRC will develop protections for women who have a third child as a result of rape, or other exceptional circumstances". I read the sentence again. I re-read it. I showed it to the colleague sitting next to me. What did this actually mean? How would DWP and HMRC prove that a child was borne of rape? The more I thought about this, the more furious I became. Rape is a very serious crime, but yet one of the most under-reported and under-convicted crimes there is. It exists in abusive relationships, it exists in marriage. For many women, is traumatic beyond description, and it is shameful. How vile that this government would consider putting a woman, who may already feel extremely vulnerable, in the position where she had to confess to a government official that her child had been born as a result of rape. How stigmatising, for that woman, for that child and for the family. Piling humiliation on top of pain is not the essence of "protection". Advertisement I've raised this with ministers at every level of government, including the prime minister himself. For all the questions my colleagues and I have asked since the July budget, there has yet to be an answer as to how this will work, and particularly the burden of proof. The DWP and HMRC are not known for being organisations that will take you at your word; the casework I have seen in my office gives me no confidence in either the competence or the sensitivity of these departments. What hope does a woman in such vulnerable circumstances have? Will they accept her word, or will only a criminal conviction do? We don't yet know. However, the real problem at the heart of this is not even the rape clause; it's the two-child policy. How can the two-child policy possibly fit with this government's much vaunted family test for policy? For me, the two-child policy is tantamount to social engineering. It makes children a financial commodity. It passes judgement and stigmatises. It doesn't respect the disproportionate impact on those of particular faiths or backgrounds where larger families are the norm. It is also economic madness, as we need more children to counter our ageing population. And it runs counter to our government's obligations to treat children equally under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The two-child policy has not yet been fully explained or justified by this government, other than in the most tabloid of terms. I've heard some suggest in carelessly callous language that you should only have the children you can afford. It does not take account of the fact that you may well be able to "afford" three children when you had them, but not if your circumstances change: what if your partner dies, if you become disabled, if your marriage breaks up? What happens in the case where families come together with existing children from previous relationships? The Budget claimed multiple births would be protected, but not at which stage; if your first two children are twins, will the third still be eligible, or only if that happens the other way around? Advertisement These questions and more have been asked by MPs since July, but answers have not been forthcoming. The campaign to scrap the rape clause is gathering pace and many people are already signing the petition at scraptherapeclause.co.uk which should, in itself, send a message to the government that this policy is untenable. I very much hope that the government has realised the mess it has gotten itself into, and I want them to scrap the two-child policy. Because scrapping the rape clause alone is not enough. Mr Cameron, I'd like you to meet Mrs Khan...... I'd like to introduce you to Mrs Khan. She is a 35-year-old Muslim lady who wears a headscarf. She has four children under the age of nine. Her husband, Mr Khan, is at work most of the day. Mrs Khan gets the children ready, does the school run, the shopping, cooking , cleaning, laundry, picks up the kids, helps with homework, gets them to the mosque, picks them up from the mosque and gets them to bed before her husband gets home from work. When her husband gets home from work she has the dinner ready on the table for him. She chooses to do this and not because she is submissive. And she has done all this without speaking a word of English. Mrs Khan hasn't had time to get to her local English class with her two-year-old in tow. She also doesn't have a job. This isn't because her husband won't let her but because she chooses not to. The reason is because she is busy trying to create a home for her family where her children can feel nurtured and loved and an environment where they can talk about issues when the community outside is hostile towards them for being Muslim. Mrs Khan doesn't need to learn how to speak English to be able to moderate her children, because she knows the language she uses to discipline her kids isn't going to be the reason they will listen to her. Teaching her children about true Islam is what will stop her children becoming radicalised, will teach them to respect her and how to integrate into British society. Advertisement Mrs Khan's bilingual children will love their mums broken English she learns from them as they grow older. They have seen the sacrifices their mum made to ensure they had a better future than she did because Mrs Khans aspirations for her children are no different to those Mrs Smith has for her children. In fact the irony is Mrs Khan's dreams are for her children to pursue one of the typical Asian careers and become a successful doctor, lawyer, engineer, or accountant, professionals contributing to society. She would never want her child to become a 'radical extremist'. After all she came to England to create a better future for her children. Mr Cameron if you want to make Mrs Khan feel integrated into the community please continue to reduce Anti-muslim hatred so she feels safe walking her kids to school with her headscarf on. Don't pledge to help her learn English but then cut funds for ESOL programs in a few years or threaten future Mrs Khans with a two and a half year deadline. Don't label her children as radicalists because she cannot speak English, or her as a mother of a future terrorist. Ensure Mrs Khans children are able to learn about their faith in Madrassahs without inappropriate government interference, to go to universities where they are able to express themselves and have any 'ideologies' challenged in a healthy way and tackle the multifarious factors that account for high Muslim unemployment including discrimination in the workplace towards her children and her should she choose to work. Stop newspapers printing headlines that fuel the 'us and them 'narrative making her children feel like they don't belong. Once this happens it will empower her children grow to be active and engaged British citizens and contribute to a society which treats them fairly. There have been two recent discussion papers focussed solely on mothers and prison in the UK namely 'Sentencing of Mothers: Improving the Sentencing Processes & Outcomes for Women with Dependent Children and 'Enhancing Care for Childbearing Women & their Babies in Prison' . Both of which a colleague and fellow researcher Lucy Baldwin , Senior Lecturer in Criminology at De Montfort University - tells me she recently discussed with students, one student responded to the discussion surrounding regarding proposals for change in relation to the sentencing of mothers. The student response was 'Mothers who go to prison deserve everything they get, they should have thought about the consequences when they committed the crime as a mother in the first place''. Alongside hoping this particular student decides against a career in social or criminal justice , Baldwin tells me she was reminded by this emotive response of the focus of her recent research, both for 'Mothering Justice ' and her Doctoral research which focuses on exploring the emotional impact of incarceration on mothers & grandmothers. Advertisement Baldwin (2015) suggests 'Emotion' and 'Motherhood ' are synonymous - the joys of motherhood exalted , the love between a mother and her child widely regarded as the most 'superior' love there can be . Baldwin's PhD research her recent publication 'Mothering Justice' highlights the enormous pressure these 'presumptions' place on mothers for them to be 'perfect' to be nurturing , to be kind , to be self-less - there is a whole social framework dictating what a 'good mother 'should be and what that 'looks like' (Baldwin 2015, Rich 1992, Mead 1935, Oakley 1974, O' Reilly 2004) . Baldwin reminds us how such expectations can feel challenging, pressured and sometimes overwhelming to most if not all new mothers - and how therefore it is perhaps not surprising as Sutherland (2010) suggests that motherhood -even from pregnancy - is synonymous with 'guilt'. Mothers 'do 'guilt as a result of expectation and 'failure to match up to mothering ideals. Mothers feel guilty for working 'am I neglecting my child' , guilty for not working 'am I spoiling/indulging my child' , guilty for being too tired for stories or even two tired for only one story .... In Mothering Justice 'Baldwin (2015) asks us to consider ''If mothers who are not facing multiple challenges in terms of poverty, lack of opportunity , domestic abuse , addictions ,instability or homelessness -and indeed incarceration feel guilt , then imagine for a minute how much 'guilt' pressure and internal devastation mothers in the criminal justice system might feel. Mothers in prison are experiencing the challenges to 'good mothering' on top of dealing with the consequences of already 'pain filled 'lives (Corston 2007)''. Advertisement Baldwin's PhD is exploring exactly this and the early findings from her research highlight exactly how that feels, and it feels 'overwhelming, hopeless, guilt inducing, devastating and long lasting' (to say the least). Baroness Corston (2007) highlighted this, suggesting that simply being imprisoned as a mother would lead to feelings of anxiety, guilt and inadequacy as mothers. Furthermore are women who do find themselves behind bars therefore seen by 'others 'automatically as 'bad' mothers too? Indeed do the women judge themselves to be only and irretrievably 'bad mothers'? Corston (2007) suggests wearing or being subject to this assumption/label is, understandably damaging to self-esteem and self-worth, stating: "Many women still define themselves and are defined by others by their role in the family. It is an important component in our self-identity and self-esteem. To become a prisoner is almost by definition to become a bad mother." (Corston 2007:2.17:20) Baldwin, highlighting the work of Enos (2011) discusses the challenge for imprisoned mothers to maintain an identity of 'good mother' in an environment presenting challenges to that claim. Enos argues - often the successful assignation of roles is related to activities associated with that role - a firefighter will put out fires, a police officer patrols and makes arrests - similarly a mother 'mothers' .Enos therefore suggests that the retained identity of 'good mother' is at least partially challenged because the lack of the ability to undertake 'daily care' and regular 'duties' associated with the role and identity of a good mother (Baldwin 2015:146). Advertisement In chapter 6 of 'Mothering Justice' 'Ursula' painfully and eloquently describes how this feels ''One day when I phoned home my middle daughter came on the phone sobbing , absolutely sobbing -God I came off that phone so upset -... it was such a small thing but it broke me, I felt so. ..Well I felt so much - angry with myself, angry with him and just - well just powerless - hopeless - disconnected - it was just awful - I went quiet for a while after that. I think that's when it hit me you know ,.... when I 'knew' I was a bad mother - once I 'knew' I wasn't a good mother, nothing else about me made sense''. (Baldwin 2015:146) It is impossible not to recognize the emotion behind this quote - nor to imagine the impact of this sentence on the mother and her child. It is encouraging that there seems to be a tide of change to minimize the number of mothers and children that experience this pain - but it remains important to continue to understand the impact and implications of imprisoning mothers and grandmothers unnecessarily. http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/sentencing_mothers.pdf https://app.pelorous.com/media_manager/public/287/FINAL%20MBU%20report%207th%20December%202015.pdf Baldwin l. (2015) Mothering Justice: Working with mothers in criminal and social justice settings .Sherfield on Loddon .Waterside press. See Chapters 1, 6 and 11 . Lucy Baldwin has been a Senior Lecturer in Criminology for 11 years - she is also an ex Social Worker and Probation Officer with over 25 years' experience in social and criminal justice. Her Doctoral research 'Motherhood Confined' explores the Emotional Impact of incarceration on mothers and grandmothers. She has published in this field in journals and is author editor of 'Mothering Justice' (see footnote 1) also in relation to Mothers and Sentencing. She has two articles forthcoming in peer reviewed journals related to emotion and mothering, and one international joint article with research fellow from Coventry University, Rona Epstein (forthcoming). Lucy is currently also engaged in a joint research project with Rona exploring sentence decision making processes surrounding mothers sentenced to short periods in custody. Last Thursday, it took a group of 18 MPs just 90 minutes to vote to implement the government's proposals to scrap maintenance grants for the million poorest students in the UK and replace it with a loan. This decision was made, without a debate in Parliament, by a backroom committee without the knowledge of the vast majority of people these cuts are affecting. And the ministers designing this policy? They mostly benefited from free education and maintenance grants themselves. With this decision, the government's attitude towards both education and democracy has been made very clear. The scrapping of maintenance grants will force the most disadvantaged students into thousands of pounds worth of extra debt in comparison to their peers, as a result placing a disproportionately high financial burden on those who can least afford it. Of course, this ideology is reflected in the Tories' wider programme of brutal austerity which is inflicting so much suffering on the poor, the disabled, women and migrants; punishing marginalised groups is nothing new with this government. But what so many students have found shocking about the cutting of grants, is the fact that it is such an unashamed and direct attack on working class students. This decision sends young people the clear message: if you're from a low-income family, you will be singled out and made to pay for it. Jo Johnson, universities minister, might have gone from Eton to Oxford for free, but for young working class people in Tory Britain, debt is the only option. Advertisement What's more, the cuts have revealed the shameful dishonesty of this government. When the tripling of tuition fees was met with fierce opposition in the streets from tens of thousands of students, the rhetoric that we heard from the Tories was that it didn't matter that the average graduate would be in around 40,000 worth of debt, because every student was 'in the same boat' and that we were 'all in this together'. The replacement of maintenance grants with loans completely contradicts that idea and instead introduces what is effectively an extra tax for being working class, thus paving the way for even more of a tiered debt system in the future and an increased polarisation between rich and poor. Added to all of this, students have also been witness to this government's flagrant disregard for the most basic democratic processes. The fact that this hugely significant decision was made without a full debate in Parliament is an appalling display of the government's willingness to suppress the voices of the people they supposedly represent. It is quite clear that the government doesn't want to listen to us, they don't want to justify themselves, and they certainly don't want to engage with the endless testimonies of students explaining how maintenance grants gave them a life-changing opportunity. These decisions are being made largely by people who have never had to worry about paying rent, working multiple jobs alongside a degree, or having enough money to buy food. This is the daily reality of so many working class students. Advertisement One thing's for sure - the fact that these devastating cuts have been made behind closed doors sends a clear message that the government is attempting to shelter their policies from public scrutiny and anger. They are hoping that the response will be as muted as possible, and they know that this is essential in order to smoothly implement the grant cuts, as well as further attacks and reforms to our education system. But unfortunately for the Tories, students aren't going down without a fight. In the famous poem 'The Village Schoolmaster', Goldsmith brilliantly describes a village schoolmaster, exposing him as a horrible man through faint and sarcastic praise and backhanded compliments. He trumpeted the village schoolmaster's skill in debate: "For e'en though vanquish'd he could argue still; While words of learned length and thund'ring sound, Amazed the gazing rustics rang'd around". Dazzling the villagers with his extensive vocabulary, it created the impression that he was in control when in fact totally defeated in debate. Barely a month goes by without me hearing Labour politicians utter the same old discredited chestnut about how 'if we leave the EU, we might end up with tariffs being imposed on car exports'. I think it's time we shot that one down in flames. Let's start with a little bit of context. Our membership fees to the European Union are somewhere between 55 and 60 million every single day. There are about 65 million people in the UK, so it's a fair bet that there are 55-60 million people over the age of 9. To put it another way, for every person above that age we spend 1 per day in EU membership contributions. Imagine that we did EU contributions like the old-fashioned electric meters. To cover our membership of the European Union, everyone - healthy or unhealthy, waged or unwaged, homeowner or homeless - would have to put 1 into the EU meter every day. Once a day, from the age of 9 onwards, for the rest of your life, you would have to put a pound coin in the meter. I wonder how long the tax would last before people became desperate to leave the EU. Advertisement If you're pro-EU, you're forced into resorting to desperate measures. The main tactics are giving the EU credit for other people's work (like NATO keeping the peace in Europe, or 'giving us' human rights that we already had), deflection (like admitting the EU 'needs reform' without any plan to achieve it), exaggeration (like telling us about everything EU money is spent on, exaggerating the value, ignoring the problems, and forgetting it comes from our taxes), and fear tactics. The car claim is a classic scaremongering scam. It fails the believability test; does anyone seriously believe that the big German car manufacturers would be happy to permit tariffs on cars they export to the UK? Why would the EU want to impose tariffs anyway - what strategic goal would it achieve for them? But if the EU somehow wanted to impose tariffs, imagine the fierce lobbying they'd face from the French, German and Italians desperate to keep selling their cars to us at current prices. It also fails because there are at least three different models for the UK post-Brexit. One is to remain in the EEA, another is to rejoin EFTA, and the other is a bespoke negotiated deal. None of these would involve tariffs on cars, pretty much by definition. Such deals are pretty much guaranteed to be on the table; the EEA option is pretty much enshrined in EU law anyway. Advertisement And why on earth would they want to deny us a deal? Roughly 4 million jobs in the rest of the EU depend on continued trade with the UK. Why would they even consider putting 4 million jobs in jeopardy? They wouldn't (which simultaneously skewers the Labour '3 million UK jobs depend on the EU' lie - another classic pro-EU scaremongering tactic), so why would they want to impose tariffs? Let's suppose that by some miracle flight of fancy, we could construct a plausible situation in which the EU managed to impose tariffs anyway. It wouldn't happen, but let's play along with the notion anyway. The EU would still be bound by international agreements and World Trade Organisation rules. That means no punitive tariffs; I would imagine in this fantasy scenario a tariff of just under 2%, enough to add 120 or so to the cost of an entry-level new car and perhaps 400 to more luxury models. Compare that with the imaginary 1 per day meter that everyone in your family is paying towards; for a family of four the tariff on a new basic car would be the same as just one month's saving from being out of the EU. But a tax on exports means a tax on imports, and vice versa. One tax comes into the UK exchequer; the other leaves the country. As the number of cars imported and exported to and from the UK is broadly similar, the extra taxation revenue for the government would allow lower taxes elsewhere to offset the loss. Tariffs aren't going to happen though. The big car companies know it too. So whilst Labour has cried wolf to all who will listen about how the car manufacturers will move out of the UK if we leave the EU, jobs - real ones, not hypothetical spin - were actually lost when Ford used EU money to relocate from Southampton to Turkey. Advertisement Oops! You'd imagine that Labour would want to keep quiet on the subject of cars, then. Not least because Labour's infamous and frankly patronising 'pink bus' came from that plant, in a huge slap in the face to workers in Southampton. But they don't keep quiet; they continue to sabre-rattle. They threaten that the big car manufacturers will leave the UK if Brexit happens. Scaremongering may not be Labour's strong suit, but it's certainly their long suit. Toyota were the latest company to announce they're not playing ball with that strategy recently, but here in the North East it was Nissan that left them with most egg on face. Whilst Labour were still threatening a Nissan exit, Nissan expanded their Sunderland plant and made a long-term commitment to the UK. Asked five times on the Today programme, five times their European chairman gave categorical assurances that Nissan will remain in the UK in the event of Brexit. Labour's arguments on cars lie in tatters. But they still keep using them (well, excepting that brave, small but growing band of fearless Labour MPs who dare admit that the project has been a disaster for the working people they represent). Tony Visconti (second from right) leads Holy Holy at The Paramount, Huntington, NY, Jan. 17. Photos: Larry Jaffee A week removed from the shocking news that David Bowie had died, Holy Holy's performance on 17 January in Huntington, Long Island, surely wasn't the solemn affair that the Tony Visconti-led band's gig in Toronto two nights after his death surely was. We had a week for it to sink in. Advertisement Playing Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World album in its entirety, much of the SRO audience appeared that it was hearing the 1971 record, which Visconti produced and played bass on, for the first time. Holy Holy began playing gigs in 2013. Adding to Visconti's credibility that this was no crass ploy to capitalize when interest in this music was at an all-time high, he also produced much of Bowie's catalogue as well as the new Blackstar, whose sales last week ejected Adele from the top of the US charts, his first No. 1 album, albeit posthumous. Those at The Paramount expecting later hits like "Young Americans" and "Let's Dance" might have been disappointed, but the Bowie aficionados surely didn't mind because surviving Spider From Mars drummer Mick ("Woody) Woodmansey was anchoring essentially a crack tribute band when the hurt of loss was still raw. Before kicking off the band, Visconti and Woodmansey took turns at the microphone explaining how the night was meant to be a celebration of Bowie, and how they were sure their former boss would have approved. They also paid tribute to Mick Ronson, Bowie's guitarist who died in 1993, whose parts were replicated on stage by three guitarists and keyboardist. Handling Bowie's vocals was Glenn Gregory, best known for his early 1980s synth band Heaven 17, not trying to imitate the original but rather using his own strong, interpretive voice, similar to Paul Rodgers stepping in for Freddie Mercury in Queen or Mick Hucknall for Rod Stewart in The Faces. Advertisement The Paramount audience spanned high schoolers to 60-somethings, and many appeared to have waited patiently for hearing something with which they were familiar - seven songs in - the album's title track, which most no doubt knew from Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance in November 1993, about five months before Cobain's death. The second half of the two-hour Holy Holy show provided better known, yet vintage material, such as "Changes," Life On Mars," "All the Young Dudes" (R.I.P. Mott the Hoople drummer Buffin, who died 17 January) "Ziggy Stardust," "Five Years," "Suffragette City" and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide," leaving everyone satisfied. At the end of show, Woodmansey told the audience, "I know David would have liked this." On 8 January when Holy Holy played Manhattan's Highline Ballroom, Visconti called Bowie on his mobile so he could hear the audience wish him a happy birthday. David apparently gave his blessing to the project when it started a few years ago. Advertisement The Man Who Sold The World was the first Bowie album I ever heard after buying in 1974 a cut-out LP for $1.99 in a now-defunct department store a few miles from the concert venue. It literally changed my life in hearing new musical possibiities, and is said to have inspired many future goths. The original American version on Mercury was adorned with a comic book-style cover, not the UK's Bowie lounging-in-a-dress sleeve. Even a year-and-a-half later when he switched to RCA, the reissue featured a tamer looking Bowie to not scare off the stateside puritans. But there was no escaping the beckoning flamboyant alien Ziggy soon to touch down. For most parents of children approaching primary-age, the past few months will have been a whirlwind. They will have attended open day after open day, read Ofsted reports and studied league tables, met teachers and chatted to other parents, all keen to make the right decisions that they know will leave a long-lasting impression on their child's life. The run up to a child's first day of school should be exciting and encouraging for parents, as they plan ahead and wonder what life might have in store for their family. Yet for far too many this experience has become a negative one, riddled with anxiety and ultimately, disillusionment in a system that can only be described as broken. Last year, in a heartbreaking blog a mother in Richmond described her experience of the primary school application process. She explained how she had meticulously planned ahead, visiting potential schools, using all six preferences on the application form as advised, and ensuring they were all within a mile of where her family live. She did everything right. Then on national offer day in April she received an email from the council telling her that it was not possible to offer her child a school place. Not even a place at her fifth or sixth choice, but quite simply no place at any school. Advertisement Her family was one in over 100 in Richmond that found themselves in that position last year. For all those parents, all the joy in planning for their child's next steps in education will have been soured. Rather than thinking about uniform shopping and what teachers their child may have in September, their energy over the next few months would have been consumed with trying to find a suitable solution with the local council that ideally wouldn't involve their child having a ridiculous and impractical commute to school. No parent should ever have to go through that. The experiences of these parents are far from the exception. People will wonder how Britain's schools system reached this point. The reality is that this Government believed that they could leave planning for school places to the market. They thought groups of parents or charities or others would come to the rescue via their Free Schools programme and resolve to meet the growing demand for more school places. As we have found out, it requires far more planning than this. This problem is now heading fast towards the secondary sector, where it will be even harder for market forces to meet demand, due to issues of limited space and land in our cities. The Government's obsession with Free Schools, which can be opened in areas where there are already enough school places, has made it harder and harder to ensure there are sufficient good school places everywhere. Ministers have removed local input on places and tied the hands of councils when it comes to opening and expanding schools - just to ensure that the Free Schools programme gets priority. Local authorities can now only require community schools to expand, and not academies and Free Schools - despite the fact that the majority of secondary schools are now academies. We're seeing the consequences of this already, with over half of the new secondary places created over the last five years in failing schools. When councils have run out of options to expand good and outstanding schools, they have had little choice but to turn to the ones that are inadequate or require improvement. Advertisement The impact of the Government's failure to properly tackle the pressure on places is stark. Class sizes rising, with over half a million children now in very large classes in primary school, including of over 40 and 50. Playgrounds, music rooms and libraries in schools converted to provide more classroom space. Children in some areas being forced to travel further and further to their school, even by taxi, because the site is located miles away from where they live. All this cost, just to open 300-odd Free Schools, which are neither driving up standards, nor performing any better than any other type of school. I am sure that like they always try to do, the Tories will attempt to blame Labour for their own failures. But the children whose parents are applying for school places this year were born under a Conservative government and it was the responsibility of Conservative Ministers over the last parliament to ensure there were enough school places for parents everywhere. It's time for them to grow up and acknowledge that the system they have created is not delivering for families up and down the country and change tack. When we have the situation that some families applying last week will go straight onto a waiting list with no offer of any school place, and soaring numbers of children will be crammed into ever-expanding classes, we can say candidly that the Government's current approach is not working. It is now time for the Tories to abandon their unjustified fixation with one type of school, and once and for all, put the urgent need for sufficient good school places in every local area first. The archetypal profile of a CEO in Britain's top 100 firms is male, white British and almost 55 years old. In addition, he is likely to be called Andrew, Andy or John. In fact there are more CEO's called Andrew or Andy (7%) then there are female CEOs in total (6%).[1] When it comes to Gender Equal workplaces, the importance of strategic involvement from the CEO cannot be underestimated. The late CEO of Time Warner Cable commented during his work on gender diversity 'It has to start at the top, and we must set expectations for our leaders and the rest of the company," [2] If it starts at the top in the UK then it will overwhelmingly have to be these archetypal male CEOs who lead the way in creating gender equal workplaces. What kind of workplaces do our CEOs preside over in 2016? Well if my own research and experience is anything to go by, the modern British workplace remains (with a few notable exceptions) a workplace created by men and for men - or perhaps more accurately a workplace created by men for men who put their work at the centre of their lives and have partners at home taking care of children. Women (and men) who don't fit that mould find themselves going nowhere - FAST. Advertisement This is backed up by interviews that I have undertaken with talented women in the corporate world who all say (bar none) that the expectation of them being at the office for 12 hour stretches and even available on email after office hours makes it impossible for them to have a family life and they are pushed to breaking point and quit. In fact during a recent meeting a client said to me 'I believe employers buy the employee's time but not his or her skill, the fate of an employee is that advancement is time driven NOT results driven' In her book 'Unfinished Business' Anne Marie Slaughter ex policy chief for Hilary Clinton, believes that 'the majority of Americans are mired in a 1950's mindset when it comes to assumptions about when and how we work and what an ideal worker looks like. Men who came up through the old system and succeeded in it simply find it very hard to believe that their businesses could flourish in any other way'. [3] This hits employees who have caregiving responsibilities hard and whilst social change is encouraging more men to take on a caring role at home, the majority of family care is still done by women. Valuing presenteeism over productivity hits women particularly hard when it comes to career advancement. Letting go of 1950's ideas of family The modern office-based workplace emerged in the 1950s and 1960's when a woman's role was still firmly that of a housewife. If you are the archetypal British CEO, you were born in 1960 or 1961 and it is more than likely that you were raised by a stay at home mother whilst your father went out to work -free to climb the corporate ladder. It may well be that this is the model you know and understand, but this type of family arrangement is no longer the norm as the Office of National statistics report on the UK Labour market in 2013 showed: In April to June 2013 around 67% of women aged 16 to 64 were in work, an increase from 53% in 1971. In contrast, the employment rate for men has gone down from 92% in 1971 to 76% in 2013[4]. Clearly more and more British households rely on both partners to work, not only to support their lifestyles but to lead fulfilling professional lives. No longer is raising children and running a household 'a woman's job' anymore than going out to work is a 'man's job'. Work and home life have become 'family jobs' and our modern CEOs must understand that and create workplaces that reflect this social shift. Advertisement Letting go of 1950's Paternalistic leadership styles Another hallmark of the 1950's factory or office was paternalistic leadership- 'a type of fatherly managerial style typically employed by dominant males where organizational power is used to control and protect staff in turn for loyalty and obedience'. More often than not it is seen in businesses with strict hierarchical structures.[5] But hierarchical structures at work are falling away and are increasingly rejected by the Gen Y workers whose ideal boss is Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. Zuckerberg in contrast to the fatherly leaders of the past doesn't even have his own office and wears T-shirts and hoodies to work. Women could be huge beneficiaries of this type of leadership as they can escape the gendered role of concerned father-like management which, however well-meaning, can be stifling. What next for our Andrews, Andys and Johns? Well as they represent a large portion of our CEO population, it's their responsibility to plan for the future of their companies and talented women will play a huge part in that. I expect to see CEOs increasingly treating gender equality as a serious and strategic business issue in the same way they treat digitalisation or expansion into new markets. Gone is the time when it was the responsibility of the women in their organisations to advocate for their own equality, change must come from the top. Role Models for CEOs So who could be the role model for CEOs who are committed to a gender equal workplace? Well I would suggest looking no further than the current CEO of Canada - Prime Minster Justin Trudeau. When asked why his recently appointed cabinet was 50% women and 50% men he simply replied 'Because it's 2015'. That's right, it's 2016 and quite frankly that is reason enough for gender equal workplaces. Natasha Stromberg, CEO http://www.natashastromberg.com [1] http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/archetypcal-uk-boss/ [2]http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/lessons_from_the_leading_edge_of_gender_diversity [3] Unfinished Business, Anne Marie Slaughter One World Publications 2015 Page 208 [4] Office of National Statistics 25th September 2013 (UK Labour Market) It's not often that I get to talk publicly about hunky actors like Idris Elba as part of my day job. So today I am jumping on the opportunity. In an event in Parliament organised by Channel 4 this week, the Luther star called for greater diversity in the media, both in front of and behind the camera. In an interview with the Guardian ahead of the event, Elba said that as a black British male he got into acting: "Because I never saw myself on TV, I stopped watching TV. Instead I decided to just go out and become TV." Advertisement I feel the same way as Elba. Because as a disabled person, I rarely see "people like me" on television or in the media either. There are too few disabled people on television The numbers speak for themselves. There are 11million disabled people living in Britain today. Yet just 2.5% of people on screen are disabled. It's not only an issue of quantity. Quality is also a big concern. The sad truth is that where dramas do involve a disabled character, storylines tend to focus disproportionately on a character's impairment, or portray disability as a negative issue. It is very rare to see roles like that of Walt Jnr in Breaking Bad (played by another hunky actor and Scope supporter RJ Mitte), whose cerebral palsy was incidental to the series' storyline. Advertisement With not enough actors being given the opportunity to develop their skills, disabled roles are also often given to non-disabled but more experienced actors. Think Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawkins or Charlize Theron in Mad Max. Actress Julie Fernandez has observed that too little has changed for disabled actors since she first joined the El Dorado cast back in 1992. Blogging on the Huffington Post, she says that while it would not be seen as acceptable today for white actors to play black characters, no one in the industry blinks an eyelid about people pretending to be disabled. I would tend to agree with theologian Adrian Hilton that "the essential art of acting consists in being that which one is not: the shy man pretends to be debonair; the arrogant man feigns humility." But if it's all about pretending, then everyone needs to be given an equal shot at pretense. A disabled Romeo, anyone? Either way, the obvious solution is for us to better understand and address the barriers to disabled actors entering the profession. Advertisement Broadcasters are addressing the diversity issue Channel 4's announcement this week that it will commit to doubling the number of disabled people appearing in its 20 most high-profile, shows such as Googlebox and Hollyoaks, is therefore a real step forward. Channel 4 has led the way in getting more disabled people on screen and behind the scenes. Shows like The Last Leg have seen their stars Alex Brooker and Adam Hills become household names. I can only imagine the positive impact that seeing a disabled presenter on a popular Friday night comedy show can have on the self-esteem and confidence of a young disabled viewer. And this is why it is so important. We can shift attitudes to disability Nine in 10 disabled people believe that more disabled people in the media would improve attitudes to disability. And attitudes do need to change. Scope's research for our End the Awkward campaign shows that two-thirds of people admit to feeling awkward about disability - and as a result they panic or avoid contact altogether. Advertisement Imagine the changes that would take place in British society if disabled characters and stars appeared in the top chat shows, soaps and dramas. And as experts, presenters and commentators on Channel 4 News and Newsnight. Over the autumn I toured the UK with a talk that had a simple message; even the scariest wild animals have far more to fear from us than we do from them. My motive was to get the audience to love animals, hoping they might want to protect and save them. I talked about how worldwide you are more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than a shark, 100 times more likely by a bolt of lightning, and at more danger from a tumbling vending machine. I showed footage of me and the crew swimming alongside a range of species from bull and tiger sharks to Great whites to prove they don't deliberately target humans as prey... bolstered with the horrifying fact that unregulated fishing and shark fin soup is taking 100million sharks from the world's oceans every year. Many species are history unless people learn to love them. With the help of shark charity Bite Back who joined me, there were many converts to a cause that really needs advocates. I'm now on a similar tour in Australia, and all of a sudden we need a few caveats. There is talk and fear about increasing shark attacks, a pilot cull in Western Australia, and widespread rumbles about what can be done... So, can I still sell my simple message in a place that has every species of potentially dangerous shark, and where people do occasionally get attacked? Advertisement If you're looking for facts, you need to head to objective sources, and preferably to peer-reviewed science. These are the facts: Last year there were 19 attacks. An attack is any unprovoked aggressive encounter, even if that only relates in a graze, although some of these were more serious. That figure is more than in 2014 (11) and 2013 (10). These statistics need to be analysed as trends over time, particularly when the incidences are so few. The Australian institute of marine science says: 'The rise in Australian shark attacks, from an average of 6.5 incidents per year in 1990-2000, to 15 incidents per year over the past decade, coincides with an increasing human population, more people visiting beaches, a rise in the popularity of water-based fitness and recreational activities and people accessing previously isolated coastal areas. The majority of incidents were in the warmer months November to April.' There is no evidence of increasing shark numbers that would influence the rise of attacks in Australian waters. The risk of a fatality from shark attack in Australia remains low, with an average of 1.1 fatalities per year over the past 20 years. There had been a decrease in the average annual fatality rate, which had fallen from a peak of 3.4 per year in the 1930s, to an average of 1.1 per year for the past two decades.' The two fatalities here last year were both big news, and the nation was gripped by footage of Aussie legend Mick Fanning nearly getting bitten by a shark during a surfing competition. That footage is etched in the collective consciousness; even though it happened in South Africa, and he escaped unscathed (though he was quite spectacularly lucky). Reports of sightings and near misses have gone through the roof, but the cautious sceptic would suggest anecdotal reports could easily be linked to heightened awareness in the media. With 23million people living in Australia now there are any number of things more likely to kill people; perhaps three times more are killed by honeybees, ten times more through horse-riding accidents, and a ten-year average shows 292 people drown annually. Advertisement The risks of shark attack are undeniably very small. But - and it's a massive but - they are not zero. My life is one big risk assessment. Doing what I do for a living, I spend my waking hours weighing up the potential of misadventure against the likelihood, the steps you need to take to minimize danger against the worst possible outcome. The risk of shark attack in Australia is tiny, but the potential effects are catastrophic, and so I cannot in good faith just tell my Aussie supporters to carry on swimming anytime, anywhere. So what can be done to reduce the risk? Well, the AIMS website has lots of info on the places with the highest incidence of shark encounter, and the months when they are most likely. A little knowledge about the behavior patterns of sharks also helps. A few years back I spent a week diving with dozens of tiger and bull sharks, and never felt any sense of peril. We then did a dive at dusk... and scampered out of the water within minutes; the sharks that had been calm in the daytime had transformed into twitchy and pugnacious predators. We've spent many weeks filming great white sharks launching breach attacks on fur seals, and it's clear they begin this kind of hunting just before dawn, and continue targeting the seals until the sun's properly up. They'll persist a little longer if visibility is low. I personally would avoid swimming too far from shore at dusk or dawn, and staying clear of seal colonies and murky waters. It's also wise to avoid being in the water around estuaries, piers and harbours, especially where fisherman are cleaning their catch. Spearfishing and other kinds of diving where you're collecting seafood are risky. I know it sounds harsh to suggest people should steer clear of the sea under those conditions, but this is Australia; a nation that has learned to live alongside the world's largest crocodile and most venomous creature the box jellyfish, not to mention its roll call of the world's most toxic snakes and spiders. These animals cause only a handful of fatalities, because people have learned the rules to living alongside them in harmony. Advertisement People are vigilant near rivers in the Northern territories, don't swim in box jelly season, don't touch any snake unless they're 1000% sure what it is. Despite the array of venomous spiders, due to understanding and antivenins no one's been killed by a spider in 35years. Risk management and mitigation is a way of life here, and it works better than anywhere else on earth. And what else can be done to mitigate shark human conflict? Scientists point out that education and awareness are more effective than a cull. Great whites are not territorial, but pelagic fish that are always on the move. Jaws was a pure fiction; you don't get Great whites that develop a taste for human flesh and hang around in one place munching them. A cull will just kill hundreds of sharks that would never harm a human, and are just minding their own business on their way to somewhere else. Drum lines are utterly indiscriminate and kill a huge range of non-target species from turtles to dolphins. And let's not forget, Great whites are vulnerable and protected, so no one should be able to just kill them for the sake of it. There should be bucket-loads of solid science proving a cull will work, before a government is allowed to just wade in and start killing them. Aussies themselves are divided. Looking at comments online, responses range from: 'If you are in the ocean then accept that there are risks being there, just like there are risks of being run over if you cross a busy street. If you aren't prepared to accept the risks then pick up your surfboard and stay home.' And at the other extreme; 'Cull them. Humans are at the apex, and we should deal with predator sharks accordingly. If the sharks could sneak up on land and eat us they would. We are superior in an evolutionary sense and nature says we should use it.' Eradicating sharks completely would solve the problem, and globally we are well on the way to that scenario. But should we as a sentient species allow that to happen? Would we eradicate tigers or elephants to prevent the occasional human fatalities? Should we remove yet another apex predator without understanding what the knock on effects would be? I can understand Australians telling me to rack off (!) and mind my own business. I don't live here, I don't have kids who surf in these seas, and when this tour is over I'll return to the UK where the most dangerous animal is a grumpy Friesian, and it's front page news if a shark on the other side of the Atlantic starts swimming vaguely in our direction. Advertisement I think it's fair to say that I'm not a human that delights in seeing violence. That's not to say I shy away from it when it's presented to me, but I'm not going to be howling with maniacal laughter every time I pick up a copy of Grand Theft Auto. That said, having seen the The Revenant I think one can safely surmise that the film contains enough violence for one film. If you don't know the plot, I'll keep it brief: loosely based on a true story from the early 1800s, it depicts the perils faced by a group of fur hunters exploring what was then known as the Louisiana Purchase, led by the now legendary hunter and explorer Hugh Glass (played by DiCaprio). Advertisement Cut off from Western civilisation and under constant attack from the natives, the film explores how far one human (Glass) can really go when pushed to the absolute edge both physically and psychologically. He is betrayed, beaten, left for dead and then stripped of everything he held dear - safe to say this isn't a comedy. It is a comprehensively gory film that embraces violence and brutality like American Pie embraces sex jokes. The problem is that because the violence is so front and centre the film has been, in my view at least, misconceived in its intentions by many who have seen it. For starters a well-read magazine described it as 'unthinkingly, aggressively masculine.' That was an error. By very definition using the term masculine immediately removes any time-sensitive considerations of gender roles and tries to place it into a modern context. This incidentally is the fundamental problem with many of the interpretations of this film. Advertisement The Revenant is not masculine in the sense that it has been designed and orchestrated to show men as the dominant force and women as the weaker. Indeed I would argue that one of the film's most harrowing moments is given to a women as she unleashes an eye-watering attack on a French trapper after herself suffering a horrific assault. It is not then the gender that defines the violence, but the time period. This was a time when weapons were dirty, personal things which required physical effort and the deeply unswerving desire to kill, no matter what. Muskets are not efficient weapons, they were slow cumbersome things that when put up against the fast-moving natives of America resulted in a form of combat that drove many Western settlers back to a level of violence that they generally perceived they'd 'evolved' from. The Revenant shows this close-quarters violence with an unflinching eye but not once did I think it was gratuitous. People often argue that the mind can conjure far worse horrors than the screen can but for me this film was all about what the audience sees. From the breath of an actor misting up the lens to the astonishing single-take shot which captures a Native American ambush. Advertisement To shy away from this would have jarred with the whole experience of the film. In this respect The Revenant is absolutely selfish, asking you to sit through nearly three hours of very little dialogue instead absorbing a visual world of beauty and brutality. We have to remember that the world Hugh Glass inhabited was quite literally the end of the world for Western civilisation. These people may have been trawling through lands now familiar, but to many this was an outlandish alien surface that was utterly unforgiving. To compensate the people became unforgiving. This then is my argument, and it's a simple one. Leave modern gender values at the door, disregard your assumptions on why films show violence and instead treat The Revenant for what it truly is: a view into a period of time during which civilised society was temporarily suspended, replaced instead with an breathtakingly soulless need to stay alive, no matter the cost. The Revenant isn't full of plot twists, it isn't a Hollywood blockbuster and it won't conform to the comforting set of rules that you'd assume would be present with an Oscar-nominated film. Instead it's unapologetically violent, brutally realistic and above all, unbelievably beautiful to look at. Advertisement Fairfax Media The CEO of Save The Children has demanded an apology from the federal government and called for an independent oversight mechanism for detention centres after a review found the expulsion of social workers from Nauru in 2014 was unwarranted. The Doogan Review, released on Friday by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, investigated the circumstances around the removal of staff from Save The Children -- a child-focused aid and development agency -- from the Nauru offshore processing centre in October 2014. Advertisement The review ruled the department was "contractually entitled" to remove the staff, but that "information available at the time... did not warrant issuing the removal." Speaking to The Huffington Post Australia from Cambodia, Save The Children Australia CEO Paul Ronalds said he hoped for -- but was not expecting -- an apology to his staff and organisation. "We would certainly believe an apology is absolutely warranted. We won't be holding our breath but it would be absolutely appropriate in the circumstances," he said. "These are highly trained teachers and social workers working with traumatised people in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. For a minister of the state to attack those staff for doing their job is disappointing." Advertisement "We were confident right from the beginning that the allegations were always absurd. These were some of our most talented, hard-working staff." Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the group should receive compensation from the government, and Ronalds also hoped Save The Children would receive some restitution. "The last thing we want to see is a court case dragged out at a further cost to taxpayers," Hanson-Young told Saturday AM. "The report's findings make it clear, I think, that the staff involved deserve compensation, as does Save the Children for the cost its incurred in relation to this," Ronalds said upon the report's release on Friday, according to the ABC. In speaking to HuffPost Australia, Ronalds criticised the manner in which the review was published -- on the department's own website with little fanfare, on a Friday afternoon, with large swathes of the report heavily redacted -- and called for an independent oversight body to be installed on Nauru to receive and investigate concerns of asylum seekers. Advertisement Heavily redacted sections of the report "We have come to expect information of this kind to be released in the way it was... The report's release, the way our staff were treated, all go to underline the culture of secrecy that successive governments have created around offshore processing. When you have the very high visa costs for journalists to travel to places like Nauru, refusal of access for organisations like Amnesty, it all goes to create a culture of little transparency or independent oversight," he said. "We are even more concerned that with us leaving Nauru, we need a transparent mechanism for offshore processing. It won't solve all the problems but might provide an outlet for refugees and asylum seekers to raise concerns." Fairfax: Janie Barrett Convicted paedophile and former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes has applied for a High Court appeal, with the 67-year-old filing an application to the highest court in Australia through lawyers on Monday. Hughes was found guilty of molesting four girls -- the youngest only six or seven at the time -- between 1984 and 1990. Advertisement In May 2014 he was sentenced to a maximum 10 years in jail, with a non-parole period of six years for the 10 charges relating to sexual and indecent acts. The 67-year-old lost his first appeal in December in the NSW Criminal Court of Appeal. Hughes' lawyers argued the Crown relied on allegations of the former actor's inappropriate behaviour which was not related to the individual offences -- in particular the allegations Hughes slept naked in his change room. Hughes lawyers are also fighting for a reduced sentence on the basis his past treatment in jail counts as additional hardship. During Hughes first appeal the court heard fellow inmates showered the 67-year-old in urine and threw faeces at him, while the convicted paedophile also had boiling water thrown on him. Advertisement The former Hey Dad! star has since been moved from Goulburn to Long Bay Jail. Shutterstock / Ann Haritonenko More than one in three Australian couples have holidayed apart from each other, with women more likely to travel alone than men. That's one of the findings of a study of 2000 couples in a married or de facto relationship by legal firm Slater And Gordon. Advertisement The study also found that while 36 percent of couples had holidayed apart, a further 8 percent would do it if the opportunity arose. Married jewellery designer Tori Poynton told The Huffington Post Australia solo travel gave her a chance to follow her instincts. "For me it's the freedom to go exploring and get inspired without worrying about whether your partner is enjoying themselves," Poynton said. #tbt Collecting turquoise treasures at Boudha Stupa, Nepal. XO A photo posted by torixojewelry (@torixojewelry) on Apr 30, 2015 at 6:18am PDT Advertisement "You can make your own agenda and get lost in a city and just do your own thing." She said she'd explored Paris, Rome and New York alone but also Nepal. "People say Paris is a very romantic city but I think it's also a great city for women," she said. Sunset at the Acropolis with my mum. Divine! A photo posted by torixojewelry (@torixojewelry) on Jun 27, 2012 at 10:02am PDT "I loved getting lost in Paris and then when we went back together, I could show him the places I'd found. "The Nepal was a real contrast to those bigger cities. It was confronting but one of my most favourite places in the world. Yoga on top of the world! Namaste A photo posted by torixojewelry (@torixojewelry) on Oct 15, 2012 at 8:02pm PDT "It helps having a supportive partner. I think it's good for the relationship. It's healthy to go and live life for a little bit and then come back and share your stories. Advertisement "Then we love to travel together as well." Crater Tango A photo posted by torixojewelry (@torixojewelry) on Jun 6, 2014 at 3:38am PDT For Jaclyn Prescott, a stint of solo travel came after her boyfriend surprised her and proposed -- and she said yes. "We'd been travelling together and after he proposed, he had to go home right away because he didn't have enough leave," Prescott said. "I'd already planned to keep travelling to Turkey and Hungary before meeting up with my mum. "It was really nice to miss him because it's sometimes easy to take each other for granted. Then when you come home, you can fill in your other half about all the adventures you've had. "After he'd proposed though, it was a bit hard, because he went home with this exciting news and I made him swear to secrecy until I got back. Advertisement Bloomberg via Getty Images Steam billows from the cooling towers of Great Energy Alliance Corp.'s Loy Yang coal-fired power station in the Latrobe Valley, Australia, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011. Australian prime minister Julia Gillard's plan to make factories and utilities either cut the nation's greenhouse gases or pay for pollution-curbing programs abroad may force companies to buy an average 66 million metric tons of credits a year starting in 2015, sending prices up 28 percent. Photographer: Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg via Getty Images 2015 was the hottest year the earth has experienced since records began. The previous record was 2014. The evidence that the planet is getting warmer and it is caused by human activity is as overwhelming as the evidence that tobacco causes cancer. And yet the climate change policy of the Turnbull Government is still inspired by the climate-change-denying ethos of the Abbott Government. There is no doubt that the Paris Summit result was a breakthrough and a significant step. But anyone who thinks that was the hard part is kidding themselves. The summit committed participating nations to policies which would limit the world's temperature rise to less than 2 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels and work towards achieving a net zero emissions world. Advertisement But the fact is that the Turnbull Government's policies will simply not achieve this aim. Climate change policy is core economic policy. The fact is that the Australian economy has a lot to lose if climate change is unchecked. Another fact is that some policies can bring about carbon abatement a lot more economically efficiently than others. A market-based, internationally linked emissions trading scheme is by far the most efficient method available. Any Treasurer or alterative treasurer who is absent from this policy debate is negligent in their duties. Last year, the Government's Climate Change Authority recommended that Australia have an emissions reduction target of 45 to 63 percent by 2030. The Authority pointed out that this is what's needed for Australia to make its contribution to holding temperature rises to less than two degrees. Labor took the Authority's work seriously. We announced that we would embark on consultations with industry using a 45 percent target (the lower end of the Authority's recommendation) as our starting point. Turnbull Government ministers, up to and including the prime minister himself, embarked on a scare campaign, warning of dire economic consequences of such a target. The economic consequences of not holding the world's temperature rise to less than two degrees (or the fact that a lower target will not meet the Government's own commitment of a less than two degree rise) seemed to pass Mr Turnbull by. Advertisement There is no doubt Australia needs to tread carefully with our highly energy intensive economy. But inaction is simply not an option. This can be done. We know that the emissions intensity of the Australian economy has already halved between 1990 and 2012 due to efficiency improvements and structural change. We also know that other countries, who would have plenty of excuses available to them for inaction, are actually making significant progress. Take Germany, for example. It is the world's fourth largest economy and is highly manufacturing and trade intensive. It is not overly blessed with options for solar power compared to Australia. And yet, Germany has embarked on aggressive emissions reductions targets: a 40 percent cut from 1990 levels by 2020. And whereas Australia has played with destructive renewable energy policies for the past two years, Germany has embraced renewable energy with alacrity. Significant uptake of renewable energy has contributed strongly to a 27 percent reduction in its greenhouse emissions. All this at the same time as Germany is phasing out nuclear power. Germany will have shut down all its 17 nuclear reactors by 2022. Canada is another country making recent and bold strides in tackling climate change. We recall the new Prime Ministers, Malcolm Turnbull and Justin Trudeau, meeting for the first time at CHOGM in Malta last November, not long after their ascension to high office. Yet on climate change that's where the similarities dissipated, with the new Mr Trudeau's policy commitments matching his rhetoric on climate change, and the new Canadian Government moving ahead with an Emissions Trading Scheme, a higher emissions reduction target than Mr Turnbull's as well as a heavy push on renewables. Labor will take its consultations with effected industries very seriously in coming weeks. Mark Butler and the Shadow Cabinet will be listening. Advertisement The Swiss alpine resort of Davos hosts again more than 1,500 of the world's most influential business, political, academic and thought leaders, a 'schmoozefest' for the power elite covered by hundreds of top journalists from almost all major media. Given that one of the World Economic Forum's stated aims is to end extreme poverty, one might be tempted to ask how many cents per cup of coffee, tea and hot chocolate consumed by the global elite meeting in Davos help improve the state of the world. The answer is shocking: Less than US$0.01 per cup of so called "fair trade", "sustainable" or "ethical" coffee, tea and cacao consumed by WEF participants helps eradicate poverty. Are you surprised? Advertisement The minuscule value in the hot beverages consumed at the WEF that is shared as benefit with the actual producers is a reflection of the body's 'commitment' to 'Improving the State of the World' and of the indifference and/or addiction of many leaders in business and politics to economic models that perpetuate poverty and hunger, but generate yearly tens of billions of dollars in profits for enterprises in developed nations. Everybody attending Davos knows that there is poverty and hunger in the coffee, tea and cocoa lands and in rural and urban areas where billions of people produce and create what we consume, and yet they have remained indifferent to the worst form of inequality: millions of people, who produce the food and drink consumed at the WEF in Davos -- which WEF member companies sell at enormous profit -- see their children die of poverty because of the low prices they receive for the fruits of their labours. Coffee, tea and cacao are not an exception, but a stark example of how the 'developed' world compensates the poor who produce our favourite beverages for starting our day. Those who attend the Davos meetings have the power to change the world, and many have the legal obligation to do so because they are public officials elected by citizens who expect and need results, not more empty promises. Yet the impact of the WEF's Improving the State of the World has so far been less than impressive. Advertisement In January 2014 Pope Francis sent a message to the Davos elite: "I ask you to ensure that humanity is served by wealth and not ruled by it." WEF participants could certainly push the agenda to fast track global economic development with a transparent shared value system, but have so far seemed reluctant to do so. A new shared value system in global trade would not only improve the situation for the world's poorest, but would result in trillions of dollars in business opportunities for companies of all sizes. Eradication of poverty and the creation of a global middle class, where today poverty reigns, are the greatest untapped business opportunities. We in CAFE FOR CHANGE are working to create a new shared value system in coffee, tea and cacao that will allow consumers and any company selling coffee, tea and cacao to share 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, etc., cents per cup to eradicate poverty in the communities that produce them. Our goal is to eradicate poverty and create a rural middle class in one generation. It is unacceptable that anyone dares to call "fair trade", "sustainable" or even "ethical", a certification system that shares a 'premium' of less than one third of a cent per cup with the coffee communities that live in poverty. In so many so called "fair trade" coffee, tea and cacao communities, only one out of twenty girls graduates from secondary school. That is not only unfair, it is unethical and actually violates the right to education of the children of tens of millions of people who work for us. Advertisement To continue the business-as usual media cheerleading in Davos is dangerous for all of us. The world in which we live is a time bomb. Inequality and social segregation have become a serious political risk even in developed nations. I ask all WEF participants to consider supporting a real and transparent shared value system to fast track the end of poverty. I ask all journalists covering the WEF to dare to ask the right questions. The WEF cannot continue making empty claims of how "committed" they are to "Improving the State of the World" when in fact every cup of coffee, tea and cacao they drink perpetuates poverty with less than US$0.01 in benefits for the farmers who produce it. After hours of speculation, Sarah Palin finally came out and endorsed Donald Trump -- meaning reporters can stop using "rumors are swirling" and "speculation has arisen" as stand-ins for I glanced at my Twitter feed." Jihadi John was killed in an airstrike and will now spend eternity wallowing in his disappointment that his 72 virgins are a bunch of dudes named Wayne who doxed people on the internet for fun. And Paul Ryan will make good on his anti-poverty agenda by bring another Obamacare repeal measure up for a vote next week. Let the poor help themselves. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, January 19th, 2016: PERFECT - Previously, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump had been seen together in another universe, selling juicers on TV at three in the morning. Maggie Haberman, with a huge get for the lamestream media: "Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential nominee who became a Tea Party sensation and a favorite of grass-roots conservatives, will endorse Donald J. Trump in Iowa on Tuesday, officials with his campaign confirmed. The endorsement provides Mr. Trump with a potentially significant boost just 13 days before the states caucuses. 'Im proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for president,' Ms. Palin said in a statement provided by his campaign. Her support is the highest-profile backing for a Republican contender so far. 'I am greatly honored to receive Sarahs endorsement,' Mr. Trump said in a statement trumpeting Mrs. Palins decision. 'She is a friend, and a high-quality person whom I have great respect for. I am proud to have her support.'" [NYT] Advertisement Moments after the news broke, Jeb Bush was on Twitter, touting his endorsement of Lindsey Graham's New Hampshire state chairman, Gary Lambert. Take that, news cycle! @mviser: Martin OMalley leads in one category: 26% of likely Dem primary voters in NH said they would not vote for him under any circumstances. RYAN TO BRING OBAMACARE REPEAL UP FOR VETO OVERRIDE VOTE - At some point this country needs to have an intervention with congressional Republicans about their debilitating addiction. Erin Kelly: "The House will vote next Tuesday on overriding President Obama's veto of legislation that would repeal key portions of Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced. Ryan, R-Wis., does not have the votes needed to override Obama's veto of the bill, which was passed by the House on Jan. 6 by a vote of 240-181 and vetoed two days later. The Senate passed the bill in December using a budget procedure that prevented Democrats from blocking the vote. It takes two-thirds of the House and Senate to override a veto, and Republican leaders do not have enough support in either chamber to thwart the White House. But Ryan sees the symbolic Jan. 26 vote as an important message for Republicans to deliver in an election year as the GOP fights to win the White House. Ryan has unveiled an agenda for 2016 that is aimed largely at giving the Republican presidential candidate a platform on which to run." [USA Today] Advertisement This weekend's snow forecast is getting some insane hype. Remember the snowquester, y'all. DELANEY DOWNER - Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson on Tuesday became the first GOP presidential candidate to speak out on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, blaming local leadership and federal authorities for failing to address the high levels of lead that have left the city's tap water largely unusable. "Unfortunately, the leaders of Flint have failed to place the well-being of their residents as a top priority," said Carson, a Michigan native, in a statement to The Huffington Post. "The people deserve better from their local elected officials, but the federal bureaucracy is not innocent in this as well. Reports show that the Environmental Protection Agency knew well-beforehand about the lack of corrosion controls in the citys water supply, but was either unwilling or unable to address the issue." True. [w/ HuffPost's Nick Wing] 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 XENOPHOBIA USEFUL, POLITICIAN FINDS - Jordain Carney: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is pressuring Democrats ahead of a procedural vote Wednesday on legislation freezing the acceptance of refugees from Syria and Iraq.'I would urge colleagues across the aisle to treat this issue with the seriousness that it deserves,' the Republican leader said Tuesday. 'This debate should be driven by facts and common sense, not fear mongering about targeting widows and orphans or other straw man arguments that the White House has made from time to time.' The Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote Wednesday on a House-approved bill that would effectively freeze the acceptance of refugees until the administration can certify they aren't a national security threat. Republicans will need 60 votes to move the legislation forward, meaning they need at least six Democratic votes." [The Hill] HIGH COURT TO CONSIDER OBAMA'S EXECUTIVE ACTION ON IMMIGRATION - Cristian Farias and Elise Foley: "President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration, stuck in legal limbo for the past year, will get a Supreme Court hearing before the 2016 presidential election. The justices announced their decision to hear the case, known as United States v. Texas, on Tuesday, after their private conference meeting Friday morning. For weeks, the federal government and Texas had fought a procedural battle over whether the justices should take up the case before the end of June, the close of the court's current term. The president can now seek Supreme Court vindication of his decision in November 2014 to defer the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants, who have waited for years for comprehensive immigration reform. But the court added an unexpected wrinkle when it agreed to hear the case: It asked the federal government and the states suing it to address whether the executive actions on immigration violate the Constitution's take care clause -- an issue that was not definitively decided by lower courts that have ruled on the case. " [HuffPost] PRO TIP: DON'T LET A DOCUMENTARY CREW FOLLOW YOU AROUND - On that note, go ahead and delete your Snapchat account for good measure. Amy Chozick and Brooks Barnes: "In May 2013, Huma Abedin and Anthony D. Weiner allowed filmmakers full access to his mayoral campaign with the hopes that the end result would document a spectacular political comeback, with Mr. Weiner being sworn in as mayor of New York having emerged from a scandal centered on explicit texting that forced him to resign from Congress. Things did not go quite according to plan. Instead, 'Weiner,' a new documentary that The New York Times was allowed to view exclusively ahead of its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, provides an unfettered look at the implosion of Mr. Weiners mayoral campaign and a wrenching inside account of the couples interactions in the aftermath of his second explicit texting scandal." [NYT] PLEASE STOP DOING THIS - The exception being a politician who has literally hid their spouse in an undisclosed location. Tim Murphy: "Hillary Clinton was nodding to tradition when she jokingly referred to her husband Bill, the former president of the United States, as her 'secret weapon.' Puff pieces that describe a candidate's spouse as the campaign's 'secret weapon' are as much a part of presidential campaigns as kissing babies and self-important Iowans...Neither of Trump's two previous wives are considered secret weapons by the political press, but his daughter, Ivanka--whom Trump has said he would consider marrying if they weren't related--is In addition to his wife, Tipper, Al Gore had a second secret weapon--his oldest daughter, Karenna." [MoJo] Advertisement Poor Rick: "GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum is now going even further than saying deportations would be good for the U.S. -- he said Monday that it would 'a blessing' to undocumented immigrants' home countries since they could be leaders there. He made the comments at a not-so-well-attended event -- about 10 people -- in Gladbrook, Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. The former Pennsylvania senator told the group he had dismissed a teacher's concerns about his deportation plan because of the undocumented students she knows." [HuffPost's Elise Foley] ENDORSE - We know too many journalists. Meg Kinnard: "South Carolina journalists would be required to register with the government before reporting the state's news under a bill introduced Tuesday by a Republican state lawmaker. The proposal would establish a 'responsible journalism registry' with requirements that journalists must meet before working for a news outlet in the state. Those requirements weren't laid out in the bill's summary, which was available online Tuesday. The measure's full text has not yet been posted. Fees could be charged to be listed in the registry, which would be operated by the Secretary of State's Office. The bill also would authorize 'fines and criminal penalties' for violating the law.The bill has been referred to a committee for debate." [AP] BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here's a dog trying to mediate a chicken dispute. MAYBE PEOPLE WILL READ FUSION NOW - David Folkenflik: "Univision Communications Inc., the parent company to the nation's leading Spanish-language broadcast channel, has acquired a controlling stake in the satirical news site The Onion, NPR has learned. The agreement between two seemingly disparate media outfits was described to NPR by a person with direct involvement in the negotiations. A second person who was briefed on the deal by Univision executives also confirmed its broad strokes. The amount of money involved in the deal was not disclosed. NPR has also obtained a memo from the CEO of The Onion announcing the deal to staffers." [NPR] COMFORT FOOD - Happy birthday, Edgar Allan Poe! Here's a Poe story generator. - Drones don't just deliver Amazon paper products to your doorstep, they alsocan fly into glaciers. - The 25 worst passwords of 2015. TWITTERAMA @robojojo: There needs to be a Millennial Olympics honoring prowess in feats like mailing a letter, returning a phone call or faxing paperwork @daveweigel: Kasich talking to seniors about his Reagan campaign work: "Guess who I met? Jimmy Stewart! That was about as cool as meeting Ronald Reagan." Advertisement @swin24: .@tedcruz: "i love sarah palin" @SarahPalinUSA: new phone who dis "China's economic growth edged down to 6.8 percent in the final quarter of 2015 as trade and consumer spending weakened, dragging full-year growth to its lowest in 25 years." [AP] Inside a primary battle that could go much longer than the Clinton camp originally thought possible. [NYT] Software bugs in home routers leave you dangerously open to a hack. [WSJ | Paywall] Since 1997. [AP] Residents in the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles are complaining of "nausea, headaches, nosebleeds and other symptoms." [AP] Advertisement And how she can relate to the sexist comments Hillary Clinton faces. [Sam Stein and Jason Cherkis, HuffPost] Search and rescue efforts are continuing for the men, whose helicopters went down on Thursday. [Carla Herreria, HuffPost] "A family of Canadian volunteers dedicated to alleviating poverty in Africa. A group of intrepid German retirees on a tour of Turkey and the Middle East They were among the scores of people slaughtered by Islamic extremists in four countries last week in spasms of bloodshed that left loved ones stunned at the randomness of the killings." [NYT] WHATS BREWING The two are protesting the lack of diversity among the nominees. [HuffPost] "The Pentagon is considering retroactively demoting retired Gen. David Petraeus after he admitted to giving classified information to his biographer and mistress while he was still in uniform, three people with knowledge of the matter told The Daily Beast." [Daily Beast] Advertisement Because winter is long, and the couch is warm. [HuffPost] He was 67. [HuffPost] The "swaddling" effect is helping those who suffer from PTSD finally get a decent night's rest. [Motherboard] "A submarine can hide from a few noisily obvious ships and planes, but it is harder to hide from a swarm of small, virtually undetectable drones." [The Guardian] For more from The Huffington Post, download our app for iOS or Android. WHAT'S WORKING "D'Oca told The Huffington Post that St. Louis and D.C. make a good pair of case studies thanks to their contrasts: St. Louis's MLK Drive, like the city at large, is a major site of professional exodus and urban decay, while D.C.'s MLK Boulevard is a model street full of social services, though the threat of gentrification looms large." [HuffPost] For more, sign up for the What's Working newsletter. BEFORE YOU GO ~ What you missed from Sunday's Democratic debate. ~ David Bowie's "Blackstar" has topped the Billboard 100. ~ Basically the "Friends" reunion was all a lie. ~ When drones fall into the wrong hands. ~ Taking a closer look at Pluto's ice volcanoes (which apparently are a thing). ~ Pro tip: if you're wearing a chastity belt, try not to lose the key. ~ Watch out for the cashews at Trader Joe's, which are being recalled over salmonella fears. ~ The world's oldest man has died at 112. ~ Twitter went down overnight, and everyone freaked out. ~ You can customize your Facebook feed. ~ Take a peek at the forest that inspired the 100 Acre Wood in "Winnie-the-Pooh." ~ Not the headline you want to read: "Key cybersecurity recommendations still pending for nation's capital." Send tips/quips/quotes/stories/photos/events/scoops to Lauren Weber at lauren.weber@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter @LaurenWeberHP. And like what you're reading? Sign up here to get The Morning Email delivered to you. 3d abstract illustration of a robot at the table The past few years have seen no shortage of discussion around talent, and I was talking to someone only this week about creative ways startups can grow. Traditionally, these kind of discussions have included approaches such as crowdsourcing or the gig economy that have allowed organizations to take an agile approach to their workforce. Advertisement Whether the workforce is predominantly employed and on-site or flexible and remote, both approaches assume that the workforce will remain very much human. A new automated workforce China however is taking an altogether different approach, and is laying the groundwork for a revolution that will see millions of low paid jobs becoming automated. The move was revealed by vice president Li Yuanchao via the country's primary robotics conference in Beijing where he outlined the important role robots will play in the future of the country. Central to this push is the latest wave of industrial robots that will be deployed in the manufacturing sector. With the country facing pressure to maintain its low cost competitive advantage, it seems inevitable that automation will be a major factor in attempts to remain ahead of the pack. Advertisement China is already the largest importer of robots, and estimates suggest it will account for approximately 1/3 of all installed industrial robots within a few years. The rise of the robot Despite this apparent scale however, the robot to worker ratio in the country remains significantly lower than in most other industrially advanced nations, so there would appear to be huge scope for expansion. Such a move is already under way, with the Made in China 2025 project designed to ensure the country remains a manufacturing superpower by that time. Central to the project is the addition of intelligence to their manufacturing base. An example of what could be achieved was highlighted last year with the creation of a new plant in the Dongguan manufacturing hub in the south of the country which will be staffed almost exclusively by robots. Initially, about 1,000 robots will be used at the factory of the Shenzhen Evenwin Precision Technology Co, which produces components for mobile phones. Advertisement "The use of industrial robots will help the company to reduce the number of frontline workers by at least 90 percent," said Chen Xingqi, the chairman of the company's board. "When all the 1,000 industrial robots are put into operation in the coming months, we will only need to recruit fewer than 200 software technicians and management personnel." It is undoubtedly going to be a huge job to grow both the volume of robots available in the country, but also their capabilities. It will require a substantial amount of work deciphering which jobs are suitable for automation, and how man and machine will work well together. Domestic robotics It will also require the continued growth of the domestic robotics manufacturing market in China, with companies like Siasun leading the way. They're working on a range of robots to help factories automate a higher proportion of their work. Their range of robots also includes models for the shipping and utility industries. An increasing focus for manufacturers is to develop robots with advanced sensing capabilities, and of course the ability to work effectively and safely alongside humans. Advertisement It's a challenge that the country hopes will attract the brightest minds in the field to take it on. "China would like to welcome robot experts and entrepreneurs from all over the world to communicate and co?perate with us, in order to push forward the development of robot technology and industry," Vice President Li says. The need for a Chief Robotics Officer With robots and other automated services becoming an increasing presence in the workplace, it begs the question of how long before this automated workforce is represented at board level. A study last year by Myria Research suggested that 60 percent of companies will have a Chief Robotics Officer by 2025. They believe that in sectors where robotics and automation will play a significant role, such as farming, logistics and healthcare, the CRO will have a similar status to that of the CIO today within a few years. "The CROs (and their teams) will be at the forefront of technology, to translate technology fluency into clear business advantages, and to maintain RIOS capabilities that are intimately linked to customer-facing activities, and ultimately, to company performance," they say. With automation only likely to increase in importance in the coming years, it seems inevitable that strategic representation will be required for people with skills in the field. Advertisement There have been no shortage of proclamations about new C suite roles in the past few years, but I would not be surprised to see the evolution of a robotics executive be one that sticks. A community relaxation group. It seems we can't go a day without hearing something new about the health benefits of meditation. Earlier last week, researchers from the Department of Defense and Georgia Regents University found that Transcendental Meditation could be used to treat veterans suffering from PTSD, suggesting further research into using meditation as a supplementary treatment. The list of health benefits can go on. Different forms of meditation have the capacity to reduce blood pressure, relieve anxiety, and improve responses to stress. We've also heard countless testaments from celebrities, businessmen, and everyday individuals talking about the interconnectedness of abundance, peace, rediscovery, and meditation. Advertisement But I would like to add my voice to the list. Not because I am reborn celebrity or a famous CEO, but because I was a curious student in need of exercise and some stress relief and I was awestruck by the possibilities of meditation. I happened upon it almost by accident. During the summer of 2013, I was looking to get in shape using some different methods which did not involve constantly lifting weights at the university rec center. After some months of trying bodyweight workouts, I discovered Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga classes were offered free of charge to students at my university. I was immediately attracted. Now obviously I had heard about yoga before, but I didn't know much more other than it was an Eastern practice with ancient roots that now featured more sorority girls wearing Lululemon than the robe-wearing Yogis of the Indian Peninsula. I also had no idea that meditation exercises usually followed most yoga practices. My first practice was a guided hour of Vinyasa Yoga, an ancient style rooted in Hindu origins and Hatha Yoga. The term vinyasa itself holds many meanings in Sanskrit, but generally translates to "arranging something in a special way" or "connection," emphasizing the use of breath when moving between different asanas, or poses. Advertisement After some 45 minutes of a challenging practice, our guide instructed us to lie down on our mats, relaxing our muscles and facing our palms to the sky. For the next 10 or so minutes, I was mystified. Light background music and complete silence seemed a complete bore to me. 'What a terrible way to end the class," I thought to myself. My mind kept racing with the menial tasks and errands I had to complete before the day was done. I can say with complete honesty that my first attempt at meditation was an utter failure. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the 45 minutes of yoga and resolved to go twice a week to these classes. At what point the fat lady sang or the cows came home, I don't know. But after some classes and forced attempts at meditation, something clicked. The effects began to creep into my mind and body. Leaving an exhausting yoga class was like leaving the massage parlor: I was refreshed, invigorated, and tranquil. The thousands of random thoughts that constantly bombarded my mind soon dissipated, and I could control the rate at which these invasive ideas attacked. I could not get enough of it. My foray into what is called Mindfulness Meditation had left me addicted to a completely novel feeling, alien to anything I had ever experienced before. My everyday life was affected by the daily practice of meditation, instilling a feeling of satisfaction and peace I have failed to find anywhere else. Mindfulness Meditation originated in Buddhism and, for beginners, consists of one sitting or lying silently, focusing on the inhale and exhale of the breath, and maintaining a passive state of mind. If you find yourself wandering, as I often do, on thoughts other than your breath, simply return your awareness to your breath and let go of all other thoughts. Advertisement The idea sounds much easier on paper and in reality is a difficult feat to accomplish. If you are anything like me, you often find your mind on ten different things at the same time, calculating how and when you can complete your daily tasks. This is called "noise." While it might not have a measurable wavelength of sound, it can be piercingly earsplitting within the confines of one's own psyche. Practitioners of meditation often say the mind is like a muscle, it must be worked again and again in order for its strength to develop and the effects of meditation to transcend quotidian experiences. Daily meditation is the best manner in which to develop the muscles of the mind, maintaining a daily practice, if only for 10-15 minutes. Integrating this into any routine would have untold physical and psychological benefits. I now find myself sounding like a long-haired hippie, going up to friends or family and saying, "Dude, I'm telling you, you have to try meditation." The initial reaction is always surprise, as if a jolt of energy was just sent up their spinal cord. But I recommend that you blend the practice with an hour of yoga. Practicing meditation after a fit amount of yoga will leave you tired and more receptive to the transcendence of meditation. Or simply try it after your next workout. Add 15 minutes next time you're at the gym, play a guided meditation on your phone and sit or lie down on some mats. You can even use the one in the link here. Recently, the wife of a prominent Boston businessman -- one of my many wealthy, white patients at Massachusetts General Hospital -- greeted me this way: "So what foreign medical school did you go to anyway?" For background, I'm a petite, Middle Eastern young woman with a headscarf, and I'm guessing I do not resemble her vision of what a doctor "should" look like. That image is probably taller, whiter, male and not Muslim. My answer (in perfect, unaccented English) to her question about where I was trained? "Harvard Medical School." After that, her lips remained pursed shut for the rest of our encounter. Advertisement I thought that attending college and medical school at Yale and Harvard...would shield me from future experiences with racism and bigotry. As the daughter of Iraqi and Iranian immigrants, such interactions unfortunately have been common for me and my family members since we moved to America weeks before 9/11. When former President Bush declared war on Iraq the following year, for example, my sister and I heard classmates scream, "Go back to your country!" from their pickup truck on our walk home from high school. I thought that attending college and medical school at Yale and Harvard, respectively, would be my golden ticket to America's meritocratic dream, that my prestigious diplomas would shield me from future experiences with racism and bigotry. As a neurology medical resident in "liberal" Boston, (and working at a hospital ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report) I also thought that I would be judged based on my medical acumen, not by the color of my skin or the scarf I wear on my head. But I was wrong. Another time in the hospital, a male patient told me that his religion is superior to mine. While I was listening to his lungs to help in the management of his shortness of breath, he added, "Why do you wear that thing on your head anyway?" Despite his abrasive behavior, I politely informed him of his treatment plan and told him that I am praying for his speedy recovery. Advertisement Another day, an 80-year old patient with dementia began hitting me on the head when I checked in on her for my daily visit. Pointing to my headscarf, she said, "I don't want someone with that taking care of me." Despite her mental condition, the racism still stung as I continued to strive to provide her the best care possible. As a neurology medical resident...I also thought that I would be judged based on my medical acumen, not by the color of my skin or the scarf I wear on my head. But I was wrong. My experiences are not isolated. A recent study in the American Journal of Bioethics found that 24 percent of Muslim physicians have experienced religious discrimination in the workplace. This election year has made it harder to be a Muslim in America. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has advocated for registering Muslims inside the United States and banning those of us who reside abroad. Unfortunately, the majority of Republican Party members agree with him and the number of hate crimes against Muslims have tripled in recent weeks. Yet, I also recognize that Muslims are just America's newest "outsiders." Throughout our history, Catholics, Irish, Italians, women, African-Americans, Jews, Latinos and gays have all been targets of nativist fear-mongering. Many of these groups still face significant prejudice today, and hospitals are not immune from such discrimination, whether implicit or explicit. When I was a third-year medical student, it appeared to me that the pediatric residents and attending physicians would spend extra time caring for the white infants and children during morning rounds. The two African-American babies and one Arab infant admitted to the inpatient pediatrics service at the time were never "oohed and aahed" at and received noticeably less attention. Advertisement "Have you noticed that only the white children are called 'cute'?" I asked my friend after our third day on the pediatrics rotation. My friend, an African-American medical student, had his own grievance. He had overheard a doctor refer to an African-American father as an "angry black man." "I don't understand," my friend said. "His daughter is dying, he is upset, and has questions. He's not asking any more questions than the other parents." Our observations were also not isolated incidents. Multiple peer-reviewed studies have shown that physicians unconsciously prefer and spend more time with white patients than African-American ones. My fight as a Muslim-American doctor to serve my patients without fear of racism, and the fight of an African-American patient to be treated with dignity...should also be your fights. I also recall the occasional episode of overt racism in the hospital. One surgeon -- prominent and stern in his crisp white coat -- said the following about a Hispanic patient who was coming to have her melanoma examined for excision: "I can't believe these people! They have been here for a decade, can't bother to learn English, and we're stuck waiting for an interpreter." Advertisement But the episodes of implicit racism have been more commonplace. Most episodes have gone unchallenged by my colleagues and me -- medical students and residents who have rarely felt empowered enough to speak up against older (and usually whiter) established faculty members and physicians. Some hospitals and medical schools have attempted to address these problems by creating a diverse physician population that will hopefully someday reflect the ethnic, religious and racial makeup of our patients. However, this is not enough. At the same time, we -- as physicians and society more generally -- must realize that the struggles of one marginalized community are struggles of all of us. My fight as a Muslim-American doctor to serve my patients without fear of racism, and the fight of an African-American patient to be treated with dignity and respect, should also be your fights. Our national conversation needs to be less disjointed: It is not about Tamir Rice or Eric Garner one minute, and Donald Trump's comments about Muslims or Latinos the next minute. In medicine, I find, it is often easier to look outside, at global or national health disparities, for instance, rather than look within our own communities, and in our own hospitals. These disparities hurt patients and doctors, too: Personally, when I am confronted with bigotry on the job I figure out ways to ignore it, reminding myself how scared patients must be in a state of sickness and vulnerability in the hospital. However, I also wish there was more conversation about it among physicians because it is hard to deal with prejudice on a continual basis, and it only adds to the stress of our inherently rigorous training and profession. Overall, it's about understanding that these challenges -- global and local -- are interconnected, and we will only be able to properly address the harmful prejudices in the medical profession, and throughout the United States, when we all come together and acknowledge each other's pain and America's pained history. Advertisement Two days before his death last week, rock star legend and artist David Bowie released a new album, Blackstar, his 25th. The 69-year-old died after an 18-month private struggle with cancer, and according to published reports, he died at home, peacefully, surrounded by family. Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, later released a letter written to him by his father's palliative care physician. In the letter he recognized him for the choice, planning and effort that went into dying at home. Not everyone has this experience, as Dr. Mark Traubert's letter details. Although most Americans report wanting to die at home, according to published reports only about a quarter do. Advertisement With the start of 2016, millions resolve to make their lives better in some way and health resolutions are popular. Yet, advance care decisions and discussions about end of life plans do not make the top 10 list. The new reimbursement codes that began Jan. 1 for Medicare to cover such planning sessions may help. As an emergency physician, I wish all the families I had encountered with a loved one facing a life-threatening diagnosis had been prepared with the knowledge provided by open discussion. Occasionally I encounter the family or patient who know exactly what needs to be done and are at peace with their decisions. Although sadness and loss are still pervasive in these situations, there is comfort. Unfortunately, more often, my question about goals of care is met with shock, horror and -- at times -- anger. The fear and hysteria around the "death panels" continues for some people. But respecting the wishes of those faced with death is not the same as deciding who dies and when. So many abdicate control over how to die to their loved ones -- or worse -- to doctors who do not know them. Despite many expressing a wish to die at home, only 22 percent of people do. More than half, 58 percent, will die in a hospital. Advertisement Whether you have an aging parent, are the aging parent, are facing a potentially life-threatening illness or have strong feelings about how you want your final days to be spent, it is essential to have the conversation with family. You can decide who will be the surrogate to make decisions in the event you no longer can. In a classic study of Emergency Department patients, 77 percent said they did not have advance directives -- defined as a do not resuscitate order, signed healthcare power of attorney or living will. When asked why, 40 percent said they had never thought about it. Nearly a quarter preferred to leave the decision to a family member. For those who have advance directives, a 2015 study shows they were made available to the provider less than 44 percent of the time. Patients have told me they spoke with their doctors but not their family members about their wishes. These wishes can involve how long to provide extraordinary measures, use of medications, and also organ donation or even burial arrangements. Often people have this information securely stored in their attorney's office never to be known by those who need it most -- their loved ones and care providers. Frequently people say they are afraid of discussing this topic for fear of upsetting their loved one. Studies don't bear this out. Advertisement An analysis of more than 40 studies reveals that surrogates can suffer guilt and other negative emotions about their decision long after their loved one has passed. Those making decisions when the wishes of their loved ones were known, often suffered much less emotionally and even reported positive emotions; they felt empowered to act for their loved one who could no longer act on his or her own. A recent study of adults in Britain highlights all the reasons we should talk openly about our wishes. More than 50 percent of those surveyed reported they were scared or very scared of dying in pain. Yet studies show that those who have had end of life discussions enjoy a better quality of life and earlier interventions to control and manage pain. A majority, or 71 percent, agree that quality of life was more important than length of life. More than half, or 51 percent, said they did not know the wishes of their partner, yet 80 percent said they were concerned about the grief their loved ones would experience. Three-quarters, or 75 percent said they were concerned about not being there to help their loved ones after death. All of these issues can be addressed in advance of a medical event in discussion with loved ones. Yet I meet daily with well-meaning families who have less knowledge of their loved ones' wishes and are less secure in their decision-making. Expressing your wishes ahead of time gives loved ones the greatest gift in your absence--the peace knowing they helped you, as you would have wanted, when you could no longer help yourself. Advertisement How extremists are more motivated by greed, power and worldly desires as opposed to true faith and Islamic values Photo by Matthias Rhomberg Muslims claim their religion teaches peace, harmony, love and goodness while the actions of some so-called adherents to the faith prove contrary. How can it be that on the one hand, the religion teaches good while some Muslims commit evil? Some suggest the reason being the inherent evil of the religion itself. So is the religion itself evil or are the adherents today evil? Or both? Well, we can safely conclude that the majority of the 1.6 billion Muslims are not evil. Nor are they violent. Rather, they are the peaceful adherents of the religion of Islam. They constitute the large majority of the Muslim population the world over. This is a self-evident truth. There's no denying extremist elements exist yet that's no surprise since you'll find good and evil in all spheres of life regardless of faith, race, nationality, political stance, career or any other distinguishing criteria. Advertisement A cursory look at the fundamental holy book, the Qur'an would also lend support to the belief that Islam is actually a peaceful religion. After all, it exhorts to peace, justice, charity and unity. Harvard went so far as to declare one verse of the Muslim holy book as one of the best expressions of justice ever. True, there are violent verses but that's already explained by my counterparts here and here. Why then are some Muslims today totally disregarding these peaceful teachings and acting like primitive, violent people? Well let's have a look. For one, Muslims have forsaken the fundamental teachings of the Prophet and have given themselves over to superficiality and worldliness which pervades their religious practices. Their actions betray their self-righteous speech. It's the same with the Church - religion becomes a business. When people forget the true teachings or distort them, misunderstand the true purport or yet are misguided and tempted by worldly motives they inevitably become superficial and religious by name only. This is a phenomenon which we see all too often in religious history. Outward observance without regard for the spirit of the teaching leads to bigotry, prejudice and hard-heartedness. Religion is meant to invoke feelings of spirituality, love and open-heartedness. The form is meant to induce the spirit, the spirit being the main goal. However the spirit can't survive without the shell, but when religion becomes a formal, hollow exercise, we see only superficiality, intolerance and judgmental mindsets - leading to violence against opposing beliefs. Advertisement It isn't anything new. Man is negligent, vain and driven by selfish desires - which true religion seeks to curb. Over time and generations the core values and principles once instilled by elders fade away being replaced with an ideology consisting only of prejudice, intolerance and superficiality. Reminders are of paramount importance therefore. In a world filled with materialism, egotism, jealousy and manic pursuit of power, the higher values of life are often overlooked with worldliness becoming intermingled with religious values. Groups like ISIS are undoubtedly more motivated by geopolitical motives than actual Islamic values. You can't blame the car for a drunk driver crashing though. If Islam's teachings are being misused and driven by leaders drunk with power and worldliness, then the drivers (and those who fuel the drunkenness of the drivers) are to blame, not the car. If you want to understand what's happened to Muslims, just look at Christian history. Jesus (peace be on him) would never have approved of the Crusades, Spanish Inquisition or witch hunts up to the 18th century. Similarly, Muhammad (pbuh) warned his followers not to become disbelievers by shedding blood. Anyhow, the religion of Islam or its Prophet Muhammad cannot be held accountable for the actions of Latter Day followers the leaders of which he himself labelled as 'the worst creatures under the heavens'. He warned his followers, that in the Latter Days, they would go to their leaders searching for guidance but instead find 'apes and swine' sitting there - he of course was referring to the degraded moral and deplorable spiritual condition of many Latter Day Muslim clerics. It goes without saying, if the leaders themselves are corrupt, their adherents will follow suit. Muhammad (on whom be peace) foretold of a time when Islam will be beset with superficiality and so-called scholars with their own vested motives will misguide the masses. Just as we can never place blame upon Jesus (on whom be peace) for the actions of his followers who came later, we can't blame Muhammad for the actions of Muslims today. Nor can we hold the Qur'anic teachings or Islam as a religion responsible since Islam itself condemns the hypocritical and selfish, violent actions of some Muslims today. Likewise, Moses (peace be on him) can't be blamed for the Jewish violence today nor can Buddha (on whom be peace) be held accountable for the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. Advertisement Further, what we may see as violent behavior by Muslims today is only a matter of perspective. Undue emphasis is given to terror acts by Muslims whereas if we look at the world today generally, terrorism, inhumanity and infringement of human rights happens by non-Muslims just as much as it does by Muslims, if not more so. China, a Communist (Communism, which is inherently anti-religious) nation has one of the worst human rights record in the world. Saudi Arabia has a similarly deplorable one as well which is why it's quite ironic that Western countries so nonchalantly back and support such regimes (and have a history of doing so) while themselves posing as the most advanced and morally superior countries looking to police the world. The Prophet of Islam taught that whoever assists in a good deed will have a share of its reward and whoever helps facilitate evil, will share the burden thereof. Suffice to say then, the West has played a large role in fueling extremist ideology especially by being friendly with the Saudis who export their deadly, violent puritanical version of Islam which was partly responsible for the Paris attacks. Talk about fueling the drunk driver. The West (primarily Christian nations) have attacked, colonized and plundered entire nations, countries and people based on deception and resource hungry motives. They fund extremist rebels, prop up dictatorial regimes and extort whoever agrees not with them. Let's not forget Iraq (an international war crime and responsible for ISIS as admitted by Tony Blair), Libya, Syria, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and others. No good whatsoever has come of these wars. Western wars since 1990 have killed an estimated 4 million Muslims, mostly innocent under the false guise of freedom, democracy and liberation. And yet Islam is scapegoated as the cause of the rise of terrorism. Advertisement Israel continues to commit atrocities against the Palestinians and North Korea is by all accounts an oppressive regime. Not to mention Russia, another Communist nation which has in recent months invaded another country and cracks down frequently on dissidents. So to believe that the Muslim world alone is responsible for terrorism and displays brutality is a wholly undue approach to analysing the problems of the world today. A 2008 MI5 report declared that extremists are not really very religious and lack a real understanding of core religious values, something supported by recent evidence. The Paris attackers were found to be wholly neglectful of Islam's teachings. Having never attended the Mosque, one attacker was involved in petty crime and drugs - completely irreligious if you ask any decent practising Muslim with an iota of religious values. Other reports cite poverty and Islamophobia along with lack of aspiration as reasons for extremism. The MI5 report went so far as to say that a well-established religious identity actually protects against violent radicalisation. As for ISIS, basically created by Western intervention, it was established that they don't even possess a copy of the Muslim holy book and lack true religious insight anyway. Advertisement Their ideology was also comprehensively dismantled by the worldwide leader of the most united, organised and grounded Muslim community today which has for the last 126 years been leading the peaceful revival of the true teachings of Islam, along with efforts to unite all under one banner of 'love for all, hatred for none'. They present viable solutions to humanity's problems today, if only people would pay attention. Alas, man cares not for a wise, considered word. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community It is vital that women leaders and entrepreneurs find ways to get and stay inspired. You need them so that you can thrive as you overcome difficulties, leverage opportunities and everything in between. Here are three ways that can help you get and stay inspired while making your unique contribution to the world: Learn from women leaders addressing complex issues for a better world. Engage with like-spirited women in person. Remember that you are not alone. 1. Learn from Women Leaders Addressing Complex Issues for a Better World I first met Harriet Lamb when she was CEO of Fairtrade International. Fairtrade International helps small farmers and miners achieve fairer trading conditions, influence their futures, and promote sustainability. In Hidden by Leadership Paradox: How to Navigate to Solutions in Between, a book in our business and leadership series, I feature Lamb because she has the ability to work with highly complex issues involving multiple stakeholders. When she recently took on the role of CEO of International Alert, one of the largest peace-building organizations in Europe, it was natural to continue to pay attention to and learn from her. An article for The Guardian on the climate talks in Paris is a good example. Advertisement We know climate change is complex, but to truly understand the linkages, it takes an articulate, informed perspective to illuminate them. That is just what Lamb and Janani Vivekananda, Manager of Climate Change and Security Programme, International Alert, do in their article. They clearly explain the importance of the climate talks and the linkages between climate change, Syria, security and peace. That is no small feat. Her thinking inspires me to take what I know about women leaders and entrepreneurs... to think beyond business, trade, and equal rights to climate change. While this particular article doesn't explicitly mention women, it features a picture of Syrian women tilling dusty fields where drought "exacerbated the existing tensions within the country that led to the conflict." The world's issues, their complexity and the impact on women's lives are illuminated. 2. Engage with Like-Spirited Women In Person For me, like-spirited people are first and foremost, generous in heart and mind. Second, they are mission-driven: they have big visions for business outcomes that contribute to global good. Seek groups and people with these attributes. When you spend time with women like this, you get to learn from others' experience and strength and to share yours. You get to be inspired and to inspire. You get to form new connections. Not having connections is on the International Finance Corporation's shortlist of barriers women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises face globally. Advertisement Monica Smiley, CEO and Publisher of Enterprising Women Magazine, personifies generosity of heart and mind, and her vision of strengthening of women entrepreneurs globally. It permeates the tone of the magazine, and the annual "Enterprising Women of the Year Awards" event. When clients engage us to deliver a Leadership Hand event for their employees, association members or target market, this is what participants love most about the experience--the chance to tap into and elicit that generosity of spirit and mind in community. It gives them the opportunity to learn and share their learning, inspire and be inspired, and to connect. These in turn, foster their ability to lead more powerfully. A few weeks ago, I had a tete-a-tete with Shad Begum, a Pakistani social activist. Begum has received the U.S. Department of State's "International Woman of Courage Award" from First Lady Michele Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton for her exemplary courage and leadership for "human rights, women's equality, and social progress." She is now focused on creating a Center for Women's Democratic Development. Unlike Begum, I have never received death threats, but when we shared our experiences as women leaders with big visions for women's economic empowerment, I was strengthened by her conviction and indeed, put in touch with more of my own. 3. Remember That You Are Not Alone We can feel isolated leading our business and leading our lives. Sometimes we can feel isolated precisely because of our leadership roles -- we are standing at the helm looking out to an uncertain horizon and charting a path for those we lead and influence. Advertisement Sometimes we can feel alone because we fall prey to the glittery and seeming overnight successes of a colleague or a business competitor. We compare our effort and process -- its messiness and its failures, with the snapshot of their results. This is guaranteed to uninspire you or make you drive yourself (or your employees) crazy. Sometimes it is because we don't know that others are experiencing the same challenges we are. While the details may not match exactly, let me assure you from my role as trusted advisor over many years, they are experiencing similar ones or have experienced them. You are not alone. Women (and men) worldwide are traveling the journey with you. Find others who remind you that you are not alone, and who remind you of your extraordinary brilliance. Do this for someone else. Go Forth: The World Needs You Yesterday, it was widely reported that New Jersey governor Chris Christie was asked by an 11-year-old boy on the campaign trail what he'd do about school food if he were elected president. According to CBS News, the boy nicely teed up the question for Christie with: "[School meals] were fine when Mrs. Bush was the first lady, but now that Mrs. Obama is the first lady they have gone down." And of course, Christie responded exactly as one would expect a Republican presidential candidate to respond: by railing against the First Lady for her vocal support of healthier school meal standards. ABC News quotes Christie as saying, "The first lady has no business being involved in this." CBS News says he added, "If she wants to give her opinions about what people should have for breakfast or lunch or dinner, she is like any other American, she can give her opinion. But using the government to mandate her point of view on what people should be eating every day is none of her business." CBS then offered this truly priceless summation of the views of the assembled crowd: "Others in the room agreed with [the boy] and Christie that the government should stay out of school lunches." People, when you say "government should stay out of school lunches," you sound exactly like the guy who's been endlessly mocked for yelling, "Keep your government hands off my Medicare!" Advertisement Thirty-one million school lunches a day are served via a federal program. A government nanny is already cooking your kid's meal. So when Christie told the boy yesterday, "I don't care what you're eating for lunch every day. I really don't. I want you to eat whatever your mother wants you to eat and your father wants you to eat," I'm trying hard to understand the alternate system he's proposing. Nutrition standards set by PTA vote? No standards at all? Whatever he has in mind, it's hard to listen to this obvious campaign pandering without thinking of Christie's own longtime struggle with obesity, which has been so intractable that he reportedly underwent a secret gastric bypass in 2013. Normally I'd hesitate to even bring this up, as it might be seen as straying into ad hominem territory, but Christie himself once linked his weight problems with school food reform. Kudos to CBS News for digging up this 2011 quote he gave to The Telegraph, in which he expressly supported Michelle Obama's school food reform efforts: Christie said it is "a really good goal to get kids to eat better." He added, "I've struggled with my weight for 30 years. And it's a struggle. And if a kid can avoid that in his adult years or her adult years, more power to them. And I think the first lady is speaking out well." But in a presidential election season, that's all ancient history. We're not supposed to remember anything about Chris Christie circa 2011, because then we'd have to reconcile his current campaign bluster with many other now-inconvenient positions, like his former, much-praised tolerance for Muslims, his support of gun regulation and his championing of women's reproductive rights. Apparently, caring about kids' health is another position that just won't fly in an election year. LUSBY, MD - OCTOBER 9:Vapor and liquid natural gas lines are shown at the Dominion Cove Point LNG Terminal on October 9, 2012 in Lusby, Md. The liquid natural gas terminal in the Chesapeake Bay was designed to import several hundred tankers a year. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images) How to Stop the Fossil Fuel Industry From Wrecking Our World Cross-posted with TomDispatch.com When I was a kid, I was creepily fascinated by the wrongheaded idea, current in my grade school, that your hair and your fingernails kept growing after you died. The lesson seemed to be that it was hard to kill something off -- if it wanted to keep going. Something similar is happening right now with the fossil fuel industry. Even as the global warming crisis makes it clear that coal, natural gas, and oil are yesterdays energy, the momentum of two centuries of fossil fuel development means new projects keep emerging in a zombie-like fashion. Advertisement In fact, the climactic fight at the end of the fossil fuel era is already underway, even if its happening almost in secret. Thats because so much of the action isnt taking place in big, headline-grabbing climate change settings like the recent conference of 195 nations in Paris; its taking place in hearing rooms and farmers fields across this continent (and other continents, too). Local activists are making desperate stands to stop new fossil fuel projects, while the giant energy companies are making equally desperate attempts to build while they still can. Though such conflicts and protests are mostly too small and local to attract national media attention, the outcome of these thousands of fights will do much to determine whether we emerge from this century with a habitable planet. In fact, far more than any set of paper promises by politicians, they really are the battle for the future. Heres how Diane Leopold, president of the giant fracking company Dominion Energy, put it at a conference earlier this year: It may be the most challenging period in fossil fuel history, she said, because of an increase in high-intensity opposition to infrastructure projects that is becoming steadily louder, better-funded, and more sophisticated. Or, in the words of the head of the American Natural Gas Association, referring to the bitter struggle between activists and the Canadian tar sands industry over the building of the Keystone XL pipeline, Call it the Keystone-ization of every project thats out there. Pipelines, Pipelines, Everywhere I hesitate to even start listing them all, because Im going to miss dozens, but here are some of the prospective pipelines people are currently fighting across North America: the Alberta Clipper and the Sandpiper pipelines in the upper Midwest, Enbridge Line 3, the Dakota Access, the Line 9 and Energy East pipelines in Ontario and environs, the Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipelines in British Columbia, the Pinon pipeline in Navajo Country, the Sabal Trail pipeline in Alabama and Georgia, the Appalachian Connector, the Vermont Gas pipeline down the western side of my own state, the Algonquin pipeline, the Constitution pipeline, the Spectra pipeline, and on and on. Advertisement And its not just pipelines, not by a long shot. I couldnt begin to start tallying up the number of proposed liquid natural gas terminals, prospective coal export facilities and new oil ports, fracking wells, and mountaintop removal coal sites where people are already waging serious trench warfare. As I write these words, brave activists are on trial for trying to block oil trains in the Pacific Northwest. In the Finger Lakes not a week goes by without mass arrests of local activists attempting to stop the building of a giant underground gas storage cavern. In California, its frack wells in Kern County. As I said: endless. And endlessly resourceful, too. Everywhere the opposition is forced by statute to make its stand not on climate change arguments, but on old grounds. This pipeline will hurt water quality. That coal port will increase local pollution. The dust that flies off those coal trains will cause asthma. All the arguments are perfectly correct and accurate and by themselves enough to justify stopping many of these plans, but a far more important argument always lurks in the background: each of these new infrastructure projects is a way to extend the life of the fossil fuel era a few more disastrous decades. Heres the basic math: if you build a pipeline in 2016, the investment will be amortized for 40 years or more. It is designed to last -- to carry coal slurry or gas or oil -- well into the second half of the twenty-first century. It is, in other words, designed to do the very thing scientists insist we simply cant keep doing, and do it long past the point when physics swears we must stop. These projects are the result of several kinds of momentum. Because fossil fuel companies have made huge sums of money for so long, they have the political clout to keep politicians saying yes. Just a week after the Paris accords were signed, for instance, the well-paid American employees of those companies, otherwise known as senators and representatives, overturned a 40-year-old ban on U.S. oil exports, a gift that an ExxonMobil spokesman had asked for in the most explicit terms only a few weeks earlier. The sooner this happens, the better for us, hed told the New York Times, at the very moment when other journalists were breaking the story of that companys epic three-decade legacy of deceit, its attempt to suppress public knowledge of a globally warming planet that Exxon officials knew they were helping to create. That scandal didnt matter. The habit of giving in to Big Oil was just too strong. Driving a Stake Through a Fossil-Fueled World The money, however, is only part of it. Theres also a sense in which the whole process is simply on autopilot. For many decades the economic health of the nation and access to fossil fuels were more or less synonymous. So its no wonder that the laws, statutes, and regulations favor business-as-usual. The advent of the environmental movement in the 1970s and 1980s introduced a few new rules, but they were only designed to keep that business-as-usual from going disastrously, visibly wrong. You could drill and mine and pump, but you were supposed to prevent the really obvious pollution. No Deepwater Horizons. And so fossil fuel projects still get approved almost automatically, because theres no legal reason not to do so. In Australia, for instance, a new prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, replaced the climate-change-denying Tony Abbott. His minister for the environment, Greg Hunt, was a particular standout at the recent Paris talks, gassing on at great length about his deeply personal commitment to stopping climate change, calling the new pact the most important environmental agreement ever. A month earlier, though, hed approved plans for the largest coal mine on Earth, demanding slight revisions to make sure that the habitat of the southern black-throated finch would not be destroyed. Campaigners had hung much of their argument against the mine on the birds possible extinction, since given the way Australias laws are written this was one of the few hooks they had. The fact that scientists have stated quite plainly that such coal must remain in the ground if the globe is to meet its temperature targets and prevent catastrophic environmental changes has no standing. Its the most important argument in the world, but no one in authority can officially hear it. Its not just Australia, of course. As 2016 began in my own Vermont -- as enlightened a patch of territory as youre likely to find -- the states Public Service Board approved a big new gas pipeline. Under long-standing regulations, they said, it would be in the public interest, even though science has recently made it clear that the methane leaking from the fracked gas the pipeline will carry is worse than the burning of coal. Their decision came two weeks after the temperature in the city of Burlington hit 68 on Christmas eve, breaking the old record by, oh, 17 degrees. But it didnt matter. This zombie-like process is guaranteed to go on for years, even decades, as at every turn the fossil fuel industry fights the new laws and regulations that would be necessary, were agreements like the Paris accord to have any real teeth. The only way to short-circuit this process is to fight like hell, raising the political and economic price of new infrastructure to the point where politicians begin to balk. Thats what happened with Keystone -- when enough voices were raised, the powers-that-be finally decided it wasnt worth it. And its happening elsewhere, too. Other Canadian tar sands pipelines have also been blocked. Coal ports planned for the West Coast havent been built. That Australian coal mine may have official approval, but almost every big bank in the world has balked at providing it the billions it would require. Advertisement Theres much more of this fight coming -- led, as usual, by indigenous groups, by farmers and ranchers, by people living on the front lines of both climate change and extractive industry. Increasingly theyre being joined by climate scientists, faith communities, and students in last-ditch efforts to lock in fossil fuels. This will undoubtedly be a key battleground for the climate justice movement. In May, for instance, a vast coalition across six continents will engage in mass civil disobedience to keep it in the ground. And in a few places you can see more than just the opposition; you can see the next steps unfolding. Last fall, for instance, Portland, Oregon -- the scene of a memorable kayaktivist blockade to keep Shells Arctic drilling rigs bottled up in port -- passed a remarkable resolution. No new fossil fuel infrastructure would be built in the city, its council and mayor declared. The law will almost certainly block a huge proposed propane export terminal, but far more important, it opens much wider the door to the future. If you cant do fossil fuel, after all, you have to do something else -- sun, wind, conservation. This has to be our response to the living-dead future that the fossil fuel industry and its allied politicians imagine for our beleaguered world: no new fossil fuel infrastructure. None. The climate math is just too obvious. This business of driving stakes through the heart of one project after another is exhausting. So many petitions, so many demonstrations, so many meetings. But at least for now, theres really no other way to kill a zombie. Advertisement Schadenfreude is a wonderful German word, meaning to pretend to be saddened by another's misfortune while secretly rejoicing in it. It is a specialty of journalists, among all the rest of us sinners. "Ain't it awful about the Anglican Communion?" has been a headline that a lot of media around the world have been trying to write for some twenty years. I remember at the 2008 Lambeth Conference of bishops (a gathering of the world's Anglican bishops every ten years or so) how the media were salivating in hope of news that the bishops were at each other's throats and that the worldwide Communion would fracture and split apart. They soon slunk away as it became clear that we were not going to do any of that. Last week's meeting of the 38 heads of the Communion's churches (called "Primates"), chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was another example of Schadenfreude disappointed. The Washington Post, usually one of the lesser offenders, wrote a seriously wrong report, entitled "Anglican Communion suspends Episcopal Church after years of gay rights debates." The reporter apparently couldn't wait to proclaim the desired result, because had he waited for the final communique, entitled "Walking Together in the Service of God in the World", his editors would have stopped that story . The Episcopal Church was not suspended. The gathering of the Primates has no power to "suspend" a member church, in any event. Already, in 2010, our church was asked not to participate in Anglican Communion commissions that decide doctrine, make agreements with other Christian churches, or in official dialogues with other religions. In other words, not to participate in showing the common face of the worldwide Communion to other partners. The previous Archbishop of Canterbury and Secretary-General of the Communion decided this as a consequence of our having ordained a partnered lesbian to the episcopate when we had been asked to refrain from such actions. The Nigerian and Ugandan churches were also subjected to the same, since they had, for their part, ignored the prohibition on setting up churches in America as an alternative, nay, a replacement, for the Episcopal Church. This state of affairs lasted two years. Advertisement So here we are again, this time for three years, as a result of our decision to allow trial use of same-sex marriage rites. And a task force is to be appointed to discuss the state of affairs going forward. What does this mean? In the great scheme of things, it will have no effect on congregations around the world. I commend to you, Gentle Reader, the statements of our new Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, on these "consequences", and on the meeting as a whole, his first. Also, very much worth reading is the description by Philip Richardson, Archbishop of New Zealand, of the real import of this meeting, also his first. He writes, "This [meeting] was no clinical or academic exercise. These were stories of real people, usually the poorest of the poor... Every archbishop who spoke was describing communities under their care, people they visit and know." (He also noted the media's frustration.) So which headline? "Ain't it awful that the Anglicans split, and called each other nasty names"? Or "Despite serious differences, Anglicans decide to stay together across the world"? Clearly, the first one sells headlines. We are all attracted, even in this age of instant and overwhelming amounts of communication, to stories about disasters. Murder, war, natural catastrophes, have always sold newspapers, and now, blogs. People who are commanded to love one another by their deity, but who behave as if they despise each other, is also a story that sells. A lot. Advertisement Sorry to disappoint, folks -- hold the Schadenfreude for another day. Rather, savor these words instead: "...we must claim the high calling of love and faith; love even for those with whom we disagree, and then continue, and that we will do, and we will do it together. We are in the midst of an age wave, brought on by baby boomers who are changing the nation's demographics and redefining the meaning of old age. Every day, over 10,000 Americans turn 65, and the trend will continue into the next decade and beyond. As we begin the new year, it's a good time to take stock in our preparedness to deal with the needs of this growing population. In 2015, we reached significant milestones: it was the 50th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act, and the 80th anniversary of Social Security - all successful, cherished institutions critical to the health and well-being of our elderly population. Advertisement It was also the year that the White House held its sixth Conference on Aging, a decadal event that brought together seniors, caregivers, policy experts and advocates for discussions on how to improve the lives of older Americans. And it couldn't have been more timely. The final report from the Conference has just been released, and it focuses on four areas especially important to seniors: retirement security, healthy aging, long-term services and supports, and elder justice. The report includes a number of public- and private-sector proposals, initiatives, and commitments in those four areas, including: Retirement Security. Creating more retirement savings plan options (one-third of U.S. workers have no access to a workplace retirement plan) and requiring retirement advisers to put their clients' best interests first, ahead of their own profits. Healthy Aging. Updating quality and safety requirements for over 15,000 nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities, and allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to be used for food delivery services to homebound seniors. Advertisement Long-Term Services and Supports. Ensuring that the home health industry can attract and retain paid caregivers, and extending federal minimum wage and overtime protections to many home healthcare workers. Elder Justice. Emphasizing the need to use Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds to support social and legal services to underserved victims including elderly victims of abuse, financial exploitation, fraud, and neglect. The topic that garnered the most attention during the conference was caregiving. Older Americans overwhelmingly prefer to stay in their homes and communities as they age, and participants emphasized the need for more support for both paid and non-paid (family) caregivers to enable seniors to retain their independence. Many of the private-sector commitments involved using technology to improve cognitive function and independence for older Americans. One example is Uber's launch of pilot programs in several states to provide free technology tutoring and free or discounted rides to seniors. And to help seniors and their families navigate the information superhighway, a new website, Aging.gov, was launched to provide a central site for government-wide information on programs and services related to aging. Advertisement Jan Schakowsky is a member of Congress who represents Illinois 9th Congressional District since 1998, and recently wrote a blog on HuffPosts Politics page entitled: Why This Progressive Is Really Excited About Hillary. Readers can see the post for themselves, but heres my takeaway of the thesis point: Jan Schakowsky is excited for Hillary Clinton because Hillary Clinton is a pro-woman woman. Given. No one (sane) ever suggested otherwise. And I, too, would love to see a real pro-woman woman as President of the United States. But my first choice candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, isnt running. Advertisement If being pro-woman was all that it took to make you progressive, then Rep. Schakowsky would have a point. The problem with Clinton is not that she doesnt tick the right policy boxes on paper, (she does, as does Bernie, OMalley, and daresay Webb and Chafee) but that she is corrupt. Whatever principals or policies she may claim to endorse during election season can be bought or bargained away in office. Clinton says all the right things. But I have no faith that she will act on them. Heres some examples, along with sources: Despite Israeli objections, a consortium of American defense contractors, led by Boeing, would deliver $29B worth of arms to Saudi Arabia. Clearing the deal was a priority of then Secretary of State Clinton. Clinton, as Secretary of State pressed Russia to sign a $3.7B dollar deal to buy Boeing aircraft. Two months later. Boeing contributed $900k to the Clinton Foundation. Advertisement The Russian atomic energy agency, Rosatom, took over a Canadian company, Uranium One, with uranium-mining stakes which included the majority of American uranium reserves. Uranium Ones owners have been major donors to both Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as the Clinton Foundation. Because of the nature of the sale, Uranium Ones owners had to get approval from Hillary Clintons State Department. Cash flowed to Clinton Foundation amid Russian Uranium Deal. New York Times, 4/23/1015 Hillary Clinton may be liberal, (though I doubt it, given her conservative economic views and Johnny-come-lately views on social issues such as gay rights), but she is certainly not progressive - the key distinction between the two being that progressives care about fixing the system of corruption that ensures that no matter who is in power, wealthy organized special interests always take precedence over the needs and interests of the American voter. Of course, Jan Schakowsky can say I took those numbers out of context. And she would be right. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, even the "good ones," have to raise enormous amounts of money to be elected. All politicians are corrupt-ed. It's just that some, like Clinton, don't really care. My question How can she be a progressive was not a rhetorical device implying that Rep. Schakowsky was masquerading as a progressive. Rep. Schakowsky absolutely wants to be a progressive, and thinks of herself as a progressive, and if she wasnt a member of Congress, would be a progressive. But considering the immense pressures that she must be under to raise millions of dollars from special interests, how can Rep. Schakowsky truly act progressive when in office, even though she clearly wants to? Rep. Schakowsky, I acknowledge you have tried to be progressive. Youre a co-sponsor of the Government By the People Act (H.R. 20), John Sarbanes bill which would provide a matching funds system that is competitive to the current amount of money given out by special interests and lobbyists to campaigns. Youve consistently opposed Citizens United. What I think has happened, Representative, is that you are so thrilled about the possibility of a pro-woman woman becoming President that you have not stopped to consider that it might be better for womens rights, equality, and welfare, if a progressive pro-woman man (like Sanders) was elected than a corrupt pro-woman woman. My greatest fear is this: Hillary Clinton, once elected, will give no support to any real, plausible efforts to reform the system of corruption in the United States. Worse, even if reform somehow does make it onto the agenda, a President Clinton might veto any reform legislation that passes. Clinton is an opponent of reform - and therefore an opponent of progressivism. The opposite of "progressive" isn't "conservative." (Nor, joking aside, is the opposite of "progress," "congress.") The opposite of "progressive" is "corrupt." This reflection is written from South Africa, where the author is currently co-teaching "The Struggle to Be Well", a study-away course offered by Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minn.) in companionship with local activists and intellectuals seeking to examine the political, economical, ecological, racial, and religious factors that contribute to both individual and communal wellbeing. When Frederick Douglas assembled with other representatives at the National Colored Convention of 1853, they collectively condemned the nationwide epidemic of racial discrimination in the (so-called) United States of America. As the gathering intended to discuss the circumstances and possibilities of "coloreds" (as they were called then), they recognized the various ways that "scorn and contempt" were heaped upon them -- for no justifiable reason -- by the white-skinned racial majority. Douglas stated: A heavy and cruel hand has been laid upon us. As a people, we feel ourselves to be not only deeply injured, but grossly misunderstood. Our white countrymen do not know us. They are strangers to our character, ignorant of our capacity, oblivious to our history and progress, and are misinformed as to the principles and ideas that control and guide us, as a people. The great mass of American citizens estimates us as being a characterless and purposeless people; and hence we hold up our heads, if at all, against the withering influences of a nation's scorn and contempt. Advertisement Nearly 200 years after Frederick Douglas was born we recognize that racial ignorance continues to exist in the U.S., and among other things, it leads to a disturbing level of collective indifference and injustice. With all other demographic factors being equal (according to the U.S. Census Bureau), those with white skin tend to enjoy higher levels of income, better forms of education, more advanced access to healthcare, less interaction with the criminal justice system, and many other areas of social opportunity when compared to those whose skin is either black or brown. While there are many reasons that one can cite for such inequality, we can begin with the sociological fact that many racial groups continue to reside in physical isolation. While apartheid is typically used to describe pre-democracy South Africa, the term (which means, "separateness") can also illustrate contemporary life in the U.S., for racial integration is -- for the most part -- alarmingly rare. While the Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits all forms of housing discrimination, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that millions of instances occur each year, thus apartheid continues to be a common facet of U.S. life. Segregated neighborhoods are often reinforced by the practice of racial "steering" by real estate agents, or when landlords deceive potential tenants about the availability of housing or perhaps require conditions that are not required of white applicants. In addition, lending institutions often treat mortgage applicants differently when buying homes in non-white neighborhoods in comparison to their attempt to purchase in white neighborhoods. Furthermore, equivalent housing in white areas commands a higher rent than others, and through the process of bidding-up the costs of housing, many white neighborhoods effectively shut-out people of color, because those without white skin are more often unwilling (or unable) to pay the premium price to buy entry into such white neighborhoods. As a result of such apartheid, not only do we witness a rise in racial ignorance and indifference, but it also leads to increased injustice in the form of disproportionate personal and public hostility directed at people of color. Advertisement In response to the ongoing realities of apartheid in the U.S., our response is to affirm that we are created to be connected as companions in community. As a theological foundation of Christian faith is the affirmation that all people are created by God, a sociological implication is that every member of humankind shares a sacred identity, and a result is a spiritual connection that is expressed through companionship in community (Genesis 2:18). Therefore, whereas isolation leads to ignorance, indifference, and injustice, those who embrace being created to be connected as companions in community move past apartheid and instead accompany others in solidarity and mutuality for the pursuit of serving a common good. Those who affirm being created to be connected as companions in community are more likely to understand than ignore, serve rather than sever, and advocate instead of overlook. The implications of such affirmations are both countless and crucial. While apartheid has no simple solution (as has been proven in South Africa), one can argue that some steps are quite straightforward. In order for equity to become a reality, we must be committed to reconciliation, transformation, and empowerment, and such movements cannot take place unless people move from apartheid to accompaniment. Those with children in the same schools, appointments with the same doctors, walks in the same parks, carts in the same shopping aisles, jobs in the same office buildings, homes in the same streets, and seats in the same churches are more likely to put aside the labels of "us" and "them" and instead see others for who they truly are: beloved Children of God. In order to broaden and redefine the "we" so fondly found in "We the People", a key point is to move past our isolation and embrace companionship for the sake of restoring our communities and promoting life in its fullness. I was raised in a time and place where middle-aged men wolf-whistled at female children on a regular basis. One day, as a friend and I, both aged 12, were jogging together near our homes, two of these Dads made lewd comments about our physical development. Once we were out of range and I had returned from my out-of-body experience, I said to my friend, "Maybe we should get t-shirts that say We're only 12." How naive was that? And how sweet I was thinking those poor Dads didn't realize they were harassing children. This sort of thing happened a lot while I was growing up. I felt humiliated and afraid too often. I'm sure my female friends felt similarly, but we never discussed it. We got flashed by some old guy, and then we carried on with what we were doing: hide-and-seek, tag, jump-rope, and other innocent pastimes. Advertisement If you think I'm making this up, then you, my friend, have had a pleasant life so far. In nations that open their borders to immigrants, there's concern about how to bridge the cultural divide. As a Canadian, I could say something cliche about how we are all, with the exception of our First Nations, immigrants, which is an important subject. But I don't want to talk about that at the moment. I care about rights and justice for our First Nations, and I am pro immigration and proud of Canada's policy of Multiculturalism. I recognize the complexities of maintaining ties to one's culture of origin while striving to survive and develop within the new. For the most part, in most of Canada, immigrants are welcome, and they know it. However, two recent events related to immigration have converged in my mind: the niqab kerfuffle during Canada's recent federal election, and the horrifying events in Cologne, Germany on New Year's Eve where multiple attacks on women were orchestrated by (mostly) immigrant men. Canada's former prime minister Stephen Harper and Cologne mayor Henriette Reker seem to believe that what a woman wears and how she conducts herself within their respective jurisdictions is their goddamn business. I don't agree. Immigrants come to us as Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, atheists, Jews, etc., and once they set foot on Canadian soil, we don't have any business telling them how to worship, vote, work, or dress...unless, and this is where I wish I had a drumroll, unless they are women. And then we get to tell them how to clothe themselves from head to toe, especially if they are Muslim. Stephen Harper's beef about the niqab had to do with his thinking it desirable to force Muslim women to expose their faces whenever and wherever the government commands them to do so. Henriette Reker's beef with the young women of Cologne is that they should have kept men at an "arms length." In other words, their bodies ceased to be theirs if they did not. You might as well have told me, aged 12, to stay inside where I was safe from predators. And many people do keep female children hidden away. But that doesn't always keep them safe. Does it? Advertisement And this is really my point. A woman can wear a burka or she can walk the streets stark naked (or anything in between). It doesn't matter! Her safety cannot be guaranteed in either case. Her safety can't even be guaranteed in her own home. What can be guaranteed is that if and when she is harmed, some people will make public their opinion about how what she was wearing contributed to the crime. And many people will privately wonder the same, including me, because I have been conditioned by the same culture of male dominance and female oppression. I have nothing profound to say on this subject, and I've been thinking about it all my life. The only conclusion I've come to is this: women have to stick together. And I mean this metaphorically because, as we saw in Cologne, men can physically force women apart. But we don't have to let them force us apart spiritually, emotionally, and politically. The mayor of Cologne can be an example of what we don't want to be for one another: women who put a national agenda (immigration in Germany) ahead of a woman's right to safety, by blaming women for the attacks instead of addressing the issue of acculturated male aggression toward them. (Ironically, Reker herself was stabbed in the neck while campaigning only months ago). The grieving and outraged mothers and grandmothers of the missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada can be examples of what we do want to be for one another. They have not given up on their missing loved ones, nor do they blame them for their fate. Our daughters need to see us in solidarity, whether we choose to wear a burka or nothing at all. As women, we can choose not to condemn another woman for what she wears, and we can proclaim to the world that we won't do it, ever again. What we wear and why we wear it is our own business because if it isn't our business, whose is it? The month of January marks the time of some of the best antique shows in the world beginning with the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair in London's Battersea (one of Oprah's favorite shows and you might catch Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville or director Guy Ritchie in the aisles) and culminating with New York's prestigious Winter Antiques Show (one of the most prestigious collections in the U.S. as well as a place to "see and be seen" if you are into that sort of thing). One of my favorite shows is the leading European arts and antique fair known as BRAFA (short for Brussels Art Fair). Exhibitors from 17 countries (including the U.S., Japan, Russia, and France as well as Belgium) display the finest in tribal art, European sculpture, porcelain, furniture, carpets, archeology, jewels and Oriental art (just to name a few of the antiquities). It is truly a special place filled with collectors and art lovers from all over Europe. Ever a devotee of trends, I was fortunate to glean a few insights from the fair's chairman Harold t'Kint de Roodenbeke on what to collect in 2016 - apparently it's all about the mix. "The 'new' trend (which is totally our concept for the fair) is to mix all kind of works and of the period. I discovered this new point of view when visiting the interior of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in Paris," he notes. "The results of their sale showed how it was a mix of quality. In this concept, if we compare with our parents' generation, where an interior was completely in the same style, without contrast, all objects blended across the decorations. When mixing antiquities, modern art, medieval sculpture, if all pieces are chosen and of quality, each object will reflect is own personality and be enhanced." Advertisement BRAFA attracts some 55,000 visitors and while many of the treasures may be top dollar, for me it is unpretentious and a great learning experience. As a bonus, the show's guest of honor will be the Ghent Floralis, a Royal institution in the Flemish region of Belgium dedicated to flowers. Floral decorations will be created by floral designer Mark Colle, a favorite among the fashion set (Christian Dior and Dries Van Noten are clients). The show runs January 23rd through January 31st at Brussels' famed Tour & Taxis building (named after the famous Von Thurn und Tassis family, founders of the postal system). A few of the highlights include: Artist Pieter Bruegel's The Younger Winter Landscape Marble Roman statue of Dionysys 1st-2nd Century AD Flower piece with roses, tulips, and other flowers by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Younger (Arnemuiden 1609-1645 Utrecht) Oil on panel Pezzato Arlecchino' vase Fulvio Bianconi (Padua 1915-1996 Milan) for Venini, Murano I think I'd like to see just more of everything. My particular focus lately has been representation in media and I'd like to see trans representation flourish. I'd like to see gender queer representation and non-binary representation. I'd like to see us as both heroes and villains. I'd like to see us as love partners. I'd like to see us as doctors and lawyers. I'd like to see us on screen where our trans identity wasn't the only reason we're part of the story; we're part of larger stories that include the full portrayal of our complicated lives and identities. Then beyond trans representation I think more than anything I would like to see a real reduction in violence against trans women of color that's been really horrifying to me and I've been working behind the scenes for many years. In some ways Her Story is a reaction to those kinds of events. I'd like to see everything from large corporations to local ma & pa shops start hiring trans people. I'd like to see trans people protected in schools, that they feel safe there and they can get an education. I'd like to see religious communities accept trans people as members of their flocks and help keep them protected as well. WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 24: Zoe Guy (L) 15-years-old and her sister Tori Guy (R) 19-years-old came to Freedom Plaza to show their support for the slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin on March 24, 2012. Tori is with the Black Student Union of George Washington University. Attendees to the rally were asked to wear hoods and carry Skittles. (Photo by Tracy A. Woodward/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Sitting in my psychology class at the University of California Berkeley, I felt my hands clam up and my body tense as my professor initiated a conversation about the White Student Unions that have recently popped up on Facebook over the past few months. Many of these WSUs are in fact fictitious groups designed to troll human rights campaigns, most notably, Black Lives Matter. Still, my professor felt that a conversation about what a White Student Union could mean in the context of race and academia would be helpful for our class. Advertisement As one of the few African-American students in the room, I felt a weight that many People of Color can relate to. It is a heaviness comprised of both dread and a deep understanding that within these types of discussion, students of color have to explain and validate our lived experiences to classmates with whom we feel a deep cultural dissonance. It is important to note that the class in which I sat was quite literally about how racism is scientifically proven to have profound negative psychological and physiological effects on marginalized groups. And yet, with this knowledge readily accessible to them, White students in my class ceaselessly supplied reason after reason for why they felt unsafe on the UC Berkeley campus. This lack of safety, in turn, was the reason White students in my class said they needed a space wherein they could organize. Inexplicably, my professor, a pioneer of race-based psychological research, propelled a discussion that sympathized with the needs of White students, while foregoing his responsibility to acknowledge that he had created an unsafe space for students of color. If we look at the historical context of why African-Americans need to organize, of why Black students need a safe space, the evidence is endless. Having heard enough, I stood up to address the 300-student lecture, "Whiteness organizes for the benefits of Whiteness" I said. I then named the FHA, the KKK, even amusement park franchises such as Disneyland and Knotts Berry farm as examples of systems that were/are predicated upon maintaining and protecting the normalization of White-centered organizing and representation. "If we look at the historical context of why African-Americans need to organize, of why Black students need a safe space, the evidence is endless. From redlining, to police brutality, to the Tuskegee airman, injustice against Black bodies is endless. Within a classroom of higher education you all fail to see the truth that has been set before you in countless lectures by our professor, and for that, I am deeply saddened." I then walked out of my lecture, with 300 eyes on me to the sound of my heartbeat pounding through my chest, and just slightly excited because the Scandal season finale was coming on that day. As a student who tirelessly and rightfully earned her way into UC Berkeley, I refuse to allow classrooms to feel unsafe for me or any other students of color. What I truly love about this moment in my life was my professor's response. He contacted me after class, and he and I were able to go get coffee after the lecture. I appreciate how he was completely open to a discussion as to why the trajectory of that conversation was inappropriate, inadvertently oppressive, and incredibly unsafe for all people of color in the room. I am humbled that I was able to discuss what I felt was a moment with injustice and divulge those feelings in a healthy and productive manner. Many students of color who experience microaggressions in the classroom generally do not have such opportunities. I was also contacted by a myriad of other students after the lecture who found my statement affirming and encouraging. Advertisement I write this to all students of color who may feel disheartened in their classrooms. You are not alone. That moment in time has lead me into many fulfilling projects such as creating and facilitating race-based social justice programming for undergraduates. I created this programming in order to help students and professors alike effectively enter into conversations about social justice that are both affirming to people of color and open to teaching dominant group members how to develop in their knowledge of racial marginalization. I am blessed that this negative moment in my life was able to become a place of empowerment for me. I am honored that I was able to voice my discontent and challenge the injustice in the room. Some might say New York City's network of protected bike lanes have transformed our streets into safer, more orderly places. More and more people now bike to and from work, including the thousands who utilize the city's new bike share program. But there are blocks of street where despite the official designation as a bike lane, the public space remains in dispute. In fact, there are some bike lanes where dangerous games of chicken happen between cyclists and pedestrians each afternoon. I've had some messy encounters with pedestrians in bike lanes, but none is worse than a strip of Eighth Avenue from 34 street on through the mid 50's. The Eighth Avenue bike lanes runs on the west side of the avenue. Each morning and afternoon,pedestrians spill into the lane as if it were another sidewalk. Advertisement I've given up on screaming "this is a bike lane doofus!" or "move dumb-ass!" Yelling, bell ringing or whistling, it all seems useless. The outbursts of emotion have sounded increasingly self righteous, even child-like and whiny. The police, who often watch the action from atop a horse or in a parked car, don't do much to enforce the bike lane designation anyway. So, I've had to screech to a stop before crashing into adults pushing baby strollers. Couples holding hands, perhaps headed to nice dinners or the theater have gasped in horror as I zip up past them from behind. And, there have been times when I literally felt the hair on a big man's arm and he wasn't happy about it. While riding his bike on that same strip of bike lane one afternoon last year, a friend of mine got "too close" for another big man that was walking and that particular man hauled off and socked my friend in the head. "He knocked me off my bike! I went and told one of those cops sitting on a horse," said my friend in his most urgent Argentine accent. Advertisement "She looked me in the face and asked; what do you want me to do about it?" It was easy to blame clueless pedestrians for the chaos. But then after a couple of conversations with planning experts, I realized my frustration was misdirected. It's the sidewalks. They are simply too narrow for the volume of people who use them each day. And therein may lay a big lesson for city planners as they look to expand bike lanes or other traffic calming measures in other parts of the city. Two of the nation's busiest transportation hubs sit within a few short blocks of each other on that chaotic stretch of Eighth Avenue, not to mention several major subway lines. Millions more people are constantly spewing in and out of offices, theaters, hotels, residential towers and restaurants. "People walk in the bike lanes because there isn't enough space for them on the sidewalks," said Joseph Cutrufo, a transportation planner and advocate at Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Cutrufo documented his experience with a video of rush hour in the bike lane on Eighth Avenue in Midtown. Walking is the dominant mode of getting around on Eighth Avenue, Cutrufo explained to me. In other words, the primary way human beings are getting from one block to the next in Midtown, especially at rush hour, is by walking, not by car. Advertisement Urban Planners have been known to say that if you plan for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people, you get people and places. There's little doubt that Eighth Avenue in Midtown, with its four big wide lanes dedicated to cars, was planned with automobiles in mind. Cutrufo says it would be instructive for the city to rethink things and take a look at what the existing dominant modes of getting around are in a particular area, and plan accordingly. If there are large pedestrian volumes, the city needs to do a better job accommodating those needs. Eighth Avenue is not the vital I-95 artery. There are plenty of other uptown avenues that cars can utilize to get uptown. If the city needs to take away one lane currently dedicated to automobiles, or remove parking spaces to make the street safe, so be it. Besides, there are plenty of studies that show the economic and social benefits of bike lanes coupled with good pedestrian infrastructure Cutrufo notes. "In Midtown Manhattan, the cars aren't the customers at the local retailers, it's the people who are riding mass transit and the people on bikes, and the people who are walking," said Cutrufo. I got curious about just how wide those sidewalks on Eighth Avenue actually are after talking to Cutrufo. So one Sunday in January, I took a tape measure up to Eighth Avenue at 35th Street. Trying to not look conspicuous, I measured the sidewalk on the west side of avenue. It's around 13 feet wide. It's basically the same at Eighth Avenue at 49th street. The bike lane also provides parking for cars as well as left turn pockets for west-bound streets. Advertisement I pedaled over to the northwest corner of Sixth Avenue at 46th Street. The sidewalks there are around 20 feet wide, and even wider on some blocks, because of building setbacks in plaza designs Right now, there are five lanes dedicated to cars on Sixth Avenue, although a protected bike lane is planned. In its 2015 Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, part of the city's Vision Zero campaign, the message was that street design and traffic enforcement that directly encourage safer choices (or discourage dangerous choices) are key to reaching Vision Zero. Street design can help to lower vehicle speeds, eliminate conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles, reduce unpredictable traffic movements, and guide road users toward more responsible choices. While the hope is that people will be responsible, the report also says that tight competition for limited pedestrian space and double parking may lead to riskier pedestrian behaviors-such as walking in the street and emerging from behind parked cars-than may be seen in other boroughs with less crowded sidewalks. Competing for less public space is what's happening in Midtown on Eighth Avenue. Space is limited on the sidewalk. Advertisement Cutrufo said wider sidewalks in Midtown Manhattan between two enormous transit nodes would create a safer pedestrian environment, and a much more more attractive one too. I reached out to Ben Donsky, senior project manager at Biederman Redevelopment Ventures Corp. While he agreed about the need for more sidewalk space on Eighth Avenue he said getting there may prove to be a challenge. "To achieve that, the city would need to either eliminate on-street parking on one side of the avenue or remove a lane of traffic, and either of those options might be politically and logistically difficult to achieve for a variety of reasons," said Donsky. He said an alternate, less permanent approach that could be implemented quickly might be to change parking regulations to prohibit on-street parking on one side of the street during the hours when the sidewalks are over capacity and dedicating the space that would have been for parked cars to pedestrians; many cities do this for cars to ease traffic in and out of their downtowns during rush hours. For now, those of who ride a bike will simply have to pay attention and accept the fact that those people walking in the bike lane are simply staking claim to the limited public space available to them on Eighth Ave. Advertisement raised hands in class of middle ... Originally published on USNews.com. One of the quickly learned lessons by U.S. military service members is that you move. And move often. On average, a service member moves every two to three years. For those with a family, this can mean six to nine different schools at as many bases during a child's elementary and high school years. For veterans with families, the situation doesn't change once they leave the military. One of the first actions a veteran and his or her family takes after receiving discharge papers is to move. And, as the Census Bureau reports, the average family will move at least two more times before the parents retire. Advertisement In either case, mobility can be a recipe for failure for our children. This is why our two organizations support Common Core. Teaching students to these robust K-12 education standards -- and assessing their progress -- ensure that the children of our current service members and our veterans receive a high-quality education, no matter where they are. The idea of regular moves may be exciting to a new recruit. But they are distinctly less palatable once a service member has a family. For service members with children, leaving a good school district for one of lesser quality is a huge disincentive to stay in the military. Military surveys on retention confirm this. Soldiers are less likely to reenlist if they have to move to a base community with low-achieving schools. The Pentagon knows that it must address the school quality issue. One branch, the Army, has taken steps to focus on parents' concerns. It commissioned WestEd, an education research institution, to prepare a report that examined 393 schools in 22 states. Each school served at least 200 children of Army soldiers. WestEd researchers looked at academic performance, college/career readiness and other criteria. The report, completed in 2014, but never officially released, reached one major conclusion. It found states have different academic indicators of what children should know in each grade. So, while the Army could compare schools within a state, it was impossible to compare schools in one state with schools in another. Advertisement As a result, parents are forced to rely on social media and state-based reports to learn where the good schools are. The same holds true in a veteran's civilian life. Similar questions remain. Will my children be ahead or behind students in their new school? Do all students succeed or are there gaps in the academic achievement of students with disabilities, English language learners, African American students and students from low income households? This is where comparable standards come in. By setting a series of learning benchmarks that are comparable across states, Common Core makes it possible for parents to know -- for the first time -- how students are doing compared to others across the country. Developed by governors and adopted by 43 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity, Common Core lays out a pathway that ensures students gain the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life. The Military Child Education Coalition likens the implementation of Common Core to a shift from a patchwork of expectations to one that is academically seamless as possible. Our collective military experience has taught us to measure what matters and use it as a benchmark. For our families, the quality of education is that benchmark and high standards like Common Core helps us measure student readiness for success in life after high school. Advertisement As U.S. society becomes increasingly mobile, the families of both active duty service members and veterans need a standard that allows for apples-to-apples comparisons between schools in different states. The Common Core deserve our support. For progressive types worldwide, there are certain hubs where things are going on that go against the norm. Examples include marijuana legalization in places like Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. There are more relaxed laws in many parts of the country than have been instituted in the past 45 years and it is an exciting trend to a new age of conscious people. After 1970, something happened in north American culture, which was not for the betterment of its people. Society started to look for ways to stay on top rather than be the leaders in a new and exciting age. But today, with the proliferation of information and younger generations finding out the truth about things for themselves, progressive cities are starting to really take off. In fact, they are taking off so quickly, it's becoming expensive to stay there. Cities across north America that are hubs for conscious and thought-provoking perspectives are becoming more expensive than ever. Even though it is a positive trend for the people who live there, it can be a hindrance to outsiders looking in. Advertisement North American Cities on the Rise San Francisco, California - When it comes to north American cities on the rise in terms of progressive values, there are few places like San Francisco. Not only is it the hotbed of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) movement, but many others as well. There are many silicon valley execs and thinkers, such as Tim Ferriss, who are exploring the use of psychedelics to improve our lives. Unfortunately, that has come with a rise in costs that is associated with relative wealth from tech startups and founders. All this money is causing astronomical prices, such as a tiny 2 bedroom beachfront cottage that just sold for $1.3 million. These days it is nearly impossible for an ordinary person to buy a piece of good property or live in San Francisco. Austin, Texas - Not often considered a bastion of progressive values, Texas has one shining star among a sea of conservatism. Austin is home to thousands of university students and most of the current residents are transplants from other regions of the country. The city has become a great incubator for a smaller tech scene, but is also the place of eclectic food and is considered the "live music capital of the world". While the prices are nowhere near San Franciso, it is still getting relatively expensive to live in Austin compared to other parts of the state. As an Austin native, I'm partial to the live music and food scene of Austin, Texas! Advertisement Vancouver, British Columbia - This Canadian city on the west coast is another incredibly diverse and progressive city growing at a similar (if not faster) rate as Seattle, Washington. While there are many reasons to move to Vancouver, among the top is the food and relatively small population. Like other cities on this list, Vancouver is experiencing incredible growth. Prices for homes in Vancouver went up by 25% in some months and up to 80% over four years. An average house in Vancouver now costs $705,000, which means most of the people are either renting or they are being driven into surrounding areas. Seattle, Washington - On the northwest corner of the United States, a ever growing city continues to garner a reputation for being progressive and welcoming, while expensive at the same time. After the legalization of marijuana in Washington state, there are droves of people moving into the city. Although rain can cast a shadow on the city for the better part of the year, when it is nice, it is gorgeous. The food and live music are particularly important for the success of the city, but some regions are increasing in price quickly. The region of King County went up 13.6% in a single year, which puts many home buyers at an extreme disadvantage. A Rock and a Hard Place For people who desire more progressive cities, the news is both welcome and disheartening at the same time. Seeing more people desiring to live in these cities means that a more progressive movement is sweeping through the United States and Canada, but it also means that it is hard to access these movements. Advertisement As the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos kicks off, all sorts of people will be making all sorts of predictions about the future. So I thought I would have a go as well. Here are five big things that civil society needs to pay attention to in 2016. Fighting inequality and exclusionThis week Oxfam published its latest analysis, showing that just 62 filthy rich people own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world put together. Strangely, despite this extreme accumulation getting worse, the WEF's own The Global Risks Report 2016 does not feature income disparity this year in the way that it was highlighted at previous Davos forums. This is not to belittle the big risks highlighted in 2016- notably the failure to adapt to climate change and large-scale forced migration - but to remind ourselves - as Oxfam has so brilliantly done this week - that fighting the excesses of global capitalism has to be a top priority for progressive civil society. In September 2015, as global leaders gathered in New York to launch the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they pledged to 'leave no-one behind'. What we do around this agenda this year - how we mobilise to tackle the inequality that threatens to cripple our efforts to achieve sustainable development - will set the tone for our actions over the next 14 years. If we're to leave no-one behind, one of civil society's most pressing challenges must be to give voice to the voiceless. Advertisement Reforming humanitarian assistance Today, at a time when the world's richest have never been richer, more people than ever before - around 125 million people - are in need of humanitarian assistance. As I discovered in preparing the report of the United Nations High Level Panel on humanitarian financing it is a stain on our collective conscience that in a world that generates US$78 trillion each year we cannot generate a few billion to save lives and preserve the dignity of those affected by displacement, disease and disaster. In May this year, the United Nations will host the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul. This will be the fourth in a series of major international efforts - in Addis, New York and then Paris - to secure agreement around how to resource the public goods that will be crucial for sustainable development. The WHS will be the first of its kind and the last major summit for the current UN Secretary-General. It is an important opportunity to rethink how we finance humanitarian interventions. We're spending more money than ever before, in fact 12 times more than we were 15 years ago, yet so too is the need for humanitarian aid growing exponentially. The funding gap is now estimated at around US$ 15 billion. Never have our efforts been greater, nor more insufficient. Resisting the normalisation of restrictions As my colleagues at CIVICUS have documented there have been serious threats to civic space in around 100 countries in recent years. And 2016 hasn't started well. In a worrying echo of recent developments in Hungary, Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice Party has pushed through legislation to place public media and the judiciary under government control. In Israel, a new bill, touted by its supporters as the 'Transparency Bill', seeks to place rigorous new disclosure demands on any Israeli non-profit organisation that receives more than 50% of its funding from 'Foreign Political Entities', in other words from foreign governments, the EU or UN. Following an escalating global trend, the bill casts Israeli CSOs as disloyal 'foreign agents', demanding that their public communications state the source of their funding and calling for their employees to wear distinctive tags. There is still time for this bill to be amended and we must support our Israeli colleagues in their efforts to do so. Advertisement So too, must we join forces to influence the imminent revision of the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) guidelines. An intergovernmental body set up to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, at the national level the recommendations of the FATF have influenced the adoption of sometimes disproportionately restrictive laws. The need to combat international financing of terrorist organisations has become the most popular justification for legislation to control the foreign funding of CSOs. In some countries, such legislation has come to threaten the viability of many elements of civil society, including peaceful citizen mobilisation. Our own recent efforts to get a relatively small sum of money to a group working on gender issues in Sudan were thwarted by US government guidelines stating that such a grant could be used in support of state sponsored terrorism. We must pile pressure onto governments to ensure that the new FATF guidelines will not stifle the legitimate activities of civil society. In particular, we must dispute the assumption that the non-profit sector, by comparison to the private sector, is particularly vulnerable to abuse of funds. There is simply no evidence to support this claim. This year, we must work to ensure that restrictions to civic freedoms and violations of civic space do not become the new normal. Protecting online spaceThe Internet is another area of contested civic space in which restrictions are becoming ever more commonplace. As the Internet has opened up new opportunities for civic activism, expression and mobilisation, so states have sought to regulate, control and in some cases censor it, subjecting cyber activism to deepening threats. So too are web companies at the epicenter of this struggle for net neutrality. In 2012, Pakistani civil society successfully lobbied a number of large tech firms not to respond to a government tender to construct an Internet firewall, leading to the procurement effort being abandoned. We must continue this struggle, calling upon internet service providers to reject publicly any calls by states to take down, filter or censor content that results from the exercise of legitimate, peaceful online expression by civil society activists. We must encourage the business community to stand with us in denouncing companies that choose to profit from the sale of products and services designed to help governments attack or spy illegally on civil society activists and organisations. Civic space online represents an increasingly important - and, therefore, increasingly contested - arena for civil society action; we must do all we can to protect its freedoms. Reforming the selection process for the new UN Secretary-General This one may seem relatively unimportant compared to the challenges I've already outlined. After all, the Secretary-General is just one individual. But it's not about the person, it's about the process. Advertisement The Security Council and permanent members of the UN (P5) have already agreed to some reform of the selection process. For the first time, they have asked for formal, public nominations for the post from all member states. I can't help feeling that if we're able to open up the process still further, it will be a huge win for transparency and accountability. It will be an important step in our efforts to dismantle the notion that the UN belongs, not to all people, but to a few influential states. And it will auger well for opening up other oblique areas of international governance, lessening the democratic deficit fuelled by this remote level of executive decision-making. We see inspiring examples of participatory governance all over the world; so why not in the UN system? The new Secretary-General will be appointed by 193 governments, but, if they serve them and them alone, failing to employ new technologies and tools to engage citizen voice and to mobilise citizen action, then what a waste it will be. "What is your greatest weakness?" the teaching assistant would ask and one by one my classmates would stand in front of everyone, timidly owning up to their perfectionism. A few months later, as I was preparing for a job interview in New York my family members along with the Internet would encourage me to respond in the same predictable manner and go try my fate in by heart memorization. However, as I was walking by the front desk in the intimidating Fifth Avenue building, I decided to try a different approach. To be honest, I first told myself that I would never get the job. Then, having nothing to lose, I flew into the room being someone closer to the real me. When the HR director asked me about my greatest weakness, I responded that ever since I was a High School student I was more of a quixotic leader: I strongly believed that I was better than everyone else so it was impossible for me to work in a team. I would rather work for the team. Whenever facing a project, I would brainstorm, create the outlines, write the scripts, try the experiments and draw the conclusions. I would never delegate until I was placed in a University Lab including students from different fields, forced to work on a business proposal together. Working with architects, graphic designers, geologists and engineers I realized how much more they had to offer within their land of expertise. The reason why I wanted to work for their company, I told her, was to develop a more accrediting and appreciating managing personality. This is how I got the job. Advertisement Working in business, my main goal would be to redefine the way in which we appreciate, seek and perceive employee talent and capability. My aim in life and in work is to redirect the focus from skill to persona. Experience has shown me that humans are multi dimensional beings that need to be let loose to cultivate their own character in order to live up to their full potential, both personally and professionally. Whenever a person is read as a set of know-hows, their soul, the nest of their uniqueness, is amputated. Trying to eavesdrop on personality, these are the five questions I would ask a candidate when interviewing them for a job: 1) Which character traits would you wish to develop while working with our company? 2) Give me an example of a time when you had to reinvent yourself. 3) If you were to acquire a custom made benefit only for you from our company, what would that be? 4) Tell me a reason why your field of expertise doesn't go with your character. 5) How are you different today than who you were a month ago? Martha Kelly can say that working on the charmingly off-center new FX comedy Baskets was "the most magical time of my life" without betraying even a hint of an expression. In fact, she does say it that way, which is exactly the skill she needed to play a character also named Martha in Baskets, which premieres Thursday at 10 p.m. Martha is an insurance adjuster who becomes the assistant to Zach Galifianakis's Chip Baskets, a rodeo clown in Bakersfield. Advertisement Chip and Martha are a perfect team because he emotes a lot and she emotes hardly ever. When she needs to convey a major emotional shift, she stops looking blank and starts looking expressionless. That's an exaggeration. A slight exaggeration. Kelly also says it's just part of her skillset. "I had never acted before," she says, "and I did nothing to prepare for this experience except memorize my lines, most of which we changed anyway. "Good actors think about the emotion in a scene. That didn't even occur to me." Her biggest burst of preplanning was checking out her wardrobe. "Martha wears some really goofy clothes," she says. "We had a fitting and I was a little concerned, because I didn't want to look like an idiot on TV. But when we got to the scenes, they seemed appropriate." In real life Kelly is a standup comedian who recently moved to Austin from Los Angeles. She has an impressive comic resume, with appearances on Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show and Comedy Central. Advertisement She's been friends with Galifianakis since 1998, but admits she always resisted his attempts to get her into acting. Until Baskets. "It had Zach and the two Louies," she notes, referring to Louie Anderson and Louis C.K., whose production company developed Baskets with Galifianakis. "I didn't have to know anything about the show to trust them." In fact, she says, "I felt intimidated the first time I met Louis C.K., because I'm such a fan." The premise of Baskets is that Chip wanted to become a clown in France, so his mother - played by Anderson - sent him to French clown school. Trouble is, he speaks no French, so he washed out and came back home, where he took the only available clown job, at the rodeo. This leaves him with a lot of family issue, some involving his twin brother Dale. A small vehicular mishap brings Martha into his life, and she immediately begins doing whatever he wants or needs, despite the fact he takes out much of his life frustration on her. "I was attracted to the absurd humor of Martha being really nice all the time to someone who's so mean to her," says Kelly. "I love that stuff. Advertisement "And Dale is even meaner, to everybody." As the show goes on, she admits, Chip occasionally softens a little. But he stays a long distance away from nice, which keeps the dynamics intact. Whereas most shows with single male and female characters eventually get to a "will they or won't they," Baskets feels like it's continents away from Chip even entertaining that possibility. This might sound like it could make Martha seem sad. Or creepy. Kelly says she feels neither. "There's a sad and sweet undertone," she says. "And I don't see any creepiness in any part of the character. To me, she's just fun to play." Kelly says the show was fun to film, too. "Acting is completely different from the standup world," she says. "You have these 12- or 14-hour days, but you have a great time doing it. It's like hanging out with your friends." Interestingly, she says, "Standup is very social, too, offstage," and she likes that world. But with a twist. Advertisement "I love to watch standup," she says. "I love a whole range of standup. Janeane Garofalo, Cedric the Entertainer, Patton Oswalt, the Louies and Zach of course. I'm on Facebook, so I keep up with the comedy world. I know who's been booked on shows, who's going to Montreal. "I'm glad for them. But there's also jealousy, even when it's people I love. When you have everyone vying for a few jobs, you get this conflict of envy and happy." So in that spirit, she says, "I'm trying to really appreciate every single thing I get to do, like this show. A lot of people work hard for an opportunity like this, and it fell into my lap. I want to realize that and enjoy it." And no, her fans are unlikely to hear any Baskets comedy in her upcoming sets. "Most of my standup is about stuff that makes me uncomfortable," she says. "There are also things I don't joke about. I don't do jokes about the people who helped me get sober. "But nothing on this show made me uncomfortable. When there's nothing traumatic, I usually won't be writing any jokes." Advertisement Queen Victoria ruled Britain for 63 years. PBS would like her to rule American Sunday nights for a few more. The network announced Monday that it will launch an eight-part British series called Victoria next year, in the Sunday night timeslot being vacated by Downton Abbey. The lavishly designed and filmed production will star Jenna Coleman (above), who is best known from the Doctor Who series. Advertisement It will cover the years from her coronation as queen in 1837 through her marriage to Prince Albert, which lasted until his death in 1861. They had nine children, and Victoria never remarried, though she ruled for another 40 years. Her name remains shorthand for the era of her reign, which was the longest in British history until Queen Elizabeth II passed her in September. In a short preview clip shown to TV writers in Pasadena, Victoria comes across as a free-spirited girl who finds upon her ascension to the throne that there is fierce resistance to a young woman wielding this kind of power. Her costars include Rufus Sewell, Tom Hughes and Alex Jennings. The script is by novelist Daisy Goodwin. Advertisement More immediately in PBS's effort to hold the audience momentum generated by Downton Abbey, President Paula Kerger said the network is "very encouraged" by the ratings for Mercy Street, a Civil War drama that launched Sunday night in the slot after Downton. It drew 3.3 million viewers, by early overnight figures. Kerger acknowledged that scripts have been ordered for a second season of Mercy Street, but said she hasn't see them and that while she'd like to have a second season, no decision has yet been announced. Elsewhere on PBS's Sunday night Masterpiece Theater, Grantchester will return March 27, the same night Mr. Selfridge begins its final season. Wallander also launches its final season, on May 8, and a fall premiere is planned for Churchill's Secret, a drama about the prime minister's hushed-up recovery from a debilitating stroke in the summer of 1953. The network also announced Monday that it will present a special this fall about the hottest musical on Broadway, Lin- Manual Miranda's Hamilton. Called Hamilton's America, it will look at the creation and production of the show, for which patrons currently must buy tickets nine or 10 months ahead. Advertisement The special will include excerpts from the show itself, said Kerger. She said a number of networks were interested in Hamilton-related projects, but that Miranda (above) chose PBS. Another upcoming new PBS show will be a six-part series called Genius by Stephen Hawking. It will be narrated by the famed scientist, and each episode will feature a group of ordinary people challenged to address big issues like time travel. PBS also announced its 2016 election coverage Monday, with documentaries, specials and ramped-up digital coverage. That includes the return this fall of Frontline's The Choice, plus a new documentary series tentatively called 16 for 16. The sun sets behind a large flapping American flag under a blue sky. There's plenty of bad news to report on PTSD and veterans, such as a report in Slate magazine about the high rape and murder rates near military bases. Yet these tragedies can obscure the good news, which is that effective PTSD treatments exist, and are finding their way into primary care. I recently spent a week in Texas, where I had the opportunity to visit Fort Hood, present my research at "Grand Rounds" -- a forum in which health professionals share the latest scientific findings -- and work with a group of veterans with PTSD. Advertisement The group was progressing through an 11-week PTSD recovery program called the Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program (usually simply referred to as "Reset"). The impact of PTSD was apparent on their faces and in their stories, as well as their multiple diagnoses: depression, anxiety, and hostility. Several mentioned their desire to deal with their anger, and return to normal lives with their families. I asked each member of the group to identify an event from the past few weeks that had triggered them emotionally. One smart and articulate sergeant in his 30s said that driving into the base that morning, he was so angry at the "moron gate guard" that he could have killed him. He spoke with humor in his voice, but I and his other listeners shifted uncomfortably in our seats, remembering the times when angry soldiers with guns have gone on rampages in which they acted out their violent emotions. I often present scientific lectures at medical and psychology conferences, but with this group I decided to speak directly from the heart, not the head. I looked each warrior straight in the eye and talked about the hair-trigger response to the perception of danger that they had developed in their combat training. It kept them alive on the battle field, but was completely inappropriate when interacting with their children, friends, and loved ones. They nodded in agreement, and several talked about their commitment to change. One of the hurdles they face is a lack of belief that PTSD is curable. Many veterans simply don't believe this is possible. Yet there are many studies showing the value of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) approaches such as those used at Reset. The program offers warriors therapies such as massage, acupuncture, and Reiki. To help treat PTSD symptoms such as nightmares and flashbacks, Reset uses EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). It tracks its results with the help of a grant from the nonprofit Samueli Foundation, and finds that the average reduction in PTSD symptoms is 28 percent. Advertisement We practiced these techniques together, and most of the Fort Hood group were surprised to find how quickly their anger subsided. I encouraged them to stick with the Reset program, and emphasized that if they worked through their traumatic memories this way, their chances of recovery were high. Not all were convinced. The body language of one master sergeant -- arms crossed, legs entwined, grudging compliance with the healing exercise, a hard unblinking gaze -- reminded me that I had not convinced everyone in the room that healing from PTSD was possible. At the end of the practice session, a young corporal, blessed with movie star good looks, talked about how he gazes down on his two young girls as they sleep. The sight of their faces doesn't bring the happiness that most parents experience. Instead, it triggers high anxiety in his mind. He worries about whether or not an intruder might break into their bedroom after killing the family dog. That's what PTSD does: It distorts the most ordinary experiences, turning them into threats. This young man simply wants be able to look the faces of his children and feel peace. As he spoke, I fought back my tears. This was no grandiose goal. Looking happily at the faces of your children is an experience most parents take for granted. Yet it was beyond the reach of a mind and brain consumed by PTSD. Advertisement My time at Fort Hood, and training mental health professionals, has touched me deeply, and reminded me of how severely we can be wounded. Yet it has also shown me that most of us can recover when we have determination, and effective treatment. Whenever you read the bad news about PTSD, remember Reset. Remember that there are huge numbers of veterans who sincerely want to heal, and that the tools exist to help them return to normal lives. That's the big picture, and as a society, we can accomplish what Reset does. In the words of one veteran, "It gave me my life back." ___________________ Carvent 'Leon' Webb II is the Founder/CEO of The Open Book Foundation based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He created the nonprofit organization in 2013 to bridge the gap between Title I schools and literacy competency. The African American men involved with the nonprofit could no longer sit on the sidelines and watch the education system in these low-income communities deteriorate. According to Webb, "We realized the best way to counteract the decline was through the promotion of literacy." Pursuing a vision of education equity, the nonprofit purchases and donates books to Title I elementary schools, especially in impoverished communities. In its short existence, the Open Book Foundation has provided more than 20,000 new books to 850 classrooms. Over the past three years, the organization's outreach has expanded, providing books to schools in eleven states from Florida to New York, from Washington D.C. to Illinois. As part of its Global Readership Program, the Foundation now partners with schools in Cameroon and North Kenya. The 2016 goal is to donate 25,000 new books to Title I elementary schools across the USA. In the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System alone, The Open Book Foundation will donate 10,000 books as part of Mayor Jennifer Robert's Education Initiative. The Foundation's impact is long-term, according to teacher Raven Corders. "These are young black males coming into predominately minority schools and showing students that they hold the power to change their circumstances. It's a message many of my former students still keep close to them." Advertisement Encouraging family and community engagement, the Foundation created the Readers are Leaders Program, Author's Den, Breakfast with Badges, and Run to Read. These opportunities allow parents, teachers, administrators, and students to engage in literacy activities. Webb explains, "It's time we eliminate the excuses and re-establish accountability for everyone. We all have a role to play in our students' success." Anthony Davis, Chairman of the Foundation's Board, describes the appeal of these programs, "When you hear the passion in Leon's voice about education, and you see the expressions of gratitude on the teachers faces when books are delivered you can't help but be involved." TOKYO - SEPTEMBER 07: A TMSUK04 Robot, by one of Japan's leading robot developers tmsuk, leads a presentation at a press conference on September 7, 2007 in Tokyo, Japan. Microsoft Robotics Studio and tmsuk have jointly announced their collaboration in robotics to share the same software platform to develop robots. The two developers will share the technical and operational merits. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images) Hollywood loves to give us stories of super-intelligent robots running wild with their orders. And we love to watch these stories. If artificial intelligence (AI) worked like it does in the popular imagination, a robot who was asked to dry up some spilled water not stop until all the world's oceans were dried up. But as an AI researcher, I know that the reality is much more mundane. Human-level artificial intelligence -- also called artificial general intelligence -- will be created slowly, over a long period of time. And it is very, very unlikely that a robot would ever be smart enough to devise a way to dry the world's oceans without being smart enough to understand why that would be a problem. Advertisement The apocalyptic AI scenarios the media portrays are a hyperbolic misrepresentation of actual risks. Though it may seem that the need to control AI is upon us, in reality, scientists will tell you that a lot more research -- and many more steps -- are needed first. Siri, Watson and Our Reptile Ancestors Signs of AI's progress are around us all the time, and many of us interact with them in ways that make our daily lives easier. Siri (Apple's speech recognition tool), Watson (the question-answering computer) and self-driving cars, for example, are all signs of progress that show technology has reached the same level of complex behaviours found in our reptilian ancestors. But smart-looking behaviour is not the same as general intelligence. What separates them is the human ability to dynamically imagine, reason and adapt -- to understand and respond to the environment, reason about the consequences of an action, interpret behaviour and imagine new possibilities. These dynamic responses -- the ability to learn, imagine and reason like a human -- are many years and fundamental discoveries away. Building machines capable of human-like intelligence is a very long-term project that requires teams of scientists working for many years. The results will not happen all at once. Each of the steps toward creating AI are milestones in and of themselves, and since they have the potential to be both publically interesting and commercially valuable, it's likely they will be shared and celebrated. Advertisement A Robot to Treat Ebola or Deal With Nuclear Waste Imagine, for example, the response to a robot capable of treating Ebola patients or cleaning up Nuclear waste at Fukushima. Not only are the humanitarian benefits intrinsically exciting, but the progress toward AI will be something publically shared, not hidden away. Many doomsday predictions falsely project all sorts of problems with fully-fledged artificial intelligence making disastrous decisions. In reality, getting to the point where our computers operate according to common sense and expectation is exactly the kind of research challenge we must overcome before we get to even the first level of artificial intelligence. Only when these problems are both understood and solved will AI become possible. The real concerns of those working on AGI are not, however, the overblown dramas the media presents. Like every major technological advancement in human society, AI offers both risks and rewards. One practical example is the economic effect of robotic automation. Some economists argue for government-sponsored schemes to ease the transitions toward more automated manufacturing and transportation in order to soften the impact of displaced jobs. I agree with these ideas. These possibilities drive the research at Vicarious and other AI labs toward further innovation while taking both the potential risks and benefits into careful consideration. Technology has the power to transform society. The most significant human innovations have rewritten our capacity to help and heal, but also come with necessary and important questions we must ask ourselves. Earlier in the year, we contributed to an open letter and research document on the focus areas that can be helpful along the path toward human-level AGI, from legal frameworks for autonomous vehicles to verification algorithms. Advertisement We are at an exciting time in technological advances. Superintelligent AGI has the capacity to solve many of the most significant problems facing humanity today, like addressing climate change or curing diseases. Media hype should not make us lose sight of human-level artificial intelligence's potential. More than any other invention that has come before it, AI has the capacity to help humanity thrive. As we move further into 2016, I am sure many of us made New Year's resolutions and wished friends, loved ones and others a happy, blessed and prosperous year. Lord knows, after last year, it is safe to say that America -- Black America in particular -- is ready for more tranquil times. To put it bluntly, 2015 was a year that left its brash, brutal, ugly stain of racism on America. To be sure, Black America has seen worse times, given our often collective and tumultuous history. Nonetheless, 2015 may very well become a year for the racial record books. In fact, as far as recent history (post-1985) is concerned, not since 1994 can I remember a year that has been this racially unsettling. From student unrest on college campuses; to politicians openly espousing racist, sexist, xenophobic rhetoric; attacks on affirmative action; racial fraudulence; to the ongoing murders of unarmed Black people; Black America has witnessed a year that has been anything but tranquil. It seemed as if we were knocked to the ground by a pack of grizzly bears, being mauled and unable to escape. To refresh your memory, (although most of these events are likely to be firmly etched in your minds) here are just some of people and events that greeted us and made headlines in 2015: Advertisement Donald Trump has confounded the pundits, critics and many others with his unexpectedly successful presidential campaign. Along the way, however, he has stoked the fires of jingoism, regressive populism, xenophobia, hatred, and other sorts of division with his irresponsible and racially coded language. has confounded the pundits, critics and many others with his unexpectedly successful presidential campaign. Along the way, however, he has stoked the fires of jingoism, regressive populism, xenophobia, hatred, and other sorts of division with his irresponsible and racially coded language. Rachel Dolezal , a former NAACP chapter president, caused much of the nation, particularly Black America, to gawk with disbelief once it was discovered that she was a biological White woman who passed herself off as Black for reasons that no one could quite understand. She had her supporters, many more detractors and dominated the news for several days. , a former NAACP chapter president, caused much of the nation, particularly Black America, to gawk with disbelief once it was discovered that she was a biological White woman who passed herself off as Black for reasons that no one could quite understand. She had her supporters, many more detractors and dominated the news for several days. Dylann Roof . Consumed by fear, personal insecurities and racial hatred, a 21-year-old White supremacist, Dylann Roof, betrayed the trust of bible study members at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina as he opened fire on them, killing nine parishioners. This horrific incident became known as the Charleston massacre. This senseless tragedy resulted in intense debates about the Confederate flag and culminated in the removal of the flag from the South Carolina State House. . Consumed by fear, personal insecurities and racial hatred, a 21-year-old White supremacist, Dylann Roof, betrayed the trust of bible study members at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina as he opened fire on them, killing nine parishioners. This horrific incident became known as the Charleston massacre. This senseless tragedy resulted in intense debates about the Confederate flag and culminated in the removal of the flag from the South Carolina State House. Black Lives Matter protesters made their cause known as they disrupted the rallies of presidential candidates such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush and Donald Trump. With their bold, brash, fierce and no-apologies style determination to shed light on the ongoing police violence that confronts far too many Black individuals and communities, the movement has managed to become a key player in the 2016 presidential campaign. protesters made their cause known as they disrupted the rallies of presidential candidates such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush and Donald Trump. With their bold, brash, fierce and no-apologies style determination to shed light on the ongoing police violence that confronts far too many Black individuals and communities, the movement has managed to become a key player in the 2016 presidential campaign. Jonathan Butler , a 25-year-old University of Missouri graduate student, and the Mizzou football team, were critical factors in the ultimate decision of former University of Missouri President Timothy Wolfe and university Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin to resign from their posts. The campus had been roiled by protests from many Black students -- bolstered by Butler's hunger strike and the team's planned boycott of games -- who argued that racism on the campus was a major problem. Similar protests were staged at Yale, Princeton, Vanderbilt and other institutions. , a 25-year-old University of Missouri graduate student, and the Mizzou football team, were critical factors in the ultimate decision of former University of Missouri President Timothy Wolfe and university Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin to resign from their posts. The campus had been roiled by protests from many Black students -- bolstered by Butler's hunger strike and the team's planned boycott of games -- who argued that racism on the campus was a major problem. Similar protests were staged at Yale, Princeton, Vanderbilt and other institutions. Tamir Rice and Sandra Bland (along with numerous others) lose their lives at the hands of law enforcement. In the case of the 12-year-old Rice, he was shot by a police officer for having a toy gun in his pocket. Sandra Bland was found dead in her cell in Texas under mysterious circumstances. A Cleveland grand jury refused to indict the officer who murdered Rice. A Texas grand jury refused to prosecute the officer in the Bland case but the same officer was eventually indicted for perjury. (along with numerous others) lose their lives at the hands of law enforcement. In the case of the 12-year-old Rice, he was shot by a police officer for having a toy gun in his pocket. Sandra Bland was found dead in her cell in Texas under mysterious circumstances. A Cleveland grand jury refused to indict the officer who murdered Rice. A Texas grand jury refused to prosecute the officer in the Bland case but the same officer was eventually indicted for perjury. Bill Cosby , one of America's most beloved entertainers and comedic icons, faced a slew of numerous accusations from a number of women across racial lines accusing him of drugging and raping them. In late December 2015, he was indicted and forced to stand trial for the alleged rape of Andrea Constand. These revelations caused considerable debate in many circles, particularly in Black political and entertainment circles. Black female attorney and Howard Law graduate Monique Pressley is leading Cosby's fight against the allegations. , one of America's most beloved entertainers and comedic icons, faced a slew of numerous accusations from a number of women across racial lines accusing him of drugging and raping them. In late December 2015, he was indicted and forced to stand trial for the alleged rape of Andrea Constand. These revelations caused considerable debate in many circles, particularly in Black political and entertainment circles. Black female attorney and Howard Law graduate Monique Pressley is leading Cosby's fight against the allegations. Rosalind Brewer, Sam's Club president/CEO and one of the few Black female executives of a major company became the victim of vicious online right-wing trolling after saying that she demands that racial diversity be a top priority in all business, marketing and staffing decisions. She was denounced as a reverse racist and other illogical terms. She had the support of her superiors who publically acknowledged that Brewer was espousing company goals. To be sure, there were other highlights, yet these were the incidents that were distinctive for a number of reasons. As of the writing of this post, a group of armed, anti-government protestors (including Ammon Bundy, son of controversial Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy) have seized a federal building in Burns, Oregon. Interestingly, the reaction of the federal government has been minimal engagement. As a result, many people of color, including myself, have either written op-eds or publically pondered whether a group of Black people, Latino people, Muslims or other non-White people would be treated with such deferential treatment. I think most of us already know the answer. Rather than a standoff, we would have likely seen a bloodbath. Advertisement White privilege and double standards aside, none of us knows what the new year will bring; however, if it is half as riveting as 2015, we are in for one hell of a ride. With the nuclear deal sealed and sanctions lifted, an unshackled Iran is now a reality. The region - and the world at large - now holds its breath in anticipation of what kind of global player the Islamic Republic wants to be. Not even the harshest critics of the deal - which was agreed with the U.S. and other superpowers last year - can argue against the fact that the world would be a safer place without the threat of a nuclear Iran. At the same time, not even the most passionate advocates of this deal can comfort regional U.S. allies (namely Gulf countries, who were excluded from the negotiations) that an unshackled Iran will not use its newly-obtained resources and freedom to create further regional upheaval. Advertisement 'True Religion' will never be a pair of jeans Advocates of the deal will argue that - theoretically - as soon as the Islamic Republic sinks its teeth into a juicy Big Mac and then sips through its first Starbucks latte, it will abandon its extremist ideology and expansionist dreams in favor of rebuilding its economy and raising living standards for its people. But let's face it, these are extremely simplistic assumptions and turn a blind eye to the reality of the Iranian regime which has - from day one - sought to use religion to justify the promotion of regional upheaval and extended its reach by providing loyalist paramilitary groups with support. Indeed, "true religion" for the Mullahs will never simply mean a pair of jeans. This was evident last year when during the closing stages of the nuclear deal, Iranian officials bragged that their country has now formed a new empire which occupies four Arab capitals. Advocates of the deal also ignore the fact that Iran, despite decades of sanctions, managed to afford to channel billions of dollars to fund regional terrorist groups, according to U.S. government findings published recently in The Washington Times. Advertisement Iranian money has been used to destabilize the region; from funding Hezbollah in Lebanon, to Asaib Ahl al-Haq in Iraq, to the Houthis in Yemen and even Sunni terrorists such al-Qaeda on the grounds that the enemy of my enemy (in this case Saudi Arabia) is my friend. The obvious question is that if Tehran could do all of this with sanctions imposed, how much more damage can it cause now that they are lifted and the government is due to receive approximately $100 billion? More recent examples We only need to consider events which unfolded in the past few weeks to understand that Iran has no intention to play nice. It also appears in no mood to give its moderates the opportunity to use the nuclear deal to truly reform the country. On one hand Iran claimed it couldn't control its own thugs who burnt down the Saudi embassy in Tehran, and President Rowhani (supposedly a moderate who had hoped to mend ties with GCC countries) was quick to condemn the attackers describing them as "criminals." On the other hand, Iran seemed perfectly capable and mighty when it swiftly arrested a number of U.S. Marines who barely trespassed into territorial waters. Iran made quite a big show out of humiliating what it describes as "Great Satan" just before President Obama was due to give his final State of the Union address. Advertisement One really wonders who Iran thinks it is fooling, but that is not the issue as, at the end of the day, the truth will eventually emerge. However, what is really bewildering is the global reaction of astonishment and caution towards Saudi Arabia's new firm foreign policy. I can't find a better answer to this than what Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubair recently said in a televised interview that the kingdom is in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kind of situation. On one hand, Riyadh has repeatedly been asked to lead and fight its own wars to end regional injustice and acts of hostility, but then doesn't get the support it was promised. On the other hand, I don't see the U.S. or any of the global powers rushing in to stabilize the region - and I am sure if it did, then all its allies would have been happy to wholeheartedly lend their support. There needs to be checks and balances and so far, the only way to counter the potential threats from an unshackled Iran is to have a decisive and pro-active Saudi Arabia. Advertisement With all of the challenges facing American higher education -- cost, mission, campus divisions and tensions -- it is easy to lose track of one of the core roles that our colleges and universities have historically played and must continue to play: gatekeepers to the American dream. I was reminded of this just before Christmas when I met Daniel for brunch. Among other things, we were celebrating his new position at a prominent growth equity firm. None of this would have been likely, indeed imaginable, during his early childhood in a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn. By the time he and I first met, over five years ago, he was a college senior who was President of the Student Union, a charismatic and insightful leader. No college president ever had a better student leader at his side than I had with Daniel. He was my advisor and partner, offering me a window into student concerns and attitudes. Together we forged a mood on campus based on collaboration not confrontation. As the student speaker at my inauguration, he shared the story of how he challenged me to a "free style rap" contest during the "Battle of the DJ's." This event, to the cheers of over a thousand undergraduates, was emblematic of the power of partnership -- how much we can accomplish when we realize that none of us is as smart or capable as all of us. Advertisement Daniel was an African-American student who came to Brandeis University through Posse, the extraordinary foundation that enables gifted inner city youth to succeed at top colleges in ways impossible without the support of their "posse." The genius of Posse is to select students of great promise, many of whose potential would not be represented by standardized testing, prepare them well before their college experience, and send them to participating colleges and universities as a group, a posse. Posse students fully integrate into the student body -- witness Daniel's landslide victory as student body President -- but know at the end of the day there are a number of peers who always have each other's backs. Brandeis was one of the founding participants of Posse and the originator of the path-breaking and highly successful Science Posse. The hugely impactful role of Posse on our campus is all the sweeter because the visionary founder of Posse, Debbie Bial, is a Brandeis alumna. Daniel's story does not start with Posse. Others, beginning with caring and devoted parents, launched him on his path. There was a watchful high school teacher who encouraged him to apply to the summer program "Seeds of Peace" where Daniel was encouraged to think, to express his ideas, to listen to others, and to understand abstract principles that could change facts on the ground. This experience was the beginning of his academic turnaround, his intellectual awakening. Although he lived in Brooklyn, Daniel applied and was accepted to a school in Manhattan, by coincidence, Louis D. Brandeis High School, where a dedicated teacher saw his promise and persuaded him to apply for the Posse program. And from Brandeis High School, via Posse, he came to Brandeis University and excelled. One is tempted to wonder what would have happened to Daniel had there been no teachers to tell him of Seeds of Peace or Posse, or no Posse to send him to a major research university. Alas, we need not wonder; we have an unhappily compelling controlled experiment. As Daniel and I were celebrating his professional success, part of him could not celebrate: he had just learned that his close childhood friend Aikiam, left behind in the old neighborhood, had that very week been incarcerated. Were this a novel, it would feel badly overwritten. But this was not fiction -- this was real. Advertisement Undoubtedly many reasons account for the diverging paths of Daniel and Aikiam. One that Daniel stressed to me is the self-fulfilling power of low expectations. At the elementary school he and Aikiam attended, students were strictly ranked based on grades and statewide exam scores. While Daniel worked to move up the ranks, Aikiam, although incredibly talented, remained in the "bottom class" throughout his tenure at the school, a label with a destructive psychological impact. In high school, when Daniel asked Aikiam whether college was an option, Aikiam immediately rejected the idea; college was not for him because "he was not capable." The opposite fates of Daniel and Aikiam illuminate key issues facing America today, realities that should keep us up at night: minority students are still not gaining adequate access to leading institutions of higher-learning; there is an urgent necessity to improve our public schools. Full solutions are highly complex, but important partial solutions are apparent, and they are large and small, from Posse's having trained well over 6000 students, to individuals like Daniel's teachers urging him forward. 1845: The ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror used in Sir John Franklin's ill-fated attempt to discover the Northwest passage. Original Publication: Illustrated London News pub 24th May 1845 (Photo by Illustrated London News/Getty Images) The 1845 expedition led by Sir John Franklin to find the Northwest Passage was one of the biggest disasters in exploration history. Despite being outfitted with the best provisions and equipment of the time, the entire complement of 129 officers and men aboard the British Royal Navy ships HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror perished in the wilds of the frozen north. It was the nineteenth century's equivalent to having lost the International Space Station. The cause of what truly led to the demise of the Franklin Expedition has fascinated historians and scientists for years, creating many theories based on scarce evidence. In 2014, the well-preserved wreck of the Erebus was found on the sea floor near King William Island in Canada's Arctic. It's discovery renewed interest in Franklin's fate and a look through modern forensics tells a tale of how the ships' cutting-edge technology probably snuck up to kill the crew. Advertisement First, a look at some history. The Franklin Expedition was commissioned by the British Admiralty to do more than just find the elusive Northwest Passage. It was also a scientific venture to record the Arctic's flora and fauna, map the terrain, observe magnetism and meteorology, inspect geology, and establish Commonwealth sovereignty in the north. The voyagers were equipped with the finest navigation instruments and stocked with ample provisions to survive far longer than the planned three-year venture. The ships had been specifically refitted to withstand crushing ice pressures and upgraded with inboard steam engines to assist in turning through the maze of ice, as well as for the first time having an onboard desalination plant for turning seawater into fresh. They debarked England on May 19, 1845, and made their first stop in Greenland to top off supplies. Already five crew members were ill and were discharged back home. The expedition departed and was last seen by other Europeans from two whaling ships in August in the vicinity of Lancaster Sound at the entrance to the Passage. History shows the Franklin Expedition camped the winter of 1845-1846 on Beechey Island where later parties discovered artifacts and the graves of three sailors. When the Expedition failed to return to England in 1849 -- a year after planned -- search parties were formed and a slight trail of clues were discovered to shed light on their fate. Advertisement The only document recovered was a note in a rock cairn on King William Island stating the ships had been ice-locked for nineteen months and were abandoned on April 22, 1848, three days before the note was written. It also advised that Sir John Franklin died on June 11, 1847, and that the remaining 105 officers and men were attempting to venture by land for a Canadian mainland settlement at Back's Fish River. None made it. Progressive searches over ten years found pieces of human skeletons and artifacts that were proven to have come from the Franklin party, however no mass death site was located and their final demise was attributed to starvation and exposure. The Franklin story and explanation for what caused a perfectly outfitted expedition of experienced explorers who prepared for these exact conditions and time interval never strayed from public interest. In 1981, a team of scientists led by Dr. Owen Beattie, a professor of anthropology, began a forensic examination of the Beechey Island wintering site, including an exhumation of the crew members' graves in hopes of determining their cause of death. This is documented in the great book Frozen In Time -- The Fate Of The Franklin Expedition. What Dr. Beattie's team found was truly remarkable -- not just in eventual toxicology evidence -- but in the incredibly well-preserved condition the bodies were in, given they'd spent over 135 years in the permafrost. Advertisement The team autopsied John Torrington, John Hartnell, and William Braine, concluding that pneumonia was possibly their primary cause of death, with tuberculosis maybe being a contributor. Otherwise, they appeared perfectly healthy. Malnutrition, chronic disease, foul play, or any form of accidental death was ruled out. Being diligent, the team later ordered toxicology screening including a test for trace elements in the tissues, blood, bone, and hair. The results astounded them. All three sailors showed a presence of lead in amounts far, far exceeding normal levels. Braine, the last to die, showed 220 parts per million (ppm) in his hair, which is over one hundred times the acceptable level. This led to a theory that the crew may have perished as a progressive result of lead poisoning with known side effects being a loss of cognitive awareness and the eventual inability for organs to function. The forensic team continued their search of the suspected southward trail of the doomed expedition and found considerable pieces of human skulls and bones which were anthropologically linked to European Caucasians, giving proof they must have belonged to the Franklin group. Advertisement Every single bone contained an exceptionally high lead content and, in total, the remains of thirty-two different individuals were identified. What became of the other seventy-five percent of the Franklin crew who abandoned the ships is a mystery. Pursuing the lead poisoning theory, suspicion fell on the lead solder used in the tin-canned provisions of meat and vegetables which the ships stored. Inventory records show the Erebus and the Terror held over 8,000 tins of preserves each with a total weight of 33,289 pounds. With the British being ones to keep meticulous records, the tin-can contract was documented to have gone to a London food processor named Stephan Goldner. The low-bid contract was awarded late in the Expedition's outfitting process and Goldner's company was under a huge rush to complete on time. To speed the delivery and to profit more, Goldner began using larger containers and slipped on the quality control. Examination of the numerous discarded cans in the Beechey Island site's garbage pile showed that the soldering on most cans was sloppy with big gobs of solder spots on the interiors. It appeared Goldner's greed and rush may have doomed the Franklin expedition through excessive lead contamination. Advertisement However -- digging deeper into the Goldner tin-can theory, it was recorded that Goldner had been providing the Royal Navy with lead-soldered canned goods for years before, and for years after, the Franklin fate and there were absolutely no reports of anyone suffering from lead poisoning anywhere within the rest of the British fleet. Additionally, reports from the Inuit people who came in contact with the Franklin crew near their end indicated the members were in starvation -- half-mad and resorting to cannibalism. This was forensically corroborated by striation marks on many bones which were consistent with disarticulation and the mechanical stripping of flesh. Curiously, it appeared that the crew was starving -- desperately short of food in less than three years after embarking with stores that were capable of lasting five years if properly rationed. Combined with the extremely high lead content in the sailors, it was evident something else was seriously amiss. Now, between 1818 and 1845 the British Admiralty instigated ten ship-borne Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, three of which Sir John Franklin was part of. These folks were no strangers to cold, harsh, and lengthy trips. After Franklin's disappearance, thirty-six separate search expeditions were conducted into the Northwest passage. While a few men perished and a few ships were destroyed, none of these expeditions suffered such a total and devastating loss as did Franklin. Advertisement Clearly it was evident there was some unique and fatal flaw in the Franklin Expedition and it was generally thought it must have something to do with the lead. William Battersby is an Architect who published a brilliant report titled Identification of the Probable Source of the Lead Poisoning Observed in Members of the Franklin Expedition. Battersby identified what was different on board the Erebus and the Terror than on all other Royal Naval vessels, before or since. Remember, these two ships were refitted for this lengthy voyage into a harsh, frozen land and they carried with them new technology specifically designed for these two ships -- a new infrastructure for desalination -- for turning salty seawater into drinkable freshwater. This was a complicated system as it was not just distilled, potable freshwater for consumption that the system was providing. It also produced freshwater for the engines' steam boilers as well as making hot water for the ships' heating systems. Advertisement And -- you guessed it -- research indicated the systems' entire plumbing was made of lead pipes soldered together with lead. "Wait a minute," you say. "Humans have been using lead pipes for plumbing since the days of the Romans and nobody's been reported to have died from them." Hang on. There was something really unique going on aboard the Erebus and the Terror that affects how lead transfers from water into blood. Here's a quote from Battersby's report: The amount of lead absorbed by water from lead pipes or solders greatly increases where: Water is soft, such as when freshly distilled. An installation is new and has not built up a layer of scale. Scale insulates water in older installations from direct contact with lead. Water is warm or hot. This dramatically increases the amount of lead which water can carry. All these conditions applied to the installations in the HMS Erebus and Terror. "Interesting theory, Garry", you say. "I buy it was the pipes, not the cans, where the high concentration of lead came from, but how do you explain the starvation when there was ample canned food to go around?" Advertisement Great question and I think Scott Cookman might have answered it in his book Ice Blink - The Tragic Fate Of Sir John Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition. Cookman's theory is that in Stephan Goldner's rush to increase the can sizes and lower quality control standards, he failed to cook the preserves at a high enough heat for a long enough time, thereby introducing botulism in a portion of the cans. It falls into the facts that early in the voyage, five sick crew members were discharged and then three seemingly healthy, well-nourished, young sailors -- Torrington, Hartnell, and Braine -- suddenly up and died. The theory continues that once the magnitude of the tainted canned-food scandal became apparent, the Franklin Expedition was solidly locked in ice and forced to exhaust the remaining stores of flour and beans -- all which would be cooked in heavy-lead water. Once the edible food stores ran out, the crew made a desperate, lead-poisoned and half-mad trek across land and probably perished, one-by-one, with the last of them insanely resorting to cannibalism. Advertisement What a horrific fate for the Franklin Expedition. * * * By Jillian Kramer, Glamour Photo: Courtesy of CNP Montrose Your bestie is not behaving: Whether she's passively sabotaging your wedding plans or outwardly picking fights with your wedding party, she's doing something to make your life downright unpleasant. "The toxic bridesmaid can appear in many forms," admits Sarah Glick, wedding planner at Brilliant Event Planning in New York City, "but it's time for her to step down when her actions are overshadowing your wedding and she's sucking the fun out of the planning process for you. So if it's time to say sayonara to a bridesmaid, we've got the expert advice to help you do it as painlessly as possible. Ask yourself what the real issue is. It's likely something was brewing with your would-be bridesmaid long before she joined your wedding party. Says Irene S. Levine, Ph.D., psychologist and professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine and producer of The Friendship Blog, "my suspicion is that bad feelings arose during the lead-up to the wedding, not before." So before you dismiss your bridesmaid, Levine suggests, "do a reality check and speak to someone close to you--perhaps your fiance or your parent, to make sure you are making a reasonable decision." If your confidante agrees you're acting in your--and your bridesmaid's--best interest, then proceed. But if your bickering can be solved, Levine says, it's better to address the real issue. "Asking a friend to step down should only be a last resort," she explains, "because it is likely to damage or destroy the friendship. Hopefully, you can find ways to get her to change her behavior so that it doesn't interfere with or undermine your special day." Advertisement Set up a face-to-face conversation. This conversation might not be pleasant, so you could be tempted to shoot off a quick text explaining your decision to dismiss her as a bridesmaid. But don't. "Assuming you want to remain friends with this person, this conversation should be handled face-to-face--not over the phone or via text," says Glick, who recommends starting the conversation with statements that focus on how you feel instead of words that accuse her of bad behavior. Be prepared with specific reasons why you'd like your 'maid to move on, says Levine. "Explain that you thought long and hard before making this difficult decision, and that doing this is difficult for you, too," she suggests. "Be specific and clear in letting your friend know what responsibilities she neglected--although you needn't present an exhaustive list of grievances." If you're worried you'll falter when faced with your friend, Levine suggests writing yourself a script you can practice before you go live. Then, "arrange to have this conversation in a semi-private place when you both are as relaxed as possible--perhaps a booth in a coffee shop--and never in the heat of anger," she says, with a specific time frame set up in advance so that this uncomfortable chat won't go on and on and on. "Set aside a specific window of time for the discussion rather than leaving it open-ended," says Levine. Offer her an alternative role. Once you've calmly explained why you feel it's best your friend not continue on as a bridesmaids, "let your friend know that you feel that it would be best if she played a different role in the wedding," says Glick. For example, you know the real issue behind her bad behavior is that she's strapped for cash, a role without an accompanying outfit "will let her be involved without feeling financially overwhelmed," Glick says. Or, if it's time she's truly short on, "a simpler role--like a reading at the ceremony--might be better." Advertisement Be ready for her to decline the offer. Warns Levine, "especially if she lacks insight, she may either get very angry or disappointed. The best outcome would be if she breathed a sigh of relief and admitted she had felt ambivalent about taking on the role or had changed her mind--but after a traumatic event like this, the friendship could be altered dramatically." On top of feeling embarrassed over being dismissed, your former bridesmaids "may feel guilty about letting you down," says Levine. "It's likely that neither of you will ever feel the same closeness and intimacy you once did." Move quickly with your Plan B. The good news is it's no longer expected for the bride and groom to have an even number of bridesmaids and groomsmen. "Brides sometimes get hung up on having an equal number of bridesmaids to groomsmen," says Chandra Keel, owner of Chandra Keel Events in Phoenix. "If firing your bridesmaid has thrown off your equal count, don't worry." But if your plan is to ask another friend to step up to the plate, do so as soon as possible so that you give that friend the time she'll need to get up to speed and ready to stand by your side. It's also smart to alert your remaining 'maids to the situation as soon as possible. "You wouldn't want them to contact the fired bridesmaid and about the wedding and be unaware of what happened," points out Keel. "That would only cause further hurt feelings and embarrassment to the fired bridesmaid." Glick suggests being to-the-point when you make your announcement. "Say something like, 'Monica and I are really great friends, but we decided it would be best for her to do a reading at the ceremony instead, so going forward, the total number of bridesmaids for planning purposes is five,'" she says. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are running against free trade, to judge by their stump rhetoric. But it's fairly clear that Sanders, unlike Clinton, is sincere in his opposition. Unlike her, he has a consistent record of opposing free trade, not a long series of zig-zags for political expediency. He would probably oppose free trade for real if elected. Let's take a look at their records. We might as well start with the big grand-daddy of them all: NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. This now-notorious agreement, which set America on a road to economic decline we have not yet stepped off of, was denounced at the time by a number of political outsiders, from Bernie Sanders on the left to Pat Buchanan on the right to Ross Perot in the center. They have since been amply vindicated. As a congressman in 1993, Sanders opposed it. Here's a nice video clip of his prescient denunciation. Hillary Clinton supported NAFTA in public as First Lady, though she now claims she privately opposed it. Advertisement Sanders voted No in 1998 on giving the president so-called Fast Track authority to negotiate free-trade agreements without later Congressional amendment. (Fast Track is not only bad economics, it's an unconstitutional evasion of Congress's explicitly stated power to make trade agreements with foreign nations.) Hillary wasn't in public office at the time, though she certainly didn't denounce her husband's use of Fast Track authority when he had it. In 1999, Sanders voted No on granting MFN, or "Most Favored Nation" status, a standard form of open trade relations, to China. (This policy change, combined with some other things, marked the moment at which America's deficit with China ceased being merely bad and began to get outrageous.) Hillary wasn't in public office at the time, though she certainly didn't denounce her husband's support of MFN at this time. Advertisement In 2008, Sanders voted No on the Peru Free Trade Agreement. In 2005, he voted No on the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). To be fair, Hillary Clinton did vote against CAFTA in the Senate. Sanders voted No on the Australia Free Trade Agreement in 2004, and similarly for Singapore and Chile in 2003. Hillary Clinton voted Yes on all three. Also Morocco and Oman. Sanders voted No on the South Korea Free Trade Agreement, quantitatively the biggest agreement since NAFTA. And the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. And Panama. Hillary Clinton flip-flopped on these agreements. After denouncing them on the 2008 primary campaign trail, especially in industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, she supported them as Obama's Secretary of State. In 2013, Sanders voted No on confirming Michael Froman, Obama's awful corporate-pawn nominee, to be U.S. Trade Representative, America's highest trade diplomat. Advertisement Hillary wasn't in public office at the time, and there's no particular public record of what she thinks of Mr. Froman. Now that's a lot of Nos for Sanders. His trade agenda has since expanded to include some positive legislation on the issue. In 2000, he voted Yes on withdrawing from the awful World Trade Organization. Ex-corporate board member Hillary wants to stay in. In 2003, Sanders co-sponsored legislation to extend trade restrictions that had been placed on Burma in retaliation for the anti-democratic actions of that nations' ruling junta, the so-called Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act. To be fair, Hillary did support this legislation. Sanders has since signed onto the TRADE (Trade Reform, Accountability, Development, and Employment) Act, one of the most ambitious legislative attempts to turn America's trade policy back in a sane direction. This bill requires biennial review of our trade agreements to evaluate their economic, environmental, national security, health, safety, and other effects. It requires a report to a Congressional Trade Agreement Review Committee, which would examine whether the trading partner has a democratic government, respects labor and human rights, protects intellectual property, and enforces environmental laws. It requires the President to submit a plan to renegotiate existing trade agreements to make them comply with these standards. To be fair, Hillary does claim to support this legislation. However, she didn't exactly further its stated objectives as Secretary of State. Advertisement Sanders has also signed onto the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act. This redefines various laws to enable the U.S. to retaliate against nations that manipulate their currencies to gain an advantage in trade. It sets rational standards for determining which nations are manipulating their currency. To be fair, Hillary does claim to support this legislation. However, she didn't exactly further its stated objectives as Secretary of State. What's Bernie Sanders saying today about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade controversy du jour? (Hillary claims, with minimal plausibility, to oppose TPP after having helped negotiate it as Obama's Secretary of State.) I voted against NAFTA, CAFTA, and PNTR with China. I think they have been a disaster for the American worker. A lot of corporations that shut down here move abroad. Working people understand that after NAFTA, CAFTA, PNTR with China we have lost millions of decent paying jobs. Since 2001, 60,000 factories in America have been shut down. We're in a race to the bottom, where our wages are going down. Is all of that attributable to trade? No. Is a lot of it? Yes. TPP was written by corporate America and the pharmaceutical industry and Wall Street. That's what this trade agreement is about. I do not want American workers to competing against people in Vietnam who make 56 cents an hour for a minimum wage. One of his best extended speeches on the subject of free-trade agreements is here. You can see his full voting record on trade-related issues here. Advertisement BURNS, OREGON -- Oregon First Militia Private Corporal Master Chief Grant Ryan continued his historic and valiant performance in the Great Oregon Squatting, earning himself his second medal of recognition from his militia mates. Having already secured a Purple Heart when he gallantly pushed forward and procured a snack after stubbing his toe on the fridge, Ryan "performed an even greater act of heroism," according to General Admiral Vice Captain Michael Schemwitz, one of the many leaders of the Oregon militia group that seized control of a bird observatory in Burns, Oregon, at the end of 2015. At a press conference early Monday morning, Schemwitz released video and pictures from an awards ceremony at which Ryan received the Oregon Militia's Silver Cross of Valor for what Schemwitz described as "the most amazing feat of military strength" he'd witnessed in the standoff to date. "This morning, the Burns Oregon Militia Squatter Squad bestowed upon First Militia Private Corporal Master Chief Grant Ryan the Silver Cross of Valor for his steadfast leadership and performance during Operation Get More Beer from the Seven-Eleven." Schemwitz told reporters that late Saturday night he and his fellow militia men found themselves "completely out of Bud Light and dangerously low on Coor's banquet beer," and he drew up plans for a daring and bold maneuver, "a beer run," Schemwitz said, "but a beer run that would be mentioned one day in the same breath as the invasion of Normandy, the Battle of Gettysburg, and that one time that Corporal Bob got the pizza delivery guy up here to throw in extra sprinkle cheese." Advertisement Schemwitz then described Operation Get More Beer in harrowing detail. "First Militia Private Corporal Master Chief Ryan, along with three other fellow militiamen, left the bird observatory at nineteen hundred hours on Saturday evening," Schemwitz said, "and within minutes they were faced with an obstacle many soldiers may not be able to handle. The low fuel light came on." Schemwitz said after a brief discussion in the Ford F-150, Ryan "made the bold, decisive decision to stop and get more gas." "I pulled into the gas station, and I looked for an open pump," Ryan later told reporters, "like my training says to do. Then, I pulled up, opened my door, opened the gas door, and slid my ATM card into the slot, entered my PIN, but it said I had to go in and talk to the cashier!" Ryan said he was "scared and frightened" at first but that "the mission to get more beer was too vital to be left to someone else." Upon entering the gas station convenience store, Ryan saw that he and his battalion mates could "kill two libtards with one libtard bullet," as they were fond of saying. Ryan said he saw to his right a cold, refrigerated display of beer. At first he flashed back to the time he stubbed his toe on the fridge at the observatory and he said he "was nervous as hell" but kept going. He approached the beer display and pulled out six 12 packs of Coor's light, and brought them to the counter. There, he paid for both the gas the truck needed and the beer he was sent to procure. Imagine a predominantly white college campus embroiled in anger because of the mistreatment and isolation of its black students. Then imagine that, with the world watching, the middle-aged white guys who run the school coming out and publicly saying "we respectfully wish to maintain the culture of discrimination, but are willing to do so in more confined spaces agreed upon with our offended black students." That is the deal proposed by the Maryland Higher Education Commission in response to a federal judge's ruling that the state dismantle its 'separate but equal' system of higher education for black and white students. Two years ago, Judge Catherine C. Blake ruled that Maryland's discrimination against Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, was worse than conditions for Mississippi's public black colleges. And last month, after months of delays in responding to Blake's order for remedies guided by principles of 'program transfer and merger,' MHEC officials recommended that the state finance joint programs between HBCUs and PWIs, and for HBCUs to develop summer academies to bolster recruitment. Advertisement It is hard to determine if state officials believe the judge to be that stupid, believe taxpayers to be that detached, or believe racism to be that important to Maryland's culture and economy. In either case, it is unconscionable for Maryland to be found guilty of being among the nation's most racially separatist states on higher education, and then to ask the court to grant its PWIs more resources to make up for the revenue, programs, students and growth it withheld from black colleges for generations. Georgia, a state with far less economic and cultural clout to do so, just two weeks ago moved to exorcise some of its own racial demons by merging predominantly white Darton State College into historically black Albany State University. When executed, the merger will make Albany State one of the nation's largest HBCUs in enrollment and offerings, and will increase the school's profile as the flagship public HBCU, with an eye towards diversity and inclusion for all people in the Southwestern region of the state. But Maryland, for all of its purported liberalism in state politics and hotbeds of affluence for African American residents, clings to the notion that what is best for black families, students and communities is limited access to its predominantly white public universities, and limited resources for its black universities. And what's worse, officials with the MHEC and in the halls of state legislature believe that because they can get some black folks to agree with them, like University of Maryland - Baltimore County President Freeman Hrabowski and Morgan State President David Wilson, that most black folks are likely to agree with what even the state admits is chronically racist and discriminatory. Advertisement In its own court filings, the Maryland Higher Education Commission never challenges the notion that black college programs were rampantly duplicated, or that enrollment and public resources were poached as a result. In fact, it has walked by one of the signature examples of program duplication cited by HBCU students and alumni in their suit against the state - a joint MBA program offered between Towson University and the University of Baltimore, which duplicated Morgan State's longstanding program in 2005. "This Court singled out the joint UB-Towson MBA program for criticism in its liability ruling. Although Defendants respectfully disagree with that criticism, they wish to inform the Court that earlier today, the University of Baltimore and Towson University advised their students that their agreement to offer that joint MBA has expired and will not be renewed. The joint program will be phased out, and UB's MBA program, established in 1972, will continue. Students currently enrolled in the joint program will have the opportunity to complete the UB/Towson MBA. For all newly-admitted students, degree-granting authority will reside solely with the University of Baltimore as authorized in 1972. Thus, the joint MBA program, which was a major focus of this Court's ruling, is no longer at issue. This important fact must be considered in the crafting of any remedial order." Instead, the court hopes that Judge Blake will agree that merger and transfer will be too costly and too damaging to the white schools - after all, it only matters when money is lost and brand destroyed at white schools, not black ones. Unless it is Tennessee State University, where a similar court-ordered merger in 1979 has today made TSU one of the nation's most diverse and comprehensive flagship public HBCUs. So what Tennessee and Georgia have done by court order or free will, Maryland is now too 'fiscally responsible' to do? Even as it literally misspent billions to create new universities and programs in order to avoid developing HBCUs? Advertisement "Maybe you'll see the last cigarette I smoke," Fatih Akin said as he took a seat at the table and plunked down his little white box of vice. The filmmaker, 42, sported an easy man bun and fiddled with a set of hotel matches, telling the international journalists around him that he's been trying to quit for 10 years. Akin was in Morocco for the recent 15th Marrakech Film Festival, where he would give a masterclass later that afternoon. The director, born in Germany to Turkish parents, gained critical praise in his early career by plumbing the nuances of mixed heritage and generational-geographical family dynamics with the stunning opuses Head-On (2004) and The Edge of Heaven (2007). Unfortunately, his last film The Cut (2014) was largely considered a disaster. The subject matter around the 1915 Armenian genocide was a courageous attempt at a contentious subject, but the film felt clumsy. It was a departure from his other films, undercutting his gift of spinning raw and complex tales of human morality into cinematic gold. But, if there was wound licking to be done, it was short-lived. Hours after this interview, he would tell his masterclass audience: "I received criticism from all over the world [for The Cut]. Both sides beat the shit out of me, which I suppose means it has something, right?" And, he's moved onto other films. This year will see the release of Goodbye Berlin, comedy based on the best-selling German YA novel Tschick, and another feature based on the true story of a neo-Nazi serial killer. Advertisement An edited interview with the director below. You're giving a masterclass this afternoon. How do you feel about being considered a "master"? Don't believe the hype. I'm not a master, I'm a student. I have a lot of doubt on my own work and I always see the mistakes. The older I get, the more fear and doubt appear. How do you effectively manage the fear and doubt to keep making films? Filmmaking is like therapy for me; it helps me deal and handle my fears. Maybe it helps me become a better person for myself and for my family. There are some demons inside of me that are forcing me to do films. For example, when I made The Cut, I worked five years on it, I put a million of my own money into it, and it was not a success at all. I lost a lot of money and a lot of self-confidence. I was full of doubts. But, to do the film, I was in my element -- a fish in the water. I'm so thankful that I can do what I really want to do it. I don't know if I can do it, but I want to do it. That drives me. [lights cigarette] And for The Cut, you received several death threats. What thoughts went through your mind when that happened? Advertisement I think it's cool to get death threats. It speaks for my work. When your art reaches a level where you fear other people -- you fear them with art and not a handgun -- that speaks for my work. This is an award. This is the third time I've gotten death threats -- I've got them from Islamic groups and neo-Nazis, now I get them from the radical Turks -- so I've won three awards. [laughs] Also, I feel responsibility. My reason to do The Cut was because so many people don't know about the genocide. I think if a society doesn't know about its own ghosts, these ghosts can appear again and again and again. My idea with the film was to create a collective analysis. My work is biographic; I was always observing this cultural integration thing. When you have the culture and values of your parents, and then you have the values of the school and the streets and the news -- you compare. And when you start to compare, you discover gaps. And when you focus on the gaps, that's when it starts to get interesting. I've noticed that your work is getting increasingly political. I just finished a film about two 13-year-old teenagers who steal a car and just speak stupid stuff, based on a best-selling German novel Tschick. I was in the editing room when Paris and Beirut happened. My editor and I looked at each other and were like, "What the fuck are we doing here?" On the other hand, I am definitely starting to doubt that art is able to change the world. Look at the input of films from all over the world, but yet we have so many crises all over the world. So, all the films and art and literature can't stop that. Maybe it's the quality of the art -- or maybe there is no link. Do you think it's the visibility of good art? I have nothing against a socialist element of treating art. For instance, the idea that you can have a cinema class from the fifth grade on. I am absolutely in support of teaching kids how to watch movies. Advertisement I'm curious what you said earlier about filmmaking as a form of therapy. For instance, in The Edge of Heaven -- that fragile dynamic between the father and son -- how personal was that? There is a story towards the end of that film, when there is a Bayram, the holy day in the Islamic world. There is the story of Abraham killing his son and taking the sheep -- that was a story I grew up with. With the film, I had the opportunity to express my personal wish. The hero, the son, says that he was always afraid of the story. He asks his father, "Would you also sacrifice me?" And the father responds, "I love you too much. The love I have for you is the stronger than the love I have for God." I know what you're thinking. Toddler + Museum = Potential Disaster. Oh the things that could go wrong -- a temper tantrum on the floor of a crowded gallery, sticky fingerprints left on a delicate piece of art, any number of bodily fluids leaking onto the floor... the possibilities are endless. Yes, taking a toddler to a museum can feel like risky business, but there are quite a few things you can do to minimize disaster, and more importantly, make the trip fun for your little one. 1. Know the Rules Before You Go! There are a few basic rules that apply to almost any museum -- don't touch anything, no food or drinks, and no roughhousing; but there are way more rules when you bring a toddler with you. My wife and I have learned the hard way that if you're bringing a kid, you should research museum rules and regulations before your visit. Advertisement Had we done our homework prior to our Louvre visit in 2012, would have left our backpack-style kid carrier at the hotel, and brought the soft-carrier instead. We had planned on our oldest daughter, Addie, napping in her carrier while we meandered through the Renaissance wing. Instead, we were forced to hand over the pack - and my passport - in exchange for the most uncomfortable stroller every made. Addie barely napped, and we regretted not having our soft-carrier, which the museum would have allowed. Plus, getting the stroller was a 30-minute process, and we easily lost another hour of browsing time to Addie's abbreviated nap. Lesson learned: know before you go! Here are a few things you might want to check on before you visit a particular museum: Are strollers allowed and/or baby carriers allowed? Can diaper bags be carried throughout the museum? Are bottles/sippy cups allowed? Can they contain milk? Or only water? Are there bathrooms with changing tables? Does the museum have an area for nursing mothers? 2. Make a Game Plan Museums are generally open every day of the week except Monday. Before our kids were born, that's about all we every worried about prior to arriving at a museum. Once there, we had plenty of leisure time to figure out which exhibits to visit, have a snack in the cafe, and pick up a postcard or two in the gift shop. We quickly discovered this laid-back approach does not work with a toddler. While you're researching museum rules, make sure to spend some time learning about the museum's exhibits, toddler friendly areas, food/snack availability, and the layout. Make note of the things you do not want to miss because chances are, you will not see the vast majority of the exhibits. Unless the kids are napping for some of our visit, we have found that their attention maxes out after about two hours. Advertisement 3. Let Them Lead the Way Once you get to the museum, let your toddler take the lead. On a recent trip to the Museum of Science in Boston, we spent a good 20 minutes watching two Tamarins climb along tree branches and clean their bits and pieces. Not my idea of a fun time, but our kids were entranced, so we went with it. Taking a toddler to a museum is about them - not you. No one wants to be dragged around for two hours, looking at things that don't interest them. By encouraging your little one to explore what catches their eye, you are instilling positive feelings about museums. They become a place of fun and curiosity, rather than boring and stifling. 4. Take Advantage of Children's Programming A lot of museums have activities or tours geared toward kids. When you're researching a particular museum's rules and exhibits, check out what kind of programming is available for children. There are often exhibits made just for kids, or activity areas for little ones to explore. When our kids' attention seems to be waning, we make a pit-stop in the children's zone. We want them to enjoy the museum experience as much as us, so it's important to make sure they are happy campers... er, museum goers. 5. Visit a Museum Made for Kids If you're still nervous about taking your little one to a museum, start out with one geared toward children. The exhibits will be pint-sized, and made to interest kids, while the facilities will have the needs of parents and children in mind. You don't have to worry about perfect, quiet behavior from your toddler, which, let's face it, can be unpredictable at this age! We love taking our three kids to children's museums -- there's always plenty for them to explore, and the exhibits are made to stimulate their senses. Advertisement Though it may seem daunting, taking your toddler to a museum can be a great adventure for everyone. Unlike the formal learning they will experience in school, museums provide kids with invaluable informal learning experiences in which they can discover and pursue their interests, stretch their brains, and be exposed to great art, music, science, history, and more. Furthermore, it can be a great bonding experience as you share the joy of learning with your little one. We braved museums through our oldest kid's toddler years, and now our twin toddlers are becoming museum experts. So put aside your fears, do some research, and take your toddler to a museum! When we have the flu, a fever, or other physical ailment, or are diagnosed with a serious disease like cancer or diabetes, what do we do? Many seek immediate help from a physician or other speciality clinician, and many receive encouragement from family, friends, and employers to approach their illness with vigour. Unfortunately, that is not always the case when it comes to treating mental illness. In the United States, 20 percent of the population experiences a mental health problem in a given year, compared with 17 percent of people in the United Kingdom. But in both countries, more than three in five people do not receive the care they need to be healthy and live a productive life. Why? Mental health is often experienced in isolation. Because of stigma, discrimination, and other issues that are barriers to accessing traditional mental health services, too many people face depression, stress, and anxiety alone. Advertisement These unaddressed invisible scars can be costly and damaging. As a social entrepreneur, my goal is to transform the way we, as a global society, imagine mental health care. I founded Big White Wall (BWW) so that it centers more on social relationships and provides an accessible, effective, and safe mental health journey. Members of Big White Wall can share their emotions anonymously, choose their path to recovery, assess their emotional health, and learn coping techniques without the fear of being judged. Rather than replace clinicians, BWW is clinically curated with professional staff available 24/7. It is intended to enable people to choose when and how they wish to draw on clinical support while ensuring appropriate protocols for risk assessment and escalation. It is a service without waiting lists, without office hours, and without judgment. Digitally based, professionally guided platforms expand access, enhance member engagement, and extend care team reach. BWW is an innovation that is both cost effective and evidence based. For employers, these solutions may reduce medical costs, save on lost wages, and improve employee retention and promotion. Internal studies show that 67 percent of people affected by mental health-related absence reported that BWW reduced the amount of time lost, and 76 percent of people affected by mental health-related productivity loss ("presenteeism") reported that BWW reduced the amount of time lost. By changing the way we think about mental health and by adopting alternative forms of behavioural health support, we help those living with poor mental health become more empowered to take control of their recovery journey. Advertisement For the past 40 years, which is how long I have been in journalism, I have had a nose for news. So I guess it was not surprising that the news I received recently involved my nose. Who knows what news you will receive about your nose until you go to the dermatologist, which is what I did and was told I had skin cancer on -- you guessed it -- my ear. No, actually, it was on my nose, which is my most prominent feature with the notable exception of my mouth, a cavelike aperture made even larger because it frequently contains my size 11 foot. Advertisement But back to my nose, which is nothing to sneeze at. "I think I know what this is," said my dermatologist, Dr. Adam Korzenko, who has a practice in Port Jefferson Station, New York. "Yes," I replied helpfully, "it's my nose. Believe it or not, it was this size when I was born. I couldn't lift my head until I was 3 years old." "No," the good doctor told his patient patiently, "I mean this little red spot." "In my case," I countered, "the red spot isn't so little. If I stood on a street corner, cars might actually stop." "I am going to do a biopsy," Dr. Korzenko said, "but I am 99 percent sure this is a basal cell carcinoma. It's not life-threatening, but you should have it removed." Advertisement "My nose?" I exclaimed. "That would involve dynamite and jackhammers. You'd have to hire a construction crew." "You can keep your nose," Dr. Korzenko said reassuringly. "Good," I responded, "because nobody else would want it. But I have to ask a question: How could I have skin cancer? I am not a sun worshipper. And if I go out on a sunny day, I always slather myself with sunscreen." "This probably goes back to when you were a kid," Dr. Korzenko said. "It's very common. I see 800 cases a year. And it's really nothing to worry about. But you should have it taken care of." The skin, Dr. Korzenko said, is the body's largest organ (sorry, guys), which is why it is important to have it checked regularly. A few days later, the biopsy came back positive. "Are you positive?" I asked the nice person who called with the news. "Yes," she said. "We'll book you with a surgeon." Not long afterward, I went to East Setauket, New York, and sat in the office of Dr. Evan Jones, who was ready to do a Mohs procedure. Advertisement "Mohs?" I inquired. "Please tell me Larry and Curly won't be assisting." "They're on vacation," said Dr. Jones, adding that he would numb my nose with a local anesthetic. "I don't care where it comes from," I said. "You could even use something imported, like beer. I could go for one." "Then," he explained, "I'll take off a thin layer and run a test on it. If I need to take off another layer, I will until there are no more cancer cells." The procedure lasted about an hour, most of it spent waiting for the results to come back. Dr. Jones took off one layer and a tiny bit more before saying, "OK, you're all done." The next day, I went to see Dr. Gregory Diehl, a plastic surgeon in Port Jefferson Station. "I don't want to end up with a third nostril," I told him. "You can breathe easy with two nostrils," he said. "Maybe you can use spackle," I suggested. "Of course, then you'd have to throw in the trowel." "I have a better way," said Dr. Diehl, who explained how he would take skin from the upper right side of my nose and use it to seamlessly cover the cancerous area that was removed during the Mohs procedure. It was ingenious. And artistic. And swell, even though my nose didn't swell any more than it did before. Advertisement Now I am cancer-free, on the mend and looking as lovely as ever. And I owe it to Drs. Korzenko, Jones and Diehl, all of whom are credits to their profession and good guys to boot. I may not be a doctor myself, but I am going to give everyone a prescription: Go to the dermatologist regularly and wear sunscreen. The nose knows. Stamford Advocate humor columnist Jerry Zezima is the author of three books. His latest is "Grandfather Knows Best." Visit his blog at www.jerryzezima.blogspot.com. Email: JerryZ111@optonline.net. FILE - In this Tuesday, May 27, 2008 file photo, the gurney used to restrain condemned prisoners during the lethal injection process is shown in the Texas death house in Huntsville, Texas. Texas and other states that lead America in executions are sentencing many fewer inmates to death, a trend that slowly is reducing the death row population in the United States, a report from an anti-capital punishment group says. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File) In 1979, Jimmy Carter was President. Pink Floyd released their bestselling album "The Wall." Denim overalls were in, Mork and Mindy was on TV, and news about the Iranian hostage crisis dominated every headline. Some of you reading this weren't even alive in 1979. But in 1979, another, perhaps less well-known event, took place. Roger Tackett, a teacher, moonlighting as a convenience store attendant in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, was shot and killed. Brandon Astor Jones and his co-defendant Van Roosevelt Solomon were sentenced to death for the crime. Solomon was executed in 1985, but Jones has remained on death row for all this time. Advertisement That's 38 years of waiting to be executed. The State of Georgia just set a February 2, 2016 execution date for Jones. A 2016 execution date for a murder that happened in 1979. I mean, what's the point? None of the reasons we punish hold true here. We punish people to deter others from committing the same crime. But who is likely to be deterred by a 38-year delay between sentence and execution? (And let's just put it out there, the death penalty is not a deterrent anyway). We punish people to incapacitate them so they can not harm anyone else. At 72 years old, statistics would suggest that Jones is unlikely to harm anyone else anyway. We punish people for retribution. And Jones' crime of murder is certainly serious and worthy of punishment. But it does seem a bit bizarre to put to death a 72 year old now for a crime he committed all those many years ago. The person Jones was then, and the person he is today, are entirely disconnected. Too much -- way too much -- time has passed. The idea of "too much time" on death row is not entirely new. International courts have found too-long stays on death row to be problematic. In 1993, a British court found that it was "inhumane and degrading" to hang anyone who spent more than five years on death row. The court said it felt too much like double punishment, and that the death sentences should be commuted to life. Advertisement Closer to home, the United States Supreme Court has never ruled on the issue of whether keeping someone on death row for too long is cruel and unusual punishment. In 2009, Justice Stevens and Justice Breyer voted to grant review in a case involving a 32-year stay on death row. Since not enough Supreme Court justices agreed to take on that issue, it is still unresolved by our highest court. But the issue of "too long" death sentences remains ripe for our highest court to consider. Jones is now 72, and not in great health. He is a writer and a blogger who documents his experiences on death row. In other words, Jones may still have something to teach us; something perhaps that he can contribute to society were he permitted to serve out the rest of his life behind bars. By: Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent, The Wesleyan Church and Founder of World Hope International Sierra Leone has always held a special place in my heart. After the devastation left by Ebola throughout 2014 and most of 2015, I look forward to 2016 as a pivotal year of recovery for the country. Prior to the Ebola outbreak, the war-torn nation had made such great strides in its economy, job market, and infant and maternal mortality rate. Now, Sierra Leoneans have an opportunity to not only rebuild the country, but also resume its progress. Carrie Jo Cain, a registered nurse who grew up in Sierra Leone, also believes that this year will play a major role in shaping the future of the country. As the program health director for World Hope International (WHI), a Christian relief and development organization working with vulnerable and exploited communities to alleviate poverty, suffering and injustice, she worked endlessly and tirelessly in the fight to stop Ebola and will play an instrumental role in helping the country in its recovery efforts. Advertisement She was recently announced as the winner of the prestigious Children's Prize, an annual global competition seeking to fund the best and most effective child survival project proposing to save the greatest number of children's lives. I had the privilege of interviewing Carrie Jo (CJ) about Sierra Leone, and wanted to share some highlights of our insightful discussion with all of you: Me: Why do you think 2016 is a pivotal year for Sierra Leone? CJ: This is the year that Sierra Leoneans can set the tone and set the stage for their recovery post-Ebola. Having just been officially declared Ebola-free in November 2015, 2016 will allow Sierra Leone to buckle down and focus on rebuilding their country in the aftermath of Ebola. They must also be ready for Ebola to re-emerge and know how to stop it by blocking transmission. Sierra Leoneans have to reach out and grab all of the wonderful opportunities that are coming their way to turn around negative situations and improve the country. They must remain passionate about their country and fight to rebuild it after such a devastating blow to their economy, healthcare and education systems, infrastructure and overall mental and physical well-being. Me: What do you think the country can do in 2016 to effectively rebuild itself after Ebola? CJ: I think the most important thing the country can do to effectively rebuild itself this year is to build national pride and patriotism and keep passionate about recovery. It is definitely going to be an uphill battle but everyone needs to remain enthused and focused on improving the status quo. I also think another key factor is increasing the number of young scholars in Sierra Leone. Many young people leave the country to pursue an education, which is great, but then they do not return. It saddens me to see so many young, educated Sierra Leoneans not returning to their country to put their newfound knowledge into action. We need these young scholars to return to their country and help Sierra Leone rebuild itself post-Ebola. Me: What do you think will be the three main areas of focus for Sierra Leone in 2016? CJ: We have to improve the healthcare system and that means not only through medical supplies and training, but also by providing basic sanitation and clean water. We have to improve education and get children - many of whom stopped attending during the Ebola outbreak - back in school and we have to improve communication. Without communication it is not possible for programs like Helping Babies Breathe to even get off of the ground. Unfortunately, these three areas took a hard hit during the Ebola outbreak and I strongly feel that these need to be and will be the main areas of focus in Sierra Leone this year. Me: Speaking of health care, it was announced in mid-December last year that you are the 2015 recipient of the Children's Prize. Can you tell me about this? CJ: Yes! As the Children's Prize recipient, WHI will receive $250,000 in funding to implement the American Academy of Pediatrics' Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) program to save an estimated 5,336 lives at birth in Sierra Leone over the course of two years. Sierra Leone is ranked the worst country in the world for under-five mortality; nearly one out of every three Sierra Leonean children do not live to see their fifth birthday. Thirty percent of these deaths occur during the first day of life. The primary force driving this harrowing fact is simple: a lack of skilled attendants in delivery. In fact, 77 percent of rural deliveries in Sierra Leone occurred at home, with assistance from Traditional Birth Attendants who are largely illiterate and have no formal training. Advertisement While the HBB program has already been implemented with success in 77 countries over the past four years, it was designed for use in health facilities. WHI's plan is to expand the curriculum to include all those attending births in non-clinical settings, therefore improving survival conditions. Me: What is the HBB program? CJ: HBB in Sierra Leone specifically is about preventing a potentially negative outcome from happening - the death of a newborn. It teaches rural healthcare professionals how to intervene when a baby is in distress and help it get its first breaths with low-tech intervention. Me: How will WHI leverage the funding they will receive from the Children's Prize? CJ: Great question. WHI will use the $250,000 in funding that they receive from the Children's Prize to implement HBB in five districts in Sierra Leone in collaboration with local health ministries and UNICEF, which will save an estimated 5,336 lives at birth over the course of two years. Right now we are in the planning phases working to get the program off the ground and hopefully expand across the entire country. In 2014, my team and I implemented a HBB pilot program in three chiefdoms in Sierra Leone leveraging private funds and church support. It was so well received and embraced by the community that we decided it would be a good idea to roll it out to other districts across Sierra Leone, which is what I will be focusing on over the next few months. During the pilot program, the trainees were so enthusiastic that they often sang songs of thankfulness at the close of the training - singing about how their babies would now have a better chance at life. This confirmed that what we were doing was special and inspired me to expand efforts to roll out training. The Sierra Leoneans, many of whom had walked 10 miles to participate in our training, were very appreciative of the fact that we were training them in their community, their setting, with a baby that looked like them. Me: Why is this program so close to your heart? CJ: I have worked in the birthing setting for many years and have witnesses the impact of a well-trained team in saving the life of a new-born infant in distress. The methods in HBB are simple and the technology is easily used in the most rural setting by the least educated caregiver. I have observed many times over the death of infants because of no one being trained to intervene. We now finally have the opportunity to impact this on a large scale. Having grown up in Sierra Leone and feeling called into nursing from experiences volunteering alongside missionary nurses, I feel privileged to finally bring something so life-changing to a group of people so in need of this type of intervention. Entrepreneurship, like so much of American history, began on our nation's farms. From the moment the first ancestors planted a seed, watered it and waited for its bountiful harvest, the need for food has inspired generations of farmers to create, innovate and grow business ventures. From Eli Whitney's famous Cotton Gin in 1793 to John Deere and his Steel plow in 1837, America's farmers have long been stalwarts of entrepreneurship, experimentation and innovation. After all, no other activity do we engage in as regularly, as feeding ourselves. It is thanks to these past innovators that today few people in this country go hungry. Last year, I had the opportunity to deliver the keynote speech at the West Virginia Small Farms Conference on the important role farmers played in the history of entrepreneurship. However, somewhere, along the way, our farmers have lost their entrepreneurial footing, but it doesn't have to be that way. We have the opportunity to change with the next generation of farmers, inspiring and teaching them that farms can be productive, rewarding and profitable career paths. In order to encourage and help develop our next generation of farmer entrepreneurs, we need to enhance the way we teach agriculture. Rural school systems need to introduce farming entrepreneurship programs in high schools, but we need to go beyond just entrepreneurship programs. After all, programs like 4H and the Future Farmers of America have been encouraging entrepreneurship from the beginning with programs for students to raise, show and sell livestock at shows around the country. Advertisement To add to the already significant body of agricultural education, we need to include a technology component, which will ensure the development of our future food sources. Our future farmers and farms will look nothing like they do today. Without significant education in high technology, programming and access to high-speed internet access in rural communities, we are hamstringing our next generation of farmers. The future of farming will rely heavily on Agriculture Technologies (AgTech), or the innovative combination of agricultural practices and technology. Future AgTech solutions will be designed to encourage rapid problem-solving be it unmanned aerial vehicles (drone) that automatically deploys to inspect a cow that has not eaten for four hours or for innovative sensors for water management, soil readings, or food traceability, all these devices and ones yet unknowable will need to be developed so that we will be able to feed future Americans and the world. According to a report from the World Wildlife Foundation: "Over the next 40 years, land, energy, water, and weather constraints will place unprecedented pressure on mankind's ability to access its most basic goods-- food, fuel, and fiber. Humanity must now produce more food in the next four decades than we have in the last 8,000 years of agriculture combined. And we must do so sustainably." ("The 2050 Criteria," World Wildlife Fund) The need for AgTech is an imperative if we are to feed ourselves in the future, according to a report from the Kauffman Foundation: Advertisement "There is limited opportunity to expand the land used in agricultural production, and agriculture also must deal with environmental risks such as climate change. To succeed in sustainably increasing food production, major innovations in AgTech are required that increase agricultural productivity and improve the efficiency and resiliency of the entire food system." To develop these innovations, we need to provide proper educational opportunities and resources to today's teachers who teach and inspire tomorrow's farmers. AgTech has the ability to draw the next generation of American entrepreneurs and pioneers back into farming and agriculture as a career. As a profession, farming has statistically been on the decline - attracting fewer and fewer new farmers to the field. As a result, the landscape of America's farm and the innovation has inevitably become stagnant. However, incorporating a more technological approach and more focused farming systems can attract a generation of problem-solvers who are comfortable incorporating technology into the industry. In order to combat this trend and inspire greater innovation in AgTech, as the Entrepreneur-In-Residence and professor at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College in rural West Virginia, we partnered with the Robert C. Bryd Institute for Flexible Manufacturing, Potomac State College and the West Virginia National Guard to hold West Virginia's first Agricultural Innovation Summit in one the state's most agricultural regions. This event brought together over 300 high school students, educators, public policy makers, funders and entrepreneurs to explore and inspire opportunities to create the next generation of farming technology. Attendees were introduced to 3D printing, Ag drones, virtual welding and other technologies that will be a requisite on tomorrow's farms. AgTech has the unique ability to combine new technology with the traditional farming practices, creating greener, more productive and sustainable farms while at the same time creating a healthier society and new jobs. However, in order to meet the needs of those future jobs and our food needs, we need to ensure our educators are well equipped not to teach just sound agricultural practices but also on the application of technology to create healthier, more productive and sustainable farming practices. I grow tired of hearing non-Muslims exclaim that Muslims are not all terrorists. It is, of course, true. But it doesn't require much insight and rarely adds anything new to our society's strained discourse about Islam and terror. In fact, it often serves merely as a bone that critics throw out to claim they are fair before launching into a commentary about the vices of Islam as an ideology. As a Christian, I try to imagine what it would be like to hear non-Christians discussing my religion in such terms. I can understand how Muslims would find the whole discussion -- including this blog post --annoying. And yet, despite my hesitations, current events convince me it is vitally important to continue the discussion. In a sermon preached a few days after the Paris attacks last November, pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church in Dallas repeated what is a mantra for him and similarly-minded Christians. Islam, he proclaimed, is a religion "inspired by Satan himself." His evidence consisted of a concoction of half-truths and blatant errors about Islam. The speech invites many responses, but I will address one statement that was central to his message. He opined, "It is impossible to separate what these [terrorists] did from their faith...that inspired them." Advertisement Is that true? What are the implications of such a claim? I assume that Jeffress has a different opinion about Christianity. I assume he would say it is possible to separate the Christian faith from horrible acts that Christians have committed throughout history, even those done specifically in the name of Christ. He states that Christianity is inherently peaceful and Islam is inherently violent. If so, it follows that when Christians act badly, they are acting in opposition to the teaching of Christianity, but when Muslims act badly, they are acting, in his words, "according to the teaching of Islam." Does the Christian faith, or sound reason, require such an interpretation of Islam? It seems to me that insisting on such distinctions runs afoul of the Golden Rule. It also obscures the many psychological, historical and socioeconomic factors that influence terrorists. But those points aside for now, such interpretations also expose a crucial blind spot: They do not adequately account for good guys with Qur'ans. Stated as a question, what do you do with virtuous Muslims -- men and women -- who are specifically and sometimes heroically inspired by Islam's traditions, teachings and scriptures? What do you do with Abdul Ghaffar Khan, known as the "Frontier Gandhi," and his legacy of nonviolence and peace-activism in 20th century India? As a Pashtun Muslim -- the same tribe as Afghanistan's Taliban -- Ghaffar Khan was inspired by the Qur'an and the example of Muhammad to lead hundreds of thousands in nonviolent resistance to harsh British rule. Can you separate Ghaffar Khan's legacy of peace from the faith that inspired him? Advertisement Can you separate Gulen's work and influence from the religion that inspires him and his followers? How should we consider the Nyamirambo mosque in Rwanda? During Easter of 1994, as Rwanda -- one of the most Christianized countries in the world -- was erupting in genocidal violence and churches were becoming mass graves, this small mosque was one among many that stood against the chaos and welcomed and protected all ethnicities. Such counter-cultural courage led Christian theologian Emmanuel Katongole to conclude that during Easter 1994, "the Muslims of Nyamirambo... and not the Christian churches, embodied the hope of Christ's resurrection." Can you separate such acts of courage from the religion that inspired them? What do you do with Azim Khamisa, an ordinary citizen who became an extraordinary model of mercy after his son Tariq was murdered in 1995 in San Diego? Inspired by his Islamic faith, Azim turned his grief into forgiveness for the young man who killed his son, and started a foundation in partnership with the young man's grandfather to address youth violence. Can you separate Azim's response from the faith and religion that inspired him? I could also mention the Muslims in Kenya who refused to separate themselves from their Christian neighbors on a bus that was being attacked by al-Shabaab terrorists last month. Or those in Oslo who formed a "protective human ring" around a synagogue last year in response to attacks against Jewish communities. Or Malala Yousafzai, the youngest-ever Nobel laureate, and her courage to oppose Taliban brutality and advocate for female education in Pakistan. I could also add many examples of mercy and goodness I have personally experienced in Muslim colleagues and friends through the years. Obviously, all Muslims are not terrorists. But Pastor Jeffress made at least one good point in saying you cannot completely separate terrorists' actions from their religious motivations. That is true for all terrorists and all their religious and nonreligious motivations. But a deeper point can also be made: It is also impossible to separate acts of courage, mercy and kindness from the religious motivations of the people who perform them, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. As we reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is important to ask yourself how you are living 'The Dream' and recognizing others that are doing so. Amid our vast US population of approximately 319 million people today, we have a finite number of veterans that gave their lives to protect and serve our country during times of war. Even a smaller number of modern day heroes that battled to protect US citizens in war times and fought under the banner of civil rights, while not being afforded the constitutional rights to freedom and liberties promised to all. One particular servant of freedom and civil rights is Dabney N. Montgomery. He uniquely fits both of these categories of service to all mankind in American history. Mr. Montgomery is a World War II (WWII) veteran, a distinguished Tuskegee Airman and a civil right freedom fighter. Advertisement Mr. Montgomery recently dedicated the heels of his shoes and necktie that he wore during the march from Selma to Montgomery along with his address book that depicts the contact information for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. How did Mr. Montgomery begin his service to his country? After graduating from high school in 1942, he attended Selma University in Selma, Alabama. One year later he was drafted into the US Armed Forces. He believes since he had one year of college under his belt he was assigned to the 1051st Quartermaster of the 96th Air Service Group that supported the 332nd Fighter Group. At that time, it was illegal to train Black soldiers to be combat pilots, but First Lady Roosevelt purposefully flew in a plane operated by a Black pilot and later convinced her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt to allow Black soldiers to train to become combat pilots. Through the Army, Bro. Montgomery was able to do a tour in Southern Italy and he vividly recalls Mt. Vesuvius had erupted during World War II. It spewed tons of ash into the air. He and others had to shovel and clear the ash from the supply tents, while the Germans continued their attack. During times like this he recalls a familiar Tuskegee Airmen chant --- a fellow solider would shout out the word, "Despite!" (and nearby soldiers would shout back), "We will fight!." He was a proud quartermaster solider ensuring that through food, clothing and other supplies, the pilots and ground crew personnel were in war fighting condition. Advertisement On a humorous note, when asked why were the tails of the P-51 Mustangs painted red, Montgomery would always chuckle and say, "We had an excess of red paint"; hence, the Tuskegee Airmen were affectionately called, 'Red Tails'. So, how did Dabney N. Montgomery become involved with the civil rights movement? After Montgomery's WWII service, the 23 year old war veteran took advantage of the G.I. Bill and headed to Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina. While attending this historical Black college, he was initiated into the first intercollegiate Black Greek fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha and earned a Bachelor's of Arts in religious studies in 1949. Before graduation in 1949, he heard a voice telling him, "When the laws of the state conflicts with the conscious of man, then the laws of the state must be peaceably broken." In 1951, he moved to Boston to study ballet at the Boston Conservatory of Music. There he taught Sunday school and through the church he met a woman who embraced him as her godson. One Sunday, she invited him over to dinner to meet her other godson and his fiance. When he showed up, he met a fellow fraternity member, Bro. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his fiance, Coretta Scott. Over the next few years, he would be back and forth between Alabama, Michigan and New York. In 1965, he was drawn back to Selma, Alabama where he became one of the bodyguards for the young man he had met in Boston, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was actively involved in many civil rights initiatives, and was a man of faith and freedom. Advertisement Mr. Montgomery has lived in Harlem for the past 62 years. Until retirement, he worked for NYC Housing Authority, but spent much of his time at the Harlem YMCA and his place of worship Mother AME Zion Church to mentor and develop boys and girls into leaders. In 2007, President Bush and US congress bestowed The Congressional Gold Medal of Honor upon the Tuskegee Airmen. Additionally, Mr. Montgomery has received a myriad of awards and recognition from federal and state elected officials, as well as community and national organizations. Mixed race teenage girl breaking cigarette in half I smoked for 28 years. As I was a solid pack-a-day guy for more or less that entire time, that translates into ten thousand, two hundred twenty-seven packs (including leap years). You'd think by that time I would have had enough. Which was exactly what I thought: Enough. It had reached the point where I felt pretty sure that if this kept going, it would kill me. (After all, it had killed my mom.) Advertisement And so, one day in July, 1999, I decided to quit. Here was the situation: I was in the midst of a difficult divorce. Our two young boys were going back and forth between her place (10,000 square-foot house on a 21 mountaintop acres overlooking the city) and mine (tiny apartment in the outskirts of said city). This was the day the boys were coming to stay with me. It was also my first day in a brand new job as editor-in-chief of a major national newsstand magazine, and because the first draft of our cover story had been a disaster, I now had one day to redo it myself. Today. The day my kids were coming. The day I was quitting smoking, after twenty-eight years. So, yeah: stress. As the Lloyd Bridges character says in that great Zucker brothers comedy Airplane!, "I guess I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue." Except here's the thing: there is no "wrong day" to let go of a destructive habit or pernicious addiction (two phrases that mean the same thing). There is no hard day. There is no ideal day. There are only three things: the addictive habit the fleeting moment the absence of that habit That's it. They say thinking about quitting is easy, but quitting is hard. In my experience they have it exactly backwards. Advertisement As it turned out, quitting wasn't hard. Not hard at all. What was hard was thinking about quitting. Because you could do that over and over again, for days, for weeks. You could wallow in the idea, agonize over it, come at it from a hundred different angles, strategize about it, indulge in it. Thinking about quitting: you could stretch that out for years. But actually quitting? That you cannot stretch out, not even for a day. You can't bask in it or drench yourself in it. There isn't time. Because it takes less than a minute, and then it's over. History. Here is when the actual quitting occurs: During the three or four seconds it takes to crush out the last butt. I remember mine. I was sitting in a little wooden kitchen chair on my front porch in Crozet, Virginia. I'd decided to make this the final smoke, the last hurrah, and to enjoy it as it departed. I did. Then I crushed it out. Over. (This was 16.5 years ago; haven't had one since.) At that point, if I'd wanted to process the experience any further, I'd have had to get myself back into the place where I was able to start thinking about quitting again, which would mean I'd have had to start actually smoking again. You see how that works? Complex, yet seductively logical. Devious. And delusional. Quitting is turning a switch. No more. Thinking about quitting: now that's a drama. As you may have already suspected, all of this is not purely about quitting cigarettes. It's about quitting anything. Advertisement For example, certain thoughts and beliefs. For most of my adult life, I have labored under the crushing and near-constant weight of this thought: "I never have enough time." Deadline. Big book project. Correspondence. Other possible projects. Family. Kids. Multiple responsibilities. Never enough time. In my adult life I smoked about 204,540 cigarettes. I wonder how many times I smoked this thought: I never have enough time. I'll bet I've sucked that declaration in through my mental lungs, consciously or not, ten times that often. That's more than two million repetitions. I was worried that smoking would eventually cut my time short -- and meanwhile I was already doing exactly that myself, in my head, two hundred times a day. A few weeks ago I attended a meditation retreat led by Dr. Joe Dispenza and heard some interesting observations he presented there, including: Advertisement Stress is addictive. The more you are in survival, the less you are in creativity. The more addicted to a given experience you are, the more your soul falls asleep. Here are a few thoughts that occurred to me while listening to him, which I also jotted down in my notes: Indulging in a simmering resentment is the same thing as smoking a cigarette. Thinking "I'll never be able to..." is the same thing as smoking a cigarette. Telling myself "I don't have enough time" is the same thing as smoking a cigarette. At one point we were asked to bring up a limiting belief we had, and then given a meditation exercise that concluded with our positing and experiencing the opposite belief. I immediately chose "I never have enough time." Asked to write down the opposite belief, the positive one, I wrote: I have all the time in the world. I liked the feel of that. Ever since, it's been soaking in. I do notice myself slipping into the addictive thought pattern and, like quickly straightening one's posture every time one finds oneself slouching, immediately remind myself of it. Advertisement I have all the time in the world. When the retreat concluded and I reviewed my notes, I read that line again -- and laughed out loud, because I suddenly realized it reminded me of something. It reminded me of the day, back in September 2014, when I wrote the last page of our manuscript for Bob Beckel's memoir, I Should Be Dead. Reminded me of that a lot. The book is a memoir of addiction and recovery, enslavement and liberation. I had a blast working on it, and I still remember the exhilaration when the book's very last line popped into my head and spilled out onto the page. Here are the last six paragraphs (emphasis on that last line added): There was a time when life was a constant struggle, when I would often find myself consumed by anger, or indignation, or fear, or anxiety. These days, I mostly just find myself at peace. It drives some of my friends crazy when I say that. Others just laugh. I can understand why. Most people who know me from television, or from politics, probably see me as combative and argumentative, the last person they'd describe as "peaceful." Yes, I disagree with my colleagues, sometimes vociferously. But I don't get too caught up in any of it. Life is too precious. I say what I think. And then watch the world go by. So what comes next, once my leg is healed? At least one more chapter, I think, perhaps several more. As to what's in those chapters, I'll have to wait and see. No hurry. I've got all the time in the world. I knew that thought seemed familiar. I was already thinking it more than a year ago -- enough to make it the punch line of an entire book! And now it had finally bubbled up to surface as a personal imperative. After thinking "not enough time" for decades, it was time to let that one go. Advertisement So there it goes. Call it a "New Year's dehabituation." Although no one had been expecting it, the installation at the Waldorf Astoria of the sleek, new Asian restaurant named La Chine into the space that had long been the casual eatery Oscar's Brasserie seems a logical step for the grand hotel's new owners. The Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group of China paid a record $1.95 billion for the hotel. Word is they poured another $12 million into La Chine, and it shows in every detail of this beautiful dining room, and as much effort seems to have gone into the food, for they are cooking up what is now the most exciting Chinese menu in NYC. This is not a place to go for General Tso's chicken, moo shoo pork, or egg rolls, and there is almost nothing on the menu at La Chine that you'd easily find elsewhere in NYC unless you ferret the dish out somewhere in Chinatown, where decor and service is always an iffy proposition. The La Chine design swirls around the motif cherry blossoms and geometric patterns, all done in black, satin bronze, deep blue and gold accents, with a white travertine floor beneath a stunning gold dome and three-tiered chandelier. It is an extensive menu, set up by Chef Kong Khai Meng from Singapore, in categories of raw seafood, appetizers, barbecue, seafood, beef, chicken and lamb, sides, rice and noodles, then desserts. From the first category we enjoyed lustrous yellowtail with a Szechwan pepper oil just hot enough to enhance the delicacy of the fish without overwhelming it ($22). Carefully cut big eye tuna tartare with caviar, pickled vegetables and soy vinegar ($22) was a triumph of mild, saline, sour, and briny flavors, beautifully presented. Of the appetizers chilled Szechuan chicken with crunchy peanuts ($16) was a nice surprise, though bone-in pork ribs with a kumquat glaze ($18) was surprisingly bland. Best of all was beef tongue with lotus root and celery ($15), which stood out not just for its rare appearance on a menu but also for its lovely presentation. You may order either a half ($45) or whole ($70) roast duck with crepes, leeks, cucumber, and cantaloupe, which also comes with minced duck in lettuce wraps, is very good. Wok-seared lobster took on Guangdong sweet-salty flavors from black bean and wild fern ($45), and the wok also worked wonders for lamb loin Shanxi-style, with cumin and shallots ($38). Wholly different from the chilled chicken dish above, Szechuan chicken with cashews ($28) had simple goodness to recommend it, a dish you could go on eating forever. Braised tofu Guangdong style, itself bland, was ennobled with roasted pork, pickled olive leaves and mustard greens to excellent effect ($21), while buckwheat noodles from Anhut came with barbecued pork and shrimp ($18). Remarkably, while the menu prices are not particularly high for this caliber of food and style, it does seem odd that rice is not served as a matter of course, although it might be argued that in classic Chinese meals, rice is served at the very end of the meal as a mere mild balm to the palate. At La Chine that will cost you $5, whereas side dishes of fried jasmine rice with crabmeat and fish roe runs $19 as a separate dish. Desserts are rarely the forte of Chinese restaurants but La Chine's coconut tapioca soup with dragon fruit, mango and horned melon ($14) and a dark chocolate and Szechuan pepper cake with molten sesame ganache and ginger ice cream ($15) are not to be missed, though pricey. La Chine has an extensive list of both Japanese sakes and Chinese spirits in addition to one of the best wine lists for a Chinese restaurant in NYC, overseen by sommelier Christophe Orlarei. . Specialty cocktails range from $16-$18. There are also nine teas offered. I noted that the service, from manager Markus Tschushnig and the hostess station to captain and waiters, could not have been more courteous or efficient, but, this being a union shop, at the magic moment of 9:30 PM just about everyone disappeared from the dining room floor, leaving guests to flag down whatever staff member might pass by. This needs fixing fast. What good is it being a rich Chinese insurance company if you can't showcase fine Chinese cuisine, so I commend Anbang for placing La Chine within a storied hotel whose reputation for excellence that can bring attention to a Chinese restaurant as superlative as this beauty is. I was awake in my Erbil hotel room when the Muslim call to prayer, the Adhan, began. I was unable to sleep. It was my first morning in Iraq. I had arrived at 4 a.m. local time and was trying to get some rest before my initial briefing with the communications team of the World Food Programme (WFP) with whom I'd be traveling. I was anxious, nervous, happy, sad, and feeling very aware of my surroundings. This was mid-December, 2014, and that morning I felt like I'd taken on a task that was possibly beyond me. WFP, the world's largest humanitarian organization, had brought me here to witness and research. We would make a comic book together about the massive undertaking of bringing food security to the Syrian refugees fleeing the war and to the Iraqi's displaced by the rise of Da'esh, the militant group calling itself the Islamic State. You can't tell that story without discussing horror and struggle, nor can you tell it without exploring the logistic difficulties, safety concerns and organizational hardships WFP workers themselves face daily. On that first morning I couldn't help but feel a little like a fraud. Like I was wasting resources and space that other, more valuable agents, could be using. Advertisement Then the Adhan began to unfold across the dawn lit city outside. Multiple mosques rang out. The outer edges of each call layered over the fringes of the others. Collectively they formed an auditory mist. I've heard the Adhan in the Middle East before, and in East and North Africa as well, and I've always loved the sound of it. It speaks to mindfulness and the poetry of being present. Its ring reminds the listener to turn towards larger, more sustainable things. Through it I felt I was being adjusted, like the call was some kind of tuning fork. I remember taking inspiration from it, choosing in the moment to be ready to do what I was brought there by greater, more worthy, people to do. Somewhere outside, beneath the call, I could hear a dog join in with her own plaintive howl, a daily ritual for the animal maybe, and somehow, like everything in that moment, even she seemed to be in perfect harmony. We all have a part in the larger song. Over the next five days I immersed myself as much as I could in the world of my WFP guides and the people they serve. I traveled from Erbil to Dahouk to the Turkish border, then on to the edge of the Syrian border and back again, skirting Mosul for reasons both obvious and tragic. I would see thousands of Syrians and Iraqis who had lost everything. They were Muslims and Christians and Yazidis, Arabs and Kurds, mothers and sons and daughters and fathers. I would be welcomed without fail into their shipping containers, half-constructed malls and hastily built camp shelters they now called home. I would be told a hundred stories of loss. The comic that came from that trip will be published on The WorldPost over the next four days, a chapter a day, thirty-five pages in all, and while it's technically fiction, it's all also true. Comics have no motion or sound, that's one of their great distinctions as a medium, but if I could have just a single sound effect lift from these images, it would be the soulful call of the Adhan in the distance, a song of peace in a time of discord. Advertisement Department of Justice Building, Washington DC, USA. Close your eyes and imagine yourself a homeless mother, moving from one place to another every six months. You--in this imaginary world--are "undocumented" to people, and no matter how much you try, no one is reaching out to help you. Imagine how you would feel, alone with no friends or family to ask for help. Worse still, the United States government is enacting laws designed to separate you from your family because you are a scapegoat for both local and national problems. Now open your eyes and realize that your imagination is the reality of millions of undocumented immigrants living in the shadows of American society. Nearly 40 million United States residents were born abroad. About 11 million of them are undocumented. And the federal government has greatly escalated the rate at which it removes them from the U.S. Advertisement Despite the increase in removals, federal courts have held that the government's role in criminal prosecution is to seek justice, rather than victory. Courts have also held that family unification is one of the highest goals of American immigration law and policy. Nonetheless, the criminal justice system is unreasonably turning into an immigration removal system by sharing information between law enforcement agencies ("LEAs") and the Department of Homeland Security's ("DHS") Immigration Customs Enforcement ("ICE"). Residing in America is a privilege; a privilege extended to some, and not to others. Accordingly, the U.S. Congress originally did not extend the privilege to noncitizens convicted of three crimes. The list, however, now includes 28 offenses with sub-categories. We now have a system that is unreasonable because it removes noncitizens that pose no danger to American society. The government now removes people that have lived in the U.S. most of their lives, have U.S. citizen children and family members, but lack a way to become citizens of the U.S. In appropriations legislation for 2008, the U.S. Congress appropriated $200 million to improve and modernize efforts to identify noncitizens and remove them from the U.S. once they are judged removable. As a result, Secure Communities ("S-COM")-a comprehensive plan to identify and remove criminal noncitizens-was born. In 2015, DHS replaced S-COM with the Priority Enforcement Program ("PEP"). At its core, PEP is a data-sharing scheme that cross references biometric data, such as fingerprints obtained at the booking of an arrested individual, between ICE, the Federal Bureau of Investigations ("FBI"), states, and localities. Before PEP, many law enforcement agencies ("LEAs") did not determine an individual's immigration status because the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Service Division's ("CJIS") Integrated Automated Identification System ("IAFIS") and ICE's Automated Biometric Identification System "(IDENT") could not exchange data . Through PEP, however, CJIS/IAFIS automatically forwards both biographic and biometric information to IDENT. Advertisement We now have a system the screens every single person arrested by a local law enforcement official anywhere in the country for immigration status and removal eligibility. LEAs can, however, choose not to send fingerprints to the CJIS/IAFIS. According to According to Anil Kalhan, professor of law at Drexel University School of Law, however "from a practical standpoint, LEAs have no choice but to . . . forward[] arrestees' fingerprints to the [CJIS/IAFIS] in order to obtain information that is critically important for crime-fighting purposes." In this sense, he continues, ICE "extracts identification and criminal history information from state and local law enforcement agencies when they routinely transmit that information to the FBI for purposes that are unrelated to civil immigration enforcement . . ." PEP directly impacts noncitizen because PEP allows LEAs to assume an indirect immigration-policing role. PEP "empowers police to arrest individuals for the very purpose of booking them and having their immigration status screened-without regard to whether that arrest leads to any criminal prosecution." Evidence to date suggests that in some jurisdictions, this is precisely what has happened, as police officers have, disproportionally, targeted Latin Americans for minor violations and pre-textual arrests with the actual goal of initiating immigration checks through the PEP system, rather than for prosecution. Even DHS's own Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties identified criminal arrests that served as a pretext for an immigration investigation. Advertisement In addition, through PEP, ICE often detects noncitizens during the jail booking process or while awaiting trial. And according to Jason A. Cade, professor of law at the University of Georgia School of Law, "[t]hese presumptively [removable] noncitizens will face removal proceedings regardless of the outcome of their criminal cases..." As a result, he continues, noncitizens "often believe it futile and not worth the cost to contest minor criminal charges while detained, even if they are not guilty, have strong defenses, or were arrested through racial profiling or other constitutional rights violations." Even naturalized American citizens fall within PEP's scrutiny. A match with data in IDENT is not required for an individual to come to the attention of the LESC. According to Anil Kalhan, professor of law at Drexel University School of Law, even where there is no match, but the individual has an unknown or non-U.S. place of birth IDENT automatically flags the individual's record and notifies the LESC. PEP, therefore, strikes a hard blow to the first-class citizenship guaranteed by our naturalization laws. But "I was born in America. Surely I don't have anything to worry about, right?" Unfortunately ICE acknowledges that that there might be IDENT matches for U.S. citizens. U.S. citizen matches should never result in the apprehension of those individuals because the government cannot remove U.S. citizens. According to the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Policy, ICE apprehended 3,600 U.S. citizens through S-COM in 2011. Not only does PEP apprehend American citizens, it is also responsible for erroneously removing them from the U.S. For example, S-COM removed Mark Lyttle to Mexico. Lyttle was serving a sentence for a misdemeanor assault when ICE served him with a Notice to Appear in immigration court. The notice stated that Lyttle was not a U.S. citizen but rather a native of Mexico and deemed him removable. To Lyttle's surprise, he was in removal proceedings despite him being a U.S. citizen. Once in Mexico, Mexico removed Lyttle to Honduras. Thereafter, Honduras removed Lyttle to Nicaragua and then Guatemala. Implicit in the creation of PEP is the belief that noncitizens commit more crimes than native-born people. This belief is not new; first it was the Irish and Chinese immigrants, then Italians and others from southern and eastern Europe, and today Mexicans and others from Latin America. However, the belief that noncitizens commit more crimes than native-born citizens is erroneous, as academic research finds that immigrants are no more prone (and may be less prone) to engage in crime than the native born. Yet, Congress cranked up the removal machine designed to keep the logs rushing along the flumes as friction-free as possible while they hurtle toward the big blade that is waiting for them at the sawmill. Advertisement photo: Jen Munkvold Shortly after it's opening in 2000, Blue Hill in New York City gained the attention of patron David Rockefeller. Just 25 miles north of NYC, the 80-acre not for profit Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture was in the works. In the 1990s, the Rockefellers began incubating a working farm to practice resiliency and transparency - a farm that would be open to the public as a hub of learning, creativity and experimentation. Noting the like-mindedness of Blue Hill and the owners' dedication to sourcing the finest local sustainable ingredients and showcasing the effects of everyday food choices, Dan and David Barber (Dan is chef and David operates Blue Hill) were invited to build a restaurant on its property. In fact, it was thanks to the collaboration with the Barbers that their vision began to expand. With my folks at Blue Hill at Stone Barnes photo: Julie Ann Fineman The initial vision for the 2004 on-site opening was relatively modest. the Center's founders imagined an eatery with a typical greenhouse related to sustainable food and agriculture. The brothers, along with a brain trust of farmers, educators and thought leaders, expanded to greenhouse concept to cover half an acre and base its "year around" techniques on practices used by Four Season Farm in Maine, owned by Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch. This laid the foundation for a highly diversified four-season farm, which was ideal because the Barbers wanted Blue Hill at Stone Barns to educate people on the relation between cooking and farming. "Together, we set out to demonstrate the concept of an ecological cuisine - seasonal and regionally appropriate food grown and raised in harmony with the ecosystem of which the farm is a part." Advertisement Last March, Blue Hill continued to push boundaries as they mounted a monumental demonstration appropriately titled "wastED " - dedicated to food waste and re-use. photo: Daniel Krieger The premier wastED event was a collective of chefs, farmers, fishers, suppliers, processors and others focused on reinventing waste that naturally happens in the food chain. The wastED launch at Blue Hill in NYC featured 30 chefs preparing reclaimed, edible waste specials over a three-week period. Bruised fruits, stale bread and even fish heads were used to demonstrate the value of what many people would consider trash. Each night a different chef would offer a menu item, and all entrees were priced at just $15. Among the unique dishes was "Monkfish Wings" - brined from an olive bin with trial fish pepper hot sauce. photo: Thomas Schauer Blue Hill's own juice-pulp cheeseburgers has continued to be served, and has been offered at special events including Sweetlife festival and Shake Shake. The patty was made from leftover veggie pulp and other "secret" ingredients; the burger was topped with lettuce, melted cheese from Jasper Hill trimmings, ketchup from bruised beets, and honey mustard mayo and it was served between buns inspired by Balthazar Bakery, who mashed up stale bread and sprinkled "Dutch" rye crumbs on top. Advertisement photo: Daniel Krieger Another wastED event this year was entitled, "Landfill Lunch" and took place at the UN's headquarters in New York City. There, forty world leaders enjoyed a feast wastED style. The Barbers collaborated with White House Chef, Sam Kass, for this food waste presentation. The renowned "Landfill Salad" - made strictly from veggie and fruit scraps - included chickpea water and discarded produce and was the highlight of the hour! The event also featured wastED's juice-pulp cheeseburgers and was the perfect platform for the Barbers and Kass to propose solutions to global issues including hunger, poverty, and climate change through effective waste application. I was fortunate to sit down with David Barber to discuss wastED. His brother, Dan, had just left on a tour to promote his new book "The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food." I asked David his take on the three-week extravaganza and he was thrilled with the outcome. For Barber, it was a get-together for friends and farmers he's known for a long time. Fortunately, he has an obsessive work ethic: the nearly month-long banquet required a great deal of manpower. photo: Julie Ann Fineman A few years ago, I was fortunate to intern at Rainbeau Ridge farm just a few miles away from Stone Barns. I sold award-winning Rainbeau Ridge goat cheese at Stone Barn's Farmers Market, and on my days off, I volunteered in the Stone Barns propagation room to learn cutting-edge winter seeding techniques. My folks came to visit during my internship and treated me to the most memorable dinner of my lifetime at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Knowing the work required to prepare and serve a meal, I could only imagine how the three-week event impacted the restaurant's operations in NYC. Despite the difficulties, David says, "Before we started this, there were a lot of people trying to raise awareness of what's really involved in the food-waste issue and its potential impact to change things. It was worth it." Advertisement For the UN event, David waxes, "Forty heads of state were definitely a special audience." Blue Hill continues to contribute ideas to those who will spread the issues and educate the public. They've also received numerous catering requests to re-create the wastED pop up event. photo: Julie Ann Fineman David says "a real business opportunity" is juicing, especially when taking into consideration the potential of pulp renewal. He continued by explaining how "cold press is an industry" and that vegetable juicing creates a byproduct filled with nutrient-rich pulp. However, this generally gets tossed as waste or compost. It can be considered waste ripe for new industry. Is wastED a big reach? Food waste renewal presents promising career paths, plus its implications could potentially bridge food waste and hunger issues solutions across the globe. Wasted Dining Room photo: Mark Ostow Born from extraordinary, innovative thinking, Barber believes this momentum will ensure a "massive change in food in the next five or ten years." The restaurant is in a perfect position for growth because, "The tastes...desires and focus of the consumer market are changing rapidly. It's a pretty exciting time to be in food and around food, and it's going to be a delicious decade of ideas." Scroll to the bottom of this link to try Blue Hill Restaurant's recipe for Root Vegetable Peel Chips for a delicious food waste snacks at home. photo: Julie Ann Fineman Advertisement The hospitalized old woman said, "Doctor, I don't understand a word you said, but you say it so nice." Hillary was clear and self-contained. Bernie was clear and uncontained. He brought to mind Fran Lebowitz who once said, "The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting." She brought to mind an epigram I remember from junior high school, "Always be sincere whether you mean it or not." Bernie raised his hand numerous times in order to be called on by the moderators. He almost jumped out of his seat when Hillary distorted his positions on health care or guns. It seemed like he was unable to listen at all to what was said - whether by Hillary, the moderators, or those YouTube questioners. She seemed to listen to everything, process information clearly, transforming attacks into thoughtful and forceful responses. What does this mean about the relationship, if any, between style and substance? Bernie's style was that of an anxious school child bursting to be heard by the teacher. After all, he had the right answer to every question. He raised his hand politely but often. Advertisement Hillary absorbed Bernie's barbs by liquidizing his rage and frustration, building rejoinder after rejoinder. She wasn't as condescending as Reagan was with Mondale in 1984, but she was not that different. Her manner made Bernie seem like a sputtering country bumpkin constrained by the rules of engagement. Overtly he was not a listener. Both had talking points, but Hillary reached hers in more artful ways than Bernie could ever hope for. To me, Bernie seemed like he was giving a speech, rather than having a debate. His message was clear and consistent, but at times his delivery was clumsy. Her message was not so much in her content but in her style, her clear ability to convey confidence. He kept trying to take whatever she said one step further, even when they agreed. So what are we left with, at least after that particular encounter? We are left with several things to think about: Bernie Sanders has strong and unwavering convictions about corporate greed and what it's doing to the American fabric. His views were always thus. And in that sense he is the opposite of Hillary Clinton, whose history is littered with shifting positions on health care, on the war in Iraq, on negotiating with enemy leaders, and on regulating Wall Street and big banks. Again, her motto should be, "Always be sincere whether you mean it or not." Advertisement Then there is style, and how it may affect substance. Secretary Clinton sounded presidential, forceful, and thoughtful. She also did something she hasn't done before - got under her opponent's skin. Her attacks on Senator Sanders unnerved him, contributed to his behaving more like a defensive schoolboy eager to be called on by the teacher. What does this say about how either of them might govern as president? I worry that Sanders would not make a good listener, so convinced is he of what are the essential issues. His legislative history however, is one of willingness to reach across the aisle. Clinton looked forward to listening to others, saying that she would go anywhere in the US to find experts to help her govern. Bernie presented a procrustean approach to political life, trying to fit every idea into his set of preconceptions. And while his convictions are not different from mine, they smack of a troublesome rigidity, especially after eight years of a thoughtful President Obama - who himself followed eight years of a reactive non-thinking George W Bush. Are we left with clarity and consistency vs deception and inconsistency? Are we left with rigidity vs flexibility? Can one hold convictions and still listen to the ideas of others? Those are questions central to the upcoming primary elections. We are left with two different people, often dovetailing, who would put different stamps on a presidency. Advertisement Call it lack of opportunity, marginalization, a security risk, human rights violation or social injustice. I call it a major problem that needs to be fixed. Not only is the education of 65 million children disrupted today because of emergency, crisis and conflict -- but new projections we are working on at the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity show that these children will continue to fall behind. By 2050, middle-income countries experiencing conflict will perform worse than low-income countries in terms of education attainment. And generations of young people will be lost as the average child in a low income country in conflict will reach just 60 percent of the education of his or her peers in other countries. We have a broken system. Recent figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs illustrate how dire the education in emergencies situation has become; only 1.3 percent of humanitarian aid appeals were directed toward education in 2015. The knock-on effects are considerable with that anemic 1.3 percent only covering 29 percent of education aid required, a nearly $500 million shortfall. If this year repeats the last, the education appeal for a child living in South Sudan will have a four-times greater chance of being funded than a child living in Somalia. Just under half of the Yemen education appeal will be funded and less than 20 percent in Cameroon. In sum, there exists a significant lack of predictable education funding. Advertisement It is impossible to remove statistics from the world in which we live. An aid environment failing to accommodate global education needs -- coupled with an uptick in the number of countries in crisis -- guarantees that millions more will fall through the cracks and go uneducated. And it's not that the cracks on the veneer of education in emergencies are growing in size -- rather they're growing in number. The UN is responding to four "L3" emergencies -- the most severe -- while refugee flows are at an all-time high since 1945. Knowing the scale of the challenge means we are better equipped for what lies ahead. And progress is not only possible -- it is happening. In Lebanon, an innovative double-shift school system has taken 207,000 Syrian refugees off the streets and into classrooms; the 2016 plans intend to reach more than double the number of children reached just two years earlier. In Jordan and Turkey, both countries plan to reach more than 75-85 percent of Syrian refugees with education this year. But six years is way too long to wait for this type of progress. In 2016 -- right now -- we must go the full mile with coordination, innovation and finance to deliver education for these children. During 2015, major donor governments -- including Norway, the United States, United Kingdom, the EU and Canada; foundations like Dubai Cares; ministers from Lebanon, South Sudan and Nepal among others; and partners like UNICEF, the UN Special Envoy, GPE, UNHCR, the Global Business Coalition for Education, INEE and many more have been working to develop a global humanitarian coordination platform and financing facility for education in emergencies. The new platform is set to be launched at the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul this May. A kind Rabbi, interested in building bridges between Islam and Judaism, recently wrote to me and suggested that I would be destroying my credibility by "trying to whitewash Islam." I thanked him for taking the time to write and for offering his opinion. I get where he's coming from, and it will be helpful as I go forward to keep his critique in mind. I have no intention of ignoring the abuses and crimes done in the name of Islam, but neither is it my intention to concentrate on those distortions. My purpose here is to make the case that intrinsic Qur'anic values are not some barbaric medieval system of dogma and rigid rules, but that these values are fundamentally harmonious with the best of Western Civilization. Some may disagree that the Qur'an could ever be the basis for such humane and uplifting values, but I feel it is important for people to hear what the Qur'an has to say about the fundamental issues. If someone were to be so ambitious as to write a series on the "Highest Values of Western Civilization," one could also see it as a whitewash of history, as well as an unrealistic and problematic undertaking. What I hope to show, however, is the beneficence and justice coherently expressed in the Qur'an, and to make the case that these Qur'anic values can contribute to social justice and harmony among human communities. Advertisement Islamic Ecumenicism Of all the distortions and misconceptions about Islam one of the most important to dispel is the idea that Islam claims to be the one true religion and rejects the truth of other religions. The Qur'an bears witness to a history of prophetic revelations that have come to humanity, bringing essentially the same truth: the beneficence of God. It would be incorrect to say that Islam claims to be the only religion acceptable to God. What the Qur'an does claim is this: it confirms what still remains of the truth of other religions and offers a critique of how the original message of these Prophets has, to some extent, been distorted and corrupted by human beings. The two most significant ways that the original "Message" is distorted, according to many examples in the Qur'an, is through the granting of special power and privilege to religious authorities and the proliferation of legal prescriptions leading to an oppressive and complex religious law (sound familiar?). Consider, for instance, this: Say: "Have you ever considered all the means of sustenance which God has bestowed upon you from on high - and which you thereupon divide into 'things forbidden' (haram) and 'things lawful' (halal)?" Say: "Has God given you permission - or do you, perchance, attribute your own guesswork to God?" But what will they think - they who attribute their own lying inventions to God -on the Day of Resurrection? Behold, God is indeed limitless in His bounty unto human beings - but most of them are ungrateful. (Quran: 10:59) Islamophobes and narrow-minded Muslims may both quote a verse that says "The only religion in the sight of God is Islam" (Qur'an 3:19). What is overlooked, however, is that the word Islam here applies to a relationship with the Divine, "submission" or "consent," not a religion as is commonly understood. At the time this verse was revealed the practice and beliefs of the community of Muhammad were very rudimentary -- a simple Abrahamic monotheism. Furthermore, Jews and Christians of former times were also referred to as "muslim," and not only the followers of these religions, but also the circling stars and all of nature are described as "muslim" (note the lower case "m")! Is it true that Islam was spread by military conquest? No. True Islam cannot be spread by force or coercion. While it is true that during the early period of its expansion its adherents established an empire and civilization that stretched from Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and all the way to India, Islamic Law also granted self-determination to Christians, Jews, and other religions. The establishment of Islamic rule was not synonymous with the imposition of the Islamic religion on the people within its domain. Many Christian sects, for instance, received greater freedom under Islamic rule than they had known under Byzantine Christian rule. These non-Muslim communities received the status of "protected peoples" and exemption from military service in exchange for a small tax (jizya). Advertisement We can still read today a copy of a letter written by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to the Monastery of Saint Catherine in the Sinai Desert of Egypt, granting protection and privilege to this monastic community even while monasticism was not a part of Islamic practice. (Islam prefers that its most spiritual members be integrated into everyday life and not remove themselves fro the gene pool.) Does Islam permit forced conversion? No, the acceptance of Islam must be an act of free will. Conversion by any kind of coercion was universally condemned by Islamic scholars. Obviously, a coerced conversion would have little value to the converted and no value in the eyes of God. Is it true that apostasy from Islam is punishable by death? The idea that apostasy may be punishable by death stems from a time in the early days of Islam when a tribe that had voluntarily embraced Islam and established a treaty, renounced that treaty and in so doing took the side of forces that were attacking the nascent Islamic community. In such a case leaving Islam really amounted to sedition and violation of a treaty. In actual practice the application of capital punishment for apostasy has been rare. Moreover, there is no sanction for such a punishment in the Qur'an. It is known that during the lifetime of the Prophet, when certain people left Islam after initially converting, he did not prescribe a punishment. Advertisement Mother and her daughter looking at a globe As business leaders gather at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting this week, colleagues from civil society organizations and multilateral institutions will join them in discussions about how we can create a better future. The call to action is simple: In 2015, we embraced a new future; in 2016, we must move from bold vision to meaningful action. To make this happen, we need to break down silos, find fresh approaches, and fully engage all sectors. In this new era of development, the private sector, in particular, has a vital role to play as is it shifts from a good partner to a great leader in this space. Now we need to continue to find ways to work together and with the United Nations to seize the profound opportunities and monumental changes in front of us, because partnership will be key to our collective progress as we saw last year. Advertisement 2015 was a historic year for the UN and for global cooperation, from the Financing for Development action agenda to the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals to the landmark climate agreement. Each of these moments was a testament to the power of global cooperation in a time when the challenges we face - from swelling refugee populations to violent extremism to persistent inequality and a changing environment - defy borders and demand collaboration, challenges for which the UN is singularly and increasingly essential. This year, we will see many significant shifts in our landscape. UN Member States will select a new Secretary-General, U.S. citizens will elect a new President, and we all will begin the urgent task of implementing the global goals for sustainable development and the historic climate agreement reached in Paris. The international community will also need to tackle the harrowing toll of humanitarian crises and redouble efforts to address their underlying causes. This year's first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, among other avenues, presents an opportunity for imaginative and determined leadership from all quarters to address the needs of people affected by war and disaster and to renew our shared commitment to cooperation. In this year of major transitions, we have a historic opportunity to lay the groundwork for change. It will take people from every sector and every part of the world to realize a sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous future for all. Foremost, we must continue to strengthen our support for and deepen our partnership with the UN, the world's platform for peace and progress. By joining with the UN, which has the reach and vision to solve global problems, we can advance lasting change around the world. Advertisement To help usher in the new era of sustainable development that the world has rallied around, here are key areas where there is enormous need and opportunity to increase collaboration: - Prioritize the rights and needs of girls and women. Empowering girls and women is not only a human rights obligation; it is key to advancing sustainable development. The new Sustainable Development Goals framework enshrines this notion, recognizing that progress for girls and women will drive progress for everyone. - Build on the momentum for climate action. Climate change poses a threat to virtually every aspect of human endeavor. The agreement reached in Paris gives us a real and meaningful opportunity to respond to this challenge. We must deliver on the promise of the Paris agreement, promote sustainable energy for development, and continue to connect the climate and development agendas. - Harness the data revolution for sustainable development. Good data is the foundation for good policies, programs, and decisions that can solve global problems. We must continue to work together to close data gaps, improve data collection, and harness the data we have to advance sustainable development. - Grow the community working for global change. Sticking with the status quo won't solve global problems - we need new ideas and new partners. Together, we need to expand the conversation on international issues to strengthen support for the UN in the U.S. and around the world and to engage new audiences - from teenagers to tech companies - in finding solutions. Advertisement While these priorities will be reflected in our efforts this year, we recognize that the landscape in which we operate continually shifts, and we must remain flexible and nimble. By leveraging the strengths and resources of each person and each sector, we can create the world we want. Nelson Mandela once asked, "When the history of our times is written, will we be remembered as the generation that turned our backs in a moment of global crisis or will it be recorded that we did the right thing?" Working together and with the UN, I am optimistic that we can rise to the challenges of our time and build a better world. Iraqi security forces stand next to a tank as they clear al-Sajarya district on the eastern outskirts of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, on January 17, 2016, a few weeks after declaring victory against the Islamic State (IS) group. / AFP / MOADH AL-DULAIMI (Photo credit should read MOADH AL-DULAIMI/AFP/Getty Images) U.S. Congress is witnessing a legal matrix unfolding as it considers whether to create a new law to continue targeting the Islamic State group. The debate surrounding the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) is more than just language reorganization, as the consequences extend to implications on the ground, the future of war and the means to strike. Some may think: why does the U.S. Congress need this law? Well, it shows seriousness in a conflict, classifies the enemy, justifies spending and empowers political and legal correctness for global multilateral mobilization. The problem is since the inception of Baghdadi's "Caliphate," Congress has passed two laws within the "War on Terrorism;" however, both address different asymmetric battlefields. The 2001 AUMF was passed 14 years ago to avert al-Qaeda, Taliban and associated forces from striking the U.S., not to fight Islamic State that did not exist on 11 September 2001 or take part in it. The 2002 AUMF created for Iraq, targeted the national security threat in in the country and worked to dismantle Saddam Hussein's military objectives on the basis that he possessed unfounded WMD -- not Baghdadi's "Caliphate." Hence, both AUMF laws are not suitable to make the fight against the Caliphate lawful. It's simple, Baghdadi's Caliphate is not al Qaeda, and vice versa. Moreover, Baghdadi has nothing to do with the activities of 9/11, and hence both laws cannot be applied properly. Advertisement In December 2015, Congressman Representative Adam Schiff proposed a draft Islamic State AUMF along with al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban as enemies. Congress hasn't voted on this one yet, but if it does, it'll mean the 9/11 war (AUMF 2001) and Iraq war (AUMF 2002) authorization will be repealed. Islamic state will be the main enemy, with al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban still parties to the main conflict on terrorism. This would make the AUMF Islamic State the new law for the global war on terrorism -- potentially justifying lethal force anywhere in the word. Schiff's AUMF draft assumes that the war and military objectives of the Islamic State group, Al Qaeda and the Taliban are one and the same. This potential draft has the ability to declassify fights with the groups and associated forces, and place them under one global war without borders. This causes major tensions with international law, and the need to classify war. By virtue of international law, use of force in Iraq with local consent could be justified for the interim, particularly to protect U.S. national security or personnel. But within the boundaries of Syria, President Bashar al-Assad's government has not openly consented to U.S. strikes. Moreover, the military objectives are different -- to kill and maim Baghdadi's leadership, not just to protect U.S. nationals or Syrian civilians, hundreds of thousands of whom have already died. If partner governments such as Iraq and Turkey request strikes from the U.S., the administration could plausibly argue that it is conducting limited military actions in Syria in collective self-defense to protect these countries (strategic partners) from Baghdadi's 'Caliphates' threat to regional peace and security. The administration could justify particular military actions in Syria that are necessary to save American hostages -- like the rescue attempt for James Foley, who was an American journalist captured by the Islamic State group, to prevent an imminent attack on U.S citizens, or to avert a mass slaughter of innocents. The U.S may also take necessary and proportionate actions to target particular senior Islamic State group leaders who have taken up arms alongside al Qaeda against the U.S. Advertisement Game changer: al-Qaeda groups pledge allegiance to IS Baghdadi's Caliphate is a separate entity to al-Qaeda Core, but it is thought he has received a pledge of allegiance from groups in Afghanistan, Libya, Nigeria and other war zones. This is a significant game changer for the War on Terrorism. Internally within Afghanistan, the Taliban and al-Qaeda have already taken up arms against factions who have joined the IS world domination objective. Thus, there's a new enemy on the block, and not just for the U.S. The U.S. is fighting two different parties who do not share the same objectives. They are on two different battlefields and competing between each other, along with two separate AUMF laws. Islamic state will not only be operating in Syria and Iraq, but may gain influence in other fronts as al-Qaeda factions pledge allegiance to Baghdadi. There are some groups that the US will not specifically ink down as enemies, but classify them as Islamic State group affiliates or associated forces, such as the Free Syrian Army, Ahrar ash-Sham and the Khorasan Group -- whether the groups will be included in a new AUMF law will be a Congressional debate. As the U.S. tries to pen down a draft AUMF law to take on the Islamic State group and those it classifies as its affiliates, it's clear that armed groups in Syria and Iraq are observing any alliances made with the U.S. This directly influences the concept of the pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) system, and how such allegiances between groups can either broaden the global War on Terrorism, or defuse it's asymmetric influence -- creating a new war beyond borders. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign stop Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Last July, I had the opportunity to attend Netroots Nation,(NN) and while having lunch with a group of colleagues, Bernie Sanders walked into the restaurant. The group I was with started cheering and Bernie waved to us. As an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) activist and the spokesperson for the women's advocacy group We Are Woman, I wanted to ask Sanders if he would endorse the ERA on the campaign trail. The president of We Are Woman, Wendy Cartwright, and I quickly made our way to Sanders as he was leaving and I asked him my question: "Will you endorse the ratification of the ERA?" Advertisement He replied, "Okay!" Wendy asked if his answer was enough of an endorsement to create a graphic to post on Facebook. I told her I didn't think it was. He'd been gracious enough to give us an answer, but I felt we really had to nail it down. Sanders spoke to an enormous crowd later that night. Tenacious Wendy managed to get into the front row and she once again had the opportunity to ask Sanders if he would endorse the ERA. He shook her hand, looked directly into her eyes and said, "Yes, I will." A few weeks later, this quote appeared on his website: "Not only are we going to expand policies that advance gender equality, we are going to fight to pass the long-overdue Equal Rights Amendment and vigorously defend the critical laws and programs which protect all working people in our country." By the way, earlier in 2015, Sanders signed on as a co-sponsor to the joint resolution to remove the congressionally imposed deadline to the ERA. Advertisement I'm not aware of other ERA activists who may have quizzed Sanders on this issue, but his actions showed me that he listens to and considers the priorities of the average citizen. I'm well aware of the fact that Hillary Clinton is also a long-time supporter of the amendment and is a champion for women, but Sanders is currently the only candidate who's talking about this issue on the campaign trail and the only candidate who has included working to ratify the ERA into the Constitution as part of his campaign platform. My personal encounter with Sanders is anecdotal, sure, but it's one of many reasons why Sanders will get my vote in the primaries. The policies and overall message of the Sanders campaign will benefit all Americans, but it's easy to see how his policy proposals will benefit women, ERA or not. He wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. He wants to break up the big banks and take the power away from Wall Street. He wants to implement single-payer healthcare and make state college tuition free for students. His goal is take the power away from billionaires and put that power back into the hands of the people, thereby strengthening the disappearing middle class. All of his top-shelf policies will benefit single moms, working women and especially millennial women. When comparing Sanders' messaging to remarks delivered by some very prominent feminists, you'll see they are (or once were) in alignment: Cecile Richards, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood: "Health-care decisions should be made by women, with their doctors and families -- not politicians. Lawmakers should stop playing politics with women's health and lives." "We are not going back. We are not returning to the days of back-room abortions, when countless women died or were maimed. The decision about abortion must remain a decision for the woman, her family and a physician to make, not the government." Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice: "If I could choose an amendment to add to the Constitution, it would be the Equal Rights Amendment . . . So I would like my granddaughters, when they pick up the Constitution, to see that notion - that women and men are persons of equal stature - I'd like them to see that is a basic principle of our society." "Not only are we going to expand policies that advance gender equality, we are going to fight to pass the long-overdue Equal Rights Amendment and vigorously defend the critical laws and programs which protect all working people in our country." Shirley Chisholm, former presidential candidate and New York congresswoman: "When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses." "It is morally repugnant and a national tragedy that we have privatized prisons all over America. In my view, corporations should not be allowed to make a profit by building more jails and keeping more Americans behind bars. We have got to end the private-for-profit prison racket in America!" Hillary Clinton, Former New York senator and Secretary of State: " . . . I believe, and I may be totally off base on this, but I believe that by the year 2000, we will have a single payer system. I don't think it's -- I don't even think it's a close call politically. I think the momentum for a single payer system will sweep the country. And regardless of the referendum outcome in California, it will be such a huge popular issue in the sense of populist issue that even if it's not successful the first time, it will eventually be. So for those who think that building on the existing public-private system with an employer mandate is radical, I think they are extremely short-sighted, but that is their choice." "The only long-term solution to America's healthcare crisis is a single-payer national healthcare program. The good news is that, in fact, a large-scale single-payer system already exists in the United States and its enrollees love it. It is called Medicare. Open to all Americans over 65 years of age, the program has been a resounding success since its introduction 48 years ago. Medicare should be expanded to cover all Americans." Jenni Siri, co-founder of Women for Bernie Sanders told me: "Bernie's and Hillary's platforms overlap with mainstream women's rights, such as reproductive freedom and equal pay for equal work. However, when there's an issue like reproductive justice, which is important to women of color and lower income women, Bernie's platform far exceeds any other candidate's. He fights for the minimum wage, and he wants to make childcare and education affordable and, in some cases, free. He fights for racial justice, economic justice and for reforming our criminal justice system. This matters to women who struggle every day and never seem able to get ahead. He not only wants to level the playing field between men and women, but he also wants justice and equality -- racially, economically and educationally. Women's needs include reproduction and pay, but also go so much deeper. Bernie is the only candidate that covers all areas for all women." As if that isn't enough, Sanders enumerated his goals and accomplishments on gender equality in an interview with The Washington Post: 100 percent pro-choice voting record; more family and medical leave; a $15 minimum wage; equal pay; quality universal and affordable child care and pre-K education. A small sample of Sanders' voting record reveals his consistent dedication to gender equality: (YES) Equal pay for equal work by women. (Mar 2015) (YES) Constitutional Amendment for equal rights by gender. (Mar 2001) (YES) on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. (Feb 2013) (YES) Enforce against wage discrimination based on gender. (Jan 2013) (YES) Re-introduce the Equal Rights Amendment. (Mar 2007) Advertisement I was in the NN audience when the Black Lives Matter activists interrupted both Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders. It was a tense moment. My first first reaction was frustration with the BLM strategy, however after I thought about it, I changed my stance and I understood that agitation and forcing an uncomfortable message is often how change occurs. I was reminded of the American suffragists who took on the brave task of standing outside of the White House in 1917, picketing President Woodrow Wilson six days a week for six months. Back then, the bold actions were viewed as disruptive and uncomfortable. In the end, the voting rights activists won and women got the right to vote. Bernie Sanders was backstage waiting to speak when the BLM activists made their unforgettable entrance and interrupted the O'Malley interview. Sanders used that time to prepare and did his best to address their concerns in that heated, uncomfortable moment. What he did after Netroots illustrated for me the integrity of his character and how he handles difficult, impromptu scenarios. He later met with BLM activists and also met with Sandra Bland's mother without fanfare. He listened and took seriously what they had to say, just as he listened to Wendy and me when we approached him about supporting constitutional gender equality. It is the combination of his progressive plan for a revolution, his consistent congressional record and his willingness to consider what voters are saying that earn him my primary vote. The growing list of individuals, organizations and media sites endorsing Sanders is long and impressive, including over 170 prominent economists who believe he is the best person for the job, Democracy For America, former Democratic Party Chair Paul Kirk, MoveOn.org, The Nation and a slew of others. View the full list here. My little mountain town of Park City, Utah, will be invaded, as it is every year at the end of January, by the People-In-Black, "PIBs" as they're affectionately referred to by the locals. They come with their Starbucks-latte hand accessories, their after-the-sun-goes-down sunglasses, and their extraordinarily large, furry boots. Since they are forbidden to wear any color besides black -- I think Robert Redford must have issued some kind of rule about this early on -- they are challenging for drivers to see during the prime Sundance hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., except for their glowing, white Starbucks cups, of course. This is a problem because PIBs don't use sidewalks. I can see how this happens. I picture myself in my three layers of black cashmere after dinner, strutting in my new furry boots, jostling through a sea of other PIBs, steadying my latte when I suddenly notice that just past the curb is an open area, clear of snow, free of people. Advertisement Since I didn't leave every one of my brain cells back home, I am a little nervous to walk alone in the street because 1) my cashmere may get splashed by cars going by, and, 2) I only have one white Starbucks cup in my hand. I need more reflective white near me for protection, so I Tweet about how great the street is to walk in. The phones of fellow PIB's all around me around me start pinging with notifications -- #KeepSundanceSafe and #TheRoadIsThePlaceToBe -- and I am quickly surrounded by thousands of other coffee cups. Phew. All is now in balance for life during Sundance. The sidewalks are clear for the locals and the thirteen people who are in town to ski. The roads are filled with PIBs, and the few qualified drivers who've honed their skills at Costco on a Saturday morning, slowly driving themselves to buy emergency-only supplies, like baby formula and wine. Speaking of wine, what would I pair with the Sundance Film Festival? The Black Wine of Cahors, aka "Cot," aka "Malbec." Malbec is one of the original six grapes in Bordeaux reds, (they later became five grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.) It is also grown in Cahors, France, which sits just east of Bordeaux. Advertisement Most wine-drinking Americans are familiar with Malbec from Argentina, an easy-to-like red that offers the same types of aromas and flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon -- cassis, blackberry, leather, and tobacco -- without all the tannin (sandpaper-like, astringent mouth feel) to punish you. Malbec from Cahors has a MUCH bigger personality. Say, triple the power... If Malbecs were cowboys, Argentinean Malbec would be from Montana, and Malbec from Cahors would be from Texas. Why is the Black Wine of Cahors the perfect wine for Sundance? It has one of the deepest, darkest, inky pigments seen in red wine, so it will quickly make PIBs' teeth and lips black to match their ensembles. It is approachably priced, because it isn't the most popular kid on the block, which is great because that black cashmere is expensive. It has the backbone to stand up to rich, winter meals. Since PIBs are on such a caffeine high from all the Starbucks, they need to introduce some kind of depressant on their third night so they can sleep. In fact, since Starbucks cups are a requirement for attending the festival, they could always pre-game by loading a 16-oz white cup with the Black Wine of Cahors. No one at the movie theaters would know. By third grade, I could rattle off the highlights of Dr. King's life and career -- including dates -- with perfection. My encyclopedic knowledge of the most influential civil rights leader in history was a source of immense pride for my parents. Any family function was marked by my parents directing me in an impromptu recitation of all I had memorized. Even at 8-years-old, I recognized that despite his status as a purveyor of racial harmony, Dr. King's life's work belonged to black people. Unofficial, unspoken and bold as it may be, I stand by that declaration. Black people selfishly claiming King's legacy -- his service and tireless fight -- is more crucial now than ever before, as passively-racist white America attempts to brazenly usurp ownership of King's work and words, using reinterpreted and reimagined history to manipulate black resistance and quell a budding revolution. As iconic a figure as King remains, holding him up as the archetype of black excellence is racist in and of itself. Assuming a monolith black aspiration to mirror King's politics, eloquence and status is the most important prerequisite for doling out admonishments of disappointing the revered leader. "King would not approve of this," was standard script during last year's riots in Baltimore and the Ferguson riots the year before. This rebranded Dr. King, a man disgusted with the common savagery of his people, is strategically dishonest, ignoring the reverend's explicit assignment of blame for the reactive violence of his people to chronic, pervasive, violent oppression and exploitation at the hands of a white owned and operated system. Advertisement Even quoting excerpts from the I Have a Dream speech synonymous with the leader is at least a misinterpretation of the message and at most a blatant refusal to self-reflect. When King fantasized that "one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed," his words in no way sought to allocate responsibility for the terrorization of his people equally among black and white people as is the popular reframing of his message. King's rhetoric was a call to action for white people to deconstruct a racist system exclusively of their own design and benefit, not an urging of black people to assist with destroying a system in which they held no power. Moreover, the ace-in-the-hole one liner, "My parents marched with Dr. King," even if true, is an ironic endorsement of the privilege white people refuse to accept exists. That attending the March on Washington would absolve not only the attendees but their descendants from doing the work to end state-sanctioned violence, economic, employment, academic and political discrimination against black people is inconceivably illogical. Further, the very same people who argue that their success is solely the result of their own hard work and not their parents, are now content to inherit their parents' alleged status as freedom fighters even as they use that status to silence black voices. Now, nearly five decades after King was assassinated, the children and grandchildren of people who spat on, beat and plotted against King are eager to to change sides, without first admitting that their predecessors created and maintained the conditions King was forced to navigate. They're content to develop amnesia, forgetting how they heard their parents lambaste King, labeling him a troublemaker, uppity and an outside agitator, cheering his arrests and demise. They've realized their parents were on the wrong side of history, and have appointed themselves copy editors, crossing out the parts of story that don't fit their narrative, and embellishing or outright fictionalizing as necessary. Dr. King may have received tactical and spiritual support from white sympathizers. He certainly championed non-violent protest and the ideal of everyone being judged by the "content of their character" and not the color of their skin. However, let no mistake be made, King's was in service to his own people. This black man, educated at a black college, married to a black woman, fathering black children, bred, grown and nourished on the rich culture and history of blackness, fought with such tenacity and vigor so that his own people could rise from the crushing burden of persecution. Advertisement King's blackness is paramount to everything he represents. The brilliance of his oratory style was honed at black churches where black preachers inspired black people. He refused to abandon his mission in the wake of constant death threats, savage assaults and state sabotage because of a commitment to the black people he loved and owed repayment for their reverence. Our shared ancestry and experiences are the title, and black people, no matter the current leasee, are the lien holders of his dream, his inspiration, his power, his likeness. His poetry saved my life. I first saw slam-o's mysterious poetic aphorisms in downtown Philadelphia four years ago. They appeared when I started working as a stand-in for a lead actress on a television show. On my way to work, it stopped me: I considered taking the poem home with me. After all, it was affixed to the window with Scotch Tape. All I needed to do was to pull it down. I wanted to keep it, to keep seeing his message. Maybe on my fridge or on my bathroom mirror. Or on my wall. But I left it there, out of respect for slam-o and for anyone else who needed it. A few days later, one hazy Philadelphia morning when I was on my way to work again, I saw another slam-o post on a nondescript door. A man wearing a grey hoodie hastily secured the white poster board to a dirty Philadelphia wall with Scotch tape. By the time I ran towards him, he was gone. But his poem stayed: Advertisement It was if he were following me around, hearing my thoughts, responding with messages that were meant only for me. It was if he knew that I was going through a rough time and needed to hear exactly what his black, hand-painted letters said. One day on set, I noticed that Alan, one of the show's camera operators and cinematographers, was wearing the same grey hoodie. Was it a coincidence? A few days later, he came up to me at lunch. He said that he had noticed me reading poetry during my down time. As it turned out, he loved Pablo Neruda too. Then he showed me his phone, asking if I'd seen slam-o's poetry on the streets. He showed me photo after photo of the poems on his phone, many of them familiar, many of them I had not seen. Advertisement "Are you slam-o?" I asked. Alan smiled but didn't say a word. "Are you?" I persisted. "I am slam-o and he is us." "Why do you post them?" I asked. Before he could answer, the director called him over to the monitors to discuss a close-up of Sigourney Weaver. Slam-o was gone. After he left Philadelphia and returned home to Los Angeles, he friended me on Facebook. He continued posting poems wherever he traveled. Whenever I saw a new poem appear on my newsfeed, it was all I could think about. I was inspired to post my own poems. I signed them with the name "your Italian hope." When he traveled to Hawaii to work on a commercial, the poems continued, each one more magical than the last. Even though there were hundreds of poems that dealt with many different subjects, when I scrolled down his Facebook page, I knew some were for me. The day before he left Philadelphia, he had given me his mint plant that sprouted in his city windowsill throughout his four-month stay in my city. The plant continued to thrive, long after he left. One of his Hawaii posts was this: Advertisement I've been waiting for this, waiting for someone to know me. To know my joy, my demons, my fear. For someone to light up places in me that were never lit. For someone to see deeper in me, in others, in the world. I missed seeing slam-o in person. I missed seeing his signs on the streets of Philadelphia. Those bold black letters formed some of my favorite words, words that will always be with me. Slam-o's next check in was at Kilauea Caldera Volcano, the most active volcano on earth. On a jagged mini mountain of ashen and black hardened lava, Slam-o's black letters emerged: He was on to something. All of these poems, carefully etched, are everything. They contain in them what's seemingly uncontainable--the fragile hope all of us are offered, if we let it in. This hope inspires us to make something new, to draw out our roots of beauty. Now that we are no longer dormant, we will stay awake. Realizing that these poems are nothing if we don't live them out, I replied: More than these poems. It was time to make our love real. After years of writing our way into each other's hearts, I planned my move to Los Angeles to be with slam-o. Advertisement Living with slam-o has been better than my realm of dreaming. (typewriter by WRDSMTH) We move into a top floor apartment with a balcony overlooking the Hollywood Hills. Palm trees brush against our windows. The sun filters in and Alan cooks just the thing I want to eat, without asking. He positions my reading lamp perfectly when I read before bed. He lightly holds my waist with his arm when I sleep. He waits for me to slowly wake in the morning, even though he is already up. Every day gets better. I remembered slam-o had told me he carried a sketchbook with him all of the time, but for some reason had stopped. For our first Christmas, I bought a Moleskine sketchbook for him. One night I saw over his shoulder: Most of slam-o's poems are left where he posted them. But he couldn't leave the poem on the volcano in Hawaii because he didn't want to desecrate nature. (He's the kind of person who picks up litter in the streets when he sees it). But for some reason, it's perfectly fine to adorn newspaper stands, concrete walls, and dumpsters with his poetry. Throughout our long-distance courtship, slam-o sent me a few poems on paper in the mail. When we moved in, I asked him to frame them and hang them above my piano, in my writing space: His poems traveled from an active volcano in Hawaii, to my modest fridge in my Philadelphia studio apartment, to our freshly-painted wall in our Los Angeles home. Advertisement (typewriter by WRDSMTH) Finding the work and life and love that makes me feel connected, the kind that I want to cover my fridge and my walls with, is all that I wanted. It's the kind of life and love that I want to take home. "Everybody understands that the values in New York City are socially liberal and pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage, and focus on money and the media." -- Ted Cruz, South Carolina Republican Debate, Jan. 14, 2016 If these are New York values then they must be embodied by New Yorkers. Then, who are the New Yorkers that "everybody understands"? Of course he is targeting "liberals." But the "focus on money and media." may subtly reference a specific urban population -- namely Jewish people. The New York metropolitan area has 2.1 million Jewish people, second only to Tel Aviv. (3.1 million). In fact, the New York area has 13.8 percent of all the Jews in the world, and accounts for 31 percent of all the Jews in the U.S. Advertisement So when speaking of New York values that "everyone understand," the odds are high that "everyone understands" that New York is both very liberal and very Jewish. This is likely to be particularly true if you do NOT live in Los Angeles, Washington-Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and South Florida. Those seven metro areas plus New York account for 70 percent of all the Jewish people in America. That leaves 1.86 million Jewish people living among 313,000,000 American gentiles. So the rest of America -- the "everybody" Cruz is appealing to -- has about a 0.59 percent chance of living near a Jewish person. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that many non-Jewish Americans understand that any reference to "New York values" references both liberals and the enormous Jewish population that live there. Nasty Stereotypes Cruz's "focus on money and media" echoes pernicious notions of "Jewish financiers" and "Jews run the media." Seventeen percent of the American public thinks that "Jews have too much control and influence on Wall Street," according to a 2013 poll. And you can always find debates online about how much Jewish control there is over the media in New York and Hollywood. It's safe to say that Cruz, or at least someone in the Cruz camp, understood how this "focus on money and the media" would be associated with American Jews. Advertisement Perhaps the Cruz camp feels cocky that his vociferous support for Israel clears him from any such charges. But, it's not exactly comforting to know that Cruz is also shoring up evangelical support which includes sects who are cheerleading for the Israelis to start WWIII so that the End of Times prophecy commences. Or maybe a more cynical observer might say that Cruz figures he'll never, ever win the votes in those metropolitan areas with higher concentration of liberal voters. So why not play to anti-New York sentiment even if it's a dog whistle for flat out anti-Semitism. Trump did Mexicans and Muslims and his poll numbers went up. Cruz does the Jews. Jessie Jackson was mauled in 1984 when he repeatedly spoke in private about New York as "Hymietown." But, Cruz is getting a virtual free pass from the major media for a more subtle attack made on a nationally televised debate. Speaking of Money Lenders While Cruz bashes New York values with their "focus on money and media," he and his Wall Street-employed wife took a million dollars in campaign loans from Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and then failed to report them as required by federal campaign laws. He claimed it was just a "paperwork error." It wasn't a mistake by Wall Street. They knew what they were buying. Cruz, in turn, makes no mistake about his desire to unshackle Wall Street even from the tepid Dodd-Frank rules. Cruz writes in the National Review: Advertisement "Repeal Dodd-Frank: A law of massive complexity, Dodd-Frank does nothing to prevent future financial bailouts, but instead subjects the financial sector to costly new regulatory burdens -- the cost of which invariably will be passed on to consumers. And its impact hits small community banks hardest. Reasonable government regulations are needed to protect the soundness and integrity of the marketplace, but they should not empower bureaucrats to micro-manage private sector institutions to the detriment of consumers." This is pure Wall Street propaganda designed specifically to undermine any and all regulations that could reduce astronomical financial incomes. They could care less about a small bank on Main Street struggling to survive. Furthermore, it's all part of the new narrative Wall Street is pushing: that government regulations, not Wall Street, caused the crash of 2007-08. The entire Republican Party is drinking this Kool-Aid in exchange for hefty financial donations. More than a few Democrats would like a taste as well. Fortunately, many New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Jewish people, are far more willing to challenge Wall Street's power and control. We want to reduce runaway inequality with a financial transaction tax that funds free higher education. We want to end the obscene "carried interest" loophole that saves hedge funds and private equity firms billions in taxes each year. We want to break up the big banks and create public banks as well. Yes, Cruz has us pegged right as "socially liberal and pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage." We are proud to be one of the most tolerant cities in the world. We're from everywhere and every religion: New Yorkers live and let live. Advertisement And now one of our own, who embodies these broad New York values, is running for president -- and he's not a financier or a media mogul. Hey Ted, Feel the Bern! Donald Trump may be the first presidential candidate since George Wallace in 1968 to frame wholesale discrimination against a group of people as a campaign promise. It is shocking for a candidate to refer to families seeking refuge from war and persecution as "a 200,000-man army" or an ISIS "Trojan horse" hatching "one of the great military coups of all time," and remain the frontrunner of a major political party. But Trump is not alone. Over the past year, politicians in the US and Europe have publically called refugees and asylum-seekers rabid dogs, swarms and marauders. Discrimination against displaced people is not limited to Europe and the U.S. of course, and it extends well beyond hateful political rhetoric. In truth, millions of refugees around the world face discrimination and the fear behind it on a daily basis. This has critical implications not only for security and stability in refugee-receiving (and refugee-rejecting) nations, but for population health and economic growth as well. According to UNHCR, the UN agency mandated with the care and protection of refugees, worldwide displacement has hit an all-time high. Its 2014 estimate of 59.5 million people living in a state of forced displacement means 22 million more people fleeing war and persecution than just a decade ago. Making matters worse, 86 percent of refugees are hosted in developing countries, usually in the Middle East and Africa, with often high unemployment rates, large underserved populations at home, and mixed human rights records. Advertisement These conditions not only interfere with the host government's ability to resource quality basic services for refugees but can also result in overtly discriminatory policies and practices by the very authorities charged with safeguarding refugees. In Turkey, for example, the world's largest host of refugees, Amnesty International recently reported mass detention, ill treatment, and illegal deportation of Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers. In Pakistan, the second largest refugee host country, Human Rights Watch exposed a pattern of police abuse and other forms of violent discrimination against Afghani refugees and asylum-seekers. Aside from blatantly violating international law, these practices endanger refugee lives by exposing them to repeated physical and psychosocial stress, cutting off access to care, and altogether upsetting delicate processes of healing. More insidious forms of discrimination can involve restricting freedom of movement outside of camps, limiting employment rights, or denying the expression of religious identity, such as wearing hijabs. Host governments may also neglect to provide refugees and asylum-seekers with identity documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, which can be needed to access healthcare and apply for jobs, and which may be required for children of refugees to return home. Of course, discrimination goes well beyond official policy, finding expression among employers, service providers, neighbors, and classmates. In a recent study I conducted with colleagues in Uganda, for example, adolescent refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia reported being neglected and underestimated by educators, being prevented from playing with their Ugandan peers, and even receiving death threats from other Ugandan adolescents. Advertisement It is no wonder then that these adolescents suffered from abnormally low self-worth, and tended to withdraw from school, sometimes drifting towards the streets. As is often the case in stigmatizing environments, caretakers reported feeling discouraged from seeking help for their children. This sheds some light on the well-documented association between discrimination, depression, and other symptoms of psychological distress. Discrimination has also been linked to physical health conditions including hypertension, self-reported poor health, and breast cancer, as well as risk factors for disease, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and substance use. Much of this discrimination likely has to do with the fear that refugees may take jobs away from host country populations. The reality is much more complex, however. While the influx of populations may stress local economies, properly integrated refugees can also represent new markets for goods and services, replenish aging populations, increase tax revenues, and fill unmet demand for labor. Systematically excluding refugees from the formal economy wastes a significant opportunity, while adding more stress to families and protracting dependency on aid. The other big fear that feeds discrimination is the one I opened with. Branding refugees as potential terrorists is inflammatory and divisive, and can encourage the stigmatization of other identity groups, such as Muslims. It is too easy to note here that, just weeks after Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump "ISIS' best recruiter," he cropped up in a terrorist recruitment video. This is no coincidence the purpose of terrorism is to spread fear, because fear, and the behavior it promotes, corrodes the trust that is fundamental to an open society. Justice-series with different situation It's no secret that our judicial system is broken. In fact, many people wonder whether it ever really worked in the first place, or if it can ever be fully repaired to prevent more innocent people's lives from being ruined. Since 1989, there have been 1,679 exonerations in the U.S., according to the National Registry of Exonerations. Last year, a new record was set -- over 125 exonerations in a single year. The Innocence Project reports that there have been 336 DNA Exonerations in the U.S. since 1989: 206 African Americans, 104 White Americans, 25 Latinos, and two Asia- Americans. These exonerations have taken place in 37 states. The average length of time served by these exonerees was 14 years. Altogether, these DNA Exonerees spent a combined total of 4,606 years in prison for crimes they never committed. Advertisement Wrongful convictions have many causes, including police and prosecution misconduct, ineffective assistance of counsel, eyewitness misidentifications, un-validated and improper forensic science, false confessions, incriminating statements, and informants with untruthful testimony. It doesn't have to be this way. Prosecutors have the power to prevent almost all wrongful convictions by seeking the truth, not just a conviction. If the pursuit of justice were the only goal, innocent men and women would not find themselves collateral casualties. But in the corrupt world of our judicial system, justice isn't what matters. Neither is compassion -- take the case of Glenn Ford, for instance, who served 30 years on death row for a crime he never committed. Ford was exonerated in 2014, given 20 dollars and a bus ticket, and denied any other compensation by the state of Louisiana. He died just a year later of cancer. When asked whether he felt that Ford deserved compensation for his suffering, New Orleans District Attorney Dale Cox replied, "I'm not in the compassion business." Most of the 1,679 exonerees were fought tooth and nail in their appeal process by the same prosecutors responsible for their wrongful convictions -- or by new prosecutors who turn a blind eye to the misconduct of their predecessors. Claims of innocence meet plenty of resistance. I am one of many wrongfully convicted prisoners who have been asserting their innocence for the past twenty years. I spent 16 and a half years in prison on a natural life sentence (life without parole) before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals vacated my conviction on January 18, 2012 on the grounds of insufficient evidence and ordered my release barring a retrial. My prosecutor filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. On May 29, 2012, a mere 148 days after my release, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated my conviction, stating that the Third Circuit Court of Appeals did not give proper deference to the jury or state courts. My attorneys were not even allowed to file briefs or make oral arguments before the Court. Advertisement Upon my return to prison, my legal team unearthed a treasure trove of evidence that supports my innocence. This evidence came in the form of statements from over 20 witnesses, including a police officer who came forward after all these years. These witnesses fully supported my claims of police and prosecution misconduct. This new evidence led to the prosecutor and my attorneys to have a meeting concerning my innocence. The prosecution agreed to do a "good-faith" investigation. When the time came for the prosecution to reply to my claims, they wanted more time. In exchange for our agreement to a 90-day continuence of the proceedings, they gave my attorney missing parts of the case discovery turned over to me prior to trial. These were documents the prosecution had been legally obligated to turn over to my defense before the trial even started. In these missing pages was evidence that the prosecution knew I was innocent from day one. We learned that the witness who gave the police probable cause to arrest me was initially labeled a suspect in the case herself. Not only that, the detective stated that they had to work on this witness for months before she told the truth. I still have not received any of this witness's previous statements which would exonerate me. The prosecution told my jury that they had to believe this witness because she had no reason to lie. I also found out that the prosecution's motive witness was the godsister of the lead detective in my case. This person was originally one of my alibi witnesses who made a statement on my behalf, only to recant and testify for a plea bargain for her pending robbery charges. For all of these years, I wondered why these two witnesses would lie about me -- now I know that they were manipulated to lie. After almost two years of stalling, the prosecution wrapped up its good-faith investigation and filed a reply to my appeal. For the first time in 20 years my prosecutor did not argue about my guilt or stand by his evidence. Instead, the prosecution blamed me for not finding the information sooner -- information that was hidden in their own files for almost two decades. The prosecution said my appeal was therefore filed too late. In their reply brief to the court, they bashed my legal team and accused me of defaming a career cop and prosecutor simply because I spoke out about my innocence. Advertisement My prosecutor continues to stall and attempt to undermine my pursuit of justice. I still don't have a complete copy of my case discovery. My appeal was filed in 2013 and I've yet to have a hearing or see the inside of a courtroom. What I'm enduring, those 1,679 exonerees also endured. And that number does not include the many other innocent prisoners who are fighting for their lives, too. For an officer of the court who is not corrupt, my speaking out about actual facts should not be a problem. Rather, they should be eager to hear what I have to say and rid our judicial system of corrupt practices. And, in fact, there are officials who are starting to take a stand against wrongful convictions. I commend Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson, and the growing number of DAs who are working actively to correct errors that lead to the convictions of the innocent. Officials like them -- and an informed public -- can mean the difference between life and death for wrongfully convicted prisoners like myself. Three years ago, I was a public school teacher, teaching 8th grade English Language Arts in New York City. When Hurricane Sandy slammed our coastline and caused destruction at levels I had never before seen. I took the time during school closures to examine my life. Was I happy? Did I want to continue being a teacher? What else could I do, if I decided to walk away from my 15-year career? Looking back, I can honestly say that I didn't know what I could do to replace my income -- because teaching is what I had always known. But the possibility of a new career inspired me. I loved teaching (and still do a lot of teaching in my company, The Writing Whisperer), but I desperately needed my quality of life to improve. I wanted to travel year-round -- not just during the holidays and summers. I wanted to eat lunch like a normal person -- not scarf food down in the 15 minutes I was allotted. And one of the biggest reasons for leaving? As silly as it sounds, I wanted to pee when I had to pee -- not when the bell rang -- and I had just three minutes to run up the stairs, use the bathroom, and run back down to meet my students for the next class. Advertisement Fast forward to now, almost three years later -- and guess what? I wouldn't trade this life I have intentionally built for anything else in the world! I am writing copy for brands I love. There are days when I write in my pajamas until two or three o'clock in the afternoon. I am traveling the world -- because I focused on building a copywriting business where I can work anywhere that has WiFi. In the past two years, I have traveled to Berlin, the Bahamas, Bali, Paris, London, and up and down the East Coast. And yes, you guessed it -- I get to use the bathroom when nature calls! If you would have told me three years ago that I would be living this life, I wouldn't have believed you. But, because I have consistently focused on my goals as a writer, I often pinch myself (daily!) as a reminder that I am not living in a dream state. If you are looking for an additional source of income, or you'd like to make a complete career switch, copywriting is a lucrative option. You don't have to be a powerhouse writer -- so if you are worried about that, please put that fear aside. What you need to possess is a desire to learn about various types of copywriting and then practice on a daily basis. Just in case my personal story above didn't quite peak your interest, there are plenty of other reasons you should consider becoming a copywriter. Here are three major ones: Advertisement 1. Copywriting skills are in-demand: According to the Content Marketing Institute, 70 percent of B2B marketers are creating more content than they did one year ago. That means more and more companies are looking for and hiring copywriters to create this content. Someone has to craft copy that attracts and keeps customers... why not you? 2. You don't need a formal education to become a copywriter: Getting a formal education isn't necessary -- especially if you plan to freelance. If you're still feeling a little nervous about the idea, you can get a jumpstart by: Starting a blog and contributing to it regularly. Networking and getting feedback from successful copywriters. Enrolling in online training programs. These ideas will help you hone your copywriting skills. Don't let your lack of formal education keep you from pursuing your passion for writing! 3. You have the freedom to work from home or in an office: As a copywriter, you get to choose whether you want to work from home or work in an office. Many other professions don't have this luxury. So, if you love having the flexibility to choose when and where you want to work, copywriting is a career you should definitely consider. Advertisement The Hunting Ground, a breakthrough documentary directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Amy Ziering, has uncovered the epidemic of sexual assault and rape on America's college campuses and the efforts by college officials to suppress these cases. The film has been screened at more than almost 1000 universities, high schools, government offices and community centers -- awakening the nation to this pressing issue. Screening the film in communities throughout the country has created a national conversation among students, parents, administrators, government and media, resulting in a wake up call, demanding a cultural change. Our eyes are now wide open and the movement to protect our daughters and sons by ending the tolerance for campus sexual assault is growing. Despite the white noise campaign to discredit the film, there has been tremendous and unprecedented progress in new campus policies and regulations. The backlash claims that some of the campus rape date was exaggerated or simply false has been disproved over and over again. In fact, just recently the one-in-five college sexual assault statistic has been validated in a new poll by the Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation. Students on campuses across the United States are contributing to an inevitable transformation whereby more respectful environments can be fostered allowing students who have been assaulted greater receptiveness to report crimes and seek help. All victims of crimes on campus should feel confident that their claims will be treated seriously and not ignored to protect a school's, or classmate's reputation. Students on large and small, public and private campuses across the country have seen the film, and a cultural shift is burgeoning. A bottom up movement is underway in creating a more respectful environment on college campuses, one where students who have been assaulted feel their claims will be treated seriously and not ignored to protect the university's reputation. Advertisement A student-led national network has created awareness campaigns and education programs, furthering prevention and intervention strategies. The engagement of male students has made significant impact, involving men and fraternities as responsible parties in the status of sexual assault on their campuses. Young men are stepping forth and speaking out about honoring the necessity of "consent" as the acceptable norm, and not a threat to manhood. Achieving gender true equality, as well as the prevention of harassment and assault is simply an impossible goal without changing the lives and mindsets of male students, faculty and administrators, collectively. It's been long enough that potential male allies have been left out of the conversation regarding rape on campuses of higher education. The issues women, men, members of the LGBTQ community and all vulnerable populations endure can, and must be addressed universally. A student led national network has created awareness and education campaigns, furthering prevention and intervention strategies. The film has also been a catalyst for legislative reform. Senators McCaskill and Gillibrand, inspired by The Hunting Ground, have led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in cosponsoring a campus sexual assault bill in the Senate, the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. The law would require colleges and universities to designate Confidential Advisors to serve as a confidential resource for victims of crimes committed against a student. It would also create a standardize university processes for dealing with cases of sexual violence; make their disciplinary proceedings conform to national standards, and establish stiffer penalties for Title IX violations. The bill also suggests a biannual survey of students at every university in the country to gain insight on their experiences with sexual violence. Advertisement Unfortunately, the struggle continues with Senators Gillibrand and MacCaskill now fighting against national fraternity and sorority organizations that are pushing for a House bill that would make it more difficult for colleges to punish alleged perpetrators of sexual assault. Governors in states across the country have been inspired by the film to create new policies such as Governor Cuomo's "Enough is Enough" legislation, requiring that both private and public institutions in New York, adhere to reporting protocols and victim peer and professional support . This law inspired more than 40 mayors from the state to support similar legislation in their cities. And Chancellor Mike Powers of the University of Alaska Fairbanks released a pubic apology to rape survivors for the school's failure to stand up for victims. Additionally, Lady Gaga joined the film's campaign to end tolerance of sexual assault on campuses with her award-winning song, "Till it Happens To You," featured in The Hunting Ground. Other countries have motivated to face the issue of sexual assault on college and university campuses-to no small degree because of inspiration from the film. Australia and the United Kingdom have both begun to implement new policies protecting students and requiring schools to report crimes of rape and sexual assault. A barrier at an immigration point As Congress continues to debate whether to deport undocumented immigrants back to "where they belong," let's pause to consider what such a statement means. If you're anything like me, it should leave you perplexed. Where exactly should undocumented immigrants reside? The truth is that removal is less of a question of where they belong but rather, where we think they belong. I'm talking about the millions of undocumented immigrants who are, like I once was, a product of poor decisions made by their relatives in an effort to secure their safety or give them a better life in America. Immigration and Customs Enforcement created a division specifically to target these people, put them into custody, and get rid of them. This is the process of deportation, otherwise known as removal proceedings. Advertisement I don't deny that there are illegal immigrants who have threatened our national security, but they should not have permission to taint the reputation of an entire group. For the handful of true perpetrators we have, we have far more people who are subjected to criminal treatment simply for being placed into circumstances beyond their control as minors. Almost a decade ago, I was one of those people. That memory will never leave me. My charges were brought on by the Department of Justice. Standing at 5'4", 21 years of age, with a bachelor's degree under my belt and a masters degree on the way, the immigration judge ordered my deportation. It didn't matter that I had been raised in the U.S. for over 17 years, or that I was an orphan putting myself through school with the support of private funding. What mattered to the U.S. government was getting rid of me to teach my deceased parents a lesson for failing to secure my status. But since my birth country of Zambia rejected me, and since returning to my parents' native Democratic Republic of Congo was unthinkable, it wasn't clear where I could go. Echoing in my ears were the words of the immigration judge who threatened to deport me by sending me to where (he thought) I belonged. He thought I should be sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo despite its human rights violations such as systematic rape of women specifically in Eastern Congo and war taking place there. While my story is compelling, it is not unique. Thousands of other undocumented immigrants have been rejected by their birth country, don't identify with it, or are afraid to return to it. "Well, there is a chance of going to a third country," my attorney at the time said matter of factly as if he expected me to make sense of his comment. What did he mean by a third country? A third country would be used to host me until I was able to convince either my country of origin or my destination country, the USA. When I asked my attorney for an example of a third country that would take me, he looked at me incredulously as if I had just asked him the most benign question. A third country for me could have been anywhere in the world that the U.S. could pawn me off, regardless of safety conditions or my fluency in the main language. While being deported to Mexico was a possibility for me, I knew that my experience would be the opposite of vacationing in Mexico City or Cancun. Advertisement What happened if a third country was unwilling to take me? The alternative was being sent to a detention facility indefinitely. Judging by the pace of the immigration process, being placed in detention would be a dead-end. This is where I would go to be forgotten. Because an average of 30,000 immigrants are in detention on any given day, The Department of Homeland Security often runs out of space in their facilities and people like me are placed in prisons with real criminals. Being sent to a detention facility with prison-like conditions where allegations of physical abuse have been reported and where legal recourse is limited is just as dangerous as being deported to the Democratic Republic of Congo. I feared for my safety. If I was lucky enough to get a lawyer while in detention, I would have to compete with the cases that took precedence over mine. At the time I was a student at the Maxwell School of Public Administration at Syracuse University, which provided me the access to educate myself about my rights and act as my own legal aid. I learned it would cost me an average of $85 per day to attend a four-year college, versus costing the government anywhere from $95 to $120 a day to keep me detained. Our impulse is to want to send illegal immigrants back to where they belong, but it's imperative for us to be well-informed before making such decisions. Let's first consider the circumstances in which they ended up in our nation. We ought to also recognize the possibility that some of them may in fact belong in the U.S. Advertisement As 2016 begins, the Human Rights Campaign, the United States' largest LGBT civil rights organization, previews the battles in the year to come in the fight for global equality. While some countries saw major progress in 2015, such as the inclusion of LGBT protections in Nepal's new constitution and the arrival of marriage equality in Ireland and the United States, the fundamental rights of LGBT people remain under attack in most countries around the globe. In places like Syria and Iraq LGBT lives are at risk, in Kyrgyzstan and Uganda governments threaten to criminalize and commit violence against LGBT citizens, while in The Gambia and the Dominican Republic politicians and religious leaders peddle vicious and harmful rhetoric about LGBT people. But as the new year begins, there is also much cause for optimism. In places like Northern Ireland (U.K.) and Australia the momentum towards marriage equality continues to grow. In the halls of parliaments and boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, the winds of change can be felt. In advance of the 2016 World Economic Forum in Davos, HRC President Chad Griffin pointed out how progress towards granting equal rights and protections to LGBT employees has been staggering as more and more multinational companies realize the value of ensuring workplace inclusion for LGBT employees. To learn about how the Human Rights Campaign is working with partners around the world to strengthen the global equality movement please visit: www.hrc.org/global. Iraq and Syria As ISIL expands its reach in the Middle East, LGBT Iraqis and Syrians continue to face horrific violence and brutality. ISIL is infamous for its appalling brutality against the region's population, including LGBT people. This includes the horrific targeting and execution of men who are perceived to be gay, who in a number of documented cases, have been blindfolded and pushed off tall buildings, then stoned to death when they survived the fall. LGBT Iraqis and Syrians who manage to escape often end up in refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan, and other socially conservative countries. While there, they often continue to face persecution as relief and resettlement agencies are not equipped to properly address the needs of LGBT refugees. Advertisement Shutterstock Visun Khankasem Australia Though the vast majority of Australians support marriage equality, political in-fighting impeded progress in 2015. Last August, then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to allow a vote in parliament on marriage equality despite polling indicating that 72 percent of Australians supported granting same-sex couples the right to marry. Abbott's unacceptable opposition to marriage equality helped lead to his downfall as Prime Minister, with Malcolm Turnbull, a marriage equality supporter, succeeding him in September. Despite this, shortly after assuming the premiership, Turnbull endorsed Abbott's plan of delaying marriage equality until a nationwide vote on the issue could be held in 2017. The world will be watching to see if growing public and political pressures will help make 2016 the year that Australia joins the world's 19 other countries that have fully granted committed, loving same-sex couples the right to marry. Human Rights Campaign The Philippines While the Philippines is one of the most LGBT-friendly countries in Asia, LGBT people still lack national protections from widespread discrimination and violence. For years, the Philippines' vibrant and active LGBT community--and in particular its transgender community--has lobbied hard for anti-discrimination protections to become law. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church has fiercely opposed them, and these protections have stalled in parliament since the 1990s. Despite this, more than a dozen local governments as well as Cavite province have taken matters into their own hands and issued local nondiscrimination ordinances protecting LGBT people. In May, voters will head to the polls in a presidential election where a pro-equality presidential candidate -- Senator Grace Poe -- is on the ballot. Her election could be a significant step forward for the fight for LGBT equality in this Southeast Asian country of nearly 100 million people. Advertisement Nikilas Mawanda Uganda Notorious Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is expected to win reelection this February. In previous elections, LGBT Ugandans were used as political pawns by candidates working to rally supporters. As the elections approach, this pattern could repeat itself. Museveni is known the world over for his deplorable record of anti-LGBT fear-mongering. This includes his formal endorsement of the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) in early 2014--a law that unleashed a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against LGBT Ugandans. While the nation's court system ultimately struck down the law, new legislation that would suppress LGBT advocacy in the country passed Uganda's parliament and currently awaits Museveni's approval. AP Fernando Vergara Colombia With a landmark decision in November 2015 allowing lesbian and gay individuals and couples to adopt children, momentum continues to grow for legal recognition and protection of LGBT people in Colombia. This year, advocates are awaiting a major court ruling that could lead to nationwide marriage equality. The Colombian Constitutional Court--the nation's highest court--ruled in 2011 that same-sex couples should be entitled to the same protections as different-sex couples, but that the Congress needed to pass legislation addressing the issue of marriage equality within two years. After Congress failed to do so, same-sex couples began applying for marriage licenses from local notaries across the country. Some couples were granted licenses but many others were denied. Ultimately, those who were refused brought the matter back before the Constitutional Court to decide. A decision is expected as early as this month. Amnesty U.K. Patrick Corrigan Northern Ireland (U.K.) In Northern Ireland, LGBT advocates are fighting to join the rest of the United Kingdom in achieving full legal recognition for same-sex couples. Last November, 53 lawmakers voted in favor of granting same-sex couples the right to marry, while 51 voted against. Unfortunately, the conservative Democratic Unionist Party, a Protestant party, which has the largest number of seats in Parliament, vetoed the motion. With marriage equality legislation stymied in the legislature, advocates are pursuing a legal strategy to prevail in the courts, and are hoping that the ultimate result of two cases could usher in marriage equality in 2016. Human Rights Campaign Advertisement Human Rights Campaign Kyrgyzstan Last June, the National Assembly of Kyrgyzstan gave preliminary approval to discriminatory anti-LGBT legislation that not only emulates Russia's anti-LGBT "propaganda law," but imposes even harsher sentences. If the bill passes a final vote in 2016 and President Almazbek Atambayev signs it into law, the day-to-day work of LGBT advocates could be criminalized. These brave activists already experience extreme violence, such as an attack last May at a celebration of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT). A "foreign agents" bill, also modeled on Russia's, could be on the agenda for Kyrgyzstan's legislature during the first half of 2016. AP Hassan Ammar Egypt The Egyptian government's brutal crackdown on LGBT people in 2015--particularly on gay men and transgender women-- shows no signs of abating. A group of 11 allegedly LGBT Egyptians were arrested last September and are currently awaiting judgment on charges of debauchery. The ongoing crackdown is part of a calculated effort by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to establish his political legitimacy with a conservative Islamist opposition. Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded. Another Reason to Preserve the Carbon Storing Amazon: Its Biodiversity as personified in this red eyed tree frog. Sourcewww.basilbaker.com Forests: the cheapest way to store carbon OO Dams Threaten Amazon Forest,Promoting Deforestation For Decades - shows a new study documenting the long term effect of a Brazilian mega dam. The Tucurui Dam: destroyed 3,000 square kilometers (sq km) of forest with reservoirs; created huge methane emissions from flooded rotting forests; cities and illegal logging developed around the new dam Source International Rivers at flickr 600+ sq km of forest were lost yearly for 20 years (12,000+ sq km); forest loss continues at 300+ sq km yearly. 400+ amazon dams, many mega-size, are operating, being planned or built; wholesale deforestation will decrease riverflow, and electricity produced by dams. When we harm forests, we harm ourselves. OO Earth Is Experiencing a Global Warming Spurt - following a global warming slowdown that lasted about 15 years under one phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation cycle. This much slower moving cycle has now switched into its other phase, and is currently interacting with the El Nino oceanic cycle; both cycles are being amplified by climate change. OO NOAA: US Posts Second-Hottest Year On Record - extending the streak of warmer-than-average annual temperatures, as the planet set another record hot year in recorded history. Advertisement ** Hurricane Pali formed recently in the Pacific Ocean, as did subtropical storm Alex in the Atlantic. NASA OO Unprecedented: Simultaneous January Named Storms in the Atlantic and Central Pacific - when the earliest storms in both oceans typically occur in July. OO Weather Whiplash, From Hot to Frigid, Hits Eastern US - as El Nino and climate change continue their dynamic winter dance. "Expect the unexpected," says a chief meteorologist. ** Credit Matt Granz OO US Wildfires Just Set An Amazing And Troubling New Record - Officials say that in an era of climate change, they're going to keep getting worse. @@ Canada: Wildfires Broke Record In 2015 - Wildfires scorched a record amount of Canada's national parks last year - the latest in a number of long, hot summers that have almost entirely depleted Parks Canada's firefighting reserve. Advertisement ** Deforestation is one of the fastest ways that environments are changing dramatically, while climate change is creating vast fast changes on a global scale. Source Mongabay.com OO Environmental Change Rate Unprecedented, Study Says -published in the journal Nature Geosciences, it found that the pace of environmental change is occurring faster now than at any other previous time in the Earth's history. OO A New Type of Ice In Greenland Has Sped Up Ice Loss, Sea Level Rise ** @@ Climate Change 101: Why Care? What You Need to Know - Bill Nye tells it all in five minutes amid graphic, dynamic, engaging, compelling imagery. Check it Out! ** ggg marine life, Source www.tes.com, ccr 312 Fish to Fry as the oceans warm and acidify. Source www.tes.com Advertisement OO Marine Life Can't Keep Up With Climate Change - the oceans are getting too warm and acidic too fast for sea life to adapt. Massive die-offs of fish, crabs, and sea birds in the Pacific northwest portend what will happen worldwide as conditions worsen under continued global warming. OO Mekong Dams Threaten SE Asia's Greatest Lake - And Food Security For Millions - Scientists warn that plans to build dams across Lake Tonle Sap could be an ecological time bomb. The Spirit of Christmas Future OO Look Your Children In the Eyes: Why Climate Change Is an Ethical Problem - we're taking modest benefits now as we pass the catastrophic costs on to our kids later. * * CLIMATE CHANGE COSTS Beyond Insurance is the real hardship created by extreme weather. Credit Charlie Riedel at Associated Press OO Insurers Paid Out $27 Billion For Natural Disaster Claims In 2015 with weather causing 94% of incidents, according to data from reinsurer Munich Re. Advertisement OO Cash For The Climate Please, Caribbean Leaders Lament - as they request funding needed for adaptation and mitigation of climate change. * * SPEAKING OUT @@ Bernie Sanders Proposes Aggressive Climate Change Policies OO Poll: Most Americans Support Action To Stop Climate Change and believe it's leading to higher sea levels and more extreme weather patterns. OO Pope Inspires Clergy To Join Environmental Movement @@ President Obama: If You Still Dispute Climate Change, 'You'll Be Pretty Lonely' * * GOOD CLEAN NEWS @@ GravityLight 2: Replacing Millions of Kerosene Lights With Clean Energy Lighting - so easy a child can use it, making gravity power a light that last about a half hour: this could be used to help a billion people worldwide. OO Benefits From State Renewable Portfolio Standards Far Outweigh Costs - Report State targets offer $7.2 billion in environmental and health benefits, compared to an estimated $1 billion in compliance costs. OO Mighty Money For Small Wind Projects: $200 Million - has been clinched by United Wind Inc, which has carved out a niche leasing wind turbines to farms and rural homes, has clinched $200 million in funding - the largest-ever single investment in small wind projects. Getting Out of a Dirty Business is good, but we need to exit from coal far faster. Source www.coal-is-dirty.com Advertisement OO Oregon Utilities Agree To Phase Out Coal-Fired Power by 2030 OO U.S. Coal Production Dropped To 30-Year Low In 2015 thanks in part to low natural gas prices and climate policies encouraging utilities to switch to natural gas to generate electricity... except that the gas leaks associated with providing natural gas makes it just as dirty as coal, in terms of causing climate change. Related Headline OO America's Coal Production Falls to Its Lowest Level Since 1986 Coal's downward spiral continues. ** Red Marks the Methane plume over the San Juan basin, where ConocoPhillips operates, and is making a little progress towards cleaning up its messy business. Source NASA, JPL-Caltech, University of Michigan OO ConocoPhillips Slashed Methane Emissions 23% in 2014 OO Big Carbon Polluters Face New Emissions Rule In Washington State especially cement makers, oil refiners and paper mills. OO $33 Million Allocated to Prep Power Grid for Clean Energy OO $175 Million Lined Up For Solar Financing - and other clean energy development. OO EPA Looks to Build on Big Wins This Year - it plans to: Help implement goals established by the Paris agreement finalize rules this year to cut carbon pollution from heavy-duty vehicles and a rule to limit methane leaks from oil and gas operations * * NATURAL REPERCUSSIONS Crunch Time on Rice Crispies Cereal crop production is slowly falling due to more droughts and heatwaves. Advertisement OO Climate Change: Cereal Harvests Worldwide Fell By 10 % In 50 Years via increased droughts and heatwaves. OO East Africans Are Starving--Again-- As The World Looks Away - as drought and war create two hunger emergencies. Too Hot to Burn? Global warming is starting to create water shortages that could ultimately cripple thermoelectric plants, which need water to cool their operations. Source Walter at Flickr OO Climate Change Could Cut Global Electricity Output by Disrupting Water leading to water shortages that: will cut hydropower generation in big dam;s will not be able to cool thermoelectric plants, such as nuclear plants. both sources supply nearly all (98%) of the world's electricity. said the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. ** A Biodiversity Hotspot is Drying Up - the Monteverde Cloud Forest is home to the famed Resplendent Quetzal. Source neotropical.birds.cornell.edu OO Climate Change Is Drying Costa Rica's Treasured Monteverde Cloud Forest a spectacular biodiversity hotspot for plants as well as animals. OO Sitting Ducks: Why Millions Of Arctic Seabirds Are In Danger - Oil spills, climate change, fishing, shipping routes--threats facing Arctic seabirds are vast, and hard to track. ** Queen of Sheba Orchid is one of thousands of native south Australian plants threatened by climate change. Source www.youtube.com OO Climate Change, Weeds Threaten South Australia's Plant Biodiversity - which includes six plant biodiversity hotspots, say researchers. * * FOSSIL FUEL FOLLIES Methane Leak Has Residents Seeing Red like this infrared view of the giant leak, as new refugees from the neighborhood wonder when they will return. Source Environmental Defense Fund OO A Single Gas Well Leak Is California's Biggest Contributor To Climate Change Related Headlines: OO CA Gov. Jerry Brown Declares State Of Emergency At Porter Ranch Amid Massive Gas Leak - ordering new regulations, including stepped-up inspections and safety measures, for all natural gas storage facilities in California. OO Gas Leak Will Cost SoCal Gas Billions Gassed Residents Protest the Porter Ranch methane leak. Source www.laprogressive.com OO No Short-Term Fix For California Methane Leak - it will take at least another 6 weeks. OO The Company Behind L.A.'S Methane Disaster Knew Its Well Was Leaking 24 Years Ago OO Vermont Replaced Nuclear Power With Dirty Natural Gas - too bad they didn't invest in solar and wind instead. Advertisement Credit Tom Toles at the Washington Post OO U.S. Files Lawsuit Against Volkswagen Over Emissions Trickery - what about climate denial trickery? OO Fracking Shakes The American West: 'A Millennium's Worth Of Earthquakes' in both Colorado and Oklahoma. If we do not grow sustainably, Our children will die inhumanely. Unintended Pregnancy Costs US Taxpayers: - And Climate by upping the climate changing consumption created by resulting unintended people. Unintended Pregnancies Cost US Taxypayers Nearly $11 Billion Yearly -the Guttmacher Institute Teen Childbearing Alone Cost US Taxpayers $9+ Billion In 2010 And the costs of raising a child usually ensures decades, if not a life, of poverty for its mother. - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advertisement @@ How Parents Can Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy * * WHAT YOU CAN DO Help prevent unintended pregnancies in your community: publicize where women can access affordable contraception. They can go here to find locations: And there are many more actions you can do, right here. * * * SOLAR KEEPS SURFING OO New Efficiency Record of 29.8% For Solar Cell - yes, nearly 30% of sunlight is converted to electricity by a new dual junction cell, 2 fused upper and lower cells made from a gallium compound and silicon, respectively, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. OO Google Helps Analyze If Rooftop Solar Panels Are Good Deal - to help people adopt rooftop solar. OO Nevada's Solar Job Exodus Continues, Driven by Anti-Solar Policies Related Headlines: OO SolarCity Cuts 550 Nevada Jobs Solar Cooks Up in Africa with Solosource cookers. Source One Earth Designs OO Solar Stoves Solves Largest Environmental Health Problem Worldwide - that is, indoor air pollution from traditional stoves in poor home worldwide. Takeaways: the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, goal: 100 million households worldwide to cook cleanly by 2020. the SolSource solar cooker collects and concentrates 92% of all received sunlight; soon the company plans to offer a storage battery so food can be cooked during the night. Advertisement OO Selling Solar Power on the Street: the Mobile Solar Kiosk generates enough solar power on a mobile kiosk that people can sell the power to charge phones, recharge batteries, and more, in Africa! And they hope to create mobile wifi spots next.... OO South Africa's Developing Solar Landscape is driven by three factors: the worldwide drive toward renewable energy, a highly strained local electricity supply, and a steady drop in solar panel prices. Check it out here, right now! * * * WHY WE SHOULD ACT NOW: RISING RISKS Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, Jan 19, 2016 How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide. Looking above at recent temperature anomalies, much of the US and the waters surrounding it are experiencing warmer than normal temperatures: although El Nino driven storms are bringing much needed rain to California, far more is needed to bring California out of drought. Meanwhile, a warming Arctic is slowing down the polar jet stream, allowing Arctic weather to loop down into the eastern US. Expect more crazy and destructive weather under continuing climate change. Advertisement Much of the areas surrounding the North Pole are experiencing much warmer than normal temperatures - not good news for our Arctic thermal shield of ice. Hotter than usual temperatures continue to dominate human habitats. * * * There is, of course, much more news on the consequences and solutions to climate change. To get it, check out this annotated resource list I've compiled, "Climate Change News Resources," at Wordpress.com here. For more information on the science of climate change, its consequences and solutions you can view my annotated list of online information resources here. To help you understand just what science does and does NOT do, check this out! Every day is Earth Day, folks, as I was reminded by this everlasting wild flower I photographed one spring in South Africa. Making the U.S. a global clean energy leader will ensure a heck of a lot more jobs, and a clean, safe future. If you'd like to join the increasing numbers of people who want to TELL Congress that they will vote for clean energy candidates you can do so here. It's our way of letting Congress know there's a strong clean energy voting bloc out there. For more detailed summaries of the above and other climate change items, audio podcasts and texts are freely available. The proposed legislation, which was introduced Thursday, would start with an appointed nine-member interim school board, with five of the members appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder and four by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. That board would hire a superintendent for the district. A nine-member school board -- seven members from districts throughout the city and two from at-large -- would be elected by Detroit voters in November and take over governing the district on Jan. 1, 2017. That school board, however, would be more symbolic than substantive, said state Rep. Brian Banks, D-Detroit, because it would have no control over the hiring of a superintendent and would be subject to the same financial review commission that oversees the City of Detroit's finances. "It doesn't go far enough to address our concerns. There should not be any appointed board for any length of time," he said. "This is just going to be another form of an emergency manager." ... Other concerns for Detroit lawmakers is the continuation of a form of the Education Achievement Authority, which will be run by a state-appointed CEO who will have authority over the bottom 5% of low-achieving schools in the state. The fact that a source hasn't been identified to come up with the $515 million needed to pay off Detroit's debt also is problematic, although a $250-million transfer from the state's general fund has been included to establish the new district. ... Duggan didn't support or reject the legislation. "Coalition members and I, along with community stakeholders, the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) and the State Board of Education, are working closely with our Detroit legislators to have a single, unified position to eliminate the debt that is choking our schools; return control of DPS to a locally elected school board, and to create a Detroit Education Commission to establish a single standard of performance for all public schools in Detroit -- district and charter," he said in a statement referring to the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren. ... Part of the concern for Republicans are sick-outs by Detroit teachers protesting conditions in the schools. Dozens of schools have closed over the last two weeks. ... [The lead sponsor of the bills, Sen. Goeff] Hansen said he expects hearings to be held on the two bills -- SB 710 and 711 -- within the next two weeks, with a goal of passing the legislation by April, when it is projected that DPS may run out of money. US President Barack Obama and Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House January 19, 2016 in Washington, DC. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) Today marks the first visit to Washington by Malcolm Turnbull, Australia's new Prime Minister, since taking office in September. Australia is one of America's closest allies in Asia, and a central part of the administration's rebalance strategy. For example, President Obama gave two of his major speeches on Asia in Australia, and Australia is a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Turnbull's visit is significant for the pressing global and regional issues the two leaders likely discussed. But the meeting is also an illustration of the intense engagement with allies and key partners in Asia by the Obama administration in the first month of 2016 -- a reflection of the progress the administration has made in bolstering these partnerships and the increasing importance of them for tackling today's headline-grabbing events. Advertisement The battle against ISIS and terrorism was certainly at the top of the list when the two leaders met. Australia is a major partner in the anti-ISIS coalition. As such, the two leaders focused on the recent ISIS terrorist attack in Indonesia -- one of Australia's most important regional partners -- as well as the potential for an increasing threat of terrorism in Southeast Asia and how the two allies can work together to prevent it. But much of the focus of the alliance is on Asia. It's likely that Obama and Turnbull discussed the threats to regional stability posed by tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the South China Sea, as well as the topic du jour in the region these days: how to deal with the rise of China. Of course, these issues are not unique to the U.S.-Australia relationship -- they are some of the top reasons why the United States has been boosting its alliances and partnerships in recent years. That fast-paced engagement with partners in Asia has been on full display this month. First, North Korea's most recent nuclear test kicked into high gear America's coordination with its northeast Asian allies Japan and South Korea. The U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy immediately traveled to the region, paving the way for Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken to visit Seoul and Tokyo this week to coordinate the region's response to North Korea's latest provocation. While relations between Japan and South Korea are strained, it is often North Korea's actions that remind both of the importance of their partnership, and the U.S. role that helps bring them together. Solid trilateral U.S.-Japan-South Korea coordination now is strengthening the world's response to North Korea, as well as the U.S. position in Asia. Second, the U.S.-Philippines "2+2" ministerial between Secretary Kerry and Secretary Carter and their counterparts last week was focused squarely on China's assertive actions in the South China Sea. China's landing of a civilian aircraft on its new runway on Fiery Cross Reef--one of China's brand new man-made islands in the South China Sea--early this month was a timely reminder of the importance of the U.S.-Philippines alliance and the US role in Southeast Asia in deterring assertive Chinese actions in the region. Last week, the Philippines Supreme Court also provided its thumbs up to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which will allow U.S. troops to station equipment and build facilities on bases in the Philippines, a huge step forward in an alliance that only 25 years ago saw the Philippines eject the U.S. military presence. Advertisement Finally, the Obama administration has continued the critical U.S. role in supporting peaceful cross-Strait relations, a challenge not likely to get easier with this weekend's election in Taiwan. The election of the new Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen represents only the second time a candidate from the Democratic Progressive Party -- which is typically associated with more pro-independence policies -- has won, and the last time that happened cross-Strait relations saw heightened tension. As part of its stabilizing role, this week the U.S. dispatched former Deputy Secretary of State William Burns to Taiwan, a traditional trip by a former senior U.S. official to Taipei following a presidential election in Taiwan. The thread running through many of these partnerships is China, and questions over its role in the region as it rises. America recognizes that while it must continue to strengthen alliances and partnerships to deter destabilizing behavior by anyone -- North Korea on the peninsula, China in the South China Sea, or others -- it also must build a strong relationship with China to ensure that actions by both sides to do not engender a self-fulfilling prophecy of the security dilemma in Asia that many worry about. That's why both Secretary Kerry and Deputy Secretary Blinken are visiting Beijing this month, to keep momentum going on areas of cooperation and to engage on key problem areas like North Korea and the South China Sea. Getting back to the Turnbull visit, how does Australia view its alliance with Washington and its role in this evolving landscape in Asia? Canberra is watching the region go through truly historic changes, with the rise of new powers and economic and demographic trends that are shifting power dynamics and raising the specter of new challenges -- from maritime disputes to terrorism -- reaching its shores. The alliance with the United States is not only a bedrock of Australian security, but a force multiplier for Australia's role in Asia and beyond, bolstering its voice and influence not only in tackling key security threats in Asia but also in the Middle East. But like every country in the region, these new dynamics are sparking new debates in Australia about the country's role in the region, how to balance its cooperation with Beijing with its concerns, whether to focus more on Asia or in other hotspots like the Middle East, and how best it can continue to play a vital role in upholding regional peace. Advertisement Those who ideologically opposed the negotiations with Iran on the nuclear issue have been proven wrong. Diplomacy works and the results are a clear success for the Non Proliferation Treaty, the region which desperately needs a new approach, the Iranian people who have been under crippling sanctions for over a decade and the rest of the world which is now free to reengage in economic and financial relations with Iran. We need to learn several key lessons from this historic deal. First, diplomacy is strength not weakness. Very few people believed that choosing the path of de-escalation and dialogue would prevent a military confrontation and successfully lead to a peaceful resolution of the nuclear crisis. The negotiations that took place between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) have been tough but the tremendous political capital invested by both sides mixed with the dangerous escalation have led to more understanding, more communication and ultimately compromise. Therefore, the situation has evolved from lose-lose to win-win. Before the serious talks began, each side refused pressure from the other and the lack of communication along with threats created a dangerous cycle. As a result, more indiscriminate sanctions led to more Iranian nuclear capabilities, and vice-versa. The unprecedented diplomatic effort, particularly between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, proved that successful diplomacy is about dealing with your enemy, not your friend. Two years of dialogue and engagement have built the trust that is necessary to open a new chapter in which responsible leaders are now able to serve their respective national interests in a more effective way. Advertisement Two examples: first, the American sailors who accidentally crossed the Iranian waters into the Persian Gulf were detained by Iran. However, they were released within the 16 hours due to direct U.S.-Iran communication lines. With the huge lack of trust that prevailed between Tehran and Washington before the opening of these direct lines, the likely escalation would have turned a minor incident into a bargaining chip. Instead, the American sailors were quickly released. A second example is the release of the five American prisoners, which is the result of the crucial direct dialogue between the two countries. As Kerry stated, "there is no doubt that the pace and progress of the humanitarian talks accelerated in light of the relationships forged and the diplomatic channels unlocked over the course of the nuclear talks". Again, talking to your foe is strength and it is the core of diplomacy. Therefore, U.S. presidential candidates must recognize that it takes two to tango and that "distrust and verify", as Hilary Clinton stated, is not a formula for success. On the contrary, building trust is the key to getting concrete results. Secondly, the success of diplomacy marks a strong defeat to the warmongers that have invested a strong political capital on the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, on both sides. Opponents of diplomacy have become powerful during this period of escalation and they have consolidated their power in this process. The successful implementation of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) is opening space to the moderates and is offering the Rouhani government more potential to have a constructive role in several key areas such as the stabilization of the region, more privatization of the Iranian economy and healthy trade with its neighbors, whom could stand to gain from the economical growth in order to face their own challenges. The isolation of Iran has created a vacuum from New Delhi to Istanbul and from Moscow to Addis Ababa. The return of Iran on the international stage will strengthen the creation of new economic partnerships that will, in the long run, create more stability. Advertisement As far as domestic Iranian affairs are concerned (and as I wrote the day Rouhani was elected) reducing the likelihood of a military confrontation allows the Iranian government "to break the securitized environment" and the Revolutionary Guards' control of the economy (which is one of Rouhani's priorities). The lifting of sanctions is opening the economy and the foreign investors are coming back to Iran. The private sector will benefit from the end of Iran's isolation and therefore Iran will be able to reduce the Revolutionary Guards' current hold of the economy. Thanks to this tremendous diplomatic success, the Foreign Ministry is now leading in major issues such as the nuclear deal, the Syria peace talks, the release of the U.S. sailors and the release of the American prisoners in exchange of the release of Iranian prisoners held in the United States. President Hassan Rouhani's election in 2013 has provided more leeway to the Foreign Ministry and the first act was to transfer the nuclear file from the hands of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (under direct authority of the Supreme Leader) to Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Though still under the authority of the Supreme Leader, Zarif's ability to lead the negotiation team has been critical to getting the deal. An organ transplant is often a patient's last hope for life, and it is well known that there are an insufficient number of organs being donated from living or deceased donors. The wealthy always have the option of avoiding long waiting lists by finding quasi legal organs for sale within and outside the US. For the rest of us, it could take years to get an organ transplant. There is an urgent need and we must investigate how to best increase the donor pool. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, and UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing), a nonprofit organization in Richmond Va. that administers the country's only Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, approximately 28,000 organs are transplanted each year in America; 79 a day. Hearts, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, intestine, and thymus all can be transplanted. (Additionally, tissue transplantation includes bones, tendons, cornea, skin, heart valves, nerves and veins.) Approximately 18 people die every day - more than 6,000 a year - due to a shortage of donated organs, and the lack of organs for transplant will continue to rise as the population ages. While people die in need, one person can save or enhance the lives of up to 50 other people through organ and tissue donation, according to Gift of Life. Advertisement The US Department of Health and Human Services website says: No one is too old or too young [to donate]. Both newborns and senior citizens have been organ donors. The condition of your organs is more important than age. Someone 35 years old with a history of alcohol abuse may have a liver that is in worse condition than someone 60 years old who has never consumed alcohol. Doctors will examine your organs and determine whether they are suitable for donation if the situation arises. If you are under 18, you may need the permission of a parent or guardian to donate. The most common organ transplanted is the kidney, which unlike the liver and heart, can be donated from either a deceased or living donor. Live donors - usually relatives -can lead a fully active life with one kidney. Recipients generally have End State Renal Disease (ESRD) which means that both of their kidneys have failed. Life expectancy on dialysis can vary depending on the patient's age, other medical conditions and how well the patient follows his or her treatment plan. Average life expectancy on dialysis is 5 to10 years; however, many patients have lived well on dialysis for 20 or even 30 years. The Costs In 1972 the Social Security Act granted comprehensive coverage under Medicare to virtually anyone diagnosed with kidney failure, regardless of age or income. Advertisement The average person with failed kidneys remains on the transplant waitlist for 3 to 5 years. In the meantime, they're hooked up to dialysis machines several times a week at an annual cost of approximately $75,000. Kidney transplant surgeries typically pay for themselves within one to three years because the need for dialysis is eliminated by the new kidney. With approximately 400,000 Americans relying on kidney dialysis, taxpayers spend more than $20 billion a year to increase each patient's life an average of three years. Kidney failure disproportionately afflicts minorities and the dispossessed, including prisoners, who rely on Medicare and Medicaid. As of 2010, the US continues to have one of the industrialized world's highest mortality rates for dialysis care. Two corporate chains that dominate the dialysis-care system are consistently profitable, together making about $2 billion in operating profits a year. One of these, DaVita HealthCare Partners, agreed to pay $350 million to settle criminal and civil anti-kickback investigations and plans to end joint ventures with kidney doctors involving 28 dialysis clinics. Opt-in or Opt-out? Two major systems are used to acquire organ donations. Opt-in works by having citizens register their willingness to be an organ donor upon their death. Opt-out operates by all citizens being donors upon their death unless a specific request is made before death for organs not to be taken. Opt-in, as we have in America, it is argued, can lead to individuals who would want to be a donor not making the official step to register as a donor. In contrast, inaction in an opt-out system can potentially lead to an individual that does not want to donate becoming a donor. Advertisement It seems logical that opt-out would generate more donors. The theory was investigated by researchers from the Universities of Nottingham, Stirling and Northumbria in the UK, who looked at 48 nations' organ donation policies to determine whether opt-in or opt-out yielded better results. The results of their research were published in BC Medicine in 2014. Slightly less than half the nations (23) use an opt-in system, including the US, Canada, Mexico, The Netherlands, Israel, Japan and New Zealand. Slightly more than half (25) have opt-out polices, including France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Russia. It is also known as presumed consent. The UK study found deceased donor rates were higher in opt-out than in opt-in consent countries. However, the number of living donors was higher in opt-in than opt-out nations. The authors also note that countries using opt-out consent still experience organ donor shortages. Changing the system of consent is, therefore, unlikely to solve such a problem, according to James McIntosh of Medicine News Today. The US utilizes Opt-in with registration when people obtain drivers licenses, and there is an option to register online. This system excludes tens of millions of people such as the impoverished and/or disabled who do not drive and have no access to online registration, as well as prisoners. replacing g our opt-in with an opt-out system might do more to increase donations here in the US than it has in other countries. Sale of Organs? Both opt-in an opt-out only provide organs from deceased donors. Most live donations of organs such as kidneys are obtained from relatives. In order to increase these "donations," some suggest allowing financial incentives or the sale of organs. Advertisement Marcia Clark (of the notorious Simpson murder trial) and William Travis Clark note that financial incentives work in places like the Philippines, writing in Forbes: [The] libertarian-minded argue that if our bodies are ours to manage, it should follow that we are also able to sell our organs. They argue that the financial incentive will increase the supply of live donors so significantly, it will eliminate the market shortage. The libertarians argue that organ sales - not presumed consent, which they claim not only violates personal freedom, but also is ineffectual over the long run - is the answer. There's a certain logic to their thinking. We don't expect altruism to drive markets in most other aspects of our daily lives. Opponents of this view argue that creating a free market for kidneys would be exploitative and immoral, noting that the poor of Pakistan and China have shown willingness to sell corneas on the black market for money. A market system - black or otherwise - the opposition fears, exploits such abject poverty. Clark and Clark counter this argument by noting that people take high risk jobs such as working in mines or joining the military for the money. In 2011, The New York Times published an op-ed in favor of legalizing organ selling in the US. But the Washington Post came out against the idea in January 2016, noting: Advertisement Whether we like it or not, we live in the era of globalization, and if the U.S. legalizes the market for body parts, there is no reason to think that international economies won't play a role in how a patient decides to procure transplant organs. They further note that: According to the National Foundation for Transplants, a kidney transplant costs about $260,000. In the illegal organ markets in India, Egypt and Pakistan, the same procedure rings in at just shy of $20,000 -- certified organ included. Those opposed argue that allowing organs to be sold would favor wealthy recipients and leave less affluent patients closed out, as opposed to following the current criteria regarding the patient's state of health and age, among other considerations, and putting price tags on organs. There is also very real concern about human trafficking for organ harvesting. In the early 1980s a new form of human trafficking, a global trade in kidneys from living persons to supply the needs and demands of 'transplant tourists', emerged in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. The first scientific report on the phenomenon, published in The Lancet in 1990, documented the transplant odysseys of 131 renal patients from three dialysis units in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. They travelled with their private doctors to Bombay (now Mumbai), India, where they were transplanted with kidneys from living 'suppliers' organized by local brokers trolling slums and shantytowns. The sellers were paid between $2,000 and $3,000 for a 'spare' organ. On return, these transplant tourists suffered an alarming rate of post-operative complications and mortalities resulting from mismatched organs, and infections including HIV and Hepatitis C. There was no data on, or discussion of, the possible adverse effects on the kidney sellers, who were still an invisible population of anonymous supplier bodies, similar to deceased donors. Nancy Scheper-Hughes, who co-founded OrgansWatch, says that it is no longer a questions of medical ethics; it is international organized crime. Legalizing it might add some protections and regulations, but will do little to minimize the exploitation of the poor. Other Options to Increase Organ Donations Spain's organ transplant program is hailed as a successful model. At the end of 1989, the Organizacion Nacional de Trasplantes (ONT) was created within the Spanish Department of Health, which is in charge of official reports in the field of organ donation and transplantation, and it guarantees the complete equity and transparency of the system. Hospitals in Spain - the vast majority of which are governmental; not private - have transplant coordinators whose role is to identify potential donors and effectively convert them into actual donors with the consent of family. The success of organ transplants in Spain is attributed mainly to the sensitive way transplant coordinators approach the bereaved families. Italy and Portugal have followed suit, putting in place a similar system of transplant coordinators, and their organ donation rates are also on the rise. Several other European nations, including Britain, are now considering doing likewise. Israel and Singapore have found a unique way to motivate and encourage organ donations that does not involve financial incentive. It is called Allocation Priority or Priority Rule and here is how it works: People who agree to be donors when they die, or "in various ways support organ donation" for at least three years before being listed as in need of an organ donation, are given priority should they need a transplant. Advertisement This law has had success in Israel in conjunction with opt-in, particularly because there is a portion of the population that is opposed to donation for religious reasons, but nevertheless seek a transplant when it is necessary to save their lives. Following the tragic ISIS-led carnage in Paris and Beirut, we now hear the cacophony of political opportunism and fear in which some politicians in the U.S. are actively working against America's support of refugees, specifically Muslim refugees. In my work with Syrian refugee youth, there are a few discoveries that give me hope in this time of fear and confusion. For those 54 percent of Americans who -- out of fear -- do not want America to accept Syrian refugees, it is worth remembering that what makes Syrian youth the refugees they are today is what actually unites "us and them." Advertisement Some of Syria's youth are today refugees because they are paying a heavy price for having expressed a desire for the right to representation and free expression -- values which many Western nations claims to be founded upon. Whereas we Americans live in the land of choices, Syrians and many Arab youth live in the land of consequences. Today, some of Syria's youth are paying the consequence of exile for yearning for freedom of expression and freedom of religion... values we in America claim to hold dear. Just the same, some Syrian refugees were not involved in protests at all, and were simply trying to provide for their families and quietly pursue their academic dreams, just like any student in the U.S. or Europe. Resistance... real resistance is "lighting a candle instead of cursing the dark," as I have been taught by Syrian youth in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. No matter how you look at it, Syrian refugee youth are the solution, not the problem because refugee youth are fighting to hold on to hope, empathy, creativity and peace in the darkest of places...every hour of every day. But you likely do not see it, or hear it. These monuments of resilience are hidden from the lens of cameras and social media posts. See below a #MeWeSyria video where Syrian refugees inside the Zataari refugee camp wrote, directed and produced their own short film exploring the concepts of home and hope: Advertisement What many refugees hope for... Europe and America are not the end game for refugees. Syrians' first choice is to return to a peaceful mother Syria. Several months ago, I had asked young Syrian change-makers from the #MeWeSyria project what they see and think as they hear the word 'homeland' and 'refugees'. "Currently, we are refugees. I have an idea, a thought that the homeland and the exile are like the mother and the stepmother," one youth mentor in the Zaatari refugee camps says. "It is right that she embraces the person but it does not have the affection of the mother," he adds. Another young Syrian refugee from #MeWeSyria, an aspiring photographer and artist, responded: We feel sorrow and sadness. We ran away from the war, killing and destruction in order to live in peace away from the scenes of murder and bloodshed. Everyone flees with his family and his children in order to build a beautiful future for them. I did not have any country to protect our rights. We are human beings and we have the right to live in peace. We want peace and nothing else. An extraordinary young teenage Syrian girl who is mentoring younger Syrian refugees says: "I don't want the world to open the doors for us. I want them to open Syria for us so we can go back home and live again." What shakes enemies of peace... The images of Germans, Austrians and others opening their homes and welcoming Syrians fleeing war was a devastating blow for ISIS and extremists. Such global acts of solidarity and peace are for terrorists the equivalent of what 9/11 was for citizens across the world. It shakes terrorists' world view to the core. To retreat from refugees by building literal and figurative walls would be a win for extremists who maintain their power by eradicating spaces for pluralism, diversity and hope. Past, present, future Yes, Syria's nightmare knocks on the doors of Western nations. But as soon as we abandon the ingredients of peace, pluralism and hope then we lose our past, present and future. Every day, refugee youth are not abandoning peace and hope. So, why should we, as America, not demonstrate such resilience? The seafood industry's supply chain is notably opaque, complex and, in some areas, technologically deprived, experts say. But that doesn't mean it's stuck in the past. Dedicated efforts over the past two decades have improved the seafood supply chain's sustainability -- and we have an opportunity to do much more over the next several years. Businesses, NGOs and governments have been collaborating to improve seafood supply chain transparency and sustainability since the 1990s, as Meredith Lopuch of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation noted during a panel discussion at the Fish 2.0 Competition Finals & Seafood Innovation Forum in November. The creation of the Marine Stewardship Council as a collaboration between industry and an environmental NGO (the World Wildlife Fund), was a new concept in 1997, she recalled. "It was pretty shocking to the sector. The headline in the industry media was, 'What is Unilever doing in bed with the treehuggers?'" said Lopuch, adding that within a decade, that collaboration led the way to sustainability commitments and NGO partnerships from many other large retailers, including Walmart. Advertisement That kind of progress shows the potential for change when multiple actors come together to make it happen. An increasing sense of urgency about addressing seafood's sustainability and transparency challenges is already inspiring new technologies and market approaches that focus on some of the toughest problems. If everyone from investors to retailers gets on board, these innovations can become real solutions. Technologies enabling traceability are key NGOs and retailers need to work more closely together to demand traceability -- the ability to track seafood's source, the conditions under which it was farmed or caught, and the intermediaries it passed through -- panelists said. "This industry reminds me of thick San Francisco fog," said Mark Barnekow, CEO of BluWrap, which uses oxygen-management technology to transport seafood fresh without ice, air freight or polystyrene. "I've been working with different supply chains for 25 years ... and this may be the most antiquated industry I've ever seen." That fog can hide negative impacts, including overfishing, fraud, human rights abuses in the labor force, pollution and resource depletion. It also makes it difficult for retailers with strong sustainability commitments to be certain that the seafood they are buying lives up to those commitments. Advertisement Recent news coverage has revealed widespread labor abuses in certain seafood markets, often interwoven with environmental problems. For example, slavery is a problem in parts of Thai shrimp supply chains, which have very little oversight, according to panelist Ed Marcum of Humanity United. Ending labor abuses will take a concerted effort, he said, including "commonality among environmental and labor rights activists. No single actor can solve this." Market actors make a difference. "The government of Thailand is going to have to do more, lest they lose out [on market share] to someone who will do better," Marcum said. "Businesses are going to have to take collective action -- when they act individually they lose leverage. NGOs need to shine a spotlight but be constructive. It's not enough to blame and shame. There's an opportunity to be more solutions oriented." Investors can jump-start the process There are a lot of reasons for investors to support traceability systems that would make transparency a part of daily business practice in the seafood industry, and ultimately support sustainability as well. According to Allied Market Research, the market for food traceability products and technologies is expected to grow to $14.1 billion by 2019. That growth is fueled by increased government reporting requirements, consumers who want to know where their food comes from, and businesses answering to both regulators and customers. (For details, see the Fish 2.0 market report on traceability.) Finding and highlighting high-impact companies in this space was one of the goals of the Fish 2.0 competition, and we were happy to see several traceability-focused ventures among the 18 finalists and 19 runners-up. Innovation opportunities related to transparency exist at all points on the supply chain. The top-scoring companies included California-based Pelagic Data Systems, which provides remote data capture for boats at sea through a solar-powered plastic box that gathers information on the catch and uploads it to databases via cell networks, and Salty Girl Seafood, another California company, which targets consumers with premarinated, packaged seafood that includes source information on the catch. Opportunities in the traceability field generally fall into four categories, and we saw innovators in all of them during the competition: Advertisement Improving vessel-tracking technologies. Shellcatch also provides remote data capture and vessel monitoring, with the addition of visual identification--video of the catch on the boat. Integrating DNA and biological testing into supply chains. TRUfish, based in North Carolina, offers DNA testing of sample fish from batches, allowing resellers and consumers to verify what species is actually being sold. Providing software, data collection platforms and sharing tools. FairAgora Asia, based in Bangkok, has developed a software platform called Verifik8 that tracks, manages and displays social and environmental data on seafood operations. Building brands based on sustainable, traceable food products. Alaska Community Seafood Hub delivers sustainable "storied" fish through a community-supported fishery and wholesale sales. Love the Wild, based in Colorado, sells traceable sustainable fish packaged with gourmet sauces, bought from Marine Stewardship Council-certified fisheries and from aquaculture operations that meet Global Aquaculture Alliance guidelines. And New Mexico Shrimp Co. is meeting the demand for traceable shrimp by farming with environmentally sustainable practices. Whether they are technological solutions, new social designs or both, these changes are going to take time to design and implement at scale. The good news is that the entrepreneurs and organizers gathered at Fish 2.0 included a significant number of millennials as well as several seasoned technology experts with interests in applying their expertise to these issues. In ten years, we will have accumulated a wealth of experience about how to better steward human food systems and the ocean. There's a real chance that, by then, the currents of retailers pressing for sustainability, customers demanding accountability, and investors interested in new technologies will converge to defog the global seafood supply chain. Advertisement For the second conversation in our Purpose@Work series -- a discussion designed to explore how we can infuse a deep sense of purpose into our work -- we're going to focus on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the theme of this year's World Economic Forum in Davos. The Howard County (MD) Board of Education's unanimous vote to approve Diwali (Deepavali) as a day off for students isn't just significant for the Hindu community there. It represents a broader discussion on pluralism in rapidly diversifying regions, and is likely to have national consequences as religious minorities grow in number. The vote to add the holiday on the 2016 calendar was a surprise, given that Hindu community members and organizations such as the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and Chinmaya Mission had petitioned for inclusion in 2017. But as Board Chairwoman Christine O'Connor noted at the time of the vote, the county acted to ensure that the academic calendar reflected the district's substantial Hindu, Muslim, and East Asian populations by adding Diwali and Eid al-Adha while keeping Lunar New Year's Eve. "We want to do our best to find flexibility within the calendar to provide opportunities for all students to experience all cultures within our community," O'Connor said. Advertisement The inclusion of Diwali in the 2016 calendar as a professional day on October 31 (a day after the Lunar Calendar observance of the holiday) reflected a growing trend to diversify school calendars that have for years been exclusively Judeo-Christian. In other counties and cities across America, Muslim holidays such as Eid and East Asian observances such as Lunar New Year have been added. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio added Eid and Lunar New Year, but rejected Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and Buddhist attempts to add Diwali despite a diverse coalition of organizations and elected officials pushing for its inclusion. Howard County's vote might have been prompted by what a neighboring county did just two months earlier. In November, the Montgomery County (MD) Board of Education voted to include Eid al-Adha to its 2016-17 calendar, despite concerns from several Board members and public education advocates on adding the holiday without an evaluation of impact or discussion of any other cultural and religious groups. In most school districts, holidays are usually added when there's an administrative burden, meaning that a certain percentage of students and staff would miss school during those days. In districts such as Montgomery and Howard, Christians and Jews have traditionally proved that burden, but in recent years, East Asian communities, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs have grown significantly in population. Following the vote in Montgomery County, community members asked what could be done to include Diwali as a holiday. In turn, I asked folks I work closely with - such as Charles Haynes, one of the nation's foremost experts on religion and public schools - on the legal ramifications, given how politicized church-state separation issues can be. Haynes has noted that closing school specifically for a religious holiday could have ripple effects, especially as different communities begin to ask for their own holidays. In other words, it could become a Pandora's Box. However, the need to balance church and state separation with the desire of community members to be recognized (since Montgomery County has one of the most well established Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities in the country) was an issue that the Board would need to resolve. Advertisement HAF, with the help of a number of Hindu, Jain, and Sikh community leaders and organizations, including the Chinmaya Mission, the United Jain Hindu Temples, and Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (Sikhs observe Diwali as Bandi Chhor Divas, or the day of liberation for Guru Hargobind), started a petition for Montgomery County to include Diwali as a day off in 2017. This was an issue that many folks felt passionate about, and their non-Diwali observing friends and neighbors joined in to help. As a result, the petition generated over 1,300 signatures in less than a month, and several Hindu community members testified and attended Montgomery County Board hearings over the past two months. In Howard County, however, I worked with some proactive community members to meet with district officials. A similar petition was started (with nearly 300 signatures in under 2 weeks), and one of the community member's daughters, a student at Centennial High School, got a number of her classmates to sign. We testified at the December Board hearing, but none of us expected Diwali to be included in the 2016 holiday. The Howard County decision means that a professional development day will be moved to the time when Hindus observe Diwali. Though this year, it falls on a Sunday, many Hindus (and Jains and Sikhs) observe the holiday over several days. The way the Board approved it -- along with Eid al-Adha -- seemed to thread the needle between inclusiveness and Constitutional boundaries between church and state by using an existing professional day as a means of acknowledging the holiday. Moreover, it gave the county (and community) a mandate to evaluate its changing demographics. Board Member Janet Siddiqui, who proposed including Diwali and the other holidays, said it was simply a matter of making Howard County appealing for both its diversity and livability. "I strongly believe that our school calendar should be inclusive of the cultures and religions of all Howard County residents," she said at last week's meeting. "I moved here thirty years ago, because of the schools, but more because of the diversity. In a county where we pride ourselves on our diversity, we have to demonstrate that in terms of our actions." Advertisement African man's hands holding tin and wire frame globe showing Africa Necessity is the mother of invention, and in Africa it has been the mother of innovation. While the continent is vastly different, the level of innovation has been interesting to watch, largely fuelled by the equalizing nature of technology and mobile telephony. Over the last 15 years, African economies have enjoyed growth above the global average. This has largely been fuelled by mineral agriculture, with growth linked to China's demand for raw materials. While this demand from China is now slowing down, the rise of African countries is a new story. Advertisement It is estimated that in 2016, the African population will reach 1,069 billion people, the majority of whom are under 30. Africa has the highest rates of urbanisation; its poor infrastructure, which has previously hampered growth and development, is now a catalyst for innovation. The mobile phone in Africa has become a game-changer for the continent. According to Ericsson, the technology company, by 2019 there will be 930 million mobile phones in Africa, almost one for every person on the continent. There is greater mobile penetration than electricity penetration. Now, people are able to connect, get news, trade, get access to healthcare and even transfer money. View a larger version of this graphic here. In Africa, mobile phone penetration is higher than electricity penetration. Graphic by Jon Gosier of Appfrica Labs Public Domain, The Guardian, 2009. One of the biggest innovations to come out of Africa is mobile money transfer, which has disrupted traditional financial models. The technology behind it has now been exported to the West. The continent is starting to see the rise of e-healthcare solutions and online education solutions, two of the biggest challenges on the continent. For the first time, we are seeing a trend of being technology generators rather than just adopters, and we are seeing more innovators from the west move to the continent due to an easier, and in some cases non-existent, regulatory environment, which enables greater experimentation in the market with few competitors. These include new drone technology for the delivery of goods to leapfrog the infrastructure divide. Advertisement Overall, there seems to be good news for the continent, as Africa looks to technology to catalyse new areas of growth, a good example being East Africa, with Rwanda and Kenya in particular championing the need for an enabling environment. "We need to ensure women are part of this revolution" However, as the technology and innovation boom hits Africa, there is still a gender divide, and we need to ensure that women and girls are part of this revolution. It's a prime opportunity to use technology as a catalyst to create inclusive economies, and income inequality. There is a need to create gender-inclusive technology and have women become part of the design and development of technological solutions. There are many programs on the continent leading this charge, and there is an opportunity for Africa to become a leader in gender equality in the technology sector. The other challenge for Africa is to preserve its ecosystems, which have been under threat due to rapid urbanisation and economic development at the expense of the environment. The latest WWF African Ecological Futures Report makes it clear that we are at a pivotal moment in our development trajectory to balance growth with conservation. It is an exciting time for the continent. Under the Africa rising narrative, in the coming years we will witness how technology can transform the way Africa works and revolutionising the continent. "Never, 'for the sake of peace and quiet', deny your own experience or convictions"Dag Hammarskjold Introduction and Background Nearly every ten years the world goes through the ritual of selecting a new Secretary General (SG) for the United Nations (UN); as the UNSG, by tradition, is allowed to serve for up to two five-year terms. Twenty-five years ago, as a concerned observer, I followed my own conviction and weighed in on the process by publishing a letter in response to a biased editorial in the New York Times,"The Right Choice for the U.N." (October 4, 1991). This editorial strongly promoted the candidacy of Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali, who was later on appointed as UNSG (on January 1, 1992). Using the same criteria in the editorial, I demonstrated that Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, a luminary in diplomatic circles, a prominent international statesman and the longest-serving United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (for 12 years), was a stronger and more qualified candidate for the post of UNSG. The letter was adorned with an eye-catching graphic in the NYT ("Experienced Insider", October 26, 1991) had good traction and generated tons of mostly supportive reactions from all over in forms of letters, faxes and phone calls (at that time there was no email). Advertisement Mr. Aga Khan, a most qualified candidate for the post of the UNSG in the history of the Organization, was passed over twice for this job. The first time in 1981, when Mr. Kurt Waldheim tried unsuccessfully for a third term as UNSG, Mr Aga Khan "drew more positive votes in the Security Council than anyone else, but was blocked when the Soviet Union, which thought him too pro-Western, cast a veto" (New York Times, May 15, 2003, Section B; Page 11). "Around that time stories circulated that the prince was a secret agent for the British, using his job as a cover for intelligence gathering. It was almost certainly nonsense, but the Russians may have believed it. Sadruddin insisted that he had equal sympathies with eastern and western peoples... His description of himself as "a citizen of the world" was a fair one"" (Economist, May 22, 2003). He died at the age of 70 on May 12, 2003. Dr. Boutros Ghali, a decent Egyptian professor and statesman who got the job thanks to heavy lobbying by his friend, President Francois Mitterrand of France, had a tumultuous tenure at the UN. He was criticized for both his style and substance: his misconceived notions concerning preventive diplomacy, preventive deployment, misunderstanding of his role as a UNSG, and leadership style. He became "radioactive" on Capitol Hill (Madam Secretary: A Memoir, Madeleine Albright, HarperCollings, 2003, p. 262), ended up serving only one term (to December 31, 1996), and "many delegations and Secretariat officials privately expressed considerable relief when he was gone." [Edward C. Luck in Secretary or General: The UN Secretary-General in World Politics, Simon Chesterman (ed.), Cambridge University Press, 2007, p. 221.] Advertisement I believe now, as I did back then, that the role of the UNSG is a crucial one for the whole world; it will certainly affect the life and well-being of our and the future generations on this planet. The UN, as Hammarskjold once said, was "created not to take humanity to heaven but to save it from hell." [Secretary or General: The UN Secretary-General in World Politics, Simon Chesterman (ed.), Cambridge University Press, 2007, p. 240]. There are many truly global problems that only the U.N. could undertake the needed process of finding solutions for. A few of the myriad of such international problems include: climate change, peacemaking/peacekeeping, nation building, terrorism, and refugees. The Nature and Idiosyncrasies of the UNSG's Job One of the prominent scholars of international organizations and the UN, Dr. Edward C. Luck, in his noteworthy analysis of "the office of secretary-general: Catalyst or lighting rod?", considered the office of UNSG as the only "bully pulpit for enunciating the organization's multilateral purposes, above the interests and perspectives of individual member states." (p. 303). Another eminent scholar, Professor Simon Chesterman, whose rich 2007 aforementioned edited book, "Secretary or General: The UN Secretary-General in World Politics" (which also includes an excellent Chapter 11 by Luck on the SG in a unipolar world) further elaborated on those themes in a cohesive fashion noted that: "The Secretary-General of the United Nations is a unique figure in world politics. At once civil servant and the world's diplomat, lackey of the UN Security Council and commander-in-chief of up to 100,000 peacekeepers, he or she depends on states for both the legitimacy and resources that enable the United Nations to function. The tension between these roles of being secretary or general - has challenged every incumbent... [T]he fact that the Secretary-General is asked both to follow states and to lead them, and that the person tasked with these extraordinary responsibilities is chosen through a process geared to select only the least objectionable candidate." (p. 1 & 10). According to an insightful analysis, entitled, "Pope Kofi's Unruly Flock", by the Economist magazine (August 8, 1998): "The job of secretary-general at the United Nations is not unlike that of a medieval pope. In one sense, you are the leader of Christendom. Yet, at the same time, your power is limited: you have no battalions of your own (all those peacekeeping troops are only on loan); your own organization is a hotchpotch of feuding bishoprics, most of whom feel more loyalty to temporal rulers than to you; and you are normally broke...In such a job much depends on character and momentum." The position of the UNSG, according to the first secretary-general, Trygve Lie, is "the most difficult job in the world." According to Ms. Inga-Britt Ahlenius, a senior Swedish official who served seven years with the UN, of which five as the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services (USG/OIOS), who wrote a comprehensive 50-page End of Assignment Report (July 14, 2010), and later went on published an acclaimed book in Swedish (co-authored with journalist Mr. Niklas Ekdal) entitled "Mr. Chance: - FN:s forfall under Ban Ki-moon [Mr Chance--the UN's decay under Ban Ki-moon, Stockholm 2011]: "The [UNSG] position also takes unusual commitment, persistence, perseverance, patience - because finally all 192 Member States will have to be on board in the way forward. I could add a fourth P-word - Passion. To lead the Organization, you have to love it; you have to have passion for it. Exceptional leadership is required - strong, charismatic, enlightened leadership... What is expected from the Secretary-General and the United Nations is that the Organization has such a standing that it is seen as and really constitutes a relevant and even a necessary partner in solving complex issues in the world, issues that otherwise would not be addressed. The organization is established to serve the world community and must be properly organized and led in order to be that relevant partner for the Member States (emphasis added, p. 3). However, this time, the world cannot afford to be only a passive observer of the smoke raising over the U.N. building indicating a choice being made. The selection of the new Secretary General is too important to be left to some compromises taking place behind the closed doors of the Security Council or the General Assembly. The importance of this decision, plus the above tasks facing the new SG, call for a person with vision, managerial skills, seasoned diplomatic subtlety, and courage to take on challenges. New Process and UNSG Selection Criteria Fortunately, this time around (unlike in 1991), the UN General Assembly (UNGA) at its sixty-ninth Session, 103rd Meeting (AM) on September 11, 2015 adopted a resolution "aimed at fostering greater transparency in the selection of the next Secretary-General." According to the Resolution 69/321, which was adopted without a vote, "the Assembly emphasized that the process of selection of the Secretary-General shall be guided by the principles of transparency and inclusiveness, building on best practices and the participation of all Member States." It also requested "the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council to start the process of soliciting candidates for the position through a joint letter addressed to all Member States". Advertisement On December 15, 2015, the President of the UN Security Council (UNSC), H.E. Ms. Samantha Power (US), and the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), H.E. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, issued the aforementioned "joint letter", promised to follow "the principles of transparency and inclusivity", and outlined criteria for the role of the UNSG and invited Member states to present candidates. The following are a few noteworthy points from this important letter: "... the process of selecting and appointing the next United Nations Secretary-General, in accordance with the provisions of Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations and guided by the principles of transparency and inclusivity." (emphasis added); "The position of Secretary-General is one of great importance that requires the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, and a firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. We invite candidates to be presented with proven leadership and managerial abilities, extensive experience in international relations, and strong diplomatic, communication and multilingual skills." (emphasis added); and "The President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council will offer candidates opportunities for informal dialogues or meetings with the members of their respective bodies, while noting that any such interaction will be without prejudice to those who do not participate. These can take place before the Council begins its selection by the end of July 2016. (emphasis added). Why Dr. Javad Zarif? One can logically contend that Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Javad Zarif is a qualified and strong candidate and without "prejudice" should seriously be considered for the post of the UNSG. Extensive Experience in International Relations Dr. Zarif has a deep and intimate understanding of and a firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. In fact his PhD dissertation research in International Relations, which was entitled, "Self-defense in International Law and Policy" (University of Denver, 1988, 346 pp.), extensively analyzed the UN's Charter and its implications for self-defense; its noteworthy Chapter 3 (The Charter of the UN, p. 94-122) and Chapter 4 (the UN Practice, p. 125-206) provided a cogent analysis and very relevant to this context. [It is noteworthy that he received his doctorate from the University of Denver, Josef Korbel School of International Studies in 1988; the alma mater of two remarkable American ladies who both became Secretary of State: Dr. Madeleine Korbel Albright (daughter of School's distinguished namesake) and Dr. Condoleezza Rice.] Advertisement Zarif is a career diplomat whose entire 34-plus year career has been associated, one way or another, with the UN system. He started his career by serving as a young 22-year old diplomat working mostly at the UN Headquarter in New York City in July 1982 and then rose to the rank of Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Iran to the UN, a post which he held for five years until 2007. [A UN diplomat once uttered: "Amb. Zarif knows the layout and ins and outs of the UNHQ better than the architects who have designed this building!"] Dr. Zarif also has extensive experience in international relations, and strong diplomatic skills. He has been a professor of international relations at the University of Tehran and has written many scholarly articles which are published in prestigious archival journals, such as the Journal of International Affairs (Colombia University). He has authored several seminal graduate-level textbooks on multilateral diplomacy (in Farsi, published in Iran) which include a single volume, Multilateral Diplomacy: Conceptual and Functional Dynamism of Regional and International Organizations, (co-authored with Dr. Kazem Sajjadpour, published by the Center for International Research and Education, 2012, 910 pp.) and the three-volume Multilateral Diplomacy: Theory and Practice of Regional and International Organizations (co-authored with Dr. Kazem Sajjadpour, published by the School of International Relations, 2008, vol. I-III, 1041 pp.). In fact Chapter 9 of the latter book (vol. II) which is entitled: "Global Multilateral Diplomacy: The United Nations", provides a refreshing analysis of function of the UN system and its challenges and potential. The lengthy Chapter includes a cogent evaluation of former secretary generals' performance and legacy, as well as a lucid, insightful account of the behind the scenes deals, "complex, tedious, and difficult" mechanism of the UNSC for narrowing the list of UNSG candidates through multiple rounds of vetting which are essentially tantamount to "beautify contests" to come up with a finalist who is "acceptable" to the five permanent members of the UNSC to be recommended for the UNGA for receiving their final stamp of approval. Advertisement Strong Diplomatic Skills Even before the hard and protracted process of nuclear negations with the P5+1 countries which successfully resulted in the JCPOA agreement in July 2015 and its implementation on January 16, 2016 - often referred to as "the deal of the century" - Dr. Zarif's superb diplomatic skills have been noticed and admired by many seasoned world-class diplomats, such as Ambassador James Dobbins. In his testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs on November 7, 2007, Amb. Dobbins noted with admiration Zarif's instrumental role in the difficult and unprecedented post-invasion negations at "the Bonn conference" in December 2001, which led to creation of the government of Afghanistan. He concluded that, "Zarif had achieved the final breakthrough without which the Karzai government might never have been formed" (RAND, CT-293, November 2007, p. 5). Zarif's instrumental role in bring Afghanistan's fractious warring factions to an agreement in Bonn is comparable to remarkable performance of legendary U.S. diplomat, the late Richard Holbrooke's in Dayton which lead to the Dayton Peace Accords, in November 1995. Moreover, in the last thirty years, Dr. Zarif has been active on the international stage. He has been closely involved in and has played instrumental leadership roles in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), "which is a group of states which are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc" and as of 2012, the movement includes 120 members. After the 16th NAM summit which took place in Tehran, Iran, in August 2012, Iran assumed the leadership of the NAM. In September 2015, he represented and spoke on behalf of the NAM before the UNGA Meeting to Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. Final Words - Without Prejudice... Dr. Javad Zarif's and other candidates' qualifications should objectively be evaluated, based on the principles of transparency and inclusivity and without prejudice or unduly preference for ethnic, geographical, and gender orientation. And this analysis of knowledge, skills, and abilities of candidates should be purely based on individual's hard tangible outcomes: such as professional experience, achievements on the global scale while practicing multilateral diplomacy, and relevant publications record. Candidates should not be judged by the color and insignia of their national passports, but by the content of their professional portfolio. It would indeed be ridiculous - rather, a travesty and disservice to the world - to use other special considerations such as a candidate's birthplace, religion gender, or his/her country's policies/politics as disqualifying criteria. However, if this turn out to be the case in this round of UNSG selection, then it would become one of those unfortunate instances, as the US Ambassador to the UN, Ms. Samantha Power has noted in her August 2013 speech, that "there are times when the Organization has lost its way, when politics and ideology get in the way of impact." Advertisement As the aforementioned senior Swedish official, Ms. Ahlenius warned us in 2010, continuing with the business as usual and not choosing the most qualified SG, "inevitably risks weakening the United Nations' possibilities to fulfill its mandate. Ultimately that is to the detriment of peace and stability in the world. This is as sad as it is serious" (p. 50). To paraphrase the late Richard Holbrooke, who also served as the US Ambassador to the UN, insightful 1999 lines about the UN: a strong Secretary General is in the world's best interests; a demeaned, weak and unqualified SG only undermines collective security and institutional diplomacy. With this (and all foregoing compelling facts) in mind, "it would be a tragedy if 21st-century policy makers continue to fail those who assembled in San Francisco" 71 years ago. (The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World, edited by Derek Chollet and Samantha Power, 2011, New York: Public Affairs, p. 262). The world needs and deserves the best candidate for the post of UNSG - Dr. Zarif, who posses the right stuff plus both the "character and momentum" for such a job; or an equally qualified person.... --------------Author's note for the record: The author is neither aware if Dr Javad Zarif is being nominated or "in running" for the post of UNSG, nor has he asked/lobbied the author to write this piece. Therefore, this essay, just like the aforementioned 1991 letter in the New York Times, which is solely based on the author's own experience and conviction, could be considered either as an endorsement or pulsing the respective Member State to initiate the nomination process. ------------ One of the things I sometimes hear readers say about my first book, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, is that, based on the cover and the title, they expected something different. Some readers anticipated more recipes -- or wanted a book of all recipes. While I hope they were at least slightly amused at the book they discovered, I know where they're coming from. As an avid reader, I also sometimes experience some dissonance between the tone I feel was implied by the title or cover and what I perceive within the pages, and I believe I experienced that most strongly with Gina Frangello's excellent A Life in Men. This is not a knock on either the title or cover, which features a bikini-clad young woman, viewed from behind, the wind tossing her hair as she faces a sun-washed ocean, right arm raised in either celebration or happy salute. Bring on the beautiful men I won't remember, it seems to say; black me out on umbrella drinks and wash me ashore gloriously spent and no worse for wear. The book I found within this cheery package, however -- a thoughtful, elegiac, time- and country-hopping emotional epic about female friendship and mortality -- is, to me, a substantially dark and meditative story that only in moments captures bright joy and breezy romantic ephemera. Mary, the narrator, and Nix, her best friend, are copiously worse for wear from a drunken vacation fling, and each spend the rest of their lives reacting to this shared and unaddressed fact. Advertisement The novel is also beautifully and wisely written; arguments like "twenty-two-year-olds do not feel as unformed as they are" pop out of quotidian situations; phrases like "the perfection of the small blows" describe an oft-used medical procedure. It's also splashed with explicit sex and young people acting impulsively and ill-advisedly. I'd even almost call it a "fun read" but for its unmistakably dark and portentous core. Emotionally, it's a bit like a booze cruise cast into a blinding and anxious haze. Although Mary's relationships with men, few of which are truly ephemeral, is her way of marking time through the tragic flotsam of an intense friendship, the men are certainly never the focus; it'd be like calling Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? "A Life in Highball Glasses," perhaps. As a reader, the fractured hopscotching through time and space -- and men, as it were -- felt like the milieu for an internal emotional extirpation of the whys and hows behind an irretrievable loss. Mary, who does eventually settle down with a man, remains perpetually unsettled, and her quest to resolve the unresolvable is at conflict with a stark and encroaching expiration date. I've read few books that explore a platonic friendship to these intense and moody depths. Anyone who's lost a friend for reasons they can't understand, or has left a situation with a loved one hurtful and incomplete, will find their thoughts and actions mirrored in these young characters, who are only just developing the emotional sophistication and experience to handle the corrosive trauma lodged in their memories. Yet Mary's attenuated life of loss and longing encounters growth, hope, and wisdom like a detective unearths evidence, aptly demonstrating the heartbreakingly piecemeal experiences that result in maturity. As Frangello follows her complex young narrator to death's observation deck and back, she ultimately finds, as we all do, that death is less about the dying than the survivors, that guilt's amortization has no honest schedule, and that it's the things we never said that end up mattering the most. Advertisement J. Ryan Stradal is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Kitchens of the Great Midwest. Gdansk. Look at the winning entry of the competition announced for the design of the city centre underpass: a mural inspired by the history of the city In the best traditions of Gdansk School of Mural or Street Art, a competition was announced for the arrangement of the underpass in the city centre. The winner was a mural inspired by the history of our town. The work of David Celek from Wroclaw won the first prize. Photo: ZDIZ His design is a mural inspired by the rich history of Gdansk, but in such a way, that it also leaves room for the present. It draws a passer-by to the graphic representations of some of the city historical sites. The composition consists of copies of old drawings of the city, including images of the immediate neighbourhood, interspersed with characteristic Gdansk portal entrances to the buildings. Advertisement Using the images of old, decorative doors as part of the mural, restores the human scale and city cosiness to the "cold" underpass and creates a friendly atmosphere. The subject matter of paintings presents pedestrians with the history of the city and areas surrounding the underpass, and draws attention to the fact that this place once belonged strictly to the tight urban centre. A passer-by is immediately surrounded by the atmosphere of old, narrow-street medieval Gdansk. It should be noted that Gdansk has a rich tradition of street art and murals. The first murals on side walls of a residential block in Gdansk Zaspa were created in 1997, during a festival organized to celebrate the millennium of Gdansk. In 2008, on the block of flats, where Lech Walesa lived with his family in the 80s, a mural was painted by Peter Szwabe, commemorating the Nobel Peace Prize for the leader of "Solidarity,". In 2009, when Gdansk applied for the title of European Capital of Culture, as part of an organized for the first time Monumental Art festival, other murals were created. Now there are a total of 45. Each one was created by a different artist - from Poland and the world, including Spain, Italy and Germany. The beauty of Gdansk murals was appreciated by the Huffington Post. Thanks to the collection of murals in Zaspa district, Gdansk is the only Polish city among 26 cities in the world that can boast to be the home of the most beautiful works of large format wall painting. Other cities mentioned by the Huffington Post include Melbourne, Cape Town, Moscow, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Dublin, London, New York, Prague, Paris, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul. I hope the residents and visitors will appreciate the new mural in the underground passage and accept it as their own. Pakistani activist for female education and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai listens to speakers at an event to commemorate the Peshawar school massacre in Birmingham, north England on December 14, 2015. On December 16, 2014 Taliban gunmen coldly slaughtered more than 150 people, most of them children, at an army-run school in Peshawar. AFP PHOTO / PAUL ELLIS / AFP / PAUL ELLIS (Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images) When I was studying in a yeshiva in Jerusalem, I'll never forget the poster that hung above my bed. It read: "Don't be so open minded that your brain falls out." They, like most conservatively-oriented religious institutions in the world, were attempting to promote an approach that suggested authority to their truth while conveying caution against critical, autonomous thinking. I've often thought about that quote and what it means in relation to the state of contemporary education. For millennia, religious education mirrored general education. It subscribed to an authoritative transmission of information, where questions were not as welcomed as they should have been. In modernity, leaders in education began embracing a more liberal approach to education (I mean this not in the partisan sense, of course, but in the philosophical sense), that encouraged autonomy, critical thinking, democratic values, and empowerment placed on the students. Students would not simply be told to accept "truths" to memorize, but would be partners in an open discovery of their subjects. Advertisement John Dewey (1859-1952) was a major force in 20th-century American education, and his reforms were contemporaneous with the nascent Progressive movement. To Dewey, education should mirror the best of a democratic society. Thusly, rote learning of an archaic, remote curriculum needed to be replaced with a system where students participated in a relevant curriculum to learn by doing (a philosophy called Pragmatism). In his book The School and Society (published 1899), Dewey viewed school as "an embryonic life" that was imbued with the classical liberal disciplines of "art, history and science." According to Dewey, each child is brought into this "little community... with the spirit of service, and... with instruments of effective self-direction... we shall have the deepest and best guarantee of a larger society which is worthy, lovely and harmonious." In addition, this community was heterogeneous: "Only diversity makes change and progress," (Democracy and Education; 1917). The American heartland, a bastion of traditionalism and suspicion, did not accept this cosmopolitan, tolerant educational system. Foreigners, and foreign ideas in general, were distrusted, as in 1921 and 1924 immigration quotas were made increasingly stringent, with the feeling that the newer immigrants did not embody American values. When the Ku Klux Klan was at full strength with millions of members, their brand of fundamentalist Protestant Christianity (which shunned and despised minority populations) constituted a powerful political bloc that few were brave enough to cross; this ideological view seeped into certain parts of the educational ecosystem. Indeed, education was affected by laws attempting to curtail new ideas, most prominent a Tennessee law that forbade the teaching of any doctrine about creation other than that found in a literal read of the Book of Genesis. In the ensuing Scopes trial (some would say circus) of 1925, prominent attorney Clarence Darrow squared off against former Democratic Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan in a debate about the merits of evolution versus creationism in public school classrooms. While some viewed the trial as a triumph of science, it took another 40 years for evolution to return as a staple in Tennessee classrooms. Advertisement Looking at today, Christian schools with a strict interpretation of Biblical precepts require that students and faculty adhere to an often narrow range of behaviors inside and outside of school. Look to the example of Larycia Hawkins, a tenured associate professor of political science at an evangelical institution, Wheaton College in Illinois, who is on administrative leave and will likely be dismissed for writing (on social media) her belief that Christians and Muslims "worship the same God." The college, which fired another professor for converting to Catholicism, requires its faculty to affirm the college's statement of faith, which is interpreted conservatively. Professor Hawkins had previously been required to reaffirm the statement when a photo emerged of her at a Chicago home on the day of the Chicago Gay Pride parade. Professor Susan M. Shaw of Oregon State University, who had taught at two conservative Christian colleges, commented on the situation by noting that fundamentalist colleges have grown less tolerant in recent years, and questioned the consequences of suppressing theological discussion: "What is lost when theological dissent is not accepted or even welcomed?" She saw the school's policies as a sign of spiritual weakness: Faith that is threatened by hard questions and differing opinions seems to me not to be faith at all but rather a rigid system of belief that can abide no challenge and makes no room for the God who is still speaking. A starker contrast in the philosophy of religious education is evident in the Muslim world, with the disturbing emergence of fundamentalist Muslim factions controlling education. The predominantly Pashtun Taliban (which means "students" in the Pashto language) first emerged in northern Pakistan after the failed Soviet military campaign in Afghanistan. Many within the Taliban had gone to religious schools (madrassas) in Pakistan and while there, had learned the uncompromisingly strict Wahhabi theology from the Saudis who supported these schools. (In short, the Wahhabi view of Islam is the belief that the Quran must be interpreted literally, and that anyone who does not follow their beliefs--including other Muslims--are evil and must be fought and eliminated.) When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in the late 1990s, they conducted public executions, forced women to wear garments that covered their entire body (burqa), and arrested men whose beards were not long enough. In 2001, in spite of worldwide protest, the Taliban destroyed the huge Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan, which they deemed blasphemous. While the Taliban was ascendant in Afghanistan, Malala Yousafzai was born in 1997 in northwest Pakistan. Her father, Ziauddin, ran a school and was an advocate for universal education in a nation among the highest in unschooled children. From an early age, Malala shared her father's passion for education. When she was 12, Malala began writing a secret blog in favor of education for girls. The Taliban, who controlled large swaths of Pakistan and forbade education for girls (or for women to go out by themselves), told Ziauddin to close his school, and when Malala garnered worldwide attention for her campaign for girls' education, they targeted her life. In October 2012, a Taliban assassin boarded the van that she and her classmates took to school, and called her out by name before shooting Malala, whose skull was fractured by the bullet. Revulsion over the cowardly attack led Pakistan to pass the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill. For her efforts and sacrifice, Malala became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. She has used the award money to help fund schools for girls, including one near the Lebanon-Syria border that will provide education to over 200 girls who would not otherwise have access to education. As Malala said in a 2013 interview: "[T]he best way to fight against terrorism and extremism is just [a] simple thing: educate the next generation." While Malala opposed the Taliban, she is a proud Muslim, and is named after a Pashtun heroine, Malalai of Maiwand, and has also cited (and used as her pseudonym) the legendary Gul Makai, a Pashtun who used the Quran to convince the men around her to renounce war. She said: "The Taliban think we are not Muslims, but we are. We believe in God more than they do, and we trust him to protect us." In addition, in the manner of the best students, she does not always share the opinions of those who support her. In an October 2013 meeting with President Obama, Malala hold him that: "Drone attacks are fueling terrorism" by killing innocent people and thus building up resentment against the United States. While not as dire, the traditional education experienced by most ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews has its own negative consequences. A 2015 Pew Research Center update on Jews in America disclosed the following: Among the ultra-Orthodox, 38 percent achieved a high school education or less, compared with 15 percent of other Jews. 43 percent of ultra-Orthodox Jews had an annual household income less than $50,000, compared with 31 percent of other Jews. In addition, 45 percent of ultra-Orthodox Jews said that all of their friends were Jews (compared with 13 percent of Modern Orthodox and 2 percent of other Jews). Ultra-Orthodox Jews also have more children and have distinctly more closed social perspectives than other Jews. Consequently, traditional religious education that avoids contact with the outside world, and limits exposure to a modicum of secular subjects, has distinct disadvantages in the ever complicated infrastructure of contemporary life. Although this goes beyond economic impact, we cannot dismiss the burden placed upon families and society for raising large families without proper secular education, job training, or nuanced perspectives on societal matters. But it is not only the most extreme among our religions that are still embracing a traditional approach to education rather than a liberal approach. Traditional religious education is still pervasive throughout religious America. This is not only impairing cognitive and spiritual development but it is also deeply alienating to students who are surrounded by a broader culture that embraces open, inclusive, democratic educational discourse. We cannot afford to lose more people from religion because our authoritarian learning models are too rigid. It is understandable that we'll have some fear of encouraging students to discuss and think for themselves without shoving the truth down their throats and we will indeed lose some students, but in the end, the gain of empowering and honoring students is far greater for them, for our communities, and for the future of the ideas that we cherish. As it happened, I skimmed a headline from STAT Morning Rounds about blueberries reducing erectile dysfunction and then read a review of Maria Konnikova's latest book, The Confidence Game (about why we fall for con artists). So my first thought about blueberries and penises was this: are they putting us on? According to Konnikova, we are really gullible and we love a good story. I'd like to add that men are particularly gullible when it comes to anything that claims to make their penis work better. There's a long, reliable history: One 17th century doctor promoted a horseradish cream (three times a day for 40 days). If you didn't want to do it yourself, the doctor would do it for you. Hmmm, makes you wonder about doctor-patient relationships then. In the early 1920s, another doctor claimed to cure an impotent 34-year-old patient with testicle implants from a recently executed prisoner. The surgeon put one testicle inside the man's scrotal sac; he sliced the other testicle into eight pieces and wove them into the abdominal skin. Apparently, the surgery was a triumph--the man claimed to be a sexual dynamo. Advertisement We now know that the placebo effect has a huge impact on erectile dysfunction cures (check out this recent piece in STAT). And sometimes the effects are only temporary. The testicle implants only worked for three years and then, the poor guy got fat and impotent all over again. These were the days before any kind of scientific study. No one knows why he felt better in the first place or why he slumped, again. Without any more donor balls handy, the young man refused his doctor's request to try the hormone therapies of the day. As for the blueberry cure, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it certainly can't hurt, I mean not as much as having someone else's testicles sewn into you. And maybe the power of the placebo will make you feel like a chick magnet--at least for a while. But I'd suggest that you check out Stat News's piece about other erectile dysfunction cures. Perhaps the most reliable advice is this: Before ingesting any supposed cure, you may want to season it with a healthy serving of skepticism. Right now the global spotlight is on extremist Muslims due to a string of incidences from Paris to Jakarta. Due to these barbaric acts perpetuated by these extremists, Muslims in general are also facing a lot of backlash, some of which is excessive. However, whereas we as Muslims are correct to complain that it is unfair to bracket ordinary Muslims with the extremists, but at the same time we need to understand that our negative reputation is not merely due to fringe organizations like ISIS but also due to our behavior in general. I am not trying to equate extremist organizations like ISIS with normal and moderate Muslims here but pointing that there are issues (though of different sort) with the latter also. We have to realize that the world is judging our religion and us not by what is contained in the religious scripture but by the way we behave in all matters concerning religion. I am not justifying outright xenophobia and racism here, but indicating that we also share the responsibility of our bad reputation in the world due to our actions. There are problems in many areas and being defensive and in denial is not going to help us. For example, it is true that moderate Muslims are not indulging in terrorism. But at the same time, I have seen many of us either attribute terrorism to nonsensical conspiracy theories or give apologetic defense. When many of us do that then we should not expect the world to consider Islam as a religion of peace, because it simply won't. It is hard to imagine the world doing so when some of the so called 'moderate" Muslims fail to condemn extremist acts, give apologetic defense to terrorism or weave nonsensical conspiracy theories to shift the blame.This kind of behavior is deeply problematic as it hinders introspection, gives the extremists soft support and allows them to thrive. Advertisement I have also witnessed some cheering those who have killed others in the name of blasphemy. It is also true that many Muslims also support state-sanctioned harsh punishments for people accused of blasphemy as well as apostasy. In fact several Muslim countries have harsh laws outlawing both. Often our rationale is that blasphemy is deeply offensive and apostasy is a sin, therefore state sanctioned capital punishment or even murder is justified. Supporting the death penalty for those accused of blasphemy or apostasy or cheering murderers who kill the accused and yet expecting that world will have a good opinion about us is downright nonsensical. Since we find blasphemy deeply offensive, then we should remember that real blasphemy with respect to our prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is caused by those who kill in his name and also by those who celebrate such killings. If blasphemy means disrespect to the name of the prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) then we should use our common sense and understand that harsh punishments and violence in his name are actually maligning his name. We have to realize that punishments for blasphemy and apostasy, do not belong to the modern world. In fact some Islamic Scholars have stated that they do not even belong to Islam. If we insist on having them, then we should not complain that the world has a negative perception about us and our religion. Likewise, many of us react violently whenever our religious ideals and symbols are satirized. What we do not realize, however, is that West is no longer trapped in medieval times and has moved forward. It is common in their culture to criticize as well as satirize religion and they often subject their own religion to it. This is why showing violent reaction to cartoons is not going to be acceptable to them as they rightly perceive it as a threat to their freedom of expression. The more we react violently or endorse violence or even show lack of remorse or condemnation when there is an excessive reaction, the more world will judge Islam negatively. The more some of us threaten free speech, the more the media will indulge in such speech in order to protect its rights and freedom. Advertisement Another huge and in fact perhaps the biggest issue is the treatment of women. No matter what spin I give, the fact is that in most Muslim countries women are treated as second-class citizens. In the Gender Gap Index, which ranks countries with respect to gender parity, Muslim countries are right at the bottom. Out of 142 countries which have been ranked in 2014, 27 Muslim countries are placed from 90 to 142 and these include so called "liberal" countries like Turkey (127) and Indonesia (97). The assertion by Reza Aslan that in Indonesia and Turkey, women have full rights becomes laughable when subjected to empirical evaluation. There is only one Muslim country in the top 50, which is Kazakhstan and I am sure this is because of its communist legacy! And yes, my own country Pakistan ranks at a shameful 141st position with only Yemen, another Islamic country, below it. Moreover, the legal code in many Muslim countries is pitted against women and supportive of the patriarchal structure. Why should we expect the world to consider Islam as an equitable religion in the light of all the above facts? Another issue is the condition of minorities. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in its latest report highlighted 27 countries for particularly vicious treatment of religious minorities of which 11 are strong Muslim-majority states. If minorities living in Muslim majority countries often live in fear and if the advent of democracy in Muslim countries, like Egypt, ended up actually endangering the lives and properties of non-Muslims, then we should not expect the world to consider Islam as a tolerant religion. Eventually the benchmark of tolerance is the way minorities are treated. Echoing national trends, Illinois' rate of incarceration, even when controlling for population growth, has increased more than 500 percent in the last forty years, with a disproportionate impact on the State's poor, mostly minority, citizens. Today, Illinois prisons are operating at roughly 150 percent of design capacity, and, at the beginning of 2015, housed 48,278 inmates, most of whom were sentenced for non-violent offenses. Nearly all of these prisoners will eventually return to their communities, and about half will be re-incarcerated within the following three years. 2016 Democratic presidential candidates Martin O'Malley, former governor of Maryland, from left, Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, and Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, participate in the Democratic presidential candidate debate in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Hours before Sunday's Democratic debate, the two top Democratic contenders held a warm-up bout of sorts in multiple separate appearances on political talk shows, at a time when the polling gap between the pair has narrowed in early-voting states. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images By now even a narcoleptic could recite the GOP's parody of Democrats. The party of "big government." Champions of "class warfare" programmed to "tax and spend" other people's money. An amalgam of interest groups divorced from the national interest. Practitioners of "identity politics" bent only on getting to 51 percent. Enemies of the "job creators." Enablers of listless bureaucrats and their shiftless dependents. Spineless hand-wringers with no respect for our past or faith in our future. A lot of this is political bilge, a shameless inversion of the GOP's divisive politics and intellectual vacuity. In debate all three Democratic candidates are specific, informed and grounded in a reality largely absent from the Republican contest. But all too often, and particularly on the stump, Democrats themselves can verge on self-parody, purveyors of programs bereft of a larger vision. Advertisement To a man -- or woman -- Democrats are spoiling for a fight. They will "fight for the middle class," "ordinary Americans," or "working men and women." (I herewith pledge to support any candidate who forswears pugilistic metaphors.) They will "fight" -- yet again -- the "war against women." (Fine, but why do they so often make it sound like this is the only war in town.) They will "fight" against student debt. (A good thing, but they fail to mention why anyone but cash-strapped families with college-age kids should care.) It doesn't help that, whoever the candidate, the promise to "fight" is so often delivered with the overdone brio of a bad high school actor, spreading a synthetic patina over all that surrounds it. After a while all this fighting can begin to sound like nothing more than an electoral laundry list, an endless walking tour through the mind of Mark Penn. Bilious as it is, Donald Trump's pledge to "make America great again" touches something deeper than just resentment or nostalgia -- a desire for national renewal which, at its best, could inspire a more transcendent politics, transforming widespread angst about our future into a shared and positive mission. All too often Democrats fail to transcend. In 2016, this is no small matter. According to public opinion expert Peter Hart, the great majority of Americans want a new course after the Obama years, and by two to one believe that America is headed in the wrong direction.Thus a Republican nominee, assuming the GOP selects one who is not fatally flawed, will be able to run as a "change candidate." Advertisement The Democrats' presidential contenders also face their own challenges. According to Hart, a majority of voters have reservations about Hillary Clinton's trustworthiness; a great many voters also feel unease about Bernie Sanders' espousal of "democratic socialism," and Martin O'Malley has failed to register at all. Whatever else, taken together these difficulties suggest a need for Democrats to give the broader electorate -- not just their partisans, however impassioned -- a much stronger sense that they can take the country forward. A significant component of these problems, it seems, is sometimes less an absence of specific policy proposals than a failure to summon that unifying vision those policies serve. A seasoned Democratic strategist asks: "When does our side get a message?" Speaking of Hillary Clinton, he adds that "all presidential elections are always about the future. Soon the time will come when we must understand where she hopes to take America's hopes and dreams." Granted, as the more diverse party -- by far -- Democrats must address more seemingly disparate concerns. Granted, as well, that competitive primary seasons like this one narrowly focus the candidates' rhetoric on segments of the Democratic base, rather than on a broader appeal to the electorate as a whole. But as William Galston of Brookings observes, "Because Democrats typically think in governing terms, they can fall prey to programitis" -- talking about the means without sufficiently articulating the ends. Yet viewed through a wider lens, many of the programs embraced by Democrats add up to something more profound. As merely one example, a spin through Hillary Clinton's very detailed website -- while informative in itself -- also suggests a still untapped potential to unify and inspire Americans at large only glancingly evoked in the increasingly contentious Democratic debates. One can do much the same with Bernie Sanders or Martin O'Malley -- my point is not to favor one candidate over another in this vigorously contested race. Nor is my purpose to assess the relative merits of specific policies proposed by the three Democrats. Rather, while there are surely sharp differences between, for example, Clinton and Sanders, my aim here -- regardless of what nominee the voters choose -- is to suggest how areas of general agreement among Democrats might cohere in an uplifting whole. For the Clinton website addresses a list of concerns most Democrats -- including all three candidates -- share in common, yet seem but imperfectly, and too seldom, to serve a broader argument about the national interest. Advertisement Like her peers, Clinton would encourage job training for the new economy in workplaces and schools. To be sure, this serves workers and their families. But a more highly skilled workforce would make our products and services better, our businesses more efficient and innovative -- and our country more prosperous. Why not say so -- again and again. For to the extent we squander the potential of individual workers, we undercut the national potential for a more vibrant economy and stronger social fabric. As with her rivals, Clinton would support early childhood education; encourage better performing schools and teachers; reduce financial barriers to higher education; and crack down on the consumer fraud perpetrated by for-profit schools on veterans and the poor. (On this issue, by the way, where are those veteran-loving Republican enemies of waste?) Properly designed, these initiatives -- by empowering those who get educational short shrift -- could unleash a torrent of creativity which would lift us all. Surely among them is the next Ben Carson, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs; the doctors who could help cure cancer; the generals who can modernize our military; the scientists who could stem the threat of global warming; the entrepreneurs and innovators who could create new and better jobs;and millions of more modest men and women who could hold their families together and take their children further yet. In short, people who could make us a better country -- and a richer one. As do Sanders and O'Malley, Clinton proposes to strengthen our health care system; lower prescription drug costs; improve support for reproductive care. Set aside for now Obamacare versus single payer versus something else -- again, my point is not about specific policies but overriding purpose. Is there any doubt that a healthier country is stronger and more prosperous? That the needless deaths caused by failures in preventive care have economic as well as social costs? That catastrophic illnesses which bankrupt families also drain our human and financial capital? Or that using ERs as the healthcare of first resort places heavy burdens on our health system that all of us wind up paying? How callous then -- and how costly -- is the GOP's broadside against extending decent care to more Americans. This issue is not simply about compassion, though it surely is -- it's about the social and financial health of our society writ large. Advertisement The three Democrats would invest in infrastructure and scientific research. This is often cast as a jobs program -- and it should be. But it is not a boondoggle. Economic growth demands good roads and bridges; electrical grids and water systems suited to the present and future; airports which encourage rather than inhibit travel; mass transit which keeps our cities moving. And government alone can make this happen. This is where the progressive palliative that government spending is "investment" truly works -- stopping the erosion of our infrastructure will pay for itself many times over in a greater and more widely shared national prosperity. And there is no better investment in the future than preserving America's leadership in science and technology, all the more so when there is a desperate societal need for jobs which provide upward mobility for workers with sufficient skills. Much the same argument applies to encouraging green technology; promoting workplace equity; protecting the right of collective bargaining; educating Dreamers. It is not that Democrats never say so. In the third debate, for example, Clinton expressed her aim to "grow the economy, not just for the top, but for everyone"; as the candidates made plain in all four debates, the party's guiding ethic is that a society which widens opportunity works better. But they don't say often enough, and clearly enough, that they mean to be the party of economic growth and national empowerment which comes from empowering Americans as a whole. This in no way diminishes the party's commitment to social justice -- as in the civil rights movement, time and again our history shows that a collective conscience is essential to American greatness. But another tributary of "American exceptionalism "at its best is unleashing the potential of all our citizens to enrich us in every sense of that word. Saying so requires Democrats to address the means of doing so. This is a daunting task. Americans' instinctive reserve about the efficacy of government is not without basis: anyone who has worked for the federal government knows that it can be a great lumbering beast, cumbersome and slow to adapt. Beginning with the Reagan years, Republicans have prospered by arguing that our society will thrive if only we get government and its patrons, the Democrats, out of the way -- slashing taxes, reducing regulation, and shrinking the size of government. Advertisement Despite presiding over massive deficits and a crippling recession which left millions of Americans ever more vulnerable, the GOP has made this mythology a central part of our political narrative. Thus while Americans may like specific programs which benefit them, they lack a broader faith in the efficacy of government to help address societal problems. Based on her experience in government and as a party official, Elaine Kamarck of Brookings calls this "a chronic Democratic problem" -- compelling Democrats to talk about their agenda in discrete pieces while avoiding a larger vision. Thus Democrats must identify those things which government has done well, and those that only government can do -- defense, disaster relief, infrastructure -- undertakings which have made us more prosperous and more secure. Only then can the party set forth how government can be deployed in a free enterprise economy to serve the national good in the least intrusive and most flexible and effective way. This also requires clearly stating where we are, how we got here, and how Democrats mean to take us forward. This is no simple matter. While it is imperative to catalog the gap between the Republican narrative and their failed policies, it will not to simplistically blame Republicans for all of our problems, or to dwell on the vulgarity of the current Republican race. Not only does this involve explaining how Democratic policies cohere, but also confronting realities Democrats have generally avoided. As Galston notes, for the last four decades Democrats have been concerned about the decline of the working class, and the slowing of growth in the economy as a whole. But the reasons for this decline -- among them a world economy increasingly inhospitable to the welfare of American workers; a growing concentration of wealth at the top which is saved rather than than spent on American goods and products -- are complicated and not easily solved. Democrats must say so, and then spell out concrete solutions to start making things better. With respect to the problem of stagnant wages and growth, one example at least touched on by Democrats is using the tax code to confer the benefits of private enterprise on the country as a whole -- not by the delusional GOP formula of tax cuts at the top, but by encouraging corporations to keep American jobs at home, to invest in research and development, and to share their profits with their workforce.This deserves more emphasis, for it would help address the urgent problem of job creation for a generation with declining prospects, while strengthening the economy for all by improving the lot of working-class Americans. Advertisement Another path to credibility is committing to long-term deficit reduction to shrink the national debt. Democrats should embrace deficit spending in times of economic distress -- as in the Great Recession of 2008 -- where the Republicans' bogus fiscal probity stood in the way of national recovery. Thus they should call the GOP on its pretextual use of deficit reduction to cut social programs without, in reality, doing anything to reduce deficits. Here lies a real area of Republican vulnerability: the GOP field embraces tax cuts at the upper end which, in the view of experts, would add ruinous amounts to the national debt. This creates an opportunity for Democrats to become the party of true fiscal responsibility, determined to secure our future. Democrats should spell out how ongoing structural deficits retard economic growth and accelerate yet more deficits -- then indict Republicans as the party of exploding deficits and fiscal-make-believe, neatly reversing the GOP's false narrative. Equally, they must honestly address the hard choices in budgetary priorities necessary to fiscal balance, and shape those priorities in terms of what is best for our society as a whole. This is an urgent matter. As of now we are on track to see interest payments on the national debt triple as a percentage of GDP, crippling our economy by making us pay for the past instead of invest in the future. Democrats cannot simply wish -- or promise -- this problem away, indulging in their own form of budgetary make-believe. Not only is this trend destructive in itself, but it would leave us without the fiscal reserves necessary to deploy deficit spending in the face of another financial crisis. Democrats should promise to do better in order to secure our shared prosperity, now and in the future. This brings us squarely to the subject of Social Security and entitlement programs as a whole. As a component of structural deficits, entitlements threaten to crowd out other priorities. But as Kamarck points out, defending Social Security has been an electoral winner for Democrats -- far from dealing with fiscal realities, Democrats talk about expanding benefits without regard to the underlying costs, or the impact on other programs and the budget at large. Their tactic has been to exploit their electoral advantage until necessity compels someone else -- a bipartisan commission, perhaps -- to fix a problem which has only gotten worse. Advertisement That may be smart politics, but for how long? Who really believes that the system can go on as it has, particularly for our young people? To be credible as stewards of the future, it is not enough for Democrats simply to decry privatization, promise more benefits, or frighten Mom and Pop. Suppose, instead, that Democrats allied themselves with the next generation by proposing what everyone knows must be done -- incremental reforms such as a modest raise in the payroll tax ceiling, and means testing the distribution of benefits. Obviously, this preserves the system which, by ensuring the security of older Americans going forward, also helps our economy function in the long run. Far better for Democrats to provide for the future than to troll for short-term political advantage in a present which no one believes sustainable. How to pay? With a tax system meant to promote the common good in a way which seems, and is, fair. While the GOP mantra of "class warfare" is cynical and mendacious, among many Democrats there is more than a whiff of "it's payback time." Understandable, especially in a time of burgeoning income inequality, a punishing recession fed by the depredations of Wall Street and a political system inundated with soft money unleashed by Citizens United. These are critical -- indeed essential -- subjects in any Democrat's campaign. But the politics (and economics) of resentment will take Democrats only so far. Populism can become its own tunnel: in itself, it is neither a path to election or a program for successful governance -- were it otherwise, Washington would contain a monument to the several terms of President Williams Jennings Bryan. It is well to recall that the popular outcry against George McGovern's proposed 100 percent estate tax came overwhelmingly from ordinary Americans who thought it rapacious and, yes, un-American. Instead Democrats should argue for a reasonable distribution of personal taxation -- not through "confiscatory taxation" at the top but to assure, in the words of Warren Buffett (which Clinton recently cited), that his effective tax rate is not lower than his secretary's. Rather than drastically higher income taxation, a principal means would be to equalize the rates on all types of income, as well as closing loopholes which benefit only a privileged few. Advertisement Tax equity need not damage affluent Americans who, after all, have benefited for decades from a flow of wealth to the top -- as the greater prosperity and balanced budget which followed Bill Clinton's 10 percent tax hike demonstrates. As many of our wealthiest citizens know very well, a system of taxation which assures economic growth and fiscal soundness serves their best interests along with everyone else's. In short, Democrats must become the party of national vitality. It is not sufficient that changing demographics and the growth of social liberalism help the party in national elections no matter what, or that the Republicans help further by embracing the extreme and outright stupid. In this volatile year, as in others, these advantages are no guarantee of victory. And beneath this picture lies an ongoing defeat across the country. Setting aside high- turnout presidential cycles, Republicans are eating the Democrats' lunch in local, state and federal elections -- as one startling example, the GOP controls 70 percent of state legislatures. Although much of this owes to being outspent and out-organized, it does not help that Democrats often sound intellectually exhausted. A more uplifting sense of shared purpose will also build a stronger bench of state and local candidates and officeholders who, in time, could help renew the party at the national level. For Democrats it is imperative, as Robert Kennedy said, "to seek a newer world." This call for national renewal should be a call for growth: in the potential of each life, and in the economy -- and country -- we share in common. Democrats must say that it will not do for Americans to live in gated communities of the mind and spirit, defined only by the most crabbed definition of self-interest. In the long run, no class can do better in a society which does worse. History's graveyard is filled with plutocracies which strangled the aspirations of their citizens and made government the weapon of a privileged few. We must not become the next one. So let Republicans take that path, if they dare, then call them on it -- not simply because it is unfair, but because it will destroy that better country which all of us can build together. Then Democrats can tell us what it truly means to make America great again. The Azores is a group of nine islands off the coast of Portugal. Their remote Atlantic location serves as an important stop for over 20 species of whales and dolphins to migrate, including: sperm whales, sei whales, fin whales, humpback whales, blue whales, pilot whales, beaked whales, orca whales, false killer whales, striped dolphins, common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins. Bottlenose dolphins are spotted dolphins that pass through the Azores from mid-April to mid-October. Sign indicating where whaling took place on Pico island. Photographs by Riley Arthur Whaling was introduced by 19th Century New England whalers. The Azorean whaling boat was adapted from the American canoes into a style unique to the world. The antiquated 'Moby Dick era' harpoon whaling techniques was used in the Azores until 1987 whaling stopped altogether. Advertisement In 1982, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) created an anti-whaling moratorium on commercial whaling, which the EU formally adopted. After joining the EU in 1986, Portugal outlawed whaling to abide by the EU regulations. The Azores are an important location for marine science research; this is a yet unnamed fin-blue hybrid whale. Blue whales are the largest animal ever known to live on Earth and fin whales are the second largest mammal. Today the Azorean economy, once dependent on whaling, has transitioned into an agricultural and tourism based economy -- where whales play a large role. Whale-watching tours have become a popular activity for visiting tourists. Iceland, and Denmark are EU members who rely heavily on tourism and who all continue whaling in spite of the EU ban. Scrimshaw carving depicting an Azorean whale hunt carved on a whale's tooth as seen on display at the Museu Dos Baleeiros. Advertisement Norway objected to the IWC's whaling moratorium in 1993, and continues commercial fishing of minke whales, resuming export of blubber and meat in 2011. A distinct difference between Azorean whaling and the whaling that still takes place in Norway, Iceland, and Denmark's Faro Islands, is that Azorean whalers hunted sperm whales for their oil and amber, not meat. This cauldron was used during whaling to boil whale meat to extract oil. Though tastes are changing, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) "the Fisheries Research Institute of Norway commissioned a focus group on the perceptions of whale meat as a food product in Norway. The study found that whale meat had an old-time image and was considered to be an exclusive product rather than a commonly-eaten food stuff. Focus group participants in large part said that they did not eat whale meat on a regular basis, and that whale meat was seen as more expensive than other meats, and that it was considered to be a political food due to the whaling issue." In 2002, the decline in demand, cost the Norwegian government 4 million NOK or 4.5 USD, to destroy 700 tons of blubber lying in freezer storage. The WDC states "much of the blubber had been used for pet food." Former whaler Manuel Silva stands in front of the boat his family owned and used for whaling at the Casa dos Boates de Calheta de Nesquim on Pico Island. Over 1,014,058 people have signed a petition on AVAAZ.org to end whaling in Iceland, where last year's kill quota was 154 fin whales and 229 minke whales. In Iceland 25% of tourists go on whale-watching tours in the hopes to spot 23 whale species, many of which migrate up from The Azores. Advertisement These small whaling-watch towers called Vigias, are now used by whaling companies to spot whales and notify whale watching guides. A perfect example of how elements of the whaling industry are being repurposed. Whaling was considered an important part of The Azorean culture and now a critical part of their heritage, yet the islands have been able to adapt without it. In fact tourism is more profitable than whaling. Whale tourism earns more money than commercial whaling, as reported by The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), "In 2008, more than 13 million tourists in 119 countries took sea trips to watch whales and, in so doing, earned the organizers of such trips 1.5 billion euros." Obama uses the partisan polarization myth to defend plutocracy from the Sanders' revolution. On the central issue of 2016 Obama offers propagandist deception and diversion as excuses for his inability over seven years to advance any strategy for restoration of democracy. Instead Obama argues that partisan polarization, not corrupt plutocracy, is the problem. So Sanders should just tone it down. The SOTU confirms that the country's demand for authenticity and integrity in 2016 is a reaction to Obama, who Clinton choses to embrace, but Sanders has no choice but to reject. The promotional build up to President Obama's January 12, 2016, State of the Union speech promised something completely different from his previous performances. But the WP noted it was not "structured quite as imaginatively as advertised." One might say, "Of course. It's Obama." The propagandist in chief's deed is typically the opposite of his word. But in a way the difference of this SOTU was its perfect similarity to everything that has gone before, structured for the purposes of the occasion. This SOTU was unlike others. It was more directly about the state of the plutocracy now under challenge from Bernie Sanders than about the State of a Union that has been replaced. This SOTU presented the complete text of the propaganda memes by which, throughout his presidency, Obama has disguised that, although he campaigned in 2008 and pretended ever since to do the opposite, he has served as a loyal "puppet of corporate plutocrats," as Cornel West puts it. Propaganda is Obama's art form, and his performance of the propagandist art is world class. Advertisement Obama gave this final full dress performance of his art in the midst of a campaign where the state of plutocracy is the central issue. Sanders opened, closed, and regularly hammered the January 17 debate with his key point: "Very little is going to be done to transform our economy and to create the kind of middle class we need unless we end a corrupt campaign finance system which is undermining American democracy." Obama's SOTU defending plutocracy against Bernie Sanders' historic campaign to restore democracy required his art form's Olympian equivalent of triple axel leaps and flying spins. Obama's likely valedictory mission, once freed from the constant reality-check of his contrary deeds, will involve use of his art to seize the eloquent high ground on issues important to the country. He will use his rhetorical gifts to lead people still gullible enough to believe him, after eight years of evidence to the contrary, away from any realistic solutions for those issues. His final SOTU served as an audition for, preview of, and transition to Obama's new role in the lucrative plutocrat-funded, non-profit industrial complex such as sustains the Clintons' standard of living. Obama "promise[s] that, a little over a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I will be right there with you as a citizen." He even lists the constituencies, the "voices," which he will target for misleading. Obama's soaring SOTU refrains beginning "I see it in," appropriated America's Shakespeare of democracy Martin Luther King's epochal first person visions of a democratic future, and even an echo of the promised land MLK foresaw there. Obama's dystopic dream for his continued service to plutocracy envisions as his target constituencies, workers, students, teachers, ex-cons, protesters for justice, and seniors. But he will not be severing his triangulated Clintonesque lifeline to the bosses, business owners, and "cops" (as metaphor for the MIC) that he also mentions. The latter will enrich him at least as well as it has the Clintons. After all, as one economist writes, Obama is the president who cut government workers, slashed the budget and otherwise worked "to suffocate the economy in order to reward the thieving vipers on Wall Street." Having saved virtually their whole bankrupt industry from the compelling need for its nationalization, which would have been necessary to avoid a predictable repeat financial crisis, considerable reward is to be expected. Advertisement To caution against his future role in the controlled opposition that Obama inevitably will assume and to appreciate a master propagandist performing at the very top of his game, it is worth closely parsing Obama's response to what Bernie Sanders has made the central issue of 2016, the key to the power of plutocracy: corrupt money in politics. To do so is to study the most important propaganda memes of our time as served up by a master. A. The issue of plutocracy The Sanders campaign has focussed attention on the single paramount issue that faces the country. His electoral "revolution" against an oligarchy of the "billionaire class," i.e, a plutocracy, defines what the historic 2016 campaign is about, and explains why Sanders is currently winning that campaign. Sanders is, on domestic issues, running against Obama's status quo record and his extension of plutocratic power. Obama's single SOTU paragraph that promotes a specific legislative program spoke for his quintessentially plutocratic "Obama legacy" Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which Sanders resolutely opposes. Obama authoritatively conveyed to Congress the command directly from their mutual bosses: "approve this agreement." In response, the "voices" of those workers, students, teachers, ex-cons, protesters for justice, and seniors who all stand to lose from this agreement will need to instead approve Bernie Sanders. Obama concluded his speech by evoking half of his now-derided 2008 campaign slogan, "I believe in change." Plutocrats understand that, if true, such a belief would be like others professed by Obama. It does not affect his actions as president, unless the desired "change" is to deceptively tighten the grip of plutocracy under the guise of loosening it. Obama falsely advertises TPP to "protect workers and the environment," for example, though it will do the opposite. Advertisement The 2016 SOTU deflects attention from the central goal of Sanders' campaign, while aiming a subtle, almost subliminal, criticism at it. Obama discusses subsidiary policies on which only plutocratic ends can be achieved, until that one goal of getting corrupt money out of politics is accomplished, as Sanders seeks to do. Obama preceded his discussion of democracy by packing various issues of this nature under three broadly themed rubrics of the economy, technology, and foreign affairs. On the fourth theme, democracy, we see the reason for this new broad-themed packaging for his speech. Under that fourth rubric he sandwiches the paramount issue of money in politics between two other issues, and wraps them all in a third. Obama paints their surface with a veneer of anodyne good government exhortations for citizens to vote and participate in politics. But most important, at the heart of it all he recites the same propaganda memes that Obama and the corrupt politicians who the SOTU formally addressed have used for two generations to cover up their failure to repair and stop the continuing damage they have inflicted upon, by corrupting, the former American democracy. B. "money in our politics" It would have been too obvious had Obama entirely ignored any mention of the one goal that defines the 2016 election. The propagandist art of the controlled opposition gatekeeper requires that he first adopt the opposition's goal before subverting it. So Obama did actually pronounce the words, as he has several times in the past, before quickly moving away to strategic deceptions about achieving the stated goal: "I believe we've got to reduce the influence of money in our politics, so that a handful of families or hidden interests can't bankroll our elections." So do most Americans. But Obama is the president who has raised the most "money in our politics" ever from those interests who "bankroll our elections." More important is what Obama has done in exchange for that money. It only requires lifting the curtain of his propaganda to see that Obama's actions have been the exact opposite of what he claims to "believe" along with most Americans. Obama's deeds prove that whatever he may claim to "believe" is irrelevant. The callow and duly reviled George W, by signing BCRA (McCain-Feingold) in 2002 and leaving the destruction of anti-corruption laws to the Supreme Court, produced far more action consistent with Obama's professed belief than has Obama. The constant refrain about Obama being "worse than Bush" holds true on this central issue of money in politics, as it does on many others. One report on the issue documents Obama's "Legacy of Inaction" that "belies his talk." The reality is much worse than just inaction. Advertisement A year ago in his 2014 "Obomnibus" appropriations bill, for the first time in history a President of the United States signed a law that increased by 10 times the amount of private money that can be legally given to political parties. The money will be given by those families and interests whose influence on politics Obama said "I believe we've got to reduce." At the same time Obama gave those interests who would be paying much larger sums to the two corrupt parties an enormous Christmas gift from which they could easily finance their kickbacks for the politicians who signed the card. Obamabots would defend him by saying that this was just one of those odious but necessary political compromises forced on Obama by Republicans. This favorite propaganda ploy of Obama's is refuted, as usual, with minimal effort by scratching just beneath the slick surface. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi blasted Obama at the time, complaining she was "enormously disappointed that the White House feels that the only way they can get a bill is to go along with .... privatizing the gain and nationalizing the risk" for Wall Street while also signing on "to practically unlimited contributions to political campaigns just at a time when we are trying for reform to reduce the role of ... money and increase the voice of the American people." Obama's 2014 CRomnibus would, Pelosi says, "give donors the opportunity to spend endless money, undermining the confidence the American people have in our political system, at the same time ... as we say to Wall Street, you can engage in risky activity with your derivatives and the FDIC will ensure your action." Her effort to organize votes to stop it was undercut by Obama's announcement that he would not veto this horrendous CRomnibus. It was his bill. Obama struck forcefully again for plutocracy with 2015's appropriations. It was not even a month before his SOTU statement about his contrary belief that he lobbied for and signed, on December 18, the sequel to the previous years' CRomnibus. This "Obomnibus II" assured the increased influence of those same "hidden interests" that Obama would claim on January 12 to "believe" should have their influence "reduce[d]." Not allowing any such token belief to actually affect his conduct, Obama's new law assured that the "influence of money" could legally remain "hidden." "Obomnibus II" contained three separate provisions that stripped executive branch powers to require disclosure of the "hidden" or "dark money" which has corrupted the enormous federal procurement process specifically, as well as politics more generally. Members of Congress and activists had formally asked Obama to use his power, not lose it. After these provisions appeared in early drafts of the appropriations bill the NY Times joined the call, urging: "The president has no time to waste" in ordering disclosure under existing law. Obama neither used his powers, nor resisted the provisions revoking them. Quite the contrary. This year Obama admitted his ownership and thanked Republicans for their cooperation with him. He opened his State of the Union speech by giving a nod to his closest colleagues in service of plutocracy by "appreciat[ing] the constructive approach" of Speaker Paul Ryan and the Republican leadership in helping him pass his "Obomnibus II." They helped him open new vistas for corruption by formally legalizing and institutionalizing the influence of unaccountable dark money in American politics. Advertisement The Supreme Court, a favorite excuse, did not this time prevent Obama from doing the right thing and ordering disclosure. Even its most infamous Citizens United decision permitted use of this power. Obama, since 2010, had merely refused to exercise his recognized powers to outlaw the anonymous "hidden" investments in politics that Citizens United had otherwise, perhaps unwittingly, legalized. Even after being formally instructed by reformers that "reforms need your active leadership" and criticized by them for his "absence of leadership and action" on the issue, Obama still left his now-revoked powers unused. Keeping those powers would only have encouraged activists to ratchet up their complaints about Obama's refusal to use them. So he axed them. So much for the sincerity of Obama's alleged beliefs. Stating such beliefs is a common device he uses to cover his actual deeds. This tactic lies at the core of many of Obama's propaganda efforts. He knows he can get free support for his vague and unredeemed statements of what he "believes," provided the plutocratic mass media, and liberal allies, will ignore what he actually does for plutocrats while publicizing his contrary but irrelevant beliefs. But there was much more than hypocrisy in our Kabuki president's SOTU performance. C. "pass muster" In the next sentence after the one about beliefs quoted above, Obama seems to promise or at least refer to action: "And if our existing approach to campaign finance reform can't pass muster in the courts, we need to work together to find a real solution, because it's a problem." Multiple important deceptions are embedded in this statement that belie any notion of action. 1. No strategy. By his use of the first person plural possessive "our," this statement implies that there exists a strategy that Obama shares. In fact there is no currently "existing approach to campaign finance reform." Obama has not so much as whispered in public any reform except to deny, delay and divert attention away from any possibly effective strategy. What does exist therefore are deliberate diversions from effective campaign finance reform strategy, diversions which have no conceivable chance of being adopted and/or of being effective if they were. It is deception to call any of these an "approach to campaign finance reform." And Obama has taken no action on any of them. These diversions have been mused upon by Obama, at best. They do not even rise to the level of a talking point, much less an idea that would prompt any action on his part. They have been promoted by Democrats, like Hillary Clinton and their professional activist allies to avoid the danger of reducing the power of their plutocratic sponsors by pursuit of effective strategy. Advertisement The most futile "existing approach" is the soundbite proposal for "a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United," which decision is only a part of the problem, or, even worse, to abolish "corporate personhood," which is no part of the problem at all. Enthusiasm for this diversion waned after an amendment abjectly failed to get through the Democratic Senate in 2014 just before the Democrats lost nine seats. A majority of the virtually unanimous Democrats who supported the amendment showed their true allegiance to plutocracy by voting at the end of that year for the historic "Obomnibus I" provisions which made corruption much worse than before. That the Senate Democrats' proposed constitutional amendment, even if adopted, would not have blocked Obama's order of magnitude increase in corruption of parties demonstrated the ineffectiveness of an amendment to prevent increased corruption, let along cause any actual positive change. This caused the activist cartel on the issue to give what they formerly had advertised as the "most promising" approach, amendment, a quiet burial under their substitute grab-bag of piecemeal reform proposals that are equally unsuited for ending systemic corruption. One "existing approach" of this nature is the Democrats' Disclose Act, for requiring disclosure of corporate dark money. This law was not needed if Obama had simply exercised his existing presidential powers to require disclosure where it counted, in federal procurement. Obama cannot claim to share this "approach." The Disclose Act, on which the parties remain polarized, was and is a diversion from and excuse for Obama's resistance to any action on this issue that would depart from the plutocrat agenda he serves. Many plutocrats prefer to bribe in private. The politicians' favorite "existing approach" involves them taking taxpayers' money. In 2011 the Supreme Court foreclosed public funding that would match that of privately funded candidates. As Harvard constitutional law professor Charles Fried explains, the Supreme Court "declared unconstitutional the only way that states and the federal government might make public financing of elections at all attractive to candidates." Without matching, candidates in the pocket of plutocrats can always outspend those who take public money. That normally includes the 95% of incumbents who are routinely reelected notwithstanding their extraordinary unpopularity as a group because they have policies rather than promises to sell to the plutocracy that funds them. By having taxpayers finance the losing campaigns, this hobbled public funding "reform" would produce fewer uncontested elections, making elections appear less undemocratic. But the reform of appearances is not "real reform." 2. No opposition. Amendment of the Constitution, about which Obama once feebly mused, does not have to "pass muster in the courts." Disclosure, which carries no impact where political corruption is already legal and therefore systemic, has for generations been specifically and repeatedly approved by the Supreme Court. There is no opposition from "the courts" preventing that non-reform from "pass[ing] muster." It has also had no effect on the deepening corruption of politics after systemic corruption was legalized by Buckley. Nor does the Court take any issue with existing public funding approaches that comply with the Court's ruling that made public funding of politicians ineffective, but would still give subsidies that tend to counterproductively increase the cost of campaigns without altering their plutocratic outcomes. The trouble with all these approaches is that they are useless, or counterproductive, which is precisely why they are advocated by corrupt politicians and also "pass muster in the courts" of plutocracy. None of these piecemeal reforms provide any "real solutions." 3. False hypothetical. What does not "pass muster in the courts" is not any currently "existing approach to campaign finance reform," since no authentic approach does exist, certainly not anything emanating from President Obama's office. It is the prior effective approaches going back as far as Teddy Roosevelt a century ago that the Supreme Court has overturned. Obama knows there is no hypothetical "if" about any actually effective or previously "existing approach to campaign finance reform ... pass[ing] muster in the courts." Since Buckley (1976), the Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down, for its own invented reasons, laws and precedent that might in any way restrain the triumph of plutocracy over democracy. Since 2006, the Roberts Court has aggressively advanced its plutocracy project without opposition. Former constitutional law instructor Obama knows full well that there is no "if" involved in the matter. The Supreme Court will continue to strike down any effective restraint on plutocracy as long as the President and Congress continue to allow them to do so. Signal accomplishments of Lincoln and Roosevelt, who Obama falsely evoked as role models in his SOTU, resulted from their hard-won opposition to comparably harmful and illegitimate Supreme Court judicial supremacy, respectively, in Dred Scott and its Lochner-era jurisprudence. The judicial supremacist rules for continued political corruption are all in place. The Roberts Court averages each year about one sweeping defense of money in politics, which incorporates their latest broad creative changes to the Constitution as needed for the purpose of further legalizing, entrenching and broadening the power of plutocracy. It makes no difference to the judicial supremacist majority that leading First Amendment scholars consider their product to be "pervasively confused," "misguided," and "frightful," "arid legalisms to blind us," and that the Court "fundamentally misunderstands the First Amendment" so as to justify "wresting authority from democratic institutions in virtually any circumstance." See Dean of Yale Law School, Robert C. Post, Citizens Divided: Campaign Finance Reform and the Constitution (2014) 45, 65, 67, 74, 86, 94. Unlike Lincoln and Roosevelt, Obama has not even attempted to restrain the Court, let alone succeed as they did. His two Supreme Court appointees reflect this failure. Bush II's two appointees, Roberts and Alito, were known to be extreme plutocratic judicial supremacists. Obama's two appointees are not nearly as reliable votes on the opposite side, and have been worse on the issue of money in politics than the two Republicans they replaced. In 2015 both joined Chief Justice Roberts, and abandoned Justice Ginsburg's long-term opposition in dissent, to approve the Court's policy of legalizing the corruption of elected judges. 4. Avoidance. The false-hypothetical-about-certainties technique is frequently used by Obama to pass the buck or to delay fashioning, adopting and pursuing any potentially effective strategy on the subject of money in politics. Obama used two such blatantly false hypotheticals in a row in his above-mentioned feeble musing about a "need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it). Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight on the super-PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change." After seven years in office, that "process" has definitively failed, and every Roberts' "revisit" to the issue has been decidedly for the worse. The "spotlight" is glaring. But Obama still fails to inform us what his hypothetical "change" should be, and where that anticipated "pressure" went. In his two Obomnibuses he certainly flicked away any such "pressure" without breaking a sweat. Now he demonstrates the absence of both by advising the nation that, depending upon yet another false hypothetical, some unspecific "we," which diffuses responsibility away from himself, "need to work together," which he has been told by reformers is not going to happen without his leadership on the issue, which is completely lacking. Finally, his ultimate goal is still not to implement and enforce an effective strategy for change, but only "to find a real solution." Why cannot former instructor Obama not drop all these diversionary false contingencies, and tell us specifically what is his "real solution" for the nation's greatest problem of political corruption? A former constitutional lawyer who has been pitched incessantly by reformers on a variety of possible reforms, he should be capable of choosing some of theirs or creating one of his own. That is what his favorite president Teddy Roosevelt, who was never an instructor of law, did under similar circumstances in his final annual message to Congress over a century ago. It would have been appropriate for Obama to have paid tribute to TR with his own ideas about how to "prevent the political domination of money," as TR advocated Advertisement There is nothing new or contingent about the systemic corruption of U.S. politics then or now. Obama was elected to deal with this issue. But he quickly re-interpreted his job description as expanding the power of plutocrats, and not in any way limiting their power as his voters had expected. SOTU advanced more excuses for offering nothing but deceptive words about the problem of plutocracy. D. "a real solution, because it's a problem" These four considerations lead to the question of strategy that Obama's SOTU, like all his previous statements on the issue, is artfully crafted to avoid: how to effectively rein in a Supreme Court majority which is operating outside of its constitutionally separate judicial powers from systematically overturning, on spurious grounds, any anti-corruption legislation that might interfere with the continued plutocratic control of United States politics. Obama serves plutocracy by pretending that the problem, beyond his capacity and therefore assigned to others, in some hypothetical future, is "to find a real solution." By this he implies none exists right now and that it will take an uncertain number of years, more than the seven he has had, for someone else to "find a real solution." If the former constitutional law instructor would simply open the Constitution he would find a couple of solutions right there in Article III and Amendment Eleven. A Supreme Court majority that violates the constitutionally mandated separation of powers can be stopped by the Exceptions Clause of Article III, which permits the stripping of jurisdiction from the Supreme Court for any reason. This power is especially applicable when necessary to prevent the judiciary from deciding political questions that fall outside its limited judicial powers. Congress exercised this power to deter the Court's political overthrow of Reconstruction. It should be used again to deter the Court's political overthrow of democracy. The Eleventh Amendment stripped jurisdiction from the Court to interfere with the sovereign interests of states in preserving their republican form of government. States control elections. The Court should be required to comply with the Constitution by not overturning state anti-corruption laws. But Congress and Obama have not even tried. The former law instructor should also know that it takes no constitutional action at all for each house of Congress to adopt effective conflict of interest recusal rules that would prohibit any member from acting on any matter in connection with which payment or benefit of any kind has been received or is expected. It is a scandal that such rules are not strengthened to apply to special interest campaign contributions, and robustly enforced. Advertisement After ticking off his three classic propaganda memes - 1) that there currently exists no "real solution" for plutocracy, 2) that to "find a real solution" for systemic political corruption is someone else's problem in a galaxy far away from Obama who has done nothing but swat away or ignore any suggestion that he should provide leadership on the issue in the manner of prior great presidents, and 3) his "pass muster" concept, that the judicial supremacist Court must be deferred to in military fashion rather than resisted in democratic fashion - Obama celebrates completion of this triple axel by going for comic relief. He off-handedly presents an insider's white lie for a bonding moment among fellow crooks. His quip: "And most of you don't like raising money. I know. I've done it." All politicians operating the corrupt U.S. political system occupy the power apex of the inhabited universe because they are the best at raising money and also at pretending that it is just a nuisance element of their job that does not really affect what they do anyway, chuckle, chuckle. In fact their fundraising involves the greater part of their job and talent, which is selling public policy to private investors and rationalizing or lying to voters as necessary to disguise the facts about their routine sacrifice of national interests as their end of the deal. An essential part of their lie is that there is no "real solution" for their own political corruption. The obvious solution, prison for them and the judges who protect them, is not one they can be expected to talk about voluntarily. Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Coalition (BEC), launched during the recent Paris climate change proceedings, is a globally disseminated public statement that the classic Silicon Valley venture capital investment model has failed to adequately address scalable clean energy solutions in terms of quality, timeliness and global impact. The Current BEC Proposal: Changing the World By Maintaining the Status Quo The Gates proposal is a public-private partnership, whereby additional and substantial taxpayer (otherwise known as government) money will be allocated to turbo-charge a number of existing and new government sponsored deal flow pipelines, which in turn will be invested by BEC's private sector investors, to fill an investment gap across the so-called Valley of Death (that period of time when new founding teams of entrepreneurs are cash-strapped, still pre-proof of concept and with little or no market validation and/or revenue). At this Valley of Death inflection point, the marketplace has long told us that startups that can't make it through this phase of growth are not worth saving. Advertisement What Gates is saying is that the current global marketplace for startups focused on scalable clean energy ideas is structured so that good ideas, even game-changing ideas, never see the light of day, because traditional VCs and other potential investors are risk averse at exactly the point where capital is needed most - at startup inception and at the entrance to the Valley of Death. The BEC's intention is to partner globally with dozens of governments, collectively known as Mission Innovation (MI). Is the BEC About Disruption? In the context of climate change, if time is truly an enemy and if the global carbon based energy paradigm needs to be substituted as soon as possible (both assumptions seem fair based on the consensus reached in Paris), we have to assume that disruption is not only part of the picture, it is a core principle. If this is the case, then only Freud can explain why in the BEC's Investing Principles the word disruption is not mentioned even once. Advertisement VCs, who pride themselves on disruption, generally invest in three industry verticals: digital, life sciences and greentech. With a strong historical and statistical basis, we can say that the real monetization impact; that is, the ability to generate outsized returns on investment (ROI), has been demonstrated over the past 20 years, repeatedly and increasingly in digital (e.g., consumer Internet, mobile, social media, enterprise software, etc.), with life sciences and greentech, in that order, lagging considerably behind from an ROI perspective. Put another way, it takes much longer and costs much more to develop a startup idea in clean energy, get it to market and generate a great ROI. In fact, from a global perspective, a lot more money has been invested in clean energy than has been returned to investors. Part of this is due to the Valley of Death investment gap Gates wants to fill. But the bigger picture that explains why it is more difficult to make money in greentech is more complicated. Greentech Investing is Difficult Advertisement First, from a scientific and technological perspective, greentech and life sciences are more demanding that digital. There may be entrepreneurial exceptions, but all in all, you won't find a Bill Gates or a Mark Zuckerberg dropping out of Harvard to start a clean energy company that is going to change the world. The reason is simple. An 18 year old simply doesn't know enough. Staying in school for that B.S., M.S. or Ph.D. and beyond, is usually a precondition to having meaningful impact in the lab, in the field, in the workplace and in the market. While clean energy entrepreneurs are much more sophisticated from the standpoint of academics, lab and field work and the marketplace, they are also mature and may tend toward risk aversion, depending on their station in life. This is particularly true for the global disruption of carbon-based energy (although the cause generally trumps the risk). Second, as already mentioned, is the issue of time and money. Clean energy projects take years (as opposed to months with digital) to get to proof of concept and much more money to fine-tune a physics, chemistry and/or biological approach to a clean energy problem that reaches a sustainable scalable monetization trigger. Third, are the carbon-driven incumbents. While no one wants to directly address this issue, the incumbents will not sit idly by and watch their market share diminish. This carries serious implications for clean energy innovation. Advertisement Carbon incumbents (CIs) and their supporting dirty energy matrix partners (from oil & gas, plastics, steel, concrete, construction, raw resource extraction, transportation, agri-business, etc.) have several options: -- They can acquire new disruptive innovative ideas in clean energy. Once acquired, the CI can choose to incorporate the innovation into its product mix or it can shelve the innovation with the intention of simply removing the threat from the market. -- In the alternative, CIs can use pricing, supply networks and other tools to compete head-to-head with startups, in an attempt to put the upstart company out of business or weaken it, thereby limiting the options to scalability. -- CIs can also put political pressure on governments to block, slow down or otherwise undermine a new clean energy sector, product or service via legislation and policy. -- CIs can resort to extra-legal means (broadly defined) to guarantee their existing market share and continued growth. Advertisement Obviously and realistically, using a combination of these strategies is available to all CIs. See Climate Change: The Need for Pro-Inventor Legislation (PIL) for more on this theme. Fourth, Paris and global public sentiment are forcing governments to face a new stark reality. Namely, that after decades and even centuries, of entrenched governmental support for carbon incumbents, particularly oil & gas, loyalties are under pressure. Traditional pro-carbon government support has ranged from legislatively enacted and executive branch policies (in response to powerful pro-carbon lobbies), to using the intelligence apparatus and military in support of carbon-driven market share. In non-democratic regimes this is an even more complicated issue, particularly from the standpoint of global coordination, a key BEC premise. Given that nations are notoriously inefficient and reactive, as opposed to efficient and pro-active, and taking into account the volatile mix of carbon incumbents and what will be several dozen competing definitions of what is in the national interest, is it reasonable to assume that the BEC and IM can work together? Can Bill Gates and his supporters buy their way into (or out of) the political side of the global energy game? Advertisement Energy is Different Software is increasingly viewed as a disruptive force in the digital world. Entire industry verticals are being impacted by software with massive disruptive implications. The global carbon based energy paradigm, however, is not even close to disruption. Despite changes at the margin (e.g., smart grids, energy efficiency, solar, wind, etc.), and an increasingly aware public about the perils of climate change, the energy sector has not found or been exposed to the disruptive equivalent of software. To disrupt what has been called the mother of all industry sectors, energy; will require a different approach. That new approach begins with Integral Venture Capital. Integral Venture Capital (IVC) IVC is informed by three philosophies, which together create a new approach and a new set of values for venture capital investing. Steve Jobs & The Importance of Design The first philosophical principle is based on design aesthetics. A profound lesson about the importance of design aesthetics can be learned from Steve Jobs. Beauty and functionality, when melded together, attract us. That attraction can be monetized. However, design thinking cuts more deeply than producing aesthetically and functionally pleasing products that consumers will buy. Design aesthetics moves towards the essence of sustainability. Advertisement This Jobsian notion of aesthetic design leads us to Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) design thinking -- the second philosophical principle that feeds into the concept of IVC. The Role of C2C Design C2C takes biomimetic approaches to the design of products and expands them to include how we live and work together, and how we treat the planet. We can and must create a new design thinking architecture for both the creation of our exterior material world and our interior consciousness, and apply it to all we do. Integral Theory The third philosophical framework is Integral Theory, and this is arguably the most all-encompassing of the three philosophies. Integral Theory is a philosophy that deals with the very structures of consciousness itself. It is a lens through which we can see the world and ourselves in both full depth and breadth, and because it provides tools for dealing with often conflicting and overlapping levels of consciousness (at the individual and group level), it naturally provides (digs up one might say) creative approaches to the Grand Challenges facing humanity and the planet, and in this case, for clean reliable affordable energy. In addition, Integral thinking and analysis provides insights into how we are evolving as a species, how that evolution dove-tails with our planet's evolution, and finally, how we collectively (in the broadest sense) begin to realize that each one of us is an agent of evolution. Advertisement The evolutionary impulse passes through us. In that passing it brings not only consciousness, but responsibility, and just as importantly, true freedom and the energy that that freedom brings, to create and innovate - all the while pushing the evolutionary process forward. These three philosophies together define a core set of new alternative investment values and serve as the foundation for Integral Venture Capital. Adopting IVC will morph the VC investment strategy, reorient priorities, alter the notion of due diligence and naturally craft a more viable investment pipeline structured for global disruption. Energy and Consciousness It was Einstein who said that no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. The current global carbon based energy matrix represents a problem at a particular level of consciousness. We cannot explore the depth and breadth of that energy paradigm here, to better understand the consciousness it represents, but we can be sure, based on the BEC's current investment proposal, that the BEC's current set of values and its investment strategy do not represent a higher level of consciousness. Advertisement In essence, the BEC proposal is a more robust version of the existing Silicon Valley VC paradigm -- the very paradigm that the BEC has already identified as part of the problem in finding new solutions for climate change. The BEC must embrace IVC in order to make a sustainable globally impactful disruptive difference in the energy sector. Raising consciousness literally impacts perception. If the BEC doesn't do it, someone else will. Female Hands presenting a red heart. LA businessman Shlomo Rechnitz had the right idea when he paid $50 to each of the 400 U.S. solders when their paths unexpectedly crossed during a layover at an Irish airport. When he saw them eating army food while nearby passengers were eating at the more upscale, trendy and appetizing restaurants, he knew he had to step in and make a difference. In the video, now trending on YouTube, we see Mr. Rechnitz sharing his heart felt words of appreciation for the American soldiers, the work that they do and the bravery they exhibit on a daily basis. And this isn't the first time Shlomo has offered his generosity either. It's become quite a habit of his. So why should we all take a page out of Shlomo's charitable book? I think you'll find the research pretty impressive! Advertisement Generosity may be the single most important way to achieve human happiness. When we give to others, materially, physically or emotionally we're able to create a powerful emotional bond between people that can spread true feelings of joy. Even something as small as a warm hearted and accepting smile can spread the spirit of kindness. And since emotions are contagious, it can produce what's called a positive contagion effect, which simply means, these good feelings begin to spread. This type of altruistic giving has two major effects: It creates happiness for ourselves and happiness for others. That's a pretty winning combination. According to Paul Zak, the founder of Claremont Graduate University Center for Neuroeconomics, although we typically describe giving as coming from the heart, it actually comes from the brain. It's the subgenual cortex part of the brain, to be exact, that gets triggered when people do something helpful and feel good. Our brain reacts to preforming these charitable acts by releasing the feel good chemical called dopamine. This influx of dopamine into our bodies creates a warm feeling often referred to as a helpers high. Our altruistic roots appear to have an evolutionary purpose as well. Humans couldn't have survived in nature without the help and charity from the fellow members of their group. So, if we're really wired to be altruistic, why do people like Shlomo appear to be more of the exception than the rule? Well, the answer is a little bit tricky. There are different kinds of altruistic acts. There's reciprocal altruism, where we give with the assumption that we'll get something in return. And Kin altruism where we give to family and friends over people we consider strangers. There's also another component to our evolutionary nature, which might explain it. It's connected to our survivor of the fittest drive. This drive focuses on the more selfish, competitive and ruthless aspects of our personality. The research is very clear. Selfless acts of kindness, like the one we witness Shlomo Rechnitz carry out is a wise habit to get into? Not only do acts of kindness allow us to show our network how appreciated they are, it also makes people happier in the process. Acts of kindness: Advertisement -Lead us to perceive others more empathically and compassionately. -It allows us to experience people in a more positive way, too. We are inclined to find good qualities in those we are being kind toward. -Being kind also helps us to promote a sense of connection to our community and others, which is one of the biggest reasons for our increase in this personal sense of happiness. And being kind starts a chain reaction of positivity, which let's face it, we all could use a little bit more of these days. As global leaders prepare to gather at the 46th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, I've been musing on the topic of their forthcoming discussion: Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The premise of this anointed age is that human progress is now fully oriented around science and technology, when tools that are small, cheap and more powerful than ever have transformed entire systems of production, distribution, consumption -- "and possibly the very essence of human nature." What are the social implications of this revolution? Technology is changing our world with unprecedented speed, but many worry about the human cost of these advances and question how rapidly evolving breakthroughs in some areas may undermine social progress in others. It's a concern worthy of examination. One need only look at the ubiquity of social media, for example, to see that technology gives and takes, connecting us like never before while also splintering our attention and separating us. Advertisement But as someone who works at the nexus of technology and social change, I'm far more encouraged by the promise of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to alleviate human suffering than discouraged by its risks. "In each generation we seem to face almost insurmountable hurdles," observed Forbes contributor Greg Satell, "but we emerge living longer, richer, cleaner, healthier lives." Despite the frightening outlook one gets from the daily news, global incomes are rising, while poverty continues its decades-long decline, emissions in the US are dropping and even violence is on a downward trend, leading Foreign Policy magazine to crown the first 10 years of the 21st century as the best decade ever. Why? "The answer, obviously," notes Satell, "is that we are able to create solutions faster, through technology and innovation, than problems emerge." The population explosion that threatens our world also holds the potential to save it, through more opportunities for collaboration and innovation, more scientists and entrepreneurs who can fuel the growth of technological breakthroughs. And with each passing year, companies are, gratefully, recognizing that they must assume a much greater role in facilitating this growth and accept more responsibility for pushing forth social progress. Take youth unemployment, which on a massive scale can radically destabilize countries. According to ILO, 60 percent of young people in developing regions are either unemployed, not studying, or engaged in irregular employment. Countries like Africa, with an exploding youth population, are unable to respond to this crisis of a disenfranchised generation, with only three to five million jobs projected to be created for the 10 to 12 million youth on the cusp of adulthood. But digital tools may be able to reshape business models that foster employment, and companies can play a part in guiding these solutions. The Social Collective is an example of a technology solution to a global social crisis that brings together corporate support with social entrepreneurism. A for-profit startup launched by the Cape Town hub of the Global Shapers Community, which won the Global Shapers Community 'Coca Cola Shaping a Better Future Challenge' at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2014, The Social Collective is a digital tool that provides monitoring and evaluation so that nonprofits can understand the personal and professional development of individuals and analyze their employability. It also enables donors, policymakers and the private sector to track skills development and shape the details around the needs of job creation for given regions and countries. Advertisement A joint study conducted by Alcatel-Lucent and GSMA in 2013 showed that amidst the high unemployment rate of young people in developing countries, 92 percent of these youths nevertheless have access to a mobile phone. As reported by EngageSpark, even with a need for skills and information, 94 percent of young people in Ghana are interested in being entrepreneurs, and 43 percent of these potential entrepreneurs say they would benefit from taking business courses. Skills training via mobile phones was more appealing than in-person training; 66 percent of the surveyed youth in Ghana were willing to use mobile phones for training. "Youths were willing to pay for valuable mobile employment services across all four countries," the report notes. "18.8 million youths could have access to mobile employment services by 2018 with a predicted market size of US$171.1m." Technology is responding to these realities. Start-ups based around mobile services for personal development as well as job search and job applications, targeted to young people around the world, are on the rise. Some address literacy and basic entrepreneurship skills, others link up unemployed youth with employers via SMS and voice technology, still others leverage social media to create online platforms for recruiters and job seekers. There seems to be a growing consensus amongst world leaders that innovation is one of the keys to solving youth unemployment, along with the other global issues we face, from climate change to public health and beyond. But as some countries continue to exact austerity measures, public research and development funding has been dramatically reduced, cutting off important pathways to the breakthroughs we desperately need to solve our problems. I hope that the distinguished thinkers gathered at this year's Economic Forum will agree that the way to Master the Fourth Industrial Revolution is by embracing the promise of technology to pioneer social progress. Support for this effort is needed at every level of society, so I look forward to even more cooperation between governments, companies, entrepreneurs and nonprofits to pursue innovations that cure what ails our world. Advertisement For the second conversation in our Purpose@Work series -- a discussion designed to explore how we can infuse a deep sense of purpose into our work -- we're going to focus on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the theme of this year's World Economic Forum in Davos. Sam: Over the last few years, there have been a plethora of different "cop shows" that have done well but are often criticized for being very contrived. After watching the pilot of Shades of Blue last night it is clear that it is not your average cop show. How did you go about making this show divergent from what is already on the air? Adi: Well, you know I wasn't really writing a cop show. I was really writing a tale about morality, which is something that really interests me. So that's where it came from. You're taking good people, and putting them in very difficult environments and seeing how they respond. As a theme, that's really interesting to me. The other thing that interests me is when you're given a gun to maintain the law, ironically it is easiest to break it. It's really about the difficulty for police officers, soldiers, really anyone that we put into horrible circumstances. Those themes were very important to me, and the police genre was honestly an acceptable genre for those themes. In the past I've written some really interesting and unique television scripts and I've always been asked "gee, can't you just write a medical show or a Lost show or a police show?" So this time I thought I would take one of the themes that was of interest to me, corruption, and simply embrace a genre and tell it through a genre. Advertisement Sam: As far as themes of corruption within the police force go, have recent events influenced the writing of the show? If so, how did they influence the conception of the plot? Adi: Actually, they have not. This was a spec script, which we can talk about in a minute. I gotta tell you, this is not a show about police corruption. This is a show about corruption in general. I think a big problem we have in our country is social corruption, political corruption, but this is not a repudiation of the police force in any way. As you'll see as the series continues, the corruption stems from the personal lives and struggles of the characters rather than from their police-hood. But it's the corruption that we all do, we all check the wrong boxes on IRS forms and stuff like that. It's the slippery slope that we take. It's that opening monologue that Jennifer Lopez's character has in which she talks about how it started so small. Sam: I heard that Shades of Blue was impressively picked up by NBC on spec and put straight to series. That almost never happens anymore in Hollywood. How did that come about? What were the initial conversations with NBC like? Adi: You know, this is starting to become the new model. Just so you know, I work a lot with European companies and Europeans are a lot more frugal regarding production. They don't understand the American model of production, and why we would spend six to eight million dollars on a pilot and then just not pick it up. The Europeans go more straight to series, because it just makes sense from a financial point of view. Because for better or for worse, it gives the network an inventory, and something to sell. So this was a spec script that I wrote about two and a half or three years ago, and I got the script to Elaine Goldsmith Thomas who really is the hero of putting this together. Elaine was the biggest talent agent in the 90's and 2000's. She got the script and gave it to Barry Levinson, and the irony is that while I was writing this, Barry's show Homicide on my desk for inspiration. So she got it to Barry, and Barry really responded to it which was wonderful. In the process I had met Ryan Seacrest's company and we were looking to do something together. Elaine said that we should get Jen for the series, and Elaine being Elaine, two weeks later I was sitting in a conference room with Jennifer Lopez. So we decided that the model would be straight to series, because Jennifer was way too big of a star to do a pilot. So I sat down in a room with like 15 NBC executives and pitched them the show. I pitched the whole show start to finish, and 30 minutes later I got an email from CAA saying that we had an order for straight to series. Advertisement Sam: What is the plan for Shades of Blue moving forward? I know there is currently a 13 episode season coming to NBC. Is Shades of Blue slated for a limited run or will it continue as long as there is support? Adi: This is not a limited series, Shades of Blue will be ongoing for as long as the viewers respond. Jennifer has been really incredible in committing herself to be on the show. She's one of the hardest working people in Hollywood, and a force of nature. To see her showing up on set at seven in the morning, knowing all of her lines, is really unbelievable. You see actors walking around all the time with the script in their hands, but she just showed up fully ready to go. She's prepared to go for a run with the show. I've already moved on, I have another show that is going straight to series called Eyewitness, it's one of those Nordic noir type shows, which is amazing. We are also on the verge of packaging another show straight to series, which is in the Finnish format called Black Widows. So on my end, as you can understand, we feel very comfortable with this model. A woman from Syria holds her baby as she arrives at the registration centre on the Greek island of Samos, after being rescued by the charity Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, in Dodecanese, southeastern Aegean Sea, overnight on January 16, 2016. Maltese-based NGO MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) rescued 48 migrants and refugees near the Agathonisi island. / AFP / ANGELOS TZORTZINIS (Photo credit should read ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP/Getty Images) We usher in a new year where, due to recent terrorist attacks, living in Paris today feels different than it did just a few years ago. And far from a western capital, risks for NGOs are on the rise. Bombings, kidnappings, and gunfire exchange between armed groups makes working in Syria significantly more dangerous than prior to the Arab Spring. No one will deny that the risks we face today are very real and growing. Yet, so too are the implications of stringent policies that aim to reduce terrorist threats; they inadvertently hinder us from delivering emergency aid and harm progress towards eliminating extreme poverty. With the largest number of refugees since World War II and high levels of income inequality in emerging economies, we face some of the toughest challenges of our generation. To tackle these, it is imperative to discuss ways we can minimize physical danger while trying everything possible to advance human well-being worldwide. Advertisement U.S. counterterrorism regulations currently penalize banks for working with any organization that may have an affiliation with a terrorist group. To risk-averse banks, nonprofit organizations that work with local partners in conflict-ridden countries such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen, or Somalia may have a higher probability of working with bad actors. Out of fear of being penalized, some banks have actually cut ties with legitimate U.S. NGOs they deem too risky simply because they are Muslim-founded. Recently, two U.S. and UK-based banks ended relationships with InterAction members that implement various projects, including delivering blankets to displaced Syrian families during the brutal winter and working with farmers in Somalia to develop alternative water sources during droughts. When banks cut ties with credible charities such as these, they squeeze the resources needed to deliver humanitarian aid and discourage NGOs from working with local partners in conflict areas. "There needs to be a better balance between safety and an NGOs ability to effectively do its job." Ultimately, sustainable change flourishes at the community level. U.S.-based NGOs can advance human welfare by supporting change created by local governments, businesses, and civil society organizations. But the U.S. governments counterterrorism rules threaten to harm relationships between U.S.-based NGOs and their local partners. USAIDs Partner Vetting System (PVS) and the Department of States Risk Analysis and Management (RAM) pilot programs require NGOs to collect personal information from local partners, to be vetted against U.S. intelligence databases. This could lead communities to suspect complicity between intelligence and U.S. NGOs, inflame conspiracy theories, and shatter trust fostered between NGOs and local partners. Current regulations make it difficult for Americans to join forces with local partners and promote wellbeing in very tough places. Yes, we need to mitigate risk. Aid workers have been killed and criminal organizations have posed as nonprofits. But risk reduction efforts should not impede a humanitarian NGO from rapidly delivering food, water, and medicine to people in refugee camps. Advertisement Fear and anxiety should not encourage U.S. NGOs to first ask local partners or activists if they are terrorists before they ask if they can be partners. There needs to be a better balance between safety and an NGOs ability to effectively do its job. To save lives and eliminate global poverty and inequality, together, we must reduce the barriers that stifle NGOs capacity to rapidly deliver aid, create partnerships, and pave the way for change. Migrants and refugees walk along snow covered tracks after crossing the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, on January 18, 2016.More than one million migrants reached Europe in 2015, most of them refugees fleeing war and violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to the United Nations refugee agency. / AFP / DIMITAR DILKOFF (Photo credit should read DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images) Refugees captured the world's attention last year as over a million arrived in Europe, fleeing conflict and violence in Syria, Iraq and beyond. Reactions from European countries and elsewhere varied, from sympathetic and welcoming to hostile and fearful. In the WEF's 2016 Global Risks Report, large-scale, involuntary migration is identified as the most likely risk to occur. Amongst all the risks, it is ranked fourth in terms of the scale of impact, with a range of political, social, economic and security risks, both to refugees and the countries in which they seek asylum. Advertisement It is, however, important to look not just at the risks refugees might pose for the economies and societies of host countries, but also at the potential benefits they can bring. Evidence shows that, if refugees are given sufficient support and investment, they can make significant social and economic contributions to their host countries. Countries can become better able to cope with mass refugee flows by nurturing refugees' economic contribution and supporting their integration into host societies. Here are three steps host countries should take to improve their resilience to mass refugee flows: a. Change the narrative. Reframing the debate on refugees from one of risk to one that recognizes the substantial social and economic contribution they can make to their host societies has great potential. Support for refugees, particularly support for integration, should be seen as an investment for tomorrow, rather than a cost for today. Germany, which received over 800,000 asylum-seekers in 2015, is one country that has taken the idea of investment to heart. With an aging population and labour scarcity, immigration is critical to economic growth, raising employment levels and stabilizing social security systems. To that end, Germany has made significant financial investments and introduced policy reforms to promote integration. As Deutsche Bank described in a report on the influx of refugees into Germany, "The Herculean task of integrating the refugees must be seen as an investment in the future". Advertisement Host countries should reform social policies and provide funds to make it easier for refugees and asylum-seekers to find employment and access training and education. This will require conducive institutional and policy frameworks, as well as resources to support the integration of refugees and address and minimize the barriers they face. Host countries must also provide sufficient financial, social and policy/political support to facilitate refugees' safe and dignified arrival and integration and enable them to use their skills and potential to contribute to their host societies. This includes reducing the time refugees and asylum-seekers must wait before becoming employed; increasing access to vocational training, internships and educational grants; and providing tailored support to ensure that children and adolescents receive sufficient educational and vocational training to facilitate their integration and ultimate entry into work. c. Foster public-private partnerships to support refugees' integration into society: Public-private partnerships are critical to facilitate refugees' entry into the labour market and address risks related to job shortages, unemployment and social tensions. Specific examples include the long-standing Canadian Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, which enables organizations and groups of citizens to sponsor the resettlement of refugees and support their social and economic integration. Such programmes reduce government expenditure and enable a larger number of refugees to be resettled. At the end of 2014 there were more than 21 million refugees in the world. Half of them have been displaced for over ten years. As people facing conflict, disasters and persecution continue to flee their homes, posing critical challenges and risks to even the most socially and economically stable host countries, investment in the future has never been more important. We met at a university speed-dating fundraiser during my first year of graduate school. We weren't matched up, but he got a friend to sneak up to me before one of the rounds to tell me that a special person would be waiting for me when it was over. There was. I remember two things about the evening after that: one of my favorite songs was playing when he first walked up to me, and as everyone got ready to leave and I asked him where he was going next he said, "I don't care as long as it's with you." We didn't date very long, a few short months. Just long enough for me to know how much he cared for me, and I for him. Amidst the bleakness of the Chicago polar vortex winter and the pressures of my Master of Divinity program, I knew one thing: my life was better because he was in it. Advertisement I still recall with the same intensity the moment he informed me that we were a ticking time bomb. Between bites of sushi, the words came tumbling from his mouth, "We can obviously never be together -- of course I will never marry you or have children with you. How could I? You're not... Jewish!" I stared at him dubiously for a few long moments because I was sure that someone had come into the restaurant while I was in the restroom, overtaken his body and, hence, I was dining with the wrong person. When reality set in that this was not the case, I was shocked. And offended. And suspicious. Religion as a barrier to love was alien to, well, everything that I stood for. I probed him, trying desperately to understand. How could I have been so wrong about someone -- who, though I certainly had no immediate intention of marrying or having children with, I would have never discounted based solely on his religious label either? A grown man, he cited the disapproval of his family. He also spoke feebly of a far-off, hopeful future in which he could share his Jewish cultural and religious customs with his children. By default, his wife would have to share these same traditions. This from a man who, since I'd known him, had never gone to synagogue. He didn't observe Shabbat. I'd never seen his Hebrew Bible. (Did he even own one?) The only time he did something overtly Jewish was to attend a Passover Seder dinner at the Jewish student center. I happily accompanied him, even standing up in front of the room to announce that it was my first Seder and that I was excited to try the matzo. Everyone else seemed cool with Sarah the Gentile. Advertisement As "Not Jewish" rambled on in the restaurant, my mind wandered back to our conversations about morality and philosophy, complex subjects to which we found common ground. I remembered us laughing at the same things and delighting in foods we both loved. We shared an outlook on life and values such as the similar way in which we interacted with our friends and families. I thought of my own outward commitment to respect and learn from the beliefs and traditions of all and my willingness to walk with others on their journeys of faith, different as they may be from my own. Didn't he know all of this? I didn't get it. Though this experience was exceptionally difficult, it was also immensely enlightening. I slowly began to understand -- through weeks of drawn out conversations with him -- that he, like so many of us, was raised in a way that shut him off to love. With familial and community pressure to find the right woman, the right Jewish woman, instilled in him since his birth, what tools was he given to open himself up to truly love and be loved? I have had the privilege to watch as adults teach children what it means to be spiritual, and in some cases, what it means to be religious. Parents, teachers and spiritual leaders impart in the next generation various doctrines and rituals and dogmas throughout religious and spiritual modalities. Some are arguably better than others. Yet, it seems that one question -- given the bigotry, racism, intolerance and hatred in countless forms perpetuated today -- trumps all. Are we teaching our children to be open to love, or are we closing them off? DES MOINES, Iowa-- Two young men were sitting in the corner of Platinum Kutz barbershop, one getting his afro trimmed and the other sitting on a couch waiting for his turn when a flurry of people stormed in on a day the shop is normally quiet or closed. The young man on the couch turned to an event attendee and asked, "Who's that?" "Rand Paul," the other man replied. Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Senator Rand Paul stopped at a popular barbershop near Drake University to meet community members and answer questions about issues such as small business, restoring voter rights to citizens with a criminal record and racial disparity within drug-related arrests. Platinum Kutz is located in a predominantly African-American area east of Drake University. Platinum Kutz has served as a community hub, ranging from back-to-school drives to advertising for small businesses, since it opened in 2001. Owner, Robert Presswood, says events are held there year around. Advertisement Presswood said there are usually two or three events a year and that this is the second political event. The first time was in 2008 when Barack Obama made a stop. "I don't know another candidate that has walked in a barber shop you know and held a forum, so we applaud you for that," Ako Abdul-Samad said to welcome Paul. He represents the 35thth District in the Iowa House of Representatives, where Platinum Kutz is located. Paul's effort to connect with African-American voters began in 2013, after he bombed a speech at Howard University, at which he asked students if they knew the founders of the NAACP were Republican, and students replied yes. According to CNN, Paul sought a group of black advisers, following the incident. Since launching his campaign, Paul has made stops at historically black colleges including Howard University and Bowie State University. Presswood, acknowledged Paul's efforts in attempting to bond with a community he often does not interact with. Advertisement "If you've never been there, or lived there or been in that environment, it's kinda hard to speak on it something, but if you go there and experience, just like we did today, you know, there you go," Presswood said. Jordan Patton, a 23-year-old native of Des Moines has spent the last year working for the Platinum Kutz. He admired Paul's attempt at connecting with African-American's. "If someone can come in here and touch you know 3 people you know and change their minds about something, that's progress, definitely coming in here and showing his face, and talking, speaking to people, that definitely helps some people," Patton said. Although Patton, believes Paul's visit could have impacted voters, he wasn't necessarily touched and does not plan to participate in a caucus on Feb. 1. "Can't knock it until you try it, maybe I should try it," Patton said. Aaron Collin, 27, a customer at Platinum Kutz, was one of the few African-American's present. The barbershop's owner had told him Paul was coming. Advertisement "It's crazy because the other politicians ain't done it, you know? I've been following the elections and stuff like that and they... haven't took the initiative," Collins said. Collins, was recently released from jail, and was present to ask Paul a few questions about life after incarceration. He admits he was nervous about talking to Paul, but Paul's calm demeanor made him feel better. "They're going to rich rallies, and rich, you know, people who have the money to help their campaign, they don't come to the middle class, or the poorer class to show, you know what I'm saying like, 'oh, I'm here for y'all too.' That was crazy. I didn't expect it," Collins said. According to the Pew Research Center, 64 percent of blacks identify as Democrats, 26 percent as Independents and only 5 percent identify as Republicans. Carlos Hernandez, who has voted Democrat in the past elections, believes the low-turnout of African-Americans to the Paul's townhall event is a result of the high number of African-American democrats. "I believe enough [people] knew... he's (Paul's) a Republican too and it's mostly democratic, it's more liberal, democratic," Hernandez said. Advertisement Daniel Bradshaw, one of the barbers, nicknamed "Puerto Rico" by his friends, believes the turnout would have been different had the candidate visiting been a different one. "If Bernie would have came there'd probably be a lot more people," Bradshaw said. Do you remember when you were a child how you found everything to be so joyful and happy? That you were excited about going to see the latest movie, going out to play or spending the night with your friends? Playing with Playdough or climbing a tree? How the holidays brought you real authentic joy and excitement? There were many things that brought you joy and you embraced and didn't question it. So what happened? You became an adult. Back in December, I strained calf muscle in my left leg. I'm sure you're thinking I injured it in some sporting event, or at the gym lifting weights, or picking up something heavy around the house. But no I will confess I did not injure my leg in any of those ways. I a 57-year-old man, strained my calf muscle from skipping! Yes I said skipping. My wife and I were out Christmas shopping, and we were having so much fun that I was consumed with the joy of it. At one of our many stops at a local shopping center, I enthusiastically bounced out of the car and took off skipping. After getting a few yards I realized I had a burning painful sensation in my left calf and I obviously injured myself. I had gotten out of the car in the cold without warming up and begin skipping, and hurt my leg. Does that mean I will never skip again? Of course not! When I'm consumed with joy I will skip or run or hop if I feel like it because that is the essence of joy. Just going for it like a kid would. Advertisement I travel all over the country as a professional speaker and consultant and I've noticed that most adults have given one thing up, and that is how to be joyful. A lot of times people tell me that they are adults and they have to be serious, and they have to work, and have to take care of their family, and have to take care of the house and I have a lot of responsibilities. I agree that that's all true and certainly not suggesting that you abandon your life and move to an island in Tahiti. What I am suggesting is that you can do all these things while still being joyful and having a joyful life. How do you go about having a life where you can be as joyful as a child? Here are a few suggestions to help you reconnect your joy. Stop being so darn serious -- I travel a lot as a professional speaker and I notice that many people in airports and on planes are just too darn serious. I know that traveling can be tiring can be hard on the body and the people are very busy. The joy has been sucked out of them. All that being said, what if you just decide to have fun and embrace and enjoy the adventure anyway? As Chuck Palahniuk once said, "Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home ... It's your responsibility to love it or change it." Reconnect to your joy -- I meet many people who have given up the very activities or hobbies that brought them joy. In a recent training program that I was facilitating, I asked people in the group what activities brought them joy. One woman in the group raised her hand and said that "being outside and hiking brought her great joy." When I asked her how being outside made her feel, she said that being outside "brought her joy and restored her soul." When I asked her how often she was outside and how often she hiked, she shocked me by responding "I'm never outside I'm too busy. " She then explained that she was a mother to three children, had a full-time job and many other time-consuming life responsibilities. So if for some reason in your life you have given up things that bring you joy -- try to see if you can reconnect by doing them again. I have played drums all my life and for a long period of time I stopped playing the drums due to various life circumstances. When I turned 50, I decided to purchase a set of electronic drums and started playing again. I noticed that only 30 minutes of playing drums brought me great joy that I had forgotten about. Advertisement Find joy in your work -- are you happy at work or are you miserable? I recently checked into a hotel. The desk clerk behind the desk asked me how I was doing. I told her that "I was fantastic." She paused and looked up from her computer monitor, took a step back and putting her hands on her hips said, "What is your problem?" When I asked what she meant she said, "You are just too darn cheerful, and nobody can possibly be that happy." Keep in mind this is a person at the hotel was supposed to make me feel welcome when I arrive. So apparently she cannot seem to find a lot of joy in her work. So two suggestions: If you are in a job that you detest and it makes you miserable, then get the heck out. Life is too short to be in a job that you loathe. Try to find a job where you can be happy, or even better a job where you are doing what brings you joy. If for some reason that is not possible for you, then try to find the things about your job that you do enjoy, you do like, and stop focusing on all the things that you hate. As Pearl S. Buck once said "to find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth." Pursue and embrace love -- You may be single or you may be married. If you are single make it your goal to find the love of your life because you when you do, you will be filled with love and overflowing in your heart. If you're married, do the very best you can be the very best love to the person they are married to. Love them unconditionally. Love them with all your heart. When you love someone and you love them 1,000 percent and you show it, they will return to love to you tenfold. Embrace the love of family and friends, because they are after all the centerpiece of your life. As Jonathan Sacks once said, "Make space in your life for the things that matter, for family and friends, love and generosity fun and joy. Without this you will burn out in midcareer wonder where your life went." Make a joy list -- in order to reconnect to your joy, take some time to write out a list of all the things that bring you joy, and really focus on trying to do the more. I talk about this in more detail in one of my other blogs here on The Huffington Post called "The Joy List: How to recapture joy after loss." Advertisement Find the beauty -- Far too often we walk around so caught up in the "busy-ness" of life we don't stop to notice the beauty that is around us. I often marvel at the architecture inside an old train station, or the gargoyles looking over the edge of the big building in some city in America that no one ever notices him, or just the beauty of a sunset dropping down over the trees in the woods behind my house in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I think we stop looking for it. We're all a little social media obsessed. But for some entrepreneurial It-Girls, tweeting, posting, 'gramming, and snapping became more than a hobby. Wielding power over our buying decisions -- from hotel bookings to daily quandaries over what to wear and where to eat, these ladies smartly found a way to convert followers to consumers, and social media prowess into legitimate businesses. Here's how did they did it. The Influencers: Jayde Pierce, British Blogger, Vlogger Known for: Modelling her favorite brands, posting beauty tutorials for hundreds of thousands of followers on YouTube, SnapChat, and Instagram Biggest Channel: @jaydepierce, Instagram, 403K followers Advertisement Natalie Zfat, Social Media Entrepreneur, and Co-Founder of The Social Co. Known for: Writing about life as an entrepreneur, partnering with favorite brands Biggest Channel: Natalie Zfat, Google+, 222K followers Kiki Fox, NYC-Based Lifestyle, Food, and Travel Blogger Known for: Finding hip foodie haunts and local gems Biggest Channel: @downtownfox, Instagram, 31.7K followers Emily Bache and Abigail Breslin, WanderLust Girls Known for: Sharing street fashion and their edgy downtown style Biggest Channel: @wanderlustgirls, Instagram, 16.7K followers How did you get started with social media and posting about your passion? Jayde Pierce: It was never my plan to make a career out of (social media) because I didn't even know people got paid from it. It was not until someone asked me what my rates were for a post, and that's when I realized that people made money! Advertisement I started posting makeup pictures because that's what people liked seeing on my page most, and I wanted my followers to enjoy following me. Downtown Fox: When I lived in Paris, I took photos of absolutely everything, wanting to document my experience. I had so many pictures I wanted to share--food photos included--so I decided to create an off-the-books account. I told absolutely no one; in fact, many of my friends have only recently discovered Downtown Fox. While I was traveling around Europe, I realized that I had a knack for finding the local gems that most tourists would never discover. I decided to use Instagram as not only a way of documenting my own travels, but also to help other travelers craft their own adventures. This generation is filled with young people who truly care about where they stay, what they eat, and how they explore. Natalie Zfat: I was writing and blogging for Rolling Stone in 2008--and I realized that media consumption was changing in a major way. Advertisement WanderLust Girls: Our joint fashion blog, thewanderlustgirls.com, came about our senior year of college. We grew up across the street sharing our wardrobe, so it was only fitting we launch a blog showcasing this passion. What was your first social media "channel" or blogging portal? JP: Out of all the social media channels, I started with Instagram. DF: Instagram! NZ: I started a personal Twitter account (@nataliezfat) the following year to share some of my articles, and the response was enormous. It was the first time I had real-time feedback on my writing. WLG: Our first social media page for our blog was Facebook. Next up was Twitter, and then followed Instagram. This was generally the order in which they were created. We try out hundreds of apps and sites, but these are definitely the most valuable to our business. What made you realize that you were good at what you do? WLG: We moved to New York City as "bloggers" with no real vision of what our career would become. We would style shoots from our personal wardrobe, and brands began to repost and sing our praises. We'll always remember when Jeffrey Campbell, Betsey Johnson, and Rebecca Minkoff posted about us. After attending several fashion events, we were surprised when designers would approach us to style their lookbook or campaign based solely off of our blog. It wasn't our intention to become Wardrobe Stylists, but it was such a wonderful organic realization. Advertisement DF: Whenever I go on a trip, whether it's a train ride to Brooklyn or a flight to Tokyo, I spend hours researching the hippest neighborhoods to roam, the best restaurants for feasting, the most offbeat places to see, and the most quaint coffee shops for unwinding. It didn't make any sense to keep this to myself, so I decided to use Downtown Fox as a way to share it with others. The Instagram has become so popular, that we've launched a website this winter with neighborhood guides, as well as roundups of things to do on the weekend. NZ: I started getting messages from a good amount of strangers asking me how I grew my following--or if I'd ever publish tips on how to build a social media community. Like any good entrepreneur, I recognized a demand and created a supply. JP: It started from school; Everyone would come to me for makeup tips, even though I didn't really have a clue what I was talking about--but I was always that go-to person. Also, the reaction to the posts I would put up--I got such good feedback. Advertisement With which brands have you represented or worked? NZ: Dell, American Express, Food Network, Refinery29, Showtime Networks. JP: I receive makeup from different brands all the time, but Makeup Forever invited me to Paris for an event, and hopefully I will be doing more work with them in the future. The event was wonderful and the team are so lovely! WLG: We've been fortunate enough to work with major companies such as Bloomingdale's, Target, Kenneth Cole, Ulta, Dove, Perrier, Royal Caribbean, and many others. DF: I've worked with local brands, like Kitchen Surfing, Graze, and Natalie's Orange Juice, as well as household names The New York Times, The New Yorker, Barnes and Noble, and Walgreen's. Advertisement This past summer I traveled to Paris to celebrate and promote the 15th anniversary of Parisian food guide Le Fooding. In addition, I've begun collaborating with Google for their Local Guides launch. Have you been compensated to post, review or promote brands? WLG: In the beginning it's a lot of free product, in hopes that you post about them and tag on social media. If we like it, we probably will incorporate it somehow. There are of course times when it doesn't fit our style, and we'll send it back. Once we established a loyal and ever-expanding readership, we put a value on posts for each platform. Compensation really varies based on involvement. For us, it ranges from $100-$1,000 per post. Advertisement JP: Brands have paid me to be featured on my Instagram for more exposure but I would never promote anything I didn't like; I wouldn't lie to my followers and I've rejected good amounts of money because I want to remain loyal. NZ: Most of my contracts prohibit disclosing compensation details. It really depends on the campaign. Compensation can range from $500 per tweet to $10,000 or more for a video or event. DF: I've promoted a variety of products: restaurants, events, wine, NYC services, clothing and accessories, as well as hotels and travel. The first few collaborations involved an exchange; a company would send me something, and I would promote it on Downtown Fox. After the account's popularity grew, I began receiving offers to promote events and products for compensation, and create event-specific neighborhood guides. Advertisement Compensation ranges from hundreds to thousands, depending on the type of sponsorship. All sponsored posts are always disclosed to my followers. What's next for you? What is your business goal for 2016? JP: I would love to have a product of my own that has my name on it; and that other people can own. NZ: I'd love to continue to build and mobilize my audience to be inspired by, think about and act upon what they read on my channels. DF: I'm looking forward to launching the new and improved Downtown Fox website this winter, complete with updated NYC neighborhood guides. I have a couple of exciting collaborations in the coming months, and a launch party with the hottest, up-and-coming chef in NYC, Theo Friedman! Advertisement WLG: Our goal is to increase our business and following across the country, and internationally, and to create more unique and inspiring content. What advice would you give to young women considering starting similar businesses, or any business at all? NZ: My advice for anyone--female or male, entrepreneur or otherwise--is: be bold. Ask for what you want. Put in the time. Convince everyone around you that you're equal parts hungry and hard-working. JP: Make sure it's something you want to do, and be true to you and your followers, and also be patient: Getting where you want to be is not easy and it takes time! Advertisement DF: When I first began to develop Downtown Fox, as excited as I was, I had a really difficult time explaining to parents, family friends, and in particular, my 94-year-old grandfather, what I was doing with my life. It was discouraging! But social media-based businesses are one of the few fields dominated by women--all of my favorite bloggers were women a few years older than me. They resonated with me, which was encouraging. They call it social media for a reason--women who seek to make a career out of it are generally friendly, engaging, and want to network with other creators. I've made some lasting friendships with other female entrepreneurs through instagram--many of which started with a simple DM or email. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there--contact your favorite blogger and ask to get together, or to share a bit of advice. The worst thing that could happen? No response! At least you tried. WLG: Our advice is to be confident in all your endeavors. Sure, there is over-saturation in the blogging world, but everyone is looking for the next best thing, or for someone they feel they really connect with. It is not too late to start blogging, because if you have a voice, someone wants to hear it. Interested in more career or entrepreneurship stories? Get article exclusives and be first to know about new pasts: Follow @shindychen on Twitter, on Instagram, and @realshindychen on Snapchat. Advertisement Why aren't all companies successful? They all claim to be using the right initiatives and tools in the ever-changing digital world, so why aren't they all making big chunks of money? The answer is easier than you might think. They don't think about their customers and most importantly they don't know them. Google announced last year that mobile traffic overtook desktop traffic in 10 countries including US and Japan, yet in 2016 the percentage of companies with no responsive websites is terrifyingly high. If I can't navigate in your website through my mobile screen, you will lose me as a customer because you don't know my needs and you don't know how to make my life easier. Fortunately, with the rise of fully integrated web design agencies which are willing to help small and middle business owners, we are finally heading somewhere. "Going digital" is inevitable but don't rely on a standalone digital strategy. Pay per click advertising, SEO techniques and social media paid campaigns are all fairly proven ways to boost your business but it's not what will stand you out of the crowd. What you need is a personalized message for your audience. According to an Adobe study, 1 out of 3 marketers believe the future of marketing is personalization. Have you heard of Customer Match by Google? Launched in September of 2015, Customer Match allows you to upload a list of contacts you already have and target them through search. Essentially it is making search and social become more like email marketing by showing ads to people who are within a certain stage of your purchase spectrum. Since this feature is available both in Facebook and Twitter, if you've recently snatched a list of e-mail contacts from an event or a webinar, you can use it to target those users in their favourite social networks. Advertisement You want to talk about conversion? Let's talk about turning customers into ambassadors of YOUR brand. What do mega brands like Coca-Cola, Nike and Buzzfeed have in common? They use crowdsourced content to establish their name. Creativity can be combined with analysed data you extract from your online monitoring. By expanding the role of the good old "Creative Director", companies are now looking for "Content Directors". Branded the top marketing job by Forbes, content directors in 2016 will be tasked with engaging with audiences without directly selling but doing so with targeted media. Content should be informational and entertaining and should not come across as a telemarketing ad. Now, don't get me wrong. Digital marketing is still strong as ever. As a fan of technology, I always appreciate when a company's online presence is simple, bold and let's face it bug-free. How your company looks and therefore how you look should not be overlooked. Just because you think you have the best product on the market right now, it doesn't mean that customers are going start knocking on your door by thousands. There is so much content on the internet that you really have to bring the "X-factor" to be noticed. Be a show-stopper by enriching your website with light-hearted blogs, entertaining stories, contests, infographics and useful Q&As. TURIN, ITALY - 2015/10/11: The Youth Group of Arcigay Torino organized a flash mob during the World Day of Coming Out to send a positive message about all those people who are afraid to declare themselves homosexual because of the discrimination. The colorful balloons, a symbol of peace, were flown in the sky with white masks attacked. (Photo by Elena Aquila/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) Italy's days as one of the countries violating Europe's basic civil rights are numbered. It is not legalizing gay marriage, and it probably won't recognize stepchild adoption rights either. But it is finally on its way to recognizing civil unions -- and for the country that harbors the Pope, the Vatican, and a deeply Catholic public, this is a key step forward. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi reaffirmed this step when he listed it among his administration's priorities after winning the 2013 primary election. With or without stepchild adoption rights, goes his mantra, we will have a new law. The central task now is to win the Senate's vote on the controversial Cirinna bill when it convenes on January 28. Advertisement "The Catholic wings of the Democratic party and the government oppose the measure, but they do so to publicly safeguard their own moral values rather than to sink the project." Several reasons underlie Renzi's decision. He wants to send a message to his leftist constituents in the Democratic party. These voters are currently disoriented by the centrist mark he has made on the economy, as well as by his executive push toward a constitutional reform referendum that many observers -- including from his own party -- have described as revealing an authoritarian impulse. The upcoming spring elections in key cities such as Naples, Turin, Milan, and Rome will function as a midterm evaluation of his first two and a half years in office. We've gotten used to seeing the proposals of this undeniably pragmatic premier succeed, but this project will do more than display Renzi's considerable political will. While opponents to LGBT unions do exist, they don't seem to pose an insurmountable obstacle. The Catholic wings of the Democratic party and the government oppose the measure, but they do so to publicly safeguard their own moral values rather than to sink the project (as they did in 2007 under Prodi's government). And the opposition parties are divided between entertainer and activist Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement and former Prime Minister Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. Advertisement On the other hand, recent opinion polls indicate that the Italian public has come to grips with the need to give some legal form to these unions. However, they remain dubious about adoptions by gay couples. Even the Catholic world, which has been wrestling with Pope Francis' new direction and the scandals that have weakened the Vatican, at times seems ready for the country to catch up with the rest of Europe. "Italy should be able to avoid further condemnation by the European Court of Human Rights, which has asked the country to legally recognize same-sex couples." However, the Maginot line built by the Catholic Church hierarchy still holds up. After signs of a more lenient position towards gay people, Cardinal Bagnasco -- President of the Italian Bishops -- praised Family Day as a demonstration defending the traditional family structure, and asked Parliament to pay attention to issues that are more important than civil unions. The demands and frustration of Italian LGBT groups may be alarming to the so-called silent majority. Their demands, like those of fundamentalist pro-life groups, will likely fall by the wayside for now. This reinforces the pragmatic spirit of Renzi's government and his advisor and representative, Minister of Constitutional Reforms Maria Elena Boschi. Cross-Posted from DeSmogBlog A PowerPoint presentation obtained from a source and published by DeSmog in August 2013 has made its way into a major hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") related legal case, which is set to go to trial soon in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. That document was presented as a legal exhibit on December 30 as part of a motion by the plaintiffs in opposition to exclude some evidence during the jury trial made by the defendant, Cabot Oil & Gas. The motion cites the exhibit to reveal how the Obama Administration's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ignored the evidence of its own staff scientists in declaring the contaminated water safe to drink in Dimock, Pennsylvania. Cabot had previously argued to the judge in its November 30 Motion in Limine (a motion to exclude evidence) that certain pieces of evidence should not be presented to a jury when the case goes to trial. Advertisement Among the pieces of evidence Cabot requested get kicked to the curb are the "so-called 'off-the-record' statements allegedly made by representatives of the EPA regarding the quality/safety of Plaintiffs' water supplies after EPA had completed its evaluation in Dimock and concluded there were no health related concerns to the residents of Dimock." The Cabot legal team argued that such statements amount to "inadmissible hearsay" with no place in a jury trial. The off-the-record conversations referenced by Cabot in its legal motion were first reported by Laura Legere in July 2012, then working with the Scranton Times-Tribune and now with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Just over a year later, Los Angeles Times reporter Neela Bannerjee (now with InsideClimate News) exposed the existence of a never-published EPA PowerPoint presentation linking fracking to groundwater contamination in Dimock. Another prominent scientist deposed for this case, Cornell engineering professor Anthony Ingraffea, said in sworn testimony that he believes that Cabot's drilling for shale gas in Dimock can be blamed as the culprit for the contamination. Advertisement In a July 2015 deposition for this case, Ingraffea stated that "with a reasonable degree of engineering certainty, I assert that it's more likely than not that it is one or more of those three wells that has directly caused" the groundwater contamination of Dimock's wells. Cabot: EPA PowerPoint "Hearsay" That LA Times article, though, did not publish the presentation it referenced. A source subsequently supplied it to DeSmog and we published it here just days after the LA Times piece went to print. "Any so-called EPA 'leaked document'...allegedly referencing a position contrary to the EPA's July-August 2012 public pronouncement that there are no health risks to residents of Dimock from the water," should not be shown to a jury, argued Cabot's attorneys. Cabot's attorneys then referred to the EPA PowerPoint presentation, again, as "impermissible hearsay." The plaintiffs' attorney, Leslie Lewis, responded by saying that Cabot can't have its cake and eat it too. If it wants to cite the July 2012 EPA desk statement, she argued, the company should also allow the jury to view the PowerPoint. Advertisement "On the one hand, Cabot and its experts have embraced certain reported EPA findings, notably an official report issued in 2012 announcing that Dimock water was safe to drink and the Agency was wrapping up its investigation," Lewis wrote. "[And] on the other hand, they reject the veracity and the relevance of a leaked internal EPA PowerPoint questioning the safety of the water and expressing the need for further study of the water...This Court should not allow Cabot witnesses to rely on EPA findings to suit their message, while excluding EPA findings that do not fit with their defense strategy." History Repeats This is not the only recent incident in which the EPA's political appointees have claimed the drilling technique does not cause groundwater impacts. The EPA's Science Advisory Board recently disputed the EPA's take on its June 2015 study, concluding that fracking does not lead to "widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States." "The SAB finds that this statement does not clearly describe the system(s) of interest (e.g., groundwater, surface water) nor the definitions of 'systemic,' 'widespread,' or 'impacts,'" the EPA science advisers said, further noting that the conclusions are "inconsistent with the observations, data, and levels of uncertainty presented and discussed in the body of the draft assessment report." Advertisement PowerPoint Authors to Testify? The December 30 court filing by the plaintiffs in the case also reveals that the authors of the PowerPoint presentation, unlisted on the document, may testify at the trial. In so doing, they would authenticate the source of the presentation itself, Lewis concluded. "The statements in the PowerPoint throw into question the findings of the EPA disclosed earlier in 2012," Lewis wrote. "Plaintiffs will have the subject leaked PowerPoint authenticated by the EPA by the time of trial, and are taking steps to obtain the voluntary presence at trial one or both of the EPA agents who authored the PowerPoint document." It appears the jury trial will take place not too far down the road, according to an October scheduling order filed by the judge for the case. That order has the trial start date slated for February 22 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Whenever I hear that environmental protection is a partisan issue, I'm reminded of New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia's famous statement that there is no Democratic or Republican way to pick up the garbage. The provision of clean air, safe drinking water, solid waste management and flood control are all basic public services that people who pay taxes expect to receive. Too bad the folks running Flint, Michigan, and the state of Michigan didn't get that memo. It's also too bad that the federal Environmental Protection Agency sat on the sidelines and allowed Michigan to damage Flint's water supply. In the spring of 2014, the city of Flint decided to stop using Detroit's water system and instead began pumping its water from the Flint River. This was a cost-cutting measure designed to be temporary until the city could connect to a regional water system, then under construction. In September of 2015, the Associated Press reported that: "A group of doctors led by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha of Hurley Medical Center urges Flint to stop using the Flint River for water after finding high levels of lead in the blood of children. State regulators insist the water is safe." While the city has now switched back to the Detroit water system, the water from the Flint River damaged the city's water pipes and released lead and other pollutants from the pipes into the water supply. Had the state required corrosion protection chemicals to be added to the Flint River's water, the lead pollution might have been avoided, but the state agency neglected to impose this requirement. In order to use the public water system, in-home filters must now be used and changed frequently to ensure that the water is safe. Last week, President Obama signed a declaration stating that Flint is under a state of emergency and requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide funds for filters and other remedial actions. Unfortunately, since this is a human-made disaster rather than a natural one, the funding available is capped at $5 million-although the cap could be raised by a specific though unlikely act by our dysfunctional Congress. Advertisement According to Paul Egan and Todd Spangler of the Detroit Free Press, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder requested a disaster declaration, but instead received an emergency declaration, probably because the law typically doesn't apply to human-made disasters. Egan and Spangler noted that: Snyder's application said as much as $55 million is needed in the near term to repair damaged lead service lines and as much as $41 million to pay for several months of water distribution and providing residents with testing, water filters and cartridges. In other words, the cost of this cost-cutting measure will be at least $100 million and that does not include the cost of health care resulting from lead poisoning and the productivity lost when people go hunting for clean water that they once were able to obtain easily from their faucet. Flint has had a tough time throughout the late 20th and early 21st century, as the auto industry and other manufacturers abandoned this once thriving town. The water crisis is really kicking a good town when it's down. Advertisement Flint's water crisis is not a natural disaster but a disaster of poor management based on the ideology of cost-cutting at all costs. According to Ryan Felton of the Guardian: Flint has been embroiled in a never-ending stream of water quality issues that began in April 2014, when the city started pulling water from a local river as a cost-saving measure. The switch took place while Flint was operated by a state-appointed emergency manager, who held vast powers to oversee day-to-day operations, as the Rust Belt city was buckling under financial straits. Michigan's state environmental agency kept insisting the water was safe, but anyone with a sense of sight, smell and taste knew that the state's bureaucrats were wrong. Finally, Dan Wyant, the head of Michigan's environmental agency resigned, and Governor Rick Snyder, apologized for the human-made disaster that has taken place under his watch. But it is not simply the state agency or the governor who should accept blame, but the federal EPA and President Obama as well. Hillary Clinton's and Bernie Sanders's efforts to make this a partisan issue is cynical presidential primary political pandering. This is a bipartisan mess-up. The federal government sets the drinking water standards in America, even though monitoring and administration is delegated to the states. The federal EPA had the authority and responsibility to intervene. The failure in Flint belongs to all of us and it should lead to some hard thinking about the causes of this completely avoidable environmental disaster. It starts with a careless and poorly thought through engineering decision. Before the water source was changed there should have been an analysis of the possible impact of changing water sources. First, the water itself needed to be analyzed to see if the two sources were different. Second, the impact of the new water on the city's water tanks, pipes and pumps needed to be analyzed. Third, the change over should have been preceded by a pilot test to ensure that the on-the-ground reality matched the theory of the design's analysis. It is not clear that these steps were undertaken, and if they were, clearly the data or the risk assessment was inadequate. Advertisement The fundamental concept of sustainability management is that CEOs and COOs must know enough science to manage what I have been calling the physical dimensions of sustainability: water quality and quantity, toxicity, waste, energy efficiency, environmental impacts and the impact of toxics on ecosystems and human health. Just as a manager must be able to read a financial statement and understand an analysis of marketing focus groups, that manager must understand enough science to make decisions about an organization's use of and impact on natural systems. Over and over again we see companies and governments making short-term decisions to save money, but then see these "pragmatic" decisions costing more money when decisions must be reversed: Fukushima's inadequate sea wall, VW's deceptive software, BP's reckless contracting in the Gulf of Mexico, GE's dumping of PCBs in the Hudson river. The list is long and getting longer. We live on a more crowded planet and to maintain and grow our economy we must learn to be more careful in our use of natural resources. This is not an impossible task. We simply must move past short-term expedience and the type of thinking that states: "in order to make an omelet you've got to break some eggs." We need to use our analytic, information and communication resources to do a better job of managing human impact on the environment. While this may raise some costs in the short term, it will lower costs in the long term. As we get better at managing our activities we will learn more about how to produce and protect simultaneously and the price of protecting the environment will go down. Cropped shot of young college students working together in classhttp://195.154.178.81/DATA/shoots/ic_783352.jpg Recently someone wrote a letter to the editor of our local paper criticizing our university's Ethnic Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies programs for being divisive by their focus on "tiny subgroups" (African Americans, Chicanos, Asian Americans, LGBTQ people, women) rather than the larger human population. In other words, this writer believes we don't need Ethnic Studies (ES) and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) because we should be teaching about our common humanity rather than our different identities, experiences, and cultures. Advertisement He could not be more wrong. First of all, human beings do experience themselves as people who have gender, race, sexuality, and culture. And those differences lead to different experiences in the world. If we are to broaden and deepen our understanding of human experience, we have to examine it in all of its diversity and understand the difference difference makes. Ignoring social differences in human experience in academic study would make as much sense as ignoring differences in fish or stars or flowers. Commonalities don't negate differences. Second, those "tiny subgroups" are actually the majority of the human population, and, yet, those subgroups are still mostly ignored or marginalized in much of the curriculum of higher education. Ethnic Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies ensure that students have an opportunity to develop skills to understand how race, gender, sexuality, and other forms of difference work in the world. Third, research shows that taking Ethnic Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies classes is good for students and helps achieve the goals of higher education. Many Ethnic Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies students are members of the groups studied in these courses, and they are attracted to courses that focus on their communities, identities, and histories because they do not find their experiences and concerns centered in many other classes throughout the university. Research shows that ES and WGSS courses have positive impacts on these students. Taking these courses improves students' sense of empowerment and their sense of self-worth and enhances student engagement and academic achievement. Advertisement ES and WGSS courses also have positive impact on all students, especially heterosexual white men. White students who take Ethnic Studies courses experience reduction in prejudice and bias, and they become more democratic in their orientation. Students in ES and WGSS classes become more empathetic and more accepting of diversity. Additionally, students who take ES and WGSS courses develop greater cognitive complexity and higher levels of thinking because of their exposure to diverse experiences and ideas. And on campuses with strong attention to diversity, students across all groups report that they are more satisfied with their college experience than students who do not engage diversity in college. Finally, ES and WGSS faculty contribute essential scholarship to local and global communities. Here at Oregon State University my ES and WGSS colleagues are involved with research on motherhood, immigration, minority health, student success, and transnational adoption, to name a few topics. One just returned from supporting a medical team working with refugees in southern Iraq. Another works with Latino/a communities in Oregon. One was nationally recognized last year for work on behalf of transgender people. Another was recently honored by our local community on MLK Day for his work with students and other people of color on campus and in the community. Ethnic Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies bring unique analytical lenses to academic study that help us understand how race, gender, sexuality, and other forms of difference shape individual and group experiences. They help us examine social institutions and the roles these institutions play in maintaining social inequality. And these academic disciplines also help us think about how people can work to bring about changes in the world that create more inclusive, equitable, and just workplaces, families, schools, churches, and other social organizations. Advertisement Hundreds of thousands of drivers. Millions of users. Billions in VC funding. $51 billon valuations. After seeing the explosive growth of rideshare companies over the past few years, it is definitely safe to say that a new industry is exploding, and it is hitting the world full-force. Uber released internal data on Thursday arguing that drivers who use the app to give rides-for-hire in their personal cars are making more money as chauffeurs than professional taxi drivers do -- as much as $17 an hour in the District and Los Angeles, $23 in San Francisco and $30 in New York. - Washington Post It goes without saying that taxi use is rapidly declining. For example, in large cities like Boston and New York City, rideshare use is causing taxi medallions to decline in price. Cab drivers are hurling lawsuit after lawsuit at Uber and other rideshare companies. But the main players in the industry refuse to be shaken and keep tightening their grip on the transportation industry. Advertisement Last year was a tumultuous one for South Africa and the country faces an uncertain 2016. This prevailing mood does not bode well for South African society. But there are undercurrents that suggest otherwise - budding signs of a deepening democracy. One of these is the Trevor Noah comedic phenomenon. Noah is a comic export to the American global television market as successor to the famous satiric host, Jon Stewart, on the highly-rated Daily Show. The show draws its comedy and satirical content from trending political news, cutting-edge debates and interviews with top politicians and influencers. Noah's acclaimed hosting debut had 3.471 million viewers. In rising through the comedy ranks he has drawn on material from his turbulent childhood and ethnic experiences. Noah has cracked the nod with his peers, a cosmopolitan audience and influential media critics. This is no mean feat for a homegrown 31-year-old of mixed race. Advertisement The Noah phenomenon speaks to an influential comedic revolution that is happening in South Africa. Humor as social commentary and critique Late-night talk shows and comedy clubs are increasing in popularity in South Africa. They involve a montage of humorous skits, jokes and amusing anecdotes often underpinned by incisive, satirical commentary. This comedic revolution is dominated by a growing number of young, black comedians. Like their peers worldwide, they are pushing the boundaries on controversial issues. They search for material drawing from the messy business of "real" life, wrestling with topics relating to racism, sexism, prejudice, abuse and religiosity. Public and even iconic figures are considered fair game and there are no sacred cows. Comedians are not idealists. But in the single-minded pursuit of their agenda - laughter - they inadvertently provide the sociopolitical critique that has the potential to activate transformation in society. Satirical humor may be provocative, shocking and even offensive but it is considered fundamental in a free society. Charlie Chaplin observed that: Advertisement ... the function of comedy is to sharpen our sensitivity to the perversions of justice within the society in which we live. Comedic culture is deeply rooted in human history. Travelling minstrels and the court jester - forerunners of the stand-up comic - held up a satirical mirror to the ills of their medieval societies. Satire, a specific genre of humor that goes deeper than ordinary humor, often brutally exposes the absurdity of the human condition, society's hypocrisies and abuses of the polity. By stimulating critical awareness the satirist-comic comes to play the unintended role of activist and change agent in society. Humor as therapy and a force for reconciliation In an increasingly complex, high risk and conflict intense world there is much cause for anxiety and uncertainty. For South Africa, a post-conflict society grappling with issues of race, inequality and a weakening economy, these factors are pronounced. The country's stand-up comedians and satirical artists offer the opportunity to laugh, providing a Freudian catharsis - a release of emotional stress and tension - with therapeutic benefits. This comic release is beneficial in activating coping mechanisms to deal with the anxiety and insecurity of deeply divided societies. Advertisement Research has shown that humor can be used as a form of resistance and protest in times of intense conflict. Researcher Don Nilsen describes how Jews in Nazi concentration camps used humor to take some control of their own lives. Humorous strategies are also powerful in exposing social injustice, subverting stereotypes and challenging assumptions. And the constructive role of humor to facilitate dialogue, nonviolent resistance and reconciliation is increasingly being documented. Humor as a social corrective The degree to which free expression a society allows its artists is seen as a significant indicator of its democratic character and maturity. As hallmarks of a robust democracy, satire and humor have special import in post-colonial and post-conflict societies. Governments and rulers throughout history have tried to control the space occupied by satirists and cartoonists who shine a satirical light on their shortcomings. They perceive this as a threat to their power and position as well as inviting unwanted public scrutiny. Developing economies often struggle with freedom of expression, especially when regime abuses and dominant discourses are challenged. The current South African government is no exception. President Jacob Zuma has provided a wealth of material for comedians, artists and cartoonists such as Zapiro. Advertisement More recently, however, the governing African National Congress appears to be taking an adversarial stance against artistic expression. A revolution of comic proportions Young, black, stand-up comedians such as Tumi Morake, Loyisa Gola, David Kau, Kagiso Lediga, Tats Nkonzo and many others are performing increasingly to black, middle-class audiences. Kau jokes that he no longer has to rely on white patronage because black South Africans have money and attend his shows. Research in the US shows that comedic talk show hosts are prominent sources of political information. This is especially true among 30-35-year-olds. In 2007, the Pew Research Centre listed Stewart as the fourth-most-trusted journalist in America. Satirists can certainly help South Africa deal with building a vibrant democracy. Satirical comedy provides an alternative learning platform by offering competing narratives, subverting stereotypes and deconstructing dominant discourses. Advertisement As with the #FeesMustFall movement it is fitting that the "comic revolution" is driven by young South Africans who are debunking myths and challenging political correctness with a sense of humor. Lyn Snodgrass, Associate Professor and Head of Department of Political and Conflict Studies, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Police officer at sunset in New York City In the sixth GOP debate, Donald Trump told Americans: "The police are the most mistreated people in this country." On the same day, the Chicago Police Department released a video showing an officer killing Cedric Chatman in 2013. The teen was sprinting away at the time of the shooting, unarmed except for a stolen cellphone box. The officer has faced no consequences for his death. Advertisement Cedric Chatman. The ritual of an unnecessary police killing with no real accountability has become painfully familiar. The unnecessary deaths of Tamir Rice and Eric Garner in 2014 are among those that galvanized a national movement for greater restraint, accountability and equity in policing. And yet, 2015 may have been American cops' deadliest year on record. According to my analysis of the Fatal Encounters database, police violence directly caused or played a role in 1,126 deaths in 2015, up from 1,072 deaths in 2014. Outrage over high profile incidents and a shift in public opinion has led police departments around the nation to equip more officers with cameras and add deescalation training. Advertisement But no local, state or federal lawmakers have banned police from using unnecessary deadly force. Rather, lawmakers at all levels still allow police the maximum latitude to use deadly force that constitutional law permits. Indeed, a comparison with police in the U.K. shows that this leniency goes too far to protect police at the price of civilian deaths. Who is protecting who? As written, interpreted and enforced, laws and rules protect the police from the public. They are woefully inadequate, however, at protecting the public from the police. Despite some high-profile violence against police, American police officers have never been safer. Concerns over a "Ferguson effect" - another topic at the latest GOP debate - are premature, at best. The Supreme Court invalidated deadly force to make arrests or prevent escapes back in 1985. They later ruled that laws permitting deadly force to prevent grave and imminent harm from the perspective of a "reasonable officer on the scene" are constitutional. The Supreme Court imagined the reasonableness standard as "objective" in light of the full set of "facts and circumstances confronting" the officer at the time deadly force is used. In practice, the reasonableness of deadly force is fluid and contested. What is a "reasonable fear" in a post-Bernardino, post-9/11 America? If fearing remote, worst-case scenarios is common sense, then are any perceived threats regarding "criminal suspects" unreasonable? Advertisement Research by The Guardian shows that young black men are five times more likely than young white men to be killed by police. But these permissive laws are a problem that transcends race. Since July alone, at least 54 unarmed white men have been killed by police who faced no reasonable fear of criminal charges. Powerful defenders State legislatures could have passed their own laws to make clear when deadly force is unreasonable, but none have bothered. Permissive laws endure because whenever tighter restrictions on the use of deadly force are proposed, police leaders and their advocates swiftly attack them and their proponents for endangering officers. Advertisement Their winning argument is that officers must make hurried risk assessments while facing extreme stress in tough-to-read situations. Exercising more care and restraint -- for example, pausing long enough to determine whether a suspicious object or movement toward the officer's weapon is a credible threat -- means gambling with their lives, the argument goes. They apparently believe that hundreds of unnecessary killings would be a regrettable, but acceptable, price to pay in order to keep police safe. And that is where the political debate usually stops, if it even starts. Lawmakers are rarely asked to justify their support of these policies that cost far more lives than they save. However, there is a point at which this ratio feels unacceptably high to the majority of voters in a civilized society. The most deadly practices Perhaps the best way to save civilian lives is to limit the police use of so-called tactical responses that are the most likely to result in unnecessary deaths. Comparing police killings and officer fatalities in the United States to the United Kingdom reveals some of these tactics and circumstances. Fatal police shootings are exceedingly rare in the U.K. Americans were 403 times more likely than Brits to be fatally shot by police in 2013-14. Advertisement If British police survive the same types of situations without taking any lives, that suggests most killings in the United States under those circumstances are unnecessary. Weapons that rarely kill police officers Consider, for example, the estimated 663 people in the U.S. fatally shot while allegedly wielding blades or blunt objects since 2013. Such weapons have killed only nine U.S. police officers since 2008. Police were not in any grave danger when they killed people like Lavall Hall, Mario Woods and Darrien Hunt - men who never raised their weapons. American police fatally shot 53 unarmed people in vehicles in 2015. By contrast, since 2008, no British police have killed anyone to stop a threatening vehicle. During that same period of time, no British cops died because they failed to stop a vehicle. Advertisement In addition to unarmed motorists, American police killed about 200 completely unarmed people last year. This easily exceeds the total of those legally executed over the last five years. This suggests that prohibiting the use of deadly force against people unarmed and fleeing, armed only with vehicles or armed with less dangerous weapons and not attacking anyone would make policing only slightly riskier while saving hundreds of lives over the next several years. The same logic applies to other potentially lethal "tactical responses" that can safely be outlawed -- such as head strikes, chokeholds, and tasing people who are nonviolent, subdued or fleeing. Fewer killings, better policing Reform opponents are armed and ready. They will warn that modest reforms will chase good people from police work and increase crime, but the experience of countries with more restrictive deadly force laws suggests that's not true. Staunchly "prolife" police forces like Norway's and Finland's tend to enjoy more public trust and attract more upstanding recruits. Crime and arrests may decline under stricter deadly force rules, because better respected police should garner more legitimacy and cooperation. Advertisement Restricting deadly force will require investing more in police training and nonlethal weapons technology. A great source of funding is the billions of dollars that will otherwise be spent settling lawsuits stemming from unnecessary deadly force. State and federal laws and police guidelines all give special consideration to police, because they put their lives on the line to keep us safe. But these laws are asking far more civilians to put their lives on the line in order to keep police safe. Such laws do not afford everyone "equal protection" and, therefore, require thoughtful and urgent revision. Paul Hirschfield, Associate Professor of Sociology and Affiliated Professor in the Program in Criminal Justice, Rutgers University There might have been "too much" in the bill, the Virginia Democrat said, but it was better than letting the economy unravel. For the podcast newbie: Serial Sarah Koenig (of This American Life; see below) follows a murder mystery set in Baltimore, where high-schooler Adnan Syed is accused of murdering ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Koenig does a phenomenal job of generating and sustaining suspense, and the fast-paced "whodunnit" is an ideal introduction for podcast newbies. Season Two is forthcoming, which producers say will follow a new story, so hop on the Serial hype while it's still fresh. Warning: Be prepared for heated arguments with friends over the murder trial outcome. For the non-stop science geek: Radiolab Radiolab is the perfect synthesis of science and stories. If your brain just can't take a break from science, this podcast is expansively edifying but achieves where many of us scientists fail: delivering scientific facts to a non-scientific audience. Unique to Radiolab is its eccentric sound design, which blends sound bits and commentary in a way that's bound to keep you awake in lab. Personally, I'm drawn to the great scientists who have been featured on the show, and I can't wait to hear one of you Scientistas being interviewed on Radiolab. For the cultural fiend: Fresh Air Do you like knowing everything about anything? (Well, I like to pretend.) Fresh Air is a godsend for the well-rounded scientist. Recent topics covered by Fresh Air: ISIS, Pixar, and comedian Aziz Ansari. Host Terry Gross is the English professor we all admired in college. She asks the hard questions, reminds us about the broader ethos of humanity that engulfs our television, music, and film, and, when she's not relentlessly probing our society, makes us chuckle. If you're willing to cry in your lab cubicle, listen to a particularly moving episode on Maurice Sendak. For the full-force feminist: Stuff Mom Never Told You Because it's lunchtime, and you just want to talk about online dating, what "fleek" means, and the glory of yoga pants. Hosts Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin get you, girl. Conger and Ervin chat about general topics and, with feminine punch, explore the role of women in the modern world. Importantly for women, Stuff Mom Never Told You is unapologetic about its stance on pop culture and the myriad ways it affects female identity without straying from a light-hearted delivery. Grab your soy latte and enjoy. For the all-American: This American Life This American Life is the most historically popular podcast to date. Topics that are seemingly quotidian become novel via host Ira Glass--you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder how modern life is so idiosyncratic and wonderful. You'll wonder whether your life will ever be interesting enough to warrant a podcast episode. With 20 years of podcasting, This American Life boasts a hefty list of episodes; check out their favorites here if you need a filtered start. Written by: Nudar Chowdhury The recent release of Dolce & Gabbana's clothing line featuring abayas and hijabs for Middle Eastern women has received notable admiration from the general public -- praising the company for its inclusion of modest Middle Eastern culture and for its "enchanting visual story about the grace and beauty of the marvelous women of Arabia." Let's start off by mentioning that inclusion is greatly commendable especially when taking into account the recent backlash against Middle Easterners and Muslims due to the growing global unrest. However, what the media and the company fail to mention is the persecution that regularly follows Muslim women who choose to dress in such a modest fashion -- a fashion that was significantly less popular before the release of Dolce and Gabbana's clothing line. These are women who walk city and suburban streets with their children and are called terrorists. Women who go to job interviews and are rejected for unknown reasons. Women who walk to school and have their hijab pulled off by an unknown passerby. Women who are pushed onto subway tracks. Women who struggle to do basic tasks every day in a society that continues to reject them because of media bias and political statements. Advertisement These struggles will not be addressed and will soon be long forgotten as more clothing lines like this are released, simply for the sake of fashion. However, this is the situation for all cases of cultural appropriation where the better aspects of a culture are taken, and the less favorable traits are disregarded. In the case of Muslim attire, designer companies incorporate length to their skirts and dresses, but use sheer fabric and have high slits to modernize the style. Although the goal is to appreciate Middle Eastern and Islamic culture, this overlooks the main reasons behind why Muslim women dress the way they do. And what these designers and the general public do not understand is that this "fashion" has been around for thousands of years. For these women, modesty is not the next trend, it is a choice and at times, a difficulty. However, they do it for the sake of pleasing God, and in the hopes that they will be praised and rewarded for this choice, especially in a time where they look so different from those around them. A boy sitting on the floor, drawing on a tablet, surrounded by various toys This post originally appeared on The Cut. By Jen Gann I was really looking forward to being dumber than my daughter. For the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy, my husband and I spun a collective daydream about our wise little girl: We pictured her walking through life with confidence and long, wavy hair, a perfect combination of my curly and my husband's straight. She'd be his willing partner at museums, so gifted in math she could do her homework without my help. The dumbest, basest jokes, our favorite kind, would make her roll her eyes. The afternoon of my 20-week ultrasound, I left work early and got on the wrong train. I was late, my husband even later, and we were silent in the waiting room, answering work emails. Following the technician down the hallway, I felt wobbly and unsure: less This is it! than Oh, is this it? We knew we might be wrong, but there hadn't seemed much harm in hoping. What was wrong with wanting the girl with long hair, so smart, annoyingly smart, just like her dad. Advertisement In the aquarium glow of the ultrasound room, the technician held the wand over my bare stomach and asked if we wanted to find out. "Yes," my husband and I said at the same time. "You will have ..." she said, adjusting the wand, "a baby boy." Gender disappointment is not a term I was familiar with, but one I quickly learned. Parents magazine points out that there are "ways to deal with your mixed feelings." A blogger for the New York Times' Motherlode emphasizes her luck at the health of her child, while Babble recommends being open about your gender-related feelings, whatever they are. Katherine Asbery's 2008 book, Altered Dreams ... Living With Gender Disappointment, devotes 135 pages to struggling and eventually coming to terms with her unfulfilled desire for a girl. (???? my husband texted me, after coming across the copy I bought to research this essay.) From what I can tell, not many people in the parenting realm have spent much time considering the gender part of the term's construction. What we see on an ultrasound screen isn't a fetus's gender -- it's the sex, the purely biological difference based on genitalia. Gender is the set of traits we've decided as a society to associate with those genitals. But when discussing disappointment, no one ever says "I am grieving the penis I so vividly imagined" or "I was hoping my daughter would have a vagina just like mine." What they do, instead, is exactly what I did: mourn the image of a child that they've constructed based on the way we expect little girls or boys to behave. Writing for Babble, Andrea Elovson describes what she thought having a girl would be like: "Dressing her in frilly clothes, braiding her hair, eventually helping her plan her wedding, and spending countless hours chatting over mimosas at fancy day spas." But what if her daughter had been a tomboy? What if she didn't want to wear frills or drink bubbly cocktails? Advertisement My husband and I shared a daydream that was incredibly specific -- and I believed that meant it avoided simplistic gender norms. When relatives asked about the baby's sex before we knew it, innocently wondering whether to buy pink or blue, I chastised them. It doesn't matter, I wrote. We believe it's fine for a boy to wear pink! Meanwhile, I spent my lunch break haunting the window displays of expensive baby-clothing stores. If I felt brave enough to go inside, I fingered the $300 dresses in demure plaid and petal pink, the useless ballet slippers with bows, and imagined her learning to read. Once we found out we were having a boy, we cringed over new visions: video games. Mud, chaos. Boring and time-consuming sports. Haircuts, I confess, that I could not care less about. No matter how evolved I thought we were, it turns out I wanted a girl, badly, and not for reasons I'm proud of. Do I want a boy who's smarter than me? Not really. I already know plenty of men, young and old, who think they're smarter than me. But I think when I yearned for this intelligent little girl, what I truly wanted was a better version of myself. This little girl would be sophisticated enough to appreciate visual art. Because it had already happened to me, this little girl's 13th birthday would pass without her contracting meningitis that would leave her forever a little fuzzy on trivia, a little slow with math. (You know that's not how probability works, right? my husband helpfully contributed.) It's a generous and unfounded conjecture, but maybe this is why men are more likely to take paternity leave with sons: the desire for a do-over. Gender-disappointment texts often assure mothers they'll love their children once they actually appear. I definitely didn't need anyone to reassure me that I'll love my son -- the summer I spent barfing on his behalf seems like testament enough. But I came up short when searching for probable reasons to like him, this mysterious person whose toenails have only just started to form, when all I knew about him was that he was a boy. It seems stupid now, but all I could picture were the stereotypical-boy characteristics. Advertisement Talking to a friend a few weeks ago, I told her yeah, I knew, and yeah, it was a boy, shrug. "I'm sorry," she said. But as our conversation went on and I described a tiny ballerina I'd seen on the subway, she helped me realize: There's no reason my son can't be a tiny ballerina. There's no reason I can't sign him up for a class, even if it is full of little girls. The next day I went out and bought him some useless pink ballet slippers, with bows, in the hopes of having a child who is a better version of me after all. But for all I know, he'll hate them. Or like them for a month, and then move on. It's anyone's guess, just as it's anyone's guess how the girl child I might have had would have felt about ballet. I think in turning out to be a boy, this baby did himself -- and any theoretical future children I might have -- a huge favor. That ultrasound revealed two things: the nature of his genitalia and my sexism. It also forced me to realize there are a thousand, a million things about him that I don't know yet, and that perhaps I won't ever know. It seems I won't be getting a do-over after all, and not just because it's a boy. Also on HuffPost: "But now it's all eyes on me/And it all lies on me..." -Meek Mill All Eyes on Us Crestfallen at the prospects of returning to prison following recent parole violations, Robert Rahmeek "Meek Mill" Williams reportedly wept bitterly as he pleaded with Court of Common Pleas Judge Genece E. Brinkley to exercise leniency in her sentencing of him. In testimony that lasted more than hour, he reportedly said, "I'm not a gangsta. But I'm not a perfect man ... I have the potential to be greater than I am today ... I walk around with my queen, Nicki [Minaj]. Things are different now. I act different. I walk different. I can be the biggest rapper in the world." The testimony, remarkable in its vulnerability, stood in stark contrast to the peccant bravado from some of his most current work. The entire episode is emblematic of the paradoxical relationship between hip-hop and the narrative of black criminality. Mr. Williams' parole stems from a 2008 incident whereby undercover police officers arrested him as he exited a South Philadelphia apartment with an illegal firearm on his person, and drugs in close proximity. He was charged, convicted, and subsequently sentenced to eleven to twenty-three months in prison; however, he received a reduced sentence and early release contingent upon a five-year parole agreement. He ultimately served eight months in prison. He credits his prison stint as a key moment in solidifying his desire to "put [his] whole life in this rap thing..." In the time since that decision to pursue music wholeheartedly, his career has skyrocketed. Advertisement Judge Brinkley apparently has grown weary of Meek's steady stream of parole violations, and seems to have little patience for his repeated overtures begging for a second chance. She ordered him not to perform before his upcoming sentencing hearing, which could prove quite costly for Mr. Williams. She further chided him by saying, "How many times am I supposed to give [him] a second chance?", and additionally suggested that parole may no longer be "appropriate." Mr. Williams will eventually learn of his fate at a hearing scheduled for February 5, 2016. In the interim, he will revisit a painful lesson Ackquille Pollard learned last year--a "street image helps a young rapper, until it doesn't." Ackquille Pollard, whom the world has come to know as "Bobby Shmurda", believed he had no other choice but to rap about "everybody catchin' bullet holes." Though he once stood by the boasts from Hot N----, saying, "My music is straight facts," he later told Joe Coscarelli of the New York Times, "[Epic] grabbed me up at a vulnerable time ... I was desperate to get out of the 'hood. I knew I was going to lose my life or go to jail." Raised in East Flatbush by his mother, Mr. Pollard knew the inner workings of the criminal justice system long before Hot N---- made him a household name. His father is serving a life sentence in Florida for attempted murder, and he had a series of arrests well before his anthem had the world Shmoney dancing. Mr. Pollard has languished in the Manhattan Detention Complex for the better part of a year on gang conspiracy and gun charges. The tragic irony of Mr. Williams' and Mr. Pollard's careers revolve around the fact both came of age in the underbelly of urban America, saw rapping about the trappings of the trap as a legitimate means of escape, achieved unfathomable heights doing so, only for them both to fall prey to the precise fate they worked so diligently to escape. In explaining hip-hop's fixation on violence during an interview with hip-hop documentarian Byron Hurt, Georgetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson stated, "There's a preoccupation with the gun because the gun is a central part of the iconography of the ghetto. Too may young black and brown men view their sense of strength and industry, and machismo, and manhood through the lens--and sometimes through the scope--of a gun." Dr. Dyson further stated, "The gun is at once the merchandise of manhood and the means of its destruction ... So the gun becomes the violent means by which space is divided and status assigned ... Violent masculinity is central to notions of American democracy and cultural self-expression." From Schoolly D's raging anthem entitled P.S.K., to N.W.A.'s menacing diatribes in Straight Outta Compton, to the Notorious B.I.G.'s ominous debut, Ready to Die, to Jay-Z's endless boasts of how he once "moved snowflakes by the oz," to T.I. and Jeezy's countless tales of the indomitable "trap," to Kendrick Lamar's musings of being a "good kid [from a] m.A.A.d city", to the ranting of countless other rappers worldwide, the annals of hip-hop are replete with examples of harrowing ruminations that glory in the ills which plague urban dwellers. Advertisement In a genre dominated by African American men, hip-hop continues to communicate an African American, primarily masculine, discourse of urban marginality. All of these portrayals of African American men professing lives of criminality, regardless of whether the portrayals are factual, contribute to a resounding chorus that sings the tune of an unwritten score for the infamous 1915 film The Birth of a Nation. That tune simply chants, "The black man, the man of color, the African American man--however he may describe himself--is dangerous. He is to be feared. He is a menace to society." Only this time, it is the dark man's song that affirms the malice society believes lies deep within his heart. Its loudest refrain boldly declares, "I am everything you dreaded I am." The danger of the pervading output from the mainstream hip-hop industry is that it embraces and recreates the nihilistic, monolithic portrayal African Americans have fought so vigorously to escape for centuries. Certainly the pace of the characterization of African American men as violent and criminal in hip-hop has slowed in recent years; nevertheless, a significant amount of its output is still violent, misogynistic, and/or offers tacit endorsements of drug culture. Hip-hop's dual status as the preeminent African-derived aesthetic and the most domineering cultural expression in the nation, means that its ubiquitous presence in American popular culture has great power to more accurately reflect the African American experience, rather than readily conform to the caricatures that so grossly misrepresents it. In many ways, Mr. Williams' and Mr. Pollard's work does too much of the latter, and too little of the former. Mr. Williams and Mr. Pollard did not create these caricatures, they simply reveled in their exaggerations, as they perpetuated centuries of pernicious stereotypes. Mr. Williams and Mr. Pollard also did not create the segregated ghettos from whence they came. Those ghettos are the natural result of decades of racist housing policies that crippled the lives of millions. Neither were they the architects who designed the structural imbalances that caused the staggering racial disparities in employment opportunities. The two merely profited from penning and performing a continuous song with varied tales of life within such systematic injustice. It is a song corporations have sung for decades. As Mr. Pollard's attorney, Matt Middleton, told Mr. Coscarelli, "These companies for years have capitalized and made millions and millions of dollars from kids in the inner city portraying their plight to the rest of the world..." Certainly we can and should hold Mr. Williams, Mr. Pollard, and their colleagues accountable for the deleterious impact of their work, but we cannot excuse the system that made such songs possible, nor can we absolve the listening public whose appetite never grows weary of consuming those songs. Suffice to say, as our gaze centers on Mr. Williams' pending sentencing, in many ways our eyes are not simply on him, they are also on us. We continue our adventures in Islam... "Islam and the West" If you google the phrase "Islam and the West" you get over 115 million results in 0.56 seconds. Some headlines go a step further than simply asking questions. They provide answers. Such as the NY Times headline of February 2015 which assuredly proclaims: "Islam and the West at War." Apparently the epic battle between this monolithic "West" and equally monolithic "Islam" is so utterly indisputable that prominent politicians are warning us about its historic legacy. For instance, last Fall, in a public interview, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban defended his refusal to admit refugees, many of whom were Muslim, by saying that Islam "has never been part of Europe". Advertisement Similarly, early this month, in the aftermath of the horrific sexual assaults at the new year's celebration in Cologne, a former minister of the German Christian Democratic Union Party, Kristina Schroder, urged us on Twitter to "grapple with masculinity norms that legitimize violence in Muslim culture." To this we can add the growing list of juridical and institutional measures taken by various European states to "de-Islamicize" (or dare we say "civilize"?) their Muslim population. The French State has led this project with banning the niqab or burqa, overwhelmingly approved by the French legislature in 2010. Belgium and The Netherlands followed suit with similar measures in 2011 and 2012. While there is some difference in approach and degree between politicians, policy makers and media experts, one thing seems so clear that it is achieving the status of commonsense: that "Islam" and the "West" have been enemies for centuries. It is, apparently, a longstanding, historic "clash of civilizations". The most erudite rendition of this narrative is of course by the veteran Near Eastern Studies scholar, Bernard Lewis. Lewis' career, as a scholar and policy adviser to the Bush administration, has been dedicated to studying this historic battle between the "rival systems" of the Judeo-Christian and Muslim "blocks." In his own words: Advertisement The struggle between these rival systems has now lasted for some fourteen centuries. It began with the advent of Islam, in the seventh century, and has continued virtually to the present day. It has consisted of a long series of attacks and counterattacks, jihads and crusades, conquests and reconquests. Lewis' worldview was further popularized in 1993 by conservative political scientist, Samuel P Huntington. In an article published in Foreign Affairs, Huntington prophesied: It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world [post cold war] will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural...The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future. And which "culture" did Huntington single out as the main antagonist to the "West"? Islam. Because, apparently conflict "along the fault line between Western and Islamic civilizations has been going on for 1,300 years." These are the ruins of history on which are erected the simple fairy tales of eternal war. A lonely, melancholy phrase in Amitav Ghosh's beautiful book, In an Antique Land, calls this kind of erasure of real history "the partitioning of the past." The remains, writes Ghosh, of "those small, indistinguishable, intertwined histories, Indian and Egyptian, Muslim and Jewish, Hindu and Muslim" have been "partitioned long ago." Advertisement In this column then, again, we will try to remind ourselves of an older world--a world where Indian scholars brought mathematical works to Baghdad only to have Muslim scholars synthesize such knowledge with Greek and Iranian sources; where Arab traders introduced the West Asian string instrument, the rebab, to South East Asia to have its gentle sonority integrated into the Javanese gamelan or ensemble music; where diasporic communities of Indian Ocean merchants-- Arabs, Jews, Christians, Syrians, Gujaratis, Persians-- traveled back and forth between each other's homes, homelands, and histories. How did Islam 'spread'? How did a relatively parochial Arab religion, Islam, spread from the Middle East westwards into Africa and Eastwards all the way to China to become, what historian Richard Eaton has called, "history's first truly global civilization"? The easiest answer--one provided by European Orientalist historians of the nineteenth century and their present day disciples-- is that Islam travelled primarily by the sword. According to this view military conquests and forced conversions of subject populations established Islam's sway, as 'fanatic' 'hordes' of jihadists 'poured across' Eurasia. Given the impressive number of Islamic imperial dynasties all over Eurasia, from the seventh to at least the seventeenth century--the Umayyads, the Abbasids, the Mughals, the Ottomans, the Safavids: to name the chief ones--it would be impossible for the sword to have not played a role in introducing Islam in new conquered territories. No scholar has ever denied this particular role played by military conquest. Advertisement That, however, is not the whole story. And today, when stereotypes of Islamic 'hordes' are being re-manufactured, it is all the more important that we revisit the more complicated map of Islamic 'spread.' Islam as a Bridge The chief contribution of Arab conquests from the seventh century onwards was to connect the multiple civilizational complexes of the Ancient world and bring them into contact with each other. For the first time in human history, " all the major civilizations of the Old World--Greco-Roman, Irano-Semitic, Sanskritic, Malay-Javanese, and Chinese--were...brought into contact with one another by and within a single overarching civilization." (Eaton, 1993:12.) What this contact did was something remarkable: it gathered from these varied civilizational sources bits of cultural practices, institutions, languages and knowledges and used them to paint an integrated collage that vibrated with the temporal flows of several worlds. The Umayyads with their center in Damascus for example, borrowed administrative ideas and practices from their Roman and Persian predecessors such as the notion of absolute Kingship, a standing army, even a postal service. Similarly, the Abbasids, just like the Sasanian rulers before them, started to mint coins with a portrait of the ruler on one side--a practice perhaps not entirely in keeping with a strictly aniconic (against icons and images) tradition such as Islam. Advertisement Ira Lapidas' careful scholarly work reveals the wondrous results achieved in "poetry and architecture, as well as in philosophy, science and mysticism" when Jewish and Muslim cultures blended with each other: Arabicized Jews continued the tradition of Hebrew poetry based on Arabic models, including the muwashshah poetry that combined Hebrew verses with a Romance refrain. The congregational Synagogue in Toledo (today the Church of Santa Maria la Blanca), the Synagogue of Samuel Halevi in Toledo... the Synagogue of Isaac Mehab in Cordoba, and a Mudejar-style synagogue in Segovia [Mudejars were Spanish Muslims]... show the close integration of Almohad [Muslim Caliphate], Spanish Mudejar and Jewish impulses in design. (Lapidas 2014: 310) During the period of the Caliphate in Spain, just as in the Umayyad and Abbasid empires, non-Muslims were considered dhimmi or "protected people" and allowed to practice their religion and maintain their juridical systems of both Visigothic Christian rites and Jewish law. What language did these mixed people speak? How did they love, parent, or declare enmity with each other? In Spain, for instance, again according to Lapidas: Many Muslims came to speak Romance. Some Christians retained both their Romance language and Visigothic Christian culture. Other Christians converted to Islam but spoke only Romance and knew no Arabic. Still others took on Arabic language and cultural traits without becoming Muslims. Mozarab was the name applied to Christians acculturated to Arabic but not converted to Islam. These Christians may have included Visigothic nobles who were allied with the Muslim conquerors or others who served in the Umayyad....period as government officials and soldiers. People in all three categories married each other, creating new layers of hybrid family, religion and culture. (Lapidas, 300). Similar stories of intermingling scripts, religious traditions and words can be told for other parts of the Islamic world. These expansive oceans of multiple rivulets of stories, tales and afsans no longer exist. But as they receded, they also left behind fugitive words that managed to escape the partitioning of the past. Such words carry within them the secret treasure map to these older realms of multiethnic exchange and can still act as our Ariadne's thread to lead us away from the monsters. One such word is "algebra." Algebras of Intimacy Few of us remember today that the word "algebra" comes from the title of a book by the famous Muslim mathematician and astronomer, ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. The full title of the book was Hisab al-Jabr wa'l-Muqabala. "Al-Jabr" journeyed far and wide before it was transformed into "algebra" by the Europeans. From the eighth century onwards, Indian scholars met with their Arab counterparts in the courts of the Abbasid caliphs in Baghdad. The Indians brought with them their number system, including the zero, which then the Muslim scientists assimilated and integrated with Greek and Persian systems of knowledge. In the research center called the Bayt al- Hikmah or "House of Wisdom", Arab scholars translated into Arabic scientific and philosophical works from Greek, Syriac, Pahlavi (the scholarly language of pre-Islamic Persia) and Sanskrit. The sword of conquest was often a catalyst for the dissemination of knowledge. For instance, when Toledo in Spain was reconquered by the Christian King, Alfonso of Castile, he inherited vast libraries containing the knowledge of his Muslim predecessors. Instead of ransacking them, like some modern military enterprises have done to several such treasures, a massive project of scholarly translation begun during his reign under the stewardship of Toledo's French archbishop, Francis Raymond. Advertisement Multilingual scholars -- Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Benedictine monks--translated Arabic scientific treatises into Latin and Castilian. And this is where, in the libraries of Toledo and Granada, eleventh-century Europe first discovered Greek, Indian and Iranian knowledge that had been integrated and refined through Islamic contact. This is where the works of Muslim scholars such as Avicenna (Europeanized form for ibn Sina) and Averroes (Europeanized form for ibn Rushd) first 'explained' Aristotelian philosophy, the laws of motion, and medicine to Europe. Imagine if like ISIS burning ancient manuscripts at the Mosul library, or the looting and pillaging of Iraqi museums and archaeological sites that took place following the US invasion of Iraq, these medieval centers of mixed learning and scholarship had been destroyed. Look up the definition of co-dependent in the dictionary and it indicates an unhealthy relationship between two people that is dysfunctional, leads to abusive behavior and is just plain old bad for both parties. I can't think of a better word to describe Donald Trump's budding romance with the media. They really need each other, they make each other act more boorishly and no matter how much they profess to try, they just can't quit each other. I also realize that just by writing this column I am falling into the same trap as the rest of the media. But I believe that by looking at this trend honestly and exploring its destructive nature, we can come up with ways to stop giving Trump -- and other demagogues like Ted Cruz -- the attention they need to advance. Advertisement In fact, I believe that former CNN anchor Campbell Brown had a good idea recently when she implored her former colleagues to ignore Trump for at least one week. I am certain if that happened, the air would start leaking out of his campaign balloon. But, of course, that seems incredibly unlikely so we need to understand the problem and how it's wrecking our country. Sure, there are some pundits on MSNBC or writing for the Daily Beast or the editorial pages of The New York Times who detest The Donald and all he stands for. But they still write about and broadcast him 24/7. This unhealthy relationship is having a pernicious effect on our political discourse. Chris Matthews, the MSNBC talk show host, loudly admonishes Trump on his show and puts down his supporters. He's so outraged! In fact, he's so mad that one night recently he pre-empted his own show and aired a one-hour documentary with warmed-over stories about the MOST COVERED MAN IN MEDIA HISTORY. That'll show him. I'm just waiting for some cynical cable television mogul to introduce a 24-hour Trump TV network. Kind of like what's happened to VH1 with the Kardashians. Advertisement In every dark cloud, though, there is a potential silver lining. As Mark Twain once said of himself, "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." And so, too, the death of media -- one of those self-destructive solipsistic memes we have heard for over a decade -- has been greatly exaggerated because it has found a savior. For now. But like many false Messiahs, the short-term ratings gains made by the media in 2016 will come at far too great a cost: a degeneration into the crass, boorish and the sensationalistic. Readers and viewers -- many of whom have already fled tabloid newspapers and broadcast media -- may wake up in 2017 with such a hangover that they swear never to go near the cable dial again. You can channel surf all you want on the Sunday morning talk shows, but I guarantee you won't have a Trump-free five-minute reprieve. He's catnip for the feline broadcasters who need him. They are preying on a mousy public that keeps on thinking: Will Trump crash and burn this time or will he continue to glide along like a large float in the Thanksgiving Parade that makes him appear larger than life? I've been trying to puzzle over this phenomenon recently and I think I've partially figured it out. Politics and policy is generally very predictable stuff. The Dems want more government, more programs to help the needy, more help for the middle class, more equal rights for women, gays, transgenders and all underdog subgroups of our population. The Republicans, well, they often want the opposite of all the above. As Ted Cruz, Trump's main GOP rival and a modern-day Joe McCarthy, might say: We want people to have as many guns as they want and we want the government to leave us alone. Except when it comes to abortion. Or gay marriage. On those, we want the government to invade your doctor's office or your bedroom. Advertisement I recently heard a great Cruz put-down by one of his former colleagues: "Why do people take such an instant dislike to Ted Cruz? It just saves time." Well, against Cruz at least, time is on Donald Trump's side. I think. As is the media it seems. To those who make their living covering the news: don't fall for this circus trick. You may get a sugar high now, but the ultimate crash and burn will do long-lasting damage. The lifting of sanctions on Iran is an important milestone that has the potential to herald a new era in political and economic relations between Iran and the West. The big question on the table now, however, is whether the United States will be a part of this new era or whether it will take a backseat to Europe in its commercial engagement with Iran. Right now, the White House is choosing the latter. As part of the nuclear agreement between the U.S., other major world powers, and Iran, the Obama administration agreed to lift all "secondary nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions" on Iran in return for long-term constraints on Iran's nuclear program. U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's sale of its oil overseas, its ability to find insurance for its global shipments, and its conduct of most cross-border financial transactions are now lifted. However, the U.S. trade embargo with Iran remains largely intact -- outside of newly created authorizations for the import of Iran-origin carpets and certain foodstuffs and the sale to Iran of commercial aircraft. Under the trade embargo, U.S. companies are barred from engaging in trade with or investment in Iran -- with few exceptions. Violating these U.S. sanctions prohibitions can lead to serious criminal and civil penalties. This is a significant loss for the United States. Right at this moment, Europe, Japan, and a host of the U.S.'s closest allies are sending trade delegations to Tehran to connect with their Iranian counterparts and snap up new business opportunities, all the while effectively reintegrating Iran with their own respective economies. Having isolated Iran for the past decade, the United States is now left fencing only itself off from Tehran - an unfortunate consequence of the lack of political will and imagination from which Washington continues to suffer with regards to the Islamic Republic. For what reason has the United States decided to put itself on a lone island of self-exile when it comes to re-engaging Iran in the post-deal period? From the start of the U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, the White House sought to give Iran enough sanctions relief to warrant tough long-term restrictions on its nuclear program, while also not providing so much as to provoke the concern of Congressional Democrats, whose support the Obama administration needed to sustain the nuclear accord. Despite its inclinations to open up space for U.S.-Iran engagement, including person-to-person ties and possible commercial relations, lifting the U.S. trade embargo proved to be a step too far for the White House. As such, the Administration decided that U.S. negotiators would not have the promise of future U.S. trade ties with which to entice Iran's diplomats. But at heart was a political issue -- not a policy dispute. As one U.S. official told me, reconnecting the U.S. and Iran, both commercially and person-to-person, "is something that this White House would certainly be sympathetic to." Given absolute discretion over the matter, then, President Obama would likely have sought a broader opening in the U.S. trade embargo - allowing U.S. companies to re-engage their Iranian counterparts - just as he had done with Cuba and Myanmar before. Politically, however, such trade openings proved too demanding - particularly absent constituencies petitioning it to do such. This was especially true for the U.S. business community, which was notably missing from the debate over the nuclear accord and, as a result, curried no favor with the Obama administration. U.S. companies' absence is explainable, perhaps even understandable. First, not having had ties with Iran for decades, the U.S. business community was unfamiliar with the Iranian market. Most companies had not developed a marketing plan for Iran in more than three decades and were hesitant to invest in such a plan so long as U.S.-Iran relations remained uncertain. Moreover, considering the reputational risks of being seen doing business with Iran - which retains somewhat of a pariah status among the American public and which has remained under trade embargo for two-plus decades - few U.S. companies were willing to put themselves out on the limb for the chance to re-engage such an unfamiliar market. The result was that U.S. companies conducted virtually no real outreach to either the Obama administration or Members of Congress, which, in turn, fed into a perception in the White House that it lacked any real constituency for the openings that it could have otherwise supported. But U.S. companies are interested -- just as are their European and Asian counterparts. They just require some reassuring. With a size and population approximating that of Germany, Iran is a significant developing country with the knowledge base and technical expertise that could rival that of Israel in the near future. There's a reason why some expert trade advisors reckon that Iran poses the single biggest market opportunity in a generation and why passing on it could prove a historical mistake. The real question, then, is how can the Obama administration leverage this business interest to avoid making such a historical mistake? It will take work on both sides. As Europe, Japan, and other countries seek to engage Iran commercially, the reputational risk attached to such dealings will slowly evaporate, and U.S. businesses will start to wonder aloud why they are being shut out from an ever-expanding market. It is not too long ago that U.S. companies publicly lamented the imposition of the U.S. trade embargo with Iran in the first place. To speed the process up, the Obama administration will need to show the courage of its convictions and give public notice that it is interested in commercial engagement with Tehran - particularly in areas where Iran's young people have shown their ingenuities, such as Iran's budding tech sector. A quiet but evolving dialogue with the U.S. business community is useful, but what U.S. companies need is a White House willing to lead the way on this issue. President Obama will have to compensate for the fear that successive administrations have provoked in the U.S. private sector when it comes to trade with Iran. Undoubtedly, this is a venture that carries with it some risks. But it also has enormous potential upsides. Encouraging trade ties between the two countries can be a positive first step towards repairing broken relations and could be the preface to a more formal diplomatic relationship. At the very least, such commercial ties could develop the constituency that the nuclear accord needs to sustain itself over the next couple decades. To get us there, however, President Obama will need to test the hypothesis, as he has done with Cuba and Myanmar before, that the United States loses nothing through direct engagement with its adversaries. In the age of digital connectivity where everyone is connected to everyone else with a push of a button, the initial reaction to a world culture festival (WCF 2016) that brings millions of people together in one place to celebrate different cultures, was ambivalent to me. A television broadcast would reach millions more with lesser effort, was my first thought. Why all this fuss? Why fly people from the far east, far west, places in between and then herd them all into one place in India? Then the probing and analytical side of my mind took over and surprised me. Here's what I found: I googled the phrase 'celebration of diversity' with a few key word variations. I learnt that the UN has sanctioned a day to celebrate and honor the world's cultural diversity. I was impressed with the goals and ambitions set out by this great organization but found that the magnitude and reach of their program were rather local, scanty and scattered. The UN's programs were global in intention but lacked a global stage to present the differences it aimed to unite and celebrate. And then I searched for events that brought large numbers of people together in celebration. The search results ranged from the world renowned Kumbh Mela to large musical concerts to political rallies to papal parades. These congregations were huge, no doubt they brought over a million denizens of our planet together in one single place, but they were either religious, political or purely musical in nature - far from diverse - far from celebrating diversity. Advertisement Really? We celebrate the earth, we celebrate seasons, we celebrate love, new year, harvest, graduation, art and even food and drinks, but we have no significant way to commemorate and celebrate the different cultures of our world?! This eye opening fact was an ah-ha moment for me. We don't have a unified forum or a global stage to present the colorful melange of world cultures. Like a mosaic that is created by assembling small and different pieces together, we could present a unified world by assembling a variety of people and culture in one place. The republic day parade in India is an example of national diversity. Similarly, the opening ceremony of the Olympics offers a stage for different countries and its people in one place - although the predominant competitive mood soon leads only the winning countries into celebration and leaves the rest a bit paler in comparison. Most global events induce a nationalistic feeling or a fierce sense of competition. Somehow, intentionally or unintentionally, they are inherently designed to divide us over our differences. They leave us with a sense of us-versus the-rest-of-the-world sentiment. In addition, political issues that make daily headlines reinforce our differences and further polarize us. No wonder our religious, national and racial identities are stronger than our alliance as humans. We are ingrained to unite over superficial human attributes like color of hair, eyes, place of birth, mother tongue and so on, while we overlook human emotions and values that are universal. You would agree that the basis of most regional and global conflicts is this very parochial sense of belonging. Just like language, culture can bind or divide. Thats why the world needs an event like the WCF 2016 - to unite our cultural differences. When 158 countries, a hundred or more languages and cultural performances take the same center stage it instills a sense of belonging and oneness that would transcend national borders, languages, religions and physical appearances. Diverse congregations like the WCF could potentially soften inter-religious strife that has over the last decades led to the loss of innumerable human lives. Advertisement Beyond all of the above reasons why the world needs the world culture festival, the fact that WCF 2016 will be hosted in the capital city of India seems befitting in many ways. India is a land of many colors and diversity. The world culture festival gives India a chance to demonstrate its key essence - unity in diversity. The world culture festival is organized and managed by the Art of Living and its volunteers to mark the organization's thrifty five years of service to humanity. As the founder of the organization, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar quoted, ' ...harmony in diversity makes life colorful, vibrant and joyful. The world culture festival will be the largest interfaith gathering for peace!' An opposition fighter walks near a vehicle flying a black Jihadist flag with Islamic writing on it proclaiming in Arabic that 'There is no God but God and Mohammed is the prophet of God' in the northern rebel-held Syrian city of Raqqa on October 6, 2013. UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi urged Syria's warring parties to hold talks 'without preconditions' and said he hoped negotiations could take place in Geneva in late November. AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED ABDEL AZIZ (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED ABDUL AZIZ/AFP/Getty Images) By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh ISIS fighters aren't getting any year-end pay raises this January. In fact, in response to mounting military and economic pressure across Syria and Iraq, the terror group is slashing salaries, newly-leaked ISIS documents show. The administrative records reveal that ISIS leaders in Raqqa, the group's de-facto capital in Syria, reduced the monthly salaries of all fighters by half sometime around November or December of last year, just as the U.S. began to dramatically increase its airstrikes against ISIS-held oil fields and other financial targets. Advertisement "On account of the exceptional circumstances the Islamic State is facing, it has been decided to reduce the salaries that are paid to all mujahideen by half," reads the official notice, which was translated and first published by Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, an ISIS expert and fellow at the Middle East Forum. "It is not allowed for anyone to be exempted from this decision, whatever his position." It also notes that fighters will continue to be paid twice a month, as usual. Newly-leaked ISIS documents show that leaders slashed military pay in half for fighters back in November or December.CREDIT: AYMENN JAWAD AL-TAMIMI Though precise figures are not available, most ISIS fighters probably earned a few hundred dollars a month prior to the pay cut, said al-Tamimi, who, through a network of sources operating in ISIS-held territory, has obtained and published hundreds of official Islamic State documents. He told Vocativ that military upkeep costs ISIS tens of millions of dollars a month and accounts for roughly two-thirds of the terror group's operating budget. The slash in fighter pay signals the latest setback for the terror group and lends new support to U.S. claims that its strategy to disrupt ISIS' revenue stream is working. ISIS militants have lost 40 percent of the territory they once held in Iraq, including the city of Ramadi, and 20 percent of their territory in Syria, according the U.S. military. Advertisement Meanwhile, a surge in U.S.-led airstrikes have continued to lay waste to ISIS' economic infrastructure, which has made it the world's richest terror organization. Last week, Pentagon officials announced that a pair of 2,000-pound bombs obliterated an ISIS cash facility in Mosul that contained "tens of millions of dollars" in hard currency. "Combined with all of the other strikes that we've done on ISIL's gas and oil production and distribution capabilities and strikes against his economic infrastructure and the various sources of revenue, you can bet that [it] is feeling the strain on [its] checkbook," Gen. Lloyd Austin, the head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters last week. The diminished salaries for ISIS fighters could dissuade some from seeking to join the group's military ranks, said al-Tamimi. However, thousands of foreign fighters continue to flock to ISIS-held territory. More than 36,500 aspiring fighters from over 100 countries have left home to join the militants in Iraq and Syria since the conflict began--with 6,000 more joining since last fall, according to the National Counter Terrorism Center. WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 02: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley addresses a Newsmaker Luncheon at the National Press Club September 2, 2015 in Washington, DC. Governor Haley spoke on 'Lessons from the New South.' (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley criticized Donald Trump's contentious immigration policies of restricting Mexicans and Muslims from entering the United States. In front of a group of reporters, however, Haley showed her extreme ignorance of U.S. history: "When you've got immigrants who are coming here legally, we've never in the history of this country passed any laws or done anything based on race or religion. Let's not start that now." Advertisement As the governor of a large Southern state, and a possible Vice Presidential pick by a number of current Republican candidates for the presidency, I have very serious doubts regarding her academic background to lead. Unfortunately, Trump's perverse proposals fit "right" in with the racist immigration history of the United States. So in the service of education, I offer Nikki Haley the following tutorial focusing on issues of "race" in our immigration and naturalization policies. "Race" Looking back on the historical emergence of the concept of "race," critical race theorists remind us that this concept arose concurrently with the advent of European exploration as a justification for conquest and domination of the globe beginning in the 15th century of the Common Era (CE) and reaching its apex in the early 20th century CE. Geneticists tell us that there is often more variability within a given so-called "race" than between "races," and that there are no essential genetic markers linked specifically to "race." They assert, therefore, that "race" is an historical, "scientific," biological myth, an idea, and that any socially-conceived physical "racial" markers are fictional and are not concordant with what is beyond or below the surface of the body. Though biologists and social scientists have proven unequivocally that the concept of "race" is socially constructed (produced, manufactured), however, this does not negate the very real consequences people face living in societies that maintain racist policies and practices on the individual, interpersonal, institutional, and larger societal levels. Advertisement Official Immigration and Naturalization Policies The "American" colonies followed European perceptions of "race." A 1705 Virginia statute, the "Act Concerning Servants and Slaves," read: "[N]o negroes, mulattos or Indians, Jew, Moor, Mahometan [Muslims], or other infidel, or such as are declared slaves by this act, shall, notwithstanding, purchase any christian (sic) white servant...." In 1790, the newly constituted United States Congress passed the Naturalization Act, which excluded all nonwhites from citizenship, including Asians, enslaved Africans, and Native Americans, the later whom they defined in oxymoronic terms as "domestic foreigners," even though they had inhabited this land for an estimated 35,000 years. The Congress did not grant Native Americans rights of citizenship until 1924 with the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act, though Asians continued to be denied naturalized citizenship status. Congress passed the first law specifically restricting or excluding immigrants on the basis of "race" and nationality in 1882. In their attempts to eliminate entry of Chinese (and other Asian) workers who often competed for jobs with U.S. citizens, especially in the western United States, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act to restrict their entry into the U.S. for a 10-year period, while denying citizenship to Chinese people already on these shores. The Act also made it illegal for Chinese people to marry white or black U.S.-Americans. The Immigration Act of 1917 further prohibited immigration from Asian countries, in the terms of the law, the "barred zone," including parts of China, India, Siam, Burma, Asiatic Russia, the Polynesian Islands, and parts of Afghanistan. The so-called "Gentleman's Agreement" between the U.S. and the Emperor of Japan of 1907, in an attempt to reduce tensions between the two countries, passed expressly to decrease immigration of Japanese workers into the U.S. Advertisement Between 1880 and 1920, in the range of 30-40 million immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe migrated to the United States, more than doubling the population. Fearing a continued influx of immigrants, legislators in the United States Congress in 1924 enacted the Johnson-Reed [anti-] Immigration Act ("Origins Quota Act," or "National Origins Act") setting restrictive quotas of immigrants from Asia and Eastern Europe, including those of the so-called "Hebrew race." Jews continued to be, even in the United States during the 1920s, constructed as nonwhite. The law, on the other hand, permitted large allotments of immigrants from Great Britain, Ireland, and Germany. This law, in addition to previous statutes (1882 against the Chinese, 1907 against the Japanese) halted further immigration from Asia, and excluded blacks of African descent from entering the United States. It is interesting to note that during this time, Jewish ethno-racial assignment was constructed as "Asian." According to Sander Gilman: "Jews were called Asiatic and Mongoloid, as well as primitive, tribal, Oriental." Immigration laws were changed in 1924 in response to the influx of these undesirable "Asiatic elements." In the Supreme Court case, Takao Ozawa v. United States, a Japanese man, Takao Ozawa filed for citizenship under the Naturalization Act of 1906, which allowed white persons and persons of African descent or African nativity to achieve naturalization status. Asians, however, were classified as an "unassimilateable race" and, therefore, not entitled to U.S. citizenship. Ozawa attempted to have Japanese people classified as "white" since he claimed he had the requisite white skin. The Supreme Court, in 1922, however, denied his claim and, therefore, his U.S. citizenship. In 1939, the United States Congress refused to pass the Wagner-Rogers Bill, which if enacted would have permitted entry to the United States of 20,000 children from Eastern Europe, many of whom were Jewish, over existing quotas. Laura Delano Houghteling, cousin of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and wife of the U.S. Commissioner of Immigration sternly warned: "20,000 charming children would all too soon, grow into 20,000 ugly adults." Following U.S. entry into World War II at the end of 1942, reflecting the tenuous status of Japanese Americans, some born in the United States, military officials uprooted and transported approximately 127,000 Japanese Americans to Internment (Concentration) Camps within a number of interior states far from the shores. Not until Ronald Reagan's administration did the U.S. officially apologize to Japanese Americans and to pay reparations amounting to $20,000 to each survivor as part of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act. Advertisement Finally, in 1952, the McCarran-Walters Act overturned the "racially" discriminatory quotas of the 1924 Johnson-Reed Act. Framed as an amendment to the McCarran-Walters Act, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 removed "natural origins" as the basis of U.S. immigration legislation. The 1965 law increased immigration from Asian and Latin American countries and religious backgrounds, permitted 170,000 immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere (20,000 per each country), 120,000 from the Western Hemisphere, and accepted a total of 300,000 visas for entry into the country. The 1965 Immigration Law, however, was certainly not the last we saw "race" used as a qualifying factor. The Arizona legislature passed and Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070, which mandates that police officers stop and question people about their immigration status if they even suspect that they may be in this country illegally, and criminalizes undocumented workers who do not possess an "alien registration document." Other provisions allow citizens to file suits against government agencies that do not enforce the law, and it criminalizes employers who knowingly transport or hire undocumented workers. The law is currently on hold as it travels through the judicial process challenging its constitutionality. If we learn anything from our immigration legislative history, we can view the current debates as providing a great opportunity to pass comprehensive federal reform based not on "race," nationality, ethnicity, religion, or other social identity categories, but rather, on humane principles of fairness, compassion, and equity. Growing up in the sixties and seventies music was everywhere, it was all we talked about. It was the invitation; want to come over and listen to the new Creedence Record? Meet me at the record store? Status in those days was the guy who had the best stereo and the best record collection. Fans saved their money and purchased records whenever they could. It was a shared experience, it was communal. People would hang out and listen to music, pass around an album cover, read the liner notes and talk about who played on the record. Music videos would not appear until the eighties and social networking was what happened in the aisles at record stores. Advertisement Peer-to-peer file sharing was a ninety minute cassette tape recorded in real time, filled with songs from your favorite artists. Making great 'mix' tapes, that earned you bragging rights, was an art form that took time to master. This is why sharing music in those days wasn't much of a threat to record sales. It took so damn long to make copies. When I worked in a record store in Berkeley in the early seventies, it wasn't unusual for customers to purchase five LPs and take chances on new artists. Often customers would ask for recommendations based on the artists they were following. In my store we had a contest every day to see how many copies of a record we could sell when we played it in the store. The introduction of the CD. By the early eighties the record labels began transitioning away from relatively inexpensive LPs to CDs. Compact Discs were expensive, costing more than twice as much as records. Customers who bought multiple records and once took a chance on new releases, bought fewer titles. The CD was the mother lode of profitability for the record companies. They weren't only far more profitable, but people began replacing and repurchasing their music collections. Unfortunately, the labels rode that horse into the ground. Their focus became more about short term profits as opposed to making the investment to develop new talent. The CD is one of a handful of technology products that never came down in price. Even when the price to produce CDs dropped dramatically as demand spiked and more production facilities were built. Advertisement The strategy of keeping profit margins high would eventually backfire two decades later as a generation saw piracy as a justifiable payback for greedy record labels and their overpriced music. Video Killed the Radio Star. The other major game changer in the eighties was MTV, launched on August 1, 1981. Within a very short time traditional radio found itself in heavy competition with MTV, as cable television became available in more households. The radio promotion guys working for the labels discovered that having their band's video added to heavy rotation on MTV was like getting airplay on every radio station in the country. Not surprisingly, MTV became the dominate force for breaking acts and transforming music into music videos, expanding music's popularity by creating even more super stars. The Record Business meets Wall Street. Music was now big business with massive profits from compact discs and promotion from MTV. By the nineties the music business was beginning to attract the attention of Wall Street. A business once dominated by music people, was now attracting lawyers and power brokers from other businesses filling high level creative decision making positions. Respected industry leaders, like Mo Ostin, who had built Warner Brothers Records into one of the most respected and successful record companies would be forced out after twenty-five years as CEO in 1994. The man who forced Ostin's resignation, Robert Morgado, who had no experience in the record business, would be fired six months later and Warner Brothers would never regain its former glory. Advertisement The Telecommunications Act of 1996. In 1996 the music business would suffer another setback. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed broadcasters, who up until then could only own a handful of radio stations, were allowed to purchase as many stations as they could afford. A buying frenzy ensued with corporations like Clear Channel buying up hundreds of local radio stations, eventually stripping them of their individuality. Thousands of program directors and DJs who once "added" songs and created playlists that reflected the taste of their local audience disappeared. Fewer, emerging local artists got airplay and listeners starting complaining that all radio sounded the same. Napster and the age of artist exploitation. If you were a college kid and everyone was talking about a new way of getting free music on your computer would you think: "No I'm not going to do that, how are the bands going to make any money?" Hell no. Are you kidding, they flocked to it. For this generation of Internet users Napster was like finding a bag full of money in the trunk of your car. Students loved the idea of free music and were surrounded by friends who would gladly show them how to use it. Most young people saw nothing wrong in downloading songs for free from Napster. Many believed that they were simply sharing the music; to them stealing a CD from a store and downloading songs for free were totally unrelated. Advertisement On the surface it made sense. The record labels perceived by many as corporate gate keepers, manipulating who got a shot at stardom and keeping the lion's share of the money. Piracy was going to give every band a shot at stardom and create opportunities for all musician to get exposure and find new ways to make money. They didn't see it as stealing, they believed they were actually helping new bands. Unfortunately, piracy turned out to be a financial disaster for most artists. Things were happening so fast that Napster's founder, Shawn Fanning, was being celebrated as a visionary of sorts, a liberator of music. Even the mainstream media didn't know what to make of of Fanning or Napster. He ended up on the cover of Time Magazine and was a presenter at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. But it wasn't just the media that didn't know how to react to Napster. When Lars Ulrich of Metallica learned of Napster he scoured the site for his bands songs. Ulrich found all of Metallica's songs available as free downloads. He also found an unreleased, unfinished track, "I Disappear" from the upcoming Mission Impossible II soundtrack. He went ballistic. Not only did Metallica sue Napster, But Ulrich and Roger McGuinn, one of the founders of the Byrds, spoke before Congress about Napster's unauthorized abuse of Copyrighted Songs. Reading the fifteen year old transcripts of Ulrich's testimony before Congress is nothing less than a revelation: "We have to find a way to welcome the technological advances and cost-savings of the Internet. However, this must be done without destroying the artistic diversity and the international success that has made our intellectual property industries the greatest in the world. Allowing our copyright protection to deteriorate is, in my view, bad policy both economically and artistically." Advertisement The response to Ulrich from the pirate community was so vitriolic and mean-spirited against this successful, wealthy artist it is still burnished into people's memories, even today it is folklore. It was a powerful warning as if someone had stuck Ulrich's' head on a spike just outside the city limits with a sign that said "If you're a musician and speak out for your rights, this is what's going to happen to you." Ultimately, many of Metallica's fans would turn against them; fellow musicians took notice. Every time an artist would speak out against piracy the negative backlash would be so intense that artists became afraid to say anything, lest their fans turn on them. After just two years, Napster was ordered to shut down on July 27, 2001, but shutting down Napster wasn't the end, it was just the beginning: "What Napster has really done is educated the marketplace that this is a great application, and this is how people would like to hear music in the future," said Gene Hoffman of eMusic. In 2012 it was estimated that nearly a quarter of all internet bandwidth is used for hosting sharing and acquiring infringing material. In 2014 a House Judiciary Subcommittee began hearings on copyright, their first formal review of copyright in nearly forty years. Advertisement iTunes. In 2003 Steve Jobs finally convinced the record labels that unless they unbundled albums and sold songs for $.99 on iTunes they could not compete with piracy. The music industry that had gone from selling singles in the fifties to selling albums in the sixties, found itself back in the singles business again. Ultimately, the combination of piracy and the decline in album sales would take their toll and the record business would lose more than half of its' value over the next fifteen years. Interactive Music Streaming. The music business is now facing a new challenge that further threatens the financial stability of an already hobbled industry. Some question if these streaming services, like Pandora and Spotify, can even be profitable. Pandora has been in business for a decade and has never shown a profit. Dr. King's Antiwar Legacy By William D. Hartung Celebrations of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. often center on the universalist rhetoric of his "I Have a Dream" speech and its call for a nation in which the founding promise of equal treatment for all will be fulfilled; a world in which "justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a might stream." But Dr. King did far more than sound the call for freedom and justice. He took specific and often-controversial actions designed to make those goals a reality. One example of many in which Dr. King had the courage and conviction to buck the tides of conventional wisdom was his decision to come out publicly and forcefully against the war in Vietnam. He did so at an historic speech at Riverside Church on April 4, 1967. Up until that point the position of political and media elites had been that the goals of the civil rights movement should be separate and distinct from the goals of the peace movement. Indeed, as Taylor Branch notes in the third volume of his history of the King years, At Canaan's Edge, even many members of Dr. King's own inner circle urged him to avoid taking a highly visible public stance against the war in Vietnam. The reasons given ranged from the fear that it would destroy any chance of future cooperation with President Johnson on civil rights issues to that it would alienate the larger public upon whose support further progress on civil rights depended. Advertisement King addressed the issue of the relationship between the struggles for peace and civil rights in his Riverside Church speech. He began the speech by addressing the criticisms of those who suggested that it was not his "place" to speak out against the war: ""Peace and civil rights don't mix," they say. "Aren't you hurting the cause of your people," they ask? And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known my commitment, my calling or me. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live." King then proceeded to enumerate the major reasons he was coming out in opposition to the war in Vietnam. They are impossible to give justice to in a short essay - it is necessary to read the speech itself to fully comprehend King's visionary understanding of the links among what he described as "the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism" that stand in the way of justice and peace in the United States and around the world. King's statement is a refreshing and inspiring alternative to the hateful rhetoric that has played far too large a role in our national political debate in general, and in this year's presidential campaign in particular. I will address just one of Dr. King's major points. He argued that the war in Vietnam had eviscerated that era's antipoverty program "as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war." He asserted that America would "never invest the necessary funds and energies" in fighting poverty "so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube." Advertisement Sadly, King's point about the diversion of resources still holds true. There is no one large conflict like Vietnam consuming funds, skills and energy. There are multiple conflicts, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and beyond. But spending on active conflicts is just the tip of the iceberg - the bulk of the $600 billion-plus that the Pentagon receives goes to fund dangerous and unnecessary weapon systems, including a new generation of nuclear bombers, missiles, and submarines; and to shore up a wasteful, self-perpetuating bureaucracy that has little to do with the actual defense of the nation. The result is that more than 50 cents of every dollar of discretionary spending in the federal budget goes to the Pentagon rather than to investments in jobs, education, infrastructure, environmental protection or other constructive purposes. If we are to have any chance of addressing the challenges of the 21st century, this skewed distribution of resources needs to change. This raises the question of how King's views on war and peace would be received today. In recent years the political debate in Washington has been dominated by calls for reductions in the deficit driven by decreases in spending, not increases in revenue. This paradigm seems to leave no room for using government as a tool for reducing poverty and inequality. But as Bernie Sanders' campaign for president has demonstrated, there is an appetite among a growing cohort of Americans, particularly younger Americans, for a more active government that invests in health care, education, infrastructure and job creation. Sanders focuses on Wall Street and the "billionaire class," but his critique is equally relevant to the corporate profiteering and influence peddling that characterize the military-industrial complex. And the movements against police violence and for immigration reform have recognized the role of corporate money in promoting everything from voter suppression laws to privatized prisons and detention centers that wring profits from the plight of prisoners and undocumented immigrants. None of this is to suggest that the participants in these emerging political movements will put aside their own urgent tasks in favor of a traditional peace agenda, but rather that there are forces at work in the body politic that may eventually spark new synergies that will make the a reordering of federal priorities a genuine possibility. Advertisement I visited Iran for a few weeks at the end of 2000. I wrote about the journey in my book 15 years later... My favorite memory of Iran is this one: back in the city of Kerman, my very sexy, glimmering-eyed tour guide Vahid told me to stay in the hotel at night. So I waited for him to go to his room, and then I went out for a walk. I met a nice man at a food cart on the street, and he invited me into his home. He opened the door to the living room -- a cavern covered in carpets, free of any furniture -- and we found his wife and daughter sitting there. The man extended his hands as if presenting me on a stage to an audience, and said, "Look!! An American!!" Advertisement The mother and daughter stared at me with their mouths open. A moment or two passed, in which no one blinked. Collecting herself, the mother said, in English, "Do you want some vodka?" We chatted over tea for an hour or so. Above all, they were interested to know what everyday Americans thought of Iran. Just before I left, the mother clasped her hands together in front of her sternum and said, "Please go back and tell people that we do not hate America and we want to be a part of the world." This little story is from my book There Is Room for You: Tales from a Transgender Defender's Heart. The first picture is of a gate outside the ancient city of Bam (not far from Kerman), which was largely lost in a powerful earthquake in 2003 and is now being rebuilt. The second picture is from the entrance to the Sheikh Loft Allah mosque in Isfahan. There is a saying in Persian -- "Isfahan nesf-e-jahan ast." -- meaning "Isfahan is half of the world." ASSOCIATED PRESS Bollywood actor Aamir Khan attends a trailer launch of his film Dhoom 3 in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. Dhoom 3 is a Hindu action thriller film that will be released on Dec. 20. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) NEW DELHI -- Aamir Khan continuing as the the brand ambassador of 'Incredible India' was untenable after he spoke about intolerance in India, last year, according to Amitabh Kant, a senior bureaucrat and a key driver of the campaign. 'Incredible India,' the government campaign to promote the country as a tourist destination was fronted by Khan for ten years before the Bollywood actor was replaced by Amitabh Bachchan, this month. Advertisement "Being a brand ambassador imposes responsibilities. You can't run down what you're promoting. That's damaging the brand," Kant tweeted on Tuesday morning. Kant is also leading the Modi government's 'Make In India' campaign. Being a Brand Ambassador imposes responsibilities. U can't run down what u're promoting.That's damaging d brand. https://t.co/mhHeZjYFrb Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) January 19, 2016 In the throes of a hugely polarising debate about rising intolerance under the Modi government, last year, Aamir Khan said that his wife had asked him whether they should leave the country. "She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers everyday," he said. While Khan received tremendous support for his sentiment, or at the very least his freedom to speak freely, the actor also faced a massive backlash. Hindu-right wing leaders suggested that he go live in Pakistan. Advertisement Earlier this month, Khan was replaced by Bachchan as the spokesperson for the 'Incredible India' campaign. "Whether I am brand ambassador or not, India will remain Incredible, and that's the way it should be," he said after the change was made. Speaking on the sidelines of a public event in Ahmedabad on Monday, Kant said, "A brand ambassador promotes a brand. People will come to India and tourist flow will increase only if the brand ambassador of `Incredible India' promotes India as incredible India.But if the brand ambassador of India says India is intolerant, he is surely not working as a brand ambassador of India." "He is damaging the brand identity of the country. People will not come to India after hearing him. An ambassador has to promote the brand, he is not supposed to destroy the brand.The brand ambassador must be the best brand ambassador for promoting and marketing India, he cannot be the destroyer of the brand," he said. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - JANUARY 17: Indian Army's Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) dogs trained for bomb disposal and counter-insurgency take part during rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath on January 17, 2016 in New Delhi, India. Annual Parade is held at Rajpath on January 26 to mark India's Republic Day Celebrations, which extends for 3 days. The parade showcases Indiaas Defence Capability, Cultural and Social Heritage. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) NEW DELHI -- Indian Army dogs, who have saved the lives of numerous soldiers in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, will march down the Rajpath for Republic Day Parade on January 26 after a gap of 26 years. The Army, which has about 1,200 Labradors and German Shepherds, have selected 36 canines to march down the Rajpath with their handlers. Advertisement Mansi, a four-year-old Labrador, and her Kashmiri master Bashir Ahmed War from the Territorial Army (TA) had made the country proud when they made the supreme sacrifice while gallantly fighting a group of heavily-armed infiltrators in the high altitude area along the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar sector in August last year. A war dog training school was raised on March 1, 1960 at Meerut. Basic and advance training to dogs and their trainers on specialised jobs like explosive detection, mine detection, tracking, guarding and assaulting is imparted at the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College. The Army dogs and their trainers of this Corps have won one Shourya Chakra, six Sena Medals, 142 COAS Commendation Cards, six VCOAS Commendation Cards and 448 GOC-in-C Commendation Cards. The motto of the Corps is 'Pashu Seva Asmakam Dharm'. The Army had come under severe criticism from the common people and dog lovers across the world after it was revealed in an RTI reply last year that dogs, horses and mules are put to sleep after their retirement. Advertisement Following a PIL, the government had in September informed the Delhi High Court that it would come out with a policy on the issue within six months. Though a final policy is yet to be adopted, the Army has stopped further killing of ageing animals, except for those suffering incurable, terminal diseases and injuries. The development came at a time when many countries, including the US and France, have special rehabilitation schemes for military dogs. The gallantry medal was awarded to a police dog killed after the Paris attacks last year. The Indian Army dogs are trained in sniffing bombs, hunting down enemies, locating secret places and fetching evidence. The Army generally uses Labradors, German Shepherds and Belgian Shepherds, depending on the altitude and weather, besides the nature of assignment which may include routine patrol to explosives detection. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Parasmaniji/Twitter A Janata Dal (United) MLA in Purnia district of Bihar allegedly helped her husband escape from police custody after he was arrested on Sunday for threatening a witness in a murder case. According to the Times of India, Bima Bharti helped her husband Awadhesh Mandal escape from the Maranga Police Station on Monday night and a manhunt is on at the moment. Allegedly, Purnia MP Santosh Kushwaha is also involved in the matter, the report stated. Advertisement Mandal was arrested by the Purnia police on Sunday after he allegedly threatened three witnesses with dire consequences in connection with a murder that had taken place a decade ago. He is accused in more than 100 cases of murder, extortion and loot. He is also booked under the Arms Act in Purnia and neighbouring districts, reported ANI. JDU MLA Bima Bharti's husband Awadhesh Mandal who was detained for allegedly threatening a witness in a murder case,escaped from PS y'day ANI (@ANI_news) January 19, 2016 According to reports, Mandal was arrested when the residents of Paswan Tola in Purnia attacked him. Armed with over 150 supporters, Bharti and Kushwaha arrived at the police station. While Kushwaha was assisting Mandal with the paperwork, Bharti stayed in her SUV, armed with two armed guards. Just as Mandal's handcuffs were released for him to sign the paperwork, he made run for the SUV, which zoomed out of the station in no time. Advertisement JDU MLA Bima Bharti's husband Awadhesh Mandal escaped from Maranga Police Station yesterday pic.twitter.com/p1FOu9vMtG ANI (@ANI_news) January 19, 2016 TOI reported that several police teams chased Bharti's SUV but failed to intercept it. They also put their mobile phones on surveillance but learnt that the MLA and her guards were changing locations constantly. Police raided several places throughout the night, but in vain. The police told TOI that the a fresh FIR has been lodged against Mandal and probe has been initiated into the matter. A police officer has also been suspended. In 2014, Bharti had been in news when she couldnt read her oath properly during swearing-in ceremony. Several reports had also made harsh remarks about her educational qualification. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also On HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - JANUARY 18: Activists of various student organisations including KYS, SFI, AISA, SDPI and BAPSA hold placards and shout slogans during a protest outside HRD Ministry office at Shashtri Bhawan demanding the resignation of the Hyderabad University vice-chancellor over the suicide of a Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula on January 18, 2016 in New Delhi, India. 26-year-old Vemula, a second-year research scholar of science, technology and society studies department at Hyderabad University was found hanging in his friends hostel room on Sunday night. He, along with four Dalit research scholars, was expelled from the University of Hyderabad 12 days ago over alleged fight with another student group.(Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Amid a rising chorus by the Congress seeking the resignation of Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been named in an FIR filed after the suicide of a 26-year-old Dalit student at the Hyderabad University, the HRD Ministry on Monday constituted a two-member fact finding team to investigate the death. V Rohith, the second-year research scholar of science, technology and society studies department, was found hanging in a hostel room on Sunday night at the University of Hyderabad. He, along with four other research scholars, was expelled from the University 12 days ago over an alleged clash with another student group. The ministry, which had been accused of interference in the students' altercation that apparently led to the tragic death, has said that it had only sought a status report regarding the clash last August when a group of students allegedly attacked Susheel Kumar, the then President of ABVP Unit in the University of Hyderabad leading to the expulsion. Advertisement PTI sources said that the team comprising Shakila T Shamsu, OSD in the HRD ministry, and Deputy Secretary-level officer Surat Singh is headed to Hyderabad to look into the entire matter and submit the report to the ministry. ISSUE TOOK A POLITICAL TURN The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action by Rohith was a result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". He had also alleged that the university administration had turned into "a mute spectator to such events". The minister also wrote that Kumar, president of ABVP in the campus, was manhandled when he protested against the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) when the latter held protests against hanging of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon. Irani yesterday said the government neither intervened in the functioning of the university nor had any administrative control over it. Ministry sources told PTI that on the night of August 3 last year, a group of students affiliated to the Ambedkar Students Association allegedly attacked Kumar and the Proctorial Board of the University enquired into the matter. Advertisement It was the Executive council of the University that then approved the expulsion of five students including Rohith. Ministry sources also emphasised that subsequently, an Executive Sub Committee which included a senior Dalit faculty member and headed by the senior-most professor was constituted, which upheld these recommendations. However, later at a meeting of Executive council, a lenient view was taken as expulsion would have deprived the students of continuing their Ph D and it was decided to permit them in their departments, library and academic meetings and not in hostel, administration and other public places. The decision was challenged by the students in the court. Three of the students also started protest by sleeping in open. Advertisement The Dean, Students Welfare, had regularly counselled the students to have patience before the Court gave its decision while the Vice Chancellor had also discussed the issue with them. Last night, a letter purportedly written by Rohith was found in the hostel room where he allegedly committed suicide. HEARTBREAKING LETTER "I am writing this kind of letter for the first time. My first time of a final letter," he wrote. "I always wanted to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan. I loved Science, Stars, Nature, but then I loved people without knowing that people have long since divorced from nature. Our feelings are second handed. Our love is constructed. Our beliefs colored. Our originality valid through artificial art. It has become truly difficult to love without getting hurt. The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of star dust. In every field, in studies, in streets, in politics, and in dying and living," he wrote. Advertisement WHAT LED TO THE EXTREME STEP? A report in the Indian Express claimed that from July, the university had stopped paying Rohith his monthly stipend of Rs 25,000 (excluding HRA). His friends alleged that he was being targeted for protesting under the banner of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA). The decision to suspend the five was upheld on December 17, and on January 3 the sanction was confirmed. The five students moved out of their hostel rooms and set up a tent inside the campus, according to the report. Students alleged that it was a social boycott of sorts. Rohith, who would have turned 27 on 30 January, told his friends that since his stipend was on hold, he was unable to give them even a small treat. Some of the teaching faculty has also demanded action against those responsible for the incident. "The incident is very sad. The (five suspended) students were on strike for the past 15 days. The VC should have heard what Rohit said in his letter (wrote on December 18). This university has history of Dalit students committing suicides. So authorities should have been more sensitive," said Deepa Srinivas, Associate professor of Social Sciences at the Hyderabad University. ALSO READ: Dalit Student Commits Suicide In Hyderabad Central University The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice of the varsity in a statement demanded that any family member of Rohit be provided employment, besides compensation of Rs 50 lakh. Advertisement Meanwhile, several students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai boycotted classes, field work and other institutional activities today to condemn the "institutional murder" of Rohit. Students gathered in front of Dining Hall, Old Campus, from 9 AM to protest the scholar's death. About 100 students are continuously participating in the protest, a member of the Joint Action Committee of TISS, Mumbai said. Meanwhile, TRS MP and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha alleged that tension at the university increased because of Dattatreya writing a letter to Smriti Irani. Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were named in the FIR over the suicide, triggering massive protests and demands for their removal from their posts. Advertisement Irani said she would not make any political statement but would await the report of the fact-finding committee. The Vice Chancellor said he would quit if the "majority" of the students, faculty and administrative wanted it. He said the action against the Dalit students had happened much before he had come into the picture and he was working with the faculty to "reduce" the punishment. The agitating students demanded immediate removal of Dattareya from the Union Cabinet. "Dattatreya should be removed from the Cabinet. Ramachandra Rao should be removed from the MLC post. Vice Chancellor should be sacked," said D Prashant, one of the five suspended students. The Congress demanded the immediate sacking of Dattatreya. "Now an FIR has been registered against the Union Minister and the letter written by him prima facie amounts to abetment of suicide, Congress demands that Dattatreya resigns with immediate effect, failing which the Prime Minister should sack him", party spokesman R P N Singh told reporters. Advertisement Alleging that the mindset of BJP was anti-Dalit, he recalled that only recently another Union Minister V K Singh had allegedly compared Dalit children to dogs. The CPI(M) too demanded action against Vice Chancellor of Hyderabad Central University under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. "The Central government must conduct a thorough enquiry into this incident in this prestigious Central University that was established by law by the Parliament of India," the party said in a statement. (Inputs from PTI) Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Bloomberg via Getty Images An American Airlines Group Inc. passenger jet stands outside Terminal 2 at Frankfurt Airport, operated by Fraport AG, in Frankfurt, Germany, on Monday, Dec. 28, 2015. European stocks climbed in a holiday-shortened week, trimming their worst December drop since 2002. Photographer: Martin Leissl/Bloomberg via Getty Images A Sikh man along with his three Muslim friends, who were kicked out of an American Airlines flight because their appearance made the captain uneasy, are seeking USD 9 million in compensation from the airline in a lawsuit. Shan Anand, a Sikh, and his friends - Faimul Alam besides a Bangladeshi Muslim and an Arab Muslim all young US citizens, were ordered off the flight 44718 from Toronto to New York last month based upon their perceived race, colour and ethnicity, CNN reported today. Advertisement The Bangladeshi Muslim and Arab Muslim were identified only by their initials W.H. and M.K. Anand and Alam switched seats with strangers after boarding, so they could sit next to W.H. and M.K. Several minutes later, a white woman flight attendant asked W.H. to get off the plane, according to the lawsuit, which was filed yesterday in Brooklyn Federal Court. When they asked the flight crew why they were being removed, the flight attendant told them to exit "peacefully" and "demanded" they return to the gate and await further directions, the lawsuit said. "It basically made me feel like a criminal," W.H. said, adding: "It was like I was put on a pedestal where everyone is pointing at you. I was frightened that they were frightened." It was only after the plane took off that an airline agent told the men "they could not board because the crew members, and specifically the captain, felt uneasy and uncomfortable with their presence on the flight and as such, refused to fly unless they were removed from the flight," the report said. Advertisement The flight took off, leaving the four men behind. "They said it was protocol," said Anand. Contact HuffPost India Also See On HuffPost: A man--with a smirk curled around the corners of his mouth--asks a woman if she is proud for her past. That's never exactly a question, that's almost always an indictment. The existence of the question is rooted in the belief that the woman's past is loathsome and she can only hope to redeem herself by profusely apologising for it, accompanied with copious tears and preferably a tragic backstory. You know, the kind of story which seems to say that the contents of the woman's past were never conscious choices she made for herself, and even if she did, she was compelled to make them. Everyone likes a damsel in horrifying distress, everyone likes a woman who doesn't own her life. The story of Sunny Leone would have fit right into India's beloved adarsh naari narrative, had she been game to be the newest abla on the block. Misled and duped by evil West into forgetting her traditions, but back to the roots with the guiding light of Bollywood, perhaps. But Leone agreed to play to the galleries, only up until it came to her disowning her past. So while she had gone to town vociferously declaring she had washed her hands off the porn industry and would therefore should meet India's moral compliance standards, she didn't want to play the damsel in distress majority of Indians would have liked her to. Advertisement And CNN IBN presenter and journalist Bhupendra Chaubey could hardly believe her audacity. What, she doesn't regret being a porn star? What, she doesn't regret the fact that Aamir Khan may never work with her? What, she doesn't regret the fact that some never-heard-of politician has accused her of being responsible for incidents of sexual violence? Chaubey seemed suitably shocked that Leone treated no-brainers the way they should be--with ample disregard. Chaubey, who has been around in the journalism scene for decades, began his session by stating that Leone's work seems to have great business potential. The unmistakable emphasis Chaubey puts on the word 'work' immediately sets off the alarm bells about where the interview is headed. He then goes on to prove your gut feeling right by what seemed like a desperate attempt to make her admit that she is not proud of what she has done for a living. He does that by drawing the most facetious parallels--Sunny Leone versus Aamir Khan, Sunny Leone versus an artist, Sunny Leone versus people who hate Sunny Leone. In doing it, he basically seemed to be listing out everything he thought was more respectable compared to Sunny Leone. Advertisement Oh, a thoughtful man that he is, he even offered Leone an alternative for her own personality - what about being covered head-to-toe? Don't know about Leone, but the full-sleeved salwar kameez she had worn to the interview, must have felt a little offended at having been overlooked so blatantly. In a response to the flak he received following the interview, Chaubey wrote a blog where he explains that he was not being a moralist at all. And that he was just asking questions, in his journalistic capacity. Strangely enough, he admits in his blog, that Leone herself felt that she was being interrogated. So, unless of course, the only opinion that matters to Chaubey is his own, he was clearly on the wrong. For example, consider the following question: "So you would want to work with Aamir Khan but Aamir Khan wouldn't work with you. How does that reflect on you then?" That question couldn't have been the result of the elaborate research that Chaubey has cited in the blog. That question is the result of thriving moral duplicity that Chaubey seems to be hastily denying. If that's not evidence enough, this is what he writes about Leone's past in his blog: "So Sunny, you did well! It doesnt matter that I was convinced at the end of the interview that you were an extremely brave woman to have dealt with your past in the manner in which you did." The 'past', that Leone has apparently been 'brave' in dealing with is a non-criminal, deliberately chosen stint in the porn industry. But Chaubey seems to be suggesting that she has 'done well' only because she has managed to leave that past behind. Advertisement This is what Leone had to say about her stint in the porn industry, when Chaubey, suggested that her past may 'hold her back': "I have never said, 'haunt', I have never said 'hold back'. It's the media which is saying that, you are saying that." Despite her clearly stating her own position on her past, Chaubey effortlessly appropriates her choice to make it seem like an unwilling one. After all, in India, it's pretty routine to tell a woman's story via various voices that are not hers. That way, Chaubey is not much of an aberration. While he vociferously declares that he was not being remotely judgmental about Leone, his blog says otherwise. In the roughly 570-word long article, Chaubey couldn't even get himself to mention the word pornography even once. He declares that he has never seen her Bollywood films, and he has neither seen her in her 'her earlier avatar'. And the title of his blog reads: "Sunny Leone, it's not just about sex for her." As if, had it been about 'sex', we would still have a case to take up cudgels against her. Chaubey can be called the new face of a very old malaise--the fear of a woman who will not let others tell her what she is worth. A malaise that's so deep that it surfaces in even the defence of the woman in question. For example ScoopWhoop, while criticising Chaubey, says, "Yes, we know Sunny Leone is a pornstar. But she is so much more than what she did for a living, years ago." Advertisement Chaubey is a defender Sunny Leone neither sought, nor needed. It's time Chaubey, and his ilk, find someone else to shower their faux heroism on. HuffPost India is published in association with the Times of India Group, which owns a news channel that competes with CNN-IBN. Also see on HuffPost: Andrew Noble is a partner at Pittsburgh-based law firm Meyer, Unkovic & Scott where he has a broad business & tort litigation practice. He can be reached at [email protected] By Andrew Noble, Meyer, Unkovic & ScottA recent court battle in Pennsylvania over the meaning of the word the in an insurance contract should prompt insurance companies and businesses to start going over their insurance contracts with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that the meaning of every word is clear.In Mutual Benefit Insurance Company v. Politsopoulos, Leola Restaurant leased a property from Christos Politsopoulos and Dionysios Mihalopoulos. As part of the standard lease agreement, the property owners required the restaurant to add them as additional insureds on the restaurants commercial general liability (CGL) policy from Mutual Benefit Insurance Company.In 2007, one of the restaurants employees fell on an outside set of stairs on the property. Suffering injuries from the fall, the employee began to pursue legal action claiming that the stairs were unsafe and not properly maintained.However, the employee could not file a personal injury claim for negligence against the restaurant. Like most other states, Pennsylvanias Workers Compensation Act generally bars employees from filing personal injury lawsuits against their employers because an injured employee is already eligible to receive workers compensation benefits. There are only a few exceptions to the rule, such as if the employer intentionally causes the accident.While injured workers cant sue their employer, they can sue other companies that contributed to their injuries, such as their employers landlord or the business that hired their employer to perform contracted work. Thus, the Leola Restaurant employee decided to file a negligence claim against the property owners. The property owners, who were listed as additional insureds on the restaurants CGL policy, then filed a claim for coverage from Mutual Benefit Insurance. Mutual Benefit Insurance denied the claim, citing the employer exclusion in the insurance contract.A common part in most CGL policies, the employer exclusion typically states that the insurer will not cover a business if an employee files a personal injury lawsuit against the company. In Leola Restaurants CGL policy, Mutual Benefit Insurance stated that the policy did not provide coverage for injury to an employee of the insured arising out of the course of employment. The insurance company argued that the insured was a plural term and, therefore, barred coverage for claims by any insured arising out of an injury to an employee of any insured. The property owners, on the other hand, argued that the term was singular, and only barred coverage for claims arising out of injuries to employees of the specific insured seeking coverage.Eventually, the case ended up before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Although the language was ambiguous, the court said that the term employees of the insured could reasonably imply that only the direct employer was excluded from coverage, not all of the insured parties covered by the policy. The property owners were not the injured workers employer, and therefore could reasonably expect coverage. Because long-standing U.S. court principles of insurance policy state that ambiguity in an insurance contract should be resolved in favor of the insured, the court ruled that Mutual Benefit Insurance had to cover the property owners claim.Insurers have long used the employer liability exclusion to deny coverage when an additional insured on the policy submits a claim for a personal injury lawsuit filed by an employee of another party covered by the policy. The Pennsylvania Supreme Courts decision, however, should remind insurers and businesses that language in contracts needs to be precise: If the insurer had meant to deny coverage to all parties on the policy, it should have said any insured, not the insured. Insurers and businesses should carefully review every word in their contracts even seemingly minor words such as the to ensure that the language clearly communicates the terms without any ambiguity. Anything left open to interpretation may mean that one of the parties usually the insurer will unintentionally find itself on the hook for payment. What do Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, JPMorgan Chase, Sony Pictures, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the US O ce of Personnel Management, and the infi delity website Ashley Madison all have in common? Strange bedfellows though they may seem, all have been recent victims of highly publicized cyber attacks. Whether its one prominent politicians email account or the fi nancial information pertaining to 76 million households and 7 million small businesses across the nation, todays cyber criminal underground is both chillingly precise and appallingly indiscriminate in the devastation that it wreaks around the globe on a daily basis. Given the level of interconnectedness in todays business environment, a cyber attack is not a matter of if, but when. According to a recent MarketStance report, more than 6.6 million businesses could be current targets of some type of cyber threat. And a data breach can have serious ramifications for a companys bottom line. An IBM-sponsored global analysis released in May 2015 found that the average total cost of a data breach has escalated to $3.79 million. In the past, senior executives and boards of directors might have been complacent about the risks posed by data breaches and cyber attacks. However, the IBM study found that growing concern about the potential damage to reputation, classaction lawsuits and costly downtime is motivating executives to pay greater attention to the security practices of their organizations. Even so, three-quarters of American businesses still have no cyber liability coverage, according to a recent Towers Watson study. Most companies are really just starting to look at their cyber exposure and trying to understand what the risks are for them, says Tracie Grella, global head of professional liability at AIG. For insurance professionals who are up to the task, this represents a colossal market waiting to be convinced to purchase cyber liability coverage. Its a hot product and a hot sector, says Jeremy Barnett, senior VP of marketing at NAS Insurance. Its a big deal, and its constantly evolving. Who needs cyber insurance? Just about any organization that uses technology to do business faces cyber risk which is why they should be prepared with cyber liability insurance. You would have to live under a rock to not realize that all kinds of companies are vulnerable to all kinds of serious threats, says Kurtis Suhs, vice president and national technology and privacy product manager at Ironshore. Even if you are a company with very little personally identifiable information and data, you could still have an event like CryptoLocker [a ransomware trojan propagated via infected email attachments] that could indiscriminately target you because you are connected to the Internet, and then knock you offline. Industries that have adopted cyber coverage most broadly include financial, retail, healthcare and other professional services (such as lawyers and accountants), as well as the hospitality and education sectors. But over the last two years, all industries are buying the coverage, Grella says. The last industries to really buy are manufacturing and oil and gas. While these sectors have less personal data and thus are less at risk of the kind of data breach that is most commonly associated with cyber liability, they see the value of other things that are now covered under a cyber policy like business interruption and cyber extortion, which are real threats for those kinds of organizations, Grella says. (Part 1 of 2) to be continued... Richard BrownHamilton, Bermuda-based Everest Re Group CEO/MD Mark de Saram is to step down on April 6, 2016. De Saram joined Everest in 1995 as Vice President of its UK and European operations. He rose CEO of Everest Re (Bermuda) in 2004. He is to be replaced by Sanjoy Mukherjee, currently Executive Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel for the company.Insurance ratings agency A.M. Best has revealed its top geopolitical risks in the January 2016 issue of Bests Review magazine. The edition says an increase in political unrest and a worsening economic situation in some emerging markets are expected to increase the demand for political risk cover.First Defiance Financial Corp. has posted net income for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 totaled $26.4 million. The Ohio-based firm is the holding company for First Federal Bank of the Midwest and First Insurance Group. First Insurance Group is a full-service insurance agency with six offices throughout northwest Ohio.Property investment firm Starwood Capital Group and Shanghai-based insurance-to-fashion group Fosun International are eyeing hotel owner Ascendas Hospitality Trust, according to Bloomberg.Fosun and Starwood could make offers for Singapore-based Ascendas by the end of January. The target company also has Blackstone Group LP and Hong Kongs Gaw Capital Partners considering bids for the entity with a market value of S$810 million ($563 million). Fosun Chairman Guo Guangchang sparked alarm last month when he went missing and was subsequently found to be assisting authorities with an investigation into Shanghai vice-mayor Al Baojun.Ascendas Hospitality owns 11 hotels with 4,100 rooms in Australia, China, Japan and Singapore. Its properties include Novotel Sydney Central, Ibis Beijing Sanyuan and Park Hotel Clarke Quay, according to its website.Former New York Life and MassMutual senior executive Diana Pringle is the newest associate managing partner of broker-dealer Securian Financial Services for the mid-Michigan area. A financial advisor, recruiter and manager with over 30 years experience, Pringle recently opened Securian Financial Advisors of the Great Lakes, offering insurance, investment and retirement planning to individuals and small businesses. Berkshire Hathaway unit GEICO has one million auto insurance policies currently in force in Texas. The record-breaking policy was sold by GEICO sales agent Zachary Field of Dallas. Texas joins Florida, New York and California to reach the auto milestone. GEICO was founded in Texas in 1936. MetLife lures SocGens Funk for asset management role Americas largest U.S. life insurer, MetLife Inc., has hired Jason Funk to buttress its asset management business for institutional clients in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Formerly with Societe Generale SAs Lyxor asset management unit, Funk will drive new business development for the New York-based firm from London as a director in MetLife Investment Managements institutional client group. It services large investors, private pension plans and sovereign wealth funds. The hire follows MetLife institutional client group luring BlackRock Inc.s Dhaval Parikh as a director in August. Great expectations for BoC rate cut JP Morgan reports that the value of the Canadian dollar has to drop even further to bolster real economic momentum. Despite reaching a 14-year low against the greenback, the loonie is under further pressure as the Bank of Canada convenes to consider a policy rate cut today (Wednesday 20 Jan). Speaking to Bloomberg, Daniel Hui, executive director of global FX strategy at JPMorgan, said further weakness in Canadian heavy crude prices, in local currency terms, will threaten the prolonged resilience in [economic] activity. Hui warned of the potential for indebted firms running operational losses will combine with financial contagion in Canada. There are many ways agents can slash workers compensation costs relatively painlessly, but nothing works as well as reducing overall claims. A client with fewer workers comp claims qualifies for a better experience mod and lower rates, as well as a wider range of carriers from whom to purchase insurance.Lowering comp claims has traditionally been a matter of taking proactive safety measures, but a new report from Aflac suggests adding two additional insurance products to a clients account can also help.According to the Aflac Workers Compensation Report, 42% of all companies providing voluntary accident and disability insurance report declines in their workers comp claimssome of up to 50%.Roughly 17% of employers offering voluntary accident insurance and 15% of those offering disability saw claims declines of 25% to 49%. The declines were most frequent for large employers, 55% of whom noted a corresponding decline in workers compensation claims. 34% of small- and medium-sized companies reported the same results.Tye Elliot, vice president of Core Broker Sales for Aflac, said the report provides ample reason for independent agents and brokers to start pitching more voluntary products.For years, insurance agents and brokers have heard anecdotal rumors linking accident and disability insurance to reduced workers compensation claims, and we learned the anecdotes are true based on our recent study results, Elliot said. These findings confirm the correlation [and]employers can now weigh the potential positive financial effects of offering accident and disability insurance against the costs of workers compensation claims.Rebecca Shafer, president of AMAXX Risk Solutions and author of Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering Workers Comp Costs , told Insurance Business she wouldnt argue with Aflacs findings.I do think that [offering accident and disability] would probably help to remediate an employee that has an illness or injury, Shafer said. It could be that workers compensation is seen as a more difficult avenue for employees to be reimbursed, so they would possibly choose the alternative avuenue of filing an accident or disability claim.In making the choice to file through disability or workers compensation, Shafer said it is important to determine the cause of the injury. Workers compensation carriers may not go along willingly if there is any doubt the injury is work-related, which could complicate the claims process.As such, an agent or employee HR director should be consulted, she said.They can get involved in the conversation and steer the employee towards the most appropriate remedy, Shafer stressed. Its not always clear at the outset what the cause of the injury is, which could raise workers comp questions.The Aflac survey was conducted by Lieberman Research Worldwide. Researches asked 600 small, medium and large US employers if they had offered accident or disability insurance to their workers, whether they saw a corresponding decrease in comp claims and the relative size of that decrease. Four More Shots Please Stars Ready For Film Based On Series, Say 'Like Sex In The City, Why Not?' | Exclusive 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 Press Release: IMF Executive Board Concludes the Fourth Post-Program Monitoring with Ireland Press Release No. 16/14 January 19, 2016 On January 15, 2016, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Fourth Post-Program Monitoring Discussion with Ireland,1 and considered and endorsed the staff appraisal without a meeting on a lapse-of-time basis.2 Irelands economy continues to improve at a robust pace. Real GDP expanded by 7 percent year-on-year over the first three quarters of 2015, with investment providing the largest contribution to growth followed by private consumption. High frequency indicators suggest that the strong economic momentum continued into the last months of 2015. Steady job growth of about 3 percent year-on-year in the third quarter helped reduce the unemployment rate to 8.8 percent in December. Exchequer data for December indicate that 2015 revenues significantly exceeded the initial budget profile, whereas spending recorded a modest increase, leading to a likely outperformance of staffs estimate of the 2015 general government deficit (1.9 percent of GDP). Financial conditions have remained largely supportive despite volatility in global capital markets. The ECBs quantitative easing has helped keep Irish government yields close to their historical lows. The rise in the residential property markets has somewhat abated in recent months in the wake of the macroprudential measures enacted by the CBI in February 2015, while the supply of new residential housing remains modest. Upward price pressures are stronger in the commercial real estate market. Banks asset quality is improving, and mortgage arrears have continued to fall, but profitability remains modest and the loan portfolio continues to contract, albeit at a slower pace. Executive Board Assessment Ireland is enjoying the fastest growth in the European Union, but challenges remain. The recovery accelerated in 2015 and has become more broad-based, with domestic demand overtaking net trade as the dominant driver of growth. Employment expansion is continuing unabated, and the unemployment rate has fallen below 9 percent. Financing conditions remain exceptionally favorable, but upward pressures on house prices are continuing. The outlook is positive and risks are broadly balanced. Yet vulnerabilities are still elevated, particularly public and private debt burdens are high, lending importance to the unfinished task of rebuilding economic resilience. While it is appropriate to share some fruits of the recovery after years of difficult adjustment, fiscal discipline must be maintained to rebuild room for policy maneuver. Strong growth in 2015 has enabled outperformance of the fiscal targets despite an easing of the underlying stance. Public debt is set to fall below 100 percent of GDP by end-2015. The fiscal plans outlined in Budget 2016 and the consolidation pace consistent with reaching a structural balance in 2018 are broadly appropriate. Maintaining structural balance thereafter would be the minimum required to ensure a prudent pace of debt reduction. Yet the budget measures could have avoided tax base erosion, been better targeted and more protective of budget resources. The resulting savings would have created additional room for capital spending and support sustainable growth. Any future fiscal space should be used to accelerate debt reduction, and to rebuild buffers to allow Irelands small and open economy to face external shocks. The economic recovery has supported the ongoing banking system repair, where more remains to be done. Achieving durable profitability while accelerating balance sheet cleanup would support future lending growth and boost banks resilience to shocks. Provision releases should be based on conservative assumptions and collateral reappraisals. Supervisors must ensure that banks business models appropriately balance profit seeking and risk management, and that loan pricing adequately reflects credit risk and barriers to collateral realization. As economic conditions change, periodic impact assessment and recalibration of macroprudential measures will be needed to ensure their effectiveness in enhancing the resilience of banks and households and reducing the likelihood of another cycle of boom and bust. Measures to boost the supply of housing are a welcome step toward addressing the housing market imbalances. They should help reduce building costs and could jump start construction activity, particularly of lower-cost homes where profit margins are tighter. Administrative measures on rents, however, could reduce the return on investment properties and thus dissuade construction. Ireland: Selected Economic Indicators, 201016 (Annual percentage change unless indicated otherwise) 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Proj. National accounts (constant prices) Real GDP 0.4 2.6 0.2 1.4 5.2 6.3 4.2 Final domestic demand -4.6 -0.1 1.0 -1.5 5.2 6.2 3.7 Private consumption 0.8 -0.7 -0.8 -0.3 2.0 3.3 3.1 Public consumption -7.1 -2.0 -2.2 1.4 4.6 5.3 0.3 Gross fixed investment -15.5 3.2 8.6 -6.6 14.3 13.6 7.6 Net exports 1/ 3.2 3.6 -0.3 2.6 0.1 1.4 1.2 Exports of goods and services 6.4 2.1 2.1 2.5 12.1 12.0 4.5 Imports of goods and services 3.5 -1.5 2.9 0.0 14.7 12.8 4.2 Real GNP 2.2 -0.8 1.6 4.6 6.9 5.3 4.0 Gross national saving (in percent of GDP) 18.4 18.0 17.6 20.7 22.9 23.7 24.7 Private 28.2 24.2 23.6 24.6 24.8 23.8 24.0 Public 2/ -9.8 -6.2 -6.0 -3.9 -1.9 -0.1 0.7 Gross investment (in percent of GDP) 17.8 17.2 19.1 17.7 19.3 19.9 20.5 Private 14.5 14.9 17.2 16.0 17.4 17.9 18.7 Public 3.3 2.3 1.9 1.7 2.0 2.0 1.9 Prices, wages and employment (annual average) Harmonized index of consumer prices -1.6 1.2 1.9 0.5 0.3 0.2 1.5 Average wage, whole economy -1.9 -0.5 0.5 -0.7 -0.1 1.8 1.7 Employment -4.0 -1.8 -0.6 2.4 1.7 2.5 2.0 Unemployment rate (in percent) 13.9 14.6 14.6 13.0 11.3 9.6 8.5 Money and credit (end-period) Irish resident private sector credit -3.4 -2.9 -4.0 -4.9 -4.9 ... ... Financial and asset markets (end-period) Three-month interbank rate 1.0 1.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 ... ... Government bond yield (in percent, 10-year) 9.2 8.5 4.5 3.5 1.2 Annual change in ISEQ index (in percent) 5.1 5.2 16.3 30.3 15.1 House prices -10.5 -16.7 -4.5 6.4 16.3 ... ... Public finance (in percent of GDP) Net lending/borrowing (excl. one-off items) -10.9 -8.5 -8.0 -6.0 -4.0 -2.0 -0.9 Primary balance (excl. bank support) -10.2 -5.1 -3.9 -1.3 0.1 1.3 1.9 General government gross debt 86.8 109.3 120.2 120.0 107.6 97.1 91.5 General government net debt 66.6 77.6 86.7 89.8 88.2 79.8 75.3 External trade and balance of payments (percent of GDP) Balance of goods and services 17.3 19.9 17.2 19.3 18.3 21.4 21.9 Balance of income and current transfers -16.8 -19.2 -18.7 -16.2 -14.7 -17.6 -17.7 Current account 0.6 0.8 -1.5 3.1 3.6 3.8 4.2 Effective exchange rates (1999:Q1=100, average) Nominal 107.6 108.5 105.0 109.2 105.4 ... Real (CPI based) 111.6 110.2 105.3 108.0 103.1 ... Memorandum items: Population (in millions) 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.7 GDP per capita (in euros) 36,480 38,021 38,131 39,069 41,011 45,256 47,611 GDP (in billions of euros) 166.2 173.9 174.8 179.4 189.0 210.4 223.2 Sources: Bloomberg; Central Bank of Ireland; Department of Finance; IFS; and IMF staff projections. 1/ Contribution to growth. 2/ Excludes bank restructuring costs. Ireland: Selected Economic Indicators, 201016 (Annual percentage change unless indicated otherwise) 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Proj. National accounts (constant prices) Real GDP 0.4 2.6 0.2 1.4 5.2 6.3 4.2 Final domestic demand -4.6 -0.1 1.0 -1.5 5.2 6.2 3.7 Private consumption 0.8 -0.7 -0.8 -0.3 2.0 3.3 3.1 Public consumption -7.1 -2.0 -2.2 1.4 4.6 5.3 0.3 Gross fixed investment -15.5 3.2 8.6 -6.6 14.3 13.6 7.6 Net exports 1/ 3.2 3.6 -0.3 2.6 0.1 1.4 1.2 Exports of goods and services 6.4 2.1 2.1 2.5 12.1 12.0 4.5 Imports of goods and services 3.5 -1.5 2.9 0.0 14.7 12.8 4.2 Real GNP 2.2 -0.8 1.6 4.6 6.9 5.3 4.0 Gross national saving (in percent of GDP) 18.4 18.0 17.6 20.7 22.9 23.7 24.7 Private 28.2 24.2 23.6 24.6 24.8 23.8 24.0 Public 2/ -9.8 -6.2 -6.0 -3.9 -1.9 -0.1 0.7 Gross investment (in percent of GDP) 17.8 17.2 19.1 17.7 19.3 19.9 20.5 Private 14.5 14.9 17.2 16.0 17.4 17.9 18.7 Public 3.3 2.3 1.9 1.7 2.0 2.0 1.9 Prices, wages and employment (annual average) Harmonized index of consumer prices -1.6 1.2 1.9 0.5 0.3 0.2 1.5 Average wage, whole economy -1.9 -0.5 0.5 -0.7 -0.1 1.8 1.7 Employment -4.0 -1.8 -0.6 2.4 1.7 2.5 2.0 Unemployment rate (in percent) 13.9 14.6 14.6 13.0 11.3 9.6 8.5 Money and credit (end-period) Irish resident private sector credit -3.4 -2.9 -4.0 -4.9 -4.9 ... ... Financial and asset markets (end-period) Three-month interbank rate 1.0 1.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 ... ... Government bond yield (in percent, 10-year) 9.2 8.5 4.5 3.5 1.2 Annual change in ISEQ index (in percent) 5.1 5.2 16.3 30.3 15.1 House prices -10.5 -16.7 -4.5 6.4 16.3 ... ... Public finance (in percent of GDP) Net lending/borrowing (excl. one-off items) -10.9 -8.5 -8.0 -6.0 -4.0 -2.0 -0.9 Primary balance (excl. bank support) -10.2 -5.1 -3.9 -1.3 0.1 1.3 1.9 General government gross debt 86.8 109.3 120.2 120.0 107.6 97.1 91.5 General government net debt 66.6 77.6 86.7 89.8 88.2 79.8 75.3 External trade and balance of payments (percent of GDP) Balance of goods and services 17.3 19.9 17.2 19.3 18.3 21.4 21.9 Balance of income and current transfers -16.8 -19.2 -18.7 -16.2 -14.7 -17.6 -17.7 Current account 0.6 0.8 -1.5 3.1 3.6 3.8 4.2 Effective exchange rates (1999:Q1=100, average) Nominal 107.6 108.5 105.0 109.2 105.4 ... Real (CPI based) 111.6 110.2 105.3 108.0 103.1 ... Memorandum items: Population (in millions) 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.7 GDP per capita (in euros) 36,480 38,021 38,131 39,069 41,011 45,256 47,611 GDP (in billions of euros) 166.2 173.9 174.8 179.4 189.0 210.4 223.2 Sources: Bloomberg; Central Bank of Ireland; Department of Finance; IFS; and IMF staff projections. 1/ Contribution to growth. 2/ Excludes bank restructuring costs. 1 The central objective of PPM is to provide for closer monitoring of the policies of members that have substantial Fund credit outstanding following the expiration of their arrangements. Under PPM, members undertake more frequent formal consultation with the Fund than is the case under surveillance, with a particular focus on macroeconomic and structural policies that have a bearing on external viability. 2 The Executive Board takes decisions under its lapse-of-time procedure when the Board agrees that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions. Scientists Discover Blueprint of Body's Temperature Sensor Durham, North Carolina - Touch a hot stove, and your fingers will recoil in pain because your skin carries tiny temperature sensors that detect heat and send a message to your brain saying, Ouch! Thats hot! Let go! The pain is real and it serves a purpose, otherwise wed suffer greater injury. But for many people with chronic pain, that signal keeps getting sent for months or years, even when there is no clear cause. Now, researchers have discovered the structure of a protein linked to pain and heat perception. It is an ion channel in the cell surface membrane called TRPV2. This port-like structure plays a role in a number of disparate biological processes, such as maintaining a healthy heart, helping dispose of pathogens and inducing cell death in certain cancers. The study, published January 18, 2016 in Nature Structural Biology and Molecular Biology, is an important step toward new therapies that target pain receptors. More than 100 million Americans suffer from some sort of severe or chronic pain, a condition that is underdiagnosed and poorly treated. These receptors are gaining particular attention because they are so critical to how we sense and respond to our environment, said senior study author Seok-Yong Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry at Duke University School of Medicine. Our results give a hint as to how one receptor works, a necessary component for developing new treatments for a variety of conditions involving sensation. Ion channels are scattered across all cell membranes and act as gatekeepers of information flowing in and out of cells. In the case of TRPV (Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid, pronounced trip-vee), this information takes the form of calcium ions. Like the turning of a valve, TRPV receptors open in response to noxious heat or other stimuli, allowing an influx of calcium ions that convey a signal through the nervous system to the brain. But how do such valves open and close? Structural biologists like Lee believe that deducing the schematics of these valves can give them the blueprint for designing drugs that target ion channels. Recently, researchers solved the structure of the first protein in the TRPV superfamily, TRPV1. Their results gave a picture of the protein in two different states -- when it was open to the flow of ions and when it was closed off. In this study, Lee wanted to determine the structure of the next in line, TRPV2. Unlike TRPV1, which is only found in the nervous system, TRPV2 is present throughout the body and has been implicated in a variety of human conditions, including heart disease, the immune response, and cancer. But taking a picture of this protein was harder than it sounds. It took Lee several years to work out the right conditions to keep the protein well dispersed and stable in biochemical solution, so it could be flash frozen and visualized by a technique known as cryo-electron microscopy. Gabriel Lander, a biologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., used this advanced technique to determine the structure of TRPV2 at near-atomic resolution. Cryo-electron microscopy works much like regular electron microscopy: electrons are shot at the sample, refracting or bouncing back from dense areas and passing through empty ones. In all, Lander took about half a million 2D images, which he then ran through a sophisticated computer program to generate a 3D picture of the protein. When the researchers compared the structure of TRPV2 to TRPV1, they were surprised to find that it didnt fit the mold for either the open or closed confirmation of the closely related protein. Rather, it seemed to inhabit an in-between stage, suggesting a third state where the channel becomes desensitized to repeated stimuli, much like a person might get used to the beeps of a faulty smoke detector. Lee thinks that studying this desensitized state could point to a way to alleviate chronic pain in people. Currently, Lee is trying to create biochemical conditions that will coax TRPV2 into other conformations so that he and his colleagues can determine its structure when it is open or closed. He also plans to find the structures of other proteins in the TRPV superfamily. If we can obtain these different conformations, we can generate a series of snapshots -- perhaps even an entire movie -- that will allow us to understand how this machine operates, said Lee. This research was supported by Duke University Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health (R01GM100894, DP2OD008380, and DP2EB020402), the Searle Scholars Program, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Missed opportunities Cambridge, Massachusetts - Researchers have long believed that living in high-poverty neighborhoods makes people more likely to suffer debilitating health problems. Now a newly-published study co-authored by an MIT professor suggests a corollary: Families that live in high-poverty neighborhoods and whose children have health problems find it harder to move out of poverty, too. If families started out with a sick child in the home, they were much less likely to be able to move to a low-poverty neighborhood, says Mariana Arcaya, an assistant professor in MITs Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) and co-author of a new paper detailing the studys results. The study is based on data collected in the federal governments Moving to Opportunity (MTO) Program, a randomized experiment launched in 1994 in which low-income families received vouchers enabling them to move to new neighborhoods. The idea, in part, was that living in wealthier (and likely safer) areas might help the families in the program improve their own financial circumstances. The program involved about 5,000 American families in five cities: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. The new study found that among families given the chance to move to low-poverty neighborhoods, 50 percent of families in MTO without health issues actually did so, whereas only 38 percent of families did so when already coping with a child-health problem. Moreover, families with child illnesses who did move settled into neighborhoods where the poverty rate was 2.5 percentage points higher, on average, than the places where families without child-health problems settled. Movers that had a sick child were moving to slightly poorer neighborhoods, Arcaya says. Having that additional challenge in the family restricted peoples options. The paper, Health Selection into Neighborhoods Among Families in the Moving to Opportunity Program, appears in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Arcaya is a corresponding author, along with Corina Graif, an assistant professor of sociology and criminology at Pennsylvania State University. The papers other two authors are Mary C. Waters, a professor of sociology at Harvard University; and S.V. Subramanian, a professor of population health and geography at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Bandwidth, networks, and risk? The study examined the relocation of families while MTO was operating from 1994 to 1997; it also assessed the neighborhood poverty rate at a follow-up interval, in 2002, and the total time families spent living in the higher-income neighborhoods to which they moved. The nature of the data collected in the MTO programs does not make it possible to conclude precisely why families with child-health issues were less likely to move. Still, Arcaya is willing to suggest a few possible mechanisms at work. One is a bandwidth issue, she says. Its a lot of work to try to find new housing in a different and more expensive neighborhood. It takes a lot of visiting and transportation and coordinating. For poorer families, that burden may become too great when extra care of a child is needed. Secondly, Arcaya suggests, the true costs of moving may be higher for families with sick children because it would mean disrupting the ad-hoc kinds of support networks families often patch together in order to provide care for their children. People who have complicated challenges like caring for a sick child may be cobbling together support from informal sources, Arcaya notes. Grandparents, relatives, and neighbors may all be instrumental in looking after kids. Taking that system and saying, Were going to move, is a really challenging thing. Finally, Arcaya observes that families coping with health challenges may be resistant to the higher living costs that could come with a move, even if they can nominally afford it. Unexpected health care costs or the unpaid time off work that comes with caring for a sick child might leave them in a precarious position, if they have a smaller financial cushion. There might be some risk aversion, Arcaya adds. Theres this well-understood phenomenon, you get sick and that causes individual financial problems. The risk of moving may be a little bit too much [for some families] if they are trying to maintain instrumental social networks and save money for when illness-related expenses arise. Neighboring research problems Arcaya recognizes that further research will be needed to better uncover the precise reasons why family health issues limit residential mobility for poorer Americans. Still, other scholars find the result to be interesting. Douglas Massey, a sociologist at Princeton University, says the findings are not definitive, but persuasive since the data are longitudinal, that is, tracking families over time. Massey adds that the study indicates the need for such programs to offer participants more active guidance. MTO, he states, basically offered people a voucher and did little else. If these programs are to work, you need to intervene with people and show them how to navigate housing markets and make them aware of opportunities. For her part, Arcaya says she hopes the study will bring more attention to the ways health issues can constrain social mobility and economic opportunity. And the findings suggest that urban planners and policymakers, especially those who have looked at housing issues as a key to social mobility, may also want to consider the way health matters interact with social geography. As the paper states, we may persistently undervalue direct investment in healthcare as a poverty deconcentration tool that could give poor families more social and economic choices, at least in urban areas. If health affects neighborhood choice, we need to know that, Arcaya says. Support for the study came, in part, from the National Science Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Deputy Secretary Blinken's Trip to Japan Washington, DC - Deputy Secretary Blinken traveled to Tokyo, January 15-17, for a series of bilateral and trilateral meetings with his Japanese and Korean counterparts. In individual meetings with Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Saiki, as well as a comprehensive trilateral meeting, the Deputy Secretary and the Vice Foreign Ministers focused intently on identifying practical ways to deepen our cooperation on a range of security, economic, and humanitarian goals. Chief among those was our unified response to North Koreas recent nuclear test, a flaunting of that countrys international obligations and a threat to regional stability. All parties affirmed our mutual interest in securing a robust international response to uphold a rules-based order and to promote norms that safeguard the stability of the region. The Deputy Secretary stressed that such destabilizing activity demands a response beyond business as usual. The Deputy Secretary commended both governments for their courageous statecraft in coming to a historic agreement on the sensitive comfort women issue, and offered the United States full support for its implementation. Additional commitments were made on all sides to explore concrete, practical steps forward together in coming months on global health security, climate change, and cyber norms. Terrorist Attacks in the West Bank Washington, DC - We condemn in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attacks over the past two days against Israeli civilians. We were appalled and deeply saddened by the death of Dafna Meir, a mother of six, who was attacked on Sunday in her own home. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends and community. Today, a pregnant Israeli woman, Michal Froman, was stabbed in the West Bank. We wish her a full and complete recovery. These horrific incidents underscore the importance of affirmative steps to restore calm, reduce tensions and bring an immediate end to the violence. Traveling to Nepal to Design and Construct Housing for Earthquake Victims Notre Dame, Indiana - It is more than 80 degrees and raining hard on the gravel road outside Pokhara, Nepal. When the truck driver says it isnt safe to cross the raging river ahead, his passengersincluding Notre Dame graduate student Kevin Phaup find themselves contemplating a narrow footbridge with no railings, followed by a winding journey up the side of a mountain. The passengers hesitate for only a moment before disembarking, hoisting the 12-foot sheets of tin roofing material above their heads, and beginning the trek to the earthquake-ravaged village of Thaprek, more than a mile away. Phaup, who is pursuing a masters degree in industrial design, went to Nepal last summer to conduct research for his thesis projectdesigning stronger, safer, cost-effective temporary shelters for refugees and victims of natural disasters. Kevin Phaup, in Nepal holding bamboo While there, he worked with Hope for Nepal, an organization co-founded by Assistant Professor Ann-Marie Conrado, to construct temporary shelters, permanent homes, and schools after an April 2015 earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people and displaced more than 3 million. At first, I was afraid to go there. It was a major earthquake, and I didnt really know what was going on, he said. I didnt know if we would be able to get food or water. But I just decided that it was the kind of opportunity to go and help that I couldnt pass up. It was a very rewarding, very humbling experience. Take a Chance Although Phaup has a bachelors degree in architecture from Miami University, he didnt intend to focus on buildings when he began his graduate program in Notre Dames Department of Art, Art History, and Design. Phaup, who also has a bachelors of fine arts in metalsmithing and jewelry design, saw industrial design as a perfect bridge of his two interestsa vast middle ground where he would be able to bring his ideas to life. He was drawn to Notre Dame, he said, because of the scale of the program, the faculty and facilities, and the departments commitment to design for social goodusing design to improve peoples lives and to address injustices in the world. Theres a sign in our industrial design shop that says, make stuff that matters, he said. At Notre Dame, were interested in making a difference, thinking about how we can help people through design. In his second year, Phaup found a way to do just thatby designing a postural support device that can adapt donated wheelchairs to fit children and smaller adults in developing countries, including Nepal. The project was one of three finalists in the Accelovate Design Competition by USAID and Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. Phaup, who first visited Nepal in December 2014 to work on his wheelchair-device project, was already planning to return in summer 2015 when the earthquake hit. Instead of canceling the trip, he embarked on a new projectfocused on what the nation now needed most. With funding from Notre Dames Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts and a small bag of tools, Phaup made his way to the Pokhara Valley to research the effectiveness of temporary shelters and help train villagers in safer construction techniques. Government-issued temporary housing after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Solve a Problem Phaup found that several factors were hindering the rebuilding efforts, particularly in rural areas. The government had distributed temporary shelterssingle, curved pieces of corrugated metalbut many occupants soon abandoned them. We found these empty all over Nepal, and we started asking why, he said. People said that once you close up the ends to secure yourself and your property, it becomes like an oven inside. And with the monsoon rains, it gets very loudits a metal roof that goes all the way to the ground, so there is no way for the noise to escape. People would rather live under a tarp outside than live in there, and seeing that was very sad. Some villagers in remote areas were also attempting to build their own temporary sheltersoften using stones and cinder blocksbut had very little construction experience. If they arent built correctly, theyre very dangerous, Phaup said. There is a lot of weight there, and it will come down. The quality and safety of the temporary structures is especially important because the nations poorest residents, who cant afford to rebuild a permanent home, may end up using them for years. I am very interested in how I can help them rethink the way theyre building these, using lighter-weight materials. Its worth investigating how they can be stronger, how they can be done more efficiently, he said. Perhaps we can design it in a way where its meant to fall, but it falls in a way that we want it to. Kevin Phaup, working to rebuild a structure in Nepal. Forge a Partnership Phaup also wants to ensure that his design fits the architectural vernacular of the region and allows Nepalese people to have some choice and control over their housing. Thats very important to me, because of my background in architecture and because of the time I have spent in Nepal, he said. I have many friends there, and I have fallen in love with the country. They deserve the same consideration that I get in my country, in terms of housing and environment. They need to be involved in rebuilding their own homes. In fact, Phaup said one of the most powerful aspects of his experience over the summer was working alongside Nepalese people in Pokhara to design and build several permanent homes and a temporary school, which will later become a community center. I learned a lot working in the villageabout their construction techniques, their heritage, their way of life, he said. I saw the realities of how difficult it was to work there because of the heat, because their tools are often dull or weak, because there isnt enough food. But, the people of Nepal are a close-knit, resilient community, and I was inspired by the way they came together during this crisis. Nepalese residents examine the temporary school Phaup helped build. Rebuild a Community It was while working on those projects that Phaup and his colleagues learned of Thaprek, the village an hour and half away from Pokhara. It hadnt been reached by outside help since the earthquake, and 18 of the 20 houses that were clustered together there had been damaged or destroyed. After visiting the site on motorbikes, the Hope for Nepal team gathered tools and suppliesincluding tin to serve as roofs for all the housesand hired a truck driver to take them to the village. Once the truck could take them no farther, the crew, along with villagers who came down the mountain, carried the tin and supplies up the path. Phaup and four fellow volunteers worked with the villagers to salvage whatever materials they could from the houses that had been destroyed. In one week, they rebuilt houses for two families and taught the community how to continue the work after they left. They can now look at what we didwhich wasnt beautiful, but was efficient and strongand build more temporary shelters themselves, he said. My dream is to go back to this village with some permanent housing ideas and rebuild for the same people. Colouring books may seem like the mainstay of the young, but their popularity among adults has increased in recent years. An official Game of Thrones colouring book, for example, is hardly appropriate for primary school children. Less gory and more relaxing are the wealth of mindfulness colouring books that have hit the market. In that vein, a recent article in The BMJ suggests that their use may help patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Previous studies have shown that colouring is effective for reducing anxiety, tension and depression, while randomised controlled trials found that creative interventions helped with stress, anxiety, depression, quality of life, mood, coping, and anger in patients undergoing treatment for cancer. When a patient at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff started colouring in birds with pencils, felt tips and glitter pens during chemoradiotherapy, other patients followed suit, requesting similar materials from relatives or staff. This successful foray inspired the BMJ article, in which the authors suggested that healthcare professionals could also benefit from such pursuits. A recent blog post written by a masters student in the field of art therapy suggests that the use of colouring books could be the first step towards a broader engagement with art therapy. If nothing else, the authors from the Velindre centre claim it provides distraction, rapport, joy, and relaxation. House of the Dragon's Daemon Targaryen is 'Internet's BF' and Show Producer is Baffled 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 }} A childrens picture book about slaves baking a birthday cake for George Washington has been pulled from shelves after an angry backlash over its upbeat tone. A Birthday Cake for George Washington was released on 5 January and tells the story of the first US presidents slave cook Hercules and his daughter Delia. To date, it has racked up over 100 one-star reviews on Amazons website while also sparking fury on social media over what many readers see as the disgustingly inaccurate, insulting sugar-coating of a brutal part of history that sprinkles glitter on rape, murder, torture and servitude. Publisher Scholastic apologised after concluding that the book may give a false impression of the reality of the lives of slaves. Distribution has ceased and all returns will be accepted. A statement read: While we have great respect for the integrity and scholarship of the author, illustrator, and editor, we believe that, without more historical background on the evils of slavery than this book for younger children can provide, the book may give a false impression of the reality of the lives of slaves and therefore should be withdrawn. Scholastic has a long history of explaining complex and controversial issues to children at all ages and grade levels. We do not believe this title meets the standards of appropriate presentation of information to younger children, despite the positive intentions and beliefs of the author, editor and illustrator. Scholastic provides a wide variety of fiction and informational books and magazines which teachers, parents and children rely on, including many devoted to African American experience, history and culture. We are committed to providing books, magazines and educational materials that portray the experience of all children, including those from diverse communities and backgrounds and we will continue to expand that commitment through our global publishing channels. Banned books Show all 11 1 /11 Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books The entire trilogy of E.L James' Fifty Shades of Grey was banned in Malaysia from 2015 for containing "sadistic" material and "threat to morality". Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books Banned books D.H Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover Banned books George Orwell's Animal Farm George Orwell'sAnimal Farm was banned in the USSR and other communist countries, and later in the United Arab Emirates. The book is still banned in North Korea and in Vietnam. Scholastic had originally sold the story with the following description: Everyone is buzzing about the presidents birthday! Especially George Washingtons servants, who scurry around the kitchen preparing to make this the best celebration ever. Oh how George Washington loves his cake! And oh, how he depends on Hercules, his head chef, to make it for him. Hercules, a slave, takes great pride in baking the presidents cake. But this year there is one problem they are out of sugar. This story, told in the voice of Delia, Herculess young daughter, is based on real events, and underscores the loving exchange between a very determined father and his eager daughter, who are faced with an unspoken, bittersweet reality. No matter how delicious the presidents cake turns out to be, Delia and Papa will not taste the sweetness of freedom. Author Ramin Ganeshram, illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton and editor Andrea Davis Pinkney included additional historical notes but failed to include them in the main story. Davis-Pinkney published a blog post in response, insisting that A Birthday Cake for George Washington does not take slaverys horror for granted and offers children and adults a way in as they speak to those issues. Ganeshram also wrote a blog post, emphasising that she had researched the book for four years and thought long and hard about each word and depiction. Bizarrely and yes, disturbingly, there were some enslaved people who had a better quality of life than others and close relationships with those who enslaved them, she said. But they were smart enough to use those advantages to improve their lives. Controversy over A Birthday Cake for George Washington follows a similar uproar last year over the publication of Emily Jenkins and Sophie Blackalls picture book, A Fine Dessert. Jenkins apologised for the story, featuring a smiling slave mother and daughter preparing a blackberry fool for their master, acknowledged that it was racially insensitive and promised to donate her earnings to a diversity in literature campaign. Similar depictions of smiling slaves were often used by slave owners to convey the ludicrous message that slavery benefitted African Americans and should be upheld. Publisher Schwartz & Wade has kept the book in print. 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 }} Steven Averys conviction for the murder of Teresa Halbach has become one of the most hotly debated topics in recent times due to the Netflix series Making a Murderer. Windmill Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House is set to release a book based on the same case in the UK, titled The Innocent Killer, written by Michael Griesbach. Recommended Read more Serial killer linked to the Making a Murderer by cold case expert Originally published in 2014 by the American Bar Association, much like the ten episode documentary, the book looks at Averys wrongful imprisonment in 1985, followed by his release 18 years later and his subsequent arrest in 2005. Griesbach, a Wisconsin prosecutor, worked on Averys original case, helping to overturn the rape conviction with the DNA evidence that came to light all those years later. In the first episode of Making a Murderer, he makes a brief appearance to talk about the wrongful conviction. 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 lawyer also reviewed all the evidence in the later case but recently stated he still thought Avery was guilty of the murder and disagreed with the filmmakers stance that evidence may have been planted. The Innocent Killer doesn't aim to prove anyones innocence, instead it examines the case in an attempt to show how flawed the US justice system is. Making A Murderer- Where are they now? After Making a Murderer premiered a petition was started, asking for Avery and his cousin t be pardoned, with over 380,000 viewers signing it. There have also been numerous claims that the documentary wrongfully left out multiple bits of key evidence, all of which you can read about here. The filmmakers have also spoken about the possibility of a second series. 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 }} Deadpools promotional run so far has been staggeringly prolific, self-parodic, rebellious and disruptive, so it wasnt entirely surprising when the producers screened the entire film for hundreds of fans out of the blue on Monday night, weeks before the 10 February release date. Fan events in New York City and Los Angeles promised an actor Q&A and first-look footage, but they got a whole lot more than that. Well, that went well, Ryan Reynolds wrote on Instagram. Surprising an entire theater full of people with an early screening of #Deadpool. It was a pretty ballsy move, coming at a time when advanced screenings are being limited more than ever for fear of camera footage of the film ending up online. The fans seemed pretty delighted by the movie (though bear in mind theyre a little biased/probably somewhat over-excited): Well, that went well. Surprising an entire theater full of people with an early screening of #Deadpool. Thank you everyone at VSauce for your help. #L A photo posted by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on Jan 18, 2016 at 9:27pm PST Deadpools promotional campaign has primarily focused on poking fun at everything, from romcoms to superhero films in general. With his most recent Spanish-themed poster, the Merc with a Mouth targeted rival superhero flick Suicide Squad, recreating the cartoon skull emblems seen on the recent set of posters. 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 }} Deadpools promotional campaign has primarily focused on poking fun at everything, from romcoms to superhero films in general. With the most recent Spanish-themed poster, the Merc with a Mouth has targeted rival superhero flick Suicide Squad, recreating the cartoonish style seen on the recent set of posters. The poster was Tweeted out by 20th Century Foxs Spanish account, along with the caption Porque combatir el crimen no deberia estar renido con ser cuqui, roughly translated to Because fighting crime should not be at odds with being cute. Suicide Squads tagline has been worst heroes ever, the film focussing on a group of villains brought together tby a shady looking government body to fight crime. The posters for the DC film were released just days before, and the resemblance between the two is strikingly similar. Suicide Squad character posters Show all 38 1 /38 Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters In other Deadpool news, the film has been banned in China due to violence, nudity and graphic language. It was for those reasons that led to the Motion Picture Association of America rating the film R - the near equivalent of a UK 15. 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 }} Leonardo DiCaprio is a grand name very befitting of a Hollywood star, and the story behind how he got it is quite charming. He shared the anecdote in an interview with NPR in 2014: 'My father tells me that they were on their honeymoon at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, I believe. They were looking at a da Vinci painting, and allegedly I started kicking furiously while my mother was pregnant. And my father took that as a sign, and I suppose DiCaprio wasn't that far from da Vinci. And so, my dad, being the artist that he is, said, "That's our boy's name."' As for his surname, DiCaprios father, George DiCaprio, is a half-Italian comic book artist and distributor, though most of DiCaprios immediate ancestry is German (his middle name is Wilhelm) and Russian, with the actor having previously described himself as half-Russian. Earlier in the week, DiCaprio expressed a desire to play several Russian historical figures. "Putin would be very, very, very interesting. I would like to play him," he told German publication Die Welt. "I think there should be more films about Russian history because it has many stories worthy of Shakespeare. That is fascinating for an actor, he enthused, Lenin also would be an interesting role. I would like also to star as Rasputin. 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 }} "It's taken some work, but I finally have them. The worst of the worst." Following Marvel's left-field successes with Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy, the DC cinematic universe now attempts to spin-off its own alternative to the Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman mainstays. David Ayer's Suicide Squad is the gritty, grimy offshoot; unrelentingly dark and willfully psychotic, it's immense hype plays on its promises to serve up something entirely different to the usual superhero fare. Recommended Read more New Suicide Squad trailer promises gloriously unhinged madness Sure, Harley Quinn and The Joker are here; but a lot of Suicide Squad's mystique also plays on the whole unknowingness of it all. Who exactly are these guys? Is there seriously someone in this team whose purpose revolves entirely around throwing boomerangs? Yes, yes there is. Let's break it down here. WHO'S IN THE TEAM Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) Quinn's a long-time fan favourite; her antics have already handed her a significant chunk of the film's spotlight, and Robbie is keen to assure fans she'll be just as "creepy, violent, crazy" as they'd expect. Once Harleen Quinzel, the former psychiatrist finds herself fallen obsessively in love with one her patients. That'll be The Joker; though some versions of her backstory paint her more as the victim of a lengthy torrent of brainwashing and abuse. Indeed, considering Suicide Squad's darker tones, it may likely turn out Harley Quinn's insanity isn't quite as gleeful and mischievous as it was when she was first created for Batman: The Animated Series. However she may have come under The Joker's spell, Suicide Squad's narrative very much deals with her breaking free of it and, as director Ayer explains, "becoming this fully actualised, independent person." Deadshot (Will Smith) Just like Quinn, Floyd Lawton severely lacks in the superpowers department; but the assassin sure makes up for it as the best shot in the business. And, if there's one thing to know, it's that Deadshot never misses his target. He's a hired killer enhanced by cybernetic implants, most famous for his trademark, glowing red eye. Smith's killer is defined by a deathwish fixation, a determination to go down in flames. A facet somewhat explained by the comic's tragic backstory, in which he accidentally shoots his own brother while defending him from their abusive father; it'll be interesting to see if the little girl seen in the first look serves a similar purpose here. The actor's added weight to the theory in his description of the character; "As the movie opens, [Deadshot] has a really big career score. He's looking to turn over a new leaf with his daughter after the hit, but it goes wrong. It goes terribly, terribly wrong. And it lands him in [prison] Belle Reve for life. Does that "terribly wrong" involve the death of that little girl, presumably a daughter? He's also hinted to some of Deadshot's own romantic entanglements; "Harley is the biggest troublemaker, but Deadshot's actually eyeballing her a little bit. Theres a pretty ragged romantic triangle there." Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) Yet another member without powers, this Rick Flag appears to specifically be Rick Flag Jr.; son to the Rick Flag of the original Suicide Squadron in World War II (though who knows if this will be referenced in the film), and hoping to continue his father's military career. Flag has often taken on the role of the Squad's leader; and, considering Tom Hardy was once in the role, it seems as if this may also be the case here. A notion backed up by the recent trailer, which sees him looking over the files belonging to the other members of the squad with a kind of puzzlement which suggests he might, indeed, be an outside agent hired by the government; topped off by his question, "What the hell's wrong with you people?" Indeed, he's essentially a straightforward military man, not so much of a villain compared to the rest of these miscreants. That said, he does have a reputation for mental instability in the comics; hence, again, why Hardy was probably interested in the role. The man does love a challenge. El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) The guy with the skull tattooed on his face. The film sees his third incarnation in the comics, Chato Santana, take to screen; a gangster with pyrokinetic powers. The comics see the character turn himself in to police when his fire-based hooliganism ends with the death of innocent women and children. His origin story does also involve him becoming possessed by the spirit of the former El Diablo, although the similarity to Enchantress' origins may see his fire powers sourced from elsewhere. Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) Fact one, he's Australian. Fact two, he loves boomerangs. That's basically all you need to know. Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) Alongside Quinn, Croc's likely the most recognisable member of the team thanks to his part in the Batman universe. His tough layer of skin, a result of atavism, makes him an intimidating foe; though he also possesses regenerative powers, superhuman strength, endurance, speed, and senses. Every team needs their muscle, and Akinnuoye-Agbaje's cannibal with rage issues provides exactly that. He's basically Thing/Hulk material. Katana (Karen Fukuhara) A perfect way to shake up this brutish team, Katana is actually a superhero in the comics world, having once been a member of the Justice League. There, Tatsu Yamashiro is a Japanese woman trained in the samurai arts after her family is killed by the Yakuza. Here, she's been tagged as Flag's bodyguard; not an enlisted member of the Squad but a willing volunteer. Which will surely make her motives through the story's running all the more interesting. We also know the film will see her wield the blade Soultaker which, as you guessed, captures the souls of those who fall by its hand and allows its possessor to communicate with them. That explains all the whispy smoke and blackening eyes from the main trailer. Slipknot (Adam Beach) We've sadly seen very little of Slipknot so far, as portrayed by Canadian First Nations actor Adam Beach. All we do know is that he's essentially a mercenary-type like Rick Flag and Deadshot, but one with a particular skill in ropes. The actor described him to Comic Book Resource as a kind of morally impaired fighter who'd do anything for the right price, while his rope skills set him up as the team's handy escape plan; "Give me a rope and I can fight with it... They were teaching me a move where if you try to throw a punch, I can use a rope to grab that punch, put the rope around your neck and just drop my weight and it snaps your neck. There's a lot of martial art skills you can use with the rope and it was pretty cool, man!" MAYBE IN THE TEAM? Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) Enchantress is seen bathing in a grim-looking bog in front of a pentagram Enchantress' positioning in a lot of the marketing heavily suggests the character's powers may be the source of the film's main action. We've already glimpsed her humble beginnings as June Moore, an artist who stumbles across a magical being in an ancient cavern and becomes possessed by its spirit, earning herself healing and teleportation powers along the way. In the film's first look, we see her in some sort of cave exploration gear, before later shivering in some grimy looking water and looking thoroughly possessed; plus the plot synopsis references the team's "mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity", suggesting Moore's inhabiting spirit may spend the film's runtime spiralling increasingly out of control. That said, the new trailer does seem to list her alongside the other members; though it seems significant she's yet to be seen in a prison uniform. Will things end with The Enchantress being offered a space on the team? The Joker (Jared Leto) Jared Leto plays iconic psychotic villain The Joker in Suicide Squad Having already been so iconicly portrayed on screen by the likes of Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson, Leto's going to have to really wow audiences to stave off the negative press his tattooed, crazed hair appearance has so far been attracting. It's not exactly clear what part the Joker has yet to play; the trailers suggesting that he's clearly integral in Quinn's backstory, is causing some sort of generic mayhem in the city, and that he also appears as part of a chase sequence involving his own car (with Quinn in tow) and the Batmobile. Could he be a later inductee into the team, however? NOT IN THE SQUAD Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) She's the one in charge, basically. Waller, a government agent, brainstorms a little plan to fight evil by rounding up the worst supervillains she can get her hands on. How? As she confesses, getting people to act against their own self-interests is just part of her job. Shes relentless in her villainy, Davis told Empire about her role. When you look at her, theres nothing that seems dangerous. Her only power is her intelligence and her complete lack of guilt. Batman (Ben Affleck) We're well acquainted with Batman, but it's worth noting Baffleck will indeed be getting a cameo here, as seen in the trailer's chase sequence. However, with the actor spotted on set dressed as Bruce Wayne, it appears he'll be doing a little more than a quick, one scene appearance. 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 }} Spider-Man fans, prepare to have your dreams crushed, as scientists have revealed that impossibly large hands and feet would be required to let a human stick to a wall. Researchers at Cambridge University have stated that the gecko is the largest animal able to support its own weight and scale buildings without falling off. For humans to mimic a gecko we would need to evolve 43-inch hands and European size 145 feet as the bigger and heavier the animal, the greater the body surface required to be sticky. This means we would require 40 per cent of our body surfaces to be covered in adhesives. Sadly, its just never going to happen, despite what your favourite superhero would have you believe. Upcoming Marvel films Show all 10 1 /10 Upcoming Marvel films Upcoming Marvel films In 2019: Inhumans 12 July 2019 Upcoming Marvel films In 2019: Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 3 May 2019 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2018: Black Panther 6 July 2018 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2018: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 4 May 2018 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2017: Thor: Ragnarok 3 November 2017 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2017: Untitled Spider-Man 28 July 2017 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2017: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 5 May 2017 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2016: Doctor Strange 4 November 2016 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2016: Captain America: Civil War 6 May 2016 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2015: Ant-Man 17 July 2015 Marvel Dr David Labonte from Cambridges Department of Zoology explained that as animals increase in size, the amount of body surface area per volume decreases - an ant has a lot of surface area and very little volume and a blue whale is mostly volume with not much surface area. He continued, according to the BBC: This poses a problem for larger climbing species because, when they are bigger and heavier, they need more sticking power to be able to adhere to vertical or inverted surfaces, but they have comparatively less body surface available to cover with sticky footpads. This implies that there is a size limit to sticky footpads as an evolutionary solution to climbing - and that turns out to be about the size of a gecko. The scientists did discover that larger animals such as frogs have started developing stickier rather than bigger pads but, alas, your Spidey suit is destined to remain as nothing more than a fancy dress costume for now. Pin all your hopes on technology because biology just failed us. Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This 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 Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Kanye West is reportedly threatening to release a David Bowie covers album following the Starman singers unexpected death last week. Update: Over 20,000 people have now signed the petition This is only a rumour at present, with nothing confirmed by either the rapper or anyone connected with him, but that hasnt stopped a petition emerging to stop him going all Ziggy Stardust on us. Blame The Daily Star for sparking the speculation. The tabloid claims that West has been busy laying down his tribute to Bowie with versions of hits such as Rebel Rebel and Heroes. Some are straightforward covers with Kanye actually singing. On others he is rapping with his own lyrics over Bowies music, an unnamed source told the paper. Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Show all 12 1 /12 Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Kanye West's greatest self comparisons God: I am God's vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live. Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Steve Jobs: I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means. I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of Internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump. Getty David Paul Morris/Getty Images Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Walt Disney: I'm more of a Walt Disney or something. Rap is just a chamber of my thoughts. [They're] something that I really wanted to express as a modern day poet. Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Braveheart: I feel like a little bit, like, Im the Braveheart of creativity. Getty 20th Century Fox Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Willy Wonka: I want to be as unrealistic as possible. The worst thing about me comparing myself to Steve Jobs in that it's too realistic of an idea. What I need to stay is I'm more like Willy Wonka. Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Picasso: No matter how they try to control you, or the motherfucker next to you tries to peer pressure you, you can do what you motherf**king want. I am Picasso." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Hermes: "Visiting my mind is like visiting the Hermes factory. S**t is real. Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Michelangelo: "When I think of competition it's like I try to create against the past. I think about Michelangelo and Picasso, you know..." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons The Pyramids: "... the pyramids." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Thomas Edison: "I am Thomas Edison." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Soldiers: "You're literally going out to do your job every day knowing that something could happen to you." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons The Police: This is like being a police officer or something." Getty Getty Images The report also alleges that West believes the torch of musical innovation has been passed to him, which predictably has Bowies fans up in arms. To date more than 750 people have signed Peter Piranhas petition, Stop Kanye West recording covers of David Bowies music with protesters branding Yeezy a talentless arsewipe who couldnt lace Davids boots. Others have been recalling Wests divisive rendition of Queens classic hit Bohemian Rhapsody at Glastonbury and accusing the rapper of cashing in on Bowies death. Organist plays David Bowie's Life On Mars in touching tribute Wests representative is yet to respond to our request for comment but is believed to have denied the reports to TMZ. This article was corrected on 20 January to remove a line suggesting West discovered Bowie's music after his death. 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 }} The thought that the Isis flag may one day fly over the Houses of Parliament may seem like a joke, but not for the radicalised Muslims featured in Channel 4's The Jihadis Next Door. The film followed a group of Britain's most dangerous extremists for two years, giving unprecedented access into the bubbling undercurrent of home-grown terrorism. Documentary maker Jamie Roberts even spent time with Siddhartha Dhar (aka Abu Rumaysah), the former bouncy castle salesman who is now suspected to be the second Jihadi John. The father of four was shown rummaging around his messy north-east London garage before proudly revealing his Isis flag. Recommended Read more Muslim man delivers impassioned response to Jihadis Next Door The views expressed in the film are only likely to add fuel to the Islamophobia fire raging in the wake of the recent Paris attacks and Isis beheading videos. The men featured want to enforce strict sharia law in Britain. Abu Haleema, who enrages non-believers just by his beard (and it was quite a beard), told the camera that people should be stoned to death in Britain for homosexuality, gambling, drinking and committing adultery. But the documentary also showed a human side to these dangerous characters. Charismatic preacher Haleema, who has a huge following on YouTube, often spoke with comic effect. If he wasn't disappointed by the police confiscating his daughter's Mario Kart Nintendo game, he was showing off about using olive oil moisturising cream on his beard because it smells nice like vanilla. The documentary avoided having an agenda about such an incendiary issue. When the extremist group preached in public, fellow Muslims were always shown speaking out against them. The radicals were also clever about evading any questions that could incriminate them. Although it was clear they all supported Isis, they never said so explicitly. Leader Mohammed Shamsuddin claimed that there is no freedom of speech in Britain, but the UK's liberal values have helped his group to thrive. The film did well to raise so many questions about how to tackle radicalisation, even if the solution seems so complex. 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 }} Scientists have worked out the best way of removing the millions of tons of plastic waste floating in the oceans a time bomb that threatens to poison the marine ecosystem. It is estimated that about eight million tons of plastic debris such as food packaging and plastic bottles are being washed into the oceans each year, where it is broken down into smaller microplastics that act as a magnet for chemical toxins ingested by the smallest sea creatures. The cumulative amount of plastic in the ocean is set to increase tenfold by 2020, with the consequences extending centuries into the future because of the length of time it takes for plastics to biodegrade resulting in calls for a global initiative to collect plastic waste floating on the sea surface. There is already an ambitious, crowdfunded plan to gather plastic waste circulating in a huge garbage patch in the middle of the Pacific Ocean using 100km-long, inflatable booms aligned across sea currents. But a new study suggests that this will be far more effective if carried out near densely-populated coastlines, especially off China and Indonesia, where much of the waste enters the sea. The so-called Great Pacific garbage patch is a highly visible illustration of the scale of the global problem. However, the researchers believe it would be better to tackle the clean-up nearer to its source on land, where an equivalent of five grocery bags of plastic is being dumped each year on every foot of coastline in the world, say scientists. The study, carried out by a team at Imperial College London, compared two hypothetical methods of collecting marine plastic over a 10-year period between 2015 and 2025 either by skimming the waste from the middle of the ocean or by positioning the collecting booms just off the coast near densely-populated areas. Computer modelling suggested that placing collecting devices nearer the coasts would remove about 31 per cent of microplastics the smaller plastic chips and fibres that result from the environmental breakdown of larger items. However, when all the collecting booms are placed inside the circulating, mid-ocean garbage patches, only 17 per cent of microplastics would be removed, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. It makes sense to remove plastics where they first enter the ocean around dense coastal economic and population centres. It also means you can remove the plastics before they have had a chance to do any harm. Plastics in the patch have travelled a long way and potentially already done a lot of harm, said Erik van Sebille of Imperial College, who led the work. Although there is a huge mass of plastic waste circulating in the the ocean gyres circular ocean currents it would be more efficient to tackle the problem from where most of the waste enters the sea in the first place, which coincidentally is richer in marine wildlife, said Peter Sherman, an undergraduate physics student involved with the study. Recommended Read more Illegal fish bladder trade puts marine species at risk of extinction The Great Pacific garbage patch has a huge mass of microplastics, but the largest flow of plastics is actually off the coasts, where it enters the oceans. There is a lot of plastic in the patch, but its a relative dead zone for life compared with the richness around the coasts, Mr Sherman said. We need to clean up ocean plastics, and ultimately this should be achieved by stopping the source of pollution. However, this will not happen overnight, so a temporary solution is needed, and clean-up projects could be it, if they are done well. A study last year of 192 countries found that most of the plastic waste in the oceans comes from people living within 50km of the coastline. It estimated that 275 million tons of plastic waste is generated each year around the world and between 4.8 million and 12.7 million tons ends up either being washed or dumped deliberately into the sea. Another analysis found that 90 per cent of seabirds have swallowed plastics and that these birds are concentrated around coastlines. Predictions of how the quantity of plastic waste will increase took into account the growing industrialisation of developing countries, population growth and attempts to limit the flow of plastic debris into the oceans based on waste-management activities on land. Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This 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 IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Did you get a black box for Christmas? I don't mean the aircraft flight-recorder type, but a box in which to stash your precious supplies of liquorice. I'm referring, of course, to the black box that Nigella brandished during her most recent TV series, when she was making a liquorice and blackcurrant chocolate cake. Her raptures over her box of black magic prompted howls of derision from tabloids and twitterati along the lines of: Off to the kitchen to get my liquorice box. Don't tell me you haven't got one! Nigella's bizarre box may have provided befuddlement for her viewers and fuel for her detractors. But it also highlights something even more interesting: the growing popularity of the mysterious black stuff inside it. For most of us, liquorice equates to gaudily coloured Liquorice Allsorts, which apparently got their name around 1900 when a rep for Bassett's, who made them, got his samples mixed up so the company decided to make a virtue of it. Some people, like me, may have tolerated the stick of liquorice in a Sherbet Fountain as a child for the sake of guzzling its powdery casing or, as an adult, sipped liquorice tea and been surprised by its sweet aftertaste. But that's probably about it. With the exception of those living in Pontefract (about which more later), few of us have seen or chewed the liquorice plant's woody roots, which the ancient Egyptians (and numerous subsequent civilisations) chewed or boiled down as a healing drug. Did you know a stick was even found in Tutankhamun's tomb? Now, though, we're rediscovering liquorice. We're realising it doesn't just have to be cheap confectionary, but can have all sorts (if you'll excuse the pun) of culinary applications. Life-long liquorice loathers are discovering that this ancient root can be incredibly delicious. Nigella may have helped spread the word to the extent that the main UK website selling all things liquorice temporarily crashed after her programme but the main drive for liquorice's growth in popularity comes from Scandinavia, where it is widely used. At Noma, Rene Redzepi has long been using liquorice as an ingredient in sweet and savoury dishes. In domestic Scandinavian kitchens, the products of the Danish firm Lakrids, such as liquorice powder or drops, and sweet or salty liquorice syrups, are larder staples. In fact, it was a pot of Lakrids' Salty Liquorice Syrup, zealously guarded in her black box, that earned Nigella's most effusive enthusiasm, echoing her earlier excitement over the liquorice-salt combo in her book Nigelissima. I have expressed my passion for salted caramel elsewhere. But here I must declare my deep, almost deviant, love for salted liquorice, she wrote. Deviant or not, could salted liquorice replace salted caramel as the next big thing? The syrups, which blend carefully sourced liquorice with top-quality molasses, make fantastic ice cream toppers, although Peter Husted Sylvest, Lakrids' sales director, also loves them with poached pears and Gorgonzola. The company sources the best liquorice roots from Calabria in southern Italy, Afghanistan and Iran, he says. They are cooked for around 36 hours, reduced to a hard mass and then pulverised. The resulting powder is dissolved in molasses. People are always surprised that liquorice is not actually a sweet but a spice. It provides umami to both sweet and savoury dishes, Peter says. We've managed to convert a lot of people who thought they hated liquorice. People's palates have been affected by cheap, low-quality sweets. Our gourmet liquorice products are totally different. It's like comparing a Reliant Robin to a Rolls-Royce. UK-based chefs are certainly loving liquorice, often using it in savoury dishes. At the Ledbury, Brett Graham includes it in a puree of white onions to accompany pigeon, and roasts meats with it. At the Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal famously poaches salmon in liquorice jelly. Francesco Mazzei also makes ample use of liquorice which flourishes in his native Calabria. His newly opened Sartoria, in London, offers home-cured baccala marinated in liquorice, while his previous restaurant, L'Anima, was famed for its fillets of wild boar marinated in liquorice, bergamot and chilli. One of liquorice's fiercest champions is Anna Hansen, the Kiwi chef-owner of the Modern Pantry in London. She had a Danish grandmother so grew up with the black stuff. Liquorice is a star ingredient, and one that's rarely off our menu, she says. It works brilliantly with chocolate. It's also great in berry jams and compotes raspberry and blackcurrant are particularly good. For savoury dishes, add a dash to a grilled meat dressing or jus, or pop some into a stock for poaching meats. Liquorice is also gaining a new lease of life in Pontefract, Yorkshire, where, thanks to the area's rich loamy soils, the root has thrived almost continuously since being brought over by monks as a medicinal herb in the Middle Ages. Later, the town's liquorice was turned into sweets, including its famous Pontefract cakes (see box). But by the 20th century, locally grown liquorice had been replaced by cheaper imports. Four years ago, Heather and Rob Copley, who are farmers, decided it was time to take Pontefract back to its roots and planted 100 liquorice plants. Last autumn they harvested their first roots over 5ft long. Many of Pontefract's over-forties remember chewing the fresh root as children, it's delicious. So we'll be selling fresh liquorice in 6in sticks, Heather says. She plans to make her own extract for use in cooking, too. The Copleys also intend to seek protected-name status for Pontefract liquorice. Liquorice is an important part of our heritage, so it's exciting to be growing it again, says Heather. People are realising that liquorice is not just a sweet, but an exciting culinary ingredient as well. If you weren't lucky enough to be given a black box this Christmas, perhaps you'll invest in one. Or maybe a simple kitchen cupboard will do. farmercopleys.co.uk allthingsliquorice.co.uk liquorice.nu Dark matter: the origins of liquorice Liquorice was probably brought to Pontefract in the Middle Ages by monks who saw it as an important medicinal plant. More than 50 times as sweet as sugar hence its Greek name Glycyrrhiza, meaning sweet root it was also used as a sweetener before the introduction of sugar from the West Indies. By the 17th century, Pontefract's liquorice was being formed into medicinal round disks, or cakes, that were chewed. Later a local family, the Dunhills, added sugar to make sweet Pontefract cakes. Over the centuries these cakes were stamped with images such as a castle representing Pontefract's own or a gate topped with an owl. By the outbreak of the Second World War, Pontefract's manufacture of liquorice sweets, including the cakes, had peaked and they were exported worldwide. The town's liquorice growers, however, couldn't supply enough raw liquorice to keep up with demand so some had to be imported. Pontefract growers soon struggled to compete on price, and in 1966 the last liquorice roots were lifted. Today Pontefract still celebrates its liquorice tradition with an annual Liquorice Festival in July, at which you can try a range of liquorice delights from sweets to ice cream, stout and sausages. Chocolate liquorice delice Chocolate liquorice delice By Anna Hansen Ingredients to serve 6 370ml milk 330ml double cream 5 egg yolks 120g caster sugar 250g dark chocolate 70 per cent, chopped 25g liquorice paste or juice sticks broken into pieces Wafers and pink grapefruit to garnish To make the delice, put the milk, cream and pieces of liquorice juice stick (but not the paste if you are using that) into a pan and bring to boiling point. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture then pour back into the pan and cook gently, stirring constantly until thickened. Pour the hot custard over the chopped chocolate and whisk gently until it has completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the liquorice paste now, if using, and then pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press some baking parchment or cling film on to the surface to prevent a skin forming and leave to cool, then chill for at least two hours or preferably overnight. To serve, place a scoop of the delice on each plate, lay a pink grapefruit segment on top, then a wafer and a spoonful of whipped cream. 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 diverse group of scientists and technologists, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and famed physicist Stephen Hawking, have been named as the winners of 2015's 'Luddite Award', for their warnings over the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) and 'killer robots'. The award, which is issued by Washington DC-based think tank the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), is awarded annually to highlight the year's worst "anti-technology ideas and policies." Although Hawking and Musk weren't directly named as nominees, they were part of a group of more than 1,000 luminaries from the worlds of science and technology who signed an open letter calling for a ban on "offensive autonomous weapons," or as they are better known 'killer robots'. The letter, which was also signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and philosopher Noam Chomsky, was a warning to the scientific community over the possible risks of militarised artificially intelligent robots. While the text of the letter acknowledged that AI could have huge benefits to humanity, it warned the use of the technology in warfare could be hugely destructive, and could potentially lead to the end of humanity if a man-made superintelligence 'turned' on its creators. Clearly unimpressed by these warnings over AI, ITIF made a veiled reference to the letter's signatories, by including "alarmists touting an artificial intelligence apocalypse" and "advocates seeking a ban on 'killer robots'" in their list of nominees for the award. Artists in Pakistan target drones with giant posters of child victims Show all 5 1 /5 Artists in Pakistan target drones with giant posters of child victims Artists in Pakistan target drones with giant posters of child victims Pakistan A poster bearing the image of a Pakistani girl whose parents, lawyers say, were killed in a drone strike, lies in a field at an undisclosed location in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. A group of artists in Pakistan are hoping to generate "empathy" among US drone operators by placing giant posters of children in the country's troubled tribal regions Artists in Pakistan target drones with giant posters of child victims Pakistan Crowd gather next to the poster, which targets predator drone operators in Pakistan Artists in Pakistan target drones with giant posters of child victims Pakistan The portrait of the nameless child was released with the hashtag: #hashNotABugSplat Artists in Pakistan target drones with giant posters of child victims Pakistan In military slang predator drone operators refer to victims as 'bug splats' because when you view the bodies from a grainy video they appear to look like crushed insects Artists in Pakistan target drones with giant posters of child victims Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a heavily bombed area home to many drone attacks; the artists hope that the image of the young girl might make operators think twice Also nominated by ITIF were "The Center for Food Safety fighting genetically improved food," and "Californias governor vetoing RFID in drivers licenses," among several others. After a month-long public vote, the "alarmists" who warned of an AI apocalypse, which included the signatories of the letter and many others, were deemed the winners, with 27 per cent of the vote. Commenting on the Luddite Award, which takes its name from the English anti-technology movement that sprung up during the later part of the Industrial Revolution, ITIF President Robert D. Atkinson criticised the 'demonisation' of AI that took place in 2015. "It is deeply unfortunately that luminaries such as Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have contributed to feverish hand-wringing about a looming artificial intelligence apocalypse," he said. "Do we think either of them personally are Luddites? No, of course not. They are pioneers of science and technology. But they and others have done a disservice to the public - and have unquestionably given aid and comfort to an increasingly pervasive neo-Luddite impulse in society today - by demonising AI in the popular imagination." He added: If we want to continue increasing productivity, creating jobs, and increasing wages, then we should be accelerating AI development, not raising fears about its destructive potential." Atkinson also pointed out the irony of Elon Musk being part of the winning group, considering the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has contributed significantly to the development of safe AI through his creation of OpenAI, a non-profit which aims to advance the technology in a way that can benefit humanity. 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 }} Waiting times at the A&E department of Scotlands newest and most expensive hospital were the worst in the country at the start of the year, according to official figures, as ministers admitted emergency rooms were coming under substantial increased pressure. A quarter of patients who visited the emergency department at the 842 million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow were not seen within the target time of four hours in the week ending 10 January, the statistics showed. The Scottish Governments target is for 95 per cent to be seen within this time. The hospital has been beset by problems since it opened in April last year, with one senior nurse describing conditions inside as like Beirut. Earlier this month it emerged that a 90-year-old woman was forced to lie on a trolley for eight hours without a pillow as she waited to be seen by doctors. Recommended Read more NHS England misses waiting times target for routine operations Glasgow Royal Infirmary had the second poorest performing emergency department, the figures showed, with 76.3 per cent of patients seen within the target time well below the Scottish average of 88 per cent. Overall, 527 people spent more than eight hours in A&E and 85 waited for more than 12 hours. Scottish Labours public services spokesperson Dr Richard Simpson accused the SNP of operating a policy of crisis management with Scotlands NHS services and said his party would invest in social care to relieve the burden being placed on the nations hospitals. 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 These shocking figures show that the SNP are failing patients and staff in our NHS, he added. Our NHS staff are being overstretched week in, week out. We know that only a third of NHS staff think they have the support and the resources to do their jobs properly. This is the result of the SNP cutting the health budget. Last summer the Scottish Government sent in a team of experts to help staff at the Queen Elizabeth improve A&E waiting times, with performance rising markedly as a result. However, within a matter of months results had dipped again. Responding to the latest figures, Health Secretary Shona Robison said the week following the Christmas break was one of the most demanding of the year and pointed out that overall A&E performance across Scotland was nearly 5 per cent better than at the same time in 2015. This is a time of substantial increased pressure on our NHS, she added. This first week of the year came after a four-day public holiday and we know that also impacts on performance the following week. Our clear focus is now on supporting boards and hard working staff to ease pressure across the system. 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 }} Pregnant women who regularly eat three potions of fish may benefit their childs brains development for years, a new study has suggested. Spanish scientists conducted the study to identify whether seafood is beneficial for a childs neuropsychological development. The study involved almost 2,000 pairs of mothers and children from the Spanish Childhood and Environment Project population study, who were assessed in the first trimester of pregnancy to the childs fifth birthday. The women involved ate swordfish, albacore tuna, shell fish, smaller oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, anchovies and salmon, as well as lean fish like hake, sole. Their blood was then tested for levels of vitamin D and iodine, while umbilical cord blood was screened for mercury and other pollutants. When the children reached 14-months, researchers studied them using the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test, as well as the Bayley and McCarthy scales, which measure development and ability, respectively. The paper published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that eating more than 340g of seafood a week was linked to better neuropsychological scores in children. However, childrens test scores improved with every 10g of fish women ate above 500g, up to 600g, Reuters reported. Lean fish and oily fish specifically showed correlation with better scores on the McCarthy and Childhood Asperger Syndrome tests. Researchers also found that women who ate 600g of fish each week while they were pregnant were not affected by mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) linked with the food. Past studies have found these substances to be neurotoxic, and can affect a babys nervous system. Lead author Jordi Julvez, of the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, told Reuters that seafood is a known source of nutrients essential for brain development. Citing US guidleines which advise women to limit their food intake to 340g a week, Dr Julvez said: "I think that in general people should follow the current recommendations. "Nevertheless this study pointed out that maybe some of them, particularly the American ones, should be less stringent." Further research must be carried out to better understand how eating fish affects development in order to give women better guidance. Food trends in 2016 Show all 11 1 /11 Food trends in 2016 Food trends in 2016 Celeriac root We had a kale obsession in 2015, but 2016s vegetable sine qua non is predicted to be the knobbly celeriac root. Celeriac milk (Tom Hunt at Poco in Bristol serves it with winter mussels and wild water celery), celeriac cooked in Galician beef fat (from Adam Rawson of Pachamama, hot new chef in the capital) and salt-baked celeriac (to be found in Matthew and Iain Penningtons kitchens at The Ethicurean in the West Country) are just a few examples. Getty Images Food trends in 2016 Middle Eastern food The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook (24.95, Phaidon) by grand-dame Salma Hage, author of the bestseller The Lebanese Kitchen (whose halva is pictured here), is out in April Liz & Max Haarala Hamilton Food trends in 2016 Non-alcoholic cocktails Grain Store mixologist Tony Conigliaro has created Roman Redhead, a riot of red grape juice, beetroot, pale ale and verjus, and Rose Iced Tea (black tea, rose petals, anise essence, pictured here) Food trends in 2016 Gin The discerning will be slurping Hepple gin from chef Valentine Warner and cocktail guru Nick Strangeway which is punctuated with bog-myrtle nuances Food trends in 2016 Argyll and Bute Restaurant followers are getting in a froth about Pam Brunton in Scotland, who opened the Inver restaurant in Argyll and Bute to acclaim last year Food trends in 2016 Andy Olivers Som Saa One of the most eagerly awaited restaurants of 2016 will be the permanent incarnation of Andy Olivers remarkable pop-up Som Saa opening very soon in east London. Oliver, who worked at Thai god David Thompsons Nahm in Bangkok, raised a whopping 700,000 through crowdfunding, and is renowned for his piquant Thai flavours and obsessive attention to detail, including in his home ferments and DIY coconut cream Adam Weatherley Food trends in 2016 Venison Another ruminant in vogue is venison, with Sainsburys doubling its line for 2016. It provides a protein-packed punch, with B vitamins and iron, and its low in fat. Its entry into the mainstream is in part thanks to the Scottish restaurant Mac and Wild, just opened in London, whose Celtic head chef Andy Waugh (who also runs the Wild Game Co) has been touting it as street food for years (his venison burger pictured here) Food trends in 2016 Goat From Brett Grahams The Ledbury to Angela Hartnetts kitchens at Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest, Cabrito is the go-to goat supplier among the chef cognoscenti (roasted loin of kid pictured here) but this year, domestic cooks can get in on the action, as Sushila Moles and James Whetlor of Cabrito offer their meat through Ocado Mike Lusmore / mikelusmore.com Food trends in 2016 Coffee Coffee sage George Crawford is launching the much-anticipated Cupsmith with his partner, Emma. Crawford believes that 2016 is the year purist coffee will finally meet the masses; Cupsmiths mission will be to make craft coffee as popular as craft beer on the high street. The company roasts Arabica beans in small batches, improving its quality but sells it online, at cupsmith.com, in an approachable way: expect cheerful packaging and names such as Afternoon Reviver Coffee (designed for drinking with milk no matter how uncouth, most of us want milk) and Glorious Espresso Julia Conway Food trends in 2016 120-day-old steak Hanging meat for extremely long lengths of time has become an art. In Cumbria, Lake Road Kitchens James Cross is plating up 120-day-old steak (pictured here). The beef is from influential ager Dan Austin of Lake District Farmers, who is currently investigating the individual bacterial cultures that go into this maturing process Food trends in 2016 Lotus root Diners can expect root-to-stem dining - cue the full lotus deployed by the Michelin-starred Indian Benares in its kamal kakdi aur paneer korma Getty Images The NHS currently recommends that pregnant women do not eat shark, swordfish and marlin because they contain high levels of mercury. Tuna should be kept to 140g a week: equal to two steaks or four medium-sized cans. The bodys website adds that pregnant women do not need to give up oily fish over concerns about PCBs, but should stick to two portions a week maximum of salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines, pilchards, and fresh tuna as the canned variety is not part of this category. Pregnant women should also limit themselves to two portions of dogfish (or rock salmon), sea bass, sea bream, turbot, halibut and crab. However, women do not need to be concerned about the amount of cod, haddock, plaice, coley, skate, hake, flounder and gurnard they eat. 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 makers of Wallace and Gromit have produced a short film to address people's misconceptions about dementia. The online video from Aardman Animations features former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston, whose father Ronnie died following a 14-year battle with the illness. The 90-second film for Alzheimer's Research UK uses stop motion techniques to show an orange being stripped away to demonstrate how diseases that cause dementia physically attack the brain. The brain of an Alzheimer's sufferer can weigh around 140 grams less than a healthy brain - about the weight of an orange. Eccleston, 51, said he hoped the film would fight the misunderstanding and fatalism that surrounds dementia in our society. He said: We have to think differently about dementia. We have to stop believing dementia is an inevitability - something that simply happens to us all as we grow older. If we don't, we're never going to truly fight it. Dementia is caused by diseases and diseases can be beaten. We've tamed diseases like cancer and heart disease and a diagnosis of either is no longer a certain death sentence. People with dementia deserve this same hope. This film aims to show that dementia is caused by physical processes that scientists can put a stop to. 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 Hilary Evans, chief executive of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: Major breakthroughs have been made in the battle against Aids and cancer, and research will bring these same life-changing advancements in the field of dementia. To get there, we must stop fearing dementia as something that just happens as we age, and focus on fighting the diseases, most commonly Alzheimer's, that are the root cause of it. There are still no treatments that can slow or stop the disease processes in the brain, but with the support of a nation, Alzheimer's Research UK will win the fight against dementia. Aardman, the Oscar-winning animation studio based in Bristol, developed the film with Alzheimer's Research UK and creative agency ais London. PA 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 UK engineering group which helped with the reconstruction of post-war Iraq has parted ways with its high-profile boss after the board lost confidence in him following a cash squeeze. The oil and gas engineer Amec Foster Wheeler, which won a $1bn contract to build sewage systems in the war-ravaged country in 2004, said Samir Brikho has left with immediate effect. Ian McHoul, the finance boss, will step in as interim chief executive but said he does not want the job full time. A search for a successor outside the group has begun. Amec got into trouble following the turmoil in the oil market and upset shareholders by halving its dividend in November. The shares have slumped 49 per cent over the past 12 months, but rose 3.7p to 392p. Mr Brikho, who took over as chief executive in 2006, engineered the 1.9bn merger of Amec and Foster Wheeler in February 2014. The debt-fuelled deal should have been his crowning achievement, but the slump in the commodity market put a squeeze on the companys ability to pay back debt. It is trying to refinance 1bn of debt and recently had its credit rating downgraded to one notch above junk. We believe Samir Brikho would have preferred to remain with Amec Foster Wheeler in order to engineer its recovery, but that he has lost the boards confidence, Mirabauds analyst David Thomas said. Ian McHoul, CFO since 2008, will have supported the CEO in the acquisition of Foster Wheeler, and for many investors may also be viewed as being tarred with the same brush as Mr Brikho. The refinancing task most of its credit lines expire next February will be made more difficult without a permanent chief executive, although Mr McHoul will still be on hand to lead negotiations. Mr Brikho was a high-profile business figure who was appointed by Prime Minister David Cameron to be a UK business ambassador during the last parliament. He regularly attended the annual finance jamboree of world leaders in Davos and was due to go this year, but has cancelled the trip in the wake of his exit. 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 }} Stock markets around the world may be overreacting to the threat of falling oil prices and a downturn in the Chinese economy, according to the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. Maurice Obstfeld said that China's economic growth was actually in line with IMF expectations and that the falling price of oil could benefit the consumer. It's not a stretch to suggest that (markets) may be reacting very strongly to rather small bits of evidence in an environment of volatility and risk aversion, Obstfeld said at a news conference. The oil price puts stresses on oil exporters... but there is a silver lining for consumers worldwide, so it's not an unmitigated negative. Chinese shares have had a disastrous start to the year, stoking fears about the fragility of the Chinese economy. But GDP growth came in at the expected 6.9 per cent in 2015, marking a slowdown but not beyond expectations. Onlookers have adopted an increasingly panicked tone as markets have failed to steady. RBS cried "sell everything" in the second week of January, in an alarmist research note warning of a global deflationary crisis. Sell everything except high quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a crowded hall, exit doors are small, RBS said in a note to clients. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Obstfeld warned against the dangers of overreacting. "Financial markets have been known to overreact in the past," he said. According to the IMF world economic update for 2016, the key transitions that will influence global outlook are: the gradual slowdown and rebalancing of economic activity in China away from investment and manufacturing toward consumption and services lower prices for oil and other commodities a gradual tightening of interest rates in the US and around the world The IMF revised global growth forecasts down by 0.2 per cent for 2016 and 2017. The global economy is now expected to grow by 2.1 per cent in 2016 and hold steady in 2017. Growth expectations were hit by Brazil, where the Petrobras scandal has caused prolonged political upheaval. The Middle East, where oil prices and conflict weigh on growth and the US, which is expected to hold steady rather than take off, contributed to lowering expectations. 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 }} Tatas most senior boss in Europe has opened fire on EU politicians after the steel maker was forced to lay off a further 1,050 workers to protect against cheap Chinese imports. Karl Koehler, who is chief executive of the Indians conglomerates European arm, said EU and UK policymakers were not doing enough to stem a glut of Chinese imports flooding the market. Mr Koehler added that the UK government should do more to support the beleaguered sector by overhauling business rates and energy incentives: We need the European Commission to accelerate its response to unfairly traded imports and increase the robustness of its actions. Not doing so threatens the future of the entire European steel industry. Tatas steel plant in Port Talbot, which has been churning out metal since 1901, will bear the brunt of the losses, with 750 job losses at its coiling unit. The division, known as Strip Products, makes strips of steel for products such as JCB tractors and bathtubs. A further 200 jobs in support functions will go, as will 100 roles at mills in Hartlepool, Corby and Trostre. Gareth Stace, the director of the trade body UK Steel, said: This is a site of critical importance to our national industrial infrastructure. The job cuts reinforce everything we have been saying about the importance of swift action by all involved to tackle the problems facing our steel industry. We have been dealing for some time with a toxic cocktail of conditions, from Chinese dumping of steel to the high cost of energy, and have warned that a strong and rapid response in the UK, and in Brussels, is required. The body has pressed the Government to overhaul UK business rates, to bring them into line with France and Germany. This would involve removing plant and machinery from business rate calculations, which drive up costs if companies add extra kit to their plants and has been dubbed a tax on investment. Britains steel industry is in crisis due to a flood of cheaper Chinese steel, which is driving down global prices. Chinese steel makers, which are 70 per cent owned by the state, produced 440 million tonnes more steel than it consumed last year, leading to higher levels of exports. Tatas cull is the latest round of redundancies in the UK steel industry. The Redcar steel plant, controlled by the Thai-based group SSI, was the first major collapse last September, with the loss of 2,200 jobs. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Tata then cut 1,200 jobs in October at sites in Scunthorpe, north Lincolnshire and Scotland, while downstream producer Caparo Industries also partly went into administration days later. There were about 30,000 steel workers in the industry last year but this has fallen by more than 6,000 over the past six months. Tata, which bought British Steel in 2006 to become Europes second biggest steel maker, entered talks with the private equity firm Greybull Capital about selling off some of its plants in December. A sale would include Tatas plant in Scunthorpe where it made job cuts last year plus mills in Teesside and France. 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 pay gap wipes as much as $28 trillion off the global economy, according to some estimates. That's equivalent to 26 per cent of global GDP. But it could also have a more sinister effect on the everyday lives of women. The risk of women who earn less money than men developing an anxiety disorder is more than four times higher, Columbia University researchers found. (McKinsey Global Institute) The study compares women and men with matching education and work experiences. Women earning less that their male counterparts were 2.5 times more likely to develop depression. But when women's income equaled or exceeded men's, their odds of depression stood at similar levels and they had much less risk of developing an anxiety disorder. (Statista (Statista) Jonathan Platt, who led the research, said that the research showed that change has to come from a structural level, with hiring initiatives and changes to regulation. Women earn 17.9 per cent less than men on average in the US, according to Statista, while in the UK the difference is 17.5 per cent. The gap gets wider in Asia and the Middle East. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. What the US really needs is a new law requiring employers to compare the content of womens and mens jobs and develop a fair pay scale, Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Womens Policy Research in Washington, told the World Economics Forum. The World Economics Forum meets at Davos this week to discuss pressing issues on the business agenda, including the gender inequality. But women are woefully under-represented at the conference itself. Just one in five attendees are women, many of whom are there because of the introduction of a gender quota in 2011. 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 }} Women pay more than men for almost identical items across the high street from childhood into old age, a study has found. Research by The Times found price disparities across hundreds of gender-targeted items, including toys, clothes and beauty products, with those marketed at women a staggering 37 per cent more expensive on average. The newspaper found female razors and for her pens among the products that appeared to have a premium just for being pink, although boys underpants were more expensive than girls. Bic's 'For Her' pens cost a third more than the same product in blue or black at Staples (Staples) Maria Miller, chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, called the findings unacceptable. Retailers have got to explain why they do this, she said. At a time when we should be moving towards a more de-gendered society, retailers are out of step with public opinion. On Twitter, many people were debating the need for gendered products at all, when many of the products are ostensibly the same for both men and women. Belinda Phipps, chair of feminist campaign group the Fawcett Society, wrote: Gendered products are just a way of extracting more cash from you it seems. Maria Miller called the findings 'unacceptable' (Getty) Some items cited by The Times, including a Tesco multipack of mens disposable razors, had disappeared from websites on Tuesday morning. Research by The Independent found price differences for gendered products going both ways. Mens clothing was mostly cheaper than womens for equivalent styles. In Topshop, a roll-sleeve white T-shirt for women costs 12 but a Topman roll-sleeve white T-shirt is 8. In toiletries, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and bath products targeting women tended to carry higher prices, but specifically male-marketed skincare products can be significantly more expensive than equivalent womens or unisex items. Nivea Soft moisturiser, listed for women on the brands website, costs 2.49, while the same-size tube of Nivea Men Rehydrating Moisturiser is 6.99. Clothing tended to be more expensive for women. A roughly equivalent T-shirt for men from Topman was 8. (Topshop) A study released last month by New York Citys consumer affairs department revealed that the problem is not confined to the UK. Comparisons of male and female versions of almost 800 items showed that womens cost 7 per cent more on average across toys, clothing, accessories, personal care, home and health. The report pointed out that although gendered products often differ in branding, construction, and ingredients, shoppers do not have control over those factors and must purchase what is available at higher cost. Over the course of a womans life, the financial impact of these gender-based pricing disparities is significant, it concluded. Though there may be legitimate drivers behind some portion of the price discrepancies unearthed in this study, these higher prices are mostly unavoidable for women. Osborne on Tampon Tax The controversy follows criticism of the UKs so-called tampon tax, where VAT is charged for womens sanitary products because they are classified as non-essential luxury items. In response to widespread criticism, George Osborne announced the Government would be spending the revenue on womens charities in November. A spokesperson for Tesco said: We work hard to offer clear, fair and transparent pricing. A number of products for females have additional design and performance features. We continually review our pricing strategy. Other retailers have not yet responded to The Independents request for comment. 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 }} Peggy Say spent nearly seven years on a tireless quest for the release of her brother, the journalist Terry Anderson, and fellow hostages from kidnappers in Lebanon. Anderson, the chief Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press when he was abducted from the streets of Beirut in 1985 in the midst of the country's civil war, said his sister died after a lung illness. She had been living in Cookeville, Tennessee. A self-described housewife, Say quickly became her brother's most prominent public champion, keeping his fate and that of the other hostages in Lebanon in the public eye as the years went by. We were allowed a radio from time to time, and we did hear about her efforts and the efforts of other hostages' families on the radio, and of course it was always a great comfort, said Anderson, who was held by the pro-Iranian Shi'ite Muslim militant faction Islamic Jihad for 2,454 days. Anderson was released on 4 December 1991. He was the longest held of 92 foreigners abducted during the civil war. Most were ultimately freed. Eleven died or were killed in captivity. Former AP President Lou Boccardi remembered Say as a remarkable woman and a relentless advocate. In a very short time, she made herself into a national figure [during the] long and frustrating efforts to win freedom for her brother, Boccardi said. She never took 'no' for an answer. Say was living in upstate New York when her brother was taken hostage. She moved to the western Kentucky town of Cadiz to find more privacy for herself and her husband, David, in 1988. He died in 2012. Say met periodically with then-UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar. Her travels also brought her face to face with Pope John Paul II, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and an associate of the notorious terrorist Abu Nidal. Anderson, who recently retired from teaching journalism at the University of Florida, said he credits his sister's prominent role in helping keep the hostages alive. Remember these were very bad guys, he said. They could easily have killed us, but they didn't. They let us go. Anderson said his sister had retired after working on behalf of victims of domestic violence. In addition to Anderson and two other siblings, Say is survived by her daughter, Melody Smith, son, Edward Langendorfer, and several grandchildren. Peggy Say, campaigner: born Lorain, Ohio 15 February 1941; died Cookeville, Tennessee 23 December 2015. 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 }} Amid growing calls for a boycott of this years Academy Awards because of the failure to nominate a single non-white actor, George Clooney has said the industry is moving in the wrong direction. If you think back 10 years ago, the Academy was doing a better job, Clooney told Variety. Think about how many more African Americans were nominated. I would also make the argument, I dont think its a problem of who youre picking as much as it is: How many options are available to minorities in film, particularly in quality films? Spike Lee predicted more 'heads will roll' in Chicago (AP) Clooney said it was not just the issue of minority actors that the industry needed to consider. He said that in the 1940s, there were many leading roles for women. And now a woman over 40 has a very difficult time being a lead in a movie, he added. Were seeing some movement. Jennifer Lawrence and Patricia Arquette have made the loud pronouncement about wage disparity, have put a stamp on the idea that we got to pay attention. But we should have been paying attention long before this. I think that African Americans have a real fair point that the industry isnt representing them well enough. I think thats absolutely true. Clooney said that if one looked back to as recently as 2004, there were many more people of color receiving nominations, among them Don Cheadle, and Morgan Freeman. And all of a sudden, you feel like were moving in the wrong direction, he said. There were nominations left off the table. There were four films this year: Creed could have gotten nominations; Concussion could have gotten Will Smith a nomination; Idris Elba could have been nominated for Beasts of No Nation, and Straight Outta Compton could have been nominated. And certainly last year, with Selma director Ava DuVernay I think that its just ridiculous not to nominate her. Clooney spoke out amid widespread outcry over the announcement last week of the Oscar nominations and the revelation that there were no non-white actors among them. Twitter erupted in a Oscars so White hashtag, and the New York Times asked if the Oscars were so dumb. Over the weekend, Spike Lee announced plans to boycott the ceremony, and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs issued a statement saying she was frustrated about the lack of inclusion. The actress Jada Pinkett Smith also asked whether people of colour should decline to attend the event. Clooney said there simply ought to be more opportunity. There should be 20 or 30 or 40 films of the quality that people would consider for the Oscars, he said. By the way, were talking about African Americans. For Hispanics, its even worse. We need to get better at this. We used to be better at it. 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 }} He could write, he could play, and for a certain generation he was the voice behind some of the most memorable soft rock songs in history. Now Glenn Frey, a founder member and guitarist with The Eagles has died at the age of 67. The band said that Frey, the voice of tracks such as Take It Easy, Tequila Sunrise and Lyin Eyes, had died in New York city after becoming ill after complications of acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. His death was confirmed in a message on the Facebook page of The Eagles. Don Henley (l) and Frey in 2014, co-wrote many of the bands best-known songs (AP) It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our comrade, Eagles founder, Glenn Frey, in New York City on Monday, January 18th, 2016, it said. The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery. Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide. Notable deaths in 2016 Show all 42 1 /42 Notable deaths in 2016 Notable deaths in 2016 Debbie Reynolds was an American actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian. She died on December 28 in Los Angeles Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Actress Carrie Fisher died on December 27 aged 60 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Comedian and Actor Ricky Harris died on December 26 aged 54 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 British singer George Michael died on 25 December aged 53 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Rick Parfitt OBE was an English musician, best known for being a singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Status Quo. He died on December 24 in Marbella, Spain Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Lord Jenkin of Roding died at the age of 90 on the 21 December PA wire Notable deaths in 2016 Rabbi Lionel Blue died on the 19 December Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Zsa Zsa Gabor died on December 18 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Leonard Cohen died on 7 November Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Grand secretary of the Orange Order Drew Nelson died on 10 October aged 60 after a short illness PA Notable deaths in 2016 Aaron Pryor, the relentless junior welterweight died Sunday, Oct. 9, at the age of 60 at his home in Cincinnati after a long battle with heart disease AP Notable deaths in 2016 Polish Director Andrzej Wajda died on October 9, aged 90 Reuters Notable deaths in 2016 Stylianos Pattakos has died following a stroke on 8th October. He was 103 years old. AP Notable deaths in 2016 Dickie Jeeps, was an English rugby union player who played for Northampton. He represented and captained both the England national rugby union team and the British Lions in the 1950s and 1960s. He died on 8th October. He was 84 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Duke of Westminster Billionaire landowner the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor has died on 9 August, aged 64 Rex Features Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Knudsen Sir Roger Moores stepdaughter Christina Knudsen has died from cancer on 25 July at teh age of 47 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Caroline Aherne The actress Caroline Aherne has died from cancer on 2 July at the age of 52 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Grimmie Christina Grimmie, 22, who was an American singer and songwriter, known for her participation in the NBC singing competition The Voice, was signing autographs at a concert venue in Orlando on 10 June when an assailant shot her. Grimmie was transported to a local hospital where she died from her wounds on 11 June Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Kimbo Slice Former UFC and Bellator MMA fighter Kimbo Slice died after being admitted to hospital in Florida on 6 June, aged 42 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Muhammad Ali The three-time former heavyweight world champion died after being admitted to hospital with a respiratory illness on 3 June, aged 74 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Sally Brampton Brampton who was the launch editor of the UK edition of Elle magazine has died on 10 May, aged 60 Grant Triplow/REX/Shutterstock Notable deaths in 2016 Billy Paul The soul singer Billy Paul, who was best known for his single Me and Mrs Jones, has died on 24 April, aged 81 Noel Vasquez/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Prince Prince, the legendary musician, has been found dead at his Paisley Park recording studio on 21 April. He was 57 Notable deaths in 2016 Chyna WWE icon Joan Laurer dies aged 45 after being found at California home on 20 April Notable deaths in 2016 Victoria Wood The five-time Bafta-winning actress and comedian Victoria Wood has died on 20 April at her London home after a short illness with cancer. She was 62 Notable deaths in 2016 David Gest The entertainer and former husband of Liza Minnelli, David Gest has been found dead on 12 April in the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Warf, London. He was 62-years-old PA Notable deaths in 2016 Denise Robertson Denise Robertson, an agony aunt on This Morning for over 30 years, has died on 1 April, aged 83 Notable deaths in 2016 Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Hadid, the prominent architect best known for designs such as the London Olympic Aquatic Centre and the Guangzhou Opera House, has died of a heart attack on 31 March, aged 65 2010 AFP Notable deaths in 2016 Ronnie Corbett British entertainer Ronnie Corbett has passed away on 31 March at the age of 85 2014 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Imre Kertesz Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Imre Kertesz, who won the 2002 Nobel Literature Prize, has died on 31 March, at the age of 86 REUTERS Notable deaths in 2016 Rob Ford Rob Ford, the former controversial mayor of Toronto, has died following a battle with a rare form of cancer. The 46-year-old passed away at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on 22 March Notable deaths in 2016 Joey Feek Joey (left) passed away in March after a two-year cancer illness. She was part of country music duo, Joey + Rory, with her husband Rory (right) Jason Merritt/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Umberto Eco Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco died 19 February 2016 aged 84 EPA Notable deaths in 2016 Harper Lee Harper Lee, the American novelist known for writing 'To Kill a Mockingbird', died February 19, 2016 aged 89 2005 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Vanity Vanity, pictured performing in 1983, died aged 57 REX Features Notable deaths in 2016 Dave Mirra The BMX legend's body found inside truck with gunshot wound after apparent suicide aged 41 Notable deaths in 2016 Harry Harpham The former miner became Sheffield Labour MP in May after many years as a local councillor. He died after succumbing to cancer, at the age of 61. Notable deaths in 2016 Dale Griffin The Mott the Hoople drummer died on January 17, aged 67 REX Notable deaths in 2016 Rene Angelil Celine Dion's husband and manager Rene Angelil has lost his battle with cancer on 14 January, aged 73 2011 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Alan Rickman Legendary actor Alan Rickman has died on 14 January at the age of 69 after battle with pancreatic cancer. He is largely regarded as one of the most beloved British actors of our generation with roles in Love Actually, Die Hard, Michael Collins, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and an illustrious stage career 2015 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Maurice White The Earth, Wind & Fire founder died aged 74. The nine-piece band sold more than 90 million albums worldwide and won six Grammy awards Notable deaths in 2016 Lawrence Phillips Former NFL star found dead in prison cell on 13 January in suspected suicide, aged 40 AFP/Getty Images The message signed by Cindy Frey, Taylor Frey, Deacon Frey, Otis Frey, and band members Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy Schmit, Bernie Leadon and Irving Azoff - said Frey succumbed to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our comrade, Eagles founder, Glenn Frey, in New York... Frey, who played both guitar and keyboards as well as singing, formed The Eagles with Henley, a drummer, in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. Also in the band were guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner. They would become a top act over the next decade, embodying the melodic California sound, said the Associated Press, and both the bands greatest hits collection from the mid-1970s and Hotel California are among the best-selling albums in history. Frey was born in Detroit and was raised in its suburbs. After the Eagles 1980 breakup, he launched a successful solo career, recording numerous hits, among them The Heat Is On and You Belong to the City. The band's 1976 release 'Hotel California' is one of the best-selling albums of all time (Wikicommons) The band reunited in 1994 and were one of the world's most popular concert acts. The band, which for years was made up of Frey, Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B Schmit, was supposed to have been honoured at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC last month. But the appearance was postponed because of Freys health problems. Frey met up with Henley, Meisner and Leadon while all were trying to catch on in the Los Angeles music scene, and for a time the four backed Linda Ronstadt. They also befriended such other Los Angeles-based musicians as Jackson Browne and JD Souther, who would collaborate on New Kid in Town and other Eagles songs. While they harmonised on record, the band often fought. Leadon and Meisner departed after run-ins with Frey, and guitarist Don Felder, who had joined the group in 1974, ended up in legal action with the Eagles. Frey and Henley also became estranged for years, their breach a key reason the band stayed apart in the 1980s. Henley had vowed the Eagles would reunite only when hell freezes over which became the name of the 1994 album they at one time had never imagined making. 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 }} Kurt Russells home became an unlikely haven for Princess Diana to escape the paparazzis glare following her separation from Prince Charles. The Hateful Eight actor revealed he offered his remote ranch in Colorado to the late Princess to help her escape the media attention after meeting Diana during a premiere for his 1991 film Backdraft. Diana became a source of rapidly increasing interest to the media throughout her marriage and subsequent separation from Prince Charles. Russell explained to James Corden how Diana came to stay at his home during an appearance on the Late, Late Show and while talking to Australian press this week. People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015. They [Prince Charles and Diana] were doing a royal at the time, he told Corden. I was in between the two, kind of interesting. They weren't getting along great. During the course of the evening we talked about the paparazzi that she had to deal with and stuff, so I mentioned that we lived on a ranch in Colorado that might be a nice getaway. Diana took him up on this offer, staying there for ten days in 1995. Years later, Fergie [Sarah Ferguson] who Goldie [Hawn] knows and she worked it out. Diana wanted to go with the boys and they stayed 10 days at the ranch. Reinventing the Royals follows the aftermath of Princess Diana's death and efforts to boost the Royal Family's public image (Getty Images) She died two years later after the vehicle she was in crashed into a pillar in a Paris tunnel. 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 large cattle shed attached to the University of Iowa became the setting for the latest twist in the already strange story of Donald Trump's run for the White House after the tycoon received the backing of Sarah Palin. After a day of mounting speculation, the Republicans 2008 vice presidential candidate, made her appearance in person at an evening campaign event and confirmed she was was backing the tycoon and frontrunner. Im in it to win it, Ms Palin said, standing next to Mr Trump, who stood and grinned. He is going rogue left and right, she said, harkening back to a description she tried to own when running for Vice President in 2008. She emphasised the promise of Mr Trump especially as Commander-in-Chief and protector of America against its enemies, notably Iran. We are ready for a change, and our troops deserve the best, a new commander-in-chef, whose track record of success proves he is the master of the art of the deal. Galloping on, she went on: He is beholden to no one but we the people, how refreshing he is. No more pussyfooting around, our troops deserve the better. Mr Trump concluded the event by saying, that he knew if he was going to become president, he had to have the support of "Sarah". Speculation has been growing about the identity of the special guest since Mr Trump told New Hampshire voters on Monday that he would be getting a big endorsement on Tuesday. Ms Palin, the Republicans 2008 vice presidential candidate, had backed Ted Cruzs campaign for the senate. Yet she has repeatedly praised Mr Trump during his White House run, especially over his recent proposal to suspend the admission of Muslim refugees to the US. She said last month: What a nice problem to have if it came down to Cruz and Trump. Though Ms Palin was a deeply controversial choice to be Senator John McCain's running mate in 2008, she remains hugely popular among some groups of American conservatives. She is a favourite of the pro-small government Tea Party community within the party, the same constituency Mr Cruz has been seeking to appeal to. Indeed, speculation that the former Alaska governor was going to endorse Mr Trump intensified when a senior aide to Mr Cruz said he would be deeply disappointed if she did so. Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY Mr Cruz communications director, Rick Tyler, was asked on CNN whether such an endorsement would be a blow to the senators campaign. I think it would be a blow to Sarah Palin, because Sarah Palin has been a champion of the conservative cause and if she was going to endorse Donald Trump, sadly she would be endorsing someone who's held progressive views all their life on the sanctity of life, on marriage, on partial-birth abortion, "She supported the TARP bailout - it goes on and on and on, said Mr Tyler. Donald Trump claims hes changed all those views. But I think if it was Sarah Palin, let me just say I would be deeply disappointed. Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump stopped off at the John Wayne Birthplace Museum, where he received another endorsement, that one from the film actors daughter. The backing of Aissa Wayne was announced in front of a life-size, gun-toting model of the actor in full cowboy gear. Ms Wayne says the country needs a strong and courageous leader like her father and that her father would back Mr Trump if he were still alive. I only met him once. He was amazing, said Mr Trump. He said some things to me that were very special. Mr Trump said the actor represented strength and power, things that the American people are looking for. He added: We have exactly the opposite from John Wayne right now in this country. 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 }} Today would have been Sophie Taeuber-Arps 127th birthday and Google is celebrating it with an honorary Doodle in the style of her iconic abstract and geometric artwork. Born Sophie Henrietta Gertrude Tauber, in Davos, Switzerland in 1889, she was one of the foremost figures of the rebellious Dada art movement. The avant-garde movement, begining after World War One, started as a reaction to the millions that died as a result of the war. Dadism, as it was known, involved using unusual materials in an abstract way, often forming experimental composition using geometric shapes. The best Google Doodles Show all 50 1 /50 The best Google Doodles The best Google Doodles Mister Rogers Google Doodle celebrating children's TV presenter Mister Rogers Google The best Google Doodles Lucy Wills Google Doodle celebrating haematologist Lucy Wills Google The best Google Doodles Falafel Google Doodle celebrating falafel Google The best Google Doodles St George's Day Google Doodle celebrating St George's Day Google The best Google Doodles James Wong Howe Google Doodle celebrating Hollywood golden age cinematographer James Wong Howe Google The best Google Doodles Seiichi Miyake Google Doodle celebrating Seiichi Miyake, developer of tactile paving Google The best Google Doodles Walter Cronkite Google celebrates US broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite's 100th birthday The best Google Doodles Lantern Festival 2016 Google celebrates the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations with a doodle of the Lantern Festival Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating Sergei Diaghilev Google Doodle celebrating art critic Sergei Diaghilev Google The best Google Doodles George Boole Google marks mathematician George Boole's 200th birthday The best Google Doodles Sergei Eisenstein Google Doodle celebrating soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein Google The best Google Doodles 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy' Google marks the 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy', the name given to a collection of fossilised bones that once made up the skeleton of a hominid from the Australopithecus afarensis species, who lived in Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago The best Google Doodles Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Google celebrates physician and suffragist Elizabeth Garrett Anderson 180th birthday The best Google Doodles Sir William Henry Perkin Google Doodle celebrating chemist Sir William Henry Perkin Google The best Google Doodles Nelly Sachs Google Doodle celebrating poet and playwright Nelly Sachs Google The best Google Doodles Thanksgiving 2018 Google Doodle celebrating Thanksgiving 2018 Google The best Google Doodles Nigerian Independence Day Google Doodle celebrating Nigerian Independence Day Google The best Google Doodles Mary Prince Google Doodle celebrating abolitionist Mary Prince Google The best Google Doodles Father's Day 2016 Google celebrates Father's Day The best Google Doodles Ebenezer Cobb Morley Google Doodle celebrating "father of football" Ebenezer Cobb Morley Google The best Google Doodles Octavia E Butler Google Doodle celebrating science fiction author Octavia E Butler Google The best Google Doodles Tamara de Lempicka Google Doodle celebrating painter Tamara de Lempicka Google The best Google Doodles Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss Google Doodle celebrating mathematician and physicist Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss Google The best Google Doodles Fanny Blankers-Koen Google Doodle celebrating Dutch Olympic gold medalist Fanny Blankers-Koen Google The best Google Doodles John Harrison Google Doodle celebrating clockmaker John Harrison Google The best Google Doodles Guillermo Haro Google Doodle celebrating astronomer Guillermo Haro Google The best Google Doodles St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google The best Google Doodles Carter G Woodson Google Doodle celebrating Carter G Woodson, a pioneering African-American historian Google The best Google Doodles St Andrew's Day Google Doodle celebrating St Andrew's Day Google The best Google Doodles Gertrude Jekyll Google Doodle celebrating horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll Google The best Google Doodles Children's Day 2017 Google Doodle celebrating Children's Day 2017 Google The best Google Doodles Studio for Electronic Music Google Doodle celebrating the Studio for Electronic Music Google The best Google Doodles Olaudah Equiano Google Doodle celebrating abolitionist Olaudah Equiano Google The best Google Doodles Fridtjof Nansen Google Doodle celebrating Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen Google The best Google Doodles Ladislao Jose Biro Google celebrates Ladislao Jose Biro's 117th birthday The best Google Doodles Amalia Hernandez Google Doodle celebrating ballet choreographer Amalia Hernandez Google The best Google Doodles Dr Samuel Johnson Google Doodle celebrating lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson Google The best Google Doodles British Sign Language Google Doodle celebrating British Sign Language Google The best Google Doodles Eduard Khil Google Doodle celebrating baritone singer Eduard Khil Google The best Google Doodles Fourth of July Google Doodle celebrating Fourth of July Google The best Google Doodles Victor Hugo Google Doodle celebrating author Victor Hugo Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google The best Google Doodles Steve Biko Today's Google Doodle features anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko Google The best Google Doodles The history of tea in Britain Google celebrates the 385th anniversary of tea in the UK The best Google Doodles Nettie Stevens Google celebrates geneticist Nettie Stevens 155th birthday The best Google Doodles William Morris Google celebrates English polymath William Morris' 182 birthday with a doodle showcasing his most famous designs Google The best Google Doodles Professor Scoville Google marks Professor Scovilles 151st birthday The best Google Doodles Sophie Taeuber-Arp Google marks artist Sophie Taeuber-Arp's 127th birthday Her artistic hand covered painting, designing, weaving, puppetry and dancing. The creative also fought for her style of art to be considered as fine art, and as a result, became one of the 20th Centurys most prominent female artists, bridging the gap between fine and applied arts. She began her art studies in Switzerland at the School of applied Arts in St Gallen between 1906 and 1910, and then moved to Munich, Germany to the workshop of Wilhelm von Debschits and spent a year at the School of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg. Taeuber-Arp attended the Laban School of Dance in Zurich in 1916 and spent that summer at the artist colony of Monte Verita in Ascona and danced with the pioneer of expressionist dance, Mary Wigman. After marrying Jean Arp in 1922, who she met at an art exhibition at the Tanner Gallery, the pair created abstract work together. Her day job was teaching embroidery and weaving at the School of Applied Arts in Zurich, and by night she went in disguise to Dada soirees to protect her identity and teaching job. The pair moved to France in 1926, where she exhibited her work, but later escaped Nazi occupation and returned to Zurich in 1942. She died a year later after carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty stove. Best Google's Doodles Taeuber-Arp is the only woman to appear on the current set of bank notes in Switzerland. Her face has been on the 50-franc note since 1995. 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 worlds oldest man has died two months short of his 113th birthday in Japan. Yasutaro Koide was born on 13 March 1903 and once professed his secret to a long life as to live with joy and not overdo it. Japans Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said he died early on Tuesday at a hospital in Nagoya, where he had been treated for chronic heart problems. Yasutaro Koide as a young man (Guinness World Records) Mr Koide was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest man in August, when he was four years behind the oldest man ever, Jiroemon Kimura, who lived until he was 116 years old and 54 days. Having worked as tailor for a mens clothes shop in Tsuruga, Fukui, Mr Koide moved to Nagoya when he was 107 in order to be with his daughter. He reportedly lived at home and regularly attended a day care centre until last year, and was able to walk around the house. Mr Koide used his own teeth rather than dentures to eat and could read the newspaper without glasses, Guinness World Records said. While celebrating his induction into the book, the told the Associated Press: The best thing is to not overdo it. Mr Koide also recommended not smoking or drinking and said his favourite food was bread. He had seven children, nine grandchildren and at least one great-grandchild. In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day guinness.jpg In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-4.jpg PA In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-2.jpg PA In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-1.jpg PA In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-6.jpg EPA In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-9.jpg EPA In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-10.jpg AP In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-8.jpg Reuters In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-7.jpg EPA In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-5.jpg PA In pictures: Amazing achievements during the Guinness World Records Day Guinness-Records-3.jpg PA Aya Kikuchi, his granddaughter, told local newspaper Chunichi Shimbun her grandfather once tended to be very strict about manners, adding: He was very stubborn, but he got nicer with age. His lifestyle is one that avoids stress. In Japan, 111-year-old Tokyo native Masamitsu Yoshida, born on 30 May 1904, succeeds Koide as the oldest man. It was not immediately known whether Yoshida is also the world's longest-living man. Japan, with an ageing population like many developed nations, has more than 61,000 centenarians, according to the nation's family registration records. Nearly 90 per cent are women. The world's oldest person is an American woman, 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones of Brooklyn, New York. 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 }} Stephen Hawking has warned humanity that it is likely to wipe itself out unless it manages to escape the Earth. Unfortunately such space colonies arent going to arrive any time soon, according to the Cambridge professor. We will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period," the physicist said. As such, we should look to recognise the dangers and control them to ensure our continuing survival, he said. Professor Hawking warned that those dangers could come from nuclear war, global warming and genetically-engineered viruses, the BBC reported. The chances of those things are increasing, he said and there is perhaps little humanity can do about it. "Although the chance of a disaster to planet Earth in a given year may be quite low, it adds up over time, and becomes a near certainty in the next thousand or ten thousand years, Hawking said in advance of the BBC Reith Lectures, where Professor Hawking will lay out his research into black holes. "By that time we should have spread out into space, and to other stars, so a disaster on Earth would not mean the end of the human race. "However, we will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period." Despite being one of the worlds leading researchers in science and technology, Professor Hawking has repeatedly warned that they could bring huge damage to the human race. He has warned that humanity is creating huge dangers in viruses, artificial intelligence and global warming. But Professor Hawking said that he was an optimist, and that he believes we can control the dangers. 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 Giving advice to potential scientists, he said that they should help the public to understand where those advances are going. "It's important to ensure that these changes are heading in the right directions. In a democratic society, this means that everyone needs to have a basic understanding of science to make informed decisions about the future. "So communicate plainly what you are trying to do in science, and who knows, you might even end up understanding it yourself." 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 }} Three British schoolgirls who left their homes in London to join Isis in war-ravaged Syria are feared to have been killed after their families lost all contact with them. Shamima Begum, 16, Kadiza Sultana, 17, and Amira Abase, 16, all of whom attended Bethnal Green Academy in East London, ran away from home in February last year, purportedly after being radicalised by Isis propaganda distributed online. They travelled to Isis hellishly dangerous Syrian stronghold of Raqqa and are understood to have maintained contact with their family while living under the terror groups control. But a lawyer who represents the families of Shamima and Kadiza has revealed that all contact with the girls was lost in mid-December around the time British, American and Russian warplanes stepped up their bombardment of Raqqa. Amira Abase, 16, had previously been thought to be in training with an all-female religious police brigade in Raqqa (PA) They are in Raqqa, or were there certainly up until a few weeks ago,' Tasnime Akunjee told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He added that as the city is hellishly dangerous. Contact has been lost with them for some weeks now, so to be honest we have no idea what their status is at the moment, he added. Speaking of the girls families Mr Akunjee said he could not find the language to describe what they are going through, adding: Bombs are being dropped in the close proximity of their children. When you have that warzone strategy in front of you, what can parents halfway across the world do to communicate with their children? he went on to say. Warplanes have laid siege to Raqqa since the families last heard from the girls shortly before Christmas. The air raids have taken out numerous buildings operated by jihadis and their supporters. The familes of Kadiza Sultana, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum have travelled to Turkey in a bid to retrace the missing girls' movements (Getty) Last July the Guardian reported that at least two of the girls had married Isis fighters, although at the request of their families the newspaper refused to disclose which of the girls had wed. The article also claimed that the girls had been split up shortly after arriving in Raqqa. Mr Akunjee spoke to the BBC after the announcement of a new Government anti-terror programme. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan visited Bethnal Green Academy on Tuesday to reveal details of the plans. A new website called Educate Against Hate will advise parents on how to tell if their children are at risk of being radicalised and flag up any potentially extremist leanings. 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 13-month-old girl was sexually assaulted by her father shortly before her sudden death, a family court judge has ruled. Poppi Worthington was found with serious injuries at her home in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. She was pronounced dead in December 2012 after being taken to hospital. At Liverpool Crown Court, Mr Justice Peter Jackson said that, on the balance of probabilities, Paul Worthington perpetrated a penetrative assault on Poppi. In August 2013, her father was arrested and questioned on suspicion of sexual assault, but he was never charged with any offence. Worthington, 47, has denied any wrongdoing. The actions of the police and the local authorities following Poppis death have come under fire in earlier hearings. In March 2014, a fact-finding judgement on the circumstances of Poppis death was delivered but its publication was delayed for fear it would prejudice criminal proceedings. In October 2014, an inquest took only seven minutes to declare Poppis death as unexplained. Cumbria Police said, in March 2015, no charges would be brought against anyone over Poppis death. Mr Justice Jacksons ruling comes after three medical experts said in December they disagreed with the findings of a Home Office pathologist who carried out a post-mortem examination on Poppi. In an open court, they stated they believed she was the victim of a penetrative sexual assault. Following a review of the medical evidence, Mr Justice Jackson said on Tuesday he arrived at the same conclusion as expressed in the previous judgment. He dismissed Worthingtons appeal against his 2014 findings. Mr Justice Jackson said: My finding [in my previous judgment] was that the father perpetrated a penetrative assault on Poppi That remains my conclusion. Additional reporting by PA Womens Aid in child safety drive Womens Aid is to launch its Child First campaign, calling on the family courts and the Government to put the safety of children back at the heart of all decisions made by the family court judiciary. The national domestic abuse charity also publishes its Nineteen Child Homicides report, which recounts the stories of 19 children intentionally killed by a parent who was also a known perpetrator of domestic abuse. For seven of the 12 families involved, the contact had been ordered through court. The report makes two key recommendations, which form the heart of the campaign: to ensure the prevention of avoidable child deaths by putting children first in the family courts as the legal framework and guidance states, and to make the family courts fit for purpose through the introduction of protection measures for survivors of domestic abuse. Paul Gallagher 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 }} Judges have ruled that a controversial clause in the Terrorism Act contravenes human rights if it is used to detain journalists, while examining claims police unlawfully detained a man linked to the Edward Snowden leaks. The Court of Appeal was examining David Miranda's argument that he should never have been held at Heathrow for nine hours and been forced to give up files exposing extensive internet and phone surveillance by the US and its allies. Mr Miranda, the Brazilian partner of former Guardian writer Glenn Greenwald, was detained by the Metropolitan Police at the airport in August 2013 under the Terrorism Act as revelations about the NSA and GCHQ continued. Video: Interview with David Miranda He had been travelling from Germany to Brazil via London, carrying records including encrypted material derived from data obtained by Mr Snowden during his work for the CIA. Police seized his laptop, phones, DVDs, USB sticks and even video games consoles after holding him for the maximum of nine hours for questioning. Mr Miranda had no right to a lawyer, to remain silent or resist the seizures under Schedule 7 of the Terrorist Act, which give police the power to stop anyone at a UK port or border to investigate whether they are involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. But judges ruled that stopping Mr Miranda was lawful and that police exercised the power for a permitted purpose. Lord Dyson, Master of the Rolls, told the court: They were entitled to consider that material in his possession might be released in circumstances falling within the definition of terrorism. Mr Miranda had his laptop, phones, DVDs and USB sticks seized by police (AFP/Getty Images) Lord Dyson, who is the most senior civil judge in England and Wales, Lord Justice Richards and Lord Justice Floyd dismissed a further ground of appeal, rejecting Mr Miranda's argument that the use of the stop power was an unjustified and disproportionate interference with his right to freedom of expression". They found that compelling national security interests outweighed Mr Miranda's rights under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights but ruled in his favour on press freedom. Judges concluded that, when used in respect of journalistic information or material, Schedule 7 violates freedom of expression because it is not prescribed by law. The power is not subject to sufficient legal safeguards to avoid the risk that it will be exercised arbitrarily, Lord Dyson said. The court therefore grants a certificate of incompatibility (with article 10). The Snowden leaks revealed secret surveillance programmes (AFP/Getty Images) "It will be a matter for Parliament to decide how to provide such a safeguard. "The most obvious safeguard would be some form of judicial or other independent and impartial scrutiny conducted in such a way as to protect the confidentiality in the material." They also questioned the broad definition of terrorism under the act, saying the word should not be applied to anyone who unwittingly or accidentally commits an action that endangers lives. The case was heard at the Court of Appeal (Getty Images) Mr Miranda said he was thrilled with the court ruling. My purpose was to show UK's terrorism law violates press freedoms, he wrote on Twitter. And journalism isn't terrorism. We won! One of his lawyers, Kate Goold, said terrorism must be kept within its ordinary natural meaning to ensure that legitimate public interest journalism is not stifled through the use of draconian powers because of the fear of remote consequences. The notion of a journalist becoming an accidental terrorist has been whole-heartedly rejected, she added. Mr Miranda had been helping his partner Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who broke allegations about the National Security Agency by whistleblower Edward Snowden (AFP) Mr Greenwald hailed the ruling as a huge win, saying it showed the Terrorism Act violates fundamental rights in its lack of protection for journalists. Mr Snowden, who is wanted under the US Espionage Act and has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, said the UKs effort to criminalise an act of journalism as terrorism had been rejected. The judgement was called a major victory for the free press by Liberty. Rosie Brighouse, the campaign groups legal director, said: Schedule 7 has been a blot on our legal landscape for years - breathtakingly broad and intrusive, ripe for discrimination, routinely misused. Its repeal is long overdue. "It is also a timely reminder of how crucial the Human Rights Act is for protecting journalists' rights. Once again it has come to the rescue of press freedom in the face of arbitrary abuse of power by the state." Additional reporting by PA 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 woman who became engaged to a married undercover policeman is suing the Metropolitan Police for psychological torture. The women, known only as Andrea, had a two-year relationship with the officer while he was spying on her friends - who were left-wing political activists, mostly in the Socialist Party. The officer, who used the cover name Carlo Neri, pretended to be a locksmith to ingratiate himself with Andreas left-wing friends and told her he wanted to marry and have children with her - despite having a wife and son living just 10 miles away. A joint investigation by BBC Newsnight and the Guardian has uncovered the police officers true identity, but they have decided not to publish it to protect his family. Andrea has called on the Met to apologise and give a real and honest explanation for the abusive, cold-hearted, psychological torture she had suffered from Neris deception. Although Andrea knew many friends who were campaigning against racism in the early part of the last decade she was not overly involved herself - she said she now seems to have been a conduit through which he was able to make contacts within the group. She said they were pretty much together, inseparably, for quite a while and he moved in with her six weeks after they met at a Stop the War protest in London in 2002. He proposed to her on New Years Eve a few months later in front of her friends and they began to make plans for their wedding. Her parents even met and accepted him as their future son-in-law. Andrea and Neri first met at a Stop the War protest in 2002 (file photo) (Getty Images) It felt utterly real, completely real, she said. Afterwards Andrea said the wedding was called off after he appeared to suffer a complete mental breakdown after the death of his father in Italy and a revelation that the father had been sexually abusive to a female family member. Now Andrea believes this was just a convenient excuse to go home to his real family. "Andrea" was in a relationship with Carlo Neri for nearly two years (BBC) She said he was often absent from their home for four or five nights every fortnight - claiming this was due to work trips - and every other weekend he would go and visit a son from a previous relationship who was living in Cornwall. Andrea now believes the photographs of the boy he showed her are of his actual son. She said: "As far as I was concerned, I was going to spend my life with this man and his life was my life. Having that strong relationship with a child is a really important thing". UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 9 September 2022 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace Getty UK news in pictures 8 September 2022 A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain EPA UK news in pictures 7 September 2022 Police officers stand guard after Animal Rebellion activists threw paint on the walls and road outside the Houses of Parliament in protest, in London, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 6 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2022 Visitors at the PoliNations garden in Victoria Square, Birmingham, which is made up of five 40ft high tree installations and over 6,000 plants. The PoliNations programme aims to explore how migration and cross-pollination have shaped the UKs gardens and culture PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2022 Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews take part in the traditional Pier Walk along the harbour walls of St Andrews before the start of the new academic year PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2022 The Massed Pipes and Drums parade during the Braemar Highland Gathering at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2022 Number 12 Company Irish Guards at Wellington Barracks, central London, before commencing their first Guard Mount at Buckingham Palace PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2022 A salmon leaps up the weir at Hexham in Northumberland, despite the drought warnings and low water levels, the River Tyne is still flowing well allowing the salmon and sea trout to head up river to spawn. Every year tens of thousands of salmon make the once-in-a-lifetime journey along the Tyne to spawn, having been out a sea PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2022 Flowers are placed at the gates outside Kensington Palace, London, the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales, on the 25th anniversary of her death PA The new claims have come to light just months after the Met police apologised to eight women involved with environmental activism groups who had sexual relationships with undercover officers. The Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt said the officers had entered into long-term intimate sexual relationships with women which were abusive, deceitful, manipulative and wrong". "I acknowledge that these relationships were a violation of the women's human rights, an abuse of police power and caused significant trauma". 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 }} Cheetham Hill in Manchester has been nicknamed "Counterfeit Street", after several raids seized millions of pounds worth of fake goods. Greater Manchester Police have targed the area in dozens of raids, seizing 1.5m worth of goods at 14 shops before Christmas. A million counterfeit cigarettes and 70 kilos of fake tobacco, with an estimated value over 5m were seized in 2014. In 2015, 1m in fake designer clothing and accessories were intercepted. A report by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) said Cheetham Hill's counterfeiters trade out of shops, private homes, car boots and through "closed" social media groups. According to the report, they have links to serious organised crime, drug dealing and violence. Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe told the BBC the area is "almost like the counterfeit capital of the UK", with people taking away "fake hoverboards, booze or cigarettes". The report said: It is indicative of the entrenched criminal culture of the area that the trade in counterfeit goods has continued despite regular enforcement action and high-volume seizures, said the report. It added: Cheetham Hill occupies a focal point in the UK market for counterfeit goods. In addition to the significant retail trade occurring directly from premises in the area, there is also information suggesting that local wholesale operations supply counterfeit goods to online and in-person traders across the UK. 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 a bit of a mess but Ill show you, says Abu Rumaysah, the British man suspected of being the masked militant in the latest gruesome Isis execution video, as he rummages around his garage in Walthamstow, east London. The former bouncy castle salesman emerges triumphant. These are the black flags of Islam. This ones actually the flag of the Islamic State, so one day when the sharia comes, you will see this black flag everywhere, he proclaims, vowing that the flag will soon fly over Downing Street. The extraordinary footage of Abu Rumaysah, who fled the UK to join Isis in 2014 having previously been arrested six times, was shot by the film-maker Jamie Roberts for a Channel 4 documentary, The Jihadis Next Door, screened on Tuesday night. Roberts spent two years filming a group of Islamist extremists in London, including Abu Rumaysah, last arrested as part of an investigation into alleged support for the banned extremist group al-Muhajiroun. He left Britain with his wife and four children the day after being released on bail, travelling to Paris and then Syria. Channel 4 has declined a Metropolitan Police request for a pre-broadcast viewing of the film, in which two other activists already known to the authorities, Mohammed Shamsuddin and Abu Haleema, laugh while watching an Isis murder video and speak of recruiting fellow British Muslims through brain-washing. Abu Rumaysah, real-name Siddhartha Dhar, has not been officially confirmed as the masked figure in the video, released a couple of weeks ago, which shows the murder of five men accused by Isis of spying for the UK. ISIS killer dubbed new 'Jihadi John' When the video emerged, Roberts received a text from Shamsuddin, which had a link to the video, and a message saying: You may know the voice. Roberts said: The voice instantly gave me chills. He has lost weight and it may not be him, but I felt like I recognised his voice. In the film, Abu Rumaysah tells Roberts that he is from a Hindu background and converted to Islam when he was about 19. One man died in Woolwich, Lee Rigby, and the whole country went up in uproar, Abu Rumaysah says. There are many Lee Rigbys in Muslim countries, and if these issues arent addressed, we can expect more carnage in this country and more cycle of violence. He tells Roberts that the notion that the black flag of Islam would one day fly over Downing Street may have been described as ludicrous 10 or 15 years ago. But he says it is now a very real possibility the way Muslims are coming forward in this country. We dont believe that authority should be in the hands of the non-Muslims. Describing Abu Rumaysah as the dullest and most one-dimensional of his subjects, who spouted extremist ideology without any hint of outside interests, Roberts found it difficult to comprehend his making a journey of that magnitude to the Syrian battlefield. Haleema, a radical preacher who has had his passport removed and is banned from using social media to promote his views, said he last saw Abu Rumaysah citing the Koran in prison. The guy was just turbo-charged, always on the go, he said. Shamsuddin, who says he knows several people who have gone to fight in Syria, and Haleema support the declaration of a caliphate, but refuse to say on camera that they support Isiss aims and methods, fearing that they would get nicked support for Isis carries a possible six-year jail sentence. The film shows the extremists being confronted frequently during street demonstrations by moderate British Muslims who reject their philosophy. Haleema talks about grooming his beard with oil. Shamsuddin tells Roberts he is a fan of The Great British Bake Off although he no longer considered the 2015 winner, Nadiya Hussain, to be a Muslim. The Jihadis Next Door, Channel 4, 9pm Tuesday 19 January 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 }} Even as attitudes to homosexuality have steadily liberalised in Britain, the world of counter-espionage and national security could be relied upon as a bastion of reactionary views. As recently as the early 1990s, MI5 still had a ban in place on recruiting gay people to its ranks. So if proof were needed that the paranoia once stoked by spies such as Guy Burgess and Anthony Blunt, who happened to be homosexuals as well as Soviet agents, has been replaced by a more forward-looking Security Service, then consider the annual ratings of the UKs most gay-friendly employers. Campaign group Stonewall today names MI5 as Britains most advanced and inclusive employer when it comes to ensuring the nurturing and development of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, according to a workplace equality index. Recommended Read more These were the biggest moments for LGBT people in 2015 The placing of the domestic intelligence agency at the top of the list of the Stonewall Top 100 Employers completes a remarkable shift in culture: its first efforts to recruit gay staff and encourage those employees already in post to be more open about their sexuality did not occur until 2008. It was ranked 25 in the Stonewall rankings in 2013 and seventh last year. After entering the top 10 in the equality index, MI5 revealed that it had more than 70 gay men and women working in areas including counter-terrorism, and it flew the rainbow flag indicating support for gay rights over its Thames House headquarters on the day of the Pride march through London. Top 20 gay-friendly employers 1 MI5 MI5 2 Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Banking Group 3 National Assembly for Wales National Assembly for Wales 4 B3Living B3Living 5= Pinsent Masons Pinsent Masons 5= Tower Hamlets Homes Tower Hamlets Homes 7 Leicestershire County Council Leicestershire County Council 8 Metropolitan (housing association) Metropolitan (housing association) 9 Clifford Chance Clifford Chance 10 Royal Navy Royal Navy 11= Baker & McKenzie Baker & McKenzie 11= PwC PwC 13= Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service 13= Victim Support Victim Support 15= Newcastle City Council Newcastle City Council 15= Suffolk Constabulary Suffolk Constabulary 17= Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer 17= Leicestershire Police Leicestershire Police 17= Welsh Government Welsh Government 20= Cardiff University Cardiff University 20= Creative Skillset The agency has a dedicated LGBT social network, which hosts social events, as well as an annual conference for gay staff together with Britains two other principal intelligence organisations, MI6 and GCHQ. Senior staff at MI5 said the agency had come to realise that it needed to recruit the best people available, regardless of sexual orientation. Commenting on the Stonewall findings, Andrew Parker, the Director General of MI5, said: Diversity is vital for MI5, not just because its right that we represent the communities that we serve, but also because we rely on the skills of the most talented people, whoever they are and wherever they may be. This accolade from Stonewall is a great acknowledgement of the continued progress we have made over recent years in ensuring we draw on the widest possible pool of talent in our vital work. Anthony Blunts exposure as a Soviet spy stoked MI5s paranoia about gay people (Reuters) The top ranking is in stark contrast to the Cold War era, when homosexuals were considered among the most grave security risks because of their perceived fallibility to blackmail, and the cases of Burgess and Blunt, part of the Cambridge spy ring headed by Kim Philby. The agency monitored hundreds of people, including politicians, considered a potential security risk due to their sexuality, throughout the Cold War. Stonewalls latest equality index lists MI5 ahead of Lloyds Bank in second place and the National Assembly of Wales in third. The top 10 is dominated by organisations from the legal and housing sectors with local government, education, health and social care also prominent in the top 100. Ruth Hunt, chief executive of Stonewall, which has had to have one of its employees security-vetted to interact with the Security Service, said: MI5 has made fantastic strides in creating an inclusive workplace and has now appeared on the Stonewall list since 2012. This is an amazing achievement and demonstrates just how seriously diversity and inclusion is taken. 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 imprisoned former president of the Maldives flew out of the island nation last night for medical treatment in Britain after days of tense negotiation between his family and the government. Mohamed Nasheed, who is serving a 13-year sentence for terror offences after a trial described by the UN as politically motivated, was allowed to leave the capital Male after ministers relaxed the terms of his temporary release. On Saturday, the government had agreed to allow Mr Nasheed to fly to Britain, via Sri Lanka, for back surgery. He believes the condition was triggered when he was tortured as a young activist by the regime he later defeated in the Maldives first democratic elections in 2008. But the feted former president, who resigned in disputed circumstances in 2012, then refused to agree to the deal when the government demanded that his brother Ibrahim remain in Male as a hostage to guarantee his return within 30 days. Under pressure from the West and its neighbour Sri Lanka over the treatment of Mr Nasheed, ministers relented and Mr Nasheeds family is no longer legally liable if the former president does not return within a month. He told his family that he was not prepared to jeopardise their freedom in order secure his own, an aide for Mr Nasheed told The Independent last night as his plane made the short journey to Colombo. The aide said Mr Nasheed needed keyhole surgery and that his back problem had been aggravated when he was dragged into court by police after his arrest in February last year, and by his subsequent imprisonment. According to one of his lawyers, Jared Genser, Mr Nasheed had spoken by phone to the US Secretary of State John Kerry while he waited to board the flight. Last week, the British barrister Amal Clooney, who is also a member of the team, took Mr Nasheeds fight for freedom to Washington D.C. Hugo Swire, the UK Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visited President Abdulla Yameen on Sunday as part of an official visit to the Maldives. David Cameron, who once counted Mr Nasheed as a friend, has joined international calls for his release. Mr Swire also met the Maldives Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon, who is daughter of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the dictator who ruled the Maldives for 30 years and whose regime imprisoned Mr Nasheed when he was a democracy activist and journalist. Mr Yameen is Mr Gayooms half-brother. Ms Maumoon said in a statement last night: We ask that Mr Nasheed and his representatives abide by the agreement signed and agreed today. These are standard requirements in line with international norms. 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 sister of a British man who is believed to have turned executioner for Isis says she still believes hes a good man. Giving evidence to MPs on Tuesday, Siddharthar Dhars younger sister Konika Dhar said she had still received no confirmation from UK authorities that the masked executioner seen in an Isis execution video was definitely her brother. British officials have said Mr Dhar is the lead suspect in the hunt to identify the man, seen in a video threatening the UK before shooting a hostage in the back of the head. Konika Dhar asked MPs: 'Is there anything I can do to help my brother?' (Parliament TV) And while Mr Dhar is known to have travelled to join Isis and has posted images to social media from Syria, she refused to associated him with the worst atrocities carried out by the jihadist group. Ms Dhar said she refused to accept her brother was no longer the good man she had known him to be. She told MPs from the Home Affairs Select Committee that she wants to be believe he can be rehabilitated. He may not come home, but I dont want to give up on him, she said. I want him to return as the person I remember him to be. If that cant happen then maybe I need to accept that, but Im not ready to do that yet. In an apparent criticism of the governments attempts to tackle extremism, Ms Dhar said she didnt know who to turn to when her brothers views on Islam hardened. She said it would have helped if someone had intervened in Mr Dhars case earlier on, given he had appeared across TV channels expressing his support for Isis before he travelled to Syria. Asked if she knew now who she could contact if she had concerns, she said she still had not been directly informed of new counter-extremism programmes the government has put in place. 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 And asked if she and her family had received any kind of support or counselling from the authorities since the video apparently showing her brother came out, she said "not formally, no". Ms Dhar repeatedly struggled with questions from MPs trying to get to the bottom of why her brother turned to extremism, betraying his family and his country. He was fun-living, very laid back, very friendly with everyone, she said. I think its quite hard for me to even know within myself what it was that triggered him to become the person he is today. I wish I knew. At the end of the session, Ms Dhar asked if she was allowed to ask a question of her own. She said: "Is there anything I can do to help my brother?" 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 }} A man who got on a busy London Tube train while dressed as a 'suicide bomber' has been branded "insensitive and crass" by police. A picture, taken on a District Line train near Fulham Broadway station on Monday evening, shows a group of men who appear to be on their way to a fancy dress party. Three are dressed as police officers and another is apparently wearing a 'sucide bomber' costume, complete with camouflage gear and a big backpack. He also reportedly had a fake 'bomb' strapped to his chest, although this cannot be seen in the picture. Londoner Alec Wilson, who took the picture and posted it to social media, told student website The Tab he initially got a fright as the 'suicide bomber' ran past him, and called the stunt a "sick joke." "They played games with their fake guns and made physical jokes about suicide bombing, then played around with fake weapons arresting people," he said. Commenters on social media called the prank "a really dumb way to get yourself killed." Speaking to GetWestLondon, a British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman said the fancy dress incident was not reported to them by any other passengers on the train. However, they criticised the prank as "insensitive and crass", in light of recent terrorist attacks around the world and the UK's 'severe' terror threat level, which means the government currently believes an attack in the UK is 'highly likely'. The weirdest and most shocking news stories Show all 30 1 /30 The weirdest and most shocking news stories The weirdest and most shocking news stories What do horse semen, an elephant and a yurt have in common Leading removals company AnyVan.com operates on the premise that they can move anything anywhere, an undertaking which has certainly given them more than they bargained for over the years. In addition to the more common requests to move homes, furniture and pianos, listings have included a horse semen, live elephant, a cabinet engraved with the Kamasutra, a phallic statue, a dungeon gynaecological bondage chair, a yurt and an ice cream van The weirdest and most shocking news stories Couple find dead lizard inside the can of tomatoes A couple in Birmingham were making lunch when they found the surprise addition of a dead lizard in a can of tomatoes. Muhammad Hussain and his wife Sanam discovered the critter had managed to get into the can that Mrs Hussain had been using to cook a curry. Mr Hussain was alerted to the presence of the lizard when he heard his wife screaming as she made lunch BBC The weirdest and most shocking news stories Greggs (a bakery) has actually stopped selling loaves of bread You'd have thought a bakery would be the one place you'd be guaranteed to buy a loaf of bread. Well, not at Greggs. According to the companys website, customers are able to buy white or malted sliced loaves which are freshly baked every day. So when one customer went into his local Greggs in Burton-upon-Trent, he was surprised to be told they didn't stock them any more. According to the company, they will now focus on the food to go market, which means most of the bread that the company sells is in sandwiches AFP The weirdest and most shocking news stories Man trolls plane passengers by painting sign on his roof welcoming them to the wrong city One US homeowner has taken trolling to another level by painting a message on his roof top to deliberately trick aeroplane passengers into thinking theyve boarded the wrong flight. Mark Gubin painted the sign Welcome to Cleveland on his home which is next to Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is a city in Wisconsin, some four hundred miles away from Cleveland, in the state of Ohio, prompting passengers to fear theyve accidentally boarded the wrong flight as they spy the trick lettering from the aeroplane window Google Maps The weirdest and most shocking news stories Missing cat found after spending 64 days trapped inside a mattress A family who thought theyd lost their cat as they prepared to move 3,000 miles across the US, were relieved when they found their pet inside a mattress some 64 days later. Moosie, a 2-year-old tabby cat, disappeared when Kymberly Chelf and her husband Jesse Chelf boxed up their belongings in preparation for their move from El Paso, Texas, to Anchorage, Alaska. In early June, the familys belongings arrived at their new home along with a big part of their old life. When the Chelfs heard a meow coming from inside the box, Mrs Chelf said: "it just sounded like he [Moosie] was giving it everything he had just to let us know he was there." The cat had been trapped for over two months without light, food or water. Moosie emerged from the ordeal suffering from severe dehydration and with a damaged liver, but vets have said he is in a good condition, CNN reported AP Photo/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Eric Engman The weirdest and most shocking news stories There's a lottery in which the prize is a 20-year supply of bacon Indiana's Hoosier Lottery is switching from cold, hard cash to hot, crispy bacon for its prize, offering players the chance to win 20 years-worth of the stuff. $5,000 of bacon will be dished out in 20 annual instalments to winners, according to the rules, presumably because no-one has the freezer space for 20 years of bacon. It's an ingenious ploy, given that anyone who tried to eat 20 years of bacon would probably struggle to live 20 years The weirdest and most shocking news stories Demonic CIA Osama Bin Laden doll goes up for sale at auction for $5,000 One of the strangest propaganda weapons of the War on Terror has gone up for sale at auction, and it could be yours for only $5,000. The item in question is a doll of Osama Bin Laden, designed to terrify the children of the Middle East so much that they would be permanently put off from joining Islamist groups. The doll is a fairly faithful recreation of the late terrorist leader, complete with white robes, combat boots, and a scraggly black beard. The propaganda value in the bizarre toy comes from the heat-sensitive paint used on the doll's face. When children played with the doll, the heat from their hands would activate the paint, and change Osama into a terrifying green-eyed, red-faced demon, with black markings all over his face Nate D. Sanders The weirdest and most shocking news stories The mystery of the 25-year-old Australian cat which turned up in Northern Ireland An Australian cat has been mysteriously found in Northern Ireland, sparking speculation as to how he made the 12,000 mile journey. The ginger cat was picked up by Cat Protection helpers in County Armagh last week. When animal welfare officers took him to the vet for a health check, it was discovered that he had been micro-chipped in Australia. The plot thickened as the chip revealed he has also been found as a stray across the Irish Sea in London Photo: Cat Protection The weirdest and most shocking news stories Replacement found after 'over-enthusiastic' bull breaks his own penis A prize bull has had to be taken off his farmers breeding programme after he suffered a broken penis. The injury, which the Simmentall bull sustained at the beginning of the breeding season, was probably due to being over-enthusiastic, according to his owner, Tommy Moyles. According to the Irish Mirror, Mr Moyles was then forced to bring another bull, which was previously destined for the slaughterhouse, out to provide his services Ian Forsyth/ Getty The weirdest and most shocking news stories Thieves steal four pints of bull semen from Minnesota farm A group of thieves have stolen about four pints of bull semen from a farm in southern Minnesota in the US - and could sell it on for an extraordinary amount of money. Police in the town of Leroy said they are investigating the theft of a $500 storage container with around 90 filled vials. On the open market, that amount of semen would be worth around $70,000 (47,000) Screengrab via CBS News The weirdest and most shocking news stories Charcoal has become the hot new flavouring If you want to be in on the latest trend in Britain's restaurants and bars, you're going to have to feel - and indeed taste - the burn. Some words of comfort next time you overfry, overbake, overboil or otherwise burn your dinner to a crisp: charcoal, in all its dark and mysterious forms, is being embraced by some of the best in the food and drinks business. It's not just about cooking on a grill (although that's also a booming market), but charcoal as an actual ingredient bringing flavour, colour, texture and a touch of playfulness to plates of food and bottles of juice. This news comes on the heels of Burger King Japan's Kuro Pearl offering, a burger with a jet-black bamboo charcoal bun, which met with a mix of hysteria and confusion upon its launch last year. It turns out that the fast food giant was bang on: charcoal is the new, well, black Victor De Jesus The weirdest and most shocking news stories Woman claims ski accident has given her extraordinary mental powers An anonymous woman in America has told an incredible story of how she was left with extraordinary mental abilities after hitting her head in a skiing accident. The ex-student revealed that she now has a condition known as acquired savant syndrome following the heavy fall on the slopes during a family holiday. The syndrome now lends her incredible powers of memory and the writer explains how she can draw diagrams of thousands of places, with thousands of rooms, branches and doorways right down to the smallest detail in a piece for xojane.com. An individual with savant syndrome will display remarkable and sometimes spectacular talents, according Jonathan Hiles, Principal Lecturer of Health and Life Sciences at De Montford University, in an online article regarding the condition Getty The weirdest and most shocking news stories This octopus learned to use a camera faster than some humans A brainy octopus at a New Zealand aquarium has learned how to take photos - using a waterproof camera specially designed to be operated with tentacles. Rambo the octopus, a popular attraction at Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium in Auckland, New Zealand, stunned her trainers with how quickly she got to grips with the camera. Speaking to Cult of Mac, Mark Vette, Rambo's trainer, said: "When we first tried to get her to take a photo, it only took three attempts for her to understand the process. That's faster than a dog." He added: "Actually, it's faster than a human in some instances" ULI DECK/AFP/Getty Images The weirdest and most shocking news stories 4-year-old leaves home at 3am to buy a 'Slushie' drink Its commonplace to see strange sights on the night bus. But passengers were completely baffled to witness a little girl boarding the vehicle alone at 3am just to satisfy her sweet-tooth. Four-year old Annabelle Ridgeway climbed onto a bus, having been drenched in the rain and without her parents knowledge, to find a place to buy a crushed-ice beverage. Bus driver Harlan Jenifer, 52, quickly called for assistance and Annabelle was taken to a local hospital to wait for her mother YouTube The weirdest and most shocking news stories Little girl goes off on surprising tangent after being told she's going to be a big sister It starts like one of those classic, schmaltzy parent-and-child YouTube videos. 3-year-old Kathryn's dad informs her in no uncertain terms that she's going to get a little sister. Kathryn pauses for a second, apparently stunned by the news. But no! There's no tearful excited, she just whispers "I farted" The weirdest and most shocking news stories Shia LaBeouf's heartbeat is now available for livestreaming Walking Hollywood masterpiece Shia LaBeouf is offering the internet the chance to get closer to him than ever before. But dont let that utterly terrify you the actors latest offer has nothing to do with paper bags, paraphrasing footballers or running around museums in Amsterdam 144 times sporting lycra and a single dreadlock. Instead, the 28-year-old will be livestreaming his heartbeat for the next week as part of a new metamodern performance art piece with his previous #IAMSORRY collaborators Nastja Sade Ronkko and Luke Turner. The project, called Follow My Heart, was announced at the SXSW festival The weirdest and most shocking news stories What color is this dress? The internet has been divided into two warring tribes by a picture of a dress functioning as an accidental colour perception experiment. #TheDress, as it has become known, was spotted by a blogger who turned to Tumblr for help when the garment started an argument among her friends. The question of whether it is blue and black or gold and white has divided friends, families and the celebrity world. This dress has sparked an internet frenzy the likes of which has not been seen since Left Shark took the Super Bowl by storm Caitlin McNeill/Wired The weirdest and most shocking news stories Llamas on the run The world didn't know how to contain itself when it saw two llamas running around a city but for motorists in Arizonas Sun City, it was no doubt an a-lama-ing sight. Two of the animals, one black and one white, decided to dash through the centre of the city, doing their best to evade local residents trying to catch them. After a number of near things, the animals were captured by means of a lasso. The owner of the llamas told local media there had actually been three llamas that got spooked and ran away near the centre of the town. He said the animals were part of a mobile petting zoo at a Sun City care centre The weirdest and most shocking news stories Madonna falls off stage at Brit Awards This years Brit awards ceremony looked set to fade from memory like so many others in recent history until Madonna fell down the stairs after a serious wardrobe malfunction. The queen of pop, 56, was making her first performance at the Brits in two decades, when just seconds into Living for Love she was pulled backwards down a flight of stairs by her backing dancers. She fell heavily on to her back, the long cape and hood she had been wearing failing to separate from her other clothes. She fell heavily on to her back, the long cape and hood she had been wearing failing to separate from her other clothes The weirdest and most shocking news stories 'Left Shark' steals Super Bowl 2015 as Katy Perry is upstaged by her out-of-time support dancer While Katy Perry strutted her stuff during the half-time show which involved multiple costume changes, an entrance on a large metallic lion and duets with Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott social media users were left star-struck by the figure now known as Left Shark. Within minutes, Left Shark had its own Twitter account which has since expanded to no fewer than six different accounts but it was not the sharks killer moves and deadly accuracy on stage that gained so much attention, but rather the fact that it had no idea what it was doing. Perhaps even drunk, Left Shark was out of time with Right Shark, who was a picture of perfection as he moved with the beat and in time with Perry who by this time was already onto her third costume change and bursting into a rendition of Teenage Dream Getty Images The weirdest and most shocking news stories Kim Kardashian breaks the internet Kim Kardashian West has recreated the iconic "champagne incident" image by Jean-Paul Goude for the December issue of Paper magazine. Kardashian West is pictured on the cover of the magazine popping open a bottle of champagne which lands in a glass perched on her bottom. In another image released by the American publication, Kardashian-West is pictured naked from behind provocatively dropping her dress. Two further images were released by the magazine last night which show the reality TV star baring all; in one full-frontal shot and another topless image The weirdest and most shocking news stories Zombie cat A US cat owner has been left baffled after he claimed his dead pet turned up outside his front door five days after being buried. Ellis Hutson told vets in Tampa Bay, Florida, that he had found his black and white cat Bart lying in a pool of blood after he was hit by a car. According to Fox 13, Hutson told the Human Society of Tampa Bay that he had taken Bart away and buried him, and could not explain how the cat came to be spotted by neighbours a full five days later YouTube The weirdest and most shocking news stories 'F*ck it, I quit': KTVA reporter Charlo Greene quits live on air in spectacular fashion KTVA reporter Charlo Greene quit her job on live TV last night, outing herself as the owner of an Alaskan cannabis club and declaring "f*ck it." Having grown weary of reporting the news, Greene told viewers she would instead be putting all her energy into the fight to legalise marijuana in the state, having previously reported on the Alaska Cannabis Club without mentioning her connection to it KTVA The weirdest and most shocking news stories Nation in shock as Cadbury's changes the Creme Egg recipe In a bilateral attack on the glory of Easter, Cadbury's has stunned consumers by changing the recipe of its Creme Eggs and reducing their number in boxes from six to five. Reports that the latest batch of Creme Eggs tasted different were followed up by The Sun, wih Cadbury's confirming to the tabloid that it has switched out Dairy Milk for a "standard cocoa mix chocolate" in the shell Cadbury's The weirdest and most shocking news stories Chocolate Digestives revelation could change the face of biscuit eating forever Shut the biscuit tin, defenestrate your cup of tea, this is serious snack news: you have been eating chocolate biscuits upside down. Biscuits in fact have the chocolate on the bottom of the biscuit, not the top, McVitie's have confirmed, meaning Digestives, Hobnobs and more have a history of being eaten the wrong way up. The news sent shockwaves across the UK's subreddit, after a user posted an email from United Biscuits explaining their composition. "For your information," a spokesperson wrote, "the biscuits go through a reservoir of chocolate which enrobes them so the chocolate is actually on the bottom of the biscuits and not on the top" The weirdest and most shocking news stories Dollar store toy wand has hidden picture of demonic child cutting herself with a kitchen knife A mother in Dayton, Ohio was shocked when she purchased a toy wand for her child at a dollar store only to find it ran not on unicorn hair but a picture of a child slicing her arm open. In fairness to the dollar store (literally called '$.100 store') the product was named 'EVIL STICK', though the pink lettering, fairies, swirls and snowflakes on the packaging ensured it would catch the eye of toddlers. The fact that the wand emits a cackling laugh when activated is probably permissible, the horrific hidden image less so WHIO The weirdest and most shocking news stories Hello Kitty is not a cat - she's a British girl The revelation comes from Sanrio, the creators of the international toy, who contacted University of Hawaii anthropologist Christine R. Yano who was putting together a 40th anniversary retrospective of Hello Kitty in Los Angeles. Professor Yano, speaking to the LA Times, said: That's one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show. Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend Getty The weirdest and most shocking news stories Cannabis-eating sheep munch through 4,000 in plants dumped in bag near farm Cannabis is known to leave its smokers feeling woolly-headed, but it seemed to have little effect on a flock of sheep who chomped their way through thousands of pounds worth of the drug. The hungry hash-eaters came across seven black bags containing the class B banned substance that had been dumped at the edge of their farm in Merstham, Surrey, and started scoffing Getty The weirdest and most shocking news stories Tesco cash machine offers 'free erection' because of mistake translating sign into Welsh Aberystwyth councillor Ceredig Davies took this picture after the new cash machine became the talk of the town, explaining that 'codiad am ddim' translates colloquially as 'free erection' Ceredig Davies The weirdest and most shocking news stories Parrot returns to British owner speaking Spanish - four years after disappearing Nigel, a grey African parrot, flew away from his home in California in 2010 but was returned to his British owner, Darren Chick, after he was discovered in Torrance, California. Although the Spanish-speaking bird bit Mr Chick when he first saw him, the happy owner said: "He's doing perfect. Mr Chick says his birds British accent is gone, replaced by fluent Spanish and someone called "Larry". Even though he has no idea where the bird has been for the last four years, he claimed: "It's really weird, I knew it was him from the minute I saw him" Getty The spokesman added: It is important for everyone to remember the need to be responsible and considerate to fellow passengers while making your journey." We would always encourage anyone to report anything they think is suspicious or which makes them uncomfortable to us, to allow us to establish if any further action is needed." The BTP can be contacted on 0800 40 50 40, or reached by text on 61016. 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 }} There will be no respite following the coldest night in winter so far, as people across the UK will again feel below-zero temperatures on Tuesday, the Met Office has said. The lowest temperature recorded on Monday night was -12.2 C in Kinbrace, Sutherland. In England it dipped to -8.4C in Benson, Oxfordshire. But meteorologist Emma Sharples has told The Independent it is possible that Tuesday night could steal the title for being the coldest of the season. [On Monday night] we saw the coldest night of the winter so far; [on Tuesday night] I think well see minus double figures again. There will be fairly widespread frost - quite a sharp frost across the southern parts of the UK, Wales and Scotland. The current cold snap is expected to continue throughout the week before a weather change on the weekend, according to Ms Sharples. Yellow warnings for ice have been issued for the whole of Scotland on Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures for Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to reach 3C or 4C in Scotland and the North East of England. In the south, temperatures will be between 4C and 5C, possibly hitting 7C in the South West. And then we start to see a change with less cold air edging in from the west, associated with some weather fronts bringing in a bit more cloud across Wales and South West England on Thursday," said Ms Sharples. In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A man works in the snow in the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A man jogs past the partially frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A jogger runs through the snow under the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A man walks through the snow close to the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Temperatures drop as night time falls and snow blankets moors in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Temperatures drop, as night time falls, and snow enhances the complex pattern of fields on the moors in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A van waits to be recovered after sliding into a ditch on an icy road in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Snow blankets the countryside in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Farmers on the Richmondshire and Cumbria border take feed for the sheep on the Pennine tops with the A66 trans Pennine route in the background as snow falls across many parts of the UK PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A tractor with a snow plough parked outside the Tan Hill Inn in Swaledale, North Yorkshire as snow falls in the Pennines PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Cars make their way through the snow on the A1 northbound in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, as the UK braced for a new wave of bad weather after forecasters issued warnings of heavy snow in parts of England and Scotland PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Snowfalls over high ground of the Pennines at Tan Hill PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Sue and Chris Betts take their dog for a walk in the snow near Beamish, Tyne and Wear after heavy snow in the area PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Clyde Wind Farm near Abington in Scotland PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Sheep near Abington in Scotland PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Snow in Abington in Scotland as the cold weather hits parts of the UK PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Snow blankets the countryside in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images Friday will also feel less cold as the weather front spreads from west to east, although there may be some sleet or snow on higher grounds. Ms Sharples said: That then really is the end of this cold period. The weekend is a bit mixed; Saturday looks mostly dry, with some patchy rain around on Sunday. Temperatures will probably return to above average as we go into the weekend, with figures coming back towards double figures positive rather than negative. 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 British public are generally proud of their countrys role in colonialism and the British Empire, according to a new poll. At its height in 1922 the British Empire governed a fifth of the worlds population and a quarter of the worlds total land area, but its legacy divides opinion. Common criticisms of the empire include its policies causing millions of famine deaths in British India, its running of brutal detention camps in occupied territories, and massacres of civilians by imperial troops. Recommended Read more 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire The British Empire was also a dominant slave-trading power until the practice was outlawed in 1807, after which the Empire played key a role in ending the practice internationally. The Empires proponents say it brought economic development to parts of the world and benefited the countries it controlled. David Cameron has previously said the Empire should be celebrated. YouGov found 44 per cent were proud of Britains history of colonialism while only 21 per cent regretted that it happened. 23 per cent held neither view. The same poll also asked about whether the British Empire was a good thing or a bad thing: 43 per cent said it was good, while only 19 per cent said it was bad. 25 per cent responded that it was neither. In 2006 Tony Blair apologised for the empires early role in the slave trade, describing the practice as a crime against humanity. Mr Cameron has struck a different tone, however refusing the apologise for the Amritsar massacre of 1919 in which nearly 400 innocent Indians were killed by imperial troops. He has also refused to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond of British crown jewels to the country. I think there is an enormous amount to be proud of in what the British Empire did and was responsible for, Mr Cameron said in 2013 on a visit to India. But of course there were bad events as well as good events. The bad events we should learn from and the good events we should celebrate In terms of our relationship with India is our past a help or a handicap? I would say, net-net, it is a help, because of the shared history, culture, and the things we share and the contributions that Indians talk about that we have made. The British Empire is not widely taught in detail in British schools, with history lessons tending to focus on other areas. Former education secretary Michael Gove has said the British Empire should be taught in schools, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said children should also be taught about the suffering it caused 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 has said he backs the right for UK schools to prevent Muslim girls from wearing veils in the classroom. The Prime Minister said he would support "proper and sensible rules", which may require people to show their faces in some circumstances, but did not advocate a nation-wide ban on full-face coverings. Mr Cameron made the comments as he announced a number of new measures aiming to tackle radicalisation and segregation in British Muslim communities. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Monday, the Prime Minister said: I think in our country people should be free to wear what they like and, within limits, live how they like and all the rest of it. David Cameron speaks with women attending an English language class during a visit to the Shantona Women's Centre in Leeds Getty (Getty) What does matter, if for instance a school has a particular uniform policy, sensitively put in place and all the rest of it, and people want to flout that uniform policy, often for reasons that arent really connected with religion, I think you should always come down on the side of the school. Mr Cameron said he would also support the principle when applied in courts or at border controls, but would not back a French-style burqa ban. When coming into contact with an institution or youre in court, or if you need to be able to see someones face at the border, then I will always back the authority and institution that have put in place proper and sensible rules. Going for the French approach of banning an item of clothing, I do not think thats the way we do things in this country and I do not think that would help. France banned Muslim women from wearing full-face veils in 2010. Education watchdog head, Sir Michael Wilshaw, also supported a ban on veils in the classroom saying inspectors have sometimes found coverings cause communication problems during lessons. Sir Michael told BBC's Newsnight: We have come a long way in our society to ensure that we have equality for women and that they are treated fairly, We mustnt go backwards. Many inspectors say ion occasions they go into classrooms where they see there are problems about communications. The comments come as Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, launches a new website educate against hate on Tuesday, in order to protect young people from radical views, providing information for schools and parents to tackle the spell of twisted ideologies. When asked if pupils should be able to wear veils in schools, Ms Morgan told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday: "We're not going to tell people what they can and can't wear", but added schools did have the right to uphold a uniform policy. The Prime Minister unveiled a number of policies on Monday to prevent people travelling to the Middle East to join terrorist groups, including deporting people who have arrived in Britain on spousal visas with low English skills and who fail to improve their English over two and a half years. His remarks were followed by much criticism warning Mr Cameron risked stigmatising Muslim women with clumsy policy announcements. Lady Warsi - who was the first female Muslim cabinet minister - told The World at One: "I think it is lazy and sloppy when we start making policies based on stereotypes which do badly stigmatise communities." Lady Warsi said "threatening" women - even those who have children in the UK - with being "sent back" was "a very unusual way of empowering and emboldening women". Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said: "His clumsy and simplistic approach to challenging extremism is unfairly stigmatising a whole community. There is a real danger that it could end up driving further radicalisation, rather than tackling it." Additional reporting by Press Association 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 }} Business chiefs have warned they would struggle to fill key jobs under proposals by government advisers to tighten the visa rules for non-European workers and to charge them a skills tax. In moves to cut migration numbers and tackle the undercutting of some British workers pay, the Migration Advisory Committee called for companies to be banned from recruiting staff from outside Europe on salaries of less than 30,000. Its report comes as ministers search for ways of curbing net migration levels currently more 330,000 a year without hampering economic growth. It found evidence that non-EU nurses and doctors were being paid 6,000 less than their British equivalents, while foreign secondary teachers earned 2,000 less. It urged Theresa May, the Home Secretary, to levy an annual immigration skills charge of 1,000 for every skilled non-European worker they hired a move which would raise 250m a year for training Britons. In a series of measures which could see the flow of migrants cut by more than 30,000, it also backed tougher restrictions on companies transferring foreign-based staff to the UK. Recommended Read more The five most controversial ways the government penalises immigrants But the Institute of Directors said the plans would hit thousands of firms and send a message around the world that the UK is no longer open to international talent. Attempts to tighten rules for skilled workers are already proving highly contentious. Ministers are facing demands to rethink plans to force non-EU migrants to prove they are earning at least 35,000 after five years in the country or risk being ordered out of Britain. The committees recommendations came in a review into tier two visas, which are issued to skilled migrants from outside the European Economic Area. Currently they must be taking up a job with a salary of at least 20,800, although there are higher thresholds from some jobs. In 2014, 151,000 people came to Britain by this route. 10 things immigration has done for Britain Show all 10 1 /10 10 things immigration has done for Britain 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Mini The 1959 classic, that is, perhaps our greatest piece of industrial design, a miracle of packaging and revolution in motoring. Its genius designer was Sir Alec Issigonis, who was an asylum seeker. His family, Greek, fled Smyrna when Turks invaded this borderland in around 1920, and he wound up studying engineering at Battersea Polytechnic. He went on to create that most English of motor cars, the Morris Minor, as well as the Austin-Morris 1100, all much loved products of his fertile imagination. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marks and Spencer Once upon a time there was no M&S in Britain, difficult as that may be to believe. We have one Michael Marks to thank for our most famous retailer, and he was a refugee from Belarus, arriving in England in about 1882, and soon after set off to flog stuff around Yorkshire. He eventually teamed with Thomas Spencer to create the vast business we know today. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Thunderbirds And many other TV shows created, funded and otherwise produced by that largest of larger-than-life characters, Lew Grade (also a world class tap dancer). The man who dominated commercial television gave us memorable entertainment such as The Prisoner, the Saint and brought the Muppets to Britain (a sort of fuzzy felt wave of immigration), as well as puppet shows where you could see the strings. All this from a penniless Jew from Ukraine, born Lev Winogradsky, who escaped the pogroms in Ukraine with his family in the 1890s. His nephew Michael Grade has also done his bit for British television. Rex Features 10 things immigration has done for Britain The House of Windsor Or the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha until George V prudently rebranded the family during the First World War. Well, our royals are a pretty German bunch, as well as having various types of French and other alien blue blood coursing around their veins. Twas ever thus. There was William the Conqueror, Norman French, who certainly broke the immigration rules; William of Orange, a direct import from Holland; the Hanoverian King Georges, the first barely able to speak English; Queen Victoria, who married a German, Edward VII, who couldnt stay faithful to his wife, a Danish princess; George V wed another German princess; Edward VIII married an American (though she hardly visited England and prompted his emigration and exile); and the Queen is married to man born in Corfu. The embodiment of the British nation, to many, but one thinks of them as quite multicultural really. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain I Vow To Thee My Country Our most patriotic hymn was the product of a man named Gustav Holst (pictured), born in Cheltenham, but of varied Swedish, Latvian and German ancestry, who adapted part of his suite The Planets to put a particularly stirring and beautiful poem to music, just after the Great War. As the second verse has it, there's another country/I've heard of long ago/Most dear to them that love her/most great to them that know. Imagine if the Holst family had been kept out because the quota on musical European types had been reached. Creative Commons 10 things immigration has done for Britain Curry and Cobra Chicken Tikka Masala is, so they say, a dish which not only the most popular in Britain but specifically designed to cater for European tastes. For that we probably have to thank an Indian migrant, Sake Dean Mahomed, who came from Bengal to open the first recognisable Indian restaurant, the magnificently named Hindoostanee Coffee House. History does not record if a plate of poppadoms and accompanying selection of pickles and yoghurts were routinely placed on the table for new diners, but we do know that we had to wait until 1989 to taste the ideal lager for a curry - Cobra. That brew was brought to us by Karan (now Lord) Bilimoria, a Cambridge law graduate who hailed from Hyderabad. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain That big red swirly sculpture at the Olympic Park Or Orbit, to give it its proper name, the work of Anish Kapoor, who arrived in 1973 from India and had the artistic imagination to fill a power station. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Sun Love it or hate it, and many do both, this has been a symbol of much that is successful and a lot that is awful in British journalism since its inception in 1969. In its turn it spawned the Page 3 Girl and some nastily xenophobic headlines. All the stranger when you consider its creator was, of course, Rupert Murdoch, born 11 March 1931 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marxism OK, Karl Marxs philosophy was not much of a gift to the world, but for a while it seemed like a good idea. Though we might not dare admit it, Marxism still has a few insights to offer to anyone wanting to understand the workings of capitalism, though too few to excuse everything that was done in its name. Born in Germany spent much time in the British museum and the British pub, buried Highgate Cemetery. Oddly, his ideas never really caught on in his adopted homeland. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The NHS They came from many, many backgrounds, including Ireland, the Philippines, east Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, as they still do, but the contribution of the black nurses who came to the UK from the Caribbean to heal and care for is a debt of honour that must be recognised. It so sometimes forgotten that it was Enoch Powell, then Minister of Health (1960-62), who campaigned to recruit their skilled nurses to come and work over here. One abiding legacy we can thank Enoch for. Getty Images The committee called for the threshold to be raised to 30,000, although it said the increase should be phased in to allow employers to adjust recruitment plans. Prof Sir David Metcalf, the committees chairman, suggested it be phased in over three or four years for professions such as nursing to coincide with a drive to train more British nurses. Nurses have currently been exempted from the cap by Ms May to avoid a recruitment crisis. The committee will report next month on whether the end the temporary exemption. Recommended Read more David Cameron confirms mothers could be deported over English test The advisers said they strongly supported the skills charge to encourage employers to look closer to home to fill jobs vacancies. It suggested a yearly levy of 1,000 for each tier two migrant taken on by a British firm. Prof Metcalfe said: Skilled migrant workers make important contributions to boosting productivity and public finances, but this should be balanced against their potential impact on the welfare of existing UK residents. The committee also backed tighter restrictions on intra-company transfers by raising the minimum salary for visas to 41,500. Indian IT workers are said to account for more than 90 per cent of such migrants. But Adam Marshall, executive director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: With businesses reporting severe recruitment difficulties, especially for highly-skilled and specialised positions, it makes no sense to slap new charges on firms that need to recruit from overseas - often because they are left with little alternative due to skills gaps here at home. 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 planned strike by junior doctors scheduled for next week has been suspended after talks between the British Medical Association and the Government. The 48-hour strike had been due to take place from Tuesday to Thursday 26 to 28 January but will now not go ahead, the BMA said. Dr Johann Malawana, the chair of the BMA's junior doctor committee, said differences still existed between negotiators but that there would now be more time for talks before the next wave of industrial action hit. Recommended Read more Junior doctors could be unilaterally forced to accept new contract A third planned strike in February remains in place and will go ahead unless "concrete proposals" are put on the table, the BMA says. "The BMAs aim has always been to deliver a safe, fair junior doctor contract through negotiated agreement. Following junior doctors clear message to the government during last weeks action, our focus is now on building on early progress made in the current set of talks," Dr Malawana said. "On this basis, the BMA has today taken the decision to suspend the industrial action planned for 26-28 January, thereby giving Trusts as much notice as possible so as to avoid disruption to patients. "It is important to be clear, however, that differences still exist between the BMA and the Government on key areas, including the protection of patient safety and doctors working lives, and the recognition of unsocial hours. Significant, concrete progress will need to be made if future action, currently planned for 10 February, is to be averted." A spokesperson for the Government said the strike's suspension was "extremely welcome news". Doctors overwhelmingly voted to strike late last year by 98 per cent on a turnout of over 70 per cent. They have warned that a new contract for junior doctors will put patient safety at risk by incentivising unsafe working patterns and could see pay cuts for doctors who work the longest hours. In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 20,000 Junior Doctors marched through central London in protest at the new contract changes the government is trying to impose which they say will be unfair and unsafe In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors protest in London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 4 year old Cassius takes part in a demonstration in Westminster, in support of junior doctors over changes to NHS contracts, London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Protest over proposed changes to junior doctors' contracts, Leeds In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Over 5000 junior doctors rallied in Waterloo place, before marching through Whitehall and onto Parliament Square, in opposition to Jeremy Hunt's new working conditions for doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Demonstrators listen to speeches in Waterloo Place during the 'Let's Save the NHS' rally and protest march by junior doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors marched in London to highlight their plight In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK A protester at a demonstration in support of junior doctors in London The Government says the new contract is necessary to improve NHS services on weekends. The British Medical Journal has however accused the Government of misuing academic studies it published. One strike, excluding emergency care, went ahead last week after negotiators failed to reach an agreement. A previous strike scheduled for last year had been scheduled but called off amid negotiations. The cancellation of the strikes comes a day after David Cameron warned in an interview that junior doctors could be unilaterally forced to accept a new contract if an agreement was not reached. 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 polling industry could stop doing election polls altogether after its disastrous performance in 2015, a top pollster has said. Surveys in the run-up to last years general election significantly overstated Labour support because of fundamental sampling problems, an independent inquiry into the failures has found. Speaking this morning after the release of the findings, Ben Page, the chief executive of pollster Ipsos MORI, warned that there were no simple solutions to the diagnosis. He hinted that pollsters the bulk of whose work comes from corporate clients and market research might consider not conducting political polls at all at the next election. What you have to remember is out of the 1500 people I employ in London, only three of them are doing election polling, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. This is something that the industry does, to be honest, at relatively low budgets. The money that is available to pay for election polling is miniscule compared to the vast majority of what the industry is doing. And there are some really interesting questions about whether we should stop doing it altogether. Experts' predictions for the general election Show all 10 1 /10 Experts' predictions for the general election Experts' predictions for the general election Andrew Hawkins (ComRes) Just as the polls in 2010 pointed to no overall majority for any party, the overwhelming evidence points to Labour either being the largest party or getting a small majority, probably below 20. The Lib Dems and SNP should each win between 25 and 35 seats, with single-figure wins for both Ukip and the Greens. Experts' predictions for the general election Joe Twyman (YouGov) I predict it will be close. I predict a few tremors, though earthquakes are unlikely. I predict the eventual winner may not be the direct result of public opinion, but instead the outcome of political negotiations. Its too early to predict numbers given all the uncertainties surrounding (among other things) Ukip, the SNP and the Lib Dems. It is possible that it will be close between Conservative and Labour in terms of both votes and seats. The Lib Dems might retain 20-30 seats and the balance of power, despite small gains for the SNP, and at most half a dozen Ukip seats. Gun to my head? Labour minority government. Rex Experts' predictions for the general election Ben Page (Ipsos MORI) A mugs game for this election months away, but my predictions in order of likelihood: most likely a hung parliament or coalition of some kind, closely followed by either a small Labour majority or an equally small Conservative majority. Given how close the parties are, the unknown performance of Ukip in key marginals, the effect of incumbency on Lib Dem losses, the final size of SNP surge and so on, to be more precise is simply foolish! Professor Tetlock, who found that forecasts by experts were only slightly better than throwing dice, weighs heavily upon me! Rex Experts' predictions for the general election Rick Nye (Populus) I can see a hung parliament, where Labour is the largest party in terms of seats though not necessarily in terms of votes, with the Lib Dems having 30 seats or fewer, the SNP having up to 20 seats and Ukip having no more than five seats. In short, its going to get messy and stay messy for some time to come. Experts' predictions for the general election Nick Moon (GfK) I cant recall there ever being an election more difficult to predict than this one. Im confident no party will have an overall majority, with the Tories probably the largest party but no single partner for a viable coalition, with the Lib Dems on 25 seats, the SNP 20, Ukip three, and the Greens one. Experts' predictions for the general election Damian Lyons Lowe (Survation) We might have expected a workable Labour majority, were it not for the wild-card rise of the SNP in Scotland. Survations December Scottish polls suggest an almost complete wipeout by the SNP in Scotland and result in 40+ seat gains mostly at Labours expense. My current predictions are: Labour the largest party by 40-50 seats over the Tories, no overall majority; Tories 235-255 seats; Lib Dems 20-30 seats; SNP 30-40 seats maybe held back from potential support level by opposition incumbency and tactical voting by pro-unionist voters. Finally, Ukip, 5-10 wins from Conservatives, including Rochester and Clacton, and potentially a single Labour-seat surprise. Experts' predictions for the general election Michelle Harrison (TNS) The battleground over the next three months is at the kitchen table the difference between what the statistics tell us about the economy, the experience that Britons are having of managing their household budgets, and where and if they believe politics can make a difference. In this regard, the disconnect with the major political parties is more interesting than the horse race. Experts' predictions for the general election James Endersby (Opinium Research) Our first poll for 2015 shows Labour one point ahead [see above], but polls four months out from an election are snapshots, not predictions. It would be extremely unwise for a pollster to make a firm prediction now. At the moment, Opiniums estimate on polling day would be the Tories slightly ahead on vote share, but Labour slightly ahead on seats. These numbers are based on a uniform swing, with tweaks to Green and Ukip numbers based on local information: Labour 320 seats, Conservatives 271, Lib Dems 20, SNP 16, Plaid Cymru three, Greens two, Ukip four. A hung parliament with Labour potentially closer to a majority coalition than the Conservatives. Experts' predictions for the general election Martin Boon (ICM) Ive not recovered from the Scottish referendum campaign yet, and here we go with another wildcard strewn nail-biter. For me, Labour on 30 per cent will only fractionally nudge past their woeful 2010 showing behind the Tories on 33 per cent but enough to secure more seats (290 for Labour, 280 for the Tories) on boundary wackiness. The Lib Dems will secure 14 per cent of the vote and 35 seats; Ukip will also get 14 per cent, but that only gets them a couple of seats. As for Scotland, Im bewildered, but as you asked Ill say 30 seats for the SNP, which wipes out a breathing-space victory in seats for Labour. Experts' predictions for the general election Lord Ashcroft (Lord Ashcroft Polls) Declined to take part. His spokeswoman said: As he has said many times, his polls are snapshots not predictions. Health warning: when The Independent on Sunday carried out a similar exercise in April 2010, at the start of that years election campaign, eight out of eight pollsters predicted a Conservative overall majority. Rex Political opinion polling is among the most high-profile research conducted by pollsters but brings in little income. The practice provides high-profile press coverage for pollsters who in the past have been able to point to the accuracy of their election polls in order to demonstrate the accuracy of their methods. An interim report by the independent inquiry into the polling industry, set up by the British Polling Company and Market Research Society, issued its interim report today. The report said samples including too many Labour voters appeared mainly to blame for the errors. The inquiry said that lower that expected Labour voter turnout and shy Conservative voters were not significant causes in the problems but said evidence of a late swing to the Tories was inconclusive. 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 }} In 1905, when a large crowd of Russian peasants lined up behind a friendly priest in St Petersburg to peacefully hand in a petition to the Tsar, he wisely responded by opening fire on them. The rise of the internet has made it frustratingly difficult to shoot people who sign petitions, but for reasons that remain unexplainable, it has also become fashionable to take them seriously. Because 574,000 people - of whom at least 400,000 declared themselves Jedi in the 2011 census - put their name to an online petition seeking to block Donald Trump from entering the UK, our parliamentarians were formally obliged to discuss the idea. The debate, it was almost unanimously agreed, was a waste of time. The sheer number of MPs who turned up to say it was a waste of time meant it went on for three whole hours. Why are we giving him the publicity? they asked, one after the other, all broadcast live on US public service TV, and none more famous than Keith Vaz. Recommended Read more Donald Trump fluffs bible reference in speech at Christian college It happened in a room off Westminster Hall ordinarily reserved for debates on whether jet fuel can melt steel beams. At least a hundred members of the public queued for hours in that cold and cavernous chamber, an ordeal normally rewarded with the rare treat of hurriedly walking past a dead monarch. No such luck this time, not least as in the end, only 32 seats were available, so to be able to say you were there, whispering Whos that? to your neighbour in front of a live audience of Arizona housewives watching on C-SPAN really will be one for the grandkids. But no one can have found the viewing experience more unsettling than the Donald himself - if he was watching. The Donald knows that not everyone talks as straight as the Donald (even those who dont refer to themselves in the third person), but even so, if youre sitting down to watch people argue about banning you from their country, you dont expect to end up with at least ten different invitations to visit. I would invite Donald Trump to have a curry with me in Bradford West, said Labours Naz Shah. He should come with me to the streets of Brixton, said Paul Flynn. He should be grilled by Andrew Neil, said someone else. He should go on Have I Got News For You, claimed another. Why not? He should switch on the Christmas Lights on Oxford Street. He should be a judge on X Factor. He should go on the fourth plinth. This was clever politics. They all know they dont have the power to ban him, but pummel him with the threat of constituency visits with backbench MPs and hell never take the risk. Its not surprising, given The Donalds various outrages against women and muslims, that it fell to the few female Muslims in Parliament to lead the attack against him. Donald Trump misquotes the Bible at a Christian University People say the public are apathetic about politics, said Labours Tulip Siddiq. This petition shows people will act to stop this poisonous, corrosive individual from entering this country. But it also shows that people will act to stop anyone at all from entering this country, given 450,000 people have also signed the online petition to Stop all immigration and close the UK borders until ISIS is defeated, as pointed out by the Conservative James Berry. But Mr Berry was only one of many to prove that the 20m David Cameron had that morning promised to spend on stopping Muslim women being silenced by domineering men has not yet had an impact. Be careful about lowering ourselves into demagoguery in order to oppose demagogues, said Sir Edward Leigh, before reminding of the red carpet that is regularly rolled out for Chinese and Saudi Arabian leaders, and in the past, Nicolae Ceausescu. These are not people who talk about violence, they practise it on an extreme scale. But Naz Shah, who having defeated George Galloway in Bradford West, knows a bit about demagogues, put it best I stand here a proud, British Muslim woman. Donald Trump would like me banned from America. But the Koran tell me: goodness is better than evil. If someone does bad you do good in return. I will not allow the rhetoric of badness into my heart. Hatred breeds hate. That is not something I tolerate. Wise words, and given they were dictated to the prophet Mohammed by Allah himself more than a thousand years before the invention of the toupee, we are sadly compelled to assume they apply to Donald Trump too. 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 }} As it battles to clean-up a water supply that has been linked to the deaths of at least 10 people and declared a federal emergency, it should come as no surprise to learn that Flint is considered one of the most dangerous city in America. But while the US Environmental Protection Agency recently compared Flints water supply to toxic waste, it is actually the citys sky-high violent crime and sexual assault rate that makes it so unsafe. In 2012 Forbes listed Flint as sixth on its list of the most dangerous places in America for women. The magazine said that in April of that year at least 60 young women were treated by the Wayne County Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners Program. In pictures: Flint water crisis Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Flint water crisis In pictures: Flint water crisis Anthony Fordham picks up bottled water from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to deliver to a school after elevated lead levels were found in the city's water in Flint Reuters In pictures: Flint water crisis Michigan National Guard Staff Sergeant William Phillips (L) assists a Flint resident with bottled water at a fire station in Flint Reuters In pictures: Flint water crisis Flint residents Arthur Woodson, left, and Tony Palladino Jr. protest the arrival of Flint native and filmmaker Michael Moore as Moore accuses Gov.Rick Snyder of poisoning Flint water during a rally outside of city hall in Flint AP In pictures: Flint water crisis Flint residents pick up bottled water and water filters at a fire station in Flint. Michigan National Guard members were set to arrive in Flint to join door-to-door efforts to distribute bottled water and other supplies to residents coping with the city's crisis over lead-contaminated drinking water Reuters In pictures: Flint water crisis Soldiers from the Michigan Army National Guard Flint prepare to give Flint residents bottled water at a fire station in Flint Getty Images In pictures: Flint water crisis Justin Roberson (L), age 6, of Flint, Michigan and Mychal Adams, age 1, of Flint wait on a stack of bottled water at a rally where the Rev. Jesse Jackson was speaking about about the water crises at the Heavenly Host Baptist Church in Flint Getty Images In pictures: Flint water crisis A man sits next to a stack of bottled water at the Heavenly Host Baptist Church in Flint 2016 Getty Images In pictures: Flint water crisis The top of a water tower is seen at the Flint Water Plant. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Michigan and ordered federal aid to be used to help state and local response efforts to an area affected by contaminated water Reuters In pictures: Flint water crisis Rosie Wright, center, rallies with the crowd over Flint's water crisis in Ann Arbor, Michigan AP In pictures: Flint water crisis Rick Catherman participates in a rally around Flint's water crisis in Ann Arbor, Michigan AP In similar clinics in the areas surrounding Flint that number was in the hundreds. The following year Business Insider declared Flint Americas most dangerous city, citing the FBIS 2012 unified crime report. The report revealed Flint had an incredible 62 murders per 100,000 people, 106 forcible rapes per 100,000 people and 662 robberies per 100,000 people. It has since slipped down the list to the third most dangerous city in the US, although 2015 reportedly saw its murder rate spike again following several years of decline. Michigan National Guard Staff Sergeant Steve Kiger of Beaverton, Michigan, helps a Flint, Michigan resident take bottled water out to his car (Getty Images) One reason for the high crime rate is abject poverty throughout the city something that has compounded problems for residents amid claims they are still being charged up to $200 a month for their contaminated water supply. Between the 1930s and 1970s, Flint had a booming motor industry part of the spill-out from General Motors operations in nearby Detroit. But GM started laying people off in the 1980s as it looked to build new factories outside the US and unemployment has grown steadily since, with roughly half of residents over 16 now out of work. Those who can afford to have steadily left Flint over the past 30 years, leaving behind a desperately poor local population where more than 41% live below the poverty line, according to the US census. The steadily declining population meant that by 2012 there were just 122 police officers for population of 90,000, according to MLive.com, which has only added to its crime problem. 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 }} Despite being several months into a contaminated water crisis that US president Barack Obama has declared a federal state of emergency, the city of Flint, Michigan is still charging residents up to $200 a month for their supply, it has been claimed. Michigans Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) stands accused of ignoring months of concerning reports on the amount of lead in Flints drinking water, with the brown liquid reportedly making residents hair fall out and causing rashes on their skin. 10 people have also died from the pneumonia-like condition Legionnaire's disease. When tested by a team from Virginia Tech, the water was so contaminated with lead that the US Environmental Protection Agency branded it toxic waste. Volunteers help unload pallets of bottled water at a Flint Fire Station (Getty Images) With charity drives and water appeals in place to provide Flint residents with enough water to live on, Obama declared a state of emergency on Saturday - automatically releasing $5 million in federal aid to assist with the public health crisis. Despite the ongoing crisis, an investigation by Mic has revealed that locals are still be charged hundreds of dollars to receive the contaminated water. In pictures: Flint water crisis Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Flint water crisis In pictures: Flint water crisis Anthony Fordham picks up bottled water from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to deliver to a school after elevated lead levels were found in the city's water in Flint Reuters In pictures: Flint water crisis Michigan National Guard Staff Sergeant William Phillips (L) assists a Flint resident with bottled water at a fire station in Flint Reuters In pictures: Flint water crisis Flint residents Arthur Woodson, left, and Tony Palladino Jr. protest the arrival of Flint native and filmmaker Michael Moore as Moore accuses Gov.Rick Snyder of poisoning Flint water during a rally outside of city hall in Flint AP In pictures: Flint water crisis Flint residents pick up bottled water and water filters at a fire station in Flint. Michigan National Guard members were set to arrive in Flint to join door-to-door efforts to distribute bottled water and other supplies to residents coping with the city's crisis over lead-contaminated drinking water Reuters In pictures: Flint water crisis Soldiers from the Michigan Army National Guard Flint prepare to give Flint residents bottled water at a fire station in Flint Getty Images In pictures: Flint water crisis Justin Roberson (L), age 6, of Flint, Michigan and Mychal Adams, age 1, of Flint wait on a stack of bottled water at a rally where the Rev. Jesse Jackson was speaking about about the water crises at the Heavenly Host Baptist Church in Flint Getty Images In pictures: Flint water crisis A man sits next to a stack of bottled water at the Heavenly Host Baptist Church in Flint 2016 Getty Images In pictures: Flint water crisis The top of a water tower is seen at the Flint Water Plant. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Michigan and ordered federal aid to be used to help state and local response efforts to an area affected by contaminated water Reuters In pictures: Flint water crisis Rosie Wright, center, rallies with the crowd over Flint's water crisis in Ann Arbor, Michigan AP In pictures: Flint water crisis Rick Catherman participates in a rally around Flint's water crisis in Ann Arbor, Michigan AP Long-term resident Tyrone Wooten told the news website: I noticed the middle of July 2014 we were getting $150 water bills. We've been paying for it for so longSometimes it's like, 'Don't flush the toilets sometimes we don't know how much that costs, he added. Michigan National Guard Staff Sergeant William Phillips helps unload pallets of bottled water at a Flint Fire Station (Getty Images) Wooten told the news website that his typical water bill is between $125 and $150 a month. Others questioned said their water bills were lower than this, while some families said they pay up $200. In most cases the residents wouldnt dream of drinking the water, using it only for washing and flushing the toilet. This s*** is criminal [Michigans Governor Rick Snyder] deserves to go to prison for this, local resident Kendrick Boyd was quoted as saying. They gave [ex-Detroit mayor] Kwame Kilpatrick 28 years for stealing money. This man just endangered lives. People die from this, he added. 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 }} Crowds of people have gathered on the Great Wall of China, holding signs to help a dying boy achieve his dream of becoming famous in China. Dorian Murray, from Westerly, Rhode Island, revealed his final wish to his father after doctors said his rhabdomyosarcoma, an acute form of muscular cancer, was untreatable after spreading into his spinal fluid. Writing on Facebook, Dorians father recounted his eight-year-old son asking: Hey dad, you know what I really want before I go to heaven? I would like to be famous in China because thats where they have the bridge [The Great Wall of China]. Any prayer warriors in or have contacts in China? FROM DAD'S PAGE:"So, Dorian was over last night. Dorian looked at... Posted by Praying for Dorian on Sunday, 10 January 2016 The boy's father put out a call on Facebook asking people to share pictures of themselves on the Great Wall while holding signs with #D-STRONG written on them - a phrase, which has become a rousing slogan for the boy. The appeal sparked a responses from thousands on social media. Liu Ping, a tourism company CEO, told Chinese state news agency Xinhua she first heard of the eight-year-olds request on Tuesday. I was touched by the boy, she said, he was so young but in the face of death he appeared so strong. I felt obliged to do something for him. Ms Ping posed for a picture at the Great wall and told other tourists of Dorians story who also posed with the signs. "Some people from China Youth Travel Service arrived very early in the morning," Ms Ping added, "If more people had access to Facebook, I am sure there would be more photos." Support for Dorian has spread across the country and even further afield throughout the world. Primary school students in Beijing posted a sign reading: Dorian, all the children of LVMS know you. D-STRONG and pictures of people holding D-Strong signs have been posted from Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, West Lake in Hangzhou and the Huangpu River in Shanghai. Dorians story even featured on the front page of the English language newspaper, the China Daily, last week Well-wishers have also posted pictures of themselves with signs in Paris, Japan, Switzerland, The Marshall Islands and Italy. Theyre just saying to keep fighting, Dorian told WPRI. They believe in me. And its just really nice to know that so many people have my back for me. Writing on Facebook, Dorians family said: We are so amazed, and completely in awe of the response to Dorian's request. All I can say is, thank you. #dstrong is no longer just a hashtag, it is a movement! Dorian has brought so much inspiration to people, around the world! I couldn't be more proud of my son. 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 }} Standing at a podium in an open-rafter barn on the grounds of a Wild West museum in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Bernie Sanders admitted his bid to be the Democratic nominee for president appeared humble. This is the campaign, nothing fancy, no PowerPoints, no marching band, this is it, he said. The success of his brand of humility looked improbable when he launched it last summer. Yet it is one that has gained sudden and accelerating traction in spite of that simplicity and, above all, perhaps, in spite of his touting a message not just of radical reform for the country and its political system but also of socialist reform. A CNN poll just released for New Hampshire puts the Senator for Vermont on 60 per cent, with his main rival Hillary Clinton on 33 per cent. Recommended Read more Bernie Sanders is more popular than Hillary Clinton with millennials Drawing 3 per cent support when he first started, Mr Sanders, who calls himself a democratic socialist, is now neck and neck with Ms Clinton, once the front-runner for the partys nod, in Iowa, the state which will hold its caucus voting on 1 February. If he comes out of the gate winning in both the first two states, the impact on her campaign would not be fatal, necessarily, but surely debilitating. Suddenly, aides to Ms Clinton are publicly acknowledging she is in for a drawn-out fight. Their best hope is that, even if she loses here and in New Hampshire, she will pick up steam on Super Tuesday on 1 March when several southern states hold primaries. Mr Sanders, though he drew 7,000 to a rally in Alabama on Monday night, has yet to show strength there or among African American voters. But for now, the perception at least is that the momentum is his. Hes a phenomenon, said Jerry Larsen, 67, a retired healthcare manager, who drove three hours from Wisconsin to see him. About 200 showed up, filing in from the cold in farm coats and snow boots. That he is now neck and neck with Ms Clinton is just incredible. Hes a phenomenon just like Donald Trump is. USA: Troops from Muslim nations must fight IS, not US - Sanders The rise of Mr Trump has in part been at the expense of Jeb Bush, the brother and son of former presidents. If Republicans have spurned him as a dynasty candidate, might Democrats do the same for a wife of a former President? When I began this campaign about nine moths ago a lot of the pundits and the media said: You know Bernie, you look presidential [he doesnt] and you are a GQ kind of man [he isnt] but you really dont have a chance because your ideas are too radical. And you wont be able to raise the money, said Mr Sanders, his seriousness punctuated with small ticks of self-deprecating humour. They said you are running against an inevitable candidate, Secretary Clinton is the investable candidate... today the inevitable candidate does not look so inevitable as she did 18 months ago. His appeal is partly about his consistency. He rails against the corrupting of the political system by all the money that pours into it from the wealthy trying to skew the outcome of the election. He has been able to keep pace with Ms Clinton by raising cash almost entirely in small donations from individual supporters. He has, he said, received 2.5 million such donations so far. I dont represent the billionaire class, I never have, he told his audience, who mostly listened to him in polite silence, only occasionally offering applause. There were no chants of USA, USA. Mr Sanders said: I dont represent the corporate class, I never have. I decided we are not going to do that. Bernie Sanders dancing before appearing on Ellen In a speech of 30 minutes Mr Sanders laid out his vision for the country that promises free college education for all, a free healthcare system for all, rid of private insurers, and a justice system that would no longer shield the rich and go after the poor and disenfranchised. He wants to tax the rich, break up the banks and get private money out of campaigns. His main promise: to restore a level playing field. The notion that Mr Sanders could win in Iowa, at least, and thus gain some critical early momentum, looks a lot less outlandish in the light of a recent survey showing that 43 per cent of Democrat voters in the state happily identify themselves as socialist and anti-Wall Street. If someone calls me a socialist, I am proud of it, John Pierce, 68, a retired owner of a tree farm and a seed company, said. If I have socialist tendencies I would not consider it a slap in the face. He, though, had come to hear Mr Sanders, because he is still on the fence between him and Ms Clinton. He worries that, as president, he would have a harder time than her working with a Republican Congress. Yet, like others here, he scoffs at the suggestion that if Mr Trump were to be the Republican nominee, it is Ms Clinton who would fare better against him in a general election. He is just one scary individual. I have no doubt either one would beat him. 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 family in Wisconsin is in mourning after a 21-year-old woman froze to death after leaving a party, dressed in light clothes and without a coat. Officials said Elizabeth Luebke was seen on surveillance cameras collapsing in the snow around 4:30am after leaving a house party in the town of Oshkosh. She was discovered by a passer-by at about 9am on Sunday. The temperature at the time was -5.8 degrees F (-21C )with the wind chill recorded as -27.5 degrees F. (-33C). Ms Luebke was wearing shorts, fishnet stockings and a tank top. Her sweater was found near her body, according to Fox News. Reports said Ms Luebke was wearing shorts, fishnet stockings and a tank top when she left the party (Fox News) A report by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiners Office suggested Ms Luebke was apparently intoxicated when she left the house party. Reports said that Ms Luebkes mother came to Milwaukee to look for her daughter. Kathryn Luebke told investigators her daughter was hospitalised last October with a blood alcohol content of 0.40 after she was found unresponsive at a bar. Local media said her friends at the party thought she had been picked up. The man who hosted the party said she had been drinking and stormed out into the night after getting angry with a friend. In December, the young woman posted on social media that she had quit drinking and stayed sober for a month. I know you kids feel invincible, but this weather is ruthless. Please, all of you, dont underestimate this cold, Ms Luebkes friend Julie Schmidt, posted on Facebook Joel Dhein with the Glendale Police Department said: If you can stay in groups - at least with somebody - that's just general personal safety. 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 teenage boy cut off his own hand after being told he was a blasphemer, police in Pakistan say. Mohammad Anwar, 15, from a village in the Punjab province of Pakistan, misheard cleric Shabbir Ahmed speaking during a sermon. The imam asked who did not love the prophet Mohammed and the teenager - who had misheard him - raised his hand. Recommended Read more Pakistan blasphemy laws increasingly used to settle petty disputes The imam accused him of blasphemy in front of the whole congregation, to which the boy responded by going home and cutting off his own hand, said local policman Nausher Ali. He then presented it to the cleric on a plate, according to officers. Police arrested the cleric on Sunday, before accusing him of using hate speech to incite violence and filing anti-terrorism charges against him. 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 Such illiterate imams of mosques should not be allowed to deliver speeches, the chief police said. His arrest is under the National Action Plan that hate speeches inciting violence are no longer allowed in this country, Mr Ali said. The teenager was hailed a hero among locals and the boys father said he was proud of his actions - adding that he did not want the cleric arrested - according to police. Blasphemy is a source of major controversy in Pakistan and has led to angry mobs killing people accused of insulting Islam. Pakistani law does not define blasphemy, but does state its punishment is death, although one has never been carried out. Activists argue blasphemy laws are frequently misused to settle personal scores and unfairly target minorities. The Supreme Court in Pakistan suspended the execution of a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, convicted of blasphemy in 2015. She was the first woman to be sentenced to death under the law. 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 symbol used to represent a temple on tourist maps in Japan could be replaced because it resembles a swastika. Although the manji symbol is associated with Buddhism and appears on traditional temples across Japan, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) is proposing to replace it with a pagoda in its foreign-language maps. It comes after the GSI surveyed more than 1,000 people in over 90 countries to see whether the current map symbols were easy to understand for foreign visitors. It found that some people associated the manji symbol with Nazi Germany rather than Buddhist temples, according to the Telegraph. However, the plans to replace it have been met with criticism, with some saying those visiting Japan should learn the meaning behind the symbol. Following the survey, which comes amid preparations for hosting the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, the GSI is planning to use 18 symbols just for foreign-language maps. Six of them are replacements for current symbols deemed too difficult for tourists to understand, including those for temples, police stations and churches. Some of the proposed symbols are completely new, including those representing the location of convenience stores and tourist information centres. According to the Japan Times, the GSI said in a report: To build a tourism-orientated nation and ensure smooth implementation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Japan needs to create an environment where foreign visitors can easily get transport and accommodations. For that purpose, it is especially important to disseminate multilingual maps that are easy for foreigners to understand. But people from around the world have opposed scrapping the manji symbol. According to the BBC, one Twitter user, Konatch, said: Its said some would mistake the manji for the Nazi symbol, but Buddhism has a much longer history with this symbol. So I strongly oppose changing our maps for some foreigners who are ignorant and extremely stupid. The idea is foolish. Takayuki Nakamura, the GSIs executive officer for national mapping told the Japan Times that Japanese users were divided between maintaining the traditional symbols and changing them. Either way, it will take a while before any changes are made, as we need to coordinate with related government agencies," he said. It is thought the symbols will be adopted by the end of the March, followed by a period of public consultation, the International Business Times reported. 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 }} Some nightclubs in Denmark are imposing language rules on the door in an apparent attempt to ban asylum seekers following complaints of harassment. The trend started in Snderborg, where a local military base was converted into refugee housing last year. Three of the towns clubs started refusing entry to anyone unable to speak Danish, German or English several months ago and an industry group said others are considering following suit. Video: Denmark launches anti-refugee ad campaign Danmarks Restauranter og Cafeer, which represents more than 1,500 businesses, claimed the rules were purely security-related. The managing director, Torben Hoffmann Rosenstock, told TV2: If you have a group of guests that comes in and displays threatening behaviour then it presents some security-related challenges if you cannot enter into a dialogue, according to a translation by The Local. Danish media has reported complaints by women who say they have been harassed and groped by male asylum seekers in Snderborg and several other towns. Rafi Ibrahim, a Syrian man who owns a nightclub in Haderslev, said refugees moving in since 2014 have made their mark. Denmark has taken the decision to tighten its border controls (AFP/Getty Images) Many of the refugees and asylum-seekers who go out at the weekend do not know the rules, he told TV Syd. When they see a girl, they go crazy, trying to grope her or grab her clothes. Police in Thisted, north Jutland, are also monitoring harassment reports but told the Copenhagen Post they had not received any specific complaints. Local officials said they were launching a campaign to ensure arriving migrants understand acceptable modes of behaviour in Danish society. Amnesty International was among the groups criticising the club crackdown in Denmark, with a local member saying it was discriminatory and would fuel division. 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. The country has recently come under international criticism for Government proposals that would see any valuables worth more than 10,000 kroner (1,000) seized from arriving refugees to pay for their accommodation. Wedding rings, medals and other items deemed to be of sentimental value are exempt but the bill has sparked comparisons to the treatment of Jews and minorities by the Nazis. Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, wrote to Denmarks immigration minister to oppose the law. I believe that such a measure could amount to an infringement of the human dignity of the persons concerned, he said, adding that he was also deeply concerned at parts of the law that would delay refugees joining their families. Danish politicians are due to vote on the proposals next week. 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 }} Zookeepers in Odense Zoo, Denmark, dissected a lion and an antelope over the weekend, without the international outrage surrounding a similar dissection last year. A large crowd watched a nine-month-old lion dissected on Saturday, followed by the dissection of a sitatunga, an African antelope, on Sunday. The animal was put down last February, along with its two sisters, because the zoo had too many big cats and did not want the siblings to breed together or fight. In stark contrast to the zoo's dissection of another lion last October, deliberately held during local school holidays, there was little outrage or media coverage. Nina Collatz Christensen, a zoologist at Odense Zoo, told The Local the outrage surrounding the lion's dissection in October was the exception rather than the rule. We have been doing this for almost 20 years, dissecting all kinds of animals, she said. We think this gives our guests a different kind of education in which we show, rather than just tell, people what is inside a lion or whatever animal we choose." She added: "We feel that it is educational and a good experience for the guests. The kids are very interested when they watch and they ask a lot of questions, so we can see that it is a very good experience for the guests." In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) Marius the giraffe killed Marius the giraffe before he was put down In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) Marius the giraffe killed A lion is fed the carcass of Marius In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) Marius the giraffe killed A vet holds up one of Marius' hooves while performing an autopsy on the young giraffe at Copenhagen zoo In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) Marius the giraffe killed A vet carries out an autopsy on Marius in front of a crowd at Copenhagen zoo In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) Marius the giraffe killed Children watch on and take pictures as a vet dissects Marius In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) Marius the giraffe killed A vet skins Marius in front of a crowd at Copenhagen zoo In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) Marius the giraffe killed People gather outside Copenhagen zoo to protest the slaughter of Marius the giraffe In pictures: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children watch on (Warning: graphic images) Marius the giraffe killed Marius the giraffe before he was euthanized AFP/Getty Images Last year, Copenhagen Zoo killed a "surplus" young giraffe named Marius despite an online petition and international furore. Yorkshire Wildlife Park expressed its disappointment after its offer to house Marius in its "state-of-the-art giraffe house" alongside four other males was ignored. 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 European Union is scrambling to salvage its 3bn (2.3bn) deal with Turkey aimed at stemming the flow of refugees into Europe, amid wrangles over who should pay for the fund and questions about whether it will be enough to prevent a new migration crisis this year. The deal was seen as one of the EUs key responses to the wave of refugees heading to Europe from Syria, Iraq and other war zones last year. As a major transit country for migrants seeking to reach the EU, Turkey is currently hosting more than 2.2 million refugees. EU states gave initial backing to the aid plan, which is meant to help improve living conditions for refugees, at a special summit with Turkey in November, and at the EU summit last month. However, EU finance ministers have yet to reach a definitive settlement over the financing of the fund, with Italy blocking the proposed plan that would take 1bn from the EU budget, while national governments would pay for the remaining 2bn. Italy argues instead that the entire 3bn should come from the EU budget. Turkeys Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, will meet the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday to discuss the crisis. We hope a new resettlement schedule has been declared by Europe that was their sides work and also this financial burden-sharing will be there, he said in London. Turkey says it is already spending 5.7bn far more than the EU has so far pledged in aid just on its refugee camps, which accommodate 280,000 Syrians. A further two million refugees who live outside them add further to economic and social costs. You can imagine 700,000 school-age children are getting education in Turkey, Mr Davutoglu said. You can imagine at how much cost. The health system is open to all Syrians without any charge. Universities are open. It has also decided to allow all Syrians who cross into Turkey by land the right to work, but not those who arrive by other means with the intention of using Turkey as a transit point to Europe. The Syrian refugee crisis in numbers But some EU members are concerned about whether Turkey is doing enough to fulfil its side of the deal. Over the Christmas period, there were still more than 2,000 arrivals to the EU per day, according to Frontex, the EUs border agency. UN figures show the number of refugees arriving in Greece frequently exceeded 3,000 a day this month, and in first 10 days of 2016, the numbers entering the EU were already three times higher than in the entire month of January last year. The action plan with Turkey, although promising, is still to bear fruit, the European Council President Donald Tusk told the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Mr Tusk, who chairs the EU summits, described the refugee crisis as an existential challenge for the EU and admitted, there is a clear delivery deficit on many fronts, from hotspots and security screening in front-line countries to relocation and returns. The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker echoed him. Turkey has made the first positive steps in the joint action plan, he said. More steps need to be made however, such as the need to reduce the flow of refugees. 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 Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the head of eurozone finance ministers, warned last week that the EU had to reach an agreement on the fund swiftly as it continues to tackle the most serious migration crisis in Europe since the Second World War. On the last and key question of whether Italy has lifted its objections, the answer is still no, said Mr Dijsselbloem. Recommended Read more Extreme cold heaps misery on refugees in Macedonia and Serbia Italys objections reflect the tensions between Rome and the rest of the EU. The Prime Minister Matteo Renzi lambasted the German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the EU summit last December over EU policies on energy, banking and migration. At the same time, Italy is currently in talks with the Commission on whether it can be granted more fiscal leeway in its 2016 budget. Under the Commissions original deal based on gross national product, Germany was to pay 534m, the UK, 410m, France 386m and Italy 281m. Britain quickly agreed to pay its share but Italy has held back. Germany, which took in more than one million refugees last year, is particularly anxious to ensure that the Turkey deal succeeds and is already pressing for more EU cash for Ankara. 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 Swedish doctor charged with kidnapping, drugging, raping and holding a woman hostage in a purpose-built bunker for six days has said he did it because he wanted someone to live with. The 38-year-old doctor, who has not been named in line with Swedish privacy rules, had reportedly planned to keep the woman in the bunker for years. His defence lawyer, Mari Schaub, described the case as an elaborate plot to find a girlfriend. Recommended Read more Swedish doctor arrested after woman is held hostage in dungeon She said he never meant to hurt anyone and described him as being a very sad and depressed person who wanted a partner". The indictment said the defendant built the concrete bunker, which had metal double doors and thick walls, next to his house just outside Knislinge, southern Sweden, and disguised it by making it look like a machine shed. The purpose of the building was to keep people incarcerated during an extended period of time without detection, the indictment said. It is believed the man began construction five years ago on the dungeon, which was found with a kitchen and bathroom area, and a fully covered courtyard area, according to Swedish police reports. He was arrested after seeing reports the woman was missing as he visited her flat in Stockholm to collect some of her belongings. 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 In an effort to stop any further appeal over her whereabouts, he took the woman to a police station near Stockholm and forced her to tell them she was fine. Police became suspicious and took her to one side, where she was able to reveal what had happened to her, leading to the doctors arrest. The woman was initially given chocolate-coated strawberries laced with Rohypnol, known as a date-rape drug, during a second date with the doctor in Stockholm. After wheeling her to his car in a wheelchair, he drove the unconscious woman 330 miles to his home, and continued to sedate her via intravenous drugs throughout the journey. Prosecutors say he had sex with her while she was still unconscious and that he used two life-like rubber masks of an older woman and a bearded man, so as not to be recognised. During the six days she was held captive, they say he tied her up in the bunker and repeatedly raped her. He reportedly told her he would have unprotected sex with her, before he took blood samples and vaginal samples to check for diseases and she allegedly forced her to take the contraceptive pill. Swedish police said they found a gun, used condoms, syringes, drug-laced strawberries, contraceptive pills and rubber masks when they searched the dungeon and the rest of the property. Ms Schaub said her client had confessed to all allegations, except rape, and wants the kidnapping charge reduced to the lower charge of deprivation of liberty. A psychiatric examination found the defendant mentally fit to stand trial, both the prosecutor and the defence lawyer said. The kidnapping has parallels with the case in Austria of Josef Fritzl that emerged in 2008. He had kept his daughter in a bunker under his house, from the age of 18 for 24 years, and had seven children with her in Austria. A trial is expected to begin next week. Additional reporting 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 }} Iran has wasted no time re-entering the global financial system in the wake of the removal of sanctions, with deals with French and German firms already in place, and a visit by President Hassan Rouhani to Italy and France planned for next week. The visit will be Mr Rouhanis first to Europe since the lifting on Saturday of sanctions against his country, which has enabled Iran to resume trade with Europe and the United States. Recommended Read more Iran nuclear deal leaves it stronger as its neighbours fall apart The country has struck a deal worth an estimated $10bn (7bn) with French company Airbus to purchase 114 new planes, according to local media. Meanwhile Germanys Economy Ministry said it will revive state export guarantees for companies that want to do business with Iran, as German truck company Daimler AG said its business would be returning to the Middle Eastern state. New York protests against Iran nuclear deal Show all 10 1 /10 New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a poster as she takes part in a rally on Times Square in New York opposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York An inflatable mushroom cloud stands among demonstrators during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A member of the Neturei Karta Orthodox Jews sect is escorted away by New York City Police during a rally near Times Square to demand that Congress vote down the proposed US deal with Iran in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman shouts slogans during a rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A protestor holds a placard during a demonstration and rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Some of several thousand protestors crowd into 7th Avenue at 42nd street as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a placard as she joins several thousand other protestors to demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rallied against the Iran nuclear deal in New York's Times Square KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protestors shout slogans as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran Stuttgart-based Daimler announced that it had signed letters of intent with local partners Iran Khodro Diesel and Mammut Group to arrange a comprehensive re-entry into the country where Daimler started doing business in the 1950s. Daimler Trucks head Wolfgang Bernhard said that there is a huge demand for commercial vehicles in Iran and that we plan to quickly resume our business activities in the market there. Daimlers business in Iran started in 1953 and it sold up to 10,000 vehicles a year there, but was interrupted from 2010 to 2016 by the sanctions. German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel is planning to take a trade delegation to Tehran in May, at the same time as British Chancellor George Osborne. The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, will visit Iran next week. Mr Rouhani said that his country would not breach the nuclear deal so long as the West also honoured its commitments to the accord. Describing the accord as a unique example in the history of diplomacy, he said Iran was committed not to pursue nuclear weapons. Fatemeh Ekhtesari and Mehdi Mousavi faced long prison sentences (AP) We will be committed to the nuclear deal as far as the other side is, Mr Rouhani said at a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano. But Iran also hit back at new US sanctions imposed on Sunday over Irans long-range missile programme. Irans missile programme has never been designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said. The US sanctions against Irans ballistic missile programme have no legal or moral legitimacy. Meanwhile, previously banned websites including Twitter and YouTube appeared to be unblocked for at least some users in Iran. Mr Rouhani is a prolific Twitter user and has spoken about his desire to open up the internet to all Iranians. AP; Reuters Escape from Iran: Poets faced the lash Two Iranian poets who faced lashings and prison sentences have fled Iran, one of the writers said, a rare escape for artists and activists ensnared in an ongoing crackdown on free expression. Fatemeh Ekhtesari faced an 11-year prison sentence and Mehdi Mousavi faced nine years on charges ranging from propaganda against the state to insulting sanctities. Each was sentenced to 99 lashes for shaking hands with members of the opposite sex. Ms Ekhtesari said both had made it to another country, but did not elaborate. 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 Isis jihadist group is holding as many as 3,500 people as slaves in its territories in Iraq alone, the UN has said, and continues to carry out a wide range of abuses against civilians that amount to "war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly genocide". From the beginning of 2014, a new report said, at least 18,800 civilians have been killed in Iraq and more than 3.2 million people have been displaced. According to the UN Assistance Mission in the country, those being held as slaves by Isis "are predominantly women and children and come primarily from the Yezidi community", though they also include small numbers from other ethnic and religious minorities. Detailing evidence of executions by shooting, beheading, burning alive and bulldozing, the UN report said the scale of "systematic and widespread violence" perpetrated by Isis from May to October 2015 was "staggering". The report is a rare and detailed insight into the violence committed by all sides in Iraq, and only includes incidents the UN has verified "using independent, credible and reliable sources". The group's activities in Syria, where there is even less access for UN monitors and where Isis controls large swathes of land, are not documented. 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 The picture the UN paints, then, is potentially just the tip of the iceberg for civilian casualties in Iraq's long and bloody conflict. The enslavement of the Yazidi people is among the worst Isis atrocities documented. The UN said that while it believes 3,500 members of ethnic and religious minorities are being held as slaves in northern Iraq, individual reports of abuses dwindled over the course of 2015. "It is likely that most of the members of [these] communities located in areas of Isis control have been killed, abducted or [already] fled," the report said. The UN said it was able to verify reports that on 21 June last year, between 800 and 900 children were rounded up in Mosul and abducted for military training. It said it had also been informed that those who refused Isis commands were flogged, tortured or raped. In August, the UN said, 18 child soldiers were murdered by Isis for running away from the front line in Anbar province and returning to their homes in Mosul. In a separate incident, child soldiers were made to execute 15 Isis fighters who had themselves fled the fighting or lost battles. In a statement, the UN's human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said: "Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq. "The figures capture those who were killed or maimed by overt violence, but countless others have died from the lack of access to basic food, water or medical care." He added that the report laid bare the "horror" that Iraqi refugees were attempting to escape when they fled to Europe and other regions. The UN Special Representative in Iraq, Jan Kubis, said the "scourge of Isis continues to kill, maim and displace Iraqi civilians in the thousands and to cause untold suffering". He called on "all parties in the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians from the effects of violence". 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 Isis jihadist group is abducting hundreds of children from their families in northern Iraq and subjecting them to horrific abuse if they refuse to fight for it on the front line, the UN has said. The systematic use of child soldiers, which is designated as a war crime under international law, was documented in a report on the staggering violence suffered by civilians in Iraq over the past year. Using only eye-witness testimony and reports verified by reliable sources, the UN described how Isis fighters round up large numbers of children in distinct recruitment drives in the territories under its control. Those who refused to fight were flogged, tortured and raped, according to one report, while there is evidence to suggest child soldiers who flee the frontline are executed upon their return to their homes. Isis puts younger children through religious education, and sends them for military training once they hit 15 In one incident in May last year, child soldiers were forced to execute 15 Isis fighters who had either lost battles or retreated from the fighting in the Ninewa plains. In June, the UN documented a single push for recruitment in Mosul which saw between 800 and 900 children taken from their families and forced into Isiss ranks. According to the report, those aged between five and 10 were placed in a religious education camp; and those aged between 10 and 15 were forced into military training. The UN said it had received several accounts to suggest tribes in Anbar were complying with Isis by forcing families to give up their children as soldiers. In no cases were parents given a choice over the conscription, instead being told their boys must participate in jihad. And in one of the most dramatic accounts of violence documented in the UN report, a group of 18 children was executed on 14 August for having run away from fighting on the Anbar frontline. 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 According to a source, the boys left the front without being noticed, but were identified by residents upon their return to Mosul, the UN said. An Isis self-appointed court allegedly ordered their killing. In a statement accompanying the report, the UN's human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said: Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq. The figures capture those who were killed or maimed by overt violence, but countless others have died from the lack of access to basic food, water or medical care. He said the report laid bare the horror that Iraqi refugees were attempting to escape when they fled to Europe and other regions. 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 }} Turkey will not allow Kurdish groups from northern Syria to take part in peace talks alongside other groups opposed to the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the countrys Prime Minister has warned. Ahmet Davutoglu said the group known as Peoples Defence Units or YPG, seen by the US as one of the most effective fighting forces against Isis, was too closely linked to the outlawed PKK terrorist group for it to join talks on the opposition side. It represented a direct threat to Turkey, he told reporters during a two-day visit to London which concluded on Tuesday. The hard line from the Turkish government is a further obstacle to the Syrian peace talks which are scheduled to begin in Geneva on Monday, with all the main parties in the region taking part. Russia, a key ally of President Assad, is demanding that the Kurdish group take part in the talks, which will be held under the umbrella of the United Nations. Mr Davutoglu said the YPG would only be allowed to take part on the regime side. Advances on the ground by Syrian government forces have meanwhile emboldened Damascus. The regime is trying to achieve as much as possible on the ground before the peace talks, which will be hollow, Zakaria Ahmad, a spokesman for a moderate rebel faction operating near the Turkish border, told the Associated Press. Rocket hits school in Turkey As a result, diplomats are becoming doubtful that the talks will begin next week. Their convenors say they will not issue invitations to opposition groups until all the main countries involved including Saudi Arabia and Russia as well as Turkey have agreed on who should take part. The talks are meant to launch a political process to end the civil war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced millions of refugees to flee abroad. Under the plan, a new constitution would be drawn up and elections held in 18 months time. There are major unresolved differences including over the future of Mr Assad. Mr Davutoglu said he should go as early as possible, because Syrians do not want to see him in that post. As long as Mr Assad remained, he added, the millions who have fled will not return. After the formation of a transitional government, he said, there should be a timetable for a transformation where any Syrian can run the country based on the support of the Syrian people. L ibya announces unity government Representatives of Libyas rival factions negotiating through a UN-brokered process announced that they have formed a unity government aimed at stemming the chaos that has engulfed the country. The Unity Presidential Council has agreed on a 32-member cabinet, drawn of representatives from across the country. Libya slid into chaos following the 2011 killing of Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2014, its divisions only increased, splitting it into two governments and parliaments: the globally recognised version in the east and an Islamist-backed one in Tripoli. The line-up of the new cabinet was approved by seven out of nine members of the presidential council, after two walked out. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called the cabinet announcement an essential step and said Libya was now at a critical juncture. 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 }} Mehmet Mutlu was not the brightest of boys likeable enough, but with little interest in learning. There was a sense of inevitability for his teacher when he learnt, last month, that his 16-year-old pupil had been killed in clashes between Kurdish youths and Turkish security forces. But it was still a shock. He was lying on the ground, his face in a pool of blood, he recalled with sadness. He was my student. Recommended Read more Kurdish conflict in worst state for 20 years as tensions spill over For 30 years the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has engaged in armed struggle against the Turkish state. Now the collapse of a ceasefire last summer has plunged the mainly Kurdish south-east of the country into the bloodiest bout of violence since the 1990s. With a struggling economy, a population of more than two million Syrian refugees and a volatile border with Syria and Iraq, Turkey can ill afford a long-running internal conflict. Yet its litany of death shows no sign of ending; on Tuesday, three policemen were killed and four more were wounded in a suspected PKK attack in the province of Sirnak. While previous flare-ups were characterised by tit-for-tat strikes on Turkish army posts and PKK training camps, much of the fighting is now taking place in cities. These urban clashes are being fought by teenagers and 20-somethings under the banner of the recently formed Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement. Demonstrations against the curfew in the Sur district in Diyarbakir ended in clashes with the police (Corbis) Announced in February 2013, shortly before the PKK declared a ceasefire, its stated aims included tackling drugs and prostitution as well as protecting communities from what it termed the tyranny and persecution of the police. Known by the initials YDG-H, the youth movement has formed armed branches across the south-east. When the conflict reignited last July, its members dug trenches among homes and shops and threw up barricades. It declared autonomous zones, daring the state to force it out. Mehmet Mutlus story is typical of the tales told by friends, relatives and neighbours of the children of the 1990s who are fighting street to street in the Sur district of Diyarbakir. Mehmets teacher, who asked for his name and subject to be withheld for fear of losing his job, said that his pupils father was imprisoned for about 14 years for political reasons. His older brother, he said, had gone to fight in Rojava, the Kurds name for the territory they hold in northern Syria. This kind of child, whose dad was in prison for 13, 14 years, they have a feeling of hate towards those who did this, he said. Chain smoking as he spoke, the teacher, whose school is in the middle of the embattled Sur area, painted a picture of classrooms filled with poor but politicised students. The south-east has unemployment rates of up to 24 per cent and after-school jobs left little time to study, he said. Having grown up using Kurdish at home, many spoke poor, accented Turkish. 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 Despite some reforms by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), many students felt alienated, the teacher claimed, by an educational system that denied them their distinct ethnic and cultural identity. On Monday and Friday we have to sing the national anthem and... most of them dont sing it, he said. We play it, but they dont sing. When its not loud enough, they have to do it again. Many young people have spent spells in prison for hurling stones or Molotov cocktails. Mesut Simeksek, 25, who was killed in December, served three years in jail before joining the fighting in Diyarbakir, according to his older sister, Guler Sevikek. Their family took refuge in Sur after fleeing the small town of Lice in the 1990s. Like Mehmet, Mesut had a brother fighting in Syria and was traumatised by the states treatment of his father and brother. His sister recalled: They were forced to lie on the street and were surrounded by dogs. Mesut used to say: How can I ever forget that image? Those fighting in Diyarbakir are no angels. Mesuts sister admits that he was armed, though she disputes claims by pro-government media that he was among the most dangerous terrorists in Diyarbakir. Mehmets teacher, too, believes he carried a weapon, though he is alarmed by claims on pro-Kurdish news sites that Mehmet was shot while his hands were cuffed behind his back. The decision by these young men to fight in urban areas has forced thousands of families to flee their homes and left others trapped. Ahmad Yasar, a father of seven who runs a restaurant just inside the old city walls, was part of a delegation that pleaded with them not to entrench themselves in the middle of their city. A group of us, shopkeepers and tradesmen, went to those streets and said: this is wrong, he said. Of course they didnt listen to us. They didnt care what we said. But there is also sympathy for their circumstances. Umit, an artist whose old basalt house has been damaged by the clashes, said that the youths had no other prospects. Those streets are the only thing in their hands, he said. Its about their very existence. Though it supports the PKKs stated aim of greater Kurdish autonomy, it is unclear to what extent the YDG-H youth movement is controlled by older, more established insurgents. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main opposition leader, is accused of openly insulting the President (AFP) In November, the PKK leader Cemil Bayik denied that the two organisations were linked. But, just months before the group was formed, Murat Karayilan, head of a PKK umbrella group, called for a youth revolution against state policies in the south-east. Bill Park, a visiting scholar at Tobb Etu University in Ankara, said that, while nothing happens in the south-east without the PKK, the youth campaign appeared to be at least partly improvised. He added: Im sure that the PKK is not in full control. The agenda for a meeting between David Cameron and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu was due to include Turkeys role in the battle against Isis and efforts to stem the refugee crisis. Given the scale of those two tasks alone, Britain and Turkeys other Western allies are anxious for the Kurdish conflict to be halted as soon as possible. The stories told on the streets of Diyarbakir offer worrying signs about the prospects for long-lasting peace. Our generation is the one that you can talk with, hold negotiations with, said Mr Yasar, the weary restaurant owner. This new generation is more radical. They feel that they have no link with this country. Party leader faces jail for dictator comment Lawyers for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have filed a lawsuit against Turkeys main opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, for calling Mr Erdogan a dictator. Mr Kilicdaroglu is accused of openly insulting the President, an offence punishable by four years in prison, after defending a group of academics who face investigation after criticising Mr Erdogans military action in mainly Kurdish areas. Academics who express their opinions have been detained one by one on instructions given by a so-called dictator, said the Republican Peoples Party leader. 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 }} People in Yemen have stopped going to hospitals because they are being seen as targets, a charity has claimed. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said the latest bombing of the Shiara hospital in Saada, which killed six and injured seven, was part of a worrying pattern of attacks to essential medical services. Juan Prieto, general coordinator for MSFs projects in Yemen, said more than 100 incidents involving hospitals meant people were scared to visit them for all but the most serious emergencies. Medical facilities that should be places of healing for the population, no longer seem to be safe for the patients or for the medical staff operating in them, he said. People still consider hospitals a target and try to avoid them as much as possible. The only cases that we are receiving are emergencies and mass casualties following attacks. MSF health workers returned to work at Shiara hospital as soon as it was confirmed the attack was over, Mr Prieto said, in spite of the fact that it has been hit by missiles or air strikes three times in the last year alone. Staff and patients alike feel uneasy and threatened because of the failure to protect medical facilities from the ravages of war, he said. Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Show all 4 1 /4 Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Nevertheless, our staff have returned to their positions albeit apprehensively. They are more determined than ever, given the situation in the country and the specific needs in Razeh, to continue working for the population. David Cameron defended Britains support for Saudi Arabia in its countrys widely-criticised Yemen campaign on Monday. He said: Were trying to do everything we can to make sure that the work done by Saudi Arabia is properly targeted and its right that we should do that. Yet even as he spoke on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, reports were coming in that Saudi-led air raids had struck a group of civilian police buildings in Sanaa. At least 15 police officers were killed and more than 20 were wounded, according to local medics and residents. The facility was sometimes used as a meeting place for the opposition Houthi militia which currently controls the countrys capital, and the strike highlights the challenge of correctly identifying targets for international air raids. The fighting in Yemen has killed more than 5,800 people since last March when the Saudi-led coalition began the air campaign. 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 }} Society must not go backwards and schools should have the power to ban Muslim girls from wearing veils in schools to ensure equality, the head of the education watchdog in England has said. During an appearance on BBC2s Newsnight on Monday, Sir Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of schools in England and head of Ofsted, was asked if he would back the banning of the coverings in schools, to which he answered: Yes, I would. He said people need to listen to Prime Minister David Camerons views that our liberal values, our liberal West values, are protected. He continued: The Muslim community needs to listen to it as well. We have come a long way in our society to ensure that we have equality for women and that they are treated fairly. We mustnt go backwards. He also said he would support a decision by an individual school to stop Muslim girls from wearing the veil particularly if it is stopping good communication in the classroom and in the lecture hall. Sir Michael went on to add: My inspectors say, on occasions, they go into classrooms where they see there are problems about communications. The Ofsted heads remarks echoed those made by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan who told BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Tuesday institutions needed to see someones face. Her comments on the matter came a day after Mr Cameron made similar remarks. Mrs Morgan said: The Prime Minister was absolutely right to say, and we have a very clear view in this country, we are not going to tell people what they can and they cant wear. That would cut across the values we are talking about that we want everybody to follow. But there are times, there are institutions, and organisations where it is right - schools will be one of them - where the school leaders want to have a clear uniform policy they want everybody to observe, and they may decide that point, that they dont want people to wear the full-face veil. It very much is up to the schools. Schools will have a uniform policy. Mr Cameron had said a day earlier on the same programme: I think, in our country, people should be free to wear what they like and, within limits, live how they like and all the rest of it. What does matter, if for instance a school has a particular uniform policy, sensitively put in place and all the rest of it, and people want to flout that uniform policy, often for reasons that arent really connected with religion, I think you should always come down on the side of the school. Teenager wearing hijab knocked unconscious He added: Going for the French approach of banning an item of clothing, I do not think thats the way we do things in this country and I do not think that would help. Speaking at Bethnal Green Academy in east London on Tuesday - where three girls fled to Syria in February 2015 - Education Secretary Nicky Morgan announced a set of government measures designed to protect children from extremism. If youd been drawing up the job description for Secretary of State for Education just five years ago, Id doubt tackling extremism would have featured at all. How different things are today, she said. Describing where the responsibility lies when it comes to tackling extremism, Mrs Morgan said: Defeating such an enemy requires a co-ordinated response. Not just from the police, intelligence and security services, but from civil society - from schools and from parents. Launching the new Educate Against Hate website, Mrs Morgan added: The site brings together the best advice, support, and resources available for parents, teachers, and school leaders who want to learn how to protect young people from extremism and radicalisation. 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 National Union of Students (NUS) has said it is outraged with the result of a vote to scrap maintenance grants for over half a million of Englands poorest students just hours after protesters blocked Westminster Bridge in a day of protests. The demonstrators had gathered in Parliament Square in support of an opposition day debate in the Commons which was launched by the Labour Party following significant cross-party opposition to the proposals and lobbying from students unions from across the UK. Recommended Read more The moment 18 MPs took just 90 minutes to axe maintenance grants Police were reportedly forced to close the bridge southbound for more than an hour-and-a-half from 1.21pm on Tuesday after the demonstrators spread out onto the road. They were later moved back to Parliament Square and the bridge was reopened again at 2.56pm. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said officers were in attendance at the time and spoke with the protesters. She added: An appropriate policing plan is in place, reported the Evening Standard. The protest was organised by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) and Hope Worsdale, a member, said: This is not only a direct attack on working class students, but it also shows the Governments flagrant disregard for the most basic democratic processes. The Tories are clearly scared of having their policies scrutinised and exposed to public anger. MPs, on Tuesday, ended up voting down the opposition day motion to annul the Governments plan by 292 for and 306 against. The vote on the praying motion to annul the regulations also narrowly fell by 292 for and 303 against. The NUS said the lack of transparency around the entire process was appalling and the result of the Governments underhanded tactics, and added: The Government refused to release their original equality impact assessment - the document that should explore and explain the true impact of scrapping grants on the poorest and most marginalised students - and pushed the plans through an obscure Third Delegated Legislation Committee. Several MPs have spoken out against the Conservatives decision, including Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland who described how the poorest students will be hit hardest by the ending of maintenance grants. He said: Trying to do this through the backdoor shows, not only their contempt for students, but also their families. The Liberal Democrats utterly oppose this move. The abolition of grants will increase graduate loan repayments of the poorest. It will also increase the likelihood that graduates will not repay in full. It is unfair and economically illiterate. This hurts people the Tories talk about the most; those who strive and go to university to better themselves. Gordon Marsden, Labour MP for Blackpool South, paid tribute to a great NUS campaign and strong speeches against the Government, while Labour MP for Ilford North, Wes Streeting, couldnt hide his disappointment at the days events. He tweeted: Grants for poorest students abolished. Doesn't feel any better being beaten on student finance on the inside than it did on the outside. Student protest turns violent The NUS said the plan to scrap maintenance grants lacks public support and that its research shows over 50 per cent of students parents believe scrapping grants undermines the Governments objective to increase access to university for poorer students. NUS national president, Megan Dunn, said: The vote to scrap maintenance grants today is condemnable. This is the latest attack on students by the Government. It is unbelievable a decision affecting hundreds of thousands of students has been made in this way. The Government has repeatedly tried to avoid scrutiny over this issue and has denied us the chance to have a proper debate. The move to exclude Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish MPs is another underhand tactic used to force these changes through. The process was a shambles - from the approach, to the Delegated Legislation Committee to a lack of clarity about how English votes for English laws would operate - leading to points of order being raised after the vote. Dunn thanked the lobbying efforts of students unions across the UK, adding: Todays debate has brought attention to the extremely unfair process leading up to this devastating result for future generations of students. 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 }} Tender pork neck, millefeuille of crackling, the sweetness of peaches offset by the tang of red chillies. All washed down with a spicy local syrah. I was mid-way through an 11-course tasting menu, and each plate was a revelation, bursting with colour and flavour, from the delicate slivers of ruby-red llama tartare to achiote an Amazonian superfruit ice cream topped with salty, home-smoked bacon and tart cherries. And it was all the more surprising because I was dining in Bolivia's high-altitude hub, La Paz. Bolivia has no shortage of incredible raw ingredients, as I discovered at Mercado Rodriguez the following day. At one makeshift stall run by a cholita an indigenous Aymara woman a bowler hat balanced on her head at a precarious angle, I counted at least 10 different tubers, including pop-art coloured yellow and pink papalisas. Mounds of pebble-like tunta, potatoes freeze-dried in the Altiplano, sat next to tiny but fiery ulupica chillis and fragrant quirquina, Bolivian coriander. Yet, until recently, no one would have put the words gourmet and Bolivia in the same sentence. That all changed when Claus Meyer co-founder of Copenhagen's legendary Noma, which regularly appears on lists of the world's best restaurants opened Gustu (the Quechua word for flavour) here. It followed a search for a less-privileged country to launch a philanthropic project through Meyer's Melting Pot foundation. Together with a Danish NGO, Ibis, he drew up a shortlist of three countries that met certain criteria: biological diversity, low crime, high poverty, political stability and cuisine with unrealised potential. Bolivia came out on top. The project began life as a food school, and when the restaurant opened in April 2013 with gastronomic rules even stricter than Noma's everything, including alcohol, has to be Bolivian it was the climax of two years' planning. A sorbet (High Lives Travel) Meyer imported his New Nordic Cuisine ideology, state-of-the-art kitchen equipment and two passionate young chefs, Michelangelo Cestari from Venezuela and Kamilla Seidler from Denmark. They arrived in La Paz in October 2012 and immediately began scouting for ingredients. The Nordic region has a vast range of produce and our idea for Gustu was to use ingredients from Argentina, Peru and Brazil, Cestari told me. But we soon realised Bolivia had everything we needed and more. It has amazing biodiversity. The restaurant's interior is a feast for the eyes too and, like the food, everything is Bolivian hand-carved replicas of wooden totem poles from Jesuit missions, recycled colonial window frames and colourful weavings from Potosi. Gustu is rediscovering lost ingredients, supporting small producers and changing lives, while Melting Pot has six culinary schools in El Alto, perched on a plateau 4,150 metres above sea level to the north of La Paz, where young people are trained and given work experience. While Gustu is inexpensive compared with Noma, it's unaffordable for the majority of Bolivians, so Ara (to eat in Cavinena, a language from Bolivia's Amazon region) is due to open imminently; a bistro, bakery and deli that will serve modern takes on traditional dishes, at half the price of Gustu. Street food in La Paz (High Lives Travel) Since Meyer started his project, the gastronomic scene here has changed somewhat; Bolivians have an increasing sense of pride and belief in their produce. Now there's artisanal chocolate from El Ceibo, mixed with salt from Uyuni, the world's largest salt flats; an ever-increasing number of craft beers, such as Kushaav's El Salar which is brewed from the Incan supergrain quinoa; and top-quality bean-to-cup coffee at independent cafes such as Tipica and Roaster Boutique. Not forgetting the national tipple, singani, distilled from the aromatic Muscat of Alexandria grapes. Gustu's ground-floor bar is the first to be dedicated to this one-of-a-kind spirit, traditionally drunk as a chuflay, mixed with lime and ginger ale. Here, the singani has been macerated, mixed and muddled into creative cocktails such as the Silver Julep and the Api Old Fashioned. There are also 48 labels from 12 wineries. Singani is no longer Bolivia's only home-produced spirit. The country's first premium vodka, 1825 the year of independence is triple-distilled using pure mountain water and high-altitude Andean wheat; while Gin La Republica is infused with a bespoke blend of Andean botanicals, with an Amazonian version to follow later. And the new food movement isn't just about haute cuisine. It's said that on any given day, 90 per cent of Pacenas (La Paz residents) will eat from street stalls, and another Melting Pot project, Suma Phayata (well cooked in Aymara), is the city's first official street food tour. There's no fee or guide, you just download a map and work your way around the city, and it's as much about culture as it is a celebration of local flavours, showcasing five redoubtable women who each sell one perfectly executed dish from tucumanas, deep-fried pastries stuffed with meat or vegetables, to anticuchos, tender morsels of beef heart grilled over an open flame, and tangy tripe soup. In a small kiosk in Mercado Lanza, Dona Elvira has been serving choripan a delicious, doorstep-sized sandwich stuffed with her own secret-recipe chorizo for more than 34 years. I ask her what's in it. It's like Coca-Cola, she laughs. If I tell you, I'll have to kill you. Getting there HighLives Travel (020 8144 2629; highlives.co.uk) offers a 15-day tour of Bolivia, including La Paz, from 2,500pp, excluding flights. Air Europa (0871 644 8011; aireuropa.com) flies from Gatwick to Santa Cruz in Bolivia, via Madrid, four times a week from 800. Eating and drinking there Gustu (restaurantgustu.com). Suma Phayata (sumaphayata.org). Wines of Bolivia (winesofbolivia.com). More information bolivia.travel 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 }} I struggle to fall asleep at Somerleyton Hall. My bedroom is too distracting. At midnight I'm still cartwheeling across the expansive carpet and doing handstands against the enormous bed; a bed which I need a leg-up to clamber on to. Once there, spread-eagled on the satin bedclothes, I can't help but scramble to my feet and star-jump joyously towards the ceiling. It's gone 1am before I finally exhaust myself and settle down to sleep. How do the upper-classes manage? I'm spending the night in one of the 12 bedrooms recently renovated by Lord and Lady Somerleyton at their stately home on the Suffolk-Norfolk border. The 5,000-acre estate has been in the Crossley family since 1863, when Sir Frances Crossley, the 1st Baronet of Halifax, bought the property after financial success in the carpeting industry. Now Hugh Crossley (4th Baron Somerleyton), who lives here with his wife and young family, has decided to open up the house to overnight guests, giving people the opportunity to live out Downton fantasies. The first thing I notice when I arrive is the staggering amount of taxidermy on display. I'm greeted in the entrance hall by two gigantic stuffed polar bears. Side by side, they leer over me, teeth bared, as I inch meekly through the door. It's an astonishing sight, and not a little bit intimidating. Before I've had time to get truly spooked though, the Lady of the house Lara Crossley rushes up to me, a blur of velvet and glossy brunette hair. We air-kiss elaborately before she shows me to my bedroom (known as the Tapestry Room); up a sweeping staircase, past family portraits, along a carpeted hallway. The rooms The rooms have been designed by Lara and Norfolk-based Arie and Ingrams Design. Mine is steeped in history. Tapestries hang a little oppressively on the walls and the furniture is all a deep mahogany. The room is permanently cast in semi-darkness, and having eventually fallen asleep, worn out by all the cartwheeling, I struggle to wake, the weak morning light being held back by the heavy wooden shutters which barricade each window. The en-suite bathroom is the size of a small common room with a throne-like loo, a free-standing bath, and a Narnia-esque wardrobe. The set-up is not uncomfortable, per se, but it's not exactly homely either. It's a little bit like bedding down in a museum or a painting. This isn't a hotel, so don't expect pillow chocolates or room service. You're very much left to your own devices. That said, Hugh and Lara are extremely generous and willing hosts, who are happy to help (or make themselves scarce) as required. The interiors are every bit as impressive as the facade (Christopher Drake) Throughout your stay you will be given free rein to explore the entire house, excluding the quarters that the family themselves live in. You could, for example, take over the dining room for a dinner party, before adjourning to the cosy nook that is the library for a post-dinner digestif. The set-up is ideal for a large group of friends who want to play at being posh, especially as the 12 rooms must be rented in their entirety. It's probably less suitable for a family or a couple. The house is cavernous and, if I'm completely honest, a little daunting. That said, for all its grandness, I still get the sense throughout my stay that I'm living in someone else's family home. I'm nervous to touch anything for fear of breaking an irreplaceable heirloom and, although sorely tempted, I refrain from having a thorough snoop around in case I accidentally find myself in the Lord's bedroom. Out and about Somerleyton is celebrated for its yew hedge maze, which was planted in 1846 and is considered one of the finest in Britain. The route is around 800 yards, but I'm ashamed to say that neither I, nor my sister, managed it. (We gave up once we realised our phone batteries had died and we'd have no way to call for help.) If the weather is fair, or if you've brought wellies with you, it's well worth going for a tramp around the estate. There are also a number of outdoor pursuits on offer, including horse-riding and fishing. If you have a car, you could venture further; the seaside towns of Lowestoft and Southwold are 15 and 40 minutes away respectively. The food and drink Food and drink will be pre-arranged by your hosts. Breakfast and dinner are included in the cost of your stay, but you have to fend for yourself at lunchtime. The Fritton Arms (01493 484008; frittonarms.co.uk), which is on the estate and owned by the Crossleys, does a roaring trade in wholesome pub grub. Head there for Sunday lunch. Main courses start at 6. The essentials Somerleyton Hall, Lovingland, Suffolk NR32 5QQ (0871 222 4244; somerleyton.co.uk). From 15,000 for two nights, including rental of the 12 bedrooms, dinner and breakfast. 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 }} My mother came to this country in the late 80s, leaving behind her family and everything she knew in her rural village in Bangladesh. She came to live with my father in London and I was born soon after. Newly announced plans to deport Muslim women who fail an English test would have seen me separated from her at just two years old. The Prime Minister claims these measures will empower women to behave as moderating influences in our communities but if my mother had been deported, I fear that the anger and disaffection would have come to define me. Thankfully this didnt happen and she devoted the next couple of decades to raising three children while my father worked most evenings and every weekend running a small curry house. My mother relied on a few bits of broken english and a healthy dose of goodwill from neighbours and shopkeepers. Luckily our doctor spoke Hindi, one of the three or four languages Mum could speak pretty fluently. As my siblings and I got older we began translating for her and she continued to run a tight ship at home, providing us with love and stability. It wasnt always easy and, like all young families, we got things wrong. Its difficult raising children in a foreign land and it takes a tonne of resilience to do it well. It was when I or my siblings messed up that things would get really entertaining. Anybody who calls Muslim women submissive has obviously never been on the wrong side of a Bangladeshi mother. The Bengali language really comes into its own when it comes to dishing out discipline and that is something she excelled in. This, if anything, proved that fluent English is no prerequisite for keeping children away from extreme or negative influences. And dont think my father was exempt - he got it worse than us. We joke about it now but one thing we cant deny is that it worked. My mother made big sacrifices to make sure we had opportunities that she did not have access to. The three of us are the first in our family to go to university and my sister is the first woman to do so. I dont think I have ever seen anybody as proud as my mother was on the day my sister graduated. Her graduation photo promptly took pride of place in the living room while mine was relegated to a corner by the stairs. Recommended Read more Deporting the mothers of young Muslim men is likely to drive extremism Once it looked like the three of us became independent, only then did my mother turn her attention to her own personal development. She was lucky enough to find an ESOL class but plenty of her peers have struggled. Cuts to funding, however they are dressed up, mean places are in short supply. She picked up English with the help of a devoted tutor over a number of years. These were the first steps before she began volunteering in the community and, with a lot of perseverance and nursing a few knockbacks, she was hired at a local shop. This process can take a lot longer than five years for women who have never benefitted from a formal education. Muslim women shouldnt have to prove their value to anybody but if we are going to play this game we should begin by acknowledging the dedicated contributions they are already making. Speaking English is not a prerequisite for all of those contributions but it is an aspiration which nearly all hold. Threatening people with deportation and spreading dehumanising stereotypes just creates extra hurdles for Muslim women to overcome. 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 }} "Digital disruption" may have become a threadbare cliche in tech circles, but it barely does justice to the head-spinning scale of economic change laid out in todays Future of Jobs report published by the World Economic Forum. Based on a survey of executives in fifteen of the worlds largest economies, the report sees us entering a Fourth Industrial Revolution which will transform labour markets in just five short years. 7.1 million jobs will be lost with the greatest losses in white-collar and administrative roles. At the same time, some of these losses will be offset by the creation of 2.1 million new jobs in sectors such as nanotechnology and robotics and ever-more important functions within companies such as data analysis and sales. The report estimates that 28 per cent of the skills required in the UK will change in the four years to 2020 The WEF report is reinforcing a message that others have delivered. Last year, Andy Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England warned that nearly half of all jobs in the UK are under threat from automation in the next two decades - affecting people at all levels of the workplace. Given the scale of this change in such a short period, what can the education system do to keep up? Firstly we should acknowledge the perils of gazing into the crystal ball. As educationalist Sir Ken Robinson pointed out in his TED Talk, children starting school now will probably be working until around 2065 yet we cant even predict what the world will look like in the next five years. How can we possibly predict the skills they will need? In the 1980s, there were suggestions that Japanese teaching was essential in British schools, as that was seen as the business language of the future - obviously looking at it now time would have been better spent preparing for the digital revolution that was just around the corner. First of all we need to move to an expectation that workers will retrain and reskill throughout their careers. This has of course often been said, but now the need is becoming urgent. It may be exhilarating or alarming that over 90 per cent of Millennials (those born between 1977 and 1997) expect to stay in a job for less than three years, according to the Future Workplace Multiple Generations @ Work survey of employees and managers. We cant predict exactly what those skills will be, but we can predict the qualities that will be required - soft skills like leadership, flexibility, communication, decision-making, working under pressure, creativity and problem-solving. The drift of educational policy has been to banish much of this from the classroom and fixate on core subjects like science and math to the exclusion of wider learning. Its interesting that the demand for a wider curriculum is coming, not from some fossilized relic of 1970s teacher training, but from the worlds largest companies. Laszlo Bock, who is in charge of hiring at Google, said in a recent interview that while good grades dont hurt the company is looking for softer skills too: leadership, humility, collaboration, adaptability and loving to learn and re-learn. Julian Thomas, Head of Wellington College - another unlikely revolutionary - has spoken out about his sense that the current education system was designed for a different era and, under pressure from constant testing, has squeezed creativity out of the curriculum. Tony Little, former Master of Eton College, has written about the dangers that wider intellectual development is being stifled by an all-encompassing obsession with exams. Some companies are stepping in to plug the gaps that they think are missing from the education system. Siemens, frustrated with the skills and knowledge among their graduate applicants, has developed its own future-proofing training scheme that everyone joining the firm undertakes. By the end of their course, employees are expected to be able to summarise tasks and explain how to solve them in English as well as German. Technology can make life-long constant retraining and reskilling a more viable option. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS) have lowered the price of education and widened access by removing the need for students to be taught at set times or places, facilitating those already in employment to study or those who couldnt otherwise afford to. Udacity, an online university, recently introduced nano-degrees designed to train people for jobs as web developers or data analysts. With the galloping pace of technology, its likely that future employees are going to have to take several such courses through their lifetime. Amid this nervy uncertainty, the WEF report is hopeful about the prospects for the UK economy. For every job lost through automation and technological change here, it estimates that 2.91 new ones will be created more than twice as many as in the US. Just as the first industrial revolution created the Spinning Jenny and the steam engine, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is developing artificial intelligence and 3D printing. But far-sighted decisions by policy-makers are required to ensure our education system is rooted in the needs of the twenty-first century rather than the nineteenth. Vikas Pota is CEO of the Varkey Foundation and member of the WEF Global Agenda Council on the Future of Jobs 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 }} What is not up for discussion in the latest front of David Camerons anti-extremism drive is the right of Muslim pupils to wear a hijab, or headscarf, in school. Thousands of young women do every day, and no reasonable educationalist would question its presence in British classrooms. The same cannot be said with such confidence of the full face veil, or niqab, the garment that the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, and David Cameron have brought to public attention and not for the first time in the past few days. On practical grounds, little has changed, or shows signs of changing. It has long been the policy of the Department for Education to let schools set their own uniform policy, and ban items of clothing that they believe might interfere with learning. Camden School for Girls a top state secondary banned a pupil from wearing the niqab in 2014. Teachers need to see a students whole face, a statement read, in order to read the visual cues it provides. This is, in some ways, a compelling argument. Last year the Netherlands launched plans to ban the full face veil from classrooms on similar grounds. Recommended Read more Dutch cabinet agrees to partial ban of burqas and niqabs in public That, however, extends the reach of the state too far: while it was right for a judge to rule in 2013 that a woman should remove her veil to give evidence in court, the Government should not take a stance more broadly than that on the clothing decisions of Muslim women. Leaving the decision to each school individually as is the case has merit. Many will feel it is not worth the trouble of enforcing a ban. To teach one or two pupils wearing the niqab and the numbers who do so represent a tiny minority may be the less disruptive course, both for the young women involved and the community more generally. Equally, however, schools that feel the veil prevents them from doing their job the all-important one of teaching children should have the right to require pupils to remove it at their desks. 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 }} China sneezes, Port Talbot catches a cold. One of the reasons why Tata Steel is cutting its workforce by more than 1,000, with 750 people losing their jobs at Port Talbot, is the surge in cheap imports of steel from China. And one of the reasons why China is flooding the world with cheap steel is that it is facing a slump in demand at home. So while there are other factors at work, including the high cost of energy in Britain, both of these big stories of the week the domestic story of our steel industry and the international one of slower growth in China are directly linked. More than this, they are examples of the huge structural changes taking place in the world economy, in particular the shift from manufacturing to services. It is a path that we have come a long way down, and there is a debate as to whether we have come too far: is our manufacturing sector too small? But China is moving along that path too, as it is retreating from an economy based on heavy industry and infrastructural investment. Already services account for half of its GDP and in recent months it has been the booming service sector that has been rescuing the economy, helping offset the fall in manufacturing output. The debate as to the appropriate size of manufacturing in a modern economy will rumble on. For all the talk of industrial decline and the need to rebalance our economy, it is interesting that Port Talbot will still have more that 3,000 people making steel even after these cutbacks. But that is way down from the 18,000 in the 1960s, when the Abbey Works there was the largest integrated steel mill in Europe. So what does happen next? We cannot know what the jobs of tomorrow will be, but we can reasonably assume that there will be jobs. Despite a long and difficult pull out of recession, there are more people at work now than ever before in our history. The questions about the future structure of our economy, indeed that of any country in the developed world, are about the types of job that are being created, fitting skills to those jobs, trying to increase productivity so that the jobs can pay better, and so on. It is a huge subject and perhaps one of the best ways to get ones head around what might happen is to look at the vision sketched in what has been dubbed the Fourth Industrial Revolution. You will hear a lot more about this in the next few days for this is one of the headline subjects at the World Economic Forums Davos symposium, which starts today. The original Industrial Revolution, the one that changed everything, was of course the one driven by steam: the railways, steamships, coal and iron, and so on. The second was driven by electricity, mass manufacturing, cars, aircraft, the telephone and consumer durables. The third is the one we are living through now, with our lives transformed by IT, electronics, the internet, Google and apps. My view is that this has still a long way to run, for we are only beginning to learn how to apply the technology we already have to improve the efficiency and performance of service industries. But on top of this comes revolution number four. Some people argue that this is really a continuation of number three and in a sense it is, but the way it is described in a new book by Klaus Schwab, founder of the WEF, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, does pick out some of the ideas behind it. One is that machines will not just talk to each other, but fix each other. Another is that genetic engineering will enable us, so-to-speak, to fix ourselves. Another is that 3-D printing will clear the way to make complex bespoke products at an affordable price. Whether this is a new revolution or a continuation of an existing one, it is certainly proving greatly disruptive. Witness the way Uber, Facebook and Airbnb are transforming their respective industries. The changes are so profound that, from the perspective of human history, there has never been a time of greater promise or potential peril, he claims. Well, maybe. It is scary stuff if you are trying to run a business, because you dont know whether there will be an Uber round the corner that will savage your model: will legal or financial services be ubered? There are also some troubling social implications, for a number of reasons. One is that there seems to be a hollowing out of the medium-skill jobs that many of us do. Another is that as the life of companies shortens, job instability will increase even further. Still another is that some people are excluded as consumers because they dont know how to use the information that has become available. But you have to ask whether these changes are really likely to be more disruptive than the changes that earlier generations had to cope with. For example, people in South Wales had to give up largely agrarian lifestyles and learn how to work in a steel factory. That created jobs for men, albeit tough ones, but not for women. People in China have had to cope with not just their Industrial Revolution and on a much shorter timescale than anything in the West, but a social one, where all the values they were taught in schools until 40 years ago have been turned utterly upside down. What I suggest we can be sure about is that a combination of general skills, especially mathematics, plus a sense of resilience and adaptability, will be the best way to prosper in an uncertain world. Governments can help a bit by trying to buffer economic shifts, as well as doing their own jobs more efficiently. But their key role is surely education, and there the UK is only in the middle of the pack by developed world standards. As for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the thing we should cling to surely is that the previous three, in their different ways, all improved the wellbeing of the majority of the people who lived through them. 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 truly staggering thing about the Governments decision to axe what little grant funding remained for poor university students and convert it into another means-tested loan was not how they got away with it the use of a bizarre Parliamentary tool that allows legislators to shove through controversial laws without proper scrutiny on the floor of the debating chamber was surprising enough but quite why they decided to do it at all. It is anathema to Conservatism, and it is among the most counter-intuitive socio-economic policies Ive ever heard. If the incessant talk of strivers and skivers hasnt sufficiently bored the point home (and bored is the right word), David Cameron and his gang are supposed to be on the side of those getting on in life. By any measure, that getting on might reasonably include studying for a university degree and improving ones lifelong earning prospects as a result. To try to get on in this way is even more admirable by the Tories bootstrap-pulling standards, at the very least if the decision to study is not the unthinking consequence of finding oneself at the age of 18 with not much else in the diary, but taken despite (or because of) financial and other responsibilities to partners, children, parents, and so on. Enrolling at university in that case is a leap of hope and of faith: that there is a chance to change something about ones prospects; that if you work hard, you can do better; and that if you take that decision, the Government will support you in your efforts. All that faith, and for what? The Government is doing away with the levers of social mobility altogether. There has already been criticism of the decision to abandon the concept of a student grant. These attacks have pointed out that forcing poorer, older, sometimes disabled students, or those from minority backgrounds, to take on more debt to study will simply put them off altogether. All that is true but theres even more to it than that. Theres a ripple effect that has gone unnoticed, but is deeply damaging. Means-tested grants for the poorest undergraduates were retained while all other lines of student support became loans because they removed a final but fundamental barrier between the classes. They allowed poorer students the freedom their wealthier classmates took for granted: to choose an institution and to select a degree course for its own merit, not with one eye on the additional costs it might accidentally incur. The grant didnt do anything so bold as level the playing field, but it kept the bumps at scaleable height. Without a grant to iron things out, choice is no longer free. It means the poorer candidate choosing a less prestigious university which is closer to home to avoid the high cost of rent. It means choosing a course that doesnt require spending on tech or tools to help complete it. It means choosing a safe subject that trains a candidate for a profession, or over education for the love of it. It means not taking a risk. It means settling, not striving. It is making the best of a situation, not the best of oneself. After musician David Bowie and actor Alan Rickman passed away last week, a meme did the rounds on social media calling for investment in education; without the art schools of the 60s there would have been no Ziggy Stardust, it claimed. And now, with the possibility of study for its own sake across all the disciplines removed, this generation and the next cannot be assured of reaching its true potential. So why is Cameron persisting? Since the Government already predicts fewer and fewer students loans will be fully repaid, its already lending out the same amount of money and not expecting to get it back. There is, of course, a simple and cynical explanation: converting grants into loans makes the public finances look much stronger. What a shame that the Treasury cant think more carefully about the economic strength of its own people: allow people to lift themselves up, to be inspired, and they will create and earn wealth which returns itself to the Treasury through income tax. Ask them to accept their lot, and theyll accept a lot less from themselves too. 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 }} Frank Underwood, the character played by Kevin Spacey in House of Cards speaks directly into the camera as he is about to be sworn in as President of the United States. He says: One heartbeat from the Presidency, and not a single vote cast in my favour. Democracy is so overrated. I couldnt help thinking of this magnificently cynical rejoinder yesterday as MPs fulfilled their contract with democracy by spending three hours of parliamentary time engaged in a completely pointless debate. They did this simply because it was the public will. Or at least it was deemed to be. More than half a million people had signed an online petition demanding that American presidential candidate Donald Trump be refused admission to the UK. Since 2011, the Government has pledged to debate in the chamber any issue that has exercised the public enough to attract more than 100,000 signatures on a petition. I use the inverted commas deliberately. In the pre-digital age and petitions have been an effective way of protesting to Government since the 18th century a petition required a certain amount of effort to gain validity. Someone had to go out on the streets and canvass signatures, those who signed also had to leave their homes, and would add their name with a certain amount of consideration. The online petition is a very different beast. No one has to leave their bedroom, and youre done with just one keystroke. I dont think the question of whether Donald Trump should, if he so seeks, be allowed to visit our shores deserves even a minutes consideration, let alone all that parliamentary time. Of course he shouldnt be denied entry: he should be free to make a fool of himself like we all are. In any case, its mostly hot air and confected outrage, and the Government, by establishing a benchmark for a parliamentary debate, is making it a numbers game. And where does that get us? A total of 576,000 (and counting) have so far petitioned the Government to stop Donald Trump coming to Britain because of his poisonous views about closing American borders to all Muslims, and yet 457,000 British residents have signed an online petition to stop all immigration and close the UK borders until Isis is defeated. Thats the trouble with democracy. It is indeed messy and complicated and, yes, it might even be overrated. And in the cyber-age, we must remember that theres a fine distinction between democratic will and mob rule. 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 seems a little late, but Zac Goldsmith has finally joined the London mayoral election party. His rivals have been issuing policies for weeks - but Goldsmith launched his action plan for Greater London in Croydon this week. And what a limp plan it is. Twelve action points, several of which (the Night Tube and limits on polluting vehicles, for example, as well as protecting neighbourhood policing teams) are mere continuations of Boris Johnsons policies and plans. One differentiator is housing, which should be a major factor in the election. Goldsmith says hell start fixing Londons housing crisis, which implies the previous mayor has sat on his hands for the last eight years. He says that by 2020 hell be building 50,000 homes a year, not on the green belt; that homes built on public land will be available to Londoners first; that a significant proportion of new-build homes will be for rent; and that hell protect the rights of tenants on regenerated estates to stay in their homes. Which sounds lovely, except the devil is in the detail. How, exactly, those homes are going to be built isnt explained. The current administration struggled to build 55,000 homes in four years. Goldsmith has previously mentioned some kind of bond scheme to raise money, similar to an idea previously put forward by David Lammy. But even if the cash is forthcoming, the Greater London Authority and Transport for London has enough land for around 100,000 homes; hed need to persuade government departments to give up land or sell at a lower price than could be achieved on the open market. At what density will the homes be built? How much will they cost to rent and buy? What kind of tenancies will the homes for rent have? Will lower cost homes be pushed into outer London, as Goldsmith suggested recently? And what about people renting in the private sector? Until these questions are answered, Goldsmith comes nowhere near fixing the housing crisis. An area of noticeable silence is on fares for public transport. While theres considerable scepticism that TfL has the budget capacity to absorb Labour candidate Sadiq Khans promise to freeze fares for four years, Khan is also promising joined-up thinking on multiple bus journeys. The Lib Dems and Greens are coming up with other creative ways to make public transport cheaper and fairer, but there appears to be no such ambition from the Conservatives. The one nod to the cost of getting around is a pledge to protect the Freedom Pass for elderly and disabled people except its actually funded by councils, and nothing to do with the mayor at all. Theres also very little about how any of Goldsmiths promises are going to be funded. Can you imagine a general election campaign pledge getting away with that? The Green Party knows theyll be attacked on financing as soon as Sian Berry opens her mouth, so are keen to provide supporting figures. It is astonishing that the candidate from a party so keen to be seen as fiscally responsible will only say itll all be paid for without raising council tax. What do stand out in Goldsmiths Croydon speech, however, are the repeated attacks on Sadiq Khan. According to Goldsmith, Khan has no record of working with other parties and no interest in fixing problems. He is Jeremy Corbyns candidate, a caricature machine politician whose radical policies will mire City Hall in infighting. Its a curious link to make, given that London is more sympathetic to Corbyn than the rest of the country. Its easy to imagine the hand of Lynton Crosby, the grand master of negative campaigning, behind this. But it ignores Goldsmiths main USP: he positions himself as an activist politician, yet he appears to be an activist without any impressive policies to act on. He is also, in person, an intelligent, thoughtful and surprisingly genuine man. It will be interesting to see how comfortable he is in the role of attack dog. Crucially, if Goldsmiths campaign really is setting itself up to go mano a mano, what voters will see is a rich, posh, blond chap talking trash to a Muslim bus drivers son. But if this lack of policies is anything to go by, does he have anything else to fight with? Shafi said he knew the phones were stolen and would use them for spare parts. A judge has been asked to review the Garda and Garda Ombudsman's powers to access journalists' mobile phone data. John L Murray, a former chief justice, has been tasked with the inquiry after at least three journalists learned their records had been analysed without them being told. It is understood a key plank of the retired judge's review will be to analyse how other countries give police and watchdogs access to telephone records and whether Ireland is out of sync. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said she had no information on specific requests for phone records made during criminal investigations. "A free press plays a pre-eminent role in any democratic society in fostering full, free and informed debate on all issues of public concern. It is therefore of fundamental importance in any healthy democracy that journalists should be able to carry out their legitimate work unhindered," she said. The minister also said the inquiry does not reflect a lack of confidence in the country's police watchdog. Mr Murray has been asked to report back in three months. His review will examine the law and powers given to the Garda, the Garda Ombudsman, the Revenue Commissioners and the Defence Forces to access phone data. Police and their watchdogs have the right to access call and text message records and other data in a criminal inquiry under the Communications (Data Retention) Act 2011, the Department of Justice said. Ms Fitzgerald said genuine concerns have been raised over a lack of balance for journalists to freely pursue matters of public interest and people's basic rights to keep their personal information confidential. "While bodies investigating crime need to have the appropriate statutory powers available to them to carry out their duties, we need to examine the balance in respect of entirely legitimate journalistic activity being carried out in the public interest," she said. The controversy was sparked last week when journalists learned the Garda Ombudsman had access to their phone data as it investigated complaints against gardai who allegedly leaked information following the death of model Katy French in 2007. Records were being accessed to see if individual officers were in contact with journalists. Separately, several Garda inquiries are under way into how leaks were made to journalists, including reports on the arrest of Independent TD Clare Daly for alleged drink-driving. She was later proven to have been under the legal limit. The National Union of Journalists called for judges to be asked to oversee applications for access to phone data. Vodafone figures showed 7,973 requests for communications data from police and security agencies from April 2014 to March 2015, compared with 4,124 in the previous year. Mr Murray's review will examine the law allowing state bodies to access data held by phone companies, taking into account the principle of protecting journalists' sources and the need for police to have the powers to prevent and detect serious crime. Ms Fitzgerald held talks with the chairman of the Garda Ombudsman, Judge Mary-Ellen Ring, and said she got assurances about clear and strict procedures for accessing phone data. Facebook began a Europe-wide campaign on Monday to thwart extremist posts on social media, after German politicians in particular raised concerns about a rise in xenophobic comments linked to an influx of refugees. The U.S.-based group launched its "Initiative for Civil Courage Online" in Berlin, pledging over 1m to support non-governmental organizations in their efforts to counter racist and xenophobic posts. Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said hate speech "has no place in our society", including in the Internet. Facebook's ground rules forbid bullying, harassment and threatening language, but critics say it does not enforce them properly. On Friday, the firm said it had hired a unit of the publisher Bertelsmann to monitor and delete racist posts on its platform in Germany. In November, prosecutors in Hamburg launched an investigation into Facebook on suspicion of not doing enough to prevent the dissemination of hate speech. Top German politicians and celebrities have voiced concern about the rise of anti-foreigner comments on Facebook and other social media as the country struggles to cope with a tide of new migrants that amounted to 1.1 million last year alone. Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Facebook to do more, and the Justice Ministry set up a task force with Facebook and other social networks and Internet service providers with the aim of identifying criminal posts more quickly and taking them down. The launch of a highly anticipated route between Cork and Boston year might now be delayed. Norwegian Air International has been planning to launch the first ever flights between Cork and the US this year. It's been eyeing four or five flights a week between the cities, commencing in May. But protracted delays by US authorities in sanctioning the service has raised the distinct prospect that it might not now be launched this year. DAA chief executive Kevin Toland said all the necessary Irish approvals have been granted to Norwegian, but that the airline is still waiting for final US approval. The DAA controls the airports at Cork and Dublin. He said it's "absolutely" a danger that the US service won't start this year. "Cork Airport, the DAA, the IAA (Irish Aviation Authority) have actually been engaged on the ground in direct conversations," said Mr Toland. "We've had direct support from the [Transport] Minister and his officials at the official level, but we're continuing to work very, very hard." He conceded that the remaining timeframe for introducing the service in time for summer is "very short". "It's held up by political, not legal or practical challenges," said Mr Toland. "Until we get US approval, Norwegian can't put the tickets on sale." US unions have been battling to prevent Norwegian from trying to use Ireland as a base for launching flights from Europe to the United States. Being based in Ireland would give Norwegian access to EU traffic rights. Mr Toland said a lot of the opposition in the US to Norwegian is "ill-conceived", particularly in relation to the Cork service. Dublin Airport needs to invest in additional infrastructure if it's to continue being an effective hub, the chief executive of Aer Lingus owner IAG, Willie Walsh, has warned. But he cautioned that such development must be cost effective. IAG acquired Aer Lingus last year for 1.36bn and is using Dublin as a hub for transatlantic travel, driving passenger volumes from the UK and other European cities through the capital. IAG also owns British Airways, and Spanish carriers Iberia and Vueling. Dublin Airport, controlled by the DAA, is re-evaluating plans for a second runway. It's likely to be operational within five years or so. But speaking at the sidelines of the 'Airline Economics' conference in Dublin, Mr Walsh told the Irish Independent that other infrastructure issues also need to be addressed. "It has challenges in terms of taxiways and stands. It's not just a runway. I think there are things Dublin needs to address in terms of infrastructure today to enable it to be an effective hub," he said. "It's worked well, but the scale of the existing operation is clearly smaller than we would like to see." Aer Lingus will launch routes from Dublin to Los Angeles, Newark and Hartford, Connecticut, this year as part of its expansion. Other US destinations could be eyed in the future, such as Miami and a link with Texas. "There's a good case for a second runway at Dublin," said Mr Walsh. "Runway slots at Dublin are all filled during the peak. There's capacity available in the off-peak. It's very difficult to change and operate an effective network in the off-peak, particularly if you're trying to keep operating as a hub. "While I think there's a case for a second runway, I think there's an important case to be made for improving the existing infrastructure that will enable Dublin to operate more efficiently." Mr Walsh added: "The critical issue is to ensure that any additional infrastructure is built in a cost-effective manner. "You can't just build infrastructure and hope it will work. It will only work if it's efficient in terms of operation and cost." The chief executive of the DAA, Kevin Toland, said that new aircraft stands were added last year at Dublin Airport and more would be added this year. He conceded that passenger charges would also eventually rise modestly to fund a new runway. The DAA announced yesterday that it will hire 180 more staff this year. Mr Walsh has previously said that he would consider moving some of British Airways' operations to either Dublin or Madrid if a planned 18bn (23bn) third runway at Heathrow goes ahead. The UK government has postponed a decision until the summer on whether or not the runway should go ahead. "It's at a ridiculous cost. It translates into a doubling of the operating costs (at Heathrow). You can't afford to do that in Ireland," he said. "Ireland is successful in terms of its tourism and business at Dublin because the cost base is reasonably effective. It needs to be very effective going forward." Mr Walsh said Aer Lingus has worked out even "better" for IAG than it had anticipated. AIB and Bank of Ireland's weak asset quality is hindering their chances of getting a ratings upgrade, Fitch has warned. The ratings giant said the "volatility" of Ireland's economic cycles and high private sector indebtedness are likely to constrain their ultimate rating levels. And it also warned about that both banks could end up vulnerable to a shock on the commercial property front. "Weak asset quality is the key vulnerability for Irish banks, in our view, and this constrains their fundamental credit worthiness," Fitch stated. Fitch said its assessment of asset weaknesses included a high proportion of troubled loans in the system, very low yielding loans, defaulted but not impaired loans, and restructured loans. But there were some positives. The ratings agency said both banks had made progress in reducing problem assets. It pointed to data released by the European Banking authority in November which showed that Irish banks have been among the most active in cutting the stock of bad loans. But it warned that more work was required, stating asset quality was fragile and saying working through the back log of impaired loans at Bank of Ireland and AIB would take time. "We estimate that net impaired loans as a percentage of Fitch core capital has fallen to just below 100pc for Bank of Ireland for the first time in seven years. "For AIB, this ratio was significantly above 100pc but once end-2015 figures are published, there will be an improvement because the bank will have converted some of its government-held preference shares into common equity. At their worst, the banks' net impaired loans represented 555pc (BOI) and 400pc (AIB) of Fitch core capital." "While capital ratios at BOI and AIB strengthened significantly over the past six months, we believe the banks could still be vulnerable to severe shocks. In particular, we are monitoring developments in Ireland's commercial real estate market (CRE). "Irish banks are not expanding aggressively into this type of financing but the market is particularly cyclical and investment levels currently exceed pre-crisis levels." The agency said international and domestic investors are driving the expansion, but added that the expanding commercial property sector could be vulnerable to changes in investor sentiment, so significant expansion in commercial property financing at Bank of Ireland and AIB would therefore increase risks. Fitch said economic growth in Ireland was strong last year, with growth rates well above the average reported by other Eurozone countries. "Fitch forecasts GDP growth of 2.4pc in 2016 and this provides a supportive operating environment for the banks," it said. "Private sector indebtedness at 150pc of GDP is similar to the UK, but the Irish central bank highlighted in its 2Q15 quarterly bulletin that debt overhang is still a problem for many households in Ireland." Traders work at their desks in front of the German share price index, DAX board, at the stock exchange in Frankfurt. Photo: Reuters A decline in bank shares dragged European stocks down for another day, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index extending a one-year low. By the close in Dublin, the ISEQ Overall Index was down 0.67pc, or 42.59 points, to end the trading day at 6,279.71. The leaders on the Dublin market included fruit company Fyffes, which increased 0.7pc to 1.52, and Ryanair, up 0.1pc to 14.42. On the other side of the board, the laggards included speciality baker Aryzta, down 1.9pc to 39.91, and Green Reit, which slipped 3.1pc to 1.40. Elsewhere, a third week of declines left the Stoxx 600 more than 20pc below its April record, meeting the common definition of a bear market. Yesterday, trading in its shares was about 18pc greater than the 30-day average. "We see this as a buying opportunity for the mid or long term," said Guillermo Hernandez Sampere, head of trading at MPPM in Eppstein, Germany. "Still, volatility indexes are on levels which are far away from calm waters. We are still in risk off mode, so don't expect a V-shaped correction to the upside." Worries over global growth and an oil rout took over sentiment, sending European equities back to where they were before the region's central bank announced it would start its quantitative-easing programme. In 2016 alone, the Stoxx 600 has lost 10pc. The VStoxx Index, a measure tracking volatility in euro-area shares, reached its highest level since September last week. The declines took the Stoxx 600's valuation below 14 times estimated earnings for the first time since last January, while the multiple for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell to 15.3. Futures on the gauge slipped 0.1pc yesterday, with US markets closed for a holiday. Italian lenders Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena and Banca Popolare dell'Emilia Romagna sank more than 8.5pc on concerns over the levels of their bad debt. Additional reporting by Bloomberg IDA-backed firms added jobs in 20 out of the 26 counties in the Republic last year, and the agency reported growth in all of the main regions. The State development agency reported that the number of investments secured last year rose from to 213 from 197 in the previous year. Ninety four of those came from companies that did not operate in Ireland before. Site visits by prospective investors also increased last year and that is a positive indication for the future, the IDA said, Across the State about one in five private sector workers is employed in a foreign multinational supported by the IDA and foreign direct investment remains a cornerstone of industrial policy. Targets published yesterday for the Government's Action Plan for jobs include securing an additional 16,000 jobs at IDA-backed firms in 2016, as well as 13,000 new jobs in domestically-owned Enterprise Ireland-linked companies. In 2015 almost 19,000 jobs were created by IDA client companies in regions all over Ireland, including 9,000 outside Dublin. The capital got the biggest share of jobs in absolute terms but in percentage terms Waterford, Limerick, Westmeath, Donegal, Louth and Galway were the counties where the increase in employment by multinationals was strongest last year. On the flip side there was no growth in IDA-supported employment in Wicklow, Monaghan, Sligo, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Wexford. The IDA's ability to attract overseas investment to parts of the country outside Dublin which have been decimated by the economic collapse will be key if the Government is to be returned at the general election. While the economic picture in Dublin has improved dramatically, it has yet to translate into steady growth in regions outside Dublin and other major cities such as Cork and Galway. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said yesterday he was pinning his election hopes on a major programme of employment creation with 200,000 new jobs over the coming five years. He was speaking at the unveiling of a new Action Plan for Jobs at the Kerry Group World Centre near Naas, Co Kildare, which was attended by five members of the Government team. The Taoiseach said the Government helped create 135,000 jobs since 2011 and would continue to build on this. He said there would be 2.2 million people in jobs by 2020 with unemployment down from the current 8.8pc to below 6pc which he said would mean "full employment". Mr Kenny said that along with this level of job creation, he aimed to encourage 70,000 emigrants to return and also take up work. Tanaiste Joan Burton said training would be available for returning emigrants to help them improve skills and secure work. The Taoiseach said he believed the new jobs will be widely spread across the country. He said the aim was to keep regional unemployment within 1pc of the national average. Mr Kenny said unemployment was over 15pc at its worst and he paid tribute to the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and others for their work. He said that as the rate of unemployment came down the challenge to continue generating jobs became more difficult but he outlined a series of measures to continue job creation. Alex Fleming, Adecco Group UK and Ireland managing director, said the index demonstrates that technology has made Ireland into one of the most attractive places for skilled migrants. Photo: iStock Ireland has slipped six places in an index assessing a country's ability to attract talent. The report, to be launched in Davos today ahead of the World Economic Forum, said Ireland ranks 16th out of 109 countries. That's down from 10th position last year, and puts it behind European competitors such as the UK, Luxembourg and Netherlands. At the top of the Global Talent Competitiveness Index, carried out by graduate business school INSEAD, Swiss multinational Adecco Group and the Human Capital Leadership Institute, is Switzerland, followed by Singapore, Luxembourg, the United States and Denmark. Alex Fleming, Adecco Group UK and Ireland managing director, said the index demonstrates that technology has made Ireland into one of the most attractive places for skilled migrants. "Dublin is without a doubt Europe's tech hub," Mr Fleming said. "Ireland is also boosted by foreign direct investment, for which it ranks first, ahead of 108 other countries included in this year's Index." But he warned that Ireland is losing out on further growth. "The government and business need to work together to ensure there is enough investment in vocational training and skills of our workforce." The Dublin Port Tunnel links the M1 Dublin-Belfast motorway and the M50 to Dublin Port Dublin rock music station Radio Nova has recruited two rival stations to a legal challenge over its exclusion from the airwaves in the Dublin Port Tunnel. Classic Hits 4FM and Sunshine 106.8 have given their support to Nova in its row with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), operators of the 700m Port Tunnel. All three say they are aggrieved that their stations cannot be heard in the 4.5km tunnel. Only seven stations are broadcast in the facility due to technical limitations. The three are threatening a High Court action, to force TII to broadcast them or cut out all commercial radio in the tunnel. "Classic Hits and Sunshine share our grievances and have joined our action," said Nova chief executive Kevin Branigan. "While we compete with each other for listeners and advertising revenue in the market, all three of us have commonality in that we're being seriously disadvantaged commercially by TII's technology limitations," he said. TII declined to comment. "This is a pending legal action so we won't be commenting," said CEO Sean O'Neill. 'Three simple gauges of integration suggest that while Europe keeps pouring in migrants, America still seems to be better at the real chemistry, allowing itself to be changed by immigration.' The heated debate over immigration in Europe would benefit from a basic chemistry lesson: You can pour salt into water and produce the semblance of unity. But as chemists know, you have created nothing new that can't separate again. All you did was stir. Successful integration of immigrants (whether refugees or economic migrants) also requires more than stirring. The two ingredients must form a new chemical compound. Ideally within a single generation, it should be difficult to differentiate between the experiences newcomers and natives have in terms of their employment rates, education and other measures. Three simple gauges of integration suggest that while Europe keeps pouring in migrants, America still seems to be better at the real chemistry, allowing itself to be changed by immigration. In July, the OECD published the first broad international comparison of how immigrants are faring across the OECD and the EU in five areas: employment, education and skills, social inclusion, civic engagement, and social cohesion. In the US, adjusting for socio-economic background, offspring of foreign-born parents do 26pc better at aged 15 than those of second-generation (or longer) Americans. In the EU as a whole, also adjusting for socio-economic background, children of foreign-born parents do 17pc worse than their counterparts without a migration background - and 32pc worse if they themselves are foreign born. Clearly time is a factor. School performance tends to improve the longer students reside in the host country, and many of Europe's new immigrants have not had the time to benefit. In the average EU country, one-third of working-age citizens who came from outside the EU are not in employment, education or training (so-called NEETs). The highest proportion of NEETs is largely in countries with the most rigid labour markets - Belgium, France, Germany and Spain - with the Nordics doing much better. Women are more marginalised than men among the foreign-born. NEETs represent a problem for host countries as they are a burden on social services, a wasted resource, and a potential source of long-term unemployment and other ills. Among EU countries surveyed by the OECD, 19.1pc of native-born offspring of foreign parents are NEETs, 4.2 percentage points higher than among native offspring of native parents. In the US, there is only a 0.3 percentage point difference between NEETs with foreign-born parents and NEETs with native parents. In France, it is 9.1 percentage points and in Belgium 18.2. Germany and Sweden are better - 3.3 and 3.5. The difference in engagement with employment, education or training is striking when you look at foreign-born migrants who arrived as adults. In the US, the difference with native-born Americans whose parents were also born in the US is 6.5 percentage points. In Sweden the difference is 17.1 points, in the Netherlands 22.9, in France 24.5 and in Germany 19.3. In the EU, young people with migrant parents have a 50pc greater youth unemployment rate than those with native-born parents. That is not true in the US, where the employment outcomes are similar. Data shows that in the US and Canada, native-born residents with two foreign-born parents are much less likely to report being discriminated against than their counterparts in the EU are. It suggests that in the EU, those with immigrant backgrounds, even if they were born in the country, do not feel integrated. If recent declining support for immigrants in European countries translated into more discrimination that could slow integration, with damaging effects not just for immigrants but also the host society. Even a nation that succeeds at integration does so imperfectly. Some populations take longer to settle. In the US, more than half of refugees from Burma, Iraq, Liberia and Somalia had income levels below twice the poverty level in 2009 to 2011, while the attainment (educational and income) of Russians, Iranians and Vietnamese was on a par with, or higher than, those who were US-born. It's tempting to conclude that the problem in Europe is one of numbers - too many, too fast. But studies have found no causal link between the proportion of immigrants in the population and how well they integrate. If greater control over the number of immigrants has now become a political necessity, even in Germany and Sweden, understanding the route to more effective integration is all the more imperative. (Bloomberg View) The most elite meeting in the world - the annual get-together of the World Economic Forum in Davos - has as one of its main themes the trend towards declining equality in the rich world The organisers of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, want attendees to focus on the challenges of the future. The theme of this year's annual meeting, which kicks off on Wednesday, is Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a catch-all rubric that describes advances in technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics. The problems of the here and now, though, are likely to be a more popular topic of discussion. Among the assembled politicians, chief executive officers, and financiers will be many key players in simmering global crises, including China's stock market meltdown, the emerging cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Russia's economic slump. They'll be meeting a couple of weeks after billionaire George Soros, a Davos stalwart, warned that the China-induced turmoil in financial markets is starting to remind him of "the crisis we had in 2008". Others are also voicing concerns. "This is a very stressful time," says John Veihmeyer, the global chairman of consulting firm KPMG International, who's heading to Davos. "Geopolitical risks are becoming much more relevant, and concern about them is accelerating." Davos attendees hoping for insight into the spiralling conflicts in the Middle East are unlikely to be disappointed. Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who led his country's talks with world powers to win a nuclear deal, will be wandering the halls of the Congress Centre. It may be hard for him to avoid bumping into officials from arch rival Saudi Arabia, including his counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir. Prince Turki Al Faisal, Saudi's former intelligence chief and one-time ambassador to Washington, will headline a panel on understanding Islam. Eager not to miss a chance to buttonhole so many key negotiating partners in its last year in office, the Obama administration is sending its most high-ranking delegation ever. US vice president Joe Biden is slated to be accompanied by John Kerry, Jacob Lew, and Ashton Carter - the secretaries of state, the treasury, and defence, respectively. Both Biden and Kerry will give solo speeches, an honour typically reserved for top heavyweights. (Bloomberg) One's an anonymous south Dublin satirical character with a penchant for the crude that's amassed thousands of followers on social media, the other is a northside self-confessed 'hippy goth', accused of cashing in on her southside counterpart's popularity. Both Dublin Girlo and Dublin Hun are the social media phenomenons filling your timelines with chicken fillet rolls, naggins of vodka and hair extensions, and after finally colliding - in cyberspace anyway - it's now spice bags at dawn. I know how David Gest feels on Celebrity Big Brother cos dis happens me every poxy weekend! #cbb #DavidGestIsNotDead pic.twitter.com/bGMEMZ8Coj Dublin Hun (@Dublin_hun) January 13, 2016 Spurred on by their thousands of followers, they've represented both sides of the capital on Twitter and Instagram for the last 12 months with talk of one-night stands, failed exercise regimes, binge-drinking, bad choices and down-right gruesome sexcapades. And now, both huns are making their territory on the worldwide web, one meme at a time. Tweets like: "Who's this 'Dublin Hun' yoke tryna be the original @dublin_girlo?"... "Will someone please tell @Dublin_hun that she's just the tesco value version of @dublin_girlo"... and "Green doesn't look well on you @dublin_girlo... @Dublin_hun at least you have original, funny material", not to mention "McGregor VS. Aldo or @Dublin_hun VS. @dublin_girlo?" have drawn the two parodies to directly tweet each other: "More like a Liberty Market version" and "What do ye say girlo? You're verdy quieh?". Steven Avery managed to get a girlfriend while doing life in prison....and I cant even get a match on Tinder!!! #StunHunProblems Dublin Girlo (@dublin_girlo) January 11, 2016 When asked by the Herald whether there was room for similar parody accounts, Dublin Girlo said: "Sure, as long as they're funny, which all of them aren't." Aoife Dooley, aka Dublin Hun, told The Herald: "I think there is room for [similar parodies] if they are done right and have new material that differs them from other accounts. If it's the same recycled phrases, it gets old quick, it has to be different. "I like to think it's all in jest [with Dublin Girlo] but I can't help but feel that they are feeling threatened and retaliating but, fight fire with fire." Rising to prominence in 2014, Dublin Girlo cropped up on Twitter with daily memes and catchphrases which soon trended throughout the county. If you're not familiar with the hashtags 'stunhun' or 'session moth', your teenager definitely is, and chances are that meme you laughed at in the office the other day originated on her page. An Instagram account and monthly blog soon followed the Twitter account, where Dublin Girlo shares her very honest - and very raw (NSFW) - accounts of being a 20-something singleton in Dublin who has to pick herself up after being dumped; keep her 'head high hun' after sleeping with someone from the office; and reward herself with 3-in-1s and spice bags when she loses a few pounds in Slimming World. Queue 65,000 followers on Instagram, an agony aunt column and radio interviews later, Dublin Girlo has become a Dublin institution. "I did have my own Twitter that I used to post similar stuff on and every time I did, one of my huns would be straight on the phone saying 'YOU CAN'T POST THAT STUFF ON THE INTERNET!' so I thought 'who can't?' and started tweeting anonymously. "I'm on Twitter about two years and Instagram over a year with over 100,000 followers between the two of them, it's hunreal," says Dublin Girlo. Repping the northside, Dublin Hun, the brainchild of Coolock-born Aoife Dooley, has taken it to the next level, by setting up a shop full of merchandise dedicated to popular Dublin phrases, such as 'stun hun' and 'ye tick ye'. Googling how to contour your belly #StunHunProblems Dublin Girlo (@dublin_girlo) December 28, 2015 Video of the Day Aoife's parody Instagram account has amassed more than 10,000 followers, and sells mugs, cushions and phone covers with her illustrations of Dublin huns, as well as caricatures of yourself as a hun if the mood takes. Aoife says: "It developed from another project I started in 2011 back in Colaiste Dhulaigh called 'A Guide to the northside/southside'. I had some free time after I graduated from DIT so I went back to explore the subject more," says Aoife. While Dublin Girlo remains anonymous, she claims all the material she posts is about her own life. "I'm no oil painting but I do take pride in my girlo name; my extensions are always in, my roots are always done, I can't live without my acrylics (nails) and I wouldn't be seen in public without my minks (that's hair extenstions to the unitiated)," she adds. When ur dying and ur fella brings ya a 3 in 1 #spicebag #stunhunproblems #stunhun pic.twitter.com/AYlQZoTTcl Dublin Hun (@Dublin_hun) December 12, 2015 "I never thought people would be so interested in hearing about me making a show of myself or being dumped, but everyone has gone through it or knows someone who has. It's real life, I'm tweeting or blogging about it as it's happening so it's relatable. I think that's why people love it," she adds. So with all the success, why still remain anonymous? "Why not? I think that's what makes the page. That everyone can relate to it but no one knows who the f*** I am. I'm not gaining anything from it so there's no need not to be. "I could be your neighbour, I could be the parish priest, I could be the girl in the pics with the extenos hanging out of her head that I rip it out of, who knows?" Aoife, meanwhile, says her Dublin Hun parody is semi-biographical. "I was a hippy goth growing up. A lot of it is based around things I do though. I clean my Nikes with baby wipes, live in Penneys and love spice bags, so there are elements there. "I'm shocked at how many people like and relate to the page. It's a really special feeling when you create something and people share it with their mates and it makes them smile. "I think people have responded so well to me because I am who I am, what you see is what you get. I came from nothing and have built my profile up and I'm doing something I'm passionate about and that reflects through my work," added Aoife. "Other accounts are anonymous and that, to me, looks like you have something to hide, whereas I'm proud of where I'm from. I am working class and I'm celebrating that through my work." If Monday morning had a face... pic.twitter.com/xcsMoFR14d Dublin Girlo (@dublin_girlo) December 7, 2015 So after a year of scandal, spats, laughter and money-making, where can these huns take it in 2016? "I've one or two plans in the pipeline. You'll defo be reading more from me and listening to me talk the gick a lot more over the next few months," says Dublin Girlo. Aoife, meanwhile, sees herself going down the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly route: "A book may be in the works at the moment but we'll have to wait and see..." Whether you're backing the northside or southside, both huns want you to stay stunnin'. AN anonymous donor has made miracle baby Zoe Ireland Drakes first visit home to Tennessee possible. Zoes mother Jenny went into premature labour in October at 25 weeks, while on a transatlantic flight which was diverted to Rotunda Hospital. The family spent Christmas in Ireland and when the news came that Zoe was permitted to travel home to the States, a GoFundMe account was set up to raise the 61,500 cost of a medical flight which would not be covered by insurance. Ms Drake, an optometrist in the US, was surprised with the news on the Ray DArcy Show this afternoon that the remainder of the money had been donated anonymously. Ive got some news for you, we got a text yesterday, Ray began. He told Jenny that an anonymous donor has offered to pay the remaining 30,000 to send the family home Hes 100pc above board, and he 100pc wants to fund the repatriation of Zoe Ireland to her home country of America." Ray read a portion of a message from the man: Unfortunately I dont have a corporate jet, but I want to say as a family we want to donate in their quest to get home. Luckily, I have a successfully business, but I like my daughters to take an interest in giving something back. I would however like to remain completely anonymous and do not want any publicity for doing this." Jenny was almost left speechless after the revelation: Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, Im not going to be able to talk. Wow. Video of the Day You should have prepared me for this if you could. Oh my Goodness, thats amazing. She joked that shell name next child after the man. You dont know how much I appreciate you. Ms Drake previously said the family was hopeful the funds would be raised. We keep staying positive. The good news is that she's doing well and we can't really hang our heads at this point," she told the Irish Independent. "The main thing we're working on now is feeding - she's still being tube-fed but she's off oxygen. "She's growing. She's at five pounds, five ounces. The further we've gone, the more we've been able to hold her. "I'm just ready to be home and to hold her in my own house and feel like it's normal. I'm ready to show off my baby to my family. "We don't think we could have landed anywhere else that would have treated us this well. Tanaiste Joan Burton said it "goes without saying that the protection of journalism sources is of critical and primary importance, and the Government will address that" The Cabinet has given approval for the appointment of a legal expert to review the legislation which allows GSOC to access the phone records of journalists. As revealed in the Irish Independent this morning, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald wants an independent person to study best international practice in the area and suggest any legislation changes that might be required. It is expected that the review will look at the ease with which GSOC and An Garda Siochana can access phone records. The watchdog has been embroiled in three scandals in the past two years, including one where it incorrectly claimed gardai were bugging its offices. And it emerged last week that GSOC accessed the phone records of two journalists following a complaint by a friend of the late model Katy French about alleged garda leaks. Today, John Wilson, a former garda turned whistle-blower, has said that accessing the phone records of journalists is something which should only happen in extreme circumstances. Mr Wilson said he believed warrants permitting such surveillance should be issued by a judge in every case. "When I was a garda we were told not to have any contact with journalists. "However we know that journalists need sources in order to survive - if they don't have sources then important information won't come into the public domain. "In the past some information was drip fed to the media to discredit Maurice McCabe and myself," he told The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk. Wilson referred to a recent Supreme Court decision that recognised the right of journalists to protect their sources. "The greater good should prevail, and giving GSOC the power to trawl through journalists phone records is not the answer. "We need more transparency between journalists and the gardai, some reporters are briefed regularly by members of the gardai and that's not good for anyone," Mr Wilson, who is standing as an Independent candidate in the Cavan/Monaghan constituency for the general election, said. "All warrants should be issued by a judge and accessing the data of journalists is something that should only happen in extreme circumstances. "There is no law that says you cannot speak to a journalist and there's a proud tradition of investigative journalism in this country - I don't want anything to damage that," he told host Pat Kenny. Meanwhile, Fianna Fail Justice spokesperson Niall Collins has said that the government have not tackled the issue effectively. "Nobody is above the law, and it's very important that the right balance is achieved here. His party has created draft legislation which aims to prevent GSOC gaining access to confidential communications between journalists and sources in the absence of a court order. Collins will introduce the Garda Siochana (Amendment) Bill 2016 in the Dail today. Under the proposed legislation, the High Court can only grant GSOC an order in exceptional circumstances where the public interest so required. "Fianna Fail's bill will require GSOC to apply to to the High Court for an 'application to proceed' prior to accessing a journalist's phone records. "The relevant journalist will be on notice and can make an ancillary application. "Our aim is to protect the independence of GSOC and the freedom of the press," he told RTE News at One's programme. Meanwhile former Press Ombudsman, Professor John Horgan, told RTE's Morning Ireland that the current process of monitoring the interception of electronic communications is "wildly insufficient". "I'm not sure that what needs to be done is something that will take a commision of inquiry or any very lengthy course of activities. What seems to have happened is that this power was given to GSOC in a sort of catch-all way. Nobody stopped in time to think about what kind of modality should govern this power. As far as I know the only constraint on this is that the judge would look on the record of interceptions made under this power once a year and that's insanely, wildly insufficient." Last night Taoiseach Enda Kenny slapped down the scandal-ridden garda watchdog for snooping on the phone records of journalists. Responding for the first time to the revelations that communications by journalists were being monitored, Mr Kenny said: "Clearly the fundamental principle of journalistic sources being confidential is very important in a democracy." Mr Kenny's stinging rebuke has placed intense pressure on the embattled Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC). The Taoiseach said there was a difference between "this kind of incident and one where national security might arise". He said: "The minister will respond appropriately and quickly in this regard". The Irish Independent understands that Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will seek approval from Cabinet today to appoint an "eminent person" from the legal profession to review the laws that allows GSOC to access data on journalists' phone calls. This person will be tasked with reviewing international best practice and looking at the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 which GSOC has relied on when accessing phone records of journalists. A source said: "The review will only look at the section as it relates to journalists so it will be completed as soon as possible. It will not be a drawn-out process." However, any legislative changes that might be recommended by the review are highly unlikely to be drafted before the general election. At the weekend, Ms Fitzgerald proposed a "scoping exercise" within her department - but the Taoiseach and Tanaiste injected a new urgency into the debate yesterday. "Minister Fitzgerald is looking at this on the basis of the protection of the sources of information for journalists in a free world, in a free press," Mr Kenny said. "Fundamentally, I think that where issues like this are concerned that it would be appropriate that the legislation be reformed to reflect that. Because whatever else people might argue about, there has always been a consistency about the protection of sources for information for members of the press in a democracy like ours," he added. Tanaiste Joan Burton said it "goes without saying that the protection of journalism sources is of critical and primary importance, and the Government will address that". It is understood the Labour Party favours a system similar to the UK whereby each application for accessing data on a journalist's phone usage would be examined by an independent judge. Last night a spokesperson for GSOC refused to comment on the Taoiseach's criticism. Upheaval The commission has declined to answer questions from the media on the furore to date. Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has said it strikes him that the situation in Britain is one that should be looked at. On his way into todays Cabinet meeting the Labour Party minister said he wanted to see what proposals Frances Fitzgerald brings forward. But he added that if GSOC is of a very strong view that it needs to access information about journalists phone calls that should require the authorisation of an independent judge. The complaints body was previously at the centre of major political upheaval two years ago when it claimed gardai were bugging its offices. And last summer it emerged that a garda in Donegal who took his own life had been the subject of a GSOC investigation following a fatal traffic accident - but was not told that he had been cleared of wrongdoing. In a letter to his wife, Sergeant Michael Galvin of Ballyshannon Garda Station in Co Donegal said he could not take the pressure of the GSOC investigation which had left him feeling like a criminal. Last week it was revealed that GSOC accessed journalists telephone records. There are also concerns it has accessed one journalist's emails contacts. PROPERTY investor Paddy McKillen has failed in a High Court appeal over to the release of documents which he claimed would show the Department of Finance engaged in "inappropriate" contacts with representatives of the billionaire Barclay brothers. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan dismissed his appeal under the Freedom of Information Act against a November 2014 decision of the Information Commissioner related to the documents. Mr McKillen had sought full access to 12 documents he believed would show the Department was lobbied by interests linked to Sir David Barclay and Sir Frederick Barclay concerning acquisition of Mr McKillens fully-performing" loans as part of a hostile takeover strategy concerning the London-based Maybourne hotel group. Mr McKillen, as largest shareholder in Maybourne, vigorously opposed the takeover which led to litigation in England in 2012. He claimed the Barclays sought, in 2011, to acquire his personal and corporate loans with Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) and lobbied both the Minister for Finance and NAMA in doing so. He sought the release of documents relating to the Department contacts but the Information Commissioner refused access to 12 documents. He appealed to the High Court where he argued the documents could disclose efforts by Barclay interests to influence key persons in the Department. The matter concerned Mr McKillens loans in IBRC and no public interest justified such contacts because IBRC and NAMA are independent statutory interests, it was argued. The court heard the Department refused access to 11 of the documents because, due to their being already subject of a High Court discovery order, that would amount to contempt of court. Disclosure of a 12th document, containing three emails to a Department official, was refused on grounds it contained commercially sensitive information which the Department said was not in the public interest to disclose. The identity of the sender of the emails was initially blacked out but was later disclosed as Richard Faber, a director of a company linked to the Barclay brothers and son in law of Sir Frederick Barclay, the court also heard. Today, Mr Justice Noonan said no error of law had been demonstrated in the Commissioner's decision in relation to the record consisting of three emails to a Department official from a prospective loan buyer whose identity was redacted. The judge said Mr McKillen's made the case there was a public interest in exposing the fact that the Minister for Finance appeared to favour the Barclays over him and this would give rise to a potential loss to the Exchequer whereas Mr MckIlen was a "significant contributor to the Irish economy". Any improper contact, if there was such, was disclosed by the release of the redacted record. The blacked out information added nothing to the alleged impropriety at issue, he said. "It is difficult to understand therefore the basis on which the appellant (McKillen) alleges there is a public interest in this redacted information, as distinct from his own private interest in accessing it", he said. The judge also said if there was a public interest - and it remained to be seen whether that had been established in this instance - the Information Commissioner was obliged to balance that interest against the potential harm that might result from disclosure. He believed the Commissioner correctly carried out a balancing exercise and it was not the court's function to reassess that balance unless it was manifestly arrived at in error. No such error had been demonstrated here, he said. In relation to the other 11 records, the judge said the Commissioner was bound to apply a previous court decision relating to disclosure of documents which were alredy the subject of court-ordered discovery. Disclosure of documents in those circumstances, whenever made, is a contempt of court and must be refused, he said. Gardai outside the offices of Apple at Lavitt's Quay in the city Photo Daragh Mc Sweeney / Provision Only a fraction of high end tech jobs are held by women, according to the European statistics agency Eurostat. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney / Provision Gardai are investigating the origins of a threatening message posted to the garda website which resulted in the evacuation of 4,500 Apple employees in Cork. Workers at three Apple premises in Cork, the Holyhill Industrial estate, Lavitt's Quay and on the Model Farm Road, were told to leave their workstations immediately following the security alert just after 9am yesterday. The Irish Independent understands the message, which a garda spokesman described as a "very vague threat" and which was posted around 8.30am, warned that there was a device in one of Apple's facilities in the city. Gardai carried out extensive searches but no suspicious devices were found. "The standard operating procedures were carried out when a security alert such as this occurs," explained Superintendent Con Cadogan of Gurranabraher Garda Station. "The premises were searched and all employees were allowed re-enter the buildings once we were satisfied." Workers evacuated from Apple's offices on Lavitt's Quay gathered at the Cork Opera House, just a few doors away, while their building was searched by gardai. "I'm sure it's just a hoax," said one employee, adding: "I mean this is Cork. Who would plant a bomb in Cork?" But another worker told the Irish Independent: "For sure it's scary when you think about world terrorism and Apple is a major US company." Apple declined to comment. A FATHER questioned Rescue 115 response times after his nine year old son fell from cliffs along the Wild Atlantic Way and later died. Aaron OFlaherty from Castletroy in Co Limerick was visiting Black Head lighthouse north of Fanore, Co Clare with his father Patrick Hayes when he stumbled over the cliff edge and plunged into the sea. The boy wanted to see the lighthouse working, Mr Hayes told an inquest into his sons death. The pair were on a weekend camping trip to Doolin, Co Clare and had visited the lighthouse earlier that day, May 4 2014. They returned to Black Head lighthouse as dusk was falling. He asked me could he see the lighthouse working, thats why we went back again, Mr Hayes said. As they pair sat on the rocks looking out over Galway Bay, Aaron spotted a fisherman on rocks nearby. He wanted to try casting out, his father said. As he got up he seemed to stumble toward the cliff edge. I went to grab him but he fell in, Mr Hayes said. Aaron fell between 15ft and 20ft into the sea below. Mr Hayes, who trained with the Civil Defence in 2005, said he knew he could not reach him. He was treading water and calling out to me, I realised I wouldnt have been able to swim out to him, he said. He called 999, untangled the ropes of a nearby life buoy and threw it, but it did not reach his son. Fisherman Malikhaz Mgekuasgvili was alerted by the mans shouts, he cast out a line and the boy grabbed it. I pulled him into the shoreline, near enough to grab him. The man went into the water and grabbed the child but a wave came in and pushed them apart, the fisherman said. Mr Hayes struggled as he told Coroner Dr Brian Farrell he could not keep hold of his son. I had him in my hands on a number of occasions, the waves kept breaking us apart and pushing us underwater, he said. Aaron was starting to struggle, he said. The swell was strong and Aaron was swept swiftly out to sea, Dublin Coroners Court heard. Following Mr Hayes' 999 call, logged at 9.15pm, the Rescue 115 Coastguard helicopter mobilised and departed Shannon airport at 9.33pm. It arrived at the scene at 9.45pm, as Doolin Coastguard volunteers arrived by boat. They located the boy around 100m from shore, Thomas Doherty of Doolin Coastguard told the court. Noting the 12 minute flight time from Shannon to Black Head lighthouse, Mr Hayes said, It still doesnt explain why it took so long to mobilise (the helicopter). Aaron was airlifted to Galway University Hospital and later transferred by ambulance to Temple Street Childrens Hospital in Dublin where he died four days later. The cause of death was irreversible brain damage due to a lack of oxygen, secondary to a drowning episode. The lighthouse is approached by a path with a 'No Entry' sign, the court heard. Coroner Dr Brian Farrell returned a verdict of death by misadventure and said he would write to the Coastguard to bring Mr Hayes query regarding response times to their attention. The coroner said he would contact Clare County Council in relation to warning signs at the location and the proper A challenge by a Fianna Fail party activist to the constitutionality of new electoral laws on gender quotas has opened at the High Court. Brian Mohan claims he was told by his party that gender quotas are a fact of life and Fianna Fail must comply with them. Mr Mohans argument is not with his party but with laws making the funding of political parties conditional on meeting gender quotas for candidates, the court heard. The challenge concerns the Electoral (Political Funding) Act 2012. It provides that political parties will lose half of their central exchequer funding unless 30 per cent of their candidates in the next two general elections are female. All of the parties have said they will meet the gender quota. Michael McDowell SC, for Mr Mohan, argued today the Oireachtas is not entitled to try and use State funding in the hope of ensuring more women candidates in general elections. If there was such a general power, the State could be entitled to tell parties they must meet age criteria or their candidates must include a certain number of people from various ethnic minorities, he said. Under the Constitution, it is the people who decide who should be their rulers and the Oireachtas cannot intervene with decisions about who should contest elections, he said. Mr Mohan had hoped to be selected to run for FF in the Dublin Central constituency but a directive from the party's national constituency commission instructing only one woman candidate could be selected in that constituency stymied his ambition, Mr Justice David Keane heard. Mary Fitzpatrick, who with Mr Mohan sought the nomination, was ultimately selected in October 2015 to contest the election for Fianna Fail. A third candidate who initially sought a nomination, Denise McMurrough , withdrew in protest at the gender stipulation, the court was told. The court also heard, by summer 2015, of 47 Fianna Fail candidates selected by 31 constituencies, only ten were women, leaving Fianna Fail well short of meeting the gender quota target required to secure funding for political parties. Mr McDowell said that situation lead to a process of consultation within Fianna Fail involving TDs and senior members of the party organisation. Mr Mohan was told gender quotas are a fact of life, Fianna Fail had to comply with them and only one candidate could be selected in Dublin Central and that had to be a woman. Counsel said it was true Fianna Fail had not opposed the gender quota legislation when it was going through the Oireachtas and that then FF Senator Averil Power had welcomed it, while also noting there was considerable opposition to it within the party. However, it was also the case no decision was ever made by the Fianna Fail party to adopt gender quotas, he said. The challenge is against Ireland and the Attorney General who dispute the claims and also argue Mr Mohans real dispute is with his party. The legislation in question relates to the funding of political parties and no political party had made a complaint about it, the State contends. Opening the case, Mr McDowell said his client is a 30 year old building operative from Beaumont, Dublin, now pursuing a degree in Contemporary Culture and Society at Dublin City University, including the study of politics. Mr Mohan attended court today after completing exams earlier. Counsel said Mr Mohan was a member of a staunch Fianna Fail family who joined the party at age 16. He is a member of the Con Colbert cumann in Dublin Central and chair of the Comhairle Dail Ceanntar or constituency executive council. Counsel said there is a fund of 5.4m available for political parties. Under the 2012 Act, a new norm was created which establishes a goal of 40 per cent male and female candidates in the totality of the number of candidates fielded by any party, he said. That meant, at the forthcoming general election, there was a transitional target figure where there must be 30 per cent female and male candidates and, seven years down the line, that figure must be 40 per cent, he said. The Act provided funding for parties would be reduced by 50 per cent unless parties met the required targets, he said. The 2012 Act amended previous legislation which allocated funding in accordance with the percentage of votes obtained by particular parties, he said. This was not a grant to encourage parties to improve the number of female candidates but rather a huge reduction in funding for those parties who did not meet the relevant gender quotas. The case continues. Michael Lynn SC, for the man, supported an accelerated hearing in the case Photo: Tom Burke The State has been granted a priority hearing for two linked asylum applications involving a man alleged to be the main recruiter for the Islamic State (Isil) in Ireland. The man, who denies he is involved with Islamic extremism, is appealing a refusal by the Minister for Justice to allow him to re-enter the asylum process. He is also challenging his deportation to a country in the Middle East amid claims that he will be subject to inhumane and degrading treatment there, including the possibility of torture. The Court of Appeal, which sat over the Christmas holiday period to hear an appeal against the lifting of an injunction preventing the man's deportation, is due to give an imminent ruling in that case. Yesterday, barrister Sinead McGrath, for the State, sought an accelerated hearing of the case. Senior counsel Michael Lynn, for the man, said his client has no difficulty in the matter being given priority. The matters were provisionally fixed for March 1 and the case is expected to take two days to hear. Last Christmas, plans to deport the man allegedly involved with Islamic extremists were put on hold following a dramatic intervention by the European Court of Human Rights. It made a request to the three-judge court, which had the effect of temporarily preventing Ireland from deporting him. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has asked the Court of Appeal to overturn a High Court order lifting a temporary injunction restraining his deportation. The court heard the man suffers from health problems and fears being tortured if he is deported due to his political activities. The man denies acting on behalf of Isil or that he represents a threat to national security. In his appeal the man, who is married and in his early 50s, sought to overturn a recent decision of the High Court clearing the way for his imminent deportation. He has been living in Ireland for some time, and withdrew an initial asylum application some 15 years ago when he and his family first arrived in Ireland after he secured residency here on the basis of the birth of his Irish-born son. He was told in March 2014 by the Irish authorities that they intended to deport him. His residency permit was not renewed because his Irish-born son has been living overseas with his mother for the last number of years. He then sought to re-enter the asylum process but was denied permission to do so. The State claims the man has consulted with senior violent extremist leaders outside Ireland, made travel arrangements for Isil members, and is involved in recruiting new members. A WOMAN in her late 90s yesterday told a jury how a couple of men in navy suits broke into her house on a Christmas Eve and tore her out of bed before making away with expensive pieces of jewellery in a real life nightmare Angela Falconer (97), of 9 Bellevue Tce on Johns Hill in Waterford city, went to her bed at about 11.45pm in her downstairs sitting room on December 23rd 2014. However, she was awoken within an hour of going to sleep by two men who she said were wearing navy or dark suits. Sean Gaffney (24), of 269 St John's Park, Waterford City has pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery, burglary, assault and criminal damage at the house on the date in question. During her evidence yesterday, the brave woman even described her assailants as two twerps. At Waterford Circuit Court yesterday, Angela told Noel Whelan, prosecuting counsel: I was awakened when I was dragged out of bed. I thought it was a nightmare until I realised two men pulled me out of bed. They started going, Wheres the money?. She told them that she had none but the men continued repeating the question. A jury was impanelled in the case in the temporary Waterford courthouse at the old Grace Dieu premises yesterday morning, but had to be taken to Kilkenny Courthouse in the afternoon as the former does not have videolink facilities. Ms Falconer is deemed too frail to attend court proceedings. Plucky Angela, who lives alone and sleeps in a downstairs living room, described how she had to lock herself in the bathroom of the home she has been living in for 69 years when assailants broke in the early hours of Christmas Eve 2014. She added: They caught me and threw me on my back on the ground. There was broken glass from the broken window. They were rooting around and when I saw that I got up off my back. I dont know how; it was as if someone brought me into the bathroom. I locked the door and didnt make a sound. Angela explained how she could hear the men, who she believed were aged 23 or 24, rummaging around and through drawers. While she had seen their faces she could not remember what their faces looked like. I was so confused, I thought it was a dream. The elderly woman, who admitted that she was terrified, was thankful to have been wearing heavy pajamas that protected her from the broken glass. The thieves made away with her mothers expensive jewellery and a string of pearls was found on nearby Johns Hill. She said that she wasnt away of the intruders until she was dragged from her bed. She somehow made it to the bathroom. I kept myself locked in after the treatment they gave meI was terrified. After some time, petrified Angela opened the bathroom door and raised the alarm by contacting her helper who in turn rang Angelas family members. Elaine Morgan, defending, put it to Angela that she had told gardai how the suits were beige and light in colour but the she maintained that they were always navy. She also denied that she was told that the men looked aged 23 or 24. They were two twerps; thats what I call them. The trial continues at Waterford Circuit Court. A young woman with Down Syndrome has been robbed of "the future she might have had" after she was subjected to a brutal rape ordeal, her mother has said. Years of work building up her daughter's independence were instantly destroyed, the mother added. Speaking at the sentencing hearing of Faisal Ellahi yesterday, the victim's mother said the family and support services had brought the woman, who is in her twenties, to the stage where she had a job, could travel on her own and could run errands for her mother. "All that work was wiped out by such depravity," she told the Central Criminal Court as her daughter watched via video-link from a room elsewhere in the building. The victim became upset as her mother read out a statement on her behalf outlining how they had to discuss giving her anti-HIV treatment following the attack. A victim impact statement read out by the mother on her daughter's behalf said: "I can't go out on my own anymore because I am too scared." A visibly moved Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the mother afterwards that it was very difficult to immediately respond to such a victim impact statement. He told her he would address it when he finalised sentence on Ellahi. He adjourned matters until next Monday when further mitigation on behalf of Ellahi will be heard, and said he would finalise his sentence a week or 10 days later. He told Ellahi's counsel that any prospect of a partially-suspended sentence would be contingent on him agreeing to be deported back to his native Pakistan on his release. Ellahi (34), originally from Haripur in Pakistan, was convicted last December of raping the woman after luring her back to his house when she became separated from her mother near their Dublin home. Inspector Sean Campbell told the court that the woman arrived home after the rape screaming for her mother and shouting "let me in, let me in". Her mother described her as "white as a sheet" and "shaking like a leaf". The woman was later taken on a tour of the area by gardai and was able to point out Ellahi's building on two occasions. DNA swabs taken from her matched Ellahi's DNA to a certainty of a billion to one and fibres from the victim's clothes were also found on his bedsheets. In her victim impact statement the woman's mother said that following the rape her daughter began sleeping in her bed and would have night terrors. She also began suffering from seizures. The symptoms abated after a while but returned in the run up to the trial, the mother said. "He has robbed our family of the last two and a half years and (the victim) of the future she might have had. I feel a great sadness for her and a huge sense of loss." The mother also read out a statement prepared by the victim which said: "I feel so scared at all times since he did that to me. I feel confused, angry and shocked. Sometimes I get flashbacks. I can't go out on my own anymore because I am too scared." Sinn Fein General Election candidate Chris Andrews has been accused of blatant hypocrisy after he blamed his former party Fianna Fail for "almost bankrupting the Irish State". In an election leaflet circulated in Dublin Bay South, Mr Andrews launched a stinging attack on the previous government - of which he was a part before he lost his seat. He later quit the party after he was unmasked as being behind a fake Twitter account which he used to attack politicians, including Gerry Adams. "In Government, Fianna Fail were responsible for economic chaos - the worst banking collapse in Irish history, almost bankrupting the Irish State," his leaflet states. Independent councillor Mannix Flynn accused Mr Andrews of hypocrisy. "This is the very person who was a member of that government and voted for those decisions," he said. "It is blatant hypocrisy, but what more would you expect from Mr Andrews?" Mr Andrews rejected the accusations. "I didn't know Mannix was a candidate in this election and it says a lot when he gets upset by what is said about FF. He must be a closet Fianna Failer," Mr Andrews said. "The reality is that I left FF as a direct result of some of the stuff I am now criticising them for so there is nothing hypocritical about that." Water charges, housing and crime are three huge issues being raised on the doorsteps in Dublin South West. The coalition parties took three out of four seats here in 2011 - but fortunes have changed drastically. Despite an extra seat on offer as a result of the boundary changes, both Fine Gael and Labour know that left-wing candidates are likely to sweep to victory here in a few weeks time. Such is the confidence among Paul Murphys supporters, a decision was taken to field a second Anti austerity candidate in Sandra Fay. Murphy has emerged as one of the leaders of the countrys left-wing movement and will be comfortably returned to the Dail. But there will be much focus on his upcoming trial, scheduled for later this month, stemming from his role in the infamous Jobstown protest which left Tanaiste Joan Burton and her adviser Karen OConnell trapped in their car for several hours. Staying with the left, Sinn Fein could pull off a significant victory in Dublin South-West by landing two seats. The party is openly targeting the Labour Partys support base, much of which is up for grabs as a result of the backlash the junior coalition partner has received. There had been speculation that the hard working Sinn Fein TD Sean Crowe would step down but he has since opted to run again and defend his seat. Crowe is joined on the ticket by the young councillor Sarah Holland, who is seen as a future star of the party. The presence of Murphy, Crowe and Holland will pose a major challenge for Labour. The partys former leader and ex-Cabinet minister Pat Rabbitte is stepping down. And in another blow, former Labour TD Eamonn Maloney recently quit the party and is standing as an independent. A split in party tactics prompted the Donegal native to unexpectedly withdraw from the election race his name in the summer. Maloney disagreed with the partys decision to pursue a two candidate strategy. Labour will field two sitting councillors, Pamela Kearns and Mick Duff. Taking one seat is a possibility but it will require a well-managed vote strategy and a poll boost in the coming weeks. Some voters in Dublin South West are likely to examine the ballot paper in a bid to locate the name Brian Hayes. The high profile politician would have been a contender to top the poll had he not taken the decision to contest the European Elections, in which he was a successful. The move leaves Fine Gael fighting to retain the seat vacated by Hayes. Three candidates are on the ticket: Councillors Colm Brophy and Anne Marie Dermody, and activist Karen Warren. Dermody found herself at the centre of controversy recently after she claimed that women should vote for female candidates, even if they are in parties other than Fine Gael. Brophy is close to Hayes and is seen as the partys best chance of taking a seat. But her running mate Dermody should not be entirely ruled out, particularly if the party enjoys a poll surge as the election edges closer. For Fianna Fail, Dublin South West is being targeted as part of the partys desperate bid to rebuild itself in the capital. Councillor John Lahart is no stranger to elections, having recently contested the by-election prompted by Hayess departure to Europe. He finished sixth and polled just over 2,000 votes. A significantly improved performance is required this time if Lahart, whose support base is in Rathfarnham and Knocklyon, is to take a Dail seat. The dark horse in the race is Renua candidate and councillor Ronan McMahon. The former Fine Gael man performed well in the by-election and is deeply popular locally. Another one to watch is Senator Katherine Zappone, who is running as an independent despite holding talks with the Social Democrats. Francis Noel Duffy of the Green Party was elected during his first outing in the locals. Married to fellow general election candidate Catherine Martin, Duffy is unlikely to feature during the business side of things. Independent candidates Declan Burke, Peter Fitzpatrick Deirdre ODonovan complete the field. ODonovan is a member of the Independent Alliance and is highly rated by Shane Ross. THE biggest question being asked nationally and locally is whether Environment Minister, Alan Kelly, can hold his seat with a heavy national trend against his party. Already we know one thing before a single vote is cast in this newly-formulated constituency of Tipperary. As the merger of the two three-seaters of Tipperary North and South conjures up one five-seater, one of the six outgoing TDs will not succeed in returning to Leinster House. The impact of the loss of a large swathe of territory in the north of the county to the new adjoining three-seat constituency of Offaly may also impact upon the outcome. Meanwhile, all the parties and Independents are preparing for the demands of playing the full pitch next time out. Long-time Independent Michael Lowry, who had almost 30pc of the vote last time in the old Tipperary North, is on target to be a poll-topper or near enough to that. Junior Agriculture Minister Tom Hayes is also expected to hold his own. Independent Mattie McGrath from Newcastle, close to Clonmel in the south of the constituency, also looks well set. He was a long-time Fianna Fail member but fell out with the party in June 2010 and decided to sever his links entirely and stand as an Independent in February 2011. His high national profile is likely to help him across the entire county. The remaining two seats are much harder to figure out. Fine Gaels Noel Coonan of Roscrea is in the reckoning. So also is Seamus Healy of the breakaway trade union grouping called the Workers & Unemployed Action Group (WUAG). But he may not travel well beyond his southern heartland. And the Enviroment Minister Alan Kelly, though he has a big fight on his hands is very far from being finished. He is putting in a huge campaign, and like Fine Gaels Noel Coonan, bemoans the undue impact of the hiving off northern areas into Offaly. Fianna Fail are reduced to having no TD in the entire county and this time they field three candidates in efforts to redress this. These are Cllr Michael Smith of Roscrea, Cllr Siobhan Ambrose of Clonmel, and Cllr Jackie Cahill of Thurles. Smith is son of Michael Smith a long time TD, Senator and Government Minister. The rivalry between all three will be intense but party managers hope this of itself will help. The clear risk is that they could hopelessly split the vote and drag each other down. Cllr Jackie Cahill is a former president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association and he won the selection convention in May. Cllrs Smith and Ambrose, the latter an experienced councillor who will appeal to women voters, were later added to the ticket in efforts to spread the load. Former chief justice John Murray has been appointed to carry out a review of the law that allows bodies such as GSOC access the phone records of journalists. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has announced that Mr Murray will be given up to three months to compile a report on international best practice in the area. She said the free press plays a pre-eminent role in any democratic society and it is of fundamental importance that journalists should be able to carry out their legitimate work unhindered. The controversy arose after it emerged that the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) obtained the phone records of two journalists following a complaint from an associate of the late model Katy French. Civil rights groups and the National Union of Journalists have strongly criticised legislation which dates from 2011 and gives GSOC the power to access such records without informing the journalists. Ms Fitzgerald said the issue is complex because there needs to be a balance between the freedom of journalists to do their work and the need for crimes to be investigated. The terms of reference of the review are: To examine the legislative framework in respect of access by statutory bodies to communications data of journalists held by communications service providers, taking into account, the principle of protection of journalistic sources, the need for statutory bodies with investigative and/or prosecution powers to have access to data in order to prevent and detect serious crime, and current best international practice in this area. Mr Justice Murray was Attorney General for a period in 1982 and again from 1987 to 1991. He also served as a judge of the Court of Justice of the European Communities in Luxembourg from 1991 to 1999. He was Chief Justice from 2004 to 2011. Dr Rhona Mahony, the master of the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, has called for a referendum to let the public decide on whether termination of pregnancy should be allowed in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. "The people of Ireland should be allowed to decide whether a termination should be permitted in such cases, and the likely way for that to happen is by a referendum," Dr Mahony told the Irish Independent. She is the second master of the three big Dublin maternity hospitals to speak out about the heartbreak faced by parents who are told their unborn baby will die in the womb or only live for a short time after birth. Earlier this month, Dr Fergal Malone, the new master of the Rotunda Hospital, said these mothers who have undergone non-directive counselling should have the option of a termination in Ireland rather than travelling to Britain. As master of Holles Street and a specialist in foetal medicine, Dr Mahony said: "I have had years of direct experience of caring for families who know they are carrying a baby affected by such challenges. They know life will be very, very short. "These babies may die in the womb or survive for a very short time after birth - for just minutes, hours or perhaps several days. "In modern foetal medicine practice, such life-limiting conditions are well understood and include conditions like anencephaly, renal agenesis and trisomy 13." She said these diagnoses are "devastating" for couples. "Women will choose to navigate these tragic circumstances in different ways, and to me that is understandable," she said. "In some cases, women wish to continue their pregnancy knowing what will be, and the very short time spent with their baby is of infinite importance to them. It is so important that women and their families are practically supported in this decision. "Other women, however, find themselves unable to continue their pregnancy in these circumstances. At the moment, these women must travel to a different jurisdiction to obtain a termination of pregnancy because termination of pregnancy in Ireland in this context is a criminal offence. "This means they must access complex care far from home and family, and deal with a range of additional difficulties. These families can feel a very strong sense of abandonment at a time of exceptional emotional distress." A spokeswoman for the Coombe maternity hospital said the personal view of any doctor in relation to fatal foetal abnormalities does not arise. The hospital is "committed to acting in the best interests of each of its patients at all times". Health Minister Leo Varadkar reiterated yesterday that he supported the option of termination for fatal foetal abnormality, but said it needed to be discussed in a public forum. Profits at the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA) increased 14-fold to 1.17m in 2014 as a result of the ice bucket challenge craze. In the viral internet sensation of summer 2014 celebrities, government ministers and even nuns made up some of the estimated half a million Irish people who participated by drenching dumping a bucket of iced water on their head to promote awareness of the disease. International celebrities included Britney Spears, Mark Zuckerberg and Oprah Winfrey, while funds were raised online at home by Daithi O Se, Rosanna Davison and Brian O'Driscoll. The IMNDA's accounts for 2014 show that the ice bucket challenge raised 1.7 million for the association - 700,000 more than the 1m raised by the IMNDA in fundraising in all areas across the 12 months of 2013. The ice-bucket windfall has resulted in the IMNDA's cash fund more than tripling from 813,060 to 2.47m. The association's surplus increased from 79,743 in 2013 to 1.17m in 2014 as a result of the ice bucket challenge. Condition However, the directors caution that on its ordinary activities the IMNDA would have suffered a cash loss of 411,792 in 2014 without the ice-bucket challenge funds. There is no cure for Motor Neurone disease, which claimed the life of much-loved RTE broadcaster Colm Murray. The progressive neurological condition, which attacks the nervous system, can affect the way a person walks, eats, drinks and breathes. The directors state that after consulting with stakeholders, including the MND community, the association has established a list of projects where the ice bucket challenge money will go. The development on Milbank Avenue in Greenwich, Connecticut in the USA which is being managed by Sean Dunne Photo: Douglas Healey for The Independent A company managed by bust developer Sean Dunne is expected to be given court approval to borrow $5m (4.6m) to complete a condominium development in the US. Mr Dunne's bankruptcy trustee has agreed to the move, subject to certain conditions. It will allow the Dunne- managed firm, 151 Milbank LLC, complete an $11m (10.1m) development in the millionaire's enclave of Greenwich, Connecticut. The ownership of the company has been a matter of dispute since last year. Records show Mr Dunne's wife, Gayle Killilea, is registered as the company's principal. However, bankruptcy trustee Richard Coan believes the project and the property should be included in Mr Dunne's bankruptcy estate. The Carlow-born developer has denied he is the owner, but accepts he is involved in the management and operation of the business and property. Under the deal, the borrowed cash is to be used to complete the building works and to pay off other lenders and contractors owed money on the project. Once the condominiums are completed and sold, the proceeds left over are to be put in a special bank account until the issue of the property's current beneficial ownership is adjudicated on by the courts. According to court papers, work on the property ground to a halt last April, when Mr Coan filed a notice indicating he may seek a lien on the property as part of his efforts to recoup some of the 700m owed by Mr Dunne to creditors. The notice, known as a "lis pendens", caused a situation where the company could not borrow any more money to complete the development. However, following months of wrangling, Mr Coan has agreed to allow the firm borrow up to $5m to complete the work. A deal has been put in place to borrow the cash from Maxim Credit Group, a New York-based lender. A motion agreed by all sides in the dispute reads: "It is in the best interests of the debtor and its estate and all other parties in interest that the development of the property is completed in that this will maximise the value of the debtor's assets." The agreement is to be put before a judge in New Haven, Connecticut for approval next week. It includes an agreed budget for work to be done to complete the project. A third party project manager will also have to be appointed as part of the conditions of the deal. This project manager will have to make weekly conference calls to update the trustee and Mr Dunne's creditors of progress with the construction. Mr Dunne will not be allowed to issue any cheques or make any payments of the loan money without express written consent of the project manager. He is also barred from selling any of the condominiums to an associate. The dispute over the project is just one strand of sprawling bankruptcy proceedings involving Mr Dunne in the US, Ireland and South Africa. A key point of dispute is that Mr Coan alleges Mr Dunne is using companies registered in his wife's name to conduct business. Companies run by Ms Killilea have been involved in several property development schemes in the US in recent years. Mr Coan also claims Mr Dunne fraudulently transferred tens of millions of euro to his wife. The allegations are disputed by the Dunnes, who say any transfers made were lawful and done at a time when he was solvent. Mr Dunne filed for bankruptcy in the US in March 2013 having moved there three years earlier. Girl crew offshoot, the WOW crew, pose at the main door of the Web Summit 2014. A worldwide community of women is being honoured by Facebook as one of its biggest success stories. 'Girl Crew' is a worldwide community of women that began as a humble Dublin Facebook group. Founder Elva Carri began the group to seek out other single women who wanted to meet new people "to go dancing with". Carri tapped into a market of women whose social circles had reduced to due to babies, weddings and other factors and 'Girl Crew' was born - a worldwide network of women looking to expand their friendship circles. Carri began the group on Facebook - and it went from 100 members in Dublin to over 22,000 members worldwide, with a 'Girl Crew' group in over forty cities, all organised through the social media site. "I can't even get my head around that number", Carri told Independent.ie. "Facebook was hugely instrumental in Girl Crew... I'm not sure it would have worked elsewhere. People are already on Facebook, they use it really naturally. It's worked everywhere (around the world) because of that". As part of the celebrations around Facebook's upcoming twelfth birthday on February fourth, 'Facebook stories' contacted individuals and groups around the world they wished to highlight as part of celebrating the network's twelve-years of connecting people. Facebook will be filming the 'Girl Crew' this weekend across a variety of events - dancing, holding a tea party and trying their hand at trampolining at Jumpzone Dublin. "They had to get us dancing", Elva joked. "It was a requirement!" Facebook are then flying Carri and her co-founders Aine Mulloy and Pamela Newenham over to California to attend a party with the other featured users and groups. "It's so exciting!" Girl Crew Dublin organise a variety of activites. During the Web Summit 2014, Girl Crew organised an offshoot group called the 'WOW Crew', bringing members of the crew working in tech together as a women-in-tech power group. The Crew has organised professional career seminars for women, makeup masterclasses and secret shopping parties around the country. Read More Carri was nominated for Image Businesswoman of the Year (Digital) in 2015 for her work founding Girl Crew. The scene of the investigation along the banks of the Grand Canal at Ardclough, Kildare, where the body was found Photo: Steve Humphreys The Garda sub aqua unit at the scene near the village of Ardclough, Co Kildare Gardai at the scene where the body was found in the Grand Canal Photo: Douglas O'Connor Gardai at the scene at the weekend, inset, the picture released of Mr Kenneth O'Brien Gardai have identified the murder victim whose torso was found in a suitcase in the Grand Canal at Ardclough in north Kildare last Saturday afternoon. He has been named as father-of-one Kenneth O'Brien (33) from Lealand Road, Clondalkin, Dublin. Kenneth O'Brien (33) He is understood to have gone missing on Friday and his disappearance was reported to gardai the following evening. Mr O'Brien was originally from Ballyfermot, Dublin. Mr O'Brien was last seen leaving his house last Friday and he told his family he was 'going down the the country to do some work'. Expand Close The scene of the investigation along the banks of the Grand Canal at Ardclough, Kildare, where the body was found Photo: Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene of the investigation along the banks of the Grand Canal at Ardclough, Kildare, where the body was found Photo: Steve Humphreys The JCB operator had recently returned from Australia. It is unknown how he travelled once he left the house. Superintendent Gerry Wall said at the press conference this evening: "He's a family man, with a partner. "I spoke with his family this evening. They are devastated and grief stricken." Superintendent Gerry Wall revealed that "gardai enquires are intensifying towards the Clondalkin area". Mr O'Brien had only returned from Australia last month. "If you have spoken to him by email, phone or text, we would like to hear from you," Superintendent Wall said Superintendent Wall said that gardai were particularly interested in speaking to anybody who may have been in the Grand Canal area early Saturday morning on January 16. He said that over 100 people have contacted the incident room with information regarding the murder. He added that wider searches will be done in the Ardclough area where the torso was found over the next few days. He said that a team of gardai have been out all day and will continue throughout the night to as they try to establish a crime scene. Superintendent Wall said gardai have no evidence to suggest that Mr Wall was in fear for his life. Kenneth OBrien is a very normal man, going about his business, pursuing his employment, trying to get some work and he has been brutally murdered, said Superintendent Wall. At this stage there is no indication why this crime was perpetrated on this man. It is a particularly gruesome crime and the brutality of it couldnt be overstated in respect of how a human being has ben treated. It focuses us and our intensity of our investigation to find the perpetrators of the crime and to bring them to justice. I dont have any car or any details about the mode of transport. That is certainly one of the things that would assist us in our enquires. If people did see him in a car, bus, Luas, wed be very happy to hear from them. Gardai said that they were pursuing leads why Mr O'Brien was killed. "At this stage there is no indication why this crime was perpetrated," said Superintendent Wall. He added that no crime scene has been found. "It is a particularly gruesome crime." Mr Wall also dismissed reports that Mr O'Brien was at a party. "That doesn't fit in with our enquiries," said Superintendent Wall and dismissed it as "speculation". He added that Mr O'Brien's family have only been given the "devastating" news just over two hours ago. Mr O'Brien was identified this afternoon after a DNA sample taken from the torso matched with a sample given by a member of the man's family. DNA analysis was carried out and completed today. Gardai were informed at 3.30pm today that the DNA sample was a match to Mr O'Brien. This evening, gardai issued a fresh appeal and said they wished to speak to anyone who was in or around the Grand Canal near Ardclough on Friday and early Saturday to contact them. Gardai said they are keen to speak to anyone who may have observed, seen or had any contact with Mr O'Brien since the early hours of Friday morning when he left Lealand Road in Clondalkin or can assist in tracing his movements. The gardai again requested people returning to their property or premises after the weekend to check to see if there was anything unusual. Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room at Leixlip Garda Station 01 666 7800. Gardai have not yet established where Mr O'Brien was murdered and dismembered but intensive investigations are continuing in north Kildare and west Dublin. Mr O'Brien is not known to gardai - and is from what has been described as a very respectable and hard working family. The breakthrough in the identification of Mr O'Brien occurred earlier today. The torso of a male was found wrapped in plastic in a suitcase near Ardclough Bridge, Co Kildare, shortly after 3.30pm on Saturday. The victim's head, hands and feet had been cut off in an attempt to prevent gardai from carrying out an identification process of the body. However, investigating detectives were able to determine an age for the victim. Sources have revealed that one of the lines of inquiry gardai were working on is that the Mr O'Brien was brutally slain in "a house party that got out of control". However, it is understood this theory has been investigated and discounted. Read More The suitcase holding the torso of the Mr O'Brien was in the Grand Canal for at least six hours before it was recovered by passers-by. Several walkers noticed the suitcase in the canal at Ardclough in north Kildare from 9am onwards on Saturday but thought it was discarded litter. A post-mortem examination of the torso by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis, at Naas General Hospital on Sunday afternoon, showed no signs of injury to the torso. Gardai believe the fatal injuries may have been inflicted to the Mr O'Brien's head, either through a shooting or a brutal assault. Members of the Garda water unit resumed their search of the canal for other body parts yesterday, while the Garda dog unit was also drafted in to lead searches along the canal banks and adjoining land. Gardai think other body parts could have been dumped elsewhere in the Grand Canal or in nearby wasteland. Members of the Garda investigation team from the Kildare division are working closely with colleagues in west Dublin. Fingerprint checks are being carried out on the suitcase and the heavy plastic used to wrap the torso. Read More Gardai have so far gathered more than 80 witness statements from members of the public, with investigating officers appealing for anyone with information to contact Leixlip Garda Station. The former adviser said there was an increasing trend towards trying to influence debate through 'social media tricks and tweets' Photo: PA Click to see a bigger version of the graphic Fine Gael has spent huge sums of taxpayers' money on researching the mood of the electorate since coming to power. An analysis of annual declarations made by the party shows over 1.4m was spent on research into public opinion on political issues during its first four years in coalition. The cash used by the party for "research and public sampling" came from the taxpayer-funded parliamentary activities allowance. It is one of two funds - the electoral act fund being the other - through which 13.8m in taxpayers' cash is distributed to political parties and Independent TDs and senators annually. Filings made to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) also indicate Fine Gael has a sophisticated media monitoring operation, with the party expending significantly more resources on this than any of the other political organisations. The Sipo filings show 458,000 was spent on research and qualitative and quantitative "public sampling" in 2011, the year the party came to power. Some 437,000 was spent under the same heading in 2012, 332,000 in 2013 and 202,694 in 2014. Figures for 2015 will not be disclosed until later this year. No other party has declared such large scale research. Large sums have also been spent by Fine Gael on media monitoring and training for its TDs in dealing with the media. Almost 280,000 went on media training for its TDs and ministers during the first four years of the Coalition. Figures show at least 100,000 was also spent on media monitoring services over a three-year period. A veteran former political press adviser told the Irish Independent that monitoring media output was something parties divert a lot of resources to. "It is a huge part of the operation these days and a normal part of staff routines," he said. "They devote a lot of staff to it, depending on how many they have. Sometimes the media monitoring is contracted to an outside service." The former adviser said there was an increasing trend towards trying to influence debate through "social media tricks and tweets". "There are people with throwaway mobile phones texting radio shows," he said. "This is how you get perfectly crafted pieces of tabloid criticism sent in at the end of a radio show from Mick in Tullamore. Very pithy and to the point and frequently critical or negative of the party's opponents." He said the bigger political parties also devote a lot of energy to monitoring the local media. "They try to discern patterns or themes that are coming through, which could be considered a bit below the line and secondary to the main election issues," he said. "These are things that need to be spoken to. There are things like septic tanks and local bus services which may not be an issue nationally, but are very much so locally." In addition to the spending specifically linked to public opinion research, media training and media monitoring, Fine Gael spent 80,000 last year on consultancy fees under the heading "human resources, media, IT and PR management". A further 139,000 was spent on the party's website and social media from the publicly funded allowances. In contrast, Labour declared relatively little spending on public relations work, with sums ranging from 34,000 to 77,000 being spent annually on "public relations and printing", according to Sipo filings. People Before Profit spent just 500 on social media training and a further sum of 2,000 on marketing and social media consultants in 2014. Fianna Fail declared spending of 57,500 on its website and social media in 2014. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has all but ruled out the establishment of a cross-border inquiry into the IRA sex abuse scandal. Ms Fitzgerald has warned that such an inquiry would run into serious "legal obstacles" and that separate investigations in each jurisdiction is a more likely approach. The admission will prove deeply disappointing to victims of IRA sex abusers and comes almost two years after the Taoiseach raised the prospect of an inquiry with powers to compel witnesses. In the North, there are ongoing investigations into cases linked to allegations made by Labour Party senator Mairia Cahill, who was raped by a suspected senior IRA figure. In the Republic, gardai are investigating claims of sex abuse by more than 30 alleged IRA members. Ms Fitzgerald said that both governments will work to achieve the "highest level of co-operation" possible in relation to investigating the movement of IRA sex abusers into the Republic. But she said this may take the form of two separate probes. "What form that can take, I can't say at this point, but I think all the building blocks are there to have the highest level of co-operation, and as the information becomes available, we will continue to examine how best that co-operation can be developed," she said. "Quite what form that can take remains to be seen but clearly there are legal obstacles. But you could have parallel processes that meet at a certain point in terms of information-sharing. I think there are possibilities," she added. Ms Cahill said she believes an inquiry with powers to compel witnesses should be pursued. "What is most important is the current protection of children across the island, which is why I have continued to work with the relevant authorities on the issue to identify suspected IRA abusers who were moved across the jurisdictions where they continued to have access to children. "There are legal difficulties with a cross-border inquiry, and it is still at a very early stage in terms of disclosure. I am in favour of a scoping exercise initially, then graduating to a body with the powers to compel witnesses." The government does not allow any disclosure of whose phones are tapped and will not reveal even anonymised information around how often this happens (stock image) When it comes to Irish authorities perusing details of our everyday phone calls, the Government tries to keep as much knowledge of the process as shrouded in secrecy as possible. It won't allow any disclosure of whose phones are tapped or reveal even anonymised information around how often this happens. Instead, it limits any questions we might have of vague "communications data" statistics from phone companies. Take mobile operators. The most recent data released by the country's largest mobile operator, Vodafone, shows there were 7,973 requests for 'communications data' from Irish police and security agencies in the 12 months between April 2014 and March 2015. This is a big jump on the same figure (4,124 requests) for the 12 months before that. 'Communications data' generally refers to what is also known as 'metadata'. This usually means information surrounding the actual content of a conversation or message, such as telephone numbers, email addresses or location information. In some cases, it can also include a person's name, physical address and details of services subscribed to. "It is possible to learn a great deal about an individual's movements, interests and relationships from an analysis of metadata without ever accessing the actual content of any communications," said a spokesman for Vodafone. The operator added that it was not authorised to disclose any further interventions by Irish authorities during the same time period that directly accessed live conversations, voice messages or text messages between people in Ireland. "We approached the authorities to seek clarity on the disclosure of aggregate statistics related to lawful interception demands," said the operator in a statement. "In response, the authorities instructed us not to disclose this information. "We engaged extensively with the Government to discuss whether or not such information could be published by the authorities. The Government has again informed us that we cannot disclose this information." Irish operators, said Vodafone, were told that it is "unlawful to disclose any aspect of how lawful interception is conducted" by Irish authorities. Neither Hutchison Whampoa, which owns 3 Ireland and forms the network basis for Tesco Mobile, Virgin Mobile and iD, nor Eircom's Meteor disclose any information about requests from Irish authorities' for call data. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald is facing growing pressure to act before the General Election to change legislation that allows the garda watchdog to snoop on the phone records of journalists. The Irish Independent understands that Ms Fitzgerald will bring a memo to Cabinet today seeking approval to appoint an "eminent person" to review the legislation that gives GSOC the right to access phone records. Sources said the review will focus exclusively on how our data retention law relates to journalists and compare this with international best practice. "We are not hanging around on this," said a justice source. Ms Fitzgerald had initially said she would order a 'scoping exercise' to look at the legislation but amid a major backlash is now set to take a much stronger approach. Following the public statements by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Joan Burton yesterday on GSOC, she will ask the Cabinet to approve the appointment of a legal professional to review the situation as early as today. "If the review comes back with a recommendation that changes to legislation are needed then work will begin on that immediately," said a source. One of the journalists who is at the centre of the controversy, Conor Feehan, last night welcomed the new impetus. Mr Feehan, who works for Independent News and Media, noted that it had taken five days since the revelations initially emerged for a coherent Government response. "This is how long it has taken them to realise the gravity of the situation and how it affects the wider democratic society," he said. "The accessing of private phone records is not just a matter that journalists need to be wary of. "Everybody could potentially be a target of such snooping under the current laws as they stand." The Government is currently facing a High Court challenge to laws which allow such snooping, as well as data retention laws. The case is being taken by campaign group Digital Rights Ireland, which has already succeeded in striking down an EU data retention directive. Under Irish laws, telecommunications companies must keep phone records for two years and email and internet records for 12 months. Digital Rights Ireland said that, at a minimum, it is seeking to have a layer of judicial oversight introduced. Sinn Fein justice spokesman Padraig Mac Lochlainn called on Ms Fitzgerald to tell the Dail how many journalists have been monitored. "The seemingly routine nature of self-warranted investigation into journalists' sources is a very worrying insight into the inner workings of those who are meant to defend the public good," he said. The National Union of Journalists said that Ms Fitzgerald should immediately draft legislative changes, in order to adequately address the situation before the current Government is dissolved. "There is all-party agreement on the need for a legislative fix and on that basis it seems to me that legislation could be brought forward very quickly," the Irish Secretary of the NUJ, Seamus Dooley, said. "There is not a heavy legislative programme between now and (the) election. It would be possible for the whips to sit down and agree to legislate very quickly." He added that international best practice is based on the European Convention of Human Rights, which recognises the right to freedom of expression. TANAISTE Joan Burton's political record has come under attack following her decision to use a little known rule to appoint former trade unionist David Begg as chairman of the Pensions Authority. A motion of no confidence by the Dail's technical group was tabled in the Dail this evening. Expand Close Former ICTU general secretary David Begg, who has been appointed as chairman of the Pensions Authority. Photo: Tom Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Former ICTU general secretary David Begg, who has been appointed as chairman of the Pensions Authority. Photo: Tom Burke Ms Burton is expected to comfortably survive the motion - which has been countered by a motion of confidence by the Government. Ms Burton was flanked by three Labour Ministers - Jan OSullivan, Alex White and Ged Nash - as she came under attack for appointing Mr Begg to the 20,520-per-year role. The controversy erupted last week after it emerged she waived the normal public appointments procedure, instead using a clause in the guidelines which allows her to personally offer the post to the former ICTU chief. Kicking off the debate on behalf of the Technical Group, Waterford TD John Halligan strongly criticised Mr Beggs claim that his 20,520-a-year State board job is not exactly a crock of gold. What an appalling insult. I could fill this chamber 100 times over with pensioners, people on validity, people with disabilities, low paid workers and the unemployed, all of those earning less than 20k per year, Mr Halligan. Im tired and Im a little bit worn down meeting people in hopeless situations with no money, no food, he added. The focus of the debate, which will conclude tonight, quickly onto Ms Burtons record as Social Protection Minister. Dublin Bay North TD Finian McGrath highlighted an RTE programme this week which detailed the hardship facing homeless families in Dublin. Where is the social protection for those children? Where is the support and care for those families? Mr McGrath said. I challenge them tonight. We are talking about transparency and we are talking about cronyism. Our people out in the broader society, they deserve better, he added. Kildare North TD Catherine Murphy, a former member of the Labour Party, said she is sorry that she feels she has been left with no option but to vote in favour of the technical group motion. Just before general elections, there is a rush to appoint me, sometimes they are suitable, sometimes they are not suitable, Ms Murphy said. The system is bypassed for someone perceived to be an insider, she added. Earlier, Labour Party deputy leader and Environment Minister Alan Kelly accused Technical Group TD Shane Ross and his colleagues of trying to satisfy their own agendas. I mean , this individual, this deputy, had no problem saying Seanie Fitzpatrick should be put in charge as chairman of the Central Bank and now he has a problem with David Begg being appointed to this position. This is just absolutely ridiculous, Mr Kelly said. Enda Kenny: 'Clearly the fundamental principle of journalistic sources being confidential is very important in a democracy' Photo: Damien Eagers Taoiseach Enda Kenny has slapped down the scandal-ridden garda watchdog for snooping on the phone records of journalists. Responding for the first time to the revelations that communications by journalists were being monitored, Mr Kenny said: "Clearly the fundamental principle of journalistic sources being confidential is very important in a democracy." Mr Kenny's stinging rebuke has placed intense pressure on the embattled Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC). Following a week of mounting controversy, the laws which give GSOC powers to access phone and email records are now set to be reviewed. The watchdog has now been embroiled in three scandals in the past two years, including one where it incorrectly claimed gardai were bugging its offices. And it emerged last week that GSOC accessed the phone records of two journalists following a complaint by a friend of the late model Katy French about alleged garda leaks. Tasked The Taoiseach said there was a difference between "this kind of incident and one where national security might arise". He said: "The minister will respond appropriately and quickly in this regard". The Irish Independent understands that Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will seek approval from Cabinet today to appoint an "eminent person" from the legal profession to review the laws that allows GSOC to access data on journalists' phone calls. This person will be tasked with reviewing international best practice and looking at the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 which GSOC has relied on when accessing phone records of journalists. A source said: "The review will only look at the section as it relates to journalists so it will be completed as soon as possible. It will not be a drawn-out process." However, any legislative changes that might be recommended by the review are highly unlikely to be drafted before the general election. At the weekend, Ms Fitzgerald proposed a "scoping exercise" within her department - but the Taoiseach and Tanaiste injected a new urgency into the debate yesterday. "Minister Fitzgerald is looking at this on the basis of the protection of the sources of information for journalists in a free world, in a free press," Mr Kenny said. "Fundamentally, I think that where issues like this are concerned that it would be appropriate that the legislation be reformed to reflect that. "Because whatever else people might argue about, there has always been a consistency about the protection of sources for information for members of the press in a democracy like ours," he added. Tanaiste Joan Burton said it "goes without saying that the protection of journalism sources is of critical and primary importance, and the Government will address that". It is understood the Labour Party favours a system similar to the UK whereby each application for accessing data on a journalist's phone usage would be examined by an independent judge. Last night a spokesperson for GSOC refused to comment on the Taoiseach's criticism. Upheaval The commission has declined to answer questions from the media on the furore to date. Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has said it strikes him that the situation in Britain is one that should be looked at. On his way into todays Cabinet meeting the Labour Party minister said he wanted to see what proposals Frances Fitzgerald brings forward. But he added that if GSOC is of a very strong view that it needs to access information about journalists phone calls that should require the authorisation of an independent judge. The complaints body was previously at the centre of major political upheaval two years ago when it claimed gardai were bugging its offices. And last summer it emerged that a garda in Donegal who took his own life had been the subject of a GSOC investigation following a fatal traffic accident - but was not told that he had been cleared of wrongdoing. In a letter to his wife, Sergeant Michael Galvin of Ballyshannon Garda Station in Co Donegal said he could not take the pressure of the GSOC investigation which had left him feeling like a criminal. Last week it was revealed that GSOC is prying into how journalists operate and snooping on phone traffic. There are also concerns it has accessed one journalist's emails contacts. This morning, former Press Ombudsman, Professor John Horgan told RTE's Morning Ireland that the current process of monitoring the interception of electronic communications is "wildly insufficient". "I'm not sure that what needs to be done is something that will take a commision of inquiry or any very lengthy course of activities. What seems to have happened is that this power was given to GSOC in a sort of catch-all way. Nobody stopped in time to think about what kind of modality should govern this power. As far as I know the only constraint on this is that the judge would look on the record of interceptions made under this power once a year and that's insanely, wildly insufficient." The new Shannon taskforce will have the powers to propose new laws to Government aimed at making communities more resilient against the threat of floods. The Coalition announced the establishment of the taskforce during the height of the flood crisis, which caused devastation for thousands of families and business people. The body will be made up of a number of agencies including the ESB, Bord na Mona, Inland Fisheries and local authorities. The terms of reference for the taskforce, which has been labelled a "talking shop" by the Opposition, are due to be published by Cabinet this week. It is understood the taskforce will meet quarterly and will be accountable to the Oireachtas Environment Committee. And Government sources last night confirmed that the taskforce will have the powers to recommend new legislation to Cabinet in areas such as flood defence. "This will prove important to ensure that the taskforce can recommend a law change to Cabinet," said a government source. "It will ensure that as the taskforce meets, they can say to government: 'this problem needs to be addressed with legislation'." The taskforce will also oversee the roll-out of flood defence measures in areas highlighted by the Office of Public Works (OPW). But the powers of the taskforce fall far short of the those proposed in the form of a new Shannon authority. Meanwhile, the insurance industry is due to report back to the Government by the end of the week in relation to the issue of homes and businesses being unable to access cover. Insurance industry bosses have been told by the Government to come up with proof that removable flood barriers installed with State funding have been ineffective. A meeting between Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the insurance industry last week heard insurers admit only 67pc of homes and businesses have access to insurance where demountable flood defences are in operation. Where there are permanent flood defence works in place, 86pc of property owners get cover, the meeting was told. Cancer patients have been warned to avoid an unauthorised miracle cure sold on the internet which involves injecting modified blood. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has issued the warning following concerns that the product is being imported to Ireland. Claims have been made to lead people to believe that Globulin component Macrophage Activating Factor (GcMAF) can be used to treat cancer, HIV and autism. It is claimed that the product modulates the immune system and cures the diseases. The HPRA understands from media reports that it is a blood product claimed to treat a range of conditions including cancer and autism, a spokesperson told the Irish Examiner. This medicine is not authorised and, therefore, has not been tested for quality, safety, and effectiveness and its benefit/risk in the claimed indications has not been independently verified. People who have purchased this product should not start treatment, the HPRA added. Last year, 10,000 vials of GcMAF were seized in the UK at a production site in Cambridgeshire. A warning was issued to the public about this product (called First Immune). Britains Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said there were concerns over the sterility of the product, and they said they believed the product to be contaminated. One website offering information on GcMAF has claimed that GcMAF can be used in the treatment of Alzheimers, autism, cancer, depression, HIV, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinsons disease. Cancer Research UK has warned: To suggest that there is a magic bullet that cures all cancers is simplistic in the extreme. The ninth annual Dublin Chinese New Year Festival will return to the streets of the capital city on February 6. For two weeks, the city will be ablaze with colour as the Year of the Monkey is ushered in. The Le Cool Chinese Experience Walking Tour will take guests through the Chinese community in Dublin while Meet the Monkeys Workshop at Dublin Zoo will encourage guests to get up, close and personal with primates. Musician Wu Wei Sheng will perform with harpist Andreja Malir in The Chapel Royal at Dublin Castle. Lord Mayor Criona Ni Dhalaigh launched the festival yesterday with the help of Christina Chang (15) and Linjia Zheng (5), from Dublin. The full programme of events is available on www.dublinchinesenewyear.com An alcohol-free Good Friday marks us out as different, according to Ed Power. The Good Friday booze ban is as Irish as spontaneously quoting Father Ted in public or having a panic attack as it crosses your mind that you've possibly left the immersion on (it's okay, you haven't). Yet with vintners agitating once more for an end to the prohibition on serving alcohol on Christianity's most solemn feast day and a majority of the public backing a change to the law, for how longer will this unique quirk of Celtic Catholicism endure? And might we lose something should the Government assent to finally making post-Stations of the Cross tipples a reality? The question is more important than it may seem. In this age of rampant globalisation,very little can be said to be "uniquely" Irish. We watch the same television shows as the rest of the world; eat the same foods; follow the same annoying Twitter feeds. But Good Friday as observed in this country is uniquely ours. No other European nation, regardless of how historically devout, requires hostelries to close just because Jesus might have disapproved. In dispensing with the alcohol ban, is it possible we might lose some precious part of our heritage - something that not even the option of a Good Friday pint could really compensate for? The subject is at least worth debating, no matter that the probation is in fact of comparatively recent, um, vintage. Throughout British rule, pubs were free to serve alcohol on Good Friday until 7pm. Only with independence and the imposition of a stultifying Catholic morality (upon an overwhelmingly supplicant populace, it is true) was the present ban placed onto the statue books. Typical of an era when policing morals was seen as part of the State's duty, the 1924 licensing restrictions were among the first 50 pieces of legislation enacted by the new government. More trivial matters such as child poverty, crumbling infrastructure and soaring unemployment were left on the backburner. This being Ireland of course, while many were happy to see the law enacted, they were just as keen to find ways around it. The loopholes would over the decades acquire quasi-mythic status. Was anything more heavenly than a legitimately acquired Good Friday pint? Almost certainly not. Behold a quintessentially Irish cocktail: sin-and-absolution in one delicious serving. There were numerous exemptions. Out of recognition that schlepping across the country could be a thirsty undertaking, you could order a drink at the train station bar (but only with a ticket showing you were travelling 40km or more). The same privilege was extended to those on the move by ferry and, later, plane. Thus was born the traditional Good Friday pilgrimage to the airport; though confusion reigned as to whether a valid plane ticket had to be produced in order to secure a precious pint (sadly yes - as parched pilgrims discovered upon reaching the arrivals' hall). Other avenues were soon uncovered. You could order a drink at the theatre or a greyhound meeting. Hotel guests, meanwhile, had free run of the bar. Others preferred the nuclear option: a ferry to Holyhead and back (taking in the blink-and-it's-gone view of the Welsh coast from the on-board bar). Unofficially, Good Friday became a sort of national drinking day for the disaffected. The patent absurdity of the situation soon became too much to ignore. While the alcohol ban remained firmly entrenched, Irish attitudes towards Good Friday were starting to change. By the late 80s, many under the age of 40 regarded the day as a pious fandango imposed by their sanctimonious - and often hypocritical - elders. This led to another thoroughly Irish phenomenon, the Good Friday "beer and burgers" party. Here students and others with too much time of their hands highlighted their rebel without-a-care credentials by knocking back supermarket lager and undercooked beef patties on Good Friday. Swigging a flat Heineken at a wet and miserable "barbecue" may have seemed like pathetic point-scoring. Nonetheless, you felt you were making a serious point about the country's unhealthy religiosity, even as they got merrily blathered. Good Friday might own Ireland, but it didn't own us. Decades later, with Ireland more or less secularised, the drinks ban arguably feels far less consequential. A significant chunk of drinkers nowadays tipple at home anyway - Good Friday may as well be national No Trousers day for all the difference it makes. Nor did the world exactly tilt on its axis as in 2010, a judge granted permission for pubs to open around Thomond Park, Limerick ahead of a Munster-Leinster rugby match. They came, they saw, they chugged beer. Nobody died, Knock was not consumed by a plague of locusts, the altar of St Mary's Pro-Catherdal failed to split in two. It was almost as if God was entirely indifferent as to how people spent their spare time on a random day in early spring. What was equally undeniable was that the rebellious undertones of partaking on Good Friday were gone. For the first time since 1924, having a drink was just having a drink. There was one less thing to revolt against. Which brings us again to the great imponderable of the debate. Is the inconvenience of a day without alcohol a fair trade off for a historical quirk which sets us apart from everywhere else? Especially when such quirk can be easily got around simply by visiting your off licence on Holy Thursday? You could well argue it either way. After all, the things that we love about Ireland and the stuff that infuriates us are often one and the same. We may, for instance, decry the often fitful quality of public services while proudly boasting that Ireland has a more "relaxed" pace than elsewhere (actually many of us would settle for decent services - but that's another debate). The point is that an alcohol-free Good Friday marks us as different - and it is at least worth asking whether we'll miss it when, as seems increasingly likely, it is tossed on history's scrap-heap. The publicans will be glad it's gone, have no doubt. Would the rest of us share their zeal? Catherine's book which she wrote to help parents in a similar position. Credit: Catherine Flanagan A mother whose three infant children died from the same rare disease has said that she continues to find Christmas and birthdays "exceptionally difficult". Catherine Flanagan (50), from Ballybofey in Co. Donegal, lost her three babies to Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG), a medical condition so uncommon that no support group for those affected by it exists in Ireland. The condition causes inflammation of blood vessels in the nose, sinuses, throat and lungs. "For me the pain never goes away, it prompted me to write a book as I wanted to remember them and to address issues that are faced by others. "I would advise any parents that lose a baby to never forget them and to remember that they are not alone," she told Independent.ie. Catherine was only 21, and living in London, when her first child, Siobhan, was born in 1986. Siobhan was a healthy baby who enjoyed her feeds, until something seemed amiss to her adoring mother. "That's how I first started to know something was wrong. After her Christening she wouldn't take food," Catherine said when she first told her story to the Donegal Democrat. Catherine brought her baby daughter to see a doctor and was told that the child was healthy and she was just a nervous, first-time mother. "One morning I woke up and Siobhan was coughing up blood. She turned blue and we brought her by ambulance to Hammersmith hospital," she said. It took six months for doctors to diagnose Siobhan with WG. Little Siobhan's case was the only one that her doctors were aware of at the time, and therefore there was no established treatment plan. The infant couldn't eat or drink and remained in hospital around the clock. Sadly she died at just 15 months. Catherine then gave birth to a second baby girl, called Sinead, in August 1990. Sinead was born two months premature via cesarean, and weighed just over 2lbs. Before long she was coughing up blood and was diagnosed with WG. "I couldn't believe it was happening again," Catherine said. Baby Sinead died in her mothers arms aged just two months. In 1994, Catherine gave birth to a son, John Patrick, who was also born prematurely. Doctors immediately said it was likely that he would have WG. The baby only lived for one day. "The years have gone but to us it's as fresh as if it was yesterday. Catherine Flanagan's book is entitled "A Brief Life of my Babies". Ryanair will carry a record 20,000 racing fans to this year's Cheltenham National Hunt Festival, it says. The festival's official carrier has added 30 extra flights between Dublin and Birmingham over the course of the 2016 event (March 15-18). Ryanair has already announced record bookings for the festival, and expects to carry far in excess of the 15,000 punters flown last year. The airline sponsors the Ryanair Steeple Chase (1.50pm on Thursday, 17th March), one of Cheltenham's most valuable races. It also flies to Bristol, roughly an hour's drive from the venue. Meanwhile, Aer Lingus flies direct from Dublin to Birmingham, while Aer Lingus Regional flies from Dublin to Bristol. One-way fares were available from 9.99 as we published. Premium Colette Browne Opinion Every effort must be made to retrieve oral histories of mother and baby home survivors With three days to go until the Mother and Baby Homes Commission ceases to exist as a legal entity, we are being told that audio recordings of hundreds of witnesses which were deleted may not actually be gone forever. It is another usual twist in a most emotional saga. For decades, survivors of mother and baby homes have been denied a voice and denied autonomy. When they fell pregnant, many through rape and abuse, they were marched to the doors of religious institutions. A burned-out car which had been used as a barricade lies in a Dublin street in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising. Sinn Fein is seeking to link events in 1916 to the Provos' 30-year campaign of violence Photo: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images Whatever about our aspirations to be the best little country in the world in which to do business, we could certainly win prizes for being best little nation in the world for remembering, if the programme of 1916 commemorations just started is anything to go by. Remembering is important in nation-building and so is forgetting. In the final chapter of his monumental history of Europe since World War II, Tony Judt teases out the vital role played by remembering and forgetting in transcending the unbridled savagery of the war to create, miraculously, the Europe we have today. Before Europeans could forget the horrors of the war, in order to get on with building peace and prosperity, they first had to remember. But, crucially, it had to be an accurate, truthful remembering. It could not be a self-serving narrative that justified terrible deeds, interpreted them as heroic or airbrushed them out of the picture. For two decades after the war there was forgetting right across Europe, especially about official collusion in most occupied countries in the rounding up of Jews for dispatch to the death camps. But this was forgetting as denial, cover-up and amnesia, justifying or suppressing the awfulness of what was done and shirking responsibility for it. In this context, how are we being asked, specifically by Sinn Fein, to remember and forget the 30-year IRA campaign of violence in recent times, and what are the implications for the party's role in nation-building as public representatives? A recent newspaper photograph is telling. It shows Martin Ferris at Banna Strand at the launch of Sinn Fein's programme of events in Kerry to mark the 1916 centenary. He was also there to remember, with pride, his ill-fated effort to import a ship-load of arms and explosives for the IRA in 1984. If the narrative that Sinn Fein persists in weaving about such activities goes unchallenged, then it is only a matter of time before Martin will be "praised in song and story, heroes of renown" by the Wolfe Tones. Likewise, Thomas Murphy, that "nice, typical rural man" (according to Mary Lou McDonald - God bless her innocence) who rules the roost in south Armagh and north Louth. Such a "good republican" (according to Gerry Adams) must surely merit a monument and a rousing ballad. In Sinn Fein circles, men and women who gave "active service" are revered and lionised as heroes of the "armed struggle." However, as a society, we cannot just forget, lazily buying in to this romanticised version of a murderous crusade that left thousands of Irish men, women and children dead and many more maimed for life. As Sarah Reavey, who heads WAVE, a cross-community victims group in Northern Ireland, puts it: "It is a matter of principle. History has to be told accurately". Her three uncles were murdered by the loyalist Glenane gang in 1976. In their "fight for Irish freedom", guns imported by the IRA were used to slaughter 10 Protestant workers in Kingsmill. For sheer, cold-blooded savagery how was this any different to the mass murder of 'Charlie Hebdo' staff by Isil terrorists? Were the Paris restaurant attacks any different to the Birmingham pub bombs? The orchestrated Sinn Fein response, when challenged to justify equally shocking acts of terror, is to say that "these things happen in war". These things did not just "happen"; they were carefully planned and executed by IRA members and sanctioned by an Army Council that still exists 45 years on, retains imported arms and exercises "overarching control" of the republican movement. Whatever the legitimacy of IRA violence to defend against what many, in the North especially, experienced as an existential threat at the outset, sustaining its offensive campaign of terror for decades had no moral justification. As long as the Sinn Fein party line continues to justify IRA atrocities, then the potential contribution to nation-building of its undoubtedly talented and hard-working public representatives will never be fully realised. Approaching a General Election, Sinn Fein may defend their economic and social policies but what they define as a legitimate war against the British, in the cause of Irish freedom, cannot be defended. I believe they know this, because they keep repeating: 'that's not what people are talking about on the doorsteps, they want to talk about austerity and water charges, they are not interested in the past.' But, as Ms Reavey says, "politicians want us to forget the past because some of them have so much to lose". We owe it to those who were murdered to remember, accurately, before we can forget. Eddie Molloy is a republican What if we're all talking about the wrong race? Attention is focused right now on Donald Trump's seemingly inexorable rise to the Republican nomination. He even has a theme tune: three kids singing "USA!" to the tune of 'Over There' - an ironic pick for someone who doesn't want people coming "over here". But presidential nominations are not won purely on national polls. They're a series of pitched battles in individual states over a number of dates. Losing one makes it more likely that you'll lose more. And Donald Trump is currently in trouble in the first-in-the-nation caucus of Iowa. Some polls put him behind Ted Cruz. If he was to place second, he'd be wounded. If he placed third, then he could be in serious trouble. Iowa has killed leading candidacies before - such as Howard Dean in 2004 (remember the roar he gave after losing?). Trump can rebound in New Hampshire and that might revive him. But by then, our attention might be elsewhere. Hillary Clinton is also getting nervous. Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, according to some polls, is catching up with her in Iowa - the state that rejected Mrs Clinton in 2008 and elevated Barack Obama. To make matters worse, she is also doing very poorly for a frontrunner in New Hampshire. Sanders, a socialist, benefits from grassroots enthusiasm and record-breaking fundraising. He also benefits from the ideological polarisation of America. We talk a lot about the extremism of the Republican Party. In the past few decades, it has embraced ideological conservatism and sacrificed much moderate support. But a similar phenomenon has occurred among the Democrats. The southern populist tradition has been wiped out in elections - the tradition, ironically, that put Bill Clinton in the White House. Rustbelt social conservatism is dead; the fiscal conservatism of 1980s-style neo-liberals is extinct. Sanders is widely perceived as having set the tone of the primary race, with Clinton endorsing many of his positions - promising to be a better campaigner for social democracy than he. Andy Borowitz, the wit at the 'New Yorker', wrote: "Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is on pace to adopt rival Bernie Sanders's positions on all major issues by noon on Thursday, Clinton campaign officials have confirmed." Clinton has to effect these u-turns to stop the flow of votes to Sanders. For instance, she has flipped from being an advocate of free trade to criticising the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Whether you are for or against this left-wing agenda, the point is that the Democrats are - more quietly and calmly - engaged in a Trump moment of their very own. The base has been energised by a wild, charismatic, outsider. And the establishment is struggling to catch up. The effort is unflattering and underscores Hillary's reputation for being vague and oh-so desperate for votes. She also faces continued attacks on her record as secretary of state and, even more embarrassing, a growing call to discuss the sexual activities of her husband when he was in office. Clinton has high negatives in polling. She could be a disaster waiting to happen. So let's imagine that Trump places a poor third in Iowa and his national numbers suddenly collapse. Bernie, meanwhile, wins the Democrat caucus and his numbers jump. If Sanders follows that up with a big win in New Hampshire - doesn't that make him competitive? At this stage, we can only speculate. But I would advise people to keep an eye on the Democrats and an open mind about November. ( Daily Telegraph, London) There are many things I agree with Eddie Molly about ('Without accountability we will be cursed with politics of ineptitude,' Irish Independent, January 12). The business of public service reform is not just unfinished, it is on-going and is now the norm. However, his caricature of the Irish civil service as suffering from a huge accountability gap - which he goes on to claim was the root cause of Ireland's economic collapse - is a minority view. It will be interesting to see whether the forthcoming report of the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry supports his contention. Indeed, the Banking Inquiry belies the colourful but completely outdated picture of civil servants hiding behind the skirts of ministers to avoid responsibility. It could hardly have escaped his notice that in the course of the Banking Inquiry nine current and former senior officials of the Department of Finance - including Secretaries-General - were required to account to the inquiry and respond to detailed questioning, in addition to providing comprehensive written evidence now published on the committee's website. Sweeping statements about the civil service also ignore its scale and complexity. After all, it is a system that ranges from small policy departments like DPER to a department such as Social Protection, which makes 85 million payments every year efficiently and on time. Mr Molloy acknowledges that the civil service is seeking to address the accountability issue, but then he goes on to deride those efforts. On foot of an independent report chaired by Professor Kevin Rafter much has been done. An Accountability Board has been established. This will oversee the first ever performance reviews for the heads of each government department based on published targets. It will manage a process of organisational reviews - and ensure that the Corporate Governance standard for the civil service, approved by Government last November, is implemented. This will provide greater rigour and external quality assurance in relation to performance. Equally significantly the Civil Service Management Board brings the heads of government departments together for the first time to tackle system-wide issues more effectively and put an end to the problem of departmental silos. The Rafter Report also recommended the publication of who does what in the civil service and to whom they are answerable. This Framework of Assignments which has legal force under the Public Service Management Act can be found at whodoeswhat.gov.ie. It is worth noting that the Rafter Report did not identify the need for legislative change. But did support a range of legislative initiatives such as Freedom of Information (FOI) reform, the establishment of a Register of Lobbying, the introduction of comprehensive whistleblower protection legislation, and providing statutory powers of inquiry to the Houses of the Oireachtas that would increase the transparency and accountability of public administration in Ireland. All this has been enacted. These new initiatives are in addition to civil servants answering parliamentary questions, appearing before Oireachtas Committees, dealing with FOI requests and the personal responsibility and accountability of accounting officers to the Public Accounts Committee of the Dail. How can this be fairly described as a wholly unaccountable system? For the civil service leadership, accountability is about clarifying what civil servants actually do and how we do it. It is about working together on cross-cutting priorities for the civil service in a joined-up way. It is about setting clear published targets for departments and secretaries general with external assurance. And it is about clarity around the consequences for senior leadership if they fail to deliver. Of course, for some commentators "accountability" is simply code for firing civil servants who fall under the media spotlight in the context of some political controversy or other. Trial by media is not very edifying. Nor does it improve performance or provide the correct incentives for innovation or attracting the best talent into public jobs. Continuing to improve overall staff performance is also a critical priority. No successful private company bases its human resource policy (HR) on the kind of confrontational performance management systems that Mr Molloy sets out. In fact many are moving away from one way performance management measurement system to more holistic efforts to improve performance. This is why we are professionalising HR, investing more in training and development, moving people around more and getting the best people to serve on State boards (see stateboards.ie). Like open recruitment to the system, like the development of shared services, like the establishment of specialists units like the Government Economic Service, like the introduction of corporate governance standards to departments our achievements represent the steady commitment to reforming how we do our business. There is no big bang solution. So, in conclusion, let's have a proper discussion about the civil service. Let's have one which is open and fair - a debate which recognises our achievements and also our failings. As a critical form of accountability this generation of civil service leaders is up for this debate. Robert Watt is secretary general of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Since it began operations in 2007, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) has been mired in controversy. It was set up under the Garda Siochana Act, 2005, to deal primarily with complaints from the public about the behaviour of gardai and provide an independent oversight of the force. GSOC's mandate is to independently investigate complaints where a garda is alleged to have committed an offence or behave in a way that would justify disciplinary proceedings. Its three current commissioners are High Court judge Mary Ellen Ring, long-standing member and former director of consumer affairs Carmel Foley, and former journalist and Gsoc spokesman Kieran Fitzgerald. Previous commissioners have included former Metropolitan Police officer Simon O'Brien, former 'Irish Times' editor Conor Brady, and retired Department of Foreign Affairs secretary general Dermot Gallagher, who agreed to sit as chairman for a short period following the death of Judge Kevin Haugh. Over the past eight years, GSOC has had a stormy relationship with the garda representative bodies and, at times, clashes with garda management. Its biggest initial case involved the policing of protests by the Shell to Sea group during the Corrib gas controversy. After receiving a total of 711 complaints, GSOC sent seven files to the Director of Public Prosecutions but in each case the DPP ruled there should be no criminal prosecution. GSOC also launched a four-year investigation into the handling of an informant, Kieran Boylan, by members of a garda specialist unit at the frontline of the war against drug traffickers. But, again, it failed to get the go-ahead for a criminal prosecution from the DPP after its report had been studied for six months. In 2014, GSOC sparked a crisis in government when it alleged its headquarters had been bugged and placed under surveillance. The finger of suspicion was immediately pointed at the gardai, who strenuously denied the allegations. A British counter-surveillance firm, Verrimus, was brought in to investigate the claims. But the allegations collapsed when it was firmly established by retired High Court judge John Cooke there was no evidence of bugging by any person or group, and "much less" that the gardai might have been responsible. GSOC was again plunged into controversy last year when a garda sergeant took his own life when he was placed under investigation and was not later told that he had been cleared of any suggestion of wrongdoing. How many more scandals will the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission be involved in before the bungling organisation is overhauled? The bottle-of-smoke bugging affair was an embarrassing debacle. The suicide of a garda who wasn't told he had been cleared in an investigation was a dreadful tragedy. The accessing of journalists' telephone records is a clear infringement on the democratic principles of a free press. GSOC has now been put on the spot by both sides of the Coalition as Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Joan Burton have slapped the organisation down. "Clearly the fundamental principle of journalistic sources being confidential is very important in a democracy," Mr Kenny said. Ms Burton said it "goes without saying that the protection of journalism sources is of critical and primary importance". The stinging rebuke has placed an unwelcome spotlight back on the organisation. The Taoiseach and Tanaiste have made their views clear. The Government is now, belatedly, reviewing the legislation governing GSOC, particularly around access to telecommunications records. But this review doesn't go far enough if it means GSOC simply carries on regardless. If GSOC had a sterling track record of service under its belt, then it would have a strong defence. But the organisation offers little in the form of oversight and its record of uncovering corruption is virtually non-existent. The Garda Ombudsman is yet again under immense pressure. The watchdog's reputation is in tatters. Although there has been a change of chairman, it appears the lessons of past mistakes have not been learned. It is now time for the GSOC board to resign. A dry Good Friday is not the end of the world Frank Sinatra was in no doubt that drink was the enemy, but he was also quick to point out how the Bible entices us to love our enemies. However, as far as the Vintners' Federation of Ireland (VFI) and the Licensed Vintners' Association (LVA) see it, the glass is very much half-empty when it comes to banning the sale of alcohol on Good Friday. The vintners have even somewhat curiously invoked the 1916 celebrations to strengthen their argument. "Every Good Friday we have thousands of tourists wandering around the streets of our cities and towns asking why they can't go into a pub for a drink," said Donal O'Keeffe, chief executive of the LVA. The closure of pubs on Good Friday may well be a relic of old decency - a respectful nod towards temperance and tradition. Some evidently would prefer to hold a requiem for it than seek a preservation order. Publicans see the prohibition as "archaic" and "discriminatory". One could certainly make a case on both counts. One could also argue that one day free from drink won't really stop the world on its axis. The Angelus is now a pause for reflection, and Holy Hour is a piece of forgotten sociological history from a time when the pulpit decreed and the publican and pint-drinker took the penance. As for the dry Good Friday? The publican will still benefit: what's seldom is wonderful, and abstinence makes the heart grow fonder. Tributes have been paid to Eagles frontman Glenn Frey after he died at the age of 67. He died in New York from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, colitis and pneumonia, the band announced on Monday. Frey and bandmate Don Henley became one of history's most successful songwriting teams with such hits as Hotel California and Life In The Fast Lane. The duo formed the Eagles in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, together with guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner. "Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community and millions of fans worldwide," a statement on the band's website said. Sir Elton John said he was "in shock" and told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I didn't know he was sick. "I found out on the way here that he died and it's, you know, I don't know what's going on at the moment. It's not good." Tributes poured in on social media, with One Direction star Niall Horan tweeting lyrics from the band's single No More Cloudy Days. He posted: "These cloudy days, make you wanna cry. It breaks your heart when someone leaves and you don't know why." Comedian and actor Steve Martin wrote: "MT: Shocker. My friend from the early days, and important member of Eagles, has died. We loved you, Glenn Frey." Henley said crossing paths with Frey in 1970 "changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet". The Eagles Greatest Hits collection and Hotel California sold more than 20 million copies each and are among the best-selling albums of modern times. The band's total album sales top 100 million. Video of the Day The band broke up in 1980, with Frey and Henley also becoming estranged for years. Henley had vowed the Eagles would reunite only when "hell freezes over", which became the name of the 1994 album when they re-formed. Frey's health problems, including diverticulitis, dated to the 1980s. He blamed in part his years of "burgers and beer and blow and broads" and later became a fitness advocate. Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and rival candidate U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders speak simultaneously at the NBC News - YouTube Democratic presidential candidates debate in Charleston, South Carolina REUTERS/Randall Hill HILLARY Clinton and Bernie Sanders went head to head in a Democratic Party presidential debate over who is tougher on gun control and Wall Street and how to steer the future of healthcare in America. The debate was the last showdown before primary voting begins next month and both sides were eager to get stuck in as polls showed the race tightening in the states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Ms Clinton targeted Senator Sanders (inset), from Vermont, for voting repeatedly with the powerful gun lobby, and then welcomed his weekend reversal to support legislation that would deny gun manufacturers legal immunity. Mr Sanders, in turn, said Ms Clinton's assertion that he kowtowed to the gun lobby was "very disingenuous". On healthcare, Mr Sanders released his plan for a government-run single-payer plan just hours before the debate, and used his opening statement to call for healthcare "for every man, woman and child as a right." Ms Clinton, by contrast, urged less sweeping action to build on US President Barack Obama's healthcare plan by reducing out-of-pocket costs and control spending on prescription drugs. She suggested Mr Sanders's healthcare plan would impose a heavier tax burden on the middle class. The two also clashed over financial policy, with Mr Sanders suggesting Ms Clinton won't be tough enough on Wall Street, given the big contributions and speaking fees she has accepted. Ms Clinton, in turn, faulted Mr Sanders's past votes to deregulate financial markets and ease up on federal oversight. Ms Clinton worked aggressively to associate herself with Mr Obama, claiming credit for her role in the run-up to the Iran nuclear deal as well as praising the healthcare law. Turning to national security, both Mr Sanders and Ms Clinton voiced strong support for Mr Obama's diplomatic overtures to Iran and opposition to sending US ground troops into Syria. Ms Clinton defended her outreach to Russia early in her term as secretary of state, but hesitated when asked to describe her relationship with Vladimir Putin, whose return to the Russian presidency heralded the worsening of US-Russian relations. "My relationship with him - it's interesting," Ms Clinton said to laughs in the debate hall. "It's one, I think, of respect." But she added it was critical to constantly stand up to Mr Putin, describing him as a bully who "will take as much as he possibly can." Ms Clinton also shed some light on what role her husband, former President Bill Clinton, would play in her administration. Kitchen table adviser, perhaps? "It'll start at the kitchen table - we'll see where it goes from there," she said with a laugh. Mr Sanders was asked about his previous criticism of Bill Clinton's past sexual behaviour. He called the former president's behaviour "deplorable" but said he wants to focus on issues "not Bill Clinton's personal life." Ms Clinton maintained a tight smile throughout that exchange, and nodded as Mr Sanders said the focus should be on issues. Gun control has emerged as a central theme in the race, with Clinton citing the issue as one of the major differences between the candidates. The third participant in the debate, former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, tried persistently to insert himself into the conversation. He focused on his record as Maryland's governor and accused both Ms Clinton and Mr Sanders of being inconsistent on gun control. Immigrants will have to demonstrate how they have improved their English after two-and-a-half years or face being deported, British Prime Minister David Cameron has said. Mr Cameron admitted that the crackdown could see families being broken-up. The changes would apply from October this year to immigrants who arrive in the UK on a spousal visa. Mr Cameron also said that he felt Muslim women should remove the full-face veil when going to schools or courts where there is an official uniform policy. Currently, immigrant women who come to the UK on a five-year spousal visa have to demonstrate that they can speak basic English. Under the new plans, Mr Cameron said he would "toughen" up the rules to force them to demonstrate that their English language skills have improved after two-and-a-half years or face deportation. He told BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme: "When people come under a spousal visa, after two-and-a-half years they should be improving their English and we will be testing that - and that is important." Mr Cameron said he was not "blaming people who can't speak English", but he was singling out Muslim men who confine women to the home unless accompanied by a male relative. He said: "This is happening in our country and it is not acceptable. We should be very proud or our values, our liberalism, our tolerance. "We are one of the most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracies in the world. Where there is segregation it is holding people, it is not in tune with British values and it needs to go." Mr Cameron added: "People coming to our country - they have responsibilities too." He admitted the changes could see children being separated from their mothers. He was asked during the interview whether a woman who came to the UK under the spousal settlement programme and had children in Britain could still be deported. Mr Cameron replied: "They can't guarantee that they'll be able to stay. "We're now going to toughen up so half-way through the spousal settlement programme - two-and-a-half years - there'll be another opportunity to make sure your English is improving. You can't guarantee you'll be able to stay if you're not improving your language. It is tough but people coming to our country have responsibility too." However, the plans were criticised by Baroness Warsi, the former Conservative party chairman who became the first Conservative Muslim Cabinet minister under Mr Cameron in the last parliament. She also wrote on Twitter: "And why should it just be Muslim women who have the opportunity to learn English? Why not anyone who lives in the UK and can't speak English." ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] People gather at the scene at the Bataclan attack in Paris before Christmas. Moroccan police have arrested a Belgian man of Moroccan descent linked to Isil and who had a "direct relationship" to terrorists who carried out the Paris attacks just over two months ago, the Interior Ministry said yesterday. The man had travelled to Syria with one of the Paris suicide bombers, where he received military training and built relationships with Isil field commanders, "including the mastermind" of the Paris attacks, and others who threatened attacks in France and Belgium, the ministry said in a statement. The statement identified the suspect only by the initials JA, and didn't explain his suspected relationship to the Paris attackers. Several of the Islamic extremists who targeted a Paris rock concert, stadium and cafes had Moroccan origins and links to Belgium. The ministry said the man was arrested last Friday in the town of Mohammedia, near Casablanca, after travelling through Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Morocco has emerged as a key ally for European investigators trying to piece together the geography of the November 13 attacks. The head of Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, dubbed the 'Moroccan FBI', said his country put French and Belgian police on the trail of the network behind the Paris attacks. The statement said the man, arrested in Mohammedia, had travelled to Syria "with one of the suicide bombers of Saint-Denis". French police raided a flat in the Saint-Denis district of Paris five days after the attacks, searching for the suspected ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian national. He and his cousin Hasna Aitboulahcen died in a fierce gun battle during the raid. A third person who died during the raid, detonating a suicide bomb, was named by the Paris prosecutor's office last week as Chakib Akrouh, a Belgian-Moroccan national, born in Belgium in 1990. He was identified using DNA from his mother. Both Akrouh and Abaaoud had spent time in Syria. The Moroccan statement said the arrested man had "built solid ties with Isil leaders, including the ringleader of the Paris attacks". He would stand trial once investigations finish, it added. The focus of the international manhunt remains Frenchman Salah Abdeslam, who is suspected of taking part in the attacks and is still on the run. Several of the attackers lived in the Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, home to numerous Belgians of Moroccan descent. A police officer stands guard close to the site of a suicide attack in Peshawar, Pakistan (AP) A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle who targeted a crowded police checkpoint in north-western Pakistan has killed 11 people. Another 21 people were wounded in the blast o n the outskirts of Peshawar on a road leading to neighbouring Afghanistan, according to a police official. The Taliban said it carried out the attack in Peshawar, which is on the edge of Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, a stronghold of the Taliban and other Islamic militants. The police official said the dead included four police and seven civilians, including two children and a local journalist. The attack took place as a local police chief arrived at the checkpoint. Nisar Khan, who was waiting to cross the road, said the checkpoint was full with traffic at the time of the attack. He said the huge blast left vehicles in flames. Militant violence has declined since Pakistan launched a wide-ranging military offensive in North Waziristan, a tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, in the summer of 2014. But the Taliban have still managed to carry out major attacks, including an assault on an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 that killed more than 150 people, mostly children. will be hosting the 23rd edition of SATTE, South Asia's leading travel trade show from 29-31 January 2016 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The show which is represented by over 750 exhibitors and participants from around 35+ countries and 27 Indian states will provide a platform to domestic and international buyers and professionals from across the travel, tourism and hospitality industry along with National and State Tourism Boards (NTOs and STOs) to congregate and conduct business, whilst promoting inbound, outbound and domestic tourism in India. The event is well supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.SATTE 2016 will see participation from State Tourism Boards including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Gujarat, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Goa, J&K, Karnataka, Odisha and Rajasthan amongst others. Moreover, the eight North Eastern states will participate under the Incredible India Pavilion of Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.Foreign Tourism Boards such as Brand USA, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Changi Airport (Singapore), Egypt, Mexico, Malaysia, Spain, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Israel, Thailand, Indonesia, Jordan, Turkey, Macau, Fiji, Bhutan, Cambodia, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Romania and Russia amongst others have confirmed their participation too. Representatives of Moscow Convention and Exhibition Centre and DMCs from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will also be present at SATTE.SATTE 2016 has also seen a promising increase in involvement from hospitality players along with the support of international organisations and Indian travel trade associations. Apart from NTOs and State Tourism Boards, travel & hospitality companies, airlines, cruiseliners, DMCs, OTAs and tourism products will also join the event. SATTE works closely with renowned travel associations, organisations and media houses, keeping visitors and buyers at the show well-informed on trends and updates of the industry.It is needless to say that tourism is contributing to change the region for the good. Tourism means jobs, exports and economic growth. Tourism creates opportunities for small and medium-enterprises in charge of guaranteeing an innovative and diversified economy. Tourism supports the renewal of rural and urban areas and promotes a sense of community and ownership. Finally, tourism, if properly managed, is a central vehicle to preserve our natural and cultural heritage. It is with these ideas in mind that I commend SATTE for providing an indispensable platform for the global tourism and travel sector to network, exchange views and experiences and strengthen their business ties, said Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in his message to SATTE.Subhash Goyal, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators, also lauds the support to SATTE. The expectation of the Government from the tour operators has increased and that is why it is important that organizations like SATTE are supported and all our members should participate in the buyers sellers meet in large numbers, so that we are fully prepared for the boom in inbound tourism. During the last few years SATTE has given the India and global tour operators, hoteliers, state tourism boards, airlines etc. a unique opportunity to showcase their products to foreign and local buyers without having to go to international trade shows. Thus has resulted in saving a lot of foreign exchange for our members. Also, it has given an opportunity to foreign buyers to visit the destination after SATTE where they are keen to send their tourists and help to open up new destinations in India, Goyal said.Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM, said, The present governments focus reinstates the fact that the tourism is one of the most significant industries to contribute towards employment and revenue generation for our country. Being highlighted as a vital sector and post the announcement of visa on arrival to 113 countries in place and 37 more to be added by March 2016 to drive the inbound traffic, the industry is looking forward to a promising year. The same is being reflected through the huge surge amongst the industry players participating for SATTE 2016 edition.Like every year, a key feature of SATTE 2016 will be the conference programme on January 29 and 30, 2016 that promises industry discussions and sharing of new insights pertaining to the sector and industry best practices. Moreover, SATTE will host 6 panel discussions that will bring together stakeholders of the industry on a single platform, allowing exchange of ideas that will add value to Indian tourism at large. The panel discussion will include topics such as The Relevance of Thematic Tourism Routes in Fostering Regional Collaboration and Prosperity, Make in India and Tourism, Niche Tourism in India: Challenges and Opportunities, Enhancing Air Connectivity and its Impact on the Growth in the Tourism Industry, India as a focus for NTOs and Integrated Online Marketing & Distribution Strategy to Enhance Business along with presentations by tourism boards.SATTE 2015 recorded a participation of around 700 exhibitors and participants from 35 countries, 26 Indian States, airlines, DMCs, hotels and the entire gamut of travel, tourism and hospitality suppliers showcasing their products. The event received an increase in footfalls by over 42 percent with a record breaking number of 16,000 + visitors. The buyers included were spread across over 50 countries and 74 + Indian cities. Axis Bank, one of the largest private banks of the country, will announce its financial results for the quarter ended December 2015 on Wednesday, January 20.IIFL estimates that Axis Bank could witness a NIM decline of 10 bps.According to IIFL estimates, the Net Interest Margin (NIM) is expected to be at 3.8%, a 20.0 bps decrease Y-o-Y while a 10.0 bps decline Q-o-Q.The bank is expected to report Net Interest Income (NII) of Rs. 4,193 crore at 16.8% growth rate on Y-o-Y basis. While, on Q-o-Q basis, the IT firms net revenue growth is expected to be at 3.2%.IIFL estimates that the companys Net Profit for Q3FY16 will be around Rs. 2243.9 crore at growth rate of 18.1 % on Y-o-Y basis and 17.1 % on Q-o-Q basis.Important results on January 20 include DHFL, KPIT, GATI, JSW Energy, NIIT Ltd., Reliance Infra, South Indian Bank, Tata Elexsi, Ultratech Cement, India Bulls Housing Finance, Sasken Communication, among others. OnMobile Global Limited is proud to announce that it has secured a 3 years renewal for its Ring Back Tone offering with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited in South & East Zone with an option to extend for the 4th year as well. As per this agreement OnMobile will continue to provide Ring back Tone customers in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (A Govt. of India Undertaking) in South & East zones with innovative ways to customize their calling experience for the next 3 years with an option to extend for the 4th year as well.Sanjay Bhambri, Chief Commercial Officer, OnMobile said, I am delighted with the extension of our partnership with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited on Ring back Tones for 3+1 years. We will continue to offer a world class service to Ring back Tone customers of BSNL and provide them with innovative ways of personalizing the calling experience of their friends, family and contacts. Hyderabad-based CVR group led Krishnapatnam Power Corporation is in pact with the government of Andhra Pradesh to build thermal power units totalling 2,780 megawatts at an estimated investment of Rs 16, 680 crore, the company said. (ET) The three private power distribution companies (discoms) in the capital enjoyed funding of more than Rs 5,000 crore from the Delhi government since their inception on July 1, 2002. (ET) Power minister Piyush Goyal said that the government would invest in an ambitious energy-efficient irrigation scheme, which entails procuring 30 million sophisticated pump sets for farmers, the cost of which would be recovered through savings in the electricity consumed. (Livemint) Mumbaikars should continue to get power without interruption for at least a decade more, with the installation of additional transmission lines by the two bulk suppliers, Tata Power and Reliance Infrastructure. (BS) Denmark produced 42% of its electricity from wind turbines last year according to the official data, the highest figure yet recorded worldwide. (The Guardian) The Telangana State Transco and power utilities have entered into power purchase agreements with NTPC and Singareni Collieries Company Limited. (Hindu Business Line) In the run up to the Union Budget 2016, Indian power producers have proposed to the government a slew of tax benefits to incentivise investments in the sector. Independent Power Producers Association of India (IPPAI) in a letter to the ministries of finance, coal and power asked the government to extend a 10-year tax holiday to companies that start power generation by March 31, 2020. (BS) The Haryana government is targeting 4,200 megawatt of solar power by 2022, including 1,600 mw from roof top solar power plants. (ET)State-run BHEL has commissioned the second 660 MW supercritical unit of Lalitpur Super Thermal Power Project (STPP) in Uttar Pradesh. (ET)Wind turbine maker Suzlon Group has bagged two 50.4 megawatt (MW) order from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) and state-run NALCO for installation additional wind power capacity. (ET) Ashoka is considered one of the greatest emperors in Indian history, and is widely known for spreading Buddhism around the world. From becoming a prince, to conquering major states and finally shifting to Buddhism, Ashoka was an interesting subject to study. In fact, his conquest of Kalinga is regarded as the bloodiest battle in world history. The serial Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat tries to show his life and struggles, but there are a lot of things on the show that dont match with what we studied back in school. The larger than life sets, actor Siddharth Nigam, who plays Ashoka, and the storyline are being applauded by one and all, but let's educate ourselves on how much of the story is true. Read on as we bring you 11 facts that probably didnt happen in Emperor Ashokas life. Colorstv The story of the serial Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat begins with Chanakya dreaming about Chandragupta Maurya, who informs him about a danger thats going to approach the Mauryan empire. 2. There is no historical evidence about Ashoka meeting or having an association with Chanakya. colorstv If we were to go by chronological evidence, Ashoka was born in 304 BC, while Chanakya died in 283 BC. Thus, there is the possibility that Chanakya was alive when the Mauryan King Ashoka was born. 3. At the beginning of the show, Chanakya sets the premise of the story. But there is no historical reference of Chanakya's role in establishing Ashoka on the throne. Colorstv But there's also no evidence of the opposite. This is yet another loophole in history. Chanakya was Chandragupt Mauryas Minister who went on to assist King Bindusara as well. He was good at his work, and helped both the kings. However, according to history, there is no confirmation on whether he was the one to ensure that Ashoka should be Bindusaras successor. However, going with the story of the show, it fits well with the storyline. 4. Bindusara was definitely not an imbecile king. sim.in According to the serial, King Bindusara (played by Sameer Dharmadhikari) is shown as someone who has good moral values, and is wise. Yet he remains unaware of the politics and manipulations going on around him. This is probably done to make the story of the show interesting. If history is to be believed, Bindusara was a strong personality, and an intelligent king, quite the opposite of what is being shown on the show. 5. Ashoka was not born in the village, but in the royal palace. Colorstv If historical evidence is to be believed, Ashoka wasnt born in the village as shown on the serial. He was born in the palace, into the royal family. It is believed that he was good at fighting from his childhood and received royal military training. Besides, he was also excellent at hunting, and once killed a lion with only a wooden rod. 6. King Bindusara knew that Ashoka was his son. Colorstv On the serial Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat, it is shown that Bindusara was unaware of the fact that Ashoka was actually his son. In reality, the King was well aware of this fact, but wanted his elder son Sushim to become the king. 7. King Bindusara had 16 wives and not 4. apunkacolors According to nationalviews.com, King Bindusara had 16 wives, and not 4. He had a lot of children. After his father Bindusaras death in 272 BC, a fierce two-year long battle broke out between Ashoka and his half brothers. According to Buddhist texts, he killed his 99 brothers, sparing just Vitashoka or Tissa, to capture the throne. He later went on to become a part of his court. 8. There is no proof of whether Noor Khorasan and Justins love story was real. imgur According to Chakravartin Samrat Ashoka, Bindusara's wife Noor Khurasan (played by Ankita Sharma) and his step brother Justin (played by Sumit Kaul) were having an affair. We arent sure if King Bindusara really had a wife named Noor Khorasan, but he had 16 wives so that could be true. However, a love story like hers and Justins is probably done to make the narration attractive, and increase the TRPs for the show. 9. When Ashoka was growing up, Chanakya couldnt have been as young as hes depicted on the show. India-forums Chanakya was a Minister to Chandragupta Maurya after which he assisted King Bindusara too. But keeping historical evidence in mind, his age has been tampered with by the producers of the show. In the serial, Mano Joshi looks too young to be Chankaya. 10. Chanakya was probably not killed. According to this Quora thread, there are several theories about Chankya's death. One says that Chanakya was killed by one of Bindusaras ministers who told him that he had once tried to poison the king. However, the other theory says that Chanakya retired to the jungle. 11. King Ashoka was considered a fearless and heartless military leader, and was deputed to curb the riots in the Avanti province of the empire. Colorstv On Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat, Ashoka is shown to have a heart of gold, and be a loving and caring son. But Buddhist legends suggest that Ashoka was bad-tempered and of a wicked nature. Legends say that he changed after he adopted Buddhism. Disclaimer: There are different theories regarding Ashoka and his rule and many historians claim different things. Indiatimes doesn't take the responsibility for the variation in facts. India has been blessed with a vast and magnificent history. From the Indus Valley Civilisation, the Delhi Sultanate, Hindu kings, the Marathas, Mughal emperors, and colonialism to a newly independent India, there are just too many things to remember. Take the battles for example - it's difficult to count on fingers the number of battles that took place in this country. At times, these were within the kings in the country, while at others these were with outsiders. But what's most difficult is remembering the places where these wars took place. We decided to dig deep into history, and pick up 9 locations that were once eminent for our country, but remain lost on our map today. 1. Kurukshetra Wikipedia The Kurukshetra war or the Mahabharata was fought between the Pandavas and Kauravas, over the throne of Hastinapur. It lasted for 18 days, with the Pandavas walking out victorious. Although there have been inconsistencies on the dates about when this war was actually fought, experts are sure that a war that big and violent did take place. wikipedia Currently, Kurukshetra is located in the modern state of Haryana. The city has several sites dedicated to the Mahabharata war. For instance, theyve placed a large chariot made of bronze in the middle of Brahma sarovar, a religious site in Kurukshetra. At Arjun Chowk, youll find a statue of Arjuna. Interestingly, Kurukshetra is also one of the genealogical society centers. You can visit the place if you wish to find out about your ancestors. 2. Panipat Wikipedia Panipat witnessed three military engagements. The first battle of Panipat was fought on April 21, 1526, between Mughal chief Babur and then ruler of Kabul, Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi. Lodi died fighting in this battle, and Babur was declared the winner. This battle remains significant because it marked the beginning of Mughal empire in India. The second battle was fought on November 5, 1556 between Hemu, the Hindu ruler of north India and Akbars army led by Bairam Khan. Hemu lost the battle and was captured and beheaded. The third and the final engagement was between the Marathas and the Duraani empire. The latter won, but appointed a Mughal emperor as the nominal head before leaving for Afghanistan. Wikipedia/hunt.in Present day Panipat is located in Haryana. They have a statue dedicated to Hemu, the Hindu emperor who sacrificed his life fighting in the second battle of Panipat. Currently, Panipat is regarded as a textiles and carpets hub. The city is home to the countrys weaving industry and is the largest centre for buying quality blankets. 3. Buxar hunt.in The battle of Buxar was fought on 22nd October, 1764, between the forces of the East India Company and combined Army of Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal, Nawab of Awadh and Shah Alam II. The British East India Company won the war. Shah Alam II had to sign the Allahabad Treaty which granted the company rights to secure revenue from modern day states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. wikipedia Today, the memorial of this war built by the British to commemorate their victory, stands tall at Katkauli located 6 km away from Buxar. The ground where the war happened is also located at the same place. The picture above depicts the same. Another thing that attracts people to Buxar is the ritual of Panchkoshi Parikrama. 4. Kalinga wikipedia Kalinga war is regarded as one of the bloodiest battles in Indian history. It was fought between the Mauryan Empire led by Emperor Ashoka, and Raja Anantha Padmanabhan of the state of Kalinga. If historians are to be believed, then it was after this battle and its aftermath that King Ashoka decided to adopt Buddhism. Nevertheless, he retained his conquest on Kalinga and made it a part of the Mauryan empire. Today, Kalinga does not exist. Back in the day, it comprised modern day states of Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha with some portions of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. 5. Plassey wikipedia The battle of Plassey was fought between the British East India company and the Nawab of Bengal in 1757. The company defeated the Nawab and captured Calcutta. Till today, this is considered one of the most eminent battles by the colonial powers. This war saw the expansion of the British empire in India, which led them to rule for the next 100 years. Blogspot Currently, Palashi or Plassey is a village located on the banks of Bhagirathi river in West Bengal. The battle grounds have shrines and memorials located all over the town. The tombs of Siraj Ud Daulah, Mir Jafar and their family members are located at Murshidabad. 6. Karnal Flickr.com The battle of Karnal is relatively lesser known. It was fought between Iranian adventurer Nadir Shah, and Muhammed Shah - the emperor of India at Karnal. The Mughals lost this war. Nadir Shah walked to Delhi, and plundered it. It is said that the Mughal empire never really recovered from this setback. hotelkhoj.com The city of Karnal has been significant in mythology too. It is said to be the city of Daanveer Karna. Today, the city is home to agricultural institutions and ranks high globally when it comes to production of rice, wheat and milk. 7. Kannuaj The battle of Kannuaj or Bilgram was fought between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri. Humayan was defeated after which he escaped and lived like a wanderer for many years. Presently, Kannuaj is a city in Uttar Pradesh. It is known to be the place for scents and is a big centre for perfumes, tobacco and rose water. 8. Tarain iastimes The first battle of Tarain was fought between Prithviraj Chauhan and Mohammad Ghori in 1191. The latter lost in this one. Another one took place in 1192, between the same groups, in which Prithviraj Chavan lost. After the war, Prithviraj was made a prisoner. Yet, hes regarded as a great warrior in our history. panoramio Tarain or Taraori is located in Thanesar in present day Haryana. Thanesar has now become an important center of education with a lot of engineering colleges coming up in that area. 9. Udgir wikimedia Udgir witnessed the historic war between the Marathas and the Nizam. The great Maratha warrior Sadashivrao Bhau managed to defeat the Nizam. Youtube Present day Udgir is located in the state of Maharashtra, close to the Karnataka border. The town is famous for its agriculture production and the Udgir fort. There are around 80 dal processing units. It's been nearly two centuries after she died, and it's high time Bollywood dedicated a film to Jhalkari Bai. A woman of great valour and substance, she remains hidden in the pages of history books, as an unsung hero of India's freedom struggle. Let's dust those pages and tell you exactly why her life is a perfect storyboard for Bollywood. She was no less than characters like Jodhaa-Akbar, Bajirao-Mastani, Salim-Anarkali and Asoka. She was equally courageous, inspiring and an integral part of our history timelines. Read on to know why we yearn for a film on her. 1. Due to her uncanny resemblance, Jhalkari Bai acted as the 'body-double' of Rani Laxmibai against the British. Little did we know Rani Laxmibai had a body-double who filled in for the queen and fought against the East India Company. Her strikingly similar appearance to Laxmibai helped the Jhansi army evolve a military strategy of deceiving the British. She disguised herself as Laxmibai and fought the invading British army in the first War of Independence, allowing the Queen to escape safely out of the fort. 2. Jhalkari Bai's humble background is a lesser known chapter of colonial India. bundelkhand.in Born into a poor family, Jhalkari started her career as an ordinary soldier in Laxmibai's army but rose to a position of advising the queen and participating in vital decisions. Jhalakari, with the other women, once went to the Jhansi fort to pay homage to the queen. That's when she was noticed by Laxmibai. The queen ordered brave Jhalkari's induction into the army, who was then trained in shooting and igniting the cannons as part of preparations to challenge the British intrusion. 3. Her selflessness towards her people was her biggest drawing point. reckontalk Jhalkari once had an encounter with a tiger. She not only fought the beast bravely, but also killed it with a simple axe! On another occasion, she challenged a gang of dacoits who raided her village and forced them to retreat. 4. The courageous woman also had an important role during the battle of Jhansi. She stood like a pillar, protecting her motherland. copsey-family Laxmibai and Jhalkari Bai led the "Durga Dal" (women's army) recruits who foiled attacks by the British. She was at the forefront during the Revolt of 1857. If it weren't for betrayal by one of Laxmibai's generals, the Jhansi fort would have remained invincible for some more time. 5. Even after 186 years, the legend of Jhalkari Bai continues to pass on through generations as folklore in Bundelkhand. shop.gaatha Jhalkari was an ordinary village girl in Bundelkhand who would take care of household chores. Her life continues to be sung of in various Bundeli folklore. There is a popular saying about Jhalkari Bai in the region: Macha Jhansi mein ghamasan, chahun aur machee kilkari thee, Angrezon se loha lenein, ran mein kudee Jhalkari thee (Translation: Amidst the sound and fury of the battle at Jhansi, Jhalkari plunged herself into the battlefield to confront the British.) 6. "Hang me" were her last words when the British troops captured her. After the British took over, officials asked what was to be done with her. Jhalkari firmly said, ''Hang me.'' She was barely 28 when she died. Years later, the Government of India would issue a postal stamp dedicated to the lady. 7. The statue of Jhalkari Bai in Gwalior stands as a symbol of her undying spirit. Her name has off late resurfaced on the socio-political landscape of North India as well. panoramio Jhalkari Bai's bravery along with her identity as a Dalit has created a sense of pride and cultural unity in the Dalits of Uttar Pradesh. Her story has off-late surprised many historians, as it has offered a critique on social dominance imposed by Brahmanism and its followers at that time. Many believe our selective history has triggered significant motivation among Dalits to retrieve and bring to light the heroism and sacrifices of Jhalkari Bai for society. The movement demanding a separate state of Bundelkhand has also used her legend to create the Bundeli identity. Having thought about it, who could play her character on the silver screen? Several names popped up but our hearts went out to Priyanka Chopra. 1. Priyanka's portrayal of Kashibai with the perfect historical nuances won us over. maiden-india All the more, because she prefers to do her own action scenes. From Mary Kom to Quantico, she has done it all by herself. And this film would require quite an elaborate war sequence! 2. PeeCee can play fiery characters like she did in Don, Drona and Aitraaz. Playing Jhalkari would require the same ferocity. gifsoup She loves to take up strong characters. But she can also pull off the role of a girl-next-door with natural ease, and Jhalkari was just like that. She was a simple girl at heart, and we feel Priyanka can repeat her Kaminey and Agneepath magic. 3. Priyanka is the best choice to play someone fighting against the system, being the one-woman army that she is. youtube While we managed to zero down on who could be Bollywood's Jhalkari Bai, we leave it to you to decide the actress who can best play Rani Laxmibai in this film. Let us know who you would want to see as the Queen of Jhansi, in the comments below. via Facebook/Praying for Dorian Meet Dorian Murray... Eight-year-old Dorian Murray suffers from rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer that he has been struggling with since he was four. The cancer is spreading toward his brain and rendering treatment ineffective, so when his family learnt that he was terminal, they stopped the treatment and took him home from the hospital. He told his dad that he wanted to be famous before he went to heaven. Any prayer warriors in or have contacts in China? FROM DAD'S PAGE:"So, Dorian was over last night. Dorian looked at... Posted by Praying for Dorian on Sunday, 10 January 2016 People from China and several other countries began to send him photos with the hashtag D-Strong. From the Great Wall of China: via CNN Edition From Switzerland: via Facebook/Praying for Dorian From Australia: via Facebook/Praying for Dorian Conan O'Brian, from the US itself: Westerly kids have to stick together. Stay strong, Dorian, we are all thinking of you! #DStrong pic.twitter.com/Es0s2x4DAs Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) January 16, 2016 Then, hundreds of people from his hometown in Rhode Island came out on a cold day to do this. The residents of Westerly, Rhode Island gathered on Misquamicut State Beach this Sunday to show their support. They spelled out the words #D-Strong with a giant heart and two aerial drones recorded the whole thing. "You don't see compassion and solidarity like this every day," said drone photographer Petr Hejl, who filmed the heart-warming event. "Thousands of people showed up on a pretty chilly day just to do this." Dorian said his new-found fame was very, very cool! via Facebook/Praying for Dorian "They're just saying to keep fighting," he said. "They believe in me. And it's just really nice to know that so many people have my back for me." 2015 was a masaledar year for Indian startups. It was a year when VCs, rounds of funding and exits crept into common usage. It was a year when startup entrepreneurs landed on rich lists and made headlines for being sacked from their own startups at least twice. It was a year where astronomical amounts of capital were invested. There were alternating ups and downs of growth, layoffs, and many insiders and outsiders, alike, felt we had an overheated market in the second half of 2015. But no matter what you have to say about the antics of startup founders, it was a year in which startups touched every aspect of our lives. 2015 was a year filled with widespread recognition and debate about technology-led-startups in India. Even though the word 'bubble' was mentioned by many a pundit, my view is the opposite. We are only at the beginning of a decade-long upsurge in the growth, relevance, and impact of startups on the life of every Indian. So here is my pick of 10 companies that will lead the charge of innovation, and mainstream impact in 2016. 1. PayTM Not just a wallet inc42 What started off as a phone plan recharge company is going to be omnipresent in 2016. From a strong push in retail payments and e-commerce to becoming a new-age bank PayTM is on track to becoming one of Indias most prevalent homegrown consumer technology companies. 2. Bankbazaar When banks compete, You win rediff That is the slogan of a company called LendingTree in the United States. In essence, though, that is exactly what Bankbazaar enables its users with. From home loans to fixed deposits, to credit cards, Bankbazaar is one place to evaluate financial products available to consumers. 2016 will be the year when a significant percentage of users will begin their journey on Bankbazaar and similar sites. 3. Shuttl, CityFlo, Ola Shuttle the new way to commute inc42 The daily commute for most Indians hasnt evolved in a long time. While taxi apps like Uber and Ola have brought on the first stage of change, we are about to witness another paradigm shift in commuting. Startups like Shuttl, CityFlo, and incumbents like Ola (with Ola Shuttle) operate charter buses on dynamic routes with 15 to 20 passengers. At a time when pollution, traffic congestion, and safety are a top priority for India shuttle services enabled with smart technology are going to take off in a big way in 2016. These providers will impact millions of daily riders this year, and on to next year. 4. Urbanclap trustworthy local services 'Who is a good plumber in my neighborhood?', 'Where can I go to learn squash?' Common questions like these have long been answered by friends or family members, or by JustDial of course. But that is the old way. With the proliferation of smartphones, one company is leading the charge in re-imagining the answer to that question. Urbanclap is a whole new interface to find trustworthy local services, with a full stack approach on detailed listings, pricing information, user reviews, and appointment booking capabilities. Urbanclap is our pick for the company that becomes a household name when it comes to getting stuff done at home. 5. Grofers the corner store in your pocket grofers When Grofers was just launching, a simple tweet to the founder made sure that Starbucks had been added to the platform in the next 24 hours. I'm happy to report that the platform has grown by leaps and bounds since then. The idea is simple but executed very well, even though there is nothing smashingly innovative about it. The team takes up markets and expansion in a very measured but still ambitious manner. I think 2016 will be a year of big decisions for them as they define their core business. Why I think they have a lot of potential is because they've actually created a new need to shop for something anytime you want it rather than waiting to go to the market. Moreover, they are clear they want to only cater to the "upper middle class" and have no plans of going mass anytime soon. 6. 1MG My pick for a startup in the medicine/healthy living space goes to 1MG for a lot of reasons - but mostly for the fact that it is insanely useful and addictive. The app gives you everything from the relatively more basic health tips to something that is generally ignored - side-effects of medicines. However, for me, the most useful thing it offers is the name of substitute medicines it suggests, most of which are cheaper than what the doctor ordered. This information did not so far exist in a consolidated manner anywhere on the internet till now. 7. Hokey Pokey It's impossible to do a startup list without a food startup considering 3-4 new ones open in Gurgaon alone, where I live and work. But for me, Hokey Pokey is one which is perhaps the best poised to take a leap in the next year. They aren't trying to do too much - the expansion is measured and not insane, and the Greek yogurt is beyond delicious. Moreover, unlike others who are using tech to get their products to you, there's a fair amount of tech inside those Greek yogurt cups. 8. GOQii fitness tracker with dedicated advisors (wearable tech) While the emphasis on fitness is more than ever before and has been for a couple of years now, the segment had competitive extremes. You could buy a Mi fitness band for Rs. 1,000 and a Fitbit for Rs. 20,000 with the options in the middle few and far between. It's this space that I think GoQii will be filling this year. 9. Oyo for local travel (core impact on local SMB travelers) Oyo isn't a new name for anyone online, but they are competing in a cluttered world against everyone from MakeMytrip to other clones like Zo rooms. This is the year I believe they will find their niche and have a major impact on how local and small and medium business owners travel. Their approach will be more organised as they embed themselves into companies and target a more specific audience rather than going after everyone. 10. Airbnb for international travel glassdoor Indians are travelling the world more than ever and over 68 percent of these travellers book their own tickets. But more importantly, they are looking for more local, immersive rather than just touristy experiences. It's this space that Airbnb will fill. A lot of us, especially young concert goers, have already been using it on our Europe vacations. I expect it to pick up more riding on the back of young families travelling to South East Asia, Europe and even as far off as Latin America. The central security establishment feels the hreat of a "lone wolf" attack by an Islamic State-inspired element is real, given the outfit's appeal among net-savvy Indian youth. Big day for lone wolves AIM.org In fact, the runup to the Republic Day is seen as a crucial period when ISIS sympathisers may try to register their presence by indulging in a lone wolf strike anywhere in the country. "The fact that French President Francois Hollande is the chief guest for Republic Day parade this year, may encourage elements under IS influence to indulge in a one-off attack to attract global attention," said a source. Incidentally, Paris saw terror attacks by IS in November last year, leading Hollande to order retaliatory air strikes in ISIS territory. "If there are indeed hardened IS sympathizers in India, there is a good chance that they might try to protest against Hollande's visit by indulging in a lone wolf strike. Though this might not directly threaten Hollande's security, such an attack anywhere in the country could generate much interest in the West," said the source. A 'lone wolf' terrorist is one who indulges in violence in support of some group, movement or ideology but works alone, outside of any command structure and without material assistance from any group therightplanet The heightened threat of a lone wolf attack has prompted the Centre to ask all states and Union Territories to remain on alert. The possibility of a lone wolf attack by an IS-inspired element was raised at the meeting chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh here on Saturday to discuss issues related to ISIS. Heads of central agencies and representatives of 13 states deliberated on the need for an effective response mechanism to such an eventuality. "We must be prepared and the states must know the standard operating procedures for handling such exigencies," said a home ministry officer. There's a small Indian 'minority' for whom January 19, 2016 isn't just Tuesday - it's Kashmiri Pandit Exodus Day. A history lesson that Indian schoolbooks want you to forget Ticket to exile: Bus ticket purchased by family on 19th Jan., 1990 when we were forced out of Kashmir. #KPExodusDay pic.twitter.com/dXBzVrKXoT Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) January 19, 2016 It is a day of mournful reminiscing for India's biggest communal genocide, an attack on lakhs of Kashmiri Pandit Hindus, the original residents of Kashmir. Evicted after threats of rape and murder by Islamist radicals who used the call of the azaan to draw participants into India's biggest land grab, these people were secretly shipped away in army convoy trucks to find shelter across the nation. Their demands were ignored by successive government, and today these pandits, easily identified with their fair skin, light eyes, and distinctive names (including Kher and Haq) are afraid to go back to the land that gave them their identity and language. Also read: Anupam Kher Writes A Passionate Post Asking India To Give Kashmiri Pandits Back Their Home Kashmiri Pandits are sharing photos to ensure we can never forget, even as history books conveniently ignore this episode in our history. Our destroyed houses still tell our bleeding stories. We once lived there thinking of a bright future. #KPExodusDay pic.twitter.com/8bI4AkOd3l Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) January 19, 2016 So when former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah puts the blame on Kashmiri Pandits for not returning to the Valley, there was only shock. "They (the Pandits) have to realize one thing- nobody is going to come with a begging bowl and say 'come and stay with us' , they have to make the move, " Mr Abdullah said to NDTV's Barkha Dutt. He claimed to have made attempts to return to the Valley, which has still not ceased its militancy and radical Islamist activism in the name of separatism (#Azadi). Instead of acknowledging the horrors that have never been forgotten by the generation that almost perished trying to survive, he only blamed them. "When (J&K) government made a move that the officers and doctors who are settled here (Delhi) should come back, they came to see me and said 'look, our children are in schools here, our parents are ill and they need medical care...we can't take them back, so for God's sake, let us live here, he added in the interview. Kashmiri Pandits, and their friends and supporters do not agree. Refugee camps in Jammu were like concentration camps,Hundreds died of snake &scorpion bites+heat stroke #KPExodusDay Rashneek Kher (@Rashneek) January 19, 2016 Rupawati Bhan tourtured to death. No Justice, No CBI, No SIT. #KPExodusDay pic.twitter.com/G3kiNyfD6B Amal Magazine (@amalmagazine) January 19, 2016 Farooq Abdullah says no one will beg Pandits with katora to return to Kashmir! Only in India such vulgar insensitivity towards Hindus! (@India_Policy) January 19, 2016 The Anti-Terrorism Squad of Goa police have initiated an investigation on an anonymous letter purportedly written by ISIS threatening to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. India Today The postcard threat letter was received at the State Secretariat last week has expressed anger over ban on cow slaughter in the country. Since you are not allowing to eat beef, you will be taken care of, the postcard with ISIS written at the bottom said. Goa Police said they are trying to find the source of the letter. vocfm.co.za/ Representative Image Last week a similar letter had surfaced in Maharashtra threatening to kill state anti-terrorism squad officers in Pune and Mumbai. This beautiful moment was captured outside the refugee center in Tempelhof, Berlin. Initially you could feel the nervous energy between the refugees and the locals, but all it took them were a few smiles to break the ice. Post Cologne Attack German Women Take To The Streets To Welcom... Germany and the rest of Europe shook after the sexual assault of a woman in Cologne on New Years Eve allegedly by a Syrian Immigrant crowd. But things in Germany haven't changed as much as you might believe. These German women took to the streets to show you exactly that... Avaaz Posted by Indiatimes on 18 January 2016 As soon as the flowers were exchanged, conversations just started flowing. One refugee spoke about his sniper shot wound, another one spoke about the difficulties he faced getting here. When the anti-Islam movement Pegida started over a year ago, 100,000 of us stood up against them and took to the streets for a colourful and diverse Germany. When Angela Merkel welcomed refugees stuck in Hungary, they opened their hearts and doors, welcomed them at train stations and thousands are heartily volunteering every day to train the refugees and help them find solid ground. Those who tried to politicize the incident in Cologne were trying to play with our fears. But the citizens of Germany have once again managed to overwhelm me by choosing compassion over fear. Rohith Vemula's isn't the first suicide by a Dalit student on the University of Hyderabad campus. Over the last decade a string of suicides have rocked the central varsity highlighting the pronounced discrimination against students from the marginalized sections at UoH, say city educationists. AP Visit Eight Dalit students committed suicide during this period, unable to cope with what has been termed as caste politics. "Eight suicides is not a small number, but the university has still not woken up to the issues of Dalit students. Rohith's death only highlights a larger issue of caste-based discrimination prevailing on campus," said Zuhail KP, president of the UoH Students Union, on Monday. Vemula's death has also brought to the fore certain issues which students allege that the administration has been brushing under the carpet for years. Educationists assert that Dalit students are often looked down upon on the campus. "Most non-Dalits look down on them as sub humans, and often taunt, humiliate and victimise them. This is a national disgrace. Unless this feudal mindset is destroyed our country cannot progress," Markandey Katju, former chairman of the Press Council of India, wrote on his Facebook wall. Deccan Chronicle In 2013, M Venkatesh, a PhD scholar committed suicide owing to the alleged discrimination against Dalit students on the campus. Educationists and students ascribe the growing number of suicides to lack of financial assistance and support system to help Dalit students in their academic pursuits. This often forces several students to quit education in the middle. "Although the government provides financial assistance, delayed fellowships to research scholars forces many to quit in middle. Rohith's is a best example as he didn't receive fellowship for a long time," said Lenin Kumar, a student leader of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. In 2008, Senthil Kumar, a PhD scholar from School of Physics had allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison in the hostel room. According to reports, even Senthil had stopped receiving fellowship due to backlogs in his course. "The university needs to have a proper mechanism to look into issues related to Dalit students. Only providing resources may not be enough," said E Haribabu, former vice-chancellor of UoH. "The university needs to conduct special counselling sessions for scholars. Special skill-based courses may help them overcome their weaknesses," he added. Who wants to let go some free drinks? no one, right? That is true even if you live in a dry state like Gujarat where liquor is banned.Some people of Samarvada village Gujarat was in for an unexpected 'treat' after a truck carrying liquor bottles met with an accident and turned turtle. As the news spread like a wild fire locals rushed to the spot in large numbers and looted all the stock of liquor and beer in a matter of minutes. And this is how it unfolded... Times of India Times of India Times of India Times of India Times of India Times of India Meet Devi Lockwood, a storyteller who is travelling the world solo on her bike on a mission to collect 1,001 stories on climate change, water, and wildlife. Her tools - one placard and a tape recorder. Facebook/Devi Lockwood The 23-year-old American is currently touring the globe to connect with people and hear their stories on climate change. Her journey kick-started after People's Climate March in September 2014, and so far she has collected 441 narratives from people she met in the USA, Fiji, Tuvalu, New Zealand, and Australia. Facebook/Devi Lockwood Devi's plan is simple but effective - to carve out a website map where people can click on a destination and hear the audio-recorded stories of people she has met in those regions. And her message is simple: "tell me a story about climate change". Instagram/Devi Lockwood When asked about her fascination with the number 1,001, Devi told Mashable that it stems out of her love for the Arabian Nights. She believes it to be a magical number. Devi wrote a special blog for The Guardian explaining how a short trip down the Mississippi River inspired her to do more. 1,287 kilometers around the Gulf of Mexico and 50 hours of recording later, Devi was inspired. Facebook/Devi Lockwood And why cycle through the world? Because, "I use my bicycle as a tool for human connection - a way of meeting people and listening to their stories," she writes in her blog. She cycles to do her bit for protecting the environment. Flying wasn't an option as it would ave increased her carbon footprint. She instead took a cargo ship to travel from New Zealand to Australia. A poetess at heart, she raised funds through her poems and postcards, and crowd-sourced funds for her return trip. Facebook/Devi Lockwood Her Stories A woman in Queensland who used to work with a crocodile rescue team said how climate change is continuously shifting wildlife from one place to another. Another man from New South Wales complained how changing weather was affecting his farming. There are many more recorded accounts of people whose lives are changing every day due to climate change. And Devi is recording them to share these with us. We wish her all the best and hope that she reaches her goal of 1,001 stories soon! Follow us on israel should build long term stakes in indian economy swaraj Jerusalem : Asserting that economic relationship is the key to developing Indo-Israel ties, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today asked the Jewish state to look beyond trade for building "long-term stakes" in the Indian economy. Swaraj, in her address at an Indian community reception here, said India and Israel are expanding cooperation to new areas such as homeland security, innovation, education and science and technology. Expressing optimism for the future in the growth of bilateral ties, Swaraj said, "to quote your (Israeli) Prime Minister 'sky is the limit' for ties between India and Israel." "We should work towards a new vision of our important partnership, which should reflect our close friendship and harness fully the potential of our two knowledge economies, Swaraj said. Swaraj, who is here on her first visit to the West Asia region, earlier in the day held talks with the top Israeli leadership and discussed a wide-range of bilateral and regional issues. "The economic relationship is the key to developing our bilateral ties. We should move from a trade-based relationship to one that is based on investment, manufacturing and services," Swaraj said in her address. "As you know 'Make in India' is a priority of our Government. Our flagship schemes of 'Clean Ganga', 'Smart Cities' or 'Digital India' are all areas of Israeli expertise. We encourage you to look beyond trade to build long term stakes in the Indian economy through investment and joint development of products and services," she said. The Minister said she had "very good" meetings with n President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders today. "All of them expressed to me the importance they attach to Israel's relations with India, as a friend and partner. I wish to assure you that these feelings are reciprocated by the Government and people of India. We attach high priority to India's relations with Israel," she said. Swaraj noted that the bilateral interactions at the political level are also increasing. In this context, she highlighted President Pranab Mukherjee's visit here last year. "This first ever visit by the President of India gave a substantial boost to our bilateral relationship. Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the full establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries," she said. "I am very happy to be here in Israel. I served as the Chairman of the India-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group for three years during which I also had the pleasure of visiting Israel. I am a personal advocate of strong ties between India and Israel; so I am very happy to see that our relations are progressing so well in all fields of our engagement," she said. Swaraj highlighted that India has always offered the Jewish people a safe and secure home for many centuries. Advocating closer exchanges between the peoples of the two countries, Swaraj said, "We need many more exchanges between our civil societies, parliamentarians, opinion makers and women. Our students should collaborate in scientific research. Our entrepreneurs should build start-ups together." Swaraj also lauded the Indian Jewish community and the friends of India gathered at the reception as she congratulated the Indian caregivers who "are performing very commendable service far away from their homes and families". "I also convey my good wishes to the Indian men serving in the UN Disengagement Observer Force. India has always been an important actor in the United Nations and we will continue our role," she said. Swaraj said India and Israel had walked a "long distance" together in the short time since the full establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992. "We have developed close cooperation in critical areas such as agriculture and defence. Indian farmers and soldiers know Israel well because of its innovative technologies. We should also create conditions that stimulate the flow of knowledge in both directions," she said. Noting that India and Israel are among the "most vibrant democracies in the world", Swaraj said yet they do not know enough about how each other's societies work. Praising the Indian diaspora, Swaraj said, "India is very proud of its large diaspora. Wherever Indians go they have become model citizens in their adopted countries." "They are hardworking, sincere and community-minded. They are the most preferred expatriate community in the Gulf region. The Indian Jewish community in Israel is no different and it always pleases me to see how well they have done here," she said. "We would like to see more and more Indian Jews becoming active catalysts in building ties between India and Israel," she said. "We have always viewed Israel as an important regional country and share the belief that our partnership will be strengthened further in future," she concluded. Latest Business News Follow us on what led to the exodus of kashmiri pandits 26 years ago New Delhi: Kashmiri Pandits, forced out of their homes and living a miserable life of refugees in their own country, are observing January 19 as the 26th anniversary of their forcible eviction from Jammu and Kashmir. What actually triggered the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley? You talk to any Kashmiri Pandit and they are all unanimous that it was the religion (Pan Islamic)-driven-separatism, fully backed and funded by Pakistan that forced them to leave their homes where they were born and raised. The first sign that Kashmir was heading towards troubled times came in 1986 when the state witnessed the worst communal riot of its history. The riots took place in Anantnag district of South Kashmir which used to be the political bastion of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the late Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister. At that time, Sayeed was a member of the Congress party and seeds of religion-driven-separatism had started being sown in the valley. Nizam-E-Mustafa or Rule of Muhammad According to some estimates, Kashmiri Pandits lost nearly 300 homes in these riots and a few of their temples were also burnt down. Terrorism, in the guise of Islamic Jihad, made its entry in the state in the second half of 1989. The Pan-Islamic philosophy with the objective of setting up Nizam-E-Mustafa (Rule of Mustafa or Muhammad) had succeeded in getting foothold in the state. The torture of Hindus had started big way in the state, said Sushil Pandit, a Jammu and Kashmir activist. Read Also: Why talking to Nawaz Sharif is dangerous if Pak Army is not fully on board Year 1989 was turbulent for Jammu and Kashmir from many accounts. After the massive defeat of Rajiv Gandhi in general elections, V P Singh took over as the Prime Minister of the country on Dec 2, 1989 and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was made the Home Minister. On Dec 8, 1989, Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was kidnapped by terrorists belonging to Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). The coalition govt led by VP Singh surrendered to the whims of these terrorists and 5 militants were freed in exchange of safe release for Mufti's daughter. The surrender boosted the morale of the terrorists and the rest, as we say, is history now. By January 1990, the terrorists acting on the instructions of their Pakistani masters, decided to go for ethnic cleansing of Pandits as the first step towards setting up Nizam-E-Mustafa in the state. The last seven days Between January 12-19, these terrorists took out a number of anti-India processions in which Hindus were used as human shields so that they could be the first casualty in case Police opens fire on the procession. Provocative calls were being made from mosques to target Hindu men and women. In these 7 days, Kashmiri Pandits were subjected to all kinds of persecution that included brutal killings of men and rape of women. The persecution became so intense that Kashmiri Pandits' were left with no other choice than to move out of the state and the first mass exodus started on January 19, 1990, Sushil Pandit added. A section of Kashmiris who sympathise with the cause espoused by militants point out that the onus for mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits lies on the shoulders of Jagmohan who was appointed as J&K governor by V P Singh government. Their argument is that Jagmohan deliberately encouraged Kashmiri Pandits to leave the valley so that the operation against militants could be launched aggressively and without bothering for the safety of Kashmiri Pandits who were turning out to be soft targets for the terrorists. However, Prafulla Ketkar, editor of Organiser, totally disagrees with this version of the explanation. This is to totally rubbish. The militancy gained ground in Kashmir much before the arrival of Jagmohan as governor of the state. Pakistan's proxy war against India under its policy of thousand-cuts was well documented way back in 1986. After taking over as Pakistan PM in Dec 1988, Benazir Bhutto made very provocative statements regarding Kashmir. Subsequently, open threats were issued against Kashmiri Pandits asking them to vacate their homes. So, how can Jagmohan be blamed for the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits? Prafulla Ketkar asked. The whole argument about Kashmir, right from 1947, that it is a secular crown of India because it's Muslim-majority state has been flawed. The separatists supported by Pakistan found 1990 an opportune time to execute their nefarious designs. Why because politically we were a little instable in the aftermath of massive defeat of Rajiv Gandhi in general elections and formation of a coalition govt. Bofors scandal emerged as a major issue. Pakistan found it an opportune time to ethnically cleanse Hindus from Jammu and Kashmir and they used it to the hilt, Ketkar added. Ghar wapasi' in valley? Much water has flown through Jhelum since those horrible days. BJP and PDP, two parties with diagonally opposite politically ideologies, have joined hands in the state now. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led the coalition government till hids death this month and after his demise, Mehbooba looks all set to take over as the new Chief Minister of the state. With BJP in power, both at the centre and in the state, is it the right time for Kashmiri Pandits to make ghar wapasi' in valley? Interestingly, every political party of Jammu and Kashmir including Congress, NC, PDP and even the separatist Hurriyat Conference, has publically opined that they are in favour of Kashmiri Pandits returning to their homes in valley. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today said that he tried his best to bring Pandits back to the valley but success always eluded him on this front. Showing signs of exasperation, Abdullah says that Kashmiri Pandits have to take the initiative on their own and they should not expect anyone to approach them with a begging bowl. The ground reality The question is how can you expect a community to return to their homes when there is no concrete guarantee of their safety and security? In last 26 years, they have been haunted everyday by the memories of pain which forced them to leave their homes. Before asking them to return, the government will have to assure them of their full safety, security and dignity. Unless the political gap between the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir is bridged, the atmosphere will not be conducive for the resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits. Certain issues need to be resolved first. For example, what about the properties of Kashmiri Pandits grabbled by the locals? asks Ketkar. Obviously, a lot of ground work needs to be done for creating a conducive atmosphere for the return of these hapless Kashmiri Pandits. One can only hope that all parties will join hands for this cause forgetting their narrow political and ideological differences. Latest Business News Follow us on akshay kumar feels it s insulting to compare airlift with argo New Delhi: Akshay Kumar's upcoming Airlift shares the same genre as Argo but the superstar says it is an insult to his film when people compare it to the Oscar-winning Hollywood movie as the story is inspired by a real incident. The 48-year-old actor says while the Ben Affleck-starrer chronicled the evacuation of six Americans at the time of Iran hostage crisis, Airlift is the story of 1,70,000 Indians who were rescued from Kuwait during the Iraq-Kuwait war. Saying that our film is copied from Argo' is an insult. How can it be a copy when it is a true story? It is not a copy. It is something which you should be proud of. It is the story of the biggest ever human evacuation in the history of mankind, Akshay told reporters here. Director Raja Krishna Menon says other than the common theme of evacuation; there is no similarity between his film and the 2012 Hollywood movie. The only faint link is that some people were saved in a covert operation. Everything else is different. It is only a similar genre. Our film is about the single greatest achievement of independent India. Argo' is not in that space, Menon said. The actor says he was not aware of the 1990 incident and only came to know about it when the director gave him the script of Airlift. At that time there was only one article about the evacuation. The government did it silently. It is not a matter of joke. When I met those people, they started crying at the mention of it. I was deeply inspired by the story. It shows the greatness of our country. In the film, Akshay plays a businessman Ranjit Katyal, who negotiates with the government to evacuate 1,70,000 Indians stranded in Kuwait and fly them to India. Airlift also stars Nimrat Kaur and Purab Kohli. In recent times, Akshay has successfully juggled between commercial potboilers like Singh is Bliing and thrillers with patriotic themes like Baby and Holiday. The actor says he loves to keep challenging himself with different roles. I keep on challenging myself all the time. I want to be in my comfort zone and then try some roles which are challenging for me. Singh is Bliing' and Housefull 3' are in my comfort zone but this one is not, Baby' was not. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on bigg boss 9 prince narula gets exposed by yuvika and nora New Delhi: As the popular reality show Bigg Boss 9' is heading towards its grand finale, it is getting more intriguing with every episode. Recently, the eviction of second finalist Priya Malik stunned everyone, but before the contestants could gather themselves from this shock, there came another twist. Ex-contestants Yuvika Chaudhary and Nora Fatehi entered the Bigg Boss house once again. While most of the contestants must be happy with their arrival, seeing Yuvika and Nora together must be quite shocking for Prince Narula. Wondering why? Well, Prince Narula had proposed both the ladies one after the other on the reality show. Yes! First he had proposed Yuvika, but soon Yuvika got eliminated and Nora Fatehi entered Bigg Boss. Then Prince was spotted getting cosy with Nora and went on to propose her as well. However, she too got evicted, leaving Prince heart-broken one again. But this time, both the ladies are back together and have taken a dig on Prince Narula and he was taken aback. First, the play boy Prince was hit by Yuvika. She said, I saw the Nora thing. Maine reject kab kiya? Jab pyaar hota hai, toh time bhi lagta hai. Agar time milta toh main respond karti. Whatever there was with me, was it a game? On the other hand, Nora too gave a sharp reply to the BB9 finalist saying, Aap mujhse baat mat karo! Aap humesha idhar udhar hai between Yuvika and me. This is ridiculous! Main bachchin nahin hoon! I wonder how Prince Narula will deal with two ladies after being exposed like this on Bigg Boss 9. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on this is what ranbir is doing post his break up with katrina kaif New Delhi: Ever since Ranbir Kapoor has broken up with his lady love Katrina Kaif, their split is what the entire B-town is talking about. Their split was indeed quite shocking as recently there were speculations about Ranbir-Katrina's wedding this year after the couple was spotted at the Kapoor Christmas brunch. But destiny played its role and Ranbir-Kat parted ways. Ever since their split, while Katrina is spotted at several events, everyone has been wondering where is Ranbir Kapoor. This isn't an easy phase for the now ex-couple and they are trying pretty hard to cope up with the broken heart. Katrina Kaif has got herself occupied with promoting her forthcoming movie Fitoor'. But talking about Ranbir, the Barfi' actor is keeping himself away from the limelight and is reportedly talking the help of his brother Armaan Jain to get over Katrina. Ranbir has been spotted on the Bombay Gymkhana grounds with Armaan Jain. They came in to practice with the gym's rugby team. While no one actually knew that Ranbir was in the ground, he just slipped in and out unnoticed. On the other hand, Ranbir along with Katrina Kaif have resumed the shooting for Jagga Jasoos'. The now ex-couple will soon fly to Morocco to complete the rest of the portion of the movie which is expected to hit the theatres in June this year. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on rohith 9th dalit student to commit suicide at university of hyderabad Hyderabad: Students of the University of Hyderabad, where a Dalit student committed suicide after his expulsion, continued their protest in the varsity premises today demanding action against Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Sushil Kumar. They raised slogans denouncing the VC and displayed placards reading - 'Appa Rao murdabad', 'Rohith Vemula amar rahe' and 'Sushil Kumar hai hai'. The agitators also demanded a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs for Rohith Vemula's family. "Our demands are very clear. Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao and ABVP activist Sushil Kumar should be put behind bars. Appa Rao should be removed from the post of VC. Rohith Vemula's family member should be given employment and a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs should be given to his family," one of the student said. According to reports, this is not the first suicide by a Dalit student at the University of Hyderabad campus. Zuhail KP, president of the university students union, said that over the last decade a string of suicides have rocked the university but the management has still not woken up to the issues of Dalit students. "8 suicides is not a small number, but the university has still not woken up to the issues of Dalit students. Rohith's death only highlights a larger issue of caste-based discrimination prevailing on campus," Zuhail said. In Pune, students of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) also began a one-day hunger strike to express solidarity with their colleagues of the Hyderabad University. Rahul interacts with protesting students, meets victim's kin Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today interacted with the protesting students of the University of Hyderabad, where a Dalit scholar committed suicide. "RG has reached Hyderabad & is interacting with students seeking justice for Rohith Vemula," the Indian National Congress (INC)'s twitted. Rahul also interacted with parents of Rohith Vemula, who hanged himself to death on Sunday. Hyderabad police had on Monday registered a case against Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and three others under the Scheduled Casts and Scheduled Tribes Act in connection with the suicide of Rohith. The case was registered against Dattatreya following allegations that he wrote to the Union HRD Ministry seeking action against Rohith and four other research scholars of the university for the alleged assault on ABVP leader Sushil Kumar. HRD Minister Smriti IRani, however, flatly refused any intervention by the government in the Rohith's suicide and said that a two-member team has been sent to the varsity from the ministry to take stock of the situation. Rohith, a second-year research scholar from the Science, Technology and Society Studies Department, and others were suspended from the hostel last year following allegations that they attacked Sushil Kumar after a screening of the controversial documentary 'Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai'. Latest India News Follow us on know about 25 children who will receive national honour for bravery This year, 25 children including 3 girls and 22 boys have been selected for the National Bravery Awards 2015 for their extraordinary courageous feats. Among them two of the Awards will be awarded posthumously. These selected children will receive the honour from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 24 and will also participate in Republic Day parade. There are also several functions organized by their respective native States to honour them. The selection of these 25 brave hearts was made by a high powered committee comprising representatives of various Ministries/Departments, non-governmental organisations as well as Office Bearers of Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW). These young brave hearts will be given a medal, certificate and cash to honour them. So here is a list of the young brave hearts who will receive award on 24 January 2016 1) Gaurav Kawduji Sahastrabuddhe The coveted Bharat Award, the highest of the National Bravery awards has been conferred on 15 year old Late Master Gaurav Kawduji Sahastrabuddhe of Maharashtra who sacrificed his life while saving his four friends. His parents will receive his award on his behalf. 2) Shivansh Singh The parents of 13-year-old Shivansh Singh will also receive the award on his behalf. He will be awarded posthumously for sacrificing his life in a valiant effort to save his friend from drowning in Saryu River. 3) Km. Shivampet Ruchitha The prestigious Geeta Chopra Award has been conferred on 8 year old Km. Shivampet Ruchitha of Telangana who displayed exemplary valour in saving two precious lives when a train hit her school bus. 4) Arjun Singh This year a 16-year-old Arjun Singh will be awarded with Sanjay Chopra Award for displaying outstanding bravery in fighting a tiger to save his mother. 5) Ramdinthara 15 year old Ramdinthara of Mizoram will be given the Bapu Gaidhani Award. He will be awarded for saving two people from electrocution. 6) Rakeshbhai Shanabhai Patel Master Rakeshbhai Shanabhai Patel (13 years) of Gujarat will be given bravery awarded for saving a boy who accidentally fell into a deep well. 7) Aromal 12 year old Aromal saved two ladies from drowning. He hails from Kerala and has been given the Bapu Gaidhani Award. He will also receive the bravery award this year. 8) Kashish Dhanani 10-year-old Kashish Dhanani rushed to protect his 15-month-old sister Kanchi from a furious German shepherd dog bravely. He will be awarded for his courageous feat. 9) Maurice Yengkhom Master Maurice Yengkhom from Manipur has been chosen for a bravery award for showing exemplary courage in saving the life of his cousin. 10) Chongtham Kuber Meitei from Manipur Chongtham Kuber Meitei, an eight-year-old girl from Nagaland will receive a national bravery award for rescuing her grandmother from drowning from a river at Chudi village in Wokha district. 11) Angelica Tynsong 13 year old Angelica Tynsong of Meghalaya will bag an award for saving her sibling when her house was gutted in fire. 12) Sai Krishna Akhil Kilambi The 15year-old Sai Krishna has been chosen for saving his mother from electrocution. Sai Krishna managed to turn off electricity supply in his house in Agapura in the city when his mother Prasuna, came in contact with a live electric wire while washing the floor of the house. He ensured that he did not step into the water as he turned off the mains supply in the house resulting in his mother's life being saved. 13) Joena Chakbraborty The phone of a 10 year old Joena Chakraborty's father was snatched by two men on a busy Paharganj Road in 2014. She ran after the snatchers, held on to the leg of one of the men and took the phone back without caring that the snatcher had a knife. Joena is one of the winners of this year's National Bravery Award. 14) Sarwanand Saha This 13 year old hails from Kerala and has been selected for National Bravery Award-2015. 15)Dishant Mehndiratta Dishant Mehndiratta, a 13-year-old boy, who saved his mother from a robber, has been selected for National Bravery Award-2015. 16) Beedhovan Beedhovan Terry of Pallithura here has been selected for the National Bravery Award 2015. Beedhovan, a class 10 student had come to the rescue of his friend Joel who had received an electric shock from an 11-kV line. 17) Nithin Philip Mathew Nithin Philip Mathew of Manipuzha in Kottayam will get the award for averting a major tragedy when he broke open the door of an empty house and threw out a gas cylinder that was up in flames. 18) Abhijit KV Abhijith K.V. a 16 year old boy of Taliparambu in Kannur district will get the the award for rescuing his friend from a temple pond. 19)Anandu Dillep Anandu Dileep and his friend were on their way to tuition, when while crossing a bridge, his friend slipped and fell into the 10-feet-deep canal. Anandu Dileep jumped into the water and managed to rescue his drowning friend. 20)Muhammad Shamnad Mohammad Shamnad, rescued one-and-half-year-old Riya Fathima who fell into a pond. 21) Mohit Mahdenrda Dalvi Mohit saved a girl named Krishna from drowning in a pond because she didnt know swimming. Krishna was visiting her uncle in Mumbai and went to the pond for bath and did not realise that it was very deep. 22) Nilesh Revaram Bhil 12-year-old brave heart Nilesh who saved the life of a drowning boy by jumping into 15 feet deep water, is one of the proud recipients of the National Bravery Award 23) Vaibhav Ramesh Ghangare Vaibhav Ramesh Ghangare of Selu tehsil of Wardha district.He will also receive award this award for his brave acts. 24) Abinash Mishra Abinash Mishra from Odisha has been selected for the Indian Council for Child Welfares' National Bravery Award, 2015. Abinash was selected for the award for showing exemplary courage in rescuing a minor boy Bidhubhusan from Kushabhdra river 25) Bhimsen 12 year old Bhimsen from Uttar Pradesh will be getting the National bravery award from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of Republic Day. Bhimsen (Sonu) will be awarded for his courage shown on November 16, when a boat capsized in Saryu river, drowning six people. At that time Sonu saved 14 people from drowning. In 1987-88 ICCW instituted the Bharat Award for an exceptionally outstanding, meritorious and gallant deed. The other special awards include the Geeta Chopra and Sanjay Chopra awards (instituted by ICCW in 1978) and the Bapu Gaidhani Awards (instituted in 1988-89). The Bharat Award winner gets Rs 50,000, the Geeta Chopra Award winner Rs 40,000, Sanjay Chopra Award Rs 29,000 followed by three Bapu Gaidhani awardees who get Rs 24,000 each. All other bravery award winners get Rs 20,000 each. "The awardees will be granted financial assistance until they complete their schooling. Some state governments also provide financial assistance to them. In addition, ICCW provides assistance under its Indira Gandhi Scholarship Scheme to those undertaking professional courses such as engineering and medicine," said Gita Siddhartha, President, ICCW. It was in 1957 that two children-a boy and a girl were first rewarded for their presence of mind and courage. Since the inception of the scheme then, the ICCW has given the awards, which carries a citation and cash, to 920 children-- 656 boys and 264 girls. Latest India News Follow us on delhi court puts pakistani national on trial with four others New Delhi: Five suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives, including a Pakistani national, arrested for allegedly conspiring to kidnap businessmen from various places to raise funds to carry out terror strikes in the national capital, were today put on trial by a Delhi court. The court framed charges against Pakistani national Arshad Khan, Mohd Shahid, Mohd Rashid, Abdul Subhan and his nephew Ashabuddin for alleged offences punishable under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and under sections 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Khan, who is lodged in Kolkata Jail in connection with shoe baron Partha Roy Burman kidnapping case of 2001, was not produced before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh today after which the court posted the matter for February 3 for formal framing of charges against him. The court has directed that Khan be produced before it on the next date of hearing through video conferencing. Section 18 of UAPA pertains to punishment for conspiracy, while section 20 relates to punishment for being a member of terrorist organisation. Shahid and Rashid were arrested in December 2013 from Mewat region in Haryana by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in connection with the case. Police had named both of them in acharge sheet filed in May 2014 for the alleged offences. Later, Subhan, Ashabuddin and Khan were arrested in the case and a supplementary charge sheet was filed against them. In its charge sheet, police had alleged that Subhan was the main conspirator in the case and had entered into a conspiracy with others to carry out terrorist acts in Delhi. It had claimed that Subhan was in touch with wanted LeT man Javed Baluchi, who is based in Pakistan. With the arrest of Rashid and Shahid, police had claimed to have unearthed a terror module of the LeT which was at an advanced stage of planning a major strike in Delhi. Ashabuddin was arrested in the case after he was produced before the court here from Kolkata Jail where he was serving jail term for his role in the Burman kidnapping case. Police had earlier claimed that Rashid had told the investigators about LeT's plan to execute a terror strike on the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition. Latest India News Follow us on kpexodusday kashmiri pandits observe exodus day with faint hope of return New Delhi: Kashmiri Pandits on Tuesday protested at Jantar Mantar in the capital to mark the 27th anniversary of their Holocaust/Exodus Day, hoping to go back to their homes with dignity. The displaced Kashmiri Pandits has resolved not to hold weddings or any other family celebrations on two days of the calendar as part of their efforts to "keep alive" the struggle for "homeland". Every September 14 and January 19 will be marked as "no celebration days September 14 has already been adopted by the community as 'Martyrs Day', the day on which in 1989 separatists started the selective killings of Pandits in the Valley. As the Pandit community commemorates this day as the #KPExodusDay on Social Media, tributes have poured in from across India with veteran actor Anupam Kher is spearheading the campaign on Twitter. But former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah has stirred a major controversy by saying that the "onus is on the Pandits" to make a comeback. "They (the Pandits) have to realize one thing- nobody is going to come with a begging bowl and say 'come and stay with us' , they have to make the move, " Abdullah told a English News Channel. He went on to argue that he had made several attempts over the decades to try and get Pandits to return to the Valley, but many of them had sold their homes and were not willing to come and live in Kashmir any longer. Jammu and Kashmir is the only Indian state with Muslim majority population and Hindus in minority. Year 1989 was one of the most difficult years for Indian establishment as armed resistance to Indian rule broke out in the Kashmir Valley. While some groups were calling for independence, others wanted union with Pakistan. Amid reigning chaos, the emphasis of the movement soon shifted from nationalism to Islam. Caught in the strife were the minority community of Kashmiri Hindus - the Kashmiri Pandits, who inhabited the territory for centuries. The Hindu Pandits of Kashmir became the first target of the insurgency. There were viewed as living symbols, representing India in Kashmir. They fled the valley leaving behind their homes and homeland to save themselves from persecution at the behest of Islamic extremists/terrorists. Half a million Pandits were displaced, marking the largest-ever exodus of people since India's partition in 1947. According to a BBC report, Many of the 250,000 refugee Kashmiri Pandits have been living in pitiable conditions in Jammu, a Hindu-majority region south of the Kashmir Valley. According to government Data 219 Pandits were killed in Kashmir from 1989 to 2004." but unofficial death toll is belived to be more. Most of the Hindu shrines in the valley was destroyed in this period. Every year since that day, Kashmiri Pandits commemorate January 19 as Kashmiri Pandit Holocaust/Exodus Day, hoping to go back to their homes one day. As of October 2015, only 1 Kashmiri Pandit family returned to the Kashmir valley since 1990 according to the Jammu & Kashmir government despite the financial assistance being given for rehabilitation. The exiled community had hoped to return after the situation improved. They have not done so because the situation in the Valley remains unstable and they fear a risk to their lives. BJP government at centre is one of the staunch supporters of rights of Kashmiri Pandits but it is yet to be seen how they succeed in rehabilitating them at their homeland. Latest India News Follow us on pak min admits jem chief masood azhar is in custody report New Delhi: In what could possibly end a spell of uncertainty and flip-flops over the detention of Jaish-e-Muhammad founder Masood Azhar in Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror attack on the Pathankot air base, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told mediapersons today that Azhar was indeed in the custody of the government. According to Khawaja, Azhar is in Pakistan's custody and authorities were in the process of collecting and examining evidence against him. His arrest, however, will only happen once they have built a case against him. The Pakistani Defence Minister made this comment while talking to reporters outside parliament in Islamabad. According to a report in The News, Khawaja told media personnel that Azhar's detention was not haphazard. Maulana Masood Azhar's being taken into custody did not come without any lead or reason at this stage, he was quoted as saying by the Pakistani daily, adding that there must have been some intelligence which led to the banned JeM's chief's detention. Khawaja further said that Pakistan could no longer afford non-state actors roaming around openly and put the security of the country in jeopardy. According to the Defence Minister, Azhar will remain in custody. However, his arrest will only come when there is sufficient evidence to nail him. Khawaja also hinted of some big news in the next 2-3 days. Meanwhile, the National Security Advisors of the two countries spoke to each other today where they are believed to have discussed the Pathankot attack and the investigations that have followed. According to sources, Ajit Doval has asked Pakistan to formally hand over details of the action taken against the perpetrators of the Pathankot terror attack. As per the sources, India has asked for details regarding the number and names of arrests and detentions made in Pakistan. India has also asked for copies of all FIRs registered in Pakistan after the Pathankot terror attack. Latest India News Follow us on no entry for pak sit into pathankot air base mos defence New Delhi: Days after India welcomed the steps taken by the Pakistani government to probe the Pathankot terror attack, Minister of state (MoS) for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh today said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by Pakistan will not be allowed to visit the Pathankot air base. We hope that Pakistan will probe, may be because of international pressure. The whole nation is irritated with terrorism. So, it's the responsibility of the nation to finish it, however, the SIT will not be allowed to enter the airbase, Singh told the media in Delhi on Tuesday. Reacting to a recent statement by the Pakistani government regarding the steps it had initiated in the fallout of the Pathankot attack, India had pledged to extend all help to the former's special investigation team when it arrives in India. We welcome the statement issued by the government of Pakistan on Monday on the investigation into the Pathankot terror attack. The statement conveys that considerable progress has been made in the investigations being carried out against terrorist elements linked to the Pathankot incident, ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. The Foreign Secretary-level talks scheduled between the two countries for January 15 were postponed to a later date on the last minute. India had earlier made it clear that going ahead with the peace talks would depend upon decisive action by Pakistan on actionable evidence provided by India with respect to the Pathankot terror attack. India believes that the attack was planned and executed by Pakistan-based militant organisation Jaish-e-Muhammad and has called for the arrest of the organisation's chief Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf for the Pathankot attack. (With Agencies) Latest India News Follow us on dalit suicide mhrd says letters to university were part of procedure New Delhi: Under fire following reports of four reminders sent on its behalf regarding a letter written by Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, the HRD Ministry today rejected allegations that it had put any pressure on the University in a matter relating to the suspension of a dalit student, who committed suicide on Sunday. The MHRD has maintained that it was only following procedure and not trying to exert any pressure on the university. The clarification came following reports that the ministry had sent five letters including four reminders to the University. "It would be wrong to say that the ministry has put any pressure on the Hyderabad University. The ministry had only followed the procedure as per the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure. Dattatreya had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani after a clash between two student groups in the campus in which an ABVP leader Susheel Kumar was attacked. According to sources, the HRD ministry had sent its first letter on September 3, 2015 to the University, and reminders were later sent on September 24, October 6, October 20 and November 19. "According to the procedure, if there is a VIP reference, it has to be acknowledged in 15 days and another 15 days may be taken to reply to it. Since no response was coming from the University, the Ministry had to send reminders," HRD Ministry spokesperson Ghanshyam Goel said. Seeking to justify the ministry's action, officials said that even in Cabinet meetings, the ministry is supposed to provide all details about pending assurances, VIP references, grievances etc. Rohith Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the University in August last year over the alleged assault case. They were also kept out of the hostel. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme step taken by Rohith was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, following his letter to Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". Rohith was found hanging at the Central University's hostel room in the campus on Sunday, triggering protests from fellow students this morning. His death has spurred a wave of protests both in Delhi and Hyderabad. (With PTI inputs) Latest India News Follow us on deboarded for muslim appearance sikh man sues us airline for 9m New York: A Sikh man and three of his friends from Brooklyn were allegedly deplaned from an American Airlines flight because their appearance made the captain uneasy. The four have now filed a $9 million lawsuit accusing the airline of discrimination. According to the lawsuit, the airline 'disgracefully engaged in discrimination' after staff removed the friends from flight 44718 from Toronto to New York last month 'based upon their perceived race, color, ethnicity.' Shan Anand, the Sikh man, and three of his long-time friends from Brooklyn, had just boarded the plane home after a trip to Canada to celebrate a friend's birthday, when a flight attendant told one of the group to get off the plane, the lawsuit claims. Anand's other friends included Faimul Alam, another Bangladeshi Muslim and an Arab Muslim and have only been identified by their initials M.K and W.H. According to reports, Anand and his friend Faimul Alam switched seats with strangers after boarding, so they could sit next to WH and MK. According to the lawsuit, a flight attendant soon asked WH to get off the plane. I thought it was an evacuation or something, so I didn't think nothing of it, the passenger identified as W.H told NY Daily News, But then she told me to take my bags and when I went back into the plane I saw I was the only one standing,' he said. The cabin crew then told his friend, M.K., 29, who was sat next to W.H., 23, in business class that he too had to leave the aircraft, the lawsuit claims. When they asked the flight crew why they were being removed, the flight attendant told them to exit "peacefully" and "demanded" they return to the gate and await further directions, the lawsuit said. It was only after the plane took off that an airline agent told the men "they could not board because the crew members, and specifically the captain, felt uneasy and uncomfortable with their presence on the flight and as such, refused to fly unless they were removed from the flight," the report said. Latest World News Follow us on isis cuts its militants salaries by 50 New Delhi: As the US-led coalition continue to attack the Islamic State's oil fields and cash stores, the dreaded terror group has cut its militants' salaries by 50 per cent. According to recently-leaked documents by the ISIS's treasury, Bayt Mal al-Muslimeen, the outfit slashed the salaries as a result of the 'exceptional circumstances' the militant group finds itself under. The document, believed to be circulated by leaked in its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa in December, cites the Koran to discuss 'jihad of wealth and jihad of the soul', according to a translation by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a research fellow at the Middle East Forum. "So on account of the exceptional circumstances the Islamic State is facing, it has been decided to reduce the salaries that are paid to all mujahideen by half, and it is not allowed for anyone to be exempted from this decision, whatever his position," the order reads. "Let it be known that work will continue to distribute provisions twice every month as usual." The US-led coalition have been targeting the terrorist organization's money making capabilities, including bombing trucks ferrying oil across Syria and Iraq. The US has also indicated it was willing to carry out wider bombing operations in ISIS controlled territory despite the fear it would cause greater civilian deaths. According to reports, the extremists have lost 40 per cent of their territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria to the global coalition. Since the US-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. Iraqi forces backed by US-led airstrikes drove Islamic State militants from Ramadi's city center last month, recapturing most of the provincial capital of the sprawling Anbar province. ISIS still holds much of northern and western Iraq, including the country's second-largest city Mosul, and large parts of Syria. It also boasts increasingly potent affiliates in Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Afghanistan. Latest World News Follow us on pakistan lifts ban on youtube after more than 3 years Islamabad: Pakistan government on Monday allowed internet users to access YouTube more than three years after the website was blocked. "The government has allowed access to a localized version of the video sharing website YouTube after assurances from the company that it would insert country-specific filters to remove objectionable content," a Pakistani official said. The popular video-sharing website was blocked in the country in September 2012 after violent protests over clips from the anti-Islam movie 'Innocence Of Muslims'. The movie 'Innocence of Muslims' was considered blasphemous and derogatory to Islam for its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad. Some of the most intense protests erupted in Pakistan, where the role of Islam in society is sacrosanct and anti-American sentiment runs high. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority spokesman Khurram Mehran says all the instructions were given and the website was accessible across the country on Monday. Latest World News Follow us on sartaz aziz slams obama says us responsible for instability in south asia Islamabad: It seems US President Barack Obama's recent instability' remark on Pakistan during his state of Union address has not gone down well with Islamabad. Reacting sharply to Obama's comments, Pak's advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz said United States (US) policies were responsible for instability in South Asia and asked the Obama administration to analyse its role and that of its allies in the region. He was speaking during a discussion on an adjournment motion in the Senate over Obama's remark. "The US created 'holy warriors' in our tribal areas during the 'Afghan Jihad' and then left them as soon as the war was over, a factor which contributed to decades of instability in Pakistan and the region," asserted Aziz. Talking about "external threats" to the country's stability, Aziz said that since 2013, Pakistan has been pursuing a policy of non-interference and is not taking part in other nations' wars. "We have decided that we are not going to indulge in fighting other countries' wars now, and this policy is being pursued vigorously by the government," he said. Aziz said: "Pakistan's answer to instability is the strengthening democracy in the country." "Pakistan has also taken a strong stance against terrorism. Operation Zarb-i-Azb in tribal areas and the operation against criminals in Karachi have helped improve the internal security situation of the country," he said. In his last State of the Union address earlier last week, President Obama had said: Instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of central America, Africa and Asia. Latest World News Follow us on kejriwal s pa asked cop to get off stage minutes before ink attack New Delhi: One of the cops from Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's security has told his seniors that he was asked to step down from the dais just before a woman threw ink at the CM at an event in Chhatrasal stadium on Sunday. According to a report published in Times Of India, it was CM's PA who himself asked the cop to step down from the dias where the CM was standing. The latest revelations have countered the AAP government's claim that it was a 'conspiracy' by Delhi Police and that security personnel failed to offer complete security cover to the Chief Minister. The cop also alleged that on many occasions, security personnel are stopped from accompanying the CM under his own instructions. This is not the first time that a cop has made such complaint to his seniors. In past, several cops from the CM's security have complained to seniors about being stopped from guarding Kejriwal. The developments have given a fresh twist to Sunday's incident and police are now interrogating the woman attacker, Bhavna Arora, to see if there was a 'plot'. On the other hand, the AAP has dismissed the claims that a police constable was asked by Kejriwal's PA to get off stage before the ink attack incident. "Someone breaking the Z+ security circle and attacking a CM is a huge mistake. As the report suggests, if the cops are saying that they went away as CM's PA asked them to leave, it is weird and awkward if cops are taking indications from a PA," party MLA Somnath Bharti said. Taking a dig at AAP, Congress leader JP Aggarwal said, "The AAP plotted this to create a drama just like they did at Jantar Mantar. The report tells AAP doesn't have any work expect doing drama against the LG, police, Prime Minister and Congress." Yesterday, the woman, who identified herself as the Punjab in-charge of Aam Aadmi Sena, was sent to one-day police custody. On Sunday evening, Bhavna had rushed close to the dais at Chhatrasal stadium from where Kejriwal was expressing his gratitude to the people of Delhi for making the odd-even formula a success and threw ink at him. Follow us on pm modi sounds poll bungle in assam blames congress for state s woes Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday blamed the Congress for the problems of Assam, saying that the party hasn't done any work in 15 years despite the fact that his predecessor Manmohan Singh represented the state in the Rajya Sabha. They (Congress) didn't work for 15 years and expect me to do all the work in 15 months, Modi said while addressing a rally here. I thought there can't be any problem in Assam as a party (Congress) was in power here for 15 years, since the former prime minister (Manmohan Singh) from here governed the nation for 10 years (2004-2014), he said. He is expected to address about 6,000 students and others at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Guwahati. The assembly elections are due in the state by April. Follow us on rahul gandhi to visit university of hyderabad New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will today visit the University of Hyderabad to meet the students after a Dalit scholar allegedly committed suicide sparking massive protests. Rahul is leaving for Hyderabad along with party General Secretary Digvijay Singh and will meet the students of the university, party sources said. The body of the dalit research scholar was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room, which sparked massive protests. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". The deceased student, Rohit Vemula, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. The Congress had accused the BJP dispensation of having an "anti-Dalit agenda and mindset" and said the death of the scholar was "deliberately orchestrated by Dattatreya, Union HRD Ministry and their cohorts of ABVP". "Now an FIR has been registered against the Union Minister and the letter written by him prima facie amounts to abetment of suicide, Congress demands that Dattatreya resigns with immediate effect, failing which the Prime Minister should sack him", party spokesman R P N Singh had said yesterday. Follow us on yogendra yadav prashant bhushan to launch political party for punjab polls NEW DELHI: Expelled Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan are mulling to launch a political party and may field candidates for the 2017 Punjab assembly election, at a time when Arvind Kejriwal is pulling out all stops to ensure victory in the state. Swaraj Abhiyan, a group formed by the duo and their supporters after their expulsion from the AAP, said they are "seriously thinking" about contesting the assembly elections in Punjab. "We intend to launch a political party soon, but no date has been fixed. But yes, we are seriously thinking about contesting Punjab polls," said a senior Swaraj Abhiyan leader. Meanwhile, the party has said it will "back" musician Bhai Baldeep Singh from Khadoor Sahib assembly during by-poll in Punjab next month. "Swaraj Abhiyan is currently a non-political organization and we don't hope to launch the party by next month. Bhai Baldeep Singh will contest as an independent and will be backed by Swaraj Abhiyan. We will be putting all our weight behind him," he said. Bhai Baldeep Singh, who is also a part of the national executive of the organisation said, "Swaraj Abhiyan's support is crucial for the polls." Mr Yadav and other Abhiyan leaders are also expected to campaign for Mr Singh next month. The decision to support Mr Singh was taken on Sunday. He had contested 2014 Lok Sabha polls on AAP ticket from Khadoor Sahib, but had lost. The seat fell vacant after Congress legislator Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned from the Assembly in protest against the sacrilege incidents in the state. 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. An Open Letter to President Obama By Miko Peled January 18, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " American Herald Tribune " - When America voted for you the first time, many people were very optimistic. A man with an African Muslim father, an African Muslim name and what seemed like a caring heart and a brilliant mind. That was both refreshing and promising. You came into office with big promises, your first inaugural address was heard around the world with ears anticipating change, but as it turns out it was merely a crescendo of rhetoric. You promised hope to the poor and disenfranchised in this country, reconciliation with the Arab and Muslim world and even peace and justice in Palestine. But, unfortunately you have been a failure and a disappointment. As a black man, you had an unprecedented opportunity to address the issues of Blacks, but you didnt. You showed no care for Black lives or for the lives of Blacks in America. You said little and did even less to stop the killing of Black men and the mass incarceration of Blacks. You said nothing and did nothing regarding the over due payment of reparations to the descendants of slaves, men and women upon whose backs the US economy was built. And, if any proof was needed, the outcry of the Black Lives Matter movement shows that your priorities were elsewhere. As things stand today, even with a President whose middle name is Hussein, there has never been a worse time to be an Arab and a Muslim in America. As Commander in Chief you brought death and destruction on Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, and now Syria. You did little to promote peace or justice in Palestine. In your inaugural address you said: To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. Yet you warmly held hands with Saudi dictators who silence dissent by death. Then in Egypt you allowed a military coup to depose the democratically elected President Mohammad Morsi, who now awaits execution while reinforcing the clenched fist of the dictator Abdel Fatah El-Sisi by allowing the flow of billions of dollars of foreign aid money into his pockets. In your inaugural address you promised us: America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity. But even as you were preparing this address, going through these very words, Israel was bombing Gaza senselessly, causing the death of over one thousand innocent civilians and the injury of countless more, and you said nothing. In Palestine, the prime example of a place where people seek a future of peace and dignity, you allowed Israel to continue to bomb and kill with the full financial, military and political backing of the United States. As President, for the last seven years you have given Israel your full support to kill, maim, arrest and torture men, women and children. The number of Palestinians made homeless, the number of Palestinian children arrested and abused and the number of Palestinian refugees waiting to return to their homes is getting higher by the minute, yet you supported Israel. Mr. President, in the summer of 2014, when Israel murdered thousands of Palestinian civilians, and young Palestinians in Gaza fought bravely to defend their homes and their families, futile though it may have been, instead of supporting those who seek peace and dignity, you chose to provide Israel with more arms and more money. Though you claimed, for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. Then you allowed Netanyahu to disgrace you, to walk, like Cesar marching into Rome, his hands stained with Palestinian blood into Congress. He was a victor, while you cowered away in some corner and let him spew his hateful lies. Where, Mr. President was your spirit then? But though you were a disappointment, though you have failed us, there is one window of opportunity available to you, if you wish to redeem yourself. For the past seven years, five innocent men sit in federal prison falsely charged and wrongly convicted on charges of material support for a terrorist organization. These five men are referred to as the HLF-5, or the Holy Land Foundation Five. If you take the time to review this case, you will see what I and many others have seen and said, that in this case, the entire judicial system had been taken hostage, the constitution, the laws that govern the land, the regulations by which government agencies are supposed to function have all been placed on hold in order to convict five innocent men. In reviewing this case you, Mr. President will see what many have us have seen and continue to see, that pressure by Israel, post 9/11 hysteria, prosecutorial over reach and a cowardice of the members of the judiciary have led five good innocent men into a living hell. Five family men, men who came to this country and contributed to their community, men who wanted nothing but to help others, must now live caged like criminals. President George W Bush using executive order 13224 shut down the Holy land Foundation, once the largest Muslim charity in this country, in December of 2001 and now you must reverse this order, reinstate the Foundation, exonerate the five men in federal prison and order that an apology be given to them, their families and the entire Arab and Muslim community in America. Then you must order that they be compensated and the money taken from them be returned with the appropriate interest. The closure of HLF brought misery not only to the five men and their family. It brought fear and anxiety to Americas finest communities, the Muslim and Arab communities. Furthermore, this closure ended crucial help to the poor, the fatherless, the homeless and the needy in Palestine. In the words of Mohammad Abumoharam, a local social worker in Gaza, I cannot possibly find words to convey the level of poverty and suffering that exists in Palestine in general and in Gaza in particular. HLF has been able to significantly alleviate the suffering of thousands in Palestine, giving them some hope for a better life. The closure of the HLF and the freezing of their assets by the government stopped all that. Until the seizure of its assets on December 4, 2001, the Holy Land Foundation provided charitable and humanitarian aid to refugees, orphans, victims of human and natural disasters, and other poor and needy persons and entities throughout the world, without regard to faith or political affiliation. Among its other charitable and humanitarian work, Holy Land has organized aid to victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; it has provided assistance to victims and relief workers at the Oklahoma City bombing site; to victims of flooding in Oklahoma and Iowa; to victims of riots in Los Angeles; to tornado victims in Fort Worth; to the needy in Paterson, New Jersey; to earthquake victims in Turkey and India; to victims of the Bosnian and Kosovo conflicts; to victims of the conflict in Chechnya; to victims of flooding in Mozambique; and to refugees, orphans, and other persons and entities in need in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Jordan. Mr. President, this case is an embarrassment to the United States government, the US Department of Justice, and the entire US judicial system. In one year you will be out of office. At fifty-five you will have been a two term president, the first half African half American President, and you are undoubtedly going to be one of the richest men on earth. What will be your legacy? You sir, have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility to release without delay, Ghassan Elashi, Shukri Abu-Baker, Mufid Abdulqader, Abdulrahman Odeh and Mohammad El-Mezzaine, also known as the HLF-5. Please do not disappoint us again. Sincerely, Miko Peled P.S. I am currently working on a book about the HLF, which I hope to publish in 2016. I hope I will be able to mention that as president you facilitated the freeing of these five fine men and righting this terrible wrong. Originally appeared at American Herald Tribune The Mirage of Justice By Chris Hedges January 18, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Truth Dig " - If you are poor, you will almost never go to trialinstead you will be forced to accept a plea deal offered by government prosecutors. If you are poor, the word of the police, who are not averse to fabricating or tampering with evidence, manipulating witnesses and planting guns or drugs, will be accepted in a courtroom as if it was the word of God. If you are poor, and especially if you are of color, almost anyone who can verify your innocence will have a police record of some kind and thereby will be invalidated as a witness. If you are poor, you will be railroaded in assembly-line production from a town or city where there are no jobs through the police stations, county jails and courts directly into prison. And if you are poor, because you dont have money for adequate legal defense, you will serve sentences that are decades longer than those for equivalent crimes anywhere else in the industrialized world. If you are a poor person of color in America you understand this with a visceral fear. You have no chance. Being poor has become a crime. And this makes mass incarceration the most pressing civil rights issue of our era. The 10-part online documentary Making a Murderer, by writer-directors Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, chronicles the endemic corruption of the judicial system. The film focuses on the case of Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, who were given life sentences for murder without any tangible evidence linking them to the crime. As admirable as the documentary was, however, it focused on a case where the main defendant, Avery, had competent defense. He was also white. The blatant corruption of, and probable conspiracy by, the Manitowoc County Sheriffs Office in Wisconsin and then-Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz is nothing compared with what goes on in the well-oiled and deeply cynical system in place in inner-city courts. The accused in poor urban centers are lined up daily like sheep in a chute and shipped to prison with a startling alacrity. The attempts by those who put Avery and Dassey behind bars to vilify them further after the release of the film misses the point: The two men, like most of the rest of the poor behind bars in the United States, did not receive a fair trial. Whether they did or did not murder Teresa Halbachand the film makes a strong case that they did notis a moot point. Once you are charged in America, whether you did the crime or not, you are almost always found guilty. Because of this, as many activists have discovered, the courts already are being used as a fundamental weapon of repression, and this abuse will explode in size should there be widespread unrest and dissent. Our civil liberties have been transformed into privilegeswhat Matt Taibbi in The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap calls conditional rights and conditional citizenshipthat are, especially in poor communities, routinely revoked. Once rights become privileges, none of us are safe. In any totalitarian society, including an American society ruled by its own species of inverted totalitarianism, the state invests tremendous amounts of energy into making the judicial system appear as if it functions impartially. And the harsher the totalitarian system becomes, the more effort it puts into disclaiming its identity. The Nazis, as did the Soviet Union under Stalin, broke the accused down in grueling and psychologically crippling interrogationsmuch the same way the hapless and confused Dassey is manipulated and lied to by interrogators in the filmto make them sign false confessions. Totalitarian states need the facade of justice to keep the public passive. The Guardian newspaper reported: The Innocence Project has kept detailed records on the 337 cases across the [United States] where prisoners have been exonerated as a result of DNA testing since 1989. The groups researchers found that false confessions were made in 28 percent of all the DNA-related exonerations, a striking proportion in itself. But when you look only at homicide convictionsby definition the most serious casesfalse confessions are the leading cause of miscarriages of justice, accounting for a full 63% of the 113 exonerations. [T]he interrogator-butcher isnt interested in logic, Alexander Solzhenitsyn writes in The Gulag Archipelago, he just wants to catch two or three phrases. He knows what he wants. And as for uswe are totally unprepared for anything. From childhood on we are educated and trainedfor our own profession; for our civil duties; for military service; to take care of our bodily needs; to behave well; even to appreciate beauty (well, this last not really all that much!). But neither our education, nor our upbringing, nor our experience prepares us in the slightest for the greatest trial of our lives: being arrested for nothing and interrogated about nothing. If the illusion of justice is shattered, the credibility and viability of the state are jeopardized. The spectacle of court, its solemnity and stately courthouses, its legal rituals and language, is part of the theater. The press, as was seen in the film, serves as an echo machine for the state, condemning the accused before he or she begins trial. Television shows and movies about crime investigators and the hunt for killers and terrorists feed the fictitious narrative. The reality is that almost no one who is imprisoned in America has gotten a trial. There is rarely an impartial investigation. A staggering 97 percent of all federal cases and 95 percent of all state felony cases are resolved through plea bargaining. Of the 2.2 million people we have incarcerated at the moment25 percent of the worlds prison population2 million never had a trial. And significant percentages of them are innocent. Judge Jed S. Rakoff in an article in The New York Review of Books titled Why Innocent People Plead Guilty explains how this secretive plea system works to thwart justice. Close to 40 percent of those eventually exonerated of their crimes originally pleaded guilty, usually in an effort to reduce charges that would have resulted in much longer prison sentences if the cases had gone to trial. The students I teach in prison who have the longest sentences are usually the ones who demanded a trial. Many of them went to trial because they did not commit the crime. But if you go to trial you cannot bargain away any of the charges against you in exchange for a shorter sentence. The public defenderwho spends no more than a few minutes reviewing the case and has neither the time nor the inclination to do the work required by a trialuses the prospect of the harshest sentence possible to frighten the client into taking a plea deal. And, as depicted in Making a Murderer, prosecutors and defense attorneys often work as a tag team to force the accused to plead guilty. If all of the accused went to trial, the judicial system, which is designed around plea agreements, would collapse. And this is why trial sentences are horrific. It is why public attorneys routinely urge their clients to accept a plea arrangement. Trials are a flashing red light to the accused: DO NOT DO THIS. It is the inversion of justice. The wrongly accused and their families, as long as the fiction of justice is maintained, vainly seek redress. They file appeal after appeal. Those convicted devote hundreds of hours of study in the law library in prison. They believe there has been a mistake. They think that if they are patient the mistake will be rectified. Playing upon such gullibility, authorities allowed prisoners in Stalins gulags to write petitions twice a month to officials to proclaim their innocence or decry mistreatment. Those who do not understand the American system, who are not mentally prepared for its cruelty and violence, are largely helpless before authorities intoxicated with the godlike power to destroy lives. These authorities advance themselves or their agendasJoe Biden when he was in the Senate and Bill Clinton when he was president did thisby being tough concerning law and order and national security. Those who administer the legal system wield power largely in secret. They are accountable to no one. Every once in a whilethis happened even under the Nazis and Stalinsomeone will be exonerated to maintain the fiction that the state is capable of rectifying its mistakes. But the longer the system remains in place, the longer the legal process is shrouded from public view, the more the crime by the state accelerates. The power elitesour corporate rulers and the security and surveillance apparatusrewrite laws to make their criminal behavior legal. It is a two-tiered system. One set of laws for us. Another set of laws for them. Wall Streets fraud and looting of the U.S. Treasury, the obliteration of our privacy, the ability of the government to assassinate U.S. citizens, the revoking of habeas corpus, the neutralizing of our Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures, the murder of unarmed people in the streets of our cities by militarized police, the use of torture, the criminalizing of dissent, the collapse of our court system, the waging of pre-emptive war are rendered legal. Politicians, legislators, lawyers and law enforcement officials, who understand that leniency and justice are damaging to their careers, and whom Karl Marx called the leeches on the capitalist structure, have constructed for their corporate masters our system of inverted totalitarianism. They serve this system. They seek to advance within it. They do not blink at the victims destroyed by it. And most of them know it is a sham. We have to condemn publicly the very idea that some people have the right to repress others, Solzhenitsyn warned. In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousandfold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old age, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations. Chris Hedges spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years. An Oligarchy Has Broken Our Democracy. It Must Be Dislodged By Mike Lofgren January 18, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Guardian " - Each new election year promises change. We will choose a new president and new representatives in Congress; fresh faces will make their appearances in Washington DC, while old ones disappear. But what about the people who stay in power, one election after another, less exposed to the public eye? The concept of a Deep State has been around for a while, but rarely to describe the United States.The term, used in Kemalist Turkey by the political class, referred to an informal grouping of oligarchs, senior military and intelligence operatives and organized crime, who ran the state along anti-democratic lines regardless of who was formally in power. I define the American Deep State as a hybrid association of elements of government and top-level finance and industry that is able, through campaign financing of elected officials, influence networks and co-option via the promise of lucrative post-government careers, to govern the United States in spite of elections and without reference to the consent of the governed. These operatives use their proximity to power and ability to offer high-paying jobs to government officials to achieve outcomes foreclosed to ordinary citizens. As professor Martin Gilens of Princeton, who studied the correlation between American popular opinion polls and public policy outcomes, concluded: [T]he preferences of economic elites have far more independent impact upon policy change than the preferences of average citizens do ... ordinary citizens have virtually no influence over what their government does in the United States. Americas growing income disparity is not the inevitable result of impersonal forces like globalization or automation. It is the outcome of hundreds of trade, tax and regulatory measures that achieved the preferred outcome enrichment of economic elites who contribute to politicians. Since the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, big money dominance of politics has gone into overdrive. Over half the money given to presidential candidates in the 2016 campaign comes from just 158 families. The result is that middle class incomes have continued to stagnate even as America saw its first hundred-billionaire family. Income inequality has reached crisis proportions. Today, hedge fund managers often pay a lower federal tax rate than public school teachers or firemen. Greed is the prerogative of American elites. Their behavior was described by political scientist Harold Lasswell, who said a societys leadership class consists of those whose private motives are displaced onto public objects and rationalized in terms of public interest. Consider that in 1992, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney privatized much of our militarys logistics. A decade later, Halliburton, a company he headed from 1995 to 2000, received $39.5bn in logistics contracts to support operations in Iraq, while Cheney, having been elected to the vice presidency, was receiving deferred compensation from his old firm. A tell-tale sign of the Deep States involvement in policy is the use of fear to make Congress compliant. In 2008, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke helped panic Congress into approving a virtual no-strings bailout of Wall Street by claiming that if it didnt approve the measure immediately, there would be no economy left. Since he left the Fed, Bernanke has made a profitable career giving speeches, mainly to financial services firms, at around $200,000 a talk. Likewise, when there are economic incentives for war, fear becomes the Deep States weapon of choice. In 2002, the Bush administration (and well-paid operatives in the military-industrial complex) hinted at nuclear mushroom clouds to stampede Congress into authorizing an invasion of Iraq in search of nonexistent weapons of mass destruction. During the last 15 years, elites have tried to keep us on the edge of hysteria about terrorism. But lately it looks as if they did their job a little too well. People are now so conditioned by fear of threats that many support a political candidate who ignores the euphemisms of the political class and openly appeals to xenophobic fascism rather than a status quo of oligarchy camouflaged by pro forma elections. The calculus of the Deep State has been upset by Donald Trump, a narcissistic pseudo-populist billionaire, who, ironically, is a symptom of all the pathologies within the Deep State. His followers may be misguided, and Trump is all too ready to offer them scapegoats, but they instinctively sense that there is something deeply wrong with the status quo. At the other end of the political spectrum, Bernie Sanders has overthrown the current model of elite financing of candidates. Tens of thousands of his energetic followers Sanderss average contribution is under $30 actively seek a return to the New Deal and the Great Society. The Deep State may yet reassert itself through money and fear, but the 2016 election looks to be the first ballot of a longer-term national referendum on what it has made of our society. Mike Lofgren is a writer and former staff member in the US Congress . He retired in June 2011 after 28 years service, latterly (since 2005) as a staff member of the Senate budget committee. You Won't Like It, But Here's the Answer to ISIS Giving Advice to a Presidential Candidate Who Wants to Do Something By Peter Van Buren January 18, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Tom Dispatch " - How can we stop the Islamic State? Imagine yourself shaken awake, rushed off to a strategy meeting with your presidential candidate of choice, and told: Come up with a plan for me to do something about ISIS! What would you say? What Hasn't Worked You'd need to start with a persuasive review of what hasn't worked over the past 14-plus years. American actions against terrorism -- the Islamic State being just the latest flavor -- have flopped on a remarkable scale, yet remain remarkably attractive to our present crew of candidates. (Bernie Sanders might be the only exception, though he supports forming yet another coalition to defeat ISIS.) Why are the failed options still so attractive? In part, because bombing and drones are believed by the majority of Americans to be surgical procedures that kill lots of bad guys, not too many innocents, and no Americans at all. As Washington regularly imagines it, once air power is in play, someone else's boots will eventually hit the ground (after the U.S. military provides the necessary training and weapons). A handful of Special Forces troops, boots-sorta-on-the-ground, will also help turn the tide. By carrot or stick, Washington will collect and hold together some now-you-see-it, now-you-don't coalition of allies to aid and abet the task at hand. And success will be ours, even though versions of this formula have fallen flat time and again in the Greater Middle East. Since the June 2014 start of Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State, the U.S. and its coalition partners have flown 9,041 sorties, 5,959 in Iraq and 3,082 in Syria. More are launched every day. The U.S. claims it has killed between 10,000 and 25,000 Islamic State fighters, quite a spread, but still, if accurate (which is doubtful), at best only a couple of bad guys per bombing run. Not particularly efficient on the face of it, but -- as Obama administration officials often emphasize -- this is a long war. The CIA estimates that the Islamic State had perhaps 20,000 to 30,000 fighters under arms in 2014. So somewhere between a third of them and all of them should now be gone. Evidently not, since recent estimates of Islamic State militants remain in that 20,000 to 30,000 range as 2016 begins. How about the capture of cities then? Well, the U.S. and its partners have already gone a few rounds when it comes to taking cities. After all, U.S. troops claimed Ramadi, the capital of Iraqs al-Anbar Province, in 2003, only to see the American-trained Iraqi army lose it to ISIS in May 2015, and U.S-trained Iraqi special operations troops backed by U.S. air power retake it (in almost completely destroyed condition) as 2015 ended. As one pundit put it, the destruction and the cost of rebuilding make Ramadi a victory in the worst possible sense. Yet the battle cry in Washington and Baghdad remains On to Mosul! Similar successes have regularly been invoked when it came to ridding the world of evil tyrants, whether Iraqs Saddam Hussein or Libyas Muammar Qaddafi, only to see years of blowback follow. Same for terrorist masterminds, including Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, as well as minor-minds (Jihadi John in Syria), only to see others pop up and terror outfits spread. The sum of all this activity, 14-plus years of it, has been ever more failed states and ungoverned spaces. If your candidate needs a what-hasnt-worked summary statement, its simple: everything. How Dangerous Is Islamic Terrorism for Americans? To any argument you make to your preferred presidential candidate about what did not work, you need to add a sober assessment of the real impact of terrorism on the United States in order to ask the question: Why exactly are we engaged in this war on this scale? Hard as it is to persuade a constantly re-terrorized American public of the actual situation we face, there have been only 38 Americans killed in the U.S. by Islamic terrorists, lone wolves, or whacked-out individuals professing allegiance to Islamic extremism, or ISIS, or al-Qaeda, since 9/11. Argue about the number if you want. In fact, double or triple it and it still adds up to a tragic but undeniable drop in the bucket. To gain some perspective, pick your favorite comparison: number of Americans killed since 9/11 by guns (more than 400,000) or by drunk drivers in 2012 alone (more than 10,000). And spare us the tired trope about how security measures at our airports and elsewhere have saved us from who knows how many attacks. A recent test by the Department of Homeland's own Inspector General's Office showed that 95% of contraband, including weapons and explosives, got through airport screening without being detected. Could it be that there just arent as many bad guys out there aiming to take down our country as candidates on the campaign trail would like to imagine? Or take a look at the National Security Agencys Fourth Amendment-smothering blanket surveillance. How'd that do against the Boston bombing or the attacks in San Bernardino? Theres no evidence it has ever uncovered a real terror plot against this country. Islamic terrorism in the United States is less a serious danger than a carefully curated fear. Introduce Your Candidate to the Real World You should have your candidate's attention by now. Time to remind him or her that Washingtons war on terror strategy has already sent at least $1.6 trillion down the drain, left thousands of American troops and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Muslims dead. Along the way we lost precious freedoms to the ever-expanding national security state. So start advising your candidate that a proper response to the Islamic State has to be proportional to the real threat. After all, we have fire departments always on call, but they don't ride around spraying water on homes 24/7 out of an abundance of caution. We Have to Do Something So here's what you might suggest that your candidate do, because you know that s/he will demand to do something. Start by suggesting that, as a society, we take a deep look at ourselves, our leaders, and our media, and stop fanning everyone's flames. Its time, among other things, to stop harassing and discriminating against our own Muslim population, only to stand by slack-jawed as a few of them become radicalized, and Washington then blames Twitter. As president, you need to opt out of all this, and dissuade others from buying into it. As for the Islamic State itself, it cant survive, never mind fight, without funds. So candidate, its time to man/woman up, and go after the real sources of funding. As long as the U.S. insists on flying air attack sorties (and your candidate may unfortunately need to do so to cover his/her right flank), direct them far more intensely than at present against one of ISIS's main sources of cash: oil exports. Blow up trucks moving oil. Blow up wellheads in ISIS-dominated areas. Finding targets is not hard. The Russians released reconnaissance photos showing what they claimed were 12,000 trucks loaded with smuggled oil, backed up near the Turkish border. But remind your candidate that this would not be an expansion of the air war or a shifting from one bombing campaign to a new one. It would be a short-term move, with a defined end point of shutting down the flow of oil. It would only be one part of a far larger effort to shut down ISISs sources of funds. Next, use whatever diplomatic and economic pressure is available to make it clear to whomever in Turkey that its time to stop facilitating the flow of that ISIS oil onto the black market. Then wield that same diplomatic and economic pressure to force buyers to stop purchasing it. Some reports suggest that Israel, cut off from most Arab sources of oil, has become a major buyer of ISISs supplies. If so, step on some allied toes. C'mon, someone is buying all that black-market black gold. The same should go for Turkeys behavior toward ISIS. That would extend from its determination to fight Kurdish forces fighting ISIS to the way its allowed jihadis to enter Syria through its territory to the way it's funneled arms to various extreme Islamic groups in that country. Engage Turkey's fellow NATO members. Let them do some of the heavy lifting. They have a dog in this fight, too. And speaking of stepping on allied toes, make it clear to the Saudis and other Sunni Persian Gulf states that they must stop sending money to ISIS. Yes, were told that this flow of donations comes from private citizens, not the Saudi government or those of its neighbors. Even so, they should be capable of exerting pressure to close the valve. Forget a no-fly zone over northern Syria -- another fruitless solution to the problem of the Islamic State that various presidential candidates are now plugging -- and use the international banking system to create a no-flow zone. You may not be able to stop every buck from reaching ISIS, but most of it will do in a situation where every dollar counts. Your candidate will obviously then ask you, What else? There must be more we can do, mustnt there? To this, your answer should be blunt: Get out. Land the planes, ground the drones, and withdraw. Pull out the boots, the trainers, the American combatants and near combatants (whatever the euphemism of the moment for them may be). Anybody who has ever listened to a country and western song knows that theres always a time to step away from the table and cut your losses. Throwing more money (lives, global prestige...) into the pot wont alter the cards you're holding. All youre doing is postponing the inevitable at great cost. In the end, there is nothing the United States can do about the processes now underway in the Middle East except stand on the beach trying to push back the waves. This is history talking to us. That Darn History Thing Sometimes things change visibly at a specific moment: December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, or the morning of September 11, 2001. Sometimes the change is harder to pinpoint, like the start of the social upheaval that, in the U.S., came to be known as the Sixties. In the Middle East after World War I, representatives of the victorious British and French drew up national boundaries without regard for ethnic, sectarian, religious, tribal, resource, or other realities. Their goal was to divvy up the defeated Ottoman Empire. Later, as their imperial systems collapsed, Washington moved in (though rejecting outright colonies for empire by proxy). Secular dictatorships were imposed on the region and supported by the West past their due dates. Any urge toward popular self-government was undermined or destroyed, as with the coup against elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran in 1953, or the way the Obama administration manipulated the Arab Spring in Egypt, leading to the displacement of a democratically chosen government by a military coup in 2013. In this larger context, the Islamic State is only a symptom, not the disease. Washingtons problem has been its desire to preserve a collapsing nation-state system at the heart of the Middle East. The Bush administrations 2003 invasion of Iraq certainly sped up the process in a particularly disastrous fashion. Twelve years later, there cant be any question that the tide has turned in the Middle East -- forever. Its time for the U.S. to stand back and let local actors deal with the present situation. ISISs threat to us is actually minimal. Its threat to those in the region is another matter entirely. Without Washington further roiling the situation, its a movement whose limits will quickly enough become apparent. The war with ISIS is, in fact, a struggle of ideas, anti-western and anti-imperialist, suffused with religious feeling. You cant bomb an idea or a religion away. Whatever Washington may want, much of the Middle East is heading toward non-secular governments, and toward the destruction of the monarchies and the military thugs still trying to preserve updated versions of the post-World War I system. In the process, borders, already dissolving, will sooner or later be redrawn in ways that reflect how people on the ground actually see themselves. There is little use in questioning whether this is the right or wrong thing because there is little Washington can do to stop it. However, as we should have learned in these last 14 years, there is much it can do to make things far worse than they ever needed to be. The grim question today is simply how long this painful process takes and how high a cost it extracts. To take former President George W. Bush's phrase and twist it a bit, you're either with the flow of history or against it. Fear Itself Initially, Washingtons military withdrawal from the heart of the Middle East will undoubtedly further upset the current precarious balances of power in the region. New vacuums will develop and unsavory characters will rush in. But the U.S. has a long history of either working pragmatically with less than charming figures (think: the Shah of Iran, Anwar Sadat, or Saddam Hussein before he became an enemy) or isolating them. Iran, currently the up-and-coming power in the area absent the United States, will no doubt benefit, but its reentry into the global system is equally inevitable. And the oil will keep flowing; it has to. The countries of the Middle East have only one mighty export and need to import nearly everything else. You cant eat oil, so you must sell it, and a large percentage of that oil is already sold to the highest bidder on world markets. Its true that, even in the wake of an American withdrawal, the Islamic State might still try to launch Paris-style attacks or encourage San Bernardino-style rampages because, from a recruitment and propaganda point of view, its advantageous to have the U.S. and the former colonial powers as your number one enemies. This was something Osama bin Laden realized early on vis-a-vis Washington. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams in drawing the U.S. deeply into the quagmire and tricking Washington into doing much of his work for him. But the dangers of such attacks remain limited and can be lived with. As a nation, we survived World War II, decades of potential nuclear annihilation, and scores of threats larger than ISIS. Its disingenuous to believe terrorism is a greater threat to our survival. And heres a simple reality to explain to your candidate: we can't defend everything, not without losing everything in the process. We can try to lock down airports and federal buildings, but there is no way, nor should there be, to secure every San Bernardino holiday party, every school, and every bus stop. We should, in fact, be ashamed to be such a fear-based society here in the home of the brave. Today, sadly enough, the most salient example of American exceptionalism is being the world's most scared country. Only in that sense could it be said that the terrorists are winning in America. At this point, your candidate will undoubtedly say: Wait! Won't these ideas be hard to sell to the American people? Won't our allies object? And the reply to that, at least for a candidate not convinced that more of the same is the only way to go, might be: After more than 14 years of the wrong answers and the disasters that followed, do you have anything better to suggest? Peter Van Buren, a TomDispatch regular, blew the whistle on State Department waste and mismanagement during the Iraqi reconstruction in We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People. A TomDispatch regular, he writes about current events at We Meant Well. His latest book is Ghosts of Tom Joad: A Story of the #99Percent. His next work will be a novel, Hooper's War . 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 . Will Congress Stop the Iran Deal? Long after the nuclear agreement was settled, opponents are undermining an already fragile peace. By Philip Giraldi January 18, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Since July the Israel Lobby and other opponents of the understanding reached by the White House and other parties to limit the Iranian nuclear program have been warning that any celebration would be premature, as the agreement is far from a done deal. President Obama survived initial attempts to create legislative hurdles hindering implementation of the pact, but there are clear signals that the battle is far from over. Congress is again cranking up its efforts to overturn the agreement, incorporating conditions into sometimes unrelated legislation that seek to circumvent or limit the authority of the president to conduct the nations foreign policy. This is being referred to as round two by critics of the White House, and Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the neoconservative Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, is warning that there will be many, many more rounds if needed. This sustained challenge to long-established executive prerogatives in foreign policy is unprecedented and can only be resisted if the White House retains sufficient Democratic votes in Congress to avoid the overriding of a presidential veto. That is by no means certain in an election year in which there will be considerable media and constituent focus on how individual congressmen have voted on contentious issues. The first measure seeking to marginalize and punish Iran was House Resolution 158, which passed through the House of Representatives by a lopsided 407 to 19 vote on December 8th. The bill, entitled The Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015, altered the existing Immigration and Nationality Act. Rather than going through the Senate independently, where it might have been amended before going to a vote, the act was subsequently rolled into the must-pass omnibus spending bill that passed through both the House and Senate on December 18th, and was then signed by President Obama. It is now law. The Visa Waiver Program includes 38 countries, mostly in Europe, whose citizens can travel to the United States without first obtaining a visa. The program has been in place since 2005 and has generally been regarded as beneficial both for purposes of tourism and business travel. There have been no known security breaches connected to the program. The bill was a panicked response to the two recent terrorist incidents in Paris and San Bernardino, California, though the changes mandated would in no way have prevented either attack. The concern was that radicalized European citizens who might have traveled to countries known to harbor large numbers of ISIS supporters could use their visa waiver passports to freely enter the United States with the intention of carrying out terrorist acts. The concern is legitimate, if almost certainly overstated, as an estimated tens of thousands of young Europeans have reportedly joined ISIS, but the proposed legislation creates a number of problems both in terms of international law and agreements that the United States government has entered into. Nor is there any evidence to suggest that it will actually prevent terrorist incidents. The legislation specifically cites Iran, a persistent and fully committed enemy of ISIS, together with Iraq and Syria, identifying them as countries where either travel or former residency triggers automatic suspension of visa waiver rights. H.R. 158 requires the Department of Homeland Security to designate additional countries where there is increased likelihood that a visitor might become engaged in a credible threat to the U.S., where there is a significant foreign terrorist organization presence, or where there is a safe haven for terrorists. Dual nationals of such countries shall be denied visa waivers even if they are traveling on a passport from a visa waiver country. In addition, other travelers from a visa waiver country who have visited any one of the target countries in the past five years shall also be denied entry under the waiver program. Both nationals and those who have visited the target countries will be required to apply for normal travel visas, a process that will include mandatory sharing of information with the country that issued the prospective travelers passport. In practice this means that any European passport holder who either visits or is by birth from Iraq, Syria, or Iran will be denied an automatic visa to the United States. Ironically, Iran arguably has never carried out a terrorist bombing or suicide attack against the United States while countries whose citizens have done so, including Libya and Pakistan, are not on the list. Saudi Arabia, exporter and supporter of Sunni Muslim terrorism globally, and also the source of nearly all the 9/11 terrorists, is also exempted. This means that someone could visit Pakistan or Libya for weapons training and not be flagged, but if he or she visits Iran for any reason, they could be denied the right to travel to the United States. The U.S. bill is in violation of World Trade Organization rules against politicizing trade and abridging the ability of businessmen to travel freely. In this case, visiting Iran would be punished by denying onward travel to the U.S., so many foreign visitors will avoid Tehran. The law would also be contrary to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that recently resolved the issue of the Iranian nuclear program. The agreement guaranteed that the ability to conduct normal business and trade with Iran would not be impeded. The inclusion of Iran in the bill does not, of course, have anything to do with the war against ISIS. The American neoconservatives and their congressional allies continue to believe that Iran constitutes the most serious threat against Israel, so it has to be pressured incessantly no matter how it behaves. Other initiatives are in the works. Recent moves in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seeking to review Irans alleged steps taken to develop a nuclear weapon prior to 2003 have regurgitated the same lies that were surfaced back in 2011, claims regarding Iranian behavior and intentions that were based on empty insinuations and forged documents. Complaints investigated by the IAEA are generally confidential and sometimes even anonymous but it is known that Israel and the United States were behind the latest moves. The IAEA, which is largely funded by Washington, can be relied on to keep the pressure on Iran. This weeks incident in which Iran briefly detained 10 U.S. Navy personnel who had unintentionally entered into Iranian territorial waters is being magnified in the media, with some questioning whether it was an act of war. It was not, by any reasonable standard, and would be quickly forgotten if it had involved anyone but Iran. It will surely be exploited for emotional value over the next few days. There also have been stories popping up in the Israel-friendly media claiming that Iran is testing ballistic missiles in violation of United Nations resolutions, allegations that are being exploited in a bid to impose new sanctions and wreck the nuclear agreement. The White House is under pressure to impose sanctions, as Obama maintains that the missiles are an element in the nuclear agreement, a point of view not shared by Iran. For the moment, the relatively mild sanctions being considered are on hold as the administration is keen to have the nuclear agreement move forward. Congress has still more up its sleeve. Later this month, Senators will likely seek to extend the Iran Sanctions Act for 10 years, including specific provisions targeting the countrys energy and financial sectors. Ironically, the extension will likely be debated while President Obama will actually be trying to finalize the lifting of the existing sanctions as part of the JCPOA. Supporters of the extension argue that the new authorization will only be on the table, available for the president to use if Iran misbehaves. The intention is clearly to exercise rigorous congressional oversight to pressure Iran into responding aggressively to the violation of the spirit of JCPOA, leading to a tit for tat escalation that would put the overall agreement in jeopardy. Particularly worrying to President Obama is the fact that the sanctions extension effort is being spearheaded by two Democratic Senators, Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Ben Cardin of Maryland. If two more Democratic Senators can be convinced to join them, it could mean a veto proof majority in the Senate of 67 votes. Six Democratic representatives, including Democratic National Committee head Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, have also written to Obama demanding sanctions against Iran. On a bill that came to a vote this week intended to restrict Obamas ability to lift Iranian sanctions, the House voted 191-106 in favor along party lines with 137 abstentions, many of them Democrats, suggesting that support for the president on the issue is very soft. The proposed Senate extension of sanctions is still somewhat speculative, while the House visa waiver bill will undoubtedly be difficult to enforce as intended, since many Muslims living in France and Britain were born in those countries and have never traveled to the areas where their families originated generations ago. The legislation is so transparently offensive and even illegal that many international friends normally accommodating to U.S. interests will speak up. Visa waiver countries offer reciprocity to visiting Americans, a practice that could easily be amended to pushback against U.S. policies. Indeed, David OSullivan, the European Union ambassador to the United States, is already warning that some of these ideas are being rushed through without necessarily thinking out fully the consequences. Many European citizens with Muslim names will continue to be eligible for visa waivers but will inevitably come under suspicion every time they choose to travel to the United States. Their mistreatment by U.S. immigration authorities will no doubt be reported in the international media, but it is the punishing of Iran even when it is blameless that has, disgracefully, become reflexive action for many in the United States government. Worse still, Congress and the Israel Lobby will continue to be creative in adding to the indignities, doing their best to scupper the nuclear agreement even though it is clearly in everyones interest. The latest threats from Washington will accomplish absolutely nothing constructive and will restore the tense state of no-war and no-peace between the U.S. and Iran. If pushed to its logical conclusion, the truculent meddling could very easily lead to a real war. Britain and Saudi Arabia Shoulder to Shoulder in Atrocities in Yemen By Felicity Arbuthnot "There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people." Howard Zinn, 1922-2010 January 18, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Dissident Voice " - Britains aiding and abetting of the brutal, head chopping, summarily executing, flogging regime of Saudi Arabia continues unabated. In spite of a Letter before action sent as a threat of legal action over arms export licences to Saudi Arabia increases by London law firm Leigh Day, acting on behalf of Campaign Against the Arms Trade challenging the governments decision to export arms despite increasing evidence that Saudi forces are violating international humanitarian law (IHL) in Yemen , it transpires that UK military advisors are also working alongside Saudi bomb targeters. According to the Daily Telegraph: British military advisers are in control rooms assisting the Saudi-led coalition staging bombing raids across Yemen that have killed thousands of civilians, the Saudi Foreign Minister and the Ministry of Defence have confirmed. Briefing the Telegraph and other journalists the Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said that the UK and other countries in the control centre: are aware of the target lists. The target list would seem to have included five attacks on schools, disrupting the remaining shreds of normality for 6,500 children. In some cases the schools were struck more than once, suggesting the strikes were deliberately targeted, states a report by Amnesty International. In October 2015 the Science and Faith School in Beni Hushayash, Sanaa was attacked on four separate occasions within the space of a few weeks. The third strike killed three civilians and wounded more than 10 people. The only school in the village, it provided education for 1,200 students. In the village of Hadhran, the Kheir School: also suffered multiple air strikes causing extensive damage, rendering it unusable. In the same village two civilian homes and a mosque were bombed, two children were killed, their mother injured, with one man killed and another injured whilst praying in the mosque. The director of another school in Hodeidah city, the al-Shaymeh Education Complex for Girls, which catered for some 3,200 students described her horror after the school came under attack twice within a matter of days in August 2015 killing two people. No students were present at the school during the attack, but a man and woman were killed. (All emphases added.) I felt that humanity has ended. I mean, a place of learning, to be hit in this way, without warning where is humanity ? she asked. The al-Asma school in Mansouriya was destroyed in a bombing in August. However, these horrors barely scrape the surface of the criminal and humanitarian outrage. Yemens Ministry of Education showed Amnesty data revealing more than 1,000 schools inoperable, 254 completely destroyed, 608 partially damaged and 421 being used as shelter by those displaced by the Saudi-led, UK-assisted onslaught. The UK is subject to the Arms Trade Treaty which entered into force on the December 24th, 2014 and which Britain has both signed and ratified (April 2nd, 2014) which prohibits arms transfers if they have knowledge that the arms would be used to commit attacks against civilians, civilian objects or other violations of international humanitarian law. Britain have knowledge that arms would be used against civilians or civilian objects it is seemingly also helping to plan them, with the US also providing arms and intelligence. The targets for which the UK surely share responsibility also include three medical facilities supported by Medecins Sans Frontieres, the latest on January 10th, a hospital in Saada in the north of the country resulting in six deaths by the January 17th, in which eight were also injured, two critically. This is the third severe incident affecting an MSF health facility in Yemen in the last three months. On October 27th, Haydan hospital was destroyed by an airstrike and on 3 December a health centre in Taiz was also hit, with nine people wounded. The exact co-ordinates of the facilities had been given to the Saudi-led, British-advised coalition, as they had when the US bombed the MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan on October 3rd, 2015. It seems giving details of humanitarian facilities to trained killers is interpreted as an invitation to become target practice. Other potential war crimes have included destruction of the Al-Sham water bottling factory, killing thirteen workers about to head home from the night shift and markets, apartment buildings and refugee camps eleven people in a mosque. Also destroyed last September was formerly one of the countrys largest employers, the ceramics factory, where Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch stated they had found definitive proof a UK made Marconi Cruise Missile was used in the destruction. Amnesty also stated that they had: found evidence of apparent war crimes in connection with thirteen airstrikes around the north-eastern Saada region, which killed about one hundred civilians including fifty nine women and twenty two children. (Guardian, November 25th, 2015.) Some population centres are so comprehensively decimated that survivors wonder if they are finally safe, since there is nothing left to bomb. Doctor Natalie Roberts, working with MSF, told the New York Times of women giving birth in caves, feeling them the safest places. The human cost, as ever, defies imagination: Omar Mohammed al-Ghaily, 28, sat in the center of town, near the ruins of his clothing store The strikes killed Seif Ahmed Seif, who owned an umbrella store. Mr. Ghaily kept Mr. Seifs identity card, maybe to return it one day to his daughter, who lives far away in Taiz. He kept coming to the rubble, he said, because he had no place to go. Elsewhere, when locals tried to dig the barber from the rubble of his shop: We found only his legs. Bombs being dropped range from 250 pounds to 2,000 pounds. Yet last September the US was: finalizing a deal to provide more weapons to Saudi Arabia including missiles for its F-15 fighter jets. Yemens population is just 24.41 million (2013 figure.) Between March and September 2015, Britain issued thirty-seven arms export licences for arms transfers to Saudi Arabia, pointed out a correspondent to the Guardian, noting: The UK boasts that it has one of the most rigorous and transparent export control regimes in the world. If this really is the case, the government needs to immediately suspend all arms transfers to the conflict and launch an investigation into how these weapons have been used. Whilst the Ministry of Defence continues its mantra of having one of: the most robust arms export control regimes in the world, unease is growing amongst government legal advisers, with one from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office telling the Independent (November 27th, 2015): There are many Elizabeth Wilmshursts around here at the moment. Not all are being listened to, referring to the senior government legal advisor to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who resigned in March 2003 because she was convinced of the illegality of the proposed attack on Iraq. She had worked with the Department since 1974. It can only be hoped that some of the many Elizabeth Wilmshursts will publicly call time on David Camerons governments collusion in atrocities in Yemen and that Leigh Day and the Campaign Against the Arms Trade legal initiative bears fruit. Justice for so much in the region has been long delayed. Felicity Arbuthnot is a journalist with special knowledge of Iraq. Author, with Nikki van der Gaag, of Baghdad in the Great City series for World Almanac books, she has also been Senior Researcher for two Award winning documentaries on Iraq, John Pilger's Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq and Denis Halliday Returns for RTE (Ireland.) Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Parallel Standards Offer Way Out Of Violence One step to a change in Mideast relations is a change in the U.S. mindset By Kristin Christman January 18, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Ten thousand Americans are killed annually by drunken American drivers. Fourteen Americans were killed in December by two Muslims. So Donald Trump suggests banning alcohol? No; he wants to ban Muslim immigrants. And Muslims don't even drink. Candidates' tough talk is not about saving lives. It's about ignorance. ISIS and Al Qaeda adhere to hijacked forms of Islam which reject Islam's call for peaceful tolerance. Furthermore, the ability of ISIS to attract global followers doesn't even stem from its intolerant ideology, but rather from its determination to resist foreign and sectarian domination. It was the U.S. invasion of Iraq and anti-Sunni brutality of the U.S.-installed Shia government that led to ISIS' following, not its ideology. The issue isn't religion. It's domination. If the U.S. wants to ban something, it ought to ban U.S. invasions. The problem with the U.S. reaction to both 9/11 and ISIS is the U.S. belief in hammering out peace by controlling people. There has never been earnest effort at cooperative negotiation, as if this would be spineless appeasement or a pact with the devil. There has never been any reassurance on the part of the U.S. that it will discontinue its military, political, economic, and cultural intrusiveness in the Mideast. Many factors contribute to Middle Eastern violence; U.S. policy is only one factor. But instead of adding more killing to the killing in vain attempts to achieve physical control over people's minds, the most powerful step the U.S. can take is to change its own behavior to reduce tension within Middle Eastern minds. Imagine the tables turned. Would you feel safe with the FBI being supplied by Egypt with weapons to suppress American civilians, the U.S. military trained on Saudi bases in Texas, a popular president deposed by Iran, U.S. oil fields managed by Iraq, Afghanistan invading to construct pipelines, and ads and movies everywhere featuring Middle Eastern products and values? The U.S. seems to think the Mideast should take all this without complaint. We need to take leadership and make a proposal to Middle Eastern civilians, Al Qaeda and ISIS militants, and national leaders, while emphasizing that the proposal is made despite ISIS violence, not because of it. The proposal should describe U.S. unilateral actions but encourage the Mideast to adhere to parallel standards. Like this: "If you choose to kill, torture prisoners, assault women, inflict inhumane punishments, or promote terrorism, we won't support you. "But for our part, we're going to stop killing you, stop the invasions, night raids, bombs, drones, weapons shipments, and mistreatment of prisoners. "If you want to dominate other genders, religions, and nations, deprive people of rights, or conquer the world, we won't support you. "But we're going to stop dominating you. Any threat to freedom experienced by Americans from terrorists pales when compared to threats to freedom endured by Middle Eastern civilians as a result, in part, of 60 years of U.S. policy. Most Middle Eastern militants aren't fighting to trample our freedoms but to gain their own. "In various decades we've funded and armed several Middle Eastern leaders who've brutally crushed their people's freedoms. We'll discontinue this practice and stop CIA coups and regime changes of leaders who thwart U.S. government and business interests. "We won't make deals with one segment of your population while disregarding others. Instead of arming one side to fight another, we'll strive to resolve conflicts. And we'll respect humane governments, whether secular or religious, because both types are capable of kindness and cruelty, tolerance and intolerance. "If you want to support corruption, kidnapping for ransom, oil wealth hoarding, drug trading, or war lords who extort money from civilians, we won't support you. "But our foreign policy will no longer be driven by desires for wealth and possessions. There will be no more Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Carter, and Reagan doctrines that treat the Mideast like America's personal oil reservoir and provide for dirty deals, nor U.S. money and weapons to Middle Eastern security forces to suppress Islamists and other opponents of tyrants in exchange for U.S. access to tyrants' oil. "We'll renegotiate fair trade terms and provide investment and aid that benefit your poor more than our rich, with none of our typical military, political, or economic strings attached. "If you force people to convert, pressure women to conform to repressive dress codes or face a flogging, ignore women's intellect, scorn them as inferior, or make women the scapegoated, beat-up targets of males' tension, we won't support such un-Islamic behaviors. "But we'll take pressure off the Mideast to convert to Westernization, secularism, materialism, conspicuous sexuality, and capitalism. We'll stop inundating you with Western ads, movies, fashions, and luxuries and respect your aversion to bars, cinemas, and luxury hotels. "If you kill reporters, falsify news, and hijack Islam to preach violence, we won't support you. "But we'll quit the half-truths and aim for broad coverage of Middle Eastern and American perspectives on conflict and solutions. We'll clarify that peace and violence are parts of both Muslim and Christian history. And we'll correct false beliefs that violently spreading Christianity, Islam, and democracy is justified in the name of God, Allah, and Freedom. "Some choose a militant path in search of noble purpose, employment, adventure, or camaraderie. Let's channel these motives into non-violent, meaningful careers. Let's develop Islamic forms of recreation, playgrounds, outdoor adventure, and scenic parks. Let's make it our priority to help all people feel cherished." If we honestly address legitimate concerns motivating ISIS violence, can we attract away from ISIS those followers who don't admire brutality and intolerance? Can we prove to ISIS followers they can achieve just goals without violence? Will our unilateral actions serve as a powerful role model and ease the tension that breeds violence and extremism? Kristin Christman is author of "The Taxonomy of Peace." https://sites.google.com/site/paradigmforpeace Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust Donate Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. The Day After The US Has Never Sought Peace By Soraya Sepahpourulrich January 18, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Not the movie about a fictional war between NATO forces and the Warsaw Pact and a nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union, but the Day After the Implementation Deal of the Iran Nuclear Deal. Although I said and wrote repeatedly in the past that the US stance toward Iran will not change, by now it should be obvious to all that this is the case. America thanked Iran by imposing further sanctions on Iran for its defense capabilities the ballistic missiles. If we all share a common dream of some balance in this world, which would hopefully lead to more security for all, here is what must happen. With the nuclear-related UNSC sanctions against Iran lifted, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SC)) must IMMEDIATELY include Iran in the SCO as a full member. The alternate is not pretty. While some Iranian reformists have written that America needs Iran, the truth of the matter is a more just and balanced world needs Iran, foremost Russia and China. The United States has not abandoned its aspirations of becoming a global hegemon. The US has never sought peace. Peace and expansion/domination are incompatible. In 1941, Isaiah Bowman, a key figure in the Council on Foreign Relations wrote: The measure of our victory will be the measure of our domination after victory. True to this, after the Cold War, Prominent Americans such as Wolfowitz and Rustow opined that it was important to contain Russia (the Heartland Defense Planning Guideline 1992, 1993). It was felt that the domination of the Heartland (Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia) would lead to the domination of the World. Events in the past several years confirm the implementation stages of the plan. As recently as April, 2015, during a speech at the Army War College Strategy Conference, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work elaborated on how the Pentagon plans to counter the three types of wars supposedly being waged by Iran, Russia, and China. These goals have been facilitated with the Nuclear Deal. Let us consider. The deal buys America time . Irans strength has been its ability to retaliate to any attack by closing down the Strait of Hormuz. Given that 17 million barrels of oil a day, or 35% of the worlds seaborne oil exports go through the Strait of Hormuz, incidents in the Strait would be fatal for the world economy. Enter Nigeria (West Africa) and Yemen. In 1998, Clintons national security agenda made it clear that unhampered access to Nigerian oil and other vital resources was a key US policy. In early 2000s, Chatham House was one of the publications that determined African oil would be a good alternate to Persian Gulf oil IN CASE OF OIL DISRUPTION.This followed a strategy paper for US to move toward African oil. Push for African oil was on Dick Cheneys desk on May 31, 2000. In 2002, the Israeli based IASPS suggested America push toward African oil. In the same year Boko Haram was founded. In 2007, AFRICOM helped consolidate this push into the region. The 2011, a publication titled: Globalizing West African Oil: US energy security and the global economy outlined US positioning itself to use military force to ensure African oil continued to flow to the United States. This was but one strategy to supply oil in addition to or as an alternate to the passage of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Enter Yemen . To understand the geopolitics of the Saudi war against Yemen, it is imperative to read The Geopolitics Behind the War in Yemen: The Start of a New Front against Iran written by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya. Nazemroaya correctly states: [T] he US wants to make sure that it could control the Bab Al-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden, and the Socotra Islands. The Bab Al-Mandeb it is an important strategic chokepoint for international maritime trade and energy shipments that connects the Persian Gulf via the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea. It is just as important as the Suez Canal for the maritime shipping lanes and trade between Africa, Asia, and Europe. In 2012, several alternate routes to Strait of Hormuz were identified which at the time of the report were considered to be limited in capacity and more expensive. However, collectively, the West African oil and control of Bab Al-Mandeb would diminish the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz in case of war. A very important consideration is the stark fact that the fallout from bombing an operating uranium enrichment facility with several hundred kilograms of enriched uranium would create an environmental catastrophe which would dwarf all nuclear accidents to date killing millions of people. The Iran Nuclear Deal greatly reduces the scope of the ensuing disaster should such steps be taken. All this is of course speculation. There is no doubt that the primary goal of the United States is to install a Washington friendly compliant regime in Iran. But what if it fails? Has Washington spent billions of dollars to undermine and destroy the Iranian revolution, decades in demonizing the people only to change its mind? Isnt this the same scenario we hoped would be the outcome of the end of the Cold War only to learn that Washington continued a covert war against Russia? In spite of the media jamboree that often herald the invitation and arraignment of suspected politically-exposed looters in court, more often than not in the history of probing corruption cases in Nigeria, at the end of the day, none of the suspects gets convicted and sentenced to a prison term. With President Buharis commitment to fighting corruption to a stand still, INFORMATION NIGERIA has in this piece done a review of 5 high profile corruption cases that did not end up in the conviction of the persons involved here are the 5 case studies 1. The trial of former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB, Francis Atuche, has not even started seven years after it was filed in court. Atuches case, which started in 2009, was last November adjourned till February 16, 2016 just for mention by Justice Saliu Saidu. 2. A former Managing Director of the defunct Oceanic Bank, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, who was convicted in 2010 for banking fraud, was sentenced to only six months imprisonment, a term she served in a highbrow hospital on Victoria Island, Lagos. 3. The trial of Chimaroke Nnamani, former governor of Enugu State, which started in 2007 has yet to see the light of the day, nine years after. However, there is a likelihood that Nnamanis case may start afresh now that the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Yunusa, has been transferred from Lagos to the Enugu Division of the Federal High Court. 4. Sarakis trial for alleged false assets declaration to the Code of Conduct Bureau has been stalled on account of Supreme Courts order of stay of proceedings. 5. In Benin last year, Justice Abubakar Liman convicted a younger brother of a former Governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion, Michael, of laundering N25bn belonging to the state. For the offence, Michael was sentenced to only two years imprisonment with an option of N3m fine and he of course chose the option of the fine. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday disclosed that the source of the petition of alleged corruption against immediate past governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, could not be traced. Suswam was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja alongside former Commissioner of Finance in the state, Omodachi Okolobia, on nine-count charges of embezzlement of funds valued at N3.1 billion. An official of the EFCC, Junaidu Saidu testified that the commission received an anonymous petition on July 14, 2015 against Suswams administration titled: Truth Shall Prevail Over Evil Minds with no letterhead or address. The petition alleged the theft of N9 billion sold shares of Benue State with Dangote Cement PLC, misappropriation of N6 billion Ecological Funds from the federal government to Benue State for six years, and the diversion of N1billion from the sale of Taraku Vegetables Ltd against the ex-governor. He, however, noted that following the petition, the commission made some findings, which informed its decision to prosecute Mr. Suswam and his co-accused on the nine-count charge to the tune of N3.1 billion. During the cross examination by defence counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), which lasted for more than five hours, Mr. Saheed further revealed that address of the petitioner could not be traceable while e-mail messages sent to it were not delivered. He added that investigations showed that a partner to the state Ministry of Finance and Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, Elixir Investment Partners, received several billions of Naira on behalf of the state which were paid into the accounts of Fanffash Resources. Mr. Daudu, however, prayed the court to compel the EFCC operative to explain the result of its findings on the remaining sum of over N6 billion since the commissions findings show N3.1 billion forming part of the N9.4 billion allegedly diverted. Responding, counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), pleaded that the commission be allowed to explain based on its charges that revolve around the sum of N3.1billion. A plea by the counsel to Suswam to present a previous judgment from the same court regarding his stand that the anti-graft agency had no legal privilege to investigate state funds, failed. The presiding judge, Ahmed Mohammed, said the court could take judicial notice of the said document and nothing else. Justice Mohammed adjourned the case to today for further hearing. A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Ebonyi State, Mr. Abia Onyike, yesterday, said for President Muhammadu Buhari to keep blaming former President Goodluck Jonathan over the state of economy, at every possible chance, shows it was not prepared to lead. Onyike, who spoke to newsmen in Abakaliki over the state of the nation pointed out that Buharis administration was yet to make any new or original impact on the economy of the nation, apart from buck-passing and uncoordinated anti-corruption crusade. He, therefore, called on President Buhari to immediately set up a non-partisan economic recovery team capable of rescuing the country from imminent economic collapse. All hands must be on deck. The APC government should start providing qualitative governance and take steps to reduce political tension. The uncoordinated anti-corruption crusade is becoming controversial and Nigerians are getting fed up with the politics of buck-passing. The energy and time wasted in blaming past administrations and witch-hunting political opponents would have been used to focus on governance. This government does not appear prepared to provide in-depth services to the people. The exchange rate of the naira is now N305 to one dollar. This is the worst ever in Nigerian history. Mass poverty is enveloping the nation. Something has to be done to checkmate the rapid economic depression. President Buhari can set up a bi-partisan economic recovery team made up of astute economic and financial wizards to rescue Nigeria from economic retrogression, Onyike said. The national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned those it labeled as fifth columnists, to desist from making political capital out of the present challenges confronting the party. Some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP had yesterday demanded that National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh and acting Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, who are both standing trial over alleged involvement in the $2.1 billion arms deal scandal, should step down to face their trial. The members of the NWC, four in number, in a statement, said it had become absolutely necessary for the two party chiefs to step down until their trial is concluded. Those that signed the statements are the Deputy National Youth Leader, Dennis Alonge-Niyi; Deputy National Legal Adviser, Bashir Maidugu; Deputy National Organsising Secretary, Okey Nnaedozie; and Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo. They also called on the acting national chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, to revert to his position as Deputy National Chairman in accordance with the judgment of an Abuja High Court, which declared his occupation of the seat as illegal. But a statement by the partys National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo advised members of the party to engage in efforts that would rebuild the PDP, rather than make utterances that seek to further discourage and create division within its fold. The statement said: The attention of the national leadership of the PDP has been drawn to reports in the media credited to some members of the party regarding the on-going ordeal of some of our leaders with the EFCC as well as issues relating to the position of the National Chairman of our great party. Indeed, we understand the concerns of our members especially since the unfortunate electoral setback, its attendant trauma and disagreements within the party as well as the recent development leading to the probing of some of our leaders and of course our campaign funding by the APC-led government. In the same vein, we have noted the desperation of some opportunistic and selfish individuals, including those being used by the APC, to draw political capital from the present challenges facing our party. While we await the judicial determination of the cases involving some of our leaders at the EFCC, it is important that all party members show commitment to our rebuilding effort by ensuring utterances that encourage and unite rather than further discourage and divide our members. Anything contrary to this would be playing into the very hands of those who want to decimate our party, destroy our common destiny as a people and install a one-party state in our country. Our earnest attention for now is our on-going rebuilding efforts, the amendment of our partys constitution and our scheduled National Convention in March this year to produce new leaders in line with the statutory requirements of our great party. All the statutory organs are aware of the laid out plans by the NWC, which would soon be presented to them appropriately and accordingly. The public and the media are by this made aware of the fact that the PDP remains a big family despite our temporary electoral setback. Also, our leadership and statutory organs, the NEC, NWC, Caucus, Board of Trustee, forum of Governors and caucuses of various legislative houses, are all united in the common effort to rebuild and reposition the party, especially with preparations for our National Convention in March. A Catholic priest, Reverend Father Samuel Aniebonam, has distanced himself from the proposed election to be conducted for offices in the Ralph Uwazuruike-led Biafra Independent Movement (BIM). Uwazuruike, who was recently expelled as leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, last week, named Aniebonam as chairman of Biafra Independent Electoral Commission, B-INEC. But the Catholic priest dissociated himself from the appointment, and described as spurious, publications linking him with the Biafra struggle. A statement yesterday by Rev. Fr. Aniebonam said he was surprised that Uwazurike could make such an appointment without first seeking his approval and urged the general public to discountenance same. The statement said: Media reports claim that Chief Ralph Uwazurike of Biafra Independent Movement (BIM) appointed Rev Fr. Samuel Aniebonam as the chairman of Biafra Independent National Electoral Commission (B-INEC), a body that would conduct and supervise the internal election into offices of BIM on February 22. I, Rev Fr. Samuel Aniebonam, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Awka, Anambra State, hereby dissociate myself from the publications as they were made without my consent. I, never in any forum, discussed or accepted the appointment, either from Chief Uwazurike, his agents, proxies or any other person. I also state unequivocally that by my vocation as a priest, I am stopped from active participation in partisan politics and I have maintained this in the 23 years of my priestly ordination. I have neither been involved in, nor encouraged any act of secession or insurrection against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I, therefore, urge the public to disregard the publications as I strongly believe in the unity and indissolubility of Nigeria. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN says corrupt judges will end up in jail as they will be prosecuted and their illegally acquired assets returned to the state. Mr Malami said this, Tuesday, at the media launch organized by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)s latest report titled Go home and sin no more: Corrupt judges escaping from justice in Nigeria. The report launched at Westown Hotels, Jummy Hall, Lagos highlights through case studies judicial corruption and the impunity of corrupt judges in the country. Considering the pivotal role that they play in the administration of justice, it is important to ensure that Nigerian Judges, like the proverbial Ceazers wife, are beyond reproach or even suspicion. Gone are the days when corrupt judges escaped from Justice in Nigeria! Malami noted. I can assure you today that in line with the cardinal agenda of President Muhammadu Buharis administration, the office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation shall ensure that every appearance of corruption in the Judiciary is dealt among other measures through criminal prosecution and forfeiture to the State of illegally acquired assets. Acts of judicial impunity will also not be condoned, so that our Judges can be judicially accountable at all times in a corruption-free judiciary which is both independent and impartial. All these, shall be achieved, (together with partners like SERAP), without violating the fundamental human rights of the persons involved, and in line with Rule of Law and international best practices. That would be this administrations own way of saying: Go and sin no more! said Mr Malami who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant (White Collar Crimes) Abiodun Aikomo. The Judiciarys one and only mandate should be to deliver justice without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. The world over, the rule of law, and separation of powers which are inseparable components of a democratic government, presupposes the existence of an independent and impartial judiciary. Unfortunately the trust reposed in the Nigerian Judiciary is often betrayed on the altar of corruption or other conducts incompatible with the exalted office of a Judge. Though, there have been cases of removal of some judges for acts unbecoming of judicial officers, often times upon the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC) in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) (1999 Constitution) which empowers the President to remove a judicial officer from office on the recommendation of NJC. Nevertheless, in reality, on a comparison between the widely reported cases of corruption in the Judiciary vis-a-vis the records of judicial officers who have actually been punished therefore, it would appear as if Nigerian judges enjoy total immunity from prosecution for corruption (and allied offences), whereas judges are not immune from discipline for any misdeed let alone for corruption. As we may be aware, this administration promised Nigerians that it will promptly address the challenges facing our nation in the three areas of: (a) Corruption, (b) Economy and (c) Security. Let no one be in doubt, the legitimate expectation of Nigerians in this regard shall be met. In this regard therefore, I am reiterating that the fight against corruption shall be total and will not exclude judicial officers who are found wanting. After all, it is beyond doubt that a corrupt judge cannot meaningfully contribute to the fight against corruption. We shall continuously remind our Judges about the Judicial Oath to which they subscribed upon their appointment which inter alia read as follows: I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions honestly, to the best of my ability and faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Law; that I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions; that I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So help me God. SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni welcomed Mr Malamis commitment. He said Corrupt judges are more dangerous to the society than corrupt politicians because a corrupt judiciary denies both victims of corruption and those accused of corruption access to an independent, impartial and fair adjudication process. SERAP looks forward to working with the Attorney General of the Federation to ensure the full implementation of the recommendations contained in our report. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal on Monday declared that Corruption is the main opposition confronting the All Progressives Congress-led federal government, not any political party. Engr. Lawal stated this in his office when a delegation of a Coalition of Progressive Political Parties led by national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), Mr. Ibrahim Yusuf Bashir, paid him a visit. According to the SGF, the unusual but powerful opposition known as corruption, has enormous resources with which it has launched a propaganda war. He, however assured that the government, because of its honesty, integrity and sincerity of purpose, will prevail in the ongoing crusade against graft. Mr. Lawal also expressed optimism that the war will be won because the people of Nigeria and God are behind the Buhari Administration. A statement by the Director of Press in the Office of the SGF, Bolaji Adebiyi, quoted the SGF as saying what the federal government is now focused on is good governance, which will result in rapid development and growth to the nation. He also used the occasion of the visit to reiterate his admiration and support to the Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, for the impressive development that is taking place in Ebonyi State, despite being in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. The SGF stressed that President Muhammadu Buhari is a meticulous, honest and just leader who will ensure that Nigerians will soon start enjoying the change that he promised during the 2015 elections campaign. Earlier, leader of the delegation, Mr. Bashir, congratulated the government of President Buhari for the determination and efforts it has committed to fighting corruption in government. He pledged the support of all the political parties that form the coalition to the federal government in the war and stated that their position is driven by patriotic reasons. The PDM chair, however, said emphasis must, indeed, be placed on the ethical revolution of the administration so that Nigerians can own the change agenda in all ramifications. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Tuesday, reaffirmed his commitment to remain resolute to serve and justify the trust reposed in him by the people. Addressing a large gathering of party chieftains, market men and women, captains of industry, members of the diplomatic corps as well as top government functionaries, Governor Ambode said his administration is fully aware that a safer Lagos will attract more investments from local and foreign investors, hence he kept to his promise in the first quarter to improve on the security in the state with investment in security equipment worth over N4.7 billion. The Governor reported that the investment in the security equipment has led to the reduction of crime rate in the state by 65 percent in the last quarter of 2015. I am happy to report that our State is a lot safer today as statistics show that crime rate reduced by 65% during the last quarter compared to Year 2014, he said. Governor Ambode said his administration, in another spirited effort to tackle crime, invested towards the Light Up Lagos project, which has since restored light on major highways and inner roads in the state at night. In the past few months, we have fixed street lights from Berger in Ojodu to Lekki, Ikorodu to Lagos Island, the entire Ikeja axis, Victoria Island and Ikoyi. We are taking this project to every part of the State. If we are not yet in your neighbourhood, give us a little time; we will soon be there. As we light up the State, we expect crime to reduce as criminals will have nowhere to hide and operate. I call on individuals and corporate bodies to join our Light Up Lagos project by adopting a street and lighting it up either by connecting it to your meter or your generator. In return, these individuals and institutions will receive special concessions on Land Use Charge and commendation from the State and Local Governments. The Governor also said in the last quarter, 49 transformers were donated to communities that were hitherto in darkness for five years, while electricity has now been restored to 63 Communities starting from Eleko to Ode-Omi in Ibeju Lekki Local Government. We also commissioned the 33kva Electrical Sub-Station in Gberigbe Community, Ikorodu. This is expected to improve the electricity situation in that axis, he said. On infrastructural development, Governor Ambode said that over 300 roads were rehabilitated during the period under review, adding that 66 major road projects are at various stages of completion while 80 road grading and surface dressing projects will soon be completed in all the LGs & LCDAs of the State. He added that a total of 114 roads will be delivered through this intervention in the next six months at a cost of N17.5bn. On the projection for the first quarter of 2016, he assured that with the budget already in place his administration will kick-start the N25billion Employment Trust Fund, employ new staff into LASTMA, Fire Service and Hospitals, strengthen the state security infrastructure as well as take the Light Up Lagos Project to more areas. As your Governor, I am resolute in my commitment to you; to serve and justify the trust you have reposed in me and work tirelessly to deliver good governance for the collective good of all Lagosians. All we need is your support and cooperation. We thank you for your direct feedback to us. We take them on board but we also need you to always fulfill your side of the social contract by ensuring regular payment of your taxes and willful compliance with the State Laws. There are better days ahead. Together, we are building a Lagos that we are all proud of, Ambode said. A jealous boyfriend stabbed to death his ex-girlfriend and a fellow college athlete she was with in her off-campus bedroom and killed himself thereafter, apparently with the same knife. The 24-year-old man got distraught over a recent breakup with the girl, the police said on Monday. According to the police, as reported by abc7ny.com, Colin Kingston, of Geneseo, entered Kelsey Anneses apartment around 6am on Sunday, near the State University of New York at Geneseo in upstate New York. Kingston, who brought a large knife he had recently purchased, found her with another student, Matthew Hutchinson, of Vancouver, British Columbia. Though, the police were not sure of how the killing took place, the report says Kingston, a former student at the school might have killed them both while asleep. Kingston called his father before killing himself, police officer Jeffrey Szczensiak told reporters on Monday. Szczensiak said, All indications are that Mr. Kingston used the same knife to take his own life. Kingston had recently made suicidal comments, and he had no criminal history, he added. Source:Punch Two people lost their lives after they contracted the now prevalent Lassa fever in Plateau state. The State commissioner for Health, Dr. Kuden Kamshak who confirmed the death of the two victims yesterday January 18th, said they died at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) where they were being treated. This brings to three the number of people that have died from the disease in Plateau state. The State Commissioner says the government and the World Health Organization are working towards containing the virus The state with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is working round the clock to contain the spread of the virus. Meanwhile a 65 year old woman has been diagnosed with the deadly fever in Delta state. The unidentified woman who is from Ifiogwari village, Ayamelunu, Anambra state, is said to have come to Asaba for treatment after a suffering prolonged fever. She was first admitted at St. Josephs Hospital, from where she was referred to Federal Medical Centre, Asaba when her conditioned worsened. The case was confirmed at the virology laboratory, Specialist Hospital, Irrua, Edo State. Lassa fever is a viral disease transmitted by infected rats. The rats spread the disease by contaminating food or water in any dirty environment. Infected persons spread the disease when their body fluids such as blood, feces, urine, sperm and vomit come in contact with others. Some signs and symptoms of Lassa fever infection include cold and fever, sore throat, headache, pains in different parts of the body, nausea, cough, diarrhea and general sense of being unwell. Source:TalkOfNaija For allegedly biting off a neighbours nose, a mechanic, Augustine Orivba, was on Monday arraigned in Lagos. He was charged at an Ikeja Magistrates Court. Orivba, 40, a resident of no. 3, Osho close, Obokwu St., Ojodu, Lagos, is being arraigned for breach of the peace and assault. The Prosecutor, Insp. George Nwosu, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Jan. 12 at his residence. He said that the accused unlawfully assaulted his neighbour, one Mr Henry Obocha, by biting off his nose. The accused bit off his neigbours nose, he said. Nwosu said that the accused always came home very late and would be knocking heavily for neighbours to open the door. The accused used to come back home by 1:00 a.m and will be disturbing his co-tenants by banging the passage door for them to open it. That fateful day, he banged the door, but no response from any of his neighbours, he said. The prosecutor said that the accused damaged the door to gain entrance into the passage that led to his apartment. When the accused finally entered, he sighted the complainant sleeping in the passage; he went angrily to attack him for not opening the door for him. In the process of punches between the accused and the neighbour, the accused bit off his nose, he said. The offences, Nwosu said, contravened Sections 166 and 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. Section 171 prescribes three-year jail term for offenders. The accused pleaded innocence of the offences and was granted bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum. The Magistrate, Mr A.A Adesanya, adjourned the case to Feb.2 for mention. (NAN) Punch A fresh crisis is brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party as some national officers of the party have called on the partys Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Alhaji Haliru Bello, and others to step down with immediate effect. Vanguard Abuja Top militant leaders, who have been causing havoc in the Niger Delta and major oil depots in the South-West, have laid out conditions under which they would stop the renewed bombing of oil installations and embrace peace. The Sun Nigerias foreign reserves witnessed another $445.4million drop yesterday as the price of crude oil fell below $28.74 its lowest point for 13 years on concerns over worsening supply glut after sanctions on Iran were lifted last week. Thisday As Nigeria battles with the ongoing Lassa fever outbreak currently ravaging 12 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) the federal government has been advised to provide rapid test kits to detect the disease on the spot. Daily Times Hobark International Limited The parent company of the Hobark group operating in the oil and gas industry. The company was incorporated in 1998, starting as a staffing agency based in Port Harcourt. Currently we have offices in 4 countries with our head office in Lagos. Hobark International Limited is looking for qualified candidates to fill the position below: Job Title: Reservoir Engineer Location: Lagos Req ID: Req-0788 Job Objective/Purpose To provide support and supervision in Reservoir Engineering related matters within the Lagos-based studies team. Key Competencies Requirements Functional/ Technical: Expert in preparation of reservoir simulation data-decks. Managerial: Good supervision skills, focussed on target delivery. Behavioural: Good team skills, experience of mentoring junior staff. Self motivated, ability to work without supervision. Work Cycle (Hours/ Days): Monday Friday (7.30 a.m. 4.30 p.m.) Incumbent will be expected to be prepared to do unpaid overtime to achieve departmental targets. Requirements Education Qualification: B.Sc or M.Sc Degree in Petroleum Engineering. Experience: Minimum of 10 years experience in the Oil and Gas Industry (Petroleum Engineering), of which at least 8 years must have been spent conducting integrated reservoir and other technical studies. Expert proficiency in Eclipse, good understanding of static modeling. Click here to apply A teenager has been arrested in California after she reportedly claimed on social media to have stabbed to death her boyfriend during a domestic dispute. Nakasia James had been sought for questioning in the stabbing death of 21-year-old Dorian Powell in San Bernardino on January 11 2016. Local media reported that police had been searching for the 18-year-old after learning of a posting that was reportedly posted on her Facebook page. It read in part: Last night, my ex was drunk was fighting me hit me in the face and I get the knife and stabbed him. Didnt think I would hurt him. Sorry, lord, hopefully you forgive me, and sorry, Dorian Powell. RIP. Ms James was taken into custody by Hemet police after officers responded to a tip, Lt Rich Lawhead, of the San Bernardino Police Department, told ABC News. At about 2.35am, police received a call regarding a person who had reportedly been stabbed by his girlfriend, according to a news release issued that day. Officers responded to the 2000 block of North Central Avenue, where they found Mr Powell suffering from injuries consistent with a stabbing. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Later the next day, an apparent confession was published on a Facebook page purportedly belonging to a person named Nakasia Macc James. The author of the post wrote that she had been fighting with her ex, who hit her in the the face. We was really fightn and I gt (sic) the knife and stabbed him, the statement said, adding that she ddnt think I would hurt him BT I did he died. Police have declined to comment on the social network. UK Independent. A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Ben Onyechere, yesterday said the Court of Appeal judgment on the Abia governorship election cannot stand because it went against the will of the people. He said if it were in other climes, the judgment ought to be subjected to a probe because PDPs victory at the election was as clear as daylight. According to Onyechere, the massive turnout of voters, who cast their ballot for Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the PDP, makes the judgment questionable. Recall that the court of appeal had sacked Ikpeazu after cancellation of election in three local government areas Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa North where it was alleged there was violence. The court therefore ordered that Dr. Alex Otti, who was the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, should be sworn-in immediately after he scored the highest number of votes following the deduction. However, Onyechere, who is President of the Igbo Question Movement, said there must be more to the verdict than meets the eye. In a statement, Onyechere, a former Personal Assistant to former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, said the appellate court got it wrong by declaring the APGA candidate winner of the April 11, 2015 governorship poll. He said: The judgment delivered by Abia governorship appeal is a close reminder of what transpired in the recent past when states were freely awarded to a party of their choice without recourse to judicial decorum. That trend seemed like cancer until it was arrested at Sokoko were an attempt was made to upturn the election of the governor. The sensibility of people of Nigeria have in the recent past been set aghast by the mucous and delusional sentiment of political considerations associated with such judicial partisanship. That judgment is an affront against the Ngwa who were unpretentious about their voting pattern in the last election. In civilized climes such judgments which are inconsiderate of the defenceless masses, who had fallen over themselves in other to exercise their right of citizenship should have being probed. Judiciary in this digital era can no longer be made to look like an Okija shrine where the priests are probably infallible but must be made to live up to their bidding which is primarily as the last hope of helpless masses, not as an instrument of denial and intimidation. The Senate, yesterday, said that it disowned the second version of the 2016 budget brought to it because it failed integrity checks. Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume, who briefed reporters in Abuja, stressed that the 2016 budget was never missing. He explained that what happened was that some copies of the budget submitted to the Senate were subjected to integrity checks and they failed the checks when compared with the original copy presented to the National Assembly by President Buhari. He noted that the Senate discovered some loopholes in the second version. There were issues with the budget that some people were not comfortable with. There were integrity checks and it was discovered that there were some loopholes, Ndume said. We asked the Ethics and Privileges Committee to find out what actually happened and it was discovered that there were two versions of the budget. It is not that the figure submitted by Mr. President has changed. It is still the same thing. It is not that what Mr. President submitted is sacrosanct, that it cannot be changed. It can be changed. It is not that the N6.08 trillion budget Mr. President submitted to us has changed or any of the subheads has changed. They are still the same. The President did not submit a failed document. The President submitted a budget, which went through integrity checks. I have my soft and hard copies of the budget. I spent most of the weekend looking at the budget. What I tried to do was to make a comparative analysis. So, I could not find the difference. But then they told me that the difference is not in the sub-total or sectoral allocation. They did integrity checks and they gave me an example. That if a certain amount was allocated to do two things and they felt that the amount can be used to do four things. They said instead of two things, do four. They are still talking about spending the same amount but getting more for it. But what I can tell you now is that the budget that was submitted originally, there were certain integrity checks on it that made some changes in the quantity but not in the total, Ndume said. Senate President Bukola Saraki had on Thursday said that the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions discovered that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, printed and submitted to the Senate a fake copy of the 2016 budget. The upper chamber of the National Assembly has, therefore, resolved not to consider the budget until the soft copy of the original budget estimate presented by President Buhari on December 22, 2015 was made available to the Senate. Hence the earlier planned debate on the budget would not commence today. Did Remix OS violate the GPL and Apache licenses? Remix OS is an Android based desktop operating system. A recent post about Remix OS on the Linux Homefront Project blog charges that Remix OS has violated the GPL and Apache licenses. Pavlo Rudyi reports for the Linux Homefront Project blog: Yes, its really rebrand UNetbootin that licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) Version 2 or above. Minimum differences with UNetbootin! Just new icons and micro changes in GUI interface. Need more information and do not trust to your eyes? Not a problem just unpack remixos-usb-tool-B2016011102.exe. After the previous review of Remix OS I received a comment with interested information about Remix OS USB Tool. My small personal research found that Remix OS developers have a zero tolerance for the code licenses and work of other peoples. The report about Remix OS and possible license violations spawned a large thread on the Linux subreddit, and redditors there weren't shy about sharing their thoughts: Timawesomeness: Remix OS has seemed bad ever since I first heard of it. This just confirms my feelings. K1: Glad this came out. Wasn't happy to see consoleos being crapped on while remix got a free pass for no reason. Also that did seem to be very close to unetbootin... Arahman81: Well, RemixOS did something, ConsoleOS just relabelled Android-x86 and then ask them to fix some issues so he could take all credit. Trish1975: I would much prefer that if a desktop based on Android ever was released, that all the local components are released under a FOSS license so the community would also gain something. Directhex: Ignoring the violations issue, using unetbootin for anything is a great sign of extremely questionable thought processes, and I'd not want to touch any project advocating its use 11mariom: I didn't trust Remix OS at all from first news Funknut: I was sitting here trying to figure out how this OS is licensed to determine the validity of the article, but you're right, the license comparability simply relies on how it might restrict its own source distribution, which might not even be defined in whatever license they're including, so certainly making contact with the author to clarify would be the only way to determine in the case that a license does not clarify. Shinjiryu: Sigh, why am I not surprised? Einsidiler: I've heard the GPL criticised a lot for being "viral", which really makes it impractical for libraries that you want more people to use. Though, that's why LGPL exists, and other licenses are even less restrictive. For a full application, like UNetbootin, it isn't really a problem unless you want to rebrand the application without saying that's what you're doing, which is a dick move and exactly what's happening here. EmanueleAina: ...plenty of closed projects use GPL components: you can always call an external GPL program even from closed software. Many projects are under lesser strong forms of the GPL, like libc (which allows closed software to link to it), Java Classpath (which has a similar clause) or everything under the LGPL. All of them require you to share the source of the *GPL pieces you used, while non-copyleft licenses (eg. MIT or Apache) don't require it. So yes, the GPL is "annoying" on purpose, as it really meant to make sure the freedom of the user to tinker with the software is not restricted. More at Reddit What a difference three years makes. In 2012, when Computerworld first looked at containerization technologies that help organizations manage their bring-your-own-device programs, the landscape was quite different from what it is today. Now, all the issues about information security, app wrapping and data wiping have gathered under one umbrella: management. Encryption -- as opposed to mobile hypervisors and app wrappers -- is now considered the most viable option for keeping corporate data separate from personal data. The primary goal, of course, is to keep confidential company information away from unauthorized eyes. But another reason for separating the two types of data is to make it possible to delete corporate data on a personal phone without touching the personal data. And vendors are adding other capabilities, such as links between enterprise mobile management software and mobile operating systems. No vendor has mastered the balancing act between the need for security and the need to give employees access to company data so they can be productive, but they're making progress. Experts say three trends have shaped the current containerization landscape: increased mobility among workers (who don't want to carry two phones or lose personal data after a corporate wipe), advances in mobile security technology and a push toward better device management. Here's a look at those market-shaping trends and their impact on IT departments. Hog Futures Close Higher Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 4:48PM CDT At the close lean hog futures were $0.85 to $1.20 higher at the close. The CME Lean Hog from 10/17 was $93.19, down by 16 cents. The National Average Base Hog price for Wednesday afternoon was $3.67 stronger... HEZ22 : 87.375s (+1.04%) HEJ23 : 92.750s (+1.09%) KMZ22 : 96.875s (+0.36%) Limit Drop in Dec Cotton Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 4:48PM CDT Cotton futures hit their limit a couple of times to the downside on Wednesday, with December ultimately closing there. The other front months ended the day with 302 to 347 point losses. Dec is now printing... CTZ22 : 78.50 (+0.27%) CTH23 : 78.43 (+0.59%) CTK23 : 77.49 (+0.08%) Cattle Strengthens on Wednesday Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 4:48PM CDT Front month live cattle futures ended the day with gains of $0.72 to $1.57. The December contract went home $1.02 under the contract high and just 5 cents under the day sessions high. Feeders faded... LEV22 : 149.350s (+0.59%) LEZ22 : 151.350s (+1.05%) LEG23 : 154.250s (+0.97%) GFV22 : 175.225s (+0.23%) GFX22 : 178.075s (+0.14%) Soybeans Close in Black on Wednesday Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 4:48PM CDT The Wednesday soybean market saw afternoon strength push beans fractionally to 2 3/4 cents in the black. Through the session November contracts saw a 21 1/2 cent trading range from +6 1/2 cents to -15c.... ZSX22 : 1372-6 (unch) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.2637 (+0.06%) ZSF23 : 1382-4 (unch) ZSH23 : 1391-4 (unch) Red Close for Wednesday Wheat Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 4:48PM CDT Front month wheat futures traded lower through the midweek session, but ended off their lows. Chicago futures went home on 8 to 8 1/2 cent losses. Kansas City wheat futures closed 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cents... ZWZ22 : 838-2 (-0.36%) ZWH23 : 856-2 (-0.38%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.7583 (-1.05%) KEZ22 : 939-0 (-0.29%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.9921 (-0.41%) MWZ22 : 952-6 (unch) Red Close in Midweek Corn Market Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 4:48PM CDT Corn worked off the highs in the afternoon round of trading, but futures were still down by 1 1/4 to 2 3/4 cents at the bell. December printed a 10 1/2 cent range on the day, from plus 3 1/2 to minus 11... ZCZ22 : 677-4 (unch) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.6571 (-0.10%) ZCH23 : 684-0 (unch) ZCK23 : 684-0 (-0.15%) Livestock Report Walsh Trading - Wed Oct 19, 4:06PM CDT Hogs rally The family foundation of the late George Rathmann, one of the pioneers of the biotech industry, has been making wide-ranging grants since 1991. Two of its interests are conservation and carbon storage. Now, the funder has launched a competition, with the environment as the next focus. The Rathmann Challenge, which made its first award in November 2015, is a uniquely varied competition, rotating between a whopping nine topics that include education, the environment, international aid, technology and science. The prize is $100,000, plus an opportunity to apply for a grant of $200,000. The 2017 prize will go to environmental solutions, a longtime priority for the funder. The challenge is a relatively new endeavor for the Rathmann Family Foundation, and the result of younger members from the third generation of the family joining the board, according to tax documents. But it also seeks to carry out the intentions of the first generation, focusing on causes George and wife Joy Rathmann supported, as well as an emphasis on entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. Innovation was something George Rathmann knew a lot of about, given his history as CEO of Amgen, the worlds largest independent biotechnology firm. When he took the reins of the company in 1980, genetic engineering was was barely a thing, but Rathmann built up the companys funding and led Amgen to develop some massively successful drugs. Science and education are two of the main focuses of the foundations giving, but so is the environment. For example, the foundation has given past grants to conservation groups in Maryland working on the Chesapeake Bay, but also to groups protecting water and land in Massachusetts and the Bay Area. One particularly interesting project that has received substantial funding from the Rathmann Family Foundation is an effort to advance carbon storage in soils on farms and ranches in California. The work hinges on a growing concept called carbon farming, by which adding compost to regenerate grazing land increases the amount of atmospheric carbon the soils can soak up. Heiress Peggy Rathman and husband John Wick began experimenting with carbon farming on their ranch in California, and the family foundation has supported their nonprofit, the Marin Carbon Project and the Carbon Cycle Institute to advance the efforts. Major climate and political donor Tom Steyer and his wife Kathryn Taylor have a similar interest they've been pursuing at their own cattle ranch. Related: Tomkat Serves Steak With a Side of Sustainability That may or may not shed light on what to expect in the upcoming Rathmann Challenge. The foundation heavily emphasizes innovative solutions to problems, and the environment is the next topic on the agenda for the 2017 prize. But the details of the 2017 Challenge have yet to be decided. The competition rewards past work based on a peer review process, the prize being $100,000, but is also based on the potential to take that work to a higher level. So winners are then invited to submit a proposal for an Even Bigger Idea grant of twice the prize money. Related: The Perils of All These Prizes The challenge is unique in a couple of ways. For one, the long list of topics and biennial schedule suggest several years will go by between competitions in each individual topic, which is kind of puzzling. But the two-stage RFP style, offering a pretty big chunk of money, and then a chance for more, is intriguing. The first round focused on education, seeking creative solutions to a problem that interferes with Pre-K-12 learning. The inaugural winner was Vision to Learn, a nonprofit that sends mobile clinics to schools to identify untreated vision problems. Details on the 2017 Rathmann Challenge will be available in November on its website, which will also post future funding opportunities from the foundation. Theres a reason why financial thrillers arent a cinematic genre, my viewing companion sighed as we filed out of a New Jersey megaplex screening of The Big Shortthe weekend after Christmas. Its not all that often that the topics falling under Institutional Investors realm of coverage get a nod from Hollywood. Of course, there was Wall Street, whose archvillain, Gordon Gekko, rose to icon status thanks to popular recession-era discontent in 1987 and again in 2010, with the sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. More recently, The Wolf of Wall Streettold the tale of a Long Island strip mall boiler room gone wrong, with Leonardo DiCaprio as the star to help sell the movie to the masses. Effectively, those last two movies werent so much economic treatises as they were crime flicks, with some finance dusted on top. The Big Short takes its own tack (a bit absurdly) by breaking the fourth wall and having celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain explain collateralized debt obligations with a parallel between them and stew made from two-day old fish, or having pop star Selena Gomez suss out the finer points of synthetic CDOs alongside University of Chicago professor Richard Thaler at a Las Vegas blackjack table. Granted, the movie has its own ensemble cast of stars Christian Bale shines as twitchy hedge fund manager Michael Burry but the financial content had to be washed down with dramedy to make it palatable. Essentially, for econ to pass big-screen muster, it has to be tarted up. Compare this with films in the vein of other social science pursuits. Would the recipe for a political flick call for an extra dollop of intrigue? Would a historical biopic need an additional layer of smarminess to market the life and times of a U.S. president? One reason for this pop culture gap among social sciences is the misconception that economics is beyond the grasp of most people. College-level intro economics is often taught from a quantitative standpoint: Its full of things like numbers and calculus, which send many qualitative-minded liberal arts types running. Among those who get scared off: future social studies educators. Teachers themselves are afraid of econ, says a longtime professor of social studies education. Many future social studies teachers come to the profession with a history or political science background, and may come away from Econ 101 and 102 feeling intimidated, says the professor. That trepidation can eventually make its way down back down into the schools. Economics coursework is often pigeonholed into being part of a track toward an eventual career in finance or economics, rather than as an integral part of a well-rounded education. Would you say someone is going to be a historian because theyre taking a history class? he asks. Indeed, when I was applying to take AP Macroeconomics my senior year of high school, my beloved English and art history teacher came up to me in the hallway one morning and said, I hear youre an aspiring economist! I also took AP Biology in high school. The closest Ive come to drosophila since then was last summer, when a package of bananas started to turn two days after taking them home from the supermarket. Despite being the worlds wealthiest country, the U.S. ranks 14th in financial literacy, according to results published in November of an S&P and Gallup survey of 150,000 adults across 148 countries. (Heres the five-question quiz, if youre interested.) Having taken econ in a suburban Minneapolis public high school and gone off to the University of Chicago, an institution whose name is synonymous with classical economics, I had just assumed that economics was part of standard social studies bill of fare. Not so. In conversations with friends and colleagues of all stripes, I was startled to find out that having access to economics classes is less common than suffering through the public humiliation that is phys ed dodgeball. According to the Council for Economic Educations Survey of the States, it wasnt until 2014 that all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia included economics in their K12 standards. This doesnt mean a full-fledged economics course, mind you. As of the same year, only 24 states demanded that high schools offer economics. In fact, whereas two states, North Dakota and Wyoming, added such a requirement, three Maryland, Utah and my home state dropped it. Only 19 states required schools to offer a personal finance course. Although seven states have made this a necessity since 2011, both Illinois and New York have done away with the requirement. Essentially, while there need to be such lessons, however interdisciplinary, sprinkled throughout 13 years of education, in a majority of states there is no barrier between skipping a course devoted to how money works and high school graduation. Never mind understanding the finer points of financial articles, economics is necessary for an informed electorate. Economics is part of citizenship, maintains the professor with whom I chatted. Its also a social science discipline thats more or less immune to political whims, he says. Compare this to the tug-of-war over American exceptionalism in U.S. history curricula. Besides enabling someone to call out far-fetched political rhetoric, financial literacy can also foster economic equality and stability. Wide availability of retirement saving structures is a fine and noble thing though their effectiveness in promoting financial security is diminished if the end user doesnt know how to squirrel away money into them. As for other branches of personal finance such as home lending well, you need not look further than The Big Short to know what sort of global havoc can be wreaked by a fundamental lack of understanding of mortgages, never mind supply and demand. Perhaps so-called financial thrillers should become a genre. Maybe then economics would be considered within reach. Follow Anne Szustek on Twitter at @the59thStBridge. Get more on macro. Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development team at Aon Benfield, have revealed that the global cost of natural disasters in terms of insured losses is down 31% when compared with a historical average.The Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report, released by Impact Forecasting last week showed that insured losses for 2015 stood at US$35 billion, down 31% from the 15 year average of US$51 billion.The report also noted that last year saw 300 separate global natural disasters, higher than the 15 year average of 269, whilst global economic losses for the year stood at US$123 billion, some 30% below the 15 year average of US$175 billion.The US$35 billion insured loss represents the lowest annual total since 2009 as Stephen Mildenhall, chairman of Aon Analytics, said that, while it may have been a calmer year, the industry must not rest on its laurels.Global insured property catastrophes in 2015 accounted for just 28 percent of economic losses, in-line with the 10-year average of 29 percent, Mildenhall said.In many regions, economic catastrophe losses are very material relative to national GDP and yet are insured at much lower levels than in the United States and Europe.Of our top five economic losses, four occurred outside the United States and yet none of these was a top 10 insured loss owing to low insurance penetration in the affected countries.With its abundant capital and sophisticated risk management tools, the industry should drive its own growth by better delivering on its core mission of providing critical risk transfer products to enable stable economic development in all regions of the world.Steve Bowen, associate director and meteorologist at Impact Forecasting, said that the increasing numbers of natural disasters over the year highlight the need for continued vigilance and development.While a notable uptick in recorded natural disaster events did not directly translate to greater financial losses in 2015, the year was marked by 31 individual billion-dollar disasters, or 20 percent more than the long-term average.For just the fourth time since 1980, there were more than 30 such events in a year, Bowen continued.Asia once again incurred the greatest overall economic losses, representing 50 percent of the world total and four of the five costliest events.Despite 32 percent of global economic losses occurring in the United States, it accounted for 60 percent of the insured loss and seven of the top 10 costliest insured events.Bowen noted that the El Nino cycle that had affected Australia throughout the later months of the year had an impact on the year in disasters, as next year could bring around its own challenges.The strongest El Nino in decades had definitive impacts on global weather patterns during the second half of 2015 that led to costly flood, tropical cyclone and drought events, Bowen noted.These impacts will linger into the first half of 2016, and ironically enough, we could be discussing impacts from La Nina at this time next year.To access the full Impact Forecasting report, click here Recruitment is as much about culture as competency Major international companies are rushing to establish a position in Iran as the Islamic Republic re-opens for business after the lifting of international sanctions. Up for grabs is access to a market with 80 million people and annual output of some $400 billion, making Iran the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading system since the Soviet Union broke up over two decades ago. Some foreign companies will remain wary of investing in the country, however, because of concern that the sanctions could snap back if Tehran is later found not to be complying with the nuclear agreement. Airbus Irans transport minister said that the country intended to buy 114 civil aircraft from Airbus in a deal worth more than $10 billion at catalog prices. Airbus said on Saturday that it had not yet held commercial talks with Iran. Audi The Volkswagen-owned German carmaker said its representatives had traveled to Iran for talks with possible importers as it sought to enter Iran for the first time, seeing growing potential there for luxury cars. Commerzbank Commerzbank, Germanys number two lender, said it was considering the possibility of returning to Iran, less than a year after agreeing to pay $1.45 billion to U.S. authorities for violating sanctions. Daimler Daimler said its trucks division had signed letters of intent with joint venture partners in Iran as part of the German companys re-entry into the country. Daimler said it would work with two Iranian companies to establish a joint venture for local production of Mercedes-Benz trucks and powertrain components. It was also eyeing returning as a shareholder in a former engine joint venture. Hellenic Petroleum Greeces biggest oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum is due to meet top Iranian oil officials later this week to discuss crude oil imports from Iran, a company source told Reuters. The company had been a major buyer of Iranian crude before sanctions were imposed. Herrenknecht Herrenknecht, a German tunneling company which helped build the Tehran metro in the 1990s, is ready to bid for projects in Iran, said the companys chairman. He plans to travel to Iran in the next two months to talk to former business partners. International Airlines Group British Airways, part of IAG, hopes to start flying to Tehran in the near future, said the airline groups chief executive on Monday. National Aluminium Co. Indias state-run National Aluminium Co. Ltd. (NALCO) is interested in setting up a $2 billion smelter complex in Iran, its chairman said, and will send a team of experts there to explore the opportunity. Turkcell Turkeys largest mobile operator Turkcell is looking for deals to enter the Iranian market and is in touch with the countrys fixed line and mobile operators, its chief executive said. Zurich Insurance Zurich Insurance said it would look into insurance cover for corporate customers doing business with Iran. (Compiled by Sarah Young; editing by Mark Trevelyan) Related: Topics Energy Oil Gas Cedar Rapids-based United Fire Group (UFG) has honored two agents and one employee with its Scotty McIntyre, Jr. Go Beyond award that recognizes individuals for their exemplary community service efforts. Property/casualty agent Garrett Jerue is the co-founder of Hope Lives Foundation, an organization that helps mentor children and young adult cancer patients in Western Wisconsin. The foundation focuses its efforts on two priorities: preventing cancer through healthy living, and providing support for survivors and their families through mentoring and fundraising efforts. Life agent Mark Friese is a volunteer at Public Advocacy, Dignity and Shelter (PADS), an organization focused on helping the homeless based in Libertyville, Illinois. The shelter provides for homeless men, women and children who have no home or meals. Basic living necessities such as clothing, toothbrushes and reading material are also provided within an environment that promotes dignity for all individuals. UFG employee Karen Hernandez is the volunteer director of ReDirect Nuevo Camino, an organization dedicated to at risk youth in Lincoln, California. The organization promotes integrity and accountability by encouraging young people to hold themselves and their peers to the highest standards. Through counseling and support, the organization promotes the benefits of pursuing a college education. In the spirit of community service and in the name of each award recipient, UFG contributed $5,000 to the three community service organizations: Hope Lives Foundation, PADS and ReDirect Nuevo Camino. Source: United Fire Group Inc. Topics Agencies A move to quickly quarantine and destroy Indiana turkey flocks infected with avian influenza may help prevent a repeat of last years outbreak that cost the industry $3.3 billion, according to officials. Weve not found any additional cases since Saturday, T.J. Myers, associate deputy administrator at the U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, said in an interview Monday. Were hopeful that the virus has only been in poultry for a few weeks and that our containment activities will be successful and we wont see further additional spread. The U.S. government confirmed a highly pathogenic strain of H7N8 avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock in Indiana on Jan. 15. The virus was found in nine more flocks in southwestern Indiana. Tests confirmed eight out of the nine have a low- pathogenic strain of the virus, the USDA said in a statement on Jan. 17. The latest strain, which is different than the one that caused the 2015 outbreak, probably infected one or two farms before mutating into a highly pathogenic version, Myers said. The virus has affected about 400,000 turkeys on 10 farms, he said. Highly pathogenic strains spread rapidly and are often fatal in chicken and turkeys, USDAs APHIS has said. Birds with low pathogenic strains often show no signs of infection or have only minor symptoms. Deli Shortages The 2015 U.S. outbreak, which ended in June, led to record- high egg prices and caused some shortages of turkey deli meat used in subs and sandwiches. It cost the industry $3.3 billion and 50 million animals were destroyed. To the individual producer thats affected its obviously significant and devastating, Myers said. Were hoping to minimize the impact by responding as quickly as possible. Biosecurity practices, including sealing corn and soybean feed bins and changing clothes and footwear when entering and exiting a barn, have been effective in previous years, Keith Williams, a spokesman for the Washington-based National Turkey Federation, said in an e-mail. Finding these cases as low-path strains shows we are keeping pace ahead of the virus, Williams said in the e-mailed statement. Indianas poultry industry ranks fourth nationally in turkey production, first in duck production and third in eggs. It is also a significant producer of broiler chickens. Export Restrictions The European Union, South Africa, Japan, Ukraine and South Korea are among countries that have imposed some restrictions on poultry imports following the Indiana case, according to the USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service. Quarantining and destroying infected animals quickly was one of the key lessons learned from last years outbreak, Myers said. Depopulating flocks took far too long in many cases. Officials have more equipment to destroy animals faster with water-based foaming or carbon dioxide, he said. In some instances, barn ventilators are shut off so the birds die within a few hours. If need be we can use that to try and eliminate the virus as quickly as possible so we dont put more birds at risk, Myers said. Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics USA Indiana President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration Saturday that clears the way for federal aid for Flint, Michigan, which is undergoing a drinking water crisis. The White House also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering on residents. FEMA has been authorized to provide water, filters, cartridges and other items for 90 days. Flint can get up to $5 million in direct funding, though the state must match 25 percent and more money can come through an act of Congress. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder requested emergency and disaster declarations late on Jan. 14, saying needs far exceed the states capability, and added that emergency measures could cost $41 million. Snyder said that Obama denied the disaster declaration request based on the legal requirement that such relief is intended for natural events, fires, floods or explosions. Despite the legal limitation, the governor is considering an appeal to exhaust every opportunity to provide resources for residents, Snyder spokesman Dave Murray said. The tap water in Flint, population 99,000, became contaminated after the city switched from the Detroit water system to the Flint River while a pipeline to Lake Huron is under construction. The corrosive water lacked adequate treatment and caused lead to leach from old pipes in homes and schools. Flint returned to the Detroit system in October after elevated lead levels were discovered in children, and could tap into the new pipeline by summer. But officials remain concerned that old pipes could continue to leach lead, to which exposure can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children as well as kidney ailments in adults. The National Guard has been distributing free water, filters and other supplies, and FEMA workers already were providing logistical and technical support. Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow said she will push for long-term resources, and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, also a Democrat, said residents deserve every resource available to make sure they have safe water and are able to recover from this terrible man-made disaster created by the state. The U.S. Justice Department is helping the Environmental Protection Agency investigate the matter, and state Attorney General Bill Schuette has opened his own probe, which could focus on whether environmental laws were broken or if there was official misconduct. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics USA Michigan Pollution The U.S. government confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H7N8 avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock in Indiana, the countrys first case since the end of last years outbreak that led to the destruction of 50 million animals. The strain discovered at a 60,000-bird flock in Dubois County is different from those that caused last years outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service said Jan. 15 in a statement on its website. Federal and state authorities are monitoring and testing the nearby area, it said, without naming the exact site. U.S. poultry producers have been on edge after recent cases in France. The U.S. outbreak, which ended in June, led to record-high egg prices and caused some shortages of turkey deli meat used in subs and sandwiches. It cost the industry $3.3 billion. Producers have been discussing the new outbreak in a series of conference calls since they first became aware of the Indiana case, said John Brunnquell, president of Egg Innovations Inc., which produces free-range eggs in farms across the Midwest. The response has been rapid, with the killing of birds going on throughout the night, he said in the interview. Surprise Appearance The timing of the disease was a surprise because most in the industry did not think it would reappear for another two or three months, said Terry Reilly, a senior commodity analyst for Futures International LLC in Chicago. About 65 egg and turkey farms are within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of the affected barn, Brunnquell said. The area is home to an estimated 4.5 million egg-layers and about 1 to 2 million turkeys. Indianas poultry industry ranks fourth nationally in turkey production, first in duck production and third in eggs, and is a significant producer of broiler chickens. Shares of poultry producer Pilgrims Pride Corp. fell the most in more than two months after the announcement, and were 6.4 percent lower at $21.57 at 1:52 p.m. in New York. Tyson Foods Inc., which produces chicken and other meats, fell as much as 5.5 percent. The case of avian flu in Indiana doesnt involve Tyson Foods, spokesman Gary Mickelson said in an e-mailed response. The news of the case of bird flu was a boost for Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the largest U.S. egg supplier. Its stock jumped as much as 11 percent. Avian influenza doesnt present a food safety risk. All shipments of poultry and eggs are tested to ensure the absence of avian influenza before moving into the food supply. The Centers for Disease Control considers the risk of illness to humans to be very low. With assistance from Shruti Date Singh Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics USA Indiana The U.S. Transportation Department and 17 automakers have reached agreement on efforts to enhance safety, including sharing information to thwart cyber-attacks on their increasingly wired vehicles. Automakers including General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. also agreed to reform the way they report fatalities, injuries and warranty claims to the government. The companies agreed to keep meeting regularly to exchange information and identify emerging safety issues. Today DOT and the automakers represented here are taking a strong stance in favor of a new approach, an approach that leans heavily on being proactive and less heavily on being reactive, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in Detroit last Friday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The company executives, including General Motors Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne had met with Foxx in Washington in December. The transportation secretary asked the companies to come up with voluntary measures they could agree to outside the traditional regulatory framework. Best Practices On cybersecurity, the companies and regulators agreed to suggest best practices, share lessons learned and find ways to engage researchers to identify emerging threats. Theyll work with the information sharing and analysis center the auto industry established last year. Last fall, we took an unprecedented step in getting in the same room, to get more proactive and less reactive., Foxx said. Real safety is finding and fixing defects before someone gets hurt rather than punishing them after damage is done. The automotive effort is based on practices at the Federal Aviation Administration, where airlines participate in a safety management system that has dramatically reduced plane crashes, Foxx said. GM is proud to be part of the effort, Barra told reporters in Detroit. Improved Recalls I do think well look back and see this as very historical, Barra said. Theres a strong sense of commitment on everyones part to focus on safety. Fiat Chrysler is in the middle of a company-wide effort to improve safety thats included a doubling of vehicle-safety staff, better use of analytics to quickly identify potential defects, and a campaign to improve the numbers of cars repaired in company recalls, Marchionne said in a statement. Fiat Chrysler remains committed to the continued development and democratization of safety technologies that help mitigate the impact of driver error the root cause of most crashes, Marchionne said. It will continue to engage in a collaborative industry approach which leverages the strength and knowledge of all participants to promote these principles. The news follows an announcement yesterday in Detroit that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration will allow automakers with safe autonomous vehicles to apply for exemptions to certain rules. Its part of the new approach by the agency designed to ensure government doesnt stand in the way of technological progress. Self-Driving Cars Regulators also announced their intention to award about $4 billion in grants to fund demonstration projects that can help speed the development of self-driving cars. Last year, 10 companies committed to make automatic emergency braking standard in all new vehicles. The companies made the commitment rather than waiting for a federal mandate, NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said at a speech in Detroit Tuesday. All of the good news at the auto show in Detroit last week, including record sales and profitable companies hiring more American workers, had been tempered by record numbers of recalls and a series of record-breaking fines. The proactive approach to safety should work to make everyone safer, Foxx said. If it doesnt, NHTSA will still be ready to enforce the law. Make no mistake, NHTSA stands ready to use all of its tools, including its enforcement and regulatory authority, to protect public safety, Rosekind said on Tuesday. We have no hesitation to do so when it is necessary. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Cyber In October, a Kentucky judge dismissed criminal charges against a man who had shot down a drone flying over his property. Now the drones owner has brought a federal civil suit against the shooter, William Merideth, arguing that the Federal Aviation Administration is in charge of all airspace and that it allows drones to fly over private property. All this amounts to a legal mess. The law, both state and federal, is still pretty unclear about where you can fly a drone, and what you as a citizen may do if a drone probably with a camera on board is hovering above your home. Whats needed is a comprehensive legal regime that integrates state and federal jurisdictions. I want to propose the outlines of such a legal model, distinguishing what should belong to the feds and what should be within the realm of the states. The drone owner in Kentucky, David Boggs, is to some degree right the air should belong to the federal government. Air travel is at bottom an interstate interest, like river travel in the 18th century, railroads in the 19th or highways in the 20th. State borders are arbitrary with respect to the air. Whats more, the economy is enhanced by interstate travel and by unmanned interstate shipping, presaged by drone flights. Federal control should therefore extend wherever an aircraft flies. But the FAA would be crazy to allow drones to fly low over peoples houses. When it comes to ordinary airplanes, low flight is dangerous. When it comes to drones, the problem is that low flight patterns interfere with ordinary life. Its not just sound pollution. Its the sense that someone is watching. To be fair, that sense is hard to pin down. Sophisticated imaging techniques mean that satellites can read the newspaper Im perusing on the park bench. But mostly I know that no one who can afford a satellite cares what Im reading Im just not that important. Drones are different. Theyre relatively cheap and my neighbors may want to know about my life even if multinational corporations and states couldnt care less. Thats why states should step in now to protect privacy. Most have Peeping Tom laws already. Those should be extended to include a ban on viewing private life and private spaces from drones. The regulation of privacy from flying vehicles will inevitably be tricky. Satellites already can see whatever youre doing outside your house. And it isnt just military-grade surveillance you have to worry about. Commercial satellite services have the capacity to take pictures of your house, and of you, as they pass by. If you doubt it, just type your address into Google Earth. But lets be frank: No one is going to bother to deploy a geosynchronous-orbit satellite just to observe you, unless youre Osama bin Laden or maybe a Kardashian. That means the threat to privacy from satellite observation is pretty minimal. In contrast, drones are cheap and they can hover. They pose a far greater threat to privacy than other forms of observation. If you move, they move. They can find an open shade or curtain, and they can maneuver to a new angle for a better view. Eventually, they may have X-ray vision or infrared capacity. These features give reason for states to outlaw the use of drones to observe and record people on private property without their consent. Federal control over airways shouldnt be interpreted to displace state law regulating drones. The federal interest is in flying from place to place, not hovering to get a better view. Protecting privacy at the state level will allow drones to fly freely without sacrificing the individuals legitimate interest in being left alone. Over time, drones may come to play useful roles in traffic control, public safety and even package delivery. Other applications will surely emerge as well. We dont want state bans on drone flight to block these technologies from developing. If drones have to fly over roads alone, much of their efficiency could be lost. It can be valuable for something to be able to travel as the crow flies. Our real worry about drones isnt congestion or noise. Its the potential loss of privacy. State regulation can help solve this problem. The slogan for drone regulation should be: Feds to let them fly, states to protect what they see. The balance should let us a benefit from a new technology without sacrificing ourselves to it. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics USA Legislation Aviation Specialty insurance and reinsurance carrier Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. announced the appointments of Frank Mike-Mayer as chief underwriting officer and Mark Wade as chief claims officer, both serving as key executives for the companys U.S. operations. As chief underwriting officer, Mike-Mayer is responsible for U.S. underwriting strategies and policies supporting retention, growth and profitability of the companys total portfolio of businesses. As chief claims officer, Wade is responsible for the overall U.S. claims operations. Wade will partner with senior executives in formulating both strategic plans and policies to meet the claims-handling needs of Argo Groups clients and policyholders. Mike-Mayer joins Argo Group from AIG Commercial where he served as head of technical underwriting, responsible for global underwriting strategies, global underwriting standards, and a risk selection framework for underwriters. Prior to joining AIG Commercial in 2012, Mike-Mayer served in several senior roles with Zurich North America, ACE and Reliance National. Wade joins Argo Group following his role as appointed executive director of the New York State Workers Compensation Board. Prior to his appointment, Wade served as deputy superintendent for property/casualty insurance at New York States Department of Financial Services. Before entering public service in 2014, Wade served in several senior roles with Arch Insurance Group, Zurich North America, and Marsh USA. He began his industry career with Chubb, where he handled directors and officers claims. Topics USA Claims Underwriting Activist investor Carl Icahn has again called for American International Group (AIG) to be divided into three separate companies and expressed doubt that AIG CEO Peter Hancocks planned strategy presentation next week will satisfy his demand. He said that if Hancock fails to present a drastic strategic shift and instead is limited to only incremental changes such as small-scale asset sales and incremental cost cutting then what little credibility management now has will be lost. Icahn says the split would let AIG to shrink below the threshold for systemically important financial institutions (SIFI) and avoid SIFI-related regulatory restrictions. [I]t is abundantly clear to me there is only one sensible path for AIG to follow: become a smaller, simpler company with a path to de-SIFI, he said in a letter on his website. He said he hopes the board will take matters into its own hands if management continues to resist his plan. Icahn said he intends to launch a consent solicitation that will enable shareholders to express their views directly to the board, views he said that may include adding add a new director who would agree in advance to succeed the current CEO if asked by the board to do so. He first raised the possibility of replacing Hancock in November. AIG issued a statement in response to Icahns latest volley: AIG continues to take steps to narrow its focus, improve its financial performance, and return capital to shareholders. AIG maintains an active dialogue with shareholders, including Carl Icahn. As previously announced, on January 26, AIG will provide an update on its strategy and its proactive plan to drive shareholder value. Ichan set forth four concerns he said AIG must address: Commit to streamline operations and focus on transforming the company into a competitive, pure play P&C insurer by committing to sell, spin, or otherwise separate non-core operations to de-conglomerate and apply to de-SIFI. Commit to fixing the P&C franchise so that it can generate competitive, double digit return on equity (ROE) through improved underwriting and cost reductions, even if it means bringing in outside talent. Commit to providing additional disclosure so all stakeholders can measure progress along the path outlined above over the next several quarters. Abandon credit default spreads levels as a metric in the long-term incentive plan (we believe this incentive is one reason management is resisting a de-conglomeration as it may negatively impact their bonuses) and instead adopt ROE. Icahn first called for the split of AIG last October in a letter to Hancock. He says that since, then, many large institutional shareholders and analysts have come out in support of his views. He also cited MetLife Inc.s announcement last week that in a move similar to what he is advocating, it will spin off its U.S. retail business as part of a de-SIFI strategy. Hancock has rejected Icahns plan, which he says does not make financial sense. Dividing up the company would would restrict earnings diversity and reduce the value of some tax assets, according to Hancock. Credit markets have sided with Hancock. Hancock has been trimming the workforce and revamping management. He has sold some Central American and Taiwan subsidiaries. Hancock has scheduled a public presentation for Jan. 26 at which he said he will provide a proactive plan to drive shareholder value. Icahn is frustrated to not have won Hancocks endorsement: [I]n in all of our discussions with Mr. Hancock it was abundantly clear to us that he is not willing to take the bold steps that we, and so many other shareholders, believe are long overdue. In addition, in those conversations he failed to lay out any alternative strategic plan with the potential to unlock value for shareholders or to provide compelling reasons as to why these businesses belong together. Icahn also accused AIG management of being either purposely misleading in their public disclosures or negligently uninformed regarding the feasibility of his de-conglomeration plan. Icahn says it can often take years for boards and executives to come around to his way of thinking but in the AIG case he is not willing to wait years. In fact, we believe the current situation is too time-sensitive to even wait until the companys annual meeting next spring, especially when all of the stakeholders who have reached out to us believe managements current plan (or lack thereof) is insufficient, he said. Icahn owns 42 million shares of AIG, making him one of its largest shareholders. Oklahoma residents concerned with a dramatic increase in the number of earthquakes called for more regulations on the oil and gas industry on Jan. 15 and urged state leaders to take action to stop the quakes. About 200 people tried to pack into standing room-only committee rooms at the Oklahoma Capitol, sat on the floor and spilled into the rotunda, prompting legislators to move the forum into the House chamber. Several Edmond-area residents said their homes have been damaged and their children frightened after a swarm of quakes rattled the Oklahoma City suburb in recent weeks, including a 4.3-magnitude temblor last month. Emily Pope, a Maryland native who moved to Edmond four months ago after her husband got a job here, said she is shocked at the number of quakes that have rattled her home. We had no idea we were moving into a huge earthquake zone, she said while holding a four-month-old toddler. If we had known that, we probably wouldnt have accepted the job out here. Edmond resident Julie Allison, who lives about 2 miles from the epicenter of two recent quakes, said she believes oil and gas companies should be forced to subsidize the cost of earthquake insurance premiums and claims of damages. People cant afford to pay the deductibles, Allison said. If I sound like an unhappy citizen, its because I am. Its time for everyone to wake up. Despite growing concerns from the public, a spokesman for Gov. Mary Fallin said there is no need for the governor to intervene at this time. Fallin formed a coordinating council to address the issue, but has deferred mostly to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry and has directed some wells to shut down or reduce disposal volumes. Fallin spokesman Michael McNutt said the governors secretary of energy and environment also is working on the issue. The lawmaker who organized the forum, Rep. Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, said he intends to push legislation in the upcoming session to establish a reparation fund to help residents impacted by wastewater injection that would be based on a new fluid disposal fee. He also wants to impose mandatory reductions in injection amounts in the ten Oklahoma counties where most of the earthquakes are occurring. Any attempt to impose new restrictions or fees on the oil and gas industry is likely to face fierce resistance from industry lobbyists, a powerful force at the Capitol. Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, said hes not optimistic lawmakers will take steps to address the quakes because theyre afraid of harming an industry that is a key economic driver in the state. Unfortunately, I think weve chosen the industry over our constituents, and weve gotten things out of balance, Williams said. I need people to engage on a much grander level even than were seeing today. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Energy Oil Gas Oklahoma Earthquake President Barack Obama has nominated South Carolina Department of Insurance Director Raymond G. Farmer to serve as a member on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers (NARAB) for a period of one year. The board is charged with establishing, organizing and developing standards and procedures for admission (licensing) of member/producers of newly-formed NARAB. I am confident that these experienced and hardworking individuals will help us tackle the important challenges facing America, and I am grateful for their service. I look forward to working with them, President Obama said, according to a statement from SCDOI. President Obama signed into law legislation to establish NARAB on Jan. 12, 2015. The organization will have specific jurisdiction to oversee insurance producer non-resident licensing and continuing education standards on a national level. It is overseen by a thirteen-member board that is comprised of eight insurance commissioners and five industry leaders with professional expertise in producer licensing. Raymond G. Farmer has held the position of director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance since 2012. From 1979 to 2012, he was a vice president at the American Insurance Association, Southeast Region. From 1972 to 1979, he served as the deputy insurance commissioner of the Enforcement Division of the Georgia Department of Insurance. Prior to this, he was an insurance adjuster at Crawford and Company from 1969 to 1972. Farmer is currently a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Farmer received a B.S. from the University of Southern Mississippi and a J.D. from the John Marshall Law School. Other Obama-nominated board members include: Michael J. Rothman Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce, which includes insurance regulation along with securities, real estate, utilities and other businesses. Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce, which includes insurance regulation along with securities, real estate, utilities and other businesses. Thomas McLeary Founder and president of Endow Insurance Brokerage, a Chicago life insurance and benefits brokerage. Founder and president of Endow Insurance Brokerage, a Chicago life insurance and benefits brokerage. Heather Ann Steinmiller General counsel with the Philadelphia insurance and benefits brokerage firm of Conner Strong & Buckelew. Related: Topics Agencies South Carolina A lawsuit filed against a man who shot down a drone over his Hillview, Ky., home last summer seeks to resolve what expectations homeowners have to privacy as their property is seen from the air. The Courier-Journal reports a local judge previously dismissed charges against William Merideth for firing a gun within city limits. Merideth said he feared the drone was spying on his teenage daughters on the back porch. But now the drones owner, John David Boggs, is suing Merideth in federal court, seeking damages for the $1,800 drone. Boggs also is asking the court to resolve the boundaries of the airspace surrounding real property, the reasonable expectation of privacy as viewed from the air, and the right to damage or destroy an aircraft in flight. The Federal Aviation Administration has sole authority over the national airspace, but Kentucky law gives landowners the right to use force necessary to prevent trespassing. The Supreme Court hasnt addressed the issue since 1946 when it ruled a North Carolina farmer could assert property rights up to 83 feet in the air and win compensation after low-flying military aircraft disturbed his cows and chickens. Despite the FAAs authority, 26 states enacted laws involving drones last year. In the Kentucky General Assembly, at least two drone bills are pending. One filed by Rep. Linda Belcher, D-Shepherdsville, would prohibit the use of drones for harassment, voyeurism or to aid burglaries. Boggs says in his suit that he was flying it at about 200 feet and neither trespassing nor spying on Merideths family when his unmanned aircraft system was taken out two minutes into its flight. In an exhibit attached to his suit, Boggs presents the last image shot from the drone a photo of forests, streets and rolling hills. At no time was plaintiff capturing video or still images of defendant or anyone on his property, the suit says. But Merideth has said he saw the drone about 10 feet over the roof line by his neighbors house, looking under a canopy, and later hovering over his own property. Merideth says he called police on two previous occasions when he saw the drone over his property, but they told him they couldnt do anything about it. He said that led him to take matters into his own hands. At some point, he said, Enough is enough. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Aviation Property Kentucky Hub International Limited (Hub), a global insurance brokerage, has acquired the assets of RPG Solutions, Inc. (RPG) of North Carolina. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Based in Raleigh, RPG specializes in providing employee benefits, HR Services and training and development. Phil Gruber, CEO and founder of RPG, will join Hub Southeast and report to Tim Love, president of Employee Benefits for HUB Southeast. RPG President, Stacey Mangum, who leads RPGs integrated HR and benefits model, will continue to report to Gruber. Headquartered in Chicago, Ill., Hub International Limited provides property and casualty, life and health, employee benefits, investment and risk management products and services from offices located throughout North America. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions North Carolina Washingtons Department of Labor & Industries has fined Phillips 66 Refinery $324,000 for failing to correct serious workplace safety and health violations. An L&I inspection of the Ferndale facility found the violations put refinery workers at great risk in case of a fire or explosion. L&I cited the refinery for three instances of not correcting violations that it was previously cited for in September and October of 2014. These are considered failure to abate serious violations. The 2014 citations are under appeal to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. State law requires employers to correct hazards even if the violations are under appeal, unless a stay of abatement is granted to allow a delay in making the corrections. The companys stay of abatement request was denied by the board. Two of the violations, each with a penalty of $108,000, involve the refinerys firefighting and fire suppression systems. Phillips did not inspect or follow recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices in respect to the firefighting water tank or the buried firefighting water distribution piping, according to L&I. Inspection and maintenance of these systems is required by state regulation and the National Fire Protection Association. The company also failed to address the potential loss of firefighting water, which puts employees and emergency responders at risk of serious injuries, disability or death if the system were to fail during a fire or explosion, according to L&I. L&I cited Phillips for a third failure to abate serious violation for not consulting established, peer-reviewed industry references before writing a policy related to opening chemical piping. This violation also comes with a $108,000 penalty. The companys hazard assessment allowed workers to be potentially exposed to hydrogen sulfide, a poisonous gas, and explosive flammable hydrocarbon vapors at much higher concentrations than considered safe, according to L&I. Employers in high-hazard chemical industries are expected to make sure that their internal policies and guidelines reflect current good engineering practices across those industries and that they meet local regulations, which may be stricter than national regulations, L&I said. The employer has 15 days to appeal the citation. Penalty money paid as a result of a citation is placed in the workers compensation supplemental pension fund, helping workers and families of those who have died on the job. Related: Topics Legislation Commercial Lines Business Insurance Washington Panoramica privacy Questo sito web utilizza i cookies per fornire all'utente la miglior esperienza di navigazione possibile. L'informazione dei cookie e memorizzata nel browser dell' utente, svolge funzioni di riconoscimento quando l' utente ritorna nel sito e permette di sapere quali sezioni del sito sono ritenute piu interessanti e utili. Ever since Adam Smith extolled the virtues of the division of labor and David Ricardo explained the comparative advantage of trading with other nations, the modern world has become increasingly more economically integrated. International trade has expanded, and trade agreements have increased in complexity. While the trend over the last few hundred years has been toward greater openness and liberalized trade, the path has not always been straight. Since the inauguration of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), there has been a dual trend of increasing multilateral trade agreements, those between three or more nations, as well as more local, regional trade arrangements. Investopedia / Sabrina Jiang From Mercantilism to Multilateral Trade Liberalization The doctrine of mercantilism dominated the trade policies of the major European powers for most of the sixteenth century through to the end of the 18th century. The key objective of trade, according to the mercantilists, was to obtain a favorable balance of trade, by which the value of ones exports should exceed the value of ones imports. The mercantilist trade policy discouraged trade agreements between nations. That's because governments assisted local industry through the use of tariffs and quotas on imports, as well as the prohibition of exporting tools, capital equipment, skilled labor or anything that might help foreign nations compete with the domestic production of manufactured goods. One of the best examples of a mercantilist trade policy during this time was the British Navigation Act of 1651. Foreign ships were prohibited from taking part in coastal trade in England, and all imports from continental Europe were required to be carried by either British ships or ships that were registered in the country where the goods were produced. The whole doctrine of mercantilism would come under attack through the writings of both Adam Smith and David Ricardo, both of whom stressed the desirability of imports and stated that exports were just the necessary cost of acquiring them. Their theories gained increasing influence and helped to ignite a trend towards more liberalized trade a trend that would be led by Great Britain. In 1823, the Reciprocity of Duties Act was passed, which greatly aided the British carry trade and made permissible the reciprocal removal of import duties under bilateral trade agreements with other nations. In 1846, the Corn Laws, which had levied restrictions on grain imports, were repealed, and by 1850, most protectionist policies on British imports had been dropped. Further, the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty between Britain and France enacted significant reciprocal tariff reductions. It also included a most favored nation clause (MFN), a non-discriminatory policy that requires countries to treat all other countries the same when it comes to trade. This treaty helped spark a number of MFN treaties throughout the rest of Europe, initiating the growth of multilateral trade liberalization, or free trade. The Deterioration of Multilateral Trade The trend toward more liberalized multilateral trading would soon begin to slow by the late 19th century with the world economy falling into a severe depression in 1873. Lasting until 1877, the depression served to increase pressure for greater domestic protection and dampen any previous momentum to access foreign markets. Italy would institute a moderate set of tariffs in 1878 with more severe tariffs to follow in 1887. In 1879, Germany would revert to more protectionist policies with its "iron and rye" tariff, and France would follow with its Meline tariff of 1892. Only Great Britain, out of all the major Western European powers, maintained its adherence to free-trade policies. As for the U.S., the country never took part in the trade liberalization that had been sweeping across Europe during the first half of the 19th century. But during the latter half of the century, protectionism significantly increased with the raising of duties during the Civil War and then the ultra-protectionist McKinley Tariff Act of 1890. All of these protectionist measures, however, were mild compared to the earlier mercantilist period and in spite of the anti-free trade environment, including a number of isolated trade wars, international trade flows continued to grow. But if international trade continued to expand despite numerous hurdles, World War I would prove to be fatal for the trade liberalization that had begun in the early 19th century. The rise of nationalist ideologies and dismal economic conditions following the war served to disrupt world trade and dismantle the trading networks that had characterized the previous century. The new wave of protectionist trade barriers moved the newly formed League of Nations to organize the First World Economic Conference in 1927 in order to outline a multilateral trade agreement. Yet, the agreement would have little effect as the onset of the Great Depression initiated a new wave of protectionism. The economic insecurity and extreme nationalism of the period created the conditions for the outbreak of World War II. Multilateral Regionalism With the U.S. and Britain emerging from World War II as the two great economic superpowers, the two countries felt the need to engineer a plan for a more cooperative and open international system. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and International Trade Organization (ITO) arose out of the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement. While the IMF and World Bank would play pivotal roles in the new international framework, the ITO failed to materialize, and its plan to oversee the development of a non-preferential multilateral trading order would be taken up by the GATT, established in 1947. While the GATT was designed to encourage the reduction of tariffs among member nations, and thereby provide a foundation for the expansion of multilateral trade, the period that followed saw increasing waves of more regional trade agreements. In less than five years after the GATT was established, Europe would begin a program of regional economic integration through the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, which would eventually evolve into what we know today as the European Union (EU). Serving to spark numerous other regional trade agreements in Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europes regionalism also helped push the GATT agenda forward as other countries looked for further tariff reductions to compete with the preferential trade that European partnership engendered. Thus, regionalism did not necessarily grow at the expense of multilateralism, but in conjunction with it. The push for regionalism was likely due to a growing need for countries to go beyond the GATT provisions, and at a much quicker pace. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the EU pushed to form trade agreements with some Central and Eastern European nations, and in the mid-1990s, it established some bilateral trade agreements with Middle Eastern countries. The U.S. also pursued its own trade negotiations, forming an agreement with Israel in 1985, as well as the trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada in the early 1990s. Many other significant regional agreements also took off in South America, Africa and Asia. In 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) succeeded the GATT as the global supervisor of world trade liberalization, following the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations. Whereas the focus of GATT had been primarily reserved for goods, the WTO went much further by including policies on services, intellectual property and investment. The WTO had over 145 members by the early 21st century, with China joining in 2001. ( While the WTO seeks to extend the multilateral trade initiatives of the GATT, recent trade negotiations appear to be ushering in a stage of multilateralizing regionalism. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Transpacific Partnership (TPP), and the Regional Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific (RCEP) comprise a significant portion of global GDP and world trade, suggesting that regionalism may be evolving into a broader, more multilateral framework. The Bottom Line The history of international trade may look like a struggle between protectionism and free trade, but the modern context is currently allowing both types of policies to grow in tandem. Indeed, the choice between free trade and protectionism may be a false choice. Advanced nations are realizing that economic growth and stability depend on a strategic mix of trade policies. What Are Multiple Managers? Multiple managers refer to the numerous involvement of different managers in the investment strategy of a fund. In the case of multiple managers, an investment portfolios assets are divided by individual managers. Various structures can be used for the management of multiple manager funds. However, all funds typically have a single investment advisor who provides oversight for the fund. Key Takeaways The term "multiple managers" is used to describe the various managers involved in the investment strategy of a fund. All funds have a single investment advisor on them, but multiple managers play various roles. Depending on the situation, an investment advisor on a fund will contract with multiple managers to balance individual allocations. Understanding Multiple Managers Multiple manager funds can build on the concept of sub-advisory relationships or fund of funds vehicles. These funds are typically overseen by an investment advisor who may be affiliated with the offering company or associated with a sub-advisor relationship. Multiple manager strategies can be effective products. These funds allow the investment advisor to potentially choose the best available managed funds for each portion of an allocation. Investment managers may also contract certain portions of a fund to hired managers. Generally, fees will be relatively higher in multiple manager funds than standard pooled funds. There may be some cost efficiencies involved with investing in individual funds rather than transacting a portfolio of individual securities. Multiple Manager Agreements In some situations, an investment advisor may contract with multiple managers to balance individual allocations. The sub-managers usually manage these allocations as a separate account. The managing investment advisor works with the sub-advisors to ensure cohesiveness and efficiencies. Multiple Manager Fund of Funds Rather than contracting with individual sub-advisors to manage fund allocations, some investment advisors will choose a fund of funds approach. In a fund of funds structure utilizing multiple managers, the investment advisor would invest directly in publicly traded funds with different managers. The investment advisor still works to oversee the assets in the fund comprehensively. However, they do not interact with the sub-advisors or manage funds in separate accounts. Multiple Manager Investing Many multiple manager fund investment options provide investors with access to a fund of hedge funds. Goldman Sachs and Neuberger Berman provide two examples. Goldman Sachs Multi-Manager Alternatives Fund The Goldman Sachs Multi-Manager Alternatives Fund provides a portfolio of alternative investments. The fund allocates to numerous alternative investments, including equity long/short, dynamic equity, event-driven and credit, relative value, tactical trading, and opportunistic fixed income. It allocates assets to numerous sub-advisors, including Acadian Asset Management, Algert Global LLC, and QMS Capital Management LP. Neuberger Berman Absolute Return Multi-Manager Fund The Neuberger Berman Absolute Return Multi-Manager Fund includes core hedge fund allocations optimized for the best risk/return tradeoff. The funds top allocations are to Good Hill Partners, managing 19.9% of the fund with asset-backed securities, and Sound Point Capital, managing 19.9% of the fund with a credit long or short approach. Top Growth Stocks by EPS and Revenue Price ($) Market Cap ($B) Revenue Growth (%) EPS Growth (%) Coterra Energy Inc. (CTRA) 28.04 22.3 1,800 693.8 American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) 12.71 8.3 2,170 79.5 Equitable Holdings Inc. (EQH) 28.29 10.6 1,840 75.2 Source: YCharts Coterra Energy Inc.: See company description above. See company description above. American Airlines Group: See company description above. See company description above. Equitable Holdings Inc.: See company description above. Advantages of Growth Stocks Exceptional Returns: Over the past decade, growth stocks have provided shareholders with eye-watering returns underpinned by historically low inflation and a healthy global economy. Although growth stocks have staged a sharp correction in 2022, the Vanguard Growth Index Fund (VUG)which holds stocks including iPhone maker Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)still has an annualized return of 15% over the last 10 years. These impressive returns highlight the value of growth stocks and the gains they can add to an investor's portfolio. Invest in What You Know: Many investors only feel comfortable investing in companies they know. Fortunately, popular growth stocks tend to be household names, giving would-be shareholders the chance to use their products and services before buying shares in these companies. Investors often only think of big technology names when they think of growth stocks, but the group also comprises well-known names in the consumer goods and services sectors, such as Visa Inc. (V) and T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS). Risks of Growth Stocks Volatility: Investing in growth stocks exposes investors to more extreme price swings, not only from negative company-specific news but also from broad market sell-offs. For example, the technology and consumer cyclical sectors led the stock market lower in the first half of 2022. Before investing in a growth stock, investors can gauge its volatility by looking at betaa measure comparing its volatility to the whole market. For instance, gaming chipmaker NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) has a beta of 1.65, meaning that if the S&P 500 falls by 1%, NVIDIA will decline by 1.65%. Similarly, if the S&P 500 gains 1%, NVIDIA stock would rise by 1.65%. Bubble Prone: Growth stocks can become overvalued as investors push prices to unsustainable levels based on sentiment rather than fundamentals. For instance, many growth internet stocks doubled and tripled in price in the late 1990s despite not generating any earnings. Rationalization arrived in the early 2000s, with the Nasdaq crashing roughly 80% from peak to trough. To determine if a growth stock is in a bubble, investors can compare its price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) to its historical average, such as over a 10-year average. The comments, opinions, and analyses expressed herein are for informational purposes only and should not be considered individual investment advice or recommendations to invest in any security or adopt any investment strategy. Though we believe the information provided herein is reliable, we do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. The views and strategies described in our content may not be suitable for all investors. Because market and economic conditions are subject to rapid change, all comments, opinions, and analyses contained within our content are rendered as of the date of the posting and may change without notice. The material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region, market, industry, investment, or strategy. What Is Financial Literacy? Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. The meaning of financial literacy is the foundation of your relationship with money, and it is a lifelong journey of learning. The earlier you start, the better off you will be because education is the key to success when it comes to money. Key Takeaways The term financial literacy refers to a variety of important financial skills and concepts. People who are financially literate are generally less vulnerable to financial fraud. A strong foundation of financial literacy can help support various life goals, such as saving for education or retirement, using debt responsibly, and running a business. Key aspects to financial literacy include knowing how to create a budget, plan for retirement, manage debt, and track personal spending. Financial literacy can be obtained through reading books, listening to podcasts, subscribing to financial content, or talking to a financial professional. 2:05 Click Play to Learn How to Improve Your Financial Literacy Skills Subscribe Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts / PlayerFM Understanding Financial Literacy In recent decades financial products and services have become increasingly widespread throughout society. Whereas earlier generations of Americans may have purchased goods primarily in cash, various credit products are popular today, such as credit and debit cards and electronic transfers. A 2021 survey by the Federal Reserve Board of San Francisco revealed 28% of all payments were via credit card, with only 20% being made in cash. Given the importance of finance in modern society, lacking financial literacy can be very damaging to an individuals long-term financial success. Unfortunately, research has shown that financial illiteracy is very common, with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) attributing it to 66% of Americans. Being financially illiterate can lead to a number of pitfalls, such as being more likely to accumulate unsustainable debt burdens, either through poor spending decisions or a lack of long-term preparation. This, in turn, can lead to poor credit, bankruptcy, housing foreclosure, and other negative consequences. Thankfully, there are now more resources than ever for those wishing to educate themselves about the world of finance. One such example is the government-sponsored Financial Literacy and Education Commission, which offers a range of free learning resources. Financial literacy can help protect individuals from becoming victims of financial fraud, a type of crime that is becoming more commonplace. Scope of Financial Literacy Although there are many skills that might fall under the umbrella of financial literacy, popular examples include household budgeting, learning how to manage and pay off debts, and evaluating the tradeoffs between different credit and investment products. These skills often require at least a working knowledge of key financial concepts, such as compound interest and the time value of money. Other products, such as mortgages, student loans, health insurance, and self-directed investment accounts, have also grown in importance. This has made it even more imperative for individuals to understand how to use them responsibly. Financial literacy also covers short-term financial strategy as well as long-term financial strategy. Financial literacy encompasses knowing how investment decisions made today will impact your tax liabilities in the future. This also includes knowing which investment vehicles are best to use when saving for retirement. Benefits of Financial Literacy Holistically, the benefit of financial literacy is to empower individuals to make smarter decisions. More specifically, financial literacy is important for a number of reasons: Financial literacy can prevent devastating mistakes. Floating rate loans may have different interest rates each month, while traditional IRA contributions can't be withdrawn until retirement. Seemingly innocent financial decisions may have long-term implications that cost individuals money or impact life plans. Financial literacy helps individuals avoid making mistakes with their personal finances. Floating rate loans may have different interest rates each month, while traditional IRA contributions can't be withdrawn until retirement. Seemingly innocent financial decisions may have long-term implications that cost individuals money or impact life plans. Financial literacy helps individuals avoid making mistakes with their personal finances. Financial literacy prepares people for emergencies. Financial literacy topics such as saving or emergency preparedness get individuals ready for the uncertain. Though losing a job or having a major unexpected expense are always financially impactful, an individual can cushion the blow by implementing their financial literacy in advance by being ready for emergencies. Financial literacy topics such as saving or emergency preparedness get individuals ready for the uncertain. Though losing a job or having a major unexpected expense are always financially impactful, an individual can cushion the blow by implementing their financial literacy in advance by being ready for emergencies. Financial literacy can help individual reach their goals. By better understanding how to budget and save money, individuals can create plans that set expectations, hold them accountable to their finances, and sets a course for achieving seemingly unachievable goals. Though someone may not be able to afford a dream today, they can always make a plan to better increase their odds of making it happen. By better understanding how to budget and save money, individuals can create plans that set expectations, hold them accountable to their finances, and sets a course for achieving seemingly unachievable goals. Though someone may not be able to afford a dream today, they can always make a plan to better increase their odds of making it happen. Financial literacy invokes confidence. Imagine making a life-changing decision without all the information you need to make the best decision. By being armed with the appropriate knowledge about finances, individuals can approach major life choices with greater confidence realizing they are less likely to be surprised or negatively impacted by unforeseen outcomes. Strategies to Improve Your Financial Literacy Skills Developing financial literacy to improve your personal finances involves learning and practicing a variety of skills related to budgeting, managing and paying off debts, and understanding credit and investment products. Here are several practical strategies to consider. Create a Budget Track how much money you receive each month against how much you spend in an Excel sheet, on paper, or with a budgeting app. Your budget should include income (paychecks, investments, alimony), fixed expenses (rent/mortgage payments, utilities, loan payments), discretionary spending (nonessentials such as eating out, shopping, and travel), and savings. Track how much money you receive each month against how much you spend in an Excel sheet, on paper, or with a budgeting app. Your budget should include income (paychecks, investments, alimony), fixed expenses (rent/mortgage payments, utilities, loan payments), discretionary spending (nonessentials such as eating out, shopping, and travel), and savings. Pay Yourself First To build savings, this reverse budgeting strategy involves choosing a savings goal (say, a down payment for a home), deciding how much you want to contribute toward it each month, and setting that amount aside before you divvy up the rest of your expenses. To build savings, this reverse budgeting strategy involves choosing a savings goal (say, a down payment for a home), deciding how much you want to contribute toward it each month, and setting that amount aside before you divvy up the rest of your expenses. Pay Bills Promptly Stay on top of monthly bills, making sure that payments consistently arrive on time. Consider taking advantage of automatic debits from a checking account or bill-pay apps and sign up for payment reminders (by email, phone, or text). Stay on top of monthly bills, making sure that payments consistently arrive on time. Consider taking advantage of automatic debits from a checking account or bill-pay apps and sign up for payment reminders (by email, phone, or text). Get Your Credit ReportOnce a year, consumers can request a free credit report from the three major credit bureausExperian, Equifax, and TransUnionthrough the federally created website AnnualCreditReport.com. Review these reports and dispute any errors by informing the credit bureau of inaccuracies. Because you can get three of them, consider spacing out your requests throughout the year to monitor yourself regularly. In a 2021 survey by the Federal Reserve, 22% of adults in the United States reported not being okay financially and not living comfortably financially. Example of Financial Literacy Emma is a high school teacher who tries to inform her students about financial literacy through her curriculum. She educates them on the basics of a variety of financial topics, such as personal budgeting, debt management, education and retirement saving, insurance, investing, and even tax planning. Emma reasons that although these subjects may not be especially relevant to her students during their high school years, they will nonetheless prove valuable throughout the rest of their lives. Understanding concepts such as interest rates, opportunity costs, debt management, compound interest, and budgeting, for example, could help her students manage the student loans that they might rely on to fund their college education and keep them from amassing dangerous levels of debt and endangering their credit scores. Similarly, she expects that certain topics, such as income taxes and retirement planning, will eventually prove useful to all students, no matter what they end up doing after high school. Why Is Financial Literacy Important? The lack of financial literacy can lead to a number of pitfalls, such as accumulating unsustainable debt burdens, either through poor spending decisions or a lack of long-term preparation. This, in turn, can lead to poor credit, bankruptcy, housing foreclosure, or other negative consequences. How Do I Become Financially Literate? Becoming financially literate involves learning and practicing a variety of skills related to budgeting, managing and paying off debts, and understanding credit and investment products. Basic steps to improve your personal finances include creating a budget, keeping track of expenses, being diligent about timely payments, being prudent about saving money, periodically checking your credit report, and investing for your future. What Are Some Popular Personal Budget Rules? Two commonly used personal budgeting methods are the 50/20/30 and 70/20/10 rules, and their simplicity is what makes them popular. The former entails dividing your after-tax, take-home income pay into three areasneeds (50%), savings (20%), and wants (30%). The 70/20/10 rule also follows a similar blueprint, recommending that your after-tax, take-home income be divided into segments that cater to expenses (70%), savings or reducing debt (20%), and investments and charitable donations (10%). What Are the Principles of Financial Literacy? There are five broad principles of financial literacy. Though other models may list different key components, the overarching goal of financial literacy is to educate individuals on how to earn , spend , save , borrow , and protect their money. What Are Some Examples of Financial Literacy? As a high school student transitions to college, they may be faced with the daunting task of deciding which school to attend and how to finance their education. This may including how much money they should be saving from their after-school job, how the terms of their loan will work, and what opportunity costs existing throughout their decision-making process. In this example, the student will make more financially responsible decisions if they are more financially literate. Financial literacy in this example extends to savings, employment, budgeting, loans, and financial planning. Using financial literacy and making smart decisions, the student can set themselves up for long-term success. The Bottom Line Financial literacy the knowledge of how to make smart decisions with money. This includes preparing a budget, knowing how much to save, deciding favorable loan terms, understanding impacts to credit, and distinguishing different vehicles used for retirement. These skills help individuals make smarter decisions and act more responsibly with their personal finances. Mutual vs. Stock Insurance Companies: An Overview Insurance companies are classified as either stock or mutual depending on the ownership structure of the organization. There are also some exceptions, such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield and fraternal groups which have yet a different structure. Still, stock and mutual companies are by far the most prevalent ways that insurance companies organize themselves. Worldwide, there are more mutual insurance companies, but in the U.S., stock insurance companies outnumber mutual insurers. When selecting an insurance company, you should consider several factors including: Is the company stock or mutual? What are the companys ratings from independent agencies such as Moodys, A.M. Best, or Fitch? Is the companys surplus growing, and does it have enough capital to be competitive? What is the company's premium persistency? (This is a measure of how many policyholders renew their coverage, which is an indication of customer satisfaction with the companys service and products.) Learn how stock and mutual insurance companies differ and which type to consider when purchasing a policy. Key Takeaways Insurance companies are most often organized as either a stock company or a mutual company. In a mutual company, policyholders are co-owners of the firm and enjoy dividend income based on corporate profits. In a stock company, outside shareholders are the co-owners of the firm and policyholders are not entitled to dividends. Demutualization is the process whereby a mutual insurer becomes a stock company. This is done to gain access to capital in order to expand more rapidly and increase profitability. Stock Insurance Companies A stock insurance company is a corporation owned by its stockholders or shareholders, and its objective is to make a profit for them. Policyholders do not directly share in the profits or losses of the company. To operate as a stock corporation, an insurer must have a minimum of capital and surplus on hand before receiving approval from state regulators. Other requirements must also be met if the company's shares are publicly traded. Some well-known American stock insurers include Allstate, MetLife, and Prudential. Mutual Insurance Companies The idea of mutual insurance dates back to the 1600s in England. The first successful mutual insurance company in the U.S.the Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Firewas founded in 1752 by Benjamin Franklin and is still in business today. Mutual companies are often formed to fill an unfilled or unique need for insurance. They range in size from small local providers to national and international insurers. Some companies offer multiple lines of coverage including property and casualty, life, and health, while others focus on specialized markets. Mutual companies include five of the largest property and casualty insurers that make up about 25% of the U.S. market. A mutual insurance company is a corporation owned exclusively by the policyholders who are "contractual creditors" with a right to vote on the board of directors. Generally, companies are managed and assets (insurance reserves, surplus, contingency funds, dividends) are held for the benefit and protection of the policyholders and their beneficiaries. Management and the board of directors determine what amount of operating income is paid out each year as a dividend to the policyholders. While not guaranteed, there are companies that have paid a dividend every year, even in difficult economic times. Large mutual insurers in the U.S. include Northwestern Mutual, Guardian Life, Penn Mutual, and Mutual of Omaha. Key Differences Like stock companies, mutual companies have to abide by state insurance regulations and are covered by state guaranty funds in the event of insolvency. However, many people feel mutual insurers are a better choice since the companys priority is to serve the policyholders who own the company. With a mutual company, they feel there is no conflict between the short-term financial demands of investors and the long-term interests of policyholders. While mutual insurance policyholders have the right to vote on the companys management, many people dont, and the average policyholder really doesnt know what makes sense for the company. Policyholders also have less influence than institutional investors, who can accumulate significant ownership in a company. Sometimes pressure from investors can be a good thing, forcing management to justify expenses, make changes, and maintain a competitive position in the market. The Boston Globe newspaper has run illuminating investigations questioning executive compensation and spending practices at Mass Mutual and Liberty Mutual, showing excesses occur at mutual companies. Once established, a mutual insurance company raises capital by issuing debt or borrowing from policyholders. The debt must be repaid from operating profits. Operating profits are also needed to help finance future growth, maintain a reserve against future liabilities, offset rates or premiums, and maintain industry ratings, among other needs. Stock companies have more flexibility and greater access to capital. They can raise money by selling debt and issuing additional shares of stock. Demutualization Many mutual insurers have demutualized over the years, including two large insurersMetLife and Prudential. Demutualization is the process by which policyholders became stockholders and the companys shares begin trading on a public stock exchange. By becoming a stock company, insurers are able to unlock value and access capital, allowing for more rapid growth by expanding their domestic and international markets. The Bottom Line Investors are concerned with profits and dividends. Customers are concerned with cost, service, and coverage. The perfect model would be an insurance company that could meet both needs. Unfortunately, that company does not exist. Some companies promote the benefits of owning a policy with a mutual insurer, and others focus on the cost of coverage and how you can save money. One possible way to deal with this dilemma is based on the kind of insurance you are buying. Policies that renew annually, such as auto or homeowners insurance, are easy to switch between companies if you become unhappy, so a stock insurance company may make sense for these types of coverage. For longer-term coverage such as life, disability, or long-term care insurance, you may want to select a more service-oriented company, which would most likely be a mutual insurance company. White sandy beaches, balmy year-round temperatures, glitzy hotels, an eclectic Caribbean-Spanish culture, and architectural remnants of its colonial past all make Puerto Rico a truly one-of-a-kind destination. For many U.S. citizens, these factors also make the island a compelling investment and lifestyle ideal. Because Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, there are no restrictions on Americans acquiring property on the island. Another advantage is that U.S. citizens dont have to go through customs when traveling between Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainlandthis can be a big time saver. Key Takeaways You may have to deal with a number of agents in your property search in Puerto Rico; it's advisable to deal with reputable, certified agents, or nationally-recognized real estate brands. You can use TasaMax, a third-party service, to acquire sales data about the local real estate market. Determine what is and isnt included in the homeowners association (HOA) fee. Hire a licensed home inspector to ensure the unit is in sound condition. You can obtain a home equity loan on your U.S. residence or draw from a U.S. line of credit to purchase your Puerto Rican condo in cash. The Risk and Possible Rewards Puerto Rico has experienced a serious debt crisis. In 2019, the country filed for bankruptcy, in one of the largest bankruptcy filings in U.S. history. The island emerged from bankruptcy in 2022, causing a boom in the local real estate market. Consider the risks, and if you decide to proceed, condos in particular offer foreign buyers access to some of the best beach locations at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a house or land. You can snag a two-bedroom waterfront condo for as little as $180,000, depending on the area and level of luxury you desirenot bad for a low-maintenance vacation home in a beautiful location. Other condo draws include the ability to generate rental income when you are not using the property, which can help offset ownership costs. Buying Property in Puerto Rico If you are looking to purchase property on the island, keep these six factors in mind. 1. Real Estate Agents Buyers agents arent as common in Puerto Rico as they are in the U.S., as brokers acquire their own listings to which they steer potential buyers. This means you may deal with a number of agents in your property search. Once a broker has shown you all of its exclusive listings, youll have to move on to another broker and its portfolio. As with any real estate purchase, its a good idea to deal with reputable, certified agentsor nationally recognized real estate brands. Local databases include the Multiple Listing Service of Puerto Rico. Other comprehensive sites worth checking out are Point2Homes and Clasificadosonline.com. But be forewarned: The databases may not be up to date. Use agents who live and work in the area or community where youre looking to buy, and who speak Spanish. They can advise you on local lifestyle and cultural issues. Burglary and drug-related trouble, for instance, are rife in some areas. One of the best ways to get connected with a reputable realtor is to ask around the local community. Keep in mind that if you attempt to do a property search on your own, youll need conversational Spanish. Even though English is also an official language, not everyone speaks it fluently. 2. Research Chances are youre unfamiliar with the local market and what constitutes a legitimate price point. Fortunately, there are third-party services like TasaMax that provide comparable sales data to financiers and real estate professionals. You can subscribe to the service yourself (though much of the website uses the Spanish language instead of English). To be on the safe side, it is a good practice to obtain a report on any property that captures your interest. Be sure to compare the quality (and cost) against other condos in the area. 3. Management and Fees Prior to purchasing, its important to determine what is and isnt included in the homeowners association (HOA) fee. HOA fees typically cover general maintenance for the building, as well as any common areas and facilities, insurance for the complex, and manned security. Obviously, the more privileges provided and the more manpower required to operate the complex, the higher the cost to its owners. 4. Inspections Whether the condo is brand new or has been lived in, a licensed home inspector can help ensure the unit is in sound condition. This should extend to the main condo construction and shared facilities. Be sure you personally visit and closely inspect the property. No amount of research is as reliable as seeing the condo and its facilities firsthand. 5. Financing and Legals While theres no obligation to purchase in cash, you can obtain a home equity loan (on your U.S. residence, if you have one), or draw from a U.S. line of credit to purchase your Puerto Rican condo in cash. However, local lending is also an option. Just be prepared for an extraordinary amount of paperwork. Also, have a lawyer review your contract to ensure that your interests are protected. Mortgage lending discrimination is illegal. If you think you've been discriminated against based on race, religion, sex, marital status, use of public assistance, national origin, disability, or age, there are steps you can take. One such step is to file a report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 6. Tax Breaks In 2012, Puerto Rico passed legislation shielding new residents from paying most federal income taxes. Since then, the island is swiftly emerging as a hot new tax haven for Americans. If you reside on the island for a minimum of 183 days annuallyand meet other qualifying criteriayou may pay minimal (if any) taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains under the Act 22 tax law. These tax incentives are attracting more entrepreneurs from the U.S. mainland and plenty of new, luxury developments. If you reside on the island for a minimum of 183 days annually and meet other qualifying criteria, you may pay minimal, if any, taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains under the Act 22 tax law, passed by Puerto Rico in 2012. The Bottom Line Buying real estate in Puerto Rico offers a number of logical investment perks for Americans, including flexible finance possibilities, zero immigration concerns, and amazing tax breaks (should you qualify). And while the islands money crisis may turn up some appealing real estate deals, the instability does come with great financial risk. If this doesn't deter you, it is always advisable to work with reputable, certified professionals who are bilingual in Spanish and English. Obtain comparable sales data to ensure the price point is reasonable. Organize a property inspection from a licensed contractor. Visit the property personally. And clarify all fees associated with managing and purchasing it upfront. If the local economy and real estate market regains momentum, you may reap financial rewards (in addition to the lifestyle perks) for your investment. Correction: July 19, 2022This article has been edited to clarify that both English and Spanish are official languages in Puerto Rico. If you are interested in finance and think that managing other peoples money may be your bag, then you may be cut out to become a stockbroker. Becoming this type of investment consultant isn't easy, and the process can be quite intense and stressful at times. Still, many individuals coming out of school want to join their ranks. As a result, many people have questions and require greater insight into this alluring career, which now offers more options than have previously been available. Desire and Skills Working as a stockbroker sounds like a glamorous career, but the fact is that many first-year brokers drop out of the business because the job usually requires long hours, can be overly stressful, and the business requires a substantial amount of dedication. Key Takeaways Stockbrokers buy and sell investment securities on behalf of their customers. There are no specific education requirements for becoming a stockbroker, but many firms require that the applicant holds a college degree. The Series 7 and Series 63 licensing exams are required to become a stockbroker. While some brokers work at full-service firms and cater to high net worth clients, others work at discount brokers and serve all types of individual investors. The ultimate goal of many brokers is to build a clientele, which is their book of business. While no particular personality traits are required to become a broker, generally speaking, the successful ones have an inner drive to succeed, and they can take rejection. These are important qualities to have, given that most of a broker's day is likely to be spent on the phone, pitching stock ideas to prospective or existing clients. Other key skills that can come in handy include: An ability to sell An ability to communicate effectively An ability to explain complex ideas without seeming condescending Although classes and seminars are offered to improve communications ability and salesmanship, that takes time and money. Therefore, it's usually best if you already possess these skills before entering the field. 1:46 Is A Stockbroker Career For You? Education Requirements A college education is generally a must these days, as the competition to get into certain firms and training programs can be quite intense. However, it is not unheard of to meet successful salespeople who have no formal training other than studying for the licensing exams. While there are no formal educational requirements for becoming a broker, (as there are to become a CPA or financial analyst), many firms seek candidates who have at least a bachelors degree, preferably focused on some aspect of business or finance; individuals who major in these subjects probably will have a leg up on the competition. In addition, a master's degree helps a candidate stand out from the crowd, as it implies additional skills in communication and finance that can be helpful on the job. Licensing Requirements To become a registered representativeand actually practiceall stockbrokers are required to obtain the same standard securities licenses. One must pass the Series 7 and Series 63 exams administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). These certifications authorize representatives to buy and sell stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other types of securities, as well as legally advise their clients. The Series 7 exam is traditionally taken by beginning brokers. It is a general securities license that enables an individual to sell securities such as stocks, while the Series 63 exam focuses on state laws and regulations. Would-be brokers should understand that these exams are not easy. In addition, you must be sponsored by a legitimate brokerage to take them, and the firm sponsoring you for the exam expects you to pass. Many stockbrokers are then required by their employer (or choose) to obtain other licenses as well, such as the Series 3 or Series 31 licenses for commodities and managed futures, a Series 65 or Series 66 to become a Registered Investment Adviser, or a life and/or health insurance license to sell life, disability, and long-term care products, as well as fixed and variable annuity contracts. It is also becoming increasingly important to pass a strict background check that will examine both the prospective brokers criminal and financial history. Those with recent bankruptcies, tax liens, or repossessions will likely be discarded from the list of potential candidates just as quickly as those who have been in any type of mentionable legal trouble. Deciding Between Competing Brokerage Firms How to get into a sponsoring firm? Be on the lookout for companies that have reputable and structured training programs. These companies can be extremely helpful in teaching certain sales techniques, time-management skills, and the ins and outs of the industry.To find this information, conduct a search on the internet, search job ads, and, more specifically, on the websites of individual firms. Beyond that, consider firms that match your personality and preferences. For example, as a would-be broker, consider whether you want to work for a large, internationally known financial supermarket or a smaller specialty firm. Sometimes brokers who start off at larger firms feel like small fish in a seemingly endless pond. However, the downside to a smaller firm is that landing customers or ensuring confidence in your firm might be harder because of its lesser-known name. Types of Stockbrokers There are three different kinds of stockbrokers, and which one you become will largely depend on your personal preference, as well as your ability to deftly handle clientele. Full-Service Broker: Working at a full-service firm or wirehouses such as Bank of America/Merrill Lynch (NYSE: BAC) or Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is still the most traditional approach to selling investments. Brokers who work for these firms will be provided with a comprehensive training package that includes sales and product training as well as education in administrative procedures and compliance regulations. They will also typically be provided with office space (or at least a desk), business cards, a guaranteed salary or draw against commission, and a high sales quota that they must meet within a relatively short period of time if they want to remain employed. Some firms have changed their models and allow their reps longer periods of time with bigger starting salaries so that they have a better chance of succeeding. But a relatively large percentage of each class of trainees will wash out of these programs because they are not able to generate enough business to meet their quotas. Many successful brokers eventually leave these full-service firms and move on to independent broker-dealers such as Raymond James (NYSE: RJF) or Linsco Private Ledger. These firms typically offer a wider array of products and services and do not require their reps to sell proprietary products of any kind. They also usually offer much higher payouts on commission than full-service firms, and sometimes a warmer and friendlier atmosphere. However, they are usually only capable of giving back-office administrative support and do not provide amenities such as office space. Those who work for these firms must pay for all of their own expenses and overhead. Those without prior training or licensure might be wise to start at a full-service firm that will provide these things at no cost; even if this sort of outfit is ultimately where they want to be, they will acquire skills that make them much more marketable when they leave. Discount Brokers: If you are not a super salesman by nature but would still like to try your hand at managing investments, a discount broker, such as Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW) or Fidelity (NYSE: FNF) might be the place for you. These firms are geared toward providing effective service for walk-in clients and usually pay their brokers a flat salary (albeit with some minor bonuses or other incentives). Many brokers who dont make it at full-service firms end up at discount firms where they have a chance to really learn the business and get a feel for the markets. Some brokers can eventually build up enough of an informal clientele that they can eventually move back to a full-service or independent broker-dealer and make a living there. Discount brokers are likely to gain a much broader base of experience than many full-service brokers, who generally specialize in certain areas such as IRA rollovers or employee stock options. A rep who works at a firm such as Schwab or Fidelity is expected to be able to provide a broad array of research and services, including basic technical and fundamental analysis, rollovers, stock options, margin accounting, derivatives, bond ladders, mutual funds, closed-end funds, exchange traded funds, partnerships, charitable gifting, 1035 exchanges, and many other areas of investment, retirement, and estate planning. Reps are often required to perform administrative duties such as cashiering, opening new accounts, processing stock certificates, and other paperwork. But they are not subject to the kind of sales pressure as their full-service counterparts and, generally, have either very low or no production quotas of any kind. Bank Brokers: Being a broker at a bank is an entirely different proposition than working at Merrill Lynch or Fidelity. Like most discount firms, many banks also look for licensed brokers with previous experience, but the banking system is so unlike the brokerage world that it usually takes newcomers a while to get their bearings. Brokers who work at banks are full-service brokers in a technical sense, but they are often given a lower payout on their commissions in return for having access to the banks customer base. Bank brokerage positions were once viewed as dead-end jobs that were only for brokers who failed elsewhere, but this perception has largely disappeared with the growth of this segment of the brokerage industry. Most banks and credit unions now employ in-house investment consultants who can offer non-FDIC insured products and services. A growing number of banks also expect their reps to cultivate a clientele from outside the bank, however, and have worked to develop a system that rewards bank employees for referring customers to them as well as some sort of prospecting platform to bring in new business. Experienced brokers understand that they need to be visible and present to the bank staff and work to educate them on what they do, but also be able to stay out of their way when they get busy with their banking duties. Many of them will invite wholesalers and other product vendors to bring lunch for the staff and then explain how their products can benefit bank customers. Brokers within a banking environment often have to make an extra effort to get their clients to understand that what they offerunlike the regular bank accountsis not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Bank brokers can also expect to work with a more conservative clientele than they will encounter elsewhere, and many of them rely heavily upon fixed annuities and other low-risk products to build their businesses. But bank brokers usually escape the high sales quotas and pressure to sell products that those who work at other full-service firms face. Building Clientele Wherever a fledgling broker lands, the core of their effort is on building a book of business. There are many ways to seek clients, including: A phone book and an order to "smile and dial," which means to make cold calls in order to open accounts. A list of pre-qualified prospects from which to start contacting to drum up business (These may be given to you by your firm or bought from marketing firms.) Tapping relatives or friends to obtain referrals Organization memberships, such as the local chamber of commerce to network and meet prospective clients. The Bottom Line There is more opportunity than ever in the financial industry today for those who are willing to work hard and deal with the negatives aspects (long hours, high stress) that accompany the initial stages of a career in the field. The modern stockbroker has several major areas in which to build a business, but must acquire necessary licenses before practicing. This entire process can be a time-consuming and costly adventure, but many find the financial rewards worth the initial struggle. DES MOINES Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said it will be "tragic" if Ted Cruz wins the state's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses because the U.S. senator from Texas has opposed the federal ethanol mandate that benefits Iowa's agricultural economy. Branstad has pledged to remain neutral in the Republican presidential primary race, but on Tuesday said he believes it would be a mistake for Iowans to support Cruz because of his position on the ethanol mandate. Cruz has said he opposes all government subsidies and mandates, including the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires the nation's fuel supply include a percentage of corn-based ethanol. Cruz is engaged in a close race for the lead in Iowa with Donald Trump, according to recent polls on the race here. "I've been a strong supporter of renewable energy from the beginning, and I'm really disappointed that (Cruz) recommended terminating the Renewable Fuel Standard," Branstad said. "I think that would be really detrimental to the Iowa economy, costing us a lot of jobs and really hurting Iowa farmers, as well as all the people we have in the renewable fuel industry." Ethanol supporters have been dogging Cruz through the state recently, including an advocacy group that is led by the governor's son, Eric. In 2013, Cruz co-sponsored a bill that would immediately terminate the Renewable Fuel Standard. But a year later, he introduced his own bill that would phase it out over five years. Currently, the law sets targets for use of renewable fuels through 2022. Campaigning in New Hampshire, Cruz responded to reporters asking about Branstad's statement, saying it's a sign the establishment is "in full panic mode." "We said from the beginning that the Washington cartel was going to panic more and more. As conservatives unite behind our campaign, you're going to see the Washington cartel firing every shot they can, every cannon they can. Because the Washington cartel lives on cronyism. It lives on making deals. It lives on picking winners and losers and supporting corporate welfare," Cruz said. Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, labeled Branstad's comments an endorsement, saying the governor is, by default, supporting Trump. King has endorsed Cruz. Branstad said his comments are not an endorsement of Trump. "I'm not endorsing anybody. But I am the governor of Iowa, and I think I need to stand up for the interests of my state," Branstad said. "I know (Cruz) is ahead in the polls, but I think it would be tragic if somebody that wants to dismantle the renewable energy standard were to win the Iowa caucuses, because I think that would be looked at that Iowans don't care about our Iowa economy and the jobs that are related to them." Generally, Branstad has remained neutral, though he did endorse Bob Dole in 1996. But Dave Nagle, the former chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said Tuesday he believes Branstad's remarks will hurt the caucuses. Nagle says that there have been elected officials who have endorsed candidates. Former Sen. Tom Harkin endorsed Howard Dean in 2004. "But we don't blackball people," Nagle said. Matt Strawn, a former Republican Party of Iowa, shrugged off the notion the caucuses could be damaged by the governor's declaration. "I don't think it has any bearing on that. The governor like any elected official has every right to make his positions known on issues that are important to him," he said. Branstad first made his comments about Cruz on when responding to a reporter's question at the Renewable Fuels Summit in nearby Altoona. An armed army division, along with police strike force, has been sent by Iraq on its southern oil city Basra in order to disarm the residents amid intensified feuding between rival Shi'ite Muslim tribes. The majority of crude exports from major OPEC oil producer Iraq come from oil fields around Basra, far from the northern and western parts of the country controlled by Islamic State. But fighting in the area has forced the government in Baghdad to divert critical resources to the southern province. Jabar al-Saadi, head of the security committee at the Basra provincial council, mentioned, "This security operation targets areas north of Basra that have an abundance of tribal clashes and will also include neighbourhoods inside Basra city in the future." Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi held his weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday in Basra where he called on security forces to "strike with an iron fist (against) the gangs that tamper with Basra's security". With tanks and heavy machine guns, the security forces entered overnight the northern district of al-Hussein, a flash point for tribal fighting also known as al-Hayaniya, Saadi said. Backed by army helicopters, they began raiding homes and seizing weapons, he added. Security forces arrested around 30 people on criminal charges and seized machine guns, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and large ammunition caches. | Soruce: Business Insider | By S.Seal Following the falling oil prices, International companies have decided to postpone $380 billion in projects so far. A Scotland based energy research and consultancy company, Wood Mackenzie stated that in the second half of 2015, oil companies delayed decisions on 22 projects, equal to 7 billion barrels of crude oil. Previously, 46 projects, corresponding to 20 billion barrels of crude oil, were suspended because of the rout in oil prices. With the recent delays, the number of postponed projects reached 68 - equal to 27 billion barrels of crude oil - an investment amount of $380 billion. Some $170 billion of this amount had been expected to be used between 2016 and 2020. Wood Mackenzie chief analyst Angus Rodger said that energy companies cut back on their budgets because of tumbling oil prices pushed them to postpone final decisions on investments and to suspend scheduled projects. Stressing that the number of delayed projects has soared by one-third over the past six months, Rodger said the impact of low oil prices on companies' production plans has been disappointing. He stated that most of the suspended projects would be revisited in and after 2017, adding that the first oil production in these projects will be carried out between 2020 and 2023. Wood Mackenzie corporate analysis Vice President Tom Ellacott suggested that energy companies should plan their investment strategies by considering the risk that oil prices might remain low in the upcoming years. He said that many energy companies must see the price of oil above $60 per barrel to reinitiate delayed projects. Oil projects were mostly deferred in Canada, Angola, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Norway and the U.S. Experts suggest that deferment in projects will lead to a decline in excess supply in global oil markets over time, pushing up oil prices once again. A Major Blow to Iraq Iraq Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad, said that the decline in oil prices has negatively affected the Iraqi economy and around 70 percent of national income has been lost. Speaking at the ministry's building in Baghdad, Jihad said that the national economy mostly depends on oil exports and that while the decline in oil prices is a global issue, the impact on oil producing and exporting countries, such as Iraq, has been more damaging, as various development projects in Iraq have been interrupted. Although the price per barrel of crude oil was estimated at $45 in the 2016 budget, Jihad said that this is not an ordinary picture, as experts had not predicted such a decline, so they believe there is an international political dimension to this issue in order to weaken the economies of Iraq and other countries. Jihad also said that this decline is related to regional developments and that Iraq is currently trying to decrease government spending and develop agriculture and industry. Jihad said, "We don't have any problems regarding increasing oil production. We had the highest figure in November 2015, with a 3.3 million barrels of oil produced on a daily basis. The problem is selling high volumes of oil at cheaper prices." He also added that Iraq aims to increase daily crude oil sales to 4,050,000 barrels by the middle of this year. | Soruce: Daily Sabah | By S.Seal Largest ever steel export deal of India, struck with Iran in 2014 to allow it to buy the metal without violating Western sanctions that are now set to end, has become mired in a dispute that has seen no payments made or shipments delivered since last fall. The impasse underlines how Tehran is taking a more assertive posture in its dealings with trading partners as options open up for business and it looks to strike better deals. Iranian Gas Engineering & Development Company (IGEDC) has written to Indian state-trader STC India Ltd complaining that steel shipments have been irregular and far below terms set out in the $2.5 billion contract, according to a letter received by media sources. It also said in the letter dated late last month that it would like to deal directly with Essar Steel India Ltd, which was supplying the steel to STC for export, if the state trader did not restart regular shipments soon. It illustrated, "We strongly urge STC to either be more flexible to enable regular and faster shipments or allow the contract to be dealt directly between IGEDC and the manufacturer." The complex arrangement was put in place to allow steel exports without violating sanctions that prevented private Indian companies from dealing directly with Iran. That is set to change, with Western sanctions expected to be lifted under a historic nuclear deal struck in July between Tehran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, giving Iran far more flexibility to pursue deals. A source familiar with the matter said steel exports had been halted since Iran stopped making payments in September. IGEDC's managing director's office did not return calls seeking comment. STC did not have any immediate comment. In an email, Essar replied, "The contract between Essar and STC is valid and is being performed." Under sanctions, India has been one of the few countries willing to do business with Tehran. Robin Mills, chief executive of Dubai-based Qamar Energy, said, "When this steel export deal was done, Iran had virtually no choice than to accept it, as sanctions isolated it from the world financial system." Mills said the end of sanctions would open a wider circle of trade partners for Iran, such as those from Europe and China. He also mentioned, "So Iran would like to diversify and buy steel from other players instead of having a huge contract with India." Iran expects the UN nuclear watchdog to confirm on Friday it has curtailed its nuclear programme, paving the way for the unfreezing of billions of dollars of assets and an end to bans that have crippled its oil exports. India is the top oil client of Iran after China, and Essar Oil, an affiliate of Essar Steel, is a key customer of the National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC). The three-year steel contract was struck in June 2014, after the Indian government, worried about its trade balance with Iran and looking to boost exports, directed trading firms STC and MMTC Ltd to help facilitate business for Indian companies. Indian refiners have been paying 45 percent of their oil dues to Iran in rupees. These rupee-funds are used by Tehran for importing goods, including steel, from New Delhi. The steel deal ran into trouble in September, when Tehran failed to clear dues of about 4.5 billion rupees ($66.7 million) for steel exported to it by STC, the source familiar with the matter said. STC was supposed to supply 1 million tonnes of steel in the first year of the contract, which is for a total of 2.5 million tonnes of steel plate and coil over the three-year span. By September of last year, however, STC had supplied only about 450,000 tonnes of steel. In its December 22 letter, IGEDC told STC that it needed to expedite supplies and make them regular. "Not only have the deliveries been irregular, we have not even received" the minimum quantity of 50,000 tonnes per month in most months, IGEDC wrote. The source said STC supplied the steel to Iran based on availability and demand from Tehran, which was why the shipments were far below the expected levels. The source confirmed that STC has been regularly writing to IGEDC asking for payments and would restart supplies if Iran resumed them. | Soruce: Business Insider | By S.Seal An Irishman has been ordered to self-deport from the United States by a New Jersey court after he was sentenced to the 388 days he has already served in jail for using false papers to obtain a New Jersey driver's license. The 52-year-old was also the primary person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, Liza Murphy, in 2007. The self-deportation is part of a plea deal Paschal Delahunty, a father of three, made with the court. He was sentenced on Friday, at the Bergen County Justice Center, in Hakensack, NJ. In 2007 Delahunty was the primary person of interest when his wife disappeared, according to retired Emerson, NJ detective George Buono. Liza Murphy disappeared on Aug 19, 2007 from her Broad Street home, after Delahunty had confronted her about being unfaithful. NJ.com reports that his wife left her home at 2pm without money, her cellphone, identification or her prescription medication. Her family reported her missing the next day. At the time of investigation Delahunty admitted that he had been recording his wifes phone conversations. Four days later Delahunty stepped into traffic and was hit by a fire department vehicle. It is believed that this was a suicide attempt. A 200-officer strong man-hunt for Murphys body came up with nothing. There was never any physical evidence to link Delahunty to her disappearance. He has never been charged in relation to his wifes disappearance. During the investigation into Murphys disappearance Delahunty was found to be using the alias Joseph Murphy. He had used this fake identity to obtain permanent U.S. residence in 1990. He had previously been undocumented in the US. The authorities only became aware of this in December 2014, CBS news reports. In December 2015 Delahunty pleaded guilty to using a counterfeit drivers license, under the name Joseph Murphy, when he went to renew his license in 2013. On Friday, Jan 15, Judge James J Guida ordered Delahunty to self-deport within two-weeks or face a further five years imprisonment. Delahuntys lawyer, Joseph Raia, said he has purchased a ticket to fly from New Yorks JFK Airport to Dublin, this Tuesday, Jan 19. The accused had a meeting with the Irish consular office in New York on Monday to obtain travel documents. Upon arriving in Ireland he will report to the US embassy to acknowledge that he is, in fact, in Ireland." Raia said, Hes lost his family, in essence. Hes lost his privilege to be in the United States, regardless of how he obtained it. Hes a broken man at this point. Everything has been taken from him. Theres nothing more that we can take from him. Raia added that the New Jersey state authorities had acquired a sample of Delahuntys DNA. His biometrics information will be forever in the governments database, which will make it impossible for my client to ever reenter the United States, he said. If he were to attempt to, he would be caught at the border and incarcerated. Joseph Rem, an attorney who has represented Joseph Murphy since that incident in August 2007 told NJ.com, he believe Delahuntys charges and deal are an attempt to punish him for the disappearance of his wife. He said, They never stopped looking and they never waned in their investigation but as many years as its been, to my knowledge, other than suspicious circumstances, they never had anything that remotely approached evidence, much less compelling evidence, to convict someone or even charge them. Referring to the recent charges he added, My conjecture is this was an attempt to punish him for that. It is not yet known where in Ireland Delahunty hails from. The Kerrymens Association of New York didnt even allow women among its ranks until 2011, and now, five years later, the county society has proudly inaugurated its first female president. Loretta King, a second generation Irish American whose maternal grandparents came from Kilgarvan, Co. Kerry, was unanimously elected as president and sworn in last Friday evening during a ceremony at the Kerry Hall in Yonkers attended by members old and new. King, a mother of three who was raised in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, joined the association soon after the ban on females was lifted by a more than two-thirds majority vote in 2011. Im delighted to be leading the Kerrymens Association, King told the Irish Voice on Monday afternoon. Ive always felt extremely welcome and Ive become friends with some wonderful people. Weve helped each other in a lot of ways. Not long after joining the group King was elected to various leadership positions, including auditor and recording secretary. She became vice president for 2015, a historical Kerrymens stepping stone for the highest office of president. She was elected unopposed in November of last year to fulfill that role for 2016. King, now based in Stamford, CT where she runs her own digital marketing business, LiKing Marketing, has taken the lead in bringing the Kerrymens Association up to speed on social media, which she plans on continuing in the future. Its how people communicate and its a way to reach out to many different people, she said. The association has roughly 400 members now, and like all of the other county associations faces challenges in growing its membership. Cultural connections are key to increasing awareness, King says she became a member of the Kerrymens after attending many set dances at the Kerry Hall and casting a wider net that includes Irish Americans of all generations is also needed. We cant look down on Irish Americans. Im second generation and I feel completely Irish even though my family has been here for 100 years, King says. She also wants to heighten the Kerrymens outreach to local Irish groups such as the Aisling Irish Center, and strengthen the relationship the association has with the younger Irish. Its important to us to support the new Irish who are coming here. I have three children, and I would like to think that if they went to live abroad, there would be a group they could reach out to that would help them if they needed it, King said. She pointed out that the association was founded in 1881 after a Kerry immigrant in New York was asked to visit a morgue to identify the body of a male who had died, with the only item in his pocket a piece of paper with an Irish address in Co. Kerry. Funds were raised by fellow natives of Kerry in New York at the time to provide the deceased with a Christian burial, and at the gathering for the man, the Kerrymens Patriotic and Benevolent Association was born. We have a history of helping others and I definitely want to continue in that tradition, King said. King grew up as an avid Irish step-dancer but eventually gave it up in her teens; her two daughters also Irish danced until their teen years. King eventually re-connected with Irish set dancing, took adult classes in Greenwich, CT and attended Irish ceilis and dances to broaden her connection. The Kerry Hall hosts such events on a regular basis. The annual dinner dance is set for Friday, March 18, and the Kerrymens also plans on marking the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising by delving into its historical archives, which include meeting minutes from 1916. As for the Kerrymens Association name? King is just fine leaving the men part of it as is. Honestly, I dont have a problem with it at all. Its tradition, she said. Its been in our constitution forever, and if someone wants to change it down the line, well, that will be up to them. But Im fine with it. An online petition has been started to have a US Navy destroyers named after a Mayoman, Patrick (Bob) Gallagher, who was killed in Vietnam. The campaign is asking that the Destroyer Class DDG Ship be named in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. On March 30, 1967 Gallagher was shot dead while on patrol in Da Nang. He was 23 years old. His sister Margaret Walsh, who lives in Florida, told NY Daily News It was a terrible time. Your son killed for a foreign country, and he was only here a year and a half. His funeral was a huge event in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo. At the funeral were the families of Christopher Nevin (29) from Balla in Mayo, killed in Vietnam in February 1966, and of Brian Og Freyne (21) from Ballaghaderreen in Roscommon, killed in Vietnam in March 1967. In 1962 Gallagher had traveled from Derrintogher, near Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo to stay with his aunt in New York. He worked in real estate and studied law. He also campaigned for Senator Robert Kennedy, in 1964. In February 1966 Gallagher returned home for three weeks. He did not tell his family that he had been drafted and joined the Marine Corps. In April 1966 he was deployed to Vietnam. Read more: Top 10 interesting facts about County Mayo (PHOTOS). On July 18, 1966 he saved the lives of his three comrades and was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy's highest honor. According to the petition, Gallagher and three others were "manning a defense post" when they came under attack. "Patrick kicked a grenade out of their position before it exploded" and then, according to the Navy Cross citation, "... another enemy grenade followed and landed in the position between two of his comrades. Without hesitation, in a valiant act of self-sacrifice, Corporal Gallagher threw himself upon the deadly grenade in order to absorb the explosion and save the lives of his comrades. "As the three other marines ran to safety two further grenades landed in the position and exploded, 'miraculously injuring nobody.' Patrick's squad leader ordered him to throw the grenade he was lying on into a nearby river. It exploded on hitting the water. 'Through his extraordinary heroism and inspiring valor in the face of almost certain death, he saved his comrades from probable injury and possible loss of life.'" The people of Ballyhaunis heard of his bravery and planned great celebrations for his homecoming. However, instead of celebrating his valor they buried him. Bobby Kennedy wrote to Gallaghers family after his death. He quoted Winston Churchill saying courage is rightly esteemed as the first of all human qualities because it is the one that guarantees all others. "This courage Corporal Gallagher gave to all of us. To him and to his family are due the thanks of a humbly grateful nation." According to a report in the Irish Times, in 2013 a group of Irishmen were discussing Gallaghers tale at Marius Donnellys Trinity Hall pub, in Dallas, Texas. Pilot Martin Durkan, from Ballyhaunis, was present and supplied details of Patrick Gallaghers story. Marius Donnelly, who owns the pub, launched the campaign to have the ship named in Gallagher's honor. The New York Daily News adds that former Marine Donald O'Keefe from the Bronx is campaigning for Gallagher to get the Congressional Medal of Honor. The online petition which can be found at www.patrickgallagherusmc.info and is titled Help Us Honor A Marine Corps Hero. The petition states: This would be a unique way for our country to say thank you for your shining example, courageous selflessness in defense of your fellow Marines, and your mission. There would be no better recognition of this service & commitment than a powerful modern vessel out in the world at sea, under the US Navy Flag, carrying the name of one of her immigrant heroes! * Originally published March 2014. The petition is ongoing. Love Irish History? "Like" IrishCentral's History Facebook page now and you'll never miss an update again! The group, BVK, has instructed international real estate firm, Hines to target prime high street retail assets across Europe as part of its investment programme. Among its top priorities is the Dublin real estate market which has seen considerable demand over the past 18 months or so. Hines has specifically identified the capitals prime shopping areas including Grafton St and Henry St as potential investment hotspots. Commenting on the current real estate environment in Dublin, Hines Ireland senior managing director Brian Moran said he was confident the firm could compete and move quickly to secure properties it is interested in acquiring on behalf of BVK. For the right asset, we can be very competitive on pricing and our ability to execute transactions quickly should give us a competitive advantage something which is vitally important in the prime retail asset class, said Mr Moran. A recent report from commercial property specialists CBRE indicated a severe shortage of retail properties in the countrys most sought after urban areas. The recovery in consumer sentiment and retail sales fuelled considerable occupier and investor activity in the the Dublin market throughout 2015. This is likely to be replicated in the coming 12 months. The research found that the most in-demand high street areas are now close to, or at, full occupancy. Specialist bank Investec is predicting approximately 3bn worth of deals in the commercial property market nationwide this year with more than 200 transactions forecasted. Recent reports have also identified Hines as the leading contender to snap up PricewaterhouseCoopers Irish headquarters on Spencer Dock which was recently put on the market with a 240m asking price. Separately, I-RES Reit has completed its acquisition of 442 apartments at Tallaght Cross West in Dublin for 83m. The acquisition was funded by the companys new credit facility of up 250m provided by Barclays and Ulster Bank announced last week. Barclays are lending 162.5m to the property company, while 87.5m is to be provided by Ulster Bank. Mr Burns has called on Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney to stand up to the factories and insist that they operate the quality pricing system properly without any weight cuts. Across the weekend, agents are cold calling on farmers looking for cattle and offering a base of 3.95/kg for steers and 4.05/kg for heifers, said Mr Burns, who also criticised industry commentators who have talked down the beef trade. Deliveries increased to 2.8m cars and vans last year a record for the group- at a rate that was more than double the global markets 1.6% advance. Renault pledged to increase sales across the board in 2016 as the global market expands by a forecast 1%-2%, with European and French demand growth at the upper end of the range. Our growth will accelerate in 2016 and we will improve our positions in all our regions, sales chief Thierry Koskas said in a statement. Boosted by recent launches, including the Kadjar and Captur SUVs, Renaults European sales rose 10.2% in 2015, outpacing the markets 9.4% growth. However, deliveries dropped 14.8% in South America and 8.6% in Renaults Eurasia region, which is mainly Russia, broadly in line with collapsing demand in those markets. The emerging-market slump also held back sales of no-frills cars including the Logan and Sandero compacts. Sales in the so-called Global Access category fell 1.4% to 1.11m vehicles. That accounted for 40% of group sales, down two percentage points from 2014. The company is betting on the recent arrival of the ultra low-cost Kwid mini-SUV in India to bring renewed growth in budget vehicles this year. Renault shares dipped in early trading yesterday. The stock fell sharply last week on reports that the carmakers offices were raided by French authorities investigating its reporting of engine emissions in the wake of the scandal over test-rigging by Volkswagen. Renault and French officials have denied any software cheats were identified, but investors remain concerned the company could be hit by a crackdown on vehicles with real-world nitrogen oxide emissions in excess of European norms. The carmaker was expected to outline plans to improve its diesel emissions in a presentation to French officials yesterday evening. Lawyers said Renault should have disclosed the raid itself and may face legal claims. At the very least, they said the incident may have undermined its reputation with shareholders. Renault management risk being seen as untrustworthy or simply as stupid, said Erik Gordon, a business professor at the University of Michigan. The news was surely going to come out. Management should have been the ones to announce it, not the ones who look as if they foolishly hoped to conceal it. Renault said its co-operating fully with the investigation, without providing details on what may have been seized. The company remains confident about the results of the investigation. However, Tanaiste Joan Burton has conceded that some of these returning Irish may not be able to find jobs straight away. As part of the fifth action plan launched yesterday by the Taoiseach, Tanaiste, and a number of ministers, the Government has promised to deliver 200,000 net jobs by 2020. This will bring the total number of people in employment to 2.18m. ]social=twitter]https://twitter.com/joanburton/status/689101767246770178[/social] There will also be a focus on new sectors including the bio-economy and audio-visual sector. Mentoring and management development programmes will also be provided across 1,300 companies this year. Speaking at the publication of the action plan at Kerry Groups Global Centre in Co Kildare, Mr Kenny said: To be competitive you have got to be in a position to create jobs and employment and by so doing you strengthen your economy. He said the Government now has a clear path set out to 2020 to create a further 200,000 jobs and bring back 70,000 of our young people who are working abroad in different countries at the moment. A new web portal to advertise job opportunities to returning emigrants is also included in the plan. Government launches Action Plan for Jobs 2016 today aimed at creating 200,000 extra jobs by 2020 #apj16 @Entirl pic.twitter.com/oLXxuHG6w6 Enterprise Ireland (@Entirl) January 18, 2016 However, in December, Ms Burton revealed that those returning had driven up the social welfare budget, and yesterday she admitted that people with low skills levels may struggle to find work. She said returning young people with qualifications and experience are very much being headhunted around the country and getting into a variety of very good jobs. There are also people who left who would have very low skills levels and who, when they come home, may find it difficult to get something immediately. They may have been working in construction as general operatives and in that case what we are doing with our Intreo offices around the country, including the one here in Newbridge opened recently, we are talking to them, we are getting people to make a plan and if that involves training or education, or if that involves contact with employers, we are helping them to get work, she said. #APJ16 - Our goal is sustainable economic growth so we can invest in better services, give back to the Irish people. pic.twitter.com/XoeCt1KcIS Damien English TD (@Damien_English) January 18, 2016 Mr Kenny said he had spoken with regional employers in recent weeks and there are opportunities for people who want to return home. Its a challenging target, we think its very achievable, he said. The Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association welcomed the focus on regional development, skills, and apprenticeships, but said economic success should not be measured solely on job increases. Almost a dozen promotions were agreed at last weeks Cabinet meeting, to head up missions in regions including Europe, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and Canada. The nominations were not formally announced and come amid mounting speculation that the outgoing Coalition will dissolve the Dail and call a general election within weeks. Details obtained by the Irish Examiner reveal the department officials from Iveagh House, those promoted from other missions as well as one official from the Department of Public Expenditure, have been nominated for the senior roles. The 11 appointments, yet to be approved by host countries, come as the Department of Foreign Affairs continues to expand its missions abroad. Currently, it has over 80 missions. Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said that last year was one of the busiest for missions abroad, with more than 2,300 Irish citizens receiving consular assistance of some kind. The Cabinet agreed to nominate officials to ambassador roles to Sierra Leone (also Liberia), Tanzania (also to Burundi and Eritrea), Australia (also Fiji and New Zealand), Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, and Canada. Nominations were also agreed for positions of permanent representatives to the Council of Europe, the OECD in Paris and for a representative to the Palestinian National Authority. A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman denied that the large turnover of ambassadors and mission heads was anything to do with the expected call of the general election in the coming weeks. He said a series of nominations were normally made at this time of the year so new representatives could settle into their roles by the summer. Iveagh House also said nominations of ambassadors are subject to the approval of the authorities of the receiving states and appointments are not formally confirmed or publicly announced until this approval is forthcoming. It is feared that he proposed Norwegian Air International (NAI) flights from Cork to Boston, due to launch in May, will not go ahead due to delays in the US side in granting a licence. The licence was sought two years ago. Under the 2007 EU-US Open Skies deal, any airline registered and approved by an EU member State may be granted traffic rights to fly from any destination in Europe to any destination in the USA. The independent councillor said the government needs to resolve the issue as a matter of urgency. The minister for transport needs to take this to Brussels, needs to take this to Washington, and say that we are not standing for this, because we are a small regional airport doesnt mean we have to be restricted in this way. Fianna Fail councillor Tom ODriscoll said Open Skies was established to give regional airports an opportunity to have transatlantic flights. In fairness to the management team at Cork Airport, they have been working very hard to do so and we thought we had a breakthrough last Autumn. Now we run into this totally unjustified delay on behalf of the US authorities to sanction this service, said Mr ODriscoll. Kevin Cullinane, marketing manager at Cork Airport, said efforts are being made to ensure passengers can fly to Boston from early summer. When Norwegian made the announcement they had that caveat in their press statement at the time, he said. I dont think they anticipated that it would take a further five months to get approval from the US authorities. Every effort is being made to lobby the US secretary of transport to expedite that approval process. NAI plans to operate its Cork transatlantic services with a narrow bodied Boeing 737-800 and the new Boeing 737MAX when it becomes available. The company had planned to operate Boston flights about four to five times a week. A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport told the Irish Examiner the application involves novel and complex issues and we are taking the necessary time to evaluate the long term application appropriately. There is no statutory deadline or current estimate as to when the analysis will be complete, she said. Mr Kenny said abolishing the USC on a phased basis is part of partys programme for government but stopped short of providing information on any planned levies for high earners. Last week, Mr Noonan said a clawback tax for high earners would be introduced if USC is abolished. Mr Noonan said it is not the Governments policy to cut USC for all earners, adding a new charge for the highest earners would be established to replace it. Michael Noonan But yesterday Mr Kenny said scrapping USC is still a central part of Fine Gael policy. Speaking at the publication of the Action Plan for Jobs 2016 in Oberstown, Naas, Co Kildare he said: The phasing out of USC is part of an overall taxation reform which will be spelled out in the Fine Gael programme for government. Clearly it is our position to phase out Universal Social Charge. Mr Kenny added the government has already reduced the level of USC being paid at the two lower levels. We have now taken 500,000 people out of a requirement to pay USC. The benefits have been capped at 70,000, which means theyre focused directly on lower, middle-income earners, he said. I said if re-elected we would reduce USC by a further 1% in 2017, which will cost 250 million and we will leave sufficient fiscal space to do that. So were clear on this in terms of phasing out of USC and capping its benefits and having it as part of an overall taxation reform. Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said the gradual phasing out of USC is an important principle. He said: USC is not like income tax, it doesnt make capital allowances so it doesnt provide for the sort of reinvestment that ought to be in a tax structure. I thinkMichael Noonan has made it clear everyone will benefit from the changes he will make. Richard Bruton Mr Bruton said the greatest benefit from the changes would be to those on lower to middle incomes. I think thats in accordance with all good principles of an income tax code. However, Renua Ireland candidate Paul Bradford claimed the promises around USC are simply an election gimmick. He warned election fever may yet have serious consequences for the fiscal stability of the country. Mr Bradford said abolishing USC would create a 4.5 billion funding gap. Renua wants to abolish USC but only as part of a structured recalibration of the nations finances, he said. The Taoiseach, by contrast, appears to want to abolish it as part of an election gimmick. But Mr Kenny said Fine Gaels election manifesto will be independently costed, adding a clear path on employment has been set out by the government up to 2020 which would include bringing 70,000 young Irish people back home to work. Garda sources said their appeal included the possibility that some cutting equipment may have been used over the weekend or left in a different position or setting. They said it could be the case that equipment, or a room, was unexpectedly cleaned or partially cleaned. Officers also urged people who are concerned as to the whereabouts of a person, but who have not reported the matter to gardai, to do so straight away. The fresh appeals were made as gardai again asked people who were along the canal near Ardclough village, in Co Kildare, between last Thursday and Saturday afternoon to contact them. The torso of a man, described as white and that of a young person, was found inside a large wheelie suitcase by passerbys at 3.30pm on Saturday. Tests are ongoing on the torso, as well as on the suitcase and the wrapping the remains were found in. Superintendent Gerry Wall, who is leading the investigation, said it was a gruesome discovery for the two people who pulled the suitcase out and opened it. He said the investigation team knew the man was killed at another location. From left, Chief Super Intendent Barry McPolin, Garda Superintendent Gerry Wall, and Garda Gerry Murphy speaking to media at Leixlip Garda station after the discovery of the human remains. We are asking people returning to their property or premises after the weekend to check to see if there was anything unusual, said Supt Wall, speaking at Leixlip Garda Station. Was a room or equipment disturbed or their premises in anyway different than when they left? Did you as an employee or employer notice anything different in your premises? He added that there may have been an attempt to clean up the room that the person hadnt expected. Separate Garda sources, while eager to respect the dignity of the victim, said the scene where the man was brutally assaulted and dismembered had to be very messy and that out of the ordinary efforts might have been taken to try and clean up the place. It had to happen somewhere and there has to be traces left of the crime, which is crucial for the investigation, said one source. The source said that if anyone is suspicious that something violent may have gone on at a premises, or in a room, to contact them. The scene in Ardclough following the discovery of human remains which where found in a suitcase at the Grand Canal in Co Kildare. Picture: Gareth Chaney Gardai have already established that the man was killed in recent days, the latest being last Thursday. This is thought to be based, in part, on the condition of the torso. Supt Wall described the remains as that of a young man, but said they had no clues regarding nationality. It is thought that no distinguishing tattoos or other marks are on the body. DNA samples from the man have been sent to Forensic Science Ireland and Interpol to cross-reference their respective databases. It takes a day to develop a DNA profile from a sample. FSI will run it against the DNA Database profile registry for any match. As it was only set up last November this is thought unlikely. They will also run it against the crime scene index, which goes back much further. The suitcase and the plastic wrapping the body was in will be subject to forensic analysis including DNA, fingperprint and fibres which will take a number of weeks. Any fingerprints found will be checked against the Garda Fingerprint Database. The prospects of forensic samples are reduced given that the suitcase was in the water. If gardai develop any suspicions as to the identity they will seek to get a DNA sample from a family member to confirm. Supt Wall said they had received some 80 calls from the public regarding their appeal for witnesses at Ardclough and said the information was being examined. This time-consuming process will hopefully give investigators a good idea when the suitcase was dumped into the water. While officers have put the time-frame back to Thursday, sources suspect it was put there overnight on Friday. Members of the gardai at the scene in Ardclough following the discovery of human remains. Picture: Gareth Chaney The spot is some 500 metres from Ardclough Bridge, also known as Henry Bridge. It is outside the entrance to The Village, a restaurant in the grounds of the late Tony Ryans Lyons estate. As it stands gardai do not suspect the remains are those of anyone reported missing in recent weeks. But they have urged people who have not reported someone who is missing, or who they are concerned about, to do so. Contact Leixlip Garda Station on 01-6667800. Workers and housemates urged to check if a room or equipment was disturbed over the weekend After being adjudicated bankrupt by the High Court in September 2013, Mr ODonnell and his wife Dr Mary Patricia were required to file statements of affairs in the High Court central office and also provide those statements to the trustee administering their bankruptcy, Official Assignee Chris Lehane, Ms Justice Caroline Costello said. The couple failed to file the statements in the prescribed form and argued they could not do so because they did not have certain information, including detailed financial information from Bank of Ireland concerning their precise debt to, and facilities with, that institution. They also argued they were entitled to certain information from Mr Lehane. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald announced she has passed the new changes into law, which would allow a grandparent become a guardian. Childrens rights advocates welcomed the order for the family law reform changes, saying they would help thousands of children whose interest would be paramount in any future court proceedings. Ms Fitzgerald said the enacted reforms under the Children and Family Relationship Act recognised the increasing diversity of family life. Some of the changes include: Unmarried fathers automatically become guardians if they live for 12 months with the childs mother, including three months following a childs birth. The change is not retrospective; A parents spouse or civil partner, of not less than thee years, can apply for custody where he or she has shared parenting of the child for two years; A grandparent or other relative can apply to court for custody where he or she has cared for the child from day to day for at least 12 months and the child has no parent or guardian;. A child co-parented by civil partners will have the same protections as under marriage; The court can impose enforcement orders where a guardian is denied access, requiring he or she get compensatory time with the child or that both parties attend parenting programmes. Ms Fitzgerald said: These reforms recognise the crucial role of parents and the need for a child to maintain meaningful relationships with both parents. Frances Fitzgerald Her department said proposed reforms for adoption in the new legislation, to allow civil partners or gay couples to adopt, were not part of the order. This was a matter for James Reilly, Minister for Children, her department said. Treoir, a service for unmarried fathers, welcomed the reforms, but said it was disappointing the measures were not retrospective and that fathers would have to wait a year under changes. Under the measures, unmarried fathers will, for the first time, automatically become guardians of their children if they meet a cohabitation requirement. An unmarried father who lives for 12 months with the childs mother, including three months following a childs birth, will automatically become a guardian. However, guardianship will only be acquired automatically where the parents live together for at least 12 months and the change is not retrospective. Childrens Rights Alliance CEO Tanya Ward also welcomed the new changes, saying: The legislation will impact positively on the lives of thousands of children and their families. It plugs a gap in our law that had left children stranded if their family broke down. Tanya Ward, CEO Childrens Rights Alliance For the first time in Irish law, the act provides comprehensive guidance to the courts on what considerations to take into account when making a determination on the childs best interests. This will provide much-needed guidance for the judiciary and will promote consistent application across the country. Ms Ward noted the reforms were also in line with the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child. Other changes will mean a maintenance responsibility may be imposed on a cohabiting partner for a partners child where the partner is a guardian of the child. Relatives of a child, such as grandparents or an aunt or uncle or those acting as parents, will also be able to apply to have access to a child more easily if there is a breakdown in a family relationship. Ms Fitzgerald said: These reforms deliver on the Governments commitment in the programme for government to modernise family law to accommodate the realities of family life. Mr Varadkar was responding to a move by the National Health Service in England to impose its own sugar tax in hospitals. Chief executive of the NHS, Simon Stevens, said the levy would help tackle the growing problem of obesity. Mr Stevens said hospitals would start charging more for high-sugar drinks and snacks in their cafes and vending machines to deter patients, visitors, and staff from buying them. Responding to the move, Mr Varadkar said he thought the NHS plan was a good idea and he would be raising it with the HSE at the next monthly meeting. Leo Varadkar A spokesman for HSE said the health authority is supportive of any initiative shown to have an impact on decreasing the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks and foods high in fat, salt, and sugar. The HSE has a Healthier Vending Policy that requires local management to ensure all vending machines in HSE sites provide healthier options. The next review of the Healthier Vending Policy is scheduled for June 2016. The NHS initiative will be considered as part of this review, the spokesman said. During an interview with The Guardian, the NHS chief said the levy that would be rolled out across the service over the next five years The tax, expected to raise between 20m (26.2m) to 40m (52.4m) a year, would be used to improve the health of the NHS staff. The move comes after British prime minister David Cameron signalled that he was prepared to drop his previous opposition to a general sugar tax in the face of what he described as an obesity crisis. David Cameron The Downing Street policy unit is currently working to finalise the measures to be included in a new childhood obesity task force. Mr Varadkar said his department has been working with the food industry to slowly reduce sugar, fat and salt in food. The departments Special Action Group on Obesity is finalising healthy eating guidelines, including the issue of added sugar, expected to be published next month. Dubbed the Student Slingshot Academy, the project was set up by UCD student Patrick Guiney at the end of 2014. Initially restricted to Dublin, the initiative has been so successful that, little more than 12 months after founding Student Slingshot, Patrick has decided to set up the academy in three more cities. Its our goal to impact as many secondary school students between the ages of 15 and 19 as we can so were expanding a lot this year, said Patrick. The whole thing is free to attend, and it will always be free to attend, thanks to our partners at Bank of Ireland, Accenture, Enterprise Ireland, Smart Futures, and the HEA. The reason it exists is to give young people better knowledge about their options. Its to give everyone a taste of what they can expect from college, no matter what their background is. The Student Slingshot Academy involves a day of talks, workshops, and a unique mentoring programme which pairs second-level students with college students and continues in the weeks and months after the student attends the academy. Mentors are there to answer questions their paired pupil has about third- level institutions, college life in general, and about specialist subjects of interest to them such as medicine, journalism, law, media, and engineering areas they would not necessarily learn about in second level. In a dream world, every single secondary school student would have a third-level mentor so that access to college was improved across the board, regardless of the background of the student, regardless of whether or not they might be the first generation of their family thinking about going to college, said Patrick. It would also help the student to pick the course thats right for them instead of picking something they dont know anything about and finding out later they dont like it. Obviously, we are a long way off from that, but we are on the right track and hopefully, we can get there eventually. Patrick said the demand has been huge and that their upcoming session in Galway, which takes place on January 26 and 27 at the Bank of Ireland Innovation Centre on Shop St, is completely booked up. The Cork and Limerick sessions are also in high demand, though there are still a few places available on each. Well have places for between 200 and 250 students in Cork. Its being held on March 1 in the Aula Maxima in University College Cork, said Patrick. The Limerick event will take place on March 9 in the University of Limerick and there are still places available for that. If anyone wants to register for a place, they should go to www.slingshot.ie. Apple, which employs nearly 5,000 people across locations in Hollyhill, Model Farm Road, and Lavitts Quay, cleared all three sites yesterday morning after gardai were alerted to a threatening email at approximately 8.30am. Many staff at the Hollyhill headquarters on Corks northside where the majority of Apples Cork workforce are based left the site during the evacuation. Staff leaving Hollyhill said they were not told the reason for the evacuation, and were only aware of a suspected bomb threat due to the news coverage of the warning. Those leaving the site in their cars were instructed on the way out they would not be allowed to drive back into the facilitys car park until the search was concluded. As a result, cars returning to the headquarters lined the road approaching the Hollyhill site until Apple gave the all clear for staff to return to work. Employees received word the evacuation notice was lifted shortly after 11.30am. Staff at the Apple plant in Hollyhill, Cork, return to work after a security alert evacuated all staff for a number of hours Meanwhile, a throng of staff from the Lavitts Quay facility gathered at the designated meeting point outside the front of Cork Opera House, while others took the opportunity to wander around the city, stopping for food, coffee, and, in some cases, a spot of shopping. Apple management on the scene remained tight-lipped about the incident and refused to make a comment about the evacuation. The majority of staff said they had been instructed not to talk to members of the press while others said they had no information to give. Dogs at the Apple Offices at Lavitts Quay Cork during a bomb scare. Picture:Des Barry Even if I was allowed to say something, and Im not, I couldnt give any information anyway. We werent told what was happening, just that we needed to evacuate. We guessed it was a bomb scare but nobody has told us that, said one employee at the Lavitts Quay facility who asked not to be named. Gardai concluded their searches at around 11:45am at which time they said they had found nothing suspicious. They would not divulge details of the communication received, describing it as a security alert. Apple workers return to work at Lavitts Quay Cork .Pic Des Barry Staff began to re-enter the building shortly after gardai had stood down and were due to receive a debriefing about the situation from management. Gardai conducted a search of all three facilities, and no bomb disposal units were called to any of the locations. A spokesperson for the Defence Forces said that it had both a bomb disposal unit and an Engineer Specialist Search and Clearance team on standby to be deployed if requested by gardai, but they were stood down at 12.10pm. Apple declined to comment on the security scare or to outline the cost of the evacuation to the company in terms of lost productivity. THE name of John Millington Synge is celebrated all over the world, with the Irish dramatists masterpiece The Playboy of the Western World having been staged on every corner of the globe. The Aran Islands a new play based on Synges journals from his time living on the Aran Islands dramatises this most crucial period in Synges life and reveals the origins of many of the stories that would return in his great plays. The show stars one of Irelands most charismatic actors, Brendan Conroy, who brings Synge to life while dipping in and out of a horde of other characters. Conroy is directed by Joe OByrne, who enjoyed great success with a similar format in Frank Pig Says Hello, his acclaimed adaptation of Pat McCabes The Butcher Boy. Its that style that Joe does so well, says Conroy. With very little suggestion, I slip into other characters and then slip back out again. Its seamless. Or thats the idea of it anyway if I get it right. The production went down a treat with audiences last summer when it premiered in Dublin and now returns for an Irish tour that will see it stop off in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Tralee, and Ennis. Featuring Synges account of island life, from forced evictions to the womens traditional keening for the dead, the show dramatises the writers long stays on Aran over the course of 1897 to 1901 while he was staving off an illness that would eventually take his life in 1909. Synge was always a bit restless, says Conroy. Hed studied music. Hed studied languages. Hed studied at home and abroad. And so this was yet another movement for him, to head out to the West of Ireland and study what he regarded as a primitive culture. And its very interesting, because as he observes the islanders he almost comes to absorb them. And that was the kind of recorder he was. He was a great listener. And the diaries are in some ways an extraordinary travel book he transports you right into that society of that time, with those events and characters. But as hes moving through the people, the island itself begins to have an effect on him. Our next play at @EverymanCork is The Aran Islands,an adaptation of Synge's famous 1907 book https://t.co/sGuqqpsK6F pic.twitter.com/udiBPrk7y6 The Everyman (@EverymanCork) January 14, 2016 Chief among those things that took a toll on Synge were the harsh elemental conditions of island life itself. Theres a stage in the show where Synge realises that this weather is getting to him, says Conroy. He says: The rain continues A week of sleeping fogs has passed over And he asks himself what do these people do? You couldnt imagine them drinking wine on the summit of this crowded precipice, but their grey poteen, which brings a shock of joy to the blood, seems predestined to keep sanity in men who live forgotten in these worlds of mist. Its a fair description of the human condition, Ill tell you that. That incredible flair for rich, lyrical writing which so informed Synges plays is a feature of the diaries, too, says Conroy. Moreover, those familiar with Synges work will catch the occasional telling reference here and there to elements that will return later in his plays. Says Conroy: At one point Synge talks about how when the currachs are out, hes left alone with a few women and the very old men who cannot row and how one of these men, the oldest on the island is fond of telling me a story of a Connaught man who killed his father with the blow of a spade when he was in passion. And so was born The Playboy of the Western World. The Aran Islands is at the Viking Theatre, Clontarf, until January 23; Cork Everyman, January 25 27; Town Hall Galway, February 3; Siamsa Tire, Tralee, February 4, and Glor, Ennis, February 5. Regular visitors to Frances excellent camp sites with Keycamp, now Eurocamp, we had always stayed closer to the ferry port fearing our band of young travellers would not be able to manage a long drive, so it was Brittany and the Vendee region that we stuck to. While we had great family holidays there, going in the early part of the summer meant we were subject to the whims of the weather. One particularly wet May break we half expected Noah himself to make an appearance. So on our latest adventure we decided to head as far south as we could to try and ensure blue skies and sunshine we even took the bold step of flying. We flew from Cork to Bordeaux with Ryanair, taking just one large suitcase in the hold, and carried on the rest. From Bordeaux airport we hired a car, pre-booked on the internet when we made our travel plans to get the best deal, and away we drove for around two hours to Le Vieux Port. Set in a pine forest, it was certainly the largest park we had ever stayed in and what it lacked in personal space around the mobile home it made up for in pool facilities. There are two large slides, a pirate cove pool, a wave pool where regular dance sessions are held, a large toddler pool divided into two sections with a slide, another large swimming pool and an indoor heated pool. It was hard to get our girls to leave it any stage and one evening we stayed in the pool until 8pm, sun still beating down at more than 25c. I dont know if it was the fact that we went a bit later in the year the first two weeks of July or that we went further south, or a combination of both, but we had the best weather we ever had on holidays and in turn, the best holiday we had had as a family. It started cloudy most mornings, but by 11am all that cloud cover was burnt off leaving just blue skies and hours of endless sunshine. And while some days it tipped 40c, being set near the coast ensured a sea breeze on the site and we spent most days either at the pool or at the beach. The beaches nearby were just simply stunning miles and miles of white sand and rolling surf as the Atlantic thrashes the beaches with waves made for jumping in. Most of the beaches have lifeguards and protected areas for swimming as some of the waves can be very strong. My favourite was certainly Biarritz beach, about an hours drive away, which was well worth the effort although we mostly went to a more local spot of Hossegor, a town where surfer dudes are king. Given the size of the camp we were glad of the Kids Clubs as it meant our older girls in particular (aged eight and nine) were able to make a few friends, and the four year old loved doing art, singing songs and playing games. They usually went for the morning session, had lunch in our mobile home and then we all headed to the water for the afternoon as the temperatures crept up. Im not sure I would go to such a large camp again but the facilities were superb. There were miles and miles of cycle paths both for families and the more advanced cyclists, all flat, with not a pot hole to be seen. Given the state of the weather so far, roll on this years summer holidays. Tips for a happy family holiday: * Do you really need to pack it? This is the question that haunts me every time I pack for holidays and I do two or three edits before its finally committed to the bag. * Make sure you have jellies or hard sweets for the flight to help with sore ears * Earplugs can be bought in most chemists which helps reduce the pressure as ears equalise on the plane particularly for children. * Little colouring books from the 2 shop are ideal for younger children to keep them occupied during the flight. Handheld electronic devices or books are also a must. * One favourite cuddly toy is enough to pack and make sure whatever they pack they can either carry or pull it along. * Pack some sun factor with you so you are all set for your first day there without panicking if you arrive on a Sunday and only a few shops are open or your flight is delayed and you get in late. At least that way you are protected straight off the bat. * Never go anywhere with kids without baby wipes or kitchen roll. * If you have small children, bring plastic bowls and cups to prevent breakages, or buy them in the local supermarket. * Bring enough underwear for at least five days so you are not rushing down to the washing machine every few days. * Bring washing powder or tablets with you. What is the point of buying washing powder on the campsite when you can bring a few liquid tablets with you? Particularly if you are putting a bag in the hold. Eight tablets equals four washes and you are hardly going to do more than that you are on holidays after all. * Bring salt, sugar and pepper sachets with you another few items you wont have to buy on site * Yes, you do need a hat. * It can get colder in the evenings so bring a warm cardigan or pashmina. * Children will probably need pair of runners, otherwise sandals and crocs for the pool are enough. * UV protected swim wear for children, with short or long sleeves, will mean you dont have to panic about burnt shoulders. * Pre-order the towels from the campsite - one less thing to bring and they can easily be washed. * We have poncho towels for the kids so they can walk from the pool back to the mobile home straight into the shower without having to get dressed. * A small medical bag is always handy mosquito spray, antihistamine creams, Sudocream, lip balm, ear drops for the inevitable ear infections, Calpol, Neurofen and Paracetmol tablets. Never leave home without them. * Bandaids will never go astray. * A couple of small plastic bags for those who suffer from travel sickness will fit in any bag and could save you a heap of heartache. * Bring toiletries you can afford to leave behind - it leaves a bit of room for some holiday souvenirs. * Bring a pack of cards and on a rainy day you can always make use of the stock of boardgames in the campsite offices. * A laptop for the evenings and a USB stick with a few of the families favourite films can help settle everyone before bedtime. * The kids club can be a lifesaver - for both the children and the adults - and some even offer evening babysitting for a charge. If the widow of a US government contractor killed in a 2015 Islamic State shooting in Amman, Jordan, wins her newly filed US Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) suit against Twitter, there could be enormous consequences for social media sites. Extremist groups are well known to use the internet to recruit members and plan attacks. Liability to victims of these attacks and the treble damages available under the ATA could mean significant exposure and reputational harm for sites frequented by extremists. But first, plaintiff Tamara Fields will have to win judicial support for her theory that Twitter provided material support to Islamic State (IS) by letting the group use the site to encourage small-scale attacks, like the one that killed her husband, Lloyd Carl Fields. Carl Fields, a contractor for DynCorp International, went to Jordan last autumn to help train security officers from Jordan, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories. He was one of several people shot by a trainee on November 9 in an attack for which IS took credit, according to the complaint. Though US terrorism victims have managed in recent years to establish ATA liability for financial institutions and purported charities, this suit appears to be the first to attempt to extend blame to a social media site for providing support to a terror group under the ATA, according Fields counsel, Joshua Arisohn of Bursor & Fisher. Holding Twitter liable will be a real challenge, according to Notre Dame law professor Jimmy Gurule, a former US Treasury and Justice Department official who specialises in terror finance law. The case raises a number of open and unsettled issues, said Prof Gurule in an interview. Fields will have to show that Twitter knew IS was misusing the site and didnt do enough to stop the groups activity, according to Prof Gurule and, even if she can meet that burden, she will have to show her husbands death occurred by reason of Twitters conduct. Exactly what that causation standard requires is a matter of considerable ambiguity, as Ive reported in connection with victims successful ATA case against Arab Bank. (After about 500 victims of Hamas attacks won a jury verdict of liability against the bank in 2014, the case settled in August for an undisclosed amount.) Must ATA plaintiffs show attacks would not have occurred if it hadnt been for the defendants material support? Or that the defendants conduct led directly to an extremist attack? Or neither? In a comprehensive post-trial opinion in the Arab Bank case, US District Judge Brian Cogan analysed precedent on the ATA causation standard from the US Supreme Court and several federal circuits. He concluded the causation standard isnt as high as Arab Bank argued it was. According to Judge Cogan, a defendant can be liable under the ATA if it acted with the knowledge that its conduct could lead to death or injury that would not otherwise occur. Judge Cogans analysis isnt binding, especially in federal court in San Francisco, where the Twitter case was filed. But plaintiffs lawyer Gary Osen, widely regarded as the pioneer of ATA litigation against financial institutions and a lead lawyer in the Arab Bank case, called Judge Cogans decision arguably the most definitive decision ever written on the ATA. (For what its worth, Mr Osen told me that he believes the Twitter case has a shot. Obviously, each case will hinge on specific facts, but I think its well pled, he said.) Fields lawyer, Joshua Arisohn, actually worked on Arab Banks ATA defence team for many years before joining Bursor & Fisher and said he put to use in the Twitter complaint what he learned from working on the other side. He said the causation standard wont be hard to meet against Twitter. A claim under the ATA requires only proximate causation: a showing that the defendants acts were a substantial factor in the sequence of events responsible for causing plaintiffs injuries and that plaintiffs injuries were reasonably foreseeable or anticipated as a natural consequence of such acts, Mr Arisohn said in an email. Plaintiffs are not required to prove that defendants alleged unlawful acts were the sole cause of their injuries; nor do plaintiffs need to eliminate all other possible causes of injury. The complaint contends that Twitter has been on notice since 2011 that Islamic State and other groups were using the service to spread propaganda, yet has refused aggressively to monitor tweets and accounts. The White House last week announced high-level talks to push the biggest Internet services, including Twitter, to do more to counteract extremist messages on their sites. Twitter says that it is not an enabler for terrorist groups such as IS. In a response to a Reuters query about the new suit, a Twitter representative said the claims are without merit, though it expressed sympathy for the Fields family. Violent threats and the promotion of terrorism deserve no place on Twitter and, like other social networks, our rules make that clear, the statement said. We have teams around the world actively investigating reports of rule violations, identifying violating conduct, partnering with organisations countering extremist content online and working with law enforcement entities when appropriate. A Brookings Institution paper last March, The Isis Twitter Census, said that Twitter has suspended thousands of accounts tied to IS. In addition to arguing that it did not turn a blind eye to Islamic States use of the service and did not cause Carl Fields death, Twitter may cite the US Communications Decency Act (CDA) as a defense in the ATA case. A provision in that law protects online intermediaries that host or republish speech by other people. Mr Arisohn said the US Congress intended that statute to shield internet companies from liability when users publish libelous comments not to give companies like Twitter a get out of jail free card when they knowngly hand over powerful communications tools to designated terrorist organisations. The intersection of the CDA and the ATA is one of the issues that other social media companies ought to watch closely as this case is litigated. During the Television Critics Association press tour, Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos responded to the interest the 10-part series has created on both sides of the Atlantic. The series focuses on the case of Steven Avery, who was prosecuted in 2005 for the death of photographer Teresa Halbach. The media are demonising this man in order to prove his guilt, Ricciardi said. The pair insisted they are film-makers, not prosecutors, and Demos added: We did not consider this advocacy journalism in the least. We are not taking sides. We dont have a stake in his character, in his innocence or guilt. That was not the question that we were raising. If you watch the series, I think its clear that the American criminal justice system has some serious problems and that it is urgent that we address them. Ricciardi and Demos ducked questions on their belief about Averys guilt or innocence, even though they told Stephen Colbert on the CBS Late Show earlier this month that they believe he is not guilty. Prosecutors who the film-makers say declined their request to participate in Making A Murderer have claimed the film omits physical evidence against Avery. Avery has recently filed an appeal against his conviction, claiming authorities used an improper warrant and that a juror was out to get him. The film-makers said they believe his request to watch Making A Murderer while in prison had been declined. The man had spent time in Syria getting military training and building relationships with IS field commanders, including the mastermind of the Paris attacks, and others who threatened attacks in France and Belgium, the ministry said in a statement. The statement identified the suspect only by the initials J A, and did not explain his suspected relationship to the Paris attackers. Scientists have discovered that the adhesive footpads that make spiders, tree frogs, and geckos such amazing climbers are limited by body size. They simply would not work for a creature as big as a human unless he had impossibly large feet. A person would need sticky pads covering 40% of the bodys surface to scale skyscrapers like Spider-Man, according to the researchers. The discovery may have implications for the feasibility of large-scale gecko-like adhesive systems. Lead scientist David Labonte, from Cambridge Universitys department of zoology, said: As animals increase in size, the amount of body surface area per volume decreases an ant has a lot of surface area and very little volume, and a blue whale is mostly volume with not much surface area. This poses a problem for larger climbing species because, when they are bigger and heavier, they need more sticking power to be able to adhere to vertical or inverted surfaces, but they have comparatively less body surface available to cover with sticky footpads. Uber mess USA: A Southern California man captured on video attacking an Uber driver has sued the driver for $5m (4.6m), claiming the video was recorded without his consent. Benjamin Golden, aged 32, of Newport Beach was arrested in November and charged with misdemeanour assault and battery for allegedly hitting driver Edward Caban, aged 23, on October 30 in Costa Mesa in Orange County. In November, the driver sued Golden for more than $25,000 in damages. The Orange County Register reported Golden filed a cross-complaint last month saying Caban illegally recorded him and posted the video to YouTube. The now-viral video captured by a dashboard-mounted camera shows Golden repeatedly striking Caban on the trip. According to the newspaper, Golden says he was intoxicated and began to fear for his safety and wellbeing when the driver pulled over to kick him out of the car in an unfamiliar location. In the altercation, Golden was blinded by the drivers pepper spray, the lawsuit says. As a result of media coverage, Golden says he suffered humiliation and the loss of his job. The lawsuit claims invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress, and assault and battery. In an interview in November, Cabans attorney Rivers Morrell said the Uber driver was traumatised by the attack. Its been a living nightmare for this young kid who has never had any altercations, Morrell told the Register. Hes fearful, he cant sleep, he just cant get this out of his head. Golden has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. Birthday girl ENGLAND: Britains oldest person, Gladys Hooper, has said all she wants for her 113th birthday is to celebrate with a slice of cake and a cup of tea. The great-grandmother, who was born in the year the Wright brothers invented the first successful aeroplane, was celebrating with family and friends from across the country at the nursing home in Ryde, Isle of Wight, where she lives. The former concert pianist, said: I dont feel very different to when I was 75. She said she would be happy with a cup of tea and a cake for her birthday and, when asked if there was anything special she would like, she added: No, I do not think so, everybody is friendly and things are satisfactory. Dressing down USA: A city official who wanted to include an elderly woman in a photo op about a snow-shovelling programme had a middle-aged male bus driver dress up in a wig, earrings, lipstick, and a dress. The driver stood next to Allan Fung, the mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, at a news conference touting the programme, wearing a name tag that said Cranston Senior Home Resident. WJAR-TV uncovered the ruse in reports this week, and Sue Stenhouse, the citys director of senior services who organised the news conference, has since resigned. An aide for the mayor declined to explain, saying it was a personnel matter, but two city councillors told the Providence Journal they believe the stunt was meant to deceive. Food dangers BRITAIN: Food proved to be the biggest danger for pets over the festive period, with vets reporting an increasing number of cases related to poisoning from consuming chocolate, mince pies, and even alcohol. Call handlers at emergency service Vets Nows triage centre answered a large number of queries from worried owners between Christmas Eve and January 3. More than 400 of the calls were about chocolate toxicity. The team also dealt with 27 cases where dogs had eaten mince pies or Christmas pudding, both of which contain raisins which are also poisonous to dogs. Ted Williams recently returned to the airwaves with a weekday program on WKVO-AM, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Williams, 58, got his start at the station in the 1980s. The new show is Williams first steady employment since 1993 and comes five years after The Columbus Dispatch featured his smooth radio voice in an online video. Prosecutors said the 38-year-old had intended to keep her in the bunker for years. The mans defence lawyer described the case as an elaborate plot to find a girlfriend, which unravelled when he walked into a police station with the woman on September 18 last year allegedly to show police she was fine. Defence lawyer Mari Schaub said her client has confessed to all allegations except rape, but wants the kidnapping charge reduced to a lower charge of deprivation of liberty. According to the indictment, the defendant built what was meant to look like a machine shed next to his countryside home in southern Sweden. Inside it was a concrete bunker with double metal doors. The doctor, whose name was not published in Sweden in line with privacy rules, allegedly made contact with the victim by phone and met her once before he abducted her on September 12 . The woman passed out after he gave her chocolate-coated strawberries laced with rohypnol, also known as a date-rape drug. Prosecutors say he had sex with her while she was unconscious, which Schaub said he denies. He then wheeled her to his car in a wheelchair and drove 530km to his home, giving her drugs intravenously during the journey to keep her sedated. When they arrived the next morning, the defendant locked the woman inside the bunker, where she remained until September 18, except for a few brief occasions when he led her in handcuffs to his home to take a shower, the indictment said. He said he wanted to keep her there for years, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said the defendants plot started falling apart when he returned to the womans apartment on September 17 to fetch some of her belongings. That was when he found out police were searching for the woman and had changed the locks on her front door. He returned to his home, picked up the woman, and drove to a Stockholm police station the next day with the intent of picking up the new keys to her apartment and making her assure police that she was fine. The police officers got suspicious and took the woman aside and she told them she had been kidnapped. Asia Foreign Jurists Call for Release of Detained Chinese Lawyers Twenty prominent, predominantly Western lawyers and jurists have urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to release a dozen Chinese lawyers and legal assistants. BEIJING Twenty prominent lawyers and jurists from Europe, North America, Australia and Pakistan on Monday urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to release a dozen Chinese lawyers and legal assistants held in detention in an open letter published in the British newspaper The Guardian. In the letter, the legal professionals, predominantly from Western countries, expressed worries that the Chinese lawyers have been denied legal counsel since their July detention. They also said they feared that without legal representation, the Chinese lawyers and legal assistants could be at high risk of torture or other cruel and inhumane treatments. China has arrested six rights lawyers and legal assistants on suspicion of state subversion, and three more on suspicion of inciting state subversion. One legal assistant was arrested on suspicion of helping destroy evidence. Hong Kong-based China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group said several more lawyers remain missing. The lawyers have sought to use Chinas own laws to hold officials accountable or to protect citizens rights, but Beijing says they are trying to sabotage the judicial system with improper activism. Since July, more than 300 lawyers, legal assistants, staff members of law firms, and social activists have been detained and interrogated. Most have been released, but some of the most prominent rights lawyers have been arrested, including Wang Yu, who defended one of the five women who became known as the Feminist Five. They were detained last March after they planned to hand out flyers against sexual harassment in several Chinese cities in a case that drew international scrutiny. The lawyers are known to have taken up some of the most contentious cases in China, often involving petitioners who have grievances with local governments, practitioners of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong, or political dissidents. State media say the lawyers have colluded with social activists and used social media to put undue pressures on local courts. The Ministry of Public Security called them a major criminal gang. Their arrests have drawn international attention, as shown by the latest open letter signed by heads of bar associations, legal scholars and lawyers. Burma Watchdog Claims Compensation Scheme for Dual Pipelines Plagued by Graft Corruption has undermined compensation initiatives for those affected by dual oil and gas pipelines beginning in Arakan State, a local group said Monday. RANGOON Corruption has plagued compensation initiatives for those affected by the dual oil and gas pipelines running across Burma from the coast of Arakan State to Chinas Yunnan province, a local watchdog said on Monday. The Myanmar-China Pipeline Watch Committee (MCPWC) said it had detailed more than 100 cases of graft or other misconduct committed by local authorities in the process of compensating landowners for lost farmlands. The group, which held a conference in Rangoon on Monday, said it had met with almost 1,000 villagers from six townships along the pipelines route, including farmers that had lost their land. MCPWC said their research aimed to highlight the extent to which foreign companies investing in Burmas lucrative extractive industries had been exploiting lax controls in the sector. The original deal to build the pipelines was signed under the previous military junta, with the Chinese state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) the main operator. The Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) commands a stake in both pipelines, while South Koreas Daewoo International has a stake in the gas pipeline. The gas pipeline, which starts on Ramree Island in Arakan States Kyaukphyu Township, was opened in 2013 while the adjacent oil pipeline, which begins on Maday Island, became operational in early 2015. The pipelines traverse through Arakan State, Magwe Division, Mandalay Division and Shan State before reaching China. MCPWC claimed officials involved in determining land compensation claims had embezzled funds, with the group conservatively putting the amount at over 90 million kyat (US$70,000). Zaw Aung, an independent research consultant, said authorities had in part pilfered funds by recording compensation claims against people and farmlands that didnt exist. Some villagers also reported that the figure of compensation stated was less than the sum they actually received. On the projects operations, Ye Thein Oo of the MCPWC urged Burmas government and the CNPC to make revenue statements and running costs available to the public. Despite the gas pipeline being operational since 2013, he said there was no transparency over revenue and that government officials had declined to provide accurate data when approached. Representatives of the projects operators also attended Mondays symposium. Henry Zhang, deputy public relations manager of the Southeast Asia Crude Oil Pipeline (SEAOP) and the Southeast Asia Gas Pipeline (SEAGP), formed by the projects consortium, declined to answer the watchdogs allegations directly, saying more time was needed to examine the claims. Zhang contended that the consortium had made donations in rural areas near the project and said Burmas government should take action over any corrupt practices. Other conference attendees raised additional concerns on Monday. Sein Myint, a retired deputy director in the Department of Mines, questioned whether the CNPC was authorized to build oil storage tanks on Maday Island and, additionally, whether the company was paying tax per gallon of oil stored, as he claimed was required by law. Zhang offered no comment on the former bureaucrats charge. MCPWC alleged that the majority of officials involved in graft worked with the Settlement and Land Records Department, the arm of government responsible for assessing land ownership and related claims. The group called on the alleged malpractice to be investigated and the perpetrators held to account. *This article has been updated to reflect that Zaw Aung is an independent research consultant Burma Historic Rangoon School to Become Polytechnic Institute The Yangon Technological University will be turned into a polytechnic institute, Deputy Minister of Education Zaw Min Aung tells Parliament. RANGOON The Government Technical Institute, Insein will be turned into a polytechnic institute, Deputy Minister of Education Zaw Min Aung told Parliament on Monday. Zaw Min Aung was responding to a question from Lower House lawmaker Win Htein, a member of the National League for democracy (NLD), about whether there were plans to re-open Insein Townships Government Technical Institute (GTI) as a multidisciplinary industrial institute when he made the announcement. Before, the institute could only teach technology-related subjects such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering and electronic engineering. Were going to open a polytechnic institute that offers engineering and vocational subjects according to Asean standards, he said. The deputy minister added that there are also plans to launch a technical high school and institutes to teach vocational skills to those unable to finish high school. Short- and long-term classes on hotel and tourism management, among other vocational subjects, will be offered. Its heartbreaking to know that the GTI was used as a prison cell by the former government, Win Htein said, referring to when the school was run by the military junta. The institute celebrated its 120th anniversary in December 2015 and received recognition from the Yangon Heritage Trust to mark the historic milestone. *This article has been amended to correct the name of the institute, originally erroneously stated as the Yangon Technological University. Burma Local Opposition to Dawei SEZ Reservoir Persists Residents of Kalonehtar village fear the damming of a stream to create a reservoir for the Dawei special economic zone could imperil their livelihoods. KALONEHTAR VILLAGE, Dawei District I would not exchange my betel nut plantation for a dam, Kalonehtar villager Han Htay said one sunny day earlier this month, speaking at his home in southeastern Burmas Tenasserim Division. In testament to the crops importance to the man, a layer of fresh betel nuts were spread under the tropical sun in front of his house to dry. Our livelihood depends on the forests and mountains. We will be dead if we cant earn a living, the 70-year-old explained as he smoked a cigarette, saying his family earns 15-20 million kyats, (US$11,540-$15,380) annually from a total of 30 acres of areca palms, from which betel nuts are derived. In addition, the family sells cardamom, a spice that draws its ingredients from seeds of plants native to the area. With news that long-stalled plans for the Dawei special economic zone (SEZ) may finally be moving forward in earnest, villagers here are again on alert and ready to mobilize in opposition to a dam project that they first mounted a campaign against five years ago. Last month, Japan bought into the SEZ, assuming a one-third stake, along with the governments of Thailand and Burma, in a development that its boosters hope will see the plans materialize after years of uncertainty. Doubly Marked The lives of Kalonehtar villagers were described in a report as doubly marked for disruption by the plans of Italian-Thai Development, which is seeking to dam the areas natural mountain stream and has already charted the course of a new road to run near the village. The report, Voices from the Ground, was published in 2014 by the Dawei Development Association, which said that initially, the whole village would have been submerged by a reservoir created by the dam, with the residents of Kalonehtar told to relocate. Once media reports about the proposal began circulating, the abbot of the village monastery, Panya Wunsa, began looking into impacts of the dam on Kalonehtar and came to the conclusion that the plan would need to be altered. The abbot went to SEZ implementer Italian-Thai Development, proposing that the company move its planned reservoir three miles upstream, but the company did not budge, saying the alternative location would not allow for a reservoir of the holding capacity that it envisioned. Italian-Thai acknowledged that the village would need to be relocated but promised, by way of consolation, better living standards for the affected villagers. When SEZ implementers came to negotiate with villagers in November 2012, however, they were greeted by placards reading No Dam, No Relocation. With 182 households, Kalonehtar is the largest of four villages of the Talaingyar village-tract in Yephyu Township, Dawei District. For livelihoods, most of its approximately 1,000 villagers depend on small-scale mining in the Talaingyar stream and grow seasonal produce such as betel nut, cardamom, and a tuber known as elephant foot yam. Resilient Opposition Su Paing Htwe is a member of the Dhamma Thabin Youth Association, which has existed in the village for decades and was an early opponent of the dam. We have been campaigning a lot against the dam, since 2010. Even if the dam is constructed in another place, at any scale, we have no plan to accept it, he told The Irrawaddy. Asked why, Su Paing Htwe expressed doubt that anything other than the complete scrapping of the plan would still have adverse effects on the village. If they must proceed anyway, we are prepared. They need our consent and must conduct environmental and social impact assessments. We must question how they will account for the loss of orchards, and livelihoods that depend on the forest and mountain, Su Paing Htwe said. Unwilling to accept the dam, villagers are preparing an alternative plan for development in the form of community eco-tourism, taking advantage of the areas natural and cultural endowments. We will present our regions traditions and cultures. We have natural hot springs and waterfalls. We will showcase our tradition livelihood, Su Paing Htwe said. Villagers plan to charge 30,000 kyats for a visit per day, including meals, a tour guide and transportation. They are also aiming to provide homestays for foreigners, though the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism currently prohibits this. Kalonehtar residents long-standing and vocal opposition won a small concession in Italian-Thais July 2013 decision to move the dam site about 440 yards upstream. Su Paing Htwe is not appeased. Although it will not be in Kalonehtars area, whichever place they dam, since this is flowing along the Talaingyar stream, people will be impacted anyway. That is hard for us to accept, he said. For now, villagers are following the lead of the 51-year-old abbot Panya Wunsa, who helped spearhead a successful campaign that coaxed a company to improve its environmental practices at a lead mining project along the Talaingyar stream. Kalonehtar is also close to the road linking the Dawei SEZ to Kanchanaburi province in Thailand. There are plans to expand the current two-lane road into a four-lane highwaysubject to the consent of villagers. Italian-Thai came to me the other day [to discuss extending the road]. I told them only Thai investors like you come but no [government] authorities come with you. If the project is invested 50/50 by both Myanmar and Thailand, how can we accept what you alone have said to locals, without the presence of [government] authorities? A meeting to present the results of an environmental and social impact assessment of the roads widening, when the consent of villagers will be sought, is scheduled for Jan. 28. The abbot is not promising an easy sell. Even with the two-lane road, our river and stream are silted up. I will ask them what they can do about it. If they can [offer assurances], they can continue. If they cant, we might stop them. Asked what he thinks of the prospect of the Dawei SEZs moving forward, Panya Wunsa said that for him, the dam and reservoir were a red line. Regardless of whether it is large-scale or small-scale, we cant accept it if it could destroy our community, he said, adding that the SEZs implementers needed to do a better job with community consultations. There is recognition, however, that local opposition may not be enough to prevent the dam project from going forward: If the dam cannot be prevented and negotiations are to be made, the abbot said villagers would need to seek guarantees on who would be held responsible for any adverse impacts, including the potential for disasters such as landslides, resulting from the damming of the stream. Burma Memorial Service Held in Rangoon to Mark One Year Since Teachers Murders A memorial service was held in Rangoon Tuesday to mark one year since the rape and murder of two ethnic Kachin teachers in a remote Shan State village. RANGOON A memorial service was held in Rangoon on Tuesday to mark one year since the brutal rape and murder of two ethnic Kachin schoolteachers in a remote village in Shan State. Zinghtung La, the head of Kaung Kha village in Muse Township where the two young women were found dead on the morning of Jan. 20 last year, spoke at Tuesdays service, held at a Christian church in Rangoon and attended by some 500 people, including members of the victims families. The village head spoke of the elusive fight for justice in the case that shocked his small community. Many believe the crime was perpetrated by active-duty Burma Army soldiers and Zinghtung La recalled an army commander asking him information about the two women on the night they were killed. The commander from the Burmese Army asked me whether the two teachers were single or married and whether they were Kachin women. I told him that the two girls were Kachin, [that] one was single and the other was not. I noticed his soldier wrote down information when I talked, Zinghtung La told The Irrawaddy. When the two teachers, both 20 years old, were found dead in their shared dormitory the following day, Zinghtung La said the commander wanted to leave the village immediately. In a report released on Tuesday, the Kachin Womens Association of Thailand (KWAT) and the Lawyers Action Network (LAN) detailed key evidence they contend implicates senior military officials in obstructing justice. The groups claim the commander of troops stationed in Kaung Kha and his superiors blocked and subverted the police investigation into the crime. Zinghtung La said the incident occurred on the very night Burmese troops arrived in the village. Usually our Kachin people are afraid of the Burmese Army. No one would dare to go out at night when the army was in the village. Not only humans but even dogs dare not go out, he said. Hundreds of ethnic Kachin attended Tuesdays service to pray for the victims and the media was invited to join a press conference where members of a local investigation team discussed the case. Representatives said the government had prevented their team from interviewing key persons, including military personnel and three drivers. Lawyer Brang Dee, who is part of the investigation team set up by the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), said the team did not have the authority to speak with persons of interest. [If] they let our team talk to their [military] men and car drivers, then our work would be done, he said. Rev. Samson of the KBC suggested international involvement should be sought to examine key DNA evidence. For us, we do not know a lot about DNA. But we have kept some evidence for [testing]. The government took hair samples and other evidence but we noticed they did not take sperm [samples] from the bodies, he said. We will ask help from the United States for DNA testing, he said. No results of the victims cause of death have been released by the authorities, one year on. Shortly after the crime, a military-owned newspaper announced that the investigation did not implicate Burma Army soldiers and threatened legal action against those who claimed otherwise. Kachin community leaders said they would lobby the incoming National League for Democracy-led government to take up the case. We expect our family will see justice soon, said a young family member of one of the victims. Burma Ex-Dictators Son-in-Law Hand-Picked as Military MP for New Parliament New military representatives are assigned to Burmas next Parliament, including among appointees the son-in-law of former military strongman Snr-Gen Than Shwe. RANGOON New military representatives to Burmas next Parliament, which will convene in less than two weeks, were named in Tuesdays state-run newspapers, including among appointees the son-in-law of former military strongman Snr-Gen Than Shwe. High-ranking members of the armed forces are included in the new slate of unelected lawmakers, including three major-generals appointed to the national legislature, according to the Union Election Commission (UEC) announcements. Maj-Gens Tauk Tun and Than Htut Thein will take up seats in the Lower House of the Union Parliament, while Maj-Gen Than Soe will sit in the Upper House. Among the appointees also of note is Brig-Gen Thein Naing, the son-in-law of former junta leader Than Shwe. Thein Naing, the husband of Than Shwes daughter Khin Pyone Shwe, will take a seat in the Rangoon Division legislature. Political analyst Yan Myo Thein pointed out that Thein Naing was the highest-ranking military appointee to the Rangoon regional legislature, speculating that he might be a candidate for chief minister of the division, Burmas most populace. In a Facebook post, Yan Myo Thein said observers should keep an eye on Thein Naings political trajectory, and that his potential chief minister candidacy might be part of an agreement reached between National League for Democracy (NLD) chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, Than Shwe and Burma Army commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. The Constitution requires that state and divisional chief ministers be selected by the president from among respective regional legislatures parliamentarians. The NLD will hold commanding majorities in all but the legislatures of Shan and Arakan states, following its landslide victory in Burmas Nov. 8 general election. While Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from the presidency, she has stated publically that she will be above the president in an executive that her party has the required majorities to form. The new Parliament convenes on Feb. 1. Under Burmas military-drafted 2008 Constitution, 25 percent of seats in both houses of the Union Parliament and state and regional legislatures are reserved for active members of the military. Though the UEC cancelled elections for about 20 seats nationwide due to security concerns in some townships, the commissions announcements revealed that the military took its full allotment of reserved seats: 110 in the Lower House, 56 in the Upper House and 220 in regional legislatures, giving the institution representation that exceeds 25 percent of sitting lawmakers in the Shan and Kachin states legislatures, as well as the Union Parliaments Lower House. Burma One Year On, Rights Groups Demand Justice for Rape, Murder of Kachin Teachers One year after the rape and murder of two Kachin schoolteachers in Burma, rights groups call for justice and accuse authorities of a systematic cover-up. One year after the brutal rape and murder of two ethnic Kachin schoolteachers in eastern Burma, rights groups call for justice and accuse authorities of a systematic cover-up of the crime that many believe was perpetrated by active-duty soldiers. The two young womens mutilated bodies were found in Kaung Kha village, Shan State, on Jan. 20 last year. Villagers said the area was occupied by the Burma Army, and that they saw boot prints on the scene. In a report titled, Justice Delayed, Justice Denied, the Kachin Womens Association of Thailand (KWAT) and the Lawyers Action Network (LAN) examined witness testimony and key evidence that they said implicates senior military officials in obstructing justice. The governments priorities were clear in the Kawng Kha case [also spelled Kaung Kha]protect the military at all cost, KWAT General Secretary Moon Nay Li said in a statement. We urge the new NLD government to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice, and end military impunity. An investigation that followed the crime was criticized for its hasty and opaque procedures. Just 10 days after the crime, a military-owned newspaper announced that the investigation did not implicate Burma Army soldiers in the incident, and threatened legal action against those who claimed otherwise once the inquiry was concluded. President Thein Sein declined to respond to appeals made by the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), a well-established community network that was among the main advocates for justice in the case. The group was denied authorization to conduct an independent investigation. The new report claims that the commander of troops stationed in Kaung Kha and his superiors blocked and subverted the police investigation into the crime. According to the report, the Muse Strategic Military Commander and 200 soldiers were summoned to the village for questioning shortly after the crime, but police investigators were limited under military scrutiny. KWAT and LAN called on Tuesday for constitutional reform to address the militarys continued power and influence over the police and the judiciary, which they called a key structural barrier to justice in Burma. Pointing to a new proposal in Parliament that would offer immunity to former presidents, Hkawng Lum, a human rights lawyer working with LAN, said that [w]hatever amnesty he grants himself in Burma, President Thein Sein is still liable to prosecution for war crimes in accordance with the Geneva Convention, to which Burma is a party, if evidence on command responsibility is found. Burma US Urges Outgoing Govt to Free All Political Prisoners US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls on Burmas outgoing government to release political prisoners before a new government is formed in March. RANGOON During his second diplomatic visit to Burma, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the outgoing government to free all remaining political prisoners before the National League for Democracy (NLD) takes the mantle at the end of March. The deputy secretary on Monday met with President Thein Sein, Burma Army second-in-command Soe Win and NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won nearly 80 percent of contested seats in Burmas historic Nov. 8 election. Blinken told reporters in Naypyidaw that the United States would carry on its role as a full and committed partner to the former hermit state in its political transition, saying more exactly that Washington would help to resolve lingering issues, including freeing remaining prisoners of conscience. Remaining political prisoners must be released and human rights protected for all, no matter their ethnicity or religion, Blinken told the press. Reforms need to continue until an elected civilian government is truly sovereign and all the countrys institutions answer to the people. According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, some 128 political prisoners sit behind bars in Burma, and another 472overwhelmingly journalists, student and land rights activists and people accused of defamation on social mediaawait trial. Twenty-three of these activists have been arrested just since the November general election, many charged with flouting Article 18 of the controversial Peaceful Assembly Law. The deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, Phil Robertson, echoed Blinkens sentiment in the report released Monday. Thein Sein shouldnt wait for the new government to take office in late March to free those who should never have been imprisoned in the first place, he said. Burmas growing number of political prisoners is the most glaring indictment of President Thein Seins human rights record. In the waning days of his administration, the president could leave a positive legacy by immediately and unconditionally freeing all of those unjustly held. Thein Sein has released more than 1,000 political prisoners over the course of his five-year political tenure. Featured Post PARIS: Jean Roach tells the True Story of Leonard Peltier: From Jumping Bull Camp to Life in Prison Jean Roach and Celine Planchou photo by CSIA JEAN ROACH TELLS ABOUT THE EVENTS SHE WITNESSED WHEN SHE WAS 14, EVENTS THAT LED TO LEONARD P... Archive Search This Blog About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com Translate What Risks Are Hiding In Your Data? Seven Scary Stories Users of eBay may be the latest victims of a spearphishing campaign, thanks to an XSS security vulnerability. The good news is that eBay has patched the vulnerability. The bad news is that it is an example that spearphishing is a problem thats not going away and, in fact, tops the list of security concerns among enterprises, according to a new study from Cloudmark. Lets start with the eBay story. According to ZDNet: The Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability, implemented through Java, allowed an attacker to inject their own malicious page within eBay via an iframe. MLT leveraged the weakness in eBays domain to inject a login page into eBays URL system, which made the malicious URL look like it was hosted on the legitimate eBay website. The flaw, the article continued, opened the door for a spearphishing campaign targeting eBay users. And it is a good example of why enterprise worries about spearphishing as a serious threat to their networks and data. As SC Magazine explained, the XSS vulnerability: could be exploited by spearphishers to steal funds from people, use trusted eBay accounts to scam other users, and more. The Cloudmark survey found that 20 percent of IT decision makers say that spearphishing is their top security concern, while 42 percent admitted that spearphishing made their top three worries. The reason is clear: 84 percent said that a spearphishing campaign made it through their security defenses, and 38 percent blame spearphishing for a cyberattack. The most common attack is malware, followed by authentication credential discoveries and corporate information requests. The attacks have had serious financial impacts, as the average cost of an attack was $1.6 million. There is also the hit to the companys reputation, as well as a decrease in stock value. Why does spearphishing work? According to the Cloudmark blog: Spearphishing will continue to be a widely used tactic by cyber attackers who find socially engineered emails to be the easiest path of entry to many systems that are otherwise heavily guarded. Though companies rely on anti-spam and anti-virus solutions, these tools were originally created to attack bulk spam and non-targeted malware payloads, not spearphishing. Employee education also does not provide a bulletproof vest against this pervasive method of attack. It may be that users dodged a bullet with the eBay vulnerability (time will tell), but when you see a story like that, it is easy to see why IT pros are worried about spearphishing attacks. Sue Marquette Poremba has been writing about network security since 2008. In addition to her coverage of security issues for IT Business Edge, her security articles have been published at various sites such as Forbes, Midsize Insider and Toms Guide. You can reach Sue via Twitter: @sueporemba. 5 Ways to Improve Your Email Marketing ROI Chances are, when you think of pop-ups, you think of those online annoyances that you typically try to block. It turns out there are pop-ups in the physical world, too, but rather than being annoying, theyre kind of cool. Im referring to temporary brick-and-mortar extensions of online retail outlets that, well, pop up in various locations to give those retailers a means of providing a touch-and-feel experience to customers. I recently had the opportunity to discuss this phenomenon with Melissa Gonzalez, founder and CEO of Lionesque Group, a pop-up retail consulting firm in New York, and author of the book, The Pop Up Paradigm: How Brands Build Human Connections in a Digital Age. I opened the conversation by asking Gonzalez what determines whether a permanent location or a pop-up is the better way to go as a means of creating a truly distinctive brand for an online retailer. She said there are a lot of factors: First, it really depends on the reason as to why they want to do a pop-upwhy they want to have a retail space. Sometimes theyre new, and they want to announce that theyve launched a brand, but theyre not really at the stage where they have the infrastructure to run an online site plus a storefront. Online in itself is its own animal, and needs a full team, so they might want to do a pop-up just to bridge that touch-feel gapto let people know that theyve launched, let people touch and feel the brand, get to know the designer behind the brand, and then continue the conversation online. They also might not be sure where they want to be geographically, so a pop-up store is a great way to test that market before they sign a long-term lease. Sometimes they just need a short-term activation to educate customersmaybe theyre launching something new, or forming an exclusive partnership, and they just want to get marketing buzz around that. So it really depends on their goals. I noted that Amazon opened a brick-and-mortar store in Seattle in November, so I asked Gonzalez for her thoughts on the likely strategy there, and whether there are any takeaways that are relevant to a discussion of pop-up retail. She said its all about enhancing the customer experience: I think youre seeing more and more that these successful online stores are opening brick-and-mortar, because consumers, as much as theyre digitally connected and living on their smartphones, all crave human interaction at some point. So more and more, youre seeing a lot of these bigger brands doing it, where they can kind of showroom the brandcustomers can come in, they can have experiential engagement, and they can still shop wherever they want. For a lot of these big guys, where the purchase happens doesnt matter that muchit could be mobile, it could be online, it could be in-store. But its in-store where they can really create a customer experience. So Amazon is doing it, and Microsoft opened their store in Manhattan, and eBay is doing all these collaborations with brick-and-mortar stores. Its furthering that human connection and the relationship with the brandits another touch point in the whole equation. So if Jack Ma of Alibaba came to her and asked her for her advice on a U.S. retail strategy, and whether he should do a permanent brick-and-mortar location or a pop-up, what would her advice be? Gonzalez laughed, seeming to savor the very thought: I dont think theyd have a problem having the infrastructure to be able to have a permanent store, but I would advise them to start with pop-ups. Im sure they have plenty of data on where traffic comes from, but I would have them use pop-ups as a marketing strategygo on a road show and test different major cities and the engagement they find in each, and use it not only as a marketing opportunity, but as a learning opportunity before planting a stake in the ground and signing a long-term lease anywhere. I asked Gonzalez how common is it for retailers to have pop-ups in multiple locations at the same time. She said that certainly happens: You definitely see it with the larger brands, because it takes a bit of a budgetyou need teams in multiple places at the same time. It tends to be tied around something, like theyre launching something new, or its a holiday and theyre going to take over X amount of mall space for the holiday season. Its a very well thought-out and coordinated effortthey have one singular message that theyre introducing across multiple cities at the same time. It can be as simple as a kiosk type of pop-upyou see a lot of fragrance brands do it across malls for the holidays; or it can be as extensive as really building out brick-and-mortar stores in multiple cities at the same time. Or you see some companies go on a tourwe just worked with a company from Dallas called Mizzen+Main that did a pop-op in New York City, then they traveled over to San Francisco; they did one in Dallas before that. Theyre learning about their customers, and if they were to open a space, where it resonates the most. So its definitely happening, where theyre building, breaking down, and going to the next location, or theyre popping up in 10 or 15 locations all at the same time. As for what factors determine the length of time a pop-up should be in operation, Gonzalez said she always talks to her clients about their goals in order to determine that: If its strictly marketing-based and experiential, and nothing is being sold in the store, shorter is better. Those tend to be three to five days at the mostyou kick it off with a VIP reception with media and influencers, and then word gets out in the first couple of days, and by day four or five youve covered your target market, and its time to close doors. If youre really testing a retail location, and trying to collect data, I always recommend a month or more. Then you can really bring in technology to study traffic patterns and door count and dwell time, and tie it to your point-of-sale data, and study social media engagement to determine what products people are talking about the most. You really need a longer time to collect that data. I also spoke with Gonzalez about how ROI is calculated in the pop-up world, and about the biggest mistakes that pop-up retailers tend to make. Ill cover those topics in a forthcoming post. 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. Samsung's Galaxy Note 5, which easily made its reputation as one of the best phablets to come out in its time, had one glaring issue. Unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy Note V's S-Pen can be inversely inserted to its slot, rendering the handset itself malfunctioning or at worse broken. While the South Korean tech giant did issue a warning in the included manual, many users still reportedly insert the pen in reverse. Now, the company has addressed the hardware issue and made a small fix for the problem. Back when the Galaxy Note 5 was first released, Samsung had warned its users not to insert the stylus backwards. It was clearly written in the manual, but the company, later on, changed the packaging to provide a clearer warning. However, the issue was quite jarring that it had put a serious dent in the reputation in the Galaxy Note line, especially that its S Pen is one of its key features. Previous devices from the Galaxy Note line did not have the issue. The current generation's mechanism and form of the stylus were easily at fault even when the company did give out a warning beforehand. Now, according to reports, the new Galaxy Note 5's circuit board appears to have been redesigned so that it can safely eject the S Pen even if it has been inserted in reverse by accident. Previously, removing the S Pen would require more than the normal force to take it out; and even the users did carefully take it out, inserting the S Pen backwards still rendered its features broken. It wasn't specified, however, as to when the South Korean company started to implement the hardware fix for the Galaxy Note 5. However, it's safe to presume that newer issues of the devices will most likely have the fix. WhatsApp, one of the most popular cross-platform messaging apps in the world today, has announced that it is removing its annual US$0.99 fee for its users where it applies. Founder Jan Koum has revealed the news on stage at the DLD conference in Munich that while the annual fee might not be too much of a charge, it still puts off many people that don't have access to card payments. 'It really doesn't work that well,' Koum said at the conference. Admittedly, the company discussed that the approach of charging its users with annual subscription fees has not worked well primarily because many of its users still don't have a debit or a credit card, which would be required for paying the charge. However, the news may have lead people to believe that WhatsApp will be resorting to third party ads for its revenue model. The company claims that it isn't the case and instead will plan to earn money by offering its services to businesses. 'Starting this year, we will test tools that allow you to use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses and organizations that you want to hear from,' reads the post from the company's official blog. WhatsApp says that this would also mean communicating with the user's bank account whether there's a fraudulent transaction, or contacting the airlines if there's a delayed flight. The company wants to test new tools in order to make it easier to do in their platform while still providing an experience that's ad and spam free as well. Until now, WhatsApp, the now-owned company by Facebook, has been free for the first year for users and US$0.99 for succeeding years. Now, it will stop charging fees immediately, but it may likely take a couple of weeks until the company's payments infrastructure is out on all versions of the app. However, it's also important to note that customers who have already paid the subscription fee won't be issued a refund. The Chinese device market is overrun by tablets that come with Google's Android or Microsoft's Windows. However, there has also been an influx of slates that feature both operating systems in one device, thus giving users the flexibility that comes with the Android platform and the ergonomics and control through Windows. Apparently, Chinese handset manufacturer Huawei may also jump in the trend as rumors point out that the company is actively working on a hybrid that can go head to head against Redmond's line of Surface devices. According to reports, Huawei is now working on a hybrid laptop PC, which means that it can be used as a tablet or a standard laptop as the case may be. There will also be a stylus. Moving forward, Huawei's rumored device will also come with dual OS capabilities. As such, users can switch from Android to Windows or vice versa should they wish to use one or the other. Of course, while Bluestacks has been around to provide the Android experience on Windows, a device that runs apps natively will deliver a much better experience. Details regarding its hardware are still sparse, however. But reports suggest that it will favor an Intel chipset under its hood. Internal storage and the amount of memory are also still missing, and there are still no images that depict at least how the device will actually appear. Xiaomi, another Chinese handset giant, has already released its dual OS tablet dubbed as the Mi Pad 2. Furthermore, reports last year have also discussed that the "Apple of the East" is planning to launch a laptop with a metal body to be released this year. It's still unclear if Huawei will be directly competing with it, but it will be interesting to see if the company will set itself apart from devices that hail inside China. Thursday Donna Edwards meets with prominent 'Black Lives Matter' activist. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) met Thursday with prominent "Black Lives Matter" activist DeRay Mckesson, part of an ongoing effort to put civil rights issues at the center of her Senate campaign. Edwards "demonstrated a deep understanding of issues related to race, criminal/economic justice, and the movement, today," Mckesson tweeted to his 274,000 followers. "More folks should meet & talk to her." Mckesson is a co-founder of Campaign Zero and We The Protesters, both activist groups aimed at police accountability. He helped organize demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo. and around the country in response to police shootings. Last year he and other activists met with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, pushing both to focus on racial inequities. A 30-year-old Baltimore native, he said in an interview that Edwards's campaign had reached out to him. He said he learned that she was a community activist before joining Congress, and that she spoke persuasively of how she could use the platform of the Senate to advance the Black Lives Matter cause. "I left the meeting impressed with her and confused as to why I hadn't heard of her before," he said. ... In December, she spoke at a "Black Lives Matter" forum and defended the movement against those who said it should be more politically strategic, arguing that there was a need for both politicians and protesters. "Black lives matter, in fact, less in far too many communities and ... that is unacceptable," she said. "If we don't get [these issues] addressed now then it will be another body on the street." After white ranchers took over a federal bird sanctuary in Oregon, she said the media was treating them with far more respect than it treats black protesters. The day after the State of the Union, she appeared on the radio with Alicia Garza, another Black Lives Matter leader. She's also written an op-ed for the Washington Post describing her fear for her own son's safety. Paid for by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee PAC ( www.BoldProgressives.org ) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions to the PCCC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. There are no black women in the U.S. Senate -- a sad fact this Martin Luther King Day.When prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson met Maryland U.S. Senate candidate Donna Edwards, he told his 274,000 Twitter followers that Edwards "demonstrated a deep understanding of issues related to race, criminal/economic justice, and the movement, today. More folks should meet & talk to her."There's more. Donna is a bold progressive who's committed to expanding Social Security. She's serious about meaningful campaign finance reform. And, she was an early leader for making college debt-free.Read the Washington Post article about Donna's unique campaign -- different from any other in the U.S. Then, donate $3 to help Donna win. Thanks for being a bold progressive. -- Keith Rouda, PCCC organizerSenator Elizabeth Warren says, "When PCCC members donate millions in small-dollar donations and make millions of phone calls for progressive candidates, leaders in Washington, they take notice." . This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. We have seen robots being developed for the past two decades. It starts from the toy robot your child plays to the advanced robotic arm with modern features. Artificial intelligence is also rising in the software world. In a recent study, these two technologies may soon take jobs. Robots and artificial intelligence is beginning to disrupt the labor market and according to a study from Davos, 5.1 million jobs will be lost in the next five years in 15 leading countries which roughly covers 65% of the world's total workforce. The number came about after indicating challenges that modern technologies may bring especially to manufacturing, operating and production lines. The rise of robotics and artificial intelligence is said to reduce risk and will affect manufacturing to healthcare industries - especially for businesses that require repetitive tasks that can be replaced by automation. The study from Davos was produced by the World Economic Forum which is scheduled to meet at the Swiss Alps during this week. The projections initially stated a total loss of 7.1 million jobs but will be offset by 2 million jobs gained. United Nation's Internal Labor Organization has also forecasted an increase in global unemployment in 2020 of 11 million. Office and administrative sectors may be affected when smart machines can take over routine tasks. This loss will most likely affect women who are filling office and administrative roles. The official theme for this year's meeting in Davos is "The Fourth Industrial Revolution" which covers robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology and 3D printing. The annual meeting is scheduled on January 20 to 23. The "Future of Jobs" study indicates that the impact will be great in every industry but on the bright side of things, industries will need skilled certain skilled workers which includes data analysts and specialist sales representatives. By of the Is Subways promise to do a better job making sure its sandwiches measure up to their advertised lengths worth nearly $6 million a year to customers? Thats the big question that could unwrap a proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit over too-short subs now pending before a Milwaukee federal judge. Four people, including the director of a class-action watchdog organization, filed objections with U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who is overseeing the litigation that combined several Subway lawsuits from around the country. The lawsuits got rolling after one customer's social media post of a ruler next to his sub went viral. Adelman gave his preliminary approval to the proposed settlement in October, and held a settlement fairness hearing last week. The deal announced last fall would have paid up to $1,000 to the few named plaintiffs, as class representatives, but nothing to the millions of other customers who may have purchased sandwiches shorter than six inches or a foot long, as advertised by Subway. The settlement did not find Subway's marketing was unlawful or improper. But the settlement also would require Subway to continue new procedures meant to guarantee more buns (all made from the same weight of dough) measure six or 12 inches when they become part of a sandwich. That injunctive relief benefits all class members to the tune of about $5.9 million a year, according to an economics expert hired by the plaintiffs attorneys. The larger the benefit to the class, the easier it becomes for its attorneys to convince Adelman that their e requested fee -- $525,000 -- is reasonable. Theodore Frank, founder of the Center for Class Action Fairness, calls the experts valuation of the injunctive relief little more than junk science, and successfully challenged Subways attempt to get the report filed under seal. Whats more, Frank says the class and Subway filed the experts valuation after the deadline for class members to object to the proposed settlement. Subway claimed that its sales and pricing data, used by the plaintiffs expert to value the injunctive relief, is private information. But Frank argued does not qualify as trade secrets or other information exempt from the normal public disclosure. Ultimately, Frank got the class and Subway to file in the court record a redacted version of the experts report, so at least the methodology could be examined, and ultimately attacked. In addition to Frank, three other people from sent letters to Adelman objecting to the proposed settlement. I feel ripped off, wrote Mary Repine of Kansas. I do not have an attorney, but I feel I am owed some compensation. There is no scheduled date for Adelmans final decision. Ideas Editorial Page Editor David D. Haynes talks about ideas, innovations and trends worth considering SHARE By of the Im headed to Iowa on Thursday morning to do some reporting on the GOP campaign for the presidency, and Im hoping youll tag along. Ill write a column or two when I return next week but in the meantime Ill also keep you updated through my blog and social media. First stop is Cedar Rapids, where a friend of mine runs the editorial page for The Gazette. The newspaper hosts a monthly get together for the politically minded called Pints and Politics. I also plan to be in West Branch (home of President Herbert Hoovers presidential library) and over in western Iowa, where Dr. Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and businessman Donald J. Trump all are campaigning. Maybe Ill run into one of them. If I do, youll know about it as soon as I do. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook and check out my daily Periscope videos (which you can find through Twitter; look for a link from the @journalsentinel account). Also, check back at the Ideas blog for a running look at what Im finding and my observations. I cant remember a more interesting and wide-open Republican race. This is not to take anything away from the Democrats Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) clearly is giving former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a tougher race than she expected. But I still think Clinton will be the nominee. I cant imagine the Democrats will nominate Sanders. On the Republican side, though, I wouldnt hazard a guess although the oddsmakers are trying to figure it out. Maybe Ill know more after talking to the good folks of Iowa. Come along for the ride starting Thursday. By of the Ariens Co. said Monday it's sticking with a policy that doesn't accommodate special prayer breaks for Muslim employees, despite 53 people who left their jobs in protest and an American-Islamic relations group stepping in to support those workers. Somali Muslims at the company, which makes snowblowers and lawn mowers, objected to management's recent decision to begin enforcing a policy of two 10-minute breaks per work shift. Instead, they wanted Ariens to continue with a previous practice of allowing Muslims to leave their work station at different times such as at sunrise and sunset to pray two of the five prayers their faith requires of them daily. The Muslims said the change put them in the position of choosing between their jobs and their religious beliefs. "At this point we are still figuring things out, but there are some concerns, obviously, including the rising Islamic phobia and how much it plays into this case now," said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations office in Minneapolis. Brillion-based Ariens Co. insists it has tried to be sensitive to its Muslim employees. The company has prayer rooms for them but says it can't afford to shut down an assembly line for unscheduled prayer breaks. "The best solution is to stay with the policy we have had for many years, which is two scheduled breaks during each shift. ... Those 10-minute breaks should allow enough time for prayer, if someone wants to pray," said company president Dan Ariens. The 53 Muslims left their jobs last week, and some people speculated they were fired. "At no time did we ever tell those employees that anyone was terminated. As a matter of fact, we would like all 53 of them to continue to join us in Brillion," Ariens said. "We think they are going to have to look through their own lives, their families and their faith. But if they choose not to come back to work, we respect the fact that they have their beliefs and their faith," he added. The problem with unscheduled prayer breaks, according to the company, is that if even one person walks away from their work station, it can disrupt production. "If I am on a team of 10 assemblers, and two of them clock out for a prayer break, all 10 people have to stop," Ariens said. Over a period of a year, that would cost the company more than $1 million in lost time, according to Ariens. "And that's if these are five minute breaks. If you are going to leave your work station in a plant that's 360,000 square feet, walk to the bathroom to wash your feet, take your time to pray, get dressed again and get ready to go back to work, it's very difficult to do in five minutes," he said. The privately held company, founded by the Ariens family more than 80 years ago, employs about 900 people in Brillion, a community of roughly 3,000 residents. The Somalis were hired last summer through a job fair and a Green Bay employment agency. Ariens Co. pays to bus them to work in Brillion, which is about 30 minutes from Green Bay. Some of the Somalis have limited English-speaking skills according to the company, but they have a translator. "They have been marvelous employees. From my vantage point, they come to work every day and, when they're here, they are good workers," Ariens said. In the past, the company's Muslim employees followed the policy of two 10-minute breaks per work shift, according to Ariens, although some exceptions were made when it didn't disrupt production. The recent issue surfaced when more Muslims were added to the assembly-line workforce and the company determined that it was time to enforce the policy. The enforcement of the two breaks per shift rule is scheduled to begin Jan. 25. If enough of the 53 Muslim employees don't return to work, Ariens said, it could be difficult to keep the group employed. "To be honest, it's going to be hard to run a bus for three people. We will have to review what we have after January 25th, and if we don't have enough people for a bus service, it will be too expensive," he said. The Council for American-Islamic Relations was scheduled to meet with the Muslim employees Monday. "These types of accommodation disputes can be resolved in a spirit of respect for constitutionally protected religious rights and for the legitimate needs of both employees and employers. We ask Ariens to revert to its previous policy allowing religious accommodation until a resolution can be reached that allows the workers to practice their faith and permits an efficient manufacturing process," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C., organization. Federal law requires employers to offer reasonable religious accommodation to workers of all faiths. One possible way to end the dispute would be to use a mediator, preferably an American-born Muslim who understands the religion's prayer requirements, said Masood Akhtar, who worships at the Madinah Community Center in Madison and is known by the title adviser to the Muslim community. "You could get a leader from the Milwaukee Muslim community who can listen to both sides and could come up with circumstances that would satisfy religious requirements ... while addressing the concerns of the employer," he said. Business / Companies by Staff reporter JOHANNESBURG - Insurance group, Sanlam said on Monday that it will offer its corporate clients a comprehensive employee benefits solution through a new division called Sanlam Corporate, headed up by Junior Ngulube, the former CEO of Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa.Sanlam also announced that the group's former CEO, Dr Johan van Zyl, will join the board as a non-executive director and representative of Ubuntu-Botho Investment Holdings, Sanlam's black economic empowerment partner.Through Sanlam Corporate, the group hopes to capture a greater share of corporate business by offering companies and their employees life insurance, general insurance, investments, health insurance, retirement, financial planning and advice, Sanlam said in a statement.Sanlam Corporate will become another of the group's business clusters, alongside Sanlam Emerging Markets, Sanlam Investments, Sanlam Personal Finance and its short-term insurer, Santam.Ngulube, who will head up Sanlam Corporate as of next month, has worked for Munich Re of Africa for 28 years and has been CEO of its sub-Saharan operations since 2007.Based in Germany, Munich Re is one of the world's largest reinsurance companies (an insurer of insurers) and provides both life and non-life reinsurance solutions.Ngulube holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Honours) from the University of Zimbabwe, a Master of Science in Agriculture from the Pennsylvania State University (U.S.A.), as well as a postgraduate Diploma in Financial Management from Damelin College in South Africa."Junior brings a wealth of experience in financial services which he gained at one of the largest reinsurance companies in Africa," commented Sanlam CEO, Ian Kirk. "He has great insurance expertise in South Africa and the rest of Africa. We are confident that he is well qualified to lead the formation of the Sanlam Corporate business cluster and to grow it into a formidable part of the Group's operations. We welcome him to Sanlam and look forward to his contribution."Back in 2013, MMI bought cell captive insurer, Guardrisk from Alexander Forbes for R1.6 billion in order to enhance its employee benefits offering to corporates and offer corporate clients the opportunity to sell branded insurance products to their clients and employees, without having to own their own insurance company.Alongside Momentum Retail and Metropolitan Retail, Guardrisk forms the third pillar of the group, namely, Corporate and Public Sector. Guardrisk made a strong contribution to the group's results for the 12 months to June 2015, although MMI lost the medical aid administration of two significant public sector clients after the year end.A leader in employee benefits, Alexander Forbes administered 328 standalone retirement funds at March 2015, while 1 144 corporate clients were in the Alexander Forbes umbrella retirement fund. Sign at the Milwaukee County Historical Society SHARE By of the You can't have a brewery exhibit without cracking open a few brews. Well, you shouldn't. The Milwaukee County Historical Society, 910 N. Old World 3rd St., which opened its "Brew City MKE" exhibit last week, hosts Happy Hour from 5 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 28 (and again March 3 and April 21). Grab a beer at the pop-up tavern and take it upstairs to the replica office that a brewery owner might have used or to inspect the refurbished horse wagons. Admission is free. On Feb. 5, the museum hosts Ladies Night, where Wisconsin female brewers talk about the history of women in beer as well as their own history with beer. The discussion begins at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $20. Tickets will be available online or by calling (414) 273-8288. There's more: Saturday:Uber Tap Room and Cheese Shop, 1048 N. Old World 3rd St., hosts a beer and cheese tasting with Jim Klisch from Lakefront Brewery. Expect four different beers matched with four artisanal cheeses for $20. The program begins at 7 p.m. Jan. 26: The Stone, 2422 S. Howell Ave., taps special Deschutes brews Mexican Mocha Randall'd Infused Black Butte Porter, Pinedrops IPA and River Ale Northwest Session Ale at 6 p.m., according to a Deschutes Facebook page. Jan. 27:The Milwaukee Beer Society tests your knowledge of beer with a blind tasting. They'll serve 10 to 12 styles of beers without saying what they are. The tasting begins at 6 p.m. at Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, 901 W. Juneau Ave. Admission is $10 plus a one-time $10 membership fee. Jan. 27: Tallgrass Brewing takes a meeting at Ray's Growler Gallery & Wine Bar, 8930 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa. The gallery opens at 3 p.m. Jan. 30: The Wisconsin Brewers Guild celebrates a cold one or more with the Ice Cold Beer Festival from 4 to 8 p.m. in Minocqua. Tickets for the beer festival are $45. Jan. 31: At Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., beer school is in. This time they'll study beers from Destihl starting at 4 p.m. The program is $15. The class will study Abbey's Single, Belgian Series Dubbel, St. Dekkera Excommunie Deau, a barrel aged sour Belgian Dubble and Metallurgy Sour Collection, a stainless steel aged sour with pears. Feb. 3: They're breaking out the aged Big Bad Baptist for an Epic night at Draft & Vessel Draft & Vessel, 4417 N. Oakland Ave., Shorewood. Start time is 6 p.m., according to the Draft & Vessel Facebook page. Feb. 6: Burnhearts, 2599 S. Logan Ave., hosts its annual Mitten Fest. The free party with live bands, rare beers from Central Waters and Founders, starts outside at noon. See the Mitten Fest Facebook page. Bring food, clothing and/or cash donations for the Hunger Task Force, Inc. Feb. 20:Food & Froth at the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St., features more than 100 beer names and eight bands from 7 to 10 p.m. Ticket prices range from $125 for VIP admission to $75 for general admission. Feb. 21:Midwinter Brewfest raises money for the MACC Fund. It's held at the Milwaukee Ale House, 233 N. Water St. The fest runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $45. April 19-20: The main ingredient in beer is water, so no surprise that the Great Lakes Water Conservation Conference has a beer focus (sponsors include New Glarus Brewing Co. and Goose Island Beer Co.). After a year away, it returns to Milwaukee. A note: Lakefront Brewing recently won a Good Food Award for its Growing Power Farmhouse Pale Ale, a Belgian-style beer made with organic barley and organic hops in collaboration with Milwaukee's urban agricultural organization Growing Power. For a guide to beer news and more, check out Tap Milwaukee's Beer Here page: jsonline.com/beer. By of the A Shorewood father has been charged with child abuse, accused of slamming his infant son on a couch and causing a brain injury. The father, 33-year-old Lavel V. Pollard, was watching the baby boy Jan. 11 at their home on N. Morris Blvd. when the baby woke up that evening crying, according to the criminal complaint. Pollard, who admitted being "slightly intoxicated," told police he let the 3-month-old boy cry for 20 minutes but then grew mad and threw the boy onto the couch, where the baby's face struck a remote control. The complaint says Pollard's son passed out shortly before the boy's mother arrived home from shopping to find him limp and lethargic. She wanted to take him to the hospital, but Pollard said to wait and see how he was doing in the morning. In the morning, the baby's leg was twitching, and the mother called 911. The boy was taken to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, where doctors diagnosed subdural brain hemorrhage and a bruise to his eye area. Pollard, after first denying injuring the boy, confessed in an interview with Shorewood police on Wednesday, the criminal complaint says. He is charged with child abuse and child neglect, both felonies, and faces up to 21 years in prison if convicted of both charges. The criminal complaint also notes that this isn't the first time Pollard has been accused of child abuse. He admitted to hospital staff members that years ago he would get mad and squeeze his infant daughter when she cried, causing broken ribs and bruises. That case, from 2003, ended in Pollard pleading no contest to child abuse. A prison sentence was stayed by Judge John Franke, and Pollard was given a three-year probation, online court records show. The strip search episode was not a wimpification of the Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. It cannot be defended or described as anything but a violation of civil rights. Credit: Calvin Mattheis SHARE Alderman Mark Borkowski Rick Wood By of the The Milwaukee Common Council Tuesday approved a proposed $5 million settlement with 74 African-American residents who say they were subjected to illegal strip searches and body cavity searches by police officers looking for drugs. The payment is part of a sweeping settlement of more than a dozen federal civil rights lawsuits pending against the city over the search practices. Four Milwaukee police officers were convicted of crimes in connection with the illegal searches and forced to resign. In two separate actions, Aldermen Mark A. Borkowski and Russell Stamper II voted against settling and paying. Borkowski said the settlement was evidence of the "wimpification of police" and railed against the plaintiffs and their attorneys, calling them "ambulance chasers." His comments were quickly condemned by other council members and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who said Borkowski needs to "learn how to separate fact from fiction." "The strip search episode was not a 'wimpification' of the Milwaukee Police Department," Barrett said. "It cannot be defended or described as anything but a violation of civil rights." After the meeting, Borkowski added that there are "policies and procedures that need to be abided by" among officers but said that there were only a couple of "bad apples" involved. He added that the settlement is part of "a disturbing trend," citing it and the city's pursuit policy as examples of the Milwaukee Police Department not being tough enough on crime. He traced such problems to the leadership of Chief Edward Flynn. "The criminal has the upper hand," Borkowski said. "We know that many of the beneficiaries of the settlement are known drug dealers." Some fellow aldermen promptly slammed his comments. Ald. Terry Witkowski called Borkowski's statements "outrageous." "We don't get to choose whose constitutional rights we decide to respect," Ald. Ashanti Hamilton said. "I also reject that all of the plaintiffs are drug dealers." And Ald. Nik Kovac said that he agrees that officials need to be tough on crime but added that there are clear procedures that need to be followed when it comes to searching suspects. "There's a way to do it without raping someone," Kovac said. Union levels criticisms Michael Crivello, president of the Milwaukee Police Association, called the strip search situation "unfortunate," but he also criticized the settlement. "The Common Council decision, while fiscally prudent, was also unfortunate, ultimately doing little more than rewarding criminal behavior," Crivello said. Like Borkowski, he blamed Flynn and his policies. The Milwaukee Police Department declined to comment Tuesday. But attorneys for the plaintiffs bristled at Borkowski's comments. "To have an elected official make those kinds of comments embarrasses the City of Milwaukee," Chicago-based attorney Flint Taylor said. He said that the attorneys' investigation showed that far more than 74 people were violated, but that many were too intimidated by the police to join the lawsuit. "It's outrageous for an elected official to call reining in police for their unconstitutional, racist and criminal conduct a 'wimpification,'" Taylor said. Attorney Jonathan Safran added that he was "certainly surprised" by Borkowski's comments. "Despite what he may believe about some of our clients, this is clearly a case, again, where Milwaukee police officers violated constitutional rights that individuals have," Safran said. Although one of the officers, Michael Vagnini, often did find drugs in suspects' scrotal areas or in their rectal cavity, some suspects claimed he planted the drugs, and other searches did not reveal any drugs. Stamper and Ald. Milele Coggs raised concerns about the conditions placed on the settlement. Before any of the plaintiffs can collect, they must clear any warrants and pay off a collective $900,000 in government debts, including criminal restitution and back child support. Such conditions have never been placed on any city settlement before, according to Stamper and Coggs. "It almost seems punitive to me to include in restitution so many categories that we've never done before," Coggs said. The city already has methods of recovering funds for tickets or other outside debt and for clearing warrants, she said. Of the $5 million in the proposed settlement, $2.3 million would go to the plaintiffs' attorneys the Chicago law firms Loevy & Loevy and The People's Law Office, and Milwaukee lawyers Safran, Alex Flynn and Robin Shellow. The plaintiffs were grouped into three categories, based on which officers were involved, where the search occurred, the type of search and other factors. Fifteen people would get $60,000 each, 47 would receive $40,000 payments and 12 would receive $15,000. Of the four officers, Vagnini was convicted of felony offenses and was sentenced to 26 months in prison. The others were convicted of misdemeanors. Both sides arrived at the settlement after mediation before U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who presided over some of the larger lawsuits. A few were settled previously, for about $90,000 each, and in one case that went to trial, a jury awarded $506,000, an amount later reduced to $60,000 by the judge. Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report. So you say you want a daddy for your president? OK, so maybe you didn't say it, but on a subliminal level, you may have felt it, especially if you're a Republican primary voter leaning toward Donald Trump. Such is the finding of a recent national poll unveiled in the current issue of Politico magazine. The survey's author, political consultant Matthew MacWilliams, found that Trump supporters tend to be primarily 'authoritarians.' This shouldn't come as a surprise since 'authority' sums up the content of both Trump's persona and his campaign. How many times have you heard him say, 'Believe me,' usually following some sweeping promise that has virtually no basis in reality? But Big Daddy's the boss. What he says goes. Case closed. For many Republicans, this trope apparently offers comfort. Fathers, after all, are brave, strong and filled with correctitude. They lay down the law; you follow it. Easy peasy. So much for Republican allegiance to independence and self-sufficiency. When it comes to government authority, the only difference between a daddy state and a mommy state is the number of bullets in the clip. What voters hear when Trump speaks is validation of their anger, resentment, fear and loathing. This folie a deux between demagogue and populace (the leader and the led) is nothing new, but a substantial percentage of GOP voters are managing to overlook Trump's parallels to history's other authoritarian figures. They, too, invariably appealed to nationalistic, nativist pride and made enemies of 'the others.' So exactly what does it mean to be 'authoritarian,' in MacWilliams' parlance? In a word, it means you obey and that you value obedience. Authoritarians also are attracted to strong leaders and react strongly to outsiders when they feel threatened. These qualities aren't necessarily an indictment of either Trump or his supporters. It is natural to want to protect one's home (land) when intruders are reportedly about. And who in her right mind wants a weak leader? Been there, haven't we? Trouble is in the details, or, in Trump's case, the lack thereof. His plans and policies are amateurish to pretend-ish, certainly as compared with someone's like Jeb Bush, who has offered detailed plans for tackling complicated issues. Not that voters are going to read them. On the Democratic side, authoritarianism didn't register as statistically significant at least not yet. Bernie Sanders may seem the amiable if crotchety grandfather, but anyone who thinks government ought to control large portions of the economy and who promises to transfer wealth from one group of people to another won't be a sweetheart for long. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, who has endured decades of authoritarian comparisons from the finger-wagging teacher to the emasculating Nurse Ratched is today a kinder-gentler, head-nodding version of her former self. Of the three Trump, Sanders and Clinton Hillary is by far the most rational, which surely comes as a surprise even to the many Republicans, anecdotally, who have told me they'd vote for Clinton over Trump. Companion to this anomaly is the New Hampshire voter who can cast a ballot in either primary and is torn between Sanders or Trump. Eh? What's that? That could be explained only by the straight-talk effect for which both Trump and Sanders are known. But the world of difference between them other than their mutual disdain for reality suggests that our next president could be just anybody and for no particular reason whatsoever. Today's voters are so mad they can't see or think straight. They want simple solutions and simplistic slogans. With Trump, they get both, as well as a furious father figure, who, snapping off his belt for a good whuppin', will build a wall, bomb the hell out of 'em, and bravely defend 'Merry Christmas.' Kathleen Parker is a columnist for The Washington Post. Email kathleenparker@washpost.com Twitter: @KathleenParker SHARE Gun proposal is dangerous The proposal by Senate President Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) and Rep. Rob Brooks (R-Saukville) to allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry guns on school grounds is on its face dangerous and shortsighted. It lacks critical analysis and even a modicum of thought regarding unintended consequences. Far too many concealed carry permit holders are totally unsophisticated and untrained in the actual deadly use of their weapons. Under current law, they are required to know how to operate their weapons, but they are not required to know how and when to react. They have not been confronted with life-or-death choices in which they were required to make that ultimate decision. If there is an attack on a local school the police will arrive in force. They will not stop and ask to see who has a permit before they take action. They will react as they are trained. The school will go on lockdown and the teachers will protect their children even at the cost of their own lives. The result will be permanently traumatized children and adults. The resulting psychological trauma even if there is not a death is not worth protecting some forgetful individual's purported Second Amendment rights. This proposed bill shouldn't even be introduced. P. Davis Combat Veteran Franklin Selling out American workers Democrats are not alone when it comes to selling out the American worker. In her party's response to the State of the Union Address, Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was the pot calling the kettle black when she spoke of the Democratic Party's "broken" promises. Haley apparently has forgotten the promises the GOP made to Americans prior to the 2014 elections when the Republicans said they would fight tooth and nail to undo President Barack Obama's lawless executive amnesty for millions of illegal aliens that included work permits. And let's not forget House Speaker Paul Ryan's promise not to introduce any immigration legislation while Obama was still in office because the GOP "can't trust" him. So what does the GOP sneak into the omnibus spending bill thanks mostly to the efforts of Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)? The quadrupling of "temporary" low-skilled foreign workers using the H-2B visa. Roy Beck, founder and president of the Arlington, Va.-based NumbersUSA, said it best in this Jan. 12 tweet: "Prez just signed spending bill that allows 4-fold increase in #H2B workers so MD ocean resorts can hire from Europe instead of Baltimore." Dave Gorak Executive Director Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration La Valle What the GOP has done This is a response to the Jan. 14 letter to the editor: "What has GOP done for people?" 1) The Civil War was started by Southern Democrats and stopped by Republican Abraham Lincoln. 2) The Korean War started when Democrat Harry Truman was president and was ended by Republican Dwight Eisenhower. 3) The Vietnam War was started by Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson and ended by Republican Richard Nixon. 4) The Cold War was ended by Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. 5) The Iraq war was started by Republican George W. Bush, and almost won until Democrat Barack Obama pulled out the troops and is starting over. So, it looks as if the Republicans have bailed out the Democrats quite often. Jerry Haig Glendale Walker, Reagan and Nixon Gov. Scott Walker says Ronald Reagan is his hero, but his actions resemble another president. After reading the Jan. 13 editorial ("Wisconsin citizens win a round against secrecy") and Bob Chernow's op-ed ("Walker, friends distrust public") about the Walker administration's obstruction of the spirit of open records laws, we should pay more attention to former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean's warning that Walker is "more Nixonian than even Richard Nixon himself." The governor, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and the party of reformer "Fighting Bob" La Follette should leave efforts to hide public records from the public to banana republics. Daniel Lee Milwaukee Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina waves to the crowd prior to watching the Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center last week in North Charleston, S.C. Credit: Getty Images SHARE By Charleston, S.C. By broad consensus, the winner of Thursday night's GOP debate was Donald Trump, followed by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, with most of the post-game commentary focused on "the fight" between Cruz and Trump. Oh, how we love a good fight. But the real fight was revealed a couple of nights earlier when South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley gave the Republican Party's response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. She pulled no punches and brought the fight to her own party. Nice and pretty-like. Rather than exclusively critiquing Obama's presidency as many expected, Haley turned her sights on the angry tenor of GOP politics and our dysfunctional government, for which she said Republicans are partly responsible. "There is more than enough blame to go around," she said. "We as Republicans need to own that truth....We need to accept that we've played a role in how and why our government is broken. And then we need to fix it." Whoo-hoo. Sorry, but sometimes it takes a girl. Noting that we live in anxious times, she nonetheless urged her fellow Republicans to resist the "siren call of the angriest voices." Gosh, wonder who she meant? To a certain kind of Republican, this was pure heresy. But it was also brave, necessary and true especially if the GOP is to survive or ever hope to reclaim the White House. Haley's gentle cri de coeurneatly exposed the battle lines. On one side are those who deploy anger, bias, nativism and fear. On the other are those who want to reshape the GOP into a party that's based on ideals of inclusiveness and respect for others (like, maybe, a first-generation Indian-American daughter of Sikh immigrants), exercises caution through reformed immigration policies without demonizing swaths of people, and recognizes that winning hearts and minds begins with civility and communication. "Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That's just not true," Haley said. "Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference." Haley confirmed on NBC's "Today Show" the following morning that she was, indeed, referring to Trump, who shouldn't take it personally. During the debate on Thursday, Trump said he is happy to wear the mantle of anger because he (begin ital)is (end ital) angry, and he assured the audience that he and Haley, who was beaming in the crowd, are good friends. That's nice. But what's clear is that Haley, who is widely considered a likely vice-presidential candidate, had decided that she didn't need a Trump alliance and was choosing the "establishment lane" of the party, or, as some prefer, the "rational lane." In other words, she signaled her support for Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Jeb Bush. But which is it? What does Haley know that we don't know? As unlikely as it seems at this juncture that any of these but Rubio has a reasonable shot at the nomination, we might assume that she's banking on Rubio. Haley, whom I've known for several years, is a polished politician, make no mistake. She doesn't accidentally do anything, such as fumble the most important speech of her career. I also know from previous conversations that she has been changed by her time in office, altered by her experiences dealing with the horrific murders of nine African-Americans in a Charleston church and by her decision to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds. The latter was a calculated political risk and her speech a gamble that truth wins in the end. This truth includes the lesson of South Carolina after the shootings, when the state's people embraced one another in love and dedication to a shared, higher purpose of unity, forgiveness and racial reconciliation. Haley's point: If we can do this as a state, we can do this as a nation. It's a worthy goal . Kathleen Parker is a columnist for The Washington Post. Email kathleenparker@washpost.com Twitter: @KathleenParker SHARE About John Doe Separate but related criminal investigations initiated by Milwaukee County prosecutors have examined events and activities during Scott Walker's time as Milwaukee County executive and as governor. Prosecutors have conducted the probes under the state's "John Doe" statutes that grant extraordinary powers to investigators to compel testimony and maintain secrecy. The first John Doe investigation, begun in 2010, led to convictions of six Walker aides, associates or appointees on charges ranging from theft from a veteran's group to misconduct in office. The second Doe probe, launched in 2012, looked into coordination between conservative political organizations and Walker and other candidates during recall elections. The second probe was halted in May 2014 by a federal judge who agreed that the investigation denied one of the conservative groups' its free-speech rights. No charges have been filed in the second investigation. Walker has denied wrongdoing. See full coverage in John Doe special section By of the Madison Two people caught up in the now-terminated investigation of Gov. Scott Walker's campaign told the state Supreme Court last week that the prosecutor who headed the probe had failed to follow a court order requiring him to inform subjects of the investigation and others what documents he had seized. The former special prosecutor, Francis Schmitz, declined to comment Tuesday but has informed the court he plans to file a written response soon. Schmitz led the probe that looked into whether the Republican governor's campaign had improperly coordinated with conservative groups backing him in recall elections in 2011 and 2012. The state Supreme Court in July ended the investigation, ruling that candidates and issue groups can work together closely. In December, the court determined Schmitz had been improperly appointed and ordered him to notify any person or group whose material had been taken. This month, he told the court he had sent 159 notices to people and organizations whose material he had obtained. He also said he had returned two pieces of physical property he had seized. But in a filing last week, attorneys for R.J. Johnson and Deb Jordahl argued that Schmitz had not returned all property and failed to follow the court's December order requiring him to detail what records had been taken. Johnson and Jordahl referred to in court documents as unnamed movants No. 6 and No. 7 were consultants for the Wisconsin Club for Growth, one of the groups being probed. Johnson was also a consultant for Walker's campaign. Their attorneys wrote that Schmitz had said he returned all personal property but later acknowledged he had not returned two iPods, a Nook eReader and a voice recorder to Jordahl. He also did not notify Jordahl and Johnson that investigators had executed a search warrant at their business address in October 2013, wrote attorneys Michael Bresnick, Dennis Coffey and Dean Strang . Schmitz did not describe with detail the documents that had been taken from Johnson's and Jordahl's homes, including electronic equipment belonging to their spouses and children, the attorneys wrote. He also did not notify Jordahl of bank records that had been subpoenaed for a partnership in which she has an ownership interest, the attorneys wrote. Johnson was notified those records were subpoenaed, but Schmitz did not tell either of them that prosecutors had sought from an accountant tax records connected to that partnership. Further, the notices he sent detailed only what was requested, and not what was obtained. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and two other Democratic district attorneys involved in the probe have intervened in the litigation over the investigation. That is seen as a sign they will try to get the U.S. Supreme Court to review the state Supreme Court's actions. The probe focused on collaboration between Walker's campaign and the Wisconsin Club for Growth and other groups. The state Supreme Court ordered an end to the investigation because it found candidates and groups can work together as long as the groups' ads don't explicitly tell people how they should vote. Groups have long been able to avoid regulation by running ads that praise or denigrate candidates without using phrases such as "vote for" and "vote against." Governor Scott Walker delivers his sixth state of the state address in Assembly chambers at the State Capitol. Credit: Rick Wood By of the Madison Scott Walker on Tuesday touted Wisconsin's comeback from the Great Recession even as the Republican governor seeks his own recovery from an unsuccessful presidential run last year. "There are more people working in Wisconsin than at nearly any other point in our history; state finances are stable; our school students are doing well overall; college tuition is frozen; and property and income taxes are down from 2010," Walker told lawmakers in a 40-minute speech. The state budget remains relatively tight and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said Tuesday that new estimates on tax revenues would leave it still tighter. "It sounds like the projections are going to be far shorter than what we anticipated, although we don't know what the number is going to be yet," Fitzgerald told reporters after the speech. "It's not going to be the $150, $160 million (surplus for the two-year budget) that we thought we'd be working with." So Walker focused his address more on past accomplishments than costly future plans. The governor said he would invest future state savings on education, but gave no figures and limited his new proposals to addressing student loan debt and modestly funding partnerships between high schools and technical colleges. Chiding the news media for obsessing over negative stories, Walker said that federal data show that "more people were working in Wisconsin in 2015 than at any time in the past 20 years." A review of those federal data showed that Wisconsin's unemployment rate is at its lowest point since 2001 and that the state now has more than 2.9 million jobs, a figure it last reached in late 2007. But Wisconsin's job growth during Walker's tenure has lagged the national average and the fortunes of neighboring states. "Governor Walker should have used the state of the state to address the 10,000 (worker) layoffs in 2015 and tackle the student loan debt crisis," Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) said. "But instead of providing real solutions, ... the governor laid out meager crumbs." Before Tuesday's address, Walker signaled to supporters that he may still run for a third term as governor in 2018 just as soon as he pays off his 2015 campaign debt. "Our re-election campaign may seem like a long way off, but the other side is already gearing up for a bruising battle," Walker wrote in a fundraising appeal to supporters on Monday. The missive was aimed at helping retire more than $1 million in debt his federal campaign had amassed before he abandoned his run for president in September. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) said he wasn't buying it, noting Walker's low approval ratings as measured in polls by Marquette University Law School. He said Walker is simply trying to avoid being seen as a lame duck. In the four months since he quit the presidential race, the governor has offered few initiatives compared to his Republican colleagues in the Legislature, who have taken the lead for the past year in the Capitol. Walker made a few proposals Tuesday, saying the state should: Consider a controversial proposal to save money by shifting state employee insurance coverage from Wisconsin health maintenance organizations to a self-insured model in which the state would work with a private administrator, likely from outside Wisconsin. That idea drew immediate skepticism from GOP lawmakers such as Fitzgerald and Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette). They said they want proof the deal would save taxpayers money and would not substantially disrupt the private insurance market. "I think it would take a lot of convincing to get the Legislature to move forward without seeing some hard numbers on what the benefit would be," Fitzgerald said. Explore a three-year degree program that would start in state high schools and continue at University of Wisconsin System campuses. Spend $3 million to help technical colleges and local high schools partner to work with students. Nygren said he saw Walker as "recommitting to his job as governor" in the speech and in listening sessions that Nygren said Walker could use to form new ideas. Building on the state's existing freeze on tuition at public universities, Walker announced more steps last week to hold down student debt. The package of bills includes a $5 million proposal to eliminate the cap on student loan interest that borrowers can deduct from their state income tax. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said Tuesday that he supported those bills and hoped to pass them before the Legislature adjourns this spring. Democrats, however, want to see more action on student loan debt, and Tuesday pushed unsuccessfully on the Assembly floor to yank a bill from committee that would create a quasi-public entity to help student borrowers refinance their loans at a lower interest rate. Republicans, who argue the proposal isn't feasible, blocked that move on a party-line vote. At a news conference Tuesday, Kira Stewart of Madison called for Walker to pass the refinancing proposal as well. Stewart, a 31-year-old dementia prevention specialist, said she would like to get her nursing degree but didn't feel she could achieve it because of her $53,000 in debt from her previous University of Wisconsin-Madison degree. "It's really impacting my ability to live my life and move forward professionally," Stewart said. The governor put himself on a national stage in 2011 by all but eliminating collective bargaining for most public employees and using that law to help cut spending and taxes. A year later, he became the first governor in the nation's history to survive a recall election. But last year dealt Walker one of the few political defeats in his career becoming the second Republican to drop out of the crowded presidential race. Walker sought Tuesday to refocus the state's attention on his successes. He pointed to the fact that property taxes on the median-value home worth $152,700 were an estimated $2,847 last year, down from $2,963 in 2010. A family of four making $85,900 a year saved $642 on their income taxes between 2013 and 2015, according to figures from the state Department of Revenue. Brooks says judge can't 'tell him what to do' on Day 13 of Christmas Parade trial Astronaut Jeffrey Williams, a native of Wisconsin, performs a test on the International Space Station in 2006. Williams is scheduled to return to the space station in March on his fourth space flight. Credit: NASA By of the It might be odd to think that growing up in a tiny northwestern Wisconsin community could prepare someone for space, but Jeffrey Williams credits his upbringing in Winter with teaching him the value of hard work as well as living in close contact with others. Which is not unlike living in the cramped quarters of the International Space Station. Born in Superior, Williams, 57, grew up on a dairy farm in the Sawyer County community of 300 people before leaving in 1976 to attend West Point after graduating from Winter High School. "I think that develops a work ethic. You had responsibilities every day (on the farm) and you couldn't take a break. But also making use of everything you had and not wasting a lot, being efficient in your resources," Williams said in a phone interview from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "You get to know people, and it's not just a surface relationship. I learned to trust people and work closely with people. That dovetails with what we do on the space station." Williams is scheduled to blast off in March on his fourth space flight and third long-duration mission to the International Space Station. When the 172-day mission is completed, Williams will become the record-holder among American astronauts for cumulative days in space 534. Williams was the flight engineer and lead space-walker on a space shuttle Atlantis flight in 2000. His first trip to the space station was in 2006, when it had only two modules and three crew members. And in 2009-'10 he returned to the station when another module and cupola were added. On that trip he participated in the first tweetup from space with social media followers. Williams and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka will leave Kazakhstan in a Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft on March 18 and join the crew already living on the space station. He has studied Russian since 2003 because the International Space Station operates in two languages and everyone working there must be proficient in Russian and English. During the upcoming six-month mission, Williams will help perform roughly 250 research projects and technology demonstrations. Among them is working with the new Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, known as BEAM, an expandable habitat that will be attached to the station for two years. "I look forward to being part of that. It's not only significant in and of itself but it's a highly visible example of how we can use the space station for future technological development," he said. He'll also be part of experiments on his body, testing the effects of living in space for so long. Among them will be tests on shifts in bodily fluids that will address issues with vision impairment from living in zero gravity. Each time he returns to Earth, Williams copes with a change in balance, which takes days to recover, as well as a loss of muscle, which can take as long as a month to recover. Though astronauts exercise daily, they can't exercise every muscle and some muscles begin to atrophy without Earth's gravity weighing on them. Astronauts also experience a loss of bone density as the body shuts down calcium production. "For my first flight, it took a couple years to recover from that. My last flight we had new exercise equipment and I had almost no bone loss," said Williams. Williams plans to tweet frequently and take photos, posting his pictures online. With 90 minutes to orbit the Earth, the International Space Station travels around the globe 16 times a day. When the station passes over Wisconsin, Williams will train his camera on his home state and snap away so folks on terra firma can see the spectacular view, a vista he never tires of seeing. "It's an incredible view. My world growing up was mostly Sawyer County. Occasionally we'd go to Eau Claire. As we grow up, our subjective world increases and grows and when you leave the planet your appreciation for what we have here with life on Earth increases," said Williams. Follow Williams and the International Space Station crew on Instagram @iss, and on Twitter, @astro_jeff. Business / Companies by Thobekile Zhou More than 50 fired National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) workers this morning stage a demonstration outside the Railway Station demanding their exit packages.The workers said management was taking them for a ride."We are demanding our dangota (money) from NRZ. We did not steal that money but worked for it for several years. At the end of January it would be six months after they fired us, so our money is due. That is according to the law."If they don't pay us by January 31, they should be prepared for protests outside their premises everyday," said Linda Masarira, the workers chairperson.The workers were sacked last July. Reddit Email 0 Shares Peter Van Buren | (Tomdispatch.com) | How can we stop the [so-called] Islamic State [group]? Imagine yourself shaken awake, rushed off to a strategy meeting with your presidential candidate of choice, and told: Come up with a plan for me to do something about ISIS! What would you say? What Hasnt Worked Youd need to start with a persuasive review of what hasnt worked over the past 14-plus years. American actions against terrorism the Islamic State being just the latest flavor have flopped on a remarkable scale, yet remain remarkably attractive to our present crew of candidates. (Bernie Sanders might be the only exception, though he supports forming yet another coalition to defeat ISIS.) Why are the failed options still so attractive? In part, because bombing and drones are believed by the majority of Americans to be surgical procedures that kill lots of bad guys, not too many innocents, and no Americans at all. As Washington regularly imagines it, once air power is in play, someone elses boots will eventually hit the ground (after the U.S. military provides the necessary training and weapons). A handful of Special Forces troops, boots-sorta-on-the-ground, will also help turn the tide. By carrot or stick, Washington will collect and hold together some now-you-see-it, now-you-dont coalition of allies to aid and abet the task at hand. And success will be ours, even though versions of this formula have fallen flat time and again in the Greater Middle East. Since the June 2014 start of Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State, the U.S. and its coalition partners have flown 9,041 sorties, 5,959 in Iraq and 3,082 in Syria. More are launched every day. The U.S. claims it has killed between 10,000 and 25,000 Islamic State fighters, quite a spread, but still, if accurate (which is doubtful), at best only a couple of bad guys per bombing run. Not particularly efficient on the face of it, but as Obama administration officials often emphasize this is a long war. The CIA estimates that the Islamic State had perhaps 20,000 to 30,000 fighters under arms in 2014. So somewhere between a third of them and all of them should now be gone. Evidently not, since recent estimates of Islamic State militants remain in that 20,000 to 30,000 range as 2016 begins. How about the capture of cities then? Well, the U.S. and its partners have already gone a few rounds when it comes to taking cities. After all, U.S. troops claimed Ramadi, the capital of Iraqs al-Anbar Province, in 2003, only to see the American-trained Iraqi army lose it to ISIS in May 2015, and U.S-trained Iraqi special operations troops backed by U.S. air power retake it (in almost completely destroyed condition) as 2015 ended. As one pundit put it, the destruction and the cost of rebuilding make Ramadi a victory in the worst possible sense. Yet the battle cry in Washington and Baghdad remains On to Mosul! Similar successes have regularly been invoked when it came to ridding the world of evil tyrants, whether Iraqs Saddam Hussein or Libyas Muammar Qaddafi, only to see years of blowback follow. Same for terrorist masterminds, including Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, as well as minor-minds (Jihadi John in Syria), only to see others pop up and terror outfits spread. The sum of all this activity, 14-plus years of it, has been ever more failed states and ungoverned spaces. If your candidate needs a what-hasnt-worked summary statement, its simple: everything. How Dangerous Is Islamic Terrorism for Americans? To any argument you make to your preferred presidential candidate about what did not work, you need to add a sober assessment of the real impact of terrorism on the United States in order to ask the question: Why exactly are we engaged in this war on this scale? Hard as it is to persuade a constantly re-terrorized American public of the actual situation we face, there have been only 38 Americans killed in the U.S. by Islamic terrorists, lone wolves, or whacked-out individuals professing allegiance to Islamic extremism, or ISIS, or al-Qaeda, since 9/11. Argue about the number if you want. In fact, double or triple it and it still adds up to a tragic but undeniable drop in the bucket. To gain some perspective, pick your favorite comparison: number of Americans killed since 9/11 by guns (more than 400,000) or by drunk drivers in 2012 alone (more than 10,000). And spare us the tired trope about how security measures at our airports and elsewhere have saved us from who knows how many attacks. A recent test by the Department of Homelands own Inspector Generals Office showed that 95% of contraband, including weapons and explosives, got through airport screening without being detected. Could it be that there just arent as many bad guys out there aiming to take down our country as candidates on the campaign trail would like to imagine? Or take a look at the National Security Agencys Fourth Amendment-smothering blanket surveillance. Howd that do against the Boston bombing or the attacks in San Bernardino? Theres no evidence it has ever uncovered a real terror plot against this country. Islamic terrorism in the United States is less a serious danger than a carefully curated fear. Introduce Your Candidate to the Real World You should have your candidates attention by now. Time to remind him or her that Washingtons war on terror strategy has already sent at least $1.6 trillion down the drain, left thousands of American troops and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Muslims dead. Along the way we lost precious freedoms to the ever-expanding national security state. So start advising your candidate that a proper response to the Islamic State has to be proportional to the real threat. After all, we have fire departments always on call, but they dont ride around spraying water on homes 24/7 out of an abundance of caution. We Have to Do Something So heres what you might suggest that your candidate do, because you know that s/he will demand to do something. Start by suggesting that, as a society, we take a deep look at ourselves, our leaders, and our media, and stop fanning everyones flames. Its time, among other things, to stop harassing and discriminating against our own Muslim population, only to stand by slack-jawed as a few of them become radicalized, and Washington then blames Twitter. As president, you need to opt out of all this, and dissuade others from buying into it. As for the Islamic State itself, it cant survive, never mind fight, without funds. So candidate, its time to man/woman up, and go after the real sources of funding. As long as the U.S. insists on flying air attack sorties (and your candidate may unfortunately need to do so to cover his/her right flank), direct them far more intensely than at present against one of ISISs main sources of cash: oil exports. Blow up trucks moving oil. Blow up wellheads in ISIS-dominated areas. Finding targets is not hard. The Russians released reconnaissance photos showing what they claimed were 12,000 trucks loaded with smuggled oil, backed up near the Turkish border. But remind your candidate that this would not be an expansion of the air war or a shifting from one bombing campaign to a new one. It would be a short-term move, with a defined end point of shutting down the flow of oil. It would only be one part of a far larger effort to shut down ISISs sources of funds. Next, use whatever diplomatic and economic pressure is available to make it clear to whomever in Turkey that its time to stop facilitating the flow of that ISIS oil onto the black market. Then wield that same diplomatic and economic pressure to force buyers to stop purchasing it. Some reports suggest that Israel, cut off from most Arab sources of oil, has become a major buyer of ISISs supplies. If so, step on some allied toes. Cmon, someone is buying all that black-market black gold. The same should go for Turkeys behavior toward ISIS. That would extend from its determination to fight Kurdish forces fighting ISIS to the way its allowed jihadis to enter Syria through its territory to the way its funneled arms to various extreme Islamic groups in that country. Engage Turkeys fellow NATO members. Let them do some of the heavy lifting. They have a dog in this fight, too. And speaking of stepping on allied toes, make it clear to the Saudis and other Sunni Persian Gulf states that they must stop sending money to ISIS. Yes, were told that this flow of donations comes from private citizens, not the Saudi government or those of its neighbors. Even so, they should be capable of exerting pressure to close the valve. Forget a no-fly zone over northern Syria another fruitless solution to the problem of the Islamic State that various presidential candidates are now plugging and use the international banking system to create a no-flow zone. You may not be able to stop every buck from reaching ISIS, but most of it will do in a situation where every dollar counts. Your candidate will obviously then ask you, What else? There must be more we can do, mustnt there? To this, your answer should be blunt: Get out. Land the planes, ground the drones, and withdraw. Pull out the boots, the trainers, the American combatants and near combatants (whatever the euphemism of the moment for them may be). Anybody who has ever listened to a country and western song knows that theres always a time to step away from the table and cut your losses. Throwing more money (lives, global prestige) into the pot wont alter the cards youre holding. All youre doing is postponing the inevitable at great cost. In the end, there is nothing the United States can do about the processes now underway in the Middle East except stand on the beach trying to push back the waves. This is history talking to us. That Darn History Thing Sometimes things change visibly at a specific moment: December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, or the morning of September 11, 2001. Sometimes the change is harder to pinpoint, like the start of the social upheaval that, in the U.S., came to be known as the Sixties. In the Middle East after World War I, representatives of the victorious British and French drew up national boundaries without regard for ethnic, sectarian, religious, tribal, resource, or other realities. Their goal was to divvy up the defeated Ottoman Empire. Later, as their imperial systems collapsed, Washington moved in (though rejecting outright colonies for empire by proxy). Secular dictatorships were imposed on the region and supported by the West past their due dates. Any urge toward popular self-government was undermined or destroyed, as with the coup against elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran in 1953, or the way the Obama administration manipulated the Arab Spring in Egypt, leading to the displacement of a democratically chosen government by a military coup in 2013. In this larger context, the Islamic State is only a symptom, not the disease. Washingtons problem has been its desire to preserve a collapsing nation-state system at the heart of the Middle East. The Bush administrations 2003 invasion of Iraq certainly sped up the process in a particularly disastrous fashion. Twelve years later, there cant be any question that the tide has turned in the Middle East forever. Its time for the U.S. to stand back and let local actors deal with the present situation. ISISs threat to us is actually minimal. Its threat to those in the region is another matter entirely. Without Washington further roiling the situation, its a movement whose limits will quickly enough become apparent. The war with ISIS is, in fact, a struggle of ideas, anti-western and anti-imperialist, suffused with religious feeling. You cant bomb an idea or a religion away. Whatever Washington may want, much of the Middle East is heading toward non-secular governments, and toward the destruction of the monarchies and the military thugs still trying to preserve updated versions of the post-World War I system. In the process, borders, already dissolving, will sooner or later be redrawn in ways that reflect how people on the ground actually see themselves. There is little use in questioning whether this is the right or wrong thing because there is little Washington can do to stop it. However, as we should have learned in these last 14 years, there is much it can do to make things far worse than they ever needed to be. The grim question today is simply how long this painful process takes and how high a cost it extracts. To take former President George W. Bushs phrase and twist it a bit, youre either with the flow of history or against it. Fear Itself Initially, Washingtons military withdrawal from the heart of the Middle East will undoubtedly further upset the current precarious balances of power in the region. New vacuums will develop and unsavory characters will rush in. But the U.S. has a long history of either working pragmatically with less than charming figures (think: the Shah of Iran, Anwar Sadat, or Saddam Hussein before he became an enemy) or isolating them. Iran, currently the up-and-coming power in the area absent the United States, will no doubt benefit, but its reentry into the global system is equally inevitable. And the oil will keep flowing; it has to. The countries of the Middle East have only one mighty export and need to import nearly everything else. You cant eat oil, so you must sell it, and a large percentage of that oil is already sold to the highest bidder on world markets. Its true that, even in the wake of an American withdrawal, the Islamic State might still try to launch Paris-style attacks or encourage San Bernardino-style rampages because, from a recruitment and propaganda point of view, its advantageous to have the U.S. and the former colonial powers as your number one enemies. This was something Osama bin Laden realized early on vis-a-vis Washington. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams in drawing the U.S. deeply into the quagmire and tricking Washington into doing much of his work for him. But the dangers of such attacks remain limited and can be lived with. As a nation, we survived World War II, decades of potential nuclear annihilation, and scores of threats larger than ISIS. Its disingenuous to believe terrorism is a greater threat to our survival. And heres a simple reality to explain to your candidate: we cant defend everything, not without losing everything in the process. We can try to lock down airports and federal buildings, but there is no way, nor should there be, to secure every San Bernardino holiday party, every school, and every bus stop. We should, in fact, be ashamed to be such a fear-based society here in the home of the brave. Today, sadly enough, the most salient example of American exceptionalism is being the worlds most scared country. Only in that sense could it be said that the terrorists are winning in America. At this point, your candidate will undoubtedly say: Wait! Wont these ideas be hard to sell to the American people? Wont our allies object? And the reply to that, at least for a candidate not convinced that more of the same is the only way to go, might be: After more than 14 years of the wrong answers and the disasters that followed, do you have anything better to suggest? Peter Van Buren, a TomDispatch regular, blew the whistle on State Department waste and mismanagement during the Iraqi reconstruction in We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People. A TomDispatch regular, he writes about current events at We Meant Well. His latest book is Ghosts of Tom Joad: A Story of the #99Percent. His next work will be a novel, Hoopers War. 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 Peter Van Buren Via Tomdispatch.com Related video added by Juan Cole: RT America: US, NATO forces brought instability to Middle East former Marine on rise of ISIS Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | Republican billionaires are used to being able to buy elections, and are now crying about how Super-PACs arent all-powerful. Donald Trumps earned media is throwing a wrench into their plans. Cenk Uygur, host of the The Young Turks, breaks it down . . . The landmark 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC was seen favorably by the GOPs base when it happened, but as the race for the Republican presidential nomination heats up, the superPAC donors who once benefited from the potentially unlimited amounts of cash raised by independent groups have become skeptical. According to The Hill, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is running a relatively cheap campaign, leaving those who donated millions to campaigns for Jeb Bush,John Kasich, Scott Walker, and Rick Perryconfused and angry. Certainly, this election cycle has changed the way voters and politicians look at campaign donations and spending. Trump is mostly funding his own campaign, and has disavowed nine superPACs while calling on his Republican challengers to do the same. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders is refusing corporate funding, and has only accepted donations from private individuals. Sanders broke records last month when it was reported that he has received contributions from two million individual donors. The majority of Sanderss contributions have been under $30. Reddit Email 0 Shares Maan News Agency | JERUSALEM (Maan) Suspected Israeli extremist wrote threatening hate speech on the doors of an ancient church in the Old City of Jerusalem >overnight Saturday, Wadie Abu Nassar, a senior advisor to the Catholic Church who is considered close to the Vatican, told Maan. Abu Nassar said the doors of the Dormition Abbey church were vandalized with threats scrawled in Hebrew that read: Kill the Christians, the enemy of Israel and The revenge is coming very soon, as well as Send Christians to hell. Abu Nassar condemned the graffiti, calling it racist, and pointed out that the incident was not the first Israeli attack against Dormition Abbey. In 2014, a suspected Israeli extremist lit a prayer book on fire in the abbey, in what police at the time said was a suspected arson attack just hours after Pope Francis held mass at a nearby Christian holy spot during a visit to the area. A year before that, Israeli extremists spray-painted Jesus is a monkey in Hebrew outside the church, and Havat Maon, the name of an illegal Israeli settler outpost that had been dismantled by the Israeli government just days before the attack, Israeli daily Haaretz reported at the time. In 2012, suspected extremists spray-painted Jesus, son of a bitch, in Hebrew, with the words price tag, a term used by Israeli extremists to mark nationalist-motivated hate crimes. Abu Nassar said in the past that the extremists responsible for the attacks were not prosecuted by the Israeli government in a serious way. Dormition Abbey dates back to the 5th century, and is thought to be the place where the Virgin Mary died. The abbey is owned by the German Benedictine Order and is considered to be one of the three earliest churches built in Jerusalem. Israeli settlers have carried out at least 221 attacks on Palestinians and their property in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 2015, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (MaanImages) (MaanImages) (MaanImages) (MaanImages) (MaanImages) News / Africa by Thupeyo Muleya A NUMBER of foreigners - mainly Zimbabweans staying in Johannesburg in South Africa - are stranded after a principal at Muzomuhle Primary School barred them from enrolling their children for the 2016 academic year.The school is located in Diepsloot West. The actual number of affected children could not be established but sources in that country said over 50 parents were turned away by the school's principal last week on Thursday.The school head reportedly told them he would not register illegal immigrants. Some of the parents said they had valid documents. South African schools opened on Wednesday last week. Foreigners make up 18 percent of the population of Diepsloot and South Africans from Limpopo and Kwazulu Natal provinces build this non-Gauteng total to more than 50 percent.One of the parents, Mr Donias Tshuma, a Zimbabwean, told journalists that his child, who is in Grade 8, was barred from the school because he is an illegal immigrant. "My asylum expired last year and I approached the Department of Home Affairs for renewal but they keep giving me other dates."I am worried about the education and future of my child," he said. Mr Tshuma said parents were told to approach the Department of Home Affairs to resolve the dispute. Gauteng province's Department of Education spokesperson, Mr Oupa Bodibe, confirmed the barring of foreigners."What we gather is that the headmaster asked the parents to bring their documents otherwise the children would not be registered for this academic year. The documents regularising their stay are needed for registration at the school" said Mr Bodibe.The spokesperson for the Diaspora Forum in South Africa, Mr Marc Gbaffou called on the Department of Education to reconsider its position. "We are deeply concerned about what is happening in schools. We will engage with the Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga, to come up with a solution to this issue. These children know nothing. They do not understand anything about illegal migration and honestly they cannot be deprived of their right to education" he said.Home Affairs spokesperson, Mr Thabo Mokgola could not be reached for comment. Zimbabwe's Consul general to South Africa, Mr Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro, called on Zimbabweans to apply for the required visas before travelling to other countries so as to avoid unnecessary situations. NEWSLETTER Sign up Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive. Just Style Daily Update The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday. Just Style Weekly Update A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday. Just Style Magazine The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter. News / Local by Stephen Jakes Bulawayo City Council today (Tuesday) pounced on illegal vendors trading in the streets of Bulawayo confiscating their wares and loading them in the tracks.Bulawayo 24 witnessed the raids close to the Bulawayo magistrate courts at Tredgold where some vendors ran away while those who were unfortunate had their wares confiscated.Vendors in Bulawayo have vowed not to vacate the streets as long as there are no jobs while the council also vowed to continue chasing after them for trading illegal and littering the streets. News / National by Nyemudzai Kakore Three schoolchildren drowned at Chihumbiri Farm Dam in Bindura last week when a canoe they were using to cross the dam on their way to school capsized, throwing all the occupants into the water.Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the incident and said the children died last Thursday."The Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to confirm the death of three school- children who drowned in a dam at Chihumbiri Farm, Bindura, on 14 January 2016," she said."On the said date at around 0730 hours, the three children were going to school using a pathway where they had to cross a dam. Upon getting to the dam, they got into a dugout canoe which was paddled by a 15-year-old girl."When they were about to reach the other end of the dam, the canoe capsized, throwing the occupants into the water. One of the occupants was rescued by an elderly man who witnessed the incident, while the other three drowned in the dam."The death of the three children comes after a 10-year-old boy, Mufaro Matemba, from David Livingstone Primary School in Harare drowned in the school's swimming pool on Wednesday last week and was laid to rest on Friday at Granville Cemetery.Snr Asst Comm Charamba urged parents and school authorities to ensure the safety of children during the rainy season. "Children should not be allowed to go on escapades." News / National by Staff reporter THE Air Force of Zimbabwe has dismissed a recruitment message circulating on social media as a hoax, saying it does not have such plans at the moment.In a statement yesterday, Director General Operations Air Commodore Innocent Chiganze said the message was meant to fleece desperate job seekers.Some crooks are taking advantage of current economic challenges characterised by high unemployment to fleece desperate job seekers."The Air Force of Zimbabwe has been inundated with calls being made by people inquiring on a recruitment exercise message which is circulating on social media. "The message indicates that 'the AFZ is recruiting Aircraft Technicians, Regiment, Fire Fighters, Nurses, Drivers, Plumbers, Intelligence and Pilots'."The message goes on to give academic qualifications required and reveals that more information will be published in The Sunday Mail on February 7, 2016. "The AFZ would like to advise the general public that there is no such recruitment on its plans," said Air Commodore Chiganze."People should ignore this message and report anyone purporting to represent the AFZ in any recruitment exercise," he said. Air Commodore Chiganze said the AFZ does not advertise through social media platforms. News / National by Leonard Ncube THE government - hamstrung by declining revenues - is urging patience among public sector workers, insisting bonuses for 2015 will be paid this year without fail.The Apex Council, a body that represents government workers, has been demanding actual dates for the payment of bonuses that were promised last year.Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira told journalists on the sidelines of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) field directors' retreat here that Treasury was still mobilising resources and dates for the bonuses will be announced "soon".The minister said practically, the dates for payment of bonuses cannot be this month. "The President announced in April last year that everyone would get a bonus. As a ministry we support what President Mugabe said but we're aware that liquidity is a challenge."Treasury is busy mobilising resources and at the moment I'm not in a position to say this is the date but it will happen, bonuses will be paid," said Minister Mupfumira. She said the government was seized with a number of priorities such as sourcing grain, health care and developing infrastructure."Bonuses are very important and what we ask for is a little patience," said the minister. "We've managed the December salaries and we'll have the January salaries and very soon we should be giving dates for payment of bonuses and we need resources for all that."However, we need to be realistic. It won't happen this month. Cabinet will resume sitting next week and these issues will be top of our priority. I'm also looking forward to getting a bonus but we've to be practical to say what comes first."We ask our workers to bear with us because it will happen." At the last meeting with representatives of civil servants, the government gave dates for payment of January salaries for its workers. Addressing the conference earlier, Minister Mupfumira said the government will continue engaging its social partners on issues affecting workers.The ILO organised the meeting on the invitation of the regional director for Africa Aeneas Chuma. Chuma said the motive of the retreat is to review progress made last year as well as come up with priorities for 2016"We are here to enhance team work as we review accomplishments for last year. "This is an important platform for countries especially at this time when a lot of resources will be channelled towards drought relief and it will be incumbent of individual member states to localise what will come out of this meeting," he said. Robin Bright in his studio in Encinitas, CA. | Photo: John Durant. In our age of overabundant social media hype and marketing, reticence about self-promotion can hinder some artists from getting their due. Such is the case for Robin Bright, who prefers to let his work speak for itself. His exquisitely crafted work tends to converse with us in quiet and subtle ways anyway. It's been many years since Bright, now 81, had a solo museum exhibition in his own San Diego County backyard -- or anywhere else. A show surveying his body of work at the Oceanside Museum of Art -- opening February 6 and continuing through July 24 -- is his first retrospective in a museum setting since 1981. "I've been more interested in what galleries could do for me," Bright says, "in what I needed for the wherewithal to go to the studio everyday." Left image: "Hector Vex 201," 1990, 24 x 8 inches, steel. / Photo: John Durant. | Right image: Courtesy Eric Phleger Gallery. In the 1980s and 1990s, he exhibited regularly at either of two La Jolla galleries: Quint or Thomas Babeor, earning admiration from critics and collectors alike. His work also garnered attention in Los Angeles with the late Burnett Miller and his space on La Brea. But in the last decade or so, his solo shows have been in non-commercial spaces, such as the Taylor Library in Pacific Beach in 2008, where he exhibited a vibrant series of intricately patterned brightly colored wall compositions in plaster. The work itself, exquisitely crafted and mostly spare in structure, is elegant if generally difficult to categorize. He has long been making pieces for the wall that aren't quite paintings, but these compositions aren't quite full-blown sculptures either. It's as if he doesn't want you to settle too easily on what you are seeing. The way Bright uses the wall puts us in mind of paintings and drawings and yet the materials he frequently emphasizes, bronze and plaster, are sculptural. His sources of inspiration vary widely, too. In one series, lines in bronze evoke a famous chair by the early 20th century Viennese architect and designer Josef Hoffmann. In another example, the lower portion resembles the blade of an ancient ax. Still in others, what appear to be purely geometric forms spell out words. Left image: "Hector Vex #461," 2007, 10 x 7 inches, steel on wood. / Photo: Robin Bright, courtesy Quint Gallery. | Right image: "Hector Vex #361," 1998, 12 x 10 inches, steel and plaster. / Photo: Robin Bright, courtesy Quint Gallery. Bright, who was born in New York but grew up mostly in New Mexico, was back in New York by the 1960s, installing exhibitions at the Guggenheim Museum for his day job. Minimalism was in its heyday and its emphasis on the understated form, on industrial materials and on repetition all had an impact on his evolution. Seminal minimalists like Donald Judd also embraced the idea of art objects that identified with both painting and sculpture. And Bright clearly subsumed this approach into his own oeuvre. Past and present converge in various ways in his art. He has absorbed the history of geometric abstraction in painting quite thoroughly; you can see a trace of de Stijl here, a nod to Barnett Newman there. And it isn't only modernist abstraction that interests him: he has a passion for pattern adapted from Persian tapestries and Indian miniature painting, that led to a series during the past decades that is exuberant in color and intricate in its patterns. He has employed richly worked surface patinas as well, creating the illusion of work that has aged gracefully over a long period of time. Left image: "McGaffney," 2007, 20 x 10 inches, tinted hydrocal. / Photo: John Durant. | Right image: "San Crystobal," 2005, 17 x 12 inches, tinted hydrocal. / Photo: John Durant. One longstanding reminder of his love of history is a title he has used repeatedly, "Hector Vex," simply adding a number to it for each addition to the ongoing series. While living in New York in the 1960s, Bright came upon a sheet of paper in an alley that contained the name of a computer language, Vector Hex. He knew nothing about it, in technical terms, and still doesn't. But, Bright explains, he relished the phrase and adapted it. His title alludes to Hector, Prince of Troy, the peace-loving and tragic martyr of Greek mythology and Homer's "Iliad" -- a nod to the culture, art and literature of ancient Greece. Bright is a touch paradoxical in his perspective on his own work. He tends to be modest about his oeuvre, but also projects a sense of contentment about it. Reflecting on recent opportunities to see a spectrum of his art -- at Palomar College's Boehm Gallery in 2004 and now at the Oceanside Museum of Art, he says, "Seeing all of this gives me a sense of pleasure. I stop and say, 'I really did this.'" His art doesn't express an overt bond with San Diego, but Bright believes he would not have made the rich array of work he has without having moved here in the early 1970s. Coming to La Jolla was serendipitous; his sister lived there and his visits convinced him to relocate. (Bright and his wife now live in Encinitas.) "It was inexpensive then," he recalls. "I had just been awarded a grant and coming here allowed me to spend all my time on my art. I produced more work in two years than I had during several in New York." By the time the grant funds ceased, Bright was already convinced he was in the right place. Forty plus years later, he shows no signs of second guessing that decision. Left image: "Hector Vex #388 (Echos Bones)," 1999, 27 x 23 x 2 inches, painted steel. / Photo: Robin Bright, courtesy Quint Gallery. | Right image: "Hector Vex 388 (Vanity of Toil)," 1999, 12 components, dimensions variable, painted steel. / Photo: Robin Bright; courtesy The Visual Arts Program of the San Diego Public Library, and courtesy Quint Gallery. "Quemado," 2005, 13 x 11.5 inches, tinted hydrocal. | Photo: John Durant. "Untitled #1," 1988, 12 x 7 inches, steel. | Photo: John Durant. Dig this story? Sign up for our newsletter to get unique arts & culture stories and videos from across Southern California in your inbox. Also, follow Artbound on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. News / National by Stephen Jakes Gwanda Residents Association has congratulated the Harare and Bulawayo residents for successfully blocking the implementation of pre-paid water meters.The Gwanda Residents Association said it would like to congratulate its big brothers at Bulawayo and Harare residents associations and the residents at large for standing up and fighting against the evil prepaid water meters."It is sweet news to read news headlines that both Harare and Bulawayo have bowed down to citizen pressure to say no to prepaid water meters and left the evil meters open as an option for the elite to adopt at their discretion," said Gwanda residents Association in a statement."The news is more so sweet music to us the residents of Gwanda as it comes at a time when we are in the process of regrouping and formulating a strategy of our own resistance to the meters."The association said this is more strengthening to us as Gwanda as it comes in the back ground of the Ministry of Local Government vowing to make Gwanda a pilot project for compulsory prepaid water metres in the country."It also comes at a time when we are in the process of rejecting our Municipality's application for borrowing powers to borrow $100 000 to purchase the prepaid water meters," said the association."We are very much aware that the Ministry has already approved council's application to borrow even though objections are still open until the 2nd of February 2016 and we know that the tender for the supply of the metres has already been awarded. We are not at all moved by that but instead more motivated to resist this undemocratic and unconstitutional way of governing us as citizens."The association said the Bulawayo and Harare victories have come in handy to motivate even those of them who had previously bowed to undue political pressure and threats and chickened out or sold out on the cries of their people."Going forward this is going to help us speak with one voice as we develop the "we can also do it" zeal in us and push this fight to the furthest limit. As residents of Gwanda we are fully aware of the challenge that lies ahead of us that we are the focus of the whole nation. Defeat on us is defeat for the entire nation and we shall not under any circumstance allow to be the sacrificial lamb for the whole country," said Gwanda Residents Association."We therefore at this juncture would like to invite all other urban residents in the country particularly Harare and Bulawayo and human rights organisations to turn your focus and join us in Gwanda in the battle of Zimbabwe against prepaid water meters."The association said this is certainly bound bit to be the easiest of fights but united as Zimbabwe residents they can win the battle and send their united message through. Our victory is everyone's victory and our loss is everyone's loss."Gwanda residents say No to compulsory prepaid water meters on the poor. Water is our right and paying for it our our responsibility," said the association/ KEARNEY The Nebraska Bostwick Irrigation District has joined Frenchman Cambridge in filing a lawsuit seeking damages from the state for lost irrigation water in 2013 and 2014 when the Department of Natural Resources ordered water to bypass those districts storage reservoirs and diversion dams. The Red Cloud-based Nebraska Bostwick, which serves more than 22,400 acres downstream of Harlan County Dam, and six individual water users filed a Jan. 11 lawsuit in Lancaster District Court in Lincoln. In Hub Territory, the district includes irrigators in Harlan and Franklin counties. The lawsuit names DNR, its Director Gordon W. Fassett, and the Upper Republican, Middle Republican and Lower Republican NRDs as defendants. In addition to the Bostwick district, the six plaintiffs listed are Scott Losey of Republican City, Dan Shipman of Guide Rock, Aaron Lewis of Riverton, Gary Rasser of Red Cloud, Robert F. Brown of Superior and William Wentworth of Inavale. There also is a five page attachment of class action names that brings the total class to about 162 Bostwick members. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by Holdrege attorney Michael Klein. Nebraska Bostwick relies on Republican River flows and storage of surface water for customers irrigation water. The lawsuit lists two primary factors that have depleted surface water supplies: pumping from hydrologically related groundwater and measures taken by the state to comply with the 1943 Republican River Compact that limits total water consumption by Nebraska. Thus far, only surface water users such as Bostwick have been shut off for compact compliance while wells have been allowed enough water to continue irrigating a full crop, a Nebraska Bostwick press release issued this morning says. As a result, Bostwick has been unable to provide an adequate water supply to its members for irrigation. Bostwick officials recently were informed by DNR that it is under another closing notice an order to restrict or completely curtail the use and storage of water for 2016. The lawsuit says such water administration from 2013-2016 has been imposed only on surface water rights under integrated management plans written by the state and natural resources districts in the basin, and that has a disproportionate effect on surface water users compared with groundwater users. The (Bostwick) irrigators have been injured by being deprived of a water supply necessary to irrigate their crops, and that injury will likely reoccur in the future if not redressed in this action, the lawsuit says. Also in the description of injuries to the plaintiffs, the lawsuit says the Nebraska Bostwick Irrigation District is under federal contracts to pay a share of operation and maintenance costs for Bureau of Reclamation projects. Those costs are passed on to irrigators who depend on income from the use of irrigation water to be able to pay those costs We never wanted to. We were just wanting equitable and fair shares of the water, Nebraska Bostwick Manager Mike Delka said in an interview when asked why the lawsuit was filed now. Delka said Bostwick officials were ready to proceed with the lawsuit in April, but they decided to wait because Nebraska was getting a new DNR director and new governor. We were really hoping to see more than we had in the past, he said about efforts to resolve his districts issues. But then the closing notice for 2016 water supplies was issued. The claims listed in the lawsuit are: n The integrated management plans used to manage and control both groundwater and surface water in the Republican River Basin are unlawful. n The recent closing notices imposed on Bostwick are unlawful. n Actions by the DNR director are unlawful and exceed his authority. n Actions by the defendants have resulted in a taking of property owned by Bostwick members without compensation. n Due process and equal protection violations exist if Bostwick and its members do not receive relief. The Bostwick lawsuit raises issues similar to those in lawsuits filed by the Frenchman Cambridge Irrigation District, which is upstream from Harlan County Lake. A Frenchman Cambridge class action lawsuit filed Oct. 30 in Furnas County District Court makes many of the same compensation arguments for damages during the 2014 irrigation season. An earlier Frenchman Cambridge lawsuit also claimed that the state had failed to regulate groundwater use that depleted streamflows and surface water supplies. That lawsuit was dismissed by District Court Judge James Doyle, who said DNR has no statutory duty or independent authority to regulate groundwater to protect surface water appropriations. However, he decided the compensation issue could return to Furnace County District Court for a decision. On Jan. 7, the Frenchman Cambridge District filed another lawsuit in Lancaster County District Court against DNR, Fassett, and the Upper Republican, Middle Republican and Lower Republican NRDs challenging the integrated management plans on constitutional and other grounds. Activists gather near the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, Saturday, Dec.12, 2015 during the COP21, the United Nations Climate Change Conference. As organizers of the Paris climate talks presented what they hope is a final draft of the accord, protesters from environmental and human rights groups gather to call attention to populations threatened by rising seas and increasing droughts and floods. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Pump prices likely on the rise in coming months Gas prices are likely to go back up following the OPEC+ decision to cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day, starting in November.... Spindle Items .. ETERNAL HAPPINESS All of us are chasing happiness. None of us wants to be miserable, angry, frightened , depressed or the like. If... Out of the Past 25 Years AgoOct. 22, 1997 Zoning laws in the Town of Tonawanda received much needed updating Monday as Councilman Raymond Sinclair presented amendments in underground... Family fun for everyone Halloween is every kids dream holiday, with costumes and candy, tricks and treats. Some of my favorite memories with my family have centered around Halloween,... News / National by Stephen Jakes A Gwanda Resident Association official Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo has question the government's sincerity by continuing to recruit soldiers and police at the time when it complains of high wage bill to a point of engaging on a ret4renchment exercise4 of some workers in some departments."Very funny but scary our government is recruiting more soldiers into the army and air force plus more police but retrenching teachers, nurses and doctors!"Fuzwayo said."The army, air force and police are always first to get paid their salaries and bonuses, got the best equipment and vehicles compared to schools and hospitals." News / National by Staff reporter Bikita West MP Munyaradzi Kereke has dumped his lawyers James Makiya and Nathan Chigoro midway through his trial on charges of raping and indecently assaulting his two teenage nieces in 2010.Kereke's trial which is being prosecuted privately by Harare lawyer Charles Warara, opened at the Harare Regional Magistrates' Court on January 11 this year.The Zanu-PF legislator is denying the charges, saying he was framed by his political and business enemies. Kereke has replaced his lawyers with a lawyer from Mutandiro and Partners.He made the move while the second witness was in the middle of giving evidence in the camera. News / National by Staff reporter Government is looking to revive the comatose Zimbabwe United Passenger Company, a senior official has said.Local Government ministers Saviour Kasukuwere told a news conference last week that the ministry will inject funds into Zupco adding government was finalizing modalities for a line of credit to revive the bus firm.Inherited from the Harare United Omnibus Company as the sole urban mass public transport provider, Zupco has struggled to stay afloat after the transport sector was opened to other players. One of the largest crowds to attend a meeting in St. Canices Neighbourhood Hall on the Butts Green in 40 years turned up last week to hear how to improve their own mental health and manage stress in their lives. One of the largest crowds to attend a meeting in St. Canices Neighbourhood Hall on the Butts Green in 40 years turned up last week to hear how to improve their own mental health and manage stress in their lives. Speakers from Grow, Aware, Shine, Lifeline and the Samaritans joined special guest speaker, Dr Fergus Heffernan, at the Fr. McGrath Family Resource Centre organised conference to hear how modern living has turned us into a nation with a growing dependence on pharmaceuticals to help us cope. An audience of 200 people heard Dr. Heffernan say that 23 million prescriptions were issued to Irish people last year but a more balanced approach to minding our own mental health would go a long way to greatly improving the physical well being of many of us. Stress levels are now at least three times greater for all individuals than they were only two or three generations ago and the link between stress and physical illness were well proven but not fully understood by the population as a whole. Those attending were told that easy fixes for people like drugs and alcohol, ultimately aggravate and do not counter stress and people needed to develop better coping mechanisms and understanding of their own mental well being if we are to lessen our national dependency on pharmaceuticals. Ending Stigma around mental health Many of the speakers referred to the stigma still associated with mental illnesses in Irish society and the need to start a national dialogue on the issue was vital if we are to tackle the rise in suicides amongst young people, especially young men and male travellers two of the most likely groups to take their own lives in Ireland. Speaker Martin Mathews who works with Shine in Kilkenny to support people with mental illness said we too often dismiss how we really feel for fear of being seen as selfish. He stressed the importance of being selfish about out mental health and turning our national greeting How are you? into a personal and national question we need to be asking of ourselves constantly. Speaker after speaker emphasised the importance of having someone to talk to and share a problem with as sharing problems often helped greatly to get perspective on these problems and alleviate stress in our daily lives. We all need a flight plan The keynote address was given by Dr Fergus Heffernan and he explained that the moment you are born in to this planet three very significant events happened within the very first 30 seconds. Having spent nine months swimming around in an amniotic sack of fluid in you mothers womb where every need was nurtured and taken care of you arrived into the planet, somebody cut the cord and everything changed. The first thing you did was you took your first breath which gave you life, you then experienced your first loss (the loss of all your needs being met automatically), and then you suffered your first bout of anxiety, and you cried. From that very first moment you learned that if you feel needy and anxious (and you cant name them) that if you go to a behaviour (baby cried) someone might come and meet that need. In many ways that is the cornerstone of many of our lives, having needs, not being able to name them (because family and society would not allow it) and then learning to go to behaviours to try and get those needs met. Isnt it ironic that in our 14 years of education from primary school to secondary school we never learn about loss, breathing, or anxiety (and our lack of understanding them are the corner stone of every difficulty we experience in our physical and psychological well being.) Most of us go through our life with what I call the prescribed script. The script that was handed to us by our parents and society. The good news however, is, that the script can be re wrote at any time . If you really want to be well in your life learn the art of self honesty. The ability to be honest with ourselves is the antidote for wellness. Most of us unfortunately spend our life in denial ! Whats wrong with you ? nothing. How are you ? Fine (See what I mean) . Most of us are lost in life because we do not have a flight plan, a sense of destination. When a pilot leaves Dublin Airport he always gets to his destination because he has a flight plan. The flight plan always for emergencies on route, for unexpected happenings on route, but whatever happens he can always come back to the flight plan, and 99% of the time he always arrives at his destination safely. We to should have a Flight Plan. Have a plan for each day. Write it down , commit to it. Your plan for each day should include : A time to work, a time to play, a time to pray (or meditate), a time to exercise, a time to talk, a time to breathe. We really need to do this because we are all on autopilot and without a plan we have become lost and subsequently we are the sickest generation ( both physically and psychologically ) of the last 4 Generations. Understand Anxiety and learn to breathe and you will always be well, he counselled. Kilkenny Support Services The central message of the conference to all Kilkenny people is do not be afraid to reach out and talk to people who can help. You are not alone. Kilkenny is fortunate in having many support groups and voluntary and other counselling services for people finding it difficult to cope. Some of those listed at the conference included Talk in Through Counselling Services and support groups provided in the Fr McGrath FRC Aware - a long established support group for people affected by depression, a local group runs every Thursday from 7.30 to 8.30pm in Fr. McGrath Centre. (www.aware.ie) GROW - Who run a free six week programme aiming at recovery from mental health issues. They also run groups in Kilkenny, Carlow and Callan. (www.grow.ie ) Shine is a support organisation for people experiencing mental health difficulties. (www.shineonline.ie) Lifeline part of a local response to suicide in Kilkenny city and county. They run a variety of programmes and training and are currently developing a plan for suicide prevention in Kilkenny county. (www.lifeline-kilkenny.org) Samaritans free helpline available 24/7, they also meet face to face callers in their Dean Street office in Kilkenny. Their counsellors provide emotional support to all visitors in full confidence. (www.samaritans.com) News / National by Staff reporter President Robert Mugabe yesterday reportedly failed to attend the Sadc double troika extraordinary summit in Botswana as he is still on holiday in the Far East.Instead, Mugabe sent Foreign Affairs minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi to represent him at the double troika where other Heads of State and Government from Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Tanzania met to discuss the deepening political crisis in Lesotho and other regional hot spots.Mugabe is an automatic member of the troika by virtue of his being Sadc former chairperson, while South Africa is participating in the summit in its capacity as the outgoing chairperson of the Sadc Organ on Politics Defence and Security Co-operation. News / National by Staff Reporter President Robert Mugabe who is battling ill health has been described as an investment risk as he is scaring away potential investors.Mugabe is turning 92 in four weeks' time, and that pose a worry on investors, opposition parties have said.People's Democratic Party Harare provincial spokesperson Nqobizitha Khumalo said uncertainty over Mugabe's health was a national concern, adding "no sane investor" would commit their capital where there was uncertainty over leadership."The old man is obviously not in the best of health. Everyone saw him tumbling at the airport. We also saw him fail to mount some very low steps in India right before world cameras," he said.Former MDC-T Bulilima East MP Norman Mpofu said: "His (Mugabe's) occupancy of the most powerful office in the land at his age is the major source of the current economic problems."The President's age is responsible for the current political and economic dynamics. Politically, there is a silent conflict in Zimbabwe, as various groups are positioning themselves to take over from the ageing President, as his demise looks close.""Local and international investors are watching and will naturally stay away, branding the country a high-risk investment destination," Mpofu said."Investors, irrespective of their country of origin, are cowards. For them to invest, they require a certain threshold of political stability, which is non-existent in Zimbabwe."All investors are aware that the current Zimbabwean President is old and they want to know who is next. They need to know the policies of the next government under a new President. No sane person can invest their assets in an environment with too many uncertainties like Zimbabwe. We will have to wait until the current President retires."However, Presidential spokesperson George Charamba dismissed the claims."What is newsworthy in the opposition talking about the leader of a country? Do you want me to qualify the opposition statements that the President is old? Okay, let me ask you, if a cow moos, would you say that is news?"The opposition parties are like that and would you expect them to say anything good about Zanu PF leaders? Let's talk about something developmental, not all this nonsense said by the opposition," he fumed.In past two years, a chain of several potential European investors have visited the country to scout for investment opportunities.Notable, China signed mega deals and Nigerian billionaire Nigeria's Aliko Dangote was said to be planning to pour billions of dollars into the country.All left the country pledging to invest 'soon' but nothing has materialised. News / National by Staff Reporter A CHINESE national, Hun Xiangkun threatened to shoot five immigration officials during a raid at his home in Vainona, Harare.Xiangkun who also detained the officials was on Monday granted $100 bail after he appeared in court charged with pointing a firearm at the officials.Magistrate, Tendai Rusinahama ordered Xiangkun (43) to surrender his passport to the clerk of court, not to interfere with State witnesses and to continue residing at his address of record.On December 28 last year, five immigration officers, Collin Mahwasa, Harold Makumbe, Tariro Mandizvidza, Spiwe Munjai and Patrick Nyambiya, received a tip off that there were some illegal Chinese nationals residing at Xiangkun's residence.When the five raided the place, Xiangkun allegedly initially went into the house and later came out wielding a pistol and threatened to shoot the immigration officials, alleging they were bogus.After the officers introduced themselves, Xiangkun then let them in. However, during the search Xiangkun's wife reportedly screamed prompting her husband to rush inside with a cocked pistol in hand.Xiangkun again allegedly pointed the gun at the immigration officers and detained them while his wife rushed to Borrowdale Police Station to file a report.The immigration officers then called their superiors and detectives from the Minerals and Border Control Unit, leading to Xiangkun's arrest. The matter was remanded to February 1. Matt Breeden loads a fork lift at Cherokee Distribution's warehouse facilities on Baum Dr. on Friday, January 8, 2016. (SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE By Ed Marcum of the Knoxville News Sentinel Knoxville's Cherokee Distributing Co. is expanding its reach into Middle Tennessee through the acquisition of Mid-South Distributing, boosting its service area from 22 to 53 counties. Cherokee Distributing announced Monday that its merger with Tullahoma-based Mid-South Distributing will open markets throughout Middle Tennessee through distribution hubs in Tullahoma, Cookeville and Pulaski. "The opportunity to acquire Mid-South was the right fit because of our shared commitment to outstanding customer service," George Sampson, Cherokee Distributing Co. president, said in a statement. "We're looking forward to expanding our service area and community outreach to many other counties in the state through this partnership with the Mid-South team." Cherokee Distributing has a workforce of 200 and is headquartered in a 120,000-square-foot facility at 200 Miller Main Circle, according to the 2015 Book of Lists. The company also has a location in Kingsport, and with the two facilities serves 22 East Tennessee counties, distributing more than 200 brands of beer. Cherokee Distributing started in 1958 with seven employees and four trucks. Mid-South formed in 1978 and grew through several acquisitions and a 2013 merger with fellow beer distributor SEC Enterprises into an operation spanning more than 30 counties. The company distributes such brands as MillerCoors, Pabst, Heineken and others. "Mid-South has grown over the years, but our commitment to our customers has remained unwavering," Mid-South President Rick Gerwe said in a statement. "Joining the Cherokee Distributing team was the right decision in order to continue to best serve the market." The two companies have many overlapping brands and Cherokee announced that availability of some beer brands and other beverages will be specific to the each company's respective region. Cherokee is preparing an update to its website that will include the added territory and detail which products will be distributed across the entire 53-county area. Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2013, file photo, Eddie Vedder of the rock band Pearl Jam performs during the bands Lightning Bolt Tour at the Baltimore Arena, in Baltimore. Usher, Laverne Cox and Katie Holmes have been added to the Global Citizen Festival on Sept. 26, 2015, starring Beyonce and Pearl Jam in New York City. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File) SHARE By Maggie Jones of the Knoxville News Sentinel Pearl Jam will headline the 2016 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., according to their website where they released their 2016 U.S. tour dates on Tuesday. Rumors flew around in December that the American rock band that formed in Seattle would perform at the festival, according to a Consequence of Sound article. Pearl Jam confirmed their appearance by listing a concert date at Bonnaroo. The exact time and location during the festival has yet to be announced, however. So far, Pearl Jam is the only act that is confirmed for the festival. They performed at Bonnaroo previously in 2008 and are famous for hits including "Even Flow," "Jeremy," "Better Man" and more. The remaining acts will be revealed at 11 p.m. during Tuesday night's episode of "Conan" on TBS. Bonnaroo 2016 will go from June 9-12. It is the 15th year of the music and arts festival that is held annually at Great Stage Park. SHARE By Mamie Kuykendall of the Knoxville News Sentinel The man shot by a Sevier County sheriff's deputy in a Texas Roadhouse parking lot died Saturday, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Brandon David Bearden, 29, was shot during a Jan. 13 altercation in the Sevierville parking lot while deputies were trying to arrest him, according to the TBI. He underwent surgery the following day at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. The officer was attempting to arrest Bearden on outstanding criminal charges when Bearden's vehicle collided with the deputy's, according to TBI spokesman Josh DeVine. Bearden attempted to run and waved a firearm in the deputy's direction, and the deputy shot Bearden soon after, according to DeVine. No information on how many times or where he was shot have been released. The deputy who shot Bearden also was injured in the 7:30 p.m. conflict at 180 Collier Drive, according to authorities. No information about the identity of the officer or his condition has been released. The case will be turned over to the District Attorney General's office for review after the TBI completes its investigation. Bearden was arrested in July 2014 at the Shinbone Road home he shared with his wife. His wife fled the home and called the Sheriff's Office to say Bearden had fired a weapon during the argument. While officers were trying to investigate, Bearden got agitated and became aggressive. An officer responded by using an electric stun gun on Bearden. Officers found a shotgun and .38-caliber pistol in the truck Bearden had been driving, records show. They also found in the truck 14 canning jars that contained marijuana and pot seeds, authorities said. Bearden was arrested on various charges. In January 2015, a Sevier County grand jury indicted him on charges of assault, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, evading arrest, resisting arrest, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of marijuana and possession of unlawful drug paraphernalia. More details as they develop and in Wednesday's News Sentinel. Tennessee Supreme Court (Larry McCormack / File / The Tennessean) SHARE By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel The state's highest court used one of Knox County's most troubled murder cases to settle in Tennessee a question of law that has proved vexing even among U.S. Supreme Court justices can a report stand in the stead of its writer? In an opinion made public last week, the Tennessee Supreme Court used the Knox County Criminal Court case of Thomas Lee Hutchison to rule once and for all that an autopsy report can still serve as evidence in a murder trial even when the medical examiner who wrote it is no longer available to take the witness stand. A medical examiner's testimony is crucial to the prosecution of a murder trial because prosecutors must first prove the death was in fact a homicide and not an accident, suicide or the result of natural causes. But what happens when the medical examiner is absent, as was the case at Hutchison's trial? Hutchison, 52, was accused in the 2002 bludgeoning death by crowbar of 18-year-old Gary Douglas Lindsay. The case was troubled from the start, with evidence seized without a search warrant and later destroyed before Hutchison stood trial. Add to those woes that Dr. Sandra Elkins, then serving as Knox County's chief medical examiner, was forced to step down before the trial after authorities said she suffered a drug relapse and threatened suicide and the life of a police officer. Supreme Court decision: State of Tennessee vs. Thomas Lee Hutchison Elkins' departure left Assistant District Attorney General TaKisha Fitzgerald with an autopsy report but no witness to be called to testify. The U.S. Constitution guarantees via what's known as the Confrontation Clause every accused citizen the right to challenge and test in front of a jury anyone who gives testimony for the accuser. With no Elkins and no autopsy report, Fitzgerald could not prove Lindsay was murdered, let alone that Hutchison did it. She convinced Senior Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood to let her introduce the autopsy report as evidence and use the county's current chief medical examiner, Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan, to explain it. Defense attorney Bob Jolley cried foul, citing Hutchison's right to confront Elkins. He argued the introduction as evidence of the report, which could not be cross-examined, violated the Confrontation Clause. Hutchison was convicted of a lesser charge of facilitation of Lindsay's murder. Jolley appealed. The state Court of Criminal Appeals backed Blackwood's ruling, but by a split vote, with one of three judges siding with Jolley. Jolley appealed to the state Supreme Court, although Hutchison had no guaranteed right under the law to a high court review. The Supreme Court in 2014 announced it would take the case anyway. In the opinion issued last week, Justice Holly Kirby explained why. Even the nation's highest court has split on the issue of when a report is "testimonial" and therefore runs afoul of the Confrontation Clause and when it isn't. She noted some state courts are so frustrated by the split they've rejected the U.S. Supreme Court's myriad legal tests altogether. "We disagree with this approach," Kirby wrote in a footnote. After outlining the legal standards and reasoning Tennessee judges should apply, Kirby said she and her fellow justices agreed an autopsy report does not itself accuse a particular defendant of murder but instead merely documents that a killing in fact took place. "The overall circumstances do not indicate that the autopsy report in this case was made for the purpose of proving the guilt of a particular criminal defendant at trial," Kirby wrote. "We hold, therefore, that the autopsy report is not testimonial under (U.S. Supreme Court cases) and its admission into evidence at trial did not violate the defendant's rights under the Confrontation Clause." Hutchison's case was not the only one in which Elkins performed an autopsy she could no longer testify about, nor is Elkins the first medical examiner in Tennessee to wind up in trouble and out of the job, so the ruling is key for future prosecutions. The high court did not wade into the legal controversy over the Knoxville Police Department's accidental destruction of evidence in the case, including the murder weapon. Blackwood allowed Fitzgerald to substitute photographs of the evidence, and the Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that was fine since Jolley failed to show having the actual evidence in hand would have helped his client in the wake of such proof as the victim's blood on Hutchison's hands and clothes and two witnesses who said Hutchison confessed. Police alleged Hutchison stabbed Lindsay in the back and bashed his head in with a crowbar in a bid to rob Lindsay of cash and cocaine. Hutchison contended someone else killed Lindsay. SHARE By Mamie Kuykendall of the Knoxville News Sentinel With the threat of wintry weather, Knox County Schools has called off classes for Wednesday. Several other area school systems, including those in Anderson, Blount, Loudon and Grainger counties, also announced Tuesday the cancellation of classes on Wednesday. The National Weather Service in Morristown is forecasting snow showers throughout the day Wednesday with accumulations of snow and sleet of 1 to 2 inches possible. While there was no snow on Tuesday, Knox County students, teachers and support staff had to deal with biting cold temperatures. Only a few of the Knox Countys 330 school buses ran into weather-related issues Tuesday morning while transporting students, according to Knox County Schools spokeswoman Melissa Tindell. "Today was not significantly different than any other Tuesday morning," Tindell said. "We had reported issues with nine routes where we had to assign substitute buses or where buses were running 20 or so minutes late. Some were weather-related and some were not." Parents were notified through the automated system of significant bus delays. Tuesday's frigid temperatures also did not affect Knox County school hours, through many other counties in the East Tennessee area were delayed. "After discussion with some staff members late yesterday, the superintendent determined that we could safely have school on time today," Tindell said. Mary Ann Reeves, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, chats with Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers following his talk Tuesday. (BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Bruce Borchers By Bob Fowler OAK RIDGE While progress in adapting to new educational goals is being made, this city also faces the challenges of a changing student population. So said Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers in a sweeping overview Tuesday of the status of the 4,469-student system, which for years has held a coveted status as one of the state's premiere school districts. Now, many in the student population are from poorer families, with fewer books in the household and where parents often don't read to their children, Borchers told members of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. In 2003, he said, about 22 percent of the city's students were eligible for free and reduced lunches based on family incomes. Today, that percentage has jumped to 52.7 percent. Borchers also cited statistics showing that in 2011, 44.6 percent of elementary school students were deemed "economically disadvantaged," or living in poverty. That figure has now increased to 63.7 percent. Part of the surge in poorer families locating in Oak Ridge is because of the city's stock of cheap housing, Borchers told League members. He said 90 new students enrolled in the city's high school in the recent academic year, and when parents were quizzed why they came to Oak Ridge, "Most of them said cheap housing." A troubling cross-reference in cooperation with the police department showed that many of the new students' homes also matched high-crime areas, League members were told. Borchers said the school system is now emphasizing what's been dubbed "Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness." One of those benchmarks, having students reading at their grade level, is proving a daunting challenge. Some new students are coming in "two or three grade levels" behind their peers, he said. A crucial objective among those keys, he said, is to have all students participate in either Advance Placement coursework, industry certification or readiness for the military. A program to get electronic tablets into middle-school students' hands is starting to pay educational dividends, Borchers indicated. That so-called 1-to-1 program has resulted in all students in the city's two middle schools now receiving those devices."We've already seen amazing things," he said of the program, with student engagement increasing and disciplinary problems down. SHARE By Richard Locker NASHVILLE The Haslam administration's assertion that it's "premature" for Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan to remove 40 colleges from the governor's big facilities-management outsourcing plan calls into question the repeated assurances that institutions can "opt out" of outsourcing at their discretion. Gov. Bill Haslam's Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin said in an interview last week he believed it was premature for Morgan to opt Board of Regents's 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology out of the outsourcing plan. Martin made that point official in a letter to Morgan dated Friday and publicly released Monday. The letter says the governor's outsourcing team is still gathering information on the costs of managing facilities at higher education institutions to determine if contracting out their operation "makes financial and business sense. We believe it is premature at this juncture to suggest institutions opt-out since gathering this information is still ongoing and any business justification has not yet been completed and presented," Martin wrote. Asked Tuesday whether that means Morgan's removal of the colleges is invalid, Martin's spokeswoman Lola Potter said, "As Commissioner Martin said last week, it's premature because we're still in business justification phase there's nothing at this point to opt out of." Haslam began contracting out management and operation of state facilities in 2011 with a contract to global real-estate management giant Jones Lang LaSalle to operate several state office buildings. Last summer, his administration quietly posted a request for information from companies potentially interested in contracts to manage virtually every other state-owned facility, including college campuses, state parks, prisons and hospitals. After the plan generated opposition on campuses statewide, Haslam said repeatedly last fall that institutions can "opt out" of the initiative at their discretion. After months of ongoing discussions between the governor's outsourcing team and higher education officials, Morgan wrote Martin on Jan. 6 detailing TBR's concerns about the process and stating flatly that "TBR's community colleges and TCATs will opt out of the (facilities management outsourcing) process at this time." The chancellor also suggested that the governor's team deal directly with TBR's six universities on the issue, given that Haslam unveiled a plan in December to remove the universities from the Board of Regents and create separate governing boards for each. Morgan's letter included concerns about protecting employees, control over a campus's buildings and grounds, and about what services an outsourcing contractor will perform. Morgan suggested "guaranteed employment" for existing employees with satisfactory performance records with the new contractors, with at least their current level of benefits. Martin's Jan. 15 letter partially responded, saying "The administration is committed to allowing" institutions that implement outsourcing "the option to provide continued employment opportunities for existing employees." However, if building maintenance is privatized, an institution would have few, if any, jobs to offer employees who are not hired by the contractor. The outcome of Morgan's attempt to opt out the 40 colleges is complicated by the fact that he is retiring effective Jan. 31. After talking to a state legislative committee about other issues Tuesday, Morgan said in a brief interview that he would share Martin's letter with TBR staff. "I appreciate what the commissioner is saying, that they're not through making a business case (for outsourcing). I guess the thing I would say is that our (TBR) business is being successful with students. So anything we do, our business case is going to be how does this impact our ability to be successful with students. That's a little different than the economic analysis that might be done about the absolute costs of this under this approach versus that approach. So we'll consider what he has said and try to figure out what the appropriate response will be. "It will be interesting to see what information is developed as part of that business case," Morgan said. David Hunter Through the years I have lied to my children and grandchildren on numerous occasions and told them outrageous stories as a part of their education. It has always been my belief that too many people are gullible and easily taken in, though it wasn't until Facebook came on the scene that I realized I had grossly underestimated just how gullible. When my daughter Elaine was 5 or 6, she asked me how television worked. I told her there were little people inside who frequently changed clothes and sometimes accents. She told some other children at school and they laughed at her. That evening, she demanded I take the back off the television so she could see for herself. The seed of skepticism was sown and took root that evening. She became very good at doing research, graduated from high school with a 4.0 average and won a full scholarship at the University of Tennessee. Elaine had one minor collision with a history instructor who gave her inaccurate information. Neither would back down; Elaine had to retake the course or something similar. I was never prouder. Once when we were driving in heavy winds during a storm, my granddaughter Grace my elder daughter Kristi's child, aged 10 asked me why the car was moving in the wind. I told her it was because the car was painted white and white is a light color. I had previously told her that trees moving caused wind. I don't know if she really believed what I told her, but we had reached the age of computers by that time and Grace was able to fact-check whatever I said. A few years later, when I told Grace about drunken teenage male elephants in Indonesia running in gangs, breaking into compounds and drinking all the beer they could find, she dismissed the story outright. I pulled up the article on my laptop and she was embarrassed, but she had learned what I was trying to teach her fact-check everything. When my son Dave was young, I told him there were really eight days in a week: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Zoomsday, Friday and Saturday. I told him people who didn't know about the extra day were being cheated out of 24 hours every week. He went along with it for a while. Once when Sydney, my younger granddaughter Elaine's child was barely 5, was talking to my wife, Cheryl, about dinosaurs, I told her I remembered dinosaurs and had in fact been badly mauled by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. She appeared to have doubts about what I was telling her, so I showed her the scars on my forearms, which are the result of roughhousing with German shepherds and the effects of blood thinners. Sydney's now going on 10, and when I tell her a fantastic story, she looks at Cheryl and says, "Is that true or is he making up another story?" Cheryl generally shrugs her shoulders because she usually doesn't know, either. People have criticized me for the preposterous stories, but I still think it's a good idea to plant a little skepticism when they are still young it goes a long way towards avoiding future embarrassment brought on by slick con artists. Besides, it never hurts to stretch the imagination, because our world is no bigger than we can imagine. Two days from now will mark the 145th anniversary of the start of the Knoxville city school system. It was created on Jan. 21, 1871, when citizens went to the polls and voted 433-162 for free public schools. In 1870 City Council had appointed J.A. Rayl, W.A. Henderson and Joseph R. Mitchell to formulate plans for the system. Moving quickly after the vote, the schools opened on Sept. 4, 1871. For the most part, students were taught in the basements of churches, lodge halls and other places. One of those shepherding the new system was Thomas Humes, president of the University of Tennessee. He persuaded the Peabody Fund to contribute $2,000 a year for three years to get the school work underway. Trustees of the fund, wanting officials to be serious about schools, required that they be in season for 10 full months. The total amount raised for the 1871-72 school year was $10,600. Since the first public school building was not erected until 1875, the city had to find adequate space in existing buildings for classroom space. It began with the purchase of the Bell House Hotel at 220 W. Main Ave. for $5,500 and its refitting for school purposes. It had 10 large rooms, with four of them on the first floor for the primary grades. The second floor with three rooms was used for intermediate students. Three rooms on the top floor were used for students in the higher grades. Students in the advanced grades had been attending private schools. The girls' high school classes on the third floor had desks for 88 students; the boys' high school classes had desks for 50. The total enrollment was 450 students in all grades. Smaller buildings were located in other parts of the city. They were the Yellow School House in North Knoxville, the Summit Hill School, which was operated by the Catholic Church, and the Temperance Hall School. The three schools for blacks were at Logan Temple A.M.E. Zion Church, Creswell School in East Knoxville and Shiloh Presbyterian Church. At the beginning of the school term the school committee selected 13 teachers. Eleven were to teach at Bell House, and one each at the Yellow School House and Summit Hill. Teachers in the black schools were under the auspices of church groups and had not applied for city positions. They would become city teachers before the end of the school year. The Knoxville Press & Herald of Dec. 11, 1872, said, "We learned incidentally that the salaries of the teachers had not been paid for some time. This is, we presume, owing to the dilatoriness of the taxpayer, the school fund under our defective state law being dependent on the payment of taxes by the citizens of the city." The amount owed teachers was $4,500. This situation existed in spite of the fact that City Council had ordained a special tax to benefit the schools on March 8, 1872: "Be it ordained by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the city of Knoxville that the rate of taxation for the year 1872 shall be $1.15 upon each $100 of the assessed value of the real estate and personal property in said city, for school purposes; also a special tax of fifty cents shall be assessed on each person liable to a poll tax, in said city for public school purposes." In December 1873 City Council passed an ordinance creating a five-member board of education. Jesse A. Rayl was elected chairman and served in that position through 1881. In 1875 the city, with the financial help of the Peabody Fund, built the first school, the Peabody School at 311 Morgan St., which today houses the Central Labor Council. The second city-built school was the Colored School at 327 Central St., which would become Austin High School in 1879. SHARE John Morgan, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, jumped the gun in removing the state's community colleges and technology schools from consideration under Gov. Bill Haslam's outsourcing initiative. Despite the existence of legitimate questions about the transparency of the process and the effectiveness of outsourcing, decisions on the plan, as Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin said last week, should wait until its mid-February unveiling. Morgan, who is retiring one year early in protest over Haslam's proposal to sever six universities from the Board of Regents system, wants to exercise a promised opt-out provision in the outsourcing plan for the community colleges and technical schools. The Halsam administration has been developing its outsourcing initiative in secret for longer than a year. Under the plan, one or more private companies would provide property management services for all the state's buildings from prisons to office towers to National Guard armories. The initiative flew under the radar until Aug. 10, when the Department of General Services posted on its website a "request for information" asking interested firms to submit information outlining how they would manage buildings at state colleges and universities, prisons, state parks and military facilities. The state is keeping the responses confidential. Since then it has become apparent the administration is looking to adapt vested outsourcing, which was developed through research conducted by the University of Tennessee College of Business Administration and centers on developing close relationships between buyers and vendors focusing on outcomes rather than transactions and using incentives for both parties. Vendors typically are intensely involved in developing the contracts before the final agreement is made. Once the plan's scope became public, the Haslam administration assured the state's public colleges and universities they could opt out and continue managing their own facilities. In his last days in office, Morgan wants to exercise that option for the 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology; the six state universities that will be leaving the Board of Regents system and operate under their own governing boards are not included. Martin said the administration would offer a "business justification" for the outsourcing initiative, outlining the cost savings the state should expect, by mid-February. Outsourcing might make sense in some situations. Contractors managing multiple office buildings, for example, could negotiate lower prices from large vendors. In other cases, such as prisons and armories, outsourcing should be a tougher sell. The state's recent stab at outsourcing hospitality operations at state parks failed miserably not one company was interested, primarily because the facilities are in such disrepair. Decision-makers should wait on the plan's details, and the Haslam administration must be absolutely transparent in providing information to the Legislature, state agencies and the public. News / Press Release by Willias Madzimure The end of January 2016 will see President Robert Mugabe's one year tenure as the African Union (AU) chair coming to an end. He will leave office as the weakest AU leader in the history of the organization so far. If Mugabe's miserable performance was to be placed on a scale of zero to ten he would score minus one.Mugabe who assumed the chairpersonship of the 54 member states grouping in January 2015, amid high pitched excitement by his bootlickers, will go down in annals as the worst leader of the continental body. Under the nonagenarian's stewardship, Africa endured one its bleakest period since the turn of the millennium.His report card as AU chair shows that Africa continues to be ravaged by wars, terror attacks, coups, food shortages, droughts, diseases, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, corruption, human and child trafficking, child labour; and high unemployment while he and his continental henchmen stood akimbo.As the AU chair, there is no doubt that Mugabe slept on the job while the continent and his own country, Zimbabwe, burnt. In Zimbabwe, Mugabe has trashed democracy and ruined the economy.Mugabe failed to show astute leadership at a time when Africa was facing one of its worst Ebola outbreaks in West Africa which left thousands of people dead. The continent's leadership stood with their hands folded and had to once again rely on the benevolence of the 'hated' western countries to fight the deadly outbreak. This is something of an irony given Mugabe's strong anti-west rhetoric.During the course of 2015 there were serious crises in Mali and Burkina Faso with the later country witnessing a coup de tat on 16 September 2015 by General Gilbert Diendere, commander of the Regiment of Presidential Security (RSP). It had to take the intervention of the West African States leaders who brooked no nonsense of the coup and had they waited for the AU to act the citizens of Burkina Faso would be reeling under a brutal military regime.The rise of Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and ISIS terror groups in Northern Nigeria, East Africa, West Africa and North Africa is of serious concern but Mugabe appeared to be lost in cuckoo land.In Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia repeated terror attacks by ISIS which has led to the deaths of hundreds of people, mainly tourists, has seen tourism which is one of the economic engines of these countries drastically go down and thousands of people losing their jobs and livelihoods.Only last week, 29 people were killed at a hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso by Al Qaeda which has been expanding its operations in West Africa in 2015. In Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger Boko Haram is engaged in daily deadly attacks on civilians who are soft targets of these cowardly elements. In Burundi genocide is unfolding and hundreds of people have been killed since last year by a man who highly admires Mugabe, Pierre Nkurunzinza.To all these heinous acts the continental leader seemed to turn a blind eye, maybe realizing he has often relied on the same tactics to extend his rule.Trying to escape these daily hardships, thousands of Africans are fleeing to Europe through high seas using rickety boats and a great number of them have drowned and their bodies have not been recovered. The worst of this occurring in August of 2015 when about 700 refugees escaping to Europe from Libya drowned after the boat they were sailing in shipwrecked just outside Libyan waters. The AU chair maintained his deafening silence on this tragic incidence.However, the 92 year old strongman has never missed the occasion to attend presidential inaugurations in Zambia, Tanzania, Nigeria and several other African countries. While attending ceremonies in all these countries the irony that peaceful democratic elections and change of leaders is a taboo in his own country was lost to him.The shocking events happening in Africa show that the continent is need of leaders who are strategic and stand by the people in their time of need not globetrotters and aloof lip service Machiavelli politicians like Mugabe.The year 2015 thus portrayed the short comings of African leadership and the doctrine of African solutions to African problems. African leadership has shown to be incompetent, heartless, power hungry and withdrawn from its people's lives, qualities which largely define Mugabe's post liberation leadership of his people. Indeed in 2015 Africa raised its most lethargic leadership to the continental helm for the world to see the tragedy that is African leadership.Therefore, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) urges the incoming AU chair to seriously consider the plight of the people of Africa and work hard in fighting and ending the troubles that Africans are facing every day.Africans require a new leadership that is able to build strong regional ties by strengthening democratic and economic institutions, pushing for the respect of the rule of law and upholding the sacred rights of the people. Economic development must also be at the centre of defining the incoming leadership especially guided by the 2016 theme of the AU which places emphasis on human rights especially that of women.In order for this year's theme to be meaningful to the peoples of Africa robust leadership is needed to address poverty, ballooning unemployment, access to health and education as well as to increase the security of persons and communities. SHARE I heard about the death of Zaevion Dobson, the Fulton High School student who was killed while protecting friends from gunfire, from out of town. This is the type of young man Knoxville should be very proud of. I am so sick and tired of hearing about rappers and other thugs taking up the black narrative. This is a young man who should be honored, and his family should be aware that he actually has touched people far away from Knoxville with his bravery, honesty and courage. Know this is the type of young man that our country cannot do without. Sharon Swartzkopf, Philadelphia South Korea will start another round of nationwide discount events later this month in a bid to boost domestic consumption around the Lunar New Year's holiday, the finance ministry said Tuesday. The so-called Korea Grand Sale will begin on Jan. 25 and run through Feb. 7 across the nation before the holiday, with the participation of 300 local traditional markets, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. For foreign tourists, the event will take place from Feb. 1 in duty-free shops and other retail stores to celebrate the start of the Visit Korea Year 2016-2018. The Lunar New Year, which shifts year to year, falls on Feb. 8 this year, with a five-day break. The ministry said the sales event is aimed at maintaining an uptrend in consumption that was seen in the third quarter of last year. Last year, the country hosted such events three times, including the K-Sale Day and Korea Black Friday, and saw local retailers post sharp sales increases, along with the government's excise tax cut programs. The rise in sales helped push up the country growth to a five-year high of 1.2 percent in the third quarter, successfully escaping the sluggish mode stemming from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak. "We've come up with plans to keep the pace of private consumption alive and revitalize domestic demand as a whole," the finance ministry said in a release. (Yonhap) By Choi Sung-jin The global food market, estimated to be about $5.34 trillion, is changing rapidly as Asian nations, led by China and Islamic countries, have become the biggest food importers, industry sources said Tuesday. The food industry in the Asia-Pacific region has grown to $1.83 trillion, exceeding Europe's $1.80 trillion, to be the largest market in the world, even surpassing the global auto market ($1.65 trillion) and the steel market ($1.04 trillion), they said. Together, China and halal markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East have a population of more than 2 billion and value exceeding 2,000 trillion won. If Japan, the largest importer of Korea's agricultural products, is added, the region's potential as a new "blue ocean" for the struggling export industry can hardly be overemphasized, the sources said. Korea's export of agricultural produce to these markets stands out amid an overall slump in overseas shipments. Exports to China were estimated to reach $1.04 billion last year, up 88.5 percent from 2010, with its share of the total rising 4 percentage points. The comparable share of exports to Indonesia, Malaysia and six Gulf Cooperation Council countries has also risen to account for 10.11 percent. As a result, the nation's food exports to China and halal markets totaled $1.66 billion, up 3.8 percent, compared with the 1.1 percent drop in overall food exports and the 7.9 percent fall in total exports. "Asian food markets can be the new breakthrough for our export industry," said Kim Jae-soo, head of Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. "Exporters should focus on the two new and largest markets of China and halal bloc." As has been the case for most other industries, China will likely replace Japan soon as the largest importer of Korean farm produce and other agricultural products. China's imports of agri-food amounted to $124.1 billion, or 145 trillion won, in 2014, a hefty increase of 68.9 percent from 2010. Chinese consumers' distrust of homegrown food products and their preference for imported goods make it a market with enormous growth potential for Korean exporters. "This notwithstanding, Korea's food exports to China have been stagnating for the past several years," said a food market analyst. "It's time to upgrade Korean food products' status there, making the most of the bilateral free trade agreement." Korea's agri-food exports to China totaled $1.04 billion last year, 17.2 percent of the total, up nearly 4 percentage points over the past five years and narrowing the gap to 1.9 percentage points with the 19.1 percent share taken by exports to Japan. Yet the Korean exports' share of the Chinese import market stood at a fractional 0.7 percent in 2014. Other East Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, boast market shares in China five or six times larger than Korea's. To the relief of Korean exporters, Chinese consumers' perception of Korean food products is quite favorable. According to a survey by the Korea Rural Economic Institute last year, Korea was listed as the most-favored agri-food exporter by 29.3 percent of respondents, followed by the United States (14.3 percent) and Denmark (9.7 percent), reflecting the high growth potential. Processed food accounted for 83 percent of Korea's agri-food exports to China, indicating where local exporters should place their priority, the sources said. "The implementation of the FTA will provide new opportunities for processed food exports, as the current import duties of 15-20 percent will phase out over the next 15 to 20 years," an official at the state-run food exporter said. By Choi Sung-jin Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors have the greatest growth potential in the North American market over the next several years, a multinational consulting agency says. South Korea's twin automakers are also ranked at fourth place in their growth potential in global markets in the next five years, said KMPG International, based on its 2016 global survey of auto industry executives and consumers. The top-three makers in global growth potential are Toyota (58 percent), BMW (57 percent) and Volkswagen (56 percent), it said. Following Hyundai's lead in the North American markets were Ford (49 percent), Honda (49 percent) and GM (45 percent). Hyundai-Kia's growth momentum in the world's largest auto market was its move into the luxury car market and the marketing of environment-friendly vehicles. Toyota and BMW got high marks because of their technological innovation, as seen in electric cars and autonomous vehicles. Despite the diesel scandal, Volkswagen will continue to grow, thanks to its dominant position in the Chinese market, it said. About 800 industry executives and 2,123 consumers from 38 countries took part in the survey. The report cited "connectivity" and "digitalization" as the two most influential trends in the auto industry until 2025, reflecting soaring interest in electric cars and autonomous automobiles, with 30 percent of respondents saying major ICT companies, such as Apple and Google, will emerge as innovators in the auto industry. "The ecosystem of the auto industry is rapidly changing as consumers put emphasis on autonomous technology, smart cars and environmental vehicles," said Wie Seung-hoon, an executive at Samjong-KMPG. "Korean makers need to make the most of growth opportunities created by connectivity." Workforce downsizing, wage cuts expected to draw labor protests By Lee Hyo-sik Kim Seung-tack Hyundai Rotem CEO Hyundai Rotem is set to subject itself to stringent restructuring in a bid to cope with its faltering business at home and abroad. The rolling stock manufacturing arm of Hyundai Motor Group said Tuesday that it is seeking to dismiss 1,000 workers through a voluntary retirement program, the first of its kind since 2004. Its current workforce stands at 8,000. Hyundai Rotem, headed by CEO Kim Seung-tack, is also expected to downsize its business units and cut employee wages. "We are receiving applications from senior employees who want to retire early," a company spokesman said. "A consulting firm is currently examining our organization and will soon tell us what needs to be done. We will then make public what we are going to do to become a more efficient and profitable entity." However, the restructuring move has invited protests from unionized workers who demand higher wages and better working conditions, despite the firm's worsening financial health. Management and the union have yet to complete last year's wage negotiations. "Unionized workers, many of whom will reach 60 in a year or two, are asking for excessive wage hikes, while disregarding how dire the situation is for the company," the spokesman said. "Management is determined to take all possible measures, no matter how painful they may be, to transform the firm into an efficient and profitable organization." Hyundai Rotem has been facing criticisms for not doing enough to enhance its competitiveness and bolster its bottom line. Instead, it has been asking the government for financial and other forms of support. The company has been saddled with a high-cost, low-efficiency structure, adding that employee salaries have gone up regardless of business performance. Over the past two years, the railway car manufacturer has seen its sales plunge in key overseas markets such as the United States, Brazil and India. It previously won many overseas production orders for subway carriages and other types of rolling stock. However, the firm has begun losing its global market share to rapidly growing Chinese competitors, including the CRRC, which have posted explosive growth on the back of the Chinese government's extensive support. In 2015, Rotem secured only 80 billion won in new orders from Turkey to maintain a tram route there, down from 600 billion won in 2014 and 1.4 trillion won in 2013. In the first half of 2015, the company posted a 13 billion won operating loss. In 2014, it lost 12 billion won. Despite its worsening performance, Rotem has been raising employee wages. Its average annual employee salary stood at 90 million won in 2014, up from 86 million won in 2013 and 82 million won in 2012. By Lee Hyo-sik SK Gas said Tuesday that it sold 850,000 shares of its subsidiary, SK Advanced, to Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), a Kuwaiti national oil firm, for $100 million. The company said it held a board of directors meeting and approved the stake sale of the shares of its propane dehydration business unit. In September 2014, SK also sold a stake to Advanced Petrochemical Company from Saudi Arabia for $135 million, SK said. SK Advanced will be jointly operated by the three parties. SK Advanced has invested 1 trillion won to build a plant in Ulsan, capable of producing 600,000 tons of propylene annually. Construction, which began in May 2014, will be completed by March. By Kim Jae-won Foreign law firms said Tuesday that the National Assembly needs to amend a bill regarding the scope of services they can offer in order to help further open the legal market, arguing that the country's law firms and attorneys will eventually benefit from such a change. Lawyers from American and British firms have said that a more competitive legal market will strengthen Korean firms rather than damage their business. They also said that opening the market would also offer more chances for young Korean lawyers to practice their skills on the global stage. "The Korean parliament and the government do not need to worry too much about opening the legal market wider because Korean law firms are strong enough to defend their market share from foreign law firms," said the head of a U.S. law firm working in Seoul, on condition of anonymity. "Korean law firms will become more competitive by battling with their foreign counterparts and improving their skills." He took an example of Japan which opened its legal market to foreign players, but faced no serious threat from foreign firms. Another attorney working for a U.S. law firm said that a more open legal market will provide clients with more choice. "It will definitely boost the quality of legal services to clients who are mainly Korean companies. Korea is now an advanced country so it needs to adopt global standards of open legal markets like other nations, such as Japan and Australia." A veteran lawyer from another U.S. law firm said that young Korean lawyers will benefit from opening the market by practicing their skills on the global stage. Foreign companies also support the proposed opening of the legal market, saying Korean law firms charge too much. "Kim & Chang asks for fees that are too high for their legal services. If foreign firms offer legal services, we expect the fees to drop, helping cut our costs," said a director at a European company, also on condition of anonymity. Their remarks came one day after ambassadors from the U.S., the EU, the U.K. and Australia demanded that Seoul amend a bill which bans foreign law firms from holding more than a 49 percent stake in a joint venture with local law firms. The Foreign Legal Consultant Act is among a backlog of bills pending in the National Assembly. The ambassadors said that the draft is not consistent with Seoul's commitment to free trade. "Namely, those conditions include limiting foreign equity in the joint ventures to 49 percent, which would prevent foreign entities from controlling their investments; stipulating that foreign firms may form joint ventures only with South Korean entities in existence for three or more years; and limiting the scope of practice, which would significantly disadvantage foreign-Korea joint venture firms," according to the letter. The Korean Bar Association criticized the letter from the ambassadors, declaring it to be a violation of Korea's sovereignty. "It is not only an act of violating the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea but is also an act that forces discrimination against local firms for their own interest," the association said in a press release. By Park Jin-hai Following the Korea Black Friday event last year, Korea is pushing ahead with another nationwide sales event late this month to boost domestic consumption ahead of the Lunar New Year, according to the finance ministry Tuesday. Unlike last year, however, a total of 2,500 small- and medium-sized companies including traditional markets and home shopping companies will participate in the Korea Grand Sale, which will begin on Jan. 25 and run through Feb. 7 across the nation before the holiday. Under the government policy, some 2,147 outlets of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives will provide up to a 50 percent discount on their products, higher than last year's discount of 30 percent. Some 300 traditional markets and online shopping malls will join the event with various sales promotions. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said that it will also sell 70 billion won worth of Onnuri gift certificates, a special coupon that can be used at traditional markets at prices and provides a discount of 10 percent to individual consumers until Feb.5. Together with the sales to public organizations and companies, the government plans to sell 180 billion won worth of the certificates prior to the national holiday, which is a 1.5 times more than last year. In addition, the government will inject a record high 21.1 trillion won to provide funds for economically stricken small- and medium-sized companies as well. The funds will be used to provide early tax benefits and the temporary postponement of tariffs and value added taxes for small shop owners. For foreign tourists, the event will take place from Feb. 1 throughout the end of the month at duty-free shops and other retail stores to celebrate the start of the Visit Korea Years 2016-2018. The ministry said the sales event is aimed at maintaining an uptrend in consumption that was seen in the third quarter of last year. "We've come up with plans to keep the pace of private consumption alive and revitalize domestic demand as a whole," the finance ministry said. Last year, the country hosted such events three times, including the K-Sale Day and Korea Black Friday, which gave a much needed shot in the arm to the local economy. During the last Korea Grand Sale for foreign visitors in August, domestic stores that took advantage of the discounts reported 2 to 5 percent sales increases, and more than a 20 percent rise in sales for department stores. The rise in sales helped push up the nation's growth to a five-year high of 1.2 percent in the third quarter, successfully escaping the sluggish growth stemming from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak. News / Press Release by RTUZ A police officer stationed at Glenorah Police Station, one Kapfunde, who was part of a group of riot police officer who ruthless beat up Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (RTUZ) President, Obert Masarure and Programmes Officer, Pride Mkono, on the 28th of December 2015 will appear in court facing assault charges.The matter will be heard at Mbare Magistrate Court in court 4 at 1115hrs and allegations against Kapfunde are that on the 28th of December 2015 around 0130hrs he arrested Mkono before assaulting him which a button stick, booted feet and open hands. He also undressed Mkono and dipped him in water claiming that it was 'baptism' for increasing the police work load at a time when they had not been paid.Mkono was in company of Masaraure and another activists and they were coming from a planning meeting for a bonus demonstration which RTUZ held on the 4th of January 2014.Mkono sustained injuries on his buttocks, shoulders, groin and suffered a fractured rib as a result of the brutal beating which Kapfunde subject the activist to and a medical report to that effect is before the courts.The report of assault was only filed after award winning human rights lawyer Gift Mtisi had implored that the police allow Mkono to get medical attention.Kapfunde is also set to appear in another separate case for assaulting RTUZ President, Masararure and answer to allegations of stealing his mobile phone Huawei Ascend 5 handset.In this matter Mkono will appear as the complainant while Masaraure is the state witness on the case. South Korea's economic growth will likely undershoot the government target this year due to sluggish exports and domestic consumption, a private think tank said Tuesday. In its latest economic report, the LG Economic Research Institute (LGERI) said domestic and external conditions are unlikely to turn for the better this year although there are high expectations of a growth of at least 3 percent. The government has forecast that the economy will likely grow 3.1 percent on-year in 2016 thanks to improving exports and consumer spending, while the Bank of Korea (BOK) cut its growth projection to 3 percent from an earlier forecast of 3.2 percent. "It is inevitable that the local economy, which is highly dependent on exports, will see its growth slow down this year with weakening global trade," the LGERI said. Dwindling demand in the United States and other advanced countries, China's sluggish economic growth and the continued risk for resources exporting countries are all negative external factors, it said. The research arm of LG Group predicted global demand for Korea's main export items like electric and electronic products, steel, shipbuilding and displays will decline, and competition with China and Japan will intensify further. The think tank also said a recovery in consumer sentiment is not in the cards. In addition, the LGERI painted a gloomy picture of the country's growth potential down the road. "Unless the recent trend of declining productivity improves, the nation's potential growth rate will remain at 2.5 percent per annum between 2016 and 2020, and further fall to the 1 percent level in the 2020s," it said. The prediction is far below the potential growth rate suggested by the BOK, which predicted 3.0 to 3.2 percent potential growth for the period of 2015 to 2018. The institute pointed out rapidly growing household and corporate debts could pose a threat to the Korean economy this year. The total corporate debts, including those held by public corporations, amounted to 1,631.7 trillion won as of the end of September 2015, representing 106 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). The ratio of non-financial listed companies, which failed to reap enough operating profits to pay off their interest, was 29.9 percent last year. The average debt of these companies was tallied at 228.1 billion won as of the end of last year, up from 173.2 billion won at the end of 2010, indicating that there will be high pressure for restructuring of the companies this year. Household debt, which has surged due to massive mortgages, will increase households' burden for principal and interest payments, shrinking consumption, the think tank said. Noting the slump in exports and manufacturing is likely to last for a long period of time, the LGERI suggested the country rely more on the domestic-focused service industry for its economic growth. (Yonhap) From left, Kim Won-hyo, Kim Jae-wook, Park Seong-ho, Jeong Beom-gyun and Lee Jong-hoon in a poster for their comedy show in Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province, in January / Courtesy of Naver blog Five veteran Korean comedians will tour the U.S. and other countries to tickle the funny bones of ethnic Koreans. The team -- Park Seong-ho, Kim Jae-wook, Kim Won-hyo, Lee Jong-hoon and Jeong Beom-gyun -- will begin the tour next month. Starting in New York City, the show moves to Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Dallas. In June, they fly to Sydney and Melbourne, followed by Auckland. The team's target audience is ethnic Koreans. The five have years of experience through TV comedy programs like "Gag Concert" on KBS and "People Looking For Laughter" on SBS, as well as on stage. The team had its first performance last September at a small theater in Hongdae, Seoul. The event sold out. "I want people come to our shows with an intention of just having fun with us rather than to test us, thinking Try me'," Jeong told OSEN. Moon Jae-in / Yonhap Moon Jae-in, chairman of the main opposition party, said Tuesday that he will step down as soon as the issue of selecting new leaders for the party is resolved, amid factional feuding within it. "I believe it is necessary for me to step down in order to initiate integration," he told reporters at the National Assembly. The main opposition party fell apart after Ahn Cheol-soo, a former co-chairman left the party following disagreements with Moon over party reform. A string of lawmakers followed Ahn. Moon is trying to recruit new political figures to the Minjoo Party of Korea, formerly the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, in a bid to renew the image of the embattled main opposition in the lead up to the general election scheduled for April. South Korea's tourism industry suffered a severe blow from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak last year, but Japan enjoyed a huge influx of travelers thanks to the cheap yen and easier visas, data showed Tuesday. The number of foreign travelers to South Korea slipped in 2015 for the first time in 12 years in the wake of the MERS outbreak, reporting 6.8 percent on-year decline to 13.23 million visitors, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said. The number of travelers rose about 10 percent in the first five months, but it plummeted 40 percent from June to August following the first MERS outbreak in late May, the KTO said. Travelers started to come back to Korea in September and their number rose 5 percent on-year in October thanks to shoppers who flocked to massive discount events held by retailers. The viral disease took the heaviest toll on the numbers of Chinese tourists, who canceled their flights and tour packages in the peak summer season. The total number of Chinese travelers to the nation declined 2.3 percent to 5.98 million last year, it said. Japanese travelers also decreased as the falling yen further dampened their travel sentiments, marking a 19.4 percent drop to 1.83 million. In contrast, more Koreans traveled abroad to take advantage of the cheaper airfares offered by low-cost carriers and extended holidays. The number of outbound travelers rose 20.1 percent to 19.31 million in 2015. As the viral disease forced the Chinese to travel further east to Japan and the cheaper yen attracted more Korean shoppers, Japan beat Korea in attracting travelers for the first time in seven years. Foreign visitors to Japan hit a record high of 19.69 million in 2015, marking the first time since 1970 that inbound travelers surpassed those who headed abroad, the Japan National Tourism Organization said. Koreans were the biggest tourist group to Japan by nationality, with the number jumping 47.8 percent on-year to 3.95 million in 2015 The number of Chinese travelers doubled to 3.78 million, and Taiwan, the previous No. 1 tourist group, slipped to third place with 3.48 million. South Korea first surpassed Japan in terms of the tourist number in 2009 and widened the gap to 3.5 million in 2011, but Japan took back the title, with its vigorous efforts to boost tourism. (Yonhap) A photo of a Korean man, a Filipina woman and their baby is posted on the We Love Kopino website, which was opened to locate Korean men who abandoned Filipina women and their children. / Courtesy of We Love Kopino Posted photos raise privacy issue By Kim Se-jeong A website for locating Korean men who fathered babies with Filipina women out of wedlock and abandoned them is stirring a dispute over privacy issues. For such children, often called Kopinos, finding their fathers has been almost impossible. Information was scarce about the deadbeat dads who fled to Korea to avoid taking responsibility. Or, the families were too poor to afford to track them down. The website, kopinofather.wordpress.com, known as "We Love Kopino," discloses the faces of such Korean fathers, along with their names and the places where they stayed in the Philippines. Some photos depict the men alone, and others show them together with the Filipina women or even with their children when they lived together in the country. The names, ages and addresses of the fathers are often false, as many provided false information to the Filipina women while dating. The photos were given by the mothers to "We Love Kopino," a civic group based in the Philippines which runs the website. "I had a Filipina friend who was looking for the father of her Kopino son," said Koo Bon-chang, 54, who founded the NGO and started the website in April 2015. "The father left her with a fake address. She had no means to find him, and I wanted to help her." He told her disclosing photos and names would be the fastest way to track down the fathers. His prediction was right. Calls began coming in, either from the fathers themselves or those who knew the fathers. When a father contacts the group, it links him with the mother. The group removes the photo only when the mother consents. Since the website's opening, it has posted 42 photos and 30 Kopino offspring have found their fathers. Many fathers of Kopinos are students or travelers who dated local women during stays in the Philippines. The country is popular among university students as an affordable place to learn English. Also, it is a notorious vacation place for sex tourists. NGOs in the Philippines and Korea estimate the number of Kopinos at as many as 30,000. Tracking them all is impossible, and the Korean Embassy in the Philippines has been urged to keep count, but has not done so. / kopinofather.wordpress.com Privacy infringement The website, however, caused controversy over its infringements on the fathers' privacy because it makes public their photos. "In fact, three people threatened to sue me," Koo said. "How could they? What they did to these children is incomparable to what I have done to them." Koo said he has never been sued and is sure it will never happen. Some families who located the absentee fathers are in a legal battle for childcare support. Koo's group provides assistance in cooperation with a Seoul-based law firm. "Those women are so poor that they can't afford childcare costs," Koo said. "If the child is sick, it's impossible to get treatment." He added that this happened in the case of his Filipina friend. "Her son was sick," he said. "She had to dance at a club at night to pay for his treatment. While dancing one night, she heard that her son had died. I saw her weeping in the restroom. That was one of the saddest moments in my life." In June 2014, Seoul Family Court ordered the father of a Kopino child to provide 300,000 won to the mother per month for childcare, the first such ruling ever in favor of a Filipina mother. Similar rulings are expected to follow in the future. Koo said his organization does not follow up on these cases. "Our job ends when they find the fathers, and what happens after that is usually up to them." Yet, he said he has seen life improving for many. "Many of the women get money from the fathers for childcare and medical treatment for their children." By Jhoo Dong-chan The nation's largest umbrella union has officially withdrawn from the labor, management and government talks for labor market reform. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) head Kim Dong-man announced during a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul, Tuesday, that the Sept. 15 agreement on labor reform had "broken down." He said the union would not participate in future talks with the Tripartite Commission. The official withdrawal from the deal came a week after the labor group declared a de facto collapse of the agreement on Jan. 11 and gave the government an ultimatum for a total reassessment of its guidelines for layoffs and changes in employment rules but the government did not accept it. "The FKTU has no option but to declare an official withdrawal not only from the Sept. 15 deal for labor reform but also the tripartite talks," Kim said in a media briefing. "The government unilaterally breached the deal by introducing the guidelines without prior consultation with the FKTU. We even gave the government an ultimatum only to be ignored. From today, the FKTU will start demonstrations to fight for 20 millions workers' rights." Employment and Labor Minister Lee Ki-kweon denounced the FKTU's decision. "The tripartite deal was a promise with the public who expect a fair and healthy labor market," Lee said at a press briefing in Seoul, Tuesday. "The FKTU's decision neglects hundreds of thousands of unemployed young people who are desperately looking for jobs. "The government will push ahead with the plan to implement the guidelines to bring flexibility to the nation's stagnant labor market." Tripartite Commission head Kim Dae-hwan also held an urgent press conference at the Government Complex in Seoul shortly before the FKTU's announcement, urging the umbrella union to return to the negotiations. "The FKTU is crossing out social trust and the tripartite representatives' long painstaking efforts," Kim said. "If the union disregards the public's expectations for labor reform and exits from the deal, the nation will face grave economic unrest that will impose an irreversible burden on our future generations." He said both the government and labor are responsible for the ruptured deal, saying the former announced the guidelines hastily, and the union kept refusing talks. Since the Tripartite Commission was set up in January of 1998 right after the Asian financial crisis, this has been the FKTU's ninth withdrawal from the talks. On Dec. 30, the Ministry of Employment and Labor introduced a draft of the guidelines that would allow companies to fire underperforming workers and to arbitrarily change the rules of employment. Unlike labor bills that require approval in the National Assembly, the government can unilaterally implement the two administrative guidelines without legislation. FKTU head Kim immediately disapproved of the announcement, claiming the government breached the tripartite agreement under which the three parties agreed to have further talks on the issues, and that the government would not impose its own plans unilaterally until then. Besides the guidelines, bills on five other major labor issues have been pending in the Assembly, as opposition parties dissent, saying the bills will worsen employees' working conditions and only benefit management. By Kim Se-jeong Johannes Thammer The Ministry of Environment has asked the prosecution to investigate the local unit of Volkswagen for failing to provide required information about its falsified emissions test to the ministry in the aftermath of the carmaker's emissions scandal. The ministry said Tuesday that it filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against Johannes Thammer, executive director of Audi Volkswagen Korea. The ministry accused him of violating the Clean Air Conservation Act that required the troubled company to submit a detailed report on the cause of the problem and how to improve it. If found guilty, Thammer could be fined up to 30 million won or imprisoned for five years. Last September, the German company was found to have installed a "defeat device" in its vehicles to cheat on laboratory tests of nitrogen oxide emissions levels. After running its own test in November, the ministry ordered Audi Volkswagen Korea to stop selling seven of its vehicle brands and to recall 125,522 vehicles. It also fined it 14.1 billion won. The ministry also required the company to submit a report by Jan. 6 with details on the cause of the emissions cheating and how to rectify the situation. The company report arrived on time, but the ministry returned it, calling it far from sufficient. "About the cause, the company wrote only one line," a ministry official said. "It is equivalent to nothing." The ministry demanded supplements, but the company failed to respond. The company said it was waiting for guidelines from its headquarters in Germany. Regarding the test results as falsified and the consequent excessive emissions of hazardous gases, the ministry said it is reviewing whether it can push for additional criminal charges. Earlier in the day, 10 Volkswagen representatives visited the ministry in Sejong to explain the company's position. They included Thammer and Friedrich Johann Eichler, head of Powertrain Engineering Department at Volkswagen Group from Germany. "Representatives from the company's headquarters came to Korea to comply with the ministry and to jumpstart the recall process in Korea," the company said in a statement. "The representatives provided explanations of the company's plans to the ministry and its intention to carry on further consultations." The ministry's request for a prosecution investigation is one of many legal actions taken against the company over the emissions scandal. Consumers and civic groups sued the company, demanding compensation. The Public Welfare Committee, a conservative NGO, was the first to bring charges against Audi Volkswagen Korea. In November, it filed a complaint with the prosecution over Volkswagen's violation of the Clean Air Conservation Act and interfering with the authorities in exercising their duties. By John Redmond The Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) organization is hosting a mini-orientation session at the Bitcoin Center Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Saturday, welcoming anyone interested in volunteering for its in-house tutoring program. Tutoring sessions at TNKR are at least one weekday morning, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Each session lasts 90 minutes and volunteers can tutor one or two students. "Our preference is for tutors who can tutor two different sessions from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., but we also welcome others who can handle only one," the group said. "Commit for one month at a time, but longer is better." TNKR was co-founded in March 2013 by Lee Eun-koo and Casey Lartigue, Jr. when the two matched several former teachers from North Korea with volunteer tutors in Seoul. "Two weeks later, we matched several refugees from NAUH (Now Action and Unity for Human Rights), an NGO that rescues North Korean refugees from China," Lartigue said. "The primary focus of TNKR has been to provide English-learning opportunities for refugees and to provide them with more options for determining their place in society. All tutors involved in the project are volunteers, and there is no cost for refugees." Currently, 62 North Korean refugee learners are on the TNKR waiting list. After the session, TNKR will recruit students, and some will be ready to start immediately. The volunteers' role will be to help students with English before they join the matching program. "We'd like to give them (students) opportunities to study shortly before they join the matching program," the group said. "For some of them, it will be their first time for such tutoring with native and fluent English speakers. "First preference is for new tutors. We can also accept tutors who have been in the program before, but that's if you are planning on leaving the country or not rejoining the matching program (long story short, we don't want students who go through the in-house tutoring program to be in the position of having to select or reject tutors they met at the in-house tutoring program)." The orientation is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bitcoin Center Korea, 3rd floor, 123-7, Itaewon 1 dong, Yongsan-gu, near Itaewon Station. By John Redmond The New Zealand Alumni Association Korea (Kiwi Alumni) will present a "Waitangi Day" networking night in association with the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Korea (Kiwi Chamber) at Mozzie Bar on the first floor of ITW Hotel in Itaewon, central Seoul, Friday. The evening will give members a chance to catch up with old friends, make new ones and celebrate the New Year with Kiwis in Korea while enjoying a buffet and New Zealand wine and beer. Started last March, Kiwi Alumni is open to everyone who has studied in New Zealand and is residing in Korea, regardless of age, position or nationality. The Kiwi Chamber, launched in November 2008, consists of more than 250 members. Its main mission is to support its members, New Zealand businesses in Korea and Korean businesses interested in commerce in New Zealand. Waitangi Day celebrates the 1840 signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document. The event is from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Payment in advance is 40,000 won for members of Kiwi Alumni or Kiwi Chamber and 45,000 won for nonmembers until Jan. 20. An extra 5,000 won will be charged at the door. Space is limited so it is first come first served. For inquiries or to RSVP, contact Henry Shin at 010-6378-1127 or korea@kiwialumni.com. By John Redmond The Korean branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) is planning a visit the tomb of King Sejo and his queen on Jan. 23, inviting RAS members and newcomers with an interest in Korean culture and history. Sue J. Bae will lead the excursion to the tomb in Gwangneung in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, a picturesque national forest reserve near Seoul, and then on to Sanjong Lake. King Sejo, the seventh monarch of the Joseon Kingdom (or Yi Dynasty, 1392-1910), was credited for his many reforms and improvements to the peninsula, if one can overlook how he ascended the throne. "He is remembered most for murdering his young nephew Danjong, the sixth king, in order to become king," the RAS said on its website. "This impressive tomb site is considered by many as the most beautiful of all the Yi Dynasty royal tombs." Next, the group will visit Sanjeong Lake. "Surrounded by craggy peaks and graceful old pine trees, this snow covered frozen lake brings to mind images of an oriental winter landscape painted on a hanging scroll," the RAS said. After a lunch break, there will be time for skating or hiking around the lake. Participants should dress warmly and bring hiking shoes or skates. A packed lunch is advised, although Korean foods will be available, including maeuntang (spicy fish stew) and bibimbap. The tour bus will leave Yongsan Post Office at 8:30 a.m. and return around 7:30 p.m. The cost is 59,000 won for RAS members and 70,000 won for nonmembers. News / Regional by Thupeyo Muleya South African police have intensified the search for a five-year-old Zimbabwean girl who went missing near the New Limpopo Bridge a fortnight ago when a group of 11 illegal immigrants she was travelling with was attacked by a hippopotamus.Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Ronel Otto said yesterday that some of the immigrants escaped with minor injuries following the attack.She said the girl and her mother were part of the group which intended to enter that country illegally through Beitbridge Border Post on the night of December 31. "Along the way, they were chased by a hippopotamus and some sustained minor injuries," she said. "They ran away in all directions and since then the five-year-old girl has been missing."Despite extended searches, nothing has been found yet. Members of the South African police search and rescue unit as well as the air wing intensified search operations during the weekend." Col Otto said the mother tried to look for the girl without success for a week until she reported to the police last week.She urged members of the public to ensure that they are documented and to make use of official entry points to avoid risking their lives or prosecution. "Too many people die trying to enter illegally whether it is through drowning, attacks by animals or being attacked by heartless criminals who rape, rob or kill," said Col Otto.There are an estimated 200 illegal crossing points between South Africa and Zimbabwe's border along the Limpopo River. The rampant illegal movement of people and smuggling of goods between the two countries have seen border authorities intensifying patrols on both sides of the river. By Jang Sung-min The positions on North Korea's hydrogen bomb test vary among members of the six-party talks. But all they have in common is they have kept a passive response to the test and misunderstood the nature of the North Korean regime. They set their own positions on the danger of the North Korea's nuclear test in terms of national interest and strategy. Therefore, each country adjusts the level of sanctions against the North based solely on a diplomatic and military standpoint. Although the North is upgrading its nuclear technology day by day, neighboring countries including the ROK have not changed their passive and defensive position acting just like a bystander. The Obama administration has kept "strategic patience" on the North Korea's nuclear issue. It refers to a policy of "waiting in patience" until the North gives up its nuclear development and returns to the negotiating table by itself. As a result, the Obama administration has failed to present any direct and active solutions to resolve the North's nuclear problem for the last four years. The U.S. has tried neither an aggressive contact, nor a strategic negotiation. This policy can be called as "strategic neglect." President Obama's "strategic neglect" was also kept in his final State of the Union address. He did not mention any single word regarding the North Korea's nuclear program. Keeping "strategic neglect," Obama showed that his administration would not be entangled with the North's strategy that attracts the attention of the U.S. However, it's hard to deny that the Obama administration's passive policy on the North caused the development of the nuclear technology up to the level of hydrogen bomb. It would be recorded as a failure of Obama's policy on North Korea. China and North Korea maintain an alliance "forged in blood." China can hardly discard the North in view of geopolitics. China also does not have any effective tools or policies to force the North to abandon its nuclear development. Though having enough leverage on North Korea, China has refrained from exerting its leverage on North Korea. Why? The answer is simple. That is because China has a fear that the growing uncertainty and instability of the periphery due to the collapse of the North could endanger the mainland. So, China thinks that keeping the North Korean regime with nuclear weapons stable would be much better for their national interest than the chaos caused by regime collapse. China has a view that mass confusion in North Korea would cause a chaotic situation in China. And, it believes a threat of regime collapse is a much more fearful nightmare for them than the nuclear threat. Therefore, though consistently asserting denuclearization on the Korean peninsula, China has always kept a position that this should be done in a peaceful manner. But, the North Korea's recent hydrogen bomb test showed that China's denuclearization policy has also failed. Let's turn the eyes to Russia, another military power that shares a border with the North Korea. Russia has been under a strong economic embargo from the US and international society since they occupied Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula. The North and Russia may be in the same situation in that both are suffering from international sanctions. It appears that Russia does not consider the North's nuclear development as a big threat. So, like China, it did not present a policy or strategy to resolve the North's nuclear problems to speak of. Moreover, Russia, like China, has a certain sense of kinship with North Korea as former socialist countries. That's why Russia seems to believe that they would not be a target of the North's nuclear weapons. But, Pyongyang's counterparts overlooked that their misjudgment made a "historic mistake" that allowed the North to be a nuclear power. They not only underestimate the nuclear threat of the North, but misjudge the nature of the North Korean regime. In this respect, the US is not an exception. The U.S. believes that it is not possible that long-range nuclear missiles can strike the U.S. mainland unless the North succeeds in nuclear arms miniaturization. So, the U.S. also underestimates the North's nuclear threat and misjudges the nature of the North Korean regime. The first target of the North's nuclear attack would be the ROK and the next would be Japan. But, in an excessive reliance on their strong ally, the U.S., both countries do not realize the seriousness of the nuclear threat and seem to dump this problem on the U.S. Pyongyang's counterparts, including the ROK, need to realize that their passive policy on North Korea overlooked the seriousness of the nuclear threat and misjudges the intention of the North. The current world system is disintegrated post-Cold War system and is dominated by terrorism and counter-terrorism. The more isolated and the poorer the North Korea, the more radical and hostile the North's regime becomes. Their nuclear weapons could have smaller and lighter warheads and you can never tell when they could be portable. That's why we should not remain a mere onlooker. Once succeeding in getting smaller and lighter warheads, the North could transfer them to terrorist groups. Pyongyang's counterparts and international society should take this point seriously. Now, the U.S. is fighting with the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS). The U.S. ought not to ignore or neglect the seriousness and danger of these terrorists can obtain the nuclear weapons from the North. China also should not ignore the possibility that the North's nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of partitionists in Tibet and Xinjiang Uyghur. Russia ought not to overlook the transfer of the North Korea's nuclear weapons to Chechen rebels as well. On Jan 6, the Korean Central News Agency announced an official statement about a hydrogen bomb test and it included the following part: "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 our sovereignty." However, international society has to realize that the North's claims are not true. It is based on the following historical experience. Israel struck a nuclear facility at al-Kibar in Syria on Sep. 6, 2007. Then, Israel announced that "they found the nuclear reactor was built with support of North Korean technicians and the building cost of ten to twenty billion dollars was provided solely by Iran. AFP reported that a foreign ministry statement of Israel, the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear power, said "Israel condemns North Korea's nuclear test and a clear message must be sent (to North Korea) that such activities are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated." Israel's strong denunciation is based on past experience that North Korea had technological cooperation with Muslim countries that are seeking to develop nuclear weapons in order to overthrow Israel, such as Iran, Syria and Iraq. The ROK government needs to assert the hold of the five-party talks except North Korea to urge the members not to misjudge the seriousness of the North's nuclear weapons in an age of terrorism, and set out an agreement for the abandonment of the nuclear program. A part of the agreement needs to be a diplomatic and peaceful proposal based on the "9.19 Joint Statement" and the other needs to include a way to enforce the North to give up their nuclear program. So, ROK government could usher in a peaceful time in the world and Northeast Asia. In this respect, the ROK government should take the initiative in inter-Korean relations by setting an order of priority in its foreign and security policy, and explore a new age on the Korean peninsula to open a period of denuclearization. Only then, will a gate for a unified and strong Korea be open. Jang Sung-min is former member of the National Assembly and president of the World and Northeast Asia Peace Forum. By Rahul Raj The flaring up of territorial dispute over the ownership of Socotra rocks has again raised questions on the bonhomie between South Korea-China relation. After not pursuing a claim for several years, China again raised the issue of the Socotra Rock during a meeting by officials from both nations in December 2015. China demanded that not only should Seoul yield a large portion of its exclusive economic zone in the Yellow Sea, but also that the Socotra Rock, named after a British merchant vessel, should be known as Suyan Reef (Ieodo in Korean), as China claims it falls under its own maritime jurisdiction. The importance of China in South Korean foreign policy affairs can be seen from several perspectives. China is not only South Korea's largest trading partner of South Korea, but China would play a critical role in any serious plan to unify the Korean peninsula. Also, South Korea signaled last year that it would join the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) ignoring U.S. resistance, and also signed a free trade agreement with China to boost the Korean economy. Furthermore, Seoul has until now parried a request from the United States to agree on installing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) system on Korean soil, which Beijing has objected to as a threat to its national security. South Korean reluctance of stalling on the THAAD issue suggests some movement away from the United States and towards China, which was also seen in the decision by South Korean President Park Guen-hye to participate in the Chinese WW II anniversary celebration last September, an event which most American allies avoided. However, after so much progress between the two countries, the Socotra Rock dispute threatens to serious disrupt South Korean-Chinese relations. According to the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS), a country has special rights to claim up to 200 nautical miles from its coastline, defined as an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, if more than one country is involved and an area is disputed, then the demarcation should be decided by the concerned countries. Although Socotra Rock falls closer to Korean territory compared to China (close to 90 miles from the Korean coastline and more than 170 miles from the Chinese coastline), Korea has agreed that the maritime area should be demarcated equally under international norm, which would not resolve how the rock would be named. China does not agree with Korea's position, and officials from both countries believe that the next round of talks will not be easy because of China's strong stance on the issue. It is not the first time that China has claimed its ownership on the larger part of the submerged rock. In fact, in 2006 China raised this issue and also objected to the construction by South Korea of the Ocean Research Center, which was built in the dispute region. In 2012, the issue again became inflamed when China's State Oceanic Administration declared Socotra Rock as a part of the Chinese maritime area. In 2013 when China unilaterally declared its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the area and asked foreign aircrafts to identify themselves when flying through it, Seoul objected though in a very subtle manner, cognizant of its critical economic interests with Beijing. Although there have been several rounds of meetings to resolve the issue, little progress has been made because of China's unwillingness to compromise its position. Until now, Seoul has avoided taking sides in territorial disputes involving China and other countries in the region. Now that it faces its own territorial tug of war with China, South Korea may find it difficult to remain neutral in such disputes in order to counteract China's growing assertiveness in claiming territories in the region. This could create further tension between the countries in the future and jeopardize a relationship that had been showing a great deal of closeness in recent years. Rahul Raj is assistant professor, School of Liberal Arts, Gyeongju University, and adjunct professor, Korean Studies, Hanyang University. By Choi Sung-jin Senior writer For more than 130 years, Koreans have never been the masters of their fate. This small peninsula, situated in the middle of the world's four most powerful nations 1.7 to 77 times larger than it has undergone colonization, national division, a fratricidal war and a truce, against the wishes of the people who live here. And its divided halves are now confronting each other over the most heavily armed "demilitarized zone" on Earth, filled with anachronistic ideological rivalry, ignited from outside at first, but now continuing to burn on its own, fueled by mutual hatred, contempt and hostility. Could there be a more pitiable and hopeless nation on this planet? And for how long should we Koreans allow ourselves to serve as the proxies of others? Watching North Korea conduct another nuclear test earlier this month, and then seeing how South Korea responded to it, I fear I will have to repeat these questions for many years to come. Admit it or not, North Korea has become a nuclear weapons state, stockpiling at least a dozen atomic bombs in its arsenal, most experts say. This owes less to the North's technological prowess and sheer determination than to the neglect and what some suspect to be a virtual endorsement by the G2. The United States suspects that China is less than eager to let its erratic ally collapse because of the latter's geopolitical value as a buffer against the U.S.-militarily fortified South Korea. Beijing thinks Washington is using the North and its nuclear adventure as an excuse to encircle the Middle Kingdom. As long as the two refuse to give up global hegemony which is unlikely they will let North Korea become a nuclear power, complete with light warheads and delivery vehicles, in the not so distant future. Yet a nuclear-armed North won't be of much threat to the U.S. or China or even Japan, itself only a screw driver away from making dozens, and maybe even hundreds, of nuclear bombs, which have far larger retaliating capacity. It is a totally different story for the South, though, a pronounced non-nuclear state. This leaves little room, and time, for the Seoul government to just sit and watch. The Park Geun-hye administration is not of course doing nothing, but a set of knee-jerk reactions, such as resuming loud-speaker propaganda broadcasts and toying with the idea to downsize the inter-Korean industrial park in the North Korean border city, won't go very far, if anywhere at all, given the North's desperation to complete its weapons programs. Seoul should of course join, even take the lead, in multilateral sanctions as rightful punishment for bad behavior. Bilaterally, however, it has far better, and more urgent, things to do. But starting our own nuclear program or reintroducing U.S. "strategic assets" are not those things. Only 65 years ago, up to three million Koreans were killed during an internecine war. An atomic bomb, though, like the ones dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, will decimate large cities. What Seoul should do right now is resume talks, first bilaterally and later multilaterally, and with unprecedented resolve and persistence this time around. Many, here and abroad, will say that this is far easier said than done, citing the North's track record. If there are no other acceptable approaches, then Seoul must take the best one available. Both Washington and Seoul call for the North's commitment to denuclearization as a prerequisite for the talks. By all accounts, that's an unrealistic, approach that puts the cart before of horse by confusing the ultimate goal with its precondition. Needless to say, the allies should pursue CVID complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization but should start by making the North refrain from further tests, reduce the existing weapons-grade materials and facilities and throw away the existing bombs. This will be a long, tedious and extremely difficult process requiring both a bold shift of conception and exquisite diplomacy, endlessly persuading all parties involved, friends and foes alike. South Korea came closest to slowing, if not stopping, the North's program during the tenure of two progressive presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. Critics say their economic aid to the North ended up only accelerating Pyongyang's progress. We can't relive the past; however, nobody knows what might have happened had Al Gore, not George W. Bush, become the 43rd U.S. president in 2000 and had taken up where Bill Clinton left off. Likewise, had Korea had one more progressive president, not the hard-line conservative, Lee Myung-bak, things might have been different to current circumstances. It will be difficult to expect that another Kim or Roh will appear, but even if one does, the job of denuclearizing North Korea has also become far more difficult than it was as recently as a decade ago. South Korea spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year to buy surplus rice and use it as animal feed while hundreds of thousands of North Koreans are starving. Why should the South, only technically at war with the North, be the world's largest importer of weapons? President Park, in her New Year's address, expressed an urgent sense of crisis in both national security and economy. A better, more far-sighted leader should be trying to catch two birds with one stone reconcile with North Korea. South Korean voters ought to choose a political party this year and a national leader next year who can and will do so and hope that their U.S. counterparts elect Hillary R. Clinton, wishing her to follow her husband's political path. Again, no one can say this will be easy. But the other option is unthinkable. Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung used to say, "Hey, have you (really) tried?" That's the question Koreans should ask themselves now. Choi Sung-jin is The Korea Times' senior writer. President Park Geun-hye participated in a signature-collection campaign Monday calling for the National Assembly to quickly approve a set of economic and labor reform bills. Park stopped by a campaign booth in Pangyo, south of Seoul, to sign the petition and lambasted the legislature for neglecting its duty of passing laws. It's rare for an incumbent head of state to sign a street petition in connection with a parliamentary failure to pass bills. Her joining in the campaign was apparently intended to apply stronger pressure to lawmakers, who have been sitting on their hands without doing anything to pass the pending urgent bills. The signing is the latest in a series of Park's appeals to public opinion. The signature drive was launched by economic organizations, including the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, last week in response to Park's televised address. During her TV appearance, she defined the current situation as a crisis and pleaded for the people to act. Park's feelings until her decision to join the campaign are understandable. The passage of economic bills has been carried over to the New Year despite her repeated pleas, and an anti-terrorism bill has been stuck in parliament for more than 10 years amid recurring terrorist attacks abroad. Probably a good number of people would sympathize with her sense of crisis. Nonetheless, it's incomprehensible for the President to "take to the streets'' to make a direct appeal to the people, instead of exerting her political clout to mediate partisan conflicts and persuade legislators. One has to wonder if she intends to be a demagogue. The President, as the head of the executive branch, is responsible for tackling national issues in close cooperation with the legislature. Toward that end, the Constitution endows the President with special authority that can be exercised in the event of emergencies. Granted that, it's wrong for President Park to sign a street petition and emotionally urge the public to act. In fact, she has no one to blame but herself for this political gridlock. That's because it is none other than President Park who took the initiative to enact years ago the current National Assembly Act accused of blocking the passage of all contentious bills in the Assembly. What the nation's first female chief executive should do right now is to meet lawmakers, especially from the opposition camp, to solicit their cooperation sincerely, instead of denouncing parliament on the street. US envoy's lobbying for foreign lawyers undiplomatic Diplomacy is as much about protocols as about substance. By breaking this unspoken rule of diplomatic conduct, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert's effort to derail his host country's legislative process on the opening of its legal services market, leaves much to be desired. In a sense, it is deplorable to see Lippert, very much endeared to the Korean people, act as if he is a fierce lobbyist popping right out of K Street. The concern is that his rapport could be used for a better, more important purpose. At issue is the Foreign Legal Consultant Act, now on hold before heading for the National Assembly Committee for Legislation and Judiciary Affairs. Lippert paid a visit to committee Chairman Rep. Lee Sang-min of the main opposition Democratic Party, Jan. 8, when the related bill was tabled for full committee deliberations after being passed by the committee's panel. On the same day, the bill was put on hold indefinitely, leaving impressions that Lee and, by extension, the National Assembly, yielded to U.S. pressure. Unless Ambassador Lippert wanted a dramatic end to the whole affair, he could have visited Lee earlier or made himself less conspicuous for the same result. From the perspective of his government and U.S. lawyers, Lippert's daring and "successful" move to interfere with an allied nation's legislative procedure may be laudable but it can carry a hidden, long-term cost to the tricky ROK-U.S. alliance. Lippert made sure no doubt was left by making another visit to Lee, Monday, to press for changes. He made two announced visits in 10 days. He also sent a protest letter to the Ministry of Justice and Cheong Wa Dae, parts of which were made public. The ambassador's act eclipses the real issue he wanted to raise and its legitimate justifications, as well. It includes a 49-percent ceiling for a foreign partner's stake in a joint-venture law firm and a requirement for a partner Korean law firm to be in business for at least three years. Lippert claims that these restrictions should be taken out of the bill, saying that it runs against the spirit of the two countries' free trade agreement (FTA). The government countered that the ceiling and requirements have been made within the framework of the FTA. When these assertions are put under greater scrutiny, it is a clash of national interest. The U.S. wants to use the strong competitiveness of its legal services and yank Korea's closed market open, while Korea is trying to delay a full opening as long as possible because of the examples of Germany and other countries where U.S. and British law firms have virtually taken over as those nations' main legal services providers, according to market watchers. As a matter of fact, Japan opened its legal market on a gradual basis, while Singapore maintains rules in favor of its indigenous lawyers. It can be argued that rejecting the U.S. argument is tantamount to Korea admitting that it is trying to selectively apply their FTA where it is advantageous and trying to ruin the spirit of the open market. A counterargument, that the FTA, as any deal does, allows the two parties leeway to make a reality-based compromise, should be given equal merit. A diplomat's job is to promote his national interest without hurting the overall relationship with the host country. Lippert has so far done an excellent job and we hope he will continue to do so. North Korea has been scattering propaganda leaflets into South Korea almost daily since the operation began early last week, the Defense Ministry said Monday. "Since the first related news report, the North Korean military is spreading leaflets on almost a daily basis," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a regular briefing. The accumulated number of North Korean leaflets that have arrived in South Korea is reaching about 1 million and many of them have been collected, Kim noted. North Korea was first reported on Jan. 13 to have started the leaflet operation the night before. The leaflets criticized President Park Geun-hye for Seoul's loudspeaker broadcasts intended for the North. The South started to blare messages critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and also played bouncy K-pop songs along the inter-Korean border toward North Korea in retaliation for Pyongyang's nuclear test on Jan. 2. "We resumed the anti-North loudspeaker broadcasts ... because North Korea's fourth nuclear test institutes a provocation to the whole globe," Kim noted in response to the North Korean foreign ministry's criticism of the broadcast operation last week. Currently, part of Seoul and areas north of Seoul have been subject so far to the North Korean leaflet campaign, Kim said. (Yonhap) Korea Times President-Publisher Lee Chang-sup, right, shakes hands with Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) President Kim In-chul after signing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in English education at the daily's newsroom in central Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Chung Hyun-chae The Korea Times and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) will hold an annual English essay contest for elementary, middle and high school students in November. "Our contest will be different from other essay contests as English professors at HUFS will correct all contestants' essays and will send evaluation grade reports to each student," said Korea Times President-Publisher Lee Chang-sup. The university and the English newspaper company will work together to select topics for the essay contest and English professors at HUFS will evaluate and score the essays. The university's Foreign Language Examination Center will be in charge of promoting the event. "We will also work on developing learning materials related to the contest," said HUFS President Kim In-chul. Students from third grade in elementary school to their final year of high school can take part in the contest. They have to apply for the preliminary round online, and only those who pass that round can move up to the final that will be held on the HUFS campus in Seoul. "Given that professors of English from one of the best universities in Korea will systematically look over the entries, participants will be able to identify their weaknesses in English writing, for example, vocabulary, construction of sentences and logical thinking," said Lee Dong-ill, dean of the College of English at HUFS. He expects about 2,000 to 3,000 students will participate in the contest. The leaders of the newspaper and the university signed the agreement Tuesday on academic exchanges and English-education business initiatives including launching the essay contest. "This new tie-up will hopefully steer public English education in the right direction," said President-Publisher Lee during the agreement ceremony. Under the accord, the university plans to actively use The Korea Times as teaching material on campus to help its students learn practical English. Also, the newspaper will run programs for HUFS students interested in becoming journalists offering internships and a tour of the newsroom. "By cooperating with The Korea Times, which has been taking the initiative in internationalizing the nation, our university will try to play a leading role in promoting Korean higher education to the world," Kim said. Steve Daheb, senior vice president of Oracle, speaks at a press conference at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas in southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Oracle By Lee Min-hyung Oracle said Tuesday it will strengthen value-oriented cloud services to accelerate its Korean market penetration, rather than launch a cloud data center. "It is an outdated idea that cloud service operators should launch a data center in specific regions to better serve customers there," said Pyun Chong-hwan, sales vice president at Oracle Korea, during a press conference in southern Seoul, on the sidelines of the Oracle CloudWorld Seoul event here. The remark came as public cloud service operator Amazon Web Service (AWS) has started operation for its data center, "Seoul Region," this month. "We are also considering launching the data center, but we think increasing the value for integrated cloud services is more important than launching a physical center," said the Oracle executive. During the press conference, the company said it is seeking to lead the nation's cloud market by taking advantage of its core competitiveness as an integrated cloud platform provider, ranging from the Platform as a Service (PaaS) to Software as a Service (SaaS). Steve Daheb, senior vice president at Oracle, said, "Customers are interested in economics and provisioning." He said Oracle cloud services offer 60 percent cost reduction for business operators, through which they can create resources that they can put back into their company in different ways. He said the Oracle cloud service supports some 33 billion transactions for more than 70 million customers each day. This is made possible by 19 Oracle data centers across the world, which run on 54,000 devices and 700 petabytes of storage. In particular, the Oracle executive stressed that the company provides optimum cloud platforms to be used both for its public and private clouds and other companies' cloud services. "The key is our ability to not only migrate Oracle workloads, but also to support multiple operating systems (OS) and other forms of platforms," he said. The company also explained why it chose Korea as its first destination for the CloudWorld global event series this year. "The quarterly growth rate is a very important indicator to determine potential of certain markets," said Pyun. "Korea ranks very high in terms of the growth, though we cannot unveil specific numbers for the improvement. Korea is definitely one of the most important markets in Asia for us." Meanwhile, more than 30 speakers participated in the cloud event, with more than 3,000 people including information technology (IT) developers and experts joining the global event. China reported its weakest annual economic growth in a generation last year, official data showed Tuesday, fanning concerns about the health of the Chinese economy and its impact on emerging markets. The world's second-largest economy grew 6.9 percent last year, compared with 7.3 percent expansion in 2014. Last year's economic growth marked the slowest expansion since 1990, when China posted 3.8 percent growth a year after the bloody crackdown against the pro-democracy movement at Tiananmen Square. China's economy expanded 6.8 percent in the fourth-quarter of last year, down from 6.9 percent from the previous quarter. The quarterly figure also marked the slowest expansion of the Chinese economy since the 2008 global financial crisis. Softening trade and manufacturing have fueled concerns about the Chinese economy, which has been struggling with stock market routs and mounting debts to local governments. Chinese leaders are trying to transform their export-oriented economy into a consumption-led one. The efforts to transform the Chinese economy "are in a crucial period during which challenges need to be overcome and problems need to be resolved, and the task of comprehensively deepening the reform is still heavy," the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China said in a statement. China's growth in property investments plunged to 1 percent last year from 10.5 percent, according to the NBS data. The annual growth of China's urban fixed-asset investments also slowed to 10 percent last year compared with a 15.7 percent expansion in 2014. Wang Baoan, chief of the NBS, told reporters that the Chinese economy this year will face a "similar situation" to last year. "China's economic growth still faces a complicated international situation," Wang said in a press conference. The International Monetary Fund forecast that China's economy would grow at a pace of 6.3 percent this year. Chao Heping, an economics professor at Beijing University, told state-run China News Service that China failed to meet its growth target last year as "downward pressure is being intensified." (Yonhap) /Screen capture from Twitter A plane passenger has photographed a mysterious shadowy figure walking on clouds at 10,000 meters. The extraordinary figure, which resembles a huge iron robot, was captured by Nick O'Donoghue, 30, a software support team manager from Ireland while on an EasyJet flight from Austria to Cork. The picture has gone viral. Some online viewers say the figure looks like the robot from the animated movie "The Iron Giant." Others have commented that the figure looks like the cloud men in the animated movie "James and The Giant Peach." "It looks like the Iron Giant," an online user commented. A female user replied: "I was going to say the same thing! Reminds me of the end of the movie." News / Regional by Thupeyo Muleya A MEMBER of the Zimbabwe National Army on border patrol was marooned in the Limpopo River for about 10 hours due to floods and had to be airlifted to a South African military base.The soldier, Sergeant Oscar Takaendesa, was rescued on Sunday by a search team comprising South African soldiers and police officers who airlifted him from an island on the river, some 5 kilometres east of the border post.The rescue team also helped a fisherman, Rangarirai Mbwindi, who had been marooned some 15 kilometres west of the border town along the same river.It is understood that Sgt Takaendesa was part of security personnel who were patrolling the border line on Saturday afternoon when he was marooned from 5PM on that day until he got help at around 3AM on the following day.The soldier was part of a team that was on the lookout for smugglers and illegal immigrants who frequent the area. There are over 200 illegal crossing points along the two countries' boundary line.Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Ronel Otto said the soldier and the fisherman were airlifted to Musina Military base where they were interviewed and released to Zimbabwean security authorities."We got a call from our counterparts in Zimbabwe at around 10PM on Saturday night and then summoned a team of rescuers from Polokwane (police) and army air force from Hoedspruit in Makhado," she said."The team searched and managed to locate the defence forces member at around 0345 hours and airlifted him to the military base in Musina where he was interviewed and later handed over to the Zimbabwean military police." Col Otto said Mbwindi, who was also rescued during the search for Sgt Takaendesa, was released together with the soldier.A source said: "The river flooded while the soldier was on an island on the river which is used by many illegal immigrants and smugglers to skip the border to either country. His workmates managed to get out of the river and alerted their superiors."Incidents of people being marooned in the Limpopo River are common during the rainy season. In January 2014, two people were left stranded near Dulibadzimu gorge when they were marooned on an island for two days while attempting to illegally cross the border.They were later rescued by the Civil Protection Unit with the assistance of their South African counterparts. Last month three people including a nine-year-old boy were killed by a hippopotamus near the New Limpopo Bridge while attempting to illegally cross into the neighbouring country.On Friday security personnel intercepted 13 Malawians and 15 Zimbabweans and one South African man who wanted to skip the border through the same area. Opinion / Columnist Moses Chamboko is a pro-democracy activist and interim secretary general for Zimbabweans United for Democracy (ZUNDE). You may contact him at chambokom@gmail.com or infor@zunde.org "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" The rich young ruler was confident that since he had followed all the Ten Commandments from the time he was a young boy, he therefore, automatically qualified for eternal life. (Luke 18: 18 - 22). Jesus said to him "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."Clearly, some of our friends and colleagues in the yet to be formalised People First, are like the rich young ruler, they still lack one thing. Yes, they may no longer be in ZANU PF, most of them only forced to do so by circumstances beyond their control, but they still lack genuineness and clarity of direction. Granted, a lot of Zimbabweans believe Joice Mujuru was not fairly treated by her fellow thugs and erstwhile comrades in ZANU PF.That said, the fact remains that there is a world of difference between sympathy and support. In politics, radicalism or some kind of positive disruption can move mountains. So far, we haven't seen a trace of either from Joice Mujuru. It would appear that her heart is still tone between her political father, Robert Mugabe or the person she fought for, being the povo. We challenge her to practically, actively and visibly gravitate towards the povo, if anybody is to take her seriously in 2016 and beyond. Chanting People First isn't enough, nada!Children with values, dating back to the biblical times of Noah, would rather do something practical than pretend that the father wasn't drunk and undressed. So far, apart from somebody circulating something called BUILD that was associated with Joice Mujuru, nothing has come out of the horse's mouth, so to speak. This might be acceptable in other circles, but certainly not in politics. She has acted more like Noah's son, Ham the father of Canaan, who told his brothers in private that the emperor was undressed. We need action from Joice, not just words. Period.When one gets into the rough world of opposition politics, one must be prepared to put on a hard hat all the time. We haven't seen this yet from the People First outfit. Any Zimbabwean with elementary education can sit under a mutondo tree and draft a decent blueprint for our nation. The difference lies in operationalising the same. This, you can't do in the comfort of your solitude and fantasies, away from the people.Sitting on the fence, possibly waiting to be recalled to ZANU PF in the event that something major happens by or before 2018, from afar, looks like one of their trump cards. One cannot be half ZANU PF and half opposition and hope to be taken seriously. There is talk of several MP's sympathetic to Joice Mujuru and her conceptual People First that are still enjoying parliamentary and ministerial privileges today, representing and serving ZANU PF, how do they balance the two?How can one be a servant to two masters with opposing views at once? To those, I say they still lack one thing. By now, they should have jumped ship en masse or caused some kind of chaos in parliament if indeed they were genuine. One cannot be People First during the day but ZANU PF at night and expect to be accepted by Zimbabweans as genuine opposition. We seem to have a problem with most of our politicians who worry more about sadza - their next meal and social status than values and service. It is time for the latter! Zimbabwe is much bigger than individual egos or fear compounded by indecision or the proclivity for double dipping. Zveku nzungu neku nyimo bodo! Those who have finally and genuinely seen their Damascene moment, the genuine and progressive family of opposition forces will welcome them. It is time for the politics of values!If a party hopes to be regarded as sincere opposition, there are certain fundamentals expected of them. Not being in ZANU PF isn't enough. They have to unreservedly and in the strongest possible terms, condemn corruption, lawlessness, violence, extortion (even if it's given another name) and self-centeredness, amongst other things. They must be prepared to observe, respect and defend human and property rights, people's basic freedoms, diversity of views, the principal of equality and most importantly, our national constitution. These people must genuinely yearn for a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Zimbabwe where everybody is equal before the law, where fairness, accountability, inclusiveness and respect are virtues.When an association that aims to transform itself into a serious opposition has in its rank and file Merchants of Venice such as Jimmy Kunaka, the architect or at least ringleader of the notorious Chipangano in Mbare, Jabulani Sibanda who literally camped in my home province of Masvingo for six long months terrorising innocent citizens in 2008 to mention just two, what easily comes to people's minds?Yes, by our very nature, we are a forgiving people. But do we just forgive blindly without those who need forgiveness presenting themselves publicly for it? Have we heard any public apology from Kunaka or Sibanda since they became People First? No! So why should we forgive them then? This is not to say the opposition is a club of angels. However, what is not in doubt is that it certainly isn't a haven for devils.People First must work extremely hard to shake off residual odours from its past and long association with ZANU PF. They must stop looking or smelling like an extension or at least one of the many factions that now characterise the former revolutionary party. They must immediately drop "Chef" from their vocabulary. They must have a leadership that is task not position oriented. Such leadership must be prepared to serve not to be served. It is time for a paradigm shift.They must sacrifice those filthy privileges and obnoxious tokens of association they had become accustomed to over the years. They must be prepared to climb down the ivory tower and for the first time in 35 years, be with the ordinary people on the ground. They must be ready to throw pebbles and raw eggs at our oppressors, if that's what it takes.They must be ready to march on the streets and demand our freedom, if it's going to be the only way out of the crisis. They must publicly admit that Mugabe's tragic failure of leadership coupled with ZANU PF's poor policies are the only two factors that destroyed what Julius Nyerere affectionately called the jewel of Africa. Locating our crisis in Europe, America, Australia or other perceived enemies is legendary foolishness or prodigious abuse of imagination.True, a pig with lipstick is still a pig. In the coming months, ideally weeks, People First must do a lot of soul searching, put their act together, grow out of arrogance, dip their red lips in a very strong detergent, reach out to and establish synergies with other progressive democratic forces to demonstrate that they are a genuine new entrant to opposition politics in Zimbabwe. For now, they ordinarily come across as not much different from a ZANU PF pig with lipstick. The starting point is a public apology by those who persecuted our kith and kin and pillaged our economy not long ago. Let this be a rallying point for 2016 as we explore the national convergence of purpose and values. The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more The beach bike path in Santa Monica. LA Observed file photo. Author, critic and book lender David Kipen offered a couple of good, simple ideas on the LA Times op-ed page to help smooth out two minor but annoying transportation snarls in the region. One is almost kind of brilliant. Instead of making users of the Santa Monica Bay bike path detour way around Marina del Rey, operate a short bike ferry to cross the marina's channel. Charge a buck and name it for Ray Bradbury. The Marvin Braude Bike Trail along the beach, aka the bike path, is the secret freeway of Los Angeles. How else can you get anywhere between Pacific Palisades and the South Bay at rush hour all without stopping, except for Small World Books and fish tacos, if you're so inclined. There's just one hitch: A yacht channel, one you could sail a Frisbee across without half trying, bisects the path at Marina del Rey and sends riders on a detour away from the beach, back onto surface streets. A bicycle ferry across the Del Rey Straits would make possible an unbroken 20-mile oceanfront bike ride between Will Rogers State Beach and Palos Verdes. All it would take is an experiment that coastal towns like Martha's Vineyard have helpfully piloted for years: a simple, Evinrude-powered bike ferry. Even with liability insurance and dock construction costs, if you charged a dollar at peak hours, this one would surely pay for itself by Labor Day. Why not name it after Ray Bradbury whose Fahrenheit 451 is L.A.'s citywide Big Read pick this spring, by the way and who went carless in L.A. long before it became a fashion statement? Kipen also proposes a new pedestrian entrance to Dodger Stadium: Mark a walking route from the Chinatown station on the Gold Line to the bridge that crosses the Pasadena Freeway at Yale Street. Then erect a well-marked stairway up to the stadium. That way a few more fans would be encouraged to take transit to the stadium, without having to face the slow shuttle from Union Station. Call it Scullywalk, Kipen suggests. Kipen includes a bigger potential transportation rejigger modifying the under-construction Downtown Regional Connector route so that people in Boyle Heights (where Kipen's lending store Libros Schmibros is located) and East LA won't have to change trains to go to Union Station or Pasadena. There's a fourth proposal but it seems included just to have a fourth: Get Southern California and Northern California to jointly bid for the 2028 Olympics, if LA's 2024 bid falls flat. I guess it's tied to the high-speed rail project, and it's probably wiser not to bank on that at all. Opinion / Columnist "kusungirira nyika payanga iri so that they can re-liberate it" "to look for their own hill where they can bury their deserving heroes" "musapedzere miseve kumakunguwo, hanga dzichauya" In the wake of spirited germination of People First, it is amazing to then have MDC-T legislators fight for a stake in the determination of who gets the national hero status in Zimbabwe. This gross misdirection of emphasis exposes the lack of serenity in Morgan Tsvangirai's lads who cannot determine which battle to fight.The hero status issue is purely a ZANU PF thing as they honour those gallant sons and daughters of Zimbabwe some of whom perished trying to liberate Zimbabwe from the colonialists. Lest we forget the MDC-T is synonymous with the statements of. How come they claim to know who should be at the national shrine or not? This exposes the oxymoronic character that decorates the calibre of its legislators.At one point the MDC-T was given working advice,. Tinomudaishe Chinyoka and Alex Musundire are this time again advised to return to their normal senses and fight their wars with People First and then perhaps there after their descendents will someday honours them by erecting an MDC shrine.An opposition with such characters can surely not take Zimbabwe anywhere meaningful except bring shame to politicking by tabling foolish debates when there are visibly other pressing issues. With such stupidity of elephantine proportion, the ghost of People First when it finally manifests it will first devour these headless constituencies.These guys are virtually clueless of what is important for Zimbabwe at this given time. If there is anyone who should panic now because of the People First thing it has to be none other than this MDC-T camp. They really have no working solution to what so ever is taking place in Zimbabwe. They are only good at cheap politicking evolving on non productive quarrels.What good will come from nullifying the hero statuses of those interred at the national shrine? Fine this could be another ploy to stir and escalate crises in Zimbabwe but respect for the dead is cultural even when what they believed in while they were alive does not tally with one's ways of life.Apparently it is too much to ask of productivity for the relevance seeking MDC-T legislators. With the vice of panic which has gripped their camp in the wake of heightened grape vine of a much stronger opposition in the name of People First their unbecoming judgements of fundamental issues can be forgiven.Nothing much can be done now to put back MDC-T on the political limelight of Zimbabwe. The guys are chewing more than they can really swallow. To think they can choose who can be buried at The National Heroes Acre or not really has a snow ball chance to see hell.Chinyoka and Musundire must be really power hungry to the extent of wanting to control even the fate of the dead. Their arguments are not beneficial for the rest of the country but for personal enrichment.For the MDC-T guys the message is simple. Your real battle is around the corner.Again don't hide your heads in the sand like ostrich thinking when you emerge all your problems will be gone. Morgan Tsvangirai has been around for an immemorial period and has failed to deliver on his empty promises.If ever People First is really making political inroads it is coming to replace MDC-T first. This over excitement shouldn't really get people carried away. If People First is thus strong why need a coalition? If then there is real need for a coalition, its seeing of daylight with people like Chinyoka and Musundire around is equally next to impossible. Opinion / Columnist "They have to unreservedly and in the strongest possible terms, condemn corruption, lawlessness, violence, extortion (even if it's given another name) and self-centeredness, amongst other things.They must be prepared to observe, respect and defend human and property rights, people's basic freedoms, diversity of views, the principal of equality and most importantly, our national constitution. These people must genuinely yearn for a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Zimbabwe where everybody is equal before the law, where fairness, accountability, inclusiveness and respect are virtues," said Moses Chamboko, just to quote one paragraph.Could not agree with you more, my brother! What better way of People First demonstrating their commitment end corruption, Zanu PF's culture of political violence, etc. than demanding the implementation of the GPA democratic reforms.Throughout the five years of the GNU Mai Mujuru, Didymus Mutasa and all the other PF leaders joined their former Zanu PF colleagues in praising President Mugabe in how he had outwitted and fooled Tsvangirai and the MDC leaders into doing nothing about implementing the GPA reforms. Everyone in Zanu PF could not believe it when the five years were up and not even one reform had been implemented. Not one.Of course Mai Mujuru, Mutasa and the rest were pleasantly surprise at the easy with which Zanu PF rigged the July 2013 elections and they joined in celebrating Zanu PF's land-slide victory. Little did they know that the same undemocratic practices Mugabe had horned over the years would be used against them a year later!Accusing Mai Mujuru and others of plotting to kill him was just a smoke-screen President Mugabe used to hide his devilish plan to kick her and her supporters out of the party because she was set to win the democratic vote in the coming elective party congress. Whilst some people felt sorry for Mai Mujuru, especial from the torrent of abuse she received at the hands of Grace Mugabe, many people were glad she and her supporters were getting a taste of the Zanu PF tyranny they had dished out to the nation so liberally during their Zanu PF days.Moses Chamboko is spot on again when he said, "For now, they (PF) ordinarily come across as not much different from a ZANU PF pig with lipstick."There is nothing so show that the government Mai Mujuru and her PF would form would be any different from the one they would have formed if they had emerged the victorious Zanu PF faction in December 2014. In other words PF is Zanu PF through and through and fight for control of the Zanu PF dictatorship continues, instead of being between factions within the party the one faction has assumed a new name PF."People First must do a lot of soul searching, put their act together, grow out of arrogance, dip their red lips in a very strong detergent, reach out to and establish synergies with other progressive democratic forces to demonstrate that they are a genuine new entrant to opposition politics in Zimbabwe," advised Moses Chamboko.The only strong detergent, tonic, powerful enough to remove the think lipstick that has penetrated deep into the flesh and with the two-in-one freshener to neutralize the stench of 34 years of corruption and murder is for PF to demand the implementation of the GPA reforms.Mai Mujuru and others can claim that they have had their Damascene moment, the scales fell off Saul's eyes he saw the world anew, he embraced the Christians, they very people he has travelled all the way to Damascus to kill, and became one of them. Mai Mujuru and her PF friends must demonstrate they are no long the corrupt and murderous Zanu PF tyrants by demanding the complete dismantling of the Zanu PF dictatorship by demanding the full implementation of the GPA reforms they were so pleased to see kicked into the tall grass during the GNU!For 34 years Mai Mujuru and her PF friends have played their part in creating and sustaining the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship what could be better proof they have truly repented than play an even bigger role in destroying the dictatorship and restoring the people freedom and dignity not just for this generation but for posterity! Opinion / Letters Your Excellency,On behalf of the downtrodden, forlorn African son, I am lettering to you to express our deep concern regarding the sudden eruption of violence caused by you in Bujumbura the fourth night ago, where 87 lives has been lost.It is with great shock that we heard the news of you refusing to relinquish power after you completed your constitutionally-mandated two terms and it led to Bujumbura attack that plunged innocentWe condemn and deplore such acts of violence, particularly for a young nation like Burundi which is finally free from conflicts after many decades of hostilities and violence.This is by no means the time to reinitiate conflicts again. Burundi should pursue peace and justice by all means and in all times, in collaboration with all parties concerned, and become a model for other nations in Africa and elsewhere.We ask all parties to respect this advent season of Christmas which is important for Burundians, and urge you to give a chance for dialogue and restraint, forgiveness, as well as for peaceful political solutions to end this conflict, even in such difficult times when tensions are exacerbated.Poor Africans also encourages churches to continue being a sanctuary and an accompanying presence for all those who are fleeing away from the violence, and are looking for safe shelters. We pray with you as you provide care to those innocent civilians wounded during the violence, including children.This is a time to pursue peace. The people of Burundi have suffered for several decades, and are now longing for peace and justice. We pray that the situation will quickly normalize and that peace will prevail again soon.As Your Excellency Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza please do the honorable thing by steeping down from the administration and after the independence of Burundi, it is the folks of Burundi that have the capability to bring people together and help rebuild the country.The African Brothers and Sisters in all facet of African diaspora are committed to continue accompanying the people of Burundi in their struggle for justice and peace.Yours in African's Despair Fast-food chains are upping the ante on cheap eats. Many of Americas largest fast-food joints have recently rolled out a variety of creative value deals that go far beyond the traditional dollar menu. Pizza Hut recently introduced a $5 menu that includes chicken wings and pasta, while Burger King started selling a five-item meal for $4. McDonalds launched a McPick 2" deal in which diners can pick two items for $2. Last year, Wendys led the pack with a new four-item combo for $4. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Advertisement Its price wars, said Warren Solochek, president of the food service practice at research firm NPD Group. If your key competitor does something that you think will give them an advantage, either you follow with something similar to help retain your customer, or you risk losing customers. Beyond one-upmanship, the swarm of new deals are a symptom of seismic shifts in the fast-food industry, analysts said. Fast-casual chains such as Chipotle, Panera and Five Guys are eating away market share from stalwarts including Taco Bell and Subway. Many of these growing rivals are also perceived to offer fresher ingredients, critical to attracting customers who are increasingly looking for healthier fare. The $225-billion fast-food industry is forecasted to grow at a slow 2% a year until 2020, according to IBISWorld. But much of that growth will be coming from the fast casual segment, analysts said. In the year ended May 2015, traffic to restaurants hit its highest level in six years, fueling a 3% rise in consumer spending, according to NPD. But over five years, traffic dropped 3% for quick service hamburger chains. In burger-studded Los Angeles, the battle is heating up as Shake Shack, an East Coast favorite, opens its first California location in West Hollywood this year. (The company, which went public last year, is also hosting a one-night pop up at local seafood eatery Son of a Gun on Jan. 25). The heightened competition has helped push sales down at many long-time peddlers of quick and cheap meals. McDonalds suffered seven straight quarters of declines in U.S. same-store sales before rallying last year with initiatives including all-day breakfasts. Wendys has said it plans to unload many company-operated stores and rely instead on royalty fees from franchisees. Many fast-food giants are simply having trouble adapting to the new American diner, said Andrew Alvarez, industry research analyst at IBISWorld. How do you strike the right balance between high-quality, health-conscious ingredients, he said, but also find the right balance with value-conscious items in order to appease a core demographic for a lot of these larger chains? SIGN UP for the free California Inc. business newsletter >> Many chains are scrambling to experiment. Burger King has rolled out an extra-long Sriracha cheeseburger and Wendys has tried ghost pepper fries, both in an attempt to capture adventurous millennial diners. Wendys opened a research center aimed at testing new technologies, while Dairy Queen has debuted a lab to create higher-quality products. But attempts to go upmarket can be extremely difficult for companies with entrenched supply chains, analysts said. McDonalds said last year it planned to start phasing in ingredients such as cage-free chickens and antibiotic-free chicken in its food. But the behemoth which uses about 2 billion eggs a year said changes throughout its chain wont take effect in the U.S. until 2017, and the overhauls wont be complete until 2025. One change can affect an entire line of products, Alvarez said. But one thing is for certain for fast food, analysts said. Adapt, evolve or run the risk of going extinct. Any restaurant chain that believes they can continue to succeed by resting on their laurels is going to see their customer base erode pretty quickly, Solochek said. There are so many alternatives out there. shan.li@latimes.com Twitter: @ByShanLi ALSO Column: Why is the food industry dead set against warning labels? Warning of great challenges this year, IMF cuts world economic growth forecast Three of Jerry Seinfelds prized Porsches are headed for auction under Goodings gavel I was recently described, to my face, as a modern digital junkie. This diagnosis was given to me, half in jest, by Dr. Dimitrios Tsivrikos, consumer psychologist at University College London, when I described my symptoms to him. After spending my workday tapping, swiping and emailing, I come home and despite my exhaustion and twitching eyes I want to consume more online. But Im not even absorbing the articles, tweets and posts that I peruse. Im just skipping from page to page, jumping from link to link. Theres another word for my problem. Its infomania, defined by the Oxford dictionary as the compulsive desire to check or accumulate news and information, typically via mobile phone or computer. And Im far from alone. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> Kelsey Lakowske, a listener in California, emailed me in desperation. I want to read all these articles about everything from the latest scientifically engineered sugar substitute to an in-depth analysis of Donald Trumps hair, she said. Its like a different flavor of FOMO. Its fear of missing out, but missing out on content and on knowledge. With limited time and mental resources, theres no way to get through it all. Tsivrikos told me he sees this issue most frequently in city folks like us, who think that stuffing their brains will make them better educated, more informed and more connected. But we cant possibly absorb or retain all the digital media we try to consume. Not only is this undertaking futile, its stressing us out. Our gadgets ability to keep us in the know has changed social expectations and is exceeding our brains processing power. We say that were maxxed out or we dont have the bandwidth, jargon that reflects this sense of inadequacy. Its time for us to make working within our brains capacities, rather than the Internets, socially acceptable. Psychologists have done studies on the negative effects of multitasking and decision fatigue, but the long-term consequences of this kind of information overload is unknown. In a survey done a few months ago by the digital mapping and analytics company Esri UK, 61% of respondents called the need to read and keep track of information from too many sources a serious concern in their daily lives and 45% said that the stress of data overload has affected either their sleep or relationships with family or colleagues. Fully a third of respondents reported that they had difficulty absorbing the content from all the emails, social media posts, news and documents they encountered. We already know that we read differently and retain less when getting information online. And theres been lots of research about how digital media are changing our attention spans. But human-computer interaction researchers are just beginning to study why a full day of digital tasks and interruptions makes us crave even more digital tasks and interruptions. Why would we spend hours at work on a computer, then go home and mindlessly tap away on Facebook or Pinterest? SIGN UP for the free California Inc. business newsletter >> For one thing, when were tired, we fall prey to this tendency more easily. Professor Gloria Mark at UC Irvines Department of Informatics recently completed study that suggests that the less sleep we get, the shorter our attention span is on any computer screen the next day and the more likely we are to gravitate toward social media. If youre really tired, she said, youre not really mentally prepared to do heavy-duty work. You tend to do lightweight activities like Facebook. Its easy. It doesnt involve a lot of mental effort. And, of course, you have a shorter attention duration, which translates into more switching between different computer screens and different activities because you just dont have the mental resources to be able to focus and concentrate. For many of us, this becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. We know our attention span is limited, but even if our phone doesnt buzz with a text, we self-interrupt. We check email one more time. We look at our Twitter or Instagram feed. We dont resist clicking on that link. It could be funny! Or contain life-changing information! Or at least provide conversation material for that holiday party tonight! We are inadvertently training our minds to seek digital interaction with little deeper intellectual payoff. I dont know if theres a cure for infomania, but I believe we can put our symptoms in check. We need to put a higher value on taking the time to synthesize, interpret and reflect on the information we take in every day. The next step in digital literacy is not just understanding how to find reputable online sources but refining our content consumption according to our personal priorities and values. Part of the problem is simply sorting through the mountains of information were dealing with. Daniel Levitin, professor of psychology and neuroscience and author of the book The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, explains the difficulty we have distinguishing and prioritizing among various bits of content on our screens. During the day, when information comes in, youre not quite sure how important it is or how important its going to be. You have no system for it You put it in your brain and you kind of toss it and turn it around ... because it doesnt attach to anything. He advocates for moments of mindfulness. Just take a beat, take a breath and pay attention. If theres something actually important to you, take a moment to mentally mark it. We also need to ask ourselves: Whats the point of this insatiable hunger for information? When it comes down to it, what do we really want to get out of it? We can set limits by setting personal goals, figuring out what we want to learn or do more of. Maybe you just want to be more up-to-date on the news and current events. Or you want to come up with more original ideas. Perhaps youve decided its time for you to really master a skill or subject. Maybe you want to put greater emphasis on your personal life and be in better touch with friends and family or even yourself. Maybe you want to simply be calmer and more relaxed. The information you consume should reflect this personal choice. Tsivrikos suggests creating goals for going online, writing them down and putting them in the place where you do most of your data consumption. That way, he says, youll know what youre looking for, channel your efforts and be less likely to wander off. Having goals and sticking to them spares our brains the effort of processing unneeded information. It also releases us from the feeling of never being satisfied. Earlier and earlier, children need to be given this responsibility, taught the value in thinking through goals and understanding the consequences of a life spent skimming. If they dont choose, our gadgets and the delightful pre-loaded activities on them will decide for them. Above all, we need to reset our own and societys expectations. It has to be OK to say, I didnt see it/read it/watch it. Otherwise, youll have spent life catching up on Netflix, reading a backlog of top-ten lists, or looking at GIFs from co-workers. If those activities fit in with your goals, go for it. But if they get you no closer to achieving what you really want to achieve tomorrow, next year, or in the next five years, downgrade their relevance in your life. Manoush Zomorodi is host and managing editor of the Note to Self podcast on WNYC. ALSO Uber partners with Airbus for Sundance helicopter rides Repackaging the idea of fast food: How chains are trying to adapt Warning of great challenges this year, IMF cuts world economic growth forecast Melissa Ferricks 150 songs have played about a million times on Spotify. But the 45-year-old independent artist says the popular streaming music service has shortchanged her by failing to fully license her songs. The man bolstering Ferricks claims, laid out in a $200-million lawsuit, is music technology entrepreneur Jeff Price. The former record label owner has made a career out of helping artists get paid streaming royalties and being a thorn in the side of Spotify and other music companies. Ferrick hired Price and his New York royalty collection start-up Audiam last year while she was preparing to release her new album. Price pored over her pay statements and found she wasnt getting royalties to which she was entitled. He later referred her to an attorney. Advertisement See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> I knew something was wrong, I just wasnt exactly sure what it was, said Ferrick, an indie rock musician from Massachusetts. Jeff Price identified the problem. Hes extremely important. The brash 48-year-old has made a name for himself as an outspoken and controversial voice for aggrieved musicians in the digital age. Hes providing them with data to take on Spotify and other streaming services that are upending the music industry. Prices research plays an important role in the lawsuit Ferrick recently filed against Spotify, which has 75 million users worldwide and is valued at more than $8 billion. Its the second lawsuit in a month seeking class-action status on behalf of musicians who allege the Swedish company has infringed on their copyrights. The first action was filed by alternative rocker David Lowery. The cases highlight the broader debate over how artists are compensated as people buy fewer albums and increasingly get their music from on-demand services. Top acts such as Adele and Taylor Swift have resisted putting their new music on Spotify, taking issue with what they view as paltry royalties from its service. The poor songwriters of the world have been exploited and decimated and pilfered, Price said in an interview. They have been raked over the coals in ways you cant even begin to imagine. Behind the heated rhetoric is a dispute over so-called mechanical royalties, which date to the early 20th century and the reproduction of musical compositions on player-piano rolls. These are royalties that cover the composition the lyrics and melody and go to the songwriters (as distinct from the royalties paid for sound recordings that go to record labels). Spotify pays roughly 10% of its annual revenue in mechanical royalties, which works out to a rate of about seven-hundredths of a cent per stream. Finding who gets paid for what songs is tricky, given the Byzantine nature of copyrights. Enter Price. He and his nine employees work on the 11th floor of a midtown Manhattan office building known for once housing music publishers that supported the likes of Carole King and Neil Sedaka. Musicians hire Audiam to handle their copyrights and collect royalties from Spotify, Rhapsody, YouTube and other popular online music destinations. Price and his team spend hours sifting through spreadsheets of music metadata and royalty statements, comparing what musicians are supposed to be earning, versus what theyve actually received. Audiam matches the sound recording statements with the mechanical royalty payouts to spot discrepancies. The company takes 15% to 30% of the royalties it collects. Price declined to discuss Audiams revenues, but said his firm has collected $15 million in royalties since launching in the summer of 2013. Gregory Butler, a songwriter, producer and chief of digital music start-up WholeWorldBand, credits Price for helping songwriters press their claims against Spotify and other streaming services. I believe that Price has been instrumental in this particular attack on Spotify, Butler said. He seemed to be one of the first people who were publicly questioning what was happening there. Price began his career running now-defunct SpinArt Records, which boasted artists including the Pixies and Echo & the Bunnymen. In 2005, he founded TuneCore, a digital music distributor for independent artists. There, he earned a reputation as a music industry gadfly, publishing provocative blog posts and ranting about perceived injustices during panels and business conferences. He was fired from TuneCore in 2012 amid what Price, in a 36-page 2014 court document, described as bitter rift between him and a major equity investor. According to Prices affidavit, he was ousted after TuneCore experienced a cash crisis that prompted the investor to express a lack of confidence in him. Price says he was fired without cause and that the investor had tried to force TuneCore into insolvency. With the rise of streaming music, Price saw an opportunity to build a business by helping artists navigate the labyrinth of copyright payments on the Internet. Price has been vocal in singling out Spotify. In October, Audiam publicly said that Chicago-based Victory Records catalog had been streamed 53 million times without getting its publishing royalties. Price says the problem is widespread, even among big-name clients such as Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and Bob Dylan. For example, he found 750 Dylan recordings for which the songwriter hadnt received royalties. And the problem isnt confined to Spotify, he says. Price estimates online music services including Spotify owe as much as $75 million in publishing royalties for music streamed over the last 13 years. By Audiams calculations, streaming services have failed to pay songwriting royalties on around 20% of streams. Once you have the data, its like putting on a pair of glasses and seeing the world the way it is, Price said. Spotify has disputed claims that it is taking advantage of songwriters, but concedes it does not always know who is entitled to royalties because it lacks the necessary data. We are committed to paying songwriters and publishers every penny, said Spotify spokesman Jonathan Prince. Spotify sets aside royalties until it can identify the correct rights holders. The company owes at least $17 million to songwriters, a small fraction of the $3 billion in royalties it has paid since 2008, said a person with knowledge of the matter who is not authorized to speak publicly. The service has been in negotiations with the National Music Publishers Assn. for months to resolve the matter, and Spotify has said its investing in a system to adequately pay songwriters. David Israelite, head of the National Music Publishers Assn., said he sympathizes with artists like Ferrick. However, he argues, direct negotiations with the streaming services are more effective than the lawsuits that Price has been encouraging. Its going to get resolved through negotiation rather than protracted litigation, Israelite said. Though hes helped artists such as Jimmy Buffett and companies like Ruthless Records, Prices penchant for publicity and profanity-laced rants have won him some enemies, even among music industry peers with whom hes clashed in online forums. People yell when they feel like theyre not being heard, Price said. Do I have I big mouth? Yeah, sometimes. But I use it very strategically. ryan.faughnder@latimes.com Its been 60 years since Maggie Smith made her Broadway debut. But despite her current standing as one of the grande dames of British acting, she didnt appear in a Shakespearean tragedy, a George Bernard Shaw satire or a sophisticated Noel Coward comedy. Instead, the then-21-year-old Smith was in a musical comedy revue, New Faces of 1956. So how did she end up in musical theater? In Oxford, I used to do university revues, Smith explained in her unmistakable voice over the phone from her house in London earlier this week. Sometimes we would do we things at the Edinburgh Festival we were the first things on the fringe, in fact and then we took it to London in a little, tiny theater. I suppose the [New Faces] producer Leonard Sillman saw me. Thats how it happened. Advertisement But looking back, it wasnt a fun experience in New York. I spent my entire time crying. We were paid so little. I didnt know anyone then. I had been booked in a hotel I couldnt afford! It was $60 a week. Now 81, Smith is one of the most acclaimed and beloved actresses of our time, including a new generation of fans who have fallen in love with her in Downton Abbey. Shes won two Oscars (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, California Suite), a Tony (Lettice and Lovage), Emmys (Downton Abbey, My House in Umbria) and embodied Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies. Still, she recalled, it took her forever to get people to believe I could do something other than revues. I was sort of pigeonholed for a very long time. Smith joined Londons Royal National Theatre in the 1960s and played Desdemona opposite Laurence Olivier in Othello, first on stage, then in the 1965 film version for which she received her first Oscar nomination. It was scary, she said. Shakespeare and I were a long way apart because I had been doing things like New Faces and revues. I would have been terrified anyway just leaping into Shakespeare, but that was going in at a pretty dizzying level. I should have maybe started off in a kind of quieter way. But I was so thrilled to go to the National. Smith was supposed to have been at the Golden Globe Awards last week because she was nominated for lead actress in a musical or comedy for her new film The Lady in the Van, which opened for one-week awards consideration in December and returned to theaters on Friday. But she is still recovering from recent hip replacement surgery. I feel so much better, she said, but you cant sit that long in the airplane. Though Smith often plays imperious characters most notably Lady Violet Crawley, the dowager countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey, now in its sixth and final season shes warm and down-to-earth over the phone. Chatting with Smith feels catching up with an old friend. In Lady in the Van, Smith is wonderfully cantankerous as Mary Shepherd, an elderly eccentric who lived in a dilapidated van in the driveway of playwright-actor Alan Bennetts home in London for 15 years. Mary died in 1989. Bennett wrote a memoir about their relationship and adapted the book into a hit 1999 play, in which Smith starred on Londons West End. Six years ago, Smith also played Mary in the radio version. The film was written by Bennett and directed by Nicholas Hytner, who also helmed the play. Alex Jennings plays Bennett. Smith thinks that The Lady in the Van may be too British for other countries. I dont think Lady in the Van will travel, she said. One of the reviews said, I dont think it will travel outside north London. I think there is a bit of truth in that. Hytner, who collaborated several times with Smith since doing a revival on the West End of The Importance of Being Earnest two decades ago, admitted he was intimidated at first about directing her. She comes with such an extraordinary history, he said. It is a wealth of experience, extraordinary energy, imagination and experience, he noted. You worry in advance that you are not going to be able to measure up. But actually, what she doesnt want at all is a voice in the rehearsal room that is unable to speak up when they need to speak up. She is harder on herself than she is on anybody else. She really needs to feel that somebody is keeping an eye out for her and on her. Smith said she told Hytner to please slap me if her performance was veering off-course. Nick was terrific, she said. I want to keep it as simple and straightforward as possible. Shes mad enough. Downton Abbey airing on PBS Masterpiece Theatre this month. Though shes enjoyed playing such an iconic character as Violet Crawley, Smith confessed shes never seen the series. Why do I want to see it? Smith said matter of factly. Im doing it. I know the story of it. I do have the boxed set, but you know that would take me to the end of my life to watch. Which is not unlike something Lady Crawley herself might say. 1 / 8 Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, during filming of Season 3 of the hit period drama Downton Abbey. Heres a look back at the British actress lengthy career. (Matthew Lloyd / For the Times) 2 / 8 British actresses Maggie Smith, left, and Helen Mirren chat at the Governors Ball following the 74th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 24, 2002 in Los Angeles. (Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press) 3 / 8 Maggie Smith is photographed at the Marriot Royal Rihga Hotel in Manhattan for her film My House in Umbria. (Jennifer S. Altman / For the Times) 4 / 8 Maggie Smith, left, and Judi Dench promote their film Ladies in Lavender in New York on April 21, 2005. (Tina Fineberg / For The Times) 5 / 8 Maggie Smith attends the unveiling of a statue of Lawrence Olivier outside the National Theatre, Southbank in September 2007 in London. Smith and Olivier starred together in 1965 film Othello and the 1981 epic Clash of the Titans. (Stuart Wilson / Getty Images) 6 / 8 Pauline Collins, left, and Maggie Smith in a scene from the film Quartet. Smith was nominated for actress in a comedy Golden Globe for her role as Jean. (Kerry Brown / AP) 7 / 8 British actress Dame Maggie Smith is shown in London on Dec. 16, 2015. (Kirsty Wigglesworth / Associated Press) 8 / 8 Maggie Smith speaks onstage during In Conversation With chaired by Mark Lawson at the BFI & Radio Times TV Festival at the BFI Southbank on April 8 in London. (Tabatha Fireman / Getty Images) susan.king@latimes.com MORE: Downton Abbey recap: The wedding of the (last) century is here! Review: War & Peace is lengthy yet lovely TV viewers face a jam-packed January Downton Abbey, Transparent, The Knick score big in DGA Award nominations After years of fighting dwindling ratings and patchy box office to prove their relevance, the people behind the Oscar ceremony had relevance thrust upon them. Announced at a time already roiling with issues surrounding race and gender, the overwhelmingly white and male nominee lists for this years awards sparked criticism, controversy, a potential boycott and an apologetic response from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Nor should we be surprised that the criticism, controversy, boycott and response have sparked a response just as heated. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement Awards are objective measures of excellence, goes one argument; female writers and directors or actors of color should not be shoehorned onto nominee lists just to provide some politically correct vision of diversity. Others defend the academy, pointing out that the homogeneous nature of the nominee lists is less a reflection of voter bias than the equally homogeneous nature of this years films. And a growing chorus wants to know why anyone really cares. With all the troubles in the world, do we really need to worry that a bunch of relatively rich and privileged filmmakers are mad that their movies didnt get an Oscar nomination? So what if the nominees for the Academy Awards continue to be overwhelmingly male and white; professional basketball is overwhelmingly male and black. What does it matter? Well, it matters because film is art, and art matters. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, the images we choose to create and share reveal who we are our hopes, our fears, our secrets, strengths and shortcomings. When we praise and reward certain stories or images, whether by big box office or gold statuary, we reveal what we as a society value, the kinds of people we find interesting, the characteristics we revere and revile. We show the paths we hope to choose or avoid and the lessons we have learned, or not learned, from history. One could argue that there are plenty of films, and even more television series, offering a wider range of stories and characters than those nominated for Oscars, so who cares what the still-homogeneous body of voters, with its even narrower professional breakdowns, thinks? Hollywood cares. Hollywood cares, a lot. Why else would studios spend so much money on Oscar campaigns? Oscar nominations and wins are not a lifetime guarantee of success, but they certainly help recipients get the next job. More important, as the film industry is increasingly divided into popcorn spectacular and Oscar potential, each round of nominations and winners further solidifies the type of movies that will get made in the next year. As many people are quick to point out, Hollywood is not a federally funded arts council, its an industry. Studio executives choose films and writers and stars and directors that they believe will make money. Which means, if you follow one train of thought, the overwhelming white maleness of most films is not a social issue, its an economic reality. This is what the market will bear. Except, of course, it isnt. Hollywood, like most industries, is cautious and repetitive, often looking to replicate the success of one film or another. It takes a lot to change the collective mindset, to convince those in the position to greenlight films, that broadening the template will be more profitable than faithfully following it. In the years before Peter Jackson made The Lord of the Rings, for example, the fantasy film was dead; most Hollywood executives wouldnt touch a dragon with a 10-foot spear because, as they said repeatedly at the time, fantasy films didnt make money. They most certainly did not win Oscars. Until, of course, they did. In the years before Katniss Everdeen launched her first arrow, conventional wisdom held that a male protagonist was the safest bet, particularly in an action story, because girls will root for a male lead but boys would not return the favor. Until, of course, they did. No one makes it onto a nomination list by accident. As deserving as any film, performance, directing or sound editing might be, at some point someone decided that this film, this story was more important than some other story and that this actor or director or cinematographer had the best chance of making the end product both satisfying and successful. Then more choices were made. Which of these films should be marketed heavily, which performances recognized as career-definers or surprise successes or emotional returns to the screen? At no point in any year are these decisions made by some amorphous star chamber of otherworldly beings capable of seeing art in purely objective terms. Films are financed, marketed and then voted on by people people who often, and not surprisingly, make their decisions with reference to the template provided them by what has worked, and won, in the past. So why does the controversy and outrage over this years Oscar nominations matter? Because its time its beyond time that we stopped limiting ourselves to the same sorts of stories, the same sorts of characters and then reinforcing those limitations year after year after year. Is it the academys fault that so many excellent films featured all-white casts or revolved around men? Well no, and yes. The academy is made up of the people who make the films, and they know awards shows have several functions: to reward excellence, but also to show the many forms excellence can occupy. The aim of art, said philosopher and famous white guy Aristotle, is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. The problem with the overwhelming male-whiteness of this years Oscars is not white males and their stories, its the millions of other people and stories that should be part of the powerful force of American cinema and continually are not. Tyranny comes in many forms, and offering people only one tiny window through which to view the world is one of them. mary.mcnamara@latimes.com Follow@MaryMacTV MORE: Jada Pinkett Smith to boycott Oscars: Begging for acknowledgement ... diminishes dignity #OscarsSoWhite creator on Oscar noms: Dont tell me that people of color, women cannot fill seats Oscars 2016: The nominations are as white as MTV was in 1983 -- and it might cost the academy Now in its third year, Golden State of Cocktails will bring a projected 3,000 people from the booze industry and fans of well-made drinks to downtowns Majestic event space, Sunday to Tuesday, for three days of tipsy seminars, happy hours and lunches that explore mixology, consumer trends and the state of the spirits industry. GSC hosts smaller events in San Francisco and San Diego, but Los Angeles is the marquee city, drawing both the biggest crowds and some of the most recognized names in the business. This year, SeongHa Lee, the award-winning bartender at Las Vegas members-only 365 Tokyo, will host a Japanese whiskey tasting. Other highlights include Sundays Tiki Cocktails and Culture in a Modern Setting, which talks about the resurgence of tiki culture; Monday mornings talk about the effect of the drought on the liquor industry, and how to make relatively drought-friendly cocktails; and Tuesdays discussion of punch bowls: their historic origins, and how to make the perfect version. Every evening will also see dinners at Girasol, Faith & Flower and Hatchet Hall, co-hosted by Vices food site, Munchies. Advertisement Golden State of Cocktails was conceived by 213 Hospitality, the group that over the past few years has helped revive upscale nightlife in downtown Los Angeles with bars such as The Varnish, Seven Grand, Las Perlas, Caseys and Tonys Saloon. The event is expecting to almost double the previous years attendance. This was just sorely needed in California, said Cedd Moses, the proprietor of 213 Hospitality. Many of us have been flying to cocktail weeks in London, Portland, New Orleans, New York City. And none of those were covering all the issues and tastes of Californias business climate and customer. Also, we wanted to unite Californias hospitality industry. Los Angeles has really come into its own as an international cocktail and spirits destination, said Geoff Nudelman, the events director. Check the site for more details on events and to purchase tickets. The daytime programs are about $40 and are open to the 21-and-over public. Most talks come with samples of the subject at hand. ALSO: 7 great chili recipes to warm you up At Wax Paper in Frogtown, the sandwiches are named after public radio hosts Why the new Hooch app is the greatest deal in L.A.: $99 buys you 365 cocktails Im Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I dont want you to miss today. TOP STORIES First, the Gas Leak. Now, the Lawyers Advertisement The massive gas leak affecting the residents of Porter Ranch has drawn media, politicians and, of course, lawyers. Some law firms are holding meetings and running ad campaigns to bring in clients who may have a claim, and theyre getting some big names to help their cause. One brought in activist Erin Brockovich of movie fame and another featured the environmental attorney son of slain U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. #OscarsSoWhite Becomes #OscarsBoycott When Spike Lee accepted an honorary award from the film academy in November, he criticized the studios and a lack of powerful black executives. Now, after Oscar voters produced an all-white slate of acting nominees, Lee along with Jada Pinkett Smith is boycotting the show. The Academy Awards is not where the real battle is, he wrote on Instagram. Its in the executive office of the Hollywood studios and TV and cable networks. Meanwhile, the academys president pointed to dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. Will it grow into a bigger boycott? Iran Wont Change Overnight If youre looking for Iran to make big changes after the nuclear deal and start cozying up to the U.S., think again. Though theres at least an open diplomatic channel between the two countries now, they remain worlds apart on numerous issues. A big test comes up next Monday, when talks resume among nations trying to end Syrias civil war. Like Russia and unlike the U.S. and much of the West, Iran backs President Bashar Assad. They Cant Vote, but They Can Campaign Two views of immigrants lacking legal status in the U.S.: Donald Trump has called for mass deportations of them. The Democratic candidates are relying on them to get out the vote. Theyre working as volunteers, campaign advisors and, in some cases, as paid staffers for Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Martin OMalley. See how the Dreamer activists are reaching out. Heartache Tonight Over Glenn Frey Hotel California. Heartache Tonight. New Kid in Town. Glenn Frey of the Eagles co-wrote and performed all these songs and more, helping to define the Southern California country-rock sound. We gave Glenn a nickname, the Lone Arranger, bandmate Don Henley wrote in 2003. He had a vision about how our voices could blend and how to arrange the vocals, and, in many cases, the tracks. Frey died Monday at age 67 after serving as a sort of mellow ambassador of our city, as The Times Randall Roberts writes in his appreciation. CALIFORNIA -- Why is Northern California bearing the brunt of El Nino so far? -- Martin Luther King Day brings out a spirit of community service to beautify South L.A. schools. -- L.A. County turns to psychiatric urgent care centers, rather than jails or ERs, to treat mentally ill in crisis. -- A man who attacked an Uber driver while drunk files a $5-million lawsuit. NATION-WORLD -- Pentagon report: Iran took SIM cards from detained U.S. sailors handheld satellite phones. -- Should Donald Trump be banned from Britain? That was the question before Parliament. -- Heres why Taiwan and mainland China will probably find a way to get along. -- New federal dietary guidelines spark intense debate among nutrition experts. -- This Texas barbecue joint will give you a discount for carrying a gun. HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS -- Maggie Smith, known for playing regal characters, was once pigeonholed as a musical revue performer. Imagine that, Lady Violet. -- American Pie singer Don McLean was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. -- Oscar Watch: Can The Revenant or Mad Max win best picture without a screenplay nod? -- Book Critics award finalists include Ta-Nehisi Coates, Paul Beatty, Mary Beard and Frank Stanford. BUSINESS -- Obamacare open enrollment deadline is Jan. 31, and penalties are stiffer this year. -- How fast-food chains are trying to adapt to the new American diner. SPORTS -- Fans quickly queue up online for chance to buy tickets for the Rams first season back in L.A. -- After seasons of ineptitude, USC mens basketball is finally back in the top 25. -- Winter training camp kicks off crucial year for U.S. soccer Coach Jurgen Klinsmann. WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING -- The BBC and BuzzFeed say they have secret files exposing evidence of widespread match-fixing in tennis. -- An Ikea executive says consumption of many familiar goods is at its limit. (The Guardian) -- What created coal? (The Economist) ONLY IN CALIFORNIA Orange County may be peerless in the eyes of some residents, but it is not pier-less. There are five piers, the oldest of which is in Newport Beach, and some were connected to the Red Car system. But did you know that the pier in Seal Beach was once a hub for rum running? Heres a look at the piers history and future as they face El Nino. Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj. If your child attends a public school, you might find yourself asking questions. Who is in charge of making sure the principal is good? Who controls contracts with food vendors so that your kids have healthy lunches? Who is responsible for acquiring textbooks? Who sets the tone on what teachers should be doing? The answer is the superintendent. In the L.A. Unified School District, the Board of Education recently approved Michelle King, a career educator who has worked at L.A. Unified for more than three decades, to take on that role. Heres a primer on her job and why it matters to you: Why should I care about this superintendent person, anyway? Advertisement Because she controls almost everything about the world your child inhabits between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. (or more or less, depending on your kid). And if youre not a parent, she controls a budget of $7.08 billion in taxpayer dollars. Think of the superintendent as the CEO of all the citys schools. The Board of Education is then the board of directors. The board decides what needs to happen in schools, and its members hire a superintendent to execute their plans. The superintendent is in charge of the day-to-day operations of a school district, including curriculum, classroom supplies, hiring teachers and administrators, and coordinating with nonprofits that provide help outside of school. Most of the superintendents decisions must be approved by the Board of Education. And its not just your child who is affected. L.A. Unified is the second-largest school district in the country. How does the superintendent interact with my school? The L.A. Unified superintendent is in charge of an organization that caters to a population that has more people than the state of Vermont, or about 732,800 students, including independent charters and adult education. In a large district such as L.A. Unified, deputies implement programs in most areas. The superintendent will conduct school visits -- particularly this week, as King tours the district as its new leader. But she oversees about 60,000 employees, so much of her influence will be felt from above. Its hard to delineate precisely which decisions come from the board and which come from the superintendent, but this example might help: Although it might be the boards initiative to improve graduation rates or reading proficiency, it is the superintendent who proposes and garners support for a plan to achieve those goals, such as former Superintendent John Deasys program to provide each student with an iPad. The superintendent is also the face of the district, so its her job to make sure her staff, students and parents understand what the district wants for the children it serves. How much of a say do I have in the choice of superintendent? The seven members of the L.A. Unified Board of Education are responsible for hiring the superintendent. You vote for them. Sometimes they do this without public input. For example, Deasy was hired without outside help. The board has also brought in Ramon C. Cortines as an interim superintendent without consulting outside parties. For the latest search, though, the district launched a public campaign, asking community members to come to forums and fill out online surveys to discuss what they want to see in the next superintendent. About 1,600 people attended the interviews or focus groups, and about 9,500 responded to the survey. How do I know if the board selected a good superintendent? That depends on whom you ask and when youre asking. Depending on the schools challenges at any given time, the board might be looking for an insider or an outsider. In choosing King, school board members noted that shes been in the district more than 30 years, as a student, teacher, principal, deputy superintendent and parent. Some teachers said they liked that King had been a teacher herself, because that means she has a deeper understanding of the challenges they face in the classroom than a someone coming from the outside. The search committee also relied on the results of the survey and interviews they conducted. How do I tell the superintendent what I need? For L.A. Unified, Kings email address is michelle.king@lausd.net. Parents can also attend school board meetings, which the superintendent often attends. How much is the superintendent paid? Michelle King earns a salary of $350,000, plus health and welfare benefits. She also has access to a district car and driver. The district will pay for her security, if necessary, as well as business-related travel or meals and expenses to attend local, state, and national meetings. In urban districts around the U.S., superintendents were paid an average of $242,000 in 2014, according to a survey by the Council of the Great City Schools. Who pays for the superintendent? You do. Public school budgets are taxpayer-funded, though they sometimes get relatively small amounts of supplemental donations from foundations and philanthropists. If the job is to manage the school district, why is so much time spent on politics? At its core, the job of the superintendent is a management role, because the Board of Education is supposed to provide an overarching vision for the district. However, the board ostensibly hires someone who plans to achieve its goals and who has the savvy to convince the public and community leaders that its plan is a good one. In turn, the superintendent must be able to work with politicians and community members to support her initiatives. Those can range from persuading voters to issue bonds for school construction projects, or convincing parents that a program is a good idea. How long does the superintendent stay? The average tenure of a superintendent in an urban school district is about three years, according to a survey from the Council of Great City Schools. But it varies by district. Cortines was in office a little longer than one year, but he made clear from the outset that he would leave at the end of 2015. Deasy lasted about 3 1/2 years. Next door at Long Beach Unified School District, meanwhile, Superintendent Chris Steinhauser is in his 14th year as the schools chief. He said the key to lasting a long time is forming good relationships with community members and board members, and having a long-term plan in place that both board members and the superintendent can adhere to. How do I know if shes doing a good job? There are no tangible metrics in Kings contract. Shell be evaluated annually, and these are the goals she will work toward, according to the contract: 100% graduation rate (the districts is currently about 70%) Proficiency for all students 100% attendance rate Engaged parents and families Safety of schools as well as other job performance factors, such as enrollment, the districts budget and the districts financial health How do you think the superintendent should be rated? Join the conversation on Twitter @LATEducation. Reach Sonali Kohli on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli or by email at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com. We asked Angelenos what they thought of the choice of Michelle King as the new superintendent for Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second largest school district. Readers responded favorably to her deep connection to the district; King, 54, was educated in local schools, has spent her entire career with L.A. Unified starting in 1978 and sent her children to local schools. Others, though, warned she may be so entrenched in the bureaucracy that she will not be able to effect change. Understanding young people of color dealing with extreme poverty My opinion of Michelle King is largely positive, and I am happy that she was chosen. Based on the problems LAUSD had attracting viable candidates from outside. For example, I read in the L.A. Times that a candidate with experience in Montgomery County, Md., had withdrawn his name saying that LAUSD was something along the lines of a complete mess. I grew up in Montgomery County, and know that it serves a very affluent student body, whose children overwhelmingly come from stable, two-parent households and who are mostly white. I doubt that such a candidate could adequately lead LAUSD, whose students are mostly young people of color many of whom are dealing with severe poverty. Ms. King, as someone who came up in the District, knows our student body well and is, in my opinion, much better able to take over the reins without a "break in" period that would be required by an outsider. While I have not worked directly with or under Ms. King, I believe she has had a good deal of influence on my school, Audubon Middle School, in the Leimert Park area of South Los Angeles. Our student body is approximately 65% African American and 35% Latino, and we have been told we have the highest percentage of students in foster care of any school in our area. Joel Parkes, teacher, Audubon Middle School Guts and courage to take a thankless job She's a long-term, "up from the ranks" kind of woman who is homegrown. That may be a plus but it might also be a negative as she may not "see the forest for the trees" as opposed to being the "new broom that sweeps best." LAUSD's bureaucracy is notoriously wasteful and inefficient; not maliciously so, but it grew organically like kudzu. Or Jabba the Hutt. She is going to have to prove to a skeptical public that she can deliver results... I commend Ms. King for having the guts and the courage to take on a thankless, though crucial task, and I will do my best to support her. Kevin Glynn, teacher, Los Angeles High School, UTLA chapter chair 'Our kids have suffered enough' I have a few concerns, one being she has been there with the previous administrations and doesnt have any new ideas. And why wasnt she considered before the others dropped out? I want to be optimistic, however, only her actions will tell if she can move the schools forward in a positive way and really bring change that is much needed! Our kids have suffered enough. Lisa Haden, parent, Franklin Elementary School Can she commit? My question is whether or not she's willing to commit to stay at LAUSD for at least five years? The quick turnover of superintendents means that no one's vision or plan can actually come to fruition.By the time all the administrators and teachers are getting used to the 'new regime,' the superintendent resigns and is replaced. I'm just a concerned citizen. I spent time in foster care as a child, but now I'm an attorney. There is no way a success story like mine can happen without a good education." Edward Coe An excellent assistant principal I went to high school at Hamilton from 2000-2004. While I don't remember any specific examples of Mrs. King, she always was very hands-on in going to classrooms and engaging the students. She genuinely did work with the community and the student body to ensure that their voices were heard and issues were addressed. I think one specific example that vaguely comes to mind was she was a staunch supporter of keeping the enhanced school structure we had with the two magnets (Humanities and Performing Arts) and the other subject oriented/trade segments of school. I was in the Academy of Music Magnet, and I know she fought hard to keep funding for our program. Justin Noah, Hamilton High School graduate Of the community, for the community? I think it is an enlightened choice. Since she is from the community hopefully she will be in touch with what is needed for both students and teachers to be successful. Jason Marland, teacher, Foshay Learning Center Asking the right questions I've seen posts and comments in social media about Ms. King's being closely associated with disgraced former Supt. John Deasy. But I have to acknowledge that she has risen through the ranks of LAUSD and, more importantly, had her kids educated by LAUSD. That gives Ms. King a perspective that differs from previous superintendents who were hired to guide the second-largest district. It is my hope, as a teacher who has devoted 28 years to LAUSD (and an additional 5 elsewhere) that the experience with her children will guide her and that, when she reaches those difficult decisions, she will not ask, 'What would John Deasy or Ramon Cortines do?' but instead ask, 'Is this what I'd want for my own kids?' Chuck Olynyk, teacher, Roosevelt High School Trust in someone who knows the system I look forward to seeing improvements in our school district. If she has worked her way up, then I am able to trust her. Chris Guzman, senior, Lincoln High School What do you think Michelle King can do for your school? Join the conversation @LATeducation. Some submissions were edited for clarity. daniela.gerson@latimes.com Twitter: @dhgerson Kash Delano Register sat in a park Sunday afternoon, taking it all in. He felt the sun on his face and the breeze coming in from the ocean. He heard the sound of birds and children playing. This is really beautiful, he said. He was smiling, but there were tears in his eyes. Advertisement Register spent more than three decades in prison for the 1979 murder of an elderly man in West Los Angeles. He always maintained his innocence, and Friday he was released from jail after a judge overturned the conviction. Attorneys from Loyola Law Schools Project for the Innocent argued that a key witness in the case had lied and that police and prosecutors had suppressed evidence that would have helped Registers defense. Register, who has spent his first days of freedom getting reacquainted with family and a city he last saw when Jimmy Carter was president, said he is overcome with relief. In the mornings I just lay there and I look at the ceiling and I just thank God that Im home, he said. Register was 19 when he was convicted of murder. He is 53 now. During his long incarceration, he missed out on a lot of life, such as the birth of his daughter shortly after he was locked up and, years later, the arrival of two grandchildren. He had been in love with his girlfriend, the mother of his daughter, but what with him in prison, they agreed that it made sense for her to move on romantically. I had to be man enough to try to accept that, he said. I wanted her to go and live her life. Register says he was at home with his girlfriend one afternoon in April 1979 when 78-year-old Jack Sasson was shot five times in his carport. Brenda Anderson, a neighbor of Sassons and a high school classmate of Registers, told police she heard gunshots and saw an African American man she later identified as Register sprinting from the scene. He was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison, despite scant physical evidence linking him to the crime and the fact that a murder weapon was never recovered. While serving out his sentence in a handful of prisons including San Quentin State and Folsom State, Register kept up a regular exercise regimen, completed several vocational training courses and worked on his case. Each time he appeared before the parole board, he refused to admit guilt. In 2011, one of Andersons sisters, Sheila Vanderkam, came forward with a new story. She said she and Anderson had heard gunshots the day Sasson was killed but hadnt been close enough to get a good look at the shooter. She said that she told police about her doubts at the time but that they threatened her and told her to stay quiet. She took the stand in a hearing on the case last month, along with Anderson, who seemed to recant her testimony, saying the shooter may or may not have been Register. Los Angeles County prosecutors said they would decide by next month whether to appeal the judges decision to overturn the murder conviction, retry Register or drop the case. Registers attorneys say he may seek compensation for the wrong conviction. Given his ordeal, it would be understandable if Register were angry. But sitting at a picnic table near the La Brea Tar Pits, he gave off an air of forgiveness and peace. Theres a lot of devastating things that happened to me, but theres nothing I could do about it, so I had to accept it as it was, said Register, a devout Christian who attended dozens of self-help workshops while in prison. Me being angry is only going to stagnate me moving forward. Eventually he will start looking for work, but for now Register is focusing on getting used to what he calls real life. He has taken trips with friends to the mall to buy new clothes and is learning how to operate a smartphone. Ive got little kids 13 and 12 showing me how to use it, he said, laughing. I had to put my pride down. He says he is relishing the chance to take care of his mother, Wilma. While he was in prison, Register said, she was my life support. She knew I didnt do it, and she stuck by me from Day One. Now, he said, its time to let her relax and let me take care of things. She was there when he got out of jail to drive him back to her West L.A. home, the same place he was living when his life took an unimaginable turn. I just hugged her and I kissed her, he said. There wasnt much to say. kate.linthicum@latimes.com Carolyn Walter and her granddaughter flew to Los Angeles to see a proper Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. In Phoenix, where Walter lives , celebrations of the civil rights leaders legacy are smaller. And her 12-year-old granddaughter, Lashanti Williams, wanted to see the annual Kingdom Day Parade her grandmother remembered from her years in Los Angeles. I like black history, and I wanted to come to a Martin Luther King parade, Lashanti said. And I dont care for the ones in Arizona. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> Organizers said the South Los Angeles parade, now in its 31st year, drew an estimated 250,000 people Monday. Spectators lined sidewalks along the two-mile route, shouting: Happy King Day! at local dignitaries. Those included parade organizer Adrian Dove, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilman Curren Price who served as grand marshal along with a host of marching bands, dancers and horseback riders. There was even a replica of the bus Rosa Parks was riding in when she refused to give up her seat in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955. 1 / 13 Marching groups and drill teams, such as the one from the American Federation of Teachers Local 1521, make their way down Martin Luther King Boulevard in South Los Angeles during the 31st Kingdom Day Parade on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 13 Marchers bring New Orleans style to the 31st Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 13 Marchers bring New Orleans style to the 31st Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 13 Brothers Johan, Carter and Quinn Moses dance and wave flags while watching the 31st Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 13 Carter Moses watches the Kingdom Day Parade along Martin Luther King Boulevard in South Los Angeles on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 13 L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti greets residents at the start of the 31st Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 13 The Los Angeles Unified School District marching band makes its way down Martin Luther King Boulevard during the 31st Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 13 The dancers from Hollywood Carnival make their way down Martin Luther King Boulevard during the 31st Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 13 People in the crowd along Martin Luther King Boulevard in South Los Angeles on Monday snap photos during the 31st Kingdom Day Parade, honoring Martin Luther King Jr. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 13 A group of riders on custom bicycles make their way along Martin Luther King Boulevard during the 31st Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 13 During the 31st Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles on Monday, L.A. City Council members Herb Wesson and Curren Price were to ride on the float with a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. titled Unity For today, legacy for yesterday, vision for tomorrow. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 13 Spectators in South Los Angles on Monday look for the best viewing spot for the 31st Kingdom Day Parade, honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 13 A dancer lines up in the staging area ahead of the 31st Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles on Monday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) The musicians are the major draw for Pat Payne, a 71-year-old Los Angeles Unified middle school band teacher who has watched the parade from her front lawn on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard every January since it started. Usually she has students among the young participants, and this year was no exception. My kids are coming! she shouted as the students approached; Payne ran into the street to cheer them on and shoot a video with her cellphone. But she is more than a spectator. For the last 19 years, Payne has cooked and served barbecue in her backyard for the police and firefighters who work the parade. On Monday, she was running on three hours sleep over the entire weekend as she along with friends, neighbors and relatives served ribs, green beans, baked beans and macaroni and cheese to officers after their security shift. Payne has a soft spot for law enforcement because her two sons work for the Los Angeles Police Department. I think someone needs to let them know we appreciate them, and if no one else will do it, Ill say it, she said. Martin Luther King was about serving everyone, taking care of everyone, and this is my way of taking care of the people we depend on the most. Paynes sons off-duty for the day joined the festivities. Kevin Payne said the gatherings his mother hosts are especially important now. We need as many situations where the community interacts in a positive manner with the police department as possible, he said. But other parade spectators linked Kings legacy to the current debate over police use of force including controversial shootings and in-custody deaths of black men and women. Jeff Hughey, 50, of Baldwin Hills watched the parade sporting a Black Lives Matter shirt with the slogan End Police Brutality. King was also brutalized by police, Hughey said. Definitely on today, Martin Luther Kings holiday, we have to know that black lives matter. Down the street, Barbara Woods sitting on a lawn chair next to her 17-year-old granddaughter, who is black, and the teens boyfriend, who is white teared up as she remembered the day in 1968 when she learned that King had been killed. I wish he was still alive, oh, honestly I do, the 66-year-old woman said. Hes missed so much. Since Kings time, she said, a lot of things have changed and then a lot of things have not changed.... Im hoping things dont take a step back. Im hoping things will continue to step forward. ALSO Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith: Why you wont see us at the Oscars 3 lanes reopened on Bay Bridge after protesters shut down traffic 1 injured in shooting at Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw mall: People were screaming and running The family of a black man shot and killed by San Francisco police in an incident captured on video is demanding a federal civil rights investigation, their attorney said Monday. John Burris, who is representing Mario Woods family, said San Francisco police have engaged in a pattern of excessive force and illegal stops and detentions of Latinos and African Americans that warrants a probe by the U.S. Department of Justice. He cited two other deadly police shootings and recently uncovered racist text messages between officers. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> Burris said he also asked the Justice Department on Jan. 6 to investigate the five officers who shot Woods for possible criminal charges after they acted like a firing squad. This is a golden opportunity for everyone to take a look at the San Francisco Police Department, he said at a news conference joined by Woods mother, Gwendolyn, and members of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People. Police were responding to a stabbing report in the citys Bayview neighborhood Dec. 2 when they encountered Mario Woods, 26. Five officers shot and killed him after he appeared to raise an 8-inch knife and approach an officer, according to police. Woods family has disputed that account and filed a lawsuit against the department. Burris said Monday that Woods was not aggressively fighting the officers, who should have backed away. Video clips of the incident have circulated online, sparking protests and calls for Police Chief Greg Suhrs resignation. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> San Francisco police didnt immediately return a call for comment. Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said she was checking to see whether Burris request had been received. Suhr has said the department was investigating the shooting and its use-of-force policies and procedures and has called on the Police Commission to provide the department with stun guns. Burris said an independent, outside group should investigate the departments policies, not Suhr, who he said has ratified all police shootings. It seems to us he has a bias already, Burris said. ALSO Victim identified in Winnetka double homicide Man who attacked Uber driver while drunk files $5-million lawsuit Guardsmen admit selling to undercover agent guns they thought were going to cartel One person was wounded in a shooting Monday afternoon at the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw mall, located near the route of the Kingdom Day Parade honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The shooting was reported about 2:30 p.m. at the mall, located in the 4100 block of Crenshaw Boulevard, said Officer Drake Madison of the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim, an unidentified female, was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound in her leg, LAPD Sgt. Manuel Arzate said. Advertisement Officers found the female victim near the exit of the Sears store, at the southern end of the mall, Arzate said. Investigators have not confirmed if the shooting happened at the Sears or in another section of the mall, Arzate said. No suspects were in custody, and officers were canvassing the mall to gather evidence. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Anabel Lemus, 28, was working at a frozen yogurt stand in the mall when she heard what sounded like gunfire in the food court area. People were screaming and running and being hysterical, Lemus told The Times. My co-worker and I -- we have a corner where we have our mop. And we went running over there and hid. It was really scary. Lemus said she only heard the loud pop of a gunshot, but she did not see anyone with injuries or a person holding a gun. The mall sits near the midway point of the 31st annual Kingdom Day Parade, which proceeded down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and turned south on Crenshaw Boulevard. A festival in Leimert Park marked the end of the parade, which honors Kings life and legacy. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno. ALSO Man who attacked Uber driver while drunk files $5-million lawsuit Hiker finds bones, missing womans car in Angeles National Forest Family of man killed by S.F. police demand federal civil rights investigation A former Taco Bell corporate manager who was captured on video drunkenly attacking his Uber driver is now suing that driver for $5 million, claiming that the recording was made without his consent, according to court documents. Benjamin Golden, 32, of Newport Beach, said the now-viral video, which was taken by a dashboard-mounted camera and posted to YouTube by the driver, was recorded unknowingly and without his permission while he was intoxicated and was an invasion of his privacy, according to Orange County Superior Court records. The driver, Edward Caban, sued Golden in November, claiming assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> Golden filed his $5-million countersuit last month, saying the video, which was viewed millions of times, caused him severe emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety, the loss of his employment and the inability to get another job. Golden was fired from his position as a marketing manager for Taco Bell. Posting the video online was so extreme as to exceed all bounds of that usually tolerated in a civilized community, Goldens lawsuit said. Goldens attorney, Courtney Pilchman, declined to comment on the allegations Monday. Cabans attorney, Rivers J. Morrell III, called Goldens suit bogus. Hes now blaming everybody else and not taking responsibility for his conduct, Morrell said of Golden. I dont buy it, and I think it will make him look even worse than he already does. On Oct. 30, Golden summoned an Uber ride after a night of drinking, his lawsuit says, adding that Caban let him into the vehicle knowing he was drunk. Caban posted a video on YouTube, a video that he also shared with police, showing what he said were the final minutes of the ride. In the video, Caban can be seen turning his forward-facing dashboard camera, which had been facing the street, around to film the inside of the car after he asks Golden to give him directions. Golden argues with Caban over directions, and Caban stops the car, asking Golden to get out after he appears to fall over in the backseat. You are too drunk to give me directions, Caban says. Golden responds: I am giving you directions right now. Caban tells Golden to get out of his car or he will call the police. As Golden opens the door, he can be seen repeatedly hitting Caban and pulling his hair. Caban then pepper-sprays Golden, whom police arrested shortly afterward. Goldens lawsuit says he was forced out of Cabans car because Caban could not locate his address. Caban, the suit says, was unwilling to drive him home, and Golden didnt know where he was when Caban stopped the car. Mr. Golden was unaware of his location and began to fear for his safety and well-being, the suit says. The video posted to YouTube by Caban quickly went viral, with more than 2 million views. Within days, Golden publicly apologized, saying in a tearful televised interview: It was hard to watch, and Im ashamed. NEWSLETTER: Get essential California headlines delivered daily >> His attorneys, Pilchman and Anita Kay, said in a statement at the time that Mr. Golden recognizes that despite his level of intoxication, he should have never slapped Mr. Caban and is extremely remorseful for his actions. They added, at the time, that their client accepts full responsibility for his actions and wanted to meet privately with Caban to apologize. Morrell, Cabans attorney, said Monday that Goldens countersuit showed that the apology tour was disingenuous and that the two men never met privately. Cabans lawsuit does not specify how much money he is seeking, but a statement of damages provided to the Los Angeles Times by Goldens attorneys on Monday showed that Caban is seeking $1.6 million. Morrell declined Monday to verify the amount being sought by his client. After posting the video, Caban started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $1,000 for medical expenses, saying he was uninsured and suffering ongoing headaches and daily anxiety attacks. He had raised about $1,200. Morrell said his client had stopped working as an Uber driver because he was too afraid and that the GoFundMe money had gone toward paying immediate expenses while the suit was ongoing. In November, Uber spokeswoman Kayla Whaling told The Times that Golden had been permanently banned from using the transit service. In addition to the civil suit, Golden also faces four misdemeanor counts, including assault and battery, according to the Orange County district attorneys office. He has pleaded not guilty. Follow me at @haileybranson on Twitter and Google+. ALSO Guardsmen admit selling to undercover agent guns they thought were going to cartel Victim identified in Winnetka double homicide High surf expected along Southern California coast The Los Angeles City Council agreed Tuesday to pay more than $24 million to settle lawsuits from two men who alleged that investigations by dishonest LAPD detectives led to their wrongful murder convictions and caused them to spend decades behind bars. Kash Delano Register, who won his freedom in 2013 after lawyers and students from Loyola Law School cast doubt on the testimony of a key prosecution witness, will receive $16.7 million the largest settlement in an individual civil rights case in the citys history, his attorneys said. Bruce Lisker, who was released from prison in 2009 after a Times investigation into his conviction, will get $7.6 million. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Advertisement Though the cases were unrelated, both men contended that detectives ignored evidence of their innocence and fabricated evidence of their guilt. City lawyers concerned about the police misconduct allegations recommended the settlements, saying in confidential memos to the City Council obtained by The Times that taking the cases to trial could be even more financially devastating. Bruce Lisker, wrongly convicted of murder, is to receive $7.6 million from Los Angeles. He was in custody for 26 years. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) This is an extremely dangerous case, city attorneys wrote of the Lisker case. And Registers case was even more problematic, they said. Todays action helps make amends for the many years these men will never get back, and for lives that will never be the same, said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer. City Councilman Paul Krekorian, who heads the budget committee that weighs settlement payments, said the two cases were the very unfortunate result of police misconduct in the past, but did not reflect how the department operates today. Its just regrettable that these two individuals spent the better part of their lives in prison as a result of the inadequacy of the investigations that happened back then, Krekorian said. Register, who has always maintained his innocence, spent 34 years in custody after being convicted of the 1979 armed robbery and murder of Jack Sasson, 78. The case against Register was based on eyewitness testimony. No murder weapon was recovered and none of the fingerprints lifted at the West Los Angeles crime scene matched Registers. Police seized a pair of his pants that had a speck of blood on them, but the blood type matched both Sassons and Registers. Registers girlfriend testified that he was with her at the time of the shooting. A key prosecution witness in the case was Brenda Anderson, who told police she heard gunshots and saw Register sprinting away from the scene. She picked him out of a photo lineup, police said. But Andersons sisters said they told police that her account wasnt true. In court papers, Sheila Vanderkam said she had tried to tell a detective that her sister had lied about seeing Register flee. The detective, she said, put a finger to his lips to convey that she should keep quiet. Another sister, Sharon Anderson, also said in court papers that she had told police they had the wrong man, but she too was ignored. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> Brenda Anderson picked Register out of a photo array only after police threatened to prosecute her for credit card forgery and a recent theft, promising to hold off if she followed their instructions and identified someone, Registers attorneys alleged. Decades later, Vanderkam typed Registers name into the states Department of Corrections website and discovered he was still imprisoned a realization that spurred her to find his attorney and launched a fresh examination of his case. Register, now 55, was ultimately freed in November 2013. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the department has many, many things in place now that werent in place then that prevents this kind of thing from happening. But Register and his attorneys said Tuesday they hoped his case would spur reforms at the LAPD in the way eyewitnesses are asked to choose a suspect from a photo lineup. Many experts argue that police should ensure that the detective who has a possible suspect in mind is not involved at all or does not see which photo a witness is choosing. I cant get these 34 years back, but I hope my case can help make things better for others, through improving the way the police get identifications, Register said in a statement. While in prison, Register missed the birth of his daughter and two grandchildren. At one point in his incarceration, another inmate slashed his neck, his attorneys said in his lawsuit. He now works in a warehouse for a large department store, supporting family members. After almost 37 years, I am more than ready to try to put this all behind me and move on with my life, Register said. Lisker, now 50, said he, too, was ready to put his case in the rearview mirror. He was convicted of killing his 66-year-old mother, Dorka, and spent 26 years in custody. Its a very happy day. Its a vindication and an acknowledgment by the city of Los Angeles at its highest levels that what I have said all along is true, that I am innocent and at 17 I was framed by the LAPD for the murder of my mother, an emotional Lisker said in a telephone interview after the vote was announced. The toll this ordeal has taken on me and my family is incalculable. The money is nowhere near enough, Lisker added. How can one place a monetary figure on a lifetime of stolen freedom, of crushed aspirations and a shattered reputation, on my mothers tragic murder going unsolved and neglected for 33 years and counting? There are no words, just as there is no amount that can adequately compensate me for whats happened. At the time of his mothers killing, detectives were immediately suspicious of Lisker, a frizzy-haired 17-year-old who had a history of drug abuse and fighting with his mother. Lisker told police he saw her lying in the foyer and broke into the house to help her, but detectives didnt believe him. The case against him hinged chiefly on four things: blood spatter on the clothes that Lisker was wearing, the testimony of a jailhouse informant, bloody shoe prints that police said placed only Lisker at the scene, and police saying it was impossible for him to see his mother lying on the floor from outside. A Times investigation in 2005 raised questions about the case against Lisker, showing that the murder investigation was sloppy and incomplete. Later, at a hearing in federal court challenging Liskers conviction, the key elements of the prosecutions case were undermined or disproved. For example, an LAPD analyst and an FBI expert testified that a bloody print found in the bathroom of the Lisker familys Sherman Oaks house and attributed to Lisker at trial was not made by his shoes. As for Lisker being able to see his mother from a window at the back of the home, experiments first performed by Times reporters and then corroborated by expert testimony proved he could have seen his mother as he had asserted. Liskers lawyers also alleged that the lead detective ignored evidence of another possible suspect a friend of Liskers. They also accused the detective of writing a letter to the parole board years after Liskers conviction in which he falsely claimed to have recovered additional evidence of his guilt. That letter, city attorneys said in their memo to the council, on its own, significantly imperils the citys chances for a successful verdict if the case went to trial. Since his release from prison, Lisker has married and now resides in Woodland Hills. One of the first things he said he plans to do with the money is pay off credit card debt. This settlement will allow me to survive and to enjoy however many years I have left in me, which hopefully is a very large number, he said. Follow @latimesemily for whats happening at Los Angeles City Hall Times staff writer Kate Mather contributed to this report. ALSO Firms left out of LAPDs body camera search decry piggybacking bid process In latest case of L.A. jail abuse, trial will focus on alleged beating of handcuffed inmate Erin Brockovich appeals to Porter Ranch residents as law firms push gas leak suits When the first hints of El Nino developed last year, experts believed that the brunt of the rain would occur in Southern California rather than Northern California. So far this season, the opposite has happened. Since Oct. 1, San Francisco was at 100% of average rainfall as of Monday; Eureka at 142% and Fresno, 152%. Yet Los Angeles was only at 64% of average. What gives? See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement The answer is that much of the rain Northern California has received in recent months is not significantly related to El Nino. Most of that precipitation including this weeks storms hitting San Francisco is coming from the typical winter weather pattern in California: cold storms from the northern Pacific Ocean, coming northwest of the state. Northern California like the rest of the state saw less rain during four years of drought. But this season is shaping up to be a wet year in the north, bringing more rain and snow than the region has seen in several years. The only El Nino-driven storms that have hit California arrived in the first week of January and then ended, said NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory climatologist Bill Patzert. That was a trailer for the movie, Patzert said. Unlike the typical winter storm that hits California from the northern Pacific Ocean, El Nino-influenced storms come from the west, just north of Hawaii, Patzert said. They can wreak havoc on California because El Nino, a weather phenomenon characterized by warm ocean water west of Peru that can cause changes in the atmosphere, can cause a persistent series of subtropical storms to hit the state, one after another. One reason why storms havent been able to get through to Southern California in recent weeks is an area of high pressure southwest of the state that has been unusually persistent, Stanford University climate scientist Daniel Swain said. Water and Power is The Times guide to the drought. Sign up to get the free newsletter >> Although the forecast does not show any signs of major storms in the next week in the Southland, there appears to be a window of opportunity for significant precipitation to return shortly after that, Swain said. Computer models suggest that there will be a burst of energy in the jet stream later in January. The pattern suggests that if there are any storms in the pipeline at the end of January, they will be able to both have a trajectory that might bring them into Southern California and it might allow them to maintain their strength, Swain said. Its not the intensity of the storms thats the problem its the conveyor belt of wet systems that relentlessly douse the state, which eventually can cause hillsides to saturate and mud to start flowing. For instance, none of the storms that hit Los Angeles in February 1998 were individually spectacular, Patzert said, but combined, they dumped 14 inches of rain on the city almost a years worth. El Nino influences this weather pattern because it can cause a subtropical jet stream a narrow band of strong winds in the atmosphere that pushes storms west to east to move from the jungles of southern Mexico and Central America to Southern California, Patzert said. In the strongest El Nino years, the jet stream can even marshal storms to cover Northern California. Storms during the strongest El Ninos on record doused the entire state, bringing double the rainfall in the winters of 1982-83 and 1997-98 to both northern and southern California and double the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. Experts say its possible that the classic El Nino-influenced pattern could emerge by late January or early February. That would put it more in line with how the most punishing series of storms arrived in February 1998 and March of 1983. As we look back, the big show is usually in February, March even into April and May, Patzert said. So, in many ways, this is on schedule. About 1,000 to 2,000 miles south of California, El Nino, the immense pool of warm water 2 1/2 times the size of the continental United States fueling atmospheric disturbances worldwide, is gathering strength again in the Pacific Ocean, Patzert said, after topping out in temperature in November. Patzert said there was yet again another weakening of the so-called trade winds in the central Pacific Ocean, which will allow the ocean west of Peru to heat up again, further fueling El Nino. This thing is getting ready to have a second peak, Patzert said. I think El Nino will live up to its hype, but you have to be patient. El Nino has already caused significant changes in weather across the world. The weather phenomenon was associated with the heavy rains, flooding and tornadoes in the American South around Christmas, and blamed for worsening drought over swaths of Southeast Asia, Central America and eastern Africa. El Nino-related rains have also brought floods to parts of northern Argentina, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, Patzert said. Patzert expects Californias drought to continue into a fifth year even after this El Nino winter, saying that these events come only every 15 to 20 years, providing just 7% of our water over a generation. In February and March, we might be talking about mudslides. But in July or August, were going to be talking about the drought again, Patzert said. The wet winter in Northern California especially the snow is helping Californias drought woes because that region produces a good deal of the states water. Northern California has seen a series of storms for the last week; San Francisco had faced six consecutive days of rain by Monday, and was expected to see another storm Tuesday. Since Wednesday, San Francisco has seen more than 2 inches of rain and Squaw Valley ski resort near Lake Tahoe has seen more than 30 inches of fresh snow. Its been a fantastic snow season, said Michael Radlick, spokesman for the ski resort, which has seen more than 20 feet of snow this season. Traffic is high and folks on the mountain are stoked. But the rain has started to cause rock slides, including one Monday morning in Niles Canyon in Fremont and another on Friday on California 1 south of Big Sur. Its been wave after wave with periods of drying in between, said National Weather Service forecaster Diana Henderson. Now that the ground is saturated, were starting to see debris flows here and there. ron.lin@latimes.com Twitter: @ronlin See more of our top stories on Facebook >> MORE ON EL NINO Ready for El Nino? Heres what many homeowners dont know about flood insurance Army Corps of Engineers to put up flood-control barriers in L.A. River First textbook El Nino rains provide clues on possible damage to come Newly released records show that nearly two dozen Chicago Police Department employees have been called to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the Laquan McDonald shooting, including the lead detective in the case and four officers whose initial accounts are at odds with a dashboard camera video that has sparked protests across the city. Officers first began appearing before the grand jury in June, and they were still making appearances as recently as two days before Christmas, according to the records, which were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Three officers have been called more than once. The records released after weeks of delay offer the first look at how far the secret grand jury proceedings have reached into the police force, which has been under fire since the release of the video showing an officer shooting the 17-year-old McDonald in October 2014. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> Being called to the grand jury does not necessarily indicate that the witnesses are suspected of wrongdoing. Cook County prosecutors on Nov. 24 charged Officer Jason Van Dyke with murder and official misconduct for shooting McDonald 16 times as he appeared to be walking away. Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty, and suggested in police reports that he feared for his life when opening fire. The Cook County states attorneys office conducted its investigation with federal prosecutors, who have been looking to determine whether police violated McDonalds civil rights. Sources said the federal investigation had branched into possible obstruction of justice by the officers at the shooting scene. Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said not all of the 23 subpoenaed officers remained on active duty. He declined to detail the duty status of each of the officers. The records show that four officers at the scene of the shooting have been called to the grand jury. Van Dykes partner, Joseph Walsh, has been called at least twice. Walsh initially told investigators he repeatedly ordered McDonald to drop the knife as he approached officers. He said that he was backing up as McDonald drew closer, swinging his knife at police officers actions that did not occur, according to the video. The court logs show Walsh was scheduled to appear before the grand jury twice in October. Additional officers at the scene including three who gave initial statements saying McDonald moved or turned threateningly toward officers before the shooting testified in June and July. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> Other Chicago officers who have been called include Ricardo Viramontes and Dora Fontaine, who were listed in detectives reports as being witnesses to the shooting as well as serving as the paper car responsible for writing the initial case report on the incident. Both gave initial statements at odds with the video. The lead detective in the police investigation also has been called, though he did not appear until December, after the dashboard camera video had roiled the city and cost police Supt. Garry McCarthy his job. Det. David March ruled the shooting a justifiable homicide, saying McDonald had committed an aggravated assault against the three officers and forced Van Dyke to shoot in defense of his life. According to police reports, March also found no discrepancies between the video and the officers statements, though city and law enforcement officials now acknowledge inconsistencies. The recovered in-car camera video was viewed and found to be consistent with the accounts of all of the witnesses, March wrote. Marchs supervisor Anthony Wojcik a lieutenant in the departments detective division also was scheduled to testify in December, the court logs show. March and Wojcik remain on full duty, Guglielmi said. sstclair@tribpub.com dheinzmann@tribpub.com Chicago Tribune reporter Annie Sweeney contributed to this report. ALSO Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey dies at 67: Hes just gone too soon Pentagon report: Iran took SIM cards from detained U.S. sailors phones Family of man killed by S.F. police demand federal civil rights investigation The Supreme Court set the stage for what could be a landmark ruling on immigration law and presidential power when it agreed Tuesday to decide whether President Obama has the authority to offer a lawful presence and a work permit to as many as 5 million immigrants living in the country illegally. The decision is likely to come this June in the middle of the 2016 presidential campaign, in which the question of how to cope with the nations immigration problem has deeply divided the two parties. Some leading Republican candidates have called for deporting immigrants and building a wall with Mexico, and Democrats have vowed to go even further than Obama in helping those here illegally come out of the shadows. At issue for the court is whether current law gives the president power to temporarily shield millions of longtime immigrants from deportation. At the request of Texas state lawyers who are suing to block the presidents program, the justices also agreed to decide whether Obama violated his constitutional duty by failing to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Advertisement If the court rules that Obama overstepped his authority, it would send the message that only Congress can change and reform the nations immigration laws. On the other hand, justices have given the executive branch broad discretion in setting deportation policy. Even if Obama wins, he may run out of time to fully implement the program before leaving office, making it easier for a future GOP president to unwind it. Under the best-case scenario for the president, he would have six months to implement the program enough time to process a few hundred thousand applications, experts estimate. That could leave the next occupant of the Oval Office with a backlog of millions of applications from anxious immigrants. Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders would almost certainly continue the program, but Republican front-runners Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas could face a dilemma. By making good on promises to be tough on amnesty for immigrants here illegally, a future GOP president would be faced with the prospect of deporting people who voluntarily came forward to follow the rules a dramatic and memorable moment to begin the new presidency. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest downplayed concerns about whether there would be enough time to set the presidents directives in motion. The experience of implementing previous immigration programs suggests that a lot of people would rush to sign up, he said. Eligible applicants would take advantage of the benefits as soon as they possibly could, Earnest said Tuesday during his daily briefing with reporters. Obama unveiled his sweeping immigration program last year. It would temporarily suspend deportation for as many as 4 million immigrant parents of U.S. citizens. This so-called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, or DAPA, was patterned after a 2012 plan, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which offered similar relief to about 600,000 young people who had been brought into the country illegally as small children. Several hundred thousand additional immigrants were to qualify for deportation deferral under a separate expansion of the DACA program that Obama announced in November 2014. Obama said he was taking executive action as a last resort amid congressional deadlock. In 2013, the Senate passed a bipartisan immigration overhaul on a 68-32 vote, but House Republican leaders refused to bring the bill to a vote. Administration officials also noted that the government has limited funds to track down immigrants here illegally, and the presidents program would focus enforcement efforts on deporting criminals, gang members and national security threats. But lawyers for Texas and 25 other Republican-led states sued in a federal court in the border town of Brownsville, Texas, arguing the president had overstepped his authority. This assertion of unilateral executive power violates the Constitutions separation of powers, said Texas Solicitor Gen. Scott Keller. If Obama can defy Congress and decide on his own not to enforce the laws against illegal immigration, future presidents could decide on their own not to enforce laws on the environment, taxes or civil rights, he said. A federal judge in Texas and the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans agreed, blocking the presidents program from taking effect and prompting the Obama administration to appeal to the Supreme Court. Lawyers for California, Illinois, New York and 12 other mostly Democratic-led states joined in support of Obama. California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris on Tuesday said the courts decision to hear the administrations appeal means that millions of hardworking immigrants including 1.2 million Californians will finally have their day in court, she said. U.S. Solicitor Gen. Donald Verrilli Jr. said that the Texas judge and New Orleans appellate court had no legal basis for blocking the presidents proposal and that the Texas lawsuit should be thrown out because immigration enforcement is a matter for the federal government. The states have no authority to set their own immigration policy, Verrilli argued in court papers, and the DAPA order does not regulate states or require states to do (or not do) anything. The case could turn on a procedural issue of standing. Verrilli said Texas had cited no injury in its lawsuit, except for the states cost of providing drivers licenses to immigrants. But Verrilli said that because Texas chose on its own to partially subsidize the cost of issuing licenses rather than ask applicants to bear the entire cost, the state cannot now use this policy as the basis for its complaint. The appellate court ruled that the cost of issuing the licenses was sufficient to give Texas standing. States had not fared well when seeking to influence immigration policy. Three years ago, the justices rejected key provisions of an Arizona law that would have empowered Arizona police to stop, question and arrest people who could not show they were citizens. By a 5-3 vote, the justices said the president and his executive officers have broad discretion over immigration policy, including enforcement and deciding who should be arrested and deported. The two sides in the legal fight even disagree on how to describe the orders at issue. Obamas lawyers say the DAPA order is mere guidance and a general statement of policy, not an official regulation. Moreover, no immigrant would have any legal rights and their lawful presence would be determined on a case-by-case basis. Texas lawyers say Obama is seeking one of the largest changes in immigration policy in our nations history affecting potentially millions of people. They concede federal agents may spare certain people from deportation, but giving such a large group a lawful presence and work permits amounts to changing the law. There is no constitutional or statutory authority for such a change, they said. david.savage@latimse.com christi.parsons@latimes.com ALSO: ANALYSIS: Obama gives upbeat assessment of his presidency, and aims to have a say in who follows him Supreme Court strikes down Floridas death penalty system Supreme Court appears skeptical of union fees -- a potentially major loss for labor groups The Northern Triangle countries of Central America El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have long been among the most unstable and violent areas in the Western Hemisphere. Three decades after civil wars and insurrections roiled the region, murderous street gangs now control entire neighborhoods, drug smugglers work with brutal abandon, corruption makes justice elusive and, according to a 2014 ruling by a U.S. immigration judge, a chauvinistic culture in Guatemala leaves women prey to domestic violence with limited protection from police. Those conditions have combined over recent years to persuade about 10% of the countries 30 million inhabitants to flee their homes, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors and mothers with children continue to move north in hopes of gaining permission to stay in the U.S. The Obama administration has treated that human flow primarily as an immigration and border security problem, and has sought to repatriate quickly those who fail to make the case that they qualify for asylum. Advocates raise legitimate concerns about asylum-seekers being denied a full and fair hearing under the rocket docket approach taken by an immigration court system already overwhelmed with hundreds of thousands of cases, many of which involve people who cant find or afford lawyers. The new federal budget adds 55 immigration judges to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, bringing the total to 374 positions. While the new staffing level is lower than some critics think sufficient, it should help relieve some of the pressure. But countering the out-migration of Central Americans requires more than just immigration enforcement here, or in Mexico for that matter. Under pressure from the Obama administration, Mexico has tightened its southern border to choke off the flow near the source. Because this effort did nothing to address the factors compelling people to leave their homes, it managed to reduce migration only for a matter of months until resourceful and desperate people found other routes. Now the number of unaccompanied minors and mothers with children reaching the U.S. border is again on the rise. Advertisement In an effort to relieve more of the pressure within the region, the federal budget for fiscal 2016 includes $750 million more than a third above the last budget to improve conditions in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador in an effort to reduce the impetus to leave. The legislation tries to prevent the money from disappearing into corrupt coffers, directing it to be spent on improving the regions economy, reducing poverty, combatting drug trafficking and gangs, and creating stronger and more transparent local governance, as well as helping those deported from the U.S. resettle in their home countries. Meanwhile, the Obama administration also announced this month that it will work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to give those who feel they qualify for protection under international refugee laws a chance to make their case in their home countries or nearby. While details such as where to put the processing centers have not been worked out, the system would resemble those used to screen potential refugees in the Middle East and other unstable parts of the world. After investigating applicants claims, people the UNHCR deems eligible for refugee status would be referred to potential resettlement countries. Historically, most such referrals are made to the U.S., where the applicants would undergo additional screening before being accepted. Making it easier for the fearful to seek protection closer to home could reduce the number of people turning to human smugglers and attempting the dangerous overland journey. At the same time, the administration has agreed to take in more of those fleeing the region who qualify as refugees. Secretary of State John Kerry recently announced that the government will increase by an unspecificed amount the number it will accept from Central America this fiscal year; the current cap is 3,000 of the 85,000 worldwide refugee slots. Considing the low overall limit, even a big increase in the regions cap would be insufficient to resolve the problem, as is the $750 million in aid. But its a start. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Altria. Chevron. AT&T. These names may seem like a random assortment of Fortune 500 and blue-chip U.S. corporations. But they are among the donors that gave the most money to California state Assemblyman William Brough. Of course, Brough is far from alone in accepting the financial help of corporate America when it comes to fighting elections. But if a seemingly outlandish proposal by a local California lawyer gets onto the ballot, he will not be able to stay shy about those donating to his cause. Nor will any other politician in the state. John Cox, an activist businessman, wants to require legislators to walk into their assembly chamber wearing the logos of their biggest sponsors. The shock tactic aims to find its way onto the ballot for November, a goal that will be made possible by gathering 365,880 signatures. That effort is already under way, after the state attorney general approved the text of the petition earlier this month. The nonprofit running the campaign, California Is Not for Sale, has committed $1 million for the project. The group is also traveling the state with life-size cutouts for all 120 members of the California Senate and Assembly and one for Gov. Jerry Brown. Each cardboard politicians torso is adorned with his or her most significant backers, like NASCAR sponsors on a drivers racing suit. This will be on the ballot in 2016. That is our guarantee, the organization says on its website. The only question is whether Californians will vote yes or no. We think that it will be yes by an overwhelming majority. The specific language of the petition mandates stickers or badges displaying the names of their 10 highest campaign contributors yet leaves the specifics to the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Ultimately, the purpose of the gimmick is to call attention to the role of vast sums of money in financing campaigns, at the state, local and federal levels. By increasing the transparency behind who has paid for politicians races, voters theoretically would get a better idea about what happens to bills behind the scenes. This one immediately draws support for the full blown populism it embraces . And it will be opposed, tooth and claw, by corporations and big money political donors.This is really a gimmick, yet it also has a real possibility of passage. And in its own way it is the pinnacle of free speech. If you are free to give as much as you want to politicians, the the public should be free to know who you are. President Obama was right to express satisfaction and take some of the credit for the successful implementation of the international agreement to place limitations on Irans nuclear activities and for the release of five Americans who were held by the Islamic Republic, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who had been imprisoned for more than a year on trumped-up charges. Irans compliance with key portions of the agreement, which was certified Saturday by the International Atomic Energy Agency, places significant obstacles in the way of its ability to develop nuclear weapons. As Obama noted, Iran has removed two-thirds of its centrifuges and shipped more than 98% of its enriched uranium out of the country. It has filled a reactor capable of producing plutonium with concrete. [T]ens of billions of dollars Iran will receive might be spent on actions that are destabilizing in the region, including possibly terrorism. Advertisement In exchange for these steps, Iran will receive significant relief from international economic sanctions, including some imposed by the United States. That is an acceptable trade-off, despite the possibility that some of the tens of billions of dollars Iran will receive might be spent on actions that are destabilizing in the region, including possibly terrorism. The administration also was right to agree to the deal in which, in exchange for the release of the Americans imprisoned in Iran, Obama agreed to pardon or commute the sentences of an Iranian and six dual citizens charged with violating sanctions against Iran. But if, as Obama said, the Americans were unjustly detained, the talks that led to their freedom were more like hostage negotiations than ordinary diplomacy. And that points to a large reality about last weekends hopeful developments: Although moderate forces led by President Hassan Rouhani have succeeded in reducing Irans isolation, the country continues to be governed by a theocracy that countenances repression at home, intervenes in the affairs of its neighbors and flouts some of its obligations under international law. Nor is it clear that the more moderate factions that prevailed upon Irans supreme leader to endorse the nuclear agreement will come out on top in future struggles with anti-Western hard-liners. That calls for a carefully calibrated policy on the part of the United States, one that is open to the possibility of better relations with Iran but vigilant about the need to counter its efforts to destabilize the Middle East. Despite its occasional overexuberance about the potential for progress, the Obama administration appears to recognize the complexity of the challenge. On Sunday, the president pointed to the benefits of continuing contacts between two countries that remain adversaries. He noted the swift release of 10 U.S. sailors who had strayed into Iranian waters. But Obama also chastised Iran for its destabilizing behavior elsewhere, including its threats against Israel and our gulf partners, and its support for violent proxies in places like Syria and Yemen. He noted that the U.S. continues to impose sanctions on Iran for its human rights violations, its support of terrorism and its ballistic missile program. On the last point, he announced new sanctions against 11 individuals and companies, to punish Iran for conducting tests prohibited under a United Nations Security Council resolution. Some in Congress want to legislate additional sanctions authority and other measures directed at Iran, but they should move cautiously. Some proposals including one that would require regular reporting by the administration of strategies to counter Irans destabilizing activities are unobjectionable. Others, such as a declaration that Iran does not have an inherent right to uranium enrichment, would be provocative without having any practical effect on Irans ability to develop a nuclear weapon. (Iran insists that it has a right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes under international law; the agreement it signed finesses that issue by referring to a right to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes.) Finally, Obamas careful engagement with Iran contrasts favorably with the reckless and bellicose line taken by some of those who would succeed him. For example, Sen. Ted Cruz pledges that on his first day as president he will immediately repeal every word of President Obamas dangerous Iran deal. Sen. Marco Rubio, a bit less grandiosely, promises to begin to undo the deal with Iran on Day One. That sort of knee-jerk hostility is just as foolish as an uncritical acceptance of Irans assurances about its intentions. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook One night a few months ago, as my husband sat in the backyard, a coyote appeared, so swiftly and silently that one moment it wasnt there and the next, it was standing on the slope 15 feet away. My husband called me out to look; the creature was a beauty, larger than usual, in full russet-and-gray coat, calmly regarding my husband, who admired it in return. Dont just stand there, harass it! I yelled, waving my arms and shouting at the beast, which wasnt all that swift to move. Not until I grabbed the hose and started spraying it did the animal quietly bound back over the fence. For months afterward, we regularly saw coyotes slipping in and around our neighborhood, Bluebird Canyon in Laguna Beach. Their appearance was more frequent than usual, but coyotes had always been part of the scenery. Bluebird is famous for its landslides, but locally its also known as a coyote hangout, just over the ridgeline from a wilderness park. Advertisement Its not uncommon to hear their yipping at night, a chilling sound. To us, it was a welcome reminder of how lucky we were to live in a small community surrounded by open space, though it could admittedly be a nuisance. Across the street, our neighbors Maltese had been snatched right out of their yard. State law doesnt allow the city to hold an animal long enough for DNA testing. It has to be released right away, or killed. We havent seen any coyotes here for the past three weeks, though. The city took care of that, and Im not thanking them. There might be scientists who agree with the way town leaders have been handling its coyote problem, but I havent found them. Residents in a couple of neighborhoods complained about bold coyotes that had snatched small pets and appeared on the street each time they were walking their dogs. Things reached a peak when one family reported that a coyote entered the house through an open door, making off with one of its three dogs while a baby slept nearby. A kind of panic ensued. The citys response was indiscriminate trapping in the areas where problems had occurred, and the killing of all of those coyotes. Six since the beginning of December. I want to take the fight to them, Councilman Robert Zur Schmiede said, according to a local paper. We need to be aggressive about this; people are afraid. Councilwoman Toni Iseman chimed in: Were just lucky we havent lost a child yet. Lost a child? A child has a much greater chance of being bitten by a dog than by a coyote. According to a Marin County-based coyote-management group called Project Coyote, the chances of dying by coyote are outdone by the chances of being killed by a deer (largely car accidents, but some goring) or by a fallen refrigerator. This talk of killing didnt sound much like the city Ive lived in for more than 30 years, where 79% of residents voted to tax themselves in order to buy a patch of neighboring wilderness so it would remain open for wildlife, rather than becoming another housing tract. But whats happening in Laguna is just another story of Californias love-hate relationship with its top animal predators, especially coyotes. Glendale faced the same debate in 2011, when a pack of seven coyotes moved into an abandoned house. Seal Beach went with trapping and killing in 2014. The state stepped in to eliminate truly aggressive coyotes in Irvine, where several people received minor injuries in attacks, but the city then embarked on an education campaign that has won the states praise. It even equipped police with paintball guns to harass the animals. If theres a patch of open space, and humans around to provide food, coyotes will generally worm their way in and that includes Central Park in Manhattan. It would be too simple to say, Never kill a coyote. They were here first. Just dont put out pet food, and yell at them when you see them. In a local Facebook discussion, one resident of the affected neighborhood said she and her neighbors had been unfairly pigeonholed as carelessly inviting coyotes in, and then heedlessly demanding their deaths. Neighbors already are careful with food and water, she said, yet at least one coyote had its den under a neighbors house. We HAZE and we HAZE and we HAZE, she wrote in frustration, adding that she wished the city would do something different from trapping and killing, but that something had to be done. So maybe there is one problem coyote. But six? Of the several wildlife experts I interviewed, all said the troublesome behavior is almost always limited to one coyote thats become accustomed to the cushy life of suburbia. And that coyote might be a menace that needs to be taken out. This requires some detective work. According to Lt. Kent Smirl of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, a problem coyote can often be tracked so that its the only one killed. Generally speaking, he said, blanket traps catch younger, dumber animals that arent habituated to people; the true wily coyotes are too smart for that, so whats left is a more problematic population of coyotes. In fairness, though, tracking isnt easy. Jim Beres, whos been overseeing the coyote trapping program for Laguna Beach, notes that coyotes dont tend to leave much in the way of paw prints on suburban streets. It could be possible to do DNA testing with a trapped coyote, to see whether its the one that killed a particular pet, but he said state law doesnt allow the city to hold an animal long enough for testing. It has to be released right away, or killed. So what do we have now? Beres figures that the problem coyote is gone with the most recent round of trapping; reports of aggressive coyote behavior have dissipated, so the program is on hold for now, unless there are more problems. But coyote experts say the city probably has created a worse situation for itself. More coyotes will move into the vacated territory; meanwhile, if the alpha female of the family group was killed, the non-breeding females will begin breeding. Family structures have become unstable, which might lead more coyotes to seek food among the houses. And if Smirl is right, the city has now created a smarter, sneakier population of local coyotes. Camilla Fox, founder of Project Coyote, said its unclear whether the city truly had a problem-coyote issue at all. People tend to misinterpret coyote curiosity as aggression, she said. And even if the city had an animal that had lost too much of its fear of people, that fear usually can be re-installed. Meanwhile, she said, theres little evidence that the city has done anything to enforce its laws against feeding coyotes. Most people think of that as purposely leaving out food and water, but it can include leaving fallen fruit on the ground, keeping compost heaps uncovered and failing to clean up the scattered bird seed under feeders. Project Coyote persuaded the Calabasas City Council not to spend public money on coyote trapping; instead, the nonprofit group has developed a comprehensive plan for managing coyotes. Fox offered to do the same for Laguna Beach for free. Instead, the city has committed tens of thousands of dollars to trapping the wildlife, a strange irony for a town that spent millions to preserve the back-country habitat where coyotes live. We all want wildlife, it seems, we just dont want it to inconvenience us very much. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook The Internet is often accused of fueling conspiracy theories, but it also serves as an outlet for mindless conspiracy bashing. Some pundits took the start of the new year as an excuse to aggregate, and denigrate, recent conspiracy theories. Alternet published The 5 Craziest Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories of 2015 (subtitle: The indefatigable right-wing loony factory pumped out some doozies this year.). Bustle collected The Most Bizarre Conspiracy Theories of 2015 and National Memo offered This Year in Crazy: 2015 Belonged to the Wingnuts. The Guardians film critic, Peter Bradshaw, wished for fewer smug conspiracy theories in 2016. Nowadays, he lamented, there is always a malign pseudo-sophisticate dunce who can be relied upon to appear out of the online thicket, darkly insisting on a provocateur conspiracy behind everything. Dismissing all conspiracy theories (and theorists) as crazy is just as intellectually lazy as credulously accepting every wild allegation. Advertisement When major news breaks, it doesnt take long for people to come up with conspiracy theories, and it doesnt take much longer for other people to call the conspiracy theorists wacky, delusional and other unkind adjectives. Confirmation bias kicks in; both sides double down on the inflammatory rhetoric. Whos smugger, really to borrow Bradshaws word the theorists or the anti-theorists? The antis should not be so quick to assert their superiority. You dont have to be crazy to believe conspiracy theories. In a 2013 survey of 1,247 registered American voters, for example, just over a third agreed that global warming is a hoax, and half agreed that there was a conspiracy behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. When researchers look at how many people believe any conspiracy theory, the figures come in even higher. As many as 9 out of 10 people acknowledge entertaining one conspiracy theory or another. Recent psychological research reveals why we are all yes, all wired to feel the lure of conspiracy theories. Given a handful of dots, our pattern-seeking brains cant resist trying to connect them. Faced with events that have significant consequences, for example, we tend to suspect there must have been an equally significant cause. One experiment, conducted long before the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, used the context of a plane crash. If there were many casualties, people felt that big explanations, such as endemic malpractice in the airline industry, were more plausible. If there were no casualties, people were happy with smaller explanations, such as a single malfunctioning component. Its the impulse to think big common to everyone that leads some to believe that mass shootings are a ruse designed to repeal the 2nd Amendment, that an assassination couldnt have been pulled off by a lone gunman, or perhaps that the president is a pawn of the New World Order. But our built-in biases dont just nudge us toward believing large-scale conspiracy theories; they also shape how we interpret our everyday lives. Consider some defining event in your life, such as how you met your spouse. Youre probably tempted to think theres some deep explanation for it, such as fate or destiny. Or imagine your child receives a routine vaccination, and he screams and cries for the rest of the day. Weeks later, he shows signs of autism. Given a coincidence like that, its not hard to see why a parent might suspect that the vaccine caused the disorder. Our biases can lead us astray plenty of scientific studies have failed to find any evidence that vaccines cause autism. But without them, wed be lost, blind to cause and effect. Sometimes the dots really are connected. If you eat a burrito for lunch and feel horribly sick later that night, youll probably blame the burrito and you might be right. If you had claimed, in the early 1970s, that a hotel burglary was, in fact, a plot by White House officials to illegally spy on political rivals and ensure President Nixons reelection, you might have been accused of conspiracy theorizing. Indeed, journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were accused by the White House and even their own editorial team at the Washington Post of propagating conspiracy theories. So if youre one of those people whos certain youd never fall for a false conspiracy theory, consider the possibility that youd never suss out a real one. A recent study, for example, found that people who reject speculative conspiracy theories (such as evidence of alien contact is being concealed from the public) are also more likely to reject documented conspiracies (such as How likely is the idea that the government has performed mind-control experiments on its own citizens without their consent? a coy reference to the CIAs very real MKUltra program). Dismissing all conspiracy theories (and theorists) as crazy is just as intellectually lazy as credulously accepting every wild allegation. The tricky part is figuring out whats reasonable and whats ridiculous, and we can do that only by honestly scrutinizing why we believe what we believe. Seen from the perspective of psychology, conspiracy theorists arent so strange. Or, looking at it another way, conspiracy theorists are weird; its just that the rest of us are weird too. Rob Brotherton is an academic psychologist and the author of Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook According to the Constitution, the legislature is the first and most powerful branch of government. And yet, many believe on the left and the right that the institution has atrophied. By all accounts, Speaker Paul Ryan is eager to change that. He has his work cut out for him. At the Republican congressional retreat in Baltimore last week, I participated in a panel discussion about how to revive Congress traditional role. It was off the record, but I can certainly repeat a story I told. When my father was in the army, he was stationed in Japan. His commanding officer, a master at maneuvering the military bureaucracy, gave him one piece of advice. Goldberg, its always better to be on the committee that says, this must never happen again. Advertisement The executive branch was never supposed to be this powerful. In other words, its easier to wag a finger at mistakes than to be accountable for them. Congress has largely become a finger-wagging bystander. Its great at expressing outrage . But when it comes to the messy work of legislating, its fallen down on the job. This is true even when it writes landmark laws. The Affordable Care Act, for example, isnt so much a piece of legislation as a Letter of Marque for the Health and Human Services Secretary to chart whatever course she pleases. The law contains more than 2,500 references to the Secretary, as Phillip Klein reported in 2010. In 700 of them, the law says she shall do X and in another 200-plus instances it says she may do Y. In 139 instances, it simply says the Secretary determines. This is just one example of how Congress routinely vests legislative power in the executive branch. Other aspects of Congress authority have been hacked away and sold off in pieces. The Constitution says only Congress can levy taxes. The founders had this crazy idea called no taxation without representation. And yet, numerous agencies are self-funding, raising money without having to worry about Congress power of the purse. For example, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gets its revenue from a skim of the profits from the Federal Reserve. Not only are such arrangements a hate-crime against the Constitution, they also make agencies less accountable to Congress, and by extension, the people. These agencies are, furthermore, often unaccountable to the judicial branch. Bureaucrats have their own administrative courts, which routinely deny traditional due process to plaintiffs. The executive branch was never supposed to be this powerful. Richard Neustadt famously wrote in Presidential Power that the presidency is an inherently weak office and therefore the presidents chief power is persuasion. For decades, presidents took Neustadts argument to heart, using the bully pulpit to rally public opinion to their side. President Obama has certainly tried to do that. But its turned out that his powers of persuasion have been greatly exaggerated, particularly in this age of polarization. Unable to coax the country in his direction, Obama has relied on his beloved pen and phone strategy that is, signing executive orders often to the cheers of congressional Democrats apparently eager to celebrate their institutional gelding. The Hudson Institutes Christopher DeMuth argues that Obama is the first president to recognize that Neustadt is obsolete and so is the notion of a lame duck presidency. Obama can keep making policy right until the day he leaves office. The challenge for Ryan is multifaceted. He wants to restore Congress primacy, but to do so he must also transform the GOP into what he calls a proposition party not an opposition party (which may be difficult if Obama does everything he can to invite opposition from conservatives). Both require time he may not have. Clawing back the legislative function cant be done overnight and requires a cultural transformation of Congress itself. Meanwhile, both parties front-runners dont seem interested in deferring to Congress. Hillary Clinton has already said that Obamas unilateralism hasnt gone far enough, and vowed to go farther. Donald Trump promises to just make stuff happen via his superhuman management skills. We already know liberals will applaud an imperial Democratic president. I can only hope conservatives will stick with Ryan under a Republican one. jgoldberg@latimescolumnists.com Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook When I was a kid, I was creepily fascinated by the wrongheaded idea that your hair and your fingernails keep growing after you die. The lesson seemed to be that momentum was hard to kill. The same thing is at work right now with the fossil fuel industry. Even as global warming makes it clear that coal, natural gas and oil are yesterdays energy, two centuries of fossil fuel development means new projects keep emerging in zombie-like fashion. In fact, the climactic fight at the end of the fossil fuel era is underway. In statehouse hearing rooms and far off farmers fields, local activists are making desperate stands to stop new fossil fuel projects, while the energy companies are making equally desperate attempts to build while they still can. The outcome of these thousands of fights, as much or more than the paper promises made at the U.N. climate conference in Paris in December, will determine whether we emerge from this century with a habitable planet. They are the battle for the future. Heres how Diane Leopold, president of Virginia-based Dominion Energy put it last year: It may be the most challenging period in fossil fuel history because of high-intensity opposition to infrastructure projects that is becoming steadily louder, better-funded and more sophisticated. Or, in the words of the head of the American Natural Gas Assn.: Call it the Keystone-ization of every project thats out there. Advertisement I hesitate to even start listing whats out there because Im going to miss dozens. In North America, people are fighting the Sandpiper pipeline in the upper Midwest; the Line 9, Energy East, Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipelines in Canada; the Pinon pipeline in Navajo country; the Vermont Gas pipeline down the western side of my own state; the Constitution pipeline; the Spectra pipeline; and on and on. And its not just pipelines. Activists are on trial for trying to block oil trains in the Pacific Northwest. In the Finger Lakes region in central New York, not a week goes by without mass arrests of locals attempting to prevent old salt mines from being turned into a giant underground gas storage site. In California, its fracking wells in Kern County. The protests are endless, and the protesters have to be endlessly resourceful. Everywhere the opposition is forced by statute to make its stand not on climate change arguments but on older grounds. This pipeline will hurt water quality. That coal port will increase local pollution. All the arguments are correct and accurate but a far more important case always lurks in the background: Each of these new infrastructure projects should be stopped because it extends the fossil fuel era a few more disastrous decades. Heres the basic math: If you build a pipeline in 2016, the investment will be amortized for 40 years or more. It is designed to last to carry coal slurry or gas or oil well into the second half of the 21st century. It is, in other words, designed to keep us extracting carbon, the very thing scientists insist we simply cant keep doing and survive. The only way to short-circuit this zombie process is to fight like hell, raising the price, both political and economic, of new fossil fuel infrastructure. Unfortunately, fossil fuel companies have the clout to keep politicians saying yes. Just a week after the Paris climate accords were adopted, for instance, the well-paid American employees of those companies, otherwise known as senators and representatives, overturned a 40-year-old ban on U.S. oil exports, a gift that an Exxon spokesman had asked for explicitly a few weeks earlier. The sooner this happens, the better for us, hed told the New York Times. The money, however, is only part of it: The whole process is on autopilot. For many decades the economic health of the nation and access to fossil fuels were more or less synonymous. So its no wonder that laws and regulations favor business as usual. The advent of the environmental movement in the 1970s and 1980s introduced a few new rules, but it didnt try to shut down the whole enterprise. Now fossil fuel projects continue to get approved, almost automatically, because there is no legal reason not to do so. As 2016 began in my own backyard, Vermont as enlightened a patch of territory as youre likely to find the state Public Service Board approved a big new gas pipeline. Under long-standing regulations, the pipeline was found to be in the public interest, even though science has recently made it clear that the methane leaking from the fracked gas the pipeline will carry is a bigger climate problem than the burning of coal. The decision came two weeks after the temperature in the city of Burlington hit 68 on Christmas Eve, breaking the old record by, oh, 17 degrees. The only way to short-circuit this zombie process is to fight like hell, raising the price, both political and economic, of new fossil fuel infrastructure to the point where politicians begin to balk. Thats what happened with Keystone and its happening elsewhere, too. Other Canadian tar sands pipelines have been blocked. Coal ports planned for the West Coast havent been built. In May, a coalition across six continents is being organized to engage in mass civil disobedience to keep it in the ground. In a few places you can see more than just the opposition; you can see results. Last fall, in Portland, Ore., the City Council passed a remarkable resolution: The city will use its powers to keep out new fossil fuel infrastructure. The resolution will almost certainly stop a proposed propane export terminal project, but far more important, it opens the door to a better future. If you cant do fossil fuel energy, after all, you have to do something else sun, wind, conservation. This business of driving stakes through the heart of one project after another is exhausting. So many petitions, so many demonstrations, so many meetings. But for now, theres really no other way to kill a zombie. Bill McKibben is the founder of 350.org and a professor of environmental studies at Middlebury College. A longer version of this essay appears at TomDispatch.com. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Defending his healthcare reform plan at Sundays Democratic presidential debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders told the audience that switching to a single-payer, Medicare for All approach would deliver huge savings in what your family is spending. Whether thats true, however, depends on who your family is -- and how much appetite the country has for government price caps and rationing. Sanders argues that eliminating private insurers and having the federal government pay the citizenrys medical bills would cut healthcare spending by $6 trillion over the next 10 years. Thats a huge amount, even considering the fact that Americans spent an estimated $3 trillion on healthcare just in 2014. Much of the savings the senator is counting on would come from cutting out the insurance middleman and easing the paperwork burden on doctors and hospitals that have to deal today with multiple payers. And there are probably savings to be found there, at least initially. Advertisement Studies have shown that government-run insurance programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, do indeed spend a lower percentage of their total budgets on administration than private ones do. Part of the reason is scale -- the federal programs can spread their fixed costs across a far larger pool of customers. And in the case of Medicare, the medical costs per enrollee are considerably higher too. Those savings dont look so impressive, however, when you calculate administrative costs on a per enrollee basis. Sanders is also proposing to make healthcare seem less expensive by doing away with insurance premiums, deductibles and copays. Instead, hed pay for claims by raising income-tax rates by 2.2% for most Americans, although those with high incomes would see progressively larger hikes. The top tax bracket would rise from just under 40% to 43% for incomes under $2 million, or to 52% for incomes above $10 million. All employers, meanwhile, would pay an additional 6.2% tax on incomes -- on top of the worlds highest tax on business incomes. Anyone earning a modest amount of money would probably feel significantly better off under Sanders arrangement, especially if they already had health benefits at work. If they didnt, their employer might respond to the new tax by cutting payroll -- either through layoffs or pay cuts. As for those earning fatter paychecks, the tax hit would be significant -- an additional $12,000 a year for someone earning $300,000, for example. Those with $1-million incomes would pay $30,000 more. For a $2-million income, the hit would be $80,000. That sort of progressivity has a precedent of sorts: Retirees with higher incomes pay more for Medicare Part B. But thats simply because they receive a smaller subsidy for their insurance, not because their premiums are subsidizing other peoples benefits. Sanders approach, by contrast, takes from Rich Peter to pay for Poor Pauls coverage. Heres a bigger issue. Removing private insurers in favor of government ones wont do anything to slow the growth of healthcare spending or the high cost (relative to the rest of the world) of each procedure performed, which are the real problems in the system. To (partly) address those issues, Sanders plan calls for reduced spending on monopoly prices for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, as well as slowing the growth of drug spending through government price controls. Its not clear how such controls would work -- Sanders hasnt released enough detail to tell. What is clear from history, though, is that any effort by Washington to limit spending on specific drugs or devices is likely to trigger a political firestorm. Just look at what happened when a federal panel of experts on preventive care recommended that fewer mammograms be performed, or when the Food and Drug Administration withdrew its approval of the drug Avastin for use with breast cancer patients. This powerful, ingrained resistance to anything perceived as rationing helps explain why healthcare costs have risen faster than consumer prices or the U.S. economy for decades. Theyve also been boosted by Medicares original fee-for-service structure, which gave doctors and hospitals an incentive to perform as many treatments as possible and provide the most intensive (and expensive) care. Nor did the original Medicare give enrollees much incentive, if any, to curb their demand for treatments. Thats why reformers -- including the Obama administration -- have argued that all beneficiaries should face at least nominal deductibles or copays. Sanders proposal would eliminate these out-of-pocket costs. Taking private insurers out of the picture would also eliminate one of the strongest forces pushing for more efficient and better coordinated care today. Thats not to say the government couldnt fill that role; its just that, as noted above, anything the government might do to limit access to costly treatments, even if theyre not as effective as less expensive ones, would be pilloried as rationing. Thats one reason the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, didnt do enough to control costs. But it did include a number of pilot programs aimed at giving doctors and hospitals an incentive to treat patients more efficiently and reduce the demand for care. That sort of effort to realign incentives is vital to any healthcare reform; it goes hand-in-hand with efforts to improve the quality of care and bring every American into the coverage tent. Sanders plan would go further than any other candidates to build the third leg of that stool. The other two legs, however, need a lot more work. Email Jon Healey Follow Healeys intermittent Twitter feed: @jcahealey The Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to take a third swing at the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. It was the right call because the case -- Sissel vs. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- was built on a fanciful vision of how Congress should operate. Matt Sissel, an artist in Oregon, sued the federal government because he doesnt want to buy health insurance, as required by the ACA. When the Supreme Court upheld the laws individual mandate in 2012, Sissels initial claims appeared to be dead. But with the help of the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation, he found a clever way to assert a new challenge to the entire law. See the most-read stories this hour >> Advertisement Because the justices had found the individual mandate to be a valid exercise of Congress power to tax (the mandate is enforced with tax penalties), Sissel claimed the ACA was a tax bill. And because the text of the law was written by the Senate, his lawyers argued, it violated the clear constitutional requirement that tax legislation originate in the House. Their position was rejected, however, by a district court judge, a three-judge appellate panel and the full Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which declined to reconsider the case last year. The Supreme Court denied Sissels petition for certiorari Tuesday without comment. Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Timothy Sandefur issued a statement expressing his disappointment shortly thereafter. At issue was the Constitutions Origination Clause, which requires all new taxes to start in the House, the chamber closest to the people, Sandefur stated. Obamacare is a massive tax bill, but it was launched in the Senate through a procedural ploy. The Senates subversion of the constitutionally mandated rules for tax bills is a danger not just in this case but in future cases as well. By allowing Congress to use procedural tricks to evade the constitutional rules, the Court has opened the door to Congress further evading democratic accountability for the laws it passes. Thats wrong on all sorts of levels. The ACA raises money not to feed the Treasury but to pay for the programs it created, so its a tax bill only in the sense that the measures that created Social Security or Medicare are tax bills. And its laughable to suggest that theres been no democratic accountability for Obamacare. It may be the principal reason Republicans now control both chambers of Congress. Besides, the Pacific Legal Foundations case ignored how the ACA became law. The bill that President Obama signed was originally a House bill (HR 3590), written by the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, that extended some expiring tax credits and raised revenue to pay for them. Sissels attorneys claimed that the Senates amendment to the House bill -- the text of the ACA -- wasnt germane, but theres no germaneness requirement in the Constitution. Beyond that, what the Senate did was a routine procedural maneuver, not an effort to usurp the powers of the House. Its done all the time, with no love lost over germaneness. Once the House sends over a bill that raises revenue, its well understood that the Senate can and will use that measure as a vehicle for its own tax-related proposals. More important, the Senate wasnt the first to adopt the individual mandate. A version was included in the Houses Obamacare bill, HR 3962, which that chamber passed shortly before the Senate began debating the ACA. Then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) couldnt bring HR 3962 to the Senate floor because it included a public option that a key independent senator, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, had pledged to help Republicans block with a filibuster. Thats why HR 3590 became the vehicle instead of the Houses healthcare bill. The lower courts rejected Sissels case because, in their view, the ACA not only originated in the House, it wasnt covered by the Constitutions origination clause because its main purpose wasnt for raising revenue. A few appeals court judges disagreed with the latter assessment, arguing that any bill that generated as much tax revenue as the ACA had to be covered. But they also rejected Sissels argument that any Senate amendment to a House revenue bill had to be germane. Sissels case would have put the Supreme Court in a position to give the House great -- even unprecedented -- control over the tax code. If the justices imposed a germaneness requirement on Senate amendments, the House alone could decide not just whether Congress should take up a revenue-raising bill, which is clearly its prerogative today, but also the breadth of any tax-reform effort, which sections of the code would be off-limits to amendment, and potentially whether Congress included a way to pay for the new programs it enacted. Happily, the court turned away the Pacific Legal Foundations entreaty. And so the ACA survives yet again. Email Jon Healey Follow Healeys intermittent Twitter feed: @jcahealey MORE FROM OPINION The religious culture war over gays is ecumenical Does killing urban coyotes create more problems than it solves? L.A. housing is expensive, sure. But are you paying too much for your rental? At first blush, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump she just endorsed him for president would seem to have plenty in common. Theyre both shoot-from-the-mouth veteran reality-TV stars. Hes more veteran than she is, of course. Trump, the longtime wealthy New York real estate magnate, is worldly. The caribou-hunting Alaska governor turned 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate turned conservative voice for hire is not. However, both exhibit an appalling lack of sophistication and knowledge about the world and its people. So theyre a match! Getting Palin aboard the Trump train is like doubling down on his outsider appeal. But as Trump heads out of the land of campaigning for TV audiences and faux election polls (If you were voting, who would you vote for?) and into the realm of primaries where actual people show up and vote, you would think Trump might be concerned about toning down the rhetoric and finding a conservative of some gravitas to lend some of that substance to him. Advertisement Or not. Corralling Palin aboard the Trump train is like doubling down on his outsider appeal. She is still something of the darling of grass-roots conservatives. Shes very photogenic while he continues to take on the color of a lemon meringue pie. For a minute I thought maybe he courted her support because she was a woman, but, no. As dismissive and insulting as he has been of women who challenge him, he does have women working for him. And he has his daughter on the campaign trail. So Trump didnt really need Palin, because shes a woman. If anything, she needs him to boost her STARmeter ranking on IMDb.com. Besides, when Trumps closest competitor, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, is denouncing New York values, why should Trump need to work at looking more rational? Hes got Cruz for that. I will admit I am curious to see the two hit the campaign trail together. But Im much more looking forward to seeing the SNL skit of their little endorsement fest on next weekends show. Lorne Michaels, call Tina Fey right now and make sure shes available. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion. MORE FROM OPINION The logic behind conspiracy theories Obamas careful engagement with Iran pays off Obamacare dodges another bullet at the Supreme Court The glow of goodwill that followed a surprise prisoner swap and the lifting of international sanctions on Irans nuclear program over the weekend is already being tempered by the somber realization that the Islamic Republic is not likely to change course significantly on other pressing conflicts with the West. Recent events marked an improvement in relations between Washington and Tehran after decades of open hostilities, and a victory, if only a temporary one, for moderates in Iran. For the first time, there is an open diplomatic channel through which the two countries can communicate, and an especially personal one between Secretary of State John F. Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. They are said to be on a first-name basis, speaking almost daily by telephone and more frequently when there are fires to put out. Advertisement See more of our top stories on Facebook >> But it is highly unlikely that the momentum on the nuclear agreement will translate into substantial foreign-policy shifts for Iran, particularly when it comes to other intractable conflicts in the region, U.S. officials say. The two countries remain worlds apart on numerous issues, and that chasm will not be bridged easily. The first test comes Jan. 25 when world powers are scheduled to resume talks aimed at ending the civil war in Syria. Iran steadfastly backs Syrian President Bashar Assad, putting it squarely on the opposite side of the U.S., Saudi Arabia and most of the West. Obama administration officials say they are keeping expectations low. Iran is not going to change dramatically in the next year or two years, said a senior administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly. If Iran does act in a more constructive fashion, it would be a positive development in resolving difficult issues. If they dont, we will continue to enforce our sanctions and continue to have very strong differences. Critics of the nuclear deal predict that, with tens of billions of dollars about to pour into its coffers because of the agreement, Iran may further antagonize the West by using that money to finance terrorism and pro-Assad military operations. The changes in Iranian behavior that we have seen are tied to the fact they wanted the $100 billion, Dennis Ross, a former longtime Middle East negotiator and now counselor at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said in an interview. He was referring to the frozen Iranian assets released by sanctions relief; the exact amount of those monies is unclear. If you are looking for signs of potential change in Syria or Iraq, you wont see it anytime soon, Ross added. The resistance ideology as represented by the supreme leader and the [hard-line] Revolutionary Guard is not going to change. The Obama administrations decision to place new sanctions on Iran on Sunday, targeting 11 people and companies involved in that countrys ballistic missile program, angered the government in Tehran. The new sanctions, a response to Irans launch of ballistic missiles last fall in apparent contravention of United Nations resolutions, are separate from those related to Irans nuclear program. They were announced shortly after three freed American prisoners, returning homeward, cleared Iranian airspace. Iranian officials denounced the latest sanctions, saying they have no legal or moral legitimacy, according to a Reuters report Monday of a Foreign Ministry statement. The hard-line newspaper Kayhan ran a banner headline Sanctions are back! nearly crowding out coverage of a celebratory speech by moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Not only did Obama make a somewhat insulting speech to the Iranian people just hours after implementation of the nuclear agreement, but the U.S. then went and imposed these new sanctions, said Professor Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American affairs at Tehran University whose views often reflect official Iranian policy. How does the United States expect that to be interpreted in Iran? Changes in how Washington will now deal with Tehran are significant, but not profound, said Wendy Sherman, the longtime senior State Department official who led the team negotiating the nuclear deal. Iran foments instability in the Middle East, has been a state sponsor of terrorism, and its human rights record is terrible. So we have a long way to go. Wendy Sherman, a longtime senior State Department official Iran foments instability in the Middle East, has been a state sponsor of terrorism, and its human rights record is terrible, Sherman, now a senior fellow at Harvard Universitys Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, said Monday, speaking to NPR from Tel Aviv. So we have a long way to go. Another factor rests with how much influence Rouhani will continue to wield, especially if economic gains from sanctions relief prove more modest than promised, as is likely given the historically low price of oil. Iran is also being allowed to rejoin the international banking system as part of the relief. Rouhani may not have as free a hand to maneuver as he and his moderate supporters had wanted. He ran for president in part with a promise to solve Irans daunting economic problems by securing sanctions relief. He has delivered on the relief, but the economy is in such a deep hole, analysts say, that it may not grow by more than 2% or 3% this year, far below what many Iranians had hoped for. Rouhani may not get the political bounce he no doubt believes he deserves. The first chance to gauge Rouhanis position will come in parliamentary elections next month; it will be crucial that Rouhani supporters and other so-called pragmatists are not disqualified from running. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> It is clear that Rouhani in recent months has received the blessing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Without Khameneis blessing, the deal would not have been negotiated for more than a year, signed over the summer and implemented this past weekend. Nor would the five American prisoners, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, have been released. Khamenei initially prohibited talks with the Americans on any matter other than the nuclear program. But about 14 months ago, U.S. officials noted an apparent opening for discussion of the release of Rezaian and other imprisoned Iranian Americans. A separate venue for that negotiation was opened, now with participation for the first time of intelligence officials who were the true arbiters of the fates of the American prisoners. There were moments in the negotiations when the U.S. delegation thought it had reached agreement on certain points, only to find the Iranians returning to the table nixing it, apparently after consultation with the intelligence community or other hard-liners, Sherman recalled. Under Khameneis direction, or push, hard-liners and moderates apparently came to the same page for the nuclear deal and prisoner swap. But it is likely to be a one-off, many analysts believe. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, there have been occasional periods of opening-up and expectation, such as the often-giddy electoral demonstrations in 2009 that were followed only by crackdown and retrenchment. Another obstacle to rapid change and closer ties is the fact that it will be difficult for Western businesses to go charging into Iran. There are numerous risks for any potential entrepreneur; U.S. citizens, for example, would still be barred from doing business with Iranian partners tied to terrorism or human rights abuses. Many Iranian businesses are fronts for the Revolutionary Guard, so an unsuspecting prospective company risks running aground of the sanctions that are still in place, or snap-back sanctions that will be imposed by the U.S. or the international community if Iran violates any of the nuclear restrictions. Money laundering is also a large industry in Iran. International monitors have placed Iran in a special category with North Korea in terms of the illegal movement and laundering of money. Several of the Iranians freed by the U.S. as part of the prisoner swap had been convicted of or faced trial on money-laundering charges. Crippled banks and a mysterious legal system are also a deterrent. If Iran truly wants integration into the global market and financial system, it will have to play by the rules, Ross said; otherwise, it will pay a price. Still, some multinational conglomerates are eager to get started. Daimler announced Monday that its truck business is returning to Iran. The German company started building trucks in Iran in 1953, stopping only in 2010 because of the nuclear-related sanctions. Daimler estimates Iran needs to replace 56,000 commercial vehicles over the next three to five years. We plan to quickly resume our business activities in the market there, Daimler Trucks head Wolfgang Bernhard said in a statement. Iran has also announced the purchase of 100 Airbus planes from Europe. Rouhani tweeted over the weekend: The legs of Irans economy are now free of the chains of sanctions, and its time to build and grow. Times staff writer Patrick J. McDonnell in Beirut contributed to this report. ALSO It was really touch and go for Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian U.S. Embassy says several Americans missing in Iraq Pentagon report: Iran took SIM cards from detained U.S. sailors phones North African country Morocco recently claimed that it has taken Belgian man of Moroccan descent into custody, believed to have connections with gunmen and bombers of the November Paris attacks. According to CNN, he has been identified by authorities Gelel Attar. The 26-year-old man knew very well the people who carried out the bombing and attacks which killed 130 people. It added that Attar lives in Molenbeek, Belgium, which is a known base of terrorists in Brussels. He is currently detained in Sale, which is close to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. BBC reported said the man had come from his travel in Syria through channels in Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, and Belgium. It added that Attar also became part of the al-Nusra front before he became a member of the Islamic State. He reportedly traveled to Syria with one of the suicide bombers in the northern suburb of Saint-Dennis, identified as Charib Akrouh. According to CNN, the two traveled to Syria in 2013. Attar also reportedly met with alleged Paris attack ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud. Abaaoud, a Belgian national, was killed along with his cousin Hasna Aitboulahcen during a raid by the authorities in Saint-Dennis, five days after the coordinated attacks. Akrouh also died on the same raid when he blew himself up with a bomb. As per CNN, Attar's family has already been informed of his arrest, but noted that they are not being investigated. The captured suspect is expected to undergo trial after the investigation of the bloody attacks is finished. This is not the first arrest made in relation to the Paris attacks, Independent said. It noted that the country has also captured several men, and hopes to catch the remaining prime suspect in the terrorist plot, French-Moroccan national Salah Abdeslam. The same report said that authorities have discovered that the suspect's flat in Brussels, Belgium, was being used as a place to manufacture suicide belts. Abdeslam is considered to be the last member of the terrorist group, who remains in hiding after he flew to Belgium after the attacks, and then disappeared from the country a day after. Al Jazeera has stressed that the attacks in Paris last November 13 were "act(s) of war," made possible by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The attacks reportedly started in a rock concert at the Bataclan music hall, where about 80 were killed. This was followed by other attacks in the French Capital, which also killed more than 40 people. The violent attacks, as per Al Jazeera, came as a retribution for the country, which is part of the coalition conducting airstrikes versus Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. LOS ANGELESPopular star Katie Morgan will join hosts James Bartholet and Lauren Phillips and a lot of exciting special guests, including XXX comedienne Alia Janine, on a very special live radio broadcast from the 2016 AVN/AEE Expo in Vegas on Inside The Industry this Wednesday January 20, 7 to 9 p.m. PST on latalkradio.com. The hosts and guests will be talking about the Expo, the parties, and the 2016 AVN Awards. Lots of special surprise XXX guests will be dropping in. They will be taking calls live from the listening audience. Fans can call in live at 323-203-0815 during the broadcast. Join the conversations in the chat room at the Inside The Industry site, or on the Adult DVD Talk site. The program is rebroadcast daily on LA Talk Radio and insidetheindustry.net. Inside The Industry is sponsored every week by AVN, 1amdollusa.com, Streamates, Pipedream Products, Adam & Eve, and Black Tie Limousines. Inside the Industry is also available on iTunes. Inside The Industry is continuing its exciting and fun weekly on-air contests. This week's contests include free signed DVDs, or a free promotional item from Pipedream Products. Production companies who would like to send information to be discussed on the air, performers who want to be booked as guests on the program, or companies that wish to advertise on the program, can email the Inside the Industry production office at [email protected]. Cuban President Raul Castro will visit France for the first time next month. Castro will meet his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, in Paris on Feb. 1, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Monday. The state visit will mark "a new step in the reinforcement of relations between the two countries," the French presidency added, as reported by Yahoo! News. Castro's official state visit to France was first announced in December. In May 2015, Hollande became the first Western president to visit Cuba in over 50 years, Reuters wrote. The French leader is reportedly positioning his country to take advantage of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the Communist nation and the United States. During his trip to Cuba, Hollande urged the U.S. government to remove economic sanctions in the Caribbean island because it is harming the nation, Yahoo! News added. Cuba and France agreed to annul $4 billion in debt last December as part of a deal between the island nation and the 15 rich creditor nations of the Paris Club, according to Reuters. France was Cuba's main creditor. About 60 French companies are operating in Cuba, including hotels specialist Accor, construction group Bouygues, and distilled beverages firm Pernod Ricard, the news outlet listed. During Hollande's visit last May, Cuba announced an oil exploration deal with France in the Gulf of Mexico, the Guardian reported. Both French oil major Total and Cuban state oil monopoly CubaPetroleo, or Cupet, signed an agreement to explore offshore oil sources. Hollande assured back then that France "will be a faithful ally" to Cuba as it reforms its economy and goes back to the global economic system, adding that it will "help get rid of measures that have so seriously damaged Cuba's development," the Guardian added. Aside from France, top diplomats from Italy, Japan, the European Union, Russia, and the Netherlands have also paid a visit to Cuba in past months to stake out or maintain relations with the island, the news outlet noted. Hollande's address last year also revealed that France is planning to boost academic exchanges with Cuba and mutually recognize the nation's university degree. This month, the director of the U.S. Department at Cuba's Foreign Ministry, Josefina Vidal, said that relations between Havana and Washington must develop in 2016, despite it being an election year in the U.S. Vidal doubts that a new U.S. president will break off the country's renewed ties with Cuba, but issues could arise, such as "cooperation in different fields, the derogation of some instruments approved by executive decision or to strip them of their purpose through inaction," Prensa Latina reported. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Robbers who robbed a bank in Curiuva, Brazil, were caught on video as they escaped from the crime scene together with some hostages. The video of the incident posted below showed the robbers, who were armed with guns, escaping the bank aboard a pickup truck, which also carried innocent individuals. According to Globo, the armed group targeted a bank in the northern Parana municipality on Monday afternoon. aRede added that the five men were holding rifles when they entered the bank, and grabbed people walking on the street to prevent the police from shooting at them. It added that when they took a big sum of money from the financial establishment, they also took a Ford F-1000 truck, which was parked adjacent to the bank. In the Globo report, witnesses said that when the robbers fled the crime scene, they were with hostages who were seated in front of the pickup truck. They have not been located since their escape. A similar Ric Mais report mentioned that the group could have used the hostages as their human shields to make sure that they would be able to escape unharmed. It also noted that the hostages were customers and employees of Banco Itau. One of them, a half-naked man, was even seen on the pickup truck's hood as the vehicle moved towards the PR - 160 highway, going to Telemaco Borba. This prevented police from shooting at them during the escape, added aRede. It added that about 30 individuals were taken hostage by the group. Ric Mais, however, noted that the hostages were later on dumped in the neighborhood of Cologne Dantas. Until now, the military police have no leads on the whereabouts of the robber group. The video highlighted the fact that there were no signs of any police trailing the getaway vehicle. However, perhaps it was simply not taped, since the person who shared WhatsUp video ended filming after the suspects passed. The Itau bank in Curiuva also became a target of an armed robbery group two years ago, according to Bonde. It noted that seven gunmen bombed the automated teller machines (ATMs) of the bank to get the money inside them. The robbers also reportedly had long guns and wore hoods. Last year, another bank in Curiuva was targeted by men with the same strategy of blowing up ATMs. An earlier Globo report mentioned that the robbers even thought of locking the gate of the Military Police to prevent them from responding to the incident. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 452 earthquakes rocked Cuba on Sunday. The residents felt a total of 19 earthquakes, and panicked at the thought of both massive damages in infrastructure, and loss of lives. A LaRed21 report indicated that of the strongest quake felt that day measured 4.8 on the Richter Scale. It added that the epicenter of the quakes was recorded 40 kilometers south of Santiago de Cuba. But Havana Times said that one of the tremors even reached a 5.0 magnitude, adding that the first was recorded at around 1:30 a.m. Journalists and radio stations reported the ground shaking, causing panic early in the morning. Warnings to the public were issued. Havana Times added that reporters observed cracks and fallen walls in the neighborhood of New Van Van. The Civil Defense Authority was quick to refute the claims at around 6 a.m., explaining that earthquakes did not cause any collapsed buildings. Matos advised residents not to proceed to the ground floor of any buildings on their own. They were also told to proceed to open spaces like Ferreiro Park. Many followed the instructions of the Civil Defense Authority, and proceeded to the park with their bags and suitcases. Aside from these precautions, Matos also told people to close their gas tank valves and turn off any electrical appliances inside their homes. Cuba Journal noted that, as of Monday, the earthquakes did not cause any damage or injuries. The National Center of Seismological Research technological deputy director Dr. Enrique Arango Arias told LaRed21 that this number of earthquakes in a single day is not normal, despite the lack of injury or damage. "We must be vigilant," he added. Cuba has already activated various sectors who are prepared to respond to any destructive effects of the possible natural disaster. Last year, LaRed21 noted that more than 5,000 earthquakes in Cuba, mostly on the south and eastern sections of the country. Since the country is "a seismically active region," the report noted that this number of earthquakes is not surprising. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The idea of supporting their husbands on the battlefield and protecting their children from danger has pushed countless Christian women to join the fight against ISIS. Syrian wives, mothers and professionals have banded together to form what is now called the Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers. Some of its members have already been stationed near ISIS military camps, while others have carried high-powered rifles to help liberate the Syrian town of Al-Hol from ISIS oppression. The all-female unit is primarily focused on defending small Christian communities, per FoxNews. One female fighter, by the name of Babylonia, said it was her husband who enlisted her to the military troupe. She willing obliged, hoping her efforts would help carve a better future for her children. "I'm a practicing Christian, and thinking about my children makes me stronger and more determined in my fight against Daesh (ISIS)," she said. As of the moment, the female militia only has 50 members. The first batch of fighters graduated in August 2015, while the second batch, which included Babylonia, finished training just last month. NewsMax indicated that the unit's main headquarters is in the town of Al-Qahtaniyah, in the north-eastern part of Syria. While Babylonia and her squad are busy liberating oppressed civilians, their ISIS counterparts are now being trained as suicide bombers. Jihadist husbands and fathers are encouraging their wives and daughters to volunteer for a "noble" cause, promising them paradise if they successfully defend their caliphate. "The phenomenon of female jihadists has been growing for many years now," said political Islam analyst Kamran Bokhari. "Females go through the same technical tradecraft with respect to guns and explosives, and the ideological training is very similar in that they are promised heaven should they carry out their mission." The female jihadists are first recruited by the Al-Khansa Brigade. Dubbed as the "Sharia police," enforcers are tasked to roam ISIS-occupied streets, punishing female civilians for petty violations such as failure to adhere to the sharia dress code. After serving their term with the Al-Khansa Brigade, most females then agree to undergo comprehensive weapons training, while also learning how to be efficient suicide bombers. Majority of the recruits join on their own accord. Just last week, an ISIS suicide bomber caused the death of 10 German tourists in Istanbul, NYTimes reported. Last summer, 33 people perished in a suicide bombing attack in Suruc, near the Syrian border. In October, a suicide blast killed 102 people at a peace rally in Ankara. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Puerto Rico's current financial crisis is worsening, with estimates of shortfall in debt payment through 2025, according to a fiscal and economic growth plan released from Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla's administration on Monday. The island's payment deficit is expected to reach $23.9 billion in the next decade, where the estimated five-year debt has increased to about $16.06 billion, according to the document cited in a Bloomberg report. That is over $2 billion more than the previous forecast in September 2015, leaving the Puerto Rican government no choice but to request to extend the plan from five years to a staggering 10 years. According to the document, such debt expansion occurred due to lower revenue collections for this year compared to what was anticipated by the government. Furthermore, a senior state official explained that the country is in need of a debt restructuring to lessen the country's $70 billion debt burden. Otherwise, the territory will experience an increase in defaults in the coming years. Aside from that, it puts the welfare of the citizens of Puerto Rico at risk, considering that their government cannot deliver proper public services, according to Puerto Rican Secretary of State Victor Suarez. "The failure of the government to make timely payments for the delivery and provision of essential government services is putting at risk the health, welfare and safety of the people of Puerto Rico," he wrote in an email to Bloomberg. He further explained in the letter that the measures taken by the government have so far made matters worse. "Continuation of these measures is neither sustainable nor in the interest of any stakeholder, as they will only deepen the financial gaps that the commonwealth and its creditors will need to resolve," he explained. Bloomberg's analysis of the debt crisis in Puerto Rico proved this to be true, as the country used revenue for repaying agency debt to cover general obligation (GO) payments. Meanwhile, the U.S. government maintained their position on the issue, with a federal judge ruling Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla's proposed debt-restructuring law to be unconstitutional. According to the Associated Press as cited by Yahoo News, U.S. territories cannot declare bankruptcy, which is a privilege exclusive to municipalities and their utilities in the mainland. Despite this, however, the AP believes that while the White House cannot give Puerto Rico a federal bailout, it can definitely create a process to allow the island to "restructure its debt and impose new oversight on finances." 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The destruction from the illegal gold mining activities in Peru has now reached the Tambopata National Reserve, a protected area in the country's southern Amazon region. Al Jazeera reported that the reason behind the environmental damage's rapid spread is rooted in the methods used by more than 30,000 illegal gold miners conducting operations in the area. Phil Torres of "TechKnow" paid a visit to La Pampa, the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve, to see how illegal mining is turning forests into toxic wastelands, the news outlet wrote. Over 100,000 acres of rainforest have been cleared there to give way to mining operations. One of the areas Torres investigated was Puerto Madonado, the capital of the Madre de Dios ("Mother of God") region of Peru, Al Jazeera reported. The area is deemed as one of the world's most biodiverse locations and is the site of 70 percent of the country's unlawful gold production. An estimated 30,000 illegal gold miners are said to be in Puerto Madonado. Torres told Al Jazeera that miners "chop down trees and use high-pressure water hoses to dissolve the soil," a technique which "can turn a primary rainforest into a barren wasteland in just a matter of days." "The miners also use mercury -- which binds with gold and forms an amalgam. These miners are not only exposed to toxic mercury -- the chemical and its vapors when they burn it off -- they're also contaminating the land and inadvertently poisoning food chains," Al Jazeera wrote. Luis Fernandez, the director the Carnegie Amazon Mercury Ecosystem Project, has been studying the illegal gold mining's toxic effects since 2000. According to Fernandez, mercury "magnifies" and "the more it travels along the food chain the stronger the contamination becomes," Al Jazeera further reported. Fishes from these waters are being caught and eaten by people hundreds of kilometers downstream. Ernesto Raez Luna, a former adviser of the Ministry of Environment, said that the Peruvian government is making efforts to put a stop to illicit mining, Al Jazeera added. Carnegie Department of Global Ecology's Greg Asner has developed a high-tech aircraft called the "Carnegie Airborne Observatory," which captured aerial images of the mining devastation in 2013 and is equipped with a spectrometer that detects chemicals. Asner noted that the miners go "below the biologically active part of the soil, so deep in the soil that there isn't a science to tell us this forest could ever recover," according to the news outlet. A report released by the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project, or MAAP, showed that 2,500 hectares of La Pampa has been damaged between 2013 and 2015 due to illegal gold mining. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. El Salvador will receive $65 million from the U.S. Congress to prevent minors from migrating. The $65 million is part of the $750 million funding approved by the U.S. Congress to prevent Central American children and teens from migrating, a Salvadoran presidential aide announced on Monday, according to a report from La Prensa. Roberto Lorenzana said that the distribution of the funds was chosen during U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's meeting last week with the presidents of the Northern Triangle countries, which includes El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the news outlet added. Lorenzana said that around $65 million were allocated to El Salvador, $112 million to Guatemala, and $89 million to Honduras. The aide took note that the governments "will not receive that money" directly, but that the U.S. Agency for International Development will carry out the projects "based on the plans the three countries have agreed upon in the Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity," La Prensa further reported. Lorenzana also said that another $400 million will be assigned for regional cooperation, an issue which Northern Triangle nations may apply as well. In addition, Lorenzana announced that Biden urged the three presidents to arrange new budgets for 2017. "Our countries are going to start getting ready. The three countries have a technical meeting in the coming weeks, precisely to define the new cooperative projects we're going to propose for the year 2017," the aide remarked, as quoted in La Prensa's report. The U.S. has been backing the initiative called "Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle" and has a technical secretariat directed by the Inter-American Development Bank, or IDB, the news outlet noted. The initiative, which was launched in September 2014, was created as a response to the abrupt surge of migrant children and adolescents from Central America coming across the U.S. border. The assistance to the Northern Triangle governments will be directed to address several issues, such as battling human smuggling and trafficking, improve border security, "facilitate the safe return, repatriation, and reintegration of undocumented migrants," and "inform its citizens of the dangers of the journey to the southwest border of the United States," a press release from the White House listed. Barack Obama's administration also hopes that through the funding, the three nations will be able to toughen public institutions, protect human rights, boost government revenues, execute efficient civil society consultations, "support programs to promote equitable growth," and "improve civilian jurisdiction and counter activities of criminal organizations," the White House's website further stated. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Recent developments said that Brazilian mining firm Samarco was warned that one of its dams had a "severe" structural problems a year before the dams collapsed. However, the company seemed to ignore the warning, and did not take any precautionary measures to fix it, an engineer who worked on the dam disclosed. Wall Street Journal reported that the mining giant received warnings of the dam's structural problems, but these were ignored. The publication also said that Brazil's TV Globo reported that it had obtained documents that showed that consultants hired by the mining firm said that the dam's safety was compromised. These documents were date more than two years ago, the report added. According to The Australian, the engineer who worked on the dam, Joaquim Pimenta de Avila, said he was consulting for the mining firm back in September 2014. The engineer said that he inspected a crack in the Fundao waste-storage facility. He told the Brazilian mining firm that the crack in the dam indicated the initial signs of a break. He urged Samarco to monitor the crack and recommended that the Fundao dam be reinforced with a buttress. The Fundao dam collapsed about 14 months later, releasing sludge that destroyed a nearby village and killed at least 17 people. Brazil has called the dam burst the county's worst environmental disaster to date. The incident has also prompted a criminal investigation, and a $5 billion civil lawsuit by authorities against Samarco and its parent companies, Vale and BHP Billiton. Samarco, however, disputed de Avila's claims, and said the company followed his recommendations. Company lawyer Mauricio Campos Jr. reported the company never received any warnings of an "imminent" rupture from its consultants. Samarco added that "cracks and surges" can occur in any dam. Pimenta de Avila is known in Brazil as a leading dam engineer. He was named a key witness in the criminal investigation of Samarco and several of its officials made by Brazil's Federal Police Pimenta de Avila was hired by Samarco to design and oversee the construction of the Fundao tailings dam in the periods between 2008 and 2012. However, Samarco did not renew his contract when it expired, though they did hire de Avila for part-time consultation work from 2013 to 2015. The mining firm said de Avila was aware of what was being done when it came to his recommendations and never protested. The engineer added that he wasn't responsible for the Funado dam after 2012 because Samarco chose to depart from his design. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A 10,000-year-old armadillo-like shell was found by two veterinarians interested in paleontology. The two vets discovered the shell of a glyptodont while they were digging in Uruguay's northern province on Sunday. According to EFE, per Fox News Latino, the large and long-extinct specimen was said to be an "armored, plant-and insect-eating, bear-like creature." The glyptodont weighed up to 1.5 tons, and this recent discovery could very well be the largest example of a glyptodont ever unearthed in Uruguay. It is believed that the long extinct creature lived during the Pleistocene epoch. Paleontologists believed that the ancient creature was probably the same size as that of a Volkswagen Beetle. Its rounded, bony shell and squat limbs, made it resemble a turtle. Dr. Gerardo Haran and his colleague, Feliciano Rosas, found the large armadillo-like "shell," which was reported to measure 1.77 meters (5.8 feet) long. Haran told the publication that he and Haran were out looking for some "small fossils." He added that they were excited over the discovery. They alerted the local authorities and paleontologists with the Natural History Museum in Montevideo right away. These parties will conduct various studies on the recent find. Florida Gov. Carlos Enciso told the publication that the recent find was of "great importance" to the country. He added that researchers will be employed to carry out their work on the animal. In a report with National Geographic, other fossils were discovered in mud, including a hippo-like animal called a toxodon, a saber-toothed cat as well as an elephant-like mastadon. , these large animals once dominated the Americas, and their numbers back then could easily rival that of the African Savannah. According to the discoveries of paleontologists over the years, some of the bones have markings of human tools. This would suggest that the glyptodont, among the other unearthed animals, were hunted for food. This was not the only find on South American soil. According to Mining.com, oil companies accidentally unearthed gigantic animal fossils as old as 370 million years in 2013. These fossils included a Volskwagen-sized armadillo, a bus-sized crocodile, a saber-tooth tiger, a featherless, iguana-like, chicken as well as a three-meter pelican. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 'Invest in Breasts': Crowdfunding Site Encourages Viewers to Donate for Breast Enhancement Surgery of Random Women Women who are thinking of obtaining larger breasts but cannot afford the charges can ask for donations through the website My Free Implants. By encouraging random people to "Invest in Breasts,"' the crowdfunding site is drawing flak from a number of media sources and groups. Since 2005, My Free Implants offers women a place to get funding for breast surgeries. In exchange for donations, contributors (often men) can receive tokens such as messages, photos or videos from the female beneficiaries. Australian news site News.com.au says the website now has 5000 active donors with over 3500 listed projects. With 1,200 success stories, the founders maintain that the website has helped raise $13 million dollars for breast enlargement surgeries. However, not everyone is pleased with the company's success. She Knows labels My Free Implants as sexist and degrading towards women. Independent sees the website as exploitative towards the female gender, encouraging men to browse through the blogs and women's profiles like shopping in a mall. Medical institutions from the U.S., U.K. and Australia have expressed their concern. President Hugh Bartholomeusz of the Australian Society Plastic Surgeons says the website propagates a "dangerous misconception" of cosmetic surgery. "Cosmetic surgery is serious, invasive surgery," Bartholomeusz said on the Australian publication. "This is not something that should be treated in the same way as the purchase of a new outfit or hairstyle." The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has deemed the site and its services as 'outrageous,' 'degrading,' and 'inappropriate.' The Association intends to remove surgeons who are found to knowingly provide services to the website. According to the UK-based publication, the General Medical Council has followed suit. The Council has recently introduced a number of rules and guidelines, preventing surgeons from knowingly operating on patients featured on the crowdfunding site. Doctors found guilty of breaking any of stipulated guidelines may have their licenses revoked by the Council. Jay Moore, one of the founders of My Free Implants, believes the criticism stems from misconceptions on what the website provides. On the Australian news site, Moore explains that people normally communicate with one another before donating to a woman's cause. "You're asking people for money and it does take work," Moore explained on the Aussie website. "Generally, people find it's harder than they thought to fundraise it really does require effort. With all the criticism being thrown at the website, the founders continue to see their concept as a success. A trial run on funding nose jobs and bum lifts is reportedly being considered. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Food Recall 2016: Trader Joe's 'Raw Cashew Pieces' Being Recalled Over Possible Salmonella Contamination media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Reporter Jan 19, 2016 06:00 AM EST Packs of Trader Joe's Raw Cashew Pieces are now being pulled out from different stores all over the United States due to possible salmonella contamination. Customers who have already bought the product are encouraged to return it back to get a full refund or product change. According to CBS, those products with a barcode of 0050514 and a specific lot code of "Best Before 07.17.2016FT4" are the ones that are being recalled. Those who bought the item belonging to this lot could demand an exchange or a full refund from the store where they got the item. The Raw Cashew Pieces is an exclusive product of Trader Joe's. Therefore, it can only be bought in Trader Joe's stores. Trader Joe's has stores in 31 states, including Idaho, Georgia, Nebraska, Delaware, Missouri, Connecticut, Kansas, Iowa, South Carolina, Washington, Washington D.C., New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Maine, Kentucky, Maryland, Vermont, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Michigan, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Virginia, according to the official website of the company. Even when the call is for every single pack of Trader Joe's Raw Cashew Pieces, the truth is that there is only one specific lot that might have been contaminated with salmonella. The term "might have been contaminated" means that there is a possibility that there is actually no lot contaminated. However, they are still pushing the product recall for the consumers' safety. Unlike the other food poison cases, Trader Joe's addressed the problem as soon as possible. They did not wait until someone reported a salmonella case before pulling out their stocks of Raw Cashew Pieces. As of the moment, there is no reported cases of salmonella infection related to the product of Trader Joe's. There are symptoms to look for if you want to determine if you are suffering from salmonella infection. According to Mayo Clinic, the possible symptoms include abdominal cramps, blood in the stool, chill, diarrhea, fever, headache and nausea. These signs and symptoms may last from four to seven days. However, even when the signs and symptoms have already been gone, the bowel movement of the victim might go abnormal for a couple of months. If you happen to feel any of the signs and symptoms above after consuming Raw Cashew Pieces of Trader Joe's, you can contact their customer relations by dialing (626) 599-3817. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! 7 Unusual McDonald's Menu Items in Latin America staff@latinoshealth.com By Monica Antonio Jan 19, 2016 06:00 AM EST From McMollettes to McCriollo, worldwide fast food chain McDonald's has innovated its menu to feature local Latin American flavors that sing close to Latinos' hearts. Here are seven unusual McDonald's menu items that you can only find in Latin America, per Latin Kitchen. 1. Mexico - McMolettes At the top of the list is the famous McMolettes from Mexico. According to CNN, McMolettes are basically McMuffins with a Latin spin on it. The muffins are served like an "open-face" sandwich with cheese, beans and pico de gallo on top. Paired with a cup of coffee, this little circular pieces of goodness are easy-to-eat during a morning rush. 2. McPollo Italiano - Chile In Chile, there's a new version of a grilled chicken sandwich and it's called McPollo Italiano. The sandwich, though it looks unassuming, is layered with tomatoes, mayo and palta, per Latin Kitchen. For those watching their waistline, Fatsecret Chile reveals that a serving of McPollo Italiano has 476 calories, 48 grams carbohydrates, 19 grams protein and 23 grams of fat. 3. Almuerzo Colombiano - Colombia For lunch, McDonald's Colombia has introduced the Almuerzo Colombiano, per Fusion. Aside from a piece of chicken or beef, the meal features some beans or lentils, salad, fries, and of course, white rice. Were thrilled to offer typical Colombian food so that our clients can enjoy delicious Colombian plates with the unique McDonalds experience, Luis Raganato, president for Caribe Division at Arcos Dorados said as quoted by the news outlet. 4. Arepa - Venezuela For a quick go-to grab, according to Fusion, McDonald's in Venezuela has put a fast-food twist in the classic arepa. The said arepas come in three varieties: arepa con queso, arepa con perico y queso and arepa con jamon y queso. Latin Kitchen also suggests pairing these goodies with fried cuts of yucca for a satisfying snack. 5. McCriollo - Puerto Rico McDonald's Puerto Rico also introduces local flavors in its breakfast menu with McCriollo. This breakfast sandwich has the typical ham, egg, and cheese. However, instead of using a normal bun, the McCriollo uses pan criollo or Mallorca, which is a soft Puerto Rican sweet bread, per Latin Kitchen. 6. Pastel De Queso - El Salvador Now, for some dessert, McDonald's has created a new offering which features the flavors of a cheesecake all wrapped up in a handy pocket pie. According to MSN, though it looks unassuming with its simple packaging, the pastel de queso packs up some "sweet, creamy and delicious" flavors. 7. Dulce De Leche Sundae - Argentina Of course, wrapping up this list is every latino's favorite -- dulce de leche. Latin Kitchen says that in Argentina, McDonald's has made ice cream more exciting by combining the sweet milky dulce de leche with a soft-served sundae, all twirled in a glorious sugar cone. What do you think of these unusual McDonald's menu items in Latin America? Share your thoughts below! Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Anti-corruption officers on Friday detained a former Mexican politician at Madrids airport. Humberto Moreira, former chief of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, was served a Spanish arrest warrant and held in custody. It is still not fully known why he was sought by officers, Wall Street Journal wrote. According to the US Department of State records, in 2012, Moreira resigned as party leader amidst state government debt that continued to grow up to $2.5 billion while he was governor of Coahuila from 2005 to 2011. The debt was partly financed by falsified documents. He has no charges in Mexico or the United States. Two of Moreiras top associates already pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen money in a federal court in San Antonio, Texas. In the plea agreement for Roland Gonzalez Trevino, Moreira appeared to be the unnamed co-conspirator, described as a high-ranking Coahuila official who won the governorship, Business Insider reported. According to the document, he took money from the government of Coahuila for his personal use. Gonzalez admitted that he joined a plan to defraud or steal money from Coahuila with the unnamed co-conspirator and others, as well as transferring over $1.8 million, which was stolen or taken by fraud from the state of Coahuila and forwarded to the US. In 2014, Hector Javier Villareal Hernandez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money as well as conspiring to transport stolen money. Spanish judge Jose de la Mata stated the conversations with Moreira, who explained how the funds originated from the regular operations of two of his companies in Mexico, were insufficient. De la Mata ordered Moreiras detention, Wall Street Journal also revealed. Kent Schaffer, the attorney representing Moreira, stated that he was aware of his clients detention but did not provide details. A lawyer for Moreira also previously requested that he be set free with or without posting bail. However, the judge denied the request due to Moreiras resources. In this particular case, the risk (that Mr. Moreira may flee Spain) is particularly acute because of the financial and other resources, as well as connections with other parties, that the suspect has available if he were to move overseas and avoid the reach of Spanish justice, said De la Mata. The judge added that he will forward the case to another Spanish judge, who will decide whether Moreira should stay behind bars. Professional treasure hunters are hoping to find loot hidden somewhere in Pablo Escobars former mansion in Miami. Fox News Latino revealed that the subsequent owners of the Miami mansion hired professional treasure hunters to go through the lot, which spans 7,336 square feet. The objective is to find gold, cash and other items belonging to the late Colombian drug lord that may have been secretly tucked away. Professionals have been combing the area with metal detectors and various other tools before the owners tear down the place. We want to close a very dark chapter in the history of Miami. We want to erase those memories and create something new and inspiring, Jennifer Valoppi, the current owner of the mansion with her husband, businessman Christian de Berdouare, told Miami Herald. According to the treasure hunters, there were several holes in the walls, most likely created by people who were also looking for cash and other valuables. The mansion on Biscayne Bay was originally built in1948. It has four bedrooms, six bathrooms, a marina, a pool and a garage. In 1980, the Colombian drug lord bought the mansion for $762,500 and put his own name on the document. In 1990, Roger Schindler, a lawyer, bought the property from the government for $915,000, but it was abandoned for several years after a fire. The new owners bought the property in 2014 for $9.65 million. They plan to raze the whole place, leaving only one banyan tree in the aftermath, Curbed reported. The new owners are still uncertain whether they will sell the property or move into it after the house is built. The future mansion is valued at $21 million. De Berdouares said that they own three properties on the same street. They might move into Escobars former residence if they manage to sell the others. It is still unknown whether Escobar actually lived in or visited the mansion. According to Jim Shedd, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent, the place was likely used by his hit men as a hideout and doubled as a landing destination for tons of cocaine forwarded from Colombia to the US during the drug lords reign. The place was seized by authorities in 1987. Daily Mail wrote that Escobar was the richest drug lord in criminal history. He amassed around $30 billion during the peak of his cartel, becoming one of the richest people in the world at the time. Latin Post presents "Turnout," a series featuring leading politicians, government leaders and advocacy groups discussing and debating the most important issues facing the Latino voting bloc. -- Ana Sol-Gutierrez is the first Hispanic elected to Maryland's legislature and has the chance to become the first Salvadorena in Congress, where she wants to continue representing the voiceless and vulnerable. Experience Sol-Gutierrez is presently a state legislator for Maryland's 18th legislative district, comprising of southern Montgomery County, which she described as wealthy but very diverse -- not only economically but in both race and ethnicity as it has the largest number of Latinos, born and naturalized. Sol-Gutierrez also acknowledged the district has the largest number of undocumented immigrants, many of whom fled civil war, particularly from El Salvador. The Salvadorena is campaigning for Maryland's 8th Congressional District, currently held by Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who will not seek another House term since he's pursuing a Senate bid to succeed Sen. Barbara Mikulski. Sol-Gutierrez does encounter crowded competition from within her Democratic Party as there are six other names challenging her for the House seat. "What sets me apart is that I am not your traditional, conventional candidate," said Sol-Gutierrez. "I am a unique voice in this race and I've been elected now six times by my constituents to be a voice for the many, to represent especially those who are more vulnerable who have no voice. But what I am now is the first Latina -- the first Salvadorena -- to be going to Congress to represent a new changing demographic." "I have the credentials. There are people running that have never, ever run for office. They have never cast a single vote, they have never written a single bill, they've never advocated, they've never seen defeat and success in what is our work to be done in Congress and that's to make fair and just laws," said Sol-Gutierrez, adding that none of her challengers have experience, progressive ideals and real desire. Immigrant Rights One of the issues Sol-Gutierrez has championed is immigrant rights. At the state level, Sol-Gutierrez said she has done everything possible to improve the quality of life for the immigrant community and her constituents, ranging from passing marriage equality, the DREAM Act, granting immigrants with driver's licenses and passing strict gun laws. She, however, said that Congress is "uniquely the place" where immigration can be addressed. Latin Post spoke to Sol-Gutierrez following an immigration-rights protest outside the White House on Jan. 15, calling for the end of the Obama administration's recent deportation raids. "I am outraged by what is currently happening in the Obama administration. Outraged as a human being, seeing what is being done to families, innocent children and their mothers. I'm outraged also as a legislator and as a public official because this is public policy that is totally flawed. We have never used raids to enforce laws. Raids are not necessary and yet we see a president condoning the use of raids by the Department of Homeland Security. He, alone, has the power to make a phone call to say 'stop the raids.'" Sol-Gutierrez said the deportation raids are terrorizing communities and causing fear. She added that the DHS' claim that the immigrants in question are those who have exhausted their rights in immigration court is untrue. She said there is proof these immigrants' rights were violated, which includes the right to due process. Sol-Gutierrez said Obama can grant Temporary Protective Status (TPS), which has been granted to Hondurans and Salvadorians based on previous situations. "What could be more of a cause than the poverty, the violence [and] the fear that these families are seeing and are coming to seek refuge. They're not violating the borders," Sol-Gutierrez said, adding that President Barack Obama can grant TPS "with one pen ... until we can change the hell that they are living in their own home countries." Engaging the Latino Electorate In regards to paving the way for fellow Salvadorians and Latinos to become politically active, Sol-Gutierrez said she wants to help open the door and to be a role model for all, including the youth, to represent the Latino community for the long run. "I don't want to be a 'first,' I want to be one of many. That is what I aspire to do. And if this is the first race that empowers our community to get out and vote -- if we are not voting, we're never going to make it but our numbers are already there, to ensure that we always have not one representative but many representatives speaking for our community and for our interests," Sol-Gutierrez said. "That's my dream, and that's why I'm running." Sol-Gutierrez said change can happen with a vote. "Don't sit back. Don't say 'my vote doesn't count.' Your vote is the most important thing that you have because it's your voice to make change, and if you really care about our future in our communities and the future of our children, you get out there [and] you vote ... and that you're supporting the candidates that are going to make that positive change for our communities and for our future." __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. Britain's House of Commons on Jan. 18 considered declaring Donald Trump a persona non grata because of his recent comments about Islam in a debate that was the result of an online petition that sought to qualify the GOP front-runner's remarks as "hate speech." Conservative lawmaker Kwazi Kwarteng noted that the British Parliament might put itself in an awkward position if it voted to ban the New York real-estate tycoon from the United Kingdom because Trump might well end up winning the White House in November. "And then we would be in the absurd situation of having banned the president of the United States," the politician and historian warned on Jan. 18, according to the Washington Post. 'Buffoon' or politician with 'real guts?' Trump has proposed to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States - an idea that triggered widespread condemnation in Britain, where an estimated 2.7 million individual adhere to the religion. Lawmakers, who seldom weigh in on internal U.S. affairs in the House of Commons, did not hold back and called Trump, among other things, a "buffoon," "demagogue," "joke" and "idiot." Conservative member Philip Davies, on the other hand, said that while he did not agree with many of the the former "Apprentice" star's points of view, he did support Trump's right to speak out. It is easy to back "motherhood and apple pie," Davies noted, but it takes "real guts" to say things that are controversial, he explained. Debate, decision merely symbolic While Parliament's Petitions Committee was forced to consider the online petition because it received more than 100,000 signatures, it is unlikely to move the effort to the floor, CNN noted. Even then, any action British lawmakers might take on a Trump ban would be symbolic in nature because the decision on who gets to visit the United Kingdom is actually made by Britain's home secretary, not Parliament. Labour lawmaker Jamie Reed, thus, told Newsweek the whole debate was a waste of time. "The absurdity of Trump's candidacy is matched only by the fact that he is set to be the subject of a debate in the House of Commons," he said. "In the midst of so many domestic crises, this is a huge waste of U.K. taxpayers' money," Reed concluded. The New York Immigration Coalitions (NYIC) Education Collaborative joined up with New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina to announce the placement of new translation and interpretation support programs for the citys large immigrant population. A statement from the NYIC informed that there will be an expansion of translation and interpretation services as well as the implementation of nine new Language Access Coordinators. Parents will also have direct access to telephone interpreters. Steven Choi, the NYIC executive director, called the new initiative a huge victory for New York's immigrant communities. The announcement that there will be nine new Language Access Coordinators across each Borough Field Support Center in the city is a sign of our success and a testament to what can be achieved when immigrant communities and the [Department of Education] work together for a common goal: to ensure the success of immigrant students and their families, said Choi. Farina said, This is an important step forward and I want to thank all of the advocates, community members and elected officials who continue to work closely with us to ensure that there are no language barriers between students and families and a great education. Farina added that increasing translation and interpretation services to migrant families was a top priority. New York City represents a wealth of different cultures, languages, traditions, and beliefs," she said. A NYIC statement sent to Latin Post informs that almost half of New York's public school students speak a language other than English when at home. Must Read: 750,000 Undocumented Immigrants Eligible for Temporary Protection Against Deportation Raids: Report A recent development came for the immigration crisis in Central America, according to CNN. Cuban migrants who were previously stranded in Costa Rica for months finally arrived in the U.S. borders, some in Miami, according to the publication. The surge of immigrants wanting to enter the U.S. in light of the U.S.-Cuban rebuilding relations went up to 8,000. However, only 180 people from the group in Costa Rica had the opportunity to be transported via air to finally start their long journey to the U.S., the news agency reports. Since the U.S.-Cuban relations are on the mend, thousands of Cubans flee from their country and tried to enter the U.S. while no final agreements are made between the two countries. Currently, Cubans are given asylum in the U.S., but the ongoing talks may or may not change the immigration process for them. Meanwhile, as the U.S. waits for larger groups of Cubans to arrive this week and in the coming few months, the Catholic Social Services is surprised on how orderly the arrivals of the Cubans are going in Laredo, Texas. "I was downtown to check out the flow of the Cubans who were coming through, and it was not as chaotic as I thought it was going to be," the organization's executive director, Becky Solloa, said as quoted by the news outlet. Furthermore, EFE reports that some Cubans, including father-son Angel Diaz and Odalandier Diaz, are grateful for having the opportunity to finally be reunited after four years. Since Odalandier's father Angel lives in Miami, seeing his son arrive brings joy to his heart. "My son is out of danger. He's already in the country of freedom," Angel said as quoted by Latino Fox News. However his son, Odalandier said that his journey coming to the U.S. is the "most terrifying" but he remains to be grateful to what he experienced in Costa Rica, the news outlet reports. It was a long route, according to the news agency, since Cuban migrants from Costa Rica flew via air transport and had to travel for five days in buses going to Miami from El Salvador. The migrants had a tough time, especially when Nicaragua, which was supposedly an easier and more direct route, closed its borders to Cuban migrants who were trying to enter. However, according to the outlet, there were only 20 Cubans from the group of 50, where Odalandier had a chance to be a part of, arrived in Miami. Ted Cruz is back in the headlines just a few days after he was slammed by his presidential opponent Donald Trump for "disrespecting" New Yorkers with his remarks on their values during an interview last week. In addition to the heated argument, Cruz also attacked Trump during one of his interviews on Monday, Jan. 18, as per Politico's report. During his speech, Cruz hits on Trump for supporting Democrats, Cruz also stated that, "We need a leader prepared to do whatever is needed to keep this country safe, typically, that doesn't include spending time on Twitter." In addition to what he told the reporters last Monday, Texan Tribune mentioned that Cruz pointed out Trump's excessive Twitter use by stating that Americans would opt for a leader that could calmly deal with a stressful situation. He then added that America does not need someone that would continually update his social media page to respond to the "latest polls." During the interview, Cruz stated, "I think in terms of a commander in chief, we ought to have someone who isn't springing out of bed to tweet in a frantic response to the latest polls, I think the American people is looking for a commander in chief who is stable and steady and a calm hand to keep this country safe." As of the recent poll survey, Cruz and Trump are in a tight competition within Iowa, but Trump is taking the lead in New Hampshire with Cruz closely catching up. In regards to their tight battle when it comes to the polls, Cruz stated that Trump is a bit "rattled" with the results most especially in some areas wherein Cruz would take the lead, "I guess as conservatives continue to unite behind our campaign as his poll numbers continue to go down, that seems to be -- he's a little testy." As for Trump's Democrat donations, on the other hand, Cruz mentioned a list of Democrats that Trump supported which included Hilary Clinton, Andrew Cuomo, Weiner and Rahm Emmanuel. Ted Cruz and his presidential candidate opponent Donald Trump have been exchanging remarks back and forth over the past weeks. The heated tension between the two escalated after Trump slammed Cruz by stating that Cruz isn't qualified to run for president because of his nationality as he was born in Canada. This being said, Trump pointed out that Cruz isn't a "natural-born Citizen" which is one of the qualifications needed to run for office. Mexican-state-controlled company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) recently announced a positive feedback from their business, claiming that they have gained profit, EFE reports. This also comes amid the global oil crisis and even during the widespread global oil drilling protests, per ABC. According to Pemex's CEO Emilio Lozoya, despite the challenging past year in the global oil industry, with the sudden oil price drop, the company has performed well and even gained profit, EFE reports. However, the company also expects to slow down in light of the recent crisis. The factors include the higher cost that the company will need to prepare, according to Lozoya. Other countries like Saudi Arabia are also asking for a much lower price than the current market price, the news agency revealed. "For Pemex, the average development cost for reserves that we've located or explored is below $10 per barrel," Lozoya said of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries policies as quoted by Fox News Latino. Lozoya further revealed cost rises to as much as $22 or $23 per barrel because of the adjustments in infrastructure. However, despite these, Pemex remains to have a positive outlook on their business. "We're hearing that by around the end of 2016 prices will stabilize at a little higher price level," the chief executive said as quoted by the news outlet. This comes during the widespread and powerful oil drilling protests going on in Australia, where a group of environmental advocates is urging to stop such businesses, ABC reports. Apparently, Sea Shepherd, an environmental organization is currently protesting on the recent proposal of BP to drill wells between 1,000 and 2,500 meters. "Today the Steve Irwin [Sea Shepherd ship] will depart Fremantle Western Australia en-route to the Southern Ocean to patrol for illegal fishing and whaling, and when these whales come back to Australian waters, they face an even greater threat, which is BP drilling," Sea Shepherd Australia managing director Jeff Hansen said as quoted by the publication. The organization has joined forces with Great Australian Bight Alliance with the Wilderness Society, Oil Free Seas Kangaroo Island, Clean Bright Alliance Australia and elders from the Mirning and Kokatha people. The news agency further revealed the environmental groups are claiming that the proposal would again be risky to the environment because BP was directly responsible for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. "Putting at risk a pristine marine environment, an area that sustains a huge fishing industry, a huge eco-tourism industry and one of the most significant whale calving and nursery areas in the world, is simply completely inappropriate," The Wilderness Society director Peter Owen said. In light of the recent deal between Iran and the U.S., Republican Presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio speak out their individual views, slamming the Obama administration, according to Fox News Latino. The deal was said to swap American prisoners in Iran in exchange of lifting U.S. sanctions towards Iran, Reuters reports. According to Fox News Latino, the two presidentiables are slamming the U.S.-Iran prison swap under the orders of the Obama administration. Both Cruz and Rubio are apparently against the deal. Cruz even said that it puts the U.S. safety at risk. "That's 21 terrorists helping Iran develop nuclear weapons that they intend to use to try to murder us," Cruz said as quoted by the publication. Cruz further explained that the Obama administration had been showing a pattern that signified danger to the country. Furthermore, Rubio compared himself to U.S. President Barack Obama, saying how he will have a better choice than to risk negotiating with terrorists. "[Obama has] put price on the head of every American abroad," Rubio said on NBC's "Meet the Press" as quoted by the news agency. "Our enemies now know that if you can capture an American, you can get something meaningful in exchange for it," he continued. Rubio further explained that if he will be given the privilege to be seated as the president, he will be like Ronald Reagan instead of Obama. However, U.S. President Obama is hopeful with the deal is going smoothly since the American prisoners in Iran are already being transported back to the U.S. after lifting sanctions regarding seven Iranians, Reuters reports. "This is a good day because once again we are seeing what's possible through strong American diplomacy," Obama said as quoted by the publication. "These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom." For Obama, the lifting of sanctions is a way to lessen hostile relations with Iran and to further delay Iran in working for a nuclear bomb. This was previously done when they imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals supplying a ballistic missile program in Iran, the news agency reports. The publication further revealed that among the U.S. prisoners released were Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter; Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho; Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari; and Matthew Trevithick, an American student. Meanwhile, the prisoners that were pardoned included seven Iranians who were accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions, Fox News Latino reveals. Lima, Peru's capital and largest city, still uses a system of ancient canals to provide water across the desert city. The city today has a population of almost 9 million people. But to supply this sprawling metropolis with water, Peruvians rely on canals that were built before the first Europeans ever set foot on the American continent. These four structures, constructed by the Wari, Ichma and Inca civilizations, are more than 2,000 years old. Experts continue to preserve a number of these canals, the Spanish news agency EFE reported. Four canals help irrigate 732 parks One of the canals, known as Surco, uses water from the Rimac River to irrigate 12 of Lima's 43 city districts in a 19-mile stretch, providing sustenance to greenery in 732 parks, the newswire detailed. But to journalist Para Lizarzaburu, the structure is not only a practical tool, but also illustrates the feats of engineering achieved by pre-Hispanic cultures in the Americas. "To construct an irrigation system implies knowledge; it is not simply opening up a ditch in order to make the river cross a part of the desert. That is why it is very certain that each of the four canals is oriented in a different manner," Lizarzaburu marveled. The canals suggest that the Incas and other cultures possessed remarkable topographical analysis skills, as the canals have no tendency to cause flooding. 'Thank those who lived here 2,000 years ago' Interestingly enough, a lot of people in Lima have never heard of the ancient structures. "The residents of Lima do not even know that they live in a desert, that they have to thank those who lived in this area some 2,000 years ago and who began to build a system of canals and thus allowed this city to survive," the investigator noted. "Lima's canals are a pre-Hispanic institution that continues to serve a city that today - more than ever - depends on the work of (long-passed) citizens who transformed the desert in valleys and who today help better the lives of 9 million," he added. In the wake of critical campaign ads by his rivals Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz, GOP White House hopeful Marco Rubio is taking a tougher stance on immigration, in an apparent attempt to bolster his conservative credentials. The Florida senator this week voiced support for more stringent visa reviews, 20,000 additional border agents and 700 miles of new fencing, The New York Times reported. Rubio, the son of Cuban-born immigrants, has suggested that he had a change of heart after the recent terror attacks in Paris and San Bernadino, California, which he says suggest that the issue is no longer just an economic one. Rubio: U.S. must be '100 percent sure' of immigrant motives "It was largely about someone who came here illegally, but they're looking for a job. They're not bad people," he said about his initially moderate views on undocumented immigrants. But given that terror organizations such as ISIS now might be trying to send agents to the U.S. both legally ---- as refugees or students -- and illegally -- across the Mexican border -- the situation and Rubio's opinion have changed. If he were to move into the White House come 2017, Rubio noted, he is committed to securing the porous U.S.-Mexican border, and registering each and every individual coming to the United States. "If we don't know who you are, 100 percent for sure, and we're not 100 percent sure of why you're coming, we're not going to let you in," he said. Senator still opposes massive deportations At the same time, however, the senator reiterated on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Jan. 17 that law-abiding immigrants should be allowed to remain in the country even if they entered illegally. "If you're a criminal alien, no, you can't stay. If you're someone that hasn't been here for a very long time, you can't stay," he said on the program. "I don't think you're gonna round up and deport 12 million people." The human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) on Jan. 18 slammed the Cuban government for what the organization described as an "unprecedented crackdown on churches across the denominational spectrum." In a report titled "Cuba: Freedom of Religion or Belief," the group -- based in New Malden, England -- noted that, despite the recent rapprochement between Washington and Havana, the communist government in Cuba is taking an even tougher stance on believers. The report accuses authorities of violating Cubans' religious freedom on at least 2,300 separate occasions during 2015. 'Brutal tactics' in 'crackdown on churches' According to CSW, that figure marks a tenfold increase over the violations recorded the previous year and represents a "crackdown on churches" on the Caribbean island. The organization warned that "brutal and public tactics" were being used to threaten believers and shut down places of worship. "CSW doesn't use the word 'unprecedented' lightly to refer to violations of freedom of religion or belief in Cuba in 2015," said the group's chief executive, Mervyn Thomas, in a statement. But "following an upward trend in violations in recent years, 2015 witnessed a spike as the authorities deployed ever more public and brutal tactics to target churches across the denominational spectrum, regardless of their legal status." Rapprochement with boomerang effect Recent reforms initiated by the communist authorities, paradoxically, might have increased pressure to maintain some control over society at large, Thomas speculated. "Despite promises of reform, the government is determined to maintain a tight grip on civil society, including churches," he argued. " We ... call for the right to freedom of religion or belief to be upheld. We urge the international community to stand with (believers) and to hold Cuba to account for these human rights violations." During his September 2015 visit to Cuba, Pope Francis had similarly demanded that worshippers not be subject to persecution in the Caribbean nation, CNN recalled. The head of the world's more than 1 billion Catholics insisted believers should "not to be satisfied with appearances or what is politically correct." The shell of an armadillo from the prehistoric times was unearthed in Uruguay. The fossil is said to be about 10,000 years old. Two paleontology enthusiasts found the grave, according to one of the discoverers on Sunday. According to Dr. Gerardo Haran and his colleague Feliciano Rosas, both of whom are veterinarians, the 10,000-year-old armadillo was a glyptodont. They discovered the species' bony armor while digging in a northern Florida province in Uruguay, according to Fox News Latino. The glyptodont is a massive armadillo-like mammal that thrived on Earth some 10,000 years ago. Its main food sources were plants and insects. Glyptodonts are known to have had the same size as Volkswagen vehicles. At the time of the Pleistocene epoch, the creatures habituated Patagonia and farther north. They are the ancestors of present-day armadillos as they resemble armadillos' round, bony shells and squat limbs. They also resemble giant tortoises. The weight of the armored, bear-like animal found by the two vets reaches up to 1.5 tons. In fact, because of its massive size and weight, the 10,000-year-old armadillo found by Haran and Rosas could reportedly be the largest of the extinct species to have ever been found in the South American country. In an interview with Spanish international news agency EFE, Dr. Gerardo Haran said he and Rosas unearthed the armadillo's shell accidentally. They were originally digging for "small fossils" when they encountered a "shell" that measures 1.77 meters and is around 5.8 feet long. "We went together to the bank of the Santa Lucia River. That morning, we began the search and found the shell ... We're very excited," Haran said. He added that when they discovered the shell of the 10,000-year-old armadillo, they decided to inform local authorities and paleontologists working at Montevideo's Natural History Museum. The museum is set to conduct various studies on the shell to know more about the extinct species. The Uruguayan army and the provincial government provided help during the transfer of the massive shell from the site of the dig to the laboratory, where the palaeontologists will be examining it in detail. According to Florida Gov. Carlos Enciso in a statement to EFE, he considers the 10,000-year-old armadillo discovery "of great importance," adding that the state is offering its help to the researchers when it comes to logistical conditions so they could perform their studies on the fossil further. "There is a (public) history museum in the province ... and it will have a room made available for this find," Enciso stated. Want to know more about armadillos? Check out the video below. GOP Presidential candidate Marco Rubio urges the American people to buy guns. Why? Because, apparently, it will be the last line of defense against the terrorist group ISIS. Although the threat of an ISIS invasion to the U.S. has yet to materialize and the cases of mass shootings are on the rise, the Florida senator is not taking any chances. In fact, according to Huffington Post, Rubio even purchased a gun last Christmas Eve. In an interview by CBS News, he was asked why he bought a handgun. He answered that personal firearms are "the last line of defense against ISIS." The young senator reiterated that he has the right protect his family, and also said that he thinks many Americans also feel the same way with gun ownership. Furthermore, Rubio also said that if ISIS were to visit the U.S. at any moment, it's his right or ability to protect his family, and the gun will serve as the last line of defense against the terrorists or any other criminal group. However, as of this year, any serious threat of the group invading America is very far from happening. Not only do they not have the capacity to do so, but also because the United States has one of the most well-funded military throughout the whole world. Add to the fact that ever since the tragedy of 9/11 Attacks, the country's airports have tightened their security measures. However, the country's counter terrorism officials did raise concerns regarding ISIS inspiring immigrants living in the United States to form their own branch, but according to reports, that has yet to materialize. Furthermore, the San Bernardino attacks were reportedly inspired not by ISIS, but by a more well-established terrorist group -- Al Qaeda. Still, Rubio is keen on fighting for his and the citizen's right to bear firearms. In fact, he even criticized President Barack Obama during the last GOP Presidential debate. According to him, "I am convinced if this president could confiscate every gun, he would," while further adding that the country's Second Amendment is not an option, but a right. Furthermore, Latino Fox News reported that, during a campaign, Rubio even personally stopped at a gun store in New Hampshire. And during his campaign rally, he was even given a rifle as a present. Rubio then said that he and his wife are proud gun owners and the gift is a welcome addition to their home. One church in Reno is offering protection to illegal immigrants in the United States. There has been a growing number of worship places that opened their doors for such individuals in the past months. Reno-Gazette Journal wrote that one family had been reunited to celebrate their son's birthday together with the aid of the Reno church. Jose Gastelum-Cardenas, 33, was hidden by the congregation from authorities. He and his wife are undocumented immigrants, while their sons, 9 and 5 years old, respectively, are US citizens. The Washington Times revealed that the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada was the first church in the state to provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants when it allowed one to stay inside earlier in January 2016. According to Rev. Neal Anderson, giving sanctuary promoted the values of their congregation and did not violate the law. He added that his church wanted to help those who already had families living in the United States for years. Their church building had space in the back that was transformed into a sanctuary room, complete with a bed, blanket and towels. "Our declaration of the sanctuary is a way to express our opposition and a desire to see an immigration system that treats families in a way that allows them to stay together. We have a commitment as Unitarian Universalists to affirm and promote the worth and dignity of every person, and so we do this grounded in our religious convictions," Anderson told the Las Vegas Sun. He said that their goal is to unite families and share the story of each immigrant who wishes to speak in public. They also wanted to uphold a "prophetic voice" for fair immigration policies. Andersen of the Church World Service is part of the movement organizers. The reverend said that 11 out of 13 cases documented resulted to immigrants having their deportation status being suspended temporarily or on a permanent basis. The Las Vegas Sun also cited a 2011 memo that had Immigration and Customs Enforcement discourage agents from going into sensitive locations, like churches and schools. In January 2016, there were several raids that targeted Central American families who transferred to the United States, writes NPR. At present, there are about 50 churches in the country that offer protection although the interest is still spreading. Cathi Tactaquin, executive director for the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, stated that they have been receiving calls from churches around the country after the holidays. These churches were said to be seeking assistance from the organization. British members of the parliament held a debate over a petition calling for the ban of Donald Trump in the U.K. Majority of the members expressed their votes against the ban as it could potentially severe U.K ties with the U.S. and would only make Trump a martyr. Banning Trump in the U.K. would only support his hate-fuelled campaign, according to members of the British Parliament. BBC reported that MPs mulled over the petition over a debate held on Monday at the Westminster Hall. Among those from the Labour Party who expressed their thoughts against the ban include Paul Flynn and Naz Shah. Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh is also against the petition. Restricting the businessman-turned-politician to enter the country would only turn him into a martyr, according to Labour Party member Flynn. "The great danger by attacking this one man is that we can fix on him a halo of victimhood. We give him the role of martyrdom which can seem to be an advantage among those who support him," Flynn addressed the full-packed hall, adding that instead Trump's "prejudice" should be treated with reasonable courtesy and hospitality. Shah, on the other hand, is willing to invite Trump into the U.K. to challenge his views while Leigh pointed out that banning the U.S. presidential candidate would bring a bad impression of the U.K. to its allied country. Sir Edward Leigh also made a point by comparing Trump to other people who were invited to the country whose crimes far outweighs the American business magnate's. "We have welcomed to the country Saudi and Chinese leaders, not to mention Mr Ceausescu, whose crimes are far worse than anything Mr Trump can dream up," he stated to make a point against the ban, according to BBC. According to CNN, Prime Minister David Cameron has also already reiterated his opposition against any ban petition on Trump. Cameron said the politician's radical opinions about the Muslims may be deemed "stupid and wrong" but it doesn't necessarily warrant a ban. However, Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston said allowing Trump to enter British soil would only be sending a wrong message to the U.S. that the U.K. tolerates those who "demonise" people just because of their religion. The debate was raised after over 576, 000 people signed a petition addressed to the parliament calling for Trump to be banned from entering the U.K. The politician's racial campaign against Muslims has not only irked the U.S. people but also those in Britain. However, only British Home Secretary Theresa May has the right to give authority on any ban raised in Britain. New Mexico is really working on its college education programs. College students in New Mexico may have discounted tuition fees soon. According to the Associated Press, lawmakers in the state are seriously considering whether state colleges could offer lower tuition fees to selected international students from Mexico. The lower tuition fee proposal for New Mexico was discussed Monday by the Legislative Finance Committee. The proposal is asking if there's a possibility that New Mexico state college students who are from Mexican states Chihuahua and Sonora could have their tuition rates reduced. On Tuesday, the start of a 30-day legislative session is set to take place, and the bill on reduced tuition for students of New Mexico will be introduced at the session if the Legislative Finance Committee decides to endorse it. In addition to the New Mexico tuition proposal, the committee is also looking into other education-based proposals. These include plans of restricting double-funding students at charter schools on a formula based on growth and plans of increasing public school funding for students who could fail. New Mexico is also in the works to create a tracking system for college students' degree programs. Six colleges and universities in the state are working on a tracking program based on a project from the University of New Mexico. According to the Albuquerque Journal, the institutions are creating a website that will help students track required courses and find out whether their credits are transferrable and how they can be moved in other colleges or universities in the state. The course-tracking website is only one of the state's many programs aimed at assisting students in graduating on time. According to the Associate Provost for Curriculum at UNM Greg Heileman, he and other researchers at the university have been doing work on a project called "Degree Plans: Roadmaps for Higher Education in New Mexico" for four years now. Through the project, New Mexico colleges will be able to participate in a statewide degree pathway where they will help students track their credits by uploading their degree programs on a single website. With the website, the researchers are hoping to offer a means for students and college officials to see which courses they can take to finish a degree, as well as how to transfer credits from one college or university to another. "This is what we think will make the state better - the ability of our students to track the progress towards their degrees," Heileman said. "The overall goal is really to improve higher education in the state of New Mexico," he added. An island in Mexico is getting a lot of attention for featuring hundreds of spooky plastic dolls. The locals believe that Isla de las Munecas is haunted by a little girl who died there several years ago. Daily Star revealed that there are thousands of creepy plastic dolls that hang from the trees on the island. The toys were positioned to hopefully quell the restless screaming ghost of a little girl who drowned at the area. Many believe that the ghost still haunts the island. Some visitors alleged that they could hear whispers during the night and feel the eyes of the dolls watching them. The dolls already deteriorated and collected dirt after several years of being exposed to the elements. Despite the scary history, hundreds of people still visit Isla de las Munecas which is two hours away from Mexico City via the canal. Some described the area as scary while others found it charming. Many would take photos of the dolls while traversing the wooded trail. Julian Santana Barrera, a local Mexican farmer who prefers to stay away from the public, is known to have placed the dolls around the site. Barrera reportedly went into the woods of Xochimilco immediately after the girl drowned and said that he could still hear her footsteps and screams of torment in the darkness while during his attempt to rescue her. The girl died over 50 years ago. She was discovered floating with her doll in the canal. Barrera blamed himself for not arriving in time and hung the toy on a tree to pay his final respect to the little girl. Afterwards, Barrera said that he could still hear the cries, whispers and footsteps in the woods. He started hanging more dolls around the forest to hopefully keep the ghost happy and stop the noises. In 2001, Barrera died. Some say that Barrera only created the story after he remained isolated in the forest for many years. Vocativ revealed that the man-made island was formerly owned by Santana. When he started hanging the dolls, he gathered most of these from trash. He continued posting the toys in the next several decades. At present, there are about 1,500 dolls. The first one owned by the dead girl is still on the island and is located in a shed near the entrance. Barreras cousin, Anastasio, now resides on the island and operates it as a tourist spot. The spirit of the little girl is still here. It is important not to remove the dolls, said Anastasio. He added that the creepy dolls come to life at night, moving their heads and talking to each other. Richest 62 People Have Same Wealth As Poorest 3.5 Billion Trending News: Richest 1% Now Have More Wealth Than Rest Of The World Combined Why Is This Important? Because the well-being of humanity and the stability of society are at stake as a handful of uber-rich dodge taxes. Long Story Short Oxfam reports 62 people are as wealthy as the the poorest 3.5 billion people. The taxes they avoid paying on their wealth could save lives and improve the well-being of millions of the worlds poor. Long Story A new report published by Oxfam shows the worlds wealthiest individuals and the worlds poorest individuals are speeding away from each other. The wealth gap is widening more quickly than anyone had anticipated. Since 2010, the wealth of the worlds richest has soared 44 per cent to $1.76 trillion, while over the same period of time, the wealth of the worlds poorest individuals sagged by $1 trillion a drop of 41 per cent. Quoting numbers from Credit Suisse, Oxfam reports 62 people now make up the richest 1 per cent in the world and those individuals are wealthier than the remaining 3.5 billion people. The 1 per cent has overtaken the rest of the world population one year earlier than Oxfam predicted just a year ago. Winnie Byanima, executive director of Oxfam International, articulated what everyone else is thinking, when she declared, It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the worlds population owns no more than a few dozen super rich people who could fit onto one bus. In its report, Oxfam quotes billionaire Warren Buffet as boasting he pays a lower rate of tax than anyone in his office including his cleaner and his secretary. Oxfam is urging governments to take immediate action to ease the escalating inequality, which, it argues, threatens social cohesion and economic expansion. For one thing, the charity is calling for an end to tax havens, which allow the worlds wealthy to avoid paying their fair share to society. An estimated $7.6 trillion of individuals wealth is tucked away in offshore havens. Tax revenue generated by that wealth represents an extra $190 billion that governments could use to help ease poverty, spread quality health care, advance education and promote the rights of women. Most of the worlds lowest paying jobs continue to be held by women and, of the 62 richest individuals in the world, only nine are female. In its report, Oxfam points out with the $14 billion in African tax revenue lost each year to offshore havens, there would be enough money to save the lives of 4 million children every year and employ enough teachers to enroll every African child in school. As the wealthy skip out on paying taxes, the International Bar Association has described tax avoidance as an abuse of human rights. Oxfam is proposing a three-pronged approach to easing financial inequality: Crack down on tax evaders; invest more in public services; and increase wages for the poorest workers. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question: What can a middle-income person do to help stop income inequality? Disrupt Your Feed: Governments should be penalized for failing to take steps to reduce tax avoidance. Drop This Fact: Corporate investment in tax havens almost quadrupled between 2000 and 2014 and tax dodging by multinational corporations costs developing countries at least $100 billion every year. As the primary presidential elections come nearer, the rift between Democratic candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton grows bigger. With Hillary targeting Sanders' gun control stance during the latest Democratic debate, the Vermont senator fired back over his rival's connection with alleged shady Wall Street Institutions, particularly Goldman Sachs. According to Sanders, "The first difference is I don't take money from big banks. I don't get personal speaking fees from Goldman Sachs." It was arguably Sanders biggest night as he managed to perform well in the debate, laying out his case and also managing to expose Hillary's issues, The New Yorker reported. Sanders proceeded to argue his proposal to break up the big institutions and said that it's unusual that three of the four largest banks are bigger right now, compared to when the government bailed them out during the recent recession. He said that in order to remedy this problem, the 21st Century Glass-Steagall Legislation must be brought back. The Glass-Steagall Act is a provision in the U.S. Banking Act that limits commercial bank securities, activities and affiliations within other commercial banks and security firms. Simply put, it separates investment banking institutions, to traditional ones, Business Insider has learned. However, Clinton fired back and said that she has a better plan, which focuses on "shadow banking." The two heavyweight candidates' argument over Wall Street led to Sanders bringing up the corruption of the system. He said that just recently, Goldman Sachs was fined $5 billion and argued that its head, who's a billionaire, did not get prosecuted by the government while "kids who smoke marijuana get a jail sentence." But the biggest zinger Sanders dropped was when he said that Hillary Clinton received $600,000 in speaking fees in just over a year from the banking and investment firm. However, Hillary countered that although Sanders is preaching about controlling these institutions, she said that it was the senator who voted to deregulate the financial market back in 2000 and to take the police off the streets. She also argued that Sanders' vote made the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission no longer regulate swaps, which she connected to the reason behind the 2008 recession. In a related report by ABC News, Sanders was asked the day after the debate and said that he's not personally attacking the former secretary of the state. He argued that the subjects he brought up during the debate were facts and it is true. He said, "She has received $600,000 in one year as speaking fees from Goldman Sachs. If that's not true, I will apologize. It's true." A teenager in Colombia surpassed doctors expectations by celebrating her 15th birthday despite having a rare premature aging disease. Medical experts previously opined that she would only live until 13 years old. Daily Mail reported that Magali Gonzalez Sierra was diagnosed with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome when she was only a baby. She has the appearance of a 90-year-old and was expected to live only until she was 13 years of age. However, she lived beyond doctors expectations after celebrating her quinceanera, the Latin American equivalent of sweet 16. Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome is a fatal genetic disease mainly characterized by the appearance of children aging rapidly. Patients are born looking normal and healthy, but will show signs of quick aging from 18 to 24 months old. Other symptoms include stiffness of joints, cardiovascular disease, loss of hair and body fat, growth failure, hip dislocation and stroke. Affected children with different ethnic backgrounds generally look the same. Many patients with progeria die of heart disease by the time they reach 13 or 14 years old. The occurrence of HGPS is one in every eight million live births. The disease is triggered by LMNA, a genetic mutation, which produces the Lamina protein that holds the cell nucleus together. If Lamina has defects, the nucleus becomes unstable. The disease was named after English doctors Jonathan Hutchinson and Hastings Gilford who were the first to describe the condition in 1886 and 1897, respectively. Parents of patients are constantly afraid that the latter may suddenly die. At present, Magali cannot walk and requires a lot of medications. Magali wants to be 15. She told me she wants her party; that even though she doesnt dance, she wants us to dance. She wants balloons and celebrations and that people come, Magalis mother, Sofia, told the local news site Publimetro. The Sun revealed that Magalis family was happy to oblige her request to celebrate and dance on her 15th birthday. Miguel Becerra, a famous fashion designer, dressed Magali in a beautiful lilac gown and helped her put on a wig and tiara. She had a huge birthday party with family and friends. She arrived at the venue in a decorated cart. There was music, a lot of dancing and food to celebrate her accomplishment in life. Although Magali managed to exceed her doctors expectations, fear is still present in her family. HGPS patients rarely live beyond their 20s. Even after a month after heavy rains caused by El Nino hit South America, about 4,000 people remain stranded in shelter homes due to the terrible flooding in Argentina. According to Latino Fox News, part of the eastern provinces of Argentina like Entre Rios and Santa Fe remain in a disastrous state because of the overflowing of the rivers, according to authorities. In Sante Fe alone, about 1,720 people are currently living in temporary shelters. On the other hand, the province of Santa Fe has about 700 evacuees, as said by regional government officials. Despite the rivers subsiding these past few weeks, the provinces remain flooded. Reports said that it will take a little more time before the province of Sante Fe, which was hit the hardest during the calamity, returns to normal. The Entre Rios province reported that about 1,000 people remain evacuated in the town, with about 10,000 people relocated from their homes. Moreover, Villa Paranacito recorded that about 800 families remain evacuated. Apart from Argentina, the countries Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil were also affected by the floods. In fact, the government of Paraguay already declared a state of emergency last month in the area of Asuncion and seven other regions. Unfortunately, several people were reported to be dead due to falling trees that were caused by the winds during the storm. United Nation's World Meteorological Organization declared that the heavy rains and flooding that the Americas have experienced late last year and this month are directly related to the El Nino phenomenon. According to its chief Michael Jarraud, "Severe droughts and devastating flooding being experienced throughout the tropics and subtropical zones bear the hallmarks of this El Nino." The Guardian has learned. El Nino also affected the United States this year, particularly the state of California. As reported, the month of January is expected to bring heavy rains and flooding in the city of Los Angeles. In fact, coastal areas in the city experienced high surfs throughout the first week of January this year. But it seems that the worst is yet to come because weather experts said that El Nino is projected to peak next month in February. Deputy Director of Climate Prediction Center Mike Halpert said that the U.S. just entered the period where citizens will experience the peak impact of the phenomenon over North America. In addition, the Climate Prediction Center also said that it expects above-normal rain not only in Los Angeles, but all throughout the country. Legends in Brazil are very extensive and they have influences from religions, local superstitions, stories, traditional rituals and more. Brazilian folklore is magical and at times scary. Some of these legends and mythical creatures have been passed down for generations. Here are some stories that will give you the jitters: Caipora Brazil Org listed caipora as one of the most well-known mythological beings in the country. The caipora is a giant that lives in the forest and its body is covered with thick, dark hair and said to roam the rainforest by riding a large boar. Mostly, this is not a dangerous creature, according to the stories. Headless Mule The headless mule has, in place of its head, a fire burn brightly. The illumination coming from the fire makes it convenient for the mule to roam the grounds at night. The locals said that this also transforms to an enchanting but violent lady. According to the folklore, people who meet her must run and hide because she may cast a bad spell; however, throwing a needle may help because the headless mule is weak against needles. El Tunchi Listverse described El Tunichi as an evil spirit that stalks the forest. It creeps up to people by making eerie, soft sounds. Some locals say that the creature is made up of souls of people who died in the jungle. Others claim that he is a ghost of a man who lost his way in the forest and eventually died. If someone disrespects the forest, El Tunchi will be furious and start to whistle in high pitch to scare, hurt and ultimately kill the offender. Saci-Perere According to legend, the Saci-Perere is a one-legged boy native to south and central Brazil. He loves to smoke using a pipe and said to be wearing a red-colored magical cap. Locals said that, in the legend, the boy is always up to mischief, doing things like scaring the animals, whispering to frighten people and blowing out campfires he comes across. In some Brazilian regions, Saci is connected to the devil because he behaves badly and practice bad habits as well. In a renewed hope for the victims of acid attacks in Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos signed a law named after Natalia Ponce, who was a victim of an acid attack in 2014. According to The City Paper, the Natalia Ponce Law serves a harsher punishment for those convicted of the crime. On Monday, after the law was signed, President Santos said, "We don't want to continue to occupy the dishonorable position of being one of the leading countries in the world in terms of the number of acid attacks. We must do everything necessary to protect victims and prevent future cases." Under the Natalia Ponce Law, a person who purposely harms someone with an acid attack can face 12 to 30 years of imprisonment, depending on the severity of the attack. The law has also increased the number of years in prison for those who commit such crimes against minors and those that have resulted to death. Even if a convicted attacker succeeds on living through his prison sentence, they are also bound to pay a fine of at least 644 million pesos up to 1.9 billion pesos on grave offenses. In order to minimize the incident of acid attacks, the law also imposed a minimum of one year up to five years of imprisonment for attacks that did not result to physical damage. According to BBC, Ponce after her high profile acid attack incident, became a high-profile representative to those who were victims of acid attacks. In Colombia, at least 100 incidents of acid attacks have occurred during the past decade, and while women seem to dominate the numbers, men also had their fair share of the incidents. After the law was signed in November, Ponce gave a short statement saying, "To all the people like myself who continue to fight, and to all the women who are victims of violence, I would tell you to not be quiet. Don't be afraid and believe in justice" as quoted by The City Paper. According to the Daily Mail, Ponce was attacked by a certain Jonathan Vega on March 27, 2014. Developing a distinct obsession on Ponce, Vega stalked her in almost everything she did until that day when he finally had the chance to commit the crime. Recounting the incident that happened during that fateful day, she said that she clearly remembers the time she thought, her life ended. "I don't remember the pain, I wasn't worried about my skin, but I was terrified for my eyes," she recalled. HTC has proven its record with Google, so it is not surprising to learn that the company has been called upon to come up with two possible Nexus smartphones that will be released this year. Word about HTC being commissioned to come up with two new Nexus devices came from someone over at Weibo. According to the leak, the alleged models will be sporting a 5-inch and 5.5-inch screen, with no other spec revealed for now. HTC was pushed back a bit in 2015, with LG and Huawei taking the spotlight with the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, respectively. As everyone has probably heard by now, the two devices did pretty well though the Nexus 6P did have some supply issues. For 2016, HTC gets the chance to pick up from that and offer two mystery devices. HTC and Google have been working together since 2010, and the partnership has produced several devices. That includes the HTC One M9, which did fairly well against competing brands such as Apple, Samsung and LG. There was also the mid-range model HTC had (HTC One A9) and the HTC One X9. This year, HTC is expected to come out with the HTC One M10, which could be released by the second quarter of 2016. The upcoming devices official specs have yet to be known but per Phone Arena, among the possible specs include a 6.0-inch display (1440x2560 pixels), possibly running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB of internal storage, a 20.7 MP main camera and a vastly improved 3,500 mAh camera that allows for longer use. HTC has found itself struggling lately, but the upcoming HTC One M10 and the two rumored Nexus devices could help out in turning the fortune of the company around. This development does come a bit of a surprise considering HTC CEO and co-founder Cher Wang mentioned last week that the company will be focusing more on VR headsets rather than smartphones. HTC introduced the HTC Vive VR recently, and rumors of HTC possibly putting up a separate entity came out in the open. Wang eventually shot down the rumors though that bit saw shares of HTC rise per Focus Taiwan. One thing working for HTC is that they are known for offering quality and reliable devices in the past. Though the new Nexus devices have yet to be officially confirmed, the fortune of the company could get a big boost with two new Nexus handsets coming out in 2016. "Saved by the Bell" alum Dustin Diamond began his four-month sentence on Friday after being convicted last year for stabbing a man during a bar fight on Christmas 2014. Diamond, a standup comedian best known for playing Samuel "Screech" Powers on the popular '90s sitcom, was booked into the Ozaukee County jail in Wisconsin to serve his jail sentence, reports ABC News. His sentence includes work release. Last June, the famed actor was found his guilty of two misdemeanor counts after a three-day trial. He was then order to start jail during the summer, but a judge put the sentence on hold while Diamond's legal team filed an appeal against his conviction. They withdrew the appeal last month. The stabbing incident occurred when the 39-year-old actor used a switchblade to stab a 25-year-old man during a fight at the Grand Avenue Saloon in Port Washington on Dec. 25, 2014. Court documents show the victim suffered from a non-life-threatening, half-inch wound under his armpit and heavy bleeding. Diamond was convicted in May 2015 by an Ozaukee County jury of carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct. However, he was cleared of a felony charge of recklessly endangering public safety. During the trial, Diamond testified his fiancee, Amanda Schutz, was involved in an incident with a small group and that he was just trying to protect her. In a criminal complaint, Diamond and Schutz also stated that they got into a physical altercation with two men and a woman. Diamond also told police he accidentally stabbed one of the men while he was trying to defend his fiancee. Schutz was found guilty of one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and ordered to pay a $500 fine for her involvement in the incident. In September, Diamond appeared in court for a restitution hearing where he was ordered to pay over $1,000 in fines," reported Fox 6 Now. Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica SA has expressed interest in purchasing AT&T's pay TV assets in Latin America. People familiar with the matter value AT&T's Latin American pay TV assets at up to $10 billion. AT&T gained the Latin American properties after purchasing them in their acquisition of DirecTV last year, Reuters reports. DirecTV Acquisition Gives AT&T Presence in Latin America AT&T now has satellite and cable operations in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and several other countries in Latin America. The company still must decide if they are willing to part with the Latin American assets. AT&T is weighing the benefits of making a deal with Telefonica or another company. A Multiple-Company Sale Is Possible Other companies are interested in AT&T's pay TV assets in specific countries in Latin America too. Instead of making a deal for all of the assets solely with Telefonica, AT&T could end up splitting up the properties, selling them off individually to multiple companies, according to a source familiar with the matter. The source added that one potential buyer could be Liberty Global Plc. Sources on the story have asked to remain anonymous because the deliberations are confidential. AT&T has approximately 19 million pay TV customers in Central and South America, which makes the company the biggest pay TV provider in the region. However, due to declining currencies in Brazil and other Latin American countries, profits for the service have sunk. AT&T's Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said that they would consider selling the Latin American business, but that company officials are willing to be patient. Telefonica has a major presence in Latin America in the wireless industry. Movistar and Vivo are the company's two major brands, but its pay TV operations in the region are smaller. AT&T also has a huge ownership in Sky Brasil (93 percent), the largest satellite provider in the country. AT&T also owns PanAmericana, which offers satellite TV from DirecTV in most of the rest of South America, as well as Puerto Rico. Telefonica's Debt Problem Telefonica is carrying a debt load of about 50 billion euros ($54 billion). The company is looking to make changes and has been shuffling around its businesses. Telefonica plans to sell off its Spanish infrastructure unit later this year, including wireless towers. The Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to consider a legal challenge to President Barack Obama's executive action, allowing for certain undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States. The case will be argued in April with a ruling likely to follow in June, The New York Times reports. The case gives limited time for the president's administration to implement the new program called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA. Obama first announced the program shortly after the 2014 general election. Frustrated with the Republican resistance to any type of bipartisan legislature in Congress, the president used executive power that would allow permanent residents protection from deportation under certain stipulations. Specifically, DAPA grants deferred action status to undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for more than five years, have no prior felonies, and have children who are American citizens or permanent residents. It is expected to effect close to 4 million people when implemented. However, the program has been blocked by those that believe the president abused his power by sidestepping Congress. A coalition of 26 states filed a lawsuit against the president's action, and a preliminary injunction halted the program pending the legal case. "DAPA is a crucial change in the nation's immigration law and policy -- and that is precisely why it could be created only by Congress, rather than unilaterally imposed by the Executive," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, head of the collation against DAPA, according to the Washington Post. The Obama administration has pressed the Supreme Court to move quickly in making the decision. The president still hopes to have the program put in place before his successor arrives next January. While Republican presidential candidates have vowed to dismantle the program if elected, the Democratic candidates have said they will see they will ensure DAPA remains in effect. Hillary Clinton expressed her support for DAPA via Twitter. .@POTUS' action should be upheld so families can stay together and live without fear of deportation. -H https://t.co/qkj7UiZUyR Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 19, 2016 In a statement obtained by Latin Post, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also promised to follow through with Obama's executive decision. "The president did exactly the right thing when he took action to protect Dreamers and the parents of children who are citizens or legal permanent residents. I am confident the president has the legal authority to take this bold action," Sanders said. "Clearly the best form of action is for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform to put undocumented people on a path toward citizenship. But if Congress fails to act, as president I would uphold and expand the president's action." Prosecutors in Texas have joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving advocates in demanding that "affluenza teen" Ethan Couch's case be moved to adult court. Yahoo News reports representatives from the state's attorney office formally submitted their request to a judge on Tuesday. Couch remains in Mexico, where he is being held in an immigration detention center. The then 16-year-old became a household name in 2013 following a drunk driving crash in which he killed four people. At trial, attorneys for Couch used an "affluenza defense" on behalf of their client, arguing that he had grown up too sheltered to distinguish right from wrong. The affluenza diagnosis is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. Ultimately, Couch was sentenced to probation in juvenile court, a sentence that many have criticized as too lenient. More recently, he fled to Mexico with his mother, after a video emerged appearing to show him drinking with friends, a gross violation of his probation. If Couch is found guilty in adult court of having violated his probation, he could be sentenced to four months in prison. Another probation violation after that could land him a punishment as harsh as 40 years behind bars. Meanwhile, attorneys for Couch contend the current proceedings should be brought to a halt because their client is not present to defend himself. Tarrant County prosecutors contend Couch forced his own absence by fleeing to Mexico and fighting his extradition back to the U.S. Couch and his mother are rumored to have driven to Puerto Vallarta. They were on the run for more than two weeks. Tonya Couch has since been charged with a third-degree felony for helping her son flee and now faces as many as 10 years in prison if convicted. The Dallas Morning News reports MADD reps are planning to present the judge with a formal petition calling for Couch's case to be moved to adult court. Traveling around the world is one of the best hobbies. Though sometimes we meet some problems on our way which better be solv Apple and Samsung are just two of the major companies that were identified as obtaining minerals for device batteries from mines that employ young children in Africa. Human rights group Amnesty International said in a new report that these young children are paid nearly nothing and have to work long hours. Amnesty International indicated that Apple, Samsung and other companies failed to ensure that the minerals that they receive for their products were not coming from mines that employ children as young as 7 years old, CNet reports. The group reported on Tuesday that the mines in question produce cobalt, an important component that is used in lithium batteries in smartphones and other devices. "Millions of people enjoy the benefits of new technologies but rarely ask how they are made," Mark Dummett, business and human rights researcher at Amnesty, said in a press release. "It is high time the big brands took some responsibility for the mining of the raw materials that make their lucrative products." Amnesty International also listed Sony, Microsoft, LG Chem, Huawei, Dell, HP, ZTE, Vodafone and Daimler as companies who may be receiving minerals from mines that employ young children. Zero Tolerance Policies Apple, Samsung and Sony all said they have zero-tolerance policies regarding child labor. The companies also claimed they conduct frequent checks on their suppliers to make sure the policy is followed. The technology industry is so competitive that companies often use materials, manufacturers and components from all over the world. Amnesty International said that these companies are not policing their suppliers well enough against poor work conditions. Reputation Killers Accusations of child labor and poor work conditions can significantly hurt a company's reputation. Nike's brand was hurt when reports of children working in sweat shops surfaced in the 1990s. Apple has also been criticized for forcing its workers in China to work extremely long hours at the Foxconn plant where iPhones are made. Amnesty International's report focused on problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where half of the world's cobalt comes from. UNICEF estimated that about 40,000 children work in the mines under dangerous conditions. According to the report, work conditions in the mines led to the deaths of 80 miners between September 2014 and December 2015. The workers that survive work long shifts in cramped spaces. They are exposed to environments that can cause life-long health problems and they carry heavy loads. Children report making only $1 or $2 per day. Amnesty International said that none of these major companies traced the origin of the cobalt they received for their lithium-ion batteries, despite any claims of zero-tolerance policies on child labor. Companies Unable to Verify Source of Minerals Samsung said if they find any instances of child labor, they end their contracts with the supplier. The company added it does not allow the use of minerals from areas like Congo, but some suppliers do not disclose the original source of materials, making it impossible to verify the work conditions of mineral producers. Apple reported it strictly prohibits underage labor by its suppliers. If a supplier is found to be using underage workers, Apple said it forces the supplier to pay the underage individuals the correct amount of money they are owed, help them return to their homes, pay for their education and offer them jobs when they are of legal age. Amnesty International also criticized suppliers and the their governments for not tracking the sources of minerals going to major tech companies. "Without laws that require companies to check and publicly disclose information about where they source minerals and their suppliers, companies can continue to benefit from human rights abuses," Dummett said. "Governments must put an end to this lack of transparency, which allows companies to profit from misery." A new poll revealed that nearly 70 percent of New Mexicans do not support Gov. Susana Martinez's proposal to take away driver's licenses from undocumented immigrants. According to a survey conducted by Latino Decisions released on Monday, 69 percent of registered voters in New Mexico said immigrants in the country illegally should be able to obtain a license, as long as those licenses cannot be used for federal purposes. On the other hand, only 27 percent of respondents opposed the idea of issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. The poll also showed that 56 percent support a two-tier license system that passed the state Senate last year, but was rejected in the House. Just 39 percent opposed that legislation. Under the proposal, the state would have created two tiers of driver's licenses, with one license valid for both federal purposes and driving, and the other only able to be used for driving. The proposal also would have made the state compliant with the Real ID law. However, Martinez and House Republicans opposed the Senate compromise bill. The governor has been campaigning to repeal the immigrant driver's license law. At a news conference Monday, Gabriel Sanchez, research director for Latino Decisions, said the poll proves that New Mexicans are more accepting of immigrant-friendly policies. "Here in New Mexico, unlike some of the narrative you see out there, New Mexicans are not in this punitive mindset toward immigrants," Sanchez said at the New Mexico American Civil Liberties Union, reports KRQE. "They actually have a very level-headed approach to policy issues related to immigrants and immigration more broadly." Likewise, Democratic state Rep. Javier Martinez said the "poll confirms what we've known for years, and that is that the governor and their allies in the New Mexico state House are out of the mixture and they are at odds with what most New Mexicans want to do," reports KOB 4. "This is what New Mexico is all about," said Catholic Bishops Conference spokesman Allen Sanchez. "I'm proud to hear that our New Mexicans are coming from a place of compassion, and compassion comes from a formed conscience." In response, the spokesman for the Governor's Office released a statement late Monday afternoon attacking the poll results. "Left-wing special interest groups might be able to trick a few gullible legislators with slanted poll questions that mischaracterize the issue," spokesman Michael Lonergan said. "New Mexicans will not be so easily fooled if they try to continue giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, while making New Mexicans jump through special hoops to avoid having to use passports." The legal storm that is brewing around Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential nominee, former Secretary of State and former First Lady of the United States, just might become murkier, if a D.C. appeals court ruling establish a precedent on a public servant's use of private email to conduct government-related communications. The two cases have no connection with each other. Real Clear Politics examines the complexities of what is now being called the "Hillary Clinton e-mail scandal." The article asserts that Clinton's storage of over 1,300 government classified documents on her private server, as well as her transmittal of them through her private email was a violation of the law. Her actions bypassed government's prevailing security systems and standards that enforced cyber-security and thus could have compromised national security. They also were intentional and not accidental or inconsiderate behavior because Clinton had been doing this for years. Depending on its findings, the Justice Department can actually file criminal charges against her. Meanwhile, as described by Politico, the D.C. Circuit appeals court is deliberating the case of John Holdren, White House Science and Technology adviser, who asserts that his emails in a private server are beyond the scope of the Freedom of Information Act. Holdren's office had declined the requests from the Competitive Enterprise Institute to access his email associated with the Massachussets-based private organization, Woods Hole Research Center. A district court ruling by US Justice Gladys Kessler supports Holdren's position, but the D.C. appeals court is now is inclined to reverse that ruling. A reversal could set a precedent that would send judiciary ripples that will inevitably trickle to the Clinton email-related litigation. Although mainstream media have not played up the Clinton case, the National Review warns that it's only a matter of time before all the aspects of her litigation, including possible criminal prosecution, will cause the electorate to view her character with a more critical eye. The latest polls say that only 23 percent believe she has integrity and trustworthienss. An Iraqi refugee named Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab was arrested in Sacramento California last Thursday. He was charged with making false statements involving international terrorism, specifically lying about going to Syria to go against the government. The Iraqi-born man was living in California. A federal charge said he lied to investigators about traveling to Syria to fight against the government there. USA Today reported that the man was named Mohammed Younis al-Jayab. He is 23 and lives in Sacramento. He was charged with making fake announcement connecting to his supposed travel to war-torn Syria to assist terror organizations. Last week, in the middle of federal investigations in Sacramento, Houston and Milwaukee, the American River college student, was arrested on Jan. 7. According to Sacramento Bee Al Jayab said to the authorities that he will visit his grandmother in 2013 to 2014. He lied about those because in fact he went to Syria where he is "a member of a rebel group, militia and insurgent organization," as the indictment states. It also said he was lying about not joining a terror group in 2013 because he clearly did. The indictment further stated that Al-Jayab "called for and helped with the killing of a person" while he was in Syria between Nov. 19, 2013, and Jan. 17, 2014. His defense attorney said he is not planning any violent actions in the United States. However, the prosecutors said Al-Jayab used social media to organize plans to acquire weapons training and ultimately get into Syria. On the other hand, Al-Jayab's defense attorney, Ben Galloway, said that the interactions between the two men were from 2013, said Times of Israel. Galloway said that there wasn't any domestic plot by Al Jayab. They were not planning to attack the U.S. He also said that the conversation was years ago and it was about going overseas and nothing about doing anything in here. Al-Jayab is being held without bail in the Sacramento County jail. He might face up to eight years in prison if convicted. Palestinian authorities arrested an employee of chief negotiator Saeb Erekat on accusations of "spying for Israel," senior officials in Erekat's office and the Palestine Liberation Organization secretary general's bureau said on Saturday. An official has revealed that the man employed in the negotiations department of the PLO was arrested around two weeks ago. Furthermore, he revealed that the man was an administrative employee without access to political files but was discovered to have made collaborations with Israel. According to reports in the Palestinian press via Haaretz, the suspect has worked for the administration for the past 20 years since it was headed by current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The publication has also recalled the headlines back in 2011 where leaks of information and documents from the negotiations office were revealed on the Qatari news network al-Jazeera. It was suspected that two administration officials gave al-Jazeera confidential documents describing discussions between Israeli officials and the Palestinian authority, and even includes minutes of the meeting. The Palestinian Authority revealed that the leakage was made by Qatar to gain favour with Israel. Now reportedly, the Palestinian security forces are in the process of evaluating any potential damage caused by the suspect. A senior official in the negotiations administration also said that the suspect had been under surveillance for several months. As there were enough evidences gathered it has then led to his arrest and interrogation. Mr Erekat, a close ally of President Mahmoud Abbas, has been the top negotiator in peace efforts with Israel. Erekat has purportedly emphasized that the official suspected of espionage was neither a senior official nor one of his close advisers. While the suspect has allegedly admitted to his crime of spying, a criminal investigation is still being done. Under Palestinian law, those accused of espionage risk receiving capital punishment. The United States administration paid back Iran $1.7 billion to settle a lawsuit dating back to 1981. Following the deal, critics say that the U.S. is funding Iran's destructive nuclear regime which seriously threatens global security. Under Obama's rule, the U.S. will settle a legal lawsuit with Iran that has long been pending at the Hague Tribunal since the Islamic revolution. As per Business Standard, State Secretary John Kerry said that the U.S. government will repay $400 million debt and $1.3 billion interest to Iran. Kerry stated that Iran previously used the $400 million trust fund to purchase military equipment from the U.S. but were never delivered ever since diplomacy relations with Iran were broken. U.S. cut ties with Iran when the Islamic revolution started and terrorists took hostages in the American embassy. President Barack Obama announced in a televised message from the White House that the settlement was much less than what Iran wanted and that the U.S. did not benefit from it. A senior government official told reporters, "Clearly, it's in the U.S. interest to resolve these (claims) in ways that reduce our risk. And we believe that this is a very positive settlement for us." Adam Szubin, the Treasury Department's acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said that Iran's nuclear efforts gravely threaten regional and global security. The Washington Post reported that critics say the U.S. is funding a destructive nuclear command initiated by Iran. However, government officials denied the allegation, saying that there would be bigger consequences to U.S. citizens if the lawsuit was not settled with Iran. Critics added that the settlement shows Obama's weakness and surrender to Iran. A day after the case was settled, four American prisoners and a reporter named Jason Rezaian were freed in exchange for seven Iranian detainees in the U.S. The Obama government also posed new sanctions related to Iran's ballistic missile testing. These are different from previously lifted international sanctions on Iran's nuclear program. The Times of India reported that the U.S will try to resolve more pending claims with Iran. Kerry noted that U.S. claims against Iran amounting to $2.5 billion have already been settled. Obama declared that the U.S. will continue to pursue diplomacy with Iran, one of its longtime adversaries. The president said that the settlement with Iran shows that conflicts can be resolved with patience, courage, and wisdom. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is hoping to get more political leverage as economic sanctions were lifted from Iran regarding the nuclear deal with world powers. The nuclear agreement is causing political tensions in Iran as oppositionists denounced the deal. After entering a nuclear deal with world leaders, Iran is now relieved of harsh international sanctions that crippled its economy. The country can now conduct trade freely with Asia and Europe. Iran President Hassan Rouhani, the one who promoted the deal, saw the agreement as a way for him to get more political influence and support in his country. However, USAToday reported that Rouhani was not pleased with the political payout gained from the nuclear deal. However, he called the lifting of sanctions a win for the Iranian people. Rouhani expressed his dismay at the fact that only four of his candidates were approved by the Guardian Council of Iran to run in future parliamentary elections. Vaez said that the four nominees only represent 1% of the total number of candidates. According to Iranian reporter Rohollah Faghihi, the nuclear deal should boost Rouhani's party in the upcoming elections in Iran. Yet, he added that there will still be those who will fight against it. On the other hand, analyst Ali Vaez said that Rouhani will gain more advantage if parliament powers lean towards his favor. Vaez added that the stakes in the elections are high and if Rouhani fails, he could become "a lame duck president for the rest of his term". Lawyer Herald previously reported that the nuclear deal brought new U.S. sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program, causing political rifts in the country. Iran said that the sanctions imposed by America were illegitimate. Rouhani called on Brig. Gen Hossein Dehghan to speed up missile production and enhance defense capabilities as retaliation to the new missile penalties. Following the relieving of economic sanctions on Iran, Inquirer.net reported that the Iranian government plans to increase crude oil export by 500,000 barrels per day. At present, Iran produces 2.8 million barrels of crude oil and only exports around 1 million barrels. Iran's deputy oil minister Rokneddin Javadi said that other countries might get Iran's share if the country does not step up its oil production. In the following months, over $100 billion of Iranian assets are expected to be unlocked. Iran's economy is predicted to improve after the lifting of sanctions. Jan 19, 2016, 12:57pm ET Honda, GM to jointly manufacture hydrogen fuel cells The Japanese government wants FCV prices to compete with gas-electric hybrids within 10 years. General Motors and Honda are reportedly planning to jointly manufacture hydrogen fuel-cell technology. The move does not come as a surprise, as the automakers have been collaborating on FCV development for several years. The companies are aiming to introduce an all-new hydrogen fuel cell system by the end of the decade. Engineers are focused on making the technology both smaller and cheaper than current alternatives. "By cutting costs with General Motors, we hope to increase our FCV production capacity to help achieve the government's goal," an unnamed Honda official said in a Asahi Shimbun report spotted by Autoblog. Several automaker alliances are currently pushing forward with the controversial technology, despite signs of trouble in the US market. All will be attempting to bring prices down to a level competitive with traditionally powertrains. Honda and GM have not yet officially confirmed the manufacturing partnership or disclosed a potential location for their factory. The Japanese government is said to be considering strategies that will help the technology go mainstream by 2025. It is unclear if manufacturing incentives will be part of the plan. The factory will likely be limited to fuel-cell components, rather than serving an assembly plant for vehicles. Honda and GM are not expected to share the same level of deep collaboration on the vehicle chassis and bodies. Koenigsegg Agera RS sells out in 10 months Jan 18, 2016, 4:04pm ET The limited-edition supercar is said to be the fastest selling model in the company\'s history. Koenigsegg has reportedly sold out of the Agera RS, months ahead of its arrival in the US market. The company will only build 25 units, spread across all global markets. Every one has been called for in just 10 months since the RS' debut at the Geneva Motor Show early last year, as noted by WorldCarFans. Four examples had rolled off the assembly line by late November, with another six passing through the workshop. The seventh car, chassis #128, will be headed to a US buyer. The RS is a street-legal track-focused Agera variant, shedding up to 88 pounds compared to the Agera R and S. A 5.0-liter V8 provides a massive 1,160 horsepower, while cornering forces can reach 1.75 G. For US buyers who missed out on the RS, the company plans to bring its even crazier Regera to the market. Pairing a direct-drive twin-turbo V8 with electric motors brings output up to more than 1,500 ponies and 1,475 lb-ft of torque, enabling the coupe to hit 249 mph in just 20 seconds -- half the time required to get a Bugatti Veyron up to the same speed. Chassis #128 will arrive on US shores by the middle of the year. The company plans to deliver all 25 examples by next year. Jan 19, 2016, 9:48am ET VW eyeing former FBI director to manage emissions fallout? The potential move has reportedly been met with resistance from union leaders. Volkswagen is reportedly planning to hire former FBI director Louis Freeh to help manage the looming legal quagmire associated with the TDI emissions scandal. Freeh has worked as an Assistant US Attorney, eventually leading the Southern District of New York's organized crime unit. He was the lead prosecutor in the "Pizza Connection" mob-busting case, described as the longest criminal trial in US history. VW could use a person with such skills as it works to cut deals with government agencies in the US. Most, if not all, of the ongoing criminal investigations will likely result in settlement agreements. The automaker will also have to contend with an even higher number of civil lawsuits. The company's supervisory board is said to have scheduled a special committee meeting to discuss the potential appointment, according to Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The move appears to have been met with resistance from union leaders, who hold half the seats on the board. Labor heads reportedly view the position as an overlap with that of Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt, a former Daimler manager hired to join VW's board to oversee handling of the emissions scandal."We dont know this person and the issue is not on the executive board meetings agenda," a union representative told the DPA news agency, as quoted by Europe Online. Despite grumbling from union officials, Freeh would likely serve as a consultant to help direct negotiations with US prosecutors. He would presumably report to Hohmann-Dennhardt, rather than filling an overlapping role. An 18-year-old Allentown man admitted to fatally shooting a man after a dispute with the gunman's ex-girlfriend. Tyreek Aziz Muldrow, 18, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and attempted homicide Tuesday morning, said Debbie Garlicki, spokeswoman for the Lehigh County District Attorney's office. Judge Robert Steinberg sentenced Muldrow to 40 to 80 years in state prison. Police said on May 28, Muldrow was a passenger in a vehicle driving near North Eighth and West Washington streets when he made a derogatory comment to his ex-girlfriend Saindra Maisonet. Maisonet was walking with Tymel Kenney. After the 18-year-old Maisonet commented back, Muldrow got out of the vehicle and argued with Kenney before opening fire, police said. Muldrow reportedly pulled out a black weapon and shot Kenney multiple times, police said. Kenney, 20, of Wilmington, Delaware, died a short time later at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said. Maisonet was treated at Lehigh Valley Hospital for a graze wound to the right side of her head that required staples, police said. Muldrow was arrested about an hour later at 420 N. Penn St. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. UPDATE: Heroin seized from Bethlehem robber after 'terrifying crime,' chief says A Bethlehem man is accused of robbing a South Side business at gunpoint and making off with $500 in cash. Ramon Rivera (Courtesy photo) Ramon Rivera, of the 900 block of Mechanic Street, shortly before 5:30 a.m. Monday displayed a handgun at Pat's Newstand, 327 S. New St., and demanded cash from a store clerk, Bethlehem police said. The female employee handed over $500 from the cash register and Rivera fled, according to police. Police said the victim provided a detailed description of the suspect, and at 7 a.m. Monday investigators received an anonymous tip identifying Rivera as the robber. Police said they are familiar with Rivera from past crimes. Rivera is charged with robbery, making terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault and theft. He was arraigned Monday before District Judge Jacqueline Taschner, who set bail at $150,000. In lieu of bail, Rivera was taken to Northampton County Prison. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. easton block watch A block watch sign hangs on Northampton Street in Easton (Matt Smith | Lehighvalleylive.com file photo) The Easton Block Watch Association is staging a comeback. Down to a handful of active members, one of the longtime die-hards is asking for city residents' participation. South Side resident Melody Rogers wants residents to know the block watch reorganization meeting is coming up on Thursday, Jan. 28. That's a great time to ask questions, find out more about the organization and get involved. Participation has been so poor of late that Rogers and the handful of others are close to starting from scratch. "Basically we're doing it from the ground up," said the 28-year volunteer. Sign in for the reorganization meeting is at 6:30 p.m. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the gallery at the State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. The group meets the second Tuesday of every month. February's meeting will be at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 610 W. Berwick St. For more information, call Rogers at 610-438-5374. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. An Allentown man has been arraigned on a slew of charges for his role in robbing a Chinese food delivery driver in Wilson Borough, according to court records. William Nicholas Alvin, 25, of the 1000 block of West Emaus Avenue, shortly before 11 p.m. on Jan. 9 allegedly helped co-conspirator Randy Gabriel, 32, of the 200 block of Vista Drive in Easton, rob the driver. The 25-year-old male victim, from Bangor, had just delivered food in the 1900 block of Ferry Street when Alvin approached him, allegedly saying, "Give me all your money and I won't hurt you." Police said the pair struggled and the victim punched Alvin. Gabriel then came up behind the victim and punched him on the right side of his head, cutting his right ear, according to court records. The victim fell to the ground and covered his heads with his hands. That's when police said $600 was taken from the victim's pocket and the two robbers fled in a white Hyundai. The victim spotted Alvin walking down an Easton street and identified him on Jan. 15 as one of the assailants, police said. Gabriel previously was arraigned before District Judge Richard Yetter III, who set bail at $50,000. In lieu of bail, Gabriel was taken to Northampton County Prison. He is charged with robbery and simple assault. Alvin is charged with felony robbery, felony criminal conspiracy, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor receiving stolen property and misdemeanor simple assault. He was arraigned before District Judge Jacqueline Taschner, who set bail at $35,000 and committed Alvin to Northampton County Prison. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Improvised Shakespeare Company The Improvised Shakespeare Company is scheduled to perform Saturday during the third annual SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival in Bethlehem. (Courtesy photo) UPDATE: Storm forecast forces rescheduling of Improv Comedy Festival BY DUSTIN SCHOOF The reach and scope of improvisational comedy has grown beyond the Lehigh Valley. Lehigh Valley improv troupe ManDudeBro is also part of the three-day festival lineup. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) The evidence lies in the third annual SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival, set for Friday and Saturday at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. Improv performance troupes from Bethlehem to Boston and Chicago will perform during the two-and-a-half day event -- an eclectic mix of college student performers and veterans of the art form. This year's festival kicks off 6 p.m. Friday in the Fowler Blast Furnace Room. The action picks up again 11 a.m. Saturday and continues with back-to-back sets through Sunday morning, with the final festival performance set for 2 a.m. Sunday. Jon Lunger, director of marketing for ArtsQuest, compared attending the festival to that of binge-watching. "You get to see top-level performers from around the country, literally all day and night," he said. "You get to see a wide variety of styles, a wide variety of performers. You're exposed to the limitless possibilities this art form has to offer." Festival director Ryan Hill said organizers received submissions from as far away as Canada and Los Angeles. "To have that reach just after three years feels like a major accomplishment," he said during a recent conference call. Lunger, who is also a member of Lehigh Valley improv troupe ManDudeBro, echoed Hill's sentiments. "It has been tremendous. The submissions, not only the submissions, but the quality of the submissions, have grown exponentially each year," he said. "Clearly, it is something there is interest for and there is passion for." The Lehigh Valley will be represented by ManDudeBro, Flighty Ducks, Associated Mess, Aliens That Are Ancient, Choking Hazard, 4 AM in Thailand, Jed & Dan, Shrunken Kids, Snail and Cranks and Pulleys. The amount of local representation has increased since the first Improv Comedy Festival was held in 2014, Hill said. "I'm surprised at how much people have embraced what we do here," said Flighty Ducks and ManDudeBro member Dan Maher. "There is top-evel talent that keeps wanting to come back to this festival." New York improv comic Christian Capozzoli performs at 9 p.m. Friday at the ArtsQuest Center. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) The group of festival performers includes the Improvised Shakespeare Company on Saturday, and, also on Saturday, Baltimore-based troupe One of Us is Drunk. The latter's approach, Hill explained, is for the audience to figure out by the end of their set which troupe member is actually tipsy and who is faking it. A screening of rarely seen "The Delmonic Interviews" -- a documentary/tribute to late improv legend Del Close -- is also planned exclusively for festival performers. Additional improv workshops will also be held throughout the festival. "There's lots of great stuff. It's hard to single out individual groups when we have a variety," Lunger said. Improv -- which is typically done in either short-form and long-form formats -- has steadily increased its presence as the state of comedy in the Valley has expanded its footprint. In addition to improv classes offered by ArtsQuest, fans of the genre can get their fix during the biweekly "Improv Bar Brawl" at the Allentown Brew Works and "Improv Comedy Power Hour" at SteelStacks or the monthly "Improv Jam" at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem. The reach has extended to the campuses of Lehigh University, DeSales University and Muhlenberg College. Lehigh's Hobo Army, DeSales University Improv and Muhlenberg's Underground Improv Project are also in the mix, representing Saturday's morning block of student acts. Lunger said the continued interest from not only the region, but from across the country, speaks to how improv has taken hold in the community. "Things are being created in a room and it's a shared experience between the audience and the performer," he said. "It exists in such a fleeting way. The byproduct of that is this real, intangible feeling of energy and being alive and being part of the process." Maher recalled attending his first improv festival, the Queens Fringe Festival in New York. He hopes other performers walk away from SteelStacks with the same feeling of excitement and hunger he felt. "It was world-changing in terms of what this can be," Maher said of the Queens Fringe Festival. "This (SteelStacks) is my Disneyland." IF YOU GO SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival is Friday, Jan. 22, and Saturday, Jan. 23, at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. Performances will take place in the Fowler Blast Furnace Room. Friday tickets cost $14 for ArtsQuest members; $16 in advance, $19 at the door for non-members. Saturday tickets cost $22 for ArtsQuest members; $25 in advance, $29 at the door for non-members. Information: 610-332-2278, steelstacks.org SCHEDULE Friday, Jan. 22 6 p.m.: Ceremonial First "Yes And" Ceremony 6:15 p.m.: 4 AM in Thailand (Lehigh Valley) 6:30 p.m.: Seyonce (New York) 6:45 p.m.: Suburban Adventure (New York) 7 p.m.: Tornadoes N Toronto (New York) 7:20 p.m.: Sandlan (New York) 7:40 p.m.: Jed & Dan (Lehigh Valley) 8 p.m.: Snail (Lehigh Valley) 8:15 p.m.: The Governess (New York) 8:30 p.m.: Associated Mess (New York) 9 p.m.: Christian Capozzoli (New York) 10 p.m.: Far Police (New York) 10:20 p.m.: Flighty Ducks (Lehigh Valley) 10:40 p.m.: Untitled 11 p.m.: Classic Brady (New York) 11:15 p.m.: My Privacy (New York) 11:30 p.m.: First Crush (New York) 11:45 p.m.: Aliens That Are Ancient (Lehigh Valley) Midnight: "The Delmonic Interviews" screening (performers only) Saturday, Jan. 23 11 a.m.: DeSales University Improv (DeSales University, Upper Saucon Township) 11:15 a.m.: Feral Christine (Sarah Lawrence College, New York) 11:30 a.m.: The Mixed Signals (The College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey) 11:45 a.m.: TBA team from York High School (York, Pennsylvania) Noon: Hobo Army (Lehigh University, Bethlehem) 12:15 p.m.: The Viola Question (Yale University, Connecticut) 12:30 p.m.: Soviet Purgatory (Albright College, Reading) 12:45 p.m.: Underground Improv Project (Muhlenberg College, Allentown) 1 p.m.: Fjord (Philadelphia) 1:15 p.m.: Den Mother (Philadelphia) 1:30 p.m.: Sorry Not Sorry (New York) 1:45 p.m.: Cranks and Pulleys (Lehigh Valley) 2 p.m.: Aeropuerto (Boston) 2:20 p.m.: The Sardines (Philadelphia) 2:40 p.m.: Biscuit City (Rhode Island) 3 p.m.: Apollo (New York) 3:20 p.m.: Outside Voices (Philadelphia) 3:40 p.m.: Richie (Washington, D.C.) 4 p.m.: Choking Hazard (Lehigh Valley) 4:20 p.m.: Pluto (New York) 4:40 p.m.: Beef Child (New York) 5 p.m.: Cake Bagel (Washington, D.C.) 5:20 p.m.: A Few Good Dudes (New York) 5:40 p.m.: Flagstaff (Chicago) 6 p.m.: Sad Trombone (Philadelphia) 6:20 p.m.: King Bee (Washington, D.C.) 6:40 p.m.: Masher (Philadelphia) 7 p.m.: Shrunken Kids (Lehigh Valley) 7:20 p.m.: 1 Deep (New York) 7:40 p.m.: The Serling (New York) 8 p.m.: Team Lopez (New York) 8:20 p.m.: Good Girl (New York) 8:40 p.m.: Bait & Switch (Rhode Island) 9 p.m.: ManDudeBro (Lehigh Valley) 9:30 p.m.: Improvised Shakespeare (Chicago) 10:35 p.m.: Sad Jazz (New York/Los Angeles) 11 p.m.: One Of Us is Drunk (Baltimore) 11:20 p.m.: The Bush Administration (New York) 11:40 p.m.: Southpaw (New York) Midnight: Insignificant Other (New York) SUNDAY, JAN. 24 12:15 a.m.: Sea Tea Improv (Connecticut) 12:30 a.m.: Trophy Wives (New York) 12:45 a.m.: Midnight Oil (Chicago) 1 a.m.: Liam Got Coffee (New York/Los Angeles) 1:20 a.m.: Higgins (New York) 1:40 a.m.: Snooker (New York) 2 a.m.: Closing Improv Jam UPCOMING IMPROV SHOWS Jan. 20: January Imrov Comedy Jam, 7:30 p.m. Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem Jan. 21: Improv Comedy Power Hour, 10 p.m., ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem Jan. 26: Improv Bar Brawl, 7 p.m., Allentown Brew Works, 812 W. Hamilton St., Allentown Dustin Schoof is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook. Someone broke into a self-storage business in Lower Macungie Township and stole an ATV and a dirt bike, among other items, Pennsylvania State Police said. The break-in occurred between Jan. 4 and Tuesday at Lower Macungie Self Storage, police said. The thief or thieves cut a hole in the chain link fence around the facility and entered five locked utility trailers by cutting off the locks or latches, according to police. Tools and tool boxes were also taken, police said. The investigation is continuing, police said. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A Hackettstown-area businessman is "paying the price" for stealing more than $300,000 of a client's health insurance money to aid his own ailing business, authorities announced Tuesday. The president of a Hackettstown-area business, William Boudreau was sentenced Tuesday for stealing more than $330,000 in client's money to help salvage his business. (Courtesy photo) William Boudreau, president of Managed Benefits Plans in Allamuchy Township, was sentenced to serve three years in prison and pay back $50,000, according to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. "He's now paying the price for selfishly putting his own needs above the interests of his client and above the law," Acting Insurance Prosecutor Christopher Iu said in a news release. Boudreau, 69, of Mount Olive Township in Morris County, was charged in 2014 and pleaded guilty in October to second-degree theft by failure to make required disposition of property received for stealing $331,800 intended to cover the employee health premiums for his client, Putnam Savings Bank. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed a charge of second-degree misapplication of entrusted property. In 2009, Boudreau's company was hired by Putnam to pay health insurance premium bills for the bank's employees. The company would send Putnam a bill and the bank would pay for the total premium costs, authorities said. Boudreau stopped paying the premiums in 2011 when Managed Benefits Plans started losing money, the attorney general's office said. The company went broke that December. Boudreau, who could have faced up to 10 years in prison on each count, was sentenced Tuesday in Warren County by Superior Court Judge Matthew Curry. "Prison is the appropriate place for this man who betrayed his fiduciary duties as steward of the funds intended to pay an entire staff's health insurance premiums," Acting Attorney General Hoffman said. "Instead of making the insurance payments, he stole the money to prop up his ailing business, risking the medical insurance of those unsuspecting employees." INSURANCE FRAUD HOTLINE The New Jersey Attorney General's Office encourages anyone with information about possible insurance fraud to report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD or visiting www.NJInsurancefraud.org. Rewards may be offered. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. THE Mayor of Kildare, Micheal Spike Nolan, has stated that he is not his brothers keeper after an explosive article appeared in a Sunday newspaper alleging that this brother and former Lillywhite GAA star, Brian Spike Nolan is a swinger. THE Mayor of Kildare, Micheal Spike Nolan, has stated that he is not his brothers keeper after an explosive article appeared in a Sunday newspaper alleging that this brother and former Lillywhite GAA star, Brian Spike Nolan is a swinger. The article, which appeared in the Sunday World dated July 15, alleged that the former GAA forward, who played in the Kildare 1992 Leinster final against Dublin, is involved in the swinger scene. I am not my brothers keeper. said Mayor Nolan speaking to the Leinster Leader. I am concious of my mother so that is all I can say except that I never subscribe to the Sunday World. Meanwhile another brother Kevin Nolan who lives in Nurney described the article as a major surprise and an embarrasment. Im not my brothers keeper, he also said. What he gets up to in his own life is his own affair. Its an embarrasment and it was a major surprise. I dont have much contact with him. The Leinster Leader could not contact Mr Nolan who now lives in Dublin for a comment at the time of going to press. Both Nolan brothers have the nickname, Spike. The latest Grand National winning jockey may have thousands of new fans after last weekend but his most loyal number one supporter is his 104-year-old granny, Bridget Aspell from Kilcullen. The latest Grand National winning jockey may have thousands of new fans after last weekend but his most loyal number one supporter is his 104-year-old granny, Bridget Aspell from Kilcullen. Leighton Aspell epitomised coolness personified as he crossed the line at Aintree on Saturday, but the nerves were jangling at Conroy Park, Killcullen. Bridget was joined by her daughter Molly and son in law Arthur Duffy as they settled in to watch the big race. Leightons cousin Phil Duffy caught up with the action from his home in Suncroft, but dropped by afterwards to celebrate. There were tears shed by every one of the Aspell family and all the relatives. They were tears of joy, he remarked. To be honest I tipped him to everybody I knew because, number one - I thought he had a chance and, number two - I was hoping and praying hed win because he was my cousin. Phil had a fiver each way on the first two finishers. I had my fingers crossed, my legs, everything, he added. As Pineau De Re jumped the last fence, Phil could see the horse was motoring well and the win was on. When asked how his granny and mum reacted, Phil declared Bridget enjoyed a hot whiskey after the race. When I called over, I asked her did she want another one and she asked did a bird every fly on one wing?, he explained. To say racing is in Leightons blood, is a major understatement. His father Paddy was a jockey and both he and Leightons mum, Mary travelled over to England for the race. His brother Paddy junior is also on the circuit and started out in National Hunt before taking up flat racing. His sister Lynette is in Australia and his brother Eoin was also cheering him on. Leighton grew up in Narraghmore and went to school locally where he was taught by Mrs Gleeson. At the age of 15, he headed off to the Reg Hollinshead jockey apprentice school. Despite a relatively successful career, he retired in 2007 before making a comeback in 2009. During his sabbatical he tried his hand at training with the Dunlops from his base at Lambourn but was itching to get back racing. This season has proved to be his most noteworthy, but he remains down to earth despite his success. There was no time for showboating when he clinched the win on Saturday. Leighton is not that sort of guy. He is not flamboyant. He puts the head down and works hard and is thankful for everything hes done. He doesnt like be to flashy about things, added Phil. The jockey comes back to Ireland two or three times a year and the first person he calls to visit each time is his granny. Co Leitrim will be under the sport tourism spotlight on Thursday night, with an entry from the county shortlisted for the inaugural Shannon Group European Sport Tourism Awards in Limerick. Co Leitrim will be under the sport tourism spotlight on Thursday night, with an entry from the county shortlisted for the inaugural Shannon Group European Sport Tourism Awards in Limerick. Leitrim Tourism has made the Lakelands & Waterways Sport Tourism Innovation award shortlist and will compete with the likes neighbours Longford Tourism and Baysports in Roscommon for the title. The award one of 15 handed out at the event - is based on events venues and activities which have shown innovation and creativity in water sport tourism. The awards are a key element of the annual Shannon Airport European Sport Tourism Summit, which will be held for the second year running in Limerick on Thursday and Friday. Mark OConnell, a director of summit and awards organisers W2 Consulting, said Sport Tourism is already big business for us in Ireland today. When you think of the range and popularity of events up and down the country and the type of income they are driving in their individual areas, you quickly realise just how much of a growth area it is. The awards give recognition to the people and organisations who are making that happen and contributing very significantly to local economies. The recent flooding experienced in Co Leitrim has already cost Leitrim County Council in excess of 771,000 according to figures revealed at the January local authority meeting. Detailing a report into the flooding in the county since December 5, 2015, Senior Engineer, Shay O'Connor, told the chamber that, in the 19 days between December 5 and Christmas Eve last year Leitrim County Council ran up a bill of 477,000 for works carried out in direct relation to flooding and flood prevention. A detailed breakdown of these costs had been, said Mr O'Connor, submitted to the Government and we expect to be fully compensated for these. Subsequent to this, Mr O'Connor said that the Council had generated a second bill for 294,000 for works carried out from December 24, 2015 to the present date. "These have also been submitted to the Government and we await confirmation on these. The Government has also advised that there will be funding available to repair damage caused to public infrastructure. We await details of this but will be making a submission when flood waters recede," he said. To this end the council are still working on costings for works needed to repair roads and bridges damaged throughout the county as a result of the flooding and no estimates have been made for works which will be necessary to stop further flooding in the area in future. Mr O'Connor said that in 2009 the Council was told that the flooding experienced was a one in 100 or 200 year event. At the time the water levels peaked in Carrick-on-Shannon at 45.37m and in Lough Allen at 50.77m. However, he noted, the levels in 2015 saw water peaking at 45.017m in Carrick-on-Shannon and 50.6m in Lough Allen. "It is clear that this is something we will have to deal with every five or six years," acknowledged the Leitrim County Council Engineer. "This is no longer a once in a 100 or 200 year event and we need to see how we can raise roads above water levels or to a level which will make them still accessible (in the event of flooding)." The Guardian reports that human rights groups have expressed concern at a major rise in UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Last month Saferworld and Amnesty commissioned a legal opinion from Professor Philippe Sands QC and other lawyers which concluded that British arms sales to Saudi Arabia, in the context of its military intervention and bombing campaign in Yemen, were breaking national, EU and international law. UK arms sales in the three-month period from July to September 2015 for the export category that covers missiles, rockets and bombs amounted to 1,066,216,510, the BIS documents show. They were sold under five separate licences. You can see the official figures showing the details of the export licences here. Tim Farron has accused David Cameron of putting profits before human rights. The Government is putting profit before everything else, including human rights and regional stability. We should be world leader in human rights and not a world leader in arms sales to unsavoury regimes. Britain deserves better. There is strong evidence that these British weapons are being used against civilians in Yemen, which breaks international law. All arms contracts with Saudi Arabia should be suspended until there is firm, open proof that no laws have been broken and any new contracts should be signed of by the Defence Secretary for approval. * Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary in print, on air or online. They say that there is no war that is more difficult and emotionally draining than a civil war. So it is with ideas. When liberals and progressives fight conservatives, the battles are easy. Each is convinced of their own righteousness and, when they run out of arguments, can simply dismiss the other side as being either Neanderthal or degenerate and therefore not worthy of much consideration. Everyone can go to bed enveloped in their own warm glow of self-belief. Much more difficult are conflicting ideas that spring from the same ideology. Because resolution is difficult, these issues tend to get quietly swept under the carpet to be addressed some other time that never quite arrives. I would like to raise one of these issues here. It relates to immigration, refugees and the liberal ideals of our societies. David Cameron has been roundly condemned for simplistically linking language skills with radicalisation. And rightly so. However, those who read Camerons article in The Times could see that around the Prime Ministers cack-handed focus on language skills, he also brought to the fore some real, serious and difficult issues. The liberal ideal has always advocated a spirit of openness, tolerance and an international outlook. The welcoming of immigrants and refugees has flowed naturally from these principles. However, what has not yet been adequately addressed by liberals is the relationship between multi-cultural societies, liberal ideals and peoples inherent need for a sense of identity. Liberals have spent decades fighting for the freedom to practice any religion or none, the rights of women, homosexuals and other groups that have been subject in the past to terrible prejudice and discrimination. However, it is undeniable that a proportion of our immigrant population has been brought up in a culture in which such ideas do not fit comfortably. How should a liberal react to this inherent conflict? Take the liberal view that all cultures are different and should be accepted for what they are provided they can live comfortably side by side? Or take the view that liberal ideals hard fought for for decades need to be defended? That in a secular, liberal society discrimination against women or any other group is unacceptable in any community. That individuals should be allowed to practice any religion or none without fear of being ostracized when they make their own adult choices. It is easy to duck the issue and talk about integration. But what does that mean? And is it reasonable to expect it to happen? Does integration mean expecting all individuals, families and communities to give up long and deeply held religious and cultural beliefs? Or does it mean that, provided theyre not too obvious, we can turn a blind eye to behaviours among certain communities that we, as liberals, would not tolerate for a minute among others? In todays political climate it is both unwise and unreasonable to fudge or ignore these inherent conflict of ideals. No party that argues for an open hearted approach to refugees can be credible without an equally clear position on how to manage the difficult cultural questions that inevitably arise. Ignoring and being silent on these very real issues simply fertilizes the ground on which UKIP-style xenophobia flourishes. There are no easy or obvious answers. Agree with him of not, Cameron has clearly set out his stall. We must too. * Joe Zammit-Lucia is a co-founder and trustee of the think tank radix.org.uk and a Lib Dem member A MAN who was aggressive towards gardai and security staff of a public house after being ejected from the premises on The Square in Newcastle West has been fined 500 by a local court. James Corbett, 22, of Sharwood Estate, Newcastle West, was before the court charged with intoxication in a public place at The Square, Newcastle West on November 23, 2014. He was also charged with engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in a public place on the same date The Newcastle West man was also before the court charged with engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in a public place on The Square, Newcastle West on December 22, 2014 and with intoxication in a public place on the same date. Solicitor Enda OConnor said that the matter was before the court on July 10 last at which time, he said, Judge Mary Larkin indicated that she may take a certain view on circumstances provided that Corbett stay out of trouble. Mr OConnor told the court that his client stayed out of trouble from December 2014 until August, 2015. Im not going to mislead the court, continued Mr OConnor who explained that there was a serious incident in August of 2015. He has finally woken up to the fact that he is unable to take any type of alcohol, said Mr OConnor. The court heard that Corbett booked himself into a treatment centre and successfully completed a 30-day treatment course. Mr OConnor said Corbett continues to attend the treatment centre and also attends Alcoholic Anonymous meetings three times a week. The court that Corbett has undergone a change in lifestyle which has enabled him to maintain his sobriety. In relation to the incident in August which is due before the courts at a later date, Mr OConnor said his client had maintained his bail conditions and has managed to hold down a job. Inspector Brian ODonovan told the court that on November 23, 2014 at 1.30am gardai were outside a bar at The Square in Newcastle West. A patron was ejected from the bar and was being aggressive towards security staff, said Insp Donovan who added that the individual attempted to fight with people present. The court heard that Corbett was requested to leave the area and told to go home. At 2.20am gardai were still at the scene when James Corbett returned. He was very intoxicated and aggressive. He attempted to strike out at gardai, said Insp ODonovan. The court further heard that on December 22, 2014, Corbett was involved in an altercation with another man. They were both asked to leave the area. He was highly intoxicated and was abusive towards the gardai. He did apologise to the gardai for his behaviour, said Insp ODonovan. Judge Mary Larkin imposed a fine of 250 on each of the charges of engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in a public place. Both of the charges of being intoxicated in a public place were taken into consideration. Rocognizance was fixed in the event of an appeal. MEMBERS of Limerick City and County Council have backed a motion to reject the controversial proposals by Irish Water to pump millions of litres of water a day out of the Shannon for use in Dublin and the Midlands. At a meeting in City Hall this Monday, Independent councillor John Gilligan tabled the motion, which was supported by most of his fellow councillors. Outlining his opposition, Cllr Gilligan said the proposal to suck water from the Shannon and pump it up to Dublin at an enormous cost, into a leaking network, only to watch it flow down the Liffey, defies logic. However, he said he was not trying to deny Dublin water. This will affect me, my children and grand-children, he said, urging other councillors to reject it. Sinn Fein councillor Maurice Quinlivan supported his motion, arguing that there are alternatives, such as desalination. Irish Water has, however, ruled that option out as the more expensive of the two options currently on the table, and is instead pushing for extraction from the Parteen basin in county Clare. Cllr Quinlivan described the current proposal to pump 330 million litres of water a day from the river Shannon as just bonkers. Anti-Austerity Alliance councillor Cian Prendiville also supported the moton, arguing that the plans are akin to pouring water into a bucket with a major hole in it. Sinn Feil councillor Seighin OCeallaigh said that he feels that Irish Water are not responsible or answerable to anyone. Independent councillor John Loftus said he supported this motion 100%, especially having worked as a desalination engineer many years ago. He believes that this option would cost a fraction of the price. Building a pipeline is just ludicrous, he added. Fianna Fail councillor James Collins said he remains unconvinced of the business case for this project, especially to fund a two-tiered economy, as national policy seems to be east coast centred. Unfortunately as a councillor I dont have a say or vote in the matter, which I think is a pity, he added. In contrast to other councillors, Fine Gaels Michael Hourigan pointed out that the cost of desalination is enormous, as stated by Irish Water, and said that he believes that the amount of water which would be pumped some two per cent of the daily supply is insignificant. In recent days Irish Water has rejected some of the claims made by the River Shannon Protection Alliance regarding the damage this extraction could cause to the environment, tourism, aquatic life and other areas. They plan to submit a planning application in 2017. TOP Irish band The Coronas are set to be the first act to play at a planned for new series of gigs in Limericks King Johns Castle. The band will play a 2,000 capacity concert in the 13th century Castle on the Saturday of the May Bank Holiday weekend, with tickets going on sale this Friday. An official launch will take place in the Castle this Tuesday evening, but the Limerick Leader has confirmed from bookers Dolan's, who are running the show in tandem with Shannon Heritage, that the gig will go ahead on Saturday, April 30. Neil Dolan said that the gig would be a massive one for Limerick. It is the biggest show Dolans have ever done and it is great coup to get one of the biggest bands in Ireland in The Coronas to do it, he said. Considering they opened up the Milk Market (series of gigs), it is incredible that they are going to be the first ones to do King Johns Castle after the Frames (in 2004), he added. Shannon Heritage had confirmed recently that it was in talks with concert promoters to host a significant music event at King Johns Castle in 2016. John Ruddle, CEO of the body, which operates tourist attractions in the region including the Castle under the auspices of the Shannon Group plc, had confirmed to the Leader that talks were underway with a view to hosting a major event in the city next year. We are in discussions with concert promoters to explore the potential of holding a significant music event at King Johns Castle, said Mr Ruddle. We think it would be a wonderful location for concerts and we are actively pursuing this, he added. Mr Ruddles comments followed those made by Shannon Group CEO Neil Pakey who said that the venue had great potential. What we want to do with King Johns is give it events all the time, said Mr Pakey. I am talking to various people about big music events next year, maybe with 2,000 people coming along to it. It is really about bringing the Castle to life, bringing the Castle into Limerick, maybe that will stimulate more activity along Nicholas Street here, he added. Shannon Heritage has hosted a number of increasingly higher profile events in the Castle since it was given a 6m revamp in 2013, with visitor numbers doubling in its first full operating season as a result. FRESH from his stint starring in Sleeping Beauty at the University Concert Hall, Coronation Street actor and Boyzone star Keith Duffy will make a return visit to Limerick this week, again to brighten up the lives of little children and their families. The hugely popular Dubliner is the special guest at the Clionas Foundation ninth annual celebratory night which takes place in Bulgaden Castle on January 23 next from 8pm. Keith Duffy is our main man, smiled Terry Ring, who along with her husband Brendan founded the charitable organisation Clionas Foundation. He is finished in the panto and he is in rehearsals now for another play Big Maggie in Dublin. He is going to leave rehearsals at six that evening to be with us in Bulgaden. Terry and Brendan Ring founded the charitable organisation, Clionas Foundation in 2007 to provide financial assistance to families in Ireland who have children undergoing long-term medical treatment for critical illness. The foundation is named in memory of their late daughter Cliona who sadly passed away in 2006 from an inoperable brain tumour. Each year, the celebratory evening celebrates Clionas life and brings together hundreds of people from all over county Limerick and beyond in an effort to raise funds to make the lives of families with ill children, a little bit easier. One of the big highlights of the night is the monster raffle which is renowned for its top-class prizes. Our main raffle prize is two separate vouchers - one for the Crescent Shopping Centre valued at 1,000 and another for Brown Thomas, again valued at 1,000, Terry explained. We have a special prize for the kiddies - one nights accommodation and passes for two adults and two children to Tayto Park. The kids love spending their 2 on their ticket so its nice to make a fuss of them. There are also two tickets to see the biggest popstar in the planet Justin Bieber in concert. That is strictly a door prize, Terry explained. They have to be present on the night for collection of the two tickets, she added. There will also be a number of hampers and goodies and finger good on the night. Music will be by popular band Nightfall. Tickets are priced at 10 each or 20 for a family ticket. Cliona's Foundation provides financial assistance for critically ill children all over Ireland. In the month of December alone, 21 families were looked after, said Terry. We have numerous more applications to process. It tends to get busier at this time. It is a difficult time for families all year round particularly if there are siblings at home. This is the ninth year of the annual fundraiser which is hugely supported in the local community. And of course, Cliona, the girl in whose memory the fundraiser takes place, will be on everyones mind on the night. Cliona is always on our mind. She would have been 25 on Wednesday of last week. We have lovely memories in Clionas name. 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. A crabro wasp feeding on a grape in a Tuscan vineyard in October. Research suggests wasps carrying yeast could help to jumpstart wine fermentation by leaving the microbes behind on grapes. The yeast behind wine, beer and bread has sex in wasp intestines, researchers say. This finding that insect guts can serve as love nests for yeast could one day help unearth new industrially important strains of yeast, scientists added. Yeasts are types of fungus. These microbes ferment sugars, generating acids, gases and alcohols. Bread, wine and beer depend on a single species of of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae bread gets its spongy texture from bubbles of carbon dioxide released by this yeast, while wine and beer depend on this yeast for their intoxicating qualities. [Raise Your Glass: 10 Intoxicating Beer Facts] Despite the importance of S. cerevisiae, much remains unknown about how it behaves in the wild, such as how and where it breeds. A number of the most successful domesticated yeast strains are actually hybrids of different species of yeast, so learning more about yeast sex could have major industrial applications, the researchers said. Now scientists find that wasp intestines apparently encourage yeast to have sex. "Wasps are the alcoves where yeast mating occurs in nature," said study co-author Duccio Cavalieri, a geneticist and microbiologist at the University of Florence in Italy. In the past 15 years, scientists have found evidence that hybrids of different yeast strains and species occurred more often than previously thought. However, they weren't sure where these hybrids were being bred in nature. To learn more about yeast sex, scientists focused on wasps because previous work found these insects could host S. cerevisiae in their intestines and spread these microbes in the wild. For instance, wasps can help to jumpstart wine fermentation by leaving yeast behind on grapes. In the lab, the researchers fed wasps five different strains of S. cerevisiae, each readily genetically distinguishable from one another. They next tricked the wasps into hibernating by lowering the air temperatures to mimic winter. After two months, the scientists discovered hybrid strains of yeast in about a third of the wasps. Brewer's yeast mate in the intestines of Crabro wasps (shown here outside of their nest). (Image credit: Image courtesy of Carlotta De Filippo.) In addition, the researchers discovered hybrids of different yeast species in the intestines of wasps captured from the field hybrids of S. cerevisiae and S. uvarum, and of S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus. In lab experiments, they confirmed that S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus could hybridize in wasp intestines. Intriguingly, the scientists also found that pure S. paradoxus strains died off in wasp intestines, while S. paradoxus hybrids with S. cerevisiae survived. This finding suggests that wasps could be major drivers of yeast diversity by ensuring that certain pure strains die while more genetically diverse hybrid strains live. "Yeast evolution, in the form of new genetic combinations, may depend on yeast interaction with insects," Cavalieri told Live Science. Wasp intestines may offer a chemical environment that permits yeast to complete reproduction, Cavalieri said. He added that wasps go into hibernation for two months in the winter, potentially giving yeast a good amount of time to breed in peace. (Previously, researchers found S. cerevisiaewas brewing alcohol inside a man's gut. The rare condition is called gut fermentation syndrome.) The scientists detailed their findings online today (Jan. 18) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Detail of the left column of an inscription found in a Russian cathedral that names men who murdered a prince. A long list with names of Medieval killers has been uncovered by restorers working in a Russian church, shedding new light on the murder of Andrey Bogolyubsky, one of the most powerful princes of the time. Found on the east wall of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Pereslavl-Zalessky, some 60 miles from Moscow, the inscription names 20 conspirators and briefly describes what happened on the night of June 29, 1174, when Prince Bogolyubsky was stabbed to death in his bedchamber. "We suppose the inscription was some sort of official announcement about the murder of Prince Andrey and the condemnation of the murderers," Alexey Gippius, professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics and correspondent member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Discovery News. Medieval Bones Burst From Ground When Tree Topples "The number of the names confirms information given by the chronicles, where however only three names are mentioned," he added. Andrey I Yuryevich, commonly known as Andrey Bogolyubsky ("Andrew the God-Loving"), was a grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1113 to 1125. As the prince of Rostov-Suzdal and grand prince of Vladimir, he strengthened the importance of the northeastern Russian lands which he tried to unite under his authority. Photos: Construction Reveals Dozens of Skeletons in Florence He moved the political hub from Kiev to the city-state of Vladimir, making it a powerful center of religious and civil life. Seeing their power strongly reduced, the boyars, or upper nobility, plotted against the autocratic prince. Twenty conspirators burst into Andrey's chamber and killed him. "The murder of the prince is one of the most dramatic and mysterious events of the second half of the 12th century," Nikolai Makarov, director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in a statement. Birchbark Message Tells Story of Medieval Traveler He noted the assassination was a consequence of conflicts among the political elite of the Vladimir-Suzdal land, turned by Andrey into one of the dominant political centers of Russia. "However, the details of these conflicts, which are often interpreted as a clash of princely power and nobility, are unknown to us," Makarov said. Located in the middle of the southern apse of the cathedral, the inscription consists of two columns and is crowned by a cross. Mysterious Manuscript Has Genuine Message The right column reads: "On the month of June 29 Prince Andrey had been killed by his servants. Memory eternal to him and eternal torture to them [lost text]." The left column contains a list of Bogolyubsky's killers, which include the already known names of "Petr Fralovich, Ambal, Yakim" and other so far unknown murderers including "Ivka, Petrko, Styryata." "These are murderers of Great Prince Andrey. Let them be cursed [lost text]," the inscription concludes. The researchers can't tell when exactly after the murder of Andrey Bogolyubsky the inscription was made. The text could have been sent by the Vladimir authorities to all the main cities of the northeastern Russian lands in order to be inscribed on the walls of churches. "Now graffiti is regarded as something undesirable and destructive, but in Middle Age graffiti on the walls of houses and churches could act as an important channel of communication between officials and the people," Gippius said. Originally published on Discovery News. Tiny, wireless, electronic implants that melt away in the body could one day help doctors monitor the brain, new research in rats suggests. Similar devices could be used elsewhere in the body, potentially as a way to deliver medicine to targeted locations, the scientists said in the study. Electronic implants can now help treat everything from heart attacks to traumatic brain injuries. For instance, pacemakers can help keep the heart beating properly, while brain sensors can monitor patients for potentially dangerous swelling and pressure in the brain. [5 Crazy Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Biotech] However, standard permanent electronic implants can pose risks to patients because these devices can become sites of infection, researchers said. Such afflictions can trigger immune responses and result in complications associated with their surgical removal. Now, scientists working with rats have developed new implants that can monitor brain activity and then dissolve, or "resorb," a few weeks after implantation. "We are excited because this work demonstrates a new kind of implantable electronic device, with a key unique feature complete bioresorbability that opens up many possibilities for its use in improving health outcomes for patients," study senior author John Rogers, a materials scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,told Live Science. The researchers developed silicon-based sensors, each about the size of a grain of rice (up to 0.2 inches, or 6 millimeters, long). These devices are made of extremely thin sheets of silicon, which are naturally biodegradable and can record pressure and temperature crucial things to monitor after a brain injury or surgery about as accurately as conventional monitoring devices, the researchers said. Biodegradable wires made of a metallic element called molybdenum then connect these sensors to external head-mounted devices that relay sensor data outward. The sensors and wires eventually dissolve completely and harmlessly in the fluid in the brain and spine, called cerebrospinal fluid, the researchers explained. "These kinds of systems have potential across a range of clinical practices, where therapeutic or monitoring devices are implanted or ingested, perform a sophisticated function, and then resorb harmlessly into the body after their function is no longer necessary," Rogers said in a statement. In experiments in rats, the sensors could operate continuously for up to three days. Rogers and his colleagues noted that patients with traumatic brain injuries are typically monitored for several days after their injury. The scientists are now improving their devices so they can operate for a few weeks instead of just a few days, Rogers said. "The ultimate strategy is to have a device that you can place in the brain or in other organs in the body that is entirely implanted, intimately connected with the organ you want to monitor and can transmit signals wirelessly to provide information on the health of that organ, allowing doctors to intervene, if necessary, to prevent bigger problems," study co-author Rory Murphy, a neurosurgeon at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a statement. "After the critical period that you actually want to monitor, it will dissolve away and disappear." The scientists noted that the external transmitters could still be a source of infection. To overcome this issue, they developed an implantable transmitter about 0.6 inches (1.5 centimeters) wide, or about the size of a postage stamp, that does not require wiring through the skin. This implant is not yet completely dissolvable the body can resorb only about 85 percent of it but recent research by Rogers and his colleagues suggests that they could make it completely biodegradable, Rogers said. The researchers are moving toward human clinical trials for their devices. They also plan to add even more capabilities to these implants, such as motion sensing or acidity monitoring. Moreover, "In the near future, we believe that it will be possible to embed therapeutic function, such as electrical stimulation or drug delivery, into the same systems while retaining the essential bioresorbable character," Rogers said in a statement. Future research could lead to even smaller devices, as microchips have shrunk over the decades, Rogers added. The scientists detailed their findings online Jan. 18 in the journal Nature (opens in new tab). Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Dinosaurs attempt to flee a wildfire on Antarctica during the late Cretaceous. (Image credit: Illustration by Maurilio Oliveira; De Lima, F.J. et al. Polar Research (2021); CC BY 4.0 Raging wildfires tore through Antarctica 75 million years ago, back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, a new study finds. During the late Cretaceous period (100 million to 66 million years ago), one of the warmest periods on Earth , Antarctica's James Ross Island was home to a temperate forest of conifers, ferns and flowering plants known as angiosperms, as well as to a slew of dinosaurs . But it wasn't a total paradise; ancient paleo-fires burned parts of those forests to a crisp, leaving behind charcoal remnants that scientists have now scooped up and studied. "This discovery expands the knowledge about the occurrence of vegetation fires during the Cretaceous, showing that such episodes were more common than previously imagined," study lead researcher Flaviana Jorge de Lima, a paleobiologist at Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, said in a statement. Related: Icy images: Antarctica will amaze you in incredible aerial views The finding marks the first evidence on record of a paleo-fire on James Ross Island, a part of the Antarctic Peninsula that now sits below South America. The discovery adds evidence that spontaneous fires were common in Antarctica during the Campanian age (about 84 million to 72 million years ago); in 2015, in a separate study, researchers documented the first known evidence of dinosaur-age wildfires in West Antarctica , according to a study in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . A fossilized piece of charcoal next to a coin. (Image credit: De Lima, F.J. et al. Polar Research (2021); CC BY 4.0 For the new work, an international team of scientists analyzed fossils collected during a 2015-2016 expedition to the northeastern part of James Ross Island. These fossils contained fragments of plants that looked like charcoal residue, which had weathered away over the past tens of millions of years. Image 1 of 5 The field camp on James Ross Island in Antarctica. (Image credit: Courtesy of De Lima, F.J. et al. ) James Ross Island sits south of South America. (Image credit: De Lima, F.J. et al. Polar Research (2021); CC BY 4.0 ) Scientists found the fossils in the Santa Marta Formation on James Ross Island. (Image credit: De Lima, F.J. et al. Polar Research (2021); CC BY 4.0 ) Scanning electron microscopic images of the charcoal fragments. (Image credit: De Lima, F.J. et al. Polar Research (2021); CC BY 4.0 ) a small, fossilized fragment from the fire 75 million years ago. (Image credit: De Lima, F.J. et al. Polar Research (2021); CC BY 4.0 ) The charcoal fragments were small the largest paper-thin pieces were just 0.7 by 1.5 inches (19 by 38 millimeters). But scanning electron microscope images revealed their identity: These fossils are likely burned gymnosperms, likely from a botanical family of coniferous trees called Araucariaceae, the researchers found. Intense forest fires were frequent and widespread during the late Cretaceous, although most of the evidence for these blazes lies in the Northern Hemisphere, with a few documented cases in the Southern Hemisphere in what is now Tasmania, New Zealand and Argentina, the researchers said. During the late Cretaceous, the supercontinent of Gondwana was breaking up, leaving places like Antarctica more isolated than before. This ice-free region had plenty of ignition sources, including lightning strikes, fireballs from falling meteors and volcanic activity, as well as flammable vegetation and high oxygen levels, which help fires burn, the researchers noted. "Antarctica had intense volcanic activity caused by tectonics during the Cretaceous, as suggested by the presence of fossil remains in strata related to ash falls," the researchers wrote in the study. "It is plausible that volcanic activity ignited the palaeo-wildfire that created the charcoal reported here." Now, the researchers are looking for new records of paleo-fires in other locations in Antarctica. The study was published online Oct. 20 in the journal Polar Research . Originally published on Live Science. Smoking pot can be a health concern for teens, but it is unlikely to cause a decline in their thinking abilities, a new study finds. Instead, the results suggest that if teens experience a cognitive decline, other factors, such as genetics or that young person's family environment, are more likely to be responsible for the drop, the researchers said. "It could be that they come from a neighborhood or a home where intellectual development is not highly encouraged," said study author Joshua D. Isen, of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The implications of the new findings are that "it is unlikely that the exposure to marijuana itself is causing children to show intellectual change," Isen told Live Science. Previous research on marijuana use during adolescence has yielded mixed results. Some studies have linked use of the drug during adolescence with a decline in cognitive ability. But other studies have suggested that the potential effects of marijuana on cognition were temporary, and that they wore off within several months after young users quit smoking. In the new study, the researchers looked at the relationship between marijuana use and intelligence based on data from two studies of twins that involved more than 3,000 participants. In the first study, which involved nearly 800 twins, the researchers administered IQ tests to measure the twins' intelligence when they were 9 or 10 years old, and again when they were 19 or 20 years old. The researchers also asked the young people whether they used marijuana at any time throughout their middle school or high school years. [6 Foods That Are Good For Your Brain] In the second study, which involved nearly 2,300 twins, the researchers also used IQ tests, this time testing the twins at age 11 or 12, and again when they were 17 to 18. Again, the researchers asked the young people whether they used pot while they were in middle school and high school. In the study of nearly 800 twins, the participants' baseline IQ scores did not show significant differences between the average IQ scores of kids who had smoked marijuana and those who had not used the drug. However, it may be that smarter kids don't start using marijuana in the first place, the researchers said. For example, among the kids in the other study, the average score on the vocabulary test was 98.8 among the kids who later used marijuana, compared with 100.7 among those who didn'tuse the drug. Similarly, the average score on the general knowledge test was 97.9 among future users, compared with 101.2 among nonusers. When the researchers looked at the IQ patterns in both groups, comparing the beginning and the end of the follow-up periods, results showed that the kids' vocabulary IQ scores declined over time among the young people who used marijuana while they were in middle school or high school. However, when the researchers compared the changes in IQ between individuals within the the same twin pairs, in which one twin had used marijuana and the other had not, they found that there were no significant differences in the extent to which both twins' IQ's might have changed over time. In other words, the twins who used marijuana did not develop greater cognitive deficits over time, compared to their twin siblings who didn't use the drug. Though the new findings may cast doubt on the idea that smoking marijuana makes kids less intelligent, "it doesn't mean that marijuana use itself is harmless," Isen told Live Science. Dr. Scott Krakower, an assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York, who was not involved in the study, agreed, saying that, despite the new findings on marijuana and overall IQ, there may be "other variables, other consequences that can come from using cannabis." For example, the marijuana users in the study used more drugs and alcohol, compared with marijuana nonusers, he noted. Moreover, the users did have some reduction in their vocabulary scores, he added. The new study was published Monday (Jan. 18) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Follow Agata Blaszczak-Boxe on Twitter. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science. Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, one of the species that can carry the Zika virus, begins its blood meal. Some pregnant women who traveled to areas where Zika virus is spreading should be tested for the disease, health officials announced today. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today (Jan. 19) that pregnant women should be tested for Zika virus if they have two or more symptoms of the disease such as fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes and if these symptoms appeared during or within two weeks of travel to an area where the virus is spreading. These areas include Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname and Venezuela. Pregnant women also should be tested for Zika virus if they have traveled to an area with Zika virus transmission and they have an ultrasound that shows microcephaly, a birth defect in which the baby's head is abnormally small. The announcement comes less than a week after the CDC recommended that all pregnant women consider postponing travel to the areas currently affected by the Zika virus, which is spread by mosquitoes and recently emerged in the Americas. The CDC made this recommendation based on reports in Brazil of a link between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and microcephaly in babies. Between October 2015 and January 2016, there were more than 3,500 cases of microcephaly in Brazil a significant increase from the average of about 150 cases per year. Health officials also have found Zika virus in the brain tissue of infants born with microcephaly, but they are still investigating the link. [7 Devastating Infectious Diseases] If a pregnant woman tests positive for Zika virus, she should have an ultrasound every three to four weeks to monitor fetus growth, the CDC said. Because there is no commercial test for Zika virus, doctors will need to work with state or local health departments to facilitate testing for their patients, the CDC said. There is no specific treatment for Zika virus. People with the illness are usually recommended rest, fluids and use of pain or fever-reducing mediation, the CDC said. About 80 percent of people who get Zika virus don't have symptoms. Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. FollowLive Science @livescience, Facebook& Google+. Original article on Live Science. If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Check out our latest E-Edition Accessible anytime and anywhere on your desktop, tablet and smart phone devices. The Lodi News e-Edition is enhanced with the latest digital tools, including RSS feeds, social networking and much more. Check out our latest E-edition! School & Education, Local News, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events By Long Island News & PR Published: January 19 2016 Suffolk County Community College President Dr. Shaun L. McKay was honored as the keynote speaker at the Suffolk County Martin Luther Jr. Commission Annual Luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Wind Watch on January 15. Hauppauge, NY - January 19, 2016 - Suffolk County Community College President Dr. Shaun L. McKay was honored as the keynote speaker at the Suffolk County Martin Luther Jr. Commission Annual Luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Wind Watch on January 15. Dr. McKay, in his remarks to the hundreds attending the luncheon, connected the values espoused by Dr. King and the contemporary challenges we face in 2016. "If our lives truly matter then we must do all in our power to provide a good education to every person, no matter gender, color, creed, socio-economic status, or political belief. Even in the most impoverished, underserved and perhaps violent neighborhoods, our schools must be beacons of hope for an end to oppression. The structures that create systemic inequity can be transformed and result in opportunity for all," McKay said and added, " Dr. King said, 'The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.' Let us commit ourselves today to work to provide this human right to every soul in our neighborhoods, our county, our state and country, and in every corner of our world. In this, Dr. Kings legacy lives. 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 exhale Bal Harbour Opens at The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami This opening marks another in the continued trend of luxury hotels partnering with boutique fitness brands to create complete fitness/wellness experiences for visiting guests.exhale Bal Harbour offers the notable brands signature Core Fusion and Yoga classes to hotel guests and locales alike including exhale's newest high intensity interval training class, Core Fusion Extreme. Members of exhale Bal Harbour will also receive access to the The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami's separate fitness center and beach. The fitness studio's unique location allows it to feature a full waterfront terrace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal.The stunning waterfront spa features 10 private therapy rooms as well as a men's and women's sauna and steam room once again overlooking the Intracoastal Water Way. The spa offers a complete menu of exhale's signature award-winning therapies including massage, facials, acupuncture, healing, waxing and nail services and a curated menu of exclusive treatments inspired by Florida oranges created just for The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami, such as: Super C Facial Orange and Clove Body Scrub Flow Massage with Citrus Oil Blood Orange Tea ritualVisit website: Cupid's Arrow Aims for Scottsdale's Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain This Valentine's Day Available Friday, Feb. 12 to Monday, Feb. 15 theprovides ten percent off a two nights' stay in a luxurious Casita, including one 60-minute spa treatment per person, dinner in elements (with optional prix fixe menu available Sunday, Feb. 14), and a rose petal turndown. Rates for Friday through Saturday night start at $2,019, and $1,968 for Saturday through Sunday night, excluding gratuity and alcohol. For (almost) never-ending love, guests can extend their stay to seven nights, available Feb. 8-15 and starting at $4,713.Executive Chef Beau MacMillan will turn up the heat with a celebratory, available inon Feb. 14. Menu highlights includeand. Dinner is $125 per person including a Chef's amuse and glass of Brut Etoile Rose and will be served from 5:30-10:30 p.m. Prices exclude tax and gratuity.For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.sanctuaryaz.com or call 855-245-2051. Interview with Sheldon Fink, Chairman & CEO of PBI Aqaba Industrial Estate Aqaba is an attractive investment destination for many businesses so in your opinion how is Aqaba standing out? Is it the status of a special economic zone (SEZ)? How would you characterise the city at the end of 2015 from an investor perspective? Let me briefly talk about ourselves; PBI Aqaba is the manager and the developer of Aqaba Industrial Estate. We are a partnership registered in the UK and we are managing and developing the estate according to our Concession contract with the Jordanian government. The partners are from the US, the UK and Turkey. We have been operating for the past 9 years. We have been marketing an area of 700,000m2 where the infrastructure is already in place, and also we are working on another 500,000m2 that will also be fully furnished with the needed infrastructure, both with a very highly developed performance. The 500,000m2 space is in an undeveloped area that we expect to develop within the coming 3 to 5 years. The total investment up to now in our estate exceeds 250 million US dollars. The goal is to reach 600 million US dollars by the end of developing the whole area of our estate. We have already signed an agreement and we expect that we shall start developing a 1 million m2 area of new industrial zone as a partnership between us and the Chinese. We expect to start on this by the end of 2017. Currently if we have any investors ready from China, we have enough space here on our estate to accommodate them so they can start their operations now. We have been based in Aqaba for about 10 years. When we came to Aqaba it had about 80,000 people and today it has almost twice that number. The GDP of the city has also grown similarly over the past ten years. There has been a lot of investment in infrastructure. Some of the businesses here are succeeding quite well. The advantage of Jordan and Aqaba is the location; it is very well placed in the Middle East region and Jordan is perceived as, and is in fact a safe haven. Also, Jordan is a country that has reasonably good relations with everybody and therefore you can market to every country in the region from here; whilst there are other countries that might be more advanced but cannot market because of various political disputes. We like Aqaba because of its location and we like Jordan because it is safe. We like it because we have been quite successful in our business here. "Our main objective is to be an example for proving to the Jordanian government that Aqaba can be a great manufacturing location." What role is the Aqaba International Industrial Estate playing in attracting investments to the region? What are the highlights of your operations during the past year? We have been here for ten years but there have been different periods. To begin with, when we came here there were just two buildings in the dessert. The town was 10km from here and there was nothing here. Therefore we couldnt take a marketing strategy to go international. We had three phases. First of all we said lets get some Jordanian customers. After that we could market to the region and so we said lets get some regional customers. Then after that we did go international. The third phase that we are in now has been for less than two years. We are beginning to see results on that but strategically the first step on was to ask who would possibly want to be here? even though we had a good thing to offer. So as I said, first it was local, then regional and then international. The second thing was that the vision of Aqaba, held by the authorities when we first came here, did not give an important role to industry. They said they wanted 50% tourism, 30% port and 20% industry but since the people only have a certain number of hours to work and a certain amount of money the last 20% never got any attention at all. That changed in the past two or three years. It changed because people began to notice that the investments here per job created in industry and logistics were much less than in any other sector so Jordan with a limited amount of money could create more jobs through light and medium industry and logistics than they could from sectors that were emphasised to begin with. Our contribution has been first to convince everybody here that one could develop a certain kind of industry in Jordan and especially in Aqaba, which we have succeeded to do, and secondly that the kind of businesses that we were attracting were very good for creating employment in relation to the amount of money that was invested per job. The advantage of Jordan and Aqaba is the location; it is very well placed in the Middle East region and Jordan is perceived as, and is in fact a safe haven. What is the estates strategy? The main objective is to be an example for proving to the Jordanian government that Aqaba can be a great manufacturing location. That is something they didnt believe at all and now they are starting to believe it. That is good for our business but it is also good for Jordan. Part of the strategy is to say look at what we are doing and see how it works so that then you can do more of this. The other thing is that by doing local and regional marketing which is what we were doing for 7 or 8 of the 10 years that we have been here, it brought us to a certain level which involves doing about 100,000m2 a year of sales, and rentals of land per year. I dont believe that in the market that we have succeeded in, that there is going to be a lot of growth. It is good growth above that level of development annually to do 100,000m2 of business a year but that is not enough. So now the strategy is to go international and presently we are giving a main focus to China, particularly the area of Shenzhen in China. It is a city that has approximately twice the population of Jordan and five times the GDP of Jordan. We think that it is a good match and that the amount of business we can bring from there could let us grow to a different level than we have been at up until now. Could you name some examples of industries that you have attracted? We have metals engineering companies. One example is a company that fabricates large components for power stations i.e. smoke stacks, cooling systems and boilers etc. We have a company that has been operating here for about 4 years in that field. Another is a factory which produces aluminium powder, aluminium wire and various other industrial products. Both are very large operations which both occupy 40-45,000m2 of land and employ hundreds of people. There is another industry that fits into metals engineering and also what I call the security related business. It is a rather large company that does armoured cars not for military use but for police and gendarmerie, banks, embassies etc. It is a completely different market than the first example but it is in metal fabrication. We also have plastics fabrication so an example is a company that does heavy duty shrink wrap which is used but to wrap pallets in containers. We also have some food industries here. We have a big logistics company that brings goods from China and repackages them and distributes them in the region. We have some pure engineering companies for example big European manufacturing companies for ship engines which have a technical department here to give services to ships in the region. "We are a partnership registered in the UK and we are managing and developing the estate according to our Concession contract with the Jordanian government. The partners are from the US, the UK and Turkey. We have been operating for the past 9 years." Lets talk about the geographical composition of these. As I said, for 80 or 90% of the time we were here, the geographical composition was Jordan and the regional countries. Regional countries include Turkey, Iraq, and Syria and even though it isnt mentioned very much it includes Israel and Libya. Generally speaking those are the main regional countries. In the past 2 years as I said, we have moved past that so we have now got some Canadian companies, some German companies and now some Chinese companies. Again, we are limited by the fact that our operations or Jordan in general has both financial and personnel constraints on how much we can do at one time. I would say that we shall continue to grow. We will soon get Shenzhen going in a better way and we are already starting in another city in China. I think China is going to be a major target for us. Are there other partnerships that you are looking into apart from with the Chinese, perhaps with some regions in particular or some specific industries? Targeting an area such as the Pearl River Delta in China, which Shenzhen is part of, means you have to find a local partner. A local partner is not a commercial marketing company. In China the local partner we felt was some quasi-governmental or semi-public institution which incorporates in itself many members who could be useful for us and we think that is a very good model for operating in China. It is a good model for operating in other companies also but in other countries we may find it difficult to find the Manufacturers Association partnering with a private company. In China there are now many layers of governmental or quasi-governmental companies that you can work with. I have to keep coming back and saying that for us right now, we believe that the area that we are dealing with in China is an area that we can service and that will give plenty of growth. We are continuing to look for some opportunities in Canada. The States for example, which is the easiest thing supposedly for us because a lot of us are Americans, is just too big and we dont believe that American companies want to set up manufacturing or assembly plants in this region. I dont think that that is where the United States business community is right now. We have done some work with the US Chamber of Commerce, there is a Middle East Commercial Centre in the Chamber of Commerce who we work very closely with but I dont see indications there that that would happen. The US business community views the Middle East as a target for direct exports from the United States and not necessarily as a location for American businesses to operate independently. Even so, we have recently begun to develop an opportunity with US based solar energy technology company, China used to have the same view but they changed their view. Now we are taking advantage of that. If I would read or understand that another country was in that mode, then we would take a look at that. What is your vision for the company, for Aqaba and for Jordan as a country? One of the problems in Jordan is that many government officials still have what I would call a top down view of the economy. Government officials typically think that it is their job to plan where the economy is going and even to do that on a fairly particular level, and then the businessmen will carry that vision out. It has been proven decisively in the past 20 years that that is not the way things work because in the heyday of the Soviet Union for example that was the view for a big part of the world. China today believes in a bottom up economy. There is some regulation and there must be regulation but in China subject to the regulatory powers the government expect the business community to identify opportunities and to carry them out and the job of the government is to support and regulate it. In Jordan, that is not yet sold to the government. It is very important for Jordan. Since we have been here, in these 10 years, it has improved a lot. The situation is not the same as it was 10 years ago but there needs to be more work done on that. The financing of businesses here is really bad. The banking community and the regulatory powers for the banking community are not interested in using banking funds to encourage industrial development. That is another thing that needs to be done. We have done a good job but we could have done much more. If Jordan could make some changes on these issues the place really would be great. Turkey for example took off economically over ten years. There is no reason whatsoever that Jordan cannot do it. People will say that energy is expensive and offer various other reasons but we believe that to be absolutely incorrect. Turkey doesnt have its own energy, Switzerland doesnt have its own energy nor does Japan or Israel and they are all highly industrialised countries. The Jordanian people are skilled and they can do a lot. There are hundreds of thousands of Jordanians working in the Gulf and that is a potential reserve for a lot of growth here. We believe that Jordan is far away from having realised its potential. That is great in business. If more foreign investors come here and show what we can do and how it can be a very important part of local development then that would also help. That is one of the jobs we are trying to do. There is right now about 300 million US dollars invested in the place that we are working on and of that, the original capital was 15 million US dollars of US AID money and 8 million US dollars of our money so that has turned into 300 million US dollars because of attracting other investors. That is our strategy. We dont even own the land here, the Government owns the land and we find the buyers and so it is between the Government and the buyers. A few more companies like that would improve us. One statistic that I can give you is that in 2014 there was more than 100 million Jordanian dinars value added here. According to the Jordan customs, the value of stuff that came in here compared to what went out was more than 100 million Jordanian dinars. At that point we didnt have more than 200 million US dollars invested here. This kind of business which focuses not on the real estate side but on the economic development side means that there is room for other people to come here and do the same thing and there is room for more industries. I think that Jordan has a very good future. FAIR USE POLICY This material (including media content) may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the page (including the source, i.e. Marcopolis.net) is permitted and encouraged. Administration to serve the Port of Baltimore for another 30 years to 2045. The contract is expected to generate 2,500 jobs over the next three decades. Baltimore is the leading auto and RoRo port in North America, and WWL ranks as its top RoRo customer, with more than 200 people employed at its terminal. The new contract, which replaced a 20-year deal set to expire in 2021, supports nearly 1,000 jobs at the port and another 1,500 jobs created by WWLs business in the state. Governor Larry Hogan, who was among the 150 guests attending the event on December 3, spoke of the importance of WWLs commitment to the port as well as the larger community. This new contract, tying WWLs success to that of the Port of Baltimore for the next three decades, will support nearly 1,000 jobs here in Maryland and is a ringing endorsement of the strength and importance of this partnership, he said in a press statement. Ray Fitzgerald, president for Atlantic at WWL, who was also present at the event, said the agreement sends a reassuring message to the many customers the company serves at the port. The services provided at our Baltimore logistics hub are essential to the success and supply chain efficiency of the many multinational corporations that leverage Baltimore as a gateway to and from markets all over the world, he said. The event took place inside WWLs new cargo treatment facility, where all cargo destined for Oceania is handled and fumigated prior to transport. The brand new 25,000-square-foot building served as an example of the commitment and service capabilities that WWL brings to the port. WWL has played an important role in developing the Port of Baltimore into the number one auto and RoRo destination in the United States. In 2014, the port handled international cargo totalling 29.5 million tonnes valued at nearly 53 billion US dollars. This included more than 861,000 tonnes of RoRo equipment and 792,000 cars. The port has generated about 13,650 jobs, and a further 127,600 jobs in Maryland are linked to port activities. GT USA, the US arm of UAE-based global ports and logistics company Gulftainer, announced the new Blue Stream Service, a weekly container cargo service connecting Port Canaveral to Europe, the French West Indies, and Central America. Blue Stream Service, operated by StreamLines, part of the SeaTrade Group, will provide refrigerated and dry container service to and from GT USAs Canaveral Cargo Terminal, with a focus on fresh produce and perishable cargo. The Blue Stream Service will feature five ships with 1,300 TEU capacity and 250 reefer plugs on a weekly rotation. The new line will serve Central America to Port Canaveral in just three days and will offer the fastest transit time between Florida and Europe, just 11 days. We are excited about the opportunity to provide our signature world-class service to StreamLines and to be its U.S. port of call. The new Blue Stream Service can showcase Port Canaveral as an ideal gateway, opening markets in Central America to Central Florida, and providing our local exporters the most efficient route to Europe, said Peter Richards, CEO of GT USA and Managing Director of Gulftainer. This will undoubtedly lead to even more growth in coming months for Canaveral Cargo Terminal, building Port Canaverals reputation as a key cargo destination along the Southeastern Seaboard. Blue Streams maiden call at GT USAs Canaveral Cargo Terminal is expected on January 31 with the arrival of the M/V NORDEROOG. The service will commence in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with calls in Tilbury, United Kingdom, and Radicatel, France; on its way to the French West Indies ports of Fort de France, Martinique, Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe, Phillipsburg, St, Maarten, then on to Moin, Costa Rica; Puerto Cortes, Honduras; and Santo Tomas, Guatemala; before transit to Port Canaveral. Canaveral Port Authority has embarked on a strategic plan to be a premier cargo port for the Eastern Seaboard, increasing capacity, building new facilities, and improving the channel to establish the deepest, most accessible East Coast port serving Central Florida. GT USAs Canaveral Cargo Terminal, the only dedicated container terminal at Port Canaveral, opened for business in June 2015, a year after the signing of a historic 35-year agreement between Canaveral Port Authority and Gulftainer, a privately owned, independent port management and logistics company. Canaveral Cargo Terminal, developed on 20 acres with two berths and two gantry cranes to serve large vessels, begins operations with a twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) cargo capacity of 200,000 TEUs. The terminal is able to turn around cargo imported into Port Canaveral to the Orlando area within two hours, the fastest transit time when compared to other container terminals in the state. Pablo Gonzalez, General Manager, StreamLines N.V., said, At StreamLines, we are extremely proud of this new venture, which is very much in line with the strategic view of the company and of the whole of Seatrade Group. The company is going through an intensive investment program, which includes the building of several container ships, and for this reason, the new Blue Stream Service becomes a stepping stone into the future of the company. It is in that spirit that we have decided to include a call to Port Canaveral, which we see as an important point for refrigerated cargo between Central America, Florida and Europe. Through our U.S. Agent, North American General Agents, we are committed to first class customer service, by providing Fast, Dedicated, Direct service. Central Planners Freaking Out about Discussion of Golds Role Growing Support for Sound Money Rankles Fed Apologists Sound money issues make for good politics these days. The leading Republican candidates have all suggested reforms to our monetary system. The topic is popping up in debates as well as interviews. Predictably, Fed worshippers and proponents of central planning everywhere are snickering and trotting out the usual responses. Michael Hiltzik, with the Los Angeles Times, recently published a column titled The Worst Idea in the Presidential Debate: a Return to the Gold Standard. He thinks a return to the gold-standard would be so not right that its not even wrong. Its another way of saying the idea is so bad it defies analysis. Nevertheless, he tries anyway. Hes terribly smug given his essential argument is for how great centrally planned monetary policy is. The collapse of the Soviet Union and other managed economies revealed the pitfalls of putting a handful of bureaucrats in charge of markets. But his point of view represents what most people are getting from the financial press, Wall Street, and Washington DC. Lets have a look at Hiltziks main points then take them apart. False Claim #1: The economic science is settled. Mr. Hiltzik takes a page out of the playbook of climate activists. He wants people to believe that only wingnuts, Luddites, and Republican presidential candidates are still talking about gold. He cites a 2012 survey of economists supposedly drawn from the entire spectrum of economic theory. None thought a return to a gold standard was a good idea. Case closed. One assumption is clearly wrong. The entire spectrum is not represented. None of todays prominent Austrian school economists are included on the panel. You wont find names like Mark Skousen, Hans-Herman Hoppe, Robert Murphy, or Joseph Salerno. But you will find Barry Eichengreen, who has criticized the Fed for not being interventionist enough, and Austan Goulsbee, who served as chief on Obamas Council of Economic Advisors. The truth is there are plenty of economists who question the stewardship and discretion of Congress, the president, and, especially, Federal Reserve bankers. Heck, even Alan Greenspan is criticizing the fed and talking about an important role for gold these days. Lots of people, not just economists, wonder if the Feds promise to foster higher prices forever is really working out for ordinary folks. Millions of Americans stand to get hurt by unlimited borrowing and money creation. Following Nixons final abandonment of gold redeemability in 1971, all restraint vanished. That is why presidential candidates talk about reforms. Last week, a 53-44 majority of senators voted for the Audit the Fed bill. It wasnt enough to defeat the Democratic filibuster, but clearly frustration with the status quo is widespread. Proponents of unlimited money creation and politburo style management of our currency and markets are the true wingnuts. False Claim #2: A gold standard favors the wealthy, at the expense of everyone else. Hiltzik tells us As far back as the 19th century, it was well understood that the stability provided by linking currencies and exchange rates to a fixed value of gold benefited only one economic class creditors... In other words bankers and the wealthy, people in a position to loan money, supported gold. The move to fiat currency benefitted everyone else. Apparently Hiltzik isnt familiar with the origins of the Federal Reserve. It is privately held by the largest banks (i.e. lenders) in the United States. It was devised, in secret, by the most prominent bankers and politicians of the early 20th century, and they certainly didnt do it to help the poor. They did it to help themselves. Since the formation of the Federal Reserve, the banking sector quadrupled as a percentage of GDP. Meanwhile, the wealth gap has been growing, and that trend accelerated dramatically about the time Nixon closed the gold window. The current system is an unmitigated disaster for virtually everyone outside of Washington DC and Wall Street. Consider the following charts from Zerohedge detailing just how awful the recent trillions of dollars in money creation and unlimited expansion in government has been for Americans at large: Since Hiltzik seems to care about the common man, he should join the large and growing movement of people who want a return to sound money. The idea is so right for these times. By Clint Siegner MoneyMetals.com Clint Siegner is a Director at Money Metals Exchange, perhaps the nation's fastest-growing dealer of low-premium precious metals coins, rounds, and bars. Siegner, a graduate of Linfield College in Oregon, puts his experience in business management along with his passion for personal liberty, limited government, and honest money into the development of Money Metals' brand and reach. This includes writing extensively on the bullion markets and their intersection with policy and world affairs. 2016 Clint Siegner - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. There are some figures in history so influential that they have become almost mythical. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were not just three men who wrote a document: They were the Founding Fathers who drafted the Declaration of Independence. Abraham Lincoln was not just a war-time president: He was the Great Emancipator who freed the slaves. And Martin Luther King Jr. was not just a Baptist minister: He was M.L.K., arguably the most important figure in the Civil Rights Movement. King certainly earned his place in the pantheon, and in the nearly 50 years since his death, he has received a host of posthumous honors, including his own nationally-recognized day, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Congressional Gold Medal, a bust in the United States Capitol, words etched in the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and countless other awards and accolades. When we think about King, we think, above all else, of his electrifying I Have a Dream speech, delivered during the 1963 March on Washington. Some might think about the march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery and the police and mob violence meted out against King and his peaceful marchers a day that would become known as Bloody Sunday and how that demonstration helped gain widespread acceptance for the Civil Rights Movement. And those who were alive at the time no doubt vividly remember Kings tragic assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. There is, perhaps, a tendency to use those three moments to summarize Kings legacy, a way to trace a clean line through the mans brief life. He inspired people, he led people, he was taken from the people, but his message lives on. However, Kings life the challenges he faced and the teachings he offered were larger and more complex than that narrative would suggest. The opposition King faced was so great that even the Federal Bureau of Investigation set its sights on him, tapping his phone lines, monitoring his communications and attempting to prove he was a Communist, a truly unforgivable crime in 1960s America. The FBI even sent King an anonymous letter threatening to destroy his reputation unless he took the one way out, presumably suicide. The idea of the federal government making a concerted effort to destroy a civil rights leader is truly disturbing. The fact that King took it in stride is a testament to his strength. While today we tend to view King as a peacemaker, he was no shrinking violet. He was inspired by Mohandas Gandhi to follow a path of non-violent resistance, but much like Gandhi he was also a firebrand, a thorn in the side of those who opposed him, and he did not mince words. King was highly critical of the war in Vietnam, which he dubbed cruel and senseless, saying that a nation that spends its money on a costly war rather than aiding its own poor is morally deficient. Just two weeks before his death, in a speech at a church in Memphis, King said that If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty and make it possible for all of Gods children to have the basic necessities of life, she, too, will go to hell. King made that comment in 1968, yet if a politician said those words today, they would still raise eyebrows. Kings legacy is grand and complex, and while he may have attained mythical status in death, his words are still revolutionary. It is good that King has his own day, but that day should be a starting point, not an ending point. Kings teachings deserve to be studied all year long, and his words resonate still. If you want to follow my story and ramblings through the medical world, you need to start reading the oldest post first which is at the very bottom or you can jump to it by going to June 2007 and look for ' My Big Announcement '. I started this blog so I could keep my friends and family up on my dealings with breast cancer but now it has evolved into my take on the medical world as well as my medical ups and downs. I have not listed my email address but if you know me, you know how to contact me. I always welcome emails. You can also find me on Twitter @carolinemfr and on Facebook. Otherwise, feel free to leave a comment!But no I do not write about suggested topics or other people's blogs or other ailments so do not bother asking. Sorry. John Krasinski, Cheryl Boone Isaacs Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs (AP photo) Actor David Oyelowo, who played Martin Luther King Jr. in "Selma," broke off his prepared remarks to crtiicize the Academy Awards at a gala honoring Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs on Monday night. "The Academy has a problem," said Oyelow at the King Legacy Awards in Los Angeles, where he was presenting Boone Isaacs with an award named after civil rights icon Rosa Parks. "It's a problem that needs to be solved." According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oyelowo revealed that after the Academy overlooked his performance in "Selma" last year, Isaacs met with him in private to "to talk about what went wrong then." He expected change, only to see an all-white field of actors once again celebrated this year: "We had a deep and meaningful (conversation). For 20 opportunities to celebrate actors of color, actresses of color, to be missed last year is one thing; for that to happen again this year is unforgivable." He added, "We need to pray for Cheryl, we need to support Cheryl, we need to love Cheryl. We cannot afford to get bitter, we cannot afford to get negative. But we must make our voice heard." Isaacs, a Springfield, Massachusetts, native, had tweeted on Monday that the Academy is taking steps to diversify its membership. She noted a similar drive was launched in the 1960s and '70s to draw in younger members. Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of Will Smith, suggested an Oscar boycott on Twitter on Saturday. Two days later, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, director Spike Lee revealed he would not attend the show. AGAWAM Jon Stanley contacted former West Springfield resident Scott Baldyga about rewriting his script for a film, called "Misled" after Googling "screenwriter, Los Angeles." Baldyga, a 1987 graduate of Cathedral High School in Springfield, described the find as "kind of a miracle" because his name did not come up on the "1-millionth page" of the Internet search. "When I first Skyped with Jon, I felt his innate good-heartedness and his passion for the film immediately," Baldyga said. "The film is based largely on Jon's own life. We didn't dramatize much. I was interested in working on it at first strictly because of what a good guy Jon was." Stanley and the executive producer were happy with the rewrite Baldyga did with Stanley, and when they asked if he knew anyone to direct the film, Baldyga said yes: Himself. Baldyga will bring his independent feature film, "Misled," to the Agawam Cinemas for its New England premiere with a Red Carpet, question-and-answer session and after party on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Making his directorial debut Baldyga also co-wrote, produced and composed for the film that is based on actual events. "Misled" follows the story of Jason (the main character), struggling to support his mother and determined to rise above the grind of the southwest Detroit ghetto where he was born. In dire straits, he turns to something previously unthinkable: stripping, which leads him down the darkest path and threatens the first real love he's ever known. Testing the limits of his family allegiance is his troubled brother, Bobby, who keeps spiraling downward as a horrible childhood secret they share begins to re-emerge. Baldyga was moved by the struggle Jason faced, working his way through college, supporting his mother, dealing with his troubled brother who was just getting out of prison and trying to pull Jason back into a life of crime. "At its heart, 'Misled' is about family and how far you would go to sacrifice for family. It's universal," said Baldyga who comes from a supportive, loving family. His mother, Diane Baldyga still lives in the house he grew up in in West Springfield; his father, Dan Baldyga, died six years ago. "Everyone, I think, can relate to the pressures you feel from family members -- both good and bad -- and the choices we're all faced with when it comes to pursuing your own goals versus doing what's best for your family members," said Baldyga, who graduated from Boston College in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in English and philosophy with a theater minor and creative writing concentration. "Also, by the end of 'Misled,' the 'good' brother does bad stuff, the 'bad' brother does good stuff, and you're left wondering who is really the 'good guy' here -- ethically and morally, no one is black or white, all good or all bad. We're all gray." Starring, co-written and produced by Detroit native Stanley, "Misled" also stars Sammy Sheik ("American Sniper," "Lone Survivor"), Natalie Avital ("Criminal Minds") and Matt Lockwood ("Answer This"). Baldyga has worked in Los Angeles film production for the past 20 years; before his filmmaking work, he was a professional musician. The film was screened at the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa and the Temecula Valley International Film Festival in California. Of the executive producer, John Blackwell, Baldyga said, "He was fantastic. ... And never stood over our shoulder, creatively, which is extremely unusual. He had great ideas, but he made it clear it was our film to make, me and Jon Stanley." IF YOU GO Event: Screening of independent feature film "Misled" and related events When: Thursday, Jan. 21, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Where: Agawam Cinemas, 866 Suffield St., Agawam Tickets: $10 For more information and tickets: misled.brownpapertickets.com Baldyga hopes viewers see a bit of their own families in the film and realize that people are not all good or all bad. "We're all mottled with good and bad," he said. "I hope our viewers think about their relationships with their own families and friends and realize everybody deserves a second chance. Lots of people fight their own demons, have trouble communicating, but in the end you might find them the most willing to sacrifice for those they love." "We're flattered that Scott chose the Agawam Cinemas for the 'Misled' New England Premiere," said Kimberly Wheeler, owner. Baldyga is bringing it to the theater so his mother can see it on the big screen, and he decided to open it to the public. "I spent about two years of my life on the film, and I'm thrilled my family and friends can see it," he said. Baldyga will attend the premiere, and guests are invited to arrive at 6:30 p.m. to take their own photos on the red carpet. The film will run from 7-8:30 p.m., and should be considered rated R and for adult audiences only. General admission tickets are $10 and available at misled.brownpapertickets.com or at Agawam Cinemas, 866 Suffield St., Agawam. Following the film, there will be a 30-minute Q&A with Baldyga then an after party at nearby Kaptain Jimmy's, 916 Suffield St., Agawam, where Tom Ingram and Mike Smith will provide live music. Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith Will Smith, left, and Jada Pinkett Smith arrive at the Oscars on March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP file photo) The absence of people of color among this year's crop of Academy Award nominees prompted the social media hashtag #OscarsSoWhite and calls for a boycott of the Hollywood ceremony on Feb. 28. Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of Will Smith, suggested an Oscar boycott on Twitter on Saturday. She tweeted, "At the Oscars...people of color are always welcomed to give out awards...even entertain... But we are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments. Should people of color refrain from participating all together?" Two days later, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, director Spike Lee revealed he would not attend the show, while actress Janet Hubert slammed Pinkett Smith for suggesting a boycott against an industry that has made her and her husband millionaires. MassLive readers have their own take on the issue. Here is a sampling of viewpoints: BurkC -- A bunch of really rich silly people who make a living being someone that they are not. Do you have any clue how little I care? If Smith wants to stand up for her people, she should get her butt over to Flint Michigan. Then you'll have my respect. Dane Mom -- I do not think that this has anything to do with race as other feel it does. Possibly the acting wasn't as good or the topic of the movie. Why does everything have to be racial. Do people actually think that person(s) pick out a race for these? It is pathetic that we have gone to this mind thought!!!!! Basha1 -- SERIOUSLY? You've got to be kidding me. The Oscars doesn't set out to be diverse or non diverse. This woman is going through a mid life crisis. She's just angry because she or her family hasn't received an Oscar. Honest Progressive -- Well it looks like affirmative action time for the Oscars. The heck with artistic achievement lets just do the politically correct thing or maybe evening have a Black Academy Awards. We already have BET, Miss Black America, Black Student Unions, Black Studies and the Black Caucuss of Congress. Looks like inclusion and assimilation is working very well. heidilee -- Everything has to be about race these days - can't it just be that the other actors nominated were the best actors this year ? ustthe2ofus -- Jada is lucky she is married to Will Smith. Will is the one with the amazing talent and who has given great, Oscar worthy performances. Always sensed Jada being a little too full of herself. More like riding on Will's shooting star. So sad to read such a comment. lukejackson -- Her husband has been nominated for a best actor Oscar twice. Both times he lost -- to another African American actor, Denzel Washington and Forrest Whitaker. 20161 -- Somebody's feeling a little too self-important. xenophilia -- Do you think she's being capricious? If the Nominating committee is made up of 99% white men, then is it a huge reach connecting the dots to recognize their nominees will be 99% white as well? (As they are). Funny how the regular commenters have jumped on this one. "We're No experts on the film industry, but we know a thing or two about black privilege, Boy Howdy" Trader Joe's has issued a recall of its store-brand "raw cashew pieces" for fear the product has been contaminated with salmonella. The product was distributed to stores in Massachusetts, every other state in New England and Trader Joe's locations in 24 additional states. "Out of an abundance of caution, all lots of Trader Joe's Raw Cashew Pieces have been removed from store shelves and their sale has been suspended while we investigate this matter," the company said in a statement. No illnesses have been reported to the company to date. Customers who purchased the product are encouraged to dispose of it immediately. Refunds are available to Trader Joe's customers who purchased the snack at any store location. baker charter school backers.jpg Gov. Charlie Baker joins charter school advocates at the State House before they set off to lobby Beacon Hill lawmakers. (Gintautas Dumcius/MassLive.com) BOSTON - Charter school advocates on Tuesday pressed lawmakers, including Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, for legislation lifting the charter cap. Two dozen backers of an increase in the number of Massachusetts charter schools met with Gov. Charlie Baker before setting off for the offices of state lawmakers. The group, wearing blue T-shirts with "Great Schools Now" in white lettering, gave Baker 25,000 signatures in a symbolic hand-off meant to demonstrate public support for the lifting of the cap on charter schools. "We were one of first states in the country to embark on this idea of giving these experimental schools a chance to see what they could do in educating kids here in the commonwealth of Mass.," Baker said, referring to the education reform efforts of the 1990s. "Twenty years. It's not an experiment anymore." Forty thousand students are currently in charter schools, many of them located in communities of color, the governor said. Baker backs a ballot initiative lifting the cap, operating under the banner "Great Schools Massachusetts," but he added that he prefers a legislative solution. He plans to help a campaign placing a question on the statewide November ballot if lawmakers leave the State House in August without taking up charter school legislation. "As a father of three, who had options and had choices and had the ability to make decisions about where our kids went because we've been blessed, it just kills me other families for whom this is, in fact, the best and most significant opportunity they're going to have to do right by their children, then I have to believe at the end of the day that message and that opportunity is going to be a winning message here in the State House and here in the commonwealth," Baker said. The ball is in the state Senate's court. House lawmakers passed a bill lifting the cap in 2014, but the legislation died in the Senate. Rosenberg plans to say at the end of the month whether there's interest in the Senate on moving forward with charter school legislation. Opponents of lifting the cap point to corporate funds behind the ballot initiative. Tom Gosnell, president of American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, said earlier this month that the ballot question would "divert taxpayer money and give it to unaccountable charter schools owned by the ballot question's for-profit funders." "If they think they can rip off Massachusetts voters and taxpayers with sleek mailers and slick ads, they're wrong," he said in a statement at the time. "If they think they can come from out of state and tell legislators and communities in the top-ranked state for education how to improve our schools, they're wrong. Marta Rentas, a 55-year-old woman from Lawrence, was among the charter school proponents at the State House on Tuesday. She has worked for 20 years at the Lawrence Family Development Charter School as a paraprofessional. Speaking through a translator, she said she planned to directly lobby Rosenberg on legislation since she has a niece she wants to put in a charter school. "I'm not saying traditional public schools aren't doing their jobs," she said. "I want the opportunity to have a choice between public and charter schools." MBTA police patch.jpeg BOSTON - Two people were shot inside Maverick Station on the MBTA's Blue Line Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for the public transit agency said. The two people, suffering gunshot wounds, were transported to a hospital after the shooting. The train station is located in the East Boston neighborhood. Detectives from the MBTA Police and Boston Police were on the scene. According to AP, the shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. "The assailant got into an argument with a 29-year-old man on the train. After the assailant got off the train, he fired shots and struck the man," WCVB.com reported, which said a 43-year-old man on the train platform was also shot. Normal train service resumed shortly after 4 p.m., Joe Pesaturo, the MBTA spokesman, said in an email. Shuttle buses had briefly replaced train service. Two ambulances leaving #EastBoston #mbta Maverick Station scene after double shooting https://t.co/0Bnhie84UZ Paul Rogers (@PaulRogersBOS) January 19, 2016 #MBTA says two gunshot victims taken to hospital after shooting inside Maverick T Station.#7News pic.twitter.com/K1uEiHJzRa Byron Barnett (@Byron_Barnett) January 19, 2016 Shuttles replacing subway service after 2 shot at Maverick Station #mbta. https://t.co/YWoBGzWojd pic.twitter.com/Sz7aUTydDl Spencer Buell (@SpencerBuell) January 19, 2016 This post was updated at 4:46 p.m. with additional information. UMASS Boston Campus The UMass Boston campus in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. (Bill Ilott Flickr, Creative Commons) BOSTON - The University of Massachusetts Boston has banned tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaporizers, under a policy that went into effect on Tuesday. The campus, which is located on a peninsula in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, joins 25 percent of U.S. colleges that have already instituted the ban. The ban covers all outdoor spaces belonging to the university, including the former Bayside Expo Center property and the HarborWalk. UMass Amherst, the flagship campus, banned tobacco product use in 2013. UMass Boston is the last UMass campus to implement such a measure. "At colleges where bans are in place, more people quit smoking and fewer people begin," Robert Pomales, executive director of University Health Services, said in a statement. The UMass Boston policy depends on voluntary compliance. The policy bans e-cigarettes, vaporizers, chewing tobacco, cigars and pipes. People will be able to apply for exceptions based on religious celebrations or practices, artistic performances and research. University officials plan to develop and pay for a smoking cessation program to help students, faculty and staff who express interest in quitting smoking. "There is considerable evidence that concentrations of smoke are harmful to nonsmokers, as well as smokers," the policy says. "Findings of the Surgeon General indicate that tobacco use in any form, active and passive, is a significant health hazard." UMass Boston shares the peninsula with the Massachusetts Archives, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, which have their own policies. Mideast Iraq 11816 Iraqi security forces deploy in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Iraqi security forces fanned out across the Baghdad neighborhood Monday morning where three Americans were reportedly kidnapped over the weekend, closing streets and conducting house-to-house searches. (Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press) By SUSANNAH GEORGE BAGHDAD -- The abduction of three Americans from a Baghdad apartment over the weekend is the latest in a series of brazen high-profile kidnappings undermining confidence in the Iraqi government's ability to control state-sanctioned Shiite militias that have grown in strength as Iraqi security forces battle the Islamic State group. Witnesses said men in uniform carried out the kidnapping in broad daylight Saturday, 100 yards from a police station. "Gunmen in military uniforms came in five or six SUVs, they entered the building and then left almost immediately," said Mohammad Jabar, 35, who runs a shop down the street from the three-story apartment building where the Americans had been invited by their Iraqi interpreter. "A few hours later we heard that three foreigners had been kidnapped by these gunmen," Jaber said. The three were abducted in Dora, a mixed neighborhood that is home to both Shiites and Sunnis. However, they were then taken to Sadr City, a vast and densely populated Shiite district to the east, and there "all communication ceased," an Iraqi intelligence official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. A similar scene unfolded in September, when masked men in military uniforms abducted 18 Turkish workers from a construction site in a Shiite neighborhood. A hostage video later showed the men standing before a banner that read "Death Squads" and "Oh, Hussein," a Shiite religious slogan. The workers were released later that month. In December, gunmen driving SUVs raided a remote camp for falconry hunting in Iraq's overwhelmingly Shiite south, kidnapping 26 Qataris, who are still being held. Iraq's Interior Ministry said at the time that the abduction was "to achieve political and media goals," without providing further details. Baghdad authorities said in a statement that the three Americans were kidnapped from a "suspicious apartment" without elaborating, and have provided no other details. The U.S. Embassy confirmed Sunday that "several" Americans went missing in Iraq, after local media reported that three Americans had been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital. U.S. officials have declined to provide further details, and have neither identified the Americans nor said what they were doing in Iraq. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Besides Shiite militias, the perpetrators of kidnappings in Iraq have included the Islamic State group, as well as criminal gangs demanding ransom payments or disgruntled employees seeking to resolve workplace disputes. The kidnapping of the Americans comes at a time of deteriorating security in and around the Iraqi capital after months of relative calm. Last week two Iraqi journalists were killed within sight of a police checkpoint in Diyala province north of Baghdad. The scale and sophistication of the recent kidnappings of foreigners suggest those responsible are operating with some degree of impunity, said Nathaniel Rabkin, managing editor of Inside Iraqi Politics, a political risk assessment newsletter. "You kidnap 26 Qataris out in the desert, that's not like four or five yahoos out in the south. ... That's a pretty well-run operation. It must be some relatively established group that did it," he said. The only groups operating in Iraq with those capabilities, Rabkin said, are the country's powerful Shiite militias. Shiite militias have played a key role in battling the Islamic State group, filling a vacuum left by the collapse of the Iraqi security forces in the summer of 2014 and proving to be some of the most effective anti-IS forces on the ground in Iraq. The government-allied militias are now officially sanctioned and known as the Popular Mobilization Committees. But many trace their roots to the armed groups that battled U.S. troops after the 2003 invasion and kidnapped and killed Sunnis at the height of Iraq's sectarian bloodletting in 2006 and 2007. Rights groups have accused them of kidnapping and in some cases killing Sunni civilians since they rearmed in 2014, charges denied by militia leaders. Although the militias are fighting on the same side as the U.S.-led coalition against IS, many remain staunchly anti-American. When the Pentagon announced an increase in the number of U.S. special forces in Iraq last month, the spokesman for one militia vowed to attack them. "Any such American force will become a primary target for our group. We fought them before and we are ready to resume fighting," said Jafar Hussaini, spokesman for the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, one of the most powerful Shiite militias. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has struggled to balance the power and popularity of Shiite militia groups with the government's dependence on the U.S.-led coalition's contributions to the fight against IS. Unchecked, continued brazen shows of Shiite militia power in the Iraqi capital could further undermine the already weak leader. "I think there's a growing sense that al-Abadi's not in charge, that nobody in Iraq is really in charge anymore or in a position to rein in these militias," Rabkin said. AP writers Muhanad al-Saleh, Murtada Faraj and Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report. Cornel West at Calvin College, Cornel West at Calvin College Dr. Cornel West at Calvin College. (Flickr Creative Commons -- James Stewart) NORTHAMPTON -- Civil rights activist and prominent scholar Dr. Cornel West is scheduled to address issues of racism at Smith College on Feb. 11. Smith Association of Class Activists, a student group that works to raise awareness about class at the school, is organizing the event. West is expected to speak on themes of African American history, black spirituality, democracy and intersectional feminism, according to the event's Facebook page. He will also focus on institutional racism and instances of police brutality in Ferguson, Baltimore and New York, organizers said. More than a thousand people had RSVPed to the free event on social media as of Tuesday morning. Organizers describe West as a lifelong champion of social justice, as well as a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement since its inception. West was the first black man to receive a Ph.D in Philosophy from Princeton University. He has published and collaborated on dozens of projects in literature, music and film. The event begins at 7 p.m. in John M. Greene Hall. It is open to the public. cattle.JPG BRATTLEBORO, VT. - A 23-year-old Pennsylvania man was sentenced in U.S. District Court for swindling cattle ranchers from here to New Mexico using counterfeit checks and other schemes. (Associated Press photo) BRATTLEBORO, Vt. A modern-day cattle thief was sentenced to 38 months in federal prison for swindling ranchers in Vermont and across the U.S. Jason Amidon, 28, of Coudersport, Pennsylvania, bought cows with counterfeit checks and sold cows that weren't his, federal prosecutors said. He was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Brattleboro for one count of wire fraud related to a phony $100,000 check he issued to a farmer in Lyndonville. In exchange, Amidon received 55 Belted Galloway female cattle and their calves, which is a "heritage pedigree," according to federal prosecutors. "Instead of delivering them to their new home at a co-operative farm in Minnesota as he represented, Amidon, with help from his father, delivered the cows to auction in Greencastle, Penn., where they were to be sold for slaughter. The balance of the agreed-upon purchase price was never delivered to the Vermont farmer," said a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Vermont. After the first rancher complained to law enforcement, investigators uncovered a series of cattle-related frauds. Prosecutors said Amidon bamboozled ranchers from the Northeast to Iowa and New Mexico. Using Internet and stock photography of cattle from feed websites, he convinced a cattle rancher in Arkansas to make a $55,000 down payment for fictitious cows. He used the same methods to dupe a rancher in New Mexico for $30,000, and a farmer in Iowa for $135,000. "Amidon falsely represented himself to be a cattle broker for an owner who was dying of cancer and who needed to sell his entire herd at a discount," prosecutors said. The case was investigated by the Vermont State Police and the FBI. 14274501170_6c1d38eaf4_o.jpg A kidney transplant procedure in progress. (Flickr Creative Commons -- Scott & White Healthcare) A seventh grade social studies teacher in Concord needs a kidney, and she's turned to social media to find one. Kara Bochicchio, who just turned 30 and teaches at Concord's Sanborn School, is appealing to strangers in her search for a match, according to CBS Boston. She was diagnosed with kidney disease when she was 14, and now she is experiencing kidney failure. As a result she feels overwhelmingly exhausted on a day-to-day basis, she told the news outlet. The website KidneyforKara.com tells Bochicchio's story, and how she's looking for a Type O-positive match. "If you can't consider donating, there are additional ways to help, including sharing this Website with people you know," she writes on the site. "The more people who understand the need for organ donation, the more likely it will be for me (and others like me) to find the one incredible person who can help." Bochicchio writes that there are more than 120,000 people in the U.S. on the kidney transplant waiting list. "At my transplant hospital, Massachusetts General in Boston, my estimated waiting time for a deceased donor kidney is five to seven years," she explains. She goes on to say that a living donor transplant is "significantly more likely to work better and last longer," and that her kidney specialist says such an organ donation is the best option for her. Bochicchio said her donor's medical expenses will be covered by her insurance. Additional expenses such as lodging and travel may also be funded. And donors don't have to live locally. "You can be tested at a transplant center near you," Bochicchio writes. She asks that those interested in donating contact her donor transplant coordinator, Rachael Love, at 617-643-7193 or rvlove@partners.org. For more information, visit Bochicchio's website or her "Kidney for Kara" Facebook page. holyoke shooting 1.jpg Police department data shows crime in Holyoke is down 33 percent in the last 15 years, according to a statement issued Monday by Police Chief James Neiswanger and and Mayor Alex Morse. (Republican file photo) HOLYOKE - The number of crimes reported in Holyoke in 2015 was lower than any year since at least 2001, according to data released Monday by officials. In that period, reported crimes in the city declined by more than a third from 8,070 in 2001 to 5,329 in 2015. The announcement was made in a statement issued by Mayor Alex B. Morse and Police Chief James M. Neiswanger. The stats reflect numbers compiled each year for the department and submitted to the FBI for inclusion in the annual National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) report. The statement issued listed the overall number of crimes reported in Holyoke each year from 2001 through 2015. The 2015 numbers will be submitted for inclusion in the upcoming version of the annual national report. The most recent version, released by the FBI in December, is based on 2014 data supplied by 6,520 separate law enforcement agencies nationwide. The annual report takes data from individual agencies and compiles it into a report that lists offenses in 49 separate categories. It is similar to the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report, but much more detailed. Holyoke police did not release to the press specific information about specific types of crime, such as homicides, assaults, thefts or armed robberies. Only the number of crimes reported was released. The information was request, but department spokesman Lt. Jim Albert said he would get permission from the chief to release it. Albert said he could not speak to numbers themselves. He said that anecdotally the amount of crime in the city seems lower. "We can feel it," he said. He said the city still has a significant problem associated with the opiod epidemic, but efforts at combating gangs and unlawful firearms have appeared to have had an impact. According to the data released by Holyoke police, the city has seen a sustained decline in the amount of reported crime over the last 15 years, a period spanning two separate police chiefs and three mayoral administrations. Neiswanger was appointed police chief in July 2011. In the four full years that he has been chief from 2012-15, reported crimes declined from 6,291 to 5,329, or 15 percent. His predecessor, Anthony Scott served from 2001 until his retirement in 2011. During that time, reported crimes declined from 8,070 to 6,326, or 21.6 percent. Over the last year, Holyoke has seen reported crimes decline by a total of 359 incidents to 5,329, or 6 percent. The decline is not limited to Holyoke. Based on data from NIBRS for 2012 and 2014, the most recent year available, the number of reported crimes in Springfield declined by 13 percent and in Chicopee by 11.8 percent. The statement issued by Morse and Neiswanger credited Holyoke's decline to a number of factors including community policing efforts and the work of school resource officers. It also cites collaboration between Holyoke police and state and federal law enforcement agencies and with the office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni. But, the statement reads, "This is also a direct result of all the great work that the brave men and women of the Holyoke Police Department do every day to help keep our citizens safe." The 2014 edition of the National Incident Based Reporting Systems report for 2015 includes a searchable map detailing information for every law enforcement agency reporting. Holyoke Crime Stats Down Over Last 15 Years by Patrick Johnson ferc graphic.jpg Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Norman C. Bay and commissioners Cheryl A. LaFleur, Colette D. Honorable, and Tony Clark. (Photos Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) Massachusetts environmental groups are among 165 nationwide calling for a federal investigation into the agency that oversees the approval of interstate natural gas pipelines. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has become a "rogue agency that is blatantly biased towards the pipeline companies it purports to regulate," reads a Nov. 30 letter from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, addressed to U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. The Riverkeeper Network, which announced its list of supporters last week, asked Sanders and Warren, as members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to seek an investigation of FERC by the Government Accountability Office. The letter charges that the energy commission is "100 percent funded by the industry it regulates" and "advanced by a revolving employee door." It describes a "party-like atmosphere" between FERC employees and staffers within the regulated industry, and says the commission has never denied an application for a natural gas pipeline. The letter signed by Riverkeeper director Maya K. van Rossum says a GAO investigation is the only way to initiate a dialogue about reform, and claims FERC is immune from meaningful oversight from Congress and the President. "It's time to transform FERC into an agency that protects and serves the public -- not the natural gas pipeline industry," said van Rossum. "The GAO must take immediate action to ensure that FERC's malfeasance does not go unchecked." One project currently under commission review is Northeast Energy Direct, a 400-plus-mile interstate gas pipeline that would impact Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The project proponent is Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a Kinder Morgan subsidiary. Last year FERC commissioner Cheryl A. LaFleur said the agency has been besieged by an unprecedented level of pipeline opposition. "We have a situation here,'' she said at a National Press Club luncheon in Washington, D.C. New England groups calling for a federal review of FERC include Pipeline Awareness Network of the North East (PLAN-NE), New Hampshire Pipe Line Awareness Network, No Fracked Gas in Mass, Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance, and Hilltown Community Rights. Numerous groups from New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania also signed the letter. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is composed of up to five commissioners appointed by the president and approved by the U.S. Senate. Under the Natural Gas Act, FERC is responsible for permitting interstate gas pipelines. In 2014, a federal appeals court sided with the Riverkeeper group in a lawsuit that challenged FERC's segmented method of approving a New Jersey pipeline, saying the tactic violates the National Environmental Protection Act, or NEPA. Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com gandara.ribbon.png The city of Holyoke website, above, has been running a free notice heralding a ribbon-cutting for a Gandara Center facility even though officials said the organization owes money to the city. HOLYOKE -- An organization that officials say owes the city $44,000 is nonetheless getting a free notice on the city website about a new facility it is opening here. The city remains in dispute with Gandara Center of West Springfield over $44,000 in lease payments for its previous use of the former Holyoke Geriatric Authority at 45 Lower Westfield Road, Assistant City Solicitor Kara Cunha said Wednesday. A Gandara spokeswoman couldn't immediately be reached for comment, but she said in August that the situation between the social services organization and the city was a "breach of contract issue" and that Gandara had a spotless record of meeting financial obligations. Meanwhile, the city website shows a "Gandara Center Ribbon Cutting" set for Friday at 1 p.m. at 306 Race St. for a "new development center and computer lab. Empowering youth through technology and creativity." Gandara has since left 45 Lower Westfield Road. But the lease agreed upon in 2013 required payment to the city of $3,145 a month, with $44,000 owed to the city when Gandara vacated the space in September, Cunha said. Gandara hadn't made a lease payment since April 2014, acting City Auditor Bellamy H. Schmidt told the City Council in August. City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said Tuesday the city should file a lawsuit against Gandara if necessary to get the money. "The mayor should go to the ribbon-cutting like he does for all new businesses. But he should go to the ribbon-cutting and hand them a bill for $44,000 and tell them we expect a check in the mail. If they don't, the city should file suit," Jourdain said. Cunha said the city could pursue the money in court if Gandara refuses to pay. But officials must weigh the possible receipt of such money against costs related to legal fees and the claims that Gandara has made, which include having paid for renovations to the property at 45 Lower Westfield Road and utilities, she said. Gandara had leased space in the "B building" at 45 Lower Westfield Road to house what officials said at the time was a program for a dozen young males who pose low risk and were awaiting court dates. A question lies in what was described in meetings more than two years ago as being part of the lease between the Holyoke Geriatric Authority, which was still open at the time, and Gandara. The authority would refund Gandara $14,000 a year for the first three years of the lease as partial payment for extensive renovations Gandara was funding in B Building, city councilors were told at meetings about the lease. The authority closed in May 2014 after decades of financial problems and the lease with Gandara was presented as a way to raise revenue. The city now owns the property. Gandara spokeswoman Lisa Brecher issued this statement in August: "The Gandara Center has an impeccable record of fulfilling its financial obligations on over 40 leased properties across the state. This specific situation is a breach of contract issue. We have been in the process of coming to a resolution with the city for the last six months. We have retained legal representation and are hopeful that a fair agreement will be reached with the city at which point we will take responsibility for any financial obligations belonging to our agency." NORTHAMPTON -- When Romina Arisbel Pacheco prepared to move back to Western Massachusetts last summer after living in New Mexico for seven years, she was afraid. She was afraid because she was bombarded with what seemed like constant stories of black men being killed by police officers. And when the black Venezuelan previously lived in the Pioneer Valley, she, her partner and daughter were constantly harassed by local law enforcement, she said -- especially during her commute from Easthampton to Amherst. But when Pacheco walked through a neighborhood near Smith College upon her return, she was struck by the Black Lives Matter signs prominently placed in front yards. "And let me tell you ... I got a sense of relief," Pacheco, who is a social justice educator at Smith, said. "Because even though it's something that is only symbolic for me ... it felt really great to be in a place where I felt that, if something were to happen, I had a community around me that would stand up for me." Pacheco was one of several to speak at a ceremony in front of Northampton City Hall Monday that both honored the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s place in history and acknowledged the civil rights work still left to be accomplished. The Western Massachusetts chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, a national organization that seeks to engage white people in discussions about racism, organized the event that attracted hundreds. The activists hung a small Black Lives Matter banner on the front of City Hall for the occasion. But what was more striking, perhaps, was the dozens who held up Black Lives Matter signs of their own. In his address, Northampton Mayor David J. Narkewicz said the banner is a vital symbol of the racial justice work yet to be done. "This banner is a call to action for our city and region," he said. "And hopefully it can serve as an example for other communities. It represents the work we must be prepared to do in order to end racism and discrimination here and everywhere." He said the banner also symbolizes an optimistic vision of the future -- where everyone, regardless of race, has access to housing, food, healthcare and jobs with livable wages. Whitney Battle-Baptiste, associate professor of anthropology and director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst, reminded the crowd that President Ronald Reagan signed Martin Luther King Jr. Day into federal law in 1984; but it wasn't until 2000 that all 50 states recognized the holiday. "This is a day that we all take for granted," she said. Battle-Baptiste and the other speakers explained what the Black Lives Matter movement means to those who have experienced racism, and its significance in combating it. "Black Lives Matter is saying ... 'Trayvon Martin -- where's he at? Why isn't he here with us? Michael Brown? Where's he at? Why isn't he here with us?,''' said Debora Ferreira, who founded the Julius Ford/Harriet Tubman Healthy Living Community with her late husband. "You can't change the world unless you face it," she went on to say. "You can't change it unless you're embracing young people and giving them opportunities." Battle-Baptiste also pointed out damaging racial stereotypes tied to the movement. "We have got to understand that the movement is just more than angry, fed up, enraged black people," she said. Gov. Charlie Baker still remembers the case of Pittsfield and GE from his first tour of duty in state government. GE, or General Electric, once had a 254-acre facility in Pittsfield, employing around 13,000 employees. It was a company town, and when the company left, the departure devastated the area. But GE also left behind a legacy of toxic contamination. From 1932 to 1977, the company used polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chemicals that weren't banned until 1979. PCBs hit the soil. Waste from the GE facility led to PCBs discovered in residential areas, an elementary school, the Pittsfield landfill and Dorothy Amos Park. PCBs also entered the Housatonic River, which flows through Berkshire County, into Connecticut and out to Long Island Sound. The river's watershed has a limestone bedrock and an ecosystem that includes rare plants and contains 37 species of fish. GE eventually agreed to a $250 million settlement governing the proposed cleanup. The settlement was approved by a court in 2000. In a letter to the federal Environmental Protection Agency 11 years later, a GE official noted that the company and the EPA have removed PCBs from "much of the former GE plant site in Pittsfield, in nearby areas and the two-mile stretch of the Housatonic River" by the GE plant site and the convergence of the east and west branches of the river. But the two sides appear to disagree over how to approach the cleanup of the "Rest of River," which stretches from the Pittsfield area to Long Island Sound. "The EPA is, I believe, in pretty heavy discussions with them about settling that case," Baker told MassLive.com on Monday. "It's been around for a long time," added Baker, who worked for Govs. William Weld and Paul Cellucci in the 1990s. "And it's certainly our hope that an agreement is ultimately reached sometime soon, and that the work associated with the final chapter of cleaning up the Housatonic begins." As the EPA and GE attempt to work out their differences, the company is on its way back to Massachusetts: Last week the conglomerate said it would be moving its global headquarters to Boston, bringing 200 senior executives and 600 other workers to the city's Seaport District. There are currently 5,000 GE employees in Massachusetts. The GE official who headed up the search committee that picked Boston is Ann Klee, the conglomerate's vice president of environment, health and safety. The company is currently headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut. In a letter to the EPA in October 2015, Klee said the company "remains committed to a common-sense solution for the Rest of River that is fully protective of human health and the environment," and they are prepared to implement a fix that "would be one of the largest river cleanups in history." But the company balked at the EPA's proposals, particularly the requirement that GE dispose of over one million cubic yards of sediment and soil out-of-state. "Although out-of-state disposal will be no more protective of human health or the environment than on-site disposal in a secure, state of the art facility, it will cost a quarter of a billion dollars more," Klee wrote. She added: "GE is even willing to do more than can be legally [required], but there is a limit to how far we can stretch." A month or so later, Boston and state officials offered an incentive package totaling $145 million for GE to relocate, and the company plans to wrap up the move by 2018. "There's no connection, in my view, between those two items," Baker said, when asked whether the Housatonic cleanup was brought up as city and state officials wooed GE. "With respect to the commitment we made to General Electric, to GE, that was mostly, almost completely, a capital and infrastructure commitment, which I believe in the short term and in the long term is going to be a really good investment for the Commonwealth and for the people of Massachusetts," he said. For its part, the city of Boston has offered to kick in $25 million in property tax relief over 20 years. Gov. Charlie Baker talks to reporters during a press conference at the Statehouse in Boston. State Sen. Benjamin Downing, whose district includes Pittsfield, said he's glad GE's relocation and the Housatonic River are separate. The cleanup of the Housatonic should be based on the need for GE to be held responsible, and it shouldn't be "muddied up" by the politics of relocating its headquarters, Downing said. "We should be able to have both," Downing said. "A good clean-up that respects the need for GE to be held responsible and the desire of the community surrounding it, and also having the global headquarters here within state. Those two shouldn't be mutually exclusive." U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., agreed. "I think that two things can be true at the same time: One, that it's good that GE has moved to Massachusetts," he said. "And two, it's also important that GE continue to clean up any of the toxic messes that have been left behind from the 20th century General Electric activities in Massachusetts." When asked for comment, a GE spokesman sent a statement to MassLive.com, the same one that appeared in the International Business Times, which raised questions about whether it was appropriate to provide incentives to the company as GE pushed back on the EPA's cleanup proposal. The statement said the company remains "committed to a common sense solution" and "looks forward to resolving all outstanding issues through the process provided by the Pittsfield/Housatonic Consent Decree." The company did not respond to a follow-up request to interview Klee. Asked on Monday whether the Housatonic will be cleaned up, Baker sounded an optimistic note. "I have no doubt about that," he said. "I mean, I get the fact that the discussion's been going on for probably 20 years. But it's my hope that the EPA is going to be interested in getting this thing solved and that GE will be as well." The river is capable of "returning to a healthy natural state" after a remediation process that includes careful planning and monitoring, the supervisor for the New England office of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Thomas Chapman, wrote in a 2011 letter to the EPA. But, he added, it's "unlikely that the river will ever clean itself of massive PCB contamination that has existed for many decades and will continue to persist in the future." noho city hall.jpg Northampton City Hall (Republican File) NORTHAMPTON -- City residents who wish to comment on the 2016 Community Preservation Plan will have an opportunity to do so this week. The plan is in draft format now, and posted to Northampton's municipal website for public review. The Community Preservation Act lets communities raise money through a small surcharge on real estate taxes, and also creates a state matching fund. Funds may be used for open space, historic preservation, housing, and recreational facilities. Northampton adopted the CPA in 2005 and has so far funded 84 projects ranging from farmland preservation to affordable housing. The preservation act monies often help leverage larger grants, because they show funders that there is community support for various projects. Grant applications are reviewed by a committee, which issues recommendations. All funding must be approved by the City Council. Applications for the spring round of funding are due Feb. 8. In November the Community Preservation Act Committee reported approximately $1.24 million available for fiscal 2016. The plan, which will be up for discussion Wednesday, outlines the city's priorities for awarding local grants. A public meeting to receive comments on the 2016 Community Preservation Act Plan will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 20 in Council Chambers. Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com The saint of the day is St. Canute, the patron saint of Denmark. He was the illegitimate son of King Sweyn Estrithson of Denmark and the nephew of King Knud of England. He succeeded his older brother Harold to the throne of Denmark in the year 1080.As the King of Denmark, he was known as Knud IV. He married Adela, sister of Count Roberts of Flanders. King Canute was gifted with wisdom, charity, and kindness; he was also an excellent athlete, an expert equestrian, and a great general.At the onset of his reign, he led a war against the barbarians and his army defeated them. In the splendor of his success, kneeling at the foot of the altar, he surrendered himself and his kingdom to Jesus Christ, the King of kings. Through his kingdom, he spread the gospel message, constructed churches, and maintained missionaries. He became known as "Canute the Holy."Turmoil arose in his kingdom due to the laws he had made championing the Church and he fled to the Island of Funen. Dissidents went to the church of Saint Alban where Canute, his brother, and seventeen of his followers were praying. While his enemies were still outside of the church, Canute confessed his sins at the foot of the altar, and received Holy Communion. Stretching out his arms before the altar, he zealously commended his soul to his Creator. In this position, he was struck by a spear, thrown through a window, and was murdered for Christs sake.Canute was buried in St. Alban's, renamed St. Canute's Cathedral. Miracles were recorded at his tomb. He was canonized in 1101 by Pope Paschal II.Collect:O God, Who, for the greater glory of Thy Church, wast pleased to adorn blessed Canute the king with the palm of martyrdom and with glorious miracles: mercifully grant that walking in the footsteps of him who followed our Lord in His sufferings, we may deserve to attain eternal joys. The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $17.9 million to a multistate partnership headed by Montana State University http://www.montana.edu/ to further develop ways of capturing and storing greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, in underground geological formations, cropland and forest land. The regional coalition, called the Big Sky Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership http://www.bigskyco2.org/ , includes public and private sector research institutions, businesses and state agencies. It is part of a national network of such partnerships that is the backbone of the United States sequestration research. MSU economist Susan Capalbo is director of the partnership, which includes scientists from Wyoming, South Dakota, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, tribal nations and international collaborators in Norway, India and the Netherlands. "This work capitalizes on MSUs investments in energy research and in the high-speed Lariat telecommunications networks. We couldnt take the lead in this effort without this infrastructure," Capalbo said. Full Story: http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2005/06/11/news/zgrant.txt Proactively From the Sea; an agent of change leveraging the littoral best practices for a paradigm breaking six-sigma best business case to synergize a consistent design in the global commons, rightsizing the core values supporting our mission statement via the 5-vector model through cultural diversity. Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013. Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank. by Tanya Gazdik , January 19, 2016 Travel marketers need to pay greater attention to Chinese tourists, who spent $229 billion on travel in 2015, according to GfK. Chinese Millennials are firmly established as the core drivers of China's outbound tourism spending. China hit 109 million outbound tourists last year. Europe beats North America as most popular destination outside of Asia, while South Korea and Thailand overtake Hong Kong as most popular destinations. These statistics consolidate China's position as one of the top global sources of tourists, in terms of both number of trips and money spent during international travel. Up until 2013, Hong Kong was the preferred destination for China's outbound tourists, driven by its cultural similarity, lower travel costs and accessibility via short-distance travel. On top of this, Hong Kong offered a shopping paradise, and that was a strong motivating factor for Chinese tourists at that time. advertisement advertisement Europe remains the most popular destination for Chinese traveling outside of Asia, showing an increase of 97% in the number of air and overnight visits in the last four years. This is followed by North America (up 151%) and the Middle East (up 177%). Africa remains the destination least visited by Chinese tourists -- but with signs that this could be changing, as visits have risen by 306% since 2011. According to GfK data, half (50%) of China's outbound travelers are 15-29 years old -- the "Millennials" group -- while over a third (37%) are 30-44 and 10% are 45-59. The sheer size of the Millennial group within China's travelers makes this a commercially attractive target audience for those destinations who are looking to draw in Chinese tourists. This attraction is increased by the fact that two-thirds (66%) of Chinese Millennials belong to the high income bracket. Not only that, but their financial standing is expected to increase as their careers advance, since seven out of ten Millennials hold "white collar" executive or professional jobs. Chinese Millennials are more ambitious than their predecessors, ages 50 and above -- and more hedonistic in their willingness to spend money to indulge and pamper themselves, according to GfK. They are also slightly less price sensitive, being the biggest purchasers of luxury goods in Asia-Pacific. Almost more importantly for the travel market is that Chinese Millennials also cherish freedom more than their parents or grandparents; they want the ability to pursue their passions and go after meaningful, adventurous and exciting experiences. They are also technologically savvy, with almost everyone owning a smartphone and being highly involved in sharing experiences on social media platforms. For destinations looking to attract this lucrative group, the ideal approach is to approach them not as tourists but as independent travelers who will respond to opportunities to plan personalized trips, according to GfK. Coinspeaker, Tuesday, January 19, 2016 1:49 PM Multiple houses were sent into a chill in the very middle of winter. Woke up at night, users found out that their Nest Learning Thermostat had been out of order. The companys online forums and social media were filled with customers requests and discussions. Woke up to a dead nest and a very cold house, said one comment. Not good when you have a baby sleeping! Another one replied: Mine is offline. Not enough battery (?) Im traveling. Called nest. Known problem. No resolution. #nest #fail. Afterwards Google-owned Nest explained the problem a software bug is affecting some of the smart thermostats causing the high-profile internet of things device to stop working. The bug actually drained the battery of the thermostat despite the fact that the device was plugged in. As a result it got disconnected from boilers and air conditioning systems, turning them off before it shuts down. Read the whole story at Coinspeaker by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, January 19, 2016 How will the Fourth Industrial Revolution impact search advertising and marketing? Infosys, an Indian consulting firm, commissioned a study of young adults in nine major economies. The study had nothing to do with search, and everything to do with the jobs and the skill that will become more important across the board, impacting search advertising and marketing. While the third revolution defined by the rise of technology and automated production, the fourth revolution reflects the blurring boundaries between humans and machines. When asked to rate the top three drivers that Infosys survey participants expect to impact most of their working lives through 2020, 34% pointed to mobile Internet and cloud technology; 33%, artificial intelligence and machine learning; 28%, the rise of Big Data; 27%, the Internet of Things, and 25%, advanced robotics and autonomous transportation. advertisement advertisement Overall, technical skills are seen as crucial to future careers. The need, per country, fluctuates when it comes to learning about certain skills such as cybersecurity, computer networking, coding, and Big Data analytics. About 75% of young people in India and China are interested in developing skills in data science and analytics, The percentage falls to 47% in France and Germany. The number of young people who show a strong interest in learning these skills is 40% in India, compared with 15% in Germany. Over 75% in India, Brazil and South Africa have an appetite for learning how to code, compared to just over 60% in the U.K. and the U.S. Again, interest in Germany falls to under half. It's not clear whether that means people in these countries already have the skills or just do not find the need or desire to learn them. Despite the ambiguity, the majority of young people across global markets participating in the survey recognize that success in their career will depend on learning new skills throughout their working lives. On average. 84% agree, with women slightly more inclined to agree, rising to 87% in Australia and falling to 77% in India. They also recognize the pace at which technology and progress changes continues to increase. Gaining new skills and training is viewed as a lifelong pursuit. Young people -- especially 18- to-25-year-olds -- do not expect that formal education alone will provide the skills necessary for a successful career or that there will be a cutoff point when the need to re-skill ends. Worldwide, only 8% of respondents to a recent study want to work for a startup. The startup takes much more work. The U.S. ranks close to the global average at less than 10%, although successful startups like Google and Facebook ultimately attracted very talented individuals and multi-billion-dollar valuations. Working for a large business, specifically for men, is more attractive, per the study. Interest is highest in India, Brazil and France, and lowest in Australia. Overall, 26% would rather work for a business with more than 250 employees, 18% opt for those with 51 to 250 employees, 15% would rather work for themselves, 17% have no preference, 13% prefer working for a small business of less than 50 employees, and 8% would rather work for a startup. For the most part, people want to work where they can learn. They want diverse skill sets. More than 75% of young people in Brazil and India rate their level of confidence in their skills at seven to 10 out of 10. This falls to 65% in China and the U.S. and to just a bit more than 50% in other developed markets. On average, people regard a skill to be important by 10% more if they perceive themselves to be strong in that skill. Put bluntly, young people tend to believe that the skills they already possess are also the most important for the workplace. by Sara Guaglione , January 19, 2016 IBT Media, which owns Newsweek and the International Business Times, has appointed its first COO for the UK and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to continue the companys European expansion. IBT Media, which owns Newsweek and the International Business Times, has appointed its first COO for the UK and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to continue the companys European expansion. Greg Witham will join IBT Media in the newly created role on March 7. He will be responsible for spearheading commercial growth across key markets, developing new revenue streams and overseeing the overall strategy and operations for the business in the UK and across EMEA. Dev Pragad, cofounder and managing director at IBT Media UK and EMEA, touted Withams experience of identifying trends, driving growth and working across many platforms including print magazines and digital products. Pragad stated that Witham will be in charge of identifying commercial opportunities across IBT Medias EMEA properties, growing readership and profitability for both Newsweek and the International Business Times and diversifying the product portfolio. advertisement advertisement Witham joins IBT Media from Hearst Magazines UK, where he was group publishing director of Cosmopolitan, Digital Spy and Sugarscape. Witham will be part of the London management team that includes the recently hired Matt McAllester, Newsweeks EMEA editor. McAllester joined the team last August; since then, he has been aggressively growing the EMEA teams. The brand announced last year it was bringing management of its EMEA editions back under U.S. leadership - led by Jim Impoco, editor in chief of Newsweek. That coincided with the departure of former EMEA editor-in-chief Richard Addis. The London-based editorial team is made up of 12 people, including four editors. One of those editors is former deputy editor of Prospect magazine, Serena Kutchinsky, who is now digital editor of Newsweek Europe. Former MailOnlinejournalist Graham Smith was also recently appointed deputy online news editor. by Erik Sass @eriksass1, January 19, 2016 Merediths Allrecipes.com is bolstering its capabilities for measuring the impact of native advertising targeting shoppers in the food category. A new deal gives the food publisher and social network access to Nielsens Similarities Market Test data. The agreement will incorporate Nielsens SimTest data, which compares product sales in stores where consumers have been exposed to ads from Allrecipes to a control group of stores with no consumer ad exposure, into Allrecipes Digital Shopper Marketing campaign analytics. The aim is to determine which in-market marketing activities are driving sales. The same capabilities will also be available for campaigns on Merediths other digital properties. Merediths Shopper Marketing platform, based on its acquisition of Grocery Servers Qponix earlier this year, enables marketers to place retailer-specific product offers in native ads, including recipe and editorial content on mobile devices as well as desktop and tablets. advertisement advertisement The publisher hopes the integration of SimTest data will yield insights into campaign design and execution to improve the performance of these hyper-local campaigns. Last September, Allrecipes introduced new capabilities that allow consumers to search for recipes by ingredients, and introduced native advertising in the recipe feed intended to lead consumers to nearby grocery stores to pick up missing ingredients. The content also serves up in search engine queries to lead recipe hunters back to the site. When consumers select a recipe, geo-location targeting serves-up retailers and products on sale at local stores. It also unveiled new features like The Cooking Graph, a personalized tool that anticipates the individual users interests and needs, making it easier to connect with their favorite home cooks and brands. In July Allrecipes acquired Grocery Servers Qponix, which specializes in targeting local digital advertising for consumer packaged goods and grocery retail outlets. The service focuses on shoppers who use mobile to research and find deals, including while creating shopping lists and looking for products in store. After a few months on the market, Facebook is adding several features to its lead-generation-based mobile ads. With an optional context card, participating advertisers can trigger a tile to pop up after someone clicks on a lead, but before they get to an actual form. With the new feature, Facebook is giving businesses a place to offer more details on the information people are signing up for, a company spokesman said on Tuesday. The new carousel format lets businesses showcase three to five images and headlines before people click through to a lead form. The leads ads are also now available on desktop, while Facebook promises to help advertisers track the relative success of various channels. From newsletters to price quotes, lead ads are designed to streamline the process of signing up to receive information from advertisers. When users click on the ads, for instance, a form opens with their contact information already inserted -- as long as they gave Facebook that info beforehand. advertisement advertisement Before their official debut in October, Facebook tested the ads with a number of brands, including Land Rover, shoemaker Stuart Weitzman, and Latin American real estate marketplace Properati. Additional advertisers using the ad format include Mazda, fitness firm Peloton and TheSkimm, an email newsletter popular among millennials. Facebook has been developing many ad products of late. Late in 2015, the social giant unveiled several new mobile-focused ad products to attract a greater share of TV monies. Most notably, Facebook introduced a way for advertisers to plan, buy and measure its video ads using total rating points (TRP) -- a metric that should be very familiar to any TV buyers. In a nod to personal privacy, the ads invite users to edit their contact information before sending it off to businesses. In fact, users have to click submit before their information is released. Zika virus is a mosquito-borne illness that is spread by the Aedes mosquito, the same species that transmits the dengue and chikungunya viruses. Unlike malaria-carrying mosquitoes, Aedes is most active during the day. Barrier methods of prevention, such as mosquito nets, are less effective. The mosquitoes can survive in both indoor and outdoor environments. Several species of Aedes can transmit Zika. The main ones are the Aedes albopictus, or Asian tiger mosquito, and the Aedes aegypti, known as the yellow fever mosquito. The Zika virus was first identified in monkeys in Uganda in 1947, but it has affected people in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and South and Central America. In 2016, a major outbreak in Brazil raised international awareness, and cases due to mosquito-borne transmission have been reported in the United States (U.S), in Texas and Florida. The symptoms of infection are mild, but if a pregnant woman catches the virus, it can have a severe impact on the pregnancy and the unborn child. Fast facts on Zika Zika virus cases typically occur in tropical climates. Infections in the U.S. are linked to travel to and from tropical regions. Symptoms of Zika virus infection can last for up to 1 week, but effects on a fetus can be severe. At present, there is no treatment for the virus. Avoiding mosquito bites is a key aspect of Zika virus prevention. Symptoms Share on Pinterest Zika is transferred to humans by the Aedes mosquito. Zika virus may be symptomless, or the symptoms can be vague and mild. They last for up to a week. Initial symptoms include: fever rash joint pain conjunctivitis, or red eyes muscle pain headache pain behind the eyes vomiting Infection with the Zika virus is rarely severe enough to warrant hospitalization, and it is rarer still for an individual to die as a result. However, complications of Zika can be devastating, especially if a woman contracts the virus while she is pregnant. It can cause a brain defect known as microcephaly in the unborn child. The brain and head of the newborn will be smaller in size than is usual. Loss of pregnancy, stillbirth, and other congenital disabilities are also more likely. During the recent outbreak in Brazil, there was a 10-fold increase in newborns with microcephaly after October 2015, compared with previous years. There have also been reports of people developing Guillain-Barre syndrome following a Zika virus infection. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare but serious autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system. Causes and risk factors Travel to an area where Zika is present is the main risk factor for the virus. It is mainly transmitted through mosquito bites, but it can also be passed on: From a pregnant woman to her fetus Through sexual contact Possibly, through a blood transfusion To date, there have been no known transmissions of the virus from mother to infant during breast-feeding. After a person has had the virus, they are protected from it in the future. At-risk locations A woman who is pregnant should be particularly careful to avoid mosquito bites if she is living in or traveling to a country where Zika is present. It may be advisable to avoid travel to certain places during pregnancy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issue travel warnings about Zika transmission. These are mainly the tropical regions of: Central and South America Caribbean Oceania North America Africa Asia Travelers should refer to the CDC website for updates. In the U.S., most cases have been linked to travel, but a few have resulted from mosquito-borne transmission. Zika-infected mosquitoes may be present in areas with wet lowlands and warmer temperatures. Diagnosis Share on Pinterest Pregnant women who experience Zika symptoms should seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms of Zika resemble those of flu, and they can be so mild that they go unnoticed. Most people will not visit a doctor or go to the hospital. However, a pregnant woman who experiences symptoms should see a doctor for blood or urine testing. Several rapid detection tests are available for qualified laboratories. These are distributed by the CDC. These tests can confirm an infection. Treatment Currently, there is no treatment for Zika. A person with symptoms should: rest increase fluid intake to prevent dehydration take over-the-counter (OTC) pain killers to relieve pain and fever The CDC advise against using aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) until a diagnosis of dengue has been ruled out in those at risk due to the risk of hemorrhage. The CDC also advise that pregnant women who are diagnosed with Zika should be considered for the monitoring of fetal growth and anatomy program every 3 to 4 weeks. They also recommend seeing a doctor who specializes in pregnancy management and either infectious disease or maternal-fetal medicine. The first international comparative study of end-of-life care practices finds that the United States actually has the lowest proportion of deaths in the hospital and the lowest number of days in the hospital in the last 6 months of life among seven developed countries. The study appears in JAMA. Using data from 2010-2012, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and colleagues examined patterns of care, health care utilization, and expenditures among patients dying in seven developed countries: Belgium, Canada, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United States. The researchers used administrative and registry data from 2010, and included decedents older than 65 years who died with cancer. In the U.S. 22.2 percent and in Netherlands 29.4 percent of cancer patients died in the hospital, which is in accordance with most patients' wishes. By comparison, in Belgium and Canada over 50 percent of patients died in the hospital, while in England, Norway, and Germany over 38 percent of patients died in the hospital. Two decades ago, the majority of deaths due to terminal illness were reported to occur in the hospital. More than a quarter of the Medicare budget is devoted to the care of beneficiaries who die in that year. Other developed nations spend less than the United States on health care, a finding some attribute to lower-intensity care at the end of life. The United States performs poorly in other aspects of end-of-life care, especially related to high technology interventions. Over 40 percent of patients who die with cancer are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in the last 6 months of life, which is more than twice any other country in the study. Similarly, 38.7 percent of American patients dying with cancer received at least one chemotherapy episode in the last 6 months of life, more than any other country in the study. In the last 180 days of life, average per capita hospital expenditures were higher in Canada (U.S. $21,840), Norway (U.S. $19,783), and the United States (U.S. $18,500), intermediate in Germany (U.S. $16,221) and Belgium (U.S. $15,699), and lower in the Netherlands (U.S. $10,936) and England (U.S. $9,342). Analyses that included decedents of any age, decedents older than 65 years with lung cancer, and decedents older than 65 years in the United States and Germany from 2012, showed similar results, suggesting that the differences observed were driven more by end-of-life care practices and organization rather than differences in cohort identification. The authors write that the lower rates of acute care hospital admissions, length of stay, and in-hospital deaths in the United States and the Netherlands suggest that end-of-life care can evolve to reflect patient preferences and goals about site of death irrespective of health system. "In the early 1980s, more than 70 percent of U.S. cancer patients died in hospital. Over the last 30 years, recognition of preferences for home-based end-of-life care and patients' rights to refuse medical interventions and economic pressures to lower end-of-life costs and expand hospice use have all played an important role in advancing end-of-life care. Yet excessive utilization of high-intensity care near the end of life, particularly in the United States relative to other developed countries, underscores the need for continued progress to improve end-of-life care practices." A new app called QUiPP could help doctors to better identify women at risk of giving birth prematurely. The app, developed at King's College London, was tested in two studies of high-risk women being monitored at ante-natal clinics. Worldwide 15 million babies are born preterm (before 37 weeks) each year and over a million of these die of prematurity-related complications. A number of factors are used to determine if a woman is at risk of giving birth prematurely, including a history of preterm births or late miscarriages. Two further factors which doctors can consider are the length of cervix and levels of a biomarker found in vaginal fluid known as fetal fibronectin, which are typically tested from 23 weeks. The investigators have further developed the fetal fibronectin test to be accurately used from the first half of pregnancy. The app developed at King's uses an algorithm which combines the gestation of previous pregnancies and the length of the cervix with levels of fetal fibronectin to classify a woman's risk. The first study focused on women deemed to be a high risk of preterm birth, usually because of a previous early pregnancy, despite not showing any symptoms. The second study predicted the likelihood of early delivery in a group of women showing symptoms of early labour which often doesn't progress to real labour. In the first study, published in the journal Ultrasound Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers collected data from 1,249 women at high risk for pre-term birth attending pre-term surveillance clinics. The model was developed on the first 624 consecutive women and validated on the subsequent 625. The estimated probability of delivery before 30, 34 or 37 weeks' gestation and within two or four weeks of testing for fetal fibronectin was calculated for each patient and analyzed as a predictive test for the actual occurrence of each event. In the second study, also published in the journal Ultrasound Obstetrics and Gynecology, data from 382 high-risk women was collected. The model was developed on the first 190 women and validated on the remaining 192. Probabilities of delivering early were estimated as above. In both studies, the app was found to perform well as a predictive tool, and far better than each component (previous pregnancy, cervical length or fetal fibronectin) taken alone. The authors conclude that the app can be used by clinicians to improve the estimation of the probability of premature delivery (before 34 weeks' gestation or within two weeks of the fetal fibronectin test) and to potentially tailor clinical management decisions. However, further work is needed to clinically evaluate the model in practice, and to ascertain whether interventions improve the pregnancy outcome for women identified as high risk by the app. Professor Andrew Shennan, lead author who is Professor of Obstetrics at King's College London and consultant obstetrician at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Despite advances in prenatal care the rate of preterm birth has never been higher in recent years, including in the US and UK, so doctors need reliable ways of predicting whether a woman is at risk of giving birth early. It can be difficult to accurately assess a woman's risk, given that many women who show symptoms of preterm labour do not go on to deliver early. "The more accurately we can predict her risk, the better we can manage a woman's pregnancy to ensure the safest possible birth for her and her baby, only intervening when necessary to admit these 'higher risk' women to hospital, prescribe steroids or offer other treatments to try to prevent an early birth." QUiPP is available to download for free from the Apple store. On Friday, what would have been the 87th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Chattanooga City Councilman Moses Freeman spoke to the McCallie Upper School in Chapel about the legacy of Dr. King and what his life and legacy mean today to their generation. Councilman Freeman has been active in the Chattanooga community for decades, serving on local civic board and organizations and holding several positions in community service and local government. He has seen the change in Civil Rights that were inspired by the works of Dr. King first hand, and he told students that despite great progress there is work yet to be done. The students were told how life has changed for himself and others since the time of Dr. King, and he challenged the new generation of young people to honor the legacy of Dr. King through service to others and helping bridge the divide between people of different races and social standing to build a better future for all people. Dean of Student Bob Bires introduced Councilman Freeman who was visiting as part of McCallies annual celebration of Dr. Kings birthday, which is now a national holiday and day of service for many. Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be officially celebrated on Monday. For information about events and service projects being organized in honor of Dr. King, go to www.mlkcha.org for a list of projects planned throughout the Chattanooga area. The Russian-Turkish conflict is reflected not only in the military, political and economic tension between the two countries but also in the Russian media, which expresses extreme hostility towards Turkey and its president. This is evident, for example, in articles in English published recently on the Russian websites NEO[1] and Pravda.[2] One of these articles cites "a leading military expert" as saying that, in the event of a war between the two countries, "Russia will have to use nuclear weapons immediately, because the existence of the nation will be at stake." The others focus on Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, presenting him as an enabler and supporter of the Islamic State (ISIS) and calling him a "madman" and a "murderer." One even suggests that Turkey was "a prime mover in the [November 13] Paris attack." The following are excerpts from the articles. The Russian bear stamps out terror, but Erdogan prepares to stab it in the back (Sputniknews.com, November 24, 2015) 'It Would Be A Mistake For Russia Not To Use Nuclear Weapons' In A War With Turkey A Pravda.ru article titled "'Scenarios For Real War Between Russia And Turkey" states: "The possibility of a full-fledged war between Russia and Turkey has been a talk of the day for conspiracy theorists, analysts, couch warriors and experts on international politics for several weeks already... Let's assume that a real war sparks between Russia and Turkey (NATO) - what kind of war would it be? What results would it bring? "Politonline.ru[3] discussed the topic with leading military experts that follow various approaches to international armed conflicts. "A leading expert of the Center for Military and Political Studies,[4] Mikhail Alexandrov, is convinced that in case of a real war, Russia will have to use nuclear weapons immediately, because the existence of the nation will be at stake. "'It would be a mistake for Russia not to use nuclear weapons in this case,' [he said]. 'The West and Turkey will try to drag us into a war such as the Crimean war, where escalation will be slow, combat actions in the Caucasus will erupt, and the Russian group in Syria will be destroyed. The West will be helping Turkey - there will be military units and state-of-the-art aviation deployed there. It will be a war of the wearing-out strategy', he said. "'From my point of view, should the war with Turkey start, it must be a determined, ambitious and quick war. Russia will have to strike a nuclear blow on main infrastructure and military targets in Turkey immediately'OC "'During the first few hours of this war, Russia must destroy the entire military infrastructure of Turkey', Mikhail Alexandrov said. 'One does not even have to use ballistic missiles in this strike - Iskander-M with nuclear warheads would be enough. As soon as the military infrastructure is destroyed, the Russian troops will go and take the area of OCiOCithe straits', he added. "'The West will not even have time to do anything. European countries will be so horrified that they will not even dare to intervene. The Americans will face a choice - either they begin a strategic nuclear war against Russia or not. As a result, Russia will take the area of OCiOCithe straits, and the rest will be left to Turkey', said the expert. "In turn, non-nuclear scenario of a hypothetical possibility, but deputy head of the Tauric information-analytical center at Russian Institute for Strategic Studies,[5] Sergey Ermakov, suggested a non-nuclear scenario. "'Hopefully, the real conflict will not happen. Using nuclear weapons is an extreme option. As for a regional war, there are non-military tools in the region. There are many anti-Turkish players in the region. In the case of a military conflict, the Kurds will rip the region to pieces, so for Turkey, a war is a game not even with the zero, but with a negative sum', he said. "'If Turkey provokes the conflict, NATO may not resort to the fifth article. Aggression is one thing, but a country asking for a conflict and pulling NATO into it is another thing. In such cases, NATO tries not to get involved', Sergei Ermakov said. "'No one wants to get involved in a direct military conflict with Russia. This conflict is fraught with a nuclear war and a global tragedy', he added."[6] 'The Leader Of The Turkish Nation Is Not Just An Islamist, He's A Supporter Of International Terrorism" An article on NEO titled "What Fate Awaits Turkey?" states: "It is now clear that Tayyip Erdogan's political career is heading to a closure, slowly but surely. He had a chance of saving it if he had the courage to immediately offer his apologies to Moscow after the downing of the Russian Su-24 bomber over Syria, that was in fact heading away from Turkey, not toward it. "Instead, he got tangled in a web of ridiculous lies and explanations, all while being rude to Russia. On top of it all, he framed Washington, by trying to excuse the actions of the Turkish Air Force with alleged orders he personally received from Barack Obama at the G20 summit held in Antalya. "But even with his back against the wall, Turkey's President proved to be stubbornly shortsighted, which forced Russia to go even further by uncovering the role Turkey and Erdogan's family played in the smuggling of stolen Syrian oil, which is a direct violation of the UN Security Council Resolution that was adopted on February 12, 2015. This means that the Turkish state is directly responsible for the sponsorship of international terrorism, which, according to the UN, should be punished in a particularly harsh manner. "But what's even more grave - the president has publicly disgraced himself before the country. His had already been steadily losing his position, but once he dropped his mask, his ratings started falling abruptly. It turns out that the leader of the Turkish nation is not just an Islamist, he's a supporter of international terrorism. "Now we are presented with a situation in which the AKP leader and the sitting Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who are largely secured by the victory for the ruling party, has obtained as much influence as the president. And after the downing of Russia's bomber he strengthened his positions even more, even though he decided not to distance himself publicly from the president. It's safe to assume that he's just quietly waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike a mortal blow. He's nothing short of a dangerous contender that is prepared to replace Erdogan at any given moment. "But the deposing of Erdogan is a relatively positive scenario. Those who remember Turkish history should know that Erdogan is hated by the military command of the Turkish Armed Forces, which has traditionally played a crucial role in the maintaining of country's stabilityOC The army is not getting any revenues from the illegal oil smuggling, so, should the ties between ISIL and Ankara be maintained, the military command, while enjoying the support of NATO allies, can launch a coup d'etat and return to the power they had three decades ago. But this scenario won't satisfy local Kurds and other ethnic and religious minorities, who have experienced the cruelty of the army in the suppression of their rights first hand. "Turkey is going to be plunged into political chaos, when the ruling AKP will find itself opposed by both the army and the legal opposition, along with 22 million Kurds led by the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). In this case, the civil conflict could result in the collapse of the Turkish state with the Kurdish areas (the entire South-East Anatolia) breaking away, seeking ways to create an independent Kurdistan that will absorb certain areas in Syria in Iraq, changing the whole balance of power in the Middle East. "Whatever happens, one thing is clear: Tayyip Erdogan will be forced to answer for his stubbornness, inability to respect others, dictatorship, corruption, and connections with ISIL. And above all, he must answer to the people of Turkey. And also to Russia for the cowardly attacks that claimed the lives of two Russian soldiers who fought valiantly against terrorism."[7] 'Turkey May Well Have Been A 'Prime Actor' In The Paris Attack' Another NOE article, titled "Mad King Erdogan's Oil Lies," stated: "Erdogan is claiming he stole no oil. He has threatened to resign if he receives proof. There is little doubt that Erdogan is insane, those who have been watching his dance of death with ISIS have known this all along. "However, while Erdogan talks only of oil, there are other issues to note as well. First of all, let's talk about arms shipments that cross Turkey and move into Syria and Iraq. By Erdogan's claim of total innocence, we must assume that ISIS, al Qaeda and the other openly terrorist groups that make up 95% of those fighting against Iraq and Syria are operating without any outside supplies. "Where Erdogan's wild claims fail is simple as looking at a map. When Russia publishes surveillance photos of not just hundreds but thousands of oil trucks, how can there be denial? The roads that these trucks use only go to Turkey. "They don't go anyplace else, there is no place else. There is absolutely no vehicle traffic between the Turkish occupied areas of Iraq and Syria, and we might as well call them that, and the areas under control of the legitimate governments in Baghdad and Damascus. "What is support of terrorism if it isn't trading oil for arms or, moreover, trading oil and the other loot of Iraq and Syria, for the cooperation of Turkish politicians and, just perhaps, their European and American friends as well. "Yet no one considers that Turkey may well have been a 'prime actor' in the Paris attack. Would Erdogan have downed a Russian plane if it weren't for the Paris attack? What about the Russian airliner downed over Syria? When you add MH17 and examine what is now known, that Ukraine and Turkey have been working closely together all along, with ISIS troops joining Kiev forces against NovoRussians, do we see a pattern?"[8] 'Turkey's "Leader" Should Be Charged With Murder' A Pravda.ru article titled "Turkey: Treacherous Turncoat," stated: "Turkey's 'leader' should be charged with murder. The sanctimonious West is in denial. NATO, partly complicit if not the instigator, vows to defend the murderer. Washington, which knows every detail, feigns ignorance. Why is there no Western condemnation in absence of Turkey's compunction? "Turkey, though paying lip service to Obama's 'coalition of the coerced' to at long last fight ISIS in Syria with military force, is loath to do so. More important Turkey has its political/economic motives to do just the opposite: not lift a finger (against ISIS). That is because, as President Putin already disclosed to Russia's Western 'partners' at the G20 Summit, Turkey is in reality a turncoat. Russian military intelligence provided the evidence: Turkey, including its President, are really aiding and abetting the ISIS terrorists. Detailed satellite images show that Turkey provided the egress for the stolen oil that ISIS has been trucking in and through Turkey. "From there the contraband, once brokered by the Turks, is sold elsewhere. The 'buyers' list includes Israel, the European Union and as some have suggested, even America. The scale and the scope of the covert theft equates to over 50 million barrels. Moreover, Turkey has profited from this nefarious heist for almost four years. Russia has more proof. The laundered money trail flows straight to the Turkish President's palace. Using a labyrinth of the Erdogan's financial network including his own son, the ill-gotten gains are then spirited outside the country. "While the Kurds fight ISIS, Erdogan courts the terrorists by providing them military cover. Russia, now wiser as to Erdogan's true colors, should endeavor to be ever more vigilant in its Syria campaign as to joining the West's coalition of 'partners'. "That same portent applies to the newest 'partners': Hollande and Cameron. The two turkeys are even bigger U.S. vassals. Neither one is trustworthy. Syria's war is about oil; both Putin and Assad know that well."[9] Endnotes: The iconic Dabbawalas of Mumbai will soon launch their own company so as to become a formal set-up and an even bigger brand. Apart from delivering food, they will also supply organic milk, vegetables and other goods. They plan to provide logistic support to multi-national companies (MNCs). The association of Dabbawalas was started by Mahadeo Havaji Bacche in 1890 to provide jobs to unemployed youths from the neighbouring villages of Mumbai. wikimedia (dot) org Subodh Sangle, the coordinator of Mumbai Dabbawalas, during his recent visit to Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), said that the rationale behind the new initiative is to use management skills of the lunchbox suppliers. Sangle said that the managerial skills of the Dabbawalas, which hardly witnessed any lapse in providing lunchboxes to their customers, will give extra financial support to their families. "Several MNCs need logistic support from us and most of them do outsourcing. Dabbawalas are well-versed with the geography and their services have met customers' expectations," Sangle, who was here to share management skills of Mumbai Dabbawalas at IIM-A, told TOI. He said some of the groups of Dabbawalas comprise around 50 persons, who have started delivering organic milk and exotic vegetables. In near future, we will tie up with MNCs to provide them logistic support, said Sangle. He might have a bald patch like Alok Nath, but Bhupendra Chaubey seems to have taken over the mantle of dispensing sanskaar with too much gusto in this now (in)famous interview he conducted with Sunny Leone. Ohhh wait ... did you think we were too judgmental of Chaubey there? Wait till you read this entire article and we bet itll raise your hair and temper when you see just how badly Chaubey conducted his interview with Sunny. Sunny is currently promoting her new movie Mastizaade touted as an adult comedyand this seemingly gave Bhupendra Chaubey all the leeway needed to get into Sunnys past where he tried to demean her with his persistent line of questioning on her days as a porn star. Heres the interview: Saw it? Lets recap some of the questions. Ill begin this interview by asking you, Tell me one thing that you regret, one thing which you believe that went wrong for you. This was supposed to be his premise for introducing her past as a porn star. Sunny didnt take the bait so Chaubey chacha tried another track. I am told that Kapil Sharma, the host of Comedy Nights with Kapil, at one point of time had said that he wasnt comfortable shooting with you because he thought that he had family audiences and Sunny Leone did not fit into the description of family audiences. Is this true? Another confident answer from Sunny flummoxed Chaubey who was clearly not prepared for this. How can a phoren-return porn actor-turned-item dancer respond with such poise? One last track change from Chaubeyji. You think an Aamir Khan would ever work with you? Again, Sunny answered the question like a pro and eventually her past life came up for discussion. Chaubey clearly smelt blood and decided to go for the kill straightaway. Do you not sometimes get affected by the fact that your past your past that you were this porn queen will continue to haunt you? Or maybe continue to pull you back? When maybe you couldve gone far higher. He decided to remove his mask as a journalist and showed what a hypocritical misogynistic creep he is with the following question clearly meant to provoke Sunny. I sometimes wonder, and pardon me if Im in anyways being offensive here, but how many people would think in terms of growing up to be a porn star? Chaubey could see no wrong in his line of questioning. And if that wasnt enough, Chaubey had the audacity to suggest that he had a morality higher than hers when he said this. You know, theres a lot of chatterati which takes place, You see a Sunny Leone film, you get morally corrupted. Im wondering if Im being morally corrupted because Im well, Im interviewing you If you read the lines in italics, youll quickly notice a pattern. Chaubey is interested to weed out Sunnys past porn life and suggests that the rise in porn searches and women being afraid that shell steal their men is because of her presence in Bollywood. He offers a study from a porn website to substantiate his claims for the former point (and perhaps a viewing of Ajay Devgn-starrer Drishyam during his research was responsible for the latter argument). It is interesting to note that Sunnys choice of films seems to give journalists thoughts free rein when they interview her. I myself saw this first-hand when she was giving interviews for Ragini MMS 2. One female journalist from a Hindi channel thought it was fine to ask Sunny what handcuffs could be used for her on the sofa in which they were conducting the interview. Another journalist fumbled with his questions so much that he couldnt ask anything of significance in the minutes he had with her. Over and over again, like a broken record, the same questions of her glamorous past came up and had to be answered. She had to explain how she had left it all behind, how her husband had proposed to her and she now led a happily married life and was looking to have a long innings in Bollywood. The short-sightedness of the Indian media to look beyond her porn background is symptomatic a larger malaise. We are unable to digest that someone from that place can be so unapologetic. We fail to see how hard it must have been for her to work as a porn star and instead make it seem like an easy glamorous job. We feel it is our moral duty to prevent our daughters and girlfriends from even thinking that a porn star can get any respect in our society lest they become corrupted too. When Sunny says that her status as a porn star made her who she is, she is simply speaking the truth. But our country cannot allow women and men to be corrupted by Sunny unless she says sorry for being a porn star before coming to India. Chaubey and even Shekhar Gupta, journalists who many students look up to as idols and have previously spoken to heads to state and other important people, are morally castigating Sunny for her choices and demanding that she not be as brash about her past. Heres the interview with Shekhar Gupta that was conducted on the same day and follows an almost similar drift in the tone of questions. Gupta is obsessed with the Playboy part of her career and repeatedly veers the question to how she became a porn star, as if there is nothing else to talk about when it comes to Karenjit Kaur Vohra. Instead of doing some real homework and presenting a different side of Sunny Leone, these journalists prefer to wag the tired tail of her titillating past. And thats a shame for fans of Sunny Leone and the future of journalism in this country. The questioning was so out of line that some industrywallahs came and defended Sunny on Twitter. Very unfair& rude interview with Sunny Leone on CNN IBN.She is taking it on her chin sportingly,obviously in the interest of her coming film rishi kapoor (@chintskap) January 17, 2016 Yes and such stupid questions!He is so googly eyed & patronising while @SunnyLeone holds her own so beautifully?? https://t.co/KKPlaUB8sw Mini Mathur (@minimathur) January 19, 2016 How beautifully u held your own in that stupid interview @SunnyLeone .Some1 should have taught him how to respect a woman when he was a kid. Sushant S Rajput (@itsSSR) January 19, 2016 Overwhelmed with the support she has rightly received, Sunny posted this on her Twitter handle a few minutes ago. On set and I feel this really needs to be said right now! Thank you and love you!! pic.twitter.com/SHSZSU7pij Sunny Leone (@SunnyLeone) January 19, 2016 The message is loud and clear. Sunny does not need to apologise for anything. If you cant respect her life choices, then stay out of it. And if you are a regressive twat hell-bent on improving her and making her dress up from head to toe, then be ready to face the wrath of the country. As we grow older, we stop doing those little things that always made us happy as a child. Blame it on busy work schedules, the mundane routine has taken over our ever-so-happy lifestyles. Reminiscing old times and getting nostalgic during our visit to the International Kite Festival in Gujarat this year, we tell you what you have been missing on and why you should relive your childhood memories by visiting this festival every year. 1. Because The Biggest Joy Was Bringing Down Your Neighbours Kite And Shouting Aibo! UTV MotionPictures There is no bigger satisfaction in the world than winning a competition. So go ahead and get that thrill and show your friends who the real boss is! 2. To Relive The Days When You Desperately Waited For Your Father To Come Back From Work So That You Could Go To The Market And Buy Kites Reuters Take a late-night walk through the local kite market of Ahmedabad and choose your favourite kite. While you test your bargaining skills, you will be amazed to see the kites that once cost Rs.5 are now priced between Rs.40 to Rs.250! 3. Remember Throwing Your School Bags On The Bed And Rushing To The Terrace To Fly Kites With Your Friends? BCCL Get on to the terrace again with the same zeal or just head to the Sabarmati Riverfront to compete with 98 master kite-flyers from all over the world! 4. Because Kite Flying Was Another Way Of Bonding With Your Family And Friends Reuters After all those years you have been telling your family and friends about not getting enough time to be with them, this is it! Leave your worries behind because now you have all the time in the world for your loved ones. 5. The Kite Flying Sessions Would Always Be Incomplete Without Your Favourite Snacks And Music UTV Motion Pictures You wont be able to stop yourself from shaking a leg at the festival and binging on the local cuisine. Your stomach needs appreciation after all the hard work you have done, so treat yourself to khaman, undhiyu or authentic Gujarati dhokla. 6. Because It Just Wasnt About Kite Flying, It Was Always About Celebrating Life Reuters This is the only time in the year when the clear blue sky is filled with bright colours and loud cheers of Kai Po Che. Go live those glorious days once again! Yash Raj Films What: The International Kite Festival Where: Ahmedabad, Gujarat When: Second week of January every year Tickets are on sale for the Chattanooga Womens Leadership Institutes 11th Annual IMPACT Leadership Dinner, set for Thursday, Feb. 18 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. This year, the group will welcome Morning Joe co-host, journalist and best-selling author Mika Brzezinski as keynote speaker. Ms. Brzezinski began her journalism career in 1991 as a general assignment reporter in Harford, Ct. She joined CBS News in 1997 as the anchor of Up to the Minute, but took a short hiatus in 2000 to co-host MSNBCs weekday afternoon program HomePage. In September 2001 she returned to CBS to become their principal ground zero reporter on the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Prior to joining MSNBC in 2007, Ms. Brzezinski was an anchor of the CBS Evening News Weekend Edition and frequent contributor to CBS Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes. She currently co-hosts MSNBCs weekday morning broadcast Morning Joe, with former Republican representative Joe Scarborough. The pair spends each weekday debating the headlines of the day with a roundtable of political insiders, journalists and newsmakers.In addition to a successful career in journalism, Ms. Brzezinski is the author of four best-selling books. Her New York Times bestseller All Things At Once, offers an honest look at professional setbacks and shares a pragmatic approach to achieving a work-life balance. Her second and fourth books, Knowing Your Value: Women, Money and Getting What You're Worth and Grow Your Value: Living and Working to Your Full Potential, tackle perceptions of value and how successful women today have achieved their deserved recognition and financial worth in the workplace. Ms. Brzezinski also wrote Obsessed: Americas Food Addiction and My Own, which describes her history of food obsession, distorted body image and her lifelong struggle to be thin.CWLI is honored to welcome Mika Brzezinski to Chattanooga to serve as keynote speaker for this years IMPACT Leadership Dinner, said Julie Brandao, 2016 event chair. She will offer informative and entertaining insights from vast experience of navigating her own career that we feel will be of value to women of all ages and levels of expertise. The event opens with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by a dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for CWLIs IMPACT Leadership Dinner are $65 each. Table Host sponsorships, which include a table for eight, priority seating and a listing in the program, are $1,200. For more details, or to learn about additional sponsorship opportunities, visit www.cwli.org or call 423-394-8173. Were excited to announce that metalbulletin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving metals 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. Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan, PLLC has added four new members to the firm across the state. Mary C. DeCamp is a new member in the Chattanooga office whose practice focuses primarily on civil litigation in several areas including employment law, education law (including special education), construction law and general insurance defense. Ms. DeCamp has represented school districts, school boards, governmental entities, corporations, small businesses, and individuals in a variety of litigated matters. Some of these include matters arising out of allegations of employment discrimination, general negligence, breach of contract, premises liability, intentional torts, employer liability, violations of the ADA, Section 504, and the IDEA, among others. She graduated from the University of Georgia, School of Law in 2008. Dennis G. Sadler is a new member in the Memphis office. He represents individuals, businesses, employers, and insurers, concentrating in the areas of construction law, products liability, premises and auto liability, workers' compensation and real estate. Mr. Sadler also advises medical practitioners in matters related to compliance with HIPAA, Stark, Anti-Kickback, and the myriad of regulations related to healthcare law. He has litigated matters in both the state and federal courts of Tennessee and Arkansas. He graduated from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2006. Adam F. Rust is a new member in the firm's Knoxville office whose practice focuses primarily on civil litigation. Mr. Rust handles cases involving a wide range of individual and corporate clients, including the areas of employment law, premises liability, automobile accidents, trucking accidents, construction, professional liability, workers' compensation and litigation involving the closing of real estate transactions. Mr. Rust has served as first chair and second chair counsel in jury trials before the Tennessee State and Federal Courts, in addition to regular motion practice in both State and Federal Court. He graduated from the John Marshall School of Law in 2008. Christen C. Blackburn is a litigator, and new member, in the Nashville office where she represents Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and governmental entities in a variety of litigated matters. Ms. Blackburn regularly handles tort litigation involving transportation, commercial premises, and products liability. She also dedicates a portion of her practice to employment litigation and workers' compensation, defending employers against allegations of discrimination harassment and retaliation, including lawsuits brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Tennessee Human Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and American with Disabilities Act. Ms. Blackburn has handled litigation in all stages from responding to initial complaints through trial before judges, juries, and administrative bodies including the EEOC, the THRC, and the American Arbitration Association. Ms. Blackburn graduated from the University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2008. To find out more information on these attorneys, visit www.leitnerfirm.com. Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Xydakis participated in yesterdays meeting, in Brussels, of the EU General Affairs Council (GAC) the first under the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the EU. The main items on the GAC agenda were the presentation of the priorities of the Netherlands Presidency and preparation for the February 2016 meeting of the European Council. The refugee crisis, innovation and job creation, fiscal health and economic policy, energy and climate change were the main points of reference of the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands and chair of the GAC, Bert Koenders. In his remarks during the Council proceedings, Mr. Xydakis stressed that the ambitious and, due to the refugee crisis, heavy agenda Holland is starting with coincides with a very difficult state of affairs in which the EUs cohesion, unity and integrity are being challenged. What is needed, he continued, is the upgrading of the European value framework and a cohesive vision. The tool-box, short-term policies need to give way to mid- and long-term policies. Mr. Xydakis expressed the conviction that only in this way will we be able to give the lie to the too little, too late of the EUs detractors and of extreme Euroscepticism. Finally, Mr. Xydakis strongly welcomed Netherlands Foreign Minister Bert Koenders proposal for upgrading the General Affairs Council into an organ with more substantial competencies. The Chattanooga Area Historical Association and the Local History and Genealogy Department of the Public Library invite all to a talk by Jerry Summers. The event will be held on Monday, February 1, at 6pm at the downtown Public Library located at 1001 Broad Street. According to former Hamilton County Executive Dalton Roberts, Raulston Schoolfield was one of the best legal minds in Tennessee. In 1958, however, Judge Schoolfield was impeached and convicted by the Tennessee State Senate on charges of bribery and extortion. He was disbarred and removed as a County Judge but later served Hamilton County as a General Sessions judge. Mr. Summers will present the story of Judge Schoolfields trial and conviction...was his conviction a rush to justice? Jerry Summers is a lifelong resident of Chattanooga. He has served as President of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and the Tennessee Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Mr. Summers has also served on the national boards of the American Association for Justice and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is a regular contributor of local history articles. The Michigan Democrat flew to Germany to meet up with Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine, who is undergoing treatment at the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center along with Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and pastor Saeed Abedini. Kildee told The Associated Press on Tuesday he spent several hours with Hekmati on Monday. He says "last night he was sitting with his two sisters, his brothers and myself and he had a steak dinner, so he had a good night." The three Americans arrived in Germany late Sunday via Switzerland. A fourth stayed in Iran. BAD AXE Zip lining through downtown Las Vegas. Skiing down the slopes in the Pocono Mountains. Taking a hiking trip in Yellowstone National Park. Got a travel story youd like to share? There is now a place and new program where you can tell the public about all of your exciting adventures. Neighbors on the Go, a new free-of-charge program at the Bad Axe Area District Library, has been in the works for nearly a year and will finally see life later this week. Jean Sommers, kids program director at the library, wanted to create an opportunity to bring more adults to the library. Im trying to get a new program started here and attract more people to share their (travel) experiences, Sommers said. Its basically neighbors sharing travel experiences with (their) neighbors. This Thursday night, Tom and Deb Laity will share their 10-day float trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. During the hour-long program, the couple will share their adventures through pictures, music and many stories from their trip. The program will kick off at 7 p.m. inside the library. Theyll be talking about experiences of how you live like that, Sommers said of the couples adventure. They have pictures from inside the Canyon that you dont see in other photos. (The pictures) are really amazing. I believe they will also be bringing a dry bag to show what you have to pack, and what will fit inside, for the trip, she added. Sommers discussed the idea with the Laity couple about a year ago and from there, a trial run was in the works. They agreed to try it out at our church and people loved it, she explained. If all goes well, Sommers said she plans to keep the program going at least once a month typically a Thursday night in the middle of the month. Next month, Sommers and her husband, Andy, will share experiences they encountered visiting Sweden and Denmark including stories about Stockholm, ancient Ales Stones and Copenhagen. For anyone interested in being a part of the program or sharing travel stories with the public, contact Jean Sommers at the Bad Axe Library by calling 989-269-8538. Im hoping people come forward and say, Hey I went somewhere, Sommers said. I know people go to wonderful places and bring back amazing pictures. Its just a matter of getting them to share their stories. Its something fun (for adults) to do in the winter, she said. Its free and its a chance to get out of the house and turn off the television. The A-29 Super Tucano aircraft have finally begun arriving in Afghanistan and were expected to start flying ground attack missions for the struggling Afghan Air Force (AAF) in April, U.S. military spokesmen said Tuesday. Four of the turboprop planes made by the Brazilian firm Embraer and its U.S. partner, the Sierra Nevada Corp., landed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul last Friday. The four were the first of 20 Super Tucanos to be delivered under a $427 million contract to provide the AAF with its first fixed-wing ground attack capability. Four more were expected to arrive in the spring, four more in 2017 and the remaining eight by the end of 2018. "We wish we had started earlier" with the A-29 program, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in Afghanistan last month. However, Beechcraft initially challenged the award of the Light Air Support (LAS) contract to Embraer and there were additional delays in setting up the training of Afghan pilots and ground crews with the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force base near Valdosta Ga. Nine Afghan pilots graduated from the training program at Moody on Dec. 18. Two Afghans who had been in the program as maintenance workers went missing just before the graduation. One of the two reportedly was picked up by the Department of Homeland Security in Virginia last week and a search was continuing for the second. The A-29s have a top speed of about 370 mph and carry internally-mounted .50 caliber machine guns in each wing. The five hard points on the aircraft can carry about 3,000 lbs. of munitions, including laser-guided bombs. The arrival of the A-29s will give the Afghans "a significant increase in their capability to provide their own close air support. Those aircraft should start going into service roughly in the April timeframe," said Army Brig. Gen. Wilson A. Shoffner, deputy chief of staff for communications for the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. Shoffner said the Afghans also are increasingly relying on their MD-530 helicopters for reconnaissance and fire support. The MD-530, similar to the U.S. Little Bird helicopter, can be armed with either machine guns or rockets and the Afghans have had "increasing success in employing the MD-530s. They've used it with great effect over the fall," Shoffner said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com Armed Robberies In Lincoln Park And Rogers Park Prompt Police Alert By Kate Shepherd in News on Jan 18, 2016 8:21PM Crime scene tape (Photo by LukaTDB via Shutterstock) The Chicago Police Department has issued armed robbery warnings for Rogers Park and Lincoln Park. Between Jan. 12 and Jan. 16, three incidents have occurred in which one armed offender approaches the victim from behind and points a handgun at the victim's head while "demanding that the victims give him everything they have," according to authorities. The offender(s) took a purse and cell phones. The robberies happened in 6900 block of North Washtenaw Avenue on Jan. 12 at 4:05 p.m., in the 6600 block of North. Maplewood Avenue on Jan. 13 at 8:10 p.m. and in the 7000 block of North Washtenaw Avenue on Jan. 16 at 8:52 a.m. In the three separate incidents, the offender(s) were described as: "Male, Black, 38, 6'00," wearing a black jacket, black jeans, and yellow gym shoes," "Male, Black, 20-30, 5'07", 200 lbs., light complexion, wearing eyeglasses, and a black jacket" and "Male, Black, 6'01," wearing black frame eyeglasses, red knit ski cap, light gray sweatpants." In the two Lincoln Park robberies, two-three offenders approached a lone victim on the street, showed a silver handgun and demanded personal property, according to law enforcement. The first incident happened in the 2000 Block of North Burling Street on Jan. 13 approximately 9:00 p.m. and the second incident happened in the 1100 Block of West Dickens Avenue on Jan. 15 at approximately 12:30 p.m. The offenders were described as male, black 18 to 24 years of age, 5'05- 6'00 and 130-180 pounds. In one case, the offenders were wearing black masks. Police are warning residents to be aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious activity. Air Force Gets Its Own Combat Dive Badge After Using the Navy's for Years Air Force officials said there is a notable distinction between Navy divers and their divers, which was a key reason for... Coast Guard rescue teams have now recovered all four life rafts from two Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallions that went down off the north shore of Oahu on Thursday night, a Marine Corps official said Monday evening. Now at the start of its fifth day, the search for survivors among the 12 Marines who were aboard the two aircraft continues. As of Monday, military and civilian responders had completed 89 searches covering some 21,000 square nautical miles of area in overlapping regions in and around a debris field that now extends over much of the island's north shore. Coast Guard officials announced earlier in the day that they had recovered three empty life rafts and were attempting to recover the fourth, which had been spotted by a "Good Samaritan" north of Kahuku, a town on the northeast side of the island. As the days pass without a sign of survivors, the Marine Corps community has circulated messages with the hashtag "#PrayforPegasus," a reference to the nickname of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, to which both of the downed choppers were attached. The cause of the accident, which reportedly involved a collision between the two aircraft, is still under investigation. Marine and Coast Guard officials have said they will not formally stop the search for survivors until notifying families and the public of their intention to do so. That decision will be based on a calculation of the likelihood of survival based on conditions and other factors affecting the search. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. The U.S. Navy said Monday that the 10 American sailors aboard two patrol craft seized at gunpoint by Iran last week had "deviated" from their assigned route although Iran claimed that the sailors' GPS devices were in working order. A timeline on the international incident that threatened to unravel the nuclear deal with Iran and the swap of prisoners left unclear how the patrol craft became lost in the Persian Gulf on a routine daylight move between Kuwait and Bahrain. There was also a "mechanical issue" aboard one of the boats but "it's not clear the crew was aware of their exact location" when two small Iranian craft approached with Iranian Revolutionary Guards aboard brandishing weapons, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement. Statements Monday issued by Iran's legislature added to the mystery of how the sailors came to be stopped in the water three miles inside Iran's territorial waters off Farsi island in the middle of the Persian Gulf. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and other high-ranking officials said last week that a "navigational error" appeared to be the cause and suggested that an equipment malfunction may have sent the boats off course. However, a statement from Iran's parliament cited Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officials as saying that the U.S. sailors should have been aware of their location. "The coordinates recorded on the GPS devices taken from the 10 U.S. marines (sic) confirmed their trespassing" into waters off heavily-guarded Farsi island, the semi-official Fars news agency reported of the parlimentary statement. The statement from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said, "A post-recovery inventory of the boats found that all weapons, ammunition and communication gear are accounted for minus two SIM cards that appear to have been removed from two hand-held satellite phones." Photos and video of the incident released by Iranian media had shown numerous automatic weapons and belts of ammunition being confiscated by the Iranians and lined up as a display on the deck of one of the captured boats. In giving the timeline, the command said it was only preliminary and a full account would come from an investigation that began on Jan. 14, the day after the two boats and the 10 sailors, including nine males and one female, were returned and were picked up by the U.S. guided-missile cruiser Anzio. It was unclear whether the 10 sailors, who were all reported in good health and undergoing debriefings, would face any disciplinary action. The timeline made no mention of the sailors being forced to kneel, hands clasped behind their heads, or the apparent apology for the "mistake" in straying into Iranian waters made by one of the sailors and shown on Iranian media. The two 49-foot Riverine Command Boats left Kuwait en route to the Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, a trip of about 290 miles, at 12:53 a.m. Iran time, the command said. "The planned transit path for the mission was down the middle of the Gulf and not through the territorial waters of any country other than Kuwait and Bahrain," the command said. A refueling rendezvous with the Coast Guard Cutter Monomoy was planned for 5 p.m. local time. Ten minutes after the scheduled refueling was supposed to have taken place, the command "received a report that the RCBs were being queried by Iranians." At approximately 5:29 p.m., the command "was advised of degraded communications with the RCBs." At 5:45 p.m., the command "was notified of a total loss of communications with the RCBs," indicating they were in Iranian custody. The command said "initial operational reports showed that while in transit from Kuwait to Bahrain the RCBs deviated from their planned course on their way to the refueling. The command investigation will determine what caused the change in course and why the RCBs entered into Iranian territorial waters in the vicinity of Farsi Island." Once contact was lost, the Navy began a "massive" search and rescue operation. At the time of the incident, two aircraft carrier strike groups were within 45 miles of three-square mile Farsi island, which is about 135 miles from Bahrain. The carrier USS Harry S. Truman was about 45 miles southeast of Farsi island and the French carrier Charles De Gaulle was about 40 miles north of Farsi, the command said. Iran was notified of the search and rescue operation, and then at 9:15 p.m., the cruiser Anzio "received a communication from Iran saying that the RCB sailors were in Iranian custody and were 'safe and healthy,'" the command said. The timeline also noted that "at some point" during the transit from Kuwait to Bahrain "one RCB had indications of a mechanical issue in a diesel engine which caused the crews to stop the RCBs and begin troubleshooting." "This stop occurred in Iranian territorial waters, although it's not clear the crew was aware of their exact location. While the RCBs were stopped and the crew was attempting to evaluate the mechanical issue, Iranian boats approached the vessels." "Initial operational reports indicate there was a verbal exchange between the sailors and the Iranians but no exchange of gunfire," the command said. More Iranian boats arrived and "At gunpoint, the RCBs were escorted to a small port facility on Farsi Island where the U.S. Sailors disembarked and were detained for approximately 15 hours," it said. Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi, commander of the naval branch of the Revolutionary Guards, was quoted as saying by official Iranian media,"We have concluded that passage of Americans in our territorial waters was not a hostile passage or for espionage or similar acts. They were positioned in that area due to the failure of their navigation systems and they were not aware of being close to Farsi Island." The seizure of the two U.S. boats came hours before President Barack Obama was to make his State of the Union address and set off a flurry of diplomatic activity by Secretary of State John Kerry to gain their release. The brief capture also came as the U.S. and allies were about to reach a milestone in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in which Iran agreed to rein in its nuclear programs in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. A side agreement with the U.S. included an exchange of prisoners. Republican presidential contenders lined up to criticize President Obama for the incident in the Gulf. The reaction of Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, was representative. "Any nation that captured our military officers, captures our soldiers, should face serious repercussions," Cruz said on "Fox News Sunday." "The only reason they were seized is because of the weakness of Barack Obama." In a background briefing at the White House, senior administration officials rejected the Republican criticism. "If we did not have these diplomatic channels with the Iranians that have been established over the last two or three years, it is very likely that our sailors who had gone into Iranian waters would still be detained there today," a senior administration official said. "If we did not have this diplomatic channel with Iran, we certainly would not have our Americans coming home," the official said. --Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. LAS VEGAS -- The U.S. Army is considering buying smart optics for infantry squads, sources said. The service is drafting a requirement for a squad fire-control system designed around a common weapon optic, a technology that would link all of the squad members' optics together, according to a source who agreed to discuss the effort on background. The technology would allow a squad leader to put a digital tag on a target, and the rest of the squad would be able to see the tag when they looked through their optics, the source said. A spokesman for the Army at the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, didn't immediately return requests for comment. (Monday was a federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.) The Army has tested multiple types of smart scope technology in recent years, including One Shot XG developed by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon's research arm known as Darpa, and TrackingPoint Inc.'s so-called smart rifle. The Austin, Texas-based company has made headlines in recent years for using a computer-powered scope to help novice shooters hit targets as far away as almost 1,000 yards, though it restructured in recent months amid reports that it stopped taking orders and laid off staff. TrackingPoint officials were again present at this year's SHOT Show here in Las Vegas. They highlighted how Taya Kyle, widow of the Navy SEAL and sniper Chris Kyle, recently used one of the company's smart rifles to defeat NRA World Shooting Champion Bruce Piatt. They also touted new models, such as the $15,995 M800 DMR Squad-Level Precision-Guided 7.62, known as the Squad Designated Marksman (advertised as "the nuclear bomb of small arms"), and the $12,995 Precision-Guided Semi-Auto .300 Hogout ("optimized for decimating your hog population"). John Lupher, TrackingPoint's chief technology officer, said he was confident the U.S. military would eventually adopt the precision-guided firearms. He said officials from Army Test and Evaluation Command were in the process of testing the company's new tag-on trigger-pull technology. "There's been a tremendous amount of discussion within the Army particularly and also some in Special Operations about how this technology can be incorporated," he said. "It's primarily squad-level overmatch is what they're focused on. The question is how can you bring fire control into the squad to allow for maximized standoff distances and better lethality of range." Lupher said the Army may release a requirement for a system as early as March, more than two years after the service began testing the company's products. "Being allowed to shoot to maximum range unsupported allows for tactics to change," he said. "So it's much larger than just testing a weapon and saying that's better; it's also understanding how military doctrine can change with the capability and that takes a long time." Even so, Lupher said the Army is likely to look for offers from multiple vendors and acknowledged "a lot of very capable DoD companies" that could field a potential solution. The source who spoke to Military.com also said the Army hasn't apparently embraced TrackingPoint because the weapon systems are expensive and difficult to use in moving-target scenarios. For example, the source said, if the enemy target is moving among civilians, the tag can be inadvertently transferred to a nearby civilian, increasing the risk of collateral damage. Lupher said the company will continue to improve the system's image processing and automatic target acquisition. "The ideal would be to acquire targets essentially instantaneously or at least faster than human perception and then be able to engage those targets at ad hoc ranges out to the maximum effective range of the weapon," he said. "That's what we're focused on doing. We're going to continue to improve that capability and it's just going to get better from what we have right now." --Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Time In Chicago By Kate Shepherd in News on Jan 18, 2016 9:52PM MLK Jr. speaking at Soldier Field http://imgur.com/QClMEiP Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. may be a larger-than-life, historical figure but that doesn't mean he didn't have a huge impact on the streets of Chicago. And the violence he encountered in Chicago had a major effect on his work. Shortly after stepping out his car on during a visit on Aug. 5, 1966, he was shocked to be hit by a stone which knocked him down to one knee. He had to be shielded from bricks and bottles hurled by the crowd, according to the LA Times. "I have never seen, even in Mississippi and Alabama, mobs as hateful as I've seen here in Chicago," he told reporters at the time. "Yes, it's definitely a closed society. We're going to make it an open society." Many current Chicagoans may not realize that he spent time in the city to "work with other likeminded activists to improve the conditions of urban slums, end housing discrimination, and expand access to public schooling," according to UIC's Remembering Richard J. Daley project. He even rented a West Side apartment and staged marches because Chicago seemed like the perfect battleground, according to the Tribune. But his work on economic inequality didn't improve conditions for all black Chicagoans even though it definitely made a difference, according to historians. "There has been and hasn't been change; it depends on how you look at it," Timuel D. Black, a local 97-year-old historian and activist who knew King and protested with him, told the LA Times. "It made desirable housing and schools more accessible and available" for middle class blacks, according to Black. But it didn't help the people at the bottom. The blacks who moved to Chicago from the South didn't find the jobs and improved lives they were searching for. Instead they were met with firebombings and squeezed into South and West Side slums. King at the Robert Taylor Homes. WTTW Still King's presence in Chicago helped get things done, according to a UIC interview with John Daley, son of Richard J. Daley: I was at the mayor's office when Dr. King came in. What surprised me the most was - first, the room was filled with ministers, elected officials, his aides, and department heads, and people were talking - but when Dr. King came in, the silence he brought into that room and the command. And he was not a tall man. I was shocked, but I remember the quietness. As soon as he entered the room, it became quiet. And then he sat right across from my dad. They discussed the problems in the city that he came to address. And he said, "Dr. King, we're willing to work with you, we will work this out." And they came up with a plan, my dad and him. They announced it. It's no shock that Mayor Daley didn't enjoy an outsider like King pointing out Chicago's faults. "Maybe he doesn't have all the facts on the local situation," the mayor said, according to the Tribune. "After all, he is a resident of another city." The Judge For The Laquan McDonald Murder Trial Is An Eerily Perfect Fit By Mae Rice in News on Jan 19, 2016 5:40PM Today, the Readerwhich has been dominating this weekprofiled Vincent Gaughan, the judge who will preside over Officer Jason Van Dykes murder trial. Gaughan was chosen by a randomized computer program, but as reporter Steve Bogira notes, hes weirdly perfect for the job. He served in Vietnam, and will presumably have some sympathy with the pressures police face, but hes also been in roughly Laquan McDonalds shoesalbeit with a very different outcome. Vietnam left him what Gaugans dad called nervous, Bogira reports. One night when Gaugan was 28, after a minor traffic accident, he went into his bedroom, locked the door, and snapped. He started shooting from his room into his neighbors bedroom across the way. His neighbors called the police. When police arrived, though, they treated him very differently than you might expect. First, they brought a priest and friend of his to talk to him, per his request; eventually, the tension was defused, and Gaughan went voluntarily to the police station without harming (or being harmed by) the officers. After that, as Bogira puts it: [Tribune reporter Bill] Mullen reported that Gaughan was charged with aggravated assault, unlawful use of a weapon, failure to register a weapon, and discharging a firearm in the city. But there was a warm and uplifting tone to the story nonetheless. Police had worked to calm Gaughan and had responded with restraintextraordinary restraint, if indeed four people, two of them police officers, had nearly been shot. The officers called to the scene hadn't tried to chase Gaughan from his room with tear gas, which could have led to a deadly shootout on the stairway. Basically, Gaughan lived out the alternate-universe version of the McDonalds life, in which he not only survived but went on to become a judge. Now, Gaughan will try Van Dyke, indicted for six counts of murder for fatally shooting McDonald. Will this make his judgment more fair, or less? head over to the Reader to get Bogiras take. Vowing to conduct a review and internal reform, Taiwan's former ruling Kuomintang party held an extraordinary congress on Monday to appoint Huang Min-hui acting chairwoman, following the resignation of KMT chairman Eric Chu after losing the island's leadership election on Saturday. Huang Min-hui, acting chairwoman of Taiwan's Kuomintang party. [Photo/China Daily] Huang, the party's former vice-chairwoman, will temporarily take charge of party affairs till the KMT elects a new leader, the Ta Kung Pao newspaper reported on Monday. Chu was reported as saying at the meeting that only the sincere introspection and reform will help KMT to win back voters. He said he hoped the future KMT leader would lead the necessary reform, and that party comrades would unite their efforts to strive for a better future for the island province, the party and the people. Chu and People First Party Chairman James Soong were defeated in a three-way race. Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Ing-wen won the election with 56.1 percent of the vote and will take the office in May. In the legislative election, also held on Saturday, 68 of the 113 seats went to the DPP, 35 to the KMT and five to the New Power Party. The PFP got three seats, the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union one, and one went to an independent candidate. Soon after Tsai claimed victory in the election, making her the island's first female leader, Chu acknowledged failure, saying in a speech at KMT headquarters in Taipei that losing the leadership and the legislative majority was an unprecedented blow to the party. "This is the time to ask what should we do in the future?" he said. "We need to cultivate talent from the grass-root level, and let our future elites and leaders enter the government, enter the legislature through local elections. This is the only way forward." Former KMT spokesman Yang Wei-chung, who resigned on Saturday before the election results were in, appealed on Facebook on Monday to start the reform first by lowering the barrier for the party leadership election, letting more and younger people participate in the competition. Li Mi, Taiwan researcher and deputy director of the Shanghai Institute for Public Relation Studies, said the factors in the KMT's defeat include the economic decline and the government's poor handling of it, the power struggle and infighting in the party, and the failure to win over young voters. "More than 7.2 million people in Taiwan are between 20 and 40 years old. That group is big enough to change the political map," he said. "The biggest problem the KMT had was they didn't realize the situation." Zhu Songling, director of the Institute of Cross-Straits Relations at Beijing Union University, said the election result was due to the KMT's, not to a failure of cross-Straits relations, but the change might have ripple effects on the cross-Straits situation. A lecturer at Xidian University in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, has called on students in her female-only class to sign a pledge that they will not have sex before marriage. A couple pose for pictures after registering for marriage at a marriage registration office in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, Nov 11, 2015, or the "Singles Day" called by many netizens and young people. Many young people chose to register for marriage on the "Singles Day" to bid farewell to their bachelorhood. [Photo/Xinhua] According to a student who took the optional course, only two students signed the card. The student, who didn't want to be named, was not comfortable saying whether she signed the promise. "The course was mainly about how to establish healthy concepts of relationships and marriage," she said. "It was open only to female students." She said the guarantee also included a promise that the students would not have extramarital sexual relations. The lecturer didn't force anyone to sign. However, many students still disliked being faced with such a promise. Li Yuan, a college student at another university in Xi'an, said the lecturer's behavior violated privacy, and she would never sign anything like that. Nevertheless, parents showed their understanding of the school and the teacher. Chen Jin, the mother of a college student, said that as a science and technology school Xidian University has many more male students than females, so it is understandable that the school wants to protect female students by strengthening moral education. "Both the school and teacher have good intentions. Even though the students who made the promises may not follow through, it is a good reminder," Chen said. Wang Changshou, head of the Shaanxi Academy of Social Sciences, said it is necessary to strengthen moral education surrounding marriage, but it is not appropriate to ask students to sign a promise. He said it is not fair to only open the class for female students because relationships and marriage involve two people. Male students should also be educated, he said. "It is an obsolete concept to curtail only women's behavior, but not men's," he said. "It is correct to stay loyal in marriage, but sex before marriage should not be prohibited," Wang said. Sun Shan, an associate professor at Northwest University of Political Science and Law in Xi'an, said even though the students signed the promise, it doesn't have any legal force because loyalty starts after a marriage is established. "Whether a woman has had sex before marriage or not is private and protected by law, and no one has the right to know," he said. Police rescued 15 babies and nabbed 78 suspects after they broke up a child-trafficking ring in East China's Shandong province who were suspected of kidnapping babies in Southwest China's Sichuan province and selling them to Shandong. The ring was organized by Hama Erji, a resident of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan province, the prefecture's police authority said. Thirty-six suspects are from the same region. The suspects sold the infants to people in Shandong province, according to the police authority. The ring was in the crosshairs of the Public Security Ministry in June last year and four investigative teams were dispatched to Shandong province where the ring was busted after two-month investigations, the police said. Blood samples from the babies were taken at the local police station on Monday morning for DNA comparison. The police are investigating the case. An event centered on the "Global Programme of Research on Climate Change: Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation (PROVIA)" kicked off in Beijing on January 16, as a group of Chinese climate experts gathered to talk about China's strategy of climate change adaptation and Country Level Impacts of Climate Change (CLICC). Zhang Shigang, country coordinator for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlighted that PROVIA is a global initiative which helps the international community share practical experience and research findings concerning vulnerability, impacts and adaptation (VIA). Additionally, the CLICC focuses on the communication of scientific evidence available in countries which enables consistency and transparency on climate change. Professor Xu Yinglong, member of the PROVIA Scientific Steering Committee, delivered a keynote speech regarding China's experience in climate adaptation. According to Xu, China has made strides to adapt to global climate change based on scientific research in a well-organized way since 2004, including adjusting the country's agricultural structure as well as controlling soil erosion and the problems of an encroaching desert. Xu said that proposals on critical issues concerning agricultural adaptation in China are under study. For example, China took advantage of its coldest northeastern region to grow more plants, as the northern boundary of the one-cropping system and winter wheat shifted due to rising outdoor temperatures. Back in 2012, the armyworm wreaked havoc on the North China Plain, once a fine place for China to grow cotton. The situation definitely changed as cotton moved to a processing plant in Aksu, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. "Mulching cotton and keeping it warm by means of the adaptation theory is the key to planting the newly harvested cotton," explained Xu. "If there is no successful adaptation in developing countries, there will no successful migration all over the world," stressed Xu. More efforts were required in China, as it needed to adopt a more active strategy to minimize losses caused by shifts in global climate. "Adaption is perhaps the best way we can address the pressing issue of climate change, on the condition that we know more about the impacts of climate change at the country level," said Professor Jiang Tong, chief scientist for the Country Level Impacts of Climate Change (CLICC) Program in China. Professor Jiang said that a realistic and inclusive set of technical guidelinesfor a wider application on climate change should be established worldwide. The latest available data and resources should be shared among countries, while individual countries need to reaffirm the CLICC's principles of maintaining country-control and minimizing additional burden to other countries. The meeting attracted almost 200 people, including Mr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, science counselor for the Pakistan Embassy in China, who called for more governmental actions and cooperation between China and Pakistan on climate change. As we look ahead into the year ahead, the world seems full of uncertainties and challenges. Firstly, its the economy, stupid as usual. The year 2016 will witness continued global slow growth and accumulation of financial risks. The world economy is still on the bottom of an L-shaped groove. According to Consensus Forecasts, global growth is expected to be 2.8%, slightly up from 2.6% in 2015. Aside from the US and UK, advanced nations face a bleak picture with GDP growth all below 2% in 2016. There are a few key things to watch closely in global economic landscape this year: 1. With the Feds rate increases and a strong dollar, some debt-ridden developing nations are experiencing capital flight, credit crunches and fiscal tightening that can break their economies. A debt crisis also seems imminent in Euro-zone and some resource-exporting countries. Systemic financial risks and contagion still exist. Since 2009, major central banks have created cheap dollar liquidity in the amount of $12 trillion, and as a result global debt has risen an additional $57 trillion since 2007. The Bank of International Settlement calls this level of debt frightening. 2. Prices of bulk commodities will keep falling, especially that of petroleum, as global demands remain depressed with weak growth. This will adversely impact resource-exporting countries like Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Indonesia, Australia and Canada. Brazil and Russia were already in negative growth of -3.5% and -3.8% in 2015, and the trend is expected to continue. 3. Global investment and trade will shrink again as economic uncertainty mounts, which will further dampen an already depressed world market. World trade is growing at an average of 3% in the last few years as compared with 7% before the 2008 financial crisis. The uncertainty that lies in wait includes any potential Fed rate increase, the Euro-zones weak demand and high unemployment, and possible systemic financial risks spreading from debt-ridden countries to the whole world. Secondly, geopolitical turmoil persists in regions like the Middle East involving ever-deepening rivalry among big powers, which will not only worsen regional conflicts but also deal heavy blows to global economic growth. With the US presidential election in sight, election-year fever will make any regional conflict much more complex and difficult to resolve. Let us take a panoramic view of trouble spots worldwide: 1. The Ukraine crisis continues to fester with no sign of an end to the military conflict, producing a strategic stalemate between Russia and the US that affects the future security of Europe as well as Russias relationships with the European Union and the US. The four-prong conflict among Ukraine, Russia, the US and EU will be with us for some time to come. 2. There is no light at the end of the tunnel for the complex and dangerous situation in the Middle East. With the recent severance of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with Bahrain and Sudan following the Saudi lead, the conflict and proxy wars between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the region and beyond will get even worse. The recent years US strategic retrenchment cycle involves a retreat from the Middle East and a refocus on Asia with more determined efforts to implement rebalance in Asia. But the Iranian Nuclear Agreement touted by the US Administration as a major foreign policy score seems to be a catalyst for worsening relations between Sunnis and Shiite as represented respectively by Saudi Arabia and Iran. US allies in the region including Israel and Saudi Arabia are less sure of Americas commitment to them. It seems that direct military confrontation cant be ruled out in this situation. Another aspect of the regional conflict is the spread of IS and its terror campaign all over the world. Though IS suffered a few losses of land in Iraq recently, it is certainly not in retreat and there is no telling how it can be defeated even if many experts are predicting its demise this year. 3. The South China Sea and the Western Pacific will witness rising tension and possible military skirmishes in the year ahead as the US moves more aggressively to enforce its sacrosanct rule of the freedom of navigation worldwide, as defined by itself. Recent mistaken entry into airspace over the island under Chinese sovereignty is a typical example of American adventurism. With American support, Japanese warships and fighter planes patrolling in the South China Sea is in the pipeline, and the Philippines seems determined to place its bet on the upcoming ruling of the Maritime International Court, no matter what the outcome is for its presidential election. Geopolitical turmoil and upheavals are getting more acute and complex day by day and they are bound to affect global economic environment negatively. Thirdly, global governance and rule-making enters a substantive period this year, with greater involvement by big powers, which will continue to shape the world political and economic order in the 21st century. The year 2015 saw much evolution in global governance, with developing countries as a whole and China in particular gaining ground by proactive actions in improving its architectural reform. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. [By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn] Xi Jinping's visit to Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia this week takes China's President to three of the Middle East's most important states a region which is simultaneously one of the world's most important, with some of its greatest natural resources, but also one of the world's most politically troubled. China's foreign policy is significant for all aspects of the region as well as its global context. Economically the convergence of interests between China and the Middle East is evident. China has overtaken the U.S. to become the world's largest center of industrial production while the Middle East is the world's largest energy producer. Simultaneously the U.S., traditionally the Middle East's largest customer, is now aiming to use expensive fracking technology to achieve energy self-sufficiency while China is the world's largest oil importer and the Middle East the world's lowest cost oil producer. China and the Middle East's common economic interests explain why the two are geographical anchors for China's Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road the two summarized as Belt and Road. Iran is not an Arab country but the economic framework of China's recently adopted Arab Policy Paper applies to the entire Middle East. Its center is a "1+2+3 cooperation pattern taking energy as the "core, infrastructure construction and trade and investment facilitation as the two "wings, and three high tech fields as areas for development. But the Middle East cannot be analyzed purely from an economic perspective and other dimensions create wider aspects of Xi Jinping's visit which are of key interest to many areas of the world. The Middle East is the region in which errors of U.S. foreign policy have had the most catastrophic consequences. The U.S. 2003 Iraq invasion, and similar initiatives following it, initiated a process destabilizing the entire Middle East with consequences far beyond it. Prior to the U.S. Iraq invasion, "jihadist terrorist organizations had primarily been confined to Afghanistan, where they had been initially financed by the U.S. in a struggle against the USSR. In the Middle East rulers such as Iraq's Hussein, Libya's Gaddafi and Syria's Assad, whatever their other features, were determined enemies of "jihadists reducing them to a fringe and virtually powerless position. The U.S. Iraq invasion totally altered this, leaving jihadist organizations, culminating in ISIS, in control of large areas of that country. The same process then unfolded in Libya following U.S. bombing. It was also developing in Syria prior to Russia's recent military intervention on Assad's side. The newly strengthened jihadists, empowered by the U.S. destruction of governments which opposed them, then spread terrorism into Europe, symbolized by the Paris terrorist attacks, strengthened terrorist organizations through large areas of Africa, and propelled the refugee crisis in Europe. China was also touched, if less powerfully, with ISIS pledging support for separatists and terrorists in Xinjiang and separatists in Taiwan. U.S. allies in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf, were the main source of finance for such jihadist organizations as ISIS. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. Smyrna, Tennessee, Chooses Tyler Technologies' Brazos Electronic Citation Application Tyler Technologies (News - Alert), Inc. (NYSE: TYL) has signed an agreement with the town of Smyrna, Tennessee, for Tyler's Brazos electronic citation application. The agreement includes software licenses, services and maintenance. As a hand-held mobile solution, Brazos lets patrol officers in the field easily enter citation information that is automatically uploaded to the department's central system. By implementing the Brazos technology, Smyrna will reduce time spent on traffic stops and parking citations, increasing both officer and citizen safety. The technology will also allow the town to eliminate data entry errors on citations and in court nd public safety records systems, while helping to maintain consistency and save time and money. Smyrna is located about 20 miles southeast of Nashville and has approximately 43,000 residents. Brazos, which is part of Tyler's suite of public safety solutions, was acquired via Tyler's purchase of Brazos Technology Corporation in early 2015. About Tyler Technologies, Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) is a leading provider of end-to-end information management solutions and services for local governments. Tyler partners with clients to empower the public sector - cities, counties, schools and other government entities - to become more efficient, more accessible and more responsive to the needs of citizens. Tyler's client base includes more than 14,000 local government offices in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and other international locations. Forbes has named Tyler one of "America's Best Small Companies" eight times and the company has been included six times on the Barron's 400 Index, a measure of the most promising companies in America. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas can be found at www.tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160119005406/en/ NMJ Ghana and its African Partners of the Golden Movie Awards Africa is happy to announce to film makers, directors, producers and film practitioners on the African continent that, nominations are open for consideration of awards for the 2016 Golden Movie Awards slated for May 2016. The awards which is one of the biggest events on the African event calendar seeks to honour outstanding achievements in the African television and film industry. Our main goal is to award the best in the film industry, a way of contributing to African Film industry to make it a better one and also to change the narrative of the African continent through films. ENTRY for this year opens on 14th of January, 2016 and ends on the 28th February, 2016. Two (2) DVD copies of the entry must come along with at least 2 production stills and a signed copy of the online submission form provided, the film was produced but not necessarily released commercially between 1st January, 2015 to 31st January, 2016 IMPORTANT NOTICE: The films Authorized Representative must agree to all Conditions of Entry detailed herein, and submit their film, to the Jury, by deadline. A complete entry form submission, with all additional required materials and documentation are signed. To qualify for the award your production firm must be African owned. The production must have been done during the qualifying year Must ensure all copyright related issues in the movie are catered for and hence you have the right to submit the film A copy of the complete screen credits as they appear in the film Must fill and sign all required forms (please visit. (www.goldenmovieawards.com) for more information on Rules, Regulations and Eligibility. 19.01.2016 LISTEN Ghanaian dancehall artist and CEO of Rudebuoy Records, Rexford Kojo Amoah well known by his stage nameShattarakohas parted ways with his business manager and owner of talent management company Aspire Music, Sammy Forson, a year after teaming up to work together. The Rudebuoy Records signed artist in a statement issued on Monday January 18 2016 stated the decision to bring to an end the manager-artist role was mutual and both parties had been deliberating on this for a while. Our decision to part ways was mutual. Sammy Forson has been a friend long before our decision to team up and work. Its not been easy but its been worth it having him as a manager and Im grateful. A few things came up and we all agreed that he stays in the back and support. Shattarako who recently released an inspirational hit single Never Say Never featuring Luther now works as an independent artist with his self-owned Rudebuoy Records. Contrary to rumours I have heard, nothing is lost between us. We remain good friends and would call on each other anytime he added. In July 2014, Shattarakos Rudebuoy Records and Aspire Music teamed up to handle the music career of the former. Shatta Rako aka Kojo Legend is set to announce a new management soon. Ahead of the announcement, Shatta Rako is readying to release his first single for 2016 titled One Day. Flash With fresh sanctions imposed on Iran, the United States has shown that its deeply-rooted hostility toward the Middle East country still remains despite the implementation of a landmark agreement on Tehran's nuclear program. The United States Sunday announced new sanctions against Iran as a result of a ballistic missile launch in October, only a day after the international sanctions tied to Iran's nuclear program were lifted.p On Monday, Iran denounced the new U.S. sanctions against its ballistic missile program as "illegitimate." "Iran's missile program has never been designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said, according to the ISNA news agency. "The U.S. sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile program ... have no legal or moral legitimacy," he added. PRISONER SWAP FOLLOWED BY NEW SANCTIONS Reports said the fresh sanctions were actually postponed for more than two weeks by the U.S. side due to the its concern that fresh restrictive measures could derail its negotiations with Iran over a prisoner swap. The U.S. side did not want the new sanctions to have a negative impact on the nuclear talks, Chu Yin, deputy professor of international affairs with Beijing-based University of International Relations, told Xinhua. Under the Washington-Tehran prisoner deal, five Americans were released from Tehran's custody on Saturday. In exchange, seven Iranians who had been charged or convicted for sanctions violations were pardoned by the U.S. side. However, the implementation of the prisoner exchange was followed closely by the U.S. announcement of the new sanctions. According to a statement issued by the U.S. Treasury Department, six Iranian nationals and 11 companies were blacklisted by the U.S. authority for their involvement in the missile program. "This action is consistent with the U.S. government's commitment to continue targeting those who assist in Iran's efforts to procure items for its ballistic missile program," the statement said. Adam Szubin, acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, reiterated the United States will vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities outside of the nuclear deal. Apart from those related to the ballistic missile program, activities linked to Iran's support for terrorism, regional destabilization and human rights abuses are also targets of the U.S. sanctions. In a White House speech on Iran Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama vowed to act steadfastly on Iran's "destabilizing behavior," as "there remain profound differences" between the two countries. BALANCING MIDDLE EAST POLICY As an example of the U.S.-Iran differences, the newly-announced sanctions are clearly part of Washington's efforts to rebalance its Middle East policy as a thawing of ties with Iran is bound to add complexity to the regional situation. "We're not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners," Obama said in the televised national address on Sunday. Last October, Iran announced that it test-fired a long-range Emad missile, which it said "could be guided and controlled until hitting the target with high precision." A UN experts' report in December said that Iran violated a UN Security Council resolution by test-firing the Emad missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, enabling the United States to pose new sanctions on the Islamic Republic. By limiting the long-range strike capability of Iran, the United States has tried to protect its allies in the Middle East, said Lu Jin, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Washington is on high alert regarding Tehran's development of high-precision weapons, Chu said. "The new sanctions, different from old ones, focus on Iran's missiles under a comprehensive framework aimed at limiting its nuclear ambition," he added. Members of The Great Democrats platform paid courtesy calls on the Paramount Chief of the Akwamu Traditional Area Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III and also the Queen Mother Nana Afrakuma II. The visits were undertaken by the group as part of its mission to establish closer ties with various sections of the Ghanaian society and to make its contribution towards peace, harmony and development. In a hearty but diplomatic interaction with the paramount Chief, the members took turns to express their appreciation of the latter's contribution towards modernising his traditional area including the palace. Members extoled the virtues of the Chief and his role in supporting the government's development projects of his traditional area. The visitors included, Abraham Ferguson, convenor and professional banker, John Dumelo and Kwame Dzoko, actors, Honourable Kwesi Adusei, MP for Ahafo-Ano North, Mr Thomas Ampem, the DCE for the area, some parliamentary candidates on the ticket of the NDC who are members of the Great Democrats and a host of others. The group proceeded to pay a courtesy call on the Queen Mother of the traditional area Nana Afrakuma II who has been in that position for more than 50years. Member of the Great Democrats took the opportunity to celebrate her unrivaled record as a traditional leader and a loyalist of NDC tradition. She was full of praise for the Great Democrats for recognising her importance and making time to visit. She seized the opportunity to inform the visitors of her 70th birthday which is on Valentine's day this year. 19.01.2016 LISTEN History indeed has proven that Liberia is Africas oldest independence Nation though never colonize but from successes regimes has and continues to refuse in changing her status quo ante in this computer age where even great nations the world over are transitional with infusion of modern ways of life for the betterment of her entire citizenry and environments! Reading from what was left after, the slaves trades that landed those today referred to in Liberia as the Congo people which were in en-route passing the territorial waters of Liberia when the slaves masters precisely America decided to abolish this trades. Of which the vessel owner has no choice but to stop over to what was known as the pepper coast in disembarking these strange language speaking people around what is known today in Liberia as Congo Town! From research, when these new illegal inhabitants landed on the shores of Liberia precisely in the Congo town beat with the fact remaining that there were absolutely no immigration formalities the then so-called free slaves from America who were living in what was known as pepper coast the city center refused up-rightly that these Congo guys were not welcome in the city center due to the kind of language spoken by them! Notwithstanding, let go back to the refusal of the status quo ante by successes generations which are still today visible in all facets of the Liberian society with each regime surfacing to power with their arranged kinds of people including crooks, cronies, tribal foot soldiers and the rest who will run the affairs of thieveries refusing to provide the basic social needs of the very masses whose elected them to power to manage their affairs! From time in memorial, regimes in governance positions only give opportunities to people they feel comfortable with either from the same political parties, tribal groupings, sex-mates, relatives etc! Ironically, I hear from the narrow thinking of Liberians politicians politic is interest and as such only bird of the same feathers must be the ones to benefit from these opportunities be it educational, social and the rest in order to perpetually keep them into the corridors of power! Liberians has refused to accept the status quo ante for lots of un-explain reasons to the extent that when the military junta headed by lesser known Samuel K. Doe with Liberian expectation that the dawn of a new day has come for the grass-rooters! But little did they the grass-rooter know that the unnecessary killing of professional Liberians was the worst ever in the history of the Country as they Liberians were to embrace themselves for the worst ever and you know the story that got Liberia and Liberians to where she is today! Though in my youth, in the early 80s I re-called vividly that when these disgruntle so-called enlisted men came to power through the assistant of an unknown power as evidence was that these guys never had the requisite experiences in over throwing a well grounded regime such as the True Wing Party and running a nation such as Liberia but was embraced due to ignorance by the larger population! What appears on the surface as the so-called liberators was a nightmare in disguise to be unleashed on the excited but illiterate generation then! They too resisted the status quo ante and choose to follow the paths of personal wealth accumulations, playing blind eyes on the revamping of the ever poor health sector, never rehabilitating bad farms to markets roads in order to empower the local farming communities and more disgustingly the ever backward trend of the Liberian educational system that the power ever in Liberia vow never to allow it come on pile with international standards! Absolute nonsense if our administration allows the status quo! But, interestingly their children, spourses, nieces, nephews and sex-mates are benefitting from the opportunities provided by the tax payers monies and foreign governments that should open the corridors of learning for the better good of the Nation in term of human resource development! Rejecting the status quo ante! Liberians woke up to another scenario, where in they thought by voting their relatives, tribal people into this all powerful branch of government the Legislative branch, their interests will be first and fore more since in the pass it was alleged that those at the time referred to as Americo-Liberian I mean the free slaves that was brought in this Country by an NGO known as the American Colonization Society that govern this Nation for hundred and twenty plus years yet accused of bad governance which prompted this fourteen years of useless stupid blood bath that has no definite winner but victims! Gross disregard to the status quo ante! Today, youve all of the tribal groupings represented at that level of governance yet the same result including lack of interest for the suffering masses in the Country that is listed 5th on the world poorest nations according to a video documentary on YouTube that they were elected to do their works in managing the affairs of their natural resources that continues to be plunder or pillage by the very elect! Relegating the status quo ante! Liberians at what time in the live of this Nation (Liberia) that total change meaning the STATUS QUO ANTE will be allow for the better good of the Nation that history has proven that she is Africas oldest independence nation though not colonized by any of the then super power but rather dump free slaves that their usefulness were no more needed in the Americas as their population was swollen thus posting problem for the slaves masters and the then pepper coast were the suitable dumping site for this nongovernmental organization! The people of this Nation must wake up to the realization that allowing these blood sucking vampires masquerading as politicians in the midst of almost every so-called investments folding out leaving thousands of Liberians vulnerable in determining their own designate in the face of goodwill from the international communities that are yet to be felt in the lives of the ordinary Liberians! I am tempted to believe what one of Liberias prolific musician Tarcoon J song which says that they lied to us, they fool us and they used us! Allowing the status quo is what that matters now and nothing else! The Author Joe Noutoua Wandah is a Liberian broadcast journalist and can be reach at +231776590725/+231886224134 or Email: [email protected] Starting the new year off with a bang, leading online real estate search marketplace meQasa, spent a weekend in Akosombo for a company retreat, during which staff offered their time, muscle and materials to paint a school. Akosombo Roman Catholic primary school was built under the auspices of the church, led by Father Evans Akohoho, and had never seen a stroke of paint in all its years of existence. Bright and early one Saturday morning in January, fifteen employees pulled up to the school with a few gallons of white wash, 5 buckets of paint, 10 paint brushes, 3 rollers and the relentless will to make a difference; and got to work. Having worked hand in hand with the Asuogyaman district representatives of the Ghana Education Services (GES), meQasa was able to select the Akosombo RC Primary School and coordinate the community service effort with the schools administration, primarily the assistant head mistress, Veronica Agyemang. Over twenty years, the suggestion to paint had been brought up repeatedly in the schools PTA meetings, but to no realisation. With sleeves rolled up, the team jumped right in to painting half a school block consisting of 6 classrooms and five hours later, what seemed like a daunting task on arrival, resulted in a gorgeously painted building ready for 150 unsuspecting school children returning for a new term just a few days after. Problem solved. Some paint was also donated to the school to assist in continuing to paint other buildings. It was an important part of our retreat to be able to serve whichever community we would visit in a way that would be meaningful to them. We were delighted by the GES excitement to help us execute our effort to give back. We did this for some deserving kids, says meQasa CEO, Kelvin Nyame, about the volunteer activity. In December, the startup also offered support to real estate agents with a holiday Giving campaign, allowing the industry professionals to enjoy free branding help. I was surprised to hear they are not an NGO, but rather a small company, exclaimed Mr. Prosper, GES Asuogyaman Deputy PRO, and not professional painters, either! We are more than pleased and appreciative of this fantastic project. The community service endeavour is the startups first with goals of doing more annually. meQasa.com is Ghanas easiest way to rent, buy and sell property, offering a user-friendly online marketplace mutually beneficial to homeowners/landlords, home seekers and real estate agents alike. AKOSOMBO RC PRIMARY SCH KIDS SEE MAKEOVER AKOSOMBO RC PRIMARY AFTER PAINTING (A GNA feature by Mohammed Nurudeen Issahaq) Accra, Jan. 18, GNA - What happened next door in Burkina Faso last weekend is a clear reminder that no country in the world is free from terrorist attacks. In the wake of 9/11 in the United States, which culminated in the declaration of the global 'war on terror', the dominant perception was that only Western nations were targets of terrorists. Never in anyone's wildest imagination did it dawn that African countries, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa, would come under the radar of Islamic fundamentalists. Sub-Saharan Africa got its initial shock when extremists moved into Mali in 2012 after grabbing weapons abandoned in the wake of the removal from power of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Libya in 2011. Then names like Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb popped up. The threat, as well as impact, of jihadist activities in Africa went on the ascendancy as home-grown terror groups began to emerge. Boko Haram militants are wreaking havoc in Nigeria, Al-Shabaab is causing mayhem in East Africa with Kenya suffering the brunt of the group's campaign of terror. In 2013, Al-Shabaab militants assaulted the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, killing 67 people and injuring 240, according to official government figures. At the end of January 2015, gunmen of the Islamic State (IS) killed nine people in a luxury hotel in Tripoli, announcing the group's arrival in North Africa. IS has further threatened to use Libya which, to all intents and purposes has become a failed state, as its base to launch more attacks. It also has to be acknowledged, though, that jihadism in Africa did not just begin with the aforementioned events. It should be recalled that Sudan was Osama bin Laden's base from 1991 to 1996, and has had to bear that heavy legacy in its dealings with the United States ever since. And also, even long before these recent upheavals, there were the bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998 that left over 210 people dead and 5,000 wounded. By every indication, therefore, the insurgents and insurgency appear to be gaining ground in Africa, as the effect of their activities continues to disrupt peace/order, create an atmosphere of insecurity, and draw back the clock of development in various parts of the continent. In addition to the physical damage they inflict on the society, the real danger the insurgents pose rests in the potential destructive impact they cause in terms of their ability to radicalise segments of society in support of their agenda, particularly the younger generation. Of course, there could be some form of solidarity amongst all these groups, but one central issue that is yet to be well interrogated is whether or not there is a link/connection between the myriad of terrorist organisations operating across the globe. That would be an important point to ascertain. The causes of religious extremism in Africa, and other parts of the world for that matter, are varied, ranging from political, and economic to social and cultural factors. Poverty, weak institutions and corruption which prevail on the continent can make weak states vulnerable to terrorist networks and drug cartels within their borders. Experts also argue that radical Islamism, from its local roots, is partly a creation of the class war that exists in many states. Drawing attention to the specific element of exclusion, Mohammed Kattib in his work The globalization of jihad indicates: 'North African immigrants felt trapped in the lower levels of French society. They felt left out of the French mainstream and denied of its opportunities. This feeling and the conditions of poverty in which they live fuelled their hatred of the French state and the symbols of its wealth. The extremists were able to exploit this situation and transform it into a conflict between Muslims and Europeans, even though it was entirely devoid of any religious overtones or context'. In any case, no matter the causes, there is hardly any good sense that can justify the wreaking of terror, misery and the destruction of human lives and property that have become the regular feature of jihadist insurgencies across a continent that has a lot of catching up to do in terms of development, and whose people are already reeling under so much squalor/deprivation. And let no one delude themselves into believing that this is all about the love for Islam. Many more Muslims have been killed by jihadists across the world than Westerners or Christians - from Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, to Egypt, Sudan, Mali and Nigeria. Perhaps the intentions of such criminal groups is evident in the type of places they strike. They go for 'soft targets' such as discos, bus terminals, cinema centres, hotels and shopping malls where they can unleash maximum harm and terror on defenceless, ordinary people. Collaborative Strategy: Just like a pestilence or epidemic outbreak, insurgency recognises no territorial boundaries. In fact, in some instances Jihadists exploit the existence of national borders to their advantage, as pursuing them across national borders can sometimes give rise to difficult legal implications. It is for this reason that one buys into the logic that dealing with insurgent groups in contemporary times can no longer be the preoccupation of a single nation, but must assume a regional and global approach if it should be successful. Among other things, there has to be effective/efficient networking and comparing of notes by various intelligence agencies of countries across the continent. In order to gain local support, governments should adopt a less heavy-handed and more consultative approach in their strategies to combat terrorism on the continent. In the wake of the unfortunate event of 9/11 and the subsequent declaration of the global 'war on terror', the strategy has been mainly a military one and even though this has failed miserably there has hardly been a change of strategy. Military options or the 'Strong Man' approach may be necessary in some situations but the battle for public opinion should also remain an integral part of the agenda, as the current controversy in Ghana over the two Guantanamo detainees has shown. Air strikes and drones can kill the terrorists and erase their camps but cannot eliminate the motivation and ideology that breeds extremism and radicalism. What is needed is some occasional policy review, as well as a stronger diplomatic and intelligence effort on the ground. Of particular essence is the need for states with known jihadist threats to build bridges with moderate Islam. African governments will have to do more careful listening to the voices of moderate Muslims whose brand and philosophy of Islam preach peace and unity, rather than the voices of far right and hard-line Islamophobic experts. The understanding and goodwill gained from such cooperation could be useful in shaping other forms of international diplomacy to deal with the rising threat of global jihad. GNA Accra, Jan. 18, GNA - Maxam International, a civil explosive manufacturing company, has supported the National Cardiothoracic Centre with GH 30,000 for the treatment of inmates suffering various heart conditions. The national cardiothoracic centre hosts over 450 patients with various decrees of heart conditions every year, treatment of which is averagely pegged between $6,000 and $8,000 per person far below the $50,000 and $150,000 cost abroad. Receiving the cheque, Dr Lawrence Serebuor, Director of the cardiothoracic facility, said the gesture would help increase care to many poor patients. 'We are ever grateful, your effort will at least save two lives,' he said. With the establishment of the cardiothoracic centre, authorities say heart surgery has become locally available and accessible to Ghanaians and citizens of neighbouring countries, a situation Dr Serebuour noted, has contributed to rising number of cases at the Centre. In 2015, he said health officials dealt with 200 open heart patients while 450 were currently being assessed, majority of whom were children. Ahunuabobrim Nana Pra Ayensem, Omanhene of Kushia in the Central Region and aboard member of Maxam Ghana Limited, called for more aid to the Centre saying anybody could fall victim to a heart disorder. 'We live in a country where medical services are difficult to access and very expensive, this gesture is the beginning of a long relationship we want to establish with the Centre,' he said. Mr Jose Fernando Sanchez-Junco Mans, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Maxam International, Madrid-Spain, presented the cheque to authorities of the Centre at the Korlebu Teaching Hospital. 'Maxam is very happy to be here to fulfil our company's policy of discharging our social responsibility to every community where we carry on our business activity,' he said after visiting inmates on their beds. 'As we present this token of GH 30,000 it is our hope that our donation would go a long way to support the Centre to execute its mandate to Ghanaians,' he said. The company has extended similar support to other government bodies in the past including Kumasi orphanage, rehabilitation of Tarkwa police bungalow, Tarkwa orphanage and provision of a video conference room for the University of Mines as well as improving several health facilities across the country. 'Over 23 years of doing business in Ghana, Maxam has demonstrated in various ways that we are not only to do business but also to be socially responsible to our community,' Mr Mans said. GNA 19.01.2016 LISTEN Winneba (C/R), Jan. 18, GNA - Government has been urged to strengthen guidance and counseling institutions to enable them organize adult education classes that focuses on corruption and accountability along with other subjects. The Guidance and Counseling Practicum II Group Six Sandwich Students of University of Education, Winneba (UEW), said corruption has resulted in the erosion of cherished cultural values such as dignity of labour, fairness, honesty, faithfulness and integrity. The group noted that the level of corruption has also effected the country's democratic dispensation, hindered transparency and accountability, leading to bad governance. Mr. Ebenezer Asibu Kannatey presented a paper to that effect on behalf of the group at a symposium organize at Winneba to educate the public on corruption. The symposium was on the theme: 'Corruption in the Ghanaian Society -Counseling Implications'. It was part of the academic work of group members. The students also stressed the need for guidance and counseling in schools and colleges to be well resourced and reinforced, to effectively cater for the guidance and counseling needs of the children, youth and school going people in the country. The group noted that though corruption in the society could not be totally eliminated, people could be re-oriented They also suggested that anti-corruption agencies should be assisted by counselors to enable them reform people and urged politicians to develop a high moral conduct, practice and live moderately. They also urged Ghanaians to cultivate the sense of hard work and discipline in the society. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Kojo Ofori Asanti who chaired the programme commended the students, suggesting that it should be replicated in other areas. GNA Ho, Jan 18, GNA - Ghana risks a repetition of the devastating bushfires of 1983 this year, unless collective action is taken to offset that threat, the Rural Fire Division of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has warned. The year 1983 saw nearly every blade of grass, shrubs, trees, food- stuffs barns, farms including game and in some cases whole communities and human beings reduced to ashes by that inferno. It was a time in which the eye could see a sea of grey waste lands over a long distance as streams were reduced to long threads of gullies and game sought refuge in human habitations in search of food, water and protection. The cost was incalculable. Mr Edwin Ekow Blankson, Deputy Chief Fire Officer in charge of Rural Fires, gave the warning at a Press briefing in Ho as he began a tour of some communities in the Volta Region notorious for bushfires as part of a nationwide tour. Areas to be covered include Adaklu-Waya, Kpetoe and Anyirwase in the Adaklu, Kpetoe-Ziope and Ho-West Districts respectively where he would meet chiefs and opinion leaders to brainstorm on how to deal with the risk. Bush Fire data provided by the Volta Regional Directorate of the Ghana National Fire Service indicated that by mid- January 2016 the Region had recorded 24 bushfires compared with 15 such fires for the whole of the same month in 2014 and 8 in 2015. The total number of bushfires recorded in the Region in 2014 and 2015 stood at 33 each, nine more than the 24 recorded by mid- January this year. The Meteorological Agency told the Ghana News Agency that 'the atmospheric heat being experienced in the country will continue and reach its peak in March, indicating that the rainy season is some months away, April being the earliest. Mr Ekow Blankson said the GNFS had applied several strategies including public education to make people quit the habit of indiscriminate bush burning but the habit rather seemed to be digging in. He said bush burning must be controlled and supervised by bushfire volunteers in the communities. Mr Blankson said unlike the advanced countries Ghana could not afford helicopters to combat bushfires from the air hence the need for every citizen to show commitment to dealing with the menace. He called for the review of the bushfire Law 229 0f 1990, which prescribed a sanction of 2.00 Cedis for causing damage to property through bushfires and make the punishment deterrent. He also called on chiefs and other opinion leaders to refrain from begging for the release of culprits caught for bushfire offences. Mr Blankson also appealed to the media especially radio stations for devote part of their airtime to educate the public on the dangers of bushfires. District Assemblies should also pass anti-bushfires by-laws and provide one per cent of their internally generated revenue as provided by law to support the enforcement of those laws and to assist anti-bushfire volunteers. GNA Obuasi (Ash), Jan. 18, GNA - The Ministry of Mines and Natural Resources has called for calm amid rising tension over demands that AngloGold Ashanti, cede part of its mining concession to artisanal miners for their operation. Nii Osah Mills, the Sector Minister, made the call after he met separately with the management of the global mining company, the leadership of the small-scale miners and the municipal security committee, behind closed doors in Obuasi. The small-scale miners had recently held series of demonstrations to put pressure on AngloGold to let go part of its vast acquired land. The Minister, accompanied by his Deputy, Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said every effort would be made to resolve the matter in a way that would be a win-win for all sides. He told newsmen after the meeting that the company had already signaled its intention to give up 270 kilometer square of its concession as part of a planned programme to restructure its operation. This was equivalent to 60 per cent of its legally held land and Nii Osah Mills said once AngloGold was through with the process there would be enough space available for other companies and small-scale miners to apply to work on. He therefore encouraged the artisanal miners to pool together to form group and formally acquire part of the ceded land to do business. The Minister reminded everybody to get right with the law by accepting to follow due processes. Mr. Haruna Seidu Aboagye, Secretary, Obuasi Small Scale Miners Association, welcomed the intervention by the Minister and pledged their cooperation. He, however, discounted the move by AngloGold to surrender a portion of its concession, saying, what was on offer had already been mined and economically not viable. The land, he added, had no attraction for members of the association. GNA 19.01.2016 LISTEN Wa, Jan. 18, GNA - The Coalition for Change (C4C) a nongovernmental organisation operating in Upper West Region has trained 117 farmers on sustainable environmentally-friendly livelihood adaptation (SELA). The farmers comprising 111 females and six males who came from the Nimbare, Kompoare and Kunchani communities in the Jirapa District were also trained on bee keeping and soap making as alternative livelihoods to their peasant farming last year. Madam Rubelyn Yap, Executive Director of C4C told the Ghana News Agency that the farmers were not only provided with training but were also supported with seed capital and materials as well as other logistics to start their business ventures. She said a United Kingdom Charity Organisation Ghana Outlook (GO) was funding the project, noting that there were still so many farmer groups in the communities needing training. The training was in line with the C4C's attempt at mitigating practices injurious to the environment especially in the dry season when farmers hustle for survival and to create alternative livelihoods for people to adapt in the medium and long term. Madam Yap explained that the project initially was aimed to support underprivileged women in beekeeping and soap making for increased household incomes and food security as alternative to environmental degradation practices but was later extended to men to complement their incomes. The C4C Executive Director expressed disappointment that the practices of bush burning for hunting, tapping of wild honey, charcoal burning and unsustainable agricultural practices were widely practiced in most communities in the Region. She said the C4C would roll-out environmentally friendly strategies and best farming practices as well as provide economic livelihoods training to the people in deprived rural communities to increase incomes. 'It is important that while we implement campaigns against these, we also find alternative means to empower the people to move away from such practices,' Madam Yap said. Madam Yap reiterated C4C commitment to the partnership with GO to improve lives of the marginalized in the communities that it operates. She applauded the farmers for their exuberance, which contributed to the success of the project in the Nimbare and Kampoare communities, which included the drilling of one new borehole, rehabilitation of an old borehole and the construction of a KVIP for the Nimbare School and community. The C4C is a non-governmental organization which aims to raise secured families using ecologically sustainable local farm base strategies, adaptable income generating activities and available forms of educations as means of closing poverty gap in Ghana. Thus the C4C team up with poor households within deprived communities to eliminate identified forms of obstruction to the full attainment of basic human stateliness through participatory approach to reduce poverty using gender mainstreaming, self-help communal spirit and promoting quality education. GNA 19.01.2016 LISTEN Accra, Jan 18, GNA - The Registered Post Basic Nursing programmes in the Greater Accra Region on Friday held its first joint matriculation ceremony for 229 students admitted into the various programmes run by the institution for the 2015/2016 academic year. Out of the number 52 gained admission to study Ophthalmic Nursing, 50 would be studying Peri-Operative Nursing, whilst 48 would be reading Critical Care Nursing, 54 were being admitted into the Public Health Nurses' school all at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital with the remaining 25 being offered admission into the School of Anesthesia at the Ridge Hospital. The students made up of 188 women and 41men were led by the various Principals of the respective Schools to swear the Matriculation Oath, which binds each student to abide by all rules and regulations, and also to be of good behaviour while pursuing their studies in order to promote a positive image of the Institution. Mr Lawrence O. Lawson, Head of Allied Health Training Institutions Secretariat, MOH, said nursing was critical to the capacity building development in the country. 'All these nursing programmes forms part of the vital areas Ministry of Health has made efforts over the years to improve 'This is because the absence of adequate care in these areas threatens the work force and the population of the country,' he said. Mr Lawson added that it was for that and many reasons that the training which focused on the enhancement and competencies of nurses, such as 'the matriculates present here is critical to the capacity development in the health sector,' he said. He therefore challenged the students to make the best use of their training sessions, in order that they realize their various ambitions. Mr Lawson however pledged the MOH's continuous assistance that would be played to enhance development in various schools. 'I have listened with keen attention to the numerous challenges confronting the various institutions which the Principals enumerated. I wish to assure all and sundry that these challenges will be forwarded to the appropriate offices and discussions held with the authorities to come to the aid of the schools to ensure that they operate as expected to turn out many qualified Ophthalmic Nurses, Public Health Nurses', Critical Care and Per-Operative Nurses,' he said Mrs Ellen Anyeley Clegg, Principal, Ophthalmic Nursing Training School, congratulated the students for successfully obtaining admission to pursue their dream courses in the various schools. She said better health was central to human happiness and well-being. 'It also makes an important contribution to economic progress, as healthy populations live longer, and are more productive,' she said. She urged them to make use of the opportunity offered them by the health training institutions by staying focused, working hard and remaining conscious of the efforts and sacrifices of their parents and guardians towards their future job security through quality education. Mrs Anyeley urged the students to live by the words contained in the matriculation oath. Mr Kwaku Asante-Krobea, President, Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said getting employment for the unemployed nurses was a matter of concern. He therefore lauded government for the clearance passed for over 3,000 unemployed nurses to be posted into the various hospitals in the country. Mr Asante-Krobea noted that though it was good there was the need for more to bridge the gap between the nurse-patient ratio which currently stands at 1:20 and was a threat to the nation. 'There is need for more recruitment for Ghana to the reach the required 1:6 nurse-patient ratio for lives to be saved,' he said. GNA Flash Russia has upgraded its national security strategy by taking into account the worsening international situation as a result of the policy pursued by the United States and its allies, a senior Russian security official said on Monday. "The U.S. and its allies have continued their policy of opposition to a multi-polar world order, and to centers of power alternative to the West," Yevgeny Lukyanov, deputy head of the Russian Security Council, said in a statement published on the council's website. On Dec. 31, 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a document entitled "About the Strategy of National Security of the Russian Federation," revising a bunch of Russia's strategies to fight threats to its national security. Lukyanov said the key points of the strategy, upgraded for the first time since 2009, remained unchanged, with the country reiterating its commitment to an open, rational and pragmatic foreign policy that prioritizes the principles of international law and mutual respect. "Russia will continue to give priority to disarmament issues and to the maintenance of the regime of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," he said. "However, it should be understood that the national interests of our country dictate the need to maintain its own nuclear deterrent capabilities that guarantee the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia," he said, Nevertheless, he said Russia is ready to step up interaction and partnership with the U.S. and countries in the Euro-Atlantic region, in spite of the mounting military potential of NATO and the alliance's infrastructures advancing towards the Russian border. Meanwhile, Lukyanov said Russia intends to strengthen cooperation with its partners within BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, APEC, G20 and other international institutions, and actively taps the potential of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Union. He also stressed the need to continue developing special strategic partnership with China and India. "Great importance is given to forming strong ties with countries of the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the relevant regional organizations," Lukyanov added. In addition, Lukyanov said Moscow would pay particular attention to the Arctic region traditionally associated with Russia's national interests. The 2016 Political Dialogue session between the Republic of Mauritius and theEuropean Union as provided for under Article 8 of the Cotonou PartnershipAgreement was held today in Balaclava. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, the HonourableEtienne Sinatambou, and the Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic ofMauritius, H.E. Marjaana Sall, accompanied by representatives from eight Member States,held discussions on the current and future partnership between the EU and Mauritius. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, the HonourableEtienne Sinatambou, in his welcoming address highlighted: The strong bilateral relations between Mauritius and the European Union are founded on thecoreprinciplesofdemocracy,ruleoflaw,upholdingHumanRightsandmutualunderstanding, respect and trust. We have experienced, over the last forty years, anexemplary North-South partnership between the European Union and the African, Caribbeanand Pacific Group of countries through the Lome Conventions and the present CotonouAgreement. This Partnership has provided a solid foundation for the economic developmentof Mauritius In her opening statement, the Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic ofMauritius, H.E. Marjaana Sall said: - "Today we held discussions on our partnership and on the way we can work together toaddress global challenges such as Climate Change, Sustainable Development Goals, RegionalEconomic Integration, and Peace and Security. The EU stands ready to assist theGovernment in achieving its vision to evolve to a high income country. Our bilateral supportunder the 11th European Development Fund will focus on tertiary education and research andinnovation in line with the Government priorities to improve the human capital base in thecountry, and contribute to unlock growth. There are also other funding opportunities underthe regional programme for Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean in supportof Regional Economic Integration and Sustainable Management of natural resources whichare priorities for Mauritius." The EU and Mauritius underlined the quality of their longstanding partnership, andreaffirmed the strong economic and cultural ties between them. The Parties exchanged views on issues of common interest such as the Economic PartnershipAgreement (EPA), Peace and Security including the fight against Terrorism, combatingCorruption and promoting Good Governance, addressing the effects of Climate Change, theSustainable Development Goals and Regional Economic Integration amongst others.agreed to explore ways to work together in addressing these global issues. The Parties reviewed the political and economic situation in Mauritius and in Europe. The EU confirmed its commitment to continue to support the Government in achieving itsambition to evolve from the current upper middle income country status to a high incomecountry. The EU bilateral support under the 11th European Development Fund will focus ontertiary education and research and innovation in line with the Government priorities tocontribute to transforming Mauritius into a knowledge-based and innovative society. They highlighted the importance of regional integration and trade for Mauritius economicdevelopment. They acknowledged that the European Union remained an important externalpartner for Mauritius. The European Union commended Mauritius for the interim EconomicPartnership Agreement (EPA) signed with the European Union in 2009 and confirmed itswillingness to continue providing assistance to Mauritius for the implementation of theagreement. They agreed to consider the possibility of the deepening and widening of theinterim EPA, leaving the possibility for other ESA countries to join when they areready. Mauritius reiterated its commitment to conclude a full and comprehensive EPA withthe EU. Both sides also discussed the impact of the EU Free Trade Agreements on the ACP-EUPartnership. They underlined the historic climate agreement brokered in December 2015 andexchanged views on the implementation of commitments taken in Paris. The EU also tooknote of the participation of Mauritius in the Switch Africa Green programme and stated that itwill continue to support climate action in Mauritius and build resilience in Small IslandDeveloping States. The parties also discussed international security threats and its impact on the region. TheEuropean Union announced that Peace, Security and Regional Stability were among thepriorities addressed under regional cooperation. The two sides reviewed issues relating to Good Governance and the fight against Corruption. The EU expressed appreciation on the determination of Mauritius to combat Corruption andencouraged it to continue consolidating Good Governance. The Parties re-affirmed their commitment to the implementation of the Fisheries partnershipagreement and to the curbing of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing with a view toensuring sustainable exploitation of Fisheries resources. They also focused on the need forcapacity building in this area. They discussed the future of EU-Mauritius partnership in the context of the Post CotonouAgreement that will come into force after 2020. The Parties expressed their confidence onthe future of their consistent Partnership within a new Framework to be negotiated. Mauritiushighlighted the importance of Food Security and safety and the evolution of the MauritiusSugar Industry within this Framework. Both sides agreed to work towards a higher valueadded Partnership focusing on areas of mutual interest. Both Parties reiterated their commitment to regular Political Dialogue under Article 8 of theCotonou Agreement. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, the HonourableEtienne Sinatambou led the Mauritian delegation comprising five other Ministers, namely theHonourable Ravi Yerrigadoo, Attorney General, the Honourable Mahen Kumar Seeruttun,Minister of Agro Industry and Food Security, the Honourable Sudarshan Bhadain, Minister ofFinancial Services, Good Governance and Institutional Reforms, the Honorable PremdutKoonjoo, Minister of Ocean Economy,.Marine Resources, Fisheries, shipping and OuterIslands and the Honourable Raj Dayal, Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development,and Disaster and Beach Management, They welcomed the significant progress of their partnership and reaffirmed their commitmentto the principles of Good Governance, Democracy and respect for Human Rights which arethe essential and fundamental elements of their relationship. The Ambassador of the European Union, H.E. Marjaana Sall, led the EU party. She wasaccompanied by the representatives from eight Member States, namely: Ireland, Spain,France, United Kingdom, Croatia, Austria, Portugal and Finland. 1.Japan strongly condemns the Al Shabaab attack against base of African Union Mission at el-Ade in Somalia, on January 15, 2016, which caused heavy casualties including Kenyan soldiers. Japan expresses its deepest condolences for those who have been killed and the families of the victims. Japan also extends its heartfelt sympathy toward the injured. 2.It is extremely regrettable that the terrorist attack occurred whilst peacebuilding and nation building efforts continue to make progress in Somalia by Federal Government, which is supported by the international community. 3.Japan will continue to offer its cooperation and provide assistance to Somalia and other relevant partners in order to stabilize the situation in Somalia in collaboration with the international community. 19.01.2016 LISTEN THE attack on the Burkinana Faso capital, Ouagadougou, on Friday 16 January 2016, had a 'Ghana connection': the restaurant which bore the brunt of the attack, the Capuccino Cafe, is situated on the AvenueKwame Nkrumah! Shouting Allah Akbar [God is great] , at least three 3 gunmen armed with Kalashnikov rifles, burst into the restaurant around 7:30 pm (local time). They first opened fire on the terrace of the Cappuccino Cafe, a bar and restaurant frequented by the Burkinabe middle class and expatriates. Epsecially at weekends like that Friday evening. "They burst in on everyone, without distinction," said Martin, a young man who was injured in the shooting. He said the attackers penetrated inside the facility, where they continued to empty their magazines on clients and servers alike. After about half an hour, the assailants took refuge in a nearby hotel called the Splendid Hotel. There, too, they continued to fire on innocent people who came in their sights. 126 hostages were however, freed there by a comnbined unit of Burkinabe, US and French special forces. Altogether, the terrorists killed 29 people. The majority of these were slain at the Cappuccino. Two days after the attack, the windows of the Cappuncino, riddled with bullet holes and the walls blackened by smok, bear testimony to the ferocity of the attack. So do the charred carcasses of several mtoto vehicles outside the Cafe. Horrific accounts of the ruthlessness of the attackers have emerged from survivors. In the Cappuccino Cafe, diners said they pretended to be dead for almost an hour, as the terrorists picked over them, killing anyone still alive, before setting the Cafe alight and shooting at those who tried to escape from the acrid smoke that billowed from the fire. Yes we had to play dead, confirmed one dazed and tear-faced Burkinabe woman, who was interviewed at a nearby hospital. They shook people by the foot to see if they were alive or not, and if they were alive, they shot them. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, AQIM said the assault was "revenge against France and the disbelieving West". It was designed to punish the cross-worshippers for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali and other lands of the Muslims. According to Jeune Afrique, the incident was the first jihadist attack in the Burkinabe capital. Eventually, the assault was foiled by Burkinabe elite troops, assisted by elements of US Special Forces, and a special unit of French Gendarmerie and Special Forces. Three of the terrorists were killed after they had taken refuge at a nearby location called Taxi-Brousse. A fourth assailant, who had escaped to a neighboring hotel called Yibi that was empty for renovations, was also killed. One survivor was quoted as saying that 'the atackers were like children they recoiled every time they fired a burst from their Kalashnikovs! The question everyone in Ouagadougous is asking is this: did the jihadist commando comprise only the four individuals known to have been killed? Investigators are yet to establish whether other terrorists have gone through the cracks. Therfore, the possibility that there could be another attack cannot be dismissed.. Now, why would AQUIM consider Burkina Faso a target for what it calls its revenge? The U.S., which is waging a campaign, in association with France, to drive AQIM out of the Sahara, maintains what it describes as excellent relations with Burkina Faso. An official U.S. Website acknowledges that US interests in Burkina Faso include countering terrorism and strengthening border security. The website adds that the US and Burkina Faso engage in a number of military training and exchange programs, including in counterterrorism and humanitarian assistance. Burkina Faso is contributing to the support of U.S. efforts in the Sahel. Burkina Faso is a partner in the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program for peacekeeping, and is a member of the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP), adds the website) The US further operates an Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) programme that is the primary provider of U.S. government antiterrorism training and equipment to law-enforcement agencies of partner nations throughout the world. It has delivered counterterrorism training to more than 90,000 law enforcement personnel from 154 countries. ATA helps these countries deal effectively with security challenges within their borders, defend against threats to national and regional stability, and deter terrorist operations across borders and regions. From prevention to response to post-incident actions, ATA builds capacity in a wide spectrum of counterterrorism skills, offering courses, seminars, and consultations on more than 80 topics. ATA has active partnerships with 53 countries, according to the website. Another US programme, the Regional Strategic Initiative (RSI) seeks to deny terrorists safe havens, [and] plays a major role in undermining their capacity to operate effectively. Physical safe havens, according to the US, usually straddle national borders or exist in regions where ineffective governance allows their presence. Examples include the Pakistan/Afghanistan border, Yemen, the Trans-Sahara region, and Somalia. To effectively counter safe havens, [the US increasinglyoperates in a regional context, with the goal of shrinking the space in which terrorists operate. Examples of RSI programmes approved and funded include the Resident Legal Advisor programs in Malaysia, Mauritania, and Mali/Niger; ... anti-kidnapping for ransom workshops for countries of the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCP). ...Established in 2005, the TSCTP is a U.S. government-funded and implemented multi-faceted, multi-year effort designed to counter violent extremism. The core goals are to enhance the indigenous capacities of governments in the pan-Sahel (Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Burkina Faso) to confront the challenge posed by terrorist organizations in the trans-Sahara; and to facilitate cooperation between those countries and U.S. partners in the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia). TSCTP focuses on containing and marginalizing terrorist organizations by strengthening individual country and regional counterterrorism capabilities, enhancing and institutionalizing cooperation among the regions security and intelligence organizations, promoting democratic governance, and discrediting terrorist ideology. TSCTP has been successful in slowly building capacity and cooperation, despite political setbacks over the years caused by coups detats, ethnic rebellions, and extra-constitutional actions that have interrupted work and progress with select partner countries. U.S. training and equipment have assisted Mauritania in its efforts to monitor its border with Mali and sustain professional units during operations against AQIM, Similarly, training and equipment have supported Nigers efforts to protect its borders and interdict terrorists attempting transit through its territory. Several TSCTP programs have worked to counter the pull of violent extremism on youth, including educational and training courses in Algeria and Morocco, and extensive youth employment and outreach programs, community development, and media activities in Niger and Chad. Prticipation in such US anti-terrorism programmes as those described above would, of course, without doubt, brand Burkina Faso, in AQIM's eyes, as AQIM's enemy. A question which that raises, and which must be of interest to Ghana, in view of Ghana's acceptance of the two ex-Guantanamo detainees for resettlement, is this: is Burkina Faso caught in a chiclken-and-egg situation, in which, because it is surrounded by countries experiencing AQIM terrorism (Niger, Mali, for example) it seeks safety from the US and France? Or does it make itself a target for AQIM because AQIM sees it as co-operating militarily with the US and France, in an anti-jihadist campaign? It is not an easy question to answer, but if I were in charge of foreign policy in Ghana, I know what I would do. I would make sure that AQIM has absolutely no grounds to consider my country its 'enemy. Indeed, I would go to extra lengths to make sure I never fall on to the radar screen of AQIM. For there is a Ghanaian proverb which quotes the tortoise as saying: Running away [from potential danger] is nothing to be ashamed of. Another proverb says: If your fire your gun at me, I [am so spiritually strong that] I shall survive the bullets. But suppose you miss me as a target altogether? And with that, I can only resort to another proverb, nmely: A word to the wise is enough! 19.01.2016 LISTEN Ghanaians living in the border town of Paga in the Upper East Region are reportedly living in fear, following a terrorist attack on the Spendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, last Friday. Al-Qaeda militants operating in Mali and Niger have claimed responsibility for the attack, which led to the death of many foreigners. The Minister of Security and Internal Affairs of Burkina Faso, Simon Compaore, said on Saturday that Burkina Faso and French forces killed four of the extremists, and regained control of the Splendid Hotel. Though the attack did not occur in Ghana, those living in the border towns are expressing trepidation, because, as the Akan adage goes, when your friend's beard catches fire, you must fetch water and put it beside yours. The Assistant Controller of Immigration (ACOI) at the Paga border post, Francis Tachie, declined to give details of security measures being put in place to contain the situation, but said traffic flow was normal, and that his men were on the alert. It would have been the greatest mistakes if Francis Tachie had disclosed the security measures put in place to prevent a similar attack in Ghana. The Chronicle, therefore, agrees with him for professionally declining to comment on the strategies they have put in place. We are, however, happy that business and other human activities are going on at Paga, despite the fear being expressed by the people. The Chronicle does not think National Security, upon hearing this news, would sit idle without putting its house in order. Definitely, security measures which cannot be disclosed to the public have been put in place to prevent a similar attack on Ghana. Whilst conceding to this fact, The Chronicle believes the Burkina attack has reinforced the need to arm Immigration officials manning our border posts. The people of Paga have admitted to this fact when they spoke to our correspondent, where they urged the government to provide the needed logistics for the immigration officials to enable them intensify patrols and surveillance to guarantee their safety. Since Ghana is not at a war with her neighbours, it would be improper to deploy heavily armed military men at our borders. But if our immigration officials, who are the first point of call at the borders, are not armed, how can they deal with terrorists should they try to enter the country? This is a serious issue that President Mahama, as Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, should give a solemn thought by arming the Immigration officers. As a country, we have put the lives of Immigration officers in serious danger for many years, because most of them perform their duties in the remotest parts of the country, which cannot even be accessed by cars and vehicles, yet they are not armed. May God forbid, but should any terrorist group try to enter the country through our land borders to cause havoc, how can they be repelled by the Immigration officers if they are detected? Are they (Immigration officers) going to fight them with their bare hands and be slaughtered before the military moves in? The decision not to arm the Immigration officers might have been taken at the time Ghana, and West Africa as a whole, was not facing any security threat, but the situation has dramatically changed with terrorist threats being the order of the day. Ghana must, therefore, arm the Immigration officers to, at least, scare away would-be intruders. Ghana is not an island, but part of the global village, we must, therefore, adapt to the latest developments when it comes to security, to ensure the proper protection of the citizens. We repeat the time to arm the Immigration Service officers is now! Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur 19.01.2016 LISTEN Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has called on member states of the West African Monetary Zone to urgently tackle the economic challenges facing their respective countries. He said the fall in international prices of the region's major export commodities, coupled with low portfolio inflows and the depreciation of local currencies have impacted negatively on the economies. Vice President Amissah-Arthur made the call when he opened the 35th Meeting of the Convergence Council of Ministers and Governors of Central Banks of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) in Accra. The meeting, which is being attended by finance ministers from the monetary zone, is expected to elect a new chairman and consider the report of the 32nd Meeting of the Committee of Governors of Central Banks of the WAMZ. Vice President Amissah-Arthur said despite the adverse economic difficulties facing member states of the monetary zone, their resolve to pursue a monetary union within ECOWAS remains undaunted. Indeed, these difficulties should rather spur us on, as a region, to move towards economic and monetary integration, which would make our economies more resilient, especially, to the exogenous shocks we experienced, he said. He said, since the April 2000 decision in Accra to converge the monetary zone, substantive milestones have been achieved under the WAMZ programme. However, he stated that the realisation of the vision is as remote as fifteen years ago. Vice President Amissah-Arthur further called for innovative approaches by member states of the monetary zone to arrive at an acceptable convergence process by confronting dogmatic thinking. He said, given the lack of progress and the financial burden the three surveillance institutions West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), West African Monetary Agency (WAMA) and West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) continue to pose on taxpayers, there was the need to introduce an incentive bonus for surveillance institutions that are successful, and surcharge those that delay. He called for institutional innovations, based on the experience of others such as the Eurozone, by designing a stability mechanism, strengthening the fiscal regimes of member countries, and improve information sharing and surveillance within the zone. Dr Toga Gayewea Macintosh, Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, expressed delight at the resumption of the Regional Integration meetings, following the temporary suspension as result of the Ebola epidemic in some member countries. He said despite the difficulties facing member states, the financial systems within the zone remained sound and resilient. He called on countries within the monetary zone to implement prudent fiscal, monetary and exchange rate policies, and also adopt measures at enhancing revenue. Source: GNA 19.01.2016 LISTEN Martin K. Delle, the Chief Executive Officer of DKM Diamond Microfinance Company, has appeared before an Accra circuit court for dishonestly appropriating GH40,000. The accused, who was earlier alleged to be on the run, was purported to have misused the said amount of money belonging to one Kwaku Charles. Three other accused persons Monica Afriyie, Nortey Noel, both Directors of God Is Love Fun Club and Charles Asum, Director of JASTAR Motors believed to have taken various sums of money from several people, had already been hauled before the court. Before a court presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, Delle denied the charge of fraudulent breach of trust and was remanded into police custody until January 21. Earlier, Lamti Apanga, lawyer for Delle, had urged the court to grant bail to his client. He said the police had presented the facts in a way which made his client look as though he worked with the other accused persons in the case. Mr Apanga explained that the other person in the case operated separately of each other and that the case was purely a civil transaction between individuals. He accused the prosecution of blatant abuse of the rights of his client, whom he said was arrested two weeks ago but was brought to court only yesterday by the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI). According to him, his client had been published in the media even before he was brought to the court, insisting that the act was in a bad taste. Prosecuting, DSP Abraham Annor said all the suspects, by the same modus operandi, informed their various clients that when they deposited monies in their various companies they would be given a 50% interest at the end of every three months. He said based on the promise the complainants deposited various sums of money, adding that at the end of the said three months when the complainants went to their respective companies, they realised that their monies had been locked up, with the whereabouts of the operators unknown. The court further heard that a report to the BNI led to the arrest of the accused persons. The police officer disclosed that in the course of investigation, it was revealed that Afriyie and Noel, through the same modus operandi, succeeded in taking deposits from several customers worth GH100 million, Asum GH20 million and Delle GH80 million. By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson [email protected] Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. 19.01.2016 LISTEN Contrary to popular belief, increase in pay or salary does not necessarily lead wealth creation. The renowned boxer; Mike Tyson is an epitome of this. In our generation, many are constantly agitating for increase in pay (salary) or keeping changing their jobs, hoping that major shift will overturn their financial fortunes overnight. The saddest thing is that, irrespective of these changes, there is little or no improvement in their financial life. In view of this, I set out to study and read more about the world richest people and their secrets to wealth creation. Here is what I found; Financial Intelligence What you dont know will hurt you First of all, increase your financial intelligence is the first step to wealth creation. What you dont know will hurt you. And for the lack of financial intelligence, you will wallop in abject poverty. It is unfortunate, people go to school to study everything about lizards, snakes, rocks, Archeology to Zoology but have never read any credible book about finances. Becoming wealthy is not by chance; its obeying the principles of wealth. Financially successful people take time to study key financial concepts, learn the dos and donts about wealth creation. If you dont master money; it will mar and enslave you. Not all advices are good, so be careful about your source, in order not to fall victim to unsuitable and potentially dangerous investments. There is no loyal friend than a book, so be a devoted student of money. Decide to read a book on finance today. The only way to get ahead is to get started. Get A Constant Source of Income Never depend on your single income. Make investment to create a second source Warren Buffet The next step is to get regular source of income. You can achieve this by creating your own job; get a side business that does not demand your full time. More over selling something of value to others or get a job. If you are already working, think of other ways of generating passive incomes. Analyze the marketplace, know the needs and fill the gap. For example, if you are tutor, think of writing books in your subject areas, organize classes, own a commercial tax or chain of restaurant. You are a broadcasting journalist, think of writing for international media in new and emerging markets in Africa like climate change, technology and agriculture. The list goes on just think. Having A Saving Attitude Save money today and money will save you tomorrow Most of all, keep savings; the most successful key and the surest foundation to wealth creation is saving. The truth is that, irrespective of your income, you can always save. The foundation of capital generation for investing is savings. You must decide a particular amount of your income into your saving account. Say 10 % , 15% or any amount. And the earlier you start, the better it gets because of compounding interest. Be disciple and go through the process, no short cut. Becoming wealth does not happen overnight, so keep your eyes on the prize of financial freedom and be willing to sacrifice your future wealth with present wants. If you are going to struggle to do this yourself, let your accountant or boss deduct it from the source just like your tax payments into your savings account. Diversify your portfolio Diversification helps to make risks Successful investors also know not to put all of their money eggs in one basketor two baskets, for that matter. They spread their wealth across a variety of investments. A diversified portfolio means that you can potentially take advantage of multiple sources of growth and protect yourself from financial ruin if one of your investments bombs. Kevin Olearny is one of the Shark Tanks richest. One of his key principles is that; never invest all your money into one business. Always, have a backup plan. The biggest mistake is when people raise huge capital and blow it off without any back up plan. Spend the Interest and never your capital. Never lose Your Principal If you beat the system, it will bite you There is no quick fix to financial prosperity. If you beat the system, it will bite you. It is true there is price to pay and risks to take for wealth creation, but dont be stupid and greedy; take only calculated risks and never gamble with your hard earned principal. Calculated risk in an investment venture is when your principal is guaranteed no matter what. When Richard Branson decided to compete with British Airways, he negotiated well with the plane manufacturers. Here is the deal; if I dont succeed with the competition, I will bring back all the flights to be re-sold and that was the deal. Fortunately, his virgin Airlines succeeded big time. The point to note is, learn to take small risks for great rewards. For instance, if you invest in lands or real estate, pig farms business, there little to no risk of losing your principal. Then, you make it a gospel never to spend the principal, only the interest. There are many secrets to wealth creation, however, the above secrets are the most common and highly recommended by many rich people. I hope that following these principles and knowing that anyone can become wealthy, will unlock and ignite your passion towards wealth creation. In the coming weeks, keep watch over this page, I will be continuing the series on wealth creation. Schandorf Adu Bright is a leader, motivational speaker, change agent and columnist. Currently, he is the Value Chain Director at Farmerline Ltd, a technology and content provider company based in Ghana. Schandorf is also the CEO of Golden Minds, a consortium that organizes Youth Entrepreneurship Summits, such as YES, aimed at building strong networks of young leaders, innovators, change makers, doers and entrepreneurs. Prior to Farmerline Ltd and Golden Minds, Schandorf worked at the Bank of Africa- Ghana. Schandorf holds a BSc in Natural Resource Management from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. As a Students Leader, he served as Faculty President, a College and Faculty Board Member, and a SRC Parliamentary Member. These experiences have highly contributed to Schandorf's ability to lead and inspire. From his humble upbringing, Schandorf has learned that no vision should have limitation. With a team of passionate young leaders and change makers, Schandorf has widely communicated this concept, inspiring over 10,000 senior high school and tertiary students through training workshops on career guidance, leadership and job creation. As a columnist, Schandorf has also engaged, shaped and challenged thousands of readers. Popular topics including good governance, efficient use of natural resources in Africa, impact through social media and sexual health A lack of funds could have severe consequences for more than 23,500 refugees at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned today. Due to funding shortfalls, WFP has been forced to reduce rations and even suspend provision of some foodstuffs during the last six months. Currently, the refugees are only receiving three of the five planned foods and even then pulses, vegetable oil and maize are being provided at half the planned amount. Stocks of a special nutritious food (Super Cereal Plus) for young children were depleted last September. A corn soya blended flour fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, known as Super Cereal, is the only commodity that is being provided at the full amount to refugees. Ration cuts mean that refugees are only receiving 40 percent of the recommended minimum daily kilocalories, compromising long-standing efforts to achieve food security in Dzaleka camp. Without additional funding, maize stocks, even at half rations, are set to run out in mid-February. Stocks of vegetable oil, pulses and Super Cereal are likely to be depleted by May. WFP requires US$2 million to resume provision of full food rations for the next 12 months. The situation is becoming dire, said Monique Ekoko, UNHCR Representative for Malawi. Many of the most vulnerable, including children, the chronically ill, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and the elderly are at the brink of malnutrition. When rations are reduced, protection concerns increase in the camp. A survey carried out by WFP, UNHCR and UN Women found that lack of food was one of the main drivers of sexual and gender-based violence among the refugees. Reducing rations is a last resort in these circumstances, said Coco Ushiyama, WFP Representative for Malawi. At a time of high food security challenges in Malawi, we realise budgets are tight but we can't forget those who have nowhere to turn. Hence this urgent appeal for funding to restore adequate food assistance and support for a safe environment in refugee camps, especially for women and girls. Dzaleka refugee camp is located in the central region of Malawi and hosts refugees mostly from the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions. In addition, asylum seekers who have recently arrived from Mozambique into the south-west of Malawi also require assistance. We'll continue to meet our international obligations towards refugees, said Bestone Chisamile, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Commissioner for Refugees in Malawi. However, we need continued support from WFP and UNHCR to be able to do so. That is why we're appealing to the international community to provide the necessary funding so that refugee families in Malawi do not go to bed hungry. Malawi is the country in the region worst-affected by food insecurity with some 2.8 million people estimated to be currently in need of food assistance. This situation is due to severe flooding at the beginning of last year followed by prolonged dry spells resulting in much lower than usual crop production. The situation is being exacerbated by the global El Nino weather event resulting in severely-reduced rainfall for southern Africa. Flash Jordan on Monday said it will keep its borders open to the influx of Syrian refugees, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Syrian refugees are seen at Zattari Syrian refugee camp near the city of Mafraq, Jordan on Jan. 18, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Jordan's Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said the country has been receiving Syrian refugees since the start of the unrest in Syria, adding that Jordan will continue to have its borders open for Syrian refugees, but Jordan will also take into account the security consideration. Ensour made the remarks at a meeting in Amman with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi. "Jordan is a small country with limited resources that also faces economic challenges that exceeds its capabilities. Yet, Jordan will keep its borders open to the Syrian refugees and is looking forward to receiving more aid from the international community in this regard," Ensour said, adding that Jordan is home to some 1.4 million Syrian refugees. Also on Monday, King Abdullah II of Jordan expressed Jordan's desire to boost cooperation with the UN refugee agency to prompt the international community to play a bigger role in resolving Syrian refugee crisis, in light of the growing burden borne by the kingdom due to hosting a large number of refugees. The King stressed the importance of enhancing international efforts to ensure a continued support to countries hosting Syrian refugees, mainly Jordan and reviewed efforts exerted by the kingdom to provide Syrian refugees with humanitarian aid. Grandi expressed the UNHCR's commitment to supporting Jordan and coordinating with government bodies to alleviate the burdens imposed on the kingdom in this regard. SNV, a Tamale base non-governmental Organization has reiterated its commitments to investing in water and sanitation in the northern region of Ghana. Speaking in Tamale, during the handing over ceremony of a newly constructed latrine facility for Nyohini Presby Primary and Junior high School, in the Sagnarigu constituency. The 10 sitter capacity toilet facility sponsored by the Japanese government and supervised by SNV was built in less than 3 months and estimated over hundreds of thousands of Ghana cedis. According to the SNV Northern Sector Wash Leader, Jestina Anglaaere, this will see the improvement of sanitation situation in the school and eventually increase healthy lives among the students The leadership of SNV Advice the school authority to use the facility prudently. They also applauded the Japanese government for their continues support in the area of Water and sanitationin their catchment area. Saying Water and sanitation was crucial to health On his part the head teacher of the school, Mr Mohammed Sayibu, thanked both the Japanese government and SNV for the kind gesture shown to the school and the community at large. He also commended the constructor for a good but quick job done. The school authority tasked other construction firms to emulate the professional attributes of prihassan construction company. They express overwhelmingly delight of their efficiency. "There's a natural mystic blowing through the air If you listen carefully now you will hear though I 'tried' to find the answers To all the questions 'we' ask, though I know it's impossible 'But' one and all got to face reality now" Formed in 1993 under the Interior Ministry; the Narcotic Control Board is aimed at formulating and enforcing narcotics laws in Ghana and as well as prevent the use, import and export of sedative products including Cocaine and Marijuana (weed). With its 3 main functions, supervised by the Interior Ministry; NACOB is responsible for enforcement and controlling of narcotic control laws, education and prevention of use of such products and treatment, rehabilitation and social re-integration of narcotics addicts. And indeed the above mission details, dubbed from the Wikipedae page (last edited on August 12, 2014 @ 9:43pm by Moshe s2002) of the Ghana Narcotic Control Board seem less accomplished due to the fact that much focus is paid to the cocaine aspect of the narcotics common in Ghana and rather less attention given to marijuana which is among the two narcotic substances is way popular than the other. This analysis is based on the institution's commendation received in 2004 from the Customs office in UK for seizing 42kg of cocaine concealed in sacks of rice imported from Guyana at the Tema Port in two 20-suit containers in September 2003. And also the burning of 167kg of seized cocaine at Teshie Shooting Range to avoid redistribution in Accra in June 2010; probably that was the era that cocaine was on high demand in Ghana. But then again, reasoning right; how possible can powders (among other forms of cocaine) and its wrappers be burnt to ashes? Probably its wrappers melt along with the substances and what form of ashes comes out after the burning; black or brown coloured ashes? Now analyzing the massive seizure of the 'leafy' substances and checking records none of the seized packages from couriers has neither been announced burnt nor any useful information on what the seized bulky parceled substances were used for or kept and for what reasons aside the few burnt weed farms. Unlike cocaine which is less common in the Ghanaian society (but popular in the dark side of the country); massive uproars are made when marijuana dealers are taken into custody with the substances 'presumably' undergoing forensic examinations. And these culprits (dealers) are heavily incarcerated up to 10years. Related Articles: Bragging Ghana Police couldn't jail Chris Brown Again, what happens to the weeds intercepted by the law enforcers after its dealers has been imprisoned to years without bail while someone who has embezzled so much state funds can be bailed? Also, if the Deputy Minister of Interior, Hon. James Agalga is requesting for adequate resources to assist NACOB carry out its responsibilities effectively; is that a clue to prove that no or less forensic tests has ever been carried out on majority of narcotics cases in the country? The major focus on enquiring on what is done with seized slabs of weed is that it's quite baffling as - if the powdered form of sedative (cocaine) after being seized was 'proudly' announced to have been burnt; then why can't the public be updated or educated on what is done with seized weed loots? Or probably, the seized weed parcels are sold to manufacturing companies that uses weed as major components in their products like popular Jeba Hair Pomade, among others? Are these companies not committing criminal offenses using the 'illegal' substances to produce their products onto the market? If No, then why not ask the couriers where and for what reasons are they importing or transporting the weed parcels to? or there's some form of mutual agreement between the companies and the NACOB? And/or could it be that the warehouse where the parcels of weed are kept is choked hence, a major reason why Executive Secretary, Yaw Akrasi Sarpong in the last two years called for a national debate on the legalization of the substance? Related articles: Will Ghana Police, BNI invite NACOB Boss for weed legalization? Sunday, January 17, 2016, marked 3 months when amalarbieafrica.com contacted the office of the NACOB Boss to address the subject and following official routine, his PRO was the meditator and according to him, he carried out instructions from the 'top' to forward the questionnaire to the management (right department) to address the subject. Unfortunately, there has been no response from the appropriate office of the NACOB on the subject matter. More soon... A member of the governing National Democratic Congress, Nana Yaw Darko, narrowly escaped stab wounds after a fellow party member attacked him with a knife. Nana Arkoo Frimpong, an agent of one of the parliamentary aspirants, Mr Basil Ahiable, was involved in a heated argument with Yaw Darko. Joy News' Haruna Wumpini reported that an enraged Frimpong pulled out a knife and chased Darko but other party members present at the Akwatia Lorry Park Polling Station overpowered him and seized the knife. A vehicle came to whisk the attacker away. Earlier, confusion erupted at the Yoruba Mosque polling station over the indelible ink that electoral officers were to use to mark voters to indicate they have voted. Some voters who spoke to Joy News claimed the ink provided by the Electoral Commission had expired. They also said it was a calculated plan by the EC to disenfranchise them. The presiding officer denied this. Mr. Owusu Nyarko said it is not their fault because they were unaware the ink was going to give them problems. He urged the voters to be calm while they send for new indelible inks from Kade. The parliamentary primary which should have been held in November 2015 was postponed for security reasons. The seat is held by the NDC firebrand, Baba Jamal who is being challenged by a businessman, Mr Basil Ahiable. Arusha - Tanzania, January 18, 2016 Off Grid Electric, a Tanzania-based social enterprise, has been awarded the Zayed Future Energy Prize in the Small and Medium Enterprise category during an awards ceremony today in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Now in its eighth edition, the UAEs international prize recognises pioneers in the fields of renewable energy and sustainability. Nine winners across five categories, including Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland who accepted the Lifetime Achievement award for her commitment to sustainability and sustainable development, received awards presented by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, heads of state and dignitaries from across the world attended the awards ceremony, taking place during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the largest gathering on sustainability in the Middle East. Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, Director of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, said: We are delighted to welcome Off Grid Electric to our growing community of winners. Their efforts to give those individuals without, access to electricity is to be welcomed and aids the international communitys drive towards a future where safe and sustainable access to energy is available to all. The Zayed Future Energy Prize recognised Off Grid Electric for providing at least 45,000 homes in Tanzania with access to clean electricity at lower cost than harmful and environmentally damaging kerosene or diesel alternatives. Around 225,000 people benefit from Off Grid Electrics solar home systems, which customers pay for through mobile payment. Commenting on the achievement, Mr. Xavier Helgesen, CEO said: We are thrilled and honored by the award of the Zayed Future Energy Prize. This award is an important step in our journey to make whole home solar accessible and affordable to all. Off Grid Electric offers solar power as a service to off-grid customers in Tanzania. After installation of an Off Grid Electric solar home system, a household can save up to US$15.50 per month on lighting and mobile phone charging expenses and reduce household carbon emissions by 0.019 tonnes of CO2 and 0.2 kg of black carbon. In February 2015, the social enterprise together with the President of Tanzania announced the Million Solar Homes initiative, which aims to provide a million Tanzanian homes with access to reliable solar electricity by the end of 2017. Mr. Helgesen continued: We will use the proceeds from this prize to reinvest in our industry-leading Off Grid Academy, which will create thousands of jobs in the years to come in Africa's booming solar industry. Established by the UAE government in 2008, the US$4 million Zayed Future Energy Prize has recognised 48 pioneers from around the world and created a growing community, committed to finding solutions that will meet the challenges of climate change, energy security and the environment. To date, more than 200 million people are experiencing the sustainable actions of the prize winners and this number continues to grow each year. Submissions are open for the 9th Zayed Future Energy Prize. Enter online at: www.ZayedFutureEnergyPrize.com. 19.01.2016 LISTEN Nigeria has recorded a total of 44 deaths due to an outbreak of Lassa fever in more than10 states. The country has activated its isolation centres in several hospitals across the country to help curb the spread of the disease, Nigeria's Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, was quoted by local media. The Federal Ministry of Health and the National Emergency Management Agency in Nigeria have subsequently issued a lasser fever alert. Also, the federal government has announced its intention to appoint a National Lassa Fever Action Committee to discuss how to halt the latest outbreak of Lassa fever. Health authorities in Nigeria have said the outbreak is under control and urged citizens to remain calm while some states have been advised to discourage the consumption of socked gari for now to prevent the further spread of Lassa fever. Nigeria recorded its first case of Lassa fever in the latest outbreak in August 2015. However, the outbreak was officially declared in January 2016, when a student from the Ahmadu Bello University in the northern state of Kaduna was diagnosed with lassa as his symptoms, including high fever and sore throat were consistent with the virus on January 9, 2016. . First identified in 1969, Lassa fever is a zoonotic virus, transmitted when a human comes into contact with an infected rat's faeces, urine or the bodily fluids of an infected human. The mastomys rat carries the virus. These rats breed frequently and bear many offspring, increasing the potential for spread of the virus from rats to humans. Further, these rats are often found in human homes. Transmission through contaminated food is common, as the rats can leave excretions in food stores. The virus is widespread in West Africa, particularly in Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Lassa fever can be deadly if not cured during its early stage. Typical symptoms of this disease include high fever, general weakness, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Later symptoms include bleeding, rashes and swelling of the eyes and genitals. The incubation period lasts from six till 21 days, according to the World Health organisation (WHO). Contamination can be prevented by, among other things, storing food in containers not accessible to rodents, disposing of garbage far from home and avoiding contact with bodily fluids of sick people. By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri 19.01.2016 LISTEN Mrs. Monica Nsiah Nketiah (right), wife of Nana Gabby Nsiah Nketiah (Middle) cutting tape for the opening of the depot with support from Chang Seok Hong (left) A GHANAIAN automobile battery dealers, GANIVA Battery Centre has partnered its South Korean counterpart, Sangsin to outdoor a vehicle brake pad depot where Sangsin brake pad dubbed: HI-Q Brake PAD will be traded on the Ghanaian market. The brake pads depot located along the Jones Nelson Avenue at Adabraka, Accra close to the African University College of Communications, is expected to provide a stop shop high quality brake pads for every class of vehicle in Ghana. Speaking at the launch of the depot on Monday, Nana Gabby Nsiah Nketiah, Chief Executive Officer of GANIVA who doubles as the Simpahene of Duayaw Nkwanta Traditional Area of the Brong Ahafo Region, gave the assurance that the introduction of HI-Q Brake PAD onto the local market will help reduce vehicular crashes linked to brake failures. Commenting on the quality of the HI-Q Brake PAD, the CEO intimated that Sangsin brake made in South Korea is versatile, strong, durable, he said, adding that the opening of the depot is the first step towards the establishment of Sangsin factory in Ghana to serve the African sub-region. According to him, Sangsin brakes applies most modern scientific techniques and durable materials that as soon as the brakes are applied, the vehicle stops dead. Director-General of Korean Trade Investment Promotion, Ghana, Chang Seok Hong, in a brief remarks at the launch, praised the bilateral trade relationship between Ghana and South Korea. He said since 1977 when Ghana and Korea established trade relations, there have been increase in business activities between the two states, hoping to see more Korean-Ghana trade partnerships. BY Melvin Tarlue Dr. Joseph Siaw-Agyepong addressing journalists on the sidelines of the confab 19.01.2016 LISTEN Jospong/Zoomlion Group of Companies on Monday commenced a week-long leadership conference at the Pentecost Convention Centre at the Millennium City located off the Kasoa-Nyanyanu road in the Central Region. The annual event which began about five years ago, seeks to bring together all 40 plus subsidiaries of the Jospong/Zoomlion Group to re-affirm their commitment in ensuring excellent service delivery aimed at enabling the Group achieve its vision of becoming the most successful African Holding Company, leading in every sector it operates in. It also seeks to enable participants gain insight into the service leaders' role in creating an excellent delivery culture. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Executive Chairman of Jospong/Zoomlion Group of Companies, Dr. Joseph Kwame Siaw-Agyepong, observed that his outfit in 2016 aims at improving upon excellent customer service delivery across all sectors. That, Dr. Siaw-Ageypong, indicated, is to help the Group improve upon its fortunes and enable it achieve its vision of becoming the leading African Holding Company in the near future. At Jospong-Zoomlion Group, excellent service delivery is our culture and one of the key pillars in our vision to become the most successful African Holding Company, leading in every sector we operate in, he said. According to him, the Group shall focus on developing its human resources to the best of its ability in 2016 and the years ahead. Dr. Siaw-Agyepong seized the opportunity to appeal to business leaders in Ghana and across the African continent to pay critical attention to the skills development of their employees. BY Melvin Tarlue Violent extremism is a direct assault on the United Nations Charter and a grave threat to international peace and security. Terrorist groups such as Daesh, Boko Haram and others have brazenly kidnapped young girls, systematically denied women's rights, destroyed cultural institutions, warped the peaceful values of religions, and brutally murdered thousands of innocents around the world. These groups have become a magnet for foreign terrorist fighters, who are easy prey to simplistic appeals and siren songs. The threat of violent extremism is not limited to any one religion, nationality or ethnic group. Today, the vast majority of victims worldwide are Muslims. Addressing this challenge requires a unified response, and compels us to act in a way that solves rather than multiplies -- the problem. Many years of experience have proven that short-sighted policies, failed leadership, heavy-handed approaches, a single-minded focus only on security measures and an utter disregard for human rights have often made things worse. Let us never forget: Terrorist groups are not just seeking to unleash violent action, but to provoke a harsh reaction. We need cool heads and common sense. We must never be ruled by fear or provoked by those who strive to exploit it. Countering violent extremism should not be counter-productive. This month, I presented to the United Nations General Assembly a Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, which takes a practical and comprehensive approach to address the drivers of this menace. It focuses on violent extremism which can be conducive to terrorism. The Plan puts forward more than 70 recommendations for concerted action at the global, regional and national levels, based on five inter-related points: Number one, we must put prevention first The international community has every right to defend against this threat using lawful means, but we must pay particular attention to addressing the causes of violent extremism if this problem is to be resolved in the long run. There is no single pathway to violent extremism. But we know that extremism flourishes when human rights are violated, political space is shrunk, aspirations for inclusion are ignored, and too many people especially young people lack prospects and meaning in their lives. As we see in Syria and Libya and elsewhere, violent extremists make unresolved and prolonged conflicts even more intractable. We also know the critical elements for success: Good governance. The rule of law. Political participation. Quality education and decent jobs. Full respect for human rights. We need to make a special effort to reach out to young people and recognize their potential as peacebuilders. The protection and empowerment of women must also be central to our response. Second, principled leadership and effective institutions Poisonous ideologies do not emerge from thin air. Oppression, corruption and injustice are greenhouses for resentment. Extremists are adept at cultivating alienation. That is why I have been urging leaders to work harder to build inclusive institutions that are truly accountable to people. I will continue to call on leaders to listen carefully to the grievances of their people and then act to address them. Third, preventing extremism and promoting human rights go hand-in-hand All too often, national counter-terrorism strategies have lacked basic elements of due process and respect for the rule of law. Sweeping definitions of terrorism or violent extremism are often used to criminalize the legitimate actions of opposition groups, civil society organizations and human rights defenders. Governments should not use these types of sweeping definitions as a pretext to attack or silence one's critics. Once again, violent extremists deliberately seek to incite such over-reactions. We must not fall into the trap. Fourth, an all-out approach The Plan proposes an all of Government approach. We must break down the silos between the peace and security, sustainable development, human rights and humanitarian actors at the national, regional and global levelsincluding at the United Nations. The Plan also recognizes that there are no one size fits all solutions. We must also engage all of society religious leaders, women leaders, youth groups leaders in the arts, music and sports, as well as the media and private sector. Fifth, UN engagement I intend to strengthen a UN system-wide approach to supporting Member States' efforts to address the drivers of violent extremism. Above all, the Plan is an urgent call to unity and action that seeks to address this scourge in all its complexity. Together, let us pledge to forge a new global partnership to prevent violent extremism. Flash Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in Riyadh on Monday and "expressed deep concern on the recent escalation of tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Pakistan PM will also visit Iran on Tuesday as a part of his two-nation tour which mainly aims at reducing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran earlier this month after a mob burnt the Saudi embassy in Tehran. The demonstrators were protesting against the execution of a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia. Nawaz Sharif also called for early resolution of differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran through peaceful means, in the larger interest of the Muslim nations, particularly during these challenging times. He said that Pakistan is always ready to offer its good offices to brotherly Muslim countries, for resolution of their differences through dialogue and reconciliation, according to a statement. Several Arab countries also broke diplomatic relations with Iran to show solidarity with Saudi Arabia. Nawaz Sharif led a high level delegation to Saudi Arabia that also includes Army Chief, General Raheel Sharif. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud appreciated the initiative of the Pakistani leadership and observed that Saudi Arabia has always strived to promote brotherhood amongst Muslim countries, a statement from the PM office in Islamabad said. He also acknowledged and appreciated the sincere sentiments of the people of Pakistan that they hold for their Saudi brethren and the Kingdom. During the meeting, views were also exchanged on various facets of enduring cooperation with regard to the recent Saudi initiative of formation of the Coalition of Islamic countries against terrorism. Pakistan deeply appreciates the Saudi initiative and assured the Kingdom of its support, the statement said. Both sides also discussed regional and global issues of common concerns. It was agreed that both countries would work together to defeat their common enemy terrorism and extremism. During the talks, both sides underscored the need for further strengthening of bilateral relations, in all fields, including defence, security, economic and commercial cooperation. Granted that we live in a global village and that countries are in one way or the other are interdependent yet; no sane leader of a country on this planet goes to the other to import certified bad products for their citizenry! Such a leader would be considered at best bonkers and at worst pure evil! It is therefore shocking for our President to appear to consciously or unconsciously romanticise terrorism at the expense of Ghanas unity with a single stroke of bad decision to bring in Mahmoud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef and Khalid Mohammed Salih al Dhuby. The seismic quake in our socio-political discourse since news broke of the presence of the two individuals in our country is testament of the uneasiness people feel right now. The decision to bring the two ex-Guantanamo detainees here was a big needless gaffe especially in times like this given what is happening around us in the West African sub region. Terrorism is gaining roots everywhere and Ghana can ill-afford to see itself as an island of peace insulated from terrorists and acts of terrorism. Mali has been grappling with terrorism for some years now. Almighty Nigeria has been held at the throat by Boko Haram for 7 years now and on Friday, 15th January 2016, Burkina Faso were kicked in the cojones when terrorists struck at the Splendid Hotel right in heart of Ouagadougou leaving 27 Burkinabes dead. Bringing it more closer home, the Konkomba and Nanumba war some years ago and the concomitant hardship it wreaked on our brothers and sisters up north is still fresh in our minds. The perennial skirmishes between the Abudus and Andanis are still a conundrum nation is still struggling to unravel. Similarly, the recent discovery of cache of arms in Kumasi is actually unravelling the deluded belief that Ghana is an oasis of peace. No! We are not and thats why the decision to bring in Bin Atef and al Dhuby is fiendishly unconscionable. As for the Presidents sophomoric excuse of showing compassion to the two Gitmo detainees, the least said about it the better. How compassionate has the President been to prisoners at Nsawam? As I write this piece, there are people who have been at Nsawam prisons for 20 years on mere suspicion. Do Ghanaian nationals not need the Presidents self-aggrandising compassion? That incoherent lecture to Christians about compassion was lame and laughable and that is why I totally agree with the Catholic Bishops Conference when they said that the President should have tinged his new-found compassion with common sense. After all, compassion is not a blank cheque, neither should it be given carte blanche. The President smuggled such people into the country in blatant disregard for the constitution and on the blind side of parliament and yet have the temerity to lecture people of their lack of compassion? Indeed everyone concerned about this issue is grateful to Fox News for breaking the news to Ghanaians in particular and the world at large. Ghanaians would never have known about this matter. While the President is still on his compassion trail, the people of Afghanistan have suffered for far too long from the hands of the Taliban; maybe President Mahama could go over and bring the Taliban fighters here so that the Afghans could have a bit of relief. Or how about bringing Al Shabab and Boko Haram fighters here to free both Kenya and Nigeria of the scourge of those groups? Are Kenyans and Nigerians not deserving of compassion from His Royal Compassionate President, John Dramani Mahama? The fact is, people are apprehensive about the presence of the two ex-Gitmo detainees because they still pose a modicum of threat and that is why Obama wants those individuals far removed from mainland America. If America, the only super power in the whole wide world with its military and financial clout were not able to exorcise Bin Atef and al Dhuby of the risks they pose, then how could Ghana; a country whose border security at best of times is as tight and secure as an old and disused Elmina fishing net? Under very the big noses of national security, a bright young Ghanaian graduate got radicalised by ISIS and ended up fighting in Syria in 2015 and up till today, national security have not debriefed the country about how the young man got radicalised and what they have done so far to stem the tide. How then could the national security monitor these two individuals? Both Ben Atef who fought with Osama Bin Laden and al Dubhy who was trained by the Taliban in terrorism in Afghanistan are too sophisticated and could easily dribble our national to evade being detected. It is so sad how simplistic government and its ministers describe the two individuals. Indeed Americas respected Wall Street Journals edition on Friday 15th January, 2016 published that President Mahamas description isnt true for either of the men. Mr. Atef, in particular, is a cause for concern. Long before his transfer, the intelligence analysts at Joint Task Force Guantanamo assessed him as a high risk and likely to pose a threat to the US, its interests and allies. (The JTF-GTMO threat assessments of 760 Guantanamo detainees, many written in 2008, were posted online in 2011 by WikiLeaks.) It is easy to understand the analysts worry about Mr. Atef. He was, they said, a fighter in Usama bin Ladens former 55th Arab Brigade and is an admitted member of the Taliban. He trained at al Farouq, the infamous al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, participated in hostilities against US and Coalition forces, and continues to demonstrate his support of UBL and extremism. Most ominously, the report warns that he has threatened to kill US citizens on multiple occasions including a specific threat to cut their throats upon release. This is why Ghanaians are worried. The governments communication department is working in overdrive to hush divergent opinions this issue has generated. Abraham Amaliba, a member of the NDCs legal team on Joy FMs News File programme on Saturday 9th January 2016 argued that one of governments reasons for accepting the former inmates of Guantanamo Bay was to correct wrongs perpetuated by United States of America. How can a small developing country like Ghana correct the wrongs perpetuated by America against countries or individuals? Such callous and thoughtlessness! The truth is, President Obama is fighting for an enduring legacy and in so doing, implementing his campaign promise by closing down Guantanamo Bay Detention Centre and placing the ex-detainees far away from American soil whereas our sovereign President poignantly divides Ghanaians along religious lines to help President Obama fulfil his dreams! With that ill-advised decision, one wonders if President Mahama gave a thought to his own legacy! If our President is happy to sacrifice Ghana for President Obama to cement his legacy then our country is in perilous times. The country is sitting on a time bomb! Before the arrival of the two Gitmo detainees, one could not tell a Ghanaian Christian or Muslim from each other. We had lived together for so long with no defining line. However, since the government unleashed its babies with sharp teeth on the Catholic Bishops and anyone who espouses a dissenting view from that of the President and with Chief Imams spokesperson wading in with his veiled attack on the Catholic Bishops; Im afraid Ghana is not going to be the same again. I love my Muslim and Christian brothers and sisters equally and this would not change me however, would everyone have the same mind-set from both sides? Suffice to say though that the presence alone of Mahmoud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef and Khalid Mohammed Salih al Dhuby have created a big problem already without them setting out to commit any act of terrorism! That is how bad the situation is right now!! Not only is the nation split between NPP and NDC lines. It is sadly degenerating into Muslim and Christian sections though both Ben Atef and al Dhuby are not even Ghanaians and I dare say the carnage they seek to unleash on humanity is un-Islamic! Is this what President Mahama wants to bequeath to the country as his legacy? President Mahama and his ministers attitude is exactly like that of biblical King Rehoboam. When Rehoboam succeeded his father, the Israelites went to him to ask him to make life a little bit easier for them as Rehoboams late father had made life difficult for them. Rehoboam retorted thus; Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I'm going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!' (1 Kings 12:11). Perhaps someone would read that portion of the bible to President Mahama for him to know what happened to King Rehoboam in the end. For now, Ghanaians may rant, rave, shout and scream but His Royal Compassionate President would not care less! I guess he still suffers from residual symptoms of the dead-goat and yentie obiaa syndrome. Both Bin Atef and al Dhuby may not engage in any acts of terrorism however, their presence alone has already created a huge social, religious and political schism that Ghana may not be able to recover from. We had enough problems without their presence adding to an already bad situation. Could the security agencies assure Ghanaians that these two are not going to serve as a conduit for other terrorists to clandestinely set up camps in the country? Would the presence of the two gentlemen not awaken the confidence of local elements who are perhaps already radicalised to act on their fantasies? So while the wailing and gnashing of teeth in Nigeria is still loud in our ears from the torment Boko Haram are wreaking in that country, His Royal Compassionate President chooses to romanticise terrorism to the detriment of Ghanas unity! Well, President Mahama is welcome to massage his compassionate ego on this important issue but should remember that if it ends up falling on our heads, his skull will be the first to crush! Terrorists and acts of terrorism are an anathema everywhere in the world and Ghana is not be an exception. Kofi Kyei-Mensah-Osei Kinshasa (AFP) - Cobalt mined dangerously by children in the Democratic Republic of Congo could end up in the lithium batteries of smartphones and electric cars made by Apple, Samsung or Sony, Amnesty International said Tuesday. After questioning 16 multinationals, the human rights watchdog said world-class electronics brands are failing to ensure that no child miners were involved in lithium-ion batteries used in their products, according to a joint report released with Afrewatch. The DR Congo accounts for more than half of global production of cobalt, mainly from the southeastern Katanga province. Thousands of clandestine miners including numerous young children work in tunnels with rudimentary tools at risk to their health and their lives. The firms contacted by the report were identified as clients of Asian battery manufacturers that acquire processed cobalt from Chinese mineral conglomerate Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd, which wholly owns a subsidiary in DR Congo, the report said. The report describes how traders buy cobalt from areas where child labour is rife and sell it to a local subsidiary of Huayou Cobalt. Once processed, the cobalt is sold to battery component manufacturers in China and South Korea, which supply the multinationals. The report, entitled 'This is what we die for: Human Rights Abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo power the global trade in cobalt,' also includes testimony from adult and child miners who work long shifts with no protective equipment, in danger of fatal accidents and permanent lung damage. One company interviewed the link, but two multinationals denied sourcing cobalt from DR Congo and others took intermediate positions. Six said they were investigating the claim. "Crucially, none provided enough details to independently verify where the cobalt in their products came from," the report said. Leading automobile and electronics firms such as Daimler, Lenovo, Microsoft and Samsung were unable to declare the origin of the cobalt used in their lithium-ion batteries, Amnesty said. Amnesty urged "multinational companies who use lithium-ion batteries in their products to conduct human rights due diligence, investigate whether the cobalt is extracted under hazardous conditions or with child labour, and be more transparent about their suppliers." "Millions of people enjoy the benefits of new technologies but rarely ask how they are made," said Mark Dummett, business and human rights researcher for the non-governmental organisation. "It is a major paradox of the digital era that some of the world's richest, most innovative companies are able to market incredibly sophisticated devices without being required to show where they source raw materials for their components," Afrewatch executive director Emmanuel Umpala said. The vast DR Congo in central Africa has immense mineral resources but remains one of the least developed nations in the world. Rather than easing poverty, mining has helped fund more than 20 years of conflict, particularly in the eastern North and South Kivu provinces, which furnish large amounts of gold, tin, coltan and tungsten. To prevent companies from indirectly financing conflicts, a US law on so-called "blood minerals" took effect in 2014 obliging firms listed in the United States to inform its regulators if they use such raw materials, mined not only in DR Congo but its nine neighbouring countries. In a report published jointly in April 2015 with Global Witness, another non-governmental organisation, Amnesty International accused major American firms of neglecting their duties under the legislation. Opportunity International Savings and Loans Limited, (OISL) has recorded an impressive financial support to Education in Ghana. The company has given to the education sector a tune of GHS20.69 million in the past eight years. OISL believes strongly that providing education is of paramount importance because lack of education is directly linked to poverty. According to Mr. Kwame Owusu-Boateng, CEO of OISL, Given the level of literacy in the country, Opportunity International Savings and Loans Limited finds it necessary to fund the education sector in its bid to reduce poverty and improve access to employment. Literacy rate in Ghana is 71.5% which implies 28.5% of the population aged 15 and over cannot read and write. Mr. Owusu-Boateng further stated that Opportunity International is helping alleviate the barriers to education through funding and capacity building to the schools, students and teachers. On his side, Nathan Byrd, the Global Head of Education Finance of Opportunity International, said as the public sector in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions continue to struggle with funding for expanding and improving education, the private sector offers a clear, effective sustainable solution. The Opportunity Internationals Model. This model is enabling locally owned private schools to help low-wage earners educate their families and transform their lives through affordable education. He said it's to stimulate the economy in a direct and effective way and acting as a critical catalyst to improving literacy rates whilst breaking the cycle of poverty. Data received from the Savings and Loans Company makes it clear that they have disbursed a total amount of GHS20.69 million to the education sector in various ways. GHS16.06 million was disbursed directly to improve private schools, GHS2.41 million to pay primary and secondary school fees and GHS2.22 million to pay tertiary school fees. A total of 441 schools, 2,302 pupils from the primary and secondary schools and 945 students from tertiary institutions have benefitted from Opportunity Internationals education loans. The company currently has an outstanding loan portfolio of GHS 6,592,436 with 1,273 clients. This is made up of GHS 5,574,039 loans with 234 private school proprietors, GHS 341,688 with 478 pupils and students of primary and secondary schools and GHS 676,710 with 561 tertiary students. OISL has a school improvement loan that seeks to provide credit for infrastructure development, provision of school amenities like computers and textbooks and for the intellectual development of teachers. The school fees loan also seeks to provide loan for primary and secondary school fee payment and the purchase of books whereas the GOAL (Greater Opportunity Access for Learning) students Loan provides money for tertiary school fees payment, purchase of textbooks, and support to cater for other living expenses on campus for tertiary students. The company also sought to provide special training to school proprietors and teachers to upgrade their skills in various ways. Since its inception, 1,145 school staff had received training in 15 different training programmes. It believes a well trained teacher would positively impact pupils and students. This is done through the support of other partners who have the capacity to provide the training with support for Opportunity International. Altogether, a total of 246,444 children have been impacted from Opportunity Internationals education lending programme. Through these interventions, a number of schools have seen great improvements in their performance. These schools are better equipped to provide sound education to pupils and students thereby improving their chances of pursuing higher education and gaining employment thus helping to eradicate poverty. On the peripheral, these schools have generated multiplier effect in providing employment for teachers, cooks, drivers, tailors and dress makers, books and stationary workers and persons in the construction sector. 19.01.2016 LISTEN El-Rufai is someone for whom I have a lot of time, a lot of fondness. I find him to be a brilliant, stubborn, hard worker some of the essential qualities needed to succeed in this life. Sometimes, I wish it were him in Aso villa, and perhaps, some day, if that is his desire, he might get there. So far, in Kaduna, El-Rufai is doing a fine job as governor. He even posted one of my articles on his Facebook page at one time, so you know the brother has good taste. Things were going swimmingly well until El-Rufai felt compelled to put his foot in it. Recently, the governor only went and dropped a couple of clangers. Perhaps he is letting his office get to him. What is it about power that change people so much and so quickly? Around our Independent Day celebration last year, the governor went to town with some wildly off the mark financial figures. He wrote that the Jonathan administration spent some N64 billion over 4 years to commemorate our independence. The Buhari government later confirmed that the actual amount spent was N333.6 million. The governor simply took down his claim and moseyed on. Now, about a week or so ago, El-Rufai interjected himself into the unpleasant debate about President Buhari stepping all over people's constitutional rights. He issued another statement in which he roundly condemned anyone that had the temerity to object to the executive arm of a democratic government disobeying court orders as it pleases. El-Rufai wrote, the rule of law itself is subject to the rule and right of a nation when it pertains to the security and wellbeing of the people of a country against that of a few individuals. Haba, Alhaji! Please say it aint so. Stomping on the rights of individuals is a slippery slope to a very bad place. I have read El-Rufais book, The Accidental Public Servant and I have read a few of his writings where he narrated his harrowing experience in the hands of late YarAdua and ex IG of Police, Mike Okiro. Things got so bad, El-Rufai and Nuhu Ribadu had to flee the country. It is a real pity that a young man who went through that level of State persecution would turn around in a few years and take a position that it is alright for governments to deny her citizens constitutional rights. The emphasis here is on government taking away an individuals human rights. The exact condition that led El-Rufai to escape into exile for a while because he knew the State, at that period, had moved from prosecution to persecuting him. In essence, right or wrong, he felt powerless to fight back. Another danger in the governors position is who defines the threshold at which a government can begin to subvert citizens' rights for the 'good of the nation' because this is not stated in our constitution. We have to be careful not to let our desire to see justice done to a few accused people blind us to the tenets of democracy and the wider protection of citizens. The Nazis used the same line; they claimed they were protecting the German nation and within a few months, Hitlers government was getting rid of a lot of disagreeable people (as defined by him). The disabled were not spared. Similarly, people thought to have mental health problems were forcibly sterilised so that they would not have offspring that would pollute their pure Aryan race. All of that was done to protect the nations interest. Then, as it is now, there were many intellectuals cheering on the government. To support his seemingly newfound support for a totalitarian State, El-Rufai cited the example of American Special Forces summary dispatch of Osama bin Laden to a terrorist heaven. But bin Laden was an external aggressor who perpetrated war against the USA. Habitually, the US government captures and arrests home-grown (and even some foreign) terrorists where possible, and put them through formal legal trial. The rights of American citizens are rigorously protected by their government anywhere in the world. Furthermore, the government shouldnt unwittingly create a situation whereby accused persons or those invited by law enforcement agencies see fleeing as the best option available to them because they know that their fundamental and constitutional rights will be breached. I dont think that anyone is saying that Dasuki and co should be set free. Very far from it. Dasuki and his mates should be fully held accountable and be made to pay severely for betraying the peoples trust if found guilty. Frankly, I feared what could have become of the military if the PDP under Jonathan got another term. Dasuki was in the forefront of those wanting to scupper the last presidential election; now we know why. In my view, one of the good things that would happen to this country will be a proper and detailed forensic investigation of the 16 years of PDP rule. Additionally, all persons accused of various crimes of corruption and sedition against the state must be brought to book. However, the government must do this within the ambit of democratic rule of law. The two are not mutually exclusive. To suggest otherwise is dangerous over-indulgence and lazy. Silence is bad enough, but why ask the people to clap as the judiciary is brow-beaten to hold on to accused persons in order not to incur the wrath of the executive? Why are we being coerced into embracing fascism in the 21st century? Frighteningly, El-Rufai finished off his essay with this: Enough of lily livered leadership, it's time to run this country according to dictates of the time we live in. Well, what can I say? I'm sure I've heard similar sentiments expressed by Okiro, and from Pinochet's Chile down to apartheid South Africa. [email protected] Twitter: demdemdem1 19.01.2016 LISTEN Introduction With its vast and diverse geography, ancient civilization, Red Sea coastline, and safari potential, Sudan can be considered one of the untapped frontiers of Africas tourism industry, though the industry has been held back by a lack of infrastructure and outside investment, as well as travel alerts in some Western countries, increasing inflows of tourists from the Middle East and a concerted development drive from the Sudanese government suggest that this is about to change. This article will highlight the main features of this markets potential to develop into a regional tourism hub. Geography Sudan is the third-largest country in Africa and sixteenth-largest in the world. The country is situated in northeast Africa, with an 853-km coastline bordering the Red Sea. Both the Blue and White Nile rivers run through much of the country and the tow intersect near the capital Khartoum to form the legendary Nile that flows through Egypt to the Mediterranean. Sudan is a land of geographic extremes and the topography varies from sandy desert to grassland savannah, jagged coastlines, and tropical forests. This biological and geographic diversity makes Sudan a truly unique place to visit for any aspiring naturalist or physical geographer. Natural Treasures Sudan has the potential to become a premier destination for scuba diving in North Africa. Form Port Sudan divers can explore the most untouched waters in the Red Sea, including the famous Shaab Rumi coral reef where the world-renowned biologist and explorer Cousteau once conducted his experiments. The reef is home to an abundance of coral species, reef sharks, barracudas, bumphead parrotfish, and black and white snapper. Sudans Red Sea coast also offers some of the best wreck diving in Africa. Multiple wrecks, including the Umbria and Blue Belt, can be viewed in Sudanese waters. The Umbria wreck dive offers scuba divers the opportunity to view a World War II wreck. The ship was scuttled by the Italian Navy in 1940 to avoid it being captured by British/Sudanese forces. The ships cargo included 350,000 bombs and other arms bound for Axis forces in Eretria. The Umbria is rumored to be one of the best wreck dives in the world due to its size and shallow depth. Sudan also offers an array of safari destinations for tourists looking to explore the African savannah. Sudans Al Radom and Dinder National Parks play host ot one of the lrgest animal migrations on the planet. Each year, in the dry season (November to March), heards of white-eared kobs, tiang antelopes, mongalla gazelles, elephants, buffalo, zebras and other ungulates trample miles of dry plains in search of water and food, all in tightly-clustered groups up to 10 kilometers long. Ancient Civilization Sudan has rich and ancient history dating back to the eighth millennium B.C. the country is home to multiple ancient excavation sites, pyramids, and tombs, one of the largest being the Archeological Sites and Pyramids of Meroe, which is located just 25 hours north of Khartoum. This ancient city was the capital of the Kingdom of Kush form 800 B.C. to 350 C.E. a powerful civilization that derived its wealth from a strong iron industry and international trade with Ancient Egypt, India, and china. The Meroe Site is marked by more than two hundred pyramids in three groups, many of which are in ruins. They have a distinctive size and shape that is characteristic of Nubian-style pyramids. In June 2011, the Archeological Sites of Meroe were listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site. In addition to Meroe there are multiple other historical attractions, including the ancient Gebel Barkal site, the Amun Temple, the Wadi Al-Ubayyid Cave and many others. Islam and Culture Sudanese culture merges the practices and rituals of about 578 ethnic groups, communicating in 145 different languages, and in many ways the country represents a microcosm of Africa as a whole. Most citizens identify strongly with both Sudan and their religion. Since the arrival of Islam in the country as early as 650 A.D, the teachings of the Quran have had a great influence on the people of Sudan. The vast majority of Muslims in Sudan adhere to Sunni Islamic teachings form the Maliki School. However, Islamic practices in Sudan have been deeply influenced by Sufism. This long and diverse religious tradition, and the cultural sites that come with it, have helped to make Sudan into an appealing tourist destination in the Muslim World, particularly among travelers form the Middle East. Tourism Investment Sudans tourism sector is far less developed than other African tourism hotspots like South Africa and Kenya, making it an ideal place to invest. According to remarks made in 2013 by Tourism Minister Mohamed Abdul-karim Al-Had, Sudans tourism revenues in 2012 were estimated at around USD 600 million. In 2013, Sudan hosted over 5 million tourists and that number is expected to triple over the next decade. The government has also taken steps to streamline the regulatory environment and remove previously high tax burdens on the tourism industry. The government has achieved this by amending the current Tourism Act to make the country a more attractive place to invest in and visit. They have enacted these reforms while at the same time placing an emphasis on conservation and the protection of coral reefs and marine ecosystems. Travel and Visa Information Some Western nations have advised against non-essential travel to Sudan. Yet for the most part, other than some parts of the Darfur region and the South Sudan border area, the country is very safe. Sudan has low rates of crime and tourists are generally treated with respect. Note that alcohol cannot be brought into or purchased in Sudan. A Sudanese visa should be obtained in the travelers home country. Visas can also be obtained at the Sudanese Embassies across board. Visitors are asked to complete registration upon arrival and those wishing to photograph certain sites in the country may require a permit. Conclusion Sudan has all of the geographic and cultural resources needed to attract tourists, not just from the Middle East, but around the world. Whats lacking is the hotels and transport infrastructures to move them around the country comfortably. Yet solving this problem is only a matter of investment, and we are already seeing renewed investor interest in Sudans tourist industry. Once the necessary infrastructure is in place, theres no reason to believe that Sudan couldnt become a regional hub for tourism. Accra, Jan. 19, GNA - The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) is in the process of installing a VSAT hub, to provide universal access to telecommunications services for remote communities. The 37-million dollar project to be implemented under the award winning Rural Telephony Project would commence early this year as soon as approval has been obtained from the central tender board. The objective of the Rural Telephony Project is to motivate telecommunication operators to extend their services into locations of less commercial viability whilst GIFEC bears the cost of erecting the tower. Mr Kwabena Owusu Akyeampong, Chief Executive Officer of GIFEC, told the GNA in an interview that the installation of the VSAT hub would change drastically the process of bridging the digital gap between the urban and rural communities. 'The situation is going to drastically change because we are in the process of bringing in a VSAT hub, that is install a hub that would enable GIFEC reach the whole country at the same time,' he said. Mr Akyeampong said GIFEC has budgeted to build 100 new sites this year alone compared to 51 sites since the project started. 'For me that is a very big thing because if for a number of years that we've been in existence we have done only 51 and now within one year we can do a 100 it is a big thing,' he said. Additionally, he said GIFEC is in touch with MTN through its provider service agency Ericsson to undertake some number of sites earmarked to be completed by the first quarter of 2016. He said the rural telephony project is important because the mobile telephone companies never wanted to deploy in communities with small populations. Mr Akyeampong however said MTN 'has gone off that radar and it is now doing those small communities through Ericsson so we have some agreement with them with a list of communities that they can ably reach and they have started work on the new MTN Ericsson GIFEC sites'. 'So in terms of the rural telephony this is where we are heading and I can foresee a big future for it. Once we install the hub it means we can do more because the hub comes with its full scale internet access and I can foresee that in the next two years we should be able to cover at least 80 per cent of the country with regard to the rural telephony, once the hub is installed and give us a breakthrough of reaching every corner of the country. GIFEC is also in line to deploy more fish-finders, which use sonar technology to show what is directly below a fishermen's boat or canoe, making it possible for fishermen to locate spots where there is a significant amount of fish for harvesting. 'We will continue with the fishing programme, because we think that there are a lot more fishermen that we haven't reached. So we will do more fish-finders and this time introduce the Global Positioning System (GPS) which allows fishermen to go to a particular site do their fishing and come back.' GIFEC was created under the Ghana ICT Policy for Accelerated Development as an implementing agency of the Ministry of Communications, to facilitate the provision of ICT, Internet connectivity and infrastructure to underserved and un-served areas of the country. The Electronic Communications Act 775 promulgated in 2008 gave legal backing to the agency, changed the agency's name to GIFEC, and widened the scope of its mandate to include the provision of access to electronic services including ICT, broadcasting, Internet, multimedia service, and basic telephony for the un-served and under-served communities in Ghana. GNA 19.01.2016 LISTEN Effiduase (Ash), January 14, GNA - The Asekyerewa Youth Association (ASESA), a Civil Society Organisation dedicated to the improvement of the youth in rural communities, has held a fun fair for more than 2,000 kids including the destitute in the Sekyere East District of Ashanti. The children had lots of fun as they were hosted to live band music, choreography dance, live comedy shows and fun games in addition to a special treat of delicious meals including rice, Indomie noodles and other delicacies. This happened at Effiduase in the Sekyere East District and on hand to grace the grand kiddies' fair was Mr. Peter Anarfi Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, Mrs Patience Opoku, a representative from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mr Kwadwo Addai, District Chief executive for Sekyere East, Some Queens and Miss Akosua Ayiwa Sika, the second runner-up of the Ghana's Most Beautiful pageant. Mr Peter Anarfi Mensah, addressing the children, advised them to work hard on their books to justify the huge investment their parents were making in their education. He applauded ASESA for their selfless efforts to help the youth in the area to access high quality education no matter their geographical location to make life better for them in future. Mr. Kwame Appiah-Kubi, President of ASESA, said the Association has for the past 30 years been providing assistance to the community with improved access to healthcare and education. This has been the provision of free medical screening, treatment and medical supplies to the Effiduase and peripheral communities by its partners, the Gold Coast Medical Foundation based in Oklahoma in the United States of America (USA). In the area of education, he said basic school children under ASESA's auspices, have benefitted from free ICT training whiles a number of computers have been distributed to some of the basic schools in the District. Mr Appiah-Kubi said added to these, vacation and remedial classes are organized for re-sit candidates of basic education certificate examination (BECE) whiles first time candidates are taken through special classes organized on week-ends to expose them to how to answer questions during examinations. He thanked Indomie Noodles, Rice Masters, Producers of Blue Skies Energy Drink and Sasso Insecticides for providing sponsorship for the programme. GNA President John Dramani Mahama 2 19.01.2016 LISTEN After concealing vital information about the two ex-Guantanamo detainees transferred to Ghana, from the Government, it appears Americans have the intension to launch a mockery attack on the West African country, as a Fox News Contributor has set the stage with the obnoxious claim that Ghana cannot be located on the world map, hence the silence from the citizens and the press, when the Yemeni nationals arrived in the country. Charles Krauthammer, while registering his view on Guantanamo Recidivism Concern as part of discussions on Fox News' Special Report, indicated that, the reason importation of the duo hasn't registered in the press, public opinion, is because nobody can find Ghana on the map. Even though he would not fault the President for accepting the terror suspects because: I assume they gave the Ghanaians false information about the nature of these guys, he juxtaposed Ghana's situation with what will possibly be the charged atmosphere in the United States, if they had been transferred there. According to him, when they try to send one of these miscreants to the US, it will be a huge story and that is why they are sending them abroad. Mahmud Umar Muhammad bin Atef, 36, and Khalid Muhammad Salih al-Dhuby, 38, were held in the notorious American detention facility in Cuba for 14 years, without charge. They are to settle in Ghana for two years. Following their arrival, various concerns have been expressed. While the ruling government, the National Democratic Congress and its communicators are in constant defence of the deal for them to resettle in Ghana, members of the opposition persistently bash government for the decision, demanding their repatriation. Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, in an interview with Accra-based radio station, Joy FM, rubbished the agitations by some Ghanaians to send back the Guantanamo Bay ex-detainees, saying it was not possible, per the agreement reached with the United States. According to him, The ex-detainees were not brought here against their will and cannot leave before the two years agreement signed between their government and the government of Ghana. So all we can do as a country is to put measures in place to prevent the peace of this country from being undermined During a session with journalists at the seat of Government, the Flagstaff House recently, President John Dramani Mahama in his response to a question concerning the former Guantanamo Bay detainees, allayed fears that they could be a threat to the security of the country. He said: These two detainees, Al-Dhuby and Bin Atef were considered to be the most compliant detainees in Guantanamo camp, buttressing his contention that they were put in the lowest category at the detention centre. But contrary information available to Thomas Joscelyn, FDN for Defence of Democracies, who was also a panelist of Fox News' Special Report, revealed that Joint Task Force Guantanamo segmented their detainees into low, middle and high risk and convincingly placed Bin Atef in the high risk category. what it means is they believe he is someone who is likely to pose a threat to the US, its interest and allies around the world, he explained. Further tightening the tag placed on Bin Atef, Steve Hayes, also a Fox News Contributor, while describing the presence of the former detainees in Ghana as a big deal, said it was not a simple issue. According to him, This is representative of the kind of transfers and releases that we have seen from the Obama administration and to some extent, from the Bush administration. Describing Bin Atef as a very bad guy, he was surprised the Government of Ghana swallowed the explanation by the Obama-led administration that he was never involved in terrorism, the reason he was placed in a lower risk category while in detention. Mr. Hayes discredited the United States' positive account of the background of Bin Atef when he exposed checks by the United States Military Intelligence Officials on him, stating otherwise. The last time the US Military Intelligence Officials reviewed his background, they said he was assessed to be a fighter of Osama bin Laden's 55th Air Brigade; he was an admitted member of Taliban; he participated in hostilities against the United States and continued to demonstrate support for extremism and Osama bin Laden. He further hinted that the ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee was recruited by terrorist group, Al Qaeda, during which time he trained at their famous al-Qaida al-Faruq training camp and stayed at Al Qaeda guest houses. His name was on Al Qaeda documents. He has threatened to kill US citizensslit their throat, the political analyst maintained. The picture painted by the Fox News Contributor was the instigation of the labeling of Bin Atef as a high risk detainee by the Joint Task Force located at the detention facility in Cuba. He is a high risk to the guards at Guantanamo and certainly, if he were released as high risk, they said, he is likely to pose a threat to the United States, its interest and its allies, he pointed out. By Pascal Kafu Abotsi ([email protected]) Railway4 540x 19.01.2016 LISTEN Broad daylight robbery is what one can describe the fraud cases happening at the Accra Railway Station near the Kantamanto and Agbogloshie markets. Though the area is busy with the influx of people from all walks of life to sell, buy and do other businesses there, it is like no one can help whenever a victim encounters these fraudsters. Concerned persons can only observe with worry, but nothing he or she could really do to help the unsuspecting victims, because of the fear of getting stabbed with a knife or dangerous weapon. The thieves often defraud their victims by posing as pastors or a stranger who has missed his or her way to a particular destination. Others also pose as Mallams ready to offer spiritual help to interested parties. Persons who are not preview to these tricks get robbed, and some even collapse in the process. A trader, who said her name was Mansah, told the file that a few days ago, a young woman was deprived of GH4,000 given to her by her madam to buy items for the shop, adding that the young woman actually collapsed and water had to be poured on her. She said though a police station is nearby, nothing really has been done to curtail the menace, which is a threat to even traders in the area. It is no news that someone had been duped on the rails. Those tricksters have masters they make daily sales to. It is a matter of being careful and vigilant anytime you come around this area, Mansah advised. The Accra Railway station This reporter tried to find out for herself how these tricksters operate, surprisingly, a few metres away from Mansah, heading towards Accra Brewery, here were able ladies being prayed for by the fraudsters. One can only watch what the fraudsters are doing in the open without uttering a word or signalling a warning sign to the victims. According to another trader the Accra File interviewed, the issue had severally been reported to the Railway Police Station, but the tricksters are still there conducting their criminal activities. He said sometimes if the tricksters fail to lure a shopper or alike, but realised there is money or valuable items on the person, they would attack him or her. The Accra File, therefore, calls on the police administration to intensify security in the area to bring about sanity. By Bernice Bessey 19.01.2016 LISTEN The General Overseer of the Open Arms Ministries/Jesus Chapel in Kumasi, Apostle Kofi Nkansah-Sarkodie, has said 98% of Ghanaian politicians are corrupt. He said they are neck deep in corrupt practices, as witnessed in the 10% on contracts syndrome, at the expense of development and welfare of the people. The Minister of the Gospel, who also answers to Brother Saint Sark and claims to be a representative of Jesus in Ghana, said Ghanaian politicians are not patriotic enough, and stressed that partisan politics is not good for Ghana. At a meeting with the media, Apostle Nkansah-Sarkodie bemoaned the situation where politicians from the various parties accuse each other of bribery and corruption, when all of them are neck deep in this quagmire. It is an open secret that some of them even ask for favours, he stated, and cautioned that so long as governments and ruling parties continue with evil acts and charge ten percent and above on every project awarded on contract throughout the country, bribery and corruption would continue. He, therefore, sounded a word of caution to all government appointees, heads of institutions, Members of Parliament, the judiciary, security forces, houses of chiefs to stop asking for favours or be cursed (by blindness, leprosy, epilepsy and stroke). Apostle Nkansah-Sarkodie, however, disclosed that politicians have come to their wits end, since they cannot have their way again, because the Satanic bondage on Ghana is broken, following the choice of Ghana as Gods chosen nation, and Kumasi as His capital. The pastor admonished the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, to opt out of partisan politics. He said Mrs. Rawlings should forget about her National Democratic Party (NDP), because partisan politics is not for her. Mrs. Rawlings, divine calling is to help with emancipation and development of women, he said. Meanwhile, Apostle Nkansah-Sarkodie has suggested a five-year one term office for the president of Ghana. He said if his recommendation is endorsed, no government should go for a second term, and further suggested 50 years minimum for those who aspire for the presidency, and called for a review of the age of aspiring presidents. The Kumasi-based pastor and radio evangelist said a President could aspire for the Presidency again, ten years after his first term had expired, when he is 65. This, he said, would strengthen the system for good governance and allow for more presidents to avail their experience and advice to strengthen the Council of State concept. Apostle Nkansah-Sarkodie also said an aspiring Member of Parliament should be 40 years plus and experienced in life, to be able to represent the aspirations and interest of their constituents. From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi Flash Colombia's government confirmed on Monday it will soon release an initial group of 16 imprisoned members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group to bolster ongoing peace talks. The rebels will be released this week, following the pardoning of some 30 FARC prisoners doing time for relatively minor crimes, such as illegal possession of weapons or communications gear for the exclusive use of the armed forces. "Before the end of January, the government expects to release the remaining 14 pardoned," Minister of Justice Yesid Reyes told National Radio station, adding no FARC leaders are among those being released. The gesture sends a strong message of trust as the FARC and the government try and wrap up peace talks in Havana, Cuba, aimed at ending the protracted decades-old conflict. "This pardon was adopted as a gesture to build trust between the government and the FARC," President Juan Manuel Santos said in November. FARC guerrillas on Sunday asked the government to also release incarcerated rebels suffering from health problems. "In this crucial stage of the peace process, we ask the national government for a new trust-building gesture, an additional step of de-escalation with a clear humanitarian purpose, to release guerrilla members and leaders who are suffering from serious health problems," a guerrilla statement said. Reyes said he had no information about rebels with health problems in jail. crushed military dispatch rider 19.01.2016 LISTEN The Minister of Defence, Benjamin Kumbour, has visited the widow of the late Petty Officer (PO) II, Simon Akumpele, of the Ghana Navy, who died Sunday after being accidentally crushed by a military motorbike. The late PO II Akumpele, 37, based at Michel Camp, was a dispatch rider and during an advance display to pull out the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) at the Burma Camp last Sunday, he was accidentally crushed into by another military dispatch rider who was also on display from the opposite direction. Accompanied by Rear Admiral Faidoo, Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Lieutenant Colonel Albert Ogadza, Commanding Officer (CO) of the First Battalion of Infantry (1BN), Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, Greater Accra Regional (GAR) Minister, among other high military rating officers, the Defence Minister sympathized with the widow, Mrs. Cynthia Akumpele and the entire bereaved family. He described the painful demise of PO II Akumpele as a big blow to the family especially because the deceased was the bread winner of an expectant wife and two children, namely Randy Akumpele, 9, and Roy Akumpele, 6. The Defence Minister encouraged the wife and the entire bereaved family to remain strong and console the pregnant wife and children. He later presented an undisclosed amount to the family. Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, on his part, described the death of PO II Simon Akumpele as unfortunate. He entreated dispatch riders in the security services to place premium on their lives whenever they are displaying their riding skills at functions and on the highways. He presented GHc1,000, two pieces of cloth and some assorted food items to the wife and bereaved family. PO II Mudat Abubakr, who represented the family head of the Akumpeles, was thankful to their guests for visiting to mourn with the bereaved family. He received the donations on behalf of the bereaved wife and family. PO II Simon Akumpelay, a native of Kusanaba in Bawku in the Upper West Region, was enlisted into the Ghana Navy on January 9, 2003. From Inusa Musah, Michel Camp. President Mahama and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) government have come under a barrage of criticisms by Ghanaians for importing two Guantanamo Bay detainees into the country, under a special arrangement with the US government. The two -Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby were arrested fourteen years ago and exiled to the Guantanamo Bay Prison camp in Cuba, for their alleged involvement in the Al Qaeda activities in the Middle East. The American government came under heavy criticism for the way and manner the human rights of the detainees were being abused by their captors. The Obama government, as part of his campaign to become president of US, promised to close down the detention camp if he was voted to power. This year is the last term of President Obama's stay in office and in fulfillment of his pledge to the American people, he has started the process to close down the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. As part of the process, the prisoners are being distributed to various parts of the world, of which Ghana has been one of the luckiest beneficiaries. Regrettably, latest information emerging from the same US indicates that the Obama government painted a rosy picture about the conduct of the two detainees who are already in Ghana, when the contrary is the case. President Mahama and members of his government have stoutly argued that the detainees pose less security threat to the country and that, apart from the information provided by the US, his government also did their checks and came to the conclusion that they indeed pose less security risk to the country. Fox News, one of the major American news outlets is, however, punching holes into this argument, insisting that per the US own assessment of the two detainees; they are of high risk and, therefore, wondered why they should be sent to Ghana. First of all, The Chronicle does not think President Mahama would deliberately bring in the two detainees when he knows they could pose a security threat to the country. He took the decision to accept the two jihadists based on the apparent false information provided by the US government. To us, therefore, the best thing President Mahama should have done was to task his national security top ranks to open a fresh investigation into the conduct of the two detainees and if what Fox News and other news networks, including Wikileaks are saying is confirmed, approach the US government for them to take back the detainees. Unfortunately this is not being done. Rather, our president and members of his government continue to defend the decision they have taken in the face of the new evidence that is emerging about the detainees. As we write this piece, a Belgian newspaper is also reporting that two ex-Guantanamo detainees have been arrested and detained in Belgium for terrorism charges. If there are no problems with the Guantanamo detainees, why have the Belgian police arrested some of them? Almost all the people who matter in the scheme of affairs have spoken against the decision of the government. The Chronicle does not think all these people are against the government, yet the impression is being created that those opposing the government have ganged up to tarnish the image of the president and his government. A listening government, after all the hullabaloo, would have announced to the entire nation that their criticisms have been taken on board and that government was going back to hold consultations with the US government, based on the emerging evidence and that the outcome would be communicated to them. This is not the time for government officials to start branding people, instead of addressing the real issues at stake. This country belongs to all Ghanaians and not a selected few. We are, therefore, advising President Mahama to tread cautiously because this is not the time to be showing any sign of bellicosity. The start of a new year is often accompanied by plans and strategies to ensure that there is a significant improvement over the previous year. Speaking of airlines in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines made history last year by having the first all-female flight crew - this was a great feat in terms of women empowerment and it stormed several social media platforms. The previous year has proved that certain national carriers set the pace for others in terms of improving the reach of their flights, having ambitious expansion strategies and the replacement of aging aircrafts thus improving environmentally-friendly travel with more fuel-efficient crafts. As the second largest and second most populated continent, Africa ought to account for more than the 3% of the world's air traffic which it approximately caters to due to its insufficiency thus most of its air traffic is being carried out by foreign airlines. It is important to reiterate that the aviation industry in Africa is a vital catalyst for Africas economic growth and social advancement hence there is an increasing need to meet the demands of air travel on the continent in order to facilitate business, trade, tourism and social interaction within and outside the African continent. A reliable aviation industry in Africa would help bring the continent closer to its aims of creating greater wealth and promoting sustainable development. Travel experts in Jovago.com reveal important aspects that require attention to ensure the progress of airline companies in Africa. Boosting innovation and technological know-how Ethiopia s flag carrier has been a pacesetter of sorts in the sphere of African airlines, it was the first to introduce the Boeing 787 in Africa and this has had a tremendous effect on their functionality as an airline and also on the ecological footprint made by the airline. Compared to the other notable airlines such as the SAA and KQ , this is one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry and rates among the largest on the African continent. Boosting innovation would also affect the quality of pilots which will in turn affect the frequency of plane crashes. Learning from past experience Many African national carriers did not survived due to several reasons, countries such as Nigeria, Uganda , Ghana and Cameroun amongst others have made decade-long decisions to ditch their national carriers for private ones. The experiences of these countries could be put to use by the present national carriers to encourage progress for their airlines. Lessons could be learnt on a myriad of issues ranging from strategies to adopt for expansion to policies to build upon to avoid losses. Forming useful mergers In support of the previous points, mergers amongst African airlines would help improve the coverage of the African airspace better. It could also cater to the increasing demand of flights as the stronger and weaker national carriers could unite to achieve more realistic goals. There is also room within these possible mergers for private airlines. What could be done to gear up Africas aviation industry? What are your ideas on this raging African issue? About Jovago Jovago.com is an online hotel booking service with offices in Lagos (Nigeria), Nairobi (Kenya), Dakar (Senegal) founded by Africa Internet Holding and has MTN as one of the investors. Jovago.com, Africas No.1 booking portal facilitates the booking process for its users to provide them with the best hotel booking experience with fast, transparent and easy-to-use services. Jovago.com has over 25,000 local hotel listings across Africa and over 200,000 hotels around the world. Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JovagoTravel Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jovago.com Whether Ghanaians and their leaders can withstand subtle foreign aggression which comes sometimes in the form of imposition of unpalatable decisions on sovereign states depends on how soon the country can stand on its own and wean itself off donor support. In 2003, Ghana signed a bilateral agreement with the United States of America which stipulated that Ghana would not surrender any US service person to the International Criminal Court in case that service person committed an act of genocide.http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Parliament-Ratifies-US-Non-Surrender-Agreement-45811. The then opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) led in parliament by Hon. A.S.K Bagbin opposed the ratification vehemently, albeit losing 53 votes to 101 to the then majority New Patriotic Party. America rewarded Ghana with what turned out to be the first tranche of 547 million -U.S. Dollar Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) grant, part of which was used to construct the N1 George Walker Bush Highway. That was what Sheikh Isaac Cudjoe Quaye, former Greater Accra Regional Minister in the NPP regime, described as "The money is big oh!" While Ghana awaits the second compact of 498 million dollars preconditioned on reforming the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) from the MCA, two former terror suspects held in Guantanamo Bay for 14 years have been released to settle in Ghana for the next two years as a New Year present, to the chagrin of many sections of the Ghanaian society. Every student of American foreign policy is aware of the oft-trumpeted cliche that the US has no permanent friends but permanent interests. The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States, including all the Bureaus and Offices in the United States Department of State [1] as mentioned in the Foreign Policy Agenda of the Department of State are "to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community (Wikipedia). The adage that says he who pays the piper calls the tune must not be lost on Ghanaians as a people. History will show that even the loan for building the Akosmbo Dam may have benefitted America more than Ghana, in that, the establishment of the Volta Aluminum Company (VALCO) was tied to that loan. VALCO did not invest without first requiring assurances from Ghana's government, incentives such as company exemptions from taxes on trade and discounted purchases of electricity (Wikipedia). While VALCO consumed 80 percent of the power generated from Akosombo, three countries, Ghana, Togo and Benin, depended on the remaining 20 percent. The timing of Kaisers pulling out of VALCO and the current challenges the dam faces might not be mere coincidences: weve been f**ked, is the way Americans put it. Nigeria has been able to ban successfully the importation of chicken and poultry products but Ghanas attempt during the President Kufuor era was nipped in the bud by our so-called western partners. One recent development Ghanaians and indeed Africans have to watch carefully, with a lot of interest is the American stated desire to help solve Ghana and Africas energy crisis. Will these overtures not turn out to accepting a Trojan Horse? It is instructive and interesting to note that ever since news broke about the ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees, our two ex-presidents, Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor, as well as the NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo have remained silent. Is this silence golden or it is really because they are well aware of the direct and indirect consequences of the diplomatic and economic overtures towards the country during their reign? The overriding evidence from the way our country has been run over the years, especially after the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah and except during the era of Gen. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, the rest of our leaders have been subjected to the whims and caprices of foreign powers whose bidding Ghana is just too willing to do. Meanwhile, these powers will always act to protect their lands, and create the right atmosphere for their private sector to thrive on. Until such time that we are able to wean ourselves from the apron strings of these powers, our country would remain an extension of Number 10 Downing Street, the White House, and the Palais de l'Elysee (Elysee Palace) Bundeskanzleramt (German Chancellery) and other power bases. In doing this, our leaders must come to the realization of what sovereignty entails and avoid partnerships that would have far reaching negative ramifications for the country in future. There is no monetary consideration and the US itself would have disclosed if there was any monetary consideration. We have been allies with the United States for a very long time; we have partnered in a lot of things: It didnt start today and we continue to collaborate in areas of security, training with our armed forces and in areas of defense, was President Mahamas explanation of what Ghana gains from partnering the US on this issue. Revered statesman K. B Asantes take on the issue is insightful. He stresses that Ghanas founding president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, would have accepted the ex-Gitmo detainees in Ghana after appraising the situation. We should ask for something, assistance, not monetary or any other but real assistance in the matter of security because, lets face fact, and if you dont face facts in this world, you go haywire, the Americans we may not like them - Im not pro-American but they have methods. They have the facilities to follow these people, to tell us what these people are, the evergreen statesman declared. The above quote from K.B Asante sums it up: Ghanas foreign policy must be based on the countrys permanent interests. It took what Raymond C. Ewing, U.S Ambassador to Ghana between 1989 and 1992, describes as Scarf Diplomacy a rare gesture from such an African revolutionary leader like Jerry John Rawlings to President George Bush Snr. to rebuild relations between Ghana and the US. (An incident that transpired between Rawlings and Bush Snr at the funeral in Tokyo of Emperor Hirohito http://adst.org/2015/05/ghanas-populist-mystic-jerry rawlings/?fdx_switcher=true). Having run a revolutionary state for close to a decade, the military leader may have realized how strategic partnering America would be as the cold war was waning and not much help was coming from the communist block and Eastern Europe to his country anyway. Subsequently, the long hand of Americas foreign policy has been very present in dictating the pace and affairs in Ghanas democratization process, through covert and overt channels, especially through the facilitation of the formation of stronger than usual so-called think tanks that are loud in the affairs of Ghanas democracy. All countries which know what they want and what is good for them in the near-through the medium to long-term seek alliances with other nations, and Ghana must not be left out. These realities are not completely unique to Ghana per se, since globalization also comes along the issue of interdependence in which there are some actions and demands a sovereign nation might not be able to avoid completely. However, it must be admitted that, in spite of the strategic alliances Ghana may strike with other nations, big or small, powerful or minor, the overriding interests of the present and future generations of Ghana must underpin such alliances. Enditem. Justice Lee Adoboe Senior Correspondent Accra Bureau of the Xinhua News Agency Tel. 0302771128 Fax. 0302771196 Cell. 233243364994/233267220568 web: www.xinhuanet.com/enlish-Africa www.fighana.com 19.01.2016 LISTEN Airtel, Ghanas fastest growing telecom company gave 280 customers opportunity to redeem gifts from 26 Airtel Rewardz benefit partners during the festive season; Airtel Rewardz is aimed at recognizing and appreciating its customers for every spend they make on the network; This is undoubtedly the most rewarding and insightful offer in the telecom industry; points earned are used to redeem shopping vouchers, Silverbird tickets, spa treats, dinner for two discounts on various services and other lifestyle products and services; and, Marketing Director of the Smartphone Network says this is a one-of-a-kind loyalty programme never seen in Ghanas telecom industry. [Accra, January 19, 2016] Airtel Rewardz, a loyalty programme of Ghanas fastest growing telecom company, Airtel, aimed at recognizing and appreciating its customers for every spend they make on the network, over the holiday season, gave 280 customers the opportunity to redeem exciting gifts and offers with their loyalty points. Customers excitedly redeemed Koala and Cigusta shopping vouchers, Silverbird tickets, spa treats at Spa Body, dinner for two at Royal Richester and discounts on meals at Aboude Restaurant in Kumasi. Rosy Fynn, Marketing Director of Airtel Ghana said, Airtel Rewardz is our breakthrough loyalty programme designed to reward and celebrate our customers for every spend they make on the Smartphone Network all year round. It is our way of saying thank you to our customers, pure and simple. Over the festive season we gave our customers the opportunity to redeem their prizes with our benefit partners across the country. Every Airtel customer can benefit from Rewardz by simply using their lines. As you call, text or use data, you accumulate points, for every 10 pesewas earns customers one (1) point. These accumulated points can be exchanged for items from the loyalty catalogue in the form of voice, data or SMS products as well as products and services from our benefit partners, she concluded Airtels benefit partners give customers the opportunity to pick their rewards from a range of delectable products and services. Points earned by customers entitles them to free devices, lunch, dinner and breakfast vouchers, shopping vouchers, spa treatments, movie tickets and many more. The Marketing Director explained that Every Airtel customer can benefit from Airtel Rewardz by subscribing to the programme through the short code *566# or by texting EN to 566. Airtel Rewardz is an innovation resulting from the companys commitment to enriching the lives of its customers and for showing its appreciation for customers loyalty. In the spirit of its values of Alive, Inclusive and Respectful, Airtel Ghana continues to add to its portfolio a number of exceptional and exciting products, services and partnerships. Airtel is the fastest growing telecommunications brand in Ghana and leader in data and digital innovation. About Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 335 million customers across its operations at the end of August 2015. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com About Airtel in Africa Airtel is driven by the vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services to all. Airtel has 17 operations in Africa: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Airtel International is a Bharti Airtel company. For more information, please visit www.airtel.com, or like the Airtel Ghana Facebook page via www.facebook.com/airtelgh or follow us on Twitter via the handle @airtelghana. 19.01.2016 LISTEN The constitution of Akufo Addo by which the NPP is now governed sealed what so ever was left unsealed in the grand plan to keep the poor poorer and the rich, richer. For instance, Article 1(3) clause D of the Akufo Addo constitution takes away every right a member of New Patriotic Party has to question his or her Fundamental Rights as Ghanaian first and a member of the NPP second; Article 1(3) clause D shall not except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, extend to any issue or question as to whether any act of omission by any authority or person or as to whether any group or any person decision is in conformity with the fundamental objectives New Patriotic Party as set out in Chapter 3 of this Constitution In crux, as members of NPP, we do not have the right to question if the actions of a person in authority or any law or judicial decision are in conformity with our fundamental rights. In essence, as long as one is in authority over another, the governed has limited or no rights to question, or request for the obligations of governors to be fulfilled in either his life, or that of his constituency or party. So as long as power remains in a certain quarters, that quarter determines your political future. Meanwhile, the same Constitution in Article 2 titled FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVES gives us Rights that has been withdrawn in Article 1(3) clause D as mentioned above. Right to contest any decision Right to participate in any activities Right to be heard He is too old to be corrupt Right to a safe environment Cultural rights His wife will not be in charge of contracts All the presumed Fundamental Rights as listed above are as strange as fictitious mythology told by aliens as we all know that none of us can request for such rights. So the question is why do we pay dues when we cannot hold the leadership responsible for our welfare, not to mention the logistics that has never been provided by the party? What right does the treasurer have to own and acquire treasury bills when we want money to prosecute arise for change agenda? What is his business in reactivating a dormant party account contrary to banking and accounting principles? The fraud of the constitution that allocates resources from Treasurer to only national and Regional Officers; the constitution that permanently without prove allocates far more resources to the sprinter groups than constituencies is ever considered. The Constitution of Akufo Addo is designed to either sentence a goat stealer to indefinite years of suspension , or hanged by the neck, while a multimillionaire thief is endlessly charged for misdemeanor and acquitted or worst, promoted to a more sensitive post to perpetrate fraud. The Akufo Addos Constitution before the advent of suspension prepared the Invisible Forces for his National Security at the Ports and Harbours in preparation for mastery the confiscated car industry. These are just some of the schemes in our Constitution of the apparatus called Suspension. Its biggest Fraud is to claim that WE THE MEMBERS that is I and you came together to agree to defraud ourselves. When did we firmly swear to agree on these lies and unholy marriage of suspension? A party with no possibility of progressing. No, not with what binds us together. Having considered all abnormalities in the contraption called the Suspension that is enmeshed in secrecies, lies, hypocrisy and propaganda, and having confirmed that the contraption and its systems was designed to fail while enslaving a section of it and the governed in its entirety, is it best to continue to dwell in the illusion? No matter how well you believe and think that there will be a perfect leader that will right all the wrongs if that is your hope, have you considered the possibilities of DEFENDING the constitution that empower all these wrongdoers? Akufo Addo himself does not allow for a change neither will the benefactors of the contraception allow it. The only way to right the wrongs imposed by Akufo -Addo is to respect our constitution, to create a party that the devils has no hand in it. To create a party that will be built on morals that have been agreed upon by all parties involved as contain in the constitution, unlike the NPP suspension that was shrouded in a conspiracy by a few. The strength of a party that will be founded on the diversity of our different strength; a party with a defined work plan to progress, a party built on a people of a kind that all agree on the sacrosanct of life. Not a party that will be torn apart by faction or fear of the factionalism of our brothers. A party built on the principles of constitutional autonomy and not parasitic dependency. The only way to successfully break away from this contraption called suspension without these imperialist Slave/Masters responding with a possible constitutional genocide being what they always want and might want is to break away as a united party. As long as we continue to see ourselves differently, as long as we are suspicious of each other, as long as we see each other as a potential threat, then we will continue to be under the propaganda spell that has placed us as a common slave under the JAK/Nana Boyism. The people of JAK did not see themselves as a threat to Nanas when they decided to correct the imperialist Akufo-Addo, but the only way to respond to corrections is to, suspend them, and reject everything that came from them. We can only do this as a united body, under unified umbrella, under an umbrella that involves not just the Akufo Addo agitators, but the entire party of the Dankwa-Busia-Dombo taxonomy. I have done my part; I have expressly defined the fraud called Akufo Addos Constitution. I have made it clear that NPP was never designed to progress under his regime as flagbearer, best of all; I introduce you to how others were suspended. If you find this exposition useful, please share or republish either in full or in parts on your walls or your WhatsApp platforms. Gbane (U/E), Jan. 19, GNA - The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Sun Baohong, has called for a joint collaboration between the governments of China and Ghana to fight illegal mining in the country. The Chinese Ambassador made the call when she paid a working visit to the Shaanxi Mining Ghana Limited, operating at Gbane in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region. The Company, which was granted license by the Minerals Commission in 2008, has since been offering mining support services to two small scale mining groups, namely Yenyeya and Pubortaaba Mining Groups. The Ambassador expressed concern about media reportage of some Chinese involvement in illegal mining activities, saying not only were Chinese engaged in such activities, but also some Ghanaians and other nationals. She therefore called for a concerted effort from both the Chinese government and the Ghana government to dialogue effectively on how to tackle the menace. Whilst commending the Shaanxi Mining Company for contributing to job creation and curbing rural urban - migration in the Region and living up to its Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR), she called on the Management to ensure that they operated according to the mining and safety laws in Ghana, paying particular attention to the environment. The Ambassador said she was overwhelmed by the mining equipment of the Shaanxi Company and gave the assurance that her outfit would lobby to support the growth of the Company. Briefing the Ambassador on the activities of the Shaanxi Company, the Public Relations Officer, Mr Maxwell Woomah, said the Company was not only the largest mining Company in the Region but in the Northern and Upper West Regions. He said the Company employed 520 people and had the capacity to mine 1,000 tonnes of ore per day, but presently mine 200 tonnes. He stressed the need for the law to be relaxed so it could offer more mining support services to other small scale miners and employ more people. 'The Company paid 70,000 Ghana cedis to the District Assembly as Business operation rates, paid compensation to affected farmers, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the community to provide a school as well as construct boreholes,' he indicated. The Safety Engineer of the Company, Mr Thomas Yenzanya, who took the stakeholders through the Company's profile, stated that the Company operated according to mining laws and regulations of the country, and stressed that it had the best safety measures in place and also renewed its license annually. GNA 19.01.2016 LISTEN Accra, Jan. 19, GNA - A Travel Consultant who defrauded a trader of GHE12,000.00 under the pretext of securing him a German visa but failed has appeared before a Circuit Court in Accra. Edwin Tetteh aka Karl, charged with defrauding by false pretences, has pleaded not guilty. The court, presided over by Ms Patricia Quansah, admitted Tetteh aka Kweku Annan to bail in the sum of GHE30,000.00 with two sureties. He is to reappear on January 22. The court ordered that the sureties should provide their valid photo identity cards at the court's Registry. Chief inspector Francis Tarsan said Mr Samuel Kwarteng, the complainant resides at Weija in Accra. Tetteh resides at Kwashiebu, Accra. Chief Inspector Tarsan said during the year 2013, the complainant told his friend one Kofi Banini that he wanted to travel outside the country. Prosecution said Banini therefore introduced the complainant to Tetteh who promised to assist him to secure a Schengen visa so he could travel to Germany. The Prosecutor said Tetteh charged a fee of GHE12,000.00 and promised to secure the visa within a month. Chief Inspector Tarsan said Tetteh told stories over the visa until on November 25, last year, he called the complainant to meet him at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) at 2:00am, so that complainant could travel to Germany. Complainant, prosecution said, went to KIA as agreed but accused failed to show up. Accused person later called to say that the schedule had changed so he should go home, prosecution said. On December 10, last year, Tetteh called the complainant again and asked him to meet him at the Airport at 11:00 am. Tetteh however did not turn up despite several calls made to him. A report was made to the Police and Tetteh was arrested. GNA 19.01.2016 LISTEN Accra, Jan. 19, GNA - Bayport Financial Services Plc on Tuesday listed two tranches of its medium-term notes worth GHa78.5 million, the largest Ghana cedi denominated bonds, on the Ghana Alternative Market (GAX). The notes are part of a 200-million note programme to help the company reduce debt and boost working capital. It is also the fourth listing of debt instrument on the GAX and would help Bayport Ghana to diversify its domestic funding sources and reduce dependence on foreign denominated funding. Speaking at the listing ceremony on the floor of the Ghana Stock Exchange, Mrs Mona Quartey, the Deputy Minister of Finance, said the GAX would help to unlock access to financing, which the small and medium scale enterprises require to expand. She said the mission of GAX was consistent with government's programme to expand the frontiers of credit provision. Mr Kofi Adu-Mensah, the Managing Director of Bayport Ghana, said Bayport had in the past 12 years being providing financial services to the formal and informal sectors of Ghana, focusing on individuals who are at the lower end of the earning spectrum. However, he said, funding for its operations was skewed towards foreign denominated funds, which comes with inherent foreign exchange risks and losses. He said the listing would give Bayport Ghana access to significant funding from the domestic capital market to cater for the growing financial needs of its increasing customers in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy. 'Today as we list the successful 78.5 million Ghana cedis note issuance which is part of Bayport 200 million medium term note programme on the Ghana alternative market. We are confidently saying our promise to our customers would be fulfilled, our promise to our shareholders would be fulfilled and now our promise to individuals who invested in the bonds through a fund manager would also be fulfilled,' he said. 'We will all be winning together and reaping from the success of a domestically Ghanaian funded business that is thriving to bring affordable financial services to all,' Mr Adu-Mensah said. Mr Kwame Pianim, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bayport, called for collaboration and broad consultations on decisions that would affect the smooth performance of the Ghana Stock Exchange. He urged institutional investors to try to sell some of their holdings to boost the liquidity of the stock market to attract more investors. Mr Kofi Yamoah, the Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, said given all incentives, the listed debt market could grow bigger. He said the new Income Tax law, which had taken away all incentives previously enjoyed on the stock market, was threatening the viability of the market. 'As we strive to improve liquidity, government must complement the efforts to raise investment,' he said. Mr Yamoah said there are plans to migrate the debt instruments onto the Ghana Fixed Income Platform and urged Bayport Ghana to share information with investors to enhance transparency. Bayport Ghana began operations in 2012 and currently has 32 branches, 350 staff and 120,000 customers. GNA Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran is set to highlight China's constructive role in promoting peace and development in the Middle East. PEACE AND STABILITY President Xi's tightly scheduled visit includes meetings with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Iranian President Hassan Rowhani and a speech at the headquarters of the League of Arab States (LAS) in Cairo. In the speech, Xi will make clear China's policies and proposals for promoting peace and development in the region. Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming said at a briefing on Monday that in these meetings, Xi and Middle East leaders will hold an extensive exchange of views on major regional and international issues to advance peace and stability in the region and the world. During his visit to Riyadh, Xi will also hold separate meetings with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani and Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Iyad Ameen Madani. China has always held a just and balanced stance on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, Zhang said. China has maintained thorough communication with Middle East countries to help ease tensions in the region. He said through Xi's visit, China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. "Xi's visit will help outline the new, active role that China wants to play in the Middle East," said Bai Lianlei, assistant researcher with the China Institute of International Studies. Bai said China is one of only a few countries in the world that simultaneously maintain sound relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel. He said Xi's Middle East trip at this juncture reflects the ever greater priority that China attaches to the region in its foreign policy. The trip will help recast China's role in the Middle East and set an orientation for the future growth of China-Middle East relations. FIGHTING TERRORISM The three countries that Xi will visit during his first Middle East trip are all greatly influential in the region. According to Vice Foreign Minister Zhang, China has always adopted a just and balanced stance on hot issues in the region. He emphasized China's consistent stance on terrorism and said Xi will exchange views with the leaders of the three countries on regional and international issues. Zhang said both China and the Middle East are victims of terrorism and important participants in international counter-terrorism cooperation. "We are ready to jointly address the challenge of terrorism," the vice foreign minister said. In the past few years, China has stepped up its efforts to mediate touchy issues in the Middle East and played a unique role in resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, the South Sudan issue and the Yemen crisis. "Xi's visit to the three countries shows that China has accumulated diplomatic resources and political wisdom (in addressing these issues)," Bai Lianlei said. China insists that promoting development is fundamental to realizing peace and stability in the region. China has firmly supported all countries in the region to explore their development paths according to their own national conditions. China is opposed to double standards on anti-terrorism and in connecting terrorism with specific religious and ethnic issues. China now has more than 1,700 peace-keeping personnel in the Middle East, accounting for more than half the number the country has sent abroad for global peace-keeping missions. SEIZING OPPORTUNITY Xi's visit will help plan pragmatic cooperation with the three countries and bring results. According to Vice Foreign Minister Zhang, cooperative projects are likely to emerge in energy, infrastructure, trade and investment, nuclear energy, space and satellites, new energy, science, technology, education and people-to-people cooperation. Financial cooperation will also become an important point of cooperation between China and the three countries, Zhang said. Xi's visit to Saudi Arabia will help lift bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. He and King Salman will jointly witness the signing of a series of cooperative documents and plan for the growth of bilateral ties for the next decade. "The Belt and Road Initiative that President Xi put forward has received an enthusiastic response from Middle East countries," Vice Foreign Minister Zhang said. Zhang said China-Iran relations are facing major opportunities for growth as Iran greatly improves its interactions with the international community. He said the two countries will sign a series of cooperative documents during Xi's milestone visit to Tehran. "China will continue to support Chinese companies to participate in projects in ... Iran's energy sector," Zhang said, emphasizing that such commercial cooperation has always been transparent, normal and open. During Xi's visit to Egypt, the two countries will develop a comprehensive plan for further cooperation. Xi will attend the signing ceremony of a number of cooperative documents and the unveiling of the second phase of the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone. It will be a milestone visit as the two countries celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties in Cairo. In his speech at the League of Arab States headquarters, Xi will put forward fresh proposals on deepening pragmatic cooperation between China and Middle East nations. Over the past decade, China's trade with the Middle East has grown from 20 billion U.S. dollars to 230 billion U.S. dollars. The figure is expected to top 500 billion U.S. dollars by 2020. The visit will reinforce the time-honored friendship and deepen mutual trust, pragmatic cooperation and cultural exchanges in a bid to realize common development, Bai Lianlei said. CULTURAL EXCHANGES People-to-people exchanges will be another focus of Xi's trip. He will deliver an important speech to Middle Eastern and Arab nations at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Cairo. He will also present awards to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to China-Arab friendship. Xi will attend a ceremony marking the beginning of the China-Egypt cultural exchange year. During his trips to Saudi Arabia and Iran, the countries will reach agreements on strengthening people-to-people exchanges. China has always advocated equal exchanges among different cultures and respect for diversity. Li Guofu, head of the Middle East Department of the China Institute of International Studies, said China and Middle East countries experienced similar suffering during the colonial era and have common hopes for development. He said the countries now need to enhance mutual understanding in order to tap into the huge potential for cooperation. 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. 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 you are here: You are here: Home Participants in the "Chinese-Arab Media Dialogue Conference," which kicked off in Cairo on Monday, called for enhancing means of mutual media cooperation, deeming it as "witnesses and protectors for Sino-Arab friendship." Participants from China and Arab countries attend the dialogue meeting in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 18, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] The conference came at the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping's five-day tour to the region, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. "The Chinese-Arab media is a momentum for change and a registrar for the events," said Jiang Jianguo, minister of the State Council Information Office of China. Jiang suggested four ideas for increasing mutual cooperation in the media. The first is cooperation in raising the voice of peace and common development, as he said "the media personnel has a role in directing the public opinion and upholding the peace norms at wider range to positively enhance consensus in views and increase the positive energy towards peaceful development." He added that "we should cooperate hand in hand to combat all shapes of terrorism firmly." Secondly, Jiang suggested that working together will create positive environment for the public opinion and will draw energetic vision for profitable cooperation for both China and the Arab countries. The third point focused on setting strong bases for the public opinion and the traditional ties between the two sides. "The media means are messengers who work on boosting friendship and communication among the people," he illustrated. He added in the fourth suggested idea for mutual cooperation that the media office in the Chinese State Council will create convenient circumstance and provide more facilities to strengthen the cooperation and training for all the journalists, editors, translators, broadcasters and all the media men on mutual visit bases. Sino-Arab relations have extended historically with important trade routes and good diplomatic relations. The modern mutual ties are evolving into a new era with the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum in 2004 which helped China and Arab nations to establish a new partnership based on peace and development. From his side, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Song Aiguo considered the "Chinese-Arab Media Dialogue Conference" as a great event for cooperation. China and the Arab nations are attached by natural familiarity, Jiang added, citing President Xi's words "distances wouldn't prevent our friendship, miles wouldn't prevent our neighborhood." He pointed out that Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum has added diversity and richness to the cooperation and exchange of information among the Arab-Chinese media. Exchange of offices and branch stations for both the Sino-Arab media means is increasing. "There are six Chinese media institutions branches in Cairo, while Egypt's Ahram newspaper has applied for launching its office in China which reflects excellent trend for exchange among the Sino-Arab media channels," he added. The Chinese ambassador added that the media tools are eyewitnesses and protectors for the Chinese-Arab friendship and deepening cooperation ties. The conference, which is the first of its kind, was attended by representatives of 12 Chinese newspapers, news agencies, radio and others, while more than 30 representatives of Arab media institutions in addition to the Arab League who have contributed in the proceeding of the conference. Ahmad Al-Nagar, chief-in-editor of Egypt official Ahram newspaper, said the mutual cooperation at the media level has witnessed fast and big developments. He added Ahram has signed several agreements with Chinese news institutions in Egypt, noting Ahram is keen on exchanging visits and visions with Chinese media institutions. "We are in dire need for intensifying our efforts in combating terrorism," he added. Meanwhile, Magdy Lasheen, chairman of the Egypt's State Television & Radio Union, said the cultural and media exchange between Egypt and China is one of the important part for deepening relations. He reiterated the role of the media at the international level in the progressed digital technology and globalization. "Art is the fastest means for delivering messages and uniting nations," he added. He added that the country's state TV will display a Chinese series dubbed "Romantic of White Hair" subtitled in Arabic on Jan. 20, and send two Arabic series to China. Adel Sabry, chief editor in "Arab Egypt" website, believes the Chinese media has seen technological and administrative growth that enabled them to exceed the national border to play an international role. "Thanks to the Chinese government plan either by integrating some news institutions or even by enriching their independence, the Chinese media became powerful entities," he added. Chairman of Egypt MENA news agency, Alaa Hayder, suggested establishing a technological and information center which includes Asian, African, Arab news agencies, and universities which include media faculty as projects for cooperation. The Arab League representative Nasimah Shareet has called for establishing a Chinese-Arab electronic library on the internet to provide information in different fields. She focused in her speech on adoption of a work strategy project for supporting cooperation between both sides and enhancing mutual visits of media delegations, encouraging exchange of media content regularly, and organizing an annual symposium to exchange expertise and to identify the production company. The Maharashtra government is mulling to tie up with Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, and sell off the excessive products derived from materials available in forests to Patanjali. This is likely to be done in a bid to further expand the market of goods sold through the 'Van Dhan Jan Dhan' scheme. The move has not gone down well with the opposition Congress, which claimed that products derived from forests are a national asset and that an intention to sell them to Ramdev is an indication that the government is returning Ramdev's "pre-election favours". "We want to increase production for our 'Van Dhan Jan Dhan' scheme. A part of the goods is already being sold through retail shops. But, we do not want to let go of the chance to sell excessive products in a bulk quantity. Thus, the intention to sell them as raw products to Baba Ramdev. He has given us a buy back quantity which nobody else does," Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar told PTI. "For instance honey and certain medicines derived exclusively from certain trees can be sold to Baba Ramdev since these products can be manufactured on a large scale there is no market for it," he added. Mungantiwar said he will hold a meet with Ramdev tomorrow and discuss future tie-up possibilities in the regard. Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged that if Ramdev is brought into the picture, tribals will be exploited to benefit people who helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi come to power (at the Centre). "Modi government had to help Ramdev after it came to power. Intending to sell 'Van Dhan Jan Dhan' products is only a part of it. Tribals will be exploited to benefit people who helped Modi ji come to power," Sawant alleged. "Products derived from forests are a national asset and have immense potential. These products, if marketed properly, can fetch much better returns than what any Baba can give," he added. Meanwhile, an official from the Forest department said that the total area under forests in the state is 61,579 sq km and covers around 20 per cent of Maharashtra's geographical area. "There are 5,250 plant species available in the state, out of which 2242 are known for their medicinal properties. Besides, we have 24 rare and threatened endangered species of plants available with us," he said. According to the official, there are 15,500 villages in forest areas of the state and 12,517 Joint Forest Management Committees. business Wipro Q3 profit declines, IT services revenue meets forecast IT services revenue met analysts' muted expectations, rising 2.25 percent to Rs 12,314 crore in quarter ended December 2015 compared to Rs 12,042.8 crore in preceding quarter. A CNBC-TV18 poll had expected it at Rs 12,371 crore for the quarter. Flash The Foreign Ministry is closely following the investigation into the death of a Chinese student who was shot in Arizona, the United States, spokesman Hong Lei said on Tuesday. Mourners place flowers at the site where Chinese student Jiang Yue was shot and killed in an apparent road rage incident on Jan 16 in Temple, Arizona. A memorial was held Monday afternoon at the location where more than 200 people, including the victim's fellow students, members of the Chinese community and local residents, gathered to mourn her death. [Photo courtesy of Kristine Liu / chinadaily.com.cn] Jiang Yue, a 19-year-old Chinese student, was allegedly shot dead by Holly Davis, 32, in Tempe, Arizona, on Jan 6. Reports said Davis rear-ended Jiang's car when Jiang stopped at a red light, then walked up to Jiang's car and allegedly shot her. Jiang, badly injured, was then transferred to a hospital and died there. Davis was arrested and has been booked on four felony charges, including first-degree premeditated murder", CBS News reported on Monday. The Chinese Consulate-General in Los Angeles said it dispatched staff members to Tempe on Tuesday, and has been in contact and offered condolences to Jiang's family members in China. The consulate and the Foreign Ministry will follow the progress of the case closely, and will provide all necessary assistance for Jiang's family members when they travel to the US, Hong added. Morningstar's "Perspectives" series features investment insights from third-party contributors. Here, Mark Wharrier, co-manager of the BlackRock UK Income Fund, explains why keeping your head matters in an environment of volatility. 2016 has started with a bang. With Chinese stocks in freefall, rising geopolitical tensions, lacklustre PMI data and an unseasonably warm Christmas; broad swathes of the market are under pressure. The increased volatility weve seen is indicative of the panic felt by the market. In this environment, keeping your head matters. This volatility provides opportunities to buy fundamentally attractive businesses whose share prices have been buffeted by recent events and headlines. Level-headed analysis of the longer-term prospects of a company can determine whether any issues are enduring or temporary and therefore whether there is an attractive investment to be made. While volatility is extremely uncomfortable, it can bring significant opportunity Shoot First, Think Later We are not the first to say it, but it is unquestionably true that markets are increasingly short-term. Average holdings periods have shortened and investors often appear to shoot first and ask questions later. This short-termism is also evident from analyst research. We looked at one of the large FTSE 100 companies, a company that has been in existence for over 150 years and has weathered its fair share of momentous economic change. Despite its rich history, there were 38 analysts forecasting the next 12 months earnings; that fell to 30 for two years earnings, dwindling to just six for three years. This focus on just the next year or two is replicated across the market. Yet a good company needs to ensure that its business can endure for the long-term. Management must take in fundamental shifts in the economic landscape. To us, it seems anomalous to focus solely on what is happening in the short-term. Temporary or Fundamental? For us, this is where the opportunity lies. Every company will enjoy good times and endure difficult times, but the markets first instinct on a rogue quarters newsflow is typically to assume the worst, rather than looking at whether the fundamentals of a business remains intact: Have the prospects for the companys end markets permanently changed? Has the company preserved its market share? Does it still have pricing power and control over its cost base? Or is it a temporary issue like unseasonable weather? In our analysis, we do not neglect the short-term, but we also aim to look beyond it, to three or more years out. Is growth going to be higher than the market expects? If so, any short-term weakness in the share price is an opportunity. It can take time for this stronger growth to be reflected in the share price, but we can be patient. We believe this is a fundamentally more disciplined and balanced approach to understanding a companys long term prospects. So we reiterate the point that while volatility is extremely uncomfortable, it can bring significant opportunity. Markets can be very irrational in the short-term. As investors, we just need to keep our heads. Disclaimer The views contained herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of Morningstar. If you are interested in Morningstar featuring your content on our website, please email submissions to UKEditorial@morningstar.com The current economic policies of provincial governments deserve harsh censure from the Bank of Canadaand from Governor Stephen Poloz, in particular. According to observer and long-time commentator Mark Bonokoski, political parties in certain provinces are operating under fiscal policies that are saddling their constituencies with unwanted debt, eroding confidence in the central governments ability to weather the prevailing economic downturn. Bonokoski singled out the NDP (under Rachel Notley) in Alberta and the Liberal Party (under Kathleen Wynne) in Ontario for criticism. He noted that these critical times call for firmer action and harder words on the part of Poloz. Instead we get speeches about tough days ahead, as Poloz delivered here last week, with no reading of any riot act or even the wagging of a finger at those who are failed stewards of our tax dollars, Bonokoski noted on Wednesday (January 13) in his column for the Toronto Sun. Citing predictions by future traders outlining a nearly 1-in-5 chance that the BoC might cut interest to 0.25 per cent by the end of January, Bonokoski said that more drastic steps need to be taken by the Bank, as the decreasing purchasing power of the Canadian dollar means that each household is spending more on basic like food just to stay alive day by day. These ebbs and flows are tough to chart, but there is no win to be found for average consumers living pay cheque to pay cheque or, worse, living beyond their means, Bonokoski wrote. When the Minister of Finance announced a change to the eligibility rules for new government-backed insured mortgages on properties priced above $500,000 in December, it immediately garnered support from the industry. As a key stakeholder in the housing finance system, said Stuart Levings, president and CEO of Genworth Canada, we acknowledge the vital role government plays in this market and remain committed to helping first-time homebuyers achieve homeownership responsibly. The new rules set to go into effect on February 15 require the minimum down payment for new insured mortgages be increased from 5% to 10% for the portion of the house priced above $500,000. A significant number of Canadians are now primarily using online information portals to manage various aspects of their financial lives, recent data showed. According to the results of the latest survey conducted by finance data resource RateHub.ca, the increasing volume of information available online has helped more and more Canadians with their mortgages by giving opportunities for reputation-based comparison between lenders. [These results speak to the importance of comparison shopping and realizing that there are options out there, RateHub.ca founder Alyssa Furtado told the Ottawa Citizen. Among the top search results among Canadians were online mortgage calculators (which racked up more than 487,000 queries per month) as well as announcements by major banks, the report noted. It speaks to the fact that banks have such large brand recognition, Furtado said. Online resource usage demographics skewed towards the younger tech-savvy market. Mobile searches are also gaining more prominence, growing to 37 per cent last year (up from 25 per cent in 2013). Among the primary reasons for consulting information on the web is a perception of transparency when it comes to information related to savings, investment, mortgage, and credit cards. Another driver for growing preference for rate calculators and other web-based resources is the potential for savings. The report noted that all other things being equal, borrowers with $500,000 mortgages can save over $53,000 in interest when using information gathered online. Furtado warned that the ever-changing and rapidly-updating nature of online information is no substitute for professional advice, though. Online doesnt replace the need to speak to financial experts, but it does empower you, Furtado said. On the heels of the $5.1 billion deal struck between Goldman Sachs and the U.S. government last week in light of the ongoing investigations of the financial crisis, industry observers expect the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to follow suit with its own settlement. Court records showed that the RBS might pay upwards of $13 billion as a fine to regulators and investigating bodies in connection with securities claims, although analysts said that this amount is not yet definite. Along with Goldman Sachs and other major industry players, RBS is among the institutions that allegedly misled investors into betting on mortgage-backed securities during the subprime crisis. Albeit fraught with risk, such a settlement would represent a major breakthrough in the Banks efforts to recover from the financial crisis, according to experts. This is the final step before RBS resumes dividends and potentially returns excess capital. It resolves the biggest tail risk for the bank, Bernstein Research analyst Chirantan Barua told Reuters. Mid-end estimates from Bernstein placed RBSs potential fines at $7.5 billion. To date, the organization has allocated $2.7 billion for the claims. RBS previously benefited from a life preserver in the form of a $65.75 billion (46 billion pound) bailout from the government. Back in October, RBS officials said that while the bank is eager to resolve the issue right away, the ball remains in the court of U.S. authorities. Lifting the 40-year-old ban on exporting domestic crude was considered a long shot one year ago, as calls to end the ban began to increase. But in December, President Obama signed the 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which included ending the ban. By New Years Eve, several loads of Eagle Ford Shale oil were being loaded in the Ports of Houston and Corpus Christi, bound for Europe. A strong proponent of lifting the ban was Rep. Mike Conaway, whose District 11 includes Midland and Odessa. The Republican had introduced, along with Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar, House Resolution 2369, the Energy Supply and Distribution Act, in June 2015. Visiting the Reporter-Telegram on Monday to discuss oil exports, Conaway credited the leadership of new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan for ending the ban. He insisted on exports being in (the Omnibus bill), Conaway said. He described Ryan as a free trader who saw the advantages long-term, not only for West Texas producers but for the U.S. as a whole. Now West Texas producers are in the same boat as Saudi Arabia and other exporting countries, he said. Much has changed in the 40 years since the ban was enacted amid the Arab Oil Embargo, long lines at gasoline pumps nationwide and concern the nation was running out of energy, he said. The nations production resurgence, thanks to shale plays in the Permian Basin, South Texas, North Dakota and Wyoming and other areas, has changed global geopolitics and that helped play a role in ending the ban, Conaway said. The nations surge in shale gas production has changed the conversation from importing liquefied natural gas to exporting liquefied natural gas, he noted. A number of permits to construct LNG exporting facilities are pending, and Conaway expressed hope those permits would be quickly approved, allowing LNG to follow crude oil overseas. We have talked in the past about importing natural gas, but free markets and the private sector went to work, he said. He pointed out that crude and natural gas production from privately-owned lands has climbed while production from federally-owned lands has fallen. Conaway attributes that loss of production from federally-owned lands on the current administration and its regulatory policies. The president hates fossil fuels, he said. Another component of the legislation provides the final piece of tax legislation Summit Power needed to begin construction of its planned Texas Clean Energy Project, a power generating plant utilizing clean coal technology, to be built near Penwell. That removes the last barrier Im aware of, he said. What wasnt contained in the Omnibus bill and which Conaway hopes will be addressed is Renewable Fuel Standards, which requires minimum volumes of renewable fuels be blended with gasoline and diesel. Refiners and oil producers point out that cars are not equipped to burn fuel containing more than 10 percent ethanol, yet refiners risk being penalized for not meeting government standards. How can you be fined for something thats impossible to do? Conaway asked. With commodity prices low, he said now is a good time to have a conversation about the standard. Mike Morath, a 38-year-old North Texas businessman-turned public education devotee and school choice advocate, is Texas new education commissioner. Gov. Greg Abbott last month named the sophomore Dallas school district trustee to head the massive Texas Education Agency, lauding him as a proven education reformer and change agent. Known for his controversial and ultimately unsuccessful effort to free the Dallas school district of most state controls, Moraths appointment was a tip of the hat to the school reform movement, a diverse group of homeschoolers, business-backed accountability groups, charter school advocates, and voucher proponents. Meanwhile, teacher and school groups offended by Moraths effort to turn the Dallas school district into a home-rule district have mostly decried his appointment to a position overseeing the states more than 1,200 school districts and charter schools. But in a wide-ranging interview with The Texas Tribune this month, Morath spoke passionately about empowering and learning from teachers and principals. One of the first big things on his to-do list, he said, is soaking up the knowledge and wisdom of the practitioners of the field. He also said he wants to focus limited state resources on struggling schools while leaving high performers alone. Morath said he has no plans to implement any of the reform policies he pushed in Dallas statewide, contending that the state is too diverse for any one-size-fits-all approach aside from its accountability system. He said he will spend much of his first year on the job developing rules for legislation passed last year that made big changes to the states accountability system greatly reducing the weight standardized test scores are given in measuring public school performance and also requires school campuses be publicly labeled with A-through-F letter grades based on academic performance. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Texas Tribune: What is on your to-do list? And whats your general, 30,000-foot-view vision for the job? Mike Morath: Theres much that I have to learn about the agency, in particular so much that I have to learn from superintendents. But generally, I think the three priorities that I want to spend most of my attention on are this accountability system the framework for outcomes discussions for our schools and for our students is pretty critical, so I want to spend a lot of time around that. I want to make sure that the agency is as effective a resource as possible in the area of supporting educators you know, we live and die with the efforts of our teachers. They are the lifeblood of our school systems, and so: Are there ways for us to better support educators around the state and how? And then, last, just the agency itself blocking and tackling of the efficiency of the agency, the culture of the agency in terms of being of service to school systems around the state, having a mindset that focuses on improving performance rather than compliance. TT: When you talk about better supporting teachers, what do you mean? MM: Certainly the professional development and resources that we offer and make available for them, providing the best-in-class instructional materials for them. One thing that I think is important is simply stability. Teachers get yanked around a lot because we change this standard and we change this instructional practice or we change this or that and so is there a way that we at the agency can say, Lets try to go in one direction for five years so our teachers are not toyed with in that fashion. TT: Before Gov. Abbott appointed you to head the Texas Education Agency, he had appointed you to head a special legislative commission that will recommend new ways to assess students and hold schools accountable. What were you planning to bring to the table in terms of school accountability? And what approach will you take in developing this new, A-through-F accountability system? MM: This is the big conversation. If we want to improve outcomes (for students), we need to have some sort of shared framework a common vocabulary, if you will to discuss outcomes. Otherwise, we dont know whether were improving outcomes. In order for us to get there, there are three pretty critical ingredients. Its got to be clear people have to understand what it is. It has to be fair to account for the diversity of the state of Texas. And it has to be sort of precise or nuanced enough to differentiate between good, better, best kind of performance. Specifics Im not prepared to talk about today, but thats the general framework through which we need to look at that discussion. TT: As far as student assessment goes, what can you say about the states current testing regime, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR? Do you agree with your predecessors decision to increase passing standards despite stagnant performance on that exam? MM: I absolutely support the direction that the agency has been going. I think I need to have a lot more conversations with educators around the state. We want these assessments to be helpful for teachers, for principals, for school district officials, for school board members, for parents. If theyre not helpful, then what can we do to make them more helpful? And perhaps they are helpful, theyre just not helpful for everybody right now, so theres a lot of nuance that has to be learned. TT: In announcing your appointment, Gov. Abbott described you as a change agent and proven education reformer, referring to your work as a trustee on the Dallas school board. Are there any policies you pushed in Dallas that you think should be implemented statewide? MM: The diversity of the state of Texas is such that I dont think its wise to think of anything being deployed statewide, with the exception of a broadly understood outcomes framework. The way that you achieve those outcomes is going to have to be adapted to the conditions of local communities all over the state, so Im certainly very proud of certain things that weve done in Dallas, and I think that those are replicable, but not necessarily everywhere. TT: There were a lot of mentions even by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at a recent policy forum about your age and how young you look. Your detractors note you have only served one full term on a school board. What do you say to people who think youre too young, too inexperienced to do this job? MM: Clean living and a pure heart keeps me looking young. [Laughs.] I think Im going to have to prove it in my job performance, so let me let my work speak for itself. And if theyre right, then hopefully theyll find somebody better than me, and if theyre not right, then our kids will benefit. I have a variety of things that I could say as to why thats not necessarily true, but what I say isnt important, its the actions that I take to try to help kids in this state. TT: Did serving on the Dallas school board prepare you sufficiently for this job? [Pauses.] Yes. [Laughs.] TT: What things did you learn in that role that will help you in this one? MM: I learned massive volumes of things in that role. (Dallas ISD is the) second largest school system (in the state) about 225 campuses that range from a few low-poverty to a large number of high-poverty campuses, different academic focuses, different grade configurations, all kinds of logistical issues, all kinds of community communications issues. TT: The states K-12 student population has become increasingly poor and diverse in recent decades. How should the state address this trend? MM: The future of the state is delivering great results for brown and black kids, period. So we need to focus on delivering great results for brown and black kids while ensuring great results for everybody. TT: Whats the biggest problem with the states education system? MM: Theres not an answer to that question. Again, I think you have to have a comprehensive framework. Anybody that tells you that there is a silver bullet that you do this and our schools will get better, you do this and our kids will get better I dont think they know what theyre talking about. You have to have a comprehensive, thoughtful, long-term approach. You have to move with a burning sense of patience on behalf of our kids. TT: Youve talked about the need for the state to focus resources on low-performing schools. Can you elaborate on that? MM: The state is not all-powerful and has limited resources the state agency, in particular and so we need to try to get out of the way of all of our school systems that are getting results and focus our effort on the schools and the systems that are truly struggling. TT: I have to ask about the mountain climbing. (In announcing Moraths appointment, Gov. Abbott specifically mentioned Moraths experience leading climbs as a reason he would be good for the job.) MM: I love climbing. So much of what I do is too complicated to see results in a very clear period of time, but with mountain climbing, its simply you and Gods creation, and its extremely painful and very rewarding. Its a religious experience. The Petroleum Academy has received another donation from SM Energy; this one is for classroom models. Some students learn more effectively if they can see or touch something. Our challenge is in finding accurate models that are not cost-prohibitive. Our continued support from the petroleum industry is extremely important. Throughout the year, and especially in the summer when I can visit our industry partners, we really need their feedback and be responsive to their input. One of the headlines in the Reporter-Telegram last week was about the technology shift in the oil fields. You could summarize many of these changes as being technology-related, including remote controls that are a form of robotics. In order to compete in the technology age we have to help our students realize that learning is a lifelong process and that additional training is going to be a fact of life for them. By helping our students get college credit and certifications we are helping set them on a realistic path for their careers. Students at Abell Junior High School have followed a national trend of becoming baristas. Kristi Carr and Crystal Peters Life Skills classes started Brewing Independence, a project in which students deliver hot beverage orders to faculty and staff two days a week. Brewing coffee and other beverages using Keurig machines is used in lots of schools across the country, according to Carr and Peters. Its a good skill and the Keurigs have made it safe, easy, quick way to do all the individual things that were wanting to do, said Carr, who saw a similar project on Pinterest. Abell faculty and staff can order coffee, tea or hot chocolate and specify amount of sugar and creamer. Students brew the beverage using three donated Keurigs, complete the orders and make deliveries on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students were split into four teams to better rotate responsibilities of brewing and delivery, which began about two weeks ago. We come and we get money and make more sales, and everyone likes it, said Daniel Tijerina, 14. We wear an apron and then you check (the order), see what it is, give it and they give you money. Peters husband built special crates so that they could easily put cups into rows and use stickers to show which cup contained what, according to Carr. Its been a lot of fun, said Tony Morin, 14. We can make a coffee no problem. They say thank you. Peters oversees the project and uses Google Docs to order and help students to keep the records. I just looked into it -- at the price of the coffee, the cups, how much would it cost a cup, Peters said. Right now, we got it at 76 cents a cup and it (sells for) a dollar. We set it up in Excel so it would be as easy for our kids to complete as possible. Customers can start a tab or pay $1 per cup up front. Carr said that some customers donate extra. Its been very positive, Carr said. We have people who think our coffee tastes better because our kids are involved in making it. Were hoping that as we make money, well use that for activities in our Life Skills class ... and I know it wont be anything big, but there are opportunities involved. The schools Newcomers class -- students who have been in the country for two years or less -- made aprons for the baristas. Peters said that they may expand Brewing Independence based on demand. There were 25 sales on Thursday, which was an increase from the first days 18 sales. We went through all the stuff we need and if we made enough money last week and this week to get the stuff for the next four weeks, Peters said Thursday. The program will continue for six weeks. In the mean time, the students are saving all of the K-cups they use for a future project, likely also Pinterest-inspired. Its all been very positive, Carr said. People have been eager for us to succeed. Follow Cassie on Twitter at @Cassie_Burton51 As I pulled up to Dallas St. Marks School of Texas for my first day of seventh grade, I could think of only one word to describe how I was feeling: bittersweet. Ive always considered myself a Midlander. I was born at Midland Memorial Hospital and my childhood home was in Green Tree, so by definition, I am a Midlander. But, beyond the obvious technicality, I have always, deep down, felt like a Midlander. And now, in a new school, in a completely different city with a population almost 10 times that of Midland, I could not have felt more alone. I so desperately wanted the Midland comforts that I had once taken for granted. Midland had once been like my second family, and now that I had lost it, it was all I ever wanted. And as cliched as it may sound, I realize now that I had no idea what I had, until it was gone. Despite how badly I wanted to return, I knew that I wasnt a quitter, so giving up never crossed my mind. From then on, I knew that my only option was to keep going and make my city proud. So, for the coming years I would work tirelessly, both day and night, to keep up with the fast-paced classes, the whole time keeping my goal in mind. Although sometimes seemingly daunting, the prospect of being able to make a name for myself and my city still remains my ultimate goal. So now, finding myself walking the same halls as former Midlander Tommy Lee Jones, I feel a strange sort of comfort knowing that Im not alone in my journey. As students at St. Marks, we are all given the tools to do something great with our lives, and whether we decide to utilize these tools determines how far we will advance in life. I know that I have been successful thus far, not only because of what I learned at St. Marks, but also because of what Midland taught me. My teachers in Midland first taught me to believe in myself, and I know that without them, I couldnt possibly be where I am now. Moving away from Midland taught me to cherish every aspect of my life while I have the chance, but above all, moving away from Midland taught me that there is no place like home. In front of St. Marks Centennial Hall, there is a statue of a young man carrying a little boy on his back with a plaque at the bottom engraved with the words The Path to Manhood. And I know that as I am on my own path to manhood, I will indeed, one day, make my city proud. OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) Rival factions yelling at one another amid angry pushing. Tirades about condoms, and claims of misinformation. A parent declaring that children are being force-fed course material "straight from the pits of hell." Such has been the tenor of recent school board meetings in Omaha as board members contemplate the first update in three decades of the school district's sex education curriculum. A public meeting in October ended in chaos after shouting and shoving broke out between supporters and opponents of the update who had packed by the hundreds into an auditorium. This month, as board members sat in stoic silence, activists from both sides vented their feelings during three hours of public comment reflecting divisions that have bedeviled school boards nationwide, as well as state legislatures and even Congress. Kathryn Russell, a grandmother who formerly worked for the Omaha school district, said the proposed curriculum "rapes children of their innocence." Another critic, Jesse Martinez, used the "pits of hell" reference, calling elements of the course material "garbage." Supporters of the update ranging from the president of the city council to students who spoke exhorted the school board to equip students with reliable information that would help the Omaha region lower rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases that are above the national average. "I have a right to this information," said Ryleigh Welsh, a sophomore at Omaha's Central High School. "Sexual health is more than just sex. It's about understanding and taking care of your body and being prepared for a healthy future." In Omaha, as in many U.S. communities, some parents and conservative activists insist that any school-based sex education emphasize sexual abstinence as the wisest course. Yet as more young people turn to social media and online resources including pornography for sex-related information, there's pressure on schools from other quarters to offer accurate, candid information that can compete with and correct what's available beyond the classroom. "The notion that sex education is limited to what happens in school is an antiquated one," said Bill Albert, chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. It is one of several organizations that's developing online sex education to supplement school-based programs. In Omaha, school board president Lou Ann Goding said one of the motivations for updating the sex-ed curriculum is to counter misinformation that students encounter outside of school. "There's so much social media and other sources that they can go to that are not always reliable," Goding said. Sex education in America has a long and checkered history, winning the backing of the U.S. Public Health Service in 1940, gaining traction in the 1980s during the early years of the AIDS epidemic, but generating steady opposition from social conservatives. Omaha Public Schools, which serves about 52,000 students, has taught sex education since 1986 as part of a course called Human Growth and Development. Abstinence is encouraged in the curriculum, which also covers such topics as reproductive anatomy, pregnancy prevention and sexually transmitted diseases. As initially proposed, the updates would add discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in 7th and 8th grades, and discussion of abortion and emergency contraception in 10th-grade lessons on birth control. The school district conducted a telephone survey of about 1,500 parents last year, and reported that a sizable majority supported adding those topics to the curriculum. But the margins of support for the abortion and emergency contraception components were smaller than for other topics, and school officials now plan to omit them. Over the course of 2015, some churches and other groups began to circulate criticisms of the district's plans. Spearheading the opposition is a conservative Christian group, Nebraskans for Founders' Values, which has held briefings at local churches and encouraged skeptical citizens to attend school board meetings. Many of the opponents' allegations have been denied by the school district, including claims that the new curriculum was designed by Planned Parenthood, would authorize school staff to take students to get abortions, and would provide them with birth control. Board members stress that none of the sex-ed courses will be mandatory parents must opt their children into the classes offered in 4th, 5th and 6th grade, and can keep them out of the classes in middle school and high school. Topics for 4th graders include puberty and how to stay safe from sexual abuse; by middle school students are learning about methods of contraception. The board plans to vote on new standards for the sex-ed program on Jan. 20, then work on details of a new curriculum in time for any changes to be implemented next fall. Sex education is taught in varied forms and under different rules across the 50 states. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 22 states require public schools to teach sex education. In other states, including Nebraska, it's generally up to individual school districts to decide what form of sex education, if any, is offered. In 35 states, parents are allowed to keep their children out of sex-ed classes. There's no detailed nationwide breakdown of how America's 13,500 school districts handle sex education, although the Centers for Disease Control compiles partial data. Its latest report, with 2014 data, suggests that programs in most school districts stress the benefits of sexual abstinence, while a smaller portion offer instruction in high school about usage of specific contraceptive methods. In most of the U.S., fewer than half of high schools and only a fifth of middle schools teach all 16 topics recommended by the CDC as essential components of sex education. While the federal government has no direct role in dictating sex-education curriculum, it has influence in the form of federal funding for various programs. From 1981, the start of Ronald Reagan's administration, through 2009, such funds went predominantly to abstinence-only programs; since 2010, under President Barack Obama, abstinence funding has been reduced and larger sums appropriated for comprehensive sex-ed programs. Rival advocacy groups lobbied hard in Congress last year to get a favorable outcome for their approach. The end result maintained annual spending at about $100 million for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, which incorporates comprehensive sex education, and doubled spending from $5 million to $10 million to abstinence-oriented programs. According to the CDC's latest figures, from 2013, 44 percent of female teens and 47 percent of male teens between 15 and 19 have had sexual intercourse. ---------- The federal Centers for Disease Control has identified 16 topics which it says should be included in sex education classes offered to high school students in the U.S. Fewer than half of high schools and only one-fifth of middle schools teach all 16. The topics: Benefits of being sexually abstinent. How to access valid and reliable health information, products and services related to HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy.Influences of family, peers, media, technology and other factors on sexual risk behavior. Communication and negotiation skills related to eliminating or reducing risk for HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy. Goal-setting and decision-making skills related to eliminating or reducing risks. Influencing and supporting others to avoid or reduce sexual risk behaviors. Importance of using condoms consistently and correctly. Importance of using a condom at the same time as another form of contraception to prevent both STDs and pregnancy. How to create and sustain healthy and respectful relationships. Importance of limiting the number of sexual partners. Preventive care that is necessary to maintain reproductive and sexual health. How HIV and other STDs are transmitted. Health consequences of HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy. Effectiveness of condoms. How to obtain condoms. How to correctly use a condom. Junior high meetings planned Meetings about junior high school academic choices and programs are planned for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 29 at the Midland ISD junior high schools. School administrators, counselors and teachers will be meeting with parents at each school: Abell, Alamo, Goddard and San Jacinto. Sixth-graders will tour the campuses on March 3. MISD, MC to partner for EMT class Midland ISD will partner with Midland College beginning in the 2016-2017 school year to offer an EMT class. Seniors who enroll in the program will be able to graduate with an EMT certification. Bill Nye to speak at MC Bill Nye, the Science Guy is coming to Midland College on March 17 as part of the Davidson Distinguished Lecture Series. Nye is a scientist, engineer, comedian, author and inventor. His mission is to help foster a scientifically literate society and to make science entertaining and accessible, according to MCs website. The free lecture is 7:30 p.m. at Chaparral Center. 4 Houston schools to get new names HOUSTON Trustees of the largest school district in Texas have decided that four campuses with Confederate names will get new monikers. The Houston Independent School District board voted Thursday night to rename Robert E. Lee High School plus three middle schools Henry Grady, Richard Dowling and Thomas Stonewall Jackson. A committee at each school including a teacher, a parent, a student and alumni will propose a new name, with recommendations to trustees. Confederate symbols nationwide are facing review over concerns about racism. James Douglas, president of the NAACP of Houston, urged the board to drop Confederate loyalists from school names. One critic of changing names, Howard Moon, says a lot of people are getting tired of political correctness. The Houston ISD has about 215,000 students at 283 schools. John Davenport SAN ANTONIO (AP) Thousands of Texans took to the streets Monday for marches, speeches and volunteer efforts to remember slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on the federal holiday in his name. Organizers planned for more than 200,000 people for the annual MLK march in San Antonio, billed as one of the largest in the country with adults and children walking the nearly 3-mile route together. Participants carried signs, U.S. and Texas flags and linked arms in a show of support for communities working together. After Donald Glover starred as Troy Barnes, arguably the funniest character on the sitcom Community, it has been revealed that he has partnered with FX to create a new comedy series entitled Atlanta (the city where Glover was raised). Glover says that he wants the show to be similar to David Lynch and Mark Frost's seminal 1990's series, Twin Peaks, but cast with rappers. Donald Glover has had an extremely eclectic career. The Derrick Comedy star capitalized on his YouTube fame to reach incredible heights. Glover was a writer on the highly acclaimed NBC show, 30 Rock, for which he won an Emmy Award. However, as Glover raps on his track, "Feaks and Geeks," "Told all you n***as I'm in it to win it, cause having an Emmy just wasn't enough." Glover went on to forge a formidable rap career as Childish Gambino, releasing albums like Camp and Because the Internet, along with countless mixtapes. Through these mixtapes, writing spots and comedy sketches, one could surmise that Glover would go on to create a surrealist-leaning, absurd comedy series. Glover spoke at the Television Critics Association, according to Vulture, where he explained his vision for the series. "I just always wanted to make Twin Peaks with rappers "he told reporters. "Television shows are like novels," he continued. "You just got to invest in them. The tone of this, it's going to take people time to figure out what's going on, which I think is a good thing." The show follows a man named Earnest "Earn" Marks, who returns to his home city of Atlanta and witnesses the rise of his brother as a hip-hop star. Twin Peaks was a surrealist, neo-noir drama that employed both absurdist comedy and terrifying tension to great avail, though the series ended after only two seasons. However, it was earlier announced that the series would be returning, this time to Showtime, for a new season in 2016. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Many agree the 2015 was a big year for Future. The Dungeon Family's signature raspy, crooked crooning could be heard blasting out of car stereos in almost every month of 2015. However, some of Future's music, particularly his references to "dirty sprite" (a popular drug referenced in many hip-hop tracks) may be part of an image that he calls "just a catch." Some of his popularity has likely come from Future's constant mention, and apparent glorification of drug use, particularly promethazine and codeine. The rapper even named his most recent, critically and commercial successful album Dirty Sprite 2 after the mind-altering concoction. Often, the elicit substances are mixed with the popular soft drink, resulting in "lean," "purple drank," "sizzurp," and, famously, "dirty sprite." The substance has become quite a problem in the hip-hop community, tragically killing revered icons such as UGK's Pimp C. While some feel that the concoction is destroying a whole generation of rappers. But, In a recent interview with the French publication Clique, Future discussed his positions on the drug, and the role it plays in his public persona. "I feel like that's the number one thing everybody likes to talk about. It's a catch," he told Clique. "I'm not like super drugged out or a drug addict," he continued. "My music may portray a certain kind of image and I know it's some people that might be super drugged out and they listen to the music like, 'Ay thank you, you speaking for me' and then some people that's not that feel like, 'Man I don't have to do drugs, I can listen to Future and feel like I'm on something' and don't have to try it. I don't do it for you to really have to live that type of life." 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On Thursday (Jan. 14), the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences released the official nominations for the 88th annual Academy Awards. While some actors basked in the excitement of receiving an Oscar nod, many actors were angered by a noticeable pattern. Actress Jada Pinkett Smith and director Spike Lee recently announced their decision to boycott the forthcoming Oscar ceremony due to continuous lack of diversity. While the nation celebrates the accomplishments and legacy of Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., the fight for equality remains an ongoing battle for marginalized groups like minorities and women. While, Black nominees have graced the list throughout the years, they are rarely placed under the categories for Best Actor and Actress or Best Supporting Actor or Actress. The recent nominations not only sparked backlash, but it also helped generate a new social media label: #OscarsSoWhite. Pinkett Smith initially addressed the topic on her Twitter account, asking her 900,000 followers if people of color should stray away from participating all together. She then released a video to her personal Facebook account explaining how disappointed she was in the Oscar nominations. She also revealed she will not be attending the ceremony at Dolby Theater nor will she be watching from home. We must stand in our power. Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, January 18, 2016 Her husband, Will Smith, is no stranger to boycotting award shows either. In 1989, Will and DJ Jazzy Jeff led a boycott around the Grammy Awards when it refused to broadcast the rap category, in which they won. Begging for acknowledgement or even asking diminishes dignity and diminishes power and we are a dignified people and we are powerful, lets not forget it," Pinkett Smith said on Facebook. "So lets let the Academy do them with all grace and love and lets do us differently. Famed director and actor, Spike Lee, also used his Instagram platform to speak about injustice in the film industry and reveal he will not be attending. Lee's directorial work has often times been ignored by the Academy. Although he was given an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards last November, Lee used his acceptance speech as a way to speak out about his distaste toward past nominee selections. A photo posted by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on Jan 18, 2016 at 5:03am PST "I Will Not Be Attending The Oscar Ceremony This Coming February," Lee wrote on Instagram. "We Cannot Support It And Mean No Disrespect To My Friends, Host Chris Rock and Producer Reggie Hudlin, President Isaacs And The Academy. But, How Is It Possible For The 2nd Consecutive Year All 20 Contenders Under The Actor Category Are White? And Let's Not Even Get Into The Other Branches. 40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can't Act?! WTF!!" During Oscar season, Lee admitted his office phone rings consistently with questions from the media about how he feels about the lack of African-Americans in the nominations. He's tired of answering that question. Lee revealed he really wants to hear how the white actors and studio executives feel about the situation. The Oscars have been criticized in the past for only recognizing black actors for subservient or stereotypical roles like athletes or gangsters, instead of films where they're shown as leaders. Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cherryl Boone Isaacs, who is an African-American herself, told Deadline.com she is "disappointed" in the final nominees. For more on the lack of diversity at the Oscars, check out the video Huffington Post put together below: #OscarsSoWhite isn't just a hashtag. It's a real problem. Posted by The Huffington Post on Sunday, February 22, 2015 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Last week, Juvenile and Mannie Fresh announced their joint album with Lil Wayne and now it looks like another set of Louisiana rappers are planning to collaborate. Word on the Web is Boosie Badazz and C-Murder will put out an album together, titled Penitentiary Chances. C-Murder's TRU-Bossalinie Records artist Vs spoke about the forthcoming album with AllHipHop. Thats just them two linking up on an album, doing something they always wanted to do, but never got a chance to do," Vs said. "By them both being incarcerated, they had time to put their heads together and come up with a project. In 2014, Boosie and C-Murder teamed up for "Hard 2 Be Black," which also featured Snoop Dogg. Penitentiary Chances is scheduled to drop on April 15 with production from T-Rhythm and Moneybags. Vs is slated to appear on two of the albums tracks. He was recently featured on C-Murders 2 Stainz diss track aimed at Im Different rapper 2 Chainz. C-Murder is currently serving a life sentence following the rapper's conviction in the 2002 shooting of 16-year-old fan Steve Thomas at a now-closed nightclub in Harvey, Louisiana. The teen reportedly used a fake ID to get into the club where he was beaten by C-Murder's entourage before the rapper shot him. Boosie was released from prison in March 2014. The rapper served a 52-month sentence for a drug conviction and probation violation. In 2010, he was indicted on first-degree murder and drug charges. He was found guilty of the latter and eventually sentenced to eight years in prison. Aside from the collaborative project, Boosie is planning on releasing another album of his own. According to a post shared on his Instagram account, Out My Feelings (In My Past) will drop on Feb. 1 on iTunes. The release date falls just one month after his previous release, In My Feelings (Goin' Thru It). 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Bernie Sanders is slowly closing on in Hillary Clinton in key primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire. The Vermont senator has been able to capitalize on the liberal fervor that has swept a generation of younger voters and others disenchanted with America's wealth inequality and special interest influence. On Sunday night (Jan. 17), the Democratic presidential candidates participated in their third debate, and as Sanders' star rises, Clinton went on the offensive, calling out Sanders on stage over his apparent inconsistencies and possible deficiencies in the event that he were elected. However, some have pointed to inconsistencies in his campaign regarding both gun control issues and his plan to provide universal health care to all Americans through a massive expansion of Medicaid. Many have accused Sanders of "flip-flopping" on these issues, especially Clinton's campaign. Although she did not use the term, as she had previously, Clinton went on the offensive in the most recent Democratic debate against Sanders on stage over his apparent inconsistencies, and possible deficiencies in the event that he were elected. While the second debate was centered less on the faults of the competing candidates than their individuals plans for the future, Sunday's discussion in Charleston was for more focused on the shortcomings of the three candidates on stage. Clinton attacked Sanders for his views on gun control in earlier debates; after it was revealed that he had voted for a bill exonerating owners of gun shops for selling firearms to customers that went on to commit violent acts. Sanders has since changed his views on the matter. Although Clinton chose not to push this issue too hard during the debate, she did mention that she was "pleased" he had "reversed" himself. The debate then switched to the issue of health care. Clinton positioned herself as not only a part of, but a continuation of the Obama legacy (who remains quite popular in South Carolina). Referring to Sanders' proposal to eliminate the Affordable Care Act and replace it with universal Medicaid. "We've accomplished so much already. I don't want to see the Republicans repeal it," she said. However, Bernie was ready with a dismissive response. "That is nonsense," Mr. Sanders said. "What a 'Medicare for all' program does is finally provide health care for every man, woman and child as a right." The senator further noted that 29 million Americans still lack health care. This debate was the final chance for Clinton, Sanders and Martin O'Malley to share their visions of America ahead of the Iowa caucus, which will take place on Feb. 1. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On Monday (Jan. 18), big revelations occurred during season six, episode six of Love & Hip Hop: New York. The popular VH1 reality series aired their most recent episode, properly titled "Fallout." In this recap, fans discover pregnancy news from a love triangle, whether or not DJ Self will pursue a new side chick, and why MariahLynn and Sexxy Lexxy are still beefing. The show kicks off with Remy Ma and Rah Ali in a fabric store. Rah tells Remy she's working on launching a maxi-dress line and wants to hold a fashion show to celebrate the designs. Rah reveals her business partner Toya has been dropping the ball when it comes to organizing the event, so she asks Remy to help her. Remy is hesitant at first, because it seems like whenever Rah has too much on her plate, she calls on her to clean up the mess. Despite her hesitation, Remy decides to help Rah put the show together. DJ Self is spending quality time with his daughter Kayla in the park. The two plan a little picnic together, but Self tells her someone else will be joining them. He invited Yorma to meet his daughter as a way to show how serious he is about their relationship. Still amazed that Self announced their relationship live on the radio, Yorma is thrilled Self extended the invite to meet his daughter. Kayla asks Yorma questions about their relationship and seems pleased with her dad's new girlfriend. Self and Yorma agree their relationship is moving in the right direction. Peter Gunz finally returns home after Amina Buddafly decided to terminate the pregnancy. Amina's emotions are all over the place. Although she's extremely hurt by Peter's actions, she only wants to be comforted by him during this traumatic time in her life. As Peter embraces her with a big hug, Amina breaks down into tears in his chest. BBOD is done, according to Miss Moe Money. She decides to meet up with Yandy Smith about taking the right steps to further her career. Moe opens about the demise of BBOD, her current relationship status with Sexxy Lexxy, and why she believed Rah wasn't a right fit for them from the beginning. Yandy was still confused how Rah planned on managing a music group, when the majority of her career is based in shoes. Moe asks Yandy to take her under her wing and work with her. Yandy agreed. Yandy tells Moe she wants to get her in the studio and get to know her better. MariahLynn is on set of her video shoot for her new single, "Money Gun." She reveals she's been taken under new management by none other than Rah. Despite her past affiliation with BBOD, MariahLynn decided to take a chance on her. While MariahLynn is getting styled for her shoot, Rah arrives with some big news. Rah asks MariahLynn to perform at her forthcoming fashion show. MariahLynn jumped at the opportunity. Tara Wallace meets with celebrity therapist, Dr. Jeff. She tells him how she first got involved with Peter and how he's been lying since the beginning of their relationship. Tara wants to figure out why she can't fully remove herself from the relationship. Before revealing more details, Tara tells Dr. Jeff some shocking news. Tara reveals she's five months pregnant by Peter. Since he's currently dealing with a similar situation with Amina, Tara is worried about how or when she should tell him. Tara is looking to avoid drama at all costs. Dr. Jeff advises Tara to tell Peter immediately and, together, figure out how to move forward from there. Self wants his business relationship with Cardi B to flourish, so he sets her up with a stylist named Rose to prepare her to star in his music video. Rose has an ulterior motive. Rose admits she's had her eye on Self for quite some time and his hoping their business relationship will turn into something more sexual. She decides to pursue Self by asking him out to dinner, Self can't help but accept the offer. Self is looking to expand his Gwinin clothing line, believing Rose could help him with that. Her body played a close second in the reasoning behind his decision to go out with Rose. Lexxy meets with Rah to tell her she's decided to go solo. Rah can't help but smile, admitting Lexxy should have made that move a long time ago. Rah agrees to manage Lexxy's new solo career and asks her to walk in her forthcoming maxi-dress fashion show. She agrees and gives Rah a preview of her best catwalk. Self & Rose meet up for dinner to discuss working on his clothing line, but Rose wants more. She wastes no time telling Self how she really feels about him. Although tempted, Self tells Rose he wants to keep it business professional. Refusing to take no for an answer, Rose decides to move the conversation a little closer by sitting on his lap. Self instantly gets giddy and nervous around her. His hormones were jumping, ultimately causing him to succumb to the intense kiss she planted on him. The night of the fashion show has finally arrived. Remy is seen putting the final touches on the event. Once again, Rah showed up extremely late, leaving Remy to decorate the event alone. Rah introduces Remy to Toya for the first time and things go downhill fast. Remy is frustrated that Toya wasn't really involved in the fashion show and then had the audacity to talk negatively about how it was set up. Remy gets fed up and tells her DJ to pack up his stuff so they can leave. Remy and Rah engage in a yelling match about loyalty and respect, leaving Remy to spew her infamous line, "no one crosses me once." At this point, Remy is ready to hop on the elevator with her DJ and leave. Remy is blown away that her friend would do this to her right before her fashion show is scheduled to start. While holding back tears, Remy explains what made her so upset and ultimately decides to continue with the fashion show. Although the incident is now a problem of the past, Rah reveals her friendship with Remy is not in a good place right now. MariahLynn hits the stage to kick off the fashion show, while Lexxy strutted her stuff on the stage. Lexxy felt some type of way about her performing and brings the issue up to Rah. Lexxy feels a little disrespected that Rah chose MariahLynn to perform at the event instead of her. MariahLynn walks in on their conversation and introduces herself to Lexxy. Lexxy refers to her as "the help," igniting a huge argument between the two. The noise from the argument was so loud, the guests of the event could hear every word. Although the episode ended with no fists or drinks thrown, tension was at an all time high. Previews for the next episode show Moe in yet another confrontation. Will Moe and Bianca Bonnie square up in the studio? How will Peter react to Tara's pregnancy? Is Lexxy working on a song with French Montana? Find out all the answers to these questions next week. Love & Hip Hop: New York airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on VH1. Tune in next week for another recap of the drama. Watch the full season six, episode six of Love & Hip Hop: New York below: 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. As previously reported, actor and activist Sean Penn recently traveled to Mexico to interview the infamous drug cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman following his daring and remarkable escape from a Mexican prison. "El Chapo" has since been caught and detained by Mexican authorities, and may face extradition to the United States for crimes he has committed during his reign as one of the most powerful players in the illegal drug trade. Sean Penn, following the news of his recapture, told Charlie Rose that his interview was a "failure." Sean Penn's disappointment over the article comes from the recent capture of Joaquin Guzman (El Chapo) stems from the drug lord's recent capture in Mexico. Penn believes the media attention given to this victory for the Mexican government has distracted for the message and intended purpose of his interview. The Mystic River actor hoped to raise awareness about the "War on Drugs" through his conversation with "El Chapo." In a conversation with Charlie Rose on 60 Minutes, Mr. Penn said, according to the New York Times, "I have a regret that the entire discussion about this article ignores its purpose, which was to try to contribute to this discussion about the policy in the war on drugs." He continued, "Let's go to the big picture of what we all want. We all want this drug problem to stop." Later he went on to say, "And how much time have they spent in the last week since this article come out, talking about that? One percent? I think that'd be generous." He concluded, "Let me be clear. My article has failed." Many were skeptical of Penn's tactics in tracking down the sought-after drug trafficker, as well as the journalistic and civic ethics in refusing to report the criminal's location or alert the authorities in any way. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Killer Mike spoke with Professor Cornell West, Senator Nina Turner and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to discuss Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, which Mike says is more radical than most perceive. The panel discussed many aspects of the important Reverend and social activist's legacy, and the effects that his advocacy of civil rights has had on society today. Each participant had a unique vision of the iconic Doctor, and paid tribute respectively. However, Mike's perspective differed a bit from others on the panel and said that Dr. King was more about social justice than others thought. The conversation took place in Emanuel AME Church, sometimes called Mother Emanuel, in Charleston, South Carolina, according to HipHopDX. This historic African American church was the site of a horrific massacre on June 17th, 2015 when Dylan Roof, after sitting in a Bible study class for an extended period of time, opened fire on the congregants in a hateful act of racial bigotry and violence, killing nine innocent church-goers. Killer Mike says he was mentored by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s peers, and has learned aspects of the icon's radicalism that were not taught to him in school. "I have been mentored directly by Andrew Young, Joseph Lowery, Ralph David Abernathy III, and others that were directly involved with Dr. King...We have been sold a load of crock," Killer Mike said via HipHopDX . "We have been given a pretty, little compartment to put Dr. King in that says 'No matter how much you hurt. No matter how much we stigmatize you. No matter how much we traumatize you, we beat you. As radical as you could go is nonviolence.' And that's about where it is. It never talks about the social justice aspect of Dr. King." The rapper/activist continued, "Alice Johnson was a white woman and my mentor, from Chicago. She was the first person to introduce me to the radically different ideas of King that directly challenged establishment. They challenged the military-industrial complex. They challenged this country to feed and take care of its poor and mentally ill in a different way...And I had never heard of that. I just heard in school 'Be nonviolent.' It was all about desegregation. It absolutely was not only about desegregation." 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. It is wicked to place political ... House Speaker Paul Ryan delivered this weeks Republican address and discussed the GOPs planned five-point agenda for 2016. Ryan was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: Here in Baltimore, over the last few days, Republicans have been talking about ideas to address the big challenges facing our country. Right now, Americans are anxious about their security and their futures. We want to save the American Idea for the vast majority of Americans who believe its just not there for them anymore. We want America to lead again. We want America to be confident again. That is our mission. To do that, we cant just be an opposition party. We have to be a proposition party. If we do not like the direction the country is going in and we do not then we have an obligation to offer an alternative. So in the coming months, we will put forward a bold, pro-growth agenda. It will show where we stand. By giving the people a clear choice in 2016, we will seek a mandate to do big things in 2017 and beyond. The process will be driven by the peoples representatives. Every representative and their constituents will have a chance to provide their say. These discussions will focus on five areas. First, national security. How do we go about building a 21st-century military? What do we need to do to make sure were equipped to defeat ISIS and the threat posed by radical Islamic terror? How do we make sure we are secure here at home? Next, jobs and economic growth. Our economy is far from its potential. Wages are still stagnant. How do we fix our tax code? How do we rein in our regulatory state? How do we maximize our energy potential? Third, health care. Obamacare has driven up premiums, limited choices, and taken away access. These are not signs of success they are signs of failure. If and when we repeal Obamacare, what solutions will lead to lower costs and a truly patient-centered health care system? Fourth, poverty and opportunity. There are 46 million Americans living in poverty today, and a big part of the reason is we have a safety net that catches people falling into poverty. How do we lift people up, bring them back into the workforce, and restore upward mobility? The last piece of this agenda and its so critical to all the others is restoring the Constitution. The presidents executive overreach has undermined the Constitution and damaged the peoples trust. What needs to be done to restore the separation of powers and protect our constitutional liberties? These are the ideas that we will be advancing. Weve got a big job ahead of us, but this is nothing short of a generational defining moment. Everything is at stake. There is a real hunger for solutions for a nation that unifies and reaches its potential. We see it as our duty here in the peoples house to offer real ideas, to tackle the real issues head on. We want a confident America. Now its time to get to work. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM. Red Cross logo View Photos Sacramento, CA Know a hero? The local Red Cross wants to hear about it. The Sierra-Delta chapter of the American Red Cross is planning to honor heroes who live and or work in San Joaquin, Calaveras and Amador counties at its 14th Annual Red Cross Heroes Breakfast, which will be held on Wednesday, March 16 in Lodi at Wine & Roses. Ahead of that, the Red Cross is asking area residents to nominate individuals by sharing the details behind their selfless, courageous and compassionate act of heroism. Hero categories include Young and Adult Good Samaritans; First Responder; Military; Workplace; Animal Rescue; and Red Cross. Eligibility rules state that heroic acts must have been performed on or after Jan. 1, 2015, and that individuals if chosen, must be available to attend the awards ceremony. Friday, February 3 is the deadline for submitting nominations. For more details about the event, click here and to make a nomination, click here. What started out as a well-being check Sunday has turned into a suspicious death investigation in Paisley. Investigators found no sign of the homeowner, but uncovered human remains that were buried in his backyard. When I seen this, Im going, whats going on? This is a quiet neighborhood," Grace McWilliams said. Part of Pennsylvania Street street was taken over by crime scene investigators Sunday night through Monday afternoon as detectives searched for evidence and questioned neighbors. Its scary," McWilliams said. Investigators were initially called to a home Sunday after a concerned neighbor reported that 61-year-old Dennis Jones had not been seen in more than a month. When no one answered the door, a cadaver dog searched the premises. I can tell you that human remains have been found and the medical examiner's office is on the scene working closely with detectives to identify the remains," said Lt. John Herrell with the Lake County Sheriff's Office. But some neighbors said they never noticed anything out of the ordinary. Kaleb Cote lives right across the street from the missing mans house. His cars are there," Cote said. "You know his two cars he had owned are still there, so I figured hes just inside doing his own thing, you know? I didnt think anything went wrong. But investigators believe something has gone wrong. It has been highly unusual for that amount of time to pass without neighbors seeing this gentleman - so obviously thats suspicious," Herrell said. Less than a mile down the road, investigators located a truck belonging to Dennis Jones - a piece of evidence that is being watched by deputies for now. As for the human remains found buried in the homeowners backyard, detectives said they do not feel this was a random act and are working some leads. Im not at liberty to release those details at this point," Herrell said. Investigators said it may take a few days until the human remains are identified. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Dennis Jones, you can contact the Lake County Sheriffs Office. Temperatures are expected to dip into the 20s and 30s tonight, so the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida has declared tonight a "cold night," which means the agency won't refuse anyone seeking shelter from the cold, regardless of space. The agency's main campus, the Men's Service Center, accommodates 250 single men in its program each day. The Center for Women and Families houses up to 240 men, women and children. Overflow space will be available in the facilities for individuals and families seeking overnight shelter from the cold temperatures. The agency said full-sized blankets, sleeping bags, coats, hats, scarves and gloves for men, women and children are needed from the community. In addition to the main campus, the Women's Residential and Counseling Center Campus, which normally accommodates up to 138 women and children, will provide shelter in its recreation room. Single women and women with children are welcome at this campus. All are welcome at the agency's main campus. The Coalition for the Homeless' main campus is at 639 W. Central Blvd., and the Women's Residential and Counseling Center is located at 107 E. Hillcrest St. Both locations are in downtown Orlando. A Floridian who is the brother of the reigning Miss District of Columbia is one of the 12 Marines missing after two helicopters crashed off Hawaii. Rescuers have been searching for Cpl. Thomas Jardas, 22, of Fort Myers since the crash late Thursday. None of the missing Marines have been found. Jardas is the younger brother of Haely Jardas, who represented the District in last year's Miss America pageant. The Miss D.C. Organization said in a statement that its thoughts and prayers are with Jardas and her family. Miss D.C. executive director Tricia Lloyd says Jardas flew home to Florida on Saturday to be with her family. The organization is asking that Jardas' privacy be respected. The man who was shot by two Orlando police officers Monday night has died. The man has been identified as 28-year-old Eric Provost. The shooting happened at the Courtney Landing Condominiums complex on Swissco Drive, which is near Lee Vista Boulevard and Semoran Boulevard. Orlando police said two officers responded to a suspicious incident and encountered Provost, who was armed and wouldn't drop the weapon. Police shot Provost. He was pronounced dead Tuesday morning at Florida Hospital East. No police officers were injured in the incident. The two police officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the shooting. The man shot by two Orlando police officers Monday night and later died was carrying an Airsoft pellet gun, Chief John Mina said. During a news conference Tuesday, Mina questioned why Eric Provost, 28, who spoke with dispatchers and knew police officers were on their way, would come outside with the pellet gun. Mina said dispatch spoke to Provost on the phone, but he seemed hesitant when answering questions, so officers went to Courtney Landing Condominiums complex on Swissco Drive, near Lee Vista Boulevard and Semoran Boulevard. There, officers encountered Provost, who wouldn't drop the Airsoft gun. Two officers, Sonja Saunders, a five-year police veteran, and Tino Cruz, a four-year veteran, shot Provost. Knowing they were on the way, then knowing they were there at the door, officers in full police uniform... then still stepping out of that apartment or condo with that simulated firearm -- it kind of just goes to show his mindset," Mina said. "I'm not exactly sure what he was thinking. Obviously, he was not in his right mind. Provost was pronounced dead Tuesday morning at Florida Hospital East. Earlier this month, Provost was arrested by Orange County deputies in connection with an ATM robbery on New Year's Day, records show. No police officers were injured in the incident. Cruz and Saunders have been placed on paid administrative leave as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates whether the use of force was justified. NEW HAVEN A federal judge has ruled that four Connecticut state troopers did not use unreasonable force when they fired non-lethal weapons at a firefighter just before he shot himself to death during a standoff. Judge Jeffrey Meyer in New Haven on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit by Timothy Devines family, who alleged state police provoked him into killing himself on the University of Connecticuts Avery Point campus along Long Island Sound in Groton in 2012. Authorities say Devine, a Groton firefighter, threatened suicide during the standoff. The troopers detonated flash grenades and shot Devine with rubber baton projectiles in an effort to surprise him and end the standoff. Authorities say Devine became more agitated and killed himself. State officials denied allegations the troopers violated Devines constitutional rights and used excessive force. About Me After a career of over 40 years as an academic psychologist, I started a new career as a public historian of Chinese American history that led to five Yin & Yang Press books and over 100 book talks about the lives of early Chinese immigrants and their families operating laundries, restaurants, and grocery stores. This blog contains more research of interest to supplement my books. Willard L. Quarderer, 95, passed away Jan. 17, 2016. He was a resident at The Neighbors of Dunn County in Menomonie, Wis. He was born Oct. 3, 1920, and grew up in Sheridan Township, Dunn County, Wis., the son of John and Lena (Wiseman) Quarderer. Willard graduated in 1939, from Prairie Farm High School, Prairie Farm, Wis. He married Glenna Guldvog Sept. 23, 1944, in Pine City, Minn. Willard was an award winning Wisconsin cheesemaker for more than 40 years. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and the outdoors. He especially enjoyed watching his great-grandsons, the little guys being boys. He was preceded in death by his wife, Glenna; parents; and 12 siblings. He is survived by his sons, Bradley (Linda) and Darrell (Janet); his granddaughter, Jennifer (Blair) Berger; and three great-grandsons, Blake, Ethan and Aaron; and many nieces and nephews. Memorials may be directed to The Neighbors of Dunn County or any charity of donors choice. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, at Olson Funeral Home in Menomonie, with Pastor Duane Walker officiating. There will be visitation one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be at a later date in Sunset Cemetery in Prairie Farm, Wis. To share a memory, please visit obituaries at www.olsonfuneral.com. Google's Cardboard VR headset. Source: Google. When Google released Cardboard in 2014, it almost seemed like a joke. The crude virtual-reality headset crafted from cardboard looked like it must be powered by imagination more than anything. But the Alphabet company continued promoting the product as a real VR solution, partnering with several companies over the past year or so to add legitimacy to the platform. Now, Google is getting serious about virtual reality. The company created a new division dedicated to the format, promoting product management chief Clay Bavor to VP of VR. As Facebook and Microsoft gear up to bring their VR headsets to regular consumers this year, Google is looking to catch up with its new dedicated division. The Android approach Google has seen incredible success with Android for smartphones and tablets. Offering a practically free operating system for hardware developers enabled it to become the most popular operating system in the world and proliferated Internet-enabled devices across the globe. As a result of the increase in smartphones and tablets, Google has seen its advertising opportunities soar. Google's approach with virtual reality is likely to be very similar. While Facebook and Microsoft are building very high-end devices with total costs for the consumer over $1,000, Google's Cardboard costs about $5 and uses the smartphone consumers probably already own. In fact, Cardboard is so inexpensive that companies are compelled to give units away to promote their content. The New York Times did just that, sending out 1.3 million units to its Sunday subscribers to try out its new VR content. In this way, Google is making it possible for consumers to easily get a taste of what VR has to offer. In the long run, this may actually benefit Facebook and Microsoft, which would have a hard time reaching a massive audience with their expensive units. When Facebook's Oculus announced that its Rift headset would cost $599 earlier this month, people were quite surprised at the pricing. Even at that price, Oculus says it's selling the units at breakeven pricing. Microsoft's Hololens costs about $3,000. Google may very well release its own high-end headset down the line featuring technology from Magic Leap, an augmented-reality company in which Google invested more than half a billion dollars in 2014. Its technology is still years away from reaching the market, but it poses a real challenge to Microsoft's Hololens. But Google doesn't care Google doesn't care that much if you're using an Android phone or an iPhone. It cares much more that you're using its services, such as Maps, Gmail, and YouTube. You can do that on any device with an Internet connection. Likewise, the services that Google builds for VR are accessible regardless of who manufactures the unit. Google's biggest strength is in advertising, and the potential for advertising in virtual reality is huge. Instead of just taking up a screen, an ad in VR takes up a person's entire field of vision, and he or she can't look away. VR advertising demands a viewer's attention, making it extremely valuable. The company that can capture that market stands to make billions in revenue over the next decade. And Google is positioning itself to make that happen. YouTube already has partnerships with companies to produce VR content and advertisements, giving it a head start as a hub for VR content. With a dedicated team at Google working closely with YouTube, it should become one of the essential apps for VR headsets regardless of whose hardware it's running on. That means YouTube could become an even bigger piece of Alphabet's revenue going forward. It currently accounts for about 5% of total revenue at the company. The software opportunity for VR is also relatively large. Goldman Sachs estimates that the VR software market will grow to $35 billion over the next decade. A large part of software sales will come from games like those being designed for the Oculus Rift. Nonetheless, Google has an opportunity to capitalize on that market through its own software or as a distributor -- just as it does with Google Play for Android. The opportunities for Google in virtual reality are huge, potentially generating billions of dollars of revenue for Alphabet investors. It's about time it created a dedicated division for the platform and get serious about competing with Facebook and Microsoft. The next billion-dollar iSecret The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something at its recent event, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. The article Google Is Getting Serious About Virtual Reality originally appeared on Fool.com. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Adam Levy has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Facebook. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A photo upvoted thousands of times to the front page of Reddit Monday is revealing history on some of Texas tallest, who all happened to be brothers. The Texas Giants is the label the Shields Bothers, of White Rock, were boasted as by the Barnum & Bailey sideshow in the late 1800s, and, now more than 100 years later, on Reddit. Shadrick (Shade) Archibald Shields, Augustus Orion Shields, Frank Shields and Jack Robinson Shields were all billed as being between 7-foot-8 and 8 feet tall, but evidence shows the family was actually shorter, according to Texas Co-op Power. RELATED: New rival emerges for Lauren Williams, Texas woman with world's longest legs Most believe the group of giants were actually between 6'8" and 7 feet, which is still pretty huge. Spurs rookie sensation Boban Marjanovic is 7'3". Shade Shields met his match, 7-foot Annie OBrien, and married her on Christmas Day in 1890 and toured with her as the tallest married couple on Earth. Their marriage resulted in the birth of one son, "who was of average height, the site said. The other brothers quit the circus life years before, in 1883, when a smallpox epidemic ravage the Barnum camp and Augustus and Frank lost their wives to the disease. RELATED: Two Lubbock cowboys give the most Texan interview you've ever seen Reddit could reconnect descendants of the towering family. One commenter claims he is a relative of the Shields. Shade is my great-great grandfather. My grandfather Max Shields was over 69 RIP, the user, riverkinn, said. This really cool to see on the front page, new to Reddit but great to see. Reddit, a widely used social media site, allows users to submit links to news stories, photos, videos and pretty much anything else that can exist on the Internet and other users vote on them. Stories make it to the "front page," effectively Reddit's homepage, when they receive thousands of "upvotes." The post received more than 5,500 upvotes in less than 12 hours Monday. mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye A University of Texas at San Antonio student allegedly caught with nearly a pound of marijuana at Fort Sam Houston was ordered held without bond Monday after a judge learned he had been out on bail on another drug case. Jaime Montanaro, 20, who is originally from Brownsville, was arrested in October near UTSA on a state charge of possessing controlled substances psychedelic mushrooms found in his apartment and was awaiting court proceedings when he was arrested again Friday evening at the Army post. The FBI charged him with possession of less than 50 kilos of marijuana in the latest case. In many ways it is fitting that Janice Lemminger will serve as chairman of the board of directors for the Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce in 2016. The Chamber has been focusing a lot of its efforts in recent years on helping its members find qualified workers, and Lemminger is executive vice president of the employment agency Manpower. Who was better suited than Lemminger to speak to that issue during the Chambers annual meeting Monday at the Avalon Hotel & Conference Center? With increased business growth and development, some industries especially manufacturing are experiencing worker shortage, she said, and Chamber President Mike Jordan expanded on that. The big challenge that were facing is making sure that our businesses have the workforce they need, Jordan said, noting that companies cannot grow as much as they would like without a sufficient workforce. That is why the Chamber has been focusing on this issue for some time, and it continues to find ways to help in the effort. In 2014, the Chamber partnered with the Chippewa Falls School District and McDonell Area Catholic Schools, along with local businesses and Chippewa Valley Technical College, to create a program called School2Skills. Through guided tours of area businesses, the program offers middle school students, parents and educators opportunities to learn more about careers that are available in Chippewa Falls. During the 2014-2015 school year, 150 students got first-hand looks at manufacturing and health care facilities and the job possibilities they offer. Tours will be expanded this year to engineering, business and automotive workplaces. The Chamber didnt create a Youth Apprenticeship program, but is supporting it at the local level by introducing it to area businesses. This past year the Chamber met with staff from the Department of Workforce Development and CESA 10 (Cooperative Educational Service Agency). Youth Apprenticeship integrates school-based and work-based learning to instruct students in employability and occupational skills defined by Wisconsin industries, Lemminger said. At the same time students can be attending school classes to meet high school graduation requirements, in a youth apprenticeship-related instruction class, and employed by an employer participating in the program. Already, eight students have been placed in this program at Wissota Tool & Machine, Planke Enterprises, Nordson EDI, Mid-State Truck Service, Dove Health Care Wissota Health and Regional Vent Center and Chippewa Manor Nursing Home, Lemminger said, explaining that students do not have to be 18 years old to work in manufacturing or in health care. I want to challenge you businesses, large and small, non-profits and government entities, she said. By this time next year, I would like to be up here at the podium reporting that we have at least doubled that number. Marketing to former residents Another method the Chamber is using to attract skilled workers to area companies is reaching out to people who used to live in the Chippewa Falls area or who have other connections to the region. What weve found is that our odds of attracting workforce go up exponentially when we have some tie-in with the candidate a relative, they know somebody from here, or they have graduated here peaking their interest, Jordan said. Thats what were trying to leverage right now. How do we get to them, through whatever avenue we can, to see if theyre interested in coming home. He said they are already seeing progress from its Come Home to Chippewa Falls program. It is one thing to create interest in having people return to the area, and another for them to discover what possibilities currently exist. So the Chamber has begun linking open positions that are posted on its members websites to the Chamber site. We want them to have a starting link right out of the gate, so weve added that our website as well, Jordan said. Currently about three dozen businesses, several of them among the biggest employers in the city, have open positions. Chamber news Of course, 2015 was the year the 5,000-square-foot Chamber of Commerce building opened at 1 North Bridge Street, and a grand opening was held in August. I hope you join me in being proud of this project, and helping to make this new facility something the whole community can be proud of, said John Manier, operations manager at General Beverage & General Beer Companies and the Chambers president in 2015. We are excited to be a part of the revitalization of the entryway into our community. Without every members support, this would not have been possible, he said, encouraging anyone who hasnt stopped in the Chamber and Visitors Center to do so. Manier also said that Ambassadors participated in 24 ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings during the past 12 months, and that was just three shy of its record. The Chamber boasts an all-time high 633 members, and Mondays annual meeting far exceeded its previous record with approximately 360 people in attendance. Among the items to look forward to in 2016, Lemminger said, are: Chippewa River Distillery and Brewster Brothers Brewing Co. are planning to open a microbrewery and distillery in February. A downtown hotel, Cobblestone Hotel & Suites, is expected to be open by this fall. Fries Financial Group will be relocating its offices this spring to the former Kelly Furniture building on Spring Street that it has been renovating this past year. Some noticeable improvements as part of the riverfront development project are anticipated to be done in 2016. Nordson EDI is planning to expand its operations and add onto their facility on Kurth Road. Advanced Laser The featured business was Advanced Laser Machining, at 600 Cashman Drive, now is in its 20th year of providing precision metal fabrication. It employs about 125 people. The company was also recognized last spring at the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporations annual meeting as its Business of the Year. Company President John Walton, a Chi-Hi graduate who started ALM through the Chippewa Valley Innovation Center, said that the company doubled in 2004, and is expected to do so again through an approximately $4 million expansion. For that, he credited his employees. These people are absolutely the key to our success, Walton said. State Sen. Jose Menendez announced Tuesday that he plans to file a bill in the next Texas legislative session that would create Davids Law, named for the Alamo Heights High School student who recently committed suicide after being bullied on social media. The family of student David Molak had voiced their intent to push for such a law in the wake of his death. Menendez, in taking up that cause, said the bill is needed to stop an epidemic of harassment on social media. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN ANTONIO The San Antonio Police Department is searching for a man suspected of robbing a convenience store in December. Police say the robbery happened at a Valero in the 1200 block of Probandt Street on Dec. 29, 2015. The unidentified man approached the clerk, displayed a silver handgun and yelled give me the f------ money b----," according to a police report. The suspect then allegedly reached behind the cash register and grabbed the money before running from the location, the document said. The suspects possible vehicle description is a maroon or burgundy SUV with dark tinted windows. Anyone with information regarding the suspects identity or his whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP. @lillypxce This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A big order of tacos helped authorities capture the most wanted man in Mexico and the United States, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, according to The New York Times. The 6-month search for the most infamous drug lord most of the world had ever seen, brought Mexican marines to Los Mochis, in Sinaloa, Guzman's home state, on Jan. 8. RELATED: The many alleged lovers of El Chapo Guzmans last stop in his flee was in January, at a home owned by one of his chief tunnel diggers that had been on the authorities' radar, the NYT reported. The New Year kicked off with evidence the drug lord may be visiting soon when authorities intercepted phone conversations which discussed the arrival of a visitor aliased as a grandma and aunt, the report said. RELATED: Report: Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' Guzman got erectile dysfunction treatment while on the run Mexicos Special Forces kept an ear to the ground until getting their final piece of evidence a large food order. Just two blocks away, a big order of tacos was picked up after midnight on Jan. 8 by a man driving a white van, like the one believed to be driven by Mr. Guzmans associates, witnesses said, according to the New York Times report. Hours later, at 4:30 a.m., the marines stormed the compound, meeting a knot of doors and fierce resistance from gunmen. RELATED: New video released of raid to capture Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman During the siege, the escape artist cartel leader managed to flee yet again, through an escape hatch hidden behind a closet mirror. This breakaway wouldnt last long as Guzman was recaptured on Highway 15 headed toward Guasave, the Times reported. Guzman is currently being held in the Antiplano prison where he escaped from in July while the Mexican government has started an extradition process to get Guzman to the United States. mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye Sometimes I think tea partyers are in an emotionally abusive relationship with the Constitution. One day, they proclaim its inerrancy and say it must be loved, honored and obeyed in all its original perfection. The next day, they call for a constitutional convention, arguing that its broken, outdated and desperately in need of a face-lift. In other words: I love you, youre perfect, now change. This pure, pristine document is so fervently adored by people of the parchment that some carry it around with them at all times. They cite it as they might scripture (that is, often incorrectly, and for their own purposes). They believe that anyone who questions the Constitutions decrees must be verbally flogged or even impeached. The United States sacred scroll must be feared, fetishized and followed to the letter down to the comma, even in its original, strictly constructed form. But now a line of thinking has emerged that the best way to preserve the Constitution is to revamp it completely. Consider Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, a tea party darling, who wants to convene a constitutional convention to amend this precious political heirloom. And not to push through just a single amendment, but nine. These amendments include: allowing a two-thirds majority of states to override a Supreme Court decision; prohibiting Congress from regulating activity that occurs wholly within one state; and requiring a seven-justice supermajority for Supreme Court decisions that invalidate a democratically enacted law. Abbott demands a balanced-budget amendment, which almost certainly would have been opposed by Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who was the most prolific defender of the Constitution. These are not minor copy edits. In a 92-page document defending his proposals, Abbott laments widespread ignorance of the Constitution and argues that his plan is not so much a vision to alter the Constitution as it is a call to restore the rule of our current one. The Constitution itself is not broken, Abbott writes in italics. What is broken is our Nations willingness to obey the Constitution and to hold our leaders accountable to it. In other words, the Constitution says what Abbott thinks it says, not what it actually says, or what the Supreme Court decides it says so now we just need to rewrite it so that the text fits whats in his head. Abbott is not the only right-wing Constitution-thumper to call for reframing the Founders allegedly perfect handiwork. Marco Rubio, apparently trying to capture more of his partys fringe, recently announced that on his first day in office as commander in chief, he would put the prestige and power of the presidency behind a constitutional convention of the states. Its agenda would be to impose term limits on federal legislators and judges, as well as a balanced-budget amendment. Then theres Donald Trump, who, along with others, wants to roll back the 14th Amendment to quash birthright citizenship. (In the meantime, hell settle for casting aspersions on his political enemies birthplaces.) And Ben Carson author of a book subtitled What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties has argued that U.S. law is not subject to judicial review from the Supreme Court, contra Marbury v. Madison. t.) Like Rubio, Carson has supported the idea of a constitutional convention, along with fellow Republican presidential candidates Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee and John Kasich. Then theres Ted Cruz, who devotes a section on his campaign website to his pledge to defend the Constitution and restore the Constitution as our standard. Cruz, too, has decided that the best way to restore the Constitution is by altering it. He supports amendments to require a balanced budget, let state legislatures define marriage and subject Supreme Court justices to retention elections. These and many more unspecified amendments are needed, he told reporters, because the federal government and the courts have gotten so far away from the original text and the original understanding of our Constitution. Because, obviously, the best way to honor that cherished, perfect, original text is by getting rid of it. crampell@washpost.com After running as a man last time around, Hillary Clinton is now running as a woman. Matthew Dowd, the former W. strategist who became an independent, says Hillary got it backward: She should have run as a woman in 2008, when she was beating back a feminized anti-war candidate. And she should have run as a man this time, when Americans feel beleaguered and scared and yearn for something big and masculine and strong, as Dowd put it. Despite the deafening dearth of excitement among younger women, Hillary has cast herself as Groundbreaking Granny. Shes campaigning with Lena Dunham, Katy Perry and Demi Lovato, and is selling T-shirt pantsuits on her website. And she showed up last week on Lifetime, sharing a white couch with Amanda de Cadenet, who hosts a cozy chat show with women. Hillary shared the childhood woe of being told by boys in her neighborhood that she couldnt play with them because she was a girl. She told Rachel Maddow she wouldnt rule out an all-estrogen ticket by choosing a female running mate. A group of women in the Senate most of whom deserted Hillary for Barack Obama in 2008 descended on Iowa on Friday in the spirit of sisterhood. And Hillary told Time reporter Jay Newton-Small for a new book, Broad Influence: How Women Are Changing the Way America Works, that she would govern differently as the first female president. I just think women in general are better listeners, are more collegial, more open to new ideas and how to make things work in a way that looks for win-win outcomes, Hillary said. Of course, if she had been a better listener on her health care initiative and the Iraq invasion, those two towering issues might not have scuppered her. Since we cannot know if a woman is going to overcompensate on machismo as Hillary did on the unjustified Iraq invasion we may want to look at it a different way. It may be more relevant to ask if someone is a cat or a dog. The feline Barack Obama began his aloof reign wanting to prowl alone on the stage, and hes ending it the same way. His State of the Union speech was an exercise in thumbing his nose at the noxious obstructionist Republicans, and lecturing Americans to grow up about ISIS and stop acting as though World War III has broken out. The hyper-rational Obama, who disdains easy emotion in politics, has had a hard time offering comfort or capturing the public mood at moments when people dont feel safe, from the Christmas underwear bomber to the BP oil spill to the rise of ISIS. Juliette Kayyem, his former assistant secretary for Homeland Security, said its important to try to soothe peoples fears by calmly explaining exactly what is being done to protect them. The author of the forthcoming Security Mom warned Democratic senators to take Americans unease seriously when she spoke at the senators recent retreat at Nationals Park. Otherwise, she said, the Republican paranoia, the craziness and hysteria of Its the Muslims and Just keep them out fills the vacuum. W. was all about the gut and Obama is all about the head and now Donald Trump is soaring by being all about the gut again. Both Hillary and Trump have been emphasizing that they will do a lot more schmoozing with lawmakers and others who disagree with them, vowing to be dogs with a bone, eager canines offering paws, and not a cool cat stalking away at the first sign of difficulty or when affection is most desired. You have to build those relationships and constantly be looking for common ground no matter how small a sliver it may be, Hillary told The Des Moines Register. At a town hall talk in Iowa on Friday, Trump made it clear that he would not be as scornful of wheeling, dealing and wheedling as Obama. You get them in a room and you say Do it, Trump said about working on a budget with Congress. Obama doesnt get anyone in a room. He tried I think for a little while and it failed. Cajole! Cajole! Trump exclaimed. Have you ever seen a cat cajole? Maureen Dowd is a columnist for the New York Times. Note to candidates for public office: Please do not tell us who we are as Americans. We already know who we are. Tell us who you are. Jim Rogers, Fair Oaks Ranch Ending gun violence President Barack Obamas executive action on guns will do little, if anything, to curb gun violence. Criminals and terrorists wont submit to background checks and will buy their guns on the black market. The president, if hes really interested in doing something about gun violence, should be working with Congress to come up with legislation that would make committing any crime with a gun a federal offense, punishable by a 10-year mandatory sentence added to the punishment for the crime. This way, the criminal is punished instead of the law-abiding citizen and a strong message is sent. But we dont hear this from the president, Hillary Clinton or the rest of the Democrats because theyre not interested in ending gun violence. They want the political fight because they believe being anti-Second Amendment is a winning issue for them. Well see come November, but this stance didnt work out too well for Al Gore, did it? Liam Harvie All are lying Hardly a day goes by in which one of your readers doesnt complain about your left leaning positions. Their claims that you scrutinize those on the right with a magnifying glass and turn a blind eye toward those on the left are absolutely laughable! Calling a Hearst publication left leaning is akin to calling Ted Cruz a socialist moderate. A letter writer (More untruths, Jan. 5) accuses your newspaper of a double standard with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump when it comes to lying. Reliable outlets, including Politifact.com, conclude that 75 percent of what Trump says is bull poop, yet his followers cant get enough of it. Trumps campaign video of Mexican immigrants crossing the border (which turned out to be footage of immigrants in Morocco) should be an eye-opener. As for Hillary, Politifact rates her claim that Trump inspired ISIS videos false because no proof existed when she made the claim. Proof now exists of that; however, its rating is based on when she made the comment. Sounds fair to me. All politicians lie. What should concern us is the frequency of their lying, and the severity and consequences of those lies. When it comes to lying Trump, Ted Cruz, and Ben Carson are doing their darnedest to come in first place. Ignorance is bliss. Joe Velasquez Vote for change Re: None of the above, Your turn, Jan. 4: The writer claims he will not vote because of dissatisfaction with the candidates our political parties have chosen for us. And he adds, I think a lot of Americans are thinking the same thing. He has this backward. Being dissatisfied is the best reason to vote. Because overall voter turnout is so low, candidates need only appeal to the few who do vote to win. So, if the writer doesnt vote, he plays into the hands of candidates he doesnt like. If we want change, we need to learn about candidates and show up at the polls, even if it means voting for the least worst at times. William Altemeier, Action Committee chair, League of Woman Voters of the San Antonio Area Terrorist tool Re: Jihadists recruitment video uses Trump quote, Nation & World, Jan. 3: If The Donald fails to become the 45th president, he can fall back on his profitable real estate career. But, now, theres a second career opportunity terrorist recruiter. Trump is already the star of a video put out by al-Shabab an Al-Qaida affiliate. The mans a natural! Hes a walking, talking terrorist recruiter just as bad as the actual terrorists when it comes to making people want to kill Americans! Carl Lloyd Degrading military It appears that certain governmental officials want to lower our military standards to allow more citizens to be eligible for combat. This would be a big mistake, as we have already lowered standards for Congress and other elected officials. If the standards are to be raised, then bring back the draft and eliminate all sources of dark money in political campaigns. Elected officials are our representatives and cannot make or hold themselves above the law. Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Robert S. Broff Restore the Alamo I stand with the 82 percent of the folks who want to see the historic footprint of the Alamo reclaimed and the adobe buildings and walls restored (Express-News online survey). This is an awe-inspiring concept and long overdue. I take issue with those who have a very parochial point of view and advocate maintaining the status quo. In particular are the ridiculous and largely refutable comments expressed by William Dupont (Leave Alamo alone, Your Turn, Dec. 21). Mr. Dupont claimed the restoration of the Alamo footprint would be a disrespectful treatment of Alamo Plaza. I believe the opposite to be true. His dim vision for the plaza is uninspiring, to say the least, and I find it sad for him to suggest that we should Remember the Alamo (and honor those who fought the battle) through the proliferation of commercialism. Its the adherence to this misguided policy that has brought Alamo Plaza to its disgraceful and failed condition. Mr. Dupont reveals just how out of touch he is by suggesting visitors will somehow be disappointed and their experience marred by the possible removal of three largely unremarkable buildings. Sorry, thats wrong, too. I can say with certainty heritage tourists want to see more of the Alamo. Lets stop focusing on low-hanging fruit and reach for something exceptional. Glenn Effler The latest campaign finance reports show major donors have made big contributions not only to the candidates, but to their political parties as Wisconsins hard-fought governors race draws to a close. Conservative billionaire Diane Hendricks, owner of ABC Supply Co. in Beloit, gave $1 million to the Republican Party of Wisconsin in September, while liberal Milwaukee heiress and philanthropist Lynde Uhlein contributed $1 million to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin that same month. Republican Gov. Scott Walker received the maximum individual contribution allowed $10,000 from 49 individuals, including former GOP U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde, during the reporting period. Democratic challenger Mary Burke received the maximum $10,000 individual contribution from 15 people, including American Girl founder Pleasant Rowland and Epic founder and CEO Judy Faulkner in the same time frame. During the roughly three-month reporting period, which ended last week, Walker reported raising nearly $10.4 million. That included nearly $2.4 million from political action committees, a total likely boosted in the wake of a recent ruling by a federal judge. In the same time span, July 29 through Oct. 20, Burke reported raising about $9.3 million, including a $4.6 million loan from herself and about $687,000 from political action committees. The Burke campaign on Monday originally said it had raised $10.2 million during the latest period, but on Tuesday said that number was actually how much she had brought in during the entire campaign minus the total of $5 million she loaned her campaign. Campaign spokesman Joe Zepecki said he was responsible for the mistake, saying he inadvertently mischaracterized the campaigns year-to-date total as the total for the current reporting period. Republicans pounced on the error. What kind of self-proclaimed numbers person is a million dollars off in a three-month financial report? said Joe Fadness, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Apparently a million here and a million there isnt a big deal to Mary Burke. Burke is a Madison School Board member and former state Commerce secretary who earned millions as an executive with the company her father founded, Trek Bicycle. Reviews of the latest campaign finance numbers show Walker received about 34,500 donations from out-of-state individuals and groups totaling about $3.8 million and $6.5 million from about 25,400 donations from in-state individuals and groups during this reporting period. Burke received about 34,700 donations totaling about $1.5 million from out-of-state individuals and groups and another 31,000 donations totaling $3.2 million from in-state individuals and groups during this period. Throughout the entire campaign, Walker has received about $25.5 million in individual contributions with about 52 percent coming from out of state and 48 percent from within the state said Mike McCabe, executive director of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Burke has raised about $14.1 million in individual contributions, with 69 percent coming from the state and 31 percent from out of state, McCabe said. McCabe added that, based on disclosed spending so far, those on Walkers side are outspending those on Burkes side by roughly a 55 percent to 45 percent margin. Candidates had been limited as to how much money they could receive from other candidates and political action committees, which are often controlled by special interest groups, unions and others. The cap was previously set at about $700,000. But U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa ruled in September that the limit was likely unconstitutional and blocked state elections officials from enforcing it. As a result, candidates can raise at least for now unlimited amounts of money from political action committees. During this period, Walker reported receiving nearly $1.2 million from the state Republican party. The party gave Walker a large portion of that $450,000 the same day it received $650,000 from Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. Walkers campaign gave about $672,000 to the party over the same reporting period. In March, Walker and other potential 2016 GOP presidential candidates spoke at a Republican Jewish Coalition event at the Venetian, one of Adelsons luxury casinos. Walker received about $2.36 million from more than two dozen political action committees. During this period, Burke received $200,000 from the state Democratic party. During the same period, the party received $40,000 from her brother, John Burke, and another $40,000 from her mother, Elaine Burke. The party also received $160,000 from Democratic Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. Burke got $686,838 from nearly 100 political action committees, including about $43,128 from AFSCME Wisconsins PAC, $43,128 from the Wisconsin Professional Police Association PAC, and $43,128 from the United Food and Commercial Workers. Walker and Burke remain locked in a tight race with less than a week to go until Tuesdays election. Contact reporter Mary Spicuzza at mspicuzza@madison.com or 608-252-6122. Contact data reporter Nick Heynen at nheynen@madison.com or 608-252-6126. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The billionaire founder of Beal Bank in Plano has snatched up Tom and Cinda Hicks 25-acre Crespi estate in Dallas, one of the most expensive ever sold in Texas, according to realtors and news reports. The asking price for the home was originally set at $135 million before dropping $100 million, according to Culture Map, and billionaire Andy Beal had been looking into another property before deciding on the Crespi estate. This estate is the most expensive single family home sold on the Texas real estate market in recent years (by far), according to multiple media outlets. The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University reported the most expensive home currently on the market in Texas that they are aware of is listed at $50 million. However, many luxury real estate properties are not entered into widely used real estate listing databases, so they can be hard to track. Of course some large ranches have sold for more. For example, the Waggoner Ranch was listed at $725 million. RELATED: Top 25 landowners in America Beal, a divorced father of six children, is worth $10.3 billion, according to Forbes 400 ranking. Tom and Cinda Hicks bought the estate 16 years ago from the Crespi family. The Crespis originally built the home in 1938 with the help of architect Maurice Fatio. The building has had several renovations since then. Hicks owned the Texas Rangers from 1998 to about 2010. RELATED: Former Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks giant Dallas estate on the market for $100 million The estate, located in the highly-regarded Preston Hollow neighborhood, has a main home by itself that spans more than 50,000 square feet. The estate also has a 6,400-square-foot guesthouse and a 9,194-square-foot recreation building. RELATED: Texas' iconic Waggoner Ranch for sale for $725 million The property has amenities such as a kitchen with a French range valued at $65,000, a library featuring French paneling from the 1820s, a 500-bottle wine storage room, a conservatory and a movie theater. According to the Dallas Morning News, the home also has a full basement under the primary home and a seven-car garage. Scroll through the slideshow above to see photos of the stunning complex. twhite@mysa.com Twitter: @tylerlwhite This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo will not allow the open carry of firearms, now legal under state law, on rodeo grounds during the February event, a spokesperson said in a statement to mySA.com Tuesday. As of Jan. 1, Texans licensed to carry concealed handguns are now allowed to carry those weapons openly. RELATED: Business allowing open carry in San Antonio However, despite the new law, the rodeo will maintain its longstanding policy barring firearms from the event, spokeswoman Kim Hinze said in an email on Tuesday. "Firearms have not been allowed on the grounds in the past and therefore we are continuing with that policy," Hinze said. RELATED: Businesses that do not allow open carry on their premises in San Antonio That includes concealed carry and open carry of firearms, Hinze said. The open carry law, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2015, allows some exceptions for those who want to opt out: businesses may disallow the open carry of guns if they display a sign. RELATED: San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo wins large indoor rodeo of the year for 11th year in a row It's also illegal to carry any weapon including guns, knives, clubs and brass knuckles at public schools, voting sites, courtrooms, racetracks, airports and some correctional facilities. Handguns cannot be taken into amusement parks, churches, hospitals and bars and public meetings if there is proper notice that it is a gun-free zone. RELATED: New Texas laws will go into effect on Jan. 1 The rodeo, started in 1950, isn't the first San Antonio institution to ban open carry: at least 16 major businesses operating in San Antonio, including H-E-B and Whataburger, have opted to disallow the open carry of firearms on their premises. Officials with the San Antonio Zoo also told mySA.com that they have decided to ban the practice, but that the Texas Attorney General's Office could potentially rule against them. RELATED: Things to know about Texas' new open carry law At least seven big businesses with stores in San Antonio, including Lowe's and The Home Depot, will allow open carry. Scroll through the slideshow to see the stars slated to appear at the rodeo Feb. 11-28 and learn nine quick facts about the new law. jfechter@mySA.com Twitter: @JFreports Posted on 01/19/2016, 1:30 pm, by mySteinbach The Manitoba government is looking for additional housing for refugees moving here because of conflict in their home countries, including those affected by the crisis in Syria. Manitobans have come together to ensure that all refugees making their way to our province feel welcome and are well prepared to start their lives here, said Housing and Community Development Minister Mohinder Saran. We continue to seek housing options for these families as a part of our work with local settlement agencies. Were asking property owners with appropriate options to contact us so we can ensure families are settled and moving forward as soon as possible. At this time, median-market to mid-market rate units with three, four or five bedrooms are needed most, both within Winnipeg and in nearby communities outside the city. Houses, apartments and condos are preferred, particularly those available for rent on a long-term basis. Those with info on available units are encouraged to contact 204-945-6211 or refugeehousing@gov.mb.ca. When families arrive in Manitoba, they participate in orientation supported by Winnipeg-based settlement agencies which includes securing permanent housing that meets their needs. The province has made 400 rental subsidies available to ensure affordability. The Manitoba government has stepped up its support for the settlement sector to respond to the increased levels of refugees coming to the province in a number of ways beyond housing including: investing $1.6 million to ensure good transitions into the classroom for children of refugee families including a focus on English as an additional language as well as after-school programs to improve integration and school outcomes; committing $1.4 million for settlement and integration supports including $200,000 in humanitarian assistance; boosting local settlement work through settlement agencies, private sponsorships, health services for refugees, supports for youth and employment; and providing funding for a community co-ordinator to support the response. We are committed to do whats necessary to ensure this effort is successful, said Minister Saran. Gov. Scott Walker has cemented key changes in time for the 2016 political campaign, signing into law bills giving campaign finance law its biggest makeover in decades and dismantling and replacing Wisconsins oversight board for elections and elected officials. Walkers signing of the two bills, announced in a press release, was conducted in private Wednesday. It was widely expected after the bills passed the Legislature last month on votes that largely mirrored party lines. The campaign finance measure dials back restrictions on money flowing into state political campaigns, some of which had been struck down by court rulings. The signing of the measure dismantling the Government Accountability Board kicks off a six-month transition to new elections and ethics commissions that will succeed it on June 30. The GAB, made up of six nonpartisan former judges, oversees elections, campaign finance, ethics and lobbying. The bill replaces it with two separate elections and ethics commissions overseen by appointees, most of them partisans, made by legislative leaders and the governor. The lead lawmakers in the majority and minority parties in the Assembly and Senate each will appoint a member to both commissions. The elections commission will include two former local elections clerks and the ethics commission, two former judges that are appointed by the governor. The measure also resumes the practice, halted when the GAB was created in 2007, of allowing lawmakers to control funding for investigations of alleged wrongdoing by public officials. The chief administrator of the GAB, Kevin Kennedy, said in a statement that his agency will work with the Walker administration to ensure a smooth transition to the new commissions. There are still many questions about how the transition will happen, which we hope to answer in coming weeks, Kennedy said. Those questions relate to the budgets of the new commissions, how and when their chief administrators will be hired and where theyll be housed, GAB spokesman Reid Magney said. In a memo to Walker released last month, Kennedy joined GAB members in objecting to putting the new commissions in place in mid-2016, calling it irresponsible, if not reckless. The new elections commission would begin functioning five months before a high-turnout presidential election in November 2016. Its expected to be the first presidential election in which the states new photo ID requirement for voters will be in effect. The GAB, the establishment of which was inspired by the partisan caucus scandals that rocked the Wisconsin Legislature in the early 2000s, was meant to be an impartial overseer of campaigns, elections, public officials and those who seek to influence them. Outside experts hailed the board as a national model, in part because it is led by former judges instead of the partisans who fill that role in most other states. But in recent years, the GAB and Kennedy fell out of favor with many Wisconsin Republicans for their role in the investigation into secret coordination between Walkers 2012 recall campaign and several so-called issue advocacy organizations. The boards growing list of critics described the GAB as a rogue agency and accused it of partisan bias after it assisted prosecutors in the John Doe investigation. The state Supreme Court halted the probe in July, saying it had no basis in law. Republican supporters of the bill to dismantle the GAB say it will restore confidence in the oversight of elections and elected officials. Bill critics, which include Democrats and open-government groups, say it could foster corruption by weakening such oversight. They objected to recent changes to the bill by the state Senate, where the measure stalled for a period before passing last month. A key Senate change empowers a legislative committee controlled by majority Republicans with appointing head administrators for the new commissions if commissioners dont pick them within 45 days. Since the commissions are designed to be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, critics said the change would create an incentive for commissioners aligned with the majority party to stall on voting for an administrator, thus empowering their party to make the selection. Democrats said that change undermines the stated intent of bill supporters who said the new commissions wont favor one party or another. Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group founded by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, was one of two entities registered with the state to lobby in favor of the bill. The group hailed Walkers signature in a statement Wednesday, saying the GAB worked in secret to launch partisan assaults on protected free speech and its own political enemies. Its my hope that the new bipartisan agency will protect the rights of Wisconsinites instead of trampling them, said the groups Wisconsin director, Eric Bott. The campaign finance measure removes various limits on campaign contributions, some of which recently have not been in effect after being struck down in court. It lifts the ban on corporate contributions to political parties and legislative campaign committees and doubles individual contribution limits to candidates. It makes clear that candidates may coordinate with issue advocacy groups, the type of activity that was at the center of the investigation into Walkers campaign. Such groups seek to influence elections but dont expressly call for the election or defeat of a particular candidate. Common Cause in Wisconsin, the nonpartisan government watchdog group that opposed both bills, issued a statement saying the campaign finance bill will allow much more money to flow to political campaigns in secret. No other state allows for as many opportunities for political money to escape simple, basic disclosure as this legislation will allow in Wisconsin, the statement said. Each and every nation has some peculiar laws, by-laws, and regulations, rules written for bygone days that seem strange for modern citizens. Canada is no exception. Canada holds a wide variety of odd-ball laws many arent aware of, mostly because such laws are rarely if ever enforced. Still, theyre in the rule book, and ultimately, are part of the Canadian legal system. To ensure you dont need to perform any quick legal research the next time youre apprehended for painting a ladder or the like, below are a selection of some of the strangest laws native to Canada. Comic books showcasing characters performing any illegal act are banned. According to the Canadian criminal code, such crime comics, meaning any form of literature that uses images to relate a narrative where characters perform real or fictitious illegal acts, are banned as they have the potential to corrupt morals. In all likelihood, this law was created when crime thriller comic books were all the rage, a bit before superheroes dominated the genre. Still, the legality of gallivanting around town with a mask on and beating up on citizens can definitely be called into question, which could technically make Batman comic books a criminal offense. In Ontario, your back license plate cant be covered by glass or plastic. Even if you have a sweet custom license plate, and you want to ensure it remains pristine enough so everyone can recognize the genius pun, the law forbids such protective coverings. Sorry RDWRER. You cant paint a ladder in Alberta. Honestly, this just makes sense, as painting a ladder will make it incredibly unsafe to use, which is why the province of Alberta makes the act illegal. It is illegal to show public displays of affection on Sunday in Wawa, Ontario. Not taking kindly to PDA on the Lords day, Wawa, Ontario has long since made the practice illegal. Id kind of like to know how frequently this law is enforced, because it seems like the term displays of affection could be interpreted in many different ways. No hugging on Sundays, just in case. Having an internet connection faster than 56k is illegal in Uxbridge, Ontario. My grandparents live in Uxbridge. Trust me that this law is kind of a moot point, because no one has/wants a faster internet connection than 56k anyway. Heck, some folks straight up dont even have a computer. You cannot wear a snake in Fredericton, New Brunswick. A blessing for any ophiophobia or herpetophobia sufferers, the town of Fredericton N.N. forbids the wearing of snakes and even lizards being carried around on ones shoulder. The only acceptable way to sport a snake/lizard is in a glass container. The use of tap water to melt snow or ice is illegal in Beaconsfield, Quebec. Make sure to always have plenty of road salt on hand if youre living in Beaconsfield, as the city strictly forbids the use of drinking water to melt any snow or ice, no matter the time of day or year. You cant have grass taller than 8 inches in London, Ontario. If a city wants to ensure everyones lawns are kept trim and tidy, the best way would be to make a law prohibiting grass thats too long. I cant claim thats why London, Ontario created a bylaw making it illegal to have grass longer than 8 inches, but its definitely a welcome byproduct. It is illegal to kill a sick person by frightening them in Canada. Not that you would really want to, but the government of Canada made it very clear that the willful frightening any sick child or person will be counted as culpable homicide. So, you know, keep your pranking to a minimum. By Lambert Strether of Corrente. TPP/TTIP/TiSA You thought ISDS was bad? TTIPs regulatory cooperation is even worse [Ars Technica]. Greater involvement of stakeholders would seem to be the right thing to do when it comes to drawing up new laws and regulations, since in theory it allows everyone to offer their views. But the reality is rather different: another Corporate Europe study found that 93% of the Commissions meetings with stakeholders during the preparations of the [TTIP] negotiations were with big business. The list of meetings reveals that, in addition to the civil society dialogue meetings reported on the DG Trade websitesessions also attended by companiesthere is a parallel world of a very large number of intimate meetings with big business lobbyists behind closed doorsand these are not disclosed online.' TPP does expand the liability and the danger much more than we had before, because not only does it increase the number of treaties that companies can use, but its he first time that the United States has had this type of mechanism in a treaty with multiple developed countries. Before, the only developed country we had ISDS with was Canada, under the North America Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. And so there werent that many Salvadoran or Peruvian companies in the United States that could launch these cases. Well, with TPP, now there are Japanese companies, Australian companies, who will be newly empowered to be able to use this mechanism in the United States [Real News Network] (Melinda St. Louis is part of Public Citizens Global Trade Watch). 2016 Money They all sound like lovely people [New York Times]: The contrast between [Clinton staffer Huma] Abedins public and private faces can be striking. One scene has the couple in a small office working the phones for campaign contributions. Ms. Abedin uses a sweet voice when she is asking for money. How was the engagement? she says on one call. I want all the details! The film then cuts to her hanging up, showing a total change in demeanor. His wife is going to max out, and hell try to raise another five, she says flatly. One wonders how many maxed out donors Clinton has, and whether shes going to run out of gas just when she needs to go on the offensive. Sanders, of course, doesnt have that problem. Its would be hard for 70% of his donors to max out at twenty or thirty bucks a pop. Policy I Watched Michael Bays Benghazi Movie at Cowboys Stadium With 30,000 Pissed-Off Patriots [Gawker]. Sheesh, youd think Clinton would get some credit for her Iraq vote with this crowd, but n-o-o-o. Oh, and the heroes are mercs, uh, sorry, contractors. Fascinating to see all the support the troops stuff being privatized. The Trail Establishment Democrat trashes Sanders. Film at 11 [Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine]. Fun stuff. Establishment Democrat trashes Sanders. Film at 11 [Paul Krugman, New York Times]. What do the commenters say? Establishment Democrat trashes Sanders. Film at 11 [Ezra Klein, Vox]. I dont understand all the heart-burning about single payer, I truly dont. To a Democratic loyalist, mentioning Canadian Medicare is like mentioning the Caliphate to a conservative; their knees start jerking, steam comes out of their ears, and they start typing furiously. Incidentally, if these clowns had a shred of intellectual honesty, theyd be coming up with ways to improve the policy Krugman and Klein, at least, regularly claim to be wonks, not hacks and sell it. Of course, they dont, and they arent. Good to see Brock leashed and collared, after he decided to attack Sanders health (a rather odd decision): .@davidbrockdc: Chill out. We're fighting on who would make a better President, not on who has a better Physical Fitness Test. John Podesta (@johnpodesta) January 17, 2016 But isnt it illegal for a campaign (Podesta being the head of Clinton) and a SuperPAC (Brock being the founder of the pro-Clinton American Bridge PAC) to coordinate? Well, apparently not. Of course, Sanders doesnt have to pussyfoot through this ethical and legal minefield, because he doesnt have any SuperPACs. Trump deploys Ivanka in a New Hampshire radio ad [Yahoo News]. Sorry, cant find anything quotable; I did look. 3 things you learn watching Ted Cruz and Donald Trump court the same voters [WaPo]. The Texan, who at this point is unquestionably the best traditional orator in the Republican Party, speaks two kinds of sentences applause lines and jokes. He often runs down a list, transforming into a human Buzzfeed, a guaranteed method of keeping an audience rapt. Trump does not do this. Trump rambles. Trump steps on lines that could, untrammeled, become applause lines. This is not because he is bad at speaking, and from time to time, he obviously is repeating a thought to make sure it connects. SOTU South Carolinian responses to Nikki Haleys VP audition in response to the SOTU not universally positive [New York Times]. A lot of people arent pleased, said John Steinberger, a fair tax activist from Charleston. If youre giving the State of the Union response, you should explain why you oppose the presidents policies instead of attacking fellow Republicans.' Having experienced the Why so angry? trope as deployed by establishment Democrats, I have to sympathize. The Hill Supreme Court declines to hear new ObamaCare challenge [The Hill]. This was the case based on the Origination Clause. Stats Watch Housing Market Index, January 2016: Home builders remain optimistic but are a little less so based on the housing market index which is down 1 point [Econoday]. Present sales up, but traffic down. Todays results are respectable but wont be lifting estimates for tomorrows housing starts & permits data which are expected to come in no better than mixed. The housing sector has been showing life but isnt yet a leading driver of economic growth. Bank of England Carney Says Now is Not Time to Raise Rates [Across the Curve]. Everyone likes to look at the charts [The Reformed Broker]. Price creates the reality for investors, because investors take their behavioral cues from price and the media fashions its headlines from it. Technicians find truth in price, rather than attempting to parse the impossibly conflicted and intentionally obscured opinions of the commentariat. Technicians find meaning in the actual buying and selling activity happening today, not in the dusty old 10Qs of 90 days ago or in the projected estimates being bandied about among the discounted cash-flow analysis crowd on the sell-side. The U.S. is taking a step toward increasing oversight of Treasuries in response to complaints from both traders and government officials that the market is too opaque [Bloomberg]. Honey for the Bears: IMF downgrades outlook for world economy [WaPo]. Honey for the Bears: The North Dakota Crude Oil Thats Worth Almost Nothing [Bloomberg]. Exteriors of skyscrapers built with combustible aluminum composite panel cladding burn like kindling [New York Times]. Local experts have suggested as many as 70 percent of the towers in the Dubai may contain the material, though they acknowledge the figure is only an estimate as there are apparently no official records. It took a long time to crapify the skyscraper! But weve done it! Todays Fear & Greed Index: 13, Extreme Fear (previous close: 10) [CNN]. One week ago: 17 (Extreme Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Militia Watch They get letters [The Oregonian]: Federal land: The Oregonians A1 headline on Sunday, Jan. 17, Effort to free federal lands, is inaccurate and irresponsible. The article that follows it is a mere mouthpiece for the scofflaws illegally occupying public buildings and land, repeating their lies and distortions of history and law. Ammon Bundy and his bullyboys arent trying to free federal lands, but to hold them hostage. I cant go to the Malheur refuge now, though as a citizen of the United States, I own it and have the freedom of it. Thats what public land is: land that belongs to the public me, you, every law-abiding American. The people it doesnt belong to and who dont belong there are those who grabbed it by force of arms, flaunting their contempt for the local citizens. Those citizens of Harney County have carefully hammered out agreements to manage the refuge in the best interest of landowners, scientists, visitors, tourists, livestock and wildlife. Theyre suffering more every day, economically and otherwise, from this invasion by outsiders. Instead of parroting the meaningless rants of a flock of Right-Winged Loonybirds infesting the refuge, why doesnt The Oregonian talk to the people who live there? Ursula K. Le Guin Northwest Portland Gaia Giant icebergs could account for up to 20 percent of carbon sequestration [Ars Technica]. Local authorities in Quebec are warning of a looming environmental disaster if nothing is done to salvage a discarded bulk carrier, the Kathryn Spirit [Splash247]. Its only oil. Not lead. Our Famously Free Press Univision acquires controlling stake in The Onion [NPR]. Corruption Hudson Valley Democrats tap Zephyr Teachout as their preferred House candidate [Daily Kos]. Class Warfare On the origins of corporate eviland idiocy [The Atlantic]. The sociologist Diane Vaughan coined the phrase the normalization of deviance to describe a cultural drift in which circumstances classified as not okay are slowly reclassified as okay.' Normalization of Deviance in Software: How Completely Broken Practices Become Normal [Dan Luu (MR)]. Lengthy but interesting. And who hasnt been there? [If] youre under too much pressure in your life and you dont have any free time, keep in mind its happening to just about everyone, and its not your fault. It has to do with the way the economic system we live under us putting the squeeze on most of us [Nick Fillmore]. Most of [the sharing economy] innovation is in the way they deal with regulation, rather than technology advances. Thats not to say there isnt a lot of smart people building new code for what they do. But a lot of people are saying the innovation is a new app. The app is just the foot in the door. Thats not the key to the business [Tom Slee, The Register]. Theres $7bn of VC money thats betting on Uber being a monopoly market. If it isnt, then the VCs take a bath. A lot of well funded effort is going to make it a monopoly market. Wait, what? Monopolies are the innovation? News of the Wired 123456 Tops Yearly List of Most Common Passwords (Again) [Yahoo Tech]. Genius lets you add line-by-line annotations to any page on the Internet [Genius]. Implicated in everything from traumatic brain injury to learning ability, boredom has become extremely interesting to scientists [Nature]. With Boredom Proneness Scale! Im 5/28! Tinder is more than a dating app it is a metaphor for speeding up and mechanizing decision-making, turning us into binary creatures who can bypass underlying questions and emotions and instead go with whatever feels really good in the moment. Its mechanisms perfect the similar either-or options other social media platforms have offered, the yes/no, like/ignore, retweet/pass dichotomy that leaves no room for maybe [The New Enquiry]. * * * Readers, feel free to contact me with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, and (c) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. And heres todays plant: First flower grown in space! (Or, more precisely, in a space station.) Im also a huge zinnia fan! * * * If you enjoy Water Cooler, please consider tipping and click the hat. Winter has come, I need to buy fuel, keep the boiler guy and a very unhappy and importunate plumber happy, and keep my server up, too. Yves here. This development is very important. Nurses unions are effective and well respected. Doctors unions should be even more so, particularly since their big grievance is corporatized medicine requiring them to spend less time with patients and reducing their autonomy. As this post explains, they are at odds with management because management cares only about profit while they prioritize the quality of care. And the managers are all MBAs, so it is not as if the effort to routinize care is driven by people who in theory might have ideas about how to achieve better medical outcomes. By Roy Poses, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University, and the President of FIRM the Foundation for Integrity and Responsibility in Medicine. Cross posted from the Health Care Renewal website We have posted about the plight of the corporate physician. In the US, home of the most commercialized health care system among developed countries, physicians increasingly practice as employees of large organizations, usually hospitals and hospital systems, sometimes for-profit. The leaders of such systems meanwhile are now often generic managers, people trained as managers without specific training or experience in medicine or health care, and managerialists who apply generic management theory and dogma to medicine and health care just as it might be applied to building widgets or selling soap. We have also frequently posted about what we have called generic management, the managers coup detat, and mission-hostile management. Managerialism wraps these concepts up into a single package. The idea is that all organizations, including health care organizations, ought to be run people with generic management training and background, not necessarily by people with specific backgrounds or training in the organizations areas of operation. Thus, for example, hospitals ought to be run by MBAs, not doctors, nurses, or public health experts Furthermore, all organizations ought to be run according to the same basic principles of business management. These principles in turn ought to be based on current neoliberal dogma, with the prime directive that short-term revenue is the primary goal. Now there are a few signs that the physicians are getting fed up with having to answer to generic management and managerialism. I found two stories, perhaps somewhat related, about physicians unionizing to stand up to their new often managerialist overseers. The most prominent was in the New York Times on January 9, 2016, provocatively titled Doctors Unionize to Resist the Medical Machine. It tells the story of how the hospitalists at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield, Oregon, formed a union de novo. The second started with a brief article in the Seattle Times on December 27, 2015, about how housestaff at the University of Washington (UW) revived a housestaff association and turned it into a union. Managerialism as the Stimulus at PeaceHealth The long article about PeaceHealth showed that managerialist leadership of the hospital system was the chief stimulus for unionization. Managerialist Tactics: Outsourcing The NYT article opened with in the spring of 2014, when the administration announced it would seek bids to outsource its 36 hospitalists, the hospital doctors who supervise patients care, to a management company that would become their employer. The outsourcing of hospitalists became relatively common in the last decade, driven by a combination of factors. There is the obvious hunger for efficiency gains. But there is also growing pressure on hospitals to measure quality and keep people healthy after they are discharged. This can be a complicated data collection and management challenge that many hospitals, especially smaller ones, are not set up for and that some outsourcing companies excel in. Outsourcing is a now familiar entry in the managerialists playbook. It is seen more in manufacturing than in health care. Although touted as improving economic efficiency, it also may reduce the accountability of the managers of the organization that does the outsourcing. Pursuit of Economic Efficiency In this case, Outsourced hospitalists tend to make as much or more money than those that hospitals employ directly, typically in excess of $200,000 a year. But the catch is that their compensation is often tied more directly to the number of patients they see in a day which the hospitalists at Sacred Heart worried could be as many as 18 or 20, versus the 15 that they and many other hospitalists contend should be the maximum. It was the idea that they could end up seeing more patients that prompted outrage among the hospitalists at Sacred Heart, which has two facilities in the area, with a total of nearly 450 beds. Were doctors, were professionals, Dr. [Rajeev] Alexander said. Giving me a bonus for seeing two more patients Im not sure I should be doing that. Its not safe. (A hospital representative said patient safety was inviolate.) A constant theme of managerialism, and the neoliberalism that underlies it, is economic efficiency. The usual narrative is that efficiency means providing better goods and services at lower costs. Instead, managerialism and neliberalism may mean decontenting goods and services so as to lower costs to the organizations providing them, but not necessarily providing more value to consumers. In health care terms, managerialism and neliberalism may lead to less accessible, more mediocre health care that increase revenue to the organizations providing it, as implied by the physicians comments above. Making the US the most commercialized, managerialist run, and arguably neoliberal health care system among the developed countries has not led to lower costs, better access, or better health care quality. The backstory for the outsourcing emphasizes that managerialism, and the resulting economic efficiency was indeed the goal of PeaceHealth In 2012, Sacred Hearts parent, PeaceHealth, a nonprofit health care system, installed an executive named John Hill to adapt its Oregon hospitals to the latest trends in health care. Mr. Hill, in an effort to rein in the budget and improve the efficiency of a hospital that administrators said was lagging in key respects, including how long the typical patient stayed, eventually concluded that the hospitalists at Sacred Heart should be outsourced. Centralization of Control Furthermore, The hospitalists also chafe at the way the administration has tried to centralize decisions they used to make for themselves. This might include hiring fellow doctors or the order in which they see patients on any day. They also complain of being loaded down with administrative tasks. Were trained to be leaders, but they treat us like assembly line workers, said Dr. Brittany Ellison, a hospitalist in the group. You need that time with the patient, A major feature of managerialism is the concentration of power within (generic) management. To quote Komesaroff(1), In the workplace, the authority of management is intensified, and behaviour that previously might have been regarded as bullying becomes accepted good practice. The autonomous discretion of the professional is undermined, and cuts in staff and increases in caseload occur without democratic consultation of staff. Loyal long-term staff are dismissed and often humiliated, and rigorous monitoring of the performance of the remaining employees focuses on narrowly defined criteria relating to attainment of financial targets, efficiency and effectiveness. Were Only In It for the Money Also, the negotiations that started once the PeaceHealth physicians formed their union demonstrated a central tenet of managerialism Even starker than the divide over these questions are the differences in worldview represented on opposite sides of the table. During a bargaining session last fall, the administration proposed increasing the number of shifts a year. Hospitalists now earn about $223,000 a year for 173 shifts and are paid extra for working more. The hospital offered $260,000 for a mandatory 182 shifts, and up to $20,000 in bonus pay for hitting certain medical performance targets. The hospitalists work seven days on and seven days off, so this would have effectively eliminated any time off for sick days or vacation. When the doctors pointed this out, the administration responded that if they missed a few days, it would make sure they got extra days to hit the required number of shifts for full pay. The hospitalists assured the administration negotiators that their concern had nothing to do with money that none of this had ever been about money. They preferred to work less and make less to avoid burnout, which was bad for them and worse for patients. At which point the administration responded that money was always the issue, according to several people in the room. (The hospital declined to comment.) Suddenly it dawned on the doctors why they had failed to break through, Dr. Alexander said. Imagine Mr. Burns, the cartoonishly evil capitalist from The Simpsons, sitting across the table, he said. Theres no way we can say, This isnt what were talking about. Were not trying to get the bonus. Again, managerialism is based on neoliberalism, and neoliberal view is that the market rules. The market is the arbiter of success, and money is the only outcome that matters. As Komesaroff put it(1), The particular system of beliefs and practices defining the roles and powers of managers in our present context is what is referred to as managerialism. This is defined by two basic tenets: (i) that all social organisations must conform to a single structure; and (ii) that the sole regulatory principle is the market. Mission-Hostile Management Never mind that the centrality of money seems entirely inconsistent with the stated mission of PeaceHealth, We carry on the healing mission of Jesus Christ by promoting personal and community health, relieving pain and suffering, and treating each person in a loving and caring way. Ostensibly, this is accompanied by core values, such as, Stewardship We choose to serve the community and hold ourselves accountable to exercise ethical and responsible stewardship in the allocation and utilization of human, financial, and environmental resources. and, Social Justice We build and evaluate the structures of our organization and those of society to promote the just distribution of health care resources. We have frequently discussed how leadership of contemporary health care organizations often seem to act contrary to the organizations stated mission, that is, mission-hostile management. Value Extraction Finally, while managerialism is ostensibly concerned with economic efficiency, whose efficiency matters. When managers address physicians efficiency, they seem to look at amount of work done divided by the cost to the hospital of paying physicians. However, they never seem to look at their own costs, the costs of management, as being a negative. The PeaceHealth 2014 form 990, the latest available, states that the then CEO, Mr Alan Yordy (whose highest academic degree was an MBA, according to his LinkedIn page) had total compensation in 2013 of $1,366,742, and 11 other managers had total compensation greater than $250,000, with 9 having total compensation greater than $500,000. Those figures should be compared to the highest compensation offered the hospitalists, a maximum of $280,000 for 182 shifts a year, eliminating all vacation and sick leave. So if it is all about the money, the managers are making the most of it. We have discussed ad nauseum the ridiculous compensation of the leaders of health care organization, even non-profit organizations. Value extraction by top management has become a central feature of the US and global economy (look here). The NYT article did not discuss whether the upset hospitalists knew about their bosses compensation. I suspect they did. Forming a Functioning Union at the University of Washington The media coverage of the UW housestaff unionization was less detailed. It does appear, though, that a stimulus was the pursuit of economic efficiency by UW management through squeezing the pay of housestaff, as described in the December article in the Seattle Times. In it the house staff said, they account for about one-fifth of King Countys doctors and they want higher pay, new child-care benefits and free parking. Some UW residents and fellows earn so little that they qualify for welfare programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Seattle City Light Utility Discount Program, according to the UWHA [University of Washington Housestaff Association.] Another article in early January, 2016 in the Seattle Times added, The association has proposed that residents and fellows earn at least the same salary as the UWs lowest-paid physician assistants. Because the doctors in training work very long hours, they sometimes earn less than Seattles minimum hourly wage, the UWHA has said. The council members, in their letter to Cauce, called the situation shocking. And based on information from the UWHA, they wrote that some residents and fellows qualify for welfare programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The Seattle articles noted that the UW housestaff may earn from just over $53,000 to just under $70,000 a year. Keep in mind, however, that under current rules, house staff may work up to 80 hours a week. So $53,000 for someone working those hours translates into $13.25/ hour, under what many people now claim is the living wage. That could be considered exploitation of workers with doctoral degrees working in often highly stressful situations where lives may be on the line. Whether there were issues other than money (and the respect it implies) involved at UW was not apparent based on the minimal press coverage. So it appeared that the hospitalist physicians working for PeaceHealth, and most likely the housestaff of the University of Washington were pushed to unionize to counteract the managerialism of their hospital leaders. The Results of Unionization So Far In my humble opinion, similar stories to those at the PeaceHealth hospital about managers pushing physicians to increase productivity and efficiency, seemingly with little regard for the effect that might have on patient care and physicians professionalism can be found at many hospitals and health systems. Housestaff may be paid at little more than minimum wage rates at many training institutions. However, employed physicians have rarely effectively resisted up to now. Perhaps one reason is that at many institutions, each employed physician has his or her own contract, and may feel little power to negotiate his or her working conditions independently. Housestaff physicians obviously might feel they have even less leverage. But at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart, the physicians had other ideas: Amid the groaning, a relatively new member of the group named Dr. David Schwartz observed, They cant fire all of us there are unions. This was a bit of a stretch: While there are hospitals around the country whose doctors are unionized, there did not appear to be a union anywhere composed of a single group of specialists. But Dr. Schwartz, a barrel-chested man with close-cropped hair and a bushy beard who would not look out of place at a graduate English seminar, thought unionizing might be worth a try. At the time, it was only one of several options the doctors considered. They talked of forming an independent hospitalists group, of forming an alliance with an outsourcing firm of their choosing. But the alternatives gradually fell away for a variety of practical reasons, and the doctors were growing increasingly bitter. Dr. Littell developed a riff, which the other hospitalists appropriated, about how the situation was like having your spouse of several decades announce he or she was going to play the field. Youve been great, youve always been there, he would joke. I just heard there could be better spouses out there. The kicker: The good news is, youre in the running, too! Amazingly, the unionization at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart was at least partially successful, By March 2015, the PeaceHealth leadership, whatever its interest in efficiency gains, was apparently not pleased that one of its hospitals had a white-collar labor insurrection on its hands. The company announced that it would not outsource the hospitalists, a move it later said was always a possibility. Mr. Hill, who declined to comment, left in May. The union did defeat the outsourcing tactic. But otherwise results have not been so quick to appear, Noting that the negotiations with the hospital administration have dragged on for roughly a year, Dr. Schwartz said, Its pretty obvious that they dont want to get a contract done. He says the administration worries that if it essentially rewards the hospitalists with a contract, it encourages other hospital workers to unionize too. The housestaff at UW used a slightly different set of tactics, but still managed to form a real union. Per the earlier Seattle Times article, Established in 1964, the UWHA was mostly dormant during the 1980s and 1990s, according to the associations website. It became active again starting in 1999. In 2013, members proposed making it a state-recognized collective-bargaining unit. The UW petitioned the state Public Employment Relations Commissionto block the move, arguing that the residents and fellows were students paid stipends rather than employees paid salaries. But the commission sided with the residents and fellows, who last year voted to unionize. The housestaff association has succeeded in negotiating. But as did the PeaceHealth doctors, they have not yet been able to secure their positions, per the later article. University of Washington brass say theyre committed to providing the UWs medical residents and fellows with decent compensation and benefits, but they insist the newly unionized doctors in training are asking too much in contract negotiations. So, Talks have been stalled for some time but are set to resume this month with a mediator assigned by the state Public Employment Relations Commission. The two sides remain far apart in the area of compensation, Joyner wrote in his letter. Parenthetically, unexplored in any of the press coverage is whether the parallels between what is going on at PeaceHealth and the University of Washington have to do with explicit ties between the organizations. In 2013, per Beckers Hospital Review, the news broke that the two institutions signed a letter of intent to create a strategic alliance. In 2014, an article in the Seattle Times noted the ongoing concerns of housestaff and students at UW that the alliance could be diminishing their educational opportunities. Summary In one sense, it is amazing that physicians are now starting to unionize as a response to the managerialism of their leaders. It was not all that long ago when the majority of physicians worked as solo practitioners or in small group practices, and fiercely defended their autonomy. The last thing they would have thought about was unionization. Since physicians were their own bosses, with whom could their unions have negotiated? In addition, in the US, independent physicians and physician practices could not legally unionize. Practices that discussed such issues as fees were liable to anti-trust prosecution. And with what bosses could they have conceivably negotiated. Yet now physicians are increasingly corporate employees, hence corporate physicians. At the moment, unionizing may be one of the few effective tactics health care professionals can use to halt the march of managerialism/ generic management and partially relieve the plight of the corporate physician (and health care professional.) However, in the long run, as long as people who care more about money than about patients and the publics health run health care, even unions will not be able to make that much progress, and not without adverse effects. It would take true health care reform to address the larger problems with health care and society that is now leading to physicians unionizing. In my humble opinion, hospitals, health care systems, and other provider organizations should seek better patient care, not growth. Should they not voluntarily downsize (an almost comical idea in the current context), anti-trust enforcement, and probably new legislation would be needed to stop their pursuit of market dominance and return them to responsible community organizations. The now much smaller hospitals, and provider organizations should not be run for profit, and the commercial practice of medicine should again be illegal. Most physicians should go back to being private practitioners as individuals or within small groups. Leaders of hospitals and provider organizations should be accountable for putting patients and the publics health first, upholding professional values, and should not expect to get rich doing so. But I dream on. SHARE By Maryann Batlle of the Naples Daily News Residents of the Estates at Estero River are split on a project proposed in their backyard. Volunteers of America, a nonprofit organization that owns and operates senior living and care facilities in Florida and six other states, aims to open a continuing care retirement community on about 21 vacant acres at the northeast corner of Sandy Lane and Corkscrew Road. The property abuts the south end of the Estates at Estero River, and homes along the dividing wall have windows that face the Volunteers of America site. Before breaking any ground, Volunteers of America officials asked the village of Estero for a land use requirement change, known as a zoning amendment, because current permissions on the property allow only retail or office space. At a zoning hearing before the village council last Wednesday, the first held since the municipality formed, Estates at Estero River residents questioned the validity of a letter of support, based on a survey, added to the record by their neighborhood's homeowner association. Ryan Shaw, whose home would look onto the Volunteers of America property, said the HOA survey asked whether or not residents supported a rezoning of the land. "It didn't say whether you support a 45-foot retirement home on the other side of the wall," Shaw said. "I believe that my home value, as well as the other homes on that street, will be impacted extremely negatively potentially." A second survey that did not involve the HOA shows "a huge majority" of residents who responded reject the project, said David Burton. "This is a major point of contention within our community, as our HOA board continues to stand behind the survey and their letter of support," said Burton, who conducted the second survey. Jennifer Palmer, president of the Estates HOA, said the project should not be hampered by a debate over surveys. Palmer's husband, Adam Palmer, is a managing director of LandQwest Commercial and is the listed selling real estate agent for that Sandy Lane property, but she said she has been cleared of any conflict of interest. "The feedback and concern should be worked through together by working through the Design Review (Board) process," said Jennifer Palmer. Brooke Gabrielsen, an Estates resident, said the Volunteers of America development team "has gone above and beyond what they are required to do to work with the neighbors." She supports the project. "It's unrealistic to think that a piece of property is going to stay vacant long-term. Something will be built there," Gabrielsen said. "I believe that the use that is being proposed here today is much more complimentary than the current zoning." She also thanked her neighbors for showing up and talking about the matter for the good of the neighborhood. "This is exactly how the process should work, so congratulations (Estero), you got it right on your first zoning meeting," Gabrielsen said. Then there is the fact the Sandy Lane property is a piece of what the village envisions to be the future downtown. Estero's village council asked pointed questions of the developer to determine if the site would meet the compact, walkable and multi-use goals preferred in that area. "What are your feelings if the Estero track team shows up and decides to run around there?" asked Councilor Katy Errington. "People love to walk how are you going to handle that?" Kevin Ahmadi, regional director of Volunteers of America, said their community would be open to the public, and his organization welcomes intergenerational fellowship. "We just want everyone to be safe," Ahmadi said. Traffic is another consideration. Corkscrew Road is already the subject of complaint, particularly because of the thoroughfare's congested interchange with Interstate 75. Charles Basinait, a private land use lawyer hired by the developer, said his client is following the rules but the I-75 interchange is far enough away from the Sandy Lane property that it is not legally their responsibility to measure their project's impact. Additionally, the developer's research finds traffic impacts to Corkscrew Road would be lessened if the retirement community gets built instead of a commercial building. The village council, acting as the zoning board, spent more than three hours taking testimony from the developer and the public but ran out of allotted time before they could take a vote. The hearing is scheduled to be continued at 9 a.m. on Jan. 20 at 21500 Three Oaks Parkway, Estero. Rodsheek Williams watches jury selection for his trial at the Collier County Courthouse on Tuesday, January 19, 2016. (Scott McIntyre/Staff) By Jacob Carpenter of the Naples Daily News For five more years in prison, Rodsheek Williams could have resolved his murder case Tuesday, ensuring that he could someday be a free man again. Williams was having none of it. On to trial, he declared. "I am fully competent. I know everything that is going on today. I don't want to take no plea," the 28-year-old said. Williams' decision, made against the advice of his exasperated lawyer, meant jury selection started Tuesday in the long-delayed case against the notorious inmate and gang member. Williams is accused of shooting two men, one fatally, during a 2008 robbery in Naples' River Park neighborhood. Prosecutors charged Williams with four felonies, including first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. It's a fate Williams could have avoided Tuesday had he accepted a favorable plea offer, one that could have put him in position to be released before his 45th birthday. Prosecutors were offering to resolve Williams' murder case in exchange for a prison term of 25 years. That sentence would be concurrent with a 20-year term Williams has already received on witness tampering and gang activity charges, meaning Williams would only have to serve up to five more years behind bars. Williams' lawyer, David Brener, has advised his client to take the offer. With Williams refusing to plea, Brener made the unusual request of asking for a competency evaluation on the day of trial. He said Williams has been diagnosed as "mildly mentally retarded" and refuses to discuss the large amount of evidence or possible outcome. "I have very little room to argue against a conviction in these circumstances," Brener said. Collier Circuit Judge Fred Hardt asked Williams if he understood the consequences of his decision. When Williams replied that he did, Hardt denied Brener's request. "We may think it's a bad decision, but people make bad decisions all the time," Hardt said. "It's his right to make a bad decision. It's his call." The 25-year sentence would be a remarkably favorable result amid a litany of allegations. In the 2008 shooting, Williams is accused of pulling the trigger on shots that killed Jacques Lamothe, 63, and injured Joseph Eisenhower, 58, during an attempted robbery. In 2012, jail staff found letters penned by Williams in which he wrote out plans to kill family members of co-defendant and state's witness Howard Brice. He also wrote of plans to smuggle cocaine into the jail and sell drugs throughout Naples. The letters led to his conviction in June 2015 and 20-year sentence on four felony counts. And on eight occasions since 2010, Williams has been arrested on indecent exposure charges, accused of masturbating in front of nurses, deputies and other inmates at the jail. In all eight instances, prosecutors either decided not to file charges or dropped the charges. Prosecutors, citing the ongoing trial, declined to comment Tuesday as to why Williams was offered a 25-year plea. Brener said he expects to argue that witnesses, including Eisenhower, have misidentified Williams and that Brice has recanted his claim that Williams is the shooter. Opening statements are expected to begin Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors have said they're planning for a four-day trial. SHARE By Arek Sarkissian of the Naples Daily News TALLAHASSEE The utility company that provides power to the majority of Florida communities is seeking approval from the state Public Service Commission for a four-year funding package that would increase customers' utility rates on average by about $14 a month. Florida Power and Light notified the Public Service Commission on Friday that it will file a proposal in March that would ask to increase the monthly charge on a typical customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours from $93 to $107. Customers would see three base rate increases during the period a jump of about $8.50 in 2017, about $2.50 in 2018 and then about $2 in 2019, according to a news release. An additional increase of $1 a month would pay for fuel costs, FPL spokeswoman Sarah Gatewood said. The proposal would cover the $16 billion FPL invested since 2014 to improve service, efficiency and strengthen its grid to withstand severe weather and population growth. "Over the past decade, we have focused on advancing affordable, clean energy and enhancing service reliability for our customers," said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL. "We are committed to delivering our customers exceptional value for their money and will continue to make smart investments that will further improve service for customers and help keep costs down." The 4.8 million FPL accounts have seen a drop of nearly $5 a month over the past two years, which magnified the size of the price increase, Silagy said. FPL customers last saw a rate increase in 2009. The Public Service Commission is expected to make a decision on the FPL request in November, and public hearings will take place throughout the company's service area during the summer. The Public Service Commission, appointed by the governor, has the final say in the rate increase. Contact Daily News reporter arek.sarkissian@naplesnews.com or 850-559-7620 Nate Robles, left, and Peter Bruzon work to clear downed tree limbs and other debris caused by Sunday morning's storm from Robles' family's home in Golden Gate on Monday, January 18, 2016. (Scott McIntyre/Staff) By Laura Layden of the Naples Daily News If the beaches could talk, they might be the ones asking for help after taking a beating from a severe storm over the weekend. Wind, rain and water battered the area early Sunday morning as a result of a fast-moving storm, uprooting trees, downing power lines and damaging property. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the area had been hit by a meteotsunami, which can be caused by a sudden change in atmospheric pressure. The extent of damage to Naples area beaches isn't known, but it could be big, said Naples Mayor John Sorey. He visited the beaches at daylight Sunday morning, he said, and they appeared to be badly eroded not just in the city, but farther north. "We will be working with the county in doing an engineering survey to see how many cubic yards of sand we lost, then see what we can do," he said. He's not sure if the city will ask for state or federal aid to help rebuild the beaches, or whether it would even qualify for help because the storm blew through so quickly. To get money for beaches from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for example, the storm would have to be declared a disaster, Sorey said. If the damage to beaches turns out to be major, he said the city will do whatever it can to get financial help from FEMA, or other agencies, to help fund the repair costs. "If there is any money out there, we want more than our share," Sorey said. City workers are still assessing all the damages from the storm. "We had a few pool cages and a few trees down, and a few cars that got hit with trees," Sorey said. "As far as any major structural damage, like we have from a hurricane, I'm not sure of any at this point in time." Though Monday was a federal holiday and all city employees would normally have been off, more than two dozen of them reported to work to help get the city cleaned up, including the route for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade in downtown Naples, which showed no evidence of the storm for the event. While it may have appeared that a tornado touched down in some spots of Collier County early Sunday morning, the National Weather Service reported Monday that there was no evidence of a funnel cloud forming or hitting the ground. However, meteorologist David Ross said the agency's survey of the storm did reveal there were "straight-line winds" of 70 to 90 miles an hour. He added there was a report of 82 mile per hour winds at the Naples Municipal Airport. To put that in perspective, a category one hurricane has winds in the 74 to 95 mph range. Ted Soliday, executive director of the Naples Airport Authority, was at work Monday, working with others to assess the damage at the airport, with a lot of planes being checked and rechecked to make sure they were OK to fly. He said there was a "substantial dollar impact on the aircraft," including planes used by flight schools. After the storm, a private jet belonging to Judy Sheindlin TV's Judge Judy was found with the rear tilted and nose off the ground. The Naples Jet Center, serving passengers and pilots and offering a full range of aviation services at the airport, from plane repairs to charter flights, lost parts of its roof in the storm, Soliday said. "From an overall standpoint, we as the Airport Authority were pretty lucky," he said. "We didn't have any major damage to our property." There was damage to shades over the observation deck, which would have been removed if Soliday had known what was coming. "Otherwise our buildings and equipment fortunately were spared," he said. "Not quite the same for everybody else." The airport never closed and its roads were cleared quickly of fallen trees and branches, Soliday said. After doing assessments in the Golden Gate area, crews with the Greater Naples Fire District found no structural damage, or injuries because of the storm, said Andy Krajewski, the battalion chief. "It's all minimal. It's just trees," he said. Less than 150 Florida Power & Light customers in Collier County were still without electricity early Monday night, according to the company's "power outage" website. An FPL representative said the company sent extra repair crew members out following the Sunday morning storm, and that they have been "working nonstop" to restore power to all of Southwest Florida's customers. She advised that customers still without power should call 1-800-4-OUTAGE to get updates on when their power will be turned back on. Jay Schlichter contributed to this story. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Joe Donald, one of two candidates vying to unseat Justice Rebecca Bradley on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, endorsed Bradley's 2013 campaign to remain on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court and served as a reference for her application to the 1st District Court of Appeals in 2015. Bradley was appointed by Gov. Scott Walker to the circuit court in 2012 and won her 2013 election to remain on the bench. Walker appointed her to the court of appeals last spring and to the high court in October after the death of Justice N. Patrick Crooks. That he supported Bradley for those positions is an indication Donald is an independent not tied to party politics, said Donald campaign manager Andy Suchorski. Suchorski indicated Donald endorsed Bradley and agreed to be a reference based more on her role as an incumbent judge than on Bradley as an individual. "Joe usually, unless he has a serious problem with the person, usually supports the incumbents. Left, right, doesnt matter," Suchorski said. "That was primarily it: as a fellow incumbent judge, he supported her." Suchorski said when Bradley asked Donald to be a reference for her 2015 application, from his perspective, it was like an employee asking a boss for a reference for another job. Donald was the presiding judge on the Milwaukee County children's court during the time Bradley was assigned to it. But Bradley said Donald never gave any indication he viewed their relationship that way. "I did not have that impression, and Joe was never my boss," Bradley said in an interview. "As elected officials, we report to the people of Wisconsin." As two of eight judges on the children's court at the time, Bradley said she and Donald worked closely together and have always gotten along well. She said she thinks they would each consider the other a friend in addition to their professional relationship. All of those reasons factored into her decision to ask if she could list him as a reference. While Donald agreed to be listed, he recommended Judge Timothy Dugan over Bradley when he was called about the position, Suchorski said. Donald wrote Dugan a letter of recommendation. In addition to Donald, Bradley also listed Michael J. Pfau, retired managing partner of Hinshaw & Culbertson; Daniel Kelly of Rogahn Kelly; and Rick Esenberg, president and general counsel of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty as references on her court of appeals application. Her circuit court application listed Pfau, Kelly, Esenberg and James Barry, president of what was then Cassidy Turley Barry (now DTZ Barry). Pfau, Kelly, Esenberg and Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler were Bradley's reference for the Supreme Court vacancy. Donald's past support for Bradley has come up during meetings with several groups as candidates seek their endorsements, Suchorski said. But he said he thinks the story proves Donald is "legitimately nonpartisan." The story was first reported by WisPolitics. Bradley is heralded as conservatives' choice for the seat, though she has vowed to keep politics out of the race. She is expected to emerge from the February primary, while Donald and Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg battle to represent an alternative. Kloppenburg ran unsuccessfully against Justice David Prosser, a member of the court's conservative majority, in 2011. Kloppenburg campaign manager Melissa Mulliken said in an email that Donald's past support of Bradley and his answers now raise "troubling questions." "He allowed Rebecca Bradley to use his name as a reference but when asked by the Governors office he gave a better reference to another applicant for the same job? He was 'bamboozled' into supporting Rebecca Bradley a year ago because he didnt understand who she was? The fact is, Judge Donald supported Rebecca Bradley twice, once when she was a candidate for circuit court and once again on her application to Governor Walker for Court of Appeals last year," Mulliken said. Donald administered Bradley's investiture ceremony to the Milwaukee County bench. Bradley said she recalls him saying what a "fine judge" she was. Donald thought Bradley could be a good circuit court judge, Suchorski said, but he was troubled by how quickly she sought to be elevated by Walker to the appeals court and the Supreme Court. "Hes always been supportive of my judicial career, and hes been a friend," Bradley said of Donald. "This sounds more like his campaign talking not the Joe I know." By Jay Schlichter of the Naples Daily News Thomas Jardas is the type of guy "loved by everyone" and well thought of by those who ever met or became friends with the 22-year-old Fort Myers man. Hours after reports came out that the Cypress Lake High School graduate was one of 12 missing Marines following a Thursday crash off Hawaii involving two Marine Corps helicopters, his loved ones posted tributes and photographs of Jardas on social media sites. "Jardas is an outstanding man, a wonderful friend, a great Marine, and is sure to be one of the best crew chiefs that HMH-463 has seen in a long time," wrote Cornelius Egan on his Facebook profile, a fellow Marine and Cypress Lake grad. "This is a difficult time for everyone who knew Tommy even in the slightest manner. Everyone he talked to, he always left a positive impact on." One of his best friends, Ryan Mitnick, had been planning a cross-country motorcycle trip once Jardas got out of the Marines later this year. Mitnick said the two, who have been friends since the first day of school at Cypress Lake, went on a similar road trip with a third Fort Myers friend, Robert Maley, before the three enlisted together and then completed boot camp side-by-side. While all three were separated once they received different jobs and orders, they stayed close. Mitnick and Maley recently left the Marines, and Jardas was close behind. He was scheduled to get out in October. Once out, the three were going on another road trip together. This time, possibly to Colorado or even Canada. "Tommy was a stand-up guy," Mitnick said. "He was loved by everyone." Late Monday, the Coast Guard was continuing its search-and-rescue operation with assistance from the Navy, Marine Corps and Hawaiian ships, aircraft and personnel, including divers and sonar equipment. Lt. Scott Carr, a Coast Guard spokesman, said it was initially reported the two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters collided but that has not been confirmed by the Marine Corps investigation. He said the aircraft were conducting nighttime training operations about 2 miles off Oahu's Waimea Bay. Carr said debris from the helicopters has been found, but there have been no signs of survivors or victims. Despite the grim outlook, Jardas' friends are trying to stay positive. "I'm left hoping that he's floating in the water, clinging onto a stray rotor blade or something," Egan posted. "Let's go Marine, you didn't take ... specialized swim qualifications to not make it out of this. A lot of people are awaiting your return." Jardas is the younger brother of Haely Jardas, who competed in the Miss America pageant, representing the District of Columbia. The Associated Press reported the Miss D.C. Organization said Haely Jardas flew home on Saturday to be with her family. The family has asked for privacy. SHARE Peter Thomas, among American troops liberating concentration camps PHOTOS: NARRATOR PETER THOMAS ... 09/01/2002 Naples Daily News Section: 08-Neapolitan Edition: Final Published: 09/01/2002 Page: G01 Photos: Narrator Peter Thomas Narrator Peter Thomas, 78, of Naples. An early 1950s photo of Peter Thomas on the "CBS Morning Show" in New York. Thomas handled the local feed while Walter Cronkite did the network feed. Photo courtesy Peter Thomas Peter Thomas records a spot for ESPNs Monday Night Football at Voxnow Studios in Naples Thursday morning. Erik Kellar/Staff DAVID ALBERS/STAFF Peter Thomas By Ryan Mills of the Naples Daily News The Marines of Collier County, a group of local Marine veterans, has decided to name its annual award honoring the free press after local broadcaster and voice-over artist Peter Thomas, the organization announced. The recipient of this year's Peter A. Thomas Award will be retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who worked as a terrorism news analyst and military commentator for NBC News. He'll be presented with the award during a March 16 luncheon at the Naples Hilton. "Peter, I just came from seeing him yesterday, is going to do his best to be at the event to give the award," Mike Trephan, the chairman and founder of the Naples group, said Friday. Thomas was 19 when he joined the Army during World War II. He served with the First Infantry Division in five major campaigns, including the Battle or Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. After his military service, Thomas worked with Walter Cronkite in New York on "The Jack Parr Show." He and his wife, Stella, moved to Naples in 1966. Over the years he worked as a narrator and announcer on a variety of television shows and movies, but is most well known as the iconic voice of "Forensic Files." Naples' Honor the Free Press day was launched over a decade ago by the local Marine Corps League. Each year the group honored a noted member of the media, many of whom served in the military. This year the event is being handed over to the nonprofit Marines of Collier County, said Trephan, a retired marine. "This whole thing is to honor the free press," Trephan said. "It's to honor what we have in this country, which is very unusual in the free world." Tickets to the luncheon are $35 and go on sale Feb. 11. For more information visit www.honorthefreepress.org. SHARE Can two government agencies in Collier County work through their conflict, end a court fight and initiate a public discussion about the future approach citizens prefer for emergency medical response? The possibility may have a pulse after all. Staff members and attorneys for the North Collier fire district and Collier County government met for two days this past week under a procedure the state created to try to resolve conflicts between taxpayer-supported government agencies. That sets the stage for a joint public meeting between Collier County commissioners and North Collier fire board members at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 25, at a neutral site St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 111th Avenue North in North Naples. We believe much good can come from this. Dialogue, not monologues Chiefly, we see the opportunity for a transparent, robust discussion about two differing approaches to pre-hospital emergency care, leading us into the 2016 elections, which may bring sweeping changes in leadership. There's a difference of opinion between the County Commission and elected North Collier fire board. The Advanced Life Support (ALS) approach utilized by North Collier sends a team of firefighters who are also highly trained paramedics with advanced equipment and more medications immediately to emergency calls. That comes at a greater expense because of the higher-paid paramedics, and there are many more of them on duty. Collier County Medical Director Dr. Robert Tober believes less is more when it comes to ALS service. Fielding fewer paramedics gives each one more practical experience in the field. Fewer firefighters, therefore, are certified to do the advanced techniques, focusing instead on basic (BLS) procedures. It may take longer for someone certified in advanced procedures to arrive at a scene, but when they do they'll be better able to deal with it, the theory holds. In addition to creating more experienced advanced medics, the approach saves money, advocates say. A prior County Commission gave the current North Collier department permission to operate the way it does through a certificate of public convenience and necessity (COPCN) that's been annually renewed the past five years. In September, county commissioners wouldn't renew it, then extended it until Jan. 29. This is a national debate, not just a local one. Lee County government and Bonita Springs' fire district have a disagreement. Naples fire department consultants have suggested a system more like North Collier's. North Collier's response system and training procedures have been explained by staff at fire board meetings. A contingent, including NCH emergency room and pediatric doctors, met with the Daily News editorial board to answer questions. Missing during the ongoing COPCN dispute is a similar presentation to county commissioners by Tober and staff. A scheduled county medical and staff meeting with the Daily News editorial board was canceled this past week when Commissioners Georgia Hiller and Tim Nance objected. We in fact agree with Hiller's point that this discussion ought to be conducted in open public forums, not just with us here at the Daily News. Unique chance Commissioners will have a chance Jan. 25 or at a Jan. 26 meeting to agree to extend North Collier's COPCN again to take advantage of a unique opportunity. They can call for the harvesting of comparative data on which approach is producing more life-saving results in Collier County, and at what cost. North Collier in turn can drop its lawsuit against the county. Four of five County Commission seats could change in the 2016 elections. The Legislature oversees North Collier fire, not commissioners; Collier's legislative delegation will substantially, if not completely, change faces this year. Five fire board seats are on the ballot in North Collier, as are four in Greater Naples fire district. We see the ALS vs. BLS issue as significant for candidates. They can benefit from a data-driven, cost and outcome-related analysis of ALS vs. BLS in Collier. Voters, too, will benefit by having that information when deciding which candidates to support. SHARE Bill Korson, Naples Naples Chapter Americans United Christian nation Is America a Christian nation? Meeting invocations. Prayer in school. Christmas displays. Religious right groups insist that this country was designed as a Christian nation and that all Americans should follow the doctrines of their brand of Christianity. Is this view accurate? Did the Founding Fathers create a government that gave special consideration to Christianity? During the colonial period, many colonies had "established," or official, churches. Even Patrick Henry, in Virginia, spoke of tax support for the official Christian church. Some colonies limited voting and officeholding to Trinitarian Protestants. And the Constitution is not so clear on the issue. Religion is only mentioned twice. Article XI prohibits religious tests for federal office and the First Amendment contains those clauses that bars "establishment" and protects "free exercise." But in 1892, Supreme Court Justice David Brewer, in Holy Trinity v. United States, stated that America is a "Christian nation." On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Americans United will co-sponsor a discussion of this very issue. Our guest speaker will be Rob Boston, AU's director of Communications, editor of Church & State Magazine and author of four books. His most recent is Taking Liberties: Why Religious Freedom Doesn't Give You the Right to Tell Other People What to Do (2014). The event will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples, 6340 Napa Woods Way, Naples. Refreshments will be served and a $10 donation is requested to cover their costs. For more information, visit us and like us on Facebook at au-naples or visit our website www.au-naples.org. The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP announced today that Kimberly Leach Johnson, firm chair and a partner in the firms Naples office, has recently been appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of the Friends of Baker Park, Inc. In this role, Johnson will assist the organization in fundraising, grant making, and community leadership during the parks proposed design and construction. Johnson is a member of the Quarles & Bradys Estate, Trust & Wealth Preservation Practice Group. She has extensive experience representing families in the planning of their estates and the handling of affairs after individuals pass away. Johnson was honored by the Collier County Womens Bar Association as its Woman Lawyer of the Year in 2011 and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She earned her law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, L.L.M. degree from the University of Miami, and bachelors degree from Anderson College. Johnson also has received several professional honors, including having been listed among the Top 50 Woman Florida Super Lawyers and among The Best Lawyers in America. Quarles & Brady is a full-service AmLaw 200 law firm with more than 475 attorneys offering an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies, with practice focuses in health care and life sciences, business law, data privacy and security, and complex litigation. The firm has offices in Naples, Florida; Chicago; Indianapolis; Madison; Milwaukee; Phoenix; Scottsdale; Tampa; Tucson; and Washington, D.C. Additional information can be found online at quarles.com, as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Friends of Baker Park, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization created to raise funds for the development and maintenance of the proposed Baker Park located along the Gordon River near downtown Naples. The organization encourages participation and appreciation of outdoor recreation and provides educational programs for all residents and visitors. Membership is open to all persons who share an interest in and belief in the purpose of the Friends of Baker Park, Inc. Fort Myers AT&T employees are part of a major milestone being celebrated by the company. During National Mentoring Month, AT&T announced that in less than 4 years, employees have provided students with 1 million hours of mentoring across the globe. The employee mentors participate in AT&Ts Aspire Mentoring Academy. The academy was launched in the fall of 2012 with the objective of providing 1 million hours of mentoring to students by employees before the end of 2016. Reaching this milestone nearly 1 year early is a testament to the commitment and enthusiasm of AT&T employees. As mentors, employees connect with students to help them discover their passions and potential. The experience has a positive impact on both the adults and students. In Fort Myers, AT&T employees are connected with best-in-class nonprofits that support local students who will benefit the most from mentoring. Since the mentoring academys 2012 launch, more than 650 Florida AT&T employees have provided over 57,000 mentoring hours to nearly 8,500 students statewide. Student success in school and beyond is a primary focus of AT&T Aspire, the companys signature philanthropic initiative. One in 3 young people do not have a mentor when growing up, according to recent research commissioned by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and supported by AT&T. The 1 million hour milestone is just the beginning of AT&Ts efforts to close this gap. The next phase of Aspire Mentoring Academy will use the power of technology to connect with even more students in more places around the world. Weather map for Jan. 19, 1977 at 7 a.m. (Courtesy NOAA) By Oscar Santiago Torres Think it's cold today? It snowed in South Florida 39 years ago. An arctic cold front moved across the sunshine state on Jan. 19, 1977, bringing snow to the area for the first time, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). No snow was officially recorded in Naples, but some residents did report seeing snowflakes. The low temperature recorded in Naples the following morning was 26 degrees. It did snow in Miami. The Miami Herald reported, "Shivering South Floridians, young and old, looked to the sky in total amazement as tiny snowflakes landed on their faces." Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article55396310.html#storylink=cpy Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article55396310.html#storylink=cpy According to NOAA, the snow occurred during a prolonged period of very cold temperatures in South Florida. A report by NOAA stated: "The first arctic front moved through the region late on the afternoon of January 16th with temperatures failing to reach the 60 degree mark in Miami for four consecutive days from January 17th to the 20th. The coldest air and snow arrived with the second arctic front on the 19th, with the afternoon high only reaching the mid to upper 40s. Miamis afternoon high of 47 degrees that day stands as the second coldest afternoon high on record." Thirty-five counties were declared disaster areas during the 1977 snowfall. Although snow does fall in some parts of Florida, the farthest south snow had been recorded was along a Fort Myers to Fort Pierce line in February 1899. In January 2010, freezing temperatures occurred just before sunrise on a couple of consecutive days even in coastal areas of Collier County, but snow was not reported. Read more about previous cold weather in Southwest Florida. People are sharing memories of the 1977 snowfall in a local Facebook group: Larson on Wallace incident: 'It is what it is' Kyle Larson responds to his wreck with Bubba Wallace and Wallace's retaliation at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The telephones at the homes of the Chippewa Falls School Board members have been ringing constantly since the news broke of the $167 million building proposal presented by the schools facilities committee Jan. 5. One board member admitted that even one of the callers supported the building plan. A few more people spoke in favor of it at Monday nights special board meeting in the high school cafeteria, but most were either members of the committee or school district employees. The others came out against it, raising several concerns. And after they had all been heard, the School Board was quite clear that it heard those concerns. The board voted 6-1 with Staish Buchner the only one dissenting in favor of Pete Lehmanns motion to not act on the building proposal Monday. The timing of this meeting was due to a decision being needed to get a referendum on the April 5 spring ballot, which the facilities committee was pushing to do. I think we need to go back to the drawing board, said board member Amy Mason. I am a little bit overwhelmed when I see that number. Both Mason and board President Jerry Smith spoke of the legitimate concerns that were raised at the meeting and in conversations with the public. Smith said several concepts such as the closing of the elementary schools, busing students in grades 4-5 to an intermediate school, the high school location among several others warranted being looked into more deeply. Ive had quite a bit of comments about this not being properly vetted, Smith said. We didnt get alternatives, and Ive heard that more and more as we go along. I think we have a lot of work to do, and am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves in order to get that done, Mason said. We never said this is going to be easy, and it doesnt have to be. Its supposed to be a 20-some year facilities plan, said Buchner, one of three board members who were part of the facilities committee. Out of the eight recommendations, this seemed to be the most palatable. However, the other two board members who served on the committee, Lehmann and Melanie Sinclair-Schaller (who was appearing via Skype), did not support the plan to put it on the April ballot. Smith said after the meeting that the next step would be to gather the board together at a special meeting and see what the board wished to do with the committee proposal. Public speaks out Marsha Wiley opened up the public comment portion with her concerns as a homeowner about the high cost of a referendum. Its asking way too much for people to pay $400 or more on the property taxes that are only connected to the school budget. Many people are on fixed incomes and would like to stay in their homes, she said. I feel as if this whole referendum is being done in way too fast a manner. Beth Hanutke described the plans cost as highly unreasonable, and shared four major concerns, including the reports projected enrollment growth of two percent, which she said amounts to 29 high school students. Its hard to believe that 29 students merit a $92 million new high school, Hanutke said. We need to ask ourselves, is whats being asked necessary? Even those who might ultimately support a building plan in some form were not in favor now. I certainly support doing something, but I need more information, said Scott Biederman, who has two sons at Stillson, one of the two elementary schools that were targeted for closing in the proposal. Alisa Schley cited several reasons why the plan didnt add up, from a report that said the buildings are mostly in good condition to student growth that looked mostly flat. Academic achievement is a result of high-quality teachers, and not the facilities they are in, she said. Dennis Hunt said he would be affected twice, as a homeowner and a business owner. He said that having students from kindergarten through grade 12 on the West Hill makes sense, but moving K-3 students, as the proposal recommends in closing Hillcrest Elementary, does not. This plan is not close to complete, he said. Bob Billen, a parent of three students in the district, cited figures he had obtained from the states Department of Public Instruction showing that since 2009, the total enrollment had grown by only 26 students. Twenty-six students is growth, but over five years it is really insignificant, he said. Larry Annett, a former superintendent with the district, asked the board to consider an alternative rather than strictly debating whether to hold a referendum in the spring or fall. He recommended to take the facilities plan and go over its components with the community, stating that many things were worthy of more study. Take the neighborhood school concept. I dont know if thats a good idea or not. The same with the high school, he said, voicing skepticism that incorporating the alternative school into the high school was a good idea. If youre going to be asking voters, you need to see what the high school, is, where it is going to be located, and how it is going to function, Annett said. People and the board need options, and they really dont need an all-or-nothing approach. I think the process resulted in a wish list rather than a priority list. Kevin Mason, a former student at Chi-Hi, said he is a strong advocate for public education, however he did not support the current proposal. Among his concerns was the logic behind putting all fourth graders together in one building. Plan has supporters Steve Byrd of Lafayette said he has had three sons attend the school district. Voters 20, 30, 40 years ago made the sacrifices for our children, and I think we need to do that now, Byrd said. High school Principal Becky Davis said her obligation is to her students, and they deserve a voice. We have issues in this building that I know impact the health and safety of kids who come here every day, she said, citing classrooms each fall and spring that have temperatures exceeding 100 degrees due to a lack of air conditioning. There are shades pulled, lights off, fans in every corner of the room, and they (students) are dripping sweat. Teachers need to bring a change of clothing because they are soaked. I just think thats wrong. The kids deserve better than that. Teacher Dave Huntzler and committee members Dan Schumacher and Chad Hable spoke in favor of the building plan. I heard this plan referred to as a dream. I ask, Whats wrong with a dream? Huntzler said. If we already have a top-notch staff, why cant we pair that with a top-notch facility? Schumacher said he wanted to defend the work done by the committee, explaining that the number of hours that went into their work and the vetting that went on was substantial. The committees plan, with a new high school as its centerpiece, will get further examination by the school board, but its appearance on the spring ballot will not happen. LA CROSSE The Rev. Thomas Reese, an internationally known expert on Catholic Church politics who has jousted with the Vatican over his progressive views, gives mixed grades to Pope Francis for his efforts to reform the Holy See. As the pope has launched initiatives to rehabilitate the Vatican, he has opened doors to discussions that his predecessors, St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, would have come down on like a ton of bricks, Reese said during a phone interview from his office in Washington, D.C. Reese will address such issues Feb. 6 at the Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse, during a talk titled Rebuild My Church: Pope Francis and His Vision for Reform. The 79-year-old popes compassion for the poor, his outreach to those shunned in the church and society, his quest for justice and peace and his advocacy for the environment as Gods creation have generated speculation about whether the Francis effect will entice the disenfranchised back to the church. That will only happen if, when they go back, they find somebody there like him, said Reese, who, like Pope Francis, is a Jesuit. Theyre looking for somebody like Francis in the parish. If they dont find it, they will turn right around and walk out. Francis, who drew large, enthusiastic crowds during his visit to the United States last fall, deserves an A for continuing the efforts of Benedict XVI to correct the Vaticans historically corrupt financial system, Reese said. The pontiffs progress in changing the culture of the church from top-down clericalism rates a C in Reeses ledger, and his efforts to change policies and structures is incomplete. Clericalism remains the biggest challenge for the pope, who has modeled humility and preached inclusion, Reese said. He hates clericalism, and he doesnt want the bishops to act like princes, he said. He wants priests to empower people, and hes working very hard for that, but hes not going to reform if he leaves in the old guard. Reform is multi-level. Hes pushing things along, but I have some disagreements, Reese said. I dont think the bureaucracy in the Vatican should be bishops and cardinals. It should be laypeople and priests. If they are bishops and cardinals, they are hard to fire, he said. Anybody who has done any hiring knows that getting the right person in the job the first time isnt easy. If the cardinal isnt doing the job, he wont be gone. If its a priest, you can send him back to the parish; if its a layperson, you can fire him, Reese said. Asked about the popes demotion of Cardinal Raymond Burke from heading the Vaticans highest court after the former bishop of the La Crosse Diocese openly criticized the pope, Reese said continuing pressure from Burke and others on the hard right hampers reform. Theyre a real pain in the ... Reese said. Among other things, Burke has described the church as a rudderless ship with Francis at the helm. He also has challenged the popes conciliatory comments about divorced and remarried Catholics and his refusal to condemn homosexuals. Burke, who has rebuffed several Tribune requests for interviews, has compared gay couples and divorced and remarried Catholics to unrepentant murderers who are kind to other people. He insists that his critiques are intended to defend the office of the papacy. Burke is not that old, at 67, Reese said. Hes going to be a voting cardinal until he is 80. Theres no question that hes going to outlive the pope. Since bishops generally are in office until they are 75, and many are in their 60s, Francis will be dead by the time they retire. The longer he lives, the more he can replace, Reese said. Despite criticisms from the extreme right, the polling data is quite clear that even people who self-identify as conservatives give Francis approval ratings so high that people in Washington would kill to get them, Reese said. The extreme right has a following in the blogosphere and in certain conservative publications, but not in the pews. They are a minority a very loud, vocal minority, he said. The conservative elite the talking heads and people like that have a following in the thousands, he said. In a church of 1.2 billion, thats not a lot. Reese divides the church hierarchy into two groups, saying, There are no liberal bishops. There is a small group of moderates. The others are conservatives, he said, dividing that contingent into two subgroups: Ideologues like Burke, who are intellectually committed to the idea that they are right, and there is no way to change. Pastoral conservatives, who grew up in conservative families, with conservative bishops and went to conservative seminaries. They have no pretense of being intellectual like some of the ideologues. Prelates in the pastoral camp are confused, and they are keeping their heads low. They are not in open opposition to the pope. They are loyalists, but they dont quite get it that the pope has different priorities, a different vision. He is preaching the same gospel, with different priorities. Many priests today studied in seminaries where professors who were more open were fired and the priests and theologians who trained them told them they were to go out to the pews and kick ass, said Reese, whose liberal views riled the Vatican when he wrote for America magazine about politics, economics and the Catholic Church from 1978 to 1985 and later, as editor in chief from 1998 to 2005. This is like reforming any institution, he said. It takes time. You can change all the rules and regulations and organizational chart, but if you dont change the culture of the police force, or the hospital, or the newspaper, there wont be reform. He suggested that allowing priests to marry would help alleviate the global priest shortage. Clearly, John Paul and Benedict made it clear that they didnt want any gays in the priesthood, Reese said. Pope Francis said, Who am I to judge? if they are following the rule of celibacy, Reese said. But hes not suddenly going to say, OK, were gonna have gay marriage. That aint gonna happen, he said. On the other hand, gay marriage in a civil setting is a different issue, he said, adding, I dont see why the church cant say thats a civil matter. There wont be gay marriage in the church, but gay and married Catholics in the church is more complicated. Reese also advocates decentralizing church authority, saying, Do all of the decisions have to be made in Rome, or can some be made with bishops groups, individual groups or even parishes? The Holy Sees objections to Reeses writings at America came largely from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the control of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected pope and took the name Benedict XVI in 2005. Reese, a prolific book author, resigned from America that year and now is a Washington, D.C.-based senior analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, an independent, progressive weekly based in Kansas City, Mo. As a Jesuit himself, Reese sees Francis attraction to Franciscan spirituality as dovetailing with the spirituality that Jesuit founder Ignatius Loyola espoused. Loyola was a soldier injured in battle who was bored out of his mind while recuperating, Reese said. The only book he could find was Lives of the Saints, which inspired his decision to do great things for God like St. Francis of Assisi had. Pope Francis has kept up that tradition for four reasons, Reese said, noting: Francis has a love for the poor, to whom he devoted much of his time as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio before he became the Catholic Churchs 266th pope. St. Francis also was a reformer. If you think the church is bad today, you should have seen it in St. Francis time, Reese said. After St. Francis heard Gods entreaty to rebuild my church, he set out to repair the rundown church building he was attending, until God said, No, I mean the WHOLE church. Francis of Assisi is noted for his love of nature and animals, which also is high on Pope Francis agenda, the great message of loving and protecting Gods creation. Like St. Francis, Pope Francis is a peacemaker who promotes love for and respect of the poor and each other. As a whole, that is totally in line with both Franciscan and Jesuit spirituality, Reese said, with St. Francis mission to rebuild the church being a precursor to Pope Francis calling to reform it. State lawmakers make their displeasure known 'An embarassment' (NaturalNews) Between what happened in Ferguson and on the campus of the state's largest university, Missouri's reputation has taken several hits over the past year. But one of the most memorable of all moments was when a communications professor at an institution believed to have started the country's first official school of journalism, attempted to resort to violence in order to quash the First Amendment Now, it seems, she may finally have to answer for it.As reported by, some Missouri state lawmakers are calling on the University of Missouri to fire Prof. Melissa Click, after calling for "some muscle" to eject a student reporter out of a demonstration that was being held on public property.Click made national news in November when her attempt to get the student reporter tossed was captured on video and went viral. The student, who was attempting to file a report for, was on the school's quad during a protest over alleged racism at the school."Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here?" Click screamed out after correspondent Tim Tai refused to leave. "I need some muscle over here," she said.Asreported further:As the video and Click's story continued to circulate around the country, critics seethed over the thought of a university professor not only taking an active part in a student-led protest, but also someone who is affiliated with the centuries-old journalism school attempting to thwart a reporter from reporting the news.As a result, she lost her courtesy appointment in the journalism school, and was accused of assault and violations of Title IX, but she remains an untenured professor at the state's namesake university.But now, some 100 House Republicans in the state Legislature, and 18 members of the Senate, have penned a letter to the school's board of curators demanding her "immediate firing,"reports."The fact that, as a professor teaching 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," says the letter, written by Rep. Caleb Jones and Sen. Kurt Schaefer.In addition, the lawmakers sought answers about Click's taxpayer-funded research into goofy topics like, the entertainer Lady Gaga, and theseries.In recent days, one of the university's curators, David Steelman, joined in the call for Click's firing.As reported by the, Steelman, in an interview with the paper, acknowledged that the board has only limited authority to fire Click. And since he is not the board's chairman, Steelman does not have the ability to place her continued employment on the board's agenda."She is not just an embarrassment to the university or the state of Missouri, she yelled 'fire' in a crowded theater," Steelman said. "A great university cannot remain great unless it doesn't tolerate professors who do that."At present, the board is conducting a search to replace former president, Tim Wolfe, who stepped down Nov. 9 after being pressured to do so by students who claimed his policies did not go far enough in reducing racism on campus , though the student body never really produced any evidence of widespread racism."The legislature ... and the governor, who had his own statement, both of them recognize that Melissa Click's actions were not just inappropriate but also potentially dangerous to students," Steelman said. "I have no problem with a state that is putting half a billion dollars into the university wanting to have some oversight."The paper reported that a group of 116 faculty members at UM issued their own letter supporting Click. (NaturalNews) The prestigiousperformed reckless reporting last fall when they ran an opinion piece written by millionaire vaccine industrialist Paul Offit, MD, who alleged that the rise in respiratory infections was due to a decrease in vaccination rates. Offit's piece praises the efficacy of vaccines while leaving out one important detail: all the millions he's made as a vaccine developer.As the Alliance for Natural Health-USA (ANH-USA) reports , the mini-bio at the bottom of the WSJarticle conveniently fails to note Dr. Offit's massive conflict of interest, including that he's the inventor of the rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq, which is now recommended universally to all infants by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).While free to state to his opinion, the WSJ's reporting is incredibly irresponsible, as they failed to mention Offit's financial motivations. Whether the paper didn't know, or simply didn't care, is unknown.According to Offit, the rise in whooping cough, mumps and measles infections is due to the idea that fewer people are vaccinating. However, upon closer examination, it's evident that this is not the case.Since the early 2000s, scientists have begun to notice that some receivers of the mumps vaccine are still falling ill to the disease. In April 2014, a mumps outbreak occurred at the Stevens Institute of Technology -- yet all of those infected had been fully vaccinated with two documented doses of the MMR shot, reports ANH-USA.This means that the MMR vaccine is losing its efficacy, or that it never worked in the first place. Dr. William Schaffer, a pro-vaccine researcher at Vanderbilt University, admitted that the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine in preventing mumps is "not so good," and that the protection rate varies study to study, according to NPR NPR's report, and the statements of Schaffer, directly contradicts Offit's assertion that the rise in respiratory infections is due to a decrease in vaccination. Referring to the mumps outbreak at Ohio State University in which more than 200 students fell ill, NPR asks:"Yes," Schaffer answered.The DTaP vaccine, the new version of the DTP vaccine, which caused brain damage in infants, is now administered to protect against diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw) and pertussis (whooping cough).The CDC recommends giving DTaP to women in the later stages of their pregnancy with thethat the vaccine will pass immunity on to the fetus through the placenta. This is done during pregnancy based on the idea that most babies could become ill or die from the disease before they're old enough to receive the vaccine post-birth. The CDC recommends injecting pregnant women with this vaccine even though the DTaP vaccine insert clearly states:"The problem is that one of the elements of the vaccine, for whooping cough (pertussis), can be very dangerous," reports ANH-USA. "The whole-cell pertussis vaccine was created in 1912 and containsbacteria. Its toxins (both exotoxins and endotoxins) are some of most lethal in nature, causing tremendous inflammation throughout the body."Exotoxins from the pertussis vaccine can cross the blood-brain barrier under certain conditions, triggering brain inflammation and sometimes causing permanent brain damage. The new version of DTaP is less reactive and with fewer side effects, but still contains the pertussis toxin (although at a lower dose) and can still cause inflammation of the brain."B. pertussis also produces endotoxins, and the immune system's reaction is similarly inflammatory, releasing so much histamine that it can sometimes cause high fever, swelling, diarrhea, collapse, shock, and death. The newer DTaP vaccine also contains these endotoxins."To learn more about Paul Offit and how he profits from vaccines while spreading disinformation, visit TruthWiki.org PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), one of the twelve Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) that affect human and animal fertility; 2,4,5 T (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid), a dioxin-containing component of the defoliant, Agent Orange, which was used by the US Army during the Vietnam War and continues to cause birth defects and cancer; Lasso , an herbicide that is now banned in Europe; and RoundUp, the most widely used herbicide in the world, and the source of the greatest health and environmental scandal in modern history - this toxic herbicide is used in combination with genetically modified (GM) RoundUp Ready seeds in large-scale monocultures, primarily to produce soybeans, maize and rapeseed for animal feed and biofuels. (NaturalNews) In 2011, the United Nations implemented a set of guidelines aimed at protecting individuals from human rights abuses committed by states and companies. Created by the UN Human Rights Council, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights is intended to "prevent and address human rights abuses committed in business operations."The framework states that "victims of corporate human rights abuses" are protected under the guidelines, and that under international human rights laws, the state is required to protect everyone within its territory from abuses committed by business enterprises.These important guidelines may serve as a tool to hold corrupt, reckless corporations like Monsanto accountable for their crimes against humanity. The International Monsanto Tribunal, a diverse group of individuals consisting of scientists, lawyers, government officials, journalists, authors and activists, is trying to use the UN's human rights guidelines to hold Monsanto accountable for the human and environmental damage caused by its products."For an increasing number of people from around the world, Monsanto today is the symbol of industrial agriculture. This chemical-intensive form of production pollutes the environment, accelerates biodiversity loss, and massively contributes to global warming," states Monsanto-Tribunal.org "Since the beginning of the twentieth century, Monsanto, a US-based company, has developed a number of highly toxic products, which have permanently damaged the environment and caused illness or death for thousands of people."Monsanto is responsible for the immense damage caused by the following products: Monsanto promotes an agroindustrial model that contributes at least one third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions; it is also largely responsible for the depletion of soil and water resources, species extinction and declining biodiversity, and the displacement of millions of small farmers worldwide. This is a model that threatens peoples' food sovereignty by patenting seeds and privatizing life."Critics say that "Monsanto is able to ignore the human and environmental damage caused by its products and maintain its devastating activities through a strategy of systemic concealment: by lobbying regulatory agencies and governments, by resorting to lying and corruption, by financing fraudulent scientific studies, by pressuring independent scientists, by manipulating the press and media, etc."The history of Monsanto would thereby constitute a text-book case of impunity, benefiting transnational corporations and their executives, whose activities contribute to climate and biosphere crises and threaten the safety of the planet."On Oct. 1216, the Monsanto Tribunal, which will be held in The Hague , Netherlands, will use these allegations "to evaluate the damages caused by this transnational company," relying on the UN's Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights."It will also assess potential criminal liability on the basis of the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2002. The Tribunal shall also assess the conduct of Monsanto as regards the crime of ecocide, which it has been proposed to include in international criminal law."It shall examine whether the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court in force since 2002 should be reformed, in order to include the crime of ecocide and to allow for the prosecution of individual and legal entities suspected of having committed this crime," according to the organization's website.To donate to the cause or to simply learn more about it, click here Christopher Whiteside MBE is County Councillor for the Egremont North and St Bees Division of Cumbria County Council. The division includes St Bees, Bigrigg, Wood End, Moor Row, part of the Mirehouse area of Whitehaven, and surrounding countryside. He will hold this office until the county council is abolished on 1st April 2023. He is also Chairman of the North-West region of the voluntary wing of the Conservative party. Chris lives and works in Copeland with his wife and family. Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Custom software mentioned here is publically available on www.github.com/stschiff/sequenceTools and www.github.com/stschiff/rarecoal. DNA extraction Samples were first treated with UV-light (260 nm) for 2030 min, and the surface was cleaned with bleach (3.5%) and isopropanol. The sample surface was mechanically removed using a Dremel drill and disposable abrasive discs. Samples were ground to fine powder using a Mikrodismembrator (Sartorius) and stored at 4C until further use. DNA was extracted in clean room facilities in Adelaide using an in-solution silica-based protocol31. Library preparation Libraries were generated from the Hinxton individuals (n=6) with32 and without enzymatic damage repair (Supplementary Table 1), whereas partial damage repair33 was performed for the Linton (n=3) and Oakington (n=14) samples. All 29 libraries were prepared with truncated barcoded Illumina adaptors and amplified with full-length indexed adaptors for sequencing34. Protocols evolved over the course of the study with regards to the final library amplification steps. Hinxton DNA libraries were amplified by PCR in quintuplicates for an initial 13 cycles (AmpliTaq Gold, Life Technologies), followed by pooling and purification of the PCR replicates with the Agencourt AMPure XP system. DNA libraries were then re-amplified for another 13 cycles in quintuplicates or sextuplicates, followed by pooling and purification, visual inspection on a 3.5% agarose gel, and final quantification using a NanoDrop 2000c spectrophotometer (FisherScientific). The Oakington and Linton DNA libraries were amplified using isothermal amplifications using the commercial TwistAmp Basic kit (TwistDx Ltd). The amplification followed the manufacturers recommendations and used 13.4 l of libraries after the Bst fill-in step, and an incubation time of the isothermal reaction of 40 min at 37 C, followed by gel electrophoresis and quantification using a Nanodrop spectrophotometer. Following quantification, libraries were re-amplified for seven cycles using full-length 7-mer indexed Illumina primers as described34, followed by purification with Ampure and quantification using a TapeStation (Agilent). Library screening The 23 libraries treated with damage repair were screened for complexity and endogenous DNA on an Illumina MiSeq platform in Harvard in collaboration with David Reich (Supplementary Table 1). When the project started, we had available only the samples from Hinxton, and since all of them had high complexity and high amounts of endogenous DNA (except 12882A, which did not pass screening), we selected all five samples for deep sequencing. We then expanded the project to the other two sites, from which we screened many more samples than we could sequence deeply, so we selected the best four samples (with highest complexity and endogenous DNA) from Oakington and the best from Linton (from which we had fewer samples, and there was only one sample with acceptable complexity for deep sequencing). Deep sequencing We first sequenced the five DNA libraries generated from the Hinxton samples in two batches. The first batch consisted of 10 lanes of 75 bp paired end sequencing on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform, run in rapid mode. All five samples were multiplexed in this batch. The resulting data was processed (see below) and used to estimate complexity and endogenous DNA to decide further sequencing. The second batch consisted of 42 lanes with similar settings as the first batch, but not multiplexed. Based on the complexity and endogenous DNA estimates, we sequenced sample HI1 and HS3 on 4 lanes each, samples HS1 and HS2 on 8 lanes each and sample HI2 on 16 lanes. In the second batch, we introduced five dark cycles into read 1 to avoid low-complexity issues due to the clean room tags in the library preparation. We also included 5% Phi X sequences to increase the complexity of the first five base pairs of read 2, a common procedure for low-complexity libraries. In case of the samples from Oakington and Linton, we used the protocol used in batch 2 of the Hinxton samples (including dark cycles). We sequenced samples O2 and L on 4 lanes each, sample O4 on 6 lanes, sample O1 on 8 lanes and sample O3 on 10 lanes. Raw read processing We filtered out all read pairs that did not carry the correct clean room tags in the first five base pairs of read 2. In case of batch 1 of the Hinxton samples, we also sequenced the clean room tag on read 1, which we also filtered on in these cases. As a second step, we merged all reads searching for a perfect or near perfect overlap allowing at most 1 mismatch between read 1 and the reverse complement of read 2. The merging also took advantage of the fact that we typically had fragments of length 50 pb, which means that many of the 75 bp reads contained the reverse complement of the clean room tag of the other read, and the Illumina adaptors. As a last step, we removed the clean room tags and the adaptors from both ends of the merged reads. Both merging and adaptor trimming was done using a custom programme called filterTrimFastq, available on http://www.github.com/stschiff/sequenceTools. Alignment After merging, we ended up with single reads with variable length (on average about 50 bp) for each sample. We aligned those single reads with the programme bwa aln35 to the human reference, version GRCh37 using the parameter -l 1024 to turn-off seeding36. The alignment was done on a per-lane basis, all alignments were then sorted using samtools sort. For each individual, we then merged the sorted alignments into a single bam file per individual, using samtools merge. We then removed duplicate reads in each alignments using our custom python script samMarkDuplicates.py, available also on github. The script checks whether neighbouring reads in the sorted alignments are equal, and removes all but one read if it finds duplicates. Finally, we removed all unmapped reads from the alignments. Despite enzymatic damage repair, some low levels of DNA damage can still be found in the libraries. We used the programme mapdamage2 (ref. 37) to measure DNA degradation. For each individual, we first ran mapDamage on chromosome 20 to estimate the degradation profile. For all individuals, the DNA damage profile was found to have an excess of C->T changes at the 5 end of reads, as expected for ancient DNA, and an excess of G->A changes was found at the 3 end. However, because the sequencing libraries were treated with UDG, which removes damaged sites in reads, the excess was much lower than in comparable studies without UDG treatment37. Mitochondrial and Y chromosome analysis We called mtDNA and Y chromosome consensus sequences using samtools. Haplogroups were handcurated using public databases (Supplementary Note 2). Contamination estimates We estimated possible modern DNA contamination in all ancient samples using two methods. First, we tested for evidence for contaminant mitochondrial DNA38. We looked for sites in the mitochondrial genome, at which the ancient sample carried a consensus allele that was rare in the 1,000 Genomes reference panel. We then looked whether there were reads at these sites that carried the majority allele from 1,000 Genomes (Supplementary Note 2). Second, we used the programme verifyBamId39 to carry out a similar test in the nuclear genome, again using the 1,000 Genomes reference panel. Contamination estimates are summarized in Supplementary Table 3. Principal component analysis We downloaded the Human Origins Data set13,14 and called genotypes at all sites in this data set for all ancient samples using a similar calling method as described in ref. 14: Of all high-quality reads covering a site, we picked the allele that is supported by the majority of reads, requiring at least two reads supporting the majority allele, otherwise we call a missing genotype. If multiple alleles had the same number of supporting reads, we picked one at random. Principal component analysis was performed using the smartpca programme from EIGENSOFT (ref. 40), by using only the modern samples for defining the principal components and projecting the 10 ancient samples onto these components (Supplementary Fig. 3). Rare allele sharing analysis We compiled a reference panel consisting of 433 individuals from Finland (n=99), Spain (n=107), Italy (n=107), Netherlands (n=100) and Denmark (n=20). The Finnish, Spanish and Italian samples are from the 1,000 Genomes Project (phase 3)16, the Dutch samples from the GoNL project17 and the Danish samples from the GenomeDK project18. For the Dutch and Danish samples, only allele frequency data was available. In case of the Dutch data set, we downsampled the full data set to obtain the equivalent of 100 samples. All other reference sample variant calls were used as provided by the 1,000 Genomes Project. In addition, we filtered based on a mappability mask41,42 that is available from www.github.com/stschiff/msmc. We selected all variants up to allele count nine in this reference set and tested for each ancient individual and each of those sites whether the ancient individual carried the rare allele. We called a rare variant (always assumed heterozygous) in the ancient sample if at least two reads supported the rare allele from the reference set. While this calling method will inevitably miss variants in low coverage individuals, the relative numbers of shared alleles with different populations is unbiased. We accumulated the total number of alleles shared between each ancient sample and each modern reference population, and stratified by allele count in the reference population, up to allele count nine (Supplementary Data 1). We found that sharing with the Dutch and the Spanish population showed the largest variability across the ancient samples. For the plot in Fig. 2a, we divided the sharing count with the Dutch population by the sharing count of the Spanish population for each allele frequency. To plot curves from the Dutch and the Spanish population itself, we sampled haploid individuals from each population by sampling with replacement at every variant site in the reference set. This was necessary because for the Dutch samples no genotype information was publically available, only allele frequency data (Supplementary Note 3). For the 30 UK10K samples shown in Fig. 2a,b, we started from the read alignment for each individual and called rare variants with respect to the 433 reference individuals in exactly the same way as we did for the ancient samples. For Fig. 2a, the allele sharing counts were then accumulated across the 10 individuals in each group. Error bars for each allele sharing count are based on the square root of each count. For Fig. 2b we added the allele sharing counts between each ancient sample and each reference population up to allele count five, and computed the ratio NED/(NED+IBS), where NED is the sharing count with Dutch, and IBS the sharing count with Spanish (Supplementary Note 3). For the mean and variances shown in Fig. 2b, we excluded outliers as indicated in the caption of the figure. The fraction of Anglo-Saxon derived ancestry is computed for each modern UK10K sample as the relative distance of its relative sharing ratio from the Iron Age mean value compared with the Saxon era mean value, as shown in Fig. 2b, with 0% corresponding to the Iron Age mean, and 100% corresponding to the Anglo-Saxon era mean (Supplementary Note 3, Supplementary Table 4). Rarecoal analysis Rarecoal is a new framework to calculate the joint allele frequency spectrum across multiple populations using rare alleles. Given a certain distribution of rare derived alleles across subpopulations (here up to allele count four), and a given number of non-derived alleles, which can be arbitrarily large, we calculate the total probability of that configuration under a demographic model. The model consists of a population tree with constant population sizes in each branch of the tree and split times. To give rise to the data observed in the present, the lineages of the derived alleles must coalesce among each other before they coalesce to any non-derived lineage. We introduce a state space that contains all possible configurations of derived lineages across populations and propagate a probability distribution over this space back in time. Details and mathematical derivations are given in Supplementary Note 6. We implemented rarecoal in a software package (available from www.github.com/stschiff/rarecoal) that can learn the parameters of a given population tree topology from the data using numerical maximization of the likelihood and subsequent Markov Chain Monte Carlo to get posterior distributions for each split time and branch population size. We did not implement an automated way to learn the tree topology itself, but use a step by step protocol to learn the best topology fitting the data, adding one population at a time (Supplementary Note 5). The outputs from rarecoal are in scaled time. To convert to real time (years) and real population sizes, we used a per-generation mutation rate of 1.25 108 and a generation time of 29 years. We tested the method on simulated data using the sequential coalescent with recombination model (SCRM) simulator43 with the model shown in Fig. 3b with 1,000 haploid samples distributed evenly across the five populations and realistic recombination and mutation parameters. We then learned the model from the European data set as shown in Fig. 3c using an iterative protocol, adding one population at a time and maximizing parameters subsequently to ensure that we are still fitting the right topology (Supplementary Note 5). For mapping ancient samples on the tree we used the same calling method as in the rare allele sharing analysis. We then added the ancient individual as a separate seventh population to the European tree and evaluated the likelihood for this external branch to merge anywhere on the tree. We restricted the fitting to alleles that were shared with the ancient sample and excluded private variants in the ancient sample, which have high false-positive rates. We also made sure that the age of the ancient sample was correctly modelled into the joint seven-population tree, by freezing the state probabilities from the present up to the point where the ancient sample lived. For testing the tree-colouring method, we used single individuals from within the reference set and used them as separate sample to be mapped onto the European tree. (Supplementary Note 5). Pacific gray whales are fairly plentiful off California and in their West Coast migration this year. Indeed, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) ranks the eastern North Pacific population of these whales, the ones that pass Los Angeles, as at "least concern." By last week, census-takers in the area had seen about 520 gray whales -- with 11 calves alongside -- pass Point Vicente this migration season. The area is 32 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Among gray whales, males measure about 45-46 feet. Females are slightly larger. This compares with humpback whales, with males at 40-48 feet and females at 45-50 feet. The gray whale numbers for 2015-2016 are a bit lower than those in 2014-2015, but are still robust, according to the Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project, peopled by volunteers from the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society, the Cabrillo Whalewatch Program and elsewhere. "We started our official gray-whale season on December 26 and, so far, we've seen a gray whale every trip we've been out," Dan Salas, owner of Harbor Breeze Cruises, which runs tours for nature and whale watching from San Pedro and Long Beach, said in an article in The Daily Breeze. This is currently the 33rd year that the Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project has counted gray whales from dawn to dusk off Point Vicente throughout the migration season, December through May. On Tuesday, whale watchers with the project, sponsored by the American Cetacean Society's LA chapter, counted more than 20 gray whales passing Palos Verdes Peninsula. "We are well above average, but still below our record year last year," Alisa Schulman-Janiger with the Whale Census and Behavior Project said in the article. "Last week, we had three days in a row sighting 37 or 38 gray whales, and those were rainy or windy days with low visibility." 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 family of Mario Woods, who was shot and killed by San Francisco police officers last month, is urging the U.S. Department of Justice to examine whether there is pervasive racism in the policies and practices of the city's police department. Noted civil rights attorney John Burris, who is representing the family of 26-year-old Woods, held a news conference Monday morning to call for a federal investigation into the Dec. 2 shooting and an independent investigation into the city's use of force procedures. Burris filed a federal civil rights case against the department last month on behalf of Woods' family and is now asking for two federal investigations. He wants an investigation into whether the five officers criminally violated Woods' civil rights when they shot him and wants a broader investigation into whether there is a pattern and practice of discrimination in the department. "To me, this is an opportunity to clean house, put forth a new vision for the police department and for the city," Burris said. Attorney John Burris calls for independent investigation of SFPD. pic.twitter.com/rcjEnNUM3c Mark Matthews (@MarkMatthewsNBC) January 18, 2016 Mother of Mario Woods weeps for her son, shot during confrontation with SFPD. Family calling for DOJ investigation. pic.twitter.com/2hwXoG0u9q Mark Matthews (@MarkMatthewsNBC) January 18, 2016 While Mayor Ed Lee has called for a review of the police department's use of force policies, Burris questioned whether police Chief Greg Suhr is capable of objectively evaluating his own department, arguing Suhr has a vested interest in department policies and has repeatedly publicly defended them. "He has taken a public position vindicating and supporting the police officers' conduct ... and the policies in effect," Burris said. "He should not be the one to evaluate the policies and procedures in effect at the time." Woods' shooting on the afternoon of Dec. 2 has spurred outrage after several videos of it were posted to social media in the subsequent days. Police said Woods was a suspect in an earlier stabbing of a victim who arrived at San Francisco General Hospital at 3:49 p.m. and said he had been stabbed near the corner of Third Street and Le Conte Avenue. Police said officers arrived to find Woods, still holding a knife and with blood on his clothes, near a T-Third San Francisco Municipal Railway stop. In the videos, Woods can be seen against a building, surrounded on two sides by officers with their guns drawn. He motions toward the officers, staggers, and then tries to walk away along the building as one of the officers moves into his path. A moment later, numerous shots ring out and Woods falls to the ground as the gunshots continue. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have said he was carrying a knife as he moved toward one of the officers. Officers deployed a less-lethal "bean bag" round, forcing him to drop to one knee, but it did not incapacitate him. Adante Pointer, another attorney in Burris' office, played one of the videos again at Monday's news conference. "This is not just an incident but a person executed in broad daylight on a public street," Pointer said. Woods' mother, Gwendolyn Woods, stepped out of the room while the video played. She later spoke briefly, sobbing as she recalled her son's shooting. "I wonder how scared he was, I wonder did he feel the pain. Did he wonder where I was?" she said. "I hope he didn't suffer." Two city supervisors, London Breed and Malia Cohen, have already called for a federal investigation into Woods' shooting and other supervisors have publicly apologized to the family while also calling for a review of use of force policies. They compared Woods' shooting to other recent shootings by San Francisco police, such as the case of Alex Nieto, who was shot by four officers while wielding a Taser stun gun on March 21, 2014, and Amilcar Perez-Lopez, who Suhr had said charged at officers before he was shot on Feb. 26, 2015, but an autopsy revealed was shot in the back. But Burris and Pointer want a much broader investigation than into the specific shooting and are calling for an independent investigation into the department's use of force policies and whether there is a pattern and practice of discrimination in the department. Burris said he has no confidence for Suhr to lead such an investigation. Pointer said since 2000, there have been 103 shootings by San Francisco police that have killed 37 suspects. In that time, no officer has faced discipline for firing their service weapon. Since he was appointed chief in 2011, Suhr has overseen a string of scandals, including the indictment of several veteran officers for stealing from suspects in single-room occupancy hotels during drug raids. In the course of that case, court documents revealed that more than a dozen officers had been trading racist and homophobic text messages with each other. Once the documents became public, Suhr sought those officers' termination, but a San Francisco judge ruled last month that he couldn't because the department had known about the messages for more than a year before they became public and did not act within the statute of limitations for discipline. Pointer called the text messages an "explosive revelation" that potentially exposed a deep culture of racism in the department. "This is the same mentality they took out into the streets while policing," Pointer said. "How many more have similar thoughts?" Among the policies Burris wants to see examined is how police officers deal with suspects with knives. Officers in Woods' case surrounded and confronted Woods aggressively, escalating the situation, a sharp contrast to tactics deployed abroad where police frequently deal with suspects with knives without shooting them, Burris said. The San Francisco District Attorney's Office has not announced a decision on whether the officers who shot Woods will face criminal charges. The rebel leader known as Juan Pablo carries with him a new telescopic assault rifle and a heavy heart. As a commander of the 36th Front of the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, one of the most active units in a half-century of bloodshed, the paunch-bellied warrior has spent 25 years plotting ambushes and assembling land mines but has never been to the movies, driven a car or eaten in a restaurant. Now peace is within reach as talks between the guerrillas and the government near conclusion in Cuba, and for the first time the 41-year-old is thinking about a future outside this jungle hideout. His dream: to return to the poor village he left as a teenager and run for mayor. But transition to civilian life will come without his girlfriend and comrade-in-arms who was killed six months ago in an army raid, underscoring the toll still being exacted by Latin America's last major guerrilla conflict even as it winds down. "This war is going to end without victors or vanquished but lots of suffering on both sides," said Juan Pablo, the soft-smiling son of a street vendor. "It's false to say we arrived defeated to the negotiating table. They dealt us some heavy blows, of course, but 51 years of war against an enemy backed by the most powerful army in the world (the U.S. army) has not made us cower, because the injustices that led us to take up arms are still occurring." That mixture of pride and trepidation about the future is common among the FARC's roughly 7,000 fighters, many of whom, like Juan Pablo, come from poor rural upbringings and struggle to imagine life outside the highly regimented ranks of the guerrillas. The Associated Press made a rare, three-day visit to a secret FARC camp in Antioquia state in early January to see how the region's oldest leftist insurgency is preparing for a peace that looks more tantalizingly close than ever. AP journalists were directed to a remote meeting point and then escorted on an hours-long trek to the jungle site. The FARC insisted that the camp's location not be revealed to protect the lives of its fighters. Decades of fighting between guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and the armed forces has, according to government figures, left a toll of more than 220,000 dead, some 40,000 disappeared and over 5 million driven from their homes the largest displaced population of any country after Syria. But after President Juan Manuel Santos traveled to Cuba in September and shook the hand of the FARC's top commander, both sides feel confident enough to predict a final deal as early as March. This generation of FARC guerrillas would be the first to abandon its stated aim of overthrowing the government and instead fight for their ideals at the ballot box. At the makeshift camp that was temporarily home to 22 rank-and-file fighters, four commanders and two dogs, the day starts at around 4:30 a.m. With the moon still hanging on the horizon, the jungle comes to life to the sound of metal pots clanging as breakfast is prepared, rain falling on giant fronds and rubber boots sloshing through the mud. Thanks to a unilateral FARC cease-fire, it has been months since gunshots rang out in this remote corner of the Andes where the rebels share the dense forest with venomous snakes, 20 kinds of exotic frogs and South America's only bear species. Still, the rebels show no sign of letting down their guard after a decade-old government offensive that more than halved their troop strength. They sleep with their weapons, restrict all conversation at night and use assumed names to protect their identities. Once-a-day radio contact with other units happens via code, and lengthier missives are saved to thumb drives and transported through a network of human couriers. Fresh in everyone's mind is the 2011 death of the FARC commander known as Alfonso Cano, hunted down and killed by the Colombian army thanks to a cellphone intercept. Their wariness highlights one of the thorniest issues that negotiators must still work out: How and under whose auspices the FARC will demobilize, when experience has taught the rebels that politics can be just as perilous as war. The guerrillas recall too well how during 1980s peace talks that ultimately failed, the FARC established a party known as the Patriotic Union as its political arm. In just a few years, more than 3,000 leftist activists, rebel sympathizers and two presidential candidates were gunned down by paramilitaries, often in cahoots with state security forces. It became a cautionary tale in a country plagued by political violence since its independence from Spain. "We learned a lot from that experience, but who says the only way to practice politics is in Congress?" said Leonidas, another commander. "One thing is clear: In this new phase the FARC is not going to demobilize, we are going to mobilize" politically. He said that activism would mostly involve work on behalf of the rural poor, a reflection of the FARC's 1960s origins as a self-defense force formed to protect farmer-run "independent republics" from the military. While peace may be in the air, the rhetoric of conflict is hard to shed. Rebels call superiors "comrades" and deserters "traitors," and harangues about "oligarchs" and the U.S. "empire" oppressing working-class Colombians are a daily trope. Forget cheap romance novels or literary classics; the only reading material at the camp includes volumes like the collected speeches of Fidel Castro, biographies of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara and journalistic accounts of paramilitary land grabs. Juan Pablo, for one, is capable of reciting verbatim from Castro's speeches. But if the FARC can appear stuck in an ideological time warp, the rebels say the group rescued them from poverty, taught them to read and provided a "family" and sense of belonging. In hours of conversation during the AP visit, none showed any outward sign of discontent or criticized the peace process. They also tried to downplay the FARC's deep involvement in drugs a lucrative trade that could prove a powerful economic incentive to remain armed, especially for midlevel commanders. Families living in the remote valleys that the 36th Front lords over acknowledge paying a war tax to protect their coca plantings, but the rebels say they will help develop alternative crops if an accord is reached. As a confidence-building gesture, the FARC has renounced ransom kidnappings to fund its insurgency. And while abuses such as recruitment of minors and civilian massacres will be judged by special peace tribunals, the rebels note that human rights groups blame the paramilitaries for most of the killings during the conflict. Even as the camp maintains a wartime footing, the guerrillas have begun holding twice-a-day peace assemblies. On a recent day the first one, before breakfast, was led by Yira Castro, a commander whose nom de guerre honors a noted Colombian communist. Under the shade of a tree, she read from a 63-page sub-accord that was recently signed in Havana. Castro, a sort of mentor to other women rebels, has spent much of the last three years with the talks in Havana, and her relative worldliness shows in her Cuban-inflected Spanish and new orange laptop. Listening attentively was Juliana, who joined the discussion after butchering a pig that would feed the camp for several days. Like many others, her path to the FARC was born as much from personal tragedy as political ideology. At age 16, after she says she was raped by her stepfather, she fled her impoverished home and followed in the footsteps of an uncle. Juliana said that if she hadn't taken up arms she would have liked to have studied computers. But now she hopes to serve the FARC even during peacetime: "I want to prepare myself to get involved in politics and continue my association with the organization." Amid the Spartan life of a guerrilla, she allows herself one small feminine indulgence: light-pink lipstick. Her companion, Alexis, spoke of what he sees as the banality of relationships in the outside world. "In the FARC we never touch money. Everything is given to us, from medicine to cigarettes. That's why there is no dependency in which she expects me to provide for her," Alexis said, taking Juliana's hand. "Between us there is only love." Talk came to an abrupt halt as an unfamiliar airplane flew overhead a second time, setting nerves on edge. "Politics is a lot tougher than war," another commander, Anibal, observed from his hammock. "You pay for a mistake on the battlefield with your life," he said, swinging back and forth, "but an error in the field of politics brings down an entire organization." Illinois taxpayers are paying state employees who show up for work at shuttered museums and other closed facilities at a cost of $1.6 million and counting, according to state salary records analyzed by NBC 5 Investigates. With no end in sight to Illinois budget crisis, Governor Bruce Rauner began closing facilities and slashing state jobs last Summer in a move to cut costs. The savings were to amount to about five million dollars a year. The governor grounded the states passenger air fleet on July 1st and later announced the closing of all five of its museums and the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in downstate Sparta. Layoff notices were issued to more than 150 unionized employees at six state agencies. But the so-called budget cuts are still costing you money. NBC5 Investigates ran the numbers on the state payroll database and discovered youre still shelling out for the salaries of dozens of state employees to show up for work, every day, at the closed state facilities. The cost over the past seven months has been $1,676,775 for workers at the museums, shooting range and the Illinois Department of Transportations Division of Aeronautics. The Rauner administration delayed the scheduled September 30, 2015 effective date of the more than 150 layoffs in state government due to legal action taken by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and other unions that represent state employees. While a number of managers have been let go or left on their own, the pending lawsuit is keeping union workers on the job including most of the people who curate, research, and guard the museum relics. An AFSCME spokesperson said while there is no shortage of work, the state lacks appropriation authority without a budget. The state has the funds. Its collecting tax revenue every day, wrote AFSCME spokesperson Anders Lindall in an email to NBC 5 Investigates. State lawmakers passed a bill late last year designed to keep the museums open. But without a budget in place, some say any legislation addressing the museums would result in an unfunded mandate, if approved. The bill has yet to be signed by Governor Rauner. While we cant speak to the intentions of the legislature, the governors office has no further comment beyond that the bill is under review, said Rauner spokesperson Catherine Kelly. Still, the public is being denied access to the states most prized exhibits. The states main museum in Springfield is used to welcoming forty thousand school children each year, according to museum board chair member Mary Jo Potter. I think its one of the saddest situations that we have in the state right now. Im very upset by it, Potter said. The museum systems operating budget is around $6 million a year, according to museum board members. In August, the state sold its remaining surplus aircraft for over $2.5 million as part of continued efforts to reduce its aircraft fleet. Guy Tridgell, spokesperson for IDOT, said the state still has a need for pilots and associated staff of a Sikorsky Helicopter and four single-engine Cessnas, which are used to perform aerial surveys, emergency responses and safety inspections at airports throughout the state. No pilots have been grounded, Tridgell wrote to NBC 5 Investigates. Just the passenger fleet last summer as part of an effort to reduce costs. Tridgell said IDOT has initiated the layoff process to reduce the number of union pilots to two and eliminate ten other positions. He added the savings will be as much as $3 million annually. Sarah Brune of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform told NBC 5 Investigates the closings are little more than a patchwork cut that doesnt address the big picture. I think a lot of money-saving measures have been put in to place just to make the public feel like somethings being done, Brune said. The truth of the matter is, until we have a budget in place, this chaos remains. The closed museums could end up costing the public even more. Officials with the Illinois State Museum in Springfield said the facility is at risk for losing its accreditation, which means the state could lose out on lucrative grants and money for research. While the states museum doors are locked to the public, NBC 5 Investigates observed several museum employees arranging window displays for visitors who walk by the Illinois State Museum Chiago Gallery on the second floor of the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. If youre looking for a new job this year you might want to consider getting into the health care and tech industries. According to a new report from Crains Chicago Business, demand and pay are up for 10 professions in the Chicago area and the trending industries on the list are health care and tech. The list ranked the 10 most in-demand Chicago jobs in 2016 that pay $60,000 or more. The ranking used data on growth projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics and interviews from local staffing professionals. According to the list, industrial organizational psychologists are set to see the biggest growth in the next decade, jumping 53 percent. With salaries ranging from $83,500 to $112,300, experienced psychologists working with corporations will be a prominent field in the coming years. Also projected to grow significantly in the next 10 years are openings for diagnostic medical sonographers. With the potential to earn into the low figures, sonographers are expected to see growth of up to 46 percent. Heres the full list of most in-demand Chicago jobs, and their salaries, according to Crains: 1. Java Developer Projected Growth: 17 percent Median Salary: $98,000 What they do: Write programs used by mobile devices, websites and mainframes. 2. Information Security Analyst Projected Growth: 18 percent Median Salary: $89,000 What they do: Plan security measures to protect companies from cyberattacks. Monitor an organizations computer networks and system, manage software installations and expose any potential hacking weaknesses. 3. Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Specialist Projected Growth: 22 percent Median Salary: $97,300 What they do: Make sure a companys pharmaceutical products meet federal regulations and laws. 4. Biomedical Engineer Projected Growth: 23 percent Median Salary: $87,000 What they do: Apply engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes. 5. Orthotist/Prosthetist Projected Growth: 23 percent Median Salary: $60,000 What they do: Design and fit prosthetic limbs for patients. 6. Occupational Therapist Projected Growth: 27 percent Median Salary: $78,800 What they do: Treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. 7. Audiologist Projected Growth: 29 percent Median Salary: $73,000 What they do: Identifying and assessing hearing loss and balance problems for patients and fitting them with hearing aids. 8. Genetic Counselor Projected Growth: 29 percent Median Salary: $74,000 What they do: Use family and medical histories to assess a patients chance of disease and assist with testing, prevention, counseling and management of patients with such diseases. 9. Diagnostic Medical Sonographers Projected Growth: 46 percent Median Salary: $62,500 What they do: Healthcare workers who perform diagnostic medical sonography, or ultrasound. Though often associated with pregnancies, sonographers use sound waves to generate images that can be used for assessing and diagnosing medical conditions. 10. Industrial Organizational Psychologist Projected Growth: 53 percent Median Salary: $83,500-$112,300 What they do: Use psychological principles for business and organizational issues. The can assist in hiring and training employees, determining suitability for leadership roles and assisting with work performance enhancement. New grisly details have emerged about a Minnesota screenwriter who police say shot his wife and child before killing himself. The bodies of 29-year-old David Crowley, his 28-year-old wife Komel Crowley and their 5-year-old daughter Raniya Crowley were discovered in their Apple Valley home on Jan. 17, 2015, according to NBC affiliate KARE 11. A neighbor made the discovery after peeping through the window of their home, having noticed packages accumulating at their doorstep. Police said each family member died of a single gunshot wound to the head around Dec. 26, 2014, according to the station. Additionally, the medical examiner's office did not find evidence suggesting physical struggle before their deaths. But a 94-page police report published by the Pioneer Press Friday claims David Crowley killed his wife and daughter execution-style before ending his own life. The publication reported citing police documents that David Crowley wrote on a wall in the home the words Allahu Akbar -- meaning "God is greatest" -- in his wifes blood. Investigators believe the words were Crowley's "last little shot by him, a sarcastic thing aimed at (Komel's) Muslim past," Apple Valley Police Chief Jon Rechtzigel told the Pioneer Press. According to the publication, Komel was raised Muslim in Pakistan but converted to Christianity when she tied the knot with David, whom she met when he was stationed in the army in Texas during 2008. In the living room where the bodies were located was a copy of the Quran smeared with blood, according the report. It was open to a page with a Muslim forgiveness prayer for the dead. Investigators found a MacBook laptop plugged into a wall socket, the Pioneer Press reported. As authorities swabbed the keyboard for DNA, the computer "woke up" and showed a message in a TextEdit window reading: "I have loved you all with all of my heart." A notebook with dried blood on it was also open to a page with the words, "open 'The Rise' " and "most recent version," according to the Pioneer Press. "What it all adds up to is this was a guy who snapped," Rechtzigel said to the publication. "To cross that line, to go to that level of violence -- and this is domestic violence, make no ifs ands or buts about it ... I mean, you take the lives of your daughter and your wife and besides that you're writing things on the wall in blood. Nobody thinks to do that unless they're really of a deranged mind at that point." The bodies were found badly decomposed and had been ravaged by the family's dog, which police said was found alive, according to the Pioneer Press. Collin Prochnow, the neighbor who discovered the bodies, told Kare 11 David Crowley was a filmmaker who wrote and directed a movie called "Gray State," about the militarization of the U.S. Pioneer Press identified the following YouTube clip as a trailer for the film, which was never released. David Crowley was also working on a second project named "The Rise," which he described in an email as "a manifesto on the Gray State model," the Pioneer Press reported. A "person of interest" being questioned in the death of an ABC7 Chicago producer who was killed while vacationing in Belize has been charged with an unrelated crime and sentenced to prison, authorities said. Belize Police Department spokesperson Raphael Martinez said a 24-year-old Guatemalan man was sentenced to six months in prison for illegal entry into Belize. "Since he was charged with illegal entry, I am sure the persons that in terviewed him could squeeze absolutely nothing in relation to the death of Anne from him, however, the investigation continues as police are following several leads," Martinez said, referring to Anne Swaney, the executive producer of online operations for abc7chicago.com. As of Monday, he had not been charged in connection with Swaney's killing. She found dead Friday. Benque Viejo Police Superintendent Daniel Arzu The 24-year-old man had entered Belize illegally. He was taken into custody Friday morning and was being interrogated by police. He told police he was on a fishing expedition near the resort where 39-year-old Swaney was staying, according to authorities. Police said the Guatemalan man gave them misleading information and conflicting statements. According to authorities, when he was taken into custody near the scene Friday morning, he did not have any fishing equipment, but he did have a knife, which is currently being analyzed. He appeared in court Monday morning. Belizean police revealed Sunday they also planned to question two tour guides. Swaney arrived more than a week ago for a seven-day vacation at Nabatunich Resort, Benque Viejo Police Superintendent Daniel Arzu told NBC Chicago. She was traveling alone. Swaney was found dead after a daylong search with bruises on her neck and lacerations on either side of her head, Arzu said. Police believe she may have been sexually assaulted. "We suspect that she may have been sexually violated, Arzu said. She had bruises around her neck that reveals that there might have been some strangulation or some sort of fight back. Post-mortem reports show Swaney was bleeding profusely, but there was no blood on the deck where her belongings were found, police said Sunday, which leads them to believe that the crime may have been committed somewhere else. She went out to do yoga Thursday morning around 8 a.m. along the Mopan River near the resort, Arzu said. Hours later, a tour guide found her belongings along the river but no sign of her. Dogs were brought in to help search for Swaney Thursday night. Her scent was picked up near the river, though she was not located until the following day when she was found floating face-down in the river wearing only a bra, authorities said. An autopsy performed by the Benque Viejo Police Department was unable to determine conclusively if she had been sexually assaulted. The cause of death was ruled to be asphyxia by compression of the neck, manual strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head and neck, which police believe was committed with a rock. DNA evidence was collected from Swaney's body, according to authorities. It was not semen, but is being analyzed to find a possible link to any persons of interest. Swaney's family members will not be traveling to Belize, but are arranging to have her body taken to the U.S. by no later than Wednesday. A visitation will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Rollins Funeral Home. A private family graveside service will follow. Benque Viejo Police Superintendent Daniel Arzu Swaney was an avid world traveler and lover of horses, friends said. "When she walked on the premises, it was like you knew Anne was here," said Carol Waynauskas of Sarah's Stables in Willow Springs, where Swaney spent much of her time with her horse, Sequia. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for contributions to the Northland Therapeutic Riding Center and the Changing Leads Equine Rescue, both located in Missouri. "A lot of people are terribly broken up about this," President and General Manager of ABC7 John H. Idler said. "She had that capacity to make everybody around here better. She demanded that from those around her. She mentored people throughout her career." BuzzFeed has dubbed a Colchester Irish Pub top o' the state and one of the best Irish pubs in the country. For a recent article, one of the site's writers asked Yelp to feed her the top-rated Irish pubs in every state. For Connecticut, the website lists Inishmor Pub in Colchester as the top-rated Irish bar in the state as identified by Yelp. "Being a guy whose surname begins with Mc, I felt right at home really enjoyed this place. Its a great little Irish pub. It deserves five stars for the beer selection alone," BuzzFeed quotes one patron saying. The site quoted another restaurant-goer saying, "I live down the road, and have been a regular ever since they opened; my boyfriend and I come here every time I dont feel like cooking. Draft and whiskey list is stellar, too. Keep up the momentum, guys taking over the town of Colchester in year number one. Read BuzzFeed's full list here or read more reviews of Inishmor Pub on Yelp. Connecticut state health officials are advising health care providers to be on the lookout and report any suspected cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus to the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the patients local health department. The CDC has issued a travel notice saying pregnant women should avoid traveling to countries with Zika outbreaks in South America, Central America and the Caribbean. All people, especially pregnant women, who are traveling to areas where Zika virus is found, should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites to reduce their risk of infection of Zika virus as well as other mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue and chikungunya, said Connecticut Department of Public Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino. Travelers returning from areas with Zika activity should seek medical care if they experience a fever and symptoms of infection. The Zika illness has mild symptoms like rash, aches and pains, however, health officials are now investigating a possible link between the viral infection in pregnant women and subsequent birth defects. The big problem that comes to life recently has been reported from Brazil where they noticed a lot of birth defects, babies born with smalls heads, a condition called microcephaly, said Dr. Nicholas Bennett, the medical director for infectious diseases at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center. The concern is that its linked to Zika virus infecting pregnant women in the northern areas of Brazil. While no one in Connecticut has been diagnosed with the virus, a baby born in Hawaii on Saturday tested positive and is now the first case of Zika in the United States. U.S. health officials say the mother was likely infected while in Brazil. The Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through mosquito bites by species found in the tropical regions of the world. The mosquito species that is primarily responsible for transmission of Zika virus to people is not found in Connecticut, said Dr. Phil Armstrong, Medical Entomologist with the Center for Vector Biology & Zoonotic Diseases, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Closely related species are present in very low numbers and are unlikely to present a risk of Zika virus infection to people. If the virus spreads to the United States mainland it will most likely be identified first in Florida or the gulf states. Some tips for how travelers can prevent mosquito bites include wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent and staying in places with air conditioning or that have window and door screens. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) is working to fight against skyrocketing drug prices. Broken markets, lax regulation and unvarnished greed have resulted in skyrocketing prescription drug priceshindering care and creating crushing medical costs for patients across Connecticut," Blumenthal said in a statement. "These unaffordable drug prices are hurting consumers, limiting health options and strangling our state and national economy. Neither our markets nor our regulators are working right now to ensure reliable affordable access to life-saving treatmentsa catastrophic failure that must be addressed now. Through legislation, regulation and strong, proactive oversight, there must be an immediate crackdown on misuse of monopolistic power and price gouging, Blumenthal said." He was joined by State Comptroller Kevin Lembo, Hartford Hospital President and CEO Elliot Joseph and State Healthcare Advocate Victoria Veltri to discuss "the devastating impact that rising drug prices have on family budget, patient care and the state economy" Tuesday morning at Hartford Hospital. Blumenthal's staff said that Americans spent almost $300 billion on prescription drugs in 2014, marking about a 12 percent increase over the year before and "the largest overall increase in over a decade." Over the past year, his office said prices for nearly every type of drugs went up another 10 percent. The average American spends as much as $570 out of pocket for prescription drugs annually, so Blumenthal's office said that can be burdensome on families and the national economy. Blumenthal was scheduled to unveil a plan Tuesday about how he would propose combating the rising costs of prescription drugs. How low can gas prices go? In Houghton Lake, Michigan, the answer was way below one dollar. CNBC spoke to three gas stations in the town, which confirmed their prices fell below one dollar a gallon over the last three days. One station, the Sunrise Marathon, fell as low as $0.46, and the Beacon & Bridge station across the street fell to $0.47, according to employees of each station. Police were stationed around the area to help direct traffic due to lines for gas, the employees told CNBC. One woman took a video showing dozens of cars lined up at the stations. GasBuddy.com, a website which shares gas pricing information around the country, told NBC 25, the local Michigan affiliate, "It appears these stations are currently the first stations in the country to see prices under $1 per gallon in years. As the situation unfolds, it's possible these stations re-raise prices back over $1." Those low prices come as drivers around the country are spending less at the pump than they have in years, as the price of crude oil has dropped below $30 a barrel. But analysts for GasBuddy say the situation in Michigan is an anomaly. Jeff Pelton, a senior petroleum analyst covering the Northeast for GasBuddy, said those low prices were the result of a gas war between a few competing gas stations in the area. Fellow GasBuddy analyst Patrick DeHaan said separately that the Great Lakes states seem to be more competitive markets, which may have also influenced the price. With barrels below $30, the price of crude oil has fallen to the lowest level since 2003, according to the Associated Press. In the summer of 2014, barrels went for over $100. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, prices have not rebounded because there is still more oil supply than demand. They expect barrel prices to remain low through 2017. EIA reported on Jan. 14 that the national average gasoline price had fallen below $2.00 for the first time since 2009. We may still break some records yet, said DeHaan, on whether prices could fall further. Pelton suspected a national drop of 10 to 12 cents at the pump through mid-February, before prices begin to rise as they usually do in the spring and summer. Gas prices could fall to the 99-cent mark nationwide only if crude oil drops below $20 a barrel, according to DeHaan. He noted that every analyst will have their own theories for the drop in prices. DeHaan suspects the economic slow-down in China to be a major cause by reducing their oil consumption and keeping more in the market. Pelton asserted that it was a combination of the U.S. supply of oil from North Dakota alongside the lifted sanction on oil-exports from Iran. According to NBC News, the oil sanctions in Iran had cut the countrys exports by 2 million barrels per day. With the sanctions that had been in place since 2012 now lifted, Iran said it was ready to increase exports by 500,000 barrels per day. The Government Accountability Office found in a study from July that U.S. exports of oil could drive national gas prices down up to 13 cents. This year, the U.S. began exporting oil to Europe for the first time in 40 years after a ban on oil exports was lifted last December, according to CNBC. The House of Representatives also mandated through the Budget Act that 5 million oil barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve be sold yearly until 2021. According to a release from Speaker Paul D. Ryan, lifting the ban is expected to create one million jobs and add $170 million to the GDP. The tumultuous race for the Republican nomination is taking a toll on the GOP's image, with more than four-in-10 voters saying that the primary contest has soured their perceptions of the Republican Party -- more so than impressions of the Democrats, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. In the poll, 42 percent of registered voters said the primary race has made them feel less favorable about the GOP, compared to just 19 percent who said they feel more favorable. Thirty-eight percent said the brawl for the Republican nomination hasn't changed their view of the party as a whole. Republican primary voters are split on whether the contentious race, which has been largely dominated by the often bombastic rhetoric of front-runner Donald Trump, has improved or eroded their perceptions of their own party. A third -- 33 percent -- say they view the party more favorably now, while 23 percent say they now have a worse image of the GOP. The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to an election-year review of President Barack Obama's executive action to allow up to 5 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally to "come out of the shadows" and work legally in the United States. The justices said they will consider undoing lower court orders that blocked the plan from taking effect in the midst of a presidential campaign already roiled by the issue. The case will be argued in April and decided by late June, about a month before both parties' gather for their nominating conventions. The immigrants who would benefit from the administration's plan are mainly the parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Texas is leading 26 mainly Republican-dominated states in challenging the Democratic administration's immigration plan. So far, the federal courts have sided with the states to keep the administration from issuing work permits and allowing the immigrants to begin receiving some federal benefits. If the justices eventually side with the administration, that would leave roughly seven months in Obama's presidency to implement his plans. At issue is the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program, which Obama said in late 2014 would allow people who have been in the United States more than five years and who have children who are in the country legally to "come out of the shadows and get right with the law." Texas quickly led a legal challenge to the program and has won every round in court so far. Most recently, in November, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the states, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. said in his court filing that allowing those rulings to stand would force millions of people "to continue to work off the books, without the option of lawful employment to provide for their families." The administration said Texas and the other states don't even have the right to challenge the plan in federal court. The lower courts decided that Texas does have the right, or standing, to sue because at least 500,000 people living in Texas would qualify for work permits and thus become eligible for driver licenses, the cost of which are subsidized by the state. "Texas would incur millions of dollars in costs," the state said in its brief to the Supreme Court. The justices also said they would consider whether Obama exceeded his authority under federal laws and the Constitution. Texas asked the court not to hear the case, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he was pleased the justices will examine the president's constitutional power to intercede without congressional approval. "In deciding to hear this case, the Supreme Court recognizes the importance of the separation of powers," Paxton said. Democratic officials and immigrants' advocates praised the court's action. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said that "law-abiding men and women continue to live in constant fear of being separated from their children. These families must be allowed to step out of the shadows and fully contribute to the country that they love and call home." The future of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally has been much discussed by Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton has pledged to go further than Obama to protect large groups of immigrants from deportation. Republican candidate Donald Trump has proposed deporting all people who are living in the U.S. illegally, an idea embraced by some GOP candidates and dismissed by others. Obama said he was spurred to act on his own by Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration legislation. An earlier program that is not being challenged, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, shields immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. More than 720,000 young immigrants have been granted permission under that program to live and work legally in the United States. The White House also has shifted its enforcement actions to focus on criminals, those who pose a threat to national security or public safety, and recent border-crossers. The change means that people who are here illegally but who are not otherwise violating the law are less likely to face deportation. About 235,000 people were deported in the federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, according to the Department of Homeland Security. That was the smallest number since 2006 and a 42 percent drop since a record high of more than 409,000 in 2012. Still, the administration drew criticism from Democrats and immigration advocates for raids this month that resulted in the arrest of more than 120 immigrants from Central America who came to the country illegally since 2014. Those recent arrivals are not among immigrants who would benefit from Obama's plan. Thousands of Texans took to the streets Monday for marches, speeches and volunteer efforts to remember slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on the federal holiday in his name. Watch an excerpt of NBC 5s coverage of the 2016 Annual Dallas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Celebration on Monday, Jan. 18. Dozens of floats, bands and other entries were part of the Dallas MLK march. Austin's celebration included a community march that began at the MLK statue on the University of Texas campus. Houston held two MLK marches. Organizers planned for more than 200,000 people for the annual MLK march in San Antonio, billed as one of the largest in the country with adults and children walking the nearly 3-mile route together. Watch an excerpt of NBC 5s coverage of the 2016 Annual Dallas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Celebration on Monday, Jan. 18. Participants carried signs, U.S. and Texas flags and linked arms in a show of support for communities working together. San Antonio police did not immediately return a message Monday on number of participants in the march organized by the city's MLK Jr. Commission, in a massive public celebration that has drawn tens of thousands of participants over the years. Watch an excerpt of NBC 5s coverage of the 2016 Annual Dallas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Celebration on Monday, Jan. 18. The organizing group previously was called the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial City-(Bexar) County Commission, developed in the 1980s under then-San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros. The history of the San Antonio MLK march goes back to mourning following King's 1968 assassination. Watch an excerpt of NBC 5s coverage of the 2016 Annual Dallas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Celebration on Monday, Jan. 18. The Rev. R.A. Callies Sr., a San Antonio pastor and teacher, began leading small processions honoring King's legacy shortly after the slaying, according to the MLK Jr. Commission website. Watch an excerpt of NBC 5s coverage of the 2016 Annual Dallas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Celebration on Monday, Jan. 18. Those processions grew over the years, with the theme of Monday's march being "Uniting Communities to Advance Humanity." Watch an excerpt of NBC 5s coverage of the 2016 Annual Dallas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Celebration on Monday, Jan. 18. Monday was a King day of service in Corpus Christi, with volunteers helping others. A similar day of service was held at UT-Brownsville. Watch an excerpt of NBC 5s coverage of the 2016 Annual Dallas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Celebration on Monday, Jan. 18. A teenager was shot near a DART station near Fair Park Monday, just hours after the conclusion of Dallas' Martin Luther King Jr. Parade.[[365681261,C]] NBC 5 Reporter Eric King, who was nearby covering the parade, reported hearing as many as five gunshots at about 3 p.m. and then witnessing a number of police cars head toward the train station. Police later confirmed a teenage boy was shot in the arm and that a person of interest had been taken into custody. A section of the train platform was cordoned off while Dallas police investigated the shooting. The station reopened just after 5 p.m. Monday. A motive for the shooting has not been disclosed. I just heard 5 shots fired near fair park. Dallas Police moving in that direction @NBCDFW #breaking pic.twitter.com/HYGaMdmJoq Eric King (@kings_english77) January 18, 2016 Officers said the shooting is the second within an hour in the same area, but would not elaborate on first shooting. About 200,000 people were expected to attend the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade, which ended at Fair Park a couple of hours before the shooting. DART station being cleared by police. Young girl taken away in ambulance @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/56VlUHpIEa Eric King (@kings_english77) January 18, 2016 NBC 5's Eric King contributed to this report. Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change. NA Confidential's mask-free policy on reader comments. NA Confidential believes in a higher bar than is customary in the blogosphere, and follows a disclosure policy with respect to reader comments. First, you must be registered with blogger.com according to the procedures specified. This is required not as a means of directing traffic to blogger.com, but to reduce the lamentable instances of flaming and personal attacks on the part of the anonymous. Second, although pen names are perfectly acceptable, senior editor Roger A. Baylor must be informed of your identity, and according to your preference, it will be kept confidential. To reiterate, I insist upon this solely to lessen the frequency of malicious anonymity, which unfortunately plagues certain other blogs hereabouts. You may e-mail Roger at the address given within his profile and explain who you are. Failure to comply means that your comments probably will be deleted -- although the final decision remains ours. Thanks for reading, and please consider becoming a part of the community here, one that is respectful of the prerequisites of civilized discourse, and that seeks to engage visitors in substantive dialogue. A 21-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the slaying of a teen girl in the parking lot of a Marina Del Rey shopping center in an apparent botched robbery. Cameron Frazier was arrested outside of his San Diego-area home in Vista, according to an LAPD statement. Frazier is accused of shooting 17-year-old Kristine Carman outside of a Jerrys Deli Jan. 6. Carman was in California visiting her sister for the first time from her home in Texas at the time of the shooting. Her family said she was considering a move to California. "It was her first time visiting and she saw how beautiful it was," her father John Carman told NBC4 days after the shooting. "She had just come out of Texas for the first time. She's only 17 so she really had some high hopes." Carman died after she was shot in the head while sitting in a car at the Villa Marina Marketplace parking lot. Kristine was in an SUV with three other girls, including her sister, when an armed man approached their vehicle and an altercation ensued, according to LAPD. Surveillance video from the shopping center showed a man fleeing the scene of the shooting. Frazier will be held without bail, according to LAPD, and the case will be presented to the LA County District Attorneys office for filing consideration. Robert Kovacik contributed to this report. Natural gas has been spewing from a ruptured well at SoCal Gas' Aliso Canyon Storage Facility near Porter Ranch, leading to thousands of residents relocating from the area, with some complaining of health problems. Two schools in Porter Ranch have closed, with students moved to alternate campuses. Here are some frequently asked questions: When will the gas leak be stopped? A relief well that the Southern California Gas Company began drilling in early December should reach the bottom of the 8,500-foot-deep well by late February or sooner, when it will be permanently taken out of service, according to the company. "We are focused on stopping the leak as quickly and safely as possible, mitigating the environmental impact, and supporting the community," said Jimmie Cho, the engineering head. "Our schedule to control and stop the leak in February is consistent with the updated plan we have submitted to state regulators." Gas company attorney Robert Wyman of the firm Latham & Watkins LLP stated that the leak was "being addressed as safely and expeditiously as possible. This is SoCalGas's highest priority." Earlier estimates put the date sometime in March. Some are skeptical of the new timeline. The gas company also said it has abandoned a plan to capture and burn the leaking natural gas. The announcement came just two days after the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced that the company's proposal to burn the gas would be placed on hold because of the risk of a catastrophic explosion. What's being emitted from the well? An estimated 77 million kilograms of methane have been flowing over Porter Ranch since Southern California Gas Company discovered the leak on Oct. 23. The leak is producing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 3.3 million cars. How did it start? No official cause has been given. What's the health threat? A study by the South Coast Air Quality Management District estimates that six months of exposure to benzene from the gas leak poses to Porter Ranch residents an increased cancer risk of up to 2 in a million, a level that is at or below benzene risk throughout the region, according to the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles County health officials have cautioned that levels of chemicals tracked so far in Porter Ranch are not believed to be associated with long-term health problems. What are residents doing to mitigate the effects? More than 2,800 households have moved to motels and officials have moved students from two schools into other campuses out of the area. What is the Aliso Canyon storage field? The Aliso Canyon storage field, the largest facility of its kind west of the Mississippi River, is "the largest of four natural gas storage fields that SoCalGas operates in Southern California" and provides fuel to "homes, manufacturers, hospitals, universities, small businesses and all customers who rely on a ready supply of energy from natural gas." Many of the pipes being used are from the 1950s and from the absence of surface safety valves, which had been removed in 1979 and never replaced. How much money has the effort to plug the leak cost? By the end of December the Southern California Gas Company had spent some $50 million in its efforts to stop the leak and mitigate its effects and Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency over its emissions. How are lawmakers responding? A group of state legislators unveiled a package of proposed legislation calling for an immediate moratorium on injecting any more gas into the well and calling for stepped-up inspections of aging wells statewide. Pavley and other legislators noted that while seven state agencies are involved in monitoring or investigating the leak, there is no single agency with responsibility for oversight of such facilities. Such oversight is called for in one of the bills the legislators plan to introduce. The bill also would require a utility responsible for environmental damage to bear the full cost of remediation without passing the bill to ratepayers. The senators also plan to introduce a bill that would ban new injections of gas into Aliso Canyon and bar the use of aging wells at the site until they can be inspected to determine they do not pose any public safety risk. How big is this leak in comparison with other major leaks? The ongoing gas leak is one of the biggest environmental disasters in the United States since the 2010 BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Los Angeles Eric Garcetti described the leak as a "disaster on the scale of what we saw with Deepwater Horizon." How do I contact SoCal Gas? The company has a contact page here In its first official account of Iran's seizure and subsequent release of 10 U.S. sailors in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. military said Monday the only items found missing from their two recovered boats were SIM cards for two satellite phones. But key questions, such as why the sailors had deviated from their planned route to enter Iranian territorial waters, remain unanswered in the account released by U.S. Central Command. It's calling the description a preliminary timeline of the events of Jan. 12-13. "A Navy command investigation initiated Jan. 14 will provide a more complete accounting of events," Central Command said. The sailors were part of Riverine Squadron 1 based in San Diego and were deployed to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain. The incident near Farsi Island in the middle of the Gulf happened just hours before President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address and just days before implementation of the Iran nuclear deal with the West. The implementation triggered the end of crippling international sanctions on Iran and a U.S.-Iran prisoner exchange. The timeline released Monday said the U.S. sailors were not mistreated during approximately 15 hours in Iranian hands. It said a post-recovery inventory of the boats found that all weapons, ammunition and communications gear was accounted for, minus two SIM cards apparently removed from two hand-held satellite phones. The sailors were traveling in small armed vessels known as riverine command boats, headed from Kuwait to Bahrain, which is the location of the Navy's 5th Fleet. "The planned transit path for the mission was down the middle of the Gulf and not through the territorial waters of any country other than Kuwait and Bahrain," the account said. The boats were seized by Iran and escorted at gunpoint to Farsi Island, which is in the middle of the Gulf and home to an Iranian military facility. Along the approximately 50-mile journey they were to have refueled by linking up with a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Monomoy, in international waters. The timeline said that approximately 10 minutes after the scheduled refueling, Central Command's naval headquarters at Bahrain received a report that the boats were being questioned by Iranians. The account does not explain who sent this report or whether it included other details. About 19 minutes later, the naval headquarters "was advised of degraded communications with" the two boats, the account added. After an additional 26 minutes, the naval headquarters was notified of a total loss of communications with the boats. It does not explain who advised the headquarters of this problem or its apparent cause. A large-scale search-and-rescue mission was undertaken at that point, but it is not clear whether the Americans had by this time already been taken ashore on Farsi Island. Aircraft from USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, which was operating 45 miles southeast of Farsi Island, participated in the search, along with Air Force planes and vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard, the British Royal Navy and other U.S. Navy vessels. Central Command's naval headquarters at Bahrain attempted to contact Iranian military units operating near Farsi Island by using marine radio to broadcast information about the search-and-rescue operation. Separately, the U.S. notified Iranian coast guard units via telephone. Some hours later, about four hours after the U.S. first heard that the sailors were being questioned by Iranians, the U.S. Navy cruiser USS Anzio received word from the Iranians that the sailors were in Iranian custody. The Iranians described the 10 as "safe and healthy," according to the U.S. account. In the hours after the seizure of the Americans became public on Jan. 12, there were conflicting reports about what caused the sailors to stray off their intended course. Monday's official account did not explain the reason. It said only that the crews "deviated" from their planned course. It made no reference to the navigation error cited by Carter last week. "At some point one (of the two boats) had indications of a mechanical issue in a diesel engine which caused the crews to stop . and begin troubleshooting," the account said. Because the boats were traveling together, the other boat also stopped. At this point they were in Iranian territorial waters, "although it's not clear the crew was aware of their exact location," it added. While the boats were stopped and the crew was trying to assess the mechanical problem, Iranian boats approached. First to arrive were two small Iranian craft with armed personnel aboard. Soon after, they were joined by two more Iranian military vessels. A verbal exchange ensued between the Iranians and Americans, but there was no gunfire. Armed Iranian military personnel then boarded the U.S. boats while other Iranian personnel aboard other armed vessels monitored the situation. At gunpoint the U.S. boats and their crews were escorted to a small port facility on Farsi Island, where the Americans went ashore and were detained, the account said. The sailors were released the following morning aboard their boats. The investigation will focus on the U.S. sailors' treatment while in custody, including any interrogation by Iranian personnel, the command said. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said last week while visiting Central Command headquarters in Florida that the boat crews had "misnavigated." He did not say how that mistake happened or provide other substantial details about an episode that posed a potential complication to efforts by Washington and Tehran to establish better relations. Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Tuesday endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2016, calling him a "master of the art of the deal" who isn't beholden to business interests in Washington. "This is going to be so much fun. Are you ready to make America great again?" said Palin, who also served as governor of Alaska, at a rally in Iowa Tuesday night. The endorsement comes after a day of swirling rumors that she was going to endorse the billionaire real estate mogul, stoking the rumors by sharing her daughter's own endorsement of Trump on social media. The rumors were so pervasive that Twitter users were on Tuesday scouring flight information between Palin's home state of Alaska and the key primary battleground of Iowa. Palin spoke for about 20 minutes, touting Trump's ability to lead the country, and its military, and asked the crowd to "stump for Trump." She railed as much against the Republican establishment than Democrats in a speech that, more than anything, decried America's political system. "(Trump) builds things, he builds big things, things that touch the sky, big infrastructure that puts people to work," Palin said. "He doesn't get his power, his high, off the opium of the people's money, like a lot of dopes in Washington do." Trump embraced Palin after she finished her speech, saying "This is a woman that, from day one, I said if I ever do this, I have to get her support." Her endorsement of Trump was first reported by The New York Times. The announcement was one of several wins for Trump on Tuesday, who is jockeying for position with Sen. Ted Cruz ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Besides the Palin endorsements, the state's governor said a Cruz win at the Feb. 1 caucus "would be very damaging to the state." Palin's daughter Bristol, 25, said she hopes her mom will endorse Trump for president, she wrote in a blog post on Patheos.com, a religious discussion site. Her mother, the former governor of Alaska and the Republican 2008 vice-presidential candidate, shared her daughters post on her Twitter and Facebook. Years removed from her campaign, Palin still commands the respect of a sizable chunk of the Republican base, and her endorsement may be boost Trump's conservative bona fides. Palin has spoken glowingly of Trump in the past, saying in a July opinion column that he "tapped into Americas great populist tradition by speaking to concerns of working class voters. Earlier Tuesday, when Trump grabbed the endorsement of John Waynes daughter, he alluded to another, major endorsement that would come later on Tuesday. "I think you'll be impressed with the endorsement we get later on," he said, referring to a "tremendous" campaign event. Reporters on the campaign trail were already wondering if Palin was about to offer Trump her support. The endorsement from the younger Palin came after Rick Tyler, spokesman for Ted Cruzs campaign, said endorsing Trump would be a blow to the former vice presidential candidate. Tyler argued that a Trump endorsement is inconsistent with Palin's conservatism. Bristol Palin deemed this a slam against her mom. Though she said she likes Cruz, her blog post was entitled, "Is THIS Why People Don't Like Ted Cruz?" After hearing what Cruz is now saying about my mom, in a negative knee-jerk reaction, makes me hope my mom does endorse Trump, Bristol Palin wrote. Her mother, she wrote, was a supporter of Cruz in his senate campaign, and Cruz has spoken positively about Palin before. But the younger Palin has decided that Trump's message of American strength is what the country needs. "We need someone who has a vision for economic prosperity, who wont let us get kicked around in the world, and who will fight for our future," Palin said. In an effort to diffuse the tension over being bashed in the post, Cruz responded to the situation via Twitter. The Texas Republican said he loves Sarah Palin. "Without her support, I wouldn't be in the Senate," Cruz wrote. "Regardless of what she does in 2016, I will always be a big fan." Atlantic City residents, clergy and elected officials gathered in a black church on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and invoked the slain civil rights leader's work as they expressed vociferous opposition to a state takeover of the seaside gambling resort. Speakers at St. James A.M.E. Church on Monday said a state takeover smacks of the kind of injustice against which King railed. They called for public hearings on the bill to be held in Atlantic City, and started a petition against it. "This is going to be a national issue if Sen. Sweeney doesn't watch out," said City Councilman Kaleem Shabazz. "It has overtones of being a civil rights issue. It might be David versus Goliath, but sometimes, David wins." Senate President Steve Sweeney introduced a bill last week that would give the state vast power over Atlantic City, including the right to make most major decisions and sell city assets. Sweeney said the city has proven itself incapable of living within its means and can no longer look to the state to bail it out from decades of mismanagement and overspending. The legislation follows years of budget crises in Atlantic City that were made even worse by the cratering of the city's casino industry, which has long funded most of the budget. Atlantic City's casino revenue fell from $5.2 billion in 2006 to just over $2.5 billion last year, and four of its 12 casinos closed in 2014. But Sweeney, a likely candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor next year, has said state officials are tired of Atlantic City's requests for money, and proposed letting the state Local Finance Board make most of the big decisions, including whether to sell city assets and land. Mayor Don Guardian, in a speech that was more confrontational than his comments immediately after the bill was introduced, noted that the state already has oversight over the city's finances, through a state monitor and an emergency manager whose term ended on Friday. "The city is not mismanaging its finances," he said. "We couldn't mismanage a paper clip without a review." The Republican mayor also decried the "tyranny" being proposed by the state. "Our forefathers fought a bloody revolution to break free of tyranny from afar," Guardian said. "Martin Luther King led the fight for civil rights. Both were about the basic right of self-governance." City Councilman Jesse Kurtz, a Republican, told the 100 or so attendees, "Our rights are given by God, not by the Local Finance Board, by Sen. Sweeney, or by Gov. Christie." State Sen. Ron Rice, a Democrat from Newark, said Atlantic City finds itself in "a political war" that could quickly spread to other cities around New Jersey that could be targeted by the state. "It's Atlantic City today; it is Newark tomorrow, Asbury Park. It just can't happen without a fight," Rice said. "We have to mobilize people and shut down some things. A lot of us are frustrated and don't vote. We have to get back to doing what we did in the '60s." MOVIE TIME IN THE AMERICAN RIVIERA: The weather has a funny way of timing well with our human concerns, despite the fact that the wind and rain and heat likely pay no attention to our tweets or posts or updates or our online craving for likes and various shows of support. But it does, each winter, tend to cool down enough, even 'round sunny Southern and Central California, to put people in a go-indoors state of mind, the state of mind that's perfect for watching movies. What's going on with the clouds and sun can't take all the credit for this of course; it's also Oscar time, and advertisements and commercials for front-running films are everywhere. So put together the chill weather, and all of those Oscar ads, and you have a bunch of cinephiles who want to retreat to a theater to see some rocking acting and directing and writing and places they've never been (and situations that are unfamiliar, too). The Santa Barbara International Film Festival lands just when the weather cools down and our film interests heat up, in another marvelous feat of timing. The early-February fest spreads out around the American Riviera, summoning headlining thespians for big awards and panel-ready pros and over 200 films from all over the planet. The 2016 dates are... FEB. 3 THROUGH 13... and the doings are plentiful. "The Little Prince" will enjoy its U.S. premiere on the festival's opening night, and director Terrance Malick's will enjoy its U.S. premiere a few days later. Johnny Depp is set to receive the Maltin Modern Master Award, while the Outstanding Performers of the Year Award will go to Brie Larsen and Saoirse Ronan. Special events festoon the schedule, outside of the awards and screenings, and the savory Santa Barbara Film Feast runs concurrently to the confab. It is, indeed, eleven full days for those mad about movies (and meals), and the timing is top-notch. Just ahead of the Oscars, when the weather can be at its coolest, and film fans just want to spend a lot of time indoors, in the dark, having an Experience, capital E. Two female passengers were killed Tuesday morning when a Greyhound bus carrying 20 passengers flipped on its side in South San Jose, tying up traffic and raising questions about bus driver working conditions and hours. In an afternoon news conference, California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Miceli said the driver who was reportedly in stable condition at Regional Medical Center of San Jose acknowledged he had been "fatigued." The CHP identified the driver as 58-year-old Gary Bonslater of Victorville, California. "He did say he was fatigued leading up to the collision," Miceli said of Bonslater. "He says he remembers hitting the black barrels and then the next thing he remembers the bus was on its side." Passengers claim Bonslater seemed tired and report he was knodding off at the wheel. Bonslater is a veteran driver who was hired by Greyhound 26 years ago. The CHP said Bonslater had a clean driving record prior to Tuesday's crash. CHP Sgt. Lisa Brazil said in the collision two women were ejected from the windows and died at the scene. One woman killed in the crash has been identified by family members as 51-year-old Fely Olivera, who leaves behind two sons. The accident was reported shortly before 6:40 a.m. on U.S. Highway 101 at state Route 85, a busy South Bay thoroughfare that remained jammed during the rainy, early-morning commute. In addition, Brazil said that eight other people suffered injuries, including an 8-year-old boy and 72-year-old woman. One adult suffered major injuries, the CHP said. Initial reports were that all 18 passengers were injured. "There were a few passengers having great difficulty dealing with what happened the traumatic incident that occurred but we were able to get them off scene and get them with their relatives and friends," CHP officer Amy Tritenbach said. Witnesses driving behind the bus told CHP officers that they saw the rear end of the bus "fly in the air" while trying to veer into the carpool lane before flipping onto the K-rail, Brazil said. She added investigators did not know why the bus landed on its side, and disputed reports from a passenger who told a news outlet that the driver may have fallen asleep. Brazil said that all the passengers interviewed told officers that they were asleep themselves before the crash occurred. According to Greyhound's bus tracker, the vehicle had left from Los Angeles just before midnight. Its final destination was supposed to be Oakland. A CHP officer told NBC Bay Area the bus made a stop in Gilroy to let two people off. The bus was also scheduled to make stops in Avenal, San Jose and San Francisco. "We do apologize," Greyhound spokeswoman Lanesha Gipson said. "Safety is the cornerstone of our business." She would not elaborate on any more details of the crash, saying it was under investigation. Larry Hanley, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents Greyhound bus drivers, told NBC Bay Area he did not have firsthand knowledge of the accident early Tuesday morning. But Hanley did say that the union has been pushing Congress to act to include bus drivers in the Fair Labor Standards Act. On average, inter-city bus drivers earn about $13 an hour and can work 70 hours a week and they dont get overtime past 40 hours, the union states. After every 10 hours, they must take a break, however. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, fatigue has contributed to about 3 percent of all fatal crashes nationwide since 2005, and 13 percent of all big rig and bus crashes were caused by driver fatigue in 2006 and 2007. Lengthy shifts behind the wheel were also one of 2014's top violations for truckers and bus drivers, federal officials found. Most drivers have multiple jobs and are often fatigued, he said. "Theres a crisis in America," Hanley said. "The bus industry is forcing drivers to work too many hours to make a living wage." While Gipson wouldn't speculate on whether the bus driver had been fatigued or not, she did say that Greyhound mandates its drivers get "nine hours of rest" after each 10-hour shift. The crash was horrifying to those who witnessed its aftermath. Anthony Cordero was driving to his job in Palo Alto with his two children, ages 3 and 4, when he passed by the crash. He heard responders inside the emergency vehicles shouting, "Get out of the way! Move!" He said he saw the bus "completely smashed" and "literally hanging" over the side of the concrete barrier. He was listening to the radio and knew that there were fatalities. He asked his children to look away. "I feel really badly for the families involved," he said. "But I also feel thankful. I was running a little late. If I was running on time, I would have been in that lane." CHP investigators spent the day measuring and inspecting the bus, taking photographs and checking the road for signs of skids. They said the bus was outfitted with a camera but couldn't confirm whether it was operating at the time of accident. The National Transportation Safety Board says it also plans to investigate the deadly crash, which littered the highway with passengers' belongings, including blankets, a pillow and a shoe. "Terrible as it is, the fact that no other vehicle was involved is miraculous," Miceli said. The bus was uprighted by crews after 3 p.m. After being mounted on a truck, the crumpled bus was removed from the scene just after 5 p.m. Greyhound passenger Robert Wesley, who was preparing for a ride from San Jose to Southern California Tuesday afternoon, said he was shaken by the news of the fatal crash, but didnt plan to alter his travel plans. "Thats really sad, really sad for those that lost their life," he said. "If it happened once it might happen again, but Im not going to stop traveling just because of an accident." There have been other notable bus fatalities in Northern California. Two years ago, 10 people were killed when a Fed Ex truck hit a bus carrying high school students en route to Humboldt State University. In 2009, five French tourists were killed when their charter bus left the road on Highway 101 near Soledad. And the worst highway disaster in Bay Area history was when the brakes failed on a bus near the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, killing 27 Yuba City choir students and one teacher in 1976. Friends and family of anyone who was on Greyhound bus No. 6876 can call 1-800-972-4583 to check on their status. NBC Bay Area's Rhea Mahbubani and Kristofer Noceda contributed to this report. Dozens of people caught riding on U.S. Marine property east of San Diego had their bikes confiscated this weekend, with some saying that they didnt know the area was off-limits. Brady Emberger was with friends on Sunday, riding his bike through a Sycamore Canyon Preserve trail like hes done a dozen times before. This time, however, there was trouble. Emberger and his friends were detained, ticketed and had their bikes confiscated because they unknowingly rode onto federal land; specifically, Marine base property in Miramar. Emberger said armed officers detained people in the group and slapped each of them with a $500 citation. Were kind of confused because the trails that we came into in Sycamore Canyon they had no signs saying youre entering government property where we came in, he said. Then, authorities escorted them off the land and confiscated their bikes, leaving them to hike a couple of miles to the nearest roadway, where some friends could pick them up, Emberger said. This isnt the first time this has happened. The San Diego Mountain Biking Association issued a warning on Saturday, saying authorities had begun enforcing trespassing. The warning said 15 mountain bikers had recently had their bikes confiscated. In actuality, military officials said they confiscated more than 45 bikes this weekend. Make sure you stay clear of this area, so you dont have to go through what we went through yesterday, Emberger said. Meanwhile, Emberger is among a number of mountain bikers who must appear in court and pay the fine to get his bike back. In a statement Monday evening, MCAS Miramar stated: "MCAS Miramar has diligently worked in alerting the community of off-limits areas and have posted signs and warnings across the government property to further increase awareness. Similarly, Military Police Officers patrol the area regularly." A Miramar spokesman went on to state that officials confiscated 45 bikes and three motorcycles over the weekend, which will be returned once the defendants' cases are resolved. "It is imperative that anyone who bikes on the eastern border of the base understand that this is part of an active military training area," the statement says. "We have and will continue to work with community organizations, such as the San Diego Mountain Biking Association, to help educate and deter people from coming onto the base illegally." Kaiser Permanente and the San Diego Food Bank partnered for the 11th year in a row to honor the values Martin Luther King, Jr. preached by giving to those in need. More than 75 employees spent Monday Morning cleaning, sorting, bagging, and boxing hundreds of pounds of food for needy families in San Diego. "This day underscores Kaiser Permanente's long-standing commitment to both diversity and community benefit, while providing a unique opportunity for us to serve those who are food insecure," said Jane Finley, Senior Vice President and Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. "We hope that other San Diego organizations and community members will join us in using the MLK holiday as an opportunity to serve the community." Kaiser Permanente is really about what we as an organization [are], and what our staff and physicians can give back as a community, Dr. Paul Bernstein told NBC 7. Kaiser Permanente is committed to really doing everything in the community to help those in need and this gives us an opportunity to really do that. The staff and physicians also provided health screenings and health education to more than 150 community members earlier this month during an MLK celebration at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Twin toddlers and their grandparents died Tuesday after a house caught fire overnight in Chillum, Maryland. The twins' mother jumped from a second-floor window and is expected to survive her injuries. Anna and Israel Omijie, both 2 years old, were killed, Prince George's County officials said. Their grandparents, Carolyn Omogbo, 55 and Sampson Omogbo, 63, also died after they were trapped inside a separate room. Investigators found no evidence the rental home had working smoke detectors. Prince George's County firefighters were called just after 2 a.m. to the 6700 block of Knollbrook Drive, where a total of seven people were when the blaze erupted. "The wind was blowing and the fire was just out of control," neighbor Edmund Romero said. Frantic family members who were able to escape told firefighters the toddlers and their grandparents were inside. The twins were pulled from the home almost immediately and taken to a children's hospital, where they died, Prince George's County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said. "I saw the little kids being carried out in an ambulance," Romero said. "I knew something bad had happened because the ambulance just left quietly." The toddlers' grandparents were pronounced dead at the scene. The other two family members home at the time of the fire escaped safely. "We did the very best we could to get inside to get those people out," fire department spokesman Mark Brady said. The tragedy shocked the Nigerian family's close circle of friends. "When I heard the [family's name] I just jumped into my car to come and confirm if it was the same address that I knew," family friend Festus Soho said. "I don't know what to think of this. I cannot believe it," family friend Adele Benjamin said through tears. The twins' mother was too distraught to speak on camera Tuesday evening. Her uncle, Vincent Omogbo said he was stunned. "It's like a dream. I don't believe," he said. "My brother was very nice to everybody. He goes to church and he is very godly." Firefighters went door-to-door and found several of the family's neighbors had no smoke detectors, or smoke detectors that didn't work. The fire appears to have been accidental and is under investigation, officials said. Knollbrook Dr - 4 fatalities are heartbreaking. Now we have found NO evidence of a smoke alarm in the home. Difference? We'll never know. Marc Bashoor (@PGFD_Chief) January 19, 2016 The tragedy occurred a year to the day since a massive fire killed six people in Annapolis, Maryland. An electrical fire that spread to a dry Christmas tree started the Jan. 19, 2015 fire that killed Don and Sandra Pyle and four of their grandchildren. Emotions ran high in Richmond, Virginia, Monday as gun control and gun rights activists held rallies and lobbied lawmakers. Nearly 100 gun-related bills have been introduced in the 2016 legislative session. Gun rights activists crowded the hallways of the General Assembly building, wearing blazing orange stickers reading "Guns Save Lives." Some of the demonstrators carried handguns in holsters on their hips. Gun owners are especially upset about two recent changes. In October, Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order banning the open carrying of guns in state office buildings. (The General Assembly building is exempt). "CHP [concealed handgun permit] holders are the most legal, checked, vetted people who own firearms," said Mark Thompson, who had never before attended a lobby day. He said the governor's executive action thwarts any hope of compromise between gun owners and gun control advocates. "If you want to talk to someone, don't stab 'em in the back," he said. Additionally, Attorney General Mark Herring announced just weeks ago that Virginia would no longer recognize out-of-state concealed handgun permits. Gun owners worry other states will now stop honoring their permits, making interstate travel difficult. A gun owner from Arlington brought a sign to the rally reading "Impeach Herring" to express her discontent. "Every state we traveled through by car, we were recognized. Now that's no longer the case," Christine Boes said. A bill from Fredericksburg State Sen. Bryce Reeves would reverse the governor's action and require Virginia to honor concealed handgun permits from all states. "We will not stand for any more encroachment on our Second Amendment rights," Reeves said to cheers. McAuliffe and Herring got huge cheers later in the day, when they promised to continue their push for universal background checks on anyone purchasing a gun. "It is our goal to make Virginia the safest state in the United States of America," McAuliffe said. That plea was underscored by the parents of Alison Parker, the 24-year-old Roanoke journalist shot and killed in August on live television. "Even when we hear 'Nothing could have saved your daughter,' we are not deterred from what we must do," Barbara Parker said with her husband, Andy, at her side. The mother of Joseph Bose, the 20-year-old Hampton University student shot and killed in Alexandria in October, also pushed for stricter gun laws. "I just want people to know that they've got to fight for this because they don't want to be the next ones," Kim Bose said. Both sides are likely to see little gain out of the 2016 legislative session. Republicans control both chambers of the General Assembly while McAuliffe wields a veto pen and has promised to use it on gun-related legislation he opposes. Investigators are seeking a garbage truck driver in Prince George's County after a crash near the Beltway early Tuesday killed a woman. Ghada Seifel-Din Ahmed, 37, died after a crash about 7:15 a.m. in Forestville, Maryland, police said. Ahmed had just exited southbound from the Beltway onto Pennsylvania Avenue when she crashed with a garbage truck, police said. The crash forced her to slam head on into a sign pole. Investigators believe the garbage truck driver may have hit Ahmed's truck without realizing it. "We believe at this time, due to the size of the vehicle that was involved, the driver may not have known that contact was made," Officer Tyler Hunter said. Police are seeking a green or blue garbage truck with red lettering, with damage to the passenger side. It was not immediately clear if the driver could face criminal charges in the death of the Upper Marlboro woman. Police are asking anyone who saw the crash to call investigators. "If you are made aware of it later, just please come forward and contact us," Cpl. Harry Bond said. "If there are any witnesses who saw the accident or have seen the vehicle since then and noticed the damage on the passenger side, please come forward and contact us." The ramp from the inner loop of the Beltway to Route 4 southbound was closed in the wake of the crash. Syrian peace talks due next week are looking increasingly moot as a string of recent battlefield victories by government troops have bolstered President Bashar Assad's hand and plunged the rebels into disarray. The government's advances add to the obstacles that have scuttled chances of halting at least anytime soon the five-year civil war that has killed a quarter of a million people, displaced half the country and enabled the radical Islamic State group to seize a third of Syria's territory. A proxy war on the ground between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, disorganization among the rebels after a top commander and several other local leaders were killed, rigid and disparate U.S. and Russian positions regarding Assad's future, and a spat over which groups will be invited to the negotiating table have all added to the conflagration. "I don't think we should expect any major results," said Fawaz Gerges, professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics. "Assad really believes that time is on his side, that he is winning, that the opposition is in tatters." The Jan. 25 talks in Geneva are meant to start a political process to end the conflict that started in 2011 as a largely peaceful uprising against Assad's rule but escalated into an all-out war after a harsh state crackdown. The plan calls for cease-fires in parallel to the talks, a new constitution and elections in a year and a half. The fighting has intensified since Russia intervened militarily with airstrikes last September, ostensibly to target Islamic State militants and other extremists. But the airstrikes helped Assad push back rebels on several fronts and capture dozens of villages in the north and west. In November, government troops broke a three-year siege of the Kweiras air base in the northern province of Aleppo, and in December they captured another air base, Marj al-Sultan, in an opposition stronghold near the capital, Damascus. Allied fighters from the Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group, as well as Iranian military advisers and pro-government militias, have helped the army take several areas in and around Latakia province, the heartland of Assad's minority Alawite sect, which dominates the military and government. The latest victory came last week with the capture of the town of Salma, one of the most significant government advances since the Russian air campaign began. Overlooking the coast, it is only 12 kilometers (seven miles) from the border with Turkey, a key supporter of rebels in the area. "The Syrian army has shifted from a defensive mode to offense," said Gerges. "Before the Russian intervention the army was bleeding, it was desperately trying to maintain its position, but now it has achieved major tactical gains on many fronts." This does not bode well for the Geneva talks, as neither side will be interested in making compromises while the front lines are in a state of flux, Gerges added. Damascus officials have indicated lately that Syria's future will be decided on the battlefield, and have repeatedly said the rebels whom they refer to as "terrorists" should not expect to gain anything from the talks that they could not achieve on the ground. Meanwhile, relations have been deteriorating between the two main players backing opposite sides Saudi Arabia and Iran. The kingdom's execution earlier this month of a Shiite cleric who had criticized the ruling family brought a wave of recriminations from Tehran. Protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, prompting Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties. That escalation has undermined hopes that arose at the United Nations in December, when a resolution established a new "road map" set to begin with the Geneva talks. The Saudis and the Iranians are already facing off in Yemen, where the kingdom is fighting Shiite rebels who are supported by Tehran. Riyadh is highly skeptical of the nuclear deal with Iran and wary of the billions of dollars that will fill Tehran's coffers now that international sanctions have been lifted. "The Saudis are in a very confrontational mood, and that's not just with regard to Syria but also in Yemen," said Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Middle East Policy. While Syrian opposition factions outside the country say they hope to see some confidence-building measures by Assad before the Geneva talks, dozens of insurgent groups within Syria said last week they wouldn't attend at all unless humanitarian access was granted to areas under siege and prisoners were released. "The regime is trying to achieve as much as possible on the ground before the peace talks, which will be hollow," said Zakaria Ahmad, a spokesman for a moderate rebel faction operating near the Turkish border. It remains unclear which rebel groups will be invited to join the talks. Russia and Syria want to bar many moderate Islamic groups which are backed by the Saudis, who will insist on giving them a place at the table. Meanwhile, top international players the United States and Russia disagree on the basic issue of whether Assad should be allowed to stay on and run in presidential elections or if he should step down as part of the transition. The Saudis and much of the West are adamant that he should leave, while Iran and Russia say his fate should be decided in elections. "As long as the basic question of Assad's future is not resolved there will be no elections it's the central issue," said Rami Khouri of the American University of Beirut's Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs. Twenty-five protesters were arrested on Martin Luther King Jr. Day after blocking traffic on the Bay Bridge, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CHP said protesters just before 4 p.m. Monday stopped their cars on the bridge, blocking all five westbound lanes just east of Treasure Island. Traffic was seen backed up for miles. About 10 of the protesters chained cars together in a row to stop traffic on the bridge, police said. The demonstrators jumped out of vehicles and started marching and chanting. Others sat down in the lanes. The protesters were eventually taken away by CHP officers to be arrested. Protesters marching on Martin Luther King Jr. Day blocked traffic on the Bay Bridge Monday after earlier interrupting traffic on an Interstate Highway 80 off-ramp in Emeryville, according to the California Highway Patrol. All 25 protesters arrested were booked into the San Francisco County Jail on misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment, public nuisance, unlawful assembly and obstructing free passage, according to the CHP. All westbound lanes of the bridge reopened about 90 minutes after the protest. Earlier in the day, protesters also interrupted traffic on an Interstate Highway 80 off-ramp in Emeryville, according to the CHP. Members of protest groups Black Seed and the Black Queer Liberation Collective took responsibility for the protest in a statement, citing recent police shootings. "We are here to move towards an increase in the health and wellbeing of all Black people in Oakland & San Francisco," the groups wrote in a statement. [G]Martin Luther King Day Protesters Block Traffic on the Bay Bridge They are demanding divestment of city funds in policing, investment in affordable housing, the resignation of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, the termination of San Francisco police Chief Greg Suhr and Oakland police Chief Sean Whent and the termination of police officers involved inseveral recent shootings. "The inconvenience you may have experienced today on the bridge -- imagine what it's like to have your life and your well-being continuously inconvenienced as a black person," said Mia Birdson, a Black Seed member. Some of the protesters were seen being released from jail late Monday. No other information was immediately available. The Powell off ramp from EB 80 is closed due to protest activity, expect heavy traffic in the area. #Emeryville CHP Oakland (@CHPoakland) January 18, 2016 Bay City News contributed to this report. The Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee, which is weighing whether to legalize and regulate the sale of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, is hearing from the public on the issue this week. A series of five field hearings started Monday afternoon in Bennington, in advance of a committee vote later this month on whether to advance a bill to the full Senate. "We decided to get out of the Statehouse and hear from people in their own communities," said Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington County. "So often, the Statehouse is where there are a lot of lobbyists, but we want to hear directly from the people of Vermont." The crowd attending the Bennington hearing seemed about evenly split, with half the speakers voicing support for marijuana legalization, and half urging the Senate panel to proceed with caution. "The current policy of prohibition has failed," argued Ben Simpson, a speaker at the field hearing. "Slow it down," cautioned Jim Baker, another speaker who registered to address the committee, and who was also a longtime member of law enforcement in Vermont. State lawmakers are weighing a handful of bills that propose licensing some stores and lounges in Vermont to sell small amounts of pot to people at least 21-years-old, and use tax revenues from those new businesses to fund drug education, treatment, and enforcement efforts. Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vermont, has signaled he will only support such legislation if it meets several guidelines. Shumlin said he wants to see measures taken to protect young people from accessing marijuana, wants taxes to be low enough on marijuana to discourage buyers from going instead to the black market, and to bar the sale of edible forms of marijuana until other states figure out how regulating those food products is working. "It's something the state needs," speaker Mary Beth Bennett said of the opportunity for job creation in Vermont around a new marijuana industry. "A lot of manufacturing jobs are leaving, especially in the southern Vermont portion." "I want to obey the law, I want to support the rule of law," Theo Talcott, another backer of legalization, told the committee. "Just as we've extended rights to gays and lesbians, good old pot smokers should be allowed to have rights." Opponents voiced serious concerns, including that teens may get their hands on marijuana, as many do with alcohol today, and that law enforcement may not be prepared to handle new challenges arising from marijuana legalization, including drugged driving. "This is not something that's going to be easily controlled," warned John Zink, a former undersheriff and opponent of legalization. "I, for the life of me, cannot understand how we can possibly regulate the use of marijuana amongst teenagers." "For those who struggle with it, addiction to marijuana is a real problem," said Kurt White, the director of ambulatory services at the Brattleboro Retreat, which offers extensive drug addiction treatment services. "I've seen addicted families who buy marijuana before providing for themselves and their children. I've seen teenagers and young people drop out of life because of an increasing obsession to use more and more." The Senate Judiciary Committee plans a vote January 29 to decide if it will advance a marijuana legalization bill, committee chair Dick Sears said. After Bennington, the Senate panel headed to Brattleboro and Springfield for more hearings Monday. A fourth public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6:00 pm at the Davis Center at the University of Vermont in Burlington. A fifth hearing is planned for Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm at St. Johnsbury Academy's Stuart Theatre. Several cases of H1N1 (Swine Flu) have been reported in Lebanon in the last two months. Only today, the father of a dear friend has died from it. What should I do if I get sick? What are the emergency warning signs? In children: Fast breathing or trouble breathing Bluish skin color Not drinking enough fluids Not waking up or not interacting Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough Fever with a rash In adults: Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen Sudden dizziness Confusion Severe or persistent vomiting Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough Do I need to go to the emergency room if I am only a little sick? No. The emergency room should be used for people who are very sick. You should not go to the emergency room if you are only mildly ill. If you have the emergency warning signs of flu sickness, you should go to the emergency room. If you get sick with flu symptoms and are at high risk of flu complications or you are concerned about your illness, call your health care provider for advice. If you go to the emergency room and you are not sick with the flu, you may catch it from people who do have it. Are there medicines to treat 2009 H1N1? Yes. There are drugs your doctor may prescribe for treating both seasonal and 2009 H1N1 called antiviral drugs. These drugs can make you better faster and may also prevent serious complications. This flu season, antiviral drugs are being used mainly to treat people who are very sick, such as people who need to be hospitalized, and to treat sick people who are more likely to get serious flu complications. Your health care provider will decide whether antiviral drugs are needed to treat your illness. Remember, most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu. How long should I stay home if Im sick? CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other things you have to do and no one else can do for you. You should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings. What should I do while Im sick? after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other things you have to do and no one else can do for you. You should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings. Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making them sick. If you must leave home, for example to get medical care, wear a facemask if you have one, or cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. And wash your hands often to keep from spreading flu to others. CDC has information on Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making them sick. If you must leave home, for example to get medical care, wear a facemask if you have one, or cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. And wash your hands often to keep from spreading flu to others. CDC has information on Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home ." *Its important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.If you get sick with flu-like symptoms this flu season, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care. Most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu.However, some people are more likely to get flu complications and they should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get flu symptoms this season. They are: Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old Adults 65 years of age and older Pregnant womenPeople who have: Asthma Neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions [including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy (seizure disorders), stroke, intellectual disability (mental retardation), moderate to severe developmental delay, muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injury]. Chronic lung disease (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and cystic fibrosis) Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease) Blood disorders (such as sickle cell disease) Endocrine disorders (such as diabetes mellitus) Kidney disorders Liver disorders Metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders and mitochondrial disorders) Weakened immune system due to disease or medication (such as people with HIV or AIDS, or cancer, or those on chronic steroids) People younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy The Iowa Caucus is two weeks away and the new Hampshire Primary is three weeks from Tuesday, Monday, two Republican frontrunners, Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz stopped in New Hampshire. As the feud between Trump and Cruz heats up, Granite Staters got the chance to hear from both candidates in person on the same day. In Concord on Monday afternoon Trump made a big promise to First in the Nation voters. "There's a big move to move you to the middle of the pack, that's not going to happen, if I win, not going to happen," Trump said. Merrimack resident Michael Bourque said Trump is the man for the job. "I think he's transparent and I believe it's time for change," Bourque said. Just about 35 miles away in Washington, New Hampshire the business mogul's biggest competition, Texas Senator Ted Cruz hosted a town hall event and spoke to reporters beforehand. "Donald seems to be a little rattled," Cruz said. Cruz is beating Trump in the latest Iowa polls and gaining momentum in the Granite State. "My mind was made up a long time ago for Ted Cruz," said Washington resident Kirstlyn Dube. The two men who months ago supported each other are now in the throws of a heated back and forth. Over the weekend, Trump called the senator a "nasty guy" who no one likes. "I have no intention of responding in kind," Trump said Monday. "If he wants to engage in insults that's his problem, I like Donald Trump, I respect Donald Trump." Cruz though is calling out Trump for what he considers questionable conservative values. "At the end of the day the American people will decide who is telling the truth, who is, in fact, been a consistent conservative, not who has adopted conservative language on the campaign trails, but who has walked the walk," Cruz said. We found three voters who spent the morning with Cruz and the afternoon with Trump. "It's important to get the contrast between two different candidates," said Maine resident Nick Godin who drove to both events in New Hampshire Monday with his friends. Josh Cale, a Massachusetts resident, was a Trump supporter this morning, that is, until he heard from Sen. Cruz. "I'm leaning toward him now, because he has more Christian values and I'm Christian," Cale said. Comparing candidates side by side and in person is a privilege and responsibility New Englanders take seriously. "I think it's very exciting, I think people in New Hampshire have a great role in this," said Goffstown resident Steve Brzozowski. Cruz has campaigned in the Granite State fewer times than Trump. Monday was day two of a five-day, 17-stop bus tour for Senator Cruz in New Hampshire. To see his other stops, click here. Police say a 5-year-old girl has been returned to her mother unharmed after the family's car was stolen in Providence, Rhode Island, with the child still inside. WJAR-TV reports the girl's mother left her inside a running car parked outside Espinal Restaurant on Plainfield Street around 8:20 p.m. Monday. The woman returned from picking up food to find both her car and daughter were missing. About 10 minutes after a 911 was placed, Lt. Roger Aspinall says a patrol officer saw a girl matching the child's description walking hand-in-hand with a man near the intersection of Plainfield and Barrows streets. Police say the missing car keys were found on the 18-year-old man. It was parked about a block away. The man was taken into custody and the child was returned. Federal authorities are assisting state and local police after multiple communities across Massachusetts reported receiving phoned-in threats Tuesday morning; schools in New Hampshire and Maine also reported receiving a phoned-in threat. State police in Massachusetts say schools in 14 communities received a phoned-in threat Tuesday morning: Groton Weymouth Taunton Arlington Plymouth Salisbury Waltham Ayer Tewksbury Newton Billerica Swampscott Kingston Westford (Nashoba Valley Tech) Some schools have already been cleared, according to state police. The state's Fire Marshal's Office also responded to the threats. Threats have also been phoned-in to Farmington High School in New Hampshire and Gardner High School in Maine. Classes were dismissed at Arlington High School for the rest of the day on Tuesday, and students at Groton Middle School and the Florence Roche School were evacuated; authorities in both communities have since stated that that the threats were unfounded. Fitzgerald Elementary School in Waltham was also evacuated Tuesday morning after a male called in a threat, police confirmed. State police are coming in with bomb detecting dogs and children will return to the school once it is cleared. A threat was phoned-in to Swampscott High School around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of students and dismissal from classes for the rest of the day, authorities confirm. The incident is still under investigation. Police in Tewksbury say they're investigating at Tewksbury High School. Newton police said firefighters are currently at Newton North High School investigating, but they do not believe the school was evacuated. The Superintendents office of Ayer-Shirley Regional say the high school received a threat and that students were moved to a local elementary school. The superintendent of Taunton Public Schools says its administrative offices received a threatening phone call just after 11 p.m. Monday night, and was listened to Tuesday morning. Officials say as a result, Taunton police sent more officers to schools and that it was determined by authorities that the comments in the voicemail were general in nature and not specific to Taunton, and did not warrant an evacuation. School officials in Plymouth say there was a threat called in to Plymouth South Middle School before 10 a.m. Students were evacuated into the gym and cafeteria, and classes resumed after a sweep of the school. There was also a phone-in threat to Billerica Memorial High School that involved the entire school district, according to Billerica Public Schools Superintendent Timothy Piwowar. Billerica Police undertook a sweep of every district building and found nothing; however, officers will still be stationed at each building for the rest of the school day. In Weymouth, school officials say there were phoned-in threats at the high school and both Abigail Adams and Chapman middle schools, but add that police found nothing during a search. In neighboring New Hampshire, Farmington police said the community's high school was evacuated for about an hour Tuesday morning; the reason for the evacuation wasn't immediately known. In Maine, students at Gardner High School were dismissed for the day after staff received a threatening phone call around 10:30 a.m., according to the district's superintendent; all after school activities were also canceled. Police in Arlington say it's unclear if Tuesday's incident is connected with a threatening "robo call" received at another Arlington school last Friday that prompted evacuations. Arlington Police tweeted they don't believe the threats are credible at this time. Boston police's bomb squad also responded to the scene. Schools in several states around the Northeast are being evacuated or locked down amid threats of violence. It's unclear if the threats are connected to one another. A new poll has Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leading Hillary Clinton by a whopping 27 percent in New Hampshire. The CNN/WMUR poll, released Tuesday by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, has Sanders with the support of 60 percent off Democratic primary voters, followed by Clinton at 33 percent and Martin O'Malley at 1 percent. Only six percent remain undecided. "This poll suggests that our campaign has real momentum and that the American people want to go beyond establishment politics and establishment economics," Jeff Weaver, Sanders' national campaign manager, said in a statement. "But it's just a poll and we take nothing for granted." That's a substantial change since the UNH Survey Center's last poll, conducted in early December. That poll had him leading Clinton by a 10 percent margin. With the Feb. 9 New Hampshire Primary just three weeks away, both Sanders and Clinton are scheduled to be in the state this week. Sanders has stops scheduled in Peterborough, Manchester, Nashua and Wolfeboro on Thursday. Clinton arrives in state on Friday for stops in Rochester, Concord and Manchester. Winter hit Vermont in three main ways Tuesday, with light snow, uncomfortably cold air, and gusty winds that made it feel like the teens below zero in the Burlington area. According to Gene Richards, the aviation director of the Burlington International Airport, a handful of airlines and pilots opted to not attempt to land in Burlington until visibility conditions improved. Those decisions resulted in some delays, Richards told necn. "Our braking conditions are very good here," Richards said. "We work very hard at cleaning the landing surface and keeping it clear throughout the day. So the challenge, for some airlines, has been the visibility, but they've been working to find windows where those conditions are looking better." In downtown Burlington, Dave Willhoite said he was in Vermont on business. The Williamsburg, Virginia man told necn that just a few days ago, he was experiencing 70 degree weather back home. "I think the weather's a little chilly; a lot different from Virginia," Willhoite chuckled. Because his home in Virginia doesn't get nearly as cold as Vermont, Willhoite said he found himself a little unprepared for Tuesday's snow and temperatures in the single digits, with whipping winds creating the feel of sub-zero cold. "I had to buy scarf," Willhoite said, noting it should make the rest of his short stay in Vermont more comfortable. "It's definitely good for us," Allison Kozar of SkiRack said about bouts of winter weather, explaining cold and snow often drive people to the store to purchase hand warmers, hats, gloves, and accessories for shoes and boots aimed at preventing slipping on the ice. The wind and fluctuating temperatures lately have meant very little ice has formed on Lake Champlain this season. But in protected, shallower locations, where the water has frozen, the Coast Guard is warning ice fishermen to be careful: to only go out with a buddy, and to have safety gear like ice picks, a whistle, or a cell phone kept in a plastic bag in case of problems. "Stay close to shore is the biggest thing," Petty Officer First Class Jason Balmer said of any time someone is venturing on the ice in uncertain conditions, especially if snow is covering the ice. "So if you happen to fall through the ice, you have a short transit to get help and get warm." Spectrum Youth and Family Services in Burlington put out a call for donations of warm winter gloves--water resistant ones, if possible--to provide the homeless teenagers and young adults it serves at its downtown Burlington drop-in center. "To be out there on a day like today without any warm gloves would be really, really difficult, if not dangerous," said Mark Redmond, the executive director of Spectrum Youth and Family Services. "We see it as a need we need to fill. Giving out clothes is a big part of what we do." For information on supporting Spectrum, visit this website: http://www.spectrumvt.org/ The team at Shelburne Vineyard was working outdoors Tuesday, harvesting and pressing 600 pounds of red marquette grapes to start the process of making a new kind of ice wine. Ken Albert of Shelburne Vineyard explained the frozen fruit gives wine makers a more sugary, concentrated liquid, and ultimately, a sweet dessert drink. Think of it as Shelburne Vineyard's toast to winter. "Vermont is a place where we think we can make world-class ice wine," Albert said. "We have world-class cold!" South Norfolk church welcomes Mums in Prayer A rallying call, mobilising women to pray for their children and local schools, is being mounted at Hope Community Church, Wymondham on Saturday January 30 reports Sandie Shirley. Thousands of Christmas cards from around 30 local Norfolk charities have gone on sale today (October 19) at the Original Norwich Charity Christmas Card Shop inside St Peter Mancroft church in Norwich city centre. Thousands of Christmas cards from around 30 local Norfolk charities have gone on sale today (October 19) at the Original Norwich Charity Christmas Card Shop inside St Peter Mancroft church in Norwich city centre. Revelation Christian Resource Centre and Cafe Revelation in Norwich is a Christian resource centre, offering a bookshop, a meeting place and a welcoming refuge for refreshment open to visitors of any faith or none. Read more Farewell as Yarmouth church leader moves on 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. Read more 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 Five years ago, when I visited Zappos, CEO Tony Hseih pointed out that as organizations grow they become less effective. Each person you add increases productivity by a little less than the previous employee. Eventually, a large organization takes man-years to do what a small one could do in man-weeks. We understand this intuitively. Hseih claimed this was universal to nearly all business yet it didnt have to be. He used the example of cities, where more people condensed in a small area actual improves quality of life by creating new small businesses, cultural and social events, things to do and so on. Living with enough people in a small enough area and you will have access to an incredible variety of resources, products and services. Hseih wanted to bring that idea to business. The idea was so radical that employees had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. In a way, anyone can scale a project, throwing hundreds or thousands of people at it. The challenge of scaling is to do so without massive dilution; without running a project with 1,000 people in two years that could have been done by a hundred people in half the time. The argument is that agile doesn't scale, that the initial agile methods Scrum, XP, Crystal and DSDM dont work for large groups. It might be more accurate to say that, at the time, we didnt know how to manage large groups. The creators of the Agile Manifesto gave up, choosing to define a set of methods that could make a small team very productive. After all, as Hseih put so well, large teams are not productive. You could argue that the creators of the agile methods chose to punt. "If your find yourself in a hole, your process model isn't going to pick up the shovel." Ken Schwaber, one of the creators of Scrum, once told me that we never knew how to scale software development in the first place. My own experience is that inside of every huge project with hundreds of people were a dozen or so sound craftspeople, who knew each other by name, who were doing the hard work of delivering the software. Outside those dozen were another dozen who were at least helpful without them, things would take longer. Outside that group were the ones who at least didn't slow things down any, and provided a layer of protection from management so we could work. Beyond that layer were the people who did one of those two things, then the layer that did neither. Schwaber told me that in the 80s and 90s, when the crisis hit, the modest teams of heroes would come out and get the project done. [Related: Comparing scaling agile frameworks] Google, Facebook and Spotify all grew incredibly quickly and need to coordinate massive numbers of people. Spotify has been loud and public about building engineering culture, while Google and Facebook have quietly moved to tens of thousands of employees, some large percentage of them in software delivery. None of them seem to struggle with "going agile" or "doing agile." One reason why: They all started without any hierarchy (outside the founders), which is the real problem. Big companies have layers and layers of people who have been promoted out of technology. Architects, analysts, managers and directors of a specific discipline. If we change to teams of teams, what do we do with the managers? The managers are threatened. To them, agile looks like a lose-lose proposition. In an agile conversion, for a manager to go back to technical work, or even mere product management, is to lose face. To try to stick to line management probably means to lose their job. At most large companies, organizational inertia the hierarchy itself is self-perpetuating, preventing any significant change. A little perspective on managing change Just as the personal computer threatened the mainframe, streaming music threatened the CD business and Uber threatens the traditional taxi, a real agile adoption threatens whatever came before it. This isn't a new idea. Clayton Christensen explained it in his groundbreaking book, The Innovators Dilemma, as the reason that most innovation tends to come from outside established companies. Those that work in the company face strong incentives to add to the existing line of business, as success with the new idea will make the old structure obsolete. This will work just fine, according to Christensen, until someone from outside happens on the innovation. When that happens, the company may face a crisis that can force a change. Agile methods, on the other hand, offer only to improve the speed and value of IT services. While that might work for a software company, established companies with existing offerings, like automobiles, financial services and insurance won't face a crisis for ignoring a change. They can simply over-pay for their IT, which will be a little less responsive. As Hseih pointed out, they probably will anyway. Without management support at multiple layers, the best an agile initiative can do is to improve delivery within a few groups. But that itself is nothing to sneeze at. When Tom West was assigned a small team to improve Data General's processors while a much larger, ambitious team was going to develop the next generation, West's team ("Project Eagle") actually got it done, producing the Eclipse MV/8000. The story, documented in The Soul of a New Machine, earned Tracy Kidder a Pulitzer Prize. Ultimately, though, its another example of a small team out performing a large team. Even after the success of Project Eagle, the members of the project mostly scattered shortly after it shipped. Tom West was transferred to Japan, a move he referred to as "effectively fired." After saving the company not to mention the PR coup of the book itself Data General couldnt exactly fire him; he was promoted to research roles for technology that was never commercialized (and to sign deals and trade show work), retiring as Chief Technologist in 1998. Project Eagle is a story about de-scaling of doing with a dozen people what couldnt be done with 500. The point is that ignoring the system and human forces at play in an agile transition is to ignore history and human nature. In order for a change to succeed, people need to see a personal win. Moving forward If "that won't scale" is a smoke screen, then one thing we can do is ignore it. Here are a few quick ways to improve the large organization without using the S word. Researchers have combined transistors and photonics in a fabricated chip for the first time. The photonics act as inputs and outputs (I/O) and let the microprocessor talk to other chips. That light-based technology could be faster and more bandwidth-friendly than wires. The new chip is revolutionary because the photonics I/O have been made into part of the chip for the first time in a manufacturing scenario, scientists from the University of California Berkeley and the University of Colorado wrote in a letter published in Nature. Photonics is the technology behind the detection of photons, or particles of light. It's the principal building block for fiber-optic transmission of data. Bandwidth What's the big deal with photonics in chips? Well, for one thing, it's the fact that light transmits more data between microprocessors than wires. Another issue is power density, or power related to volume. Light can transmit more power, and thus increases the transmission distance. "Data transport across short electrical wires is limited," the letter reads. That "creates a performance bottleneck for semiconductor microchips," the scientists added. The chip Transmission distance is one of the most important elements in data transmission. The further you can send data with a chunk of power, the better. The scientists at Berkeley reckon their chip will allow data to travel further distances with less energy used, and fewer repeaters. Repeaters are needed when signals need regenerating, and they are heavy power users. Reducing the number of repeaters will improve energy consumption, the scientists say. Design Key innovations achieved in the chip design include a way to use a silicon body of a transistor to guide light with limited loss. The group also capitalized on silicon-germanium's light-absorbing ability. Silicon-germanium is an existing element in a transistor. Reducing power "The advantage with optical is that with the same amount of power, you can go a few centimeters, a few meters or a few kilometers," co-lead Chen Sun, a UC Berkeley graduate at the Berkeley Wireless Research Center, said in an article on the university's website. "For high-speed electrical links, one meter is about the limit before you need repeaters to regenerate the electrical signal, and that quickly increases the amount of power needed," Sun said. The Berkeley optical chip uses 1.3 picojoules per bit. That's the same as using 1.3 watts of power to send a terabit of data per second, they say. The team used a receiver 10 meters away. For a traditional electrical signal to go a kilometer, "you'd need thousands of picojoules for each bit," they explain. Fabrication process The group managed to get the chip manufactured too, which is one of the things they're excited about. That means the idea not simply theoretical, they reckon. Previous attempts at integrating photonics into the same processes used to build transistorized chips have encountered difficulty getting the photonics built onto the same platform without changing the process. This often drives up manufacturing costs or leads to failures in the transistors. This 70 million transistors and 850 photonic component chip, measuring 3-by-6-millimeters, was fabricated in a normal chip foundry. That means mass production is viable, the scientists think. Conservative. Idaho. Software engineer. Historian. Trying to prevent Idiocracy from becoming a documentary. Email complaints/requests about copyright infringement to clayton @ claytoncramer.com. Reminder: the last copyright troll that bothered me went bankrupt. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." -- Rom. 8:28 What's in your closet? This blog's objectives are to share what I have classified as the Nice, No Thanks, Noteworthy, Need and Necessary in our closets in order to be well-dressed. Together we'll discover what women and men are wearing around the world, whether it's fashionable or not. Posts will include choices in different clothing categories and accessories including shoes, handbags, jewelry, scarves and ties and other such accessories. Boating adventures of the crew on the motor vessel "Sunset Delight" - a Krogen Express 52 (Blog entries prior to January 2017 cover travels, including our Great Loop Trip, on our previous motor vessel - a 350 Mainship named "Sea Moss" thus the name of the blog.) One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Reporter Tim Mitchell is a reporter at The News-Gazette. His email is tmitchel@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@mitchell6). Reporter/Columnist Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth). Steve Hoffman is editor of the Piatt County Journal-Republican. He can be reached at shoffman@news-gazette.com Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is a genetic disorder that is characterized by the growth of benign and malignant tumors in the central nervous system (CNS) and viscera. This may include many different types of tumors, such hemangioblastomas, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) renal cysts, and phaeochromocytomas. The name of this syndrome originates from Eugene von Hippel and Arvid Lindau, both of whom described retinal and other tumors in 1904 and 1926, respectively. VHL syndrome is a rare disorder that affects approximately 1 in 36,000 live births. The majority of these involve a gene mutation that has been inherited from a parent that is a carrier for the disease, although approximately 20% of cases are new mutations. Meet VHL - Help us find a cure! Play Cause VHL syndrome is caused by mutations in certain tumor suppression genes (3p25-26), which results in highly vascular tumors. The genetic mutation is usually inherited from a parent who is affected by the disorder and thus follows an autosomal dominant pattern with high penetrance. This means that only one copy of the gene needs to be inherited in order for an individual to be affected. Approximately 20% of VHL syndrome cases present with a spontaneous gene mutation and no family history of the disease. The characteristic formation of tumors in VHL syndrome does not begin, however, until a second gene mutation is acquired at some point in the individuals lifetime. It is not clear what causes this second mutation, but it occurs eventually in almost all individuals with the inherited gene mutation. Classification There are several different types of gene mutations associated with VHL, including: Type 1: may develop or tumor types but a low risk of phaeochromocytoma may develop or tumor types but a low risk of phaeochromocytoma Type 2A: phaeochromocytomas present with a low risk of RCC phaeochromocytomas present with a low risk of RCC Type 2B: phaeochromocytomas present with a high risk of RCC phaeochromocytomas present with a high risk of RCC Type 2C: phaeochromocytoma only with no evidence of other tumors Patient presentation Individuals may present with VHL syndrome at any stage of life, from those in their early childhood to the elderly. The various tumors that develop are the primary physical sign of VHL syndrome. Some of the different types of tumors associated with VHL syndrome include: CNS hemangioblastomas affect approximately two-thirds of patients with VHL syndrome, making them the most common type of tumor. Although benign, these tumors can cause significant morbidity depending on their location in the CNS. Retinal haemangioblastomas affect up to 60% of VHL patients but are typically asymptomatic until complications such as edema, retinal detachment, or glaucoma arise. Phaeochromocytomas are usually benign but may cause symptoms such as headaches, palpitations, and episodes of shock-like signs. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and cysts affect up to 60% of VHL patients and are usually asymptomatic. RCC requires surgical removal, whereas cysts do not usually require treatment. Pancreatic tumors are usually asymptomatic and detected with diagnostic imaging. Benign tumors do not usually need to be removed; however, those with metastatic potential should be managed with surgical resection. Endolymphatic sac tumors are benign but can erode the bone in the inner ear, which can lead to tinnitus, vertigo, or hearing loss. Epididymal cystadenomas are usually asymptomatic and detected with ultrasound imaging. These tumors typically do not require treatment. Broad ligament cystadenomas are usually asymptomatic and detected with imaging techniques. Treatment is only required for rare symptomatic cases. Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Image Credit: petershreiber.media / Shutterstock.com Diagnosis Early diagnosis of VHL syndrome is preferable to allow timely management of the disorder and reduce its impact on the life expectancy. Previously, life expectancy of individuals with VHL syndrome was approximately 50 years; however, this has improved significantly with the introduction of screening and early management. Patients with family members who have the disease should be screened to detect genetic susceptibility for VHL syndrome. Genetic testing is very sensitive for affected families, but can become more complex for new spontaneous mutations, usually due to mosaicism. Antenatal testing for early diagnosis is an option for families with a known mutation for VHL syndrome. In order to be diagnosed with VHL syndrome, an individual must have either multiple tumors that are characteristic of the syndrome or a family history of the syndrome that is accompanied by one characteristic tumor. References Further Reading By Lucy Piper, Senior medwireNews Reporter Centrotemporal spikes experienced between seizures by children with rolandic epilepsy may disrupt functional brain networks and contribute to language, behaviour and cognitive problems, research suggests. The research team, led by Dong Zhou (Sichuan University, Chengdu, China), therefore recommend more aggressive suppression of rolandic epileptiform discharges in order to reduce the risk of such impairments. Zhou and colleagues used electroencephalogram functional magnetic resonance imaging to study dynamic functional connectivity before, during and after periods of centrotemporal spikes in 22 drug-naive children with rolandic epilepsy. The participants, aged between 8 and 14 years, experienced 51 to 177 spikes during a total scan time of 406 seconds. During the progression of centrotemporal spikes, positive correlations were seen between brain activity in the bilateral rolandic areas and in language-processing regions of the brain, specifically the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the left inferior parietal lobe and the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG). The transient effects of centrotemporal spikes on these areas may therefore present as expressive speech difficulties, including reading and fluency difficulties, as well as subsequent memory problems and learning difficulties, the team suggests. Indeed, they found that scores for verbal IQ on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children correlated significantly with the dynamic functional connectivity of the left SMG and right rolandic operculum in the phases before and after centrotemporal spikes. And performance IQ negatively correlated with dynamic functional connectivity between the left rolandic operculum and the left IFG, the triangular part, in the phase before centrotemporal spikes. Positive correlations with centrotemporal spikes were also seen for functional connectivity of the right IFG and the left caudate, which Zhou et al say is another important finding indicating transient effects on inhibition and executive and attentional functions. This negative impact was embodied in the aggressive behaviour, social problems, attention problems, and delinquency reported by the patients parents and teachers, they note in Neurology. Not all functional connectivity correlations were positive, however; negative correlations were evident between the rolandic areas and the bilateral superior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus and right precuneus. These areas form part of the default mode network, connection disturbances in which contribute to several neuropsychiatric disorders, affect task performance and induce fluctuations in consciousness, the team warns. The role of interictal epileptic discharges is gaining greater importance as a putative mechanism by which epilepsy interferes with the brain functional connectivity baseline, thereby leading to cognitive impairment, they comment. Our observations support the hypothesis that the inhibitory effects of epileptiform activity on the default mode of brain function affect cognition in epilepsy patients. Licensed from medwireNews with permission from Springer Healthcare Ltd. Springer Healthcare Ltd. All rights reserved. Neither of these parties endorse or recommend any commercial products, services, or equipment. People with Alzheimers disease are helping with a ground-breaking government-funded trial but with new sites recently opened in the South West more people are being asked to take part in the study led by academics from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Queens University Belfast and University College London, and hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust. The research study, known as RADAR ( R educing pathology in A lzheimers D isease through A ngiotensin ta R geting) is investigating if a drug normally used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) has additional properties that could slow down the progression of Alzheimers disease (AD) in people with and without hypertension. RADAR is a multi-centre clinical trial that will investigate if losartan, a blood pressure drug that first became available in 1995, can complement current treatments for AD. The researchers believe losartan can slow down the progression of AD by improving brain blood flow and altering chemical pathways that cause brain cell damage, brain shrinkage and memory problems in AD. As part of the Prime Ministers Challenge on Dementia, funding of nearly 2 million was awarded by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme, an MRC and NIHR partnership. RADAR is hoping to recruit approximately 230 participants, together with a similar number of carers, from across the UK including sites in the South West (SW) based in Bristol, Cheltenham, Exeter and Torbay, which will be supported by the clinical research networks (CRN) CRN: West of England and CRN: SW Peninsula. The RADAR study is a double-blinded placebo-controlled randomised trial, meaning that some participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the study drug or a placebo but nobody (including doctors and nurses involved) will know until the study is analysed as a whole who received which. This is one of the most powerful study designs available. People with Alzheimers disease who have high or normal blood pressure can take part if they meet certain eligibility criteria and RADAR will use brain imaging to measure whether losartan reduces the rate of brain shrinkage that is known to occur in AD. It will also be using what are standard questionnaires on memory performance and quality of life important indicators of whether the drug might be helpful. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Professor Pat Kehoe, Gestetner Professor of Translational Dementia Research at the University of Bristol, who is leading the trial, said: It is our delight to be able to extend the study to provide opportunities for patients and their carers in the South West to be able to take part in this UK-based trial, whose participation will be instrumental in helping to test if losartan will be a future treatment for Alzheimers disease. Dr Stephen Pearson, Consultant in Dementia Research, who is supporting the two Devon sites at Torbay and Exeter that will be complementing the Bristol and Cheltenham sites, added: We are absolutely delighted to be able to offer people with Alzheimers disease based locally this opportunity to take part in this important study. Regretfully there are only a limited number of places we can offer to potential participants so we hope people will be getting in touch to find out more. If you, or you know of someone, who might be interested in participating in the study, please contact your nearest SW centre: Bristol, tel: 0117 414 8238; Cheltenham, tel: 01452 894048; Exeter and Torbay, tel: 01803 656619. Members of the public interested in other research opportunities in relation to Alzheimers disease or other forms of dementia can register with the new Join Dementia Research initiative, hosted by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). The Join Dementia Research service allows anyone with and without dementia to sign up using basic demographic and health information and be matched to dementia research studies in their area. Research teams can then approach potential volunteers about their particular study and the volunteer can decide whether to take part on a case-by-case basis. The number of people living in high-rise buildings in rising, but along with the convenience and panoramic views of a downtown condo comes a risk: a new study found that survival rates from cardiac arrest decrease the higher up the building a person lives. "Cardiac arrests that occur in high-rise buildings pose unique barriers for 911-initiated first responders," said Ian Drennan, lead author of the study published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. "Building access issues, elevator delays and extended distance from the emergency vehicle to the patient can all contribute to longer times for 911-initiated first responders to reach the patient and start time-sensitive, potentially life-saving resuscitation," he said. Drennan is a paramedic with York Region Paramedic Services and a researcher with Rescu, a group based at St. Michael's Hospital that studies emergency health care that begins outside of a hospital. Looking at data from 8,216 adults who suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest treated by 911-initiated first responders in the City of Toronto and nearby Peel Region from January 2007 to December 2012, they found 3.8 per cent survived until they could be discharged from a hospital. Survival was 4.2 per cent for people living below the third floor and 2.6 per cent for people living on or above the third floor. But Drennan said when they went back and looked at the exact floor the patients lived on, they found decreased survival rates as the floors got higher. Survival above the 16th floor was 0.9 per cent (of 216 cases, only two survived). There were no survivors to hospital discharge of the 30 cardiac arrests above the 25th floor. "Patients who survived tended to be younger, their cardiac arrest was more often witnessed by bystanders, and bystanders were more likely to perform CPR," Drennan said, noting the rate of bystander AED use was very low in this study. "They also had shorter times for 911-initiated first responders to get to the scene and to the patient." While this study was intended to compare the rate of survival to hospital discharge for cardiac arrests that occur on higher versus lower floors of residential buildings, it also highlighted the fact that response times for 911-initiated first responders are traditionally measured from the time a call is received by the 911 dispatch centre to when the first emergency vehicle arrives on the scene. But Drennan said this measure does not take into account the time required for 911-initiated first responders to reach the patient after they arrive on the scene and can begin resuscitation. "After collapse from sudden cardiac arrest, early bystander CPR and a shock from a publicly accessible automated external defibrillator can make the difference between life and death," Drennan said. "Effective CPR performed by a bystander immediately after cardiac arrest can more than double a person's chance of survival, but only 30 per cent of cardiac arrest victims get CPR from a bystander. With a rapidly deteriorating heart rhythm, in the absence of bystander CPR and defibrillation, cardiac arrests that occurred on higher floors may have a lower probability of survival due to the delay to patient contact by 911-initiated first responders. This early period is essential for bystander interventions by a family member, friend, or other willing person to improve survival." He said another possible explanation for lower survival at higher floors is that it simply takes longer to get patients out of the building. The study made several recommendations: Improving the accessibility of AEDs by placing them on specific floors, in building lobbies, or inside elevators so that they Give paramedics a universal elevator key similar to what firefighters have, giving them sole access to elevators without public interference Find ways to alert building security to the fact 911-initiated first responders are en route so they can have easy access to the building and elevators waiting on the main floor Overall, the study said there was a 20 per cent increase in the rate of cardiac arrests suffered in private residences over the years of the study. In roughly the same time, 2006 to 2011, the number of people living in high-rise building grew by 13 per cent in Toronto. Many of those people are older, with higher rates of serious medical issues and higher risk of cardiac arrest. Bigg Boss 16: Sumbul Is Doing What I told Her; My Aim Was to Clear Shalin-Tina's Angle, Says Actor's Dad | Exclusive Areva North America has laid off about 50 people in Lynchburg, a little more than half the jobs the company cut nationwide as part of a workforce adjustment to meet diminished customer demands in the struggling nuclear industry. Unfortunately, this is part of our ongoing transformation plan, Areva spokesman Curtis Roberts said Monday. We did have to adjust our workforce last week. About 50 people in Lynchburg across multiple departments of about 90 in the country were notified Friday and offered severance packages. By Jan. 31, those individuals will be out of a job. The jobs were a mixture of our operations and support functions, mostly on the operations area, Roberts said. As our market changes, our customers change, Roberts said. We have to adapt. In December 2014, Areva cut 22 jobs after a bad financial report revealed that net income dropped $852 million in the first half of the year for the international company. This was after an early-retirement incentive package was offered. Areva still standing despite turbulent times Like an eroding plateau, the nuclear industry sloughed off a section of its market share - b In early fall, the company announced that it would sell 75 percent of its power plant segment which includes much of Lynchburg operation to Electricite de France for an equity injection. Well sustain losses in total for the year, said Areva NA CEO Gary Mignogna in an interview with The News & Advance last fall. Well sustain losses next year in total for the year. Thats why its important that we one, service our debt and two, get our employment properly sized for the current market conditions. The number of employees decreased between 2014 and 2016 by approximately 300 to about 1,500. Areva is not the only nuclear-power oriented business in Lynchburg to trim operations. France looks to reboot nuclear industry champion Areva Nuclear reactor builder Areva wants to trim thousands of jobs after billions of euros of financial losses, as France tries to restructure its powerful but struggling nuclear energy industry. BWX Technologies in Lynchburg pared back a business segment by about 100 people in 2014 when it adjusted to the declining market demand for the development of a small nuclear reactor. The money devoted to that segment is now a fraction of what it was. To increase its stock value, the board of directors voted to spin off Babcock & Wilcox Company last summer into two separate companies. Lynchburg workers became employees of the new BWXT. BWX Technologies starts off on solid footing After Babcock & Wilcox split this summer, nuclear company BWX Technologies set down root BWX Technologies opens (again) as nuclear company headquartered in Lynchburg BWX Technologies a publicly traded, Hill City-based company focusing on nuclear operations opens for business today on the New York Stock Exchange, the culmination of a spinoff plan announced by Babcock & Wilcox Company last fall. Reviews of how the Commonwealth spreads money statewide to attract and grow businesses are already underway, according to legislators and the administration. An investigation by The Roanoke Times published in Sundays The News & Advance highlighted concerns in how the state government uses myriad grants, funds, tax credits and investments to funnel money into private businesses, some focused on spurring growth, others on wooing companies from other states or countries. While the administration said its already begun to review its own work, Gov. Terry McAuliffe cited more than 560 deals as evidence things are going well. There is clearly a lack of checks and balances in this process. Theres a lack of attention to detail. There clearly are gaps in the way that this economic development project, one of 561 statewide has unfolded, Del. Scott Garrett, R-Lynchburg, said in a floor speech in which he read part of The Roanoke Times article. About 14 months ago, McAuliffe, Lindenburg, and Appomattox town officials announced the Chinese company would bring 349 manufacturing jobs to Appomattox County. Lindenburg never came and left bills unpaid. The Thomasville furniture plant has been auctioned off. Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, said he began a review of economic development efforts going back to 2009, about a month ago as House of Delegates Appropriations Committee chair. He and Del. Kathy Byron, R-Bedford County, are co-patrons of a bill to order the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission to review the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, which handled the Lindenburg negotiations along with many others. Jones said the review came after McAuliffes proposed budget included a $140 million ask for economic development, which includes research and development. Many of these projects get funds from various sources, two or three programs. Were going to try to make it easy to follow and understand. Thats a tremendous amount of money, Jones said. It just became apparent to me, we had too many silos of dollars being utilized in the name of economic development, and we need to get a handle on it. Along with $1.4 million from the Governors Development Opportunity Fund released to close the deal, the Lindenburg agreement included a promise for money from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Grant Project, and local incentives. VEDP has asked Lindenburg to return the opportunity fund money. The other promised funds were not released to Lindenburg. The governors biennial budget proposal up for discussion over the next two months calls for $20.75 million each year for the Commonwealths Development Opportunity Fund, formerly the Governors Development Opportunity Fund. The General Assembly allocated the fund $21.2 million for fiscal year 2015 and $17.5 million for the current fiscal year. Delegates say a mechanism has not been in place by which they review individual development projects, although Jones said he receives stacks of dense reports regularly as appropriations chair, one reason he called for the review. Byron and Jones introduced a resolution that would require JLARC to thoroughly review VEDP and its structure, including accountability and oversight. They said they first talked about it months ago. It appears from the investigation that was done that we need a better process than we have in place, Byron said. We assume that theyve already checked these people out. McAuliffe compared the $1.4 million possibly lost on Lindenburg to almost $9.3 billion in capital investment and said that he expects a report on past projects. Secretary of Commerce and Labor Maurice Jones said the inter-departmental review will go back to the beginning of the McAuliffe administration. He said the follow up came in the course of due diligence, not as a result of any media investigation. A VEDP spokeswoman said 69 opportunity fund projects are under review. I gotta think of the big broader perspective. We got a lot of great projects working, McAuliffe. Garrett said he stands united with McAuliffe on growing the Virginia economy, on which McAuliffe campaigned and built his governorship, but new scrutiny is necessary. Our efforts over the next several weeks have to be centered on trust. It is fundamentally what the people are crying out for, Mr. Speaker. I hope and pray there will be no more false hopes to these other communities on these other 560 projects, Garrett said. 4 Trini ISIS fighters held Based on the requirements under international airlines namely the US and the United Kingdom have declared that if persons are declared to be foreign terrorist fighters (FTF) they will not be allowed entry to board an aircraft for obvious reasons, and that being the case there is no direct flight from Turkey to Trinidad which will mean that they cannot return to Trinidad and Tobago. They will just have to remain where they are and my recommendation is that if someone is labeled as an FTF they should not be allowed to return to our shores and this is in contrast to the views of some who are saying that they should be given a second chance because they are citizens and they have nowhere else to go, Griffith said. Also yesterday, former head of the national operations centre Garvin Heerah said, this country will first have to verify the information under the exchange of information sharing with our international counterparts as related to the parameters of the UN security council resolution as signed by this country. As far as I understand in accordance with Turkish sovereignty and international directives if confirmed these persons can face prosecution by the Turkish authorities in an international court. There are about 80 or more TT nationals believed to be in Syria fighting for ISIS based on information received from intelligence agencies. Sources revealed that the four are from Central and South Trinidad who fled this country during 2012 and 2014. It is believed they travelled through Venezuela and then other countries before reaching Turkey, then Syria. Newsday understands that the four are among a list of 80 persons identified by local intelligence agencies as having travelled to Syria to fight for ISIS. Records with information suggesting are contained in a data base at the officers of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA). The four held are among 961 foreign members of ISIS captured by Turkish security forces, according to an article published in Turkish newspaper, H?rriyet. Let PSC recruit top cop Deosaran noted the new procedure which has been proposed for the selection of a top cop which Parliament will debate this week calls for, an appropriate local firm to be contracted by the PSC to recruit officers for the posts of Police Commissioner and Deputy Police Commissioner. He said the current procedure was more open, meaning both local or foreign firms could have done this. But the noted criminologist, who led the PSC for three years from 2011 to 2014, questioned whether it would be better, particularly under the current economic conditions, to go further and simply remove the role of this recruitment firm completely: leaving the process entirely in the hands of the independent PSC. In view of this guava season, it would be more appropriate to let the PSC do the exercise, Deosaran said. I dont see any harm in that. Otherwise, what you are doing, through the back door, is privatising part of the process unnecessarily. We should raise the bar in having a Constitutional authority hire the post-holder for a Constitutional office. In fact, this is an anomaly in the current process that must be dealt with. Deosaran resigned as PSC chairman in 2014, citing a lack of progress on reform. In a Newsday interview published yesterday, the current chairman of the PSC, Dr Maria Therese Gomes, stated that the Cabinet did not consult with the PSC prior to publishing the proposed new process. Of this, Deosaran said, I do not want to interfere in the tenure of the current chairman, but what I will say is this: the PSC will have to decide whether it wants to be a docile agency, or an assertive Constitutional body. The former PSC head said he is supportive of the idea of limiting candidates to locals. However, he said the orders as currently formulated are, very minimal. This whole situation needs more thoughtfulness in the immediate period, and in the longterm, Deosaran, who is also a former Independent Senator, said. If we go about what we are doing now in the manner that we are doing it, we may not do much better, and we may still end up with a convoluted process. He called for caution from all MPs this week during the planned debate of two motions to annul the orders published last December. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Minister in the Ministry of Attorney General and Legal Affairs Stuart Young, Minister of National Security Major General Edmund Dillon and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie did not immediately reply to queries on the question of consultation with the PSC on the proposed process. US Military Really Didn't Want You to Know What's in New Washington Post Investigation (Newser) A postal worker was on the job in suburban Memphis Friday afternoon when a man apparently tossed acid on her, the Commercial Appeal reports. She was sitting in her truck at the time, WATN notes, and another Commercial Appeal article says the acid struck her face. Unnamed in media reports, the woman drove herself to a hospital and received care for chemical burns; she was later released from another medical center in non-critical condition, police say. The suspect is described as a black male in his 30s who wore dark clothing with a blue skull cap. "We actually give her Christmas gifts every year," neighbor Sam Sanders tells WMCA Action News 5 of the postal worker. "It's unusual for this street. It's pretty quiet over here." A $25,000 reward has been offered for anyone who can help authorities catch the perpetrator. But for Sanders, it means being a little more cautious in Raleigh, a suburb of north-central Memphis. "Just have to be aware, be careful, looking out," he says. (Read more acid attack stories.) (Newser) As the world's ever-more urban population increasingly lives more than three stories above ground, there may be repercussions for anyone suffering a heart attack at the wrong end of a long elevator ride from the ground floor. Medics and other researchers have analyzed 8,216 cardiac arrests in private residences that involved treatment by 911-initiated first responders, and they report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that people are twice as likely to survive a heart attack if they live below the third floor than above it. In fact, only two out of 216 people above the 16th floor survived, and zero out of 30 above the 25th floor did. "The time from arrival on scene to initial patient contact may increase as more of the population comes to live at or above the third floor," the authors write. In other words, ambulances are arriving just as quickly, but elevators are slowing first responders down. More than 400,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in North America every year, with survival to hospital discharge often well below 10%, reports Medical News Today, which adds that for every minute a patient is delayed access to an automated external defibrillator (AED), there's a 7% to 10% drop in one's chance of surviving. As grim as the findings are, researchers note a few potential solutions, including making AEDs more widely available; providing first responders exclusive access to elevators in emergencies; and training residents of high-rise buildings in CPR and using AEDs, the researchers note in a press release. (In one Swiss town, even prostitutes are trained to use AEDs.) (Newser) A 95-year-old German man accused of serving as a medical orderly in a place where more than a million people were murdered will go on trial next month, a court has announced. According to an indictment, former SS sergeant Hubert Zafke was a paramedic at the Auschwitz extermination camp from Aug. 15 to Sept. 14, 1944, making him an accessory to at least 3,681 murders, the BBC reports. During that time, at least 14 trains carrying deported Jews arrived at the Auschwitz complex, including one from the Netherlands carrying Anne Frank and her family, reports Reuters. Frankat 15, just old enough to avoid being sent to the gas chambers automaticallywas imprisoned at the camp before being sent to Bergen-Belsen, where she died in early 1945. Last month, a court ruled that Zafke was fit to stand trial, although the next hearing, scheduled for Feb. 29, will assess his health and the conditions under which he can stand trial, reports Reuters. Prosecutors say that while he may not have directly taken part in any murders, he was aware that he was serving at "an industrial-scale mass murder site." Zafke "lent support to the organization of the camp and was thereby both involved in and advanced the extermination," prosecutors said in a statement, per Deutsche Welle. (Last year, the "accountant of Auschwitz" was found guilty and received a four-year sentence.) (Newser) A prisoner swap that included the release of five Americans held in Iran was almost foiled by a last-minute twist on Sunday: the detention of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian's wife and mother. Rezaian, Marine veteran Amir Hekmati, and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini were about to leave Tehrana fourth American had already departed and a fifth had decided to stay in the countrywhen Rezaian's wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and mother Mary Rezaian "disappeared," a US official tells the New York Times. "Nobody could find them, and they were not answering phones. The Iranians then said there were legal issues that would prevent either from leaving the country." The lead American negotiator who brokered the swap, which he said included Rezaian's family, refused to depart without them. John Kerry called the Iranian foreign minister, who started investigating. Iran's prosecutor general eventually issued an order allowing the family to leave, but American officials couldn't get in contact with them. "We started to conclude that Mary and Yegi were being held to destroy the deal," the official says. After a 12-hour delay, they were finally permitted to board a plane bound for Geneva, per the Guardian. It was "touch-and-go until the last minute," says Jason Rezaian, who's met with editors in Germany, where he's recovering at a military hospital. He says he's "feeling good" after 18 months in an Iranian prison; at one point, he endured 49 days in solitary confinement, but he found solace reading books, per the Washington Post. "I know people are eager to hear from me, but I want to process this for some time," he says. (Read more Jason Rezaian stories.) (Newser) The United Nations released some disturbing numbers Tuesday related to ISIS activity in Iraq, noting that its actions may "amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide," CBS News reports. In the period from Jan. 1, 2014, to Oct. 31, 2015, more than 18,800 civilians were killed by the militant group, and nearly 36,250 were wounded. And the death toll, which the UN calls "staggering," was brought about via beheadings, shootings, burning victims alive, throwing them off buildings, and even bulldozing. But there are others suffering a different horrible fate: Per the report by the UN's Assistance Mission for Iraq and its human rights division, about 3,500 Iraqis are being held as slaves. "Those being held are predominantly women and children and come primarily from the Yezidi community, but a number are also from other ethnic and religious minority communities," the report reads. The report notes that verified information suggests between 800 and 900 Iraqi children in Mosul alone had been snatched for religious indoctrination and to be incorporated into ISIS' military ranks, Business Insider reports. Some of those child soldiers were murdered when they tried to run from fighting in Anbar province, Fox News notes. Others in Iraq who haven't been targeted through outright violence have perished from hunger, thirst, or lack of medical care. "Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq," the UN's human rights chief said in a statement, per Business Insider. (An ISIS fatwa last year instructed members to "be kind" to their sex slaves.) Sean Penn defends himself for earlier criticisms regarding his credentials in interviewing such a notorious drug lord, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman in Mexico. "I'm really sad about the state of journalism in our country ... journalists who want to say that I'm not a journalist. Well, I want to see the license that says that they're a journalist," Sean Penn said in 60 Minutes further mentioning his decision to let the gangster take a look at the actor's drafts before publishing it, LA Times said. "What was brokered for me to have the interview with El Chapo was that I would finish the article, send it to him, and if he said no, then that was no harm, no foul to any reader," he further said. The 10,000-word article sent to Rolling Stone is criticized for 'being very sympathetic' for a drug tycoon like Guzman. Some commented that Penn's article reeks of 'experiential journalism.' But during the interview with Charlie Ross, the 55-year old actor explained that he writes as a human being who spends time with another human. "I don't have to be the one that reports on the alleged murders or the amount of narcotics that are brought in. I go and I spend time in the company of another human being, which everyone is. And I make an observation and try to parallel that, try to balance that with the focus that we - that I believe we - we tend to put too much emphasis on," he said. It was in October when the award-winning actor travels to Mexico with the help of a soap opera actress, Kate del Castillo. The article was only published in the music magazine last month. The drug lord, meanwhile, escaped from prison last summer, according to USA Today. This is not the first time that Sean Penn had extreme escapades. In 2002, he had his first interview at 60 Minutes when he went to Iraq in the heights of US-led coalition invasion and his criticisms against the dictator Saddam Hussein. In 1999, Penn was interviewed as he made headlines for crimes like jail for brawling and reckless driving, CBS News remembered. New footage depicting how Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) captured the 10 American sailors last Tuesday has been released, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is not too happy about it. "I was very angry. I was very, very frustrated and angry that that was released," Kerry told John Berman on CNN's "New Day." "I raised it immediately with the Iranians. It was not put out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the government directly, it was put out I think by the military over there, the (Revolutionary Guard), who is opposed to what we are doing." The video shows American troops being held at gunpoint with their hands behind their heads. The American sailors were captured last Tuesday after two vessels accidentally veered into Iranian waters due to a mechanical issue in one of the boats. Quick negotiations on both parts resulted in the release of the soldiers within 24 hours after being held captive. In regards to those negotiations, Kerry said, "I'm not going to discuss what I said or didn't say, but suffice it to say I made it crystal clear how serious this was, it was imperative to get it solved ... and within hours we had an agreement." The U.S. Military addressed the situation on Monday, stating that the soldiers and Iranian personnel had a verbal exchange prior to being released. There are not details regarding what was said. The Military added that during captivity, Iranian personnel had removed two SIM cards out of the soldiers' satellite phones. Both sides did not open gunfire. The sailors were all in good health upon their release. Moroccan Officials have arrested a Belgian National who is believed to have a "direct" link to the Paris attackers, the state-run media revealed on Monday. The Maghreb Arab Press reported that the suspect, who is of Moroccan descent, was detained near Mohammedia on Friday. The Morocco's Interior Ministry's statement referred to the suspect as "J.A." or "G.A." depending on the translation, the Associated Press reported. In the statement, the interior ministry stated that the suspect had spent time in Syria with the Islamic State, the terrorist group that also goes by ISIS and ISIL. During his stay in Syria, he came into contact with the alleged ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, of the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Belgian national Abaaoud and other suspects were killed in a raid that took place in the Saint Denis suburb. The suspect then left Syria and traveled through Turkey, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands before arriving in Morocco. The interior ministry also reported that the suspect fought with al-Nusra in Syria prior to joining ISIS. A trial will reportedly be started after the investigation is finished. Belgium's Federal Prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt stated that he suspect is Gelel Attar, who is a dual Belgian-Moroccan national. Van Der Sypt stated that the man was previously convicted in Belgium for being involved with a terrorist group. Do not expect to see director Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith at this year's Oscars. The big-name stars have announced that they will be boycotting the award show, which takes place on Feb. 28 due to the lack of diversity after zero African American actors received nominations. A total of 20 white actors were nominated. Smith released a video on Monday on Martin Luther King Day, explaining why she will not be attending or watching the awards show. Smith stated that it time that people of color acknowledge their power and influence in the world by using their own resources to create their own levels of standards. She stated, "It's our responsibility now to make the change. Maybe it is time we pull back our resources and we put them back into our communities, into our programs and we make programs for ourselves that acknowledge us in ways that we see fit, that are just as good as the so-called mainstream ones. ...Begging for acknowledgement or even asking diminished dignity, it diminishes power and we are a dignified people. We are powerful and let's not forget it. So, let's let the Academy do them, with all grace and love, and let's do us differently. I've got nothing but love." Smith ends her speech by congratulating Chris Rock for hosting this year's show. "Hey Chris, I will not be at the Academy Awards and I won't be watching, but I can't think of a better man to do the job at hand than you, my friend," she said. We must stand in our power!We must stand in our power. Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, January 18, 2016 It is unclear whether or not Smith's husband, Will Smith, who delivered a phenomenal performance in the movie, "Concussion" but was not nominated, would be attending the show. Lee declared his and his wife's boycott of the show via Instagram. "How is it possible for the 2nd consecutive year all 20 contenders in the acting category are all white?" he asked. "And Let's Not Even Get Into The Other Branches. 40 White Actors In 2 Years." Lee added: "For too many years when the Oscars nominations are revealed, my office phone rings off the hook with the media asking me my opinion about the lack of African-Americans and this year was no different. For Once, (Maybe) I Would Like The Media To Ask All The White Nominees And Studio Heads How They Feel About Another All White Ballot.... As I See It, The Academy Awards Is Not Where The 'Real' Battle Is. It's In The Executive Office Of The Hollywood Studios And TV And Cable Networks. This Is Where The Gate Keepers Decide What Gets Made And What Gets Jettisoned To 'Turnaround' Or Scrap Heap. This Is What's Important." Lee was awarded an honorary Oscar in November. During his speech then, he also discussed the lack of diversity in executives who work in Hollywood. The United Nations revealed on Tuesday that over the span of 22 months, a "staggering" number of civilians, reaching close to 19,000, in Iraq were killed. The report, which tracked the number of casualties from January 2014 through to October 2015, found that about 50 percent of the 18,802 civilians who died were killed in the capital city of Baghdad. A total of 36,245 Iraqi civilians were injured during this time frame. The report added that the actual numbers could be much higher. "Even the obscene casualty figures fail to accurately reflect exactly how terribly civilians are suffering in Iraq," the U.N. human rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, said in a statement, reported by the New York Times. Aside from deaths and injuries, the report also estimated that the total number of civilians who were displaced within the country was around 3.2 million with one million of the civilians being school-aged children. The U.N. attributed the majority of the deaths to the presence of the Islamic State, a terrorist group that also goes by ISIS and ISIL. "The so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) continues to commit systematic and widespread violence and abuses of international human rights law and humanitarian law. These acts may, in some instances, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide," the report wrote, according to CNN. It added that the Islamic State has carried out numerous and horrific attacks since it seized control over the city of Mosul in June 2014. These attacks, which tended to target ethnic and religious minority groups, included beheadings, burning people alive and bulldozing people to death. The deadliest method for the civilians was explosives via suicide bombers or in vehicles. "Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), including body-borne (BBIED), vehicle-borne (VBIED), and suicide vehicle-borne (SVBIED) devices, were the deadliest tactic used against civilians," the report said. "The remaining civilian casualties were attributed to airstrikes, shelling, small arms fire, burning, beheading, knife attacks, unexploded ordnance, and other means." ISIS also continued to subject women and children mainly from the Yazidi minority group to slavery and sexual violence. Although the majority of the civilian deaths could be tied to ISIS, the report added that pro-government militia could also be held responsible for some of the deaths. The report was put together via the joint efforts of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Data was compiled from the testimonies of eyewitnesses and survivors. For the full report, click here. New Delhi: NIA will subject Punjab police officer Salwinder Singh to a lie-detector test today in connection with its probe into Pathankot terror strike. After the special NIA court on Monday allowed it to conduct the polygraph (lie- detector) test on Singh, the officials of the central terror investigation agency briefed CFSL experts CFSL about the possible questions that he can be asked. Singh, currently posted as Assistant Commandant of 75th Punjab Armed Police, had claimed he was kidnapped by suspected JeM terrorists hours before they attacked the Pathankot Indian Airforce Station in the wee hours of January 2. He was travelling with his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal when the alleged abduction took place. The terrorists had slit Vermas throat, almost killing him, and set Singh and Gopal free before fleeing in the police officers vehicle towards the IAF base. Some alleged inconsistencies in Singhs statements has prompted the agency to subject him to polygraph test. Meanwhile, NIA has failed to have a clear view of the faces of the six terrorists involved in the attack. The agency, which chalked out the possible route taken by the terrorists to travel to IAF base, had sought help from the public to share footages, if any, from CCTV cameras installed in their premises. However, except for a brief coverage at a toll post, the NIA has drawn a blank, sources said, adding even that footage was of little help in carrying forward the probe. Seven security personnel were killed during the three-day terror siege, while six perpetrators were also claimed to have been felled. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Delhi Police is examining a CD that was being waved by Bhavna Arora, the woman who threw ink at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in which she claimed there was material that indicts the city government. We are merely inspecting the CD. If we find any content which might be related to any irregularity, the CD shall be forwarded to the concerned department for investigation, Joint Commissioner of Police (North) Sanjay Singh said. Arora (26), who claims to be the in-charge of Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, continues to be questioned at Model Town police station in northwest Delhi, said an official privy to the investigation. From her interrogation so far, it has emerged that she was not assigned to do what she has done by anyone and had come there on her own. She claims to be a social activist and it is still unclear how she earns a livelihood, said the official. Arora, who is unmarried, is a resident of Rama Vihar area in outer Delhis Rohini sub-city. The police have also recovered some papers which she had thrown near the dais at the venue, before she was whisked by the police. Arora was arrested in the wee hours on Monday after the police received permission from a magistrate to do so. She soon acquired bail by signing a personal bond and appeared at a court in the morning, which sent her to one day police custody. Meanwhile, Transport Minister Gopal Rai claimed that the Delhi government has nothing to do with the documents which she threw at the Chief Minister and that they allegedly refer to the Centre. Rai said that the documents belong to Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) which comes under Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Earlier on Monday, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and was believed to have briefed him about the incident. After the meeting, he told reporters that necessary arrangements were made at the venue and there was no lapse in security. When asked about Kejriwals security, Bassi however did not share details and maintained that adequate security for the Chief Minister has always been in place and it shall continue to be so. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Pongal brought with it all the reasons to celebrate this time as Rajini Murugan starring Shivakarthikeyan did a blasting box-office office business. The movie has broken many records by its collection and many in the industry are hailing it as winner of Pongal race. The movie has broken all previous records by a Shivakarthikeyan movie. The movie has pocketed around Rs. 20 Crore in four days. After a long time the any movie has received such a huge start. Also, it can be said that this is the first block buster movie of 2016. The movie has done well and it is expected that this streak will be continued by other movies also in the near future. Rajini Murugan is Tamil comedy-drama film written and directed by Ponram, in his second venture after Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. London: The UK government has warned that migrants on spousal visas who fail to speak English may face deportation, as it announced a new 20 million pound fund to improve the language skills among migrant Muslim women. Writing in The Times newspaper, Prime Minister David Cameron warned that migrants who failed to improve their fluency in English after two years may face deportation. New rules will mean that from October this year, migrants coming to the UK on a five-year spousal visa with poor or no English skills will have to take a test after two and a half years to show they are making efforts to improve their English. We will now say if you dont improve your fluency, that could affect your ability to stay in the UK. This will help make it clear to those men who stop their partners from integrating that there are consequences, Cameron wrote in a commentary. Arguing that community cohesion is the best antidote to extremism, Cameron pledged to fund English language classes for female migrants. We will also fund a dramatic improvement in the way we provide English language services for women. With a new 20 million pounds programme, we will make sure every woman from isolated communities with no English at all has access to classes, whether through community groups or further education colleges, he writes. Cameron also flagged up the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities as the heart of the language barrier in the country. He writes: We must also make more progress on English language. It is at the heart of solving this. Consider this: new figures show that some 190,000 British Muslim women or 22 per cent speak little or no English despite many having lived here for decades. 40,000 of these women speak no English at all. So it is no surprise that 60 per cent of women of a Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage are economically inactive. The Prime Minister said that English classes will be held in homes, schools and community centres with travel and childcare costs provided to encourage the maximum participation. This is Britain. In this country, women and girls are free to choose how they live, how they dress and who they love. Its our values that make this country what it is, and its only by standing up for them assertively that they will endure, Cameron writes. Segregation, the Prime Minister says, is allowing appalling practices such as female genital mutilation and forced marriage to exist, and increasing vulnerability to recruitment by so-called Islamic State (ISIS) terror group. He also announced a review of the role of Britains religious councils, including Sharia courts, in an effort to confront men who exert damaging control over their wives, sisters and daughters. At the moment, someone can move here with very basic English and theres no requirement to improve it over time. We will change that, Cameron wrote in the commentary. Details of the new English language tests will be unveiled over the next few months. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: Another accused in the hit-and-run case which took a young IAF corporals life was today arrested by the Kolkata Police from the port area of the city. Johny was arrested from a house in the Port Area by our sleuths this morning. He was not traceable since the January 13 incident, Joint CP, Crime, Debashis Boral told PTI here. While the second accused Sonu was arrested from Delhi early yesterday, the main accused Sambia Sohrab was arrested on Saturday from Beckbagan area of the city. Both Sonu and Johny were alleged accomplices of Sambia whose Audi allegedly mowed down the young IAF officer during Republic Day Parade rehearsal. The police are now planning to interrogate the trio to reconstruct the events, the officer said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Google owned video sharing platform YouTube has launched a local version for Pakistan. After which the Pak government has revoked the ban on this video sharing website. But many of the people are wondering the actual reason behind its banning. Actually in the year 2012, a movie known as "Innocence of Muslims" was uploaded on this website. The movie produced by a based group depicted the Prophet Mohammed as a thuggish deviant and triggered protests across the Muslim world including in Pakistan, where more than 20 people died in demonstrations. Pakistan is an Islamic republic with trenchant Blasphemy laws in its constitution. The angered Pakistan citizens demanded a removal of the movie from the website, following which Supreme Court of the country ordered its removal. However, YouTube defied. Untimately the court ordered the banning of Youtube. But last week, the website announced that it is launching a local version for Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which technically meant that authorities can now ask Google to remove content deemed objectionable. New Delhi : The 4-minute video shot and filmed by Indians will give you more reasons to love India. This Teaser is a peep into the world of Indians and their daily life chores. It captures how Indians are moving towards rapid modernisation with technology while giving you all kinds of patriotic vibes. It is the tell tale of those people whose lives are being transformed by Internet. On October 10, 2015 Google India asked citizens to shot a day in their lives. The opening of the video clip has a boy saying, There's nothing in this country that you can't do, you just need to get out of your bed and do it man. The preview was originally shown during Google CEO Sundar Pichai's India visit in December has only just been released to the public by Google. From mountains, village lives, farmlands, working farmers, young kids on Internet to the five families that share one wifi connection, the video shows how despite all the odds, woes that the people grapple with Indians are full of optimism and disparity. The video is directed by Richie Mehta, alongwith Anurag Kashyap and Ridley Scott. Its full of people, diversity, technology, communication, education, essence of India, population, India In A Day presents what a day means in the life of an Indian. Watch out Googles India In A Day teaser below: New Delhi: Asin, the versatile actress is getting married today with Business tycoon Rahul Sharma in Delhi. While the marriage will surely grab headlines by the night here is what we all know about this celebrity wedding. While the will undoubtedly be listed among the most adorable list of the industry here we bring some facts for you about this wedding. Asin and Rahul are perfect match as bride in person is one of few actress who had nothing in their hands when they came to industry while Mr. Sharma is credited for the success of tech giant Micromax. Venue The celeb couple is going to get hitched their vows at the Dusit Devarana resort in New Delhi in a private family gathering. This is the hotel (@DusitDevarana ) where #Asin will be getting married to @rahulsharma on 19th January YS pic.twitter.com/YflpXwIKR3 Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 17, 2016 Wedding Rituals: Christians and Hindus both Both Christian and Hindu rituals will be followed separately for the wedding. The duo will have a Christian wedding in the morning and a Hindu wedding ceremony at night. In the day, a white-themed wedding will take place at a makeshift Church created in the premises itself while the night will be decorated with a mandap for Hindu wedding. Both the ceremonies will be attended only by the family members and close friends. Exclusive News: Christian wedding will be in the morning and Hindu wedding ceremony at night YS @rahulsharma pic.twitter.com/zxJiR1t2Yj Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 16, 2016 Wedding Card It was Asin who shared her wedding invite on social media, the 'best man' Akshay Kumar gave fans another treat by sharing the reception invite too. Akshay Kumar, the man who made Asin meet Rahul, was the first one to receive the invite for Mumbai reception. The best man at the wedding obviously gets the first card of the Wedding reception Y@Akshaykumar #ARwedding #MumbaiMainInvite #Bestiegetsfirstdibs A photo posted by Asin Thottumkal (@simply.asin) on Jan 9, 2016 at 11:29am PST Wardrobe The 'Ghajini' actress will reportedly be wearing a Sabyasachi Mukherjee's creations for her Hindu wedding, while a Vera Wang for the Christian wedding. Private Parties It is also reported that after this party, the couple will throw a private house party on January 20 at Rahul's Farmhouse at Sonali Farms and West End Greens. Some reports also suggest that another one in Mumbai on January 23 too for the film fraternity members. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Colombo : Mohamed Nasheed, the former Maldives president serving a 13-year jail sentence on terror charges, has arrived here on his way to London for urgent medical treatment, his party said today. Nasheed, 48, arrived last night in Colombo and will be leaving by a Srilankan Airlines direct flight to London later today, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) sources said. He is currently lodged at a five star hotel in Colombo and is expected to leave for London for a back surgery. Nasheed was supposed to leave on Sunday after a deal brokered by diplomats from India and Sri Lanka as well as Britain, but his departure was delayed as the government imposed new conditions on his trip. The government was insisting that he nominate a family member to stay in the capital Male to guarantee his return. Nasheed initially refused the government request to leave a family member behind who had to sign as a guarantor for his return, but finally agreed to the offer. According to Maldivian government, Nasheed had signed an undertaking to return after his treatment and his brother has agreed to act as guarantor. Nasheed, the countrys first democratically elected leader, was sentenced to 13 years in jail in March over the arbitrary arrest of chief criminal judge Abdullah Muhammed during his presidency. He was elected in 2008, ending three decades of rule by former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Nasheed resigned as the Maldives leader in February 2012 after weeks of protests over the judges arrest on corruption allegations. The former president had appealed his prison sentence after backtracking on his earlier decision and opted to go to the Supreme Court instead. In his appeal, Nasheed had sought a lesser penalty under the new penal code that came into effect in November. The Supreme Court had also been asked to nullify the charges lodged against him in the lower court and the subsequent sentence. India, the US and the European Union had all expressed concern over Nasheeds imprisonment and conviction. His conviction drew widespread criticism over the apparent lack of due process in the 19-day trial. The current President Abdulla Yameen was elected in controversial polls in 2013 and is the half-brother of Gayoom. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hyderabad: The HRD ministry had written as many as five letters to Hyderabad University on Labour Minister Bandaru Dattareyas complaint regarding anti national activities on the campus and the violent attack on an ABVP leader but maintained it was standard procedure on such VIP references. Questions have been raised about the HRD ministrys five letters, which have been blamed as one of the major reasons for the suicide of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student, which has snowballed into a massive political row. HRD officials however claimed that after Dattatreya, MP from Secunderabad, wrote the letter on August 17 last year, the ministry only followed the standard practice by writing to the University on September 3, seeking the issues raised by the MoS may be examined and facts intimated. It would be wrong to say that the Ministry has put any pressure on the Hyderabad University. The Ministry had only followed the procedure as per the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure. According to the procedure, if there is a VIP reference, it has to be acknowledged in 15 days and another 15 days may be taken to reply to it. Since no response was coming from the University, the Ministry had to send reminders, HRD Ministry spokesperson Ghanshyam Goel said. After its first letter, the ministry sent four reminders on - September 24, October 6, October 20 and November 19 last year, to the University seeking facts expeditiously so that it could respond to the Minister of State Dattatreya. HRD officials said the University finally provided a reply only on January 7, this year. An official said not only are the ministries supposed to reply in a time bound manner to VIP reference, but even in Cabinet meetings, the number of pending references, greivances, assurances etc has to be shared which makes it important that these are pursued. HRD minister Smriti Irani, who today visited Assam and accompanied the Prime Minister to IIIT Guwahati, had yesterday said the government neither intervenes in functioning of the university nor does it have administrative control over it. Political row The suicide by a dalit student of Hyderabad University today snowballed into a major issue with BJPs rivals wading into it and demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, accusing them of being responsible for the death. As Congress mounted the demand for the sacking of the HRD and Labour Ministers, Rahul Gandhi led the multi-party charge attacking them and the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao saying The VC and the Union Ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. Though he did not name Irani, who had just over the week attacked Rahul in his constituency Amethi of failing youths there, the reference was obvious to her against the backdrop of ministrys action which is blamed for the suicide by Rohith Vemula, a dalit research scholar, on Sunday night. Protests escalated in Hyderabad and cities across the country including in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Student organisations including the pro-Left AISA and AAP-backed CYSS and Congress NSUI held protests in Jantar Mantar and the HRD ministry in the capital demanding the sacking of the ministers and strong action against the VC. Various political parties and leaders have blamed Labour Minister Dattatreyas letter of Aug 17 last year to Irani seeking action against the anti national activities of a students union and the alleged assault of an ABVP leader and a series of five communications from the HRD Ministry between Sept 3 and Nov 19 demanding follow up action for the suicide. The HRD ministry, however, today rejected allegations that it had put any pressure on the University relating to either suspension of Rohith or keeping him out of the hostel. The communications, it maintained, was not aimed at putting pressure but was in compliance with the standard protocol adopted in accordance with the Central Secretariat Manual of Procedure whenever a VIP Reference is received. The Centre has received a factual report from the Telangana government on alleged suicide by a dalit student for which Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor have been named in the FIR. It is a factual report detailing the incident of alleged suicide of Rohit Vemula and the action taken by the police, a Home Ministry official said. The report, based on the investigation and action by the Hyderabad Police, said Rohit was found hanging in the universitys hostel room yesterday and his post mortem report was still awaited. Dattatreya and the Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the dalit student, triggering massive protests and demands for their removal from their posts. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against them for their anti-national acts. Rohit was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also denied access to the hostel. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Maharashtra government today decided to repair its Dauphin helicopter at a cost of Rs 24 crore instead of buying a new chopper. The decision was taken at a meeting of the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, here. The government will save Rs 100 crore it would have otherwise spent on acquiring a new helicopter, an official said after the meeting. The Dauphin, at present grounded, was acquired in 2001 for Rs 23 crore. In 2010 the state government was looking for two new twin-engine helicopters to fly VIPs by replacing the Dauphin. The Directorate of Aviation of the Maharashtra Government had in 2010 invited sealed quotation from manufacturers too. One of the major requirement cited then was that the helicopters should be able to fly 300 nautical miles leg with reserve fuel from the Juhu helipad and the choppers should have a seating capacity of six people excluding the crew. The state government now uses a Sikoesky S76C chopper, acquired in December 2011, to ferry VIPs. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Lyricist-actor Piyush Mishra today said the arrest of TV comedian Kiku Sharda was a murder of freedom of expression. Actor Sikander Kher too voiced the same sentiment. Sharda was recently arrested for mimicking the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and subsequently released. It is anarchism, stupidity and insulting... It is like killing the freedom of expression, Mishra told reporters at the trailer launch of Tere Bin Laden- Dead or Alive here. Mishras co-star in the film, actor Manish Paul, said if a person is imitating someone, it means he is doing it out of respect. Everyone has their own comedy.... Our motive is to bring a smile to peoples faces but if they have a problem with that then we cannot do anything about that, he said. Sikander, who also stars in the film, said people cannot be arrested for their comedy. Its absolutely preposterous. Its killing of freedom of expression. Comedy is comedy world over. People should laugh, you cant arrest somebody, he said. To which Mishra added, Deepak Dobriyal had said on a news channel that he (Ram Rahim Singh) came and made a joke of the film industry by making MSG (his film, Messenger of God), so why cant we make fun of him? Asked about the growing number of adult comedies in Bollywood, Paul said these films have an audience too. If you dont like it then dont watch it, he said. Mishra, who has starred in the bold comedy The Shaukeens, however, said there should be some limit. I disagree. There should be some limit... You cant show anything. My sister and mother are sitting beside me and you cannot show anything. To which Paul said, Sir films like these are not to be watched with sisters... Directed by Abhishek Sharma, Tere Bin Laden- Dead or Alive is a sequel to the 2010 Tere Bin Laden. The film is scheduled to release on February 19. Mexico City: Mexican authorities are investigating whether actress Kate del Castillo received illegal funds from drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman for her tequila business, the attorney general said in an interview published today. But Attorney General Arely Gomez told El Universal newspaper that US actor Sean Penn is not being investigated over his October meeting with Guzman, which Del Castillo arranged. Gomez said there are signs that Guzman invested in the US-Mexican actresss company, which makes the tequila brand Honor Del Castillo. Such a financial transaction, if proven, would constitute money laundering, she said. Prosecutors have called Del Castillo, a 43-year-old US-Mexican TV star, to testify as a witness over her links to Guzman, 58. The actress has come under scrutiny since it was revealed that she exchanged affectionate text messages with Guzman and brokered the meeting between Penn and the Sinaloa drug cartel leader. As for Penn, Gomez said, he is not being investigated for anything. Guzman was recaptured on January 8 in Los Mochis, a seaside city in his northwestern home state of Sinaloa, six months after his brazen tunnel escape from a maximum-security prison. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Just 72 hours ago no one knew who is Rohith Vemula, a PHD scholar of Hyderabad University and today this name is buzzing in the political arena. The fire is not only limited to Hyderabad or South India but all across the nation. Now, the opposition is trying to bake its political bread in the pyre of an innocent student. Its a big question why people are taking up the issue so much as students committing suicide is a common thing in this country due to various reasons, but this student was a Dalit which makes things more complicated. All started on Sunday after the second year PhD student at University of Hyderabad, committed suicide by hanging. Not only this, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and University vice chancellor Appa Rao have been booked under SC/ST act for the death. Dalit students all across the nation are protesting over this issue and JNU students have written letter to HRD minister Smriti Irani to remove the Hyderabad University's VC. Vemula was active in student politics, but was deep depression after he was suspended from campus activities and expulsion from hostel due to disciplinary issues. This incident occurred in August last year, when the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), along with Ambedkar Reading Group, University of Delhi, Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, IIT Madras, ASA (TISS) in Mumbai and concerned students from IIT Bombay issued a joint statement slamming an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) attack on screening of Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hain. Later, ASA's University of Hyderabad chapter organised a protest demonstration. Not only that, the students also opposed the death of Yakub Memon. Five Dalit students Dontha Prashanth, Rohith Vemula, Vijay Kumar, Seshu Chemudugunta and Sunkanna, who were top leaders in ASA were asked to vacate their hostel rooms in January 2016. They were also socially boycotted and denied access to hostels and other buildings on the campus except their classroom, library and conferences and workshops related to their subject of study. The five Dalit alleged students were also not allowed to take part in the campus elections. The students allege the local BJP MLC, RSS supporters asked the VC to expel the five on false allegations. The death caught political fire when, Rohith used blue banner of ASA for hanging. From last 15 days all the five students were protesting against the varsity notice and sleeping in open. According to students, this issue could have handled carefully by administration but bock down under political pressure. After the news of his suicide broke, various student activist groups have expressed their solidarity and support. Not even that, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited the campus and blamed the VC and the Union Ministers in Delhi over the death. Now, the big question lies when will our law makers stop politicising deaths of students. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hyderabad: Noted writer Ashok Vajpeyi today decided to return D.Litt given to him by Hyderabad University in protest against the anti-dalit attitude of authorities which has allegedly driven a dalit student to commit suicide. A dalit student, Rohith Vemula, who wanted to be a writer was driven to commit suicide due to anti-dalit and intolerance of dissent shown. I have decided to return the award in protest against university authorities, (who were) presumably acting under political pressure, Vajpeyi told PTI. The former Lalit Kala Akademi chairman, who was awarded D.Litt (Doctor of Letters, honoris causa) by the Central University of Hyderabad few years ago, said the institution has acted against human dignity and knowledge. Vemula, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the University in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya, Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. Vajpeyi was among the first to return his Sahitya Akademi award to the government criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking up against various incidents of violence against writers and activists. A total of 39 writers had returned their awards protesting against the Akademis alleged silence on the murder of fellow writer and Sahitya Akademi board member M M Kalburgi as well as against the growing communal atmosphere following the Dadri lynching incident. Vajpeyi had received the Sahitya award in 1994 for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin. Terming the suicide by a dalit student of Hyderabad University as unfortunate, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today came to the defence of his ministerial colleague Bandaru Dattatreya saying he was innocent and that the central government is with him. The Union Minister is innocent... The central government is with him, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Naqvi told reporters here. Naqvi said efforts should be made to offer help to the family of the student but what was being done by the opposition parties was completely the opposite. Congress yuvraj Rahul Gandhi rushes there as soon as the incident takes place to rub salt and this is not right, he said, adding all these were guided by political ill will. The HRD Ministry has ordered an inquiry and an FIR has been lodged, Naqvi added. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit student. Twenty-six-year-old Vemula Rohit, a PhD scholar, was found hanging at the Central Universitys hostel room on the campus on Sunday. To a question on Subramanian Swamy and other BJP leaders statements on the Ram temple issue, Naqvi said that in a democracy, everyone has the right to speak. But the country is run as per the Constitution and law, and people will accept whatever the court decides... As far as the government is concerned, it is moving ahead in the direction of building the temple of nation, Naqvi said. To a question on sugarcane prices, he said that the state government was working irresponsibly while the Centre was extending all help to farmers. In the wake of the terror attack on the Air Force base in Pathankot, he said, all those posing a threat to the national security will not be spared. The HRD Ministry should not be blamed for the suicide by a dalit scholar of Hyderabad Central University as it concerns the institution, Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha today said while assuring that action will be taken on basis of the report of a fact-finding committee. Commenting on the massive row over the death of the student, the Minister of State for HRD said the ministry has already set up the fact-finding committee. That committee will tell what is the issue all about... whatever action the ministry has to take as per the facts that come out after the committee examines the issue. The issue seems to be of administrative nature and one that concerns the institution. Why should HRD ministry be targeted for this? Kushwaha said. The suicide by Rohith Vemula of Hyderabad University today snowballed into a major issue with BJPs rivals wading into it and demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya. Hyderabad Central University(HCU) Vice Chancellor Appa Rao, who is at the centre of a raging controversy over the suicide of a dalit student, today ruled out his resignation on the demand made by aggrieved students. Rao also sought to distance the HRD Ministry and the two ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya from the decisions taken by the University which allegedly forced the student Rohit Vemula to take the extreme step. I am not going to consider such kind of demand, he said when asked whether he would consider quitting the post as demanded by students who are now being backed by several political parties. The students, Rao said, have made the demand in a situation in which they feel they are aggrieved and have asked for his resignation. Anything has to come through a proper method and has to go through an established process. Decisions are taken in a cool atmosphere. If an appropriate committee considers the whole issue and finds if I have done anything wrong then I can consider, he said. Asked about the alleged intervention by the HRD ministry on the basis of a letter written by Dattatreya, Rao said it is a common practice for peoples representatives to write routinely on common mans grievances. It is entirely universitys decisions (relating to Rohit) and it has nothing to do with the HRD ministry, he said. HCU Chancellor C Rangarajan said the incident was very regrettable and that it should not have happened. He, however, pleaded ignorance about the details. As a Chancellor, I am not apprised of all these details...I do not know the sequence of events like that because that is not the role of the Chancellor. All that I can say is that it is a very regrettable event. It should not have happened. Its an extremely sad event, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The City Council voted 4 to 2 on Jan. 13 to award a $119,010 contract to Yong Construction Co. of Valley to replace a bridge with a box culvert on 11th Street south of Kansas Street. Matt Rief of Olsson Associates recommended the firm after receiving several bids on the project. The city is replacing an old narrow bridge that crosses the creek that feeds the citys park ponds. Rief said that he did extra research on the firm after learning that it was a relatively new company. After concerns arose about the length of time the firm would take to complete the project, Rief asked the Council to approve a change order spelling out a $500-per day penalty for the company for each day that passes beyond the date of substantial completion, May 1, and the date of completion of remaining work, on May 31. The construction is set to begin in mid February and take 60 days. Olsson Associates will provide oversight of the project. Yongs bid was $9,000 lower than M.E. Collins, the next lowest bid. Councilmen Tom Kobus and Mike Rogers both noted that they thought M.E. Collins would be the better choice, even at the higher price. However, Council members discussed whether the city had any legal risk if it didnt choose the lowest bid. Rief explained, and he received some clarification from City Attorney Jim Egr, that the city faced some risk if the city couldnt show the low bidder did subpar work. Some of these companies are starting to bite back, Egr said. Rodgers moved to hire M.E. Collins and Kobus seconded. The two councilmen provided the only yes votes while council members Kevin Hotovy, Gary Kroesing and John Vandenberg voted no. Mayor Alan Zavodny was asked to vote because Councilman Gary Smith was absent. I respect the reasons for wanting Collins, Zavodny said. We know their work. Yongs contract was approved 4-2 with Rogers and Kobus voting no. The Council discussed the need to get the project done in a timely fashion. Residents of Hildy Addition south of the bridge will be have to drive south to County Road 34 and over to Nebraska 15 to get into David City. Street Department supervisor Sod Rech said that city crews will need to get into the addition to clear snow. Health class Saturday at CPL COLUMBUS Columbus Public Library will host a healthy lifestyle class at 2 p.m. Saturday in the library auditorium. Registered nurse Joan Plummer will be the presenter. Healthy treats will be provided. This class is free, and no registration is needed. Storytelling program set SCHUYLER The public is invited to attend a free storytelling program with Linda Garcia Perez at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Schuyler Public Library. Abuelita (grandmother) Stories I Heard When I was a Girl is made possible by a grant from the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Quick contest at art gallery COLUMBUS The Columbus Art Gallery is hosting the Ernestine Quick Memorial Art Competition and Exhibit through Feb. 27. The public is invited to attend a reception and awards presentation from 2-4 p.m. Jan. 24 in the gallery, hosted by the Columbus Womens Club. The Ernestine Quick Memorial Art Competition & Exhibit is an annual fine arts competition which draws artists from across Nebraska. Exhibits will include pottery, sculpture, and paintings in oils, acrylics, pastels, watercolor, and mixed media. The juror for the 2016 event will be Lynn Soloway, art professor at Concordia University in Seward. This exhibit is sponsored by Jeannie Kiser in memory of her mother, Margie L. Kiser. For more information or gallery hours, call 402-563-1016 or visit www.discoverthearts.org. Cemetery group to meet DUNCAN The Jackson Cemetery Association will have an annual meeting at 1 p.m. Monday at the fire hall in Duncan. The meeting is open to the public. Bus trip to Omaha slated COLUMBUS The Columbus Arts Council will be sponsoring an all day bus trip Jan. 30 to visit the Omaha Cathedral Flower Festival and the Joslyn Art Museum. The bus will leave Columbus at 8:30 a.m. and will return at approximately 6 p.m. The price is $60 per person for CAC members and $65 for non-members. The price includes transportation, boxed lunch at the Cafe Durham/Joslyn Museum, continental breakfast and snacks on the bus. There is a freewill offering at the flower festival. Admission to the Joslyn Museum is free, but if you would like to visit the Go West, Art of the American Frontier exhibit there will be a $10 admission fee. For more information or to make a reservation, call Lisa or Mary at 402-563-1016. COLUMBUS State Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus wants to erect a few barriers to the current practice used by some property owners to pass their estate on to their children while leaving taxpayers to pick up the bill for long-term Medicaid costs. My priority bill will probably be to stop the practice of passing on the estate to the kids and passing the taxes on to the taxpayers, said Schumacher while summing up the first few weeks of the 2016 session of the Nebraska Legislature. The Columbus senator said the common practice with estate planning has been to prepare an elderly person to qualify under Medicaids income guidelines while preserving the estate for the family heirs. I want to put some (legal) impediments along the way, Schumacher told a roomful of about 25 people at the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerces annual legislative breakfast Monday morning. Its not a happy bill, but it has to be looked at, he said. Schumacher is serving his second four-year term. Schumacher is also expecting lawmakers to continue to take a look at how mental health care is delivered in the state. The senator met last year with a local working group to come up with suggestions for addressing treatment gaps that have opened up in recent years. Mental health has been terribly, terribly neglected, said Schumacher, who has written a bill that calls for the establishment of five crisis centers where local governmental entities could take patients for mental health treatment. The proposal may not make it through the Legislature to passage, but it at least does put a price tag on funding for lawmakers to discuss, Schumacher said. Property taxes promise to be front and center this year in Lincoln. Proposals by Gov. Pete Ricketts would tighten limits on budget growth and levy increases for all local governments, and slow the rise in government-assessed cropland values across the state. Half of the proposal would limit statewide aggregate growth in agricultural land valuations to 3 percent, and tighten levy and spending limits that already apply to local governments. The other component of the property tax package would clamp down on school district spending, restricting the amount districts can stockpile in their reserves each year and how much potential budget growth they can carry over from year to year. The proposals will be a major topic we discuss this year, Schumacher said. There will be a lot of proposals for property tax relief, suggestions that taxpayers have been unwilling to pay. I see no magic ways to address the tax issue. The senator said he also thinks he and his colleagues will spend time this session to discuss income commitments made by local governments to fund pensions for workers in the court system, law enforcement and education. Dangerous malware used to plunge Ukraine into darkness gives glimpse of what a cyber attack against the United States could look like A malicious piece of malware infected three regional power grids in Ukraine, which plunged hundreds of thousands of homes into darkness last week, according to researchers. The charade gave experts a glimpse of what a major attack on Americas power grid might look like. According to the report, the power outage was a consequence of malware that disconnected electrical substations. They claim the malware led to destructive events, which resulted in a major black out. Researchers from the firm iSIGHT Partner claim they have collected samples of the code that contaminated at least three regional operators. Its a milestone because weve definitely seen targeted destructive events against energy before oil firms, for instance but never the event which causes the blackout, John Hultquist, head of iSIGHTs cyber espionage intelligence practice, told sources. Its the major scenario weve all been concerned about for so long.(1) BlackEnergy turns lights out for thousands of Ukrainians Experts from antivirus provider ESET verified that various Ukrainian power authorities were victims of BlackEnergy, a package discovered two years ago that is as ominous as it sounds and renders infected computers useless. Recently, ESET discovered that BlackEnergy had been updated with a new component dubbed KillDisk, which decimates essential parts of a computer hard drive and cripples industrial control systems.(1) In the past few years, the charlatans behind BlackEnergy have increased their destructive capabilities. Late last year, for instance, advisory from Ukraines Computer Emergency Response Team reported that the KillDisk module infected media outlets in the country, which destroyed videos and other web content that proved to be unrecoverable.(1) These episodes of distress gave researchers an idea of what a major cyber attack in the United States could look like. An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on American infrastructure would bring the economy to a grinding halt. Such an attack isnt just theoretical, however. While the threat of nuclear war still exists, it has significantly retreated in wake of cyber attacks, explains American broadcast journalist Ted Koppel in his book Lights Out: A Cyber Attack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath. The internet provides instant, often anonymous access to the operations that enable our critical infrastructure systems to function safely and efficiently. In March 2015 the Government Accountability Office issued a report warning that the air traffic control system is vulnerable to cyber attacks. This, the report concluded with commendable understatement, could disrupt air traffic control operations. If, however, an adversary of this country has its goal inflicting maximum damage and pain on the largest number of Americans, there may not be a more productive target than one of our electrical power grids.(2) Federal government clueless about how to deal with aftermath of cyber attack Given the unprecedented nature of the attack, the federal government currently does not have a plan of action if such a debacle were to occur. There are plans for earthquakes, floods, tornado and hurricanes, but no such plan for a major cyber attack. To make matters worse, a massive cyber attack would last longer and cover a wider area than most natural disasters. A cyber attack on one of Americas three major power grids would shroud millions of people into darkness for weeks, or even months. This means there would be no electric light, heat, refrigeration, running water or waste disposal. According to Koppel, there is a general consensus among experts that China and Russia are capable of launching a major cyber attack against the United States but probably wont. Nevertheless, there is growing concern that Russia, North Korea and terrorist groups like ISIS could use the internet as a means for mass destruction. According to a recent report provided by iSIGHT, a dangerous increase in malware-controlled conflict could have reverberations for industrialized nations across the globe. Sources include: (1) TheBigWobble.org (2) Amazon.com Submit a correction >> Police campaign results reported COLUMBUS Columbus Police officers made nine arrests for driving under the influence during the recently completed You Drink & Drive, You Lose campaign targeting impaired drivers. In addition to the DUIs, officers made 13 arrests for violations that included driving under suspension, outstanding warrants and drug violations. Police also issued 64 citations and 132 written warnings. The department received a $4,725 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety for the campaign conducted Dec. 18-Jan. 3. Computer class deadline nears COLUMBUS Central Community College-Columbus will offer a Basic Excel 2010 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 27. Preregistration is required by Wednesday. The cost, which includes a book, is $105 per class. For more information or to register, contact Sue Mahlin at 402-562-1409; toll-free at 1-877-222-0780, ext. 1409; or email smahlin@cccneb.edu. Comedy show set Jan. 30 at bar COLUMBUS Two popular comedians will make a stop in Columbus at 8 p.m. Jan. 30 at Obornys Husker Bar, sponsored by the Great American Comedy Festival committee in Norfolk. Rob Haze was a finalist in NBCs Stand Up for Diversity in 2012 and was a part of its 2013 college tour, while Mark Pittas career goes back to the San Francisco comedy scene of the 1980s and appearances on The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. Pitta also was the host of Foxs Totally Hidden Video in the early 1990s. For more information or tickets, visit www.greatamericancomedyfestival.com. Tickets are also available at Obornys. Campus visit day at Central CC GRAND ISLAND Prospective students who want to see Central Community College are invited to attend Campus Visit Day from 9 a.m.-noon Feb. 3 at its campuses in Columbus, Grand Island and Hastings. Attendees will have a chance to tour the campus, meet faculty, and learn about financial aid and scholarships. For more information or to preregister for Campus Visit Day, contact the appropriate admissions office. In Columbus: Erica Leffler at 402-562-1435; toll-free at 1-877-222-0780, ext. 1435; or email eleffler@cccneb.edu. For additional information or to register online, visit www.cccneb.edu/CampusVisits. Individual campus visits also are available by appointment Monday through Friday. Computer classes set for February COLUMBUS Central Community College-Columbus will offer the following computer classes in the Student Center in February: Intermediate Word 2010 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 10 in Room 179. Intermediate Excel 2010 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 24 in Room 176. Preregistration is required at least a week in advance. The cost, which includes a book, is $105 per class. For more information or to register, contact Sue Mahlin at 402-562-1409; toll-free at 1-877-222-0780, ext. 1409; or email smahlin@cccneb.edu. Russia is in the process of building a global nuclear empire and no one seems to be taking notice Russia is on a quest to create a global nuclear empire with risks that go beyond the threat of nuclear power. With forces grounded in Ukraine and Syria, Russia has a proclivity for foreign policies that outsiders, at least on the surface, do not understand. Given the post-Fukushima disaster, Russias goal to be at the forefront of nuclear energy seems bound for failure. Nevertheless, the country has still managed to attract the attention of investors with deep pockets. Russia has been surreptitious in their efforts to become a global nuclear empire, which has so far gone unchallenged by the handful of people capable of swaying international discourse. Russias model to become a nuclear regime is fairly simple. The countrys nuclear energy program extends back to the advent of nuclear power. Their state-owned nuclear vendor, Rosatom, can provide the industrys entire range of products and services. In addition, in the last five years, Russia has been secretly cornering the nuclear energy market, signing off contracts to install nuclear power plants with over 30 countries.(1) Russias nuclear power diplomacy takes international stage Consequently, Russias nuclear power diplomacy has made its way onto an international stage. Countries that have signed nuclear power plant contracts with Russia are spread across the globe. These include Argentina, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. In 2014, Russia planned to build 29 nuclear facilities abroad. Rosatom states they hope to increase that number to 80 within a few years.(1) Other countries, like the United States and France, are also capable of creating nuclear power plants abroad. Regardless, no other country has relentlessly pursued and cashed-in on the international demand for nuclear energy more than Russia. The fact that Russia has been able to maintain nuclear power agreements following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster demonstrates that, from a global perspective, the decline in nuclear energy is not as steep as previously believed. Russias ability to secure a catalog of nuclear power contracts suggests nuclear energy may even rise in the long-term. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates $750 billion will be made from the stream of revenue created by nuclear technologies between now and 2025. Since Rosatom claims to have a monopoly on the international nuclear industry, vast amounts of that revenue stream will go to Kremlins bank account. The nuclear industry will stand firmly alongside oil and natural gas as an adhesive to an otherwise crippled economy.(1) Moscow secures nuclear facilities abroad for the long-term The fact that Russia has secured so many nuclear facilities abroad should not be understated. Nuclear power plants take years to build and maintain. The average lifespan for a nuclear power plant is 40 years, and the United States even hopes to extend the lifespan of its nuclear facilities to 80 years. The construction of Russias power plants will stretch across the globe and last for decades, or maybe even centuries.(2) Furthermore, Moscow has also secured contracts with countries like Turkey predicated on a build-own-operate framework, which would enable Russia to build, own and permanently operate a nuclear facility in other countries. When seen from this perspective, Russias nuclear facilities are more like military bases than they are power plants.(1) Western influence is expected to continue to weaken in states like Egypt, Turkey and Algeria. Russias presence abroad will provide Moscow with intelligence opportunities that would otherwise be extremely difficult or next to impossible to obtain. Currently, Russia is in a good position to continue broadening its nuclear power diplomacy. Nevertheless, Russias expanded sphere of influence will not go forever unnoticed. Alternative nuclear companies may burgeon in the medium-term. Just this week, for instance, China secured an agreement with the United Kingdom to authorize a nuclear power plant in Essex. Although the agreement is small change in comparison to Russias contracts, the deal may mark a Russia-China nuclear empire rivalry in the near future. Sources include: (1) GlobalRiskInsights.com (2) FukushimaWatch.com Submit a correction >> Greedy feds have already grabbed over 53% of Oregons land, forcing humans into controlled cities No matter what the final outcome, one of the most important aspects of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is that it has drawn public attention to the ongoing federal land grab part of a scheme that threatens not only the Western states where the feds already own more than 40 percent of the land, but ultimately our entire way of life in the United States. The scheme is referred to by many names Agenda 21, The Wildlands Project, sustainable development, etc. but the common thread is that this is all part of a globalist plot to control the land and the population that is being disguised as an environmental program. It is beyond the scope of this article to fully describe the entire U.N.-backed Agenda 21 program, but I urge every reader to investigate the truth regarding one of the most sinister threats our nation has ever faced. A little background From an address by George H. W. Bush to the General Assembly of the United Nations on February 1, 1992: It is the sacred principles enshrined in the United Nations charter to which the American people will henceforth pledge their allegiance. Yes, he actually said that, and the statement clearly illustrates the fact that we are no longer a sovereign nation where private property rights are respected and in which the populace has a right to decide where to work and live. So what exactly is Agenda 21? The OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms defines Agenda 21 as the plan of action to achieve sustainable development that was adopted by the world leaders at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992. Sustainable development is essentially a philosophy based on the premise of controlling economic development so that natural resources will not be depleted in the long run. On the surface, it sounds like a noble ideal, but in reality the term is a smokescreen for the real agenda, which is to take control of the land while forcing people to live in tightly controlled urban environments under the close supervision of the government which has now been taken over by the globalist elite. The UNs own website explains: Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment. The Wildlands Project is part of this comprehensive plan of action. From CitizensReviewOnline.org: Step by step, piece by piece, the Wildlands Project is coming to fruition. The Project, foundational to the U.N.Biodiversity [sic] Treaty which was never ratified by the U.S. Senate, calls for approximately 50 percent of the United States to be set aside as wildlands, where no human can enter. From control of the water to taking land out of private ownership to protecting numerous species all the pieces of the puzzle work together to form the complete picture. People remain unaware of the size and scope of the operation because land is being taken in the name of endangered species. Occupy Malheur is the tip of the iceberg When you take into account the fact that over 53 percent of the land in Oregon has already been seized by the feds, you begin to understand why the occupiers of the Malheur Refuge along with many other Oregon residents and those beyond that states borders who have researched the issues are so upset with the Bureau of Land Management and the federal government in general. These people are already feeling the effects of the globalist agenda, and the rest of us had better sit up and take notice before its too late. Sources: AllNewsPipeline.com OurRepublicOnline.com Stats.OECD.org CitizenReviewOnline.org DemocratsAgainstUNAgenda21.com GovernAmerica.com Submit a correction >> This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DANBURY More than a year after his trial ended in a hung jury, a former Bethel restaurant owner accused of sexually assaulting two employees will soon stand trial a second time. Antonio Tony Fernandes, 53, will appear Wednesday in state Superior Court in Danbury, where a judge could set a date for the new jury trial. Fernandes, who owned Tonellis on Grassy Plain Street, first stood trial in October 2014, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict after six days of deliberation. The Bethel resident was charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault in 2013, months after two waitresses said he raped them in separate incidents in 2011. He faces up to 40 years in prison. Fernandes has claimed he had consensual sexual relations with the two women, according to his arrest warrant affidavit. His attorney, Eugene Zingario, said he hopes Fernandes is eventually vindicated. Mr. Fernandes has maintained his innocence since the first day of the case, Zingaro said. The lawyer, as well as Assistant States Attorney Sharmese Hodge, said a jury could be selected within the next several months. Zingaro said the long wait for a new trial was because of court scheduling issues, not because either party tried to delay the process. This is a serious felony matter, Zingaro said. Were searching for the right result, not the quick and easy result. One of the women, who was 20 at the time, said she was walking to a storage room at the back of the restaurant one night in December 2011 when Fernandes wrapped his arms around her waist and sexually assaulted her, according to court records. The woman claimed Fernandes ignored her pleas for him to stop, the affidavit said. The woman later described the incident to a co-worker, who said Fernandes has also sexually assaulted her several months earlier, court documents show. That waitress, who was 26 at the time, claimed that Fernandes called her into his basement office, where he first showed her a pornographic video, then grabbed her and sexually assaulted her, according to the affidavit. The two women, who later became roommates, waited almost a year to report the incidents and continued working at the restaurant until shortly before going to police in October 2012, court documents show. They told police they didnt report the incidents sooner because they were afraid of their boss. Fernandes turned himself in to police in April 2013. He is free on $200,000 bond. Tonellis, a landmark Italian eatery in Bethel for about three decades, was sold in late 2013. The new owners changed its name to Parma, but the restaurant eventually closed. noliveira@newstimes.com, 203-731-3411, @olivnelson This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Joe Ganim has gone from the big house to the White House. Bridgeports comeback mayor will visit President Barack Obama Thursday with city leaders from across the nation, who will descend on Washington for the winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The three-day conclave marks Ganims return to the national mayoral club, from which he was expelled in 2003 when a corruption scandal cost him his office and sent him to prison for seven years. Ganim likely wont need much of an introduction, with Bridgeport garnering national headlines last November after the citys voters gave the Democrat a second chance as mayor. Listen hes the mayor of the states largest city, said Av Harris, a spokesman for Ganim. Hes working with mayors from all over the country who are dealing with similar issues. Hes interested to hear what the president has to say. Connecticut will be well represented at the nonpartisan conference, with at least 14 city and town leaders among the 300 chief elected officials nationwide who have signed up to attend. They include Danburys Mark Boughton; Stamfords David Martin, Trumbulls Tim Herbst, Sheltons Mark Lauretti, Stratfords John Harkins and Norwalks Harry Rilling. Obviously, its an important part of networking and promoting the city, said Boughton, who wants input on how to make Danbury more green. Everybody sort of shares ideas. Boughton, who has posted videos from previous White House visits on social media, expects there to be a buzz surrounding Ganim. Im sure hes got a very interesting tale to tell, Boughton said. Hes probably well connected. Getting schooled In the days following Ganims improbable victory last fall, one of Obamas special advisers reached out to Ganim to offer congratulations and support from the president, according to Harris. A similar outreach was done by the office of Washington, D.C., mayor, Muriel Bowser. Ganim claims he inherited a $20 million budget deficit from his predecessor, Bill Finch, who he defeated in the Democrat primary. That has put a premium, Harris said, on talking to other municipal leaders to find creative ways to save money. Emergency preparedness, education and technology are other areas that Ganim is expected to discuss with other mayors. Hes always looking for best practices from other cities, Harris said. Cities are idea incubators. I think mayors are an important group because they have their ear close to the ground. For Stamfords Martin, this will be his third winter mayoral conference. It is helpful and important for me to hear the experiences and ideas of other mayors on a wide range of issues which shape how I handle those same issues here in Stamford, Martin said. I will also be meeting with several federal officials to support requests for grant money and to move several of our priorities forward. A departure intervenes Conspicuously absent from Connecticuts contingent will be Michael Tetreau, Fairfields first selectman, who signed up to attend the conference but then canceled when General Electric announced last week it is moving its headquarters from his town to Boston. I would normally be on a train to DC right now, Tetreau said. Tetreau said there are too many moving parts to deal with regarding GEs move for him to get away, including discussions with a developer that wants to buy the companys headquarters property. The conference itself I find very valuable and gets you literally to look at the bigger picture, Tetreau said. Those mayors who are attending the conference will likely be keeping one eye on the weather forecast, which is predicting a major noreaster to dump snow on the region on Saturday. Hes going to want to be back before the storm gets too serious, Harris said of Ganim. neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. Wife of President Buhari, Aisha Buhari, met with wives of the 36 state governors at the First Lady Conference Hall in the state house tod... Wife of President Buhari, Aisha Buhari, met with wives of the 36 state governors at the First Lady Conference Hall in the state house today January 18th.During the meeting which had in attendance the wife of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Mrs Buhari challenged the first ladies to make an impact in their state despite the lack of constitutional powers for them to do so.She urged them to work in Unity."As wives of political office holders, we must continue to do our best in contributing to the success. I believe in our little ways, we can assist them to bring succour to the populace, especially those in need such as victims of insurgency in the North East and other forms of violence, physically challenged and other vulnerable groups.It is on this note I felt it is important for us to come together to strengthen our unity and extend our solidarity to each other under a common platform. There, we need to develop strong leadership structures in the two regions not only in one as the case with the already known Northern Governors Wives Forum of the country.she said President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that his administration will effectively deal decisively with the seeming resurgence of oil theft,... President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that his administration will effectively deal decisively with the seeming resurgence of oil theft, pipelines vandalism and insecurity in the Niger Delta.Niger Delta militants had on Thursday attacked the Escravos-Warri-Abuja-Lagos pipelines.The militants also blew up the Chevron Nigeria Limited's Utunan-Makaraba crude oil pipeline on Friday and proceeded to bomb the Olero gas pipeline on Saturday.The attacks were suspected to be aimed at crippling the nation's crude oil production.But the President said while the Nigerian Armed Forces had already dealt "deadly blows" on Boko Haram, the activities of oil thieves and vandals will also soon be brought to an end.According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President spoke during an interactive session he had with members of the Nigerian Community in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates."The oil thieves and abductors are a less problematic target. We will re-organise and deal with them," Buhari was quoted as telling the Nigerians.The President was also said to have urged telecommunication companies operating in Nigeria not to place their desire for huge profits above the security needs of the country.He said the war against terrorism can only be won with the collective effort and a commitment by all stakeholders to work in unison to halt the scourge.In apparent reference to the recent fine imposed on MTN Nigeria by the Nigerian Communications Commission, the President said the registration of all mobile phone users without exception will help the security agencies to pre-empt terrorist attacks.He said telecommunication companies operating in Nigeria must adhere to the rules and guidelines of the NCC.Buhari also assured Nigerians at the interactive session that his administration's war against corruption would continue to be vigorously pursued.He pledged that more persons who had abused the public trust will be exposed and brought to justice soon.The President added that his government was committed to re-establishing former standards of accountability and probity in the management of public funds which were jettisoned under past administrations.He therefore appealed for more patience and understanding from Nigerians as his administration takes steps to safeguard the economy from the shock of falling oil prices."In the face of our new economic reality of dwindling oil prices, there are a number of things we can really do without in order to preserve our economy."We must develop the capacity to feed ourselves and we should be spending our resources on real development projects, not luxuries," he said. Determined to recover Nigeria's stolen funds stashed in foreign banks, President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal government, on Tuesday, ... Determined to recover Nigeria's stolen funds stashed in foreign banks, President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal government, on Tuesday, signed different bilateral agreements with the United Arab Emirates, UAE.President Buhari being received by Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed- 3rd Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.The agreements were essentially on trade, finance and judicial matters.While the agreement on trade was to promote investments and business dealings amongst the two countries, the judicial bilateral agreement would also enable the country to extradite, or transfer sentenced persons.The signing of the agreement in Abu Dhabi was witnessed by President Buhari and the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.A statement by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina from UAE stated that Nigeria's Ministers of finance, Trade/Investment, and Justice singed the respective agreements on behalf of Nigeria's government."Nigeria's Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and the UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Obaid Attayar signed the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement, while the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah signed the Agreement on Trade Promotion and Protection with the UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs."The Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, Sultan Bin Saeed Albadi signed the Judicial Agreements on Extradition, Transfer of Sentenced Persons, Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal Matters, and Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal and Commercial Matters, which includes the recovery and repatriation of stolen wealth", the statement said.Speaking at a reception after the signing of the agreements, President Buhari reiterated his commitment to fighting corruption and restoring Nigeria's dignity in the comity of nations.He also urged all Islamic countries to support the fight against terrorism in Nigeria and denounce the atrocities of Boko Haram as un-Islamic and against the teachings of the Holy Prophet.In his remarks, Crown Prince Zayed Al Nahyan said that the relationship between Nigeria and the UAE will be strengthened by President Buhari's visit and the signing of the agreements. THE author Michel Tournier, described as one of Frances greatest 20th Century writers, has died aged 91. He died in his sleep at his home in the village of Choisel, Yvelines, where he had lived for the past 50 years according to an announcement by his godson. Tournier, who was born to a German family in Paris in 1924 and studied in Germany. After twice failing the exams to enter the civil service in France, Tournier worked for a radio broadcaster before becoming a reader and translator of German for the publisher Plon. He was 42 when his first novel Vendredi ou les Limbes du Pacifique (Friday, or, The Other Island) was published in 1967. It retold the story of Robinson Crusoe and won the Grand prix du roman de l'Academie francaise that same year. Four years later the author rewrote the book as a childrens novel under the title Vendredi ou la Vie sauvage. In 1970 Tournier won the Prix Goncourt by unanimous decision (the only time this has occurred) for his book Le Roi des Aulnes, The Erl-King, about a man who recruited children to the Nazi party to save them. The book was the basis of the 1996 film The Ogre. His third novel, Les Meteores told the story of twins and cemented his reputation as one of Frances best authors of the late 20th Century. President Francois Hollande described Tournier as a "great writer" of "immense talent". He was visited four times by President Mitterrand during his presidency and despite his love of quiet village life in Choisel, he still made noisy media appearances. In 1989 he described abortionists as the sons and grandsons of the monsters of Auschwitz and said they should suffer the death penalty. In 1996 he said that a new French law making it illegal to deny the Holocaust had transformed an historic act into an article of faith and made its denial into blasphemy. He was a member of the jury for the Prix Goncourt from 1975 until 2009 when he resigned due to increasing tiredness. Photo:wiki/Kyle_the_hacker The Federal Government on Monday warned international airlines to stop treating in-bound and out-bound Nigerian passengers with dis... The Federal Government on Monday warned international airlines to stop treating in-bound and out-bound Nigerian passengers with disdain.It also announced that the international terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport would be completed before the end of this year.The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said there would be dire consequences for airline operators who treat Nigerians shabbily, especially on international operations.Sirika gave the warning when a delegation from the Emirates Group paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.A statement issued by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Affairs in the ministry quoted Sirika as telling his guests that the government would not condone the practice of subjecting Nigerians to all forms of suffering like making them to walk across long distances before boarding or using small aircraft that lack the capacity to carry the travellers along with their luggage to their destinations.The warning was prompted by the recent action of Turkish Airlines, after it brought in passengers from Istanbul to Abuja on two occasions without their luggage.Some of the angry passengers on one of the flights invaded the tarmac of the NAIA in protest against the airline, resulting into a serious security breach.The statement noted that Sirika informed the visiting group that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had been directed to invoke all relevant laws to protect the interest and rights of Nigerians and others from being flagrantly abused by airlines.He, however, assured the operators of the Federal Governments commitment to the complete overhaul and upgrading of the nations airport facilities to make the use of Nigerias airspace a delightful experience.On the ongoing construction of the second terminal at the NAIA, the minister gave an assurance that the facility would be ready before the end of the year, stating that its completion would improve the comfort and convenience of both the airline operators and the flying public.The Vice President, Aeropolitical and Industry Affairs, Emirate Group, Mr. David Broz, pledged the groups commitment to serve Nigeria better, describing the country as the airlines second biggest market in Africa.Meanwhile, the National Union of Air Transport Employees has threatened to ground the operations of Aero Contractors Airline and prevent it from flying any of its aircraft out of the Lagos airport from today (Tuesday).The Secretary General, NUATE, Mr. Olayinka Abioye, made the threat on Monday after leading a workers protest to the office of the airline in Lagos.The protest was to register the workers displeasure over the airline managements decision to sack some of its employees who are union leaders, describing the action as insensitive and anti-labour.NUATE urged the management to re-instate the union leaders without delay, stating that it was firmly behind the sacked leaders and their co-workers.It also urged the Federal Government to probe activities of the airline, alleging that the firm had mismanaged funds granted it by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria to reposition it.However, the management of the airline has reported the association to the Ministry of Labour and Productivity Ministry, Aviation ministry, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Department of State Services, asking them to look into the matter.The Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive, Aero Contractors, Iyene Amapakabo, called on the authorities to check the unwholesome practice of the union because of its serious safety implications on the airlines operations. Tanzanian president John Pombe Magufuli has reportedly banned the wearing of miniskirts in the country saying he believes the garments, ... Tanzanian president John Pombe Magufuli has reportedly banned the wearing of miniskirts in the country saying he believes the garments, along with short dresses, encourage the spread of HIV/Aids.Tanzania Cultural Development Director Herman Mwansoko said all Tanzanian women have three months within which to "get rid of miniskirts for replacement with decent garments."This is the latest sweeping move from the strict moralist who recently banned Twerking. Magufuli said the rhythmic gyrating of the lower fleshy extremities in a lascivious manner would dilute the much respected African traditional dances.Following his sweeping victory last October, Magufuli has become an international hero due to cost-cutting measures that he introduced across the country.Earlier this month, Magufuli is said to have ordered that all foreigners, including Kenyans with or without work permits, to relinquish their jobs to the Tanzanians.He also banned issuance of Christmas cards by government officials, saying those who wished to send them out must use their personal resources Fair Lawn school evacuation Police said Fair Lawn was one of nine North Jersey school districts that received threats Jan. 19, 2016 (Photo: Kyle Mazza/ UNF News) ( ) BERGEN COUNTY -- More than two dozen North Jersey schools were locked down or evacuated in response to a string of , officials said. In Bergen County, 26 schools were impacted by the threatening messages, Sheriff Michael Saudino told reporters at a news conference in Hackensack. Some of the threats apparently came in an automated, computer-generated call, which was traced to Bakersfield, California. Authorities said they searched schools in at least nine Bergen County towns and one in Passaic County, but found no explosives. The threats forced evacuations and school lockdowns, and prompted a large law enforcement response. "The message, which was apparently recorded sometime throughout the night, indicated a nonspecific threat to the school district involving the placement of a bomb in one of the schools, as well as a secondary threat of a 'mass shooting,'" said Clifton police spokesman Detective Sgt. Robert Bracken. The purported attack was set for Tuesday, the message in Clifton claimed. "There continues to be no credibility to these threats at this time, however, precautions are still being taken throughout the district in response to the situation," Bracken added in a statement Tuesday morning. Students at Teaneck High School were moved to the town's community center while other districts -- including Leonia and Garfield -- blocked anyone from entering or leaving the schools as police responded. Garfield Detective Capt. Darren Sucorowski said an overnight threat was left by voicemail at the city's high school. The message, he said, claimed bombs were planted in schools. "Officers responded and secured all the schools within the school district," the captain added. The response in Garfield also drew police from Lodi, Paramus, Passaic, Rochelle Park and Saddle Brook, authorities said. The threat was discovered around 8:20 a.m. and officials lifted the lockdown order around 12:45 p.m. Leonia, Tenafly, Teaneck, Garfield, Fair Lawn, Hackensack, Englewood and Bergenfield schools received the threats, said Bergen County Sheriff's Office spokesman Anthony Cureton. The threats in New Jersey appeared similar to others reported in Delaware and Massachusetts also on Tuesday. Massachusetts State Police said schools in at least ten communities there received bomb threats, some by automated phone calls. In Delaware, three schools received threats Tuesday morning. According to state police, "a robotic style or computer generated voice phone call was received in each of the school's offices," around 9:30 a.m. Authorities have not said if the threats were related to those in New Jersey. The incident was reminiscent of a wave of threats that targeted Bergen County schools and other government buildings in November 2014. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Fair Lawn school evacuation Police said Fair Lawn was one of nine North Jersey school districts that received threats Jan. 19, 2016 (Photo: Kyle Mazza/ UNF News) ( ) High schools in at least nine school districts in Bergen County and Passaic County received threats Tuesday morning. Schools in Leonia, Tenafly, Teaneck, Garfield, Fair Lawn, Hackensack, Englewood and Bergenfield received threats, Anthony Cureton, a spokesman for Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino, said. Police are investigating whether the threats are related, Cureton said. It's also possible all the calls were automated, he said. Fair Lawn Police Sgt. Brian Metzler said Fair Lawn High School received a threat over the phone at about 9 a.m. All the students have been moved to Memorial Middle School. Clifton High School, in Passaic County, also received a bomb threat via voicemail, Clifton Police Sgt. Robert Bracken said. The recorded message said a bomb would be placed in one of district schools and also threatened a "mass shooting" that would take place Tuesday. Bracken confirmed that several other districts had received threats. "At this time there is no indication as to the validity of the threat," Bracken said. Students sheltered in place in Garfield, where the high school received the threat, until 12:45 p.m., after bomb-sniffing dogs searched district schools, Garfield Police Capt. Darren Sucorowski said. Police in Leonia deemed that the threat against Leonia High School wasn't credible. Students there are sheltering in place, Leonia Police Chief Thomas Rowe said. The Bergen County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad, as well as New Jersey State Police and Jersey City Police, are helping to clear the threats, Cureton said. Bergen County school faced a similar wave of threats in November 2014. Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. BURLINGTON CITY A Burlington City woman was reported missing this weekend, but was last seen in October 2015 and may be traveling with a man who drives a minivan, police said. Jacquelin Curry Jacquelin Curry, 44, was reported missing Saturday by her mother, Burlington City police said. Curry has an addiction problem, might be homeless and could be in the Camden area, police said. Police said Curry was last seen with a friend named Thomas Hayden who drives a red Chevrolet Astro minivan with New Jersey plates aB22-ETD. Police do not believe Curry's disappearance is suspicious at this time. Anyone with information about Curry's whereabouts is asked to contact Burlington City Police Detective Jamie Lambing at 609-386-0262 ext. 270 or jlambing@burlingtonpolicenj.com. Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook. Youtube demola.JPG A screen shot of Al Demola in a YouTube video promoting one of his waterproofing companies. (YouTube) Three consumers who purchased bomb shelters from a New Jersey businessman will be getting their money back. Al Demola of Cranbury, a man profiled in the Bamboozled column for six years over a variety of scam complaints, has reached a settlement with the Office of the Attorney General and the Division of Consumer Affairs. Demola and the company, Titan Shelters, will pay $177,373. Of that, $71,800 is restitution for three consumers who filed complaints with the division. It also includes $83,000 is in civil penalties and $22,573 in attorneys' fees and investigative costs, the state said. "Demola was marketing products to people who were anticipating a disaster, and with Demola, they got a disaster, according to the allegations in our complaint," said acting attorney general John Hoffman. "With this settlement, we're securing restitution for consumers who never received the shelters they were promised." Demola advertised the business, which was supposed to be located in New Jersey, in the Virginia and West Virginia markets. The settlement comes after a seven-count civil complaint was filed by the state against Demola and Titan Shelters in March 2015. The state alleged Demola took payments for bomb shelters that he never delivered, violating the Consumer Fraud Act, the Home Improvement Contractors' Registration Act and other statues. With the settlement, Titan Shelters may not do business in New Jersey, and the company must be dissolved. A 2013 screen shot of the now defunct web site of Titan Shelters. For at least three years, Demola may not advertise, offer for sale, sell and/or perform home improvements in the state. Also for three years, Demola cannot manage, operate or own any business in New Jersey that requires licensing or registration by Consumer Affairs, including as a home improvement contractor, plumber, electrician, fire or burglar alarm installer, or locksmith. "Titan Shelters and Demola operated as unregistered home improvement contractors in New Jersey and sold merchandise allegedly manufactured at a non-existent location," said Steve Lee, acting director of the state's Division of Consumer Affairs. "Through this settlement, we have achieved our goals of halting Titan Shelters' business operations and have prohibited Demola from operating as a home improvement contractor in New Jersey." Messages left for Demola's attorney, James Lisa of Jersey City, were not immediately returned. Bamboozled readers first met Demola in 2010 when he ran a series of waterproofing companies that received a host of consumer complaints. Dozens of consumers came to Bamboozled over the years with claims that Demola's companies scammed them. Over and over again, we unearthed evidence that the companies consumers complained about were linked to Demola -- through known addresses, registrations in Demola's and/or his wife Kim Costa's name, through photo identification from unhappy customers -- but authorities never took action. THE BULLDOG Tina Greene, the Kinsdale, Va., woman whose persistence was at the heart of this case, first contacted Bamboozled in 2014 after she learned of Demola's bomb shelter offers to others in Virginia. "I'm glad that there's restitution," Greene said of the settlement. "He should have been stopped a long time ago." Tina Greene and her husband Jerry stand on their property in the area where their bomb shelter was to be installed. Greene first contacted Demola in January 2014, and he traveled to her home to give an estimate, she said. "This man was such a smoothie. He was so likable," Green said of their first meeting. They talked about family, and about their shared devotion to God, she said. Demola originally quoted Greene a price of $16,200 for the shelter. "Then he said he prayed on it, and gave a discount to $12,000," Greene said. To help with the financing, Greene said, Demola recommended a banker friend of his, Tim Brazil, who was employed by Admirals Bank in Providence, R.I., according to Greene and a series of letters with the bank. Greene worked with Brazil and took a loan with Admirals for more than $12,000 in March 2014, documents show, and $11,000 was wired to Demola's account, documents show. Greene would make monthly payments of $188 on the loan. But she'd be paying on a loan for a product she never received. By the spring of 2014, Greene said, she knew something was very wrong. Demola wasn't returning her calls, she said, or when he did, he had all kinds of excuses for why work hadn't started yet. He'd had a heart attack. He was completing other jobs and the weather put him behind schedule. And on, and on, and on. Greene started regular communication with an investigator with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. She said the investigator told her the state was working on a case. In early June 2014, Greene received a message from Demola. He said he had a cancellation on a unit that was bigger than what Greene had ordered, but he was willing to give it to her at no additional charge. But by then, Greene was done. All she wanted was her money back. Demola agreed to a refund, and Greene got it in writing in a letter dated June 17, 2014. "Titan Shelters is unable to refund the monies requested in full at this time," the letter said. "However, Titan can offer a refund in installments of $1,000 per month, plus payment of $190.00 for your monthly note to Admiral's (sic) Bank for six months, and the remaining balance to be paid on the seventh month." The letter was signed by Alfred Demola. But no refund money was ever sent to Greene. It would be nearly a year later when Consumer Affairs would file the civil suit against Demola. "This man needs to be in jail," she said. "I'm still paying on the loan and I don't want to ruin my credit because of him." Greene hired an attorney and they tried to get Admirals Bank to release the loan because, they said, it was made under fraudulent circumstances. But Admirals Bank told the Greene's attorney that Demola wasn't their employee and there was nothing they could do, documents show. We tried to track down the fired loan officer, but messages left were not returned, and Admirals Bank didn't respond to multiple requests for comment. WILL THE MONEY COME? The settlement will allow the victims to pay off the loans, and hopefully be made whole. We hope Demola will make things right by paying the restitution, but his track record isn't exactly pristine. Aleta Heir stands in her basement. She won a $200,000 settlement against a waterproofing company linked to Al Demola, but she hasn't received any payments. There are several outstanding judgments against Demola or his former companies for cases involving his waterproofing businesses. Aleta and Jack Heir, a Freehold couple that won a $200,000 judgment against a waterproofing company linked to Demola, said they were glad to hear of the settlement. "He's a lowlife, as low as can be," said Jack Heir. "At least they got something out of him. It would be better if he went to jail but this is one small step for mankind." Public records show Demola and his wife filed for bankruptcy in 2013, but the case was dismissed because they didn't file all the required information with the court. Demola has 30 days from the date the settlement was filed with the court -- Jan. 4 -- to make the full payment, Consumer Affairs' Lee said. "If that doesn't happen, we will do everything we can to use legal means to get that money back to consumers and get the civil penalties that have been agreed to," Lee said. We'll keep you posted on any money received by the customers as part of the settlement. Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter. recess.jpg Gov. Chris Christie pocket vetoed a bill that would have required a daily 20-minute recess in New Jersey elementary schools. (Photos by Jerry McCrea and Jae C. Hong) TRENTON -- Is President Chris Christie more fun than Gov. Chris Christie? One day after saying kids will be able to eat whatever they want for school lunch if he becomes president, Christie pocket vetoed a bill that would have made recess mandatory in New Jersey elementary schools. The governor's office gave no specific reason for not approving the bill, which would have required a 20-minute daily recess period for grades K-5. It instead blamed the state Legislature for passing too many bills at the end of its two-year legislative session. The bill stipulated that recess should be held outside, when feasible, and that schools could only take away a student's recess for a violation of the school's code of conduct, such as a school bullying incident. Even then, schools would not have been able to keep a student out of recess more than twice a week. Turner cited the rise in childhood obesity and the health benefits of physical activity as evidence that recess should be mandatory. On Monday, Christie criticized First Lady Michelle Obama's school lunch program, which is also aimed at curbing childhood obesity. He said the government shouldn't try to mandate what students eat at school. "I don't care what you're eating for lunch every day, I really don't," Christie told a Nebraska fifth-grader. "Your mother and father should make that decision for you. And then they'll send you to school sometimes with a healthy lunch, and then you'll throw it out." Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEWARK -- An Irvington woman has been indicted on charges of slipping out of her handcuffs and punching an Essex County Sheriff's officer in the face last June after she appeared in court for a murder case. Lauren Whatley, 26, was indicted on Wednesday on charges of making terroristic threats, aggravated assault and throwing bodily fluid at law enforcement officers in connection with the June 23 incident. The attack allegedly occurred after Whatley was arraigned on murder and related offenses in the November 2014 shooting death of 22-year-old Newark resident Ana Satian during a cell phone robbery. Three men - Perry Howard, 28, of Bloomfield; Mumit Marrow, 22, of Newark; and Massai Laboo, 23, of Irvington - also have been charged in Satian's killing. All four defendants are in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of posting bail. RELATED: Accused murderer slipped out of handcuffs, punched officer, authorities say Authorities have said the incident involving Whatley occurred hours after she had appeared before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler in the murder case. Whatley was being transported in a van at about 4 p.m. back to the county jail when she began slamming her body into the side of the vehicle and making threats towards the sheriff's officers, authorities said. To ensure Whatley's safety, the officers returned to the Essex County Courthouse, authorities said. Inside the van, Whatley allegedly removed one of her hands from the handcuffs, authorities said. Ana Satian, 22, of Newark, died on Nov. 9, 2014 after being shot the day before during a cell phone robbery, authorities said. When the officers were removing Whatley from the vehicle, she allegedly spit on one female officer and struck her in the face, authorities said. The officers subdued Whatley and brought her to East Orange General Hospital for treatment of any injuries before ultimately transporting her to the jail, authorities said. In the murder case, authorities said Satian was visiting her friend's house on 3rd Street in Newark on Nov. 8. As Satian was walking into the house, at least two of the defendants approached her, stole her cell phone and shot her, authorities said. The cell phone was later discarded and recovered nearby, authorities said. Satian died from her injuries the following day at University Hospital in Newark, authorities said. The mother of two young children, Satian was born in Ecuador and moved to the United States when she was seven years old. She attended Newark Tech High School before becoming married and having children. Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 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. marckarimphoto[30].JPG (Barry Carter | The Star-Ledger) Folks are folks, right? That means universally, we're more alike than not. Marc Tarabour, 70, believes life is as simple as that. It's how he was raised in Newark's South Ward, back when he and his diverse group of friends sang a little doo-wop somewhere on the corner, or in the bathroom at Weequahic High School. "Some of the greatest acoustics in the world are at Weequahic High School," Tarabour said, laughing, the other day. The smile doesn't last long, however, when he thinks about the intolerance that fills today's racial and religious climate, one laced with anti-Islamic rhetoric and fear. You see, his good friend, Karim Arnold of Newark, is Muslim. Tarabour, who lives in Livingston, is Jewish. MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns They grew up years apart in the same Newark community - Arnold, who graduated from Weequahic in 1984, on Bayview and Weequahic avenues; Tarabour, a 1963 graduate, on Peshine Avenue and Voorhees Street. But together, they are co-presidents of the Weequahic High School Alumni Association, an organization, they say, that is all about inclusion and educating a community that now appears far different from its Jewish roots. "The school today does not resemble Marc,'' Arnold, 49, said. While that is true - Weequahic students are primarily African-American - alumni from both cultures continue to feel an attachment to the school thanks to the camaraderie and education they experienced during the school's glory years as an academic powerhouse. It's a special relationship they want to cultivate in today's students, a sense of loyalty to their alma mater, bolstered by scholarship. In its 18-year history, the alumni organization has raised more than $500,000 in scholarships to help kids with college costs and other financial needs. A student's nationality, religion or race is never part of the consideration. And that's also something they hope to exemplify for Weequahic students. MORE CARTER: Newark"s Covenant House will miss Mama Gwen "There's so much fighting around the world with Muslims and Jews. We have been able to show how people of different faiths, different colors can work together,'' Arnold said. Tarabour said he has never thought about Arnold as being inherently different from him. Of course, he knows Arnold is Muslim and, just looking at him, he can see the color of his skin. But he doesn't consider either of those things as a reason to act differently around Arnold. "I'm thinking we should treat folks the way you want to be treated,'' Tarabour said. "The fact that they happen to be a Muslim, that doesn't automatically make them a terrorist.'' Tarabour said that the rancor of the presidential election season, with candidates spewing anti-immigrant rhetoric, makes him think back to a time in Nazi Germany when Jews were forced to identify themselves by sewing yellow cloth patches bearing the Star of David to the outside of their clothing. And that Donald Trump's call for a temporary ban of all Muslim immigration conjures up visions of when Japanese-Americans were forced into internment camps during World War II. "I'm getting nervous for the American Muslim,'' Tarabour said. Islamic extremists are driving American furor, not Arnold or Muslims like him. "I love this guy,'' Tarabour said. "We love each other,'' Arnold said. Arnold and Tarabour have known each other five years and have much in common. They remember egg and milk deliveries in the South Ward and the garbage man collecting trash from the rear of homes. It was so safe at one point, they said, people could leave their back doors unlocked. Aside from the nostalgia, including a well-rounded school curriculum, both men served this country after graduating from high school. Tarabour, who wa a Marine from 1964 to 1968, did a tour in Vietnam. He is president of an alarm security business in New York. Arnold, an Army man from 1985 to 1991, spent his time stateside and is a property investment owner. In the effort to support Weequahic, they're an organized duo. The high school, which was scheduled for closure under the district's "One Newark" plan, remains open and alumni are digging in to make sure it stays that way. Raising funds, however, is always taxing. Much of it comes from the older Jewish alumni, but it is an aging group that is diminishing in size. Arnold said it's up to African-American alumni now to bolster donations. Just as important, Arnold said: "I hope people see our relationship and how we treat each together, and how well we work together.'' The same is true for Tarabour, but he circles back to the face of religious indifference. "I wish somehow, some way, people would start to say, 'If I was a Muslim, how the hell would I feel having people treating me like that,' '' he said. He pauses, holding onto the simplicity of his beliefs. "Folks are folks,'' he said. Yes, they are. It's too bad not all of us can see that. Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL Jersey City Council meeting Wednesday, August 19, 2015 Allies of Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop on the City Council are largely mum about allegations that a contract they awarded in December violates the city's pay-to-play ban. Jesse Brothers | The Jersey Journal (Jersey Journal file photo) UPDATE: City says firm withdraws from contract JERSEY CITY -- None of Mayor Steve Fulop's allies on the City Council will say a contract with a law firm they approved in December should be revoked because a partner at the firm donated to Fulop last June. The Jersey Journal first reported on Friday that the contract -- worth $50,000 and awarded in December to Morristown firm McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter -- was given six months after a managing partner of the firm contributed two $300 donations to Fulop's re-election campaign. Critics, including a man who helped to craft New Jersey's pay-to-play ban, say the city's ban requires the city to revoke the contract. Three of Fulop's council allies -- Council President Rolando Lavarro, Councilwoman-at-large Joyce Watterman and Ward B Councilman Khemraj "Chico" Ramchal -- told The Jersey Journal today they hadn't read its story on the donations and could not offer an opinion on whether the contract should be revoked. Watterman said the council wants to "stand by the law." A fourth Fulop ally, Ward A Councilman Frank Gajewski, said he had read the story but needs "more information" to provide an opinion. Ward E Councilwoman Candice Osborne noted that she was absent from the Dec. 16 meeting when the contract was approved unanimously. Osborne said she would have voted for it because council members "rely on accurate information being provided, especially on pay-to-play forms." The financial disclosure forms submitted by the McElroy firm to the council do not list any donations to Jersey City candidates. The firm, where Corporation Counsel Jeremy Farrell worked before he became the city's top attorney in 2013, was hired to represent the city in contract negotiations with a local firefighters union. "Honest mistake or not, any law firm wanting city business should research and understand our laws and should be able to provide accurate information to (the) City Council," she said in an email. "If they can't get this right, I'm not confident in their ability to negotiate multi-million dollar interests on behalf of taxpayers." A request for comment from the McElroy firm was not immediately returned. The city's pay-to-play ban, which became law in 2008 with Fulop's support, bans vendors from receiving professional contracts if they have donated more than $300 in one calendar year to a city candidate. A contribution can be returned within 30 days of the publication of the campaign finance report on which it is reported. The Deutsch family contributions, from June 2015, were first reported in July. Ward C Councilman Richard Boggiano told The Jersey Journal he thinks the city's pay-to-play limits hurt candidates who don't have wealthy donors. Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal Both Fulop critics on the council -- Rich Boggiano, of Ward C, and Councilman Michael Yun, of Ward D -- said the contract should be revoked. "If that's the law," said Boggiano, who added that he thinks pay-to-play limits hurt candidates who aren't tied to monied interests. "For people like me who want to run for office, it's hard," he said. Councilman-at-large Daniel Rivera, who was also absent from the Dec. 16 meeting, did not return a request for comment. Ward F Councilwoman Diane Coleman, reached by phone, said she could not speak because she was at work. Both are Fulop allies. Edward Deutsch, the managing partner who made the two donations, said last week the Fulop campaign was returning both of them. Morrill told The Jersey Journal one was being returned. When Fulop was a councilman, he attempted to pass a pay-to-play ban first by a council vote, and when that failed, he qualified the measure to be put on the November 2008 ballot, which spurred the council to act. At the time, he said the law would "eliminate the conflicts of interests and at the same time create a council strictly to serve the public." When the council unanimously passed the measure in September 2008, Fulop received a standing ovation from a crowd of about 100 at the council meeting. tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. JERSEY CITY -- The Secaucus lawyer charged with attempting to murder his girlfriend months before she took her own life rejected a plea deal this morning under which he would avoid serving any time in prison. "Now is the time if you want to do this, sir, because the jurors are coming tomorrow, and they are ready to hear the case," Superior Court Mark Nelson told Todd Gorman, who is charged with attempting kill Stephanie Schwartz on Sept. 29, 2011. "You understand that?" "Yes, your honor," said Gorman, who is expected to mount a self-defense defense. His attorney will argue that Schwartz was attempting to kill herself, Gorman intervened, and he had to defend himself when she turned on him. Nelson persisted, saying "If you are found guilty of attempted murder, I would have to give you 10 to 20 (years), and even if I gave you the minimum of 10 years, you would have to serve 8.5 before even being eligible for parole. You understand that?" "Yes, your honor," Gorman said. Under the plea offer, Gorman would have pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault, and he would likely have been sentenced to probation only. Schwartz committed suicide 11 months after the incident. "You know a police officer said he found you holding her and you were covered in blood?" Nelson asked Gorman. "Not sure," said Gorman. His attorney, Peter Willis, has said Gorman has no recollection of the event. Willis then told Nelson "I understand how serious this is, and Mr. Gorman is a licensed attorney and has an understanding of the law and I have been very careful, and the record should reflect, that on numerous occasions, numerous occasions, I have been in touch with his sister, his brother, Mr. Gorman." "He has reasoning in his mind that he is not guilty of this crime - that is the main reason," Willis said, adding that Gorman also realizes that if he pleads guilty to the criminal charge, he would lose his license to practice law. Nelson cautioned Gorman about taking the advice of relatives, saying "If things go well, you can all go out to dinner and have a nice bottle of wine. If things don't go well, your relatives may go out to dinner and have a nice bottle of wine, and you are going to jail. ... It's easy for friends and relatives to say 'Go for it.'" Finally, Nelson said "If you don't accept this offer, everything is off the table." Gorman again declined. Opening statements are scheduled for 9 a.m. tomorrow in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. The attorneys are working out a few motions today. holland tunnel arrests.jpg Graylyn Claiborne, of Ohio and Amber Dunson, 23, of Michigan, were arrested yesterday at the Holland Tunnel, police say. (Port Authority photo ) JERSEY CITY -- Port Authority police confiscated more than 20 fraudulent credit cards and seized drugs and drug paraphernalia at a traffic stop near the Holland Tunnel for an obscured license yesterday, a Port Authority police spokesman said. Graylyn Claiborne, 20, of Ohio,who pulled over at about 5 p.m. and when he opened his window, the officer detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle, Joe Pentangelo said. When Claiborne gave the officer an expired vehicle registration, both he and his passenger, Amber Dunson, 23, of Michigan, were asked to get out of the car. Police then recovered more than 20 credit cards and fake ID cards with different names, but all with the photos of Claiborne or Dunson, Pentangelo said. After police found Dunson had crack cocaine and a digital scale with drug residue on it she admitted to them that she had marijuana stored in a body cavity and she removed it and gave it to the officers, Pentangelo said. Claiborne was charged with wrongful impersonation, forgery, credit card theft, and possession of drugs in a motor vehicle. Dunson was charged with possession of CDS, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, forgery and credit card theft. Both were transported to Hudson County jail. Bail for Claiborne was set a $10,000 with a 10 percent cash option, while Dunson's bail was set at $8,000 with a 10 percent cash option, Pentangelo said. A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond. Blood Diamond is probably one of the best movies Ive watch so far. The characters are amazing. The actors are very talented. The plot is very engaging. The setting is very convincing. The theme has a social relevance. It shows a timely issue of big industries capitalizing on conflict diamonds obtained from Sierra Leone. Each of the characters has their own dilemma which would affect the lives of the other characters. Source: http://goo.gl/teK3Eh Danny Archer is a white Rhodesian gunrunner who belongs to the wrong side of town. He was once a soldier who believes that something good will come out of all their efforts in the war only to realize later on that nothing will happen if he continues to obey the rules. He now works as a smuggler of diamonds and just as he was on his way to Liberia to deliver the orders from him, the authorities caught him. Source: http://goo.gl/zbNHAO He meets Solomon Vandy while inside the prison cell. Solomon is a fisherman who was a victim of Revolutionary United Front. He was captured and was brought work in a diamond mine which was overseen by the ruthless warlord, Captain Poison. His secret, he saw a large Pink Diamond the size of a quail egg which is believed to be a hundred carat diamond. He buried the stone before any else could get it. As he gets out of the prison, hell soon learn that his son was captured and turned into a child soldier, while his wife and daughters were in the refugee camp. Maddy Bowen is an American journalist who was assigned to get a scoop on the rampant smuggling of diamonds in Liberia when in fact it was South Africa who has the natural resources. She wanted to expose the growing industry and is dead set on getting the story from Danny Archer, whom she met in a bar. Three lives would soon be intertwined, each needing something from each other. Danny, whos botched Liberian Operation, needs to find the Pink Diamond as a payment to Colonel Coetzee and as a ticket to get out of the continent. In order to find this, he arranged for Solomon Vandy to be freed. In exchange for the diamond, Solomon's only request was to help him find his family. This is where Mandy Bowen comes in. she needs a big scoop so she needs to learn the ins and outs of the diamond smuggling. Danny, in his haste to get the diamond, he tells his story to Maddy and even gives her his little notebook that contains all the names of the people who do business with him. The characters in the movie represent the oppressed, the people who succumb to the dark side and the people who want to give voice to the oppressed but are at crossroads on how to do it. Danny Archer represents those people who were once with the right side in fighting for the good but later on realized they were being left out. In order to survive, they did what they despised before. He did what he did to survive. He may have been portrayed as selfish and user but deep inside, he is a good man. It was just masked with his needs and his growing frustration to pay his debt and to escape the country. As he got to know Solomon, his character changed little by little. And with Maddys persistence and her guilt-tripping him, his conscience caught up with him. What he did at the end, made me cry a bucket of tears. 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. Welcome to non league daily news now - your number one spot for all things relating to the National League System. Our dedicated reporters have come straight from the sidelines to bring you news fresh from the dugout - but not before theyve stopped off at the burger van first! We know that non league football fans are full of heart, passion, and belief. You trust the manager, you believe in the team, and, for some strange reason, you trust those rickety stands, too! Here at Non League Daily, we hope we can become your trusted non league news resource - a platform thats just as passionate about non league daily news now as you. Come rain or shine, well be out reporting on the latest non league fixtures. Well also be scouring the news, refreshing social media, and sourcing information from team websites in the hopes of finding the latest breaking non league daily news for our readers. As youll soon see, weve got exclusive match reports on the Vanarama National League, weve got transfer speculation thatll affect the National League South, weve found great stories thatll spice up the National League North, and weve even got news on the latest giant killers of the FA Cup. We may not be able to agree on who is going up this year, but we can all agree that any news on the NLS worth knowing will be published here, at Non League Daily. 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. The union representing French-language teachers in the province has reached a tentative agreement with the local French Catholic school board. The union representing French-language teachers in the province has reached a tentative agreement with the local French Catholic school board. The Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) and Unite 61 of the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) reached the agreement Jan. 9. Ratification is expected by Jan. 27. "We thank all parties involved in the negotiations. Both negotiating teams were greatly motivated by a common desire to reach a local agreement, which included fair and equitable working conditions that reflect the priorities of both parties," said CSCNO president Andre Bidal, in a press release. Discussions took place in a professional and respectful environment, said CSCNO director of education Lyse-Anne Papineau. I want to acknowledge that both committees displayed a great deal of respect and professionalism during the negotiation process, she said. The terms of the local agreement remain confidential until it is ratified. The agreement will be valid until August 2017. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) will use a $30,000 grant from the Bell Let's Talk Community Fund to create Wellness Peer Networks, which will provide medical residents with mental health resources. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) will use a $30,000 grant from the Bell Let's Talk Community Fund to create Wellness Peer Networks, which will provide medical residents with mental health resources.Through the Wellness Peer Networks, NOSM's medical residents physicians in their post-MD training years will have access to supportive networks to enable them to have a positive impact on the mental health and well-being of those who live in rural and remote Northern communities.These wellness networks will provide further education to NOSM residents to enable them to protect their own mental health during the stress of their education, while also equipping them with the ability to provide high-quality care to future patients who may be struggling with mental health challenges, said NOSM associate dean Dr. Catherine Cervin, in a press release.The Bell Let's Talk Community Fund has supported more than 50 organizations, in every region of the country, over the past year.The organizations support people living with mental illness, and the family members and friends who support them.The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns, like Clara Hughes' Big Ride for Bell Let's Talk and Bell Let's Talk Day, and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research, and workplace initiatives.On Jan. 27, for every text message, wireless and long distance call made by Bell Aliant and Bell Canada customers, or for every tweet using #BellLetsTalk, and every Facebook share of the Bell Lets Talk Day image at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk , Bell will donate five cents to support Canadian mental health programs.Over the first five Bell Lets Talk Days, Bell has committed a total of $73,623,413.80 to support mental health initiatives across Canada. Information nights for kindergarten registration at Rainbow District School Board schools are coming up this week. The sessions take place from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 for the English Program and Jan. 21 for the French Immersion Program. Information nights for kindergarten registration at Rainbow District School Board schools are coming up this week.The sessions take place from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 for the English Program and Jan. 21 for the French Immersion Program.Schools offering English and French Immersion will host one information night Jan. 21. Visit RainbowSchools.ca for a list of schools and programs offered or phone your area Rainbow School.For enrolment in Kindergarten, your child must be four years of age by Dec. 31, 2016.When registering your child, please bring his/her identification documents including birth certificate, birth registry/baptismal certificate, Ontario Health Card and immunization record.Parents/guardians can enroll their children in the English Program or the French Immersion Program. Most Northwest Indiana cities and towns lost residents last year as the region's population continued to migrate south and east. Twenty-one of the 40 incorporated municipalities in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties shrunk last year, according to recent U. S. Census estimates. The region's large cities Hammond, Gary, and East Chicago all hemorrhaged population again. But the population of Northwest Indiana's three largest counties remained relatively stable, ticking down by less than 1/10th of 1 percent to 769,294. Older industrial cities have been contracting for years, but smaller suburban towns continue to attract new residents. Northwest Indiana is in fact home to two of the fastest-growing communities in the state, according to the Indiana Business Research Center's Stats Indiana. Burns Harbor grew at the third-fastest pace in Indiana over the last three years, while Winfield ranked fourth statewide. Fifteen Northwest Indiana cities and towns grew last year, mostly in south Lake County and Porter County, according to the U.S. Census figures. Every community in Porter County grew or stayed stable, except for Portage, which shrunk slightly. Every city and town in LaPorte County lost residents or remained flat except for Michigan City, which grew by an estimated 0.2 percent. LaPorte County's overall population inched up negligibly, while Porter County grew by 0.5 percent last year and Lake County shrunk by 0.3 percent. Paula Hernandez, a recent Calumet College of St. Joseph graduate, is one of the residents looking to leave. She's been weighing a move to Texas after having no luck finding a full-time job here. "It stinks in Northwest Indiana," she said. "There are no jobs, or at least no good-paying jobs." Frustration has mounted. Hernandez has turned in more than 100 job applications without hearing back. A friend of hers, also a recent college graduate, finally got a job at Wal-Mart after a year of trying. But she will only make $8 or $9 an hour, and Hernandez said that isn't enough to support a family. "I'd pick up and leave, but it isn't easy when I've got sell my home," Hernandez said. "I'd need to find someone to buy it and pay at least what I put into it." Southern towns, including Cedar Lake, Crown Point, Merrillville and St. John, added residents last year. But populations losses weren't confined to Lake County's northern cities, where old factories sit idle and steel mills employ a fraction of the residents they used to. Some of the more surprising population losses were in Munster, Dyer, and Schererville. The problem is not that people are leaving, but that not enough new residents are moving in to replace those who might go off to college, get transferred to a job in another city or die, state demographer Matt Kinghorn said. Migration has slowed across the country since the Great Recession, and Northwest Indiana is no longer pulling in the Chicago expats whether young families looking for better schools in the 'burbs or empty nesters fleeing higher property taxes that drove the population growth for most of the 2000s. "Lake County has suffered the steepest population decline in the state in the last few years," Kinghorn said. "It's the lingering effects that downturn has had on migration in every metropolitan area in the country. Central cities have grown in this case Chicago or Cook County have grown faster than outlying areas because the movement out of the central cities to the outlying areas has really slowed down." The population in Lake County's northern third is continuing a gradual decline that has been ongoing for decades and that mirrors what had happened in the rest of the Rust Belt, Kinghorn said. "You see the same effects in industrial Detroit and Cleveland," he said. "They were once industrial powerhouses, but people are leaving those areas and looking for employment." Northern Lake County cities have potential but would benefit from a less dated housing stock, said Peter Novak, chief executive officer of the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors. People might prefer to live in Hammond because of how close it is to Chicago, but most of the homes were built in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Tastes have changed, and home buyers generally want more modern houses with more closet space, bigger kitchens and wider lawns, Novak said. The overall size of homes has changed significantly. Many of the older urban homes are around 1,200 square feet, which is considered a starter home for most people today. People generally want to move into new or recently built houses, he said. That's why the Northwest Indiana communities that are losing population tend to be landlocked, while the communities that are growing have more greenfield land for the development of new subdivisions. Older communities potentially could draw new residents by working with developers to build more modern homes, Novak said. "In growing communities like St. John and Crown Point, you see a fair amount of new construction," he said. Unilever, one of Hammond's largest employers, saw its profits decline 5.8 percent to 4.91 billion euros ($5.36 billion) in 2015, as compared to 5.17 billion euros ($5.64 billion) in 2014. The British-Dutch multinational, which employs around 250 workers at its soap factory at the corner of Indianapolis Boulevard and Calumet Avenue, saw a 12 percent rise in core operating profit in 2015 as it sought more efficiency, according to the company. Overall profit, however, fell because of gains Unilever netted in 2014 by selling off parts of the business. The company's underlying sales grew last year by 4.1 percent, increasing both on volume and price, according to its earnings release issued Tuesday. "Despite a challenging year with slower global economic growth, intensifying geopolitical instability, and high currency and commodity volatility we have again grown ahead of our markets, driven by our innovations and increased support behind our brands," Chief Executive Officer Paul Polman said. The CEO said the 2015 results demonstrated the progress Unilever is making in transforming itself into a more resilient business, capable of delivering competitive underlying sales growth, margin expansion and strong cash flow. Though consumer demand was fragile, Unilever was able to improve growth or margins in personal care, foods, home care and refreshment. Increased volume led to 7.1 percent growth in emerging markets. Unilever personal care brands include Dove, Vaseline, Suave, Pond's and others. Personal Care, the division the Hammond factory falls under, improved from slower growth in 2014. "This consistency of performance shows that our focus to build Unilever for the long term is paying off," Polman said. "We are starting to see the results from sharpened category strategies that guide increased investment in our brands, our infrastructure and our people as well as extensions into attractive new markets like Prestige Personal Care." But market conditions should remain tough this year, Polman said. Unilever is prepared for sluggish demand and a lot of volatility. "Therefore it is vital that we drive agility and cost discipline across our business," he said. "We are further strengthening our innovation funnel while shortening innovation cycle times, stepping up our digital capabilities and rolling out a global zero based budgeting program." The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its forecast for global economic growth in 2016, citing weakness in the developing world. The IMF forecasted that the world economy will grow 3.4 percent this year, down from an October forecast of 3.6 percent. Last year, people were horrified by mass shootings in Paris, at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado, at a community college in Oregon and at a government building in San Bernardino. The frequency of such tragedies have more people worrying what they would do if confronted with a gunman. Valparaiso-based Vertex Improved Performance, which is helmed by a former security manager at U.S. Steel, will have a class Thursday on active shooter trends, increasing survival odds, reducing a shooter's effectiveness, and understanding police response. The seminar costs $35 and takes place between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the at the Valparaiso Police Department, 344 South Washington Street. People can register for the class at vertexperformance.net. Lance Bella founded the crisis readiness company, which does consulting and training on safety, security and emergency response, two years ago. Bella has worked in public safety for 30 years, including as a chief of emergency services for U.S. Steel mills in Gary, Portage and East Chicago. After leaving U.S. Steel, he started his own business, which serves companies of all sizes. After the Paris and San Bernardino attacks Bella saw a need for mass shooting survival training for the general public. According to an FBI study, there have been an average of 14 active shooter incidents a year between 2000 and 2014, but it was initially 6.4 shooting over the first seven years, and 16.4 shooting annually over the last seven. Police define an active shooter as someone who attempts a mass killing in a confined or populated space, and the term does not encompass all mass shootings. People in such a scenario should flee if possible, hide if they can't and attack only if necessary, Bella said. "You don't have to be paranoid, but you should have some understanding of a room configuration, how they would barricade a door, and pay attention to which way it swings and if can it be locked," he said. "What are the different places in a building where you would hide? What could you use to surprise and attack a shooter if you didn't have a gun?" 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 Augusta DeLisi started rescuing animals when she was 12 and lived in Pennsylvania. "I was amazed that dogs didn't have much time in a shelter before they were destroyed," she said. Now living in Flossmoor, Ill., with her parents and five siblings, DeLisi has met other rescue volunteers who have introduced her to some of the shelters in Northwest Indiana. The 17-year-old founder of Augie's Doggies has so far found homes for 102 animals. It hasn't been easy. There have been times she's almost had to stop. The sheer numbers can be overwhelming. But then she reminds herself that each one is one more life saved. "I walk into a shelter and I have to play God," DeLisi said. "I ask the shelter workers who needs the most help. They'll usually give me a list of 10 or 15 dogs. Knowing I can only take two or three breaks my heart." Denise Samocki has volunteered with Pet Neutering Services for eight years. "It's hard to keep from burning out. It's so hard, so depressing because you feel you can't do enough," the Chesterton resident said. "We have people who call and practically beg us to take their cat or dog. There was one year where it seemed like every dog was heartworm positive." For those on the front lines -- pulling animals from shelters, taking calls from people who want or need to give up their pets -- frustrations outweigh the rewards. Passion is a necessity. Long-time fosters often end up with the "misfits," FIV positive cats, amputees and those whose behavior issues only a mother could love. The group, which consists of three or four foster homes, occasionally takes in puppies. Everybody loves puppies, so they usually have no trouble finding homes for them. But because they are too small to be spayed or neutered before going to their new homes, PNS gives adopters a certificate for a free spay or neuter. People tend not to do it, Samocki said, even though they already had paid for it. Volunteers would have to make follow-up phone calls, which increases expenses even more. "People call daily to tell us they can't keep their animal anymore," Samocki said. "The hardest thing is getting legitimate calls from people who have to immediately get rid of a pet or two because they're going into a nursing home." As one of the most active volunteers in the Indiana Petite Paws Rescue Angels group, Fran Ranger has seen a lifetime's worth of sad stories in the dogs she fosters. One of the group's latest is Meesha, a 4-month-old Maltese with a serious genetic disease that required surgery. The 2.7-pound pup's former owner purchased her from a pet store, and upon learning the dog needed expensive surgery, gave her to IPPRA. The surgery cost more than $2,000, and her adoption fee will be $450. Rescue organizations are constantly in need of foster homes. All require potential fosters to go through an application process as strict as those required by potential adopters. According to Indiana Proactive Animal Welfare, there are several good reasons for taking a foster cat or dog into your home: * You'll be a hero to an animal, and give her a second chance at life. * You'll learn about animal care and treatment. * You'll educate your family about compassion and nurturing. * You'll have a chance to see what it's like to have a pet in your home without making a permanent commitment. Sometimes it can be more costly to adopt a pet from a rescue organization than an animal shelter, but often the rescues don't recoup the costs put into fostering and adopting out the pets. Where does your money go when you adopt an animal from a rescue organization? To read more, go to www.nwi.com/life. INDIANAPOLIS Homeowners and businesses in Northwest Indiana and across the state will face higher property taxes in coming years if an agricultural tax shift, approved Tuesday by a Senate committee, becomes law. Senate Bill 308, sponsored by state Sens. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, and Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, alters how the value of farmland is assessed by reducing next year's base rate from $2,130 per acre to an estimated $1,900 per acre in 2018 and $1,630 in 2019. The net effect is a $449 million revenue loss for local governments in 2017-19 that must be made up by reducing spending or increasing tax rates on other types of property, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. In Lake County, the change in farmland assessment would shift $49.4 million onto other property taxpayers during the three-year period. The tax shift impact is $18.5 million in Porter County, $8.4 million in LaPorte County, $709,000 in Jasper County and $339,000 in Newton County, per LSA estimates. Hershman said the change is needed, in part, because delayed increases in the assessed value of farmland, connected to previously high commodity prices, are unsustainable at today's prices for farm products. He somewhat shrugged off the impact of the tax shift because he expects local governments will be getting some $430 million in additional funds for road construction later this year. In addition, he noted the legislation proposes to fix an ongoing commercial building assessment dispute that could prevent local governments from losing another $120 million in property tax revenue. INDIANAPOLIS The Indiana Senate agreed Tuesday to return $430 million in local income tax revenue, held in reserve by the state, to local governments for road and bridge improvements. Under Senate Bill 67, which now goes to the House, Lake County and its municipalities are slated to receive $28 million, Porter County governments $4.3 million, LaPorte County $4.7 million, Newton County $530,000 and Jasper County $17.7 million. "This not only provides an important injection of funds at the local level, but it provides us an opportunity to have a little breathing room for the discussion of longer-term transportation issues," said state Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, the sponsor. Senate Republicans have declared local road funding their top priority for the 2016 legislative session. Hershman's plan also has been endorsed by Republican Gov. Mike Pence. Pence additionally is urging lawmakers to approve Senate Bill 333, his plan to borrow and spend $1 billion in one-time funds for state road maintenance. The local roads measure passed the Senate 49-1. State Sen. Mark Stoops, D-Bloomington, said he voted against it because he believes if the state is giving locals their own money back, local officials should decide how it is spent. That opinion is shared by House Republican leaders. They soon are expected to advance House Bill 1110, which similarly reduces the local income tax reserve held by the state, but returns the excess without mandating it be spent on roads and bridges. Instead, House Republicans are backing House Bill 1001, a long-term plan to fund state and local road improvements mainly through targeted tax hikes on cigarettes and gasoline. That legislation is set for a vote Wednesday by the House Roads and Transportation Committee, led by state Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso. Soliday said he expects the various road funding plans will be the subject of debate and negotiation at the Statehouse probably until just before the Legislature adjourns in March. CHICAGO A Hammond woman jumped to her death early Monday afternoon onto the frozen Calumet River from the Chicago Skyway bridge in an apparent suicide, officials said. Chicago police were called to the bridge just before 1 p.m. for a report of an abandoned vehicle in the northbound lanes of the bridge near Indianapolis Boulevard. Police closed the lanes and called for assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard after seeing the woman's body on the ice below. Coast Guard crews were able to retrieve the woman's body and she was pronounced dead at the scene, Cook County Medical Examiner's office investigators said. The Skyway lanes reopened a short time later, police said. The woman's name is not being released under The Times Media Co.'s policy for not identifying suicide victims. LANSING Parents met with Trinity Lutheran Church and School officials Saturday to discuss the church councils decision to close the school announced last week. Trinity Lutheran School in Lansing will close after the current school year, its 150th. The churchs budget committee made the recommendation to the church council during the December meeting and the church council made the final decision last week. Students went home Jan. 12 and Wednesday with letters informing parents of the move. Chairman of the Congregation Mark Cherney said the move was a financial necessity. Its very disappointing. I know there can be hard feelings and that people will be hurt. There are teachers who spent their entire careers here, Cherney said. Annette Lewis, whose granddaughter attends Trinity, helped organize Saturdays meeting in the school gym. It was closed to outsiders. Lewis said parents werent happy with the answers to their questions. They told us they've exhausted all options, but there were no options on the table, Lewis said. They never came to us and said they needed to increase tuition. They did not exhaust all options. Lewis is not a Trinity Lutheran Church member. Lewis said the church didnt do enough to seek out alternate sources of funding, like public or private grants. Cherney said the finances are known and reviewed by members of the congregation and church council, but not openly discussed with parents. The school has applied for and even received some small grants in that last two years, but the situation is more dire than that kind of funding can fix, Cherney said. It costs Trinity Lutheran Church about $150,000 on top of what it brings in in tuition to operate the school, according to Cherney. In the last 15 years, the school has taken in about $1 million in donations but has burned through that money. Thrivent Financial has also matched money from some fundraisers in the past, Cherney said. Cherney said the church has also taken on debt keeping the school open for the last decade or so. Tuition is only about half of what it costs to put a student through a year of school, Cherney said. For years, the churchs No. 1 mission has been the school and thats a really good thing. Thousands of kids have gotten a Christian education and thats fantastic. But its just no longer feasible. We always hoped for more students next year but weve always seen the opposite trend. At its peak, Cherney said the school had more than 200 students. Currently, about 50 students are enrolled in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. There were 72 as recently as last year. Cherney said Trinity Lutheran School is 1,000 miles behind the technology of most schools in 2016. Smart boards were purchased for classrooms recently, but computers in the labs are 10 years old. The church would consider reopening the school if its financial situation improves, Cherney said, but Lewis said that most wouldnt return. Pastor John Holyer and other officials in attendance Saturday provided two lists of suggested schools where parents can send their children. The trust is so broken, Lewis said. They did not even offer us an apology. They still havent done that. A letter penned by Cherney will be emailed to parents this week, he said. He also posted a message for parents on the churchs Facebook page. We never tried to hide anything, Cherney said. Im sorry that we were the ones who dropped the ball, that this happened on our watch. Two people were arrested Monday after speeding away from a traffic stop on Interstate 65 and taking out a fence as they drove through residential backyards, Indiana State Police said. The driver, Canaisia Martin, 20, of Waukegan, Illinois, and the front seat passenger, Tyshaan Boyd, 20, of Markham, Illinois, were arrested on felony resisting law enforcement charges, police said. Two female back seat passengers were released to their parents. Master Trooper Fred Trammel pulled a 2016 Ford Explorer over about 1:20 p.m. on northbound I-65, four miles north of the Fair Oaks exit, police said. As Trammel was speaking to the occupants, the driver sped off, police said. Trammel ran back to his police car and chased the Explorer north on I-65. About six miles north along I-65, the Explorer hit tire-deflating devices with one of its rear passenger tires, police said. The pursuit continued and the Explorer left the highway at the Lowell exit, heading east on Ind. 2. The Explorer left the road just east of Clay Street, headed through two residential backyards in the 5200 block of Ind. 2 and took out about 100 feet of fencing, police said. Fencing dragging behind the Explorer caused damage to a state police car. The driver of the Explorer got back on Ind. 2 and stopped at Colorado Street, police said. Additional charges may be pending in Jasper and Lake counties, police said. The Jasper County and Lake County sheriff's departments assisted in the chase, state police said. Editor's note: The Fugitive of the Week is an ongoing feature in The Times. Jeri L. Woods, 33, with ties to Gary, is the United States Marshals Service, Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force fugitive of the week for the fourth time since October. Woods is 5-feet-2-inches tall, weighs 168 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. She is wanted on two counts of murder through Lake County courts, the Marshals Service reported. Anyone with information regarding Woods' whereabouts may contact task force investigators by calling toll free (888) 805-6119 or by texting capture to Tip411 (847411). All tipsters will remain anonymous. HOBART Police are seeking information about the identity of a woman accused of stealing an iPad at a Hobart business. A customer inadvertently left the iPad on a counter at the business Jan. 14 after she made a purchase, Lt. James Gonzales said. A woman seen in surveillance images released Monday picked up the iPad and left the business, he said. Anyone with information about the identity of the people in the surveillance photos is asked to call Lt. James Gonzales at (219) 942-4405. Callers may remain anonymous. MERRILLVILLE | Developers of two projects proposed in Merrillville need more time to accommodate requests made by the Plan Commission. The panel unanimously decided Tuesday to defer petitions for the Hunters Glen North residential community and an assisted living facility. Both of the petitions will be heard next month, Zoning Director Dorinda Gregor said. Van Prooyen Builders is seeking the commissions approval to build 31 duplexes on property near 86th Avenue and Merrillville Road. During a commission workshop earlier this month, the panel indicated it wanted representatives for the project to address concerns expressed by members of a Hindu temple near the site of the potential development before the commission would approve its plans. Plan Commission attorney Bill Touchette said the two groups on Monday discussed those concerns, which include drainage issues. It appears an agreement between them is forthcoming, but it hadnt been finalized by Tuesdays commission meeting. Bravo Properties also is seeking the commissions approval to build an assisted living facility near Connecticut and Georgia streets. The proposed three-level building would have more than 100 suites. At the recent commission workshop, several members of the panel said they are pleased with the design of the building, but they are concerned about the possibility of the development impacting drainage in the nearby Broadfield residential community. Bravo Properties sought the deferral Tuesday so it could adequately address the drainage issues with Merrillvilles engineer, according to an email submitted to the town. Broadfield sustained heavy flooding on multiple occasions before Merrillville and the Lake County surveyors office completed a major project in 2008 to improve drainage in the area. Were not going through this again, Councilman Shawn Pettit, the commissions president, said Tuesday. Michael Riddering, 45, died this weekend far from home in a terrorist attack in the West African country of Burkina Faso. But Michael was right where he wanted to be, operating an orphanage, school and medical clinic for children in one of the poorest countries in the world, Rick Riddering, a cousin, said Monday. "He was a man who loved God and took the call when he felt God nudging him toward this," Rick Riddering, of Cedar Lake, said. Born in South Holland, Michael Riddering's family moved to Florida when he was a child. He grew up there and started a career building high speed boats and fell in love with Florida's waters. Rick Riddering said although he and Michael had little in common as children, as adults, "I came to know his heart. He was very interested in his mission," Rick Riddering said. Michael Riddering, his wife, Amy, and their two daughters, moved five years ago to Burkina Faso, one of the poorest nations in the world, to run the orphanage and a shelter for abused women and widows in Yako, a village northeast of the nation's capital, Ouagadougou. He did so under the sponsorship of Sheltering Wings, a St. Louis based religious organization. Its work is featured on its website at www.sheltering-wings.org/. Rick Riddering said his cousin, in his spare time, helped organize well-digging in a landlocked country where drinking water is scarce. "He was so far away from the water he loved, but he found some for his mission. Michael and his wife, Ang, remained in the country and their two adopted children. Their older daughters returned to the U.S. Rick Riddering said he first heard of the terrorist attack Friday when his sister told him to check out Facebook where there was a posting, "Mike is in danger." He later learned al-Qaida militants from the neighboring country of Mali, invaded the Splendid Hotel in downtown Ouagadougou and the nearby Cappuccino Cafe, a restaurant where Riddering was visiting. National and French forces ended a more than 12-hour siege, but 18 were killed in the hotel and 10 at the cafe. White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said Riddering "had devoted his life to working with the Burkinabe people." John Anderson, a board member of Sheltering Wings, called Riddering "a wonderful, godly man. During the Ebola crisis, when it was hard to find people to do the (well) digging, Mike would go out and join them. And that's backbreaking work. He never stopped moving and never stopped helping." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Police on Monday identified a 44-year-old Lake County man as a person of interest in the strangulation deaths of a former local radio talk show host and her daughter in different buildings at their property in Calumet Township. The man, who had worked as a handyman for Velia "Val" Taneff, 86, and Lana Taneff, 63, was located near Montpelier, Ohio, after police tracked a 2003 Cadillac stolen from the Taneffs' residence to the area near the Indiana/Ohio border, Lake County Sheriff John Buncich said. The Taneffs were found strangled to death Sunday night, officials said at a Monday news conference. Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Michael Zirhr said he arrested the man about 11 p.m. Saturday on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and driving under suspension after he found the man walking about a mile from the Cadillac, which ran out of gas along Interstate 80/90. Zirhr said he suspected the man, who slurred his speech and stumbled as he walked, was trying to hide that he had been driving. The Taneffs' Cadillac was impounded, and the man was booked into the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio in Stryker, Zirhr said. Lake County detectives headed to Ohio on Monday afternoon to question the man, who was being held on a "high bond" in the Ohio case, Buncich said. The Times is not identifying the man pending formal charges in the homicides. Man's relative reported him to police Authorities began investigating after one of the man's relatives contacted Crown Point police to report his wallet had been stolen, Buncich said. The relative suspected the man, who reportedly has a violent past, as responsible for the theft and said the man was working at the Taneff property, Buncich said. The relative went to Crown Point police after he was unable to contact Taneff, police said. Sheriff's police went to the Taneffs' property in the 2300 block of West 44th Avenue about 5:25 p.m. Sunday and found Lana Taneff's body on the basement stairs of the home she shared with her mother, Buncich said. She had ligature marks around her neck, and it was later determined she had died from strangulation and blunt force trauma, Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey said. Police conducted a search of the property, and found Val Taneff's body in an upstairs bedroom at an adjacent apartment building, Buncich said. Val Taneff also had ligature marks on her neck and died from strangulation and blunt force trauma. A possible murder weapon was collected at the scene by the sheriff's Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Buncich said. "It was a very violent, gruesome scene," Buncich said. One of the Taneffs' relatives told police the Cadillac was missing from a garage and police used the vehicle's OnStar system to track it to northwestern Ohio, Buncich said. Buncich said the person of interest had several prior contacts with police, including violent offenses. Lake County court records show he was charged March 17, 2015, with felony sexual battery in a Crown Point case. The charge was dismissed three days later. The man was charged Jan. 25, 2015, with misdemeanor invasion of privacy in a Schererville case. That charge was dismissed June 9. He also faced misdemeanor public intoxication, misdemeanor disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement charges last year in two separate Crown Point cases. He entered into a pretrial diversion agreement Dec. 15, court records show. Court records show the man lived in the 9400 block of Cleveland Street in Crown Point. Further details about his cases were not available Monday because courthouses were closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Buncich said a determination on whether either of the Taneffs was sexually assaulted is pending further autopsy results. Investigators were still trying to piece together a timeline, he said. 'The Real Deal with Val Taneff' A couple who rent an apartment in the building where Val Taneff's body was found said police came there around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Gabriel Henderson and Tiffany Lewis said Val Taneff had been cleaning out items in the apartment where she was found after they were left behind by a recently evicted family. Police evidence tape was on the door of the apartment Monday afternoon. Henderson and Lewis, who have been living at the apartment building for about a month and a half, said Taneff was like "a grandmother" to them. "It's disgusting and heartbreaking and I don't know how somebody could do something like that," Lewis said. Val Taneff was well known in the Region. She was involved in Democratic politics for decades, primarily as a Calumet Township precinct committeewoman. She ran unsuccessfully in 1994 for Lake County commissioner and in 2002 for the Calumet Township board. She also hosted a political talk radio program called "The Real Deal with Val Taneff" on WLTH as recently as 2010. Verlie Suggs, WJOB radio host, was station manager at WLTH when Taneff worked there. "We were so very close, and this is very hard," Suggs said Monday. "Val called me twice on Saturday and left me voice messages, but we never connected." Recalling Taneff's radio show, "The Real Deal," Suggs said, "Val was an amazing woman. She was very feisty, very politically savvy and very opinionated and knowledgeable. Everybody loved her, unless they hated her unless they were catching the brunt of what she was saying." Suggs also spoke with Lana Taneff this weekend and described her as "an angel." "She was the sweetest person," she said. She said the younger Taneff had been fighting breast cancer for the past few years. 'A dedicated, hardworking person' Val Taneff, who was a first-generation U.S. citizen and daughter of Spanish immigrants, remained active even at 86, Suggs said. "She still mowed the lawn of her property," she said. "She still plowed snow. She was just amazing." The elder Taneff served on several Lake County government advisory boards from drainage and waste management to overseeing the county government-run Westwind Manor nursing home before it closed in 1993. Her husband, James, died the same year. Calumet Township Board member Clorius Lay served as attorney for one of the county boards Taneff served on and recalled her as "a dedicated, hardworking person especially on that board." "She would stake out her position and argue it," Lay recalled. Taneff sued former Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin in 2007 on grounds Elgin fired Taneff the previous year for supporting Gary City Councilman Kyle Allen to unseat Elgin in the 2006 township elections. The court dismissed her suit on grounds Taneff couldn't prove her allegation. Elgin's defense was that she had a policy against political activity during working hours and Taneff violated it. Taneff countered that Elgin and her administration in fact permitted political activity in support of Elgin's re-election. The U.S. attorney's office and a federal grand jury indicted Elgin in 2014 on conspiracy and fraud charges that Elgin used her employees and office resources to further her political career. Elgin pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial April 4. Allen said Taneff "had high expectations, but she was a fair woman, and she expected you to look out for the interests of the people." Friends said Lana Taneff was born with severe vision problems and was declared legally blind. She recently lost her job at a local bank and was seeking disability benefits at the time of her death. -- Times Staff Writers Keith Benman and Lauri Harvey Keagle contributed to this report. VALPARAISO When Freeman Hrabowski III was a young boy in 1963, his parents insisted he go to a Birmingham, Alabama, church and listen to a visiting minister. Eating candy and doing his algebra homework in the back of the church, Hrabowski perked up when he heard the minister say that if the children there participate in a peaceful march, all of America would understand that "even our babies know the difference between right and wrong." The minister who captured the attention of the 12-year-old Hrabowski was Martin Luther King Jr. Hrabowski, during his keynote address Monday at Valparaiso University's Martin Luther King Jr. Day convocation at the Chapel of the Resurrection, recalled the moment that King spoke. It was one of many ceremonies that remembered King on Monday, along with events in Hammond, Gary, Michigan City and Merrillville. Hrabowski recalled King saying he wanted black children to march because it wasn't fair they were given less than others and it would lead to them being able to attend stronger schools. "My eyes were open," Hrabowski said. "It was the first time I ever believed in the possibility that tomorrow can be different from today." Hrabowski joined hundreds of other students in the Birmingham Children's Crusade in May 1963 during the civil rights movement's Birmingham campaign. He was spat on, arrested and spent a week in jail. Hrabowski told students they are fortunate to be at a university where they can sit in a wonderful place like the chapel and have a chance to think about their values. "It will be your dreams and your values that will shape who you are as young students and as a society," he said. "You have the opportunity to face the challenge of change and say, 'I will be the change.' You are blessed to be preparing to lead. I challenge you to prepare to lead with humility." Hrabowksi, in addition to being a civil rights leader and chairman of the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans, is the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He also appeared in Spike Lees 1997 documentary, Four Little Girls, about the racially motivated bombing in 1963 of Birminghams Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. During the service, the Valparaiso University Martin Luther King Jr. award was presented to Charles Schaefer, professor and chairman of the international studies department. Prior to joining the history department in 1994, Schaefer was a lecturer in Ethiopia. Since 2006, Schaefer has served as a volunteer as country specialist for Ethiopia for Amnesty International USA. VU President Mark Heckler said through his studies Schaefer has explored the roots of poverty and conflict in Ethiopia and attempts to recover peace, reconciliation and restorative justice. "His research and volunteer efforts have played a significant role in promoting change, and we are grateful for his ongoing work both here and and overseas," Heckler said. Major blazes require the mutual aid of multiple fire departments attacking the conflagration from all sides. Public education in Gary is burning in much the same fashion and requires all pumper and ladder trucks that can be brought to bear. In the end, we also need to realize some parts of the structure are lost and begin the rebuilding process. Thats why we were prepared to offer strong support for legislation recently introduced in the Indiana General Assembly that would have allowed the citys mayor to create additional charter schools. The bill would have given Garys parents and students deserved alternatives to the flames and embers. Instead, the bill is going nowhere, according to its co-sponsor, Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary. Brown told The Times on Friday the bill was designed merely to stimulate communication flowing between the mayor, Gary public school leaders and legislators. Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson also said Friday she is not interested in being able to authorize charter schools at this time. The decision to kill the bill by Brown and other bill sponsor, Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, is much like telling a fire truck to stand down halfway between the station and the house fire. The time to stimulate conversation is long expired. Gary students and parents deserve action and change, not an empty threat shouted from a political soapbox followed by business as usual. For years, weve been writing about the decay, debt and mismanagement of the Gary Community School Corp. The school district is in its second iteration of an outside bailout effort. In 2011, the state appointed a private corporation to take over the administration of Garys Roosevelt College and Career academy, which includes grades seven through 12, because of its failing status. Failing, in part, was characterized by only 10.4 percent of its seventh- and eighth-grade students passing both English and math on the states 2012 ISTEP test. Now a special administrator has been appointed by the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board to go through the entire school districts books and develop a plan for putting it back on sound financial footing. Its easy to see why the help is needed. Last year, it was frequently reported the district was mired in $23.7 million in debt. The newly appointed financial consultant now says its even worse in the range of $35 million to $40 million. Meanwhile, existing facilities are in a dire state, and the district still owns 21 closed and essentially abandoned structures that have become a haven for gang activity and other crime. Its no wonder many parents living within this beleaguered school district thirst for better alternatives for their childrens education. Gary already leads the state with more than one-third of its children attending charter schools. The deplorable condition of the school district leaves little doubt as to why. If the recently killed bill had been given a chance, Gary could have joined Indianapolis as the only two Hoosier municipalities where mayors are authorized to create charter schools without the usual state or university authority. Desperate times call for unusual measures. This bill deserved the support of our Legislature and governor, not just a quick stint as a decoy in a political game. Lauren Ashby, a junior at Crown Point High School, is the vice president of the local Key Club as well as lieutenant governor of the Arrowhead Division on the state level, putting her in charge of three schools in Indiana. If that double duty isn't enough, she has her eye on chartering more schools in her division. She has attended leadership seminars in Brookston, Indianapolis and, most recently, North Carolina, where she met other lieutenant governors from all over the country. CPHS' Key Club has more than 150 members this year and takes on more than four projects a month serving the school and the community. The club has already raised $1,500 to donate to Rebuilding Together so that more of the elderly will have safe and warm houses for the winter months. The club also invited all elementary school children of Crown Point to its annual Halloween Party and sponsored a Breakfast with Santa last month. Ashby played a vital role in planning both of these events. As vice president of the Crown Point Key Club, she is in charge of all of the communications to club members. Remind 101 has become a part of her daily routine. Ashby also works with other CPHS Key Club Board members to organize new projects and guide committee chairs as they work through logistics. Everyone knows that Ashby is their go-to gal for information and help, said teacher and club sponsor Heidi Polizotto. "It is her hope that she will be able to train other Key Club members to become better leaders in their school and their community. She would also like to charter Builders Clubs at the Crown Point middle schools," Polizotto added. Besides spending many hours on Key Club events, Ashby is also president of CPHS German Club and helped her sponsor and fellow officers create a calendar of events this year which includes an Oktoberfest, movie and a pizza, a gingerbread house building contest, dinner at Cafe Fondue and field trips to Chicago and Indianapolis. Ashby also maintains "great grades and works 8-10 hours per week. Her time management skills are incredible," Polizotto said. It is her ambition to become the Key Club state governor for the 2016-17 school year. Macken Schon on Fashion "I always enjoyed playing dress-up as a child, and that mentality has carried through to adulthood. I love trying new looks and making popular looks for less. I've always had an eye for design and I like to apply that to the little aspects of my life, even my clothing. I'm a big bargain hunter, so you could say my style is trendy and thrifty." Feeling the urge to spruce up your home, but not wanting the hefty price tag that goes along with it? What if you could do this easily and ine A Brooklyn day care worker is under arrest after police say he sexually abused a child. Manathis Anderson, 63, is accused of molesting a ten-year-old boy on at least five separate occasions. Anderson works at Heavenly Miracle Academy Services daycare on Blake Avenue in East New York. Meanwhile, a Health Department inspection from last March shows the center failed to arrange or conduct background checks. The violation has since been listed as corrected. Health records also show inspectors found violations during 80% of the facility's annual inspections in the last three years. Parents we spoke with say they're outraged. "It's disappointing," said one mother. "I had a lot of faith in this place. My daughter's been going here for a very long time, but after hearing this, she won't be. I refuse to put her somewhere where there's another child that's been inappropriately touched." "My son used to go to this daycare a while back," said one father. "There's too many violations in there. I don't think it's right, you know, especially in this neighborhood, you know it kind of sucks." It's unclear if the alleged assaults happened at the daycare center. Anderson is being held on Rikers Island with $30,000 bail. Four Brooklyn men are suing American Airlines after they say they were kicked off a flight just for looking Muslim. It happened on a flight from Toronto to the city back on December 8. The suit says a flight attendant asked two of the men to exit the plane after they took their seats. All four men got off and, when they asked why, they were told their appearance made the captain and crew uneasy. They say they're suing for $9 million and to ensure this doesn't happen to someone else in the future. "The plaintiffs have been severely traumatized and tainted from their experience," said attorney Tahainie Aboushi. "It was very traumatic. It was very traumatizing. I don't think it was handled properly." "We just want to raise awareness that this stuff is still happening and somehow maybe through our case or something like that, raise awareness that this shouldn't happen anymore," said Faimul Alam. "Put an end to this, you know. And we don't want anybody else to go through what we went through." The group is also suing Republic Airlines and American Eagle which were operating the plane under the banner of American Airlines. They were allowed on the next plane to New York about 90 minutes later after the captain of that flight said he had no problem with them. American Airlines says they're reviewing the lawsuit. We reached out to the other two airlines for comment. Elected leaders in the Bronx joined together Tuesday to denounce an attack on a Muslim immigrant and call for the arrest of those responsible. NY1's Michael Herzenberg filed the following report. Mujibur Rahman spoke through an interpreter just days after two men attacked him. "They came and they started to punch me on my face, and blood was coming out from my nose and my face," Rahman said through the interpreter. Surveillance video shows the masked males after the beating. The 43-year-old victim says they yelled "ISIS, ISIS," apparently referring to the Islamic State terrorist group. "This is a peaceful man, this is a family man, and I want these individuals that committed this crime to remember that face because this will be the last person that will be assaulted in our community because of his religious faith," said Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda of the Bronx. Elected leaders stood with clergy to denounce the assailants and the attack, which police are investigating as a possible hate crime. "You're not tough. You're a coward. You are stupid. You are all idiots," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. "And you want to show me a real man? A real man is what Mr. Rahman was doing, picking up his niece every day from this school right here." Rahman, a Bangladeshi immigrant, was picking up his 9-year-old niece from an after-school program at PS 119. The school itself is diverse. She is now scared to leave the house at all. "She didn't want to come to school, but we said come, go today to school," said one person at the rally. "She did come today, yeah." Leaders of the Bronx Bangladeshi community rallied outside the school before the politicians came. They said the assault was part of a growing number of bias attacks against Muslims nationwide, and they blamed the rhetoric of Donald Trump, who, while running for president, has suggested banning Muslims from entering the U.S. because of fears about terrorism. "Donald Trump is the one who's inciting this, and we must condemn it," said one person at the rally. "We are in America. We are a diversity community. We love each other. We don't hate each other. Police are in the school today and around the neighborhood. Mayor Bill de Blasio is weighing in on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to decide the fate of President Barack Obama's immigration actions. The president's order would allow up to five million immigrants to apply for benefits to work legally in the country. The justices say they will consider undoing lower court rulings that blocked the plan from taking effect in the middle of a presidential campaign. In a statement, Mayor de Blasio said, "Today, tens of thousands of families in New York City and millions across the country move one step closer to the justice they deserve. Were hopeful that the Supreme Court will soon affirm, as the settled law of the land, that President Obamas Executive Action on immigration is lawful, and that immigrant parents and children across the country are respected and protected." The case will most likely be heard in April and ruled on in June. Texas is just one of 26 states leading the fight against the plan. Midway through his first rehearsal as music director of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the conductor Andrew Litton did something audacious. He asked the musicians to change how they played a score that they must hold some kind of record for performing: Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker, which they have presented dozens of times each year for decades. Sorry to be a pain, Mr. Litton said at one point, as the ensemble traversed a score that had been rearranged in places by the choreographer George Balanchine, City Ballets co-founder and guiding spirit. This is a bit like telling the Vienna Philharmonic how to play Strauss. At one point Mr. Litton, 56, who has conducted quite a bit of Tchaikovsky over the years, with symphony orchestras around the world, came up with a novel way to get the horn players to adjust their phrasing of the soaring Waltz of the Flowers melody. I thought of great words in the shower this morning, he told them, before bursting into song to show them the phrasing he was looking for: My name is BA-lanchine; this is my NUT-cracker BAL-let. The players laughed, but the melody came out as Mr. Litton wanted, and his first conducting assignment as the companys music director drew favorable reviews. Now Mr. Litton is preparing for his next test: City Ballet is opening its winter season on Tuesday with a program he selected, called Music Directors Choice. Mr. Litton went with three ballets he has conducted, sans dancers, in his career as a symphony conductor: Barber Violin Concerto, Fancy Free (with a Leonard Bernstein score) and Who Cares? (to Gershwin). George Jonas, a prominent Canadian newspaper columnist whose controversial book about Israeli counterterrorists was the basis of the 2005 film Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg, died on Jan. 10 in Toronto. He was 80. His death was reported in The National Post, the newspaper Mr. Jonas had written for since 2001. No cause was given, but Mr. Jonas was known to have Parkinsons disease. Born in Budapest into a family of Jewish heritage and reared in a Hungary dominated first by the Nazis and later by the Communists, Mr. Jonas had lived in Canada since the mid-1950s. Though without formal education beyond secondary school I attribute whatever I know to not having gone to school, he once said he became known for his stylish writing and witty erudition and for a wide-ranging body of work that included poems, plays, television dramas and documentaries, opera librettos, and 16 books, including a novel, a true crime tale, a collection of essays about Islam and a memoir, Beethovens Mask. The development bank is important because it orchestrates most of Puerto Ricos complex web of debt, and because it has the increasingly difficult job of making sure all branches of government have adequate cash. There are concerns that if it ran into severe problems, they would spread to other parts of the government. And on July 1, so many debt payments are due that the officials said that without relief, there would be defaults from the top to the bottom of the hierarchy of creditors. When questioned further, they said it was still too soon to reveal how much relief they would seek from each creditor group. Under the ground rules for the briefing, the officials could not be identified by name or quoted directly. On Wednesday, the United States Treasury secretary, Jacob J. Lew, is scheduled to visit Puerto Rico. He is expected to discuss the islands debt crisis with Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla, senior members of the legislature, and business, labor and community leaders. Mr. Lew and other Obama administration officials have been urging Congress to enact measures they say would help it restructure its $72 billion of debt in an orderly manner. In particular, the administration has argued that Puerto Rico needs access to a legal framework, like bankruptcy, that would automatically stay creditor lawsuits and make it possible to force dissident creditors to accept settlements. As currently written, the bankruptcy code bars Puerto Ricos cities or other bodies of government from using Chapter 9, the provision that insolvent cities and counties on the mainland have been able to use to shed debt. Republicans in Congress have held back from agreeing to amend the bankruptcy code for Puerto Rico, saying they must first have a better understanding of how the island got into so much trouble. The officials who briefed journalists on Monday said that any restructuring would be easier if they could do it under the protective shield of bankruptcy but that even without bankruptcy they had to press forward. They said debt relief was the only hope for bringing the governments fiscal affairs into balance over the long term. Taxi drivers in Hungarys capital demonstrated on Monday against the ride-hailing service Uber in the face of new regulations setting a fixed tariff for traditional taxi firms that is higher than Ubers. Taxis blocked much of the road traffic in the center of Budapest, saying protests could continue until Uber was no longer downloadable to smartphones in Hungary. About 140 vehicles took part, organizers said. Uber has attracted 80,000 users and 1,200 drivers in Budapest since its 2014 debut in the city, the state news agency MTI quoted the company as saying last week. GENEVA As the Swiss watch industry readies itself for another challenging year, the expectations among most players in the global watch auction market are decidedly bright, with the top five houses Christies, Sothebys, Phillips, Antiquorum and Bonhams pinning their hopes on sales of vintage watches in prime condition. Aurel Bacs, the Phillips consultant who is currently considered the sectors star rainmaker, predicts that values for vintage models wont decrease and that average transaction prices will go up. Over all, we will see fewer watches on the market that are mediocre, boring or in poor condition, he said. We believe the future is vintage, where scholarship matters, Mr. Bacs continued, referring to the kind of knowledgeable approach to timepieces that many say he has helped to make part of Phillipss hallmark. And, after just a year back in the watch auction business, Phillips is already expanding, moving from three annual watch auctions to at least four two in Geneva and two in Hong Kong and adding more specialists to its 15-member team. Auctions in London and New York are also on the drawing board. I just want to keep them up, keep them full of hope, Ms. Lewis, 43, said. Its hard, especially out there. Her elegant bearing and smile belie the struggles she has faced, particularly with her health. It may not look like it, she said, but Ive got a lot going on with my body. Ms. Lewis has spinal damage, which limits her strength and her ability to stand or walk for extended periods of time. She needs her daughters help getting ready in the morning, and she must wear a brace on one of her feet. She has asthma and sleep apnea and uses a machine that helps with her breathing. In 2012, one of her lungs collapsed. Because of these ailments, Ms. Lewis is unable to work and supports her family with income from workers compensation. She was a truck driver for the United States Postal Service until she was injured in 2011. FAIRFIELD, Conn. As word spread last week that General Electric was moving its headquarters and some of its employees to Boston, residents of this coastal town were just beginning to absorb what it will mean for their community to lose one of the countrys largest corporations. The company has about 800 employees working in its corporate headquarters. Certainly there will be a lot of homes for sale, said Michael Brosnan, a consultant who discovered the town when he traveled from Manhattan 10 years ago for a business meeting at G.E. He liked Fairfield so much, he bought a house here last summer. I feel like local people will suffer, Mr. Brosnan said. With household incomes well above the state median, Fairfield was an attractive destination when G.E. moved its headquarters from New York City in 1974. Executives were drawn to this part of Connecticut by the lower tax rates, good schools and family-friendly towns. Today, Fairfield has about 60,000 residents, town officials said. New York City may soon be one step closer to building a new flood protection system around Lower Manhattan to guard against another storm like Hurricane Sandy. Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said on Monday that the city would be awarded $176 million in federal funding for the proposed project, through a national contest created by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help communities recover from disasters and better prepare for them. The money would be used to help fortify a stretch of shoreline from Montgomery Street on the Lower East Side to the northern tip of Battery Park City. Specific measures have not yet been determined, but could include adding sea walls and temporary flood walls that could be deployed before a storm, and building grass berms that could double as recreational areas. This project has gotten more money than any other in this rebuild contest, Mr. Schumer said. The senator added that he had lobbied the housing secretary, Julian Castro, numerous times, including most recently over breakfast at a diner in Lower Manhattan last week. EARLIER this month, former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida opened up on a subject he had once chided reporters for asking about: his daughter, Noelle, who, he said, was addicted to drugs. In a video released by the campaign, Mr. Bush speaks plainly about his daughters struggle, her time in jail and drug court, and her recovery. I can look in peoples eyes and I know that theyve gone through the same thing that Columba and I have, he said, referring to his wife. Mr. Bush is not the only candidate to share this sort of painful personal experience. Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, has spoken out about losing her stepdaughter, Lori Ann Fiorina, to the demons of addiction at the age of 35. And Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey spoke candidly and emotionally about a law school friend who died of a Percocet overdose. Whats behind this newfound willingness on the candidates part to talk about the personal toll of addiction? A vaguely written gay propaganda law passed in 2013 created a toxic environment for gay men and lesbians in Russia. Now, some lawmakers want to further denigrate and stigmatize gay people. A new bill scheduled for debate on Friday in the lower house of Parliament would allow the authorities to impose fines and even jail time for public displays of affection between people of the same sex. The law would criminalize the public expression of nontraditional sexual relations, manifested in a public demonstration of personal perverted sexual preferences in public spaces. If such displays of affection happen in educational or cultural institutions, a jail sentence of up to 15 days can be imposed. Ivan Nikitchuk, one of the lawmakers who introduced the bill, described it as an effort to preserve longstanding social norms. This is our country, where weve always respected traditions, where weve always had and still have today a conscience and the concept of shame, he told the Russian news site Meduza. And all these bearded men kissing is nothing but nauseating. Oakland, Calif. ACROSS the country, some 400,000 women, mostly immigrants, work in agriculture, toiling in fields, nurseries and packing plants. Such work is backbreaking and low-paying. But for many of these women, it is also a nightmare of sexual violence. In a 2010 study from the University of California, Santa Cruz, more than 60 percent of the 150 female farmworkers interviewed said they had experienced some form of sexual harassment. In a 2012 report, Human Rights Watch surveyed 52 female farmworkers; nearly all of them had experienced sexual violence, or knew others who had. One woman told investigators that her workplace was called the field de calzon, or field of panties. As an Iowa immigrant farmworker told her lawyer, We thought it was normal in the United States that in order to keep your job, you had to have sex. The reasons behind this epidemic arent hard to fathom. Fields are vast and sparsely monitored; workers are often alone. Its particularly bad for immigrant workers: The Department of Labor estimates that about half of farmworkers dont have legal immigration papers, which makes them especially vulnerable. So do low wages and competition for jobs: Male farmworkers make an estimated $16,250 a year and female ones $11,250 a year. With depressed wages and so many workers competing for the same job, women are hesitant to complain. Lawmakers who oppose taking action to lower greenhouse gas emissions by putting a price on carbon often argue that doing so would hurt businesses and consumers. But the energy policies adopted by some American states and Canadian provinces demonstrate that those arguments are simply unfounded. Around the world, nearly 40 nations, including the 28-member European Union, and many smaller jurisdictions are engaged in some form of carbon pricing. In this hemisphere, British Columbia, Quebec, California and nine Northeastern states have raised the cost of burning fossil fuels without damaging the economy. Alberta, Canadas biggest oil and gas producer, and Ontario have said they will adopt similar policies. Carbon pricing comes in two forms: a direct tax on emissions or a cap on emissions. British Columbia, for instance, has levied a tax on emissions from fuels like gasoline, natural gas and heating oil. California and Quebec, which are working together, place a ceiling on overall emissions and allow utilities, manufacturing plants, fuel distributors and others to buy and sell permits that entitle them to emit greenhouse gases. Like the cap itself, the number of permits decline over time, becoming more expensive. Many economists regard carbon taxes as the simpler and more elegant solution, and cap-and-trade systems like the one that failed in the United States Congress as complex and hard to explain. But both systems effectively raise the price of using fossil fuels, which encourages utilities and other producers to generate more energy from low-carbon sources like solar, wind and nuclear power. Iran uses attacks on diplomatic sites as an instrument of its foreign policy. The 1979 takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran was only the beginning. Since then, embassies of Britain, Denmark, Kuwait, France, Russia and Saudi Arabia have been attacked in Iran or abroad by Iranian proxies. Foreign diplomats and domestic political opponents have been assassinated around the world. Hezbollah, Irans surrogate, tries to control Lebanon and wages war against the Syrian opposition and in the process helps the Islamic State flourish. It is clear why Iran wants Bashar al-Assad of Syria to remain in power: In its 2014 report on terrorism, the State Department wrote that Iran views Syria as a crucial causeway to its weapons supply route to Hezbollah. The report also noted, citing United Nations data, that Iran provided arms, financing and training to support the Assad regimes brutal crackdown that has resulted in the deaths of at least 191,000 people. The same report for 2012 noted that there was a marked resurgence of Irans state sponsorship of terrorism, with Iranian and Hezbollahs terrorist activity reaching a tempo unseen since the 1990s. In Yemen, Irans support for the takeover of the country by the Houthi militia helped cause the war that has killed thousands. While Iran claims its top foreign policy priority is friendship, its behavior shows the opposite is true. Iran is the single-most-belligerent-actor in the region, and its actions display both a commitment to regional hegemony and a deeply held view that conciliatory gestures signal weakness either on Irans part or on the part of its adversaries. Palo Alto, Calif. THE dramatic events of this past weekend mark a potential turning point in the modern history of the Middle East. Estranged for the last three and a half decades, the American and Iranian governments are talking and working with each other once again. The implementation of the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions on Iran, as well as the prisoner exchange, combined to make it a rare, hopeful day for Washington and Tehran. But Iran remains a powerful adversary of America across nearly all the conflicts of the Middle East. President Obama and his successor in the White House will be tested by whether they can find the right balance between cooperation on nuclear issues and containment of Iranian aggression. The deal will have multiple consequences. With the lifting of sanctions, Iran becomes a major player in global energy markets. It will also cease to be a political pariah in much of the world. Most important, a possible third major Middle East war has been averted and Irans bid for nuclear weapons stymied, at least for now. At a time of upheaval in the region, this is an unusual piece of positive news. Despite criticism of the agreement from congressional opponents, there are clear benefits for American security. Irans nuclear program will be frozen for 10 to 15 years now that its plutonium production and uranium enrichment facilities have been largely dismantled. A vast majority of its enriched uranium has been shipped abroad. Tehran will be subject to tight international supervision and monitoring. When the U.S. loosened travel restrictions to Cuba in 2014, Havana jumped to the top of everyones cultural bucket list. And the New York art scene has caught the fever: A rash of exhibitions this winter are devoted to the islands art community. A timely follow-up to last springs contemporary-focused Cuba Libre! exhibition at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, David Zwirners Concrete Cuba offers one of the first looks at the islands pre-revolutionary art, with a comprehensive show of the sculptures and paintings of Los Diez Pintores Concretos (the Ten Concrete Painters), a group of geometrically inclined artists that operated under that collective moniker for a brief moment between 1959 to 1961. Taking up the second story of the gallerys 20th Street tower, the historical work has a pleasingly human scale. A celebration of medium and color rather than content, the concretist compositions share more conceptual similarities with the process-based artists of today than with the abstract expressionists who were working in Europe and the U.S. at that time. A more contemporary point of view can be found a few blocks up at Alexander Gray Associates, where the Cuban artist Coco Fuscos solo presentation fills the white cube. The show includes Fuscos most recent film, La Confesion, which debuted at the 56th Venice Biennale last year and examines political oppression through the case of the Cuban poet Heberto Padilla. Fuscos exploration of Padillas plight continues with Confidencial, Autores Firmantes, a collection of facsimiles that Fusco made from official documents found in the archive of the Cuban Ministry of Culture. Farther uptown, Sean Kelly Gallery presents the first international solo show of the equally outspoken Diana Fonseca Quinones, who looks at Cuban culture through the symbology of everyday objects. Her methods vary: Sculptures, videos and paintings fill the gallery. Patchy canvases collaged from paint fragments stripped from the facades of Old Havana hang in the same space as sculptures made from books and thread everyday objects that help Quinones reframe larger social issues through metaphor. And in her videos, an act as simple as striking a match can take on new symbolic resonance. Proof that the trend shows no signs of abating: After Quinoness exhibition, another Cuban artist, Alejandro Campins, will move into Sean Kellys space. Ryan Craine hates carrying cash and finds writing checks to be a headache. He doesnt do much of either anymore he mostly uses his smartphone to pay for things. Mr. Craine, a 28-year-old tech support worker in Washington, D.C., uses Apple Pay at the stores and restaurants that accept it. About 20 times a month, he turns to Venmo, a digital wallet for transferring money from one person to another, to pay his share of rent, meals, groceries and utility bills. To refinance his student loans last year, he went to an online lending start-up, Earnest. Mr. Craines money choices point to the millennial-led shift toward new digital financial services, a change in behavior that threatens to upend the consumer banking industry. The popularity of the services has left the major banks rushing to adapt, even as they have regained their footing after the financial crisis. If the banks fail to meet the challenge, Brian Moynihan, the chief executive of Bank of America, warned in November, it may allow part of our industry to be forever taken away from us. Facing a tougher than expected challenge from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Hillary Clintons campaign is preparing for a primary fight that could stretch into late April or early May and require a sprawling field operation in states and territories from Pennsylvania to Guam. With the Iowa caucuses in two weeks and Mr. Sanderss insurgent candidacy chipping away at Mrs. Clintons once formidable lead there, Clinton aides are acknowledging that the road to the partys July convention could be an expensive slog. Remember, I campaigned all the way into June last time, Mrs. Clinton told CNN last week. Even though the Clinton team has sought to convey that it has built a national operation, the campaign has invested much of its resources in the Feb. 1 caucuses in Iowa, hoping that a victory there could marginalize Mr. Sanders and set Mrs. Clinton on the path to the nomination. As much as 90 percent of the campaigns resources are now split between Iowa and the Brooklyn headquarters, according to an estimate provided by a person with direct knowledge of the spending. The campaign denied that figure. The campaign boasted last June, when Mrs. Clinton held her kickoff event on Roosevelt Island in New York, that it had at least one paid staff member in all 50 states. But the effort did not last, and the staff members were soon let go or reassigned. (Mrs. Clintons campaign manager, Robby Mook, said they had been hired as temporary workers to sign up volunteers at the start of the campaign, an effort he said had paid off organizationally.) But in recent decades, presidents have confronted civilians held by terrorists or hostile governments as geopolitical pawns. President Jimmy Carter agonized over embassy workers held hostage by Iran for 444 days and sent an ill-fated rescue mission. President Ronald Reagan was so consumed with American hostages held in the Middle East that he traded arms with Iran to secure their release. Reagan also freed a Soviet spy in 1986 in exchange for Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for U.S. News & World Report arrested in Moscow. Much like Mr. Obama, Reagan was criticized for trading a guilty person for an innocent one, even by conservatives like Representative Jack Kemp. If Reagan had gone with Kemp, I would have been sitting in Siberia for a long time, Mr. Daniloff, now 81 and retired in Cambridge, Mass., said by telephone Monday. Ive got to tell you about being arrested and imprisoned every minute is like a day, every hour is like a year. But he agreed that a president should make clear such exchanges are not precedent to avoid inspiring more. Swaps are tricky, he said. In this particular case, Im glad that it took place. Other countries have traded as well. Israel has routinely exchanged imprisoned Palestinians for its own people. In 2011, Israel freed 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including some it deemed terrorists, for Sgt. Gilad Shalit, who had been held by the militant group Hamas for five years. Mr. Obama made clear over the weekend that meeting relatives of prisoners has an impact. Ive seen their anguish, how they ache for their sons and husbands, he said. I gave these families my word I made a vow that we would do everything in our power to win the release of their loved ones. The Iran trade was the latest of several by Mr. Obama. In 2010, on the tarmac of a Vienna airport, his administration swapped 10 Russian sleeper agents arrested in the United States for four Russians held by Moscow for their connections to the West. In May 2014, it traded five Taliban detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, an American prisoner of war now charged with desertion. Moroccan officials announced Monday that they had detained a Belgian man thought to be a close friend of one of the leaders of the attacks in Paris on Nov. 13. The man, whom Belgian and Moroccan news sources identified as Gelel Attar, is of Belgian and Moroccan background, as were most of those who participated in the attacks. Mr. Attar was sentenced in absentia at a trial last summer in Belgium to five years in prison for involvement in a terrorist network. Two of the Paris attackers were also sentenced in absentia in that trial: Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who helped organize the attacks, and Chakib Akrouh, one of the attackers. Not far away, gunmen had burst into the Splendid Hotel and the Cappuccino Cafe on Friday night, setting off explosions and targeting people who had been sipping coffee or strolling through the hotel lobby. The North African affiliate of Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the rampage, calling the hotel and cafe and their environs dangerous dens of global espionage and pledging further attacks. Untouched pizzas and toppled bottles of Sprite still sit amid the cafes broken glass and charred walls, testament to the sudden horror that unfolded here. Across the street were the charred remains of a dozen vehicles that had melted into the ground. On Monday afternoon, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore toured the carnage, accompanied by the president of Benin, Thomas Yayi Boni, who had come to offer sympathies. In all, 29 people died in the attack, and dozens were wounded. Many were from abroad, passing through the capital city on business trips or volunteer missions. But at least one local employee was presumed dead. And it was not the first time Al Qaeda had targeted hotels in the region: Three hotel employees were among those gunned down when the same Qaeda branch attacked the Radisson Blu in Bamako, Mali, in November. Since Fridays attack, employees across the city said they had been plotting escape routes should gunmen burst through the front door of their workplaces. The fear of attack was new to most of them, but none said they planned to quit chiefly because nearly no one else is hiring. Mr. Yuldashevs death would inevitably have to be announced when it became apparent that he would never be released from prison, so by concealing it, the government risked further angering his followers and making him a martyr, Mr. Swerdlow said. Mr. Yuldashev, a former math teacher and Communist Party member, emerged as a leader of the broad Islamic revival that flourished in the 1990s in the Fergana Valley, which sprawls across eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. His followers, who now number a few thousand, staged an uprising in the eastern city of Andijon in 2005 to protest corruption and the persecution of Muslims, which ended in bloodshed when government troops fired on the crowds. While rights activists lobbied the government, State Department officials considered other approaches for pressuring Uzbekistan to release Mr. Yuldashev, working in consultation with his family. American officials, as they have on a variety of rights issues in Uzbekistan, had advocated quiet diplomacy, lest the government of President Islam Karimov take offense or fear losing face in a public dispute, and retaliate by closing military supply routes to Afghanistan. Mr. Yuldashevs widow lives in the United States and lobbied for years for his release. But three years ago, his family, dismayed by the lack of progress, started to accept the American governments position that confrontation was counterproductive and diminished its public advocacy, Mr. Swerdlow said. The debate turned out to be moot, as Mr. Yuldashev was long dead. Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday that the government would finance classes for female Muslim immigrants, and he warned that some could be deported if they failed to reach certain standards. Arguing that improved national cohesion is the best antidote to extremism, he said Muslim women who had immigrated to Britain must improve their English to better integrate into society. According to Mr. Cameron, the $28.5 million fund would help tens of thousands of women facing social isolation and discrimination and emphasize that Britain has expectations for those who want to live in the country. But the prime minister faced an immediate backlash from critics including some within his own Conservative party who challenged his decision to link language abilities to extremism. Sayeeda Warsi, a onetime member of Mr. Camerons cabinet, said that while the money was welcome, the announcement of the proposal had been mishandled. UNITED NATIONS Barely a month after the worlds most powerful countries agreed to an ambitious road map to end the five-year-old war in Syria, there is still no agreement on who, if anyone, will show up at the peace talks that are supposed to begin in Geneva next Monday. Instead, there are new worries that the talks will be pushed back, and with them any hopes for a cease-fire, as Syrians continue to die from shelling and starvation. The new dispute revolves around the lingering question of who gets to represent the opposition delegation. Saudi Arabia wants its handpicked rebel bloc alone to represent the opposition to the government of President Bashar al-Assad and it has threatened to pull its proxies out of the process if others are added to the delegation, according to United Nations diplomats. HINGHAM, Mass. The mother and stepfather of Matthew Trevithick, the American researcher who was held for 40 days in Iran before he was freed over the weekend, said Monday that Mr. Trevithick was decompressing after returning to Massachusetts on Sunday night. Hes doing pretty well, said Scott Armstrong, the stepfather, adding that Mr. Trevithick was not ready to speak with reporters. He needs some time. The mother, Amelia Newcomb, foreign editor for The Christian Science Monitor, said her son was much better than expected. But, she added, he just looks very slim. The couple spoke, over the sharp whistle of a cold winter wind, from the front door of their neat house with delicate trim and striped awnings, which overlooks the bay in the seaside town of Hingham. Mr. Trevithick, 30, was not there, but they said they expected he would make it his home base for at least some time. BEIRUT, Lebanon Two of Lebanons most prominent Christian politicians one a crucial political ally of Hezbollah, the other its longtime foe struck a surprise agreement on Monday that could help end the standoff that has left the country without a president for nearly two years. In the deal, Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces party, threw his support behind the presidential candidacy of his lifelong rival, Michel Aoun, whose Free Patriotic Movement is Hezbollahs main Christian ally in Parliament. It was a remarkable development even in the context of Lebanons constantly churning politics. The two men are bitter adversaries. Their militias fought bloody battles during Lebanons civil war a quarter-century ago, and they have been on opposite sides over the most radioactive issues in Lebanon: Israel and the war in Syria. If the deal sticks, Mr. Geageas move could throw the political alignments of the last decade into turmoil and strike a blow at Saad Hariri, the leader of the Future Movement, which is the largest Sunni party and the main political rival of Hezbollah, the most powerful Shiite organization. The United Nations said Monday that an internal inquiry had cleared an agency official who leaked information to the French government in 2014 about an investigation into accusations that French soldiers serving as peacekeepers in the Central African Republic had sexually abused some of the children they were sent to protect. Farhan Haq, a United Nations spokesman, said the Office of Internal Oversight Services had told the official, Anders Kompass, that the cases against him are now closed. Mr. Kompass had been accused of breaching policy by not redacting the names of the children. PARIS On Sunday evening, Ai Weiwei Chinese dissident artist, human rights activist and, now, European scenester was holding court on the cosmetics floor of the Bon Marche Rive Gauche, the Paris department store. The event was the invitation-only opening of Er Xi, or Childs Play, an exhibit of his work that fills 10 display windows and the stores atrium through Feb. 20. Bamboo-and-silk constructions lit from inside and depicting fanciful creatures from Chinese mythology hung in the atrium. A smoke machine pumped atmospheric mist. Pianists played Chopin on grand pianos as waiters passed around Moet Champagne, hot tea and bite-size chocolate eclairs on wooden trays. Mr. Ai, dressed in an untucked white Oxford shirt and rumpled blue blazer, took a break from greeting fans to say that working in a department store had been liberating. It allowed him to go beyond the white cube of most galleries and use the atrium and window displays in an interesting way, he said, and he liked that passers-by could see his work. If hyper-popular museums like MoMA have been described as shopping malls commercial, crowded, loud, impersonal and the opposite of contemplative then here, paradoxically, was a retailing emporium with art thrown in, and where viewing that art seemed a rather more welcoming and pleasant experience. The off-the-cuff remark led to a series of meetings within the private equity industry. Ms. Whitmarshs approach has been softer than what some have referred to as a name and shame strategy. She has sought to make the case that placing more women in decision-making positions will lead to better performance and financial returns. I think the business case has become more substantive, Ms. Whitmarsh said. Investments are expected to be diversified, so why is that logic not applied to gender, Ms. Whitmarsh asks in the paper she will release at Davos. Men and women have biological and cognitive differences that mean they approach decisions differently, she posits. Ms. Nyamayaro is trying a different tack. An aim of the HeForShe movement she heads is to get men to champion and voice their concerns for gender equality. When she began her job at U.N. Women several years ago, Ms. Nyamayaro said, she quickly learned that because men hold most positions of power in business and politics, she needed to find a way to get them engaged in the subject. More important, Ms. Nyamayaro said, she realized that because of all this talk of change, there was no measurement that could serve as a reference point. In the corporate world, for example, companies have historically been reluctant to disclose details of the gender and racial makeup of their employees. When we talk about progress, we have to know what it is were measuring, she said. This week, HeForShe will publish for the first time a report of the gender makeup of 10 global companies, including AccorHotels, Barclays, Twitter, McKinsey & Company, Schneider Electric and Unilever. The 10 companies will disclose the percentage of women in the top 6 percent of executives, the board of directors and new workers. They have also agreed to engage with their employees on the subject, asking them to come up with solutions internally to increase the ratio of female to male employees. In one encouraging sign, more than half of new members to Barclays WIN organization begun as the Womens Initiative Network but recently broadened to encourage wider participation were men in 2015, according to HeForShe. As part of the campaign, HeForShe is also working directly with the chairmen and chairwomen, chief executives or chief operating officers of each participating company, encouraging them to set goals for gender parity. Paul Polman, the chief executive of Unilever, pledged to reach parity in management by 2020. AccorHotels plans to reach pay parity for its 180,000 employees by 2020, Ms. Nyamayaro says. Martin Shkreli, the former hedge fund manager turned pharmaceutical executive who was charged with securities fraud, is in the market for a new lawyer. The legal team at Arnold & Porter, the big Washington law firm that was representing Mr. Shkreli, filed a letter in the Federal District Court in Brooklyn, saying that Mr. Shkreli was in the process of retaining new lawyers. Marcus A. Asner, in a letter dated Monday to Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto, did not offer an explanation for Mr. Shkrelis decision to hire a new legal team. Mr. Asner did not answer a request for comment. Mr. Shkreli, 32, has continued to take to Twitter, streaming videos and traditional news outlets to proclaim his innocence and act as if not much has changed in his life. His new firm, Point72 Asset Management, the $11 billion family office which succeeded SAC, has been no slouch, either. The firm, which manages mainly Mr. Cohens own personal fortune, has had a second consecutive successful year. In 2015, Point72 was highly profitable, said a person briefed on the firms performance who spoke on condition of anonymity, even as many big name hedge funds posted double-digit losses. Point72, which employs more than 900 people, had a gross profit of more than $2.5 billion in 2014, its first year as a family office. On Tuesday, the firm announced that it was opening an office in London that could eventually employ up to 70 people. In 2013, SAC shut its London office, laying off dozens, during the height of the insider trading investigation, which led to securities fraud convictions for five former employees of Mr. Cohen. This month, Mr. Cohen reached a civil settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in an administrative matter that will allow him and his firm to begin managing money from outside investors in two years. The settlement was a victory for Mr. Cohen as the S.E.C. initially sought a lifetime ban for him for failing to supervise an employee at his former hedge fund who was convicted of insider trading. Mr. Cohen resolved the matter without admitting any wrongdoing or paying a personal fine. LONDON Steven A. Cohen, the billionaire investor, has returned to London, less than three years after his former firm, SAC Capital Advisors, closed its office in London amid an insider trading investigation by authorities in the United States. Mr. Cohens new firm, Point72 Asset Management, has opened a new office in the Mayfair neighborhood of central London, where it has about a half-dozen investment professionals on staff, Douglas D. Haynes, Point72s president, said in a meeting with reporters on Tuesday. The firm could have as many as 15 people in place by the end of the year and has office space available for as many as 50 to 70 people, Mr. Haynes said. We think the European market has a lot of opportunity, Mr. Haynes said, adding the company continued to have a fair bit of exposure to Europe even after closing its London office. Volkswagen on Tuesday named a former BMW executive to oversee its business in the United States, Canada and Mexico, where sales have been particularly hard hit by an emissions scandal that has placed the company under intense pressure from regulators. The new executive, Hinrich J. Woebcken, 55, will become head of the North America region for Volkswagen brand cars effective April 1, the company said Tuesday. Michael Horn, who has been chief executive of Volkswagens United States unit and who is popular with dealers, will remain in that post, the company said. The appointment addresses a leadership vacuum in the region at a time when Volkswagen sorely needs to repair its relations with customers and the authorities. American state attorneys general have complained that the company has not cooperated fully with investigations of who was responsible for installing software designed to mask the true emissions of cars with diesel motors. In addition, Volkswagen has not yet been able to agree with the Environmental Protection Agency and California regulators on a way to fix about 600,000 vehicles that have the illegal software. As more states explore ways to encourage workers to save for retirement, New Jersey recently decided on its own approach: The state will create a retirement plan marketplace, intended to make it easier for small businesses to select a tax-deferred savings program for employees. This approach was a compromise. On Tuesday, Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, signed a revised bill that differed significantly from a version that initially passed both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. The original bill, which the governor rejected, would have mandated that businesses with more than 25 employees that did not already provide access to a retirement plan offer a state-run retirement program to its workers. Instead, New Jersey will introduce a more hands-off approach, which leaves it up to employers to decide whether they will participate. Modeled after a program adopted in Washington State, the so-called New Jersey Small Business Marketplace will connect eligible employers and their workers with retirement plan providers that meet certain conditions. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to resolve a dispute about what prosecutors need to prove to obtain insider trading convictions. The question has divided federal appeals courts, and the justices declined to address it in October. The new case comes from California and involves trading by Bassam Salman based on information from his future brother-in-law, then a member of Citigroups health care investment banking group. The question in the case, Salman v. United States, No. 15-628, is whether prosecutors had to prove that the brother-in-law, Maher Kara, disclosed the information in exchange for a personal benefit. Mr. Salman relied on a 2014 decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in Manhattan, United States v. Newman, that made it harder to prosecute insider trading cases. That was the decision the Supreme Court declined to review in October, dealing a setback to Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, whose office oversaw a sweeping crackdown on insider trading in the $3 trillion hedge fund industry. In Mr. Salmans case, the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, rejected the Second Circuits reasoning. Both appeals courts interpreted a 1983 Supreme Court decision, Dirks v. Securities and Exchange Commission, which required evidence that the insider directly or indirectly gained something from the initial disclosure. Before Sonny Caberwal left his small hometown Asheboro, N.C. for college, his mother, aunt and grandmother pulled him into the kitchen. I think they thought I was going to starve, said Mr. Caberwal, 36, the founder of Bond, a venture that seeks to resurrect the ritual of handwritten correspondence, using robotics. The women taught him to make rajma, his favorite dish, a Punjabi curry of red kidney beans. Then his mother gave him a loondani, a round spice tin of beaten copper, the size of a small kettle. Today it sits, shining and ornate with a Braille of flowers, in the coolly modern kitchen of his apartment in the financial district. In a nest of dried grass and feathery moss sat an eggshell, its top neatly lopped off. Caviar and a crinkle of gold leaf shone just inside the rim. Underneath were layers of custard and hairy crab, a seasonal freshwater treat from China whose taste is a lot more seductive than its name. The rich, smooth pleasure in each spoonful almost made my head pop. The egg was one of the first things I ate at La Chine, which opened in November inside the Waldorf Astoria, specializing in Chinese food made with finesse and an eye for beauty. This could get interesting, I thought. In fact, the rest of the meal and the two that followed did get interesting, in ways that those of us who love the cuisines of China wish would happen more often in New York. Downtown Manhattan, Flushing in Queens and Sunset Park in Brooklyn are rich in Chinese restaurants. Their cooking can range from filling to thrilling, but it rarely aspires to climb the slopes of creativity. Ingredients are generally good but not stellar, limited as they are by the prices these restaurants can charge. Unlike many cities in Asia, New York has not historically had a broad base of people willing to spend a lot on Chinese food. La Chine costs much more than most of them; lamb loin stir-fried with cumin is $38, about twice as much as the fervently admired Muslim lamb chop at Fu Run in Flushing. If you allow the man they call the sake ninja to talk you into a bottle, you could easily drop $100 or more. (This ninja wears a jacket and tie; he must be working undercover.) But at the risk of undermining my populist credentials, Id suggest New York could use more Chinese restaurants that are as expensive as our most ambitious French and Italian places. Those restaurants could use more ingredients worth splurging on, and restaurateurs determined to lure talented chefs from China. Hip-hop education is everywhere, said Christopher Emdin, an associate professor of science education at Teachers College at Columbia University who moderates a weekly chat group on Twitter called #HipHopEd and, along with the artist GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, sponsors an annual competition for students to rap about science. There is no school in an urban area that does not know about hip-hop, or that has not experimented with it. Of course, some mental health experts caution that using hip-hop this way would be considered no more than a first step in formal psychotherapy, which emphasizes the importance not only of expressing emotions but also of learning how to deal with them. Still, many students will rap about deeply personal experiences they might not otherwise share. Jason Alcequiez, 17, a sophomore at the charter school, has rapped about fights with his parents, a best friend who moved away and a girlfriend who broke up with him. Im not one of those people who would get sentimental about my feelings and talk about my feelings, Jason said. Id rather write it out in music. Afterward, he said, he felt relief: It was like, you know what, its life, so youll get over it soon. And I did. The Senate Ethics Committees only recent moment of prominence could also qualify as its most ignominious: its cameo in the trial of Dean G. Skelos, the Long Island Republican and former Senate majority leader who was convicted of corruption in December. After State Senator Tony Avella became the committees chairman last year, he said in trial testimony and in an interview, he was stunned to realize that the Senates leadership had never referred a bill to the committee, nor had any bill ever been sent out of it for a vote not in anyones recollection, anyway. Mr. Avella, a Queens Democrat, decided to do the next best thing: hold a public hearing to air some reform proposals. In his testimony, he said he had been told the hearing needed to be rescheduled to accommodate budget negotiations. He was never given another date. I had expressed some consternation, like, what the heck? Mr. Avella said in the interview. Youd think the standing committee would have the ability to have bills referred to it. I think it would be important, for anything that has to do with ethics reform, that it should go to the Ethics Committee. If Senator Avellas experience caused him some consternation, it scandalized Preet Bharara, the United States attorney who prosecuted the case against Mr. Skelos as well as the one involving Sheldon Silver, the Manhattan Democrat and former Assembly speaker who was convicted of corruption charges less than two weeks before his Senate counterpart. To the Editor: Re Iran Meets Terms of Nuclear Deal, Ending Sanctions (front page, Jan. 17): I welcome the news that Iran has fulfilled its obligations under the nuclear deal. Secretary of State John Kerry and his team deserve much credit for bringing about the most important nuclear accord in recent memory. The threat that Iran presents, however, remains. The countrys recent ballistic missile tests, coupled with the ardent support of Bashar al-Assads regime in Syria, will continue to plague American interests in the region. It would be naive to think that the United States has reached a detente with Iran. As long as the country continues to support state-sponsored terrorism and maintain a poor record on human rights, the United States will have to continue to treat Iran as a geopolitical foe in the Middle East. CHRISTIAN ARANA Berkeley, Calif. The writer is pursuing a masters degree at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley. Tel Aviv The Israeli novelist Dorit Rabinyan has hit the jackpot: First, her latest book, Borderlife, became an issue of fierce debate and controversy. Then it became a symbol of liberty and progress. And then, of course, it became a best seller. What spurred Ms. Rabinyans good fortune? A bureaucratic decision of little importance. In December, the Ministry of Education decided not to include Borderlife on its list of required reading for the matriculation exams. Many books are not included in the list of required reading for high school students, of course. But the decision to skip Ms. Rabinyans book became an issue of national discussion. Borderlife chronicles a love story between a Jewish Israeli woman and a Muslim Palestinian man. Marrying a non-Jew is not what the education system wishes to endorse, a ministry official said. The political brouhaha that followed was somewhat predictable. The head of the opposition, the Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog, said he had purchased several copies of the novel. Minister of Education Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home party defended his ministrys decision by claiming that the book smears the Israel Defense Forces. (It does not.) On the left, the decision to keep the book off the reading list became yet another sign of the looming end of our democracy, courtesy of Israels right-wing and religious factions. A representative from the left-wing Meretz Party called the Ministry of Educations decision racist censorship. On the right, the attack on the ministry was seen as proof that the left does not care about Israels Jewish character. BENGALURU, India The green benches of the lower house of Indias Parliament were mostly empty on the afternoon of Dec. 18. It was late in the winter session. An earnest but unhurried debate was taking place between Nishikant Dubey, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and Shashi Tharoor, a writer, former diplomat and opposition M.P., who was introducing a bill. It wasnt until the vote was called, and a sudden clamor filled the hall, that the significance of the law became apparent: It proposed to decriminalize gay sex. Dozing M.P.s jumped to their feet and barked across the room. One voice was heard jeering, Tharoor only needs this bill for himself! The final tally was 24 votes in favor and 71 votes against, and the bill was sent back to Mr. Tharoors drafting table. Yet the debate itself was a hopeful development: Two years after sexual minorities in India were dealt a terrible setback by the Supreme Court, more elected politicians are stepping up for L.G.B.T. rights. Unlike the courts, the politicians speak for constituents. Their statements come from and travel back to the hundreds of thousands of voters they represent a national conversation that could do more than any learned court ruling to stop prejudice against L.G.B.T. Indians. Mosul Dam Is a Looming Disaster Re Iraqi dam, reclaimed from ISIS, now risks falling to neglect, (News, Jan. 12): It has been approximately 16 months since the reclaiming of the Mosul Dam from fighters of the Islamic State; now there is a threat that the dam may collapse. Efforts to contract the repair of the dam are proving difficult and the rainy season is fast approaching. If the dam were to collapse, some 500,000 people could be killed and a million more displaced. American and international focus has been on repairing the dam, but the Iraqi government and the international community need to work together to create a quick and effective plan in case the dam fails. This would include domestic and international rescue procedures and aid for the displaced and injured. It is time for Iraq and the rest of the world to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Chelsey Schultz, Seattle Russia, Ukraine and Crimea Re Ending Crimeas isolation (Opinion, Dec. 28): I understand Dimiter Kenarovs position on incorporating Crimea into Russia, but what would he say if other nations followed President Vladimir Putins example? Germany, for example, could say that it wants Konigsberg, now known as Kaliningrad, back because it is also has mythical status for Germans. To the Editor: Re Nicholas Kristofs fine column on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the horrific plight of the Rohingya, Myanmars Muslim minority (The Peace Prize Winner and Crimes Against Humanity, Jan. 10): As an American Buddhist, I am thoroughly appalled not only by the inhuman behavior of certain Burmese Buddhists toward the Rohingya but also at Daw Suus (as she is commonly called in Myanmar) realpolitik-based failure to address this moral and humanitarian issue, for which she has been (gently) rebuked by the Dalai Lama. I just returned from a visit to Burma (to use its historic, pre-junta name), where I observed a stunning, perplexing contrast between the gentle, kind, pacifist nature of the Burmese people and the pervasive attitudes toward the Rohingya, of indifference at best to violent hostility at worst. ALEX ROSE Wellesley, Mass. In its second show of a doubleheader on Sunday night in the East Village, the Improvised Shakespeare Company built a spot-on parody of the word-drunk sexual innuendo of Falstaffs world, a five-man cast making up the script on the spot, piling one filthy pun atop another. Just as the bawdy quips of Mistress Slack Bottom (imagine a coarser Mistress Quickly) began to beat the joke into the ground, Steve Waltien slurred one of his lines. Whether that was a choice or a mistake was unclear, but the ensemble adjusted in a blink, shifting focus to his character, Toothless Anne, who speaks gibberish that everyone somehow understands. Its a funny if not original joke see Louis C. K.s Pootie Tang but just like Shakespeare, this company steals resourcefully, and with panache. That their shows makes such abrupt transitions regularly, in rhyme using a 17th-century vocabulary, helps explain why the Improvised Shakespeare Company is one of the countrys elite improv companies. The troupe was founded in 2005 by Blaine Swen, who serves as both director and a member of the rotating cast, which includes Thomas Middleditch from the HBO series Silicon Valley. The company performs weekly in Chicago, but keeps a busy touring schedule, including regular stops in New York, where it plays to packed theaters with an atmosphere more like a rock club than a repertory house. (Its finishing a run at Theater 80 on Wednesday.) Among the companys devoted fans is Patrick Stewart, who has dropped in and performed with it several times. At the beginning of every show, Mr. Swen delivers the only scripted jokes of the evening, assuring patrons over and over again that everything they are about to see is made up on the spot. Standing in front of his cast, all wearing knee-high socks and white shirts with laced-up collars and pants, he delivers his speech with exactly the same timing and posture every night. If you were wondering where the story is going, he says, always pausing to pop his eyes in mock desperation, so are we. If you read the news articles over the weekend about Senator Bernie Sanderss new single-payer health reform plan, you might have thought you were reading about tax policy, not health care. Thats because the plan, released two hours before Sunday nights Democratic debate, was full of details about the taxes that would be collected to finance it. The plan would charge a special income tax, called a premium, increase payroll taxes and raise a variety of taxes on high-income Americans, including income and capital gains taxes. Those are big, specific changes, worthy of detailed coverage. Missing, however, were more than a few sentences about how the proposal would change the health care system in the United States. Mr. Sanders wants what is called a single-payer program, a major change to our current system. The health care policy described by his white paper would replace all health insurance programs in the United States with coverage for everyone in the country provided by the federal government, the single payer. Large, new categories of services would be covered, including dental and nursing home care. It would eliminate co-payments and deductibles. Heres the reality of Latino political power today: Its not what it could be. Even though 27 million Latinos will be eligible to cast a ballot in November an increase of 17 percent since 2012 the Latino population is becoming more distant from the American political process, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. Most Latinos who could vote in the last three national elections chose not to. Turnout was just under 50 percent in 2008, and fell to 48 percent in 2012. It dropped to 27 percent in the 2014 midterms, the lowest rate ever recorded for Latinos. Another low yield may define 2016 as well. Were seeing the number of people who could vote growing at a faster pace than those who do vote, said Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic research at Pew Research Center. There were more nonvoters than voters in the last election, and those nonvoter numbers are rising. The lack of engagement is not new; Latino voter turnout has lagged behind that of whites and blacks for decades. Asian-American voter turnout has also been below black and white turnout since at least 1992; it was even with Latino voter turnout in 2012. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, facing protests and lawsuits into the states handling of contaminated drinking water in Flint, apologized to the people of Flint for the crisis over lead-contaminated drinking water in the city and said he would work to fix the problem during his State of the State speech on Tuesday (January 19). No citizen of this great state should endure this kind of catastrophe. Government Failed You - Federal, state, and local leaders by breaking the trust you placed in us. Im sorry most of all that I let you down. You deserve better. You deserve accountability. You deserve to know that the buck, buck stops here with me. Most of all. You deserve to know the truth. I have a responsibility to tell the truth. The truth about what weve done. And what I will do to overcome this challenge, Snyder said. Snyder, a Republican, asked lawmakers to authorize $28 million in spending on diagnostic tests, health treatment for children and adolescents, replacement of faucets and fixtures in Flint schools and day care centers and a study of the citys water pipes. He also said additional funding would be needed. Criticism of the state and federal response has grown in recent days over the crisis in Flint, a financially strapped city of just under 100,000 residents about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit. Flint was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager when, seeking to save money, it switched its source of tap water from Detroits system to the nearby Flint River in 2014. Flint returned to using Detroits water in October after tests found elevated levels of lead in the water and in the blood of some children. Lead contamination can cause brain damage and other health problems. The more corrosive water from the Flint River had leached lead from the city pipes more than Detroit water did, leading to the contamination. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it was reviewing its handling of the crisis and acknowledged it did not respond fast enough. The environmental agency said Tuesday that while EPA worked within the framework of the law to repeatedly and urgently communicate the steps the state needed to take to properly treat its water, those necessary (EPA) actions were not taken as quickly as they should have been. The U.S. environmental agency said its oversight was hampered by failures and resistance at the state and local levels to work with us in a forthright, transparent and proactive manner. Snyder promised to release on Wednesday (January 20) Flint-related emails from 2014 and 2015. He has rejected calls for his resignation by some protesters. You will have answers to your questions about what weve done and what were doing to make this right for the families of Flint. Anyone will be able to read this information for themselves, Snyder said in his speech at the Capitol building. About a 1,000 people protested at the Capitol on Tuesday (January 19), some holding baby bottles filled with brown water. At least three lawsuits have been filed over the crisis. The latest on Tuesday (January 19) in Genesee County court seeks an injunction to stop Flint from issuing shutoff notices to residents, who are still receiving bills for water declared undrinkable. The lawyers have heard from more than 500 people. Some have reported rashes, hair loss, seizures, unexplained miscarriages, psychological breakdowns, and financial hardship, attorney Cary McGehee said. Other Flint residents in November filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city and state of endangering their health. On Saturday (January 16), Obama declared a federal emergency over the Flint water crisis but denied an additional request for a major disaster declaration sought by Snyder. Snyder said during the State of the State he would appeal that ruling. White House officials said they were pleased by the courts decision to hear their case, and they expressed optimism that the justices would eventually clear the way for the presidents actions to be carried out. The policies will make our communities safer. They will make our economy stronger, said Brandi Hoffine, an assistant White House press secretary. They are consistent with the actions taken by presidents of both parties, the laws passed by Congress, and the decisions of the Supreme Court. We are confident that the policies will be upheld as lawful. Last February, Judge Andrew S. Hanen of Federal District Court in Brownsville, Tex., entered a preliminary injunction shutting down the program while the legal case proceeded. The government appealed, and on Nov. 9 a divided three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, affirmed the injunction. If the Supreme Court upholds Mr. Obamas actions, the White House has vowed to move quickly to set up the DAPA program and begin enrolling immigrants before his successor takes over early next year. Democratic presidential candidates have said they would continue the program, but most of the Republicans in the race have vowed to dismantle it and redouble immigration enforcement. The administration, fearing that the program could remain frozen through the balance of Mr. Obamas presidency, had asked the court to move quickly. On that point, at least, the court agreed, and it now appears that the case will be argued in April and decided by the end of June. As is their custom, the justices gave no reasons for agreeing to hear the case, United States v. Texas, No. 15-674. The new case joins a crowded docket, including cases on abortion, affirmative action, public unions, voting rights and religious liberty. The decisions in all of them will probably land in the late spring and early summer, as the presidential election enters its final stages. Twin toddlers and their grandparents died in a fire in a suburban Maryland house early on Tuesday, and investigators said they were trying to determine the cause of the blaze. The home appears to have had no smoke detectors, the authorities said. Firefighters arrived at the house in Chillum, about six miles north of Washington, just after 2 a.m., the Prince Georges County fire chief, Marc Bashoor, said. They found three sides of the house and both floors in flames, and frantic family members who had escaped told them occupants were trapped inside, Chief Bashoor said. With ladders and hoses freezing in the bitter cold, the firefighters fought their way into the burning building and found the 2-year-old twins, identified as Anna and Israel Omijie, almost immediately. The children were taken to the hospital, where both were declared dead a short time later, Chief Bashoor said at a news conference. PARIS The prime minister of France said Tuesday that three assailants involved in the deadly attacks in the capital of Burkina Faso last week might have escaped. Prime Minister Manuel Valls told lawmakers at the National Assembly, Frances lower house of Parliament, that the attacks on the Splendid Hotel and a nearby cafe on Friday night had been carried out by six people. Three were killed in a raid early Saturday by Burkinabe security forces, aided by French soldiers, and three were still at large, he said. Mr. Valls did not identify the suspects, nor did he provide additional details about the attacks, which left at least 30 people dead in Ouagadougou, the capital. The authorities in Burkina Faso had not confirmed Mr. Vallss account. A spokesman for the Burkina Faso Army said that, after reviewing video of the attacks, the authorities believed the gunmen who were killed in the raid might have had accomplices. Leila Alaoui, a French-Moroccan photographer whose hauntingly beautiful photographs explored themes of migration, cultural identity and displacement, died on Monday night from injuries sustained during a terrorist attack in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. She was 33. The French culture minister, Fleur Pellerin, confirmed her death on Twitter. Ms. Alaoui, whose work has been displayed around the world, was described as one of the most promising photographers of her generation by Jean-Luc Monterosso, director of the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie in Paris. There was an internal light that illuminated both her and her work, he said. She was wounded when gunmen opened fire at a hotel and at the Cappuccino Cafe on Friday. Ms. Alaoui was shot in the leg and thorax while parked outside the cafe, Amnesty International said in a statement. She had a heart attack after she was taken to a hospital in Ouagadougou. The North African affiliate of Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the rampage, which killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens more. CAIRO Libyan officials nominated 32 people on Tuesday to serve as cabinet members in a proposed unity government, marking a step forward in a United Nations-backed process aimed at bringing together the countrys warring parties after years of political divisions and civil war, diplomats said. But the formation of a single government still faces significant hurdles, including opposition from powerful Libyan factions. The cabinet nominees still need to be approved by Libyas internationally recognized Parliament, which sits in Tobruk, in the east. Diplomats have been pressing Libyan officials in recent months to reconcile in the face of a growing threat from the Islamic State extremist group, which is expanding its footprint in Libya; counterterrorism officials view the Libyan branch as the groups most dangerous. The group has profited from an absence of authority, with Libya split between the government in Tobruk and a rival, Islamist-backed government in western Libya. The Islamic State has gained control of Surt, a city in central Libya, and has mounted a series of recent offensives and attacks that have killed dozens of people and threatened important Libyan oil facilities. KABUL, Afghanistan A young woman has been hospitalized in northern Afghanistan and is hoping to travel to Turkey for reconstructive surgery after her husband cut off her nose, the police and the womans family said on Tuesday. The woman, Reza Gul, 20, was attacked by her husband with a knife on Sunday in Shar-Shar, a village in an impoverished and Taliban-controlled part of Faryab Province. Reza Gul was in stable condition on Tuesday in a hospital in Maimana, the provincial capital, according to a spokesman for the Faryab police, Sayed Massoud Yaqubi. Maroof Samar, a doctor who is the acting director of public health in Faryab, said Reza Gul had been in very critical condition when she was brought in she had lost much blood. Throughout the six years Reza Gul and her husband, Muhammad Khan, 25, have been married, he and members of his family have regularly abused her, beating her and binding her in chains, said Reza Guls mother, Zarghona. Mr. Khan regularly went to Iran for work, returned for a few months during which he abused his wife, then left her with his family, she said. Overall: like the open and structure - good music - I would tighten, esp open (I made suggestions below) and try to get to the gentleman on the train sooner. Also made a few narration tweaks. TRANSCRIPT 39 00:15:42-00:15:45 Maybe there are factories closing down every minute. Is this verbatim translation - can we drop the maybe? 00:15:46-00:15:53 If they dont have orders and they need to feed workers and pay wages the costs are unbearable. TITLE: Victims of a Slowing Economy - - feels like we should be able to have a shoe metaphor in the title here ... agreed! At its peak, 1 out of every 4 sneakers in the world came from this neighborhood in Dongguan, China. But today, the streets seem close to abandoned, with only traces of the former boom left behind. MOVE TRANSCRIPT 28 00:08:50-00:08:54 Many factories moved to Bangladesh and Vietnam because human cost is low there. TRANSCRIPT 39 00:04:17-00:04:22 In 2007 and 2008, Salaries used to be just more than 1000 RMB per month. 00:04:22-00:04:25 Human cost was very low. 00:04:27-00:04:31 Now, its at least 3000 RMB/month. TRANSCRIPT 39 00:06:44-00:06:53 Now there are too many people because the big factories moved. Theres only small factories left and they need fewer workers, right? Theres a surplus of labor here. TRANSCRIPT 4 00:01:49-00:01:52 Mr. Tao: Our factory used to make shoes. 00:03:57-00:03:59 Mr. Tao: 293 workers in total just lost their jobs. 00:02:10-00:02:22 Mr. Tao: We dont know how the financial chain broke, but they and havent give us wages for June, July and August. These laid-off workers have gathered outside of their old factory to discuss how to get their back wages paid. Chinas shoe exports are in decline and for the millions of migrant workers who came here to earn a living, the slowing economy has begun to uproot their lives. TRANSCRIPT 4 00:08:08-00:08:14 Mr. Tao: At our age, you have already invested your time into this industry, its very difficult to switch to another industry. 00:08:15-00:08:18 Mr. Tao: We dont have the technical skills to do other jobs. But For some, the factory closure might be the end of their urban dream. TRANSCRIPT 4 If our attempts to get our money back keep going nowhere, we really wont be able to handle this crisis. And we will lose our confidence towards the government and other departments 00:20:42-00:20:50 Red woman: If we worked for 3 months and get nothing, then why would we come out and work? We can go back home and farm, which gives us stable income. IN TRAIN - - 090 00:05:11-00:05:17 A man should have ambitions beyond his hometown. Youve got to explore the world, right? 00:05:29-00:05:33 I didnt have some big dream. My dream was to just make some money. Liu Lang came to Guangdong from Sichuan Province 20-years ago. 090 00:04:22-00:04:28 At that time, my family was very poor. We lived in the mountains 00:04:29-00:04:35 and we had trouble feeding ourselves. 00:04:35-00:04:37 Both food and shelter were a problem. 00:04:39-00:04:43 So I went out to work. music in - - > Modern China was built on the backs of workers like Mr. Liu. Theres almost as many migrant workers in China as there are people in the United States. Over 260 million have left their homes in the countryside to find work in city. And the fading shoe industry isnt alone. Sector after sector has Other manufacturing sectors have failed to compete with cheaper business models in South and Southeast Asia. And with less work and less fewer jobs, an increasing amount of more migrant workers have started to question if the city is still the right place for them. 090 00:07:11-00:07:14 I worked my way up from a basic worker to a department head. 00:07:15-00:07:20 And my career basically ended today. 093 00:03:49-00:03:58 My wife and I were both working at that factory. We lost more than 20,000 RMB for the last three months. 00:03:58-00:04:03 20k is almost one persons half-year income. The government has plans to transform Chinas economy by moving focus to high tech and green industries. But their plan largely leaves out uneducated migrant workers who are too young to retire, but too old for entry level factory jobs. And with so many people like Mr. Liu, the slowing economy could be the start of a reverse migration pattern. for those who are unwilling to take entry-level factory jobs like those they had 20 or 30 years ago. 092 00:01:13-00:01:16 So now Im taking the train home. 00:01:33-00:01:44 The factory closed down, so Im taking this chance to go home because we havent spent much time with our families the entire time weve been working away from the village. 00:01:44-00:01:53 So Ill take this chance to go back and be with my children. 231 00:03:34-00:03:38 Actually, Ive spent more time with my boss than with my parents. For now, Mr. Liu is the exception, not the norm. Most migrant workers who lose their factory jobs will move on to another factory, although they might not get the wage they want. And as for these workers getting their back wages paid, Chinas turbulent economy will likely hold on to that. TRANSCRIPT 28 00:03:22-00:03:32 Mr. Tao: Old Tao, factories are closing down! Its not just here in Shaoan. Its also the textile industry. Thousands of workers, they are also asking for wages, its the same thing. Other woman: Many people are asking for it. TRANSCRIPT 39 00:08:25-00:08:27 Theres no hope. 00:08:28-00:08:35 I definitely want it back, thats our hard-earned money and we worked very hard and overtime for it. Who doesnt want it back? 00:08:35-00:08:45 But the boss ran away, the machines, equipment and materials in the factory arent worth much money. 00:08:45-00:08:47 The company has lots of debt. ENDIT ONCE USED, BUT NOW UNUSED QUOTES 233 00:06:20-00:06:27 The shoe industry has largely moved to Southeast Asia. 00:06:27-00:06:39 Here, the costs seem to be too high. Companies that have low profits and basically cannot survive. 00:06:39-00:06:53 Many of our friends went to Vietnam or Cambodia or were hired to work there. 00:06:53-00:07:05 So for people like us ... those places (in Southeast Asia) have just started to develop, its possible to go find jobs there. 00:06:55-00:07:03 Many people who came here from the farms and working families, its difficult for them to find jobs. 00:07:03-00:07:08 Even if they find jobs, the factories and salaries are not so stable. 00:07:08-00:07:12 Factories can close down anytime. TRANSCRIPT 4 00:20:17-00:20:23 Red woman: If this thing keeps going nowhere, we really cant take the crisis. 00:20:23-00:20:27 Ms Wu: And we will lose our confidence towards the government and other departments. 090 00:06:46-00:06:53 At first I was making the soles of shoes. 00:06:53-00:06:59 And then I learned some techniques and slowly moved up to management. 090 00:10:07-00:10:12 At first, some departments in the factory didnt have work to do. 00:10:12-00:10:18 The bosss initial plan was to let some people take vacation. 090 00:10:46-00:10:52 But as time went by, there was no salary. 00:10:52-00:11:01 So those who were still working stopped working because they didnt get any wages. 231 00:04:11-00:04:23 Suddenly it was just gone. I feel like I dont have any sense of accomplishment. The video of the interview, conducted by a private company based in Beijing, would be uploaded to the companys website, where it could be viewed by American admissions officers, who would consider it alongside Ms. Zhaos test scores and written application. The number of Chinese students competing to enter high schools and colleges in the United States has soared in recent years. According to the Institute of International Education, in the 2014-15 academic year, more than 300,000 Chinese were enrolled in American higher education, almost triple the number five years before. Traditionally, colleges conduct on-campus interviews or enlist alumni to help. But with the surge in applications from China, colleges are unable to keep up with the volume of interview requests. To sift through the flood of applicants, more American institutions have sought third-party interviews with prospective students. This helps determine whether students who score high on paper can also engage in class discussions. It also provides a check against fraud, such as forged transcripts or application essays ghostwritten by hired agents, by testing their English-language abilities. That in turn has given rise to new services on the Chinese side to meet that demand. Terry Crawford, the chief executive of InitialView, which provides interview services and was founded in Beijing in 2009, said that in 2013, more than 6,000 applications from China included an InitialView interview and that by 2014, the number exceeded 17,000. According to Chinese admissions agents, more than a third of the 100 top-rated American colleges and universities recommend third-party interviews, though few require them. Jiang Xiaobo, the director of the college counseling center at the Beijing National Day School, said, Third-party interviews require a high level of communication skills in English and logical thinking, which poses a challenge to students who grew up in the traditional education system in China. That system tends to emphasize written test results, with little regard for extracurricular pursuits. PESHAWAR, Pakistan An explosion, said to be a suicide bombing, at a militia checkpoint just outside this Pakistani city killed eight people and wounded at least 11 on Tuesday morning, a senior official of the Khyber tribal region said. Based on eyewitness accounts, this was a suicide bombing, Shahab Ali Shah, the administrator of the region, said by telephone. He said the bomber had moved toward the checkpoint of the Khyber Khasadar Force and detonated his vest. The checkpoint is on the border with Peshawar, the capital of the northern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. It is also near the crowded Karkhano market, known for selling smuggled foreign goods. Among the dead were a Khasadar Force officer and a senior member of the Tribal Union of Journalists, Mehboob Shah, who had been sitting with the militia force, Mr. Shah said. The target appeared to be the check post and not the journalist, he added. Police officers and a bomb disposal squad were sent to the scene to help the tribal authorities in collecting forensic evidence. The Xinhua article reiterated that accusation, but went into more detail. It said Mr. Dahlin admitted to writing reports without real or full facts. It also said that the lawyer and activists trained by the group got involved in hot-topic issues and sensitive cases, and intentionally escalated conflicts and disputes that were originally not severe. It instigated the people to confront the government and produce mass incidents, the article said. The official report also accused Mr. Dahlin of taking almost half of about $1.6 million of financial support the group had received from outside sources in recent years. Mr. Caster, a spokesman for Mr. Dahlins group, released a statement on Wednesday morning condemning Xinhua for publishing an apparent forced confession. It said the accusations against Mr. Dahlin were baseless. Mr. Dahlin and his group appeared to have been caught up in the Chinese governments crackdown on human rights lawyers, a campaign centered on putting pressure on the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm. Xinhua said Mr. Dahlins partner, Wang Quanzhang, was a member of that firm. BERLIN The German police have intensified their decades-long search for three members of the Red Army Faction, believed to be on the run since their far-left guerrilla group disbanded in 1998, after prosecutors said on Tuesday that they had linked them to at least one botched robbery last year. For more than two decades, federal prosecutors have had an arrest warrant out for Ernst-Volker Staub, 61, Burkhard Garweg, 47, and Daniela Marie-Luise Klette, 57, on suspicion of involvement in actions by the Red Army Faction, or R.A.F. These include the 1993 bombing of a prison in Weiterstadt, near Frankfurt. The group emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s when its members terrorized West Germany through a series of kidnappings, bombings and killings. Its members killed 34 people in an attempt to overthrow the capitalist government and fight what they saw as American imperialism. The last convicted R.A.F. member to have served time in jail, Birgit Hogefeld, was released in 2011 after serving 18 years of a life sentence for murder. Prosecutors in Verden, near the northern city of Bremen, said on Tuesday that they had begun a fresh investigation of the three fugitives on suspicion of attempted murder and robbery in conjunction with a bungled attempt in June to storm an armored security van stocked with cash. The group may also have been involved in another failed robbery of a similarly cash-laden transporter in December in Wolfsburg, also in northern Germany, but the authorities said evidence was still being evaluated. Civilians in besieged Syrian cities are still starving. Though two humanitarian convoys reached Madaya on Thursday, for example, they were the first to do so in months, and the United Nations says five more people there have died from starvation in the past week. That raises the question: If supplies cannot get through on the ground, couldnt the American-led coalition simply airdrop food into the besieged towns? The answer, according to American officials, is that it is a lot harder than it sounds. Airdropping doesnt seem to be a smart way to provide food or humanitarian relief in this particular situation, said Representative Eliot L. Engel of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. We want to do all we can to help the Syrian people suffering at the hands of ISIS and the Assad regime, Mr. Engel wrote in an email, referring to the Islamic State military group and the Syrian military under President Bashar al-Assad. But the logistical roadblocks would make this sort of assistance rather perilous. That dynamic seems to be playing out in the aftermath of the nuclear deal, with the supreme leader coming down hard on anything or anyone seeming to promote greater freedoms, as the latest dispute underlines. On Sunday, an ally of the president, Hossein Marashi, a reformist leader, said that out of 3,000 reformist candidates who had registered nationwide, only 33 had been allowed to participate. While there is a 20-day appeal period, few analysts think the Guardian Council, which vets candidates for all elections and is dominated by hard-liners, would radically alter its decisions. In the Tehran metropolitan area, Irans most populous, only four reformists out of 760 candidates were pronounced qualified to run, one newspaper affiliated with that faction, Arman-e Emrouz, wrote on Monday. Hard-liners said the reformists were trying to make the council look bad by registering thousands of candidates they knew lacked the credentials to qualify. Their plan is now to undermine the legality of the Guardian Council, said Hamidreza Taraghi, a political analyst close to the hard-line camp. But even so-called hard-liners have been disqualified. These people just want to create tension. But reformists argued that the council, like other hard-line factions, was overly sensitive to hints of liberalizing and eager to crack down on anybody who was at all critical of how the country was run. With or without the nuclear deal, all of them would be disqualified, said Farshad Ghorbanpour, an analyst with close ties to Mr. Rouhani. They simply cant stand criticism. BAGHDAD It was weeks ago that Iraqi and United States officials declared the city of Ramadi liberated from the Islamic State, yet the fighting has dragged on in some neighborhoods. As Iraqi commandos advance slowly, house to house and under American air cover, hundreds of civilians are still fleeing the violence, many of them malnourished. One of them is Abdul Hameed, who several days ago reached government lines. There, women and children are shunted to one camp, and the men to another to be interrogated about any possible ties to the Islamic State. After two days, he was let go, only to find that his 4-year-old son, Wisam, had died of dehydration. I do not know where to start and when to stop, said Mr. Hameed, 41, reached by telephone Tuesday night from a refugee camp near Ramadi, when asked what his family had endured. Only God knows about our suffering. The United Nations on Tuesday released one accounting of Iraqs suffering: nearly 19,000 people killed, close to 40,000 wounded and more than three million displaced from their homes over a 22-month period that was marked, as the report described it, by a staggering level of violence. The report tracked casualties from January 2014, roughly when the Islamic State began seizing territory, through October 2015. Dark Money relates the personal story of the Koch family in considerable detail an engineer father who made a fortune building oil refineries, then spent the last years of his life as an angry member of the John Birch Society; an early conversion by Charles and David Koch to the radical libertarian economics of Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises; a web of sibling rivalry among all four of the familys brothers, ending in painful legal confrontations that dragged on for years. Mayer also sheds some useful light on the co-conspirators who helped the Kochs build a movement that spread far beyond electoral politics. Richard Mellon Scaife, heir to the Mellon banking fortune and to much of the wealth of Gulf Oil, was the financial presence behind the Heritage Foundation. John M. Olin, whose family chemical corporation was a major beneficiary of federal weapons procurement, focused on the creation of faculty positions for conservatives at prestigious university campuses. The Bradley brothers, Harry and Lynde, used proceeds from the merger of their family electronics firm with Rockwell International to underwrite a whole array of publishing and research ventures. But the main goal was to win elections, and in that crusade the Kochs and their allies had the benefit of federal laws that they played no part in promulgating. One was the section of the Internal Revenue Code that allows for 501(c)(4) organizations, ostensibly devoted to social welfare but permitted to engage in electoral politics in an essentially unregulated way. A 501(c)(4) is not required to disclose the sources of its funding, and that provision alone has brought in huge amounts of money from donors eager to contribute but reluctant to identify themselves. The 501(c)(4) loophole has been around since the early 20th century, but it was given new vigor in 2010 by the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision, which removed virtually all limits on corporate campaign funding and fostered its anonymity. What were all these organizations and donors promoting, other than the election of Republican candidates to office? Free-market orthodoxy, to start with. Market principles have changed my life, Charles Koch declared in the 1990s, and guide everything I do. That seems as true in 2016 as it was when he said it. Closely related to free-market faith is the hatred of regulation, federal, state or local. We should not cave in the moment a regulator sets foot on our doorstep, Charles once wrote. Do not cooperate voluntarily; instead, resist wherever and to whatever extent you legally can. This ideology helps to explain one of the most important Koch crusades of recent years: the fight to prevent action against climate change. The Koch-sponsored advocacy group Americans for Prosperity has been at the forefront of climate-change opposition over the past decade. When the Republicans took over the House of Representatives in 2011, Americans for Prosperity lobbied lawmakers to support a no climate tax pledge, and by the time Congress convened that year, 156 House and Senate members had signed on. As ferocious as they have been in defense of free-market ideas, the Koch brothers are also acting out of tangible self-interest, Mayer argues. The Kochs made their money in the carbon business; they have diversified far beyond it over the years, but a stiff tax on carbon could have a significant impact on their bottom line. Mayer reports that an E.P.A. database identified Koch Industries in 2012 as the single biggest producer of toxic waste in the United States. The company has been in and out of federal court over the years as defendants in cases alleging careless and sometimes lethal flouting of clean-air and clear-water requirements. Several have paid tens of millions in fines to settle these cases. It is plausible that the Kochs and some members of their network are participating in politics largely to keep their fortunes intact. They said they were driven by principle, Mayer writes of the Koch-led network, but their positions dovetailed seamlessly with their personal financial interests. Seventeen notable New York City hotels have committed to getting greener. Marquee properties like the Waldorf Astoria New York, Grand Hyatt New York, Loews Regency New York and the Peninsula New York recently joined the NYC Carbon Challenge, a program Michael R. Bloomberg started as mayor in 2007 with the citys universities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Hospitals, commercial office buildings and multifamily residences were eventually added, and in late December, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the initiative would expand to include hotels. This initial group of properties accounting for more than 11,000 guest rooms has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions from their buildings by 30 percent or more in the next 10 years, a move that could reduce emissions by more than 32,000 metric tons and save $25 million of energy operating costs. Buildings account for around 75 percent of greenhouse emissions in New York City, and getting the hospitality industry on board will significantly help to cut down on the citys overall emissions, said Nilda Mesa, the director of the Mayors Office of Sustainability. Hotels are definitely a cause of emissions, and their involvement can have a big impact in achieving the goals of the NYC Carbon Challenge and the mayors overall sustainability goals, she said. That broader vision, set forth by Mr. de Blasio in September 2014, is to reduce citywide greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. The Office of Sustainability worked with the Hotel Association of New York City, a trade group that represents 275 hotels in the city, to get the first group of properties to make a commitment. A morning prayer in 2014 would foretell an about-face for an Irvine family ready to give up its popular frozen yogurt chain for a new life of humanitarian work in Southeast Asia. Phillip and Michelle Chang, who separately immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea, together founded Yogurtland, the Irvine-based self-serve frozen yogurt company, in 2006. The Changs empire grew out of a bubble-tea cafe in Fullerton, which later offered self-serve yogurt. That eventually spun into Yogurtland, which opened in 2007 in Irvine. By January 2014, the company had grown into one of the largest chains of its kind in the nation, with nearly 270 stores worldwide. In anticipation of his 50th birthday, Chang, the companys president and chief executive, began winding down his involvement with Yogurtland, preparing to resign and turn his familys humanitarian efforts into a full-time pursuit in Seoul, South Korea. Cars were bought and house hunting began in earnest. The Changs teenage daughter was admitted to a competitive South Korean school, her tuition paid in full. Their extended family was coming too. Phillip Changs mother moved early to get settled. We sold everything, he said. After finding so much success, leaving the U.S. permanently wasnt an easy call, Phillip Chang said. The company had popularized self-serve frozen yogurt, prompting major industry players including Golden Spoon, which launched in 1983 to offer a self-serve option. As Chang announced he would step down in early 2014, company officials said Yogurtland was on track for 500 locations by 2015. But as Chang and his family were preparing to leave the country at summers end, he found out the company was no longer providing workers with the positive environment established at its founding. And while he said his return wasnt about the numbers, average sales for all domestic stores that June had fallen 13 percent from the previous year. As they looked for guidance, the biblical story about Abrahams willingness to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, for God appeared in Michelle Changs mind during her regular morning prayers. It was only later after the Changs had fully unwound their plan to move their family to South Korea that they understood what the message had meant. This is the most precious thing to me, Phillip Chang said of his company. This is my American dream. I made it. We came (to America) with $3,000. Yogurtlands philosophy for its employees was to be totally honest, totally kind. As Chang pulled back from the companys day-to-day operations, he learned that philosophy had fallen by the wayside. That mindset had disappeared, he said. Midway through 2014, Phillip Chang returned to Yogurtlands helm. A report by IBISWorld, a Los Angeles-based publisher of industry research, estimated Yogurtlands revenue from company-owned and franchised stores increased at an average annual rate of 24.7 percent to $211 million from 2010 to 2015. But the estimate showed a decrease of about 2.2 percent in 2015 as about 10 stores closed. To get the company back on track, Phillip Chang cleaned house. We changed almost 60 percent (of employees) from then to now, he said, noting he did his best to live up to the motto by giving outgoing employees advice as to how they could improve and severance pay. The company slowed its franchising, backing off its previous aim of 500 franchises worldwide. Today, Yogurtland has about 320 locations, spanning 17 states and Australia, Dubai, Guam, Thailand and Venezuela. How we get there is more important than getting there, he said. Usually companies focus on franchise sales, but I think we need good, stable operations first. Thats how we did it at first, lots of this foundational work. Chang said following his philosophy has resulted in minimal store closures less than half the rate of the companys nearest competitor, he said and higher per store sales than similar businesses. The company has an 11.2 percent market share, trailing San Fernando Valley-based Menchies and Sweet Frog, a competitor with mostly East Coast stores, the IBISWorld report shows. Heading into 2016, Phillip Chang said he is looking to add happiness to those metrics usually tracked, such as store sales. He wants to figure out how to measure the happiness of the companys corporate staff, franchisees and customers in that order so he can work at improving those levels. And the Changs recently decided to make their private charity work public. They donated $10,000 to Exodus Cry, a nonprofit organization that helps victims of sex trafficking in the U.S. and abroad, and promised to donate a portion of Yogurtland sales to similar organizations going forward. Missionary work doesnt only have to be done abroad, he said. Contact the writer: sdecrescenzo@ocregister.com Sundays fourth Democratic presidential debate, from Charleston, S.C., gave voters a surprisingly clear look at what the candidates are itching to do in the White House. With Sen. Bernie Sanders surprisingly ahead of Hillary Clinton for both the Feb. 1 Iowa Caucuses and the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary, according to several recent polls, the former first lady followed him to the left on policy issues. The third candidate, Martin OMalley, complained he was being ignored and stressed his record when he was governor of Maryland. But with the increased violence in Baltimore, where he also was mayor, his track record isnt gaining traction, keeping the focus on the two top candidates. Sen. Sanders called for a single payer national health system, meaning the government would replace private insurers. He promised, I believe that a Medicare-for-all, single-payer program will substantially lower the cost of health care for middle-class families. That sounds like President Obamas pledge during the 2008 campaign that Obamacare would cover every American and cut the cost of a typical familys premium by up to $2,500 a year. In reality, coverage for most families is down even as costs have soared. Mrs. Clinton said she would build on Obamacare by by putting a cap on prescription drug costs. But that could destroy the profits of drug companies, making them reluctant to run the gaumut of FDA regulations that have brought the cost of getting a new drug to market to $1.3 billion, according to Joseph Dimasi of the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. A better idea would be to reform the FDA to reduce that cost. The candidates promised both more gun control and higher taxes, the opposite of what Republican candidates advocate. And they supported Mr. Obamas nuclear treaty with Iran, which all the Republicans opposed. Of course, few of these proposals could make it through Congress, even if Republicans lose control of both houses, which seems unlikely. Feel the Bern is Sen. Sanders top campaign slogan. But for him and Mrs. Clinton, a better theme would be: Feel the tax bite. SANTA ANA An AmeriCorps program in Orange County will be the first in the state to train volunteers to help local agencies strengthen disaster services for vulnerable populations. Training for the 10 AmeriCorps members in the Disaster Resiliency for Vulnerable Populations program will emphasize flood response and not just because El Nino has hit this winter. Flooding has long been Orange Countys No. 1 hazard due to the regions origin as a flood plain, but the area is susceptible to many other disasters, from wildfires to earthquakes, said Vicki Osborn, assistant emergency manager with the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Everyone has a heightened awareness this year because of El Nino, and hopefully this pilot program will be a stepping stone, Osborn said. This group and program will help communities get back to normal that is what resiliency is about. Half a dozen volunteers sworn-in as AmeriCorps members last week at OneOC a Santa Ana nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the success of other nonprofits through volunteer training and consulting have already begun working in disaster resiliency with organizations theyve been paired with. AmeriCorps and OneOC last were still seeking applicants for four remaining spots on the one-year program. The AmeriCorps members tasks at with their respective nonprofits include developing and documenting plans for recruiting and training a volunteer disaster cadre, expanding local preparedness networks and fundraising for support resources. One new AmeriCorps member in disaster resiliency, Brian McInerney of San Juan Capistrano, said he is looking forward to spending a lot of time looking into El Nino preparedness with Western Youth Services in Laguna Hills. I dont think people are prepared enough for it, McInerney, 22, said of destructive storms. People tend to think in the short-term, but low-probability (disasters) happen. Rahab Mitchell, 67, who spent 20 years working with homeless people, came out of retirement to join the disaster resiliency program in order to serve vulnerable populations of which she considers herself a member. The Whittier resident tasked to work with the Orange County Rescue Mission in Tustin said disaster response nowadays goes beyond El Nino and earthquakes and includes terrorist attacks and social unrest. This is a serious matter, Mitchell said. And I want to have some education to train people and help so they are prepared. Volunteers played a key role this month when the region faced three El Nino storms in a row, said Donna Boston, director of the Sheriffs Departments emergency management division. They worked across the county to fill sandbags, provided communications through amateur radio operations, staffed care and reception facilities for evacuations and helped remove dead trees from canyon creeks. Those volunteers created a more resilient community in our canyons, which is often hardest hit during the winter season, Boston said. The county actually sustained the storms pretty well. Next year, OneOC plans to ask the state for disaster resiliency program funding for 20 people, said the nonprofits volunteer services manager Abby Edmunds, adding that there are similar programs in the country but not in California. You will never be bored, Boston told the AmeriCorps inductees. And you will be rewarded by knowing that youve taken action to help people on what may be their worst day. Contact the writer: Contact the writer: 714-796-7762, jkwong@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @JessicaGKwong SAN FRANCISCO A group of demonstrators caused the shutdown of one direction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in a police-brutality protest tied to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Members of the group stopped vehicles in all the westbound lanes at about 4 p.m. Monday. They chained themselves and the cars together to form a line across the bridge and laid signs reading BLACK HEALTH MATTERS across the roadway. Traffic was blocked for travelers heading into San Francisco from the East Bay as the holiday weekend was ending. About 30 minutes later, California Highway Patrol officers were pulling about a dozen protesters from cars and pulling their cars to the side of the road. Traffic soon began slowly moving again. Mia Birdsong, a spokeswoman for the protesters, tells the San Francisco Chronicle they were from a group called Black.Seed, an offshoot of the Black Lives Matter movement. A 24-year-old man was arrested Monday on suspicion of attacking his roommate with a machete in the Laguna Niguel home where they both rented rooms, authorities said. Sheriffs deputies were first called to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo at 2:40 a.m. where Aaron Henry, 24, received 11 stitches from trying to defend himself against Miguel Guzman, who used a machete to threaten him, said Lt. John Roche of the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Earlier that evening, Guzman allegedly went into Henrys room inside a home in the 29000 block of Aloma Avenue and threatened to kill himself, before saying he wanted to kill Henry and his family. Henrys family does not live in the home. Guzman swung the weapon at least twice and the two got into a struggle for the machete, Roche said. Henry received cuts to his right arm and some fingers. Investigators believe Guzman then went outside and vandalized a vehicle that belonged to the owner of the home and fled. No one else was reported hurt. After talking with Henry in the hospital, deputies went to the home and found Guzman. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, making criminal threats and vandalizing a vehicle. No jail information was available for him. Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com Covered California, the states Obamacare health insurance exchange, released data for the first time, Tuesday, showing what kinds of hospital care patients have received through their coverage. Statewide, 111 hospitals out of 456 provided information, including five in Orange County. The hospitals reported on everything from births to organ transplants. In all, more than 69,000 visits were made to emergency rooms and nearly 11,000 cancer treatments were provided to those insured by Covered California plans at the hospitals surveyed. In Orange County, the hospitals that shared data were: Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Anaheim and Irvine, and Tenet Healthcares three Orange County hospitals Fountain Valley Regional, Placentia-Linda and Los Alamitos Medical Center. Exchange officials said the report shows Californians are receiving the care they need through the Affordable Care Act. Its not just giving people an insurance card, said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California. Its making sure people get the right care at the right time. Kaiser Permanente in Orange County issued a statement saying the report reaffirms the excellent health care available to those who sign up for health coverage through the Covered California marketplace. Roughly 126,000 Orange County residents are covered through the exchange. The information was released ahead of the Jan. 31 deadline to buy coverage for 2016 or face a tax penalty. The usage data covers the first 18 months the health care law was in effect, from January 2014 through June 2015. It did not include costs to patients or insurers. Contact the writer: cperkes@ocregister.com 714-796-3686 ANAHEIM Three men from Californias Central Valley and a male teen were arrested Friday on suspicion of pimping underage girls in Anaheim, police said. Fresno police alerted Orange County authorities about a female runaway who was possibly a human trafficking victim in the area, said Sgt. Daron Wyatt of the Anaheim Police Department. Investigators with the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force went to a motel in the 2200 block of South Harbor Boulevard late Friday on an undercover operation. There, they found a 17-year-old girl and arrested Teantre Millro, 20, of Clovis, and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of human trafficking. During that operation, authorities learned of another group trafficking underage victims in Santa Ana. They went to another motel in the same stretch of South Harbor Boulevard where a 17-year-old girl was allegedly brought there by Jonathan Hampton, 23, of Clovis, and Martrell Mahone, 19, of Fresno, Wyatt said. After detaining the men, investigators found two more girls, ages 14 and 15, in a vehicle. Hampton and Mahone were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking of minors. Details about how investigators found out about the other alleged human traffickers were not available. Millro, Hampton and Mahone were being held in the Orange County jail on Monday without bail, according to jail logs. The 16-year-old boy was taken to Orange County juvenile hall. Hampton and Mahone are expected in court Tuesday. Court information for Millro was not available and other information about the arrests was not immediately released. Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com WASHINGTON The Supreme Court stepped into a boiling political dispute over immigration Tuesday, setting up a likely decision in the middle of a presidential campaign marked by harsh rhetoric about immigrants. The justices agreed to review whether President Barack Obama, acting without congressional approval, has the power to shield up to 5 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally from deportation and make them eligible to work without fear of being rounded up. Underscoring the political dimension, the case will be argued in April and decided by late June, about a month before both political parties gather for their nominating conventions. If Obama prevails against opponents led by Republican governors, there would be roughly seven months left in his presidency to implement plans that would affect the parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, as well as some people who arrived in the United States before they turned 16. We are confident that the policies will be upheld as lawful, White House spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said after the courts announcement Tuesday. At issue is the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program, which Obama said in late 2014 would allow people who have been in the United States more than five years and who have children who are in the country legally to come out of the shadows and get right with the law. He also announced the expansion of a program that affects people who came here illegally as children. That earlier program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is not being challenged and has resulted in more than 720,000 young immigrants being granted permission to live and work in the United States. When he announced the measures 14 months ago, Obama said he was acting under his own authority because Congress had failed to overhaul the immigration system. The Senate did pass legislation on a bipartisan vote, but House Republicans refused to put the matter to a vote. Texas quickly led a legal challenge to Obamas program on behalf of 26 states and has won every round in court so far. Most recently, in November, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the states, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court. Texas actually asked the Supreme Court not to hear the case challenging those rulings, but state Attorney General Ken Paxton said he was pleased the justices will examine the presidents constitutional power to intercede without congressional approval. In deciding to hear this case, the Supreme Court recognizes the importance of the separation of powers, Paxton said. The U.S. solicitor general, Donald Verrilli Jr., said in his Supreme Court filing that allowing the lower court rulings to stand would force millions of people to continue to work off the books, without the option of lawful employment to provide for their families. The administration said Texas and the other states dont even have the right to challenge the plan in federal court. The lower courts decided that Texas does have the right, or standing, to sue because at least 500,000 people living in Texas would qualify for work permits and thus become eligible for drivers licenses, the costs of which are subsidized by the state. Texas would incur millions of dollars in costs, the state said in its brief. The justices also said they would consider whether, if the states can pursue their lawsuit, Obama exceeded his authority under federal laws and the Constitution. ATLANTA On the 30th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday Monday, his daughter, Bernice King, spoke of distractions. Popular television shows like Real Housewives of Atlanta and Empire have distracted people into complacency over pressing sociopolitical issues, she told the hundreds gathered Monday at Ebenezer Baptist Church. While weve been distracted, new voting rights restrictions have been created and the educational system has become the worst in the world, she said, also listing global warming and environmental justice as growing problems. The churchs annual commemorative service typically draws elected officials, faith leaders and activists, and is often dominated by political calls to action. Although its an election year, there was little to no mention of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, despite a few intermittent words of support for President Barack Obama. But some of the speakers criticized Republican candidates. Bernice King and Hispanic Federation President Jose Calderon took aim at GOP front-runner Donald Trump, with King noting that a reality show host is trying to bully his way into becoming president. The Rev. William Barber II, the keynote speaker and president of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, spoke harshly about all candidates who, in his view, tout Kings words but defy his legacy. The further we get away from Dr. Kings life, we must be careful, we cannot allow the same economic political establishment he opposed in life to reframe his message and make it more palatable for materialistic schemes, he said. Barber, a self-described conservative Christian, called on the media to broaden its definition of evangelism, noting that in a sense, Dr. King was an evangelical and that to be a true evangelical, youve got to preach the good news to the poor. Barber went further, saying the term has been misappropriated for a world view that is utterly devoid of prophetic critique. Please stop saying these evangelicals support a certain party, he said. God is not a Republican or a Democrat. Back in Atlanta, much of the nearly five-hour service focused on Kings commitment to fighting poor housing conditions and discrimination in Chicago 50 years ago. U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro said King knew that housing was about more than bricks and mortar. He knew that if you tell me where a family lives, Ill tell you what jobs are available to them; where their children go to school; the quality of the air they breathe. Castro has made several visits to Atlanta in recent months after awarding a $30 million federal housing grant to the city in September. Mary Lou Finley, who worked with King and former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young in Chicago in 1965, praised Kings open and loving response to everyday people, especially the youth. In this he gave us a glimpse of the beloved community, she said. So now its up to us to commit to the unfinished work. Jeffrey DeLaurentis, charge daffaires at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, drew parallels between Kings work in promoting human rights and individual freedoms and the normalizing of relations between the United States and Cuba. Dr. King may have never traveled to Cuba in his life, but his legacy . penetrates the hearts of minds of many there and here, he said. U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.; Ebenezer Pastor Raphael Warnock who briefly considered running against Isakson for his Senate seat; Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.; Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle; and Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell also spoke during the service. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed did not attend as he spent Monday campaigning for Clinton in Iowa. Mitchell, who may run for mayor in 2017, said Atlantans must address high poverty rates, income inequality, lack of affordable housing and other issues within the city. If we are going to be honest with ourselves, we have a lot of work to do, and there is a long way weve got to go, he said. Isakson said he has attended the King service roughly two dozen times since 1983. Our commitment today on this commemoration should be that we will be the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and all that he did for peace, for tranquility, for faith and for justice, he said. HAVANA Colombias government and the countrys largest rebel group marked another milestone in their rapidly advancing peace talks Tuesday, jointly requesting that the United Nations establish an international observer mission to monitor a disarmament process that could end in a matter of weeks Latin Americas longest-running guerrilla conflict. Negotiators for the two sides announced at peace talks in Havana that the 12-month mission would be made up of unarmed observers from Latin American and Caribbean nations. It would monitor adherence to an eventual bilateral cease-fire and resolve disputes that emerge from the expected demobilization of some 7,000 fighters belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. A formula for the rebels demobilization and handing over of their weapons remains to be negotiated. But in calling on the U.N. to begin preparing for the observers deployment, analysts say both sides are signaling that a March deadline to wrap up talks, which some had viewed as overly optimistic, could be within reach. Todays announcement isnt only the start of an international process, its the unequivocal demonstration of our desire to end confrontation, said lead government negotiator Humberto de la Calle. De la Calle emphasized that the international makeup of the observation mission should satisfy concerns of Colombians who worry the FARC wont sincerely disarm and will continue its involvement in drug-trafficking and extortion of rural communities after a peace deal is signed. Were not thinking of masking a fictitious cease-fire, just to get things done, said de la Calle. Re: Taxpayers can see budget burden only rising [Opinion, Jan. 15]: Mr. Rodriguezs assertion that CalPERS has mismanaged the state pension fund through inadequate forecasting and planning is unfounded. The board takes very seriously its fiduciary responsibility to its members, and recently took a bold leadership step to reduce risk and volatility in the pension fund to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the system. The board considered several risk mitigation strategies, and, based on recommendations by external pension and investment consultants, CalPERS staff and input from stakeholders representing our members and employers, we adopted a policy to address the risk in our system. The adopted policy is a measured and balanced approach that takes into account 18 months of expert analysis. It incrementally lowers the discount rate in years of good investment returns, helps pay down the pension funds unfunded liability and provides greater predictability and less volatility in contribution rates for employers. A more rapid reduction of our discount rate would have caused financial strain on many of Californias local municipalities that are still recovering from the financial crisis. Brad Pacheco Sacramento deputy executive officer, CalPERS Communications and Stakeholder Relations Legal pot didnt end illegal trade Re: Hasty bans on medical pot only serve black market [Opinion, Jan. 8]: Your recent opinion column on marijuana legalization claims that California cities can eliminate the black market for marijuana by legalizing the drug. Reality indicates otherwise. The Colorado Springs Gazette reported last year that the black market for pot in Colorado is thriving despite legalization, and a prominent pot industry publication claims that regulatory compliance costs will not eliminate the black market in California, either. Indeed, last November a California Board of Equalization official told the same publication that 70 to 75 percent of California pot dispensaries do not pay their required taxes. It is difficult to see how tax-evading, law-breaking pot shops are much different from black market dealers and therefore understandable why so many California cities prefer to keep the pot trade out entirely. Jeffrey Zinsmeister Alexandria, Va. executive vice president, Smart Approaches to Marijuana WASHINGTON In its first official account of Irans seizure and subsequent release of 10 U.S. sailors in the Persian Gulf, the Defense Department said Monday that the only items found missing from their two recovered boats were SIM cards for two satellite phones. But key questions, such as why the sailors had deviated from their planned route to enter Iranian territorial waters, remain unanswered in the account released by U.S. Central Command. Its calling the description a preliminary timeline of the events of Jan. 12-13. Armed Iranian military personnel boarded the U.S. boats while others conducted armed over-watch of the boats with mounted machine guns, according to the report. Sailors on two Riverine Command Boats traveling Jan. 12 from Kuwait to Bahrain deviated from their planned course down the middle of the Persian Gulf, according to the report, which said the reason remains under investigation. The boats stopped for troubleshooting after indications that the diesel engine on one of the vessels had a mechanical problem. The stop occurred in Iranian territorial waters, although its not clear the crew was aware of their exact location. Videos released by Iran showed the sailors forced to get on their knees with their hands behind their heads when they were captured and one of the Americans apologizing for the incident. Later in the video, the Americans are shown eating an Iranian meal. But the timeline released Monday said the U.S. sailors were not mistreated during approximately 15 hours in Iranian hands. It said a post-recovery inventory of the boats found that all weapons, ammunition and communications gear was accounted for, minus two SIM cards apparently removed from two hand-held satellite phones. The Associated Press and Bloomberg News contributed to this report. I dare you to skate and be mad at the same time, said Travis Horne, 25, from Long Beach while at Fountain Valley Skating Center late one Tuesday night. When Im out there, Im thinking about the next move, and I totally zone out and forget my troubles. Thats how powerful skating is. Every week, Horne and many other young adults from all over Southern California meet at the skating rink off Recreation Circle as it transitions from a casual, family-fun center to a hotbed for contemporary hip- hop culture. Known as jam skating or rhythm skating, this stylized sport was made popular in the 70s and 80s, but decades later, a new generation of skaters is finding this pastime to be a big part of their life. We do this so many times a week and so consistently that we see these people more than our own family, said Fountain Valley Skate Center floor guard Leo Ra James. In here, this is our world. We own this. The quad skating style that these Fountain Valley skaters perform combines complex footwork and oftentimes partnered choreography. As music from a live DJ blares and flashing lights illuminate the polished floor, roller skaters speed counter clockwise with an ease of familiarity. But these people are not just skating, theyre moving in time to the music, adding rhythmic twists and turns to their cyclical journey in a ballet of contemporary motion. Almost anything you can do when youre dancing you can do on skates, said Zack Richartz, 21. This is us expressing ourselves. This is our art. In addition to the open skate nights that include a large number of people, some skaters join skate clubs or crews that work on moves that they then share with other crews at skate parties all over the country. These smaller groups within the skating subculture tend to become like alternative family units to the members, said skaters from Sk8 Mafia and BMW Skate Crew. Many even admit that skating has steered their lives in a positive direction. Skating is a vehicle that helps keep them off the street, said founder of custom roller skate shop Sk8 Fanatics Pete Russell. I figure if they werent here, they might end up in precarious situations. This is something they need in their lives. The skaters say the crews start to resemble support groups where stress is alleviated by engaging in a collaborative, creative process. We know when each other is hurting, and we know what makes us happy, said Horne whose job as crew president is to manage the team and check in with all the members. Ive met people caught in gang banging, and I say Lets go skate because when were rolling, boogieing, were not worrying about whats going on outside of these doors. Many of the young people that come to the Fountain Valley Skating Center travel from Los Angeles and other surrounding cities because the rinks in their area closed to make room for more profitable business ventures. Aaliyah Matthews, 20, from Long Beach had been skating at Skate Depot in Cerritos since she was 8, but it closed in August 2014. I was heartbroken, devastated because I love to skate, said Matthews. When I have a bad day, skating is my happy ending. Its where I release all my negative energy. By providing a home for this niche community to grow, Fountain Valley Skating Center is filling a gap that many people might not even know exists. People in their 20s are attracted to the scene by the current music, but say they stay for the culture that is brought to life through rhythmic footwork and artistic flexibility. Everyone shares their moves with each other so its the diversity of movement that brings people together, said Richartz. When youre out there, youre learning more than just skating, youre learning about people. Contact the writer: 714-796-6026 or kwright@ocregister.com Environmentally conscious students from Western and Kennedy high schools picked up trash scattered across Twila Reid Park on Monday. At the same time, members of Brookhurst Junior Highs student government gathered clothes, canned food and toiletries that will be donated to families in need. And, homeless people gathered at La Palma Park were offered a hot meal and necessities by students from Loara High Schools ethnic studies class and the Bridges leadership program. People look at homeless people as if theyre not real people, said Matthew Mariscal, a 17-year-old senior at Loara High School, as he handed out clothes at La Palma Park. It seems as if no one cares about them, and thats sad, he said. If we were on the street, we would want the same type of help. About 4,500 students from across the Anaheim Union High School District spent the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday completing one of 130 community service projects. The students had the day off of school. The district-wide effort was part of the second annual Servathon, which raises money for campus activities and the Student Service Foundation, which awards grants to pupil-led community improvement projects. Students got pledges for their community service. About $20,000 was collected as of Monday. Students raised about $8,500 last year, when some 4,000 students completed 160 community service projects. We wanted to give people some clothes that didnt have holes and are in good condition, said 13-year-old Sarah Alvarez, an eighth-grader who serves as the student body treasurer at Brookhurst Junior High, as she folded a shirt that will soon be donated to a student in the district. Normally rivals in sports, students from Western and Kennedy high schools met at Twila Reid Park to gather trash left behind by picnickers. We wanted to do something that directly affects our community by cleaning up a park that we all use, said Kiara Legaspi, a 17-year-old senior at Western High who leads an environmental club known as the Planeteers. Superintendent Michael Matsuda said he wants students to consider projects away from their individual campuses. Soon, the Anaheim Union school board will consider whether to require students to perform at least 40 hours of community service over four years as a condition to graduate. If approved, Matsuda said the program would start with next years freshman class, making the goal attainable for those who simply opt to participate in the annual Servathon. Were trying to build a service ethic by giving back to something greater, said Matsuda, whose district serves more than 32,000 students living in Anaheim, Buena Park, Stanton, Cypress and La Palma. It is an experience that they can look back on, and say that they were part of something bigger, Matsuda said. An AUHSD education is more than just test scores, its about building cultural service and empathy. Whats this, you say? A Sweeney Todd with a heavyset, bearded Mrs. Lovett and a pale, delicate young man as Johanna? Welcome to Theatre Outs version of the Stephen Sondheim musical. Not just gimmickry, David C. Carnevales reimagining of the hit play unfolds in an insane asylum Londons infamous Bedlam, to be exact. With a touch of Marat/Sade-like meta-theatrics, the asylums inmates, for whatever reason, re-enact the tale of The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Framing device and gender changes aside, the production typifies TOs theatrical output, with strong ensemble work, vocal performances and music direction. It also proves the 1979 musicals flexibility while injecting a Shakespearean sensibility, what with men playing all of the roles. Carnevales conception of the show negates the automatic assumption that the men confined to Bedlam are gay they simply love musical theater enough to want to enact one of their favorite stories, and a blood-curdling one at that. In the stark, bleak, chilling prologue, the inmates set up the story with the opening number, The Ballad of Sweeney Todd. Soon were off and running, as Benjamin Barker (Kevin Carranza) returns to London after having been wrongly imprisoned at the penal colony of Botany Bay for 15 years. During the ocean voyage hes befriended by Anthony Hope (Vahan Oknayan), a kind young man who regards him with sympathy. Having altered his looks and adopted the name of Sweeney Todd, Barker sets about in his plan to exact revenge from Turpin (Tom Royer), the corrupt judge who had him banished. A barber by trade, Sweeney aims to lure the judge to his barber chair where he can fatally slash his throat. Hes aided by Mrs. Nellie Lovett (Jon Sparks), a baker who knew him as Barker and who, in the shows central irony, sees a way for both to flourish. Her brainstorm is that Sweeney will murder anyone who crosses him and, with meat prices having soared, shell use their flesh as filling for her pies. Sweeney Todd was a landmark Sondheim show, with lyrics that resonate with the shows themes of misanthropy, bitterness and the cruel ironies life dishes out. Musical director Stephen Hulseys treatment of the score reinforces the striking musics complexity, and the cast handles the demands of the vocal work seemingly with ease. In line with Sweeneys bitter mistrust of all, Carranza wisely understates his dialogue and vocal work. In one of many examples of irony, Sweeney croons the gentle, melodious Pretty Women just as hes about to cut Turpins throat. A Little Priest, one of Sondheims greatest comic songs, benefits from Carranza and Sparks droll delivery, each enjoying the others clever wit in relating how each victims profession dictates the qualities of the pies they become. By contrast, Johanna, and Oknayans singing of it, proves its one of Sondheims loveliest romantic ballads. In the lead role, Carranza creates a remote, Robert Downey Jr.-like persona, fixing those around him with a knowing glare while regarding them with cold disdain. His wild eyes burn with conviction, his wary character bristling with an unwavering fixation on the judge. Sparks Mrs. Lovett is a candid, mild-mannered woman of simple tastes and bourgeois values. Shes not fluttery or feminine, nor is Sparks performance campy or parodistic. She watches Sweeneys every move with intense interest, clearly hoping she can move from partner in crime to a more cherished role as his significant other. Royers high-toned British accent bespeaks the judges lofty station in society, but beyond the judges masochistic self-flagellation while singing Johanna, his work is essentially pro forma. As the object of his lechery and Anthonys affection Frankie Rodriguezs Johanna is a pure, delicate young creature. In a wonderfully juicy portrayal as rival barber Pirelli, Dustin Thompson clearly relishes the over-the-top nature of his role, delivering delicious Italian and Irish accents, while Diego Matthew Castros Beadle Bamford is a chunky bully. The setting allows for a simplified costume scheme thats well realized by Joey Baital. Lacking the technical facilities to create Sweeneys elaborate trick barber chair, Carnevale uses shrieking bells and blood-red lighting to depict each throat-slashing, an effective way to underscore the grisly nature of these moments. In what amounts to ambitious programming, much of Theatre Outs upcoming season is devoted to the works of Sondheim. Marry Me a Little in March, Into the Woods in June and, in October, the rarely seen 1974 musical The Frogs should give Sondheim lovers plenty upon which to feast. Contact the writer: emarchesewriter@gmail.com Fountain Valley-based Chefs Toys announced Thursday that it acquired Michael Blackman & Associates. MBA, a restaurant kitchen designer, has been operating for more than 30 years. Michael Blackman & Associates has developed an exceptional reputation in the industry, said Steve Dickler, president of Chefs Toys, in a statement. With their deep expertise in kitchen and bar design, restaurant interior design, tremendous knowledge and resources for restaurant fixtures, architecture, planning and construction, the MBA team will help take Chefs Toys to a whole new level. Mike Krepistman, a principal partner at Chefs Toys, said the acquisition will help the company grow its restaurant services. We will naturally look to grow our business for equipment and supplies with (the design firms) past and future clients, he said. With our new distribution center here in Fountain Valley, we will be able offer one stop shopping for the clients. Previous MBA clients include Sizzler, Spago, Johnny Rockets, Pieology, Lemonade, Urban Plates, Umami Burger, Baja Fresh and Nobu. MBA was previously based in Santa Monica, but is moving to Chefs Toys west LA location. Chefs Toys started in 1988. The company provides restaurant equipment and commercial kitchen supplies to clients. Chefs Toys has 20 commercial trucks and six Southern California warehouses, including locations in Anaheim, Fountain Valley and Corona. All stores also open to the public. Staff writer Nancy Luna contributed to this report. Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans When Sally Bourne Interiors, a posh shop in Muswell Hill, London, decided to paint a few firewood logs for their Christmas window display, they had no idea they were actually creating the latest decor trend that would sell out in just a few days time. Believe it or not, they ended up selling about 60 logs of painted wood at 10 ($14) apiece! They were used as a window display over the Christmas period, but then we got lots of people asking if they could buy them when that finished, the store manager said. We didnt want to throw them away so we decided to sell them as people thought they could make stools and side tables out of them. We had about 50 or 60 logs in total and most of them were the large ones, which were a good 50cm circumference. The logs were apparently sold out last Thursday, with the last one going at a whopping 30 ($40). Photo: Twitter/JamieCricht0n According to the manager, Sally Bourne Interiors employees had gathered unwanted logs free of cost from a park nearby. Then someone got rid of the creepy crawlies and painted and prepared them for the store, he said. The sides of the logs were painted in bright colors like yellow and pink, which seems to have caught the attention of shoppers. It was meant to be a one-off project, but seeing the demand the painted logs generated, the store might be bringing them back in the future. We havent had any negative response at all, the manager said. We may even hold a tutorial on how to do your own one. Not everyone was amused by the idea, of course a photograph of the colorful logs with price tags attracted lots of snarky tweets and comments. Seriously, who is that dumb to pay that much for a log? asked Ian Meade, a designer from Barnsley. Photo: Sally Bourne Interiors Mad World! wrote Marcia Hearne, from Herefordshire. Better take insurance on my basket of (unpainted) logs! Was just going to burn them but maybe I should put them in a safe! I think its absolutely ridiculous, added Jenny Lee. If you really want a painted log you could just get one from a field and paint it yourself. Robert Gummer, a passerby in the affluent London neighborhood, said: This is like selling ice to Eskimos. But there are plenty of poor saps around here who will happily buy painted wood. (losgs in the Christmas display) Photo: Sally Bourne Interiors But there were a few people who spoke out in support of the trend. Ajyahan Muuammetnuroua, from Muswell Hill, said: I think it is reasonable because if you think about it, people will pay a lot for that natural look a lot of people want that organic style. I know its just wood but people want that whole natural look in their homes so I do think its reasonable. Others just made fun of the store and the people who bought the logs. But arent they too darling for words! one person joked, while another said: Middle one has no paint you want a couple of quid knocking off that one. Photo: Google Street View Spending money on firewood logs is crazy, but weve seen sillier trends in the past. Remember Gary Ross Dahl, the man who made millions just selling rocks as pets? And lets not forget this Texas entrepreneur actually made up to $10,000 a month sending people messages scribbled on potatoes. As one Twitter user pointed out, it appears that the world has gone stark raving bonkers. Stock market dip (worst ever start to a New Year) is a concern to PR and all Americans. PRs role is to double-down on relations with customers and other publics using direct to market communications and social media. Stocks rallied in today's morning trading with the Dow up 100+ points, according to CNN's market watch. The Dow was up 27.94 at day's end to 16,016. Cheap oil and the problems with the China economy and stock market are the main causes of the slide, says CNN Money and other financial sources. Dow-Jones fell 1,437 points in the first two weeks. The price for a barrel of oil, which hit $145-$147 in 2008, has fallen just below $30 a barrel due to an oversupply. This is reflected in the price of a gallon of gas which averaged $3.90 a gallon last August and now is below $2 in many places. Economists say the price-per-gallon is something Americans see perhaps a dozen or more times a day as they drive around and this leads them to conclude there is something wrong with the economy. Actually the economy, including employment, is pretty strong, economists say. Cheap Gas Is Opportunity Cheap gas, as low as $1.82 a gallon at one New Jersey gas station, is an opportunity to raise the national gas tax from the 18.4 cents a gallon where it has been stuck since 1993 to -perhaps 30 or 40 cents. The problem is that few political leaders will support such a move. One who did is Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) who in 2014 proposed a 12-cent jump spread over two years. She said this would replenish the Highway Trust Fund which faces bankruptcy. The Obama Administration opposed any increase in the gas tax. Hike Needed for Roads and Dropping Tolls An increase in the national tax gas was backed in an editorial in the Jan. 16 New York Times. But it said lawmakers are fearful of such a move ahead of an election. States levy their own gas taxes42 cents in New York, 50 cents in Pennsylvania, and 14 cents in New Jersey, as examples. NYT talks only about the need for investment to improve roads. But a modest increase in the gas task would eliminate the need for toll roads throughout the U.S. The toll road lobby is among the most powerful in D.C. Collecting taxes via per-gallon charges is 22 times as efficient as collecting them by any other means including manually or electronically, said opponents of toll roads. The Alliance for Toll Free Interstates, formed in 2014, says collection of taxes at the pump costs less than one percent of the revenues. ATFIs mission is to educate the public about the negative impact that tolling existing interstates has on our communities and businesses. ATFI exists to provide detailed information to the media, policymakers and individuals on why tolling existing interstates will not solve our transportation needs. Our goal is to develop a growing alliance of individuals, businesses and organizations that will advocate for solving our growing transportation needs without tolling existing interstates. Among supporters of toll-free roads is Senator Christopher Murphy, D-Conn. Connecticut does not have any toll roads. The last toll was collected in 1989. Tolls were condemned as wasting gas, causing congestion and loss of time, causing pollution and noise, and serving as an unfair barrier to commuters. Cellphone, Computer Radiation Is a Danger PR people, who are major users of computers and cellphones, and parents who hopefully can control of the use of such devices by their children, should explore the extensive literature and research pointing to the health dangers presented by them. Little is said in major media about such dangers possibly because it might annoy advertisers such as the cellphone carriers and manufacturers, Apple and other computer companies. Critics say health hazards of smoking were documented as early as1939 but it was not until 1963 that the U.S. Surgeon General declared them unhealthy. A major cave-in to pressure from the industry was reported in the Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016 New York Times (Saturday being a burial ground for stories for which a low profile is sought). Centers for Disease Control redacted its advice to use caution with cellphones and changed it back to the previous advice which was that any risks likely are comparable to other lifestyle choices we make every day. Specifically deleted was a passage addressing potential risks to children. Websites such as Electric Sense and the site of Dr. Joseph Mercola are emphatic about the dangers to children and fetuses. Children and fetuses absorb more microwave radiation because their bodies are relatively smaller, their skulls are thinner, and their brain tissue is more absorbent, said Robert Szcerba in the Jan. 13, 2015 Forbes. Advice of the websites is that anyone under the age of 13 should only be allowed cellphones in emergencies. Precautionary Steps Described Other advice is not to carry a cellphone in a pocket (this is advice of Apple itselfin small type at the end of instructions); hold a cellphone at least an inch from the ear; unplug the base at night because it radiates 24/7; dont bring a cellphone into the bedroom; put it on airplane mode most of the time; dont use a cellphone in a car and especially a moving car or other moving vehicle because it has to radiate extra hard to pull in a signal, and only use a cellphone when the connection is very strong for the same reason. Websites such as bioinitiative.org urge adult cellphone users to be considerate of others by not using them in public places like a doctors office, public transportation, courtroom, etc. Office workers should also be considerate and be mindful of whether their work station is close to someone elses computer. Radiation-aware websites urge computer users to have a wired Ethernet connection, a wired keyboard and a wired mouse. Apple stores do not sell a wired mouse. This writer went to a Staples and found about 20 wireless devices and only one wired mouse. The danger of cellphones and computers is a topic that should be taken up by the Westhampton, New York, Library board. Attempts to reach either director Danielle Waskiewicz or the four trustees have been unsuccessful so far. The librarys second floor is devoted to activities for children and there is also a teen center. Residents could send a message to the board by rejecting the new library budget May 17. The old budget would remain in place but this would be another strong public statement of disapproval of the management of the library. Protests by 60 residents at the Oct. 30, 2015 meeting of the board resulted in the eventual resignation of four of the five trustees. The Labour conference has formally committed itself to the renationalisation of the English rail network as it pledged to oppose another round of unneeded, unwanted and ill-thought-through privatisation. In a significant boost for the party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who has suffered a series of setbacks over the EU and Trident, Labours national executive committee agreed a statement that paves the way for the rolling renationalisation of the rail network. Conference opposes another round of unneeded, unwanted and ill-thought-through privatisation, it said. We believe there is a better way. Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), welcomed the move. Opening the debate on the NEC statement in a speech from the Labour conference platform, Cortes said: Im absolutely delighted that after years and years of campaigning the Labour party has finally seen sense and that we are telling the British people that there is clear red water between us and the Tories when it comes to our railways. We will be running our railways in the interests of passengers and taxpayers. The Corbyn camp was delighted with the move, hours before the new Labour leader addressed the conference in Brighton. It showed that Corbyn, who has been forced to clarify his thinking on the EU since his election and who lost a battle to hold a vote on whether Britain should retain Britains Trident nuclear deterrent, has been able to deliver one of his main pledges made during the Labour leadership contest. Corbyns camp hailed the move. A leadership source said: Rail has been a symbol of Labour not quite getting it right for years and not cutting through. [Today is] therefore a symbol of a clearer, more popular approach under Jeremy. This morning weve seen big progressive shifts in rail and housing policy, demonstrating that as the week wears on Labours conference is delivering on a new agenda. The NEC statement says Labour will set up a rail taskforce that will seek to find a mechanism to: eturn private rail franchises into public ownership when they come to an end. Break clauses would also be introduced to accelerate the process when it is in the interests of passengers and taxpayers. On this timetable, a third of the rail franchises could be brought into public hands by 2025 if Corbyn wins the 2020 general election. Up to five of the 16 franchises are due to expire between 2020 and 2025. Create a new dynamic public operator to reinvest profits by private rail operators into cutting fares and rail infrastructure. Oppose any attempt to break up or privatise Network Rail. Corbyn believes that his plans for a rolling renationalisation of the railways, which enjoys strong support in opinion polls, is one of his most significant policies. He believes that it shows policies that are dismissed as leftwing such as nationalisation can be hugely popular among mainstream voters. In a policy document unveiled during his leadership campaign, Corbyn said: The privatisation of the railways fragmented our rail network meaning the most expensive and confusing ticketing structures in Europe. Our rail network suffers from massive underinvestment, recently cut again by this government, while larcenous levels of profiteering continue. We need to rebuild an integrated publicly owned railway network that is run by the people for the people. It is important for our economy, society and the environment that our railways are run in the public interest not for private profit. Under my leadership Labour will commit to public ownership, run by passengers, workers and government. But Cortes, whose union hosted the Corbyn leadership campaign, saw the move to renationalise the railways as part of a wider political development. He told the Labour conference: Yesterday we had a magnificent new shadow chancellor telling us that we are the anti-austerity party. Well, today when you vote for this statement we are also the anti-neoliberal party because privatisation, deregulation, they all come from the same neoliberal tool box that gave us financial deregulation and brought our economy to the edge of the abyss. No more I say. As debates about the future direction of Labour policy under its new leader continued to dominate the conference, Lucy Powell, the shadow education secretary, insisted her views on free schools could be married with the broad brush of policies put forward by Corbyn during his campaign. Powell, said a Labour government would bring academies and free schools under greater local authority oversight, including over school place planning and failing standards, but she admitted the party would take time to think through the degree of oversight. Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme before Corbyns speech to conference, Powell said Labour would not return free schools to local authority control, but would allow local government to intervene where necessary. Speaking to the Guardian during the leadership campaign, Corbyn said: I am not a supporter of the principle of free schools and academies, and I would want to bring them all back into the local authority orbit. The new shadow energy secretary, Lisa Nandy, announced that a Labour government would not seek to renationalise energy companies: Jeremy [Corbyn] and I dont want to nationalise energy. We want to do something far more radical. We want to democratise it. Corbyn set out proposals to socialise Britains energy supply in a policy document during the leadership campaign encouraging energy supplies owned by local authorities, communities and small businesses but he also expressed a desire to see the public ownership of the National Grid. Nandy said: There should be nothing to stop every community in this country owning its own clean energy power station. Across the country schools are already taking the initiative and going solar. Generating power and heat for their own use. With the right support, community-based energy companies and cooperatives could be a new powerhouse, and a path to a more secure energy future. Labour in local government is already leading the way, effectively bypassing the big six entirely. In the first week after Labour elected its new leader, the shadow work and pensions secretary, Owen Smith, and the shadow equalities minister, Kate Green, denied it was party policy to oppose the benefits cap, contradicting comments Corbyn had made hours earlier. Experts at Royal London, who recently rebranded from Caledonian Life to the name of their parent company, are reminding those smokers whose New Years resolution it is to kick the habit in 2015, that there are additional money saving benefits which they may not have thought about. Experts at Royal London, who recently rebranded from Caledonian Life to the name of their parent company, are reminding those smokers whose New Years resolution it is to kick the habit in 2015, that there are additional money saving benefits which they may not have thought about. The Protection specialists say that smokers can pay more than double that of non-smokers for the cost of their Life assurance and Mortgage Protection policies. Michelle Murphy, Royal London representative in Offaly explains, For thousands of people across the country their New Years Resolution will be to try to quit smoking. For those lucky enough to have stuck to their guns and still be off cigarettes this time next year, it could mean savings not just on the direct costs of smoking, but also on the cost of their monthly Life assurance premiums. Latest figures from cancer.ie reveal that approx. 19% of the Irish population (people over the age of 15) are smokers this equates to 11,159 people in Offaly alone. These savings are just another to add to the long list of incentives to stop smoking. Experts at Royal London say that if you gave up smoking over 12 months ago or more, and are now considering putting Life cover in place, there is good news in that non-smokers pay less than smokers for Life cover. Michelle went on to say, Our cost analysis reveals that smokers can pay thousands more than non-smokers for the same Life policy so aside from the obvious health benefits of not smoking there are quite clear financial gains. Royal London say that for people to be classed as a non-smoker they must not have used any tobacco products, including nicotine replacement products such as patches or chewing gum, in the last 12 months and have no intention to do so in the future. In rare cases a person may be asked to complete a cotinine test (Smoker test). A cotinine test is a simple test to screen for tobacco use by testing a sample of saliva or urine. If you have cover in place as a smoker and if you have not smoked for 12 months, you can also look to switch to another provider, to get non-smoker rates. January is a time when were all looking to make savings and your Life cover should be no different. Your local Financial Broker will have access to a wide range of companies products and will be able to help your source the best product at the best prices to meet your individual needs, concluded Michelle. According to stats from Cancer.ie, t costs us 1 billion per year to provide health services for smokers while smokers lose an average of 10-15 years from their life expectancy. A Kildare man could face more serious charges after being charged with firearms offences for guns seized in Portarlington last week. A Kildare man could face more serious charges after being charged with firearms offences for guns seized in Portarlington last week. Luke Jacob who gave an address at Appt 4 the Oaks, Portarlington appeared at a special sitting of Portlaoise District Court last Sunday morning. Jacob, who is from Rathangan, was brought before Judge John Coughlan on two firearms charges after a garda raid on the appartment last Friday, September 13. During the raid gardai seized two sawn-off shotguns, a pistol, ammunition and cannabis herb estimated to be worth up to 10,000. Jacob was arrested at the time and charged with firearms offences after a day of questioning. The accused was brought to the district court under armed garda escort. Garda Detective Gerry Galwey, asked that Jacob be held in custody to appear at Portlaoise District Court on Thursday, September 19. Judge Coughlan granted this request noting that there was no application for bail. He granted legal aid after Det Galwey said further serious charges may be brought. Defence solicitor Declan Breen said his client suffers from asthma and hepatitis C and requested that Jacob be allowed to attend an appointment in St James Hospital, Dublin which was granted. THE Orthopaedic team at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore recently welcomed International expert Dr Erik De Witte Orthopaedic Surgeon, of ASZ Hospital in Belgium who shared his expertise on the area of minimally invasive surgery of the hip. THE Orthopaedic team at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore recently welcomed International expert Dr Erik De Witte Orthopaedic Surgeon, of ASZ Hospital in Belgium who shared his expertise on the area of minimally invasive surgery of the hip. Dr De Witte is one of the pioneers of muscle and nerve sparing surgery in hip replacement. Since 2004 he has performed 3,500 of these operations. Theatre staff watched intently as the hospital Orthopaedic Surgeons completed the evolving surgery under the guidance of Dr de Witte which reduces the recovering time for the patient and the length of time required for the patient to spend in hospital. Mr David Cogley Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore stated, Erik is a wonderful teacher and is enthusiastic in sharing his expertise and spreading techniques of less invasive hip replacement with us to the benefit of all of our patients. Without a doubt the future of hip replacement surgery has arrived in the Midlands allowing patients less pain around the time of surgery and much faster recovery. Mr Eoin Sheehan who has joined the Orthopaedic Department from Thomas Jefferson hospital in Philadelphia having specialised in hip and knee replacement surgery said, It is important that the midlands and particularly Tullamore Hospital pioneers this new method of hip replacement surgery. Our ambition is to create a centre of excellence in rapid recovery tissue sparing and high quality hip surgeries. Hopefully we can put Tullamore on the world stage as a centre for high quality surgery and serve the people of midlands with a high standard of care, he added. Speaking about the visit, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr James Sproule who recently returned from Canada, where he completed two years of advanced specialist training in knee, foot and ankle surgery said, The Orthopaedic Department is delighted to be endorsed by such a high profile international specialist as Dr Erik de Witte. In our current climate of fiscal prudence, it is essential that the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore examines all avenues to contain expenditure. Having gained valuable exposure while working abroad I am only to well aware of the importance of delivering healthcare in a productive and cost-efficient manner and this evolving surgery is a positive step in the right direction. The addition of Mr Eoin Sheehan and Mr James Sproule to the hospital orthopaedic team with their experience combined with that of the other members of the team Ms. Dorothy Niall, Mr John Lunn, Mr David Cogley and Mr Refaat Zaki complements the range of orthopaedic services available in the Midlands. The pioneering development at the Midland Regional Hospital at Tullamore is part of ongoing developments in the Orthopaedic Department which centres on successful pre-operative assessment clinics permitting greater daycase surgery and same day surgery admissions which mean a greater number of patients can be seen and treated within shorter timeframes. Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) Beatrice police have deployed a new weapon in their search for suspects: humor. Officer Kris Gill has provided pithy, sometimes wry comments to accompany security images on Facebook posts used to help officers find possible criminals. In one posting, a man is shown looking in car windows. The posting said he seemed to be looking for something he lost. "I can't think of any other reason why someone would park next to several different cars, get out, and look inside several different cars. Can you?" the Facebook post asked. The man eventually took from a car items that didn't belong to him. Someone recognized him and called police. Gill said all of the individuals pictured in the posts have been identified, a vast improvement from the limited results gained from previous postings that some people described as "just boring." Police Chief Bruce Lang told the Beatrice Daily Sun that he was amazed at how fast some of the crimes were solved following the posts. But finding the right balance of humor and seriousness when dealing with possible crimes is tricky, he said. "It's clearly been productive, and I hope we're able to continue to find that balance of keeping things interesting on minor offenses," the chief said. The photos don't always show someone caught in the act. In one instance, Gill said, the person just forgot to pay for items at a store and the issue was resolved without criminal charges. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) A Beatrice pharmacist who was convicted of defrauding Medicaid has been found dead in his basement. Authorities say an acquaintance found the body of 50-year-old Tod Lundberg a little after 6 p.m. Monday. Beatrice Police Lt. Mike Oliver says a crime is not suspected in Lundberg's death. An autopsy has been ordered. Lundberg pleaded guilty to one fraud count on Jan. 6 and was scheduled to be sentenced March 2. A plea agreement called for him to pay restitution of nearly $38,000. Prosecutors say Lundberg billed Nebraska Medicaid for the brand name of certain drugs and then dispensed the generic version of those drugs. Medicaid then paid Lundberg higher prices for the brand-name versions. Prosecutors say Lundberg carried out his scheme from at least 2010 through 2013. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. There are concerns that pregnant women who become infected with zika virus can transmit the disease to their unborn babies, with potentially serious consequences. Reports from several countries, most notably Brazil, demonstrate an increase in severe foetal birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes in babies whose mothers were infected with zika virus while pregnant. Additional international research is necessary and ongoing to determine the link between zika virus and foetal damage. Until more is known, the Ministry of Health recommends that women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant in the near term consider delaying travel to areas with zika virus present. The New Zealand Ministry of Health has just published a statement on Zika virus . Excerpt:Imported Zika cases from French Polynesia seem a more likely problem for New Zealand than cases imported from Latin America. "The more we speak with Pakistan, the more terrorists will be marginalised": Interview Feature oi-Vicky By Vicky What should India's response be post the Pathankot attack is a subject that has been debated to the hilt. There have been various suggestions that are made about how India should respond to Pakistan. The government of India is very clear and that is why it expects action against the masterminds of the attack, it in no way wants to stop talking to Pakistan. "There is a need for India and Pakistan to take a different approach now. Talks should now essentially focus largely on trade and commerce," says former officer with the Research and Analysis Wing, Amar Bhushan. In this interview with OneIndia, Bhushan says, "the more we talk with Pakistan, the more marginalised the terrorists would get." [Timeline of Pathankot terror attack] Do you agree that talks with Pakistan should continue? Yes I do. In fact talks should not stop at any cost. What can India and Pakistan talk on? Talks should focus on trade and commerce essentially. I think the other issues should be left out for the time being. What about Kashmir and terrorism? I am not saying we do not talk about these issues. These are important, but they should be dealt with separately. With Nawaz Sharif, the best way to address the Pakistan issue is talk trade and commerce. How does talking on trade help? We need to engage Pakistan financially. Once they start importing from India products which are vital to them, then they will protect the pipeline from the non-state actors. This is the only way to move forward. Can Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif take a decision all by himself on this? No he cannot. In any case whatever the relationship with India is, Sharif will have to take the army on board. What about the Kashmir issue? Yes what about it? What can you talk on Kashmir? Kashmiris have been fighting for a separate identity which Indians will not allow. It is a talk for the sake of talking and not for achieving anything. So many attempts have been made to study Kashmir and their suggestions are basically to empower the Kashmiris and hoping that once they are empowered they will merge with the Indian mainstream. I do not see a solution in the next 50 years. How does India deal with Pakistan's non-state actors? The non-state actors continue to engage against India for their own survival. When we engage with Pakistan on issues of trade, we also need to simultaneously talk with their army about these non-state actors. Is an institutional form of dialogue the better approach? Yes it is. The talks need to be continous and there has to be an institutional way of talking. Let the army talk to the counterparts in Pakistan. Let the commerce minister talk to their counterparts. What do you think about Narendra Modi's Pakistan visit? We need a leader who will go out of his way to make Pakistan feel that we want to talk and are not constrained by domestic politics. We did not have a leader until Modi who could do this. His visit was a masterstroke and I hope that he does not cancel his visit to Pakistan come what may. Manmohan Singh was there for 10 years but he could not do it. He was not the kind of leader who could take path breaking initiatives on such issues. What about our own internal security? Let us strengthen our forces and intelligence. That should not be compromised in any case. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 11:32 [IST] Who in India can see partial solar eclipse 2022 on Oct 25 Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali How Iran has presented opposite stories for India & Pakistan Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer The latest developments in West Asia have laid out different foreign policy trajectories for India and Pakistan, the two South Asian rivals. And while New Delhi isn't complaining, Islamabad is more than worried. [Lifting sanctions: Iran has its Lexus and Olive Tree moment; which will prevail?] The execution of a Shiite cleric along with 46 others by Saudi Arabia on January 2 sparked a serious row with Iran. The protests against the Sunni kingdom's act even saw its embassy in Tehran ransacked, resulting in Riyadh's Sunni allies calling off diplomatic ties with Iran. For Pakistan, signs are worrying For Pakistan, a Sunni majority country with a large Shia minority, this escalating row between two big players in West Asia is worrisome. Islamabad has its own sectarian tensions at home that could reach alarming levels if the relation between Saudi Arabia and Iran worsens further. While Islamabad has a strategic proximity to Riyadh, which had given current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif a political asylum after he was ousted in a military coup in 1999, it also has a stake in better economic relation with Iran, with which it shares its western border. It is in a hurry to finish off a major gas pipeline project to Iran. That Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif and Army Chief Raheel Sharif embarked on a visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran on Monday to ease the growing tension shows the extent of seriousness of the situation. From its foreign policy perspective, this is a serious challenge. For India, these are happy times For India, on the other hand, the lifting of the sanctions on Iran by the West on January 16 is a welcome opportunity. New Delhi, till recently, had a major impediment in dealing with Tehran to procure oil as the Americans were least impressed with the West Asian nation's nuclear ambitions. India even adopted a rupee-based payment mode with Iran to avoid the West's sanctions that curbed purchases from Iran in dollars. Now, the easing of sanctions would mean India can freely buy the crude from Iran though a glut in oil supply could also leave some adverse effect. Besides oil, India would now be able to invest in Iran's vast natural resources. The ONGC was in talks with Iran's state company Pars Oil and Gas Co. to resume activities in a $10 billion gas project which it abandoned as a result of the US pressure. India is also looking forward to see a surge in its Basmati rice export to Iran, which had seen a fall in the recent times. From a strategic point of view, too, India now finds itself at an advantage after its two quarreling friends, the US and Iran, found themselves at ease. It will help New Delhi to serve its national interests better in an otherwise volatile West Asia. The oil pipeline project and the development of the Chhabahar port will also regain the focus and help India's role in the extended power game in South Asia vis-a-vis Pakistan and China. Tehran is also expected to invite India's expertise, labour and investment in various sectors, ushering in an era of greater cooperation. For Pakistan, on the other hand, the tension between its two friends Saudi Arabia and Iran could lead to an exactly obverse conclusion. Should India rise at the cost of wasted youth politics? Feature oi-Pallavi Rohith Vemula's suicide has triggered a number of questions and has unravelled the real picture behind Youth Politics. Incidentally, this is just a case in point, be it the Jadavpur University macabre last year or the student uprising in FTII, youth politics seems to be more aggravated and wasted, marred with blood shed, suicide and injuries. What started as Youth politics The established democracies of the world believe in youth power as young politicians are free of any associations, are flexible and adoptive toward the past too unlike their older counterparts. In fact, the youth community are seen to be prominent in demonstrations calling to an end for undemocratic ways. The freedom movement of India is a case in point. If a democracy shows signs of weaknesses, idealistic young people have the ability to pressurise the government for effective functioning. Experts believe that the youth have a different significance in old and new democracies. [Read: Dalit student suicide: FTII students sit on hunger strike] In old democracies, the young faced the challenge of fitting into an established political system or making changes. Whereas in the new democracies, the youth have been bestowed with the responsibility of promoting their country's new freedom. The younger generation in politics has a distinctive, idealistic political ideal that is inclined to change than older generations. They are less loyal to the established traditions. The youth now is more affected by government policies of education, law and order and lifestyle. Hence, the need to be a part of the system arises for one's own sake. When the disorientation begins The ideals loose their fervour when youth politics sheds its identity and follows the mainstream politics. The likes of ABVP who adopt and renegate their senior's (RSS) ideology of their own and act accordingly. The 'Kiss of love' and the 2009 Mangalore Pub attack received a huge opposition from the youth wings of the RSS-ABVP. The violence meted out on the youth was unprecedented and it ironically carried out by the youth. [Read: Dalit student's suicide: Twitterati slam Smriti Irani, call her a puppet in the hands of RSS] The students protest against the Vice Chancellor of the prestigious Jadavpur University over the investigation of the sexual assault of a girl student took a violent turn when he refused to resign. Many of the students alleged they were brutally beaten up by the police inside the campus at night. Students had boycotted classes, brought out rallies, put up posters, voted against the VC in a referendum and even sat on a fast-unto-death in the campus from January 5. The righteousness for justice was commendable, but the extent to which it was dragged is debatable. Drawing the line where to stop is not something that our youth's have learnt. They fight up, close and personal....a tad too much. Loss of property and precious educational hours is one thing, but the violence associated with it seems to be politically stained at times. [Read: Dalit student's suicide 'murder of democracy': Kejriwal] The political interference everytime- be it in the FTII protest or the HCU protest-tells a different tale. Firstly, the presence of political figures in these scenarios is completely uncalledfor and unimportant. It not only complicates the situation, but also loses the agenda of the protest. Secondly, student unions should be independent of any affiliations. An SUCI or the Youth Congress may not hold as much independent values as that of an independent students' body. The bodies should have clear agendas and they should not be influenced by the pro or anti-political agendas at the national level. The suicide note of the Dalit student who committed suicide in HCU summarises the dilemma of the disillusioned youth of today. Vemul Rohith mentioned that he believed in a world of ideology and the world around him does not meet his expectations. He quit the battle of life because the reality did not meet his 'idea' of life. [Read: Rahul Gandhi to visit University of Hyderabad] But can we really say that his set of ideas were devoid of any political influence? He believed in Dalit students' rights, but didn't that root in the very divide/discrimination of the upper caste and the lower caste that national politics created? Is it worth a student's life is what we ask. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 15:42 [IST] Should Left, Congress make an alliance? Ask Mamata, she knows the best Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer The dilemma of the Left and the Congress in charting out their strategy for the Assembly election in West Bengal due in a few months has created much confusion. And the longer this confusion persists, the more both these parties will lose the trust of their core constituencies. Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, who is looking to win his second consecutive term as the chief minister, will not be complaining though. The Left's dilemma lies in the fact that while it is fighting the Congress-ruled UDF in Kerala, its Bengal unit wants a tie-up with the Congress to defeat the TMC. The Congress's indecision comes from the fact that while the party's Bengal unit wants to join hands with the Left, the high command has a soft corner for the TMC, which is a much bigger force in the national politics and could be handy around the 2019 Lok Sabha election to beat Narendra Modi. Banerjee, on the other hand, has mocked the Left for craving for an alliance with the Congress, the party it has identified as its enemy No. 1 for years, saying it is a politically exhausted force now. She feels a Left-Congress alliance in Bengal is next to impossible and if it happens, several Congress leaders will join the TMC. Last month, Mamata Banerjee even expressed her sympathy for the Congress's top leadership in the National Herald case, which political observers feel was a move to negate the possibility of a Congress-Left alliance in her state. Equation of 2019' to overcome challenge of 2016' According to insiders, the ruling TMC is not entirely free from anxiety over the possible Left-Congress alliance. If such an alliance materialises, the added vote-share will put the TMC under test in several seats. In 2011, the Left's own vote-share was not much less than the added vote-share of the TMC and Congress who had contested together. Left a limited force at Centre, TMC not However, it is the possibility at the Centre after the 2019 Lok Sabha election which assures Mamata Banerjee. The Congress high command knows very well that the Left has a limited capacity at the national level and it might need the TMC's strength in the House if the situation demands the formation of a coalition government. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's pushing the ball to the state leaders on taking the final decision of forming an alliance with the Left clearly shows that the high command is not ready to take responsibility to solve the puzzle. It is more worried over the 2019 Lok Sabha results than those in Bengal and hence wants to stay away from forcing its decision, which would either annoy the Bengal unit of the party now or Banerjee later. Left still doesn't have a consensus Meanwhile, the Left was far from a consensus on an alliance with the Congress. Two days after former Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee appealed to the Congress to make an alliance with them, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said there would be no alliance. TMC sources said a top CPI(M) leader had a long meeting with a Congress leader where the former was told that no alliance but strategic understanding could be made in the polls. Was Yechury's decision an outcome of that message? The CPI(M) was later busy justifying the different stands taken within itself and Yechury said the appropriate decision would be taken at the appropriate time by the politburo and central committee. Oneindia's take: The Left has chosen too many wars at one time when it clearly doesn't have the ammunition to win even a single battle. The party, which is losing its support base fast across the country, has set its sight far too high by wishing a Mamata-free Bengal and Modi-free India. Fearing a complete washout even in states where it wilfully flexed muscle once, the Left is now driven solely by the immediate goal of remaining alive. Its recent plenum was more about electoral strategizing than chalking out a long-term plan to make itself compatible with the changing socio-economic realities in India. The Congress, on the other hand, is a divided house now with no common ground between its national and state leaderships. In Bengal, it's fighting a battle of ego with Mamata Banerjee with no substantial vision for the state. For its top leadership, that hollow local battle makes little sense than an alliance with the TMC in the wake of the next general elections. All in all, Mamata Banerjee is at an advantage and looks favourite to make it two in two in the next elections. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 13:07 [IST] Our relationship has changed but we're still together: Aamir Khan on divorce with Kiran Rao Aamir Khan damaged India's identity? DIPP secretary defends Khan's exit as Brand ambassador India oi-Reetu New Delhi, Jan 19: Bollywood actor Aamir Khan's exit as the brand ambassador of the Incredible India campaign was on Monday defended by department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) secretary Amitabh Kant. According to a TOI report, Kant, a key driver of the Incredible India campaign said the actor had damaged the brand identity of the country with his remarks on intolerance. "A brand ambassador promotes a brand. People will come to India and tourist flow will increase only if the brand ambassador of 'Incredible India' promotes India as incredible India. But if the brand ambassador of India says India is intolerant, he is surely not working as a brand ambassador of India," Kant was quoted as saying in the daily's report. Aamir Khan no more the brand ambassador of Incredible India: Tourism Ministry "He is damaging the brand identity of the country. People will not come to India after hearing him. An ambassador has to promote the brand, not destroy the brand. The brand ambassador must be the best brand ambassador for promoting India, he cannot be the destroyer of the brand," Kant further added. Aamir Khan, whose comments on perceived intolerance in the country had created a controversy, ceased 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 had earlier said. 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. OneIndia News Bihar situation worsening, govt not under Nitish's control: Chirag Paswan India oi-PTI Patna, Jan 19: Alleging that the crime graph in Bihar was surging, LJP leader Chirag Paswan has said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was clearly not in control of the government and the apprehensions of return of "jungleraj" were coming true. "We had discussed in our core party meeting (recently) that - will it be too early to demand President's rule or resignation of the Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) because every alternate day someone or the other is getting killed in our state...We can't really wait for things to get better now," LJP Parliamentary Board Chairman said here yesterday. Paswan, a Lok Sabha member, said Nitish Kumar also cannot be given the benefit of doubt because he has vast experience and had been Chief Minister for three terms. He also alleged that the killings clearly showed that Nitish does not have control, and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad was directly running the coalition government in Bihar. "He (Nitish) is the Chief Minister, and I don't know what is stopping him to check these kind of incidents (killings). This clearly shows he (Nitish) has no control over the government, and Laluji is directly running it," he said. Paswan, son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said,"The crime graph in Bihar is on the surge, and we did not expect things to get worse so soon.So, whatever our apprehensions of return of jungleraj have come true, which we had predicted soon after Laluji joined hands with Nitishji to form government." Asked how long the government would last, Paswan claimed his party does not see it surviving not more than two years as there has been "verbal arguments" between Lalu and Nitish. For instance, Paswan said, there has been arguments between the two over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore in Pakistan recently. "The way Nitishji appreciated Prime Minister for his Lahore visit, and the way Laluji criticised it, clearly shows they are not on the same platform," he said. Paswan also said they were not natural allies for a very long time and were against each other...today they have joined hands to come back to power in our state and to stand against BJP, LJP and NDA," he added. PTI Delhi: Ahead of Diwali, police seizes over 1400 kg of firecrackers in 3 separate operations Who in India can see partial solar eclipse 2022 on Oct 25 RRB Group D Result 2022: Answer key, how to download score card and more Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali Centre asks states to beef up security of VIPs India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 19: In view of heightened threat from Pakistan-based terror groups, the Centre has asked all states to beef up security of all VIPs. In an advisory, the Home Ministry has informed the states about intelligence inputs that terrorist groups like JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba may try to carry out attacks on VIPs ahead of the Republic Day, a Home Ministry official said. Government has already put Delhi on a high alert after the terrorist attack on Pathankot air base following reports that two Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists have sneaked into the capital. Days before the Pathankot attack, central security agencies had reported that a group of 8 to 10 terrorists had crossed border from Pakistan. A similar report from Punjab government had said at least 15 terrorists from Pakistan had breached the border. The sources said there may be a few terrorists waiting for an opportunity to strike. Home Minister Rajnath Singh had on Monday reviewed the security situation in the national capital with the Delhi Police chief and senior officials of intelligence and security agencies. Top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states, including Delhi, had earlier held a meeting with the Home Minister on Saturday and discussed steps to check the growing influence of terror group Islamic State among youngsters through social media and other sources. PTI TS EAMCET 2022 Seat Allotment Result 2022 for round 2 on Oct 16: How to check and more Dalit student's suicide: Twitterati slam Smriti Irani, call her a puppet in the hands of RSS India oi-Reetu New Delhi, Jan 19: Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani was a trending topic on Twitter on Tuesday as the Tweeple wants her to be sacked after the Dalit scholar's suicide. On Sunday, a Dalit scholar, Rohit Vemula committed suicide by hanging himself in the hostel of University of Hyderabad after being expelled by the University board, along with four other Dalit students. Vemula was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya , who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts". It was reportedly HRD Ministry and Dattatreya's nudge that reportedly lead to Rohit Vemula's expulsion last year. Though Irani said the government neither intervenes in the functioning of the university nor does it have any administrative control over it, Twitter seems to be angry and wants her to be sacked. Here are few of the reactions: Role of ministers is policy formulations, not interfering in administrative matters. #SackSmritiIrani Abdulla Madumoole (@AMadumoole) January 19, 2016 Smriti Irani never visited any college. She doesn't know what it takes to reach to phd level. #sacksmritiirani Sudhanshu (@Sudshek) January 19, 2016 Smriti Irani is busy wasting time in Amethi, no time for HRD.Just promoting ABVP and RSS in the campuses.#SackSmritiIrani Vinay Dokania (@vinaydokania) January 19, 2016 #SackSmritiIrani so that she can go back & finish her Schooling properly. Swami (@mohitraj) January 19, 2016 Is there a better proof for BJP being anti Dalit and Anti poor #SackSmritiIrani Abel Sabu (@abelsabu1) January 19, 2016 #SackSmritiIrani Modi Govt is at WAR wid even Students. FTII, JNU, DU and now Hyd University. India, Next Time Vote WISELY! (@AAPkSaath) January 19, 2016 OneIndia News TS EAMCET 2022 Seat Allotment Result 2022 for round 2 on Oct 16: How to check and more Dalit student's suicide: We deserve an explanation, says brother of deceased India oi-Vicky Hyderabad, Jan 19:The family members of Rohith Vemula are upset that none from the University of Hyderabad had bothered to console them. Rohith Vemula, the Dalit PhD scholar, had committed suicide after he was suspended and banned from the hostel at the University of Hyderabad. Raja Vemula, who is Rohith's brother is very upset and called for the suspension of the Vice Chancellor. He did not extend the courtesy to meet us despite us trying to do so, he told OneIndia. Yesterday my mother and myself along with some relatives had made an attempt to meet with Professor Appa Rao Podile, the VC. First of all the university did not did tell us about Rohith's suspension. All we wanted was some clarity regarding the incident, he also said. However, the VC did not extend the courtesy to even meet with us, Rohith also added. Will probe with all transparency: The Cyberabad police which has registered a case against Union Minister, Bandaru Dattatreya and others says that they will not jump the gun, but probe the matter transparently. Cases have also been registered against the vice chancellor, BJP Legislative Council Member Ramachandra Rao and others. The allegation is that Dattatreya had influenced the union human resources development ministry to take action against Dalit students at the university of Hyderabad. However, the union minister had refuted the allegations and said he has not influenced anyone. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 10:41 [IST] TS EAMCET 2022 Seat Allotment Result 2022 for round 2 on Oct 16: How to check and more Dalit suicide issue: Kejriwal asks PM to sack Irani, Bandaru India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 19: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, Jan 19 demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack HRD Minister Smriti Irani, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and apologise to the nation over the alleged suicide by a Dalit student in Hyderabad university questioning their "interference" in the internal affairs of the institute. Terming it as a "murder" of democracy, social justice and equality, Kejriwal said the incident, which sparked massive protests across the country, has shaken the "collective conscience" of the entire nation. In a statement, Kejriwal said the "searing injustice" of depriving Rohit Vemula, the deceased, along with four other research scholars of their monthly stipends, library facilities, and their eventual suspension from the Hyderabad Central university, led him to take the extreme step. "The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constitutionaly bound to protect the fundamental guarantees of the dalits, victims of historical discrimination and injustice. To this end the PM must ask this crucial question-- "What business do ministers have in interfering in the internal affairs of a University? How can a minister term young, bright students as anti-national, simply because they had an altercation with the ABVP? How can young Dalit students be socially ostracised and economically penalised by the University administration?" Kejriwal asked. Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the dalit PhD scholar. Vemula was among five research scholars who were suspended by the varsity in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of alleged assault on a ABVP leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Kejriwal alleged that the two Ministers "endorsed and abetted" the ABVP's systematic campaign to "socially ostracise" the students and deny them "library facilities, deprive them of their monthly stipends, and finally have them suspended from the university itself." "In his poignant suicide note Rohith describes the opressive weight of caste-based prejudices that reduced him to his basic Dalit identity and refused to see the mind that yearned to touch the stars, learn about the wonder of nature and science," said Kejriwal. PTI Domestic help from Nepal commits suicide in Gurgaon India oi-Pallavi Gurgaon, Jan 19 :In a horrifying incident, a Nepalese domestic help working for a businessman committed suicide after being assaulted by a Supreme Court lawyer over a minor thing. This happened in a posh Gurgaon locality. Keshav Gamal, 21, was employed by Deepak Malhotra, who holds a business in Delhi, for a couple of years. On Sunday in DLF Phase-1 , Keshav was reversing Malhotra's car when it smashed two flowering pots. The pots were owned by Mr Malhotra's neighbour who is a top counsel in the SC, who angered by the incident beat Keshav with a stick. Even Mr Malhotra was abused when he came to Keshav's rescue. Hurt by the incident, Keshav went to his room and committed suicide after locking the door. Following this, the police registered a case of abetment of suicide under various sections of IPC. The accuse is absconding and police is launching a hunt to nab the culprit. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 10:45 [IST] 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 Prosecutions story may be attractive but should be backed by evidence ISIS threat looms over Republic Day celebrations; high alert in states, UTs India oi-Jagriti New Delhi, Jan 19: If reports are to be believed then the Islamic State (ISIS) supporters may carry out lone wolf strike anywhere in the country ahead of Republic Day. Security officials see runup to the Republic Day as a crucial period when lone wolf attack may be carried out. The possibility of the lone wolf attack by ISIS influenced person was discussed during a meeting chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh here on Saturday. This Republic Day parade India is set to host French President Francois Hollande is the chief guest for the event scheduled to take place at Rajpath. His presence on this occasion may influence ISIS supporters to indulge in a one-off attack to attract global attention. France ordered order retaliatory air strikes in ISIS territory after the attacks by ISIS in November last year. At least 130 people were killed in the Paris attacks on November 13, 2015. "If there are indeed hardened IS sympathizers in India, there is a good chance that they might try to protest against Hollande's visit by indulging in a lone wolf strike. Though this might not directly threaten Hollande's security, such an attack anywhere in the country could generate much interest in the West," reported the Times of India citing said the source. ISIS facing financial hardship: 50 percent salary cut for militants After the report, high alert has been sounded in states and Union territories. A 'lone wolf' terrorist is one who supports a particular group, movement or ideology but works alone. "We must be prepared and the states must know the standard operating procedures for handling such exigencies," said a home ministry officer. OneIndia News ISM student missing; Mother blames college India oi-Shalini Bengaluru, Jan 19: It has been a month since Anurag Jagtap, a second year student of Indian Institute of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad went missing from Howrah Station and still there is no clue on his whereabouts. In a telephonic conversation, Anurag' s mother told OneIndia, "I spoke to him last at around 9 pm on Friday, Dec 18, and he informed that he would be boarding Azad Hind Express from Howrah Railway Station for his home town Pune." She further said, "investigation is going on and we are here in Kolkata since past 25 days but till now we have not got any information about his whereabouts. Now, CID is also investigating about him but have not found any lead yet. College authority had not taken any effort to find him."[ISM Dhanbad student leaves from Howrah station for home; goes missing] According to me, he was a very jolly person in nature and had no bad habits. If he had any wrong intention of not returning to home, then, he would not have called and informed me about his plan of travelling to home. Anurag's distressed parents have even requested that if anybody gets any information about Anurag, then they can give information to their mobile number: 919405377036. OneIndia News Mumbai 26/11: NIA to record statement of Headley's estranged wife India oi-Vicky Mumbai, Jan 19: The National Investigating Agency is working on the legalities in an attempt question the estranged wife of David Headley, the man who conducted the reconnaissance for the Mumbai 26/11 attack. Headley's wife, Faiza Outalha was present in Mumbai when the reconnaissance was being undertaken. Faiza currently is in Morocco and a team of the NIA wants to visit that country to record her statement. The NIA had approached the union government in this regard. The government had written to the Moroccan authorities seeking permission to record Faiza's statements. While the Moroccan authorities have agreed to India's request, it has also laid down certain conditions. One of the conditions is that the statements recorded by the NIA cannot be used against her. The NIA seeks to know from her if she was privy to what David Headley was up to when he visited India. Headley had two handlers in Pakistan, Major Sameer Ali and Major Iqbal and the NIA seeks more information on them. There has been a great deal of confusion on the identity of the two Majors. The NIA seeks to know if she was aware of who Headley was in touch with. It is however unclear whether Faiza has agreed to record her statement with the NIA. Officers of the NIA say that they are working out some modalities and once it is clear they will send a team to Morocco. Bengaluru: Woman falls off scooter, run over by bus Toddler from Pakistan undergoes bone marrow transplant in Bengaluru Cong launches SayCM.com campaign for CM's 'unfulfilled' promises News Flash: Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh leaves from NIA Office in Delhi India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer New Delhi, Jan 19: Get all the latest national and international news updates of Tuesday, Jan 19, here: 10.58 pm: Sushma Swaraj arrives in Delhi after her visit to Palestine and Israel EAM Sushma Swaraj arrives in Delhi after her visit to Palestine and Israel pic.twitter.com/FdN4DzU3MZ ANI (@ANI_news) January 19, 2016 10.40 pm: IB arrests a suspect from Manglaur district in Haridwar in relation to Pathankot attack- DIG (Ardh Kumbh) GS Martolia to ANI. 9.24 pm: Encounter between security forces and militants underway in Naina Batpora (Pulwama district, J&K). 8.10 pm: Pakistan Punjab Law Minister says that action has been launched against JeM and results will show in 3 days. 7.58 pm: BJP leader Prakash Reddy heckled on his visit to UoH, by students protesting over Dalit scholar suicide case BJP leader Prakash Reddy heckled on his visit to UoH, by students protesting over Dalit scholar suicide case. pic.twitter.com/Nvt3fAW3r0 ANI (@ANI_news) January 19, 2016 7.43 pm: MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan to hold cabinet meeting on Feb 2nd at the island Hanumantiya Tapu to promote it as a tourist destination. 7:23 pm: Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh leaves from NIA Office in Delhi. 7:00 pm: Kiren Rijiju meets Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, earlier today. 6:56 pm: Our role has been to hear out everyone, says Shakila Shamsu (Member of HRD Ministry team). 6:45 pm: Tis Hazari Court extends CBI custody of Pearls Group CMD Nirmal Singh Bhangoo and three others for four more days on Ponzi Scam. 6:30 pm: Once I get all the report, I'll obviously go to HC and challenge it, says Hiken Shah on being banned for 5 years by BCCI. 6:21pm: Under present circumstances, I dont think I can associate with Hyderabad University, says Ashok Vajpayee on returning degree. 6:00 pm: Accused Shahnawaz and Johnny sent to police custody till 30th January in IAF officer accident death case. 5:45 pm: Incidents like Malda , replay of Muzaffarnagar, now Hyd Uni showing anti-dalit attitude...so returning honor they bestowed on me, says A Vajpayee. 5:30 pm: Noted writer Ashok Vajpeyi decides to return D.Lit given to him by Hyderabad University in protest against its "anti- dalit" attitude allegedly. 5:20 pm: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to appear in Mumbai Court tomorrow in the matter of holding a rally in Mankhurd without permission during '14 polls. 5:15 pm: IAF officer accident death case: Accused Shahnawaz & Johnny sent to police custody till 30th January. 5:10 pm: 2 member fact finding team of HRD Ministry reaches University of Hyderabad, students raise slogans of 'Go back, Go back'. 5:00 pm: The NIA has subject former Gurdaspur Superintendent of police Salwinder Singh to a polygraph test in connectiom with the probe into the Pathankot attack case. 4:35 pm: Delhi court sends Bhawna Arora, accused of throwing ink at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to 14-day judicial custody. 4:20 pm: I am not from a very well to do family, Cricket is like a religion to me. Never thought such a verdict will come, request BCCI to think about me once: Ajit Chandila on life time ban from Cricket. 4:15 pm: Delhi: NSUI workers protest outside HRD Ministry over Dalit scholar suicide case. 4:10 pm: I want BCCI to reconsider the decision, Cricket is everything for me: Ajit Chandila. 4:05 pm: Chennai: Police detain IIT students protesting over Dalit scholar suicide case . 3:50 pm: SC allows death row convict of Red fort attack Md Arif to file a fresh review petition. 3:40 pm: DIPP Secy Amitabh Kant: Incredible India's brand ambassador saying India is intolerant damages nation's brand entity. 3:30 pm:Pathankot: They will not be allowed to enter the airbase- Rao Inderjit Singh, MoS Defence on Pakistan SIT probe team. 3:25 pm: There should be fair probe by an independent agency, be it CBI or other: Chirag Paswan on Dalit scholar's suicide. 3:20 pm: Netaji Files: Government to declassify another tranche of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose files later this week. 3:00 pm: PM Modi in Guwahati: Today WB, IMF or any rating agency in 1 voice they say among top economies leading 1 is India. Dalit Scholar suicide case: Rahul Gandhi talking to students in University of Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/6BlSNzNbfy ANI (@ANI_news) January 19, 2016 2:40 pm: Goa Police gets anonymous letter purportedly signed by ISIS saying death threat to PM Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. 2:30 pm: I have said to students and family, my door is open for them, I am at their and your service, says Rahul Gandhi. 2:25 pm: Whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in the stricter manner possible, says Rahul Gandhi. 2:00 pm: The institution instead of operating freely usd pwr to crush them, VC and Minister have not acted freely, says Rahul Gandhi. 1:45 pm: This morning I sat here in what u have called Dalit ghetto. The idea of a univ is you can speak freely, says Rahul Gandhi. 1:30 pm: Rafael Nadal crashes out of the Australian Open, loses to Fernando Verdasco in the first round. 1:20 pm: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi arrives at Hyderabad University to meet students, after a Dalit scholar committed suicide. 1:10 pm: Private schools allotted land by DDA will have to take prior permission from Govt before raising fees, rules Delhi HC. 1:00 pm: They didn't work for 15 years and expect me to do all the work in 15 months, says PM Narendra Modi while addressing a rally in Kokrajhar, Assam. 12:45 pm: Sushma Swaraj departs for New Delhi from Tel Aviv(Israel). 12:34 pm: Fact finding team is going to Hyderabad& will submit report.We will take action if needed, says Upendra Kushwaha,MoS,HRD. 12:33 pm: Kashmiri Pandits protest in Jammu, observe Exodus day. 12:30 pm: Delhi police is committed to providing security to every citizen of Delhi, says Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi. 12:25 pm: Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh reaches NIA Office in Delhi. 12:20 pm: AAP Delhi unit to protest at 3pm at Jantar Mantar over Dalit suicide 12:19 pm: Death toll reaches 10 in suicide blast at Karkhano market check post in Peshawar 12:02 pm: Mumbai court gives approval to CBI to interrogate Chhota Rajan for 10 days in connection with J Dey murder case. 11:26 am: Explosion near a police checkpost in the outskirts of Peshawar, several injured: Pakistan media 11:13 am: Police impose Sec 144 ahead of Congress VP Rahul Gandhi's visit to Hyderabad 11:12 am: Dalit Scholar suicide case: BSP Chief Mayawati sends two member team to Hyderabad 10:55 am: TN CM Jayalalithaa to launch Amma Call Centre today; 24x7 toll free no 1100 to redress grievances in all Govt departments 10:44 am: Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh reaches NIA Office in Delhi 10:50 am: Dalit Scholar suicide case: FTII Pune students start a one day hunger strike in protest 9:30 am: Dalit scholar suicide case: Students protest in University of Hyderabad 9:00 am: PM Modi Declares Sikkim As First Organic State In The Country 8:45 am: Rain in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi intensifies cold wave in the region (Early morning Visuals) 8:30 am: Death of Rohith (Scholar) shows cold-hearted attitude of concerned minister & the Govt of the day-Asaduddin Owaisi 8:15 am: JDU MLA Bima Bharti's husband Awadhesh Mandal who was detained for allegedly threatening a witness in a murder case,escaped from PS y'day 8:00 am: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to visit University of Hyderabad today to meet students after Dalit scholar commits suicide. OneIndia News It's all Media creation: Kerala Police academy denies reports of excluding beef from menu Next two weeks, beef goes missing from Meghalaya plates India oi-IANS By Ians English Shillong, Jan 19: For the next two weeks, beef will go missing from plates in the eastern part of Meghalaya as butchers and cattle traders have called for a two-week long shutdown to protest the cattle smuggling into Bangladesh. Border Security Force (BSF) figures revealed that in 2015 alone, at least 2,079 cows worth nearly Rs.3 crore were seized. Also, 18 cow smugglers were arrested along the India-Bangladesh border in the state by the frontier guards. All the beef shops barring mutton, pork, chicken and fish stalls across the six districts in the eastern part of Meghalaya remained closed since Monday afternoon. The strike, which will end on February 3, has been called by Khasi Jaintia Butchers Welfare Association (KJBWA) after the Meghalaya government failed to prevent smuggling of cattle into Bangladesh. "All beef shops will continue to remain closed and there will be no purchase of cows from the cattle market at Khanapara village along the Meghalaya-Assam border till February 3," KJBWA vice president Generous Warlarpih told IANS. Cow smuggling to Bangladesh has been going on for decades along the border in Meghalaya with illegal cattle traders from Bangladesh and those from Assam and Meghalaya drawing huge profits. Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh, part of which is porous, hilly and unfenced and prone to frequent infiltration. The BSF seizes cows and cattle and arrests smugglers from the international border with Bangladesh alomst daily. Meghalaya Police had seized 126 head of cow recently, thus proving that the informal trade in cattle is a flourishing business. "Our men have been tackling this new menace and almost everyday cows are being smuggled out to Bangladesh through unfenced border and riverine routes," Border Security Force spokesman Sushil Kumar Singh told IANS. He said the BSF and Border Guard of Bangladesh have also adopted new steps to curb cow smuggling after union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had urged the Indian frontier guards to stop this menace. "The price of cows at Khanapara is skyrocketing due to high demand of cows in Bangladesh. The smuggling rate ranges from Rs.65,000 to Rs.70,000 for a pair of cattle, while healthy cattle would cost Rs.1 lakh," Warlarpih said. The butcher's association said that even a person who herds the cows across to Bangladesh charges Rs.600 per cow, while a truck driver ferrying the cows from Khanapara market near the international border charges a transport fee ranging from Rs.8,000 to Rs.10,000 per head of cattle. "We are losing a profit of Rs.40,000 to Rs.50,000 a week. Due to such smuggling, some of the members of our association have now stopped selling beef, and have started selling pork," Warlarpih said. Indian Custom officials valued the smuggling of cows from India to Bangladesh at approximately over Rs.1,000 crore annually. IANS Pathankot probe: Punjab SP undergoes polygraph test India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Jan 19: The National Investigating Agency on Tuesday, Jan 19 subject former Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police, Salwinder Singh, to a polygraph test. The decision to subject Singh to a lie detector test was taken after it was found that his answers were not convincing enough. Singh was abducted by the terrorists who launched the Pathankot attack. During the questioning of the Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police, Salwinder Singh, he had said that he had visited a shrine near the Indo-Pak border before he was abducted. While the NIA is seeking to know why he had visited the shrine twice on December 31, they are also proposing to question the caretaker. The NIA has sought to know why Singh visited the Shrine once again in the night of December 31 when he had already gone there that morning. Was there any activity near that place is what seek to know, the NIA offier informed. The NIA is likely to question the caretaker of the shrine for more details. The shrine is located near Bamiyal, the village from where the terrorists are said to have infiltrated into India. Singh during his various rounds of questioning has made it clear to the NIA that he has nothing more to say. You question me as many times as possible, I have only the same thing to say, he said during his questioning. The NIA has sought to know how Singh was given the benefit by the terrorists. Normally terrorists do not let people get away alive. Singh however told the NIA that he was let off probably because he was a Sikh. OneIndia News 5G will take education to next level: PM Modi at the launch of Mission Schools of Excellence in Gujarat PM assures Bodos development, avoids statehood, Rs.1,000 crore package issues India oi-IANS By Ians English Kokrajhar (Assam), Jan 19: Avoiding the statehood issue and the Rs.1,000 crore package demand for the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said no stone would be left unturned to develop Assam's Bodo-inhabited lands. The prime minister was addressing a public rally organised by the Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) at Kokrajhar town in Assam. Stating that the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) will be developed like any other part of the country, the prime minister said he has three-point programme for the development of the backward BTAD region -- "development, development and development". He said while the Karbis of the plains will be granted the Scheduled Tribes (ST) status, the Bodo Kachari community of the hill areas like Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao district will also be granted the ST status soon. Tuesday's rally assumes significance ahead of Assam legislative assembly polls as it has indicated a pre-poll alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the BPF, which is ruling at the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) that runs the administration in four district of the BTAD. The BPF was a partner of the ruling Congress in Assam since its inception in 2003 but it severed its ties with the Congress in 2014 over some differences. The prime minister, however, on the occasion cautiously avoided the issue of statehood to Bodoland and the BPF's demand for a Rs.1,000 crore package for development. He announced that the Central Institute of Technology (CIT), Kokrajhar, will be upgraded to a Deemed University within a year and more academic and administrative autonomy would be granted to the institute. "I was told that there is an airport here, which has not been in use for a long time. I assure you that as soon as the state government settles the issue of giving the land for the airport, the Rupsi airport will be opened for the Indian Air Force as well as for the common people," Modi said while addressing the massive rally. He said the Central government is also working on extending the Kanchanjunga Express to Assam's Barak Valley to boost connectivity of the region. Modi also targetted the erstwhile Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government and the ruling Congress government in Assam. "I was under the impression there is no problem in Assam. Assam is the state from where the prime minister was elected for 10 years. The Congress has ruled the state for the last 15 years," Modi said. "But I am shocked to see the problems and issues here. So what has the prime minister, who was elected from the state for 10 years, done?" "They (the Congress) have not been able to do anything in last 15 years and they (the Congress) want me to do everything in 15 months time. You tell me if it is justified?" said Modi. "You have seen their 15 years of rule and the 15 months of BJP government in power. We have been working each of the minutes in these 15 months for the betterment of the country," the prime minister said. Taking a dig at recent Congress campaigns against him, Modi said: "Delhi has started asking for accounts of each penny given to the states. I was told when the Centre releases Re.1 only 15 paise of it reaches to the villages." "So where does the money go? The Centre has started asking for the accounts. Thus, many do not like me these days," he said while launching a scathing attack on the Congress government in Assam. While the BPF has been demanding a Rs.1,000 crore package for development of the BTAD, several Bodo organisations have also been demanding that the prime minister make the Centre's stand clear on the issue of statehood to the Bodoland. The All Assam Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union has also called a 48-hour Assam bandh from Monday morning to protest the Centre's failure to grant the Scheduled Tribes status to six communities in Assam, including the Koch Rajbongshis. IANS Via the Daily Trust: Bird flu kills 3.3m birds in 24 states. Katsina, Adamawa Bayelsa and Ebonyi are the latest states affected by bird flu, bringing the total number of states affected since last year to 24. According to the latest data obtained from the Department of Veterinary and Disease Control of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 96 local government areas have recorded the outbreak while estimated 2.5 million birds have been depopulated and buried. Director-General, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Mr Onallo Akpa told Daily Trust yesterday that the nation has recorded 556 positive cases noting that 12 live-bird markets across the country are also affected by the current outbreaks. He stated that as at January 16, the total number of birds that tested positive to the virus is over 2.3 million, adding that 2 million birds have already been depopulated and field activities by veterinary officers across the country was ongoing. Akpa said PAN has sent out updates on the current state of bird flu to all the states to enable farmers step up bio-security measures in their farms. Daily Trust gathered that in Kano over 80,000 chickens infected with Avian Influenza have been killed as disease spread to 22 additional farms. Although Nigeria has had recurrent outbreaks of avian H5N1 since 2007, its only human H5N1 case, a fatal one, was in that year. Equality cornerstone of India's progress, we should be united through mantra of 'India first': PM Modi Red Fort attack: Death convict Arif's review to be heard by SC in open court India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Jan 19: The Supreme Court of India will hear in open court the review petition filed by Mohammad Arif who was sentenced to death for his role in the December 2000 Red Fort terror shootout case. Arif had filed a review against the death sentence awarded to him. Beware: Terror alert issued at Juhu Airport, Mumbai In the year 2014, the Supreme Court had stayed the execution of Mohamed Arif's death sentence on the grounds that he has already undergone life sentence of nearly 14 years. Arif's counsel had argued that carrying out the death sentence of Arif after he has already completed 13 years four month would be violative of the Constitution. Arif was arrested on December 25, 2000. He was convicted by the trial court October 24, 2005, and awarded death sentence October 31, 2005. His death sentence was confirmed by the Delhi High Court September 13, 2007. On August 10, 2011 his appeal had been dismissed by the Supreme Court. He however moved the court once again stating that he cannot be punished twice for the same crime. He had already served 13 years in jail and hence awarding him a death sentence would amount to double jeopardy, he had stated. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 16:23 [IST] Revealed! Cop guarding Kejriwal was asked to get off stage before the ink attack India oi-Reetu New Delhi, Jan 19: The ink attack case on Arvind Kejriwal is getting murkier by the day. At a time when reports are suggesting that the whole event was pre-planned, a new revelation has come to fore. The Aam Aadmi Party said that there is a 'deep-rooted conspiracy' behind the incident and it took place because Delhi Police did not provided adequate security to the Chief Minister, but Delhi Police has denied the allegation. Moreover, a new revelation has come to fore according to which a cop from Kejriwal's security team has reportedly said that "before the ink attack took place I was aske dto step down from the dais." Ink attack on Kejriwal: Shocking! Was the attack pre-planned? Woman alerted mother in advance! According to a TOI report, "A source said that the cop had been asked to guard the CM's immediate periphery on the stage and had been asked to remain at guard in close proximity of the public address system to be used by Kejriwal. However, the cop said "Kejriwal's personal assistant (PA)" allegedly asked him to get off the dais and instructed the people there to not allow anyone "in uniform" on the stage. After this, the cop joined a dozen other cops standing at guard below the stage. Not just that, several cops from the CM's security have complained to seniors and even sent entries through wireless sets saying that the CM had, on a number of occasions, stopped them from accompanying him. These logs say Kejriwal left home and office to undisclosed places after reprimanding his security detail to stay away." A woman, later identified as Bhavna Arora, alleging a "CNG scam" in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government threw ink at Kejriwal on Sunday at the public gathering at the Chhatrasal Stadium. The function was held to mark the "success" of the odd-even traffic restriction scheme. But she missed the target. Arora was arrested on charges of obstructing public servant in discharge of public function, assault on public servant and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police is examining a CD that was being waved by Bhavna Arora, the woman who threw ink at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in which she claimed there was material that "indicts" the city government. OneIndia News Seaplane service connecting Juhu-Girgaon may start soon India oi-PTI Mumbai, Jan 19: The much-delayed seaplane service between Juhu and Girgaon chowpatty in Mumbai is likely to commence from February 13, when the week-long 'Make in India' event begins in the megapolis. "The last mile hurdle for launching the service was the clearance from the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). But now we have received even that, paving way for commencing the services between these destinations," Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) Joint Managing Director Satish Soni told PTI here today. He said the intent was to coincide the launch of the services with the mega event to be organised from February 13 to 18. The MTDC has appointed city-based seaplane operator Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR) for providing the service. "We wanted to start this service at that time of the programme to make it a mega event," he said. Soni said the clearance from the Defence Ministry permissions from the Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force was obtained last year and recently the MbPT gave its nod. The project now only awaits clearance from the collector for setting up porta cabinsto provide basic passenger facilities. "We hope we will get the clearance from the collector in a week and after completing all the necessary formalities we will be able to start the services," he said. Goa to offer sea planes, helicopters for tourists soon MEHAIR Co-founder and Director Siddharth Verma said the service will provide the much needed boost to the tourism industry. PTI Siddaramaiah urges youth to follow Vivekananda's words, cautions not be misguided India oi-Shreyas Bengaluru, Jan 19: In an apparent jibe at the Sangh Parivar and the BJP, the Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said some vested interests are using the name of Swami Vivekananda in untrue manner only to fulfill ill motives. He was speaking at the National Youth Week organized by the government of Karnataka to observe 153rd birth anniversary of socio-religious legendary Swami Vivekananda at Kanteerava stadium. The CM scathingly observed that Vivekananda believed in the harmony among diverse religions and he propagated humanity all through his life. The CM referring the Vivekananda's Chicago visit said Swami invoking the words "my dear brothers and sisters" displayed India's value for brotherhood to the world in a religious summit. "Any institution which does not believe in peace, love, religious co-existence, cannot be seen as religion itself." The values Vivekananda spread across the world are the values of Hinduism and it is universal brotherhood. He opined that Vivekananda was a great human, who rose above religion barriers and this fact needs to be understood by all. The CM also availed the platform to take a subtle jibe at the RSS and the BJP saying few vested interests hold massive rallies in the name of Vivekananda only to fulfill ill motives by fanning communal disharmony. He was apparently referring to the RSS and the BJP. But Siddaramaiah did not make a mention of any party or the organization in the speech. The CM ahead of the speech read oath to the audience, while the packed audience at the Kanteerava stadium stoop up to take the oath. The oath is a vow to emulate the values of Vivekananda. The CM further said, religion has to support the poor, needy and unprivileged segment of the society. "Vivekananda all along his life worked for the needy and Swami said the one who does not provide food for the poor cannot be viewed as God." The CM urged the audience, which consisted of many young to follow the true words of Vivekananda and not to be misguided by vested interests. He pronouncing popular statement of Swami, "arise, awake, stop not until reach the goal" said India has highest youth population in the world and walk the path laid down by the Vivekananda It could be observed that the program was not attended by any BJP leaders,despite the names of union ministers (M Venkaiah Naidu, D V Sadananda Gowda, H N Ananth Kumar) were printed on the invitation. The CM speaking to media on the sidelines of the program, to a question on luxury tax imposed on ICU said "some one has brought this to my notice, I will look into it and we will examine". The state government has imposed luxury tax on ICU beds, which in turn the hospitals will pass on the burden to the patients. OneIndia News TS EAMCET 2022 Seat Allotment Result 2022 for round 2 on Oct 16: How to check and more Telangana BJP spokesman faces protests in Hyd university India oi-PTI Hyderabad, Jan 19: Telangana BJP spokesperson Prakash Reddy on Tuesday faced the wrath of agitating students of the Hyderabad Central University(HCU) while he was leaving the campus after participating in a TV debate. A group of students, who have been demanding the removal of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and the Vice Chancellor, rushed to Reddy's car and raised slogans against the ministers and his party. Dalit suicide issue: Kejriwal asks PM to sack Irani, Bandaru BJP leader Prakash Reddy heckled on his visit to UoH, by students protesting over Dalit scholar suicide case. pic.twitter.com/Nvt3fAW3r0 ANI (@ANI_news) January 19, 2016 The HCU has been witnessing protests over the alleged suicide of a dalit research scholar on Sunday. A window of Reddy's car was also broken during the protests, eyewitnesses said. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and leaders of different political parties and social organisations including Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi visted the university during the day. PTI Who in India can see partial solar eclipse 2022 on Oct 25 Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali Ink attack on Kejriwal: Shocking! Was the attack pre-planned? Woman alerted mother in advance! India oi-Nairita New Delhi, Jan 19: Bhawna Arora has become (in)famous overnight. She has become the talk of the town following her attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. She claimed that she was upset with the CM as she was not allowed to meet him. Hence, she splashed ink on Kejriwal while he was addressing a crowd on Sunday, Jan 17. [Drama in Delhi: Here's why the woman threw ink at Arvind Kejriwal] However, if we see media reports, which quoted Bhawna's mother's version, anyone can say that it was nothing but a pre-planned attack. Bhawna's mother, who stays with her children in Delhi, claimed that Bhawna, before leaving house on Sunday, had asked her to watch TV. She reportedly told mother that she would "do something". While speaking to media channels, Laxmi Devi, Bhawna's mother, was quoted as saying, "She said Jaa rahi hoon, aaj dekhna news channel. (I am going, just watch the news today). But she did not tell me what she was going to do." Though Bhawna's mother and other family members were shocked initially when they received the news about Bhawna, they supported their daughter. Laxmi Devi said, "My daughter is very short-tempered. She had wanted to meet the chief minister for several days but he did not listen to her. Whatever has happened is unfortunate but I stand by my daughter." Bhawna, a graduate from an open university, is an active member of the Aam Aadmi Sena. She joined the unit when it was formed a year ago. Bhawna, an active member of Aam Aadmi Sena, claimed that she had proofs, a sting, which would prove that odd-even trial scheme in the national capital was launched to have one CNG scam. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 14:03 [IST] SC grants interim bail to Azam Khan, asks him to move regular bail before concerned Court Sibal who filed nomination with SP backing was lawyer who secured Azam Khan bail Wont give Jamia, AMU, Johar univ to beautiful woman: Azam Khans veiled attack at Smriti Irani India oi-Reetu New Delhi, Jan 19: Senior SP leader and Minister Azam Khan created yet another controversy by reportedly making a veiled attack at Union HRD Minister Smriti irani. In a veiled attack, Khan reportedly said that Jamia Millia Islamia, AMU and Johar university will not be surrendered to 'beautiful woman'. According to a news18.com report, "Azam apparent target was HRD minister Smriti Irani after she said that a university can not be called a minority institution when the country is secular. Azam Khan's comments came in the backdrop of Narendra Modi led government petitioning the Supreme Court claiming AMU is not a minority institution. Azam also said that the Class 12 'failed' minister is hatching a conspiracy to snatch the minority institutions from Muslims." Attempts being made to create conditions like 2002: Azam Khan Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani was a trending topic on Twitter on Tuesday as the Tweeple want her to be sacked after the Dalit scholar's suicide. On Sunday, a Dalit scholar, Rohit Vemula committed suicide by hanging himself in the hostel of University of Hyderabad after being expelled by the University board, along with four other Dalit students. Vemula was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 17:58 [IST] French author Michel Tournier dies at 91 International oi-PTI Paris, Jan 19: Michel Tournier, a major French literary figure in the latter half of the 20th century, has died at the age of 91 in his home near Paris, his family and the local mayor said. "He died at 7:00 pm (2330 IST)," surrounded by his loved ones, said his godson Laurent Feliculis yesterday, whom the author considered his adopted son. Tournier's death was confirmed by the mayor of Choisel, a village of some 550 residents southwest of Paris where Tournier, a devout Catholic, had lived for the past 50 years. Tournier is considered one of France's most influential authors of the second half of the 20th century. He won in 1970 the prestigious Prix Goncourt prize for "The Erl-King", a haunting novel about a man who recruits children into the Nazi regime. Decades later, along with Arthur Miller, Gunter Grass, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and other major authors, Tournier contributed in 2004 to a collection of short stories named "Telling Tales" whose sales financed the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa. He also wrote children's books, and loved to talk about his books at schools. French President Francois Hollande in a statement paid homage to Tournier, describing him as a "great writer" of "immense talent". Feliculis said his godfather's health had deteriorated badly in recent months. "In recent times, he just didn't want to fight any more, it was old age," he said. Alain Seigneur, the mayor of Choisel, said the author wanted to be laid to rest in the village he had lived in since 1957. "He was a little in love with the village. He had chosen where he wanted his tomb to be, at the foot of a tree." AFP Jailed Maldives ex-president leaves for surgery in UK International oi-PTI Male, Jan 19: Jailed Maldivian opposition leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed left the country on Jan 18 for urgent medical treatment in Britain after a delay caused by a legal dispute with the government, his party said. Nasheed was originally due to leave on Sunday in line with a deal brokered by diplomats from neighbouring India and Sri Lanka as well as former colonial power Britain. But the former leader refused a government request to leave a relative behind to act as a guarantor liable to prosecution if he failed to return to serve the rest of his 13-year sentence, leading to a tense back and forth over conditions. One of his international lawyers, Jared Genser, said Nasheed had spoken with the US Secretary of State by telephone at Male international airport shortly before he boarded a Sri Lankan airlines flight to Colombo before transiting to Britain. "Nasheed on a call with US Secretary of State John Kerry," Genser said in a tweet containing a photo of Nasheed. It was not clear what they discussed, but Kerry had previously criticised the administration of strongman President Abdulla Yameen during a visit to neighbouring Sri Lanka last year. Kerry described democracy as "under threat in the Maldives" at the time, saying Nasheed was imprisoned without due process. Nasheed was convicted on terrorism charges in 2015 relating to the arrest of an allegedly corrupt judge in 2012, when he was still in power. Lawyers for Nasheed have hit out at the government for delaying treatment on his spinal cord, but his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has agreed to an amended condition of providing a relative to communicate Nasheed's whereabouts while abroad. "President Nasheed told members of his family that he wasn't prepared to put their freedom in jeopardy in order to secure his own," the MDP said in a statement. The Maldivian government in a statement insisted that all legal formalities had been followed before Nasheed was allowed to leave. "It is standard procedure for any prisoner who applies to travel abroad, for medical treatment, to sign a guarantee," Maldivian Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon said in a statement. "I am glad all relevant legal documentation is completed." AFP No threat from being invaded by foreign military: Maldives Mohamed Nasheed arrives in Colombo to fly to UK for medical care International oi-PTI Colombo, Jan 19: Mohamed Nasheed, the former Maldives president serving a 13-year jail sentence on terror charges, has arrived here on his way to London for urgent medical treatment, his party said on Tuesday, Jan 19. Nasheed, 48, arrived last night in Colombo and will be leaving by a Srilankan Airlines direct flight to London later today, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) sources said. He is currently lodged at a five star hotel in Colombo and is expected to leave for London for a back surgery. Nasheed was supposed to leave on Sunday after a deal brokered by diplomats from India and Sri Lanka as well as Britain, but his departure was delayed as the government imposed new conditions on his trip. The government was insisting that he nominate a family member to stay in the capital Male to guarantee his return. Nasheed initially refused the government request to leave a family member behind who had to sign as a guarantor for his return, but finally agreed to the offer. According to Maldivian government, Nasheed had signed an undertaking to return after his treatment and his brother has agreed to act as guarantor. Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader, was sentenced to 13 years in jail in March over the arbitrary arrest of chief criminal judge Abdullah Muhammed during his presidency. He was elected in 2008, ending three decades of rule by former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Nasheed resigned as the Maldives leader in February 2012 after weeks of protests over the judges arrest on corruption allegations. The former president had appealed his prison sentence after backtracking on his earlier decision and opted to go to the Supreme Court instead. In his appeal, Nasheed had sought a lesser penalty under the new penal code that came into effect in November. The Supreme Court had also been asked to nullify the charges lodged against him in the lower court and the subsequent sentence. India, the US and the European Union had all expressed concern over Nasheed's imprisonment and conviction. His conviction drew widespread criticism over the apparent lack of due process in the 19-day trial. The current President Abdulla Yameen was elected in controversial polls in 2013 and is the half-brother of Gayoom. PTI Via Focus Taiwan, a CNA report: First Zika virus case detected in Taiwan (update). Excerpt: The Zika virus has arrived in Taiwan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday, after a Thai national coming to Taiwan to work for the first time was confirmed to be infected with the virus. The 24-year-old man was detected with a fever when he arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Jan. 10. Further tests showed that he had the mosquito-borne disease, and he is now being observed at a local hospital. Liu Ting-ping (), director of the Epidemic Intelligence Center under the Centers for Disease Control, said the Thai national had a fever and a headache before coming to Taiwan and was stopped at the fever screening station at the airport. The man said he had lived in northern Thailand during the previous three months and was coming to Taiwan to work for the first time. Two other people from northern Thailand accompanied the patient to Taiwan, but neither tested positive for the Zika or dengue fever virus. CDC Director-General Steve Kuo () said this was the first Zika virus case detected in Taiwan since the agency began to monitor and test for the virus. 'No link between Iran freeing Americans and sanctions lifting' International oi-PTI Washington, Jan 18: US Secretary of State John Kerry said today there was no direct link between the release of Americans detained in Iran and the lifting of punishing sanctions against Tehran. In two days of fast-moving diplomacy at the weekend, five Americans were freed by Iran on Saturday and on Sunday the US and Iranian presidents hailed the implementation of Tehran's nuclear deal, which saw Washington and the European Union lift sanctions. Kerry told CNN that the timing was coincidental and that the Americans would have been released even if the sanctions had remained in place. "It happened to come together at that moment, I think that everybody saw that that would be propitious, but it was not directly linked," he said. "I had hoped it (their release) would have happened a couple months ago actually and then it hit a snag and we continued to negotiate." Four of the American prisoners, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, were freed in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting. A fifth American was also released in a separate process. Kerry also confirmed a report by The Washington Post that the flight out of Iran of Rezaian and two of the other Americans was delayed because of a mix-up over the fate of Rezaian's wife Yeganeh. "It did hit a snag because word somehow had not been communicated with the respect to the manifest on the plane that Jason Rezaian's wife would be coming with him," Kerry said. However, the Iranian government quickly understood that "the terms of the agreement included her," said Kerry. "We went through a period of time while they were located and ultimately reunited with Jason, and now all is well that ends well." AFP How can Germany work with Saudi Arabia? Saudi-Iran row: Nawaz Sharif arrives in Tehran International oi-IANS By Ians English Islamabad, Jan 19: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to meet Iranian leadership, as part of efforts to defuse rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Nawaz Sharif and Raheel will meet Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and call on Iranian grand spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Dawn online reported. During the visit to Saudi Arabia, Nawaz Sharif met King Salman and will deliver the king's message to the Iranian leadership in Tehran. General Raheel also held a meeting with the Saudi defence minister soon after arriving in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi and Pakistani leadership exchanged views on various facets of enduring cooperation with regards to the Saudi initiative of forming a coalition of Islamic countries against terrorism," said a statement released by the foreign office of Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif also assured the Saudi leadership of Pakistan's support, and expressed concern at the recent escalation of tensions between Riyadh and Tehran. Riyadh has assured that if Tehran shows positive signs, diplomatic ties may be restored. A list of points has been given to the Pakistani leadership for discussion with Iran's leadership, said diplomatic sources. Nawaz Shafif called for resolution of the current crisis through peaceful means in the larger interest of the Muslim world. Analysts regard Nawaz Sharif's diplomatic initiative a wise step to help Riyadh and Tehran prevent the current tensions from taking a turn which could endanger peace of the entire region. Moreover, with successful culmination of talks between big powers and Iran over the latter's nuclear issue, Pakistan certainly eyes economic benefits from Tehran re-entering world trade. "With Iran re-joining the world trade, Pakistan can look forward to meeting its energy needs from across the border by completing the pending gas pipeline," remarked an analyst. Tensions recently flared between the two regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran after the execution of a prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia, which led to the eruption of protests all over the region. As a reaction to the execution of the cleric, Riyadh's diplomatic post was attacked in Iran by angry protestors, which led to the severance of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, further complicating an already tense atmosphere. IANS Bird flu scare in Maharashtra: 25,000 chickens to be culled in Thane Bird flu scare: No cause for concern in other parts of Thane district, says collector Bird Flu found in Palghar: How to prevent; common symptoms to watch out for Saudi suspends French imports over bird flu International oi-PTI Riyadh, Jan 19: Saudi Arabia on Jan 18 suspended the import of poultry, eggs and dairy products from seven French regions over a bird flu outbreak. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority said the regions include France's southwestern Dordogne, where the highly virulent H5N1 strain of the virus was identified in November. The director of the French Aviculture Confederation, Christian Marinov, played down the significance of a move which does not cover Brittany or Vendee, the only regions to export and to date free from bird flu. "It's of no consequence as exports are from Brittany and Vendee" via the Doux group, which handles "100 percent" of exports from France to non-EU states, Marinov told AFP. Several countries including Japan and China had already banned French poultry imports as a result of the outbreak. "This temporary ban is to continue until the health status of the livestock is stable," SFDA said. It added that poultry, eggs and dairy products that have been treated thermally or in another way to eliminate the virus are exempt from the suspension. According to Business France, the French export promotion agency, France was the second-biggest exporter of poultry products to Saudi Arabia in 2013 and volume had risen 64 percent since 2009. The World Health Organization says the H5N1 virus does not infect humans easily but when it does it is fatal in about 60 percent of cases. AFP Trump courts evangelicals and says Christianity 'under siege' International oi-PTI Lynchburg (US), Jan 18: Donald Trump declared himself a defender of besieged Christians in a campaign speech to more than 11,000 people today, as the Republican presidential frontrunner openly courted the support of evangelicals two weeks away from first voting. News that Trump, known more for womanising, an extravagant lifestyle and bombastic rhetoric than piety, was to speak at the private Liberty University in Virginia had triggered threats of student protests. But the 69-year-old billionaire and real-estate tycoon found a receptive audience at the university, an evangelical bastion and a rite of passage for conservative presidential candidates from Ronald Reagan in the 1980s to Ted Cruz, Trump's main Republican rival. Trump, who has courted a string of controversies and urged a ban on Muslims entering the United States, and Cruz are locked in a tight race in Iowa, which on February 1 becomes the first state to vote for party nominees. "We've done great with the evangelicals. The evangelicals have been amazing," he told the crowd, to cheers, on what was a US holiday commemorating civil rights leader Martin Luther King. "We're going to protect Christianity. If you look what's going on throughout the world -- you look at Syria, where if you're Christian, they're chopping off heads. "You look at the different places, and Christianity, it's under siege. "I'm a Protestant, I'm very proud of it, Presbyterian to be exact, but I'm proud of it, very, very proud." In recent weeks Trump has stressed his own faith as he steps up efforts to reach out to this critical Republican voter group. AFP 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Paddy Power-Betfair Merger Nears Completion Ahead of Schedule Published January 19, 2016 by Lee R The 10 billion deal gives a slight edge to Paddy shareholders. At last, Paddy Power and traditional heavyweight rival Betfair are closing in on completion of a near 10 billion merger. The merger which was announced in the summer of 2015 is considered one of the year's biggest deals in the iGaming industry. Paddy Power Betfair The new mega-operator will take the form of a new 2 billion revenue global gambling business called Paddy Power Betfair, with a combined value of 9.4 billion on the London and Dublin stock exchanges. Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission approved the deal, saying that the merger would not substantially lessen competition in any market for goods or services in the State. The merger is set to complete as of February 2nd, after the British high court approves a scheme of arrangement for Betfair on February 1st. The shares of the new company Paddy Power Betfairs shares are set for admission to the London and Dublin stock exchanges for open trade beginning February 2nd. On January 27th, details of an additional 80 million special dividend payable to shareholders will be released. The merger is actually taking place two months ahead of original schedule, as the two companies set a target date for the end of March when they announced the merger last August. Terms Paddy Power shareholders will own 52 per cent and Betfair 48 per cent. The main listing will be on the London Stock Exchange, with Dublin holding the secondary listing. The new company will own and operate online betting businesses in Europe, the United States and Australia, host over four million current customers from more than 100 countries, and encompass approximately 600 land-based betting shops in Ireland and Britain. Management Betfair chief executive Breon Corcoran will head the new group with Paddy Power chief executive Andy McCue taking the role of chief operating officer. Online Revenue Share An estimated 80% of Paddy Power Betfair's annual revenues will be from online business. While bombs explode in dozens of countries around the periphery, the citizens of the Empire focus on the "tightening" of the polls two weeks ahead of the Iowa caucuses in which a declared socialist and a closet fascist are running. Poster at Trump rally (Image by Elvert Barnes) Details DMCA The hundred years since the Russian revolution of 1917 have been largely consumed by a worldwide battle between the extreme right and the extreme left, yet the United States is only now facing the possibility of a presidential election that would pit a socialist against a fascist. Yet it's not ideology that's behind the rapt attention to the daily dicing and splicing of of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump's numbers. It's the much less exalted fact that hallowed tradition is being upended: anointed front-runners can no longer be relied upon to carry either party's colors to victory. The real upset is that just as a socialist is finally being allowed to run for the presidency, the most sophisticated people in the county, aka the mainstream press, are allowing their enthusiasm for Trump-the-great story to override the political implications of his candidacy. No people are more dismissive of rednecks than New York/Washington literati, yet these very people are mesmerized by the 'latest figures' or 'clips' or 'tweets' by, for or about Donald Trump. To the point that when the Donald orders a Muslim woman bearing a sign 'I come in peace' to be escorted out of a rally, Meet the Press's Chuck Todd doesn't even whisper the word bigotry. -much less suggest this is not presidential behavior. When the media claims that Trump doesn't have the votes, they fail to mention that most of his followers have guns. Cliven Bundy in the Oregon wilderness made the nightly news for two weeks demanding the federal government give back land (not, of course to the Indians from whom it was actually taken). Militias by the hundreds threaten to 'take back our country', yet the press, knowing that if they could make Donald Trump President tomorrow. they would, has never solicited his comment on their existence . None of the glitterati chortling in their ties appear to even remotely suspect that the US, far from becoming great again under Trump, could wake up under a 21st century PT Barnum Hitler. (I launched that meme at Deena Stryker @DeenaStryker 23 Dec 2015 By showcasing Trump's Life Chris Matthews gives US a Barnum & Bailey Hitler for Christmas Deena Stryker @DeenaStryker23 Dec 2015 and when Todd asked Trump which of three labels he preferred, he picked that one. i also observed on August 12the 2015 that we could end up with a trump/Sanders face-off: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Sanders-vs-Trump-The-End-by-Deena-Stryker-Alternative_America_Capitalism_Conflict-150812-627.html Though Todd may be no more guilty than others, I am particularly exercised over him. Perhaps it's because his relentlessly smiling, upbeat presentation that seems to claim we're living in the best of all possible worlds is on air seven days a week now, bringing to mind the paper hats and streamers of the Presidential Conventions that Todd and his like would not be caught dead participating in other than as journalists. Ten days before the Iowa caucuses, it's increasingly difficult to draw a solid line (in the sand) between 'serious' politics and hoopla when it's not clear where one stops and the other begins. But avoidance is also a way to avoid having to admit that forty-three percent of Iowa Democrats now identify as socialists. www.progressivestoday.com/43-percent-of-likely-iowa-caucus-democrat ... While TV pundits love to show off their knowledge of previous campaigns and compare daily figures from one state to another, I'm still waiting for someone to recall 1972, when Democrat George McGovern lost 61 to 37 to Richard Nixon, the press having almost completely disregarded his campaign. Today national organizations and individual observers keep track of the air-time granted each presidential primary candidate, and when the Clinton dominated party machine schedules debates on week-ends, guaranteeing poor viewership, they are at least called out. In 1976, the eminent environmentalist Barry Commoner sought the Democratic nomination with, as his running mate, Kentucky Senator Fred Harris, whose wife was a Sioux Indian. At the height of the oil crisis, Commoner suggested the US nationalize the petroleum companies. The press avoided labelling him a socialist, but they ignored both his platform and his campaign. Unique among developed nations, it has taken almost half a century for the country the entire world identifies with 'change' and 'progress' to admit into its public vocabulary the word socialist. In my book published in France in 1989, Une autre Europe, un autre Monde, I pointed out what has always been viewed abroad as an American 'particularism' (not 'exceptionalism, which suggests superiority, but rather an 'oddity'".): alone among developed nations, the US fingers socialism as the embodiment of evil (In 1980, Reagan would name 'the Empire of Evil'"). When rarely Scandinavia was mentioned, two strikes were called in against its Democratic Socialism: high tax rates and the fact that these were largely homogenous populations, whose experience could certainly not be applied to the United States! It has taken forty-six years for Americans to be allowed to consider socialism on its merits, and we at last have a real debate between government-funded health-care for all and continued subservience to big pharma. Yet the still remaining bottom line is that for people whose only commitment is to 'the story'. it's increasingly difficult to separate candidates who call for 'nuking' countries back to the stone age, from followers eager to charge into the White House with semi-automatics.' This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. NOAM CHOMSKY (Image by RubyGoes) Details DMCA Canadians should be hanging their heads in shame. Our government is guilty of the most egregious criminal acts as defined by the Nuremberg Principles, and we are bona fide members of the "State Sponsors of Terrorism Club" along with other Western powers. When our government bombs the sovereign state of Syria without the consent of President al-Assad and without United Nations Security Council approval, Canada is committing war crimes of the highest order: a war of aggression, the worst of all war crimes since it leads to all the others. When we support and fund foreign mercenary terrorists that are invading Syria, we are state sponsors of terrorism. There are no "moderate" forces in Syria that the West is backing. Instead the West is funding mercenaries who are being paid and enabled by the West and its allies, including Canada, Turkey (a NATO member), Wahhabi Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan. The popular refrain that "Assad must go", echoed by Canada Defense Minister, Harjit Sajjan, is in itself an endorsement of criminality. Regime change operations are criminal aggression, according to international law. A soft power complex that disseminates lies and confusion is seemingly sufficient to make gullible western audiences accept the criminality, even as the pretexts for previous illegal invasions invariably reveal themselves to be self-serving fabrications. Iraq's Saddam Hussein didn't have weapons of mass destruction, but Western sanctions before the premeditated Iraq invasion willfully destroyed water treatment facilities and subsequently killed almost two million people, including about half a million children. Gaddafi wasn't "bombing his own people" or destroying Libya. The West and its proxies did most of the killing. The illegal bombing in Libya -- in support of al-Qaeda ground troops-- targeted and destroyed civilian infrastructure, including the Great Man-Made River Project. The bombs and the foreign terrorist ground troops killed Libyans, including its leader Muammar Gaddafi, but Western propagandists and "confusion mongers" portrayed an inverted version of reality to justify the atrocities. Likewise for Bashar al-Assad of Syria -- he is defending his country from foreign terrorists, not "killing his own people" as the main stream media portrays the conflict. The Western invaders are mostly the blame for killing Assad's people Assad is not starving his own people either. Recently the discredited Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) fabricated a story that alleges that Assad was starving people in Madaya. Evidence has recently emerged, however, that Western rebels have been stockpiling food and selling it to civilians at exorbitant prices. Again, Western-backed military forces target civilians -- with a view to killing and demoralizing them for "strategic" purposes. Vanessa Beeley decodes the intentional misrepresentation of the Madaya psychological operation by listing investigative questions that should have been asked to find the truth, but were not. War crimes perpetrated by the West are dressed in mantles of respectability. Main stream media spokespeople, many of whom have conflicts of interest, paint civilian murders as "collateral damage". Some commentators use the phrase "collateral murder", but more accurately the military doctrine of slaughtering civilians is mass murder. The "War on Terror" after the events of 9-11 have been premeditated wars of aggression, and false pretexts were carefully manufactured by Western state departments, public relations firms, and intelligence agencies; and the mass murders from wars of aggression have been intentional. The "War on Terror" has generated unforeseen developments, but the invasions and occupations were not and are not mistakes, as some commentators would have us believe. Much of the evil can be explained by Levy Strauss' "Chaos Theory". NATO destroys, loots, and creates chaos so that it can impose its hegemony. Again, the West inverts reality into a ridiculous lie of "spreading democracy". The destruction of nations create waves of refugees that destabilize other countries in the region. Europe is arguably being destabilized with a view to keeping the EU subservient to the U.S oligarch interests. Interestingly, countries not being destabilized include Israel and Wahhabi Saudi Arabia -- and neither country is accepting refugees/imperial crime victims either. All of these premeditated invasions point to a larger picture. Humanity is being sacrificed for the illusory benefit of the criminal 1% transnational oligarch class that benefits from war. If Western populations were to awaken to the barbaric crimes being perpetrated in their names, they would rightly bow their heads in shame. The shame would be a strong foundation for shaking off the shackles of lies and war propaganda, and for withdrawing our consent to these wars of aggression, which are crimes against humanity. (Article changed on January 19, 2016 at 12:28) Reprinted from Palestine Chronicle When ISIS militias swept into Mosel, Iraq, in June 2014, Ibrahim Mahmoud plotted his flight, along with his whole family, which included 11 children. Once upon a time, Ibrahim was himself a child escaping another violent campaign carried out by equally angry militias. In his lifetime, Ibrahim became a refugee twice, once when he was nine-years-old living in Haifa, Palestine, and yet again and more recently, in Mosel. Just weeks before Israel declared its independence in 1948, Ibrahim lost his homeland, and fled Haifa, along with tens of thousands of Palestinian Muslims and Christians, after Israeli militias conquered the city in a military operation they called Bi'ur Hametz, or Passover Cleaning. Over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from or fled the horrors of the militias-instigated war, and those who are still alive along with their descendants, number over five million refugees. Between 1948 and 2014, life was anything but kind to Ibrahim and his family. At first, they sold falafel, and his children left school to join the workforce at a young age. They all had cards that listed them as "Palestinian refugees," and to date know of no other identity. When the Americans invaded Iraq in 2003, they granted their soldiers and the Shia-militias a free hand in that Arab country. The once relatively thriving and peaceful Palestinian community of refugees in Iraq was shattered. Now, according to the UN Refugee's Agency, no more than 3,000 Palestinian refugees are still living in Iraq, many of them in refugee camps. Ibrahim has finally managed to escape Mosel, and now lives in a dirty and crowded refugee camp within Kurdish-controlled territories in the north. Considering his old age and faltering health, his story could possibly, and most likely end there, but certainly not that of his children and grandchildren. Ibrahim's tragedy is not unique within the overall Middle East refugee crisis. Nonetheless, if seen within its painfully protracted historical context, Palestinian exile is almost unprecedented in its complexity and duration. Few other refugee populations had struggled with an exile which defined them, one generation after the other, as Palestinians have. To offer a new perspective on this issue, about a year ago, I led a group of Palestinian researchers with the aim of offering a unique and modern study of Palestinian exile, wherein the 1948 Nakba (or Catastrophe) was examined within a larger context of space and time, not only in Palestine itself, but throughout the region, and the world as well. The stories borne out of this research will appear in a book that is tentatively entitled: Exiled. Since the first refugee was expelled from his land in 1948, international aid workers, politicians, journalists, and eventually, historians, examined the Palestinian experience seemingly from all angles. Exile was then first seen as a political crisis to which the only solution was the return of refugees, as instructed in United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 194. When that possibility grew dim, other resolutions followed, all expressing the political contexts of each era: in 1950, '74, '82, '83, etc. (An article by Ben Zakkai in Mondoweiss, entitled: "Notes on international law and the right of return" is most insightful in this regard.) Regardless of the nature of the discussion pertaining to Palestinian refugees -- be it legal, political or moral -- the refugees themselves were rarely consulted, except as subjects of selective and sometimes dehumanizing poll questions, which draw their conclusions from refuges voting either "Yes" or "No," or even neither. Many conclusions were drawn from various polls that were often commissioned to reach political conclusions, and each time such results are published, academic, media and political storms often ensue. For Israel, the key concern is for the Palestinians to simply disconnect from their historic homeland. In contrast, for refugee advocates the struggle has always been to demonstrate that the refugees' desire to return remains as strong today as it was nearly 68 years ago. But between Israeli laws aimed at punishing Palestinians for commemorating their Nakba, and efforts to keep the Right of Return central to the debate, an actual disconnect happened between the likes of Ibrahim Mahmoud of Haifa/Mosel, along with millions like him and the rest of us. However, this disconnect was not in keeping with Israeli hopes; instead it was based on a very real, human perspective Reprinted from Paul Craig Roberts Website Like all false flag attacks and assassinations, the 1968 murder of Martin Luther King was covered up. In the King case James Earl Ray was the framed-up patsy, just as Oswald was in the case of President John F. Kennedy and Sirhan Sirhan was in the case of Robert Kennedy. The King family, along with everyone who paid attention to the evidence, knew that they and the public were officially handed a cover-up. After years of effort, the King family managed to bring the evidence to light in a civil case. Confronted with the real evidence, it took the jury one hour to conclude that Martin Luther King was murdered by a conspiracy that included governmental agencies. For more information see here. Martin Luther King, like John F. Kennedy, was a victim of the paranoia of the Washington national security establishment. Kennedy rejected General Lyman Lemnitzer's Northwoods Project for regime change in Cuba, opposed the CIA's invasion plan for Cuba, nixed Lemnitzer's plans for conflict with the Soviet Union over the Cuban missile crisis, removed Lemnitzer as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and negotiated behind the scenes with Khrushchev to tone down the Cold War. Consequently, members of the military/security complex had it in for Kennedy and convinced themselves that Kennedy's softness toward communism made him a security threat to the United States. The Secret Service itself was drawn into the plot. The films of the assassination show that the protective Secret Service personnel were ordered away from the President's car just before the fatal shots. King was only 39 years old and had established himself as a civil rights leader. The FBI convinced itself that King had communist connections and that the movement he led would develop into a national security threat. In those days, emphasis on civil rights implied criticism of America that many confused with communist propaganda. Criticizing America was what communists did, and here was a rising leader pointing out America's shortcomings and beginning to foment opposition to the war in Vietnam. The conflation of justified criticism with treason is always with us. Not long ago Obama appointee Cass Sunstein advocated that the 9/11 truth movement be infiltrated and discredited before Americans could learn that they had been deceived into accepting wars and the loss of civil liberties. Before Janet Napolitano left her post as head of Homeland Security to become chancellor of the University of California, she said that the focus of Homeland Security had shifted from terrorists to "domestic extremists," which included war protesters, environmentalists, and government critics. Throughout history thoughtful people have understood that truth is the enemy of government. Most governments are privatized. They are controlled by small groups who use the government to pursue their private agendas. The notion that government serves the public interest is one of the great deceptions. People who get in the way of these interests are not treated kindly. John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King were murdered. Robert Kennedy was murdered, because he knew who the government operatives were who murdered his brother. Robert Kennedy was well on his way to becoming the next President and implementing his murdered brother's plan to "break the CIA into a thousand pieces." If Robert Kennedy had become president, elements of the national security state would have been indicted and convicted. The Warren Commission understood that Oswald was a fall guy, but the commission also understood that at the height of the Cold War to tell the Americans the truth of the assassination would destroy the public's confidence in the national security state. The commission felt it had no alternative to a coverup. Experts' dissatisfaction with the Warren Commission led to a second inquiry, this time by the Select Committee on Assassinations of the US House of Representatives. This report, released in 1979, 16 years after JFK's assassination, was also a coverup, but the Select Committee could not avoid acknowledging that there had been a conspiracy, more than one gunman, and that "the Warren Commission's and FBI's investigation into the possibility of a conspiracy was seriously flawed." In 1997 the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board released the top secret Northwoods Project submitted to President Kennedy in 1962 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Pentagon plan was to murder US citizens and to shoot down US airliners in order to blame Castro and create public support for an invasion that would bring regime change to Cuba. President Kennedy rejected the report, a decision that increased the doubts of the national security state that Kennedy had the strength and conviction to stand up against communism. Washington's response to the government's murder of Martin Luther King was to create a national holiday in his name. Honoring the man that elements of the government had murdered was a clever way to bring the controversy to an end and dispose of troublesome questions. P5+1 negotiators meeting with Iranians in July, 2015 The US and the European Union finally lifted the oil and financial sanctions on Iran over the weekend releasing some $100 billion of its assets. International inspectors confirmed Iran was in compliance with the negotiated agreement reached in July with Iran and the P5+1 so the Obama administration and Europeans lifted the sanctions. In reality, the sanctions were bogus to begin with because Iran wasn't pursuing a nuclear weapon. This was confirmed in 2008 by all 17 US intelligence agencies agreeing Iran ceased development of a nuclear device in 2003. However this being the US even though Iran was permitted to develop a peaceful nuclear program as a signee to the nuclear non proliferation treaty, long standing demonization and suspicion of Iran-despite all the evidence to the contrary compiled by US intel agencies-compelled the US to cajole others on the UN Security Council to place economic sanctions on Iran over its "suspected" development of a nuclear weapon. So now with sanctions lifted and Iran in complete compliance one would reason diplomacy with Iran actually worked and would be greeted enthusiastically. But au contraire here in synopsis are some of the reactions to the Iran nuclear deal by those Republicans and Democrats running for president. As for the Dems. Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley they're pretty much in agreement supporting the deal as is Hillary Clinton though she says, "We still have to carefully watch them...sure they are truly going to implement the agreement...and we have to go after them on a lot of their other bad behavior in the region causing enormous problems in Syria, Yemen and Iraq". Ah thank you Hillary for that most nonsensical assessment of who is" causing the enormous problems", certainly not Saudi Arabia, Turkey, certainly not "us". Please. Wait it gets better. Here's some of the Repubs. responses some going back to when the deal was initially agreed to. Ted Cruz "Our enemies are laughing at us, sets a bad precedent, Obama willing to negotiate with America's enemies". Then saying, he'd "abandon the deal and rip it to shreds on the first day he was president". Same with Marco Rubio "if Congress fails to reject it." Jeb Bush it's a "very naive deal...appeasement". Iran "remains a major destabilizing force in the region". Rand Paul we're "going to have to watch them like a hawk". Carly Fiorina "Iran has a long term plan to gain a nuclear weapon." The "Donald" has castigated the deal for months with "It's a bad one, incompetently negotiated". Ben Carson, "It's fatally flawed and jeopardizes national security". Then here's Chris Christie, "Obama lives in fantasy land on Iran". If elected, "The Iranian's wouldn't think they could steal our lunch money every day which is what they are doing". This last supposed "analogy" by Christie was left for last intentionally but is reflective of the buffoonery that best describes this cast of non entities. What's remarkable-probably unremarkable considering the influence of big money corrupting the electoral process-none of the candidates, Dems. or Repubs. acknowledge America's sinister dealings with Iran beginning of course with the CIA instigating the coup in Iran in 1953 overthrowing the legitimately elected government of Iran. That coup brought the Shah Pahlavi to power, bringing harsh repression to the people for the next 26 years until the Iranian people rose up in their 1979 revolution overthrowing Pahlavi's regime. For sure the taking and holding US embassy personnel was an excessive, retaliatory overreaction in 1979 to what occurred in 1953-which all Iranian's knew was perpetrated by the CIA. But the taking of US embassy hostages set in motion the demonizing of Iran ever since. Dubya Bush incongruently named Iran as a member of the "Axis of Evil" in 2002 along with Iraq and North Korea. None of the candidates for president acknowledge all 17 US intel agencies concurred in 2008 Iran ceased any development of a nuclear device in 2003. And none recognize the American "Stuxnet" computer worm that temporarily interrupted Iran's legal processing and enrichment of uranium in 2010. These illegally authorized US events against Iran don't get publicized by any of the candidates, the MSM or acknowledged by the US government and reported to the American people. Such acknowledgement would be in direct conflict with "official" demonization of Iran, an enemy that supports terrorism, supports the Syrian government of Bashar Assad along with the fake notion of Iran developing a nuclear weapon. What Americans do get about Iran are "assertions"-Congress, talking heads, MSM-all made without proof, demonization as an "enemy", fear mongering, indoctrination and pure propaganda-which when looked at closely isn't just Repubs. but Dems as well. So as was said earlier one would think this negotiated, diplomatic agreement with Iran will be received enthusiastically as a positive development, hopefully by the majority of American people. However if they've swallowed all the "kool-aid" propaganda about Iran and fail to embrace this deal...big trouble is all but assured and it won't be the Iranian's who will be at fault. Under intense pressure from the United States--not to mention Russia--Turkey has begun to reassess its support for anti-Assad groups after the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) third suspected terrorist attack on Turkey in six months. The first two attacks were against Kurds (one terrorist attack killed 33 people outside a Kurdish cultural center in the border town of Suruc in July, and another killed more than 100 in Ankara in October). These attacks have pushed Turkey to where it did not want to go. The poor Kurds have few friends anywhere. The West had betrayed the Kurds at Versailles in 1919, and many times since then. The Kurds are a thorn in the side of Turkey, and ISIS's mortal enemy, so the ISIS attacks against the Kurds did not raise much protest either abroad or in Turkey. But the latest terrorist attack was in the heart of Istanbul against foreign tourists. If ISIS was responsible, then it broke its devil's pact with the Turkish government as a sort-of ally, undermining Erdogan's rationale to let ISIS carry out attacks as long as they target Kurds. Pacts with the devil usually go wrong and this is one of those. Erdogan's wild scheme in Libya and Syria The Turkish political scene has changed dramatically since the Arab Spring five years ago. At that time, Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Erdogan was the golden boy, with his "zero problem" foreign policy with his neighbors, and the ability to "square the political circle", and to have good relations with Russia, Iran and NATO. Even the Kurds got an olive branch from Erdogan, with a peace process in 2013 after one of the Kurd's militant leaders Ocalan called from his prison cell to his fighters to abandon their armed struggle against Turkey in return for political reforms. Kurds, Kurds, Kurds Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). The TRUMPSTER had sent that double-dealing little snit Rubianity, south to grease the wheels, since he's no longer holding the Senate together with both hands. Thats Cruz's gig, president of the Senate. He's now beloved by all. Everybody knew Rubio in Tallahassee, a deal maker's deal maker. He'd been sent ahead to soften the ground with the Mexican Ambassador. We expect him here in the Oval any minute to give his report. MR PRESIDENT? asked a voice from outside the OVAL. Director Rubio is here. Mexican Wall 2 (Image by RW Spisak) Details DMCA Yes, what excellent guest do you have for me now?" "NEXT" he roars, right through Cruz and I as if we weren't standing directly in front of his desk. The Trumpster is so hard of hearing its amazing he understands anything. Rubio walks in, cellphone pressed to his ear and trailing a cloud of clerks. The Trumpster was not one for small talk, its quips or questions with him. As Rubio enters the room, the TRUMPSTER yells at him. "Marco what GREAT NEWS do you have for us, how was Tijuana? Have they ordered the bricks? I have some friends in Haifa that have a turn-key solution." Marco swiftly eyes all in the room, genuflects to the desk and leans over to give the TRUMPSTER a hug. The TRUMPSTER pulls back and waves him off. Marco sheepishly backs off turns to his chief aide and requests a bottle of water. Cruz and I slide over toward the presidents right, share a knowing wink. We wait, while Marco empties nearly half a bottle. He bobs his head and excuses himself gasping "I'm so thirsty." Cruz winks at the president, and in a mocking pseudo Canadian voice says "stay thirsty my friend". (Grins all around) "Marco, how was Tijuana? How goes the DEAL? You read my book, yeah?" The TRUMPSTER looks at us for confirmation. We nod, in unison, sycophancy rules here in TRUMP-TOWN. Marco, freezes like the kid with-his-hand-in-the-cookie-jar? BOOK? "What book?" he asks his chief aide, hand poised attempting to shield anyone from hearing his question. His lieutenant leans down, to little Marco and whispers, "the Presidents book, sir "THE ART OF THE DEAL"." "Who wrote that for you, anyway" says, wise ass Vice Cruz, always the showboat. TRUMPSTER (the President TM) ignores his comment. Marco greasy as ever replies "I've been listening to it sir, tremendous book, sir, a book for the ages, a piece of classic literature, of epic proportions right up there with Cervantes." The TRUMPSTER (the President TM) beams, and then he mouths to us Cervantes? - we give him a exaggerated THUMBS UP. He smiles, and turns back to Rubio Director of Homeland Security... "Construction started yet?" he says hopefully? "Well, Mr. President, I haven't been to Tijuana for negotiations with the Mexican government. I had to lay some important ground work. I've spent the last week in Belaire." The TRUMPSTER (the President TM) knows his REAL ESTATE, shocked he asks "Belaire, California?" (Cruz, leans over to me, and snarks, "he was laying more than ground work in Beverly Hills".) Mexican Wall 3 (Image by RW Spisak) Details DMCA "Who were you meeting with in California? You were supposed to be meeting with the Mexican Government -- I told you to go down there and TELL-THEM-THEY-RE-GOING-TO-PAY ". for the wall." THE ROOM ERUPTS IN LAUGHTER End chapter 1 Marco, stood with that bewitching "deer in the headlights look" that he's practiced in a mirror for decades, (he assumed it made him look thoughtful.) Cruz breaks in, "So where were you? Were you starlet diving the whole two weeks?" "NO! "Marco responded, "I was meeting with people more important than some flunky from un Gobermiento de Mexicano." The TRUMPSTER's face is beet red now - "SO WHO?" he yells? Marcos voice drops to a whisper... "I was meeting with someone who can get the JOB DONE." "WHO THEN?" The TRUMPSTER was leaning over the desk, his comb-over disheveled, hanging down almost to his jowl line. "I was meeting with", " at this point, VP Cruz, unable to hold his tongue another second, said, "I got it, you were in Hollywood, to meet with Sean Penn!" The TRUMPSTER glares at Rubio, "You wanted the help of El Chapo?" Yelled the TRUMPSTER (the President TM)! Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). It has been said that all art seeks to explore and understand the human condition. What distinguishes us as humans? How do we differ from our fellow animal companions? Is it our proclivity for self-reflexivity, our ability to acknowledge our place in the universe, and our endless desire to expand our knowledge? Perhaps. Yet, it is my firm conviction that it is our inherent drive for empathy that is what renders us truly humane. It is this aspect of our consciousness that director Kathleen Lowson wants us to explore, and her film Cry of the Innocent: The Voices That Can't Speak is a call to action, urging us to ask and answer the question: who are you wearing? Taking a unique soul perspective, the film is a psychological and spiritual study of the human condition focusing on the cruelty, absurdity, and frivolity of the modern fur trade. This unnecessary practice is a symptom, a sign that as a species, we are in need of elevating our consciousness, expanding it such that all life forms are treated with the dignity, love, and respect they deserve. Lowson impresses upon the viewer that "when we disconnect from the suffering of sentient beings, we disconnect from our own suffering." This is a statement that merits deep reflection, as her words could not ring more true. What makes this film so accessible and unique in its approach is that it does not employ shocking and gruesome imagery to communicate its message; rather, it unveils the reality of these innocent animals while providing empowering quotes from evolutionary leaders such as the Dalai Lama. It asks the viewer difficult questions, inspiring us to delve beyond our egos and into the deeper aspects of our psyches, to demand why it is that we as a species have tolerated the abuse and slaughter of animals in the name of fashion and temporary economic gain. It illuminates the reality that we have little to gain from such deplorable acts, and so, so much to lose. Namely, if we cannot recognize the pain and irreparable damage that occurs when we so callously end the life of an innocent, not only to the animal, but to our own humanity, how can we hope to bring about true peace and change in this world. Lowson delivers this message with a conscious, gentle, and philosophical touch. She presents the viewer with the disturbing reality that countless animals must endure at the hands of certain humans. The film begins with the Canadian seal "hunt," the largest mass slaughter of marine mammals in the world. Appallingly, it is subsidized by the Canadian government, bringing Lowson to encourage us to boycott the Canadian seafood industry. By empowering an industry that profits from death and cruelty to animals, we are only perpetuating a stagnation of the human spirit, rather than stimulating its growth and evolution. She also brings to light the deplorable and unspeakably repugnant conditions in China, where dogs and cats are killed for their fur to create trinkets and trim on clothing. It may come as surprising to some readers, but Lowson stresses that even items labelled as "faux fur" or "synthetic fur" may actually be dog and cat fur. Depicting these beautiful creatures crammed by the dozen into stifling cages, these images are heartbreaking and difficult to watch, but it is crucial that we open our eyes to the horrific crimes that take place in these fur factories. Lowson calls on each of us to question why we invest in China, and to demand that laws be put in place to protect these vulnerable and defenceless animals who are unable to speak for themselves. Over 50 million animals, from baby seals, dogs, cats, foxes, minks, rabbits, raccoons, and other innocent creatures are killed in the name of profit and fashion. And due to the globalization of the fur trade, it is virtually impossible to know the countries in which fur products are made. Even if a fur garment's label says it was made in a European country, it is likely that the animals were raised and slaughtered elsewhere; in a majority of the cases, on an unregulated Chinese fur farm. These facts make clear the urgency of establishing laws that will put an end to these acts of cruelty, abuse, and murder. The time to evolve our consciousness is now, and Cry of the Innocent: The Voices that Can't Speak is a monumental film and call to action that is a magnificent contribution to the animal rights movement. Reprinted from Consortium News The achievement of "implementation day" of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), when for both sides the central elements of the nuclear bargain went into operation on Saturday, means that it is going to be a fact of life in global and regional politics for many years. But will it have a profound impact on regional politics? That is the argument both the Barack Obama administration and U.S. allies in the Middle East who have opposed it have made in the past. While Washington has said the agreement makes it more likely that Iran will eventually come to terms with its neighbors, Israel and Arab states have advanced precisely the opposite forecast, suggesting it will inevitably cause Iran to be far more aggressive and uncompromising. However, especially in light of the dramatic deepening of the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia over the past year, it is now clear that focusing solely on whether it will reshape Iran's policies is the wrong way to define the problem. Far more important is whether the agreement will create the impetus for realignment of U.S. policy in the region. Both sides have used their arguments as devices to advance their political interests rather than offering serious political analysis. The Obama administration has argued that by closing off the pathways to an Iranian nuclear weapon, the agreement opens up the possibility of domestic and foreign policy changes in Iran. In perhaps the most far-fetched expression of that argument, Secretary of State John Kerry suggested in an interview with Reuters last August that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had been "counting on this nuclear thing to give them the umbrella of protection over their nefarious activities, and they object to this precisely because it takes that umbrella away." That was a poorly conceived self-serving argument: the imagined possibility of having nuclear weapons in the future was totally irrelevant to IRGC involvement with Hezbollah in Lebanon, or to its presence in Iraq and Syria. The Israelis and Saudis, on the other hand, have insisted that the nuclear agreement would empower the Iranians to be far more interventionist in the region as well as to continue to seek nuclear weapons. The Israelis pushed the idea that Iran would use the additional income gained from lifting sanctions to fund Hezbollah or the Syrian government, making the region more unstable and more threatening to Israel. Yet the Iranian support for Hezbollah is a fundamental national security investment that has never depended on any additional infusion of resources from the nuclear deal. In fact, the commitment to support Hezbollah troops in Syria was taken in 2012, well before the nuclear negotiations had even begun. Both Israeli and Saudi officials have suggested that the Obama administration's negotiation of the agreement represented a decision to fundamentally alter its alliance policy by entering into a quasi-alliance with Iran. The Saudis have carried that theme to a much greater extreme. As F. Gregory Gause wrote in late 2013, the Saudis were already expressing the fear that the United States would "ratify Iranian hegemony in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Persian Gulf in exchange for a nuclear deal." The Saudi fear of an entente between Washington and Tehran may have deepened since the agreement was reached, but Saudi fears of U.S. acquiescence in a regional distribution of power -- which Riyadh has found unacceptable -- are not really about the nuclear deal itself; rather, they center on Saudi unhappiness with the failure of the United States to go to war in Syria. Similarly the Israeli objection to the nuclear deal was ostensibly that it wasn't really going to end Iran's quest for nuclear weapons. However, what the Israelis really wanted was to reduce Iran's military and economic power, either through military confrontation between the United States and Iran or through crippling sanctions. The agreement represents the ultimate failure of that long-term Israeli strategy, but that has nothing to do with the longer-term issues and forces at work in the region. The agreement is clearly not going to influence regional politics by depriving Iran of nuclear weapons that Iran has had no intention of obtaining anyway. The real issue is whether the process of negotiating has created a new U.S.-Iran political dynamic that can influence the outcomes of the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. That is what both the Obama administration and the Rouhani government appear to be hoping for. Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif both suggested that the new relationship helped to quickly resolve the incident involving two U.S. Navy ships that sailed into Iranian waters. Even so, it is highly doubtful that the agreement will have a very deep impact on U.S. policy in the next few years or affect any of the intertwined conflicts that are reshaping the Middle East. U.S. policy toward Iran is the product of decades of constant anti-Iran news, official pronouncements and opinions. The idea of Iran as an aggressive threat to U.S. interests has become deeply embedded in the country's electoral and bureaucratic politics. Reprinted from The Nation Details of how Flint's water was contaminated, and of how pleas for help were neglected, are leading to calls for inquiries, arrest, resignation. Of all the destructive and anti-democratic policies of all the Republican governors elected in the 2010 wave election, none have been so destructive and so anti-democratic as Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's use of the power of the state to appoint "emergency managers" who have been empowered to override the will of the voters in Michigan's major cities. Snyder, a crude and cynical tactician, refused to treat urban centers fairly when it came to budgeting and the distribution or state revenues. He then claimed that local elected officials were incapable of managing municipal finances and moved to appoint unelected and unaccountable managers to implement austerity policies. So determined was Snyder to trump the will of the people (and common sense) that, when Michigan voters rejected the emergency-manager policy , he continued with a modified version of his authoritarian approach. The governor wanted to have his say in the municipal affairs of Michigan's cities, and he got it. Now, however, the governor's combination of power-grab politics and austerity economics has gone horribly awry for the people of the Flint, one of the cities that was placed under emergency management (from 2011 to 2015) and then under the oversight of a so-called Receivership Transition Advisory Board. The crisis has led to an intervention by President Obama and high-profile calls for official inquiries, criminal investigations, and the governor's resignation. "There are no excuses. The governor long ago knew about the lead in Flint's water. He did nothing. As a result, hundreds of children were poisoned. Thousands may have been exposed to potential brain damage from lead. Gov. Snyder should resign," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said on Saturday, while former secretary of state Hillary Clinton closed Sunday night's Democratic debate by ripping Snyder as a governor who "acted as though he didn't really care." Click Here to Read Whole Article This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Here we are just a couple of weeks into 2016 and we already know that last year was the second-warmest on record in the continental United States (the winner so far being 2012); the month of December was a U.S. record-breaker for heat and also precipitation; and it's assumed that, when the final figures come in later this month, 2015 will prove to be the hottest year on record globally. Even before this news is confirmed, we know that 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred in the twenty-first century which, at least to me, looks ominously like a pattern. And early expectations are that this year will top last, with the help of a continuing monster El Nino event in the overheating waters of the Pacific that has only added to the impact of global warming and to fierce weather around the world. Everywhere it seems increasingly possible to see the signs of climate change: the melting Arctic; the destabilizing ice sheets in both the Antarctic and Greenland; the already rising sea levels that are someday destined to submerge major coastal cities; the disappearing glaciers (and so, in some regions, endangered water supplies); monster typhoons; severe droughts; and the burning that goes with a globally expanding fire season; the -- in a word -- extremity of it all. With 2015 in the history books, it's easy enough to think of our changing weather as part of that history, but that would be a mistake. Climate change, if allowed to come to full fruition, will be something else altogether -- not history, but the possible end of it. History, after all, is something we're generally familiar with. It has its surprises, but the rise and fall of nations, of empires, even of civilizations, the coming of democracy or dictators, the rising of peoples, the failure of revolutions, and yet more autocrats, all of that is the normal course of human events. All of it is part of the ongoing record. Climate change is something else entirely. Certainly, it emerges from history, since through our industrial processes -- the burning of coal and oil -- we created it, however inadvertently (at first). But let's face it: global warming is the potential deal-breaker for history. It threatens not just to submerge global cities, but to sink civilization itself. Don't think of it as a tragedy for the planet. Give Earth a few million years and it'll do fine. If climate change does its worst, life, in some fashion, possibly even human life, will undoubtedly survive and someday once again flourish, but the environment in which our civilizations have been built and our modest history recorded, the welcoming planet we've known will cease to exist in any time span that is meaningful to us. That is the future reality we face in the grim zombie world of the giant energy companies and energy states that Bill McKibben describes today. It's why organizations like the one he founded, 350.org, are so important to our future and to the literal preservation of history. Unless we ensure that the human future is powered by alternative energy, and do so relatively quickly, while keeping the preponderance of fossil fuels in the ground, we will indeed find ourselves out of history and in the midst of a climate-change version of a zombie apocalypse. Tom Night of the Living Dead, Climate Change-Style How to Stop the Fossil Fuel Industry From Wrecking Our World By Bill McKibben When I was a kid, I was creepily fascinated by the wrongheaded idea, current in my grade school, that your hair and your fingernails kept growing after you died. The lesson seemed to be that it was hard to kill something off -- if it wanted to keep going. Something similar is happening right now with the fossil fuel industry. Even as the global warming crisis makes it clear that coal, natural gas, and oil are yesterday's energy, the momentum of two centuries of fossil fuel development means new projects keep emerging in a zombie-like fashion. In fact, the climactic fight at the end of the fossil fuel era is already underway, even if it's happening almost in secret. That's because so much of the action isn't taking place in big, headline-grabbing climate change settings like the recent conference of 195 nations in Paris; it's taking place in hearing rooms and farmers' fields across this continent (and other continents, too). Local activists are making desperate stands to stop new fossil fuel projects, while the giant energy companies are making equally desperate attempts to build while they still can. Though such conflicts and protests are mostly too small and local to attract national media attention, the outcome of these thousands of fights will do much to determine whether we emerge from this century with a habitable planet. In fact, far more than any set of paper promises by politicians, they really are the battle for the future. Here's how Diane Leopold, president of the giant fracking company Dominion Energy, put it at a conference earlier this year: "It may be the most challenging" period in fossil fuel history, she said, because of "an increase in high-intensity opposition" to infrastructure projects that is becoming steadily "louder, better-funded, and more sophisticated." Or, in the words of the head of the American Natural Gas Association, referring to the bitter struggle between activists and the Canadian tar sands industry over the building of the Keystone XL pipeline, "Call it the Keystone-ization of every project that's out there." Pipelines, Pipelines, Everywhere I hesitate to even start listing them all, because I'm going to miss dozens, but here are some of the prospective pipelines people are currently fighting across North America: the Alberta Clipper and the Sandpiper pipelines in the upper Midwest, Enbridge Line 3, the Dakota Access, the Line 9 and Energy East pipelines in Ontario and environs, the Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipelines in British Columbia, the Pinon pipeline in Navajo Country, the Sabal Trail pipeline in Alabama and Georgia, the Appalachian Connector, the Vermont Gas pipeline down the western side of my own state, the Algonquin pipeline, the Constitution pipeline, the Spectra pipeline, and on and on. And it's not just pipelines, not by a long shot. I couldn't begin to start tallying up the number of proposed liquid natural gas terminals, prospective coal export facilities and new oil ports, fracking wells, and mountaintop removal coal sites where people are already waging serious trench warfare. As I write these words, brave activists are on trial for trying to block oil trains in the Pacific Northwest. In the Finger Lakes not a week goes by without mass arrests of local activists attempting to stop the building of a giant underground gas storage cavern. In California, it's frack wells in Kern County. As I said: endless. And endlessly resourceful, too. Everywhere the opposition is forced by statute to make its stand not on climate change arguments, but on old grounds. This pipeline will hurt water quality. That coal port will increase local pollution. The dust that flies off those coal trains will cause asthma. All the arguments are perfectly correct and accurate and by themselves enough to justify stopping many of these plans, but a far more important argument always lurks in the background: each of these new infrastructure projects is a way to extend the life of the fossil fuel era a few more disastrous decades. Here's the basic math: if you build a pipeline in 2016, the investment will be amortized for 40 years or more. It is designed to last -- to carry coal slurry or gas or oil -- well into the second half of the twenty-first century. It is, in other words, designed to do the very thing scientists insist we simply can't keep doing, and do it long past the point when physics swears we must stop. These projects are the result of several kinds of momentum. Because fossil fuel companies have made huge sums of money for so long, they have the political clout to keep politicians saying yes. Just a week after the Paris accords were signed, for instance, the well-paid American employees of those companies, otherwise known as senators and representatives, overturned a 40-year-old ban on U.S. oil exports, a gift that an ExxonMobil spokesman had asked for in the most explicit terms only a few weeks earlier. "The sooner this happens, the better for us," he'd told the New York Times, at the very moment when other journalists were breaking the story of that company's epic three-decade legacy of deceit, its attempt to suppress public knowledge of a globally warming planet that Exxon officials knew they were helping to create. That scandal didn't matter. The habit of giving in to Big Oil was just too strong. Driving a Stake Through a Fossil-Fueled World Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Do we keep our heads in the sand regarding climate change? Can we see the patterns across arenas such as politics, business, education, and health regarding how these patterns affect us? Could one of the roots of the problem be standardization and the goal of never-ending growth? Dare we identify our corporate "never ending growth" mentality as one with the definition of cancer, which speaks to cells whose growth has gone wild? Is the demolishing of our lands the result of a cancerous growth we call progress? And what happens to the host of this progressive growth when it has taken over the whole body? We simply die. Our children die, our loved ones die and the Earth becomes as lifeless as the moon. The following contains an excerpt from an article presented in the Huffington Post. I am quoting the beginning of the article: While our hearts are heavy as Paris, the city of lights, dimmed for a moment in the face of recent terror, the world will not let acts of terrorism keep us from what could be the most important climate change negotiations of our lifetime. This past weekend, in spite of a crackdown on large demonstrations in Paris, more than 600,00 people in 175 countries held climate marches demanding a clean energy future. And today, President Obama and leaders from more than 190 nations are opening the Paris Climate Conference, also known as COP21 (the 21st Conference of the Parties). To read the rest of the article: click here Do you want one of these or a cure for cancer? (Image by Official U.S. Navy Imagery) Details DMCA What if we had a democracy? The Pentagon is about ready to pay the bill for one, new, still unfinished aircraft carrier, which so far has cost 13 billion dollars, but is mired with cost overruns and dysfunctional systems, so the daily cost continues to increase. At the same time the US government has set aside a mere 4 billion for cancer research. One uncompleted 13-billion-dollar aircraft carrier vs. 4 billion for finding a cure for cancer. Do you want the aircraft carrier or the cure for cancer? This spending issue raises many questions: What does a warped spending priority say about our country? How many Americans have been killed by "terrorists" vs. how many Americans have died from cancer? What kind of a country puts war and aircraft carriers before a cure for cancer? What has your Congressional delegation said about this? What do readers say about this? One aircraft carrier vs. a cure for cancer; what would you choose? All the presidential contenders cheer the power of the US military, while constantly calling for even more military spending. Many are phobic about Muslims, and Islamophobia is the cry of leading politicians, but no one mentions that we, the US, has dropped over 23,000 bombs on Muslim nations this year, and have invaded or bombed 14 Muslim nations, yet it is "we" who fear "them", and insist "they" want to harm "us". Fear always breeds loss of reasoning and obscures facts. We have killed over one million Muslims in Iraq. Last month Physicians for Social Responsibility released a study, indicating the death toll of Muslims in our war on terror may well be between 1.3 and 2 million deaths, and some studies indicate Muslim deaths by the US since 9/11 may be as high as 4 million. Yet in defiance of facts, some still fear monger and argue, "they" are trying to kill "us". This historical bloodletting by the US has only exacerbated the situation. According to former General Stanley McChrystal, "for every civilian you kill, you create 10 new fighters", yet we plod along doing the same thing over and over again, insuring a vicious cycle of endless war. We have a large segment of our population that has never experienced peace, and has been raised witnessing constant wars. War has become acceptable to many Americans. When a nation turns itself into a military state and has a military empire of 900 bases around the world, and spends 610 billion on the military every year, something has to give. What gives? In your state it is bridges, roads, infrastructure, schools, aid to the needy, and health care, all of which have been cut due to the lack of available money, as all money goes to our top priority, the military. It has not occurred to citizens, that feeding a growing military monster is at the expense of failing infrastructure, failing schools, failing health care, failing everyone, except for the Lockheed Martins of the world, who sold $45 billion worth of weapons last year. Cancer would be wiped out if the National Cancer Institute were given just a fraction of the military budget, but that is not our national priority. War and the greatest military the world has ever seen, is our priority. Curing the sick and saving lives is not. Because of a failed medical care system, the largest cause of bankruptcy in the US is medical bills, while all other civilized nations have national health care which is far less expensive than ours. Many citizens have consumed the Kool-Aid and naively think we have great health care, but all studies by the World Health Organization indicate we not only have the most expensive health care in the civilized world, but among the poorest in quality. We pay the most and get the worst, but the good news is we have the strongest military in the world, and our military spending almost surpasses what the entire world put together spends on military budgets. What do readers think about such a misplaced priority? More importantly what do the leaders of your state think of the spending priority. Have state leaders complained of having no money for crumbling infrastructure because of excessive military spending? Your Congressional delegation presided over this mess and is responsible for funding this misplaced priority, but have you ever heard them explain why the military is more important than school, curing cancer, a good health care system? Have they ever tried to explain or justify their votes on warped spending priorities, where all is sacrificed for the sake of the military budget? Of course not; they never address anything of substance. Fluff is their game, but we allow them to smother us with fluff, while depriving us of infrastructure, health care, schools. Real leaders would be fighting to save us from the devastation of cancer. President Obama in his recent State of the Union address boasted of our great military power, and got the biggest round of applause of the night. Echoes of Sparta, the once great Greek military state, who valued war above all. Be sure to read the first official Derby Dozen in Blood-Horse magazine next week! 1 Greenpointcrusader Dominick Schettino BernardiniAva Knowsthecode, by Cryptoclearance I know everyone is shocked to see this and that Im going against conventional wisdom and perhaps all logic, but Ive been wavering back and forth among the top 3 and decided to go by my original gut instinct and lean toward the horse with the most impressive performance I saw all year by a 2-year-old. Plus, we Brooklyn boys have to stick together and how can I not lean toward 1950s Brooklynites named Vinnie and Anthony? Co-owner Vinnie Viola says he's "putting on weight and growing like a weed." In his last work, he went out an eighth past the wire in :11 2/5. It might not seem to be the wisest thing to do to go with Dominick Schettino over future Hall of Famers Dale Romans and Kiaran McLaughlin, who I believe are both are sitting on a Derby victory and are armed with extremely talented horses. Schettino, on the other hand, had not won a graded stakes before the Champagne in 21 years and his only black type winners since 1994 have been mainly a handful of New York-breds. But then I think of names like Chip Wooley, John Servis, Michael Matz, Cam Gambolati, Don Combs, and even Art Sherman, who were not exactly household names. And you dont normally associate Schettino with a $575,000 regally bred yearling like this. So, lets give him the benefit of the doubt and see what he can accomplish with a horse of this caliber. He has been training on the New York circuit for over two decades and hasnt filed for unemployment yet as far as I know. And the belief here is that this is a gifted colt, who just glided over the sloppy track to blow away his rivals in the Champagne under a hand ride, in which the runner-up came back to finish a gutsy second, beaten a neck, in the Delta Jackpot. He apparently had a legitimate excuse in the BC Juvenile, returning with an ulcerated eye after likely getting hit with a clod of dirt and had to be treated with antibiotics. So that was a throw-out race, even though he had to go about 9-wide turning for home, ducked in sharply, losing momentum, and still was running strongly at the end, beaten only 4 1/4 lengths and two lengths for third. I also loved his maiden score, out-closing a good horse in Pirellone, while going three-fifths faster than the other division won by the talented Rafting. 2 Brody's Cause Dale Romans Giants Causeway Sweet Breanna, by Sahm I originally was going to rank him No. 1, but although I stuck it out with American Pharoah last year because of his superstar qualities, I wasnt prepared to sit on this colt for two more months before his debut in the Tampa Bay Derby March 12. And until Monday he hadnt worked in 3 months. But he did pop up on the work tab Monday morning and obviously has retained his sharpness, breezing a half in :47 2/5 to make things more complicated at the last minute. At this point Im willing to consider him and Greenpointcrusader as 1 and 1A. If he returns the same horse as last year, he could very well move to the top. If you believe in the Derby gods, they have to give it to Dale Romans one of these years. No one is more worthy, and what better year than this, with a classy horse like Brodys Cause, who has the running style, the turn of foot, a strong, relentless stretch kick, and the pedigree. He looks to be the complete package. He turned in a powerhouse performance in the Breeders Futurity, coming home his final sixteenth in under :06 despite the short stretch, and then running down a very good horse in Exaggerator. Dont hold his third in the Breeders Cup Juvenile against him, as he was in traffic most of the way, eased out between horses, and was very late changing leads. But he found his best stride and was coming fast at the end to get third. Like in the Breeders Futurity, the finish line was located at the sixteenth pole, which compromised his running style. Romans overall has done very well in the Derby, finishing third with two grass horses and fourth with a speed horse. And this colt appears to be everything you look for in a Derby horse. Following stablemate Cherry Wines second straight explosive score recently, this time in a Gulfstream allowance, you have to wonder if Brodys Cause is even the best horse in his own barn. But right now, Brody has a big class edge on Cherry Wine. 3 Mohaymen Kiaran McLaughlin TapitJustwhistledixie, by Dixie Union Yes, I admit he is a logical choice for No. 1, being undefeated and showing uncanny professionalism in all his races. Hes not going to blow you away, but I loved the way he rated down on the inside in the Remsen and then split horses after turning for home. And then Flexibility, who he defeated in the Nashua and Remsen, flattered him in the Jerome with an impressive victory. McLaughlin appears to be sitting on a Derby victory and, like Dale Romans, should be high on the Derby gods list. Watch this colt being sold on YouTube. Ive never seen a horse stand so still for so long. It looked like he was falling asleep as his price rocketed to $2.2 million. The only parts of him that moved were his ears. So why isn't he No. 1? I honestly cant give any concrete reasons other than he looks too obvious, and it must be mentioned that no Remsen winner has won the Derby in the past 22 years. In fact, in those 22 years only one Remsen winner has even placed in the Derby. Although the Remsen gives a horse a great of bottom and gives a trainer a lot of leeway at 3, perhaps 1 1/8 miles is simply too far for a 2-year-old, especially in only his third start, and has a tendency to dull them, considering the slow times the Remsen usually produces. I would have liked him a lot more had he debuted in a sprint to sharpen him up. But to his credit, his time was almost three full seconds faster than the Demoiselle on the same card. Overall, I was very impressed with his performance, and in the Nashua Stakes as well, and it was tough not putting him first. In numerology, the keyword for the name Mohaymen is reliability and the qualities are dependability and stability. Thats him. And the name Mohaymens colors are gray and blue, and hes gray and his silks are blue. Hey, its the Derby, we can go a little crazy right off the bat. 4 Nyquist Doug O'Neill Uncle MoSeeking Gabrielle, by Forestry Many will consider it a snub ranking the undefeated 2-year-old champion and three-time grade I winner in fourth, but although I am not of the opinion he is distance limited, I do have to wonder if he will be as effective at a mile and a quarter. Right now, he is a winning machine, but his perpetual bridesmaid, Swipe, has gotten closer to him in each of his four second-place finishes, and his 5 1/4-length score in the Best Pal has been whittled down to a half-length (in the BC Juvenile). And Swipe, who currently is on the shelf, looks more distance-oriented. Nyquist also benefited from the very short stretch run at Keeneland, even though he had a wide trip most of the way. When I had heard that he would make his debut in the 7f San Vicente, I loved it. That would give him a good sharpener after a pair of two-turn races. But then when it was announced he would have only one more start, the Florida Derby, I didnt love it as much. I dont feel one sprint and one two-turn race is enough to have him ready to go 1 1/4 miles, especially with a five-week layoff to the Kentucky Derby. But thats old-school me. If the Santa Anita track is hampered by the weather, he could go up to Golden Gate to train and debut, and thats a totally different story, as it would give him two route races, although he wouldnt be facing much up north (his stablemate, who is not in his league, just won the California Derby). You have to admire this colts consistency and will to win. He is a deserving champion. But where hell be on the first Saturday in May and how hell stack up against these horses well have to wait and see. 5 Exaggerator Keith Desormeaux CurlinDawn Raid, by Vindication Now this colt making his debut in the 7f San Vicente is perfect, as hes already made six starts, three of them at 1 1/16 miles, so he definitely would benefit from a good sharpener in a sprint to start off his campaign, just as Desormeaux did with Texas Red last year. Hes run well from 5 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, winning stakes sprinting and around two turns, on fast and muddy tracks, and is as honest a colt as weve seen. In his two-turn debut, he looked to have the Breeders Futurity won until Brodys Cause came from the clouds to run by him late, and in the Delta Jackpot, he ran a gutsy race to hold off Sunny Ridge the length of the stretch, and Sunny Ridge was coming off a second in the Champagne Stakes and an authoritative victory in the one-mile Sapling Stakes at Monmouth. In the BC Juvenile, he was jostled around in heavy traffic early, was stuck on the rail the whole way with nowhere to run, and finally got a clear run at the top of the stretch, but had to ease out for room after running up behind a wall of horses. Once clear again, he found his best stride and was coming on at the end only to get nipped for third by Brodys Cause. 6 Airoforce Mark Casse Colonel JohnChocolate Pop, by Cuvee Casse has developed into one of North Americas elite trainers and he also has a strong Derby contender in Conquest Big E. This colt remains a bit of an enigma, as he still has never run over a fast dirt track, although he was quite impressive in the Ky. Jockey Club Stakes, run over a sloppy track, and the runner-up in that race, Mor Spirit, came back to win the Los Alamitos Futurity and the third-place finisher, Mo Tom, won Saturdays LeComte Stakes impressively. And he opened up on both of them. Being inbred to In Reality certainly helped his wet track form. His broodmare sire, Cuvee, is not exactly what youd look for in a stamina influence, but there is plenty in his female family to suggest hell get a distance of ground. What helps make the Casse operation so potent is Marks son and assistant Norman, a talented horseman in his own right who will one day be a top trainer himself. The jury is still out on this colt, but he was born on my wifes birthday, so Ill give him the benefit of the doubt. No nasty comments, please, Im joking. Bottom line is he could be any kind if he can duplicate his form on a fast track, so well take a wait-and-see attitude for now. 7 Mor Spirit Bob Baffert EskendereyaIm a Dixie Girl, by Dixie Union Solid, steady performer who looks more like a one-paced grinder that keeps coming at you, from either close up or farther back. He runs with his head low and showed his class finishing second in the Ky. Jockey Club Stakes after pressing the pace, taking the lead on the far turn, and then digging in gamely and holding off the challenge of Gun Runner, while never seeing the winner Airoforce rolling down the middle of the track. He kept battling on and never gave up, holding on for second over a fast-closing Mo Tom. He then came back in the Los Alamitos Futurity, settling farther back in the pack this time and then making steady progress to run down his stablemate Toews on Ice to win going away. But Toews on Ice came back with a poor effort in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn as the 3-5 favorite, tiring badly after setting the pace. Mor Spirit is another of the many consistent young horses we have on the Derby trail this year and hes always going to be right there fighting to the end. For Baffert, after last year there is zero pressure on him and he can just enjoy this years Derby trail. Its all icing on the proverbial cake. Baffert was quoted as saying hes hungrier than ever after last years Triple Crown. Thats like eating three 48-ounce porterhouse steak dinners at Peter Lugers and saying youre still hungry. 8 Flexibility Chad Brown Bluegrass CatSanta Vindi, by Vindication It was mentioned earlier that only one Remsen winner in the past 22 years has even placed in the Kentucky Derby, and that was this colts sire, Bluegrass Cat, who finished second to Barbaro at Churchill Downs. Its the same old story; if you like Mohaymen you have to like Flexibility following his two gallant second-place finishes in the Nashua and Remsen, and then starting off 2016 with an impressive score in Aqueducts Jerome Stakes; granted against far less talented opponents than Mohaymen and having the perfect setup. But the bottom line is he won, and now its a question of whether debuting on New Years weekend was too soon after having a tough nine-furlong race only a month earlier. Lets see what Brown does with him now. He probably could use a little time off before gearing up for the Derby. It would be difficult having him peak on the first Saturday in May if he keeps racing steadily through the winter and early spring, having already had a tough race at 1 1/8 miles. But, like Mohaymen, he is consistent and dependable, and well see what path Brown chooses for him. 9 Conquest Big E Mark Casse TapitSeeinisbelieven, by Carson City There are a lot of questions with this colt, but there is also tremendous upside if he answers those questions satisfactorily. First off, he did finish eighth in the Breeders Cup Juvenile, but was coming off only a maiden win and was surrounded by traffic for the first three-quarters, pressing the pace, but still was beaten only 4 3/4 lengths, which in many ways isnt a ringing endorsement for the Juvenile. The other question is whether he is as effective on a fast track as he is on a sloppy track, over which he scored his two victories. Now for the good stuff. In his maiden score at Keeneland, he ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44 2/5, while his stablemate, Conquest Windycity, won the other division in just under 1:46 3/5. In his most recent allowance victory at Churchill Downs, he ran the mile in 1:37 3/5. Later on the card, in the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, won by his stablemate Airoforce, they went the mile in 1:38 3/5. So, does this boost his credentials or detract from his victorious stablemate? As we mentioned, the form of that race has held up brilliantly so far. He seems very professional and keeps maturing, changing leads on cue, and has a big smooth stride, but does run with his head a bit high. 10 Unexplained Chris Richard Ghostzapper Alex's Ali, by Afleet Alex If Conquest Big E is legitimate then you have to love this gelding, perhaps even more, with his monster closing kick. Im going out on a major limb including him in the Top 12, as hes entered in an Oaklawn allowance race Jan. 21, so his stay on here will either be the shortest ever or it could be the beginning of a long association. His first start at seven furlongs had to be seen to be believed, coming from some 15 lengths back and swallowing up the entire field with a powerful burst of speed in the stretch and drawing away to win by four lengths. He then went up against the more experienced Conquest Big E in the aforementioned Churchill allowance and again put in a huge run to finish second, beaten two lengths, while coming home his last quarter in :24 3/5 and finishing 6 1/4 lengths ahead of the third horse in time that equates to about a full second faster than the Ky. Jockey Club Stakes, which was the following race. Although he recently breezed a solid 5f in 1:01, he has missed some training due to the weather, so he may not be 100 percent, and he does have to work on his lead changes, which should improve with maturity. With his pace dependant running style, all Im looking for is another strong effort to move him a step forward and prepare him for the major races ahead. If he runs poorly, he could take Conquest Big E right off the Top 12 with him. 11 Mo Tom Tom Amoss Uncle MoCaroni, by Rubiano Although he put in strong closing kicks in the Ky. Jockey Club Stakes and LeComte Stakes, the latter was a big step forward because it was a more professional performance. In the Ky. Jockey Club, he had the rail all to himself as he rallied from far back, then in midstretch, jumped over to his left lead under right-hand whipping and ducked in sharply, coming precariously close to hitting the rail, if he indeed did not make contact with it. He recovered beautifully and switched back to his right lead at the sixteenth pole and was closing fast at the end, just missing catching Mor Spirit for second. In the LeComte, he bobbled coming out of the gate, was bumped hard from the inside passing the finish line ad again saved ground. But this time he eased out about 3 to 4-wide at the head of the stretch, then had to angle out to the middle of the track for room and once clear closed strongly to win going away. Hes shown he can win at 6 furlongs and has won at Churchill Downs, taking the Street Sense Stakes, where he soundly defeated Discreetness, who has come back to win the Springboard Mile at Remington Park and todays Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn. Whatever stamina he has in a bit farther back in his pedigree, but he does have the right running style, so well see what happens when the distances stretch out. 12 Zulu Todd Pletcher BernardiniTemporada, by Summer Squall Normally I would never have a horse in the Top 12 with only two non-stakes sprint starts in his career and who hasnt beaten anyone of note, but this one is strictly gut instinct based on the eye test. I never trust lightly raced Todd Pletcher horses like this, who are brilliant in January, but never make an impact on the Triple Crown. But I really like what Ive seen of this colt, who looks to be as talented as any 3-year-old seen so far. All he has to his credit is a decent maiden score in December and a brilliant 7 1/4-length romp over his stablemate in a 7f allowance/optional claimer. But I can actually see him jumping up and having a major say in the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby. He has natural speed, but can rate comfortably behind horses, and he possesses the kind of turn of foot you love to see in a young horse. He possesses a big flowing stride and moves over the ground very smoothly. I would have liked to see Sharp Azteca, who finished second to him in his maiden score, come back and run well on Saturday, but he finished a very disappointing fifth at 3-5, so we dont have that gauge to go by. He now has to take a major leap in class in a short period of time and hustle to make the Derby with no setbacks at all. Its a longshot, as hes still a guess, but well see how far his talent can take him. If youre a believer in the Rasmussen Factor (RF), he is inbred 3x3 to Weekend Surprise through her sons A.P. Indy and Summer Squall. Knocking At The Door The aforementioned SWIPE, who keeps getting closer to Nyquist with every start, definitely would be prominently placed in the Top 12, even with a 1-for-7 record, but hes recovering from an ankle chip and trainer Keith Desormeaux said its going to be tight making the Derby, although they are hoping to. He should return to training on Feb. 1 and Desormeaux said they are looking for a late March to early April target date for his debut, which would give him only one Derby prep, and obviously thats way too iffy to have him in the Top 12 right now. Well watch his progress carefully. One horse who I like a great deal and had ranked No. 12 before the LeComte is AWESOME SPEED, who looks to have all the tools, has great tactical speed, and is as gutsy as they come. His stakes victories in the James Lewis III at Laurel and Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream were extremely encouraging, and I love the way he moves over the ground and fights when horses come to him. His pedigree actually suggests more stamina than speed, but he has been able to use his natural speed to win three in a row. Definitely one to watch. CHERRY WINE was mentioned earlier, and if he can duplicate his explosive move against stakes competition then were talking about a serious horse. His sire, Paddy OPrado, was a grass horse who finished third in the Kentucky Derby and his female family appears more geared to a mile to 1 1/8 miles. But again, he has the right running style and puts himself in contention in a hurry and then has the ability to pour it on and demolish his opponents. Im still high on ANNUAL REPORT, a $600,000 yearling purchase who ran a huge race in the Futurity Stakes in 1:09 4/5 last year and then stretched out to two turns in the Ky. Jockey Club Stakes and ran a solid fifth in the slop. He has a tremendous pedigree and Im looking for big improvement at 3. He could give Kiaran McLaughlin a solid one-two punch for Shadwell and Godolphin. Two brilliant, but lightly raced colts playing catch-up are DREFONG, trained by Bob Baffert, and SHAGAF, trained by Chad Brown. Both look like incredibly gifted colts with a world of ability. But its going to be tight getting them to the Derby. Shagaf does have a 6-length victory at a mile in his debut at 2, so he doesnt have a lot of stretching out to do. He just needs to get three starts in him before the Derby. Drefong, a 9 1/2-length maiden winner at 6 furlongs in his second career start, needs to show he can stretch out in time. He worked 5f Monday in :59 4/5. Both colts should have plenty of stamina, so that would be an advantage. Baffert finished one-two in the Sham Stakes with COLLECTED and the fast-closing LETS MEET IN RIO, and you cant dismiss either one, although Lets Meet in Rio looks to be more of a Derby horse. So Baffert has already run 1-2 in stakes races, having swept the exacta in the Los Alamitos Futurity with Mor Spirit and TOEWS ON ICE, who tired badly as the big favorite in the Smarty Jones Stakes. Graham Motion has himself a hot Derby horse in RAFTING, who won the Smooth Air Stakes at a mile at Gulfstream and has been working brilliantly, breezing 6 furlongs in 1:13 flat in his last drill. Following two sub-par efforts on grass, the Ian Wilkes-trained HAND OF POWER woke up big-time at a mile on dirt at Churchill Downs, winning going away with a big move in the stretch and a final quarter in :24 flat. Hes been training steadily at Palm Meadows. If there was a Derby horse to emerge from the Smarty Jones Stakes, it could be third-place finisher SYNCHRONY, a back-to-back winner at Keeneland and Churchill Downs who got stuck on his left lead, while being leaned on down the stretch behind horses. When he finally switched to his right lead at the sixteenth pole he leveled off and was closing well at the end. The winner, DISCREETNESS, has won four of his six career starts and no doubt is a talented horse. Its just a question of how far he wants to go. Other up and coming Pletcher horses who might have a future are GETTYSBURG, RALLY CRY, STRADIVARI, PROSPECTUS, and DESTIN, who needs to improve off his LeComte fourth. This looks to be a deep crop, and others to keep an eye on are the tough and consistent SUNNY RIDGE, California Derby winner FRANK CONVERSATION, GIFT BOX, COCKED AND LOADED, GUN RUNNER, SAIL AHOY, PIRELLONE, RIKER, UNBRIDLED OUTLAW, AMIS GIZMO, and SEYMOURDINI. nuscale_control_room_simulator.jpg A simulated control room at NuScale's Corvallis site. (NuScale image) U.K. ambitions to build small modular nuclear plants may be realized as soon as 2025, according to Corvallis-based NuScale, which is seeking to be a pioneer in the market. QuickTake Nuclear Power NuScale plans to submit its 50-megawatt reactor design for approval by U.S. nuclear authorities towards the end of 2016. That would leave it well-placed to seek the U.K. equivalent, called Generic Design Assessment, in 2017, Tom Mundy, executive vice president for program development at the U.S. company, said in an interview in London. "Assuming the GDA is submitted and takes four years, we'd be looking at approval in 2021," Mundy said. "There's then a 36-month construction time, so it's plausible to expect that if all things line up, we could have a U.K. plant built by 2025." Britain is trying to secure new baseload power as it closes down all its coal-fired plants by 2025. Conventional nuclear power is proving expensive and time consuming, while most companies don't think it's profitable to build new gas-fired stations. The Treasury in November said it will plow 250 million pounds ($378 million) into research and development over the next five years aimed at building one of the world's first small modular nuclear reactors in the 2020s. NuScale's 50-megawatt reactors can be deployed in quantities of as many as 12 at a single power plant. That would give utilities the flexibility to spread capital spending over many years as they expand a plant. By contrast, Electricite de France SA and China General Nuclear Power Corp. will spend about 18 billion pounds to build a 3.2-gigawatt nuclear plant they're planning at Hinkley Point in southwest England by 2025, the first atomic station in the country since 1995. NuScale draws on technology developed at Oregon State University more than a decade ago. The company has offices in Corvallis and Portland, and is owned by Texas energy services giant Fluor Corp. The levelized cost of energy for NuScale's first project will be about $101 (70 pounds) per megawatt-hour, according to Mundy. Later projects could come in at $90, he said. The EDF-led plant at Hinkley will get government-guaranteed power payments of 92.50 pounds per megawatt-hour for 35 years. The global market for small modular reactors may total as much as 400 billion pounds by 2035, according to a report in late 2014 by the National Nuclear Laboratory, which advises the U.K. government. It identified reactor designs that may meet U.K. requirements coming from NuScale, Toshiba Corp.'s Westinghouse unit, China National Nuclear Corp. and the mPower venture by Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises Inc. and Bechtel Group Inc. NuScale won't manufacture its own reactors and has investigated the U.K. supply chain, according to Mundy. Once established in Britain, the company could then export its modules to other European nations, he said. "There are U.K. companies that can build everything we need," said Mundy. "We can offer British companies great opportunities to build the stuff. We want to make our program as beneficial to the U.K. as possible. It's the only international market where we're really expending resources." When Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced the R&D funding for modular reactors, it also said a competition for funding will be held "early next year." The Department of Energy and Climate Change said that no fixed timetable has yet been set. Mundy said he doesn't doubt the government's intentions. "Nuclear power has a long legacy in this country, and our reactors are based on tried-and-tested light water technology," Mundy said. "I'm optimistic that with what the chancellor said and the indications from DECC we're going to continue to move forward." -- Bloomberg News Switzerland Davos Forum A technician lines up chairs Monday at the congress center where the World Economic Forum will take place later this week in Davos, Switzerland. (Michel Euler/The Associated Press) DAVOS, Switzerland -- The world's political and business elite are being urged to do more than pay lip service to growing inequalities around the world as they head off for this week's World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. Two reports published Monday, from Oxfam and public relations firm Edelman, warned that the widening gap between the haves and have-nots since the global financial crisis is undermining a decades-long effort to reduce global poverty and fueling the rise of populist politicians. According to Oxfam, the scale of the problem is increasingly stark: just 62 people, it says, own the same wealth as half the planet. The compares with 388 people just five years ago, when the global economy was just emerging from its deepest recession since World War II. The theme of this year's Davos gathering is the "fourth industrial revolution" -- caused by fast and broad innovations in areas like robotics, driverless cars, 3-D printing and biotechnology. WEF founder Klaus Schwab, in an Associated Press interview in Davos, said it could widen the gap between rich and poor. "It's my biggest concern, because the fourth industrial revolution will even increase the inequality which we have," Schwab said, adding: "Those who are entrepreneurs, who have talents, will push innovation -- will gain from the revolution -- and those who are on the other side, particularly in service positions, will lose." While the wealth of the poorest half of the world's population -- more than 3.6 billion people -- has fallen by a trillion dollars, or 41 percent, since 2010, Oxfam said in its report that the wealth of the super-elite has risen by around half a trillion dollars. Though acknowledging that dealing with inequalities has become a part of discussions in Davos, Oxfam said it's time for leaders to do more than just acknowledge the problem, especially if they want to hit poverty-reduction targets. "It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the world's population owns no more than a few dozen super-rich people who could fit onto one bus," said Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam International Executive Director, who will again attend Davos, having co-chaired last year's event. Tax havens, she said, are at the core of the rigged system that allows big corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share of tax. "I challenge the governments, companies and elites at Davos to play their part in ending the era of tax havens, which is fuelling economic inequality and preventing hundreds of millions of people lifting themselves out of poverty," said Byanyima. "Multinational companies and wealthy elites are playing by different rules to everyone else, refusing to pay the taxes that society needs to function." Oxfam reckons around $7.6 trillion of individuals' wealth sits offshore, around 12 percent of the total, and that around $190 billion could be made available for poverty-fighting initiatives if tax were paid on that wealth. Closing the loopholes, which Oxfam says are used by nine out of ten of the WEF's sponsoring corporations, will help governments meet their goal of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030. Over the past few years, those voicing concerns over growing inequalities have increased. Even the International Monetary Fund has warned of the perils to growth stemming from this gap. According to Edelman, inequalities within society are already driving political change and that could put a break on economic potential. In its annual survey of trust levels around the world, it found the largest-ever gap between the views of highly educated people and those with fewer years of schooling, driven by a disparity in income. Edelman found general level of trust in institutions -- government, business, media and non-governmental organizations -- among college-educated people around the globe up 4 percentage points at 60 percent, its highest level in the survey's 16 year-history. For the wider public, Edelman's trust gauge was up 2 percentage points at 48 percent. It noted that the U.S. has the biggest disparity in trust within its population, followed by Britain and France. Edelman's online survey of 33,000 plus respondents in 28 countries, was conducted between Oct. 13 and Nov. 16, 2015. "We are now observing the inequality of trust around the world," said Richard Edelman, the president and CEO of Edelman. "This brings a number of potential consequences including the rise of populist politicians, the blocking of innovation and the onset of protectionism and nativism." Around the world, there's been a groundswell of support for what were previously considered fringe political leaders and parties. Edelman noted the rise of Donald Trump, who is in a seemingly strong position in the race to be the Republican Party's candidate in the presidential election this fall, the politics of many countries are in flux. Spain has seen the anti-austerity Podemos party perform strongly in last month's general election, while polls suggest that Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National in France, could be contesting the presidential runoff next year. Edelman said that following the global financial crisis and global recession, most of the income gains have gone to the better-off, who have also benefited from low mortgage rates and rising house prices. For those lower down the income scale, Edelman said the years since have been marked by a growing sense of insecurity and anger. Bad behavior by banks, politicians and even the likes of German car giant Volkswagen further eroded trust. "The trust of the mass population can no longer be taken for granted," said Edelman. -- The Associated Press Jenn Louis' Israeli dinner Portland chef Jenn Louis' downtown Los Angeles Israeli restaurant is expected to open this fall. For those who want a taste of the new menu without the wait (or flight), Louis will be hosting a family-style Israeli dinner at Lincoln on Jan. 27. Louis, a 2012 Food & Wine best new chef and author of last year's "Pasta by Hand," says the new restaurant will celebrate the rustic, soulful side of Israeli food. The new restaurant, as yet unnamed, will open in the 1920s-era Commercial Exchange Building, a downtown Los Angeles office building currently being transformed into a chic hostel. Lincoln's upcoming multi-course menu costs $25 per person (plus optional drink pairing). Reservations are available at 503-288-6200. New hires at Americano Americano, the East Burnside coffee-bar-by-day, cocktail-bar-by-night concept from Hale Pele's Blair Reynolds and Coco Donuts' partner Ian Christopher, has announced a pair of prominent staff hires for the bar's March opening. Chris DeBarr, a New Orleans chef with stints at Commander's Palace, Delachaise Wine Bar and Green Goddess, will guide the Euro-centric small plates and all-day brunch menu and take over as general manager. Kate Bolton, former bar director at Maven in San Francisco, will take over as Americano's bar manager. In the mornings, Americano will serve coffee, pastries and breakfast sandwiches. At night, the space will switch over to a European-inspired cocktail bar influenced by the Americano, an Italian cafe cocktail made with Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda. Drinks will be amaro-driven and low-alcohol, designed for long conversations with friends. Americano will be located at 2605 E. Burnside St. The cafe/bar is slated to open in March. -- Samantha Bakall sbakall@oregonian.com Follow @sambakall 808 grinds kalbi ribs.jpg A plate of Korean-style grilled short ribs at 808 Grinds Cafe (Ben Waterhouse, special to the Oregonian) Grade-school buddies Kevin Scofield and Jensen Yip have been serving Hawaiian plate lunches to appreciative crowds from their grafitti-covered food cart in downtown Portland since 2010. About a year ago, the duo opened a brick-and-mortar cafe in a lonely strip next to the interchange of Highways 26 and 217. The Cedar Hills commercial center -- not to be confused with Cedar Hills Crossing -- isn't a glamorous location, but it's a convenient one once you know it's there. In the new space, Scofield and Yip are serving up the same heaping plates of meat, rice and macaroni salad, plus some new treats. The chow: The centerpiece of the menu are still the pulled pork, shoyu chicken, fried chicken chunks and loco moco -- two hamburger patties and a fried egg over rice -- plates (each $7.50) that earned the 808 Grinds cart its adoring fans, but the menu at the cafe is considerably larger. The pork and chicken are available as sandwiches (each $7.50) and the plate options include more labor-intensive options like smoked and grilled chicken quarters ($9.50), teriyaki salmon ($10) and Korean-style short ribs grilled to rich, chewy perfection. Scofield and Yip have been having fun with their deep fryer, turning out pupu-platter favorites like fries tossed with garlic and Japanese furikake seasoning ($4) and crisp wonton wrappers stuffed with pork and shrimp and served with a mayonnaise-y sauce ($5 for five, $8 for nine). A guava chiffon cake ($4) for dessert is traditional, but I'd just as soon have another Spam musubi ($3 for one, $5 for two). Real deals: The giant "Trifecta" combo with shoyu chicken, pulled pork and fried chicken is $11. Hangout factor: The restaurant is a basic, counter-service setup that would have no personality at all were it not for large floral-print curtains hung here and there. It's very clean and the staff is very friendly, but it's not a place for lingering. Liquids: Soda ($1.50-$2); juices ($1.50-$2); Hawaiian beer ($4) What's half-baked? The pickled carrot and radish on the char siu pork sandwich ($7.50) were disappointingly droopy. Inside tips: If you like that creamy wasabi or habanero teriyaki sauce, you can pick up a bottle to take home for $6. The numbers: 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 10100 SW Park Way; 503-477-9976; 808grinds.com. -- Ben Waterhouse bankofamerica.jpg Melissa Wheatt, 44, was arrested as she was exiting a Bank of America branch in Gresham at 200 East Powell Blvd. on Jan. 13. She now faces a federal bank robbery charge. (Davis Turner/Bloomberg News) A 44-year-old woman accused of robbing a bank in Gresham this month told authorities that she didn't intend to hurt anybody and wrote a letter of apology to the bank's employees, according to court documents. "Please accept my deepest apology for putting your life in fear,'' Melissa Wheatt wrote to the teller and employees of the Bank of America she's accused of robbing on Jan. 13, according to a federal affidavit. "I am so sorry. I know all you trying to do make a living for your family.'' Melissa Wheatt, 44 Wheatt is facing one count of bank robbery in U.S. District Court in Portland. She's accused of walking into the bank at 200 E. Powell Blvd. about 10:40 a.m., and presenting a teller with a demand note that read, "I have a gun. Give me all your money,'' FBI agent June Piniewski wrote in the affidavit. The teller thought Wheatt was armed, as he saw her hand concealed in the left pocket of her blue coat. The teller grabbed about $1,920 , placed it in a gray "Bank of America" money bag and handed it over, the affidavit said. Gresham Police Officer Ryan Gleason arrived at the bank within seconds of the robbery call and saw Wheatt walk out, according to Piniewski. She matched the suspect description and he took her into custody immediately, Piniewski wrote in the affidavit. Wheatt told police she had taken a bus and stopped at a post office before entering the bank. "I do not want to go to jail. I just needed the money, I made a mistake,'' Wheatt told Gresham police and the FBI agent, according to the affidavit. Wheatt told authorities she was going to share some of the money with her daughter and use some to rent a car and visit her mother, the affidavit said. Wheatt was released from custody the day after her arrest. She's set to be arraigned on the federal bank robbery charge on Feb. 12. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian hales.JPG Portland Mayor Charlie Hales atop a street paver in the Lloyd District on June 30, 2014. million. Brad Schmidt Publication Date: July 10, 2015 Page: 06 Section: A Edition: 1M (Brad Schmidt/Staff) By Robert McCullough On Saturday, the New York Times editorial page recommended that states raise the gas tax. They reported that last year eight states did so. Oregon, whose gasoline and diesel use is above the U.S. average, dodged this logical step in the last legislature. The arguments for a gas tax increase are compelling. Portland has traditionally underinvested in infrastructure in spite of its role as the transportation hub of the Pacific Northwest. Preliminary data from Oregon's Driver and Motor Vehicle Services indicates that Multnomah County is adding cars and light trucks at an accelerating rate - potentially as high as an additional 1 percent per month. In case the price shock at the pump has faded from our collective memories, retail gasoline prices are roughly half the level we paid five years ago. This is a tremendous windfall, and some, at least, should be put to a good use. Traditionally, Portland's at-large commissioners have neglected infrastructure since press releases and glittery promises have tended to distract from the dull day-to-day city management issues. For our transportation infrastructure, this has created a tremendous backlog of nuts-and-bolts street-repair issues. Aspirational traffic planning has added to the problems as heavy trucks now wend their way through residential neighborhoods as they move raw materials and finished products between rail yards and factories. Last summer Steve Novick called me several times to ask for my support for a 10-cent gasoline and diesel tax. This was courageous, since I had been a serious critic of his previous "arts tax" approach to the problem. I welcome his efforts in this direction and fervently hope that he keeps the tax simple and understandable. If he doesn't, the tax will go down to defeat and we will endure another cycle of potholes and poor traffic planning. In my conversations with Ted Wheeler, we have discussed a 20-cent gasoline tax. My own very informal poll through the Nextdoor social media site indicates that almost as many Portlanders supported this higher level. The economics of a larger specific targeted tax are enormous. Fixing streets before complete failure is vastly cheaper than waiting. If we have a $2-per-gallon "dividend" - reduction from past prices - investing 20-cents-per-gallon in getting the job right is a tremendous investment. In discussing this issue with neighbors and other community advocates, the problem of Portland's fascination with glittery objects is frequently raised. Many of us are concerned that the tax will be siphoned off for colorful but less useful purposes. Again, funding immediate repairs through a bond offering would provide discipline; bond owners have legal protections that block funding pilferage. Many of us grew up in Portland with the advertising refrain from Tom Peterson: "Free is a very good price." I would misquote him a bit to say, "Now is a very good time." Let's use the dividend wisely and fix what needs to be fixed while it is cost-effective. Robert McCullough is president of Southeast Uplift and the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association. 1rubio.JPG Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. speaks at a town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (Associated Press) Iran nuclear deal: Marco Rubio dismisses the importance of the recent Obama-negotiated release of Americans held in Iran as weakness and tells us that when he becomes president "it will be like Ronald Reagan, where as soon as he took office the hostages were released from Iran." Rubio gives the credit to Reagan for the release of the hostages held at the American embassy, which occurred literally moments after Reagan was sworn in. Apparently, in Rubio's mind, Iran was so afraid of Reagan, they just gave up moments into his presidency and released the hostages. The truth is Reagan had nothing to do with their release. The embassy hostages were released as part of a deal negotiated entirely by Jimmy Carter -- negotiations that had begun two months before Reagan was even elected, just after Iraq had invaded Iran. Carter had even attempted armed rescue to free the hostages. Reagan, when faced with his own hostage crisis, chose instead to try to bribe Iran by giving them guns in exchange for hostages. Reagan had Israel sell Iran the guns, and we then resupplied Israel -- using the funds to support the anti-Sandinistas in Nicaragua; all of this was completely illegal and morally bankrupt. Obama and Carter successfully won Iranian hostage releases with calm, measured negotiations. Rubio has declared he would instead prefer Reagan's way -- bribing our enemies with weapons. Good to know. Charlie Phillips Southwest Portland 1guantanamo.JPG In this May 14, 2009, file photo, reviewed by the U.S. military, Guantanamo detainees pray before dawn near a fence of razor-wire, inside Camp 4 detention facility at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. (The Associated Press) By Josh Rogin and Eli Lake President Barack Obama is determined to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and if he decides to do so without Congress, there may be little his opponents can do to stop him. Since his State of the Union address on Tuesday, when Obama reiterated that he will "keep working" to shut down the prison, the administration has sped up the effort significantly. Ten prisoners were transferred this week. Ninety-three prisoners remain, 34 of whom have already been cleared for release. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he had sent a detailed, written plan to Obama laying out how to move the remaining prisoners to the United States. The White House is to submit that plan to Congress soon. That strategy directly challenges existing laws that not only prevent Obama from moving Guantanamo prisoners to U.S. soil, but also bar the Pentagon from spending congressionally appropriated funds to do so. Obama, in a series of signing statements, has consistently rejected the validity of those laws, arguing they infringe upon the executive's powers. Military law experts told us that if the White House defies Congress, lawmakers' options for stopping Obama are limited. "It would be difficult for anyone to intervene," said Rachel VanLandingham, a professor at Southwestern Law School who served as a judge advocate in the Air Force. "If he really wanted to do it, he could, but it would come at a huge political cost." That cost could include a long court battle over the constitutional separation of powers. But the federal courts are unlikely to intervene quickly because it's largely a political issue, several experts said, meaning that the Obama administration would be history before a final ruling on the legality of its approach. And at that point, the prison could already be closed. Congressional leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, have said the president's anticipated action could amount to asking the U.S. military to break the law, but the military is not likely to see it that way. "Military members are required to follow all lawful orders, but there's a legal presumption that orders are lawful," said VanLandingham. "The military is going to salute smartly." Congress's record on stopping Obama from releasing prisoners is not strong. Congressional leaders were incensed when in 2014, the president used executive authority to release five Taliban commanders from Guantanamo to trade them for U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who is now set to stand trial for desertion. In December, House Armed Service Committee Republicans issued a report that said Obama violated a statute that required a 30-day notification to Congress on the transfer of any detainees. The Government Accountability Office agreed and added that the Pentagon misused funds for the transfer. Outgoing Southcom commander Gen. John Kelly said last week that the military was directed to transfer the Taliban five secretly, without alerting reporters who were on the base. "It was a dicey transfer," he said. "All of us were down there. We were doing the transfer, and we never got caught." Obama has come close to saying he will shut the prison with or without congressional approval. At his year-end press conference, the president said, "We will wait until Congress has definitively said no to a well-thought-out plan with numbers attached to it before we say anything definitive about my executive authority here." On Tuesday morning, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told reporters that the president would employ "audacious executive action," for the rest of the year, on several issues that could include Guantanamo Bay. He said the main question Obama will use when considering whether to use executive action is, "Why not?" Asked about Obama's plans to close the prison, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday, "Hopefully, he will fail." He added: "I'm a supporter of Gitmo. I hope it stays open. I think we should add more terrorists to it." The White House would get support from many Democrats. The ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, who was against the Bergdahl trade, told us this week the prison should be closed. "It removes one of the biggest drivers of hostility towards this country," she said. The wild card in such a scenario is Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain. McCain has traditionally supported closing the prison, but he is frustrated with what he sees as White House intransigence. This week, he told us he was open to considering the plan but skeptical anything the White House submits can get Republican support. "It depends on the plan. I would support presenting it my colleagues to see if we could get a majority vote," said McCain. "There's been so much unilateral action that there's a lot of anger about this." Moving the Guantanamo prisoners to U.S. soil has another advantage for the Obama administration; being inside the U.S. makes it possible for prisoners to be tried in civilian courts. By barring transfers from Guantanamo, Congress had kept many of them in the military commissions system and also given the military and intelligence community greater access to interrogate them. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr told us the prisoners should stay where they are to maintain that access: "It's still a viable thing to be able to tap back in to these individuals." When it comes to Guantanamo, the president's "lame duck" status is a misnomer. Politically, he is now free to act without Congress, saving his successor the problem of Guantanamo. But he may spawn a new problem: a court battle over the constitutional separation of powers. Lake and Rogin write about politics and foreign affairs for Bloomberg View. For more columns from Bloomberg View, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/view (c) 2016, Bloomberg View 1MLK.JPG In this April 3, 1968 file photo, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes his last public appearance at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tenn. The following day King was assassinated on his motel balcony. (The Associated Press) By The Washington Post editorial board In the Republican debate last week, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich offered tactical arguments against Donald Trump's proposed ban on Muslims coming to the United States. The policy would make it "impossible to build the coalition necessary to take out" the Islamic State, Mr. Bush said. The United States is going to need a "coalition made up of Arabs and Americans and westerners," Mr. Kasich agreed, and if we "call everybody the same thing, we can't do it." Their argument is correct, and their responses were a cut above those of other candidates on the stage. Asked whether they would support a ban, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio all deflected the question with boasts about how tough they'd be fighting the Islamic State or keeping refugees out of the country. But on the holiday set aside to honor Martin Luther King Jr., it is worth recalling that tactical consequences are not the principal reason Americans should find the Trump proposal repellent. We are a nation founded on the ideal that every individual has value and deserves to be judged on his or her own merit. Each of us can make choices about the importance, to ourselves, of our racial or national heritage, our religion or lack thereof, our sexual identity. No one else has the right to make those choices for us. Being Muslim, or black, or Irish American doesn't tell anyone else who you are, much less what you are worth. When we start judging people based on the categories they belong to, we diminish ourselves. In April 1963, while he was in jail for leading nonviolent demonstrations against segregation in Birmingham, Ala., Dr. King, an Atlanta minister, faced criticism for having come from outside the state to stir up trouble. He rejected the "outside agitator" label. "Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider," he wrote. That might leave room to think of foreigners differently; nations have a right to decide who may enter. But Dr. King would have been the first to say that recognizing the humanity of every person is essential in those decisions as in domestic affairs. "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny," Dr. King wrote in the same letter. "Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly." That's a precept that can be found in some variation in most of the world's religions. It's easy to preach, harder to practice. Our difficulty in sensing our place in that "inescapable network of mutuality" helps explain why a police officer may be more likely to shoot a fleeing suspect who doesn't look like him, why we may be more forgiving of drug addiction when it afflicts people who do look like us - and why we can harden our hearts to desperate refugee children whose families worship an unfamiliar God. What makes this campaign season so ugly is that leaders are not just failing the test of empathy but taking pride in their failure. We would hope to hear candidates for president making clear that bigotry against Muslims is wrong because it is wrong - because "whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly." (c) 2016, The Washington Post 1debate.JPG Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, center, answers a question as presidential candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, right and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley listen, during the NBC, YouTube Democratic presidential debate at the Gaillard Center, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Charleston, S.C. (The Associated Press) By Chris Cillizza The fourth Democratic presidential debate -- and the last one before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary next month -- is in the books. The best and the worst from the night are below. And make sure to check out our annotated debate transcript! Winners * Bernie Sanders: Yes, Sanders has one volume: Shouting. And, yes, he got tripped up a few times during the debate on his voting record -- especially on guns. But, throughout the debate's first hour -- the hour when most people, especially on the east coast and in the midwest, were watching -- he was the prime mover in virtually every discussion from Wall Street reform to healthcare to climate change. He was on offense, accusing Hillary Clinton of half-measures and political caution at a moment when boldness is required. Sanders held his own in the foreign policy focused second hour of the debate, something he had failed to do in debates past. And, he had one of his best moments of the debate at an unlikely time -- in response to a question about his criticism of Bill Clinton's behavior. Sanders turned the question into one focused on how the campaign he is running is about policy not personal differences -- to much applause. More than anything he said though, it was the passion and disruption that Sanders oozed from every pore over the two hours that should convince Democrats on the fence about the race into his camp. Sanders effectively positioned himself as the anti-status quo candidate in this race, a very good place to be in this electoral environment. * Martin O'Malley: Early in the debate, I had the Maryland governor pegged for the "loser" category because he was doing the one thing I hate: Complaining about how little time you have to talk. The truth is that when one candidate is in the 50 in national polling, another is in the 40s and a third is in the, well, twos, the candidate in the twos shouldn't get as many questions. But, to O'Malley's credit, he turned the corner on getting ignored and by the end of the debate was downright likable. Will it change anything about his minuscule support in Iowa and New Hampshire? No. But kudos to him. He did well in an impossible situation. One other important note about O'Malley: He tipped the scales to Sanders during a pitched fight between the Vermont Senator and Clinton over Wall Street reform. O'Malley chimed in by bashing Clinton as a defender of the same old same old when it came to bank behavior -- doing Sanders a major favor in the process. * Rand Paul: The Kentucky Senator isn't going to be the Republican presidential nominee. But, he may have a future as a professional political tweeter. Paul's counter-programming of the Democratic debate via Twitter was sardonic and fun -- two things politics can always use more of. *President Obama: Clinton went out of her way, repeatedly, to praise what the current president had done in office -- from Obamacare to Iran and back. Sanders sought to downplay his differences with Obama by noting that "he and I are friends." Had O'Malley had time to talk, I am certain he would have praised Obama too. Losers * Hillary Clinton: The former Secretary of State was, as always, solid. And, at times -- like in her closing statement on the water in Flint, Michigan -- she was outstanding. Her knowledge -- both the depth and the breadth of it -- is on full display in these debate settings. So, why is she in the loser columns? Because she did nothing in the debate to slow the momentum that Sanders is building in Iowa and New Hampshire. Aside from guns, where Clinton scored a clean hit on Sanders, she was unable to effectively cast him as a pie-in-the-sky idealist and herself as the only person who could truly fight -- and win -- for Democratic priorities. Time and again, she found herself boxed into defending a status quo that the American public -- Democrats and Republicans alike -- are dissatisfied with. This tweet from the New York Times Nicholas Kristof perfectly captures that sentiment: Hillary Clinton is eminently knowledgeable, but she's in effect calling for continuity at a time when lots of people want discontinuity. The Clinton-as-cautious-pragmatist vs Sanders-as-idealist-fighter is not a good dynamic for the former Secretary of State. * Sunday night debates: Let's call the Democratic debate schedule what it is: ridiculous. A Saturday debate just before Christmas. A Sunday night debate just before a federal holiday. No debate from now until AFTER the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Seriously? Say what you will about the Republican National Committee's attempts to influence the debate calendar. It pales in comparison to the travesty the Democratic National Committee has made of its own debates. Period. (c) 2016, The Washington Post As we enter Day 18 of the standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, here are the latest developments: * The occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge took their crusade to end federal land ownership to a new level Monday, imploring local ranchers to tear up their government grazing contracts. Standing before a crowd of about 30 in the dining room of a high desert hot springs resort near Crane, the leaders of the armed standoff urged those gathered to "lay claim" to the area's federal lands. A "signing ceremony" is planned Friday where ranchers will sign documents renouncing their obligation to pay fees tied to the federal grazing allotments, said spokesman LaVoy Finicum. * Critics of Ammon Bundy and his followers occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge have launched a protest designed to line the pocketbooks of Bundy's opponents. The campaign, founded by a pair of brothers from Oregon, is known aas G.O.H.O.M.E., an acronym that stands for Getting the Occupiers of Historic Oregon Malheur Evicted. * A protester believed to be involved in the Malheur refuge standoff crashed on a road near Hines early Sunday, but he was uninjured. * Tensions mounted over the weekend at the refuge, where men involved in Oregon's armed standoff clashed with conservationists and accused government workers of harassing their families. Follow The Oregonian/OregonLive team from the scene today on Twitter: Les Zaitz @LesZaitz Kelly House @Kelly_M_House Mark Graves @markwgraves Hashtag: #OregonStandoff CRANE - The occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge took their crusade to end federal land ownership to a new level Monday, imploring local ranchers to tear up their government grazing contracts. Standing before a crowd of about 30 in the dining room of a high desert hot springs resort, the leaders of the armed standoff urged those gathered to "lay claim" to the area's federal lands. The federal government owns about three-quarters of Harney County, renting much of it out to ranchers who pay a fee to run cattle there. "If you want to clear yourself from this unconstitutional mess and claim the rights that you already own and use them the way you should, then you need to take that contract and you need to tear it up and you need to tell them that you're never signing another one again," said Ryan Bundy, one of the leaders of the takeover with his younger brother, Ammon Bundy. The Bundy brothers and their comrades share the belief that the federal government lacks authority to own large parcels of land in the West. Their fight against federal land managers took off during an armed standoff in 2014 at the Nevada ranch owned by their father, Cliven Bundy, and arrived in Oregon 17 days ago. After staging a peaceful protest Jan. 2 against the federal prison sentences that two Harney County ranchers received for lighting fires that spread to federal land, the Bundys and a small group of followers seized the headquarters of the refuge. The bird sanctuary, 30 miles outside of Burns, is run by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In the days since, the protesters have vowed to stay as long as it takes to ensure the land is turned over to local control and have urged Harney County residents to join their movement. At community meetings last week, many residents said they supported the occupiers' message, but wanted them to go home. Now, the protesters are going a step further, asking local ranchers to sign their names to documents rejecting the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's authority. "When you commit to stand, I promise you the angel of heaven will stand with you," occupation spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum told the crowd. Finicum announced earlier in the day that the protesters had recruited two ranchers - one from Oregon and one from New Mexico -- to stop paying grazing fees, but he and the other occupation leaders spent more than three hours in Crane trying to convince more people to join the cause. The signing ceremony - now set for Saturday -- is "a once in a lifetime opportunity," Ammon Bundy said. The next time such an opportunity arises, he said: "It'll be war." "The opportunity is now. The place is Harney County. And you are the people," he said. Most in the audience sat stoically, with some occasionally nodding along with the presenters' speeches. Others questioned the protesters, some vehemently. "I personally don't think this can happen this fast," said rancher Buck Taylor of Diamond. "If I just stood up and signed a piece of paper Saturday that would put my family, my ranch in jeopardy." "You're asking us to give up everything for this rebel cause," said another rancher, Scott Franklin, who lives north of Burns. The occupiers tried to allay their concerns by offering quotes from the Founding Fathers and reading aloud from pocket-sized copies of the U.S. Constitution. The passages, they argued, proved the federal government can't lawfully control land in the West. The federal government's sole role, they said, is to protect U.S. citizens from the outside world, including national defense, international trade, border security and almost nothing else. Finicum said the signed grazing documents will be sent to the U.S. solicitor general. "It's not about ranching," Finicum said Monday morning during a news briefing at the refuge. "It's about asking the federal government to return to the confines of the law and allow the states and the counties to be free to govern themselves." Grazing fees were at the center of Cliven Bundy's confrontation with federal authorities in Nevada. A judge ordered him to pay $1 million in fees to the Bureau of Land Management, but he has refused. In Oregon and other Western states, it's common for ranchers to pay the government for the grazing rights. Their allotments often are several times larger than their private holdings, giving them the ability to raise far more cattle than they could without access to federal land. The occupied wildlife refuge covers 187,757 acres. Finicum, who has stopped paying fees on the federal grazing allotment attached to his Arizona ranch, said he doesn't believe ranchers who reject the fees should have free access to the land. Instead, the occupiers support a "production tax" directing grazing fees into local government coffers, he said. The occupiers have organized a "rapid response team" tasked with defending ranchers who agree to stop paying their grazing fees, he said. "At any time that they need somebody, they can call," Finicum said. "If the sheriff will not respond, we will respond." -- Kelly House khouse@oregonian.com 503-221-8178 @Kelly_M_House lightbar.jpg Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Jerry Bates says Tacoma police arrested a 19-year-old man. They believe he was upset over "a bad breakup" with the woman's teen daughter. (The Oregonian/File) TACOMA, Wash. -- A 40-year-old Pierce County woman was shot to death in front of her home Monday while her 5-year-old daughter was nearby. Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Jerry Bates says Tacoma police arrested a 19-year-old man. They believe he was upset over "a bad breakup" with the woman's teen daughter. Bates says the suspect also forced his way into the family's home in the South Hill neighborhood and shot a dog inside. The mother was driving home Monday morning when the suspect confronted her as she was leaving her car. She was shot multiple times. The detective says the 5-year-old was in the backseat of the car at the time and wasn't hurt, but she was "a witness to this murder." The woman's husband and teen daughter were not home at the time. -- The Associated Press 700x10x6_cows in field.JPG An Oregon rancher discovered last week that someone had shot, killed and butchered one of his cows. (The Oregonian file photo) STANFIELD -- An Oregon rancher awoke last week to discover that someone had shot, killed and butchered one of his cows. that rancher Terry Anderson said his 2-year-old heifer was slaughtered sometime Thursday night in a field near Stanfield. Anderson said the cow was "basically mutilated," with its body parts strung out over the field. He suspects the culprits were trying to make money off the meat but left most of the carcass to waste. A neighbor told him they heard a commotion about 10:30 p.m. Anderson believes at least three people were involved based on the tracks. Oregon State Police is investigating. Anderson is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The Oregon Cattlemen's Association is offering an additional $1,000. -- The Associated Press Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works! (GLBMW) recently changed from having a contract with the Arnold Center to a Saginaw company, a move that upset longtime employees from the Arnold Center. The affected employees had been contracted by the Arnold Center to work at GLBMW. But, as of July 1, 2015, SVRC Industries of Saginaw secured a new contract with Michigan Works!, replacing the Arnold Center. (GLBMW) goes through a competitive procurement process every three years to select service providers, stated Ed Oberski, CEO of GLBMW. This is not your typical low bid wins procurement. Price and budget are among several non-financial factors. Oberski stated that the new contract required SVRC to: 1) Hire all of the Arnold staff so that no one lost their job; 2) Pay all of them the same salary that they received from their former employer; and 3) Come as close as it could to their former fringe benefits. When a contracted service provider loses its contract, the norm around the country is for its employees to lose their jobs. They have to compete for their old jobs by applying to the new contractor as new employees. They may or may not be hired, Oberski said. The third point is the one that has employees concerned due to a reduction in seniority and vacation time. We all lost our seniority at that point because we are new employees for SVRC, even though we have worked for Michigan Works! There are people that have worked there over 20 years, said an employee who wished to remain anonymous. Generally, GLBMW does not get involved and is not familiar with contractors personnel procedures. We only became involved for this transition to the extent described above. Therefore, we do not have firsthand knowledge, Oberski stated. SVRC did not bring them in as senior SVRC employees with more seniority than long-time SVRC employees, he added. In balancing all factors, we did not believe that was unfair to the former Arnold Center employees. Those employees were also considered new employees when it came to vacation time. In coming as close as possible to the former fringe benefits, the Arnold Center, GLBMW and SVRC worked out a compromise regarding vacation time or PTO (paid time off). Arnold Center agreed to pay the employees for up to 80 hours of accrued PTO when they left. SVRC agreed to honor any remaining Arnold Center accrued PTO up to 80 hours. SVRC allowed any remaining Arnold Center PTO over those 80 hours to be transferred to the employees catastrophic sick bank, Oberski said. SVRC, which creates and sustains opportunities and support systems for persons with barriers to employment and community access, has been providing vocational rehabilitation services in Saginaw County and the surrounding community since 1962. Pay was another issue raised by the employees. We are very low paid, under $30,000 per year, the employee stated. This is all unique to our region. Weve been to training and statewide meetings and discussed things with people who are in the exact same positions that we are. Were paid $10,000 to $20,000 a year less than every other region. GLBMW is not a state agency. We are one of the 500 plus agencies that implement the nations workforce investment system, Oberski responded. There are 16 of us in Michigan, and we all have agreed to use the Michigan Works! name even though we are all separate and independent from each other. We are federally funded and partner closely with the state in implementing our programs, added Oberski. The employees also brought up their understanding that management level positions are required to hold a bachelors degree and that two do not. We are not aware of SVRCs personnel requirements in this regard, nor do we impose any requirements on them related to that, Oberski said. The Partnership for Better Health serves Cumberland, Perry, Adams and Franklin counties by identifying area health care needs and partnering with organizations to promote healthy living. More recently, the foundation has begun work on a new strategic planning process and is seeking public input for future projects. Executive Director Becca Raley estimates that the foundation has awarded in excess of $32 million for various health initiatives since its inception in 2001. Our focus is on two broad goalsimproving access to affordable health services and promoting healthy lifestyles, said Raley, describing some of the grants that have been funded. Were continuing our wellness at work initiatives where we provide matching funds for workplace wellness programs. Raley described the various ways monies have been used to benefit employee health, from creating walking paths near the workplace, to purchasing exercise equipment for onsite gyms. So many people today are well aware that moving more and eating better are core components to living longer and enjoying a better quality of life, but putting that into practice is easier said than done. Were here to cheer people on and many are joining us to learn about free strategies, like walking during breaks and conducting walking meetings, she said. The partnership also works with schools to combat problems related to sedentary behavior. During our youth networking forums, we meet with school nurses, physical education instructors and administrators to educate them on how to improve school settings to promote health, said Raley, describing how they are guiding a national initiative called Playworks. Its a simple model that involves working with schools to promote recess activity. Another school health promotion is 5,2,1,0Be a Healthy Hero and encourages students and their families to follow the formula to consume five fruits and vegetables per day, limit screen time to two hours or less, engage in one hour of physical activity and consume zero sugar. The foundations many initiatives reach both young and old alike. For instance, their partnership with Farmers on the Square provided healthy food for consumers via the Double Up Market Bucks program, which doubled fresh produce assistance dollars. Beneficiaries included those on the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) recipients. The program really helped boost the fresh produce consumption for those in need, Market Manager Ann Light said. Board Chair Jeffrey Gayman stresses the importance of ensuring that grant dollars are used effectively and the value of public input, which could also include volunteering for the foundation. He said he became involved with the Partnership for Better Health because he realized the tremendous effect it has on the community. By leveraging partnerships, we are providing funding for those most in need of care around the region, he said. The partnership recently teamed up with Capacity for Change, a public interest consulting group, to develop a strategic plan. To jumpstart the process, the foundation is seeking public feedback on current and future initiatives and input on how issues like poverty, mental health and drug and alcohol use affect the quality of life in their area. All members of the community are invited to complete the survey. We hope the public will participate and let their voices be heard, Raley said. As the largest community health foundation in the region, we are reminded every day that we belong to the community and the health issues that we face cant be solved by a single organization. It takes all of us, working hard, together, to develop more innovative solutions. To complete the survey, go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/PartnershipForBetterHealth. The following list includes reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Friday, Jan. 15 6:14 a.m. Officers were called to the 2200 block of Eastlawn Drive for a drug overdose, and investigated a case of marijuana possession. 9:35 a.m. A detective is investigating a report of funds wired from a financial institution in Midland to a location in Poland. 9:51 a.m. A $75 trash bin was stolen from a Mount Haley Township home. 1:40 p.m. A Larkin Township woman, 72, reported her debit card information was used to make unauthorized purchases throughout the United States and Great Britain. 3:43 p.m. Police investigated a hit and run traffic crash in the 400 block of Bayliss Street. 3:59 p.m. A deputy investigated a sex offender registry act violation that occurred in Geneva Township when a 29-year-old man did not update his address. The man was still living at the home. A report was sent to the prosecutors office for review. 4:09 p.m. A motorist was arrested for drunken driving after a traffic crash at Washington and East Wheeler streets. 4:13 p.m. A vehicles rear window was broken out while it was parked at the Meridian High School. 6:58 p.m. Officers investigated a case of retail fraud in the 900 block of Joe Mann Boulevard. WASHINGTON, January 18, 2016 Defense Secretary Ash Carter joined Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery today before welcoming the prime minister to the Pentagon for a discussion on defense cooperation between the United States and Australia. In a statement provided by Peter Cook, Pentagon press secretary, Carter and Turnbull discussed recent developments in Iraq and Syria, and the need to continue close collaboration on security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Carter expressed appreciation for Australias contributions to the counter-ISIL coalition, as well as Australias continued support in Afghanistan. Carter said he looks forward to Australias participation in the counter-ISIL coalition meeting Jan. 20, in Paris. Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time. Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time. HARRISBURG Pam Foor seems to have an angelic touch when it comes to entering Pennsylvania Farm Show baking contests. For the second consecutive year, the Everett woman won first place in the Incredible Angel Food Cake Contest on Sunday, then went on to claim third place in the thumbprint cookie contest. She won second place for her angel food entry in the 2014 competition. Her Bee Mine Lemon Filled Angel Food Cake beat 72 other angel food cakes in the contest that required bakers to use fresh Pennsylvania eggs and their imaginations to create delectable desserts. They did. I used 1 1/2 dozen eggs, then froze the yolks to use later in custard or homemade ice cream, Foor said. I also used four fresh lemons to make homemade lemon curd for the filling. While the five judges tasted and evaluated the cakes, contestants discussed their angel food cake baking techniques. Judy Moyer of Laurelton, who brought a classic angel food cake, said that egg whites should be beaten for 10 minutes. Finished cakes should hang upside down for two hours before being removed from the pan, she added. Jayne and Robert Wenger of Adamstown, a husband and wife team of bakers, each entered a cake in the competition. She baked a white chocolate angel food cake with raspberry filling and raspberry frosting with almonds and white chocolate. He made a lemon angel food cake. Everyone likes white chocolate and raspberry, Jayne Wenger said. The secret to this cake is not to overbeat egg whites or they will collapse, and to sift your cake flour and confectionery sugar five times to get a light cake. Her husband said he thinks lemon works well in an angel food cake. He also decorated his with half egg shells and tiny statues of peeps. Kathryn Dutton of Washington used her grandmothers angel food cake recipe and her great-grandmothers icing recipe. Homemade angel food cake is a family tradition for us, she said. I like to crack the eggs when they are cold then sit them out at room temperature until Im ready to use them. I also sift my flour four times. Foor said that lemon seems a natural for an angel food cake. She decorated her cake with homemade vanilla bean marshmallows. It took me 2 1/2 hours to make this cake, she said. I made the cake, then iced it with lemon icing with buttercream piping and the marshmallows. Transporting the cake proved to be a delicate job, she added. We live in the middle of nowhere, she said. I put the cake in a box, put that box in another box and put blankets around it to come to Harrisburg. It was a challenge to get my cake here in one piece. Foor won a blue ribbon, a $500 check and bragging rights for another year. Her winning recipe was: 1 1/2 cups egg whites 1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 2 1/4 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon limoncello 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons lemon pudding 1 teaspoon lemon zest Sift cake flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Set aside. Beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar, then beat until stiff, adding 1 1/2 cups sugar. Fold in vanilla, limoncello, lemon juice, lemon pudding and zest. Gently fold. Add flour mixture gently. Pour into ungreased tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan. Icing: 2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 teaspoon limoncello 2 ounces cream cheese 1 tablespoon milk Mix to desired consistency, then spread on cooled cake. Garnish with 1/2 cup lemon curd. Decorate top with lemon slices. EUREKA A member of the Central Park Five, a group of youths wrongfully convicted of beating and raping a female jogger in 1989, will be the featured speaker at a Martin Luther King Day commemoration Thursday at Eureka College. Yusef Salaam will be the keynote speaker at 7 p.m. in the Cerf Center's Becker Auditorium. He also will be part of a panel discussion from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and attend a reception at 8:30 p.m. at the Cerf Center. The event is hosted by the Multicultural Student Union. The event is free. Salaam was one of five black and Hispanic teens, ages 14 o 16 at the time of the attack, whose conviction was overturned. The five maintained their statements were coerced by police. Later investigation produced DNA and other evidence that implicated a man who confessed to the crime and said he acted alone. Since his release from prison, Salaam has been involved in educating people on the issues of police brutality and misconduct, false confessions and disparities in the criminal justice system. Thursday's discussion will focus on unconscious bias and systemic racism in the workplace, school campuses and the justice system. Chaplain Bruce Fowlkes will moderate the discussion, Other panel members will include: Daniel Isom, former St. Louis police chief and former Missouri public safety director, a member of the Ferguson Commission and a professor of police and community at the University of Missouri-St. Louis; Daniel Duncan, community service officer, Peoria Police Department; and Eureka College professors Junius Rodriguez and William Lally. The end of racism ultimately depends on illuminating its hiding places our unconscious biases and the structures that enable them, said Fowlkes. This event is another opportunity for Eureka College to honor Dr. King's legacy and to live our heritage of education in a just world. BLOOMINGTON The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had more than a dream and, to honor his legacy, people need to become leaders themselves and challenge the status quo, said the lead-off speaker Monday during a teach-in at Illinois Wesleyan University. Seldom do you hear the slain civil rights leader described as radical revolutionary warrior for justice, said David Stovall, professor of African-American studies and educational policy studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We just stop at 'I Have a Dream,' Stovall told a mostly student crowd of more than 100 in IWU's Hansen Student Center. But King also talked about his concerns about the world entering a perpetual state of war and poor people and people of color paying the price for those wars whether it's in Syria or the streets of Chicago, Stovall said. The Martin Luther King Day teach-in, with the theme Social Justice and Education, also included a presentation by David Taylor, president and CEO of the United Way of McLean County, on dropout rates in McLean County. There also was a panel discussion, led by IWU students, on Debating the Diversity Goal at IWU: How Do We Get Better. Making a distinction between school and education, Stovall said school numbs and placates people, while education challenges people to think. Stovall said King challenged people to ignite our call for justice. He said that is happening today through movements such as Black Lives Matter. Right now in 2016, I'm looking at women and young people who have made the critical decision to start talking about mattering in their lives, Stovall said. We need to talk about things that make us uncomfortable. That was King's dream. Looking at the large group of students, Stovall said, The ability to change the condition will be determined by people like you. Jim Simeone, IWU professor of political science, said the annual teach-in usually focuses on different elements of a central theme, such as an international, national and state perspective. But this year, the teach-in's three parts focused on Chicago, McLean County and the campus. Taylor noted that while McLean County's four-year high school graduation of 86 percent is on par with the statewide average, the 71.4 percent graduation rate for low-income students is below the statewide graduation rate of 79 percent for low-income students. Even though most people would look at McLean County's dropout rates and say they are good, Taylor said, to me, good isn't good enough. People without a high school diploma earn substantially less over their lifetimes than those with a diploma and those with a college education, he noted. There are fewer opportunities for people without a high school diploma in McLean County because the major employers are primarily white collar, Taylor explained, adding that the departure of the Mitsubishi auto assembly plant has worsened the situation. There's no silver bullet. There's no magic program, Taylor said. The United Way is working with non-profit agencies and others in the county to make a collective impact, in addressing the factors leading to students dropping out, he said, but it's going to take years. In the concluding session, participants in small groups addressed questions such as whether a more inclusive climate means a climate of political correctness, whether a focus on racial/ethnic or economic diversity on campus is ethically justified and whether prioritizing diversity in recruiting faculty is justified. BLOOMINGTON Wednesday should be the only day this week when motorists have a dicier commute as the National Weather Service says there is no more snow in the forecast. The Twin Cities saw more snow than expected overnight, as between 3 and 4 inches fell in the area, but there are no reports of school or other cancellations. But for the rest of the week, while temperatures are expected to remain below freezing before climbing to 35 degrees on Sunday, there is no precipitation in the forecast. Major streets and roads were cleared or clearing of snow by noon and the lack of wind is making driving easier. "There will be snow to clear and there could be some ice because of cold temperatures we're expecting, but it shouldn't be a particularly difficult commute Wednesday morning," said National Weather Service meteorologist Daryl Onton late Tuesday night, after snow began falling about 8 p.m. By morning well still be plowing all of the major roads, so please allow for extra time to get to work, added Bloomington Public Works Director Jim Karch. There are no parking bans in effect in either Bloomington or Normal and there is no more snow in the forecast this week, said NWS. The intersection of Market and Evans is closed until further notice for emergency repair of a collapsed sewer. The weather service's hazardous weather outlook issued late Tuesday night for Central Illinois called for less snow, from 1 to 3 inches, and winds of less than 10 mph. Areas to the north of Bloomington-Normal could see a little bit less snow, and areas to the south, a little more, Onton said. "Because the snow is expected to be fluffy and light there could still be a little bit of blowing and drifting, but it's not suppose to be a major factor," Onton said. Area police reported no hazardous driving conditions or serious accidents late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, but there were the usual scattered reports of cars sliding off the sides of the road. Kevin Hollowell has seen it happen across Pennsylvania and around Carlisle in particular. Old buildings that stood the test of time are being crowded out of a busy landscape of warehouses, shopping centers and residential subdivisions. They are in the way of progress, Hollowell said of old properties. Government and industry need the land for something to expand. The historic value is not as high as what it used to be. As owner of Hollowell Restorations, he makes his living off of returning properties to their old glory. A recent development has the South Middleton Township man worried about the fate of a landmark structure. A Dutch Colonial home is up for sale and sitting vacant at 461 Dyarman Road in North Middleton Township. The building dates from 1764 with an addition from 1842, but its former owner makes this house historic. The building was once occupied by Brigadier General William Thompson, the first commissioned colonel of what became the U.S. Army. The Carlisle area man served in the Revolutionary War and is buried in the Old Graveyard on East South Street. Its a diamond in the rough, Hollowell said of the house. It needs somebody who wants to restore it. Already lost to the march of progress is a bridge that adjoined the homestead. Thompson was among the local leaders who had petitioned King George III to have the limestone arch span built over Alexander Spring Run close to where it empties into Conodoguinet Creek. The bridge stood for 250 years until it was removed recently by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to make way for a drainage system to support its highway expansion project, Hollowell said. It was a beautiful piece of architecture. It was a sad thing to see. There is some merit to progress, but you have got to balance it out, he added. If you lose your past, you dont know what your country is about. Value Rkia Hall knows all too well the value of restoring the past for a better future. On Oct. 28, 2010, she purchased the Thornwald Mansion at auction for $235,000. It was a brick shell of a local landmark severely damaged in an arson fire and left vacant for a number of years. People gave up on this property, Hall said. It was heartbreaking to see it. But the structure was sound and there was just enough of the interior to bring it back from the edge. Every corner told you a history ... The columns at the entrance to the building ... everything in it, she said. It could stand for many years. I wanted to restore it with the architecture of the old times and the comfort and luxury of the modern times. Most everything about Thornwald had to be redone. It took some doing, but Hall had the background. She grew up in Paris a city known for its magnificent buildings and from that developed an appreciation for history and old structures. Her family included architects, engineers and those involved in construction. Today, Thornwald Mansion is a bed and breakfast and event venue. Still, the interest among many property owners to restore old buildings for their historic value is losing out to economic pressures, Hollowell said. He said a federal law enacted two years ago is making restoration more difficult and increasing the likelihood of demolition. The new law requires that any structure built before 1979 has to be treated as if it contains lead in some form. Contractors involved in restoration work have to take a course in lead safety and be licensed in the proper removal of anything containing trace amounts of the metal, such as paint or insulation. They would have to hire an outside firm to verify there is no lead within a structure. All this is very costly with the added expense being passed down to the customer. The end result has been the increased temptation to demolish old buildings, yet there are no regulations within the new law to contain lead contamination from demolition debris, Hollowell said. This is a major problem right now. It has a lot to do with the decrease in the restoration of older properties. Just like asbestos, there had to be something done, he added regarding the new law. I understand the point, but its just overkill. Bill Gladstone has been a commercial and industrial realtor since 1987. He says having a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places can provide opportunities for federal tax credits that benefit those with the money and passion to restore an old building. However, Gladstone added having a property on the Register can deter people from buying it because of the restrictions in place to preserve its architecture and function. It is a good badge and a feather in the cap, Holowell said of properties on the Register, but that designation does not completely forbid the future demolition of the building. He added it can be time-consuming for the owner to research the property and submit the application for it to be reviewed by state and federal authorities. The Samuel Weakley Tavern has been saved for another round as a house. Current owner Randy Heishman has a plan to get the newly restored building on Walnut Bottom Road listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The tavern once stood as a bustling waystation for drovers moving cattle to market on the bumpy road between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in the decades following the Revolutionary War. Heishman purchased the property in 2012 and hired Hollowell Restorations to bring the tavern back to its 1790s glory. The work involved the removal of almost 200 years of additions and renovations to get at the heart of the original building. Now a private residence, this tavern just east of Centerville Road flourished when the Cumberland Valley was transitioning from a frontier wilderness to a gateway for westward expansion. Heishman has studied the background of this property, which has been profiled in the book Taverns of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1750-1840 by Merri Lou Scribner Schaumann. Samuel was the son of James Weakley who came to America from Devonshire, England, sometime in the mid-18th century, Heishman said. James settled in what is now western Cumberland County where he built three mills and owned a large tract of land. When his father died, Samuel inherited the land on which the tavern was built using money from his inheritance, Heishman said. He added while no documents exist verifying when the tavern was built, tax records and the saloon keeper license shows that it operated as a tavern in 1798. Schaumann wrote how Samuel ran the tavern prior to 1805 when John Isett applied for a license. About a year later in 1806, Robert Walker requested a license for the house called the Walnut Bottom formerly occupied by Isett. Three years later, Walker applied for a license for what he called the Brick Tavern, according to Schaumann. John Weakley called it the same name in 1810, but by 1812, the tavern had changed to the Pennsylvania Coat of Arms. John Weakley operated the tavern from 1810 to 1826 followed by James Weakley from 1826 to 1833. The building ceased being a tavern in 1833 when the Weakley family sold it to Abraham Kurtz. The property operated as a working farm until it was put up for sale in 2012. Oklahoma City's Department of Human Services is now facing charges as Stephen and Krista Pursley, foster parents for 34 children, along with the Second Amendment, a non-profit membership in Washington have filed a lawsuit against them. The local office was said to be executing a rule that prohibits foster parents and adoptive parents from carrying firearms in their vehicles when the children are around even if it is for self-defense. The couple strongly believes that it is a necessity for them to provide protection for their children. "This mandate for foster parents is not just restrictive, it's ridiculous," Alan M. Gottlieb, the Second Amendment Foundation's founder said. "We're asking for an injunction against this requirement because it puts foster families at serious risk while denying parents their constitutional rights." The Weapons Safety Agreement being implemented by the DHS since 2014 states that foster parents are to keep their weapons locked in storage. They will only be allowed to carry firearms if permitted by their employer and if the weapons will be disabled, unloaded, and kept in a locked storage. The agreement does not even exempt foster parents like Stepehn Pursley who have been issued a permit to carry firearms for 15 years now. DHS, however, clarified that the agreement does not prohibit parents from having a firearm and securing a permit to carry. They only prohibit bringing the latter when the children are around, according to Parenting.com. The Second Amendment, founded in 1974 promotes owning a firearm according to the Constitutional heritage. They now have 650,000 supporters across the US. They educate readers about gun control debate. The organization also stands against President Barack Obama's executive action gun control. They even launched a media campaign last through their website against the president's recent executive action. The said website has now several cases and lawsuits handled regarding gun rights. The Second Amendment stated, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." A group of researchers from the University Of Michigan School Of Dentistry discovered a potential cancer killer in the most unlikely form of medicine: cheese. They have found out that the naturally occurring preservative nisin can destroy cancerous cells and can also help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as the highly lethal Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. As posted in NY Daily News, nisin is a natural food preservative. it is a colorless, tasteless powder that is added to some foods and is found in brie, camembert and cheddar, as well as in other dairy products. University Of Michigan researchers said that after feeding rats with nisin milkshake for nine weeks destroyed 70 to 80 percent of neck and head tumor cells and extended their survival. Dr. Yvonne Kapila, the head of the research, has been studying nisin in cancerous tumors and as an antimicrobial to fight mouth diseases. Kapila's group came up with positive results from less potent nisin, but the highly purified nisin ZP used in their recent study is twice as effective as the former. As it turns out, nisin may be the answer we've been waiting for in the fight against cancer. As posted on Apex Tribune, nisin is doesn't only fight cancer, but it is also used as a sanitizer for lactating cows and several drugs. It helps fight mastitis and infections. "The beauty of nisin is that it has a long history of use in the food industry," Kapila told Bioscience Technology. "And a great deal is known about how it works in bacteria." She said that the current findings and other published data support nisin's use to treat antibiotic resitant infections, periodontal disease, and cancer. Nisin is usually found in food, but for it to be potent against cancer cells it should be taken in huge amount. Up to date no bacteria has ever been able to resist nisin. Though no test have been conducted to a human and it may even take a few years to do so, the study of nisin can be leading to the right path. The reports on a Californian nurse who won the biggest lottery jackpot in the history turned out to be a prank by nurse's own son. The supposed to be winning ticket was given by Shlomo Rechnitz, a Jewish philanthropist and a nursing homeowner who bought nearly 18,000 tickets and gave it as a gift to his employees and residents across the nursing home, according to CNN. The 62-year old woman who is currently a senior registered nurse at Park Avenue Health Care and Wellness Center in Pomona thought she had won the biggest jackpot in the history amounting to $1.59 billion. The celebration began when a caller called the nurse and told her that she had won which was immediately publicized by a spokesperson for the nursing homeowner. "It's a joke. It's a prank ... by my brother. It's embarrassing. This is too much for us", one of the nurse's daughter said in an interview. To the point of people's celebration having the win of nurse announced in public, the California lottery officials were sceptical for nobody were claiming the prize up to that moment. Finding the prank despicable and nurse unworthy of such humiliation and experience, Rechnitz said he would give the nurse and her family an all-expense paid trip to where the family would like to go. He finds her "a wonderful lady and an incredible employee", according to Yahoo. Reports say that the winning ticket was actually purchased at 7-Eleven located at 4092 Chino Hills Parkway in Chino Hills. Two others were sold in Tenessee and Florida, according to Israel National News. The other half of the most famous royal couple in the world, Kate Middleton, has landed a very important job. The mother of two and wife to Prince William has nabbed a job with famous newspaper The Hufftington Post where she will work as a guest-editor. The Duchess of Cambridge will start her work on mid-February but Kate will not be writing her own column, instead she will use her position as guest-editor to highlight issues about mental health in young children and their families. The Hufftington Post editor, Stephen Hull, is thrilled that Kate is now on board with them and emphasized that mental health issues have been a "focal editorial topic" of the news outlet for a long time now and gladly welcomes Kate on the team. Recently, Kate and husband Prince William visited Harlow College where one student shared her mental issues to the royal couple. Nikki Mattock, the student in talks, said that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were very sympathetic and gave them more than just an hour of their time. In other news, Kate's only sister, Pippa Middleton, is now living together with her millionaire boyfriend James Matthews, who Pippa has only been dating for two months. It seems that the younger Middleton is speeding things up with Matthews. Sources close to the Middleton family revealed that Pippa has had a "trial run" living in James' $23.4 million home in Chelsea and, just recently, the lovebirds were spotted in high-end Indian restaurant Rasoi with none other than Carole Middleton. Maybe Pippa will soon be off the market as well. Not only are the Middleton's having amazing love lives but Prince Harry is rumored to have a new love interest as well. The little brother of Prince William is allegedly dating Lady Kitty Spencer who is Princess Diana's niece. Rumors have it that the first cousins shared some booze-fueled make out sessions and according to many the Queen is furious. Seems like the Royal couple has a lot on their plate nowadays, what do you think? An eight-year old boy who was moved by pity for the hungry started his own local food bank right on Facebook. Together with his mother Katy, Ronnie Hazlie started the event, 'Donate A Tin For The Ronster,' which has already touched a lot of people all over UK. The young boy was so moved by a TV program he watched, which featured the plight of hungry children in the world. After watching a documentary, he decided to take the matter in his own hands and sought the help of his mom on how he could set up his own local food bank at Gosfort, Hans. In a report by Mirror, the young boy has already collected 519 food tins and his collection seems to be growing every day. Some people who were located far from Ron's place would donate cash so that the boy could use it to buy more tin foods to grow his local food bank. His mom mentioned that Ron asked for food tins instead of presents for his birthday, a request which showed the compassionate heart of the boy despite his young age. What prompted Ron's act was his disbelief at the fact that there are people in the world who do not have any food on their tables. Ron said, "I wanted to help other children after I watched a television program about food banks." He further said that his collection of 519 tins will be given to others in need. Last year, Pilot Online also featured a similar story of Cory Breslin, a 17-year old boy with Down Syndrome, who collected foods for the needy on his birthday. Cory placed the boxes of donations on a parking lot and urged people passing by to donate. Zach Oman, one of the donors that Cory urged to donate said that, "I thought that was just awesome, that giving back, self-sacrifice." A man passed away in France after taking part in a drug trial for a painkiller based on a compound similar to cannabis. He was pronounced brain-dead on Sunday after staying at Rennes University Hospital for a week. Five other volunteers remain hospitalized due to the incident. He was one of the 90 volunteers who participated in the drug trial which began on Jan. 7. All of them were given the drug were given the experimental drug in different dosage and at different times. The victim's identity remains undisclosed. The hospital then contacted the 84 other volunteers who were exposed to the drug but found no anomalies with the 10 volunteers who presented themselves after taking a medical exam, according to Independent. As posted on The Globe And Mail, French prosecutors are investigating the unusual case of testing drugs on paid and healthy human volunteers. French health authorities said that the three other hospitalized volunteers face possible brain damage, and French health minister Marisol Touraine called it "an accident of exceptional gravity." The experimental drug, which is based on an active ingredient found in marijuana, was orally given to volunteers as part of phase one by Biotrial on behalf of the Portuguese pharmaceutical company Bial. The drug is aimed to ease pain, mood, anxiety troubles, as well as treat neurodegenerative illnesses. ABC News reported that the chief executive of Bial said he was profoundly shocked by the death. He then apologized to the family of the volunteer who died during the testing. He also pledged to conduct an investigation on the mishap. A similar incident also happened in London in 2006, where six people who participated in German drug manufacturer TeDegenero's experimental drug TGN1412. The drug aimed to treat cancer and other immune system-related diseases. The participants fell seriously ill and left one participant suffering from multiple organ failure. Another lost all his toes and fingers. Although they all survived, experts said that their immune system is damaged for life. Various kinds of pets were seen in different churches in Spanish churches on Sunday to receive blessing from a priest in line with Saint Anthony's Day. According to News24, he is best known as the patron saint of animals. In this generation where a lot of people are more caring about their pets, it is not surprising that pet owners would care enough to bring them to church and animals line up just for them to be blessed by a priest. A holy water on the hands of a priest to sprinkle to the is a gesture of him blessing those pets. One of the venues in Spain that has this event going is the Church of San Anton located in the heart of Madrid. Pets were wearing bright and colored sweaters to battle with the cold weather. They are all looking cute while waiting for the blessing to be given to them by the priest. Most pet owners who brought their animals to church believe that a blessing from a priest would make their pets live longer and it could also help in keeping them healthy. Some also simply believe that they deserve a blessing since they are God's creation as well. The publication interviewed some of the attendees and one of them is Blanca, 54, and she stood there almost 30 minutes just to have her pet Labrador receive the blessing from a priest. She said that it is not something new that people have to wait outside the church for a long time because pet care is huge in the capital city of Spain. But Spain is not the only country that has priests blessing pets for events such as mentioned above. New Jersey also has one, although it is not done on Saint Anthony's Day. A minister named Matty Guiliano, 40, also gives blessing to pets handed to him by pet owners. This just shows that love for animals is going global. The "alien megastructure star" anomaly is still as mysterious as ever. The dimming star also known as Tabby's Star had many theories trying to explain the strange phenomenon. The unusual light fluctuation was discovered by an online astronomy crowdsourcing site called Planet Hunter. NASA's Kepler Telescope documented KIC 8462852's anomaly after monitoring it between the years 2009 and 2013. After NASA's Kepler team vetted the unusual patter, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) also started to monitor Tabby's star. SETI's senior astronomer Seth Shostak declared for CNN in November that the institute was not able to pick up any radio signals from the star system. However, this does not totally rule out the possibility of intelligent life in KIC 8462852. Astronomers came with various hypothesis about the star system KIC 8462852, ranging from an "alien megastructure" to comets. A report published on the website Arxiv.org presents a new analysis of the star. The study shows that the star system located around 1,500 light years away from Earth has been dimming gradually for over a century. The phenomenon is not likely to be produced by orbiting comets. An astronomy and physics professor at Louisiana State University, Bradley Schaefer, examined data from an archive of digitally scanned photographic plates from Harvard University archive. The plates date back more than a century. The professor noticed that the star system was also dimming between the years 1890 and 1989. Schaefer told CNN that this phenomenon is inexplicable and unique. The star is a sequence star of F-type that usually does not dim by 20 percent as Tabby's Start did. The professor added that millions of other stars of this particular type have been monitored but they did not show a dimming light over time. The theory that the fading light is caused by comets is wrong, according to Schaefer, because the trend of century-long dimming would require around 648,000 giant comets to pass in front of the star. Chipotle is now giving away more free food, particularly burritos, to woo costumers back. The restaurant chain is struggling after norovirus, salmonella, and E.coli outbreaks in some branches across the US have been reported. According to FOX NEWS, the company did not give any specific details on the promotion, but it sent emails to restaurants with details on how much they can increase the giveaways and reward costumers. "The exact giveaways will be up to each store's discretion," Co-CEO Monty Moran said, "Allowing managers to create their own campaigns," Yahoo reported. The practice is not new, but it has not been used in years, although Chipotle did not give out the exact dates for the free food giveaway. Chipotle also made changes to improve food safely. The restaurant chain is now in a tough time trying to reboot itself. By Feb. 8 they will close nearly 2,000 North American restaurants to discuss and focus on food safety among employees and for evaluation. The chain also plans for an expansive marketing campaign by mid-February to attract more customers back to its stores. They hope that this campaign, which includes direct mail and traditional ads, will help clear the mishaps. While it's fresh, non-GMO ingredients used to be popular among customers, things took a turn in July when some customers complained of bacterial infections after eating at the restaurant. Since then a lot of complaints about bacterial infections have been reported across the country. The upcoming marketing plan will be its attempt to restore the restaurant's image among investors and customers alike. "I have confidence that we are to recover from this," co-CEO Steve Ells said. While investors appear to be satisfied with the procedures Chipotle is making to restore its image as food with integrity, the response from consumers is yet to be determined. A crowd-funding account has been created to help reimburse the travel costs of the Midstate family of one of the Marines who was missing after two helicopters crashed during a training mission Thursday in Hawaii. Sgt. Adam Schoeller, a 2008 graduate of Boiling Springs High School, along with 11 other Marines went missing Thursday. The Marines had been part of a training exercise in Oahu, Hawaii, when their helicopters went missing. A Go Fund Me account, www.gofundme.com/xfkh8c5g, was created Monday by Heather Walters Eickhoff to help raise money for the Schoeller family. Adams parents, Laurie and Ralph Schoeller, currently live in Gardners. Adam is loved dearly by not only his family, but by the members of the community and all who had the joy of knowing him, the page reads. Many of you have asked if the immediate family is accepting donations or has a fund set up to honor Adam in some way, and for that reason, this Go Fund Me page has been established. According to the account page, money raised from the account will go to reimburse the Semper Fi Fund, which paid for the family to go to Hawaii shortly after the crash. The Semper Fi Fund is nonprofit that provides immediate financial assistance and lifetime support to post 9/11 wounded, critically ill and injured members of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, and their families, ensuring that they have the resources they need during their recovery and transition back to their communities, according to the funds website. It has received four out of four stars from the nonprofit watchdog site Charity Navigator and nearly 93 percent of all contributions to the Semper Fi Fund go back into its programs, according to Charity Navigator. As of noon Tuesday, nearly $3,000 had been raised from 30 donors. Any money raised beyond the travel costs will go to Schoellers family to help offset any cost from the crash. Adam wanted to be a Marine, the Go Fund Me page reads. He exemplified honor. He lived a life of courage and integrity. He loved his family more than anything. Thank you for honoring his service and his sacrifice. Search update The Coast Guard has found the fourth life raft from two Marine helicopters that crashed off Hawaii, but no sign has emerged of any of the 12 missing crew members. All the rafts aboard the helicopters have been recovered and all had been empty, Marine Capt. Timothy Irish said. A good Samaritan spotted the final raft on Monday afternoon, and a Coast Guard vessel recovered it 3 miles north of Oahu, Petty Officer Tara Molle said. There is no indication anyone had been on any of the rafts, based on their condition and the lack of any personal effects, she said. The Coast Guard promised that families would be notified before plans to end the search, which has entered its fifth day. Our focus is to locate these Marines and know with absolute certainty weve thoroughly canvassed every location we might find them, Lt. Scott Carr, spokesman for the Coast Guard 14th District in Honolulu. Agencies have been searching the water and the shoreline since a civilian spotted the helicopters late Thursday, saw a fireball and then alerted the Coast Guard. The CH-53E helicopters carrying six crew members each failed to return to Marine Corps Base Hawaii following a nighttime training mission. Hours later, authorities spotted debris 2 1/2 miles off the coast. The search is still for survivors. The Coast Guard assumes the best-case scenario when considering how long someone in the right equipment and right conditions could survive, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers has said. We err on the side of caution because the last thing that anybody wants is to suspend the search when theres still a possibility of finding somebody, she said Monday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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 Lately, Ive seen a bunch of bars putting beer and shot combinations on their menus that break the tradition of our cheapest beer and a shot from the rail. People love the simplicity of a beer and shot, but frankly the college MO of drinking fast and cheap just isnt that becoming. Even in the lowliest dive bar these days, theres an unwritten code: dont be that guy, says Jimmy Palumbo, bartender at New York Citys Up & Up. Its not attractive, it never was, and since the beer and shot isnt going anywhere the only place it can go is up, leaving that guy behind. The combination of a shot and a beer is classic for many reasons, mostly because of how simple it is. Historically, I think you can make a case that its the working-mans ordersomething rugged enough to take the edge off a hard day and simple enough that it doesnt require much thought, says Palumbo. After all, the last thing you want to embark upon after a shift is some existential quest to find the cocktail that speaks to you. At the end of a long day, you dont want anybody to speak. Most likely you just want people to shut the hell up. This is that order. 2016 is the year the shot and beer gets elevated to a new level. How is this going to get done? Sophistication. The pairings are getting more attuned to a savvy drinker. This means better spirits, more esoteric spirits, single-malts and obscure amaros being combined with better beers and ciders. The public opinion for the longest time was to drink and party like you never aged a day past twenty-one, Palumbo says, adding that the goal was to make sure you werent going to be like your parents. But these days people are living their lives and having all their fun in their late-twenties and thirties, and nobody wants to drink like its rush week at the frat house because that just isnt cool anymore. Palumbo has already seen people calling for beer and shot combinations on their own without it being a special, and he expects that to continue in 2016. I doubt youll ever see the pairing on a specials menu, but I sit down after my shifts and drink a Highland Park 12 year with a Stiegl lager almost every time. Its easy and it takes zero thought to order because its exactly what I want to sip on. At The Up & Up, there is a section on the menu called shift drinks where they feature the staff favorite, the Aquastiegl, a boilermaker of Brennevin Aquavit and Stiegl Goldbrau. I started drinking them when we opened up and its been a staff tradition ever since, Palumbo says. A number of other high-end combinations work as well. A really nice Tequila or Mezcal with a nice pilsner, or a rare bourbon with a hearty American IPA for those red-blooded types, says Palumbo. He often reaches for Highland Park Dark Origins with a nice strong imperial stout. Brooklyn Brewery makes a mean one. Its not for the timid. Both the Dark Origins and the beer are going to pack a punch above the standard alcohol content, but for me, if the spirit pairs well it all tastes smooth, so theres no harm no foul. He adds, Just be safe and remember to keep your butt in the chair. Some good news for fans of Tracy Morgan: the actor and comedian is returning to scripted TV. Hes collaborating with Jordan Peele and Eastbound and Downs John Carcieri to develop an as-yet-unnamed pilot for FX. Morgan will star as a career criminal, recently released from prison following a 15-year sentence, who faces the challenge of reintegrating himself into a society that has changed drastically since he was last a part of it. This is a major step forward in Morgans comeback from the horrible 2014 car crash that left him in a coma with a number of broken bones. Even a few months after the accident, doctors were unsure if the SNL and 30 Rock star would ever perform again. But after more than a year of recovery, he made his return to SNL as a host this past October, and now it looks like hes ready to pick up where he left off. Before the accident, Morgan was reportedly in talks with the guys behind Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia to develop a series for FXX, but this new show has taken that ones place. A new Korean report today notes that "Samsung Electronics, Korea's most valuable company according to all financial analyses, is losing its luster because the company's key businesses are under pressure, resulting in foreign investors reducing their holdings of Samsung Electronics stocks." According to Korea Exchange (KRX), "foreign investors sold 1.9 trillion won worth of stocks in listed companies from Jan. 1 to Jan. 18. This is more than half of 3.5 trillion won in stocks in listed companies sold by foreigners in 2015." The report further noted that "Samsung Electronics was the main target of foreigners because foreign investors sold 540 billion won in Samsung stocks during the period, A broad consensus to explain the ongoing weak moves of Samsung Electronics stocks is because of growing pressure in its profit structure because its semiconductor and smartphone businesses are still experience market turbulence. Lee Jae-yoon, an analyst at Yuanta Securities, said that "Weak chip prices will be continued throughout this year. In smartphones, the rise of Chinese budget makers will also challenge the company's mobile division." Lee added that "a plan by iPhone maker Apple to tighten its parts inventory-level strategy to prepare for a weak demand will also pose another threat for Samsung's display, chip units." One Samsung official is noted as saying that "Recovery in the global chip industry may come later than earlier expected; therefore, the issue is whether the S7 will have positive impact from investors." Yet Samsung hasn't had a smartphone hit in over two years in light of the introduction of Apple's iPhone 6. And considering that the iPhone 7 is set to introduce some dramatic improvements this year which may include a new form factor, Samsung's S7 is unlikely to move the market needle in the direction they're hoping for later this year. And although some growth fund managers are selling AAPL stock this quarter, value fund managers are adding AAPL to their portfolios because even if Apple's iPhone 6s sales are slightly lower than expected, and that's still unconfirmed, they know that Apple's profits will be stellar, a position Samsung can't even imagine. 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 what can only be described as an odd, if not cynical, move by the self-avowed atheist government of China, a new list of verified living Buddhas or tulkus, reincarnated Buddhist masters, has been published in Chinese and Tibetan languages at http://hf.tibet.cn/. The purported role of the site is to inform citizens about the real high lamas and teachers, complete with ID numbers and monastery listings. The site, known as Rinpocheonline, is said to list 870 authentic Rinpoches (an honorific title meaning precious one given to tulkus). Vice president of Chinas Buddhist Association, President of the Tibetan Branch of Chinas Buddhist Association and 7th Drukhang Rinpoche Drukhang Thubten Khedrup, said that the query system going online is an important step for Chinas Buddhist Association to promote religious education and further standardize matters related to reincarnation of Rinpoches. He further added, in recent years some fraudsters have been posing as Rinpoches in Tibet and inland China, harming the interests of believers and ruining the reputation of Tibetan Buddhism. Now that there is a Rinpoche query system, net users can check to see if a Rinpoche is genuine or not, which will help protect the legitimate rights and interests of Tibetan Buddhism. It will also help promote community awareness of Tibetan Buddhism and Rinpoche groups. (via Online query system launched, 870 Rinpoches can be verified) Russia Today posted an article quoting one Rinpoche from the list praising the initiative: As a living buddha, I feel genuinely happy about it, said the 7th Drukhang living buddha Drukhang Thubten Khedrup, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China (BAC) at the launch ceremony. Read more about Drukhang Thubten Khedrup, via Tibet Online, here. However, critics rightly point out that it is yet another step by the central government toward attempting to control Tibetan Buddhism, which is soaring in popularity throughout China today, and to assert its right to choose the next Dalai Lama. The BBC reports: However, the spiritual cataloguing scheme has already been criticised as a means of further controlling Tibetan affairs. This living Buddha database and the whole policy toward reincarnation is clearly a pre-emptive move by the government to control what happens after this Dalai Lama, Amnesty Internationals Nicholas Bequelin told Time magazine in December 2015, when the list was first announced. Its also seen as a means of confirming state choices for other religious appointments. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th and current Dalai Lama, is according to Buddhist belief a reincarnation of a past lama who decided to be reborn again to continue his work. He has been based in India since fleeing Tibet after the unsuccessful 1959 uprising. In 1995, both he and Beijing appointed different boys as Panchen Lama, the second most important role in Tibetan Buddhism. Now aged 25, China feted the lama on the 20th anniversary of his enthronement in December, presenting him as the one, official holder of the role. Chinas government last November reasserted its right to choose the next Dalai Lama, saying that reincarnation has never been purely a religious matter or to do with the Dalai Lamas individual rights; it is first and foremost an important political matter in Tibet and an important manifestation of the Chinese central governments sovereignty over Tibet and that whoever has the name of Dalai Lama will control political power in Tibet For this reason, since historical times, the central government has never given up, and will never give up, the right to decide the reincarnation affairs of the Dalai Lama. Meanwhile the Dalai Lama, who celebrated his 80th birthday in 2015, has continuously maintained that his reincarnation is his own personal right. *** (8-29-06) *** [Stephen Hands words will be in blue ; Martins in green ; Jim Scotts in purple ; Im from Michigan; Stephen is from Boston, Martin from Tennessee. I dont know where Jim Scott lives.]***** Southern man better keep your head Dont forget what your good book said Southern change gonna come at last Now your crosses are burning fast Southern man I saw cotton and I saw black Tall white mansions and little shacks. Southern man when will you pay them back? I heard screamin and bullwhips cracking How long? How long? (Neil Young [originally from Canada], Southern Man) * * * * * The American flag is a symbol of many great and noble things, but which also flew over 89 years of institutionalized slavery, near-annihilation of the Indians, Jim Crow and segregation for 100 years, nuclear obliteration and fire-bombing hundreds of thousands of civilians [in Germany and Japan] in the 1940s, and the legal wholesale slaughter of 50 million preborn children, from 1973 to the present.* * * Confederate Battle flag: 1861-1865: four years of flying over a culture which sanctioned and fought for the continuance of slavery and also committed the horrible sins of opposing federalism, fighting for its homelands, and asserting the right of states to secede from a larger political union: precisely as the original 13 colonies had revolted against Mother England. Is it the equivalent of a Nazi swastika? * * * Stephen Hand had written on his website: [A] young blogger . . . recently put up a non-racist states rights only symbol of the confederacy at his website; see the exact graphic here which he took down after it was sadly noted; Curiously, I dont recall ever seeing a cross or crucifix at his page one. [This person], despite all future disclaimers and verbose illogical somersaults, seems oblivious or indifferent to the fact that one can no more divorce that symbol from the horrible history of racism and slavery anymore than one could put up a Swastika claiming it is only an ancient symbol used even by Christians here and there. Tragic. . . . I hope the good lad will change his mind about carrying such odious symbols at his site and consider putting up a crucifix instead. I replied on my blog: I dont buy this argument. I agree with Walter Williams (a black conservative, which fact will be relevant shortly) when he says that the American flag itself flew over the nation for 89 years, when slavery was perfectly legal and enshrined in the Constitution (and with Washington and Jefferson both slaveholders; whereas Gen. Lee and Jefferson Davis and Gen. Stonewall Jackson and Gen. Longstreet all opposed slavery, as I recall). Not to mention that this flag also flew over a nation which attempted a wicked, ruthless, brutal near-genocide of the Indians. So if we condemn the Confederate flag, how can we not also condemn the American flag on a far more consistent basis? I agree that the Confederate flag may have partially symbolized or stood for slavery (also states rights, opposition to excessive federalism, etc.) I oppose the Southern argument sometimes heard, that slavery was strictly a secondary issue in that war , but it did so for a mere four years. I would also add that the same American flag now flies over a system of the institutionalized holocaust of child-killing, for 33 years now. So why do you not call for the banning of the American flag, on the same basis? The South is the most enlightened part of the country now, by far: being quite pro-life. It is the North which favors butchery and slaughter of the smallest and most defenseless among us. So why do we keep living in the past? Why keep harping on slavery (which went by the wayside 141 years ago), when 4000 a day are being slaughtered today? You know this, of course; it is just a matter of seeing the inconsistency here. And (I should note for my Southern friends), I write as a Michigander who is passionately opposed to slavery and would, no doubt, have been a radical abolitionist in those days, just as I am a radical pro-lifer now (five arrests, participation in 25 rescues, etc.). How about the sensitivities of our Afro-American brothers and Sisters as they ponder Shawns Confederate Flag, Dave? Should they get all misty-eyed when they see rope on a tree too? They have to approach the issue with reason, just as Walter Williams (himself an African-American) did. I understand that some things are extremely emotional. But this is also an issue that needs to be rationally discussed. If the Confederate flag has to go on these grounds, then my argument was that there is far more reason for the American flag to go with it. But it makes no sense to be against one and not the other. So either be in favor of both, or against both, if the argument is the one you used. And if you wish to argue in this fashion, what about the sensitivities of Southerners, who do not think that the only reason many thousands of their ancestors were willing to fight and die was simply because of slavery? The vast majority of the fighting men did not own slaves. Yet they are not allowed to cherish any part of that effort in their past history, even having the old Confederate flag? Thats just the same old substitute of simplistic, stereotypical approach for substance and solid reasoning: every instance of a Confederate flag must prove incipient racism, just as (for some folks) every mention of a Jewish person, if at all critical, or criticism of Israel, proves incipient anti-Semitism. It just aint so. Ok, fine. I will put up a Confederate Flag on my house tonight. As for all the implicit referential meanings associated with it ( lynchings, no niggers vote, slavery, Jim Crow, back of the bus, Amos and Andy, Bull Connor) I will urge people to use, er, reason. Thanks for the advice. Strange Fruit So you are maintaining that the Confederacy (or for that matter the South for the last 140 years) had no redeeming qualities to it whatsoever? That the whole effort in 1861-1865 on their part was sheer evil, akin to Nazism? Is that your position, Stephen? Im sure my Southern readers would be delighted to hear you say that. This is an example of purely emotional, illogical reasoning (hence you utterly ignore my American flag argument). You are no more immune to it than the next guy. I will point out when something has no reasonable basis, no matter how politically incorrect the opinion may be. Its always been fashionable (in certain circles) to bash the South as a bunch of redneck, gun-toting, toothless, barefoot, Moonshine-making, racist, Bible-thumping know-nothings, while ignoring every good thing that came from that region, and all the evil that has far more characterized the northern regions of the country. You contribute to that prejudice by concentrating only on bad things associated with the South. Cmon! You need to apply more Boston/Harvard intellect and less Irish feistiness and hyper-emotionalism (I say as a part-Irishman myself and very proud of it). Dixie Flag comments. Ok, Dave, Ill try and see if I can make an intellectual point . You seem to be under the mistaken impression that the War between the States ended 100 years ago. As a Tennesee native I can tell you it was still being fought just 40 years ago when I was growing up. There were lots of Confederate flags around then (including one high school that only quit flying it a few years ago) and whites and blacks knew that the flag was not there to highlight the rights of the States as opposed to the Federal government. These flags were a clear sign: NO BLACKS ALLOWED. Just as the whites wearing the flags were letting the blacks know where they could go if you were stupid enough to were one cause it was cool you would get a not so gentle physical reminder from the other side of the tracks if you wandered there alone at night that they knew what you meant. Yes, there were good aspects to Dixie. And good aspects to the Nazi government: dont forget who gave us the Volkswagon and an excellent anatomy textbook for plastic surgeons( two guesses on how they did it). In the end though the confederate flag = the swastika. We just got to wave it longer. Thats interesting, coming from a Southerner, and point well-taken. You have issued a reasonable challenge. I have at least three Southern friends, however, who would, Im pretty sure, take great offense at this characterization you have made. But couldnt one still argue that those uses of the flag were for nefarious purposes, but not all such use must be that? And how do you overcome my US flag comparison / dilemma? Do you concede that the US flag can have just as compelling a case made against it as a symbol for some pretty evil things? If in fact, the use of the Confederate flag is almost always in this understood racist / territorial fashion, then I think that would be a good point, and I might have to reconsider my position. How would one prove such a thing? For example, many Southern states had the Stars and Bars as part of their state flags, until pressured to remove them (even in your state till quite recently, as I recall). Are you saying that in all cases this was a racist motive? In the face of injustice reason unspoken often tells emotion, as when Our Lord turned over the tables of the buyers and the sellers in the Temple to show defilement of heart by greed. Surely to the Temple Guard he looked merely overwrought. But it was not so. His act was pure eloquence. The Confederate flag, in addition to Bens reason, must be rejected for the offense and fright it will cause our Afro-American sisters and brothers. To give offense and fear is sinful and any appeal to a curious, apologetical opinion confused with with reason is really merely finding a reason to offend against charity. If you wrote Fr. Hardon on this, God rest his soul, or Rome, David, I am sure you would be advised against your eccentric view of reason in the face of such an affront. And then the heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of, which some apologists, being neck deep in mere argument daily forget. Reason is most reason when it supports charity and does not offend. (Eph 4:12) Some Neo-Nazis find other meanings in the Nazi flag than a Holocaust they will do not even admit happened . That does not justify their desire to fly the Nazi flag over Catholic homes, brother. Im willing to change my position on this flag business if convinced. But will you reply to my American flag argument (thirrd time now Ive asked you)? Id really like to know. Are you prepared to renounce it as a symbol, since it has been the symbol of a country that has legally butchered more than 50 million preborn human beings, dropped atomic bombs on civilians (and remember, the same flag flew over slavery for 89 years too)? If the flag is that entirely identified with a nation and that nations actions (per your Confederate flag argument), then it seems to me that you couldnt possibly fly the American flag, on the same grounds. On the other hand, you could maintain that any flag stands for good and bad things both, just like the nation it represents, made up of (last time I checked) 100% sinners like you and I. Martins argument actually was a solid argument. I would like to see that elaborated upon by him and other Southerners. Since I did not grow up there, this is the sort of thing I wouldnt know one way or the other (how the symbol was habitually used in day-to-day life). Are there respectable, certified non-racists who still fly it, etc.? Or does everyone just cave in because it is PC now to be against these flags, and we dare not offend our Northern overlords who know what is best for us, and we will be tarred as racists if we dare do it etc.? And then the heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of, which some apologists, being neck deep in mere argument daily forget. Stephen: obviously you still dont know me very well, if you think I am all reason and no heart. Both of my conversions (to evangelicalism and to Catholicism) were based in large part on non-logical or non-rational (as opposed to irrational) factors. The first (1977) was based on an intuitive, instinctive knowledge that Christian moral teaching was correct, and a profound conversion experience and encounter with the Holy Spirit. The second (1990) began with again an instinctive understanding that contraception was wrong and that Catholic moral theology was profoundly right all down the line. It didnt come from rational argument, but from the heart. Dont even start accusing me of being insensitive to black people (if that is where this is going). Ive studied race relations issues for almost 40 years now: longer than any other subject Ive ever been interested in. Im highly concerned about not offending anyone, and about social justice, especially with regard to minorities. But since Walter Williams was the guy I first heard this argument from, it seems to me that there is some chance that not all black people have the same opinion about the Confederate flag. I cant say I know for sure (which is why I am asking for further feedback). But I think there is more discussion here than you make out with your breezy dismissals. If the South is so horrible even to this day, then why arent more African-Americans leaving and coming north, as in the post-WWI period? Ive heard that they are actually starting to go back south now, and that they prefer the open racism of Southern society (where it exists) to the subtle, sneaky northern variety of racism. Confederate flag is NOT EVEN the Confederate flag. That is the flag that flew over the insurrectionist rebel government known as the Confederate States of America. Its the Battle Flag that was flown by the Confederate Army. I dont think Martin Luther King ever said anything against the Battle Flag. He was more concerned with denouncing the burning of crosses and the murder of black Americans then some artificial modern PC contrivance of the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world. Hey, but if you want to waste your time complaining about it go ahead. Yes, the American Flag, that object of near idolatrous devotion, means little to me (Catholics are universal), reminds me more of American genocide and trying to convert Catholics called pagans by the President back then in the Phillipines and elsewhere more than freedom for the elite few at the expense of the many of the world. So yes, you can have it. But the Confederate Flag is even more odious to your Church for its many referential meanings, like the Nazi Flag analogized above. Telling people to get reason in this instance is unreasonable. As for the Confederate flag and racism, you evidently havent thought this through deeply, or you have a blind spot, friend, even if you think you have not. Consult your spiritual father or bishop on this one. Very shallow here, thee, Dave. I hope my last post did not slur southerners. I meant to imply that those who fly the Dixie battle flag are racists, not all southerners. Id be willing to modify this opinion too if shown wrong. More to the point: A flag is a symbol of a country good and bad. Looking at the stars and stripes you should keep in mind that nowhere else do you have the right to so easily point to Americas faults. Yes, abortion is a scourge on the country as is the serious double black eye our dear president has given us by allowing torture in prisons. But please remember these things are not the norm for this country they are the exceptions. This would be my point about flags. I could sympathize with someone who shivers when they see the flag but I also live with my wife, the Japanese-American immigrant, who gets teary-eyed each July 4th and can tell you at length why she still sees this as a great country. Lets contrast that with Nazi Germany and the Swastika. The 20 million killed, the war, the hate: these are not incidental to that government but was integral to it. The Swastika deserves its feared reputation because thats what they built and no one (ok, maybe except American Indians) can use it and claim they are just looking at the good side of that government. So what about the Dixie battle flag? Ok, what does it represent? First, it is a symbol for an army, a government dedicated to the principle that slavery is just. (Please dont trot out ideas that this was a State/Federal argument. Do you think either side would have gone to a bitter war over an interstate highways or a cotton tax?). Second, after the war it became enshrined as a symbol of that war. No co-incidence that the same war was repeated 100 years later, circa 1960, as the Union army almost literally had to go back into the South to finally end what had become an institutionalized slavery. No co-incidence that the Southerners on the fighting end were still flying the same flag. Stephen: As for your argument (and in part mine) that the flag offends blacks thus should not be flown. What about the cross? My Jewish, catholic hating sister-in-law would gladly ban that hated symbol from the world. Being feared an hated is not irrelevant but is not enough at the end of the day. Dave: As I am fresh back from a trip to Tennessee I am struck by the fact that, when I was young, you could stop at a truckstop and find Dixie decorated hats, license plates, cups whatever. Maybe there are still some around but they are not in full view, nor did I see the inevitable Dixie battle flags on the backs of pickups and such. Slowly the south is changing and blacks are responding. And, yes, Ive had black neighbors tell me they do find it refreshing to have people be straightforward with their prejudices instead of backhanded.dont know would I prefer a knife in the back or in the face? Stay in touch! Like Biblical Evidence for Catholicism on Facebook: BOILING SPRINGS South Middleton School District is getting ready to launch software that would enable parents of new students to register their child online instead of filling out paper forms. Last fall, the district spent $4,700 on a School Office Pro module that allows parents of current students to update their childs information over the Internet, said Sharonn Williams, Director of Instructional Technology. To test the software on new students, the district plans to pilot the module during kindergarten registration scheduled for April 5 to 7, Williams said. She added that, in some cases, school officials would still need to meet with parents to verify the birth certificate and proof of residency. This will help save some steps, Williams said of the new software. The module would allow parents to attach certain forms to their childs file to reduce the processing time involved with registration. Later in the spring, the district will pilot the module to teachers and school board members who have children in the district allowing them to test of the ability of the software to update student information online. The module has a function that alerts the building secretary to any update as it is being made by a parent, Williams said. If necessary, the secretary can follow through and contact the parent directly to verify changes. It will help us update our records more efficiently, Williams said. Under the old system, parents were asked to review and update if necessary student information on a piece of paper that is sent home within the first week of school. Errors can take place whenever information is inputted by hand into the system. The hope is the district can work out the bugs from both pilots by Aug. 1, when the new module goes live for all families within the district, Williams said. She added a lot of local school districts already do online registration. The plan is to announce to parents that the online registration portal is open for them to go in, check information and make updates as needed. My last three working days of 2015 were devoted to a variety of classes and seminars whose primary purpose was to fulfill a requirement for annual training hours. Included in that was a half day of leadership training. I always approach work training with two sets of eyes. While the primary purpose is to help me do a better job with my paying work, most skills have multiple uses. Communication classes are intended to help me write and speak better at work, but they also help me become a better blogger. Presentation classes are intended to help me present business cases, but they also help me do a better job teaching Paganism. My second set of eyes werent open for long before I realized these leadership classes were different from what I was taught in business school in the 90s. There was talk of focus, listening, and compassion. There was even talk of following the way without attachment to outcome, something that would have been heresy just a few years ago. I think I still have results-oriented on my resume at least once. This was corporate mindfulness, a fairly new phenomenon that started in large tech companies and has already made its way into mid-sized, middle America companies like the one I work for. Its a mixture of Buddhism and Taoism with a little New Age thrown in. It promises to make employees less stressed, more patient, and more focused, but mainly more productive. Its a vile process that profanes the religions from which it steals. Early in my career I interviewed for an engineering job with a small manufacturing company in Chattanooga. During the interview, I learned that all salaried employees were expected to take a turn at leading Evangelical devotions, and that my performance review would be based in part on my commitment to Christ. Now, I was a Christian at the time, but I still found it abhorrent. I asked the owner is this even legal? It wasnt, but he said I dont care. I asked what about Jews or atheists who need a job? His answer was they can work somewhere else. We ended the interview with the clear understanding that he didnt want me and I didnt want to work there. I tell this story as a point of contrast, not of comparison. As offensive and unethical as this was, at least it was straightforward. The owner put coercively promoting his religion ahead of running his business effectively. Corporate mindfulness rips Buddhist and Taoist practices out of their context and appropriates them for purposes at odds with Buddhist and Taoist principles. Its not done to promote peace or enlightenment or even right livelihood. Its done to distract employees from long hours, low pay, and no security, all worked to make executives even richer. Its a drug intended to get employees to accept what should be unacceptable working conditions. But the executives who started these corporate mindfulness programs should be careful what they wish for they just might get it. In 1963, a group of students at Carleton College created the Reformed Druids of North America as a protest against mandatory attendance at chapel services. They had no intention of becoming Druids, but when the college removed the chapel requirements, many of them kept up their practices and even took them to other schools. The RDNA is still an active Druid order today. One of their early initiates was Isaac Bonewits, who would go on to found Ar nDraiocht Fein (ADF), which is the largest Druid order in this country. Im amused at the new religion of Zuism in Iceland. Its a parody religion invented for the sole purpose of avoiding religious taxes (a goal I support), but its nominally based on ancient Sumerian religion. I have no doubts that within a few years, some folks who just wanted a tax rebate will be pouring offerings to Enki, Ereshkigal, and Inanna. Religious tech works. Your intentions dont matter your actions do. Havent these executives ever seen a horror movie? YOU MUST NOT READ FROM THE BOOK! Corporate mindfulness isnt going to summon demons, open portals, or cause mummies to come to life, but it will have an effect on those who adopt their practices, regardless of their intentions. After the Buddha became enlightened, people could tell there was something different about him. And so some people came up to him and asked are you a God? And the Buddha replied no. Are you the reincarnation of a God? No. Are you a wizard or a magician? No. Are you a man? No. Well, then what are you? And the Buddha answered I am awake. What will happen when some of these employees become more mindful and start to wake up? They may realize that while there is honor in a job well done, attaching their self-worth to their job performance isnt a good thing. They may decide to take right livelihood seriously and ask questions about how their employers treat their employees and how their suppliers treat theirs. They may decide to take work-life balance into their own hands and simply stop working ridiculous hours. Ultimately, they may decide they dont need what the corporate world is selling and decide to make their living doing something else. Executives who wished for mindful employees may find out exactly what that means. The Anglican Church is once again in turmoil, this time over the suspension of the Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion for a period of three years. Observers of the Anglican scene will feel that the Church of England and her worldwide confederation are engaged in one constant battle after another. Those who are familiar with Anglican history will agree that the battles have been pretty much relentless from the foundation of the Anglican Church in the sixteenth century. Why all the fuss? you might ask, and Arent Catholics also at each others throats the whole time? Firstly, the fuss is not rooted in whatever current issue is being debated. The fuss is rooted in the nature of Anglicanism itself. From the beginning the Anglicans have been unsure whether they were a Catholic Church or a Protestant Church. This identity crisis was not simply a matter of Shall we have incense and lace at Mass or not? it was not really a matter of Are we a solid, Bible believing church or not? Instead the identity crisis is more profound and cuts right to the root of what the church is. If the Church is Catholic, then it is founded not by a lusty and avaricious king, but by Christ himself. If a church is Catholic, then Mary is the Mother of the Church and the apostles are the pillars with Peter as the rock on which the church is founded. If the church is Catholic, then it is a divine institution not a human one. If a Church is Catholic, then it adapts where it needs to, but it does not change with every wind of doctrine and every fashion of contemporary culture. If a Church is Protestant, however, it is founded a some point in history by a human being for what they perceive to be good reasons. If a Church is Protestant there is no idea that Mary is the Mother of the Church, and the apostolic foundation is simply one of adherence to apostolic teaching (to be found in the Bible) and perhaps a paper pedigree that claims some sort of apostolic succession. If a Church is Protestant it is founded out of the turmoil and troubles of a particular time in history and it therefore adapts and changes according to the particular turmoil and troubles of whatever culture and circumstances in which it finds itself. To be brief, a Protestant church is a man made institution and does not apologize for the fact. Beneath these realities is therefore a very fundamental difference in ones understanding of not only the church but the Christian faith itself. The Catholic Church regards the Christian religion as revealed by God through the ultimate revelation of himself through the incarnation of his Son Jesus Christ, who took flesh of the Blessed Virgin for the salvation of the world. The Sacred Scriptures are the witness to that revelation of God in Christ and the Church is the divinely founded and inspired Body of Christ alive and active in the worldrevealed and established by God to administer the sacraments of salvation to mankind. The liberal Protestant understanding is that the Christian faith is a construct that took place at a particular point in time due to the circumstances and culture of the day. The life, ministry and teaching of Christ are the important things. The Bible is the revealed truth from God and the Church is the group of believers who follow Christs teaching and help to spread that good news in the place and time in which they live. Conservative Protestants would have a higher view of the Christian faith being revealed, but their primary revelation is the Bible, and that revelation is what cannot change. This, then, is the basic division within Anglicanism: Continue Reading Image via Bing Patna: Governor Ram Nath Kovind on Monday inaugurated the day-long conference of Vice Chancellors of various universities in Bihar in which, like several of his predecessors, talked more about humanity than education urging universities to adopt villages and help develop it. Like most of the past speeches by a Governor, also the Chancellor of universities in the state, Kovind's inaugural address focused less on improving education in Bihar and instead sounded more like a speech by a politician. The Governor urged universities to 'adopt' nearby villages and help it develop by offering assistance in education, cleanliness, hygiene, and skill development. Continuing to speak in generalities, the Governor asked the Vice Chancellors to develop universities as model institution of learning by offering WiFi capability in the campus, offering e-library and e-learning facilities, and consider changing the attire of the graduating students at the convocations that, he said, was a legacy of the British rule and should be replaced by Indian dress. Bihar Education Minister Ashok Kumar Chowdhary and University Grant Commission (UGC) Chairperson Ved Prakash also spoke on the occasion. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Iran's President Rohani to discuss candidate rejections with Guardian Council head 01/19/16 Source: Radio Zamaneh President Rohani's legal deputy, Elham Aminzadeh, has announced that the president will meet with the head of the Guardian Council to discuss the widespread rejection of election candidates. Reformists (purple) against hardliners (red) in election match (cartoon by Ali Miraei, Ghanoon) Read related coverage by Ghanoon daily The Guardian Council must approve the eligibility of every candidate before they are allowed to run in the elections. For the coming parliamentary election in March, reports indicate that over 50 percent of candidates have been disqualified. Reformists have expressed serious concern that the actions of the Guardian Council amount to a sort of manipulation of the election outcome as their candidates are being denied the chance to run a campaign. Aminzadeh told ISNA the president will speak to the council to make sure no candidate is erroneously disqualified. Read related coverage by Shargh daily The final list of approved candidates has not yet been published. Hossein Marashi, the head of the Reformist Policy-making Council, was quoted as saying that only 30 of 3,000 reformist candidates have been approved by the Guardian Council. Freed Washington Post Reporter Talks About Iranian Imprisonment 01/19/16 By Ken Schwartz, VOA Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian says he had extraordinarily limited human interaction and spent 49 days in solitary confinement during his 18 months in an Iranian prison. Rezaian is one of four Americans freed Saturday as part of a prison swap with Iran that came with the implementation of the nuclear agreement. Jason Rezaian & Yeganeh Salehi Jason Rezaian & Yeganeh Salehi Rezaian met face-to-face with senior Washington Post editors at the German hospital where he is recovering from his ordeal before returning to the United States. "I want people to know that physically, I'm feeling good. I know people are eager to hear from me, but I want to process this for some time," Rezaian said. He was picked up in 2014 and accused of spying - charges both the Postand the Obama administration called absurd. He was sentenced to an undisclosed prison term after a closed door trial in which he apparently was given little opportunity to offer a defense. Revolutionary Guard Rezaian said he spent most of his time in the custody of Iran's Revolutionary Guard - the military force tied to hardline religious leaders. He was kept in a small room with no mattress, and said walking around a courtyard was his only exercise. FILE - An exterior view of Evin prison, which is thought to hold hundreds of political prisoners as well as regular inmates, in Tehran, Iran. FILE - An exterior view of Evin prison, which is thought to hold hundreds of political prisoners as well as regular inmates, in Tehran, Iran. He was hospitalized three times with chronic eye and groin infections. Rezaian said his last few hours in Iranian custody were among the most anxious, calling his departure from Iran and handover to Swiss officials as "touch and go until the last minute," fearing something would go wrong. "I want to thank my family, especially the efforts of my brother Ali and my wife in Iran and my mother everywhere she was. They have been incredible," he said. "I also want to thank everybody at the Post and my colleagues in other media as well, as well as everybody in the U.S. government who played an important role in my release." US Marine Also meeting with family Monday for the first time since his freedom from Iran was former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati. His brother-in-law, sisters and Michigan Congressman Daniel Kildee visited Hekmati at the German hospital. Hekmati, an Iranian-American, was arrested in 2011 on spying charges while visiting his grandmother. From left to right: Dr. Ramy Kurdi, (Amir's brother-in-law), Sarah Hekmati (Amir's sister), Congressman Dan Kildee, Amir Hekmati, and Leila Hekmati (Amir's sister) meet Monday, Jan. 18, 2016 in Germany after Amir was released after more than four years in Iranian custody. (photo by From left to right: Dr. Ramy Kurdi, (Amir's brother-in-law), Sarah Hekmati (Amir's sister), Congressman Dan Kildee, Amir Hekmati, and Leila Hekmati (Amir's sister) meet Monday, Jan. 18, 2016 in Germany after Amir was released after more than four years in Iranian custody.(photo by Roberto Acosta mlive - see more photos An American pastor, Saeed Abedini, jailed in 2012 for spreading Christianity, and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose reasons for being in Iran are still unclear, also were freed Saturday. Matthew Trevithick, detained in Iran last month on charges that were never disclosed, was freed in a deal separate from the four other Americans. Clemency granted In return for freeing the four U.S. citizens, President Barack Obama offered clemency to seven Iranians who were either charged with or convicted of violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. Charges include exporting military electronics to Iran and computer hacking. The Obama administration also agreed to drop charges against 14 other Iranians outside the U.S. None is in U.S. custody, and officials have determined that efforts to have them extradited will not succeed. Undated handout photo shows retired FBI agent Robert Levinson. His family received these photographs in April 2011. Undated handout photo shows retired FBI agent Robert Levinson. His family received these photographs in April 2011. Iran also has agreed to try to determine the fate of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working on a project linked to the Central Intelligence Agency. U.S. officials have said they are not sure if he is still alive. The Americans were freed as the United States and European Union lifted economic sanctions against Iran as part of last year's nuclear deal. There was no mention of the prisoner swap while the deal was being negotiated. But Obama and other senior U.S. officials have said they repeatedly demanded that Iran free the Americans. Pakistan PM arrives in Iran after Saudi visit 01/19/16 Source: Press TV Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has arrived in Tehran to hold talks with senior Iranian officials. Sharif, who is heading a high-ranking delegation, was welcomed at Tehran Mehrabad airport by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan on Tuesday. Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (2nd left) was welcomed by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein (center) upon arrival at Tehran Mehrabad airport on Tuesday. (source: Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (2nd left) was welcomed by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein (center) upon arrival at Tehran Mehrabad airport on Tuesday.(source: Islamic Republic News Agency During his day-long stay in Tehran, Sharif is scheduled to sit down with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri. Sharif is visiting Iran after making an official trip to Saudi Arabia on Monday. In Riyadh, Sharif expressed "deep concern" to Saudi King Salman over escalating tensions between Tehran and Riyadh. "The prime minister expressed our deep concern on the recent escalation of tensions" between Iran and Saudi Arabia following the January 2 execution of prominent cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Riyadh, Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said. "He also called for an early resolution of differences through peaceful means, in the larger interest of [Islamic] Ummah, particularly during these challenging times," Khalilullah added. Nimr's execution was widely censured by Muslims and human rights activists around the globe as well as different governments. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3 following demonstrations outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad by angry protesters. The Saudi diplomatic premises was attacked by some during the demonstrations. Iranian officials strongly denounced the raids and have arrested over 150 people over the incident. Besides Pakistan, other countries, including Russia and China, have voiced readiness to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Innocent passage of the warships in the maritime territories of the Persian Gulf 01/19/16 By Bahman Aghai Diba, PhD International Law of the Sea Farsi Island, Persian Gulf The recent incident in the Persian Gulf between the US and Iran navies has once again renewed the issue of innocent passage for the warships in the maritime territories at the time of peace (of course, the law of war is different). The non-military ships have normally the right of innocent passage in the territorial sea of other states. This is clearly stated in various sources of the international laws of the Sea, especially the 1982 UN Convention of the Law of the Sea dated 1982 known as Montego Bay Treaty. The US has not signed this treaty. Iran has signed but not ratified it. It should be noted that according to the law of the sea, the Islands (like the Farsi Island in the recent case) have their own maritime territories around them which is almost similar to the regulations about the mainland of the states. Iran and the US have been active participants in the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea which culminated in 1982 Convention. Iran is under commitment not to act against its provisions (1). As far as the US is concerned, noting that many parts of the 1982 convention have either entered the national laws or the customary practices of states, the US tries not to do anything contrary to the convention. The US has issued a declaration that it believes the warships have the right of innocent passage but aside from Russia, this is not confirmed by large number of countries or international specialized organizations. In fact, in the Persian Gulf, some countries which previously had supported the idea of innocent passage of the warships or remained silent about it (including the Saudi Arabia) in the light of more recent security considerations have been inclined to asking the innocent passage of warships to be used after prior authorization of the coastal state. (2) Iranian declaration on the signing of the convention, says:" ... In the light of customary international law, the provisions of article 21, read in association with article 19 (on the Meaning of Innocent Passage) and article 25 (on the Rights of Protection of the Coastal States), recognize (though implicitly) the rights of the Coastal States to take measures to safeguard their security interests including the adoption of laws and regulations regarding, inter alia , the requirements of prior authorization for warships willing to exercise the right of innocent passage...(3) The passage of the naval units from the territorial sea or in others words, extending the right of innocent passage to the warships was a controversial issue during the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea and after the conclusion of the convention. The military issues were not in the agenda of the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea. However, during the sessions of the conference there were efforts to include subjects like peaceful use of the oceans but they were not seriously followed. Therefore, the 1958 Convention on the territorial Sea and the 1982 convention have not clear regulations about the passage of the naval units from the territorial sea. (4) During the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea, Iran opposed several times the US position regarding the innocent passage of warships from maritime territories. Iran, as it is stated in its law and the statement on the signing of the 1982 convention, believes that passage of naval ships of other states from the territorial waters is dependent on prior notification and by observance of the innocent passage requirements. Some other countries that have the same policy are Egypt, Oman and Yemen. According to the 20 April 1993 Iranian law of the maritime territories, the innocent passage of warships requires prior authorization. Notes JCPOA Implementation and Afterwards 01/19/16 By Farideh Farhi (source: LobeLog) JCPOA Implementation: A new season in Iran's economy President Hassan Rouhani addresses a conference of entrepreneurs in Tehran on January 19, 2016. . (photo by President Hassan Rouhani addresses a conference of entrepreneurs in Tehran on January 19, 2016. .(photo by Islamic Republic News Agency I am pretty sure it was not planned. But the Implementation Day for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)-January 16-was also the anniversary of the day Mohammad Reza Pahlavi left Iran in 1979. This coincidence is sure to give some Iranians, who earnestly believe that the Shahs departure was made possible by loss of U.S. confidence in the Iranian monarch or even support for the revolutionary forces, another reason to be convinced that the United States is responsible for the Islamic Republic of Irans survival and even maintenance over the years. This conspiratorial perspective aside, the JCPOAs implementation certainly signifies yet another turning point for Iran, even if the Implementation Day couldnt have happened without a certain amount of luck. At least since the US invasion of Afghanistan, many observers of US-Iran relations have noted the mutuality of interests and/or deeper geopolitical changes that should eventually open the way for some sort of sustained dialogue and even rapprochement between the two countries. But escalating rhetoric and hostile policies overshadowed any easing of tensions even during the first term of the Obama administration. The tipping factor in making the Implementation Day possible was not deeper geopolitical trends but politicians and diplomats on both sides who, in the face of complicated domestic politics, were willing and capable of interacting and negotiating for mutually acceptable solutions, at times even in secret. Nothing exemplifies this dynamic better than the recent prisoner exchange that took almost everyone by surprise. Notwithstanding the Republican Partys criticism of anything that he does, Obama managed through this exchange to address the accusation that his administration was ready to abandon US citizens for the sake of a nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, the Rouhani administration was able to make the point that the US also imprisons people on the basis of laws that another country considers unfair, even erratic. The prisoner exchange also revealed that the US and Iran dialogue has already become broader than the nuclear issue despite public protestations to the contrary, particularly in Iran. To be sure, the domestic context within which these politicians and diplomats operate also mattered. Despite all the anti-Iran bluster and criticism coming from the Republicans and even some well-known Democrats, Obama knew that the majority of Americans are tired of war and unnecessary belligerence. Probably more importantly, he knew that his Democratic Party base would welcome, perhaps even expect, conciliatory politics towards Iran. Meanwhile in Tehran, as Iran foreign minister Javad Zarif, has repeatedly pointed out, the high participation rate in the 2013 presidential election provided the Iranian negotiators the confidence to conduct themselves the way they did. True, the secret talks between the US and Iran began during the tenure of previous foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi (with the then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili sidelined presumably at the order of Ayatollah Khamenei). But the negotiations could not have ended successfully without a nuclear team that was deemed capable as well as representative of the view of a good part of the Iranian population. The fortuitous pairing of decision-makers does not suggest that the political dynamics are the same in the two countries. There are significant differences, as well as a fundamental imbalance, in the relationship. At the most basic level, the JCPOA implementation means different things for the two countries. For the United States-a global power that routinely crows about imposing sanctions and demanding good behavior from other countries without any self-reflection about how its own conduct contributes to regional violence-the question of how to deal with Iran is a matter of policy. During the presidential election season, it is also a stand-in for deeper fights over the US role in the world and the extent of its military muscle. Moreover, given the decades of non-recognition, Iran is an easy target for demonization. For the Islamic Republic-a regional power with a history of being manipulated by global powers-the policy debate over how to neutralize the US-led sanctions regime combines with the conservative establishments fear of losing control as Iran increases its economic interactions with Western powers. Almost immediately after the JCPOA Adoption Day, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his deep fear of the economic and cultural infiltration of Iran once the agreement is implemented. Infiltration has now become a ubiquitous word in Irans public discourse. For instance, in an organizational meeting this week, intended to bring together various conservative wings in order to create a common slate for the upcoming parliamentary elections, infiltration was even charged with sowing discord among conservatives and preventing them from uniting their bickering wings. This fear-laden approach also set the stage on the JCPOA Implementation Day for the announcement that the provincial supervisory committees qualified only 45 percent of registrants for the parliamentary elections. Such a low qualification rate is unprecedented in the history of the Islamic Republic. According to Hossein Marashi, a reformist leader, only 30 reformists and supporters of the government out of the total of 3,000 who registered were deemed qualified throughout the country. Usually the qualification rate at the provincial level is relatively high, leaving the stricter disqualification rate for the Guardian Council. So yet again Irans electoral politics is in an uncharted territory awaiting an unpredictable outcome. In the next 20 days much effort will go into trying to undo the provincial committees results, which reportedly include the failure of dozens of current MPs to qualify. Rouhani has already expressed his unhappiness, stating that he will engage with the Guardian Council in the hopes that the body can resolve the problem in ways that would realize the esteemed Leaders recommendation regarding extensive participation of the people, even critics of the state. Rouhani is clever to point to Khameneis call for those who reject the Islamic Republic or are even critics of the Leader himself to participate in the election. Khamenei has done this twice, once before the 2013 elections and once just last week. But he has focused so far on voter participation in the election to enhance the Islamic Republics security and legitimacy on the global stage. He has said nothing about allowing the critics to run for office, and his constant refrain regarding infiltration through the use of domestic actors has provided ammunition for not only arrests of political opponents but also exclusion from political office of even mild critics. If this sounds like the Leader wanting to have his cake and eat it too, it does. But in the next 20 days, efforts will be made to convince him and the rest of the conservative establishment that this is a shortsighted approach that does not serve the Islamic Republic, in much the same way as the bombastic approach to Irans nuclear dossier during Ahmadinejads presidency. In his press conference on Sunday, Rouhani already hinted at his argument for pushing for a different approach. We have to implement the JCPOA model domestically as well, he said. On Monday, his vice president for legal affairs, Elham Aminzadeh stated that Rouhani would begin talks with the Guardian Council to restore the reputation of those disqualified if mistakes were made. Follow LobeLog on Twitter and on Facebook About the Author: Farideh Farhi is an Independent Scholar and Affiliate Graduate Faculty at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. She has taught comparative politics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, University of Hawai'i, University of Tehran, and Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran. Her publications include States and Urban-Based Revolutions in Iran and Nicaragua (University of Illinois Press) and numerous articles and book chapters on compartative analyses of revolutions and Iranian politics. She has been a recipient of grants from the United States Institute of Peace and the Rockefeller Foundation and was most recently a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. She has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank and the International Crisis Group. Iran to receive more than $32bn of unblocked assets: Central Bank 01/19/16 Source: Press TV The governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has announced that Tehran will access more than $32 billion of unfrozen assets after sanctions removal. CBI chief Valiollah Seif said Monday that $28 billion of the assets would go to the central bank and $4 billion will be transferred to the state treasury as the share of the government. The end of the nuclear match: Iran wins 3-2 cartoon by Mohsen Zarifian, Iranian daily Thecartoon by Mohsen Zarifian, Iranian daily Ghanoon Iranian media reports also quoted Seif as saying that CBI has ordered the transfer of part of Iranian assets from Japan to Germany. He said the unfreezing of assets after the implementation of Iran's nuclear agreement with six world powers on Saturday also helped lower the costs of transfer by 10 to 15 percent. The implementation of the agreement and the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions over its nuclear program was announced after the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the Islamic Republic has remained committed to the nuclear agreement finalized in Vienna, on July 14, 2015, between Tehran and the United States, Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany. Iran Forex CBI governor noted Tuesday that a single foreign exchange system will be introduced in the country within six months. Iran's national currency, the rial, has been traditionally traded at two rates one being traded by CBI and the other one set by money changers. The Iranian rial depreciated against the US dollar after the closing days of 2011 when Washington and its allies started imposing anti-Iran sanctions. SWIFT Banking Seif also made reference to Iranian banks' bid to rejoin the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), noting that the system has been restored as all the preliminary measures to reconnect to SWIFT were already taken. He further spoke of the opening of some one thousand LCs (Letters of Credit) at Iranian banks. 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 Facebook has formally pledged to fight hate speech and extremism on the site. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg was on hand at a special event in Berlin on Tuesday to announce(Opens in a new window) the Online Civil Courage Initiative. The objective, according to Sandberg and members of public safety groups at the event, is to combat "extremism and hate speech on the Internet." Facebook will work across Europe to combat the spread of hate speech. More specifically, it's pledging over 1 million euros ($1.09 million) to focus on financially supporting organizations that fight online extremism, as well as help researchers, companies, and governments, find ways to understand and disrupt online extremism. The move comes just a few months after Facebook Justice Minister Heiko Maas announced a joint task force to fight harmful speech. The task force followed calls by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for Facebook itself to "take action" against hate speech on the Internet. In November, Hamburg state prosecutors upped their focus on Facebook, launching an investigation into the company's managing director for Europe, Martin Ott, over claims that he didn't do enough to stop the spread of hate speech on the social network. Facebook, along with Google and others, quickly responded, saying it would remove hate speech within 24 hours in Germany. Countries like Germany and France have stricter rules on offensive comments than we do in the U.S., banning things like pro-Nazi content. In the wake of Germany accepting thousands of refugees last year, hate speech about the move has proliferated on sites like Facebook. In an attempt to quell unrest, the German government has called on technology companies to help fight such commentary. In the U.S. they have been more reluctant to do so, citing free speech. In 2013, however, Facebook did pledge to review its hate speech policies to ensure content on its site did not promote violence against women. This deal does not change that; the agreement only applies to those in Europe. Are any hoverboards safe? Two-wheeled "hoverboard" scooters are a brutal, cutthroat market full of copycats and false claims. Now it looks like one of our favorite hoverboard makers, Swagway, has been caught being a little ahead of the curve on its safety certifications. When we reviewed the Swagway X1 , one of the things we liked about it was the UL marking(Opens in a new window) on its power adapter, implying a level of safety that was better than Monorover's non-UL-certified adapter. But UL pushed back last week(Opens in a new window), saying that Swagway hoverboards were not worthy of a UL mark. "Hoverboards marketed and sold by Swagway, LLC bear counterfeit UL Marks. Swagway Hoverboards have not been evaluated by UL to any Standard for Safety and it is unknown if the Swagway Hoverboards comply with any safety requirements," UL's statement says. You have to parse UL's statement precisely, and know where the marks are on a Swagway box, to understand what the real debate is here. Swagway says it has UL-certified batteries and power adapters, but UL says Swagway also puts the UL logo on the box, which implies that the whole hoverboard is UL certified. It isn't. UL isn't disputing that the individual power adapters are UL certified, but it's asserting that the certification is invalid if they haven't been tested as part of the whole "hoverboard system." Swagway agrees that UL hasn't tested any whole hoverboards, adding it's been trying to work with UL to develop some standards. But the certification body essentially sandbagged the hoverboard maker with a surprise press release, it said. "Swagway has always ordered and used UL certified battery cells and UL certified adapters for its hoverboards," the company said. "UL contends the mark used by Swagway must only be used to signify certification of an entire system. Swagway's entire hoverboard is not UL certified. Indeed, to date, UL has yet to certify any hoverboards for safety." If you want, you can then dip into the morass of lawsuits and counter-lawsuits between various companies claiming to have patents on scooter components, and the debate over whether the exploding "Swagway" that's currently the subject of a lawsuit was a real, fake, or defective unit. Where does that leave consumers? We still recommend the Swagway X1, if purchased directly from Swagway's website and not through a retailer. After talking extensively to the company, we're confident it's working hard to assure safety, if not to protect its brand name against cheaper copycats. Its new Swagtron appears to be designed to even higher safety standards. If you have $1,300, look at the Ninebot Mini Pro, coming soon to Amazon. Made by Segway with a completely different design than other hoverboards, we're even more confident that this one is safe. Major tech manufacturers fail to do basic checks to ensure minerals used in their products are not produced by child labor, according to a new Amnesty International report(Opens in a new window). In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), children as young as seven are reportedly put to work in "perilous conditions," mining cobalt for use in lithium-ion batteries. "The glamourous shop displays and marketing of state-of-the-art technologies are a stark contrast to the children carrying bags of rocks, and miners in narrow man-made tunnels risking permanent lung damage," Amnesty International researcher Mark Dummett said in a statement. According to the human rights organization(Opens in a new window), traders buy cobalt from areas rife with child labor and sell it to Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM). Parent company Huayou Cobalt then sells it to battery makers, which claim to supply companies like Apple, Samsung, LG, Daimler, Sony, Volkswagen, Dell, HP, Motorola, Microsoft, Vodafone, and Huawei. In statements to PCMag, Sony said it has not found "obvious results" that its products contain cobalt originated from the DRC, while Samsung denied any transactions with CDM or Huayou Cobalt. And while Dell claims it does not use raw cobalt or have direct purchasing relationships with mining companies or smelters, "we are concerned by the issues raised in the report." Microsoft, meanwhile, did not address the inquiry directly, but instead said it is "specifically engaged with [support organization Pact] on a pilot program to eradicate child labor in the Katanga region of the Congo related to cobalt mining." The U.K.'s Vodafone similarly distanced itself from the issue, saying that "the smelters and the mines from which metals such as cobalt are originally sourced are several steps away from Vodafone in the supply chain." For that reason, the company is "unaware" whether cobalt in its products originates in the DRC or whether CDM and Huayou Cobalt are part of its supply chains. Motorola was the only organization to own up to its mistake, telling PCMag that it is "taking a number of steps to transition two licensees away from the supplier named in the report, and are committed to completing this transition as quickly as possible." An LG spokesman said the company only just saw the report, and is currently "looking into that claim ourselves" before providing an official statement. "Needless to say, we are taking this very seriously," he said. HP is also reviewing Amnesty's report, and will "continue to work with our supply chain partners and the industry to effectively address any risks identified in the sourcing of minerals," a spokeswoman said. Apple, Daimler, Volkswagen, and Huawei did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment. When Amnesty International contacted 16 multinational businesses with possible ties to the DRC and Huayou Cobalt, only one admitted the connection. Six said they were investigating the claims, five denied sourcing cobalt from Huayou (despite being listed as customers), four could not confirm their affiliation, and two flat-out denied a cobalt connection with the DRC. "It is a major paradox of the digital era that some of the world's richest, most innovative companies are able to market incredibly sophisticated devices without being required to show where they source raw materials for their components," said Emmanuel Umpula, executive director of AI partner Africa Resources Watch (Afrewatch). At least half of the world's cobalt is produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where miners face long-term health damage and fatal accidents. Children reportedly work for up to 12 hours a day, carrying heavy loads and earning $1 to $2 a day. Amnesty International and Afrewatch are calling on manufacturers who use lithium-ion batteries to investigate whether their materialsspecifically cobaltare extracted under hazardous conditions or with child labor. "Millions of people enjoy the benefits of new technologies but rarely ask how they are made," Dummett said. "It is high time the big brands took some responsibility for the mining of the raw materials that make their lucrative products." Editor's Note: This story was updated on Jan. 20 with company comments. Key electronics brands such as Apple and Samsung have been identified by Amnesty International as not doing the necessary checks to prevent cobalt mined by children from getting into lithium-ion batteries used in their products. The report by Amnesty International and African Resources Watch (Afrewatch), an African NGO, has found that traders buy cobalt from areas where child labour is rife and sell it to a Chinese mineral company. The cobalt reaches the technology companies through a complicated route, involving a number of intermediaries. Congo Dongfang Mining and its parent, Chinese mineral giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, process the cobalt sold to three battery component manufacturers in South Korea and China, which in turn sell to battery makers that claim to supply tech and car companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Daimler and Volkswagen. Over half of the global supply of cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the government estimates that 20 percent of the cobalt currently exported comes from artisanal miners in the south of the country, including children as young as 7 years, working with their hands and using basic tools, according to the report. Chronic exposure to dust containing cobalt can result in a potentially fatal lung disease, called hard metal lung disease, said the report, which also lists other diseases that can come from breathing and skin contact with cobalt. The report blamed the DRC as well as the various parts of the supply chain including companies, stating that the companies promise of zero-tolerance of child labor was meaningless if they do not investigate their suppliers. Apple, when contacted, emailed a copy of its full submission to Amnesty International. In that statement, it said that underage labor is never tolerated in its supply chain and the company not only has strict standards, rigorous audits and industry-leading preventative measures, but we also actively look for any violations. The company said it is currently evaluating dozens of different materials, including cobalt, in order to identify labor and environmental risks as well as opportunities for Apple to bring about effective, scalable and sustainable change, but warned that it could not do this alone and that there are no quick fixes to challenges in the global supply chain. Samsung did not immediately respond. Samsung SDI, the battery making business of the Samsung group, told Amnesty International and Afrewatch that it is very hard to trace the source of the mineral due to the suppliers nondisclosure of information and the complexity of the supply chains. The company said it was impossible for it to determine whether the cobalt supplied to Samsung SDI comes from DRC Katangas mines. Of the 16 multinational companies that were identified in the report as buying from battery manufacturers that used processed cobalt from Huayou Cobalt, two multinational companies denied sourcing any cobalt from the DRC and five denied sourcing through Huayou Cobalt. Some of the companies either accepted or were uncertain about Amnestys claims or said they were investigating, according to the report. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a rule in 2012 that requires companies to publicly disclose their use of conflict minerals that include tantalum, tin, gold, or tungsten originated in the DRC or an adjoining country. The minerals are described as conflict materials because their sale benefit armed groups in these countries. The cobalt market is not regulated and it does not fall under existing conflict minerals rules in the U.S., according to the Amnesty International report. Know this about mass transit and the media: The particular topic a new bus line, Metrolink extensions, a trolley proposed for Riverside, the bullet train connecting Northern and Southern California doesnt matter. Most of us just love mass transit. And why not? We dont ride such things, unless were taking a cool little trip to the coast for a day on the beach, or maybe a day of shopping in L.A. In reality, the little people ride it. . They actually need to get from Point A to Point B. They must be subsidized. And very few subsidies are going to be as large as the one taxpayers will fork over for the California high-speed rail project. Earlier this month, state high-speed rail officials recommended a bid of $350 million to build 22 miles of track in Tulare and King counties. It was lower than several other bids. Now, youve heard theyre putting in track in Central Valley areas because land is cheap, and the cost is low. Lets say you could build any 22-mile stretch of this debacle for $350 million. (You cant, but lets assume you can.) In 1999, a panel of state officials envisioned a 700-mile system. Just to lay some rail, at that price, for 700 miles, youd need more than $11 billion. Costs will be a lot higher when the tracks get closer to population centers, and they start building terminals named after Your Favorite Visionary Politician. Young readers probably arent old enough to remember when this was first proposed, but the newsrooms of California excitedly covered every little proposed route stop or change of plan. Here are a few P-E headlines from the mid-1990s, when the juggernaut first got going: Panel backs bullet trains; Looks like a long wait for train service; Riverside still aboard in rail station plan; Orange County may elbow out Ontario; Study savors Temecula rail stop; A vote to add rail lines for commuters; Officials beckon to the bullet train. Newsrooms behaved like children waiting to hop on a ride at Disneyland. Then the small matter of cost came up. In 1996, a state commission approved a route from San Diego to San Francisco and said voters would need to approve $12 billion to $26 billion in new taxes. Imprecise, yes, but comparatively low. By 2001, news stories were talking about a $33 billion system. In 2008, the pioneers of California high-speed rail put a ballot measure before voters asking for approval to borrow $10 billion for what they said would, in total, cost $45 billion. That ballot measure passed. The price kept rising. And rising it got to $67 billion, by the legislative analysts estimate, in 2011. Well, you get the idea. Between $12 billion and $26 billion? Uh-huh. To the extent government deems to invest tax dollars in mass transit, it should be built in places where large numbers of people can get cheaply and easily from Point A to Point B. We havent demonstrated such need for trolleys from La Sierra to UCR or bullet trains from San Francisco to San Diego. Theyd be fun, but theyd also be expensive and subsidized by people who dont even need or want them. Sundays fourth Democratic presidential debate, from Charleston, S.C., gave voters a surprisingly clear look at what the candidates are itching to do in the White House. With Sen. Bernie Sanders surprisingly ahead of Hillary Clinton for both the Feb. 1 Iowa Caucuses and the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary, according to several recent polls, the former first lady followed him to the left on policy issues. Sen. Sanders called for a single payer national health system, meaning the government would replace private insurers. He promised, I believe that a Medicare-for-all, single-payer program will substantially lower the cost of health care for middle class families. That sounds like President Obamas pledge during the 2008 campaign that Obamacare would cover every American and cut the cost of a typical familys premium by up to $2,500 a year. In reality, coverage for most families is down, and costs have soared. Mrs. Clinton said she would build on Obamacare by putting a cap on prescription drug costs. But that could destroy the profits of drug companies, making them reluctant to run the gauntlet of FDA regulations that have brought the cost of getting a new drug to market to $1.3 billion, according to Joseph Dimasi of the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. A better idea would be to reform the FDA to reduce that cost. The candidates promised both more gun control and higher taxes, the opposite of what Republican candidates advocate. And they supported Mr. Obamas nuclear treaty with Iran, which all the Republicans opposed. Of course, few of these proposals could make it through Congress, even if Republicans lose control of both houses, which seems unlikely. Feel the Bern is Sen. Sanders top campaign slogan. But for him and Mrs. Clinton, a better theme would be: Feel the tax bite. A small fire Tuesday morning, Jan. 19, south of Mecca burned an abandoned vehicle and left the cars owner with minor burns. Firefighters were sent about 8 a.m. to an area near the intersection of Lincoln Street and Avenue 67, according to a Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department news release. The abandoned vehicle and a 10-by-10-foot area of ground mulch were burning by the time firefighters arrived, the news release said. The vehicles owner suffered minor burns to the hands, but the news release did not say how he or she got them. The owner was treated by firefighter paramedics. Legalizing marijuana means going green, in more ways than one. Colorado hauled in $76.2 million from taxes on marijuana sales and license fees in 2014. That windfall leaped nearly 71 percent to about $130 million in 2015. Washington state pulled in $41.4 million in taxes and fees in its first 16 months of legal pot sales and is on track to reap at least $60 million in new tax dollars in the fiscal year that ends in June. Oregons legal marijuana sales began in October. The states bean counters estimated new tax revenue would reach $10.7 million in the first two years. Pot sales that very first week surged past $11 million and those in the cannabis business believe Oregon will take in three to four times its sober projection when receipts are finally tallied. All this makes dollar signs shine in the eyes of some Golden State officials. In November, California is likely to follow the lead of Colorado, Washington and Oregon, with several marijuana legalization initiatives vying for the ballot. Support is lining up behind one initiative in particular, which would pump tax revenue ranging from the high hundreds of millions of dollars to over $1 billion annually into California public coffers, while slashing the cost of prosecuting marijuana cases by some $100 million a year, according to the state Legislative Analysts Office. This is it this will be the year that California, and the United States of America, repeal marijuana prohibition, declared retired Superior Court Judge Jim Gray, who shocked his Republican brethren by declaring the war on drugs a failure and calling for legalization back in the 1990s. Marijuana is the largest cash crop in California, larger even than grapes, Gray said. It will bring in a lot of revenue to the state and take away a lot of revenue from street gangs and lots of really bad dudes. Whats to miss here? Riverside residents have long held conservative views on marijuana, and the City Council has reflected that, Councilman John Burnard said. But a successful statewide legalization measure might force officials to discuss whether they want to refuse a potentially large source of revenue, he said. The city bans medical marijuana dispensaries and has fought to close them down, but this month the council voted to allow patients to grow up to eight plants for their own use, a move Burnard supported. Even if we outlaw every dispensary possible and ban every possible growing facility, these people (marijuana users) are just going to come back home from Jurupa Valley or Rubidoux or San Bernardino and still do it, he said. The neighboring cities will end up with that revenue. Riverside County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries said hes not aware of any internal discussions regarding the financial effect of legal pot on the county. I anticipate that most of the revenues will come from the state with specific spending restrictions related to health and public safety services, he said. If the voters approve legalizing, I suspect our early challenges will be land-use issues, code enforcement issues and young kids bringing Mom and Dads pot to school, he said. Of course we will also be dealing with oversized green signs being put up at every intersection near a dispensary. Moreno Valley Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez said he has not taken a stance on the proposed marijuana legalization measures. He said hed like to see more information about what the impact could be first. Ive heard both sides, Gutierrez said. There could be some potential revenue from it. I also think we need to look at what some of the ramifications of it could be. Temecula Mayor Mike Naggar said there are plenty of ways for the state to generate revenue without creating a new cash crop. I dont think we need to delve into the marijuana market to make ends meet, he said. Legalized pots $1 billion bounty would boost Californias general fund by almost 1 percent, just like that. California would join the three renegade Western states, as well as Alaska and the District of Columbia, in legalizing marijuana for recreational use. And, as Americas biggest contender, California would force the issue onto the national stage in a way that could no longer be ignored in Washington, D.C. If California votes for legalization and Massachusetts is another big one people are looking at right now well have something like one-third of the country saying marijuana is legal for all adults, said Sam Kamin, a professor specializing in marijuana law at the University of Denver who has been watching the Colorado experiment unfold. That would put a lot of pressure on the federal government to finally change. The problem: Despite state laws saying marijuana is legal, it remains verboten under federal law. Cannabis is a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, lumped with heroin and LSD as a highly addictive drug that has no currently accepted medical use. Despite that, more than 20 states including California have passed medical marijuana laws on the belief that it does, indeed, have medical efficacy. California kicked it all off in 1996 when voters passed Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, with 56 percent in favor. The past 20 years of implementation, regulation and enforcement have been extremely problematic and uneven from one end of the Golden State to the other. But recent efforts to standardize the regulation of medical marijuana would be drafted into service by the passing of a state initiative legalizing recreational use of marijuana. The last time Californians voted on marijuana legalization in 2010 they said no, with 53.5 percent voting against. Critics then and now fear that the drug will get into the hands of minors and lead to more driving under the influence. Times have changed, and legalization now stands a solid chance of passing, with 55 percent of likely voters saying that marijuana should be legal, according to a poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, released last April. In 2010, only 49 percent of likely voters said the same in pre-election polling. Thats a sizable six-point increase. Majority support for marijuana legalization is a consistent finding in our recent polls, and a change from a few years ago that coincides with legalization in other states, said Mark Baldassare, the Public Policy Institutes president and chief executive. The fact that marijuana legalization could be a major source of revenue growth and cost savings will be important to fiscally conservative California voters, Baldassare said. Still, there will be many questions about how to implement a new law in the current state and federal context. Supporters need to gather about 366,000 signatures to qualify the initiative for the November ballot, a task made easier by the half-million dollars that former Facebook President Sean Parker has tossed into the kitty. It costs about $2 million to $3 million to gather the requisite signatures. There are lots of good reasons to legalize, but money isnt necessarily one of them, said Kamin, the University of Colorado law professor. Its not going to make you rich, and you dont want the government to become dependent on people smoking pot for revenue. I just happen to be one of those people who has concluded that the costs of marijuana prohibition are higher than the costs of legalization. Staff writers Aaron Claverie, Imran Ghori, Jeff Horseman and Alicia Robinson contributed to this report. Contact the writer: tsforza@ocregister.com The Washington think tank that produced the sometimes critical report on the handling of the Christopher Dorner manhunt in 2013 in the Inland area will likely conduct a top-to-bottom review of the law enforcement response to the Dec. 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino. A verbal agreement has been reached with the Police Foundation to review police tactics and possibly how well law enforcement, paramedics and hospitals worked together during the crisis, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said Monday. You want this to be a lessons learned (incident), and you want to see the industry look at it and see this worked and this didnt work, Burguan said. The Police Foundation, headed by former Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueermann, will provide an objective examination and lift that massive task from the shoulders of local law enforcement agencies, Burguan said. There are hundreds and hundreds of police officers that have to be interviewed, Burguan said. RELATED: All the latest developments related to the San Bernardino shooting Bueermann was traveling Monday night and was not available for comment. The Police Foundation offers training, research and evaluation for law enforcement. Fourteen people were killed and 22 wounded Dec. 2 when Muslim couple Syed Rizwan Farook and wife Tashfeen Malik burst into a holiday party for Farooks San Bernardino County Division of Environmental Health co-workers at Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, firing handguns and semiautomatic rifles. The shooters fled before police arrived, and about four hours later were killed in a gunbattle with police from seven agencies. First responders, including county probation officers, firefighters, paramedics and hospital workers, were praised for their swift response that appeared efficient and effective. We know from being in the middle of it, it was organized chaos, Burguan said. The industry learns from these things. Case in point, Burguan said, was the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999 that killed 13 people and wounded 21 before the two attackers committed suicide. The standard practice at the time, Burguan said, was for police to surround a building and wait for a SWAT team to arrive before entering, unintentionally giving attackers more time to kill. Because of that tragedy, Burguan said, tactics have evolved. In the San Bernardino shooting, the first officers to arrive immediately formed a team and entered the Inland Regional Center in hopes of taking out the shooters, whose location was unknown at the time. Burguan also expects the report from the Police Foundation to include information on the shooters backgrounds. Because the report is being paid for by the federal Department of Justice, it could include how well the FBI worked with other agencies during the investigation. Burguan said he does not expect the report to delve into the issues surrounding Maliks immigration into the United States to marry U.S.-born Farook. The Police Foundation wrote a 102-page report on the search for Dorner, a fired Los Angeles Police Department officer who in a revenge-fueled rampage in February 2013 killed Monica Quan, the daughter of an LAPD captain; her fiance, Keith Lawrence; Riverside police Officer Michael Crain; and San Bernardino County sheriffs Detective Jeremiah MacKay. Crains partner, Andrew Tachias, and San Bernardino County sheriffs Deputy Alex Collins were wounded. The report praised heroic actions by officers but found fault with radio communication plans, officers responding to the mountains without being requested and a door-to-door search in the Big Bear area. Contact the writer: 951-368-9569 or brokos@pressenterprise.com ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The St. Paul Police Department has put an officer on leave while it investigates allegations that he made a post on Facebook urging drivers to run over protesters who rallied against the police killings of two black men in the Twin Cities last year. The social media message said, Run them over, and told people how to avoid being charged with a crime if they struck someone during the Martin Luther King Day march and rally on a bridge linking St. Paul and Minneapolis, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. Mayor Chris Coleman issued a statement saying he was outraged and disgusted and had directed officials to investigate. There is no room in the St. Paul Police Department for employees who threaten members of the public. If the allegation is true, we will take the strongest possible action allowed under law, Coleman said. The Pioneer Press posted a preview story about the protest on its Facebook page Friday night. The suspended officer allegedly posted a comment in reply, under a different name, that said: Run them over. Keep traffic flowing and dont slow down for any of these idiots who try and block the street. The post gave advice for avoiding charges and said anyone hit who sued would probably lose a jury trial. Andrew Henderson, who runs the Minnesota Cop Block Facebook page, which focuses on police accountability, spotted the comment early Saturday and immediately reported it to police. He then filed an internal affairs complaint Sunday and turned over the evidence he believed showed that post really came from the officer. The head of the internal affairs unit, Senior Cmdr. Shari Gray, said the department treated the post with grave concern because of the scheduled protest. If we needed to change tactics or operational security on the event, we needed to do it, Gray said. And then, two, make sure that if indeed this was one of our officers, that its addressed quickly. Source: Nebraska Legislature Adding to the crowded field of anti-LGBT bills proposed across the nation Nebraska state Senator Mark Kolterman (R-Seward) recently introduced LB 975: a bill that would restrict LGBT couples from adopting children if an agency has a religious objection. Regardless of qualification or economic status, the bill would allow any agency in Nebraska to single out couples based on their sexual orientation for differential treatment on the taxpayers dime. In attempting to justify LB 975 (also known as the Welfare Services Preservation Act ) Kolterman and other GOP legislators cited the need to have as many agencies open as possible to place children in families. They argue that allowing agencies that want to legally discriminate against LGBT couples maintains that system by avoiding what other states have seen: religious institutions closing their doors rather than obeying the law when it comes to anti-discrimination ordinances. Specifically, the bill states: Having as many possible qualified child-placing agencies in Nebraska is a substantial benefit to the children of Nebraska who are in need of these placement services and to all of the citizens of Nebraska because the more qualified agencies taking part in this process there are, the greater the likelihood that permanent placement can be achieved for each child. In order to preserve the support that child-placing agencies offer children and families, the government should not take adverse action against child-placing agencies based on their sincerely held religious beliefs. Though the legislation may have honest intentions to help children on the surface, its potential to devastate the state of Nebraska and its adoption system far outweighs any potential benefit. For starters, the legislation automatically eliminates a substantial number of qualified, available and willing parents who want to adopt children. The legislation would literally remove opportunities from children to grow up in a stable, loving household. But thats not all. The legislation hold the potential to entangle Nebraska in costly litigation and loss of federal taxpayer dollars because of its specific targeting of the LGBT population for discrimination. And they inevitably will) argue that the legislation is written broadly enough so as not to single out LGBT couples, the question arises: can it be used for other malicious purposes (such as denying children to interracial or atheist couples)? While Kolterman claims he wants to support a strong family structure to alleviate many of the problems facing our society today, his ideas and legislation would only serve to worsen the lives of both children awaiting adoption and LGBT couples across the state of Nebraska. Peacock Panache readers: Tim Peacock is the Managing Editor and founder of Peacock Panache and has worked as a civil rights advocate for over twenty years. During that time hes worn several hats including leading on campus LGBTQ advocacy in the University of Missouri campus system, interning with the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and volunteering at advocacy organizations. You can learn more about him at his personal website. Like this: Like Loading... Related We hope you enjoyed reading this article! If you would like to support our ongoing work, please consider buying us a cup of coffee. It's not much, but we don't do this for the money. We do, however, need caffeine to keep going some days!If you do donate, send us a message through our Contact Us page or via social media so we can thank you! First, let us take a moment to appreciate the surging quality of Aussie law enforcements social media escapades. Truly. Good hustle, guys. With that out of the way, allow us to deliver this most excellent piece of bungled criminal handiwork into your life. South Australia Police have put the call out to I.D this enterprising character, who decided itd be an A++ idea to steal a security camera from its Melrose Park locale. While staring at it, right down the barrel. First let me take a selfie- before I steal this CCTV camera! Know him? Call #CrimeStoppers on 1800333000 #Adelaide pic.twitter.com/u67hjigRxA SA Police News (@SAPoliceNews) January 19, 2016 Unless this is some bicycle-based criminal masterstroke intended to distract SAs 5-0 from larger wrong-doings, were stumped. Then again, weve never found ourselves in a position where illegally removing an object, designed to deter the illegal removal of objects, shows itself as the thing to do. On your bike, mate. Photo: Twitter. Because unbelievably this is an actual crime that really happened, and someone out there is short a presumably pricey bit of CCTV gear, if you recognise this bloke give CrimeStoppers a ring on 1800333000. Merchandising stuff-ups as as essential a part of Australia Day as sinking piss, eating charred snags and getting angry at the Hottest 100, and this years comes to courtesy of Woolworths, who have managed to wipe an entire state off the map. The supermarket chain has been selling a hat featuring the outline of the Aussie mainland emblazoned with the nations flag so far, so patriotic but customers have pointed out the lack of one crucial element: Tasmania. This is hardly the first time poor old Tassie has been forgotten about it was omitted from the poster for Baz Luhrmanns Australia, and in the past, has been left off Commonwealth Games uniforms and Olympic medals. Overnight, after getting the piss squarely taken out of them on social media, Woolies issued a statement, saying: Woolworths is aware of the issue and in the process of withdrawing the product from our supermarket shelves. Crisis averted. Back in 2014, Big W and Aldi both withdrew shirts emblazoned with Australia Est 1788 a reference to the landing of the first fleet over claims they were offensive to indigenous Australians. Story: Yahoo News Photo: 7 News Goodness gracious, Australia. This didnt take long at all. Survey data released today shows local Netflix subscriber numbers tipped over a million in the final months of last year, giving the streaming service a purported reach of over 2.7 million Australians. Thats a hellavalot of eyeballs trained on screens, considering the companys emergence Down Under in April. The numbers get bigger, too. In a statement, Netflix said that every single day, Aussies contribute to a global binge of more than 175 million hours of content. The services initial acceptance has one drawback: after the initial rush, future subscriber hauls may not look so flash. The Australian chalks it up to a growing sense that Australian consumers are beginning to realise the Australian version of Netflix is inferior to the US version, a concern addressed by the company taking action against the sneaky use of VPNs, on top of local competitors like Presto and Stan. Tim Martin of Roy Morgan Research also said it could take a while longer for the idea of subscription video to gain a foothold among older tech explorers, technology traditionalists and technophobes, and itd be a while before its considered truly mainstream. Fair call. Theres a bit of telly to work through while they catch up, though. Source: News Corp / mUmbrella. Photo: Pascal de Segretain / Getty. SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket successfully launches Jason-3 Ocean-monitoring satellite Published: January 18, 2016 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Jason-3 Ocean-monitoring satellite. It was launched from Californias Vandenberg Air Force Base and the satellite has been successfully inserted it in the desired orbit. Jason-3 is the 4th mission in the joint US-European series of satellite missions that measure the height of the ocean surface. Key facts Jason-3 has been incorporated with radar altimeter that will measure sea-level variations of oceans across the world with very high accuracy. It will examine the topography of the ocean floor to help study effects of climate change or human-induced changes on the ocean. It will also seek to boost hurricane forecasting and marine navigation. It will provide scientists with critical information about ocean circulation patterns. It will also provide information about both global and regional changes in sea level and the climate implications of a warming world. Earlier launched two satellites of Jason mission are Jason-1 and Jason-2 OSTM which were launched in 2001 and 2008 respectively. About SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Falcon 9 rocket is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX). It is a private space transport services company. It is basically used for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and is powered by liquid oxygen (LOX) and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellants. Month: Current Affairs - January, 2016 Topics: Climate change NASA Space technology SpaceX Latest E-Books policelights.jpg A Penn State dorm was locked down during the weekend after a Pine Grove man allegedly threatened to shoot three relatives, including two who attend Penn State University in State College, according to state police. Lee Son, 52, is charged with making terroristic threats, harassment and disorderly conduct, state police said. Police said they arrested him at 3:10 p.m. Sunday at a motel on Jonestown Road in West Hanover. Police said Son contacted a 49-year-old female relative and threatened to shoot her with a shotgun, and also called the cellphones of his 22- and 20-year-old children who attend Penn State and threatened to drive to State College to shoot them. State police said they contacted police in State College, leading to a lockdown of Hamilton Hall until Son was arrested. State police on Monday said Son was unable to post bail of $100,000 and was in Dauphin County Prison. State police further said conditions of bail will forbid him from contacting the victims or going into their residences or workplace. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27. The dramatic release this weekend of five Americans imprisoned in Iran underscores the ongoing plight of a York County woman who remains in captivity in Afghanistan along with her husband and child. Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and other four other Americans this weekend gained their freedom from Iranian captivity thanks to the growing diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran. Caitlan Coleman has no such benefit. Coleman, who is from Stewartstown in York County, is reported to be in the hands of a criminal-come-terrorist group Haqqani Network. Coleman and her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, were captured by the Taliban in 2012 while on an adventure trip through Afghanistan. Pregnant at the time, the then-28-year-old gave birth while in captivity. Her child would now be somewhere between three and four years old. Coleman's release and that of her family remains hampered by a myriad of factors, including the fact that her captors are insurgents in an markedly fractured part of the world. The Haqqani group is based in the highlands that separates Pakistan from Afghanistan. Complicating the already difficult situation is the vague Washington stance on negotiations with terrorist groups. The last we heard about Coleman's plight was in 2014 with the release of two videos that showed her and Boyle in what is believed to have been Taliban captivity. The release of the videos, which Coleman's parents turned over to The Associated Press, coincided with the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was also in Haqqani captivity. The Obama Administration brokered his release in exchange for five senior Taliban fighters who were been held in Guantanamo Bay. The case of the Coleman/Boyle captivity, however, seems to have grown cold, at least publicly. Members of central Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation indicated that work continues behind the scenes. In a written statement to PennLive on Tuesday, press officials for Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) indicated that officials continue to try to broker her release and that of her family. The statement from Casey's office read: "Our office is aware of Caitlin Coleman's case and has been actively working on it for years. Given the sensitive nature of situation our office has and will continue to make limited public comments." In a written statement to PennLive, the office of Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) said the senator and his office have been in touch with the Coleman family but that due to federal privacy regulations they would refrain from commenting for this story. This undated handout photo was provided by the Coleman family a few years ago. The photo shows Caitlin Coleman and Joshua Boyle at around the time they set out to travel in a mountainous region near Kabul, Afghanistan. Two videos have offered the only clues about what happened to Coleman and Boyle after they lost touch with their family in 2012. (AP Photo/Coleman Family) One glimmer of hope for Coleman and Boyle is a new federal department established last year by President Obama. The Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell is tasked with coordinating the U.S. government's response to hostage-takings. CNN national security correspondent Peter Bergen last year wrote that working in Coleman's favor is the fact that her captors maintain links to elements of Pakistan's military intelligence service, ISI. "This is potentially good news for negotiators because a serious negotiation for Coleman and Boyle's release is at least conceivably feasible through ISI and the Pakistani government has both the stick (the threat of intensified military action in Haqqani-held territory) and the carrot (the release of Haqqani prisoners) that it might be able to deploy to seek their release," Bergen wrote in June. U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican representing York County, is critical of the current process in place. "I continue to do everything in my power to facilitate the safe return of Caitlin and her young child," Perry said. "Through this process, it's become painfully clear that America's hostage recovery efforts and coordination procedures (or lack thereof) are severely deficient. Overarching changes are needed, and last year's new guidelines from the White House are an insufficient solution at best." Perry called for significant upgrades to the U.S processes to successfully recover Americans held captive around the world. "My prayers continue to go out to the Coleman family and will continue to work on their behalf," he said. Coleman's parents - James and Lynda Coleman - have largely bemoaned the lack of communication by the U.S. government about the fate of their daughter and her family. Unlike the parents of other hostages who have appeared on news networks appealing for the release of their loved ones, the Colemans, who a few years ago appealed for humanitarian efforts to secure the release of their family, remain out of the public's eye. In 2014 they released a statement to PennLive saying: "We do not know why their captors continue to hold them. We desperately want them home, but we do not know what to do...we do not know where to turn. So we remain hopeful that someone will reach out to us with information on how to get Josh, Caity and our grandchild home." PennLive has made repeated but unsuccessful attempts to secure another interview with the Colemans. A request made several months ago was denied; an attempt to reach them on Tuesday was not immediately granted. As of 2014, their only indirect communication with their imprisoned family came via the two videos they received that year showing their daughter and son-in-law in what was believed to be their Taliban captivity. In the video, the couple asked the U.S. government for help. FotorCreated1.jpg Building new exits on Pennsylvania interstates -- like I-81 and I-83 -- is an expensive, drawn out process. That's why, transportation officials say, so few are being built nowadays. (File ) Building new exits on Pennsylvania interstates -- such as Interstates 81 and 83 -- costs tens of millions of dollars and takes decades to complete. That's why, transportation officials say, it so rarely happens. Which makes the news that a new I-81 interchange -- Exit 12 -- is being planned in Franklin County all the more surprising. The $44.5 million project is expected to take 12 years to complete. Experts from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission weighed in on interstate exits and what it takes to get a new one built. How to get a new exit The job of building a new interchange -- or thinking about building a new interchange -- must start with metropolitan planning organizations, according to PennDOT Spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick. Metropolitan planning organizations are each tasked with setting priorities for road construction within a region of the state. It was the Franklin County Metropolitan Planning Organization that determined that Exit 12, which will connect Guilford Springs Road to I-81, was a priority and should be included in the state's 12-year transportation improvement plan. The Exit 12 project was approved because of the positive impact it would have on moving traffic -- including tractor-trailers from nearby warehouses -- in the area. After the planning organizations, Kirkpatrick said, the 15-member State Transportation Commission decides the final makeup of the 12-year program. The Federal Highway Administration is tasked with reviewing and approving any changes to the interstate system. A new interchange lives and dies with the federal agency. The process of building new interchanges is different for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which is not considered an interstate. Traffic moves across the Susquehanna River on Interstate 81 in East Pennsboro Twp. High cost, long wait When preparing to build a new interchange, two things are guaranteed: it's going to take a long time and it's going to cost a lot of money. The process of getting an interchange approved, designed, studied and built can take decades. The last interchange to be built in the midstate -- Exit 17 on I-81 -- took 15 years to come to fruition. That interchanged opened in 2005. "It could take even more time if there's complications," said PennDOT Spokesman Greg Penny. It has taken about 10 years for the new Franklin County exit to get to its current stage of preliminary engineering. After two years for preliminary engineering there is a year for final design. Then comes the construction, which will take several years. Penny said a construction start date hasn't even been set for the Franklin County project. "It doesn't happen quickly," Penny said. The other big factor is cost. It typically costs between $20 million and $40 million to build a new interchanges. The cost of the Franklin County project is $44.5 million. Money has been secured for the planning phases but not yet for the construction phase -- which is between six and eight years away. "Securing the funding is always a challenge," Penny said. The rarity of building new exits Penny said Exit 17 on I-81 is the only new interstate exit to be built in the midstate in more than 25 years. That exit at Walker Road near Chambersburg took more than 15 years to be built. The $15.7 million project consisted of both the interchange and rehabilitation of 3.8 miles of the interstate. Officials said there are no plans to build an interchange connecting Interstate 81 with the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Connecting I-81 with the Pa. Turnpike For years, there's been talk about building an interchange that could connect I-81 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. "That's one of those questions that's been around for decades," Penny said. "The question comes up but it never goes anywhere from there." Elijah Yearick, transportation planning coordinator for the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, said he could not find that the connection project has been studied for serious consideration. The reason, he said, was probably because of the expected costs. Based on other interchange projects, Yearick said building the connection would cost at least $100 million. Probably much more. Penny, who did not know the project's price tag, said the expected cost "has always been a stumbling block." Where will be the next new exit? Penny said a study is being done on making improvements to I-83 in York County between exits 20 and 24. The findings from the study could indicate that there should be a new interchange. "It's too early to say," Penny said. Other than the one in Franklin County, there are no new interchanges planned to be built on I-81 or I-83 in the next 12 years. was flown to the hospital after becoming stuck in a piece of machinery at a farm in Upper Leacock Township, about 45 miles southeast of Harrisburg. Lancasteronline reported that emergency personnel were sent to the 2600 block of Stumptown Road about 4:30 p.m. It said it took nearly 30 minutes to free the boy, who was flown to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and whose condition wasn't immediately known. David Wait David A. Wait (Cumberland County Prison) A former midstate doctor who pleaded guilty to selling bogus prescriptions for hundreds of pain pills was sentenced Tuesday to 1 1/2 to 3 years in state prison. Dauphin County Judge John F. Cherry said that in imposing the sentence he balanced the legitimate good Dr. David Wait did during years of treating patients against the crimes he committed on the East and West Shores. Wait, 56, of New Cumberland, was arrested in August 2014 as the result of an investigation by the state attorney general's office. "You can't throw a whole life aside," Cherry said. "We can't, on the other hand, ignore his conduct, because he took a sacred oath." The penalty Cherry chose is in the lower range for the five prescription-related crimes Wait pleaded guilty to committing. He originally faced 16 charges. Deputy Attorney General Robert Smulktis said all five of Wait's guilty pleas involve cases where he wrote oxycodone prescriptions to people he never even met or examined. In two cases, he wrote them to an undercover state agent, the prosecutor said. Wait cooperated with investigators after his arrest, although he did not provide the information that led to the arrest of a dozen other people connected with the prescription scam, Smulktis said. He said the doctor, whose practice had closed months before his arrest, told agents he sold the prescriptions because he was in dire financial straits. "Your honor is aware we're facing a prescription drug epidemic in this country," Smulktis said in calling for jail time. Cherry said he's aware of a drug epidemic, period. "Eighty percent of the (criminal defendants) who come in here are addicted to some type of narcotic, mostly marijuana," he said. Defense attorney Royce Morris also stressed Wait's cooperation with investigators. He noted Wait is ill with coronary disease and arthritis and asked Cherry not to incarcerate him. Wait carried an oxygen tank as he faced the judge. Morris called several witnesses, including Wait's wife and fellow physician Faith, who told Cherry they found Wait to be kind, compassionate and effective in treating his patients. "Although he's done these crimes, he did a lot of good. He helped a lot of individuals," Morris said. Wait's wife, Faith, said she believes her husband's illnesses impaired his judgment. David Wait's state medical license was suspended when he was arrested. His wife said she knows he'll never again practice medicine. Dr. Jeffrey Fugate told Cherry he had seen Wait's "kindness, compassion and intelligence" in action as Wait treated patients. "There's a lot of good in Dave," he said. "I do not think I have ever had a doctor who was more caring, more interested, more down-to-earth," said Glenn Gutshall, a former patient. "It would be a shame to see a man of such great talent and kindness be put into prison." Wait apologized. He said he has suffered in more than the legal sense since he disappointed so many people. "It's hard to regain their trust," he said. Cherry also fined Wait $1,250 and ordered him to spend 5 years on probation following his prison term. Hours after she and other concerned mothers protested at the State Capitol, Gretchen Dahlkemper got some welcome news. Gov. Tom Wolf made good on a campaign promise and took steps Tuesday to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. "We're thrilled the governor is moving forward, but we have yet to see exactly what the concept is," said Dahlkemper, a Philadelphia mom and national field director for the Moms Clean Air Force. Further details of the new methane rules will be announced at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday during a webinar led by the Department of Environmental Protection. It's an important move, Dahlkemper said, because methane exposure has led to higher rates of asthma attacks in children, blood cancers and preterm births. What Wolf is really doing is implementing industry best practices, said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of PennFuture. "Voluntary measures don't work. We need government to step in," he said. By reducing methane emissions, he is improving environmental conditions in the state and minimizing some of the damage being done, Schweiger said. And if the governor's Facebook page is any indication, people are concerned there's damage being done by oil and gas drilling. "There's pretty overwhelming backlash statewide because the industry has been largely unregulated the way it's been deployed," Schweiger said. Fewer methane emissions will be a positive change in a state where 4 million people live in areas that exceed the national clean air standards for ozone levels, according to the Clean Air Council. "History has shown that the Pennsylvania gas industry can't be trusted to police itself; that's why regulating air pollution from oil and gas activity is so necessary," Joseph Otis Minott, executive director and chief counsel of Clean Air Council, said in a press release. "Strong rules that require operators to reduce air pollution leaks at both new and existing facilities will help spur the health benefits that Pennsylvania families deserve." Drillers are already improving, regulators said. As technology advances, drillers are able to increase production with fewer emissions. "It cannot be overstated that shale-related methane emissions continue to steeply drop as production sharply climbs," Dave Spigelmyer, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said in a statement following Wolf's announcement. "These positive results are a function of the industry's widespread use of operational best practices and continuous investments aimed at protecting and enhancing our environment," he said. The American Petroleum Institute's Pennsylvania office said these practices have made the U.S. a world leader in reducing pollution. "America is already leading the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Even as oil and natural gas production has risen dramatically, methane emissions have fallen, thanks to industry leadership and investment in new technologies," said Stephanie Catarino Wissman, executive director of API-PA. She cautioned against duplicative regulations on oil and gas operations. Wolf and Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Quigley said they support the industry and want Pennsylvania to continue to be the top energy exporter in the U.S. "We welcome Governor Wolf's efforts to expand new manufacturing opportunities...through affordable home-grown natural gas and are committed to working with lawmakers as well as state officials to focus on common sense policies that encourage job-creating natural gas development, which has - according to EPA - helped drive down methane emissions 81 (percent) since 2012," Spigelmyer said. The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association declined comment. bastardo rosario mug.png Lancaster police on Monday arrested Cesar A. Bastardo-Rosario, 25, of Lancaster, in connection with a Saturday shooting that injured a 24-year-old man. (Lancaster police.) Police in Lancaster have arrested a Lancaster man whom they say shot another man Saturday night. Lancaster Police say Cesar A. Bastardo-Rosario, 25, is in custody, facing aggravated assault charges in connection with a shooting that occurred around 9 p.m. Saturday on the first block of West Strawberry Street. Police say they were called to the first block of South Mulberry Street where they found the 24-year-old victim who had been shot in the stomach and upper thigh. The victim, who police say knew Bastardo-Rosario, was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Bastardo-Rosario fled the scene Saturday, and was arrested Monday without incident, according to police. pa-man-charged-with-child-porn-posed-as-talent-agent.jpg James Veenstra, 53, of Pittsburgh marketed himself as a talent agent but was charged Monday with possessing an extensive trove of child porn. Police are now asking any of his alleged victims to come forward. (screen shot/KDKA) A western Pennsylvania man who marketed himself as a talent agent was charged Monday with possessing child porn. Police are now asking any of his alleged victims to come forward. KDKA in Pittsburgh reports that city police found suspect James Veenstra, 53, with 2,401 pictures. The images, both on DVD and printed out, depicted males and females under the age of 13 in prohibited sex acts or simulating such acts, the station reports. The question remains where he got the pictures and whether any were tied to his alleged role as a talent agent. Here's what Pittsburgh police told KDKA: "Right now, we don't know totally if those pictures were pictures he had taken or just secured from some other location. This is all still part of the investigation," Pittsburgh Police Spokeswoman Sonya Toler said. Police are asking any of his alleged victims to come forward. Background from KDKA: Veenstra was arrested on Monday and charged with possessing child porn. He was lodged at the Allegheny County Jail unable to post $5,000 bail. Between 1998 and 2003, police say Veenstra sexually assaulted a family member. The victim, who's now an adult, told investigators it started when she was just four years old and continued until she was nine. She told police Veenstra would sleep in bed with her when she visited this home in Bloomfield, saying sometimes, he would sleep naked. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Pennsylvania State University's senior class will donate its class gift funds to an endowment to support campus mental health services. The senior class at Penn State has voted for its class gift to go toward mental health services on campus. Student leaders told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the gift could reach $250,000, and indicates a growing awareness of the need for mental health treatment. The vote was personal for senior Ramon Guzman Jr., the executive director of the senior class gift campaign, who sought help after a suicide attempt in his freshman year. The 20-year-old Philadelphia native said he is "overwhelmed" that classmates are supporting the cause. "We're so constantly bound by the material stuff, bound by what we can put a finger on or what we can see," Guzman said. "To be in a class that basically says, 'I don't care what it does for me, I care what it does for others,' is amazing." Alissa Janoski, a 22-year-old student from Berks County, said students wanted something that was going to make an impact. "We had a lot of students saying they didn't want another bench on campus," she said. The senior class gift committee receives hundreds of proposals each year, and narrows them down to three before the senior class votes. Dennis Heitzmann, senior director of the school's Counseling and Psychological Services, believes the students were influenced by recent publicity about campus suicides. The funds will go toward an endowment to support more clinical services, he said. The center sees about 3,600 students a year at its University Park campus. jail.jpg Pennsylvania's state prison population has drifted back under 50,000 inmates for the first time since 2009, thanks to a combination of new sentencing initiatives and anti-recidivism measures. (File photo) Gov. Tom Wolf and his Corrections Secretary John Wetzel celebrated a milestone for the state's prison system Tuesday: an inmate count that has slid back underneath the 50,000 mark. The Dec. 31,2015 inmate count was 49,914. That's down 842 from the end of 2014, and represents the lowest total inmate count for the state prison system since March 2009. That was the year then-Gov. Ed Rendell imposed a parole moratorium following a recent state parolee's involvement in the shooting death of a Philadelphia police officer. DOC's inmate population ticked past the 50,000 mark and peaked at 51,757 in June 2012. The prison population started to level off after the implementation of changes made possible by the 2012 Justice Reinvestment Act, Wetzel said, which allowed courts to steer more low-level offenders away from state prisons through the use of electronic monitoring programs, halfway houses and the like. "When you put low-risk offenders in the state prison they come out worse," Wetzel said Tuesday. "That doesn't make sense for anybody." Those and other internal departmental changes have now led to significant inmate count downturns in each of the last two years. Wetzel said the more recent changes include better provision of drug and alcohol and other treatment services to inmates and parolees who need them; and a new focus on job training for exiting inmates to help them become more employable upon release. Wolf stressed none of the changes involve any kind of early release of dangerous criminals. DOC data also shows that the commission of new crimes by those recently released are also trending down. "This is not making Pennsylvania less safe," the governor said. "We're doing this within the constraints and the assumptions of the legal system that is intended to keep Pennsylvania safe." Wetzel said the decline in population has other benefits, not the least of which is slowing the growth of the corrections budget. At a cost of $41,000 to house an inmate for a year, "every cent that we spend on corrections is less money to spend on the things that we want to spend money on," Wetzel said. Shifting that money to education or economic development programs, in turn, helps attack the root causes of crime, he said. Wetzel said specific contributors to last year's population decline were: * Expansion of Vivitrol treatments - a drug that helps treat addiction by blocking the "high" from opioids like heroin and reduces cravings for them, and was initially piloted here with female inmates - to certain male prisoners. * The expansion of Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act. Wetzel said that's allowed more inmates, especially those needing ongoing substance abuse or mental health treatment, to sign up for coverage when they go into a pre-release program. With roughly 18,000 inmates coming out of the state system each year, and more than 90 percent of them having substance abuse or mental health histories, Wetzel noted that's a lot of folks with significant needs for help to stay straight. Getting them that help from Day One of their release "is a big deal for... having people go out our back door less likely to commit a crime than when they come in our front door." WILLIAMSPORT -- A Bethlehem lawyer objects to the approximately $100,000 sanction he is facing for what a federal judge said was an attempt to extort a settlement in a baseless civil case. Donald P. Russo Monday responded to affidavits filed in U.S. Middle District containing the legal costs of PPL and Local of 1600 of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Judge Matthew W. Brann on Dec. 29 ordered Russo to pay all the legal costs incurred by PPL and Local 1600 in the case that has spanned nearly three years. At the judge's direction, PPL and Local 1600 have submitted affidavits that state their legal costs are $64,217 and $40,715, respectively. Russo objects to the amounts and questions some of the hours attributed to PPL's three lawyers. He noted two billed for an October hearing in Williamsport but one did not present any argument. Russo has said that as a sole practitioner he may be unable to afford a large amount. He represents Ernest Keister of Millmont in Union County, who says in the suit that his pay and job discrimination do not reflect the work he does for PPL. When Brann in October granted summary judgment motions made by the defense, he said Russo failed to demonstrate either defendant harbored any discriminatory animus toward his client whatsoever. "This was a case built largely on Mr. Russo's posturing, the consistent filing of pleadings, which amounted to nothing more than bluffs that defendants here were not afraid to call," the judge wrote. Had the defendants not been forced to deal with Russo's "circuitous and less than straightforward pleadings," this case would have ended long ago, he said. "The intent and effect of Mr. Russo's conduct was to waste the defendants' monetary resources as well as their time and had largely the same impact on this court," Brann said. By Lowman S. Henry Pennsylvania taxpayers are about to experience history in the making: the start of a new state budget year with the previous year's budget still unresolved. Lowman S. Henry (PennLive file) Gov. Tom Wolf guaranteed the anomaly by line-item vetoing almost a third of the budget passed by the GOP-controlled legislature just before Christmas. The official start of the budget process comes in early February when the governor delivers his budget address to a joint session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. For a variety of reasons the remaining unresolved budget issues from the current fiscal year are likely to remain that way well past the governor's budget speech currently scheduled for February 9th. Wolf began the current impasse last winter by proposing a massive increase in state spending and demanding a package of tax hikes that exceeded the tax increases proposed by the governors of all 49 other states combined. The governor asked this of a legislature not only in control of the opposite political party, but one that holds historically high majorities and one which has become significantly more conservative in recent years. It is a common strategy for both sides to stake out their most extreme position at the beginning of negotiations. That leaves room for compromise, which is what always happens during budget talks. Wolf asked for $3.4 billion in new spending, the GOP preferred spending cuts. Ultimately, Republicans agreed to a $1 billion increase, including significant additional funding for the governor's top spending priority: public education. The governor, however, wants everything he asked for and he wants in now. Thus began the budget impasse which persists to this day. The governor has made it clear he is not interested in compromise. After vetoing the on-time, no tax hike, balanced state budget passed by Republicans last June he immediately sanctioned television ads blasting GOP lawmakers. In another departure from tradition Wolf vetoed the entire budget. Past governors have signed the budget then blue-lined, or line-item vetoed, the parts with which they disagreed. Wolf, however, wanted to ratchet up the political pressure on Republicans so he trashed the entire thing. Since then there have been numerous votes on alternative budgets, proposed tax hikes, and so-called cost drivers including pension reform and a plan to partially privatize state liquor stores. GOP lawmakers have passed these bills only to have the governor wield his veto pen. Wolf and his allies in the liberal media have taken to castigating Republicans, especially House Republicans for being "extremists" because they will not support a broad-based tax hike. Democrats in the Legislature have been equally obstinate in their support of the governor's tax-and-spend agenda. Vote after vote has fallen along party lines with only a handful of defections on either side of the aisle. This (aside from the governor's stubborn streak) gets to the core of the impasse: Democrats have been reduced to a largely urban party that allows no deviation from its Left-wing agenda. Conservatives dominate in the Republican caucus, but there is a group of moderate, mostly southeastern Pennsylvania legislators, who often fracture party unity by siding with Democrats. And look for Democrats to become more ideologically rigid after this year's elections. state Rep. Nick Kotik of Allegheny County is one of only a very few so-called blue dog Democrats and he is retiring. The term blue dog originated because the Left strangles their moderate brethren blue to force compliance. This canine is about to become extinct in the Pennsylvania legislature. In its place is another shade of blue: that being the governor's face. He is determined to hold his breath until he gets his way. He has called Republicans stupid, extreme and their most recent budget "garbage." By remaining in campaign mode rather than maturing into governing Wolf's strategy ensures not only that the current budget impasse will continue, but that Pennsylvanians are in for three more years of fiscal chaos. Lowman S. Henry, the chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute, is an occasional PennLive Opinion contributor. Readers may email him at lhenry@lincolninstitute.org. Donald Trump Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (PennLive file) (Nati Harnik) He's been married three times. He cusses on stage. He can't tell his Corinthians from his Acts. And he owns casinos ... with stripppperrsssss ... On paper, billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump ought to be Sodom & Gomorrah in pinstripes. And that combover is surely the Devil's work, right? But as the ever-crucial Iowa caucuses approach, the ex-reality TV star is dueling with his nearest rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, for the hearts and minds of evangelical voters who could hand each the keys to an important earthly kingdom: The Republican nomination. "I have a great relationship with God," Trump, a Presbyterian, told CNN on Sunday -- though that relationship can sometimes seem forced. The New Yorker has repeatedly called The Bible his favorite book, but has struggled to name a favorite verse, multiple news outlets have reported. During an appearance at the Jerry Falwell-founded Liberty University in Virginia on Monday, Trump mangled the Good Book, referring to "Two Corinthians," rather than "Second Corinthians." It netted him some chuckles from the Scripture-literate crowd of students, The Washington Post reported. Though not a dominant part of the national electorate, evangelical voters play an outsized role in the GOP nominating process. And that accounts, in large part, for the very fiery rhetoric you've been hearing out of the leading candidates. And Trump, who led Cruz 31 to 29 percent in Iowa in a a recent Quinnipiac University poll, has spent much of the last week trying to win them over. And it's an approach that seems to be working: Trump took the support of 42 percent of evangelical voters in a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, compared to 25 percent for Cruz. But those same voters are quick to acknowledge that their support for Trump has less to do with matters godly and more to do with matters Earthly: They think he's the best situated to beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in this fall's general election. "He is the only one who can pull us back from the abyss," John Juvenal, of Oklahoma City, told The New York Times. Jonathan Cody Hildebrand, a 19-year-old Liberty University sophomore, told The Post that he plans to vote for Trump in the Virginia primary: "I know a lot of people speak of his ego and how that's not a Christian value -- but I honestly think his ego is what gets things done," he told the newspaper. "I'm okay with an egotistical president. He wants to be the best, and I think for that reason, he gets things done." Polling data suggests that Trump, despite his apparently fallen ways, shares a key concern with these conservative Christians: a sense that the nation is broken and has lost its way. "We're going to protect Christianity," Trump said at Liberty, according to The New Republic. "You look at the different places and Christianity, it's under siege. I'm a Protestant, I'm very proud of it, Presbyterian to be exact, and proud of it, very, very proud of it, and we've got to protect because bad things are happening, very bad things are happening. ... We don't band together ... other religions, frankly, they are banding together." Two-thirds of all respondents to that New York Times/CBS News poll said the country was headed in the wrong direction, while nearly six in 10 of all respondents to the poll said Trump "shared their values." The grassroots support comes even as conservative Christian leaders are tut-tutting about their flock's preference for The Donald: "How much does the average evangelical Christian supporting Trump know about his history," John Sternberger, president of Florida Family Action, wrote in a Jan. 5 column for CNN. "Very little, it would seem. Many are content to follow the no-nonsense persona, rather than dig into [his] past record." And if they did that, Sternberger suggested that evangelicals might be shocked to find out that Trump owns a casino with a strip club and has boasted that "he has had sex with with some of the "'top women in the world.'" Cruz, the son of a pastor, meanwhile, has stuck to core values. In an interview in New Hampshire with The Dallas Morning News, Cruz said that for "for too long there has been a spirit of fear and timidity in Washington. We should not be ashamed of Christ. We should be willing to speak the truth with a smile." The fight for this narrow slice of the American electorate comes, ironically, as the nation, at-large, becomes less religiously observant, according to Pew Research Center data released last year. Trump, speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper over the weekend, said his wild days are behind him: "I live a very different life than probably a lot of people would think," Trump told Tapper. "I'm talking about over the last number of years, I'm leading a very good life. I try to lead a good life and I have. And frankly, (it's) the reason I'm doing so well in Iowa." So that may leave Iowa caucus-goers asking themselves a very important question on Feb. 1: WWTDD ... Or "What would The Donald Do?" inset-gavel.jpg By Tom Darr For some time, a number -- not all -- of Pennsylvania's orphans' court clerks have been waging a campaign against a project of the state Judiciary to develop a single computer system for their offices that will integrate with existing statewide Judiciary information systems. The most recent illustration of this campaign was a Jan 14. PennLive op-ed written by Bradley Jacobs, the York County Register of Wills aND Clerk of Orphans' Court. Amazingly, the extent of their efforts has included retention of the government relations arm of a large Philadelphia law firm to actively lobby their position! To paraphrase the statement of some of the Orphans Court naysayers, only in Pennsylvania would a small group of office holders, paid at public expense, attempt to subvert through paid lobbyists and, frankly, a great deal of smokescreen, an effort to improve government services without the expenditure of tax dollars. Jacob's recent opinion column is a clear illustration. The fact is that the Orphans Court naysayers' position challenges the basic principles of competitive procurement, is supported by neither logic nor fact, and is untenable in a modern court system. In response to a recent opinion piece published here, I would like to correct the record with facts. Currently, orphans court clerks use eight or more disparate computer programs to perform record-keeping functions for the courts in our 67 counties. The Judiciary is using its nearly 30 years' successful experience in court information technology to create a single Orphans Court computer system. When completed, citizens will for the first time have a consistent way to file and access orphans court records statewide, be able to make apples-to-apples comparisons of the work of these elected officials, and even use credit cards on-line to conduct transactions. To try to thwart the Judiciary's work, opponents claim first that their offices, established in the state Constitution, are not subject to direction by the judiciary, but the fact is that the Constitution, state law, and Supreme Court rules provide precisely that authority. The opponents complain that Judiciary leaders will not meet with them to discuss their concerns and imply that their input is neither sought nor wanted in designing the new system. In fact, a time-tested process used by the Judiciary to develop this and all prior systems is driven by input from the users in regularly-scheduled "joint application development" sessions. In addition to these sessions there have been numerous meetings and discussions, variously, between them, court officials and staff, and legislators. In fact, a number of legislators publicly support this project's implementation. Worst of all, the opponents desperately rely on red herrings in their published opinion pieces with assertions that bear no relationship to this project or any of the Judiciary's information technology work. It is both regrettable and shocking to realize how little some of the Orphans Court naysayers understand about the branch of government in which their offices exist and how readily they will conflate unrelated topics to try to make their case. For example, funding for judicial computerization cannot be used to pay jurors or fund programs within another branch of government as they suggest since the Judiciary's IT efforts are funded through dedicated user fees, not tax dollars. And, their assertion to the contrary, pursuit of this project quite obviously has no relationship to the Commonwealth's current budget challenges. The incremental cost of this project is not $18 million, but about $3 million over a three year period, a fact which we have noted to opponents. This is not an insignificant sum, but one that likely compares favorably to the total cost of Orphans Court clerks' existing systems. For the record, the court system has publicly committed to work with Orphans Court clerks to minimize any loss of county investment in existing systems' maintenance agreements (recognizing too that as those systems age, counties will never again have to make capital investments once the Judiciary system is implemented), which translates into county taxpayer savings. Finally, counter to Orphans Court naysayers' assertions, the Judiciary's intent has little to do with control and nothing to do with the collection of fees. Proof in point: In other county court offices where statewide systems have been implemented, the day-to-day control of those offices clearly remains with the local elected (or appointed in home rule counties) officials as it will in Orphans Court clerks' offices. Rather, the Judiciary's effort to extend its statewide, integrated case management system to orphans court clerks' offices is about modernizing a system that dates to colonial times in a manner that is actually cost-beneficial to counties. Any remaining issue of control centers on the simple - though crucial - premise of the state Constitution and law that the Judiciary has and must exercise its authority to achieve that modernization. We appreciate the work of orphans' court clerks statewide and especially of those who have constructively participated in planning meetings to date, with whom we look forward to continued collaboration. Tom Darr is the State Court Administrator for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. He writes from Harrisburg. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen as it launches with the Jason-3 spacecraft onboard, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, from Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 East in California. Jason-3, an international mission led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will help continue U.S.-European satellite measurements of global ocean height changes. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)) : , ; Feds: Enbridge can stop some crack inspections on Straits oil pipelines U.S. DOJ agrees that the inspections delayed would identify cracks that do not pose a risk to the pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. PDVSA ask JV partners to pick up tab for diluents as oil prices sink Venezuela importing 2.5-3 mln naphtha bbl per month -PDVSA report HOUSTON/CARACAS Petroleumworld.com 01 19 2016 Venezuela's state-run company PDVSA has requested its partners in at least a half dozen joint ventures pay for naphtha imported to produce exportable crudes amid a punishing oil price crash, according to sources and a company letter seen by Reuters. With at least some partners likely to balk at the request, PDVSA [PDVSA.UL] could face even bigger obstacles to import diluents and, in consequence, to keep barrels flowing from the Orinoco belt, its main producing region. PDVSA is responsible for providing the naphtha, or light crude, needed to dilute the extra heavy oil produced at the Orinoco Belt, according to contracts signed with foreign partners including Chevron ( CVX.N ), Repsol ( REP.MC ) and ONGC. But the company has now asked some of its foreign partners to cover the payments as of this year. "The joint venture you currently represent will have to purchase the naphtha volumes needed to meet your production plan for 2016," reads a letter sent to companies working in the Orinoco. Caracas-based PDVSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As imported diluents are increasingly crucial to transport and market Venezuelan crudes amid declines in PDVSA's own light and medium oil output and refinery frequent stoppages, some companies might agree to the deal. A barrel of Venezuelan Merey or DCO heavy crude needs around 30 percent to 50 percent of diluent to be exportable. A joint venture that produces 25,000 barrels per day, for example, would spend around $9 million a month on naphtha purchases at current spot prices in the U.S. Gulf Coast. Two sources at foreign firms, who according to Venezuelan law can only have a maximum stake of 40 percent in joint ventures, said they will shoot down the proposal. "Our contract is specific when saying PDVSA is in charge of supplying the diluents. We cannot pay for the imports," one of the sources said. Since mid-2015, PDVSA has bought around 11.5 million barrels of African light and medium crudes, plus some 2 million barrels per month of heavy naphtha, according to vessel tracking data and PDVSA's internal exports and imports reports. OIL SQUEEZE Oil prices, which on Friday plunged to close below $30 a barrel for the first time in 12 years, have energy companies across the world reeling. In neighboring Brazil, Petroleo Brasileiro SA ( PETR4.SA ), the state-controlled oil producer also known as Petrobras, last week slashed its investment plan for the third time in just over six months as it tries to preserve cash to pay its debt. The oil crash is slamming OPEC nation Venezuela, which depends on oil for 96 percent of its income, amid a profound recession and PDVSA's major debt obligations. PDVSA accumulated pending invoices on its imports, including naphtha, in November-December. That led to a backlog of vessels around its ports with suppliers demanding to be paid before they discharged. Trading sources say some providers are now requesting PDVSA prepay cargoes and others are using intermediaries to secure payments, likely increasing PDVSA's financial burden. To avoid pricier spot payments, PDVSA said in an interview last year it is seeking to secure long-term supply contracts. PDVSA has been trying to cut costs, but its drive has been stymied by the Venezuelan export barrel's price slipping to around $24, the lowest since late 2003. The company is mulling refinancing options, according to its president, Eulogio Del Pino, a low-profile Stanford-educated engineer seen as a reformer. PDVSA would likely make cash calls to ask partners to pay for the naphtha. "It would be inconvenient for everybody if purchases of diluents get halted, but the way to solve this is not by asking for more money to the partners," said another executive who asked not to be named. Manchester is rolling out the biggest seven-day GP access scheme in the country, offering 600,000 people appointments on evenings and weekends. The citys 91 GP practices are working together to staff the new service, which allows clinicians to access patients medical records regardless of where in Manchester they are registered, under a city-wide federation called The Manchester Primary Care Partnership. Its chair, GP Sohail Munshi, believes the move will significantly improve services for patients. School age children, working families and carers are amongst some of those who will benefit greatly from being able to see a GP or nurse in the evenings and at weekends, he said. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has also applauded the move. Manchester is leading the way in providing the GP service that all patients want - a service thats available seven days a week, with evening and weekend appointments to suit their busy lives, he noted. The 5.4-million scheme is funded by the Prime Ministers 150 million GP Access Fund, which is designed to help improve access to general practice and stimulate innovative ways of providing primary care services, and marks a major step forward in the governments drive to ensure a fully operational seven-day service by 2020. Eighteen million people across the country will have better access to a GP by March 2016 through the Prime Ministers GP access fund, the government says, claiming that data from areas already covered thus far show a 15% reduction in cases of people turning up at A&E departments with minor ailments compared to the previous year. 'Not the best use of resources' But Maureen Baker, chair go the Royal College of the Royal College go GPs, insists that opening our surgeries seven days a week is simply not the best use of scant NHS resources. While conceding that expanded services will be used and valued in some areas, it is essential Clinical Commissioning Groups have the autonomy to tailor services to the needs of their local population, she stressed. Research published in the British Journal of General Practice last November showed that, out of 881,183 participants responding to the GP Patient Survey 2014, 80.9% did not voice any problems with opening times, also going against a national blanket approach to seven-day access. DEAR HARRIETTE: I stayed at a hotel over the New Year's holiday and thought I was lucky to even get a room, considering the time of year. I was told that there were no additional rooms when I booked mine. When I got to my room, I was horrified. While it looked clean, it smelled horrible. Really, it smelled like homeless people had been camping out there. Now -- I am not meaning to disparage people who are homeless, but I also don't expect to pay top dollar for a hotel room that is rank. I didn't know what to do, given that I was told it was sold out, so I just sucked it up. But I'm mad. What should I have done? Is it too late to complain? -- Disgusted, White Plains, New York DEAR DISGUSTED: I'm sorry you didn't speak up immediately. There may have been a cancellation or another room available, even though the agent told you otherwise. At the very least, you could have asked to have your room thoroughly cleaned before you occupied it. You also could have requested a refund or discount based on the inconvenience. What you can do now is alert hotel management to your extreme disappointment with your room. You can write a note, naming the room number and including all of the details that you recall. At the very least, you will be informing them, but you may end up receiving a discount card for another visit. It is doubtful that you will receive a refund. DEAR HARRIETTE: I have loaned money to people over the years, and rarely has anyone paid me back. I was clear that these were loans and not gifts, but somehow that hasn't prompted them to give me the money. To be honest, I haven't followed up. Now I am in a pinch, and I could really use the money that is owed to me. What do I say to try to get it back? -- Friend in Need, Jackson, Mississippi DEAR FRIEND IN NEED: Be honest with your friends. Tell them that you are in a financial pinch and need help. Remind each of them individually that you loaned them a particular amount of money that they have yet to repay. Ask them to repay it now. It is unlikely that everyone will be able to respond to your request, but you can definitely make it clear that this is your hour of need. Ask your friends to give you whatever they can and to give you the balance as soon as possible. If you end up short, you may need to expand your ask and actually borrow money from someone who is liquid. Just make sure you pay that person back. Also, know that when you loan money to someone, it is wise to consider it a gift -- for your own good -- because many people do not repay loans. DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend and I run in different social circles. His friends are a louder, wilder bunch, whereas my friends prefer more intimate and silly gatherings. I do not mind how my boyfriend's friends like to socialize, but I never enjoy myself when he drags me along to the gatherings. We are simply different types of social beings. Recently, his friends have been questioning him as to why my friends do not hang out with them. The truth is that none of my friends want to spend time in the environments they create. Is there any polite way to relay this message, or do we just keep avoiding and hope they take the hint? -- Not Quite Social Butterflies, Orlando, Florida DEAR NOT QUITE SOCIAL BUTTERFLIES: This is a tricky situation that could have major implications if you and your boyfriend decide to get serious, mainly because interacting with friends is a significant part of a relationship. While you may not love the way that his friends hang out, it is a good idea for you to hang out with them sometimes. Corralling your friends to come along is another matter, however. You can tell your boyfriend that your friends are more low-key than his bunch, so they prefer not to join his gatherings. You can tell him that their gatherings are not your cup of tea, either, although you will come sometimes to support him. Ideally, you need to figure out a happy medium where you spend some time with him and his friends and he spends some time with you and your friends. Otherwise, you will face a chasm down the line. DEAR HARRIETTE: Yesterday, my mother called me to tell me she had organized a family vacation. I knew we would go on a family vacation sometime this summer, but she called me with hotel rooms already booked! The timing is horrible for me, and I do not want to go. I would be sharing a hotel room, so the room would have to be booked regardless. I have already tried apologizing to her and telling her I cannot go because of the timing, and she refused to accept my refusal. I told her I was sorry, but was not aware of how quickly and surreptitiously this would be set up and booked. She called me selfish and said since I do not have a "real" reason to not go, I would be attending. I head off to college a few days later, and I need to get ready. She knows this. Somehow, I need her to remember the priority. What should I do? -- Too Busy to Get Away, Syracuse, New York DEAR TOO BUSY TO GET AWAY: Show some compassion along with clarity. Remind your mother of the to-do list that you have created to prepare for school, and point out that you need those few days leading up to heading off for school to complete it. Tell her you had hoped to have her help with the list, but if she must go, you understand. To be responsible, you feel strongly that you cannot vacation when you should be prepping for college. 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 After a long and hard day at work, we look forward to evenings where we get to socialize with our friends to tell stories about how good (or bad) our day was amidst two or three bottles of our favorite beers right at a bar across the street. For our bros near Quezon City looking for a nearby place to hangout, we have some good news for you. Dencios is back at the heart of the bar and grill capital of the Philippines. Located in Tomas Morato, the two-storey Dencios Bar and Grill is the newest hangout for fellas who love to booze, eat some tasty grilled food and chill to good music performed by live bands and guest DJs. My brother and our common friend went to this newest Dencios branch a few weeks ago to witness their grand opening and here are some of the fascinating things that we found. Their ground floor houses their airconditioned resto-bar for those who want a cozy, quiet and relaxing place to dine. While the second floor, where we chilled, was where all the fun and music was. It is a covered, open-air, nicely-lit bar where live bands perform in the evenings: an ideal spot to hangout with your bros. During our visit, we ordered Dencios best-selling Pulutan menu which consisted of sisig, crispy pata and nachos. Evidently, our order wouldnt be complete without having two buckets of beer. Dencios carries almost all top beers including Brew Kettle Beer which is not so common but which Ive recently become a fan of. And who would have thought that they also serve yummy desserts like this Leche Flan? I ordered it just for fun but I didnt know it was heavenly and creamy. One of the bands who had a gig during their opening night was Up Dharma Down. It was great seeing them perform their hit singles Feelings, Tadhana and Oo live in person. Aside from live bands, Dencios Morato also invites guest DJs to spin to dance music while the rest of the crowd groove to it. If you work or live near the area, check them out with your mates. They are situated in Scout Borromeo cor. Tomas Morato in South Triangle, QC. See you there for some chillax with the bros. Disclosure: This post is a collaboration between Dencios and Pinoy Guy Guide. Drink Moderately. Follow PGG on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to get more updates on new hangouts for the bros. Join the discussions at the PGG Forums. Massachusetts police say a man wanted for the death of a police officer in the Dominican Republic has been arrested, reports the Associated Press. Fifty-nine-year-old Ramon Aguasviva-Mejia, of Lawrence, was being held overnight at the Lowell, MA, police station Sunday on detainers from Interpol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and on numerous local charges. Police say he was spotted by detectives about 2 p.m. and fled in a vehicle when they approached. The detectives were able to stop his vehicle and take him into custody at gunpoint. Officer Thomas Cottrell of the Danville (OH) PD A police officer was found dead in Ohio with his gun and cruiser missing, authorities said early Monday. The Ohio State Highway Patrol had deployed extra units and aviation resources after the Danville officer was reported missing and possibly wounded late Sunday, reports NBC. Officer Thomas Cottrell was found dead without his service weapon or cruiser just before midnight, according to the Knox County Sheriff's department. It said dispatchers had received a tip-off from a female caller that Danville cops "were in danger" because her ex-boyfriend Herschel Jones had "left with weapons and was looking to kill an officer." Dispatchers tried to reach the officer but were unsuccessful, the sheriff's office added. Sheriff's deputies searched the village of Danville and found Cottrell's body behind a municipal building 27 minutes after the initial call. The officer had been shot dead. Jones was taken into custody following a "foot chase" at around 1:36 a.m. after he was seen "running from a residence," the sheriff's office said. Jojo on duty. (Photo; Facebook) A San Bernardino County sheriff's detective lost his finger during an attempt to save his K9 partner, trained in explosive detection and tracking, who died while searching a warehouse, officials said Friday. Jojo, a 4-year-old Sable German Shepherd from the Czech Republic, got an object lodged in his throat and choked to death during the exercise on Jan. 6, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Jojo's handler, Detective Brad Phillips, posted a message on the department's Facebook page on his attempt to rescue his friend and partner of three years, KABC 7 reports. "I did everything in my power to save him and in the process had my right pinky finger amputated...I am devastated that I failed," he said. JoJo was assigned to the bomb and arson detail with tracking and explosive detection skills. Phillips said although Jojo accomplished many things throughout his career, including finding buried guns and tracking wanted felons, his most courageous moment was on Dec. 2, when he searched neighboring buildings, parking lots and the very site of the San Bernardino terror attack for 10 consecutive hours while "people were still lying lifelessly. 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. ST. PAUL The scenarios are grim: A pandemic influenza swamps the availability of hospital ventilators. A chemical spill exhausts antidote supplies and decontamination abilities. A terror attack overwhelms ambulances and trauma centers. A big earthquake, wildfire or hurricane throws emergency rooms into crisis. At the prodding of the federal government, state health departments nationwide are hurrying to complete "Crisis Standards of Care" plans to guide medical professionals in such catastrophes and determine what should trigger them. It's no easy task: Plan architects must navigate the ethical and legal minefields that would arise if there are more patients than providers at hospitals, clinics and other medical settings are set up to handle in usual fashion. "When they are facing these decisions the last thing you want to do is make it up as you go along," said Dr. John Hick, an emergency physician at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and a national expert in disaster planning. "Don't leave this on the shoulders of the caregiver at the bedside." Major emergency response planning isn't new, but this process is focused on catastrophic events that would go beyond the ability of individual hospital systems to manage. The Ebola outbreak that killed thousands in Africa and put about a dozen patients in U.S. hospitals focused new attention on the wider health system's readiness to handle something so dramatic. Closer to home, the examples used are Hurricane Katrina and the deadly 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri. ADVERTISEMENT Once a disaster like those imagined by the planners is designated a crisis by a state official or a panel, care would shift from focusing on individual patients to sharing "limited resources" so that there are "best possible health outcomes for the population as a whole," as described by the Institute of Medicine, a national advisory body. That could mean people without acute conditions are denied hospital admission, scarce antiviral medicine is distributed more selectively, medical equipment is substituted with other devices and people judged unlikely to survive don't get typical interventions. Conversation misguided? Such trade-offs are unimaginable to some in modern medicine, according to Judy Marchetti, an emergency preparedness manager helping write the Minnesota Department of Health's plan. "Five people need a ventilator and you have one ventilator, do you reallocate it or is it first-come, first-serve?" Marchetti said. But some doctors consider the conversation misguided, find the terminology about differing standards worrisome and chafe at the idea that physicians would need special instructions to handle calamities the right way. Dr. Carl Schultz, director of the Center for Disaster Medical Services at the University of California at Irvine, sees it as a move to shield providers from liability for actions during disasters even if the prospect of being successfully sued is small. "Bad medical care is worse than no medical care at all," Schultz said, adding, "Even disaster victims can be mismanaged. Just because it is a disaster does not mean you throw out any responsibility." At the request of federal agencies, the Institute of Medicine developed a framework to guide states in making their plans. Federal money tied to the effort sets a mid-2017 deadline for completion. ADVERTISEMENT Arizona completed its 148-page plan in February. Andrew Lawless, who led the project for the Department of Health Services, said it was tough to create a plan that meshes with ones that hospitals and emergency managers already have in place for care surges. Lawless' team held an exercise in May to hunt for gaps that might be addressed in a possible update. "We asked our stakeholders to come in and try to kick holes in the plan," Lawless said. Planning slows Other states aren't even at that point. Minnesota's health agency expects to hire a special facilitator soon and wants to have a version by December. Texas got going in June 2013 and originally set a Jan. 31 deadline, but that won't be met. The Department of State Health Services is examining "the best way to move forward considering the size, scope and diversity of the state," said spokeswoman Christine Mann. Kentucky also has slowed its planning, citing in part a drop-off in 2014 in federal funding for the project. "We recognize the importance of Crisis Standards of Care plans in a health emergency," said Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, senior deputy commissioner at the Department of Public Health. Until a statewide plan comes together, he said the agency "has developed a template that hospitals can use to formulate their own plans." ADVERTISEMENT Hick said the public should be comforted that discussions of worst-case scenarios are occurring. But, he acknowledged, "it's time-consuming planning for an event that may not happen." Josh Rogin at Bloomberg reports that two Iranian beneficiaries of the recent prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iran were sanctioned for funneling weapons to the Bashar al-Assad regime and Hezbollah in Syria. Rogin explains: For years, Irans privately-owned Mahan Air has been using its planes to bring soldiers and arms directly to the Syrian military and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah by flying them from Tehran to Damascus, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. In 2013, Treasury sanctioned Mahans managing director, Hamid Arabnejad, for overseeing the companys efforts to evade U.S. and international sanctions and aiding the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps elite Quds Force. Arabnejad has a close working relationship with IRGC-QF personnel and coordinates Mahan Airs support and services to the paramilitary group, the Treasury Department said. He has also been instrumental in facilitating the shipment of illicit cargo to Syria on Mahan Air aircraft. Now, according to the Iranian state media organization FARS, Arabnejad doesnt have to worry about U.S. sanctions. FARS reports that he one of the 14 Iranians who no longer will have Interpol red notices out on them, The red notices were meant to ensure his arrest and extradition to the U.S. The charges will also be dropped. The White House declined Rogins request for comment on whether Arabnejad was among the de-listed Iranians, but did not dispute the 14 names on the FARS list. This seems like a gutless yes. In addition to Arabnejad. FARS says that Gholamreza Mahmoudi, also a top official at Manar Air whom Treasury sanctioned for working closely with Arabnejad to evade sanctions and purchase new aircraft, will also be off the hook, courtesy of President Obama. Never shy about misleading the American public, Obama said at the time the swap was announced that none of the seven released Iranians were charged with terrorism or any violent offenses. They are civilians, he said. But Obama failed to mention the 14 who no longer have international arrest warrants, including the Mahan Air executives. They may not have violent offenses, but they are facilitating mass violence against the Syrian people in a civil war that already has claimed roughly 250,000 lives. They may be civilians, but the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force they aid and abet arent. What is the practical effect of removing the red notices on Arabnejad and Mahmoudi? Emanuele Ottolenghi,a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Rogin: The one big impediment for them to run their business abroad was the red notice, not the U.S. sanctions. . .The fact they are no longer on the red notice means that as long as they dont try to come to the U.S., they will probably live their professional lives unencumbered. The lifting of the red notices also has a symbolic effect. According to Ottolenghi, it tells countries and companies around the world that its OK to look the other way as Mahan Air helps the Assad regime and Hezbollah. These guys have been working day in and day out flying arms to Assad regime, says Ottolenghi. This is another signal that there will be no consequences for this airline and the crimes they are responsible for. Oh well. Its not like Obama is giving Iran $100 billion or so with which to commit these and other crimes. Vance Opperman is an extraordinarily wealthy Minneapolis businessman and former practicing attorney. Hes also an active Democrat whose financial contributions would be more than sufficient to secure him an ambassadorship to the country of his choice, though he pleads that he will trade lutefisk for ambassadorship. (Humor isnt his strong point.) City Pages reports that in 2014 he was Minnesotas top Super PAC donor, contributing $260,000 to the WIN Minnesota Federal PAC along with such fellow advocates of good government as the American Federation of Teachers ($50,000), the Laborers Union ($80,000), and Bette Midler ($7,500). Oppermans need to oversee his business interests may have deterred his pursuit of the ambassadorial line of work. Twin Cities Business is a monthly magazine that Opperman holds in his MSP Communications stable. Exercising the privileges of ownership, he writes a column for the magazine. In the current (January) issue, he criticizes Senator Tom Cotton for placing a hold on the appointment of (his friend) Minneapolis attorney Sam Heins as the ambassador to Norway. Opperman depicts Senator Cotton as the Grinch who stole the ambassador to Norway. Why would Senator Cotton do that? One has to bear with Oppermans humorous musings for a while to discover why: Senator Cotton has explained his hold to the D.C. media as attempting to force the White House to require the Justice Department to initiate criminal proceedings against the Secret Service for allegedly leaking a personnel file about a particular congressman [who was investigating the agency]. The Secretary of Homeland Security has already denied these allegations. The White House has indicated that it has no interest in seeking criminal prosecution for the very people who defend the presidents life. Opperman concludes with a call to all right-thinking Norwegian-Americans from Minnesota [to] start delivering to the office of Sen. Cotton (124 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510) a pound of lutefisk every day until he lifts his hold. Opperman, incidentally, is a vocal supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union because of its supposed devotion to civil liberties. Youd think the leaking of a congressmans personnel file for ulterior purposes by the Secret Service would arouse his indignation, but if the authorities say it didnt happen a big if in this case that is good enough for Opperman. Good enough for him in his work as a columnist for his own magazine anyway. Opperman to the contrary notwithstanding, however, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson apologized to Chaffetz in April at the time of the incident. Opperman to the contrary notwithstanding, the White House conceded that significant concerns had been raised by reports that scores of Secret Service employees accessed the Chaffetzs unsuccessful job application in connection with his investigation of Secret Service scandals. Opperman to the contrary notwithstanding, the DHS Inspector General subsequently confirmed the incident and found the Secret Services behavior to be illegal. The wrongdoing was wide and deep. The IG report detailed the Secret Services improper behavior and harshly criticized the agency for violating the Privacy Act of 1974. The IG report is accessible online here. Opperman to the contrary notwithstanding, the head of the Secret Service has apologized to Rep. Chaffetz for the agencys wrongdoing. Opperman to the contrary notwithstanding, Jeh Johnson apologized a second time to Chaffetz for the Secret Services wrongdoing at the time the IG report was released. NBC News and others reported on the release of the IG report this past October. The head of the Secret Service has revised his account of his role in the case. In its story, NBC News includes a link to A long list of breaches and scandals for Secret Service under Obama. Hey, the job of the Secret Service is to defend the presidents life. Does Vance Opperman know about this? Opperman simply omits the backdrop to the Chaffetz incident and the findings that confirm the scandal. The Secret Service sought to trash Chaffetz because he heads up the House Oversight Committee, which was tasked with investigating allegations (among others) that two senior Secret Service agents had spent several hours drinking before (literally) crashing into a suspicious package investigation being conducted in their absence on a street near the White House. If you want to understand the story Opperman purports to address in his column, you apparently have to go to a news source like FOX News or the Washington Post or, well, Techdirt. Oppermans implication that Senator Cotton is undermining the Secret Service in its mission to protect the president is a joke. As I say, Oppermans column appears in the current (January) issue of the magazine. On November 30 of last year, however, Senator Cotton lifted his hold on Heinss appointment: Sen. Tom Cotton said Monday that he is lifting holds on two Obama nominations, citing progress from the administration on responding to a Secret Service scandal involving a key House critic of the agency. The White House reached out to my office and made clear that the president understood the gravity of the violations that occurred. And in the past month the Obama administration has finally begun to take action, the Arkansas Republican said. Cottons remarks come after he said earlier this year he would block three ambassador nominations over a report that the Secrete Service leaked information about Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). The senator then placed holds on Cassandra Buttss nomination to be ambassador to the Bahamas, Azita Rajis nomination to be ambassador to Sweden and Samuel Heinss nomination to be ambassador to Norway. But he announced Monday that he is lifting his hold on Raji and Heins, saying that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had issued disciplinary proposals for the suspension of more than 40 lower-level officials, with proposals being prepared for senior-level officials. I believe both [nominees] are qualified and we have significant interests in Scandinavia. My hope is that both nominees receive a vote in the Senate sooner rather than later, he added. But Cotton warned that he will continue to block Buttss nomination because the Department of Justice has not launched a criminal investigation into the unauthorized access and dissemination of Chaffetzs records. He added that he would place additional holds on Obama nominees if the department doesnt launch a criminal probe, if the proposed discipline of senior officials isnt severe enough or to again remind the White House of the seriousness of this matter. November 30 must have been too late to pull or revise a column set for the magazines January issue. And the White House must disagree with Oppermans assessment of the situation. It apparently concedes that something happened and that a wrong has been done to Chaffetz. Indeed, Jeh Johnson apologized for it when the incident occurred and then again a second time at the time the IG report was released. Another piece of the background to Heinss languishing appointment is the failed nomination of George Tsunis. Now that was almost funny. Ben Whitney is an old friend and former ambassador to Norway who helped us break a story or two on Power Line when he served as Norm Colemans campaign manager in the fall of 2002. Ben explained in the Star Tribune: Blame for this situation is deep, wide and bipartisan. To replace its able prior ambassador Barry White, the Obama administration senselessly [sic] nominated businessman George Tsunis, who managed in his Senate hearing to demonstrate complete ignorance of Norway and directly insult about 20 percent of Norwegian voters plus half of its ministers. Tsunis lacked the grace to abandon his appointment despite overwhelming bipartisan opposition (including most of the Minnesota congressional delegation), and the administration lacked the courage to push him out. After an entire year, Tsunis finally threw in the towel and the administration nominated a distinguished and well-qualified Minnesota attorney and community leader in Sam Heins. All in all, the story opens a revealing window on the Obama administration. So there is a story here, though it isnt exactly the one Opperman chooses to tell. This isnt the end of the story. Heinss appointment remains in limbo along with several others as Republican senators avail themselves of one of the last weapons the Senate GOP can use to hit back at the administration with Democrats able to filibuster legislation and President Barack Obama wielding his veto pen. Its part of a larger story that is not the business of Twin Cities Business. Marco Rubio is taking fire from the usual fact checkers for his comment over the weekend that Iran released our 52 hostages on January 20, 1981 as soon as Ronald Reagan took office because Iran perceived that America was no longer under the command of someone weak. Politifact huffs: We flagged Rubios comment as a misleading framing of history. Reagans inauguration in 1981 may have coincided with the release of the hostages, but historians say it did not cause it. Which historians? This is one historian who thinks Rubio has a solid point. The only historian Politifact cites is . . . Gary Sick. Grassy Knoller Gary Sick. The slick Sick who once speculated that William Casey flew to Paris in a SR-71 Blackbird to meet with Iranians to persuade them to keep the hostages until after the 1980 election. You have to be pretty sick to place your faith in Sick. Anyway, Politifact continues: Instead, the Iranians had tired of holding the hostages, and that the administration of Jimmy Carter did the legwork to get the hostages released. They got tired of it, you see. Riiiight. Okay, if youre done being convulsed with laughter on the floor, lets recall what the Washington Post editorial page (!!) had to say about the matter on January 21, 1981: Who doubts that among Irans reasons for coming to terms now was a desire to beat [Reagan] to town? And who doubts that Politifact and other fact checkers are too clueless to grasp Rubios argument that your reputation in the world counts for somethingespecially with your enemies. Talk about the problem of the fact-value distinction. Heres part of my account of it in The Age of Reagan: Following Reagans election, a joke came into currency: Whats flat as a pancake and glows in the dark? Iran after Reagan becomes president. Reagan played to the type during the transition, making several tart statements about Iran, such as calling the Iranian captors criminals and saying I dont think you pay ransom for people that have been kidnapped by barbarians. Think that didnt play any role in the thinking of the Iranians? If so, then Ive got two tottering Democratic candidates to recommend to you. The Supreme Court decided today to review a decision adverse to the government in the legal challenge to President Obamas overhaul of the nations immigration rules. At issue is a program that would allow as many as five million illegal immigrants who are the parents of citizens or of lawful permanent residents to apply for a program under which they would receive work permits and avoid the possibility of deportation. Obamas power grab was thwarted when a coalition of 26 states filed a lawsuit alleging that Obama unlawfully sidestepped Congress and ignored the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act for changing rules. A federal judge entered a preliminary injunction shutting down the program while the lawsuit proceeded, and a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sustained the injunction. The district courts injunction was based on a finding that the Obama administration didnt follow the applicable procedures for changing rules. However, in agreeing to hear the case, the Supreme Court broadened the matter to encompass the more fundamental separation of powers concerns. It asked the parties to address whether the administrations plan violates the constitutional command that the president shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Good. Before reaching the merits, the Court will have to resolve the threshold issue of whether the states have suffered the sort of direct and concrete injury that gives them standing to sue. The New York Times summarizes this dispute nicely: Judge Jerry E. Smith, writing for the majority in the appeals court, said the states had standing to challenge the program under a 2007 Supreme Court decision that said Massachusetts and other states were entitled to sue the Environmental Protection Agency over its refusal to regulate motor vehicle emissions contributing to climate change. Judge Smith said Texas would suffer a similarly direct and concrete injury in having to spend millions of dollars to provide drivers licenses to immigrants as a consequence of the federal program. Mr. Verrilli [Obamas Solicitor General] told the justices that Texas injury, such as it was, was self-inflicted, a product of its own decision to offer drivers licenses to people lawfully in the United States at reduced cost. Texas responded that being required to change its laws is itself the sort of harm that confers standing. Texas could avoid the drivers-license-cost injury only by changing its policy and making drivers licenses less affordable, the states told the justices. That is itself an injury, because Texas has a sovereign interest in enforcing its legal code. Ann Althouse wonders whether Obamas executive amnesty will squeak by in the same sort of quirky way Obamacare did: There seems to be a good chance of a majority vote composed of completely inconsistent positions the 4 liberals saying there is standing and upholding what Obama did and at least one more vote maybe 4 more votes saying there is no standing and not reaching the merits. The nuance here is that the broad standing doctrine on which the appeals court relied comes from Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, where a liberal majority found standing for a state to challenge the EPAs view (in the days of President George W. Bush) that the Clean Air Act doesnt refer to greenhouse gases. The four conservative Justices, in a dissent by the Chief Justice, disagreed. Althouse is speculating that some or all of these Justices will continue to take a narrow view of standing and vote with the government on the threshold issue in the executive amnesty case, while four other Justices, the liberals, vote with the government on the merits. In this scenario, Obama wins. However, Althouse seems to find it at least as likely that the same five Justices who found standing in Massachusetts v. EPA will find it here, so that the merits will be reached, and then Justice Kennedy will vote with the four conservatives who reject standing to find that Obama abused his power. In this scenario, Obama loses. Its too early for me to speculate on the outcome. Ill simply suggest that Althouse hasnt exhausted the possible combinations that could determine the outcome in this complex matter. All across Europe, the cover-up is unravelling. For ideological reasons, and to a lesser degree due to misguided economic theories, Western Europes elites have pretended that importing millions of Muslims from countries ranging from Morocco to Afghanistan raises no issues and creates no problems. That this is untrue has been obvious for a long time, starting with the Turkish guest workers who never leave. But recent events have ripped the lid off the pretense that has dominated European discourse about immigration for many years. Sweden has been one of the hardest-hit countries. In the Spectator, Ivar Arpi reviews recent events there: It took days for police to acknowledge the extent of the mass attacks on women celebrating New Years Eve in Cologne. The Germans were lucky; in Sweden, similar attacks have been taking place for more than a year and the authorities are still playing catch up. Only now is the truth emerging, both about the attacks and the cover-ups. Stefan Lofven, our Prime Minister, has denounced a double betrayal of women and has promised an investigation. But he ought to be asking this: what made the police and even [sic] journalists cover up the truth? This is not a trick question. When hundreds of women were reported to have been molested and abused in Cologne at the hands of an organised mob the reaction from Swedish politicians and pundits ought to have been one of outrage. Instead, we were told that the events in Cologne were not unusual. An article in Aftonbladet, Swedens largest tabloid, argued that it was racist to point out that the perpetrators in Cologne had been described as North African or Arab, since German men had carried out sexual assaults during Bavarias Oktober-fest. Another Aftonbladet article said that reporting on the Cologne attacks was bowing to right-wing extremism. Over the last week, we have been told over and over that the real issue is men, not any particular culture that Swedish men are no better. But then, why is the sexual assault rate skyrocketing? It is impolite, apparently, to ask that question. Then last week Swedens own stories began to emerge. During the We Are Sthlm music festival, large groups of young men harassed girls sexually. It began in 2014 and it also went on during last years festival. According to internal police reports the groups were so-called refugee youths primarily from Afghanistan. The youngest of the victims was 12 years old. The police claimed that there were relatively few crimes and arrests considering the number of participants. Internal reports told a different story. The police were shocked enough by the harassment to try to come up with a strategy to handle the groups of molesters at the festival a strategy that was evidently unsuccessful. This disjunction between what police departments say internally and what is released for public consumption is typical. Anything is better than that voters should know the truth! Why does this happen, over and over? As Peter Agren, police chief in central Stockholm, put it: Sometimes we do not dare to say how things really are because we believe it will play into the hands of the Sweden Democrats. As we now know, police officers in Stockholm are instructed not to reveal the ethnicity or nationality of any suspects lest they be accused of racism. We have noted many times that Europeans who express reservations about mass immigration of millions from the third world are universally branded as the far right. In fact, these concerns are entirely mainstream and are undoubtedly shared, to one degree or another, by most Europeans. But European elites have decreed the entire topic verboten. This is the heart of the problem. The Sweden Democrats are the anti-immigration populist force in Sweden no longer a fringe element but the thirdlargest party after the election of 2014. Opinion polls suggest they are growing ever stronger. They are reviled by all other parties, who try to fight them by rejecting their every claim as baseless. As a result, immigration cannot be discussed frankly in Sweden. If you mention anything negative about refugees or immigration, youre accused of playing into the hands of the reviled far-right. As a result, even legitimate concerns are silenced or labelled xenophobic. Both Swedish and German police departments said that they were unprepared for the phenomenon of mass sexual assault: The German police made a similar point: they are used to handling drunks. But gangs of young men encircling and then groping women at large public gatherings: who has ever heard of such a thing? In the Arab world, its something of a phenomenon. It has a name: Taharrush games. Sometimes the girls are teased and have their veils torn off by gangs of young men; sometimes it escalates into rape. Five years ago, this form of attack was the subject of an award-winning Egyptian film, 678. Instances of young men surrounding and attacking girls were reported throughout the Arab Spring protests in Cairo in 2011 and 2012. Lara Logan, a CNN journalist covering the fall of Hosni Mubarak, was raped in Tahrir Square. Taharrush gamea is a modern evil, and its being imported into Europe. Our authorities ought to be aware of it. But they cant be made aware, when any mention of the issue is discouraged. This leaves the police unprepared, and leaves the public feeling not just vulnerable but deceived. Well, they are right. They have been deceived. Even now, Swedes are still trying to figure out what exactly has been going on. Reports are emerging of Taharrush gamea-style harassment in Malmo on New Years Eve. According to police reports, hundreds of refugee youths from Afghanistan roamed around and surrounded intoxicated girls/women and harassed them. Similar incidents are being reported from towns such as Kalmar and Karlstad. The Finnish authorities are handling reports of organised sexual harassment perpetrated by Iraqi immigrants. We Swedes pride ourselves on our unrivalled record on respecting womens rights. But when womens rights conflict with the goal of accommodating other cultures, its almost always women who are pushed to the side. This week, the chattering classes in Sweden will be worrying about how this story plays into the hands of the Sweden Democrats. But events have moved beyond that. The truth may be painful. Yet, as we have seen, concealing the truth is worse. This is the root of the problem: European elites are more concerned about keeping the far right at bay than about protecting European women from attack by unassimilated immigrants. As long as that is the case, the problem will continue to escalate. The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday, addressed the Senate over the nations current currency crisis. Mr. Emefiele was invited, following a resolution last Thursday, to brief the Senate on the depreciation of the naira. He, however, briefed the legislators in a closed-door session. After the session, president of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, said the CBN governor spoke to the Senate about foreign exchange and issues relating to national and global economy. Thereafter, the governor answered questions from Senators on these issues and other topical economic matters, Mr. Saraki said. According to Mr. Saraki, Mr. Emefiele had also clarified issues regarding those speculating on foreign exchange market. Mr. Saraki also quoted Mr. Emefiele as assuring that the Central Bank has no intention to confiscate dollars that have been deposited. CBN would continue to support downward interest rate regime and policies that would diversify the economy, Mr. Saraki said, further quoting the CBN governor. A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, on the condition that he pays N400 million as bond. Mr. Metuh is to also submit his international passport, and must provide two sureties with N200 million each. The sureties must have properties in Maitama district of Abuja. The PDP spokesperson was taken to court on Tuesday in handcuffs. He is accused of receiving N400 million from an arms money diverted by the office of the National Security Adviser. Mr. Metuh has been in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for about two weeks. More details coming Nigerias Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, said in Lagos on Tuesday that judges found to have corruptly enriched themselves would be prosecuted, jailed and would lose to the state any asset they acquired with such stolen funds. Mr. Malami, who was the special guest at the launch of a report by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) titled, Go home and sin no more: Corrupt judges escaping from justice in Nigeria, said judges should be beyond reproach. Considering the pivotal role that they play in the administration of justice, it is important to ensure that Nigerian judges, like the proverbial Caesars wife, are beyond reproach or even suspicion. Gone are the days when corrupt judges escaped from justice in Nigeria! I can assure you today that in line with the cardinal agenda of President Muhammadu Buharis administration, the office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation shall ensure that every appearance of corruption in the judiciary is dealt among other measures through criminal prosecution and forfeiture to the State of illegally acquired assets, he said. The minister was represented at the launch by his senior special assistant, Abiodun Aikomo. He added that the Buhari administration would not tolerate judicial impunity and would do everything within the law to ensure that judicial accountability in a corruption-free judiciary which is both independent and impartial. The judiciarys one and only mandate should be to deliver justice without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. The world over, the rule of law, and separation of powers which are inseparable components of a democratic government, presupposes the existence of an independent and impartial judiciary, he said. He said judges found to have been corrupt were removed in the past by the National Judicial Council. In reality, on a comparison between the widely reported cases of corruption in the Judiciary vis-a-vis the records of judicial officers who have actually been punished therefore, it would appear as if Nigerian judges enjoy total immunity from prosecution for corruption (and allied offences), whereas judges are not immune from discipline for any misdeed let alone for corruption, he said. SERAP executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, who welcomed Mr. Malamis commitment, said corrupt judges are more dangerous to the society than corrupt politicians because a corrupt judiciary denies both victims of corruption and those accused of corruption access to an independent, impartial and fair adjudication process. Mr. Mumuni explained that the report advocated the prosecution of corrupt judges; referral by the Chief Justice of the Federation and the National Judicial Council of all cases of judicial corruption to appropriate anti-corruption agencies; publication and auditing of spending by the judiciary; public and periodic disclosure of assets by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and all other judges. The report also recommended that retired judges should be allowed to lead the National Judicial Council to improve its independence; and urgent investigation of allegations of age falsification among judges by the National Judicial Council. The report also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to proactively and robustly use their statutory powers to investigate and prosecute judicial corruption and to request from the National Judicial Council files on cases of corrupt judges for prosecution. President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to deal decisively with the seeming resurgence of oil theft, vandalism of pipelines and insecurity in the Niger Delta. Declaring that the Nigerian Armed Forces had already dealt deadly blows on Boko Haram, Mr. Buhari said the activities of oil thieves and vandals would soon be brought to an end, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Tuesday. The oil thieves and abductors are a less problematic target. We will re-organise and deal with them, he was quoted as saying. Speaking Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the president warned telecommunication companies operating in Nigeria not to place their desire for huge profits above the security needs of the country. Speaking at an interactive forum with members of the Nigerian Community in Abu Dhabi, President Buhari said the war against terrorism can only be won with the collective effort and commitment of everyone. Remarking that the registration of all mobile phone users without exception will help the security agencies to pre-empt terrorist attacks, the president said telecommunication companies operating in Nigeria must adhere to the rules and guidelines of the Nigerian Communications Commission in this regard. President Buhari assured Nigerians at the session that his administrations war against corruption will continue to be vigorously pursued. The president pledged that more persons who have abused the public trust will be exposed and brought to justice soon, adding that his government was committed to re-establishing former standards of accountability and probity in the management of public funds which were jettisoned under past administrations. The president appealed for more patience and understanding from Nigerians as his administration takes steps to safeguard the economy from the shock of falling oil prices. In the face of our new economic reality of dwindling oil prices, there are a number of things we can really do without to preserve our economy. We must develop the capacity to feed ourselves and we should be spending our resources on real development projects, not luxuries, he said. The Nigerian Press Organization Monday resolved to immediately appeal a Court of Appeal decision upholding the Nigerian Press Council Decree of 1992. At its meeting in Lagos, the NPO comprising of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the Nigerian Guild of Editors said the decree was a product of a military regime. The Press Council Decree No. 85 was amended to the Nigeria Press Council (Amendment) Act of 1999. An appeal court in December 2015 held that the amended Act is a necessary and justifiable law in a democratic government, reversing a Federal High Court decision in 2010 which declared the law as oppressive, over-bearing and grossly incompatible with civilized standard of society. The NPO had been in court since 1999, to challenge the constitutionality of the military-created Press Council Decree which, to give it a garb of general acceptance, was transmuted as an Act of the National Assembly with the advent of democracy in 1999, the NPO said in a statement signed by Nduka Obaigbena, its president; Comfort Obi, NPANs General Secretary, among others. In heading to court, the NPO propelled by the fact that the press having been recognized as a pillar of democracy and thus been given a definite role in the Constitution to hold the government accountable to the people, in order to enhance public good, it will be counter productive for the same press to be regulated by those it is to hold accountable. As it is with other profession like Law, Accountancy, Medicine, the best form of regulation is self-regulation by the professionals concerned. The NPO also resolved to work with the National Assembly to get a suitable self-regulatory press council law for professionals in the country. They resolved not to nominate any member of NPO into the board of the Press Council until the determination of the case at the Supreme Court. The group further encouraged the present government to reject the NPC law because its not in tandem with democratic norms and recent technological development. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday commenced trial of a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi with startling revelations. Mr. Akpobolokemi and five others are standing trial before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court Lagos for N2.3billion fraud. The court heard how a fashion designer, Chukuemeka Benjamin, was paid N546million for services not rendered by the maritime agency. Three witnesses presented so far before the court in the matter are Teslim Adekunle, a compliance officer with the Zenith Bank Plc, Chukwuemeka Benjamin and Usaini Sabo. Mr. Adekunle appeared before the court on Monday, while Messrs. Benjamin and Sabo appeared before Justice Buba on Tuesday. In his testimony, Mr. Adekunle told the court that between August and October 2015, his bank received nine requests from EFCC in respect of the accounts of some companies. The companies are Southern Offshore Limited, Kenzo Logistics Limited, Extreme Vertex tex Nigeria Limited, Aroward Consulting Limited and Avant Guard Security Solution. Others are Green Lemon Limited, Ace Prosthesis Limited, O2 Services Limited, Suco Global Limited and the Committee on International Shipping and Port Security (ISPS). According to Mr. Adekunle, money flowed into accounts of the aforementioned companies from the account of the Committee on ISPS. The witness was shown a bundle of documents, which he identified as the request letters from EFCC, response from his bank, and the statement of accounts in question. In exhibit P10, the witness said on March 5, 2015, there was an inflow of the sum of N21,200,000 into the nine customers account from the Committee on ISPS. Also on May 4, 2015, there was another inflow of the sum of N16,000,000 into same account from ISPS. Another N21,200,000, was again paid into that same account but as at the time the last lodgment was made, there was a balance of only N1,404.93 in the account. When the witness was asked how the money earlier credited into that account was disbursed, he said on June 19, 2015, there was an outflow of the sum of N10,000,000 and N11,200,000 to the account of Uchenna Obi, domiciled at Diamond Bank. The Peoples Democratic Party has reacted to the call by some leaders of the party, for the acting national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, acting chairman of the Board of Trustees, Bello Mohammed, and the National Publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, to resign from their positions. Four deputy national officers of the party had Monday asked Mr. Secondus to step down and allow someone from the north east take office as chairman. They also demanded the resignation of Messrs. Mohammed and Metuh over their ongoing trial over corruption charges. The PDP National Secretary, Adewale Oladipo, in a statement late Monday, said the leadership of the party understood the concerns of its members especially since the unfortunate electoral setback, its attendant trauma and disagreements within the party as well as the recent development leading to the probing of some of our leaders and of course our campaign funding by the APC-led government. The national secretary said the leadership had also noted the desperation of some opportunistic and selfish individuals, including those being used by the APC, to draw political capital from the present challenges facing our party. However, whereas the PDP remains a platform for all Nigerians to aspire, we note that that our constitution is clear on the mode of election, tenure, succession in the case of vacancy, and removal from office of our officers at all levels. Also the constitution and laws of our country provide that an individual remains innocent until otherwise proven by a court of competent jurisdiction. While we await the judicial determination of the cases involving some of our leaders at the EFCC, it is important that all party members show commitment to our rebuilding effort by ensuring utterances that encourage and unite rather than further discourage and divide our members. Any thing contrary to this would be playing into the very hands of those who want to decimate our party, destroy our common destiny as a people and install a one-party state in our country. Our earnest attention for now is our on-going rebuilding efforts, the amendment of our partys constitution and our scheduled National Convention in March this year to produce new leaders in line with the statutory requirements of our great party. All the statutory organs are aware of the laid out plans by the NWC, which would soon be presented to them appropriately and accordingly. Moreover, any person or group which in any way feels aggrieved by any issue regarding our party should, as responsible party members channel such through the appropriate internal mechanisms instead of resorting to dragging our party in the mud in the media. Such, only portrays pursuit of personal ambition and interest instead of the collective good of our great party at a critical time as this. We therefore urge all loyal and dedicated members of the PDP to be at alert and wary of antics of certain external forces bent at causing confusion in our great party, all with the aim of ensuing that we do not unite as a formidable opposition and a government in waiting. The public and the media are by this made aware of the fact that the PDP remains a big family despite our temporary electoral setback. Also, our leadership and statutory organs, the NEC, NWC, Caucus, Board of Trustee, forum of Governors and caucuses of various legislative houses, are all united in the common effort to rebuild and reposition the party, especially with preparations for our National Convention in March, he said. A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday granted bail to the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh. To regain his freedom, Justice Okon Abang however said Mr. Metuh must deposit N400 million bail bond same amount he is accused of illegally receiving; two sureties who must have properties in Maitama area of Abuja, and who must also deposit N200 million each. Mr. Metuh is facing a seven-count charge of corruption. He is accused of receiving N400 million from former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. The amount is part of the allegedly diverted sum of $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms. Upon resumption in court, Tuesday, Mr. Metuhs counsel, Christ Uche, reminded the court that the most important condition for allowing an application for bail was the defendants availability for trial. Mr. Uche said his client had shown unwavering determination to be available for trial. He also said the allegation that Mr. Metuh attempted to tear his statement, was false, saying the EFCC failed to produce copies of the turn documents, as evidence that there was such an incident. Citing Section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, Mr. Uche said his client was willing to comply with laid down rules for his bail. He added that the EFCC failed in its duty to complete investigations before filing a charge against the defendant. Mr. Uche prayed the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms, stressing that all those involved in the alleged $2.1 billion scandal, (Sambo Dasuki and Raymond Dokpesi) had previously been granted bail by the same court. He also prayed the court to place an order restraining the EFCC from unduly arresting Mr. Metuh, saying his client has the right to enjoy the proposed bail. But counsel to the EFCC, Sylvanus Tahir, asked the court to take into cognisance the possibility of the defendant attempting to jump bail, saying that he had exhibited tendencies of impeding with the process of investigation, while in the EFCCs custody. He said investigation into the allegation of money laundering was still ongoing and that findings could be made by the EFCC that would require the presence of Mr. Metuh at the commission for questioning. Mr. Tahir added that the law empowered the EFCC to obtain an order of a Magistrate for the arrest of the accused. He then prayed the court to refuse the application for bail adding that the applicants did not make available sufficient materials to support their prayer, a point vehemently opposed by Mr. Uche. But Mr. Abang noted that the EFCCs claim that the defendant may attempt to impede with the process of justice, based on an earlier allegation of Mr. Metuhs behaviour while in the commissions custody, were mere speculation. He said the EFCC was yet to produce evidence that proved that Mr. Metuh attempted to tear his statement, before the court. Section 135, (1) and (2) says the burden of prove of such allegation and crime must be made by the person alleging it, said Mr. Abang. He further said there were no facts before the court to back the said allegations, adding that the court cannot deny Mr. Metuh bail on the basis of a mere speculation. Mr. Abang then ruled that the sureties to be provided by Mr. Metuh must produce documents of Certificate of Occupancy for the assets they have at Maitama, with two passports attached, along with three years certificate of tax clearance for the said assets. He added that the sureties must swear an affidavit to take full responsibility of Mr. Metuhs actions if he attempts to jump bail. Mr. Metuh, who was also asked to submit his international passports to the office of the court registrar, was however refused his second prayer, which sought to prevent the EFCC from being able to rearrest him after he had been granted bail. According to the judge, the details of the second prayer were not contained in the initial application, and were therefore refused. Hearing into the substantive suit will start on January 25. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned what it called in a brazen display of authoritarianism demonstrated by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Government in handcuffing its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, even when the court was yet to hear his case. This development, the party said, betrayed an extra-judicial, top political witch-hunt policy of the APC, carefully designed to humiliate, embarrass and portray PDP leaders as common criminals and set the stage to cow and decimate opposition and perceived foes of the government. The party in a statement by its national secretary, Adewale Oladipo, on Tuesday, said if not to mortify, dehumanize and break our National Publicity Secretary, who has been very vocal against the APC administration, and of course to send a signal to others critical of the government, what else would have informed the decision to produce him in court in handcuffs, even when his case does not border on security threat? Is this an attempt to sway the court and ambush the judicial process against our National Publicity Secretary, all because of his stance against observed ineptitude and dictatorial tendencies of this administration?, the statement said. The PDP also called on all Nigerians and the international community to note the emerging barefaced abuse of state power and violation of constitutional provisions regarding the arrest, detention and eventual arraignment of its spokesperson. Nigerians by now, should be extremely scared that our country is fast drifting into a police state where being in opposition or holding views divergent to that of the government makes one a criminal and an enemy of the state. For now, the target of the on-going lopsided war against corruption is the PDP and its leaders. All APC members, including those with known corruption issues are immune from investigation, arrest and prosecution. However, more worrisome is the fact that institutions of government, especially security and corrective agencies have now fallen victims of dictatorial abuses. Our fear now is that in no time, ordinary citizens of Nigerians, who in the last 16 years have lived under the rule of law and constitutionally guaranteed personal liberty, would begin to suffer brutality and oppression. Under PDP administration, some Nigerians, including APC leader and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu were tried but never humiliated; now we see security operatives under this regime being used to crush and humiliate the opposition. Finally, while we study the bail conditions, we urge all PDP members to remain calm, united, focused and continue to pray for the nation and her people. We also urge the media to remain on the side of justice, fairness and rule of law and resist the pressure of being used as a tool to promote arbitrariness and abuse of process in the so-called fight against corruption, the party said. The Kwara Police Command on Monday confirmed the death of a suspected cult member and thug, Bayo Ajia. The Public Relations Officer of the Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in llorin on Monday night. He said a group of suspected cult members attacked Mr. Ajia at his car wash premises located on lbrahim Taiwo road, llorin on Monday evening. Mr. Okasanmi said the command had put necessary security measure in place to forestall a breakdown of law and order. The commands spokesman advised the residents of the state to go about their normal business as adequate security measure had been put in place to protect lives and property. He said the command had commenced investigation into the killing of the suspected cult member. As a result of the incident, residents at lbrahim Taiwo road and other areas hurriedly left for home for fear of being attacked by some suspected cult members. (NAN) The Indigenous People of Biafra is to file a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against various senior officials of Nigeria, including President Muhammadu Buhari, the groups lawyers said. The complaint would be filed by Goran Sluiter of Prakken dOliveira Human Rights Lawyers, a law firm based in Amsterdam. A statement by the firm on Tuesday said the complaint would be filed on January 29. It said the complaint, based on publicly available information as well as the statements of many unnamed Nigerian victims, was in the process of being finalized. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a movement dedicated to the self-determination of the separatist Republic of Biafra in South-Eastern Nigeria. To date, there is clear and consistent evidence that crimes against humanity within the jurisdiction of the ICCin particular: murder, unlawful imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearance, other inhumane acts, and persecutionhave been committed in the context of politically- and ethnically-motivated state violence against, primarily, IPOB members and the Igbo people of South-Eastern Nigeria, the law firm said. In the context of this widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of South-Eastern Nigeria, the Federal Government has specifically targetedamong many othersNnamdi Kanu, IPOBs leader and the director of Radio Biafra. Kanu has been physically detained against his will, on politically-motivated terrorism charges, by the Nigerian State Security Service since approximately 17 October 2015 in an undisclosed location, presumably somewhere Nigerias capital Abuja. Despite unconditional bail orders from at least two competent Nigerian courts, Kanu continues to be held in violation of Nigerian and international law. Kanus family, supporters, and Nigerian legal team have all expressed serious concern regarding the conditions of his detention. President Buhari, for his part, has publicly endorsedand presumably orderedthe prolonged unlawful imprisonment, suggesting that the situation is far too politically sensitive to be entrusted to the court system. Kanu and the many other victims of the Federal Governments anti-Igbo campaign have been specifically targeted for their actual or perceived support of Biafran self-determination. The right to publicly advocate and support political positions that may be disagreeable to the government of the day is protected by both Nigerian and international law. Accordingly, the ICC will soon be called upon to address the injustices currently unfolding in South-Eastern Nigeria, it added. Dozens of oil workers on Tuesday brought vehicular movements around the Lagos State House of Assembly and the governors office to a halt, in protest of non-payment of N224 million debt owed them by the government. The workers said the money was for diesel and kerosene supplied to the agency between October 2014 and May 2015. They issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to release the money. We have been harassed, molested by the Skye bank that sponsored this project, said Tokunbo Korodo, chairman, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Lagos Zonal Council. Its going to be a painful and shameful thing that you get an LPO from Lagos State government with holistic belief that by end of three months your money will be paid. After a year we are still begging for this payment, it is a big shame and its sending a very strong signal to all our members that if you are going to transact business with any government, not only Lagos State alone, we should be very careful, he said. Mr. Korodo said henceforth any supply of products to the government would be cash-on-delivery. If you dont see your money, dont deliver. After the expiration of these seven days we should not be blamed if we withdraw our services to the people of Lagos State. We are being pushed to the wall and injury to one person is injury to all, he said. The workers arrived the state governments secretariat at about 8 a.m. and used their vehicles to block movements around the House of Assembly complex. The Lagos State House of Assembly is yet to reconvene after it went on recess last December. But Segun Olulade, a member representing Epe Constituency 2, was on hand to address the angry workers. Mr. Olulade said the House will act on their petition within the next 24 hours. We appreciate your coming this morning. We thank you because we believe you are not here to introduce violence. We believe that you are law abiding citizens of Lagos and we thank you for believing in your own House, Mr. Olulade said. I want to say that jaw-jaw is always better than war-war, and that is the system and the method you have demonstrated today. We are receiving your petition, but I want to appeal on behalf of over 20 million Lagosians that you allow us to mediate in this matter. That this matter is coming to us for the first time, to our notice as a House, and by so doing we will invite all those who are involved and we will hear from them, he said. Mr. Olulade noted that although the house is on recess, it is a working recess. I want to assure you that within the next 24 hours, well get in touch with you and the House will act swiftly on this matter, he said. You have laid your complaints. We were not there when you had the agreement with the agency you referred to, but this is an agency of government and we will see to it as your own representatives. There wont be any need for you to go to the governors office again. We will investigate the matter and ensure that you are not short-changed, he said. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. New Braunfels, Texas - Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016: Education is on the Menu! Our fabulous restauranteurs will have delectable "tastes" of their finest dishes for you to sample. Contact NBISD Education Foundation ***@gmail.com NBISD Education Foundation End -- Taste of the Town provides an opportunity for local restaurants to showcase their cuisine and for you to experience an evening of fun! Hosted by and benefiting the New Braunfels ISD Education Foundation Taste of the Town takes place at the New Braunfels Civic Convention Center, 375 S. Castell, from 6:30 - 9:00 pm on Tuesday, February 2nd.For complete details about the event visit www.nbtasteofthetown.com.Tickets can be purchased in advance online at nbtaste16.eventbrite.com or in person at the NBISD Education Center, 430 W. Mill St. from 9am-3pm M-F. Tickets cost $65 or $75 at the door. Sponsorships and table seating can be purchased, in advance, by contacting the foundation direct at nbisdedfoundation@gmail.com or 830-643-5700.Come fill your tray with scrumptious "tastes" of local cuisines. Enjoy an entertaining evening with the NBHS Jazz and Steel Drum Bands and the eclectic sounds of the Tin Roof and try your luck at some amazing auction items.Thank you to all our sponsors.A special thanks to our True Blue sponsor:ASHLEY HOMESTOREWe would also like to thank our Gold Sponsors: Brauntex Materials, Inc./Fischer Construction Co., HEB, Hunter Industries, Martin Marietta, Moeller & Associates, MVBA Law and Stantec.This event would not be possible without the donation of time and tastes from: 2 Rivers Coffee, Blue Moose Italian Pizza Kitchen, Bonjour Texas, Buffalo Wings & Rings, Capitol Wright Distributing, CBQ Smokehouse, Clear Springs Cafe, Clear Springs Catering & Decorating, Copper Star Cellar, Cravings, Fresh-Healthy Cafe, Granzin Bar-B-Q, Gruene River Grill, Happy Dragon, Hope Family Wines, Huisache Grill, Infernos Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits, Las Fontanas Mexican Kitchen, Long Shot Wine Bar, Montana Mike's Steakhouse, Naegelin's Bakery, New Braunfels Brewing Company, New Braunfels Smokehouse, Newk's Eatery, On the Grind, Papa Murphy's Pizza, Pavlock's, Rudy's Country Store and BBQ, The Gruene Door, The Reel Seafood and Grill/Dos Rios, Tri-City Distributors and Willie's Grill and Icehouse. You won't want to miss this opportunity to explore each of their unique tastes while helping to raise money for the teachers and students of the NBISD.The New Braunfels ISD Education Foundation was created in 1999 to provide additional funds to the District. We have been fortunate to provide grants to teachers and classrooms of the NBISD in excess of $320,000 since 2001 through fundraising events such as Taste of the Town. By: PeopleSourcer Contact Debra Laste ***@cohesion.com Debra Laste End -- Peoplesourcer, a rapidly growing women owned business in the field of IT Staffing, announced today that it has been acquired by Cohesion. This new partnership is a part of Cohesions ongoing growth strategy involving a merger with CPSI and strategic partnership with nSight. The concerted effort between all four companies is aimed at helping their clients battle the organizational gaps caused by todays volatile economy and, simultaneously, offer their customers industry-specific IT specialization in 7 targeted categories: Communication, Finance, Government, Healthcare, Insurance, Publishing, & Retail.We started Peoplesourcer with the vision to make managing our customers workforce strategy flexible and frictionless. Now, joining the Cohesion team, we have the resources to expand this vision nationally and on a much deeper and more impactful level than I had ever imagined said Debra Laste, CEO and Founder of PeopleSourcer.PeopleSourcer has developed a deep expertise in talent acquisitions in the Communications vertical and delivering expedited solutions for even the largest of talent gaps.said John Owens, Cohesion. With the addition of Peoplesourcer, we are uniquely positioned to add deeper knowledge to Cohesion Communication and expand our geographical reach to serve even more clients. PeopleSourcer will be combined with the existing Cohesion offering.About CohesionCohesion, a leading provider in IT consulting and staffing, is dedicated to adapting to and overcoming tomorrows IT challenges. Cohesion is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For the last 15 years Cohesion has served Fortune 1000 companies with IT consulting and staffing needs. Cohesion has seven affiliates, with IT consultants serving seven industry-specific verticals. For more information, please visit http://www.cohesion.com/ Increasing their national reach with a deeper consulting focus, Cohesion and nSight join forces. By: Cohesion Contact Tess Kastning ***@nsightworks.com Tess Kastning End -- nSight, a rapidly growing woman-owned business in the field of Content Development and Digital Communications services, announced today that it has entered a strategic partnership with Cohesion. This new relationship contributes to Cohesions ongoing growth strategy, which includes the acquisition of PeopleSourcer and merger with CPSI. The unification of the four companies aims to help clients battle the organizational gaps caused by todays volatile economy. Cohesion offers customers industry-specific IT specialization in seven targeted areas: communication, finance, government, healthcare, insurance, publishing, and retail.nSight started 33 years ago as one persons vision to promote editorial excellence. We have grown into a robust firm that serves clients communication and publishing needs in a variety of industries,said Tess Kastning, CEO of nSight. By partnering with Cohesion, nSight will be able to offer existing and new clients more robust content delivery services, improve our publishing and education offering with forward thinking capabilities such as educational gaming, and expand our geographic reach so we can continue giving the personal consulting that nSight has always championed.Cohesion partnered with nSight because of their expertise in publishing and education. Their ability to create, integrate, and re-platform content adds to the breadth of the IT services provided by Cohesion, said John Owens, President of Cohesion. nSight has a track record of delivering projects requiring a deep knowledge of digital content and platforms. With the addition of nSight, we expand our ability to serve clients throughout the Northeast and add exciting new industry knowledge and capabilities to the existing Cohesion offering.About CohesionCohesion, a leading provider in IT consulting and staffing, is dedicated to adapting to and overcoming tomorrows IT challenges. Cohesion is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For the last 15 years Cohesion has served Fortune 1000 companies with IT consulting and staffing needs. Cohesion has seven affiliates, with IT consultants serving seven industry-specific verticals. For more information, please visit http://www.cohesion.com/ Professional development program for artists in the creative services industry - painting, visual and performance arts, photography, literary, and all... By: Mobile Museum of Art Media Contact Sher Graham ***@gmail.com 251-404-3924 Sher Graham251-404-3924 End -- Mobile, AL. Do you dream of creating a sustainable lifestyle doing what you have a passion to do?: Professional Development Model education workshop series will be offered by the Mobile Museum of Art starting onfrom 9:30 am to 5:00 pm for artists and entrepreneurs in any creative arts area: visual, literary, performance, sculpture, painting, film, or multi-media combination. Workshop fee is $65.This intensive hands-on program focuses on creating and sustaining a successful career in the art business. Knowledge of business fundamentals, as well as the creation and implementation of a business blueprint,thatfor each artists individual management and creative lifestyle are the keys to an artists success.artist and Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) Fellowship recipient Curtis Benzle of Benzle Porcelain (Huntsville)presents(Module 1). This is an intensive two day weekend workshop on Saturday and Sunday, January 23 and 24. Benzle is devoted to providing all artists with business knowledge and a plan for creating self-sustaining career income. Workshop topics include Creating and Selling Your Art, Product Developmentand Teaching Art in the Community, as well as offer professional advice and guidance for attendees.(Module 2) provides an interactive hands-on 6-weeks program for the artist entrepreneur to develop vision and mission statements, a business blueprint that the artist will be able to visualize, understand and implement, resulting in a successful ROI (return on investment). Module 2 begins Thursday, January 28 and continues for six weeks (February 4, 18, 25, March 3, 10). Topics include Moving from Chaos to Clarity, My Story Board: Vision and Mission and Setting Your Artistic GPS.National business and training experts Sher Graham of Synergy Solutions Communications (Mobile) and Pat Scanland of Scanland Consulting (Daphne) will facilitate this module providing small group and one-on-one guidance for workshop participants.workshop series is funded in part by theand through a partnership of the Mobile Museum of Art and the Mobile Arts Council.All classes will be at the Mobile Museum of Art, 4850 Museum Drive, Mobile. For information, contact: Susie Bowman, (251) 208-5200 or susie.bowman@ cityofmobile.org . Register online at http://www.mobilemuseumofart.com/event/art-as-business-professional-development-for-artists/. ( http://www.mobilemuseumofart.com/ event/art-as- business-pr... Stange Law Firm, PC Launches New Family Law Blog for Kansas City, Missouri Contact Riley Hale, Marketing ***@stangelawfirm.com Riley Hale, Marketing End -- The family law firm, Stange Law Firm, PC, has now launched a blog just for Lee's Summit/Kansas City, Missouri. The blog will be dedicated to family law and divorce, and educated the residents of Kansas City, Missouri and Jackson County about certain questions they may have about family law. You can read this blog at Kansas City, Missouri Family Law Blog. (http://www.kcfamilylawblog.com/)Each week, the readers will be able to find blogs strictly about divorce and family law (http://www.stangelawfirm.com/Divorce-Separation/Divorce-FAQs/Kansas-City-Missouri-Divorce-Lawyers.shtml). Some of the posts will be relevant to the Kansas City, Missouri area, while some posts will be relevant from Kansas City to all across the country.Stange Law Firm, PC was founded in 2007. Founding Partner Kirk Stange has recognized for many awards due to his passion and hard work for family law. In 2015, Kirk Stange was named Super Lawyer , Top 10 Attorney for Missouri Family Law by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, an 10/10 Avvo Superb rating, and many more.Stange Law Firm, PC is excited to launch this new blog to educate the community and enhance the growth of the Kansas City, Missouri office. For more information about Kansas City, Missouri family law, we have the websites Kansas City, MO Child Support Lawyers and Kansas City, MO Family Law Attorneys. To speak with a Kansas City, Missouri Divorce Attorney, you can contact us online or call the office at 816-875-4505. Contact Brooke Hambright Associate Marketing Manager ***@charismabrands.com Brooke HambrightAssociate Marketing Manager End --Adora Peggy Vicioso949-587-9400 x777Laguna Hills, CA, February 1, 2016: Adora aims to add to their constantly growing list of more than 8 top toy industry awards introducing over 25product SKUs, including the infant plush collection of Baby Fairies and My 1Adora Baby Boy to the new product line. In addition, back by popular demandthe new and improved GiggleTime Dolls with a baby carrier for all the busy mommies on the go!The California-based Company, who is best known for Spreading Love & Joy, is officially in search of this years Young Designer for their Designed by Kids FOR Kids program. The design contest is in its 4year and based on entries and a social vote selects a Young Designer to work alongside Adoras creative team designing an outfit for their 18 Adora Friends line of dolls.The final outfit and its Young Designer will be featured in the 2017 Adora catalog where the outfit will be available for purchase along with their story. In addition, the Young Designer will get to pick a favorite charity of theirs that Adora will make a financial donation to on their behalf.According to Peggy Vicioso, VP Marketing & Product Development for Adora dolls, We wanted to provide a vehicle where kids can showcase their inventiveness and design something theyre proud of. It is our hope that the program can be a platform to help develop a childs creative potential while also giving back to the community. This years theme is Slumber Party and we are excited to see the creativity this year has in store. Adora will be doing their official call for submissions in New York City at Toy Fair 2016 and unveiling the outfit designed by last years winning Young Designer, Carla, of North Carolina.In addition, Adora will be hosting another Happiest Hour on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 3:30-6:00 pm at. During the Happiest Hour, visitors can have a drink, eat some snacks, and have a photo op with the Adora Fairy. The Adora Fairy costumed character will be making special appearances at Toy Fair from February 13 16 where shell be giving booth tours, learn why all Adora toys have ADORAbilityand taking photo ops! Retailers and press personnel can enter a to win a prize from Adora, simply by posting their Adora Fairy photo to their social media sites and using hashtag #lwayADORAble and tagging @adoradolls.Adora is a division of Charisma Brands, LLC is a Laguna Hills, California-based designer, developer, and marketer of award-winning dolls. The Companys products can be found in specialty retail stores throughout the World, and various catalog merchants. www.charismabrands.comAdora and all related elements are trademarks of and Charisma Brands, LLC Pikesville's Own Sounds Of Success Wins a WeddingWire Couples' Choice Award 2016 Media Contact Mark Johnson ***@soundsofsuccess.net 8887365452 Mark Johnson8887365452 End -- Pikesvilles Own Sounds Of Success Wins a WeddingWire Couples Choice Award 2016Pikesville, Maryland January 18, 2016 WeddingWire, the leading global online wedding marketplace, named Sounds Of Success as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Couples Choice Awards 2016 for Disc Jockey Service in Pikesville!Pikesville's very own Sounds Of Success received one of the wedding industry's most prestigious honors the WeddingWire Couples' Choice Award 2016 for Wedding Disc Jockey !The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top 5% of WeddingWire's wedding professionals who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds in this region and their experiences working with Sounds Of Success.To be honored as one of Best, in the Wedding Industry by our clients and Wedding Wire is a great acheivement"said Mark Johnson, Owner.The WeddingWire Couples Choice Awards 2016 recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. The esteemed awards are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding florists, based on their professional achievements from the previous year.While many industry award winners are selected by the host organization, the WeddingWire Couples Choice Awards winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Sounds Of Success. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients.We are thrilled to celebrate such a high-caliber, committed group of professionals for the Couples Choice Awards eighth year, said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. We are proud to continue to serve as the industry leader, with over 2.5 million consumer and peer reviews, and feature award-winning merchants such as Sounds Of Success who understands the impact reviews have on their successful businesses.As a Couples Choice Awards winner, Sounds Of Success is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of more than 400,000 wedding professionals globally.Sounds Of Success is proud to be one of the top Disc Jockey Service in Pikesville in the WeddingWire Network. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. We value all of our clients and truly appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the WeddingWire Couples Choice Awards 2016.For more information about Sounds Of Success, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com//sounds-o/b155b0f0857e6ae4.html ( http://l.facebook.com/ l.php?u=http% 3A%2F%2Fwww.weddingwir... ).To learn more about the Couples Choice Awards, please visit www.weddingwire.com/ couples-choice- awards About WeddingWire, Inc.WeddingWire, Inc. is the leading global online marketplace connecting consumers with event and creative professionals. Operating within a $200 billion industry, WeddingWire, Inc. hosts 10 million monthly unique users across its mobile and web platforms. Consumers are able to read over 2.5 million vendor reviews and search, compare and book from a database of over 400,000 businesses. Globally, it provides these businesses the technology they need to serve their clients through advertising, marketing and business management tools such as websites, payment processing, invoicing and contracts. Founded in 2007, the WeddingWire portfolio of sites serves couples and businesses across 14 countries in North America, Latin America and Europe, making it the worldwide leader in weddings with brands including Bodas.net (http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FBodas.net%2F&h=_AQHR7ngPAQH4h65wiztSc46plUzFm6Ich4GzCh5L35ayug&enc=AZPeNr51gGOSJcMu_Ykcdhik6bDla4Be0wnEA4_n1jnVkU9musXzrkJtLA6AxU6Br1tb-Ac7YC65bg5LXauh8PdtzKnFMq3bKK1FUtgvoKbC_hSgrFpULJtC2mLgrtwkP5vAEc6hgc6AGfWhw6oPWiWf61qTb3U87CPRv1BPHZImCO-0FlqrFfnV08YXtNbJ_UAfh7KR6eJDByvwZqqIcB8y&s=1), Casamentos.com.br, Matrimonio.com (http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FMatrimonio.com%2F&h=MAQFxrExkAQFI_VPPhiFrfyWawEfzfFOMIUKNaSIykBDa6A&enc=AZMNCRJ9jiaSPl9t4MsQaR_RA-LVddCLANlWuAp59CWEMG6XIAVKs7EBFa1dYHo1Oq3RE9nQ-mEBY9CA6nWosVhkvBfxqwF1XrF6-lHJf0K938hCWvsRqvt0byBGj0_g9m3wsYvX9ATI7f-Xk-IZIPFw3iw4lXJ8VOLLZ_jHs5bkaqA8ryTNZ47ypos3Q4SftsmwiiCOhO-3co8qDDVd3u3E&s=1) and more. The company employs more than 650 and maintains global headquarters in Washington, DC and international headquarters in Barcelona, Spain. By: Friendly Health Technologies Media Contact hello@friendlycares.com End --Friendly Health Technologies is pleased to announce that after an extensive pilot ACMC a regional leader in West Central and Southwest Minnesota's health care delivery system has selected Friendly Healths Asynchronous Patient-Doctor communication platform to better serve its patient population.Through the use of Friendlys mobile platform we will be able to offer our services to a wider population of patients who can from the comfort of their home or office report their common symptoms, get diagnosed and receive medication if necessary. The provider interface, which is available on desktop as well as mobile devices, enables our physicians to attend these cases easily, effectively and securely from any location. The private branded solution allows us to attract more patients and increase our existing patient loyalty. Said Dr. David Ross, MD, MBA Medical Director of ACMC.We are delighted to have ACMC join our list of growing customer base. Through partnership with ACMC we were able to further improve our platform by receiving excellent feedback from the pilot ACMC conducted. We look forward to working with ACMC clinical and IT staff in the coming years to make Friendly technologies improve their patient experience, making their patients even more loyal and improve efficiencies of their clinical staff workflow. said Natasha Alexeeva CEO of Friendly.The ACMC network is a regional leader in West Central and Southwest Minnesota's health care delivery system. Our 11-clinic network, which serves six local hospitals (5 critical access) and about 100,000 patients throughout the region has over 180 physicians and advanced practice providers and features more than 40 specialty departments with over 900 support staff. The heart of ACMC is providing compassionate, quality care for our patients.Friendly uses evidence based guidelines as well as patients current symptoms, health history, allergies, medications and other relevant variables from the patient records in the EMR, to collect personalized and relevant information. The results are compiled in a report, which is reviewed by a physician or nurse in 2-3 minutes who provides personalized instructions for patients needs. Friendly reduces unreimbursed phone calls, reduces documentation of non-critical cases by automatically managing the encounter in the electronic medical record, and helps health care organizations attract and retain patients. By: Rory Nicole Ogden Contact ***@rorynicole.com 7177126322 7177126322 End --Dana Olita717-712-6322Dana@Rorynicole.comhttp://www.Rorynicole.comHarrisburg, PA, January 18, 2016 Harrisburg-based RAWI Positive Note production company announces casting for the feature length film, starring Hershey teen Rory Nicole Ogden. Shooting begins in April for the family-oriented film.Scheduled for filming in the greater Harrisburg area,tells the story of true friendship between teenaged Joella (Ogden) and her mysterious neighbor (portrayed by Harrisburg actress Spirit Free), who is stricken with cancer. Its lesson: the most important gifts we give and receive are the ones from the heart.We are so excited to have such an incredible cast especially a young talent such as Rory. This role takes a skilled actor to bring Joella to life, says writer/producer Randa Wise. The entire cast has an amazing chemistry that will warm peoples hearts.For her part, Rory was excited about her character's role and bringing her to life.Rory Nicole Ogden has appeared in film, commercials, television, and her own music video. Look for her later this year on several episodes ofWith John Quinones on ABC Primetime and as Madison in, a new show on the Adult Swim network.Ogden recently received Screen Actors Guild eligibility and plans on joining SAG in the near future, making her one of the youngest SAG actors in the Central PA region.will be the fourth film production of RAWI Positive Note, following, and. RAWI is a minority owned company whose films shoot in the greater Harrisburg area.If you would like more information, please contact Dana Olita at 717-712-6322 or Dana@Rorynicole.com Join us on February 3, the first 2016 Tequila Dinner hosted by Celebrity Chef Eric Justice and Fortaleza Tequila! By: Macayo's Mexican Grill & Cantina Chef Eric Justice Contact Macayo's Mexican Grill & Cantina ***@rsvppr.com Macayo's Mexican Grill & Cantina End -- Macayos Mexican Grill & Cantina is proud to announce itshosted by worldwide tequila purveyors. The first dinner is on Wednesday, February 3, at Macayos Mexican Grill & Cantina, located at 11107 N. Scottsdale Rd.,with Celebrity Chef Eric Justice and Fortaleza Tequila as the featured Tequila. Guests will enjoy a specialized four course menu created for dinner; each course will be paired with Fortaleza Tequila. Cocktail hour starts at 5:30 pm on the west patio with dinner to follow on the newly renovated south patio. Reserve a dinner for $40 a person or $70 a couple, space is limited, please make reservations.Celebrity Chef Eric Justice isback bypopular demandlast fall Chef Eric Justice sold out his tequila dinnerWe are looking forward to a wonderful night, said Matt Verhoeven, general manager of Macayos Grill & CantinaChefEricJustice sent guests wanting more! Eric is also responsible for many of the Macayos Grill & Cantinas Chef Inspired dishes on our new menu.As an engaging and tenacious chef, Eric Justice is known for delivering a remarkable experience for the independent restaurants and guests that he entertains. This year he will be serving the silky smooth, sweet and a little spicy, Fortaleza Tequila, one of the worlds best tequilas.According to Sharisse Johnson, CEO of Macayos Mexican Kitchen, Tequila has become more of an integral part of the dining experience at Macayos, we are excited about our Tequila dinner series and have even added a Tequila window at our Scottsdale location. We feel Tequila is a wonderful component to our adult beverage and preferred liquor program. I am especially proud of our recent Tequila certification by CONSEJO REGULADOR del TEQUILA for 8 out of our 12 restaurants and over 100 members of our team have this certification!This identifies Macayos as one of the few companies with an entire restaurant certification.Macayos welcomes the community to sign up and enjoy our Tequila dinners.Be sure to bring an amigo or two and come try on an Ultra-Premium Tequila dinner!Sunday, February 21beginning at 3pmMacayos11107 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254Tuesday, February 23beginning at 5:30pmMacayos11107 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254Tuesday, March 29th beginning at 5:30pmMacayos Grill Cantina11107 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254For more information and to make a reservation please call Macayos Mexican Grill & Cantina480-596-1181.Macayos Mexican Grill & Cantina in Scottsdale serves as Macayos test-kitchen, recently reopened in May of last year with a new Chef Inspired menu items created from work with chefs from around the world. The journey Macayos has started at their test kitchen is truly in honor of Woody Johnsons (the founder of Macayos) dreams and innovation and launches the next 70 years of Macayos culinary journey. The Grill & Cantina is innovative, making everything old new again with fresh takes on old Mexican traditions in recipes, decor and atmosphere. Two expanded patios, one with a covering and the other with a waterfall feature, in addition to the tequila window and the renovated bar create an energetic atmosphere for entertaining, family events and special occasions of every kind. Come in and celebrate another 70 years with us! The Macayos Mexican Grill & Cantina is located at 11107 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254, 480-596-1181. To learn more, visit www.macayo.com . Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ macayosrestaurants , on Twitter at www.twitter.com/macayosmex, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/macayos_mexicankitchenMacayos Mexican Kitchen began in 1946 when Woody and Victoria Johnson opened their first restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. Still family owned and locally-operated, today Macayos has over 1,100 employees and 12 restaurants. With a focus on community involvement and fresh, authentic Mexican cuisine, Macayos has continued to serve homemade recipes and quality ingredients in a traditional family environment. To learn more or locate a Macayos near you, visit www.macayo.com. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/macayosrestaurants, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MacayosMex, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/macayos_mexicankitchen Young Musicians from DeAngelis Studio of Music Show Their Support for SPCA International By: DeAngelis Studio of Music DSRocks.com and SPCAI.com Contact Nancy and Mike ***@dsrocks.com Nancy and Mike End -- Boston, Mass- On Sunday, March 6, 2016, 10 talented youth bands from DeAngelis Studio in Haverhill, MA will come together at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston to raise funds to support SPCA International and their work to save our militarys special friends from war.It all began when a group of teens saw the story of Dushka & Chris on Facebook and rallied their teachers and fellow musicians from DeAngelis Studio to help this very important cause. When they heard about Chris and his plea to save an innocent puppy from the war torn streets of Iraq in the battle against ISIS, they were touched and wanted to help. Once they found out Dushka was coming home to Massachusetts, they knew they wanted to meet the pair!SPCA International works tirelessly to help animals all over the world, whom without their help and amazing support here at home in America would have a very uncertain future. For more information about SPCA International, or to learn how you can help, visit them online at www.spcai.org ( http://www.spcai.org/? gclid=CMzh5MC- msoCFY8dgQodYWIOYQ The event will feature 10 talented youth bands, silent auction items, a presentation by SPCA International and a special guest visit by Dushka's new family and maybe even Dushka herself!DeAngelis Studio and their students, teachers and families support local charities throughout the year by organizing Youth Benefit Concerts. With the many animal-lovers at the school, working with the SPCAI is a perfect fit!DeAngelis Studio is a full service Music School, with lessons in all instruments, band programs, recording and much more. The ten bands performing at the Hard Rock Cafe are between the ages of 10-19 and their level of talent is incredible.For event tickets or to make a donation: Tickets ( https://www.eventbrite.com/ e/be-a-hero- rock-against- anima... To view Auction items: http://www.dsrocks.com/auction-items/If you would like to donate an item for our auction please call 978-374-5262 and ask for Nancy.More information on lessons and band programs at DeAngelis Studio: www.dsrocks.comSPCA International:http://www.spcai.org/ By: Ankit Kothari Contact Ankit Kothari ***@gmail.com Ankit Kothari End -- Silicon Valley companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, etc. are certainly going to love this new invention and its inventor. Ankit Kothari, a native of India and a motivated IT professional living in USA for past 15 years, was granted a US patent 9,202,205 for his latest technology related invention, which will help to fully automate the process of requesting, collecting and sharing of photos/videos for any events or get-togethers. This invention can be directly integrated with the core products/apps offered by several big Silicon Valley companies. In the near future, it wont be surprising if we get to witness those big Silicon Valley companies battling to acquire the set of patents associated with this invention.Smart devices like smartphones, tablets, smart watches, etc. have become a part and parcel of our lives - thanks to Steve Jobs! Nowadays almost everyone is taking high quality photos/videos using their smart devices, however, the problems start to emerge if and when we wish to easily assign some people as photographers for our events, or if we wish to easily aggregate photos/videos from all our friends at a central location or even when we wish to immediately share all those precious photos/videos with guests right as an event or a get-together completes. In other words, starting from requesting of photos/videos for an event, to the collecting/uploading of those photos/videos to a centralized location, to sharing of those photos/videos with guests in a timely manner, the current process isn't quite streamlined, requires a lot of coordination and has a lot of manual steps in addition to inconvenience as well as delays.However, soon there will be no more worries as this new patented invention takes into account all the above mentioned problems and provides an excellent automated solution. Overall, here are the key highlights of this invention -P - Pre-assign photographers on an event invite or impromptu during an eventA - Ability to request not only event but also pre-event and post-event photos/videosT - Tight integration between calendar, camera & photo applications of a smart deviceE - Event creation triggers the automatic creation of the centralized digital albumN - No need to remember to send photos/videos to host as automatic uploading featureT - Too busy to share photos/videosbecomes history as immediate sharing is possibleAs part of this invention, event owners would have the ability to directly assign photographers on an event invite itself, wherein the assignment of the photographers would be allowed either in advance or even impromptu during an event. Once the photographers are assigned, system would automatically trigger the auto-creation of a central photo/video digital album, which would act as the central repository to store all the photos/videos for the event.Once the above mentioned centralized digital album is created, all the photographers that accepted to capture photos/videos for the event would receive reminders before the start of the event and would be able to upload their events photos/videos to the centralized digital album, either using real-time automatic uploads, double check before automatic uploads or using manual uploads at a later time. Thereafter, once an event is complete, this invention would also provide an option to automatically share the event's photo/video album with the event's guests without any delays. In short, this invention would essentially help to capture all the wonderful memories for an event or a get-together by automating each and every component of requesting, uploading, collecting and sharing of photos/videos for that event.In addition, this invention also comprises of several other new features that havent been witnessed before, such as being able to request people to take photos/videos for the pre-event and post-event activities, which are often forgotten or missed out, but sometimes those are the best memories that certainly need to be captured. This invention also provides a first-ever integration between calendar, camera and photos applications on a smart device.This invention is already picking up excellent publicity and recognition in a short time duration, wherein two of the big universities in USA, Virginia Commonwealth University and Old Dominion University, went ahead and featured this invention on their main Facebook pages and twitter feeds. Also, Scrum Alliance, a renowned professional organization, has featured this invention on their main Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Now lets await to see which companies end up infringing patents of this excellent new invention, and on the other hand, which of the big tech companies pocket this invention and make the cool features available to its consumers.Inventor - Ankit Kothari, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSP, MBA and a visionary planning to bring at least 25 additional inventions to life in the near future. Please share this article to create awareness about this invention.YouTube video explaining this invention (~5 minutes) - https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1f8QtG0rE- 8 End -- TORONTO, January 19, 2016 - e8ight Business Services Inc. (e8ight) owner of the social media platform, socialstrawis pleased to announce their strategic partnership with the award-winning, Toronto-based social media and word of mouth measurement company, Engagement Labs.Engagement Labs has been selected one of Canadas most innovative public technology companies by Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) and Stockhouse. Through this strategic partnership, the two social media companies have come together to offer a power-house of products and benefits to the Financial Services industry.Were thrilled to partner with Engagement Labs as they compliment our current suite of services and enhance our ability to offer a scalable product to different business segments, says Curtis Khan, President of e8ight.Our company will serve as an extension of the great client work socialstraw is already doing," noted Bryan Segal, CEO at Engagement Labs. "Big data and analytics are the cornerstone of this partnership. We will leverage our toolset to enhance socialstraws services offerings through a data centric approach and drive significant value for clients.With the same core vision and values, both companies look forward to offering unique social media products and services to an array of industries.e8ight is a social media analytics and data aggregation company that provides monitoring & engagement platforms such as socialstrawfor businesses. e8ight's innovative platforms and products are used to centralize and consolidate multiple social media and online data allowing businesses to manage their perceptions through easy-to-use dashboards and reports. e8ight's revolutionary intelligence engine helps drive better business decisions.Engagement Labs (TSXV:EL) offers intelligent Total Socialdata, analytics and insights for marketers and organizations enabling them to track, measure and benchmark the conversations happening around their brand or industry both online and offline. These conversations are proven to drive critical business outcomes, including sales, while Engagement Labs tools provide data and actionable insight to help guide business decisions and power marketing effectiveness. The Keller Fay Group, an Engagement Labs company, is the only firm to regularly measure offline word of mouth conversation via TalkTrack .e8ight, Kristen Assaad, Kristen@e8ight.com, 1 (888) 883-1011Engagement Labs, Jessica Dell'Aquila, jessica.dellaquila@engagementlabs.com, 647 776 4100 ext 214 Announcing a landmark publication: Donald Molosi's "We Are All Blue" Media Contact Shaun Randol ***@themantle.net 7188800854 Shaun Randol7188800854 End -- When the former president of your country pens the foreword to your book, you know youve written something special. Donald Molosi's(http://www.squareup.com/market/themantle/we-are-all-blue)is that unique volume the first time in Botswanas history that drama moves from the stage to print.is a collection of two award-winning plays and by the renown actor and playwright. Quett Masire, former president of Botswana, contributes a celebratory introduction.Auspiciously,is released at the same time Botswana celebrates 50 years of independence. This year also sees the debut of the film, which stars David Oyelowo () and Rosamund Pike () and is based on the courageous interracial marriage between Botswanas first president, Sir Seretse Khama, and Ruth Williams. Because his exceptional playalso centers on the marriage, Molosi is featured in the film (which is already generating awards buzz).With the release ofcritic Lebogang Disele writes Reclaiming Our Story ( http://www.mantlethought.org/ arts-and-culture/ reclaiming-... ), an accompanying essay on the significance of Molosis work in helping rewrite Botswanas history.The Mantle is proud to offerin print and ebook forms (details below) with special features including Masires foreword, a glossary of terms, and additional notes.andare also offered separately in print and ebook versions.Both The Mantles publisher (Shaun Randol) and the author (Donald Molosi) are available for interviews.(2011), the longest running one-man show in Botswanas history, was the first-ever Botswana play staged off-Broadway in New York City, where Molosi won a best actor award.is about the countrys first democratically-elected president, Sir Seretse Khama, and his interracial, transformative marriage. Winner of several awards, the play has been performed around the world.is the story of Botswana and its people as they transition from a British protectorate to an independent state. The play premiered off-Broadway in 2012 where it won an award at the United Solo Festival, the worlds largest solo theatre festival. Written, directed, and performed by Molosi, the play has been performed across the U.S. and is on tour in Botswana and South Africa.paperback (111 pages, $14.95) and Kindle ($7.49)drama | African history | historical narrative5.5" x 8.5"978-0-9965770-4-5paperback (71 pages, $8.95) and Kindle ($3.49)drama | African history | historical narrative5.5" x 8.5"978-0-9965770-6-9paperback (31 pages, $8.95) and Ki ( http://www.amazon.com/ Motswana-Africa- Dream-Donald- Molosi... )ndle (http://www.amazon.com/Motswana-Africa-Dream-Donald-Molosi-ebook/dp/B019VPONX4/?utm_source=General+Interest&utm_campaign=6c2464941a-Announcing_WAAB_Contract_General_List&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_03375710a4-6c2464941a) ($3.49)drama | African history | historical narrative5.5" x 8.5"978-0-9965770-5-2(b. 1985) is an award-winning, classically trained actor and writer from Mahalapye, Botswana. Besidesand, Molosi has written and performed two other plays:(2010) is a about a Ugandan child soldier, for whichpraised his performance;andcenters on the life of Philly Lutaaya, a Ugandan musician who bravely admitted to contracting HIV and advocated for the rights of AIDS patients before succumbing to the disease. His many U.S. appearances include a role in Broadways. Molosi also contributed a short story tos 2014 anthology of African writing,, headquartered in Queens, New York, publishes emerging critics, writers, and intellectuals in the arts, international affairs, literature, and philosophy. We foster discourse with a global audience through critiques, essays, fiction, and interviews. We pay close attention to voices with limited exposure in their home countries and the English language, as well as individuals experiencing censorship. Read essays on our online magazine at www.mantlethought.org (http://www.mantlethought.org/?utm_source=General+Interest&utm_campaign=6c2464941a-Announcing_WAAB_Contract_General_List&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_03375710a4-6c2464941a) and explore our print and ebook titles at www.mantlebooks.com (http://www.mantlebooks.com/?utm_source=General+Interest&utm_campaign=6c2464941a-Announcing_WAAB_Contract_General_List&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_03375710a4-6c2464941a). Share the Love with Joggo Bags this Valentines Day Joggo fair trade certified bags offer smartly designed Valentines Day gift for that special someone By: Joggo bag TORONTO - Jan. 19, 2016 - PRLog -- Instead of chocolates and flowers, say I love you with a Joggo messenger bag. Joggo offers a smartly designed bag that sits comfortably over the shoulder and always stays by your side. Not only are Joggo messenger bags stylishly constructed with premium materials, but each purchase goes towards supporting the education of a refugee child. The ethically manufactured Joggo bags are now available for Valentines Day 2016, offering an excellent and thoughtful alternative to traditional gifts, for those who want to give a gift that has a deep meaning. Joggo is offering free shipping in Canada and a flat $10 shipping to anywhere in the US. Each Joggo bag is crafted with quality canvas material that ages beautifully while supporting the education of refugee children around the world. With 19.5 million refugees worldwide, Joggo is helping to improve the lives of refugees by helping them gain education. For more information about these savvy Valentines Day gifts, visit About Joggo Joggo, which stands for Journey to Greater Good, is the maker of the Joggo bags, a smartly crafted accessory that also gives back to the world. Through their partnership with international humanitarian organization CARE Canada, every purchase of a Joggo bag will help to educate refugee children and give them hope for a better future. Contact Joggo Mohamed Al Lawati ***@joggobag.com Photo: https://www.prlog.org/ 12525934/1 JoggoMohamed Al Lawati End -- Instead of chocolates and flowers, say I love you with a Joggo messenger bag. Joggo offers a smartly designed bag that sits comfortably over the shoulder and always stays by your side. Not only are Joggo messenger bags stylishly constructed with premium materials, but each purchase goes towards supporting the education of a refugee child.The ethically manufactured Joggo bags are now available for Valentines Day 2016, offering an excellent and thoughtful alternative to traditional gifts, for those who want to give a gift that has a deep meaning. Joggo is offering free shipping in Canada and a flat $10 shipping to anywhere in the US.Each Joggo bag is crafted with quality canvas material that ages beautifully while supporting the education of refugee children around the world. With 19.5 million refugees worldwide, Joggo is helping to improve the lives of refugees by helping them gain education.For more information about these savvy Valentines Day gifts, visit http://www.joggobag.com/ Joggo, which stands for Journey to Greater Good, is the maker of the Joggo bags, a smartly crafted accessory that also gives back to the world. Through their partnership with international humanitarian organization CARE Canada, every purchase of a Joggo bag will help to educate refugee children and give them hope for a better future. Email : ***@joggobag.com Tags : Fashion , Bags , Valentines Day Industry : Consumer , Fashion , Lifestyle Location : Toronto - Ontario - Canada Account Phone Number Disclaimer Report Abuse Account Email AddressAccount Phone Number Currier is First Woman President in Organizations Almost 25-year History By: Retail Brokers Network Debbie Currier Contact Paula Dempsey ***@gmail.com Paula Dempsey End -- The, one of the nations largest and fastest growing retail networking groups, announced today thathas been selected as the newAs president, Currier will be responsible for helping grow the RBN brand, representing RBN at industry related events, recruiting new RBN brokerage offices, and facilitating education, networking and sharing of brokerage Best Practices between the 65+ RBN member offices. She is the first woman to hold this position in the organizations almost 25-year history.Im delighted to be RBNs new President and I look forward to working with the executive team and member offices to contribute to the future success of this great organization. It is also an honor to be the first woman president at a time when women are assuming more leadership roles in the commercial real estate industry, said Currier.Currier has over 30 years of retail real estate experience and is the owner and president of, a leading boutique retail brokerage firm that specializes in retail tenant representation primarily in the North and South Carolina markets. Her corporate clients include several major retailers including Target, CarMax, Hancock Fabrics, rue21, GNC, FedEx Office, Pet People and Rainbow Fashions. Currier and her team have brokered over 220 transactions for CarMax, Target, FedEx Office, rue21 and GNC alone. She earned the Top Retail Producer award for 6 consecutive years in the Charlotte Region Commercial Brokerage (CRCBR) community and is consistently recognized in both the industry and the community for her outstanding performance.Prior to starting her firm in 1994, Currier held a variety of retail leasing and investment sales executive positions at Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Paragon Group and McMahan-Carver Properties.It has been a pleasure to lead RBN the last two years and Im excited to turn the reins over to Currier. Debbie has been the consummate professional and a real asset to the RBN. Her commitment to RBN, extensive experience, passion for excellence and proven success in leadership and team building makes her the perfect person to take on the important position as national RBN President. She will be instrumental in the continued growth and success of the RBN, according to, outgoing RBN president and president of New Jerseys RBN member firm, The Goldstein Group.President of Ohios RBN member firm Arnold J. Eisenberg and RBN co-founderadded, Currier is a highly talented executive and her hands on leadership style will be a strong asset to RBN. As one of the founders of RBN Im especially pleased to also be welcoming our first woman president. We have several woman-owned brokerages within the network and its exciting to see more women being recognized and becoming actively involved in the industry.In addition to RBN, Currier is active with the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and is a past board member and Chairperson of the Charlotte Zoning Board of Adjustment. Currier is also passionate about advancing opportunities for women in CRE through mentoring and networking and she is a founding member of RRED and also active in Women in Real Estate (WIRE).Founded in 1992, the Retail Brokers Network, is a nationally renowned retail networking group whose members specialize in retail real estate brokerage. The RBN has over 65 independent commercial retail real estate offices providing their local expertise to retailers, developers and investors within the United States. The RBN network of firms has completed over 5,500 leasing transactions with a value of over $4.2 billion in the past two years. The independent member firms work together on a regional, national, and even international level in all areas of commercial real estate including: tenant representation, investment sales, and project leasing. For more information on the Retail Brokers Network visit www.retailbrokersnetwork.com Currier Properties is a boutique commercial real estate brokerage firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1994, the firm specializes in tenant representation for major retailers primarily in North and South Carolina. Clients include Target, CarMax, FedEx, Hancock Fabrics, rue21, GNC, Pet People, Rainbow Fashions, Harris Teeter Fuel and FedEx Office. The office is also a member of the Retail Brokers Network (RBN). Currier Properties is led by Debbie Currier, owner and president. For more information visit www.currierproperties.com Aeropodium and Air Link Atlantic are delighted to announce that Dassault Falcon Jet will participate in the static display of the forthcoming Aero Expo Panama Pacifico to be held on April 21-22, 2016 in Panama. End -- Panama Pacifico International Airport is the platinum sponsor and official host of this major event in Panama City. Exhibition and sponsorship packages are available offering unique branding opportunities and exposure to the regional market.Global growing traffic and aircraft demand present a challenge for the industry. This event will provide the platform for the presentation of the latest developments in the business aviation sector of Panama, Latin America and the Caribbean and new business opportunities and challenges for operators and manufacturers. It is a unique opportunity for all participants to enhance their knowledge about the regional market, learn about regional infrastructure developments, and network with leading experts.Participating companies will represent business aircraft operators and manufacturers, FBO operators, safety and security experts, financing companies, and sectors such as insurance, software technology, airport infrastructure, aircraft registration and other areas that affect business aviation in the region.The event will also provide a unique networking opportunity for business aircraft operators, aircraft manufacturers, registries, banks, airports, law firms, financial analysts, leasing and finance companies and any aviation professional with an interest in the development of the business aviation sector in Panama, Latin America and the Caribbean. Trade visitors will have the opportunity to pre-arrange for one-to-one meetings with exhibitors. Furthermore, seminars will be organized during the exhibition with the participation of expert speakers.The Aero Expo Panama Pacifico is organized by Aeropodium and Air Link Atlantic. For more information, please visit the official website www.aeroexpo- panama.com For all enquiries, please contact sponsor@aeropodium.com or yboniface@airlinkatlantic.com Contact Howell Services howellservicestx@ gmail.com 281-232-5292 Howell Services281-232-5292 End -- Local businesses are only as good as the customers they serve. Knowing reputation is priceless, Howell Services is honored to be named, Readers Choice, again from the Fort Bend Herald.Owners Ron and Melissa Howell believe giving back to their customers is a key to their success. Says Melissa," We strive for excellence and when our customers are happy, we are happy."If you're looking for plumbers in Sugar Land TX, Howell Services is the company you need.To learn more about Howell Services 24/7 emergency plumbing, HVAC or Air Conditioning services, visitHowell Services: Established in 2004 by Ron and Melissa Howell, Howell Services is the trusted provider of plumbing, HVAC and Air Conditioning solutions in the Fort Bend, TX area. Known for honest, straightforward pricing and professional and security screened technicians, Howell Services are "The good guys your friends told you about."For the best Katy Texas plumbers, look no further than Howell Services.281-232-52924709 Highway 36 S #30, Rosenberg, TX 77471 Local women's publication hosts shopping event, fashion show at Macy's to benefit the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" Campaign By: Cincy Chic Contact Amy Scalia ***@cincychic.com Amy Scalia End -- Nearly a thousand men and women will be dressed in red for the seventh annual Lady in Red event on National Wear Red Day -- Friday, February 5 at Macys Fountain Square location from 6-10 p.m.Hosted by Cincy Chic, the only online publication for women in Greater Cincinnati, Lady In Red invites guests to enjoy a 20% storewide discount, fun photo booth and fundraising activities. The fashionable fundraiser will culminate with a Macys-sponsored fashion show. General admission tickets are $15 and 200 VIP tickets are available for $25. All tickets include a swag bag, light bites, and refreshments. VIP tickets include a coveted spot along the runway. All proceeds from the event will go to the American Heart Associations Go Red for Women campaign.Lady In Red will take place on National Wear Red Day, drawing awareness to an important cause. Lori Fovel, Communications Director at the Cincinnati branch of the American Heart Association, explains the importance of educating women about this all-too-common disease. [Our] movement harnesses the energy, passion, and power women have to band together and collectively wipe out heart disease, she explains. [Go Red for Women] challenges them to know their risk and take action to reduce [it]. It also gives them the tools they need to lead a heart health life.National Wear Red Day is a visual reminder of the commonality of heart disease, as it is the number one killer of women. National Wear Red Day is held on the first Friday in February every yearthis coming National Wear Red Day, February 5, marks our 13-year anniversary,Fovel says. Whats more powerful than heart disease, she says? Millions of mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends making a change. About the importance of events like Lady In Red, Fovel says, Cincy Chic and the AHA share a mission to meet people where they are, and Lady In Red does just that.To learn more about the event and to buy tickets, visit cincychic.com/events. Macys Fountain Square is located at Macys Fountain Place 505 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202.Sponsors Include: Macy's, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, It Works! by Shrink Wrap Me Skinny, Ideal Image Laser Hair Removal, SpringCreek Fertility, People's Republic of Popcorn, Date Night Cincinnati, Fluorescent Palace, 18|8 Fine Men's Salons- Cincinnati, Glossy Pixels, Heyman Talent, 18|8 Fine Men's Salons- CincinnatiCincy Chic is the only online lifestyle publication for women in the Greater Cincinnati area. Each week, this dynamic e-zine publishes a feature story, columns, and five editorial departments in the following topics: health, beauty, fashion, social and career. Events include fashion shows, lunch 'n' learns and philanthropic fundraisers. By: Lipari Foods Contact Michelle Voss Lipari Foods ***@liparifoods.com Michelle VossLipari Foods End -- Lipari Foods, a leading Midwest food distributor based in Warren, Mich., has reached an agreement in principle to acquire the specialty and gourmet business of Leo A. Dick & Sons Co. of Canton, Ohio. The acquisition will strengthen Liparis existing specialty grocery product portfolio which includes a broad range of natural, organic and gluten-free foods. Mr. Leo A. Dick, the president of Leo A. Dick & Sons, and Mr. Lawrence J. Dick, the Vice President of Leo A. Dick & Sons, will join Liparis specialty food division.The addition of Leo A. Dick & Sons follows Liparis 2015 acquisition of Wisconsin-based Soderholm Wholesale Foods, which also boasted an extensive specialty grocery product line. The acquisition will strengthen Liparis strategic position of being one of the leading perimeter of the store and specialty wholesale food distributors in the US.Our customers continue to bring more natural, organic and specialty products into their stores in order to meet the needs of todays consumer, says Lipari Foods President/CEO, Thom Lipari. With the acquisition of Leo A. Dick & Sons, we will continue to deliver high quality product solutions to our customer base."I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with one of our industry's leaders. I look forward to bringing our extensive capabilities and a lifetime of experience in specialty food distribution to support Lipari Foods. This will benefit our current customers by increasing our product offering more than tenfold and enable Lipari Foods to represent a broader and more innovative product selection, says Leo Dick, whose grandfather founded the business nearly a century ago.The acquisition is subject to completion of definitive documentation and satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and is expected to occur in the next several weeks.Lipari Foods was founded in 1963 by Jim Lipari, who began his career by delivering unique products from the back of his Buick station wagon. Today Lipari Foods is a leading independent perimeter of the store distributor in the Midwest, delivering a wide range of quality bakery, dairy, deli, packaging, seafood, meat, grocery, foodservice, confectionery and convenience food and beverage products to over 5,000 customers across 13 states.Leo A. Dick & Sons, Inc is a specialty grocery distributor based in Canton, Ohio. With over 7,000 specialty food items representing more than 400 manufacturers and purveyors of gourmet foods; Leo A. Dick & Sons services food markets in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Western Pennsylvania. DiscoverTec, a Jacksonville based digital solutions provider, will host a Google Partners brunch designed to help local small businesses understand online marketing options by providing answers straight from Google. 1 2 Google Partner Google Partner Brunch End -- Getting reliable advice about online marketing can be difficult, particularly with many local firms claiming to know what is best for business owners. Google, the definitive authority on the subject, is difficult to get in contact with. However, a local Google Partner agency is aiming to change this by connecting business owners directly with Google to get the answers they need. DiscoverTec is hoping to help local businesses get into online advertising in the New Year. The company is hosting a Google Partners digital breakfast event on January 26, 2016 designed to help business owners and Marketing Directors capitalize on online search trends to get more clients through their websites.As a Google Partner Agency, DiscoverTec can offer insights and advice on the best way to leverage Google advertising into more business. The presentation will include a live stream discussion with Google representatives, who will answer questions about real world digital marketing scenarios.Tommy Hobin, Digital Strategy Director at DiscoverTec , hopes to empower local business owners, as well as professional marketers, with the knowledge they need to make smart decisions about spending advertising dollars.We think these events are very beneficial to marketing and PR professionals in any industry, said Hobin. You dont always know the best approach to use Google until you talk to a representative over there.DiscoverTec provides online solutions, including hosting, digital marketing and design services. The company recently celebrated its 20 year anniversary by moving to a brand new, cutting edge space in Jacksonvilles Southpoint area. Assistant AG Richard Schiffer accused of violating Florida Statute 838.022 Official Misconduct by a Public Servant, a 3rd Degree Felony in Florida. By: Keddo Enterprises LLC dba Storm Stoppers Media Contact Kathleen Balfe, Media Relations ***@plywoodalternative.com 407-929-1098 Kathleen Balfe, Media Relations407-929-1098 End -- The Florida Bar receives over 8,000 complaints about Florida attorneys each year. Of these, 95% are dismissed. If The Florida Bar decides a violation of its Rules of Professional Conduct occurred, it launches an immediate investigation.Last May, The Florida Bar began an investigation ofof the AGs Tampa Field Office after receiving a complaint alleging Official Misconduct by a Public Servant, dishonesty and fraud. Mr. Schiffer is alleged to have used the influence of the Florida Attorney Generals Office to illegally alter and falsify the original March 21, 2014 Florida Building Commissions Declaratory Statementabout the Storm Stoppers hurricane protection product.Mr. Schiffer is also alleged to have used his offices influence to have the Florida Building Commissions Chief Legal Counsel April L. Hammonds and the 24 members of the Building Commission falsify several Official Records about the Storm Stoppers product, prior to their April 17, 2014 vote. The evidence against Mr. Schiffer and Ms. Hammonds includes emails, documents and an audio recording of the Commissions April 17, 2014 Orlando meeting.The falsifying of an Official Record by a Public Servant is a Violation of Florida Statute 838.022 Official Misconduct by a Public Servant. Violators commit a Felony of the 3Degree, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.The Complaint to The Florida Bar was filed by John D. Smith, owner of Storm Stoppers Hurricane Protection of Orlando. The Florida Bars May 4, 2015 letter to Mr. Schiffer regarding its investigative Case #2015-10,887 (6E) is viewable at:says Smith.Mr. Smith's criminal complaint against Mr. Schiffer is being investigated by the Florida Office Of The State Attorney, Jeff Ashton.Based in Orlando, Keddo Enterprises, LLC dba Storm Stoppers is the exclusive manufacturer of the Storm Stoppers hurricane, hail and tornado protection product. Storm Stoppers is the only Lab Tested alternative to plywood that homeowners can remove from the inside in an emergency, such as a fire or flood. Storm Stoppers do not attach with bolts or screws. Visitfor more info. Contact Allie Thomas ***@wilkinsonera.com Allie Thomas End -- Wilkinson ERA Real Estate, the Carolinas largest ERA company, is proud to announce that notable real estate veteran Eb Moore has joined the company as CEO. Moore will oversee operations, affiliate management, mergers and acquisitions and strategic growth of the group.Scott Wilkinson, Founder of Wilkinson ERA Real Estate said, "Eb brings a vast array of experience and skills from many years in the industry that will greatly benefit and grow Wilkinson ERA Real Estate and the Wilkinson Companies to new heights. His immense leadership and management experience will be an asset to Wilkinson ERA Real Estate agents, staff and customers. We are excited to have him on the Wilkinson ERA team.Moore added, I am thrilled to be joining Wilkinson ERA Real Estate. This is a quality, first class company and I look forward to working with such a talented group of agents and staff.A veteran of the real estate industry for more than 30 years, Moore has served as a franchise executive with a highly successful track record in recruiting, training, management development, consulting, franchise sales, and systems development and installation. Moore authored P.O.W.E.R. Broker, a comprehensive recruiting program, and created SuccessTrak, an activity-based prospecting guide for new sales associates. He is nationally recognized and is in demand as a top speaker within the real estate industry.Most recently Moore was Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman at Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston, Raleigh, NC, for 10 years where he was responsible for strategic direction and overall growth of the company. Under his leadership, CBHPW was named the number one Coldwell Banker Company for North Carolina and the number one Real Estate Company in the Triangle according to the Triangle Business Journal.Wilkinson ERA Real Estate has 13 locations, serving 8 markets, and over 800 agents in North and South Carolina. With sales of $1.1 Billion in 2015 and over 4,700 transactions, Wilkinson ERA Real Estate ranks #137 in REAL Trends list of the top 500 real estate firms nationwide. Ranked #3 of all ERA franchises nationwide and #1 in the Carolinas, Wilkinson ERA Real Estate recently earned the ERA Circle of Success Platinum Company Designation for 2014, recognizing real estate organizations that perform in excess of 1,500 total units closed and/or $7,000,000 in total annual gross commissions.In 1999, Founder Scott Wilkinson opened a small real estate firm in Charlotte with seven agents. Scott used his keen entrepreneurial spirit and abided by a simple philosophy Take good care of the agents and the agents will take good care of the clients. Wilkinson steadily expanded and now boasts more than 800 agents and 13 locations throughout the Carolinas.Wilkinson ERA has built on their clients first philosophy by adding affiliated services, such as relocation, property management, preferred mortgages, insurance and more, in an effort to ensure smooth closings and satisfied clients.ERA Real Estate was founded on the premise of building a franchise system based on the principle of collaboration--the idea that by working together and helping one another, a stronger community of real estate professionals could be built. Each ERA location helps strengthen the communities where they work and practice real estate.ERAs global community of real estate professionals combine local neighborhood experience with up-to-the-minute real estate resources to deliver the results homebuyers and sellers need today. Second consecutive year that Milliman has won this award DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, was named the Service Provider of the Year at the Middle East Insurance Review's Middle East Industry Awards 2015, which were held in November. This is the second consecutive year that Milliman has won this award. Middle East Insurance Review is a monthly publication that aims to meet the information needs of insurance practitioners in the Middle East and North Africa region and the global takaful industry. Significant regulatory changes are occurring in the Middle East, and Milliman has educated and will continue to educate the industry through a series of workshops, collaborating with others in the industry. "We are delighted to have been recognised for our overall excellence for the second year in a row," said Safder Jaffer, Managing Director, Dubai office. "The fact that Milliman has been recognised shows that actuaries are making a difference to the value proposition of the insurance and reinsurance industry in the region. And we will enhance our service proposition by focusing on developing talent within client companies as we continue to provide innovative solutions." For more information about the awards, please visit: http://www.meinsurancereview.com/meirawards/. About Milliman Milliman is among the world's largest providers of actuarial and related products and services. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, property & casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services, and employee benefits. Milliman is a global firm of more than 3,000 employees, with over 55 total offices operating in all major markets across Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. For more than 60 years, an attention to rigorous standards of professional excellence, peer review, and objectivity has made Milliman the leading independent actuarial firm. For further information, visit www.milliman.com. Related Links http://www.milliman.com SOURCE Milliman, Inc. A Global Dialogue and Cyber Breach Prevention Mindset Are Key to the Fourth Industrial Revolution LONDON, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW), the next-generation security company, today announced that several executives, including Chief Executive Officer Mark McLaughlin and Vice Chairman and Japan Chief Security Officer William Saito, will attend the 46th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, taking place from 20 to 23 January. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150527/218856LOGO With the theme of "Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution," this year's meeting is set to have cybersecurity at its core. As this new industrial revolution explodes with innovation, making lives more connected and business more efficient, trust plays a key role in the continuation of our digital way of life. Diminished trust, as a result of frequent security breaches, and consumers' concerns about their data will hinder the progress and innovation driving this fast-paced, interconnected world. Pivotal to addressing this is the global dialogue about navigating the digital future and how, by adopting a cyber breach prevention-oriented mindset, it is possible to shift the tide against cyber adversaries. QUOTE: "In order to maintain trust in our digital age, we have to gain cost leverage in the cyber battle by increasing the difficulty of attacks at every point in their lifecycle through next-generation technology, faster intelligence and human coordination, and with smarter public policy. This requires us to elevate the conversation in security beyond just a technology arms race to a discussion on how we, as a global community, plan to secure our digital realm. Palo Alto Networks is honored to be a part of driving this important conversation at Davos this year." - Mark McLaughlin, chief executive officer, Palo Alto Networks "The cybersecurity issue continues to weigh heavily on the shoulders of businesses and governments around the world. A key element in being able to alleviate this growing pressure and put an end to the incoming tide of cyberbreaches is the progression of an international debate around a truly global problem. The World Economic Forum plays a valuable role in bringing together those who must be part of the solution." - William H. Saito, vice chairman and Japan chief security officer, Palo Alto Networks For more on cybersecurity and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, visit: ABOUT PALO ALTO NETWORKS Palo Alto Networks is the next-generation security company, leading a new era in cybersecurity by safely enabling applications and preventing cyber breaches for tens of thousands of organizations worldwide. Built with an innovative approach and highly differentiated cyberthreat prevention capabilities, our game-changing security platform delivers security far superior to legacy or point products, safely enables daily business operations, and protects an organization's most valuable assets. Find out more at www.paloaltonetworks.com. Palo Alto Networks and the Palo Alto Networks logo are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. Related Links http://www.paloaltonetworks.com SOURCE Palo Alto Networks HOUSTON, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gastar Exploration Inc. (NYSE MKT: GST) ("Gastar" or the "Company") today announced that its Board of Directors has adopted a Net Operating Loss (NOL) Shareholder Rights Agreement (the "Rights Plan") designed to preserve its substantial tax assets. As of December 31, 2014, Gastar had cumulative net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $447.0 million, which can be utilized in certain circumstances to offset future U.S. taxable income. The Company further expects its cumulative net operating loss carryforwards to increase as of December 31, 2015. The Rights Plan is intended to protect Gastar's tax benefits and to allow all of Gastar's stockholders to realize the long-term value of their investment in Gastar. The Board adopted the Rights Plan after considering, among other matters, the estimated value of the tax benefits, the potential for diminution upon an ownership change, and the risk of an ownership change occurring, including the recently disclosed accumulations of Gastar stock. Gastar's ability to use these tax benefits would be substantially limited if it were to experience an "ownership change" as defined under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. An ownership change would occur if stockholders that own (or are deemed to own) at least five percent or more of Gastar's outstanding common stock increased their cumulative ownership in the Company by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage within a rolling three-year period. The Rights Plan reduces the likelihood that changes in Gastar's investor base would limit Gastar's future use of its tax benefits, which would significantly impair the value of the benefits to all stockholders. The Company believes that no ownership change as defined in Section 382 has occurred as of the date of this press release. To implement the Rights Plan, the Gastar Board of Directors declared a non-taxable dividend of one preferred share purchase right for each outstanding share of its common stock. The rights will be exercisable if a person or group acquires 4.9% or more of Gastar common stock. The rights will also be exercisable if a person or group that already owns 4.9% or more of Gastar common stock acquires additional shares (other than as a result of a dividend or a stock split). Gastar's existing stockholders that beneficially own in excess of 4.9% of the common stock will be "grandfathered in" at their current ownership level. If the rights become exercisable, all holders of rights, other than the person or group triggering the rights, will be entitled to purchase Gastar common stock at a 50% discount. Rights held by the person or group triggering the rights will become void and will not be exercisable. The rights are not taxable to Gastar stockholders. The rights will trade with Gastar's common stock and will expire on January 18, 2017 unless the Gastar stockholders ratify the Rights Plan prior to such date, in which case the term of the Rights Plan is extended to three years. The Gastar Board may terminate the Rights Plan or redeem the rights prior to the time the rights are triggered. Additional information with respect to the Rights Plan will be contained in a Current Report on Form 8-K that Gastar will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About Gastar Exploration Gastar Exploration Inc. is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, condensate, natural gas and natural gas liquids in the United States. Gastar's principal business activities include the identification, acquisition, and subsequent exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties with an emphasis on unconventional reserves, such as shale resource plays. In Oklahoma, Gastar is developing the primarily oil-bearing reservoirs of the Hunton Limestone horizontal play and expects to test other prospective formations on the same acreage, including the Meramec Shale and the Woodford Shale, which industry refers to as the STACK Play. In West Virginia, Gastar has developed liquids-rich natural gas in the Marcellus Shale and has drilled and completed its first two successful dry gas Utica Shale/Point Pleasant wells on its acreage. Gastar has engaged Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. to market its Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale/Point Pleasant assets in West Virginia. For more information, visit Gastar's website at www.gastar.com. Forward Looking Statements This news 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. Forward looking statements give our current expectations, opinion, belief or forecasts of future events and performance. A statement identified by the use of forward looking words including "may," "expects," "projects," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "estimate," "will," "should," and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed forward-looking statements. Although Gastar believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this news release. These include risks relating to the effectiveness of the Rights Plan as a deterrent to transactions that might affect the Company's ability to utilize its NOLs; risks inherent in oil and natural gas drilling and production activities, including risks with respect to continued low or further declining prices for oil and natural gas that could result in downward revisions to the value of proved reserves or otherwise cause Gastar to further delay or suspend planned drilling and completion operations or reduce production levels which would adversely impact cash flow; risks relating to the availability of capital to fund drilling operations that can be adversely affected by adverse drilling results, production declines and declines in oil and natural gas prices; risks regarding our ability to meet financial covenants under our indenture or credit agreements or the ability to obtain amendments or waivers to effect such compliance; risks of fire, explosion, blowouts, pipe failure, casing collapse, unusual or unexpected formation pressures, environmental hazards, and other operating and production risks, which may temporarily or permanently reduce production or cause initial production or test results to not be indicative of future well performance or delay the timing of sales or completion of drilling operations; delays in receipt of drilling permits; risks relating to unexpected adverse developments in the status of properties; borrowing base redeterminations by our banks; risks relating to the absence or delay in receipt of government approvals or third-party consents; risks relating to our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from acquired assets; and other risks described in Gastar's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Our actual sales production rates can vary considerably from tested initial production rates depending upon completion and production techniques and our primary areas of operations are subject to natural steep decline rates. By issuing forward looking statements based on current expectations, opinions, views or beliefs, Gastar has no obligation and, except as required by law, is not undertaking any obligation, to update or revise these statements or provide any other information relating to such statements. Contacts: Gastar Exploration Inc. J. Russell Porter, Chief Executive Officer 713-739-1800 / [email protected] Investor Relations Counsel: Andrew Siegel / Nick Lamplough Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher: 212-355-4449 SOURCE Gastar Exploration Inc. Related Links http://www.gastar.com PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- National Asset Services (NAS), one of the Country's leading commercial real estate companies, successfully revitalized a tenant-in-common (TIC) co-owned office building in financial distress by creating greater marketability for the property's sale by ownership ahead of a maturing loan. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323427 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323428 NAS assumed asset management responsibility for 300 Four Falls, a 298,371 square-foot, Class-A office property in February 2014. Company executives directed a swift and aggressive plan of action to increase revenue while reducing operating expenses with cost effective maintenance and prudent capital expenditures. In less than two years, occupancy increased to 98% and net operating income increased 16%, establishing an enhanced market position for sale of the property. Under NAS' leadership, additional space leased in 2014 and 2015 totaled 27,559 square feet, just over 9% of the building's leasable square footage. The additional leasing filled space vacant since the 31-member TIC group acquired the property in 2005. During the same two-year period, NAS and the new property management company CBRE|Fameco, successfully increased tenant renewals by raising tenant approval from extreme dissatisfaction, experienced under prior administration, to support of the management team. "We successfully met the challenges presented by the factors that placed this Class-A property in financial distress head on, better positioning the property for sale," commented Karen E. Kennedy, President and Founder of NAS. "We are pleased to have created the best possible outcome for our clients while delivering a property with upside potential to the buyer." "Ownership saw a complete change from reactive management to proactive management," commented John Moffat, a member of the 300 Four Falls Steering Committee. "Within two weeks of taking over, NAS was on top of the issues at the property, including deferred maintenance, capital improvements, leasing, tenant relations and lender relations." "NAS demonstrated an outstanding ability to navigate simultaneous complex challenges in a professional, diligent, transparent, and most importantly effective manner," commented Jeff Resnik, 300 Four Falls Steering Committee member. "Within a very tight timeline, NAS successfully identified and addressed several physical maintenance and tenant relation issues which had been impairing our leasing efforts, and as a direct result of this work we were able to bring to market a well-maintained and fully leased asset." "NAS took over the management of 300 Four Falls at a time when it was in serious trouble, having been grossly mismanaged for several years of unacceptable vacancy, maintenance problems, deteriorating relationships with the tenants, and with poor communication with the investors," commented Steering Committee members, Judith and Michael Margulies. "NAS dramatically provided the reverse with refreshing transparency to our Steering Committee and all investors. It culminated with the recent, successful sale of this Class-A property." Built in 2003, 300 Four Falls consists of seven stories constructed atop a six-story parking garage and offers over 400 feet of frontage along the Schuylkill Expressway. The building is within one-half mile of Schuylkill Expressway and Interstate 476 interchange. About National Asset Services (NAS): NAS is a commercial real estate asset and property management company that works with over 90 investment groups in properties of a nationwide portfolio valued at over $2 billion. The company manages a wide range of diverse commercial real estate: Office, medical office, multifamily, retail, student housing, assisted living and industrial flex properties. The company manages solely owned and multi-owner properties. NAS offers a wide-range of management capabilities. They include: Real estate strategy analysis; long-range business objectives; monitoring changing market conditions; investor relations; real estate and investor accounting; loan modification and workout solutions; exit and hold strategies; leasing and marketing; tenant retention plans; research studies; site selections; feasibility studies; insurance risk management; capital improvement planning and tracking; property tax appeal services and cost segregation services. For more information about NAS property management and asset management services, visit nasassets.com. JW Robison 310-364-5213 Email SOURCE National Asset Services Related Links http://nasassets.com MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Systems, Inc., a leading provider of business software, announced that ProcessPro has joined Open Systems. Based in St. Cloud, Minnesota, ProcessPro is a prominent mid-market ERP software company specializing in solutions for process manufacturing in a variety of industries. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160118/323102 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160118/323103 The merger positions ProcessPro to access new markets by expanding their geographical presence and leveraging a large development organization to extend the functionality of the software and remain at the forefront of technology. The ProcessPro division will continue to enhance their software products, serve their clients, and pursue prospects seeking solutions for process manufacturing ERP in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and specialty chemical industries. "We are very excited about ProcessPro joining the Open Systems team," said Dr. Michael Bertini, CEO of Open Systems, Inc. "ProcessPro brings over 30 years of proven solutions, complementary vertical markets, and extensive expertise in process manufacturing. It's great to join forces with another Minnesota-based company with decades of technological innovation and success." "Open Systems has a history of success growing vertical solutions by leveraging the strengths of their core business," stated Joe Blauert, ProcessPro CEO. "This is a significant step forward and will enable the ProcessPro division to increase the value delivered to our client base." About Open Systems, Inc. Open Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of powerful business, accounting, CRM, ERP, and mobile software solutions for organizations in many industries, including distribution, manufacturing, and nonprofit. Open Systems recently celebrated 39 years of serving customers with cutting-edge technologies, and adaptable business solutions. Products offered include Microsoft.NET and SQL Server-based TRAVERSE for the Microsoft platform, and Java-based OSAS for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. For more information on Open Systems products, call 800-328-2276 or visit www.osas.com. About ProcessPro ProcessPro is a leading mid-market ERP software solution for the process manufacturing industry. Designed specifically for manufacturers that combine batches for mixtures, ProcessPro seamlessly integrates all aspects of plant operations, from beginning order entry through manufacturing, packaging, shipping, inventory, and accounting. ProcessPro has been serving the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, nutritional supplement, cosmetic, and specialty chemical industries for over 30 years. More information about ProcessPro is available at www.ProcessProERP.com. Media Contact: Carla Alarcon, Open Systems, Inc. 952-403-5737 SOURCE Open Systems, Inc. Related Links https://www.osas.com LAS VEGAS, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Signature Kitchen Suite, a new global brand for super-premium built-in kitchen appliances, was officially launched today in the United States. The Signature Kitchen Suite offers an extraordinary combination of sophisticated and elegant design with innovative, high performance technology to not only serve consumers' culinary demands, but enhance the entire kitchen experience. Signature Kitchen Suite The Signature Kitchen Suite line of premium appliances were created to bring an entirely new, premium offering to the market for the built-in appliance category. The Signature Kitchen Suite delivers modern innovation and an experience like no other in service caliber, design, and product performance, appealing to the new modern, luxury consumer who is seeking high performance and premium design for something that is truly unique. This extraordinary new brand of kitchen appliances was created to stand apart from the crowd while still maintaining the utmost level of refinement and premium elegance. From Wi-Fi enabled ovens to faster-heating stovetops to more intelligently designed refrigerators, the full 2016 Signature Kitchen Suite is being unveiled at the 2016 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, Jan. 19-21, in Las Vegas. Developed by global home appliance leader LG Electronics, but marketed separately from the LG brand, the Signature Kitchen Suite comprises a counter-depth French door refrigerator, a built-in side-by-side refrigerator, gas and electric slide-in ranges and cooktops, a double wall oven, a dishwasher and an over-the-range microwave. "The Signature Kitchen Suite marries premium and elegant design with advanced technology and superior customer service, giving consumers the opportunity to transform their kitchen and make their mark in ways never-before imaginable," said William Cho, president and CEO, LG Electronics USA. "The new Signature Kitchen Suite embodies the style and personality that American families bring to the kitchen, delivered in an innovative, aesthetically pleasing package that will elevate the decor of any high-end kitchen." Customer service is paramount for the Signature Kitchen Suite brand. Through Wi-Fi connectivity with SmartThinQ, homeowners can stay in touch with their Signature Kitchen Suite appliances through a mobile device. At the push of a button, consumers can monitor appliances remotely, receive push notifications via their mobile phone or tablet if any issues arise, and even report errors straight to the industry leading personal Kitchen Concierge available through the Signature At Your Service app. From installation, to routine maintenance and repairs, the Kitchen Concierge is there with consumers for the life of their product. Designed with expert craftsmanship, Signature Kitchen Suite appliances have seamless, luxurious contours at every edge and bold, durable handles and knobs taking luxury kitchen design to the next level. The elegant forms of each stainless steel appliance facilitate smooth interactions so they not only look beautiful but also make cooking an effortless affair. For instance, the GlideShut Door makes opening and closing doors extremely smooth, even in a rush. The side-by-side refrigerator has three additional cubic feet of extra space so you can host the most extravagant of dinner parties. Adjustable shelves let you tailor your storage to anything from a pitcher of sangria to a roasted turkey. When it comes to technology, the Signature Kitchen Suite performance and features abound. Innovations include proprietary ProBake Convection technology, which takes the heating element from the bottom of the appliance and puts it in the back wall, similar to those found in commercial grade kitchens. This advanced heat distribution technology ensures even cooking results, every time. And when it comes to heat, Signature Kitchen Suite's UltraHeat burners possess more BTUs, which means stoves burn faster and hotter. The new Signature Kitchen Suite includes: Signature Kitchen Suite 3-Door French Door Counter-Depth Refrigerator This three-door, 23.7-cubic-foot French Door refrigerator features a sleek flat door design, water dispenser with premium stainless steel finish, LED lighting and solid, distinctive door handles. Door-in-Door technology on this ENERGY STAR certified refrigerator provides better organization and easy access to consumers' favorite items. Smart Cooling Plus technology is designed to maintain superior conditions within the refrigerator. The Linear Compressor and Dual Evaporators react quickly to humidity and temperature levels and help keep your food fresher, longer. (Model UPFXC2466S) Signature Kitchen Suite Built-in Side-by-Side Refrigerator This refrigerator has a very large capacity, boasting an enormous 25.6 cubic feet. It also includes the SmartSpace System ice dispenser, which allows users to still have usable door bins and an obstruction-free top shelf, maximizing storage space. Smart Cooling Plus technology is designed to maintain superior temperature conditions. The refrigerator's Linear Compressor, backed with a 10-year warranty, and Dual Evaporators react quickly to humidity and temperature levels to maintain foods' freshness. Incorporating flat doors, a stainless steel dispenser and touch control, LED lighting and distinctive door handles, this refrigerator is carefully built to upgrade the design aesthetic of any kitchen. (Model UPSXB2627S) Signature Kitchen Suite Slide-in Ranges and Cooktops These new 6.3-cubic-footlarge-capacity pro-style slide-in ranges available in both gas and electric configurations feature flat-design control panels and robust, durable metal knobs. ProBake Convection technology, with the heating element placed in the rear of the oven as opposed to the bottom, delivers more precise, even cooking results on every rack every time. The ranges also feature EasyClean, the 10-minute, fast oven cleaning feature that offers easier, more convenient cleaning thanks to innovative oven enamel technology. The gas range features one of the most powerful burners in its class, UltraHeat Burner, capable of reaching 18,500 BTUs, while the heating elements on the electric range consist of dual cooktops capable of reaching 3,200 watts. Gas and electric cooktops are also available as part of the Signature Kitchen Suite, offering homeowners even more options for a truly built-in, customizable kitchen. (Models: gas range UPSG3014ST, electric range UPSE3024ST, 30-inch gas cooktop UPCG3054ST, 36-inch gas cooktop UPCG3654ST, 30-inch electric cooktop UPCE3064ST and 36-inch electric cooktop UPCE3664ST) Signature Kitchen Suite Double Wall Oven The double wall oven features a flat-design control panel, durable metal knob and professional-style handles that provide a professional-grade aesthetic. Each oven boasts 4.7-cubic-foot capacity, allowing home chefs to cook multiple dishes at one time, resulting in timely presentation and quality food. The ovens also feature EasyClean technology, the simple three step system that provides a quick and convenient way to clean the oven. (Model UPWD3034ST) Signature Kitchen Suite Dishwasher Sleek, stainless steel touch controls on this dishwasher allow for the adjustment of settings with the touch of a finger. The SmartRack system allows for numerous rack configurations. TurboWash technology enables more powerful washing and cycles that take less time to complete, while the powerful yet gentle TurboSteam virtually eliminates the need to pre-wash. The built-in TurboSteam generator also enables gentle cleaning for fragile items (like stemware), and can also be used for heavy-duty cleaning like pots and pans. This dishwasher is one of the quietest in its class, performing at only 40 decibels. (Model UPDF9904ST) Signature Kitchen Suite Over-the-Range Microwave Oven This new over-the-range microwave oven features a sleek flat door design, metal dial knob, distinctive handles and a premium stainless steel touch control panel and finish. The unit is equipped with convection technology, which allows the microwave to serve as a second oven perfect for preheating, browning, baking or even roasting any favorite dish, as well as sensor cooking technology, a humidity-sending technology that determines when food is cooked and automatically turns off the microwave to help prevent the over or under cooking of meals. (Model UPMC3084ST) To celebrate the launch of the Signature Kitchen Suite, the brand has commissioned a team of leading tastemakers across the fashion, art and culinary worlds to create the "Signature Style House" (Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall, Booth #N945). The Signature Kitchen Suite will be introduced in the U.S. market in early 2016 and will initially be available at select Pacific Sales in Southern California, with plans for a broader rollout later in the year. Visitors to the Signature Kitchen Suite booth (Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall, Booth #N945) will be able to see the premium kitchen appliances for themselves. For more information on Signature Kitchen Suite appliances, please visit www.thesignaturekitchen.com. About Signature Kitchen Suite Signature is a new luxury brand of super-premium kitchen appliances developed by global appliance leader LG Electronics but marketed separately from the LG brand. Your kitchen is where life happens. It's a stage where you put on your best performances, creating cuisine, memories and impressions. It's a canvas where you make your personal statements, each day. Thus, we designed our Signature Kitchen Suite to embody the excitement, style and personalization that you and your family bring to the kitchen. From WIFI-enabled ovens to faster heating cooktops to more intelligently designed refrigerators, our elegant suite of innovative appliances not only serves your culinary demands, it enhances your total kitchen experience. The kitchen is indeed a magical place with endless possibilities. Signature kitchens bring those possibilities to life in the most extraordinary ways. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323551 SOURCE Signature Kitchen Suite Related Links http://www.thesignaturekitchen.com COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- White Castle, America's first hamburger chain, today announced the launch of WhiteCastleClean.com. This website is dedicated to promoting food safety, cleanliness and transparency by providing county health scores for all White Castle restaurants. White Castle is the first quick service restaurant chain to create a website specifically designed to share health inspection scores with the public. "The commitment to food safety, cleanliness and total transparency in our efforts are critical aspects of serving our customers and are the foundation upon which founder Billy Ingram built our family owned business," said Jamie Richardson, vice president of White Castle. "As we celebrate our 95th birthday, we are reaffirming our commitment to these values and I can think of no greater commitment than to be the first restaurant to offer our health scores online." In the 1920s, American hamburgers were not considered the iconic all-American meal they are today. There was a substantial culinary bias against the hamburger after Upton Sinclair published his landmark muckraking journalistic book, The Jungle, which detailed health violations and unsanitary practices in the American meatpacking industry. The public viewed hamburgers as inferior food. Ingram faced a significant challenge in changing the public's perception. The Original Slider made of 100% USDA Grade A beef and steam grilled on a bed of onions was one of the four original menu items, and instantly became a hit. When Ingram launched White Castle, he strategically named his restaurant to help combat the public's negative perception of the hamburger. "White" represented cleanliness, and "Castle" was a symbol of strength. Through the years, White Castle has been an innovator and leading advocate for food safety and cleanliness initiatives in the restaurant industry. This leadership position is because Ingram wasn't content to simply state his restaurant was clean and safe; he took additional steps to ensure that every restaurant embodied this image. His stainless steel counters in the Castles were an innovation at the time and eventually became an industry standard. He was among the first to establish uniform and hygiene standards for his employees. Those efforts led White Castle to establish its own bakeries and meat processing plants, as well as plants that assemble and package the retail product sold in grocery and convenience stores across the United States. In launching the new Castle Clean website, White Castle is bringing a 21st century presentation to the transparency Ingram embraced with his original food safety and cleanliness initiatives. "Online health scores are common for most but not all counties and cities," said Richardson. "Restaurant inspection and health scores are handled at a county and municipal level. So while there is a semblance of a universal standard, there are unique differences in how the scores are assigned at each county across the United States. Unfortunately, budget challenges have forced some counties to abandon their health score websites. In the spirit of Billy's transparency, we wanted to create a place where our Cravers could go to view their local Castles' health scores." The site will be updated biannually and the most recent scores will be included on the site. For more information about White Castle's food safety and cleanliness initiatives, visit whitecastle.com. About White Castle White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain based in Columbus, Ohio, is celebrating 95 years as a family-owned business. The company was founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921 serving The Original Slider which was named the most influential burger of all time in 2014 by Time. All White Castle Sliders are made from 100 percent USDA inspected beef. Today White Castle owns and operates nearly 400 restaurants in 13 states and has two dedicated Crave Mobiles that attended hundreds of events in 2015. White Castle's commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants and bakeries as well as three frozen food processing plants. The retail division markets White Castle signature products in grocery, warehouse and convenience stores across the United States and in a growing number of international locations, including military PX's around the world. White Castle.com is a culture center for Cravers, the chain's loyal and passionate fan base, connecting like-minded Slider enthusiasts from around the globe in a social media setting. For more information on White Castle and to see the Craver Hall of Fame, visit whitecastle.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030828/WHITECASTLELOGO SOURCE White Castle Related Links http://www.whitecastle.com Ibn al-Haytham: The Man Who Discovered How We See introduces young readers to 11th century Arabias most enlightened scientist We are pleased to continue our partnership with 1001 Inventions to celebrate the scientific legacy and achievements from Muslim Civilization Erica Green, Vice President and Editorial Director of National Geographic Kids Books 1001 Inventions and National Geographic Kids announced today a new partnership to publish the book Ibn al-Haytham: The Man Who Discovered How We See as part of the highly successful National Geographic Kids Readers Series. The English language publication is planned for release in spring 2016. The book is a special tribute to the 11th century pioneering scientific thinker Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham (known in the West by the Latinized form of his first name Alhazen). Considered by many as the Father of Optics, he made important contributions to the understanding of vision, optics and light. Ibn al-Haythams methodology of investigation, in particular using experiment to verify theory, shows certain similarities to what later became known as the modern scientific method. Ibn al-Haytham lived during the golden age of Muslim civilization that spread from Spain to China. During this time many men and women scholars and scientists of different cultures and faiths built on knowledge from ancient civilizations and made breakthroughs that have helped transform our modern world. We are pleased to continue our partnership with 1001 Inventions to celebrate the scientific legacy and achievements from Muslim Civilization, said Erica Green, Vice President and Editorial Director of National Geographic Kids Books. Our new reader about Ibn al-Haytham teaches kids about the important contributions he made to science and places him along other notable scientists in our series like Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. Ahmed Salim, Producer and Director of 1001 Inventions said: We are very excited to further collaborate with National Geographic. This project builds on the strong partnership between our organizations and the success of the two books, 1001 Inventions the Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization' and '1001 Inventions and Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization. Ibn al-Haythams inspirational life and his contributions to our world are important to recognize. We are delighted that this book is part of our global campaign 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham that celebrates the United Nations International Year of Light in partnership with UNESCO. Our aim is to connect children from different cultures together, aspiring to help raise a generation equipped with a mindset of mutual understanding and respect hoping for a better future. This book will also serve as a companion to the international educational campaign, "1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham," that includes interactive exhibits, workshops, live shows, and a 12-minute film starring the late legendary actor Omar Sharif in his final cinematic appearance. The films trailer can be watched on youtube and http://www.IbnAlhaytham.com The National Geographic Kids Readers Series is a top performer in the competitive beginning reader category. This book follows upon that success with the same standard of carefully leveled text, dazzling photographs and illustrations and fun approach to fascinating nonfiction subjects, a set of elements that has proved to create a winning formula with kids. The Level 3 text provides accessible, yet wide-ranging, information for independent readers. Pre-orders of the book are now available on Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other online retailers. END About 1001 Inventions 1001 Inventions is an award-winning, British based organization that creates international educational campaigns and engaging transmedia productions aiming to raise awareness of the contributions to science, technology and culture from the Golden Age of Muslim Civilisation. Over the last five years, 1001 Inventions has engaged with over 200 million people across the globe. The organization works with a network of international partners, including UNESCO, and leading academics to produce interactive exhibits, short films, live shows, books and classroom learning materials that are being used by hundreds of thousands of educators around the world. 1001 Inventions is a founding partner of the United Nations proclaimed International Year of Light 2015. Further information can be found at: http://www.1001inventions.com http://www.facebook.com/1001inventions About National Geographic Kids National Geographic Kids teaches kids about the world and how it works, empowering them to succeed and make it a better place. National Geographic Kids inspires young adventurers through award-winning magazines, books, apps, games, toys, videos, events and a website, and is the only kids brand with a world-class scientific organization at its core. Follow National Geographic Kids on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Pre-orders of the book are available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Readers-al-Haytham-Discovered/dp/1426325002 About International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies The International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies (IYL 2015) is a global initiative adopted by the United Nations (A/RES/68/221) to raise awareness of how optical technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to worldwide challenges in energy, education, agriculture, communications and health. With UNESCO as lead agency, IYL 2015 programs promote improved public and political understanding of the central role of light in the modern world while also celebrating noteworthy anniversaries in 2015from the first studies of optics 1,000 years ago to discoveries in optical communications that power the Internet today. Further information can be found at: http://www.light2015.org The American Hospital Association (AHA) extended its exclusive endorsement of CyraComs Interpretation & Translation Services for five more years. AHA Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of the AHA, awards the AHA Endorsement to products and services that help member hospitals and health care organizations achieve operational excellence. More than 61 million U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home(1), and 25 million speak English at a level classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP), according to the U.S. Census. LEP patients tend to have higher rates of readmission, longer lengths of stay, and a higher number of associated complications.(2) Hospitals leverage CyraComs interpretation services to improve these metrics. CyraComs unified phone and video interpretation platform empowers hospitals to choose their preferred modality at the same per-minute cost. CyraCom delivers language interpretation over phone and video from the most extensive network of large-scale interpreter contact centers. In the over 200,000 square feet of operational space in the centers, CyraCom conducts extensive health care interpretation training in a classroom setting and facilitates supervised interpretation operations in a supportive, team environment. We believe CyraCom provides reliable, high-quality communication between patient and caregiver, encouraging improved quality of care and patient satisfaction, said Tim Steffl, chief operating and development officer, AHA Solutions, Inc. CyraComs services stand out in part because they are focused solely on health care; CyraCom interpreters and translators are extensively trained to understand the medical terminology and nuances unique to hospital communications. The AHA Endorsement confirms our expertise and commitment to solving hospitals communication challenges, said Jeremy Woan, chairman and CEO of CyraCom. We look forward to continuing our work with the AHA to improve patient care. About the AHA The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, who include nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. Visit http://www.aha.org to learn more. About AHA Solutions, Inc. AHA Solutions, Inc. is a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association dedicated to serving member hospitals by helping them identify the optimal solutions to their most pressing market challenges. Through the AHA Endorsement, along with educational programs featuring peers and industry experts, AHA Solutions supports the decision-making process for hospitals looking for partners to help with clinical integration, information technology, talent management, cultural transformation, financial sustainability, the patient flow and other key challenges. AHA Solutions is proud to reinvest its profits in the AHA Mission: To advance the health of individuals and communities. For more information, contact AHA Solutions at 800.242.4677 or visit http://www.aha-solutions.org. Also connect with us via Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. About CyraCom CyraCom is the leading provider of language interpreting services to healthcare, and its interpretation and translation solutions are exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association. Whether in-person or via phone, video, mobile app, or written text, CyraCom bridges communication gaps for healthcare organizations that need rapid access to language assistance. The Company supports hundreds of languages and operates 24/7. CyraCom impacts the lives of millions in the United States by connecting those with limited English proficiency to healthcare services. CyraComs interpreters work in the most extensive network of large-scale interpreter contact centers: all HIPAA-compliant and located in the continental US. Most other providers primarily use at-home or offshore interpreters. For more information, visit http://www.cyracom.com. 1) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (2013). Retrieved from Compliance Review Initiative: Advancing Effective Communication in Critical Access Hospitals (http://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/civilrights/activities/agreements/compliancereview_initiative.pdf) 2) Int J Qual Health Care. 2007 Apr; 19(2):60-7. Epub 2007 Feb 2. Language proficiency and adverse events in US hospitals: a pilot study. Divi C1, Koss RG, Schmaltz SP, Loeb JM. J Gen Intern Med. 2012 Oct; 27(10):1294-9. Epub 2012 Apr 18. Professional language interpretation and inpatient length of stay and readmission rates. Lindholm M1, Hargraves JL, Ferguson WJ, Reed G. # # # Contact Information: Marie Watteau Vice President, Media Relations and Digital Media American Hospital Association 202.626.2351 mwatteau(at)aha(dot)org The Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS), the nations only healthcare community for clinical documentation professionals, is proud to celebrate its 3,000th Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) credential holder, Rhonda Bisby, RN, BSN, CCDS, CDI specialist at Memorial Hermann in Houston. Clinical documentation specialists possess a wide range of specialized skills in a variety of disciplinesfrom nursing to medical coding, from anatomy and physiology to pharmacology, and from governmental and private payer regulations to an ability to analyze and interpret medical record documentation and benchmark clinical documentation program performance. The mission of the CCDS credentialing program is to identify and support a high level of experience, proficiency, and know-how among clinical documentation specialists. The program accomplishes this by drawing upon a board of experienced clinical documentation specialists hailing from diverse, multidisciplinary fields, including nursing, HIM/coding, quality, and case management. The board has established eligibility requirements to ensure that only experienced professionals with an ability to perform the functions of a clinical documentation specialist may possess the certification. You have to feel strong in your job, and you absolutely have to have been a CDI specialist for more than two years, Bisby says. You need to do the job, like the job, and want the knowledge that you gain by being a CDI specialist. The studying part is one thing, but the experience of it is very important. It was a difficult test, so I am proud and excited to not only have passed but to be the 3,000th person to hold the certification. I feel very privileged to have this knowledge and to be associated with ACDIS. More than 44% of CDI professionals currently hold the CCDS credential, according to the recently released 2015 CDI Salary Survey. Those with the certification are highly sought in the industry and earn higher compensation than those without the mark of distinction, survey results show. CDI salaries increased dramatically this year, according to the nearly 800 survey respondents. Those earning $59,999 or less dropped drasticallyfrom a high of nearly 26% in 2012 to under 9% this year. Top earners, those making $110,000 or more, doubled from 6% in 2013 to 13.2% this year. The results demonstrate a narrowing salary gap amongst CDI professionals as well as the increased value the healthcare industry is placing on the profession, says ACDIS Advisory Board member Karen Newhouser, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, CCM, director of education for MedPartners in Tampa, Florida. The basic salary breakdown is amazing, Newhouser says. These results tell me that CDI is increasingly being identified as an independent profession and is as important to the facility as case management, HIM, and quality. About ACDIS Now in its ninth year, ACDIS is a community of more than 4,800 CDI professionals who share the latest tips, tools, and strategies to implement successful CDI programs and achieve professional growth. ACDIS' mission is to serve as the premier healthcare community for CDI specialists, providing a medium for education, professional growth, professional certification, and networking through its annual conference, local chapter outreach efforts, regular webinars, website, and social media outlets. For more information about ACDIS and its offerings, please visit http://www.acdis.org or call 877-240-6586. About the CCDS The program, core competencies, and test design of the Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) credential have been developed by a CCDS certification board, consisting of healthcare professionals hailing from a wide range of backgrounds and expertise, including nursing, HIM/coding, case management, and quality. The board also includes a public member with full voting privileges. The CCDS credential is intended to stand as a mark of distinction for those who have been working in the clinical documentation improvement profession, and as such, only those who have been working in the field for at least two years may sit for the exam. For additional information about the credential, exam application, and recertification requirements, visit http://www.hcpro.com/acdis/certification.cfm or contact CCDS Coordinator Penny Richards at prichards(at)acdis(dot)org. About the 2015 CDI Salary Survey ACDIS annually surveys its membership regarding trends in clinical documentation improvement program structure and staff compensation. Now in its ninth year, the 2015 CDI Salary Survey shows significant shifts in staff payments and benefits. The survey demonstrates advancements by education, certification, and experience levels as well as breakdowns in salary by geographic location. For additional information, visit the CDI Journal section of the ACDIS website. ACDIS members have access to this and all previous CDI Salary Survey publications. Apprentices take online courses to earn an insurance certification in the Apprenticeship Program We created the apprenticeship model to help fill the upcoming workforce gap in the insurance industry. Pearl Interactive Network (Pearl) has launched the Insurance Apprenticeship Program. The program offers a way for entry-level employees to progress through a career path in the insurance industry through a combination of on-the-job training and an online insurance certification course with one of Pearls educational partners. We created the apprenticeship model to help fill the upcoming workforce gap in the insurance industry, explained Merry Korn, president/CEO of Pearl Interactive Network. In addition, the Apprenticeship Program will help people with employment challenges carve out a career for themselves in the insurance industry. The Insurance Apprenticeship Program is open to all job-seekers, especially disabled veterans, veterans, military spouses, people with disabilities, dislocated workers, and people who live in geographically-challenged areas. The program provides an opportunity for employees to learn new skills, increase their education, and become more marketable through a two-step process: Applying for, and working in an entry-level position with Pearl Interactive Network at an insurance company, with the requirement of participating in an educational partners insurance certification program Enrolling in one of Pearls educational partners Insurance Certification Programs while employed at Pearl; and taking and passing the exams to earn an insurance certificate Pearl provides each apprentice with a mentor, who helps guide them through the course to ensure success. The certification curriculum includes courses in related subjects such as insurance and risk management, and personal and commercial property and casualty lines. Once enrolled, apprentices can choose to pursue one of several certification tracks. Graduates earn certification and/or licensure in commercial property and casualty lines, enabling them to progress in their insurance careers beyond entry-level positions. According to a workforce study conducted in 2013 by Insuring Ohio Futures, Ohios insurance industry will need to fill 26,000 positions coming open through 2020. About Pearl Interactive Network, Inc. Founded in 2004, Pearl Interactive Network, Inc. Is a social enterprise that delivers virtual and client-site contact center staffing and sourcing services, tapping a workforce of skilled and talented disabled veterans, veterans, people with disabilities, and people living in geographically-challenged areas. Pearls markets include government and insurance. For more information visit Pinsourcing.com. Find upcoming real estate developments and quality hand-picked properties in Dubai. Dubai: Coldwell Banker UAE , a leading real estate brokerage firm in the UAE, has opened its fourth office in the UAE at Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), Dubai, in a move towards expanding its business operations in the region. Announcing a real estate broker in Dubai that provides the latest updates in the property market and offers apartments and other hand-picked properties for sale at competitive prices: Coldwell Banker. The real estate firm is an expert in Dubai properties especially the newest residential and commercial developments in the area. Coldwell Bankers also specialize in developments in the business centres and service offices in Dubai. Being one of the most highly-developed cities in the region, Dubai is a prominent place where a variety of buyers check out. Home buyers may be able to find all kinds of properties from small apartment units to large luxury homes while business clients may be able to easily locate commercial properties with the help of an expert broker. Coldwell Banker offers updated listing for new homes, residential and commercial properties in the most profitable areas in Dubai such as the Dubai Marina, Dubailand, Downtown Dubai and other off plan properties and construction projects. Their Find a Home and Property Calculator tools are available from their official site coldwellbanker.ae to easily find properties for sale or rent and to come up with a smart real estate investment decision right away. For more information about Coldwell Bankers, visit their official site http://www.coldwellbanker.ae or call their number +971 4 439 1200. Coldwell Banker was founded in 1906 on a commitment to professionalism and customer service that remains the core of the companys business philosophy. The real estate firm is the nations oldest real estate organization and their experience has helped make the dream of homeownership a reality for millions of families. Their official site coldwellbanker.ae is a reflection of their dedication in customer service and providing an exceptional real estate experience for clients. Some Useful Links: http://www.coldwellbanker.ae/off-plan/ http://www.coldwellbanker.ae/properties/dubai-marina-property/ http://www.coldwellbanker.ae/dubailand/ Pursuit of the NIMS certification resulted in a highly collaborative process that inspired continuous improvement in our advanced manufacturing programs benefiting our students, staff and ultimately our industry partnerships. Mesa Community College has set a new height in the thirty-six year history of its Manufacturing Technology program, a vital component of the Arizona Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AzAMI) at the college. As of December 10, 2015 the program received NIMS Accreditation, the highest benchmark for metalworking training in the United States as based on national, industry- written and industry-driven skills standards. As a nationally accredited program the institute demonstrates its commitment to providing industry-level training for the Mesa community, the state of Arizona, and for the greater U.S. Manufacturing Industry. In doing so college staff and faculty have met the stringent quality requirements set forth by NIMS, which include a program self-audit, the certifying of faculty and students in NIMS national, industry credentials, and an intensive two-day on-site evaluation at the center. The on-site evaluation occurred in fall 2015 and was conducted by NIMS Lead Evaluator Mark Lashinske (Modern Industries, Inc.) who was assisted by Education Representative Chris Williams (Tucson High Magnet School) and Industry Representative Mark Reish (Modern Industries, Inc.). After a comprehensive facility inspection, observation of student safety habits and a series of in-depth interviews with faculty, administrators, and local employers, the team was highly impressed and issued above-average ratings in the evaluation areas of: Purpose Facility Program Features Equipment, Tooling, & Measuring Devices Administration Faculty & Instructional Staff Upon receiving the distinction, college personnel Sandy Lindauer, Joe Martinez, Leah Palmer, and Kevin Weaver commented that "for us accreditation conveys an important message about the quality of our advanced manufacturing programs to students, industry and other academic institutions by validating a certified skilled and trained workforce. More importantly, it allows for a pathway of continuous improvement for the program by bringing together industry partners, faculty and community leaders via the advisory committee, who can work together to align course curriculum and industry certifications with industry demands." This accreditation is based on NIMS National Skill Standards for Machining Level I and Level II with a focus on the manual and computer numerical control (CNC) machining skills and allows students to pursue any and all credentials offered by NIMS. Entries are now being accepted for the annual 2016 PM360 Trailblazer Awards recognizing excellence and innovation in healthcare marketing. Now in its eight year, the PM360 Trailblazer Awards honor the industrys most innovative people, companies, teams and initiatives in six categories (Companies of the Year, Brand Champions, Marketer of the Year, Marketing Team of the Year, Initiative Awards and Lifetime Achievement). This is the first year the awards will honor the Marketing Team of the Year. This new award was established to honor a team that reaches across various functions to achieve exceptional results. This can include outstanding marketing practices, the adoption of new and innovative technologies/strategies, successfully positioning their brand/company, creating an outstanding customer experience, positively impacting the culture of their organization, etc. The team should be based be based at a life sciences company (pharma, biotech, specialty, medical device, etc.). The Trailblazer Awards have always been about recognizing exceptional innovation in the healthcare industry and singling out the companies and people who excelled the most in this industry within the past year, says Anna Stashower, CEO and Publisher, PM360. Many times this work isnt done by an individual, but a team of incredible people and we felt it is our responsibility to honor these remarkable teams. The complete list of this years PM360 Trailblazer Awards categories and nomination criteria is available at: http://www.pm360online.com/trailblazerawards. Entries must be submitted no later than Friday, May 13, 2016. Submissions will be judged and the winners selected by the PM360 Editorial Advisory Board. Any member of a pharmaceutical, biotech or medical device product team, agency, supplier or vendor can submit a nomination under any category. The award winners will be announced during this years annual gala at Gotham Hall in Manhattan on Friday, September 23. The annual gala attracts more attendees from pharmaceutical and medical device companies than any other industry awards event. For more information about the PM360 Trailblazer Awards, contact Andrew Matthius, Senior Editor, PM360, at andrew.matthius(at)pm360online(dot)com. About PM360 PM360 is the premier source for information that product managers and pharma and medical device marketing professionals need to succeed in the complex, ever-changing healthcare environment. PM360 offers invaluable perspective on important industry issues through a full-circle combination of how-to information and thoughtful career insights. The PM360 Trailblazer Awards span six categories, including Company of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Marketer of the Year, Marketing Team of the Year, Brand Champion Awards and Initiative Awards. Cleveland Brown, CEO of Payscout, announces the introduction of the company's technologies into Brazil. We will expand the Brazil sales team over the next year, enhancing the team with additional in-house support personnel as needed to ensure there are no customer service gaps as the merchant portfolio grows. Payscout CEO Cleveland Brown has announced that his company is seeing traction in its newest branch office, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The launch of a professional team under the guidance of local manager and partner Marco Bilinski has set the foundation for bringing innovative excellencea trait Payscout is known for worldwideto the country of Brazil. Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America, and the eighth-largest in the world. Payscout is a leading global payment processing provider, committed to the mission of supporting the entrepreneurial dream one transaction at a time. Inc. Magazine recently recognized Payscout for its three-year sales growth of 1,078%, naming the company one of the top 500 fastest-growing private U.S. companies. Payscouts partners include major financial institutions, as well as other internationally renowned businesses, making it one of the top 10 merchant processing service providers in the United States. Its state-of-the-art, web-based user portal is one of the most intuitive and reliable in the industry. The company also provides live, in-house customer support designed to deliver the highest level of service possible to Payscout merchants and partners. Payscout established its physical presence in Brazil in February of 2015, immediately setting into motion steps to secure key equipment and processing relationships they would need in order to do business locally. Now fully established, the Payscout Brazil branch offers all major over-the-counter POS and online payment methods to Brazilian businesses, including Boleto Bancario, the Cielo Networks, domestic credit cards, Brazilian debit cards, Bradesco Comercio Eletronico, Banco do Brasil Comercio Eletronico, Banrisul, and Banricompras. It took a little while to work through the legal and certification requirements, said Bilinski. However, our up-front planning has provided us with the assurance that we have developed the right business model to operate efficiently and effectively under Brazils laws and cultural standards. Establishing a merchant services presence in any foreign country involves applying to local processors and banking organizations to become a recognized and certified service provider. While this can sometimes take many months or even years, the local team that Brown and Bilinski put into place significantly helped to reduce this time. They have also secured an agreement with Robson Campos to serve Payscout Brazil as the technical lead, responsible for all POS equipment and software fulfillment. Its an honor to support Payscout Brazil in the position of technical support, said Campos. In addition to ensuring the organizations POS equipment and software can be deployed to its customers effectively, I will also be responsible for assisting merchants with implementing and monitoring their transaction accounts. By October, 2015, Payscout Brazil was set to move forward. The local sales team is now running smoothly under the guidance of its Brazil executive team, and they have been busy with new customer accounts. The Payscout Brazil management team will initially concentrate on earning business from Brazilian brick-and-mortar POS merchants to establish a strong local footprint and build an active referral network. During 2016, they will also begin assisting Brazilian merchants with leveraging eCommerce opportunities both inside Brazil and abroad. While we will focus first on building a client portfolio of local POS merchants, said Bilinski, were excited about the extensive eCommerce experience our sales manager brings to Payscout Brazil. He will lead us forward in building a strong eCommerce merchant base that will be empowered to sell products to consumers both within and outside of Brazil. CEO Brown is excited about this key expansion step in Payscouts Go Global Now initiative. With our expertise, innovation, hard workand lots of coffeeevery venture weve pursued has taken off like a rocket. Brazil is a dynamic country with enormous potential. We will expand the Brazil sales team over the next year, enhancing the team with additional in-house support personnel as needed to ensure there are no customer service gaps as the merchant portfolio grows. I expect our Brazil enterprise to be just as successful as Payscouts U.S. enterprise has been, and it will be exciting to help Brazilian entrepreneurs expand their businesses internationally. About Payscout, Inc.: Payscout Supports the Entrepreneurial Dream One Transaction at a Time. Payscout is a global payment processing provider covering six continents by connecting merchants and consumers via credit, debit, ATM and alternative payment networks. What differentiates Payscout is its mission to support the entrepreneurial dream one transaction at a time. Payscout achieves this by being a thought leader in the payments industry. Its GO GLOBAL NOW technology platform gives merchants instant access to 100+ countries, billions of consumers and trillions of dollars. Payscout offers payment processing solutions for brick-and-mortar and eCommerce transactions, and has earned acclaim as a new-generation provider of merchant banking services, specializing in online/eCommerce retailers with a predominant proportion of card-not-present (CNP) transactions; it is one of the few providers to deliver a true global payment solution that encompasses all merchant risk verticals. Customers can access Payscouts credit card processing services via a state-of-the-art, web-based user portal and through direct interactions with highly-trained experts. In addition to supporting thousands of clients across a multitude of industries and all 50 American states, Payscout maintains global partnerships with VISA USA, Bank of America Merchant Services, VISA Europe, VISA Latin America, VISA Asia Pacific, MasterCard Worldwide, China Union Pay, Deutsche Bank, First Data and Payscout Brazil. Payscout was recognized as one of Americas fastest-growing privately-held companies in 2014 and 2015, ranking #2,416 in 2014 and #434 in 2015, on Inc. Magazines Inc. 500/5000 list. Within the financial services industry, Payscout placed #140 in 2014 and #24 in 2015. For more information, visit http://www.payscout.com. Introducing PAYG Apps I have sat across from countless tables listening to excellent ideas that died at inception due to the insurmountable costs and risk associated with simply getting started. At PAYG, weve changed all that. - Anshul Bagai, founder of PAYG Apps PAYG Apps, a new service model for custom iOS and Android app development, is set to disrupt the fields current business model by simplifying the financial leap into the app development process. An acronym representing its pay-as-you-go structure, PAYG Apps eliminates a key obstacle in getting started with app creation: high upfront cost. Instead, startups and small businesses can take advantage of lower monthly costs that are spread over 12 months to avoid breaking the bank. Once development has begun, apps generally go live within 4-12 weeks. PAYG also offers continued support during the first year, including general maintenance, bug fixes and three update deployments. Through it all, the client retains full copyright. Too many companies dismiss the notion of creating an App for their small or medium size business because of all the upfront costs associated with bringing one to market, says Anshul Bagai, founder of PAYG Apps. Included with the PAYG Apps service: Small monthly payments starting from $99/month, spread out for a year Go live in 4 12 weeks 100% Custom Mobile App Development no template or code reuse You own the idea and the source code 3 upgrades available, one in each quarter 1 year of maintenance, changes and bug fixes included 15-day Money Back Guarantee no questions asked Five simple steps to get started: Step 1: Discovery/Strategy Step 2: Sign up Step 3: Build Step 4: Go Live Step 5: Maintenance With low upfront cost, world-class developers, and a full year of tech support, the one-stop shop allows virtually anyone the freedom and flexibility to bring their app ideas to fruition. A college kid created Facebook, a housewife invented the Miracle Mop. We would love to work with people who have great ideas theyre passionate about. About PAYG Apps: PAYG Apps was founded in 2015 and has increasingly become a force in the highly competitive tech industry. They are a U.S.based company with headquarters in Woodland Hills, California. The concept was created by Anshul Bagai, founder of MY ZEAL IT Solutions, a California-based Custom Software Development Company. Full details can be found at PAYG Apps Website About MY ZEAL IT Solutions: MY ZEAL IT Solutions is a 6-year-old company offering Custom Web & Mobile App Development Services to its prospects and clients globally. More information can be found at MY ZEAL IT Website Contact: James Hale 818-539-7891 New Organic Veggie Wash in 16 oz. Trigger Spray We added Organic Veggie Wash because we have seen the increasing number of consumers who want more organic foods, but know that just because food has been organically grown doesnt necessarily mean its clean. Beaumont Products, Inc., a leading manufacturer of natural consumer products, announced the addition of a certified-organic version of its popular Veggie Wash, currently the number one selling produce wash in the United States. The new Organic Veggie Wash formulation was recently certified organic in accordance with USDA standards by Oregon Tilth, the leading certifier and advocate for organic agriculture. The addition of the organic version to their Veggie Wash line comes at a time when more U.S. consumers are searching for more organically-farmed foods for their families. These same consumers are concerned about using chemicals and chemical cleaners to clean organic produce, as they feel that this would have the effect of converting their organic produce back to conventional. We created Veggie Wash many years ago as a better way for consumers to get rid of waxes and pesticides which are often used by farmers and food processors on fruits and vegetables. And, since these pesticides and waxes are designed to be water-resistant, water washing alone is not enough, said Jeff Picken, President of Beaumont Products. The success of Veggie Wash is proof that people want to enjoy their fruits and vegetables the way nature intended. Picken went on to say, We added Organic Veggie Wash because we have seen the increasing number of consumers who want more organic foods, but know that just because food has been organically grown doesnt necessarily mean its clean. Picken is referring to all of the different ways in which organically grown produce can still become contaminated with other forms of pollutants. Natural fertilizers, which are either vegetable or animal matter, can contain harmful pollutants, along with wind-carried chemicals from non-organic farms, and the handling of produce from the farm to the store. These are a few of the ways in which organically-farmed produce can become contaminated. Organic Veggie Wash is designed to clean Organic fruits and vegetables of any harmful contaminants, as effectively as the original Veggie Wash, while maintaining their organic status. We are not looking to replace our traditional, natural-version of our Veggie Wash, Picken said. We simply want to help those consumers who are going out of their way to buy organic produce, to be able to use a fruit and vegetable wash that wont sacrifice the desired organic characteristics that they want for their families in wholesome, great tasting, and clean food. About Beaumont Products, Inc.: Founded in 1991 and located in Kennesaw, Ga., Beaumont Products Inc., is a leading developer and manufacturer of premium, eco-friendly consumer products designed for air care, specialty cleaning and personal care. Proudly made in the USA, Beaumont Products manufacturers more than 10 brands sold nationwide and abroad that include: Citrus Magic,Veggie Wash, Clearly Natural, Citrus II, Farmers Market, Trewax, Dermatone, Grease Monkey Wipes, and Clearly Magic. For more information visit: http://www.beaumontproducts.com. iFactor, the leading utility customer communication solution provider, recently completed a joint project for the utilities of New Jersey that provides a statewide view of power outage information. The first statewide solution of its kind, the New Jersey Outage Portal offers a secure location for the utilities to provide critical information about power outages to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and other community stakeholders. The portal is a collaborative effort involving coordination and contributions of outage data from Atlantic City Electric, Jersey Central Power & Light, Rockland Electric Company, and PSE&G. Its compelling to see utilities collaborating on projects like this, stated Shazir Khan, CEO and President of iFactor. Because these utilities are all long-time users of iFactor Storm Center maps, we were uniquely positioned to develop the New Jersey map and ensure consistency of information across the portal. Within the portal, users can access a statewide power outage map and outage summary table with information about the number of customers served, as well as the number and percentage of customers affected by power outages in each county and municipality in New Jersey. The maps summary tables allow users to view service providers and access direct links to the location of each county and municipality on the map. For more information about this project or other iFactor solutions, visit http://www.ifactorinc.com. About iFactor iFactor, a KUBRA company, develops software products and delivers complete communication solutions for the utility sector, delivering information to more than 150 million people in North America through deployments at more than 45 utility companies. iFactor products and solutions enable utilities to leverage connected technologies such as the web, mobile web, and smartphones to interact with their customers. Visit http://www.ifactorinc.com for more information. Josh Lane, CEO says, The partnership formed today between these two great companies is a natural fit. With everything that ACDI, Muratec and PaperCut bring to the table, in the end, the winner is the customer. Welcome aboard, Muratec. Access Control Devices Incorporated (ACDI) a leading distributor of PaperCut software in the U.S., has announced today that Muratec America, Inc. has entered into a reseller agreement allowing Muratec dealers direct access to PaperCut print management software through ACDI. PaperCuts print management software has helped over 60,000 organizations lower their print costs and environmental impact by reducing their consumables waste. One of the primary goals of PaperCut is to reduce printing levels by changing a user's printing behavior. Print monitoring and quota implementation are just a few of the ways PaperCut draws attention to a users copying and printing habits. Chris Dance, Founding Partner of PaperCut, adds, "We're excited to see the partnership between ACDI and Muratec. ACDI is a proactive PaperCut sales and support organization with customer service values in common with our own. They are perfectly equipped with the skill-set to complement the team at Muratec to deliver a great customer experience. Josh Lane, CEO says, The partnership formed today between these two great companies is a natural fit. With everything that ACDI, Muratec and PaperCut bring to the table, in the end, the winner is the customer. Welcome aboard, Muratec. Matt Bennett, Director of Sales, ACDI says, We're excited about the agreement and the chance to work with one of the best multifunction digital office equipment providers in the world today. Our mutual customers should expect great things to come from this arrangement. Weve been working hard to provide our dealers a competitive edge, said Jim DEmidio, president at Muratec America, Inc. Direct integration with PaperCuts print management software allows our dealers to provide more value while helping their customers lower print costs and reduce waste. The foundation of every ACDI partnership is rooted in service, reliability and responsibility. Despite size, volume or location, our partners receive 100% of our effort, every time, all of the time. This is our guarantee. Its no wonder why dealers that sell into the Healthcare, Education, SMB and Legal markets continue to choose PaperCut and ACDI. About ACDI ACDI is a leading manufacturer and designer of copy, print and fax control devices powered by PaperCut. ACDI is a PaperCut Authorized Solution Center (ASC) constantly focused on supplying dealer partners with the industry leading print management software. For more information, please contact Access Control Devices Incorporated, 7428 Lindsey Road, Little Rock, AR 72206. Tel: +1 800-990-2234; Twitter: @acdi Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/acdinc Website http://www.acd-inc.com About Muratec About Muratec America, Inc. Muratec America, Inc. is a manufacturer of multifunction digital office equipment, business productivity solutions and provider of managed document services components. The company is a Plano, Texas-based subsidiary of Murata Machinery, Ltd., a privately held multinational corporation based in Kyoto, Japan. Visit http://www.muratec.com for more information. Gary Buechler brings 25 years experience to his new role as President of Michaels Development Company Michaels Development Company has a pipeline representing nearly $1 billion in total development costs Gary Buechler has been named president of The Michaels Development Company, John J. ODonnell, president of The Michaels Organization announced today. Mr. Buechler succeeds Ava Goldman, who transitioned to the role of Executive Consultant in December after 22 years with the organization, the last three as Michaels Development Company President. Gary joins us at a time when the Michaels Development Company has a pipeline representing nearly $1 billion in total development costs, and a team of developers who are the best in the industry, said Mr. ODonnell. With Garys wealth of experience in every aspect of development, we are confident he is the right leader to ensure Michaels Development Companys continued growth and success going forward. Mr. Buechler brings over 25 years of experience in both development and business operations management to his new role. Mr. Buechler previously served in a number of roles, including as Managing Director of Development at Lendlease Americas, a leading property and infrastructure company that offers services in development, investment management, project management, construction, and asset and property management. Mr. Buechler held a number of key positions with Lendlease Americas since 2002, including Chief Executive Officer of various operating businesses. He led the firms activities in a number of sectors, including military housing, healthcare, and urban development. Before joining Lendlease, Mr. Buechler was a partner in a private law firm where his practice specialized in real estate transactions. Michaels is an organization that delivers on its promises, achieves results for its residents, partners, and employees, and lives its core values everyday, said Buechler, I am honored to lead a company with a 43-year track record of success, and privileged to be part of a company that is committed to excellence and driven by a mission to create sustainable, quality affordable housing. The Michaels Development Company has developed more than 50,000 units since 1973 and is the number one private-sector affordable housing owner in the country, with more than 350 properties across 34 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company, which has a staff of 35, currently has more than 3,000 units in its pipeline, including new construction and rehabilitation. Michaels Development Company recently expanded into new sectors of the development business, including workforce housing. Mr. Buechler holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and an A.B. from the University of Michigan. He is based in The Michaels Organizations corporate headquarters in Marlton, NJ. About The Michaels Organization Michaels Development Company is an independent operating company of The Michaels Organization, a privately held family of companies dedicated to excellence in affordable, mixed-finance, military, and student housing. Serving more than 115,000 residents in 373 communities across 34 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and with a development portfolio valued in excess of $4 billion, The Michaels Organization is a national leader in the residential real estate industry, with full service capabilities in development, property and asset management, construction, mortgage finance, and tax credit syndication. Red Heart Cares Blanket Pattern Were proud to collaborate with this worthwhile organization and show our Red Heart customers how they can turn their handiwork into good works. Everyday, disasters damage or destroy homes across North America. Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fires catastrophe strikes in all shapes and sizes and Red Cross responds. To help support these relief efforts, Red Heart is partnering with the nonprofit organizations to directly affect the lives of those who experience devastation and catastrophe. As an American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program member, Red Heart is donating $250,000 this year to support Red Cross societies in the United States, Canada and Mexico. These dollars help provide emergency shelter, water, food, first aid and other vital disaster relief services. Said Alyson Bell, vice president of marketing for Red Heart the brand voted Americas most recommended yarn brand in 2015 and 2016 by the Womens Choice Award, Red Heart has woven its way into homes for 80 years, creating a beautifully rich history and inspiring joy in every knitter or crocheter. Red Cross roots run even deeper, responding in times of crisis when it was needed most. Were proud to collaborate with this worthwhile organization and show our Red Heart customers how they can turn their handiwork into good works. As part of the campaign which launches in early 2016 Red Heart and Red Cross will ask consumers to #StitchAHug for someone in need. Whether crafting a Red Heart Cares Blanket for a disaster victim or as a gift to an individual in need of comfort, both organizations offer this call-to-action in the year ahead. The American Red Cross relies on the generosity of our volunteers, donors and partners to fulfill our lifesaving mission, said American Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern. Thanks to the support of Red Heart and other Disaster Responder Program members, the Red Cross can immediately respond to the needs of people affected by disasters whenever and wherever they strike. Annually, the Red Cross spends approximately $330 million to aid communities impacted by nearly 70,000 domestic disasters. Globally, an additional $45 million assists those affects by disasters and humanitarian crises. Knitters and crocheters are a considerably charitable group, added Bell, noting a statistic that six-in-ten created a project for charity in 2014. Our Red Heart consumers love the joy of making and the joy of giving, creating something special, handmade and long-lasting. We aim to unite these artistically-gifted, generous consumers with Red Cross and prepare now to bring hope to victims of tragedies that unfortunately lie ahead. ### About Red Heart Red Heart is proud to be Americas favorite yarn and one of the most trusted brands in yarn. For over 75 years, more people have chosen to make their heirlooms using Red Heart than any other yarn. Red Heart yarns stand for quality, largest color selection, fashion and above all else, crafted with love. Whatever your creativity calls for, youll find it in the Red Heart family. Explore our free patterns and vast yarn selection for every level of knitter or crocheter they have a little bit of love woven into every strand. http://www.redheart.com About the American Red Cross The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross. It is a great honor for us to be afforded the opportunity to serve a broad spectrum of DHS customers including the USCG, with their most critical priorities. Sevatec, Inc. (Sevatec), a leading provider of Agile software, data, and cyber engineering solutions for the federal government, announced today that it was awarded a prime contract to provide Web Technology support services for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Intelligence Coordination Center (ICC). Awarded under Sevatecs DHS EAGLE II contract, this program includes a one-year base period and four one-year option periods. Under the scope of this contract, Sevatec will provide on-site support to administer, maintain, and manage intelligence content and products on ICC websites supporting classified and unclassified networks. In addition to sharing information through various websites aimed at protecting American interests, Sevatec will be responsible for implementing the technology strategy to support critical information outreach to the intelligence community. It is a great honor for us to be afforded the opportunity to serve a broad spectrum of DHS customers including the USCG, with their most critical priorities, says Sonny Kakar, CEO of Sevatec. For the USCG specifically, we will leverage our deep experience executing the most secure and technically advanced web strategies and information sharing solutions to ensure the secure and appropriate dissemination of USCGs intelligence information to the intelligence community and various other stakeholders. The ICC is the USCGs National Level Coordinator for intelligence, and is responsible for providing pertinent information to operational decision makers within the USCG, the DHS, Department of Defense (DoD) Combatant Commanders, and other intelligence services and agencies. Sevatec and its trusted subcontractor, BAE Systems, will utilize their significant past performance successes developing and maintaining custom web technology solutions to support the dissemination of critical intelligence information for the USCG. About Sevatec Sevatec is a high-technology services firm specializing in Agile, data sciences, cyber engineering, and cloud solutions, leveraging experience and trusted talent to solve the federal governments most pressing business and technical challenges. Sevatec has achieved CMMI Maturity Level 3 ratings for both Development (DEV) and Services (SVC) and maintains ISO 9001:2008, 20000-1:2011, and 27001:2013 certifications. In practice, Sevatec optimizes current industry best practices and incorporates Agile principles to accelerate performance and outcomes for their clients. Sevatec was founded in 2003 on the concept of Seva, which means, Inspired to Serve. The mission, Trusted Talent, Inspired to Serve, Partnered with Government, to Protect and Improve the Lives of Americans, captures the essence of the firms culture. Their portfolio of mission-critical technology and consulting initiatives across the federal government supports Homeland and Law Enforcement Agencies, Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, Department of State, and multiple Civilian Departments and Agencies. Introducing Horizon Symmetry Collection Decking, a breakthrough deck board that demonstrates once again why Fiberon is the leader in composite decking innovation. Already earning rave reviews, this exciting new collection offers the most natural look, feel, and color palette available today, balanced with Fiberons time-tested durability and performance. Fiberon will debut the new line at the 2016 NAHB International Builders Show, held January 19-21 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Drawing upon years of consumer insight and composite decking know-how, Fiberon created a unique low-gloss formulation and micro-texturing process to give the boards an elegant matte finish. Fluid, gently curving wood grain patterns and multi-tonal colors add further depth and dimension. The result is a subtle yet striking beauty reminiscent of exotic hardwoods. Taking its inspiration from natural elements and pigments, the understated earthy color palette is equally impressive. There are three outstanding color options: Warm Sienna, a rich golden brown; Cinnabar, a deep red; and Burnt Umber, a dark brown with reddish undertones. As the name Symmetry implies, the boards balance this natural beauty with engineered durability. PermaTech, Fiberons rugged cap layer, covers all four sides to ensure lasting protection against fading, staining, and decay. Horizon Symmetry Collection wont crack, splinter, or warp; requires minimal maintenance; and is backed by an industry-leading 25-year warranty. Whats more, the decking is reversible, making it ideal for applications that feature both sides of the board. Grooved and square-edge profiles are available to accommodate hidden fasteners or face-fastening systems. Matching fascia and risers are also available. The Horizon Symmetry Collection sets a bold new standard in luxury composite decking, notes Vice President of Marketing Shellie Sellards. The sophisticated color palette and refined finish appeal to the aesthetic sensibilities of todays design-savvy homeowners. Add in the easy maintenance and lasting durability, and its little wonder this new product line has been met with so much enthusiasm and excitement. The Board of Trustees of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) is pleased to announce the 2016 Gold Medal Award recipients are Joao A.C. Lima, MD, MBA, Professor of Medicine, Radiology and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University and Eike Nagel, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Experimental and Translational Cardiovascular Imaging, DZHK Centre for Cardiovascular Imaging, at Goethe University Frankfurt. The award is presented annually by the SCMR for outstanding achievement in the field of CMR as well as exemplary service to the Society. Dr. Lima is very well known to the field of CMR, as a leader over the past 25 years. He has a strong history of service to the SCMR, beginning with the very first organizational meeting hosted by Gerald Pohost, extending through his service on the SCMR Board of Trustees, and including his tireless attendance and presentations at most if not all of the SCMRs scientific sessions. Dr. Lima has been a major contributor to the field. In particular among his research contributions over the past two and half decades, marked by nearly 160 peer-reviewed papers, those on myocardial function, late gadolinium enhancement, LV contractile function, and delayed enhancement imaging and his many contributions from the 10-year, 7,000-patient Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) study have been central to advances in our field. This landmark epidemiology study has published over 1,000 papers over the past 15 years. The CMR data has been the component of that study which has produced the most publications of any single sub-unit within MESA. In addition, Dr. Lima has authored 39 highlevel editorials and guidelines directly related to CMR. Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Lima has helped mentor and guide numerous others in the field. Dr. Nagel has been deeply involved in SCMR for over two decades, including serving as President from 2008-2009. He has also been instrumental in furthering CMR recognition by holding leadership positions within the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology, British Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, German Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, and as a Founding Member of the Asian Society for Cardiovascular Imaging. From a scientific perspective, Dr. Nagel has been a distinguished leader bringing recognition of the clinical applications of CMR across the spectrum of disease entities including left ventricular remodeling, viability, atherosclerosis, quantitative myocardial perfusion, and dobutamine stress ischemia CMR. Most recently, Dr. Nagel has been the Global Chief Investigator of MR-INFORM, a large international randomized controlled outcome study assessing whether patients with stable chest pain can be guided noninvasively by CMR perfusion rather than invasive angiography supported by fractional flow reserve. These efforts have been critical in elevating CMRs diagnostic and prognostic role. Finally, Dr.Nagel has also been at the forefront of training/mentoring a large number of CMR clinician researchers, as well as establishing multiple training programs throughout the world. It should be noted that many of his trainees have gone on to establish highly productive and widely recognized CMR centers of their own. The SCMR is honored to recognize both individuals for their invaluable contributions to CMR and to the Society. Each has contributed in their own way, but all have made an indelible mark on the field deserving of the highest recognition. About the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance The Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) is the leading international representative and advocate for all physicians, scientists, and technologists working in CMR to improve patient outcomes through excellence in education, training, standards, research and development. To learn more visit scmr.org. ### Today, Invoiceware International, the leader in Latin American e-invoicing and fiscal reporting compliance, announced that Oneida Limited has selected its electronic accounting solution to simplify compliance with Mexicos eContabilidad requirements. In order to minimize audit risks, Oneida Limited turned to Invoiceware International for e-accounting that easily integrates into its existing SAP ERP system at a fixed cost for complete compliance in Mexico. In 2015 the SAT, Mexicos tax authority, imposed new eContabilidad legislation requiring companies to submit their chart of accounts, trial balances and journal entries electronically to the government on a monthly basis. As business-to-government financial regulations become increasingly more complex across Latin America, Oneida Limited selected Invoiceware International in order to automate its electronic accounting process. With this automation, Oneida Limited eliminates the need for manual reports that can easily result in mistakes and audits, and avoids ongoing change management to its native ERP system as the legislation changes. Under eContabilidad, any inaccuracies or errors in the required tax reports can result in fines, audits or the SAT withholding VAT tax refunds. One of the worlds largest designers and sellers of cutlery and tableware for consumers and the foodservice industry, Oneida Limited minimizes these risks with Invoiceware Internationals eContabilidad solution. In addition to simplified compliance with new government legislation, Oneida Limited will also benefit from added transparency, allowing users to easily track and monitor fiscal reports within its corporate SAP system. Mexico has legislated significant changes this year, and companies must be prepared for these new process requirements that are quickly becoming standardized across Latin America, said Scott Lewin, president & CEO, Invoiceware International. It is our goal to make these complex changes as seamless as possible for our global enterprise clients, which is why our solution provides native management consoles directly within their corporate accounting systems. Our regional Compliance as a Service platform provides clients like Oneida Limited comfort in knowing they no longer have to dedicate time and additional costs to effectively manage fiscal compliance. For more information about the latest e-invoicing and fiscal reporting requirements in Mexico, download a checklist of SAT Mandates for 2016 here. ### About Invoiceware International Invoiceware International is the leader in Latin American electronic invoicing and fiscal reporting, providing solutions and services that reduce the risk and cost of maintaining compliance across the region for the worlds largest companies, including Philips, Kellogg, DuPont and Siemens. Its proprietary Compliance Network, a hybrid cloud platform, delivers financial and supply chain managers the regulatory processes that they need while eliminating ERP configurations and customizations for IT staff. A single connection to the network simplifies the mandates, implementation and ongoing change management associated with regulations in Latin America, including Brazil Nota Fiscal, Mexico CFDI, Argentina AFIP, Chilean DTE, Uruguay, Peru and Ecuador. Learn more at Invoicewareint.com and by following @InvoicewareInt. Lucas Group Lucas Group is focused on developing and retaining outstanding recruiters who provide exceptional service for our clients and candidates. At its recent Annual Sales Meeting in Dallas, national executive recruiting firm Lucas Group recognized anniversary milestones for 17 accomplished Associates. Ranging from 10 to 30 years with the company, the honored group is comprised of highly successful and impactful professionals. Serving a variety of markets and functional specialties, these recruitment experts have made considerable contributionswithin Lucas Group and across the industry. Lucas Group is focused on developing and retaining outstanding recruiters who provide exceptional service for our clients and candidates, said Andi Jennings, President and CEO of Lucas Group. Over the past 40 years, we have built experienced, accomplished recruiting teams, and these 17 people greatly contributed to that success. Their anniversary milestones are testaments to our positive company culture as well as our commitment to ongoing professional development and career growth opportunities. Service anniversaries were recognized for the following Lucas Group Associates: 30 Years with Lucas Group: Tom McGeeGeneral Manager, Sales & Marketing Atlanta 25 Years with Lucas Group: Rich StarkExecutive Senior Partner, Accounting & Finance Houston Nancy SimonExecutive Senior Partner, Sales & Marketing Atlanta 15 Years with Lucas Group: Jim LoseManaging Partner, Military Transition Washington, DC John CaputoExecutive Senior Partner, Military Transition Irvine Victoria WesterfieldExecutive Senior Partner, Accounting & Finance Dallas Kathy HewettAdministrative Assistant, Military Transition - Irvine 10 Years with Lucas Group: Reg duDomaineSenior Partner, Sales & Marketing Atlanta Christopher RowlandSenior Partner, Accounting & Finance Phoenix Don WylieManaging Partner, Accounting & Finance Dallas Melisa HarrisAdministrative Assistant, Sales & Marketing - Irvine Jim ThompsonExecutive Senior Partner, Sales & Marketing Atlanta Ahmad PopalyarExecutive Senior Partner, Accounting & Finance Chicago Marc WallSenior Partner, Military Transition Atlanta Nancy NealSenior Partner, Sales & Marketing Atlanta Dan McCallManaging Partner, Military Transition Dallas As a recruitment firm, our company success is directly linked to the efforts and achievements of our Associates. Time and again, these high-performing professionals have demonstrated their expertise, and we look forward to their continued success at Lucas Group, said Jennings. Working with Fortune 500 to mid-tier companies, Lucas Group executive recruiters source top talent for key business functionalities, including Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Sales & Marketing, Manufacturing and Military Transition. With offices throughout the U.S., the firm delivers genuine business value via broad, national reach combined with expert, localized search and placement services. About Lucas Group Lucas Group is North Americas premier executive search firm. Since 1970, our culture and methodologies have driven superior results. We assist clients ranging in size from small to medium-sized businesses to Fortune 500 companies find transcendent, executive talent; candidates fully realize their ambitions; and associates find professional success. To learn more, please visit Lucas Group at http://www.lucasgroup.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Vistronix Intelligence & Technology Solutions, a software developer and solutions innovator solving complex data challenges, is pleased to announce that David Lee has joined the company as President, Intelligence & Digital Data. In this role, Mr. Lee supports Vistronixs strategic vision, inter-company integration, and advanced technology programs as the company delivers analytic solutions across intelligence and law enforcement agencies in Northern Virginia and the Washington Metropolitan Area. Building upon our Executive Leadership Team is a key element of our growth strategy and we are pleased that David Lee has joined our team to lead our DC and Northern Virginia intelligence and law enforcement agencies business. Davids leadership and extensive expertise of multiple national security mission areas raises our game to a whole new level, said John Hassoun, CEO and President, Vistronix. Prior to joining Vistronix, Mr. Lee was Vice President, Strategy & Operations with Noblis NSP. Before Noblis, he was Chief Operating Officer with National Security Partners (NSP). In 2005, Mr. Lee founded LMN Solutions, a firm specializing in mission-essential software engineering and data analytics. Mr. Lee served as the Chief Executive Officer through 2012. "I'm honored to be part of the Vistronix team and am excited to share my experience and relationships across the defense, commercial and intelligence markets. Vistronix is committed to mission excellence, people, and technology - the foundations for success in critical times, said David Lee. Mr. Lee holds a Bachelors in Finance degree from James Madison University, a Master of Science degree in Information Systems/Telecommunications from The Johns Hopkins University, and an Executive Certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Management & Leadership. About Vistronix Intelligence & Technology Solutions Vistronix Intelligence & Technology Solutions is a software developer and solutions innovator solving complex data challenges. With core capabilities in Advanced Analytics, Signals Processing, Cloud Computing, and Large-Scale Data Management, we design, develop, and deliver software and solutions to collect, ingest, process, analyze and present large and complex data for critical mission sets of national significance. Our expertise is in the mission areas of Cyber & SIGINT Processing, OSINT & Media Exploitation, ISR, and Enterprise-Class Analytics as we help Intelligence Community, National Security, and Federal agencies exploit data to identify trends, make better decisions, and accomplish their critical mission objectives. For more information, visit http://www.vistronix.com. North American Title Insurance Co. adds Godale as new graphic designer/media production specialist Marks creativity, illustration expertise, ability to originate and maintain branding standards, and consultative approach to marketing programs will benefit NATIC and the agents we serve. Mark Godale has joined North American Title Insurance Co. (NATIC) as its graphic designer and media production specialist. His background over the past 17 years has been in developing multimedia marketing campaigns and helping clients achieve their brand vision. Mark is accustomed to developing cutting-edge marketing programs for high-profile clients such as KeyBank, John Deere and Adidas, and we are excited to have such a talented designer and production professional join our staff, said Kelly McCarel, director of marketing and educational programs, NATIC. Marks creativity, illustration expertise, ability to originate and maintain branding standards, and consultative approach to marketing programs will benefit NATIC and the agents we serve. Godale most recently worked as an art director for Geometry Global and Bradley Reid + Associates and spent 14 years as art director at The Adcom Group. His portfolio of clients also includes the Cleveland Clinic, Cliff Natural Resources, Alaska Tourism and ConocoPhillips. He holds a bachelor in fine arts in graphic design from The University of Akron. With Marks expertise and skillset, added McCarel, NATIC will continue to expand its marketing and educational programs to enhance its relationship with agents, and will further advance the way we deliver messages and programs to them. Godale is located at the NATIC office at 7550 Lucerne Drive, Suite 401, Middleburg Heights, OH 44130, telephone number (440) 891-6820. About North American Title Insurance Co. (NATIC) North American Title Insurance Co. (NATIC) is a seasoned title insurance underwriter, helping title agents to achieve the goal of true business success for over 50 years. NATIC conducts real estate settlement services in 39 states and the District of Columbia. NATIC earned the reputation as the underwriter next door, because their decision makers and associates are easy to reach and their processes are quick and straight forward. The NATIC agency application process is fast and transparent for qualified agents. NATIC has a one-hour underwriting response guarantee that is unparalleled in the industry. NATIC is the largest capitalized company in Peer Group 2, which groups companies with capitalization between $25 million and $100 million as determined by Kroll Bond Rating Agency, Inc. NATIC is ranked 7th by The Performance of the Title Insurance Underwriters in terms of cash or cash equivalents. North American Title Insurance Co. maintains over $84 million* in cash or invested assets. This represents over 92 percent of the companys assets and is characteristic of the most important attribute to title protection, namely, financial responsibility. *As of 12/31/2014. Demotech, Inc. awarded NATIC a rating of: A' (A Prime) Unsurpassed. A.M Best rated B++ (Good). NATIC is headquartered in Miami, Florida. To learn more, visit http://www.natic.com. We are in need of funding to provide the meals as well as volunteer teams to serve them, and this corporate team building effort answers those needs. Evas Village, New Jerseys most comprehensive anti-poverty organization, will welcome a volunteer team from the School of Management at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY on January 21st to serve the noon meal in its kitchen program. Founded in 1929, Marist's 210-acre campus overlooks the Hudson River in the heart of the historic Hudson Valley, midway between New York City and Albany, the state capital. Marist College follows in the tradition of great institutions like Harvard University and the College of William and Mary that were founded as seminaries and developed into independent academies of higher learning. Consistent with the Marist College Mission, the sense of community and the sense of service to others are important. As a New Jersey resident, I am looking forward to learning more about my community through my volunteer work at Evas Village, stated Michael Bertelle, Junior at Marist College. The Fund-A-Meal program provides the opportunity for volunteer teams to sponsor a meal in Evas Community Kitchen and to serve the meal on the day of their sponsorship. In 2011, we expanded our kitchen to accommodate the overwhelming numbers of people coming for a hot meal each day, commented Heather Thompson, Director of Development. We are in need of funding to provide the meals as well as volunteer teams to serve them, and this corporate team building effort answers those needs. Evas Village strives to feed a hot lunch to all that come to their door each day (365 days/year), serving more than 140,000 lunches per year. The Community Kitchen program at Evas Village has experienced a 27% increase since 2007, serving more than 350 people a day. Fund-A-Meal sponsorships directly help to offset the costs of providing over 350 meals each day. Fund-A-Meal sponsors receive various benefits including signage in the Community Kitchen, visibility on Evas social network sites, press releases and honorable mention in our newsletter. About Evas Village Founded by Msgr. Vincent E. Puma in 1982 as a response to the poor and homeless in Paterson, NJ, Evas Village is a non-profit comprehensive social service organization with a mission to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, treat the addicted and provide free medical and dental care to the poor. Through almost three decades of service, Evas Village has established a unique record in facing community challenges and changing the lives of the hungry, homeless and addicted. It has grown from a simple soup kitchen to become the most respected anti-poverty program in New Jersey. Evas Village now includes twenty integrated programs. About Marist College Marist College is dedicated to helping students develop the intellect and character required for enlightened, ethical, and productive lives in the global community of the 21st century. What started as a school for the training of future Marist Brothers has developed into one of the leading colleges of the arts and sciences in the nation. Marist is ecumenical in character and reflects the ideals of the founder of the Marist Brothers, St. Marcellin Champagnat: commitment to excellence in education, a pursuit of higher human values, and dedication to the principle of service. For more information on the Fund-A- Meal Program, contact Jason Patterson, Government & Community Relations Specialist at (973) 523-6220 Ext. 226 or Jason(dot)Patterson(at)evasvillage(dot)org. Wireless 20/20, LLC (http://www.wireless2020.com), a leading broadband wireless research and consulting group and the developer of the industry-leading WiROI Business Case Analysis Tool, announced today that Mr. Fred Campbell has joined Wireless 20/20 as a Senior Policy Advisor. Fred has over 15 years of experience developing innovative approaches to public policy in the communications and information technology sectors for private clients, non-profit organizations and government officials. Campbell was responsible for spectrum and wireless policy in the US while serving as Chief of the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and as wireless advisor to former FCC chairman Kevin Martin. Under his oversight, the FCC conducted two of the largest and most successful wireless spectrum auctions in its history, raising over $32 billion and supporting the industry evolution to 4G LTE. "We are very pleased to have Fred join Wireless 20/20. His regulatory and consulting experience is highly complementary to our team," commented Haig Sarkissian, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant of Wireless 20/20. "Given his background as a regulatory attorney and policy advisor, Fred will join our team of experts focused on the efficient use of spectrum as a valuable resource in the wireless and telecom industry. Wireless 20/20 team has assembled a team of senior consultants to assist MNOs and other investor groups preparing to bid in the 600 MHz auction. The Wireless 20/20 team has also developed a suite of software tools used in multiple large-scale spectrum auctions in North America, helping MNO clients secure 700MHz, AWS, and BRS spectrum through both SMRA and CCR auctions. Campbell has also advised government officials on spectrum and Internet policy in Mexico and Panama and served as an expert on the 2.5 GHz spectrum advisory committee of the Indian government. His areas of policy expertise include spectrum, mobile wireless, satellite, Internet, telephony, cable, broadcast, privacy, regulatory organization and free expression issues. He frequently speaks at major events, appears on television and radio shows, and publishes articles and editorials in well-known journals and newspapers, including Fox News, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Forbes and the Atlantic. Campbell is currently the Director of the Center for Boundless Innovation in Technology and an adjunct professor in the Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law LL.M program at the University of Nebraska College of Law, where he also serves as an inaugural member of the programs advisory board. Mr. Campbell was formerly a Fellow and Director of the Communications Liberty and Innovation Project at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and President and CEO of the Wireless Communications Association International. Campbell earned a Diploma in Modern Standard Arabic at the Defense Language Institute, a B.A. from Excelsior College, and a J.D. with high distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law. "I have enjoyed my work in government and working with a wide range of private and public sector clients to promote innovation, free markets, fair competition and infrastructure investment," commented Campbell. "Now I look forward to being part of the Wireless 20/20 team as the lead policy and regulatory advisor, leveraging the award-winning WiROI Business Case Analysis Tool to provide mobile operators with comprehensive spectrum support services ranging from valuation, auction strategy, war room simulations, bid tracking and competitive auction bidder prediction. About Wireless 20/20, LLC Wireless 20/20 is an independent market research and consulting company focused solely on the broadband wireless market. Wireless 20/20 has helped over 100 broadband wireless operators around the world build business case, analyze market opportunities, complete technology and vendor selection, and develop network roll out strategies. Our principals have been engaged in the wireless industry since its inception and have a thorough understanding of the technical, business and product issues surrounding the development of wireless devices, equipment, networks and services. For more information, visit: http://www.wireless2020.com. Brands need a full view of the audience's experience through the scope of stories consumedonly then, will marketers succeed in creating a content marketing program that motivates audiences to take action. Today, Skyword announced the launch of Skyword Analytics + GA, a new integration in its content marketing software that combines data from Google Analytics service with the storytelling metrics native to Skyword's platform. With this integration, Skyword gives its customers a holistic view of the health of their content and enables both marketers and publishers to optimize the quality of the stories they publish. Through this streamlined intelligence, users are better positioned to create content that will grow the brand's audience and loyal base of customers. Measuring the value of content is a challenge for both marketers and media companies. It requires a broad scope of metrics from disparate publishing platforms and analytics packages to gain audience insights and understand the impact that storytelling brings to the business. With the launch of Skyword Analytics + GA, the Skyword Platform now provides a simplified view of a story's performance by combining channel, referral, engagement, and goal conversion metrics from Google Analytics with story and storyteller performance data from the Skyword Platform. Skyword Analytics + GA empowers traditional and brand publishers to determine the impact that stories have on audience development measured by increased readership, lead generation, subscriber growth, and revenue attribution. Where traditional reporting is limited to page-level metrics, Skyword Analytics + GA roll-up reporting is based on predetermined conversion goals, and allows marketers to determine which contributors are most effective at engaging withand driving action fromrelevant audiences. "The integrated view of Skyword metrics and Google Analytics takes a lot of the heavy lifting out of sourcing metrics that influence our audience development strategy," said Lauryn McLaughlin, Senior Manager of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, a Skyword client. "It gives our team a real picture of how our articles resonate with our readers, and allows us to report on the value that our stories create in the form of increased readership, shares comments, and subscriptions." Skyword Analytics + GA gives publishers the ability to craft specific narratives around the performance of their storytelling strategy, and customize to an audience segment or specific business goal. Now, Skyword's customers can monitor which stories draw in new audiences, and which stories motivate a deeper level of customer engagement. "Analyzing the success and impact of brand storytelling programs requires an extensive, layered set of data points," said Tom Gerace, CEO and founder of Skyword. "Brands need a full view of the audience's experience through the scope of stories consumedonly then will marketers succeed in creating stories that motivate audiences to take action." About Skyword Skyword moves marketing leaders and those who create content for them forward. By embracing a sustainable, scalable approach to original storytelling, Skyword liberates brands from ineffective marketing practices and inspires them to create deeper connections with their audiences. The Skyword Platform makes it easy to produce, optimize, and promote content at any scale to create meaningful, lasting relationships. Skyword also provides access to a community of thousands of freelance writers and videographers, an editorial team, and program managers who help move clients' content marketing programs to new levels of creative excellence. Skyword is a privately held company headquartered in Boston, Mass., with offices in Miami, Fla., Palo Alto, Calif., and New York, N.Y. The company's technology center is located in Pittsburgh, Pa. Investors include Cox Media Group, Allen & Company, Progress Ventures, and American Public Media Group. Connect with Skyword Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skyword Twitter: @Skyword LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skyword-inc- The Content Standard: http://www.contentstandard.com/ TelStrat We are delighted Engage WFO is recognized with this prestigious award. At TelStrat we care passionately about helping customers meet challenges for compliance recording and workforce optimization. TelStrat International, Ltd. announced today that TMC, a global, integrated media company, has named Engage WFO as a 2016 CUSTOMER Product of the Year Award winner. Engage WFO is a complete software solution for customer call recording and workforce optimization in contact centers of every size. It provides tools for service quality assurance, agent performance improvement and workforce management, as well as analytics and reporting. Engage WFO improves customer experience and satisfaction while containing costs and increasing productivity to drive business success. "We are delighted Engage WFO is recognized with this prestigious award. At TelStrat we care passionately about helping customers meet challenges for compliance recording and workforce optimization," said TelStrat CEO Bob Carroll. "The advanced capabilities in Engage WFO Release 5 underscore our responsiveness to adding value and advantage through innovation." The 2016 CUSTOMER Product of the Year Award recognizes vendors that are advancing the call center, CRM and teleservices industries one solution at a time. The award highlights products which enable their clients to meet and exceed the expectations of their customers. On behalf of both TMC and CUSTOMER magazine, it is my pleasure to honor TelStrat International with a 2016 Product of the Year Award, said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. Its Engage WFO solution has proven deserving of this elite status and I look forward to continued innovation from TelStrat in 2016 and beyond. The 18th Annual Product of the Year Award winners will be published in the 2016 January/February issue of CUSTOMER magazine. About TelStrat International Ltd TelStrat develops comprehensive call recording and workforce optimization (WFO) solutions. Engage WFO features award-winning technology for capturing customer interaction, knowledge-mining call content, maximizing agent performance, and streamlining workforce management. Over two decades of experience, more than 3,000 customers and hundreds of thousands of users worldwide attest to TelStrats unwavering dedication to customer service and support. TelStrat offers Engage WFO through a global network of over 330 reseller partners, including some of the most prominent names in telecommunications. http://www.telstrat.com TMCs CUSTOMER Magazine TMCs CUSTOMER magazine premiered in September 2012 and is the industrys new, definitive source for news, product information, and strategies for communications that engage customers and potential customers. Each issue of CUSTOMER includes news and insights on the latest developments in agent training, analytics, ERP, IVR, social CRM solutions, mobile apps, workforce management and more. Please visit http://customer.tmcnet.com for more information. About TMC Global buyers rely on TMCs content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. This presents branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities for vendors/sellers. TMCs Marketplaces: Unique, turnkey Online Communities boost search results, establish market validation, elevate brands and thought leadership, while minimizing ad-blocking. Custom Lead Programs uncover sales opportunities and build databases. In-Person and Online Events boost brands, enhance thought leadership and generate leads. Publications, Display Advertising and Newsletters bolster brand reputations. Custom Content provides expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts. Comprehensive Event and Road Show Management Services help companies meet potential clients and generate leads face-to-face. For more information about TMC and to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals, please visit http://www.tmcnet.com. Stephanie Palmeri and Andy McLoughlin of SoftTech VC Its been a pleasure working with Stephanie and Andy, and I am proud to now call them my Partners said Jeff Clavier, Founder and Managing Partner of SoftTech VC. SoftTech VC, a leading early stage venture capital firm investing in B2B/Saas, Marketplaces, Connected Devices and B2C startups, has promoted two of its senior investment staff to Partners. Stephanie Palmeri joined SoftTech VC in 2011 as Senior Associate after receiving her MBA from Columbia Business School. She was promoted to Principal a year later and has been spearheading SoftTechs investments in Marketplaces, Consumer Services, Education Technology and Digital Health. Shes also responsible for leading investments on the East Coast. Over the last five years, Palmeri sponsored 18 investments and sourced several more - including Niche (acquired by Twitter in 2014), ClassDojo and Grovo. It's been a phenomenal journey leaving New York City after a decade and arriving wth two suitcases in Silicon Valley and serendipitously SoftTech's doorstep," Palmeri reflected. "I'm incredibly proud to have been a part of SoftTech's evolution over the past five years. And I'm extremely excited to join Jeff [Clavier] as a Partner and continue to invest in and support some of the worlds most impactful founders and technology companies, she added. Andy McLoughlin joined SoftTech VC in 2015 as Venture Partner, after co-founding London-based Huddle in 2006. He had moved to San Francisco in 2010 to open Huddles US office and started angel investing at the same time. McLoughlin made 36 angel investments including Postmates, Intercom, Pipedrive, Bugsnag and Secret Escapes until he left Huddle. At SoftTech, McLoughlin sponsored and sourced a number of deals - including OnboardIQ and LaunchDarkly. It was a huge honor to join the team in 2015 and Ive loved every minute of working alongside Stephanie and Jeff, said McLoughlin. SoftTech VCs portfolio is absolutely first rate and Im excited to continue finding, investing in and supporting incredible entrepreneurs. Its been a pleasure working with Stephanie and Andy, and I am proud to now call them my Partners, said Jeff Clavier, Founder and Managing Partner of SoftTech VC. Stephanie has developed all the facets of a successful investor in the last five years, and contributed hugely to the SoftTech family and the broader ecosystem. Andy is one of the go-to early stage Saas investors in the Valley, and he has successfully made the transition from active Angel to VC. SoftTech VC has invested in over 170 companies since its founding in 2004 and started investing its fourth fund, the $85M SoftTech VC IV, in 2013. In 2015, the fund has invested in 13 companies, existing SoftTech portfolio companies raised in aggregate $500 million in follow-on financing and the firm had its first portfolio company go public in 2015 [FIT:NYSE]. SoftTech's key sectors are Software As A Service (SaaS) including mobile infrastructure and services, vertical SaaS and cloud infrastructure, B2C services and connected devices, and marketplaces. About SoftTech VC: SoftTech VC is one of the original micro VC firms, founded in 2004 and backing over 170 early stage startups. Based in Palo Alto and San Francisco, the firm manages three institutionally backed funds and invests in Silicon Valley, New York, Southern California, Boulder and Canada. SoftTech VC is among the most active investors in early stage B2B/Saas, marketplaces, connected devices and consumer Internet startups, consistently investing in 15 new opportunities a year. We seek great entrepreneurs, building differentiated products in large markets. More information available at http://www.softtechvc.com or follow us on twitter @softtechvc. ### AEC, Inc. announced today a joint venture with Absolute Data Group (ADG) to offer technical document creation and the emergence of new software, services and standards to best manage critical technical content in the aerospace, defense and transport industries. The joint venture, called OneStrand, combines the global resources of the two companies, becoming a full-service company focused on each step involved with the creation and use of technical data. This includes the lifecycle management of technical data from initial creation to archiving, allowing for continued focus on the core competencies of both AEC and ADG. AEC will continue to develop its world class documentation services, while ADG will continue to deliver innovative S1000D software applications that redefine information management, said Tammy Halter, founder of ADG. OneStrand brings to the market a combination of software solutions development and a service provider, all under one roof, said Ernie Brache, founder of AEC. We understand technical publication and we understand software. Its a winning combination of two respected companies. To leverage the global reach of both operational capabilities and facilities, OneStrand will be headquartered in Portland, Oregon, but will have a combination of operations and software development locations in Brisbane, Australia; Sandy, Oregon; San Jose, Costa Rica and Hamburg, Germany. This joint venture combines the diverse, yet complementary experience and offerings of AEC and ADG, said Thomas Kuhn of Lufthansa Technik. Both companies have become trusted insiders in the industry, and this venture creates maximum benefits for all stakeholders. About AEC Inc. AEC Inc., headquartered in Sandy, Oregon, was founded in 1984. AEC employs more than 100 aerospace technical information professionals and is recognized worldwide as an industry leader for technical documentation and information management. About Absolute Data Group (ADG) Absolute Data Group (ADG) is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia and was founded in 1997 as an SGML consulting business. Today ADG is recognized worldwide for its innovative and user-friendly S1000D software suite. "A truly unmissable short that's both touching and honest." - The New Current Magazine The award winning film, "Pretty Boy", is a coming of age story about a young, bullied teen (Sean) struggling with his sexuality and the hardships of high school. Sean's father (John) takes him to a motel and rents him a prostitute (Katie) for his 18th birthday. When faced with the prospect of 'fixing' his sexuality, Sean must confront his fears and true self, head on. Throughout the night, these unlikely two; the pretty boy and the prostitute, will find the support and strength for which they have been searching. The film stars Nick Eversman (Wild, The DUFF), Rebekah Tripp (Break a Hip), and Jon Briddell (Secrets and Lies, Necessary Rougness). These three actors not only bring their talent to the screen, they also deliver a universal message of acceptance like no other film thus far. "Pretty Boy" has toured around the world from Los Angeles, California to Sydney, Australia in over 40 film festivals, winning 25 awards including Best Actor (Nick Eversman), Best Actress (Rebekah Tripp), Best Film, Best Drama, Best Screenplay, Best LGBT, Best Original Score (Lillard Anthony), Festival Favorite, and numerous Audience awards. Cameron Thrower (Writer/Director) states, "I wanted to make a film that I needed to see when I was 17. "Pretty Boy" is that film. This film is a journey of discovery that examines a complex social dilemma that continues to plague our society. This film is meant to inspire our youth to follow their hearts, to seek out their true family if... the family they were born into isn't the family they're meant to be with. I'm confident "Pretty Boy" has the potential to reach an audience that will embrace it's message and feel empowered to be true to themselves." LINK TO VOD: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/prettyboy OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.prettyboymovie.com SOICAL MEDIA: https://www.facebook.com/prettyboythemovie https://twitter.com/PrettyBoy_Movie https://www.instagram.com/prettyboymovie/ Eric Banks, Gilbane Environmental Eric's past work experience fits perfectly with our current backlog of work and future growth plans for this business unit." Matt Tierney, Senior Vice President, Gilbane Building Company, Gilbane Building Company welcomes Eric Banks as Vice President of Gilbane Environmental and Ordinance Services. He brings over 30 years of experience in the management and marketing of engineering operations and construction services across several industries including environmental, oil and gas, mining, and energy. Mr. Banks brings a range of perspectives on environmental programs through his many years in leadership working in various market sectors. Prior to joining Gilbane, he served as Environmental Director for ECC, and Senior Program Manager for Jacobs Engineering. He has managed over $1B of programs and projects for the Department of Defense, including NAVFAC CLEAN, USACE TERC, and AFCEC RACs, Uranium Mine remediation for Department of Energy, and radiological remediation for private industry. We are very excited to have Eric join the Gilbane Environmental and Ordinance team, says Matt Tierney, Senior Vice President, Gilbane Building Company, his past work experience fits perfectly with our current backlog of work and future growth plans for this Business Unit. Mr. Banks holds a Master of Science degree in Geotechnical/Geological Engineering from University of Nevada, Reno as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Environmental Science from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers, as well as the National Society of Professional Engineers. Logo With BLUE Professional, companies developing packaging and marketing materials can get up and running and realize cost savings in mere days. BLUE Software, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of BLUE, the leading Brand Lifecycle Management (BLM) platform, announced today a Professional version for mid-size companies wishing to gain the benefits of BLUE in an out-of-the-box manner with affordable, monthly subscription pricing. With BLUE Professional, companies developing packaging and marketing materials can get up and running and realize cost savings in mere days. For these new users, BLUE offers the ability to begin routing and approving packaging and marketing materials without the cost of configuration for their specific workflow. Until now, a right-size software option that can grow and mature with a company simply hasnt been available. There has been opening price point software, which companies may adopt, but quickly outgrow because it lacks deep capabilities, reliability and scalability. explained Stephen Kaufman, BLUEs Chief Product Officer. Kaufman continued: But now were offering, for the first time ever, an option that you cannot outgrow. Companies can subscribe to some of BLUEs enterprise-level software capabilities at a quick-start price, then upgrade seamlessly at their own speed without the need for costly migration later. Jeremy Bjork, Chief Marketing Officer at Wise Foods, remarked: I had used BLUE at a large consumer products company and at a small nutrition company in the past and wanted to put my new team on BLUE right away when I joined Wise Foods because I know how BLUE streamlines the packaging workflow and its related communications. We are delighted to be early adopters of the Professional version because it fits both our needs and our budget. Were proud to make available our most essential components of BLUE to customers who never thought they could afford such capabilities before, said BLUE Software CEO, Scott A. Strong. We are thrilled to now help more types of companies solve more of their marketing workflow, asset management and collaboration challenges with our robust software. BLUE Professional includes three modules: Digital Workflow, Online Proofing, and Digital Asset Library. The pre-configured, automated, digital workflow notifies users of their role and action required in the process, automatically tracks project status compared to timeline, and records an audit trail of all comments and approvals made. BLUE also translates the record of actions into insightful metrics that companies can use as Key Performance Indicators. BLUEs industry-leading Online Proofing lets teams review hi-resolution files at full resolution in the cloud, without having to send the actual file, which is typically too heavy for email. Fostering collaboration, online proofing lets teams view real-time mark-ups and comments in one window from anywhere, and even from mobile devices. Furthermore, unlimited proofing rounds are included in the monthly subscription. The Digital Asset Library provides a single source of the latest approved version of assets, self-service accessibility to assets according to permissions, and the ability to share links to files with anyone. About BLUE Software: BLUE Software is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of Brand Lifecycle Management software that helps Consumer Products (FMCG/CPG), Life Sciences, and Retail companies achieve global visibility into the business processes that drive the execution and compliance of their brands efficiently across media worldwide. Its robust, enterprise-level SaaS platform BLUETM enables more than 81,000 users and 3,100 companies worldwide to work smarter every day with automated workflow, online proofing, digital asset library, and additional modules. http://advance.bluesoftware.com/blue-professional.html http://bluesoftware.com Note to Editors: BLUE Software and BLUE are trademarks of BLUE Software, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. Suggested caption: BLUE Software recently introduced BLUE Professional version. These award recipients are true community leaders. Their accomplishments have improved the quality of life for countless individuals and theyre deeply improving the health of our communities. The Medical Society of Milwaukee County (MSMC), an organization representing nearly 3,500 physicians and medical students across the Milwaukee community, today announced its community impact award winners, selected by MSMCs board of directors. The winners will be recognized on March 5, 2016 during the societys annual awards dinner event, taking place this year at Discovery World. The award categories and winners are: Dr. Erastus B. Wolcott Distinguished Service Award As founder of the Medical Society of Milwaukee County, Dr. Erastus B. Wolcott was described as Eminent in the profession. A lover of humanity. Who delighted to serve. This award goes to a recipient who follows in those footsteps. Dr. John Raymond, President and CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin ensures a strong medical college for practicing and future physicians. Under his guidance today, the Medical College of Wisconsin is addressing Wisconsins pending physician shortage through the development of regional medical education campuses, while also training the pharmacists of the future. Health Care Champion Award The Health Care Champion Award recognizes an individual who challenges systems, builds partnerships, and champions quality health care in our community. This years recipient, Mayor Tom Barrett has, and continues to, champion critical health issues in our community with a passion that quality of life begins with healthy children leading to healthy families, and ultimately healthy communities. Mayor Barretts work leads on issues such as addressing childhood trauma, prescription drug abuse through work with Common Council President Michael Murphy, partnering with mental health/law enforcement and addressing gun violence. Community Impact Award The Community Impact Award recognizes outstanding individuals who make a significant impact in our community and in their own way - champion quality health care for area residents. This years recipient, Will Allen, Founder of Growing Power, improves the quality of life for individuals in our community by providing safe, affordable and healthy food. In May, 2010, Time Magazine named him as one of the 100 Worlds Most Influential People were proud to have Will call Milwaukee home as he influences others to think fresh. Student Leadership Award The Student Leadership award recognizes a dynamic medical student who excels within and beyond academics to lead critical health care issues important to the community, and who through that leadership serves as an inspiration to fellow medical students. Cecilia Jojola, a medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin, clearly exemplifies this description. She plays a significant role in helping to educate her peers and community members on a breadth of issues including family medicine, spirituality and ethics in medicine, and patient navigators in cancer care. In addition, Cecilia also volunteers on a regular basis at MCWs Saturday morning free Clinic for the Uninsured. These award recipients are true community leaders, says Kathy Schmitz, Executive Director of the Medical Society of Milwaukee County. Their accomplishments have improved the quality of life for countless individuals and theyre deeply improving the health of our communities. They are an inspiration to our physicians and in our community. The society is thrilled to recognize and present them with awards at our March 5, 2016 dinner event. The societys annual awards program, this year on March 5 at Discovery World, will give the public an opportunity to join the organization in honoring and recognizing the award recipients. The program will also share more about the Medical Society of Milwaukee Countys work with physicians and in the community. For more information on this years event, contact Kathy Schmitz at 414.475.4750. Sponsorships are still being accepted and individuals may register for the awards dinner via the MSMC website at http://www.medicalsocietymilwaukee.org. The deadline to register is February 12, 2016, although this years event will sell-out. About the Medical Society Established in 1846, the Medical Society of Milwaukee County is an organization of physicians that provides leadership on critical health issues, such as prescription drug safety, to improve the overall health status of the community. We believe physicians have a profound impact on our community, inspiring hope and healing. The Medical Society of Milwaukee County is powered by the wisdom and expertise of its physician members. From families with young children to seniors who have lived generations, the healthcare needs of Milwaukees diverse community compel our work at the Medical Society of Milwaukee. Pricing With Precision for Deposit Rate Success Rising Fed Funds rates make it necessary for bank and credit union executives to re-examine their deposit rates to stay ahead of the competition and maximize profitability. BSG Financial Group, a group of independently organized companies that provides revenue-enhancing programs and compliance solutions for financial institutions nationwide, announced today that it will host a webinar for financial institutions in conjunction with Market Rates Insight entitled, "Price with Precision for Deposit Rate Success." The free webinar will be offered in two sessions: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 11:00 am EST and Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 2:00 pm EST. The webinarespecially relevant to financial institution marketing, retail, and financial officerswill provide strategies to help financial institutions easily and economically obtain comprehensive, in-depth deposit rate data utilizing timely, cloud-based data management tools. The webinar is being presented in response to rising Fed Funds rates that make it necessary for bank and credit union executives to re-examine their deposit rates to stay ahead of the competition and maximize profitability. Without doing so, financial institutions run the risk of obtaining wrong or outdated competitive pricing data, especially if they rely on phone calls, website searches or free pricing tools. The webinar is part of an ongoing educational series that BSG Financial Group provides for its clients and potential customers. It will feature speakers Rick Barham and Alex Reyes from Market Rates Insight, a financial services research firm that provides competitive market intelligence. Who: BSG Financial Group in conjunction with Market Rates Insight Presenters: Rick Barham and Alex Reyes of Market Rates Insight When: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 11:00 am EST and Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 2:00 pm EST Registration: http://www.bsgfinancial.com/depositratewebinar During the webinar the presenters from Market Rates Insight will teach attendees strategies to: Search competitor and products in various geographies Obtain competitor pricing reports Get emails as soon as competitors adjust rates Be notified of competitors' specials and promotions Attendees will also receive a free Rate Move Alert for the top four banks in the nation after the webinar. Instructions for receiving the free alert will be discussed during the webinar. About BSG Financial Group Louisville, Ky.-based BSG Financial Group is a group of independently organized companies that provides revenue-enhancing programscombined with compliance solutionsfor financial institutions to help them meet their financial goals. BSG Financial Group has been a provider of innovative overdraft programs since 1999, including the industry's first cloud-based overdraft management solution, Courtesy Connect(R)/Courtesy Limit. The company's additional revenue-enhancing solutions include: Demand Deposit Account Management; Fee-Based Packaged Checking Accounts; Expense Management & Vendor Negotiation; Vendor Management; Social Media Management; and Appraisal Management Services. BSG Financial Group includes the following companies: CourtesyCloud Management Solutions, LLC; BSG Financial, LLC; IQ Development, LLC; and Sales Performance Group, Inc. For more information about the company, visit http://www.BSGfinancial.com. About Market Rates Insight For over 30 years, Market Rates Insight has helped banking executives make better informed pricing decisions. The company serves banks and credit unions nationally with competitive information on deposits, consumer loans, mortgages, and fees. Market Rates Insight provides the most granular historical and refresh pricing data in the industry, helping financial decision makers plan and prepare for likely changes in rates and products. The companys cloud-based system provides timely and precise competitive data supported by usable graphs and charts. Market Rates Insight is located in San Anselmo, California. For more information, see http://www.marketratesinsight.com. Optimove hires Shauli Rozen as new Head of Strategic Services Rozen brings extensive experience in management and strategy consulting, helping organizations increase ROI on their marketing and technology investments. At the National Retail Federations Annual Convention & EXPO today, Optimove, a Customer Marketing Cloud provider for customer-centric businesses, announced that it has launched a strategic services division, designed to deliver data-driven customer marketing as a service. The companys new Strategic Services Team will assist companies in growing their businesses through their existing customers by improving customer loyalty, engagement and retention. Optimoves well-established global leadership in the field of customer marketing uniquely positions it with the knowledge and experience to provide such services. In 2015, Optimove delivered more than 2.6 billion personalized marketing messages across a variety of channels on behalf of its clients. The Optimove Customer Marketing Cloud has helped its users achieve an average increase of 17% in customer spend, while reducing churn rates by 11% and increasing customer lifetime value by 25%. In total, more than 180 brands in e-retail, gaming, fintech and other verticals use the companys software. Following the highly successful adoption of our Customer Marketing Cloud by companies in many different verticals and countries, it is only natural that we now leverage the extensive knowledge weve accumulated to further help businesses maximize revenues from their existing customer base, said Pini Yakuel, Optimoves founder and CEO. Our goal remains to help customer-centric businesses exhibit the emotional intelligence required to develop long-lasting, mutually-beneficial relationships with their customers, at scale. A holistic solution combining our industry-leading software with cutting-edge services is the best way to achieve this goal. To lead its new services division, Optimove has hired Shauli Rozen as Head of Strategic Services. Rozen brings extensive experience in management and strategy consulting, helping organizations increase ROI on their marketing and technology investments. Prior to joining Optimove, Rozen led big data and cloud strategy for Amdocs, one of the worlds largest providers of customer experience software solutions and services. Previously, Rozen served as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he advised senior management of Fortune 500 companies, helping them identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Rozen received an MBA from the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, with a focus on marketing strategy. I am very excited to be joining such an innovative and dynamic player in the marketing technology space, said Rozen. With data and analysis taking center stage, our top-notch team of data scientists and marketing analysts work closely with clients, ensuring that they are executing the best possible personalized multi-channel retention strategy. The teams extensive industry knowledge, accumulated best practices, and years of experience in hands-on data analysis and marketing campaign optimization will help businesses maximize the value of every customer and significantly increase their bottom line. Optimoves Strategic Services Team consists of data scientists who are experts in customer marketing, each with years of experience working with companies, analyzing their customer data and formulating winning retention plans and strategies. The team specializes in deep customer segmentation, campaign performance analysis, campaign optimization, report creation and other related disciplines. The Strategic Services Team offers a number of service packages to help build, implement and optimize clients marketing programs. Shauli Rozen and other members of the Optimove team will be at booth #1002 during the conferences EXPO. To contact Optimoves Professional Services team, visit: http://www.optimove.com/lp/contact-strategic-services. About Optimove Optimoves Customer Marketing Cloud is used by over 180 customer-centric brands to drive their entire customer marketing operation. Optimove combines the art of marketing with the science of data to enable marketers to deliver highly-effective personalized customer marketing campaigns through email, mobile, the Web, Facebook and other channels. Optimoves unique customer modeling, predictive micro-segmentation and campaign automation technologies help marketers maximize customer spend, engagement, retention and lifetime value. Optimove is used by brands of all sizes in a variety of industries. The company has offices in Tel Aviv, New York and London. Learn more at http://www.optimove.com. # # # Contact: Matt McAllister Fluid PR 510-229-9707 matt(at)fluidspeak.com SIPA Annual Conference will feature the Building Excellence Awards, sponsored by BASF As SIPA celebrates 25 years as a trade association, we rededicate ourselves to refocusing our efforts on wide-scale adoption of SIPs within the next 5 years and mainstreaming market penetration. The Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) will convene the associations 2016 Annual SIPA Conference by celebrating the groups 25th anniversary and envisioning the future. The meeting, aptly dubbed Setting Course for the Next 25 Years, will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico from April 4-6, 2016 at the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel situated in the heart of historic old San Juan. Featured programming includes: the 14th Annual Building Excellence Awards, presentations highlighting the annual SIP Production Survey, how to market high-performance economically, legal expert on safeguarding your assets with Must-Do Business Structure Approaches as well as trends and drivers effecting net-zero energy efficient, resilient construction to meet tougher codes in the U.S. and Caribbean. "This is the industrys only annual event dedicated to structural insulated panels (SIPs) and features a vendor & supplier expo of over 20 booths for SIP focused discussions and networking galore, " said SIPAs Executive Director Jack Armstrong. He continues, as SIPA celebrates 25 years as a trade association, we rededicate ourselves to refocusing our efforts on wide-scale adoption of SIPs within the next 5 years and mainstreaming market penetration. Armstrong points to the surge in demand for green buildings, rigorous new energy codes like Californias Title 24, the 2015 IRC Energy Code and international efforts to curb carbon emissions and reverse climate change. SIPs are a powerful enabling technology that can play a pivotal role in achieving air leakage rates well below three air changes per hour. At the same time, SIPs take less time to install, require less skilled labor, and cost less to own and operate. For these reasons and more, the time is right to accelerate SIP adoption, said Armstrong. The 14th Annual Building Excellence Awards, sponsored by BASF: On April 5, recipients of the 2016 Building Excellence Awards sponsored by BASF will be honored at the yearly awards banquet. In its fourteenth year, the Building Excellence programming aims to identify, celebrate and elevate SIP projects with exceptional energy efficiency, design innovation, aesthetics, and environmental sustainability. To learn more about eligibility and how to submit a project, please download the official entry form here. Applications are due March 4th, 2016. To learn more about SIPs, find a contractor in your area or to see prior Building Excellence award winning projects, take a moment to tour SIPAs new, responsive website at http://www.sips.org. About SIPA The Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) is a non-profit association dedicated to increasing the use and acceptance of structural insulated panels (SIPs) in green, high performance building by providing an industry forum for promotion, communication, education, quality assurance, and technical and marketing research. SIPs are a high performance, panelized building system that offers superior thermal performance, air tightness, and durability for energy-efficient homes and commercial buildings. Builders and design professionals seeking to reduce energy use and minimize the carbon footprint of their buildings utilize SIPs as a cost-effective solution for exterior wall and roof systems that also cuts down on framing time, lessens construction waste, and ensures greater jobsite quality control through prefabrication. SIPs are an enabling technology to meet to the Architecture 2030 Challenge for net-zero carbon neutral buildings today. Learn more at http://www.sips.org. Having a firm grasp of medicolegal issues is important from not only a legal and regulatory, but also a quality perspective. RadSite, a leading accreditation agency for diagnostic imaging quality as designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is pleased to announce the final presentation in an educational webinar series. The session, Tackling Medicolegal Concerns in Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS): Part 2, will discuss issues such as whether or not to retain the markings produced by mammography computer-aided detection (CAD) software to highlight suspicious findings, which could have important medicolegal implications. The presentation, scheduled for February 3, 2016 at 12 p.m., EST, will be led by Eliot Siegel, MD, an internationally recognized radiologist who serves as Professor and Associate Vice Chair of Research Information Systems at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, as well as Chief of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine for the Veterans Affairs Maryland Healthcare System, both in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Siegel also serves as RadSites Chief Technology Officer and Chair of the Accreditation Committee. To register, click here. Legal issues in the era of digital health care are often not well understood or intuitive, especially in the field of diagnostic imaging, says Siegel. Having a firm grasp of medicolegal issues is important from not only a legal and regulatory, but also a quality perspective. This is the second RadSite presentation on the topic of PACS. On December 9, 2015, Dr. Siegel hosted a session focusing on the ownership of medical images, the use of image compression by physicians and how to deal with bankruptcy in an imaging facility. To access the recording, click here. Previous webinars in RadSites recent educational series focused on patient safety in medical imaging and physics for advanced diagnostic imaging systems. To listen to the recordings, click here. RadSite is proud to be a thought leader in the diagnostic imaging arena, says RadSite Advisory Board Chair, Garry Carneal, JD, MA. These presentations are an extension of our educational mission and solidify our commitment to quality and patient safety. To find out more about these webinars, visit http://www.radsitequality.com or click here to register. For more information about RadSite, email info(at)radsitequality(dot)com. # # # About RadSite (http://www.RadSiteQuality.com) Founded in 2005, RadSites mission is to promote quality-based practices for imaging systems across the United States and its territories. In addition, RadSite is recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as an official accreditation organization under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008. RadSites programs help assess, track and report imaging trends in an effort to enhance imaging procedures and outcomes. RadSite also offers educational programs, publishes issue briefs and underwrites research on a complimentary basis to raise awareness of patient safety issues and to promote best practices. The organization is governed by an independent board and committee system, which is open to a wide-range of volunteers to ensure transparency and accountability. To learn more about RadSite, please contact us at (443) 440-6007 or info(at)radsitequality(dot)com. We are so happy to be closer to our fans in this area of the city and to have the opportunity to introduce our popular menu of Mexican favorites to even more people, Los Cucos co-owner Sergio Cabrera Jr. said. Los Cucos Mexican Cafe, long known throughout Houston for its authentic food, has opened its newest location, in Baybrook. The restaurant, at 1330 W. Bay Area Boulevard in Friendswood, near the Baybrook Mall, features a taco bar, full bar, and happy hour specials. Los Cucos also offers special events including banquets, karaoke, and mariachi bands. Los Cucos, which is family owned and operated, has more than 20 locations in Texas and one in Utah. This is, however, the first Los Cucos in the southeast part of Houston, in the Friendswood and Clear Lake area. More information about the Baybrook location can be found at http://loscucos.com/baybrook.html. We are so happy to be closer to our fans in this area of the city and to have the opportunity to introduce our popular menu of Mexican favorites to even more people, Los Cucos co-owner Sergio Cabrera Jr. said. Los Cucos offers a full menu of authentic Mexican cuisine. In addition to popular choices like fajitas, enchiladas, and burritos, the Baybrook menu includes grilled specials, healthy choices, ceviches, soups, specialty margaritas, and more. Many diners enjoy the Parrilla San Luisgrilled beef and chicken fajitas, carnitas, jalapeno sausage, grilled shrimp, chicken quesadillas, and molcajete sauce. This is accompanied by pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, tortillas, and a side of chihuahua cheese, and served with rice and beans. Our goal is to serve the freshest authentic Mexican food at the best possible value with second-to-none service, Cabrera said. We know that the diners at our new Baybrook location will enjoy the food at Los Cucos as much as its fun and festive atmosphere. About Los Cucos Mexican Cafe Since 1991, Los Cucos Mexican Cafe has served authentic Mexican cuisine and popular dishes in a fun environment. Founded by brothers Sergio and Manuel Cabrera in Houston, Texas, Los Cucos now has more than 20 locations in Texas and one in Utah. For more information, visit http://www.LosCucos.com. We are excited to partner with innovative companies like NYMBUS ones that truly set out to reshape the financial industry, said Bob Fairweather, president and CEO of BSI. NYMBUS, the worlds first complete, full-stack core banking system, today announced its partnership with Banc Statements, Inc. (BSI), the countrys only company specializing exclusively in providing an outsourced solution for printing and mailing financial statements. This partnership will further provide financial institutions (FIs) converting to NYMBUS with a one-stop, centralized hub that addresses all banking needs. Poised to revolutionize the banking industry by equipping banks and credit unions with the full-service attention they deserve, NYMBUS is the only SaaS core designed by world-class UX experts with the end-user in mind. The platform fuses core banking functionality, an impressive suite of applications and a cloud-based infrastructure into a singular, modern solution that will increase efficiency and the ability for these smaller institutions to survive and thrive. Our goal with NYMBUS is to make all aspects of running a financial institution as streamlined and efficient as possible for our clients, said Alex Lopatine, CEO of NYMBUS. By partnering with BSI, were rounding out our product line to alleviate the hassle and cost associated with printing and mailing financial documents. Through this partnership, BSI will provide community banks nationwide with a single offering that encompasses the printing and mailing of DDA, savings, money market, line of credit and other financial statements. By freeing up time spent on printing, folding and stuffing these statements, financial institutions will be better positioned to focus on core business operations, customer satisfaction and employee retention. We are excited to partner with innovative companies like NYMBUS ones that truly set out to reshape the financial industry, said Bob Fairweather, president and CEO of BSI. The partnership is a perfect alignment since we have similar goals and our services compliment one another. Together with NYMBUS, we look forward to helping community banks cut down on costs that traditionally burden smaller institutions. For more information on how NYMBUS, together with its partners, is revolutionizing the banking industry, visit http://www.nymbus.com. ### About NYMBUS NYMBUS is poised to revolutionize the banking industry through a modern and holistic approach to core infrastructures. Developed to evolve seamlessly with both banks and their increasingly tech-savvy customers, NYMBUS software fuses core banking functionality, an impressive suite of applications and a cloud-based infrastructure into a singular banking solution designed for the 21st century. The NYMBUS platform allows financial institutions to operate more efficiently, build customer loyalty and drive revenue growth. About Banc Statements, Inc. Banc Statements, Inc. (BSI), is the only company in the country that specializes exclusively in providing an outsource solution for community banks nationwide, for the printing and delivery of DDA, savings, money market, line of credit and other financial statements. BSI operates with multiple plant locations in Birmingham, AL, Dallas, TX and Indianapolis, IN. For more information, please visit http://www.bsisite.com. Media Contact Michelle Yandre Leverage PR Michelle(at)leverage-pr.com (512) 502-5833 Ken Fleming, CEO at Eyefreight The transportation and logistics management courses in general and the MBLE program in particular at The Ohio State University are among the best in the world, said Eyefreight CEO Ken Fleming. Eyefreight (http://www.eyefreight.com), a leading provider of transportation management systems (TMS), today announced that after a successful trial involving students enrolled in one of its marketing and logistics courses, The Ohio State University (OSU) Fisher College of Business plans to give the Eyefreight TMS an even larger role in its well-regarded transportation management and logistics programs. Within the Fisher College of Business, the Marketing & Logistics Department prepares both graduate and undergraduate students to take on jobs at international companies in the logistics sector. Earlier this year, the Eyefreight TMS was introduced to students in the departments Logistics Technology and Transportation Management course. With the success of the pilot, the Eyefreight TMS will be applied extensively in the departments Transportation Management and Logistics Technology sections, and in the Masters of Business Logistics Engineering (MBLE) program. Designed to graduate students equally skilled in logistics strategy, management and engineering, the MBLE program enables students to go beyond the classroom by providing solutions to logistics-related problems for major companies though two field study courses. Student teams have recently designed solutions for Honda, Whirlpool, Chiquita, Agilent, ODW, FedEx and Schlumberger. The transportation and logistics management courses in general and the MBLE program in particular at The Ohio State University are among the best in the world, said Eyefreight CEO Ken Fleming. We are tremendously proud that the Marketing & Logistics Department in OSUs prestigious Fisher College of Business has decided to further apply the Eyefreight TMS into its core transportation management and logistics curriculum. Walter Zinn, Department Chair of the Fisher College of Business Marketing & Logistics Department, said, Leveraging Eyefreights global cloud-based solution for transportation and logistics courses is another step in bridging theory into practice. With this technology, we can have students work with real-world logistics problems from using manual calculation and processing and then experience how using the technology enables productivity, visibility and more. When done, the students know both the underlying functions the TMS system enables and how to leverage those functions with automation. Please visit Eyefreight.com/solutions to learn more about Eyefreights transportation management solutions. About Eyefreight Eyefreight provides a command center for shippers, reducing net landed cost of goods while improving business margins. An accessible SaaS solution, Eyefreight deploys its transportation management system (TMS) and inventory visibility rapidly and integrates with existing transportation workflows to reduce total cost of distribution as much as 30 percent, while improving performance. Eyefreight offers the only transportation management system with inventory allocation algorithms and automated decision-making, weighing variables and calculations much faster than competitors that rely on manual human analysis, calculations and scenario planning. Founded in 2009 by industry veterans dedicated to transforming the logistics function into a true profit center for any organization, Eyefreights clientele spans multiple verticals worldwide. Headquartered in Utrecht, the Netherlands with U.S. headquarters in Evanston, Ill. Eyefreight is backed by De Hoge Dennen Capital and Global Cleantech Capital. Please visit http://www.Eyefreight.com for more information. # # # Contact Rey Perez PReturn Inc. (312) 226-4139 rperez(at)preturn(dot)com Kevin Schaeffer (WWP) Joe Estes (Ready Made RC) and Mandee Mikulski (AMA) AMA is proud to support Wounded Warrior Project and other charities through this event. Our clubs worked hard to promote the hobby and to make this possible Through National Model Aviation Day celebrations across the country, and the efforts of modelers at approximately 235 AMA chartered clubs, the Academy of Model Aeronautics raised $92,000 to support Wounded Warrior Project. An oversize check was presented to Warrior Speak representative Keven Shaeffer on January 9, 2016, during AMA Expo, held in Ontario, California. AMA clubs have contributed a total of $268,000 to Wounded Warrior Project since 2013. National Model Aviation Day was established in 2013 to celebrate the history, hobby, and sport of model aviation. AMA clubs were asked to conduct public events with a focus on model aviation education, camaraderie, and community support. More than 230 AMA clubs across the country hosted events and fundraisers and invited their communities to learn more about the growing hobby. The continued success of National Model Aviation Day has been very impressive, said AMA President and AMA Foundation Board member Bob Brown. AMA is proud to support Wounded Warrior Project and other charities through this event. Our clubs worked hard to promote the hobby and to make this possible. A substantial percentage of AMA members have served in the military and now help provide programs for other veterans and active duty personnel at their local flying fields. For the third consecutive year, the AMA Foundation selected Wounded Warrior Project as the charity to support as part of its national celebration. This nonprofit was selected because its programming focuses on reintroducing veterans to activities that improve their quality of life. Wounded Warrior Project also empowers veterans, and increases public awareness of and enlists support for injured service members. An additional $24,063 was raised by AMA clubs for other community, military, and service organizations. Several organizations have helped the AMA Foundation in its efforts to celebrate National Model Aviation Day. Thank you to 2015 National Model Aviation Day platinum sponsors HobbyKing, Hobbico, Horizon Hobby, and Ready Made RC. AMA would also like to thank its gold-level sponsors, Hostetlers Plans, Volare Products, Tower Hobbies, and RCGroups.com. The Academy of Model Aeronautics has a long and successful history of advocating for model aviation pilots right to fly; encouraging Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-based education related to model aviation principles; and encouraging competition that abides by the AMAs safety guidelines. National Model Aviation Day celebrates these things and a hobby that has become a passion for more than 187,000 AMA members across the country. This years National Model Aviation Day will be celebrated on August 13, 2016. For more information about National Model Aviation Day, visit nationalmodelaviationday.org, or contact Mandee Mikulski, director of development for the AMA Foundation, at (765) 287-1256, extension 277, or mandeem(at)modelaircraft(dot)org. Ismail Ahmed Today, Nigerians can use our app or website to send money to a bank account or cash pickup location, instantly. WorldRemit, the global money transfer app, today introduces instant transfers to Nigeria. In addition to its same-day bank transfer service, WorldRemit now allows people to send money to more than 140 cash pickup locations in Nigeria, instantly. People in more than 50 countries can use the app to send to Nigeria. Recipients can collect money instantly from 140 branches of Skye Bank. WorldRemit customers currently send over 400,000 transactions every month. Nigerians living abroad sent home $20.8 billion in 2015, by far the largest volume of remittances to any country in Africa and the 6th largest in the world, according to the World Bank.[1] Ismail Ahmed, WorldRemits CEO & Founder, comments: Gone are the days of queuing in line at a high-street transfer shop and waiting several days for a money transfer to arrive. At WorldRemit, we offer people a choice of the most convenient ways to send and receive money. Today, Nigerians can use our app or website to send money to a bank account or cash pickup location, instantly. In February 2015, WorldRemit received a $100m funding round led by Technology Crossover Ventures, early investors of Facebook, Spotify, and Dropbox. In June 2015, WorldRemit was recognised by United Nations agency IFAD for shaking up the global money transfer industry. WorldRemit offers a convenient mobile service and low minimum fees, allowing people to send smaller amounts, more frequently: Fees for transfers to Nigeria start at 0.95 EUR and 0.99 GBP respectively. [1] World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016 http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPROSPECTS/Resources/334934-1199807908806/4549025-1450455807487/Factbookpart1.pdf Note to editors Images for press here WorldRemit currently enables around 400,000 transfers per month About WorldRemit WorldRemit is changing the way people send money. Its easy just open the app or visit the website no more agents. Transfers to most countries are instant send money like an instant message. More ways to receive (Mobile Money, bank transfer, cash pickup, and mobile airtime top-up). Available in over 50 countries and 125+ destinations. Backed by Accel Partners and TCV investors in Facebook, Spotify and Dropbox. WorldRemit is the UKs fastest-growing technology company (Deloitte Technology Fast 50 2015) WorldRemits global headquarters are in London, UK with regional offices in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Read more: About us Media contact: media(at)worldremit(dot)com We are delighted to have Hardy Diagnostics distribute the rapid and affordable CDx pathogen detection Xpress System throughout North America. Crystal Diagnostics (CDx) announced today that it has signed an agreement with Hardy Diagnostics to sell and distribute in North America the CDx Xpress System -- a rapid and sensitive pathogen detection platform. This agreement adds an equipment line to Hardys dominant position in food safety testing reagents and proprietary enrichment media. Hardy Corporate Vice President, Christopher Catani said, Distribution rights for the unique CDx detection system clearly demonstrate the Hardy commitment to bringing the most advanced, fastest, and most accurate diagnostic system to our customers." According to CDx President and CEO Jim Bruce, Hardy is recognized in the Food Safety sector as a distributor of high quality test reagents and we are delighted to have our rapid and affordable system available throughout North America. We believe this will be a win-win for our companies and our clients. In the past twelve months Crystal Diagnostics has sold Xpress Systems to a number of processors, government and commercial test labs, as well as academic and research organizations. The system has numerous AOAC accreditations, including E. coli O157 and the Big 6 STECs. The company expects accreditations for Salmonella and Listeria by the end of the first quarter 2016. About CDx: Crystal Diagnostics was founded in 2006 and is the exclusive licensee of fundamental liquid crystal technologies developed through a research partnership between Kent State University and Northeast Ohio Medical University. For more information about the company or its Xpress Pathogen Detection System, visit http://www.crystaldiagnostics.com or contact CEO Jim Bruce at 720-351-4885. About Hardy Diagnostics: Hardy Diagnostics is an FDA licensed and ISO 13485 certified manufacturer of medical devices for microbiological procedures in both clinical and industrial laboratories. Hardy Diagnostics was founded in 1980 in Santa Barbara by Jay Hardy and Robert Shibata after they completed their Medical Technology training in the laboratory at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Hardy Diagnostics manufactures over 2,700 different products for the culture and identification of bacteria and fungi. Among its offerings are products used to culture and detect pathogens commonly reported in the news, such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, MRSA, and Influenza. In addition, the company manufactures reagents and media for use by molecular biology researchers. Over 9,000 laboratories throughout the nation rely on Hardy Diagnostics for their supplies. Today, Hardy Diagnostics employs over 300 people and maintains nine distribution centers throughout the U.S. Manufacturing takes place at its headquarters in Santa Maria, California and at a recently opened facility in Springboro, Ohio. The company also exports products through over 65 foreign distributors. The companys mission is to partner with its laboratory customers to prevent and diagnose disease. For more information, visit http://www.HardyDiagnostics.com Michele Wimpling (Left) Nina Kleiman (Right) Delivering real estate value to hotel owners begins with hiring the very best associates with diverse skills and experiences while allowing a focused approach via maintaining a low ratio of associates to assets. Michelle Russo, Founder & CEO, hotelAVE Hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE), the largest hospitality asset management and advisory firm entrusted with over $5.5 billion of hotel owners investments worldwide, has named industry experts Michele Wimpling and Nina Kleiman as executive vice presidents. Prior to joining hotelAVE, Wimpling served as vice president of real estate and development at FRHI Hotels & Resorts (parent company of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts) where she was responsible for growing the hotel management business in the Americas, as well as maximizing the value of the owned hotel portfolio and acquisitions and sales of global real estate assets. Wimpling is a former certified public accountant who brings over 30 years of both real estate and financial experience to hotelAVE. She has also held positions at Argosy Gaming Company, Jefferson Wells International, Olympus Hospitality Group, Hampstead Group, General Electric Capital Corporation, Ashforth Real Estate Group and KPMG. Kleiman brings over 30 years of expertise in hotel operations, asset management and acquisitions experience to her newly expanded role, the last five of which have been spent maximizing the value of hotelAVEs lodging portfolio. Prior to joining hotelAVE, she worked with lodging companies LaSalle Hotel Properties and InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, as well as Lehman Brothers and Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers). Kleiman held a variety of hotel operations roles at Westin after graduating from Cornell Universitys School of Hospitality Administration before earning her Masters of Business Administration from Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley. Michelle Russo, hotelAVE founder and CEO, commented, Delivering real estate value to hotel owners begins with hiring the very best associates with diverse skills and experiences while allowing a focused approach via maintaining a low ratio of associates to assets. True to her word, Russo has steadily been one of the industrys brightest stars since founding the company in 2003. In 2015, Russo also expanded her staff to include industry veterans Ed Nugent as chief financial officer and Kim Gauthier as senior vice president. The company now has 28 employees and plans to hire an additional seven hospitality industry experts in 2016, continuing its commitment to delivering exceptional asset value enhancement to hotel owners. About Hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE) Hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE) is the largest hospitality asset management firm, with a very successful 10+ year track record in asset management for institutional ownership. Founded in 2003 by one of Lodging Magazines 2015 Leading Influential Women Michelle Russo, hotelAVE features a 28-member management team consisting of former owners, operators and professional advisors. The firm offers over 360 years of hotel real estate investment, operations and asset management experience. The organizations current asset management portfolio comprises over $5.5 billion, 22,000 rooms and over 30 different hotel operators. hotelAVE also advises hospitality investors on an additional $10 billion annually by providing comprehensive consultancy services for hotel owners during critical phases of asset transition such as: acquisitions, underwriting and due diligence; manager selection and contract negotiation; franchise selection and contract negotiation; development, planning, and repositioning, as well as dispositions. hotelAVE supports clients in Latin America, North America and Europe from its headquarters in Providence, R.I. and its regional offices in New York and Los Angeles. Lumiere Detox Center to host community event at the Renaissance Boca Raton on Friday, January 22nd, 2016 from 11:30am 2:00pm. John Lehman, President of the Florida Association of Recovery Residences, to present Certified Recovery Residence or Boarding House. The lack of oversight and recent news of unscrupulous business practices in the addiction treatment industry in South Florida has cast a black cloud over and tarnished the reputation of an innovative community that once led the nation in quality addiction treatment. This event will host leading treatment representatives who are committed to ethical business practices and ready to stand against unqualified proprietors inundating the field with sub-par treatment practices. Addiction professionals will gather to hear of positive changes taking place through FL Statute 397.487, a statute passed in the Legislature that raises standards for owners and operators of halfway houses in Florida through a certification process. About Lumiere Detox Center- Lumiere Detox Center is a 30-bed gender-specific medical detox program located in Jupiter, FL. Services are accredited through the Joint Commission and designed to help those struggling with addiction get the help they need, while treating them with the utmost respect and dignity. About the Florida Association of Recovery Residences (FARR) - An affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR), FARR was founded in 2011 out of a need to evaluate and monitor standards-based recovery support services provided in community-based residential settings throughout Florida. ### In reality, learning and career development are part of the same journey... Were proud to help make this journey more cohesive and effective for CCCs hard-working students Portfolium.com, the ePortfolio network that helps students connect learning with opportunity, has partnered with the California Community College (CCC) System to help its 2.1 million students at 113 campuses maximize their career and transfer success on the merits of their skills and competencies. Portfolium - which captures multimedia proof of skills - will be used by the CCC internally for learning outcome assessment, and externally to provide evidence of its students learning and mastery to skills-hungry employers and to four-year transfer universities in ways that arent possible via traditional resumes or transcripts. Portfolium will be rolled out as an integrated complement to Instructures Canvas learning management system (LMS). The CCCs ambitious system-wide initiative will support two key goals: First - to prepare students for the next leg of their journey, whether that be at another college, university, or employer. Almost 51 percent of graduates of the California State University system and 29 percent of the University of California system transferred from a California Community College, according to the Foundation for CCC. In 2015, Portfolium signed long-term partnership agreements with both the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems. Second - to leverage Portfoliums growing social network which provides for an open, connected approach to learning and career development by linking students digitally with faculty, mentors, peers, and employers. This Internet of Skills connects people on the basis of the skills they have, the skills they can teach, and the skills they are hiring for. "Every student in the CSU, UC and CCC now has a chance to connect and view each other's work. In addition, employers will be able to access this goldmine of talent, which has the potential to streamline California students school-to-work transition," noted Deone Zell, Associate Vice President of Academic Technology at California State Northridge. Portfolium will also enhance the CCCs ability to track key data and insights. By sponsoring a rollout of free and portable ePortfolios, CCC faculty and administrators can better track students transfer and career success across each students lifelong learning journey. In reality, learning and career development are part of the same journey. As the worlds first network to truly help students connect learning with opportunity, were proud to help make this journey more cohesive and effective for CCCs hard-working students. They deserve a chance to demonstrate and match their skills and interests with the best opportunities available in academia and in the workforce, said Adam Markowitz, Portfoliums founder & CEO. About Portfolium Portfolium partners with colleges & universities to help students connect learning with opportunity. Our ePortfolio network helps 5M+ students from over 150 partner institutions manage their skills and launch their careers. Portfoliums cloud-based platform empowers students with lifelong opportunities to capture, curate, and convert skills into job offers, while giving learning institutions and employers the tools they need to assess competencies and recruit talent. About The California Community College System The California Community Colleges system is the largest system of higher education in the nation, serving over 2.1 million students attending 113 colleges in 72 community college districts. The state-of-the-art VerteLP lateral cage represents the latest in spinal fixation technology and advances the technology to the next level. VGI Medical, LLC, a privately held medical device company offering innovative spinal implants, announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration to market the VerteLP Lateral Lumber Cage System. VerteLP represents the latest of lateral lumbar fusion, featuring enhanced bi-cortical plating technology to facilitate simplified cage insertion, and integrated fixation all through a direct, minimally invasive approach. Tov Vestgaarden, Ph.D., President and CEO of VGI Medical, comments, We are thrilled to strengthen our portfolio of innovative products by introducing the first lateral lumbar cage with integrated in-line plating that achieves bi-cortical fixation. The state-of-the-art VerteLP lateral cage represents the latest in spinal fixation technology and advances the technology to the next level. A surgeon panel led by Dr. David Greenwald, M.D., F.A.C.S. in St. Augustine, Florida, was instrumental in consulting with the design and surgical procedure, and shares the companys enthusiasm about the product. The VerteLP cage and integrated plating are delivered in the plane of the disc through a minimally invasive direct lateral approach, so that the implantation may be achieved with less exposure than may be required of other lateral systems with integrated screws that must be inserted at divergent angles, or integrated lateral plates. The system features thoughtfully designed instrumentation including an inserter that delivers the implant and deploys the plating with simple maneuvers. VerteLP is compatible with the direct lateral trans-psoatic approach common in the United States. VGI Medical, LLC was founded in 2007 by Tov Vestgaarden, Ph.D in St. Petersburg, FL. VGI Medical, LLC has experienced rapid growth through portfolio expansion in innovative markets. VGI Medical develops unique spine devices and instrumentation designed to support good clinical outcomes while making procedures easier to perform. More information is located at http://www.VGIMedical.com. Donald Trump speaks at Liberty University Convocation on Jan. 18, 2016. Liberty University kicked off the Spring 2016 semester with one of its most heavily attended Convocations to date, featuring a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday and a speech from presidential candidate Donald Trump. Trump is a billionaire real estate mogul and reality television personality (from NBCs The Apprentice), as well as a best-selling author (including The Art of the Deal). Students, back from Christmas break, displayed a renewed enthusiasm during a spirited time of praise led by the Liberty Campus Band. Senior Vice President for Spiritual Development David Nasser then commended the student body for their service. Through the LU Send Now initiative, Liberty students responded to the aftermath of tornadoes in Mississippi, and even while away from school. Liberty partnered with Samaritans Purse to send the volunteers, who were publically recognized during Convocation. A video of the trip was also shown. Liberty also took time to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King, who shook the nation with his peaceful, yet bold, call for love, respect and unity among Americans no matter the color of their skin. A video honoring his legacy was played in the Vines Center. Dr. Kings daughter, Bernice, spoke at Liberty in 2009. President Jerry Falwell then welcomed students back to campus, and recognized the countless guests in attendance. He noted that as an institution, Liberty does not endorse anyone for political office and invites all presidential candidates to speak in Convocation. In the past year, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders, and Ben Carson have spoken in Convocation, and Jeb Bush was the 2015 Commencement speaker. Falwell said that since Trump spoke at Liberty in 2012 before a record crowd, he and Trump, as well as Trumps staff, have stayed in touch. The Liberty president talked about the many sides of the successful real estate investor that the media does not get to see. Falwell shared touching stories of Trumps generosity in helping struggling businesses and families, as well as those affected by 9/11. Echoing his 2012 description of Trump, Falwell introduced him as one of the greatest visionaries of our time. Donald Trump has stunned the political world by building an unlikely coalition that crosses all demographic boundaries, Falwell said. Donald Trump is a breath of fresh air in a nation where the political establishment from both parties has betrayed their constituencies time and time again with broken promises and a continuation of the status quo. Donald Trump shuns the censorship that is rooted in political correctness and speaks the plain, common sense truth that so many have been longing to hear. (Read Falwells full speech.) In December, during an appearance on Fox News Hannity, Falwell compared Trump to Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell because both men were willing to stand up for what they believe is right. Falwell also pointed out that Trump could have ridden comfortably on his business and television success but chose to run for office and risk the scrutiny that comes with such a campaign because of how much he cares for his country. As Trump made his way to the stage, the Republican front-runner was welcomed to the worlds largest Christian university with a warm standing ovation. Get those teleprompters out of here, Trump said in his slick New York drawl, promising plenty of the off-the-cuff, blunt rhetoric for which he is popular, we are going to have some fun. He shared his amazement with Libertys miraculous story of growth from its founding in 1971 to today. Liberty University is like a rocket ship, a really great rocket ship, he said. You are going to have amazing futures, absolutely amazing futures. Trump spotlighted the legacy of Dr. King, acknowledging him as a great man. He dedicated the events massive turnout over 11,000 with thousands more watching in satellite locations and online to King. Delivering on his reputation, Trump, light on his feet, pulled no punches as he addressed what he sees as the issues that have diminished Americas greatness. Trumps statements on national defense, protecting the Second Amendment, and honoring veterans drew the loudest applause. Trump called for unity among Americans, especially Christians, citing Liberty as an example of what can be accomplished when people join together. We have to band together; we have to do what they have done at Liberty. Because Liberty University has done that. You have banded together and you have created one of the great universities, colleges, anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world. Our country has to do that around Christianity. Trump also shared some wisdom with the students. You can never, ever give up, Trump said. Ive seen people over the years who were phenomenal students, brilliant, but they didnt have that drive, they didnt have that stick-to-itiveness, and they didnt make it like other guys who were not as good and not as smart. So youve got to never, ever quit, or give up. And go into a field that you love if you dont love what you do, you are never going to be successful. Freshman Kaylee Martin, who is studying digital media, said that this was a great way to begin the semester. It was an honor to be a part of this, to hear him in person, Martin said. It is great that we go to a school where we can hear from these (candidates), so we are informed. And not just on the Republican side, on the Democrat side as well. 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. Special Events Names Got Light 2016 Award Winner of Best Use of Lighting Got Light is proud to be recognized as an international leader in event lighting design by Special Events. San Franciscos leading lighting design team Got Light has been named Special Events 2016 Gala Award Winners for Best Use of Lighting of San Francisco Ballet's Opening Night Gala. Receiving our first Special Events award, as determined by fellow event professionals, is an extremely flattering honor, says co-owner Jon Retsky. Over the past twelve years, our success has been built on creatively transforming empty spaces by employing innovative solutions and designs, explains co-owner Russell Holt. We are proud Got Light has been recognized as an international leader in event lighting design. The San Francisco Ballet Gala is an extraordinary event that brings together local and national corporate, political, civic and philanthropic leaders. Our lighting design company created a stunning celebratory experience in City Hall to correspond to the evenings theme, Infinite Romance, as our artists created custom lighting projections to evoke evoke the amorous theme. Got Light celebrates this honor with their amazing staff and crew, along with event partners Ideas Event Decor & Production and McCalls Catering & Events. Graphics and images from the invitations and Ballet Gala programs were transformed into custom high-resolution slides that filled the room with vibrant patterned energy. Within the venues Rotunda, we projected a whipped line pattern around the perimeter of the second floor columns, which provided illumination throughout the buildings Rotunda. This was accompanied by a sharp wash of downlight onto the stairs and a blue band of light on the upper architecture. Accent illumination of food and beverage stations, along with focused pinspot illumination, individually highlighted the 20 dinner tables. Both the South and North Courts were additionally lit for diners with perimeter LED uplighting to complement the event color palette. The Rotunda later transformed for the After Party to a web of anarchy using similar custom patterns and layers as the earlier Dinner, creating dynamic personality. The lighting included shades of indigo blues with accents of hot pink, emerald greens, and splashes of amber. Attended by 1,400 guests, a Cocktail Reception and Dinner in the historic San Francisco City Hall kicked off the festivities, followed by the ballet performances at the War Memorial. The sold-out crowd of 3,400 reveled at the After Party in the transformed City Hall, featuring live music, dj, dancing, cocktails, and late-night fare. # # # About Got Light: Established in 2004, Got Light is the San Francisco Bay Area's leader in producing artistic lighting and event design, creating dramatic environments with light, audio, video, projection art, video mapping, drape, and staging. Visit Got Light at http://www.got-light.com. About the Gala Awards: The Gala Awards have been given by Special Events magazine, the premier industry publication, since 1986, when the awards honored the "top 10 events of 1985." They recognize the finest work in special events worldwide. For the 2016 Gala Awards, the magazine received entries in 35 categories from nine countries: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Members of the Special Events magazine Advisory Board, made up of leaders in the event profession, review all entries to determine the nominees and winners. The Gala Awards were given out on January 14th at a black-tie ceremony at The Special Event 2016 in Orlando, Florida. About San Francisco Ballet Gala: The San Francisco Ballet's Gala supports the program ENCORE!, creating premier social and educational events for young Bay Area men and women. ENCORE!'s goal is to offer its 200-plus members opportunities to experience the world class San Francisco Ballet while also enjoying a unique perspective from behind the scenes. ENCORE! contributes to SF Ballet through performance attendance, volunteer involvement, and financial support. Cruise Planners Earns Chairman's Award from Royal Caribbean Winning the Chairmans Award is like winning the Oscars in the travel industry, said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of Cruise Planners. For the first time ever, Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, won the Chairmans Award for Overall Achievement from Royal Caribbean International. Winning the Chairmans Award is like winning the Oscars in the travel industry, said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of Cruise Planners. We are thrilled to have earned Royals highest honor, and our partnership with them is something our travel agents value. As the nations largest network of home-based travel professionals, Cruise Planners has continued to increase sales using proprietary technology and marketing tools such as revamped mobile apps, triggered emails, fully-integrated marketing campaigns, continuous and on-demand travel agent training and more. This marks Cruise Planners ninth consecutive award from Royal Caribbean based on sales; previous years awards include the President's Award for Overall Achievement and the Home-based Partner of the Year Award. Royal Caribbean is delighted to name our 2015 Travel Partners of the Year to recognize these incredibly successful and meaningful partnerships, said Vicki Freed, senior vice president of Sales, Trade Support and Services, Royal Caribbean International. We are driven by our ongoing commitment to travel agents and are very proud to acknowledge these travel partners who have displayed an exemplary commitment to our brand and achieved significant growth in their business with us. Cruise Planners and Royal Caribbean have a long history of collaboration, and this month they launched the signature Come Sail Away with Me marketing campaign, which encourages clients to travel on Royal Caribbean with their Cruise Planners travel expert. Like Royal Caribbean, we work hard to constantly re-invent ourselves, and the creative team at Royal Caribbean matches our own commitment to innovation, Fee said. The Chairmans Award means so much to me personally, and I know how hard our network of travel agents has worked to grow the business, so this win is for the entire Cruise Planners family. 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. for more than 22 years, 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 (2009-2015), 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 our franchise website. # # # In the photo - Ontario Police Department AStar Helicopter "The AStars are a versatile, multi-mission platform. The H125s have more power and the ability to get high and hot, which will enable us to do more work in the mountains, said Sgt. Adam Vallejo, of the Riverside County Sheriff's Aviation unit. Four California law enforcement agencies have bolstered their crime fighting and public service capabilities by taking delivery of new Airbus Helicopters H125 AStars, the highest performance, best-selling helicopter for airborne crime-fighting and rescue work. Airbus Helicopters Inc. recently delivered six H125s, including two each to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Riverside County Sheriffs Office, and one each to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Ontario Police Department. The H125 (formerly AS350 B3e) is the latest version of the renowned AStar family of high performance, single-engine helicopters that are the benchmark in the U.S. law enforcement community. The AStar is known for its performance, reliability and multi-mission flexibility. California Highway Patrol (CHP) took delivery of its fourth and fifth H125s, part of a five-year contract to upgrade its entire helicopter fleet. CHP has been flying AS350-series helicopters for 30 years, and the new H125s, equipped with hoists, have already performed numerous high-profile rescues across California. Hangar One Avionics in Carlsbad, Calif. performed completion services for the CHP H125s. LAPD recently took delivery of its second H125, part of a multi-year contract to upgrade the departments fleet of AS350 B2 helicopters to the more capable H125. LAPD Air Support Division, customers of Airbus Helicopters for 25 years, operates its AStars 17,000 to 18,000 hours per year. "Nobody flies as many hours as we do and our AStars perform the brunt of our missions," said LAPD Lt. Phil Smith, one of the unit's 45 pilots. "It was time to make the change to the H125 for the upgraded performance and safety features." Completion services for the LAPD aircraft are performed by the Los Angeles Department of General Services. Ontario Police Department took delivery of its first H125, an addition to its fleet of two AS350 B2s. Ontario PDs Air Support Unit recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and it has been a customer of Airbus Helicopters for 15 years. The H125 helicopter checks all the boxes. It excels from an operations perspective, enhances safety and is economically superior, thanks to its dual hydraulics, FADEC fuel control system and increased time between overhauls, said Sgt. Eric Weidner, Unit Commander for the Ontario PD Air Support Unit. The power this aircraft affords, combined with the safety features, makes it a logical choice for us. Hangar One is performing completion services on the Ontario PD helicopter, which will be in-service in spring of 2016. Ontario PD is having an autopilot installed on its H125, which Weidner said will elevate the aircraft to a new level in light single engine helicopter safety and efficiency. Riverside County Sheriffs Office recently took delivery of two H125s, after they were completed by Hangar One. "The Airbus Helicopters AStar continues to be a workhorse for us," said Sgt. Adam Vallejo, of the Riverside County Sheriff's Aviation unit. "The AStars are a versatile, multi-mission platform. We can go and do all of our missions. They are the complete law enforcement helicopter. The H125s have more power and the ability to get high and hot, which will enable us to do more work in the mountains, Vallejo said. Many California agencies are replacing or upgrading their aging helicopter fleets, and the H125 AStar is the ideal platform to meet the demanding needs of California law enforcement, said Ed Van Winkle, Senior Sales Manager for Airborne Law Enforcement for Airbus Helicopters Inc. These deliveries demonstrate the continued high level of trust that each agency has in Airbus Helicopters Inc. to support their operations. Airbus Helicopters H125/AS350-series are the most widely purchased helicopters by U.S. Law Enforcement agencies. More than 225 are in use nationwide with 44 different law enforcement agencies, more than 75 of them delivered in the last five years. The H125 brings next-generation performance to the family. The H125 is powered by a Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine that delivers a higher cruise speed and is equipped with a new dual-channel FADEC and Engine Data Recorder, which enhance safety and systems management. Airbus Helicopters Inc. is a subsidiary of the Airbus Group, a global aerospace and technology company. Airbus Group affiliates purchased $1.6 billion in goods and services from nearly 100 California suppliers in 2014, directly and indirectly impacting more than 24,000 jobs. About Airbus Helicopters Inc. Airbus Helicopters Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Airbus Helicopters, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of the Airbus Group. Airbus Helicopters Inc. is a manufacturer, markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and parapublic helicopters offered in the U.S. The product line represents the industrys most cost-effective, technologically-advanced helicopters serving all markets and missions. The companys headquarters and main facility are in Grand Prairie, Texas with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, Miss. For more information, please contact: Bob Cox Airbus Helicopters Inc. Senior Manager, Communications and Media Relations Telephone: 972-641-3525 Cell: 972-213-2038 bob(dot)cox(at)eurocopterusa(dot)com Qube! 6.8 expands the capabilities of ArtistView bringing job submissions, a simpler configuration process and tabbed navigation into a new user interface. Today, PipelineFX releases Qube! 6.8, the latest update to the leading render farm management software for visual effects. Qube! 6.8 expands the capabilities of ArtistView bringing job submissions, a simpler configuration process and tabbed navigation into a new user interface. ArtistView was designed to streamline WranglerView, so artists only have to focus on creative elements like queue control, project updates, and render previews. After debuting in 2012 to much acclaim, inquiries from Qube! customers like Mackevision, Base FX and Method Studios suggested that their artists could use a few more tools. Qube! 6.8 kick starts that process by taking submission elements from WranglerView and presenting them in a way that speaks to the workflow needs of top studios. This development will be the first step in replacing WranglerView as Qube!s default UI, said Richard Lewis, CEO of PipelineFX. Besides being what most of our customers want, the advantage of ArtistView is that it allows us to build in new features quickly, all while keeping up with the trend of showing data visually. The faster you see it, the faster you can act on it. Other New Qube! 6.8 Features: Centralized Preferences a new easy-to-use admin interface, lets users set job submission defaults across their studio or for specifics groups and users. New Platform Support Qube! 6.8 adds support for Windows 8, Windows 10, Mac OS X El Capitan, and CentOS versions 6.7, 7.0 and 7.1. Harmony 12 Support Toon Boom Animations Harmony 12 has been fully integrated with Qube! including standalone submissions of Harmony jobs when users are using version 12.2 or greater. VRED Sequencer Support An updated submission UI joins support for Autodesk VRED 2016 jobs on Mac and Linux. For a video tour of Qube! 6.8, please visit: Qube!Tube. Pricing and Availability Customers currently on maintenance and support can download version 6.8 immediately from the PipelineFX ftp site. Monthly subscription licenses are $15/mo. Dedicated licensing options like Qube! Designer (best for Design and Broadcast) and Qube! Unlimited (best for VFX and Education) are also available. About Qube! and Smart Farming Qube! is an intelligent, mature and highly scalable render management solution that can be quickly integrated into any production workflow, and is backed by world-class technical support. Smart Farming delivers intelligence to production pipelines by providing business-critical insight into render pipelines, maximizing investment in rendering infrastructure and automating manual processes. Qube! works out of the box with all leading content creation applications and is truly cross-platform with all software components available on Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX operating systems. About PipelineFX As the leading provider of intelligent render farm management solutions for digital content creation, PipelineFX provides software, support, consulting and training services worldwide. Qube! runs on more than 30,000 render nodes at over 700 customers in 51 countries and is used to render film and visual effects, post production, broadcast, design, games and education media. Clients include Apple, Arc Productions, Base FX, BBC, Deluxe, Dyson, Electronic Arts, Google, HBO, Hasbro, LAtelier Animation, L.M.U., Lockheed Martin, Mackevision, Method Studios, MPC, NBC Sports, Next Media Animation, Nvidia, NHK, NYU, Original Force, Pratt Institute, Procter & Gamble, ReelFX, South Park Studios, SVA, Target, Technicolor and many others. PipelineFX is headquartered in Honolulu, HI, and has offices in Los Angeles, London, Portland, Las Vegas, and Vancouver. Julie Machal-Fulks, Partner, Scott & Scott, LLP The costs associated with non-compliance of IBM products can be tens of millions of dollars. Julie Machal-Fulks, Partner, will present Legal Risks in IBM Licensing on January 20th. She will discuss the challenges organizations encounter when trying to ensure compliance with their IBM license agreements. The costs associated with non-compliance of IBM products can be tens of millions of dollars. Proper licensing is critical to avoid unexpected liabilities. Julie will cover: Licensing obligations for IBM software Determining what agreements govern the relationship Sub-capacity licensing How IBM acquisitions affect licensing Audits For more details, visit http://bit.ly/1WoG45V. Businesses are focusing on the potential cost savings, profits and agility to be found in the cloud. Cloud contracts expose both the client and the service provider to risks not present in more traditional technology service or software transactions. The transformation from on-premises software deployments to cloud based models has widespread implication for data privacy, security, and regulatory compliance. About Julie Machal-Fulks Julie Machal-Fulks, Partner, Scott & Scott, LLP, leads a team of attorneys in representing and defending clients in legal matters relating to information technology. Her practice focuses on complex litigation ranging from privacy and network security, data breach notification and crisis management, intellectual property disputes, service provider negligence claims, and content-based injuries such as copyright and trademark infringement in software, the Internet, and all forms of tangible media About Scott & Scott, LLP Scott & Scott, LLP is a leading intellectual property and technology law firm representing businesses in matters involving software licensing. Scott & Scott, LLP's legal and technology professionals provide software audit defense and software compliance solutions, all protected by attorney-client and work-product privileges. Visit Scott & Scott, LLP online at http://www.scottandscottllp.com *Texas CLE (California CLE pending) -30- 2015 Litigator Award This month, the team of San Francisco personal injury attorneys at Scarlett Law Group has been selected as a winner for a 2015 Litigator Award by Trial Lawyers Board of Regents. This honor is only given to the top one percent of lawyers within each practice area. Additionally, the accomplishment serves as a powerful endorsement for the entire firm. The celebration for award recipients will be held this month. At the ceremony, each award winner will gain access to a hi-resolution badges, which can be displayed on the firm website to symbolize the accomplishment and acknowledgment. CNN, CBS, and ABC will be present to record and publicize the awards ceremony. In addition, each award winner will be featured in a series of Q&A interviews which will be published by Trial Law Newswire. The awarded firms will obtain an interactive Trial Law Newswire badge that can be used on websites and social media accounts. Award recipients are selected based settlement and verdict dollar achievements, unlike other achievements, which are based on peer popularity. Upon receiving the awards, recipients will join exclusive fraternities comprised of attorneys who have won at least one of the following: Million-dollar case, Multi-million dollar case, Billion-dollar case. Etymotic Research will demonstrate their groundbreaking GunSportPRO and EB15LE electronic earplugs at the SHOT Show, January 19-22nd at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. The SHOT Show is the premier shooting, hunting and outdoor trade show and conference for the firearms, ammunition, hunting, and shooting accessories industry. Etymotics EB15LE and GunSportPRO are the state of the art in hearing protection products available today. They are designed for those who need to hear well during periods of quiet, but also need protection from firearm blasts and loud continuous noise from machinery or repeated gunfire from nearby shooters. Unlike passive earplugs, the EB15LE and GunSportPRO allow users to hear range commands, a critical factor in shooting and hunting safety, while also improving distance detection in the field by up to 5X. JADE Precisions Jeff Fox and Patrick Stiffler will be on hand at Etymotics booth (#2809) to discuss their military and competitive shooting experiences and use of Etymotics EB15LE electronic earplugs. Precision shooting requires finding the proper body and head position with the rifle, each and every time, said Fox. Traditional over-the-ear hearing protection can and will cause the shooter to place their head out of position in rapid engagement situations, and potentially miss the target. Thankfully I discovered Etymotics EB15LE electronic earplugs. They allow me to hear the Range Safety Officers normal speech and then offer instant noise suppression during firing by myself or others on the line. About Etymotic Etymotic is a research, development and manufacturing company that designs high-fidelity personal audio and hearing wellness products to assess, enhance, and protect hearing. For over 30 years, innovation and education have been central to Etymotics mission, and Etymotic is one of the most respected leaders in high-fidelity audio and hearing conservation. For more information, please visit http://www.etymotic.com. Maritime Reconnaissance & Surveillance Technology 2016 Meet and network with leading Maritime ISR leaders, project decision makers and technical experts from across the globe as they share their latest updates on current and future Maritime ISR capabilities. - SMi Group SMi Group's Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance Technology 2016 will present an opportunity to meet and network with leading Maritime ISR leaders, project decision makers and technical experts from across the globe as they share their latest updates on current and future Maritime ISR capabilities. Recently added to the unrivalled speaker line up includes Colonel Sergio Cavuoti, Chief of the Intelligence and Awareness Policy Branch of the Air Staff Aerospace Planning Division, Italian Air Force. In his unique presentation entitled "The Italian Air Force's Support to Joint ISR", taking place on Day One of the Conference, Colonel Cavuoti will explore the JISR capabilities of the new P 72 and the role of RPAS in Coastal Surveillance and Reconnaissance. Joining Colonel Cavuoti in the 2016 speaker line-up will be Rear Admiral Nicola Carlone, Director of Plans and Operations, Italian Coast Guard; Rear Admiral Antonio Natale, Head of Ships Department, Italian Navy and many more. For further information or to download the full agenda please visit the event website http://www.maritime-recon.com/prweb Latest confirmed attendees include key decision makers from Defence Command Denmark Air Staff, Thales, Airbus Helicopters, Selene Avocats, Dynamic Aviation, XTAR, Momentum Aviation Group, Imagesat International NV and many more. The 2-day event programme will cover a variety of topics including: Procurement projects for multiple ISR platforms including UAVs and maritime patrol aircraft, Operational experiences conducting maritime missions, International coastguards' experience and border control, R&D: Maritime surveillance systems, International cooperation; Information sharing, Search and rescue missions and so much more. 5 Flag Officers confirmed, making this the most senior Maritime ISR meeting in the region! Join Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance Technology 2016 today and hear military briefings and latest updates on current and future Maritime ISR Capabilities from Italy, Sweden, Finland, NATO, EU, United States and other countries. Real solutions will be presented and offered within the MR&ST exhibition. Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance Technology gold sponsors include PAE and e-GEOS. Sponsored by Horizon Technologies, Aster, Capita, Civitanavi Systems, Windward and Orbcomm. For sponsorship/exhibition enquiries please contact Justin Predescu on +44 (0) 207 827 6130 or email jpredescu(at)smi-online.co.uk For further information or to register please visit the event website http://www.maritime-recon.com/prweb or contact Salim Al-Souss on +44 (0) 207 827 6056 or email salsouss(at)smi-online.co.uk Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance Technology Conference 15th - 16th February 2016 http://www.maritime-recon.com/prweb Rome, Italy Contact e-mail: jrotar(at)smi-online.co.uk Delegates: Contact Salim Al-Souss on +44 (0) 207 827 6056, salsouss(at)smi-online.co.uk Sponsors/Exhibitors: Contact Justin Predescu +44 (0) 207 827 6130, jpredescu(at)smi-online.co.uk Stop Hunger Now will celebrate its newest warehouse location at a Grand Opening event on Saturday, Jan 23, 2016 at Calvary United Methodist Church. Country music legend Vince Gill will be on hand to help package meals along with 500 volunteers during the four-hour event. Ive always believed that if somebody needs a helping hand, you should reach out to help, said Gill. Im looking forward to packaging meals and learning more about Nashvilles newest nonprofit, Stop Hunger Now, and how our community can support their vision of ending world hunger. The event will mark the accomplishments of supporters, funders and meal packaging volunteers that helped establish Stop Hunger in Tennessee. To date, more than 1.4 million meals have already been packaged in the Nashville area. In just the past year, Stop Hunger Now engaged more than 2,000 volunteers from the Nashville area. Stop Hunger Now meal packaging events are a volunteer-based program that coordinates the streamlined packaging of highly nutritious dehydrated meals comprised of rice, soy, vegetables, flavoring, and 23 essential vitamins and minerals. The popular and effective meal packaging program provides local residents--churches, civic groups, businesses, schools--a hands-on way to help end world hunger. Groups of all sizes and ages can organize a meal packaging event with Stop Hunger Now to assemble meals that are used to support development programs such as school feeding, vocational training, and early childhood development programs, orphanages, and medical clinics. Working with these programs helps enhance lives by giving beneficiaries the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty through education, skills development, and health care while also receiving much needed nutrition. Stop Hunger Now President and CEO Rod Brooks will be on hand for for this grand opening event. We are grateful that the Nashville community has welcomed us and shown such strong support, said Brooks. What we want everyone to know is that hunger is solvable and is the common thread among the worlds most challenging issues. We look forward to engaging the Nashville community in our vision to end world hunger. Stop Hunger Now operates meal packaging locations in 21 other cities throughout the U.S. and six international affiliates. The new Nashville warehouse is located at 156 Space Park South. For more information about Stop Hunger Now, go to http://www.stophungernow.org. About Stop Hunger Now For more than 18 years, Stop Hunger Now has been creating a movement to end hunger. More than 200 million meals have been packaged and distributed along with other aid to 73 countries impacting millions of lives. The organization is driven by a mission to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-changing aid to the world's most vulnerable and by creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources. The Stop Hunger Now meal packaging program was created to give dedicated individuals the opportunity to participate in a hands-on international hunger relief program and to become educated, engaged advocates for the worlds poor and hungry. In 2015, Stop Hunger Now and its global affiliates packaged 51.3 million meals. For more information visit http://www.stophungernow.org. BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy (BioPlus), one of the nations leading innovative specialty pharmacies, provides best-in-class oncology therapy to patients undergoing cancer treatment. In an expansion of BioPlus patient support program, each oncology therapy patient now receives a Therapy Comfort Care Kit, which is a collection of support items that can ease the discomforts of common cancer treatment side effects. Difficult and unpleasant side effects are an unfortunate occurrence for many patients during oncology treatment, which can impact patient adherence. Easing side effects promotes better adherence. A cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming and the treatment can be challenging, so our Therapy Comfort Care Kit is a hands-on way that we support our cancer patients as they enter and continue the treatment process, shares Nick Maroulis, Pharm.D., Vice President of Specialty Pharmacy Services at BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy. Each kit offers time-proven items of support that give a measure of comfort during what can be a difficult treatment process. Each kit includes sunscreen, hand lotion, Biotene mouth rinse (for dry mouth), hand sanitizer (for compromised immunity), non-slip socks, and a stress ball. About BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy is the first specialty pharmacy to introduce a two-hour turnaround from referral to patient acceptance. BioPlus... Where healing begins in 2 hours. Our company celebrates 26 years of innovative excellence in specialty pharmacy, working closely with payers and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as with prescribers to get prompt treatment for patients, and directly supporting our patients nationwide to achieve optimal health outcomes. Our proprietary web tool Tap App, connects prescribers to the pharmacy by bringing the pharmacy chart into the doctors office with real-time specialty pharmacy information and treatment monitoring. BioPlus provides a complete range of specialty services, including for hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, cancer, bleeding disorders, and other complex, chronic conditions. BioPlus, a privately-held, pharmacist-owned company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, is accredited by URAC, VIPPS, and the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). For information: http://www.bioplusrx.com or Contact: info(at)bioplusrx(dot)com Phone: 1-888-292-0744 ### The deadline for the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Scholarship Funds online application for the 2016-17 school year is noon EST Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Students can apply at http://www.moaa.org/education for interest-free loans and grants, which are awarded annually for up to five years of undergraduate study (or until a student graduates). In 2015, the MOAA Scholarship Fund distributed nearly $9.3 million in grants and interest-free loans to more than 1,700 military families. Eligibility guidelines include: Students under age 24 who are children of former, currently serving or retired commissioned or warrant officers and children of currently serving or retired enlisted military personnel are eligible to apply. Active duty, National Guard, Reserve, retired and former commissioned officers and warrant officers of the seven uniformed services are eligible for MOAA membership. Graduating high school seniors or full-time college students working toward their first undergraduate degree. If a child served in a uniformed service before completing college, however, the maximum age for eligibility will be increased by the number of years he or she served, up to five years. Qualified students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale are considered for selection based on their scholastic ability and participation in extracurricular and community activities, as well as financial need. The MOAA Scholarship Fund has provided educational assistance for children of military families for nearly 70 years. Students may apply online at http://www.moaa.org/education . For more information on educational assistance or making a contribution to the MOAA Scholarship Fund, please visit http://www.moaa.org/scholarshipfund or email edassist(at)moaa(dot)org. -End- About MOAA: Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is the nations largest and most influential association of military officers. With more than 390,000 members active duty, former, retired, and National Guard and Reserve officers from all seven uniformed services and their spouses and surviving spouses it is a powerful force speaking for a strong national defense and represents the interests of military officers and their families at every stage of their careers. For those who are not eligible to join MOAA, Voices for Americas Troops is a nonprofit MOAA affiliate that supports a strong national defense. For more information, visit http://www.moaa.org. Lisa Wright, Zephyr director The value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) targeting companies based in South and Central America, including tax havens, increased for the second consecutive year to USD 321,093 million in 2015, according to information collected by the leading M&A database Zephyr. By contrast volume declined for the second year in a row, falling 8 per cent from 3,049 deals in 2014 to 2,792 deals in the year under review, which suggests higher deal valuations over the last 12 months. The largest transaction in the region recorded in 2015 by Zephyr was NXP Semiconductors acquisition of Bermuda-incorporated and Texas-based semiconductor manufacturer Freescale Semiconductor for USD 16,700 million in December. This was followed by True Thrives agreement to pick up Qihoo 360 Technology, a Cayman Islands-based antivirus software developer, for USD 9,300 million in December. True Thrive was backed by a large consortium of investors, including Sailing Capital Management, and closing is expected in the first half of 2016, subject to shareholder approval. The largest deal targeting a non-tax haven country was worth USD 7,382 million and involved CRH buying Brazilian and Mexican assets belonging to Holcim and Lafarge, among other international assets. All of the top 20 deals by value were worth over USD 2,000 million, while the top five reached values in excess of USD 6,000 million. The Cayman Islands led the way by both volume and value with 804 deals worth a combined USD 113,073 million in 2015. This represents the countrys highest valuation since before 2008 and is 71 per cent higher than the USD 66,213 million recorded in 2014. Bermuda was second by value with USD 67,118 million, also its largest result of the last seven years, followed by the British Virgin Islands (USD 48,101 million). Brazil was the best-performing non-tax haven country; despite its total value falling 41 per cent to USD 47,630 million in 2015, resulting in it placing fourth by value, the country ranked second by volume with 544 deals. The Zephyr database shows that in keeping with the M&A pattern, private equity and venture capital (PE and VC) value increased by 40 per cent to USD 32,238 million, while volume fell 32 per cent to 239 deals in 2015 (2014: 354 deals worth USD 25,227 million), according to Zephyr. In all six of the top 20 PE and VC deals by value were worth over USD 1,000 million and these deals combined represented around 62 per cent of total PE and VC value (USD 32,238 million) in 2015. Lisa Wright, Zephyr director, commented, Latin American M&A value has increased for the second consecutive year against a drop in volume, suggesting higher individual considerations for the year and proving that a recovery is well and truly underway after a disappointing 2013. Although volume was down year-on-year, this was in line with the overall global trend for 2015 and the fact that some sizable deals were announced over the course of the 12 months will be a cause for much optimism in 2016. Ends For further information, please contact: Zephyr Editorial Tel: +44 (0)161 838 9554 Email us Get the full report Access the raw data used in the report Download a high-res photograph of Lisa Wright, director of Zephyr Bureau van Dijk Mexico City + 52 (55) 3683-8080 mexico(at)bvdinfo(dot)com Notes to Editors: The date range is 01/01/2015 31/12/2015 inclusive Activity is based on the activity of the target company Deal status is announced, completed, pending or unconditional The sector breakdown uses targets' activities as defined to be Major Sectors by Zephyr The Latin America and Caribbean region covers target companies in Anguilla (AI), Antigua and Barbuda (AG), Argentina (AR), Aruba (AW), Bahamas (BS), Barbados (BB), Belize (BZ), Bermuda (BM), Bolivia (BO), Brazil (BR), British Virgin Islands (VG), Cayman Islands (KY), Chile (CL), Colombia (CO), Costa Rica (CR), Cuba (CU), Curacao (CW), Dominica (DM), Dominican Republic (DO), Ecuador (EC), El Salvador (SV), Grenada (GD), Guatemala (GT), Guyana (GY), Haiti (HT), Honduras (HN), Jamaica (JM), Mexico (MX), Nicaragua (NI), Panama (PA), Paraguay (PY), Peru (PE), Saint Kitts and Nevis (KN), Saint Lucia (LC), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VC), Sint Maarten (SX), Suriname (SR), Trinidad and Tobago (TT), Uruguay (UY), Venezuela (VE) About Zephyr Zephyr is an information solution containing M&A, IPO and venture capital deals and rumours with links to detailed financial company information. Winner of numerous recent M&A industry awards, including Best M&A Data Publisher 2015 at the Acquisition International M&A Awards, Zephyr is published by Bureau van Dijk (BvD). The deals on Zephyr are linked to the company financials and peer reports on BvD's product range. Zephyr contains information on close to 1.4 million deals. More information on Zephyr About Bureau van Dijk Bureau van Dijk (BvD) is the leading provider of private company, corporate ownership and deal information. BvDs product range combines data from regulatory and other sources, including 140 information partners, with flexible software to allow users to manipulate data for a range of research needs and applications. Its Orbis database provides information on 180 million companies across the globe. In addition, BvD addresses specific business challenges through its range of Catalysts including transfer pricing, credit, procurement, KYC, client on-boarding, M&A research and valuations, while BvD custom delivers bespoke solutions. http://www.bvdinfo.com/corporatefinance Unsubscribe If you wish to unsubscribe from our press releases please reply with the word unsubscribe in the subject box. As part of a nationwide effort to offer high-quality preschool programs for children who are most in need, Abt Associates will evaluate Massachusetts federal Preschool Expansion Grant (PEG) for the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC). Thirteen states, including Massachusetts, were awarded Expansion Grants from the U.S. Department of Education in FY14 to expand the capacity of high-quality preschool programs to serve additional children in high-need communities. In Massachusetts, five communities (Boston, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, and Springfield) are being funded to implement full-day, full-year preschool for four-year-olds through public-private partnerships between the local public school districts and licensed early learning providers. Together, these partnerships plan to provide high-quality preschool programming for approximately 3,000 four-year-olds in the participating communities over the span of the grant. This evaluation will provide actionable findings to inform program development and answer policy questions about how preschool education, delivered through public school-community partnerships, can best catalyze child learning from prekindergarten into the early elementary school grades, said Mary Joel Holin, Abt Associates division vice president for Social and Economic Policy. Additionally, it builds upon Abts deep experience in early care and education research, including examining preschool classroom quality and measuring the school readiness outcomes for young children. Massachusetts has long been at the forefront of efforts to support a high-quality early learning system. In particular, the DEEC has been highly involved in long-range planning for implementing strategies to help ensure that Massachusetts children, especially those children with the highest needs, arrive in kindergarten with the skills and abilities necessary to succeed. The Abt Associates evaluation team will be led by Dr. Barbara Goodson (Principal Investigator) and Amy Checkoway (Project Director). Abt will also be joined by researchers Drs. Monica Yudron and Anne Douglass from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. The evaluation contract is for up to four years, and is valued at $3.1 million. About Abt Associates Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research, evaluation and implementing programs in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Associates is regularly ranked as one of the top 20 global research firms and was named one of the 40 international development innovators. The company has offices in the U.S., Australia and the U.K., and program offices in more than 40 countries. http://www.abtassoc.com Axis Medical Staffing "It's truly a family atmosphere at Axis. Our goal has always been to build a company culture based on trust, transparency and teamwork. This recognition further validates that we're on the right track." - Ryan Skjonsberg, Co-CEO In their most recent achievement, Axis Medical Staffing was named one of the Top Travel Nursing Companies for 2016 by Travel Nursing Central, a leading source for travel nursing company reviews. This honor is given to travel nursing companies who receive high ratings from their travel nurses in over twenty diverse corporate areas including pay, benefits, honesty, assignment selection, reputation and professionalism. Travel Nursing Central received more than 3,900 ratings on over 190 agencies and only twelve were chosen to receive the Top Travel Nursing Companies for 2016. The ratings themselves were created from actual travel nurses and Axis Medical Staffing received this award based on the positive relationships it has established with its nurses. This rating acts as a stamp of approval from travel nurses in the field. Its an honor to be recognized as a Top Travel Nurse Company for 2016, explains Ryan Skjonsberg, the Co-CEO of Axis Medical Staffing. We pride ourselves on taking the time to build personal, lasting relationships with our nurses. The inclusion of Axis on this list and the feedback provided by our travelers, illustrates that we are a preferred choice for travel nurses seeking their next adventure. Nurses are in high demand throughout the United States and the travel nurse industry as a whole is highly competitive. This honor provides further evidence that Axis Medical Staffing has proven itself to be a favored option for travel nurses who seek 13 week assignments throughout the country. We were proud to be listed as one of the Top Travel Nurse Companies for 2016, says Adam McKinnon, Co-CEO of Axis Medical Staffing. This speaks to our companys ability to listen to our nurses, build lasting partnerships and provide excellent opportunities for our travel nurses. Our vision for our Rock Star Nurses, is to not only enjoy the current city in which they reside, but to also be afforded the opportunity to visit any destination with Axis by their side. Unlike many other travel nurse companies, Axis Medical Staffing boasts a fun and non-corporate atmosphere. They refer to their travel nurses as Rock Stars and offer a slew of travel nurse benefits including industry leading pay packages, flexible schedules, plenty of available jobs, one-on-one attention from their recruiters and an easy application process. To view the list of Top Travel Nursing Companies, visit Travel Nursing Central. To learn more information about Axis Medical Staffing, continue reading below or visit their website directly. About Axis Medical Staffing: Axis Medical Staffing places travel nurses and medical professionals in healthcare facilities across the nation. Headquartered in Seattle, WA, Axis specializes in contract, per diem, and full-time direct hire placements. Founded in 2004, Axis was first recognized by The Joint Commission in 2007 when they earned the Health Care Staffing Services Certification. A certification they have successfully upheld since that time. For more information on Axis Medical Staffing, visit http://www.axismedicalstaffing.com. END In a series of presentations before the 73rd Congress of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons in Seoul, Korea Distinguished Professor of Plastic Surgery and renowned rhinoplasty specialist, Dr. Rod J. Rohrich discussed advances and developments in rhinoplasty surgery that make it are more consistent, safer procedure. In the Keynote meeting presentation, entitled "Rhinoplasty: Getting it Right the First Time - A 25 Year Perspective", Dr. Rohrich shared his expertise as a recognized rhinoplasty expert, emphasized the difficulty of rhinoplasty as a cosmetic surgery, and explored the challenges that plastic surgeons have faced and the evolution of rhinoplasty over the past several decades that have led up to the modern techniques and approach. Dr. Rohrich, who also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of "Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery", the official medical journal for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), and is also the chair of the Dallas Rhinoplasty Symposium, says that rhinoplasty requires both art and science, relying on the personal aesthetic choices of the surgeon, and the surgical ability to achieve those results in a consistent manner. Dr. Rohrich emphasized that rhinoplasty is an especially difficult and complex surgery with many nuances and variables. "Rhinoplasty is a surgery of millimeters," says Dr. Rohrich, "The margin for error is very small. In all of plastic surgery, rhinoplasty stands as one of the most difficult procedures to achieve consistently good results. It truly epitomizes plastic surgery as a whole as surgery of great finesse which takes many years to master." Dr. Rohrich, receives numerous requests annually from around the world for corrective or revision rhinoplasty to improve upon poor results from a primary rhinoplasty. Hoping to improve the average rate of revision, Dr. Rohrich, seeks ways to improve the percentage across his discipline. "Since a secondary nose job is so difficult, it is vastly important to do it correctly the first time, avoiding the need for secondary surgery. Careful analysis of the each patient's nose and their specific situation is the key to a successful surgery," says Dr. Rohrich. "One must never leaver the Operating room until the nose is a perfect as it can ever be." Dr. Rohrich concludes that the key to mastering the complexities of rhinoplasty is to master a wide variety of surgical techniques, ensuring the surgeon has multitude of options to maximize control during surgery. "The goal is always to make sure the patient has a natural appearing, functional nose that matches the other facial features. Rhinoplasty is not a once-fits-all procedure, it relies on the plastic surgeon's aesthetic sense in combination with his ability to achieve good results," says Dr. Rohrich. About Rod J. Rohrich, M.D., F.A.C.S. Dr. Rod J. Rohrich is a Distinguished Teaching Professor and Founding Chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Rohrich graduated from Baylor College of Medicine with high honors, and completed his Plastic Surgery training at the University of Michigan Medical Center and fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard (hand/microsurgery) and Oxford University (pediatric plastic surgery). He is Chairman of the Dallas Rhinoplasty Symposium, Founding Chairman of the Dallas Cosmetic Symposium, President and Founding Member of the Alliance in Reconstructive Surgery, and a Founding Partner of the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute. Dr. Rohrich has also served as president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the largest organization of board certified plastic surgeons in the world. He repeatedly has been selected by his peers as one of America's best doctors, and twice has received one of his profession's highest honors, the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes his contributions to education in plastic surgery. Dr. Rohrich participates in and has led numerous associations and councils for the advancement of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Member Solutions, the leading provider of full-service membership billing, payment processing, business management software and advisory services for Martial Arts, Fitness and Health-related businesses, today announced the integration of its online event registration software, Event Manager, with 97 Display Martial Arts and Fitness Business websites. This solution combines Event Managers robust online registration and payment processing capabilities with 97 Displays powerful, SEO-optimized websites enabling mutual clients to optimize lead generation, event registrations and revenue. We are thrilled to partner with 97 Display, said Kristie Matheson, President of Member Solutions. The ability for our technologies to integrate is extremely beneficial to our mutual clients operational workflow. More than that, pairing the Event Manager and 97 Display products offers a sure way for our clients to enrich their website, improve the event registration experience for their customers, increase leads and ultimately increase revenue. Membership businesses of all kinds including Martial Arts schools and Fitness clubs use Event Manager software to take registrations and payments online for events such as camps, seminars, tournaments, classes and birthday parties. The software also includes a full set of built-in management and marketing utilities including the ability to send mass emails to targeted audiences, sell products and services during registration, and offer split pay, installments and deposits to make fees more financially-manageable for registrants. Through the new integration, mutual clients of Event Manager software and 97 Display can synchronize their current list of active events to create a dynamic events page on their 97 Display website. Any changes made in Event Manager will be reflected on the clients 97 Display website to present the most up-to-date event listing online. Events are huge lead and revenue generators for Martial Arts and Fitness businesses, says Timothy Sarazen, Director of Operations for 97 Display. The new integration with Event Manager software is really the perfect way to effortlessly promote events online. Were extremely excited about this integration partnership and the tremendous value it delivers to mutual clients. About 97 Display 97 Display is an Internet marketing agency that provides websites, search engine optimization, digital advertisements, video marketing and conversion tools for Martial Arts and Fitness businesses. All websites created by 97 Display are responsive, SEO-optimized and built to convert website visitors to leads. For more information, visit 97display.com. About Member Solutions Since 1991, Member Solutions has built its business on an unwavering commitment to serving clients in the Martial Arts and other Fitness market segments. The company operates a proprietary payment processing platform, and is the leading provider of billing, servicing and business support to more than 3,000 membership businesses in the United States, Canada and Australia. The company also offers myVolo web-based software for front-desk member management and Event Manager online registration software. Both software solutions are fully integrated with the companys Level One PCI-compliant payment processing platform. For more information, visit MemberSolutions.com. Global Stem Cells Group The mission of the conference s to educate the medical community on the latest advances in regenerative medicine, and will feature experts in regenerative medicine. Global Stem Cells Group, a world leader in regenerative medicine, will host the 2016 International Academic Year Inaugural Convention March. 25-27, 2016 in Santiago, Chile. The convention will kick off the New Year by gathering the largest global network of medical leaders and physicians from around the world to formally sign a joint venture between GSCG and Santiago-based Cellus Regenerative Medicine, SA. Global Stem Cells Group COO Kipp Van Camp will be in Santiago to execute the agreement between GSCG and Cellus, and to supervise GSCGs new facilities and protocols to be used in its medical tourism initiative. David Audley, Chair and General Secretary of the Regentech Alliance (RTA), will be on hand to conduct the GSCG Chile facilitys RTA certification process. The RTA certification signifies that GSCG Chile meets the highest standards of excellence in current medical and laboratory practices as measured by established standards. The mission of the conference s to educate the medical community on the latest advances in regenerative medicine, and will feature experts in regenerative medicine, including: Augusti Molins, M.D. (Spain) of the Medical Center in Barcelona. Molins specializes in nutrition and dietetics, the protein diet Sulco method, obesity and overweight children, ozone therapy, carboxitherapy, aesthetic medicine cosmetic surgery. Spain. Michel Garcia, M.D., (U.S.) internist, American Academy of Anti- Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and director of the Hornnofit Center in Coral Gables, Florida. Kipp Van Kamp, D.O., (U.S.) interventional radiologist, Global Stem Cells Group COO, regenerative medicine expert. A graduate of Kansas City University of Physicians and Surgeons, affiliated with The Clara Barton Hospital Association Inc. in Hoisington, Kansas and Critical Imaging Associates in Topeka, Kansas. Enrique Testart, M.D., (Chile) trauma surgeon, pediatric microsurgeon, regenerative medicine specialist, surgeon/manager Innovassalud, S.A. German clinic in Santiago, founder, Consortia Innovas S.A., Global Stem Cells Group Chile CEO. David Audley, (U.S.) international consultant; fellow, Institute for Global Health and research, Chair, American Regenerative Technology Alliance (RTA). Following the conference, Global Stem Cells Group will conduct a special training course to include regenerative medicine body preparations using vitamin combinations and other nutritional supplements to enhance stem cell function. The conference will take place at the Marriott Hotel in Santiago, AV. Pdte. Kennedy 5741 Vitacura. For more information on the 2016 International Academic Year Inaugural Convention in Santiago, Chile visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(at)stemcellsgroup(dot)com or call 305-560-4373. About Global Stem Cell Group: Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine. Global Stem Cells Groups corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCGs six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments. About Cellus Regenerative Medicine, SA.: Cellus is dedicated to research, development and commercialization of therapeutic services and custom biotech products in the field of regenerative medicine. Their multidisciplinary team of stem cell experts focuses on the prevention and reversal of impairment in the skin of patients with traumatic injuries, skin diseases or symptoms of aging. Their state-of-the-art facility in Santiago features a full laboratory and showcases the companys extensive clinical expertise and biopharmaceutical production capabilities. ### We look forward to integrating iPatientCare's EHR & RCM services with our services & achieve our mission of empowering our members by implementing & equipping value-based practices, said Scott Munsterman, DC, FICC & CEO of Best Practices Academy. iPatientCare, Inc., a pioneer in cloud-based ambulatory EHR/ Practice Management System and Value-Added Revenue Cycle Management Services, announced today its strategic partnership with Best Practices Academy for Creating the Future of Chiropractic Care within the United States of America. Best Practices Academy evolved as a clinical improvement program within Chiropractic Associates ten years ago, which transformed into an organization of its own since the inception of the Affordable Care Act. Best Practices Academy is founded with the singular focus of the future of Chiropractic Care. Scott Munsterman, DC, FICC and CEO of Best Practices Academy articulated his vision as Providing focused leadership to equip value-based practices and improve clinical outcomes. He further added, We have a track-record of providing robust delivery of clinical training and quality improvement programs to chiropractic practices. Clinical practices must migrate from a fee-for-service to a value-based system, and hence, our mission is to make a difference for patients seeking Chiropractic care and for the Chiropractic profession as well. We want to help our members grow their practice through our Value-Based Practice System, improving clinical excellence and participation in lifelong learning and professional collaboration. It is iPatientCares mission to help healthcare providers reduce costs and improve outcomes by delivering technology solutions that lend to population health management, data analytics, and revenue cycle enhancements. Best Practices Academy under Dr. Munstermans experienced leadership is a perfect strategic match for iPatientCare to create the best future for Chiropractic care within the United States jointly, said Udayan Mandavia, CEO/President, iPatientCare. Best Practices Academys Value-based Practice System consists of five key areas, namely, practice growth, financial health, risk management, practice recognition, and care coordination. We look forward to integrating iPatientCare EHR and its value-added Revenue Cycle Management services with our services and achieve our mission of empowering our members by implementing and equipping value-based practices, leading to improved clinical outcomes for patients, concluded Dr. Munsterman. About iPatientCare: iPatientCare, Inc. is a privately held medical informatics company based at Woodbridge, New Jersey. The company is known for its pioneering contribution to mHealth and Cloud based unified product suite that include Electronic Health/Medical Record and integrated Practice Management/Billing System, Patient Portal/PHR, Health Information Exchange (HIE), and mobile point-of-care solutions that serve the ambulatory, acute/sub acute, emergency and home health market segments. iPatientCare EHR 2014 (2.0) has received 2014 Edition Ambulatory Complete EHR certification by ICSA Labs, an Office of the National Coordinator-Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB), in accordance with the applicable eligible professional certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Full certification details can be found at ONC Certified Health IT Product List. iPatientCare Inpatient EHR 2014 (2.0) Received ONC HIT 2014 Edition Complete EHR Certification from ICSA Labs, determines ability to support eligible hospitals with meeting meaningful use stage 1 and stage 2 measures required to qualify for ONC Health IT funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Full certification details can be found at ONC Certified Health IT Product List. The ONC 2014 Edition criteria support both Stage 1 and 2 Meaningful Use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The company has won numerous awards for its EHR technology and is recognized as an innovator in the field, being a pioneer to offer an EHR technology on a handheld device, an innovative First Responder technology to the US Army for its Theatre Medical Information System, the first to offer a Cloud based EHR product. iPatientCare is recognized as one of the best EHR and Integrated PM System for small and medium sized physicians offices; has been awarded most number of industry Awards; and has been recognized as a preferred/MU partner by numerous Regional Extension Centers (REC), hospitals/health systems, and academies. Visit http://www.iPatientCare.com for more information. When our neighbor is in need, we will not hesitate to lend a cup of sugar or a couple of eggs, what ever they may need Residents of the Flint, MI area are in the midst of a crisis involving a dangerous lead contamination in their supply of drinking water, which resulted switching sources for that water. Michigan native Per Wickstrom, the founder and CEO of several substance abuse treatment centers around the northern Midwest, has joined in the efforts of various civic leaders, celebrities, and community activists to offer assistance to residents of Flint. Contributing to the GoFundMe page that was set up to raise funds for bottled water, he has also written a blog entry urging others to take action and donate any money, time or effort that they can afford to give. When our neighbor is in need, we will not hesitate to lend a cup of sugar or a couple of eggs, what ever they may need, Wickstrom commented. It is tough to imagine that, in our country today, our neighbors would be in need of clean, safe water. Lead contamination is a very serious thing, and this form of poisoning has many terrible and irreversible effects. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Flint, and Im sure that any help that can be offered, no matter how big or little, is greatly appreciated". Flint Michigan Water Issues. Flints water issues began in 2014, after the city had been placed under state supervision when it could not recover from the economic collapse which devastated many areas across the country, this area being one of the worst. In an attempt to cut costs, the citys water supply was switched from Detroits Lake Huron water source to the closer Flint River. However, the Flint River is already struggling with heavy pollution, and the high salt content of that rivers water didnt help matters. Lead from the antiquated pipes that make up Flints water delivery system began to seep into the water, and children have been testing positive with dangerously high lead levels. Many agencies from local, state, and federal levels are coordinating investigations into the causes and potential solutions to Flints water supply problems, but in the meantime, residents are left without access to healthy and clean water. Many of the towns remaining 33,000 households have been fitted with lead filters which are very effective if properly used and maintained. These filters will eventually have to be replaced unless the lead contamination issue is resolved. The GoFundMe project has supplied over 50,000 bottles of water to local families, but those wont last long without additional support from contributors like Wickstrom. The residents of Flint still need our help, he says in his blog. Every little bit helps. Show your support for your fellow American citizens by donating on the GoFundMe page, or finding a way to donate your time and effort. Every single one of us needs some kind of help at some point in our lives. In that spirit, it is important that we help others when they need it. Per Wickstrom dedicated his life to helping others overcome addiction after struggling with his own substance abuse issues for many years. In his passion for finding ways to help those in need, he often reaches outside of the halls of his addiction treatment centers to touch the lives of those who are struggling and to build up communities and their residents. For more information visit http://www.perwickstrom.com. And to donate click here. RCN Business, a communications provider delivering network solutions for voice, data and video, announces today that it has partnered with NEF, Inc. to display its network within NEFs FiberLocator database. RCN Businesss fiber maps and lit building locations are now easily searchable by RCNs channel partners and agents that subscribe to the application. With FiberLocator, agents can now determine specific RCN network routes in each of their cities in order to provide the best RCN Business service solution for their clients and/or prospects. NEFs FiberLocator is an industry-leading carrier-neutral fiber mapping tool providing telecommunications networking stakeholders with a more efficient, simplified and cost-effective solution for accurate fiber mapping research. FiberLocator is available via single seat or multi-user enterprise access, or it can be streamlined into existing customer platforms through an API. NEF released a new version of the application September 28th which features a more intuitive work flow, more data than ever before, and a new batch upload tool, which allows users to research network and lit building data for up to 200 addresses at one time. FiberLocator provides users with access to our growing database of over 280 unique carriers, 389,000+ lit building records, and around 6,800 data centers. We are excited to have RCN Businesss maps listed in FiberLocator, making the application that much more inclusive and accurate, stated Steve McCarthy, Chief Operating Officer at NEF. Carriers, like RCN Business, can benefit from agents and resellers having the ability to see their respective networks and therefore broker their solutions more easily. RCN has 6,200 fiber miles in five major markets and FiberLocator is a phenomenal way for us to show the expansiveness of our fiber footprint, commented Michael Carrosquilla, SVP Commercial Services at RCN. Several RCN agents already use this service and now have the ability to easily view the RCN footprint with FiberLocator. Since RCN is proactively building into new multi-tenant properties, we can present agents with real-time information on new buildings and potential customers. To learn more about RCN Business and its national agent program, you can check out RCNs Partner Program Manager, Patrick Dial, in his recent video at: http://rcn.com/business/rcn-business-launches-agent-program/. Patrick can also be reached at Patrick.Dial(at)rcn(dot)net or by calling (212) 784-8049. # # # About RCN Business Services RCN Business Service provides industry-leading high-speed Internet, voice, video and network solutions to businesses of all sizes. Delivered through a wholly-owned, state-of-the-art fiber-rich network and supported by 100% U.S.-based customer service, RCN Business serves businesses in Boston, Chicago, Lehigh Valley (PA), New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. RCN Business received the Metro Ethernet Forums CE 2.0 certification in the E-Line, E-LAN and E-Access categories in 2014. Follow RCN Business on LinkedIn and Twitter. RCN Media Contact: Jaymie Scotto & Associates for RCN 866-695-3629 ext. 13 jsa_rcn(at)jaymiescotto(dot)com About NEF NEF, Inc., is a professional services firm focused on research, planning, and deployment of next generation networks. Specializing in high capacity data transport networks and data center procurement for enterprises and carriers, NEF is the creator of FiberLocator an industry-leading carrier-neutral fiber and lit building mapping tool. NEF has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies. NEF Media Contact: Sarah Johnson, Marketing Coordinator, NEF 617-597-6799 sjohnson(at)nefiber(dot)com Spritely Not everyone is a morning person, and not everyone finds getting out of bed an easy task, which is why we decided to create a complete solution to help those who need that extra push. Dylan Brodsky, a 19-year-old entrepreneur from California Polytechnic State University, launched his Indiegogo campaign today for an unbeatable wake-up solution and is looking to raise $100,000 to cover the cost of manufacturing. Spritely is an alarm system that uses sensor technology to bring users an alarm solution they cant turn off until they are completely awake and out of bed. Spritely contains a unique smart sensor that communicates with iOS and Android smartphones via Bluetooth and detects when the user is in or out of bed. The smart sensor also detects and wakes users up when they are in the lightest point of their sleep cycle to make sure they wake up refreshed, instead of groggy. Spritely is also used as an informative tool on how well the user sleeps. The Spritely mobile app pairs seamlessly with Spritelys smart sensor to collect data and provide customized sleep analytics and tips. Analytics include information on the users sleep patterns, sleep score, sleep habits and personalized tips on how to improve their quality of sleep. Not everyone is a morning person, and not everyone finds getting out of bed an easy task, which is why we decided to create a complete solution to help those who need that extra push, said CEO and co-founder of Spritely, Dylan Brodsky. We want to provide a guaranteed solution to those who recognize they arent morning people but want to make a difference in their morning routine. Spritely was designed to be used with ease by simply sliding the thin sensor strip between the mattress and box spring. Once placed under the mattress, the unit is ready to be controlled via the users iOS or Android device through the Spritely app. The users smartphone alarm will go off until theyre out of bed or if they get back in it. If the smartphone dies or is turned off, Spritelys failsafe alarm will go off. The Spritely alarm will also sound if the sensor is removed from the bed and will continue to go off until it is put back in place. Early backers can purchase Spritely on Indiegogo for $79, which is $40 less than the market retail value. For more information about Spritely, visit http://bit.ly/SpritelyIGG or email alyssa(at)spritely(dot)me. About Spritely The Spritely team is made up of fresh, young entrepreneurs composed of students at California Polytechnic State University who work extensively on finding new and innovative ways to improve peoples sleep habits. Our goal is to help those that want to start off their days right and to educate those who want to make a difference in their nights. For more information, visit http://www.comingsoon.tech/WinSpritely/. This is another victory for StarKart that will also benefit our clients, said Jeffrey Rosenthal, Chairman and CEO of StarKart and the NALA. Local businesses that want to broaden their advertising reach will now have an additional 1,000 stores in their network. This expansion adds approximately 1,000 locations in twenty states and in major metropolitan areas including Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Knoxville, Durham, Virginia Beach, Augusta, Myrtle Beach, Raleigh, Richmond, Jacksonville, Columbia, Wilmington, and more. It comes on the heels of another recent StarKart expansion, which added 2,600 locations to its inventory. Through the broad exposure of grocery cart advertising in numerous stores such as these, StarKart helps thousands of local businesses stand out in their communities. With the help of grocery cart advertising, StarKart allows the client to choose the length of a campaign, how many store locations they want to advertise in and how often they want their ads to change during the course of that campaign. The advertising network reaches thousands of locations in forty-nine states, Washington, D.C. and Canada. 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 quality web content, such as news 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 & 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. There were plenty of highlights last year for Washington, D.C. real estate. But what were some of the mishaps that may still be under contention? Listed in no particular order, you will be able to find everything from a Downtown Abbey office renovation to a land deal that may have lost the District over $27 million below. At the end of the article, you can also vote for which happening may have been the biggest oops moment of the year. If there were any issues that were left off of this list that you believe should have appeared, be sure to let us know in the comments. In September 2015, it was reported that the D.C. Council could have earned $27.6 million in one land deal in Shaw. Instead, the Council auctioned off the 1.5-acre site for $400,000. The price chop is due to the land use proposed for the site. Rather than luxury housing and high-end retail, the site will instead be for affordable housing. The funds from the land deal could have gone to run-down public schools and other affordable-housing projects. After the public criticized Illinois Representative Aaron Shock for spending around $100,000 on a Downtown Abbey-themed office, Shock told ABC, "Haters gonna hate." But he got way more hate then he expected. Reports rose that he used taxpayer money and political donations to fund the crystal chandeliers, pheasant feathers, and gold-colored wall sconces. 3. The Tragicomedy That is the H Street Streetcar This past year, the H Street streetcar project not only experienced two missed deadlines, there was also a fire and three separate car accidents along with it. While it's worth noting that the accidents were not at the fault of the streetcars, the $160 million project was still threatened to be canceled after years of planning. Regardless, the streetcar is expected to open to the public later this year. 4. Revealing One of D.C.'s Most Controversial Housing Proposals The only way to stop a developer from razing Mt. Vernon Triangle's Museum Square Apartment building was for the low-income residents to pay a whopping $250 million. Rather than roll over, the residents instead took legal action, resulting in what The Washington Post described as "more legal and legislative controversy than possibly any other housing proposal in recent years." In order to prevent such a massive asking price in the future, former D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and Council member David Catania altered the Tenants Opportunity to Purchase Act. The developer hoped to construct 825 apartments and condos with a price per units around $312,500. Other plans included 17,000-square-feet of retail and a four-story garage. 5. After Epic Bidding War, Georgetown Home Relists for $3.9K It took two years for a Northern Virginia couple to find the perfect home and then roughly $4 million to nab this Georgetown listing. Only five months after the purchase, the couple decided to relist the property due to the 3,908-square-foot listing allegedly not being spacious enough for two children and three housekeepers. Buyer's remorse is always a bummer, right? 6. Overeager Landlord's Plan to House Too Many Backfires Is it possible to house too many people in a group home? Of course, but apparently one Logan Circle landlord was unaware of this. The landlord had intended to house up to 10 tenants despite Zoning regulations stating that one single-family home cannot house more than six unrelated people. The landlord also did not having the proper business license to operate a rooming house. See the best posts of the year here [Curbed DC] 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. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.Website use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google") to help analyse the use of this website. For this purpose, Google Analytics uses"cookies", which are text files placed on your computer.The information generated by the cookies about your use of this website - standard internet log information (including your IP address) and visitor behaviour information in an anonymous form - will be transmitted to and stored by Google including on servers in the United States. Google will anonymize the information sent by removing the last octet of your IP address prior to its storage.According to Google Analytics terms of service, Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website and compiling reports on website activity.We not use, and not allow any third party to use the statistical analytics tool to track or to collect any personally identifiable information of visitors to this site. Google may transfer the information collected by Google Analytics to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google`s behalf.According to Google Analytics terms of service, Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.You may refuse the use of Google Analytics cookies by downloading and installing Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js) to indicate that information about the website visit should not be sent to Google Analytics.Cookies are also used to record if you have agreed (or not) to our use of cookies on this site, so that you are not asked the question every time you visit the site.You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.Most browsers allow you to:If you chose to delete cookies, you should be aware that any preferences will be lost. Also, if you block cookies completely many websites (including ours) will not work properly and webcasts will not work at all. For these reasons, we do not recommend turning cookies off when using our webcasting services. I recently underwent a four-hour surgery that has left me with fatigue and the after-effects of anesthesia. Still, I fight the urge to sleep. But maybe I shouldn't. As a child, I spent my summers in Mexico, and I recall my grandfather closing his store mid-day, like most other businesses there, so he could eat lunch and then take his siesta. In Mexico, as in other Latin America countries, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and other areas of Europe and the Mediterranean, naps are still a part of daily life. The tradition has been incorporated into the day because of its benefits. The National Sleep Foundation reports that people in the United States are becoming more and more sleep-deprived. The organization reports that a short nap of 20 to 30 minutes can help improve mood, alertness, productivity and performance. The foundation identifies three types of napping: -- Planned napping involves taking a nap before you actually get sleepy. This nap is taken when you know that you will be up later than your normal bedtime or as a mechanism to ward off getting tired earlier. -- Emergency napping occurs when you are suddenly very tired and cannot continue with the activity you are engaged in. This nap is used when you become drowsy while driving or you are fatigued while using heavy and dangerous machinery. -- Habitual napping happens when a person takes a nap at the same time each day. Young children may fall asleep at about the same time each afternoon, or an adult might take a short nap after lunch each day. After a recent visit, my friend, Tina Anderson, pointed out my fatigue and my very noticeable tired physique. You need to sleep, Tina said. When your body tells you to nap, do it. So I decided to finally take the nap advice. Mayo Clinic offers these tips to incorporate a nap into your day: -- Keep naps short. Try to nap for only 10 to 30 minutes. The longer you nap, the more likely you are to feel groggy afterward. -- Take naps in the afternoon. The best time for a nap is usually midafternoon, around 2 or 3 p.m. This is the time of day when you might experience post-lunch sleepiness or a lower level of alertness. -- Create a restful environment. Nap in a quiet, dark place with a comfortable room temperature and few distractions. After napping, be sure to give yourself time to wake up before resuming activities -- particularly those that require a quick or sharp response. It is recommended that you nap whenever you experience new fatigue, unexpected sleepiness or are about to experience sleep loss (for example, due to a long work shift). The Mayo Clinic website also cautions that if you're experiencing an increased need for naps and there's no obvious cause of fatigue in your life, you should talk to your doctor. You could be taking a medication that's affecting you, or you might have a sleep disorder or other medical condition that's disrupting your nighttime sleep. After learning so much about napping, I am ready to sleep more as my body recovers from my recent surgery, especially after the tiring effects of anesthesia. And at the same time, my recent visit to Mayo Clinic has made me understand that I must be well rested for my upcoming cancer surgery there next week. I am proud to say that I am now a napper, a member of a group that includes, according the National Sleep Foundation, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Napoleon, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and George W. Bush. And my Grandpa Fidencio Pena, too! For more information about napping, visit mayoclinic.org or sleepfoundation.org. Judy Wiese's vehicle may be back in her driveway by day's end, more than four months after it was seized by police using state forfeiture laws. Her good fortune is due, in part, to assistance from Larry Vandersnick. The Geneseo-based attorney said he was sympathetic after reading about the 70-year-old Moline woman, who struggled to represent herself in a civil forfeiture case after police seized her 2009 Jeep Compass on Aug. 31. Ms. Wiese, whose story ran last week in the Dispatch/Argus, said she lent her grandson the vehicle to drive to work, unaware he was driving on a revoked license. Her grandson's crime was the reason cited by local law enforcers for seizing the car and filing a forfeiture case against it in Rock Island County. "We are all kind of alarmed about it and just felt it was necessary for someone to represent her," said Mr. Vandersnick, who offered to assist Ms. Wiese pro bono with help from associate Kimberly Fuller and Farber Law Office. The attorney said he filed a revised answer to the state's forfeiture complaint on behalf of Ms. Wiese and, after a conversation with Rock Island County State's Attorney John McGehee, said he anticipated a settlement agreement to be finalized today. The preliminary terms of the agreement allow Ms. Wiese to get her car back in exchange for reimbursing a $150 towing fee to the Rock Island County Sheriff's Office. Mr. Vandersnick said a Geneseo woman "who knew about this and wanted to help out" offered to cover the $150 cost, adding many in the community were "in an uproar" about Ms. Wiese's situation. Ms. Wiese was brimming Monday with the good news: "I get my car back tomorrow." Multiple calls from attorneys and community members offering support has been "remarkable," the 70-year-old said. "I'm speechless," Ms. Wiese added. "No words for it." Mr. McGehee on Monday confirmed the terms of the settlement agreement and said it would go into effect after being signed by a judge. "This is something that did get my attention as the state's attorney," Mr. McGehee said of Ms. Wiese's case, adding he had addressed the case with other prosecutors in his office. "This whole process has made us very conscious of what we need to do regarding these individual cases to try to always be fair and seek justice and not just do these because we can," Mr. McGehee added. "We need to be very careful with how we proceed with these and try to find the right solution for every single case." Unable to afford an attorney, Ms. Wiese struggled to defend herself in the civil case. At a Jan. 4 hearing, Rock Island County Judge Gregory Chickris said Ms. Wiese did not follow proper legal procedures in responding to the state's forfeiture complaint. The revised response, filed by Mr. Vandersnick on Friday, denied that Ms. Wiese knew or consented to her grandson driving the vehicle on a suspended license. The document asked that a judge order the vehicle be returned to her. Mr. McGehee said Ms. Wiese's vehicle, which had an existing lien, would not have offered much equity. The goal "all along," he said, was for the county to be compensated for the cost of towing and storing of the vehicle. However, under the preliminary terms of the settlement, Mr. McGehee said Rock Island County will bear the cost of storing Ms. Wiese's car since Aug. 31, an estimated "couple hundred dollars." Mr. Vandersnick, a former prosecutor and judge who now works part time as a defense attorney, has represented others in forfeiture cases filed in Rock Island and Henry counties. He said he sympathized with Ms. Wiese and other property owners who often are at the mercy of the state's "complicated" forfeiture laws. "The law needs to be changed, and I just really felt a lot of empathy for this lady, Judy," Mr. Vandersnick said. "I know how difficult it is when people don't have any money to get through the legal process." Ms. Wiese said she purchased the vehicle for about $14,000 in 2011 and still owes close to $7,000. She has continued to make car payments and cover the cost of insurance. "I wasn't going to give up -- that's all there is to it," Ms. Wiese said, adding she believed forfeiture laws in Illinois are in desperate need of reform. "People are being punished for the crimes of other people," she said. Derrick Dawon Burns admitted in August 2015 to sending four threatening letters to students, employees and campus police in 2012 and 2013. The FBI was also an intended recipient. Three of the letters were entitled "The War on SIU." One was placed in a campus mail box and the others found in mail sorting machines. A sentencing hearing for the former SIU student is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Benton. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge. Burns was found competent to stand trial after a psychiatric exam. BISHOP HILL -- A village that thrives on history may forgo a little. A unique tree in Bishop Hill may soon be no more. Downed limbs from a line of arborvitae -- ironically the tree of life -- were obstructing the Bishop Hill Cemetery, with a Jan. 11 funeral pending. A tree trimmer did emergency cleanup. Bishop Hill Mayor Mike Funke said the firm had earlier recommended taking down the entire line of trees, but he declined. According to state arborist Shane Kaiser, there is a champion tree among the cemetery arborvitaethe biggest specimen of arborvitae in the state. It could be 50 years old, it could be older than that, he said. I dont know the national rank it doesnt really matter but that one is the biggest arborvitae in Illinois. A University of Illinois Extension Big Tree Register website last updated in 2013 lists Bishop Hills arborvitae by the name northern white cedar. The site lists two other champion trees in Henry County: a catalpa in Kewanee and a river birch in Cambridge, both on private property. Rock Island, Mercer and Whiteside counties have no champion trees listed. Mr. Kaiser allowed that the town could have a safety issue to worry about if the tree is in a high-traffic area. Thats their decision. My gosh, I hope they think about it pretty hard before they start cutting them down. Trustee Amanda Laub volunteered to double-check the legality of removing the special tree as well as getting costs of both tree removal and replanting. The board will discuss the findings at a future meeting. ROCK ISLAND -- Community members, faith leaders and elected officials on Monday morning met at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center to remember the life and words of the civil rights leader. Speeches, poems, dancing and songs moved the crowd of hundreds of people who listened to the program's message, based on Dr. King's words, "There comes a time when silence is betrayal." Dr. King spoke those words in a speech opposing the Vietnam War he delivered in 1967 in New York. The Rev. P. Wonder Harris, of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in East Moline, said Dr. King's words denouncing the war showed the unfair plight of black people in America. One of the great frustrations was that black men and white men were fighting together thousands of miles away, fighting and dying together in another country, and could not sit together in the same classroom or live in the same neighborhood in this country, he said. Rev. Harris said a lot of positive change has occurred since Dr. King was assassinated outside of his hotel room in 1968 in Memphis. But, he said, there's much more that needs to be done. These are the days of the open doors, and we need to engage this struggle with the same sacrifice and commitment and passion that they pursued opening those doors," he said. "We have a job to do because now it's not about truth to power. Now, it's about truth to people. Now that the doors are open, we must take personal responsibility to pursue what we do with excellence. Rev. David Brown, of The Refuge Church in Rock Island, said he would like to speak with Dr. King to see if he believed his dream had been accomplished. "As he would watch the news, walk the halls of our schools, maybe even scroll through his news feed on social media, I would respectfully and humbly ask him, 'Is this the dream?'" The Rev. Brown said. "Because if it's not, why in the world should we settle? The Rev. Dwight Ford, the executive director of the Martin Luther King center, told the crowd that everyone should think about the strength of Dr. King when he said, "There comes a time when silence is betrayal." Many in Dr. King's inner circle turned against him when he spoke out against the war. "We're challenging and we're encouraging all of us in our own way to break the silence about things that are meaningful to us as a part of humanity," he said. A Davenport man on parole, who later wrote to a Scott County District Judge saying the thought of prison is terrifying and that he wanted to become someone beneficial to this world, was arrested Thursday by Davenport Police for allegedly possessing a firearm and selling ecstasy and marijuana. 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. BETTENDORF Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio used his campaign stop Monday night to go on the offensive against Republicans, but he saved his most heated remarks for Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Speaking at Tanglewood Hills Pavilion to a standing-room only crowd, Mr. Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, said both parties have led to a pervasive feeling that America is on the decline. "This country has elected Republicans, Democrats, both, one side giving control to the other, and nothing changes," he said. "It stays the same because this politics in Washington, D.C., is out of touch with people's lives." Mrs. Clinton drew the most ire from Sen. Rubio, who said her presidency would be similar to the last eight years under Barack Obama but worse. His strongest condemnation against the former First Lady, senator and secretary of state was the way in which she handled the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, which left four Americans dead. "She's disqualified from being commander in chief. Anyone who lied about Benghazi to the families of those victims cannot be the commander in chief," Sen. Rubio said to the biggest applause of the night. Sen. Rubio described himself as someone in touch with the problems faced by average Americans. I want to see how Hillary Clinton is going to lecture me on student loans. I had a student loan. Like, three years ago, I had a student loan. Over a $100,000 student loan, and I paid it off," he said. "Democrats love to talk about people living paycheck to paycheck. Guess what, I grew up paycheck to paycheck." Enforcing U.S. immigration laws is vital for the country's national security, Sen. Rubio said. He said, if elected, he will work to add 20,000 border agents, complete the 700 miles of fence and wall missing from the Mexican border and add surveillance technology to key areas along the border. With regard to legal immigrants and refugees, Sen. Rubio said he would only allow in immigrants whose intentions were clear. "If we don't know 100 percent for sure who you are or why you're coming, when I'm president, you're not getting into America," he said. Under President Obama, Sen. Rubio said, the military is weaker and the U.S. has powerful enemies such as ISIS, Russia, Iran, China and North Korea. In the face of all these threats, you would think America is growing stronger to confront them. Instead, we have a president who is gutting our military, he Rubio said. "When I am president of the United States, if Congress tries to cut the military, I will veto that bill in a millisecond." The latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll places Sen. Rubio in third place in Iowa, with 12 percent of Republican voters favoring him. He is behind Ted Cruz with 25 percent and Donald Trump with 22 percent. The Iowa caucus is scheduled for Feb. 1. ROCK ISLAND -- Saying he wanted more information, Rock Island Mayor Dennis Pauley pulled an item off Monday's city council agenda that recommended declaring the historic Hauberg mansion and related properties as surplus real estate along with a resolution providing for the sale of the property. "It was my decision," Mayor Pauley said after the meeting. "It may or may not come back (to the council). We'll see what kind of information we get." City officials were considering selling the 20-room, three-story historic building that sits on 10 acres at 1300 24th St. Despite pulling the item off the council agenda, a dozen or so residents spoke out against selling the property, and one resident with property in Rock Island spoke in favor of selling it. Former mayor Mark Schwiebert was one of those in opposition to the sale of the Hauberg facilities. Mr. Schwiebert said the city's history is one of its greatest strengths. "It's not just something to focus on for sentimental reasons but also as an economic development tool for the future," Mr. Schwiebert said. "History, particularly in our area of the Mississippi River, is one of the significant things we have." Mr. Schwiebert said city ownership is central to the issue. "If you (city) give up control, it's very difficult to control that (property) from a distance," Mr. Schwiebert said, adding issues such as foreclosures and tax sales could complicate the future of the property. Rock Island resident Don Wooten, a longtime broadcaster and former Illinois state senator, said the Hauberg Center is of historic value to the community. "I think when Rock Island County, many years ago, decided to replace the dome on the courthouse and put a tin can on it instead, the spirit of the county went right down from that point," Mr. Wooten said. "This is not that signal of an event, but I think you ought to be very slow to get rid of the Hauberg Civic Center." Rock Island resident Norman Moline said the city should not sell it. "It's the right thing to do," Mr. Moline said. "Hauberg really was an important person, perhaps the most important person in the history of the city." Rock Island resident Megan Quinn said the sale would "be terrible. I feel like, 'What? That's mine.' "I feel like it's all the citizens of Rock Island." Zach Edwards, of Davenport, who owns property in Rock Island, supported the sale. He said businesses also are an important part of the community and a way to increase revenues for the city as long as agreements are made to maintain the structure's integrity. According to city numbers on the Hauberg Center, the overall building attendance has decreased from 9,056 in 2013 to 6,814 in 2015. Overall bookings have gone from 290 in 2013 to 226 in 2015. The 2016 budget projects $91,414 in expenditures, while revenues are projected at $18,000, about the same amount as in previous years. The property was donated to Rock Island in 1957. The Hauberg Center and its properties have been overseen and maintained by the city parks and recreation department. The city has been approached by a business interested in purchasing, rehabilitating and refurbishing the Hauberg Center and grounds, according to the city. That potential transaction was discussed in closed session in December, according to Ald. Joshua Schipp, 6th Ward. In 2015, the parks and recreation department participated in an operational audit. The audit, according to the city, was in response to declining revenues and increasing expenses, "which have resulted in deficit spending for several years in a row." City interim finance director Linda Barnes said the audit should be completed at the end of May. Today is Tuesday, Jan. 19, the 19th day of 2016. There are 347 days left in the year. 1866 -- 150 years ago: The newspapers throughout the country were complaining of the excessively high rates charged for printing paper. 1891 -- 125 years ago: The oldest business firm in Rock Island, J.& M. Rosenfield, a mercantile title almost as well known as the city, dissolved after 35 years of service. 1916 -- 100 years ago: Brevity and clarity of purpose were to be the watchwords of the Rock Island Municipal commission when it began revising city ordinances. 1941 -- 75 years ago: An increase in rental costs during 1940 in the Quad-Cities affected one out of every four rental dwellings in Rock Island. 1966 -- 50 years ago: A historical prologue depicting the arrival of Brig. Gen. Thomas Smith and the two infantry regiments at what is today Rock Island Arsenal on May 10, 1816, will be one of the events in the 150th anniversary of the erection of Fort Armstrong next May at the Arsenal. 1991 -- 25 years ago: Local business people can conduct business with a new fax machine to be installed at the Quad City airport next month. Airport commissioner Thursday approved an agreement with an Iowa vendor, Weber Marketing Group, to install a fax machine for public use. The fax station will be located next to the public telephones and bank teller machine. Press release submitted by Renaissance Rock Island Lease signingThursday, Jan. 14, 2016 Targeted openingno later than April 2016 Healthy Harvest will answer a high demand from downtowns growing population base for fresh produce and grocery items located within downtowns core. Healthy Harvest will sell and ultimately produce hyper local food within an urban environment. Hyper local includes food grown within 50 miles of Healthy Harvest, truly benefiting our local agricultural community. Increase access to local, organic food in an affordable way, focusing on food deserts Expanding business into our space allows for large enough storage capacity to grow the local base of farmers to support more people. Currently have 7 local farmers from Atalissa IA -to- Kewanee IL that provide local food to sell at his East Moline Store. With expansion, has potential to reach farmers from Central Illinois. Plan to offer educational classes to educate people on local food, and partner with Be Well QC wellness incubator businesses. Current Location Healthy Harvest has operated successfully for two years at 3900 Archer Drive in East Moline, IL Future Location Healthy Harvest would like to open a second location with a retail space, indoor growing facility, and educational classrooms in downtown Rock Island. Healthy Harvest will open in Spring 2016 at 1616 2nd Avenue, Rock Island IL Downtown Strategic Plan, 2015 -Lack of a grocery store, listed as a Least Favorite Thing about downtown (pg. 15) -Recruit a grocery store or outlet, listed under Top Projects/Actions (pg. 10) Example Items for Sale (seasonal changes): Watermelon, cantaloupe, apples (jonathan, fuji, granny smith), bosc pears, tomatoes (heirloom, paste, regular rounds, mixed cherry), cucumbers, bell peppers(red, green, yellow, orange, purple, white), hot peppers(jalapeno, ghost, habanero, mix, serrano), sweet pepper mix, storage onions, garlic (5 kinds), leeks, eggplant, baby kale, beet green/baby kale powermix, baby chard, regular spinach, malabar spinach, arugula, mixed greens, lettuce mix, rainbow chard, green or red curly kale, bok choy, napa cabbage, brussels sprouts, turnips(sweet baby, purple top), beets, mixed carrots, radishes, kohlrabi, shelling peas, sugar snap peas, mixed beans, green beans, yellow beans, broccoli, okra, potatoes(red, white, Yukon gold, purple), sweet potatoes(white, orange), squash(acorn, butternut, spaghetti, banana, delicata, carnival, pie pumpkin), serrano hot sauce, raw pure honey, popcorn(yellow, white), oats, rye, sprout seeds, microgreen seeds, wheatgrass seeds. All items are grown organically and picked fresh from local farms. Press release submitted by CASI 2015 Iowa Rent Reimbursement & Tax Preparation Assistance CASI Offers Free Filing Assistance for Older Adults Davenport, IA A new year brings new worries for area seniors struggling to pay bills. This is the time of year when increases in insurance rates, deductibles and medication fees take place. Those increases, coupled with tax preparation fees, can make the first few months of the year a very stressful and financially challenging time. The Center For Active Seniors, Inc. (CASI) is here to help area seniors who are in need. CASIs Senior Advocacy Program provides free community services to older adults who are in need of programs to help them stay at home, safe and independent for as long as possible. One of the free community programs provided by CASI is assistance with filing for the Iowa Rent Reimbursement Claim. Starting January 18, CASIs Senior Advocates will be able to assist older adults who are eligible to file for the 2015 Iowa Rent Reimbursement. CASI is one of three Scott County locations recognized by the Iowa Department of Revenue to assist with this claim process. Those interested in filing this claim must meet the following eligibility requirements: 65 years of age or older by December 31, 2015 or You (or your spouse) were age 18 to 64 as of December 31, 2015, and totally disabled. Totally disabled means you are unable to get a job paying more than $1,070 per month due to physical or mental disability which has lasted, or is expected to last for at least one year. Proof of disability must be included with your claim. Lived in Iowa all or part of 2015, and live in Iowa now, and Your household benefits and income are less than $22,360, and The rental unit you lived in is subject to property tax. Married couples living together are considered one household and can file only one claim, combining both incomes. If they do not live together, they may file separate claims. Other persons living together who qualify for a reimbursement may each file a claim based on their income and share of rent paid. CASIs Senior Advocates will be conducting Rent Reimbursement Assistance Days at the following senior living complexes: Date Location Time Monday, January 25, Thomas Place, 9am-3pm Tuesday, January 26, Spring Village, 9am-3pm Wednesday, January 27, Spring Village, 9am-3pm Friday, January 29, Jackson Renaissance, 9am-Noon Friday, January 29, Taylor Renaissance, 1-4pm Monday, February 1, Petersen Commons, 9am-3pm Tuesday, February 2, Cross Creek Apartments, 9am-Noon Thursday, February 4, St. Katherines Senior Living Apartments, 9am-3pm CASIs Senior Advocates are also available to meet with older adults who live outside of these complexes. Rent reimbursement forms can be picked up at CASI starting January 18. CASI is located at 1035 West Kimberly Rd., Davenport, IA., 52806. Forms will be available Monday through Friday, from 8am 5pm. Senior who would like assistance filing these forms are encouraged to schedule individual appointments by calling CASI, at 563-386-7477. Proof of residency, income, disability (if applicable) and monthly rent amount along with landlord contact information are required at the time of appointment. Electronic copies of the 2015 form can be located on the Iowa Department of Revenues website starting January 15. Their website address is www.tax.iowa.gov. Iowa residents under the age of 50 looking for help may also contact Family Resources and Community Action for assistance. FREE TAX PREPERATION In addition to rent reimbursement claim assistance, CASI is teaming up with the United Way of the Quad Cities and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to provide free 2015 tax preparation services for older adults who qualify. This service, provided by the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) project, will prepare your taxes for free for senior households earning $57,000 or less per year. According to the United Way, the VITA project provides an annual savings to Quad City area residents of $1,000,000 in fees, with an average return of $1,600 per household. A total of $6.39 million was returned to people of the Quad Cities last year. VITA volunteers are IRS-certified and will be located at 14 different sites around the QCA starting February 1. CASI is the only AARP Tax-Aide site in Scott County. To schedule a free tax preparation appointment, call the United Way at 2-1-1 or 563.355.9900. The appointment hotline opens January 12, 2016. For more information about the Iowa Rent Reimbursement Claim or the free tax preparation provided through the VITA program, visit the CASI website, www.CASIseniors.org. CASI - The Center for Active Seniors Facts CASI - The Center For Active Seniors, Inc., established in 1973, serves the needs of older adults by providing a variety of events and daily activities keeping older Quad Citians socially, mentally and physically engaged. As 10,000 baby boomers turn age 65 every day, senior citizen is being redefined as is the senior lifestyle. CASIs multi -pronged approach to helping seniors age successfully includes health and wellness initiatives, social engagement opportunities, lifelong learning and volunteer opportunities to keep the older adult active and involved with our Quad Cities community. CASIs Janes Place, the only adult day services center in Eastern Iowa, provides a comfortable, homelike atmosphere for adults who need supervised care during the day due to stroke recovery, Alzheimers and dementia. Janes Place provides just the right amount of personal care allowing maximum independence while at Janes Place Day Service Center. Open Monday through Friday, from 7am to 4:30pm, Janes Place is located on the south-side of CASI, 1035 West Kimberly Road, Davenport, IA 52806. For more information about the programs and services offered through CASI, Janes Place and/or Senior Advocacy, visit www.CASISeniors.org or call 563.386.7477. Senior Advocacy programs at CASI help older adults, their families, and caregivers with needs assessment helping partner them with other area agencies and programs keeping them in their own home for as long as is safely possible. Press release submitted by Emily Noto Hair Cuttery Kicks Off 17th Year of Share-A-Haircut Februarys Program to Donate Thousands of Haircuts to the Homeless Vienna, Va., Jan. 11, 2016 Even after the spirit of the holiday season has passed, Hair Cuttery, the largest family-owned and operated chain of hair salons in the country, continues to give back. Since 1999, the Share-A-Haircut program has donated more than 1.26 million free haircut certificates valued at nearly $25.2 million. The program continues in 2016, beginning with haircuts for the homeless on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 1-2. Hair Cuttery is at 3915 41st Avenue Drive, Moline. For every haircut purchased on Feb. 1-2, a free haircut certificate will be donated back to a homeless person in the community of one of Hair Cutterys nearly 900 salons. To distribute the certificates to those in need, Hair Cuttery is partnering with local shelters and community organizations. This February alone, Hair Cuttery hopes to reach thousands of homeless people in the neighborhoods it serves. Our February program for the homeless is very special for our stylists and the entire Hair Cuttery family, said Dennis Ratner, Founder and CEO of Hair Cuttery. Its incredibly powerful to see how one haircut can make an impactful difference in the lives of those less fortunate. It is truly heartwarming to be able to give such joy and confidence. Hair Cuttery has an established history of charitable giving, supporting a range of local and national causes, including St. Baldricks Foundation, American Red Cross, The National Network to End Domestic Violence, American Cancer Society and Girls on the Run. About Hair Cuttery Hair Cuttery is the largest family-owned and operated chain of hair salons in the country, with nearly 900 company-owned locations on the East Coast, New England and the Midwest. A full-service, value-priced salon, Hair Cuttery offers a full complement of cuts and styling, coloring, waxing and texturizing services with no appointment necessary, as well as a full line of professional hair care products. Hair Cuttery is committed to delivering a delightful client experience through WOW Service including a Smile Back Guarantee. Hair Cuttery is a division of Ratner Companies, based in Vienna, VA. www.haircuttery.com GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) Mohammed Saad, a Syrian activist, was imprisoned by the Islamic State group, hung by his arms and beaten regularly. Then one day, his jailers quickly pulled him and other prisoners down and hid them in a bathroom. The reason? A senior Muslim cleric was visiting to inspect the facility. The cleric had told the fighters running the prison that they shouldn't torture prisoners and that anyone held without charge must be released within 30 days, Saad told The Associated Press. Once the coast was clear, the prisoners were returned to their torment. "It's a criminal gang pretending to be a state," Saad said, speaking in Turkey, where he fled in October. "All this talk about applying Shariah and Islamic values is just propaganda, Daesh is about torture and killing," he said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. Syrians who have recently escaped the Islamic State group's rule say public disillusionment is growing as IS has failed to live up to its promises to install a utopian "Islamic" rule of justice, equality and good governance. Instead, the group has come to resemble the dictatorial rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad that many Syrians had sought to shed, with a reliance on informers who have silenced a fearful populace. Rather than equality, society has seen the rise of a new elite class the jihadi fighters who enjoy special perks and favor in the courts, looking down on "the commoners" and even ignoring the rulings of their own clerics. Despite the atrocities that made it notorious, the Islamic State group had raised hopes among some fellow Sunnis when it overran their territories across parts of Syria and Iraq and declared a "caliphate" in the summer of 2014. It presented itself as a contrast to Assad's rule, bringing justice through its extreme interpretation of Shariah and providing services to residents, including loans to farmers, water and electricity, and alms to the poor. Its propaganda machine promoting the dream of an Islamic caliphate helped attract jihadis from around the world. In Istanbul and several Turkish cities near the Syrian border, the AP spoke to more than a dozen Syrians who fled IS-controlled territory in recent months. Most spoke on condition they be identified only by their first names or by the nicknames they use in their political activism for fear of IS reprisals against themselves or family. "Daesh justice has been erratic," said Nayef, who hails from IS-held eastern Syrian town of al-Shadadi and escaped to Turkey in November with his family, largely because of Russian airstrikes. "They started off good and then, gradually, things got worse." He insisted that his last name not be printed, fearing for his safety. The group has recruited informers in the towns and cities it controls to watch out for any sign of opposition. "Like under the (Assad) regime, we were also afraid to talk against Daesh to anyone we don't fully trust," said Fatimah, a 33-year-old whose hometown of Palmyra was taken over by IS early last year. She fled to Turkey in November with her husband and five children to escape Russian and Syrian airstrikes. IS has also become less able to provide public services, in large part because military reversals appear to have put strains on its finances. U.S. and Russian airstrikes have heavily hit its oil infrastructure a major source of funds. Over the past year, the group has lost 30 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria, according to the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition. Many of those interviewed by the AP said there are lengthier cutoffs of water and electricity in their towns and cities and prices for oil and gas have risen. Abu Salem, an activist from the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, said public acceptance of IS rule is eroding. "It has made an enemy of almost everyone," he told the AP in the Turkish city of Reyhanli on the Syrian border. One sign of the distance between the claims and realities is a 12-page manifesto by IS detailing its judicial system. The document, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, heavily emphasizes justice and tolerance. For example, it sets out the duties of the Hisba, the "religious police" who ensure people adhere to the group's dress codes, strict separation of genders and other rules. A Hisba member "must be gentle and pleasant toward those he orders or reprimands," it says. "He must be flexible and good mannered so that his influence is greater and the response (he gets) is stronger." Yet, the escaped Syrians all complained of the brutal extremes that the Hisba resorts to. One woman who lived in Raqqa said that if a woman is considered to have violated the dress codes, the militants flog her husband, since he is seen as responsible for her. When her neighbor put out the garbage without being properly covered, she said, the woman's husband was whipped. Abu Manaf, a 44-year-old from Deir el-Zour, said some clerics challenged the group's enforcers over their wanton use of strict Shariah punishments like beheadings, stoning to death, flogging and cutting off limbs. More moderate clerics in IS argued that such punishments can only be implemented under specific conditions. They also complained about the jihadis' custom of displaying bodies of the beheaded in public as an example to others, violating Islamic tenets requiring the swift burial of the dead. "Many of those moderate clerics disappear, are killed or jailed for crimes they did not commit," said Abu Manaf, who left Deir el-Zour in November, then stayed in the Islamic State group's de facto capital, Raqqa, for three weeks before he reached Turkey. Saad's account of his imprisonment in his home city of Deir el-Zour reflected the tensions between the fighters and some clerics. He was arrested because of his media activism, reporting on the anti-Assad opposition. IS suspected him of belonging to the rebel Free Syrian Army, which is fighting the extremists. The day the cleric came to inspect the prison set up in a former police station he heard the cleric asking the guards if the prisoners were getting enough food and water, and whether they were being beaten, Saad said. On another occasion, a cleric and a judge visited and spoke to the prisoners in their cells. Saad said they told him to write on a piece of paper his name, why he'd been jailed and whether he had been tortured or made to confess under duress. He wrote that he had not been beaten, because he knew the guards would punish him if he said he had been, Saad said. After five months in custody, Saad said he secured his release by agreeing to do media work for IS. For three months, he helped put together videos and other propaganda before escaping to Turkey. The Syrians interviewed in Turkey said that in IS courts the judges often show a bias toward IS operatives in any legal dispute with the general public. Judges justify the bias by pointing to Quranic verses or sayings of the prophet Muhammad, including "God prefers those who fight in jihad over those who sit." Often, IS members refer to the general population by the dismissive term "al-awam," Arabic for "the commoners." Hossam, who owned a women's clothes shop in Raqqa, said IS members receive perks that sharply set them apart from everyone else. In many cases, young men join the group to escape poverty or protect themselves from IS excesses, he and others said. He insisted that his last name not be printed, fearing for his safety. "Those who join Daesh receive a step up in the social ladder," he told the AP in Istanbul. "Daesh men drive luxury cars and eat at the best restaurants and whoever has a friend or a relative with Daesh has a better life." One perk that IS members avail themselves of is the chance to marry local women. Several of the Syrians interviewed by the AP said families with daughters often came under pressure to marry them off to fighters, which has led many to smuggle daughters to Turkey. Khatar, a 26-year-old who spoke in Lesbos, Greece, making her way to Western Europe, said she has two younger sisters back in Raqqa, and jihadis "have been knocking on our doors at least once a month to ask for their hands in marriage." Her father lies to them and tells them he doesn't have unmarried daughters, "but they keep coming back." But some take the opportunity to marry an IS member because the benefits lift the whole family out of the "al-awam" class. Khatar said a 17-year-old daughter of one of her neighbors married a Saudi jihadi. When Khatar went to congratulate her, she found her loaded with expensive clothes and jewelry as a dowry. "She seemed very happy with her new, elevated social status," Khatar said. LANDSTUHL, Germany (AP) Three U.S. Congressmen traveled Monday to the medical center in Germany where three Americans, released by Iran as part of a prisoner swap, are being treated. Former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and pastor Saeed Abedini arrived late Sunday at the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Rezaian, who was freed Saturday after almost 18 months of incarceration in an Iranian prison, met with Washington Post editors on Monday for the first time since his release, the Post reported. "I want people to know that physically I'm feeling good," said Rezaian, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans provided to him on board the plane that flew the released prisoners to freedom. "I know people are eager to hear from me, but I want to process this for some time." Post Executive Editor Martin Baron and Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl said Rezaian "looked good" during their two-hour meeting in a conference room at the Landstuhl medical center near the Ramstein Air Base, according to the Post. Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan posted photos of his meeting with Hekmati on Twitter, as well as a message from Hekmati thanking President Barack Obama for "making my freedom and reunion with my family possible." Kildee told reporters before meeting the men that "this is an incredible facility." The center offers "the entire spectrum of services that might be required for somebody, particularly my constituent (Hekmati)," he said. "Think about a person who spent four-and-a-half years much of it in solitary confinement," Kildee said. "Re-entering into the world as a free person will take more than just a deep breath. It will take a little bit of help, and that starts here." Kildee said the three men would return to the U.S. "as soon as possible." "I have travelled with the Hekmati family. They are anxious to see him, but they are really anxious to get him home to his mother and to his father, who is quite ill," he said. North Carolina Rep. Robert Pittenger said the release of the three men, as well as a fourth who stayed in Iran, had come at a heavy price. They were exchanged for pardons or charges dropped against seven Iranians held by the United States. A fifth American, student Matthew Trevithick, who had been detained in Iran for roughly 40 days, was released separately. "We need to be prudent as we look forward and how we can better protect Americans without committing ourselves in ways that will cause greater threat to their security," Pittenger said. Rep. Jared Huffman, from California, expressed thanks to the U.S. State Department for negotiating the men's release. In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you. I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent. For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together and say, God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him. O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt. But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed. And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt. WASHINGTON -- President Obama's address to Congress was less about the state of the union than the state of the presidency. And the state of this presidency is spent. The signs of intellectual exhaustion were everywhere. Consider just three. After taking credit for success in Syria, raising American stature abroad and prevailing against the Islamic State -- one claim more surreal than the next -- Obama was forced to repair to his most well-worn talking point: "If you doubt America's commitment -- or mine -- to see that justice is done, just ask Osama bin Laden." Really? Five years later, that's all you've got? Indeed, it is. What else can Obama say? Talk about Crimea? Cite Yemen, Libya, Iraq, the South China Sea, the return of the Taliban? "Surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when I was elected to this office," Obama boasted. Surveys, mind you. As if superpower influence is a Miss Universe contest. As if the world doesn't see our allies adrift, our enemies on the march and our sailors kneeling, hands behind their heads, in front of armed Iranians, then forced to apologize on camera. (And our secretary of state expressing appreciation to Iran after their subsequent release.) On the domestic side, Obama's agenda was fairly short, in keeping with his lame-duck status. It was still startling when he worked up a passion for a great "new moonshot": curing cancer. Is there a more hackneyed national-greatness cliche than the idea that if we can walk on the moon ... ? Or a more hackneyed facsimile of vision than being "the nation that cures cancer"? Do Obama's speechwriters not know that it was Richard Nixon who first declared a war on cancer -- in 1971? But to see just how bare is the cupboard of ideas of the nation's most vaunted liberal visionary, we had to wait for the stunning anachronism that was the speech finale. It was designed for inspiration and uplift. And for some liberal observers, it actually worked. They were thrilled by the soaring tones as Obama called for, yes, a new politics -- a post-partisan spirit of mutual understanding, rational discourse and respect for one's opponents. Why, it was hope and change all over again. You'd have thought we were back in 2008 with Obama's moving, stirring promise of a new and higher politics that had young people swooning in the aisles and a TV anchor thrilling up the leg -- and gave Obama the White House. Or even further back to 2004, when Obama electrified the nation with his Democratic convention speech: "There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America." Tuesday night, Obama did an undisguised, almost phrase-for-phrase reprise of that old promise. Earnestly, he urged us to "see ourselves not, first and foremost, as black or white, or Asian or Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans first." On cue, various commentators were moved by this sermon summoning our better angels. Good grief. I can understand falling for this 12 years ago. But now? A cheap self-quotation, a rhetorical mulligan, from a man who had two presidential terms to act on that transformative vision and instead gave us the most divisive, partisan, tendentious presidency since Nixon. Rational discourse and respect for one's opponents? This is a man who campaigned up and down the country throughout 2011 and 2012 saying that he cares about posterity, Republicans only about power. The man who accused opponents of his Iran treaty of "making common cause" with Iranians "chanting death to America." The man who, after Paul Ryan proposed a courageous, controversial entitlement reform, gave a presidential address -- with Ryan, invited by the White House, seated in the first row -- calling his ideas un-American. In a final touch of irony, Obama included in his wistful rediscovery of a more elevated politics an expression of reverence for, of all things, how "our founders distributed power between ... branches of government." This after years of repeatedly usurping Congress' legislative power with unilateral executive orders and regulations on everything from criminal justice to climate change to immigration (already halted by the courts). There is wisdom to the 22nd Amendment. After two terms, presidents are spent. Nothing shows it like a State of the Union valedictory repeating the hollow promises of the yesteryear candidate -- as if the intervening presidency had never occurred. The 22.5km line from Quitumbe to El Labrador will have 15 stations with a commercial speed of 37km/h and a journey time of 34 minutes between the two termini. Ridership is expected to be around 369,000 passengers per day in the first year of operation. Services will be operated by a fleet of 18 six-car trains, each formed of four motor cars and two trailers and capable of accommodating up to 1500 passengers. Electrification will be 1.5kV dc with rigid overhead catenary and the line will be manually operated. The Phase 1 contract, which covers construction of El Labrador and La Magdalena stations, was awarded to Acciona, Spain, in 2012. The $US 1.54bn Phase 2 contract was awarded last year to a consortium of Acciona and Odebrecht, Brazil, and encompasses the construction of tunnels, 13 of stations, electrical and mechanical systems, and depot and stabling facilities. Construction is due to be completed in 2019. The $US 2bn project is being funded by the Municipality of Quito (63%) and the Ecuadorian government (37%) with financing from international institutions including the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and the European Investment Bank (EIB). After years of delays and extensions, a multi-year surface transportation bill is finally in place. Will it deliver on the advertised? On Dec. 4, 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, a five-year federal transportation bill, into law. The FAST Act authorizes $305 billion in funding for federal surface transportation programs for fiscal year (FY) 2016 through FY 2020 and provides funding to improve highways, bridges and transit systems. Rail provisions in the FAST Act promise to improve rail infrastructure and safety by consolidating rail grant programs, cutting red tape and dedicating resources for best use. It also establishes a federal-state partnership to bring passenger rail assets into a state of good repair. Additionally, the bill will accelerate the delivery of rail projects by significantly reforming environmental and historic preservation review processes, and applying existing exemptions already used for highways to make critical rail investments go further. The new bill includes several provisions that should be good for the U.S. transit industry and, therefore, for Wabtec, says Richard Betler, Wabtec President and CEO. For example, this is the first multi-year bill passed in a decade, and that means transit agencies should have a longer-term planning horizon for potential projects. In addition, the bill calls for a 10.2% funding increase in year one and further increases in future years. When coupled with our strong backlog of transit projects around the world, the new bill is another reason to be optimistic about Wabtecs long-term growth opportunities in the transit market. Suppliers certainly have cause to celebrate as companies like Alstom Transport, Bombardier Transit Corp., Brookville Equipment, CAF USA, Kawasaki Railcar USA, Kinkisharyo, Siemens, and a new entry into the North American market, Chinas CNR Changchun, are busy filling equipment orders for several public transportation agencies across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The current passenger railcar backlog, according to information complied for Railway Ages exclusive, annual Passenger Railcar Market At A Glance chart is a healthy 5,701 units worth an estimated $1.2 billion. Agencies like New York MTA, BART, WMATA, MBTA and the Toronto Transit Commission account for a sizeable chunk of the market. Orders for more than 500 cars are expected to be placed this year by New Jersey Transit, which will soon release an RFP for 113 electric multiple-unit multi-level cars; Amtrak, which is in the midst of procuring trainsets to replace the Acela Express equipment on the Northeast Corridor; and WMATA, which continues to modernize its entire railcar fleet. More impressive is the 2017-2021 five-year outlook. Transit agencies responding to the survey indicated they are contemplating placing orders for as many as 4,500 new and rebuilt vehicles. In 2015, 971 cars were delivered to 24 agencies, the fourth-highest total in 10 years. Railway Age asked Catherine Connor, Manager of Federal Government Affairs at WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff, to comment on the passing of the FAST Act, how she thinks money will be allocated and what this means for the rail transit community. Connor is a registered lobbyist who has broad-based experience tracking the federal budget and appropriations process. She serves on numerous industry committees and coalitions that advance the cause of the transportation construction industry, actively engaging in public policy development in support of infrastructure investment. She works to develop industry consensus, and advocates those positions to Congress. Connor provided the following responses: RA: How is money being allocated and from where is it coming? Connor: 92% of the overall bill is funded through the Highway Trust Fund, which is funded through a combination of user fees, primarily the federal gas tax, and more recently through several large transfers of revenue from the general fund approximately $70 billion in the FAST Act alone. The rail title (i.e. Amtrak funding) and transit capital improvement grants are funded directly from the general fund and not through the highway trust fund and therefore are dependent on annual appropriations.In most cases, funding is allocated by formula, but the FAST Act does create several new discretionary grant programs, such as a bus and bus facilities grant program, a nationally significant freight and highway projects grant program, and three small passenger rail grant programs. RA: What is your general take on the FAST ACT and what does it mean to you and the rail transit community in terms of lease starts and upgrades, expansions to networks, etc.? Connor: The FAST Act is a step in the right direction, and the five-year federal commitment will provide much-needed stability and certainty for transportation agencies. Armed with greater predictability and aided by a number of beneficial new programs particularly related to freight, multimodal projects and environmental streamlining/expedited project delivery, it is time to work in partnership with state and local governments to pick up the pace to create a safer, more effective and more resilient transportation network that meets the countrys growing needs. Access to jobs, greater mobility, improved safety and a more sustainable future are just a few of the benefits Americans will see as the FAST Act is implemented. The private sector can help achieve these objectives with innovative technologies, creative solutions, and by sharing project risk. However, the bill is only the first stepwe have to keep up the momentum to identify a long-term funding solution. RA: How do you think the FAST Act will benefit passenger rail? Connor: For the first time, passenger rail programs are included in a federal surface transportation bill. This will help to put rail programs on equal footing with the traditional highway and transit programs. The funding levels in the FAST Act for Amtrak are not high as Amtrak and the rail industry had hoped, but they are an increase over the current levels. The rail title of the FAST bill authorizes the first funding for passenger rail (other than Amtrak) in several years. The new grant programs and separate Amtrak reform provisions indicate that rail improvements, especially on the Northeast Corridor, remain a Congressional priority. However, it is important to remember that passenger rail programs, including Amtrak, are dependent on annual appropriations. Funding is derived from the General Fund, not the Highway Trust Fund. 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 The nuclear agreement with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is working. Yet some U.S. lawmakers continue to oppose the deal and have been promoting legislation to defund the deal's implementation and impose new sanctions on Tehran. If Congress continues on this path, the chances that the deal will succeed and lead to a nuclear free Iran will be diminished. This weekend, the United States and its partners announced that Iran had met its so-called Implementation Day commitments that would trigger sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets. In just five months far faster than expected Iran took crucial steps to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure. It removed more than 13,000 centrifuges. In December, it shipped almost its entire stockpile of enriched uranium 25,000 pounds to Russia. And earlier this month, it removed the core of its Arak heavy water reactor and filled it with cement, which effectively eliminated Iran's plutonium path to a nuclear weapon. Iran also proved to be sufficiently transparent regarding its past military-related nuclear activities its so-called possible military dimensions that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was able to report (PDF) that Iran ended its organized nuclear program in 2003 and that it conducted limited research and computer modelling through 2009, at which point weapons-related activities stopped a conclusion largely consistent with the U.S. intelligence community's 2007 National Intelligence Estimate. Although Iran did not provide 100 percent of the information requested of it, the IAEA director general was confident that inspectors had enough data to provide an assessment of the whole picture of Iran's nuclear activities. However, even as it moves to implement the JCPOA, Iran has taken provocative steps meant to demonstrate to domestic audiences that Iran has not capitulated. In October and November, for example, Iran conducted a series of medium-range ballistic missile tests that violated UN Security Council resolutions but not the nuclear deal. Such actions give congressional opponents of the deal ammunition to call for the agreement's abrogation. Claiming that Iran's missile tests represented advances in its ability to deliver a nuclear weapon, 35 GOP senators urged the president in December to suspend sanctions relief, which would have scuttled the JCPOA. The president responded to the provocation by imposing sanctions on eleven firms and individuals tied to Iran's missile program without levying collective penalties that would reverse the sanctions relief promised under the nuclear agreement. Indeed, since the JCPOA was signed in August, Congress has taken many steps to undermine the deal, both directly and indirectly. In a particularly direct shot at the JCPOA, on Dec. 3, House members introduced a resolution calling for a cutoff of U.S. funds to the IAEA, which comprise 42 percent for the agency's total budget. Five days later, the House passed a bill that would require citizens of 38 visa waiver countries who traveled to Iran after March 2011 to get a visa to enter the United States. This measure will have the effect of discouraging European and Asian business people who wish to travel to the United States from doing business in Iran thereby hindering Iran's ability to benefit economically from the JCPOA. Last week, the House passed legislation (PDF) that would prevent sanctions relief unless the administration certifies that the individual or entity affected is not a terror financier, human rights abuser or involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This language is designed to keep sanctions on a range of state-linked entities despite the fact that the JCPOA was not designed to address terrorism or human rights or proliferation. Those issues are covered by existing sanctions laws that are unaffected by the deal. Given Iran's past history of hindering nuclear inspectors and engaging in covert nuclear research, the JCPOA wisely made sanctions relief contingent on Iran's first having verifiably undertaken steps to dismantle its nuclear program. It has completed these tasks, and it is now the United States' turn to implement its obligations under the deal, which include sanctions relief. If Congress continues trying to block the suspension of sanctions or impose new ones for unrelated behavior, both Iran and the United States' allies will likely claim that Washington is trying to walk away from the deal. In such a case, Iran may well resume its nuclear program, and some countries may be eager to do business with Tehran in spite of U.S. restrictions. Such an outcome would leave Iran able to expand its nuclear program a losing proposition for the United States and its allies. Congress could remain actively involved in overseeing the deal's implementation by holding hearings, requiring frequent reports from the executive branch, and traveling widely to gain information and perspectives from allies and partners. And if Iran fails to live up to its commitments, Congress could respond to its intransigence with penalties. But as long as Iran is following through on its commitment to dismantle its nuclear program, it's not clear that legislative attempts to undo the deal will have the desired effects sought by congressional sponsors. Larry Hanauer is a senior international policy analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. He is the author of Congress's Role in Implementing a Nuclear Agreement, one of several RAND reports examining the implications of a nuclear deal with Iran. This commentary originally appeared on The Hill on January 19, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. Looking to improve competitiveness and accelerate DTT deployment, Colombia's telecom regulator is to force free-to-air (FTA) players to share broadcasting infrastructure. The Comision de Regulacion de Comunicaciones (CRC) has regulated the infrastructure sharing conditions to ensure that every operator can access the necessary means to broadcast if needed.In CRC's own reports it was observed that it was necessary to apply new measures to make easier the access to broadcasting towers, power and other infrastructures needed to deliver a free-to-air TV service, stated the regulator.The owners of such infrastructure and the broadcasters now have four months to determine a fair price for sharing their technology, so every network can be aware of the costs. In addition, procedures and future problem resolution will be standardised by the new regulation.According to the CRC , the measures intend to speed up the deployment of FTA networks across the country, improve coverage and make it easier for new operators to enter the market, thus increasing competition.As with many other Latin American countries, Colombia is currently immersed in DTT deployment , and has scheduled the analogue switch-off for 2019. The country is the only one in South America to have chosen the European DVB-T standard. Moscow court upholds detention of student charged with attempting to join ISIS MOSCOW, January 19 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by Varvara Karaulova (Alexandra Ivanova), a student of the Moscow State University who stands charged with attempting to join the Islamic State militants in Syria, against extension of her detention, RAPSI reported from the courtroom. Karaulova will stay in jail until March 27. Karaulova, the second-year student of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Moscow State University, allegedly decided to join the Islamic State and secretly started off for Istanbul on May 27. On June 4, she was arrested near Turkey's border with Syria along with 13 other Russian citizens when attempting to cross into the territory occupied by Islamic State militants. On June 11, she returned to Russia under escort of Interpol employees. If convicted, Karaulova faces up to ten years in prison. The Islamic State is currently one of the major threats to global security. Over three years, these terrorists have managed to seize large areas of Iraq and Syria. The organization is also attempting to spread its influence to North Africa particularly, Libya. The area controlled by ISIS covers up to 90,000 square kilometers. Sister of deceased inmate demands $13,000 from Russian Finance Ministry MOSCOW, January 19 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul) The sister of Russian national Vladimir Klimov, who had been sentenced to 15 years in jail and later died with cancer in prison, has filed a claim seeking 1 million rubles ($13,000) from the Finance Ministry in compensation for moral suffering, lawyer Anastasia Kopteyeva told RAPSI on Tuesday. A judge during the hearing ruled to commission a forensic medical examination. Klimovs diagnosis an inoperable kidney cancer is on the government list of diseases that preclude prison sentences, Kopteyeva said. However, courts several times rejected his motion for release. In 2014, human rights advocates filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over failure to provide medical assistance to Klimov in the colony. Klimov died in prison on April 8, 2015, three weeks after the court again refused to release him. Before his passing, Klimov and his lawyer filed appeals against the decision of the Ingodinsky District Court in Chita. A month after his death, the Trans-Baikal Territory Court reversed the lower courts decision and granted medical parole for Klimov. Klimovs case has been closed due to his death. Moscow court refuses to prolong Navalnys probation MOSCOW, January 19 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court refused to extend a probation term for opposition politician Alexei Navalny in the Yves Rocher embezzlement case, RAPSI learnt in the courtroom on Tuesday. The court dismissed an appeal by prosecutors who demanded to prolong Navalnys probation because he came to register at a local penitentiary inspection a day later than he was supposed to. Navalny and his brother Oleg were convicted of committing fraud against cosmetics company Yves Rocher Vostok. Investigators alleged that the Navalny brothers embezzled over 26 million rubles (about $400,000 at current exchange rates) from the cosmetics company, as well as close to 4 million rubles ($61,500) from the Multidisciplinary Processing Company through a fraud scheme. The brothers were further charged with laundering 21 million rubles ($322,600). In December of 2014, Alexei Navalny received a suspended sentence of 3.5 years, while his brother Oleg was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. Navalny has also been involved in several other cases, including a case of embezzlement at the Kirovles timber company in which he was given a suspended sentence. He has denied all the charges brought against him. Alexei Navalny is a Russian political and public figure, leader of the Party of Progress. He finished second in the Moscow mayoral elections in 2013 and is the author of one of the most popular political blogs that was banned for promoting unauthorized public protests. You don't often hear Canada and Ecuador mentioned in the same breath, but the left's fight to smear big corporations over alleged abuses sometimes makes strange bedfellows. It started when Chevron acquired Texaco in 2001. Texaco had been previously active in Ecuador and worked with the Ecuadorian government to mitigate and clean up its drilling sites, at a cost of $40 million to Texaco. Texaco fulfilled this clean-up to the Ecuadorian government's satisfaction and was legally released from any liability. Years later and after the Chevron acquisition, however, Ecuador colluded with environmental activists to coordinate a $19 billion (later reduced to $9 billion) judgment against Chevron for alleged contamination by Texaco of the Ecuadorian jungle. Ecuador and the radical environmental group Amazon Watch teamed up with American lawyer Steven Donziger, whose shady tactics, combined with a lack of judicial independence in Ecuador, resulted in a multi-billion dollar judgement against Chevron. Interestingly, there was never a lawsuit against or criticisms of PetroEcuador, the nationalized oil company that partnered with Texaco in Ecuador, taking over operations in the early 90's and which is responsible for well over 1,000 spills in the region since 2000. Chevron fought back, bringing a private RICO action in the U.S. against Donziger and his collaborators. Back on U.S. soil, a court blocked the judgment from being enforced in the U.S., finding that Donziger and company committed "egregious fraud" and nailing him with a long list of crimes, including "committing mail and wire fraud, money laundering, witness tampering and obstruction of justice." You'd think a U.S. federal court's severe and decisive ruling against Donziger and the Ecuadorian activists would put the matter to rest, but it hasn't. Despite the Donziger debacle, the Canadian affiliate of the Union of Food and Commercial Workers, a prominent leftist union, has now jumped headfirst into the propaganda campaign against Chevron. Amid great fanfare by Ecuadorian officials, UFCW leaders recently traveled to Ecuador, enjoying favorable coverage by the state-run media. It's the latest play in a state-run PR campaign that has brought international journalists and foreign politicians to Ecuador to promote the case. And if that weren't enough, the Washington Free Beacon also found that the government of Ecuador had a $6 million contract with a New York-based PR firm to bring B-list celebrities like Mia Farrow and Danny Glover, covering the cost of their travels and junkets. The UFCW clearly has little affection for large, profitable companies, but by getting swept up into Ecuador's fabricated narrative of corporate abuse, it's picking the wrong fight. The union bills itself as "Canada's leading and most progressive union" committed to promoting and protecting "employee rights and social justice," yet in Ecuador it has allied itself with convicted fraudsters and a government that shows little regard for democracy and freedom. We're talking about a case in which investors - and even the plaintiff's' own experts - have renounced the evidence and abandoned it. It's a case that the Wall Street Journal has called the "legal fraud of the century." It gets worse for the UFCW than not having a legal leg to stand on, however. Ecuador has an abysmal record on social justice and human rights under President Rafael Correa - especially on press freedom and the open spread of information. The Human Rights Foundation has condemned Ecuador's "Systematic Restrictions on Press Freedom," and Human Rights Watch has raised concerns about Correa's repeated attempts to interfere with Ecuador's judiciary - an important criticism in the face of the case against Chevron. As an example of its disregard for both justice and the press, in 2012 the Correa administration sentenced the directors of the newspaper El Universo to prison and fined the paper $40 million (enough to bankrupt it) after it published stories critical of Correa, and there is evidence that Correa's lawyer effectively wrote the judgment against El Universo for the judge. Though the paper was later pardoned, the administration has continued to hit the paper with fines cracking down on free expression. Members of the UFCW, especially in the U.S., should call on leadership to question why they would align themselves with a fraudulent case bolstered by an unsavory, human rights-abusing government. It goes against the very principles they claim to advance. Photography is a difficult hobby to break into. Not only do you have to master a dictionary of technical jargon, but all of the equipment is delicate and expensive. Worry not, fledgling photogs, because help is on the way! I spoke to Sean Flynn, a lifelong shutterbug with five years of professional experience in photojournalism, as well as marketing and corporate photography. He shared his favorite tips and tricks for hobbyists who are just starting out. (Full disclosure: Flynn and I are friends, and he helped me pick out my first DSLR) Whether you're wondering what an f-stop is, or getting caught up in Nikon vs. Canon debates, read on for our in-depth guide to buying a digital SLR camera. First, A Vocabulary Lesson Photography is full of terms that can be a bit bewildering to the layperson. In general, a camera and lens' most important specs are all about controlling the exposure of a photograph that is, how much light is coming into the camera when you take the shot. According to Flynn, "Exposure is controlled by three settings, all of which influence how your photos will look: shutter speed, f-stop, and ISO." Shutter speed Shutter speed is pretty self-explanatory, in that it refers to how long your camera's shutter is open when taking a picture. "You can increase the amount of light your sensor receives by slowing down your shutter speed, but this has a tradeoff: the longer your shutter is open, the blurrier your photos can be," Flynn said. "You want to shoot at higher shutter speeds if you're taking action shots." F-stop The aperture, or f-stop, is expressed as a number on the lens. For example, with this refurb Nikon D5100 16MP DSLR Camera and Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens bundle ($299.95, a $149 low), the lens has a variable aperture at 18mm the f-stop is f/3.5, and at 55mm it's f/5.6. "Changing your f-stop changes how wide open your lens is, and thus how much light you're letting in. A lower f-stop number will let more light through your lens, and will result in a blurrier background," Flynn explained. "A higher f-stop number lets less light in, but your background will be sharper." ISO The ISO setting controls your sensor's sensitivity to light. "Increasing your ISO will let you shoot properly exposed photos in darker conditions, but the more you increase your ISO, the more digital noise you could see in your photos," Flynn said. "Digital noise shows up as tiny pixilated spots of color in your photo, almost like static." Megapixels With all the jargon about light and shutters and sensors, you'll be happy to hear that Flynn says there's one popular term first-time DSLR buyers can ignore entirely: megapixels. "It does not matter. Any camera you can purchase today will have a high enough resolution to print wall-sized photos." A Picture is Worth HOW Much?! There's no getting around the steep startup costs tied to photography. "A basic, entry-level DSLR kit body, lens, battery, etc. will start around $450, depending on where you buy it," Flynn said, suggesting readers check more specialized sites like Adorama and B&H Photo Video ahead of big-box retailers. "Your wallet is the limit from there, although if you're spending more than $1,000 for a beginning setup, you should probably ask yourself why." Of course, you can always reduce your initial sticker shock by purchasing a refurbished model. "Refurbished equipment is a great way to get last generation's cameras for a great price," Flynn advised. When asked whether there was a discernable difference between DSLR generations, he said: "Remember that the vast majority of Pulitzer Prize-winning photos were taken with cameras that would now be considered dinosaurs." Canon vs. Nikon vs. Sony vs. ??? Like anything else, photography has brand fanboys and girls. "Let me put this fight to rest forever: As far as the beginner is concerned, there's no difference in quality between Canon and Nikon cameras," Flynn said. "Nikon and Canon have a wider lens selection than other manufacturers, and the aftermarket is better, so I wouldn't recommend straying too far from them. Plenty of people love their Sony cameras, though." For what it's worth, dealseekers might lean towards Nikon purely for its better backwards compatibility with older lenses. But Flynn says the most important part of picking a brand is how the body feels to use: "Each manufacturer sets up their controls differently. Pick the camera up, play with it, shoot some test photos, and see what you like." Learning to Love the Lens To a layman, the biggest difference between a regular digital camera and a DSLR is the addition of swappable lenses. Because individual lenses can cost thousands of bucks, and changing your lens can drastically alter your pictures, it's important to understand these crucial accessories. Zoom lens Most entry-level DSLR kits come with an 18-55mm zoom lens, so your first is likely to be a zoom. They're fairly easy to understand: a zoom lens allows you to adjust the focal length. So zooming closer fills the photo with your subject, and zooming out takes a wider shot. This shouldn't be confused with a telephoto lens, which is specially designed to let you see up close from far away telephoto lenses can be zoom lenses, but they don't have to be. Prime lens However, "Zoom lenses are often more expensive, less precise, and more complicated than their 'prime lens' counterparts," Flynn said. A prime lens is the opposite of a zoom, only shooting at one focal length. If you're going to be shooting in low light, a prime lens is your best friend. Flynn suggests the 50mm 1/1.8 as a good beginner's choice. You Don't Have to Buy the Brand Brand-name lenses are certainly expensive, and finding a quality refurb isn't always easy. Luckily, there's a thriving market for off-brand lenses. "There are a number of reputable third-party manufacturers Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina are three popular examples," Flynn explained. "All three companies make excellent lenses at reasonable prices; just check the reviews for each lens before you buy." Buying your first DSLR can be a bit overwhelming, but if you've got a grasp of the technical jargon, you'll be okay. In the end, all you really need to do is go out and take lots of pictures. Happy shooting, future shutterbugs! Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak said on Jan. 18 that Russia is considering not making any more loans to foreign governments during the current economic crisis, according to Russia's Interfax news agency. Storchak said, "The budget is strained, more than strained. I think we are in a situation where we are forced to take a break from issuing new loans." It is not quite clear how this will affect loans that the Russian government has promised but not yet closed. In particular, Russia has committed to a $5 billion loan to Iran, which is in the process of closing. Storchak said, "We have assumed large obligations. And not to respect obligations on the issued loans is even more shameful than not to fulfill our own obligations on the loans which we have taken." The reasons for this decision (I doubt that a deputy finance minister would have made an unauthorized statement on a subject so delicate) is of course oil prices. Russia is in the extraordinarily difficult position of having based its economic well-being on the price of a commodity it cannot control. At current prices, with some varieties of oil having fallen below $30 a barrel, the Russian national budget is "more than strained," as Storchak put it. Loans to foreign governments are simply one of the many things that will have to be cut. Storchak is aware of one vital fact: There is no reason to believe that the collapse in oil prices is temporary. Demand for oil has declined substantially, given ongoing weakness in Europe and some hints of weakness in the United States. That has meant that exporters, particularly China, have limited export capability and decreased need for oil. This situation is going to exist for several years. At the same time, the combination of new technologies and high oil prices brought new producers into the market and created an oil glut. The China bubble maintained high oil prices for a while, but there is nothing to sustain them after that has burst. So Russia is looking at a near existential crisis. It lives on oil revenues and used to brag that it could manage on $70 a barrel oil when prices were well above that. Now prices are less than half of what the Russians need to fund their budget, as well as drive the rest of their economy. Storchak's statement wasn't really about foreign loans, although they are certainly at issue. It was actually an official warning, by a deputy minister so as to downplay it a bit, that the Russian economy is facing disaster. These loans are not all that expensive, and they build Russian influence. By announcing that Russia would stop offering them, the Russian government is telegraphing to its public and the world that its situation is as bad as the pessimists have said. This was the vehicle for making clear that Russia may not be near a breaking point, but is moving toward one. Still, the decision to cut these loans should be considered in its own right. In suspending these loans, the Russians are cutting one of their major foreign policy tools. During the halcyon days when oil prices were more than $100 a barrel, the Russians used loans to shape the behavior of foreign governments. This was particularly true along Russia's periphery, Europe to Central Asia. Such loans did not obligate foreign governments to follow Russia's lead, but it certainly didn't hurt to know that the Russians could solve foreign governments' financial problems. The weaker Russia becomes economically, the stronger it needs to appear, both for domestic and foreign audiences. Appearing weak both domestically and in foreign countries invites the vultures to feast. The Russians cannot afford to do both. Yet the situation is so bad that it must say that it is suspending these loans. The Russian aircraft in Syria, therefore, now serve a double role. First, they defend a Russian ally, Bashar al-Assad. Second, they show the world that the Russians may have economic problems, and may not be able to give loans, but they can still influence events and irritate the United States, even at low oil prices. I doubt that this was what the Russians had in mind when they intervened in Syria, but it is certainly on their minds now. The simple formula that a strong economy creates a strong military has never really applied to Russia. Ever since Napoleon, the Russian economy has been weak. It is hard to think of a period when it was booming, save perhaps the 1950s when its boom was tied to rebuilding after the devastation of World War II. Yet in spite of the paucity of economic success, the Russians have fought appallingly expensive wars, and either fought the enemy to a bloody standstill or defeated them outright, as they did with Napoleon and Hitler. Modern weapons are expensive to develop, but deploying precision-guided munitions is cheaper than deploying and arming many millions of men as the United States did during World War II. It is possible, within the existing budget, to create capable weapons developed by what we used to call Soviet R&D-the KGB. Today technology just behind the cutting edge is available, and the cost of fielding it is cheaper than a World War II mechanized force. Therefore, do not assume that Russian economic weakness, while serious, precludes weapons development. The question of Ukraine is still central to Russian national security. The Ukrainians are taking advantage of the moment by cutting off supplies to Crimea. The Russians discovered during the Ukraine crisis that they were not able to launch a full scale offensive. They then went into a military development mode that we estimated would last two years. After that they would revisit the Ukrainian situation. Given the Russians' overriding interest in Ukraine, I suspect that military development is one thing that they will not cut. However, this is what broke the Soviet Union. First it was a massive defense budget designed to keep up with American innovation. This strained the economy enormously. Then the decline of oil prices broke the economy and collapsed the Soviet Union. It could not survive both. In this case, oil prices have declined dramatically, but Russia's military development is nothing like it was in the 1980s. Still, the Russians have far more than loans to consider. They need to consider whether they can afford a military program designed to force a new outcome in Ukraine. If not, they need to consider whether they can afford to have Ukraine as a pro-Western force whose borders are less than 250 miles from Volgograd, the city formerly called Stalingrad. In either case they are facing impossible choices that they cannot ignore and yet cannot really make. Andy Langenkamp is a global policy analyst for ECR Research. Politicians have become aware that European progress is reversible. Some have even uttered the word "war." Global trends, European developments, and national politics are compressed into an icy snowball that could topple the European edifice. Individualization of society has led to its fragmentation. As a consequence, political leaders have a weaker grip on their constituencies. In addition, not so long ago, people were fairly certain they would become more prosperous as they got older, while their children would do even better. Now we see great uncertainty about maintaining living standards, let alone improving them. We are also witnessing a new global order emerging. America and China will eventually be on an equal footing, and a handful of other powers will also make their influence felt. Non-state actors such as Google and the Islamic State group will play significant roles too. Nation-states will be the protagonists for the foreseeable future, and authoritarian regimes use businesses as pawns of the state. However, borderless organizations, networks, and corporations play states against each other and are becoming more powerful. These developments fuel opposition to free trade, open borders, and the political establishment, and in Europe, this challenge takes place on a continent already struggling with crises of sovereignty, identity, and security. The euro crisis appears to be chronic. Europe has to untangle a gigantic financial-economic knot if it wants to strengthen the eurozone and the common market against a background of structural weaknesses, nationalism, and populism. Moreover, Europe's foreign policy is haphazard and often non-existent. This scuppers any chance that Europe can have a positive influence on the conflicts that surround it. Strong foreign policy is also hampered by the unhinging of the European balance of power -- a hinge that swung around the Berlin-Paris axis, but has warped as economic issues came to the foreground and Germany started to dominate. Now that security and traditional politics are returning to prominence, France could seize its chance to claw back some of its standing. However, before a new equilibrium can be created, we could see mounting tensions. Britain has moved further away from Europe's epicenter, so London can do little to adjust the balance. Europeans not seeing themselves as European citizens further undermines Europe's chances of addressing its crises. Lack of European citizenship is increasingly problematic, as solidarity comes at a higher price in times of political and economic insecurity. The financial crisis has widened the abyss between the European Union and the what it would call its people. If Europe fails to deal with the migrant crisis and the threat posed by terrorism, people will turn their backs on Brussels even more. They feel increasingly detached and unsafe. Many think their own country is merely a plaything tossed about by political and economic waves. States disagree on what problems they face, how these should be addressed, and to what extent they are prepared to transfer sovereignty. This translates into national political risks. The French regional elections may not have provided Marine Le Pen with the victories she was hoping for, but her Front National speaks to the feelings of millions of French people fearing social-economic insecurity, the destabilizing forces of globalisation and the threat of terrorism. Le Pen has already pulled the mainstream parties somewhat to the populist right, and she now aims to upend the establishment in May 2017, when French voters take to the polls. At the other side of the French border, Spain is in political disarray, with political struggles in Catalonia and at the national level after inconclusive elections. Catalonia won't call for new elections, as President Artur Mas stepped down, but Mas' successor -- separatist leader Carles Puigdemont -- could renew tensions with Madrid. Already, chances are that we will witness new national elections. It remains to be seen whether the latest Catalan developments and new parliamentary elections will lead to stable governance. In Germany, regional elections can further undermine Chancellor Merkel's position. She has been under fire within her governing coalition, and the German population is starting to grumble. Europe also has to reach an agreement with the United Kingdom on EU reforms. The latter are meant to ensure that the Brits vote in a coming referendum to stay in the European Union. Some polls show a majority of the British now think a so-called Brexit would be a good idea. Greece could also foment trouble. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' government holds a majority of just three seats parliament; in November it faced a national strike; and the refugees crisis threatens the country's stability. We're not done yet. The Netherlands will hold a referendum about the Association Treaty between Ukraine and the European Union in the spring. This is inconvenient as the EU is still at geopolitical loggerheads with Russia, Ukraine continues to be unstable, while Holland has been chairing the European Union since Jan. 1. Elections are due in Slovakia, Romania, and Ireland. Plus, it remains to be seen how the new Polish and Portuguese governments will behave. The Polish combination of right-wing populism and left-wing economic policy is worrying, and the Portuguese minority government leans on communists. The European economy can carry on for the time being, due to support from low oil prices, the euro's weakness, the European Central Bank's loose monetary policy, and the end of austerity in many countries. These supports will fall away eventually. Europe already has reverted to muddling on instead of muddling through. Soon, it might just start to sink in the mud. (AP photo) 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 New "Top Gear" host Chris Evans recently showed signs of experiencing car sickness while filming a segment of the BBC show in California. ADVERTISEMENT Photos of the British celebrity bent over the side the the road next to an Audi R8 V10 vehicle, in which he was filming with new co-host Sabine Schmitz, were published in various U.K. tabloids over the weekend. Several reports say the 49-year-old host was seen throwing up after exiting the car, which was filming on a Monterey, Calif. racetrack. "It would be unfair to expect him to be perfect right from the word 'go,'" a source said to The Sun. "But how can someone who gets car sick possibly host 'Top Gear?'" The statement echoes the sentiments of many fans on social media, some of whom have criticized Evans since he was named former host Jeremy Clarkson's replacement for the hit BBC show last year. The mansion owned by former Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is scheduled to be demolished, and it was reported that the current owner may find something valuable in it. According to Miami Curbed, the current owners of the place are Chicken Kitchen CEO Christian de Berdouare and his wife Jennifer Valoppi. They bought the Miami Beach mansion for $9.65 million back in May 2014. It was also reported that the owners could expect some drugs and even human remains when they demolish the property, considering that Escobar previously owned it. The Colombian drug lord bought the pink mansion at 5860 North Bay Road in 1980 for only $762,500 before it was seized by the US government in 1987. The place also has massive holes that were punched through the walls because of a previous house search. Miami Herald reports that the mansion was originally built in 1948, and Valoppi said that they plan to demolish the property in order to "close a very dark chapter in the history of Miami." She added that they want to erase Escobar's violent memory in the place and that they want to create something new and inspiring. The site reports that everything in the 7,336-square-foot plot will be destroyed, and only a banyan tree will remain. It was revealed that the couple is planning on building a new house with a modern design. The current property has a total of four bedrooms and six bathrooms, and it also has a pool and garage. Escobar was a known drug lord back in the day and was killed by the Colombian forces with the help of the US authorities in 1993 after he escaped prison. News One reports that he was formerly named as the 7th richest man in the world with a net worth of $25 billion. Currently, Netflix has a show titled "Narcos," which follows the rise and fall of Escobar. He is portrayed by Brazilian actor Wagner Moura. Connecticut's housing price issues have become a worsening problem of the state. Real estate agents and home owners who are selling residential properties have been complaining that they can't get any profit from the properties they are selling. They have dropped their price rates which came to the extent that it seems like they're almost giving away houses. This is what happened to Corey and Sarah Cusick. The couple, who used to live in West Hartford, had listed their house for sale for $384,000 last April 2015. The house was sold in November but the price was much lower than their asking price, $317,000. Sarach Cusick said, "We felt like we were giving the house away." Connecticut is now entering its fifth year of housing recovery, but circumstances like the Cusicks, who are forced to drop the asking price for their home, are part of the reason that the state's overall home sale prices are still slipping. Experts say, if the house sellers will continue this habit of lowering their house pricing just for the sake of a "false hope" that they could sell their properties, the pricing of these properties will continue to slip. But they also explained that they can't blame both the buyers and the sellers. Buyers care more about the geographic and the demographic locations of the house. Connecticut is suffering from house pricing due to the economic standing of the state as well. Experts state that the ongoing imbalance between the home purchases and the high taxes of the state resulted to this issue. It is all boiling down to the ability of the state to give more jobs to the people to solve this problem. This plan was experimented on last year when there was a boom of the housing sales without compromising the price range. This is not the case for this year. The median sale price of a single-family house dropped to 2.6 percent. Donald L. Klepper-Smith, an economist at DataCore Partners Inc in New Haven, said "This is an indication that we have an economy that is improving inch by inch and not yard by yard." This year, the economists are seeing no changes with the prices. They will remain flat or slightly up but no significant increase to occur. For now, what the real estate agents could do is too strive to provide affordable houses to their clients without compromising the financing needed for these properties. It's also up to them on how they could negotiate with the buyers amid Connecticut house pricing issues. The increase in home prices is threatening the middle class who are looking at the government to take action that would give affordable housing for the people. According to Yahoo, owning a home is a top priority for most Americans. However, homebuyers are having a tough time saving up for a house or cannot qualify for a loan due to low credit scores. The continuous increase of home prices and short supply are among the top problems of homebuyers. In the past 40 years prior to 2008, the government produced 1.6 million housing units annually. However, the present average has significantly become lower. In 2015, there were only 1.1 million housing units built. In Seattle, because of the heavy demand from people to have an affordable price for houses, the city council made drastic plans to address the problem. They added more housing units for their citizens which they can avail for lower rates. The same thing is being done in Austin; a new zoning plan for the city was made to make space for more affordable houses. On the contrary, in San Francisco, even software engineers cannot afford to buy a house for them, where median house prices reached $1 million. It is not surprising that businesses are trying to find and move to locations where they can offer the same wages, yet it can give employees a better chance at having a more comfortable life. And having the means to buy one's own home is a big part of what makes workers stay. Giving bigger wages will not solve the problem of ballooning costs of living but giving affordable housing will lessen its impact on workers. Meanwhile, in the report by Forbes, having a high-cost house in the real estate market is terrible news, not only for the middle-class Americans but even more so for the poor and those who only rent. The number of renters below the poverty line is increasing while the supply of affordable house is quickly dipping. This is particularly noticeable over the past year when prices of homes began to soar. Vancouver's real estate and rental market are sky high and a group of Lower Mainland academics are convinced they might just have the remedy for it, CBC News reports. What they have in mind is the B.C. Housing Affordability Fund which will impose 1.5% property surcharge on empty properties and residential properties that rarely get used. Once collected, the established fund will then be redistributed to tax filers (property owners and renters) who live in the municipality where it's raised. "We want to make living and working in British Columbia more more affordable," said assistant UBC professor Tom Davidoff . "It's going to be funded 100 per cent by a surcharge on people who own property that's either vacant or very lightly occupied." Avoids foreign ownership issue According to Davidoff, the fund will help ease issues surrounding foreign ownership. "We don't think it's appropriate to tag people based on where they come from," he said. "Instead it's what you do with the house. If you live in the house and you pay income tax to British Columbia and to the federal government, that provides an exemption." "There's nothing about your nationality or citizenship, and we think that's very important," he said. Additionally, veterans, persons with disabilities and retirees who are recipients of CPP or OAS will be provided exemption through the fund. Exemptions will also be given for owners of rental properties in relation to their collected and reported rental revenue. "The only way you have to pay the tax is if you own property and you choose not to rent it, or you barely occupy it and you don't pay taxes to Canada," said Davidoff. "We think that's probably a fairly small fraction of the population but it may be an awful lot of property value." Davidoff's team estimates about $90 million that could be pulled in if the fund was currently operating in Vancouver, and this money could help set-off high residential costs when redistributed to city dwellers. 'Turn your empty place into a rental' "We're not discouraging investment in Vancouver; in fact for people who rent out their housing - the occupant gets a cheque and the landlord doesn't pay a tax," he said. "If you're an investor, all we're saying is turn your empty place into a rental; that's all we ask." However, the idea may not be responsive to the actual reason behind Vancouver's expensive real estate which is lack of supply, real estate guru Bob Rennie debates. "Taxing the rich a little bit more isn't going to solve the issue of supply," Rennie told CBC. "These vacant houses are either waiting until [the owner] moves here, or until they tear it down. It probably takes a year to get a permit." "The vacant condos in Coal Harbour are owned by people who own four or five homes around the world," he said. "I think we're looking for a sensational answer instead of getting ahead of it and looking for supply." "We're all in Disneyland and we want to close the gates and keep the rides open," Rennie added. A 32-acre land at 1525 and 1545 Wigwam Parkway (at Stephanie Street and I-215) in Henderson, Nevada, was recently purchased by the Arizona-based real estate private equity firm, The Wolff Company. "Henderson is a fantastic community that lacks amenity-rich, lock-and-leave housing for renters aged 55+," said Mike Milhaupt, Vice President of Senior Housing for The Wolff Company. "This project's on-site dining options, top-of-the-line activity centers, and highly detailed residences will set a new benchmark for senior living rental communities in Nevada." According to their press release in PR NewsWire, The Wolff Company plans to develop market-rate multi-family housing and high quality senior living communities on the property, which is closely located to a number of schools and has parks and transit options, to address the current shortage of quality for-rent housing in the area. "This site is in an ideal location for families and individuals seeking convenient access to Las Vegas while enjoying the high quality of life that Henderson offers," said Nate Carlson, Vice President of Development for The Wolff Company. Jorant Commercial/Sunbelt Development & Realty Partners represented The Wolff Company in the acquisition of the property, while Coldwell Banker Premier Realty represented the seller. The people behind the transaction include Brian Krueger, Senior Vice President of Strategic Services with CBPR, Ron Opfer of CCIM, who managed the listing for CBPR, Tom Mangione, Vice President of Business Development, David Ober of Jorant Commercial, and Bill Lenhart of Sunbelt Development & Realty Partners. "We are extremely pleased with a sale of this magnitude in the Las Vegas market and the scope of service our team at CBPR is capable of," said Krueger. The Wolff Company is a fully-integrated, middle market, real estate private equity firm that was founded in 1949, and now is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona as well as maintains offices in Washington, Massachusetts and California. The firm focuses on investing, acquiring, and developing high-quality multi-family assets. Zero Waste Scotlands Resource Efficiency Pledge scheme has signed up the Scottish Parliament as its latest member. The Scottish Parliament will also become an ambassador for the scheme that encourages businesses and organisations to reduce their use of energy, water and raw materials. Advertisement Scottish Parliament assistant chief executive David McGill (pictured left) said: The Resource Efficiency Pledge is a chance for the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to build on its already ambitious environmental targets. Our plan to reduce our carbon footprint by 42% by 2020 from the baseline year of 2006 is on course to be achieved and the carbon management plan continues to deliver reductions in our carbon emissions. Resource Efficient Scotland head Marissa Lippiatt (pictured right) said: Im delighted that the Scottish Parliament are becoming ambassadors for the Resource Efficiency Pledge and supporting us to reach businesses across the company. The pledge helps businesses to save significant sums of money on their running costs, cut their carbon footprint and show off their green credentials all in one easy step. In November, a University of Georgia administrative specialist at Aderhold Hall emailed her office manager about a suspicious male wearing a white and green cloak with Arabic writing walking the hallway, who in turn forwarded the email to others on the College of Education office managers listserv and notified police as well. Of the students at University of Georgia, 57 percent are female. But only 35 percent of full-time professional faculty members are women, and an even smaller percentage of leadership and administrative positions are occupied by women, according to the 2014 Fact Book. Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight This home in downtown Redding, which had been abandoned following a previous fire, was damaged in another fire Monday SHARE Missing woman's body found A Happy Camp woman who had been missing since Saturday was found dead Monday near a remote campground. Gloria Louise Bravo, 66, was last seen at the Happy Camp Post Office on Wednesday and she was reported missing three days later, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office. Her body was discovered at the West Branch Campground, which is about 15 miles north of Happy Camp on Grayback Road, officials said. Bravo was found "quite a distance away" from her locked vehicle, and there were no signs of criminal activity, sheriff's officials said. The case, however, remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the case may call the sheriff's office at 841-2900. One lane open on Highway 299 One lane of Highway 299 in Trinity County was been re-opened to traffic Monday, but motorists can still expect a one-hour delay. A rock slide caused the closure of Highway 299 just east of Del Loma in Trinity County before 11 a.m. Saturday, the California Highway Patrol has said. California Department of Transportation workers have been at the slide removing the rocks, but there's no estimated time on when lanes would completely reopen. Caltrans had built a berm across the eastbound and westbound lanes to catch rocks in the slide and was allowing one vehicle at a time to go east. The rock slide is near French Bar about 35 miles west of Weaverville on Highway 299. Fire damages abandoned home A "suspicious" early morning fire ripped through a Trinity Street building that had long been abandoned following an earlier fire there, Redding firefighters said Monday. The two-story building, which had its roof collapse, was gutted in the fire, which began at about 2:30 a.m. The former residential building, which has been boarded up, had been vacant since the earlier fire, firefighters said, adding that no one was injured in the blaze. LAHORE (Dunya News) - Three death row prisoners were hanged on early Tuesday morning in the jails of Attock, Mianwali and Jhang, Dunya News reported. The dead bodies of the prisoners were handed over to their families. According to details, death row convict Sultan was executed in the District Jail Attock. Sultan had killed his wife in 2007 over a family dispute. Death row prisoner Ghulam Gilani was hanged in the District Jail Mianwali in a double murder case. Ghulam Gilani had killed two of his nephews over a family dispute in 2004. Another death row convict was executed in the District Jail Jhang. Prisoner Allah Ditta was hanged for murdering his friend over a small dispute in 1999. Source: dunyanews , January 19, 2016 SHARE Updated at 10:10 a.m. One person died overnight in a fire in Shingletown, though the identify has not been released, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Two children received second degree burns, ages 5 and 8, on the property of Darrah Springs State Fish Hatchery. Firefighters were able to contain the fire within an hour, according to Cal Fire. The Shasta County Coroner along with Shasta County Fire, Tehama Fire Department's and Shast aCounty Sheriff's Office, and California State Fire Marshal were part of the agencies on the scene. Original story Two early morning fires, including one that injured two young children, broke out in Shingletown and Redding. The first fire erupted around 1:45 a.m. today at a Wildcat Road home on the property of the Darrah Springs State Fish Hatchery in Shingletown. Capt. Dave Chapman of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that two children suffered burns with one of them being flown to a Sacramento area hospital for treatment after initially being taken to Mercy Medical Center in Redding. The other child was treated at Mercy, he said. But, he said, firefighters are still looking for a woman who lived at the home. Were still searching through the debris, he said. Chapman, who said firefighters will be at the scene for several more hours this morning, said the cause of the fire has not been determined. As firefighters battled that blaze, a second home caught on fire around 2:40 a.m. in Redding on the 200 block of Woodhill Drive. Deputy Chief Cullen Kreider said the homes four occupants were able to safely get out of the house with the family dog, although a cat remains missing. Kreider said the cause of that second-alarm blaze also remains under investigation. He said the two-story home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and it initially appears the fire started in the garage and spread to the home. He said the homes working smoke detectors alerted the occupants to the fire. SHARE Like many Americans, I'm doubling down on my support of Donald Trump for president. His popularity keeps growing by the day because the American people are sick and tired of the incompetence and corruption coming out of Washington. The "American left" and the "establishment right" have only themselves to blame for Trump's rise in popularity. Reflecting back over the past 24 years, beginning with Bill Clinton, "Slick Willy," (impeachment and sex in the Oval Office), Bush-Cheney (two wars) and Obama (recent polls show 70 percent of Americans think the country is going in the wrong direction), Trump's bipartisan appeal makes a lot of sense. The polls and conventional wisdom have Trump winning the Republican nomination. Out of the approximately 15 candidates vying for president, only one is under criminal investigation from the FBI: Trump's would-be challenger, "Queen Hillary." Our current situation is similar to challenges faced during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. In the midst of the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II, he led with courage and optimism. Recognizing the fear and anguish of the American people, during his 1933 inaugural speech, FDR said "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He went on to successfully lead us through these challenging times. Although some Americans are puzzled by Trump's overwhelming popularity, they do accept that our country is heading in an alarming direction. Our economy is still in the Dumpster; our deficit continues to rise; domestic and foreign terrorism is increasing; and Iran, in violation of recent agreements, is blatantly testing ballistic missiles capable of hitting major American cities. The people of America should condition themselves for Trump's popularity to rise and the warning that if a strong leader like FDR is not elected in this next cycle, things are only going to get worse. The recent Paris and San Bernardino tragedies only reinforce the urgency of our need to step back and take a serious look at our current immigration situation. It's no longer "if" but "when." As Buffalo Springfield once said: "There's something happening here ... what it is ain't exactly clear ... there's a man with a gun over there ... telling me I've got to beware." Nathan Hale III lives in Redding. As matters stand, Russia and Saudi Arabia, two of the world's biggest oil producers, are set for a hard landing as they didn't diversify their economies as much as they should have when oil prices were booming. The world is undergoing a major political churning over an economic issue: tumbling international oil prices. Saudi Arabia and Russia are the most severely affected by the free fall in oil prices which have plummeted to less than $30 per barrel, and experts forecast the price crashing to below $25 per barrel in near future. Such is the level of alarm in Riyadh and Moscow that the ruling regimes led by King Salman and President Vladimir Putin respectively are facing a stiff challenge to their leaderships. One should not be surprised if these two countries witness a regime change in the coming months if the present scenario continues. Iran and Iraq are on the rebound, particularly after the era of suffocating sanctions on Iran has finally come to an end. This will inevitably mean a much stronger Iran, both economically and politically, in coming years. Powers like Israel and Saudi Arabia are scared of a resurgent Iran for different reasons. Israel feels that a more powerful Iran, now enjoying much better relations with the US-led international community, may pump in more money, fighters and weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah, two prime bugbears for Israel. Saudi Arabia is confronted with the immediate scenario of a severe loss of face as the Sunni power is rattled with the stark possibility of the Shia Iran stealing its thunder in the Islamic world. This raises the spectre of a sharp uptick in covert wars aimed at pruning the increasing influence of Iran, thus adding fuel to the fire in the already volatile region. One cannot rule out a hawkish Israel resorting to some drastic unilateral military actions in its neighbourhood to further its national interests. To understand the economic reasons for the falling oil prices and its political impact, Rajeev Sharma spoke to Himendra Kumar, a New Delhi-based global oil analyst. What Kumar had to say is quite an eye-opener. Here are Himendra Kumars views touching upon four core areas. 1. Wont lifting of sanctions on Iran lead to a further oil glut and a further fall in prices? "Global oil prices are likely to fall below $25 a barrel as the markets are currently sloshed with excess oil. The lifting of the Western sanctions against Iran would increase the supply glut. As against a global oil demand of 94 million barrels per day, the markets are receiving, on average, in excess of 96 million bpd. Iran will add another 400,000 barrels per day output over the next three months and Iraq and Libya, too, are set to increase their production which would further exert downward pressure on oil prices which have dropped more than 70 per cent over the last 18 months." 2. What will be the likely political impact of falling oil prices on the world, particularly Russia and Saudi Arabia? "As matters stand, Russia and Saudi Arabia, two of the world's biggest oil producers, are set for a hard landing as they didn't diversify their economies as much as they should have when the oil prices were booming above $100 a barrel. In fact, Saudi Arabia may see a regime change as King Salman looks increasingly shaky with a strong cabal of passed-over princes and clergy rallying against him, in private. Already, Saudi Arabia is seeing spending cuts and there's a 15 per cent budgetary deficit. In Russia, President Putin will need to pull a cat out of his bag in order to survive as the Russian economy is crumbling fast because of the fall in oil prices. Both Saudi Arabia and Russia need oil prices above $90 a barrel to balance their respective budgets." 3. The role of the United States and China. "The demand growth from the US and China, two of the world's largest crude oil importers, isn't strong enough to absorb the excess global production. With the US developing its own shale oil resources, it's turned into a net oil exporter from being the world's biggest buyer. So, there's been a paradigm shift. With China, the problem is that its economy is slowing and there's a strong likelihood of it posting a lower gross domestic product growth rate this year than India's. But natural, a slowing economy has led to a lower demand for oil products." 4. Is there a possibility of oil prices rising once again and, if so, by when and by how much? "Oil will probably end the year trading close to $45 a barrel and may start rising again in the third quarter. It could be led by faltering shale output in the US and strong winter demand for heating oil in Europe and the US and from countries like India, trying to fill up their strategic oil reserves. Also, the current low prices mean no one is currently developing new oil fields and when producing fields deplete, there will be no new oil replacing them. This may help balance the oil market and prices may find a floor close to $40 a barrel." Rajeev Sharma is a New Delhi-based independent journalist and strategic analyst who tweets @Kishkindha. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters. The top posts on social media from your favourite Bollywood celebrities: Sunny Leone has been trending on the social media, thanks to her interview on the CNN-IBNs The Hot Seat, where she was asked some really condescending questions. The actress, however, took them in her stride, and gave winning replies. Several celebrities took to Twitter to support Sunny: Alia Bhatt: That was literally NOT an interview.. Just hyper opinionated statements with a question mark at the end!!! No Grace? Chivalry? Ridiculous! Anushka Sharma: This downright distasteful interview shows d journalists intellect & lack of basic human respect & nothing else. Kudos @SunnyLeone. Sushant Singh Rajput: How beautifully u held your own in that stupid interview @SunnyLeone. Some1 should have taught him how to respect a woman when he was a kid. Dia Mirza: He asks the same question for 20minutes. Because she doesn't satisfy him with the response he's looking for. #Respect Mini Mathur: Yes and such stupid questions! He is so googly eyed & patronising while @SunnyLeone holds her own so beautifully. Rishi Kapoor: Very unfair & rude interview with Sunny Leone on CNN IBN. She is taking it on her chin sportingly, obviously in the interest of her coming film. Gaurav Kapur: Full marks to Sunny Leone for the grace she showed. Most would've walked out of that cringe fest of an interview. *** Priyanka Chopra turns producer! Priyanka Chopra, who recently launched her production house Purple Pebble Pictures (PPP), is looking forward to producing regional films. So excited to roll out all these projects from @PurplePebblePic! Storytelling in every possible format! Let's go team, Priyanka tweeted. *** Its Rangoon time for Shahid! Shahid Kapoor, who is shooting for Vishal Bhardwajs Rangoon, shared a picture from the sets, above, and wrote: #rangoon on set. The film will also feature Saif Ali Khan, Kangana Ranaut and Tabu. *** Sonakshi Sinha: Haseena is very special to me Sonakshi Sinha took to Twitter to clear the air surrounding Apoorva Lakhia's biopic Haseena. Just an update on Haseena, am trying to workout the dates. This film is very special to me and im trying my best to clear the date clash, she tweeted. The film is based on the life of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena. *** On the sets of Raaz 4 Director Vikram Bhatt has started shooting for the fourth installment of the Raaz film series in Romania. Producer Mahesh Bhatt shared a picture, above, and wrote: #RAAZ4 : When the going gets tough , the tough get going. Our fantastic unit shooting in -18 degrees in Romania! The horror film will also star Emraan Hashmi, South actress Kriti Kharbanda and Gaurav Arora. *** John Abraham goes shirtless for Dabboo Ratnani's calendar John Abraham, who is featured in Dabboo Ratnani's 2016 calendar, took to Twitter to share his shot, above, and tweeted: To my friend @DabbooRatnani who gave me my first chance in front of the camera. *** Saqib Saleem gears up Dishoom Saqib Saleem is all set to start shooting for his next film Dishoom in Abu Dhabi. He posted a picture on Instagram and wrote: It's dishoom dishoom time!! See u soon Mumbai!! Abu Dhabi here I come. Directed by Rohit Dhawan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film will also star John Abraham, Varun Dhawan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Akshaye Khanna. *** Imran Khan goes to Goa Imran Khan, who recently celebrated his 33rd birthday, is holidaying with his family in Goa. He shared a picture on Instagram, above, and wrote: Step one: Lunch. Step two: Nap. Step three: Happiness. This plan can't fail. IMAGE: Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, with his predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao at the parade in Beijing, September 3, 2015. Photograph: Wang Zhao/Reuters Why is Xi Jinping visiting Saudi Arabia, Egypt and China this week? Former RA&W officer Jayadeva Ranade explains the significance of China's outreach to the Middle East. Timed to coincide with expanding potential commercial opportunities and a gradually dwindling US interest, Chinese President Xi Jinping embarked on a five-day tour to the three key Middle Eastern countries of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran on January 19. There are indications that Xi Jinping's visit will herald a phase of new and more active Chinese engagement with this region. China issued its first Arab Policy Paper on January 13. The five-part paper mentioned cooperation in 36 specific sectors including civilian nuclear co-operation, international affairs etc. and appreciated Arab nations for their support on Taiwan, which it noted is an area of China's 'national core interest.' A Xinhua despatch of January 13 observed that 'Those calling China a bystander in the Middle East will see Beijing take a proactive approach to the region.' A Chinese president has not visited Saudi Arabia since 2009 when Hu Jintao traveled to the kingdom. In August 2012, then Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi indicated China's importance for Egypt's foreign policy by travelling to Beijing to meet then Chinese president Hu Jintao before visiting Washington. It was also his first official trip outside the Middle East. Jiang Zemin was the last Chinese president to visit Iran and he travelled there in 2002. A factor in the timing of Xi's visit is undoubtedly the broad negative opinion about the US in the Middle East. The visit comes at a time when the relations of these countries with the US has weakened and negative sentiment against the US among the local populace is high. In Egypt, barely ten per cent of its people had a favourable view of the US in 2015. Elsewhere in the region too, those critical of the US significantly outnumber those with a positive attitude. In comparison, China overall has a substantively more positive image. Since taking over as China's president Xi has adopted an assertive foreign policy aimed at furthering China's strategic and commercial interests and influence. He is already the most travelled Chinese leader since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 -- Xi visited 14 countries in 2015 alone and has visited 30 countries since 2012. The inclusion of three vice-premiers and six ministers in Xi's entourage for this visit along with a large business delegation suggests that the focus will be on exploring strategic business opportunities, including the flagship 'One Road, One Belt.' As in the past with each of these countries, the sales of military hardware and technology will almost certainly be on the agenda. Riyadh's concerns about the deterioration in its regional security environment and rapid development of its secretive Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force make it reasonable to expect that agreements on sales and increased military cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia will be concluded. China had clandestinely sold DF-3 missiles to Saudi Arabia in the late 1980s. Again in 2007, China secretly sold Saudi Arabia DF-21 solid-fuel, medium-range ballistic missiles. The US acquiesced, if not connived, at these sales. Chinese entities have been noticed violating proliferation norms for ballistic missile components and technology till as recently as 2014 and the US Department of State imposed two-year sanctions on four Chinese entities in February 2013 for such sales. An important item on the agenda is likely to be cooperation on terrorism, where China would hope to elicit Riyadh's assistance in staunching the flow of radical Islamic terrorists entering Xinjiang and other parts of China and the Uyghurs in Xinjiang receiving material and other support from Islamist terrorist outfits. Xi's visit to Cairo coincides with the Sino-Egyptian cultural year launched last week to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. China's commercial ties with Egypt have increased since 2011 when it surpassed Egypt's trade with the US to touch $8.8 billion. China, which has nurtured its relations with Cairo since 1955, views deeper ties with Egypt as necessary for expanding Chinese influence and commercial ties globally. Egypt's strategic location, open economy and relatively cheap labour force make it a gateway facilitating the flow and increase of Chinese exports of low-cost consumer goods throughout the European, African, Arab and sub-continental markets. China will additionally perceive a robust Sino-Egyptian relationship as a counter-balance to any negative views occasioned by Beijing's firm diplomatic and military support for Bashar al-Assad's regime in Damascus. China would hope that other Arab countries will follow Egypt's lead and establish stronger ties with China. Increased economic interconnectedness and China's popularity with Egypt's public will encourage increased Chinese investment in Egypt. Egypt is also keen on Chinese investment in the new Suez Canal. It is likely that China will push Cairo to purchase two Yuan class submarines built by Wuchang Shipbuilding, which is part of the State-run China Shipbuilding Industry Corp, in preference to those offered by Germany. China supplied Egypt with four Ming-class diesel-electric submarines in the 1980s. The decks were, additionally, cleared on January 16, just days prior to Xi's visit to Iran, with the lifting of international sanctions against Iran giving Tehran access to more than $50 billion in long-frozen assets and allowing it to sell its oil and purchase goods in global markets. At the same dropping oil prices and the IMF's bleak forecast for Iran's economy with GDP growth for 2015-2016 at around zero, increase in unemployment by about 1.5 per cent and a 10per cent drop in imports, provide a potential major opening to China's State-owned energy companies to enhance involvement with Iran's oil and natural gas industries. This would make Iran a more important export market for a range of Chinese products. Beijing could also offer to assist Tehran in building infrastructure as part of the Eurasian section of China's huge 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and offer financing through the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Concrete investment proposals are anticipated during Xi's visits to Egypt and Iran. Teheran will probably express interest in reviving the old military relationship of the 1980s and early 1990s, when China supplied it tanks, fighter jets, fast-attack patrol craft, anti-ship missiles and advanced weapons. Motivated by interests of establishing an enduring relationship and reducing US influence, Beijing could now sell a variety of advanced arms including J-10 fighters, the Houbei-class high-speed missile boat, UAVs and also transfer advanced cruise missiles and technical know-how which would allow Iran to improve its domestic cruise missile programme. China is preparing for a lasting engagement with the Middle East. It views the Middle East as important for realisation of the 'One Road, One Belt' project and as offering immense commercial opportunities. Increased influence in the Middle East will enhance Beijing's international influence and also position it better to push the US to accept its proposal for a 'new big power type relations.' Jayadeva Ranade, a former additional secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, is president of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy. IMAGE: Vehicles set on fire at the Kaliachak police station in Malda. Photograph: PTI India's Muslims need to assert their educational and economic upliftment and political empowerment rather than be provoked by communal remarks, says Mohammad Sajjad, reflecting on the Malda riot. A Muslim religious organisation, Anjuman Ahl e Sunnatul Jamaat, is said to have organised the event which resulted in violence in Kaliachak, Malda, in early January. Apparently, this group subscribes to the Barelwi ideology of Sunni Muslims, closer to Sufi traditions. Acoording to reports, the group is said to have been outraged by disgusting remarks made on December 1 against the Prophet Muhammad by somebody claiming to be a member of the Hindu Mahasabha. The Mahasabha doesn't own him up. These derogatory remarks reportedly came after provocation from Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan who made disgusting and equally unsubstantiated remarks against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activists in November. Khan, by now, has earned notoriety by making such polarising remarks. Already, he owes an explanation on the evident administrative complicity in the making of the Muzaffarnagar riots of September 2013. Azam Khan is also the minister in charge of Muzaffarnagar affairs. The Uttar Pradesh government owes an explanation on neglecting the hapless, displaced, people of Muzaffarnagar and adjoining districts. Surprisingly, the Muslims forget this specific genesis of the controversy. They refuse to put Azam Khan in the dock. There is no mass mobilisation against the Uttar Pradesh administration led by Akhilesh Yadav. It is no secret that the Muzaffarnagar riots served the electoral political purpose of polarising communities, whereby the Jats supporting the Lok Dal and the Dalits supporting the Bahujan Samaj Party were to be communalised to go over to the side of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and Muslims supporting the Lok Dal, the Congress, and the BSP were to be won over to the side of the Samajwadi Party. Despite such nasty designs being exposed, there has hardly been any mass mobilisation against such a bloody political conspiracy. Self-serving moulvis and other such figures see the potential of becoming leaders only on the issue of remarks made against their Prophet by a nondescript person hardly endorsed by any significant section of Hindus. In Madhubani, reports came in about the mobilisation of 100,000 Muslims, at a protest attended by Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA Faiyaz Ahmad. A nondescript local religious leader declared that one of his two sons should bring the head of the offender. Pat came the reply from the audience: 'Why sacrifice your sons? Why cannot you do it on your own if you think it to be an appropriate expression of Ishq-e-Rasool?' The moulvi is yet to be arrested, enough of Muslim appeasement! The response from the Madhubani audience reveals a lot, and highlights that all is not lost. A counter-mobilisation against religious frenzy is quite possible. It would have been wiser for Muslims not to react to remarks made by people just to hog the limelight. But things won't be that simple. From Muzaffarnagar to Bengaluru and Delhi, sections of Muslims came out onto the streets in December, some demanding the death penalty for the alleged offender who is already in jail. This was in utter disregard of the rule of law of the land. Even more intriguing is that after a long gap of many weeks, Muslims in Malda, Bengal, suddenly rose up to protest against the remarks, reportedly on the call of the Idara-e-Sharia, founded in 1968 at Sultanganj in Patna by Barelwi cleric Maulana Arshadul Qadri (1925 to 2002). This came out of sectarian rivalry with the Deoband-oriented Imarat-e-Shariahof Phulwari Sharif in Patna, which was founded in 1921 by Maulana Ablmohasin Mohammad Sajjad (1880 to 1940). These institutions run a chain of madrasas and also a chain of Dar-ul-Ifta and Dar-ul-Qaza across Bihar, Bengal, Orissa, and Jharkhand adjudicating on disputes related mainly to marriage, and inheritance of ancestral properties. Against this backdrop, it is necessary to examine and investigate the origin, function and worldview of the Anjuman Ahl e Sunnatul Jamaat of Kaliachak, Malda. Equally, or more important, is to introspect: Why does the clergy exercise such a profound influence on Muslim communities despite the emergence of a considerable section of middle class Muslims? Moreover, why can't the non-religious leadership of Muslims mobilise the community on meaningful issues? As I am currently based at Kishanganj, Bihar, reports are coming in that here too such frenzied mobilisation is likely to take place. I have spoken to some responsible people to pre-empt it. I hope they will succeed in persuading arguably naive people. Districts in West Bengal like Malda, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur and almost adjacent districts in Bihar like Kishanganj, Purnia, Araria and Katihar have a high concentration of Muslims, who are also lowest on human development indices, including crucial indices like education, health and the economy. There has not been such passionate mass mobilisation about issues of economic-educational uplift and political empowerment. We are already face to face with Salafi-Wahabi radicalism across the globe. Now even Sufi-inclined Barelwis are getting radicalised. Salman Taseer, the governor of Pakistan Punjab, is said to have been killed by a Barelwi radical. Some pockets of high Muslim concentration have received massive funds from the Saudi monarchy to operate huge residential madrasas and masjids. The Ibn-e-Taimiya madrasa of Chandanwara (near Dhaka in east Champaran, Motihari), and the Tauhid Trust of Kishanganj are major examples. The Saudi monarchy extends this patronage to gain legitimacy for the Salafi-Wahabi ideology. Intriguingly, these segments of Muslims don't ask for Saudi funding to run quality residential schools of modern education and to run well eqipped hospitals. The day Muslims rise to demand such favours, needless to say, the Saudi monarchy will readily oblige them. What we see today is men in Muslim dominated villages in many parts of Bihar and West Bengal -- men who who have not migrated elsewhere for livelihood and education -- indulge in politicking over the recruitment and dismissal of Pesh-Imams (prayer leaders) in their village mosques. These men often have close links with local goons as well as the local police, from which they derive their power of intimidation besides siphoning off funds for mosques and madrasas. These whimsical dismissal-recruitment games are based invariably on sectarian divides. Thus, adolescent young men get radicalised and many villages become seething cauldrons of sectarian (maslaki) scuffles and violence. In my ancestral village of Turkauliya (in Saraiya-Paroo, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, where there was communal tension in 2014 and communal violence in another village Azizpur on January 18, 2015 followed by another bout of such violence in Lalganj on November 18, 2015), I can see such menacing developments whereby influential Muslim men mobilise Muslim youth along Salafi-Wahabi lines. This creates heartburn among subscribers of the Barelwi sect who happen to be in a numerical majority, but who have traditionally been economically and otherwise weaker though they have recently gained some improvement in their economic status. Malda has 12 assembly seats, of which only one -- Habibpur -- has less than 5 per cent Muslims. Three seats have between 22 and 30 per cent Muslims. The rest have between 42 and 89 per cent Muslims. Opium cultivation, cross-border trade and the police-criminal nexus historically define the socio-economic life of Malda, inevitably having a tremendous bearing on politics. In Malda, there has been a long history of strange relationships between the police and the local population, more specifically among the Muslims. Historian Professor Suranjan Das, currently the vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University and a former vice-chancellor of Calcutta University, published a detailed research essay on this aspect in the influential journal, Economic and Political Weekly (volume 26, no 3, 1991), Some other scholars have also explored the phenomenon. However, all these academic explorations are confined to the late colonial and pre-Communist era of the post Independence period. Muslims in this part of West Bengal favour the Congress and this may have worried Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, more so when talks of an alliance between the Communist Party of India-Marxist and Congress is underway for this year's assembly election. There are also reports from voluntary organisations like the Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan whose team visited Kaliachak on January 16-17. These reports from the ground suggest that the Kaliachak violence did not have a communal orientation. Rather, it was a conflict between criminals and the police. The criminals exploited the religious procession, and under its shadow, burnt police records, noting their history of crime, smuggling, etc. Be that as it may, a serious question stares India's Muslims. When will they wake up to assert for their educational-economic uplift and political empowerment rather than be provoked by remarks, which can never sully the indelibly finest image of the Prophet? Mohammad Sajjad teaches history at Aligarh Muslim University. Currently Director, AMU Kishanganj Centre, Bihar, he has published several books including Muslim Politics in Bihar: Changing Contours. India should adopt a pro-active strategy on Pakistan -- catalysing, facilitating and making room for a change in its anti-India posture, says Ajai Shukla. Is Pakistan actually cracking down on the perpetrators of the January 2 attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot? We can only guess what that country's policymakers really intend, but here is what is known: Islamabad has constituted a multi-agency "joint investigation team" to probe the attack, including military intelligence and ISI officers. It has rounded up some mid-ranking members of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, the radical Islamist group that New Delhi believes is behind the attack. A central minister in Islamabad has said JeM chief Masood Azhar is in "protective custody" since he cannot be arrested without hard evidence of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, other branches of the Pakistan government have denied that Azhar is in custody. Almost everyone in India who can spell P-a-k-i-s-t-a-n has already pointed out that previous "crackdowns" on India-focused jihadis were mere theatre. It is also well known that this subterfuge comes easily to both Pakistan's policymaking elements -- the elected government in Islamabad; and the all-powerful army headquarters in Rawalpindi. But it is still worth carefully considering the question, is anything different this time? The Indian government apparently thinks so, going by the substance and tone of recent statements from New Delhi's foreign policy and security establishment. The woeful history of Indo-Pakistan engagement is replete with instances where talks have been cancelled or postponed. But never has a scheduled meeting been postponed with such cordiality, especially on the heels of a terror attack. In a phone call the day before they were to meet, both foreign secretaries amicably agreed on a token postponement. Talks will resume in what India's foreign ministry spokesman termed "the very near future". Underlining the bonhomie in thick pencil, the spokesperson declared that the postponement was arranged in "a mutually acceptable manner". This foreign ministry cordiality was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's approach, who blamed the Pathankot attack on "enemies of humanity who can't see India progress". His counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, responded in kind, with his foreign ministry offering to join hands with India "to completely eradicate the menace of terrorism afflicting our region." Given these atmospherics, it is worth wondering whether some rarified layer of the Indian government has an assurance from Pakistan's top power brokers that action will be taken against the JeM, but gradually and without fanfare? We simply do not know, and will not know until later. Even so, with the government continuing the dialogue with only a token display of pique at the Pathankot attack, it seems as if Messrs Modi and Doval know something that we do not. On the other hand, Modi may have no explicit assurances from Islamabad and Rawalpindi about restraining India-directed jihad, but believes something is fundamentally changing in Pakistan; and that a tipping point has been reached. Given Pakistan's long record of duplicity, India's government is vulnerable to charges of naivety and gullibility. But here is the catch: when (and if) Pakistan starts putting the squeeze on such groups, this cannot be accompanied by a public promise to New Delhi. Whatever Islamabad says would be in private. Indian public anger restrains New Delhi from talking peace with Islamabad after a terrorist attack, unless Pakistan appears to be acting against those responsible. At the same time, Pakistani self-esteem prevents its government from acting against extremists under Indian pressure, even if there were consensus in that country that this was essential. For that reason, were Modi to believe that Islamabad and Rawalpindi are willing to defang groups like the JeM now, and perhaps later the Lashkar-e-Tayiiba, he would have to give Pakistan time and space to shield it from allegations of acting under Indian pressure. Expecting the Pakistani security megacorp to backtrack from 68 years of sub-conventional military options against India is, admittedly, a long shot. Even so, our strategy should not assume an unchanging world. Like many others, Pakistan is concerned over the changing face of political Islam, with Frankenstein's monsters like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Islamic State challenging the Pakistan Army. Numerous Indian experts on Pakistan (and every Indian believes he/she is one) had confidently predicted that Rawalpindi would never crack down on the TTP, or launch a military offensive in North Waziristan. But the ideological swings and shifting allegiances of international jihad, forced Pakistan to confront one set of its own monsters. True, Pakistan has so far cracked down only on the bad terrorists, the rebellious TTP. For now, the good terrorists -- including the JeM and LeT -- remain loyal to Rawalpindi and offer no provocation that justifies winding them up. But this is not a constant. In 2003 the JeM -- a perfect Pakistan Army poodle for years -- turned on its master, staging at least three assassination bids on General Pervez Musharraf. Rawalpindi knows well how growing ideological and operational linkages between the good and the bad terrorists have the potential to subvert the army's control over the former. It is bad strategy for India to assume an unchanging world, even if the prospects of change are tenuous. Instead of waiting for change to happen within Pakistan, New Delhi should adopt a pro-active strategy -- catalysing, facilitating and making room for that change. This does not imply looking at Pakistan through rose-tinted glasses, or condoning terrorist strikes by so-called "non-state actors" in the hope that Islamabad will take them down. What this strategy does involve is strengthening our intelligence and security networks so that terrorists are denied operational success of the kind they obtained in Pathankot; developing retaliatory capability for pin-point strikes on jihadi targets inside Pakistan; diplomatically managing the potential for escalation; and, meanwhile, keeping a tight lid on political rhetoric and name-calling, so that Rawalpindi and Islamabad can crack down on jihadi groups without appearing to be acting at India's behest. For this, Modi must be convinced that Pakistan is moving, even if cautiously, towards restraining and eventually shutting down the factories of jihad. It may well turn out that Pakistan's internal incoherence and weakness prevents it from doing what it badly needs to in its own interest. Yet, in deliberately creating the space for such a turnaround in Pakistan, New Delhi would actually have a plan instead of what has passed for strategy over the last one-and-a-half decades -- shrill name-calling, public demands for action that will always remain unmet; and repeated cancellations of talks before starting the sorry circle yet again. A former Congress minister has publicly advocated dealing with Pakistan by "building a high wall all along the border." There is an Indian security plan to cover gaps in the border fence with "laser walls." The fact, as our planners probably know, is that physical barriers cannot keep India and Pakistan apart. The two countries will have to accommodate each other, discovering common interest to bridge the chasms that divide them. We need to question ourselves if we are to be implicated as well in the institutional murder of Rohith and many other Rohiths, if not bodily but in spirit, because of our complicity in naturalising this elitist, exclusionary, discriminatory-to-the-core conception of education, says Kishalaya Mukhopadhyay. Image: The m other of Rohith Vemula (inset), a doctorate student at the Hyderabad Central University who was found hanging in a hostel room, speaks to the media. Photograph: PTI Photo. Nobody killed Rohith Vemula. Perhaps someday there will be a film like this. Perhaps someday people will start talking about the exploitation of Dalits, the need for annihilation of caste, the systematic discrimination in all spheres of society including the government, corporate, bureaucratic and educational sectors. Perhaps caste as an analytical category will become as politically charged as gender has become post-Nirbhaya. Today there is a discourse around marital rape, victim blaming, domestic violence and other aspects of patriarchy that has transcended even if slightly only the small coterie of feminist scholars within whom this discourse used to be limited to. Let us hope our burning rage at Rohiths death can bring such a change too -- that no longer will caste remain a secondary issue, to be discussed by the handful of Dalit scholars only. But we can certainly do more than just hope. We can actually try to proactively organise protests and social boycotts of institutions and their representatives that are guilty of promoting and propagating casteism. We, who walk in rallies, mouth slogans and write provocative pieces, need to push our limits even further and try to help build a public sphere, a national discourse and, most importantly, an active citizenry composed especially of the exploited masses to challenge this brahmanical hegemonic order. Let us backtrack a little and quickly go over the facts of this tragic incident. Rohith, as described on social media by some of close friends and comrades, was an energetic person who had taken the discriminatory system head on. He was one of the five Dalit students who were expelled from University of Hyderabad a few days ago and were barred from using the hostel or any other university facilities. All these students have been on hunger strike since then, sleeping in the open, joined by comrades from leftist organisations and individuals, but alas, Rohith took his own life on the 18th. The trouble started a few weeks back when the organisation these students worked with, the Ambedkar Students Association, marched in UoH against the ABVP for their attack on the Montage Film Society in Delhi University, where a screening of a documentary named Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai was scheduled. After this protest, a local ABVP leader, Susheel Kumar, had called the ASA students goons on social media, following which an online altercation ensued. However, an apology from this ABVP leader had settled the matter for the time being. However, the Hindutva design resurfaced when Susheel lodged a complaint that he had been roughed up by ASA students, for which he had to be hospitalised. Following this complaint, the universitys proctorial board conducted an enquiry which found no support of the claim made by Susheel Kumar. The boards final report warned both parties but slapped an order of suspension on five students from the ASA. The organisation immediately organised a protest after this, and after a discussion with former vice-chancellor, Professor RP Sharma, on the loopholes of the previous enquiry, it was decided that the suspension will be revoked and a new committee will be formed to carry out fresh investigation. However, as a written statement by Joint Action Committee for Social Justice (of UoH) pointed out, the ASA students were expelled without a proper enquiry, under the direction of the puppet VC, Prof P Apparao. The new VC, fuming activists are alleging, acted at the behest of BJP MP and Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya, whose letter to Education Minister Smriti Irani described the ASA students as extremist, casteist and anti-nationals. Angry students at UoH did not allow the body to be removed from the hostel room where it was found. The next morning, police unleashed its brutality on the protestors and imposed Section 144 in the campus. So the question to be asked is: Who killed Rohith Vemula? Is it only the UoH authority that is to be blamed or is it just yet another manifestation of discrimination against the Dalits? From the Bathani Tola massacre to the Badaun rape case to numerous instances of Dalits being raped, paraded naked and humiliated by upper castes, to the cases of institutional discrimination as evident from the expulsion (later revoked) of 73 Dalit students from IIT Rourkee and the de-recognition (also revoked) of the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle in IIT-Madras, atrocities and marginalisation of Dalits seem to be a commonplace phenomenon in the country and as per official reports, these crimes are only on the rise (external link). But it is not enough to just call the system casteist, Brahmanical, patriarchal, capitalist and so on. It is equally important to accept that we, the left, the progressives, have not been vocal enough in condemning this regime of casteism. Is it because the leftist forces still remain dominated by upper castes, who despite their best intentions, cannot fully break the shackles of Brahmanical ideology which prevents one to call a spade a spade when it comes to caste? A large section of the left, often using Marxist phrasing, would like to make caste subordinate to class. While the intersection of caste and class is no doubt a reality, it is equally true that you cannot fight one without fighting the other. Thus class reductionism comes in the way of truly grasping the seriousness of caste based exploitation. Let us not forget that major sections of the left have for a long time dealt with the gender question in a similar manner -- suggesting that gender liberation will follow the main revolution -- that of overthrowing the capitalist state and establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat. It is true that as a reaction to this longstanding snubbing of gender-related questions by the mainstream left a section of feminists emerged who altogether ditched the class question, which capitalism has allowed to flourish to a certain extent as it does not hit the foundations of the system but helps promote a progressive face of capitalism. But it is equally true that much needed progress has indeed been made on the gender questions, because of which today, the orthodoxy of the traditional left on questions of gender, like heteronormative binarist mindset or conservative ideas about how women should act and present themselves in public, has been challenged. The environmental and caste questions are two other prominent discourses which are being attempted to be appropriated by the ruling class interests. Which brings us to the crux of the issue that combating this casteist, Brahmanical hegemony would not be possible without also challenging the class-based exploitation. Thus we need to steer clear of misguided notions like Dalit capitalism as a panacea for this social malice. We must consider the possibility that both Dalit and non-Dalit scholar/student activists who have been (quite rightly) protesting against the marginalisation of Dalit intellectuals from the mainstream (for instance, the protest by a section of Dalit scholars against the decision by a publishing house to have Arundhuti Roy write an introduction to Ambedkars famous piece, Annihilation of Caste) may well be subsumed within the Brahmanical fold. Paradoxical though it may sound, it is still not difficult to understand this risk if we actually analyse the existing institutions including the education system for what it is. It is well documented that Dalits, like other marginalised sections like Muslims, are particularly under-represented in institutions of learning (external link), especially in higher education. There is no doubt that this is ample proof of the need for reservation. But this alone is not nearly enough -- if we have to fight the casteist system, we have to change the very foundations. With respect to education, it is not good enough to stop at demanding that Dalit scholars be not discriminated against in the way the ASA or APSC or IIT-Rourkee students were. It is important to push ahead and actually expose the elitist education system in its entirety, which can only be done by fighting all the dimensions and principles of exclusion that this education system is based on. These technologies of exclusion include the arbitrary process of elimination (and not selection) in the name of examinations, cut-off marks, and eligibility criteria and so on. If we agree that education is a fundamental right and if by education we mean the process through which the productive faculties of each and every individual can blossom, through which they can attain self-development and fulfillment as well as come in service of others and society at large, then there is no point in embracing the notoriously restrictive norms of the current education system. Here is a simple example -- why cant people simply walk into a library or any classroom in colleges and universities without having to show identity proofs that they legitimately belong there, by virtue of being a student or teacher. It may not be the best example around, but in the movie Three Idiots, we saw Amir Khans character arguing along very similar lines -- sitting in a classroom where he didnt belong -- the essence of such a free, open for all education should be the envisioned and not just nurtured as an utopian dream but as a political project that can be achieved through relentless struggle. We need to ask those scholars who are, again very rightly, protesting against discrimination towards Dalit scholars and students, if they are actually able to see the problem in accepting the idea that the average guy on the street is not eligible for accessing resources confined within the physical and digital spaces of educational institutions. We need to question ourselves if we are to be implicated as well in the institutional murder of Rohith and many other Rohiths, if not bodily but in spirit, because of our complicity in naturalising this elitist, exclusionary, discriminatory-to-the-core conception of education. So no more passing the buck, no more just criticizing the system as if it is an external entity -- we need serious introspection. True, people have been protesting against the class-based exclusion inherent in our education system for a long time -- by protesting fee hikes, privatisation, budget cuts, scrapping of fellowships or by pointing out that even if education is free or subsidised the poor may not be able to attend schools and colleges because they have to earn a living instead. Thus, socio-economic factors have always been at the forefront for the battle for education. Likewise, universally accessible and socially meaningful education that keeps pace with the dialectical process of breaking and creating as part of the journey towards building an alternative society free from all sorts of exploitation, discrimination and exclusion should be high on the priority list. Let all of us pledge to strive for a society where lives will not be cut short prematurely on such a sad note (taken from Rohiths suicide note as circulated on Facebook): Know that I am happy dead than being alive. Kishalaya Mukhopadhyay is an independent activist and blogger associated with an initiative called The Commons and is pursuing an MPhil in Development Studies from Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata. Republished from kafila.org. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide by a Dalit scholar saying the ministers and the vice chancellor have "not acted fairly" that forced him to take the extreme step. Image: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi interacting with students at the Hyderabad Central University. Photograph: OfficeofRG/Twitter. He flew in to Hyderabad from Delhi in the morning and drove straight from the airport to the University campus where he addressed the agitating students. Gandhi alleged that the institution instead of operating fairly has used its power to "crush" the freedom of students to express. "The vice vhancellor and the minister in Delhi have have not acted fairly. What is the result? The result is that the youth, who came here to improve the country, to learn and to express himself was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself. "Certainly he has committed suicide but conditions for his suicide were created by the vice chancellor, the minister and the institution," he told the students, one of whom said before his speech that they did not want any politicising of the issue. He demanded "strictest punishment" for the vice chancellor and the minister holding them "responsible" for the death of the research scholar. After meeting the students, Gandhi upped the ante against Irani and Dattatreya and the vice chancellor, by observing in a tweet: The VC and Union ministers in Delhi have not acted fairly. This youngster was put in so much pain that he had no option but to kill himself." Image: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi interacts with the grieving mother of Rohith Vemula, a doctorate student at the Hyderabad Central University who was found hanging in a hostel room. Photograph: OfficeofRG/Twitter. Dalit student Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were on Monday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the Dalit student. The Congress vice president said there is "no question of the vice chancellor remaining" and criticised him severely for not even meeting the mother of the deceased. "There are certain people responsible for it. Vice Chancellor is among them. The minister is among them," Gandhi said, insisting that whoever is responsible for this outcome has to be punished in strictest terms. The Congress vice President also chose the occasion to flag the need for a legislation to protect the interests of the students. "We should not let the ball fall here. We should keep the flag up. In the future, we should create a legislation, a law which gives certain minimum rights to every Indian student, minimum rights with regard to the freedom of ideas and expression. "One can express those ideas regardless of who they are, what caste they are, where they come from, what religion they have," Gandhi said. Image: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi interacting with students at the Hyderabad Central University. Photograph: OfficeofRG/Twitter. In a series of other tweets, Gandhi said, "Any student can come to the University- whether he belongs to any caste or religion. He should feel that I can say what I want to say. The idea of a University is that young people can come and share their thoughts." "These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus. Met students of the Ambedkar Students Association, Hyderabad University," he said in the other tweets. "There are certain people who are responsible for this boy's death. The Vice-Chancellor is among them. The minister is among them and the people that have applied pressure on this boy from expressing his ideas are among them. Whoever is responsible for this "outcome" (the death) has to be punished in the strictest manner possible", he said. Earlier, Gandhi, who was accompanied by senior Telangana Congress leaders, paid tributes to Vemula by garlanding a memorial "stupa" put up in the university. He also spent some time with family members of Vemula and consoled them. *********** BJP hits back at Rahul; says he is politicising the suicide The Bharatiya Janata Party has accused Rahul of politicising the suicide of the Dalit student, and insisted that the issue had nothing to do with the victim being from the backward community. BJP general secretary P Muralidhar Rao attacked Rahul Gandhi for "unprincipled" behaviour, saying that the same Congress which had "harassed" Dalit leader B R Ambedkar "all his life" was now trying to project itself as champion of Dalit cause. He alleged that Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula's suicide has been made into political issue by "Congress, section of media and some groups with vested interests". Image: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi interacting with students at the Hyderabad Central University. Photograph: OfficeofRG/Twitter. Rao, in a series of tweets, said, "Suicide of Rohith Vemula has nothing to do with Dalit issues or rights just because he was a Dalit. It is merely politicising of the issue." "Disciplinary action was taken against Rohith at the advice of the court and even a lenient stand was taken by University authorities by permitting him to enter the campus except the hostel," he said. "Rahul Gandhi's hurried visit to Hyderabad is an unprincipled behaviour and it is unfortunate that a national political party stoops to such levels. "Congress did gross injustice to Dr B R Ambedkar and harassed him all his life. Now Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh championing Dalit cause!!," he said. Rao also hit out at the Delhi Chief Minister, saying, "Arvind Kejriwal, like always, is trying to fish in troubled waters in the politicized issue of Rohit Vemula suicide!" He has even gone to the extent of demanding apology from the PM, the BJP leader said. Defending the action against the student, Rao said, "The context of the clash between student groups was Rohith's stand in support of terrorism, including that against hanging of Yakub Memon." The BJP leader, who hails from Telangana, said Rohith's suicide note is self revealing. "Connecting with incidents related to his ideological adversaries is baseless and orchestrated," he said. Asin and her businessman fiance Rahul Sharma have tied the knot in a quiet and intimate church ceremony this morning, at the Dusit Devrana Hotel Resort in New Delhi. The actress opted for a simple white Vera Wang gown, with a flowing veil, while Rahul looked smart in a sharp black tux. Mr and Mrs Sharma after their wedding ceremony this morning.It was a private affair with 50 odd guests including family and close friends gracing the Christian wedding in the morning, which was followed by a lavish vegetarian lunch at the hotels Chinese restaurant, a close source discloses. The Hindu wedding rituals that will take place later this evening will have 200 odd guests in attendance. According to reports, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar was given the honours of being the Best Man at the wedding. The actor who played cupid and got the two together, was in the city a day prior to the wedding, as he was promoting his film Airlift. Asin and Rahul will host a small but lavish reception for their closest friends and family in the capital. This will be followed by a grand Bollywood style reception in Mumbai on January 23rd , for Asins friends and former co-stars in the film industry. However, it is not clear if her friends from the south film industry will be part of her post wedding celebrations. The actress, who was last seen in All Is Well, wrapped up all her film commitments last year, hinting that she might quit the industry after tying the knot. Stay tuned for pictures from the wedding and the reception. Forges ties with Bodo People's Front; to continue talks with AGP, reports Archis Mohan. The Bharatiya Janata Party is busy shaping a grand alliance of its own in Assam, but hopes to meet more success in its efforts in the days to come. Late on Sunday night, the BJP sealed electoral alliance for the upcoming state polls with the Bodoland Peoples Front. BJP sources say they are unsure if the party will succeed in its efforts to stitch an alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad. Ram Madhav, general secretary entrusted with the BJPs Assam affairs until the state polls in April, tweeted late Sunday night that BJP-BPF alliance was sealed after a meeting between BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary, Union youth affairs minister and BJPs face for Assam polls Sarbananda Sonowal, and BJP president Amit Shah. But, the party state unit leaderships meeting with AGP ended inconclusively. The alliance with the BPF will help BJP in 16 seats the former has sway in, in four districts of lower Assam, particularly in the Kokrajhar district. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting of tribal communities in Korkrajhar and a youth rally in Khanapara, Guwahati. This will be the official launch of the BJPs election campaign in Assam. It is expected that the PM will announce an economic package for the Bodo areas. The BPF had won 12 seats in the 126-seat assembly in the 2011 state polls. The BJP is also in talks with the United Peoples Front. It is an umbrella outfit of tribal communities. But, BJP feels the need for an equally important ally in the Brahmaputra valley. The AGP submitted a list of 42 seats that it wishes to contest in the Assembly polls. The BJP believes 42 to be an unreasonably high number given that the AGP is no longer as influential a party. The BJP had won seven of the 14 Assam seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Of the five state polls due by April, Assam is the only state where the BJP stands a chance of forming a government. But, much would depend on how effectively we sew up an alliance of like-minded parties, a BJP leader, privy to the alliance talks, said. BJP state leader Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma started their political careers in the All Assam Students Union and AGP. Image: Preparations are in full swing ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Guwahati. Protests over the alleged suicide by a Dalit research scholar from Hyderabad Central University on Tuesday spread to more cities including Pune and Gandhinagar with the incident described as an institutional murder. All India Students' Association students burn the effigy of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya during a protest against the suicide of Rohith at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Photograph: Subhav Shukla/PTI As protests against the incident continued for the second day in Hyderabad and Delhi, the students of prestigious Film and Television Institute of India in Pune sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institutes gate in solidarity with the protesting students in Hyderabad. Protests were held by workers of Congress and Left parties in Chennai where members of the Scheduled Caste wing of Tamil Nadu Congress led by K Selvaperunthagai tried to picket the Shastri Bhavan, which houses a number of central government offices. About 65 Congress workers were detained, police said. Students staging a protest over the death of Rohith Vemula, a doctorate student at the Hyderabad Central University who was found hanging in a hostel room, in Hyderabad on Monday. Photograph: PTI We are in solidarity with students protesting the death of Rohit Vemula, and as many as eight students from the Film & Television Institute of India have sat on hunger strike for a day, FTII Students Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu said in Pune. Another students body representative Yashaswi Mishra said, We feel that the unfortunate incidents like death of Rohit Vemula is an institutional murder. The very ideology that led to this devastating tragedy has to be fought across. We condemn the governments attempts to suppress and crush voices of disagreement, he added. Members of Social Fronts and Students Organisation staging a protest over the death of Rohith Vemula in Nagpur. Photograph: PTI In Gujarat, around 50 Dalit students of Central University of Gujarat held a peaceful protest in Gandhinagar. The Dalit students gathered near the entrance of the CUG on Tuesday morning to condemn the alleged stern action of HyderabadCentralUniversity, which according to them, led to the suicide of the PhD student Rohit Vemula. Further, the protesters termed the suicide as an institutional murder and demanded free and fair inquiry into the matter. According to a CUG student and human rights activist Jignesh Mewani, Dalit students including Vemula, were intentionally targeted by the university for being a Dalit and having different ideology than of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. FTII students during their day-long hunger strike in Pune on Tuesday in protest. Photograph: PTI The protesting students held banners with slogans such as Punish the culprits behind this institutional murder, Fight this casteism and fascism, Shut down brahminical universities before we kill ourselves. This situation is unacceptable in democracy. You cannot silence voices of dissent. The BJP government at the Centre must conduct a free and fair inquiry into the matter and punish the culprits, added Mewani. In Punjab, the activists of Punjab Ambedkar Sena Moolnivasi took out a protest march in Phagwara and burnt an effigy of minister Smriti Irani and demanded sacking of Union Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide. ALSO READ: Rohith's last words: 'From shadows to the stars' ********** 'It's not suicide. It's murder' Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Rohith's suicide, demanding that he should sack the Union Minister accused in the matter and also apologise to the nation. "Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modiji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised and suspended," he said in a tweet. "It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n apologize to the nation," the Delhi chief minister said. ********** Congress seeks sacking of Irani, Dattatreya Congress demanded that HRD Minister Smriti Irani should be removed along with Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, against whom a FIR has been lodged. Party spokesperson Kumari Selja told reporters that both Irani and Dattatreya should resign or else Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take action against the two by sacking them. She said that the HRD Minister has "misguided" the whole country as she had written a number of letters on the issue and that Dattatreya was "against dalit students in order to promote ABVP". "There is much more than what meets the eye. The prime minister must speak out on the matter and take action against the ministers," she said. "The prime minister should break his silence. This is not the first time that BJP ministers have worked against the interest of the dalits. There are several others who have spoken ill of the dalits. And hence, the entire BJP, the prime minister are in the docks," Selja said. ********** Attacking the 15-year Congress rule in Assam and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who represents the state in Rajya Sabha, over lack of development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched Bharatiya Janata Partys election campaign by announcing a slew of initiatives, including tribal status to two communities. Addressing a rally, organised jointly by BJP and its new ally Bodoland Peoples Front for the upcoming Assam assembly polls, he said BJP will ensure all-round development of Bodoland Territorial Council areas which have been betrayed by Congress. Why does Assam have so many problems when the same government is there for 15 years and the state has sent a prime minister for ten years.... They could not do anything in 15 years and now they want me to solve all their problems within 15 months.... Dont you think its unfair to me, Modi said. There is a long list of problems. There has been no development, he said addressing the rally at Bodofanagar. The prime minister came down heavily on the Congress government in Assam and the previous UPA government at the Centre for failing to fulfil dreams and aspiration of the people. They are asking questions about my government. But what have you done in last 15 years in Assam and 10 years in the Centre when a person representing Assam was the prime minister, he said, referring to Singh. They are just trying to confuse the people. You compare their 15-year rule and my 15-month-old government. You will see the vast difference, he said. Modi announced that the people of Karbi community living in the plains of Assam and Bodos living in hill areas would be granted tribal status and the process has already started. Development is the only solution to all problems of the area and I have opened both my heart and hand to ensure that the dreams and aspiration of the people of the area, which the state government has failed to fulfil, are realised, Modi said. The prime minister said he had instructed that youths from the Northeast should be recruited in the Delhi Police and the process has already began. Announcing other initiatives, the prime minister said a central technical institute located in Kokrajhar would be given the status of a deemed university, the Sealdah-Guwahati Kanchenjunga Express will be extended up to the BarakValley while the RupsiAirport in Dhubri will be taken over by the Indian Air Force. Election to Assams 126-member assembly is expected to be held in April-May along with four other states. The BPF is believed to have strong presence in Kokrajhar and its neighbouring areas. The party has been in power in Bodoland Territorial Council since its inception in 2003. In the 2006 assembly polls, the BPF had won 11 seats and joined the Tarun Gogoi-led government as a Congress ally. In 2011 polls, it had won 12 seats and again joined the Gogoi government. However, in 2014, BPF broke off the alliance with the Congress. Quoting late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had said that for every rupee one that is sent from the central government, only 15 paisa reaches the place where it is meant for, Modi said he was right and we cannot allow it. Delhi now asks state governments for accounts. They have to account for every rupee spent. Looting of peoples money has to stop, the prime minister said. Assam government and several other states in the Northeast get perturbed whenever he sought accountability of the development funds, Modi said. Assam government has to give us details where the money meant for development has gone. All governments in the Northeast have to give full accounts. Because of this reason, these people dont like me. But I am not bothered. Whether they like me or not. I work for the country, I work for development, he said. Modi said ever since the NDA government came to power, the ministry of development of North Eastern region has taken several initiatives and now at least one minister of the central government visits the Northeast every month. We have a three-point programme -- development, development and development. All problems could be solved only through development, he said. The prime minister said his governments aim is to provide electricity to every household 24 hours, every family a house, a toilet and potable water by 2022. He said the DONER ministry was started by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee but during the UPA rule people of the region had to go to Delhi and they found it very difficult to get their grievances redressed. To solve this problem, I have directed the DONER ministry that its entire secretariat would meet once a month in any North Eastern state where people can come to discuss their problems and the state have been asked to give a detailed account of the funds allotted to them, he added. I am not bothered if people do not like me but I am bothered about my countrys progress and development and I work to achieve that, the prime minister asserted. During the recent recruitment in Delhi Police, it was ensured that youths from the North East were given priority and many have been appointed from the region, he said. He said his government was committed to development of the North East and was implementing Act East policy with emphasis on infrastructure development, particularly road, rail and waterways. The prime minister announced that the issue of declaring the Bodo-Kacharis living in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts and the Karbi-Mikirs in the plains as Scheduled Tribes will be soon approved by the Cabinet and then passed in Parliament. Modi said he had talks with BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary on the problems of the area. I assure you that your blessings give me the strength and inspiration to serve you and with our new ally, the BPF. We will bring development in the area, the PM said. Continuing his tirade against the Congress government in Assam, he said it is surprising that those who should be giving an account of their performance are asking questions. Actually by asking us what we have achieved in 15 months, they are admitting that they have a document of long list of failure, he added. Later, addressing a Youth Rally in Guwahati, the PM asked why Assam continues to remain backward despite Congress ruling the state for so long. Assam has plenty of natural resources. It has enough of water to generate hydro-electric power but people of the state do not get 24-hour electricity. Who is responsible for this, he asked. Modi said his government has taken it as a priority to develop the entire eastern India, including Assam, in all spheres as the region continues to remain backward despite having rich natural resources. If Mumbai can develop, Guwahati cant remain backward. If Ahmedabad can develop, why cant Assam develop. India will not develop unless the eastern India is developed too, he said. The PM asked why after so many years of Congress rule in the state as well as at the centre, the gauge conversion of railway track was not completed in Assam. If there is no gauge conversation, how the development would come. What did they do in so many years? But we have given maximum funds in last railway budget for Assam and other states of the Northeast. For development of road network also, maximum funds were given to the region. We have formulated the Act East Policy for the benefit of the entire region, he said. Modi said India is a country of youth as majority of its population is below 35 years of age and hence welfare of youth is a must. For Congress, youth means the sons and daughters of its leaders, he said. The PM said most of the rating agencies in the world -- be it World Bank or IMF or any other -- have termed Indian economy as the fastest growing in the world. India is developing at a fast pace. There has been an increase of 40 per cent in FDI. If FDI is coming, there will be more industry and more industry means more jobs for youths, he said. Modi also highlighted various development initiatives taken by his government in last 18 months rule that include Pradhan Mantri Dhan Jan Yojana, Mudra Bank Yojana, saying these were beneficial to the downtrodden, particularly the SCs and STs. A special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court on Tuesday granted Central Bureau of Investigation permission to interrogate deported gangster Chhota Rajan in connection with journalist J Dey murder case of 2011. Special Judge A L Pansare allowed CBIs plea seeking nod to question the 54-year-old crime boss for 10 days starting January 27 before adjourning the case till February 5. Rajan, who was produced via video link from Delhis Tihar Jail told the court that he has received the charge sheet and needs time to go through it. I am kept in a high security cell and only taken out once in a week and need 15 days to a month for scanning the chargesheet and engaging a lawyer in Mumbai, Rajan told the court to which Judge Pansare informed the gangster that his (Delhi-based) lawyer Anshuman Sinha was present in the court. On January 7, the court had reprimanded Mumbai Police for not serving the copy of the chargesheet to Rajan. Why not yet? What are you waiting for....why are you waiting for an order for everything? the judge had asked. Later, he had passed an order directing the police to serve the copy of charge sheet to Rajan. Rajan, a former key aide and lieutenant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25 after he arrived from Australia, and was later deported to India. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, which includes the J Dey murder case. Maharashtra government has handed over all the cases against him to CBI. Dey, a veteran crime reporter, was shot dead in Mumbais suburban area Powai by motor-cycle borne shooters on June 11, 2011 allegedly at the behest of Rajan. Four persons on two motorbikes fired at least four to five rounds at Dey, who was also riding a bike, from behind near SpectraBuilding at D Mart in Hiranandani area of Powai. After the attack, he was rushed to nearby HiranandaniHospital where he was declared brought dead. Police had claimed the shooters fled the spot after firing. The first chargesheet in 2011 names arrested accused Satiah Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia. Later another chargesheet in 2012 was filed against journalist Jigna Vora who is now out on bail. Rajan was allegedly upset with two articles written by Dey and therefore ordered his killing. Vora allegedly instigated him, owing to her own professional rivalry with Dey. On January 4, the Bombay high court had designated a special court for conducting the trials of cases in which Rajan is an accused. Earlier, Rajan had moved an application in Delhi court, saying that he may not be sent to Mumbai as there is threat to his life. This year's Republic Day parade will witness some changes. The duration of the parade this year, for instance, will be shorter -- from 115 minutes to nearly 90 minutes. Rediff.com presents changes one will witness this R-Day parade. 1. Indian Army dog squad IMAGE: The Indian Army's dog squad during rehearsals. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI After 26 years, the Indian Army's dog squad, which has saved the lives of many soldiers in counter-terrorism operations, will march down Rajpath. The army, which has about 1,200 Labradors and German Shepherds, has selected 36 canines to march down Rajpath with their handlers. 2. French contingent IMAGE: French soldiers practise ahead of the main event. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters For the first time in the history of the Republic Day parade, a foreign contingent -- 130 French soldiers -- will march down Rajpath along with Indian troops in presence of French President Francoise Hollande, the chief guest this year. The gesture reciprocates one from France to India back in 2009. On July 14 that year, one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army -- the Maratha Light Infantry -- marched down the Champs Elysee in Paris with the French army. The occasion was Bastille Day -- celebrated in memory of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, the symbolic start to the French Revolution. 3. All-women stunt contingent IMAGE: The women will enthral the crowds with their daredevilry on two-wheelers. Photograph: PTI While all-women contingents have been participating in the Republic Day parade for a while now, for the first time an all-women contingent of the Central Reserve Police Force will demonstrate their tandem motorcycle riding skills at the parade. The contingent -- the 'Women Daredevils CRPF -- comprises 120 women from the CRPF's three women battalions and Rapid Action Force. It was created in 2014, and for the past two years, these riders have been training rigorously for this very opportunity -- a chance to show they are as good as anyone else when it comes to stunts. 4. No CRPF, ITBP contingents IMAGE: A CRPF contingent marches during the 2011 Republic Day parade. Photograph: B Mathur/Reuters Contingents of paramilitary forces like the Central Reserve Police Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Sashastra Seema Bal will not be part of the 2016 parade. Perhaps, this is being done to cut down on the time that the parade takes and trim the repetitive spectacle of marching contingents in almost similar uniforms. Noted writer Ashok Vajpeyi on Tuesday decided to return D.Lit given to him by Hyderabad University in protest against the anti-Dalit attitude of authorities which has allegedly driven a dalit student to commit suicide. A Dalit student, Rohith Vemula, who wanted to be a writer was driven to commit suicide due to anti-Dalit and intolerance of dissent shown. I have decided to return the award in protest against university authorities, (who were) presumably acting under political pressure, Vajpeyi said. The former Lalit Kala Akademi chairman, who was awarded D.Lit (Doctor of Letters, honoris causa) by the Central University of Hyderabad few years ago, said the institution has acted against human dignity and knowledge. Vemula, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the University in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. Union Labour Minister Dattatreya, Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were on Monday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the Dalit student. Vajpeyi was among the first to return his Sahitya Akademi award to the government criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking up against various incidents of violence against writers and activists. A total of 39 writers had returned their awards protesting against the Akademis alleged silence on the murder of fellow writer and Sahitya Akademi board member M M Kalburgi as well as against the growing communal atmosphere following the Dadri lynching incident. Vajpeyi had received the Sahitya award in 1994 for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin. UN Security Council removes Iranian bank from sanctions list Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 January 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN Security Council removes Iranian bank from sanctions list, 17 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d5b307111.html [accessed 20 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. The United Nations Security Council announced today that it has removed Iranian Bank Sepah and its international subsidiary from a sanctions list, following yesterday's announcement of a UN report confirming that Iran has completed necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of a plan of action aiming to resolve the nuclear issue. The report was submitted to the 15-nation Security Council after UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures required under what is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to enable "Implementation Day" to occur. In July, Iran and a group of six countries - China, France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom and United States - reached the JCPOA through resolution 2231 (2015), entrusting the IAEA with verifying and monitoring Iran's commitments. The resolution noted that the JCPOA will "terminate all provisions of previous UN Security Council resolutions on the Iranian nuclear issue [] simultaneously with the IAEA-verified implementation of agreed nuclear-related measures by Iran." Bank Sepah had been under a Council-mandated asset freeze since 2007. It provides support for the Aerospace Industries Organisation (AIO) and subordinates, including Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG) and Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group (SBIG). Mumbai: The All India Hindu Federation has lodged a complaint against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim for hurting religious sentiments by allegedly posing as Lord Vishnu in a video. We saw a video of Gurmeet Ram Rahim where he poses as Lord Vishnu, this has hurt religious sentiments of people, said Nishant Sharma, President, All India Hindu Federation. Read: As an artist I did what I was told to do: Kiku Sharda on his arrest He further added, Our complaint has not been registered yet, so we are going to meet Punjab DGP today. All India Hindu Fed. lodges complaint against Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim for posing as Lord Vishnu pic.twitter.com/VBenkVJnlI ANI (@ANI_news) January 18, 2016 The complaint came a week after comedian Kiku Sharda was arrested for mimicking Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on his show. Kiku was arrested for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the self-styled godmans followers. Slamming the arrest of comedian Kiku Sharda last week, Congress said such actions make India look like a "tin pot republic" and the Haryana Police should be "ashamed" of carrying out the arrest. UN chief condemns 'heinous terrorist attacks' in Burkina Faso's capital Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 16 January 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN chief condemns 'heinous terrorist attacks' in Burkina Faso's capital, 16 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d5c122f33.html [accessed 20 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. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today condemned the "heinous terrorist attacks" carried out yesterday in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital, which resulted in more than 29 deaths and many other people wounded. "The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the people and Government of Burkina Faso, and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured," Mr. Ban said in a statement issued by his Spokesperson. The UN chief also reiterated the full support of the United Nations to the authorities of Burkina Faso and said he stands in solidarity with the country and the region in its fight against terrorism. "He calls on the authorities to do their utmost to bring those responsible for these attacks to justice promptly," the statement concluded. Meanwhile, the members of the Security Council condemned the attacks in the strongest terms indicating that Al Mourabitoune, a terrorist group affiliated to Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, has claimed responsibility. "The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," indicated a statement by the 15-member body. They also underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these "reprehensible acts" of terrorism to justice, and stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable. Tunisia: Evidence of torture and deaths in custody suggest gains of the uprising sliding into reverse gear Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 14 January 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Tunisia: Evidence of torture and deaths in custody suggest gains of the uprising sliding into reverse gear, 14 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d5d1723d4.html [accessed 20 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. New evidence of deaths in custody and torture collected by Amnesty International suggests that brutal repression is on the rise again in Tunisia exactly five years after the toppling of the previous authoritarian regime by the "Jasmine Revolution", which sparked a wave of uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa. During a visit to Tunisia in December last year, Amnesty International collected information about deaths in police custody as well as allegations of torture carried out in the course of police interrogations. "Five years ago Tunisians rose up and threw off the shackles of authoritarianism. Torture and repression were hallmarks of former President Ben-Ali's regime; they must not be allowed to become defining features of post-uprising Tunisia," said Said Boumedouha, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Programme. According to information received by Amnesty International there have been at least six deaths in custody since 2011 in circumstances that have not been effectively investigated or where investigations have not resulted in criminal prosecution. Sofiene Dridi was arrested on arrival in Tunis airport on 11 September 2015 after being deported from Switzerland. The Tunisian authorities had an outstanding arrest warrant for him on charges of violent assault dating from 2011. Dridi appeared in court on 15 September in good health and was transferred to Mornaguia prison after the hearing. On 18 September his family were informed that he had been taken to hospital. They went to visit him but medical staff denied knowing anything. When the family went back to the court to try to obtain more information, they were told that he had died of a cardiac arrest. When they saw his body in the morgue, the family reported that there were bruises on his face and body. Dridi's death certificate was dated 17 September. To date the family are still awaiting full details about what caused his death. Amnesty International also received information about the torture and ill-treatment of detainees, including women, while in prison last year after their arrest on accusations of terrorism. According to some of the testimonies, detainees were subjected to electric shocks, including on the genitals, and a stress position known as the "roasted chicken" whereby their hands and feet were cuffed to a stick. Some were also slapped, forced to undress and threats were made against their families in an effort to force them to sign a false confession. Amnesty International is calling for all these allegations to be independently investigated, with the findings made public, and for anyone against whom there is sufficient admissible evidence to be prosecuted. In the case of deaths in custody, the investigation must include an adequate autopsy by an independent and impartial forensic pathologist. "Too little has been done to reform the security forces and hold those responsible for such acts to account," said Said Boumedouha. "While it is understandable that security is a priority for the government in light of the bloody attacks that have shaken Tunisia in the past 12 months, it cannot be used as a pretext for a U-turn on the modest human rights progress achieved since the uprising." In the past five years Tunisians have adopted a new constitution containing important human rights guarantees, ratified key international human rights treaties, held democratic presidential and parliamentary elections, and seen civil society groups strengthen after years of repression under Ben Ali. Yet in the past year the authorities have taken a series of worrying measures in the name of security that could endanger these achievements. A new counter-terrorism law adopted by Parliament in July 2015 defines terrorism in overly broad terms. It gives the security forces wide-ranging monitoring and surveillance powers, and extends the period during which security forces can hold suspects incommunicado from six to 15 days, which significantly increases the risk of torture. In November, a state of emergency was declared for the second time last year after a deadly attack against Presidential Guards in Tunis. Under its auspices, the authorities conducted thousands of raids and arrests and held hundreds more under house arrest. Family members of wanted terrorism suspects told Amnesty International about continuous harassment by the security forces. One 65-year-old man whose son is a fugitive wanted on terrorism accusations, said that security agents break down the doors to his family home almost every night. He described how frightening the visits are for the occupants who include his other two sons, one of whom has a mental disability, and two young grandchildren. He added that family members have been repeatedly called for questioning and that both his other sons have been beaten by police during interrogations. Others told Amnesty International of daily visits by officers who break down doors and sometimes steal belongings and make it difficult for family members to work and have a normal life. Several people also gave accounts of being stopped repeatedly in the street by officers. One man described how he had been questioned or arrested on a number of occasions because of his beard. He said he had once been removed from a bus and was questioned about his religious beliefs and practices. Laws arbitrarily restricting freedom of expression remain in force in Tunisia and critics - particularly critics of the security forces - are prosecuted on charges of defamation and "indecency". Independent media reporting has been curtailed under the new anti-terror legislation. Journalists have also faced violent responses from security officers when covering protests or the aftermath of attacks. In November, Tunisia's Ministry of Justice issued a statement warning that journalists would face prosecution if they undermined the country's efforts to combat terrorism. Human rights organizations and lawyers have also been attacked for defending the rights of terrorism suspects and are seen as obstacles to fighting terrorism in a public discourse that inaccurately pits human rights and security against each other. "Tunisia's human rights achievements are looking increasingly frail in light of these retrograde steps," said Said Boumedouha. "There is a real risk that this ill-conceived backlash will lead Tunisia back to the dark point it was at five years ago." Background In 2011, Amnesty International highlighted priority areas of reform needed in Tunisia. Today, these key reforms remain unmet. While Tunisia adopted several new laws including on torture and the media, repressive laws remain unchanged and enable continuing violations. There has been little accountability for unlawful killings of protesters in response to the 2011 uprising and a failure to reform the police and security apparatus. As a result, torture continues to be reported, especially in pre-trial detention and during interrogations, and judges and prosecutors have done little to hold authorities to account for allegations of torture and assaults on demonstrators and journalists. Transitional justice efforts have been slow and flawed. Discrimination in law and practice against women and girls continues and the authorities fail to protect effectively against gender-based violence. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people are denied basic human rights. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Indonesia: Vicious Jakarta attack shows utter contempt for human life Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 14 January 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Indonesia: Vicious Jakarta attack shows utter contempt for human life, 14 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d5d6bb5cc.html [accessed 20 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. A series of bomb blasts and shootings that rocked Jakarta this morning have killed at least seven people, five of whom were suspected attackers. The armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS) has reportedly claimed responsibility. In response to the attacks Josef Benedict, Amnesty International Southeast Asia and Pacific Deputy Campaigns Director, said: "Today's attack shows an utter disregard for the right to life. This is sadly not the first time Indonesians have seen their loved ones killed in horrific attacks by extremist groups who use bloodshed to further their despicable aims. "The Indonesian authorities must conduct a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the attack and ensure that all those involved in planning and carrying out this attack are brought to justice in fair trials without the recourse to the death penalty. "In order to break the cycle of violence, it is vital that these unlawful killings are met with proportionate and legal steps rather than a harsh clampdown by the security forces whose track record on human rights is patchy at best. Indonesia has a long history of dealing with violent extremism and today's deplorable attacks must not be used as a pretext to rollback freedoms in the name of security." Amnesty International has documented cases in Indonesia in recent years of arbitrary arrests followed by torture and other ill-treatment during the arrest, detention and interrogation by the police, including by the counter-terrorism unit Detachment 88. However, there are rarely independent and impartial investigations into such allegations, and the perpetrators are not held to account. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Ethiopia: Civil society groups urge the international community to address killing of Oromo protesters Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 14 January 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Ethiopia: Civil society groups urge the international community to address killing of Oromo protesters, 14 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d5de331.html [accessed 20 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. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (DefendDefenders) and Amnesty International urge Ethiopia's development and international partners to addressthe killing of at least 140 protesters in the Oromia region since December 2015. On 12 November 2015, peaceful protests started in the Oromia Region, southwest of the capital, Addis Ababa, in response to measures taken to transfer the ownership of a community school and portions of a local forest to private investors. The protests have since expanded in scope and size against wider grievances concerning the expansion of Addis Ababa into the Oromia Region under the government's Integrated Development Master Plan. They have also turned violent, resulting in the killing of protesters, and arrests of protesters and opposition leaders. The government announced on 12 January that it was cancelling the Master Plan, but protests continued the next day in parts of Western Hararghe, Ambo and Wellega where the police and the military used live bullets and beat protesters. "Use of excessive and lethal force against protestors, coupled with mass arrests of peaceful demonstrators and human rights defenders represent a worrying escalation of the government's on-going campaign to silence any form of dissent in the country," said Mandeep Tiwana, Head of Policy and Research at CIVICUS. "The international community must take up the issue of accountability for these grave rights violations with the Ethiopian government." The police and the military responded with excessive force to the peaceful protests that began on 1 December 2015, including by use of live ammunition against protesters, among them children as young as 12. Estimates confirmed by international and national watchdog groups like Human Rights Watch indicate that at least 140 protesters have already been killed in the protests. "The government's labelling of the mostly peaceful protesters as "terrorists" on 15 December 2015 further escalated the response of the police, and the military and resulted in more violations, including killings, beatings and mass arrests of protesters, opposition party leaders and members, and journalists" says Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. Scores of those arrested have been denied access to lawyers and family members. They are reportedly being held under the Anti-terrorism Proclamation and remain at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Journalists and opposition leaders, including Bekele Gerba (Deputy Chairman, Oromo Federalist Congress), Getachew Shiferaw (Editor-in-Chief of the online newspaper Negere Ethiopia) and Fikadu Mirkana (Oromia Radio and TV), have also been arrested while documenting or participating in the protests. The violent response to the Oromo protests represents perhaps the most severe crackdown on the right to peaceful assembly since the contested 2005 elections in which nearly 200 protestors were killed in the capital," said Hassan Shire, Executive Director of DefendDefenders. "The international community's worrying silence on this matter may further embolden the authorities to crank up their campaign of repression." Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organisations have also previously documented similar patterns of excessive use of force, mass arrests, torture and other forms of ill-treatment against demonstrators, political oppositions and activists. On 28 October 2014, Amnesty International published a report entitled "Because I am Oromo": Sweeping Repression in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia (AFR 25/006/2014). All those being held solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly must be immediately and unconditionally released. The Ethiopian authorities must ensure that victims of human rights violations by law enforcement officials have access to an effective remedy and obtain adequate reparation, including compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition. CIVICUS, the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project and Amnesty International appeal to Ethiopia's development and international partners to encourage the government to: immediately stop mass arrests, beatings and killing of protesters, journalists and opposition party leaders and members; ensure access to family members, lawyers and review of detention by a court of law for protesters, journalists and opposition party members and leaders in detention; and establish an independent inquiry into the use of excessive force during the protests. If the investigation finds that there has been excessive use of force, those responsible must be subject to criminal and disciplinary proceedings as appropriate. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Pakistan: Attack on TV station highlights perils facing freedom of expression Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 14 January 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Pakistan: Attack on TV station highlights perils facing freedom of expression, 14 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d5f4e1a.html [accessed 20 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. The grenade attack on the offices of ARY TV in Islamabad represents yet another strike against freedom of expression in Pakistan, underscoring the growing peril faced by media workers in the course of their work, Amnesty International said today. Two attackers riding a motorcycle threw a grenade and reportedly fired gunshots at the ARY TV offices late on Wednesday. A video editor at the station was injured by shrapnel from the blast. "This is the latest, depressing addition to a series of brazen attacks in which media workers in Pakistan have been targeted for doing their jobs," said Champa Patel, Director of Amnesty International's South Asia Regional Office. Pamphlets left at the scene said the attack had been carried out by Islamic State Wilayah Khurasan, an armed group that claims allegiance to the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS), in retaliation for ARY TV's reporting of Pakistani military offensives. "Pakistani media workers can now add being bombed at their desks to a list of occupational hazards that already includes abduction, arbitrary arrest and detention, intimidation, killings, and harassment by state and non-state actors," Champa Patel said. "The purpose of these attacks is to intimidate and censor the press as a whole, cracking down on freedom of expression." Within the last two months, Islamic State Wilayah Khurasan has claimed responsibility for attacks on the offices of Dunya TV in Faisalabad in November 2015, and Din News in Lahore in December 2015. In total, at least two media workers were killed and six injured in connection to their work in 2015. Media workers and journalists also face harassment and intimidation from state actors in Pakistan. The attack on the ARY office comes a day after Pakistan's paramilitary Rangers force entered and conducted a warrantless search of a New York Times journalist's home in Islamabad. The government alleged the raid on Salman Masood's home was part of a larger search operation in the area, but it has since emerged that only a couple of other houses in that neighbourhood were searched. The Interior Minister ordered an inquiry into the search operation later the same day. Even so, the incident entailed not just an infringement to the journalist's right to privacy but could also be perceived as a tactic to intimidate him for his work, a lot of which has included writing about current government and military policies. Amnesty International urges the authorities to conduct a thorough, prompt and transparent investigation into this and other attacks against media workers and journalists, and to bring those responsible to account. The authorities must also ensure adequate protection to media workers, journalists and their families facing threats and attacks due to their legitimate work, while ensuring their independence. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Madaya shocked the world but this story isn't over Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 15 January 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Madaya shocked the world but this story isn't over, 15 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d5fbd2d82.html [accessed 20 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. Reports of residents starving to death in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya near Damascus have shocked the world over the past week. On Monday, residents finally received long-awaited humanitarian aid for just the second time since government forces and their Hezbollah allies imposed a siege on the town in July 2015. One aid basket containing food and other essential supplies was delivered to each family and is meant to last them for a month. What will happen when families run out of food again? "Aid is only a small part of the solution," Louay, a resident of Madaya, told me. I interviewed Louay last week before the Syrian government allowed aid to enter the town. He told me that he last ate a proper meal more than a month and a half ago. He has been surviving mainly on water and leaves. Now, he says, he is relieved that his family has some food for the next month, but as long as the siege continues, there are no guarantees that aid will be regularly allowed in again. "We did not cook a proper meal when we received the food basket," he said. "I am afraid that once we run out of food we are back to eating leaves." Around 40,000 people in Madaya have been struggling to survive under siege for the past six months. Residents told me horrific stories of the daily hardship they endure. They described people living in Madaya as "walking skeletons." It took an international outcry for the Syrian government to finally allow U.N. humanitarian agencies and their partners to bring in aid. Once again, the world witnessed the Syrian government's brutality in depriving people of basic food and other lifesaving supplies. Left to die under siege, an Amnesty International report published in August last year, documents the use of starvation as a method of warfare in Eastern Ghouta, where at least 160,000 civilians have also been under a Syrian government siege since 2013, just 32 kilometers from Madaya. In 2014, Amnesty International highlighted the plight of nearly 200 civilians who had died from starvation and lack of medical care as a result of a siege on Yarmouk, just south of Damascus. The town of Daraya near Damascus has also been under continuous siege and relentless bombardment by government forces since 2012. Several Eastern Ghouta residents told me that they had had limited access to food, fuel, water and electricity since 2013. They have been forced to rely on aid from local organizations. The siege has created a war economy whereby suppliers and non-state armed groups sell food and lifesaving necessities at inflated prices. Mustafa, whose name has been changed for security purposes, and his family were smuggled out of Eastern Ghouta in October 2015 after paying thousands of dollars. I recently met Mustafa and his wife in Turkey. "I am not happy that I left my home and my family," his wife told me. "But my son needed an operation. Hospitals do not have surgical supplies and the qualified doctors have left. The Syrian government will never allow us to leave so we did not have any option other than to use all the money we had left to pay smugglers." Mustafa lost his brother, sister-in-law and niece in a missile attack on their home in August 2015. "We are trapped in a circle of death. You will either die from an airstrike or the lack of food," he said. Civilians living under siege in Madaya, Eastern Ghouta, Yarmouk and elsewhere in Syria are living in utter destitution. Their survival depends on the whim of the Syrian government and whether or not it chooses to give permission to allow humanitarian agencies to do their job. The government has only occasionally allowed aid convoys to enter the besieged residential areas around Damascus despite repeated calls from international and local human rights groups about the desperate need for aid in these areas. Thousands more civilians have been besieged in Deir al-Zour by the armed group calling itself the Islamic State and in other towns, including Foua and Kafraya, by armed opposition groups. On Sept. 20, 2015, an agreement to implement cease-firesin Madaya, Foua and Kafraya was reached between the Syrian government and non-state armed groups. Sadly, but not surprisingly, both parties violated the provisions that would have contributed most to easing civilian suffering: humanitarian aid continued to be restricted and the injured were not allowed to leave. Civilians have been pawns in a deadly game between the warring parties. Louay and Mustafa feel lucky to have survived another day. For many others, their luck ran out before they were able to receive aid or escape. Syrian civilians living in besieged areas have also lost faith that U.N. Security Council resolutions will do anything to alleviate their suffering. To them resolutions 2139 and 2165, which call for unfettered access to humanitarian aid and lifting of all sieges across Syria, have become merely ink on paper. All parties to the conflict have blatantly failed to comply with these demands. The media have played a pivotal role in highlighting the suffering in Madaya, but this attention must not fade away. Such attention is crucial to help ensure that further aid deliveries are allowed into Madaya, as well as all other besieged civilian areas, and that ultimately these sieges are lifted once and for all. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Hundreds of academics urge China's President to free Professor Ilham Tohti Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 15 January 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Hundreds of academics urge China's President to free Professor Ilham Tohti, 15 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d5ffd276c.html [accessed 20 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. Four hundred academics from across the world have called on China's President Xi Jinping to immediately release Uighur Professor Ilham Tohti, on the second anniversary of the day he was taken into custody by authorities. In an open letter to President Xi, scholars from globally recognized academic institutions - including Harvard University, The University of Hong Kong, and the University of Oxford, among many others - write that the immediate and unconditional release of Professor Ilham Tohti would be "an important way of demonstrating China's commitment to academic freedom". Ilham Tohti is serving a life sentence solely for expressing ideas that fell well within the boundaries of freedom of expression as an academic and writer. He was taken away from his home in Beijing on 15 January 2014 and found guilty of "separatism" on 23 September 2014, after a politicized trial that was marred by numerous procedural irregularities. "Ilham Tohti is a prisoner of conscience, who is being cruelly punished for peacefully challenging the Chinese government's policies towards ethnic minorities," said Nicholas Bequelin, East Asia Director at Amnesty International. "That so many academics from across the world have united to call for Ilham Tohti's immediate release underlines the gross sense of injustice people feel at his continued imprisonment. President Xi Jinping should heed the scholars' calls." Perry Link, a professor at the University of California at Riverside and a renowned expert on human rights and politics in China, said: "While much of the world is worrying about 'radical Islamic terrorists,' the Chinese government has given a lifetime sentence to an un-radical Muslim non-terrorist. Why would it do this? Is the purpose to intimidate an entire ethnic group, the vast majority of whom are themselves not radical and far from terrorists? Who, exactly, is terrorizing in this case?" In the letter, the academics state that Ilham Tohti's release would demonstrate the Chinese authorities "renewed dedication towards increasing mutual understanding among ethnicities and decreasing ethnic tension". Chinese authorities have tightened their already onerous restrictions on the practice of Islam in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Uighurs' expression of dissent is often portrayed as religious extremism, international terrorism or national security crimes. Tohti's trial in 2014 came amid a wave of violent attacks and suppression of protests in the XUAR. Following an earlier wave of violence in 2009 the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, urged authorities to "reflect on the underlying causes of such incidents, which include discrimination and the failure to protect minority rights." Ilham Tohti was openly critical of government policies in the XUAR, where Uighurs face widespread discrimination in employment, education, housing, and curtailed religious freedom as well as political marginalization. He has consistently opposed violence and has worked peacefully to build bridges between ethnic communities in accordance with Chinese laws. Selected portions of Ilham Tohti's university lectures, which were recorded by a CCTV camera installed in his lecture hall, were presented in the trial and broadcast afterwards on national television, in an attempt to portray him as a separatist who had incited ethnic tension. Other evidence against Ilham Tohti came from statements by seven former students, who were arrested along with him. There is strong reason to believe that the students gave their statements under coercion. They were sentenced to between three and eight years' imprisonment on the same charges as Ilham Tohti in December 2014. Ilham Tohti was held incommunicado and denied access to his lawyers for nearly six months at the start of his pre-trial detention. According to his lawyers, he was denied food for 10 days and had his feet shackled for more than 20 days. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Turkey: Detention of academics intensifies crackdown on freedom of expression Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 15 January 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Turkey: Detention of academics intensifies crackdown on freedom of expression, 15 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d60709da0.html [accessed 20 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. The detention of 19 academics in Turkey represents a new assault on the imperilled right to freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today. The wave of detentions started on Friday, targeting academics who had signed a petition calling for peace and criticising Turkish military operations in the south-east. Signatories have also received death threats on social media, and have been compared to terrorists by President Recep Tayip Erdogan earlier today. "The military operations taking place under round-the-clock curfews are generating huge suffering and widespread human rights violations. The Turkish authorities should be listening to those that are speaking out, not arresting them," said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's Turkey researcher. "The detention and harassment of these academics is an ominous marker of the precarious state of human rights in Turkey. They have as much right as anyone else to exercise their right to freedom of expression, without being branded as terrorists and menaced with arrest." "These detentions, coupled with President Erdogan's remarks, suggest that the crackdown in the Kurdish south-east is being extended to anyone who dares criticise government operations. "We urge the Turkish authorities to stop rounding up academics who speak their mind, drop the investigations against them and ensure their safety. Their treatment is a stain on Turkey's conscience." The investigations target more than 1,000 academics in Turkey - known as the "Academicians for Peace" - who signed a petition entitled "We will not be a partner to this crime" - referring to the offensive in the south-east. The academics are being investigated under laws prohibiting "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" as well as laws against "denigrating the Turkish nation". In a speech today (Friday), President Erdogan referred to the academics as the "darkest of the dark", adding that "they commit the same crime as those who carry out massacres". Earlier this week, the president described the petition as a "betrayal" and referred to the academics as "a fifth column" for terrorists. Several academics have since reported receiving threats on social media, on telephone, and in messages left with their universities. Nationalist mafia boss Sedat Peker also threatened the group, saying "we will make your blood run" and "we will bathe in your blood". BACKGROUND Twenty-four-hour curfews have been imposed in parts of south-eastern Turkey since December, as the army and police conduct operations against the Revolutionary Patriotic Youth Movement, the youth wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an armed group. More than 200,000 people live in the affected areas, which include the towns of Cizre and Srnak, and the Sur district of the city of Diyarbakr. Some are unable to access food and medical care, and face severe shortages of water and electricity. More than 150 residents and at least 24 soldiers and police officers have reportedly been killed since curfews were first applied in August 2015. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Morocco: Protests Violently Dispersed Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 18 January 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Morocco: Protests Violently Dispersed, 18 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d65443988.html [accessed 20 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. Moroccan police attacked and beat peaceful teacher-trainee protesters on January 7, 2016, causing dozens of injuries. Some of the protesters had serious head injuries that required emergency medical attention. Teacher trainees took to the streets in six cities - Casablanca, Marrakesh, Inezgane, Tangiers, Fez, and Oujda - after a call by the National Coordination of Teacher Trainees at Regional Centers for Education and Training in Morocco, for a nationwide protest against two new decrees reducing their stipends and job security. In Inezgane, police attacked peaceful demonstrators with rubber batons and wooden sticks and in some cases threw stones at them, witnesses told Human Rights Watch. "Clubbing and tossing stones at peaceful demonstrators would fall well outside the realm of lawful means of dispersing a peaceful demonstration," said Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East and North Africa director. "The Moroccan authorities should make sure the police and security forces don't use unnecessary violence against demonstrators and to hold accountable anyone who does." The protests have continued in Inezgane and other cities, but with no reports of serious violence since January 7. Human Rights Watch spoke by phone on January 11 with two demonstrators injured in Inezgane, a mid-sized city in southwest Morocco where the police response was particularly violent, and reviewed video and photo evidence and medical records of those injured. The witnesses said that both uniformed and plainclothes police started to disperse several hundred protesters assembled in front of the Inezgane Regional Center for Education and Training and without any warning, kicked the protesters and beat them with rubber batons, injuring dozens. On January 9, Abdellatif Hammouchi, director of National Security, announced an investigation into the January 7 disturbances. In a statement the same day, the Interior Ministry downplayed the police violence. While acknowledging that protesters were "lightly injured people and some people fainted," the ministry defended its action by maintaining that protests had been held "without prior approval by the government." Organizers of the nationwide movement told Human Rights Watch they did not formally notify the authorities of the protests as they were certain the government would not grant approval. Under Moroccan law, organizers of demonstrations on public streets are required to notify local administrative authorities at least three days in advance and must obtain a stamped receipt of acknowledgement from the authorities. While international norms permit the police to disperse demonstrators if they obstruct traffic or otherwise threaten public order, and if the demonstrators refuse orders to disperse, the police must use the minimum force necessary to achieve a legitimate objective, Human Rights Watch said. The evidence collected suggests the force police used in Inezgane was vastly excessive. The witnesses in Inezgane said that several hundred protesters, mostly teacher trainees, but also family members and union activists, gathered on the morning of January 7, in front of the city's Regional Center for Education and Training. One of the decrees they were protesting reduces the monthly stipend for the trainees from MAD$2.454 to MAD$1.200 (from US$245 to US$120), while the other weakens assurances of employment with the Ministry of National Education for trainees who complete the training. The witnesses said that men in civilian clothes followed them as they made their way to the center, shouting insults and trying to dissuade them from joining the protest. Once all protesters had assembled in front of the center, in what normally serves as a parking lot but was empty that day, police closed off all streets leading to the site. They said that at around 10:30 or 11 a.m., protesters started chanting slogans and some started to jump up and down in unison. When some approached the police cordon, the police started beating the protesters. They said the confrontation lasted about an hour and a half. According to the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, the police crackdown injured 100 people in Inezgane, 20 in Marrakesh, eight in Tangiers and 40 in Casablanca, including some who were seriously injured. Elkhamar Essabiri, 26, a philosophy teacher trainee, described the scene in a January 11 interview: The police intervention came as a surprise since there was no prior warning. Some of us protesters at the forefront sat down on the ground while others ran inside the Inezgane training center, but the beatings by police continued indiscriminately and violently. There was a trainee, a woman, who was severely beaten on the head, shoulder and on her chest with blood visible on her head. I tried to carry her away, but then I got hit on my shoulder and couldn't carry her. Then five policemen surrounded me and beat me with sticks, and kicked me on my body, shoulders and feet. One of them kicked me in the testicles. I can hardly walk. I was taken to Inezgane hospital by ambulance and lost my vision for a few hours. I was transferred to the emergency room of Hassan II hospital in Agadir, but after one night at the hospital, they forced us to leave because they received instructions from the police. Rachid, 26, another teacher trainee who asked to be identified only by his first name, said that the police beat him until he lost consciousness. He also said despite being on the front lines of the protest, he did not hear the security officials issue any warning before starting to violently disperse the crowd: The police had us surrounded on all sides when they started beating us indiscriminately. After that I cannot remember details of what happened to me. All I can remember is while trying to get back into the training center I lost consciousness. Eventually an ambulance transferred me to a hospital, but only after they had transported the serious cases. At the Inezgane Hospital, I found out that I had suffered beatings on the head and my right hand and was transferred to the Hassan II Hospital in Agadir, where I spent one night before being discharged. I am sure I was struck by security agents, but don't know who it was. The videos, photo material, and medical records of victims that Human Rights Watch reviewed seemed to corroborate the witnesses' accounts. A video recording of the Inezgane protest published by the website Rassdmaroc (Morocco Monitor) shows anti-riot police wielding rubber batons and holding shields clubbing protesters as they try to seek shelter in a nearby building. Photos provided by activists show a policeman in anti-riot gear beating a woman in a red headscarf and a white lab coat with a baton as she sits on the ground. Other photos show the same woman, later identified as Lamia Zguiti, a teacher trainee, after the protests with a bloodied face and head as other protesters and medical staff tend to her. Medical records provided by activists indicate that several protesters suffered trauma, including spinal injuries, fractures, and injuries to the face and head. International human rights standards limit the use of force by police to situations in which it is strictly necessary. The United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms provide that law enforcement officials may resort to force only if other means remain ineffective and only to the extent needed to achieve the intended, legitimate result. Under article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Moroccan authorities are required to respect the right of peaceful assembly, and can only impose proportionate limitations on demonstrations "in the interests of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others." The UN expert on freedom of assembly has said this should mean that states should not require organizers of demonstrations to obtain permission before holding demonstrations, but simply to notify the authorities. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Pakistan: Extend Afghan Refugee Status Through 2017 Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 16 January 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Pakistan: Extend Afghan Refugee Status Through 2017, 16 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d65f0434e.html [accessed 20 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. The Pakistani government should reduce rights violations against Afghan refugees by extending their legal residency status until at least December 31, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. On January 12, 2016, the government extended registered Afghan refugees' Proof of Residency (PoR) cards until June 30, 2016. As Human Rights Watch has documented, the uncertain residency status of Afghan refugees in Pakistan has encouraged police harassment, threats, and extortion of Afghan refugees, particularly since the December 2014 attack on a Peshawar school by the Pakistani Taliban. "Pakistan's six-month residency extension reduces Afghan refugees' insecurity, but the government also needs to stop police abuse of refugees," said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director. "A two-year extension both sends the message that refugees shouldn't be pressured to go home and would give officials time to work out resettlement to third countries and other longer-term solutions." The temporary extension of the PoR cards, which officially recognize their holders' status as "Afghan citizen[s] temporarily residing in Pakistan," is a relief to the country's 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees whose existing PoR cards had expired on December 31, 2015. However, the six-month extension falls far short of the end-2017 date recommended by the Ministry for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON). The extension also fails to address the insecurity among refugees over the duration of that status and uncertainty regarding protection should the government end PoR status. That insecurity is exacerbated by implicit and explicit threats by Pakistani officials over the past year, saying that after the expiration of their PoR cards, their holders become "illegal aliens and have no right to stay [in Pakistan]." Pakistan is host to one of the largest displaced populations in the world. The 2.5 million Afghan refugees, which according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) include an estimated 1 million undocumented Afghans living in Pakistan as of November 2015, consist of many who fled conflict and repression in Afghanistan during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and their descendants. Some arrived as children, grew up in Pakistan, married, and had children of their own who have never lived in Afghanistan. Others have arrived in the decades of turmoil in Afghanistan since, seeking security, employment, and a higher standard of living. Afghans in Pakistan have experienced a sharp increase in hostility since the so-called Pakistani Taliban, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, attacked the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16, 2014, killing 145 people, including 132 children. The Pakistani government responded to the attack with repressive measures including the introduction of military courts to prosecute terrorism suspects, executions after the lifting of an unofficial moratorium on the use of the death penalty, and proposals to register and repatriate Afghans living in Pakistan. On June 23, the federal minister for the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, Gen. (Rtd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch, announced that there would be no official reprisals against the country's Afghan population in response to the Peshawar attack. Despite that promise, Pakistani police have pursued an unofficial policy of punitive retribution that has included raids on Afghan settlements; detention, harassment, and physical violence against Afghans; extortion; and the demolition of Afghan homes. Such police abuses have prompted fearful Afghans to restrict their movements, leading to economic hardship and curtailing access to education and employment. This oppressive situation has prompted large numbers of Afghans to return to Afghanistan, where they face a widening conflict and continuing insecurity. Deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan prompted more than 80,000 Afghans to leave their country in 2015 and seek asylum in Europe. The return of Afghans uprooted by police abuses in Pakistan, where many have lived for decades, to Afghanistan may add to the numbers of those seeking refuge in Europe as conditions deteriorate in Afghanistan. "Pakistan could reduce police abuses by extending residency cards for Afghan refugees," Kine said. "This would also provide the government space to develop a long-term, rights-respecting solution for the Afghan refugees." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were in news two days back for their break-up but people around them knew it was a usual lovers tiff and that there was nothing different this time. As any other normal couple in a relationship would fight and argue, these two also have their share of differences and arguments in the past as well. A source told us, The couple had fought during the shoot of 'Bombay Velvet' also when Ranbir was shooting in Sri Lanka and Katrina was shooting for 'Bang Bang'. But Katrina had gone to meet Ranbir to Sri Lanka and the couple had sorted their differences." When they fought this time, Ranbir Kapoor went to stay at his other apartment last week but that has happened before also. However, the fight seems to have ended as Ranbir and Katrina have started shooting for Anurag Basus 'Jagga Jasoos' at the Chandavalli Studio. They were professional during the shoot as co-actors but absolutely warm towards each other. A birdie from the industry revealed that they spoke after the fight and sorted their differences. Ranbir and Katrina shot for 'Jagga Jasoos' for three days at a studio and were absolutely fine with each other. They are mature individuals in a relationship and will fight and love like any other couple. This time it was blown out of proportion and people said that they broke-up. The truth is that it has happened before also, added a source. According to a source present on the set, "When Ranbir and Katrina came on the set everyone around was slightly worried as there were reports about their break-up. But to everyone's surprise they were quite warm towards each other, in fact they were hitting each other with the chalk in between the shoots." Also Katrina and Salman didnt chat for hours last week. Katrina was in Yashraj to shoot for making of 'Fitoor' videos and since Aditya was also dubbing there she had to wait for a few minutes. While she was walking from her vanity van, Salman, who was shooting for Ali Abbas Zafars 'Sultan' was present there and they only exchanged greetings, before they went for their shoots. Meanwhile, she also attended Ali Abbas Zafars birthday party. But Salman and Katrina didnt cross path. Salman Khan walked in 15 minutes after Katrina Kaif left. Tunisia: LGBT Group Suspended Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 16 January 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Tunisia: LGBT Group Suspended, 16 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569d671553b.html [accessed 20 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. The Tunisian authorities' decision to suspend the activities of the LGBT rights group Shams is a setback for individual freedoms and equal rights in Tunisia. Shams works on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. Shams registered with the government's secretary general in May 2015, as an organization working to support sexual and gender minorities. On January 4, 2016, the first instance tribunal in Tunis notified the group that the court was suspending its activities for 30 days. The suspension followed a complaint by the government's secretary general, who sent the group a warning to cease alleged violations of the association law in December. After the 30 days, the judiciary could order the association's dissolution. "Shams seeks to carry out basic human rights work, such as standing up for LGBT people who have been victims of violence," saidAmna Guellali, Tunisia director at Human Rights Watch. "This suspension denies them the chance to carry out this important work." The government's complaint, filed by Kamel Hedhili, the head of state litigation, on December 15, 2015, alleged that the association deviated from its stated aim. The complaint, which Human Rights Watch has reviewed, quoted a media statement by the association's members to the effect that Shams's aim is to "defend homosexuals." The complaint claimed that the wording violates article 16 of the decree law 88/2011 on associations, which requires associations to notify the authorities of any changes to its statutes. Hedhili also claimed that Shams has not completed its legal registration and thus lacks the legal status to pursue its work. Neither point would appear to justify the suspension and potential shutdown of the organization under international law on freedom of association - under which such drastic acts should be restricted only to the most extreme cases. Furthermore, Shams presented evidence to the court suggesting that neither claim was factual. The law on associations, adopted by the transitional government in September 2011, requires associations to "respect the principles of the rule of law, democracy, plurality, transparency, equality and human rights," as these are set out in international conventions that Tunisia has ratified, and prohibits incitement to violence, hatred, intolerance, and discrimination based on religion, gender, or region. Shams's statute, which Human Rights Watch has reviewed, is based on these principles, stating that its aim is "to support sexual minorities materially, morally and psychologically, and to press peacefully for the reform of laws that discriminate against homosexuals." The government does not claim that Shams has engaged in violence or promoted intolerance or hatred, which could form a legitimate ground for its dissolution. Furthermore, Shams has evidence that it completed the required steps for its legal registration. A receipt from the Official Journal of the Tunisian Republic, which Human Rights Watch has reviewed, shows that the association paid its announcement fees to the journal on May 19, 2015. Article 11 of the law on associations requires the journal to automatically publish the group's statute "within fifteen (15) days of the date of deposit." But the Official Journal has not published the association's statute, the association's secretary general, Ahmed Ben Amor, told Human Rights Watch. The law on associations says that the judiciary has the authority to determine if an association should be suspended or dissolved. This involves a three-stage process, with an initial warning, followed by a government application to the Court of First Instance in Tunis for a 30-day suspension. If the association fails to correct any alleged infractions during that period, the court can order its dissolution. Shams has drawn criticism from government officials due to its outspoken support for repealing article 230 of the penal code, which criminalizes sodomy and punishes it with three years in prison. Shams has publicly condemned recent arrests and prosecutions of men accused of homosexuality, including the conviction of a 22-year-old known as Marwenin the city of Sousse in September and the conviction of six male students on sodomy charges in December. Shams also denounced the use of forensic anal exams to "test" the men for evidence of homosexual conduct. The practice has no medical or scientific basis and can amount to torture. In November, Ahmed Zarrouk, the government's secretary general, called for Shams to be disbanded on the ground that it actively promotes the rights of homosexuals. Shams has challenged its suspension at the administrative tribunal, a court in charge of settling disputes between the citizens and the administration, and is awaiting the decision. Article 35 of Tunisia's 2014 constitution guarantees "the freedom to establish political parties, unions, and associations." Under article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Tunisia is a state party, any restrictions to the right to freedom of association must be "necessary in a democratic society" and "in the interest of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others." Article 2 of the covenant requires countries to adhere to all the rights in the covenant, including freedom of association, without discrimination on any grounds. In his 2012 thematic report to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association stated that: "The suspension and the involuntarily dissolution of an association, are the severest types of restrictions on freedom of association. As a result, it should only be possible when there is a clear and imminent danger resulting in a flagrant violation of national law, in compliance with international human rights law. It should be strictly proportional to the legitimate aim pursued and used only when softer measures would be insufficient." "The government's harassment of Shams is in clear violation of international human rights standards," Guellali said. "Suspending and closing an organization on such grounds would potentially put all rights organizations at risk." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Russian Intelligence Experiences Setback in Effort to Penetrate Islamic State Network in Syria Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 10 December 2015 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 221 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russian Intelligence Experiences Setback in Effort to Penetrate Islamic State Network in Syria, 10 December 2015, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 221, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569dfe8b4.html [accessed 20 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. Link to original story on Jamestown website Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan has estimated that 2,000-3,000 militants from Russia are fighting in Syria (Mk.ru, November 16), half the number given by Russian President Vladimir Putin (Portal-credo.ru, October 16). Syrian President Bashar al-Assad provides an even higher figure: he estimates that 10,000 citizens of Russia and other post-Soviet states are fighting in his country (Vz.ru, November 20). It is hard to distinguish between North Caucasians and the other Russian citizens, since Russian-speakers tend to stick together in the Middle East. Russia's security services base their estimates on information they have about suspicious individuals who are absent from the country for extended periods of time, normally staying in Turkey. The Russian authorities turn a blind eye to the threats made by regional governors against relatives of those who left for Syria, apparently deeming such policies as productive (Rg.ru, November 23). Attempts by some Russian regional governors to downplay the number of people from their republics fighting in Syria are mainly aimed at improving their image and do not reflect the real situation on the ground. For example, Chechnya's Prosecutor General Sharpuddi Abdul-Kadyrov announced that the authorities launched 292 criminal cases against individuals who had allegedly joined the Islamic State (IS). Chechnya's ruler, Ramzan Kadyrov, stated that the republican authorities had managed to return home about 50 Chechens who had joined the IS but later repented. According to Kadyrov, overall nearly 500 Chechens joined the IS and, of those, 200 have been killed (RIA Novosti, November 28). This suggests there are currently 250 Chechen fighters in Syria, which evidently does not reflect the current reality. Each Chechen commander currently fighting for the IS, al-Nusra Front or another group opposed to Bashar al-Assad might easily have 250 Chechen militants under his command. The figure of 292 criminal cases reflects those Chechen militants fighting in Syria that the Russian authorities have managed to identify. This likely indicates that the Russian security services lack good sources in Syria and cannot reliably identify the thousands of Chechens who are fighting there. Hence, any numbers given by the Russian authorities are estimations that are often not truthful. The Russian security services are attempting to acquire better sources among the militants in Syria. The 50 Chechen militants who have returned from the Middle East may have become the object of careful examination by the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the military's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) (Fazeta.ru, November 21). At the same time, the Russian government will try to do everything in its power to plant more moles among the Islamists. A man recently executed by the Islamic State, Magomed Khasiev, may have been one of those moles. He was, in fact, an ethnic-Russian convert to Islam originally named Yevgeny Yudin (Lifenews.ru, December 3). Khasiev was an ideal candidate for the role of a mole. He lived with his adoptive Chechen family and spoke fluent Chechen, without an accent. Since his adopted family lived in the lowland Chechen village of Gvardeiskoe, the chances that there would be another militant from the same village who knew about him were minimal. Khasiev also kept a low profile while studying in Maikop, Adygea, even though there are only several hundred Chechens in the city and his presence there would have been hard to hide. Several Chechens from Adygea's business and science communities did not remember Khasiev. In 2013, Khasiev asked Ramzan Kadyrov to help him find a job related to his expertise in legal studies. While Kadyrov did not help him, Khasiev apparently appeared on the radar of the FSB. According to Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, the FSB detained Khasiev in July 2014 on charges of illegal drug possession, after which it recruited him and sent him to collect information on Russian citizens fighting in the ranks of the IS (Svoboda.org, December 6). Thus, it appears quite likely that the FSB dispatched Khasiev/Yudin to Syria. Kadyrov's reaction to the IS video showing Khasiev being beheaded was also quite strange. Even though Kadyrov normally calls for the killing all those who fight under the flag of IS's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Chechnya's governor unexpectedly defended Khasiev and promised to take revenge for his murder. In Kadyrov's opinion, somebody framed Khasiev and it was unlikely that he fought for the Islamic State. "I do not believe this," the Chechen ruler said. "He [Khasiev] sat there as if somebody framed him. As if they told him to sit quietly while they take a video recording of him and then let him go." Chechnya's governor promised to kill the perpetrators of Khasiev's murder (Rbc.ru, December 3). The murderer of Khasiev/Yudin also turned out to be a Russian citizen-Anatoly Zemlyanka, a 28-year-old resident of the city of Noyabrsk, which is located in the Siberian region of Yamalo-Nenetsk. Something must have gone wrong and IS intelligence somehow managed to uncover Khasiev/Yudin. The IS likely regards anyone from Russia as a potential FSB agent. The time is past when the IS was happy to welcome recruits from Russia. Now they need not only numbers, but also some guarantees that the new recruits will not betray them to the Russian authorities. This first execution of a Russian by the IS took place against the backdrop of the group's promises to retaliate against Russia after Moscow began its bombing campaign in Syria. As the number of Russians in the ranks of the Islamic State increases, such acts of intimidation will increase, and by no means will all the victims be agents of the Russian FSB. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation The End of Russia's 'International Isolation': Potential Implications for Ukraine Publisher Jamestown Foundation Publication Date 10 December 2015 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 221 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, The End of Russia's 'International Isolation': Potential Implications for Ukraine, 10 December 2015, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 221, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569dff2d4.html [accessed 20 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. Link to original story on Jamestown website The Islamist terrorist assault in Paris on November 13, traced in part to the Syria crisis, has conclusively broken what the Barack Obama administration had claimed to be Russia's international isolation over its aggression in Ukraine. The Paris attack was the turning point in a series of events (all against the backdrop of failed Western policies) that turned Russian President Vladimir Putin from a controversial, uncomfortable, downright adversarial, or rogue figure (as the full gamut of Western perceptions ran) into a potential ally against international terrorism. Moreover, Russia's military intervention in Syria turns Putin into a major regional stakeholder (see accompanying article). Many in the West assume that this intervention simply aims to divert attention from Russia's aggression against Ukraine-in effect to change the topic of conversation away from Ukraine in international as well as domestic Russian politics, while de-prioritizing Ukraine on the West's diplomatic agenda, even as Ukraine remains Russia's top priority. But there is a deeper meaning to this Syria operation as an indirect envelopment of Ukraine. It is Ukraine that remains the prime target of Russia's great-power ambitions. By intervening in Syria-a secondary theater for Russia, but of primary importance to the West-the Kremlin is acquiring leverage over Ukraine's Western partners. The latter have comprehensively failed in the Middle East, are now suffering the consequences within Europe itself, and seem plainly disoriented. If Russia comes to be seen as the West's necessary helper, or at least unavoidable deal-maker, on such vital issues as anti-terrorism, containment of mass migrations, and even unimpeded access into the Levant, the Kremlin could then leverage its "help" on those issues in trade-offs at third parties' expense. All this holds potential implications for Ukraine and other "areas of priority interest" to Russia. The European Union did impose sanctions (as did the United States) on Russia over the latter's aggression in Ukraine, and European states variously downgraded or suspended certain aspects of their relations with Russia; as did, most notably, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). But no European government called for isolating Russia, nor claimed that Putin was isolated. The Obama administration made such claims to assuage critics of certain aspects of the White House's policy toward Ukraine (e.g., by blocking the delivery of anti-tank and other defensive weapons to Ukraine, or abandoning the international negotiation format to dominance by the supposedly isolated Russia). Ultimately, the collapse of the US administration's Syria policy, the launch of Russia's intervention from late September-early October onward, and one million Middle East refugees or migrants flooding Europe within several months, compelled a reassessment of relations with Moscow on both sides of the Atlantic. In his September 28 speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Putin tipped his hand, invoking the Second World War's grand alliance that resulted in the Yalta system of spheres of influence: Putin termed that system a "solid foundation for the international order." Presidents Obama and Putin met (acrimoniously) for the first time in two years (see accompanying article). On October 8, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker chided Obama for having at some earlier time deprecated Russia as "merely a regional power." "What does that mean? You can't treat Russia like that, Russia should be treated as an equal," Juncker told a German Christian-Democrat conference (AFP, October 8). On November 20, Juncker wrote to Russia's government (the letter leaked in Brussels) that he has instructed the European Commission to draft proposals about direct cooperation between the European Union and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, evidently implying recognition of the latter in that case. "The decision to proceed would be in the hands of member states, and be synchronized with implementation of Minsk agreements [on Ukraine]. I can assure you that the European Commission would be a helpful partner in this process." Some member states objected that Juncker had acted without the necessary EU mandate (EUObserver, November 20). In late November, French President Francois Hollande met with Putin twice (in Moscow and Paris) to "build a grand alliance," and Obama met with Putin again on November 30, in Paris, to discuss the Syria crisis and anti-terrorism. In that meeting (as well as in New York, on September 28-see above) Obama reaffirmed that any lifting of US sanctions would depend on the implementation of the Minsk armistice. Putin agreed that the armistice should be implemented in full (Interfax, December 1)-a general proposition uttered by all sides and interpreted differently by each. On December 2, Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland discussed with Russian Duma chairman Sergei Naryshkin by telephone possible ways for Russia's delegation to return to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE). The delegation's voting rights had been suspended in 2014, following Russia's military intervention in Ukraine. Conditions for the return include restoration of those voting rights, for PACE to contribute to a political solution in Ukraine's east (possibly, by joining the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to bless "elections" in the Russian-occupied territory), and for PACE to be allowed to review Russia's draft law on the Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, a resumption of Russia's annual contribution of 32 million ($35 million) to the Council of Europe was not discussed (Interfax, December 3). On December 1-2 in Brussels, the North Atlantic Council meeting at the foreign affairs ministers' level agreed to reactivate the NATO-Russia Council and some other NATO-Russia forums and programs, which had been suspended since the spring 2014, following Russia's aggression in Ukraine. Germany's foreign affairs minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, proposed the reactivation, and NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced it, signifying consensus and US clearance. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded insultingly: "We shall gather and listen to what our NATO colleagues have to say. We have amassed very many questions for NATO, including violations of agreements in the framework of the NATO-Russia Council" (Interfax, December 3). The ongoing trend, then, points toward a rebuilding of relations between the West and Russia at the level of institutions, in a step-by-step process, correlated one way or another with Russia's moves in the Middle East, where Russia holds both positive and negative leverage following its military intervention. This process has a long way to go until business as usual, it does not involve an easing of economic sanctions yet, but may head in that direction on the EU's part, though not in the US (see accompanying article). Russia and Putin are on their way out from what has been described as "isolation," semi-isolation, or chill. Russia's intervention in Syria may give Ukraine a "breathing spell" in military terms, but Russia will undoubtedly try to enlist Ukraine's Western partners into pushing for "fake elections" to be staged and recognized in the occupied territory. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Russia's Intervention in Syria: Potential Implications for Ukraine Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Vladimir Socor Publication Date 10 December 2015 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 221 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russia's Intervention in Syria: Potential Implications for Ukraine, 10 December 2015, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 221, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569dff9a4.html [accessed 20 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. Link to original story on Jamestown website Russia is angling for recognition as the West's ally in combating "international terrorism." This, ostensibly, is the rationale of Russia's military intervention in Syria-an operation made possible by the forfeiture of the Pax Americana in the Middle East, with ripple effects now engulfing Europe. The Kremlin exploits this opportunity to pose as an indispensable ally of the West in a "common cause" against terrorism and associated threats-as Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested in his latest major speech. Some Western policymakers believe Putin's claim that the West needs Russia's help in this predicament (Interfax, December 4). This development entails potential complications for Ukraine, itself the target of Russia's aggression. Syria (or the wider Levant) is not Russia's primary objective. Ukraine (and Europe's East more widely) is that objective. The Kremlin hopes for Western deference to its own priority interests in Ukraine in return for joining with the West in an "anti-terror alliance." Moscow sometimes invokes the model of the Second World War's "anti-Hitler alliance," with the ensuing Yalta system based on fixed spheres of influence and clear demarcation lines (see EDM, February 26). But this is deceptive. Russia's strategy is the promotion of disorder, not a new order. It seeks a dynamic system of incremental, case-by-case tradeoffs with the West-over Ukraine and any number of issues-rather than a Grand Alliance and a Yalta Grand Design. Those schemes as such are not repeatable, but some of their elements are. These can include linkages and tradeoffs at third parties' expense, on an ad hoc basis, within or without a formal "anti-terror coalition" between the West and Russia. Such a coalition is not within sight at present, and seems unlikely to develop in the Middle East any time soon. The Western powers (particularly, the United States and France) on one hand and Russia on the other have different goals there, along with different sets of designated enemies and clients. For now, Russia's military intervention in Syria translates far more into nuisance power against the US than into "allied assistance" to the West. Yet, Western policymakers apparently hope that Putin would turn more helpful in choosing his bombing targets in Syria (the Islamic State, instead of the non-Islamic State opposition to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad) and easing al-Assad out of the presidency for a political solution. In return for such "assistance" (even in anticipation of it) Moscow would probably bring Ukraine into the bargain (see EDM, September 28). As one observer reflecting that view suggests, a US-Russia partnership over the Middle East could facilitate a "compromise over Ukraine," namely by "federalizing" that country (The New York Times, December 4). Russia's official goal in Ukraine, however, stops short of "federalization" at present, focusing instead on a "special status" for the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk territories (in which case Moscow could promote a chain reaction beyond those territories). But Moscow cannot by itself-not even with Berlin's help-compel Kyiv to give Donetsk-Luhansk that constitutional status. Only the Barack Obama administration can, if it chooses, cajole Kyiv into doing that. Secretary of State John Kerry recently ruled out any "linkage" between the situation in Syria and that in Ukraine's east-i.e., no intention to trade off US and Russian interests respectively. Vice President Joseph Biden, in Kyiv with an official visit, has just reaffirmed this "no linkage" policy (Ukrinform, December 8-10; and see accompanying article). Such reassurances were overdue since Kerry's visit with Putin in Sochi in May of this year, when they discussed Syria and Ukraine's east as a package. That resulted in creating the Grigory Karasin-Victoria Nuland channel and Nuland's two visits to Kyiv, pushing for the legalization of the Donetsk and Luhansk authorities. The argument was that Kyiv must fulfill its political "obligations" under the Minsk armistice (legalizing Russia's Donetsk-Luhansk proxies) in order to induce Russia to fulfill its military "obligations" (withdrawal of its forces from Ukraine's territory) under the same document. Russia, however, has invalidated that argument by rejecting any such reciprocity, and the implementation deadline is technically expiring on December 31. This should strengthen the case for maintaining Western economic sanctions on Russia (weak though they are) in place, undiluted. For their part, Europe's Russia-Firsters try shifting the onus on Ukraine to "implement Minsk" pre-emptively in the political aspects, so as to excuse Russia's stonewalling on the military aspects and to undermine the sanctions' rationale. German Chancellor Angela Merkel straddles the divide, urging both pre-emptive implementation of Minsk by Ukraine and continuation of the sanctions until Russia complies with the Minsk terms. This seemingly balanced position, however, ultimately works against Ukraine, because its so-called "obligations" are clearly spelled out in the Minsk political clauses, while Russia's are only indirectly phrased in the military and security clauses. Furthermore, some Europeans now argue that Russian cooperation on Syria or counter-terrorism would justify easing the economic sanctions. Against this, the United States insists that Russia's actions in Ukraine had triggered the sanctions in the first place, and easing them should depend on Russia's fulfillment of the Minsk armistice in Ukraine's east (Crimea-related sanctions are minor and in a separate category). While the European Union is increasingly divided over the sanctions, the still-prevailing view remains compatible with Washington's, namely a rollover of the sanctions before this year's end into next year. Rollover involves prolongation without change and, especially, without debate, so as to avert a split. Only Italy at the moment threatens to block the sanctions' rollover by the EU, thus in effect threatening a divisive debate (Ukrinform, EurActiv, EUObserver, December 9). Regardless of its outcome, a divisive debate over sanctions can only encourage Russia to hold out, confident that the EU has reached the utmost limit of its will to enforce sanctions. The EU did not penalize Russia's January 2015 destruction of the Minsk One armistice with further sanctions; rather Moscow's actions were essentially ratified in February by Berlin and Paris with a Minsk Two, which is even more favorable to Russia. The subsequent Debaltseve land-grab again had no consequences in terms of sanctions; instead, Berlin, Paris and some key Brussels officials reinterpreted the Minsk Two armistice to require Ukrainian political compliance before Russian military compliance (see above). All this has emboldened Russia to expect the easing of sanctions sooner rather than later, and encouraged the country to try to ride them out as a temporary economic nuisance. But these trends have followed their own dynamics prior to Russia's offer of "help" on Syria and counter-terrorism; and the intra-EU debate does not seem to be significantly affected as yet by the Kremlin's offer. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Estimates of the Number of Dagestanis Fighting in Syria Range from 600 to 5,000 Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 11 December 2015 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 222 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Estimates of the Number of Dagestanis Fighting in Syria Range from 600 to 5,000, 11 December 2015, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 222, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569dfff04.html [accessed 20 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. Link to original story on Jamestown website Recent reports suggest that the number of foreign recruits to the Islamic State (IS) has increased two-fold over the past year and a half (Gazeta.ru, December 8). At the same time, based on open sources, a group of researchers have found that the flow of jihadist recruits from Russia to the IS has increased three-fold and the number of Russians fighting in the Middle East has reached approximately 4,700 (Rbc.ru, December 8). These figures are estimates and cannot be taken for granted. However, they give some sense of the ethnicity and citizenship of the foreign fighters participating in the Middle East conflict and the relative size of these foreign contingents. In October, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 7,000 Russian citizens were fighting in Syria (Polit.ru, October 16). In reality, no one knows for certain how many insurgents from Russia are currently in the Middle East. Residents of Chechnya and Dagestan certainly comprise the largest portion of the Russian citizens fighting in the ranks of Islamic State. It should be noted that the number of recruits from Dagestan has shown a particularly sharp rise over the past two years. At the same time, the flow of Chechens from Chechnya to Syria has significantly dropped in the past 12 months. Much of the decline can be explained by divisions among the Chechen commanders in Syria, who do not coordinate their actions and are often at loggerheads. A majority of those Chechens who joined the IS have become disillusioned with the policies of the so-called caliph. Thus, the decline in the number of Chechen recruits is largely due to what they see in Syria upon their arrival. At the same time, Ramzan Kadyrov has introduced a system of collective punishment in Chechnya, which also dampens support for the IS among Chechens. If a member of a family goes to Syria, the republican authorities will punish the entire family. According to official Dagestani statistics, only 600 Dagestanis are fighting in Syria. However, Russian journalists say that, according to information learned from the republican police, as many as 5,000 Dagestanis are actually fighting in the Middle East (Gazeta.ru, December 3). Is this large figure real? It depends on who is considered to have left the republic and in which direction. It appears that the Dagestani police suspect that all residents of the republic who left Russia for Turkey and the Middle East went to join the insurgents. In reality, however, many of the Dagestanis are simply doing business or studying in Turkey and other countries in the Middle East. The figure of 2,000 Dagestani militants in Syria is probably closer to reality. An investigative report by Yelena Milashina for the newspaper Novaya Gazeta suggests though that the problem is quite large. Just from the village of Novosasitli, in Dagestan's Khasavyurt district, alone, 22 people went to Syria, including three women. Novosasitli's population is about 2,500 (Novayagazeta.ru, July 29). Five of the villagers died in Syria and five returned to Dagestan. The authorities launched criminal investigations against all of the returnees, based on Part 2, Article 208 of the Russian Criminal Code covering "participation in an armed group on the territory of a foreign state against the interests of the Russian Federation." The radicalization of Novosasitli's residents can be explained by the spread of Salafism in the village, which is known for its Salafist proclivities. However, the number of such villages in Dagestan keeps growing. Milashina concludes that the Russian FSB (Federal Security Service) knowingly allows all willing recruits to leave Russia and join the IS. It is hard to believe the Russian government would adopt such a strategy. Moscow cannot fail to understand that if those people who go to Syria and acquire military experience there before returning to Russia, they will be much more dangerous than those who listen to radical speeches at mosques or via the Internet. The FSB should realize the consequences of people who they let go to Syria and the dangers they pose should they return to Russia (Novayagazeta.ru, July 29). Meanwhile, to stem the mass exodus of Muslims to Syria, Dagestani members of the Russian State Duma proposed legislation to strip anyone who participates in terrorist activities outside Russia of their Russian citizenship (Kavkazsky Uzel, December 4). At the same time, the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Dagestan is trying to take over those mosques in the republic that have the reputation of being Salafist. The republican clerics, however, have not been entirely successful in doing so (Kavkazsky Uzel, December 3). The republican authorities have also started prosecuting imams who justify terrorism (Kavkazsky Uzel, December 9). Thus, it appears that the authorities are ramping up pressure on the Salafists in the republic. Over the past several years, the police have been detaining mosque parishioners, whom they suspect of sympathizing with the Syrian militants. The police have detained such suspects at the doorsteps of the mosques, put their names on the list of possible participants of the armed Islamist underground in the republic, and have taken their fingerprints and DNA samples (Chernovik.net, October 2). However, it should not be concluded that these actions are part of an attempt to temporarily reduce the intensity of the struggle in Dagestan by expelling the Salafis to Syria. It would be logical to assume that Russia is interested in sending agents to Syria to collect intelligence on the rebels. But in this case we are talking about individual cases, not about hundreds of Dagestanis leaving for the Middle East. Still, Dagestan is the main Russian region that appears to be supplying the bulk of militants to Syria and is likely to remain so for quite some time. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Kazakhstan: Instagram Mayor Strives to Fashion New Style of Government Publisher EurasiaNet Author Joanna Lillis Publication Date 14 December 2015 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Kazakhstan: Instagram Mayor Strives to Fashion New Style of Government, 14 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569e03994.html [accessed 20 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. While Tajikistan was consumed by civil war in the 1990s, Turkish businessman and philanthropist Kemal Erimez arrived with a plan to open schools. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the conflict raging, the educational system was falling apart. In the two decades since they opened their doors, the six schools that Erimez helped establish have come to be widely recognized as standard-bearers on the national education landscape. As of this fall, however, the government has wrested control of the schools from charity that set them up, leading to fears among parents of an inexorable decline in teaching standards. Authorities have said the schools will have to continue being self-financing, but seem to have few ideas about how that will happen. The network of schools, which offered instruction in Turkish and English and were known locally as "Turkish schools," was run by a locally registered company called Shalola. In the early years, hundreds of teachers were brought over from abroad to Tajikistan by Erimez to help set up operations. Initially, the idea was to make the schools fee-paying, but charges were waived until 1997, as the civil conflict began to wind down. Erimez died that same year at the age of 70 while still working on building up the schools. The underpinning for the educational mission are the principles laid down by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, a close friend of Erimez, and a theologian known for his moderate interpretation of Islam. Gulen was once an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but the two fell out in late 2013. Ankara has since sought Gulen's extradition from the United States, where he has lived since 1998. Detractors of the Gulen movement cast it as a shadowy and cult-like association intent on spreading its faith-based ideology and influence by stealth, in part through its worldwide education efforts. It is not clear whether the Tajik government's effort to strip the Tajik-Turkish schools of their licenses was somehow related to those kinds of suspicions, or a desire by the authorities to keep a tighter control over education in general. Abdujabbor Aliyev, the head of the Education Ministry's Schools Department, told EurasiaNet.org that authorities would do everything possible to ensure the standard of teaching remained at its previous level. The facilities have now been rebranded as the Schools for Gifted Children. The coordinator for the rebooted network of schools, Abdusattor Najmuddinov, told EurasiaNet.org that there are 26 foreign teachers, from Turkey and Russia, and nine graduates of the Tajik-Turkish schools at their disposal. A key question for parents is connected to what are known as "educational olympics." Ability to perform well in the competitions, which pit secondary school students from across the world against one another in a series of academic disciplines, is viewed as confirmation of an educational establishment's quality. Participants in the competitions typically stand good chances of securing scholarships when applying for universities. Aliyev said his ministry was committed to attracting foreign teachers and preparing students for the educational competitions abroad. But ever since Shalola stopped financing the Tajik-Turkish schools, the funds have dried up even to send students to the competitions, forcing many parents to dig into their own pockets. Yusuf Balkash, a teacher who trained pupils for the contests, sold his own car to provide cash for travel, and the Development Bank of Tajikistan also provided some support. Najmuddinov said that the government this year allocated 1 million somoni ($150,000) for the Center for the Development of Talent, and that expenses for the contest could be drawn from there too by January. "This money is enough to send students to the [educational] olympics. If all the promises we have been made are kept, it will be enough to keep the system going. Even if we don't get better, we can at least stay at the same level," Najmuddinov said. But sources at the schools are insistent that standards can only be preserved if there is no outside interference, and as long as competent and independent headmasters are put in place. People directly involved with the Tajik-Turkish schools have avoided speaking about the situation on the record out of concern of drawing reprisals, as well as a desire not to disrupt the transition process. "The guys that have taken over management of the schools are up to the job. I have confidence in them. But I think that there shouldn't be any interference. They can't be forced to hire anybody or be made to give away education for free. It would ruin everything," said one person familiar with the situation. Representatives of Shalola, the charity that ran the schools, have said that while refraining from opening any more schools, it remains committed to delivering equipment and instruction materials, particularly for teaching of biology and chemistry. All the same, parents are anxious. According to Gulchehra Rahmanova, who has two children at the Tajik-Turkish schools, no changes have been felt yet. "The children are supposed to go the olympics in March, and everything will become clear then. We see no problems now. ... We'll wait and see," Rahmanova said. Zebo Abdurahmanova, whose daughter is also studying at one of the schools, also says everything seems acceptable. For now. "But I am concerned," Abdurahmanova said. "I think everything is fine now because there were good foundations laid down by the Turks themselves. But the system will now rely on the Tajik system, and I do not have faith in the Tajik education system." Dushanbe-based political analyst Parviz Mullajanov said the Tajik-Turkish lyceums have traditionally been able to draw on superior personnel than is available locally. "Their standards of education were better than ours. So it will be hard to retain the levels reached by the Turkish specialists," Mullajanov said. Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material Open Society Institute High Commissioner welcomes Turkish work permits for Syrian refugees Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 18 January 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), High Commissioner welcomes Turkish work permits for Syrian refugees, 18 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569e065e4.html [accessed 20 October 2022] In a major shift of policy, the Turkish Government has published new regulations which will allow many of the 2.5 million Syrian refugees in the country to apply for work permits. Registered Syrian refugees who have been in Turkey for at least six months will be allowed to apply in the province where they first registered. Syrians with permits would have to be paid at least the minimum wage. Now many refugees work illegally to make ends meet and are often paid very low wages. The regulations will apply both to refugees living in cities and to the 10 per cent housed in Turkish refugee camps. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, hailed the decision as courageous and a major step forward for refugees. "Jobs mean dignity," he said, "a dignified life where you don't have to beg for money or to look for money from associations or the government. I think it is very big step." Turkey currently hosts more refugees than any other nation in the world. In his first official visit as High Commissioner, Grandi chose Turkey, where he spent much time listening to refugees. In Istanbul he visited a centre run by the Association for Solidarity with Asylum-Seekers and Migrants (ASAM), a Turkish NGO which helps refugees in the city with economic and psychological difficulties. He listened as two women spoke of their husbands' difficult decision to leave to find work in Europe. Others told of the cruel necessity to send their children not to school but to factories to work illegally to help pay for food and rent. "I heard stories that broke my heart," Grandi said. "These are real stories of women and children who have lost everything and don't know what their future is." Their future may be somewhat brighter with the new right to work. The regulations also allow for self-employed workers to apply for permits. The number of Syrian refugees working in Turkish enterprises will be limited to 10 per cent of the workforce of any company. In the Nizip refugee camps, in south-eastern Turkey near the Syrian border, exile for almost 16,000 people is a succession of long days and small tasks. Ahmed and his father breed racing pigeons. It's a passion but also a way to make a little money, selling their birds to Turkish pigeon fanciers. Now Ahmed's father will be able to obtain a permit which would allow him to work for more than pocket money. Not far away, in a container transformed by carpets and cushions into a cosy home, Fehmiye presides over a family of four generations. She is 85 and the oldest refugee in the camp. She says she is just thankful to be alive. Two years ago her family hid for two days in a bathroom in Homs as mortar shells rained down. Then they fled to Turkey. But Fehmiye's granddaughters, Fehmiye and Fadia, both mothers of children, speak of frustration. "Life here," Fadia said, "is eating, sleeping, waiting and no work." Her husband left the camp, and then Turkey, in search of work. After making the dangerous and illegal Mediterranean crossing, he reached Germany four months ago. The new regulations on work permits may help lessen that frustration among refugees. Grandi, speaking after the regulations were announced, hinted strongly that other countries should follow Turkey's lead. "I believe Turkey is an example of how refugees should be received," he said. By Don Murray in Istanbul UN refugee chief urges focus on Syria crisis during Jordan visit Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 18 January 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN refugee chief urges focus on Syria crisis during Jordan visit, 18 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569e06974.html [accessed 20 October 2022] The international community must make greater efforts to end the conflict in Syria or risk prolonging the world's biggest humanitarian crisis for many years to come, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Monday. Speaking on a visit to Jordan's Za'atari refugee camp three weeks after taking up office, Grandi said he had chosen to travel to the region on his first overseas trip to focus minds on finding solutions to the nearly five-year-old conflict. "It is essential that the international community and all actors that have an influence on the parties to the conflict - and the parties to the conflict themselves, first and foremost - exercise greater efforts towards peace," he told a news conference. "If a settlement of the conflict is not found, this crisis will not end and we will continue year after year to ask the international community for huge amounts of money to support refugees that - until there is peace - will not want to go back." Grandi urged governments to take advantage of two upcoming global conferences in London in February and Geneva in March to pledge more financial support for refugees and host countries, and increase the number of legal resettlement places for those escaping the conflict. The protracted nature of the crisis is having a devastating effect on millions of ordinary Syrians, as well as placing a huge burden on neighbouring countries that have so far taken in more than four million refugees. Jordan is currently host to more than 630,000 Syrian refugees, putting a huge strain on the small kingdom's natural resources, infrastructure and economy. While almost 110,000 Syrians currently live in Za'atari and the country's other main camp at Azraq, the vast majority are struggling to survive in towns and cities across Jordan. Addressing the plight of an estimated 17,000 Syrians currently camped near the country's north-eastern border, Grandi said he fully appreciated Jordan's security concerns and pledged UNHCR's help in screening individuals in order to allow those in need of international protection to enter the kingdom. While at the camp, Grandi met a Syrian Bedouin family who arrived in Za'atari in February 2013. Father-of-six Mohammad Olayan said he had witnessed a steady improvement in conditions during his three years there. "When we first came we were living in a tent and there were no services. Now we have two caravans, and there is electricity and proper sanitation," he said. Despite the improvements, the family still struggles to feed themselves with the food assistance they receive, and Mohammad must borrow money or try to find work to keep food on the table. While his three young sons attend school in the camp, his two school-aged daughters say they are still too traumatized by the conflict and intimidated by the large class sizes to go. As a result, Mohammed and his wife and daughters spend much of their time inside their shelter. "What else can refugees do?" he asked. After three years in exile with no end in sight, Mohammad says he is considering returning to the family's small farm in Syria's southern Dara'a province despite the danger. "We don't want to run away for the rest of our lives. Maybe it would be better to die quickly in Syria than the slow death we face here." The High Commissioner's visit, which includes stops in Turkey and Lebanon, marks a return to the Middle East having served as Commissioner-General of the UN Agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, from 2010 to 2014, after having been the organization's Deputy Commissioner-General since 2005. By Charlie Dunmore in Za'atari refugee camp, Jordan Female refugees face physical assault, exploitation and sexual harassment on their journey through Europe Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 18 January 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Female refugees face physical assault, exploitation and sexual harassment on their journey through Europe, 18 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569e07064.html [accessed 20 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. Governments and aid agencies are failing to provide even basic protections to women refugees traveling from Syria and Iraq. New research conducted by Amnesty International shows that women and girl refugees face violence, assault, exploitation and sexual harassment at every stage of their journey, including on European soil. The organization interviewed 40 refugee women and girls in northern Europe last month who travelled from Turkey to Greece and then across the Balkans. All the women described feeling threatened and unsafe during the journey. Many reported that in almost all of the countries they passed through they experienced physical abuse and financial exploitation, being groped or pressured to have sex by smugglers, security staff or other refugees. "After living through the horrors of the war in Iraq and Syria these women have risked everything to find safety for themselves and their children. But from the moment they begin this journey they are again exposed to violence and exploitation, with little support or protection," said Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International's Crisis Response director. Women and girls travelling alone and those accompanied only by their children felt particularly under threat in transit areas and camps in Hungary, Croatia and Greece, where they were forced to sleep alongside hundreds of refugee men. In some instances women left the designated areas to sleep in the open on the beach because they felt safer there. Women also reported having to use the same bathroom and shower facilities as men. One woman told Amnesty International that in a reception centre in Germany some refugee men would watch women as they went to the bathroom. Some women took extreme measures such as not eating or drinking to avoid having to go to the toilet where they felt unsafe. "If this humanitarian crisis was unfolding anywhere else in the world we would expect immediate practical steps to be taken to protect groups most at risk of abuse, such as women travelling alone and female-headed families. At a minimum, this would include setting up single sex, well-lit toilet facilities and separate safe sleeping areas. These women and their children have fled some of the world's most dangerous areas and it is shameful that they are still at risk on European soil," said Tirana Hassan. "While governments and those who provide services to refugees have started to put measures in place to help refugees, they must up their game. More steps need to be taken to ensure that refugee women, especially those most at risk, are identified and special processes and services are put in place to ensure that their basic rights, safety and security are protected." Amnesty International researchers spoke to seven pregnant women who described a lack of food and basic healthcare as well as being crushed at border and transit points during the journey. One Syrian woman was pregnant and breastfeeding her young daughter when she made the journey with her husband, said she was too scared to sleep in camps in Greece knowing she was surrounded by men. She also described how she went for several days without eating. A dozen of the women interviewed said that they had been touched, stroked or leered at in European transit camps. One 22-year-old Iraqi woman told Amnesty International that when she was in Germany a uniformed security guard offered to give her some clothes in exchange for "spending time alone" with him. "Nobody should have to take these dangerous routes in the first place. The best way to avoid abuses and exploitation by smugglers is for European governments to allow safe and legal routes from the outset. For those who have no other choice, it is completely unacceptable that their passage across Europe exposes them to further humiliation, uncertainty and insecurity," said Tirana Hassan. ADDITIONAL TESTIMONIES Sexual exploitation by smugglers Smugglers target women who are travelling alone knowing they are more vulnerable. When they lacked the financial resources to pay for their journey smugglers would often try to coerce them into having sex. At least three women said that smugglers and those working with the smugglers' network harassed them or others, and offered them a discounted trip or a shorter wait to get on the boat across the Mediterranean, in exchange for sex. Hala, a 23-year-old woman from Aleppo told Amnesty International, "At the hotel in Turkey, one of the men working with the smuggler, a Syrian man, said if I sleep with him, I will not pay or pay less. Of course I said no, it was disgusting. The same happened in Jordan to all of us." "My friend who came with me from Syria ran out of money in Turkey, so the smuggler's assistant offered her to have sex with him [in exchange for a place on a boat]; she of course said no, and couldn't leave Turkey, so she's staying there." Nahla, a 20-year old from Syria told Amnesty International "The smuggler was harassing me. He tried to touch me a couple of times. Only when my male cousin was around he did not come close. I was very afraid, especially that we hear stories along the way of women who can't afford the smugglers who would be given the option to sleep with the smugglers for a discount." Harassment and living in constant fear All of the women told Amnesty International that they were constantly scared during the journey across Europe. Women travelling alone were not only targeted by smugglers but felt physically threatened when forced to sleep in facilities with hundreds of single men. Several women also reported being beaten or verbally abused by security officers in Greece, Hungary and Slovenia. Reem, a 20-year-old from Syria who was travelling with her 15-year-old cousin: "I never got the chance to sleep in settlements. I was too scared that anyone would touch me. The tents were all mixed and I witnessed violence... I felt safer in movements, especially on the bus, the only place I could shut my eyes and sleep. In the camps we are so prone to being touched, and women can't really complain and they don't want to cause issues to disrupt their trip." Violence by police and conditions in the transit camps Women and girls reported filthy conditions in a number of transit camps, where food was limited and pregnant women in particular found little or no support. Women also reported that toilet facilities were often squalid and women felt unsafe as some sanitary facilities were not segregated by sex. For example, in at least two instances women were watched by men at the facility when they accessed the bathrooms. Some women also experienced direct violence from other refugees, as well as by police, particularly when tensions rose in cramped conditions and security forces intervened. Rania, a 19-year-old pregnant woman from Syria, told Amnesty International about her experience in Hungary: "The police then moved us to another place, which was even worse. It was full of cages and there wasn't any air coming in. We were locked up. We stayed there for two days. We received two meals a day. The toilets were worse than in the other camps, I feel like they mean to keep the toilets like that to make us suffer. "On our second day there, the police hit a Syrian woman from Aleppo because she begged the police to let her go Her sister tried to defend her, she spoke English, was told that if she doesn't shut up they will hit her like her sister. A similar situation happened to an Iranian woman the next day because she asked for extra food for her kids." Maryam, a 16-year-old from Syria: (In Greece) "People started screaming and shouting, so the police attacked us and was hitting everyone with sticks. They hit me on my arm with a stick. They even hit younger kids. They hit everyone even on the head. I got dizzy and I fell, people were stepping on me. I was crying and was separated from my mother. They called my name and I was with my mother. I showed them my arm and a police officer saw my arm and laughed, I asked for a doctor, they asked me and my mother to leave." Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Mumbai: Any film promotion is incomplete without visiting Bigg Boss house, where the film stars promote the film right before its release but 'Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive' stands out. The team went to promote the film even before the trailer launched. At the trailer launch, when asked Manish Paul about this, he said, "I have good relations with Salman Khan. Who would leave an opportunity to promote the film?" Except Manish, rest of the star cast will be seen in the sequel. When asked the actor about how well he connected with the cast on the sets being a new entrant, he said, "Initially I felt little left out but later I had a blast with all of them while shooting." The first franchise 'Tere Bin Laden' was a sleeper hit which featured Ali Zafar but director Abhishek Sharma chose Manish Paul for the sequel. When asked the director about his different choice for the second edition, he replied, "Ali's journey was over in the the first part. I knew that only Manish Paul could have done this role. You will understand this after seeing the film." Since the film deals with a sensitive issue, we asked the director if he had come across any threat so far for making two films on Osama Bin Laden, he funnily replied, "I have stopped picking calls from America, Pakistan and Syria." "I am interested in world politics so I made this film. All the big issues which have come in the past years were from American administration." Also read: Watch the hilarious trailer of 'Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive' Pradhuman Singh who became star overnight shared his struggle to get a film post the first edition. He said, "I became famous overnight after playing Osama in the first part. But later no work came to me. I did 2-3 flop films but I was able to pay my rent." "It was difficult to play laden in the first part because of the Pakistani dialect", he added. With the recent controversy of Kiku Sharda getting arrested just for mimicking Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim, entire industry stood in favor of the comedian. When asked the team of 'Tere Bin Laden' to react on this, they all said, "Its a personal call totally. Its killing of freedom of expression. We think it's not an offense." Fighting flu starts with a shot, and it's time for Texans to get one Mumbai: Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui's wife lodged a counter FIR against five fellow residents of a housing society here for allegedly rioting and threatening her after he was booked on the charge of assaulting and misbehaving with a woman over a parking row in the complex. Police said today the complaint by Siddiqui's wife Aaliya was lodged last night with Versova police against five persons of the housing society in suburban Andheri including the complainant, hours after she named the actor in an FIR alleging assault. Read: I have done nothing wrong: Nawazuddin Siddiqui "It's a cross complaint as yesterday afternoon a woman had lodged a case against the actor who stays in the same society. We have registered the FIR," a police official said. The statements of the actor, his wife, and the five persons named in the second FIR were recorded today, the official said. Siddiqui rejected the assault allegations against him as false. "Police did not summon me. But being a responsible person and citizen I came with my lawyer and recorded my statement. I briefed about the actual incident and told police that the complaint was false," he said. Police have booked the five persons under sections 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 147 (punishment for rioting), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 452 (house-trespass) etc. of IPC. The official said no arrests have been made so far in connection with both the cases. Versova police had last night registered an FIR against Siddiqui under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) after the woman filed complaint against the actor accusing him of assaulting her over the parking place row. The woman had claimed that the actor had slapped her during the heated exchange. Siddiqui's lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui said that the actor was considering filing a defamation suit against the complainant. "The actor may file a defamation suit against the complainant after the police files report in the case," he said. In a related development, a statement issued by Siddiqui's PR agency claimed that the woman who had filed FIR against the actor yesterday was not from the society. The actor was informed by the housing society not to park his four-wheeler at the place as it is reserved for parking two-wheelers, police said. "The complainant is not from society, neither in relation of the chairperson. It is completely a false allegation to defame the personality. In fact, five people had barged into our office and demanded to meet Siddiqui for some notice to be issued," the statement said. "When Mrs. Siddiqui asked them to hand over the notice, they denied saying they want to meet Nawaz and one of the five persons including the complainant, a lady aged 55 years, a guy aged 35-40 yrs and an aged man 65 yrs, pushed Mrs. Siddiqui. This is all because of old societal issues," it added. Is Highway 80 still a highway in Abilene? It's no longer a highway, but the city recognizes portions of it as streets. At one time, U.S. Highway 80 ran east-west through the middle of town, but now the official Texas Department of Transportation designation is Business Interstate 20. According to the city's street directory, West Highway 80 runs from Arnold Boulevard west to the city limits. It doesn't connect anymore with East Highway 80, which runs from Treadaway Boulevard east to I-20. East Highway 80 also has the honorary name of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Mike Saxton with the Abilene/Taylor County 911 District says that when the highway department terminated the Highway 80 designation, the city didn't make a change because all of the homes and businesses along the road would have had to change their addresses. So today we still have places such as the Towne Crier Steakhouse at 818 E. Highway 80. It's all a matter of perspective. For example, newcomers to Abilene might call the vacant school building on South First Street "that vacant school building on South First Street," while others refer to it as Lincoln Middle School or others Abilene High School. Occasionally in the newsroom, we still hear dispatchers refer to the "traffic circle." Once in a while, you might hear a longtimer refer to Rose Park as Fair Park. Almost no one knows whom the railroad tracks belong to, but it's not the Texas & Pacific, although there are still T&P signs on bridges downtown. The one name that has stuck around is the "new courthouse," to differentiate between the main courthouse and the one built in 1915. We still call it the "new courthouse" even though it is more than 40 years old. The city of Cisco lost one of its best ambassadors Sunday when Eris Ritchie died at his home at age 80. People who knew him well credited Ritchie with making it possible for the Cisco College Band and Wrangler Belles to become a tradition at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for many years and for the establishment of the Hilton Center in the old Mobley Hotel, the first owned by Conrad Hilton. "He always did what he thought was best for the community," said Bobby Smith, who retired Jan. 1 as president of Cisco College, where Ritchie formerly was band director and then director of public relations. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Cisco Church of Christ, directed by Kimbrough Funeral Home. Private interment will be held at Oakwood Cemetery. It has been several years since the Cisco College Band and Wrangler Belles participated in the Macy's parade, but when they did, it was a source of pride for the entire community. Roger Schustereit was president of Cisco College from 1988 to 2002 and now is serving as interim president after Smith's retirement. He went along with the band and the drill team on one of the New York City trips. "Had it not been for Eris Ritchie and his contacts," Schustereit said," those trips would not have been made." Smith, recently retired Cisco College president, said the same thing about Ritchie's involvement in creating and perpetuating the Conrad Hilton Memorial Park and Community Center. Smith said Ritchie made numerous trips to the Hilton headquarters in California to push for the support and financial assistance that created and sustains the community center. "None of that would have happened," he said, "if it hadn't been for Eris." Almost to his dying day, Ritchie continued to work for the future of the center, his brother Joe said. Two days before his death, Eris Ritchie asked his brother to write a letter to the executive secretary of the Hilton Foundation, Joe Ritchie said. "He was making sure procedures were OK," Ritchie said, "for after he was gone." Eris Ritchie was born April 18, 1935, in Athens, Alabama, the oldest of four children. The family moved to Troup, in East Texas, and Eris attended school there. He had an unusual aptitude for music, his brother said. He played several instruments and was drum major in high school. After graduating, Ritchie enrolled at Abilene Christian University, where he was drum major all four years while he earned a bachelor's degree in music education. He later earned a master's degree in school administration. After graduating, Ritchie was band director at Trent High School, Cisco High School and Cisco College before becoming public relations director for the college. Ritchie also was an entrepreneur, starting Southwest Enterprises in Cisco and two subsidiaries, Southwest Emblem and Southwest Camps. The emblem company supplies patches for University Interscholastic League music and academic competitions, and Southwest Camps organizes camps for cheerleaders and dance teams. Besides owning a successful business in Cisco, Ritchie served the community in various ways, from coordinating the Cisco Meals on Wheels program for 25 years to serving as mayor from 1981-86. Smith, retired from Cisco College, joked that Ritchie served much longer. "People considered him mayor even when he wasn't mayor," Smith said. One reason for Ritchie's success on both a personal and professional level was his personality, said Schustereit, former president of Cisco College who now is serving as interim president. He had a "persuasive ambience," Schustereit said. "His personality was amazing. He never met a stranger." Ritchie's brother Joe would vouch for that. "We were best friends," he said. Eris Ritchie was two years older than Joe. When Joe followed in his brother's footsteps to Abilene Christian University, he found those steps to be large ones. "I was always Eris Ritchie's little brother," he said. One of the people who knew Ritchie best in Cisco was Smith, Cisco College president. The first time the two met was when Smith was in sixth grade in Cisco and Ritchie was the band director. Smith played one year in band and then dropped out something Ritchie never forgot. "He always chided me about not continuing," Smith joked. Ritchie had left Cisco College when Smith went to work there in the late 1980s, but the two served together for 20 years on the board of trustees of the Conrad Hilton Memorial Park and Community Center. Smith said Ritchie always will be remembered as a kind, gentle, courteous, thoughtful man as well as a respected businessman and community ambassador. "He will be missed," Smith said. "He was a large part of our community for many, many years." Christopher Forte walked up to a lady in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march and leaned over to her. "Do you mind if I hold your hand?" he asked, as both walked briskly. "I would love to hold your hand," Lois Jay replied. "We need to be as one." Forte is white. Jay is black. On Monday, they were neither. They were as one, as were the 200-plus people who turned out for the annual march across the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge on Abilene's east side. Forte, an aspiring minister, carried a Bible and wore a dark suit, befitting his calling. Why was he there? "The Lord told me to attend," Forte replied. Apparently, the Lord had a hand in the entire event, with everyone joining together in singing, "Amazing Grace," "This Little Light of Mine," "This Is The Day," and other favorite hymns as they marched across the bridge and back to the starting point. The march, like thousands of others nationwide, is held each year on the Monday holiday that commemorates the birthday of the late Martin Luther King Jr., born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. A Baptist minister and social activist, King led the Civil Rights Movement that began in the mid-1950s and culminated with federal Civil Rights legislation in the mid-1960s. On Monday, Abilenians black, white, young and old literally and figuratively joined hands as a sign that what King started is still moving forward. The march was more like a parade, with colorful signs, bicycles, small children in strollers, even a smattering of dogs getting involved. A group led the parade carrying a "Martin Luther King Jr." banner, while another person carried an American flag alongside. Signs were plentiful, many with quotations from the slain Civil Rights leader. One boy walked with his family and carried a handmade poster with one of King's more memorable quotations: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." An older man, Joe Kimbrough, 89, valiantly braved the brisk wind, steadying himself with his walker. He made the entire march, traveling over the crest of the bridge and back. Kimbrough, a retired pharmacist with Kimbrough-Templeton Pharmacy, said he had been meaning to join the march for years to honor a man he called a great American hero. He just hadn't gotten around to it until this year. "I may not have another chance," he said. At the end of the march, Michael T. Royals spoke about Jesus' admonition to go the second mile when asked to walk one mile. "That's what we need to do," Royals said. "Martin Luther King went the second mile." Royals is the son of the late Claudie Royals, a longtime champion for civil rights in Abilene. Speaking directly to the many children in the crowd, Royals urged them to do a little extra the next time a parent asks them to carry out the trash. "Go the second mile," he said, "and do your room." As the gathering broke up, a group of black children and an adult from The Factory ministry talked about what they knew about King. The children, ages 7 to 16, all knew much about the man who paved the way so that they could enjoy the life they have today. "Equality," is what he preached, one young man said. "He got shot," another said. And then, one young lady gave a response that would have put a smile on the face of the man who delivered a speech destined for the history books on Aug. 28, 19639, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. "I have dream," the young lady began, and recited much of the speech. Before the crowd dispersed entirely, Royals led a prayer and asked those present to leave with a question and then, to find an answer. "What can I do to make this a better place?" is the question each person should ask, he said. 'Egregious' is how United States Secretary of State John Kerry described North Korea's reckless international provocations, including brutal executions of people who incur the wrath of leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea began 2016 by detonating a nuclear device that Pyongyang describes as a hydrogen bomb. Apparently, that is an exaggeration but the event nonetheless is ominous. While visiting South Korea in May, Kerry emphasized a North Korea test of a submarine launched ballistic missile was clear evidence of disinterest in joining the international community. He spoke at a joint press conference with South Korea Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, rightly underscoring the close long-established alliance between our two nations. In moving forward, Washington should be guided by two fundamental considerations. First, for years, North Korea has been characterized by erratic, inconsistent behavior. Second, effective defense against nuclear missiles now becomes even more important. In 2013, North Korea announced a 'state of war' with South Korea and threatened nuclear attack. Pyongyang abruptly abrogated the 1953 armistice agreement ending the Korean War, and cut the military 'hotline' communications link with the south. North Korea also temporarily prevented South Korean workers from entering the Kaesong industrial center, located six miles north of the DMZ. But there was no war, Kaesong was reopened, and Pyongyang made positive moves including reunion of previously separated families. The now well-established pattern of inconsistency may signal power struggles below Kim Jong Un. In May, Kerry also publicly mentioned the possible deployment in South Korea of the Lockheed-Martin THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) system. In 2013, the Pentagon expanded anti-ballistic missile defenses on the U.S. West Coast. Simultaneously, THAAD was sent to Guam, a potential target. In 2009, THAAD was sent to Hawaii for the same reason. Along with South Korea, Kerry visited China for discussions with senior foreign policy counterparts. The talks were reportedly positive and avoided THAAD deployment, strongly opposed by Beijing. Opposition is understandable, but China should not be allowed a veto over essential national security needs of South Korea and the U.S. Publicly raising THAAD deployment again is prudent, as a deterrent to any temptation in Pyongyang to attack either South Korea or eventually the United States. Beyond deterrence, opportunities exist for further positive cooperation in Northeast Asia. These continue despite regular scare headlines regarding North Korea's extreme and threatening behavior, and China's military buildup and maritime provocations. South Korea's substantial investment in and trade with China grows, while North Korea remains a costly, dependent though fellow communist state. China President Xi Jinping visited Seoul soon after taking office. He has not visited North Korea. China's foreign policy reflects calculated self-interest, and a long history of caution regarding the use of military force. North Korea is an economic drain and a military source of worry. =The Pacific region overall provides a promising context for positive international cooperation. The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations are successful so far, and reflect an expanding framework to facilitate steadily growing trade and investment across the vast region. South Korean President Park Geun-hye has remained calm and consistent in emphasizing strong military defense and also the possibilities for cooperation. She personifies South Korea as a formidable, effective and sensible U.S. ally. Kerry deserves credit for dedicated effort, disciplined negotiations and phenomenal energy, demonstrated not only in East Asia but on a global basis. A final year in office can confirm outstanding leadership. Email Arthur I. Cyr, Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College, at acyr@carthage.edu Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Hong Kong's government has moved to play down fears that Chinese law enforcement agencies now operate freely within the city's separate jurisdiction as police in the neighboring province of Guangdong confirmed they are holding one of five Hong Kong booksellers missing since last October. Speaking after Guangdong officials finally confirmed that Hong Kong resident Lee Bo is in mainland China, Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying dismissed criticisms that the case shows an inadequate level of communication with mainland Chinese authorities across the internal border. Leung told reporters on Tuesday: "We shouldn't speculate. All comments made should be based on facts." The uncertain status of Lee Bo, who manages the Causeway Bay bookstore which has seen four other employees and shareholders go missing, believed detained by Chinese police in recent weeks, sparked protests in the former British colony amid growing fears that traditional freedoms promised under the 1997 handover to China are now under threat. Hong Kong officials have made an official request to meet with Lee to get more information, Leung said. Lee, 65, was last seen at work on Dec. 30, the latest in a string of disappearances linked to Causeway Bay Books. He had no travel documents with him at the time, and there are no records of his having left Hong Kong. Four of his associates, publisher Gui Minhai, general manager Lui Bo, and colleagues Cheung Jiping and Lam Wing-kei have gone missing under similar circumstances since October. Some of the detainees have called to let their families know they are alive and well, and are now widely believed to be in detention in China, amid huge public concern that they were taken there unofficially by Chinese police. Thousands protest Earlier this month, thousands of people marched to Beijing's central government liaison office in Hong Kong from government headquarters in protest at the disappearances. On Sunday, China confirmed it had detained Lee's business associate Gui Minhai, who disappeared from a Thai beach resort in October, saying he had returned to China to hand himself over to the authorities in connection with a road accident 10 years ago. Gui, who holds a Swedish passport, was seen on state-run television CCTV's news programme "confessing" to causing the death of a college student while driving drunk. Gui's U.K.-based daughter, who gave only a nickname Angela, said she had never heard that her father had been involved in a road accident that killed someone. "I don't know about this, so I have no way to comment, but I don't think that my father went willingly back to mainland China," she said. "That doesn't make any sense." She said the family has yet to receive any formal notification of Gui's detention from Chinese authorities. Little trust In Hong Kong, pan-democratic lawmaker and rights activist Leung Kwok-hung said he doesn't believe the "car accident" story. "It depends how much trust we place in the Chinese government," Leung said. "All five of them were part of Causeway Bay books, and all five of them disappeared without a trace, and now they're saying he turned himself in." "I think that's highly dubious." Hong Kong political affairs commentator Camoes Tam agreed. "The only thing I can say about this is that I am highly suspicious," he said. "It's similar to a kidnapped person telling everyone they're OK, and what they have to do to secure their release." "We just need to look at the fact that he is now in mainland China, and at what their human rights record is," Tam said. Meanwhile, Hong Kong documentary filmmaker Han Yan said the taped "confession" was likely edited from more than one recording session, pointing out via her Twitter account that Gui's T-shirt had changed color from one shot to the next. "T-shirt inconsistent in Gui Minhai interview," Han tweeted. "In film we call these goofs. Oh wait, it's not film, it's CCTV 'news'." 'Different systems' Meanwhile, official Chinese media denied that the one country, two systems promise made to Hong Kong, which runs a separate legal and administrative jurisdiction with its own laws and immigration controls, is under threat. "Hong Kong and the mainland should not confront each other," the Global Times newspaper, which has close ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party, said in an editorial. "The difference of judiciary systems in the two parts should not be highlighted and distorted as a crackdown on freedom in Hong Kong," it said, adding: "Mainland society is willing to see Hong Kong exercise its independent judiciary." Pan-democratic politicians have hit out at the Hong Kong government's handling of the case. "The sequence of events indicates that this government seems powerless to act," Anson Chan, former second-in-command to the last colonial governor Chris Patten. "If Mr CY Leung is not getting a satisfactory answer from his counterpart in the mainland, he needs to take this up at the highest level of authority in Beijing," Chan told Hong Kong government broadcaster RTHK. And pan-democratic lawmaker Kenneth Chan said Hong Kong's Legislative Council should carry out its own investigation into the case of the five booksellers. "I think a chain of enquiries and investigations must now begin, as to why any Hong Kong citizen ... [can be] 'disappeared', kidnapped, abducted by [a] mainland Chinese enforcement authority," Chan told RTHK. Link to planned book Fellow publisher and independent writer Meng Lang said many of Gui's friends and fellow authors are very worried. "A lot of us are worried about Gui Minhai and about all five of the Causeway Bay Books guys," Meng told RFA. "But we have no other sources of information. All we can do is hope that the Chinese authorities tell us the truth about what really happened." "But it seems they are making it up and editing the script as they go along." Commentators say the men's disappearances could be linked to plans to publish a political book containing a story about an old love interest of President Xi Jinping's. Official Chinese media commentaries have accused the store of peddling "forbidden books" deliberately targeting mainland Chinese tourists with their "malicious content." But a Causeway Bay Books customer surnamed Hui said he sees the disappearances as part of a broader crackdown on dissent launched by President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012. "They crack down on anything that doesn't suit them," Hui said. "But it's unreasonable, because readers are curious, and there are some books you can only get in Hong Kong, that can give them knowledge they didn't have." "Some people just want to get at the truth." Reported by Hai Nan for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Xin Lin for the Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. Mumbai: Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor is currently busy shooting for his upcoming film Rangoon. Ever since the actor shaved off his beard, hes been sporting a sleek moustache look for his film. Just a couple of hours ago, the actor took to his official Instagram and shared a fresh new picture from his films sets. Sporting a brown aviator, we see the actor dressed in black jacket. 'Rangoon' directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, is a classic tale that is set against the backdrop of World War II. The director who wanted to work on this subject since eight years now, promises that the film will have the musical charm of 'Moulin Rouge', the romance of 'Casablanca' and the intensity of 'Saving Private Ryan'. In this love triangle, well see Saif playing the character of a filmmaker, Kangana as an actress from the 40s and Shahid playing the role of an army officer. The film is being produced by Sajid Nadiawala. Chinese women's rights activists have welcomed the landslide election victory of Tsai Ing-wen, who led her opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to victory in general elections on the island at the weekend. While the ruling Chinese Communist Party struck a warning note after the DPP won both presidency and a parliamentary majority, saying her win posed "grave challenges" to peaceful ties with Beijing, grassroots activists said they see Tsai's historic presidency as an inspiration. "It's extremely significant that a woman has won this election," Beijing rights activist Li Tingting, one of five feminists detained ahead of International Women's Day last year, told RFA. "It's not a common occurrence anywhere in history for a woman to become a head of state," Li said. "And not only that, she's in the greater China region, so she will definitely have an impact on women in mainland China." "She'll be an inspiration to women, but she'll also make the men sit up and take notice." Tsai's path to the top hasn't all been plain sailing. She lost to incumbent nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) president Ma Ying-jeou in the 2012 presidential race, later resigning her chairmanship of the DPP as she conceded defeat. But she also vowed to make a comeback in the years that followed, largely because of her strong conviction that Taiwan needs a political opposition. "We will be back; we won't give up," she told a news conference at the time, and was voted back in as party chairman in 2014. Gender not an issue Guangzhou-based women's rights activist Zhao Sile, however, said Tsai's eventual victory didn't come because voters wanted a woman in charge. "They did public opinion surveys at the time that showed that around 70 percent of voters didn't care one way or the other about getting Taiwan's first ever female leader," Zhao said. "Tsai herself didn't make her gender an issue during her campaign, and she didn't talk much about women's rights or gender equality, either," she said. But Zhao said Tsai's election win is good news for women in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. "Assuming she serves as Taiwan president for four years, or even eight years, this will mean that people [in the region] get used to seeing a woman in a position of political power," she said. "She's also more likely to feel a certain moral pressure to pay more attention to women's issues in her policies." Zhao said she hoped Tsai would speak out on behalf of women's rights activists across the Taiwan Strait, amid an ongoing crackdown by the ruling Chinese Communist Party on non-government organizations (NGOs). Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. A high-level U.S. diplomat called for the release of political prisoners and detained student activists during a meeting with Myanmar political leaders on Monday to discuss the upcoming political power transition following last years landmark elections. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy (NLD) party swept general elections in early November, as well as incumbent President Thein Sein. Blinken also met Vice Senior General Soe Win, who is deputy commander-in-chief of defense services, and Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in the capital Naypyidaw to discuss the countrys transition to democracy. He urged Thein Seins quasi-civilian Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) government to free all remaining political prisoners before the new NLD government is formed in March. Although the president has released some prisoners as part of the countrys reform process, many others remained jailed, including some of those sentenced under the military junta that ruled Myanmar for five decades until 2011. One of the hallmarks of the reform process is that 1,300 or more political prisoners were released, Blinken said during the press conference. But political prisoners remain, and others are in the process of being prosecuted. It would be a fitting completion of that legacy [of reform] to release all political prisoners so that by the time the transition is complete and the new government takes office, no one is in prison for their political views, he said. Blinken also called on the government to protect human rights for all people, no matter their ethnicity or religion, referring to the ethnic Rohingya Muslim minority group that predominantly lives in western Myanmars Rakhine state. As progress is made, we hope that the focus in Rakhine state can turn to overcoming challenges, underdevelopment, and social division that are holding back all the people in the state, it said. Myanmars government views the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though many have lived in the country for generations. Some 140,000 Rohingya, who were displaced during communal violence with ethnic Buddhists in 2012, live in squalid camps in Rakhine state, while thousands of others have risked their lives at sea in an effort to flee persecution in the Buddhist-dominated nation. Imprisoned student demonstrators Blinken also urged the government to release student activists jailed during a peaceful demonstration against a controversial education law last March in the central Myanmar town of Letpadan. Nearly 130 students and their supporters were arrested following a violent police crackdown on the demonstrators. More than 60 of them remain in prison awaiting trial. Blinken said the U.S. expected closer relations with the incoming NLD government and that the country was committed to supporting Myanmar citizens in their pursuit of democracy, development, and national reconciliation. Since 2012, we have provided more than $500 million in support of Myanmars reform process, including implementation of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and efforts to increase the participation of civil society and women in the peace process, he said. The current government signed a so-called nationwide peace accord with eight of the countrys armed ethnic armies last October. Aung San Suu Kyi said last week during a peace conference in Naypyidaw that the NLD government would work hard to build peace with separatist ethnic armies left out of the agreement. Reforms need to continue until an elected civilian government is truly sovereign, and all the country's institutions answer to the people, Blinken said. The United States will work in close partnership with the new government to support its efforts to achieve these goals. Blinkens tour of Asia is also taking him to Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo to consult with U.S. allies in the region, hold interim Strategic Security Dialogue talks with the Chinese government, and discuss regional and global issues, according to a State Department release. Reported Win Naing for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Officials from four countries that are trying to draft a road map for an eventual peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan say they will meet in Islamabad for a third round of talks on February 6. The meeting of diplomats from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States, and China was announced after they completed talks in Kabul on January 18. A joint statement issued after those talks said progress was made towards initiating peace talks with Taliban groups. But it did not provide further details about those results or information about which Taliban factions might be willing to join future peace talks. Afghanistans Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani called on all Taliban factions to join talks with the Afghan government or risk being sidelined from any future settlement. He said any delay in coming to the table will put the Taliban in a corner. Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters Reports from southwestern Afghanistan say the Taliban is threatening on January 19 to capture three key strategic districts in Helmand Province. The fierce fighting between the Taliban and Afghan government forces has stoked concerns about recent gains by the militants in their traditional homeland. The provincial police chief, Abdul Rahman Sarjang, told reporters that the government in Kabul has sent reinforcements to the districts of Gereshk, Sangin, and Marjeh -- all near the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah. The districts are all close to the Helmand River and are centers of opium cultivation. The Taliban, which draws funds from the illegal opium trade, has stepped up its pressure on security forces there since the withdrawal of international forces from combat in 2015. Reports say that some of the fighting in the area on January 19 was just a few hundred meters from the main highway that links the southern city of Kandahar with the Western city of Herat. Based on reporting by Reuters and AP Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has offered to take the case of jailed Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova to the European Court of Human Rights. Ismayilova, an RFE/RL contributor, and her lawyer are said to be considering Clooney's offer. Clooney, the wife of Hollywood actor George Clooney, has taken on several prominent cases in recent years in such countries as Egypt, Armenia, and the Maldives, defending people imprisoned on charges often seen by human rights groups as politically motivated. Ismayilova was sentenced in September 2015 to 7 1/2 years in prison on charges widely viewed as being trumped up in retaliation for her reports linking family members of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to massive business and real estate holdings. Azerbaijans parliament has approved a package of measures aimed at coping with an economic and financial crisis caused by plunging energy prices. Lawmakers approved the plan proposed by central bank chief Elman Rustamov on January 19. It follows protests against poverty across the oil-rich South Caucasus state, where a steep decline in the value of the national currency, the manat, has sent consumer prices rising. The crisis plan includes a 20 percent fee on foreign exchange taken out of the country for investment abroad. From February 1, the insurance limit on deposits held in local banks would be removed, and a 10 percent tax on interest paid on bank deposits lifted. These measures will help maintain economic stability in the country, Rustamov told parliament, which is dominated by the ruling New Azerbaijan Party and lawmakers loyal to the government. Global oversupply has led to a more than 70 percent collapse in oil prices over the last 18 months, dramatically affecting the currency and budget of Azerbaijan and other energy-dependent nations. The manat has lost about one-third of its value against the dollar since December, when the central bank relinquished control of its exchange rate in a move that prompted many Azeris to withdraw their savings. In an effort to try to support the manat, Azerbaijani authorities have spent more than half of the countrys foreign currency reserves and last week limited the sale of foreign currency to bank offices and exchange booths at airports and hotels. Public anger has mounted, with Azerbaijanis taking to the streets across the country to protest worsening economic conditions. On January 15, at least 55 demonstrators were detained after clashes with police in the town of Siyazan, north of Baku. Several arrests also took place during a rally in the northeastern Quba district. A number of local officials and police officers were detained in the Fuzuli district for letting a rally take place there. Authorities blamed opposition parties for organizing the "illegal" rallies and detained regional leaders of the Popular Front (AXCP) and Musavat parties. The opposition denied the accusation. On January 18, smaller rallies were held in the Astara and Calilabad districts. President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on January 18 on increasing the minimum pensions and salaries of state employees by 10 percent from February 1 in a country where the average monthly salary is 460 manats ($287). Aliyev told the government to prepare a broad privatization program that would draw in foreign and local investors and to look into opportunities to borrow more money abroad. He also promised measures to consolidate the banking system. With reporting by Reuters and Bloomberg.com What do a Kurdish Peshmerga fighter, a Russian villager, and an American miner have in common? They have all been adversely affected by plunging oil prices. For many Western consumers, plummeting prices mean paying less to heat their homes and drive their cars. But cheap oil, at its lowest price in over a decade, is also having far-reaching and unexpected geopolitical and economic consequences around the world. War On Islamic State Low oil prices complicate Iraq's military campaign against Islamic State (IS) militants, who control large parts of the north and west of the country. The Kurdistan regional government, a semiautonomous entity in northern Iraq that is heavily dependent on oil revenue, has accumulated $18 billion in debt, threatening its ability to pay the salaries of its security forces and public workers. That means trouble for the fight against Islamic State because the Kurdish Peshmerga has been one of the most successful in beating back the extremist group. In cash-strapped Iraq as a whole, the oil-price plunge has caused severe problems. The country depends on oil for 95 percent of its budget, meaning price drops can affect everyone and everything. In terms of Iraq's challenging effort to turn back IS, less cash impedes Baghdad's ability to buy military equipment, pay its security forces, and rebuild cities that have been wrested from IS fighters. The situation could leave Baghdad to look to other interested parties to help fund the fight. "Iraqi and Kurdish fighters have not been paid for a few months," says Justin Dargin, a Middle East energy expert at the University of Oxford. "At the same time, there is a very strong international effort to confront [Islamic State] so Iraq is not going alone in this. What we will see is an effort from the United States and perhaps the European Union to plug in the budgetary shortfalls when it comes to security-related expenditures." The United States granted the Iraqi government $1.6 billion in security assistance for 2015. In addition, Baghdad obtained a $1.7 billion loan in July 2015 from the World Bank for economic development. Islamic State's War Machine Oil is one of the main sources of revenue for the extremist group, which is believed to have generated tens of millions of dollars a month by producing and smuggling Syrian and Iraqi oil. Amid the claims, Washington and Moscow have intensified their pressure on the group by targeting infrastructure that allows the group to produce oil in Syria. In addition to military tactics targeting production capability, analysts say low oil prices will also impact IS's ability to generate cash. "[Islamic State militants] transport oil and provide security as well for certain middle men. It's deeply integrated in the transport of oil into southern Turkey," says Dargin. "There are people buying that oil on the other side of the Turkish border. I would say that is where [IS] obtains the majority of its revenue." Saudi Soft Power Sinking oil prices not only pinch Saudi Arabia's budget, they could crimp Riyadh's ability to project its influence in its own backyard. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest producer of oil and among the globe's richest countries, is under severe economic strain. Riyadh is planning cuts to construction projects and introducing new taxes to help sustain its lavishly funded social-welfare system. One surprising move, for example, saw the country cut gasoline subsidies for the first time. Should things continue on their current course, the International Monetary Fund predicts, the monarchy could go bankrupt in five years. "Saudi Arabia is in a far better financial position than almost all the other OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) countries in terms of having plenty of money in the bank and having very low debt," says Spencer Welch, oil markets analyst at IHS Jane's. "But that doesn't mean that they're not going to change and adapt," says Welch, adding that he doubts Riyadh would cut funding for foreign-policy commitments, or defense and security spending. One area where there could be cuts, however, is in the arena of soft power: a reduction of aid projects in foreign countries, for example, or less financing for media organizations, think tanks, academic institutions, religious schools, and charities. There is already speculation that Saudi financial support for Egypt, a key regional ally, is starting to dry up. Media Beacon Dims? Bankrolled by oil-rich Qatar, Al-Jazeera America was launched with great fanfare in 2013 with ambitions to rival domestic heavyweights such as Fox News and CNN. After pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into its North American cable channel, however, Al-Jazeera America recently announced that it would pull the plug on April 30. The channel, which suffered from poor ratings, explained that its business model was "simply not sustainable." But considering that a barrel of oil was selling for around $98 when the channel was launched, and is now selling for under $30, it is reasonable to assume that Qatar could not simply throw money at its effort to gain a foothold in the established U.S. media market. Price Wars In anticipation of the lifting of economic sanctions following the implementation of its nuclear accord with world powers, Iran's game plan has been to reap the benefits of its natural resource wealth by increasing oil exports. But low oil prices should temper Iran's expectations. Tehran has indicated that, despite the downturn of fortune, it will nevertheless increase oil production and export as planned. In doing so, Iran will pit itself against regional rival Saudi Arabia, which facilitated the current price drop months ago by refusing to lower production, sacrificing revenue in order to preserve market share and weed out nontraditional producers. With an extra half million barrels of Iranian oil expected to flood the market following the implementation of the nuclear deal, analysts now predict a price war between the Middle East rivals. "The Iranians have indicated that they will produce and export as much oil as they can and more or less engage in a price war with Saudi Arabia," says Dargin. "The Saudis have not restricted their production and exports, and Iran says, 'Why should we?' And Iran is in a more precarious economic situation." "Iran will be trying to recapture its lost market share," says IHS analyst Welch. "Those buyers have been buying alternative crude and they're only going to swing back to Iran if the price is attractive, so it's going to be competition." Shale Boom Bust U.S. consumers will see a windfall of around $700 million a year as a result of lower oil prices, and that money is fueling stronger consumer demand. But the low price of oil is also negatively affecting the booming U.S. energy industry. The flooding of the world market with oil has priced out U.S. shale, which is relatively expensive to produce and is seen as one of the threats that Saudi Arabia was keen on eliminating. Shale drillers in the United States have slashed spending and tens of thousands of workers this year as prices have fallen. Last year, the International Energy Agency said low oil prices would "slam the brakes" on the fledgling U.S. shale industry. BRICS Fall Plunging oil prices are a mixed bag for the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), developing economies that were seen as being on the cusp of greatness. Of the BRICs, China and India -- which are not net oil importers -- are reaping the benefits of cheaper prices. But it is bad news for Russia and Brazil, both oil exporters. Tumbling oil prices have brought Brazil to the brink of economic collapse, with the world's seventh largest economy sinking into recession. Russia has been forced to dip heavily into its hard-currency reserves and its currency, the ruble, is approaching historic lows. Moscow, which was in recession in 2015 according to economists, is running a budget deficit of 3 percent of gross domestic product this year, and the government is looking to cut 10 percent from the federal budget. WASHINGTON -- The White House says a retired FBI agent believed held captive in Iran since vanishing eight years ago is still alive but is no longer in Iran. The comments January 19 by White House spokesman Josh Earnest came in response to criticism by the family of Robert Levinson, who went missing in 2007 while on a business trip to Iran. Over the weekend, Iran and the United States agreed on a prisoner swap as the EU and United States began lifting crippling sanctions against Tehran. The sanctions had been imposed in response to Western suspicions that Iran's atomic energy program was aimed at building nuclear weapons, something Tehran had long denied. Five American citizens were released in the prisoner swap. Seven Iranians -- six of whom have dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship and one Iranian -- were set free by the United States and arrest warrants for 14 others were scrapped. All had been accused or convicted of violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran. One of the things that was actually secured in this agreement was a specific commitment from the Iranians to help us locate Mr. Levinson," Earnest told reporters. "Now, as we mentioned several years ago, we have reason to believe that he no longer is in Iran. And that's why we continue to press for information about his whereabouts. He did not say where the U.S. government thinks Levinson might be. Levinson's family praised the release of the U.S. prisoners in Iran, but said in a statement on Facebook that "once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind." In 2013, the AP news agency reported that Levinson -- who was working as a private investigator after retiring as a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI agent -- vanished in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence-gathering mission. That report was later confirmed by Levinson's wife to CBS News. Levinson -- who has some serious health ailments -- was last seen alive in a video sent viewed by the Levinson family in late 2010. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit and had an extremely long, unkempt beard. With reporting by AP and AFP Iranian authorities tried to prevent the Iranian wife of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian from leaving the country with him, his brother Ali Rezaian told CNN. Rezaian and four other Iranian-Americans were released in a prisoner swap over the weekend. Iran announced their release on January 16 on the same day as international sanctions on Tehran were lifted. "The Iranians, as they have done all along, continued to manipulate them, continued to try and mess with them, and prevented [Rezaian's wife] from leaving for some period of time," Ali Rezaian said. He added that "the U.S. stuck to its guns and that Rezaians wife left with him. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on January 17 that a delay in the departure of the plane taking some of the prisoners from Iran was partly due to a "temporary misunderstanding" about whether Rezaian's mother and his wife were on the plane, as agreed. Rezaian and two other freed Americans arrived in Germany on January 17, where they were undergoing medical evaluations. I want people to know that physically I'm feeling good," The Washington Post quoted Rezaian as saying. Under the prisoner swap deal, the United States on January 16 offered clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens, who had been convicted or are pending trial in the United States. The prisoner swap took place after 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland. Based on reporting by CNN and Reuters